《Regressor Instruction Manual》


 Chapter 1: My talent level is below average (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1: My talent level is below average (1)</h4>


    [Start the tutorial.]


    ¡°What is this¡­¡±


    I spat out curses while I looked around at the interior of a darkened structure.


    In the dim light, I could see some unknown patterns.


    It was apletely different shape than any building on Earth. It was the first time I¡¯d ever seen anything like it, so naturally, my mouth fell open.


    I¡¯ve never been inside a pyramid, but I¡¯m sure it would look like this.


    In this unrealistic situation, I took a moment to roll my eyes.


    Myst memory was of eating with my sister.


    ¡®What happened? What the hell¡­¡¯


    If I recall, it was like this.


    I got an unfamiliar Kakaotalk message on my phone.1


    -Do you want to join the game?-


    I thought it was a game invitation from a friend, and I just clicked the button without thinking about it.


    That was it.


    That was the only thing I could remember.


    My legs were trembling. I couldn¡¯tprehend the situation.


    Suddenly, I found myself somewhere I¡¯d never seen before in my life.


    It was no wonder that I couldn¡¯t understand it.


    What stood out was the atmosphere here.


    It was like a horror movie that would terrify most people.


    Before I could think of anything else, I heard several voices around me.


    ¡°Hey, where are we?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask me. I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Well, is anyone else here? What the hell is this ce¡­ And why are there swords and weapons here?¡±


    ¡°If I knew that, would we be doing this? I think we¡¯re all in the same situation. Do you remember anything?¡±


    ¡°Hey! Is anyone there? Hey!¡±


    People started talking.


    Someone was sitting on the floor, pinching their cheek to see if this was a dream.


    They were all different.


    ¡®It¡¯s not a dream.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t a dream, and I wasn¡¯t alone.


    It seemed ridiculously smooth.


    When I swallowed for a moment, a sound rang in the small cave.


    [yers are invited to this world. We sent an invitation to the yer, and the yer epted it. You were chosen as a hero to save the dying continent.]


    ¡°My god! What a hero!¡±


    ¡°Quit messing around in there ande out, you bastards!¡±


    ¡°Sir, I¡¯ll call the police. Sir, I¡¯m calling the police.¡±


    ¡°Is there a hidden camera? I¡¯ll sue. This is aint!¡±


    [But not everyone can head to the continent. The only people eligible to go are those few who passed the tutorial.]


    ¡°What nonsense!¡±


    [Please pay attention to what I say next. It¡¯s directly rted to your survival.]


    I suddenly sobered up.


    Because in this weird atmosphere, I heard the word ¡°survival¡±.


    [Let me repeat that. Only those who survive this tutorial will be allowed to go to the continent.]


    ¡°What¡­ Are you saying you¡¯ll kill me?¡±


    [It¡¯s up to you, too. What I¡¯m talking about now is your survival. It¡¯s essential if you want to keep living. This is not a dream. This is reality you¡¯re faced with. I wouldn¡¯t rmend denying it. Because I have an obligation to help you as your guide in this tutorial.]


    ¡°Don¡¯t mess with me! Christ!¡±


    ¡°Please let me out of here. I¡¯m begging you.¡±


    I heard a number of voices, but that damn woman¡¯s exnation kept going calmly.


    [The guide will now begin. Firstly, where you are now is a starting point where you can wait before you begin the tutorial. You can think of it as a waiting room. The starting point contains essential items for you. Water, food, and the weapons you¡¯ll be usingter. Weapon rarities can range frommon, rare, heroic, and legendary, but all of the ones here are inferior tomon weapons.]2


    Some things definitely stood out. The water bottle ced in the corner was made out of leather, rather than stic like it would be on Earth.


    That wasn¡¯t all.


    Of course, having never seen them before, the weapons were the most conspicuous.


    Bows and arrows, swords and shields, spears and maces.


    The presence of a wide variety of weapons that would be used in the Middle Ages was certainly alien.


    ¡®These are the real deal.¡¯


    They weren¡¯t fake.


    For the most part, the swords were dull and the weapons were old, but there were a few sharp ones.


    A sense of reality began to set in.


    [You can protect yourself with the weapons here. The goal of this tutorial is to survive and attack. Besides you, there will also be monsters, the inhabitants of the continent. They will be targeting you, and you¡¯ll have to fight them.]


    It was just like a fantasy novel.


    What was interesting was that fewer and fewer people were shouting.


    I began to focus on the sound of that voice.


    Well, I felt nauseous asionally, but that was all.


    [Of course, it might be difficult to face them with your own power. But don¡¯t worry. This is not the only thing prepared for you.]


    ¡°What the hell is this¡­¡±


    [You are the chosen yers. You came here with different personalities and from different ces. This ce will make your characteristics stronger and help you grow. You¡¯ll understand what I¡¯m talking about if you say status window.]


    For now, I didn¡¯t say ¡°status window¡±.


    I felt like I should proceed carefully in situations where I didn¡¯t know what would happen.


    As expected, someone was muttering it in a timely manner.


    ¡°Status window.¡±


    ¡°Status window? Huh? What¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°Kyaak!¡±


    A woman screamed, shocked by what she saw in the air.


    [The status window shows your current condition. Depending on how much you try, your stats may go up or down. Next is your ss. You can be a warrior, mage, priest, or archer, and there are branches based on yourter achievements. For example, a warrior can be a barbarian, and a barbarian can advance into a berserker. There are countless paths, and it¡¯s up to you which one to take.]


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    [ss grades aremon, rare, heroic, and legendary. However, if you are a mage or priest, you will inevitably need an affinity for holy power or magic. Please also understand that some sses cannot be selected. You¡¯ll be able to choose a ss when you get missions, hidden quests, or enough experience.]


    ¡®A ss.¡¯


    The more I listened, the more simr it was to a story I¡¯ve heard somewhere. It would be best to call it a system simr to a video game.


    It could be said that priests and wizards were umon here.


    If there really were monsters heading to this side, I thought most would avoid warriors.


    No one would want to fight on behalf of everyone else.


    I opened my mouth right away.


    ¡°Status window.¡±


    [Name: Lee Ki-young]


    [Title: None. You should try a little harder.]


    [Age: 25]


    [Disposition: Careful strategist]


    [ss: None]


    [Stats]


    [Strength: 10]


    [Agility: 11]


    [Stamina: 11]


    [Intelligence: 19]


    [Endurance: 12]


    [Luck: 21]


    [Magic: 00]


    [Equipment: None]


    I wasn¡¯t used to seeing the sudden floating screen.


    When I quietly opened my mouth, feeling like I was in a game, I heard a woman¡¯s voice again.


    [Thest thing is your attributes. Every time you get to a certain level, you get a new attribute. Attributes will vary from yer to yer and, like your ss, are determined by your personality. The most important thing is the yer¡¯s personality. As with sses, there are four grades:mon, rare, heroic, and legendary, and as you go up, you get better performance.]


    ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    [Attributes are also gained simrly to sses. As with your ss, your attributes can also have a huge impact on your growth, so please choose carefully.]


    In fact, I couldn¡¯t concentrate on thest part.


    Because I could see the letters disyed on the bottom of the status window.


    [Attribute: Heroic grade: Do you want to read it?]


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    The words ¡°Heroic grade¡± were shining in purple.


    The attributes were clearly categorized intomon, rare, heroic, and legendary grade. It was an attribute that could be developedter, depending on the yer¡¯s personality.


    ¡®Okay.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know why I had this in the beginning, or if this was even real, but it wasn¡¯t a bad start.


    Only


    [Attribute]


    [Mind¡¯s Eye: Heroic]


    [You can view statuses for yourself and others and see hidden talent ratings.]


    I didn¡¯t know if this was good or not, but getting something at the start gave me a big advantage.


    The woman clearly said the goal was to survive.


    ¡®Survival.¡¯


    We had to survive.


    You absolutely must survive.


    It was natural that I felt I had to do whatever I could, regardless of whether this was a lie.


    ¡®Yulha¡­¡¯


    When I thought of my sister who would be left at home alone, I bit my lip.


    All the reactions around me were different.


    Some people talked about their attributes with others, and I saw men touching swords or looking for shields.


    We didn¡¯t know what was going on, but the fact that there was a threat approaching meant we had to look for a way to survive.


    There was a woman sitting down and crying.


    A middle aged man who kept yelling.


    I even saw a kid who still looked like a student.


    I also wanted to sit down and scream. But there was no time to sit down.


    ¡®Talent?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know exactly what it meant, but it couldn¡¯t be a bad idea to check.


    It was a great achievement just to have an attribute.


    You were standing at a different starting point than the others.


    I had a strange expectation I¡¯d be like the hero in a shonen anime or a fantasy novel, but I quickly shook my head.


    ¡®That¡¯s ridiculous.¡¯


    [Check the talent levels of the yer Lee Ki-young.]


    [Name: Lee Ki-young]


    [Strength: Growth potential:mon (below average)]


    [Agility: Growth potential:mon (below average)]


    [Stamina: Growth potential:mon (below average)]


    [Intelligence: Growth potential:mon (below average)]


    [Endurance: Growth potential:mon (below average)]


    [Luck: Growth potential:mon (below average)]


    [Magic: Growth potential:mon (below average)]


    [Overview: The yer has the lowest talent levels. There¡¯s no point in making an effort. No matter how hard you work, you¡¯ll never be more than third-rate. Almost all the numbers are hopeless. It will be hard to develop when ites to strength or magic power. At least intelligence and luck are fine, but I don¡¯t know¡­ The yer¡¯s future is deeply concerning. You don¡¯t have to wield a sword or try anything else. It¡¯s obvious what will happen anyway.]


    I had felt a little anticipation, but this wasn¡¯t at all what I expected.


    The results didn¡¯t change when I rubbed my eyes and looked at them again.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    The ultimate goal was to survive.


    I never expected to be the main character anyway, and I made a clear distinction from fiction and reality, but those wretched figures still made me disappointed.


    ¡°Damn it.¡±


    My talent levels were below average.


    Notes:


    1. Kakaotalk is a messaging app for smartphones.

 Chapter 2: My talent level is below average(2)

    <h4>Chapter 2: My talent level is below average(2)</h4>


    ¡°Sh*t¡­¡±


    [This is the end of the instructions. The starting point will open soon. Monsters will attack, so please be careful.]


    ¡°Damn¡­¡±


    I couldn¡¯t keep up with it all.


    It was because there were so many things happening, and I couldn¡¯t even get the chance to feel sorry for myself.


    The sounds of unknown beasts could be heard from outside.


    Frightened people began to cling to the wall, while those who were armed tried to protect their bodies.


    It was the same for me.


    Weapons weren¡¯t by any means scarce.


    So it was only natural that I ran straight away to pick up a spear.


    There were still swords left, but I refused to fight monsters from up close.


    ¡®What should I do?¡¯


    ¡®Sh*t, what to do?¡¯


    I thought about various different things.


    I¡¯m not the only one to be flustered, of course.


    There were screams all over the ce.


    The cries of the animals outside,bined with this closed space, created a scary atmosphere.


    ¡°Help me!¡±


    ¡°Please, get me out of here. Please¡­¡±


    ¡°Quit ying around. Can¡¯t you just open the door? I¡¯m going to sue all of you! I¡¯ll sue you! Come on and open the door!¡±


    ¡°Wah wahh¡­ Please let me live. Please¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m calling the police! The police!¡±


    ¡°Grab your weapons! Can¡¯t you hear the sounds outside? Grab your weapons!¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you hold it! You! Men should quickly raise a shield. Hurry up!¡±


    ¡°What are you doing! Now! Can¡¯t you just end this fucking prank instead of making things weird?¡±


    ¡°Are you kidding? Didn¡¯t you see the window in front of you? Go get a weapon! Hey, old guy! You think this is a joke?¡±1


    A bulky man, who had been loudly shouting, raised a wooden shield.


    There were many calling for a fight, but this guy was a little more aggressive.


    Before I even activated anything, his information came into sight.


    [Check the status window and talent levels of the yer Park Deok-gu.]


    [Name: Park Deok-gu]


    [Title: None. You should try a little harder.]


    [Age: 23]


    [Disposition: Enthusiastic musclehead]


    [ss: None.]


    [Stats]


    [Strength: 21/Growth potential: heroic (ideal)]2


    [Agility: 16/Growth potential: rare (below average)]


    [Stamina: 21/Growth potential: heroic (ideal)]


    [Intelligence: 10/Growth potential: rare (below average)]


    [Endurance: 30/Growth potential: heroic (ideal)]


    [Luck: 11/Growth potential:mon (below average)]


    [Magic: 00/Growth potential:mon (above average)]


    [Overview: Overall, it¡¯s well-bnced. You will grow well as a warrior with your high growth potential for strength and endurance. The potential for strength and endurance in particr are exceptional. It¡¯s not good to have low magic and agility, but they can bepensated for with other stats, right? Compared to yer Lee Ki-young, you have great potential.]


    ¡®You didn¡¯t have to tell me that¡­¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t believe this guy was 23.


    Although he had a huge height, size, and weight, he didn¡¯t really look fat.


    It was more like his whole body was covered in muscles.


    Unlike me, who only had 10 points in strength and endurance, he had 20 points in strength and 30 in endurance.


    I quickly realized that not only were my talent levels at the lowest, my stats were also at the bottom of the barrel.


    Like I read with Mind¡¯s Eye, he¡¯d be useful as a warrior or a meat shield.3


    If you pretend to be friendly, you can definitely buy him as an ally.


    First off, I¡¯ll hang around him with a spear in my hand.


    When I practiced a movement with my spear, Park Deok-gu looked pleased and began to speak.


    ¡°Are you going to fight too?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I think so. Seems like there¡¯s something out there¡­ It¡¯s better to do something instead of just sitting around.¡±


    ¡°You just said something pretty cool, hyung-ssi. Even though you look so weak.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. Let¡¯s get ready for now.¡±


    What he said was rude, but he looked satisfied.


    Just exchanging a few words was effective.


    I opened my mouth again.


    This time, I was talking to everyone.


    ¡°Denying the situation won¡¯t change anything. First, we have to deal with what¡¯s ahead. Outside, you can hear the monsters crying. Whether it¡¯s real, or hidden cameras, or a dream, we have to do something. We all have to take up arms. We have to make a stand.¡±


    ¡°Stop messing around!¡±


    ¡°I mean it. I wouldn¡¯t y this kind of prank, and I want it to be a joke too. Everyone, please pick up a weapon. Later if it turns out to be a joke, we¡¯ll deal with it then.¡±


    There should be many people who can fight.


    It¡¯s unknown how many enemies wille, or what type.


    Someone muttered something.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s get a weapon for now. I guess we have to take care of the things out there first and then look at the situation. Since this guy said he can win, I¡ª I¡¯m sure that will happen.¡±


    ¡°Right, yeah!¡±


    ¡°For now, let¡¯s fight!¡±


    No one here was used to fighting, of course.


    But one by one, they started to lift up swords. Some were simply swayed by the atmosphere, while others armed themselves for protection.


    The mood in the room was gradually improving.


    ¡®Not bad.¡¯


    The way things were going really wasn¡¯t bad.


    ¡°Women should also pick up weapons.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying you should go out and fight. But I can¡¯t predict what will happen. You need to carry a weapon. You can¡¯t expect someone to always be there to protect you. That¡¯s reality.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Yes, yes¡­¡±


    I knew what I was saying.


    In the end, they looked unhappy raising their weapons, but that was all.


    There were still a number of people hanging around that weren¡¯t convinced.


    But I couldn¡¯t say that openly here. In the end, I swallowed nervously and waited for the enemies toe.


    ¡®Can we win?¡¯


    Of course not.


    But at least I was sure I could survive.


    The death toll would probably be high, but it was important to keep this base for now.


    ¡®Tutorial. She said it was a tutorial.¡¯


    The atmosphere was good, and everyone was willing to fight. Everyone¡¯s eyes shone with a desire to survive.


    ¡®I can do it.¡¯


    [The starting point will open in a moment. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.]


    [The starting point has opened. Good luck to all participants.]


    But it was only my imagination that we would be able to do something, to be able to win, or to just somewhat hold on, or to expect a miracle to happen.


    ¡°Kyaaaaak!¡±


    Instead of in the front, a stone gate opened in the back of the room, and a human-like monster bit a woman¡¯s neck as she tried to escape.


    Blood flew from the back over to here.


    Before anyone could register it, monsters rushed in from every direction.


    ¡°Aaaaah! Help me!¡±


    ¡°Run away!¡±


    ¡®Fuck!¡¯


    Screams rang out in an instant.


    It was seriously pandemonium.


    Even that jerk Park Deok-gu, who had been encouraging us to fight, just watched vacantly with his sword and shield, perhaps because he hadn¡¯t expected such monsters toe.


    We were ordinary people who had never held a sword and weren¡¯t used to fighting.


    There was no way we could survive this.


    It was hard for everyone to face the reality before us.


    I started to speak to Park Deok-gu, who was staring forward in a daze.


    ¡°What are you doing? You want to die!?¡±


    ¡°Hyung, hyung-ssi!¡±


    He was shaking, whether it was his legs or the hand he held a weapon in.


    But he bit his lip and swung the de.


    It prated a monster¡¯s head with precision.


    Park Deok-gu held up his shield and pushed away the monster.


    It wasn¡¯t long before the formation copsed.


    In a moment, a mix of allies and monsters ran out into the open space.


    ¡®You have to run.¡¯


    If I stayed here, I would die.


    ¡®Death.¡¯


    I would certainly be annihted.


    ¡®I¡¯m going to die.¡¯


    There wasn¡¯t time for other thoughts.


    ¡°Run!¡±


    ¡°Huh? Huh? Huh?¡±


    ¡°You fucking pig! Run! Can¡¯t you hear me?!¡±


    He started to shout at someone he saw.


    Park Deok-gu¡¯s voice seemed to wake that guy up, and he picked up his shield and fled.


    I, too, threw myself out of that narrow space.


    ¡®Ah!¡¯


    I remembered the issues of food and water as I was on my way.


    It was a rtively close distance.


    It was impossible to know if there were any other shelters here, so we had to keep those things safe.


    ¡°Hyung, hyung-ssi! Where are you going!¡±


    ¡°Get some water!¡±


    ¡°Al, alright!¡±


    The screams were clear even through the mixture of voices.


    I caught sight of a woman who was bitten on the shoulder by a zombie.


    ¡°S, save me¡­¡±


    ¡°Sh*t.¡±


    I felt troubled all of a sudden.


    But my two hands which held a spear didn¡¯t move to save her.


    I didn¡¯t look at her despair-filled eyes. As I picked up two or three leather bags, I turned my head to see monsters rushing like a pack of dogs onto her.


    It was thanks to her that I could leave, so it would only be right to express some gratitude.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry.¡¯


    After I muttered in my mind a half-hearted apology, I moved on.


    ¡°Hyung-ssi!¡±


    As I turned my head towards Park Deok-gu¡¯s shout, I saw a monster flying towards me.


    ¡°Shi¡­¡±


    Puuk!


    ¡°Geuk!¡±


    A sword flew from somewhere into its head.


    It was unclear if my luck stat had anything to do with it, but I definitely felt lucky.


    I felt like I made eye contact for a moment with the man behind the sword, but I didn¡¯t have the chance to check his information.


    What was for certain was the strange feeling I got.


    ¡®What was it?¡¯


    His face wasn¡¯t scared, nor were his eyes filled with a fear of death. He looked desperate, but he wasn¡¯t driven by just survival.


    ¡®Did I imagine it?¡¯


    It had been a very memorable face.


    As I passed him by, I saw Park Deok-gu waiting for me with his shield raised.


    ¡°Did you get the water?!¡±


    I didn¡¯t hear an answer.


    But looking at the leather pouch in his right hand was answer enough.


    He was the type who was good at doing what was asked of him.


    ¡°I, I think there¡¯s still somebody inside!¡±


    ¡°Shut up and run if you don¡¯t want to be left behind! You son of a bitch! Can¡¯t you see the monsters back there?¡±


    ¡°I, I see. Hyung, hyung-ssi!¡±


    It was only a matter of time before we emerged onto a wide expanse.


    I could see both those who were caught while escaping and those who never got out.


    When I looked back, there weren¡¯t any monsters following us


    They were all focused on their prey inside.


    There were intermittent screams, but I didn¡¯t want to hear anything, so I covered my ears.


    ¡°Sa, save me!¡±


    ¡°Fight baaaack!¡±


    ¡°Geuk!¡±


    ¡°Kyaaaaak!¡±


    ¡°Help me. Wah wahh¡­ Help me. Wahh¡­¡±


    ¡°Euaaaaak!¡±


    When I closed my eyes, I saw the people I left behind.


    Only


    ¡°Don¡¯t feel guilty. You didn¡¯t have a choice.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but¡­¡±


    ¡°You couldn¡¯t help it. It wasn¡¯t your fault¡­¡±


    It was a situation where you couldn¡¯t do anything.


    He must have known that too.


    ¡°Damn it¡­¡±


    But that didn¡¯t stop a curse falling from Park Deok-gu¡¯s mouth anyway.


    1. Fun fact, ¡°??¡± is ng for a middle-aged man. Now you, too, can yell at your dad in Korean.


    2. Turns out these use the same words as for weapon rarities/ss grades so I¡¯ve gone back to edit the first chapter to match.

 Chapter 3: Adaptation

    <h4>Chapter 3: Adaptation</h4>


    ¡°Wha-what should we do now, hyung-ssi?


    ¡°If I knew what to do, would I still be standing around here?¡±


    I was still in a state of shock.


    When I gave him this unconfident answer, Park Deokgu shut up and quietly observed me.


    Seeing that he didn¡¯t speak anymore, despite his non-stop chattering since the starting point incident, it seemed like he decided to acknowledge my words.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know exactly what this ce is for now. We need to look around first.¡±


    ¡°Y-you want to go outside?¡±


    ¡°Not right now.¡±


    ¡°The-then you are saying that someday we will go outside?¡±


    ¡°I told you, not right now.¡±


    We were in a hidden corner by a wall, which was hard to find in this maze.


    It was a little cramped for me and him to squeeze together in here, but it wasn¡¯t so bad.


    At least for now, it seemed like it could provide us with a minimum assurance of safety.


    ¡®Water, food and weapons.¡¯


    We had those things, but I didn¡¯t know if it was enough.


    The question is, for how long will we have to endure being here?


    And is it really safe here?


    I had a lot to think about.


    ¡°I never thought something like this could happen¡­¡±


    ¡°You saw the status window and the monsters. It¡¯s not an illusion. It¡¯s not a video game. It¡¯s reality¡­ but I also wish it were a dream.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    The situation we were facing was, in fact, reality. I didn¡¯t mention the events that happened at the starting point. I¡¯d actually seen people die, and I¡¯d even seen monsters I couldn¡¯t even begin to describe.


    Denying reality wouldn¡¯t change anything.


    ¡°The-the main goal of this tutorial is survival, right? I-I think that strange woman said so¡­ Then if we keep hiding here¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that simple.¡±


    ¡°What else could it be?¡±


    ¡°The problem is that we don¡¯t know how long this willst for. We took some food and water, but it¡¯s not enough for us to sit here for a week¡­ And there¡¯s no guarantee that this ce is safe. Who knows where those monsters we saw earlier are hiding.¡±


    ¡°You think so?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I think so. And even if we leave the tutorial now¡­ how do we survive afterwards?¡±


    ¡°W-what are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not absolutely sure about it, but after this tutorial, we¡¯ll enter a ce called the continent. I mean, this dungeon could be like heavenpared to that. There is no guarantee that the ce we will end up inter will be safer than here. Simply hanging around here isn¡¯t going to cut it for sure¡­¡±


    He mped his mouth shut, because he couldn¡¯t deny my words.


    Of course, no one knew what would happen after this. But like that woman said, if we were really chosen to save the continent, it won¡¯t end simply with us waiting the tutorial out.


    Not only may we have to face the monsters we saw earlier, but also fight with each other.


    And we might face even more dire situations in the future.


    ¡°Right now, we¡¯re huddled up here, but when we finally leave, there¡¯s only one oue anyway. ¡°


    ¡°Wha-what do you mean?¡±


    ¡°That we will have to fight.¡±


    ¡°With those monsters?¡±


    ¡°Have you ever yed a video game?¡±


    ¡°I-is there anyone in the world who has never yed a video game?¡±


    ¡°A Status Window, Stats, Titles, Equipment, ss. Don¡¯t you think these terms sound familiar? Imagine that you are in a game now. What do you think we should do?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    ¡°Level-up. Be strong enough to defend ourselves. Strengthening your body and killing monsters will raise your stats and get you a ss, like that woman said. The attributes will naturally unlock, and while it will be hard, we won¡¯t have to avoid those monsters anymore.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Before we ran away, we picked up weapons, drinking water and food. Our situation is little better than others.¡±


    ¡°Ye-yes, but¡­¡±


    I knew he didn¡¯t like the idea of leaving this safe corner.


    In fact, all humans were the same.


    What normal person would want to face man-eating monsters?


    But there was no choice. Eat or be eaten. Otherwise, you won¡¯t survive.


    ¡°This is what I think.¡±


    ¡°Do you have any solution for this?¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t have a solution, you have to create one.¡±


    If you don¡¯t have a solution, you should create one. No, actually the solution for this problem is easier than one would think.


    ¡°We can kill them.¡±


    ¡°But how do you defeat a man-eating monster¡­?¡±


    If you think about it, it¡¯s not like we have no way to win against them.


    I didn¡¯t remember much from the first battle.


    Anyone would be scared stiff, if a wave of monsters suddenly attacked from all over.


    However, I still vividly remembered that sensation passing through my hand.


    That creepy feeling when a spear pierced flesh. I didn¡¯t stab at it with much strength.


    But my spear still pierced its skin so easily.


    My mind was just clouded by fear. In that moment, I was scared of monsters I¡¯d never seen before and lost the will to fight.


    I lost it, Park Deokgu next to me lost it, and everyone else also lost it.


    ¡®But it¡¯s not like we have no way to win against those monsters.¡¯


    If you think about it rationally, it¡¯s not like we can¡¯t win.


    ¡°You have to think about it in a simple way. As simple as possible.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. You need to look at them the way they are. Of course, it won¡¯t be easy. I¡¯m also shaking right now, and I don¡¯t know what to do exactly. You and I are the same. But if we are not surrounded or ambushed from behind, we stand a chance. Their skin is soft and they aren¡¯t particrly athletic. None of them followed us when we ran away. All of them rushed in at once into that room we were in before. Many people died at that starting point or whatever, because they were outnumbered. Everyone was also terrified and so couldn¡¯t react in a timely way.¡±


    Nothing was certain until I saw it with my own eyes.


    But I think my guess might be right.


    Compared to the physical abilities of humans, they were equipped with sharp jaws and ws.


    Those are their physical advantages.


    Unlike those butt-naked monsters, we had spears and swords within the reach of our hands. In fact, it¡¯s no exaggeration to say that we were ahead of them in everything.


    ¡°If you think about it calmly, we can win.¡±


    The problem was that Park Deokgu couldn¡¯t see the big picture.


    Even after my exnation, he was anxiously swallowing his saliva.


    ¡®Idiot.¡¯


    It was then.


    ¡°Geeek.¡±


    I heard voices from somewhere.


    My natural reaction was to hold my breath. Park Deokgu did the same.


    ¡°Geeek!¡±


    We didn¡¯t know if they were creatures which moved in herds or separately.


    But the sound was getting closer.


    ¡°It¡¯sing here?¡±


    ¡®Sh*t¡­¡¯


    I cursed in my head.


    ¡®Can I do it?¡¯


    We would have to face it anyway.


    It felt like someone was squeezing onto my heart, but I ignored it and bit my lip.


    Because I knew that if we avoided this now, we would never escape this predicament of fear.


    [Checking the status window of Monster Crawfish.]


    [Name: None]


    [Title: None. You should try a little harder.]


    [Age: 5]


    [Disposition: Instinct]


    [ss: None]


    [Stats]


    [Strength: 11]


    [Agility: 15]


    [Stamina: 14]


    [Endurance: 12]


    [Luck: 10]


    [Magic Power: 00]


    I checked its information through the narrow gap where we were hiding.


    ¡®It worked.¡¯


    This ability could also be used on monsters.


    That was a tiny piece of good news.


    ¡®I can win.¡¯


    I had to ovee my fear.


    I didn¡¯t get a good look at it before, but now I could tell it definitely looked gross. Apart from the naked torso and lower body, it had green eyes and protruding jaws and teeth.


    I recalled in my head how, earlier, the same kind of monster bit the neck of a woman whose name I didn¡¯t know with those jaws and teeth.


    ¡®However.¡¯


    Those are some terrible stats.


    It¡¯s not like I was in position to judge those stats as terrible, but they were definitely lower that I imagined.


    That should do it.


    I put more strength into the hand holding a spear.


    Park Deokgu looked at me nervously, but I had no intention of backing off now.


    I had to show him that we could win.


    ¡°Ma-maybe it¡¯s better to not go out?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t answer.


    Because my back was soaked with sweat. My hands and legs trembled.


    ¡®Damn¡­¡¯


    If I make a mistake here, I will die.


    But I can¡¯t stay like this forever. Sooner orter, eventually¡­ I would have to face those guys.


    ¡°Even if I don¡¯t go out, I will die.¡±


    I took a deep breath, and immediately rushed out.


    ¡°Geeek!¡±


    ¡®Damn it!¡¯


    I expected it to notice me at some point, but it was faster than I thought.


    Naturally, I thought I should swing the spear at the same time when it moves.


    But my hands didn¡¯t move as I wished. Fear stiffened my body.


    ¡°Ahhhh!¡±


    In the end I had no choice but to raise my spear toward the head of the approaching monster, screaming like some kind of devil-worshipper.


    As if it expected this attack, the monster leaned straight down.


    Changing the course of the spear wasn¡¯t easy. As I tightened my trembling hold on the shaft and lowered the spear again, I identally struck it in its shoulder.


    ¡°Gaeeek!¡±


    Phew!


    The feeling of tearing through flesh was unsettling, and I almost dropped my spear, but I didn¡¯t have time to be dazed.


    ¡°Ahhhh!¡±


    When I pushed the spear deeper, the monster jerked and hit the wall.


    I frowned at the sight of the struggling creature, but without wasting any more time, I grabbed a nearby stone and started smashing its head with it.


    Although I broke my fingernails while doing it, I didn¡¯t feel any pain.


    ¡°Sh*t! Sh*t! Sh*t!¡±


    Smash!


    Strange mucus and blood sshed on my hands and body, creeping me out.


    I couldn¡¯t stop moving my hand.


    ¡°Sh*t!¡±


    Smash!


    ¡°Die!¡±


    Smash!


    ¡°Gaeeek¡­¡±


    Smash!


    ¡°Haah¡­¡±


    After its face had turned into a bloody mess, I was finally able to drop the big stone I was gripping in my hand.


    ¡°Haah¡­ haah¡­¡±


    My heart was beating fast and my breathing was heavy. My arms were covered in its saliva and blood.


    It was the first time I¡¯d killed something alive.


    When I shakily raised my head, my eyes met with Park Deokgu¡¯s who looked at me through the narrow gap in the wall.


    There was surprise in his eyes.


    He really didn¡¯t think I could do it.


    I also didn¡¯t think I could.


    [Strength stat increased by 1.]


    My expectations were correct.


    Park Deokgu cautiously opened his mouth and asked.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°Ki-Kiyoung, can I call you hyung-nim?¡±


    Instead of answering, I gave him a small nod.


    Only


    He was looking at me in a strange way. I looked straight at him and said.


    ¡°If I can do it, you can do it too. No, you can do it better.¡±


    ¡°I think I know what you mean. Kiyoung hyung-nim, leave it to me. Then, what do we do from now on?


    It seems this guy I picked wasn¡¯t so bad after all.


    There was still a lot of work to do.


    I looked at him, and opened my mouth.


    ¡°For now, let¡¯s try to escape from here.¡±


    Obtaining a ss. That¡¯s the first thing on the list.

 Chapter 4: Regressor (1)

    <h4>Chapter 4: Regressor (1)</h4>


    ¡°For now, let¡¯s try to escape from here.¡±


    Obtaining a ss. That¡¯s the first thing on the list.


    ¡°How do we get a ss?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Park Deokgu looked at me with a shocked face.


    ¡°Why are you looking at me like that? I¡¯m not so smart that I¡¯d know everything.¡±


    ¡°No, you are smart, aren¡¯t you, hyung-nim? At least you seem to be more trustworthy than those who only know how to study. Even though you look like a nerd.¡±


    He was half right.


    Just, I wasn¡¯t a very good student.


    ¡°So, how do we gain our sses?¡±


    ¡°For now, the only way seems to be by hunting monsters. That woman said that our ss will depend on our hard work.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I think I heard that too¡­¡±


    ¡°First, we have to act to make a difference, whether it¡¯s just swinging your sword while standing in ce or catching monsters. If we stagnate here and do nothing, we will die.¡±


    Saying this, I poured out everything I had in my leather bag on the ground.


    Park Deokgu looked at me as if wondering what I was doing, but when I started to put leather on him, tying it up with sneakerces, he seemed to realize my intention.


    He looked at me with a slightly moved face.


    ¡°It looks like armor¡­ But hyung-nim, don¡¯t you need it more than me?


    He would be the one fighting in the front anyway, so I didn¡¯t have to make one for myself.


    It was at least one moreyer of insurance to protect my own neck. Just now, I didn¡¯t go ahead of you only to gain nothing.


    However, it wasn¡¯t necessary to exin this to him.


    ¡°You are taller than me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that I might not live up to your expectations, but¡­ I will try my best.¡±


    I nodded at his words.


    ***


    He definitely lived up to my expectations.


    In fact, even only looking at Park Deokgu¡¯s basic stats, you could tell he was somehow strong.


    I didn¡¯t quite understand how our bodies affected our stats, but his stats were nearly twice as high as mine.


    I felt especially embarrassed when looking at his 30 points of endurance.


    His strength, shield and sword put together made hisrge body seem even bigger.


    Adding to this the clumsily made leather armor, and he looked just like a diator from some movie.


    But it was a very natural look for him. It was really not bad.


    However, this guy who finally gained some confidence, exceeded my expectations.


    ¡°Hyung-nim!¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    The back of this big guy, who pushed two monsters away with his shield, came into my view.


    His face was still pale with fear, but even in this state he still hit them with his shield.


    He was just pushing forward with all his might, but monsters wedged between the wall and his shield could only aimlessly il about with their wed hands.


    While Park Deokgu was holding them in ce, I raised my spear and stabbed it into the monster¡¯s face, once again frowning at the strange sensation under my palms.


    ¡®That¡¯s right.¡¯


    ¡°Haaa!¡±


    Park Deokgu wielded a sword in one hand, as he let out a short scream.


    He frowned, but didn¡¯t rx his grip on the sword. It was because from previous experience we learned that carelessness could get us hurt.


    ¡°Gaeeek¡­¡±


    When the creature finally drooped down without any strength, I pulled back my spear.


    ¡°Haah¡­ haah¡­¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s hard.¡¯


    It looked simple, but it definitely wasn¡¯t simple in practice.


    With Park Deokgu¡¯s help it was much betterpared to my first time, but there was originally a big gap in our basic stats.


    Spending a few minutes dealing with those guys was enough for me to be covered in sweat.


    ¡°Here, have some water.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    With a little sigh, Park Deokgu made a worried face and opened his mouth.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t your stamina a little too low?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never exercised before.¡±


    At least my stamina had increased since we started killing monsters.


    ¡®Only by 1 though.¡¯


    Park Deokgu¡¯s situation was a little different.


    His original 30-point endurance had turned into 33 now. Compared to me, it was a huge achievement.


    I wasn¡¯t sure if talent affected the rate stats rose, but looking at it, I guess that was it.


    His endurance stat growth potential allowed him to reach the heroic grade and even beyond if he put his mind to it, so climbing higher at first shouldn¡¯t be too difficult for him.


    ¡®Damn it.¡¯


    Of course what I was feeling wasn¡¯t needless jealousy.


    What worried me was that Park Deokgu might not need me.


    Looking at his innocent face, he didn¡¯t seem to think this way yet.


    I came to the conclusion that it would be in my best interests to survive while relying on him.


    ¡°By the way, maybe today we could look around a little more, hyung-nim?¡±


    ¡°Look around a little more¡­ By the way, when you speak, keep your voice down.¡±


    ¡°Do we really need to be so careful?¡±


    ¡°I think noise was the reason why so many monsters appeared at the starting point.¡±


    ¡°That female guide also talked a lot¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, but I don¡¯t think that was the main reason. Those monsters seem dull but are sensitive to sound. It¡¯s only natural that they poured into that room, since people there were yelling at each other for so long. Perhaps, half of those people could have survived if only we started the tutorial quietly.¡±


    ¡°You think so?¡±


    ¡°Yes. So while in a fight, we need to turn down the noise a little. For now, we are dealing with only one or two at time, but when four or five of them gather, we¡¯ll die. The reason we keep moving is that if we stay in one ce, we might get surrounded.¡±


    He cast me a look of peculiar admiration. If only you used your head a little, anyone could realise this.


    However, the fact that this innocent guy was looking at me like that made me want tough.


    I nodded and continued.


    ¡°It¡¯s possible that all the monsters from this area were lured to the starting point. Perhaps everyone else who managed to run away at that time, are in a simr situation as us.¡±


    I thought the best way to organize information in my head was to discuss it in points like this, one by one.


    ¡°Let¡¯s stop for a while and eat.¡±


    ¡°Yup, good idea.¡±


    It was when I was sitting on the floor, quietly munching on tasteless food that I wouldn¡¯t even feed a dog that¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡­I heard a faint voice from somewhere.


    I wanted to pretend I didn¡¯t hear anything, but Park Deokgu raised his head and opened his mouth.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this a human¡¯s voice?¡±


    ¡°No way.¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhh¡­! Help me!¡±


    The voice was getting closer.


    ¡®Ah¡­¡¯


    They had realised that there were other people here.


    ¡®It was mistake.¡¯


    It certainly was a mistake.


    It was a mistake to carve out those marks on the walls with a dagger to prevent us from getting lost.


    I actually hoped that someone woulde, but I never imagined it would be someone yelling at the top of their lungs, as if to wake up a whole town.


    ¡°H-hyung-nim.¡±


    ¡°Pick up your sword.¡±


    It was toote to avoid it.


    ¡°Geeek!¡±


    Luckily, the monsters weren¡¯t many in number.


    It was nice to have new people join us, but it was also a very unwee situation.


    ¡®It would be a different story if they had drinking water and food¡­¡¯


    There was the problem of limited resources.


    This wasn¡¯t a charity.


    I neededrades in arms, not a new burden.


    It would be ideal if they were someone willing to fight, with drinking water and food, and only a small number of them.


    And by the sound of this voice, they had already failed one of those conditions.


    It wasn¡¯t someone who was willing to fight.


    ¡°How annoying¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you need to worry too much, hyung-nim. It doesn¡¯t seem like there¡¯s a lot of them.¡±


    ¡®Easy to say for you.¡¯


    Park Deokgu ran forward with his sword and shield. I also immediately followed behind him with my spear.


    When I stepped closer, I could see a woman being chased by three monsters.


    Half torn clothes and overall a pretty face, but that was all her appearance had to offer.


    ¡®A civilian woman.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t care if she was scared and running away.


    She had no weapons and no food.


    After checking the abilities of monsters behind her, I used Mind¡¯s Eyes to observe the woman.


    [Checking the status window and talent levels of the yer Jung Hayan.]


    [Name: Jung Hayan]


    [Title: None. You should try a little harder.]


    [Age: 21]


    [Disposition: Pure Advocate]


    [ss: None]


    [Stats]


    [Strength: 10/Growth potential: rare or lower]


    [Agility: 11/Growth potential: rare or lower]


    [Stamina: 12/Growth potential: heroic or lower]


    [Intelligence: 22/Growth potential: heroic or higher]


    [Endurance: 14/Growth potential: rare or lower]


    [Luck: 23/Growth potential: heroic or higher]


    [Magic Power: 10/Growth potential: legendary or higher]


    [Overview: You have above legendary grade magic potential growth. While your overall physical ability is low, you can experience explosive growth as wizard or priest in the future. You are currently unable to feel magic. It¡¯s not an exaggeration to say that yer Lee Kiyoung has the potential of an ant inparison.]


    ¡®What the hell.¡¯


    It was hard to believe just how great the ability of this girl running out of breath was.


    In addition, I¡¯ve never seen a human with the potential to go beyond legendary grade.


    Unlike me, whose magic power stat is still sitting on a round 0, hers is already at 10.


    ¡°We have never dealt with three at the same time.¡±


    Obviously, as soon as I checked her stats, the idea of discarding this girl immediately left my mind and a new n formed.


    ¡°We fight.¡±


    ¡°Can we win?¡±


    ¡°We need to lure them to a more closed space.¡±


    ¡°I think I know what you mean.¡±


    It was more advantageous to fight while leaning against the wall than to be surrounded.


    Our escape route would be blocked, but I didn¡¯t think we would lose so fast.


    I tightened my grip on my spear.


    Having found us, the girl ran in our direction as fast as she could.


    When I gestured to her toe this way, she nodded her head, so it looked like she wasn¡¯tpletely unable toprehend anything.


    ¡°Wait in the corner.¡±


    ¡°O-okay.¡±


    After the woman finally reached our side, Park Deokgu heavily swung his shield as monsters turned the corner.


    ¡°Now!¡±


    ¡°Haa!¡±


    It seemed like Park Deokgu managed to push them back for a moment, but then one of the monsters tried to rush towards him again.


    ¡°Hyung-nim!¡±


    With a nk mind, I pierced one of them with my spear, while the other one copsed under Park Deokgu¡¯s sword.


    The problem was that because of this move, Park Deokgu¡¯s stance was broken.


    Certainly, dealing with three of them at once wasn¡¯t easy.


    The only thing I could do for Park Deokgu, who was still holding up his shield, was to continue swinging a spear.


    The moment I bit my lips hard, suddenly, I could see a sword protruding from the chest of thest monster.


    ¡°Tha-thank you.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡±


    Someone helped us.


    When the monster copsed, I saw a face I¡¯d already seen once before.


    It was that man who helped me back at the starting point.


    I remembered his face that seemed a little desperate at the time.


    Only


    ¡°What the¡­¡±


    [Checking the status window and talent levels of the yer Kim Hyunsung.]


    [Name: Kim Hyunsung]


    [Titles: The Regressor of Altanus, The Swordsman Who Started the 2nd Round, The One Who Failed, The One Who Embraced Sacrifice, The Enlightened One]


    [Age: 22]


    [Disposition: Well-Meaning Arbitrator]


    [ss: Swordsman (Common)]


    [Stats]


    [Strength: 19/Growth potential: legendary or higher]


    [Agility: 28/Growth potential: legendary or higher]


    [Stamina: 23/Growth potential: legendary or higher]


    [Intelligence: 18/Growth potential: heroic or lower]


    [Endurance: 22/Growth potential: heroic or lower]


    [Luck: 23/Growth potential: heroic or higher]


    [Magic Power: 11/Growth potential: heroic or higher]


    ¡®What is this¡­?¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t help but widen my eyes at the sight of this status window filled with unexpected information.


    ¡®Regression? Turning back time?¡¯


    For this guy, this wasn¡¯t the first time.

 Chapter 5: Regressor (2)

    <h4>Chapter 5: Regressor (2)</h4>


    I slowly read through his stats again.


    I hadn¡¯t misread it.


    [Checking the status window and talent levels of the yer Kim Hyunsung.]


    [Name: Kim Hyunsung]


    [Titles: The Regressor of Altanus, The Swordsman Who Started the 2nd Round, The One Who Failed, The One Who Embraced Sacrifice, The Enlightened One]


    [Age: 22]


    [Disposition: Well-Meaning Arbitrator]


    [ss: Swordsman (Common)]


    [Stats]


    [Strength: 19/Growth potential: legendary or higher]


    [Agility: 28/Growth potential: legendary or higher]


    [Stamina: 23/Growth potential: legendary or higher]


    [Intelligence: 18/Growth potential: heroic or lower]


    [Endurance: 22/Growth potential: heroic or lower]


    [Luck: 23/Growth potential: heroic or higher]


    [Magic Power: 11/Growth potential: heroic or higher]


    [Attributes: Sword Expert (Heroic)]


    [Overview: Truly amazing. If you don¡¯t agree with me even after seeing it with your own eyes, I have no words for you. This person¡¯s strength, agility and stamina can¡¯t be urately measured. Their other stats also have incredible potential. Their potential for growth as a wizard is terrifying, but with a melee ss they can achieve even greater heights. They already have amon grade ss and new opportunities for growth are on the horizon. Compared to yer Lee Kiyoung¡­ No, thisparison itself would be sphemous. yer Lee Kiyoung should feel honoured to even be able to exchange a few words with this person.]


    ¡®What is this nonsense¡­¡¯


    Even after blinking my eyes, the title of regressor remained unchanged.


    ¡®Time travel? Really?¡¯


    It was natural to not believe in such a thing at first.


    But now, after seeing all those monsters, I was willing to suspend my disbelief even further.


    The Swordsman Who Started the 2nd Round.


    I was too stunned to speak.


    If my unique ability, Mind¡¯s Eye, wasn¡¯t lying, then this person in front of me had already experienced this situation before.


    It would exin why he wasn¡¯t scared at the starting point earlier.


    ¡®Damn¡­¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t help but curse in my head.


    I knew the world was unfair to some extent, but I didn¡¯t expect to feel this unfairness even in a ce like this and to this level.


    High stats, high growth potential, fast ss acquirement and a heroic grade attribute.


    ¡®By the way, is it possible to check other peoples¡¯ attributes?¡¯


    As soon as I thought about it, the information immediately appeared in front of me.


    [Attribute: Sword Expert]


    [Gives a damage boost for all actions performed with a sword. Increases attack power by a certain percentage in proportion to the time spent wielding a sword. ]


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know what form was used for calcting extra attack power, but it looked like a good quality attribute which allowed the user to achieve better results the longer they trained.


    I had no idea what other attributes I would see in the future, but I had to admit his attribute was very good for building a foundation as a warrior.


    I bit my lip, unable to shake the feeling of unfairness, but if he really went back in time, then his attractive status window could be exined.


    ¡°Hyung-ssi, who¡­¡±


    ¡°My name is Kim Hyunsung.¡±


    ¡°Park Deokgu.¡±


    ¡°And this is¡­?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°This¡­ this isn¡¯t the first time you¡¯ve fought, is it?¡±


    ¡°Yea, as you can see. Hyung-nim made this leather armor for me, and I¡¯ve already gotten used to hunting a little. I mean, I haven¡¯t fought much, but still. It was hyung-nim who went ahead first and smashed the head of a monster with his spear. Thanks to him I gained a bit of courage.¡±


    ¡°You seem to be a little¡­ experienced with this.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s all thanks to hyung-nim. Rather, it¡¯s him who seems to be experienced with this¡­ Didn¡¯t you see how he stabbed that monster in the head just now?¡±


    ¡°I was lucky.¡±


    At Park Deokgu¡¯s words, this guy¡¯s gaze turned to me.


    ¡®Useless bbing¡­¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t easy to pretend to be innocent.


    Especially when I had ulterior motives in my mind.


    When I met his gaze, I felt as if he was looking right through me.


    I felt like I was standing here naked, and it wasn¡¯t a good feeling. My body trembled at this strange sensation.


    ¡®Is it just my imagination or some kind of magic?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know which one it was, but it didn¡¯t matter anyway. The one thing I did know, and could sense, was that there was something wrong.


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    ¡®Maybe he knows that I was reading his status window¡­?¡¯


    If you look like you are reading something in the air, surely it would look unnatural for others.


    His disposition in the status window suggested that he was ¡°well-meaning¡±.


    However, the human heart wasn¡¯t just ck or white.


    He returned to the past for some purpose. It was unlikely, but in the moment he decides we are his enemies, he might just swing his sword at us.


    No, I didn¡¯t want him to doubt me in any way.


    Just then, Park Deokgu opened his mouth with a smile.


    ¡°Hyung-nim, why do you keep staring at your status window? Did you get a ss?¡±


    ¡®Nice, Park Deokgu.¡¯


    ¡°Sort of. I will tell you in a minute.¡±


    My heart was still feeling uneasy.


    Instead of talking straight to this guy, I set my eyes on that woman named Jung Hayan.


    Her eyes were wide open and she breathed heavily. When she saw I was looking at her, she opened her mouth.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. We were also looking for survivors.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Get up. I will help you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no. I don¡¯t want to cause any more trouble¡­¡±


    But she was already at her limit.


    I reached out to her without a word, and then she held my hand as if she couldn¡¯t help it.


    My face felt sore because of Kim Hyunsung, who was looking this way.


    I quietly said to him.


    ¡°Thank you for your help. I¡¯m Lee Kiyoung. That was the first time I¡¯d encountered three of those monsters at once¡­ If not for you, we would¡¯ve been in trouble.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Kim Hyunsung. I remember your face from somewhere.¡±


    ¡°You helped me a little at the starting point. I¡¯m very grateful for that.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ it was then¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. Back then I was running away. It was insane¡­¡±


    Actually I didn¡¯t remember much from then.


    Thinking about the situation at that time, it wasn¡¯t unreasonable to not remember.


    Suddenly, the scene of a woman being eaten by monsters shed through my head. It was that woman I couldn¡¯t save.


    I shook my head, and said.


    ¡°Are you alone? It must have been hard for you¡­¡±


    ¡°For now yes¡­ but I¡¯m gathering survivors. Some of them are moving in groups.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m gathering survivors. I heard a scream as I was passing by¡­ Let¡¯s go together for now. We¡¯ve set up camp in a safe ce.¡±


    I saw Park Deokgu looking at me quietly. He was wordlessly asking me what to do.


    Kim Hyunsung opened his mouth again, as if he realized his words just now were a little rude.


    ¡°Oh, excuse me. Would you like toe with me?¡±


    Only then did Park Deokgu nod his head.


    But I still had some reservations.


    ¡°How many people are there?¡±


    ¡°About 30, I think.¡±


    ¡°What about those who can fight¡­?¡±


    ¡°Not many. If Deokgu-ssi and Kiyoung-ssi join, things will get a little better. I hope that you cane.¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s worrying¡­¡¯


    Just as I expected.


    I didn¡¯t know how well one¡¯s disposition in the status window reflected the heart of the person, but he was truly fit to be a Well-Meaning Arbitrator.


    ¡®What a slob.¡¯


    To put it nicely, he was an angel. Looking at it another way, he was a pushover.


    If the only thing those people at the survivor camp could do was scream, then the situation would rapidly deteriorate.


    Perhaps they have no way to eat properly there, and live in fear all the time.


    Increasing the number of people wasn¡¯t necessarily advantageous.


    When five people gather, there would always be one fool amongst them. In a gathering of 30 people, the problem would be even worse.


    Obviously, that¡¯s not the end of it.


    The power to cope with sudden crises will increase, but if there are too many people to protect, it will only get more chaotic.


    However, in reality, I had no other choice but to nod my head.


    It was because I was full of questions.


    What is regression, how did you get a ss, how did you manage to start in a different waypared to others, how do you use magic and what is the method of clearing this tutorial?


    Kim Hyunsung knew how to attack this dungeon properly and, furthermore, had information about the continent.


    No matter how you look at it, it was best to follow him.


    ¡°I will go.¡±


    ¡°Good decision. Let¡¯s get going then. More monsters maye here soon.¡±


    ¡°Yea.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right. This person is¡­?¡±


    ¡°My name is Jung Hayan. Um, I¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah. Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Kim Hyunsung. ¡°


    We roughly greeted each other.


    While supporting Jung Hayan, I started to slowly read this guy¡¯s face.


    His expression seemed a little different from when he was looking at me or Park Deokgu.


    His gaze remained on Jung Hayan for a long time.


    It was a little surprising.


    A strange sense of aplishment was hidden in Kim Hyunsung¡¯s gaze. I wasn¡¯t sure if it was a good analogy, but he looked like a man who had found an oasis in the desert.


    Or as if he had found his long lost family member.


    Maybe she noticed his intense gaze, because Jung Hayan also looked at him with caution in her eyes.


    If you stare at someone in this way, anyone would notice and be wary.


    He looked as if he was thinking ¡°I was looking for you¡±. No, maybe he was indeed looking for her.


    ¡°How are you feeling?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m okay.¡±


    ¡°Please, let me know if there¡¯s any inconvenience.¡±


    ¡°N-no, I¡¯m fine. J-Jung is really okay.¡±


    Leaving those two to talk with each other, I started thinking.


    ¡®Let¡¯s assume.¡¯


    It was a little funny to think like this, but let¡¯s just assume.


    If I were to live the same life all over again.


    I didn¡¯t know how this guy ended up in his first life.


    Maybe he was happy with it or maybe unhappy. However, if this regression was done on purpose, it¡¯s very likely that this guy has regrets from his previous life.


    The One Who Failed.


    It was one of his titles.


    Even if it wasn¡¯t his intention.


    Humans are creatures of regret. Even if it was me, I would think about the what-ifs like if I could save that woman I saw at the beginning.


    If I had the strength, I might have made the choice to take that woman and escape together with Park Deokgu.


    What if I knew what would happen, and also knew about all the talented individuals that will be important in the future?


    In my case, I would try to change things that I regret. But of course, I wouldn¡¯t do only that.


    From the very start I would take advantage of everything I could.


    I would gather talented people, treasures, sses, and all other things that could be used.


    And I would eliminate all enemies or threats that I might encounter in the future.


    ¡®It¡¯s funny, but¡­¡¯


    In this sense, if he has no reaction to me and Park Deokgu, it means that we are not important characters in the future, nor are we a threat to Kim Hyunsung in the future


    We must have been just passersby for him.


    ¡°May I call you Hayan-ssi?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ yes. Thank you, and please call me as you like.¡±


    But this woman who was blushing at me now was different.


    Jung Hayan.


    A woman with explosive potential as a wizard or priest.


    If you think about it in connection with what I saw with my Mind¡¯s Eye, it is immediately obvious.


    ¡®She¡¯s a treasure.¡¯


    Now she didn¡¯t look like much.


    However, by aggregating the minute pieces of information so far and inferring further, I coulde to a usible conclusion.


    This civilian girl will rock the world in the future.


    Only


    I wasn¡¯t sure what she would do, but it was guaranteed that her position would be very important.


    It could also only be my delusion.


    Maybe Kim Hyunsung owed her something or had regrets around not saving her in his previous life.


    She might be just one of many passersby, just like me and Park Deokgu.


    But it¡¯s worth it.


    ¡®This woman.¡¯


    She was no longer a nuisance, but rather a precious treasure which hade rolling in.


    Right under my feet.

 Chapter 6: Regressor (3)

    <h4>Chapter: 6 Regressor (3)</h4>


    In fact, Jung Hayan wasn¡¯t the only treasure.


    The same applied to Kim Hyunsung as well.


    After all, he was someone who had probably once seen the end of this world.


    He knew what was going to happen and was willing to use this information to change the future.


    In a fantasy novel setting, he was kind of like the ¡®chosen warrior¡¯.


    There was no reason to not maintain a good rtionship with him.


    ¡®I¡¯m jealous of this bastard though.¡¯


    I wasn¡¯t jealous of all of the baggage he was carrying on his back.


    I was jealous of what he was going to get or use.


    It was already set in stone that he would climb high.


    I thought I should benefit from him as much as I could.


    ¡°How much further is it? Are you sure this is the right way?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we are almost there.¡±


    Park Deokgu muttered bitterly, and Kim Hyunsung answered him with a nod.


    It was strangely novel for me to witness how he observed our surroundings without even slowing down.


    He was also watching out for monsters.


    Clearly, his stats weren¡¯t that high for now.


    Taking into ount the fact that he had an attribute, ss and magic power, he was already on a much higher ground than anyone else here. Yet, if a group of monsters surrounded us and attacked together, even he wouldn¡¯t be able to cope.


    ¡®That¡¯s why you failed to protect those people.¡¯


    If it had been possible then he would have made sure there were no casualties at the starting point.


    ¡°By the way, there are more survivors than I imagined. I was pretty sure most of them would have died¡­¡±


    ¡°In fact, more people could have been saved. At first, I didn¡¯t know the weak points of those monsters, so I couldn¡¯t face them properly. If only there were more people who could fight¡­¡±


    ¡°Yea, I feel the same way. At that time, running away was all I could do¡­ If not for hyung-nim, I would be dead right now. Are all 30 people from there?¡±


    ¡°Ah! Actually, no. It seems like there were other starting points at different locations. But they were quite far away from ours¡­¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­ So we are not the only ones here.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Perhaps, if we expand our search, we will hear more good news. Just now I was looking for traces of other people.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know how the hell you could call that good news.


    ¡°You are looking for more survivors?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I think that¡¯s what we should be doing.¡±


    From his eyes, I knew he was telling the truth.


    The word ¡°good¡± attached to his disposition wasn¡¯t there only for decoration.


    I had no way of knowing the full picture, but my head hurt just thinking about how those 30 people were supposed to survive together.


    ¡®This son of a bitch¡­¡¯


    Just from this, I could imagine how the survivor camp was running.


    ¡°You don¡¯t look good. A-Am I too heavy¡­?¡±


    Jung Hayan asked me, after seeing my darkening expression.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s not it. I just thought about something¡­¡±


    ¡°I-If you feel ufortable¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ I¡­ I¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I-It¡¯s a littlete, but thank you¡­ for saving me.¡±


    I smiled slightly at her words of gratitude.


    Supporting her was quite burdensome, but it didn¡¯t matter.


    It was because I thought I should score every little point from her while there was an opportunity.


    Jung Hayan¡¯s face was strangely red. It seemed like she wasn¡¯t used to making contact with the opposite sex.


    Rather than sticking too close to her, I tried to maintain a certain distance to lower her vignce.


    While I tried to keep the smile of a good person on my face, Jung Hayan became more willing to lean on me.


    After we walked a bit further, we arrived at a wide space.


    ¡®Not bad.¡¯


    It was a pretty good ce.


    There was only one entrance, what wasn¡¯t bad at all.


    There seemed to be some way to prevent monsters from entering, but I couldn¡¯t see it clearly from the outside.


    ¡°Amazing. How did you find this ce?¡±


    ¡®You already knew about it.¡¯


    ¡°I somehow stumbled upon it while I was looking for the right ce for survivors to stay.¡±


    ¡°You are very lucky¡­¡±


    He probably used this ce in his previous life.


    It was different from the starting point where monsters could enter from every direction.


    It was a little crude, but very much like a sturdy castle.


    It was highly unlikely he found this ce by ident. It was way too far away from the starting point.


    Little by little, I was more and more confident that this guy really came back in time.


    ¡°It looks great. Doesn¡¯t it, hyung-nim?¡±


    I nodded slightly.


    ¡°I think this ce could even fit more than a hundred people.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    ¡°M-Maybe I exaggerated.¡±


    With enough people, we should be able to stop monsters from entering. However, theck of a way to retreat was also a weakness.


    If a big number of monsters attacked us, it would end in ughter.


    All but a few lucky ones would die. I looked at Kim Hyunsung, and slowly opened my mouth.


    ¡°It¡¯s blocked from every other side. What if arge number of monsters try to invade through this one entrance¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why we are acting as carefully as possible. We are also dealing with monsters in the nearby area.¡±


    ¡°You go hunting regrly?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Until we can find some other clues¡­¡±


    I was very curious. Just who else was up for this regr hunting?


    As we gradually approached the entrance, I could see some womaning out to greet us. She was a little short, but gave an overall charming impression.


    ¡°Hyunsung oppa, you are back? Ah, there are new people.¡±


    I saw how she flinched a little at the sight of Park Deokgu, who had a robust body and was armed with sword and shield, but surprisingly, she didn¡¯t lose her smile.


    ¡®Nice reaction.¡¯


    She gave a good first impression.


    ¡°Jihye-ssi.¡±


    ¡°You were running a littlete, so I was worried about you.¡±


    [Checking the status window and talent levels of the yer Lee Jihye.]


    [Name: Lee Jihye]


    [Title: None. You should try a little harder.]


    [Age: 29]


    [Disposition: Selfish Ambitionist]


    [ss: None]


    [Stats]


    [Strength: 05/Potential growth:mon or lower]


    [Agility: 09/Potential growth:mon or lower]


    [Stamina: 09/Potential growth:mon or lower]


    [Intelligence: 18/Potential growth: rare or higher]


    [Endurance: 08/Potential growth:mon or lower]


    [Luck: 12/Potential growth:mon or lower]


    [Magic Power: 00/Potential growth:mon or lower]


    ¡®Trash.¡¯


    I muttered in my heart, unknowingly. She was trash to the extent that she was even further beyond helppared to me, but at the same time she was very simr to me.


    [Overview: Congrattions, yer Lee Kiyoung. You have finally found your soulmate. It¡¯s possible that the two of you will be the perfect match for each other. Low stats, low potential. Trying to wield a sword or wand is not rmended. Alternatively, it might be a different story if, captivated by each other¡¯s lousy talents, the two of you choose to live out the rest of your lives together quietly. But I don¡¯t want the two of you to get together. I would feel sorry for the 2nd generation born from your union.]


    I tried hard to ignore all the insults packed in there. It was clear that the status window message was trying to provoke me.


    I quickly turned off the status window, and then recalled this woman¡¯s information in my mind.


    Her disposition was very eye-catching when paired with her lousy talent level and poor stats.


    ¡®Selfish Ambitionist.¡¯


    Maybe she was the same type of person as me.


    Unlike other people in this ce, her way of interacting with Kim Hyunsung was very conspicuous.


    She had chosen to rub onto Kim Hyunsung in order to survive.


    ¡°Hehe. May I know your names?¡±


    ¡°Park Deokgu.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°J-Jung Hayan. Please, take good care of me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, nice to meet you all. In a moment, I will lead you to a ce where you can rest. Are you okay, Hyunsung-ssi?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Please, take care of them, Jihye-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Yes, leave it to me, Hyunsung oppa.¡±


    She clenched her fist in a cute manner, but knowing her disposition, I couldn¡¯t feel any warmth from it.


    Seeing how she scanned me, Jung Hayan and Park Deokgu up and down, maybe she was also calcting what role we would y after joining this ce.


    In the case of Park Deokgu, who was carrying a sword and shield and had a huge body, it was an instant pass.


    As for Jung Hayan, who stumbled on her legs, and the miserable I, who supported her, it was most likely a failing grade.


    It was funny how she instantly stuck to Park Deokgu and chirped.


    ¡°Have you seen any monsters on your way here?¡±


    ¡°Not only did I see them, but I¡¯ve already killed a few.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh¡­ You weren¡¯t scared?¡±


    A deliberate, slightly surprised expression.


    ¡°W-Well, of course I was scared, but¡­ In fact, if not for hyung-nim, I wouldn¡¯t be here now.¡±


    At the moment Park Deokgu uttered those useless words, Lee Jihye¡¯s gaze shifted to this side again.


    I didn¡¯t know if she was the same as me, but I could see what she was doing right now.


    ¡°Ah. So you fought together with Kiyoung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Sure we fought together! Every time hyung-nim stabbed with his spear, one monster bastard dropped dead.¡±


    ¡®Shut up, you pig¡­¡¯


    I wanted to shut up Park Deokgu¡¯s mouth.


    I guess he thought he was making me look more impressive in this way, but to me, it was way too much favouritism.


    At least I didn¡¯t have to worry about being backstabbed by him, but still, it was very embarrassing for me.


    Lee Jihye was amending her evaluation of my person.


    As Park Deokgu¡¯s hyung-nim, I was more important now.


    ¡°Oh, I see. I¡¯m really d to hear this. Our shelter will be a little safer now.¡±


    A slightly raised tone of anticipation.


    However, I didn¡¯t feel good about it. Because, right now, other survivors were also staring at us.


    Only


    I checked all of them with my Mind¡¯s Eye, but there was no one special in my field of view.


    From this, I was able to identify just what kind of gaze those guys were sending our way.


    ¡®Relief.¡¯


    They were all relieved. The appearance of two guys with a spear, sword and shield made them sigh with relief.


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    I expected something like this, but seeing it with my own eyes made me sigh.


    Kim Hyunsung made this ce very safe.


    For them, not for us.

 Chapter 7: Class (1)

    <h4>Chapter 7: ss (1)</h4>


    I wasn¡¯t a charitable person.


    Rather, I was the opposite of that. Lee Jihye, who wasughing while standing in front of me, was probably the same.


    People nodded at us, obviously pleased to see two warriors, one with spear and another with sword, join them.


    ¡®That¡¯s not right¡­¡¯


    At this rate I would be a meat shield.


    ¡°Well, I said I would lead you to a resting spot, but honestly, there¡¯s not much to show. There¡¯s only two sections here. One for men and another for women to live separately.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough. And it¡¯s proper.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for saying that. I was a little worried¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to worry about such a thing. Thanks for being our guide.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s kind of you. Hehe. Can I call you Deokgu oppa?¡±


    ¡°I-If you want to¡­¡±


    ¡°You are such a nice man.¡±


    This naive Park Deokgu was already half-way into the honey trap set by Lee Jihye. He sure felt good about being called ¡®oppa¡¯ by a woman six years his senior.


    ¡°Are you okay, Kiyoung-ssi?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so formal, call me as you like.¡±


    From the corner of my eye, I noticed Jung Hayan¡¯s expression wasn¡¯t looking good.


    ¡°Then I will call you Kiyoung oppa. Hehe. Ah! Hayan-ssi, please,e this way. We have no set rules for living here, but Hyunsung-ssi will tell you everything you should know. I will take Hayan-ssi with me, and teach her a few things. Have a good rest.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ okay. Kiyoung-ssi, see youter then. Thank you so much for today.¡±


    ¡°Yes, see youter.¡±


    ¡°Yup!¡±


    Jung Hayan bowed her head, and then went to the women¡¯s section together with Lee Jihye.


    It seemed like there were a variety of unspoken rules here, but frankly, I wasn¡¯t very interested in this.


    What interested me was how we would now proceed.


    ¡°Hyung-nim, don¡¯t you think this ce seems quite lively?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true¡­¡±


    ¡°Is there a problem?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal. Just¡­¡±


    ¡°Just¡­?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    ¡°Oh, is that so¡­¡±


    I wasn¡¯t happy with the idea of bing a meat shield to keep this ce safe, but if I changed my perspective a little, it actually wasn¡¯t such a bad thing.


    ¡®Only in this manner can I get what I need.¡¯


    This ce offered endless opportunities.


    Safe hunting with Kim Hyunsung, help with getting a ss and roping Jung Hayan onto my side.


    Perhaps it won¡¯t be smooth sailing, but that was a minor issue.


    The next morning, Kim Hyunsung called out Park Deokgu and I.


    ¡°Did you sleep well?¡±


    ¡°Yea, thanks to you.¡±


    Park Deokgu responded briefly to Kim Hyunsung¡¯s question.


    When it was only me and Deokgu I couldn¡¯t sleep properly, so it was the first night in this ce where I could rx a little.


    I roughly knew what this guy was trying to get at. Instead of getting dragged into this by him, I bit the bullet, and opened my mouth first.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t see many people who could fight here. Most of them are women or injured. Or those who have no will to fight.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s quite embarrassing to admit.¡±


    ¡°How is this ce holding up?¡±


    It was a pointed question to ask, but I was really curious about it.


    Only after a while did Kim Hyunsung slowly start speaking.


    ¡°Actually, we are not doing that great.¡±


    As I expected.


    I rubbed my chin and said.


    ¡°Theck of food and drinking water. No one to fight. And you, who has to take care of those 30 babies. Maybe even more, because their number will increase in the future.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°So far, you have been holding on, relying on food and drinking water you had stored in advance, but these resources will dwindle very soon, and there will be a need to find other solutions. Isn¡¯t that right? It will be very hard to get resources from the starting points scattered all over the ce. Right now we have to deal with monsters in front of us, and yet, the unable-to-fight-burdens behind us are increasing in number.¡±


    ¡°They are not burdens.¡±


    ¡°They might not be burdens in the future, but right now they are.¡±


    Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t answer, maybe he agreed with me to some degree.


    ¡°To be honest, taking into the ount the circumstances, leaving this ce doesn¡¯t seem like a bad choice.¡±


    ¡°You are going to leave, Hyung-nim?¡±


    I shook my head at Park Deokgu¡¯s words, and said,


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean that. But if we stay here, it won¡¯t do us any good.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Hyunsung-ssi, I wouldn¡¯t say that this friend of mine and I are that great. He might be helpful, but as for me, not so much. Actually, all I can do is to stand in ce and stab my spear forward.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°But still, I can fight together with others and serve as support. The same goes for this guy.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    I pretended to be casual, but it was quite difficult.


    We were tired, both mentally and physically, and I suspected we might reach our limit soon.


    Although you didn¡¯t seem to know me and Park Deokgu, you must have been overjoyed to meet us.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a volunteer.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°I think I roughly know what you wish to aplish. Maybe all you want to do is let everyone survive and be safe. I can understand this way of thinking, but I¡¯m not like you, Hyunsung-ssi. I¡¯m not someone who is willing to be sacrificed for someone else who won¡¯t even share my hardships. You may call it selfish, but that¡¯s how I see it¡­¡±


    ¡°No, I understand. Of course, you have your own needs.¡±


    Communicating with him was smoother than I expected.


    I was worried he would stick to his righteousness, but thankfully that wasn¡¯t the case.


    ¡°Alright. Then, firstly, we want dibs on a portion of the resources we find during future trips.¡±


    He nodded slightly.


    Probably, he thought that wasn¡¯t such a big demand.


    ¡°And¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯d like to be included in your n for the future.¡±


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s face stiffened a little.


    A momentter, he looked at me with an odd expression. He seemed to be a bit surprised.


    However, soon after, a faint smile appeared on his face.


    ¡°So you knew.¡±


    ¡°That strange woman from the starting point gave us two big clues: attack and survive. It¡¯s just my personal view, but this second option seems impossible to achieve. Uh, well, if a small number of people monopolized a lot of resources, then maybe it could work. But I don¡¯t remember her saying anything about the exact duration we would have to live here for.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°If there¡¯s no set time limit, gathering survivors isn¡¯t a good choice. Sure, they wouldn¡¯t get eaten by monsters, but they would starve to death. It¡¯s a forgone conclusion.¡±


    I knew he was a regressor, so I was just telling him everything he should already know about.


    However, this guy seemed to admire my reasoning and the fact that I could deduce so much just by putting together small pieces of information.


    In fact, when I raised my eyes, I could see him lowering his head a little.


    I was right.


    ¡°In that case, I¡¯m happy to work together with you.¡±


    ¡°Likewise¡­¡±


    I held his outstretched hand. There was a strange sense of trust in his eyes.


    He was aware that I wasn¡¯t strong enough.


    But in his mind, I might be the shining example of a useful talent now.


    For example, as a type of person fit to be an analyst or administrator.


    ***


    ¡°Hyung-nim!¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    Ever since Kim Hyunsung joined us, hunting had be much easier.


    That wasn¡¯t all.


    Now I held even more faith in what Mind¡¯s Eye was showing me.


    ¡°Deokgu!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ming.¡±


    Obviously, Kim Hyunsung seemed to be very experienced in using the sword.


    Sometimes he deliberately made mistakes, as if he wanted to hide his skill level, but the way he reacted every time Park Deokgu was in danger made it hard to see him as a person who only recently started using the sword.


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    While Park Deokgu was holding several monsters in ce, Kim Hyunsung and I were dealing with them from the sides.


    They were sensitive to sound, so to get their attention Park Deokgu was hitting his shield with his sword.


    I was still unused to wielding a spear, and my hands trembled.


    As I stabbed a monster rushing at Park Deokgu, the spear fell out of my hands.


    But then Park Deokgu finished it with a m of his shield.


    ¡°Haa!¡±


    ¡°Looks like a few more areing. Let me take care of them. In the meantime¡­¡±


    ¡°I know. Deokgu, let¡¯s grab the food.¡±


    ¡°I already took it, Kiyoung Hyung-nim¡­ What do you think he was doing when he lived on Earth?¡±


    ¡°No idea. But I doubt he was using swords there. His skills are probably the result of acquiring a ss.¡±


    ¡°Oh well, you have to admit he is he good at this.¡±


    Using his high agility, Kim Hyunsung was avoiding every strike and cut down enemies with precision.


    From far away it seemed simple, but in practice it wasn¡¯t simple at all.


    The reason why Kim Hyunsung was going ahead alone sometimes was because Park Deokgu already knew that he had a ss.


    Ever since hearing about this, Park Deokgu seemed to be a little nervous.


    He had yet to unlock any ss, and he was feeling stressed about this.


    ¡°Haa!¡±


    While Kim Hyunsung killed the remaining monsters, Park Deokgu observed him quietly.


    His eyes were full of amazement.


    ¡°Ah, there are fewer monsters than I expected around this starting point area.¡±


    ¡°Maybe he cleared this area before.¡±


    ¡°You mean Kim Hyunsung?¡±


    ¡°Yea. There¡¯s a lot of food here, but it seems like no one survived¡­ Well, if there were survivors, there would be no food left.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t really think the three of us would be enough to secure resources from the starting point.¡±


    ¡°You helped a lot.¡±


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t do much, did I? It¡¯s all thanks to that guy.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not only thanks to him. If not for you, it would¡¯ve been much harder for us to get here.¡±


    I didn¡¯t say those words only out offort.


    It was true that Park Deokgu made it much easier for us toe all the way here. No matter how good at fighting Kim Hyunsung was, he was only a single person after all. It would be difficult for him to tackle all the monsters attacking him from every direction alone.


    Although Park Deokgu was still in his growing phase, it was clear that his potential would allow him to be someone who could lift a heavy burden off his allies in battle.


    It was when I was checking my status window to see if any of my stats had risen that¡­


    Only


    ¡°Huh? Hyung-nim.¡±


    I heard Park Deokgu¡¯s startled voice at the same moment I saw a new message in front of me.


    [Several sses have been unlocked. Please select the ss of your choice.]


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    It was faster than I thought.


    [View unlocked sses.]


    [Warrior (Common)]


    [Archer (Common)]


    [Wizard (Common)]


    [Commander (Rare)]


    One very attractive ss came into my view.

 Chapter 8: Class (2)

    <h4>Chapter 8: ss (2)</h4>


    ¡®A [Commander]?¡¯


    This one line glowed blue, while the other three were white.


    I guess it was because of the rare grade. For now, I began reading the ss descriptions from top to bottom.


    [Warrior (Common)]


    A capable warrior fighting at the forefront of a battle is a must-have for every party. After changing to this ss, you will gain basic knowledge on using all kinds of melee weapons such as swords, spears, axes and so on. Afterwards, you will be able to unlock other melee sses, such as [Barbarian], [Knight], [Pdin], [Cavalryman], [Mercenary] and more. Strength, vitality and endurance are increased by 1 point each.


    [Archer (Common)]


    An archer specialises in ranged attacks. After changing to this ss, you will gain basic knowledge on using bows and arrows. In addition to being able to unlock adjacent ss paths such as [Thief] and [Assassin], you will also have a chance to advance to a higher grade [Archer] ss such as [Spirit Archer] or [Magic Archer]. Agility is increased by 3 points.


    [Wizard (Common)]


    A [Wizard] is a long range ss with the ability to use magic. After changing to this ss, you will gain basic knowledge on using magic. Later on, you can unlock other sses such as [Warlock], [Alchemist] or [Summoner]. Magic power is increased by 3 points.


    The first three options didn¡¯t look too bad.


    Choosing [Warrior] would improve my three stats that were the most difficult to raise, while choosing [Archer] would allow me to learn how to use ranged weapons¡­ For someone like me, who just wanted to chill at the back, it was a very appealing ss.


    Likewise for [Wizard]. It would boost my magic power, which was still an unknown factor for me.


    However, what I was the most curious about, was the rare ss that appeared, [Commander].


    [Commander (Rare)]


    This ss has little to do withbat skills. Instead of participating in actualbat, a person with this ss reads the situation of the battlefield and gives orders from behind. Changing to this ss would provide a wider field of view. It¡¯s not known what other sses you could unlockter. Intelligence is increased by 1 point.


    Honestly, until I read the description, my mind was set on [Commander].


    However, now that I had learned the pros and cons of all the sses avable, I felt a headache iing.


    A [Commander¡¯s] abilities weren¡¯t that bad.


    ¡®But what¡¯s the point of having a wider field of view here?¡¯


    And it only increased my intelligence by 1 point.


    When you take into ount that all other sses offered me 3 extra points, I would lose out on 2 points.


    And that wasn¡¯t all.


    ¡®What about my path of development for the future¡­?¡¯


    It was unsettling that there were no mentions of any possible ss to be unlocked afterwards.


    I then remembered that Kim Hyunsung¡¯s ss was also amon grade one, [Swordsman].


    It was very possible that he had unlocked some other sses with a rare or even heroic grade.


    However, as someone with the Sword Expert attribute, he set his sights on being a [Swordsman]. He probably tried to follow the path he already knew instead of trying something new with lower efficiency.


    While I was thinking about this, I saw Kim Hyunsunging this way.


    ¡°Looks like you guys unlocked some sses.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    For this guy, who already knew his own direction of growth, choosing a ss was just a formality. On the other hand, I had a lot to worry about because this choice would decide my future. Park Deokgu then opened his mouth, asking for advice.


    ¡°Hyung-nim, this¡­¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just not sure about this. I have Warrior and Priest as options, both of which are ofmon rank. I also see a rare grade ss, Shieldman, but I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s good.¡±


    ¡°You have Priest in your options?¡±


    ¡°For Priest, I could change to Pdin afterwards¡­ and it seems like Warrior can change to Berserker, but¡­ Wouldn¡¯t it be nice to have a rare ss at first?¡±


    Considering Park Deokgu¡¯s potential was the highest for vitality and endurance, [Shieldman] indeed seemed like the right choice for him.


    ¡°Shieldman¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, it says that this ss is all about defense. It exins that there are bonuses to using a shield, but the problem is that it¡¯s unknown what other sses I could unlockter. Oh, and I would lose 2 points of my strength¡­ but at the same time I would gain 3 points in endurance and vitality.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t sound bad.¡±


    It was Kim Hyunsung who spoke before I could even open my mouth. He offered his advice even though he wasn¡¯t asked.


    ¡°You seem to be someone who has high endurance¡­ Your strength would drop, but such a big rise in endurance and vitality would be amazing. And even if you lose 2 points of strength, you will still be 4 stat points ahead.¡±


    ¡®Indeed.¡¯


    In an online game, the presence of a tanker, a warrior who fights in the forefront, would be essential.


    Seeing Kim Hyunsung¡¯s reaction, the system here wasn¡¯t that much different.


    Not only priests, but tankers were also valuable here.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ You think so?¡±


    ¡°Have you unlocked any attributes yet?¡±


    ¡°Not yet.¡±


    ¡°As for me, I have amon grade ss, Swordsman, and an attribute that boosts my damage. At first, I wanted to choose Warrior to increase my strength, but I had a hunch that a swordsman with great increase in agility would be a better option for me. Afterwards, I unlocked an attribute by ident, so I think my choice of ss was the right one.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    He was the type of guy who expressed his opinion openly.


    The quality of the ss itself wasn¡¯t too important. The most important thing was how well this ss bnced itself with the stats, attributes and abilities of a person.


    So it was all about what had the best efficiency.


    Although he didn¡¯t insist on it too strongly, Kim Hyunsung clearly wished for Park Deokgu to choose the rare grade [Shieldman] ss.


    ¡°What do you think, Hyung-nim?¡±


    ¡°My opinion is simr. It¡¯s unknown if in the future you would get any attributes that increase your damage, but we have Hyunsung-ssi after all, and he can make up for yourck of attack power. And it would be nice if you could increase your stats by 4 points¡­ But still, the choice is yours.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right¡­¡±


    ¡°How about Priest then¡­?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the worst choice.¡±


    [Priest] was the worst option here.


    I just couldn¡¯t imagine him with this ss. Maybe it could work if heter changed to something like [Pdin], but¡­


    Park Deokgu¡¯s talent for magic wasn¡¯t particrly great.


    After a while, for a short amount of time, Park Deokgu¡¯s body shined with a blue light.


    He had sessfully changed his ss.


    ¡°What did you choose?¡±


    ¡°Just as you said, Shieldman seems to be the most suitable ss for me.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°I think that even now I can protect you pretty well, Hyung-nim, but it would be nice if I could do so even better. And as for the offensive, I guess it¡¯s not bad to leave it to others. ying with magic seems to be dangerous, what if I explode because of it? That said, being on the frontlines is a little scary, but I think I can handle it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a good choice.¡±


    Kim Hyunsung also approvingly nodded his head, then turned to me.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, can I ask what Kiyoung-ssi chose?¡±


    I was silent for a moment, before answering.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t chosen anything yet. I have three options formon grade sses: Warrior, Archer and Wizard, and also one rare grade ss: Commander.¡±


    ¡°Commander¡­¡±


    I noticed his facial muscles stiffened for a second.


    ¡®It¡¯s a trap card.¡¯


    This barely perceptible reaction made me convinced that [Commander] was a trap card here.


    ¡°Um¡­ I see.¡±


    ¡°Oh my god, Hyung-nim! Commander! This ss would be perfect for you! I just know it!¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes?¡±


    ¡°I mean, aren¡¯t you totally like some coolmander, Hyung-nim? Just imagining you giving orders from behind like a boss¡­ Khh¡­ Under Hyung-nim¡¯smand I will surely win every battle!¡±


    Park Deokgu was full of excitement, but honestly, I didn¡¯t see myself as amander type.


    And also¡­


    ¡®I don¡¯t know anything about war strategy.¡¯


    I had never ever read any book about the art of war.


    I wasn¡¯t very good at ying chess or Go, and I didn¡¯t have a particrly outstanding mindpared to others.


    If you asked me about my experience in this area, I could only think about this short time in the distant past, when I yed some online strategy game. I don¡¯t even remember what its name was now.


    In fact, with my character, I was more fit to be a scammer rather than amander. I guess [Thief] would be quite a fair option for me.


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait for you to give me orders, Hyung-nim!¡±


    ¡®This bastard¡­¡¯


    He was cute.


    Apparently, he already thought I would choose [Commander].


    ¡°It says this ss would provide me with a wider field of vision and 1 point increase in my intelligence. As for other sses, you guys probably know about them.¡±


    ¡°With this ss, there¡¯s little to no gain. At least the other three would increase your starts by 3 points¡­¡±


    I felt my throat getting dry. Bing a rare grade [Commander] was definitely a trap.


    ¡°You have to be a Commander! Commander!¡±


    I decided to ignore this idiot who was getting all excited by himself, and pondered more deeply on this problem.


    ¡°Having a rare grade ss for now would be nice, but I¡¯m also worried whether this ss would enable me to advance to something better in the future. All the other sses are ofmon grade, but it¡¯s obvious they won¡¯t stay like this. Choosing your first ss is very important, so¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you Hyung-nim, you should be a Commander! Commander! Please,mand me!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I think the Archer ss wouldn¡¯t be so bad for you, Kiyoung-ssi. It would help us a lot, if you could attack from a distance¡­ andter on you could change to something like Thief¡­


    ¡°Hyung-nim, choose Commander! Commander! Let me follow you!¡±


    ¡°For now¡­ it would be more helpful to increase your stats.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to argue about here! Hyung-nim was born to be amander! He has to be a Commander no matter what!¡±


    ¡°Archer would be better for him¡­¡±


    ¡°Commander is better!¡±


    ¡°Archer¡­¡±


    ¡°Commander!¡±


    ¡°Archer¡­¡±


    ¡°Commander!¡±


    ¡°Archer!¡±


    ¡°Commander!¡±


    ¡°Archer is better!¡±


    ¡°Commander is even better!!!¡±


    They were just making me more confused.


    ¡®Damn¡­¡¯


    I left those two guys to argue by themselves.


    Kim Hyunsung seemed to know a little about the disadvantages of being a [Commander], and he wanted to rmend the [Archer] ss to me. However, he didn¡¯t know about my poor talent.


    ¡®Should I choose [Archer].¡¯


    Choosing [Commander] went hand in hand with some potential problems, but [Wizard] was actually quite tempting for me. Although my magic power was truly a sad sight, I felt I could work around it, relying on my high intelligence.[1]


    ¡®What should I do?¡¯


    The most important thing was to make the best use of my strong points. Anyway, my Mind¡¯s Eye already told me that I was a hopeless case.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    Only


    In the end, I had to choose a ss that seemed to be the most efficient for me.


    As I made my decision, I closed my eyes and with a sh of light I could feel how my body changed a little.


    ¡°Phew¡­¡±


    I sessfully changed my ss.


    Kim Hyunsung and Park Deokgu spoke at the same time.


    ¡°Commander?¡± ¡°Archer?¡±


    ***


    [1] To lessen your confusion. In chapter 1 by other trantor Kiyoung¡¯s potential for all stats was mon grade¡± but it wasn¡¯t right. He has ¡°heroic grade¡± for intelligence and luck. In next chapter we will have update of his status window so you can see it more clearly.

 Chapter 9: Pure things are easily dyed

    <h4>Chapter 9: Pure things are easily dyed</h4>


    ¡°Wizard.¡±


    ¡°Umm¡­¡±


    ¡°W-Why not Commander¡­¡±


    Both of them reacted pretty simrly.


    Park Deokgu looked really disappointed. Kim Hyunsung was obviously a little dejected, but otherwise didn¡¯t seem to think it was a bad decision.


    Although an [Archer]¡¯s ability to use bows was very attractive, my low agility wouldn¡¯t allow me to utilise it well. I didn¡¯t know if changes could happen in the future, but right now my ability stat had little potential for growth.


    There was no point in forcing myself to do something that didn¡¯t suit me.


    Naturally, even if I had chosen [Archer] and became a [Thief]ter on, I would still have to worry about this very same thing.


    In fact, the same could be said about the [Wizard] ss. I already knew that I wasn¡¯t going to be a skilled magic user, but¡­


    ¡®I have to take advantage of my strengths.¡¯


    I figured that the best path forward would be to make use of my high intelligence. Considering the various ways this ss could branch out, there had to be a ss where high mana wasn¡¯t a barrier to growth.


    ¡°May I ask why you chose Wizard?¡±


    I shook my head slightly, and said,


    ¡°Just a hunch.¡±


    I had no other choice.


    Even if I had chosen [Commander], I would¡¯ve only gained 1 extra stat point.


    Gaining a three point boost to mana, which was still uncharted territory to me, seemed like a boon inparison.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    He seemed to have been convinced.


    I felt a little bitter. If only he could see my growth potential, he would know there was no hope for me.


    [Acquired basic knowledge of elementary magic.]


    [Due to the effect of the ss, the mana stat increased by 3 points.]


    [Checking the status window and talent levels of the yer Lee Kiyoung.]


    [Name: Lee Kiyoung]


    [Title: None. You should try a little harder.]


    [Age: 25]


    [Disposition: Careful Strategist]


    [ss: Wizard]


    [ss Effects: Basic Magic Knowledge]


    [Stats]


    [Strength: 10/Growth potential:mon or lower]


    [Agility: 11/Growth potential:mon or lower]


    [Vitality: 12/Growth potential:mon or lower]


    [Intelligence: 19/Growth potential: heroic or higher]


    [Endurance: 12/Growth potential:mon or lower]


    [Luck: 21/Growth potential: heroic or higher]


    [Mana: 03/Growth potential:mon or lower]


    [Equipment: None]


    [Attributes: Mind¡¯s Eye]


    [Overview: You¡¯re still hopeless. But I apud you for getting a ss. Selecting [Wizard] may well be a very good choice for you. If you hadn¡¯t, it would be difficult to feel magic given your talent. The extra 3 points of mana may look promising, but I rmend that you don¡¯t raise your hopes on being a good Wizard. You will only be left with disappointment.]


    ¡®This son of a bitch¡­¡¯


    For some reason the overview message didn¡¯t criticize my choice as much as I thought it would.


    It was still insulting, but at least I got an approving nod for learning to use mana.


    There were many changes to my status window.


    I also felt like I roughly understood what it meant to acquire knowledge on the basics of magic.


    New knowledge poured into my head.


    All of it was literally only foundational knowledge, so there was nothing tooplicated. It exined the concept of magic, how to move mana, how to cast spells by using mana, and it also provided an introduction to the concepts of chimeras and incantations.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that bad.¡±


    It was a little different from what I had imagined.


    I couldn¡¯t quite pin it down in words, but I felt like I was solving some form I¡¯d never seen before, or like I was building a tower with my mana.


    Knowledge of things that werepletely unfamiliar to me, such as chimeras and incantations, continued to umte in my mind.


    ¡®For now, at least, it seems like it was worth it.¡¯


    Unlike the benefits of the [Commander] ss, I could use this power as soon as I adapted to it.


    When I slowly closed my eyes and felt the mana inside me, it welled up immediately.


    My level of mana was only in the single digits, so I felt really grateful that it moved ording to my will.


    While I was still operating mana in my mind, Kim Hyunsung, who had been observing me, opened his mouth.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back then. We¡¯ve already been dyed by a lot. As for food¡­¡±


    ¡°Two bags are enough for us.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    After packing up two bags, Park Deokgu handed the rest over to Kim Hyunsung.


    He nodded, and revealed a look of gratitude.


    Perhaps he thought we were being considerate of him.


    We had retrieved about 12 leather bags full of food from this starting point. If you thought about Park Deokgu¡¯s contribution in attracting the monsters¡¯ aggro, only asking for 2 bags was a bargain.


    ¡°Thank you for your consideration.¡±


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s no need for thanks. Without Hyunsung-ssi, we wouldn¡¯t have had the opportunity to even get these two bags¡­ Given everything you¡¯ve done for us, it¡¯s only natural that we repay your help in kind.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go feed the people.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I understand.¡±


    ¡°What are you going to do about the others, by the way? We can¡¯t keep helping them like this.¡±


    ¡°Those who aren¡¯t willing to fight would only get in the way. I don¡¯t want there to be any unnecessary victims¡­ It may be good to put them through training to adapt to the circumstances then take them to hunt monsters one by one.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that would work.¡±


    If you thought about it, Park Deokgu had alsopleted this kind of training to adapt.


    But I didn¡¯t bother to say this out loud.


    ¡°It might not work. But for now, I think we could try it out with just one other person, with your permission of course. Would you guys be okay with that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind¡­ But how about you, Hyung-nim?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m also okay with this. Just, can I suggest someone right now?¡±


    ¡°Do you have anyone in mind¡­?¡±


    ¡°I was thinking of Jung Hayan, if she¡¯s fine with it.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    Kim Hyunsung nodded his head happily.


    It was no exaggeration to say that Jung Hayan was like a lottery ticket that was certain to win a jackpot.


    I had already confirmed her talent with my Mind¡¯s Eye, and Kim Hyunsung most likely knew about her future achievements.


    I couldn¡¯t help butugh when I saw his delighted expression.


    The way back to the shelter was quitefortable. Due to the fact that we would inevitably leave the shelter unprotected whilst we travelled to the starting point, we had cleared out the area beforehand.


    As we approached the shelter, several people, including Lee Jihye, ran out to greet Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡°Ah, Hyunsung-ssi! Deokgu oppa and Kiyoungie oppa also worked hard. Let us take those for you¡­¡±


    I could see those guys taking bags from Kim Hyunsungie as though it were only natural.


    One man, who seemed to have an injured leg, snuck his hand towards our side as well, so I shook him off, and said,


    ¡°We will carry our bags ourselves.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes¡­¡±


    I drew a clear line between us and their system of distribution.


    Funnily enough, I could clearly see an expression of disapproval on his face.


    He seemed to be thinking something along the lines of, ¡®Who do you guys even think you are?¡¯


    The corners of my mouth rose for a moment, but he likely didn¡¯t see it. Not minding my actions, Kim Hyunsung was quietly speaking with Lee Jihye.


    ¡°This is the food that we obtained from the starting point. I want Jihye-ssi to distribute it amongst the people inside the shelter.¡±


    ¡°Alright! Leave it to me, Hyunsung-ssi. By any chance, were there any survivors¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    ¡°I-I see. That¡¯s too bad.¡±


    ¡°Maybe some of them are still alive nearby. Sooner orter, we¡¯ll have to search that area again.¡±


    ¡°Ah! Right¡­¡±


    There probably wouldn¡¯t be enough food. Kim Hyunsungie had only brought ten bags.


    Thirty people wouldn¡¯t be able to eat their fill after sharing it amongst themselves.


    I could still hold out for now, but I was already feeling hungry myself.


    Park Deokgu and I, carrying our two bags, walked past the leeches surrounding Kim Hyunsung and headed inside.


    Inexplicable gazes followed us all the while.


    While walking, Park Deokgu spoke with a hint of uneasiness.


    ¡°Hyung-nim, you really won¡¯t share with them?¡±


    ¡°We are not volunteers.¡±


    ¡°Well, I know that but¡­ I don¡¯t feel very good about it. And the expressions of those people who went out to greet us were kinda¡­


    ¡°Why do you care about how they look at you?¡±


    ¡°I-I just don¡¯t like it¡­¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re the ones who should be thanking us for risking our lives and bringing them food, Deokgu. The idea of even supporting baggage like them isughable. The ce we¡¯re staying in right now is Kim Hyunsung¡¯s shelter. We¡¯re not one of them. We helped them as much as we were helped, and we even gave up some food that we were supposed to get. It¡¯s the least we could do. Kim Hyunsung knows that, which is why he hasn¡¯t said anything¡­¡±


    ¡°Umm¡­¡±


    ¡°If they want better treatment, they can also pick up a sword. Well, maybe if I were in their shoes, I would also have had a hard time doing that¡­ Maybe Kim Hyunsung wants them to be motivated by us. I¡¯m not sure what the oue will be.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ So when they see us taking so much food, they would realise they also have to fight to be treated likewise?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the desired effect.¡±


    That guy wasn¡¯t stupid. It was possible that he was hoping for something along those lines to ur.


    While we were trudging over to the ce where we usually stayed, I couldn¡¯t see Jung Hayan anywhere.


    I had wondered if there was any work for those who didn¡¯t go out hunting, but I couldn¡¯t see anyone who was actually idle.


    Some were cleaning up their surroundings, while others moved heavy stones to fortify the shelter.


    Perhaps Jung Hayan was also doing some kind of work. It was obvious who had managed this ce while we were gone.


    ¡®Lee Jihye.¡¯


    She was in charge of these people.


    It was her job to distribute food and report any issues to Kim Hyunsung.


    She was also the first toe out to greet him.


    While thinking about this, I felt the corners of my mouth rising up for a moment.


    ¡°Deokgu-yah.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Do you remember Jung Hayan?¡±


    ¡°Are you talking about thedy with the injured leg who was clinging onto you earlier?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    I took out some food from my bag and handed it to Park Deokgu.


    ¡°I want you to give this to her, and see if she¡¯s okay.¡±


    ¡°Hyung-nim, why are you¡­ ah¡­¡±


    Something about his expression didn¡¯t seem right.


    ¡°I understand. Very well, you can leave it to me!¡±


    This guy caught onto my intention at once.


    We hadn¡¯t been together for long, but he was already starting to get better at understanding what I wanted from him.


    He understood that I was trying to get her.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t mean it in a romantic way, but it was surprisingly easy to make people think otherwise.


    Only


    Especially in a situation like this.


    From what I could remember, Jung Hayan¡¯s disposition was ¡®Pure Advocate¡¯.


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s disposition, ¡®Well-Meaning Arbitrator¡¯, appeared to be slightly simr, but the two were clearly different.


    ¡®Pure¡¯ and ¡®Well-Meaning¡¯ were clearly different.


    ¡°Pure things are easily dyed.¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    Perhaps this small experiment would be enough to prove what I had said.

 Chapter 10: Jung Hayan (1)

    <h4>Chapter 10: Jung Hayan (1)</h4>


    An invisible hierarchy was forming.


    Even beasts that were incapable of speech would create a ss-based system among themselves. It would be stranger if, in a situation like this one, there were no subtle differences in ranks.


    As long as it was a ce people inhabited, it was a natural oue.


    ¡°First of all.¡±


    At the very top of the pyramid was Kim Hyunsung, the man who had built this ce.


    I didn¡¯t know what had urred whilst finding this shelter, but the people here certainly ced a lot of trust in Kim Hyunsung.


    I would have had a simr reaction.


    Of course, it was a natural reaction for someone who had suddenly fallen into an unknownnd crawling with monsters.


    The fact that there was a guy willing to pick up a sword and stand up against those monsters was very reassuring, especially since that guy was foolishly kind.


    It was no wonder then, that people admired him.


    Next up was Lee Jihye. A woman who had an unexpected windfall from being with Kim Hyunsung.


    Unlike Kim Hyunsung, who frequently roamed outside, she spent most of her time in the shelter, managing food distribution, guarding the shelter, and other essential tasks.


    There were also some people who could be considered part of ¡®Lee Jihye¡¯s Unit¡¯ that held significant authority.


    Of course, while Kim Hyunsung was here, they couldn¡¯t abuse or openly take advantage of their power, but it was inevitable whilst he was gone.


    ¡°Then where are we, Hyung-nim?¡±


    ¡°You could say that we¡¯re right under Kim Hyunsung, because we have the strength to fight and retrieve food.¡±


    ¡°Umm¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s probable that they¡¯re dissatisfied with us right now.¡±


    ¡°But at first¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, they were sweet to us at first. But I¡¯m sure they didn¡¯t like what happened yesterday. It was like implying that we want to be independent. To put it bluntly: ¡®It¡¯s not our job to feed you.¡¯ That was likely thest nail in the coffin.¡±


    ¡°But part of the food they took was ours. Isn¡¯t it natural to say, thanks, instead?¡±


    ¡°Of course, there are people like that too, but¡­ It¡¯s human nature to try to keep new powers in check. Even if it¡¯s just within a small group of people.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean that Kim Hyunsung is keeping us in check?¡±


    ¡°No, Kim Hyunsung doesn¡¯t think of this ce as his own in the first ce.¡±


    ¡°Then who the hell is so wary of us¡­?¡±


    ¡°People who think this ce belongs to them.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t Kim Hyunsung who was pretending to rule. It was Lee Jihye, the one who was profiting off of him.


    ¡°I think I know what you mean.¡±


    ¡°Kim Hyunsung is the figurehead of this group, but she¡¯s the one controlling it. In the first ce, Kim Hyunsung doesn¡¯t have time to manage this ce since he spends most of his time outside. Where might is required, the one with strength is king, and where food and shelter are a priority, the one grasping them is king. Kim Hyunsung has power, but it¡¯s that woman who has food and shelter.¡±


    ¡°You mean Lee Jihye?¡±


    I nodded slightly.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°One more loaf of bread is enough to win people over and you can send away those you¡¯re wary of. Power is created by discrimination. Jung Hayan is probably one of the ones who aren¡¯t favoured by Lee Jihye¡­ That¡¯s why she was separated from the group and sent out to do rough work.¡±


    ¡°Since when have you been paying so much attention to Hayan-ssi?¡±


    ¡°In the future we will have to keep an even closer eye on her.¡±


    Park Deokgu nodded quietly.


    Watching over Jung Hayan was just the beginning.


    It was an impulsive judgement based on Lee Jihye and Jung Hayan¡¯s dispositions, ¡®Selfish Ambitionist¡¯ and ¡®Pure Advocate¡¯. Even so, I thought that I could perhaps really achieve the results I wanted.


    ***


    ¡°Hayan-ssi, you need to do your job properly.¡±


    ¡°Yes? Okay¡­¡±


    ¡°Everyone is working hard. Hayan-ssi isn¡¯t the only one who has it difficult. In a situation like this, we all have to work together¡­ If you keep up this attitude, we¡¯ll have no choice but to reduce your rations.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you say ¡®yes¡¯ or ¡®no¡¯¡­ As you may have heard, things aren¡¯t looking bright. It¡¯s not easy to get food from other ces, and we also don¡¯t know how long we¡¯ll have to stay here. If a monsteres while Hyunsung-ssi is out, we¡¯ll be ughtered. That¡¯s why building walls is so important.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I understand. I¡¯m really sorry.¡±


    ¡°Tsk. If you don¡¯t want to get kicked out, don¡¯t ck off and work hard. As more survivors are found, there won¡¯t be any space left for Hayan-ssi. I just don¡¯t understand why people who¡¯ve just joined are so selfish¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Just do your job properly.¡±


    ¡°Yes, okay. I understand.¡±


    She could see the man who anxiously spoke out turning away.


    Subconsciously, she lowered her head.


    She wasn¡¯t sure what she had done wrong in his mind, but he didn¡¯t seem to like anything she did.


    No, it was natural to not like it.


    It was no wonder he was unhappy. It has been a few days already, and she still wasn¡¯t able to fulfill her assigned workload.


    ¡®Stupid.¡¯


    She had always heard words such as ¡®slow¡¯ or ¡®slug-like¡¯, but she hated herself for not being able to move faster even in this situation.


    ¡®It hurts.¡¯


    She looked down slightly, and saw her ragged hands. Her fingernails were almost gone. It was painful, but she could definitely empathise with what she had just been told.


    ¡®Everyone is working hard.¡¯


    Everyone was doing their best to survive.


    Hyunsung-ssi, Kiyoung-ssi and Deokgu-ssi, who were out fighting against monsters, as well as the people who were building walls together.


    Compared to before, when she had been frantically running around on her own, not knowing when she would die, this ce was akin to heaven.


    If Kiyoung-ssi hadn¡¯t helped her at that time, she would have been killed by monsters.


    As she remembered how she had clung to him almost the whole way here, her face flushed red.


    That was the first time she had been in such proximity with a man.


    As she recalled that memory in a daze, she raised her head when she heard a voiceing from beside her.


    ¡°Hayan-ssi, I know you have it hard. Let me take that.¡±


    ¡°Ah, Seokwoo-ssi.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s probably also been under a lot of stresstely.¡±


    ¡°I-Is that so?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Hyunsung-ssi has been going out a lottely, so building fortifications is very important right now. Jihye-ssi must be thinking the same thing. We don¡¯t know how long we are going to be here, so we have to do everything we can. You¡¯ll have to understand.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I-I know.¡±


    ¡°You seem to be particrly sensitive today. I think Hayan-ssi is one of the hardest working people here¡­ I¡¯ll talk to himter. Let¡¯s go eat together first.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes.¡±


    ¡°I heard yesterday that Hyunsung-ssi got food from the starting point.¡±


    ¡°Oh, really?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I heard it from Jihye-ssi, so it must be true.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief, hehe.¡±


    Yoo Seokwoo.


    He was a man who spoke his mind.


    Of course, since he was in charge of her, helping her benefited him too, but most of the time he seemed to just want to chat.


    ¡°By the way, isn¡¯t this work hard?¡±


    ¡°O-Of course it¡¯s hard, but there are definitely others who have it rougher.¡±


    ¡°But still, it¡¯s not an easy job¡­ You know, you could cheat a bit.¡±


    ¡°No. I can¡¯t even finish the work assigned to me in the first ce¡­ I can¡¯t cheat. Seokwoo-ssi is injured, but you still work with us¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m overseeing everything, so I don¡¯t have to do much, haha. Actually, I have no problem with this, haha.¡±


    While chatting about various things, they arrived at the food distribution table.


    She could see a few people lining up.


    Park Deokgu and Lee Kiyoung were nowhere in sight. It was possible that they had already finished their meal or had left to go elsewhere.


    ¡®It hasn¡¯t been long since they came back from hunting.¡¯


    Surely they would want to rest.


    ¡°Line up and stand here. You can wait for your turn.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Yes.¡±


    After receiving the food, they settled down in a nice spot. She could see others who were gathering together to eat.


    A brief thought crossed her mind to sneak over and join them. However, perhaps because of her timid personality, it wasn¡¯t easy for her to talk or hang out with others in the first ce.


    ¡°These circumstances are hard for them as well.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I mean the others. It¡¯s tough for everyone. No one can afford to take care of anyone else, and in the case of Hayan-ssi, who came here a bitter, they¡¯re probably even more reluctant.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ I-I guess so. A-And I can¡¯t do my job properly¡­¡±


    ¡°No, Hayan-ssi, you work harder than anyone else. With time, when you get used to it, everyone will ept Hayan-ssi. Just like I do now.¡±


    ¡°T-Thank you for taking such good care of me.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing. I just want to get closer to Hayan-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Oh! So do I. Thank you for always helping me.¡±


    Now that she thought of it, she had received a lot of help from this person.


    From the very beginning, he had been the first to approach her and help her make connections. He had made her time here a lot smoother.


    ¡®Thank you.¡¯


    It happened while she was cing a piece of bread into her mouth. She could feel Yoo Seokwoo grabbing her hand.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    She tried to pull back, but he didn¡¯t let go.


    She turned her head and saw Yoo Seokwoo looking at her.


    ¡°L-Let go of me. P-Please¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°L-Let go. Why, all of a sudden¡­?¡±


    ¡°But just now¡­¡±


    ¡°T-That¡¯s not what I meant.¡±


    She looked around hurriedly, but there was no one else there. It felt like Yoo Seokwoo¡¯s always-smiling eyes had changed a little.


    His smile was nowhere to be seen and a look of ridicule had taken its ce.


    ¡°Hayan-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes?¡±


    ¡°Did you think that I was doing you a favour?¡±


    ¡°W-What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°If you are taking something, you also have to give something back. You really don¡¯t know sh*t.¡±


    ¡°W-What are you saying. W-Why are you being like this¡­¡±


    ¡°You know how much I¡¯ve done for you, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know much about that. I appreciate your help, but¡­¡±


    Only


    ¡°You¡­ Are you really that stupid? Or are you just pretending to be stupid? Should I be more direct?¡±


    ¡°J-Just let go of my hand now. Ah, it hurts. It hurts¡­¡±


    ¡°If you want your time here to stay pleasant in the future, you better be nice to me. You stupid woman. You still haven¡¯t figured it out?¡±


    His eyes were scary. She had never seen anyone look at her like that before.


    She didn¡¯t even know why things had turned out this way.


    What she knew for sure was that she wanted to get out of there.


    As she desperately tried to pull her hand away, she heard a loud voice from behind her.


    ¡°Hey, Hyung-ssi. If you don¡¯t want that hand of yours to be broken, you better let go.¡±

 Chapter 11: Jung Hayan (2)

    <h4>Chapter 11: Jung Hayan (2)</h4>


    ¡°Hey, Hyung-ssi. If you don¡¯t want that hand of yours to be broken, you better let go.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Kwajik!


    ¡°Aaaaaaaagh!¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    In that fleeting moment, she was unable toprehend what had urred.


    As soon as that huge shadow had fallen across her face, she had closed her eyes.


    But that scream had been real enough.


    When she opened her eyes, she saw Park Deokgu, who was silently looking down, and Yoo Seokwoo, who had fallen to the ground, screaming.


    ¡°Deok-Deokgu-ssi?¡±


    ¡°Ahhhngaaaa¡­¡±


    ¡°I had no idea we had this brand of scumbag here. Alright, it¡¯s not broken, so don¡¯t be such a crybaby.¡±


    ¡°Aaaaagh¡­¡±


    Arge fist cut through the air once more. The sound of an impact rang out as the blow fell precisely on Yoo Seokwoo¡¯s head.


    It was almost unreal to see him sent sprawling to the floor as though a heavy, blunt weapon had struck him.


    ¡°Ahhhh! Uh¡­ Uhhh¡­¡±


    ¡°Quit pretending. I didn¡¯t even hit you that hard¡­ Someone might think you were a wailing newborn with all the racket you¡¯re making.


    A big foot struck out, and Yoo Seokwoo¡¯s body was thrown into the air.


    He had been kicked.


    Seeing him crashing into the wall, Jung Hayan was afraid that the situation would spiral into something bigger.


    ¡°I-It¡¯s okay now, so please stop. You¡¯re going to hurt him. Deok-Deokgu-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    The re he shot in Yoo Seokwoo¡¯s direction was vaguely terrifying.


    However, if she didn¡¯t stop him now, then perhaps Yoo Seokwoo¡¯s death would reallye to pass.


    Seeing Yoo Seokwoo hunched over and trembling on the ground made her anxious.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much, Noonim. All I did was give him a little shove and a kick. Well, this Hyung-ssi is just a cry-baby¡­¡±


    That wasn¡¯t why she was anxious.


    She could see some people rushing over after hearing Yoo Seokwoo¡¯s screams.


    ¡°Stop!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°What are you doing? Seokwoo-ssi, are you okay?¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m fine¡­¡±


    The most conspicuous of them was, of course, Lee Jihye. As she led her herd towards them, abject confusion shone in her eyes.


    ¡°Hey, what the hell is going on here? Violence is forbidden within the shelter.¡±


    ¡°That man sexually harassed Hayan-ssi. So I gave him a beating.¡±


    ¡°Is that true?¡±


    ¡°I saw it with my own two eyes.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­not.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°O-of course, it might have looked misleading because I grabbed Hayan-ssi¡¯s hand¡­ B-But he was mistaken¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re still running your mouth.¡±


    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough, Deokgu oppa. Like I said, violence is prohibited here. Even if Seokwoo-ssi did something wrong, hastily swinging your fists at someone without hearing them out first creates disharmony amongst group members. This way of doing things¡­ is not right. Before anything else, you need to determine if anything wrong is even taking ce.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Seokwoo-ssi, did you really grasp Hayan-ssi¡¯s hand to then sexually harass her?¡±


    ¡°N-n-n-no. A-absolutely not. I never meant to do such a thing.¡±


    ¡°Then what Deokgu oppa saw¡­¡±


    ¡°I-I think there was a bit of a misunderstanding. O-of course, it¡¯s true that I expressed my feelings towards Hayan-ssi, but I mistakenly thought that Hayan-ssi had epted them¡­ I-I think that¡¯s what happened.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes¡­ R-really.¡±


    ¡°Please repeat exactly what you said.¡±


    ¡°I told Hayan-ssi I wanted to get closer to her, and Hayan-ssi reciprocated¡­ I guess I was just mistaken.¡±


    ¡°Hayan-ssi, please rify. Is what Seokwoo-ssi just said true?¡±


    Several gazesnded on her. Of course, this wasn¡¯t something she could suddenly get used to.


    It was because their gazes were far from being friendly.


    She quickly realised that there was no one on her side.


    As her arms and legs started to shake from tension, Lee Jihye¡¯s face, and her stare as though urging her to hurry up and speak, came into her view.


    For some reason, she had trouble opening her mouth.


    ¡°T-that¡¯s true. B-but after that, Seok-Seok-Seokwoo-ssi¡­ F-forcibly pulled my arm, and¡­ that if I want to have a pleasant time here¡­ H-he spoke like that¡­ I-I was a little surprised¡­¡±


    ¡°Please speak properly, Hayan-ssi. I can¡¯t understand what you¡¯re saying. Take it step by step.¡±


    ¡°S-so¡­¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s true that Seokwoo-ssi said he wanted to get closer to Hayan-ssi and you agreed?¡±


    ¡°Sorry? Yes¡­ B-but I didn¡¯t know what he meant¡­ I-I didn¡¯t know¡­¡±


    ¡°I asked whether it¡¯s true.¡±


    ¡°I-it¡¯s true. B-but¡­¡±


    ¡°Excuse me, Hayan-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°So isn¡¯t it Hayan-ssi who acted misleadingly and allowed this situation to develop? Come to think of it, you¡¯ve been hanging out with Seokwoo-ssi ever since you came here. Am I wrong?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­ It was always¡­ Seok-Seokwoo-ssi who approached first¡­¡±


    ¡°This is what happens when your behaviour is problematic.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ Well, that¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you think it is eptable to create this type of misunderstanding and then back down like that? The same goes for Deokgu oppa. I can¡¯t believe you hit a person without even considering the actual situation¡­¡±


    When she turned her head a little to look at Park Deokgu, she noticed a tinge of confusion on his face.


    He was likely thinking, ¡®Maybe I made a mistake.¡¯


    ¡°Is he telling the truth? Noonim?¡±


    ¡°I-I did agree that we should get closer¡­ B-but¡­¡±


    She was so bewildered she didn¡¯t even know where to begin.


    She had no idea how to respond to this situation which had popped up out of nowhere, or how she could fix it.


    Her face flushed and her eyes filled with tears.


    ¡°Do you think crying will solve anything?¡±


    ¡°I- I¡¯m sorry. I¡­ I¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a matter of whether you¡¯re sorry or not. To be honest, the mood in the shelter hasn¡¯t been good recently¡­ Deokgu oppa¡­ Of course, I appreciate you giving a helping hand to a woman in a situation like this, but don¡¯t act so rashly unless you know what¡¯s going on. I think you were a little¡­ too reckless this time.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°Especially when it¡¯s a situation where it¡¯s unclear who the victim and perpetrator are¡­¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Am I the one you should be apologising to?¡±


    ¡°Apologise directly to the victim, Seokwoo-ssi.¡±


    ¡°S, S¡­ Sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡±


    ***


    ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡±


    I already knew the answer.


    It was a situation that I could read with ease.


    I was expecting something to happen sooner orter, but not like this.


    I had never imagined that they wouldunch an offensive filled with usations at this scale.


    Park Deokgu wore an embarrassed expression and seemed to be on the verge of tears. Meanwhile, Jung Hayan was shedding tears like a waterfall.


    Of course, there was no such thing as ¡®justice¡¯ here.


    At a nce, the assant and victim were clear.


    Well, it was none of my business if Jung Hayan really tried to take advantage of Yoo Seokwoo, however the fact that Jung Hayan was in a tight spot was a matter of considerable importance.


    At my appearance, Lee Jihye was the first to speak.


    ¡°It¡¯s good to see you, Kiyoung oppa. Presently¡­!¡±


    ¡°Are you out of your mind?¡±


    ¡°Sorry?¡±


    ¡°Jihye-ssi, are you out of your mind?¡±


    ¡°W-what are you¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you think this is some kind of local yground? Do you think no one will hear you when you¡¯re making such argemotion? Just because we leave the shelter regrly to clear outside, that doesn¡¯t mean we can¡¯t take care of internal matters as well.¡±


    She seemed to have realised that she had made a mistake.


    ¡°Ah¡­ So the situation right now is¡­¡±


    ¡°I saw it from afar, so I roughly know what¡¯s going on, Jihye-ssi. Just as Jihye-ssi said, in a situation like this, where the assant and the victim have yet to be clearly identified, even I would be scared if I were cornered by a group such as this. And yet, what situation do we have right now?¡±


    ¡°But that woman is clearly the one at fault¡­¡±


    ¡°Jihye-ssi, can you say for sure that Seokwoo-ssi is wholly innocent?¡±


    I was fairly certain that she couldn¡¯t.


    The moment those words left her lips, it would be her, not Yoo Seokwoo, who would bear the responsibility for them.


    And so, she had grown hesitant, disying an anxious and flustered appearance.


    ¡°And based on Hayan-ssi¡¯s reaction, I don¡¯t think that is the case¡­ But most of all, Hayan-ssi isn¡¯t that kind of person. I can guarantee that.¡±


    My ¡®guarantee¡¯ was over the top. Completely over the top.


    Right then, I was just talking nonsense.


    It was such an embarrassing remark, even I wanted tough at it.


    Jung Hayan, who probably felt that she wasn¡¯t worth the hassle, was likely extremely grateful for a statement in her defense.


    But others wouldn¡¯t feel the same.


    When on Earth would I have gotten to know her so well that I could even vouch for her?


    Aside from her Pure Advocate disposition, I had no other reason to vouch for her.


    As a matter of fact, there were many points worthy of mention.


    In the first ce, it was wrong to question the victim from a standpoint that they had done something wrong when the crime involved sexual harassment.


    There was no way that Lee Jihye, a woman, wouldn¡¯t know that. Her insistence on siding with Yoo Seokwoo was likely done with the intention of furthering the exclusion of outsiders and consolidating her existing power.


    Or maybe the goal was to screw with Jung Hayan from the start.


    I wouldn¡¯t mind refuting her logic, but simply pushing my agenda forward in this case would work just as well.


    No, not ¡®just as well¡¯.


    Because¡­


    ¡®I¡¯m in control.¡¯


    I was the one in power here.


    What I meant, was that my authority was heavier than anyone else¡¯s here.


    ¡°Hayan-ssi doesn¡¯t deserve this.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ that¡­¡±


    There was a great contrast between Jung Hayan, who stared at me whilst wiping her tears, and those who red at Jung Hayan with hostility clear in their gazes.


    Perhaps in their minds this was a very unreasonable situation. Someone who appeared out of the blue and browbeat them into letting go of the situation, was also seemingly overly partial to one person.


    Of course, I wouldn¡¯t be the hated one.


    I looked toward Jung Hayan.


    A woman favoured by the powerful.


    She was bound to be an object of hatred; a person whom everyone else could not help but direct their dissatisfaction at.


    Especially for someone like Lee Jihye.


    ¡°Everyone¡¯s still just standing around¡­ Yoo Seokwoo-ssi needs to get his injuries treated. However, after that, I will ask him to exin the exact situation again. For now, let¡¯s move Seokwoo-ssi first.¡±


    ¡°Y-yes sir.¡±


    ¡°Jihye-ssi, please clean up this ce quickly, so that you can start your daily activities. It will soon be time for Hyunsung-ssi to return. Monsters might start rushing in at any moment, so Deokgu, please patrol the surrounding area.¡±


    ¡°A-alright, Hyung-nim.¡±


    ¡°Also¡­ Hayan-ssi, I¡¯d like to speak with you for a second.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Some people were whispering, Lee Jihye was biting her lips, and Yoo Seokwoo seemed to be rather fretful.


    Only


    I could clearly see what all of them were thinking.


    I could make out some of their words, but no one openly disapproved of my actions.


    ¡°What¡­ that woman.¡±


    ¡°Bitch.¡±


    There was a much better ¡®prey¡¯ than me, after all.


    ¡°Come with me.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ yes.¡±


    Rather than someone powerful, the kind that was easy pickings.

 Chapter 12: Lee Jihye

    <h4>Chapter 12: Lee Jihye</h4>


    ¡°Sit down, please.¡±


    ¡°I, I¡¯m¡­¡±


    I could see her hesitant expression.


    It was clear she hadn¡¯t calmed down yet. As she wiped her tears away, shoulders shaking, she looked a little like a young child.


    In the first ce, she was an ordinary 21-year-old girl.


    She had never experienced such a situation before, so it was no wonder she was like that.


    I couldn¡¯t fullyprehend exactly what it was that she was feeling, but it seemed like she hadn¡¯t really understood what had happened yet nore to terms with the situation at hand.


    ¡°I¡¯m, hic¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you are apologising for.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m the one who, hic¡­ who.¡±


    ¡°Hayan-ssi didn¡¯t do anything wrong. Of course, I didn¡¯t see what happened, but¡­ For now, could you go through what happened?¡±


    ¡°I, I didn¡¯t mean it that way. J-just¡­¡±


    ¡°I know. Please, just tell me what you can. Take your time.¡±


    As I smiled and spoke to her, she slowly began to speak.


    In fact, I already had a rough idea of how the story went, and it was rather predictable.


    The problem was that I couldn¡¯t understand her words at all.


    It was hard for me to figure out what she was saying through all the sobbing and tears


    Thanks to the system, I knew her level of intelligence wasn¡¯t low, but perhaps it wasn¡¯t based on simple thinking capability.


    ¡°S-so Seokwoo-ssi suddenly¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ yes¡­ I see.¡±


    ¡°H-he grabbed my hand and I screamed.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    But it didn¡¯t matter whether I could understand her or not.


    It was more important to empathise with her.


    It was more important to listen to her reasons, why she was crying and why she was upset, than to judge who was at fault.


    ¡®I¡¯m on your side.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t say it out loud, but she probably thought that way.


    ¡°Th-that¡¯s what happened¡­ A-and all of a sudden, Deokgu-ssi came, and¡­ he hit him, and then Jihye-ssi¡­¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°A-and at that moment, Kiyoung-ssi came¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The issue was that thismentation of hers was taking quite a long time.


    Finally, after a few more minutes, her tedious story came to an end.


    ¡°It must have been difficult.¡±


    ¡°N-no. I-I¡¯m a little better now.¡±


    It definitely seemed like she was a little calmer now.


    Her shoulders which had trembled asionally were set back in their original ce, and her tearful expression was reced with a slight smile.


    She had regained someposure.


    ¡°Thank you, Kiyoung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to thank me. It¡¯s just the circumstances¡­¡±


    ¡°N-no. I mean, you said you believed in me before¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±


    ¡°Y-you¡¯ve been helping me ever since we first met¡­ I-I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve done anything for you¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    ¡°M-may I ask why you¡¯re so nice to me?¡±


    It was difficult to decipher the origin of this question.


    I wasn¡¯t sure if she was simply interested in me or wary of me.


    I thought it was probably thetter.


    Most likely, Yoo Seokwoo approached her in a simr manner.


    Let¡¯s give her a reasonable answer.


    ¡°I just did what I thought was right, but if I had to give a reason¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I have a younger sister at home. Perhaps it¡¯s that Hayan-ssi reminds me of her.¡±


    Actually, I didn¡¯t really think this.


    Yulha¡¯s personality waspletely different from that of Jung Hayan before me, and it was hard to find any resemnce other than age.


    But I thought that it would be the appropriate response.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s probably around the same age as Hayan-ssi.¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have¡­¡±


    ¡°Hayan-ssi¡­¡±


    ¡°I-I have two older sisters, but¡­ I lost contact with them a long time ago¡­¡±


    A dark expression surfaced. I thought it wouldn¡¯t be a problem if I pried a little more.


    ¡°Your parents¡­¡±


    ¡°Th-they are not around.¡±


    ¡°We have something inmon.¡±


    ¡°You too, Kiyoung-ssi?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    She looked oddly delighted.


    ¡°W-we are a little alike.¡±


    ¡°Yes. It seems so.¡±


    It was good for us to have something inmon.


    The corners of my mouth went up when I saw her quietly sping her hands.


    I considered whether it would be better to be more active or step back from here, but unfortunately, I wasn¡¯t sure of the correct answer.


    After thinking it over for a short while, I continued from my earlier train of thought.


    ¡°If it wouldn¡¯t be too much trouble.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like you to be a little morefortable with me. It¡¯s purely my selfishness but¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah? Ah? Yes! H-ow?¡±


    ¡°We can start by speaking more informally.¡±


    ¡°Yes? Alright¡­ Th-then informally¡­¡±


    ¡°Just speak casually.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ I mean, umm. A-alright, O-O-Oppa.¡±


    She seemed to be shy.


    I was able to confirm once more that Jung Hayan wasn¡¯t skilled in socialising with others.


    As I quietly faced her and observed her with my Mind¡¯s Eye, her overall stats came into my view.


    [Checking the status window and talent levels of the yer Jung Hayan.]


    [Name: Jung Hayan]


    [Title: None. You should try a little harder.]


    [Age: 21]


    [Disposition: Pure Advocate]


    [ss: None]


    [Stats]


    [Endurance: 11/Growth potential: rare or lower]


    [Agility: 11/Growth potential: rare or lower]


    [Vitality: 14/Growth potential: heroic or lower]


    [Intelligence: 22/Growth potential: heroic or higher]


    [Endurance: 14/Growth potential: rare or lower]


    [Luck: 23/Growth potential: heroic or higher]


    [Mana: 10/Growth potential: legendary or higher]


    [Overview: This person has the potential to improve their magical abilities beyond legendary grade. While their overall physical ability is low, they can experience explosive growth as a [Wizard] or [Priest] in the future. They are currently unaware that they can sense mana. Even if the both of you be Wizards, it¡¯s inevitable for them to be a Wizard on a totally different scale from yer Lee Kiyoung, so don¡¯t lose sleep over it.]


    Her strength and vitality had increased by 1 and 2pared to what I¡¯d seen before. It seemed she¡¯d been hard at work fortifying the walls.


    It was also interesting that her mana value was at 10 points.


    Unlike me, who only gained mana after bing a Wizard, she had had it from the moment she was summoned here.


    She couldn¡¯t feel it yet, but it was possible that I could do something to help with that.


    It happened while I was thinking about discussing mana and magic.


    ¡°E-excuse me, Kiyoung oppa¡­ C-could I speak with you for a minute?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t Jung Hayan¡¯s voice.


    The owner of this voiceing from behind me was Lee Jihye.


    The expression on Jung Hayan¡¯s face shifted to anxiety.


    In fact, I had predicted that Lee Jihye would approach me.


    It was just a little faster than I anticipated.


    ¡®Certainly¡­¡¯


    This woman had a good head on her shoulders.


    ¡®Are you going to switch to my side?¡¯


    The side which was more advantageous had already been determined by the events which had taken ce earlier.


    On the surface, it may have appeared to simply be a case of judging who was wrong between Yoo Seokwoo and Jung Hayan. However, it had also been a power struggle between Lee Jihye and I.


    It was likely that Lee Jihye knew that too.


    No one had sorted us into a hierarchy, but she had realised nheless that I stood above her.


    Disposition: ¡®Selfish Ambitionist¡¯.


    There were two patterns of behaviour that emerged when someone like this woman or like myself encountered a new power.


    To reject it.


    Or to join it.


    She¡¯d acted faster than I had expected.


    She wasn¡¯t losing out by siding with us, but that shouldn¡¯t have been a decision made lightly.


    I opened my mouth and spoke quietly, looking not to Lee Jihye but to Jung Hayan.


    ¡°Could you excuse me for a moment? I think Jihye-ssi and I need to talk.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Okay. I understand. O-Oppa.¡±


    It seemed she was a bit nervous as she ced a small amount of emphasis on herst word.


    Eventually, Jung Hayan stood up and Lee Jihye took her ce. I caught her looking back at us again and again; apparently, she had enjoyed our conversation.


    ¡°How can I help you?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ That¡¯s¡­ I just wanted to apologise. That, I¡¯m sorry for themotion.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. In reality, Jihye-ssi did nothing wrong.¡±


    ¡°No, Kiyoung oppa. It was my first time dealing with a situation like that, so I was a bit too impulsive and didn¡¯t consider the situation outside. I didn¡¯t think about you and the others struggling beyond these walls. It would have been better to resolve this manner quietly.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I would also have been flustered if I were in Jihye-ssi¡¯s shoes. On the contrary, I think I should be the one apologising for being too sensitive.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not it. Oppa just did what he had to do.¡±


    Although she was fairly young, I wasn¡¯t used to being called oppa by a woman older than me.


    ¡°That¡­¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Regarding Seokwoo-ssi.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any ns for what to do about Seokwoo-ssi at the moment. Anyhow, his treatmentes first¡­ There are other things that I need to get done in the meantime.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Well, that¡¯s a relief. I¡¯m sorry to have troubled you with this. I was so flustered earlier that I couldn¡¯t make a proper judgement. I¡¯d like to be the one to resolve this, if you¡¯d let me. Could you leave this to me?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but worry.


    I hadn¡¯t yet figured out how to deal with Yoo Seokwoo.


    There were neitherws nor police here, so I wasn¡¯t sure whether to punish him, or even how.


    ¡°Hayan-ssi¡­¡±


    ¡°Now that I think back, I believe I was also overly critical of Hayan-ssi. If you let me handle this¡­¡±


    ¡°Please go ahead. It was my understanding that Jihye-ssi was the one managing this ce to begin with¡­ I apologise for stepping in presumptuously.¡±


    ¡°Ah! No. That¡¯s not what I meant.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I know what you¡¯re trying to say. I hope you don¡¯t mind what happened earlier.¡±


    The point was that I also recognised some of her authority.


    This woman must have understood the implications of my words.


    ¡®I have no intention of stopping you.¡¯


    So, don¡¯t do anything to get on my nerves.


    Just lie low and stay out of my way.


    When I had finished speaking, I could see that her hand was furtively reaching forward.


    Objectively speaking, Lee Jihye was a beauty. I tried to keep my heartbeat steady, but it was difficult to keep still when someone was so close to my body.


    Rather, I was more curious about why she had approached me in this manner.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure that it¡¯s hard enough for you to leave the shelter¡­ Thank you so much for taking care of us.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that bad.¡±


    ¡°If there¡¯s anything I can do to help you, I¡¯d like you to let me know please. Anything.¡±


    Saying that, she stroked my thigh.


    At this point, of course, I could tell what this woman wanted.


    ¡°Anything?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Whatever that may be.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but be embarrassed seeing hering on to me so much more aggressively than I had expected.


    This woman might be foolish, but she wasn¡¯t stupid. I don¡¯t think that anyone could mistake her for a moron.


    Her eyes showed a strange look of desire.


    ¡®A hunger for power? Ambition?¡¯


    It didn¡¯t matter either way.


    ¡°I like ambitious men.¡±


    To me, having power or ambition was a way of protecting myself. Of course, my motives didn¡¯t matter to Lee Jihye.


    All she cared about was the result.


    The question was, would getting closer to this woman benefit me?


    The only thing she had going for her was that she could control the gaggle of idiots.


    There may be other uses for her, but that was it for now.


    She must have approached me because she was well aware of that fact.


    The group may not be much use in the first ce, but there was no harm in having it.


    Actually, there might be something useful to gain from her side after all. Perhaps the connection with Jung Hayan¡­


    ¡®What should I do¡­¡¯


    I was pretty sure that she hadn¡¯t actually fallen for me.


    If I couldn¡¯t realise that much, then I would still be thinking that she was just a thoughtless, dumb bitch.


    ¡®That¡¯s not it.¡¯


    Was she aiming for a contract? A simple rtionship?


    There was quite a lot that Lee Jihye stood to gain.


    Reconsolidation of her power after it may have been shaken, as well as forming a bond with someone whose authority might be second only to the strongest within the group.


    It could also be useful to make the public believe that we weren¡¯t on bad terms.


    There was nothing wrong with getting closer to each other.


    Breaking people down into enemies or allies was a stupid way of thinking.


    ¡°What do I get out of this?¡±


    ¡°Hmmm. How about Hayan-ssi?¡±


    The corners of my mouth raised and I pressed close to her.


    Only


    I could see that Lee Jihye¡¯s face held a strange mixture of excitement and anticipation.


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    It was a sensation I hadn¡¯t felt in a while.


    Our lips brushed against each other. It might have looked romantic at first nce.


    But our thoughts were different.


    ¡®Let¡¯s use each other.¡¯


    I smiled slightly as I said, ¡°We seem to be a little simr.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I think so too.¡±

 Chapter 13: Embarrassment (1)

    <h4>Chapter 13: Embarrassment (1)</h4>


    [Checking the status window and talent levels of the yer Lee Jihye.]


    [Name: Lee Jihye]


    [Title: None. You should try a little harder.]


    [Age: 29]


    [Disposition: Selfish Ambitionist]


    [ss: None]


    [Stats]


    [Strength: 05/Growth potential:mon or lower]


    [Agility: 09/Growth potential:mon or lower]


    [Vitality: 10/Growth potential:mon or lower]


    Intelligence: 20/Growth potential: rare or higher]


    [Endurance: 08/Growth potential:mon or lower]


    [Luck: 15/Growth potential:mon or lower]


    [Mana: 00/Growth potential:mon or lower]


    [Overview: Congrattions, yer Lee Kiyoung. You¡¯ve finally met with misfortune. The perfect couple, forged from low stats and terrible potential, has been born. Make sure to use contraception. If the two of you really conceive a child together, I would feel sorry for the 2nd generation born from your union.]


    ¡°What couple.¡±


    This woman was a little smarter than I¡¯d previously thought. No, to be more exact, it wasn¡¯t that she was exceptionally brilliant.


    However, her ability to read the situation, decisiveness, and willingness to act were worth taking a look at.


    I understood why Kim Hyunsung had entrusted the group to this woman.


    She was quick-witted and knew how to respond appropriately.


    The fact that she had thrown Jung Hayan, who she had been keeping in check over the past few days, over to me gave me a rough idea of what she wanted.


    She likely wanted to hold onto the main body while cutting off any loose ends.


    Of course, she may have other reasons, but I didn¡¯t need to know about those.


    I swallowed and examined Lee Jihye¡¯s stats once more.


    Her rate of growth wasn¡¯t bad. Compared to thest time I¡¯d seen her, her vitality had risen by 1 point, her intelligence by 2, and her luck by a total of 3 points.


    ¡®How did she do it?¡¯


    The question was how she had increased her stats.


    In the case of intelligence, it was possible to infer that this stat wasn¡¯t based simply on one¡¯s critical thinking ability or existing knowledge.


    For instance, Jung Hayan, despite having high intelligence, wascking in some aspects.


    On the other hand, Lee Jihye was the opposite. She was shrewd even though her intelligence stat was lower than Jung Hayan¡¯s.


    Perhaps one¡¯s magical aptitude or ability to understand the relevant knowledge was the basis of the intelligence stat.


    Her luck increase was strange as well. When I hadst checked, her luck stat was 12.


    I didn¡¯t understand how her luck would have increased overnight.


    I had a hunch that it was connected to my high level of luck, but that was just a guess.


    I had to do a little more thinking about the way stats worked.


    ¡°You¡¯re up early.¡±


    ¡°Because I have a lot to think about.¡±


    Lee Jihye stood next to me, making no effort to hide the fact that she was staring.


    She had seemed fine yesterday, but her expression seemed a little clearer than before.


    ¡°Deal with Yoo Seokwoo and keep an eye on Jung Hayan. If anything out of the ordinary happens to her, inform me right away.¡±


    ¡°Should you be saying that to the woman you¡¯ve kissed¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense¡­¡±


    ¡°Well. I¡¯ll take care of it. I think I know what you¡¯re nning, but what¡¯s special about this woman?¡±


    ¡®She¡¯s a calcting bitch.¡¯


    ¡°Noona doesn¡¯t need to know.¡±


    ¡°You!¡±


    I could see her face flush red when I called her noona.


    Her age was probably a sensitive topic.


    Lee Jihye bit her lips slightly.


    We hadn¡¯t turned into a loving couple nor teammates who would guard each other¡¯s backs overnight.


    To a certain extent, this was a contractual rtionship.


    There had been no itemised list of terms, but we had both tacitly agreed to make use of each other and went through the process of forming that arrangement.


    It was a contract that could easily fall through at any given moment, but for the time being, it would let us believe in each other at the very least.


    The question was how long this rtionship wouldst.


    There was no problem if we respected each other and kept each other in line, but no one could say what the future held.


    I sighed lightly and began to speak.


    ¡°By the way, why did Jihye-ssi choose me?¡±


    ¡°I told you, Kiyoung oppa. I like ambitious men.¡±


    She wasn¡¯t the only one who had to live up to expectations.


    Just as I could discard her at any moment, she could easily do the same.


    What mattered for now was my own growth and Jung Hayan.


    Lee Jihye wouldn¡¯t brag about our ¡®rtionship¡¯ randomly.


    Because it was in her favour too.


    But she might hint at it if she was in the mood while working.


    It was important to know how it would affect Jung Hayan.


    Being socially inept meant that she inevitably struggled with expressing and being receptive to emotions.


    She didn¡¯t have any parents, and lost contact with her sisters a long time ago.


    In other words, Jung Hayan was not only unfamiliar with forming rtionships with others, but was likely starved for affection.


    I had to increase her attachment to me and in the process, her dependency.


    Lee Jihye would help me with that.


    * * *


    Things were handled faster than expected. There had been no trial or anything of that sort for Yoo Seokwoo.


    I wasn¡¯t sure if he knew that Lee Jihye had sided with me, but Yoo Seokwoo quickly admitted that he was at fault, and was given a suitable punishment that everyone agreed upon.


    Of course, to some extent, Lee Jihye¡¯s influence yed a role in this oue. What was amusing was that she stuck to an attitude of ¡®I was powerless in this matter¡¯.


    In addition to directing their anger towards me, she stealthily began to manipte public opinion into believing that some of the me rested on Jung Hayan¡¯s shoulders.


    ¡®I was unable to help because of Lee Kiyoung.¡¯


    ¡®He values Jung Hayan.¡¯


    Those were the unspoken words that could be inferred from her behaviour.


    Due to this, Jung Hayan was forced to bear the hatred of everyone else. While watching Lee Jihye¡¯s process of maniption, I couldn¡¯t help but feel that Lee Jihye was more awful than I¡¯d thought.


    ¡®This is a woman who¡¯s good at bullying.¡¯


    If I could describe this in terms of a stats, then it would be beyond legendary.


    I didn¡¯t lift a finger to stop her.


    Ultimately, this process seeded in providing the optimal environment for Jung Hayan to be thoroughly isted and harassed by those around her.


    In this situation where everyone hated Jung Hayan, there was nothing she could do to redeem herself.


    Eventually, there was only one ce she could turn.


    Thanks to this, I had been listening to Jung Hayan¡¯s weeping for days.


    ¡°S-so¡­ hic¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ I¡¯m fine¡­ Thank you. O-o-oppa. I¡¯m too much of a¡­ I know you¡¯re busy¡­¡±


    ¡°No, not at all. Thank you for telling me this. If you work a little harder, the others will likely recognise your efforts. Of course, I already know that Hayanie is doing her best.¡±


    To be honest, it wasn¡¯t easy to pretend to be a good person.


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be alright. We¡¯re going to go hunting together from now on. I¡¯ve already discussed it with Hyunsung-ssi¡­¡±


    ¡°I-it¡¯s just someone like me¡­ Will that be okay?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    I smiled slightly and patted her on the head.


    What I¡¯d aplished so far could be called an achievement.


    It seemed that the time I¡¯d spent wasn¡¯t meaningless, if she was this scared by the thought of interacting with others.


    I had the urge to take a picture tomemorate this before we left.


    But I already knew that I couldn¡¯t hurry this process¡­


    ¡®Slowly.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t want a rtionship that could crumble as easily as a sand castle.


    The ties binding us together needed to be stronger.


    ¡°O-oppa, I¡¯m d you¡¯re here. I-if I were alone¡­¡±


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t know how relieved I am to have Hayanie next to me. How is your mana cirction going? Have you made any progress?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It seems to be working for now. I think I can feel it inside me. If I send it through my arms, I might be able to strengthen¡­¡±


    ¡°What about casting magic spells?¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m still not sure.¡±


    In fact, chatting with Jung Hayan wasn¡¯t just for the sole purpose of improving our rtionship.


    Much like Park Deokgu, who was struggling to get used to his new ss and familiarising himself with shields, I needed time to acquaint myself with the [Wizard] ss.


    The frequent excursions Kim Hyunsung had been taking on his own recently may have been made with the intention of giving us that time.


    ¡®Visualise.¡¯


    Magic was the result of visualising what one wanted to do with mana.


    The process of spell-casting was an essential aid to visualisation.


    I also had a hard time implementing magic for the first time. The basic knowledge was in my head, but I found it difficult to achieve the result I wanted.


    I needed to build a tower with my mana. A solid tower without any cracks or air inside.


    At the same time, I thought of the action that I wanted to realise in my head.


    I pictured mes rising from my fingers.


    ¡°Hear my voice. Respond. me.¡±


    At the same time, a small me rose from my finger.


    Jung Hayan watched it with a slightly surprised look on her face.


    ¡°Wow¡­¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s important to clearly define what you want to achieve in your mind. It¡¯s more convenient if the spell is simple but I don¡¯t think it matters if it¡¯s a little long¡­ The point is that it coincides with your thoughts.¡±


    The disadvantage was that most spells that were easy to visualise were useless.


    Thinking about those spells that could only be dubbed chuuni-like[1], I felt my face heating up.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°In my case, rather than manifesting magic itself, I¡¯m thinking of harnessing mana to enhance myself¡­ You¡¯ll probably find your own preferred method as well. I mean, it may seem difficult now, but it¡¯ll be a bit easier if you get a ss.¡±


    ¡°As expected¡­ I understand.¡±


    It might not be possible to use magic unless you have a ss.


    Given that Kim Hyunsung, who had quite a lot of mana, was unable to use magic, it seemed that you couldn¡¯t ovee the limits of your ss.


    The reason for giving Jung Hayan all of this knowledge, despite that fact, was obvious.


    ¡®I favour her.¡¯


    There was no easier way to get close to someone than by teaching or learning from them.


    Even if I told her in advance what she wouldter learn, I wouldn¡¯t lose out.


    ¡°You might not be able to use magic until you get a ss. Still, let¡¯s practice building up your mana step by step.¡±


    ¡°Yes. L-leave it to me. O-oppa, I¡¯ll do my best.¡±


    I nodded naturally.


    [Mana has increased by 1.]


    [Intelligence has increased by 1.]


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s possible that the more you use it, the more mana you¡¯ll have in the future. Personally, I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡±


    ¡°Ye-yes.¡±


    ¡°Then, shall we stop here for today?¡±


    ¡°A-a-actually, there¡¯s something I don¡¯t understand¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I-I mean recently, I¡¯ve had another surge in my mana¡­¡±


    As I listened to her exin, I checked out Jung Hayan¡¯s stat window.


    I was curious about the progress she¡¯d made so far.


    [Checking the status window and talent levels of the yer Jung Hayan.]


    [Name: Jung Hayan]


    [Title: None. You should try a little harder.]


    [Age: 21]


    [Disposition: Pure Advocate]


    [ss: Wizard (Common Grade)]


    [Stats]|


    [Endurance: 11/Growth potential: rare or lower]


    [Agility: 11/Growth potential: rare or lower]


    [Vitality: 14/Growth potential: heroic or lower]


    [Intelligence: 22/Growth potential: heroic or higher]


    [Endurance: 14/Growth potential: rare or lower]


    [Luck: 23/Growth potential: heroic or higher]


    [Mana: 15/Growth potential: legendary or higher]


    [Equipment: None]


    [Attribute: How to Be a Wizard - Rating: Heroic]


    Only


    ¡®What? Wizard?¡¯


    What stood out was the ss title of Wizard.


    ¡°Because my mana isn¡¯t circting well.¡±


    The brightly smiling Jung Hayan once again caught my eye.


    ¡®What are you¡­¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t help but notice that something was wrong.


    ***


    [1] Chuunibyou - Aka. 8th grader syndrome & associated delusions of grandeur.

 Chapter 14: Embarrassment (2)

    <h4>Chapter 14: Embarrassment (2)</h4>


    ¡°Because my mana isn¡¯t circting well.¡±


    ¡®What the hell.¡¯


    I nced at her facial expression once more, but it remained unchanged.


    The bright smile she wore was incongruous with the pitiful appearance she had previously disyed.


    I checked her status window again, but naturally, nothing had changed.


    I hadn¡¯t been mistaken.


    [ss: Wizard (Common Grade)]


    Jung Hayan had already gained a ss.


    ¡®Since when?¡¯


    Roughly three days had passed since I hadst checked Jung Hayan¡¯s status window.


    The timing almost perfectly ovepped with the day I started giving her lessons on magic.


    She had been discreet about it, but it was possible that she had gained a ss the moment I first began discussing magic with her.


    [Attribute: How to be a Wizard - Heroic Grade]


    [Complete acquisition of basic knowledge on elemental magic. Mana has permanently increased by 2 points. The potential for growth has increased explosively.]


    ¡®What the hell is this¡­¡¯


    Even her attributes were over the top. As soon as she understood the underlying principles of the ss, she received an attribute associated with it that was heroic grade.


    It felt like a p in the face.


    This was the first time I¡¯d ever seen someone, who, just byprehending the basics of magic, gained not only a ss but also a new attribute.


    If it was possible for others, Kim Hyunsung would have chosen this method.


    Jung Hayan had to be a unique case.


    As I fell into thought for a while longer, Jung Hayan began to look at me showing traces of anxiety.


    ¡°Um¡­ O-oppa?¡±


    ¡°Ah, sorry. I was just thinking¡­ You asked me about mana cirction, right?¡±


    ¡°Y-yes! I tried what oppa said, but it¡¯s still really hard¡­¡±


    It couldn¡¯t be difficult.


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because the amount of mana you¡¯re using is a little bit too much¡­ That¡¯s weird.¡±


    I could see her hand reaching forward.


    I grabbed Jung Hayan¡¯s slightly outstretched hand and began to pour in my feeble mana resources.


    I tried to push through and gather up her mana, but Jung Hayan¡¯s mana did not even budge.


    It wasn¡¯t simply because my mana wascking.


    ¡®She¡¯s blocking me.¡¯


    My attempt to help her circte her mana was intentionally suppressed.


    It was only when I began to frown that I felt Jung Hayan¡¯s mana moving in the direction I wanted.


    ¡°A-as expected, you¡¯re amazing, Oppa.¡±


    ¡®Seriously¡­¡¯


    ¡°Try to imagine it.¡±


    ¡°Sorry?¡±


    ¡°Imagine the spell. Something like a me rising from your hand¡­ You can do what I did before, right?¡±


    ¡°Ah! Y-yes!¡±


    The amount of mana required to fulfil the conditions for using this spell was perfectly umted.


    It should have been easy for her to imagine a small me after getting to this point.


    But then her mana instantly fell apart. It wasn¡¯t because she had taken too long or simply failed. Jung Hayan, herself, deliberately broke it down.


    ¡°I-it¡¯s still too difficult. W-why am I like this¡­? Oppa is trying so hard to teach me¡­¡±


    Even her tearful act was a sight to behold.


    ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯


    ¡°No, it could be because you are still ssless, so it¡¯s normal to fail. If we go out hunting, you¡¯ll improve. Okay?¡±


    She didn¡¯t react to the word ¡®ssless¡¯ that I had snuck in.


    ¡°C-can we try it again?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s already prettyte. Let¡¯s call it a day. I have work to do for the time being.¡±


    ¡°D-do you have ns or¡­ A-are you seeing Hyae-Hyaeyoung-ssi¡­ t-today as well?¡±


    Park Hyaeyoung was a woman that Lee Jihye had attached to me.


    After what happened that day, Lee Jihye sent me a person who could act as a link between us.


    I¡¯d been told that she would be useful for me in many ways, but that was something I had yet to witness.


    Until now, all I had heard from Park Hyaeyoung were stories about the group¡¯s situation and internal affairs.


    As I was debating on how to respond, I heard another voice.


    ¡°Kiyoung-ssi? Do you have a minute?¡±


    ¡°Ah. Just give me a moment, please.¡±


    ¡®Park Hyaeyoung.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t tell whether her timing was good or bad.


    However, I saw that Jung Hayan didn¡¯t show much of a reaction.


    ¡°Ah! Y-you already had something nned. I-I wasn¡¯t aware¡­¡±


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t make any arrangements to meet with Hyaeyoung-ssi. Something must have happened. Would you excuse us, please?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ yes.¡±


    Jung Hayan slowly withdrew from her seat and then Park Hyaeyoung came in.


    I didn¡¯t remember calling for her, so I wondered why she had sought me out.


    I could feel Jung Hayan staring at Park Hyaeyoung. I did want to take advantage of her jealousy, but not in this manner.


    ¡°Hayan-ah, I¡¯ll see you tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Ah! Yes!¡±


    As soon as Jung Hayan disappeared from view, Park Hyaeyoung sat down quietly.


    ¡°Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard something interesting.¡±


    ¡°Like what?¡±


    ¡°Like the fact that the next time you go hunting, you¡¯ll take a few of the people here to apany you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking, could I be one of them?¡±


    She was quite direct.


    Naturally, I¡¯d already scanned Park Hyaeyoung with my Mind¡¯s Eye, but there was nothing particrly outstanding when it came to her abilities.


    [Checking the status window and talent levels of the yer Park Hyaeyoung.]


    [Name: Park Hyaeyoung]


    [Title: None. You should try a little harder.]


    [Age: 27]


    [Disposition: Calcting Diplomat]


    [ss: None]


    [Stats]


    [Strength: 10/Growth potential: heroic or lower]


    [Agility: 11/Growth potential: rare or higher]


    [Vitality: 20/Growth potential: rare or higher]


    [Intelligence: 10/Growth potential: rare or higher]


    [Endurance: 10/Growth potential:mon or lower]


    [Luck: 09/Growth potential:mon or lower]


    [Mana: 00/Growth potential: rare or lower]


    [Overview: This isn¡¯t the time to be disappointed about theck of people with prominent stats or unique characteristics. Overall, this person is well-bnced. It seems likely that they could grow well as a melee fighter or as a long-ranged ss, such as [Archer].]


    Her disposition was ¡®Calcting Diplomat¡¯.


    Even without reading into her status too deeply, I could roughly guess what kind of person she was.


    I observed her for a while and then said, ¡°I don¡¯t know. I rmended Hayan-ssi at first, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you the type that prefers younger women? I could be even better. Isn¡¯t it boring to y with such a little kid?¡±


    ¡°Regardless of your thoughts on the matter, that is not the case.¡±


    ¡°How about you just give me a chance? I think our rtionship would be so much more beneficial¡­¡±


    I had no clue what rtionship she was talking about.


    By the looks of it, it seemed she¡¯d overheard our chat earlier.


    Park Hyaeyoung seemed to believe that I was very interested in women.


    Certainly, her abilities were pretty good, and her growth potential didn¡¯t seem too bad either.


    If she was able to develop and grow stronger, she would possibly be of use, but I wasn¡¯t a fan of her ¡®Calcting¡¯ disposition.


    However, she should at least understand that all arrangements need to be reciprocal.


    ¡°For what reason?¡±


    ¡°After all, you need someone who can fight, right? Thanks to Deokgu-ssi and Kiyoung-ssi, the situation here has changed somewhat since you arrived. There are only a small number of us still waiting on Hyunsung-ssi to help us. This ce is one where women can be as strong as men, and we can use the system to enhance our physical abilities.¡±


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s correct.¡±


    ¡°Everyone is afraid of the monsters, but more and more people are beginning to think that they can do something about them. They¡¯ve been banding together to go out as well. From Kiyoung-ssi¡¯s perspective, it can¡¯t be a bad thing to have more people who¡¯re able to fight for themselves on your side. If Hayan-ssi is able to return stronger with special abilities, then the state of affairs will surely elerate.¡±


    ¡°You make it sound like I¡¯m dividing everyone into different factions.¡±


    ¡°Did I hit the nail on the head?¡±


    ¡°No. I don¡¯t really care about things like that. Is Jihye-ssi aware that you¡¯re here?¡±


    ¡°She probably does? Who knows what Jihye-ssi is thinking?¡±


    ¡°And the reason you¡¯re here to speak with me is¡­¡±


    ¡°I just thought it would be nice for us to talk. I dislike the fact that you only favour that Jung Hayan girl, and if you refuse to take me on then I¡¯ll have no choice but to wait until my turn¡­¡±


    ¡°I see where you¡¯reing from.¡±


    ¡°What you¡¯ve said so far has been reasonable as well.¡±


    ¡°I believe that we might be able to work something out once Hyunsung-ssi has returned. I¡¯ll try to speak with him about it. However, if Hyunsung-ssi decides that it¡¯s infeasible then this proposal may be rejected, so please don¡¯t set your hopes too high.¡±


    ¡°Just hearing you say that is more than I could hope for.¡±


    ¡°I look forward to cooperating with you, then.¡±


    ¡°Likewise.¡±


    * * *


    ¡°That¡¯s hrious. Seriously.¡±


    ¡°Shh. Listen. Hey.¡±


    There were voices all around her, but she couldn¡¯t make out their exact words.


    Instead, she was more concerned about Kiyoung oppa.


    ¡°Hayan-ssi! What are you thinking about?¡±


    ¡°Ah, ah! I mean. It¡¯s nothing¡­¡±


    ¡°You can take a break if you¡¯re tired. You must have a hard time using your body that way¡­ Phew. Won¡¯t working here be too difficult for you?¡±


    ¡°S-sorry?¡±


    ¡°Look at you pretending you don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡±


    She might have been unsure of the meaning behind their words, but she could sense their hostility.


    It wasn¡¯t overt or very strong. However, this was something that she was extremely familiar with.


    In retrospect, it had been like that ever since she was young. Compared to her two sisters, she had been much more foolish, slow and ipetent.


    Her eldest sister had always taken care of her and her second sister had been incredibly intelligent. After so many years of watching out for her, the reason they¡¯d cut off contact with her was probably because she was so dumb.


    ¡°Ugh¡­ Something reeks.¡±


    ¡°He has a pretty unique taste. She¡¯s not that pretty¡­ Pretends she doesn¡¯t have a clue¡­ In the end, she¡¯s just a fox.¡±


    ¡°Shh. Stop it. Hey, he¡¯ll hear you. What are you going to do if he runs over here?¡±


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s see if he does. He¡¯s probably already tired of her. No, doesn¡¯t it make sense that he¡¯d be tired of her?¡±


    Her hands shook subconsciously at those words.


    ¡®Kiyoung oppa.¡¯


    He was the only person she could rely on in this entire ce.


    Remembering the way they¡¯d held hands earlier, her body began to tremble.


    Tired of her?


    Oppa wouldn¡¯t treat her like that.


    He was different.


    ¡®My heart is pounding.¡¯


    Her heart was racing as though it were about to explode.


    ¡®You remind me of my little sister.¡±


    The thought of what she¡¯d heard brought her a subtle sense of pleasure.


    It was an unfamiliar sensation. She¡¯d never felt like this in her life.


    Her heart was pounding badum badum in her chest and her legs felt jittery.


    It was hard for her to get a hold of her emotions.


    ¡®We can meet again tomorrow.¡¯


    They could meet again tomorrow.


    Only


    Just the two of them once more; they could talk, and she could act cute towards him.


    It felt like she was experiencing the same warmth she¡¯d received from her family once upon a time.


    It was addicting, like a drug.


    The reason why she¡¯d kept her ss and ability hidden was because she wanted to spend more time with Kiyoung oppa.


    Her heart twisted at the lie, but she was scared of the consequences if he found out.


    As she looked subconsciously in the direction of Kiyoung oppa and ignored the voices of those around her,


    ¡°Oh my. Were you waiting?¡±


    Park Hyaeyoung, who had been with her oppa just a moment before, appeared.

 Chapter 15: Awakening

    <h4>Chapter 15: Awakening</h4>


    ¡°Why do you look so uneasy?¡±


    ¡°Th-that¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a funny one, kid. Just look at you pretending otherwise. You¡¯re bothered by the fact that I met with Kiyoung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m not like that, Hyaeyoung-ssi. O-oppa¡¯s business¡­ It has nothing to do with me¡­¡±


    ¡°Your expression says otherwise¡­¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m telling the truth.¡±


    ¡°Seriously. Don¡¯t make meugh, you little bitch. You think no one knows what¡¯s going on in that head of yours? You look slow and stupid, but your head works fine¡­ Who¡¯d have thought that you wouldnd such a big fish before you even got here? With a face like that, your skills must be better than I thought¡­ I don¡¯t get it. No, maybe he¡¯s the one whose taste is peculiar¡­ You know, there are people like that. People who are only interested in the ipetent and dim-witted kind. Phew.¡±


    She couldn¡¯t fully understand Park Hyaeyoung¡¯s words.


    ¡°You are making that face again. I really don¡¯t like it.¡±


    ¡°I-I-I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°What are you sorry for? You¡¯re making a fool of everyone here regardless¡­¡±


    ¡°Th-that¡¯s not it. I just¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you really think that Kiyoung-ssi likes you? You think he cares about you?¡±


    ¡°Th-that¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, you dumb bitch. It¡¯s a good thing that you¡¯re so fortunate. You just happened to be at the right ce at the right time to catch his eye. You might not be able to see it, but I know exactly what kind of person he is. People like Kiyoung-ssi don¡¯t trust others too much to begin with. They tire of others easily, and throw them away when they¡¯re no longer needed.¡±


    ¡°O-oppa isn¡¯t like that. And¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just what you want to believe. Because it¡¯s in your favour. But what can I do if you¡¯ve already made up your mind? I think I¡¯m right¡­ It might be okay for now, but things will change soon enough. From my point of view, you¡¯re rather boring, the kind one easily gets sick of. Phew. No one¡¯s ever told you that before?¡±


    Jung Hayan bit down hard on her lips.


    She felt so confused.


    Her face felt hot. She wanted to shout ¡®What are you talking about¡¯ and argue against Park Hyaeyoung¡¯s nonsensical speech but words escaped her.


    However, her body kept shaking.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen you make a face like that before? Are you mad? I must have hit the nail on the head. You¡¯ve always been abandoned by the people around you, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°N-n-n-n-no.¡±


    ¡°No? It¡¯s written all over your face. If not, do you always have things snatched away from you? Either way, you¡¯re just pathetic. Do you really believe you¡¯re always going to be his first priority? What do you think will happen out there when you¡¯re not paying attention?¡±


    Park Hyaeyoung¡¯s face slowly drew nearer. Before long, Jung Hayan heard a faint whisper near her ear that caused her to exim subconsciously.


    ¡°Kiyoung-ssi¡­ was better than I thought.¡±


    ¡°D-don¡¯t lie to me!¡±


    ¡°Oh, you fell for it.¡±


    Jung Hayan¡¯s eyes were filled with tears.


    She wanted to say something to refute Park Hyaeyoung, but she felt choked up.


    This woman was right.


    She had been abandoned by her parents and her older sisters.


    All of her loved ones and the friends that had been with her for so long had drawn away from her.


    Maybe she really was the type of person that others got sick of.


    She always made mistakes and had trouble speaking properly.


    Being bullied had be a part of her daily routine, so it was more convenient for her to just be alone.


    Still.


    ¡®Not Oppa.¡¯


    Her Oppa wasn¡¯t like that.


    He wasn¡¯t the least bit simr to the others. His very nature was different from everyone else she¡¯d met before.


    He said that she was like a family member to him. That she reminded him of his younger sister, and he wanted to look after her.


    He was always mindful of her and was taking care of her every day. Deokgu-ssi also told her that.


    Every day, her Oppa would tell her that he cared about her.


    He was always supporting her, saying that she could do better, even if she made a mistake.


    Even when she asked silly questions, he would smile and answer her patiently.


    ¡°Th-that can¡¯t be true.¡±


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s what you¡¯re hoping for? I¡¯ll be honest with you, it¡¯s likely that what I¡¯m saying will happen. I¡¯m going to give you a warning, dongsaeng. If you want to gain anything out of your current rtionship, you¡¯d better leech it out quickly before you¡¯re discarded. Otherwise, everything will be snatched away from your grasp.¡±


    ¡°S-s-stop it. O-oppa wouldn¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°How annoying.¡±


    Park Hyaeyoung¡¯s mouth curved into a smile, and, at the same moment, Jung Hayan felt a pressure on her shoulders.


    She had been pushed down.


    Jung Hayan fell on her bottom. She looked up but all she could see was Park Hyaeyoung¡¯s back, who was already walking away.


    At the same time, voices poured in from all sides.


    ¡°Serves her right.¡±


    ¡°What just happened?¡±


    ¡°Anyways, it looks like our naive whore will be abandoned soon.¡±


    ¡°Stop it. Hey, she will hear you.¡±


    ¡°Stop what? Didn¡¯t you hear what just happened? Soon, she¡¯s going to be all alone again. Who is she going to cling to then? Ah! I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anyone else who wouldpete for her anymore. It would have been better for her to just stay with Seokwoo-ssi¡­ She should have known better. That¡¯s why she¡¯s all alone.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s she going to do now that she¡¯s on her own?¡±


    That couldn¡¯t be true.


    ¡®It can¡¯t be true.¡¯


    There was no way Oppa would ever forsake her.


    There was no way her Oppa, who had said he would always be with her, would ever abandon her like that.


    There was no way that Oppa, who told her she was like a family member to him, would abandon her.


    ¡®Well, is that really the case?¡¯


    But Park Hyaeyoung¡¯s voice resounded in her ears.


    ¡°That¡¯s not true!¡±


    ¡°What was that? Just now.¡±


    ¡°Did she just yell? She must be really angry¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about time for her true nature to show up. Tsk.¡±


    That couldn¡¯t be true. Oppa would never just abandon her.


    Oppa was different from the others. He was always warm and kind.


    ¡®Your sisters abandoned you, too.¡¯


    ¡°N-no.¡±


    ¡®No, your parents also abandoned you.¡¯


    ¡°He isn¡¯t like that. Oppa is different. Oppa is different.¡±


    Surely, he was different.


    It was very difficult to calm down her heart. She felt like she couldn¡¯t breathe.


    She was short of breath and her mind went nk. Tears welled up in her eyes, but they didn¡¯t flow down her cheeks.


    She heard peopleughing to themselves.


    The sound no longer bothered her. It would have to be something even worse to faze her.


    Her steps were headed towards where her Oppa had been.


    ¡®Wait a minute, okay? There¡¯s something I want to find out first, so I¡¯ll meet you after.¡¯


    She was sure that he would meet with her.


    Jung Hayan felt like she needed to see his face to calm down.


    As she was frantically hurrying over, she heard a distant voice.


    It was Lee Jihye.


    ¡°Please gather for a moment, everyone.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°When Hyunsung-ssi, Deokgu-ssi and Kiyoung-ssi leave tomorrow, they n on recruiting someone to go with them. I believe Hyunsung-ssi will provide more details, and the person who is nominated today should also prepare themselves.¡±


    Now that she thought of it, she¡¯d heard that they would be heading out together.


    Naturally, this meant that she could be with him a little longer.


    Jung Hayan wasn¡¯t sure why she¡¯d forgotten that. Now there was more time for her to stay by Kiyoung oppa¡¯s side.


    ¡®That¡¯s a relief.¡¯


    As she turned to look closer, she saw Kim Hyunsung, Park Deokgu, and Kiyoung oppa approaching together from behind Lee Jihye.


    ¡®Oppa.¡¯


    He had a serious expression that differed from his usual demeanour, but seeing him made her feel more steady.


    Her heart thumped badum badum, but she didn¡¯t have a headache nor feel dizzy.


    The lingering feelings of frustration vanished just from making eye contact with him.


    Though she didn¡¯t understand why, her face turned red.


    ¡®He saw me.¡¯


    He was definitely looking in her direction.


    Once the chatter had died down, Kim Hyunsung quietly began to speak.


    ¡°I apologise for bringing you here while you¡¯re all so busy. I¡¯m sure that you¡¯re aware that it¡¯s bing increasingly difficult to survive in this location. Food rations are decreasing day by day, and the number of survivors joining us continues to rise. We have food and drinking water scavenged from the starting point, but it¡¯s not enough. We believe we need to widen our range of activity.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°We need more people who can fight. Of course, I know you¡¯re scared of the monsters. Some of you aren¡¯t used to fighting, and others may not want to leave this ce. But for now, you have to take action. I don¡¯t want to jinx it, but if this doesn¡¯t happen, in the long run we¡¯ll all suffer. So, we¡¯ve decided that it¡¯s better to take each of you out one by one.¡±


    After Kim Hyunsung spoke, Kiyoung oppa stepped forward.


    ¡°Kiyoung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I understand that you¡¯re afraid. However, there are some things that can only be gained by fighting. As you know, this is not like the Earth that we knew. I¡¯m sure you all recognise what the status window, system attributes, and ss mean. me.¡±


    mes rose from the palm of his hand.


    The eyes of those around Jung Hayan widened.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly how it happened, but my status window reports that my ss is Wizard. I don¡¯t have much magic to work with yet, but I¡¯m no different from you. I was afraid of the monsters, so I ran away and hid because I didn¡¯t want to encounter them. At first, it was just by luck, but you can seed if you set your fear aside and fight. When the group gets stronger, we all get stronger, and eventually we¡¯ll be able to leave this ce. We need to take the initiative.¡±


    ¡°Ohhhhh¡­¡±


    ¡°For now, we¡¯ll pick some people to lead by example. Hayan-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°And Hyaeyoung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I look forward to working with you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m taking these two with me for now. Once they reach a certain level, we¡¯ll regroup and take the next person. Do you have any questions?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d appreciate it if you could exin what the criteria was.¡±


    ¡°To relieve your anxiety, the selection criteria is random.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll go hunting by ourselves instead¡­¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t prevent you from doing so, but I cannot rmend it.¡±


    The buzz of the crowd grew louder, but Jung Hayan could no longer make out their words.


    Instead, her eyes were locked on Park Hyaeyoung.


    She¡¯d known that other people would be going with her, but she hadn¡¯t expected it to be that woman.


    ¡°Congrattions, Unnie.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get hurt.¡±


    ¡°Hyunsung-ssi, Kiyoung-ssi, and Deokgu-ssi will be with us, so it¡¯ll probably be okay. It¡¯s a little scary, but we need to push past this. It¡¯s better if we have more people who can fight.¡±


    Jung Hayan wasn¡¯t envious of the fact that Park Hyaeyoung was surrounded by people who were congratting her. However, she felt odd for some reason.


    ¡®Don¡¯t take her.¡¯


    As she quickly nced up at the tform once more, she saw that Oppa was also looking at Park Hyaeyoung.


    There was a faint smile on his lips.


    The voice she had heard earlier resounded in her ears, and her breathing became shaky.


    ¡®He¡¯s the type to tire of others easily.¡¯


    Park Hyaeyoung hurried onto the tform and began shaking hands with the others.


    ¡®You¡¯re going to be thrown away¡¯


    ¡®To have him taken away from you¡¯


    ¡®Your sisters left you too.¡¯


    Only


    ¡®Your parents as well.¡¯


    ¡®Stop it. Stop it. Stop it.¡¯


    ¡®You¡¯ll end up¡­¡¯


    ¡®Stop¡­¡¯


    ¡®Thrown away¡­¡¯


    ¡®Hated.¡¯


    At that moment, Kiyoung oppa held Park Hyaeyoung¡¯s hands.


    Something copsed inside Jung Hayan.

 Chapter 16: In every five-man band, there will be one dead weight (1)

    <h4>Chapter 16: In every five-man band, there will be one dead weight (1)</h4>


    ¡®Not bad.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t a bad choice to show them magic.


    Kim Hyunsung and Park Deokgu were definitely strong. However, the line between whether that strength came from the system or from their own inherent physical abilities wasn¡¯t particrly clear.


    When pitching the possibility of gaining new powers right away, it was only natural that merely picking up a shield wouldn¡¯t appeal to them as much.


    Magic, on the other had, was a bit different.


    A ball of fire formed from nothing.


    It was a sight thatpletely went againstmon sense, enough to cause anyone to doubt what they had seen.


    That was the best way to get them to stop hiding in this shelter.


    When Kim Hyunsung saw the crowd quietly gaining enthusiasm, he murmured,


    ¡°It was a sess.¡±


    ¡°There might still be difficulties lying ahead. Those adverse to fighting will still be afraid¡­ There will also be some people who ovepensate, thinking they¡¯ll be able to get new powers.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s still better than them falling behind and starving, Hyung-nim.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. That may be true.¡±


    Park Hyaeyoung approached the podium, receiving words of congrattion every step of the way.


    ¡°If Hyaeyoung-ssi and Hayan-ssi return sessfully, perhaps the status quo will change at a faster rate than expected.¡±


    The result of this expedition was incredibly important to Kim Hyunsung.


    I wasn¡¯t sure whether our attempt to clear the dungeon would seed, but Kim Hyunsung was correct in thinking that he alone wouldn¡¯t be enough.


    Firstly, he was only slightly superior to Park Deokgu in terms of ability.


    His mana was powerful, but not to the extent that he could deal with dozens of monsters at once.


    As much as he might want to take matters into his own hands, taking care of the shelter should be left as the responsibility of the people within it.


    ¡®It¡¯s an unnecessary burden.¡¯


    If it weren¡¯t for his predisposition, Kim Hyunsung might have advanced even further.


    While I was lost in thought, Park Hyaeyoung hade up to us and shook our hands one by one.


    ¡°Nice to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Same here.¡±


    I had to admit that she was quite good at socialising. Looking at her with a business-like smile, I could feel Park Hyaeyoung touching the back of my hand to send me a signal.


    Jung Hayan was still the priority over her.


    As I turned my head, I saw Jung Hayan staring at me quietly.


    ¡®What.¡¯


    Her expression was subtly different from anything I¡¯d seen so far.


    Jung Hayan¡¯s tranquil eyes as she watched Park Hyaeyoung sent a chill down my spine.


    ¡®Damn it.¡¯


    I had goosebumps all over my body.


    ¡®What. What was that just now?¡¯


    ¡°Hyung-nim, what¡¯s wrong? You¡¯ve broken out in a cold sweat¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m feeling a little under the weather, so¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, tomorrow¡¯s the day of our expedition, so get some rest. It¡¯s not as though you need to study here every day.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    ¡°Tsk. Who said they weren¡¯t a nerd¡­ He¡¯s not eating enough nowadays? I-It¡¯s not like I¡¯m worried about hyung-nim¡­ Well, my share isn¡¯t a lot but it¡¯s a little better than nothing¡­¡±


    Whatever Park Deokgu was muttering didn¡¯t interest me much.


    I quickly turned my head to nce at Jung Hayan once more.


    She looked the same as usual.


    I asked myself if it had just been my eyes ying a trick on me, but I was sure that hadn¡¯t been the case. I could see her looking at me and smiling foolishly.


    ¡®What.¡¯


    Something was wrong.


    I couldn¡¯t pinpoint it exactly, but I swallowed with a sense of unease.


    * * *


    ¡°Let¡¯s go over this one more time. Deokgu-ssi will be in front, followed by Hyunsung-ssi and Hyaeyoung-ssi. Hayan-ssi and I will bring up the rear. Our n of attack is simple. Block them with a shield in front, and we¡¯ll ward them off at the back. There aren¡¯t many of them around the shelter right now, so we¡¯ll go a little further out and hunt. Any questions?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    ¡°None.¡±


    ¡°None here.¡±


    ¡°O-okay¡­¡±


    We had already run through the same briefing several times.


    It was different from when Park Deogku, Kim Hyunsung, and I had first gone out.


    This demonstrated the importance Kim Hyunsung ced on this expedition.


    It wasn¡¯t just about bringing along two new recruits.


    The sess of this hunt would impact the future course of the group in the shelter.


    If everyone returned safe and sound, those in the shelter would gain a little more confidence, and as a result, moreplex attack and incident response arrangements could be formed.


    The hidden objective of increasing the number of people on his side would be achieved as well.


    ¡®You want to even the odds.¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s goal was quite simr to mine.


    To win over Jung Hayan.


    Of course, logically speaking, he wasn¡¯t actually after her specifically. His purpose was to buildsting rtionships with those he knew would be strong in the future.


    ¡®Jung Hayan.¡¯


    In conclusion, there were two objectives: the group¡¯s safe return and bing closer to a wizard with legendary talent.


    There was no reason to oppose the current n or to act impulsively.


    ¡®We need to monitor the situation.¡¯


    The look I¡¯d seen in Jung Hayan¡¯s eyes put me on edge.


    I hoped it was just my misunderstanding, but I felt a need to keep them separated and a watchful eye on Jung Hayan.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better to put Hayan noonim in the centre? Being in the same position as Hyung-nim is the most¡­¡±


    ¡°No, we¡¯ll keep it as is. This is the best cement for her.¡±


    ¡°Well, if Hyung-nim says so, hey¡­¡±


    ¡°Hyunsung-ssi is stronger than we think. To begin with, solely hunting them from the front is ideal. If Hayanie is at the back, she¡¯ll have Hyunsung-ssi¡¯s protection as insurance. So long as we¡¯re not surrounded, this will be the most efficient way to proceed.¡±


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s correct.¡±


    Kim Hyunsung nodded as though he agreed with me.


    I didn¡¯t know if he felt otherwise, but I didn¡¯t care.


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s brow furrowed as he looked at Jung Hayan, then spoke quietly.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry too much.¡±


    ¡°Pardon? Ah¡­ Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then do I just need to chill with Kiyoung-ssi?¡±


    ¡°Hyaeyoung-ssi, please provide assistance to Kiyoung-ssi. A spear would be a good fit for you.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I understand.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s get going then. Like I told you before¡­¡±


    ¡°W-where¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll let you know.¡±


    I already had theyout of this ce mapped out in my head.


    Park Deokgu gave me a look of gratitude.


    I didn¡¯t know if it was because hecked interest in his surroundings or if he was too reliant on me, but it seemed like he was toozy to use his head.


    He looked very reliable when he stood holding arge wooden shield.


    In terms of appearance, I would give more points to Park Deokgu over Kim Hyunsung.


    His equipment consisted solely of the sloppy leather armor I had put together and the shield I had picked up at the starting point, but he didn¡¯t look too shabby.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get started, then.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s do our best.¡±


    Everyone gave a slight nod.


    Both Park Hyaeyoung and Jung Hayan seemed to be a little nervous.


    It was only natural that they¡¯d be afraid of meeting the monsters they had encountered at the starting point in person.


    I passed some words offort to Park Hyaeyoung, who was right next to me.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much.¡±


    ¡°Is it that obvious?¡±


    ¡°They won¡¯t overwhelm us like they did at the starting point. We¡¯ve already cleared out this area to some degree, so all you need to do is remain calm and stab the monsters that Deokgu blocks with your spear and then it¡¯ll be over. I know it¡¯s scary but it¡¯s possible for us to make it through fine.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a lot nicer than I thought.¡±


    Of course, I had to be.


    ¡®If you panic, I¡¯ll be the one who dies.¡¯


    Who knew what would happen in the midst of battle. It was possible that, while blindly attacking with her spear, this woman would stab me.


    ncing behind me, I saw Kim Hyunsung speaking with Jung Hayan.


    As expected, he seemed to be asking about various things, but Jung Hayan didn¡¯t look to be interested in Kim Hyunsung at all.


    She looked to be having a hard timemunicating, as she kept her head lowered and answered his questions with short responses.


    It reminded me of how hard I had worked to get closer to Jung Hayan.


    I smiled when our eyes met and Jung Hayan nodded with a happy expression.


    It made me feel better, at least, to think that I had the upper hand in my rtionship with her.


    ¡°Oh, are you going blind? I¡¯m not your partner.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just checking our rear formation for a moment. Also, don¡¯t talk too much while we¡¯re on the move¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. I know.¡±


    It was then.


    ¡°There¡¯s one. Get ready.¡±


    ¡°Huh, understood.¡±


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s voice came from the rear and Park Deokgu murmured a reply from in front.


    Park Deokgu¡¯s body seemed tense.


    ¡°While Deokgu-ssi is keeping it at bay, Hyaeyoung-ssi will take care of it. Kiyoung-ssi, be prepared in case anything happens.¡±


    We nodded.


    Though Park Hyaeyoung looked calm, she still showed signs of fear and tension.


    We were present too, but Park Hyaeyoung was the one who would have to finish it off.


    It would¡¯ve been strange if she wasn¡¯t afraid.


    We could only hear one voiceing from the left.


    ¡°Deokgu-yah, it¡¯ll being from the left.¡±


    ¡°I understand, Hyung-nim.¡±


    Park Deokgu immediately rounded the corner and pushed it back with his shield.


    Gwajik!


    As this sound rang out, the creature was stuck between the dead-end corridor and the shield.


    Park Hyaeyoung followed behind, flustered.


    ¡°Gaaaaaaeeeeeeek!¡±


    ¡°Sh*t¡­ Its face is as irritating as ever.¡±


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Her arms trembled and her legs shook.


    I could tell from a nce what had happened.


    Even a dog that couldn¡¯t piss would be more useful in this situation.


    ¡°H-how.¡±


    ¡°Jab it.¡±


    ¡°Hey, take care of it quickly. It¡¯s hard to hold out like this.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    The calm look she had been sporting earlier was nowhere to be found.


    Her eyes were alive, but her body didn¡¯t seem to react.


    In this kind of situation, no matter who it was, even if they were aware that they weren¡¯t moving, they would still be unable to act on that fact.


    ¡®Idiot¡­ You were only pretending to be strong.¡¯


    I loosely grasped her arm from behind. As I held Park Hyaeyoung¡¯s trembling hand gripping the spear, the tremors in her limbs began to slow.


    I figured it would be more effective to deliver my message quietly than to scream in this kind of situation, so I whispered in her ear.


    ¡°If you do something like this again next time, we¡¯re all going to die. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Strengthen your grip.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    I pressed her hand tighter¡­


    The spear slowly moved towards the torso of the punk Park Deokgu was blocking and Park Hyaeyoung¡¯s arm followed.


    I was the one pulling it forward, but the sensation should have transmitted to her hands as well.


    Puuuk!


    With that sound, unknown liquids began to gush out.


    Repulsed, Park Hyaeyoung tried to let go of the spear, but I grabbed her arm once again.


    ¡°It¡¯s not dead yet. Don¡¯t rx.¡±


    ¡°Gaaaaaaaaeeeeeek!¡±


    That punk, out of pain or anger, was still struggling, and tried to scratch Park Deokgu as he kept it back.


    I gripped Park Hyaeyoung¡¯s hand again and jabbed the spear from above.


    As expected, it was a horrible sensation.


    ¡°Think of it as meat.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes.¡±


    Puuk!


    Gwajik!


    I struck with the spear over and over again.


    It had long stopped twitching but this method was effective enough in forcing her to adapt to the situation.


    After a while, Park Deokgu set down his shield and moved away from the monster.


    I also loosened my grip on Park Hyaeyoung¡¯s hand.


    The monster had fallen apart. Even so, she continued to stab the spear into it.


    It was unknown whether it was to free herself from fear, but her lips were pressed tight and her knuckles were white around the shaft of the spear.


    Only


    ¡®I understand.¡¯


    The very act of taking away life was a foreign concept to begin with.


    No matter how much you told yourself that your opponent was a monster, it wouldn¡¯t make a difference.


    It was only after a long stretch of gruesome noises that there was an exhausted gasp.


    It was natural that she would have all sorts of thoughts running through her mind.


    I approached Park Hyaeyoung, who had copsed to the ground, and spoke carefully.


    ¡°Well done.¡±


    She didn¡¯t reply.

 Chapter 17: In every five-man band, there will be one dead weight (2)

    <h4>Chapter 17: In every five-man band, there will be one dead weight (2)</h4>


    ¡°Oh, am I alone in thinking that the monsters have disappeared today, Hyung-nim?¡±


    ¡°It may be because Hyunsung-ssi has cleared the perimeter. If not, it¡¯s possible that they were driven away.¡±


    ¡°You mean there might be another group of survivors?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± That Park Deokgu fellow mumbled as if anxious.


    It was just a guess, but it wasn¡¯t without cause.


    Given how quiet our surroundings were, it wasn¡¯t wrong to assume that they had been attracted by amotion elsewhere and flocked there instead.


    Kim Hyunsung seemed to have simr thoughts, but of course, he probably felt that it would be unreasonable to take Park Hyaeyoung and Jung Hayan with us to scout out the situation.


    He likely judged that it was too dangerous for us to progress hastily without knowing how many of them were clustered together, their exact numbers or location.


    Finally, Kim Hyunsung gave a slight nod and said,


    ¡°I think it would be best if we camped here today.¡±


    ¡°Yes. We should.¡±


    We were able to find a good spot to set up camp and rest fairly quickly.


    Of course, we didn¡¯t have any tents, but having an enclosed space gave us a certain sense of security.


    ¡°Hyaeyoung-ssi and Kiyoung-ssi will take first watch, followed by Hayan-ssi and myself. Lastly, I will also take the final watch with Deokgu-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Will you be alright?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    There was no reason to stop him if he chose to take that on himself.


    ¡®Taking the first watch isn¡¯t bad.¡¯


    Unlike those with high physical attributes, I, with lousy abilities, needed to get a lot of rest.


    Given Kim Hyunsung¡¯s physical strength and mana, standing guard overnight wouldn¡¯t be a problem for him.


    ¡°Get some rest.¡±


    ¡°Hyung-nim, thank you in advance for your hard work.¡±


    ¡°T-take care.¡±


    I nodded brusquely hearing their voices.


    Once everyone else, including Jung Hayan, had entered the inner stone chamber, Park Hyaeyoung slowly began to bawl.


    It was as if she was losing her mind.


    She pretended to be indifferent, but personally, I expected it to be a big shock to her.


    The monster¡¯s screams, the terror of being guided into killing, the impact of a striking spear, and the sensation of doing it with her own hands.


    It made sense that she would be scared.


    Perhaps she was reminded of her time at the starting point, or the sight of blood and guts spilling out from the monster¡¯s body was too shocking.


    There was still time before our watch began.


    I thought it wouldn¡¯t hurt to give a few words offort.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think of it as a big deal.¡±


    ¡°Pardon?¡±


    ¡°Now that we¡¯re here, it¡¯s something that everyone will have to go through. It would be better to think of it just as an experience you¡¯ve had a little earlier than the others.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Compared to when we¡¯d started out, she seemed rather lifeless.


    ¡°At first, I thought I could¡­¡±


    ¡°It will be the same for everyone. You¡¯ll probably feel better once you¡¯ve gotten used to it.¡±


    ¡°What was it like for Kiyoung-ssi?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really remember it. The only thought in my mind was that if I didn¡¯t do something, I would die, so I took it down with a rock. It was terrifying¡­ But looking back, it was what I needed to do. My hands and entire body were covered with brain matter and guts, and the smell made me gag.¡±


    When it came to living or dying, there was no choice.


    Doing things half-heartedly, when my life was on the line, was a gamble I didn¡¯t want to take.


    I figured that Park Deokgu wouldn¡¯t run away without me, and I wanted to inspire him into action.


    At that time, blood had rushed to my head.


    ¡°Ah¡­ It¡¯s funny, I thought you wouldn¡¯t have been bothered by it.¡±


    ¡°Well, since you¡¯re helping us out, I¡¯m saying that you don¡¯t really have a choice in this.¡±


    As I¡¯d expected, she seemed to be a little bit disappointed.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t lying, I thought I would¡¯ve been able to do as well as you wanted me to¡­¡±


    I thought so too.


    Her disposition wasn¡¯t bad and she acted within her abilities. I thought there would have been some returns if I showed her kindness, so I had forced one more person into our group. However, reality left a lot to be desired.


    Seeing Park Deokgu, Kim Hyunsung, and I casually going back and forth outside, what we had set out to do might have seemed easy.


    From my point of view, there was no reason to invest in Park Hyaeyoung.


    I had Park Deokgu, who was a strong guy. Though he was a bit nervous at times, he could hold his own.


    I¡¯d only intentionally tried to help Park Hyaeyoung as insurance.


    However, if she kept getting frightened like this, she wouldn¡¯t be of much use to me either.


    ¡°I was a little happy when you held me from behind earlier.¡±


    Thinking back to it, I also remembered her shaking and trembling like an idiot.


    At that time, I had been cursing her out in my mind as well.


    But I couldn¡¯t do anything but nod my head sharply.


    ¡°I was a little out of it, so I might havee across a little coarse¡­ I hope for your understanding.¡±


    ¡°Yes. O-of course.¡±


    ¡°In addition, that will be the first andst time I¡¯ll help you. You will be on your own next time.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    I could see Park Hyaeyoung watching me.


    Well, I didn¡¯t know if she wanted to have a staring match.


    The silence stretched on. After a while, when I was about to speak again, a voice came from behind us.


    ¡°O-oppa¡­¡±


    ¡°Kiyoung-ssi, Hyaeyoung-ssi. It¡¯s time to switch.¡±


    Kim Hyunsung and Jung Hayan came out. I hadn¡¯t expected time to pass by so quickly.


    ¡°You¡¯re here a bit early. You should sleep a bit more.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. I just woke up¡­ I¡¯ll try to wake you up in the morning.¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much, Hyunsung-ssi.¡±


    I approached Jung Hayan, who stood at a bit of a distance from Kim Hyunsung, and patted her head lightly. She ducked her head and blushed.


    Jung Hayan was back to normal.


    Seeing that the look in her eyes when she saw Park Hyaeyoung didn¡¯t seem unusual, perhaps what I had seenst time was just my imagination.


    ¡°Thanks in advance, Hayan-ah.¡±


    ¡°Sorry? Yes¡­ Yes, Oppa!¡±


    Her exmation was a bit loud. She sped her hands over her mouth, perhaps out of surprise. It was a little cute.


    Nodding faintly, I immediately moved inside. At a nce, I could see Park Deokgu snoring away.


    ¡®You sure sleep peacefully.¡¯


    It would be a blessing to be able to sleep like that in this kind of environment.


    Park Hyaeyoung went over to the spot she had imed earlier andy down, and I also settled down a little ways away from Park Deokgu.


    My head was full of idle thoughts.


    I wondered if, after this hunt, the group in the shelter would follow in our footsteps.


    What Kim Hyunsung was thinking.


    If there really was a way out of this ce.


    When it came to our final assault on this ce, what would we do and how would it turn out?


    Jung Hayan, who had already gained a ss; the truth about Kim Hyunsung¡¯s regression, what had happened in the past, what kind of rtionship I would have with Lee Jihye after the tutorial¡­


    I asked myself what I would do if I was unable to fall asleep, but I guess that concern waspletely groundless.


    We¡¯d walked a lot to begin with, and mentally, I was a little stressed, so my eyes closed quickly.


    ¡®What time is it.¡¯


    Perhaps because my bed was slightly ufortable, I woke up in the middle of the night.


    I could hear Park Deokgu slowly getting up. He was probably going outside to stand guard with Kim Hyungung.


    There was the sound of Park Hyaeyoung tossing and turning for a while, and then that of Jung Hayaning back inside once more.


    ¡°Sleep well, Noonim.¡±


    ¡°Deok-Deokgu-ssi, thank you in advance for your hard work.¡±


    I felt like they talked a little more after that, but my eyes had slowly drifted shut once again.


    As their voices grew quieter and quieter, my consciousness grew dim.


    What woke me up again was a strange sensation on my lips.


    It was as if there was something gripping onto my hands. I tried to get up right away, but I couldn¡¯t move my body. Rather, there was a sense that someone was staring fixedly at me.


    Jung Hayan¡¯s voice came to me in an almost imperceptible whisper.


    ¡°Mm¡­¡­ Ahn¡­¡­¡±


    I couldn¡¯t make out what she was saying because I wasn¡¯t fully awake.


    Of course, at that point I realised who was watching me.


    My hazy mind became clear.


    Naturally, my drowsiness fled instantaneously.


    I opened my left eye slightly and, ncing upwards, I made out a ck shadow looking down at me.


    I didn¡¯t know what it was, but I wasn¡¯t so stupid as to get up in this situation.


    I knew then that Jung Hayan¡¯s quiet whisper didn¡¯t mean she was talking to me.


    ¡®What¡¯s happening?¡¯


    Even after I tried to squeeze my eyes shut, I kept hearing noises.


    There was the sound of rustling clothes, the sensation of a body brushing against mine, and even the soft touch of lips.


    ¡°Haa¡­ Haa.¡­¡±


    ¡®What is this.¡¯


    I had never been so bewildered.


    I wasn¡¯t sure if she had some strange kink or if this was a side effect of being pushed too hardtely, but one thing for sure was that she was having a really good time.


    ¡°Haa¡­¡±


    Only it was a little too much of a good time.


    For now, it seemed best to cheer her on.


    It wasn¡¯t a bad result, as building a close rtionship with Jung Hayan had been the top priority in the first ce.


    However, the ideal rtionship I¡¯d had in mind was that of Oppa-and-Dongsaeng.


    I never wanted to be in this kind of situation.


    It wasn¡¯t until a little whileter that Jung Hayan copsed a little way away from me.


    There was a rustling sound that kept me awake.


    Whether it was a good idea or not, out of curiosity, I opened my eyes slightly.


    I could see Jung Hayan¡¯s back as she silently looked down at Park Hyaeyoung.


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    She watched Park Hyaeyoung sleep for a long time.


    She just stood there, staring at her, without moving an inch.


    ¡®Is she sleepwalking, or what.¡¯


    I wasn¡¯t sure when things had started to get messed up, but it was clear that something had gone wrong.


    First of all, there was the fact that she hid the truth about her ss. The look on her face when Park Hyaeyoung was selected to go on the expedition with us was also on my mind.


    At that moment¡­


    It urred to me that there had to be a cause for this abnormal behaviour.


    It was then that Jung Hayan¡¯s head swung in my direction.


    It was only for a second, but our eyes met.


    I felt a familiar sensation.


    A shiver ran down my spine.


    ¡®Gah¡­¡¯


    I shut my eyes reflexively, but I couldn¡¯t tell if I¡¯d been caught or not.


    Wait, but why was I hiding?


    ¡®Why am I afraid?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know why, but I had flinched.


    Was it the influence of mana? If not, was this simr to the concept of killing intent shown in manhwa?


    Subconsciously, my mind kept reying the expression that Jung Hayan had worn before.


    Since she wasn¡¯t saying anything, it seemed like she hadn¡¯t realised I was awake. Still, something felt off within this space, which had fallen terrifyingly quiet.


    ¡®Sh*t¡­¡¯


    I didn¡¯t understand how things had turned out this way.


    I couldn¡¯t hear the sounds of rustling, breathing, moans, or movement that I had heard before.


    I could hear Park Hyaeyoung breathing intermittently, but no sound left Jung Hayan¡¯s mouth.


    I tried to fall asleep, but something kept me awake.


    Not far from me, I could sense someone quietly lying down.


    Only


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Perhaps it was Jung Hayan.


    A second felt like a minute.


    After who knows how long, a voice came from outside that spelled either fortune or disaster.


    ¡°It¡¯s time to wake up.¡±


    _____________________________

 Chapter 18: In every five-man band, there will be one dead weight (3)

    <h4>Chapter 18: In every five-man band, there will be one dead weight (3)</h4>


    Never before had I ever found a voice telling me to get up more pleasant.


    ¡°Yes. Understood.¡±


    The first one to rise was Park Hyaeyoung.


    After that, I could hear Jung Hayan tossing and turning.


    As I was deliberating on when to get up, I felt a touch on my shoulder.


    ¡°Hyung-nim.¡±


    ¡®Park Deokgu, nice.¡¯


    His timing wasn¡¯t bad.


    Perhaps because I wasn¡¯t able to sleep well, I suddenly felt a wave of tiredness wash over me. Even so, I squinted my eyes open and sat up.


    ¡°Is it time already?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re nning to get going a little bit earlier today. We¡¯ve decided to venture a little further out for hunting before returning to the shelter.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡±


    I deliberately didn¡¯t let myself turn away from Jung Hayan. I knew it would be more awkward to avoid her.


    When I nced at her I could see that she was smiling brightly in my direction.


    She seemed so different from the day before.


    I couldn¡¯t believe they were the same person. It was like she was another person.


    ¡®Which one is real?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know if her current expression was genuine, or if what I¡¯d seenst night was her true self.


    For now, I thought it was best to cool off, so right after shooting her a small smile, I began topose myself.


    ¡®I¡¯m tired.¡¯


    Since I couldn¡¯t sleep well at night, my mind was nk.


    When I went outside, Kim Hyunsung looked in my direction and began to speak.


    ¡°You look tired.¡±


    ¡°Just a bit, I¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°It would be good for us to go further out today. Would that be all right?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe it¡¯s going to be a problem. Currently, there doesn¡¯t seem to be many creatures nearby. I¡¯m a little bit worried about the people staying at the shelter, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s likely for anything to happen to them in the meantime. However, if we think there will be too many for them to handle¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. Of course, we¡¯ll make sure to head back right away.¡±


    That was a reasonable judgement call.


    ¡°By the way, which way¡­¡±


    ¡°I scoped out the left pathst night, and it wasn¡¯t any different.¡±


    Not only did he take the watch twice, he even searched ahead.


    ¡°Thank you for your hard work.¡±


    If there are workers who are as diligent as this, someone like me gets to have a good time.


    I thought that it was possible for there to be something on the right pathway, but it was still too early to tell.


    ¡°Hyaeyoung-ssi and Hayan-ssi¡­,¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m all set too.¡±


    ¡°In terms of positions, if we find monsters like yesterday, then Hayan-ssi wille forward to rece Hyaeyoung-ssi instead. All right, let¡¯s get going.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    It seemed like the march ahead would be a tiring one.


    What worried me the most was Jung Hayan¡¯s presence.


    I had no idea what was going on, but the behaviour Jung Hayan had demonstrated recently was abnormal.


    It was so out of the ordinary that anyone would notice.


    Her appearance was at odds with my impression of her.


    My top priority was to determine the root cause of it. I had an inkling of the cause, but I couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit perplexed.


    ¡®Jealousy?¡¯


    The problem with this idea was that Jung Hayan and I had barely spent enough time together for me to jump to that conclusion.


    The strength of rtionships weren¡¯t always proportional to the time spent together, but it was undeniable that that was still an important factor.


    Of course, the situation we both found ourselves in was somewhat special.


    This ce wasn¡¯t some caf¨¦ or restaurant.


    In a cheap B-list movie, for instance, a man and a woman facing a crisis would develop feelings that seemed like love over a short period of time.


    Perhaps her feelings were the same.


    Jung Hayan¡¯s past came to mind.


    Looking back at her personal history, it was possible to form some reasonable deductions.


    Her parents were gone, and she lost contact with her sisters a long time ago.


    Given that she had been abandoned by her family, I understood why she wanted to lean on me a little more.


    She wouldn¡¯t have grown up in a kind environment.


    ¡®It¡¯s a simple deduction.¡¯


    However, for some reason, I had be a lifeline for her to clutch onto.


    I would have been a kind person she could always trust and rely upon.


    Perhaps those feelings had evolved from mere emotion to obsession.


    Originally, what I had also been aiming for was to take on the role of her confidante.


    It was easier to draw in a person with cracks in their heart.


    ¡®Shall we test it out?¡¯


    It was a ssic, clich¨¦ approach, but it was worth a try.


    While walking side by side next to Park Hyaeyoung, I slowly opened my mouth and pulled her shoulder slightly.


    ¡°Careful.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes.¡±


    She looked a little nervous.


    It looked like she thought I had prevented her from almost tripping over a rock.


    She seemed to be trying to thank me for it, but my goal wasn¡¯t her reaction.


    I nced at Jung Hayan from the corner of my eyes.


    It was only natural to see that she was staring at Park Hyaeyoung.


    Kim Hyunsung and Park Deokgu didn¡¯t seem to notice, but perhaps because of the effect of my attribute, I could see it clearly.


    Jung Hayan¡¯s eyes were filled with some kind of indescribable emotion.


    ¡®I can use this.¡¯


    Her animosity wasn¡¯t directed at me.


    I thought it might be a bit too excessive to call it ordinary jealousy, but if you considered Jung Hayan¡¯s sincerity, it was still within a tolerable range.


    If I gave her carrots and sticks in moderation, Jung Hayan would be a faithful family member who would throw herself away for my sake.


    Numerous thoughts filled my head as we walked. Before I knew it, we had covered quite a fair distance.


    ¡°I think there are some nearby. From here on in, we need to keep our guard up.¡±


    ¡°Ahem. Alright, Hyung-ssi.¡±


    Perhaps from this point, everything in this area had already been seen by Kim Hyunsung once before.


    It certainly smelled different from before.


    It felt like the strange stench emanating from those creatures was everywhere.


    What stood out more than that, however, was the faint trace of mana I could sense in the distance.


    I didn¡¯t know what type it was, but I could definitely feel something different about it.


    Perhaps this was what Kim Hyunsung was after.


    ¡°I think I sense something.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about? Hyung-nim. Do you see them?¡±


    ¡°I can feel a faint source of mana ahead of us. I¡¯m not sure what it is¡­ Anyway¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s suffocating to have no magic. Hyung-ssi, can you feel it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but since Kiyoung-ssi is a wizard, he would be more adept at sensing differences than us. It wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to check it out for now. There may be some hints on clearing this ce.¡±


    Kim Hyunsung certainlycked the talent for acting.


    The faint mana ahead of us seemed to be rted to clearing this dungeon.


    ¡°Well, we¡¯re heading in that direction anyway, but there¡¯s no harm in being more cautious, so I¡¯ll take the lead.¡±


    ¡°Be careful.¡±


    There was no need for caution.


    If Kim Hyunsung had sensed that there was something wrong with this ce, we wouldn¡¯t still be here.


    As I carefully stepped forward, I could see at a nce what the source of the mana was.


    ¡®Stairs.¡¯


    ¡°Those stairs lead down.¡±


    They were literally just stairs that went down to a lower level. It was only then that I could see that this dungeon had multiple levels.


    Looking at Kim Hyunsung nodding, he seemed to believe that his contrived setup was convincing.


    As ridiculous as it was, it didn¡¯t seem like a bad idea to y along.


    ¡°It¡¯s amon set-up, but does this mean that the further down you go, the more difficult it gets? I think that there might be some connection to clearing the dungeon here.¡±


    ¡°Um, do you think so? Hyung-nim.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still unsure, but we haven¡¯t found any other clues so far at this level, where there¡¯s the starting point. Dumping us in this vast ce only for us to deal with monsters when they told us to clear the dungeon seems unreasonable. It¡¯s highly likely that going down from here is only the beginning. I don¡¯t know what will happen, but at the very least there may be more clues than what we currently have.¡±


    Kim Hyunsung listened to me and nodded when he heard my words.


    ¡°I feel the same way.¡±


    ¡®Just.¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s too much for us right now, so let¡¯s start with keeping note of this ce for now and go down another time. We didn¡¯te here to clear the dungeon today. We might find something that could help us down there. It¡¯s also possible that there are different monster species below.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d hate for even more irritating punks toe out.¡±


    Me too.


    Regardless, Kim Hyunsung had sessfully alerted us to the existence of the underground entrance without acting unnatural.


    For someone like him, this might feel like a big achievement.


    However, the growth of Jung Hayan and Park Hyaeyoung was more urgent. Only when we had readied a number of people able to fight, could we go down.


    ¡°The road.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve roughly got it down in my mind.¡±


    ¡°Then, from now on, will we be scouting for monsters around here?¡±


    ¡°I think we¡¯d better do that. Let¡¯s start a little way from this point.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Hyung-ssi.¡±


    Like yesterday, we looked for those creatures with our eyes zing, and were able to find some in our immediate vicinity.


    Perhaps these monsters had originated from here and had spread out as they got further away.


    There were three monsters close by.


    I nced at Kim Hyunsung and saw him nodding.


    ¡°If Deokgu-ssi takes on two of those guys, Kiyoung-ssi will quickly take care of one of them and I¡¯ll handle the other. We¡¯ll use thest one as a training dummy. Hyaeyoung-ssi and Hayan-ssi can take a simr position to Kiyoung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Park Deokgu and I clenched our teeth and sprung forward.


    Park Deokgu took the lead to see if he could draw their aggro.


    I also ran ahead, leaving behind Park Hyaeyoung and Jung Hayan who both looked nervous.


    I watched from behind as Park Deokgu pushed one back with his shield and fended the other off with his leather-covered arm.


    Kim Hyunsung looked somewhat rxed as he ran towards one of them and seeded in cutting off its arm.


    ¡®He¡¯s extremely fast.¡¯


    I¡¯d expected him to be a little faster because of his high agility, but his speed was beyond my imagination.


    At the same time, I applied a bit of mana to the end of my spear and threw it at the one Park Deokgu was holding on to.


    Puuk! Blood gushed out as the sound resounded, but I couldn¡¯t afford to rx just yet.


    ¡®It¡¯s not dead yet.¡¯


    When I went to stab it with my spear again, Park Hyaeyoung was next to me, holding onto her spear as though she wanted to do something.


    ¡®Not bad.¡¯


    For now, the most important thing was that she had the will to act.


    There was no need to look over at Kim Hyunsung.


    Perhaps he would try to take it down with a moderate amount of strength so that he wouldn¡¯t appear strange.


    That just left the one we would be using as a training dummy.


    Even before Park Deokgu had moved to capture it, Park Hyaeyoung, who seemed excited, began to extend her spear.


    ¡®Dumbass.¡¯


    She was obviously stupid.


    Only


    As you¡¯d expect, the monster was outside of Park Deokgu¡¯s range when the spear was deflected.


    ¡°Ack! I-I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°Gah.¡±


    In every five-man band, there will be one dead weight.


    ¡°Deokgu-yah.¡±


    This saying I¡¯d heard somewhere had some truth to it.


    ¡°Gyaaaaaaaaaaak!!¡±


    ¡®Dumb bitch!¡¯

 Chapter 19: In every five-man band, there will be one dead weight (4)

    <h4>Chapter 19: In every five-man band, there will be one dead weight (4)</h4>


    ¡°Kyaaaaaaak!!¡±


    It was only natural that she was surprised. The monster¡¯s mouth opened wide as it lunged forward to devour her.


    If she hadn¡¯t suddenly run out, spear in hand, she wouldn¡¯t have drawn its attention.


    Those things weren¡¯t intelligent and anyone observing the situation clearly would be able to see that Park Deokgu was able to hold back the attacking monster.


    However, instead of staying level-headed, Park Hyaeyoung, this fucking bitch, chose to air out her fears like this.


    ¡°Damn it!¡±


    Park Hyaeyoung hadpletely flipped the situation on its head.


    Those things were sensitive to sound.


    An ordinary conversation wouldn¡¯t carry far, but such a loud scream would naturally make them aware of our presence here.


    All the monsters in the vicinity would probablye running.


    Perhaps Kim Hyunsung thought the same as he promptly smashed in the head of the monster he was dealing with, then stabbed the one Park Deokgu had captured in the chest.


    His speed seemed a bit outside the boundaries of human capabilities, but Kim Hyunsung likely didn¡¯t have the luxury of paying attention to that when the situation was rapidly deteriorating.


    I could see that monstrous thing still quivering but that wasn¡¯t the issue right now.


    ¡°We need to get out of here right now.¡±


    ¡°Damn it¡­¡±


    ¡°S-sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°Kiyoung-ss, Hyaeyoung-ssi, Hayan-ssi¡­ If anything happens, we¡¯ll have Deokgu-ssi cut a path¡±.


    ¡°Well, what about Hyung-ssi?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try to draw the monsters away. If you leave a mark, I¡¯ll find you. Kiyoung-ssi, it would be better for you to take a detour rather than heading straight to the shelter.¡±


    I nodded sharply.


    If we led all the monsters after us to the shelter, it would be like offering them an all-you-can-eat buffet.


    Kim Hyunsung seemed to be trying to solve this situation on his own but his expression didn¡¯t seem to be good.


    Even though Kim Hyunsung was a regressor, he was still a rookie at this point.


    He might be capable of dealing with them to a certain extent, but if they overwhelmed him with numbers, it would be extremely difficult to take care of them in such close quarters.


    ¡°Hyung-nim, which way¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to turn around a bit before returning.¡±


    ¡°A-alright.¡±


    Seemingly realising the severity of her mistake, Park Hyaeyoung looked at me, her face pale.


    She likely realised that if she messed up further, there would really be an opportunity to scream her lungs out soon.


    ¡°Get up.¡±


    ¡°Y-yes¡­¡±


    ¡°Stick together and run as fast as you can.¡±


    ¡°I-I understand.¡±


    Jung Hayan was silent.


    She was looking around nkly, with an expression as though she were thinking hard about something.


    ¡°Hayan-ah.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes! Oppa.¡±


    Her bodynguage suggested that she wasn¡¯t particrly scared.


    Seeing her like this, I was reminded that Jung Hayan would be a strong Wizard in the future.


    Jung Hayan was also a Wizard so, should the situation be too much for us to handle, she might be able to help us.


    ¡®Our chances of survival are high.¡¯


    We could make it through this.


    ¡°Then, I pray for your sess[1].¡±


    ¡°Well, be careful, Hyung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be alright.¡±


    Park Deokgu immediately took up his shield and began to run.


    Park Hyaeyoung also followed us with a look of terror on her face.


    Though I still felt irritated, now was not the time to argue.


    Instead, I began to construct spells.


    Concentrate mana into a tower. I had very little to speak of, but it might save us if the situation took a turn for the worse.


    ¡°Can you run and cast? Hyung-nim?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me. My head hurts.¡±


    That was how hard it was to concentrate on spells.


    Trying to move your feet and hands to do one thing whilepletely thinking of something else would be difficult for anyone.


    ¡®It¡¯s difficult¡­¡±


    ¡°My, wish¡­¡±


    The tower of mana I kept trying to build copsed. I couldn¡¯t concentrate properly. It felt like my head was going to explode; my brain was being overloaded.


    ¡®Just make one slowly.¡¯


    It was feasible enough if I pretended there was nothing around me while I wove the spell.


    I slowly built the tower up once more.


    We hadn¡¯t even met those fucking monsters yet anyway.


    There was plenty of time to construct it.


    ¡°Lord, my, wish, answer, my call, please give me, the strength, to burn my enemies.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but lengthen the invocation. It was annoying as hell but the spell, which was clearly imprinted in my mind, was manifested in my hand.


    A sphere of fire. The fire sphere, which was the size of a human skull, appeared in my hand.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s amazing! When did you learn something like that?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me, Deokgu-yah. It¡¯s hard to concentrate.¡±


    It was hard work to construct spells and keep them going.


    The wobbling tower of mana needed to constantly be repaired and bnced to prevent its copse.


    ¡®It¡¯s extremelyplicated.¡¯


    In media such as manhwa, anime, or novels, this kind of magic always looked like something you could do easily.


    But in reality, my head felt like it was about to split apart when I used it.


    It made me wonder if intelligence was a more important prerequisite than mana when it came to bing a Wizard.


    ¡°Where next?¡±


    ¡°Left.¡±


    I was irritated that even in this situation, I had to give directions to Park Deokgu.


    ¡°Gaeeeeeeeek!¡±


    I could hear the voices of monsters in the distance. They were still a fair bit away so I couldn¡¯t really distinguish their exact numbers.


    ¡°How many?¡±


    ¡°About two.¡±


    ¡°Take care of it on your own.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try, Hyung-nim.¡±


    ¡°Even if you can¡¯t kill them, it doesn¡¯t matter; just clear a path.¡±


    ¡°Leave it to me.¡±


    Kwajik! Puuk! These sounds rang out.


    Naturally, Park Deokgu¡¯s back felt quite reliable as he continued to run forward.


    He seemed a little like a tank.


    ¡°Next!¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡°Gaaaaaaaaeeeeeeeek!¡±


    ¡°How many?¡±


    ¡°It seems like there¡¯s no end to them¡­¡±


    I stretched my arm out right away.


    ¡°Fireball.¡±


    The sphere of mes that I had been holding in my hand halted then began to fly in a straight line.


    I hadn¡¯t expected it to recoil then move in a line.


    Perhaps because of wind pressure, my hand was buffeted towards the sky for a moment. However, even as the enchantment flew forward, my mind didn¡¯t stop casting the spell.


    I didn¡¯t want the spell I¡¯d worked so hard to build to fly off somewhere weird.


    Boong!


    The sphere impacted the body of one sh*tty monster then spread out in all directions.


    Kwajik!


    As they were struck by the sphere, the monsters were blown into the air by the mes.


    Wind rushed towards us in the aftermath of the explosion.


    Naturally, Park Deokgu blocked it with the shield.


    Seeing the majority of the monsters flung to the walls, screaming as they caught fire, or incapacitated, he looked at me with an expression of surprise.


    It was a tight space, and luckily they had all been crowded together, but I was surprised by the scale of damage from the magical attack.


    ¡°Woah¡­ Hyung-nim.¡±


    ¡°Hooo¡­ Hooo¡­¡±


    Left drained of mana for a moment, my legs began to shake.


    However, we somehow managed to clear the way.


    ¡°Again.¡±


    That¡¯s when I felt that something was weird.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    Park Deokgu also subconsciously looked back, and stared at me with a look of shock.


    ¡®Jung Hayan, Park Hyaeyoung.¡¯


    The two of them were no longer with us.


    ¡°When was¡­ Thest time you saw them?¡±


    ¡°O-only a moment ago I-I thought they were following us¡­¡±


    ¡°You.¡±


    I contained my surging irritation and bit back the curses that were about to spill from my mouth.


    This was my fault.


    I had no idea when the two of them had been separated from us because I was busy trying to construct the spell in my head.


    The fact that even Park Deokgu didn¡¯t notice was a bit unexpected, but I was sure that they weren¡¯t far behind.


    The important thing was whether they knew the way.


    Jung Hayan might remember, but I wasn¡¯t sure about Park Hyaeyoung; I felt that that bottom feeder wouldn¡¯t have memorised the path.


    Just following us must have been hard enough for her.


    ¡°H-how could I¡­ I-I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault, Deokgu-yah. I should have paid more attention. Shoot[2].¡±


    ¡°What do we d-do now?¡±


    That was a question I wanted to ask myself.


    If Park Hyaeyoung was the only one who had been separated from us, of course, I would have abandoned her.


    The issue was that Jung Hayan was with her.


    She was a lottery ticket that was guaranteed to win big. Losing her in a ce like this was so absurd, I wouldn¡¯t even be able tough.


    I didn¡¯t like gambling.


    But when necessary, you had to act.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure they¡¯re still alive.¡±


    ¡°T-then.¡±


    ¡°If they were thinking clearly, they¡¯d have made a mark for us to spot. Let¡¯s turn back for now.¡±


    ¡°Good thinking, Hyung-nim.¡±


    There was a high probability that Kim Hyunsung was taking care of the monsters trailing behind us.


    What we had to focus on was the hungry swarms closing in on us from all sides.


    It was hard to recite spells.


    My mana levels were already at rock bottom, but I thought it might be possible for me to do something once more if I squeezed out everyst drop.


    ¡°Can you think about thest time you saw them?¡±


    ¡°T-thest thing I remember was them running away with us. I-I saw¡­ I didn¡¯t hear any screaming¡­¡±


    I also couldn¡¯t recall it that well.


    I remembered that the two of them had been following me when I was reciting the spell.


    It seemed safe to assume that they had disappeared while I was maintaining the magic.


    ¡°For now, let¡¯s get going.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    I was anxious at first, but the more I thought about it, the more I felt that something was strange.


    Although Park Deokgu was dimwitted, he wasn¡¯t so stupid as to miss the two people following us suddenly disappearing.


    Neither was I.


    In the first ce, Park Deokgu¡¯s agility stats weren¡¯t high. I wasn¡¯t sure about Jang Hayan, but it certainly wasn¡¯t to the point where Park Hyaeyoung wouldn¡¯t have been able to keep up.


    It wasn¡¯t a situation where a monster would grab them by the ankles.


    They may have been caught by a trap in the dungeon itself, but the probability of that was low.


    This was the road we¡¯d passed through in the beginning.


    If there was a trap here, Kim Hyunsung would have given a word of warning.


    Suddenly, I remembered the way Jung Hayan had looked at Park Hyaeyoung.


    ¡®I don¡¯t think that¡¯s it.¡¯


    It was too early to reach a conclusion, but if Jung Hayan had wanted to keep her away from me, it would exin things somewhat.


    She couldn¡¯t have been able to tell which spell I was casting, but there was a chance that I wouldn¡¯t have noticed her weaving a different spell while I was concentrating on mine.


    At that time, I couldn¡¯t have spared any attention to anything else while I was trying to maintain the spell.


    Park Deokgu, who had no mana to begin with, wouldn¡¯t have noticed what Jung Hayan was doing either.


    Kim Hyunsung, who was far from us, was out of the question.


    I hated to think about it, but I thought I could make a guess on the prime candidate who would want to create a situation where Jung Hayan was alone with Park Hyaeyoung.


    Only


    ¡®The question is why.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t want to assume the worst, but I couldn¡¯t help but feel uneasy.


    As I was running forward with Park Deokgu, I began to feel a faint trace of mana just like when I had found the entrance to the dungeon below.


    ¡®Bitch¡­¡¯


    ¡°Deokgu-ya, hurry up.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    It had just been a rough guess.


    However, the faint sense of mana was strengthening my hypothesis.

 Chapter 20: Incident

    <h4>Chapter 20: Incident</h4>


    ¡°Hyaeyoung-ssi?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Jihye-ssi. Please listen to what I have to say.¡±


    ¡°Go with Kiyoung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Pardon?¡±


    ¡°I believe it would be advantageous to make things more convenient for people like Kiyoung-ssi in various ways. Not just today, but going forward as well.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you mean¡­¡±


    ¡°The decision is all yours, Hyaeyoung-ssi. You can do whatever you think is manageable. I don¡¯t care if you¡¯re just a pack mule¡­ Ah! You wouldn¡¯t make a bad handmaid.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Thatst bit was just a joke. But thinking about it seriously might not be a bad idea¡­ The situation here isn¡¯t that good. Not only are wecking in rations, but there are a limited number of people who can go hunting. Hyunsung-ssi has been helping us by disposing of the monsters around here regrly, but who knows what the future holds. The reality is that we can¡¯t afford to make assumptions about the future. We have to think about the possibility that the men who go hunting might die and nevere back, and ask ourselves what we would do afterwards.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to get acquainted with a capable man. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s better for people like us to take out an insurance policy? If things go well, you never know what might happen. Perhaps you could get special treatment like Jung Hayan-ssi¡­¡±


    ¡°I see what you mean.¡±


    ¡°Ah! There¡¯s a rumour that they¡¯ll be taking Hayan-ssi out on the next hunt. Wouldn¡¯t it be a good idea for Hyaeyoung-ssi to give it a try?¡±


    ¡°Thank you for giving me so much advice, but¡­ is there a reason you¡¯re being so nice to me?¡±


    ¡°Well. It¡¯s just a passing fancy. But if things go well, I¡¯d like you to return the favour. I¡¯m not the kind of person who likes to gamble.¡±


    * * *


    ¡®Sh*tty bitch.¡¯


    Lee Jihye, that fucking bitch.


    She continued to curse out Lee Jihye internally, not that it changed anything.


    After all, she had been the one to make the mistake. Rather, everything had been her choice to begin with.


    Both agreeing with Lee Jihye¡¯s words and following Lee Kiyoung as a guinea pig, everything had been done with the expectation that it would work out.


    She had done something stupid right off the bat and had made up her mind to make up for the mistake.


    Pushing herself to seem like a useful person by wielding a spear had been a huge blunder.


    Unbeknownst to her, the scream that had then erupted from her mouth had been an even greater mistake.


    She could see Lee Kiyoung and Park Deokgu continuing forward before her.


    Lee Kiyoung never stopped chanting spells aloud and Park Deokgu rebuffed the monsters lunging at them with his huge shield.


    Maybe because of her fear, her legs felt wobbly, but naturally, copsing was out of the question.


    ¡®I¡¯ll die.¡¯


    She knew that she would die if she stopped running.


    ncing to the side, she saw that Jung Hayan was also following behind, muttering quietly to herself.


    ¡®Idiot¡­¡¯


    She was lucky enough to catch Lee Kiyoung¡¯s eye, and lucky enough to gain her current position amongst this group.


    No other woman would be as lucky as her.


    After making such a big mistake, if they made it back alive, then it was almost certain that she would have to resign from this group.


    When Park Hyaeyoung thought that she was just a teaching aid for Jung Hayan, she tasted something bitter in her mouth.


    In the first ce¡­


    She didn¡¯t know how Jung Hayan could be so calm.


    Kim Hyunsung, Lee Kiyoung, and Park Deokgu, who continued to unflinchingly attack with swords and spears, even in front of monsters, were also incredible.


    In her case, Park Hyaeyoung couldn¡¯t ovee the feeling of killing or her fear of dying.


    It wasughable that she had thought it might be easy.


    However, Jung Hayan¡¯s case was a bit different.


    It was her first time here, just like Park Hyaeyoung, and the first time she had was directly facing the monsters in person.


    Theck of fear in that quiet gaze was unmistakable.


    Park Hyaeyoung had wondered if Jung Hayan was crazy when she kept talking to herself, but she didn¡¯t seem to be shaken.


    ¡®You can¡¯t break down like this.¡¯


    In this new reality called the tutorial, they had to build up their strength to survive. She took advantage of Lee Kiyoung and Kim Hyunsung because she knew it was impossible to do so by herself.


    If you think about it, anyone branded with thebel of being unable to hunt obviously would not be able to grasp the same power those two held, and over time, would be just like cold, leftover rice.


    Only one option remained.


    ¡®I have to get close to them somehow.¡¯


    If she made it back alive, ties with Lee Kiyoung had to be made at all costs.


    She had to stick to him by any means whatsoever.


    Of course, the presence of Jung Hayan next to him was annoying, but over time he would recognise her worth.


    It was obvious that she was better than that stupid woman.


    Park Deokgu and Lee Kiyoung, who were gritting their teeth and never stopped running, veered to the left.


    At that moment, she realised that she could no longer see them.


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    She felt as though she had been possessed by a ghost. She didn¡¯t understand what was going on.


    ¡®When did that happen?¡¯


    Obviously, she had been running after them.


    This kind of situation could be called nothing but running into a ghost wall.[1]


    She couldn¡¯t remember when or why they had vanished.


    Jung Hayan was also quietly staring at the wall blocking off the passage.


    ¡°Do you know where Kiyoung-ssi and Deokgu-ssi went?¡±


    She cautiously tried to speak with the other woman but didn¡¯t get a reply.


    It had been a mistake to ask in the first ce.


    ¡®She¡¯s as dull as a doorknob¡­¡¯


    Even Park Hyaeyoung had lost sight of them in an instant.


    If she couldn¡¯t tell where they had gone, there was no way the blind bitch next to her would be able to.


    This woman had probably only been trailing after her.


    ¡°Gaaaeeeeek.¡±


    The voice of a monster sounded in the distance.


    Naturally, she began to tremble instantly.


    She knew that she needed to leave this area but her feet were glued to the spot.


    Because she couldn¡¯t figure out where to go.


    Perhaps by now, Kiyoung-ssi had noticed that they were lost.


    If they hung around a little longer and waited, those two would surelye to find them.


    She was sure they would.


    At the ridiculous sight of Jung Hayan, who was muttering nonsense even in this situation, Park Hyaeyoung could barely hold back herughter.


    ¡°The power, to protect myself, from my enemies, who try to steal from me.¡±


    It seemed to be a prayer to someone, but her actions werepletely beyondprehension.


    Lee Kiyoung, who had concerned himself with a woman like this, also seemed to be out of his mind.


    ¡°Wind de.¡±


    Shiik-


    She heard a sound as though the air was ripping apart.


    ¡°Shut up, you moron. Can¡¯t you hear the monsters?¡±


    It was when she tried to take a small step forward.


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    Her bnce gave way out of nowhere.


    Against her own will, her body crumpled to the ground.


    At the same time, she felt an unbearable pain in her left leg.


    Bright red blood began to spurt from her leg and ssh to the ground.


    She could see her left leg had been separated from her body and was lying away from her.


    ¡®What¡­ Happened¡­¡¯


    A scream tore free from her mouth before she could even think.


    ¡°Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaa! S-somebody! Anybody, please¡­ P-please help me. He-help!¡±


    ¡°I-I-it¡¯s useless. Hyae-Hyaeyoung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°M-my leg¡­ My leg¡­¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯ve b-blocked off the surrounding sound with mana. I¡¯m not sure if you can hear me. Y-you don¡¯t need to worry about the monstersing here. You can rx.¡±


    ¡°Please h-help me, please¡­¡±


    ¡°Y-you¡¯re m-more stupid than I thought. Hyaeyoung-ssi¡­ Y-you caused trouble for Oppa¡­ And y-you ruined my outing.¡±


    ¡°Shut up. Fuck! It hurts¡­ It hurts! Can¡¯t you see my leg right now? Quickly bring Kiyoung-ssi here or¡­¡±


    Park Hyaeyoung continued to grip her burning leg with her hands.


    She couldn¡¯t think clearly because of the blood pouring out from her body.


    She took off her jacket and tied it around her leg to stem the bleeding, but it was hard to tell whether this rough treatment would be enough.


    Her jaw shook.


    It was only natural for her body to tremble.


    She couldn¡¯t understand why her leg had fallen off in the first ce.


    She didn¡¯t even want toprehend the truth.


    However, figuring out whether this was a nightmare or reality was a more pressing matter.


    The pain continued to burn as though her body was on fire.


    Her vision became blurred by her tears.


    When Park Hyaeyoung looked up slightly, she saw Jung Hayan smiling brightly at her.


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    She was holding something in her hands that was made of some strange material.


    ¡®Wind de.¡¯


    Suddenly those words flickered through her mind.


    Park Hyaeyoung was in disbelief, but it was clear that an emerald green wind was swirling around Jung Hayan¡¯s hands.


    ¡®For what reason? Why? How could she?¡¯ Even before those thoughts ran through her mind, she was filled with an instinctive fear.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Ha-Hayan-ssi¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. Hyaeyoung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°W-why are you doing this all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°I-I didn¡¯t w-want to do this. I-I couldn¡¯t help it though. Because you keep trying to take m-my Oppa away from me. I-I couldn¡¯t help it. I¡¯m not d-doing this because I like it.¡±


    ¡°W-what are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°I hate it when you pretend you¡¯re clueless.¡­ Hyaeyoung-ssi, y-you should have known you were f-fawning over my Oppa, didn¡¯t you? Y-y-you should have realised you were trying to take him away, didn¡¯t you? You said you were going to take him away, didn¡¯t you?


    ¡®In¡­sane.¡±


    She was out of her mind.


    Park Hyaeyoung was baffled that she somehow hadn¡¯t noticed it before.


    The woman before her was definitely crazy. The corners of her mouth lifted up and her eyes seemed to be filled with the light of madness.


    ¡°It was¡­ It was just meaningless chatter. ¡°


    ¡°Lies.¡±


    ¡°Really¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re lying. D-do you know how much you hurt me? I-It felt like my heart was broken when you talked with Oppa, held hands with O-oppa, and leaned on O-oppa. Maybe y-you can¡¯t evenprehend how I felt.¡±


    ¡°I-I can understand. Uhuh¡­ I-I can understand. So, h-help me. I-I won¡¯t appear in front of y-your Oppa ever again.¡±


    ¡°S-sorry. No matter how much I think about it, I can¡¯t even look at you. Hyaeyoung-ssi, you should hurt as much as me. I really can¡¯t forgive you for trying to take my Oppa away. And if you¡¯re alive, I-I¡¯ll feel so nervous¡­¡±


    ¡°Gyaaaaaaaaaaaa!¡±


    There was a gruesome sound as her other arm was cut off.


    She felt a great deal of pain.


    She writhed, but nothing changed. All she could think about was that she had to get out of there somehow.


    Though she struggled to crawl away, it was impossible through the pain and fear.


    ¡°Sa-save me. Please¡­ Please, I was wrong. Help me. Please¡­ Ahhhhhhhh.¡±


    ¡°No, no, don¡¯t do that. It will only m-make you weaker.¡±


    ¡°Please, I waspletely wrong. It¡¯s all my fault! It was because of my mistake. Mmf! Mm!¡±


    ¡°Ma-magic can do this too. It¡¯s better to keep your mouth shut because you¡¯re so noisy.¡±


    Only


    Her voice couldn¡¯t escape.


    It felt like something was strangling her. Tears began to pour from her eyes. She continued to struggle because of the pain wracking her body, but it was futile.


    ¡°Mm¡­ Mm! MM!¡±


    ¡°T-then, I-I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    As she continued to struggle, she could hear a voice from somewhere beyond her line of sight.


    ¡°Hayan-ah?¡±


    ¡°O-oppa.¡±


    It was the man responsible for all of this, Lee Kiyoung.

 Chapter 21: Relief

    <h4>Chapter 21: Relief</h4>


    ¡°Hayan-ah?¡±


    ¡°O-oppa.¡±


    ¡®I had a feeling things would turn out this way¡­¡¯


    The scene before me was even more horrific than I had imagined.


    Jung Hayan was smiling serenely while Park Hyaeyoung was writhing on the floor with her legs and arms cut off.


    I felt the contents of my stomach rise up subconsciously, but I forced my nausea down.


    I could see Jung Hayan¡¯s eyes wavering.


    When I had seen the wall made of mana, an even greater sense of apprehension than I had expected had ovee me.


    ¡®What¡­ should I do?¡¯


    I wasn¡¯t sure how to react.


    Before things spiralled even further out of control, wracking my brains to find a solution as quickly as I could, I couldn¡¯t think of anything other than Jung Hayan.


    ¡®Park Deokgu might not fare much better in this situation, but if only he were here instead.¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t feel mana.


    It had been a mistake to tell him to check the left path ande here on my own.


    ¡°Mmf¡­ Mm!¡±


    I was trapped in this situation of seeing what remained of Park Hyaeyoung¡¯s form as she pleaded for help with her mouth blocked by some unidentifiable spell.


    I had no clue how Jung Hayan had reacted to my appearance.


    When I nced at Jung Hayan, her expression looked as though her soul was escaping her.


    She, too, was frozen by the sudden encounter.


    In reality, I wasn¡¯t much different from her. I was also caught between two options.


    ¡®Is it fine if I run away?¡¯


    If not.


    ¡®Would it be better to feign ignorance?¡¯


    I had to consider this issue carefully.


    My body, feeling the sense of danger, was screaming at me to keep walking, but my brain betrayed that expectation.


    I began to weigh the pros and cons.


    I was sure that Jung Hayan definitely felt goodwill towards me.


    In addition, it wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that her feelings had be excessive over time.


    The motive behind her attempt to kill Park Hyaeyoung was also likely rted to me.


    Rather, it had to be rted.


    Maybe, before[1], there would have also been bad blood between her and Park Hyaeyoung, but based on her behaviour, there was currently only one answer to this whole thing.


    If I hesitated in front of Jung Hayan here.


    Perhaps her de would turn on me.


    I refused to scuffle with a crazy woman who slung around spells I didn¡¯t know like it was nothing.


    I¡¯d been going around in circles for so long it almost felt unnatural.


    In the end, I had no choice but to open my mouth carefully.


    It was the most reasonable choice.


    ¡°Hyae-Hyaeyoung-ssi how¡­ did this happen?¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Please don¡¯t waste the opportunity I¡¯ve given you.


    Please tell me the right answer.


    I can¡¯t help you any more than this.


    ¡°Why are her arms and legs¡­ What happened?¡±


    Don¡¯t forget to cover your mouth with your hands. You can¡¯t leave out the disbelieving expression.


    It was then that Jung Hayan¡¯s face brightened slightly. Contrary to her expectations, she seemed to think that the worst-case scenario she had imagined hadn¡¯t arrived.


    She must have thought that I didn¡¯t know she was behind this.


    The choice of what to say was very simple.


    She should be able to find the answer easily.


    ¡°I¡¯m also not sure about the details. Oppa¡­ A-all of a sudden¡­¡±


    Trembling hands and legs, quivering lips and a shaky voice.


    She wasn¡¯t frightened at all.


    She just didn¡¯t want to let me know that she was the culprit.


    Perhaps it came from being unustomed to lying. Nevertheless, Jung Hayan continued to speak.


    ¡°When I opened my eyes, I saw that I had been separated from everyone, I-I don¡¯t know how. When I came here, I found Hyaeyoung-ssi¡­ L-like this.¡±


    ¡®Not bad.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t a bad excuse. I took Jung Hayan¡¯s hands into my own trembling fingers and pulled her into my arms.


    ¡°You¡¯re not hurt anywhere, are you?¡±


    ¡°O-oppa.¡±


    I was the one who had to worry about getting hurt.


    My heart was pounding like crazy.


    Not only was I constantly checking to see if she was casting any spells, I was also gripping tight onto my spear.


    As I did so, Park Hyaeyoung was looking at Jung Hayan in horror.


    ¡°Mmf! Mmm! MMM! Mhm! Mm!¡±


    I could hazard a guess as to what she was trying to say.


    ¡®Run away.¡¯


    Or.


    ¡®Save me.¡¯


    There was a high probability it was thetter, but unfortunately, there was nothing I could do.


    To antagonise or disregard Jung Hayan here would be an act of suicide.


    Her mind was definitely more worn out and fractured than I had assumed.


    She liked me, but since her obsession had led to hostility and murder, I had no idea how she would react if I said I didn¡¯t believe her.


    Perhaps that anger would extend towards me.


    I¡¯d been handed a ticking bomb, but between someone who had useful talents and a piece of trash who wouldn¡¯t amount to anything, who should I choose?


    The answer was obvious.


    Anyone with eyes would know that it was rational to side with Jung Hayan.


    That wasn¡¯t the only issue.


    ¡®I can¡¯t save her.¡¯


    I had no ability to save Park Hyaeyoung as she slowly died.


    Even if she was really a useful card, I had no choice but to discard this hand.


    I could empathise, but I was desperate, too.


    ¡°Mmm! Mmf! MMMMM! Mmmf!¡±


    It was hard to turn away from someone who was desperately begging me to save her and not abandon her.


    I rushed up to her and began to use my clothes to tie the wounds.


    Jung Hayan made an expression as though she was frightened out of her wits but I was sure she knew.


    ¡®Park Hyayeoung is dying. She¡¯s likely going to die very soon.¡¯


    The bleeding was already too excessive. There were signs that she was slowly losing consciousness and her eyes were no longer focused.


    ¡°There¡¯s a chance that the traps in the dungeon were activated. You weren¡¯t able to notice it though because we passed through a wall of mana.¡±


    Jung Hayan had created the barrier.


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Considering the mana I felt near the entrance to the level below, there could be trap devices scattered around us. I hadn¡¯t ounted for that.¡±


    There were no such devices on the first floor. I could be sure of that.


    ¡°Maybe the trap was triggered in the process of me casting my spell. There¡¯s a high possibility that the magic that¡¯s blocking her mouth is some other unknown trap¡­ Fortunately, I don¡¯t feel any other mana around us, but¡­¡±


    Jung Hayan had been the one to invoke the spell.


    ¡°Yes¡­ You¡¯re right¡­¡±


    ¡°MMM! mMm!¡±


    I had alreadye up with a n starring Jung Hayan.


    The question was whether this bullsh*t would work on Kim Hyunsung.


    That guy had already been here once, so he had to know that there were no traps on the first floor.


    Talking nonsense would just earn his suspicion.


    I had no idea whether I could help Park Hyaeyoung like this.


    How would he react when he found Hyaeyoung-ssi?¡±


    Caught in a trap?


    There were no traps here to begin with, and he was well-aware of that.


    Struck by a monster?


    The cuts were too neat. Anyone who saw her would be able to tell that Park Hyaeyoung hadn¡¯t been attacked by a monster.


    The faint trace of mana around her body, as well as the mysterious magic still sealing her mouth, were definitely signs that Park Hyaeyoung was killed by something other than a monster.


    Kim Hyunsung was definitely, definitely going to notice.


    I kept trying to bind the wounds, but it was a far cry from actual first aid.


    I had never learned basic haemostasis or first aid.


    The most I could do was pretend to do something.


    ¡®Damn it¡­¡¯


    In the end, I felt Park Hyaeyoung¡¯s movements, as she jerked and squirmed, begin to weaken little by little.


    ¡®Just don¡¯t get discovered.¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung couldn¡¯t be the one to find her.


    The best method was for monsters toe across her first, but that was something I didn¡¯t want to think about.


    Above all.


    ¡®I don¡¯t want that.¡¯


    I was reluctant to let that happen.


    You¡¯d be right to think that this was thest shred of my conscience.


    I could see her starting to gasp. She was struggling to breathe.


    I quietly began to chant a spell.


    ¡°Lord. The power, to ward, with burning mes.¡±


    Jung Hayan looked at me with an uneasy expression.


    ¡°Fire wall.¡±


    It was magic that was invoked by drawing out mana that I didn¡¯t have.


    I was ovee by dizziness at that moment, but I bit down harshly on my lips to concentrate on maintaining my magic.


    ¡°O-oppa.¡±


    ¡°It would be hard to take her away from here. She¡¯s already bled too much. If we all try to leave together, we¡¯ll die. I can¡¯t lose you too¡­ So for now, we need to hurry and get out of here as soon as possible. We can¡¯t take the body with us. At least, like this, we can send her off properly. Yeah, this is the right thing to do.¡±


    Park Hyaeyoung was already on herst breath as the mes began to cling to her and swallow her up.


    The surging mes seemed to resemble a rowdy party.


    I stared nkly at the scene.


    ¡®It was the best choice.¡¯


    It was the most logical decision.


    ncing at Jung Hayan¡¯s face, I had a feeling that she was struggling to hold back a smile. Nausea rolled in my stomach, but she wasn¡¯t the only one who had be a monster.


    I was just like her.


    For some reason, I felt ashamed.


    I wanted to watch the fire a little longer, but it would be suicide to stay here.


    Maybe because of the mes I had called, Jung Hayan¡¯s magic wall was torn down.


    As soon as I moved forward, I could see Park Deokgu waiting there.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Hyaeyoung-ssi? Noonim isn¡¯t hurt¡­¡±


    When I shook my head wordlessly, he nodded as though he knew what had happened.


    He had smiled slightly at finding Jung Hayan, but when I hinted that Park Hyaeyoung was dead, his face became stiff.


    ¡°What about the other monsters nearby?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen that many, so I think that Kim Hyunsung hyung-ssi might have led them away¡­ He¡¯s quick on his feet, so he can survive one way or another.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±


    That was truly a relief. The fact that he was so far away from us was a huge relief.


    ¡°By the way, w-what happened?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a long exnation. I¡¯ll exin it to youter. It¡¯s a little hard to tell, and¡­¡±


    ¡°I-I understand, Hyung-nim.¡±


    To Park Deokgu, it wouldn¡¯t matter if I gave him a rough exnation.


    I thought it would be better not to talk about Jung Hayan¡¯s story if possible, and as I kept running, I saw some monsters rushing towards us.


    ¡°Hyung-nim, are you alright?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m out of mana.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t strain yourself.¡±


    Park Deokgu pushed them away from our group as we ran so that we were able to escape.


    My lungs felt like they were going to burst.


    Park Deokgu and Jung Hayan were no different. We all looked exhausted.


    To be honest, I felt like I was going to pass out.


    Still, I knew I couldn¡¯t lose consciousness.


    I had to see this through to the end.


    Looking back with a slightly somber look on her face, Jung Hayan furtively spoke to me.


    Only


    ¡°A-as expected¡­ Y-you¡¯re sad?¡±


    Her expression was poor and held traces of anxiety.


    Of course, I knew the correct answer to that question well.


    ¡°I¡¯m d you weren¡¯t hurt.¡±


    The corners of Jung Hayan¡¯s mouth rose at my words. She smiled widely.


    ¡°O-o-oppa.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really d you¡¯re alright.¡±


    I only half meant it.

 Chapter 22: Design

    <h4>Chapter 22: Design</h4>


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if that Hyung-ssi, Kim Hyunsung, is safe.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    Once we had broken through the encirclement, Park Deokgu bluntly spat out his worries.


    He gave off a keen feeling of apprehension.


    Ever since he had been told directly that Park Hyaeyoung hadn¡¯t made it back, he seemed a bit restless.


    He looked worried about Kim Hyunsung, who had drawn all of those other monsters away on his own. Perhaps he thought Kim Hyunsung would meet the same fate as Park Hyaeyoung and wouldn¡¯t survive.


    However, it was hard to imagine Kim Hyunsung being cornered by monsters, no matter how outnumbered he was.


    When he was in action, it was hard enough just to follow him with your eyes, so it wouldn¡¯t be difficult for him to evade a bunch of monsters.


    There was a high probability that by now, he had escaped from that area and was worrying about the same things I was.


    One person ended up dead from a hunt which he had taken great pains to propose.


    Perhaps it would provide a convenient excuse for those in the shelter to curl up and hide a little bit longer.


    This expedition was one which should have been carried out without a hitch.


    Of course, Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t know that Park Hyaeyoung was dead yet, but I thought that just the incident alone would be enough to cause a headache.


    ¡°It¡¯s unfortunate. I wasn¡¯t close to Park Hyaeyoung, but I think she was trying to do her best.¡±


    ¡°She almost got us killed, so if the worst that happens is her death, it can still be considered a sess¡±


    ¡°T-that¡¯s true, but.¡±


    ¡°You should be grateful for the fact that we¡¯vee out of this alive. It couldn¡¯t be helped. She was at fault for pulling aggro from you while she ran wild without listening to us, and it was her who screamed and brought every monster within earshot running. To put it bluntly, if you or Hayanie had died instead of her, I wouldn¡¯t have forgiven her.¡±


    That wouldn¡¯t have been something that I could stop at calling ¡®Unforgivable.¡¯


    I might have ended up wanting to kill her myself.


    Park Deokgu and Jung Hayan were a priceless pair.


    When I looked over, it wasn¡¯t only Jung Hayan, but also Park Deokgu, who was looking at me with a strange expression.


    Jung Hayan seemed moved, while Park Deokgu looked to be embarrassed.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, t-the same would be true for me.¡±


    It was Jung Hayan who had killed Park Hyaeyoung, but I didn¡¯t want to think about such things at the moment.


    With the exception of Kim Hyunsung, these were currently the two people I could rely on the most.


    Park Deokgu, a meat shield with high endurance and stamina, and Jung Hayan who had immeasurable potential.


    There was the downside that they were both too dependent on me, but in a way, that could also be said to be an advantage.


    The problem was that one of them was a ticking bomb that I couldn¡¯t control, but at the same time it was highly likely that her disposition would make her a powerhouse on my side.


    ¡°By the way, how will you exin this to the people in the shelter?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t exin, and sleep. There was a mistake and one person died. That¡¯s all. If they¡¯re scared due to this¡­¡±


    ¡°If they¡¯re scared?¡±


    ¡°However much we might want to help, people will still die in the end. You have to remember that the fact is, right now, we¡¯re in the middle of the tutorial. We have to assume that the main game is several times more dangerous than anything we¡¯re going through now.¡±


    Sometimes, I forgot that what we were facing right now was a tutorial.


    Because of the tension that if something went wrong, we¡¯d croak.


    We had only just begun.


    One way or another, if Kim Hyunsung entered the main game, it might be teeming with weaklings, or there might be a lot of bastards who couldn¡¯t even be ced on the same level as the monsters we¡¯d been facing.


    ¡®We can¡¯t becent.¡¯


    If we becamecent like the people in the shelter, we would die.


    With the exception of Lee Jihye, who seemed to understand this fact, most of them were idiots.


    It was unsettling that not a single one of them could be useful.


    I couldn¡¯t understand why Kim Hyunsung was obsessed with those guys.


    I had thoughts that it might be rted to his past life, but I couldn¡¯t afford to dig into his past now.


    ¡°We¡¯ll sleep here tonight.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not returning to the shelter?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too far.¡±


    ¡°I thought we were almost there¡­ Hng. I don¡¯t know how Hyung-nim can memorise the way so well.¡±


    ¡°This is pretty normal. I left a mark for us to spot when we started out.¡±


    ¡°You even left a mark?¡±


    ¡®This son of a bitch¡­¡¯


    I hadn¡¯t expected Park Deokgu to use his brains to begin with, but at this rate, I was sure he was just a muscle head.


    I was so dumbfounded that it might have leaked into my expression, as Park Deokgu flinched and Jung Hayan hurriedly began to speak.


    ¡°He-here.¡±


    There was a scratch which looked to have been made by a spear.


    A very small cut on the wall was clearly visible.


    ¡°Noonim knew too.¡±


    ¡°You need to pay better attention to your surroundings. What are you going to do if there¡¯s a situation where you and I are separated like earlier?¡±


    ¡°Hem. I don¡¯t think that¡¯s going to happen¡­¡±


    It was a bit disconcerting to see him always trailing off at the end of his sentences.


    I wasn¡¯t sure if it was because he was flustered, but his eyes kept darting around to avoid mine. It was quite a spectacle to behold.


    It wasn¡¯t my intention to nag him there and then, so I followed suit and slumped to the ground, feeling drained.


    Jung Hayan clung to me like a cicada glued to an old tree.


    Park Deokgu¡¯s expression looked somewhat wicked.


    ¡°Ahem¡­ Then, I¡¯ll look around for a moment, Hyung-nim.¡±


    ¡°Is that necessary?¡±


    If possible, I hoped that Park Deokgu wouldn¡¯t leave his spot.


    ¡°Who knows if there are any of those monster bastards around here looking for us.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t wrong.


    ¡°Well, Hyung-nim has used a lot of mana¡­ Noonim, I think it might be better for you to take care of him a little¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah! L-leave it to me, Deokgu-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get lost.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll just be taking a look around.¡±


    I nodded brusquely.


    Seeing him leave our current position quietly, I was mindful of the fact that I would be left alone with Jung Hayan.


    I knew she wasn¡¯t crazy enough to sling magic at me, but the scene I¡¯d witnessed earlier kepting to mind.


    Jung Hayan¡¯s hysterical grin as Park Hyaeyoung writhed on the ground with her limbs cut off.


    There was no way I wouldn¡¯t feel scared.


    ¡°Status window.¡±


    Without thinking too much, I summoned the status window, and naturally saw my information.


    [Checking the status window and talent levels of the yer Lee Kiyoung.]


    [Name: Lee Kiyoung]


    [Title: None. You should try a little harder.]


    [Age: 25]


    [Disposition: Careful Strategist]


    [ss: Wizard]


    [ss effect: Basic Magical Knowledge]


    [Stats]


    [Strength: 10/Growth potential:mon or lower]


    [Agility: 11/Growth potential:mon or lower]


    [Vitality: 14/Growth potential:mon or lower]


    [Intelligence: 25/Growth potential: heroic or higher]


    [Endurance: 12/Growth potential:mon or lower]


    [Luck: 23/Growth potential: heroic or higher]


    [Mana: 05/Growth potential:mon or lower]


    [Equipment: None]


    [Attributes: Mind¡¯s Eye]


    [Overview: Your puny rate of growth is so miniscule it can now bepared to that of an ant¡¯s. Growth centred around vitality, mana, and intelligence can be seen. Did you work your brains a lot? In particr, I can see your intelligence grew particrly high. Don¡¯t get too conceited. yer Lee Kiyoung¡¯s abilities are still inferior to even the secretions discharged by monsters.


    I didn¡¯t know who the hell¡¯s opinion this overview was based on, but I didn¡¯t like them.


    Without this ability, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to get this far, but this overview was enough to make me want to do something about it.


    Nevertheless, the improvements in my abilities were bound to make me feel a little bit better.


    Meanwhile, the two-point increase of my mana stood out to me.


    Clearly, my intelligence was overwhelmingly highpared to the other stats.


    I didn¡¯t know what had improved exactly, as I still wasn¡¯t sure of the exact nature behind stat growth, but perhaps my basic critical thinking skills were a little better than before.


    ¡®Luck.¡¯


    The value of this unknown luck stat had also risen by two points.


    I was d to find that Jung Hayan¡¯s state wouldn¡¯t negatively impact my growth.


    ¡®It¡¯s not bad.¡¯


    It was pretty good growth for a scumbag at the bottom of the talent pool.


    At this rate, it would be hard to say I was that far behind the average person.


    ¡°Stats¡­ Yours must have increased?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Has anything changed for you, Hayanie?


    ¡°N-no. Not much¡­ But my mana level went up a little. The same for vitality, and strength.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡±


    [Checking the status window and talent levels of the yer Jung Hayan.]


    [Name: Jung Hayan]


    [Title: None. You should try a little harder.]


    [Age: 21]


    [Disposition: Pure Advocate]


    [ss: Wizard - Common Grade]


    [Stats]


    [Endurance: 11/Growth potential: rare or lower]


    [Agility: 11/Growth potential: rare or lower]


    [Vitality: 15/Growth potential: heroic or lower]


    [Intelligence: 23/Growth potential: heroic or higher]


    [Endurance: 14/Growth potential: rare or lower]


    [Luck: 23/Growth potential: heroic or higher]


    [Mana: 18/Growth potential: legendary or higher]


    [Equipment: None]


    [Attribute: Wizard in training - Rating: Heroic]


    [Overview: Be careful. Nice boat [1].]


    I had opened Jung Hayan¡¯s status window, just in case, but I couldn¡¯t find anything vastly different from before.


    What caught my attention was that her mana level had risen by three. Her disposition as a Pure Advocate remained. If it said she was pure, then she was pure. I didn¡¯t have anyints about that, but it would be nice if she could make it a bit more apparent.


    ¡®What the hell is this overview?¡¯


    For some reason, the words rang ominously in my ears.


    ¡°I-it¡¯s all thanks to O-o-oppa.¡±


    ¡°No. I didn¡¯t actually help you that much.¡±


    I hadn¡¯t contributed much to her ability growth.


    When Iughed quietly, Jung Hayan also began to smile brightly.


    Her smile was a bit scary-looking, but I couldn¡¯t make that obvious.


    When I patted her head, she bowed her head slightly. Park Hyaeyoung¡¯s torn off limbs and her appearance as she smiled like a crazy bitch was no longer present.


    Once again, I couldn¡¯t help but notice that she liked me.


    At the moment, Jung Hayan was the person who concerned me the most.


    Because I needed to find a way to control this uncontroble bomb.


    ¡®There are two options.¡¯


    Option one: Push her away very slowly.


    I didn¡¯t mean it in the sense of pushing her out of my reach.


    Rather, I would push for us to have an Oppa-and-Dongsaeng rtionship, rather than one of lovers.


    This would reduce the intensity of affection to one between siblings instead of between men and women.


    It wouldn¡¯t magically get rid of her jealousy.


    In fact, it was the safest and most reasonable path.


    Option two: Quickly drag her to me.


    The second option was based on the affection between men and women.


    Not only believing, trusting, and following me, but further developing a rtionship where she would unconditionally ept anything I said.


    It was a boatload of sh*t but it didn¡¯t seem impossible considering Jung Hayan¡¯s present state.


    Actually, what I had in mind was the first option.


    I knew it wouldn¡¯t be easy, but there was still room for improvement in our rtionship.


    As I stroked her head again, she gripped my hand on her head.


    Honestly, I was a bit taken aback.


    ¡°Hum¡­ Hum¡­¡±


    Park Deokgu, who had gone out on patrol, had returned.


    ¡°Oh, what a nice atmosphere.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Sorry? Ah¡­ No. It¡¯s not that¡­¡±


    Jung Hayan was a bit too flustered.


    Park Deokgu spoke to Jung Hayan with the same shrewd smile as before.


    ¡°I thought I asked you to take care of Hyung-nim, but Noonim is a little sly, isn¡¯t she?¡±


    ¡°I-it¡¯s not like that.¡±


    Park Deokgu snickered and smiled excessively while Jung Hayan rose from her seat and crept over to the corner.


    Seeing her appearance, Park Deokgu smiled widely and didn¡¯t hesitate to flop down right next to me.


    ¡°Oh, did Ie back too early?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about.¡±


    ¡°Well, aren¡¯t things going well with Noonim?¡±


    I had no idea what the hell he was talking about.


    Rather,e to think of it, he was 23 years old. Jung Hayan was 21 years old.


    I couldn¡¯t understand why he would call Jung Hayan ¡®Noonim¡¯.


    Anyone could see that Jung Hayan looked younger than Park Deokgu.


    ¡°You know that Jung Hayan is younger than you, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Even so, what kind of Dongsaeng would treat his Hyung¡¯s woman disrespectfully?¡±


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    The word ¡®bullsh*t¡¯ almost popped out of my mouth.


    Now that I thought about it, something was weird.


    What I wanted from Jung Hayan, in the first ce, was a bond, not a love affair.


    It may be true that her environment had led her in a strange direction, but nevertheless, there was still a missing piece to the puzzle.


    I felt like thest piece had slotted into ce.


    It was this.


    ¡®Sh*t¡­¡¯


    A cupid.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget me if it goes wellter. Actually, I didn¡¯t tell you, but since Hyung-nim asked me to take good care of Noonim, I¡¯ve been pushing her little by little.¡±


    ¡°What¡­ How can you¡­¡±


    ¡°Hem hem¡­ You look good together and it looks like she likes Hyung-nim. You used to sneak peeks at Noonim. I¡¯ve seen something like this happen so many times, I can¡¯t remember¡­Fufu¡­ So you don¡¯t have to be too thankful¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Only


    ¡°I thought your taste was a bit unusual, but¡­ Hem! If Hyung-nim says so, then it¡¯s only right for me, the dongsaeng to help! In my opinion, I think the goal is in sight. Actually, even though I look like this, everyone knows Park Deokgu, the love doctor in Gangwon-do.¡±


    Ignorant of my feelings, the corners of Park Deokgu¡¯s mouth raised as he poured out his pride.


    I couldn¡¯t even speak because I was so flustered.


    I had no choice but to realise that it was meaningless to distinguish between the first and second option.


    ¡®Park Deokgu you pig bastard¡­¡­¡¯


    An almost wless checkmate.


    I couldn¡¯t think of anything to stop the designs of a pig, whose brain was full of nothing but muscles.

 Chapter 23: Calculating Ki

    <h4>Chapter 23: Calcting Killer (1)</h4>


    I never had a choice to begin with. ording to Park Deokgu¡¯s designs, Jung Hayan would be repulsed just by me choosing the first option.


    Rather, no matter what my thoughts were on the matter originally, it was highly likely that Jung Hayan was sprinting towards the second option on her own.


    ¡°Zzzzzzz.¡±


    When I heard Park Deokgu snoring beside me, I felt myself growing increasingly upset.


    In the first ce, there was no way I could even entertain the idea of dating here.


    In this kind of ce, where no one knew when they would die, it was senseless to consider feelings of that nature.


    Getting into a rtionship was a whole other can of worms.


    I wanted to wholeheartedly reject the notion of an intimate rtionship with a woman who might one day decide to tear me apart, but¡­


    ¡®I can¡¯t.¡¯


    Ironically, the only way to avoid the ending where I was torn to death was to get closer to her.


    The most dangerous person was, at the same time, the most reliable person.


    I didn¡¯t enjoy gambling, but I was ready to throw the dice if necessary.


    I gave a brief nod to the reality I didn¡¯t want to acknowledge, and spoke to Park Deokgu who was still snoring away.


    ¡°Get up.¡±


    ¡°zzzzzzzzzz¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Wake up, Deokgu-yah.¡±


    ¡°Unnnngh¡­ What. Morning already?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re starting a bit early.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Noonim. Please wake up.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°It looks like she¡¯s fast asleep¡­ Noonim, it¡¯s time to get up.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­ It looks like Noonim has turned into Sleeping Beauty¡­ Maybe she needs a kiss from her Prince Charming?¡±


    ¡®Son of a bitch.¡¯


    He had taken on a teasing tone without knowing how I felt about it.


    I wanted to stuff his mouth with a fireball.


    Most of my mana had recovered just in time. I didn¡¯t know why but just hearing that throwaway line was enough to drive me up the wall.


    Still, I had to wake up Jung Hayan, so I had no choice but to take a slight step forward.


    ¡°Hayan-ah.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Hayan-ah, it¡¯s time to wake up.¡±


    ¡°Unngh¡­¡­¡±


    Only when I patted her head lightly did she rise, blearily rubbing her eyes.


    It seemed she wasn¡¯t fully awake yet.


    Even though I could see her startle and be flustered after seeing me, I still felt an inexplicable, lingering fear when I looked at her.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Oh! Yes, Oppa.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to head back to the shelter as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s have a light meal and get going.¡±


    ¡°Hem. Leave the arrangements to me.¡±


    After a really simple meal, it didn¡¯t take long for us to get ready to move on.


    There¡¯s a saying that humans are adaptable creatures. Seeing everyone greet the morning in their own way, I could see that it was indeed the case.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if that Hyung-ssi, Kim Hyunsung, and the shelter are okay. We¡¯ve been away for a while.¡±


    ¡°They should also be alright. So long as those guys don¡¯t pointlessly decide among themselves to go out to hunt.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it good if they can? We need more people to fight anyway¡­¡±


    Of course, there was no reason to stop them if they could hunt properly.


    ¡°You think those guys, who¡¯ve been hiding in fear all this time, would suddenly turn over a new leaf just because they¡¯ve had a change of heart? Not only is it unlikely that they would band together to hunt, even if they did go out, they would all wind up dead if they couldn¡¯t get it together and do it properly. In fact, that would be the better oue.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m saying that we have to hope that things don¡¯t turn out the way they did with Park Hyaeyoung.¡±


    The probability that those in the shelter would go out hunting was low.


    However, if they did form a party of their own and leave to look for monsters by themselves, then there was another, even worse possibility that we had to consider.


    Of course, I couldn¡¯t im that my judgment wasn¡¯t wed but¡­


    ¡°The worst-case scenario is that they panic, start screaming, and lead all the monsters to the shelter.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°The people in the shelter would be none the wiser to the impending danger. They would all be busy with their lives. Terrified humans can¡¯t make rational decisions¡­ And, ultimately, they wouldn¡¯t be able to stop the horde of monsters storming in, the entrance would be breached, and that would be the end of the shelter.¡±


    ¡°Well, just imagining it is horrible enough.¡±


    It really was horrific.


    ¡°That¡¯s probably why Hyunsung-ssi ordered us to return separately from him. There may still be some monster bastards that are still after us.¡±


    ¡°Well, the more I think about it, the more I think that Hyung-nim is really smart.¡±


    I was never smart.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that.¡±


    It was just that I was constantly thinking about worst-case scenarios and how to react to them.


    As my feet rose and fell unceasingly, I instinctively felt a rising sense of apprehension. Just imagining the situation I had just described really happening made my mouth go dry.


    To be honest, it wasn¡¯t that I cared about what happened to anyone in the shelter, but the loss of economic or natural resources there would be a waste.


    At best, it was a well-established ce.


    Since we still didn¡¯t know how long clearing the dungeon would take, the shelter was still a necessity.


    My mind was upied by various thoughts as we walked down the eerily quiet pathway.


    This kind of silence was a bit heavy, so I chatted with Park Deokgu and Jung Hayan and the shelter came into view not long after.


    Strangely enough, the entrance had been barricaded.


    Lee Jihye must have spotted us, as she emerged and began to clear away a heap of rubble.


    It must have been packed together tightly as it took a while before she was done. Lee Jihye approached us slowly, a customary smile on her face, and began to speak once she had drawn near.


    ¡°Kiyoung oppa and Deokgu oppa are here? Hyaeyoung-ssi and Hyunsung-ssi¡­¡±


    ¡°Park Hyaeyoung is dead and Hyunsung-ssi will be back soon.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see.¡±


    After hearing my calm response, Lee Jihye closed her eyes for a moment before nodding her head and continuing to speak.


    ¡°By any chance¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a long story. In the meantime, did you have any trouble at the shelter?¡±


    ¡°Umm¡­ May I speak with you in private?¡±


    That had to mean that she wanted to speak freely¡­


    Lee Jihye¡¯s expression didn¡¯t look good. Something was going on.


    Why was it that bad feelings were never wrong?


    When I turned a little and nced over at Park Deokgu, I saw that he was nodding as if it made no difference to him.


    In the first ce, he would want to hear it from meter, so it didn¡¯t matter, but what concerned me was how Jung Hayan would respond.


    However, since it was also essential for me to hear what Lee Jihye had to say, I had no choice but to pat Jung Hayan on the head once and speak to her.


    ¡°Do you want to go inside first and wait? I¡¯ll be there in a bit.¡±


    ¡°Ah! Alright¡­ Okay. Oppa.¡±


    This was just because I was worried that Lee Jihye would be torn limb from limb otherwise.


    For some reason, the way she kept ncing back at me over and over again as she went into the shelter made me remember Park Hyaeyoung.


    It was only when the two of them were no longer in sight that Lee Jihye slowly began to speak.


    ¡°How did Park Hyaeyoung die?¡±


    ¡°She brought it on herself. Screaming in a ce where there were a sh*t-ton of monsters. That¡¯s why Kim Hyunsung isn¡¯t with us right now¡­ Want to know the details?¡±


    ¡°No, thank you. I can roughly imagine what happened.¡±


    I noticed her ncing furtively at me. I didn¡¯t know if she was thinking about the way Jung Hayan had left, but I had the inexplicable feeling that she had a rough idea of what had happened.


    Of course, it was only a guess, but it meant that Lee Jihye caught on faster than I expected.


    ¡°I¡¯ll sum it up quickly.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Yoo Seokwoo, as well as a few others, went outside.¡±


    ¡®I knew things would turn out like this.¡¯


    ¡°When?¡±


    ¡°Yesterday morning.¡±


    ¡°You.¡±


    ¡°I know as well. I couldn¡¯t let them leave without permission.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ Why.¡±


    ¡°To be honest, ever since Kiyoung oppa and Hyunsung oppa left together, they constantly told me that they wanted to go out to hunt. I don¡¯t know if he made up his mind after seeing Kiyoung oppa¡¯s magic, or if he had had enough of the situation he was in, but he left to go hunting with a few, like-minded men. Idiots¡­ Of course, at first, I was able to convince them that it made more sense to go after Kiyoung oppa returned, but¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just a powerless woman, aren¡¯t I?¡±


    I now had a rough understanding of the situation.


    It seemed that my disy of magic in front of them had adverse side effects.


    To begin with, Yoo Seokwoo was at a disadvantage after the trouble he had caused for Jung Hayan.


    It was no wonder, then, that he would consider his options given his status had dropped.


    Not only would he think about gaining iprehensible powers, but he, himself, must have secretly thought about wanting to be like us.


    With the exception of Lee Jihye, who was considered to be a manager, the power of Kim Hyunsung, Park Deokgu, and myself, was absolute here.


    I sighed briefly before speaking again.


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t it your job to prevent this?¡±


    ¡°I tried my best to stop them. Kiyoung oppa¡¯s return waster than expected, so people got nervous¡­ How could I refuse to let him go when he said they wanted to send a rescue team?¡±


    ¡°Rescue my ass¡­ Usually, those sh*theads wouldn¡¯t give a fuck¡­ Is that why you barricaded the entrance?¡±


    ¡°Yes. We don¡¯t have to die together, do we?¡±


    That exined why the entrance waspletely blocked off.


    If Yoo Seokwoo and the other self-proimed rescuers were pursued by monsters, they might have thought to ask the shelter for help.


    Seeing as she had blocked up the entrance and kept it shut tight, Lee Jihye also seemed to be thinking of protecting the shelter in her own way.


    ¡°I wish those stupid, trouble-making fuckers would just die¡­ It seems like the wrong person died. What to do¡­ People are definitely going to be scared¡­ People who can fight, do you still need more of those?¡±


    ¡°The more the merrier.¡±


    To be honest, the one attacking the dungeon was not me, but Kim Hyunsung.


    The person who thought it feasible to fight and that we needed to bolster our forces was not me, but Kim Hyunsung.


    He seemed to believe that we had no choice but to expand our forces before progressing to the lower floors.


    ¡°What about you?¡±


    Even though my Mind¡¯s Eye had evaluated Lee Jihye as trash, she was better than that bitch Park Hyaeyoung.


    I didn¡¯t think she would be stabbing her spear willy-nilly or that there would be any screaming halfway through.


    Rather, it was highly likely she would calmly do her job behind Park Deokgu¡¯s back.


    ¡°I would like to decline.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s terrifying and I don¡¯t want to get caught up in anything fruitless. The power that Kiyoung oppa has shown is definitely amazing¡­ Of course it¡¯s desirable, but needless greed is a shortcut to death.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you think a baepsae can be like a stork? The baepsae will have its own baepsae way of life.¡± [1]


    I think I knew what she meant.


    For some reason, Lee Jihye¡¯s story sounded just a bit like something that I could have written as well, and her thoughts were also reasonable.


    Only


    ¡°Rather than living on the battlefield, where I wouldn¡¯t even know when I¡¯ll die¡­ Wouldn¡¯t it be best to be with a capable man and live in peace?¡±


    It was while we were talking about one thing or another that I sensed the presence of someone else somewhere.


    I turned my head naturally and saw that several figures wereing towards us.


    ¡®Yoo Seokwoo?¡¯


    The one walking in front had to be Yoo Seokwoo.


    However, the three figures behind him were humans I had never seen in the shelter before.


    ¡°I guess the one guy who wanted to die the most came back alive. He even brought back baggage¡­¡±

 Chapter 24: Calculating Killer (2)

    <h4>Chapter 24: Calcting Killer (2)</h4>


    ¡°How many people went out?¡±


    ¡°Seven people.¡±


    The one in the lead anding towards us was obviously Yoo Seokwoo.


    It was difficult to make out the features of the three people walking behind Yoo Seokwoo due to the distance, but at the very least, I could tell that I had never seen them here before.


    Seven people went out, including Yoo Seokwoo but six of them didn¡¯te back, and now three different people were heading towards the shelter.


    The natural assumption was that something happened to Yoo Seokwoo¡¯s party while they were out hunting, and that they were helped by the people who wereing our way.


    In the process.


    ¡®Everyone other than Yoo Seokwoo died.¡¯


    The probability of that was likely very high.


    Just by looking at their equipment, you could tell that they weren¡¯t some ragtag group.


    One of them was holding a small shield and sword, another carried a spear, and thest was holding a bow.


    Going by the atmosphere surrounding them and the bandages wrapped around their wounds, I was certain they had already fought several battles.


    ¡®Mind¡¯s Eye.¡¯


    [Checking the status window and talent levels of the yer Jung Jinho.]


    [Name: Jung Jinho]


    [Title: N/A ]


    [Age: 29]


    [Disposition: Calcting Killer]


    [ss: Battlemage - Rare grade]


    [Stats]


    [Endurance: 25/Growth potential: heroic or higher]


    [Agility: 23/Growth potential: heroic or higher]


    [Vitality: 24/Growth potential: heroic or higher]


    [Intelligence: 20/Growth potential: rare or lower]


    [Endurance: 23/Growth potential: heroic or lower]


    [Luck: 15/Growth potential rare or lower]


    [Mana: 08/Growth potential rare or higher]


    [Attributes: N/A ]


    [Overview: An undeniable talent, it¡¯s impossible for him to develop badly. Overall, he¡¯s so amazingly well-bnced, naturally, there aren¡¯t many things he couldn¡¯t do. If he dutifully pursues growth, it¡¯s possible that he will be able to rise to the top. His disposition is the kind I can get behind. I rmend not getting any closer. This person could be too dangerous for yer Lee Kiyoung.]


    ¡®Battlemage?¡¯


    Just a nce at his abilities was enough to gain a rough understanding. His stats were perfectly bnced, and what stood out most was the existence of mana and his ss.


    ¡®Mana?¡¯


    This was the first time I had seen someone who still had mana despite not being a Wizard, outside of Kim Hyunsung.


    My eyes were constantly drawn to the rare grade ss, Battlemage.


    His mana stat was eight, even higher than mine.


    The mere fact that he had mana meant that he had the capacity to ascend to the ranks of the strong.


    The most noticeable piece of information was his disposition.


    Calcting killer.


    I had seen many dispositions thus far, but this was the first time I had seen such a disposition.


    The two guys next to him weren¡¯t much different. Their stats in themselves were only either better than mine or slightly below Park Deokgu¡¯s, but overall, their abilities weren¡¯t bad.


    These guys¡¯ dispositions also did not seem to be as positive as Well-Meaning Arbitrator or Pure Advocate.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to prepare to receive some guests. They look like people who are capable of fighting¡­ I don¡¯t know if this will turn out well.¡±


    ¡°Go inside and get Park Deokgu and Jung Hayan.¡±


    ¡°Sorry?¡±


    ¡°Quickly.¡±


    Instead of responding to her question, I grimaced and immediately began to cast a spell.


    Thinking about what might happen, Lee Jihye¡¯s expression also hardened and she began to head into the shelter.


    I also backed up little by little.


    ¡°Lord, answer, my, wish, my call, please give me, strength, to burn my enemies.¡±


    They didn¡¯t seem to have any particr animosity as of yet.


    For starters, it looked like they were at ease whilst walking towards us.


    Just as Jung Hayan possessed a disposition of Pure Advocate, there was a possibility that there was a discrepancy between their dispositions and actual behaviour. However, I thought it was better to be on guard for the time being.


    ¡®Sh*t.¡¯


    I had already built up a tower of mana and chanted the spell.


    In this case, all I had to do was say the spell, but I suppressed myself from saying it.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you. My name is Jung Jinho.¡±


    It was because he said hello from a distance. When I saw him take a step towards me, I took two steps back.


    ¡®Range.¡¯


    I was well-aware of just how fast someone whose agility level was in the 20s could move.


    In reality, even this distance was dangerous.


    The two people at Jung Jinho¡¯s side may not have noticed the mana I was restraining as much as possible, but Jung Jinho, who possessed mana, had to be aware that I was suppressing a spell at that moment.


    At his greeting, I responded while maintaining the distance between us.


    ¡°Pleased to meet you. My name is Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°Ah! I¡¯ve heard a lot about you from Seokwoo-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Pardon me?¡±


    ¡°I heard you became a Wizard this time. You made mes rise from your hands¡­ I¡¯d really love to see that just once.¡±


    ¡®Yoo Seokwoo, you douchebag. Useless son of a bitch.¡¯


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°It really is amazing. I already knew that this ce gave us new abilities, it¡¯s just¡­ This is my first time seeing a wizard¡­ Ah! You don¡¯t have to be so wary.¡±


    It was a strange situation where one wrong move couldnd me dead. It would be more strange if I wasn¡¯t on my guard.


    The sword, spear, and bow they were carrying agitated me.


    When I snuck a look at Yoo Seokwoo , he had a slightly nervous expression on his face.


    I didn¡¯t know the cause behind his nervousness, but I thought it couldn¡¯t be a positive sign.


    ¡°Really, this ce is amazing. I had heard that there were a lot of survivors remaining, but I didn¡¯t believe it. If it¡¯s a ce like this, it makes sense that over 30 people could survive together.¡±


    ¡°I was also very surprised when I first saw this ce. It¡¯s all thanks to Hyunsung-ssi. How did you¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh. Actually, I found Seokwoo-ssi along with a few other people surrounded by monsters nearby. Unfortunately, I discovered them toote to save the rest of them, but¡­ Somehow I was able to save Seokwoo-ssi. It was good fortune.¡±


    When I looked at Yoo Seokwoo once again, that punk¡¯s nodding face came into view.


    ¡®Really¡­¡¯


    Out of everyone he could have brought back, the fact that he had brought these bastards was almost embarrassing.


    There was an ominous feeling emanating just from his person alone.


    That kind of ominousness was in this guy.


    Perhaps it was an effect of the luck stat. My senses were screaming at me to not get close to him.


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief. Actually, I was extremely worried when I heard that Seokwoo-ssi had left to go hunting. The rest of them¡­ It can¡¯t be helped¡­¡±


    ¡°If I had found them a little earlier, I could have saved them all¡­ It really is such a shame.¡±


    While I was ncing around restlessly, I could sense Jung Hayan and Park Deokguing out.


    ¡°What happened? Hyung-nim.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re neers.¡±


    Only then did I rx a little. The way this guy looked, emerging with a heavy shield, was definitely a menacing sight for others.


    Of course, that was without even mentioning his stats. I thought that even Jung Jinho might not be able to ovee his endurance and vitality levels.


    Lee Jihye¡¯s profile, as she made a statement of siding with me, d in shoddy leather armour and showing hostility to the three men before us, was quite reliable.


    Jung Hayan was also muttering something with her head lowered.


    I couldn¡¯t feel any significant amount of mana yet, but she had to have been preparing herself for whatever happened.


    ¡°I thought we¡¯d be weed¡­ This is a little unexpected.¡±


    It was then that I realised I was making it too obvious that I had my guard up.


    ¡°My apologies. Given the circumstances¡­ Even without realising it, I can¡¯t help but be wary of those I meet for the first time. If I was rude¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Kiyoung-ssi. Ipletely understand. We have also been attacked by people looking for food.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°I think there¡¯s a group of bad guys moving around this area. We just barely managed to get away from them, but I don¡¯t think the same was true for their other victims. I spotted many murdered women on the way here.¡±


    I wanted to ask if these guys had been the ones responsible.


    My attribute didn¡¯t tell lies.


    I didn¡¯t know whether this guy really had blood on his hands, but there was definitely a possibility that Jung Jinho would cause trouble somehow.


    To im that a normal person could have a disposition like Calcting Killer was iprehensible.


    ¡°It really was a terrible sight. The corpses were already half-eaten by monsters, so I couldn¡¯t check them properly, but I could see marks that were made by humans, not monsters, all over the bodies. There¡¯s no doubt that they were knife-wounds.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°Yes. There were also traces that arrows had been lodged in the back, perhaps while they were trying to escape. There were signs of resistance¡­ One of the bad guys had to have been an archer. There were also stab wounds, possibly from a sword¡­ It¡¯s probably fair to say that one of them was carrying a sword. By any chance, have you seen anyone matching this description?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The guy quietly holding a bow next to him was, naturally, in my line of vision.


    I couldn¡¯t grasp his intention in making that remark. However, one thing for sure was that a strange tension was forming.


    ¡®Are you picking a fight with me?¡¯


    I wondered if he really wanted to start a fight.


    Park Deokgu must have seen my expression, as he also stealthily took up his shield and moved forward.


    I moved aside to let him go in front of Jung Hayan and I.


    I wondered if he couldn¡¯t see Park Deokgu.


    Maybe this guy¡­


    ¡®Are you confident?¡¯


    It was highly likely.


    Perhaps it was nothing but a figment of imagination, but it definitely felt like his target was me.


    The way Jung Jinho¡¯s arm kept moving to his waist bothered me. Park Deokgu was probably also paying attention to that guy¡¯s arm.


    ¡°Perhaps they¡¯re active in an area where Kiyoung-ssi¡¯s men don¡¯t frequent.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s possible. I¡¯ve never heard stories about those kinds of people, nor seen any signs of them.¡±


    At that moment, he was touching his waist, and his arm moved towards the handle of his sword.


    I spat out the spell right away.


    Rather, to be exact, I almost spilled out the whole spell.


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s voice was the only thing that stopped me from summoning a fireball.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    That guy¡¯s hand, which had stealthily been heading towards the handle of his sword, moved to the side.


    It was quite a spectacle to see him wipe his hands on his pants then approach me with his hand outstretched for a handshake.


    I wasn¡¯t sure if this had been his intention from the start, but it was certainly true that Kim Hyunsung¡¯s appearance had changed the mood somewhat.


    I cancelled the spell I had been preparing, then sped that guy¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Regardless, it was a pleasure to meet you, Kiyoung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°The pleasure was all mine. Jinho-ssi.¡±


    I turned my head slightly and saw Kim Hyunsung¡¯s face as he came towards us.


    He must have had a hard time during the past few days, but he didn¡¯t look very tired.


    I could see his eyes trained on all of the people who hade with Yoo Seokwoo with an indifferent expression.


    ¡°It seems nothing happened. It¡¯s a long story. Seokwoo-ssi brought these¡­¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Jung Jinho.¡±


    It was then that I thought that the look on his face seemed off.


    Only


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s expression as he looked at Jung Jinho was a bit stiff.


    I had a strange sense of deja-vu. His expression was a bit different, but it was simr to the time when he had met Jung Hayan.


    ¡®Do you know him?¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung might know the Jung Jinho of the future.


    Of course, I had no way to confirm this, but the rigidity of his expression and the anger in his eyes gave me a bit more certainty.


    Even his body was shaking.


    ¡®Kim Hyunsung¡­ Why¡¯s he acting like this?¡¯


    He looked a little different from the Kim Hyunsung I knew.

 Chapter 25: : Calculating Ki

    <h4>Chapter 25: Calcting Killer (3)</h4>


    If I was going to get hit anyway, it was better to strike first.


    ¡®What¡¯s up with this guy?¡¯


    He seemed a bit different from the Kim Hyunsung I knew.


    In the first ce, Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t express his emotions very well.


    The only time his emotions had been on disy was when he had first discovered Jung Hayan, and even that was fleeting.


    ¡®What is it?¡¯


    I began to wonder if, by any chance, he had gotten wind of what we had done to Park Hyaeyoung, but the person Kim Hyunsung was watching was neither myself nor Jung Hayan.


    He was definitely staring at Jung Jinho.


    It was my first time seeing him like this.


    He wasn¡¯t gathering mana, but his eyes were clearly showing hostility.


    His expression was one of vignce.


    His hands and legs seemed to be trembling slightly, and, above all, his facial expression seemed to be greatly restrained.


    ¡®You know this guy.¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung definitely knew Jung Jinho.


    Of course, as to how he knew him, there was no way I would know.


    The simplest possibility I could think of was that in the future I didn¡¯t know, the odds were high that the two of them were tangled up together in some ill-fated rtionship.


    Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t have any kind of ability that would let him see that guy¡¯s status window.


    Unlike me, he wasn¡¯t wary of Jung Jinho because of his disposition, Calcting Killer.


    He was showing hostility and that he felt difort towards Jung Jinho himself, as a person.


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s careful examination of Jung Jinho took some time.


    Although he had been maintaining the awkward posture of reaching out to shake hands with Kim Hyunsung the whole time, Jung Jinho continued to smile while looking at Kim Hyunsung.


    If you were unaware of Jung Jinho¡¯s disposition and only saw his face, you might think that he was just a good-natured fellow.


    Seeing Kim Hyunsung¡¯s slightly dazed appearance, I patted his arm and spoke.


    ¡°Hyunsung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ I¡¯m sorry. My name is Kim Hyunsung.¡±


    The scene of Jung Jinho and Kim Hyunsung shaking hands slightly came into view.


    For some reason, that clenched fist kept catching my eyes.


    ¡®Killer¡­ He¡¯s a killer¡­¡¯


    Jung Jinho¡¯s disposition, Calcting Killer.


    The delicate confrontation that had taken ce before Kim Hyunsung arrived.


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s reaction to Jung Jinho.


    I could make several guesses.


    They were inferences that could be formed based on the presumption that Jung Jinho was a psychotic killer.


    The first possibility was that Jung Jinho killed Kim Hyunsung or those close to Kim Hyunsung.


    The second possibility was that he had never directly encountered Jung Jinho, but he had heard rumours or stories about him.


    The probability of the first idea having happened was rtively low. If Kim Hyunsung could show such self-control in the face of someone who killed him or his friends, I wouldn¡¯t call him a pushover, I¡¯d call him a saint.


    By my standards, even now, he was close to a saint, but that wasn¡¯t relevant to the current situation.


    Perhaps he was conscious of the eyes of myself, Park Deokgu, Jung Hayan, and the others inside.


    If he was indeed conscious of us onlookers, then he might have already torn Jung Jinho into shreds dozens of times in his mind.


    That¡¯s what I would have done in his shoes.


    ¡°Let me introduce myself once more. I¡¯m Jung Jinho. I¡¯ve heard a lot about you from Seokwoo-ssi. You¡¯re the one in charge of the shelter¡­¡±


    ¡°We just happened toe across survivors, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°I heard you¡¯re working hard on continuing rescue efforts.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°You really are incredible. Seokwoo-ssi has been telling us over and over again that you¡¯re a powerful man, but¡­ Really¡­ It seems that you¡¯re stronger than I thought. By any chance, may I ask what your stats are?¡±


    Yoo Seokwoo, that worthless punk, there wasn¡¯t a single thing he left unsaid.


    ¡°It¡¯s difficult to say.¡±


    ¡°Ah! Of course, you don¡¯t have to tell me if it¡¯s inconvenient. We¡¯re a little further off from the starting point. We couldn¡¯t find any survivors, so we¡¯ve been wandering around, and stumbled upon Seokwoo-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Speaking of which, I mentioned it to Kiyoung-ssi not long ago, but I never imagined that there would be so many people alive here.¡±


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s expression remained unruffled.


    There was no vignce or animosity. It was his normal expression.


    It might have been because he had already experienced this sh*t once so he was used to hiding his own feelings, but Kim Hyunsung was calmer than I had expected.


    I really wasn¡¯t sure why he was taking care of people around him like a pushover, but perhaps some unknown past was weighing him down by the ankles.


    I needed to reconsider the idea that the first possibility was rtively less likely.


    Kim Hyunsung was more used to controlling his emotions than I had thought. Nevertheless, I personally wanted to rate the possibility of the second inference higher.


    ¡®Rumours or stories about Jung Jinho.¡¯


    Jung Jinho¡¯s potential was capable of going through the roof.


    To use a gaming analogy, it was as though the foundation for a ranker had already beenid down.


    My Mind¡¯s Eye also believed that this guy had a high chance for growth.


    Considering this fellow¡¯s disposition, there was a high chance of him bing a famous murderer or criminal in the future.


    He would have stirred up quite the storm.


    The second reason was that Kim Hyunsung, who would also y arge role in the future, had, to some extent, heard about or seen Jung Jinho, who would be a famous criminal in the future.


    Of course, there was a possibility that those roles were actually flipped, but given their dispositions, I thought the probability of that was weak.


    It was hard to picture Kim Hyunsung¡¯s face enjoying murder.


    ¡°If it¡¯s alright with you, would you mind if we stayed here as well?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°We have some food supplies. If we shared with everyone, it mightst for a few days. Of course, if Hyunsung-ssi doesn¡¯t like it¡­¡±


    There was a moment of deliberation.


    However, Kim Hyunsung soon nodded.


    ¡°No. Survivors are always wee. I¡¯ll help guide you separately.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Thank you.¡±


    I thought it was an unexpected decision.


    ¡°Deokgu-yah, you and Jihye-ssi will guide these people¡­¡±


    ¡°Hyung-nim. Is that okay? We just¡­¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, Deokgu-yah. Call me right away if anything happens.¡±


    ¡°Um. If Hyung-nim says so¡­ Follow me. It¡¯s not the mostfortable ce, but it¡¯s better than roaming around out there.¡±


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s decision was both unexpected but reasonable.


    Kim Hyunsung also knew that it was best to keep your enemies close.


    I also wanted to give him a wee in part.


    If he were simply a lunatic psycho, it would be better to not let him in, but considering the way he had tucked his tail between his legs after seeing Kim Hyunsung, Jung Jinho was also the type of guy who knew how to pick his battles.


    Instead, he was a bit crafty.


    The ominous or vaguely unsettling atmosphere I had felt around this bastard earlier had already vanished.


    He had judged that there was no chance of winning with Kim Hyunsung present, and took a step back. Perhaps he didn¡¯t have any intention of attacking Park Deokgu and I at first, but the anxiety I felt before Kim Hyunsung came was real.


    ¡®Thanks,¡¯


    Nevertheless, I was very grateful towards him.


    The corners of my mouth lifted automatically and formed a faint smile.


    If this fucker was calcting, then somehow or another, I could use him.


    ¡®It¡¯s advantageous. This situation can definitely be exploited.¡¯


    It was a little out of the blue, but it wasn¡¯t a bad thing. Rather, the luckiest person on Earth might¡¯ve been me.


    All thoughts of killing him had already vanished from my head.


    ¡®Thanks, Jung Jinho, you motherfucker.¡¯


    In a way, that guy showing up here was a huge stroke of luck for me.


    When I turned my head slightly, Kim Hyunsung came into view.


    This guy¡¯s expression looked a bit dazed.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go in together, Hyunsung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°I might be outside for a while longer. You can head in first.¡±


    He seemed to be preupied with his thoughts.


    The same was true for me.


    However, right now, I needed to keep my conversation with this guy going.


    That would be more effective.


    ¡°Did you know that person?¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just asking because for some reason or other, the look on your face makes it seem like you do.¡±


    His expression was a bit concerned but he soon nodded and continued to speak.


    ¡°A little¡­ You¡¯re correct to think that I know him. I¡¯d bet that he probably doesn¡¯t know me. I only had a brief brush with him once, a very long time ago.¡±


    ¡°Ah, you have that kind of rtionship.¡±


    ¡°It has nothing to do with fate. That one encounter was literally all I¡¯ve seen of him. To Jung Jinho-ssi¡­¡±[1]


    ¡°Yeah, I won¡¯t mention it.¡±[2]


    The most important thing when counselling was to keep things confidential.


    I spoke again with an indifferent expression on my face.


    It had seemed in the beginning to also be in formal speech.


    At my words, perhaps that guy realised I had also been impolite[3], so I hurried to continue speaking. My mind that had run away from me returned as I came back to my senses.


    ¡°I had thought you would be fine, but you really came back. It really is incredible.¡± [4]


    ¡°No. I was lucky. It was a bit tough but¡­ I was able toe back because I detoured as much as possible. Come to think of it, it¡¯s a relief that Kiyoung-ssi was also fortunate. Did you have any trouble returning here?¡±


    ¡°Actually, there¡¯s something I would like to talk about with you.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Hyaeyoung-ssi is dead.¡±


    If I was going to get hit anyway, it was better to strike first.


    Rather, in the present situation, it was most reasonable to bring up the problem of Jung Jinho that had forced my brain to work in overdrive.


    His face looked a bit shocked, but this fucker was used to people dying, so he nodded slowly.


    Fortunately, he didn¡¯t show any signs that he was suspicious of me.


    Kim Hyunsung hadn¡¯t checked Park Hyaeyoung¡¯s body, so he couldn¡¯t have known if there were any issues before.


    ¡°I see. How¡­¡±


    ¡°It was magic.¡±


    ¡°Sorry?¡±


    ¡°It was an unknown magic.¡±


    ¡°It was magic?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    I then said, ¡°It¡¯s likely the case. My level is still low, so I can¡¯t judge precisely what it was, but it was definitely magic. I don¡¯t know whether there was any residual mana left but¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°While Deokgu and I were hurrying back, I noticed that Hayan-ssi and Hyeayoung-ssi had been separated from us. In that situation, I was concentrating on casting a spell, so I wasn¡¯t able to keep track of what was going on around me. At the time, maintaining the spell I had cast was my limit¡­¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°I arrived toote, and found Hyaeyoung-ssi dying with her limbs cut off. It felt as though there was something magical in the area and¡­ I was somehow able to find Hayanie nearby¡­ She didn¡¯t seem to know the details.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying her limbs were cut off?¡±


    ¡°Yes. She had been dismembered. I¡¯m thinking it was a dungeon trap that did it, it¡¯s just¡­¡±


    There hadn;t been anything like a trap.


    The guy who was well-aware of that mused over my words once again.


    ¡°A trap¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. Honestly speaking, I wanted to bring Hyaeyoung-ssi¡¯s body with us, but we didn¡¯t even have time to think. Rather than letting her be eaten by monsters, I thought it was better to burn it. So¡­¡±


    He should understand what I was talking about.


    I had burned Park Hyaeyoung¡¯s body.


    ¡°Ah. I see. It must have been difficult.¡±


    It was best to speak as sincerely as possible.


    Things had changed from the day before.


    Rather than our gentle, well-behaved, and meek Jung Hayan, a better suspect had appeared.


    I murmured once again in my mind.


    ¡®Thanks, Battlemage Jung Jinho.¡¯


    The criminal had been decided.


    Psychotic killer Jung Jinho, this bastard would be the culprit.


    Only


    1 For this exchange to make sense, you need to know that the Koreannguage uses several different ways of speaking, which vary in levels of politeness and formality. The first sentence Kim Hyunsung uses here is in very formal and polite speech, used between people you¡¯re not familiar with such as colleagues, and is the normal way he speaks with Lee Kiyoung. However, the second sentence uses polite but less formal speech.


    Using that form is not in itself a disrespectful thing - Park Deokgu, Lee Jihye and Jung Hayan use this form (Haeyoche) when speaking with Lee Kiyoung and it¡¯spletely normal. Haeyoche is also amon way of speaking between strangers. However, Kim Hyunsung and Lee Kiyoung aren¡¯t that close and. they¡¯ve been using the more formal level all this time so a sudden change is a bit disrespectful.


    If you want to know more about Korean forms of speech, here¡¯s a handy link. [return to text]


    2 Lee Kiyoung matches Kim Hyunsung¡¯s speech and slips into informalnguage. [return to text]


    3 Again, Lee Kiyoung refers to the change in speech. [return to text]


    4 Lee Kiyoung basically does the opposite of what Kim Hyunsung did earlier, using polite+informal speech in the first sentence, then polite+formal in the second. Both of them use this speech level for the rest of their conversation. [return to text]

 Chapter 26: Item (1)

    <h4>Chapter 26: Item (1)</h4>


    Some time had passed after I told Hyunsung about Park Hyaeyoung¡¯s death.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t say things like ¡°Jung Jinho is suspicious,¡± or ¡°That guy is a murderer¡± to him.


    It was up to Kim Hyunsung himself and not me, who had to arrive at the conclusion that ¡®Jinho was the one who killed Park Hyaeyoung.


    I didn¡¯t need to convince him, and I didn¡¯t even have to persuade him. It was enough to be consistent with my attitude for now and let Jinho fall into a trap.


    ¡®That will be good for all of us.¡¯


    Hyunsung was a reasonable partner who would rather doubt Jinho than to doubt me in such circumstances. The mischief he would inevitably do in the future would also help Kim Hyunsung reach a logical conclusion about him.


    As time passed, Kim Hyunsung often spent time alone, constantly observing and checking.


    He watched Jung Jinho carefully and sometimes even observed me quietly. I thought I knew what he was thinking as he did so.


    Whenever he wore a cold expression, I thought Kim Hyunsung was thinking about how to kill Jung Jinho.


    ¡®He is the enemy of the future, the calcting killer, the murderer who killed Park Hyaeyoung.¡¯


    There was no single reason for Kim Hyunsung to remove Jinho from the shelter immediately. No matter how much Buddha-levelpassion he had for others, he definitely wanted to get rid of what would surely be an enemy in the future.


    But how could he get rid of this problem?


    From Kim Hyunsung¡¯s point of view, he would love to deal with him as quickly as possible, but he still had many other things to worry about. It seemed difficult to find the right opportunity, and there were many things to consider before that.


    For example, one of them was the problem of proceeding down the dungeon.


    ¡°How about we go down together to lower levels?¡±


    ¡°Together¡­ What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Hyunsung-ssi. Jung Hayan is about to finish her training as a Wizard¡­ Jinho has also joined us so I think there will be enough people to lead an attack. Seokwoo seems to have found a ss too¡­ I would also want to advance a little more slowly and cautiously, but I think the time hase to make a choice as food is running out. Our purpose to train others was to attack the monsters on the lower levels.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t always live here. Even if I¡¯m anxious, I think we should try.¡±


    It looked like his head hurt a little when I proposed this.


    We had no choice but to attack the dungeon with a party that was destined to be divided up in the future. In fact, I had toy down the scene before him, and it was for Kim Hyunsung to decide.


    He had to decide whether he was confident enough to break through the lower levels of the dungeon with them and then also take responsibility for what happened afterward.


    If Kim Hyunsung himself was confident, the situation would eventually turn out in their favor no matter what happened.


    ¡®We could lead an attack on the dungeon along with the death of the murderer who had killed Park Hyaeyoung.¡¯


    In other words, we would be able to use Jung Jinho up to the marrow of his bones.


    If he was going to be killed anyway, it was better to use him to the fullest.


    ¡°It¡¯s impossible to go hunting again with the new people who joined recently. We don¡¯t know when something like what happened with Park Hyaeyoung would happen again¡­ Yet I also don¡¯t think it¡¯s a bad idea to go out once and scavenge the area for supplies, rather than to just wait like this. Both food and drinking water are scarce right now. If we choose to settle down without venturing further, we will all eventually die.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Kim Hyunsung was quite cautious.


    It seemed that he had guessed it was a little too dangerous to act on such a n, after seeing Jinho appear out of nowhere like that. Maybe he thought it was impossible to deal with Jung Jinho while he was with us.


    When I was about to fan the mes again, Kim Hyunsung slowly replied.


    ¡°I think it will be okay for us to go out once again.¡±


    ¡°You do?¡±


    ¡°Yes I do. Let¡¯s go down to the lower levels of the dungeon. You probably still have a little time to prepare. We haven¡¯t worked together with Jung Jinho¡¯s party yet, so it would be better for both the parties to practice a little with each other.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I think so, too.¡±


    I would hate to let my guard down before a killer. It was the same for Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡°I will call Jinho, Hayan and Deokgu and then talk to them together about it.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    ¡°On second thought, would you please go ahead and inform Hayan and Deokgu about this instead of me?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Okay.¡± I really wanted to tell them about this as soon as possible. I thought that this might be some pretty good news, so I had volunteered to tell them about this myself.


    As I hurried over to them, I started noticing the beautiful scenery around me. Then I saw a very heartwarming sight I had not seen in the shelter recently.


    ¡°Thank you, Jinho-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Jinho Oppa.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to thank me. We all have to help each other in order to survive and live on.¡±


    Jung Jinho was trying to build good connections with the weaker people.


    But all of this was going to be meaningless. He was trying to win them over with his totally pointless mind games.


    ¡°If you ever need help with something, you can always tell me.¡±


    ¡°We have to usually go out and search for food, but we have all this food now which you have given us. Jinho Oppa, please take a break. Until then we¡¯ll distribute the food among the others.¡±


    ¡°Let me help you too. It¡¯s not a very difficult task, and wouldn¡¯t it be better for everyone to live under a sense of sacrifice and brotherhood too.¡±


    ¡®That sounded funny.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t hold back myughter as his words.


    ¡®These stupid people¡­¡¯


    In this world, no one did any favors for free. There was always a price.


    Perhaps Kim Hyunsung also helped these people because of feelings of sympathy and self-satisfaction that he felt afterward.


    As far as Kim Hyunsung was concerned, the situation in the shelter was not that bad.


    However, in my view, what Jung Jinho really wanted, in reality, were the lives and necks of those who wereughing and talking with him right now.


    But thanks to him, the evil gazes that Park Deokgu and I were attracting since we expressed our intention to move independently had now be even more explicit.


    The people were starting topare us with Jung Jinho.


    ¡®Who do you even think you are?¡¯


    I assumed that was what they were thinking about us currently.


    Jung Jinho not only shared the food he had brought with himself but also did even the smallest of chores. He was different from us, who kept our share of food to ourselves. It was not unreasonable for them topare him with us.


    Me, Park Deokgu, and Jung Hayan seemed to be bing increasingly selfish and worse in their hearts, but I thought there was no need to start imitating the hypocrite Jinho.


    The power to direct and control the people didn¡¯te from acting helpful in front of these weaklings.


    Authority wasn¡¯t proportional to closeness. That was what drove these kinds of people.


    Actually, It might not just be some meaningless acting on his behalf after all. Nevertheless, it was difficult to understand what he was aiming for while looking at his actions.


    I was worried about whether I had gone ahead and sprinkled red pepper powder on the psychopath killer Jung Jinho that had angered him in the beginning, as it was also possible that he hadn¡¯t evenmitted a crime. Perhaps he was trying to live as peacefully as possible while suppressing his original disposition.


    However, the dice had already been thrown.


    ¡°Let¡¯s eat together.¡±


    ¡°Ah! Seokwoo Oppa, thank you.¡±


    Yoo Seokwoo, who had recently been triumphant in finding a ss while traveling with them, also came into view. It looked like he had decided to hang out with Jung Jinho¡¯s party. Sometimes he looked very anxious, but he got what he wanted anyway. And now he had a good ce within this humble shelter.


    I had no choice but to turn my gaze away from these people who did not realize the true value of hard work.


    I didn¡¯t want to keep looking at the heartwarming scene, which was a curse in disguise.


    As I walked a little more, I saw Jung Hayan and Park Deokgu together.


    ¡°Hayan-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Oppa.¡±


    When I went nearer, Jung Hayan, who was testing a simple magic spell, ran over without hesitation and grabbed onto my sleeve tightly.


    Park Deokgu was smiling when he saw this.


    ¡®Well¡­¡¯


    ¡°Are we going outside then Oppa?¡±


    ¡°What? Yeah, maybe¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great!¡±


    We hadn¡¯t been dating and didn¡¯t even have such a rtionship yet, but the people in the shelter seemed to have already epted the rtion between Jung Hayan and I as an established fact.


    Whether she was aware of it or not, Jung Hayan had been holding my hands and getting closer to me more frequently.


    I felt encouraged when these friends of mine didn¡¯t show much rejection, unlike the other people of the shelter. Of course, I still had problems because of her when everyone else was sleeping.


    My heart started beating fiercely every time I woke up from my sleep in a surprised state because Hayan was getting bolder with her actions.


    If it wasn¡¯t for Park Deokgu, we would have been even closer than we were before.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you were going to meet Kim Hyunsung-ssi? I think you came back a little early¡­ Did the story work well?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve juste back from meeting him. It seems like we have something on our hands¡­ Is there time?¡±


    ¡°There is still some time remaining, Oppa.¡±


    ¡°Can I ask what¡¯s going on, Hyung-nim?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I think we¡¯re going to go to the next levels of the dungeon sooner orter.¡±


    ¡°We are finally going down?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know much for now, but I think more people will follow Jinho.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ They won¡¯t appreciate him for very long¡­¡±


    ¡°I think so too. Still, we can¡¯t help it because it¡¯s important to attack together, immediately. Hyunsung-ssi has also realized the importance of this strike.¡±


    ¡°By the way, can we even seed in attacking this dungeon, Hyung-nim?¡±


    ¡°We have a good chance in surviving. I think so, yeah.¡±


    Kim Hyunsung believed that we could certainly attack this ce.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have to tell you, as you already know, that it would be better to keep a distance from the group of people who follow Jung Jinho. Of course, on the outside you can appear to be cordial with them¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright. Don¡¯t worry too much about us, Hyung-nim.¡±


    ¡°The same goes for Hayan.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I understand, Oppa¡­ I won¡¯t be tricked by him.¡±


    That sounded hrious. She was definitely going to be tricked by him in one way or another.


    Park Deokgu was a little better, but in the case of Jung Hayan, one never knew when she would explode since she was like a ticking bomb. Therefore, she needed continuous careful management and mental grooming.


    If she again acted unexpectedly like in the situation with Park Hyaeyoung, I wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything this time.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much about Yoo Seokwoo.¡±


    ¡°Oh God, I don¡¯t care about him, even a little.¡±


    ¡°If so, then that¡¯s good, Hyung-nim.¡±


    With Park Deokgu at the lead, I slowly walked down a path, and once again, my gaze fell upon the group huddled around Jinho. I was dumbstruck.


    People who were doing nothing other than hogging onto free food that Jung Jinho had brought were looking at us with strange expressions.


    I thought I was going to be overwhelmed.


    I just had to act casual in front of them.


    It wasn¡¯t that anything had happened yet. I was just going to have another meeting with Kim Hyunsung.


    After ignoring their gazes, I started heading to the ce where Kim Hyunsung was. Before long, I could see his figure taking something out of his bag.


    My mood elevated. The empty equipment window that I was always concerned about whenever I looked at my status window was finally going to be filled with something.


    I imagined that one day I would be able to see or wear some equipment with various stats and other items, but the opportunity had emerged far soon than I had expected.


    All of us definitely required an upgrade before going underground.


    Kim Hyunsung was handling them just to relieve his own anxiety. It was obvious that he wasn¡¯t giving them out to us just for the dungeon attack, but also to win against Jung Jinho if they faced them.


    Kim Hyunsung was trying to raise our strengths in order to prepare for any ident beyond our anticipations.


    ¡°I have something to give you.¡±


    ¡°Were you hiding these from us, Hyung-ssi? Your expression is like a grandmother who is giving out some old toys.¡±


    ¡®This pig¡­¡¯


    Only


    Even if I wanted to shout out aloud, I knew I could not do that. Kim Hyunsung was also a little embarrassed. He replied with a good-natured smile.


    ¡°These are helping items.¡±


    Of that, I was sure.


    The edge of my lips curled into a little smile. It was not an item like amon sword, spear, or a shield.


    What he took out of his bag were a bracelet and two rings. They looked crude, but I felt mysterious magic emanating from them.


    ¡®Thank you, Hyunsung-ssi. These would be phenomenal.¡¯


    I thought there would be some insurance going underground with him, but it turned out to be much better than I had thought.

 Chapter 27: Item (2)

    <h4>Chapter 27: Item (2)</h4>


    ¡°What are these?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re help items. Some of them are pretty useful.¡±


    ¡°Where did you get them?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t tell you anything before, but in fact, right after the incident, I identally found a box.¡±


    ¡°Box?¡±


    ¡°It would be appropriate to call it a treasure chest. It was like a wooden box that people used in the past.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it looks like they¡¯re really special Hyung-nim, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    The authenticity of such a im could not be verified, but since they were in a dungeon, there was a high possibility of a treasure chest containing such items here.


    Personally, I was thinking of the possibility of whether these were items that Kim Hyunsung owned personally, but I found no valid reason for him to share his own things with us.


    What items Kim Hyunsung currently had and what we could get from him were what really mattered right now.


    ¡°This is amazing. If there are more such boxes around here, I would love to find them¡­ Perhaps the number of chests spread throughout the dungeon is limited and the box that Hyunsung found could be the first andst of its kind. But, who knows? There can also be simr things underground¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s right, Kiyoung-ssi. I had already searched around there, but this was the first time that I found a box. I couldn¡¯t search any further, but¡­ Anyway, let¡¯s take a look at these.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sure.¡±


    I was definitely going to see what we had on our hands.


    There was no need for me to trigger the Mind¡¯s Eye. As soon as I lifted them up with my hand, information about them poured into my mind.


    It would have been nice if I could check the items¡¯ detailed stats, but I sighed in regret when I went through them.


    [Iron Dwarf¡¯s Steel Bracelet - Common Grade]


    [This is a trinket made by the fallen iron dwarf race. Unlike its crude appearance, it is a bracelet with very technical work done on it. When it is worn, the stamina, endurance, and strength increases by 1 point each.]


    The owner of the bracelet had already been decided. It seemed that Park Deokgu was the right wielder for this.


    The total number of stats that were raised by this item was 3. It was almost equal to the stats you got when you acquired a ss.


    This was a normal grade item.


    Then a thought came to my mind. Maybe heroic and legendary equipment that was even better than this would have features that I could not even begin to imagine.


    ¡°Oh, oh¡­¡±


    My expression was the one someone would make when receiving money from their grandmother.


    The problem was what came right after this.


    [Magic Shield Ring - Rare Grade]


    [It cannot be confirmed where it was made. This item is ancient. It is an essory that can be used to create a magic shield by storing magic power in the ring twice a day. You must recharge its power yourself. (2/2)]


    [Sacred Healing - Rare Grade]


    [It can not be confirmed where it was made. This is a ring that contains divine magic powers and healing abilities on a smaller scale. It can be used once a day. (1/1)]


    The other two items were Rare-Grade rings.


    As soon as I checked them, my eyes widened unexpectedly.


    ¡®I love this.¡¯


    I thought that by following Kim Hyunsung, I would be able to get some bean sprouts, but I couldn¡¯t even imagine that I would get to eat a whole feast instead.


    These were Rare-Grade rings!


    I was also surprised by their functions that seemed excellent.


    They didn¡¯t raise the stats directly like Park Deokgu¡¯s item, but these items were much more valuable than his.


    For example, assuming that the magical power consumed to memorize the magical shield ring¡¯s spell and form the shield was about 4, this item gave an efficiency of +8 to the stats. They could not bepared with any ordinary Common grade item that had an efficiency of +3.


    ¡®I¡¯m in luck.¡¯


    The same was true for divine healing.


    Seeing that the item was Rare grade, this item would also have at least +6 stat efficiency. They had the ability to protect yourself with a shield twice a day and also cure wounds, which served as insurance.


    When Kim Hyunsung chose to go down to the dungeon, he made sure he was well-prepared for any and all unforeseen circumstances.


    ¡®Preparing for everything beforehand is a smart move.¡¯


    As I was nodding my head, Park Deokgu slowly touched the bracelet.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s too precious¡­ Can I really have it?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about it.¡±


    ¡°Great¡­ Well, then, the bracelet is mine. Thank you, Hyung-ssi. I haven¡¯t done much around here, and I¡¯m sorry for that¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t have to say that.¡±


    ¡°No. I should repay you.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then thank you in advance.¡±


    The owner of the bracelet had been decided, but the problem was with the other two rings.


    In fact, it wasn¡¯t a bad idea to have any one of these rings, but if I had to choose between them, then self-protection obviously came first.


    If Hayan wore the divine healing item, there was a high probability that she would be able to use the divine magic inside properly.


    ¡®I sure can¡¯t use it.¡¯


    I felt like totally useless trash, but I couldn¡¯t help it.


    Unlike her, who could use various magic types, I usually got exhausted just by using the same spell twice.


    When I was struggling with these thoughts inside my head, it was Hayan who spoke first.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll take this then.¡±


    What she chose was the divine healing item.


    I didn¡¯t know if she noticed my reaction, but she definitely did what I intended for her to do.


    ¡°Then I will take the item that is left.¡± The corner of my mouth rose up into a smile. I couldn¡¯t get in a bad mood after being blessed in such a way.


    I had obtained a life-saving trump card that could be used twice a day. Without making any effort or taking any risks, I acquired an item of the Rare grade.


    ¡®This is awesome!¡¯


    ¡°But can we really ept something like this¡­?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I also have one¡­ In the case of essories with special stats, it seems that the amount of items you can equip is limited. If it could be helped, then of course I would have worn more of them, but that doesn¡¯t seem to be the case.¡±


    That was useful information.


    ¡°Do you mean to say that the ability of only one ring can be activated at a time, even if I wore two rings?¡±


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s right.¡±


    I thought I needed to experiment with thister.


    I then smiled a little and expressed my gratitude again.


    ¡°Thank you so much, Hyunsung-ssi. As Deokgu said, we haven¡¯t done anything to deserve this¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, thank you¡­Hyunsung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°No, no. You don¡¯t have to thank me Kiyoung-ssi and Hayan-ssi as we are friends after all.¡± He was wearing a big smile.


    Perhaps he thought that he had indebted us all in a way. He seemed really convinced of that, after seeing the expressions on mine, Park Deokgu¡¯s and Jung Hayan¡¯s faces as we all looked at him gratefully.


    He seemed to think that he could have faith in us and trust us totally. Sensing that, I was a little relieved. In fact, it really helped boost my confidence.


    ¡®We¡¯re going to go together underground.¡¯


    Because we were friends.


    Kim Hyunsung was nning to go with me, Park Deokgu and Jung Ha-yan. In the case of Jung Hayan, she was a talent that Kim Hyunsung wanted to win over to his own side the most.


    She was a wizard whose future was already known to him. It could be said that any effort put into winning her confidence was worthwhile.


    Then there was Park Deokgu. He wasn¡¯t that bad either.


    As was the case in almost every game, a strong tanker was always helpful.


    The judgment, stability, and ability potential that had been shown by him in hunting so far could be said to be lowerpared to those of Jung Hayan or Jung Jinho, but his current stats were still very good.


    Park Deokgu¡¯s growth limit could easily be surpassed by real fighters such as Kim Hyunsung, Jung Jinho, and Jung Hayan, yet he was still quite good enough.


    The only oddball around was me.


    It could even be said that I had entered Kim Hyunsung¡¯s group by mistake.


    Kim Hyunsung had developed close rtions with Park Deokgu and Jung Hayan, with Park Deokgu relying on him and thinking of him as a brother.


    For Jung Hayan, he had feelings almost simr to a lover¡¯s.


    If someone wanted to take away Park Deokgu and Jung Hayan, they had to take him too now, for they were inseparable.


    Thus, it was a good performance on my part that I did not make any mistakes while hunting and that my brain worked better than others. However, people like me were scattered all across the continent.


    I should probably earn myself a good position in Kim Hyunsung¡¯s kingdom, which he would obviously establish in the future with the pace he was growing.


    Of course, I did not want to live a puppet¡¯s life like that of Lee Jihye, but sometimes you had to lower your head in order to move securely and protect yourself.


    ¡®It may not be that hard to follow him.¡¯


    I thought I had to go ahead and take advantage of this situation. And so, I opened my mouth to speak.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, we are colleagues.¡±


    We werepanions who protected and cared for each other.


    It felt a little odd to say that aloud.


    ¡°That sounds wonderful, Hyung-nim. Yes¡­ colleagues! Ah. So when do we go down to the dungeon?¡±


    ¡°I think maybe quite soon. I haven¡¯t told ¡®them¡¯ yet¡­ Maybe they¡¯re willing to go hunting with us.¡±


    ¡°Well. Yes, there were times when I also wanted to go hunting together, but I refused because Hyung-nim had told me to be aware of them¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Kim Hyunsung looked at me once again.


    He had adequate vignce for neers. That was confirmed, but I still thought he was quite satisfied with me.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a story for another time, so¡­ lets focus on the other things.¡±


    ¡°Well, you sound the same as Hyung-nim now. Hm, yes, there must be all sorts of smart men in this world.¡±


    ¡°Even if we are attacking the dungeon together, we must be on our guards to some extent. As we don¡¯t know what may transpire at any moment, so it¡¯s definitely the right thing to be cautious. There is also the possibility that something may happen to us as it did to Park Hyaeyoung, so let¡¯s just be a little more careful this time.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I understand what you mean.¡±


    After I said that, not only Hayan but also Kim Hyunsung himself nodded.


    ¡°Kiyoung-ssi is right. But if we really have to be cautious¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I want all of us to consider that we may be facing them as an enemy there.¡±


    Everyone nodded.


    ¡°An enemy?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Kim Hyunsung nodded once again and finally seemed to decide to tell us some more things.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry too much about that right now. Still, it would be better to prepare yourself. I don¡¯t know what will happen in the dungeon with all these new people.¡±


    ¡°It would be correct to assume that the level of difficulty would be higher than the first floor.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s right. It¡¯s probably like this, but I have to go tell Jinho now. We have to leave as quickly as time permits us.¡±


    ¡°Why hurry so much?¡±


    ¡°We can also prepare on the way to the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Ah. I see.¡±


    Jung Jinho would not refuse this either.


    If their purpose was to survive here or start some other secret and evil ns or whatever, it was advantageous for them to go out together with us. Jung Jinho was already aware of the difference between his level and Kim Hyunsung¡¯s to some extent.


    That¡¯s why he kept agreeing with him.


    Only


    Variables were the most important in a fight, especially if you knew they were inherently disadvantageous for others.


    The dungeon attack expedition was likely to create the variable Jinho wanted. It could lead to a situation in which a different future may unfold if Kim Hyunsung was somehow removed.


    If he really was a killer, this shelter was the happiest ce for him, so there was a high possibility that he would gamble and take this risk.


    If I was in his position, I would want to kill Kim Hyunsung and the rest of us at any cost. It was a good opportunity for him that had been provided by Kim Hyunsung himself.


    I kept putting up a faint smile on my lips.


    Kim Hyunsung was going to be used anyway, either by me or Jung Jinho.


    It was the best choice to make the most out of him in every way possible.

 Chapter 28: Quest (1)

    <h4>Chapter 28: Quest (1)</h4>


    ¡°It will be hard for you, but you have to hold on.¡±


    ¡°Are you really leaving for a very long period of time?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m actually worried about the fact that I may note back at all, okay?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid. It won¡¯t be like that. Of course, I believe in Hyunsung-ssi and Kiyoung, but¡­ we can¡¯t always predict what will happen. By the way, it seems to me that Hayan-ssi keeps looking over here. Is she okay?¡±


    When I looked back, Hayan came into my view. She wore a calm expression.


    She wasn¡¯t looking at me as she was at the time of Park Hyaeyoung¡¯s death that had caused her to be more passionate about me. I wondered what she was thinking. I was worried that she¡¯d begun to harbor negative thoughts about me, but there was no way I could know that.


    It would be a fine idea to have a conversation with her at the moment.


    If we talked while holding hands, then the situation may have been entirely different, but talking from a distance wouldn¡¯t seem intimate to anyone.


    When I turned back to look at her, Lee Jihye spoke again.


    ¡°You made quite the big decision.¡±


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°I thought you were the type that hated gambling.¡±


    ¡°I do hate that.¡±


    ¡°Then?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not foolish enough to not throw the dice in a winning game.¡±


    After considering all of the variables, the possibility of winning here was overwhelmingly high. I had information about the dungeon, the party members¡¯ overall specs, and the ability to return at any time I wanted.


    The chances of dying were negligible.


    Of course, there were many other things to be considered too, but this was a rare opportunity for someone like me who had trashy stats to begin with. We could win if we all worked together.


    And¡­


    ¡®We could also be rewarded for attacking the dungeon.¡¯


    There was definitely a big reward for that. I thought about the box that Kim Hyunsung said he had found, and wondered if it was also that sort of a reward.


    Lee Jihye listened to me for a while. She became silent for a moment, but then she smiled and spoke.


    ¡°I really like your way of handling things.¡±


    ¡°Oh, really now?¡±


    ¡°Anyway,e back soon, Kiyoung Oppa.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    The small wrinkles were clear on her face.


    Despite the fact that she looked quite young for her age, she was still quite worried about her appearance. Apparently, she seemed to think that the little girl was prettier, so Jung Hayan had a greater advantage to survive in this ce.


    As I moved away from her and approached Hayan, I could see Hayan moving quickly towards me and grabbed my sleeves¡¯ ends. She didn¡¯t say anything to me, but she seemed quite anxious.


    Park Deokgu burst intoughter, and Kim Hyunsung just nodded his head.


    The four men, including Jung Jinho and Yoo Seokwoo, were also quietly waiting for me.


    ¡°Should we go then?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    There were a total of 8 people.


    If you really thought about it, this was still arge number of people.


    Four of us were on one side and four on the other. If the other party was centered around Jung Jinho, then our party was centered around Kim Hyunsung.


    We were walking together along a twisting path. I couldn¡¯t hear much of the others¡¯ conversation.


    Most of the time, Jung Jinho talked to them all as he gave them instructions and orders asionally. Other than that, they chatted with each other or spent their time looking and listening for monsters.


    ¡°By the way, it looks like you¡¯ve been searching around a lot. We never thought there would be a new entrance here.¡±


    ¡°It was discovered unintentionally. As you may have also heard at the starting point, the basic condition to getting out of this ce was survival, whether by attack or defense. I don¡¯t know how long we will have to survive here, so I thought it was stupid to lean on the former¡­ Then, I decided to try to explore and attack as much as possible.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°Maybe the period of survival will end when a person sessfully attacks the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think about that, but¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a guess.¡±


    ¡°If it really is like that, does that mean that we need to attack the dungeon so that even those in the shelter can get out of this ce?¡±


    ¡°You can think of it that way. Well, no matter how you look at it, it will not change the fact that attacking this dungeon is the most reasonable option for us right now. Anyway, thank you very much for agreeing to the offer.¡±


    ¡°No need for that. I also want to get out of this ce. In fact, I want to thank you for making this opportunity for us. We were also a little anxious about this survival period situation as we did not know when it would end¡­¡±


    This guy looked really good while smiling.


    It was a kind of smile that would unwittingly cause a person to lower his guard, but I knew this guy¡¯s disposition, so it was not going to work on me.


    Rather, we were in a situation where I had to get this guy to lower his own alertness level.


    Just sharing useless stories could help a lot with that objective of mine.


    I started telling them stories about Earth, stories about dungeons, and the woman¡¯s story at the starting point. Consequently, a rather embarrassing topic emerged.


    ¡°It seems that Kiyoung often hangs around with Hayan. Perhaps¡­ You two¡­¡±


    It was something that no one had ever asked me. It was totally normal for me to be a little embarrassed. I looked around and noticed several people looking at me, waiting for my response.


    Park Deokgu and Kim Hyunsung both seemed to be listening too. Yoo Seokwoo, who had once flirted with Jung Hayan, was looking straight ahead.


    In the case of Hayan, she was bowing her head and pulling my sleeves.


    Jung Jinho seemed to be very curious about the topic.


    ¡®It can¡¯t be like this¡­¡¯


    So not only were there pigs whose brains were full of muscles, but the calcting killer was also able to figure out that they were in some rtionship.


    ¡®A rtionship that was still developing?¡¯


    This was not possible.


    No matter how much I thought about it, these excuses looked like the ones that a celebrity with dating rumors would make.


    Obviously, my rtionship with Jung Hayan was much closer than before.


    I thought about it a bit, and it didn¡¯t take long for me toe to a conclusion about what to answer.


    I just grabbed Hayan¡¯s hand with which she was holding my sleeve and said.


    ¡°I can¡¯t really can¡¯t say anything for sure yet¡­ but, what you think about us personally is probably right.¡±


    ¡°Oh oh¡­¡±


    Park Deokgu¡¯s mouth was left hanging open. Meanwhile, Kim Hyunsung nodded.


    In his case, he seemed to think that Jung Hayan¡¯s rtionship with me would be better for her.


    But what was truly interesting was Hayan¡¯s reaction. She was just looking at the ground with a very reddish face, but she was actually crushing my hand.


    ¡®Damn¡­ that hurts.¡¯ My weak endurance was unable to withstand her strong grip.


    After thinking about many possible responses, I settled on this reply because it felt like the best one. The reason why I said that I couldn¡¯t define anything as of the moment was because I hadn¡¯t conveyed my true feelings to Jung Hayan yet.


    I thought it wouldn¡¯t matter if I just confessed to her right now, but then I thought that we should connect the bond in a more memorable way.


    It would be more effective to properly convey my sincerity afterward rather than just rushing everything.


    When I turned my head over to the side once more, I saw Hayan, who had a big smile spread across from her face.


    The other people looked like they were experiencing goosebumps, but Yoo Seokwoo just had a distorted expression on his face. One of the two people who were most interested in my rtionship with Jung Hayan was him, and the other was Park Deokgu.


    I thought he might have a bad reaction to my statement, but he was really taking it quite well.


    I personally thought of Yoo Seokwoo as the real trash amongst ourselves, so I looked at him directly while stroking Jung Hayan¡¯s hair.


    We continued walking as we talked about other things.


    One of Jung Jinho¡¯s guys, the archer, was good at reading the tracks or discovering the signs of monsters, perhaps because of the effectiveness of his ss, but there was no reason for us to disregard his ability.


    Jung Jinho seemed to be hiding his power, but it wasn¡¯t too hard to deal with the monsters here, and it was the same with the others who were already used to it by now.


    The thing that was a little surprising was that Yoo Seokwoo was also quick to adapt.


    Contrary to what I had thought that he would show a sorry figure as Park Hyaeyoung did, he actually swung his sword quite steadily.


    The others were by no means bad either.


    Not everyone was a calcting killer like Jung Jinho, but at this point, I thought that theirs was an ideal party as everyone was doing their job well.


    ¡®They act fast and y safe.¡¯


    It could be said that our current situation was a whole lot different from when Kim Hyunsung, Park Deokgu, Jung Ha-yan, and Park Hyaeyoung, along with me, were attacked. Jung Jinho and Kim Hyunsung took care of every monster jumping out of the bushes, while Park Deokgu blocked the front.


    Jung Hayan and I were providing rear support, but the archer¡¯s arrows and Jung Jinho¡¯s attacks were much better than ours.


    I could not help but feel a little regret for some reason, especially in the case of Jung Jinho.


    Contrary to Kim Hyunsung, who used a single sword, Jinho also used a small shield on his left arm to keep his opponent in check.


    If he could also use magic here, then that would be even more surprising.


    I felt like I knew why he didn¡¯t care about Park Deokgu, me, and Jung Hayan earlier.


    He was definitely strong on his own.


    I wasn¡¯t dissatisfied with Park Deokgu, Kim Hyunsung, and Jung Hayan, but if I could use Jung Jinho in the long term instead of just using him temporarily, it would be even more satisfying.


    ¡°You are quite strong.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s all thanks to everyone¡¯s help. How much farther do we need to go?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re almost there.¡±


    When I looked at Kim Hyunsung, he nodded at me.


    There they were. Some kind of mana was emanating from them. I could sense it like before.


    I didn¡¯t know what exactly it was, but I couldn¡¯t figure it out unless I went in.


    In fact, I wanted to ask Kim Hyunsung for a more urate exnation, but there was no way I could do that.


    ¡®What is in there?¡¯


    The original question was why Kim Hyunsung, who had entered this dungeon, had judged it impossible to pass it alone with his current abilities.


    Curiosity and anxiety filled up inside me, and then¡­


    ¡°Alright¡­ we should enter.¡±


    Giving up now was stupid.


    The path going down the stairs was dark. As I went down the long stairs, I saw an enormous iron gate.


    Park Deokgu, standing at the very front, slowly opened the iron gate, and soon we entered a room where a familiar voice rang out in our ears.


    It was the voice of the woman I had heard at the start point.


    [You have reached the underground dungeon. Rare levelpulsory quest is activated.]


    [Rare Grade Quest - Survival (0/1)]


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡±


    ¡°Oh, Hyung-nim¡­¡±


    ¡°Prepare yourselves for battle.¡±


    ¡°Everyone, get ready to fight with your weapons!¡±


    Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t need to shout it out, as everyone was already holding onto their weapons dearly.


    ¡°Kie-e-e-e-ee-ee-ee-ee-e-ee¡±


    ¡°Kie-e-e-e-e-ee-ee!¡±


    Voices much like barking dogs were heard from far away.


    ¡®Sh*t! Sh*t!¡¯


    I thought I had to take only some risks, but this was a bit more difficult than I thought. I realized now why Kim Hyunsung thought there should be arge number of people before attacking this ce.


    ¡®I have to defend myself.¡¯


    From the voices that we were hearing, they were certainly not monsters, as we had seen before.


    ¡°The gate¡­ the iron gate is blocked!¡± Someone eximed.


    ¡°We don¡¯t need to run away. We¡¯ll be able to win this thing.¡±


    ¡°We can do it!¡±


    ¡°Kie-e-e-e-ee!¡±


    Only


    I could hear them rushing to this ce.


    Even the ground was rumbling.


    I immediately started to create spells in my anxiety.


    Jung Jinho¡¯s party also seemed to be a little surprised due to this situation. However, all of them were still organized around Jung Jinho.


    ¡®We can¡¯t stop all of them.¡¯


    It was embarrassing to admit, but it could not be prevented. Was it really possible for us to win with this level of power?


    ¡°Oh, damn! There¡¯s a lot.¡± Exactly like at the starting point, Park Deokgu could not control himself and spat out a curse for the third time.


    Of course, the battle was unavoidable¡­ And this time, it was really going to be the most brutal one yet.

 Chapter 29: Quest (2)

    <h4>Chapter 29: Quest (2)</h4>


    Monsters were flocking in from all directions and surrounded us.


    The monsters weren¡¯t so strong individually, but they were sorge in numbers that I kept thinking we had unknowinglynded ourselves in a fatal situation. Now I understood why Kim Hyunsung had felt that the number of people to enter this ce was insufficient before Jinho came along.


    No matter how strong Kim Hyunsung and Park Deokgu were, they had not reached a level where just the two of them could fight off these many monsters. The expression on each member of Jung Jinho¡¯s party had also gotten uglier after witnessing this.


    It seemed to me that they were also thinking about whether they could survive this ordeal today. Only Jung Jinho didn¡¯t seem that affected by the current situation.


    ¡®I can survive this.¡¯


    If we could survive this, then it was enough. It would also be smarter to conserve my magic power to useter.


    While constantly preparing spells with my mouth, I held my spear firmly with both hands.


    ¡°Deokgu.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    Park Deokgu, Kim Hyunsung, and Jung Jinho were going to be the first line of defense.


    Park Deokgu was supposed to properly block the center of their front and protect the defensive formation as much as he could. The two groups that had different ideas, in the beginning, began to unite for the sake of their survival.


    I was worried about being stabbed in the back by them right now, but Jinho¡¯s guys were not stupid enough to attack us in this situation.


    The same could be said for Kim Hyunsung.


    At this moment, the only thing going through everyone¡¯s minds was to survive the iing onught. We all grabbed our weapons and prepared to ram the monsters that were running straight at us.


    Bang!


    ¡°Kie-e-e-e-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee¡±


    ¡°These bastards!¡±


    It waspletely normal for two or three of them toe up at once. Park Deokgu was holding up his shield and was trying as best as he could to maintain his position and stop them.


    We didn¡¯t have to worry about aiming our attacks, because the targets wereing in from every direction. I could feel the fleshy texture from my spear, even though I didn¡¯t want to. I hoped that Park Deokgu and Kim Hyunsung would not get tired from the repetitive attacks.


    ¡°Stay as close as possible! Gather up!¡±


    ¡°Brothers and sisters, stay strong! I don¡¯t know what will happen if we fail.¡±


    ¡°Alright then, keep fighting!.¡±


    ¡°Kie-e-e-e-ee!¡±


    It was hard to withstand the constant flow of monsters. It felt like we were going to get pushed against the iron gate.


    Park Deokgu swung his shield with that huge body of his to create a space where we could move and take a breath. Kim Hyunsung and Jung Jinho were also slowly stabbing and pushing back the monsters that rushed to them with their weapons.


    ¡®They¡¯re strong.¡¯


    They were very strong.


    Jung Jinho, who was blocking with the small shield and stabbing with his sword, was concerned about Jung Hayan and I, and was constantly looking back at us. Kim Hyunsung did the same.


    They were worried about whether we would get hurt by the monsters.


    ¡®There is nothing to worry about, kids.¡¯


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhhh!¡±


    Jung Jinho¡¯sckeys were also attacking desperately. However, there was no room to aim properly from this distance.


    We bit our lips tightly and tried our best to stop the monsters that were trying to aim for our throats. The blood of the monsters continued to stter on our faces and our weapons. Body organs, such as intestines, fell to the floor and became slippery.


    I would have frowned at this disgusting scene, but I could not spare the attention for that at the moment.


    ¡°Kie-e-e-e-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee!¡±


    The annoying sounds of the monsters and the screams that erupted from fear merged into each other.


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    Bang!


    Whenever Deokgu swung his shield, the spectacr scene of a monster falling could be seen.


    ¡®This pig is actually very good!¡¯


    His potential wasn¡¯t that high, but Park Deokgu was really tough. It was a slightly different kind of strength from Kim Hyunsung and Jung Jinho, but the endurance ability that was in line of the 30s was so great that words could not describe it.


    Some types of attacks that were thrown at him were simply absorbed by his body.


    ¡®I underestimated him.¡¯


    I had judged him only by his talent up until now and ended up underestimating him.


    Actually, it was Park Deokgu who appeared to be more threatening than even Jung Jinho and Kim Hyunsung. An overwhelming presence emanated from his huge body.


    Although he did not have magical powers, his strength was truly remarkable. This shield soldier standing before me was not just a meaty shield.


    He knew when to advance and attack, and when to retreat.


    There was no sign of difort in his face, even though his body had endured countless attacks.


    ¡®Is he even human?¡¯


    I thought about it without even knowing.


    Of course, it was not that Park Deokgu was unafraid. He was scared, same as the first time he had gone hunting together with me.


    Nevertheless, he did not run away. He did not hide behind me as he had in our first encounter with the monsters outside. He was not worried about attacking ahead or breaking formation. That way of thinking didn¡¯t suit that muscle-filled brain of his.


    It was just my guess, but it seemed that Park Deokgu didn¡¯t want me or Jung Hayan to get hurt or die.


    ¡°Don¡¯t fall, Hyung-nim! Don¡¯t fall okay!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still behind you, pig. Concentrate.¡±


    ¡°You have to survive, okay!¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    I could feel his concern just by seeing how he kept asking me about my health constantly.


    ¡®Baby pig¡­¡¯


    What had me a little worried was that the monsters¡¯ attacks were too concentrated towards Park Deokgu.


    It didn¡¯t look like he had any major wounds yet, but there were some big and small cuts.


    This didn¡¯t look very good when I thought about what was supposed to happen afterwards, other than the fight here.


    It was exactly then that Hayan cast a spell.


    ¡°Wind bomb.¡±


    Bang!


    It popped out loud, apanied with a deafening sound.


    Some monsters were smashed into the ground and others on the ceiling due to the fierce wind, but it wasn¡¯t that effective.


    ¡®We have to save our strength¡­¡¯


    I had decided that Hayan and I should conserve our magical powers as much as possible. Of course, Hayan had more magical powers than me, but still, it was not possible to use magic indefinitely.


    We couldn¡¯t lose our strength before Jung Jinho¡¯s group did. We had to minimize the consumption of our power while defending ourselves.


    While I was thinking for a moment about what to say, a smile formed on my lips when I saw the battlefield.


    ¡®Puh hah.¡¯


    Perhaps this was intended.


    The good thing was that the ce where Hayan¡¯s magic fell, was where the monsters that Park Deokgu and Kim Hyunsung were blocking were located.


    In other words, the left side blocked by Jung Jinho¡¯s group did not receive the help of her magic. It looked like the burden was increasing on Jung Jinho¡¯s party and others who were bing the targets of the monsters.


    I felt pity upon seeing these guys who were using all their power while blocking the monsters.


    Compared to that, we had some breathing space for ourselves.


    Thanks to Hayan¡¯s magic, the number of monsters attacking us had greatly reduced, and even though it was a brief gap, it allowed us to take a short break.


    ¡®Nice work, Hayan.¡¯


    Sometimes I felt like I wasn¡¯t good enough, and that Hayan was way smarter than I thought.


    Park Deokgu and Kim Hyunsung, who had be more rxed, of course, had no intention of going to the left.


    ¡°We have to stay in line!¡±


    It appeared that staying in line was not possible. As another horde of monsters started attacking from the left side.


    ¡°Let¡¯s help them, Deokgu-ssi.¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think we can. I am only alive because of you, Hayan-ssi.¡±


    At this point, it was Jung Jinho who was the busiest. Jung Jinho could also use magic, but he wasn¡¯t using it in front of his men as he wanted to hide the fact that he was a Battlemage.


    Eventually, people from his party began screaming.


    ¡°Please help!¡±


    ¡°Help us, please!¡±


    ¡°Please, just use the same magic!¡±


    They were hoping for Hayan to use her magic spell again.


    Hayan was staring at me, but I shook my head quietly.


    If Jung Jinho wanted, he could still protect all of them. They may get bitten on their arms or get other minor injuries, but that was manageable.


    Yoo Seokwoo also screamed at Hayan.


    ¡°Hayan-ssi!¡±


    ¡°Alright, wait a second. Eh, I¡¯m filling up my magic power¡­¡±


    ¡°Damn¡­ Ahhhhhhhhh!¡±


    In the meantime, a monster appeared out of nowhere and bit his arm.


    Nevertheless, they did not stop fighting.


    Why? Because they knew that they would die if they stopped. It was regrettable that I couldn¡¯tugh out loud, because things were going on so perfectly.


    ¡°I can¡¯t hold on!¡±


    The left lineup began to umte wounds one by one.


    ¡®This is happening exactly how I wanted it to be.¡¯


    Jung Jinho was also beginning to sustain some injuries. No matter how strong he thought he was, this was a ce that even Kim Hyunsung was reluctant to enter alone.


    So, it was impossible for Jung Jinho to take care of everything on his own with these stats.


    I shouted loudly.


    ¡°You can endure this! I know you can! Everyone!¡±


    ¡°Is it Kiyoung?¡±


    ¡°Just a little bit more¡­¡±


    ¡°Quickly help us!¡±


    ¡°You can hold on. You can definitely stop them! Please wait a little longer.¡±


    I screamed as I swung my spear urgently at them, who were under too much pressure. The situation over there had already made it difficult for them to turn their heads and even reply to me.


    ¡°Ahhhhhh! Damn!¡±


    Another guy¡¯s leg was bitten. Thus, he was left with no choice but to fight the rest of the battle with a limp.


    ¡°Cast it! Quickly! We need magic!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s almost done!¡±


    In fact, I thought about the magic that had already been cast a while ago, and how I could use such a spell only once, so I was still a little reluctant to help them.


    The maximum number of magic spells I could cast was two. Three times was the limit at which I exhausted all my mana.


    I had to help, but at the same time, I also had to put some burden on them. Whenever five humans gathered, there was at least one trash among them.


    Perhaps I was going to be perceived as today¡¯s trash.


    ¡°Fireball!¡±


    Kwakwang!


    ¡°Kie-e-e-e-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee¡±


    A huge fireball fell before the formation on the left.


    There was a huge bang, leaving the left party stunned for a while.


    Not only did it turn the monsters into ming balls in an instant, but those who were hit by the fragments of the spell were also affected.


    The power of the me-based spell really was great.


    As I had used up a lot of magical power, it would have been a little disappointing if it didn¡¯t have that effect.


    Jung Jinho¡¯s group, who clearly saw the magic annihte the monsters instantly, felt that they were fortunate. They had found some time to rest too.


    However, the aftermath of the spell did not end there.


    ¡°Kie-e-e-e-ee!¡±


    We all rxed a bit.


    Everything was perfect. The magic had finally given all of them some room to rest for a while.


    Only


    However, there was one problem: the fire was spreading to the rest of the crowded monsters. Monsters, burning in fire, entangled with each other, creating spectacr fireworks. They became maddened and kept rushing to the direction they were going in before, but with a little more madness this time.


    ¡°Kie-e-e-e-ee-ee-e-ee-ee!¡±


    It was truly spectacr to see the group of monsters rushing to the group of Jung Jinho as balls of fire. I didn¡¯t know for sure whether they were screaming with pain or roaring with joy.


    ¡®Burn! You monsters!¡¯


    ¡°Damn it!¡±


    ¡°I am so sorry! About what happened¡­¡± I had created monsters of a new kind. They had to deal with these new burning monsters now.


    ¡°Sorry again.¡±

 Chapter 30: Quest (3)

    <h4>Chapter 30: Quest (3)</h4>


    ¡°Oh, my God!¡±


    If the monsters managed to pierce us with their ws or wound us deeply, we would die. There was a chance that we would also die if we went too close or got entangled with them.


    The reason this party was able to hold their defenses until now was because they were maintaining their formation, despite the relentless attacks they were receiving.


    As Jung Jinho¡¯s group had also done their fair share of hunting, they surely knew of this. That was why they were able to bear the hordes of rampaging monsters.


    ¡°Sh*t!¡±


    Those guys weren¡¯t backing down and were still doing their best to fight off the burning monsters. It was a fascinating sight for me.


    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m so sorry!¡±


    Only trash like me could enjoy such horrendous circumstances.


    As the number of monsters decreased, the actual burden on us was supposed to be reduced, but those guys still did their best to stave off an entirely new kind of monster, which was definitely heartbreaking to see. Although they were pushing the burning monsters as far away from themselves as possible, the problem was that they couldn¡¯t do anything about the mes that burned their bodies.


    The considerable physical exhaustion and the burning heat continued to eat away at their stamina.


    The temperature was rising in the dungeon.


    There was no telling how much direct mes or heat Jung Jinho¡¯s group was facing.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!¡±


    [Checking the status window of the Monster Burning Maw.]


    [Name: None]


    [Title: None. You should try a little harder.]


    [Age: 5]


    [Disposition: Burning Instinct]


    [ss: None]


    [Stats]


    [Strength: 12]


    [Agility: 15]


    [Stamina: 05]


    [Endurance: 15]


    [Luck: 10]


    [Magic Power: 01]


    I wasn¡¯t sure what was happening, but I could see some changes in the monster¡¯s status window.


    Their health seemed to be decreasing rapidly, but their magical power had increased by one point. It could have been due to the me that I had fired at them.


    ¡°Extinguish the fires, motherfucker!¡±


    Even Buddha, could not help but swear furiously in such a situation.


    ¡°Sorry! Just a little bit now! Please hold on a little!¡±


    It felt as if some kind of holy warriors were fighting against armies sent directly from hell.


    After some time, it became clear that they had to sacrifice something in order to get rid of the monsters for good.


    It depended on their stamina, or on the tricks that Jung Jinho was hiding from the rest.


    As I couldn¡¯t hear him cast any spells, Jung Jinho had probably decided to keep them hidden for the time being.


    ¡®He will hide his skills until the right opportunityes.¡¯


    It was good judgment on his part to hide the true extent of his powers until the very end.


    And it wasn¡¯t just me. Kim Hyunsung also knew about these things already.


    ¡®Such pitiful behavior!¡¯


    He was acting so stupidly that I actually wanted tough out loud. Of course, Kim Hyunsung knew that Jinho could use magic.


    I didn¡¯t know what kind of ss he would have been promoted to in the future, but he must have achieved a higher level of the same Battlemage ss that he had now.


    I hade to know about his ss as a Battlemage through my ability, and the guy from the future was, of course, already aware of his secrets.


    The cards that Jinho thought he was hiding right now were those that some of us knew about. It was like ying poker when all of your cards were already known to the opponent.


    Even though I knew that he had more than one card up his sleeve, it made meugh whenever I saw him biting his teeth while trying his best to hide his abilities.


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s idea was really worthy of him being a time-traveler.


    As if making fun of his judgment, the situation began to get even worse.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°Damn! Kichul!¡±


    ¡°Please hold on!¡±


    Lee Kichul was the name of one of Jung Jinho¡¯sckeys. We didn¡¯t know that before now.


    Then a Burning Maw caught him.


    They were screaming and trying to grab his arm to get him away from the monster, but of course, there was nothing they could do to save him.


    In the end, Lee Kichul was dragged into the mass of the fiery monsters.


    The sight of him being swallowed up by the monsters, who were filling up the narrow corridor, made me frown unknowingly.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhh! Help me! Help me!¡±


    ¡°Kiyoung! Hayan!¡±


    It was impossible to use my precious magical power again to protect Jung Jinho¡¯s partner as I could only use it once more.


    I was a little nervous, but¡­


    ¡°A little bit! Just a bit more!¡±


    ¡®I will not falter.¡¯


    As long as Jung Jinho was present, I couldn¡¯t falter.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhh! Stop! Stop! Oh, you son of a bitch! Stop!¡±


    There was no way to check from here whether his intestines were being eaten or his limbs were being ripped apart.


    One thing was for sure; it was very painful to hear his voice. He let out blood-curling screams.


    The pain of being eaten alive and the pain of burning flesh would be torturous to feel at the same time when you fell to the monsters, so I thought his reaction was quite natural.


    ¡®One guy is done for.¡¯


    Even in the midst of all this, the thought that I had just killed a person still disturbed me, but I didn¡¯t feel any guilt either. It was probably because of the excitement or the battle circumstances.


    Rather, this was something that I very much wanted to see.


    The edge of my lips rose up to form a smile.


    ¡°We can do this!¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s going to get better.¡¯


    His death had made the situation even more favorable for us.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh! Ahhhhhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°Sh*t! Sh*t! Kichul!¡±


    ¡°Hyung-nim, isn¡¯t this getting too dangerous?¡±


    ¡°Never mind that. The monster won¡¯t be able to get through their formation.¡±


    We were going to watch this massacre until the end.


    If we could fight off the monsters, we would definitely be able to survive. Unlike Jung Jinho, Kim Hyunsung wasn¡¯t nervous at all. I thought I knew why.


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    My attacking style was simple and repetitive, which consisted of just aiming at the blocked monsters and then stabbing them with the spear.


    I started feeling exhausted.


    Not only did my spear hand start trembling, my breathing also got rough and unsteady. My whole body was covered with sweat, and it was increasingly getting difficult to breathe.


    I wanted toy down on the ground and rest for a moment, but those monsters that kept running towards us did not give me that time to take a breath.


    ¡®Will we survive?¡¯


    Park Deokgu¡¯s condition was remarkably good. The same was true for Kim Hyunsung.


    Jung Jinho could also be counted among them, although he had holes burnt into his clothes.


    Yoo Seokwoo and the remaining archer seemed to be struggling a lot, but they didn¡¯t look like me yet.


    The monsters¡¯ corpses were beginning to pile up like a wall, but still, more monsters stepped over the corpses and attacked us.


    Park Deokgu blocked them, and I stabbed them repeatedly.


    ¡®How much longer can we hold on?¡¯


    I pretended to be okay, but on the inside, I was feeling quite anxious. I couldn¡¯t figure out how many monsters were still left.


    But one thing was certain; the roars that could be heard were getting lesser.


    Instead, a loud voice rang in my ears.


    Something like, ¡®Please hold on!¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know who had said that in all themotion.


    ¡°Whew!¡±


    I struck a spear into a monster, squeezing all of my remaining strength into it.


    Park Deokgu also pushed back with his shield with a loud roar.


    ¡°Kie-e-e-e-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee!¡±


    Finally, when Kim Hyunsung slowly put his arms down to his sides, I realized that the hellish trial was over atst.


    ¡°They are finished.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s over, it¡¯s over¡­¡± I sank to the ground without even thinking about it.


    It was Kim Hyunsung who spoke at this moment while everyone was still breathing roughly.


    ¡°We have to move away immediately.¡±


    ¡®Damn it¡­¡¯


    ¡°The quest we are on hasn¡¯t beenpleted yet. I think it would be better to start moving right away.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ Hyung-nim. If you can¡¯t walk, I¡¯ll help you.¡±


    ¡°Stop, Deokgu. I can walk. Hayan¡­¡±


    ¡°Thank you but I¡¯m alright, Oppa.¡±


    At that moment, another problem presented itself in front of them.


    The body of the guy named Kichul, who had been dragged and killed by the monsters, was barely recognizable.


    The badly mangled body was a truly horrific sight to witness.


    As I saw the terribly torn up body of a dead colleague, I eventually lowered my head, but I couldn¡¯t forget his hostility to our group.


    Jung Jinho was standing expressionless.


    Yoo Seokwoo was wearing an extremely hostile expression.


    ¡°Do you see this!¡±


    Most of his hair had burned, and the body was covered with scars. It didn¡¯t need any confirmation that the guy named Kichul had died a very miserable death.


    Looking at his body¡¯s state, it could be said that it had been pretty painful for him.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m so sorry.¡±


    ¡°Do you think it can be forgiven by simply apologizing? Bastard! ¡±


    ¡°That, but¡­ Uh, I couldn¡¯t help it.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It was an unavoidable situation. I am not familiar with magic other than me magic yet, and if my magic spell hadn¡¯t been cast correctly then that would have caused even more casualties. Hayan didn¡¯t have enough time to use her magic powers, and I didn¡¯t think the monsters would stick to each other and spread the mes. It was the best option at that time. That and¡­ the number of monsters was also significantly reduced because of it.¡±


    I spoke calmly, but the message behind my words was clear.


    If it weren¡¯t for me, they wouldn¡¯t even have been able to survive up to this point in the first ce.


    Of course, only Hayan and I had the magical ability to get us all out of that sticky situation, but using magical powers to save them would have been more detrimental to us than beneficial.


    Jung Jinho would have arrived at the same conclusion.


    Of course, Jung Jinho¡¯s point of view, he hadn¡¯t known that Kichul would die so quickly. That was his mistake.


    The magic was a little too powerful, and it was true that Kichul died because of the spreading fire.


    It was also true that I spread the fire on purpose, however¡­


    He didn¡¯t know that.


    ¡°Now what are we going to do¡­?¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t help it. Kichul¡¯s death is a pity for me too¡­ But now¡­¡±


    The other guy in Jinho¡¯s group was getting angry. It wasn¡¯tpletely unreasonable of him to feel that way.


    It seemed like he wanted nothing better than to aim a bow or a spear at me right now. Thus, it was a bit scary to see the guy approaching me with a frown.


    I shook my head while ncing at Park Deokgu.


    Park Deokgu nodded. I had signaled him not to intervene.


    ¡°I¡¯m really, really sorry. Nevertheless¡­ It was inevitable.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ this¡­ ¡±


    Whatever I said, it appeared as total bullsh*t to him. I knew the characteristics of these sorts of guys very well.


    ¡®Angry weaklings.¡¯


    They were weak people controlled by their anger, and they only attacked those in their fury who they considered to be weaker than themselves.


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry for your loss and everything that happened. We don¡¯t have to fight.¡±


    He raised his fist to the highest point he could, and then he fiercely swung down.


    Of course, I did not avoid it.


    Some degree of acting was necessary on my part too.


    The blownded on my face, and I fell to the side with tremendous force.


    I felt dizzy, and I was spitting blood.


    In that instant, I didn¡¯t even have to act. My body, which was too fragile, fell to the ground by itself.


    ¡°Hyung-nim!¡± Park Deokgu was startled.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Deokgu. I made a mistake.¡±


    I tried as hard as I could to y the victim and stopped Park Deokgu.


    ¡°Jaejoon, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s time to go. Everyone understands what happened, but more fighting will avail nothing.¡±


    ¡®Right. Conflict won¡¯t amass to anything.¡¯


    Even from Jung Jinho¡¯s point of view, it was a really bad idea to start fighting in such a dangerous ce right now.


    I coughed and spat out one tooth along with some clotted blood.


    ¡®Ah¡­¡¯


    ¡°Are you okay? Kiyoung-ssi¡­¡±


    Only


    ¡°Ah. It¡¯s okay, Hyunsung-ssi. This was my fault. I couldn¡¯t help them.¡±


    The punch had been really painful, I¡¯ll admit that.


    However, I could not say that to Kim Hyunsung. I knew that I wasn¡¯t at fault, and the other group¡¯s level of vignce towards me had dropped by now.


    I sensed warmth and protection in the eyes of the people around me. This alone gave me confidence, and momentarily, it felt as if I was in the world¡¯s safest ce.


    And now I could see death in one of their eyes.


    ¡®Ah¡­¡¯


    It was Jung Hayan, who was staring at Jung Jinho¡¯sckey, Kim Jaejoon, with an expressionless face.


    ¡®What the hell is going to happen now?¡¯

 Chapter 31: Quest (4)

    <h4>Chapter 31: Quest (4)</h4>


    Anyone who would have seen the battle would say that the situation had gotten a lot worse. It wasparable to a trashy piece of art.


    I bet even if Solomon himself came and made a judgment, then even he would have dered me to be a sinner. The gamble that Kim Hyunsung had decided to do with his own reputation certainly didn¡¯t end badly for him.


    The monsters had mercilessly devoured Lee Kichul, and Jung Jinho¡¯sckey¡¯s rage made him whimsical enough to kill me.


    But there wasn¡¯t any further conflict, and Kim Hyunsung had handled the situation quite well.


    I didn¡¯t know if I had done my part or not, but I was happy enough with the results. Without even using my hands, I had sent a man to his merciless death.


    Even though I lost one tooth as I was acting to be the victim, I achieved some advantageous and desirable results that earned my beloved and precious colleagues¡¯ warm attention.


    However, Jung Hayan¡¯s expression had changed unexpectedly. Had it be taboo to engage in any brawl with someone else for her?


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me, really?¡¯


    Had it also be some weird kind of taboo for someone to touch my body?


    After a moment of biting her nails, she quickly approached me as if she had suddenly noticed that I was still lying on the floor.


    However, her expression was still hostile.


    ¡°Oh, Oppa!¡±


    After she saw me bleeding from my mouth, she forgot about everything.


    She used her ring and tried to send magical power through it. The sight was spectacr. However, divine power ring that Hayan was wearing was not intended to heal such wounds.


    When I grabbed her left hand slightly, she stopped chanting the spell, as if she knew what I meant. Her big eyes were full of tears, and after a moment, they started falling relentlessly.


    ¡°Are you okay? What can I do¡­ What should I do?¡±


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m okay. It was my fault after all¡­¡±


    There was a bitter taste in my mouth.


    One of the teeth had flown away, and one side of my cheek was tingling, but I wasn¡¯t feeling that much pain.


    That was because if I did anything but disy my stiffness, it seemed that Jung Hayan would start casting magic spells out there.


    ¡®Be patient Hayan¡­ Please, please.¡¯


    Shooting magic at Jung Jinho¡¯s party was definitely not a bad option, but it was better to y the victim right now. As I could see that Kim Hyunsung hadn¡¯t made a move yet, it looked like he was also hoping for it.


    ¡°Wow¡­¡±


    She kept touching my face as if I had lost my skin or something. Seeing that she was struggling with her words in her panicked state, I wondered if Hayan was actually sane. Tears were streaming down her face, and she had a bloody nose.


    It was as if I was already dead. Her reaction was too passionate about the fact that I had lost only one of my teeth.


    ¡°Are you okay, Oppa? Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°Yes I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s not a big deal. Don¡¯t mind me, Hayan. I¡¯m really okay. It doesn¡¯t hurt at all.¡±


    It did hurt, but it wasn¡¯t a big wound.


    It was nice to have this reaction for this kind of wound, as it seemed a little scary to think about what would happen otherwise.


    ¡°This guy! How dare you!¡±


    Bing easily incensed was natural for Park Deokgu, and it was the same as eating and drinking for him. The reactions of Jung Hayan and Park Deokgu had exceeded my expectations. At this point, I thought Jung Jinho would also be embarrassed by this situation.


    Of course, the guy who was more embarrassed than anyone else was the one who had hit me.


    He sensed the sudden ominous change in the harsh atmosphere. What I had done had instantly turned me, the perpetrator, into a victim.


    Yet something even more magical happened.


    ¡®Arghh.¡¯


    Even though I knew I shouldn¡¯t do this, my mouth continued to curve into a smile. I kept grinning.


    In the end, it was Jung Jinho who bowed his head.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Kiyoung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡±


    ¡°I have nothing to say. I know you didn¡¯t do it with bad intentions. If you hadn¡¯t used magic, something even worse would have happened. Jaejoon is saddened that Kichul, who had been with us for a long time, has died. I hope you understand. Jaejoon?¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Jaejoon. You have to apologize. It was an unavoidable situation and it was the best option. If it weren¡¯t for Kiyoung, we might all be dead.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know if it was due to seeing Jung Jinho¡¯s expression, but the guy named Jaejoon, who had constantly been furious up until now, also bowed his head slightly.


    ¡°I¡­ It seems I got out of control for a while, sorry¡­¡±


    His fists were shaking.


    He was not looking at me properly, and it was not difficult to know why. I thought I had to be the one to apologize in this situation, but my mouth wouldn¡¯t open if I wanted it too.


    In fact, he still looked as red as an apple, and he wasn¡¯t apologizing wholeheartedly. Rather, it came off as if he was just trying to control his anger.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Jaejoon. I can understand. I was also a little frivolous¡­ I cannotfort you with any words, but I sincerely apologize.¡±


    Of course, I wasn¡¯t serious either.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry,¡± I could see that he was forcibly lowering his head.


    I didn¡¯t really feel like I was getting an apology, but it felt good apart from that.


    ¡®Phew.¡¯


    If he hadn¡¯t been angry in the first ce, it would have been me who had to bow to him.


    In fact, what was more worrisome than that guy was, of course, Jung Hayan.


    ¡®What am I going to do with her¡­?¡¯


    If she was thinking about doing the same thing as she had done to Park Hyeayoung, this would turn out pretty bad.


    The title of the culprit in the case of Park Hyeayoung had already been nailed to Jung Jinho.


    But if this guy was to disappear suddenly somewhere right after, Kim Hyunsung might get suspicious of Jung Hayan. It would certainly increase the suspicions if this guy was found dead with his legs and arms amputated. Of course, I would also be on the suspects list by then.


    I wanted to calm her down. From her expressions, it felt like she wouldn¡¯t be returning to normal anytime soon.


    When I looked at her palms, they were bleeding due to her nails as she had clenched her fists. Now I was almost certain that Jung Hayan¡¯s attack was unavoidable.


    ¡®Let¡¯s see where this goes.¡¯


    If I thought about it a little more positively, the scenario wasn¡¯t that bad, actually.


    The fact that Jung Hayan would attack him directly was also something that could prove to be helpful in the future.


    If Kim Jaejoon died, Jung Jinho would have lost both hispanions.


    ¡®What is she doing¡­¡¯


    However, the appearance of Hayan secretly picking up my fallen tooth was giving off the feeling of a ticking bomb that you never knew when it would explode.


    ¡°I will get you up, Kiyoung Oppa.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Let¡¯s do that. Sorry for the disturbance.¡±


    She grabbed me by my arms, and I was able to stand up again. It didn¡¯t hurt that much.


    Now, the next best thing to do was to strike first.


    The timing of the first attack had to be determined by our side.


    I did not like Jinho being around me, and maybe he would attack right away if he got the chance.


    ¡°Can you walk?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°If you have any trouble¡­ ¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s really okay. Hyunsung-ssi. As you said, let¡¯s get out of this ce first.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right.¡±


    The huge iron door was still tightly closed.


    Either it wouldn¡¯t open until the quest was over, or it might only be opened from the outside, but one thing was certain: in order for us to survive, we had to find a way toplete the quest of this dungeon.


    Unfortunately, the name of the quest itself was survival.


    ¡°Maybe when the woman, in the beginning, was talking about surviving, she was referencing to this quest here.¡±


    Jung Jinho¡¯s words lightened up everyone¡¯s spirits.


    We were listening to everything he said.


    This was because everyone, including Jung Hayan, was on the lookout for Jung Jinho and his hostility if he ever happened to show it.


    It was a natural for him now to try and get close to us in order to live.


    I thought I would be the one to do it as I had been thinking simrly.


    ¡°I thought of the same thing. The first floor actually has no other purpose and it seems that survival and attacking the monsters here are the main objectives. If survival is a condition that needs to be aplished in order to escape from this dungeon, then we have to avoid or ovee the monsters. In this way we can kill two birds with one stone. If this hypothesis is correct, we don¡¯t have to worry much about the first floor.¡±


    It meant that whether we were focusing on attacking or surviving, it was necessary to strategically use survival skills. Kim Hyunsung seemed to be thinking along the same lines.


    I couldn¡¯t concentrate on the conversation because I was trying to find my way towards the front, but seeing that there was no dissenting voice, it seemed that my hypothesis was correct. Both survival and attacking that the woman talked about in the beginning tutorial took ce here.


    ¡°I understand the survival part, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, there may be something like a boss monster here.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯smon under such conditions. If you look at the status windows or sses, this ce is quite simr to an online game. If it wasn¡¯t for the tutorial, there could be various methods for the attack, but this is a dungeon that is simply focused on survival and attack, so we might be facing a slightly different problem. Killing that monster is probably the main thing we have to do here.¡±


    ¡°I was thinking the same thing, Kiyoung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a guess. Secondly, we also have the option of finding our way out.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°It could be our way out of this hellish dungeon, or there could be another method that could get us all out. There are a few more things, but I can¡¯t remember them.¡±


    This was just reasoning that anyone could easily formte. Jung Jinho and even Yoo Seokwoo might have been thinking of the same thing, so there was little suspicion on who worded it first.


    ¡°You really are thinking ahead, Kiyoung-ssi¡­ ¡± Yoo Seokwoo muttered.


    He was also angry. He seemed to be thinking whether I had thrown the fireball there on purpose, but I justughed in my mind at that thought.


    He wasn¡¯t the only guy that wanted to kill me.


    ¡°Oh, these are just some of my thoughts¡­ ¡±


    In fact, these were simple deductions.


    As I continued walking, I couldn¡¯t see the monsters anymore.


    Of course, there were some others scattered around, but they weren¡¯t of the same level as the ones we were fighting before. We killed them as quickly as possible because they could cause unforeseen problems, and then we would have to face the same kind of battle again.


    Most of our stamina had been drained, so we were moving very slowly. We repeatedly had to stop to catch our breaths.


    In the meantime, our magic powers were passively recovering, which was a good thing for us.


    There were asions when Kim Hyunsung frowned, and Jung Hayan kept staring at Kim Jaejoon, but fortunately, nothing big happened.


    Particrly in the case of Hayan, whenever she saw me with my swollen mouth, she got even more frustrated and angry. Sometimes she would start crying all of a sudden and shake her head while muttering to herself.


    Park Deokgu appeared to be a bit affected whenever she cried involuntarily.


    Only


    Contrary to the rumors that I was ¡®good¡¯ with women, I didn¡¯t seem to have any idea on how tofort Jung Hayan. This whole sequence of events had been bizarre.


    Then she bowed her head and whispered in a small voice. Her voice was so low that I couldn¡¯t hear it properly even after getting close to her.


    Thus, I tried to guess what she was saying¡­


    It sounded like ¡®I have to kill him¡¯, but I didn¡¯t let my expression show that I had heard her. In the end, this would benefit me too.


    ¡°I will take revenge.¡±


    I pretended as if I didn¡¯t hear that either.


    This could turn out better than I had originally anticipated.

 Chapter 32: Quest (5)

    <h4>Chapter 32: Quest (5)</h4>


    ¡°What do you think is out there?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ whatever it is, it definitely won¡¯t be more delicious than the food you are eating here.¡±


    ¡°Wow¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe Deok-gu wants something to eat.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±


    The two who were talking to each other became strangely quiet. This had be a regr urrence now.


    Jung Hayan was staring at me and couldn¡¯t hold back her tears.


    It wasn¡¯t as passionate as the first time, but every time I saw her tears falling like that, I felt a little strange. Of course, the situation itself was not that good.


    It was because Kim Jae-joon and Jung Jin-ho kept looking at this side.


    In order to ruin the atmosphere of the party even more, during various conversations, Jung Hayan cried out in this way, and it was unavoidable that the atmosphere became a little quiet. Someone would have thought it was me who died, not Lee Ki-cheol.


    In fact, it became a routine for Jung Hayan to stare at Kim Jae-joon. Nobody could imagine how ufortable Kim Jae-joon was.


    They were already in a position to stand on our side.


    As Lee Ki-cheol suffered an unexpected ident, the bnce of power that had been maintained copsed. Jung Jin-ho¡¯s party actually seemed to have given up trying to hunt us.


    Jung Jin-ho might have decided that it would be better not tounch an attack as long as there wasn¡¯t any good opportunity to do so.


    ¡®I would have done the same thing.¡¯


    Even if I was in Jung Jin-ho¡¯s position, I would havepletely canceled the n to kill Kim Hyun-sung¡¯s party. This was why they were sensitive to even the slightest conflict.


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry.¡±


    ¡°No, Mr. Jinho. That¡¯s a little embarrassing. In fact, I am the one who should apologize.¡±


    He had been apologizing like this over and over again.


    ¡°I¡­ I was just excited.¡±


    ¡°Of course you were excited. I also apologize again.¡±


    I don¡¯t know what the two had talked about, but whenever Jung Jin-ho apologized, Kim Jae-joon also expressed his apology.


    The problem was that, little by little, Jung Hayan was showing hostility.


    ¡°I, why did I do that, I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    More often than not, they talked about this among themselves as if it was not for us to listen. I was not worried about them talking about attacking us, as I could discern that much.


    What humored me was Yoo Seok-woo¡¯s reaction.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    From the time I first revealed that I was close to Jung Hayan, he seemed to be in a bad mood. As expected, when Jung Hayan and I started to hang around, he often showed signs of difort.


    In particr, it seemed to him that Hayan had swollen eyes because she had been crying for me. That was how much Jung Hayan was thinking of me.


    ¡®Yoo Seok-woo¡­¡¯


    In the first ce, he was nothing more than a rapist for Jung Hayan.


    In fact, even if he had only tried to do it once, it was still correct to say that him being here was slightly absurd.


    Considering what he had done before, it would not have been possible for him to hang out with their group, but it seemed that Jung Jin-ho had made a deal with him. That was also why he had got that job and gained experience by sticking with them.


    It was his deranged illusion if he thought that he could get my beloved and get away with it, but as the n had been canceled already, I sufficed by sending him a hateful gaze.


    In any case, this party was heading in a good direction with respect to friendliness, at least superficially. It was the dream party that forgot old disputes and did not fight.


    All of this was an atmosphere created by Jung Jin-ho and Kim Jae-joon, but unfortunately, I didn¡¯t want to be so embarrassingly peace loving like they were.


    Kim Hyun-sung sometimes seemed to be thinking about something. I hoped that it was something about how to dispose of Jung Jin-ho, as they were the murderers who killed Park Hye-young. I thought it was right for them to die here.


    In fact, if you considered the reaction that Kim Hyun-sung showed when he first saw Jung Jin-ho, there was a big possibility of that.


    Jung Jin-ho, Yoo Seok-woo, and Kim Jae-joon were still wearing pretentious smiles.


    Kim Hyun-sung, of course, looked as if he were about to go crazy. This guy would probably be the first one to attack.


    At least for Park Deok-gu, Jung Hayan and I, he was looking for a cause or good opportunity, as it was certain that he did not want to let the other party know his true intentions.


    No, that was certain.


    A good opportunity to kill them, or a justification to attack, from Kim Hyun-sung¡¯s asional frown, he seemed to be thinking about these things.


    ¡®Can I help him?¡¯ Kim Hyun-sung was implicative of needing help.


    We needed a situation where we had a total moral high ground and could attack them.


    For example¡­


    ¡®I get attacked first,¡¯ What would they do then?


    Perhaps that was an ideal situation.


    The warriors of justice fighting against a group of cowardly criminals who had attacked suddenly gave a pretty good feeling.


    The problem was that Jung Jin-ho and hisckeys would not attack us. However, considering that one was an angry bufoon and the other was feeling jealous, it was not difficult.


    Maybe it was as easy as a yawn.


    ¡®Provocation, after all, is my specialty.¡¯


    In particr, in the case of Yoo Seok-woo, there was a possibility that Jung Jin-ho may behave unexpectedly as well, as he had just entered Jung Jin-ho¡¯s party. These thoughts went through my head in an instant.


    First of all, it didn¡¯t appear to be a bad idea to use Hayan to disturb them. I didn¡¯t have any other ns.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    This would be enough.


    ¡°Oppa¡­¡±


    Hayan whispered in a small voice.


    It seemed a little embarrassing, but I didn¡¯t dare to move my hand. She had been trembling just because I had put a hand on her waist.


    Someone might think that I was walking with Hayan for support. The only ones that felt the ambiguity of the hand¡¯s position were Jung Hayan and Yoo Seok-woo.


    It was neither the waist, nor the pelvis, nor the buttocks. The reaction came just by holding the boundary line between the sensitive areas.


    ¡®Pop¡­¡¯


    I could feel his anger from over here.


    ¡°Ah, Hayan. Sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay, it¡¯s okay. It¡¯s afortable ce¡­ You can grab it¡­¡±


    ¡°Still¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­¡±


    The expression as if his beloved girlfriend was stolen looked horrible.


    While Kim Hyun-sung, Jung Jin-ho, Park Deok-gu, and Kim Jae-joon were talking about the dungeon, he was looking only at this side.


    As I slightly lowered my hand, Jung Hayan bowed her head.


    ¡®I like it so much¡­¡¯


    This reaction was not expected, but on the contrary, Yoo Seok-woo had a face that signaled he was close to blowing up.


    We had eye contact for a second, and I did not forget to have a smile on my face.


    ¡®I dare you,¡¯ that was what my face covertly expressed.


    I did not have to settle with a verbal message. Actions and facial expressions are sometimes a great means ofmunication.


    ¡°Thank you, Hayan. Isn¡¯t it difficult?¡±


    ¡°Ah! No. Compared to what my Oppa helped me with, this is nothing,¡± Jung Hayan actually still wanted me to hold on to her.


    I was holding onto her really smoothly, so it was not unreasonable for her to have such a reaction.


    It didn¡¯t matter if Yoo Seok-woo was serious about Hayan in the first ce or not. If he thought about my actions, I think he might have to get serious, but¡­


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    It was a seed that had been sown.


    Besides this, there were also other things that were going on. Like Hayan¡¯s eyes or sweet voice, and the way that she was worried about me right now. Of course, it didn¡¯t sound sweet to me, but I knew that a voice that seemed like it was covered in honey would crush his pained heart even more.


    ¡®Hold her hand.¡¯


    ¡®Pull her body close.¡¯


    ¡®Put your hands on her back or shoulders, and maintain moderate tension.¡¯


    ¡®Let¡¯s have a nice time.¡¯


    It was a method that triggered sexual tension.


    The situation was such that Jung Hayan¡¯s face had already turned red.


    Nevertheless, the smile hanging from the corner of her mouth never disappeared. I thought I had to stop because her breathing seemed to be getting rougher¡­


    I could not stop myself.


    In the end, I asked her whether she wasfortable.


    ¡°Hayan, you look very difficult¡­ My, I¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Haha.¡±


    The sound ofughter came out from my mouth unintentionally. This was because I saw that Hayanpletely ignoring Yoo Seok-woo.


    You could see Yoo Seok-woo¡¯s face turn red for a different reason than that of Hayan.


    Kim Hyun-sung, Jung Jin-ho, and Park Deok-gu looked back at the little fuss that was happening behind them.


    Park Deok-gu immediately opened his mouth when he saw Jung Hayan breathing out a little harshly.


    ¡°Oh, my sister, are you hurt?¡±


    ¡°No, Hayan. Actually, I am not hurt that much¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah! No! I¡­ I will help you¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, it seems like my sister wants to be with her older brother¡­ If it gets hard, you have to tell me.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Park Deok-gu intervened at a pretty good timing. He was indirectly letting me know that Jung Hayan wanted it. Not that I wanted that, either.


    As I put my hand on Hayan¡¯s waist and looked back, I met Yoo Seok-woo¡¯s eyes again.


    Seeing my smile, it must be difficult for him to hold back.


    ¡°So sweet.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, Hayan.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    You could see the guy shaking slightly.


    He should have behaved quite naturally if he had been a person that had good self-control in the first ce, but then he would not have done what he did in the shelter.


    If Jung Jin-ho was alone, this would have been more difficult.


    Seeing that he was holding his sword tightly, he seemed to want to poke me with his sword right now, but for the moment, I wanted topliment him for his patience. I didn¡¯t know if the stimulus was a bitcking or if he was waiting for an opportunity, maybe it was both.


    It was when I looked back and grabbed Hayan¡¯s waist once more that something happened.


    ¡°Kie-e-e-e-ee!¡±


    ¡°Prepare for battle.¡±


    Good opportunitiese with good timing.


    I lifted the spear with a weak expression, and Hayan also got away for a while and began to prepare a spell.


    Park Deok-gu, Jung Jin-ho, and Kim Hyun-sung were focusing their eyes on the front.


    ¡°Fuhhhhh¡­¡±


    I began to mutter quietly in a voice that could only be heard by him, ¡°You are envious, right?¡±


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    ¡°She was really soft. Our Hayan,¡± the corners of my mouth could not stop from forming a smile on my mouth


    ¡°There are five of them. Prepare for battle as soon as possible!¡±


    ¡°You bastard!¡±


    He suddenly lifted his sword.


    I was wondering if I should run because I could see the deing towards me directly¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s better to get hit,¡¯ I knew I could endure it.


    As Jung Hayan had the healing ring, I would be able to easily recover from the wounds I would receive. I began to feel a creepy sensation along with a rumbling sound.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!¡±


    Only


    Then came the pain that was iparable to being hit in the face. A scream erupted from my mouth, unknowingly, because of the searing pain that burned through my body.


    It was no wonder that everyone¡¯s eyes were focused here in an instant.


    Jung Jin-ho and Kim Jae-joon look like they could not speak. However, they could understand that something had happened.


    Yoo Seok-woo had stabbed me.


    I was worried that Jung Jin-ho would treat Yoo Seok-woo as a madman and throw him away to keep being friendly¡­


    Then I realized that my worries were useless due to his shouts.


    ¡°I¡­ I! I did it! Jinho-ssi!! Jaejoon-ssi!! I¡¯ve done it!¡±


    Of the cards, Jung Jin-ho had, at least one was this idiot.

 Chapter 33: Enemy (1)

    <h4>Chapter 33: Enemy (1)</h4>


    From the point of view of Jung Jin-ho, it seemed like a moron had been released from jail.


    ¡°No, what bullsh*t¡­ what are you doing?! Seok-woo!¡±


    ¡°I did it! The dog, motherfucker! I stabbed him! Brother!¡±


    ¡°This crazy bastard!¡±


    The ce erupted into chaos.


    Jung Jin-ho immediately pulled out his sword. Of course, I thought it wasn¡¯t for the intention to attack us.


    ¡®He¡¯s trying to kill him.¡¯


    He seemed to be trying to correct this situation by killing Yoo Seok-woo.


    It was as if he would kill him to shut his mouth, and then clear up the situationter. Right now, that was the only thing Jung Jin-ho could choose.


    It was clear that he did not want to fight with our team in a ce like this.


    If it was Kim Hyun-sung or Park Deok-gu that was stabbed by the sword, there might have been a chance, but unfortunately, the weakest, Lee Ki-young, was the one who had gotten hurt.


    ¡®You can¡¯t kill him.¡¯


    When I looked at Kim Hyun-Sung instinctively, I could see that he was also moving quickly.


    Jung Jin-ho¡¯sckey Kim Jae-Joon, who seemed to have a remarkably inferior ability to grasp the situation, started running towards our side with a dagger. He thought that Jung Jin-ho running out was a signal of battle.


    ¡°This beggar trash! You killed him! You killed Ki-cheol!¡±


    Of course, I killed Lee Ki-Cheol.


    Even so, I couldn¡¯t imagine that he would actually leave Deokgu next to him and run over here to me.


    It seemed that I had be the official celebrity of this party during this attack. I, who should have been safely protected from the rear, quickly became the main tank.


    What was unexpected was that Park Deok-gu¡¯s ability to judge the situation was a little slow.


    At least I thought he would block the second attack, but he couldn¡¯t prevent Kim Jae-Joon from rushing to my side with his dagger raised.


    ¡®Damn.¡¯


    The dagger fell at my back as I crouched reflexively. It seemed as if he was precisely aiming at my neck.


    ¡®Hurts!¡¯


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!¡±


    It was too painful. Park Deok-gu came to his senses right after the second attack fell. As well as pushing him with hisrge shield, he began to block me with a pale, stiff face.


    Yoo Seok-woo in the back looked a little bit stunned by the sudden situation. He held the dagger he had used to stab me and was shaking relentlessly.


    He was also not used to stabbing someone. Of course, Jung Jin-ho and Kim Hyun-sung were more important than this fearful trash.


    ¡°Is this just a misunderstanding¡­?¡± the two¡¯s swords collided before the voice came out.


    ¡®Done.¡¯


    Bang! As soon as I heard the sound, the sight of Jung Jin-ho being blown far away could be seen.


    The battle had already begun. The goal was achieved, and the two were put against each other.


    All that remained was to correct this situation.


    I wanted to ask for a quick treatment, but the problem was that I couldn¡¯t speak.


    There was no voice other than screaming that came out due to pain I felt for the first time in my life. When I thought I would hear the Healing magic from Hayan, I actually heard a scream of rage from Hayan¡¯s side.


    ¡°I hate you!¡±


    ¡®Hurt¡­¡¯


    ¡°These guys!! Hyung-ssi!¡±


    ¡°I hate you! I hate you!!¡±


    I quite honestly hoped she would heal me instead of screaming. The situation was so urgent, and I couldn¡¯t get up, either.


    Monsters were running in from the front of them, and Jung Jin-ho and Kim Hyun-sung were fighting with their swords.


    It seemed that Park Deok-gu had not yet been able to find out whether he should block the front or the back where Yoo Seok-woo was, but he was trying to protect himself as much as possible.


    ¡°Oppa! Oppa!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not dead yet¡­¡±


    ¡°Sister! Ring! Ring! Use the ring quickly! The ring!¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhh! Oppa! Oppa! Oppa!¡±


    ¡°Calm down and use the ring!¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    I expected Jung Hayan to panic, but things were a little more serious than I had thought.


    Only after Park Deok-gu held Jung Hayan¡¯s hand tightly did she remember what she was capable of doing, ¡°Oh¡­ the cure!¡±


    The light came pouring down on me. My body didn¡¯t recover in an instant, but a strangely pleasing light was surely healing my wounds.


    The pain was still there. However, there was no sensation of tingling and bleeding from the wound.


    ¡®I almost died.¡¯


    If it was a littleter, I would have bled to death right then and there.


    ¡°Oppa¡­ Oppa¡­ Oppa.¡±


    ¡°Brother, brother!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­ Ah,¡± with a slightly trembling body, I look around again.


    Kim Hyun-sung and Jung Jin-ho were fighting without a word. Whoever saw it, would know that Kim Hyun-sung was stronger.


    Of course, you couldn¡¯t hear his curses.


    Eventually, our main viin abandoned Yoo Seok-woo, and Kim Jae-Joon turned his back and ran to leave this ce.


    Kim Hyun-sung, who looked this way for a while, nodded and spoke urgently.


    ¡°Deok-gu! Please look after Hayan and Kiyoung-ssi. I¡¯m going after Jung Jinho.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I see!¡± he had judged that we would have the ability to organize the situation.


    As he was quite fast, he disappeared from our view in an instant.


    Kim Jae-Joon also seemed to be trying to get out of the ce immediately as if he understood that the situation was twisted, but that guy also did not take Yoo Seok-woo with him.


    In this situation, Park Deok-gu could stop the monsters.


    ¡°These guys!¡±


    Once again, I could see Yoo Seok-woo swinging his sword. Of course, it didn¡¯t hit me this time because Park Deok-gu struck him with a shield.


    Puck!


    Yoo Seok-woo¡¯s body floated through the air and was hit against a wall, but at the same time, monsters rushed to the ce.


    ¡°Magic Shield!¡±


    The second insurance prepared by Kim Hyun-sung blocked their path.


    At the same time, I was memorizing spells in that instant.


    Kim Jae-Joon and Jung Jin-ho had already disappeared from view, but Kim Hyun-Sung could not catch both.


    ¡°Hyung-ssi, Hyung-ssi sister is gone¡­¡±


    Jung Hayan had gone to catch Kim Jae-Joon.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Deok-gu. First, take care of the monsters in front of us and follow her immediately. I know where she went.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d then¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t see when and how she disappeared.


    She prepared a new spell and just followed Kim Jae-Joon.


    I didn¡¯t know if she¡¯ll be able to catch up to the guy with high agility, but seeing that she¡¯s was rushing without any sense of direction, she¡¯ll probablye back after solving her problems.


    Park Deok-gu¡¯s face was also filled with tears, perhaps because he encountered an unexpected situation. I looked at him and spoke as it seemed to be quite shocking to see me bleeding.


    ¡°Don¡¯t cry, Piglet.¡±


    ¡°Who, who cried?¡±


    Thanks to the guy¡¯s pushing, the dagger got stuck in my body once more, but it wasn¡¯t that bad.


    * * *


    ¡®Sh*t.¡¯


    It was hard to understand what was going on and why.


    ¡®Yoo Seok-woo is a stupid guy. He is trash.¡¯


    There was no hope for him.


    No, actually, Yoo Seok-woo wasn¡¯t alone in that. The same could go for myself, who epted Jung Jin-ho¡¯s sword as an attack signal and put a dagger in that other trash.


    I thought it should have been the right thing.


    Lee Ki-Cheol was a friend of his who had moved together with him for a long time. He could not control himself because Kiyoung had killed his friend.


    ¡®I knew the n was canceled¡­¡¯


    Yet it was all because of that guy who showed a smile while saying sorry. I knew I had to restrain myself, but I couldn¡¯t help it.


    That expression¡­that expression was the problem.


    That expression that seemed tough.


    That openly provocative look.


    The problem was how this guy regarded me. He seemed to look down on me from the inside. Still, I left that guy stabbed and helpless.


    Even in that situation, the moment I saw the expression of that guy watching the situation with a strangely pleasant expression, I couldn¡¯t keep my reason.


    Jung Jin-ho, that motherfucker was also a problem.


    In the first ce, I thought I had no friendship with him, but I didn¡¯t think that he would throw me away as if I were not important at all.


    ¡®I do not care.¡¯


    But that didn¡¯t matter anymore.


    Anyway, I was with him because I needed him. I used him as much as he used me. It was a simple story.


    ¡®First.¡¯


    First off, I need to get out of here.


    Jung Jin-ho had just decided that there was no opportunity in this situation. As the path was fresh, I could fully follow the path that Jung Jin-ho used to run away.


    Even now, the traces of him running away were clearly visible. After following Jung Jin-ho, I had to deal with Kim Hyun-sung. This time everything was a lot clearer.


    Lee Ki-young will not be relieved without tearing and killing the motherfucker.


    It was just at that time when I tried to move as fast as possible while carrying a bow and arrow, that I noticed something.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    It was different from the path I memorized. This was certainly not the way I knew.


    This was the first time this happened since I changed my job as an archer.


    I was wondering if there was something wrong with the dungeon itself, but it was certainly not the case. The traces of Jung Jin-ho and Kim Hyun-sung also felt odd.


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    When I looked around a little, I felt a harsh and sudden wind blowing from an unknown direction.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    It was after some time that I felt that one of my legs had been cut off.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!!¡±


    ¡®What¡­ What is this¡­ what!¡¯


    I could not make a good judgment. It did not take long for my other leg to get cut off.


    You were the most afraid when you didn¡¯t know what attacked you.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!¡±


    After the wind blew again, a hand was cut off.


    ¡°What! What¡­ Ahhhhhhhhh!¡±


    What came to my mind was magic. As I looked around desperately once again, a woman appeared from the dark, dimly in my sight.


    I thought it was the first time I saw her, but it was definitely not the first time.


    ¡®Hayan?¡¯


    She had a reddened expression.


    ¡®So snowy¡­¡¯


    Her eyes were weird. Her hair was scattered, and her clothes were messed up. You could see she was wiping the flowing tears with her hands.


    ¡°I hurt you¡­ I won¡¯t apologize.¡±


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    ¡°I can never forgive this¡­ dummy! I have to kill them all. I have to kill all humans who harm my Oppa.¡±


    ¡°What bullsh*t¡­ Ahhhhhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°You shut up! And I mean it, shut up! This¡­ This¡­ Fool! How painful it must have been for my Oppa¡­ How painful it must have been! Even when he was first hit¡­ It must have been painful!¡±


    I was quick to figure out the situation. This woman in front of me was not normal.


    ¡®Fuck¡­ Fuck¡­¡¯


    It was in an instant that I realized I was wrong.


    Although she seemed to be weirdly obsessed with the motherfucker, I couldn¡¯t even imagine she would be this crazy a bitch. I could hear a spell being prepared.


    No wonder my body first sensed the ominousness.


    I wanted to get out of this situation by crawling somehow, but there was no way I would get out. This ce was too wide to crawl and escape.


    I could feel the woman¡¯s arms grabbing my hair and lifting my face.


    ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t have time, so I¡¯m so sorry to have to finish it quickly. My Oppa¡­ I have to return as my Oppa has already suffered dozens of times¡­ I can¡¯t do anything more¡­¡±


    ¡°Help me¡­ I¡­ I just did what he told me to do.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe liars¡­ Air bomb.¡±


    What was held in her right hand was magic I had already seen before. The magic that made several monsters turn into lifeless corpses.


    Unlike the time when it was the size of human heads, what I saw this time was very small.


    When I couldn¡¯t understand what she was doing, I heard the crazy woman¡¯s voice once again.


    ¡°Open your mouth.¡±


    ¡°What¡­ What¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Do it. Dang, you should feel the same way. You should feel how much pain my Oppa felt.¡±


    I stubbornly closed my mouth. If something like that came inside¡­


    However, the crazy bitch forcibly opened my mouth with her hand and eventually put the small bomb inside. I couldn¡¯t get used to the feeling of a foreign substance as it entered.


    The cold sweat continued to flow, and my body was trembling.


    That was when the brain-shaking explosion was heard before I could even begin to imagine what was happening.


    Bang!


    ¡°Ahhh ae ae ae!¡±


    Fragments of teeth burst along with the mouth - the tongue, throat, and cheeks. It was hard to understand what happened, but one thing was certain: the pain seemed to melt my brain.


    ¡°Is it painful? You are hurt too. But why¡­ you did it to him!¡±


    ¡®Mad girl¡­ Crazy bitch¡­ Crazy bitch¡­ ¡°


    ¡°You sttered blood on me, idiot.¡±


    ¡°I am alive¡­ Ahh¡­¡±


    Only


    Even her appearance of tidying up was grotesque.


    She carefully tidied up the sporadic hair and wiped the blood sttered on her face with her sleeves.


    ¡°Because we have to finish it quickly¡­ This is thest one. You can¡¯t do that next time.¡±


    ¡®Please don¡¯t do this.¡¯


    ¡®Please, it reminds me of hell.¡¯


    The words weren¡¯t properly spoken out of fear, but my consciousness was getting blurred.


    When I thought I would be able to live somehow, a voice that was myst, resounded.


    ¡°Ah¡­ I¡¯m dead.¡±

 Chapter 34: Enemy (2)

    <h4>Chapter 34: Enemy (2)</h4>


    ¡°Don¡¯t cry, you pig.¡±


    ¡°Who, who cried?¡±


    Thanks to the pushing, the dagger got stuck in my body once more, but it wasn¡¯t that bad. However, it was undeniable that I almost died.


    When I thought about it, it was even more absurd, ¡®I almost died.¡¯


    ording to my thinking, Park Deok-gu should have stopped Kim Jae-Joon before the second attack, and Jung Hayan should have put magic into the healing ring before screaming.


    I could only say that I was lucky. Because I shed so much blood, my mind had blurred.


    It was also when I realized that even the smallest elements of my calctions could be ruined, and I realized that I shouldn¡¯t gamble at will.


    ¡®I should gamble only when necessary¡­¡¯


    I realized that I had to prepare more thoroughly before throwing the dice. It was unfortunate, but it couldn¡¯t be helped. After all, it was normal to panic in a sudden situation.


    One could suggest that it was a natural reaction for innocent Park Deok-gu or Hayan to have this appearance.


    Maybe I should be grateful that it was over.


    This was still a tutorial, and if wepared it to the game, we would still be beginners. Perhaps time will solve the problem of Hayan and Park Deok-gu.


    ¡°Brother, I¡­¡±


    ¡°I think I can just hold off Yoo Seok-woo.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ Will you be okay?¡±


    He simply nodded.


    A very rare item, the magic shield ring, protected me.


    Those who were visible with the mind¡¯s eye had no power to prate the magic of this magic shield.


    Suddenly, I was grateful to Kim Hyun-Sung. The item¡¯s effect was better than I thought.


    ¡®Magic shield.¡¯


    ¡°Kie-e-e-e-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee


    I saw monsters constantly tapping on the translucent membrane, but I didn¡¯t feel scared. In the meantime, I started to prepare more spells.


    ¡°Lord, I pray, listen to my voice, answer, burn my enemies, give me strength¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Fireball.¡±


    My head was a little dizzy. This situation was probably because of my low magic power, but probably also because I had bled and lost a lot of blood.


    The wound was healed, but the damage remained.


    When I recited the spell, arge fireball appeared in front of my eyes, dismantled the shield of magic, and reached outside.


    Bang!


    It was a perfect direct hit, but Park Deok-gu positioned himself in front of me, wondering if there were any survivors.


    Simply put, I had created destruction.


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    ¡°Hyung-ssi, is your body okay?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±


    I was a little dizzy, but it was no problem. Rather, it felt very refreshing. It was almost because I died and came back to life, and things were currently running pretty well.


    Kim Hyun-sung will kill Jung Jin-ho, and Kim Jae-Joon will be held onto by Hayan, having a happy time.


    What mattered was Yoo Seok-woo.


    It didn¡¯t mean that they were free and had nothing else to do. However, it was natural that theplete problem should be solved.


    Park Deok-gu tied that guy up and held him down.


    That would have been a poor leash, but it was better than none. No, in the first ce, he couldn¡¯t break such a leash with the strength he had now.


    ¡°Let me go! What do you want to do?¡±


    Yoo Seok-woo had started to resist the moment he came to his senses, but there was no hope for him. He was struggling while lying on the floor, and Park Deok-gu was holding him down with sheer force.


    ¡°Bitch!¡±


    ¡°You, Lee Ki-young, you little mouse! Can¡¯t you release me right now!?¡±


    ¡°Bitch.¡±


    ¡°The others wille here. Kim Hyun-sung is going toe right here after getting rid of that motherfucker, and stick a knife in your throat. You guys want to be saved? Dream on.¡±


    He was talking willingly, but he couldn¡¯t even say anything else because he was overwhelmed. The world of delusions in his brain was deeper than I thought.


    ¡°Haha.¡±


    ¡°Are you smiling? Is this funny? Do you think you can keepughing like that? Lee Ki-young! And the pig next to him¡­ I can¡¯t forgive that Hayan also. Never! I will make you regret it every day¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t hear you well?¡±


    It¡¯s no wonder that he was so mad. As I gently brought my hand to my ear, putting my face out, and raised his mouth, the face of the guy biting with anger was visible.


    ¡°This¡­ Lee Ki-young, this trash!¡±


    It is always fun to see such excitement.


    ¡°You must be pretty confident.¡±


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    ¡°The older brothers you love seem to have abandoned you and run away from everyone.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Have you even heard from Jung Jin-ho? From the time Lee Ki-cheol died, the n was canceled here¡­ No, it was that they were getting friendly instead.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    A face of embarrassment entered my line of vision. It seemed that he did not know it.


    This was the scene that I wanted to see.


    I wouldn¡¯t be able to know this without my ¡®Mind¡¯s Eye,¡¯ or Kim Hyun-sung¡¯s reaction.


    I would have thought, ¡®You just have to be a little careful moving with a bad group.¡¯


    I was not very interested in whether I was right or wrong. Looking at his expression, it seemed to have been correct to some extent, but that didn¡¯t matter now.


    Of course, there was no reason to exin the situation to him.


    ¡°What¡­ What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Bitch.¡±


    I keptughing. This was so much fun. The way this stupid guy moved reminded me of a doll or a shogi horse.


    It was fortunate that Jung Jin-ho just thought of him as insurance.


    ¡°What is it like?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    I did not necessarily exin. Instead, I pleasantly smiled, ¡®If you¡¯re not stupid, you¡¯ll know.¡¯


    However, Yoo Seok-woo just kept staring up at me nkly. Maybe he really was stupid.


    Since I first suggested attacking the dungeon¡­ The magic used for blocking the monster wave for the first time, the death of Lee Ki-Cheol, was indeed a little absurd.


    He may even be realizing that everything was a well-crafted y, even when he had provoked on purpose. The stupid guy was now guessing why I was openly fiddling with Hayan.


    There was no reason to justugh at him and have a good time with Hayan. Everything was a petty trap set for himself.


    He probably won¡¯t even believe he had already taken the bait.


    No matter how poorly humans controlled their minds, he really was such an anomaly.


    Park Deok-gu looked at me with a startled expression, but he didn¡¯t necessarily give or ask another exnation. This was because the face of the guy who wanted nothing more than to kill me was still in sight.


    ¡°This¡­ Lee Ki-young, this trash! You¡¯re crap!¡±


    It wasughable that he was waiting for his brothers.


    Jung Jin-ho decided that his power was insufficient, so he recruited Yoo Seok-woo and came down to the dungeon to create a variable.


    In conclusion, he was nothing more than that.


    It was so natural that you could tell even if you thought about it a little coolly. Yoo Seok-woo must also have realized that he made a mistake.


    ¡°This¡­ this!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Seokwoo. I am grateful to you.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t scared because his hands and feet were already tied up, but I frowned at the fickle, unbing scene.


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you! I will kill you!¡±


    ¡°I can say the same.¡±


    To kill or not, I held the reigns.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I am not a good person. Of course, I am a little reluctant to kill people. But¡­ seeing that I entered a ce like this, I think I need to experience it at least once. You hear me? Experience.¡±


    ¡°That¡­¡±


    ¡°Although I like to leave it to others¡­ I can¡¯t borrow someone else¡¯s hand forever, and it¡¯s better to share the original sin.¡±


    ¡°This¡­ this¡­ You are crazy¡­¡±


    ¡°You are the same. Even if things were a little more twisted, I would have been lying here. Maybe it would be Hayan or Deok-gu.¡±


    I slightly lifted the spear he held in his hand.


    ¡°Hyung-ssi,¡± A little embarrassing voice rang out.


    Of course, I had nevermitted a murder before.


    Park Deok-gu seemed to be asking if I could do it. Maybe if he held me back, I would have quit here. It was not that easy to do this.


    Of course, the hand with the spear trembled. It was because I felt afraid to kill a human. On one hand, I already made up my mind, but it was quite difficult to implement.


    I was different from Hayan, whose personality was a little twisted, or Kim Hyun-sung, who had killed countless numbers of people.


    To be honest, I was still a little reluctant.


    Nevertheless¡­


    ¡®Natural Selection.¡¯


    I thought it was most reasonable to experience it here anyway.


    ¡°Ah, save me.¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡±


    The hand holding the spear stopped trembling.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to see it, close your eyes, Deok-gu.¡±


    I didn¡¯t look at Park Deok-gu¡¯s expression. I thought that he would have closed his eyes.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Save me!¡±


    In that instant, the spear pierced through his throat. The unpleasant feeling that went through my hands made my body tremble all over.


    ¡°Kek¡­ Keck¡­¡±


    Yoo Seok-woo struggling to speak; nevertheless, his status entered my line of vision. I wanted to turn my head, but I know I couldn¡¯t deny it.


    I pulled the trigger, the bullet I fired.


    My arms and legs continued to tremble.


    It was not the first time I¡¯ve ever seen a person die, but it¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve ever done it myself.


    ¡®I can think of it as the same as Park Hye-young.¡¯


    It was true that I killed him too.


    No, as a matter of fact, I did kill him. The woman I saw at the start point too, may have been killed by me. I chose to turn away from her when she needed help.


    There was no need or reason to panic now. I just had to ept the situation as calmly as I did then. It was necessary because it could not be helped.


    It was not easy to see a life silently die, but¡­


    ¡°Lord¡­¡±


    ¡°Kek¡­ flesh¡­ Ryeo¡­¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡±


    His face was distorted with pain. The damned guy kept trying to speak, and the blood spitting out wasn¡¯t visually pleasing at all.


    As time passed, his face became morefortable.


    ¡°Flesh¡­ Ryeo¡­ Um¡­ hemp¡­¡±


    Eventually, the guy who had looked this way became quiet, and silence began to reign over the ce.


    ¡°If I can do it¡­ You can do better,¡± these were the same lines spoken when I first hunted with Park Deok-gu and caught a monster.


    Unlike the first time, there was no answer in this situation. Instead, a slightly erratic voice came. From Park Deok-gu¡¯s point of view, now was a good time to speak up and divert my attention.


    ¡°Hyung-ssi¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Was he Christian?¡±


    Only


    An embarrassing question that doesn¡¯t suit the situation; Iughed and said what I thought.


    ¡°There is no such thing as God.¡±


    [A new job has been opened. Please choose the job you think you need.]


    ¡°What¡­? It cannot be.¡±


    Something like this suddenly popping up¡­


    It can¡¯t be.

 Chapter 35: A new job has been opened (1)

    <h4>Chapter 35: A new job has been opened (1)</h4>


    I thought it was a bit of an unexpected timing, but it was not that strange since I managed to umte a lot of experience points so far.


    Since I got my first job, I hung around with Kim Hyunsung and dealt with monsters most of the time, and even after entering this ce, I had been hitting them without stopping.


    Personally, I thought my progress was a little slow.


    I found it ridiculous that after killing Yoo Seok-woo, a new job had presented itself to me.


    ¡®Even if you kill humans¡­¡¯


    Experience increases.


    Maybe it wasn¡¯t just that.


    There was a high probability that all actions had experience points within them.


    There were mostly quantifying contributions andst-minute hits. Of course, it was difficult to obtain valid data, but I had seen stats rise even for personnel in the shelter.


    I thought about taking various directions for magic to boost my intelligence, and even going so far as to use magic-boosting magic. However, all stats, such as stamina and agility, would continue to stay the same.


    I thought maybe this job would be simr.


    [A new job has been opened. Please choose the job you think you need.]


    [View open jobs.]


    [Summoner-Rare Grade]


    [Magician-Rare Grade]


    [Warlock-Rare Grade]


    [Alchemist-Rare Level]


    [me Wizard-Rare Grade]


    ¡®There are so many options.¡¯


    I was a little worried about what to do if there was a scammer job, but there wasn¡¯t. Rather, I felt very fortunate. I feel like giving points for all rare sses that presented themselves to me.


    I didn¡¯t take a closer look, but it seemed like no job seemed remotely bad.


    Above all, I was most fortunate to have nomander ss.


    Of course, this may not be the case, but I was worried that Park Deokgu, who found out about my former job information, would be themander¡¯s parrot once again. I didn¡¯t say anything, but I thought about it for about three times thanks to Park Deokgu¡¯s words, who made it seem surprisingly appealing at that time.


    In fact, I still wondered what it would have been like if I chose to bemander. However, I was also a little grateful that I was nowpletely out of themander¡¯s grip.


    I couldn¡¯t see the status window continuously, so I had to focus in order to take a quick look at it.


    As I nced at the status window, various information poured out.


    [Summoner-Rare Grade]


    [Summoner is not a job to go ahead and fight. It is a group of professions that fight using summoned ministries or spirits or exchange contracts. After that, you can change jobs to summoner-rted jobs such as Tamer, Elementalist, and Summoner. Health will increase by 1, intelligence by 1, and magic by 2.]


    ¡®Not bad.¡¯


    I found myself liking what the Summoner had to offer. The idea of having a spirit fight on my behalf sounded like a great insurance.


    I didn¡¯t know if I had the talent or affinity that usually came out in novels or games, but seeing that a summoner came out as a job, I thought it would fit my disposition well.


    [Magician-Rare Grade]


    [This is a medium-range job that uses magic and spears at the same time. Magician, who holds the center of the battlefield, uses magic and spear at the same time to directly influence bothrge and small battles. Gain intermediate knowledge of spears and magic. The upational groups in which you can change jobs in the future are unknown. Agility will increase by 2, magic will increase by 2.]


    [Warlock-Rare Grade]


    [This is a ranged job that can use ck magic. ck magic is a new level of magic thatpletely overturns the existing magic¡¯smon sense. Because of the concept of borrowing power from the devil, some religious groups feel strong resistance to ck magic, but their destructive power is overwhelmingly higher than that of other professions. Learn basic ck magic. Magic will increase by 4.]


    I would definitely pass up on the Magician.


    The more I go up, the less I can do. If you swing a spear with weak strength or agility, it wouldn¡¯t be efficient.


    However, I felt differently for the Warlock. It was also true that the magic stat of +4 can be coveted and could overturn the existing magicalmon sense.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    However, I was a little worried about making people feel the bacsh from religious groups.


    If the ce I¡¯d go to after the tutorial was a fantasy world based on the Middle Ages, maybe a crazy religious group would form a mob and chase after me.


    The safest thing for me to be in such a situation is, after all, a specification.


    [Alchemist-Rare Level]


    [Alchemist is a profession that basically studies and studies magic chemistry. They are always looking for new directions and developments in magic, magic, and magic. Homunculus Alchemy knowledge and basic knowledge of alchemy are acquired. After that, you can change your job as a drug manufacturer, alchemy wizard, or homunculus expert. Intellect will increase by 2 and magic by 2.]


    [Fire Wizard-Rare Grade]


    [Among all types of property wizards, the me wizard¡¯s destructive power is second to none. This is a long-range job that supports allies with strong firepower. Although it consumes a lot of magic, its firepower is beyond imagination. It will surprise enemies and allies alike. After that, you can change your job as an explosion wizard or bomb magic expert. Magic will increase by 5.]


    Of course, me magic experts passed unconditionally.


    There was no room to think about it. The fact that it boosted magic by 5 already earned it points, and the words of firepower beyond imagination also attracted attention.


    It could be used well once or twice, and the shorings were obvious, but somehow it felt like it wasn¡¯t bad all in all.


    ¡®Alchemist?¡¯


    In fact, even the alchemist doesn¡¯t look so bad.


    In the first ce, it can be said that it suited me best with high intelligencepared to magic.


    Although mybat ability seemed to be a bit inferior to other upations, upations like homunculus expert, alchemy magic, and some suspicious drug maker seemed to be able to fill myck of magic.


    One thing that can definitely be excluded is Magician. All other jobs had their own strengths and weaknesses. I thought it would be a little easier than the first choice, so I felt stupid.


    The choice now was far more important than when I had to choose before. One could evenpare it to choosing one¡¯s major in college!


    My head hurt at the thought that this one choice might determine my position moving forward. Of course, it was not urgent, so we could wait a bit more. But among the numerous majors, worries began to emerge.


    That was when I heard a voice right next to me.


    ¡°Hyung?¡±


    ¡°Ah. I¡¯m sorry, Deokgu. I have to go looking for something first.¡±


    ¡°Did you get a new job?¡±


    ¡°Huh. Yes, although it¡¯s a little sudden. It seems that even if you kill the same human, your experience will increase.¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡± I saw Park Deokgu struggling with his words.


    Fortunately, he didn¡¯t seem to be shocked. I was worried if he began to think of something else, but fortunately, it didn¡¯t seem like that.


    Until now, I used to call him a muscle-brain, but now I had second doubts about that.


    Of course, they didn¡¯t narrow in on him, but on me as well. I had been trying my best, but today¡¯s memories would probably be unforgettable.


    Deokgu also decided to ept the situation. He opened his mouth again in an attempt to stifle the suffocating silence.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know whether Hyung Kim Hyunsung is safe.¡±


    ¡°Of course they will be safe. For Kim Hyunsung, of course, I can say that much.¡±


    ¡°How can you be so sure? Is it because of that magical power?¡±


    ¡°Simr. It¡¯s harder to detect as the distance increases, but maybe you can understand to some extent if you also have magical power.¡±


    Of course, it didn¡¯t mean that they were automatically safe by magical detection. If you were to think about their specs and tendencies, then the answer woulde.


    One was a returner, and the other was a genius wizard and a monster. I was already quite sure they were finished with their work and wereing this way.


    As expected, I took a little step. I could see a familiar figure.


    As soon as we had a closer look at her, I admitted it was a little cute to see her running with her big eyes open, but it wasn¡¯t that nice to see the blood on her sleeves.


    ¡°Oppa¡­ oppa! Oppa! Oppa!¡±


    Her usual act of running up to me and hugging me tightly felt a little more intense than usual. The fact that she had the energy to worry this much about me made me feel a little better.


    ¡°Where were you injured? Are you sick? Are you okay now? Ugh¡­ Yoo Seok-woo¡­ That¡­ How does that person even¡­?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s dead.¡±


    ¡°Ah, ah, ah. That¡¯s fortunate.¡±


    I didn¡¯t think Hayan would be shocked, but it felt a little disconcerting to see her ept this fact so calmly.


    I didn¡¯t know if it was an illusion or not, but I daresay there was a hint of regret.


    Rather than asking why she was looking closely at the scene came from, all the while sweeping dust off of her clothes.


    ¡°Sister, where did you go?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ That¡­ Without knowing¡­¡± Quite frankly, this conversation sounded dumb at the moment.


    I didn¡¯t bother trying to contribute to it at the moment.


    For now, I was trying my hardest not to be reminded of what I had done.


    However, it felt quite rude not to give acknowledgment to what I had noticed. With a face that sported my embarrassment, I thought that I should speak again, and opened my mouth,


    ¡°You went to help Hyunsung, right?¡±


    ¡°No, oppa. That¡­ it¡¯s not like that. I¡¯m not very interested¡­ I just¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not worried about Mr. Hyunsung.¡±


    You are reacting more obviously than you would want to think.


    It seemed like she hated to be misunderstood about her true intentions, but of course, I did not bother asking further.


    ¡°I¡¯m just¡­ So angry¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°I just felt so angry with that person¡­ I did it without knowing it.¡±


    In fact, it was Yoo Seok-woo who put the sword in the ship first, but Jung Hayan did not see the scene properly. It was even more impressive to see the guy who hit me with a fist or put a dagger on his back, dare to try it again.


    Tears started to build up in my eyes once again as I remembered the memories back then.


    Recognizing my expression for what it was, Park Deokgu looked at me with a very embarrassed expression. It didn¡¯t look very suitable for a Gangwon-do Casanova. I could see his line of thought clear as day.


    ¡®He¡¯s still trying to y love doctor at this stage¡­?¡¯


    ¡°No, no. no. I guess you know what you¡¯re talking about, sister. In fact, I also wanted to run out right now¡­ hyung, do that, but how can you¡­¡±


    ¡°Hm. That¡¯s too¡­ I keep thinking about it¡­¡±


    ¡°Sister, everything is fine now, so don¡¯t cry, don¡¯t cry. Now that it¡¯s all over¡­ You and your hyung are both okay, can¡¯t you see?¡±


    ¡°Wow¡­¡±


    ¡°Gosh¡­ Hyung! How can you¡­ My eyes were swollen already¡­ How is this¡­¡±


    When I saw the guy gently looking at this side and asking forfort, I couldn¡¯t help butugh. It felt like the pounding in my head had slowly begun to clear.


    In the end, I could see my shoulders shake as I hugged the girl slightly ording to her wish.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry. Oppa¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what she was sorry for, but I continued to pat her back.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Oppa!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±


    Rather, I should have responded with a thank you. This feeling felt warm to the touch.


    I feel a little better when I was dirty.


    It was when I looked at Park Deokgu slightly whileforting Hayan did I see the guy sporting a strange smile.


    ¡®That pig¡­¡¯


    No matter how much I thought about it, it was ridiculous. Of course, Jung Hayan had calmed down, and he started smiling in response.


    Only


    Of course, it was not the warm smile that came from seeing me with Hayan.


    ¡®Is it a scheme¡­?¡¯


    This ominous feeling was simr to how I felt when I faced Yoo Seok-woo.


    ¡®That¡­¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s a very good pair, sister.¡±


    Gangwon-do loved doctor Park Deokgu.


    I had to do something to try and see if my hunch was true or false.

 Chapter 36: A new job has been opened (2)

    <h4>Chapter 36: A new job has been opened (2)</h4>


    The smiling face of Park Deokgu seemed very transparent to me. I roughly knew what he was thinking.


    He seemed to think that I now felt a lot more refreshed. I believe his intention was to distract me with an entirely different set of feelings, this time, romantic. However, this was not a good thing for me.


    Because his solution came in the form of a trembling girl in my arms.


    ¡°Oppa¡­¡±


    During the time I¡¯ve known Park Deokgu, I could tell that he hardly thought about himself. He would soon rather focus on the welfare of others than even his own body odor.


    Perhaps if Kim Hyunsung had not arrived in time, he would not have been doing that for hours.


    ¡°You are here.¡±


    He came a littleter than I originally thought. In fact, I expected him to arrive earlier than Hayan.


    He looked relieved to see us all in one piece. However, the battle with Jung Jin-ho wasn¡¯t as easy as it looked, what with his clothes being slightly burned, as well as the small stab mark on his cheek.


    Kim Hyunsung had the specs that could warrant him being called a monster, but Jung Jin-ho was also not far from him.


    ¡®Monsters.¡¯


    However, it was probably one-sided. No matter how long Jung Jin-ho flew, the difference between their basic stats and experience was clear.


    Only the variables in magic could have made a difference.


    Looking at Hyunsung¡¯s expression, it seemed that Jung Jin-ho was no longer alive.


    ¡°The others¡­¡± he trailed off. This was a slightly sensitive question.


    Before Hayan could open her mouth to speak, I hurried to talk.


    ¡°I killed them.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    Of course, I wasn¡¯t going to use Jung Hayan of being a murderer here. It was a cleaner choice to admit to even her kills at this point than have her wallow in regret for what she did.


    Kim Hyunsung was a guy who had a tendency to be a bona fide mediator, but he knew better than me that he shouldn¡¯t keep these people alive.


    ¡°Jung Jin-ho¡­¡±


    At my slight prodding, he nodded without saying anything.


    Park Deokgu¡¯s expression was a little gloomy, and I was sure my and Hayan¡¯s faces would have sported simr expressions.


    The whole party felt a little daunting overall.


    Of course, in the case of Jung Hayan, it was a little different, but it was natural to assume that she¡¯d be depressed by the shock of her first murder.


    Eventually, Kim Hyunsung nodded and opened his mouth, ¡°It was necessary.¡±


    This trusted party leader had begun to take care of his colleagues¡¯ mentality.


    ¡°I know¡­¡±


    ¡°I seemed to have been aiming for this from the beginning. It is not known how they took over Seok-woo, but it seems that Seok-woo also joined their n in the middle of it. Perhaps if we were sessfully targeted, those in the shelter would not have been safe either.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It may be difficult, but I want you to know that you did the right thing.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    ¡°You did the right thing. Maybe this will be more frequent in the future. This ce we are in is just a tutorial and it might be harsher outside. It must have been difficult, but no one will criticize this decision. Not only now, but also in the future. I don¡¯t know if thisforts you, but¡­ I hope you ovee it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°What¡­ Thank you as well.¡±


    It was a great speech in its own way. In fact, Kim Hyunsung was correct.


    None of us ever did anything wrong.


    If we let them live, not only would the shelter be dangerous, but they would also have created many victims after going outside.


    Even though Yoo Seok-woo became a foothold for my unpleasant experience, what Kim Hyunsung said was an undeniable fact.


    ¡®You removed the trash.¡¯


    There was no reason to feel guilty.


    ¡°Is Ki-young okay?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine. Maybe if I didn¡¯t have the ring that Mr. Hyunsung gave me as a gift¡­ I should have already died. I was saved twice. I will not forget this grace.¡±


    ¡°The wound is¡­¡±


    ¡°Fine. I waspletely healed.¡±


    After I finished speaking, Kim Hyunsung seemed to feel a little better. There was no reason to impress him at this point, as things had already worked out the way he wanted it to be.


    I didn¡¯t know what he was thinking in detail, but I felt a little proud of what we managed to aplish.


    We dealt with the group of Jung Jin-ho as nned, and because of that, we even got something better than we expected.


    We might have thought of each other as colleagues who decided to move together for the time being, but it seemed that this incident has helped us be closer.


    It was the same for me.


    We suffered together, went through a crisis together, and overcame it together.


    I was sure that we four will certainly have a good rtionship, even if we went outside.


    Just imagining that you were riding on a stable andfortable Kim Hyunsung bus would make you feel drowsy.


    No, that wasn¡¯t the right word. It would make you feel rxed.


    Even though Park Deokgu and Hayan were already safe, there were also other things to focus on, such as our current statuses.


    ¡°You seem a little tired, so for now, I think it would be better to take a rest nearby.¡±


    ¡°I think that¡¯s good too. So is my Hyung¡­ Because your sister also looks a little tired.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    In the case of Hayan, I knew she still had some amount of magic within her.


    I roughly nodded and turned towards Kim Hyunsung, who started to walk towards us. From his expression, I knew he knew it as well.


    Of course, it was up to me to choose, but I thought it was natural to think of Kim Hyunsung as someone who knew the future.


    ¡°Hyunsung.¡±


    ¡°Yes. You tell me.¡±


    ¡°A new job has opened up.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    Of course, his expression was a pretty happy one.


    ¡°You¡¯ve caught up fast.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Somehow I used magic to catch monsters¡­¡±


    ¡°Would I be able to hear what jobs are open?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Park Deokgu, as well as Jung Hayan, looked at me with expressions that showed interest.


    It was a good topic to talk about while looking for a ce to rest for the night, and I was also interested in finding suitable materials that can cozy up the atmosphere of our little party.


    ¡°Summoner, Wizard, Warlock, Alchemist, and me Wizard. There are many options.¡±


    ¡°It certainly seems like a lot.¡±


    Since there wasn¡¯t a suitable ce nearby, I started talking about the shorings of each job and what I nned on choosingter.


    For example, a me mage needed a lot of magic, or in the case of a magician, there was no job that you couldn¡¯t go after.


    I hadn¡¯t revealed the exact stats yet, but maybe Kim Hyunsung knew how much spec I had.


    ¡°Excuse me¡­ Kiyoung has a little magical power¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I don¡¯t know in detail since I haven¡¯t met the other wizards, but the magical power itself seems to be low. It doesn¡¯t seem that highpared to Hayan¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    It was essential to disclose a certain amount of personal information for a detailed consultation.


    There was no reason to hide what wascking if they had the goal to craft them into advantages.


    ¡°Probably, in the case of a me wizard, it would be better to think a little more. It doesn¡¯t seem that thepatibility between Ki-young and the me Wizard is bad, but if you aim for high magic power, there will be room for problemster.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I have a simr idea.¡±


    Park Deokgu looked really cute, trying to piece together the bits of information he was receiving. I didn¡¯t know how old he was, but I knew for sure that he was younger than me.


    ¡°Magician too¡­¡±


    I knew I shouldn¡¯t speak so openly, but I couldn¡¯t help but put in my two cents.


    ¡®You¡¯re not good at chanting.¡¯


    Still, I thought that I had been ying the role for one person enough, but my acting was certainly not that polished.


    Anyway, Magician was one job that I did not n to choose, but seeing Kim Hyunsung¡¯s expression like that, I began to have second thoughts.


    ¡®Now, I¡¯m even more confused than before.¡¯


    ¡°Personally, it looks a little better to choose from Summoner, Alchemist, and Warlock, but it¡¯s hard being a Warlock, so I personally wouldn¡¯t rmend it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but you could be in a dangerous situation. At least Lee Sang-chang doesn¡¯t lie to us.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    ¡°You need magical power to keep your familiar, but I don¡¯t know how much magical power you need. Rather, it seems that the alchemist is not bad. It will be appropriate for Ki-young, who has high intelligence.¡±


    ¡°Actually, I was thinking simrly. It seems that alchemy may trigger magicplete with a catalyst¡­¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t be as bad as you think it is. You can make potions and many more. If you need a pet, there is also an alternative method called ¡®Homunculus¡¯ afterwards, which will be more advantageous. A creature created other than a summoned creature will not have much magic power.¡±


    As Kim Hyunsung spoke, his excitement rose. As such, I thought that his rmendation was also reliable.


    Above all, seeing his expression of giddy happiness, I began to feel more and more inclined. After all, those who have the profession of Alchemist were rare.


    upations may not have been well received, or people may not have a good choice, but anyway, the Alchemist profession itself is seldom obtained.


    Simrly, assuming that priests are also rare, the value of potions will increase a little more.


    If you consider that there are limits to the divine power of a priest in the first ce, a quality potion is a must.


    Summoners are also attractive, but if you think about having two simr ones, you might be able to get other summons afterward.


    At this point, my thoughts went all over the ce.


    Park Deokgu, who had been listening to the party¡¯s ramblings for a long time, shook his head and participated in this consultation.


    ¡°What are you talking about? Of course, if you are a true hyung, you should be a warlock.


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡°When I think of a warlock who exterminates the monsters by sprinkling the power of darkness, of course, I can only think that he fits Ki-young very well¡­ Doesn¡¯t he resemble a warlock in the making?¡±


    There was no logic behind Park Deokgu¡¯s words, but he spoke as if he truly believed in what he said. He seemed to have forgotten his earlier insistence for the Commander ss.


    This time, he seemed to be stuck on the idea of me bing a warlock.


    ¡°Well, what does it matter what the public thinks? I think it doesn¡¯t matter much because I¡¯ll blow away the guys who are looking for you. My hyung¡¯s character and the warlock don¡¯t really match, but imagine him wearing a ck robe¡­ I think it would be cool just to imagine!¡±


    ¡°The Alchemist would be a better option.¡±


    At this point, Kim Hyunsung¡¯s voice also became quite urgent.


    He noticed that Park Deokgu had a strange resonance in his cry.


    ¡°No! My Hyung is a warlock by nature!¡±


    Park Deokgu, who was previously amander parrot, suddenly began to evolve into a warlock parrot.


    ¡°Alchemist is definitely better.¡±


    ¡°Unconditionally a Warlock!¡±


    ¡°Alchemist¡­¡±


    ¡°The Warlock! I want to see Ki-young disying the power of darkness.¡±


    ¡°Alchemist!¡±


    ¡°Warlock!¡±


    ¡°Pension!¡±


    ¡°ck!¡±


    ¡°Kite!¡±


    ¡®They¡¯re making no sense at this point.¡¯


    I thought this situation woulde again for some reason, but it was embarrassing to see the two heated up more than ever.


    Somehow, the power of darkness appealed strongly to Park Deokgu¡¯s heart.


    As he turned his gaze to Jung Hayan in the same manner as one would ask a doctor for confirmation, Jung Hayan also shook her head vigorously.


    Only


    ¡°I can¡¯t choose either. An intelligent oppa who practices alchemy, or an oppa who uses the power of darkness?¡±


    Of course, I didn¡¯t ask for that.


    Nevertheless, this unidentified debate seemed to be getting more and more intense.


    In the end, Kim Hyunsung had to resort to opening his bag.


    ¡°Very identally¡­ Quite identally¡­ This is the product you found. It looks like an Alchemist-only item. If you choose to be an Alchemist, I¡¯ll give you this as a gift.¡±


    ¡®Where did thate from?¡¯


    Now. I could say for sure that the leather bag Kim Hyunsung carried was a magic bag. I couldn¡¯t even imagine he would bring out such an item so urgently.


    Thanks to this, I could be sure that the Warlock¡¯s perception would not be very good, but apart from that, the moment we checked the item he pulled out, we ended up having to abandon our party¡¯s, Warlock Parrot.

 Chapter 37: We survived

    <h4>Chapter 37: We survived</h4>


    [Ramus Tucker¡¯s Introduction to Alchemy-Hero Level-Alchemist Only]


    [Grand Alchemist Ramus Tucker is a representative alchemist who has enjoyed an era. As a member of the Republic¡¯s military, he has earned his reputation as a leader in the field of biological and potion synthesis, but it is known that it was all purged one day for some reason.


    Although he died, the knowledge he left behind is still being passed on.


    Ramus Tucker¡¯s Introduction to Alchemy is one of the highlyplete books that can be seen as aption of his research work. It contains a variety of alchemy knowledge not included in Basic Alchemy Knowledge.


    Acquires knowledge of hero grade alchemy that is unknown as a basic ss. Magic increases by 1, intelligence by 1.]


    ¡®Hero level?¡¯


    Since this item was currently in front of me, it did not seem unreasonable to forsake Park Deokgu¡¯s enthusiasm.


    In fact, it cannot be said that there would be so many stats to raise.


    1 Magic and 1 intelligence.


    However, since the item¡¯s value was said to be of the hero level, I expected that it would contain more knowledge than I imagined.


    As Kim Hyunsung said: Ji-Chang does not lie.


    If that book is a hero-graded item, it will surely contain the corresponding knowledge.


    ¡°How is it?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    It felt a little embarrassing as to how this item came out so suddenly. Looking at Kim Hyunsung¡¯s face, he seemed to realize that he also made a mistake.


    It was natural to make mistakes as he was also a human being, but even he seemed confused about how he had just exposed himself.


    ¡°Where did you get this?¡±


    ¡°It was the book that was in the box at that time. I thought there was nothing to it at first, but now it seemed like a good timing¡­¡±


    ¡°But Hyung would look better as a warlock¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a hero-grade item. I couldn¡¯t read this book because I¡¯m not an alchemist, but it¡¯s probably more than expected. If you think about it being an item just below the legend level, this would be your best bet. Most of all, these items are not corrupt.¡±


    ¡°Still¡­ The Warlock¡­ Hyung¡­¡±


    Even in this situation, Park Deokgu kept muttering about me being a Warlock.


    It sounded ridiculous to me.


    There was a high probability that the ring that was given to us in the first ce, or the bracelet presented to Park Deokgu, were also items that cannot be normally found here.


    The story that a treasure chest suddenly popped out from somewhere sounded suspicious to me.


    Even if you tried it a hundred times and obtained it without an ident, it is certainly not convincing to have such a book here.


    However, after looking at Kim Hyunsung¡¯s face, I could guess that he was still trying to keep up his innocent fa?ade.


    I didn¡¯t know if he was using some type of inventory, or if he was using something akin to a store that was not open to us yet, but I thought that leather bag contained more than what met the eye.


    There were so many exnations to consider. Even if one were to look at it, the exnations I had thought up for its validity didn¡¯t seem all that unusual.


    Thinking that it was meaningless to worry any more, I immediately nodded.


    ¡°Actually, although the Warlock was appealing, I think Alchemists would be good.¡±


    Only then did Kim Hyunsung¡¯s face begin to light up.


    ¡°You chose well.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    [You have changed your job as an Alchemist. Basic alchemical knowledge is acquired.]


    [Check yer Ki-young Lee¡¯s status window and talent level.]


    [Name-Ki-young Lee]


    [Title-No. You should try a little more.]


    [Age-25]


    [Orientation-Willing Strategist]


    [Profession-Alchemist]


    [Job Effect-Acquisition of basic alchemical knowledge]


    [Capacity]


    [Strength-11/Growth Limit: Normal or less]


    [Agility-11/Growth Limit: Normal or less]


    [Health-15/Growth Limit: Normal or less]


    [Intellect-29/Growth Limit: Hero or higher]


    [Endurance-12/Growth Limit: Normal or less]


    [Luck-25/Growth Limit: Hero or higher]


    [Magic-08/Growth Limit: Normal or less]


    [Equipment]


    [Ramus Tucker¡¯s Introduction to Alchemy-Hero Level-Alchemist Only]


    [Magic Shield Ring-Rare Grade]


    [Talent-Eye of the Mind]


    [Generalment-You have chosen a good path. I have nothing to say, but seeing your hard work makes my heart ache. Yes. Really. It seems to you that you have gotten some undeserved items. We hope you have the ability to understand Ramus Tucker¡¯s alchemy. Hero-grade items are too precious to simply be used as a disy.]


    After my body shed in a blue light for a moment, I could see that I had definitely changed my job.


    In an instant, the knowledge of the basic alchemy poured into my head.


    ¡®Not bad.¡¯


    It was difficult, but not to the extent where I couldn¡¯t understand. When I smiled satisfyingly, Kim Hyunsung seemed to sport a different expression.


    It seemed that his internal evaluation of my worth had risen considerably. It must have changed from a usable administrator to an Alchemist who needed to be well raised.


    ¡®That actually spells good news.¡¯


    That means that I have be precious to whatever his ns were.


    ¡°Congrattions, Mr. Ki-young.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ Unfortunately, only if Hyung¡¯s choice was¡­¡±


    ¡°Congrattions, Oppa.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. Thank you, Deokgu and Hayan. I will be grateful for the gift, Mr. Hyunsung. You just keep giving them to us so generously.¡±


    In truth, I received this gift thanks to Park Deokgu¡¯s insistence.


    ¡°No. If Ki-young bes stronger, it is natural that our entire party will also be stronger. Rather, I feel better because I can help.¡±


    ¡°I will meet your expectations.¡±


    Of course, as long as this was the case, one had to work to continually meet the leader¡¯s standards.


    As much as Kim Hyunsung feltpelled to invest in me, he would continue to invest only if I continued to give such results.


    As such, I was his current investment.


    Kim Hyunsung put money in an investment called Lee Ki-young, and he must be hoping that he¡¯d get his money¡¯s worth.


    Even if I fell to the bottom, he wouldn¡¯t abandon me, but it would be natural to assume that he would stop trying to invest in me.


    In order to continue being invested in, I had to continually show that I was getting better.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to. Haha. For now, let¡¯s rest here. If you can¡¯t see a suitable ce after walking this much, it seems that there is no ce to camp in the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I will do that. Deokgu?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯lle after cleaning up the surroundings.¡±


    Hyunsung nodded roughly in response. This ce was uninhabited, but it was still right to clean up the surroundings.


    Even the long tutorial felt like it would soone to an end.


    Although the survival quest had not yet beenpleted, it felt correct to guess that Kim Hyunsung was not showing much impatience, so this dungeon strategy must actually be the final stage.


    Whether it was finding the entrance or taking care of the dungeon¡¯s owner, this party would go through it sessfully.


    As I turned my head a little, their images appeared in my view.


    Iughed when I saw Jung Hayan, who was dozing off, and Park Deokgu, who was already snoring.


    On the other hand, I didn¡¯t fall asleep even though I knew I had to sleep for tomorrow.


    No, to be precise, I couldn¡¯t sleep at all, even if I wanted to.


    ¡®Alchemy.¡¯


    This was because I had to organize my new knowledge.


    First of all, this was not an ability I could use right away. In order to perform alchemy earnestly, various types of equipment were required. There was no catalyst here that could use alchemy magic.


    However, it was also natural to study in advance. As it took time to organize basic alchemy knowledge, Ramus Tucker¡¯s Introduction to Alchemy has decided not to unfold itself to me yet.


    ¡°Are you not going to sleep?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t sleep.¡±


    To survive, you had to level yourself up.


    It would be appropriate to say that this passion was created by the idea that I should not settle down in one ce, of course, to train myself.


    There was nothing like potion softness, basic knowledge about Homunculus, and the corrtion between alchemy catalyst and magic.


    I felt Kim Hyunsung staring at my side, but of course, he was not aware that I noticed his gaze. I could feel the high hopes and expectations that he began to ce on me.


    ¡®I¡¯m working hard, investor,¡¯ it was an advantage to show such bravado on my part.


    I felt more satisfied when I saw Kim Hyunsung nodding with a satisfactory expression.


    It felt like it happened in no time at all, but soon, morning came. I couldn¡¯t even find it in myself to sigh, but I didn¡¯t regret not sleeping at all.


    The party members slowly woke up and began to stir up a small, steady stream of chattering.


    Rather than a gloomy atmosphere, it felt a little rxing.


    In the middle of the way, Kim Hyunsung threw a joke, and Park Deokguughed at the joke as if we weren¡¯t currently in a dungeon.


    Kim Hyunsung seemed to have given himself some time to rest.


    ¡®There is no dungeon boss?¡¯


    From the looks of it, probably not.


    Hyunsung was vignt enough, but he wasn¡¯t looking for a horrific battle.


    ¡®It¡¯s just the beginning.¡¯


    It was not over yet.


    At first, it seemed like a hassle to walk around so much, but this party gradually managed to escape this hellish ce.


    Sometimes battles happened, but they weren¡¯t all that dangerous.


    After walking for a while, I could see a slightly different entrance in front of me.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s a monster popping out.¡±


    ¡°I will enter after preparing for battle.¡±


    ¡°Hyung, let me take the lead.¡±


    ¡°Please do.¡±


    Arge door opened, and a familiar voice rang through my ears.


    [Rare-grade forced quest is activated.]


    [Rare Grade Quest Strategy (0/1)]


    We looked around as soon as we got in, but there seemed to be no monsters.


    What we saw in front of us was a ce that looked like a temple.


    A strange magic circle could be seen in the center, and another door was seen on the other side.


    Park Deokgu ran to the door and tried to push it, but the door did not open.


    ¡°The door doesn¡¯t seem to open.¡±


    ¡°Maybe there are some conditions we need to meet. Leaving out of this ce would be a sound strategy.¡±


    It was then that I thought that the situation changed a little.


    Unlike me, Park Deokgu and Jung Hayan both hesitated a little, and Kim Hyunsung slowly raised his hand as if he were seeing something very familiar.


    Magical power was gently sent to the magic circle in the center, and the magic circle in the center soon began to emit light.


    Looking around me now, it seemed a little funny seeing everyone so transfixed on the light.


    ¡°This is¡­ magic.¡±


    There was no such thing as a great quiz in the form of a monster we needed to attack.


    The answer to the quiz was magical power itself, which can be said to be a medium far from where we lived.


    [Rare-levelpulsory quest has beenpleted.]


    [Rare Grade Quest-Strategy (1/1)]


    [Rare Grade Quest-Survival (1/1)]


    ¡°Hyung.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s expression with clenched fists showed that he seemed to have done something. He didn¡¯t show much of his emotions, but from what I could see, what he had been doing seemed to be going as nned.


    At first nce, he actually seemed to be crying, but this wasn¡¯t the case at all.


    Unlike the intermittently trembling shoulders, there was a tremendous sense of aplishment just from the subtle facial expressions, so I knew I was right.


    ¡°It¡­ it looks so pretty.¡±


    ¡°It does.¡±


    Only


    The light finally gave way to what seemed to be an intricately designed pce.


    The lights emanating from the ground rose above the high ceiling, and the lights above the ceiling filled up the ce.


    Looking at the door on the other side slowly opening, I could see that I was really leaving this dungeon.


    Sunlightpletely different from artificially created light began to pour out.


    ¡®Sunshine.¡¯


    It was not thendscape that we automatically focused on, but those carrying armor and weapons. I saw a woman who seemed to be a representative approaching quietly.


    ¡°Congrattions on your life in the tutorial. I¡¯m Lee Sang-hee, and I¡¯m in charge of this tutorial dungeon.¡±


    We survived. It took us a moment to realize that.

 Chapter 38: New Environment (1)

    <h4>Chapter 38: New Environment (1)</h4>


    ¡°Congrattions on your performance in the tutorial. I¡¯m Lee Sang-hee, and I¡¯m in charge of this tutorial dungeon,¡± Lee Sang-hee¡¯s tone was quite polite.


    Upon looking at her quietly bowing her head and smiling slightly in our direction, I at least could see that Lee Sang-hee and the other people with her did not harbor hostile feelings toward us.


    On the contrary, the atmosphere felt a little friendly.


    ¡°What do you mean by being in charge of the tutorial dungeon?¡±


    ¡°Take it by its literal meaning. As a sub-guild master of the Free Guild of the Benigoa Empire, Blue, I am managing the tutorial dungeon for this episode.¡±


    ¡°Do you mean you have called us here?¡±


    ¡°No. We are also in the same position as you. One day, I was suddenly summoned to a tutorial dungeon and went through the same test. We just came here a little earlier than you. I don¡¯t know why this happened, or why the summoning ceremony began.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    ¡°Our mission is to take you after this tutorial dungeon is over and rescue the survivors who are still inside. Moreover, it is important not only to adapt and educate you, who have to live in a new environment, but also to guarantee a basic living right.¡±


    ¡°You mean the basic living space?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. This is a basic living area.¡±


    ¡°I see. Does this mean that you can only enter this ce after the attack is over?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. The tutorial dungeon door is open for about 3 days right after the attack. After exactly 3 days, the dungeon door will close again. We still haven¡¯t figured out why, but¡­ Anyway, you¡¯re here. Let¡¯s go inside before we divulge a more detailed story.¡±


    Simply put, I felt dumbstruck. I had never imagined that I would be able to experience this kind of a world. Moreover, there was something about Lee Sang-hee¡¯s attitude that I couldn¡¯t fathom.


    [Check yer Lee Sang-hee¡¯s status window and talent level.]


    [Name-Lee Sang-hee]


    [Title-Iron Blood]


    [Age-33]


    [ALIGNMENT-Ideal Mediator]


    [upation-Sacred Knight]


    [upational Effect-Acquisition of Basic Sword Skills]


    [upational Effect-Acquisition of Basic Shield Knowledge]


    [upational Effect-Intermediate Swordsmanship Knowledge Acquisition]


    [upational Effect-Acquisition of Advanced Sword Skills]


    [upational Effect-Acquisition of Basic Divine Knowledge]


    [upational Effects-Intermediate Divine Knowledge Acquisition]


    [Capacity]


    [Strength -82/Growth Limit: Hero or higher]


    [Dexterity-52Growth Limit: Rare or higher]


    [Health-90/Growth Limit: Hero or less]


    [Intellect -30/Growth Limit: Normal or less]


    [Endurance-91/Growth Limit: Hero or higher]


    [Good Luck -33/Growth Limit: Rare or less]


    [Magic -77/Growth Limit: Rare or higher]


    [Equipment]


    [Saint Caliber-Hero ss]


    [Iron-Blooded Shield-Hero Grade-Knight Only]


    [Strength Band-Rare Grade]


    [Talent-Iron Blood]


    [Overall review-The stats themselves are very good. It seems that she has already grown to some extent and has established herself. There is room for growth in the durability and strength stats, but other stats may be difficult to grow any further. It is by no means bad, but something is a bit disappointing. However, I don¡¯t want you to ignore her. It is impossible topare her with yer Lee Ki-young.]


    ¡®Ignore?¡¯


    Of course, I couldn¡¯t just ignore her.


    ¡®Monster.¡¯


    Even if we all tackled her now, we wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything to her. The same went for the other people with her.


    Judging from the stats, there was a difference between us that could not even bepared. If they wanted to, they could kill us in the blink of an eye.


    Nevertheless¡­


    ¡®Act friendly.¡¯


    I felt like I was acting too amicably. No, it felt like I was trying to lower my pride for the sake of pleasing them.


    ¡°Hwayeon?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Let me start searching for the survivors inside. It¡¯ll take some time to find them.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Okay.¡±


    Seeing the soldiers entering the dungeon, I thought it would only be a matter of time before all the other people, including Lee Ji-hye in the shelter, would be rescued.


    Here, I could see people of all ethnicities, not just Koreans.


    When Ipared what we were wearing to theirs, it felt like it was us who had adapted to an outdated style, while they were the modernized people. They probably thought of themselves as the locals of this world.


    While walking on the street and looking around warily, Lee Sang-hee opened her mouth to speak.


    Kim Hyun-sung replied to her, and from my distance, it was hard to hear what they were talking about. I thought that it would be better to listen to their conversations and gather information rather than participate in the conversation in person, so I drew nearer and quietly listened to their voices.


    ¡°You seem to havepleted the attack very quickly.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it usually like this?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Usually, the attack ends in about six months. It is certainly unusual toplete a dungeon attack within three months. Perhaps the dungeons here were attacked much faster than the dungeons elsewhere.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean there are other dungeons?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Several tutorial dungeons are also managed by the Republic or Kingdom Alliance. In the Holy Empire of Benigore, where we belong, we manage a total of three tutorial dungeons. It¡¯s not just Koreans. Races of various nationalities are usually summoned at their designated locations and take the tutorials.¡±


    ¡°I see. This is the fastest way for us to attack the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°For an easier exnation, then yes. It¡¯s usually taboo to ask what happened inside, but I¡¯m really curious about how you were able to break through it so quickly. That too¡­ A small group of only four people.¡±


    ¡°There were many circumstances. It¡¯s hard to tell everyone, but¡­ There wasn¡¯t a big crowd. It was a possible strategy because the people that¡¯re with me - that is, Lee Kiyoung, Jung Hayan, and Park Deokgu - yed their roles very efficiently. Oh, and there¡¯s also a makeshift camp on the ground floor. Please rescue the personnel there as well.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a shelter that we made. I took the survivors who I knew could fight, and I left people who couldn¡¯t hunt. We ran a separate raid team. We¡¯ve built and operated a bunch of walls in a safe ce, so they¡¯re probably still alive. We also made sure there was enough food.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Lee Sang-hee once again sported an unreadable expression upon hearing Kim Hyunsung¡¯s exnation.


    ¡®Mm-hm,¡¯ now, some things began to make sense to me. I was beginning toprehend what exactly the circumstances surrounding us are.


    ¡°That¡­ I see.¡±


    Lee Sang-hee¡¯s expression showed that she was struggling to keep up with the poker-faced fa?ade.


    ¡®Kim Hyun-sung, you fox.¡¯


    Perhaps the ace and protagonist of our party had been trying to hide his true power by disguising it with verbal humility andmendable acting.


    As I swung back and looked at the tutorial dungeon, I saw people back from the dungeon appearing one by one.


    They seemed to be the types of people who chose to hide by themselves, not with the group we had left.


    Of course, that didn¡¯t mean that they could maintain their bravado. Some people were crying, and others were anxiously asking where this ce was. It was normal to feel this way, after all.


    Even the attitudes of those who were armedpared to others who weren¡¯t, were strangely different from this debacle.


    They all looked a little coercive, and were looking down.


    ¡°Where is this? I thought¡­ why¡­?¡±


    ¡°Mom¡­ Mom¡­ Uh huh¡­¡±


    ¡°This will allow us to regroupter right away. I¡¯ll give you a valid exnationter. First, we must go outside together. Hey! Hey there! Can you not quiet down?!¡±


    ¡°Hey! Where are we?! Where is this ce?!¡±


    ¡°Hey! Let us out now! ¡±


    ¡°Let us go!¡±


    ¡°Wow¡­ Where is this?¡±


    ¡°I told you that I can give exnations once we have all been settled down. Please control yourselves. First of all, you must all calm down! You are safe. There is no more danger. Please calm down.¡±


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    How they treated the other survivors were totally different from how they had treated us. After all, theirs were the general reactions.


    It would bemon to cry, blow, and panic asking for help. However, our party was a little different.


    Kim Hyunsung, who seemed too calm, as well as Jung Hayan, were just sticking to my side and were not responding to the new and noisier environment.


    The same could be said for Park Deokgu, which was a surprise considering his stressful tendency to relentlessly ask questions.


    From Lee Sang-hee¡¯s point of view, it might be a little embarrassing to show our true, weird personalities at this point in time.


    After all, this was the party that had cleared the tutorial dungeons spread all over the world in the shortest time, and with only four people!


    That wasn¡¯t even all.


    In addition to being visibly calm, we had also used our wits enough to form a makeshift shelter for the rest of our fellow survivors.


    I understand how Lee Sang-hee could also feel embarrassed upon her initial treatment of us.


    The way they regarded us differed from how they treated those who chose to ¡®survive¡¯ without fighting, hiding, and running away.


    Just by participating as a target team in the first ce meant that you could adapt well to this environment.


    If this was a system that centered on a republic and on guilds, then the locals here must have been looking for people who could conform to their society. I didn¡¯t know if this was an appropriate example, but it was like we were rookie sports yers whose worth had all risen, and people like Lee Sang-hee were the clubs that were trying to scout us.


    Assuming that there weren¡¯t many yers like us, there was one thing you can expect if the number of clubs was high.


    ¡®We are the best.¡¯


    Right now, we were the rare yers they needed on the team. This would also exin why Kim Hyunsung was trying his best to hide his true talent until now.


    Like a cunning fox, it seemed that he wanted to raise our worth even higher by exining what we had done in a manner that seemed as if doing all these was natural to us.


    If you were going to sell, you might as well bring up the price to the highest attainable range.


    Of course, there was no way for us to know what Kim Hyunsung¡¯s n was right now, but I knew it had something to do with how we were going to be regarded in this world.


    I couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    ¡®Feel so good. I knew I made the right choice.¡¯


    ¡°Come in.¡±


    The room where Lee Sang-hee guided us to had a luxurious interior. Its design was so colorful and vibrant that it was hard to believe something like this could be situated so near a dull dungeon.


    ¡°The drink¡­ Oh, if necessary, we will serve you meals as well.¡±


    ¡°Do you have anything we can eat?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s a little different from what you eat on Earth, but it¡¯s probably much better than what you eat in the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Then please.¡±


    The blue g and props in the room seemed to try their best to show the status of the blue guild managing this dungeon as much as they possibly could.


    I felt like I¡¯d been too observant today.


    I also didn¡¯t know what my next n would be. Do I try to make myself seem as elusive as possible to increase my own worth? But then again, what about Kim Hyunsung¡¯s n?


    ¡°Ah. Come to think of it, I didn¡¯t catch your names. If it isn¡¯t too much of a bother, may I ask for your names?¡±


    ¡°I am Kim Hyunsung. I am a prosecutor.¡±


    It was quite surprising to hear Hyunsung state his job so casually.


    Park Deokgu and Jung Hayan both took this as encouragement to introduce themselves right away.


    ¡°Shield soldier, Park Deokgu.¡±


    ¡°I am called Jung, Jung Hayan. My job is a wizard¡­¡±


    Naturally, Lee Sang-hee¡¯s gaze fell upon me.


    I wondered if it would be good to hide my job, but I decided that it was not necessary for the moment.


    Thinking that it would be better to join this rank of ransom raising, I nodded before speaking.


    ¡°Lee Ki-young. I am an alchemist.¡±


    Only


    Unlike the other three, I was already on my second job.


    While I thought this would prove to be satisfactory to hear, Lee Sang-hee¡¯s regretful expression seemed to tell me otherwise.


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    Her expression was a dead giveaway. It disappeared as quickly as it hade, but thanks to my observing skills, it was impossible for me not to catch it.


    ¡°Ah, that sounds sweet. You¡¯re already on your 2nd job change¡­¡± her tone of voice was different from the awe-inspiring one I was hoping for.


    Naturally, I looked towards Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡®You said being an alchemist would be good, you bad guy¡­¡¯

 Chapter 39: New environment (2)

    <h4>Chapter 39: New environment (2)</h4>


    ming Kim Hyunsung was the first thing that popped into my head.


    Although I was automatically suspicious by nature, I thought that Kim Hyunsung had no reason to deceive me.


    I knew there must be a reason for rmending the Alchemist job to me. Otherwise, there would be no merit for him in giving me a hero-grade item. It may have been a small investment for him, but Lee Sang-hee also only had two hero-grade items from what I saw.


    I don¡¯t know how many years she had been on this floor, but if you thought about her, who had already changed her job several times and has reached her growth limit, the hero-grade item was definitely¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s worth it.¡¯


    Maybe Kim Hyunsung wanted his own personal potion-making factory? Considering his attitude, it didn¡¯t seem that way.


    ¡®You have to believe in him.¡¯


    It was probably a job that seemed to irk a lot of people.


    In the future, a time wille when an alchemist would be precious in some way. If not, it could be a job that would show efficiencyter in terms of growth.


    Kim Hyunsung and I had gone through a lot together alongside Jung Hayan and Park Deokgu. I saw no reason for him to harm me.


    He wouldn¡¯t be an idiot with his line of thinking, so I knew there was definitely a reason why he chose this job for me.


    ¡®It¡¯s not just about me bing a potion factory.¡¯


    Although, I knew that would be considered a bonus.


    While I was stuck in deep thought, our meals came, and the atmosphere once again shifted into something that felt more ambiguous.


    Although these people were clearly friendly, I knew they were all secretly looking for people with abilities that suited their interests.


    Park Deokgu, ever the carefree one, had already started digging into his meal with gusto. Kim Hyunsung and Lee Sang-hee, on the other hand, seemed to be in deep thoughts.


    Painfully oblivious to this, Park Deokgu began to talk in an attempt to maintain the cozy atmosphere.


    ¡°This is delicious. I don¡¯t know how long it¡¯s been since I¡¯ve eaten hot food.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re enjoying it.¡±


    ¡°My grandmother told me not to trust anyone who gives me free food¡­ I guess the Korean affection is still alive! Isn¡¯t it, Hyung?¡±


    I was sure my expression right now would resemble that of a recently stabbed person. My cheeks flushed in embarrassment.


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    Kim Hyunsung spoke up urgently in an attempt to save face.


    ¡°I think it is. This is exactly what Deokgu said. Thank you for your good treatment, but I wonder why you are being so good to us. Of course, I don¡¯t mean that in an offensive manner. It just¡­ It just feels like overkill as an after-tutorial celebration. I apologize if I have offended anyone.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no. I am¡­ Sorry. That¡¯s right. Everything will be confusing. It seems that I couldn¡¯t read your minds because you all were acting too calmly. When I think about what happened inside, it makes sense that I can¡¯t easily trust people. After all, I¡¯ve gone through the same thing, too. We are sorry for not being able to give you a more detailed exnation in advance.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no. I did not say this with that kind of intention.¡±


    ¡°I think it would be better to exin the background of this ce first.¡±


    ¡°Yes, please. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°This ce is a little different from Earth, but it has a simr structure. There are three countries living in bnce: The Kingdom Union, the Republic, and the Holy Empire to which we belong. Of course, there are free countries and other kingdoms that are not included here¡­ It is the three countries I mentioned earlier that have thergest scale.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°Obviously, it was not us who made this country. In addition to us, there are locals who have lived here. The rtionship between us from Earth and the residents who lived here is entangled withplex interests.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Our Blue Guild, technically speaking, belongs to and not from the Benigor Empire. We are free from theirws, but we live in theirnd and have their cooperation and support. It¡¯s not just Blue. All the groups established here are working through a contract with the Holy Empire of Benigor.¡±


    This roughly made sense to me.


    This was a situation that seemed fortunate to me in many aspects. Each group had some degree of autonomy beyond the influence of the empire. Of course, they had to exchange other stuff in return for their freedom.


    For example, they would be drafted in the event of a war¡­ Or they would also have to deal withplicated stuff like taxes.


    If one were to look at the fact that the country had not been turned upside down at once, the three countries mentioned above might have something that did not let them feel threatened by the sudden appearance of the guilds.


    Guilds that exercise autonomy still need things like support or resources. They would still need to be bound to their respective countries in some way.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°The tutorial dungeon is held once every year. In the Holy Empire, we took over the management of the tutorial dungeon to our Gentiles.¡±


    ¡°Is that the Blue Guild?¡±


    ¡°No. Management is based on a rotation system. Severalrge guilds and small and medium-sized guilds gather to decide whose turn it will be. That¡¯s what it means to be in charge of the dungeon this time. Our Blue Guild got the first right to bargain with you as well as the management of this round.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fair.¡±


    That fairness would have only been made possible by the Holy Empire. For some reason, I couldn¡¯t imagine how the people of Earth could decide the order if the situation were reversed.


    Perhaps there were moreplex interests beneath the surface, but for now, I found no reason to know them right away.


    ¡°So what does this mean? Does this mean that we belong in your guild?¡±


    ¡°No. I have only mentioned the first right to bargain. It will be easier to understand if I say that we are apany, and you are the people who are waiting for the job and sry negotiations on this.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    As expected¡­


    ¡°You can think of thisrge room and food as our version of a bribe to you. Yes. That¡¯s what it is,¡± Lee Sang-hee sported a bitter smile.


    All my guesses had been true thus far, but what I didn¡¯t expect was Lee Sang-hee¡¯s honest reaction.


    ¡®She¡¯s being too honest.¡¯


    Honestly¡­


    In fact, if it were me who was in Lee Sang-hee¡¯s ce, I would have lied about more than half of the story.


    The only truth I could have stated was that it only described the reality surrounding the continent rather than individual subjective opinions.


    This woman was too straight. Such honesty and uprightness must have been garnered through her personal experiences.


    Perhaps she was trying to make us feel that if we were to join the Blue Guild, we would enjoy a transparentmunity.


    ¡®This means that they are desperate.¡¯


    It was the only exnation I could think of. At this, I immediately opened my mouth.


    ¡°I have a question.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°What is the Blue Guild¡¯s position in the Benignor Empire?¡±


    Lee Sang-hee hesitated for a moment, but in the end, she nodded and began to respond.


    ¡°The Blue Guild was one of the guilds representing the Holy Empire. I couldn¡¯t say that our influence was big, but¡­¡±


    ¡°You mean, it was big in the past.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I have nothing to say except that there were unavoidable circumstances we couldn¡¯t get over. However, I would like you to think about the possibilities in the future. Not only does it have the same growth potential as otherrge guilds, but also the amount or conditions to be presented to you will not be pushed by other guilds.¡±


    This would be a risky decision. We did not know how much we had to give in order to gain something in return.


    If she paid arge sum of money to recruit us and we ended up not meeting their expected results, then I knew there would be hell to pay.


    Of course, they also had to consider the fact that we just passed the tutorial dungeon.


    Even though it wouldn¡¯t be bad to invest in us, given the various possibilities, such as the fact that four people made incredible results, they seemed to want to take the earliest opportunity to grab us before the other guilds could.


    ¡®They really are desperate.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know what was going on, but it was clear that the current situation for the Blue Guild wasn¡¯t good at all.


    Otherwise, there would be no reason for them to gamble like this.


    ¡°I know the information I¡¯ve given you so far doesn¡¯t seem sufficient. However, you shouldn¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll tell you all the details soon enough.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Thank you.¡±


    Hyunsung Kim emitted a positive aura as he responded. Because of this, I felt that it was okay to listen to the story as well.


    It would be better to know my options more, seeing as I still did not have a n as of yet.


    ¡®Am I still being considered as a candidate?¡¯


    A guild that was once at its peak, but was now declining, was a usible prey.


    Anyway, as our side took a favorable position, Lee Sang-hee¡¯s face brightened.


    ¡°Then take a good rest today¡­ And then tomorrow¡­ Would you mind?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. We will,¡± Kim Hyunsung nodded slightly.


    Lee Sang-hee smiled in response and began to guide us to their respective quarters.


    Unlike the sticky and unpleasant ground floor, seeing a room with a tempting-looking bed was like heaven.


    However, like Lee Sang-hee had admitted, this was just a bribe.


    The moment we agree to sign a contract with them would be the moment we would start to lead an uncertain life. However, if the merits looked this good¡­


    ¡°If you have anyints, please do not hesitate to call me. I won¡¯t be far.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Thank you for caring for us.¡±


    As she walked out, her gazended on me for a moment. I still did not know how I was faring in her internal evaluation of our worth.


    The main, delectable choice was Kim Hyunsung, but I opened my mouth anyway, pretending not to notice her. Instead, I zeroed in on Park Deokgu.


    ¡°It¡¯s a little sudden, but¡­ I can¡¯t imagine we¡¯re being treated like this. This kind of VIP treatment confuses me a little.¡±


    ¡°I am too, Hyung. No¡­ It¡¯s a world full of contracts, empires, and headaches. Did you understand a little?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ Roughly¡­¡±


    ¡°You can think of it simply. Mr. Deokgu, Mr. Kiyoung, we are in a position to be treated favorably now. In fact, I can dare to say that if it were another guild in charge of management right now, we would still be treated the same. After these first negotiations are over, there may be several proposalsing from elsewhere.¡±


    ¡°All of this hurts my head.¡±


    ¡°Please take your time. Think about where it¡¯s best to go. Rather, this might be better than arge guild. The conditions may be a bit bad, but it¡¯s a ce that needs us right now, so ourfortable treatment will be guaranteed to some extent.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Do you mean we should go to a ce where people find us of any use?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s a simple feeling, but Lee Sang-hee¡­ She doesn¡¯t look like a bad person. The same goes for the Blue Guild. I don¡¯t know for what reason it fell, but I don¡¯t think it will make me feel so sad as I care about rebuilding the guild.¡±


    Park Deokgu simply nodded at Kim Hyunsung¡¯s words.


    However, it was apparent that Park Deokgu and Jung Hayan were not interested in what was happening, nor did they have an inkling of what the circumstances truly were.


    It seemed that Kim Hyunsung and I were the only ones who had an idea here.


    What was a little surprising to me was that Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t seem to want to be independent. In fact, he seemed to have warmed up to the Blue Guild almost immediately.


    ¡®Lee Sang-hee?¡¯


    She seemed like a person who didn¡¯t have any big connections, but considering the possibility that Kim Hyunsung may have been active in this guild during his first time, it will not seem bad to be active here again.


    ¡°Are you going to stay with this guild?¡±


    ¡°Oppa?¡±


    ¡°I need to think a little more about that. You¡¯ll know when tomorrowes. I haven¡¯t decided what path I should take yet. It would be better to have a little spare time.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. You have to think about all the different possibilities. Yes. Indeed, there are many to choose from.¡±


    The atmosphere now was a mix of wariness and coziness.


    I couldn¡¯t figure out what Kim Hyunsung was thinking, but for now, I had no choice but to lie in bed.


    I stayed up all nightst night, and now my drowsiness was slowly catching up to me.


    As I said before, the surrounding area was quite busy the next morning.


    I didn¡¯t know where Lee Ji-hye or the others who were in the shelter were, but they were probably rescued safely and stayed in a different ce than us.


    I had to focus on what was important right now.


    ¡®Bargaining¡­¡¯


    I would have to think about how much money and support should be given to recruiting all four of us.


    To the Blue Guild executives, I thought today could be seen as the most important day.


    After eating breakfast and washing up, I waited impatiently for something to happen. Finally, I saw some people calling out to us.


    I thought about whether we would negotiate as a group, but I knew it wasn¡¯t bound to happen.


    ¡°Hyunsung.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    The first choice would obviously be Kim Hyunsung.


    I didn¡¯t know what was going on, but after Kim Hyunsung entered, the sound of apuse could be heard from a mile away.


    I knew Jung Hayan and Park Deokgu would garner the same attention as him.


    After all, they passed the initial screening of what I had begun to call the ¡®interview.¡¯


    ¡®I hate this atmosphere¡­¡¯


    I felt like I was the only blight in this otherwise perfect team.


    I envied Park Deokgu and Jung Hayan. Both looked blissfully unaware of what exactly was happening. My statspared to them were horrible beyond repair.


    If I let them know that I used magic, I would probably be considered a trap card.


    However, the ability to use magic was by no means bad stat. My growth was limited, but at this point, I was sure I could be a highly capable Alchemist.


    I had high intelligence and could craft a magical power that no one couldpare to. As I began to indulge myself in a disillusioned situation where I could be considered of use, a voice rang out,


    ¡°Mr. Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes.¡±


    The door opened to reveal Lee Sang-hee, along with other people whose faces looked unfamiliar to me.


    One of them must be the guild¡¯s executive or personnel manager. One particr man, who wore sses and looked a little old, opened his mouth¡­


    ¡°Ah¡­ Mr. Kiyoung must have a job¡­ Ah. You said you were an alchemist.¡±


    ¡°Yes. When the second ss opened, I chose to follow the path of the alchemist,¡± I felt a bit embarrassed by the atmosphere as if I was already doomed to fail.


    Lee Sang-hee could now properly keep her poker face in ce, but the slight disapproval was evident on the other people¡¯s faces.


    Upon observing this, my hopes were shattered. I knew I would not be as weed here.


    Only


    Unlike Kim Hyunsung, Park Deokgu, and Jung Hayan, there was no room in this Guild for me.


    It felt like I had already lost the talent show before I could even showcase my talents.


    Lee Sang-hee looked towards me and smiled widely as if trying to lighten up the atmosphere.


    ¡°The down payment is 1,500 gold. That is 150 million won in Korean currency. The contract period is 700 gold for 7 years. It is the same as how we charge other people¡­ How is it? Of course, we will not only renegotiate the annual sry afterwards, but also provide maximum support for the items you¡¯ll need.¡±


    The old man next to her looked stubborn, so it was a miracle that Lee Sang-hee even bothered to assign me a contract as well.


    At this point, one could see what was going on.


    ¡®These beggars¡­¡¯


    Did these guys really see me as an idiot?

 Chapter 40: Contract

    <h4>Chapter 40: Contract</h4>


    This was, by no means, a bad story.


    In the end, I was offered a contract with a sum that totaled 150 million won.


    The currency here summed up to having 1,500 gold as down payment and an annual sry of 700 gold. The annual sry in itself was a whopping 70 million won in Hanwha. I still didn¡¯t know how much evaluation the neers to this ce got, but I honestly felt like I got a significantly heftier sum than most of them did.


    However, even with this tempting bribe, I knew that they did not genuinely want to recruit me. There could have been many reasons, but the main thing I could think of was that my potential was way below average. Compared to mypanions, I was seen as the weaker one that needed to be carried everywhere he went.


    My chosen job as an alchemist, along with my low magic, were surely the reasons why my evaluation had lowered considerably.


    I wanted to speak up but found myself frozen in ce. My body suddenly felt like heavy lead, and I felt like puking the remnants of what I ate the day before.


    ¡®Right¡­¡¯


    This situation made me wonder just how much they were willing to sacrifice to have the whole team recruited. They knew the others would not agree if I weren¡¯t a part of the recruitment.


    Lee Sang-hee once again opened her mouth. I knew she sensed my uneasiness and embarrassment.


    ¡°You won¡¯t be getting just that. I can¡¯t exin everything right now, but there are also many welfare ns avable. You can think of these as incentives, like on Earth. Typically, it is possible to use various basic insurance such as ident insurance and death insurance. You are also free to use the facilities in the guild. I will also assign you a personal coach. Ah! Even if you get married or have a child, you will be paid basic support. In fact, there are not so many people who are getting married these days¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right. Is there any reason?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps it is because being in a guild exposes you to unknown dangers. The situation now may be better than the tutorial dungeon itself, but one can never be too careful. The Blue Guild mainly maintains the guild through dungeon exploration or monster hunting. Of course, as much as we go hunting, we also operate a performance system. The by-products of monsters that appear after the hunt is over are divided between the guild and the hunting party at a rate of about 40% to 60%. The exact figure is¡­¡±


    ¡°It makes sense that you are exposed to danger. Does the down payment and annual sry include the risk allowance?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s probably a bitrger than what you imagine,¡± again, she answered honestly. On the other hand, I felt like quite the professional to ask questions like these.


    I don¡¯t know how long it had been since the Earth¡¯s people have been here, but I felt like it had been a very long time. How else would they think of such long-term backups such as insurance?


    ¡®You smart aleck.¡¯


    ¡°As an alchemist, we will provide you with the catalysts you need as much as possible. Of course, it may be difficult to support expensive items, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Lee Sang-hee¡­¡±


    ¡°It is good to be honest.¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­¡±


    ¡°This is everything that Blue Guild can offer you.¡±


    I liked how Lee Sang-hee had chosen to present herself to me. She showed me respect and gave me ample time to process everything.


    However, the elderly members sitting on either side of her were the problem. I could feel their disapproval from a mile away. These were undoubtedly the types who were openly judgmental. However, one problem still stood for them - they did not know just how emotionally attached I was to the other three.


    I thought that teaming up with these people would be a short-term n, but it turns out that I was being carried more than I thought possible.


    ¡®Perhaps some parts of them could feel, after all.¡¯


    Did these people see too many scenarios with loss? Did they experience it themselves?


    I could say for sure that they also had colleagues in the past that they fought together with, and were now dead. That must have been traumatic.


    Even on Earth, seeing brothers, families, and undivided friends copse because of their interests, the circumstances of such an adult will be the same here and there.


    ¡®However, even if they choose to set aside emotions, my friends will not.¡¯


    Absolutely not.


    There was no way Park Deokgu and Jung Hayan would agree to kick me out of the team. I could also say the same for Kim Hyunsung, who already chose to make me one of his investments.


    We were closer than these elders would like to think, and we all had our individualistic interests that they would never know.


    I found their open hostility ridiculous.


    It wasmendable that they had chosen to include me and had gone so far as to present a heftier sum as a bribe, but the lingering stares of disapproval made me feel quite bad all the same.


    Not toobad, mind you.


    Rather, this kind of situation exuded more pleasure than embarrassment.


    ¡®You idiots.¡¯


    Soon enough, these elders will know to respect me and not look down on me.


    They would eventually know how advantageous it would be to be on my side.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but it looks like a good deal all the same. I know you thought about this carefully.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course. You won¡¯t be disappointed.¡±


    ¡°Is there a nobatant army in the Blue Guild?¡±


    ¡°There is.¡±


    A beat passed before one of the elders spoke to me.


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Kiyoung. In fact, strictly speaking, alchemists are ssified as nobatants. And there will be no other guild offering such contract terms for an alchemist.¡±


    ¡°Ah. I see. That¡¯s kind of weird. I thought something like alchemy magic would exist.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not very efficient, you see. Although it is said that this type of job uses a catalyst to activate magic¡­ Well, monster by-products are expensive. Yeonseongjin, which is often used by alchemists, is not very efficient for us.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°If the alchemist himself has enough magic power, the story will be a little different¡­ May I ask you how much magical stats you have?¡±


    ¡°I have 8.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I don¡¯t think it¡¯s too high for a second job change. Maybe the growth of magical power was a little slow¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It doesn¡¯t seem like it¡¯s rising fastpared to intellect, or when youpare it to fellow wizards.¡±


    ¡°s¡­ I see, okay, okay.¡±


    I could see the look in his eyes and knew what it meant. My worth went down a little lower from our brief conversation.


    However, I knew he was willing to ept me because if he didn¡¯t, he would not get Kim Hyunsung or Jung Hayan onboard as well.


    ¡°So, how is the contract turning out for you?¡±


    Nevertheless, he had to keep up with this infuriating fa?ade until all of our contracts were secured.


    Once I nced at the contract, I began to speak slowly.


    ¡°I do not know. I think I need to think a little more.¡±


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah. First of all, I would like to say that I find your offer very good, but I want you to give me some more time to think.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh. I would like you to give you an answer rtively quickly. We don¡¯t have time left either¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I will think about it as quickly as possible.¡±


    ¡°And I would like you to talk this over with your friends as well.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course.¡±


    At this, Lee Sang-hee began to speak once again. Her voice this time sounded urgent.


    ¡°All of these are included in the catalog and contract of the Blue Guild. If you read it while you think¡­ It will probably help.¡±


    ¡°Okay, thank you. I¡¯ll read itter.¡±


    The truth was, I knew it would not be worth reading.


    ¡®Everything will be reversed within a few days anyway.¡¯


    When I went outside, I saw Park Deokgu, Jung Hayan, and Kim Hyunsung waiting for me. The curious looks on their faces made meugh.


    ¡°Did you not take any special exams?¡±


    ¡°What? No!¡±


    ¡°Actually, the treatment looks pretty good.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Kiyoung. Personally, I did a little bit of research, but it seems that otherrge guilds do not offer this level of condition. What they say is true. Even though our growth potential was not clearly seen, they were kind enough to offer us this much¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah. They also seemed like good people, Oppa.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps they are gamblers in their own way. There will be pressure to sessfullyplete this recruitment. They are the types who think that people are precious resources.¡±


    To be honest, didn¡¯t look like the guys were thinking that way.


    ¡°It may be an early judgment, but what about it? It would be a little better to get solid support here than to be in arge guild.¡±


    ¡°If you like it, then I¡¯m joining.¡±


    ¡°Me, too¡­¡±


    After all, our loyal Park Deokgu and Jung Hayan would never betray me. However, it seemed to me that Kim Hyunsung already had his mind set on joining the Blue Guild.


    It even felt like he was being urgent about it.


    I knew he was thinking that it would be safer to have a backup than forming a personal force.


    Like him, I would have made the same choice.


    There were certainly advantages to forming a force personally. Not only would it move ording to our will, but there were also a lot more options to choose from.


    However, entering the Blue Guild also had its own set of advantages.


    One could enjoy the establishments and facilities already put up by the guild. If it was Kim Hyunsung and Jung Hayan, it wouldn¡¯t be a job for them to be the guild¡¯s main force.


    His choice was, all in all, certainly reasonable.


    ¡°Of course, there is no reason to be in a hurry. I think it would be better to talk a little more and think about it¡­ I like this guild a little.¡±


    Kim Hyunsung opened his mouth, careful not to show that he was feeling nervous, ¡°I think it would be better to think about it a little more.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Don¡¯t you like it?¡±


    ¡°No. I mean yes I do, but¡­¡±


    ¡°But?¡±


    ¡°They could have offered us a little more money.¡±


    ¡°You think so?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps there is a way to raise the payment some more.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    If Kim Hyunsung truly valued the Blue Guild, he would have epted the offer as fast as possible. However, it seemed like this wasn¡¯t the case at all.


    Like me, he was looking for a way to garner more power.


    Kim Hyunsung blinked. He seemed to realize just how much he had exposed himself. Honestly speaking, I didn¡¯t know what his n was, but what he said was sound. Our party had more time to think about it.


    As soon as we came out of the tutorial dungeon, there would be no setbacks in the scenarios in his head.


    ¡°What are you talking about¡­ Oh, I think I know.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. There is no need to rush the contract, Mr. Hyunsung. The more you drag on, the more anxious they will be about us.¡±


    Kim Hyunsung clearly understood what I was talking about.


    ¡°Then¡­ You mean you can get more for us there? Actually, money doesn¡¯t really matter that much¡­¡±


    Only


    ¡°What? Oh, right.¡±


    ¡°You mean¡­ Are you thinking about going somewhere else?¡±


    ¡°Well, that can¡¯t be, Oppa!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that. I want to be with all of you too. Of course, I want to be with Hyunsung as well. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Even though this strange ce has a bond¡­ I want to go with Kiyoung, Deokgu, and Hayan.¡±


    The atmosphere once again shifted into a cozy one.


    When I looked at Kim Hyunsung again, an involuntaryugh came out of me.


    ¡®I¡¯ll make you make a lot of money, Hyunsung.¡¯

 Chapter 41: Let’s raise the ransom (1)

    <h4>Chapter 41: Let¡¯s raise the ransom (1)</h4>


    What the Blue Guild suggested to us was an investment in itself. It was like winning a scratch card lottery, minus the scratching.


    I had to hand it to them. They made sure to give us an offer that would feel like a major loss if we were to refuse it.


    Yes, it was surprising for them to find out that the group who would finish the tutorial dungeon in the shortest time would only consist of four people, but they were also smart enough to act on this surprising fact as fast as possible.


    ¡®I¡¯m not stupid.¡¯


    Rather, it could be said that they were really thepetitive types.


    Returning back to reality, I caught sight of Park Deokgu reading something. Tilting my head, I asked him, ¡°Are you reading the catalog?¡±


    ¡°Well, yes. We might end up staying here one way or another, so I figured finding out more about them wouldn¡¯t hurt. Their guild restaurant sounds so nice!¡±


    ¡°Well?¡±


    ¡°Well, when I was on Earth, the star chef Rayman Park, my grandfather, had been in charge of our restaurant¡­ Just looking at his food would make me drool¡­¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why the guild¡¯s amodations seem awesome to me. Maybe I could be just as much of a sessful chef as my family members. My grandfather would be proud¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t know if this was an appropriate thought, but I almost felt sure that Park Deokgu¡¯s grandfather wouldn¡¯t want him to be living in a world like this.


    ¡°I think the guild is very intriguing¡­ How big are the other guilds?¡±


    ¡°It probably won¡¯t make much of a difference if wepare Blue Guild to the others. They said it wasn¡¯t the same as before, but even if a rich man lost his business, he can stillst three years. If one was able to umte so much over the span of many years, then they must also know how to survive. I¡¯m not sure if they want to recruit us because they want to regain their former glory¡­¡±


    ¡°Same here. I feel like I¡¯ve be a special person because of the way I¡¯m being treated, and I don¡¯t think I feel bad about it, Hyung.¡±


    ¡°In the future, you will be treated with more respect.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Sure, you will.¡±


    He was right about that part. It definitely wouldn¡¯t take long.


    After all, we were lottery tickets whose potentials have not yet been scratched. Anyone here with any sense would know that there was a high probability of winning if they recruited us. That was the whole reason why they were willing to give us morepensation than what was necessary, after all.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think Hayan would be so treasured here as well. I also didn¡¯t think she would be so attached to you. I suppose wherever you choose to go, she will follow.¡±


    ¡°Even if you don¡¯t say that, you yourself are doing well enough. I am only following these guild procedures because they¡¯re necessary.¡±


    ¡°Still.¡±


    ¡®You don¡¯t have to say it like that¡­¡¯


    Even if Park Deokgu didn¡¯t say it, I already knew how important Jung Hayan was. She was one of the biggest reasons why we were such a desirable team to have.


    In the future, once they achieved legendary magical stats talent, Jung Hayan would be an Archmage, and Kim Hyunsung would be, forck of a better term, a regret-free returner.


    Potential ability was not simply the limit of ability. It was not a fixed measurement of how much one could grow, too. yers with enough determination could surpass their own set limits depending on how far they were willing to go.


    This was where intelligence and luck came in.


    In the case of Jung Hayan, she would have alreadypleted her second job soon; what with her scary capacity for magic power, it was expected.


    ¡®The Elemental Wizard.¡¯


    That would be the second job I would rmend for her. I knew Kim Hyunsung would agree with me.


    Unlike me, Jung Hayan seemed to have an affinity for all elements. Even the alchemist job could not be found on her former job list.


    In the first ce, she had no reason to choose such a job. Right from the start, Jung Hayan¡¯s stats were already pretty obvious. She was a wizard through and through.


    Considering how much we had gone through, and how easily she had supported us throughout the entire tutorial dungeon, she was already growing at a very fast pace.


    What she needed was the slightest opportunity, and her stats would skyrocket.


    I don¡¯t know if what happened in the dungeon became traumatic for her, but I had to make sure I took advantage of this and have her attached to me.


    Because of this, I had created an unspoken rule that could be ced between Jung Hayan and me. This, in itself, made sure that I would be able to reap the rewards alongside her.


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    Of course, the effect was more than I imagined.


    I had only started off with simple praises, gradually increasing my attempts to deepen our rtionship.


    At first, all I had to do was stroke her head and hold her hand, but as I raised the level little by little, I started to obsess even over her performance.


    Over time, she had proven that her real goal was not to achieve pure strength or fame but to continually receive praise from me. The fact that I showed no approval whatsoever when Jung Hayan did nothing also made her quite desperate and determined.


    Perhaps the reason Park Deokgu said that was because of our current situation. He hardly saw me during the demonstration and had correctly guessed that something was off.


    Among us, it was not Park Deokgu, Kim Hyunsung, nor I, but Jung Hayan, who spent the most time on personal training.


    ¡°I¡¯m probably the one in the team who always causes blunders and gives everyone a hard time.¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not true¡­¡±


    ¡°This demonstration where our statuses determine how the Blue Guild or other guilds perceive us is very important. If I mess things up for everyone¡­ Anyway, I¡¯m d they decided to ept us as a team.¡±


    ¡°Oh, please. You are doing great yourself.¡±


    ¡°One has to learn how to set themselves apart in this kind of thing. I can¡¯t be stuck forever. This is a good moment to talk about this.¡±


    ¡°Then why are you doing this demonstration in the first ce?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s almost a routine for athletes. They need to know how much we¡¯re worth so they can set the correct price. It¡¯s a little bad, but¡­ It would be worse if I mess things up for everyone.¡±


    ¡°Oh, the more I think about it, the more I think I know why Hayan really likes you.¡±


    I held the urge tough. Park Deokgu was so innocent that it was actually kind of endearing. Little did he know that Jung Hayan¡¯s feelings had already gone past just liking. Most of that was thanks to Park Deokgu¡¯s active intervention.


    At this point, I started wondering if Park Deokgu really was as clueless as he seemed, or if he was just trying to hide how much he really knew.


    I shook my head and responded,


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Hyung.¡±


    ¡°Walk faster.¡±


    ¡°What? No¡­¡±


    We took note of our surroundings as we started to move. The lush scenery was such a stark contrast to the drab tutorial dungeon.


    This felt luxurious, safe, and treated.


    Looking out the window, I could see that the people rescued from the shelter were gathering and doing something. Perhaps they were receiving mandatory education that was required by this new world.


    Lee Jihye saw us for a moment, but she quickly focused on something else. Following her gaze, I saw what caught her eye. It was an internal smokehouse.


    There were quite a few people already gathered around.


    The clothes worn by these people looked quite luxurious, regardless of their rank or status. Apparently, it was not just the Blue Guild executives who dressed this way.


    Those with different gs, looking somewhere around the training hall like a director of argepany, certainly looked like people from other guilds.


    ¡®Scouter?¡¯


    Yes, these people were probably looking for talents.


    Peering closely at their faces told me what I already knew. These people were anxious to find someone worthy of bringing back to their guilds.


    It was already a week ago that the demonstration had been done, with the Blue Guild having first dibs on whoever they deemed fit to recruit for themselves.


    Except for when I checked how she was faring, I hadn¡¯t seen Jung Hayan in three days.


    I felt particrly fine as I had other things to think about for these past days, but it seemed that it had been excruciating for Jung Hayan.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t she seem a little¡­ sad?¡±


    ¡°A little.¡±


    Actually, I looked like she was more tired than sad.


    She said he woulde to see the day of my demonstration, but it seemed like she herself wasn¡¯t doing too well.


    Seeing as she kept looking around, I guessed that she had been looking for me. Someone then approached her and spoke in a lower voice. Startled, Jung Hayan turned to the person and immediately reddened.


    ¡°Oppa! Oh¡­ Oh, s-sorry! I was hoping¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you look a little weird right now?¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s because I¡¯m feeling nervous. And¡­ It hasn¡¯t been long since I left the dungeon. I don¡¯t know what to expect yet.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be too nervous. I¡¯m sure everyone here knows how traumatic the experience has been, so they won¡¯t be too hard on us.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know who spoke in response to Hayan¡¯s words, but I was d that someone else could understand the situation correctly.


    ¡®However, the rest of these people¡­¡¯


    All I could see were people shifting restlessly wherever I looked.


    I wondered if anyone here felt confident at all, but I was pretty sure I would find no one like that here. Shrugging, I raised my hand high in the air. Jung Hayan spotted me in an instant.


    ¡®You can¡¯t ruin it,¡¯ this was an important event.


    -s. If you are ready, Jung Hayan, give a signal.


    At this, Jung Hayan nodded.


    If anyone here were to appear as if they were preparing in advance by memorizing spells, they could potentially be deemed unsafe.


    Seeing those who, in turn, saw me, clicked their tongues, I thought maybe my deemed n would fail.


    ¡®Is it too hard¡­? The moment I experienced regret, I felt the flow of magical power that I could not even imagine.¡¯


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    It looked ridiculous, but you can see the dust scattering around Jung Hayan. It was surprising to see that a simple action such as moving one¡¯s magic power within the body could give such an effect.


    As I stood there, speechless, Jung Hayan continued her incredibly long chant. All the executives of therge guilds began looking at her with dumbstruck expressions.


    Amidst the crowd, I could hear a flurry of sheepish voices.


    ¡°Report this now! Quickly!¡±


    ¡°Hey! Get her profile here as fast as possible!¡±


    Everything was going ording to n.


    Actually, everything was going better than I had originally expected. Indeed, I expected some achievement, but I couldn¡¯t imagine it would reach this extent.


    The longer the spell got, the louder the humming became.


    From where they were situated, Lee Sang-hee and the other members of the Blue Guild looked dumbstruck. I found out what they were thinking. Jung Hayan had not disyed this type of power to them.


    It wasn¡¯t this much a week ago.


    ¡®What, really¡­?¡¯


    It was during this time that Jung Hayan finally finished chanting,


    ¡°Materialize, elemental bomb!¡±


    Qaw ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!


    The reverberation emanated from Jung Hayan¡¯s hand with a tremendous sound. Even I had to cover my ears. Due to the intense vibrations, I made sure to coat an extrayer of magical protection so as to not damage my eardrums.


    The mysterious magic Jung Hayan created immediately flew to her desired target - one of the objects found in the middle of the martial arts sector.


    ¡°What is this¡­¡±


    Qaw ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!


    Upon reaching it, the target disappeared without a trace in an instant after the second explosion.


    There was no cheering, only silence.


    Only


    However¡­


    For some reason, the silence had be a louder sound than if the people around us had cheered.


    ¡°She¡­ What¡­¡±


    Park Deokgu turned to me, ¡°Hyung.¡±


    I did not deem to respond.


    ¡°Are you seeing the same thing as I am?¡±


    Again, I did not respond. However, a smile had begun to spread on my face.


    I didn¡¯t know just how lucky I was to get hold of such a prize.

 Chapter 42: Let’s raise the ransom (2)

    <h4>Chapter 42: Let¡¯s raise the ransom (2)</h4>


    It was hard for everyone to understand what happened and how it had urred. It seemed that I was not dreaming after all. Jung Hayan¡¯s performance really guaranteed a better oue than what I expected.


    It was natural that a general buzz of noisiness descended upon the crowd after the initial pause of silence.


    ¡°Did you bring her profile?!¡±


    ¡°How did you say the negotiations with the Blue Guild were going on?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an unconditional recruitment. Who is the guild master?¡±


    ¡°You said that the down payment doesn¡¯t matter. It has already been granted.¡±


    ¡°What were the personnel in charge of the guild doing? No more detailed data? Didn¡¯t you get anything from the Blue Guild?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    ¡°Fuck. Will this problem end with a simple sorry? Son of a bitch ¡­ Useless babies¡­¡±


    It seemed that there was also a system that allowed one tomunicate with a distant partner.


    This is exactly what I expected. No, this was more than that.


    You could see the guild executives gathering around, excitement showing on their faces as they hustled and jostled in an attempt to find out more about Jung Hayan.


    Looking at Jung Hayan¡¯s profile was only the first step. I could already see these executives trying to work out just where she would be and how much she could achieve if she were to join their respective guilds.


    The other guilds were also approaching the Blue Guild at this point. As they had the primary bargaining power, some of the others were thinking about bargaining with them.


    Of course, Lee Sang-hee and the executives of the Blue Guild would be agitated.


    I knew our team quite the catch, but I did not expect to receive this much desire.


    I caught a glimpse of Jung Hayan¡¯s expression and could see that she was indeed feeling happy. She knew she had seeded. She looked a little cute, staring at me like that with her hands sped together.


    I was curious as to what extent she had grown, and when I looked into her status window with my ability, her stats revealed themselves to me.


    [Check yer Jung Hayan¡¯s status window and potential.]


    [Name-Jung Hayan]


    [Title-None. You should try a little more.]


    [Age-21]


    [Propensity-Pure Advocate]


    [Profession-Elemental Wizard-Rare Grade]


    [Job Effect-Acquisition of Basic Magic Knowledge]


    [Job Effect-Intermediate Magic Knowledge Acquisition]


    [Capacity]


    [Strength-11/Growth Limit: Rare or less]


    [Agility-11/Growth Limit: Rare or less]


    [Health-16/Growth Limit: Hero or less]


    [Intellect-29/Growth Limit: Hero or higher]


    [Endurance-14/Growth Limit: Rare or less]


    [Luck-25/Growth Limit: Hero or higher]


    [Magic Power -31/Growth Limit: Legend or higher]


    [Equipment-Divine Healing-Rare Grade]


    [Talent-How to Be a Wizard-Hero Grade]


    [Generalment- Very good. The growth of the magic power point is most noticeable. It is showing an iprehensible rate of growth, but there is a drawback, although not a big one, that the stats have not grown evenly. yer Lee Kiyoung is lucky. Make sure you don¡¯t lose her. That¡¯s the right way to survive. You just need to be careful riding on a good boat.]


    ¡¯31 magic power?¡¯


    That was a ridiculous number.


    In fact, you could not urately determine whether it was high or not. Those who appeared to be Wizards have quite a variety of magical powers. They ranged from as low as 60 to as high as 80.


    I didn¡¯t know how much she practiced, but one thing was for sure - Jung Hayan¡¯s growth was immense.


    ¡®Is it possible to produce that level of power in such a short time?¡¯


    Taking this into consideration, it was highly possible that Jung Hayan had decided to be flexible with her abilities. She looked a little tired now, so that little spectacle must have cost a lot of magic. Nevertheless, if you looked at the noisy surrounding atmosphere, what Jung Hayan was showing now was a story that was difficult to exin inmon sense.


    -That¡­ The demonstration is over¡­


    Even before the moderator had finished talking, Jung Hayan had already started running in our direction. Although the crowds flocked to her, she seemed to have ignored them all.


    ¡®I will ept business cards¡­¡¯


    ¡°Oppa!¡± Jung Hayan¡¯s face glowed. She was obviously expecting praise from me.


    Since I didn¡¯t see her properly this entire week, it was not unreasonable for me to show her a little approval.


    ¡°You did a good job, Hayan.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Oppa¡­¡±


    ¡°Did you have a hard time?¡±


    ¡°No. Don¡¯t worry, I didn¡¯t!¡± there were tears in her eyes.


    I was a little worried about whether it was okay to show such affection in such a crowded ce, but both the Blue Guild¡¯s head and therge guilds¡¯ executives were looking at us.


    ¡®This isn¡¯t so bad. Rather, it¡¯s actually good.¡¯


    It was not bad to show off that you had close friends. I opened my arms a little and hugged her tightly. Jung Hayan positively glowed.


    As time passed, the heavy gazes in our direction started to be burdensome to the point where I started feeling embarrassed.


    ¡®Ah¡­¡¯


    Of course, I was not that cunning as to show public affection in such a ce.


    ¡°Oh, Oppa! Give me a hot kiss!¡± It was Park Deokgu who had jokingly spoken.


    ¡®Stop it, you pig!¡±


    ¡°Oppa! Oppa! Oppa! You¡¯re so hot as a man!¡±


    As Park Deokgu continued to joke around, Jung Hayan¡¯s expression eventually shifted. It was obvious that she was expecting more.


    ¡®Jung Hayan¡­¡¯


    I always say, ¡®Jung Hayan can¡¯t be this stupid¡¯. I didn¡¯t talk out loud, but I was sure¡­


    ¡®I¡¯ve done this much, so I have to get a decent reward. I¡¯ve been patient for a week.¡¯ I felt like that was what she was saying.


    It didn¡¯t seem like such a bad idea. I wanted to announce, ¡®She¡¯s mine.¡¯ in front of everyone.


    I had to be careful, but I also had to do something.


    After thinking about it, I gently grabbed her face with both hands and puckered my lips. I thought that a slow move would be the best way.


    When I kissed her lightly on her forehead, I could feel Jung Hayan trembling.


    It was only my lips touching her forehead, but the effect was more than I had imagined.


    ¡®What¡­¡¯


    Not only was she hugging me tight enough to hurt my back, but her legs also started trembling. I nced down at her and saw a face, reddened beyond imagination.


    The appearance of her parted lips looked dangerous, but I thought that it didn¡¯t matter. The entire time, I could feel the heavy gazesing from the executives.


    It didn¡¯t matter who saw us; we gave off the perfect scenario as lovers.


    At this point, the moderator seemed to be confused. The Blue Guild¡¯s head had also noticed that something was wrong.


    -That¡­ Jung Hayan¡¯s demonstration is over. VIPs, please do not leave your seats and act ording to the procedure after all the schedules are finished. Likewise, there will be a demonstration of Kim Hyunsung, who participated in the first tutorial dungeon as a strategy team. The content of the demonstration is a duel¡­


    ¡°Hayan, I¡¯m going to see Mr. Hyunsung now.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes, yes of course, Oppa.¡± Jung Hayan looked up at me and smiled. Although I felt ufortable, it was not unbearable. Rather, this would be appropriate as a reward in return for Jung Hayan¡¯s performance.


    Sure, it was burdensome as she was constantly trying to bury her face into my chest, but when Kim Hyunsung came out with a sword in the center of the training center, attention began to shift from us to him.


    ¡°Well, I feel alienated for no reason¡­ Should I also get a girlfriend?¡±


    ¡°Concentrate on the duel, Deokgu. It¡¯s probably quite worth seeing.¡±


    ¡°Even if my Hyung doesn¡¯t say that, I¡¯m not taking my eyes off it. I want to watch Kim Hyunsung too.¡±


    -If you are ready, I would like you to send a signal.


    Slowly, Kim Hyunsung raised his hand.


    -Then, let¡¯s get started.


    I knew that the warrior series were going to demonstrate through sparring, while the wizard series would demonstrate magic, but the opponent did not look easy at all.


    First, the stats themselves are higher than Kim Hyunsung¡¯s own stats.


    Of course, Kim Hyunsung would think otherwise.


    The opponent¡¯s expression slowly hardened upon looking at Kim Hyunsung, confidently holding his sword.


    Jung Hayan was already a big hint that our party was not normal, but Kim Hyunsung? He was definitely taking us to another level altogether.


    In an instant, he and his opponent disappeared from sight.


    A battle unfolded that couldn¡¯t even be caught up with normal eyes.


    This was yet another spectacle, second only to Jung Hayan¡¯s performance.


    It seems that the distinguished guests who came to watch would be more than pleasantly surprised.


    As the duel continued, I could see the audience¡¯s eyes slowly widening.


    ¡®Is it because you thought the only talented one was Jung Hayan?¡¯


    Well, they were obviously wrong.


    ¡®Puh!¡¯


    When I saw the VIPs with their mouths hanging open, I could not resist smiling. However, I could only hear the sound of swords shing.


    ¡®Well done!¡¯


    We already knew that our lovely regressors would be strong, but this is the first time I¡¯ve seen them fight properly.


    The difference in stats was easily distinguishable.


    However, if you looked at the face of his opponent, the answer woulde out.


    He now felt nervous. Kim Hyunsung had proven himself to be a formidable enemy.


    ¡®He¡¯s strong.¡¯


    Soon after, the opponent¡¯s sword flew into the air. Kim Hyunsung did not bother retrieving his sword. He knew that he had already shown his worth.


    The opponent, however, didn¡¯t give up and swung his fist, but the moment the opponent pushed Kim Hyunsung with the same arm that dropped the sword, a roar resonated.


    Kim Hyunsung bounced off to the other side.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    Quaang! It was safe to say that he could have broken a lot of bones afternding against the wall in such a rough manner, but when Kim Hyunsung simply got up and brushed the dust off his sleeves, it seemed that he wanted to show that his durability ability wasn¡¯t bad either.


    ¡°I lost.¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s neat. This foxy guy is so strong!¡¯


    It did not matter. They had managed to show off all their strengths.


    If the guy who just came in had ovee the veteran casually, the distinguished guests here would have thought it was strange.


    Showing his skill through the duel had been a smart move for Kim Hyunsung.


    Slowly, the apuse started to fill in from the crowds. I could see the executives from the other guilds looking positively hungry.


    In terms of impact, I would like to say that Jung Hayan would be one of the top rankers, but the demonstration that Kim Hyunsung showed definitely stood out.


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    ¡°Genius¡­¡±


    -That¡­ Kim Hyunsung¡¯s demonstration is over¡­ Please, distinguished guests, follow the procedure¡­


    The voice of the moderator did not seem to reach our distinguished guests.


    As soon as Kim Hyunsung¡¯s battle was over, a lot of people jumped from their seats to approach Kim Hyunsung.


    Nice try.


    It wasn¡¯t just Kim Hyunsung who became a star at this point.


    ¡°Would you mind talking for a minute?¡±


    Only


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Lee Kiyoung, was it? And Jung Hayan. If it doesn¡¯t bother you, can we take some of your time? This is Cha Hee-ra of the Red Mercenary Guild.¡±


    I had also be quite the star as the pir of a talented genius wizard.


    ¡®This is¡­¡¯


    This was a situation where you couldn¡¯t hide your humble smile.


    The one who approached me was an unusually red-haired woman, offering out her hand for a handshake.


    I didn¡¯t know if I was just caught off guard, or if it was because I was, after all, a man, but my eyes were automatically drawn to her bold outfit.


    ¡®Ah¡­¡¯

 Chapter 43: Crazy bitch (1)

    <h4>Chapter 43: Crazy bitch (1)</h4>


    This was a situation where I could no longer hide my humble smile.


    Holding out her hand for a handshake in front of me was a red-haired woman.


    I didn¡¯t know if I was just caught off guard, or if it was because I was, after all, a man, but my eyes were automatically drawn to her bold outfit.


    ¡®Ah¡­¡¯


    Instantly, I knew I had made a mistake.


    It was because I could feel two heavy gazes locked onto me - those of Jung Hayan¡¯s and the red-haired woman herself, who I now knew by the name of Cha Hee-ra.


    I usually acted carefully about this part, but the woman¡¯s choice of clothing was so surprisingly daring that I forgot how to act like myself.


    ¡®That¡¯s it¡­¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know if it was the outfit that barely just covered her chest and stomach, or it was how confidently she carried herself, but the red hair and red lips give off a strangely erotic feeling.


    All in all, she had a very attractive appearance.


    I shook my head for a moment and appraised her with my eyes¡¯ ability, and her whole profile showed itself to me in an instant.


    [Check yer Cha Hee-ra¡¯s status window and potential.]


    [Name-Hee-ra Cha]


    [Title-Blood Mad Madame, Red Mercenary, Red Madame of the Holy Empire]


    [Age-28]


    [Propensity-Unpredictable Innovator]


    [upation-Mercenary Queen-Legend Level]


    [upational Effect-Acquisition of Basic Sword Skills]


    [Job Effect-Acquisition of Intermediate Weapon Knowledge]


    [Job Effect-Acquisition of Advanced Weapon Knowledge]


    [Job Effect-Acquisition of Advanced Dual Weapon Knowledge]


    [upational Effect-Acquisition of Advanced Magic Power Operation Knowledge]


    [Capacity]


    [Strength -97/Growth Limit: Legend or higher]


    [Agility-82/Growth Limit: Hero or less]


    [Health -85/Growth Limit: Hero or less]


    [Intellect-67/Growth Limit: Rare or higher]


    [Endurance-90/Growth Limit: Hero or higher]


    [Luck-56/Growth Limit: Rare or higher]


    [Magic power -82 /Growth Limit: Hero or less]


    [Equipment-None]


    [Talent-Blood Mad Madame-Hero Grade]


    [Intellectual stats are temporarily reduced to increase attack power.]


    [Generalment-She looks a little dangerous to me. Be careful, or she might end up biting your head off.]


    Her job was a hero-level mercenary queen, with her title being a ¡®Blood Mad Madame¡¯.


    Of course, it didn¡¯t feel like she was up to anything good, given how she approached us. The fact that she was also an unpredictable innovator added to my unease.


    ¡®But these stats¡­¡¯


    Her strength at 90 and her endurance at 97 were highly impressive. She was even stronger than Lee Sang-hee!


    However, if I were topare her to the other female executives present, I could safely say that having such high stats and hero-graded jobs were the norm. I shouldn¡¯t have to be so inclined towards her.


    Honestly speaking, it was the attractive smile and the confident outstretched hand that drew me to her.


    However, I knew that this simple scenario could undermine me.


    Shifting slightly beside me, I could feel Jung Hayan¡¯s difort. Of course, knowing her, she was trying her best not to show it.


    She must be aware that not shaking her hand would be an outright disrespect for such a powerful person.


    I thought Jung Hayan could find it in her to be a little more mature, but the way her hand had tightened around my arm meant she childishly did not want me to take the handshake.


    ¡®Still¡­¡¯


    Cha Hee-ra was a VIP of another guild. I had to remember that fact.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry, Jung Hayan¡­¡¯


    It was a little difficult to move my arm into position because of Jung Hayan trying her best to stop me from doing so, but after silently asking for understanding this once, I held Cha Hee-ra¡¯s hand tightly.


    ¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really an honor to get to talk to the stars of this demonstration.¡±


    ¡°Ah, all the credit goes to Jung Hayan here¡­¡±


    ¡°Jung Hayan, that demo was really impressive.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ thank you¡­¡± Jung Hayan¡¯s voice had be dangerously low.


    Once I dropped Cha Hee-ra¡¯s hand, Jung Hayan¡¯s grip thankfully loosened.


    ¡°The two of you are really close. Is there any chance that you¡¯ve developed your rtionship outside?¡±


    ¡°Ah. Not like that. The first time I met her was in the tutorial dungeon, and after that, we got closer to each other and made a good rtionship.¡±


    ¡°I really envy you.¡±


    It was really hard trying to read this woman¡¯s gaze.


    ¡®Aren¡¯t you embarrassed?¡¯


    Of course, it seemed that the source of her self-confidence was not her appearance.


    It might be her taste to go around with more than half of her breasts exposed, but the real reason behind her confidence was because she was called the Mercenary Queen Cha Hee-ra.


    She was simply that strong¡ªthe strongest out of everyone I had seen so far, even. And I wasn¡¯t just basing this off her stats.


    I¡¯ve also based this off of the fact that no one else dared to approach us in her presence.


    ¡°Ah¡­ I think I should introduce myself one more time. I am the leader of the Red Mercenary Guild. My job is called Mercenary Queen Cha Hee-ra.¡±


    ¡®Also¡­¡¯


    ¡°You came in person.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I am a little interested in talent. Especially this time, I heard a lot of talented peopleing in, so I just had to see for myself.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see. Thank you so much for giving us such importance.¡±


    ¡°No. It is natural.¡±


    ¡°But I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s okay to talk. As far as I hear, the Blue Guild has the right to bargain¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ Negotiation. I¡¯m just talking about it. Of course, we have to tell you about the recruitment, but our Red Mercenary Guild respects the bargaining rights of the Blue Guild. It would be right to think of it as an advisor to help you make reasonable choices.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    In other words, it meant that I wasn¡¯t part of their choices yet. I was not on their table for now.


    They were still trying to see how important I was and how I was going to fit in.


    It wasn¡¯t just us. Park Deokgu was also talking to a man who suddenly approached him, and Kim Hyunsung was openly surrounded by people.


    I knew the Blue Guild could feel their potential loss if they let us get taken away. This was exactly how they knew they were a guild without power.


    If they had the power to control the VIPs, this would not have happened in the first ce.


    Of course, I was not sympathetic.


    It was a story that had nothing to do with me as an independent person, and making strings here was a more reasonable - and safer - option.


    ¡°You probably don¡¯t know a lot about this kind of thing. Guilds that usually have primary bargaining rights have a strong tendency to control information regarding the other guilds¡­ About the red mercenaries I run¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I didn¡¯t hear it.¡±


    ¡°Oh, then I guess I have to exin a little bit. Our Red Mercenary is a guild made by melee workers. As the name suggests, it is easy to understand that it is a guild that moves through various quests, as well as dungeons, monster hunting, and even small battles or war quests.¡±


    ¡°Ah, melee¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah. To be precise, it was a mercenary guild made up of melee soldiers.¡±


    ¡°You mean you are pursuing change.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It is difficult to tell in detail, but there is a movement within the guild to train wizards and priests and invest in auxiliary upations. It¡¯s a bit different, but it¡¯s a situation where a lot of the budget is being spent. It¡¯s a bittepared to other guilds, so why are the executives urging you to invest more? Actually, the reason why I¡¯vee this far is because of our investors¡­¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    I think I know what she was talking about.


    ¡°I¡¯m curious as to how much you n to invest.¡±


    ¡°Would you befortable speaking in Hanwha?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Still on the side¡­¡±


    Cha Hee-raughed and spoke again.


    ¡°2 billion.¡±


    ¡®What¡­¡¯


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°2 billion per person. We are also preparing an additional budget in case you don¡¯t know. Of course, we will continue to invest in the future. At least 500 million won a year, even. Does that sound fine?¡±


    Roughly interpreted, it was a down payment of more than 2 billion and an annual sry of 500 million.


    Based on this, the down payment would be 20,000 gold and an annual sry of 5,000 gold.


    I felt so embarrassed, I couldn¡¯t even speak.


    ¡®2 billion?¡¯


    Compared to the amount presented by the Blue Guild at first, the gap was toorge to even be considered.


    I expected the price to jump by a bit, not by twenty more times! In the case of annual sry, I¡¯d say it jumped by 5 times.


    At this point, I began to wonder just how the Blue Guild saw us and began to understand why so many of the other guilds wanted to get us.


    If the amount is this much, it was unreasonable to refuse them outright.


    It was a whopping 2 billion!


    An amount that the average person cannot collect even after working a lifetime.


    Even at this point, I was already calcting which one would be the better option to take!


    ¡°But¡­ It may be a little difficult to invest in close-knit workers. We are new to this sort of thing, after all.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°There are really many talented people in our guild. Of course, it¡¯s not as if we haven¡¯t considered Kim Hyunsung or the others¡­ it¡¯s just that we want to focus on only one ce.¡±


    This did not sound good.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Both Mr. Kiyoung and Ms. Hayan seems to be interested in this project of our guild¡­ I want to ask what you think.¡±


    This was basically a question of whether or not we were willing to abandon Park Deokgu and Kim Hyunsung.


    Probably, as it was a guild that had already been strengthened as a melee force, the prosecutors and tankers were already seasoned members.


    Therefore, I could understand why they did not choose to invest in Park Deokgu and Kim Hyunsung. They already had people in ce that could act as the perfect shield and sword.


    Even if I was in her position, my focus would literally just stay on the magical side.


    ¡°The project itself is really interesting, but I¡¯m a little worried if we can help. I was intimate with my friends whom I attacked the tutorial dungeon together with. To focus on one ce is¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ That¡¯s surprising.¡±


    She looked even more intrigued at this point. It almost felt like a game of cat and mouse to me.


    ¡°It would have been really nice if I had the opportunity to invest in only the two of you¡­ Our guild is also difficult to handle these days. We want to make this guild a better ce, see, and topensate for our past losses. It¡¯ll be such a shame not to get you or Jung Hayan.¡±


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    ¡°This is a gift.¡±


    I could feel Cha Hee-ra pulling an item out, and I immediately stiffened.


    ¡®Was this a bribe?¡¯


    Probably not. It actually felt like a gift.


    However, my unease did not go away entirely.


    On the other hand, since this was a gift from a leader of such arge guild, I knew it was a valuable item.


    ¡°If you change your mind, you can talk to me anytime. If not, I still want to keep in touch. Since you belong to the same empire as us, wouldn¡¯t there be a lot of time to go into dungeons or stand on the front line together? And¡­ Well¡­ Jung Hayan?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°The young miss must also learn how to kill a little bit of life.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    Cha Hee-ra suddenly came to this direction in an instant. I could feel the moisture on my lips from when she had kissed me without warning.


    ¡®This crazy¡­¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t get my mind to react fast enough to the sudden action.


    I tried pushing Cha Hee-ra away, but there was no way I could rival her strength stats with my own weak body. I could hardly even make a single noise.


    Only


    I struggled to look at Jung Hayan, but could no longer feel any trace of her magic or presence beside me.


    ¡®Sh*t¡­¡¯


    I was not expecting this at all!


    ¡°This is also a gift. Then see you next time.¡±


    ¡®Sh*t!¡¯


    I noticed everyone had begun to look this way with stunned faces. Even Park Deokgu had a startled expression.


    No one had to tell me what just happened. The only thing I was worried about was losing Jung Hayan.


    ¡®Fuck, I¡¯m screwed.¡¯

 Chapter 44: Crazy bitch (2)

    <h4>Chapter 44: Crazy bitch (2)</h4>


    -Kiyoung Lee, please send a signal when you are ready.


    As I raised my hand slightly, I immediately felt the eyes looking at me. On the second floor, Kim Hyun-sung, Park Deokgu, and Jung Hayan were also intently looking at me.


    I was a little nervous as everyone here was so focused on what I could do, but honestly, I didn¡¯t feel the burden of having to prove myself.


    In the first ce, I knew that the guild executives weren¡¯t expecting me to do something worth their time.


    ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡±


    Rather, it was Jung Hayan who had me feeling unsettled. Ever since that incident with Cha Hee-ra, she hadn¡¯t been herself.


    That strangely quiet appearance had me sweating.


    Next to her, Park Deokgu was sporting a displeased expression as well. Kim Hyunsung¡¯s expression was generally unreadable.


    ¡®I¡¯m anxious¡­¡¯


    I had an inkling that I knew the reason why the madwoman had done that to me, and I didn¡¯t like the reason at all. She probably did it to spite Jung Hayan.


    Of course, it could also be a warning, but I hardly felt like this was the case.


    I think I was even expected to thank her, all for not pulling the sword and beheading me for not epting her offer right away.


    I shook my head and began to focus on my magic, which was getting a little moreplicated, and slowly began to draw a circle on the floor.


    It was a ratherplicated process, but the magic circle itself was ready.


    ¡®It¡¯s at least efficient.¡¯


    It not only costs less magic power, but it would definitely do the trick.


    In an instant, the magic circle waspleted.


    From the nods I saw in the crowd, I knew they found this type of magic familiar.


    ¡°Lord, I hope you answer my voice.¡±


    The magic circle was the one responsible for building the tower of magic. Even memorizing the chant would drain you of your magic power.


    ¡°Fire pir.¡±


    At my words, a pir of fire rose up from the magical circle that I made.


    This was not possible to do with my meager amount of magic power. However, with the help of a little extra effect and the magic circle, the oue of my magic had be something more impressive than what it should have been.


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    I couldn¡¯t hear the cheers of Park Deokgu, Kim Hyunusng, or Jung Hayan as I would have heard them in the past.


    However¡­


    p, p, p.


    I started to hear the sound of apuse spreading throughout the venue.


    It was not a bad demonstration, but of course, it was not bad enough to not be apuded for.


    They¡¯ve probably figured out by now that I was the weakest out of my entire party, but I knew for a fact that I was not automatically useless.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    -Lee Ki-young¡¯s demonstration is finished. All the VIPs, please move ording to the procedure.


    However, just like yesterday, these people refused to follow.


    You could see distinguished guests and scouts flocking here, much like dogs answering to their master.


    ¡°I am Lee Yeon-hee, who runs the Saseong Guild. Let¡¯s talk for a second¡­ No, I¡¯ll give you a business card first.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m n Master Jeong Jong-cheol. If you can¡¯t excuse me¡­¡±


    ¡°This is Youngsoo Ko. Our n is a new n created during this time, and the conditions are somewhat insufficient, but the growth potential is better than any other n or guild¡­¡±


    ¡°I am Park Hye-soo, the representative of the Magical Guild. I want to talk a little bit¡­¡±


    It felt tiring just to respond to every single person. Each and every one of them was, after all, a valuable prospect. Whether it¡¯s a newly created n or a fallen guild, everyone mattered. Therefore, willingly receiving business cards and holding formal conversations was a must.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t have a contract with the Blue Guild yet¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah. We will look forward to seeing you all togetherter.¡±


    ¡°Our guild too!¡±


    ¡°Yes. Whenever the timees, let¡¯s have a meal together.¡±


    ¡°I hope to maintain a good rtionship no matter which guild you go to in the future.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I will try to contact you first.¡±


    For all that I was worth, I didn¡¯t think my responses were that bad. I knew the importance of maintaining good rtions, after all.


    ¡°That was a fun demonstration.¡±


    ¡®Fun? Why do I have a feeling you find it funny¡­¡¯


    ¡°It seems to have changed our perception of alchemists. Hahaha.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s a lie.¡¯


    ¡°Thank you all. It¡¯s a little embarrassing because this is nothingpared to my other party members.¡±


    However, I still had to keep up with the pretense. This was, after all, how social conventions worked.


    As I broke through the crowd, I could see Lee Sang-hee and the other Blue Guild executives looking down at me. All of them sported disturbed expressions.


    They had just now recognized that the negotiations were twisted from the beginning.


    In just a week, we learned that there were more and better opportunities in store for us from other guilds, contrary to what we were told.


    If one had seen our party engage in everyday conversations, of course, they could onlye to one conclusion.


    ¡®The position of Lee Kiyoung in Kim Hyunsung¡¯s party is higher than expected.¡¯


    ¡°Would you mind talking for a minute? I think I have to tell you the terms of the negotiation again¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, Lee Sang-hee. You¡¯re more than wee to.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take you inside.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± I tried my best not to smile too much.


    Looking back, I saw Jung Hayan, Park Deokgu, and Kim Hyunsung seemingly busy talking to others.


    When I entered the room where I had negotiations thest time, I honestly felt a very different atmospherepared to the previous one. The elderly executives had now begun to pay more attention to me.


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    I liked the feeling of power.


    ¡°First of all, I would like to apologize for the hasty adjustment of the terms of the first negotiation. In fact, I thought the terms of the contract would be too generous for regr neers¡­ Looking at the appearances you all showed at the demonstration, I thought that we have underestimated your potential.¡±


    ¡°s. Fine. Of course you can understand. It is natural to avoid investing in people who are not verified by the way of standpoint of running a group. It is an extremely reasonable judgment.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Thank you so much for understanding.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Unknowingly, you must have also received offers from several ces.¡±


    I thought there was no reason to lie. It¡¯s a fact that they already know, that I know, and that everyone knows.


    ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what kind of proposals you received from other guilds, but our Blue Guild¡­¡±


    What I was going to hear was so obvious that I no longer needed to fully listen. They would say that the amount they could afford may be insufficient, but the truth was that this was a story of growth potential.


    The distinction of the Blue Guild, the special conditions that can be supported, ns for how to grow us, and how to support us; All of this, I knew I would hear time and again.


    ¡°You may feel that the amount is insufficientpared to other guilds, but the Blue Guild is still one of the named guilds in the Holy Empire. If you be a member of the Blue Guild, you will have a specific budget for the party¡­ Oh, and it¡¯s not just that. The Blue Guild¡¯s executive job¡­¡±


    ¡°Specifically¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to give you a specific answer yet, but I will do my best¡­¡±


    ¡°I see. May I hear more specific contract details?¡±


    ¡°Ah! Of course,¡± Lee Sang-hee looked a little happy at this.


    ¡°We offer a payment of gold and a 3,000 gold annual sry. These are the conditions we can meet. The contract period is 10 years¡­ Sry negotiations allow renewal every year¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s 1 billion won in Korean currency.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Compared to the Red Mercenary, this was half off the mark.


    Of course, in the case of the Red Mercenary Guild, Kim Hyun-sung and Park Deokgu would not be included. It was because they knew hiring an alchemist would be very expensive.


    However, one notable fact within Lee Sang-hee¡¯s words was that the contract had extended to three years. I now knew they were genuinely interested in our growth.


    If the amount you paid for the first time was already quiterge, chances were, you had the potential to raise the price a little more.


    This was probably true, even in the case of such arge amount such as that presented by Cha Hee-ra.


    I smiled and began to speak.


    ¡°The down payment is 15,000 gold. 1.5 billion won by Hanwha. These are the terms and conditions we are looking for.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°In addition, I would like you to provide the minimum hero-level alchemy tool support and the adjustment of the byproducts of hunting, the hero-level spellbook for Jung Hayan, and the basic hero-level equipment for Park Deokgu and Kim Hyunsung as well.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ that¡­¡±


    ¡°You can think of it as an investment. Our party will grow even further. There is a reason why I am not obsessed with sry. As our growth elerates, the Blue Guild will also grow. I know other guilds will be willing to offer the investment we seek.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s our reason¡­¡±


    ¡°If you need gold, you can simply sell the first bargaining right to the other guilds. However, for the Blue Guild, gold is not important right now. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    From Lee Sang-hee¡¯s expression, I knew I had hit the mark.


    ¡°Guild Master.¡±


    As expected. Of course, the Guild Master would only appear when things seemed hopelessly out of control.


    Nevertheless, if you couldn¡¯t even see the Blue Guild Master, you¡¯d know right away that something was wrong with the current guild.


    ¡°Can someone¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a simple reasoning. Take it as a suggestion, if you will.¡±


    I felt like something in the atmosphere had changed.


    If there was a problem with the guild¡¯s executive abilities, then our growth potential would also waver. It was then that I felt like I made a little mistake.


    ¡°How cheeky¡­¡±


    This voice did not belong to Lee Sang-hee.


    Rather, it belonged to the voice of the old man next to me. He was staring at me with overly eager eyes.


    ¡®Hm?¡¯


    ¡°We are not investing in you, alchemist.¡±


    ¡°Seolho! What have you done!¡±


    ¡°Our Blue Guild hasn¡¯t copsed to the point of being ordered around by that guy, Lee Sang-hee.¡±


    ¡®That¡­¡¯


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this just a child who has not yet been in this ce for a year? Yes, I am willing to bend, but not to someone like him.¡±


    ¡°Hold in your magic!¡±


    ¡®Sh*t¡­¡¯


    Now I understood what being on the brink of death was like.


    Perhaps it was because of the magic power of the old man who upied the room, but my body had begun to tremble, and even breathing became a challenging task.


    The thought of dying in this room kepting into my mind.


    ¡°I told you to hold in your magic power! Seolho Lee!¡±


    ¡°This crap guy¡­ I know guys like you very well. You are the type who runs wild even when you know you cannot offer anything in return. There are a lot of different people here. Do you think I haven¡¯t seen a rat like you while living on this continent?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    ¡°It will not be a hassle to kill people like you. Threats always flow over this continent. No one knows when and where what will happen. This ce is different from Earth. Stupid kid¡­ Do you really not know when to tread carefully? How dare you!¡±


    ¡®I¡¯m going to die,¡¯ the thought shed in my head. It was getting harder and harder to breathe.


    I didn¡¯t really understand what the heck was happening.


    ¡®Like a beggar¡­ Old man¡­¡¯


    I wanted to run out of the door right now, but I couldn¡¯t even move my body.


    When I was at a point where I had to choose anything, anything at all to save me, I made my move.


    ¡°Do it, crazy old man.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Only


    ¡°Try it. If you can kill me, then kill me.¡±


    ¡°You dare to-!¡±


    ¡°Lee Seolho! Do my words really fall on t ears?!¡±


    Even with Lee Sang-hee¡¯s shouting, I let insults pour out of my mouth.


    ¡°A crazy old man¡­¡±


    ¡°You!¡±


    ¡°If I die, do you think Cha Hee-ra will let you off?!¡±


    The old man shut his mouth at my words.

 Chapter 45: Crazy bitch (3)

    <h4>Chapter 45: Crazy bitch (3)</h4>


    ¡°If I die, do you think Cha Hee-ra will let you off?!¡±


    The old man shut his mouth at my words.


    Of course, this was a tant lie. If Cha Hee-ra was here, she would haveughed. She and I had hardly talked, but it was enough for me to get a glimpse of her personality.


    What I spouted was some ridiculous bullsh*t, but it was something that the old man took at face value.


    Perhaps something like this had happened to him in the past.


    Regardless of whether they were willing to provide for us or not, I had already made it a point to possibly contact Cha Hee-ra again.


    Seeing that the old man was still silent at this point, he still must have been mulling over in his head. I was torn between wanting to and not wanting to know the scene that must have been ying in his head.


    ¡°What¡­ what is this bullsh*t¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll see if it¡¯s bullsh*t or not. Do you want to find out?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    It had gotten pretty quiet. I thought I might have gotten through him.


    The weight from the name, Cha Hee-ra of the Red Mercenary Guild, really did seem to be heavy. The fact that the Red Mercenary Guild had little friendly rtions with the Blue Guild also did not sit well with them.


    Nobody wanted to mess with that monstrous n, and it wasn¡¯t just because of the legendary stats they possessed. They were one of thergest guilds in the Holy Empire, and she was the one who had the highest stats andbat abilities among everyone we had seen today.


    Putting myself in the old man¡¯s shoes, killing an arrogant little boy was hardly worth gaining the potential ire of such a person. The status of the Blue Guild now seemed like a candle waiting to be extinguished by the wind.


    ¡®Huh. So this is how it is.¡¯


    A frightened dog barks the loudest, after all. This is what my grandfather has taught me.


    ¡°With Cha Hee-ra¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what you need to know. It doesn¡¯t matter whether we had a rtionship from Earth or whether we love each other or not. The important thing is that the Blue Guild, which has the right to bargain, threatened the new recruit who had just entered this ce with force, and this should not be known outside. After all, even the Blue Guild flinches at the mention of a scary force like the Red Mercenary Guild.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how this ce works, but it doesn¡¯t seem like there are enemies around¡­ You don¡¯t want to hand over the bargaining power you have to other guilds, and I don¡¯t know why you won¡¯t take this attitude. I did note here to fight, but to negotiate. No matter how drunk on the glory of the past, doesn¡¯t anyone seem to have a problem with this attitude, even ignoring the words of their superiors? Or, is your ability to judge the situation so low that you can¡¯t even recognize the problem now?¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    I stretched out slightly, finding out that I could move now. This was because the magical power that upied this ce from the moment Cha Hee-ra¡¯s name came out had faded.


    I slowly opened my mouth while maintaining a poker face as much as possible. It was crucial for me to hide my excitement now. I knew that in the case of this meaningless argument, the overly excited side loses.


    ¡°If you want to show that the Blue Guild is free and has an atmosphere simr to that of a family, then congrattions - it¡¯s a big fucking sess.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°The problem is that someone you don¡¯t like runs the group.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You know what I mean.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean¡­¡±


    ¡°There are things you can see even if you try not to show them, Seolho Lee. It doesn¡¯t really matter how you rate me. I also know very well that Kim Hyunsung and Jung Hayan are the ones you find of worth. I understand that you don¡¯t like me. Yes, you haven¡¯t done a good job hiding it at all.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°However, you should have limited your actions. No matter how much power you have in this continent, your actions are still considered rude. I am not yet your subordinate.¡±


    ¡°This guy is still so cocky!¡±


    This was it. Someone had overworked themselves with excitement.


    Bang!


    My head automatically turned to the source, as did Lee Seolho.


    From a first nce, what happened was obvious. Lee Sang-hee, who couldn¡¯t be more than a subordinate, had hit the desk with her fist.


    ¡°Lee Seolho.¡±


    ¡°Lee¡­ Lee Sang-hee¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you know what you are doing now?¡±


    ¡°That is¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s serious.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°Congrattions, you¡¯re officially on probation. Get out and go back to the guild. Of course, right after you apologize to Kiyoung.¡±


    I roughly expected this would happen.


    There was only one action she could take topensate for the old man¡¯s actions, as he was obviously still drunk on their guild¡¯s long-passed glory days.


    ¡°I am¡­ For the guild¡­¡±


    ¡°I told you to apologize. I won¡¯t tell you twice, Seolho Lee.¡±


    As expected, you could see a crumpled expression on the old man¡¯s face. It was tooplex of a reaction. There was betrayal in there¡­ and something else, something I couldn¡¯t quite ce.


    However, I knew only Seolho Lee would truly understand this situation.


    It was only a matter of time before he would speak again.


    ¡°I apologize¡­ for my rude speech¡­ it was unreasonable¡­¡±


    ¡°I will take it, seeing as I was also a little excited. Let me apologize.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your understanding.¡±


    His expression was not the expression of someone who was genuinely apologizing. Upon saying this, Lee Seolho hurried out of the room. I tried my hardest not to smile.


    As I looked at Lee Sang-hee with a gentle expression, I saw her also bowing down.


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry. It was due to my carelessness that I could not properly control the guild members. I really do apologize.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I could not quite get Lee Sang-hee at this point. She had been so openly inviting and genuine ever since we first met her.


    It wasn¡¯t just a front.


    It was rather embarrassing for someone like her to bow her head to a rookie, but she did it anyway and without hesitation.


    Unfortunately, it would be a reasonable judgment to finish at this point.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m also really sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°No, it was entirely our fault. Please¡­¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s a contract-rted problem, you don¡¯t have to worry.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°I was being rude.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°I seemed to havee up with a story without thinking properly about the pride of the members of the Blue Guild. It was for negotiations, but I couldn¡¯t say anything that would hurt the guild. I can¡¯t justify Lee¡¯s actions no matter what, but I can¡¯t say that I did better than him.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Maybe with Cha Hee-ra¡­¡±


    ¡°I just made a small bond with luck. Getting acquainted with her will probably also help us.¡±


    ¡°Would that mean¡­ May I ept it as a means of epting the contract positively?¡±


    ¡°Of course. The terms of the contract will also be agreed with 10,000 gold instead of 15,000 gold. However¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°I would like you to reconsider the holders of the main executive positions of the Blue Guild.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°I think you can understand why I am making this proposal.¡±


    There was no guarantee that a dog-like situation like the one before will not happen again. There was also no guarantee that Seolho Lee would be the only man to act like that.


    I did not intend to fall victim to any old geezer who wanted to try and crush me.


    If it were a political fight, I would wee it. However, this situation could make or break me.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care if it¡¯s simply a position of words.¡±


    I¡¯m guessing my value has risen more than before.


    First of all, the biggest reason was that this side now had contact with the Mercenary Queen Cha Hee-ra. Recruiting our party would provide room for the Blue Guild to rub against the Red Mercenaries.


    Of course, that was a big, fat lie. There was no reason for blue to start mixing with red.


    If so, holding hands was an advantage that could not be converted into true value. It wasn¡¯t just that either. They may also be thinking that we were suitable as a control force against the stagnant water that gnaws at guilds.


    Perhaps, for her, the out-of-control gangs would be quite a headache. Considering the sudden behavior just minutes before, this guild had several problems.


    It was for me, for her, and for the guild, that I proposed for them to give up a major executive position.


    It was like saying, ¡®I¡¯ll fix this for you.¡¯


    Of course, there must be a difference between the oue I wanted and the oue she wanted, but I thought there would be no disagreement over the need to purify the rotten water.


    ¡°In fact¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°In the case of down payments, we can make the most of it. I didn¡¯t even think about the major executive positions¡­ I¡¯m just cautious because it seems like you¡¯re asking for a slightlyrger rank than I think. Am I right?¡±


    There was no need to lie.


    I nodded, ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°As well as¡­ I would like to tell you in advance that it can be difficult right now in the case of hero-grade items. It would be possible if you provided some time, but right now¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡®So, they are more valuable than I thought.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know if it was because of Ramus Tucker¡¯s Introduction to Alchemy, which casually popped out of Kim Hyunsung¡¯s magic bag, but I started to look at the top-level items a bit humorously.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to pay for the item right away. Unless our equipment is avable right now¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah! If so, can I tell you after the internal meeting? It won¡¯t take long.¡±


    ¡°Of course. It¡¯s not an easy decision, so you can take your time.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your consideration.¡±


    This was the oue I was expecting right from the start, anyway. The only remaining issue would be what items are paid and how high the status would be guaranteed.


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be on my way now.¡±


    Only


    ¡°Yeah. Thank you, Kiyoung. And once again, I apologize for the rudeness.¡±


    ¡°No, no. I am also very sorry.¡±


    I knew I also had to talk to another person before the day ended.


    ¡®Cha Hee-ra¡­¡¯


    Was I ying with fire? I really didn¡¯t know what could happen on this continent.


    Kim Hyunsung, who was well-known, may suddenly be preyed on, or some crazy old man, like Seolho Lee, might make an borate n to victimize me.


    The reality was that we would not be safe with whatever we picked as a party.


    ¡®I need to have a backbone from now on.¡¯

 Chapter 46: Even where there are tigers, foxes sometimes become kings (1)

    <h4>Chapter 46: Even where there are tigers, foxes sometimes be kings (1)</h4>


    If I was alone, I would have settled for joining the Red Mercenary Guild. No, it was just that I wouldn¡¯t ever join the Blue Guild. In my view, it was a guild that was already stepping on the train to ruin. Not to mention, it was run by a group of old guys whose contributions only weighed as much as a pile of dung.


    If one were to think about this rationally, it waspletely irrational to pick Blue Guild.


    I knew it was because of people like Lee Seolho, who brought down the guild. Even Lee Sang-hee was at fault for allowing her guild members to be so unruly at just the slightest insult.


    No wonder they were often ignored by other guilds. They truly made it look like joining the Blue Guild was like joining a sinking ship - doomed right from the very beginning.


    It must be so fun and exciting to join a guild such as the Red Mercenary and watch as the Blue Guild fall to its ruin, but I wasn¡¯t overly confident with my own skills, either.


    We couldn¡¯t expect change toe just because we joined the Blue Guild. That would be the same not only for me but also for Kim Hyunsung. Our crafty leader was still very careful.


    Nevertheless, Kim Hyunsung obviously wanted to join Blue. That had been a fact since the beginning.


    Of course, it didn¡¯t seem like I didn¡¯t think about any of the other options, but until this moment, everyone thought it would be the best decision. I was only sure of one thing.


    Whether it was the distant or the near future, joining Blue would be much more beneficial than joining Red.


    We would already be treated as a team with high potential, so there was no need for us to look for another route just because the path we were presented with would prove to be rocky. On that same note, it would be absurd for me to back out just because of a few crazy old men.


    Of course, it didn¡¯t mean that I wouldpletely disregard this fact.


    ¡®My safety.¡¯


    My safety was the most important. The reason for finding Cha Hee-ra in the first ce was to ensure my safety. Her name weighed heavily on everyone here.


    I could not rely on Kim Hyunsung¡¯s ns forever. I also had to find other ways to protect myself.


    ¡®I can handle it.¡¯


    A guild filled with senile old men? I could handle that. I hated gambling, but felt like now was the necessary time to y.


    ¡°You mean the Red Mercenary?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going back to her for a while.¡±


    ¡°Why all of a sudden¡­¡±


    ¡°I have something to talk about with the Mercenary Queen.¡±


    ¡°With Cha Hee-ra? Are you serious?¡±


    I nodded roughly.


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s expression showed his uncertainty while Park Deokgu and Jung Hayan seemed positively opposed to the idea.


    Their reactions were not unreasonable, and I knew it too. After all, why would I bother going back to the same, dangerous woman who had openly kissed me in front of everyone?


    Jung Hayan seemed to be the most affected, as her skin had turned into a ghastly pale color.


    ¡°Oppa¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, Hyung¡­ Why must you do that?¡±


    ¡°It would be helpful for the party.¡±


    ¡°Even though¡­ to that woman¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, Oppa¡­¡± Jung Hayan¡¯s stricken expression worried me. I hadn¡¯t yet cleared things up with her ever since the incident, after all, and now, hearing that I would talk to Cha Hee-ra again spelled bad news.


    Honestly, I was anxious about what kind of conversation we would have, but if this meant that I would gain another safety backup, then I would willingly take the risk.


    ¡°Can I ask why?¡±


    There was no reason to lie in this scenario.


    ¡°I thought I needed someone to look behind me. I¡¯ll tell you a little more about it after things go well.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ I see,¡± Kim Hyunsung¡¯s expression showed that he did not disapprove of my ns. He probably knew why I was doing this, and thus felt no reason to stop me.


    Jung Hayan, however, still sported a frightened expression. She might be thinking that I would have her reced, but of course, that was not the case.


    Her lips were parted, almost as if she wanted to intervene between my conversation with Kim Hyunsung. However, with much restraint, she did not speak. Park Deokgu was practically the same.


    I had no choice but to calm Jung Hayan down by holding her hand for a moment.


    ¡°I won¡¯t take long.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ o-okay.¡±


    Seeing Jung Hayan¡¯s normal reaction - which was to blush - had some of the color return to her cheeks. Park Deokgu seemed to have cheered up upon hearing this as well, and a smile spread across his face. He had started to turn and walk away with her when she spoke again.


    ¡°Oppa¡­ Don¡¯t go.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t take long.¡±


    ¡°Still¡­¡±


    ¡°Trust me. I¡¯m just going to share our story with her. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ Oppa¡­ I¡¯ll go, too.¡±


    ¡°It would be better for me to go alone.¡±


    ¡°Oppa¡­¡± her voice gradually trailed off.


    It was a slightly expected situation, but even I felt a chill when Jung Hayan settled for silence. However, it was important for me to do this, as this would also help the party.


    As talented as she was, Jung Hayan could not protect me as she was right now.


    I gently pushed her against the wall. From her startled expression, she wasn¡¯t expecting me to do so.


    ¡°O-Oppa¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t speak. Instead, I lifted her chin up with one hand.


    Jung Hayan immediately turned as red as a tomato upon my bold action. She blinked up at me, once, twice, trying to understand what it was that I was nning to do.


    ¡°Oppa¡­ Oppa¡­¡±


    I slowly began to bring my face closer to hers, gazing down at her so tenderly that she could hardly react.


    And then, I kissed her.


    There was genuinely no emotion. It was just a simple little kiss, but it seemed to be enough for Jung Hayan. After I wrapped my arms around her, our tongues began to entangle themselves as the kiss began to deepen.


    I hadn¡¯t nned to take it this far yet, but it didn¡¯t seem to matter. I had to appease her in one way or another.


    The hands that gripped my hair pulled, and it became a painful sensation, but there was something about the kiss and the way she held onto me that seemed to make this into a pleasurable feeling all in all.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    I only nned on kissing her, but it seemed that Jung Hayan had other ns. She was relentlessly nibbling away at my bottom lip and holding me close, her hidden desiresing up to the surface. Because of this, it was hard to break free from her.


    It was only after she realized that I needed to catch my breath that I was able to step back. However, Jung Hayan¡¯s wanting expression had sessfully drawn me in once more.


    ¡°Oppa, oppa, oppa¡­¡±


    I kissed her again. There was no reason to avoid her want for intimacy. If there was a time for foolishness, then that time was now.


    I didn¡¯t know if it was intended, but Jung Hayan had started biting and suckling on my tongue. A slightly sore feeling emerged from the sensation. Although I didn¡¯t necessarily like it, I did notin about it, either.


    It was only after a few seconds that Jung Hayan realized what we were doing, and she drew back to look up at me in surprise. Smiling down at her, I leaned in to whisper softly right into her ear.


    ¡°I like you.¡±


    Upon hearing my words, I could see her struggling to contain her joy.


    ¡°Me too¡­ I¡­ I love you¡­¡±


    ¡°I want to be able to protect what we have now.¡±


    Half of what I said was sincere. Too bad, she didn¡¯t know the hidden message I wished to convey with my words.


    ¡°Me too¡­ Me too¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to get hurt.¡±


    ¡°Me, too!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why this is necessary. We need to have a good rtionship with Cha Hee-ra because we are not strong yet.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m not strong, either¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you get why I¡¯m doing this now?¡±


    ¡°Still¡­¡±


    ¡°It will be fine. Please, trust me.¡±


    Jung Hayan shut her mouth, her expression shifting into a moreplicated one. I could guess what she was thinking, but I didn¡¯t try my best to decipher it properly.


    Instead, I squeezed her hand and gave her a light kiss.


    This was no big deal. She would understand.


    Jung Hayan seemed to know that I was in a position of being sold out, but I was only nning on holding a conversation with Cha Hee-ra. I didn¡¯t bother exining.


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    After all, one couldn¡¯t really believe an unpredictable woman.


    Anyway, after the steps I had taken today, Jung Hayan would definitely be immersed in her growth a little more from now on. However, I knew she was still worried about me going to see Cha Hee-ra.


    I couldn¡¯t help it; I had tough. She was getting so anxious over nothing.


    ¡°The same thing won¡¯t happen this time.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°I love you.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ s¡­¡±


    I had never said these words out loud before, but it seemed to have done the trick. Jung Hayan¡¯s legs wobbled, almost as if she was on the brink of falling to her knees.


    After I kissed her on the forehead once more, I began to walk away.


    Some of my ns did not go as intended. I ended up rushing my rtionship with Jung Hayan because of the circumstances that presented themselves to us.


    Of course, this did not necessarily mean that it was a bad thing. Our rtionship had gotten stronger, which meant a stronger attachment. This would serve me well in the long run.


    ¡®Crazy old man.¡¯


    It was not only Jung Hayan whocked proper strength. It was also me. Therefore, we had to find a way to get past this shoring.


    Shaking my head to rid myself of these thoughts, I continued making my way out, my mind already set into analytical mode.


    It wasn¡¯t long before I reached the ce where the Red Mercenary Guild was staying. A guild member who saw me with his startled eyes began to rush over.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I came to see Cha Hee-ra.¡±


    ¡°Ah! Could you wait a minute?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    It almost felt like they had been waiting for me all this time.


    ¡°You just have to go inside. She is in thest room.¡±


    ¡°Alright, thank you.¡±


    As I walked, I tried to find the right words to say. However, it wasn¡¯t easy to do so in a situation like this.


    ¡®You shouldn¡¯t be so interested in Cha Hee-ra, Lee Kiyoung.¡¯


    If I really nned on joining the Red Mercenary Guild, then maybe the situation about how I felt would have changed. Unfortunately, this wasn¡¯t the case.


    I knocked on the door. A voice immediately came from inside.


    ¡°Come in.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    As I opened the door, I saw a familiar woman lying in bed and yawning. She was still wearing the same bold attire, her red hair as daring and unruly as ever.


    Likest time, I fumbled about where to look, but I was faster to regain my senses. I decided to stare at her eye to eye.


    ¡°Did your thoughts change?¡±


    ¡°Not like that.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ You have to exin why you chose toe here alone. I was having a pleasant dream until you came. Honestly, this is a little unsettling. I can¡¯t just calmly sit around watching as the younger girl you came with gets to have you as her lover.¡±


    Only


    I blinked. I suddenly forgot how I nned to start my story. I couldn¡¯t, for the life of me, understand this woman at all.


    Did one automatically be immune to embarrassment once they were aware of how they looked? I did not know.


    As I was in the position to make an offer, I needed to be just as confident as her. Taking a deep breath, I collected my thoughts and blurted out what I had nned to say all along.


    ¡°I want you to be a sponsor.¡±


    There was a stunned silence.


    After a few seconds, Cha Hee-ra recovered from her surprised expression and faced me with an expression that showcased her newfound interest.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ you are indeed very interesting.¡±


    ¡®What was she talking about¡­?.¡¯

 Chapter 47: Even where there are tigers, foxes sometimes become kings (2)

    <h4>Chapter 47: Even where there are tigers, foxes sometimes be kings (2)</h4>


    ¡®What is she talking about¡­?¡¯


    Cha Hee-ra¡¯s expression showed that she found my proposal amusing. The hunger in her gaze seemed to reinvigorate itself.


    ¡°No one has ever spoken to me so openly like this¡­ Are you really that confident? To be honest, your appearance is just my type¡­ I like snakes a little. I like the calcting look in your eyes. It might not look that good-looking to a lot of people, but it looks attractive to me.¡±


    ¡°That¡­¡±


    ¡°However, it doesn¡¯t mean that my desire to buy you has disappeared. Still, I think I should try and see if you can be a product I can trust and use¡­ What do you think?¡±


    With her legs crossed, she calmly and invitingly patted the empty space on the bed next to her. Only then did I find out what she meant for me to do.


    My face turned red in an instant.


    ¡®What¡­¡¯


    Was she really going to go about the matter at hand in this manner? I knew it would be a mistake to think of her as a dumb woman, but I honestly didn¡¯t expect her to make this kind of offer.


    ¡®Is she really not taking this seriously?¡¯


    She probably was.


    I brought my hands up as a sign of deference, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it that way.¡±


    ¡°Then what did you mean by that?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Kiyoung Lee, my investment in you is the only story I was willing to hear when you came to our guild. Of course, if you came with your lovely lover, then I wouldn¡¯t mind. However, even if youe alone, I¡¯m willing to ept you into my guild. I don¡¯t think you¡¯re very talented, but¡­ I¡¯m not very negative about alchemy. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s bad to have a good rtionship.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s ridiculous to ask for this investment even after you move to another guild. That¡¯s not my role. It¡¯s your guild¡¯s job. Would you invest in someone who will give you nothing? Rather, it seems like a more profitable business to give money in exchange for ying with you in bed several times a month. You give me service, and I canpensate you for it. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡®Damn.¡¯


    The facts that hade up hit too hard.


    In other words, Cha Hee-ra was basically saying that she¡¯d rather invest in my body than in my own personal growth. Honestly speaking, though, it didn¡¯t seem like such a bad proposal.


    I didn¡¯t know if she was acting or not, but she seemed to want me as of the moment. Of course, I had to consider the fact that she thought of me as a toy, not as a person.


    I hated myself for my pride - and most importantly - for debating whether or not it would be better for me to simply be her pet, following her every beck and call.


    Nevertheless¡­


    ¡®I can¡¯t.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t simply devalue my worth in that manner. Once Cha Hee-ra is tired of me in bed, she¡¯d get tired of me as an investment, too.


    I didn¡¯t want anything like that.


    ¡°Of course I can understand, Cha Hee-ra. I am not asking you to be a personal sponsor. I¡¯m asking for you to be the sponsor of our party, which was the first to finish this tutorial. Kim Hyunsung and Jung Hayan will surely grow. One of them may grow up to be the strongest within the continent.¡±


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°W-What?¡±


    ¡°So what? Whether they grow up or not, it has nothing to do with me. I¡¯m already one of the strongest this continent can count on. Our guild¡¯s members are also superior to most. Although weck wizards, it is easy to dazzle some with the amount of gold we have. The Red Mercenary is the type of guild who doesn¡¯tck the financial means to do so. Even if Jung Hayan grows, it will take at least three years before then. Why would I be sponsoring you for that long a time?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°All I need are wizards for my guild. I don¡¯t need anything else. If you¡¯re going to keep spouting out nonsensical things, then why don¡¯t youe over and show me your charm instead? I¡¯ll give you a good price so you don¡¯t feel disappointed, and I¡¯ll bring you gifts often.¡±


    ¡®Damn, she really wants me to be her pet¡­¡¯


    It felt embarrassing for her to explicitly state giving me money and gifts in exchange for bed service. I felt like no matter what I said, she would take it as a joke.


    Slowly, I took out an artifact that I had been hiding and held it out to her.


    Cha Hee-ra looked on, curious as to what I was bringing out. However, upon closer inspection, her face registered recognition.


    It was the item she put in my arms when I first met.


    [Magic Pendant-Rare Grade]


    [It is a pendant that increases magic power by 3. It has a function that amplifies the magic effect. It is not known exactly where it was found.]


    ¡°I don¡¯t need anything like this.¡±


    In an instant, the pendant had been knocked askew,nding onto the bed. I didn¡¯t know what was going on in her mind now.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    It was certainly irrational for me to continue, but I had to take the risk.


    ¡°Not gold. I don¡¯t need gold.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°What I need is your reputation and strength. You have a reputation as the Mercenary Queen Cha Hee-ra, but I don¡¯t care about those things, either.¡±


    ¡°You, do you understand what you are doing now? Not touching new recruits is something that everyone has implicitly agreed upon, buting out in such a bold manner will not be good for you. Since good offers keep flying in your direction, it seems that you have be more determined than before.¡±


    ¡°Of course I still know where I stand. This world is the kind of world where you can be admired one day, and then murdered in the next, all without a lot of people knowing.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°So. What do you say?¡±


    Life and magic began to fill the room as I looked up to stare at Cha Hee-ra. The pressure was more than Lee Seolho could ever emit. This was, after all, the power of the Mercenary Queen. However, unlike the old geezer, she did not intend to harm me with it.


    ¡°I find this fun. I think I¡¯m more annoyed because I know where you¡¯reing from, and how you should go about it. It¡¯s been a while, but my interest has been piqued because I can see just what type of personality you have. To be honest, I really like it. There are not a lot of men who can be this confident in front of me¡­ I don¡¯t know thest time I¡¯ve been treated like this. And to think, it¡¯d be a neer who would dare treat me this way¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°But are you aware that the degree that you¡¯re asking for is a little bit too much? Hey. Originally, alchemy is said to be an equivalent exchange. If you¡¯re going to use me as your shield, you¡¯ll probably have a product equivalent to what I can offer, right? If you don¡¯t, you¡¯ll be responsible for what you did.¡±


    I almost forgot about the pressure in holding a conversation like this. However, it wasn¡¯t going as badly as I expected it to go.


    After all, Cha Hee-ra was actually willing to listen to what I had to say.


    ¡°Well? Say it.¡±


    ¡°This is the stake in the potion that I will make in the future.¡±


    With a trembling hand, I took out a hero-grade book from my chest and threw it on the ground. A curious expression emerged in Cha Hee-ra¡¯s face.


    ¡°It sounds like you can actually be capable¡­ I don¡¯t know where you got the hero-grade book, but is that all I¡¯ll be getting?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you one percent.¡±


    ¡°One percent?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You will be sitting on the money cushion soon enough.¡±


    It could have very well been a lie or a bluff on my part, but I knew she would find it in herself to trust me. Why?


    Because there was no reason for me to risk my life on such a lie.


    ¡°Secondly, you will be able to establish a friendly rtionship with our party.¡±


    ¡°I already told you. I am not interested in things that are not mine.¡±


    ¡°We will grow beyond your imagination.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t try and scam me.¡±


    ¡°I am not kidding. We will be strong and we will soon be representing this empire. If we establish good rtions with the Red Mercenaries, then we will always be with you. With a small investment, you will be able to build a good rtionship with us in the future, before any guild or factiones in the way.¡±


    ¡°Do you know that what you¡¯re talking about is the bravado of snake-tongued men? Even if there is no investment cost, there is no guarantee that your potion will be of any value or that your party can grow.¡±


    ¡°Third.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you the wizard you need.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s bullsh*t.¡±


    ¡°Out of the people who came out after the end of this tutorial, I will select the people who can achieve proper efficiency within at least three years- no, make that two years. I will make a chart and give the list to you.¡±


    I saw her quietly mulling this over.


    If the Red Mercenary Guild¡¯s project was just beginning, my suggestion would definitely be appealing to her.


    ¡°It¡¯s interesting, but¡­ is it possible?¡±


    ¡°The main reason why I am confident is that I will soon be a Blue executive with bargaining rights.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°The second reason is¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a secret.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°After all, alchemy was originally said to be an equivalent exchange.¡±


    Of course, I would never tell her how exactly I would be able to distinguish the talented ones.


    Her protection was important, but it still wasn¡¯t worth my secret.


    Cha Hee-ra remained silent.


    I knew she must still be thinking that herpensation still weighed heavilypared to my offer. I kept myself carefullyposed. I knew there was a high chance that she¡¯d give in.


    However, at the same time, I knew she might not.


    I could see her trying to work out the pros and cons in her head,


    ¡®Sh*t.¡¯


    Was she really not going to consider our offer?


    I thought I convinced her that our party was set to grow and that I would be able to offer her the best wizards among this batch.


    It wasn¡¯t a perfect set of conditions, but I could see that it was good enough to work on.


    ¡®Has she looked into this too much?¡¯ I bit my lip out of nervousness.


    ¡°The share of the potion you will make is 3%, not 1%. I¡¯ll make sure to get a list of melee workers as well as a list from the wizards. And, I¡¯ll decide how to go about this.¡±


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    ¡°Did you not need my protection? No one will ever touch you. However, that means I must be the one to decide.¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll find out about that today. So, are you going to do it or not?¡±


    Of course, there was no reason to refuse.


    ¡°Please take good care of me.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s take some time to talk againter. Separately.¡± Cha Hee-ra gestured to the door, and I knew she meant for me to leave. However, there was a satisfactory expression on her face.


    ¡°I realized that I liked this offer way more than I should¡¯ve.¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s a sess!¡¯


    Only


    At the same time that I exited the room, a bunch of people out on the hallway rushed inside. All of them appeared to be in the higher positions within the Red Mercenary Guild. Sure enough, when I used my abilities, I was correct. Were they this excited to know how our meeting had turned out?


    Cha Hee-ra had already agreed to protect me at a price. However, how exactly would she go about with this protection?


    The moment I exited their quarters, the answer came to me. A status window popped out of the blue.


    [You have obtained a title.]


    ¡°What?¡±


    [Title-The Gigolo of the Mercenary Queen]


    ¡°Sh*t.¡±


    It was my first-ever title.

 Chapter 48: Power(1)

    <h4>Chapter 48: Power(1)</h4>


    Negotiations with the Blue Guild proceeded smoothly.


    Almost immediately after opening up a personal ount, our down payment came flowing in. It went exactly as Lee Sang-hee promised. The n had always been to join Blue, but now that I¡¯d gotten the most out of the rewards that we could receive, it seemed an increasingly better choice.


    Compared to the Red Mercenary Guild, whose authority rested solely on the Guild Master, Blue¡¯s organization system was subdivided and moreplicated than expected. There were Guild Masters and Sub-guild Masters. Eachprised six teams under them, along with several administrative positions.


    To put it simply, the Blue Guild was made up of six sub-guilds, each party ranging from five to fifteen people. Because of this, I had a clue as to why Kim Hyunsung liked Blue.


    ¡®It¡¯s morefortable to move together in a guild with a system like this.¡¯


    As soon as we entered the guild, however, the number of sub-guilds was bumped up to seven. The leader of the newest sub-guild was, obviously, Kim Hyunsung. Although our party technically didn¡¯t have an official position within Blue yet, they had assured us that it would get taken care of soon enough.


    That was everything that Blue Guild had provided for us.


    What remained in the agreement were the hero-grade items that were not yet given, and the guild position that I deserved.


    I was quite worried about where Lee Sang-hee would ce me. I did not want to be put in a position where I would have to face rotten old chaps like Lee Seolho, who would probably judge me the minute I walked through the door.


    Fortunately, the position that was entitled to me shortly afterward did not have any arrogant executives that would boss me around.


    ¡®Nonbat military special administrative officer, huh?¡¯


    At first nce, it was a position that seemed vague and entirely unimportant - a ceholder position, if you will. However, Lee Sang-hee decided to ce me into an executive position on my own, even though normal party members weren¡¯t supposed to be allowed that.


    ¡®Anyway, this is good.¡¯


    Because of my proposal, the Blue Guild had taken another aspect that would soon inform them of its importance. Aside from this, my position as a nonbat military special administrative officer would also pave the way for my team¡¯s future growth.


    I didn¡¯t exactly know what kind of jobs my position would have me doing, but I figured it could wait. I also knew there was something Lee Sang-hee was trying to achieve. Otherwise, why would she be in such a hurry to grant me a position?


    ¡°Mr. Kiyoung, a gift has arrived outside for you.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Thank you, Mr. Hyunsung.¡±


    I knew what kind of ¡®gift¡¯ this was. It was courtesy of my position as the Red Mercenary Queen¡¯s Gigolo.


    ¡®What would she be giving me this time around?¡¯


    I knew I made it seem as if I was highly confident about what I could bring to the table, but the truth was I was slightly worried about what Cha Hee-ra had nned for me. At first, I thought it was the madwoman nning to take revenge on me, but when valuable gifts and handwritten letters came, I knew she had decided to take this investment seriously.


    Our talk had, after all, be a sess. There would not be a single lunatic in the continent who would dare attack the Red Mercenary Queen¡¯s Gigolo.


    ¡®Still¡­¡¯


    ¡°This is not it.¡±


    Her method of showing her protection was not what I had been expecting at all.


    Of course, unlike me, who felt a little disturbed, the Blue Guild seemed to warm up to the idea of Cha Hee-ra giving me gifts. To them, it probably seemed as if she was also trying to get closer to the guild, eventually leading to rtions that would help in the future, which was helpful for my position in the guild. I knew my position and influence would only continue to rise from here on out. However, I was also bound to receive unwanted attention, whether from inside or outside the guild.


    ¡®There¡¯s been a rumor that Cha Hee-ra, the Mercenary Queen of the Red Mercenary Guild, had been unable to escape the charms of one of the dungeon newbies. Therefore, he has be hertest conquest.¡¯


    Aside from this disgusting rumor, there were also countless other hearsays, one being more scandalous than the next. I was either a two-timer, an irresistible lover in bed, or that I knew Cha Hee-ra from my time on Earth.


    I could bet that the Red Mercenary Guild members themselves had started all these rumors. Seeing as it was such arge guild, I knew that the gossip would eventually reach even the doors of the Holy Empire.


    ¡®Damn¡­¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung stood next to me; both eyes shaped like startled ¡®O¡¯s as he regarded the pile of items Cha Hee-ra had sent.


    I could not stop myself from blushing with embarrassment. I did not want to know what he was thinking.


    ¡°Can you tell me what both of you talked about?¡±


    ¡°Nothing much. I asked her to sponsor us, and she agreed. This is probably her idea of a bad joke.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ Maybe so. However, looking at the gifts, it seems that my dear friend Kiyoung certainly left a good impression on her.¡±


    Looking at the items piled up in front of the building at Kim Hyunsung¡¯s words, I had no choice but to realize why this kind of misunderstanding seemed to spark his skepticism.


    [Ancient Republic¡¯s Drug Manufacturing Alchemy Kit-Hero Grade]


    [This is an alchemy kit that has been passed down as a tradition in the ancient republic. These basic pieces of equipment found in undergroundboratories remain in good shape even today. Although it seems to have been treated with special chemicals, this item is excellent in quality and performance described as simple equipment. Potion production sess rate increases. This temporarily raises the user¡¯s luck value.]


    It wasn¡¯t just this that was in a pile.


    [Minotaur¡¯s tendon-Rare grade]


    [Benshi¡¯s Magic Essence-Rare Grade]


    [Troll¡¯s Blood-Rare Grade]


    [Unidentified Monster Blood-Rare Grade]


    [Holy Water of the Holy Empire-Rare Grade]


    All kinds of catalysts used in alchemy were neatly stacked inside boxes.


    To make matters worse, a letter piled neatly on top of the boxes, handwritten and openly affectionate in its wording.


    ¡®This is a token of my appreciation. It¡¯s no big deal, but I hope you¡¯ll ept it. Sending love to my best friend in the world, Cha Hee-ra.¡¯


    ¡®This¡­ sh*t¡­¡¯


    Of course, I didn¡¯t hate the gesture. It wasn¡¯t every day you were showered with such rare and dazzling items that you could use to your heart¡¯s desire. I could care less about the rumors that people would spread about me.


    The problem was Jung Hayan.


    Of course, she had always been the only problem in most of my endeavors.


    When the first gift arrived, and the rumors began to spread, her expression was beyond words.


    I was worried about what Jung Hayan would think, or how she would act once the first present came sailing through the door, but she eventually had to ept the fact that she wouldn¡¯t be able to do all these things for me - at least, not yet.


    Of course, I had no intimate rtionship with Cha Hee-ra. I spent a lot of time trying to persuade Jung Hayan of this,plete with a ton of ¡®I love you¡¯s and hugging, but Jung Hayan also spent a lot of time to herself and thinking alone.


    Once I had turned my attention to my priorities, I worried that immediately immersing myself in magic training would overwhelm me. I spent a measly amount of time sleeping and spent the rest working on my power and influence.


    I knew if this continued, Jung Hayan would eventually break from her doubts.


    It was a time to reaffirm each other¡¯s feelings, but for her, it was also a time to make sure I stayed away from such dirty things as those stated in the rumors.


    ¡°Jung Hayan¡­¡±


    ¡°Miss Hayan will probably be at theke in the back. It seems that she is currently training for water-based magic. Therefore, you will probably find her over there. Mr. Deokgu, on the other hand¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°He seems to be building a boat on the shore. He¡¯s been at it since this morning.¡±


    ¡°A boat?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It seems that Miss Hayan has been looking at theke and is thinking about doing some boating. I thought it would be helpful for their training, so I left them to their own devices.¡±


    A shiver ran down my spine at this.


    ¡®Park Deok-gu¡­¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know what he was trying to do at this point, but I felt like it wasn¡¯t anything good. As I tried to force myself out of my thoughts, Kim Hyunsung spoke to me.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on in the guild these days? Do you know?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, of course I do. Admittedly though, it¡¯s been a little hard keeping up with the meetings, but I know a little about what¡¯s happening. It seems that tutorial dungeons are now opening in other ces as well. The transfer market will also open sooner orter, but unfortunately, Blue did not have the capacity to invest in the attack group. There will be at most one or two new recruitsing to join our party. I saw some survivors that had more potential than the rest, so I think we should invest in them.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ Their optimism is probably because of us.¡±


    That was perfectly correct.


    ¡°Yes, I agree. However, if possible, we are thinking about using a down payment for the people who will join our party¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a bad idea. I think our team will be a little happier with more members.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d then. How about you? What¡¯ve you been nning?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m thinking of entering the dungeon by coborating with the other parties in our guild. It would be a good way for Blue to grow in terms of stats. Of course, it will be after all this work is finished, but it would be better to prepare in advance.¡±


    ¡°Which dungeon?¡±


    ¡°It hasn¡¯t been decided yet. Personally, I think it will be an experience to search for a dungeon that has not yet been discovered, but it seems that the guild is thinking of starting with basic hunting.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see.¡±


    ¡°We have a meeting now, so let¡¯s go in first. Kiyoung?¡±


    ¡°Ah. Alright. You go ahead.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Then we¡¯ll see you in a minute.¡± Kim Hyunsung nodded at me.


    I still acknowledged Kim Hyunsung as the leader, of course, and I helped with whatever he needed when it came to external rtions.


    After the tutorials, we brought in those who weren¡¯t selected or selected before but were now on the market. Since I knew Kim Hyunsung would be busy with other matters, this job would probably fall to me.


    I knew he was thinking that I was doing my job better than he first imagined.


    We had only known each other for a short period, but it was nice to know that he was satisfied with what he had chosen to invest in.


    ¡®He¡¯s probably thinking about trusting me a little more.¡¯


    It is better for him to think that I could be useful in many different ways. I knew sooner orter, Kim Hyunsung would slowly reveal a little more of whatever he was nning.


    Going back to reality, I knew my next choice of action would be to head to the training center, where all the ¡®newer¡¯ newbies were gathered. It had served as the temporary quarters of the new dungeon survivors.


    If I were to measure the time it had taken for my conversation with Kim Hyunsung to take ce, I could guess that their briefing was over.


    It was natural for me to prepare for recruitment. After all, part of the deal was to prepare a list to be sent to Cha Hee-ra. Therefore, I needed to arrive earlier than others.


    ¡°Today, the executives of the Blue Guild are scheduled to visit. You will have toplete short or long training and receive offers or apply to each guild. We would be grateful if you could act ordingly.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The training to be held today seemed to be a much-awaited event. As I stepped forward, people automatically came up to greet me.


    ¡°You are in trouble.¡±


    ¡°Ah! No, team leader.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t even officially appointed you yet, Instructor.¡±


    ¡°Haha. Still, Mr. Kiyoung will soon be the Blue Guild¡¯s new pir.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for saying so.¡±


    ¡°Rather than that¡­ There is still some time left before the training event starts¡­¡±


    Only


    ¡°Ah. I think it would be better to take a look at the survivors in advance. Because you gave me an undeserved position, I have to do my best to prove my worth.¡±


    ¡°Indeed¡­¡±


    It was only a brief conversation, but I could already deduce what these people were thinking.


    Those who didn¡¯t know me were just nervous about having a person with such a high positione, but the people who knew me back at the shelter couldn¡¯t figure out what was going on.


    ¡®I could get used to this feeling of power.¡¯


    Those who had expressions of disbelief marked on their faces wereughable. After all, we came from the same tutorial dungeon. We all stayed in the same shelter. We all managed to escape.


    With this in mind, why was the difference between them and me so big?


    I let my eyes roam over the venue, my lips curling up into a discreet smile.

 Chapter 49: Power(2)

    <h4>Chapter 49: Power(2)</h4>


    We were in an ironic situation where one had be a guild¡¯s executive, and the others were looking for someone to take them in, even though we all started together.


    I couldn¡¯t help but feel relieved that I did not be one of them.


    When I looked around, I saw Lee Ji-Hye and other familiar people from back in the shelter. They didn¡¯t look all that bad. Considering that I¡¯ve been through some pretty hard training myself, I was also in good shape. We were the newest investments of the Blue Guild, after all. It was only normal that they would work hard to manage our improvement.


    When I thought back to the time where I couldn¡¯t adapt initially, I realized that I¡¯vee to ept this world¡¯s reality, almost forgetting that this wasn¡¯t the world where I came from. I couldn¡¯t believe that I¡¯d been so preupied that I¡¯d forgotten about this fact.


    Except for those I¡¯d interacted with inside the shelter, I did not recognize the other people crowded around. It did not take long for me to ess their stat information and potential with my ability. These were not easily noticeable from every person¡¯s outward appearance, so I was beginning to feel d that I had the ability with which I could use to gauge their power.


    Although there were a few rare ones, I knew Cha Hee-ra would not deem them worthy enough. Still, I found it important to go through everyone so I wouldn¡¯t miss out on a good investment.


    ¡°I think everyone looks promising.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    It was the expression of the trainees and the expression of the assigned instructor that made me feel good about myself. They were all painfully aware of the new power I wielded and thus felt wary around me.


    Among the seven parties operated by the Blue Guild, they were not worthy enough to be chosen after all. If I were them, my best course of action would be to band together and prove my worth by getting stronger. Getting into a guild wasn¡¯t all about the gold. It was also about getting your support system in any situation.


    With the instructor, I could guess that he felt too arrogant in being chosen by the Blue Guild but ended up getting the meager task of bing their errand boy. Little did he know that the real investment the Blue Guild participated in were for people with real potential.


    The recruitment system also made individuals devalue themselves after not being chosen when they could be talented all on their own.


    When I looked at the instructor through my ability-activated eyes, I took careful notice of his growth limit.


    ¡®His stats are low overall¡­¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s not been long since I came here, but¡­ I¡¯m curious about how education works here.¡±


    ¡°Oh? I can exin it to you if you want me to. It¡¯s not that hard to understand.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    ¡°In the first ce, the goal is to get the people here their jobs, but in fact, there are only a few who actually achieve this. I guess you know that these few are the talented ones in the batch.¡±


    At his mentioning of ¡®talented ones,¡¯ I knew Jung Hayan would be a prime example of this.


    ¡°Oh, I see.¡±


    ¡°People who have survived the dungeon without indulging in anybat have a hard time finding their aptitudes, so they receive training almost immediately. In the case of wizards and priests, they usually check whether they have the potential for magical power. If not, they are automatically transferred to melee. Those who judge that they cannot fight, whether through basicbat methods or other tactics, will enter the nonbat army and receive separate vocational training.¡±


    ¡°Vocational education¡­¡±


    ¡°That means cooking, cleaning, among many others. Some are employed in restaurants and forges run by the imperialists, while others are engaged in service jobs like beauty salons by utilizing their specialties from Earth.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not so bad. Sometimes, the guilds also recruit for vocational purposes. Cha Hee-ra of the Red Mercenary Guild also has a hair designer in the guild.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh. Yes. I know.¡± I nodded as if I knew, although, in reality, I had only heard of this now. It surprised me. I knew women were particr about their looks, but I never took Cha Hee-ra to act in that manner.


    ¡°Then, in the case of those who fall into the nonbat army¡­¡±


    ¡°I usually respect all choices, but I don¡¯t rmend it at the training center level. If you are pushed to the continent without a clear aptitude, the result won¡¯t be very good. Chances are, you won¡¯t get recruited. Though you can find somewhere else to offer your services and receive adequate payment¡­ Well, most people still want to belong somewhere, you know?


    ¡°That sounds understandable.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Most of them want to go to a medium orrge guild, but¡­ Guilds have already established their standings aren¡¯t interested in recruiting, rookie or not rookie. However, fret not Kiyoung, you¡¯d be a hotmodity regardless.¡±


    I blinked. I had heard this a lot. Was it ttery, or was there a meaning hidden underneath?


    ¡°How about small to medium ns?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say about them, but the situation is worse for small and medium ns. Most of those who did not receive contact fromrge or medium-sized guilds end up entering the smaller ones. It cannot be said that the survival rate of new recruits in small and medium ns is high.¡±


    ¡°Is there a reason why?¡±


    ¡°Compared to therge guilds, there is hardly any avable space, so the first reason is forceful eviction. Although it may vary from guild to guild, there are quite a few of those kinds of ns here, just as there are ckpanies on Earth. idents that arise from excessively outsourcing ofrge guilds are alsomon idents¡­ There are more and more Guild Masters who exploit guild members to achieve desired results. Those who die without a granted insurance are also another reason.¡±


    ¡°I see what you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    ¡®I don¡¯t think I need to hear more.¡¯


    You can see how this continent worked and operated. In truth, the harshness of it was the perfect twin of modern society back in my old world.


    Large guilds are the object of everyone¡¯s envy, and small and medium-sized ns take those considered the ¡®leftovers,¡¯ most of the time having to throw them in the end. I knew for sure there was a difference in sry as well.


    If the tutorial dungeon proved to be hard, then the continent itself was hell.


    What interested me were the nonbat and vocational choices that the instructor had mentioned. I took a mental note to check these people out.


    After all, there may be people who were selling breadzily without realizing their inner talents.


    ¡°Other than that, we have time to educate ourselves on the generalmon sense of the continent. The rtionship and history of the guild, the Holy Empire and the Republic, and the Kingdom Union.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a part of this world we haven¡¯t learned properly yet.¡±


    ¡°In the case of the team leader, training will be conducted at the guild level. The same goes for trainees. Even if someone among the remaining members enters another guild or n, training will still be separated for each guild. You see, we have a separate training period to grow new recruits to their true potentials.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°In the case of Blue, training is rtively loose and easy to understand, but in the case of other guilds, it is a bit tricky.¡±


    ¡°I see. Thank you for informing me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my pleasure. I¡¯m very happy to be able to help.¡±


    With this, I tapped him on the shoulder. It may have been just a simple, cheeky act, but the instructor¡¯s mouth hung open.


    ¡°I will repay you for the story you gave today.¡±


    ¡°Well, you don¡¯t need to¡­¡±


    ¡°No, no. Thank you very much.¡±


    It was for my benefit as much as his. I knew chumming up tomon folk would help me outter.


    As I let my eyes roam over the throngs of people crowding around, I saw Lee Jihye ncing my way with a strange expression.


    ¡®Shall I approach her?¡¯


    Of course, I had no intention of bringing her in as a party member. However, I decided I was too busy. I still needed to make the list for Cha Hee-ra and find worthy party members of Kim Hyunsung¡¯s party. I also needed to make time for my training as well as administrative work.


    And my list of priorities didn¡¯t even stop there!


    ¡®There¡¯s also exploration and potion manufacturing.¡¯


    The dungeon strategy Kim Hyun-sung was nning and the products to be released in the Holy Continent also needed my attention. With the rate that I was working, I was bound to copse from overwork sooner orter. At the very least, I needed team members to help me out with my work.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you have anything you need?¡±


    ¡°No thank you, I do not.¡±


    I looked around the venue again. This time, I saw familiar faces entering the training center.


    ¡®Lee Sang-hee¡­¡¯ Kim Hyunsung was with her.


    My lips curled in distaste as I also caught Lee Seolho entering, trying his best to remain unnoticed. As long as he was on probation, he wouldn¡¯t dare stir up trouble again. Several administrative team leaders went to greet them, and they bowed in response.


    This type of greeting was natural. They were, after all, on the same rank. Of course, it was different for normal guild members and instructors. Their greetings fell upon deaf ears.


    The exception was Lee Sang-hee, who readily greeted each of the guild members face to face. She then approached me afterward.


    ¡°You were here first.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lee Sang-hee.¡±


    ¡°This is what I said to Mr. Hyunsung, but I will repeat it again. If there are any necessary personnel, I will allow him to recruit them. We will do our best to help you with whatever aspects of the guild you see fit to work on.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    I saw Lee Sang-hee smiling at my words.


    ¡®Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll work hard.¡¯


    Unlike other people where I had to continually stay on the high alert, it was quite reassuring to be with Lee Sang-hee. It was inappropriate to describe her in this way, seeing as she was only thirty-three, but she felt just like a mother to me.


    ¡°Thank you very much for your hard work.¡±


    ¡°No, it is my pleasure.¡±


    After exchanging my greetings, I took a seat in a ce I found suitable. Trainees wearing nervous expressions came trailing in not long after. They must be thinking about whether they would get an offer too.


    In their eyes, we were the high rankers they needed to impress.


    The Blue Guild Master quietly stood on the podium and opened his mouth to speak.


    ¡°You have worked hard so far. Everyone who was brought here, even those who did not understand English and had a hard time endured well.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°In my heart, I would like to educate you a little longer until you can safely settle in the continent, but I would like to express my apology for not being able to do so due to various circumstances. You will soon leave this ce and head for the Holy Empire of Benigore. Today, some of you may be contacted by guilds or ns. In addition, there may be people who mighte together to form their own n.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Otherwise, there will be some of you nonbat soldiers who will be drafted into the Holy Empire. Each person lives differently, but there is only one thing I can tell you.¡±


    The venue stayed quiet at this.


    Only


    ¡°Stay alive.¡±


    What an ominous phrasing.


    ¡°Our Blue Guild has a guild house in the western part of Lindel, the free city. We are always waiting for your support.¡±


    I knew the hidden meaning beneath his words, and embarrassment flooded through me at the realization.


    ¡®Not even one¡­¡¯


    The Blue Guild had no intention of recruiting any new personnel today. These survivors decided that it was not worth sacrificing the guild¡¯s money and manpower.


    ¡®So cruel¡­¡¯


    Just like modern society, this continent was not free from selfish interests.

 Chapter 50: Free City of Lindel(1)

    <h4>Chapter 50: Free City of Lindel(1)</h4>


    However, I couldn¡¯t me them. Considering the time, money, and effort needed to cultivate effective personnel, they could barely recruit more than a few members to improve their guild.


    If the Blue Guild hadn¡¯t recruited our party, they might have had a chance, but they had already paid a high price to have us. This meant that the others had an almost zero chance of being chosen.


    ¡®Thank God I haven¡¯t shown any hint of ipetence¡­¡¯


    ¡°Then¡­¡±


    Upon this announcement, the trainees hung their heads. However, some of them had chosen to look straight up at us, right into one particr member.


    ¡°Hyunsung!¡± One of them shouted.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°That we¡­ You were together with us¡­ Take us in¡­ Please.¡±


    ¡®This is absurd.¡¯


    Of course, I knew who spoke. It was one of the guys we were with back at the shelter. However, I couldn¡¯t remember his name. He was one of the people Kim Hyunsung readily fed and disliked Jung Hayan with a passion. Not only did he refuse to help one bit, but he had been the closest to Jung Jinho back when he was still alive.


    I knew the man had a shameless streak, but this was embarrassing. Back in the tutorial, all they did was take up space in the shelter and waste the food we had umted. Now he dared to ask Kim Hyunsung to take him in again? Even the instructors seemed embarrassed by him.


    In a sense, wielding power over a man like this felt great. This was because, in reality, my stats were weaker. However, even if our roles were reversed, I wouldn¡¯t have the guts to speak like that.


    I didn¡¯t dare open my mouth. This wasn¡¯t my battle to fight; it was Kim Hyunsung¡¯s.


    ¡®Hyunsung wouldn¡¯t be that soft-hearted¡­ would he?¡¯


    Worry gnawed at me.


    I knew Kim Hyunsung knew his responsibilities as a new member of the Blue Guild. However, no ordinary person would willingly create a shelter for his fellow survivors inside a dungeon.


    ¡°In the end¡­ You have to take responsibility for us¡­¡±


    ¡®What bullsh*t is this man talking about?¡¯


    Desperation could make a man stiff sometimes, but would only end up making him look stupid at most.


    Lee Sang-hee slowly and quietly turned to look at Hyunsung, curiosity stered onto her expression. She seemed to wonder how he would treat his friendships back in the tutorial dungeon.


    ¡°Yes, together with us¡­!¡±


    Thanks to the man responsible for the first outburst, more and more people began to echo his words. I resisted the urge to scoff.


    ¡°You won¡¯t throw us away like this, right?¡±


    ¡°Hyunsung!¡±


    ¡°Hyunsung, take us with you¡­¡±


    Kim Hyunsung slowly stepped towards them.


    I was anxious, but the moment I saw him biting his lip, I began to rx. I knew this reaction of his. And who could me him? In a situation like this, even a monk would feel angry.


    Not surprisingly, Kim Hyunsung lowered his head slightly and began to speak.


    ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°W-What?¡±


    ¡°I think that¡¯s the end of my rtionship with you.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t possibly mean¡­¡±


    For a moment, I thoughtughter woulde bursting out. This spectacle turned out to be more interesting than I thought!


    ¡°It would be better to live your own life in a new environment than to go with me. It was a short time, but I enjoyed it.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ Such a thing¡­¡±


    ¡°Perhaps the city will be a safer ce for you.¡±


    ¡°How irresponsible of you¡­¡±


    Irresponsible? He dared to call Kim Hyunsung irresponsible? I shook my head and stepped in.


    ¡°We have no obligation to be responsible for you anywhere else.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°It will be safe in the city. Although it may be far fromfortable living, at least you will not be threatened with your life.¡±


    ¡°N-Nevertheless¡­¡±


    ¡°Once again, I¡¯m not obligated to take care of you. Neither is Hyunsung.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Even though I tried my best to exin kindly, the man didn¡¯t seem to understand. Rather, he sported an expression that showcased just how unfair he found this whole situation.


    ¡®How stupid.¡¯


    Didn¡¯t they know? If you didn¡¯t sacrifice anything, then you wouldn¡¯t gain anything, either. From my perspective, it would take a long time for this guy to realize this.


    Sighing, I figured the least I could do was to show somest bit of kindness. I took out some money from my pocket and handed it out to him.


    ¡°This is just little, but I hope it helps you out in the long run.¡± The guy¡¯s expression was hrious. He still had a betrayed expression, but he was still careful to put the money in his pocket.


    I resisted the urge tough again. That was just a small sum. Nevertheless, there was gratitude in his expression.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°I wish the best for you. Please do your best to survive.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    He still hadn¡¯t realized what I was trying to do.


    Didn¡¯t he know there was no surefire way of staying protected even in the city? In my opinion, I had just given him an additional reason to get robbed.


    Lee Ji-Hye stared up at me with a stunned expression. Unlike the man, I knew she knew what I had just done. I was a little puzzled as to why she had not joined in the pleading until I finally realized a probable reason as to why.


    ¡®Lee Ji-hye¡­¡¯


    She must have received an offer from another guild. Knowing that she could be just as resourceful as me, I knew this was a possibility.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry¡­¡¯


    It felt like a waste to let her go, but I knew she wasn¡¯t needed in the Guild. However, I also remembered all those times where she had unted off her self-confidence back in the dungeon.


    ¡®I don¡¯t have to be with you.¡¯


    It felt like she was telling me this. However, after a quick run-through with my ability, I knew she still had less than I did.


    Still looking at her, I began to speak. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll see you again.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ Yeah.¡±


    It was the man I had spoken to, but she knew I was talking to her.


    Lee Ji-Hye, who deliberately maintained eye contact with me, nodded slightly.


    I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m going to apply for Blue, but I¡¯ll see you someday, her facial expression seemed to say.


    Before I could even retreat, I heard voices once again.


    ¡°Kiyoung is really warm. Of course, the basic living support fund from the guild doesn¡¯t seem that bad, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Hm. Still, they lived together in the tutorial dungeon. So, are you going to Lindel right now?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The cleanup has already been roughly finished. Actually, I want to have a little more time, I have a lot to prepare for.¡±


    ¡°Ah. The trainees¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll be heading with us straight to Free City. Let¡¯s go first.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    With this, I felt like my life back in the tutorial dungeon was over. I wasn¡¯t very fond of it, but life in apletely new city seemed just as scary.


    I also noticed that some of the guild members were sticking around, trying to see just how many gifts I had gotten from Cha Hee-ra.


    ¡°Hyung.¡±


    ¡°Oppa!¡±


    Of course, Park Deok-gu and Jung Hayan were also preparing to leave.


    Jung Hayan, looking a little shy, approached my side, and Park Deokgu began to speak.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know we were going to move this early on. What a pity¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    ¡°I mean this!¡±


    He pointed towards a small ferry tied to a rope by the shoreline. It wasn¡¯t finished yet, but it looked very promising.


    Surprisingly, I don¡¯t know if Park Deokgu had agility built-in, but it looked pretty good as it was.


    ¡®How did he make it so well?¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°If I had a little more time, I was thinking of boating at a nearby shelter¡­ It was hard to make, so I decided to take it along with us.¡±


    ¡°There must be a lot of luggage¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no problem with luggage, apparently. In fact, carrying this around will be more or less like exercise for me. If your brother is having a hard time walking, can¡¯t I help you if you ride with Jung Hayan?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that far. You don¡¯t have to do that.¡±


    I didn¡¯t want to ride it as of the moment.


    ¡°Oh, I heard that there is noke near the Free City¡­ Pity.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s ride togetherter¡­ Oh, Oppa¡­¡±


    ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s do that.¡± Jung Hayan brightened at my words, and I felt relieved upon seeing her looking better than before. I wasn¡¯t sure, but it seemed that she talked to Park Deokgu about me.


    Worry again began to gnaw at me. It seemed that Park Deokgu also had a firm grip on Jung Hayan¡¯s mental state.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to leave soon.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Hyunsung.¡±


    And thus, the entire Blue Guild began to walk. It felt like such a hassling physical activity, but it was fun all the same. This was because I spent some time with Park Deokgu, Jung Hayan, and Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡°So¡­ I tried a new magic spell today¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°I saw it myself and it seemed really great¡­ Ooh, theke suddenly cracked when Jung Hayan chanted the spell. It reminded me of one of those stories that the neighborhood Ajimae told me in the past. I forgot it though¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe it was the story of Moses.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh! Yes, I think it was that man. Hyung is very smart. Anyway¡­¡±


    Park Deokgu continued to ramble on while Kim Hyunsung wore a pleasant expression. Jung Hayan walked while holding my hand tightly. I had quite a hard time focusing, but I made sure to keep up with them, squeezing Hayan¡¯s hand now and then.


    After walking for quite some time, a tall clock tower began to show up in our line of vision. I nced to my side and saw Kim Hyunsung with a peculiar expression on his face.


    Only


    It was a start for me, but it was a start for him too. I couldn¡¯t figure out theplicated expression on his face, however.


    I didn¡¯t know what he was thinking, but I knew he had some worries about what happened in the past and what would happen in the future, with Blue Guild and our party.


    In the meantime, Jung Hayan and Park Deokgu stared up at the tower with open mouths.


    ¡°There¡­¡±


    This was the ce where the people of the Earth resided within the Holy Empire.


    ¡°Lindel¡­¡±


    This was the Free City of Lindel.


    ¡°Lindel, Park Deokgu is here!¡±

 Chapter 51: Free City of Lindel (2)

    <h4>Chapter 51: Free City of Lindel (2)</h4>


    ¡°Oh, my¡­¡±


    ¡°Wow¡­¡±


    Both Park Deokgu and Jung Hayan looked at the Free City of Lindel with awe stered on their faces. The executive members of Blue Guild couldn¡¯t help but smile at their reactions.


    As soon as the western gate opened, we walked into a majestic-looking city.


    The basic architectural style seemed to be based on Western culture, and the whole ce buzzed with people I knew all came from Earth. Above all, I noticed that the majority of the people had dark hair.


    ¡°The Free City of Lindel is where most of the Koreans are located.¡±


    ¡°s. After that, I heard that people from other countries are also being summoned.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. In the case of tutorial dungeons owned by the Holy Empire, the Koreans, Japanese and Taiwanese are being summoned. They too are living with their roots in cities within the Holy Empire. You can also see Japanese and Taiwanese people in Lindel. Because they are from the same district, they live in exchange with each other.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    True to this fact, I could see Japanese people within the bustling crowds. Even some of the Blue Guild members, I had noted, were Japanese.


    ¡°The Republic¡­¡±


    ¡°The Chinese and Russians are being summoned.¡±


    Still, it felt better being summoned here than there. I looked around again and let the bustling scenery please my eyes. There were multiple stalls with their respective owners, and I could even see a party going out to hunt.


    ¡°I¡¯m looking for a priest.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m looking for a priest to go hunting with.¡±


    ¡°Who wants this? It¡¯s a rare, one-of-a-kind item!¡±


    Even the main square reminded me of reality. The whole city made me feel like I was back on Earth, albeit a different time period.


    This was probably the reason why Park Deokgu and Jung Hayan kept looking around in awe. There were no high-rise buildings. Instead, the infrastructures had an antique and rustic touch. I could see gorgeously-decorated shops and restaurants with people eating out on the terraces.


    It didn¡¯t feel like I was in another world. It felt like I had gone overseas. Laughter erupted from the crowds of people, and I caught a hint of anguage I did not understand.


    Of course, the city wasn¡¯t all just riches and glory.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ There are also slums.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    In the direction opposite of where we were supposed to go, I caught sight of rundown buildings and people wearing clothing of less quality than the rest. I couldn¡¯t see enough to observe how they lived from this distance, but I could already guess what it was like.


    Even the gap between the rich and the poor existed here.


    ¡°The city has its own welfare policies, but its effects are insignificant, as you can see.¡±


    ¡°Ah. No wonder.¡±


    It had nothing to do with me, so I shook my head and averted my gaze.


    As we left the entrance and passed through the za, arge building came into view. Lee Sang-hee, who had been looking at Park Deokgu¡¯s awed expression, smiled.


    ¡°Wee to the Blue Guild.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Oh, my!¡±


    The Blue Guild owned a building that was of arger scale than I was expecting. It did not appear to be a guild that was facing the possibility of ruination. I could think of why, though. They might be more peculiar with their appearances, especially now that their status was sinking.


    Lee Sang-hee looked over at the rest of us, the smile on her face never leaving.


    ¡°I will guide you directly.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    ¡°The first floor has a lobby and a shelter. It would be convenient to think of it as a ce where you usually receive requests from other guilds or groups. Not only that, it also has a ce where you can rx. If you¡¯re going for a simple dinner, you can do it at the tavern on the first floor. Other parties and guild members often gather there, so I hope you use them often.¡±


    ¡°Alright, thank you. That¡¯s noted.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ Oppa, it looks like you can drink alcohol here.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. You can be confident that it will be much better drinking here than at a random bar. There is a guild restaurant in the basement, so you can use it anytime. Of course, it¡¯s also free.¡±


    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s good¡­¡±


    ¡°Since you¡¯re the seventh generation, you can also use the second floor.¡±


    ¡°The second floor?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s go up together.¡±


    This felt like we were visiting our new home.


    We nodded in response to the receptionist¡¯s greeting, standing quietly in the main lobby on the first floor and went up to the second floor. A fairlyrge space entered our line of sight.


    ¡°There are many empty rooms, so you can choose the one you like.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    I had expected that the second floor would also berge from what I could see on the first floor, but I didn¡¯t expect it to be of this scale, either. The corridor itself was widely-spaced, and even the rooms did not disappoint. Of course, this was probably because our party was still small. The space seemed too big for a four-person group.


    The interior of the room, I noted, also looked pretty good.


    Some beds seemed like they could amodate two people instead of one. The room seemed a little open as there were only basic furniture installed, but knowing that we could personalize it sooner orter made me feel better.


    ¡°Oppa¡­¡± Jung Hayan stared up at me expectantly. Did she expect us to share a room?!


    ¡°I think there are too many rooms¡­ I think we can only use three. Don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s perfect if I and Kim Hyunsung get our own, and if Jung Hayan and Hyung Kiyoung use one together.¡±


    ¡®Park Deokgu, you pig!¡¯


    ¡°Ah¡­ It doesn¡¯t matter if you do that, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Greatness¡­ I think the room next door would suit the two of you better.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. You can do whatever you arefortable with doing.¡±


    I struggled to contain my emotions. One look at my face made both Jung Hayan and Park Deokgu anxious.


    Eventually, Jung Hayan took over the room next to me, and Kim Hyunsung and Park Deokgu took the rooms across from us. I was a little worried that Jung Hayan would be sleeping in the room next to mine, but I was careful not to show it. It would be better to check up on her while the rest were busy or asleep, but I hoped she wouldn¡¯t sneak into my room.


    ¡°The training room and grounds are behind the building. There is no private practice room, but there is a joint training center that can be used by the seventh generation. If you want to use the studio personally, you can apply at the lobby and use it.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ I see.¡±


    ¡°And Mr. Kiyoung¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°There is a separate space for you.¡±


    ¡°Wait, really?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll show you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, okay.¡±


    I followed Lee Sanghee with a slightly pleased expression. Park Deokgu, Jung Hayan, and Kim Hyunsung trailed behind us with curious expressions on their faces.


    Upon entering the room at the end of the second-floor corridor, my jaw unconsciously dropped. This was the first time I was truly in awe after entering Lindel.


    ¡°You can work here in the future.¡±


    ¡°Wow¡­¡±


    There was a mountain of books stacked on one side of the room, but what stood out more to me was the multitude of alchemy equipment that filled the space. There were items used back in modern times, such as beakers and sks and basic alchemy tools that I was already knowledgeable about.


    On one side, the catalysts and other materials were systematically organized ording to their types, and I could see other bits of machinery that I was not yet familiar with.


    Most of the items presented by Cha Hee-ra were neatly ced in the room. The ancient republic¡¯s drug-making alchemy kit was also properly stacked on one side.


    This ce¡­


    ¡°This is the alchemy workshop you will use.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°In fact, I wanted to increase the scale a little more, but it was the first time I had prepared such a ce for nonbatants¡­¡±


    ¡°No¡­ This is¡­ This is actually more than enough¡­¡±


    ¡°I was told that the experiment shouldn¡¯t contain other impurities, so I installed artifacts that included disinfection magic throughout the room. It¡¯s at the end of the room and has other artifacts installed to make it easier to ventte, so you¡¯ll be able to use itfortably. Defensive magic is also installed by default because there may be unexpected idents.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t understand what I was feeling. It was my first time having my own space. I never had one back on Earth.


    ¡°It feels like aboratory used by scientists, Hyung.¡±


    ¡°It looks so cool, Oppa!¡±


    Cha Hee-ra¡¯s gifts were still the most valuable items here. However, the Blue Guild had also done its best to make me feel like I wasn¡¯t being neglected. I suddenly wanted to find out if any alchemists had also managed to start this well.


    There were hero-grade books, hero-grade alchemy kits, usible workshops supported by guilds, as well as numerous materials and catalysts given to me not just by one, but by two guilds.


    I knew that if I couldn¡¯t produce results with such high-level equipment, there would be serious consequences. However, the atmosphere of my workspace made me feel like I could achieve anything. My confidence had been boosted.


    I knew everyone here considered alchemy as an inefficient skill. The gold required to craft items were not worth the results, and other forms of magic were more desirable to the townsfolk than this. I knew Lee Sang-hee had taken quite the risky jump of investment for me.


    However, she wouldn¡¯t need to be disappointed. I could make anything with the equipment that was provided for me!


    ¡°Hyung! We¡¯re heading out to eat now.¡±


    ¡°You can all go ahead first, Deokgu.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I want to experiment with a few things. I¡¯ll catch up with youter. Please take Hayan with you.¡±


    Park Deokgu showed a slightly regrettable expression. Nevertheless, he nodded. Lee Sang-hee, however, was pleasantly taken aback. From her motherly point of view, her newest child had just shown enthusiasm to work, which pleased her greatly.


    How could I not? They had arranged everything in such a motivating manner that eating was the least of my priorities now. A day off sounded nice, but my excitement proved too much to resist. There were a lot of things I wanted to try out right away.


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    ¡°Actually, I was thinking of hosting a simple dinner today, but I think I should put it off for next time. All the other parties are present, so these times seem most appropriate. If you need anything, please tell us in the lobby on the 1st floor. We will exin the various facilities in the guild that we could not exin today by then. I will be taking my leave.¡±


    The giddy smile on her face seemed cute.


    ¡°No. I need to do some training too. I also need to organize my stuff. What will Jung Hayan do?¡±


    ¡°That¡­ Well¡­ Me, too, I¡¯m also going to practice¡­¡±


    ¡°What about Hyung Kim Hyunsung?¡±


    ¡°I think I would want to look around the city.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I want to take a tour and see everything, from the temples right to the slums.¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­¡±


    I felt a little worried. I would be too weak to defend myself if I dared to venture to the slum area by myself and met with some ruffians. However, I knew Kim Hyunsung was strong enough. I had a lot of trust in both his intellect and strength.


    ¡°And¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°I saw a lot of people in the za earlier.¡±


    Only


    ¡°I think most of them are people who are also looking for party members.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. We might find our newest member there.¡±


    It was only then that I could roughly understand what he nned to do.


    ¡®Oh¡­¡¯


    Whether he found the person from the temples or the slums, I somehow knew Kim Hyunsung would look for the fifth member of our party.


    The only question was whether he would be able to find him right away.

 Chapter 52: Just because you are poor, it doesn’t mean you’re a good person (1)

    <h4>Chapter 52: Just because you are poor, it doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re a good person (1)</h4>


    [You found a new recipe.]


    [Sessfully made basic health potion.]


    [Intellect increases by 1.]


    [Combines Poisonous Candle and Troll¡¯s Blood. You have seeded in a new catalystbination.]


    [Intellect increases by 1.]


    [Combines poisonous herb and magical essence. You have seeded in a new catalystbination.]


    [Combines Poisonous Grass and Orc Mr. New catalystbination failed.]


    Alchemy wasn¡¯t that difficult. Of course, it didn¡¯t mean that the logic found in technology didn¡¯t apply to my craft. The timing of using the synthesis magic circle, the type of the magic circle that would vary by material for each catalyst, the amount of magical power entering the magic circle, and thebination of catalysts and materials¡­


    One had to think about every little aspect, understand them, and work on them. This reminded me of doing experiments more than anything else. Along with experiments came therge probability of failure.


    This was why one had to be prudent when it came to alchemy.


    Considering the gold spent on one experiment as the materials needed were expensive, various hypotheses had to be made after digging into theories on potion making or catalystbinations.


    Based on one¡¯s hypothesis, a virtual experiment would be conducted, and based on the sess of the virtual experiment; the scientist would decide when it was the right time to strike.


    This was basically how alchemists did their alchemy.


    However, this type of methodology didn¡¯t work on me.


    Why? Because I had a lot of money to spare.


    I nned to use them for virtual experiments to immerse myself within countlessbinations of catalysts and potions. I would put away crafted theories and hypotheses and would solely focus on the results I would receive on my own logical ord.


    Of course, I also had to consider that my efficiency would differ from that of a normal alchemist, who would have practiced on a rare catalyst before attempting anything else.


    [Failed.]


    [Failed.]


    [Failed.]


    ¡®Damn¡¯


    I knew I shouldn¡¯t waste time trying to find the reasons for mybinations. Instead, I had to focus on how exactly I could reverse my failures.


    [Sessful.]


    I didn¡¯t know how much exactly, but I could surmise that about a thousand gold had already been spent just this past week. However, it didn¡¯t mean that it was all spent on nothing.


    It wasn¡¯t immediately noticeable, but the potion recipes sold in the market by default were already stored in my head, and above all, I was able to increase my intellect and magic stats.


    In other words, I had bought my increased stats with the gold that I was given.


    Once again, as I was about to pour gold into my alchemy kit, I heard a voice from outside.


    ¡°Oppa!¡±


    ¡°Ah.e in. Don¡¯t forget to disinfect with the artifacts¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    The door opened to reveal both Park Deokgu and Jung Hayan. I wasn¡¯t surprised at this point. As I saw some of the bags in their hands, I could roughly guess why they came.


    ¡°Why are you bringing this in? Other members of the guild have already decided to help me organize my luggage. I also already informed the lobby attendant, so you don¡¯t have to move it yourself next time.¡±


    ¡°No. If we don¡¯t do this, then we won¡¯t have any excuse to see you, Hyung. I don¡¯t know how we can live on the same floor but never see each other. Can I put your luggage down here?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you can leave it there. Thank you, Deokgu.¡±


    ¡°Huh. Well, this is not a big deal for me.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Oppa. Have you already eaten?¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    Cringing slightly, I turned to look at the time. I had been so focused on the work that I had lost track of how much time had passed.


    ¡°My¡­ I guess I¡¯ve been a little too busy¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah. Then, let¡¯s eat together!¡±


    ¡°That sounds great!¡±


    Iughed at the cheerful expressions of my two friends. Pausing briefly, I went to check the luggage. It seemed that all my ordered goods had arrived properly.


    ¡°By the way, where did you order all those items?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a catalyst for each alchemy.¡±


    ¡°Oh. This potion that you made¡­ Can you save people who are dying with this?¡±


    ¡°No. It only heals basic wounds. Oh, Hayan! Anything over there shouldn¡¯t be touched. Don¡¯t even think about drinking it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ Yeah!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really know anything about alchemy, so¡­ What are you trying to make?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ for now¡­¡±


    ¡°Mmhm?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m trying to make money.¡±


    I resisted the urge tough at the confusion my words brought to both their faces. However, what I said was the truth.


    Money was the most important thing to me. It was only natural to earn as much as I spent. If I wanted to be a good investment, I had to bring lots of money to the table.


    After all, it wasn¡¯t just Kim Hyunsung who invested in me. There was also Cha Hee-ra.


    I had already handed her the list, but it was natural that I should still appear useful to her.


    Of course, what I was making was a secret. Park Deokgu and Jung Hayan didn¡¯t need to know about it,


    ¡°By the way, what is Hyunsung doing these days?¡±


    ¡°Same. I think I haven¡¯t seen Hyunsung for a long time.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ We train together at the training center, but after the training, he always runs to the slums with some food in hand.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I knew that I was a good man, but is he really that angelic? I don¡¯t know what kind of volunteer work he¡¯s doing, but it¡¯s already been a week since he started¡­ goodness. Well, it seems both respectful and bad.¡±


    ¡°You mean he ns on doing it every day?¡±


    ¡°Maybe. Ah! I think there are times when I also hear tales of new dungeons¡­ Anyway, Hyunsung¡¯s been walking around the city and seems to be looking for either someone or information. One thing is certain, Kim Hyunsung is really nice.¡±


    ¡®Volunteer?¡¯


    Of course, it suited him.


    I thought he would bring in new talent, but it seemed that it would take longer than I expected. If we could recruit quickly, there would be no reason to do volunteer work there yet.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how much you think of the people there, but sometimes frowning is not the only worry.¡±


    ¡®What?¡¯


    I felt like something was going to go wrong soon enough.


    ¡®Shall we go even just this once?¡¯


    It didn¡¯t seem like anything too bad would happen.


    Anyway, my craft had reached its final stages, and I was really curious about what my fellow party members were doing.


    Looking up at the faces of Park Deokgu and Jung Hayan, I made up my mind.


    ¡°I should go once too¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh? Really?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a little curious. I wonder how it¡¯s like in the slums.¡±


    ¡°Well, go with me, Oppa.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ Yeah!¡±


    Park Deokgu seemed to want to go, too, but he seemed to be stuck between ruining my time with Jung Hayan or not. I smiled to myself and turned to Jung Hayan.


    ¡°Then shall we go now? Are you ready, Hayan?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ Yeah!¡±


    It felt nice to just up and do whatever we had nned right on the spot. I hadn¡¯t even gotten the chance to do much exploring since I¡¯d been so busy, so this felt nice.


    Climbing up the carriage that would take us to our destination, I held Jung Hayan¡¯s hand. She positively glowed at this. It felt like we were enjoying a city tour.


    The scenery we passed by all looked interesting. However, the glorious feeling did notst long.


    As the carriage wheeled us slowly, the scenery also changed from rich and majestic to shabby and dull. Even the coachman himself could feel the unpleasant change in the atmosphere, and he seemed ufortable. The air itself felt humid.


    ¡°Why are you going to this ce?¡± The coachman couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    ¡°Nothing special. In fact, it hasn¡¯t been long since I entered the city. I¡¯m curious about what this ce is like.¡±


    ¡°Ah. It looks like you received an offer from a guild on good terms.¡±


    ¡°Haha. It¡¯s embarrassing, but I have.¡±


    It was then that I saw a young man walking by the sidewalk. He moved with his head down, but I could see his anxious expression when he regarded us. Was he afraid we might suddenly hurt him?


    Were the people who lived here the ones who got rejected from receiving any guild offers? Or were they simply too afraid to join one?


    The circumstances of each person we passed by were unknown to us, but one thing was for sure - this was a very unhappy ce.


    ¡°The atmosphere is a little different from the West Square, Oppa.¡±


    ¡°Huh. You feel that too?¡± Now I felt truly worried. With a carriage to wheel us around, it was almost as if Jung Hayan and I were unting our financial difference to the slums.


    However, I also knew that no one would dare to attack us. Whether it be from their fear or the fact that they knew we were in a guild and therefore were stronger, they all had hesitation on their faces.


    The threatening situation felt the same as Jung Hayan and I got down from the carriage. I made sure I was protectively around her, as I was worried about what these people could do.


    I then caught sight of a woman in high-quality clothing with people in filthy clothes crowding around her.


    [Check yer Sun Hee-young¡¯s status window and talent level]


    [Name-Hee-young Sun]


    [Title-Saint of the Forsaken]


    [Age-32]


    [ALIGNMENT-Ideal volunteer]


    [Job-Priest of the Sun-Hero Level]


    [upational Effects-Acquisition of basic divine power knowledge]


    [upational effect-intermediate knowledge acquisition of divine power]


    [Capacity]


    [Strength -30/Growth limit: Normal or less]


    [Agility-28/Growth limit: Normal or higher]


    [Health -30/Growth limit: Hero or less]


    [Intellect-45/Growth limit: Hero or higher]


    [Durability-32/Growth limit: Rare or less]


    [Luck-45/Growth limit: Hero or higher]


    [Holy-69/Growth limit: Legend or higher]


    [equipment]


    [none]


    [Talent-Saint¡¯s Prayer]


    [General review-It is not an exaggeration to say that she was born to be a priest. The difference between her and Lee Kiyoung, a rotten yer, is also very clear. Please do not think about approaching her by any chance. Unlike Lee Kiyoung, she is a clean person.]


    With this information, I made sure to regard the woman with closer and more focused regard.


    ¡®Mhh¡­¡¯


    My eyes widened. This woman had legendary divine stats.


    Surprisingly enough, she reminded me of Jung Hayan.


    I caught sight of Kim Hyunsung amongst the crowd. However, he wasn¡¯t the center of attention. Rather, Sun Hee-young was.


    I noticed that Sun Hee-young¡¯s outfit and g were greatly different. I didn¡¯t know what Kim Hyunsung was up to, but one thing was for sure - she was probably his intended target.


    Some would wonder why so many people were crowded around her. But to someone with observer skills such as mine, it was obvious why.


    ¡®Ah, is everyone trying to recruit her?¡¯


    I felt pretty sure that this was the case.


    It seems that the talent Kim Hyunsung wanted to attract this time wasn¡¯t someone only he wanted. It was a talent that everyone desired.


    Only


    It was shocking that someone of Sun Hee-young¡¯s stature would be unaffiliated, but she was. From this, I understood why Kim Hyunsung visited this ce often, and why there were many members of the n who seemed to be unrted to volunteer work.


    Everyone was busy pretending to be good. The appearance of everyone volunteering collectively to catch her eye was quite a spectacle.


    ¡®The saint of the outcast?¡¯


    In my eyes, they looked like pigs who didn¡¯t want work but had to for the sake of self-interests. If there was one thing I didn¡¯t expect, it was that Jung Hayan had the same opinion as me.


    ¡°They look like pigs trying to butter up.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Hyung! They look¡­ They look like pigs!¡±


    Unlike my quieter tone, Jung Hayan¡¯s louder voice attracted the attention of the people nearby.


    ¡®Damn¡­¡¯

 Chapter 53: Just because you are poor, it doesn’t mean you’re a good person (2)

    <h4>Chapter 53: Just because you are poor, it doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re a good person (2)</h4>


    I could guess how Jung Hayan and I must have seemed to them.


    Jung Hayan even seemed to be pampered in skincare products because of the difference in fairness. That was howrge the difference was.


    However, I knew that with me in the mix, it would also seem like we were a young couple who had wandered into the slums because we were curious about it.


    In the end, though, I knew that whatever prejudice was held against us, the poor would not dare to face off against us entirely. In the Free City of Lindel, wearing neat clothes meant that you were strong, powerful, and had a lot of gold.


    However, it wasn¡¯t just the poor looking at us with eyes filled with hostility.


    ¡®This¡­¡¯


    It was not good news that Sun Hee-young was among those who looked on with disapproval. This was backed up by the fact that Kim Hyunsung was interested in her. Meanwhile, Jung Hayan had only now realized what mistake she hadmitted.


    Sun Hee-Young eventually broke through the crowd and began to stride in front of me. I didn¡¯t know if it¡¯s an appropriate expression, but it felt like a church sister for some reason.


    With long hair and big eyes, she looked like she had never before endured distress.


    Sun Hee-young immediately opened her mouth before Jung Hayan could avoid thinking about dealing with this situation while evading her gaze.


    ¡°Apologize to them.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Apologize. No one here deserves to be insulted by the likes of you.¡±


    The guild scouts immediately backed up her words. I had tough at this absurd situation. Of course, they would take her side.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know who you think you are, but I think you should apologize.¡±


    ¡°I want you to cancel that rant immediately.¡±


    ¡°Are you from the Blue Guild?¡±


    Red Mercenaries and otherrge guilds were not among them. Was this really how those of the smaller ns dared to talk to us?


    It was understandable for someone like Sun Hee-young to address us in this manner, but them? The audacity!


    ¡®A selfish, ambitious person.¡¯


    ¡®Computational analyst.¡¯


    However, I knew that whoever saw this scene would think that we were the biased couple, and they were the bringers of justice. It was a situation where the good and the bad were divided - and warped.


    ¡®A mistake?¡¯


    No.


    This could never be called a mistake.


    I didn¡¯t know when that recruitment war had been going on and how much progress Kim Hyunsung had managed to make so far, but there were so manypetitors in the first ce that there was no way we could make a good recruitment offer.


    Anyhow, her top priority seemed to be to help the poor. Since she was adamant about it, there seemed no way for her to even think about joining a guild.


    It was in that instant that a whole new way for her to join us came to mind.


    I slowly opened my mouth as I pulled the white shoulders, which seemed a little dead to this side.


    ¡°I will not withdraw the statement.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I said I would not withdraw.¡±


    ¡°Why is that¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s wrong to say that they are like dog pigs when they do nothing and eat what others give.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about? You¡­ You¡¯re from Blue Guild!¡±


    ¡°My affiliation and my words have nothing to do with it. It doesn¡¯t matter if I¡¯m from Blue or not. It¡¯s a very, very personal thought that has nothing to do with what my guild stands for.¡±


    ¡°There are things you can and shouldn¡¯t say. You don¡¯t know anything about this ce. You don¡¯t deserve to me them simply because you¡¯re in good clothes and are in a good position!¡± At this point, I knew Sun Hee-young was gaining momentum from the way she spoke.


    ¡°They are not here because everyone is good. They were forced to flock together because of their own circumstances. A small mistake on this continent can cost you your life. There is no way a person who has a special talent like you, who is being contacted by a good guild and is living well, can understand them.¡±


    When a special talent came out, I had to hold in myughter. If only she knew.


    ¡°It¡¯s funny.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t been here for a while, but at least I¡¯ve lived ten times more intensely than those over there. I can probably say the same for all of you here. The same goes for the guild member you see over there. He must have earned that position not only by risking his life to go hunting, but also by indulging in nasty or hard work. No one wants to die. Likewise, no one wants to work.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°The same is true of me. Oveing the risk of dying many times, I was able enter Blue. But what about these other people?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that. These are¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I think I know roughly why they are like that.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°It is you who made them that way.¡±


    Sun Hee-young¡¯s expression was dangerous. But if one were to think about this calmly, they would see the logic in my words.


    ¡°It is you who have tamed them. You who tamed them, who provided a ce to feed and gave them clothes to wear. You made them losers.¡±


    ¡°Do you know what you are talking about? You just said that you haven¡¯t been here for a long time yet. Knowing the exact state of the city¡­ If you say something like this so recklessly¡­ It¡¯s not because of me that the people here are living like this. It¡¯s because of people like you.¡±


    Sure, I didn¡¯t know about these people in detail, but I knew just what type of humans they were.


    ¡°Ahhh. Like me? You mean those who choose to work hard to be able to live.¡±


    ¡°I am not talking about a person who works hard. When I say people like you, I mean people who ignore and despise those who are below you. You are what makes Lindel rot.¡±


    She wasn¡¯t entirely wrong, either. However, her resolve was na?ve.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never done anything wrong to others. Maybe some humans might feel that way, but I have never done that to take advantage of them. It is not the people here that you need to help. There are adventurers who risk their lives on expeditions, and workers working in difficult ces.¡±


    Of course, I was not dissatisfied with the idea of volunteer work itself. I respected these people and what they stood for. However, this woman¡¯s method was wrong.


    ¡®Did she think she was the ideal volunteer?¡¯


    ¡°I guess I know what you¡¯re talking about. It¡¯s obvious that you don¡¯t give them fish, but tell them how to catch fish¡­ You want to do it. You, at least doing nothing, don¡¯t deserve to say that. You don¡¯t do anything for these people¡­ Words aren¡¯t convincing.¡±


    ¡°I came to act.¡±


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    I slightly raised my hand and opened my mouth.


    ¡°All these people here, I will hire you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll hire everyone here. It won¡¯t be dangerous, but it could be hard work. You don¡¯t have to worry too much. Those who can move their bodies can do it. The hourly wage will also be above the basic hourly wage.¡±


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an opportunity to get out of your current state and recover. We cannot provide amodation, but we do provide lunch.¡±


    ¡°What are you trying to do?¡±


    ¡°It is up to you to choose whether you will remain here as people who continue to depend on others, or be a true member of a stately society. It¡¯s time to get up on your own, everyone.¡± I quietly started looking around.


    The whole ce had be silent.


    However, a question came from someone who dared to ask. ¡°What¡¯s the job about?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s very simple and not dangerous. We can promise that there will be absolutely no risk. It would befortable to think of it as simplebor.¡±


    ¡°The hourly wage¡­¡±


    ¡°I will give you 1 gold. If additional work is incurred, we will be able to pay a separate allowance. It would be better to set the working hours to be 8 hours a day.¡± At my words, I could hear murmuring all around.


    ¡°If you can¡¯t believe it, I¡¯ll take this person here,¡± I gestured to Sun Hee-young, ¡°as an advisor to ourpany. This will serve as your assurance.¡±


    ¡°I never said I didn¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°Shall I have you watch what I¡¯m doing?¡±


    ¡°That¡­ That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an opportunity for you. Even those who are not entirely physically able can do it.¡±


    It would have been quite decisive to have Sun Hee-young as an advisor to thepany. People slowly started to raise their hands.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ I will do it, too.¡±


    ¡°Me, too¡­¡±


    ¡°If you leave me in charge, I will definitely work hard.¡±


    It felt good to have all these people raise their hands in response to my offer. Sun Hee-young and the other guild scouts continued to look at me with absurd expressions.


    ¡°I will start work right from tomorrow. It¡¯s a simple task, so you just need toe by 9 o¡¯clock tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°Yes, okay.¡±


    At this point, Sun Hee-young seemed to have been embarrassed by what she had just said. However, her expression also indicated that she didn¡¯t entirely believe me.


    It didn¡¯t matter whether she believed me or not.


    As she stroked Jung Hayan¡¯s hair, thetter seeming to be a bit alert to Sun Hee-young¡¯s presence, and turned without regret, she quietly approached this side and very slowly opened her mouth to me.


    ¡°Well, what should I say¡­ I don¡¯t know what to do, but¡­ Thank you for work. Nevertheless¡­¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t understand what you¡¯re grateful for. There is no need to be grateful. anyway.¡±


    Only


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°There won¡¯t be much difference.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about¡­¡±


    ¡°I told you before.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It is you who tamed them.¡±


    It doesn¡¯t matter whether those people were tamed by Sun Hee-young or not.


    What mattered was that she would eventually think she did.

 Chapter 54: Just because you are poor, it doesn’t mean you’re a good person (3)

    <h4>Chapter 54: Just because you are poor, it doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re a good person (3)</h4>


    ¡°What are you thinking of?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not thinking of anything. Honestly, I just want to show you that what I said is right.¡± I couldn¡¯t help it at this point - Iughed.


    ¡®What money¡­¡¯


    The sole fact that I hired all these people would prove to be quite problematic for me financially. The catalyst I was gaining from my alchemy right now was inadequate for a continuous payroll. I wasn¡¯t in a problematic situation as of the moment, but I knew I could have used the money for better things.


    However, I also found this situation an ideal event to conduct clinical trials very cheaply, and I knew the smug feeling from proving Sun Hee-young wrong would be worth the money. After all, business benefits could be found in many aspects.


    ¡®Why did I have to go this far to break her line of thinking? One may ask. That was because this was my n to recruit her into my party.¡¯


    ¡®I have been in this ce for three years. It was two years ago that I began to be called the Saint of the Forsaken. I started as a member of the temple, not a n or guild, and after leaving the temple, I continued to devote myself to volunteer activities. I have been rejecting offers fromrge guilds or small and medium-sized ns for two years.¡¯


    This was her brilliant backstory.


    Despite being able to ride the elite course like me, she had still chosen the path to the temple. Because of her upbringing, I knew why she had chosen to live a life like this. The people who considered themselves saints of the forsaken made it their ultimate mission to relieve the poor from their sufferings.


    Proof of this manifested itself in Sun Hee-young, for she had refused any contracts or treaties with any guilds or ns for two years. I couldn¡¯t even imagine the number of offers she must have received in her lifetime.


    Of course, some of the desperate offers may have included full-scale relief for the poor. Nevertheless, she had refused even those, and the reason was quite obvious.


    It was because she thought she had to do it herself.


    Honestly, I didn¡¯t know why she had such an attachment to these people when she barely even knew them, but I couldn¡¯t find it in me to care about that as of the moment. The first task was to separate her from the poor.


    Looking ahead, I could see people who were working quite hard on their tasks. Some also looked quite motivated.


    I thought maybe my n would get ruined, but I didn¡¯t feel worried at the moment.


    ¡°There are people in the slums who have yet to find work¡­ Are you not going to hire them?¡±


    ¡°Just wait. I will go when the right timees.¡±


    ¡°Do you have anything else to say? This is just a simplebor of moving rocks. The weather will be a little hot because of the sunlight, but it will be a valuable drop of sweat for them after a long time. Seeing those who feel the true value ofbor, I feel like I want to join them in moving rocks.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a taunt.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re mistaken.¡±


    Of course, it didn¡¯t look like she took my side very well. If I were in her position, I wouldn¡¯t like myself either. I was a man that defied her values.


    This, of course, turned the tides in my favor. My way was effective because it was an entirely different approach from how most people would usually approach Sun Hee-young.


    ¡°What on earth do you mean that it is I who have tamed them?¡±


    ¡°Take it literally. These people are all capable of working, they just don¡¯t want to.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you see that they are working right now?¡±


    ¡°I can see what¡¯s happening in front of me quite well. The question is¡­ can you?¡±


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    ¡°In the Free City of Lindel, these kinds of jobs are widespread.¡±


    ¡®Although¡­yes, it¡¯s a bit dangerous.¡¯


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s undeniable that working with me is beneficial, but¡­ There are many simr things to this kind of work. The eastern region has undergone redevelopment, and the Red Mercenary Guild is said to be seeking handymen needed to make the tower this time. Not only that¡­ Did you know that there is currently arge-scale construction going on near the tutorial? Maybe even these people know.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I gave them the motivation to start working today. They wanted to prove they weren¡¯tzy pigs. You may want to back off a little bit for their true colors to shine.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡±


    ¡°They were agitated. They probably didn¡¯t realize this since I riled them up in a positive manner instead of a negative one. Well, I still stick to what I¡¯ve said.¡±


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    ¡°Human nature doesn¡¯t change so easily. They may be motivated right now, as what you and I both can see. But this won¡¯t evenst a month. These people will eventually miss hanging around in the slums instead of working hard under the sun. They¡¯ll miss the free relief goods they get instead of working for their keep. No one wants to experience the pain and exhaustion of always working.¡±


    ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking, but you¡¯re wrong. People can change if they want to.¡±


    ¡°Then what about my reasoning that the Saint of the Forsaken has changed them? In the end, they are just dogs that feed on ordinary people.¡±


    ¡°You!¡±


    ¡®Did I go too far?¡¯


    I could see Sun Hee-young trembling on the spot, and quite frankly, I could feel a tremor of fear running down my spine. Her big eyes had begun to fill with tears.


    I thought about whether I was pushing a girl who didn¡¯t know anything, but I also thought this kind of stimtion was necessary. Even though she believed I was wrong, I sessfully nted seeds of doubt in her mind.


    ¡®What if that man¡¯s words are true?¡¯


    Even if such small doubts arose, a woman who served others and sought value would be ruined. Our dear little saint right here looked a little weak.


    ¡°It won¡¯t work the way you think. It is arrogance and self-righteousness that urge these people to do their job. The world never works the way you wish for it to be.¡±


    ¡°I do not know about that.¡±


    ¡°Just wait. They will show you their true colors and you¡¯ll have a reason to think differently afterwards.¡±


    ¡°Is there any reason to think like that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a part that can be seen so obviously when you have a realistic point of view.¡±


    At her silence, I began to speak again.


    ¡°¡­Did you ever hear of the underdog effect?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It is a word that refers to the basic error of distinguishing a good person from an evil person by the difference in strength.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°In short, being poor doesn¡¯t automatically mean you¡¯re a good person.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Perhaps he¡¯s just a simple and kind person in front of you. ying victim is obviously the best approach when ites to softhearted and stronger individuals. But they are also perpetrators from somewhere. The slums are not a heaven where the angels live. It is still part of the society we live in. A society where all kinds of dirty and unbelievable things aremon.¡±


    ¡°If societies are like what you think¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s rotten. Where humans are, there is always conflict. If you can¡¯t believe it, I¡¯d rmend a little experiment.¡±


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    ¡°You try to be the poor yourself. Not from the position of a saint who saves them, but to live in the same position as the poor. Then there will be something to feel. Why don¡¯t you try it for one week? No, just one day will be enough.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°I know what you¡¯re worried about. You¡¯re worried about people who might be hungry without you. But it¡¯s okay to disappear for a day or so. Don¡¯t you have wonderful friends who are following you in this kind of service?¡±


    ¡®Of course, your friends are the type of people who only go because of you.¡¯


    At her hesitation, I raised an eyebrow challengingly and smirked. ¡°Or are you just not confident?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right¡­ I¡¯m not.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll do the preparations here.¡±


    ¡°You really¡­ You are a disgusting person.¡±


    ¡°What was that? Can¡¯t you respond more confidently?¡±


    ¡°Whether or not I respond with confidence does not matter. You are treating them like zoo animals!¡±


    ¡°You will respond. You won¡¯t respond. Both do matter. You think this is an opportunity to be able to help the less able. You are correct.¡±


    ¡°You will regret this.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ It will be you, not me, who will end up regretting.¡±


    Seeing Sun Hee-young biting her lips in doubt and turning away was quite the spectacle.


    ¡®I¡¯m so naive¡­¡¯ I could hear her cognitive functions whirling.


    Certainly, maintaining that kind of na?vet¨¦ in such a ce was a blessing, especially for someone who came from Earth.


    Looking back at the scene before me, I could still see the people trying their best to work hard, sweat pouring down their faces as they moved the stones.


    ¡°Hey there!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I can transfer this¡­¡±


    ¡°We will have enough strength if everyone gathers together.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Kim! Come on, quickly!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll just finish this and go!¡±


    As soon as Sun Hee-young moved away, Jung Hayan worriedly rushed to my side. Her quick hug made me feel a little better.


    Judging by the notebook she was holding in one hand, she seemed to have worked hard on the work entrusted to her.


    ¡°Oppa.¡±


    ¡°Are you doing well?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I am.¡±


    ¡°Shall we listen to what you have to say?¡±


    ¡°Yeah! So, um¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Test 13 seems to be a little helpless. I think he got angry more than a couple of times¡­ Numbers 7 and 8 seemed to be working hard.¡±


    ¡°I heard a loud noise from the inside a little earlier.¡±


    ¡°That was number 56 and number 75. There seemed to be something that happened between them while working. I didn¡¯t pay enough attention, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°No, just knowing that there is a problem is enough. How about number 38?¡±


    ¡°Ah. Number 38 was fluctuating. He didn¡¯t seem motivated enough to continue on. He also said he would quit soon. Numbers 93 and 95 agreed with the words of number 38.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh. I like that. That¡¯s a good oue.¡±


    ¡°Mmhm, yeah.¡±


    ¡°I had a hard time, Hayan, but thanks to you, my work became easier.¡±


    Only


    ¡°I-It¡¯s fine, Oppa.¡±


    ¡°And just in case¡­ Is there a type of magic that can change one¡¯s appearance?¡±


    ¡°Yes, there is.¡±


    ¡°It will be enough to change the facial structure slightly with magic. Will it be difficult to do?¡±


    ¡°Ah! I think that¡¯s possible to do. But why?¡±


    ¡°I think I should show a princess who doesn¡¯t know the world about how dirty people live.¡±


    Jung Hayan began to smile at my words. ¡°I see what you mean.¡±

 Chapter 55: Just because you are poor, it doesn’t mean you’re a good person (4)

    <h4>Chapter 55: Just because you are poor, it doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re a good person (4)</h4>


    For some reason, just thinking of the earlier scenarios that had transpired caused my whole body to shake. I wasn¡¯t angry. I just found it hard to understand.


    ¡®I¡¯m not wrong.¡¯


    Of course¡­ it was natural to want to help people.


    ¡®He doesn¡¯t know anything.¡¯


    No one lived in the slums because they wanted or chose it. Every one of these people had their own sad stories to tell.


    Some have not been contacted by guilds or ns, while others had be disabled from hunting in the past. Some were driven to the streets because of sick family members, while others were simply unable to find work.


    In other words, society has led them to this ce.


    Lindel, the Holy Empire¡­ No, this entire continent itself is wrong.


    This was a society that did not know how to care for the weak. It was a selfishmunity. Although they promised welfare benefits to most of its citizens, the poor did not receive any.


    On this continent, where people only worked for their interests, someone had to step forward.


    ¡°It will be dangerous.¡±


    ¡°No, it won¡¯t be dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­As a priest, you have the freedom to choose how you think. However, it would be good to have a minimum of safety devices. I don¡¯t know when and how something will happen.¡±


    ¡°Why do you think so?¡±


    ¡°Rather, I want to ask why you don¡¯t think the same.¡±


    ¡°The reason you don¡¯t understand me is because you¡¯re not looking at them properly.¡±


    ¡°My answer is the same. Rather, it is you who is not looking at them properly. There are not just those who are poor and need help. Who needs help are those who try to stand up, not those lying down.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that kind of talk anymore.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, fine. I¡¯ll stop.¡±


    ¡°Then, I will just leave as you said. I want you to keep what you promised.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Whether or not. By all means, goodbye.¡±


    It was not even worth answering him. Even if I were to ept his offer and act as one of the slums¡¯ people, nothing would change.


    I didn¡¯t even have to respond to such a non-yful offer. Nevertheless, I had one reason as to why I was willing to enter the slums alone.


    ¡®I wasn¡¯t wrong.¡¯


    I wanted to prove to that man that I wasn¡¯t wrong. There was certainly a difference between simply watching from a distance and breathing and living with them.


    There was an old couple who had given me thanks while weeping for help, and there was a little child who plucked me some flowers in return for my help.


    I¡¯d seen so many things that this man hadn¡¯t for nearly two years. The people and I had spent a long timemunicating and talking together.


    As I continued to step forward, I could slowly feel the atmosphere getting darker.


    What was wrong? I always walked down these streets and was very familiar with it, but I could feel that something had changed.


    It was the time of the day to eat, yet no one openly loitered around the streets. This ce is always the same.


    I could feel the familiar, unpleasant smell of the slums fill my nostrils, but I had long since adapted to it, so it did not bother me anymore. As I continued walking around, the helpless people I had always helped came into view. Some of them were chatting, and the rest were just looking around the area.


    The people taking care of their children caught my eye, as well as the lovers walking with arms folded together.


    The man was at least right in this aspect. This was also a ce where people lived, albeit with no convenient facilities, no decent restaurants, and no decent homes.


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    As I stepped in a little further, a crowd of people caught my eye.


    ¡®This is the za¡­¡¯


    It cannot be deemed as a decent square. It was an empty field with nothing, and it was just called a za because it was a space where people naturally gathered together. In other words, it is a symbolic space that the poor called their shelter.


    As I quietly settled on one side, a familiar face caught my eyes.


    This was one of the men that that man had hired.


    I didn¡¯t know why he was here, who should be at work, but perhaps something had happened?


    When I was looking around so quietly, a loud voice began toe into my ears.


    ¡°Kim! Why didn¡¯t you go out today?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, why didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Because that guy had hired me¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahhh. I see.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡±


    ¡°It was very difficult. It¡¯s just moving rocks, but somehow I feel like it doesn¡¯t suit me.¡±


    ¡°What? Didn¡¯t you say you would start your life anew now?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I did say that, but¡­ I really didn¡¯t like working there. I thought about it, and I felt no difference whether I worked there or ate her food here.¡±


    ¡°If someone she knows hears you¡­ Be careful, man.¡±


    ¡°Listen. I don¡¯t think I wille today¡­ I feel like I¡¯m freaking out about working for nothing.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t see the priest today. Is she stilling?¡±


    ¡°Does it make sense that the priest would be sick?¡±


    ¡°It could be that day. No matter how much of a priest she is, she¡¯s still female. She¡¯s probably on her natural monthly cycle or something.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense.¡±


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Blinking, I strained my ears to make sure I was hearing them. I could hardlyprehend the words they so casually put out.


    ¡®Ah¡­¡¯


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s sh*t¡­ I¡¯ll just go hungry and die¡­ I¡¯m also feeling very sleepy¡­¡±


    ¡°Well then, that¡¯s an expression I haven¡¯t heard in a while.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    After roughly covering his face with one hand, the man who should have gone off to work left the square. I didn¡¯t know why they went away.


    I just felt like I shouldn¡¯t stay there.


    To be precise, it was because I didn¡¯t want to hear their conversation anymore, but I couldn¡¯t afford to think about all these things at once.


    ¡®You tamed them.¡¯¡­The man¡¯s voice came into my head.


    As if his words had conjured a magical spell, I began to notice things I had not noticed before as I continued walking deeper into the slums,


    ¡°I¡¯ll make it cheap for you.¡±


    ¡°The smell of money is amazing.¡±


    Lovers walking while holding hands no longer looked like lovers. With horror, I realized that this was a middle-aged man and a prostitute.


    ¡°Is this just this?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°The little ones are missing¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahhhh!¡±


    It turned out that the man who I thought had been looking after the children were not looking after them at all.


    The bums on the street were drowning themselves with cheap rum, and the voices I heard were either criticizing something or someone. Some men also harassed women.


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    A plethora of swear words also rung out from every corner of the street.


    ¡®It sounds so natural for them to utter such words¡­¡¯


    It was the same scenario everywhere I went. People who I thought I knew turned out to havepletely different characters and personalities.


    However, as this thought suddenly came, my nerves began to pull at me.


    ¡®What if the man is right?¡¯


    ¡®What if I am wrong?¡¯


    ¡®What if what I saw was just part of the slums and what he saw was everything?¡¯


    ¡®Was it me who had failed to see everything clearly right from the start?¡¯ My thoughts were all over the ce.


    I hadn¡¯t seen these kinds of things before. When I was in a position to help these people, I didn¡¯t notice them at all.


    ¡®They would be perpetrators somewhere.¡¯


    The man was right.


    Even those who I thought were weak turned out to be harassers to others.


    Until now, I had been mad at myself because I had always been above them.


    The reason I hadn¡¯t been a victim of that sort of treatment until now was that a group of strong people surrounded me in good clothes.


    However, this was a different situation. I had taken on the form of somebody else. At that moment, I realized just why that man said that this endeavor might be dangerous.


    ¡®I have to go.¡¯


    With this thought in mind, I made to turn around, but a sinister voice behind me made me freeze.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to get stabbed, don¡¯t move.¡±


    Chills went down my spine. What made me feel more anxious was the presence of the de that I felt behind my back.


    ¡°What do you want from me?¡±


    ¡°Fuck you.¡±


    At this, I fell silent.


    ¡°Did you think you wouldn¡¯t know you were a girl if you were tightly wrapped in a hood like that?¡±


    ¡°What¡­ What do you n on doing?¡±


    ¡°Are you asking because you really don¡¯t know? I doubt that.¡±


    ¡°This¡­ Don¡¯t do this.¡±


    ¡°Do you know how dangerous it is to wander alone on a night like this?¡±


    ¡°Please¡­¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t kill you, rest assured. I have other ns for you¡­¡±


    I could roughly understand what was going on, even as the cool de was ominously aimed at my back. I knew I could have easily said a spell to save myself, but my mouth refused to utter the words. It was a very unexpected situation, and my legs trembled in the first situation.


    When I did not move for some time, the man behind me struck me hard.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    I was flung sideways from the exerted force, and I couldn¡¯t help but gasp.


    Before I could even attempt to get up, I felt a strong hand holding my hair. Although I was desperately rolling my eyes for help, the men who came into view were looking at me as if they found this entire spectacle fun.


    ¡°Please¡­ help¡­¡±


    I could see faces I knew. I had helped some of these men with relief goods. These were the people I had talked with and knew.


    Of course, I thought they would help me. Surely they knew how wrong this was.


    However, none of them were reaching out to help. They were avoiding my gaze while trying not tough, all the while pointing fingers at me. All the reactions they showed were the same.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do this. Please save me¡­¡±


    A fist then hit my abdomen. I couldn¡¯t even scream from the pain because of the immense fear I was feeling. When I tried to utter a divine spell, arge fist shook threateningly in front of me.


    ¡°Ahhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t do this. Someone, please help. please¡­ Help.¡±


    ¡°The guys here all want the same as me, and you ask them for help? Are you new here?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ No.¡±


    ¡°Did youe in here alone, not knowing how dangerous it is? How clueless are you?¡±


    From what he said, I knew he was not referring to the entire slums. I realized that the man was simply talking about the western side of the area.


    I couldn¡¯t understand why this area was a ce that shouldn¡¯t be entered. It was a ce where I always hung around during my volunteer days.


    Before I even organized my thoughts, arge face hung right in front of me.


    ¡°I think I can sell you at a good price¡­¡±


    The man who had spoken sported a visibly noticeable burn on his face. It looked like it had not gotten proper medication.


    The odor from his mouth and body made me feel nauseated.


    ¡°Wow¡­¡±


    ¡°She seems disgusted by you.¡±


    ¡°Ah! N-No¡­¡±


    Once again, my head spun. The pain began to blossom on the left side of my cheek.


    ¡°Are you disgusted by me?!¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    ¡°Answer me! Am I disgusting?!¡±


    ¡°Please¡­ Please save me! I¡¯m going to die here¡­¡±


    ¡°You will look more disgusting than me in the future, rest assured. Don¡¯t have such a weak stomach now. It¡¯ll be nice to have fun with you first before we sell you off.¡±


    ¡®Help me.¡¯


    ¡°Please help¡­¡±


    ¡°Miss, I don¡¯t know what you keep asking for help¡­ Who do you think can help you here? If you need help, you should go to the nearby n vignte and ask for help. No one among us here will help you¡­¡±


    ¡°Please¡­¡±


    ¡°What a stupid bitch. Tsk.¡±


    ¡°Help me¡­¡±


    The people who had crowded around us all sported intrigued expressions. No one looked like they were nning to help me out.


    ¡®It will be dangerous.¡¯


    ¡°No¡­ No¡­¡±


    ¡®They would be perpetrators somewhere.¡¯


    ¡°Help me. Someone, please¡­¡±


    ¡®People who need help are those who try to stand up, not those lying down.¡¯


    Only


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. please¡­ Help me.¡±


    ¡®You are the one who made themzy pigs.¡¯


    ¡°Save me. I¡¯m sorry! Please! Ah! Stop! Stop!¡±


    ¡°So what did I say, Priest? Just because someone is poor, it doesn¡¯t mean that they¡¯re good.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    As I turned my head, I saw the face I hated the most.

 Chapter 56: Just because you are poor, it doesn’t mean you’re a good person (5)

    <h4>Chapter 56: Just because you are poor, it doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re a good person (5)</h4>


    ¡°So what did I say, Priest?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Not all the poor are good.¡±


    As I approached her, I could see just how badly she had been roughed up.


    Of course, I knew what had happened. After all, I had been watching this young woman¡¯s adventure from start to finish.


    She currently wore an expression filled with tears and a runny nose. Her entire demeanor screamed out that she felt an immense type of fear. I made sure to keep my expression sympathetic, though, of course, I did not feel much sympathy for her. At this point, I probably looked like help sent from heaven.


    What had been the most interesting thing to me was how she had turned aplete 180 from the Sun Hee-young that I had just seen this morning. One side of my lip curled up.


    ¡®As expected, humans are funny.¡¯


    Everything had turned out to be the opposite. The poor people she had so readily defended ended up being the perpetrators in this scheme, and the man she despised the most ended up being her savior.


    Because of this, I found it hard trying to reel in myughter.


    In contrast to the neat and haughty Sun Hee-young that I had just seen this morning, the girl in front of me sported a bruised, swollen face and torn-up rags for clothes. I knew that if I hadn¡¯t shown up any sooner, she would have been in big trouble.


    ¡°s¡­¡±


    The tears that I had intentionally umted in my eyes fell at that moment.


    I could feel the man who was pulling Sun Hee-young¡¯s hair and the bums who seemed to be waiting for their turn looking at me.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°That you don¡¯t need to know, scum.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to y cocky with me, bastard. I¡¯m asking who you are.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡±


    Of course, I didn¡¯t have the confidence to go ahead and kill everyone here. I was still admittedly a weak wizard, and there were a lot of them surrounding me.


    I didn¡¯t believe that Jung Hayan would currently handle the lot of them at this moment, even though she was already preparing spells behind me. I had to stall for time.


    However, the fact that we were against these types of people made me feel confident about myself. These were the types who acted weak against the strong and strong in front of the weak.


    Sure enough, I could see cautious expressions spreading from the entire crowd. My and Jung Hayan¡¯s anonymity was enough of a reason to make them anxious.


    ¡°W-Where are you from¡­?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to know.¡±


    ¡°That¡­¡±


    Jung Hayan began to utter the spell she had memorized the moment I looked behind me. Even before her voice burst, the new magical power that encroached everywhere began to trap them.


    Screams popped up from ce to ce in an impossible situation.


    Sun Hee-young, who was trembling with her round eyes open, started to run towards us. She had realized that I was the only one who could save her from her current predicament. Meanwhile, screams erupted from the hordes of people who did not know what was happening.


    Everyone here was aware that we were the ones responsible for the explosion, and she knew going towards us was where she would be protected.


    ¡°I told you it was going to be dangerous, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for your help.¡±


    ¡°You can rx now, priest. You¡¯re safe.¡± As I spoke, I looked over at the man who had taken ahold of her first. His genitals were exposed for the whole world to see.


    ¡°How was going around the slums on your own? I see you¡¯ve done a little sightseeing.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. Thank you for your help. Quick, let¡¯s go.¡­ Please¡­ Let¡¯s get out¡­¡±


    From what I could see, Sun Hee-young currently did not have the mental capability to speak properly. Her instincts told her to get out of the area. I had no idea how this woman managed to survive the tutorial dungeon if she had gotten traumatized just from this situation.


    However, I wanted to have a serious conversation with her first. This was the whole reason why I even proposed her choice of action, after all. Seeing her traumatized expression made me feel like I stepped on a pile of sh*t.


    ¡°Let this go.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a woman who doesn¡¯t want the world to know of this. Please¡­¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    ¡°Now that you¡¯ve disguised yourself as someone poor, you¡¯ve seen how they truly are, right?¡±


    ¡°You are right. You were right. Everything you said is correct.¡±


    However, I knew she wasn¡¯t thinking properly. All I could see on her face was an expression of urgency. It was not a mask of regret for her line of thinking, but a desperate cry to escape this situation.


    ¡°Hayan, release the magic.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Oppa.¡±


    ¡°Do not do it! Please don¡¯t!¡±


    Of course, the magic I had asked Hayan to release was not the trapping magic she hadid upon the men, but the psychedelic magic that she had cast on Sun Hee-young. It was to reveal her true facial features.


    As Jung Hayan slowly undid the magic, Sun Hee-young¡¯s features slowly shifted into view.


    ¡°Look straight over there.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­?¡±


    The faces of the trash who had attempted to harass our precious priest began to turn blue. They had just now realized who they had just manhandled. Though there were looks of regret on their faces, the fact that they had touched the wrong person remained tantly obvious,


    They had just harassed a girl every n wanted to have.


    Seeing them sh*t their pants and turning pale, I couldn¡¯t resist myself fromughing.


    ¡°Do you guys still want to live?¡±


    Since I saw people nodding their heads, I continued speaking.


    ¡°This woman¡­ Are you willing to kill her?¡±


    The man sported a fearful expression that signaled he didn¡¯t know what I was talking about, so I delved into a deeper exnation.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not going to actually let you kill her. I¡¯m just trying to make this woman realize your true personalities. She¡¯s taken care of you for so long, after all. What is it that she¡¯s been called? The Saint of the Forsaken¡­?¡±


    The man nodded, a little stunned.


    ¡°Why¡­ Why are you saying this?¡± Sun Hee-young stammered.


    ¡°Personally, I feel bad for this woman. She had given her entire time trying to help people like you, only for you to personally prove her wrong.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°If you refuse to admit this, you die.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes, we¡¯d be willing to.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Sun Hee-young was now standing with a poker-faced expression.


    ¡°W-What¡­ Why¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut up and listen to what I tell you, you bastards. Nothing will change anyway.¡±


    ¡°Can I really do whatever I want to do¡­?¡±


    I nodded my head and continued. ¡°Sure. It doesn¡¯t matter if you finish what you were trying to do.¡±


    ¡°Is this true?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m lucky or not, but first of all, thank you for saving me.¡± Sun Hee-young interjected, who looked as if she felt a mix of relief, sadness, and fear.


    ¡°Sir¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut up, you bastard. Anyway, you¡¯re all the same. Just a bunch ofzy pigs who take great pleasure in tormenting others. Aren¡¯t you ashamed of yourselves?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean that in¡­¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t mean it in what? You all thought our lovely priest had gotten sick, so you all decided to skip work and fool around at night.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Even in this situation, the man sporting the burn marks had the cockiness to still speak so confidently. Just by looking at his appearance, I knew he was a motherfucker by birth.


    Sun Hee-young was no longer shaking in fear at this point. Rather, she now sported a defeated expression. I did not know what she was feeling right now, but she was probably feeling more embarrassed than afraid.


    I¡¯m not sure how it feels to be denied by a purpose that I¡¯d dedicated my whole life to, but it probably feels the same as losing one¡¯s identity.


    Finally, the expected result came.


    ¡°Wow¡­¡±


    A sorrowful cry burst out from the silence.


    ¡°Fuhhhhh.¡±


    I stepped towards them slowly. It was no wonder that those who tried to surround Sun Hee-young earlier slowly stepped back as I approached them.


    As I slowly returned my gaze to Sun Hee-young, I could see her looking at me with an expression that was difficult to describe.


    ¡°Ugh¡­ You didn¡¯t have to do this.¡±


    ¡°Now, can we have a proper conversation?¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to do this¡­ Ugh¡­¡±


    ¡°I was only helping you realize the reality of this ce. So, was I right all along?¡±


    ¡°You were right. Ugh, you were right, and I was wrong. I¡­¡±


    ¡°No. That¡¯s not it.¡±


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    ¡°You are not wrong.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Take it literally, Sun Hee-young. You are not wrong. You are simply being noble. Being able to sacrifice for others is something ordinary people cannot do.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I respect you. If I were you, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to get up every day and serve these people. You did it without expecting something in return. Despite being able to receive offers from guilds or ns, you did not focus on the rewards and stuck to your own values.¡±


    While I spoke, the other men sported confused looks. She didn¡¯t know what I was talking about.


    ¡°You are in a lower position than others. Excuse me, but I have watched where you are. If you think about your social position, it¡¯s definitely not a suitable ce. You abandoned everything. Literally everything. Other people also moved. You made other ns and guilds interested in the poor. Yes. You are noble.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s stupid.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t make themzy pigs. What I said before was out of jealousy at you for having something I didn¡¯t have. Your sublime, beautiful, and sincere character is something I don¡¯t possess. It is me who is twisted.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I could see her clenching her fists.


    I didn¡¯t know if she feltforted or still in tears over her current situation, but she could at least recognize that her thinking has changed.


    ¡°You were never wrong.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I guess¡­ Ugh¡­¡±


    ¡°You are sublime.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°You are a person to be respected.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°The one who is wrong here is¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­It¡¯s them.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Now, you know how worthless it is to sacrifice for pigs who do not even know how to appreciate you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°The ones who betray you without knowing what they have received are really wrong. These people corrupt Lindel, the Holy Empire, and even society. Even if the nobles continue to contribute to society, it does not improve because these types of people remain. Yes. It¡¯s all because of them that the slums don¡¯t improve, that you get useless misunderstandings, that you don¡¯t get what your noble light hopes for.¡±


    ¡°I suppose you¡¯re right¡­¡±


    ¡°I do not condemn those who try to stand up, but those who don¡¯t even think about standing up. They make this ce rot.¡±


    Only


    ¡°I agree.¡±


    ¡°Okay, then¡­¡±


    Sun Hee-young continued to look up at me in silence.


    ¡°Let¡¯s begin service in the true sense, Priest.¡±


    There was no suitable answer to the bullsh*t I had just spouted.


    However¡­


    Sun Hee-young slowly straightened and took the dagger that I was handing out to her.


    ¡°Let¡¯s make Lindel beautiful together.¡±

 Chapter 57: Ideal volunteer

    <h4>Chapter 57: Ideal volunteer</h4>


    ¡°Let¡¯s make Lindel beautiful together.¡±


    An indecipherable expression formed on Sun Hee-young¡¯s face at my words, and a moment of what seemed like rity passing through her eyes. Honestly, I wasn¡¯t expecting her to shift this easily. She looked as if she¡¯d been given a new burst of motivation.


    She had been exposed to a scenario that was both frightening and life-threatening, so in a way, I also found this sudden turn understandable. However, I had been expecting her to be all frightened and shaky. It seemed that she had a different response in mind.


    ¡®She¡¯s trembling¡­ Poor thing.¡¯


    Of course, as I assessed her, Sun Hee-young was indeed still shaking and trembling from what she had just experienced. I knew somehow it would have been impossible to get her to admit defeat in her normal state of thinking. Her frightened disposition had worked in my favor.


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    Something new bloomed in Sun Hee-young¡¯s expression then - a sense of purpose. From beneath the shaking exterior was a feeling of determination blossoming within her eyes.


    She had started walking slowly, a dagger expertly held in one hand. In a way, this was both a beautiful and disturbing scene, almost like a religious ritual. What was even more disturbing about it was the fact that it looked as natural as praying for her.


    Inwardly, I knew she did not me these people outright for what they did.


    ¡®However¡­¡¯


    ¡°Priest¡­ We¡­ We were wrong¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what hase over me¡­ Please forgive us¡­¡±


    ¡°Please spare me, Priest¡­ I beg you¡­¡±


    ¡°Y-You said you¡¯d save us¡­¡±


    ¡°Forgive us just this once, please?¡±


    At this point, the perpetrators, now at our mercy, had started begging Sun Hee-young to let them go. I looked over at them, smiling to myself. This was indeed an entertaining sight.


    Sun Hee-young paused and looked towards us, specifically at Jung Hayan, responsible for the magic trap.


    ¡°Really¡­ Can I do it?¡±


    She sounded like she was waiting for confirmation. Of course, I had no intention of letting her stop.


    ¡°Yeah, you don¡¯t need to worry. Think of it as the same thing you¡¯ve been doing so far. It is definitely helping others. If there is trash, it is only correct to remove it.¡±


    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right.¡±


    Sun Hee-young was indeed a talent that should join the party.


    Smiling brightly, she approached the men and raised the dagger high in the air. The screams erupted once more.


    The way she handled the dagger looked beautiful to me for some reason, not at all grotesque.


    ¡°Ahh!¡±


    ¡°Priest! Please save-¡±


    ¡°Help¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhh!¡±


    Any passerby that happened to stumble upon this scene would feel highly disturbed, if not frightened. The grotesque sounds of blood sttering on concrete, mixed with the screams of those affected, rung in the ominous air.


    No one responded to the voices asking for help. Of course, that may well be because of Jung Hayan¡¯s sealing magic masking us, but I was sure that even if we hadn¡¯t gone through the hassle of doing so, no one would havee to their aid.


    As they had said themselves, asking for help here was stupid. Everyone in the slums was too busy with their own lives.


    When I remembered the Sun Hee-young from this morning, the one who would have scoffed at my words and would¡¯ve helped the poor without batting an eysh, I supposed the Sun Hee-young now was not that different in a sense. She still did not me them - she just genuinely believed she could help them in a new manner.


    ¡°Priest! Priest! Please¡­¡±


    ¡°You bitch! Are you even human?!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ Please!¡±


    ¡°Ahhh!¡±


    As Sun Hee-young moved, I couldn¡¯t help but observe her. I had a feeling this woman was already abnormal since the start. There was no other way to exin her level of altruism.


    Sun Hee-young remained silent during the whole ordeal. After a while, the screaming gradually subsided. She was still wearing that strange, creepy smile as she panted slightly.


    ¡°So, how did it feel?¡±


    Although her face was still swollen and bleeding from what she had suffered earlier, she did not seem to mind.


    ¡°That felt¡­ rather rewarding,¡± she responded in a creepy voice. Nevertheless, there was a quality to her that seemed beautiful to me in its entirety. Her state of mind might seem worrying, but I knew she would be fine. I had just helped her out by broadening her perspective, after all.


    ¡®My n is working.¡¯


    ¡°Shall we go, then?¡±


    ¡°Where¡­?¡±


    I did not offer her a direct proposal. Instead, I reached out and took her hand in mine as a response. Jung Hayan shifted ufortably behind me, but I knew that this shouldn¡¯t be a problem.


    ¡°This new meaning of service is not something you can do alone. And unlike before, you need to be a little more discreet. I¡¯ll help you.¡±


    ¡°Together¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Together. There will be many problems when ites to realizing your values. It¡¯s something the average person won¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try to prove you weren¡¯t wrong.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°First of all¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I can do it myself.¡± Sun Hee-young quietly began to memorize the spell. It was daunting as to how quickly she was able to heal herself.


    Because of the ring that Jung Hayan wore, I had already experienced the effects myself once before, but Sun Hee-young¡¯s magic capabilities made recovery more effective from its looks.


    ¡®She¡¯s good.¡¯


    I now understood just why priests were considered very precious. It was difficult to find a person who would fit the priest¡¯s aptitude, and it was also difficult for them to stay a priest. This was why it felt good thinking about having such a powerful ally by my side.


    All that remained was to bring Sun Hee-young back to the guild.


    Jung Hayan stuck up to me closely, and I knew she was worried about the gentle kindness that I had dared show Sun Hee-young. At this, the woman in question leaned away but began to speak to her in turn.


    I let them host a little conversation. It felt a little ironic to have a daily conversation if one were to think about what had just happened a few minutes ago, but seeing Jung Hayan respond to Sun Hee-young¡¯s words eased what little anxiety I had. The two didn¡¯t seem to feel hostility towards each other.


    It was then that I saw a familiar figure making its way towards us.


    ¡°Hyunsung?¡±


    ¡°Oh, if it isn¡¯t Kiyoung. It¡¯s a coincidence to meet you here. I thought you were in theb¡­ Did youe out with Jung Hayan?¡±


    ¡°Ah. The fact is¡­¡±


    When Kim Hyunsung caught sight of Sun Hee-young, the priest smiled brightly and spoke.


    ¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Sun Hee-young, here for a little volunteer activity¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah. It¡¯s also nice to meet you. I am Kim Hyunsung.¡±


    At their exchange, I felt a little confused. Wasn¡¯t Kim Hyunsung here for Sun Hee-young?


    Then I saw a little kid peeking out from behind Kim Hyunsung. It was a little difficult to properly distinguish whether the child who had not yet taken off her oversized tee was a man or a woman.


    There was an unknown poison in the kid¡¯s eyes, and her face covered in broth seemed to exin that she hade from the slum area.


    ¡®Perhaps¡­¡¯


    I quickly activated my ability to find out more about the kid.


    [Check yer Kim Ye-ri¡¯s status window and potential.]


    [Name-Kim Ye-ri]


    [Title-None. You should try a little more.]


    [Age-14]


    [Propensity-A wounded thief]


    [Job-Archer]


    [Job Effect-Acquisition of basic archery knowledge]


    [Capacity]


    [Strength-10/Growth Limit: Hero or higher]


    [Agility-31/Growth Limit: Legend or higher]


    [Health-12/Growth Limit: Hero or less]


    [Intellect-15/Growth Limit: Hero or less]


    [Durability-14 /Growth Limit: Hero or less]


    [Luck-15/Growth Limit: Hero or higher]


    [Holy-10/Growth Limit: Legend or higher]


    [Overall Review-Has a stat limit above the legend level. Agility and magic power have legendary potential. The potential of other stats is also iparable to yer Lee Kiyoung. Please move carefully so as not to adversely affect children. She has gotten hurt, but she is still a pure child. The kid is quick to notice, but please don¡¯t hate her for it.]


    ¡®Huh¡­¡¯


    This was the first time I saw anyone whose stats referred to heroes and legends except for Kim Hyunsung¡¯s. I immediately realized that Sun Hee-young was not who he was aiming for.


    The reason he headed to the slums in the first ce was to bring in this child.


    Looking down at the kid, I also noticed that Sun Hee-young was looking at the little kid with distaste. Nevertheless, she did not act out of line.


    ¡°Ah. This kid¡­¡±


    ¡°This is a child I met by chance here in the slums that looked so talented, so I brought her with me with the intention of teaching her. She still seems a little too young to go hunting herself¡­ Ah! She¡¯s also a little shy, so it will take a little while for her to get acquainted with you.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ I see.¡±


    ¡°What about you, Kiyoung?¡±


    ¡°The same is true for me. I was walking around the slums and identally came into contact with Sun Hee-young, the priest. We eventually got around to talking.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± Kim Hyunsung blinked and seemed to be regarding Sun Hee-young for the first time since he approached us. Silence reigned as he inwardly weighed her.


    ¡®What is this feeling¡­¡¯


    If I were Kim Hyunsung, I would have also tried to recruit her somehow while also focusing on the kid. The limit of her divine talent was beyond legendary.


    It didn¡¯t make any sense. Although the slums were generally arge ce, it would be impossible not to bump into her at least once.


    This could only mean one thing. Sun Hee-young did not give off the same impression as the kid did to Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡®Why not?¡¯


    She was a priest guaranteed a bright future. As of now, she had the potential to grow even stronger if she was given the right kind of training.


    It was then that I suddenly had a strange thought. Could Sun Hee-young have gotten herself in a dire situation in the future? Is that why Kim Hyunsung did not bother trying to recruit her?


    However, they might not have met until now, so he had not tried to get her. Lindel was, after all, a big ce, where events transpired almost everywhere.


    If Kim Hyunsung had been busy hunting to survive or had been stuck in training somewhere, he may not have heard the stories. This was also a possibility I had to consider. I shouldn¡¯t have panicked so fast.


    However, the thought that Sun Hee-young could have died for nothing came into my mind and refused to leave. Of course, I had no way of knowing how she would have died.


    After epting a n or guild¡¯s offer, she may have died in the middle of exploration, or maybe war would break out shortly and would sweep her away. She may also have fallen ill or may have been damaged by her chosen guild out of its selfish interests.


    Only


    But perhaps¡­


    ¡®Perhaps she also died because of the poor¡­¡¯


    As I said, I had no way of knowing.


    There was nothing I could do except to anticipate, but for some reason, I thought that Sun Hee-young had a bitter life in her previous lifetime.


    No, I didn¡¯t think. I was almost sure she did.


    ¡°Thank you in the future, Ms. Hee-young.¡±


    ¡°Likewise¡­ Thank you very much, Mr. Hyunsung. I think I¡¯ll be in your debt for a long while.¡±


    Ah, Sun Hee-young. Always the ideal volunteer.

 Chapter 58: Regressor bus

    <h4>Chapter 58: Regressor bus</h4>


    To summarize, both the kid Kim Ye-ri and the priest Sun Hee-young ended up joining our party.


    In all honesty, only the authorization of Kim Hyunsung was needed for the two people to join our team. However, the guild¡¯s higher-ups seemed to want to dispute this because we did not consult with the administrative team beforehand.


    For other parties, this would have posed little problem. However, our party was new, and Kim Hyunsung had been a member for less than a year.


    However, apart from this negative outlook, the fact that we had gotten someone like Sun Hee-young - someone who the other guilds and ns desperately wanted for themselves - had more than made up for their misgivings.


    ¡®We¡¯d also gotten her for a low bargain.¡¯


    It was no wonder her valuation within the guild shot up when Sun Hee-young announced that she would not join any other n or guild.


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s party, which was admittedly still in the spotlight, once more became the subject of the Free City of Lindel¡¯s attention. I admittedly did not know the history of every survivor that had reached Lindel, but I was fairly certain no one had received as much attention in the past as our party.


    ¡°Hyung! It¡¯s time to eat.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    While I was still immersed in my experiments within my workshop, Park Deokgu slipped through the door after knocking.


    Recently, the party had made it a point to eat together during every meal. This was to be more acquainted with Sun Hee-young and Kim Ye-ri and discuss ns for our party. Compared to the four of us, who had been close since the start, it took some time for Kim Ye-ri and Sun Hee-young to warm up to the gang.


    Surprisingly, Jung Hayan and Sun Hee-young seemed well-matched, and the two became close friends. Meanwhile, I hadn¡¯t had the chance to converse with Kim Ye-ri, for she was always hiding her face and shying away.


    ¡®She¡¯s such a quick-witted kid, though¡­¡¯


    Although she was freakishly quiet, she dutifully stuck to Kim Hyunsung, almost as if she could sense security within Hyunsung¡¯s power. I knew that it would take some time for her to warm up to us, but it also felt frustrating to see her being so unresponsive to me.


    Wanting to ease the slight awkwardness, Park Deokgu opened his mouth to speak.


    ¡°By the way, what¡¯s Hyung so busy with? I hardly get to see you outside of meals.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve had a lot to do. I¡¯m doing so much at once, so I can¡¯t really focus on one.¡±


    ¡°Can you tell me just one of them? My curiosity is driving me crazy. It¡¯s been so long since you started, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s time to tell me one of your secrets?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t do that suspense thing. Just tell me.¡±


    ¡°The most recent thing I was doing was a potion to control my emotions¡­¡±


    ¡°Is that even possible?¡±


    ¡°It was only a theory, but you can think of it as virtually impossible. I just thought I¡¯d try and see if I can touch the basic human needs¡­¡±


    ¡°For example?¡±


    ¡°Something like sex, sleep, or appetite. In fact, if I get it correctly, it won¡¯t ever hurt your emotions. It¡¯s all about simply making you drowsy or feeling tired of your body¡­¡±


    ¡°So¡­ It¡¯s technically not controlling your emotions?¡±


    ¡°This is why touching emotions is fun. For example, suppose you created a potion that rxes your muscles as well as your body. If you say you added something magical to it, the affected human would feel drowsy. This is because the brain interprets the body¡¯s signals at will.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°It is the same in other cases, like applying heat to the body or making the heart beat a little faster. You just need a little stimulus or nt a seed of thought in someone to make it work.¡±


    ¡°It sounds scary for some reason¡­¡±


    ¡°If you have low intelligence, it will work a little better on you. Or¡­¡±


    ¡°Or¡­¡±


    ¡°Or if you¡¯re a little unsafe or unstable.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Park Deokgu hesitated, an expression simr to fear crossing his features. It might have been quite unsettling to hear about the possible creation of a potion that could control people¡¯s emotions.


    It had been pretty fun trying to make it, but it wasn¡¯t suitable for us. There were a lot of dramatic situations, and different materials were required for its creation.


    In short, it was a situation that did not yet seem to be viable.


    The one I had now was only a prototype for the final version of my desired product. Nevertheless, I couldn¡¯t say that this was useless.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a joke.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a joke. There¡¯s no way a potion like that could exist.¡±


    ¡°Ah, hyung!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just trying to imagine it. Originally, all experiments start with one¡¯s imagination. It means that every idea matters.¡±


    ¡°So, is it possible to visualize even the wrong type of idea?¡±


    ¡°Only if the situation fits.¡±


    ¡°You mean like the idea of a love potion?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an extension to the potion I said before.¡±


    ¡°Then how about a potion that increases your stats when you drink? Or something like a potion that makes the user invisible?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, a potion to be a monster! Is that possible?¡±


    I didn¡¯t know if he was babbling or not, but the potions Park Deokgu had been mentioning were the ones I¡¯d been studying.


    As I looked at him with an expression of surprise, he smiled and began giving out more ideas. Some of them were things that I¡¯ve never even thought about, so I began to see him in a new light.


    For now, I only had theories I wanted to bring into reality, so I also ended up taking mental notes of unique ideas that came out of Park Deokgu¡¯s mouth.


    As I slowly went down to the guild house¡¯s basement, those who were gathered came into sight.


    ¡°Oppa, are you here?¡±


    ¡°Kiyoung-nim.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s all sit down.¡±


    Jung Hayan looked up at me as she sat, and Sun Hee-young was also sitting in front of the table. Meanwhile, Kim Hyunsung nodded and weed me, and Kim Ye-ri, the youngest, was still looking around warily.


    ¡°Good morning.¡±


    ¡°Yes, good morning.¡±


    As I sat down, Jung Hayan brought my meal over to me. Sun Hee-young handed me my water.


    Interestingly, Sun Hee-young¡¯s propensity had not changed. She still saw herself as the ideal volunteer, embarrassingly enough.


    Perhaps it was possible because I thought I could change her with the course of events that had happened, but it seemed that the inclination to be the ideal volunteer would still stay with her.


    Instead, her job had changed.


    [Dark Priest - Hero Grade]


    The current job of being a priest of the sun was changed into being a dark priest. I thought it was probably the effect of what happened at that time, but there had been no difference in abilities or spells upon observation. Sun Hee-young was still able to memorize divine magic, and even Kim Hyunsung felt surprised by her ability.


    Of course, even the growth in Jung Hayan¡¯s case was distinguishable. In the case of the lovely returner Kim Hyunsung, there was no need for other exnations in the first ce.


    Rather, it was with Park Deokgu that the growth rate had been a little slow. His endurance level continuously rose, but his muscle strength and stamina¡¯s growth rate were slower inparison. His agility stats seemed to be the slowest out of everything.


    Although he seemed to be frustrated about it, I knew he understood why his growth had been like this, even with immense training. He and I had low growth potentials, and we just had to make do with what we had.


    Once everyone had settled in, Kim Hyunsung began to speak.


    ¡°Let¡¯s start eating.¡±


    ¡°Enjoy your meal.¡±


    Since Kim Hyunsung was the designated leader of our party, it was natural to show him respect before the meal. After his signaling nod, we began to eat in silence. However, after a few moments, some of them had started striking up a conversation with each other.


    They covered the most random topics, but I couldn¡¯t say I objected. This was my only break from my work, so it proved to be a pleasant distraction.


    However, one look at Kim Hyunsung informed me that an important announcement would being soon.


    ¡°I have something important to tell everyone.¡±


    The atmosphere became quiet in a second.


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°I got an offer from the Vice Guild Master this morning.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the offer about?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s for a dungeon strategy. It seems that not only our party, but also parties of nearbyrge guilds will enter. I¡¯d love to hear what you think.¡±


    This was a little unexpected.


    Of course, I expected that we would be going hunting or dungeon-exploring someday. However, our party was still considered as a neer and would need some time to grow. We currently had six people, and if the little kid Kim Ye-ri went with him, it wouldn¡¯t be called bad timing because Kim Hyunsung had managed to get enough members in time.


    What came as a surprise to us was the fact that we would be joining another guild.


    Sometimes, dangerous and unexpected events could ur within dungeon explorations, so one needed to go with people they trusted. This was why the thought of joining up with other guilds hadn¡¯t crossed my mind.


    I couldn¡¯t help it. ¡°Can you tell us more?¡±


    Kim Hyunsung smiled slightly and answered. ¡°Of course. I haven¡¯t gotten a lot of details, but one of the mid-sized parties has found a new dungeon in the area near the tutorial dungeon.¡±


    ¡°But that¡­¡±


    ¡°The problem is the members of the party. It was a dungeon that was discovered during a gathering of several guilds and not by a singr party, so the discussion about which guild will own it has be a little ambiguous.¡±


    ¡®Ah¡­¡¯


    With this, I could understand just what was going on.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t they directly involved in the attack?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It seems that there is no need to attack the dungeon, as the results of the investigation reveal it to be a normal grade type. However, this is still considered as a rare discovery. They probably want to separate the rewards within instead. We also decided to share some of the stakes in the dungeon where the attack waspleted.¡±


    ¡°Rather than attacking directly¡­¡±


    ¡°It must have been decided to be used as an investment which will be supported by each guild and n.¡±


    To put it simply, it meant that the fellowship party of each guild member had identally discovered a rare dungeon. The problem was that the dungeon level felt a bit low for the members of this social gathering to enter. Therefore, they probably thought it prudent to give the dungeon exploration to those who could use it for their growth.


    ¡®I guess Kim Hyunsung has made good rtions with whoever¡¯s in charge.¡¯


    Only


    It felt a little strange that guilds were able to discuss without undergoing disputes over ownership. In fact, for the guys who discovered the dungeon, it would be a favorable situation for them because they could receive rewards from each guild and even receive some of the dungeon¡¯s shares.


    ¡°One party from our Blue Guild, one from the Red Mercenary Guild, one from the Magic Guild, and finally, one from the ck Swan Guild wille together. Although it is a rare dungeon, it is said that there is no problem with all parties moving together because the dungeon is a bitrge. The end rewards would probably be distributed ording to the contribution of each party, but¡­¡±


    ¡°By the degree of contribution?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. However, the purpose of this dungeon line is not to gain items or goods. It¡¯s to gain experience.¡±


    I knew what Kim Hyunsung was trying to say. We would just be using this opportunity for our growths, and not for any other purpose. Any extra rewards would just be considered a bonus.


    Because of this line of reasoning, there was no reason to refuse.


    ¡®Thank you, Hyunsung.¡¯


    It was time to board the regressor bus and take action.

 Chapter 59: Dungeon attack becomes a political war (1)

    <h4>Chapter 59: Dungeon attack bes a political war (1)</h4>


    The announcement was a little too unexpected, so I found myself getting way more upied.


    Our guild mother, Lee Sang-hee, was in charge of educating our party about the exploration, and what was left of our spare time was spent trying to achieve our daily tasks.


    The sad fact stood - our party had zero experience when it came to hunting or dungeon explorations. We could have said that the tutorial dungeon gave us some notion, but survival dungeons wouldn¡¯t be considered as experience by other people.


    In other words, our party had skipped the typical beginner¡¯s growth process. They had chosen for us to enter an advanced type dungeon without stopping to consider our experience.


    Of course, it might have been possible for people to overlook this as we had been quite the popr party in Lindel, but we all knew within ourselves that we were still newbies to this sort of thing.


    This was why we tried our absolute best to pile up as much basic dungeon knowledge as we could before the due date came.


    When a party moved together, the best practice would be to practice formation to prevent the weakening of defenses and memorize monsters¡¯ types and characteristics.


    In short, we were cramming both mental and physical training in preparation for the dungeon exploration. Thus, we were receiving special attention from the Blue Guild. Every member wanted to make sure we were in tip-top shape so as not to get left behind.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know if we¡¯ll be able to do this sessfully, but¡­¡¯


    We were indeed very lucky to have been given a chance to join a joint exploration this quickly, considering that we were newbies. It also felt weird to move with parties from other guilds, but looking from a different perspective, it meant that our safety was guaranteed. Plus, we would also learn a thing or two by watching their formations and react to certain situations within the dungeon.


    However, that didn¡¯t mean I was underestimating my party. In actuality, our fellow guilds¡¯ levels weren¡¯t that highpared to ours. It was just the experience in dungeons that separated us from each other.


    In short, we were still very lucky to be given this opportunity.


    ¡°By the way¡­ Are you really going to take Kim Ye-ri with us?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It may be dangerous, but it will be a great experience for her. Being young and new to this sort of thing is both an advantage and a disadvantage.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    It was quite surprising that Kim Hyunsung had also chosen to take Kim Ye-ri with us. However, I knew that he must have decided to do so for a reason. Kim Hyunsung wasn¡¯t the type to take a risk when he knew that it might put the whole team in danger, after all.


    In any case, our party rushed toplete our preparations before the due date came.


    Kim Hyunsung was the one who was particrly assigned to attend the meetings outside, and it was through this that I could feel that our first expedition as the Blue Guild¡¯s Seventh Division Party was fast approaching.


    Finally, the day of the dungeon exploration came.


    ¡°Deokgu, have you packed everything that we need to bring?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Well, some of the guild members already packed their luggage in advance¡­¡±


    ¡°Miss Hee-young, can you check if there is anything still missing? I¡¯m also not sure if the others are in good shape to move.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°Jung Hayan, please make sure all the food, drinking water, and potions are ready to go.¡±


    ¡°Yes, oppa.¡±


    In truth, I was the busiest. I was the one pulling strings behind the scenes, making sure everyone would be properly prepared in time for the exploration. I didn¡¯t want to inconvenience Kim Hyunsung by having him think of everything, after all.


    It was crucial for someone to be in charge of all the basic needs. This included checking the necessary supplies, preparing for the expedition in advance, etc.


    In other words, I took care of the less fun parts that came with nning for a guild expedition.


    ¡®I will prepare everything, Hyunsung. You don¡¯t need to worry.¡¯


    As expected, Kim Hyunsung was very appreciative of the way I had stepped in to handle things. It was important for me to show that I was still worth the investment. I might becking in power or growth potential, but at least he would see me as someone useful to have around.


    ¡°Make sure you don¡¯t leave out any equipment. Hayan, when you¡¯re done, bring the equipment you decided to rent from the guild warehouse¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, oppa.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget to bring the arrows along for Ye-ri.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course!¡±


    I might be busy, but it was also important for me to look busier. As it was my first expedition, I had to make sure I made my position within the party clear in advance.


    If the party¡¯s father were Kim Hyunsung, then the party¡¯s mother would be me, Lee Kiyoung.


    It wasn¡¯t all that hard to do. All I had to do was check the list for anything we might be missing, and make sure that the preparations were all in ce.


    When I saw Kim Hyunsunge into sight, whistling, and in a good mood, I couldn¡¯t help butugh.


    ¡°I think I¡¯m somewhat ready. You should also check yourself before we go, Hyunsung.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Kiyoung, I¡¯m okay. There will be no other problem. Another party will be waiting outside. Let¡¯s start soon.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    This tedious job felt less hassling when I knew that the leader trusted me enough to take care of this sort of thing. I couldn¡¯t help but let a smile overtake my features.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sure.¡±


    As we headed outside, we could see unfamiliar faces waiting. They had all their attention on us, presumably trying to size us up.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s Sun Hee-young, am I right?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the party that the Blue Guild decided to assign?¡±


    ¡°Well, I can understand why they had to get them at an expensive price. You can see their potential even by just looking at them.¡±


    ¡°I kind of feel jealous. Their starting line is different from ours¡­¡±


    ¡°They haven¡¯t even shown their true abilities yet¡­¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the whole reason for the hunt?¡±


    ¡°So, does that mean we¡¯ll have to support them?¡±


    Amidst all the looks we were receiving, one expression in familiar stood out - the expression of jealousy.


    We had rented equipment from the guild warehouse, but the difference was that the ones we were given were of good quality. Most of the equipment our would-be expedition members were wearing were worn-out and dull-looking inparison.


    I couldn¡¯t me them. If I were in their shoes, I wouldn¡¯t be able to stop myself fromparing, either.


    One could see it just by looking at Park Deokgu.


    Instead of the fragile wooden shield that he used back in the tutorial, he was now holding an iron-encrusted shield that not only looked pretty good but also had higher defense statspared to regr type shields. He was also wearing chain armor instead of the customary leather armor that was normally used for shoces.


    If Park Deokgu¡¯s strength stat had only been a little higher, he would have also been able to wear a whole body-ted armor.


    None of us were wearing any hero-grade equipment, but we weren¡¯t using items that screamed ¡®beginner,¡¯ either.


    As we slowly approached them, I couldn¡¯t help but notice each guild¡¯s emblem imprinted on their respective members.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, too.¡±


    Having met several times in advance, the party leaders were well-acquainted with each other.


    Another notable thing to observe was that one of the Red Mercenary Guild members looked at our party with a favorable expression.


    ¡®Oh? He seems interesting.¡¯


    ¡°Nice to meet you. I am Choi Young-ki of the Red Mercenary Guild. I heard a lot about you from the master.¡±


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s nice to meet you. I am Kiyoung Lee.¡±


    Of course, it was only natural for Cha Hee-ra to employ people who would report back to her about my current standing and how this expedition would go. The Red Mercenary Guilds were very easy to distinguish, as they were all wearing red.


    Meanwhile, one of the other men who were busy greeting Jung Hayan looked like the Magic Guild members. He was wearing a badge that looked like a magic circle, and he had already struck up a conversation with her, seemingly having a lot of questions he wanted to ask.


    Those who went to greet Kim Hyunsung, in particr, were the members of the ck Swan Guild. As expected, they were wearing their guild badge. Their party consisted of five women and one man.


    ¡®Ah, so the rumors are true.¡¯


    Most members of the ck Swan Guild were said to be women. There were little differences, but they formed quite the formidable party.


    Since there were so many guilds, each with their respective parties, it was hard to greet everyone sessfully. Of course, the most popr person in the entire crowd would be our very own priest, Sun Hee-young.


    ¡°You finally decided to go active.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Some things happened, and I found myself joining Blue Guild. Please take good care of me, everyone.¡±


    ¡°Having you as part of this team is very reassuring, haha.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no. In fact, I am not familiar with the ins and outs of the dungeon, so I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be of much help. I¡¯ll still try my best, regardless!¡±


    ¡°Yes, sure. Then let¡¯s go as soon as we¡¯re ready.¡±


    Due to the atmosphere, the Red Mercenary¡¯s Choi Young-ki decided to lead this expedition. Seeing as he had the best stats and came from the best guild among every guild present, it waspletely understandable for him to do so.


    Though he did not have hero-grade stats, he had put a lot of effort into trying to make sure his stats were as high as possible.


    To me, it felt like Park Deokgu had a higher potential rate, and if Park Deokgu were to train without giving up continuously, he would probably grow to be as strong as Choi Young-ki, if not even stronger.


    ¡°It¡¯s a great honor to see the rumored party in person, Mr. Hyunsung.¡±


    ¡°No, we are the lucky ones. This is also my first expedition. I came with the mindset to learn before anything else.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha. In fact, I was also one of the ones who watched your demonstration before. My goodness¡­ I really thought of you as a genius. Your excessive humility is poisonous.¡±


    ¡°Thank you so much for watching me.¡±


    ¡°I just had to. Even Miss Jung Hayan showed great potential.¡±


    Choi Young-ki exhibited quite a pleasant personality. His other party members were the same for the most part. Meanwhile, the Magic Guild struck me as the quiet type.


    I didn¡¯t know what the ck Swan Guild people were thinking, but they didn¡¯t seem to be wary of us.


    However, this didn¡¯t mean that we werepletely free from judgments. Our judgment came in the form of Kim Ye-ri. After all, she was still just a child.


    It was then that one of the people from the ck Swan Guild spoke.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t hear anything about you bringing young children to the expedition, Mr. Hyunsung.¡±


    ¡°He will not interfere. Before being a child, she is also a talented archer. I will make sure she isn¡¯t a nuisance to the expedition.¡±


    ¡°Still¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take care of her.¡±


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    I knew tension would be inevitable between guilds. We just needed to give them an opening to take. However, we couldn¡¯t just back down from the taunts either. We needed to assess them first to see where we would end up standing.


    I had already looked at everyone¡¯s stats from the first moment that Iid my eyes on them, but I thought I had to look at them one more time. Thus, I slowly activated my ability.


    [Check yer Yura Jung¡¯s status window and potential.]


    [Name-Jung Yura]


    [Title-None. You should try a little more.]


    [Age-29]


    [Propensity-Calcting Strategist]


    [Job-Assassination Thief-Rare Grade]


    [Job Effect-Acquisition of basic archery knowledge]


    [upational Effect-Acquisition of basic dagger skills]


    [upational Effect-Acquisition of basic trapping knowledge]


    [Job Effect-Acquisition of Basic Assassination Knowledge]


    [Capacity]


    [Strength -41/Growth limit: Hero or higher]


    [Agility-55/Growth limit: Hero or higher]


    [Health -43/Growth limit: Hero or less]


    [Intellect -40/Growth limit: Rare or less]


    Only


    [Durability-20/Growth limit: Rare or higher]


    [Luck -23/Growth limit: Rare or less]


    [Holy-43/Growth limit: Hero or higher]


    [Overall Review - Has the stats and potential to be useful as an assassin. It is noticeable that the disposition, upation, and stats are very well matched. Must have the talent to grow smoothly. If you assume that she gets a legendary item or job, she is a talent who can grow explosively. However, her personality doesn¡¯t look as good. Of course,pared to yer Lee Kiyoung, she still looks like a saint.]


    ¡®Ah, so she¡¯s okay.¡¯


    I¡¯ve seen so many monster-like stats, so hers weren¡¯t all that impressive, but her possible growth rate still showed much promise. It also looked like she was doing a very good job as an assassin.


    From an in-depth assessment, I could guess her role to center around trap dismantling or rear disturbance. Therefore, I could understand the snarky tone. Her responsibility was also to make sure that we wouldn¡¯t be ambushed or caught off-guard. This also meant ensuring that there were no possibly weak links in the party.


    ¡°We aren¡¯t here to look after you¡­¡± A voice muttered from behind.

 Chapter 60: Dungeon attack becomes a political war (2)

    <h4>Chapter 60: Dungeon attack bes a political war (2)</h4>


    Of course, I could understand where they wereing from.


    From the other guild parties¡¯ perspective, they had already sacrificed a lot just to let us - a lower spec party - join the expedition.


    Our party was the least experienced here. It wasn¡¯t only our first time doing a dungeon exploration, but it was also our first time engaging in hunting activities, and all of them here knew it. Thus, if we were to bring Kim Ye-ri, who was a kid, with us, it would mean lugging around baggage that was twice as heavy.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t say that, we can still have fun.¡±


    ¡°How can you make dungeon exploration fun, Choi Young-ki? This is not a joke. No matter how many people are involved¡­ It was natural to be worried about our wellbeing.¡±


    ¡°That¡­¡±


    ¡°Even though our overall specifications are high, please remember that we are not here for sightseeing. You have to be aware that any dungeon can be dangerous at any time.¡±


    ¡°We will work harder.¡±


    Even in the midst of that, Choi Young-ki still chose to take our side. Perhaps Cha Hee-ra had said something to him beforehand.


    ¡°Ah, well, we¡¯re not saying that we don¡¯t have faith in the Red Mercenaries¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, the atmosphere feels a little ufortable now. Well, I suppose it¡¯s time to give a briefing.¡±


    ¡°Yes, okay.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°As you¡¯ve heard, the dungeon we are entering is a rare find. The name of the dungeon is Garden of Terror, and the guild¡¯s analysis is that nt-type monsters will dominate the entire area.¡±


    This was something we already knew. It seemed that this ¡®briefing¡¯ was only brought up for the sole purpose of lightening up the atmosphere.


    As we were walking, I could see that Choi Young-ki¡¯s disposition wasn¡¯t so bad. Rather, he was exerting quite the effort to alleviate the nervous mood within the group.


    ¡°Hyung, doesn¡¯t he look like a good person?¡±


    ¡°Huh. It also seems that way to me.¡±


    Park Deokgu had also seemed to notice, and a part of me agreed. I feltfortable knowing we had such a tanker as a leader, someone who was considerate of hisrades.


    He was calm, knew how tomunicate with people, and was good at skills. Choi Young-ki was a pro when it came to reading the atmosphere and minimizing any form of conflict. He was the type of tank that Park Deokgu should aspire to be.


    As we walked and talked, I knew it wouldn¡¯t be long until we¡¯d arrive at our destination.


    It was a little annoying to pass through ces where enormous thorn bushes had gathered, but the slowing of the pace had given me ample time to observe the entrance of the dungeon.


    ¡®Why¡¯s it so small?¡¯


    The entrance itself was indeed a small opening where only one or two people could enter at the same time. However, it exuded an ominous, magical aura, almost beckoning any passer-by to enter it. It looked both dangerous and magnificent at the same time.


    I never imagined a dungeon entrance could look so enticing.


    After gazing at the entrance for some time, Choi Young-ki nodded and turned to us.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be the first to go in slowly. The order of entry will be in this manner: ck Swan, Magic, and Blue. As there is a possibility that a battle may start as soon as possible, we will try to get in as quickly and efficiently as we can. Am I understood?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Following Young-ki¡¯smand, people split into pairs while categorizing themselves ording to their respective parties. I was at the very back, my hand holding Jung Hayan¡¯s firmly.


    Upon entering, I felt like the air had changed, and after a while, I heard a familiar message.


    [You have entered the Garden of Terror, a rare dungeon. Number of people [24/30] checked.]


    Right after this, I could hear a voice from the front. ¡°Fan out! Put some distance, quickly! Our first opponent is here. Be careful not to get in anyone¡¯s way or formation!¡±


    I found it a little silly toe face to face with a monster right off the bat, but I knew I should have expected it. This dungeon positively oozed infinite magical power.


    The Red Mercenaries immediately took up the front positions and were blocking the monsters trying to break through their formation as best as possible.


    I observed the monsters¡¯ physique. They were grotesque-looking nt giants that were about twice the size of a regr human. With every step they took, the ground shook slightly. This signaled that, unlike normal nts, these weighed as heavy as iron. It wasn¡¯t easy to understand how they could move so efficiently as their bodies were made of stems and roots, but I knew now was not the time to question this.


    I lightly knocked Deokgu on the head, seeing the guy looking up at the monsters in a trance.


    ¡°Deokgu.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see.¡±


    It didn¡¯t seem like he was scared. Rather, he had just felt an initial shock upon seeing the monsters. Coming to his senses, Deokgu rushed forward to take his position as a shield tanker. The rest of the parties¡¯ tankers were also doing the same to give their fellow party members ample time to attack.


    It was difficult to maintain a solid formation due to the cramped space, but they were trying their best to provide somehow enough space for swordsmen and spearmen to move.


    ¡°I will keep pushing. Please start attacking slowly.¡±


    ¡°What!¡±


    At that time, Park Deokgu, who had courageously jumped out first, suddenly lost focus. He was unable to withstand the attack and lost his bnce.


    ¡°Priest!¡±


    ¡°On my way.¡±


    Sun Hee-young immediately uttered a spell to support Park Deokgu, and Kim Hyunsung stepped forward in an attempt to help.


    However, we were a tad toote. A monster came rushing through the gap that Park Deokgu had opened up, and it was rushing straight towards us.


    ¡®Fuck.¡¯


    The formation had already copsed.


    I thought about uttering the spells integrated within my ring, but it felt like such a waste to use them at the very beginning of the dungeon.


    Seeing Kim Hyunsung leaping up to stand in its way, it seemed like no one would get hurt, but I still felt anxious.


    However, before anyone from our party even took the first offensive stance, the iing monster was mmed sideways. Our savior turned out to be Choi Young-ki.


    Quang!


    ¡°Support is needed here!¡±


    ¡°Noted!¡±


    ¡°Who¡­¡±


    His intervention had sparked a change. Order began to spread throughout the parties once more, and the other guild parties were efficiently ridding the dungeon entrance of its monsters.


    Of course, Kim Hyunsung was able to steadily inflict damage in the midst of that, but the problem was that Jung Hayan and I could hardly help with how efficiently he took them out.


    This was the moment where I could see the difference between guild parties. It wasn¡¯t just about the difference in our stats; it was also about our experience in teamwork.


    ¡®We aren¡¯t working together properly.¡¯


    As soon as the first wave of opponents had been cleared, Choi Young-ki addressed a breathless Park Deokgu.


    ¡°It seems you moved too quickly.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ That¡­ Thank you¡­¡±


    ¡°This often happens when youck experience. It would be better to put some strength on the lower body.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll take note of that.¡±


    My gratitude towards Choi Young-ki began to rise as he simultaneously calmed Park Deokgu down and even gave him helpful advice.


    ¡°Then, we will organize the surroundings together.¡±


    ¡°Yes, okay.¡±


    It didn¡¯t seem like Park Deokgu had received a major injury, but the wounded expression on his face revealed that the real source of pain came from his failure.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, everyone¡­¡±


    ¡°There is nothing to be sorry for. Deokgu. This is an experience for all of us who are newbies.¡±


    ¡°Still¡­¡±


    ¡°Hyunsung is right, Deokgu. There is no need to be so somber. Just continue to work hard with the intention of learning throughout this expedition. You will soon get better.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­ I shall try my best.¡±


    ¡°As you are now, the attack will feel a little heavier for you. It would be nice to lower your posture a little, so you¡¯ll be able to stand your ground.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°It may take some time to get used to, but you will be able to do it well.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll try.¡±


    I felt a little worried about seeing Park Deokgu¡¯s gloomy disposition. The fact stood that he had the potential to be an amazing tanker, but at his current state, he wouldn¡¯t be able to keep up with the more experienced types, such as Choi Young-ki. He was feeling a lot more pressure as the person tasked with the role of standing in front, too. He knew that losing formation could mean the downfall of his team.


    He was such a simple guy; I knew dungeons would easily be able to bring his mood down.


    ¡°Hey, Young-ki Choi.¡±


    ¡°Yeah? Do you have anything to say, Yura?¡±


    ¡°Those from the Blue Guild¡­ I think it would be better to ce their tanker over there in the rear.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°He still seems a little off with his physique. He might bring more damage if he is to stand at the very front. At least he can shield us from any potential rear ambushes.¡±


    It was, once again, the ck Swan brat who had spoken.


    ¡®Ha¡­¡¯


    Park Deokgu stepped forward.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°I know that you want to prove yourself, but this isn¡¯t the time and ce to do so. As it is, the difference in stats and experience is too high.¡±


    ¡°He will probably get used to it soon. He seems to have good durability¡­ Given enough time¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the problem. If he falls out again, Choi Young-ki will have to help them. As a result, the formation itself bes dangerous. Unlike the Red Mercenary Guild tanker, which has good durability stats, the other parties have a low durability except for our tanks. The unexpected can always happen. I think you know what it means if you get swept aside?¡±


    ¡°Nevertheless¡­ Even if you tell me that¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I suggest you take to the rear. I think even the Magic guild agrees.¡±


    Choi Young-ki was defending us against Yura¡¯s harsh words, but I had a feeling it wasn¡¯t just because Cha He-raa had ordered him to. It felt like he wanted us to improve.


    However, it wasn¡¯t only because of this. Even though Choi Young-ki was the de facto leader of the entire group, the authority of where to ce Park Deokgu still rested on our party, and no one else¡¯s.


    Even if it was appropriate to give such an opinion, it still felt disrespectful all the same. It should have been one of us who made this suggestion instead of another party guild member.


    In short, this kind of behavior would only cause unrest and conflict among guilds.


    Only


    ¡®This bitch¡­¡¯


    I had suspected what kind of person she was right from the start, but we hadn¡¯t even been inside the dungeon for long, and she was already getting on my nerves.


    ¡®Computational strategist, my ass.¡¯


    It felt like she was trying to cut our party down for the heck of it rather than thinking of the safety of the party expedition itself. I knew why - she wanted to harvest more of the end rewards for herself, and the only way to do that was to criticize another party¡¯s contributions.


    However, our party genuinely only wanted the experience. Gaining items was just a bonus.


    Her method had started to piss me off, though. Why was she employing such political tactics on a guild expedition? This was such bullsh*t.


    My mouth started to itch.


    She wanted to resort to these types of tactics? Two could y that game.

 Chapter 61: Dungeon attack becomes a political war (3)

    <h4>Chapter 61: Dungeon attack bes a political war (3)</h4>


    In the kind of political tactic Yura was trying to employ, understanding the situation around you was paramount. This meant that the opinions of those who had the right to vote were important.


    As this was a fight for the public¡¯s approval, now was hardly a good time to go against her.


    Unlike Jung Y-ra, who had already established a firm standing as both an experienced member and explorer, I was still just a newbie party member who hadn¡¯t proved anything yet. Although the Red Mercenary people regarded me highly, they would not risk extending their hand out so far to help me.


    Therefore, I had a new top priority. I had to establish my standing within this party to prove to everyone that I, along with the rest of my party members, were not useless like they thought.


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry,¡± I started, bowing slightly.


    The first thing to do in a situation like this was to apologize. Much of the group members¡¯ attention was on me now. I continued speaking.


    ¡°I know anything unexpected can happen in an expedition, which is why I understand your anxiety. We also understand that you already have yourselves to focus on, and you can¡¯t do the same for our party. However, please give us one more chance to prove ourselves.¡±


    ¡°But this is¡­¡±


    ¡°I know you are concerned for our well-being. Please, just give us one more shot. We won¡¯t let you down.¡± I was careful to keep my tone sincere. This was the best way to get the hearts of my audience.


    As expected, many of my fellow group members nodded and showed preference to my words. They respected my choice to prove the usefulness of my party once more.


    Jung Yura, too, looked a little embarrassed, and the expression on her face was as clear as day.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Even Park Deokgu had begun to bow his head in apology, adding Jung Yura¡¯s embarrassment even more.


    I didn¡¯t think he should apologize. He had just stumbled by ident, and it was his first time. Since it was our blunder, we would be the ones to die first, and they could still have the time to escape.


    However, I knew this kind of reasoning would not work well with the others, so humility was the best option we could take. Jung Yura began to speak.


    ¡°Dungeon strategy is not a joke. Actually, I wouldn¡¯t say I like giving second chances in dangerous situations like these, but¡­ I guess I can give you another chance.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± With this, I lowered my head even further. Park Deokgu seemed both moved and sorry with my initiative to step in for him.


    ¡°Hyung¡­ I really have nothing to say except sorry.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine, Deokgu. Anyone can make mistakes. Don¡¯t be scared. Try again. You¡¯ll be able to do it sessfully the next time.¡±


    I neglected to say that Jung Yura would have gained the upper hand if something did happen during his blunder. If we so much as had a casualty on our hands, the fault would lie entirely on our guild party and our guild party alone. An apology would not work in that kind of situation.


    However, since nothing bad had happened, the entire group found our blunder easily forgivable. No one suffered any major injuries, and we could still repel the first wave of monsters. On the contrary, most of the other people had begun to approach a gloomy Park Deokgu to offerfort words.


    ¡®Everyone here knows what it¡¯s like to be a beginner, so they must be sympathetic.¡¯


    Everyone had been a newbie at one point. It was a normal urrence to make mistakes if one was inexperienced. This was especially true for a new tanker like Park Deokgu, whose role garnered the most pressure. He needed to stay in front, soak the damage, and ensure protection to his allies. Failure to do so might result in the death of a team member.


    Thus, it was not unreasonable to think that the pressure might hinder his effectiveness.


    ¡°It is important to prevent attacks, but it would be better to think of deflecting them, juniors.¡±


    ¡°Oh, thank you.¡±


    ¡°Anytime, anywhere, just remember, huh? It¡¯s important to hold on to your lower body.¡±


    ¡°Okay, senior¡­ I¡¯ll remember.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I understand. When dealing with suchrge beasts, it¡¯s normal to mess up when you feel scared. I don¡¯t me you.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Actually, my friend here first encountered a medium-sized monster when he was new and got so scared that he couldn¡¯t move.¡±


    ¡°Hey, didn¡¯t I tell you to keep that a secret?!¡±


    Choi Young-ki ignored his party member. ¡°Actually, it¡¯s proof that you¡¯vee a long way, junior. You needn¡¯t be so gloomy. Instead of standing still, instinct drove you to stand in front. Even if you feel pressured, you must remember you are not alone. Your party members won¡¯t be weak, either. It is important to trust your colleagues behind you and hold on to the end. If you have that kind of mindset, you can do anything.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, senior¡­¡±


    ¡°Be strong.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t move so quickly next time, however.¡±


    Seeing that our so-called seniors had known each other beforehand had worried me. I thought they would shut us out and disregard our potentials, seeing as we were still inexperienced.


    This was why seeing Park Deokgu beingforted by everyone made me feel happy.


    I didn¡¯t want to join the crowd as I was not in the mood for socializing, but it was heartwarming to watch from a distance. If I were in their shoes, I would have reacted differently.


    ¡®This kind of softness can lead to their downfall, however¡­¡¯


    I didn¡¯t ponder too much on the thought. Seeing Park Deokgu with such a bright smile made me smile in return. He looked adorable.


    ¡°Hyung!¡±


    ¡°Deokgu. Come here and give this to them.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°This is a health potion. It would be better to use it here than sell it on the market. I have to give a reward somehow.¡±


    ¡°Ah. That¡¯s right! Thank you, hyung!¡±


    Park Deokgu epted the potion and ran back to offer some to the other members. I couldn¡¯t stop myself from smiling wryly at the scene.


    He had to be a bit more serious when it came to this gathering. That alone would prove to be advantageous for our party.


    Kim Hyunsung was also cheering for Park Deokgu.


    ¡°This was given by my hyung!¡±


    ¡°Thank you for this, Kiyoung!¡±


    ¡°At first nce, this potion¡­ Have you ever seen anything like this on the market?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯ve never seen this type of potion before. It seems like the Blue Guild¡¯s money wasn¡¯t wasted on hiring an alchemist like him.¡±


    Of course, it was also crucial for me to raise my poprity and reliability levels with these people in one way or another. While we moved, the bigger guys started to teach Park Deokgu the proper stances, and even after the next wave of monsters came, no other ident urred.


    It was all about holding the center and supporting his back so he wouldn¡¯t fall, but he was getting used to dealing with monsters. All in all, they looked like a group of brothers supporting each other on the front lines.


    Of course, I couldn¡¯t say that we made no more mistakes after that. However embarrassed she was, Jung Yura was still on the lookout for anything else she could criticize.


    Of course, she didn¡¯t dare talk as openly as she did the first time. She would sigh as if she disliked the fact that she couldn¡¯t find anything else to prey on now and then.


    However, no one sympathized with how she felt. The rest of us were all getting along quite well.


    ¡°Because of therge number of people, our formation seems a little tooplicated. I¡¯m d we were able to organize ourselves efficiently.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha. Still, isn¡¯t it going well so far?¡±


    ¡°I apologize, but I feel like we can do better. It feels like something is hindering us.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s because we¡¯re not the perfect party. If it were an expedition for one guild only, it would have been easier to work together as we all know each other. However, we¡¯re all from different guilds. I think we¡¯ve been working quite well considering our slight handicap.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I agree. I just feel like we could improve, even more, you know?¡±


    ¡°I suppose so¡­ Should we take a break for now?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sure.¡±


    Upon hearing this kind of approval, I stepped out of my party and approached Choi Young-ki. I had meant to converse with him right from the start, and now that we had chosen to take up camp for the time being, I felt like now was a perfect time.


    ¡°Choi Young-ki.¡±


    ¡°Ah! Kiyoung!¡±


    His natural, friendly expressionforted me. He was part of Cha Hee-ra¡¯s army, after all, and I was her assigned gigolo. He definitely wouldn¡¯t have any ns to harm me.


    ¡°May I?¡±


    ¡°No, no, no. Please sit here.¡±


    ¡°How is Cha Hee-ra?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, I knew you¡¯d feel curious enough to ask sooner orter.¡±


    Jung Hayan was still being talked to by the Magic Guild, so I knew I¡¯d be undisturbed for the time being.


    ¡°My master has asked me to take care of you, Mr. Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°Because of that, I apologize if I was not able to stand up for you earlier.¡±


    ¡°No, I understand! I was able to smooth things out. Anyway, if you did try, the other guilds would start to feel suspicious.¡±


    ¡°Ah. That¡­¡±


    Choi Young-ki probably knew who I was talking about already, from the way he subtly nced at Jung Yura.


    ¡°I still feel sorry, though. I should have paid more attention to¡­¡±


    ¡°No, no. Our party made a mistake. I¡¯m actually grateful to all of you for being so considerate. Thank you for saving us earlier.¡±


    ¡°Well, making mistakes is normal as a newbie, but people shouldn¡¯t beat you up for it. When I was in your ce, Mr. Kiyoung, I was a spoiled boy that didn¡¯t know anything. I was able to grow this much because our master took care of me.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha.¡±


    ¡°I heard that you had been my master¡¯s lover back on Earth.¡±


    ¡®What¡­¡¯


    I found myself too mortified even to say anything.


    ¡°My master said she received help when she needed it the most. She also said that you, Lee Kiyoung, were the benefactor.¡±


    I blinked. This was a new development to the rumor.


    ¡°Um, yes, I certainly remember¡­¡±


    ¡°If you are my master¡¯s benefactor, then you are also my benefactor. Without her help, I would not be where I am today.¡±


    I hadn¡¯t expected Cha Hee-ra to devise such a story.


    ¡®Thank you, Cha Hee-ra.¡¯


    I wanted to apud Cha Hee-ra foring up with such a passionate backstory.


    I subtly looked behind me to make sure Jung Hayan wasn¡¯t eavesdropping and was relieved to see that she was too far away to hear anything substantial.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to take the story so seriously, you know.¡±


    Only


    ¡°Hahaha, well, I still want to help. In fact, I¡¯d be willing to save your life for as many times as needed.¡±


    ¡®What is this bullsh*t¡­¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know where he was getting such cheesy, passionate lines, and I didn¡¯t want to find out. However, what was important to note was that this guy, Choi Young-ki, liked me. The fact that he was the de facto leader of this entire group just made things even better.


    I thought he was simply nice to me, but it turned out that there was a deeper intention behind his friendliness.


    Seeing that this was the type of weing I would receive from their guild, their party would be like my garden for this expedition¡¯s duration. They would be a solid foundation that would surely side with my party with whatever conflicts would rain down on the future group.


    I looked up, sensing a pair of eyes on me. Jung Yura was looking this way, dissatisfaction clear as day on her face. When she saw me looking back at her, she turned away without a word.


    I smiled. I wanted to tell her that her tactics wouldn¡¯t work on me.


    ¡®She should just focus on genuinely wanting to protect these people¡¯s lives.¡¯

 Chapter 62: Dungeon attack becomes a political war (4)

    <h4>Chapter 62: Dungeon attack bes a political war (4)</h4>


    It wasn¡¯t difficult to learn how the system worked here within our group.


    Much like the food or poprity chain back on earth, one had to be familiar with where they stood to act ordingly. This meant I couldn¡¯t just suddenly take charge like how I was used to ordering my party members back in the guild.


    That didn¡¯t mean I was going to let myself be t-out bossed around, either.


    Everyone kept up a steady stream of chat every time we chose to stop and set up camp to rest for a while. Seriousness was disyed during the exploring and fighting itself, but the atmosphere was amicable for the most part.


    Still, though, it was quite apparent that the Magic Guild had taken a liking to Jung Hayan, while the people from the Red Mercenary Guild had warmed up to me.


    This meant that I could also utilize the Magic Guild members to stand by our side should conflict ever arise within the group thanks to Jung Hayan.


    ¡°It seems like your potion could be as efficient as divine magic, Mr. Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an overstatement. Please, lower your voice. I don¡¯t want to offend any of the priests.¡±


    ¡°Honestly speaking, your magic power doesn¡¯t seem to be that big. So then, how¡­?¡±


    ¡°Ah, that kind of feels a little insulting.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the rude greeting. I¡¯m just your typical wizard who got a little too curious.¡±


    ¡°Haha, it¡¯s fine. To answer your question, there are drawbacks to memorizing or uttering spells, for it takes some time to activate them. However, if you have a good catalyst, you can use magic with good efficiency.¡±


    ¡°Efficiency means¡­¡±


    ¡°With less magic power, you canplete skills or spells with just as much impact.¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    ¡°Of course, it doesn¡¯t mean that this doesn¡¯te with its own drawbacks. The catalyst cost to memorize spells is quite expensive.¡±


    ¡°Do you have any idea about how much it will cost?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about 30 gold. It mainly uses the essence of magic power.¡±


    ¡°Ah! The essence of magic.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. The cost of the essence of using lesser magic is 30 gold.¡±


    I could see the surprise in the man¡¯s expression. At the same time, I could also see him steadily losing his interest in his inquiry.


    It was a natural reaction. To make up for theck of magic power, one had to spend 30 gold every time they intended to cast a magic spell with a good amount of impact.


    Of course, this wasn¡¯t a problem for me. The Blue Guild supported me, and I still had many of the things that Cha Hee-ra had gifted me.


    ¡°I can¡¯t say it¡¯s definitely efficient. So, by any chance, will the Essence of Magic Power of Rare Grade or higher disappear once you use it?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a little disappointing.¡±


    ¡°If there is an essence that can extract magical power indefinitely, that¡¯ll be the Sage¡¯s Stone.¡±


    ¡°Sage¡¯s Stone. Ah, yes, the Sage¡¯s Stone¡­¡±


    Wizards and sorcerers thrived on these types of topics.


    ¡°Can you make it?¡±


    ¡°The book I¡¯m currently studying only briefly mentions it. Even research hasn¡¯t been done properly yet. I don¡¯t have enough to go on as it is, but one day, I shall definitely craft one.¡±


    ¡°You mean to say you will start the research for it?¡±


    ¡®Honestly? I find all the rave about the Sage¡¯s Stone a load of bull.¡¯


    ¡°Yeah. Of course, I will. I believe it¡¯s a worthwhile investment.¡±


    I knew alchemy wasn¡¯t a popr ss. However, that didn¡¯t stop most wizards from being curious about what it entailed. Using his curiosity to my advantage, I got quite close to thest guy of the Magic Guild.


    Meanwhile, the expedition¡¯s dungeon attack proceeded smoothly, and our party was blending in nicely with other parties.


    I didn¡¯t know if Kim Hyunsung had realized my intentions, but there were certainly other things to gain than experience or the end rewards.


    In Park Deokgu¡¯s case, he had sessfully entered the tanker¡¯smunity. He was extracting a lot of information from his fellow tankers, and even Kim Ye-ri was also quite sessful in adapting. I could tell this from the fact that no one hadined about it yet. I knew this was because the kid was naturally talented with the bow that no one could find fault with her.


    It was already a given that Sun Hee-young would adapt quite well, given her stats and reputation, so I was never worried about her. The same went for Jung Hayan.


    However, it was different for Kim Hyunsung. He was the one who had not been taking any opportunity to prove himself. I knew this wasn¡¯t because he was trying to hide his power. It was because he just hadn¡¯t found an opening he found suitable to show his potential.


    This was mainly because the expedition was proceeding so smoothly.


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll see you for a moment.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I think I will be staying here today. If you have time, would you be able to repeat the conversation once more? I want more details about this Sage¡¯s Stone.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sure, of course.¡± I nodded and began to move away.


    ¡®Ah, there she is.¡¯


    I could see Jung Yura heading towards me. I knew she would approach me eventually, but this was a little faster than I thought.


    ¡°I thought you were here to experience, but you must havee to socialize?¡±


    Ah, she even had no decency¡ªwhat a straightforward question. Nevertheless, her question slightly embarrassed me.


    ¡®Am I that annoying in her eyes?¡¯


    Perhaps I did look like that, seeing as I had so eagerly struck a conversation with various people from different guilds. It didn¡¯t take long for her to bare her fangs at me, seeing me achieving my goals so sessfully.


    ¡°Hahaha, the rose seems to have shown its thorns to me, Yura.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you this because it seems like you¡¯re overdoing it, Mr. Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re talking about. Isn¡¯t it natural to build friendships for teamwork? I hardly knew anyone here when we first arrived.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too much. You¡¯re being toofortable.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°What did I say before? The unexpected can happen anytime inside a dungeon. It¡¯s not good to be toofortable with other people.¡±


    ¡°I thought I was doing well to ensure that we don¡¯t be a hindrance to you. Aren¡¯t we progressing smoothly? Our tanker made a mistake at first, but now he¡¯s adapting very well. The rest of us have been doing a decent job, so I don¡¯t know what else is wrong.¡±


    I knew I had spoken the truth.


    ¡°Excuse me, Mr. Kiyoung?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Yura?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve been here¡­ A dungeon is a ce where you don¡¯t know what threats will happen, and where they maye from. No matter how much they let you approach during the breaks¡­ Don¡¯t you really know that you¡¯ve been hindering the party?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I wasn¡¯t aware. Rather, I think I am helping the party. I think I¡¯ve made the atmosphere nicer than it was before. Just because you are dissatisfied doesn¡¯t mean everyone else is. Of course, I am aware of the need to be on my guard. I just don¡¯t know what else it is that you are expecting from me.¡±


    I smiled at her quite coldly, wanting to show her that I wasn¡¯t going to let her walk all over me. However, the main reason for my uppity personality was to spark a reaction from her. After all, I had quite the talent for provocation. I then continued.


    ¡°If I were you, I wouldn¡¯t be so worried about how much influence I have over the group. You must not be greedy about the items that we will get as a reward for attacking the dungeon. Of course, if it¡¯s a rare item, so I know you would definitely want to get your hands on it. There is no way that you, Jung Yura, would pressure me into giving up my share.¡±


    I paused for a bit before I continued with my assault.


    ¡°Perhaps there may be hero-grade items, but I hardly care about that. Instead, it would be nasty if people were to find out you¡¯ve been pressuring someone else to get your hands on a lot of them. Really, Yura, what kind of tactics are you resorting to? No offense, but they¡¯re not very effective.¡±


    Jung Yura¡¯s expression at this point was dangerous.


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°Do I look like a joke to you?¡±


    ¡°No, and I don¡¯t find you funny either. After all, you¡¯re Jung Yura of ck Swan. By the way¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Why do you speak to me so inly and rudely?¡±


    At this point, Yura had the decency to feel embarrassed by my sudden change of posture. She had not been expecting me to retaliate like this; that much was for sure.


    ¡°I am a guild member who is registered in the official party of the Blue Guild. You shouldn¡¯t disrespect me like this, Jung Yura.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ I hardly care if you¡¯re supported by the Blue Guild, or even by the Red Mercenary Guild. You think Cha Hee-ra will protect you even here?¡±


    ¡°Are you threatening me right now, Jung Yura? You really should be careful about what you say. I don¡¯t need Cha Hee-ra here to deal with you.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    I exhaled. She looked so pathetically clueless with that confused expression of hers.


    I did not want to waste time arguing with her further. Instead, I opened my mouth and began to speak in a louder tone of voice.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    I made sure that my voice was loud enough to be overheard by the rest of the group.


    ¡°You¡­ What the hell are you¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry!¡± Once more, I expressed my apology with an earnest expression to make me look more believable.


    Jung Yura looked confused. Of course, it was only natural for her to give this kind of expression. I had so suddenly given out an apology when it wasn¡¯t even warranted in the first ce.


    As she slowly started to realize what I intended to do, Yura¡¯s face wrinkled.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    As expected, I can see Choi Young-ki and the rest of his party members approaching us. Even the people from the Magic Guild had shifted their attention to us. Of course, since other groups had turned to us, my party members and other members of ck Swan had now turned to face us as well.


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, Miss Yura.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°Kiyoung? What is this about?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ No. It¡¯s not a big deal.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Yura is right. It¡¯s not a big deal, Choi Young-ki.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you, Yura. Mr. Kiyoung, can you exin what is going on?¡±


    Thankfully, Choi Young-ki, ever my adorable little defender, began to pry into the matter. Jung Hayan looked a little confused about what had happened, but as she slowly started to realize what kind of situation this looked like, her expression shifted into one of slight anger.


    ¡®Ah, even Sun Hee-young¡­¡¯


    Sun Hee-young sported a simr, displeased expression. It was so easy to y the victim card, especially in such a situation where the difference in power was obvious.


    ¡°What happened, Mr. Kiyoung?¡±


    ¡°That¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing much. I was just told to stay on my guard and be careful.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°It seems like she doesn¡¯t like me socializing with the others during our breaks¡­ She even said that I was hindering our group from progressing efficiently.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°In my own way, I intended to improve the atmosphere¡­ I¡¯m sorry if it isn¡¯t working.¡±


    Only


    There was a certain truth in my words, and I had not lied. This was what Yura had told me, except that I could make it out as something worse with the right intonation and facial expressions.


    Jung Yura looked so mad at this point that it was very muchughable.


    Once I finished speaking, everyone sported absurd expressions.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    Just when I tried to apologize once again, a voice interjected from behind.


    ¡°There is no need to apologize, Kiyoung.¡±


    This time, it was the lovely Kim Hyunsung who had stepped in.


    ¡®Hey, wait, is Kim Hyunsung actually angry¡­?¡¯

 Chapter 63: Dungeon attack becomes a political war (5)

    <h4>Chapter 63: Dungeon attack bes a political war (5)</h4>


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s expression showed that he was definitely in a bad mood.


    ¡°There is no need to apologize, Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yeah?¡±


    ¡°Kiyoung did nothing wrong. No, even if he did something wrong, Miss Yura does not have the right to point out his fault.¡±


    ¡®Ah, Hyunsung¡­ You¡¯re doing such a great job.¡¯


    ¡°Seriously, Kiyoung is a Blue Guild party member. If he made a mistake, I would have told him first. I don¡¯t know why Miss Yura has a problem with our party member¡¯s behavior, but this just isn¡¯t right.¡±


    I hadn¡¯t expected Kim Hyunsung to jump in. I was merely calcting how to best get the group¡¯s sympathy by pitching Yura against me. She had indeed made a mistake in approaching me so deftly.


    My affiliationy with the Blue Guild. Therefore, Kim Hyunsung was responsible for me. Yura had no right to meddle in interparty affairs.


    From a passerby¡¯s point of view, Jung Yura might have done it in an attempt to expand her influence over the rest of her group members, but it appeared that Kim Hyunsung was having none of this treatment. For him, it was taboo to interfere with other party members too much.


    ¡®That simply means that Yura isn¡¯t giving us the respect we deserve.¡¯


    In a nutshell, Kim Hyunsung¡¯s defensive stance seemed to say, ¡®Who the hell are you, and why are you meddling with my charge?¡¯


    It had been a pleasurable turn of events to find Kim Hyunsung standing up for me, though in truth, I was expecting Choi Young-ki to do the defending. Hyunsung¡¯s protective stance made me feel even better.


    ¡®Very good, Hyunsung.¡¯


    Things were going very well at this point.


    ying the role of the victim came as natural to me as breathing at this point.


    ¡°Both Kim Hyunsung and Yura are speaking from the standpoint of seniors. She had a point, so I don¡¯t think she meant to offend anyone¡­¡±


    ¡°No, Kiyoung. No matter how wrong you must have behaved, she had no right to go about in this manner.¡±


    ¡°I must have done something wrong¡­¡±


    ¡°Let me be clear, Kiyoung. You did nothing wrong.¡±


    I found it hard to keep myself from smiling. Aside from seeing the embarrassment on Jung Yura¡¯s face, I could tell that the rest of our group mates had started to disapprove of her. Slowly, her influence was lessening to the point of nonexistence.


    ¡®That¡¯s what you get for inciting me.¡¯


    At this point, the other group members had started to approach me to offer words offort.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if Kiyoung is inexperienced yet, but Hyunsung is right. If you have anything to say directly to Mr. Kiyoung, it is correct to at least ask the party leader for his input. In that way, we can resolve the matter more efficiently.¡±


    ¡°This is not it. No matter how many faults you find in a person, you must still control yourself.¡±


    ¡°Blue¡¯s party is said to be at a learning position because of their inexperience. However, they are trying their best to prove their worth. The ck Swan Guild¡¯s behavior is really hard to understand.¡±


    The Magic Guild members had started to talk about the ck Swan members¡¯ck of manners.


    ¡°Mr. Kiyoung did nothing wrong. Rather, I think he tried his best to create a good atmosphere. When the strategy was in progress, he actually worked hard to achieve our goal.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. In fact, it isn¡¯t easy to proceed with such an awkward atmosphere. Fighting and reproaching isn¡¯t the way to go.¡±


    ¡°Communication is important. Honestly, what is Yura doing?¡±


    ¡°Tch¡­¡±


    Even the Red Mercenary members who normally didn¡¯t fall prey to their emotions had started to speak.


    ¡°Yura, isn¡¯t it a little bit harsh to do this? As a party that was assigned to go on an expedition altogether, it¡¯s best that we stay on good terms with each other.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    Direct usations pierced through Jung Yura like sharpened arrows.


    As I said, she had picked the wrong person to pick a fight with. With just one incitement, her carefully-built image had been shattered.


    ¡°Oppa¡­ Are you hurt?¡±


    ¡°Huh. I¡¯m okay, Hayan. It¡¯s no big deal.¡±


    ¡°What exactly happened to you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m okay, Sun Hee-young. Please don¡¯t worry.¡±


    It might have been more effective if Jung Yura had hit me even once, but I knew that she wouldn¡¯t be that careless.


    Anyway, it was only right that I had emerged from the situation unscathed. If I hadn¡¯t, Jung Hayan would probably busy nning an assassination attempt for Jung Yura. The situation had already turned out to be as good as it could get. Yura was getting all the me, while I was getting all thefort.


    Honestly, I was curious about what kind of reaction she would make, but the safest direction she could choose had already been decided for her.


    ¡®Admit the wrong and fall t.¡¯


    Although this was indeed the best option, it didn¡¯t mean that she would get good results. She would earn forgiveness, but by bowing her head in submission, she would lose her influence.


    She had to look at least like she was still looking out for the expedition, so this was the only right course of action to take. Simply put, she needed to stay in the middle position of this situation.


    Yura seemed to be thinking of the same tactic.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    She was apologizing, but it was apparent that she was trying hard not to show her anger.


    ¡®What a stupid bitch.¡¯


    ¡°Kiyoung is a member of my party and, by default, is under my jurisdiction.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for not being able to tell you in advance, Mr. Hyunsung. And I apologize to Mr. Kiyoung, who I must¡¯ve hurt by suddenly reproaching.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡±


    ¡°I think I was a little too insensitive. But I thought I had to say something. I thought he was not being alert enough. If it¡¯s an expedition consisting of a normal party, you don¡¯t have to worry about this, but¡­¡±


    ¡®Ah, she¡¯s still being an idiot.¡¯


    ¡°As a senior with experience, I thought I had to say something. Of course, I am fully aware that my choice of execution was wrong.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why Jung Yura has been thinking about correcting his discipline. Of course, we made a mistake in the beginning, but we¡¯ve more than made up for it and haven¡¯t blundered again.¡±


    Kim Hyunsung was dealing with this way more efficiently than I thought.


    In a nutshell, we had managed to make Jung Yura sound like a petty senior who looked down on us and refused to let us go after we made a single mistake. However, at least she still had the decency to feel sorry for what she did.


    Unsurprisingly, voices burst from the other ck Swan members.


    ¡°A lot of our tankers have been continually looking out for Blue. If it weren¡¯t for that, our burdens should have been reduced.¡±


    ¡°And what of the kid archer? It was dangerous bringing her in.¡±


    ¡°And they even got a nonbat member, an alchemist, to join the party!¡±


    Naturally, opposing opinions would also eventually pop up during this dispute.


    ¡°While that is true, we can¡¯t say that they have been hindering us. In fact, there are many enemies eradicated by Miss Hayan, and Miss Sun Hee-young has helped us a lot of times.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Because of this, we have no right to judge them for doing their best to help.¡±


    The situation wasn¡¯t even that controversial, yet the discussion was starting to get heated. I would have hated to be in Jung Yura¡¯s shoes at this point.


    I contemted my next reply when Kim Hyunsung¡¯s face, a little hardened, came into view.


    ¡®Ah¡­¡¯


    Even if Kim Hyunsung was the reincarnation of Buddha, it was only right for him to feel angry. Hyunsung might not be familiar with political tactics, but he knew when our party was being criticized.


    ¡°I hope this will not happen next time. If you have anything to say to our party, you can do it directly through me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course. I¡¯m really sorry, Mr. Hyunsung. And I¡¯m very sorry for the Blue party members who might have struggled. I¡¯m particrly sorry for Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be¡­ I was just a little embarrassed.¡±


    ¡°I was also surprised. I didn¡¯t know you would get hurt by what I said¡­ Let¡¯s talk separatelyter.¡±


    ¡°Do not worry about it. It¡¯s all good.¡±


    Although we had finally resolved the dispute, Jung Yura had lost her influence. The moment she lost the group¡¯s approval was when she lost the fight; she had decided to pick with me.


    In other words, she made it seem like she was forcing herself to be a viin for the safety of the expedition, but she wasn¡¯t doing a very good job with the execution.


    ¡®Ah, but I won¡¯t let her find an opportunity to win.¡¯


    Outwardly, Yura seemed rxed, but I knew she was secretly relieved to have escaped a checkmate position. It should have ended here, but Kim Hyunsung seemed to have a different opinion about it altogether.


    ¡°Would everyone please gather for a minute?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sure.¡±


    As if they noticed that he still had something to say, the others crowded around. Kim Hyunsung looked at all of them before speaking.


    ¡°I sincerely apologize for hindering you all with our inexperience.¡±


    ¡°No, no, you shouldn¡¯t be sorry.¡±


    ¡°No, I have to. I insisted that wee along for the experience, but I hadn¡¯t expected my dear Kiyoung to be disregarded like this.¡±


    ¡®I wasn¡¯t being disregarded¡­¡¯


    ¡°I don¡¯t think this was a waste. Your party has learned a lot of things in this expedition.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°From now on, this will not happen ever again.¡±


    I knew Kim Hyunsung was a responsible type of guy. Seeing him biting firmly on his lips, I felt like an idea had juste into his mind.


    ¡°I will change the location a bit. I will stand a little more avant-garde. Mr. Deokgu can continue as he has done. The timing to use magic will also be different from here on out. Miss Hee-young, please focus a little more on Deokgu. You are free to think that your other party members do not exist. Ye-ri shall continue on as usual.¡±


    Only


    ¡°Yes, okay.¡±


    ¡°Jung Hayan, you should increase your magic power a little more. Hee-young can keep watching over Deok-gu.¡±


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s leadership charisma was the reason why hemanded respect. Even I felt a little in awe watching him.


    ¡®Ah¡­¡¯


    Only then did I realize what he had been thinking. We had not been on the frontlines up until now. I wasn¡¯t sure why, but I could think of several reasons.


    Our party was attracting everyone¡¯s attention, and in fact, our urgency to gain experience was being hindered due to the continuedfort of this spotlight effect.


    ¡®Thank you for getting us back on track.¡¯


    It looked like I wasn¡¯t the only one who wanted to prove Jung Yura wrong. Kim Hyunsung looked very much passionate at this point.

 Chapter 64: Ride of comfort (1)

    <h4>Chapter 64: Ride offort (1)</h4>


    ¡°I think she¡¯s being too much.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°After all, it¡¯s Jung Yura.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Tsk. Maybe she¡¯s too obsessed with achievements¡­ Those under hermand will also end up suffering a lot.¡±


    ¡°If you say so¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry too much. No one thinks of you badly, Kiyoung. There were a lot of rumors about Jung Yura¡¯s personality within the Magic Guild.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fortunate. I was worried that I was really hindering everyone¡­¡±


    ¡°No, no. wherever you go, there will always be people who will try to stir up trouble. The most important thing you should take note of in an expedition is your humanity. I thought she would at least have some basic manners¡­ It seems that there will be no coboration with the ck Swan for the foreseeable future. Especially with Jung Yura, that woman.¡±


    ¡°The same goes for our Red Mercenaries.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand at all¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because Kiyoung is well-liked by people. Anyway, it¡¯s not right to meddle too much in other people¡¯s affairs. At least show some basic respect. Even if it annoys you, you must bring it up to the expedition leader. Forgive me for saying this, but if the Blue Guild¡¯s prestige was like how it was before, the ck Swans wouldn¡¯t dare do this.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha.¡±


    ¡°By the way, what exactly did she say?¡±


    ¡°This is¡­ I don¡¯t know if I can tell you¡­¡±


    ¡°I would like you to speak without worries.¡±


    Of course, I found no reason to hide this. It worked in my favor, after all.


    ¡°That¡­ She told me not to fraternize with the rest of you.¡±


    ¡°Whoa, really? What else did she say?¡±


    ¡°S-She said she didn¡¯t know if I came to explore the dungeon or to socialize. She said I just wanted to be friends with the guilds and that I wasn¡¯t being vignt enough.¡±


    ¡°Friendship, huh¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can tell you what she said afterwards, too.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead. You¡¯re free to say it.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ she said she doubted if the Mercenary Queen can protect me here too.¡±


    ¡°What a mad bitch.¡±


    I thought Choi Young-ki would exhibit a violent reaction, but it seemed that he only felt ufortable.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Listen. She¡¯s just being crazy. Does she really think we¡¯d let anyone who tries to hurt you get away? How cocky she is! You don¡¯t have to worry, Mr. Kiyoung. If a woman like that beggar ever tries to stir up trouble with you or with the expedition¡­ Well, I won¡¯t let that happen.¡±


    ¡°Do you still feel threatened? Do you want to start a formal protest?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m okay. I don¡¯t want to make things bigger than they already are.¡±


    ¡°Tsk. I just feel like she¡¯s prejudiced against you. A lot of people are like that, especially among the veterans. People like her disgust me.¡±


    ¡°Haha¡­¡±


    Throughout this whole ordeal, I made sure to look as if I was still shaken up. However, things were already working in my favor. The atmosphere had shifted.


    This was the kind of situation that Jung Yura had imposed upon herself for inciting me. With a single mistake, her influence over the guild had crumbled.


    Even a veteran like her must know that snooping around so straightforwardly woulde with serious repercussions. Everyone had a negative opinion of her now because she had stated that making friends was a bad thing. At this point, even if she tried to cozy up to the others, she would not regain her influential position.


    No matter how much she struggled, I doubted any other parties would show her any sympathy. Especially not from the Red Mercenary Guild! After she doubted Cha Hee-ra¡¯s power, their opinion of her had permanently crumbled.


    However, I knew Choi Young-ki¡¯s leadership would suffer because of this. It would be hard to maintain formation if the atmosphere wasn¡¯t a friendly one.


    ¡°Now, then, let¡¯s start again.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sure.¡±


    In summary, Jung Yura¡¯s influential hold over the group had disappeared. I knew Kim Hyunsung wouldn¡¯t let her try to boss anyone around ever again. His ominous demeanor hinted that he wasn¡¯t at all interested in letting her doubt his authority over again.


    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll go and take my position now.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Because of the sudden turn of events, there was a strange type of pressure in the atmosphere. Everyone had started to put their full concentration on the expedition. I could guess that this was because of Kim Hyunsung¡¯s somber mood.


    I knew Kim Hyunsung had the quality to be a leader everywhere he went.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be nervous, Deokgu. Just focus as much as possible.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see.¡±


    ¡°Ye-ri, don¡¯t hit anywhere else. Focus on the area where our meleecks in range, got it? It would be better to load the magic power in advance.¡±


    ¡°Yes, noted.¡±


    ¡°Miss Hayan and Mr. Kiyoung are both doing well.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Even if Hee-young won¡¯t look at me¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Hyunsung. I know my role.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    The party members were also exuding enthusiasm. At this point, I wanted the monsters to appear as soon as possible. I just wanted us to get to the next safe point.


    Despite it being called a Garden, it resembled a huge, jungle-like environment. As it was difficult to distinguish which one is a nt and which one is a monster, it was only natural that we would be more careful.


    While I tried to assess our situation, Kim Hyunsung spoke from behind me.


    ¡°Kiyoung?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m on it.¡±


    I did not bother to ask why I should incite a spell right away. I trusted Hyunsung. Jung Hayan nodded as well and began to match her magic to sync with mine.


    ¡°Lord¡­¡±


    ¡°Grant us the power that cannot be taken away¡­¡±


    ¡°The strength to keep¡­¡±


    ¡°Magic power¡­¡±


    ¡°As strong as wind¡­¡±


    Thebination of our voice resonated within the area, the urgency of our spells intensifying the already pressuring atmosphere. One look at Jung Hayan revealed that she enjoyed the fact that we werebining enchantments to create more powerful spells together. I had to admit this also felt fun to me. Together, slowly, we were building up a tower of magic.


    ¡°Prepare for battle!¡± Choi Young-ki announced.


    I could see why they had ordered us to prepare spells so early. The monster we were now facing was arger creature than the ones we had already stumbled across, and it looked even more dangerous than them. It was frantically approaching our group.


    However, I believed in our group¡¯s leaders. We would win this.


    It was then that Kim Hyunsung ran forward.


    ¡°W-What are you doing?!¡± I heard Jung Yura¡¯s startled voice ringing after him as he lunged himself forward without any warning.


    That only meant one thing - the monster had singled Park Deokgu out as its sole target.


    Following Hyunsung¡¯s advice, Sun Hee-young¡¯s divine magic poured entirely onto Park Deokgu. Before one of the monster¡¯s tendril-like arms could reach Park Deokgu, it had already been severed.


    It was obvious as to who had inflicted the first hit.


    Also following Kim Hyunsung¡¯s orders was Kim Ye-ri, who was already readying her next arrow. Meanwhile, the monster had already recovered from its initial shock and howled in both anger and pain. Park Deokgu looked embarrassed to have all the attention on him, but he still readied himself to block the next attack, moving to the right as if by instinct. It seemed that Kim Hyunsung had already warned him.


    In the next moment, Kim Hyunsung had already split through the monster¡¯s torso. I stiffened, and so did Jung Hayan. Everyone else had done their part; it was up to us now.


    ¡°Cast it!¡±


    ¡°me!¡±


    ¡°Storm!¡±


    Jung Hayan and I released the incantations we had been holding in at the same time.


    The spell we had created was a coboration of magic power and alchemy. It increased the power of the fire spell Jung Hayan, and I created, except that it relied more on Jung Hayan¡¯s magical capacity than mine, thus making it stronger.


    The mes storm flew towards the monster and trapped it in a fiery spiral, eventually swallowing the screaming monster and turning it into ashes. Park Deokgu would have also gotten hurt from the spell¡¯s range, but since Sun Hee-young had marked him, he remained unhurt.


    ¡°Who¡¯s next?!¡±


    I felt quite surprised. It wasn¡¯t long ago that I had observed ourck of teamwork. The earlier incident must have incited Kim Hyunsung to act as our leader even when on the offense, and it felt right that he was the one leading us. Everyone had followed his orders to the letter and thus defeated the monster in one efficientbo.


    This wasn¡¯t just following orders, either. It was like we knew when one¡¯s role would start and end, and when the next role would begin.


    However, we weren¡¯t given the time to ponder over these changes. The next monster hade, but we were all in the perfect mindset and stance to take it on once more.


    This was the first time I felt that we were doing hunting right.


    For our part in the rear, it was easy. All Jung Hayan and I had to do was memorize, chant, and aim the spells at the monsters when they were properly weakened or distracted. Of course, this was made easy because their attack patterns were easy to memorize, but something felt off.


    I couldn¡¯t believe that monsters of this size and power would fall from just one concentratedbo. The other parties were also focusing on their charges, but it was apparent that they felt surprised by our party¡¯s sudden change.


    Only


    Jung Yura, in particr, looked astonished.


    She had been keeping a close eye on us, ready to admonish in the case of a mistake, but there were none - even when we kept up our stream of offensivebos.


    It felt like I didn¡¯t even need to exert any effort in this part of the expedition - my fellow party members were doing all the work for me. All I had to do was sit back and rx from a safe distance, all while riding on the team¡¯s bus.


    ¡°Again! Who¡¯s next!?¡±


    Slowly, it felt like I was growing stronger from this expedition.


    I wouldn¡¯t even call this a bus ride carrying me towards potential growth. A luxury sedan would be a more fitting description.

 Chapter 65: Ride of comfort (2)

    <h4>Chapter 65: Ride offort (2)</h4>


    The other parties¡¯ shocksted for a longer time than I expected. Of course, I knew this was only natural. Kim Hyunsung had been quiet all this time, and now he was surprisingly showing off his leadership skills. He was proving that being a leader wasn¡¯t all about having high stats.


    However, it could very well be that as well. Currently, Kim Hyunsung was showing a flurry of skills that were well over his current stats.


    Watching him, and then observing Choi Young-ki and the others, I knew what they were all thinking.


    ¡®


    Their thoughts were all written on their faces.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t just Kim Hyunsung who was racking up all the attention. Jung Hayan and I were also getting our fair share from the magic power we were exhibiting.


    The truth was that my alchemy relied heavily on Jung Hayan¡¯s magic capacity to let out spells that were as intense as hers. Still, these people didn¡¯t know anything about alchemy and were unaware of my secret, so they must have thought that I was doing spectacrly alone.


    Added with Park Deokgu¡¯s determined defensive prowess, Kim Ye-ri¡¯s crazy urate aim, and Sun Hee-young¡¯s clear and effective spells, we looked like the perfect team.


    This expedition suddenly felt fun. I knew Kim Hyunsung¡¯s secret - that he was a regressor - so he probably secretly had ample knowledge of dungeons. It was great to have him lead the party.


    Indeed, we felt more confident now. We were working efficiently with each other almost as if on instinct. Even Jung Yura¡¯s expression showed hostile confusion as she continued to watch us silently.


    I knew she nned to show herself off as the necessary viin that would, in turn, improve the expedition¡¯s results. She meant to show everyone that continually pushing us in a tough manner would be the key to our sess.


    However, I had thwarted those ns as early as now. Our team had also sessfully shown everyone that we didn¡¯t need much coaxing to be the perfect, functioning team. In the end, Yura only seeded in destroying her influential position over the group.


    Just the thought of her ruined ns made me smile.


    ¡°Next!¡±


    We continued to defeat monster after monster with efficient teamwork, and soon, there came the inevitable point where all our opponents were on the floor, either shed or decimated. A strange silence hung over the group.


    Looking back at ourrades, we found them staring at Kim Hyunsung with skeptical expressions, finding what had just happened hard to believe. It was Choi Young-ki who spoke first.


    ¡°Ah, it looks like we¡¯ve witnessed a real genius.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an exaggeration. I was just trying to imitate you.¡±


    ¡°Haha, I don¡¯t think so. You went past just imitating me, you did even better. I definitely wasn¡¯t expecting this level of talent from you, or from Kiyoung and the others for that matter.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡±


    ¡°Your party has improved greatly ever since entering the dungeon. I won¡¯t lie - when the Blue Guild paid such a high price for you, I really thought it was too much. However, seeing you all in action, I feel like their pricing was justified. It won¡¯t take long before Blue Guild reims its glory through all of you.¡±


    ¡°I feel embarrassed to hear that, now.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha. If it does happenter, don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t tell you!¡±


    I did like Choi Young-ki¡¯s easygoing nature. I took a mental note to help him out in the future if the opportunity presented itself.


    Even Park Deokgu and Kim Ye-ri, who at first received criticism, were now the center of positive attention as they had executed their roles so wlessly.


    Meanwhile, I searched through the monsters¡¯ corpses to see if anything could be of use. Unfortunately, there was none. I then turned to assess the scene once more. In this pleasant atmosphere, only Jung Yura looked bad.


    From what I could see, she had two options. She would either stick to her initial ¡®viinous for everyone¡¯s betterment¡¯ attitude or start striving for a good rtionship with everyone.


    Of course, if she were to stick to the former, certain conditions would need to be met.


    She would need to be thick-faced enough to admit to her earlier statements, yet she also needed just the right amount of bashfulness to prove that she was doing this because she thought it was the best course of action to take. This may seem easy, but in actuality, it was not. This was especially true for someone who had such a position as Jung Yura.


    This was the case for entrepreneurs and politicians who worked for self-benefit under the premise of serving the people.


    I had to act as I respected her, but in reality, I didn¡¯t. People like her did not know the importance of self-esteem and would dly trade it if it meant getting away from dire situations.


    The decision was up to her now. Would she prove herself to be a first-ss or second-ss type of person? Would she prove to be smart for once, or would she stubbornly stick to her ineffective tactics?


    ¡®


    She donned aplex expression.


    When her expression shifted into one of determination, I had my answer. She still stuck to being second-ss.


    Was she still going to try to pick a fight when she knew she wouldn¡¯t win?


    ¡°Watching you all was amazing, but I have to say, that really threw me off.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°If you suddenly had a change in ns, wouldn¡¯t it be sound to inform us first? What if your new n threw us off-course and identally ruined our formation? It would be detrimental for everybody.¡±


    ¡°Jung Yura, now¡­¡±


    ¡°Are I wrong? We got thrown off because of Mr. Hyunsung. I know some of you agree with me.¡±


    ¡°I admit that it was a little startling, but Kim Hyunsung¡¯s sudden movement actually helped us defeat the monsters more efficiently. I¡¯m starting to wonder about how intense their training in Blue Guild actually is.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I am not saying that he hasn¡¯t helped us. However, he should have warned us beforehand. If he was really so capable, couldn¡¯t he have done that from the very beginning?¡±


    This woman really was relentless.


    ¡°I first wanted to see if my party members would be able to adjust ordingly, especially in the case of Park Deokgu and Kim Ye-ri. When I knew we were capable enough, we shifted. I apologize for not issuing a warning in advance.¡±


    ¡°Oh no, I don¡¯t mean to incite an apology from you, Mr. Hyunsung.¡±


    Kim Hyunsung showed politeness amidst the subtle usations directed at him and knew he couldn¡¯t refute Jung Yura. The woman had a point, after all. It was true that Kim Hyunsung had moved unexpectedly and had utterly surprised Jung Yura.


    However, thanks to previous circumstances, our group had fallen entirely in our favor.


    ¡°I think you¡¯re being a little too harsh, Miss Yura.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if this is because of jealousy or whatever, but I believe praise is supposed to be given when it¡¯s due, and Kim Hyunsung has shown praiseworthy talent.¡±


    ¡°I thought we were already over this. It¡¯s not Kim Hyunsung who needs to wake up, but you, Jung Yura.¡±


    ¡°What did you just say?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t vouch for the others, but it¡¯s so tiring hearing you criticize people every time.¡±


    ¡°I was doing it for the sake of the expedition!¡±


    ¡°In what way are you helping? If you really want to help, then lead your party efficiently!¡±


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    It appeared that Choi Young-ki had had enough. Looking at Yura¡¯s reddened expression, I knew her influence had reached an all-time low of zero. Even if her fellow ck Swans attempted to save her now, it would all be in vain. No one wanted to go against a Red Mercenary outright.


    The intensity of the situation made me want to fan the mes even more. What better, alternative way to diffuse the situation and turn it into our favor by acting as the victim onest time?


    First of all, I needed Kim Hyunsung¡¯s permission for this.


    It appeared that I didn¡¯t even need to get his attention. Kim Hyunsung was already looking in my direction, apparently sensing that I harbored new intentions.


    ¡¯ My expression said. ¡®


    The moment Kim Hyunsung nodded, I began to speak.


    ¡°Am I allowed to say something?¡±


    Upon hearing me, several pairs of eyes turned to me.


    ¡°Yes, of course.¡±


    It would be fun to provoke Jung Yura, if only for thest time.


    ¡°I would like to apologize. It seems that Hyunsung¡¯s efforts in proving our worth backfired on us¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, no.¡±


    ¡°I express my sincere apology towards the ck Swans, and to Jung Yura in particr.¡± I made sure to keep my acting on point.


    ¡°Actually, we¡¯ve already talked about this beforehand. Our party joined this expedition simply to gain experience, but we know our stats must have annoyed you. This is why we thought it prudent to adjust first before showing our true potentials.¡±


    ¡°No, Mr. Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°No, an apology is in order. We tried our best, but it still seems insufficient, seeing as Jung Yura seems unsatisfied with our performance. We will do even better next time. Assessing our teamwork earlier, I think I know what went wrong. Please give us the chance to fix ourselves.¡±


    Jung Yura¡¯s expression now revealed her increasing anxiety. She knew I had the talent to point fingers effortlessly, so why did she still go down this route?


    After pausing to catch my breath, I began to speak again, making eye contact with every sheepish expression I saw within the group.


    ¡°It looks like all we¡¯ve been doing is cause trouble for everyone.¡±


    ¡°What¡­?¡±


    ¡°It seems that our party is the one causing uneasiness within the group.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°We knew you would be unhappy to be stuck with having us in the team, but we never thought that you would feel ufortable as well. For this, we sincerely apologize.¡±


    ¡°No, no¡­¡±


    ¡°I know that maintaining the atmosphere within a group is crucial for a sessful expedition so we tried our best to fit in, but it seems like we¡¯ve been trash at doing it after all. We apologize for any inconveniences we have caused you.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s definitely not like that!¡±


    Slowly, embarrassed voices began to respond to my words, offeringforting remarks coupled with sheepish expressions. I wanted to say more, but looking at Kim Hyunsung¡¯s expectant face, I knew it was time to pass the microphone to him.


    ¡°I think our Blue Party is wrong, here.¡±


    I tried my best not to smile. It was amazing how Kim Hyunsung could read my mind. At his words, the atmosphere within the group shifted even more.


    ¡°No, the Blue Guild has done nothing wrong. In fact, it is the opposing side who keeps trying to put you in a negative light¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not to me. Someone else has caused trouble¡­¡±


    The group I had used as my shield transitioned into a spear that began attacking the ck Swans. And all this was possible because we had sessfully manipted Choi Young-ki¡¯s thinking, as well as his emotions.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that you didn¡¯t help. In fact, you actually contributed a lot and helped us get rid of the monsters at a faster and more efficient manner. The only problem here,¡± Young-ki¡¯s expression darkened, ¡°is the opposing side.¡±


    Only


    ¡°Jung Yura.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry that we¡¯vee to this point. However, I feel like now is the right time to make something clear to you.¡±


    ¡°And what is that?¡±


    ¡°I believe now is the right time to inform you I n to make changes with the agreement of this expedition.¡±


    ¡°W-What? What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I would like to formally suggest that you leave the expedition.¡±


    This was the moment when my ns werepleted.

 Chapter 66: The most important thing (1)

    <h4>Chapter 66: The most important thing (1)</h4>


    ¡°I would like to formally suggest that you leave the expedition.¡±


    This was the moment when my ns werepleted.


    At those words, Jung Yura and the rest of the ck Swan members looked confused. Choi Young-ki had spoken so suddenly that they did not know how to react.


    I resisted the urge to smile. Didn¡¯t Jung Yura know I was the best when it came to political tactics? And she tried to best me in my own game.


    The atmosphere had suddenly taken on a dangerously quiet turn.


    ¡°Are you kidding me?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Did he think Choi Young-ki would joke about something like this?


    Jung Yura, who had silently been gazing at Young-ki to confirm her worst suspicions, grew mad and began to speak as well.


    ¡°This is ridiculous.¡±


    ¡°No. This is a reasonable judgment from the standpoint of someone leading this expedition.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡±


    ¡°I can see what your intentions are, Jung Yura. I also know what you have contributed so far. I also know that you were more dedicated than anyone else for this expedition. However, it seems too difficult for the entire group to work together with you anymore.¡±


    ¡°How could you havee to this decision?!¡±


    ¡°It was an unavoidable choice. I thought it unreasonable to proceed with the expedition in this atmosphere. I don¡¯t know what Yura-san thinks of the Blue party, but what you¡¯re showing is quite illogical and harsh.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve only spoken for the sake of the expedition. I don¡¯t hold any grudges against Blue!¡±


    I wanted to point out how she had treated me, but Jung Yura looked so angry at this point that I decided it was best to stay quiet. Her expression revealed that she was hurling every curse word she could think of towards Choi Young-ki.


    For Choi Young-ki¡¯s sake, I opened my mouth.


    ¡°That¡¯s okay, Choi Young-ki. You don¡¯t have to do this.¡±


    ¡°No, Mr. Kiyoung. This would be better. Party members who stir up trouble will one day lead us to major idents. No, I¡¯m sure something will happen if they continue to stay.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying that I¡¯m the one causing themotion?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I will not tell you exactly how. There will be something for you to find out and remember.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Miss Yura¡¯s actions have already exceeded our level of understanding. You have been here for a long time and should respect my decision. Even if you feel that your actions are reasonable, the others here have begun to feel ufortable because of you. I advise you to think this through.¡±


    ¡°How ridiculous! Who do you think you are?¡±


    It seemed that Jung Yura was still ignoring where she stood in this group. The fact that she decided to employ political tactics to take me down was nowughable.


    This woman was ipetent. I could say that for sure now. Regardless of hunting skills or specs, she was not suitable to be a leader, even more so when one considered her narrow mindset.


    Currently, Jung Yura was looking at both Young-ki and me with an expression full of hatred.


    However, we both had ample reason not to be afraid. Our protector came in the name of the Legendary Red Queen Cha Hee-ra.


    ¡°Now it makes sense, Mr. Choi Young-ki.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to understand what you mean.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to be fair since the start, and yet you keep trying to put me down. Was this your n from the beginning?¡±


    ¡°Did you get anything from the Mercenary Queen? Is this why you¡¯re acting this way? From the beginning, did you intend to sabotage the ck Swans? How ridiculous. You¡¯re pretending to be a good leader while babying Lee Kiyoung secretly. You know Cha Hee-ra would have done the same.¡±


    ¡°Yura, aren¡¯t you being harsh? Cha Hee-ra has nothing to do with this.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, you bastard.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so upset¡­ You¡¯re saying things without thinking of them properly.¡±


    I gave the impression of wanting to exit this unpleasant scenario as soon as possible. However, in truth, I was rubbing salt to her wounds through my pitiful expressions to stir the group some more, but it seemed that Jung Yura had had enough.


    ¡°Hah. This whole thing is rigged. The Mercenary Queen must have bribed you with an item, and then let you wreak havoc in this expedition. Do you think that guild expeditions are a joke? If so, I should have joined the Blue Guild or the Red Mercenaries instead.¡±


    ¡°Yura.¡±


    The more Jung Yura talked, the more she was destroying her image. I could feel Jung Hayan shifting ufortably, as Cha Hee-ra¡¯s name had been mentioned so many times.


    I knew this was now ample time to shut my mouth. Everyone already felt embarrassed enough with Yura¡¯s antics. Choi Young-ki appeared to be trying to hold back his anger.


    ¡°Unnie, please¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop, unnie!¡±


    ¡°Let me go, they¡¯re being crazy bitches! I don¡¯t know how great the Red Mercenary is, but if our guild finds out about this, do you think they¡¯ll let this pass? Blue and Red are repressing our guild! This is unfair! I want to formally protest!¡±


    Bang!


    Jung Yura¡¯s expression shifted into one of shock, rpsing into silence as Choi Young-ki mmed his fist into the stone wall right next to her. Pure anger was on his quivering face.


    Come to think of it¡­


    I knew how much Choi Young-ki revered Cha Hee-ra, so hearing Yura criticize her probably wasn¡¯t the best choice of action to take.


    Jung Yura had probably felt so excited that she¡¯d ended up taking her words too far. I¡¯d thought she was a formidable opponent, but it turned out she was just stupid. It wasn¡¯t just Choi Young-ki but also the rest of the Red Mercenary members who were trying to rein in their anger at this point.


    If I were in Yura¡¯s shoes, I¡¯d be shaking right about now. Choi Young-ki had begun to exhibit malicious intentions, which were now pouring towards Jung Yura.


    However, as soon as Kim Hyunsung reached out to Young-ki in an attempt to calm him down, the man snapped out of it.


    ¡°Oh¡­ Thank you¡­¡±


    I could understand Young-ki¡¯s anger, for the person he had revered so much had just been so tantly insulted. However, I still wanted to praise him for not finishing her off right then and there.


    If it weren¡¯t for Park Deokgu¡¯s blundering from the start, I would have never thought of bringing Young-ki to our side. The fact that the man could control himself even though he seemed so angry was evidence that he was apetent person.


    Jung Yura was both confused and scared upon feeling the intense pressure from Young-ki¡¯s anger and had begun to rethink her words. Considering her stats, she might be able to resist this energy, but it was clear that the difference between their powers was substantial.


    If she dared to say anything further, I knew Young-ki would end up exploding.


    ¡°Are you finished talking?¡± He asked her quietly.


    ¡°That¡­¡±


    ¡°I want you to leave right now.¡±


    ¡°Forgive me, I¡¯ve spoken out of turn. I just felt too pumped too-¡°


    ¡°I told you to leave right now. I don¡¯t want to hear anything anymore. As I mentioned earlier, you will get your share separately.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    Bang! Young-ki had mmed his fist once more.


    ¡°I-I understand.¡±


    Though scary, I also found this situation extremely pleasing. I couldn¡¯t help but smile, making sure that no one would be able to see it.


    ¡°I want you to leave the dungeon right now, Miss Yura. I also think it would be beneficial for the Magic Guild.¡±


    Even the party leaders from behind me had begun to team up with Young-ki, the winning side.


    I had to admire the Red Mercenary leader. He didn¡¯t just know how to throw stones at the tormented; he also knew how to burn her at the stakes. This was a fitting description considering how much of a witch Yura had been acting this entire time.


    Now Jung Yura had started to regret her actions. Her breathing had be shallow, her body had begun trembling, and tears had started to fall out of her eyes.


    There was a long silence. Eventually, after a few more moments, Jung Yura began to walk away, taking the path that we had already cleared.


    However, when she passed by me, she shot me a look filled with pure hatred and malice, going so far as to bump into me roughly with her shoulder. It took everything in me not to stumble backward.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t feel scared at all.


    Assessing her personality, I knew I could easily beat her with just wits. However, I also knew that I shouldn¡¯t make a person¡¯s hatred so lightly, especially when someone had a higher stat range than I did.


    At the same time that I knew this, I also knew that there was a high chance I wouldn¡¯t even see her anymore after this. People like Yura did not fall because of theirck of stats; they fell because of their stupidity. One wrong move could get you killed in this world, but it seemed like she did not know that yet.


    It was a wrong move on her part to try to battle me through political tactics. She had been utterly defeated.


    After watching her go, followed by herckeys, Choi Young-ki turned to the rest of the group.


    Only


    ¡°So, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes.¡±


    ¡°We apologize for any inconvenience or difort I must have caused you.¡±


    ¡°No, no, wepletely understand.¡±


    The group responded to him immediately, feeling Young-ki¡¯s authority now more than ever.


    ¡®


    I was sorry, it seems I was a little more capable than Jung Yura thought.

 Chapter 67: The most important thing (2)

    <h4>Chapter 67: The most important thing (2)</h4>


    [You havepleted the attack towards the rare dungeon known as Garden of Terror. The number of people [18/30] has been checked.]


    A very pleasant voice echoed in my ears. It wasn¡¯t just me who thought the same. There was a sense of aplishment engraved on everyone¡¯s face.


    I then turned towards Choi Young-ki, who had been standing next to me. I knew I had to keep my tone level. For these veterans, this was just a normal, sessful expedition.


    ¡°Is this how most normal rare grade dungeons are?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It gets a bit monotonous once you get used to it. If you defeat enough monsters and boss monsters, the attack will be consideredplete. I heard that there are various conditions inpleting hero-grade dungeons and legendary-grade dungeons as well¡­ It¡¯s embarrassing, but in fact, I haven¡¯t gotten to that point yet.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°In fact, it is said that there has only been one legendary-grade dungeon found in the entire Holy Empire.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see. Does that mean there are more hero-level dungeons to be found?¡±


    ¡°Actually, even hero-grade dungeons are not verymon. This Garden of Terror that we just attacked also seems to be a lower level among the rarest grades, but for other dungeons, theposition may be slightly different.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m really sorry for letting you feel so much difort during your first time.¡±


    ¡°No, no, we are the ones to me,¡± I responded awkwardly as Choi Young-ki bowed towards me to show his sincere regret. I felt a pang in my chest for manipting such a genuine person, so I could only smile at him reassuringly and deny him of his fault.


    ¡°Thanks to you, we were able to experience firsthand what it¡¯s like to explore a dungeon. You have also inspired us to do better during the fights.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no, you did quite well on your own. It¡¯s not only the Red Mercenaries, but also the Magic Guild people who think so. I¡¯m rather regretful that I didn¡¯t get to show off too much.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha.¡±


    As I nced sidewards, I could also see Kim Hyunsung chatting with the Magic Guild people. Perhaps he was also having the same pleasant conversation as I was. I hoped so.


    Because our repressor - Jung Yura - was nowhere to be found, I knew sooner orter the atmosphere would be warmer and friendlier. We would have survived even if she had been present the whole time; the pressure just felt less intense when she left. There had been no shortage ofughter in her absence.


    The biggest obstacle in forming our unity was indeed Yura, but with the ck Swans¡¯ exit, the Red Mercenaries¡¯ responsibilities doubled. Rather, they had to serve as the main tankers, for both the Magic and Blue Guild parties did not possess an aptitude for durability.


    However, this wasn¡¯t exactly a bad thing. In this way, the Red Mercenary vanguards had doubled their efforts, and the priests from every party were able to train their potentials even more as they focused on protecting the tankers.


    In conclusion, the ck Swans weren¡¯t a crucial team to have on the roster. They were more like a backup in case anything happened. If they stayed, I doubted they would receive more contribution rewards than the Blue Guild would.


    Through a logical assessment, they should be happy they were cast out in the middle of the expedition. They didn¡¯t have to exert any effort, yet they would still receive rewards from the dungeon.


    ¡°By the way, are you really sure about this?¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°Do you still think we should give the rewards to the ck Swans?¡±


    ¡°Ahhh. Yes. You don¡¯t have to worry. Besides, Hyunsung also said that it is better to keep the settlement ratio as it is.¡±


    ¡°Even so, I think it¡¯s right to give a little more to Blue. You all yed such a crucial role¡­¡±


    ¡°The shield that Deokgu received is enough. In fact, I still feel that I am taking too much, which feels very embarrassing.¡± Upon saying this, my eyes immediately sought a happy Park Deokgu out, surrounded by the other tankers who all bore cheerful spirits.


    Who would me him for being happy? He had just received a rare-grade shield item that would surely benefit his ss. It was the most valuable weapon our party had received from this expedition.


    [Root Shield-Rare Grade]


    [This is a hard shield made from nt roots by Araki, the owner of the garden. Originally, it was a shield to equip the garden guards, but all humans in the garden were cursed and could not see the light. As well as increasing defense, it relieves external shocks. Durability can be restored by itself.]


    [Health +3]


    [Durability +2]


    [Magic Power +1]


    I particrly liked the fact that the shield could fix its durability. It seemed like the perfect beginner¡¯s item for Park Deokgu, and we had gotten it at such a low cost! Since Deokgu¡¯s potential was quite high, I knew he would also start gaining momentum with his growth.


    Originally, that shield was also an item that had to go through several processes to obtain, but all the veterans indicated that it was okay to give it to him. Park Deokgu had probably managed to affect them emotionally, thus allowing him such a big reward.


    Besides, there were several other good items to be obtained.


    In the first ce, the Garden of Terror was a human-madeboratory, and its setting was that everyone turned into monsters under the curse of God. There were many things worth researching about magical power¡¯s essence, and it was full of things that were of great value.


    It was the moment when I realized what it meant to make money from a dungeon attack.


    The Red Mercenary and Magic Guild members insisted that we take more than what was initially agreed upon, but Kim Hyunsung was firm about the matter and did not take any more than what we were supposed to take.


    From Kim Hyunsung¡¯s point of view, the rest of the rewards weren¡¯t necessary. I knew it was also a way to create good rtions with the other guilds, but I couldn¡¯t help but feel a little disappointed.


    The next problem to focus on was what and how many rewards the ck Swans would receive, seeing as exiled halfway through the expedition.


    ¡°To be honest, their rewards seem a little too much from my point of view. I think it¡¯s better if the Blue Guild takes a bit of their rewards. We won¡¯t let them protest against you, of course!¡±


    ¡°No, no. After everything has been said and done, Jung Yura did have a point. We blundered right at the beginning and did cause additional burdens for everyone. They deserve their rewards.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°It would be natural for me to feel angry if I was a veteran as well. Besides, I know they must¡¯ve been crushed to be cast out halfway. What better way to console them than with their contribution rewards in full?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, I suddenly feel ashamed for making such a proposal. I honestly think there is no one in Lindel who¡¯s as warm-hearted as you, Kiyoung. Now I know why the renowned priest Sun Hee-young has chosen to join Blue.¡±


    ¡°Your face is turning red for no reason.¡±


    If only Choi Young-ki knew that I was the most maniptive and calcting person in the entire group. I only conceded because it was necessary to build good rtions with everyone, just as Kim Hyunsung had nned to do.


    However, this would also serve to dirty everyone¡¯s opinions on Yura¡¯s party even more. I didn¡¯t just let such chances go away for nothing.


    ¡°Then, can we go back to our guilds now?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The materials that have not yet been settled will be settled and paid within a week. Of course, you will also receive a document proving ownership of the dungeon where the attack has beenpleted.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°Of course, this is a meaningless document, although it¡¯s better than nothing. Anyway, let¡¯s go back. It¡¯s been a long expedition, so I want to take a rest right away.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that sounds good. I¡¯ll contact youter.¡±


    ¡°I will contact you first. You shouldn¡¯t forget our agreement on the drinks!¡±


    ¡°Sure! Haha, I¡¯ll wait.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t just me who was receiving such warm treatment; everyone from my party was. It felt like the earlier troubles brought about by Jung Yura never happened. I was pleasantly surprised with how everyone else was so willing to get along with other party members. After seeing how Lindel¡¯s society worked, I thought everyone would criticize us, but it turned out that this wasn¡¯t the case. Rather, we had developed trust in each other, and I knew this bond wouldst for a long time.


    I could see a satisfied Kim Hyunsung, who had let us learn so many new things, a delighted Park Deokgu with his new shield, and a happy Kim Ye-ri, who had not felt left out during the entire expedition. Even Sun Hee-young wasn¡¯t alone, and Jung Hayan did not look particrly disappointed at not being able to spend as much desired time with me as she would¡¯ve liked.


    After a short trip filled with nonsensical conversation, we soon found ourselves back at the Blue Guild building, which, embarrassingly enough, now felt like my home.


    After reporting to the guild¡¯s receptionist, we were required to make a report. Of course, I also had to meet Lee Sang-hee, the master of the sub-guild, to discuss the ratio and settlement.


    As we belonged to the Blue Guild, we also had to distribute the things we got with the other guild members. We didn¡¯tin, nor did we harbor any hard feelings about it. They had treated us so well that it felt only right to give back now that we had proven ourselves capable.


    However, even amid everything, I knew there was something else I had to prioritize.


    ¡°Hayan.¡±


    ¡°Yes, oppa.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk in private for a minute.¡±


    ¡°O-Oh, sure.¡±


    ¡°Hyunsung, we will go up for a moment first. Deokgu, you can go eat first. We¡¯ll see you in a while, everyone!¡±


    Everyone nodded in response to my words. I ignored Park Deokgu¡¯s suggestive expression and took Jung Hayan by the hand upstairs and to my room.


    Looking at my red-colored face, it felt like I was about to do something misleading. However, I knew some basic needs couldn¡¯t be tended to within a dungeon¡¯s confines.


    Upon opening my door, Jung Hayan began to look around my room.


    ¡°Oh, oppa.¡±


    ¡°Hayan.¡±


    ¡°Yes? What is it?¡±


    ¡°Can I ask you for a small favor?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll do anything you want! You just have to ask.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t feel pressured, oppa. You just have to say it, and I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    Only


    Looking at her expectant face, it suddenly felt much harder to get my request out. However, I had to. It was crucial.


    ¡°Can you find out about how the media works in Lindel?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    As expected, Jung Hayan¡¯s expectant expression shifted into one of disappointment. However, she knew that she would get what she wanted with every achievement she did for me. I reinforced this thought by giving her a kiss on the cheek.


    ¡°Yes, of course¡­¡± Jung Hayan nodded, almost as if possessed.


    She still remembered the promise between us.

 Chapter 68: Press (1)

    <h4>Chapter 68: Press (1)</h4>


    The media system in the Free City of Lindel couldn¡¯t even be properly called the press. This was the conclusion that Jung Hayan and I hade to.


    Of course, it couldn¡¯t be denied that many people here wanted to wield a pen. Freedom of the press was an ideal concept that a democratic area such as Lindel would desire. Nevertheless, it was obvious that mediapanies couldn¡¯t just write articles at will.


    After all, this was a country that was dominated by force. A person could die simply by just offending someone formidable or was of high status. Thus, the creation of articles was done conscientiously.


    Any topic had to be raked over with a fine-toothb, for even the slightest mistake in word choice could cost you your life. No one knew when a passive reader could turn into a crazed murderer and stalk after the media people just because they had offended someone.


    I had guessed as much upon reading a newspaper. I found nothing that could be called a legit article. There were notices and announcements, sure, but the closest ones I could find were just showbiz stuff, like what the biggest guilds liked to eat for breakfast and such.


    This proved to be a disappointment, seeing as I had been on the lookout for a true journalist. On the other hand, I could understand, though. Life and money were crucial to survive in such a ce like Lindel. No one would dare spark controversy, especially within the media world.


    The question was, would I be able to find someone who¡¯d dare to change this?


    I needed a true journalist. I needed someone who could keep up with the trend of the times.


    Lindel was still rtively considered a ¡®new¡¯ ce, but the system had been established for a while now. Therefore, it was important to note how much things had changed since the past economically, politically, or even socially.


    Even culture could y a part. What was the ideal lifestyle like at this point? How could smaller guilds rank up to be of equal footing with therger ones? These were topics that would be sure to catch the public¡¯s attention.


    In some ways, I could say I was lucky. If I had stumbled upon Lindel when it was still just developing, I might have chosen to travel elsewhere. However, what this ce stillcked was a little spark in controversy.


    Humans were the types to be interested in others¡¯ lives. This ce needed content that would soothe people¡¯s boredom. Upon observation, I noticed that many people seemed to share my sentiments, which told me my n might work.


    ¡°Oppa, I think most of them havee.¡±


    ¡°Oh, really?¡±


    ¡°Yes, they¡¯ll be expecting you in a few minutes¡­ What else should I do?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no, you¡¯ve already done enough. Thank you so much for everything, Hayan.¡±


    ¡°It was no problem at all¡­¡±


    ¡°I will definitely repay you when all of this is over.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know. I trust you, oppa!¡±


    She deserved it. After all, this had a chance of working in the first ce because of Jung Hayan.


    I pecked her on the lips before I entered the other room, and the crowd of people turned to face me. The noisy hubbub suddenly quieted down upon my arrival.


    They were all watching me now, both curious and anxious about what I had called them here for. I stered a smile on my face and spoke.


    ¡°I¡¯m d to see you all.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ It¡¯s also nice to meet you.¡±


    ¡°I am Kim Seong-gyeong from the Lindel Daily.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my pleasure to meet you. I am Kiyoung Lee of the Blue Guild.¡±


    Upon assessing their expressions, I knew these people cared much more about how much I was willing to give, rather than what I was about to say. Money was, after all, a scarcity in Lindel unless you were a guild member.


    After a few moments, their meals arrived. I could see everyone¡¯s expression brightening. I knew it was crucial to get to the main point right away, but this was a necessary distraction.


    ¡°Of course, the reason I gathered all of you today is to ask you to write a small article for me.¡±


    ¡°Ah, of course, I¡¯ve been expecting this. Of course, I¡¯d be willing to write. Isn¡¯t Blue Guild running at the highest stock price recently? I¡¯d be honored to promote your guild.¡±


    I knew even if they posted a promotional article about us, it would all be for naught. The influence of mediapanies in this world was practically nonexistent.


    ¡°I heard that four of you broke through the tutorial dungeon in the shortest time and sessfullypleted the attack of the Garden of Terror. This will be a good article.¡±


    I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Yes, our backstory was good, but at this rate, even the Blue Guild would do a better job promoting the article than these people.


    ¡°Hahaha, I agree. All you have to do is give us the order, and we¡¯ll take the article into the direction you want it to go.¡±


    I leaned back slightly, my demeanor changing. This was the reply I was looking for.


    ¡°Actually, the article I would want you to write is different from what you have in mind.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°I would like you to write an article about a woman named Jung Yura, whoes from the ck Swan Guild. The exact details are¡­¡±


    Very slowly, I began to exin the details of the article. I did not add or flesh anything more than what I wanted to be included within it. All I calmly stated were the events that had transpired within the dungeon expedition.


    However, the people¡¯s faltering expressions before me revealed what they thought about this proposed article of mine. ¡®and¡¯ were imprinted on everyone¡¯s faces.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you just write what I have told you. Of course, it¡¯s also your freedom to flesh it out in any way you would want to. I personally would appreciate it if you write it a little more provocatively. You know the public likes stimting content. The gold you will receive will surely not disappoint you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I had expected an ominous silence to descend in the room.


    ¡°Well, this seems like a difficult preposition¡­¡±


    ¡°You think?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ I can understand your intentions for wanting this article written, but the content¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh no, I am not telling you to write about the ck Swan Guild itself. Rather, I am asking you to focus on Jung Yura as an individual.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but still¡­¡±


    I watched these people exchange unsure looks with each other, and the difort in the room began to heighten as they pondered over my proposed article. If I hade from a less influential guild or my name was not already known within the city, these people would say no to my face and left in a hurry.


    ¡°I know what you¡¯re worried about.¡±


    ¡°O-Oh¡­¡±


    ¡°You are worried for your safety. You know publishing an article like this will earn you some definite consequences. However, I want you to know that this article isn¡¯t for my intentions¡­¡±


    ¡°Whose-?¡±


    ¡°It is Cha Hee-ra¡¯s will.¡±


    Of course, what I had just said was a lie¡ªa necessary one.


    ¡°I understand that you will be afraid, nheless. Jung Yura¡¯s personal retaliation is very scary. I know that even if the Mercenary Queen herself grants you her protection, it will be difficult.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°If you write the article, you will have to use your real name.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°I know some of you are also worried about the impact the article will receive once it gets published. Nothing good everes from criticizingrge guilds. However, people will be wondering why this kind of incident happened. Your sales rates will go up beyondparison, and you will be able to earn more than your usual sries.¡±


    ¡°Ah, but the gold isn¡¯t the problem here¡­¡±


    ¡°The more people read your article, the safer you will be. The more articles are sold under your name, the more influence you can gain - thus making you safer.¡±


    I could see looks of understanding pass over some of the reporters¡¯ faces. After all, some of these people had probably also been working for the press back when they were still living on Earth.


    ¡°Just because they have power doesn¡¯t mean they can just disregard the public. Large guilds also value public attention. They cannot act recklessly. Everybody knows this. There is already a social system established within Lindel. The era of simply operating by hunting or dungeon expeditions has already passed.¡±


    There were still expressions of fear imprinted on their faces. I knew it wasn¡¯t going to be easy trying to persuade them.


    ¡°No matter how you put it, publishing an article like this is still dangerous¡­¡±


    ¡°The Red Mercenary Guild will be supporting you. Is that not protection enough? You know how influential Cha Hee-ra is in this city.¡±


    ¡°But, if the article will be written using our real names¡­¡±


    ¡°That part is the most important. If you are proven correct, it will be difficult to avoid the me from the standpoint of the ck Swan Guild.¡±


    I tried to speak as calmly as I could to try and ease the anxiety of the reporters. I knew Cha Hee-ra wouldn¡¯t be enough to spark them to do my bidding. Even if protection was guaranteed, it was still a highly-risky move to write an article against anyrge, existing guild.


    I sighed a little and began to speak again.


    ¡°Why do you think the mediapanies in Lindel have not been sessful thus far?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ Well, retaliation, for one thing¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Of course, the thought of retaliation is scary. That¡¯s why you¡¯ve been writing substandard articles so far. Of course, I am not condemning or insulting what you have been doing. This is an unavoidable situation. I understand that this continent is a ce where it will not be easy to publish such articles carelessly.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s not the right answer.¡±


    ¡°You think¡­?¡±


    ¡°To trap yourself in this type of mindset means you¡¯re only hindering the sess of yourpanies. This isn¡¯t the way to go about it.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°The biggest reason for your failure is that you don¡¯t have the drive to push through. Perhaps those who had been journalists back on Earth can understand me. The most important thing is that you do not directly state which side you¡¯re on. You let the public do that. Instead, you simply insinuate. That¡¯s what gives the press a lot of power in this type of background.¡±


    ¡°Are you telling me to take the side of the Blue Guild and Red Mercenaries?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course. Just write the article we need. The press won¡¯t bepletely free from the matter either way. You can criticize the enemies of the Blue and Red Mercenaries and defend us. All you need to do is move the public. There will be no disadvantage if you go the other way. You can choose the ck Swan, or if you have a route that leads to another faction, you can go there. The fact stands that you will not be free from retaliation whichever path you choose to take. External pressure is an inevitable routine. But isn¡¯t risking your lives a natural urrence in a ce like Lindel?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°And as you are threatened, I will see to it that you will gain even bigger rewards.¡±


    ¡°That¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll get insurmountable gold.¡±


    Only


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°And, most importantly¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll get the power you seek.¡±


    Of course, this was only an illusion. At the very least, their sales rates would indeed get higher, and they would gain a semnce of influence. However, influence wasn¡¯t the same thing as power.


    Looking at the expressions on their faces now, I knew I had them reeled in - hook, line, and sinker.


    I bowed.


    ¡°Thank you very much for hearing me out.¡±

 Chapter 69: Press (2)

    <h4>Chapter 69: Press (2)</h4>


    I must have acted overly excited to get a proper hold of my bearings back at the Garden of Terror.


    For some reason, I hadn¡¯t read the atmosphere as easily as I used to. I came as a shock when I was asked, along with my guild, to exit the expedition! While that cunning trickster Lee Kiyoung riled up the group to take his side against mine, he watched from the sidelines and let them do the dirty work for him.


    I could still remember that husky, untrustworthy tone of voice, along with the countless times he¡¯d tried to hide his smile as I was in hot water. He was fortunate that I didn¡¯t have my dagger in hand at the time, or he would have been dead.


    I clenched my fists tightly upon reminiscing, shaking from where Iy.


    Assessing the amount of magical power and profession that Lee Kiyoung possessed, I knew he was the kind of man Lindel needed to get rid of, a pest to be eradicated. He was probably the type of guy who would have been in the slums if he hadn¡¯t found a party to cling to.


    It felt ridiculous seeing other people get tricked by him so easily. I knew he was thick-faced from the start, but I wasn¡¯t expecting him to be as shameless as he had acted.


    He even dared to apologize to me as if I had threatened him! Though he sounded sincere, that look in his eyes suggested otherwise. He had sessfully fooled everyone around us!


    When I recalled his expression once more, anger began to rise from within me.


    ¡°Sh*t¡­¡±


    As I tried to lie still, a voice came from outside my room.


    ¡°Yura, are you there?¡±


    ¡°I am. How¡¯s the situation looking so far?¡±


    ¡°Same, it¡¯s all just the same. We haven¡¯t heard anything new yet.¡±


    ¡°Ha¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still too early to make a formal protest.¡±


    ¡°Just long will it take for them to assess the situation?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    ¡°Why the hell had we not noticed this? There seems to be some sort of agreement between the Blue Guild and the Red Mercenary Guild. What the hell are these Red Mercenaries even doing, anyway? I have a feeling they¡¯re the ones pulling the strings.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve only been told to stay quiet and stay wary. We thought it best not to draw too much attention to ourselves yet¡­ Cha Hee-ra might be watching.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter with Cha Hee-ra?¡±


    ¡°It seemed that the guild executives have been meeting with the Red Mercenaries.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? Are they saying that there is no need to understand the situation anymore? Did they not read what we have written in the report?¡±


    ¡°Of course they did, but¡­¡±


    ¡°And we all know we are not the perpetrators! All witnesses seem to think that we, the ck Swans, are the bad people! Do you want the people of Lindel to treat us like idiots? In fact, why are you all so scared of that whore?! She and that¡­ That Lee Kiyoung! That son of a bitch!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do for the moment¡­ There are rumors that that man has be Cha Hee-ra¡¯s gigolo. There are also stories that say that they might have been lovers in the past life. Perhaps that¡¯s why the two guilds seem to have such a close-knit rtionship¡­ It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t understand where you¡¯reing from¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Anyway, it would be better to watch the situation a little more. There will definitely be a chance for payback.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right. I¡¯m not just going to aim for retribution. I will torture Lee Kiyoung endlessly until he begs for mercy. He seems to think that Cha Hee-ra will protect him forever. Let¡¯s see how long that faith willst.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right.¡±


    ¡°Besides, they¡¯ve caused so many blunders during the guild expedition, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I mean at first, but now¡­¡±


    ¡°Ugh, I know what you mean. We¡¯ll still be able to use that to our advantage, however.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, we still have a shot at this. Since they¡¯ve still sent us our items, it means we haven¡¯t been totally ignored, right?¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. We¡¯ve received a lot of rare-grade items, and upon looking at the list, we still got more than Blue Guild has obtained.¡±


    ¡°As we should. No matter how protected they are by the Red Mercenaries, we still deserve more rewards than they do.¡±


    ¡°I agree¡­ Anyway, do you want to head out for a bite to eat? I¡¯m hungry.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sure, I¡¯m hungry as well, anyway.¡±


    ¡°I heard that a new restaurant opened up nearby. We should go take a look.¡±


    I nodded and stood up, wanting to rid my thoughts of that oily smirk and calcting eyes. I knew if I stayed cooped up in my room any longer, I would lose it.


    Opportunities for revenge would certainlye in the future. No matter how protected Blue Guild is by the Red Mercenaries, they should know better than to mess with one of therge guilds such as the ck Swans. With this thought, I started to feel better.


    We left the guild building in no time at all. I did not think much of the unusuallyrge amount of people out until we arrived at the square, where I saw a crowd clustering around.


    ¡°Ugh¡­ So trashy people such as these do exist.¡±


    ¡°Even if I close my eyes, I can imagine how barbaric they must be.¡±


    ¡°Tsk.¡±


    Voices dripping with disapproval echoed throughout the square. I might have mistaken it formon hubbub when I noticed that every single person had a newspaper in their hands.


    I blinked. This was an unusual scene. The media in Lindel wasn¡¯t powerful or influential at all, and hardly anyone bought the paper. At best, all they had in their published paper were news of new monsters or the Holy Empire. It was usually only adventurers who read the paper.


    However, seeing that even non-adventurers all had the paper in their hands, my curiosity began to spike. A dark feeling began to spread all over my body, and I couldn¡¯t resist but grab a paper for myself.


    ¡°Oh, unnie¡­¡±


    ¡°T-This¡­¡±


    [Bashing on Blue!]


    [The first dungeon trip of Kim Hyunsung¡¯s party, who was recruited for arge sum of money in Blue, ended sessfully. You may remember all the party members that broke through the tutorial dungeon in the fastest time, and with only four people! This party, called the Kim Hyunsung Party, left Lindel a few weeks ago with the Magical Guild, the Red Mercenary Guild, and the ck Swan Guild to show off their unity with the other guilds.


    While there were certain criticisms to be heard about newbies joining veterans, the Magic Guild¡¯s attack log was leaked, causing controversy to spark within the city. It was then that Jung Yura, a member of the ck Swan guild, was revealed to the public.


    From the time the expedition started, and the ck Swans were seen to be arriving back separately, many wondered if something had happened in the dungeon, and eventually, these rumors were proven to be true!


    The truth is that Jung Yura (29) did not only cause conflict in the party before their departure but had also threatened one of the members of the Blue Guild. Many have testified that she has been too harsh on the Blue Guild¡¯s party, marking a frown on everyone¡¯s faces.


    Mr. Kiyoung, who was involved in the case, was conscious of the perpetrators and did not reveal what the threats were about, but rumors spread that physical pressure is part of the picture.


    Experts specte that it is probably due to the dungeon¡¯s contribution rewards, but none of these hunches have been urately revealed yet. While it is true that both Blue and ck Swans are affected by this, the attention focuses on where this event will lead their rtionship.


    It is a very familiar urrence in Lindel, our Free City, to attack dungeons through cooperation between guilds. Of course, the issue of item distribution and contribution also seems to be the same. Everyone will know the tricks cast by particr guilds out of greed for the rewards.


    The fact thatrge guilds keep pressing on the smaller guilds is well-known by everyone. However, it is shocking to see a guild do so in such an unsubtle manner. -Reporter]


    It wasn¡¯t even the end of it.


    [Miss Jung Yura (29) dares the Red Mercenary Queen to protect her subordinates.]


    [Miss Yura, a member of the ck Swans and a party member included in thetest guild expedition, has spewed a truckload of remarks that have caused an uproar within Lindel. These remarks hurled at Mr. Lee Kiyoung, a spected lover of the Queen, have be quite the controversy. When Mr. Kiyoung¡¯s party was seen to be helping the expedition out in such an efficient manner, Miss Jung Yura, apparently worried about their contribution reward distribution, began to threaten Mr. Kiyoung with scandalous remarks.


    Upon investigation, it was revealed that she insulted Mr. Kiyoung for being one of the Mercenary Queen¡¯s pirs and even went so far as to question if the Queen would protect him to his face!


    What causes such unease is that Miss Yura did not just hurl these statements towards Mr. Kiyoung, but the Red Queen herself. Spections about what damages this might cause for the rtionship between Red Mercenary and ck Swans are stillrge. -Jung Ilbo]


    Several provocative titles continued to catch my eye.


    [About the rtionship between the ck Swan and the Red Mercenary Guild


    Subtitle: Where does Blue stand in this?]


    [Dungeon columnist Kim Seong-gyeong]


    [How should I look at the controversy caused by ck Swan Guild member Jung Yura? -Lindel Political Department Reporter Yoomi Kang]


    [Miss Jung Yura (29) reignites past controversy]


    [Who is ck Swan trying to emunicate - the Red Mercenary Guild, or the Blue Guild?]


    In less than a day, my whole world had crumbled. My hands shook as I continued to skim through the paper.


    I couldn¡¯t figure out what exactly was going on right now.


    However, I could only think of the owner of that sted oily smirk and the calcting gaze that had been driving me crazy nonstop.


    ¡°Damn¡­ they¡¯re lucky Blue Guild is still quite arge guild. If it were us, we wouldn¡¯t just be insulted by them¡­ We¡¯d be dead too.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because of people like these that Lindel isn¡¯t progressing at all.¡±


    ¡°Sh, be quiet!¡±


    Only


    ¡°No, am I wrong?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ That person over there¡­ Isn¡¯t that Jung Yura?¡±


    ¡°Shh. She can hear you, you know.¡±


    It was only now that I truly began toprehend how this had happened and who had ensured that this would ur.

 Chapter 70: Press (3)

    <h4>Chapter 70: Press (3)</h4>


    ¡°This is a well-made article.¡±


    I had initially thought that there would be changes to the story I had proposed, but more importantly, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the reporters had indeed taken the bait. The story itself didn¡¯t just criticize Jung Yura and the abuse of power within the Free City of Lindel.


    ¡°But damaging the reputation of such arge guild¡­ Is that okay?¡±


    ¡®Ah, it¡¯s very good.¡¯


    Titles such as those currently found in the paper would surely elicit a reaction among every reader within Lindel. After all, most people here knew how it felt to be oppressed by a greater force.


    Granted, I haven¡¯t been treated like that within Lindel as I had fortunately entered a guild still considered prestigious, but I could bet that the smaller guilds would have all experienced such treatment.


    To put it simply, getting a ce within one of therge guilds automatically equated to being part of Lindel¡¯s higher ss. In this manner, it wasn¡¯t that hard to predict the multitude of corruption cases within the city.


    In this particr coverage, all parties involved came fromrge guilds. Still, since I, a newbie member of a guild that tethered on the edge of ruination, was portrayed as the victim of said familiar oppression, the public was sure to be on my side.


    The reaction was almost immediate. The otherrge-scale guilds went to great lengths to prove that they had better personalities than the ck Swans, and through subtle means, the smaller guilds showed us that they were supporting us.


    It felt like a social movement of sorts. This was what the ability to move the masses could amount to. No matter how strong one was, it didn¡¯t mean anything if no one supported him. In that same mindset, Lindel¡¯s upperssmen only hold their power because the lower ss, as much as they would like to deny it, acknowledge their power.


    Simply put, the upperssmen cannot exist without the lower ss. Without people buying weapons from the Red Mercenaries¡¯ shop, potions from the Magic Guild, cheap information from the ck Swans, or other merchandise from other guilds, society¡¯s higher throngs cannot maintain their standing. They can only do so because those lower than them were responsible for their sess.


    These people probably forgot - this wasn¡¯t the Earth we were so ustomed to living in. In a ce like this, logic only worked when it was backed up by power. For this very reason, it was understandable as to why the media did not hold a lot of power. Yet they may have forgotten that the media is the key to getting the people¡¯s support.


    However, with certain story coverage, I knew people had started to realize just how scary the press could be. The effect was indeed awesome.


    In addition to boycotting all businesses operated by the ck Swan Guild, small and medium-sized guilds, renowned explorers, and adventurers had also expressed their intentions to never attack dungeons with any of their members.


    ¡®Ah¡­¡¯


    It truly was a frightening event when all the oppressed banded together for amon goal - to raise the voices of the marginalized.


    Though each individual had different reasons, they all cooperated just the same.


    I knew that, just from this meager little story, I had already helped in the formation of Lindel¡¯s revolutionary history.


    After I ate my lunch, I headed outside, where several reporters were waiting. Of course, these weren¡¯t the same reporters who had bothered to attend my invitation before. These were the ones who did not attend or could smell the money they could gain from also covering this story.


    ¡°May I have a moment of your time? About Jung Yura¡­¡±


    ¡°Sorry. There is still an official announcement about this¡­¡±


    ¡°I know it would be quite the hassle, but do you have anything to say about-¡°


    ¡°We will officially hold a press conference about thister.¡±


    ¡°What do you think of Jung Yura¡¯s remarks about the coboration between Red and Blue?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not something I can answer just yet.¡±


    ¡°Oi, don¡¯t bother my hyung so much!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Deokgu.¡±


    We had to remember to be kind to journalists, especially for the time being. Whoever won their support also won the support of the public.


    ¡°I would like to ask what position you are taking in the current ck Swan Guild boycott.¡± The guy who asked this question looked pretty familiar to me.


    ¡®Is that Kim Seong-gyeong?¡¯


    It did look like him. It wouldn¡¯t be bad to answer this particr question.


    ¡°I was able to see how many people could feel the loss, regardless of whether this was true or not. It wasn¡¯t just what happened to me. The outrage must stem from the pus of injustice that many people have felt from living in Lindel. Of course, this is understandable, but I am worried that many of you will feel too angry. That is all.¡±


    Directly answering the question in the form of an indirect response would be the best direction I could take.


    ¡°Are you saying that all the threats in the dungeon are true?¡±


    ¡°I will notment.¡±


    ¡°Are you in support of the boycott?¡±


    ¡°I support the matter on the one hand, but not on the other. I¡¯m just worried that this will cause further damage.¡±


    Employing such subtle wording was truly a talent of mine. I wanted to take down the ck Swan Guild, but not through a direct hit. I would rather give the guild itself a chance to redeem themselves.


    The only casualty I wanted was Jung Yura.


    ¡°Please tell me something about Cha Hee-ra.¡±


    ¡°I will arrange a seat for youter.¡±


    ¡°Please talk to the adventurers who are angry about this situation.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s very difficult to speak for now, but I suppose I can say something. Your actions in resisting injustice in society are never wrong. Every individual is more influential than they would like to think. The way you act without giving into pressure¡­ You are all helping in your own ways.¡±


    The reporters wrote down my words diligently as I spoke. I had a feeling this would turn into a new article by tomorrow.


    [I understand the feelings of adventurers who are feeling lost.]


    Something like that would probably appear on the next barrage of articles.


    [I support the boycott, but worry about dealing further damage.]


    I was feeling pretty good about this. After all, reporters knew how to spin even the drabbest of responses into something more dramatic. This would surely cause another uproar tomorrow.


    More questions arose after my response, but I knew responding to any more mighte back to bite me in the rear end.


    Since I was ying the role of victim, I needed to speak the least amount. The more interpretations these reporters came up with, the better.


    While I thought about this, Park Deokgu began to speak beside me.


    ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t know it was going to be this big, hyung.¡±


    ¡°Neither did I.¡± Of course, that was a lie.


    ¡°I think I should be more careful about my actions in the future¡­ This is bad.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t matter if you just act as you usually do.¡±


    ¡°So, didn¡¯t you say that the Red Mercenary will be announcing their stand today?¡±


    ¡°Huh. Yes, that¡¯s right.¡±


    I knew what this would already entail. They would respond directly to the criticisms stated by Jung Yura, particrly about their Mercenary Queen, but would not assault the guild itself. After all, the stories had already covered the insults directed towards Cha Hee-ra, so it was only right that she took the necessary precautions and struck back.


    ¡®And maybe within a week¡­¡±


    Eventually, the ck Swan Guild will also be giving an announcement. However, it would be toote by then. I didn¡¯t know what was currently going on within their guild now, but I knew for sure that they must be feeling embarrassed.


    Perhaps there must have also been an uproar within their guild. Anyhow, there must be a reason as to why they were taking so long to respond.


    If I were in their shoes, I would have formed a response team right away and tried to get in touch with the opposite side. Simply giving an appearance was a form of action in itself. Had the ck Swans have any smarts in them, they would have responded by now.


    It was then that Sun Hee-young approached me.


    ¡°Mr. Kiyoung?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Some people from the ck Swans Guild are here.¡±


    ¡®Oh?¡¯


    It turned out that the ck Swans did have some semnce of smarts within them.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know specifically. It seems that they¡¯vee to apologize.¡±


    ¡°Are they waiting in the reception room?¡±


    ¡°Yes, they are.¡± Sun Hee-young nodded slightly. I thanked her and began to head in the direction of the reception room, where I found familiar faces waiting for me.


    The first person I noticed was Jung Yura herself. With her were various ck Swan Guild executives. I also saw Lee Seol-ho with the crowd, and I stiffened. What was this crazy old man doing?


    I didn¡¯t know what exactly was happening, but I was not too fond of the idea of him trying to get on board with all this craziness.


    ¡°What to say about this¡­¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, do not fret about it. For now¡­¡±


    As I saw them converse, annoyance soared from within me.


    Then I noticed a familiar-looking woman sitting on one side.


    ¡®Lee Ji-Hye?¡¯


    I remembered her from the shelter that Kim Hyunsung had devised back in the tutorial dungeon. What was she doing here? I felt surprised.


    I didn¡¯t think that Lee Ji-Hye was entirely useless in terms of abilities, but I would never have thought that she¡¯d try to get herself in with the ck Swans.


    It was ridiculous to see them cozying up with the deranged old executives from our side.


    ¡®Ha.¡¯


    [Check yer Jihye Lee¡¯s status window and potential.]


    [Name-Jihye Lee]


    [Title-None. You should try a little more.]


    [Age-29]


    [Propensity-Selfish Ambition]


    [Job-Commander]


    [Capacity]


    [Strength -09/Growth limit: Below normal]


    [Agility-11/Growth limit: Below normal]


    [Health-15/Growth limit: Below normal]


    [Intellect-29/Growth limit: Rare or higher]


    [Durability-10/Growth limit: Below normal]


    Only


    [Luck-15/Growth limit: Below normal]


    [Holy-05/Growth limit: Below normal]


    [Overall Review - Congrattions, yer Kiyoung Lee. You have met your soulmate once again. At this point, it doesn¡¯t seem like an exaggeration to say that it is fate. It seems that you have connected once, although I certainly rmend that you do not connect again. As I said, I am very sorry for the second generation to be born if they wille from you. Always be careful with your actions.]


    While assessing her current stats, I continued to watch both sides converse with each other. However, some of the gazes had already begun to swing over to where I stood.


    Lee Ji-Hye, who was one of them, began to speak in a happy tone of voice.


    ¡°Oppa! It¡¯s been a while.¡±


    ¡®What? Since when was I her oppa¡­?¡¯

 Chapter 71: Press (4)

    <h4>Chapter 71: Press (4)</h4>


    After assessing the atmosphere, I began to understand how Lee Jihye nned to direct this situation.


    ¡®Hm, she¡¯s smart.¡¯


    Evidently, it seemed that I wasn¡¯t the only one who knew how to assess situations. The ck Swans were fortunate to have someone capable of handling their internal affairs.


    It was a little embarrassing to say that my rival could quite possibly be Lee Jihye, but I knew there was nothing shameful about it. The woman could quite possibly be as good as me in the employment of underhanded, political tactics.


    In any case, she was a hundred times better and smarter than Jung Yura. That also meant I had a valid reason to feel wary now.


    ¡®Unfortunately for you, however, I know just what you¡¯re nning to do.¡¯


    Lee Jihye was a woman who clearly understood what a deal was. She must have nned to let the others know of our ¡®close¡¯ rtionship through such means.


    I decided to y along. ¡°Is that really you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s nice to see you here again.¡±


    ¡°Long time no see. How have you been?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been fine. I honestly thought it¡¯d be a long time before we meet again. I¡¯m pleasantly surprised to see that it isn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I agree.¡± As I nodded in response to her words, I confirmed that I was right. All present ck Swan Guild members looked pleased upon hearing this exchange, and so did the delusional old men from my side.


    ¡°Hahaha. I see that you¡¯re both getting along quite well.¡±


    ¡®What the heck are youughing at? You crazy old man.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t like the fact that these old geezers were here. It spelled nothing but bad news. At the same time, a slight feeling of embarrassment coursed through me at this disy.


    Although the ck Swans were indeed arge guild representing Lindel, the Blue Guild had no reason to kowtow to them just because they had decided to visit. We were the ones in agreement with the Red Mercenary Guild. In short, we had the upper hand.


    This scene was just like spoiling Jung Yura with lots of candy.


    In the process of resolving this diplomaticallyplex situation, I knew the Blue Guild could gain more from the oue than any other guild would. Better rtionships? New ones? Greater influence? I didn¡¯t get why my fellow members were acting this way.


    ¡°I must apologize for stopping by thiste. We also had some matters to deal with from our side.¡±


    ¡°No, no, your presence here is already enough.¡± Lee Seolhoughed pleasantly.


    ¡®Enough? What do you mean, enough? Crazy old man.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t like how we were faring in this exchange. There were polite smiles all around and the easy dismissal of apologies. In such a situation, I felt like I was the rude one, simply because I was the only one who refused to join in the pleasantries.


    Then the introductions began.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry, I failed to do this¡­ I am Choi Eunhee from the ck Swan Guild.¡±


    ¡°I am Lee Kiyoung. It¡¯s nice to meet you.¡±


    However, it seemed that Lee Seolho did not want to help me out. As if to ignore my words, he turned to Choi Eunhee and spoke as if I was not there at all.


    ¡°Oh no, no, why don¡¯t we have some tea instead of all this awkward hoo-ha?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Seolho. Shall we do that?¡±


    They then began to strike up a conversation, leaving me fuming. This old man was ruining all my ns!


    ¡®Hah, and to think I even thought about giving you some mercy.¡¯


    It really was such a hassle when the trash in your own guild proved to be more thick-faced than the guild you¡¯ve been targeting. I knew Lee Seolho was a pain in the ass, but not to this extent!


    Realizing I needed to act quickly, I began to think of what to say.


    However, it was Lee Jihye who spoke next.


    ¡°Tea would be nice. I think the both of you should do that. We still have other things to discuss here.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    Both Lee Seolho and Choi Eunhee gazed at Lee Jihye in surprise. However, upon seeing Choi Eunhee nod at her words, almost trembling, I knew Lee Jihye had more authority than I first thought.


    ¡®Hm, that¡¯s interesting¡­¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know exactly how the ck Swan Guild¡¯s system operated, but it seemed that they had respect for those who held authority within their group. I could appreciate that.


    ¡°Then will we do that? Seolho?¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes, I suppose¡­¡±


    ¡°We have separate matters to talk about, anyway. I think it would be better to leave this work to the younger ones. First, I will show you the gift I brought.¡±


    ¡°Huh, huh. Thank you so much for this, Eunhee Choi.¡±


    ¡®He¡¯s not just crazy, he¡¯s also gullible.¡¯


    Their n was quite obvious. They wanted to win the Blue Guild over by bribing the corrupted ones with gifts. Choi Eunhee smiled and nodded to Lee Jihye upon Seolho¡¯s confirmation.


    ¡°Take care of Yura then, Jihye.¡±


    ¡°Yes, eunni.¡±


    No matter which angle I tried to take, the two indeed resembled a close-knit rtionship. Pretty soon, the elder ones left the parlor, leaving me alone with Lee Jihye and Jung Yura.


    Although Lee Jihye herself was smiling, Jung Yura looked none too pleased to be here. It seemed that she was struggling from just trying to rein in her emotions. I could understand why,


    She was also struggling with self-guilt; I knew it. Not only did she bring shame to her guild, but she also single-handedly destroyed their pleasant rtionship with the Red Mercenaries. Now many adventurers chose to boycott the ck Swans, leaving the guild with less than a few opportunities to redeem themselves.


    It was only natural that her position within the guild be brought down due to her actions. Perhaps she was grateful she hadn¡¯t been kicked out at this point.


    Even with these thoughts running in my head, the urge to smile was still apparent.


    Unsurprisingly, Lee Jihye took it upon herself to start the conversation.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you annoyed?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°The old man from earlier¡­ It doesn¡¯t take a lot of smarts to realize if someone is useless or not, and that man looked as useless as they would go.¡±


    ¡°Well, every guild has its own circumstances to focus on. I wasn¡¯t even expecting to see you.¡±


    ¡°It just happened out of the blue. I hadn¡¯t been expecting it at all, yet I suppose my guild also needs someone to deal with situations like these. The executives also decided that I would be the best person to deal with this situation.¡±


    ¡°I agree with them.¡±


    ¡°This is all thanks to you. After all, you inspired me to work harder to secure my standing.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for such praise.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying this for the sake of having something to say. In fact, I¡¯ve seen the advantages of being close to you, oppa. Knowing you, you¡¯re very well capable of designing situations such as this.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t read her expression properly, but I knew that she was just trying to get me to admit to my doing in the end. Keeping my expression nonchnt, I shrugged.


    ¡°Well. I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    Jung Yura, who was sitting next to Lee Jihye, looked very much embarrassed. During this whole exchange, she shrunk down in her seat, trying her best to look inconspicuous.


    I, too, felt a little surprised. I would have expected Lee Jihye to include her in the conversation right away, but the opposite was happening. It actually felt like Jung Yura was being excluded from the conversation.


    No¡­ It felt like Lee Jihye was using this opportunity to watch Jung Yura¡¯s reaction.


    ¡®Huh.¡¯


    I had to admit that the girl was definitely resourceful. Although she had revealed her advantageous position at having some form of rtionship with me, Lee Jihye only seemed interested in having this advantage serve her well, not for the guild¡¯s sake.


    ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s all been said and done. There¡¯s nothing we can do but try our best to fix the situation¡­ But before that, how have you been all this time? It¡¯s been so long¡­¡±


    I was no longer surprised when Lee Jihye hitched up her skirt ever-so-subtly as she spoke.


    I remained poker-faced.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re so cruel. I thought for a moment that it would be good to reminisce¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say such things, Jihye. You¡¯re just trying to spin this situation around.¡±


    ¡°Oh, oppa. If this girl wasn¡¯t here right now, I know things would be different.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not because of that.¡±


    ¡°I think I can understand what you mean¡­ Anyway! Before we get on with the real story, I think an apology is in order. Jung Yura? It¡¯s your turn.¡± Upon saying this, Lee Jihye tapped Yura on the shoulder.


    To be honest, I wasn¡¯t expecting this kind of scenario at all. If I had known, I would have brought Lee Jihye to my side as soon as possible.


    At Lee Ji-hye¡¯s urging, Jung Yura turned to look at me.


    Of course, I knew she had no intention to apologize to me at all. In fact, the woman was probably thinking about how unfair it was to have to apologize when she did nothing wrong in the first ce. However, on the other hand, she knew she had no choice.


    Seeing her struggling within herself almost made meugh.


    It wasn¡¯t what I wanted, but it¡¯s not bad either.


    ¡°¡­Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Miss Yura¡­ I think you have to apologize a little more sincerely, or else my oppa will not ept that.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    A painful silence ensued afterwards.


    Suddenly, Lee Jihye lunged forward and grabbed Jung Yura¡¯s hair by the handful, forcing her to look at me directly.


    ¡®Huh.¡¯


    At this point, I couldn¡¯t really figure out what was going on anymore.


    After seeing Yura¡¯s trembling expression, I began to wonder more about Lee Jihye¡¯s influence within their guild.


    ¡°Yura, didn¡¯t you hear what I just said?¡±


    Jung Yura blinked several times at this, unsure as to how she could respond.


    ¡°Please do it properly this time.¡±


    Watching this spectacle almost made meugh aloud. Seeing how Lee Jihye treated Jung Yura, I caught a glimpse of how the entire guild must be treating the woman now.


    At the same time, I made a mental note to assess Lee Jihye more carefully now. It appeared that every move she made was calcted, yet for what reason, I did not know.


    Perhaps she did it to show off her authority to the other person, but I also knew it had something to do with showing preference to the opposing side - my side.


    It felt great seeing someone like me, someone who knew they had little to no potential, yet managed to get by through wits alone.


    Based on potentials, it wouldn¡¯t be a hassle for Jung Yura to kill Lee Jihye off. In fact, it would be as easy as stomping on an ant. However, the fear on the other woman¡¯s face was palpable, giving me the impression that Lee Jihye¡¯s position within the ck Swan was quite possibly higher than my position within the Blue Guild.


    ¡°Please apologize as sincerely as you can.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    With a snap, Jung Yura was forced to look my way again. Watching her, I felt nopassion at all. Rather, this scene felt a bit exhrating to witness. I wasn¡¯t a pervert, but it felt nice to see one of my past tormentors suffer to this extent.


    Tears had already begun dripping from Jung Yura¡¯s eyes. However, she tried her best to remainposed.


    When a moment had passed, and she still had not apologized, Lee Jihye hauled the woman to her feet.


    ¡°I told you to apologize straight away. Yura.¡±


    Whatever choice Jung Yura would make now didn¡¯t matter. She would receive humiliation either way.


    ¡°Do you understand me now? Apologize as sincerely as you can.¡±


    ¡°So¡­¡±


    At the next moment, Lee Jihye sent Jung Yura sprawling onto the floor. It was then that the woman broke.


    ¡°Sorry. Ugh¡­ I¡¯m really sorry. I was very thoughtless in my words and actions¡­ I¡¯m so sorry.¡±


    I felt a strange sort of pleasure at this scene. Here was a woman who could easily kill me off if she wished to - and yet, she was on the floor and apologizing to me.


    As soon as she apologized, Lee Jihye turned to me.


    Only


    ¡°I have anything you want. If you don¡¯t want me, then will this girl do?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not interested in that.¡±


    ¡°Still¡­ There must be something you want.¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­ I think my shoes look a little dirty¡­¡±


    At my words, Lee Jihye began to smile.


    ¡®Ah, it¡¯s such a waste not to have you on my team¡­¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t help but think this.

 Chapter 72: Ambitious Man (1)

    <h4>Chapter 72: Ambitious Man (1)</h4>


    ¡°Hm¡­ I think my shoes look a little dirty¡­¡±


    At my words, Jung Yura¡¯s expression crumpled into an ugly, distorted frown. However, seeing her trembling, I knew she would have no choice but to concede to what I wanted.


    ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯


    This entire time, I could feel Lee Jihye¡¯s heavy gaze set upon me. At this point, I was more curious about how she had scored such a high position within the ck Swans than I was curious about Jung Yura¡¯s wellbeing.


    The girl in question spoke. ¡°You seem to be curious about this situation.¡±


    ¡°Sure, I am. Honestly, I¡¯m surprised they let you treat her this way. Even with the trouble she¡¯s caused, she¡¯s still quite powerful in her own right. Are you sure there aren¡¯t any risks in what you¡¯re doing?¡±


    ¡°There is no risk at all, rest assured.¡±


    I stopped talking then, only because I was busy assessing Yura¡¯s status with my ability.


    [Check yer Jung Yura¡¯s status window and potential.]


    [Name-Yura Jung]


    [Title-The Worst Woman Ever]


    [Age-29]


    [Propensity-Calcting Strategist]


    [Job-Assassination Thief-Rare Grade]


    [Job Effect-Acquisition of basic archery knowledge]


    [upational Effect-Acquisition of basic dagger skills]


    [upational Effect-Acquisition of basic trapping knowledge]


    [Job Effect-Acquisition of basic assassination knowledge]


    [The acquired knowledge is not avable.]


    [Capacity]


    [Strength -41¡ú05/Growth limit: Hero or higher]


    [Agility-55¡ú10/Growth limit: Hero or higher]


    [Health -43 ¡ú 11 /Growth limit: Hero or less]


    [Intellect -40 ¡ú 30 /Growth limit: Rare or less]


    [Durability -20 ¡ú 05 /Growth limit: Rare or higher]


    [Luck -23¡ú10/Growth limit: Rare or less]


    [Holy -43¡ú09/Growth limit: Hero or higher]


    [Overall Review-Her body is damaged due to external shock. Most of her magic circuits were destroyed. Due to the damage to her muscle fibers, her stats have decreased. It is not an exaggeration to say that her life as an adventurer is over. She can be healed with divine healing magic or with a saintly-ss priest, but there is no assurance of such as an event. Anyway, this is so very tragic. To lose a talent with great potential, unlike Kiyoung Lee, is indeed a tragedy to behold.]


    ¡®Huh¡­¡¯


    Among everything I¡¯ve read, her newly-assigned title caught my eye.


    I had been expecting the creation of such a title, but I wasn¡¯t expecting her stats to decrease as a result. Upon seeing my curious expression, Lee Jihye spoke up once again.


    ¡°Her body has been damaged in various ces, you see.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°She looks fine on the outside, but they say she¡¯s going to struggle to even live a normal life. The media¡¯s so harsh that it¡¯s a relief she isn¡¯t dead yet. Honestly, I¡¯m the one who saved her life. The situation hasn¡¯t even been assessed properly yet, and this happens. That¡¯s why the higher-ups of our guild are angry.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°While we were still trying to understand what exactly had happened, there were some other people who thought that now would be the right time to show what would happen to people who they thought ¡®abused¡¯ their powers, and I guess they singled her out as a prime example.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯re some more internal issues at hand, but since they¡¯re guild matters, I¡¯m not authorized to tell you, no matter what position I hold.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean there¡¯s a power struggle within the guild?¡± Even as I asked, I already knew the answer.


    As expected, Lee Jihye nodded.


    I honestly thought the ck Swans were a cluttered mess, but I didn¡¯t expect for it to be this bad. There must have been a lot of power-hungry people like Jung Yura in their midst. Perhaps this event wasn¡¯t a bad thing after all - it gave them a reason to start throwing out the trash among them.


    ¡°The people who hold positions within our guild were all rotten to the core, so it was only right to cut them off and rece the Guild Master. I¡¯m sure you think the same.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not someone who speaks with no factual basis, you know. If everything goes well, the guild will be refined, and the guild master will get reced. And contrary to what you think, most of this has been done peacefully.¡±


    ¡°Does that exin why you¡¯ve been sent here? With this woman?¡±


    ¡°What really matters here is how our internal affairs are going, not what will happen to Yura. Another important thing to take note of is what the public thinks of this mess. You definitely made a bigger spectacle this time, oppa.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about¡­¡±


    ¡°You seem to be worrying about me using this information against you. Don¡¯t worry, recording magic doesn¡¯t exist. Anyway, I had to do what was best for the guild, and that meant siding with a few insignificant members, or siding with you and the public.¡±


    ¡°And what¡¯d you do?¡±


    ¡°I just wrote a few hundred reports after analyzing the current situation, and the cause as to why the guild has been decaying. I also took into ount the direction in which the ck Swan should take to move forward, the rtionship between the Blue and Red Mercenaries, and the possibility of Blue¡¯s growth in the future. I also included what kind of man you are, oppa. However, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve expounded on that clearly enough.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Anyway, my actions seemed a little too fresh for the higher-ups. Why do you think we¡¯ve suddenlye to visit, even when we know our guild¡¯s still in hot water after the recent press coverage?¡±


    Ah, she really was crafty, this Lee Jihye.


    In other words, she was saying she took the guild¡¯s internal crisis as an opportunity to unleash her skills and show them what she was capable of.


    ¡°The fact report wasn¡¯t perfect, that¡¯s for sure. I¡¯m not as talented as you are, Kiyoung, and I didn¡¯t have enough time. Anyway, in a situation where no one wanted to step up and take responsibility, I figured it would be the perfect opportunity to step up just this once and show them what I could offer.¡±


    ¡°So what did you have in mind? Any changes?¡±


    ¡°Of course¡­ Well, I think you¡¯re more curious about the reason why. Could we talk about thister? You¡¯ll have to tell us the conditions you want first. We canpensate you as much as we can. In addition to the official apology gift, we still have a lot to spare¡­ Ah, I can give you this woman, too, if you want her!¡±


    ¡°Huh, how sincere of you.¡±


    ¡°But of course!¡±


    As I nced back towards the said woman, I could see Jung Yura still struggling helplessly on the floor. A slight smile broke onto my face as I watched her. How despicable.


    ¡®I know deep inside, she¡¯s still going to want to recover.¡¯


    Of course, high-ranking priests or divine elixirs weren¡¯t readily avable in these parts. There weren¡¯t a few people who could really be called high priests in the first ce, and the process of bringing them in was a painfully expensive affair.


    The same went for the elixirs, since alchemy wasn¡¯t a popr ss, and the ingredients were rare.


    In other words, the best shot Jung Yura had at this was by continuously attacking dungeons and recovering her own strength, little by little.


    As I reached out to brush away a few strands of her hair, I could see her expression as she looked up. It was a mix of anger, resentment, worry, and regret. It was such a messy expression,pared to my shoes, which had now been wiped clean at my request.


    ¡°In fact, I didn¡¯t think things would go so well¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    It was true, though - my interest had been piqued.


    ¡°I guess now you¡¯ve realized, huh?¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve realized that you don¡¯t really know what can happen to people unless it actually happens.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to understand, but I think it¡¯s just the right type of retribution for people like you. If you were given an opportunity again, you¡¯d probably go back to the way you were.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, that principle applies to me, too.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°However, it won¡¯t happen the way you hope for it to. Unlike you, I¡¯m not a brat who only learns once she¡¯s at the bottom.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°In your case, you were just out of luck this time around. If you work hard, you may be able to recover, so try to live with strength. And uh, since you¡¯ve stuck to your values ¡®til the end. I think you deserve a little reward. That¡¯s what makes society beautiful, am I right?¡±


    As I went through my pockets, Jung Yura¡¯s expression crumpled even further. I then took a handful of gold coins and dropped them all to the floor. Blood dripped from Yura¡¯s lips, as she had been biting at them too intensely.


    In addition to this. tears had also started running down the woman¡¯s cheeks.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we manage our expressions into something more fitting? Hm?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Yura. It¡¯s a gift from oppa, after all.¡±


    ¡°¡­Thank you.¡±


    Watching her pick up the gold from the floor in such a pitiful manner made me smile. It was amusing as to how easily one could fall from her pedestal.


    I knew this was not the type of lesson-giving a morally-inept person would choose to take, but I knew this was the only way to make Jung Yura truly learn.


    To beat the enemy, you must be willing to be as crafty as you can without deserting your values.


    This whole, messy situation wasn¡¯t over just yet, but I was going to severe my rtionship with Jung Yura right at this moment.


    ¡°It was fun while itsted. You can leave anytime you want.¡±


    Perhaps Yura would never recover from this. I couldn¡¯t see anyrge guild wanting to invest in her, even in the far future.


    As hope is great, so is despair.


    One may think that there¡¯s a rainbow after the rain, that there¡¯s pleasure after a bout of suffering, but the truth was - society didn¡¯t work that way.


    Only


    Even if her suffering might end, that would still be ten, or twenty years away. However, I knew that Jung Yura would continually lust for that day.


    ¡®It¡¯s only human to, after all.¡¯


    What kind of life she would live after all the hate has died down, I would never know. What I did know is that, wherever she might end up with, in a slum or prostitute vige, she would always remember¡­


    ¡®She chose to fight the wrong enemy.¡¯


    As she slowly left the parlor, Lee Jihye began to speak once more.


    ¡°Are you satisfied now, oppa?¡±


    ¡°Hm, only by half. I hope you can tell me what it is you¡¯re capable of doing.¡±


    ¡°Sure. You will probably be satisfied.¡±

 Chapter 73: Ambitious Man (2)

    <h4>Chapter 73: Ambitious Man (2)</h4>


    ¡°Ah! Can I start with our requirements first?¡±


    ¡°Sure, go ahead.¡±


    ¡°We would like you to make an official statement.¡±


    ¡°borate further.¡±


    ¡°We just need you to say that you¡¯ve received a sincere apology from Jung Yura of the ck Swans, and that we¡¯ve managed to resolve the misunderstandings. You also have to mention that you have never been physically threatened¡­ I would be really grateful if you could say all of that. Other than that, you can think of what to say on your own¡­ Well, it doesn¡¯t matter what you say as long as it calms the situation down.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ No matter what I say, though, I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll be that easy.¡±


    ¡°Additionally, I would also like you toment on the positive changes within the ck Swan.¡±


    ¡°Using me as your publicity vehicle, now are you?¡±


    ¡°Of course we are. Many people have started to associate your name, Lee Kiyoung, as a symbol of resistance¡­ Maybe in a little while, you will even get a title. I know there is an image you wish to maintain, so we won¡¯t ask you to add any more details. It¡¯s almost like saying that you¡¯ve changed arge guild. You have won. Wouldn¡¯t that sound nice?¡±


    ¡°Victory, huh¡­¡± Despite myself, I began to smile at the thought.


    The only reason why the ck Swan had to reform in the first ce was because various political issues had revealed themselves to be true. Of course, the real spark that ignited the change would remain to be unknown to me, but I highly doubted they would have strived for change if an internal problem did not ur within the guild. These thoughts simply made meugh.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what the truth is. What¡¯s important is that you let them know of your victory.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why Iughed.¡±


    ¡°Well, we won¡¯t do anything to endanger you, so rest assured we will not harm your current position. We¡¯re just asking for you to think of our guild in return.¡±


    ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll consider it.¡±


    ¡°Please remember our time back in the tutorial dungeon, yeah?¡±


    An amused smile spread onto my face. I could care less about that.


    ¡°Is there another requirement?¡±


    ¡°Yes, although this one might be a little out of your authority¡­ I would like you to promote a Red Mercenary, ck Swan, and Blue alliance, since we¡¯re actually pursuing the possibility of this happening. I¡¯d like you to officially announce this as well. It won¡¯t be a bad story either, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°You mean you want to use this to expand your influence within the guild?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Of course, you don¡¯t have to announce this right away, for the current situation is still cluttered. However, I would like you to hint at the friendly atmosphere, that you¡¯re maintaining an amicable rtionship with the ck Swans. That sort of thing will suffice.¡±


    ¡°You seem to be asking for a lot. I hope you have enough rewards in store for it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course. All items, materials, and goods obtained from the Garden of Terror will go to you individually, not to the guild. Likewise, the stakes andnd documents of the dungeons that have been attacked will go to you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even want to think about what kind of reaction the public will have about me getting all that.¡±


    ¡°Officially, we will make it look like we donated these to you.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I understand.¡±


    ¡°The real contents that you will receive will not be made known to the public.¡±


    The fact that Lee Jihye had thought about this so thoroughly surprised me greatly. If the public knew this, they would be outraged, saying we used the power of the media for self-benefit.


    ¡°Anyway, even if they find out, you have the power to rectify the masses.¡±


    She was right. Several from the media were already on my side. Even if they did find out, it wouldn¡¯t be a big deal to fix the situation. As it was, Lindel was on the side of Red and Blue now, and it was only natural for the ck Swans to try and find any means to fix this.


    ¡°There will also be definite support given to Kiyoung¡¯s party by our guild.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this already too generous?¡±


    ¡°Is it? I thought it was just adequate. If we want to impress or be on good terms with somebody, we must be prepared for the sacrifice.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting this, honestly speaking.¡±


    Although I wasn¡¯t expecting it, I wasn¡¯t surprised. Lee Jihye was dependent on me, too. If my position rose, so would hers.


    In other words, we had ourselves a win-win rtionship. Though it wasn¡¯t a healthy rtionship, I couldn¡¯t say it wasn¡¯t a bad one. There were many things I could achieve through this.


    ¡°If you have anything else you want, tell us, and we will see if we can offer it.¡±


    ¡°You can think about that on your own. There is always a limit as to what a guild can offer and what direction it will take, so I¡¯ll leave that in your own hands.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like you¡¯re trying to test us.¡±


    ¡°No. Honestly, I don¡¯t understand why I¡¯m doing this to this extent. Of course, the behavior of the ck Swans still needs to be justified, but this feels a little excessive. I¡¯m not the only one who should bepensated, right? The Red Mercenaries are also involved in this matter.¡±


    ¡°It feels a little embarrassing to say this, but¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m curious. I know you¡¯re too logical to rely on feelings of the past. I wish you could just tell me what you really want.¡±


    A silence ensued then. Lee Jihye¡¯s expression remained unchanged. There was no sign of embarrassment on her features.


    She then started to speak calmly. Of course, her answer was just as unexpected.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you remember what I told you before?¡±


    ¡°What¡­?¡±


    ¡°I like ambitious men.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t joke around.¡±


    I gazed at her firmly upon saying this, but had to do a double-take. Although Lee Jihye was smiling, she certainly didn¡¯t look like she was ying around.


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m joking?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Let me tell you an interesting story.¡±


    Slowly, I nodded. I felt like it was only right to let her.


    ¡°Have you ever heard of anecdotes about the former US President Clinton? It¡¯s all fictional, but it¡¯s still very interesting¡­¡±


    ¡°No, I have not.¡±


    After a slight pause, Lee Jihye nodded and began to exin. ¡°Bill Clinton and Hiry Clinton once went to a gas station during the Clinton era of presidency. News is that Hiry had a hot, steamy affair with someone from that gas station.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an interesting story.¡±


    ¡°As it turned out, the man at the gas station was Hiry¡¯s ex-boyfriend¡­ On the way back, while having a conversation about him, Bill Clinton was a bit spiteful. He said that if she had still been dating him, she would have also been working at a gas station¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°What do you think Hiry¡¯s answer to those words was?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°She told him, ¡°No, that person would have been the President of the United States, not you.¡±


    I straightened. Now that was definitely an interesting story. I knew what Lee Jihye meant with this, too. She was indirectly saying I could achieve much more if she were to be by my side.


    ¡°Personally, I want to add one more prerequisite to that story.¡±


    ¡°And that is?¡±


    ¡°How much ambition does a man have?¡±


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    ¡°A man is an animal that depends on the workings of a man, but a man who doesn¡¯t have the ambition to act isn¡¯t very attractive, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°Do you understand my position right now?¡±


    ¡°Of course. You¡¯re considered the Red Mercenary Queen¡¯s gigolo. Are you already satisfied with that? You¡¯re also pampering with a bomb known as Jung Hayan. However, the attractiveness of a woman is not determined solely by her appearance or strength.¡±


    ¡°Ha¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, oppa, I¡¯m not desperate enough to drool after you. I¡¯m just saying I have what it takes to climb from the bottom of the chain all the way to the top. If that¡¯s a process that can ensure my sess, I¡¯ll wee it. I know that the ultimate choice is a woman like me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I am a woman who can turn any man into a king.¡±


    ¡®Huh¡­¡¯


    I felt so embarrassed that I couldn¡¯t even speak. I knew Lee Jihye was the Selfish Ambition type, but I had never expected it to reach this extent.


    I was more surprised with her confidence than her deration. In terms of assessment, Lee Jihye¡¯s abilities were certainly poor. The same went for her talent.


    Of course, Lee Jihye was unaware of her potential limit, but she was probably already aware that she was somewhat below average.


    Nevertheless, my female counterpart seemed to possess unwavering confidence.


    ¡®What¡­¡¯


    I did not know when she had started to act like this, but if I was to make a guess, I would say she had been nning to since the beginning. I simply didn¡¯t know how to react to her words.


    As I pondered over her words, Lee Jihye had inched closer to me and had now begun to stroke my hair.


    ¡°Why me, though?¡±


    ¡°Oh, now it¡¯s time to make a reason up¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°If you need a reason, I¡¯ve never forgotten how you told me we¡¯d see each other again.¡±


    Though she was unbearably close to me, I knew she knew better than to try for a kiss.


    ¡°The story ends here. Please consider not only what you¡¯ve offered in terms of this situation, but also what we¡¯ve discussed personally, oppa.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it, Jihye.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but don a slightly crumpled expression.


    However, looking at the smile stered on Lee Jihye¡¯s face, I knew she liked how our conversation had taken ce.


    It was when she got up and opened the door did the ominous feeling start to blossom from within me.


    The door swung open to reveal Jung Hayan, who apparently had been waiting outside.


    Unlike me, who felt surprised, Lee Jihye did not seem to exhibit any form of shock or fear upon seeing the other woman there.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Miss Hayan.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ It¡¯s been a long time¡­¡±


    ¡®Fuck.¡¯


    ¡°I heard you¡¯ve been dating Kiyoung? Hyunsung and Deokgu are also doing well, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, they are.¡±


    ¡°Oh, congrattions! Seeing two people in love always makes me smile. I think you will see me more often in the future¡­ Please do take care of Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I will.¡±


    Only


    Jung Hayan sported an unreadable expression, but I knew she had not heard what we had just talked about. The room we had been staying in had magical barriers set in ce for the sole purpose of warding off eavesdroppers, after all.


    However, due to the expression on Hayan¡¯s face, I knew that Lee Jihye must have made a gesture or expression of some sort that I couldn¡¯t see from my position all the way here.


    ¡®Sh*t.¡¯


    As Jung Hayan began to look my way with an usatory expression, Lee Jihye simply shot me a smile and started walking away.


    The world was indeed wide, with many women to choose from.


    Nevertheless¡­

 Chapter 74: Reminiscing The Past

    <h4>Chapter 74: Reminiscing The Past</h4>


    It was not possible to know exactly why the war broke out in the past, or, to be precise, in a future that had not yet urred in this timeline.


    At that time, I was far away from the center of the continent. Such an event had not been part of my expectations.


    There had also been various issues with the tutorial and even with other ideologies associated with this world. In such cases, people generally looked forward to the oue rather than the reasons behind such actions. Small conflicts that had umted over the years soon sparked a war that engulfed the entire continent.


    Several groups began to turn on each other, forgoing their faith in their own beliefs. Instead, they began to focus solely on undermining those they deemed as enemies. Their malice bred more malice, their wrath bred anger, and their attempts at exacting revenge bred hatred.


    This was the war between the Earthlings and the Aboriginal people - a battle between the neers and the natives.


    Everyone immersed themselves in the war and did everything they could to enve or ughter their enemies.


    It was not difficult to witness such conflicts everywhere I went, but it was like no one wanted to address the elephant in the room. I, too, pretended not to know a thing about this. As a result, the distrust only grew, and it was impossible to find stable grounds to form treaties, alliances, or to evene to an agreement.


    Because of such events, the Archmage, who had been the envy of everyone, eventually hung himself. Japanese shamans were ughtered. The Mercenary Queen had her life regrly threatened. Those they called their family, even those who belonged in ns, lost their lives.


    Many of those who were called heroes were killed or destroyed.


    The holy sword of the chosen warrior also lost its light.


    As time passed and the coalitions eventually broke down, the first part of this meaningless war ended with countless casualties.


    Karma hade for its debt. This was all humanity¡¯s fault.


    ¡°A war is different from a battle.¡±


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    ¡°Honestly, I will admit that you are strong, to the point where I - nor those who are beneath me - cannot defeat you. No matter how annoying this is to admit, this fact is undeniable.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ you are human¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am human. I thought I would be unrecognizable because of the mask¡­ But I heard that the genius prosecutor who is praised by everyone looks different, too. I heard that you are protected by magical power, but the quality of that power in itself is not good.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a feeling. You look a little bit different from them.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to tell if that is a praise or an insult.¡±


    ¡°Why did you choose to stand on their side?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only rational for me to choose the side that¡¯s more likely to seed.¡±


    ¡°Many humans have died because of this!¡±


    ¡°I know. However, the act of humans killing each other isn¡¯t new. These people want to maintain the poption in a peaceful and standardized ce. They believe that this would be more beneficial in the long run.¡±


    ¡°You betrayed humanity.¡±


    ¡°Well, I obviously wasn¡¯t the only one to do so. You know that.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you feel any remorse?¡±


    ¡°I do not know. My heart did ache when I had to kill a civilian, and it definitely hurt when I had to kill that cute, little wizard who loved me endlessly. Such an innocent girl¡¯s life was wasted just for loving someone she happened to meet by chance. I never even thought I¡¯d end my own life. Why did I have to do that? There were so many things I still wanted to do. I guess I couldn¡¯t take the guilt.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°It hurt even when I watched the Empire¡¯s Queen kill the very people she loved. However, it had to be done. It was necessary. My heart broke even more when I saw the warrior who had to watch my loved one die. He seemed to think you had betrayed him. Don¡¯t get me wrong.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ Who are you? Who are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to know that. I didn¡¯t even think you¡¯d react so passionately. I guess it¡¯s different for someone who doesn¡¯t have anything to do with these deaths.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t keep insisting that you¡¯re a good person, Kim Hyunsung.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°You hypocritical piece of sh*t.¡±


    ¡°I asked you who you are.¡±


    ¡°I told you, you didn¡¯t need to know. Even if I tell you, you wouldn¡¯t remember anyway. What¡¯s important now is for you to survive.¡±


    ¡°Kill.¡±


    ¡°Stop pretending to be noble, scum. You don¡¯t have a choice. Of course, I know it will be a little hard for you. So let¡¯s do this, Kim Hyunsung. I¡¯m not a bad person either, so I¡¯ll find a way for you to ease your conscience. Kill that motherfucker gasping next to you. Otherwise, your beloved will die. Did you really think I didn¡¯t know? How funny. You two have done it, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°You son of a bitch¡­¡±


    ¡°Let me say this again. You don¡¯t have a choice. If you refuse, she¡¯ll be handed over to a bunch of inhumane perverts who would dly spend the rest of their days enjoying what she has to offer. You¡¯d better make a choice before my patience reaches its limit¡­ And you know I keep my promises. I¡¯m a man of my word, unlike someone here¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Puh!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Look, eunni. I said I¡¯d do it. Of course, I¡¯m going to keep my promise. I¡¯m going to let him live, and I¡¯m going to let the woman go. It¡¯s a little wasteful to kill her now. Anyway, you can¡¯t die here. I¡¯ll make sure to talk to my superiors about it. I¡¯ll be right back so we can continue our little chat, my dear best friend.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Good job, Kim Hyunsung. I don¡¯t really know what to say¡­ So I guess I¡¯ll see youter.¡±


    Quazzik!


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    In an instant, my eyes had opened. My entire body was soaked in sweat.


    Amidst my panting, I struggled to recognize the ceiling¡¯syout, gradually doing my best to assess the rest of my surroundings.


    ¡®I¡¯m back¡­ Or am I?¡¯


    It was a question I asked myself several times a day.


    This was not the ce I was in before - this was my room back in the Blue Guild. I could see a sword hanging from one side of the room. A simr-looking sword was also on the nearby table.


    Judging from the minimalistic interior, I could attest that this was my room. I could no longer smell blood from my body as I had in my dream.


    Instead of the screams that had enveloped my senses, what I heard now was the cheerful chirping of the birds, signaling the start of another day. Instead of sensing dark and ominous magic, I could feel warm, cozy sunlight pouring down from the crack in my window.


    It had been a very long time since Ist dreamt about the past.


    I could still feel the unpleasant emotions coursing through me as I plunged a knife into the chest of a dying colleague. Even the atmosphere and the conversation that took ce within the dream felt very vivid to me.


    It was no wonder I felt so dirty. My body had unknowingly filled itself up with power and hardened its defenses. My breathing had quickened, and my head hurt. A lot of thoughts swirled in my head as I tried to calm myself down.


    However, as memories from the past began to present themselves to me, I couldn¡¯t stop sweating, struggling to find my bnce.


    ¡°Hah¡­ Hah¡­¡± I found myself holding my own trembling body.


    ¡®It¡¯s different now¡­¡¯


    Of course, it was different now.


    I had prevented any idents from happening in the tutorial dungeon and saved tons of people.


    ¡®It¡¯s different now¡­¡¯


    I corrected my previous mistakes as much as possible. I had atoned for my mistakes.


    ¡°This is different. This isn¡¯t like before¡­¡±


    I found Jung Hayan right from the start and got Kim Ye-ri to join the team. Being able to kill Jung Jinho in the tutorial dungeon was a really big achievement.


    Of course, I still had to find many people and had some more work to do, but I felt as if I had been doing quite well so far.


    It was different now. Simply saying that the current situation had improved was not enough.


    The world I was in now had indeed changed. However, it wasn¡¯t from my actions. Someone else was responsible for it.


    ¡®Lee Kiyoung¡­¡¯


    I had not noticed both Park Deokgu and Lee Kiyoung the first time around. They possessed the talent I didn¡¯t know I was looking for. Deokgu was someone who focused on his training with all his might, and Kiyoung was responsible for managing every little detail of our party. It was hard to believe that an alchemist could have so much worth, but Lee Kiyoung¡¯s true value surpassed what most people expected him to have.


    ¡®He¡¯s a capable person.¡¯


    No, simply calling him capable was not enough. He was the type of person who could perform miracles even when he acted as a passer-by in most scenarios. He had the Blue Guild members y right into his game and even managed to form an agreement with the Red Mercenary Queen. In addition to this, he also seeded in recruiting Sun Hee-young, a remarkable talent, into the guild.


    I felt like he contributed more to the party than I ever did.


    That wasn¡¯t even everything he had done for us.


    He was also responsible for the alliance between the ck Swans and the Red Mercenaries, an alliance that would have been unimaginable if he hadn¡¯t sparked the change.


    ¡®The future itself has changed.¡¯


    I could say that it had changed for the better. The war that had transpired in the past had killed so many talented people.


    In the first ce, many nonbatant soldiers were caught up in a power struggle between officials, regardless of their will. It was only natural for us toy the groundwork for these people to grow now than to have them suffer through all that again in this timeline.


    I knew positive changes woulde, but I hadn¡¯t expected it to reach this extent.


    They called this the Butterfly Effect, where a single p from a butterfly could cause a typhoon to happen.


    I could hardly believe it myself. The little friendships I had formed slowly became responsible for transforming Lindel for the better.


    Of course, I also knew that changing the future too much wasn¡¯t a good thing, but what could go wrong, right?


    ¡®Anyway, I have to stock up.¡¯


    Now was the time for me to cultivate my strength and make sure I do my job right. As I was thinking of all of these, a voice came from outside my room.


    ¡°Oh, hyung.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Doekgu?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s time to eat breakfast. Everyone else is waiting.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I overslept¡­ I¡¯ll be out soon.¡±


    ¡°When you go to sleep early and still wake upte, doesn¡¯t that seem a bit annoying?¡±


    ¡°I guess you can say that.¡±


    ¡°You had a dirty dream, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m only kidding. Everyone¡¯s waiting, soe down quickly.¡±


    ¡°I will. Thank you for informing me.¡±


    Although indescribable anxiety soared in the corner of the heart, I knew I could change what would happen in this timeline. I wanted a life filled with no regrets. I wanted to atone for all my wrongdoings.


    ¡®It can be different.¡¯


    I could change the future.


    That was the whole reason why I came back here.


    ¡°Forgive me for beingte.¡±


    Only


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, Hyunsung.¡±


    ¡°Then, let me exin the direction the party should take in the future.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course.¡±


    ¡°Please, keep eating. I want everyone to befortable as I exin.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°We need to focus on spec-ups, stats, and job changes.¡±


    ¡°You mean we have to get new jobs?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡±

 Chapter 75: The Third Job (1)

    <h4>Chapter 75: The Third Job (1)</h4>


    This didn¡¯t seem like a bad timing.


    I felt like our party had reached a standstill, and now Kim Hyunsung wanted to step things up.


    It was not an exaggeration to say that a few external factors had been the cause of our hindrance.


    After all, Lee Jihye¡¯s work alongside the Red Mercenary and ck Swan Guild were in the final stages.


    ¡®You have won. It¡¯s your victory. Lindel will be as peaceful as usual, and safer than ever. Let¡¯s do our best to resolve each problem thates.¡¯


    It was broadcasted that I had epted Jung Yura¡¯s apology, but I knew this would not be enough to calm the public down. However, this did not mean that nothing had changed.


    In the face of media agitation, the public cheered for their victory and was satisfied with the results. They were delighted that one individual dared to fight against therger guilds¡¯ oppression and came out victorious.


    Of course, this was a satisfactory result for me as well.


    A few days after my presentation, the ck Swan pushed through with the reorganization of theirmand system and began giving donations to novice adventurers.


    Though they hade from such criticism, no one judged their choice of action. They were satisfied with how all the guild executives had apologized in public. Until then, there were no suchrge guilds that dared to lower their pride, so this response pleased the public.


    If there was anything that hadn¡¯t been resolved yet, it was Jung Hayan¡¯s reaction upon seeing Lee Jihye.


    Although she did not actively express how she felt, I knew her anxiety had gone up. This manifested itself in the form of hovering around me all the time to ease her worries.


    Simply put, she had clung to me more tightly than ever.


    ¡®This isn¡¯t good at all.¡¯


    I was not happy with this change in Hayan¡¯s behavior.


    She would always ask me, ¡°Where are you going, oppa?¡± or ¡°When are youing back?¡±


    Her questions themselves didn¡¯t bother me. However, I knew this new type of obsession would slowly but surely work against me.


    Jung Hayan must have felt like a connection had formed between Lee Jihye and me on that particr day. Lee Jihye must have riled her up on purpose by pretending to be unaware of the tension between her and me.


    If the system itself recognized Lee Jihye as my soulmate, then Jung Hayan was bound to notice as well.


    At this point, she felt warier of Lee Jihye than she was of Cha Hee-ra, the Mercenary Queen who had brought up the pretense of being my lover.


    I knew I had to control Jung Hayan sometime soon. At this rate, I¡¯d be hindered by her silly emotions forever.


    Anyway, now was the best time for us to focus on our growth. There were no more external factors hindering us, except for the old lunatics still hanging around within the Blue Guild.


    We had already formed a good alliance with two powerful guilds, had gained dungeon and hunting experience, and the public was on our side.


    Simply put, we were ready to start growing.


    ¡°You might already know, but there are two prerequisites for changing jobs. One is to umte experience points by hunting and to repeat certain actions specific to a job, and the same goes for raising stats. You know that using magic power will increase your energy, and using muscle power will increase your strength.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Since thest dungeon trip, it was crucial for us to take a break, but now I feel like we should start training once more. It would be ideal if everyone here grows up to at least Sun Hee-young¡¯s level now. No, we should have the same specs as the people we had gone on the expedition with. At least it¡¯s time for us to earn a beginner¡¯s title.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°At least three or four job advancements and 60 key stats. That¡¯s all I ask of you all.¡±


    This was going to be quite a problem. I knew Kim Hyunsung¡¯s remarks were aimed at little Kim Ye-ri and me. I knew Kim Hyunsung would have noticed that Icked potential.


    Jung Hayan¡¯s magical power had already exceeded the 40s, and Kim Hyunsung himself was already on the level of 50s. There was no need even to mention Sun Hee-young¡¯s stats. Even Park Deokgu had slowly grown from his experiences in the dungeon.


    In short, the only problems within the party were Kim Ye-ri and me.


    ¡®Hmm.¡¯


    Of course, Kim Ye-ri would be stronger, what with her legendary growth potential stats. Narrowing it down, it seemed that the only trouble within the party would be me.


    Of course, it didn¡¯t mean I was set to be entirely useless. My job as an alchemist was something that made up for my meager magical abilities, and it suited me to some extent.


    However, it was unreasonable to ssify it as abat upation.


    I did not regret choosing to take the path of alchemy, but I had to admit that there were times when I wished I could have taken Warlock instead. Sure, there would be a limited growth cap, but I would at least be stronger than I was now.


    ¡°Hngg¡­¡±


    ¡°It would be ideal if all of you could align your skills with your third job within a month.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s easier said than done. I don¡¯t know how exactly to get a job, but even training to raise stats is a slow process. There may be some differences if we go hunting, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Perhaps there might.¡±


    ¡°How¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll start with hunting. I¡¯m not going to leave the city until we¡¯vepleted what I¡¯ve told you all to do.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    ¡°There will be five people going on the expedition. Everyone except Kiyoung will be going.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about, hyung¡­?¡±


    At this, I had stiffened. To me, it sounded as if I was being forced to get off the Hyunsung bus, which had proved to be afortable ride for me this entire time.


    ¡°Well, you can¡¯t do that.¡±


    Arrogant thoughts had begun to swirl in my head. Was he trying to turn me into a nonbat soldier? Or was he trying to push me off the main party?


    This felt like a stupid idea.


    Park Deokgu and Jung Hayan looked even more surprised than I did. Even Sun Hee-young didn¡¯t look happy.


    Perhaps this was Kim Hyunsung¡¯s way of ensuring that my influence within the party wouldn¡¯t continue to expand, but seeing his cool expression, I knew this wasn¡¯t the case. Knowing Kim Hyun-sung¡¯s personality, he wouldn¡¯t do something like this.


    I was also a valuable party member and had proven myself countless times.


    Upon seeing the question stered on my face, Kim Hyunsung nodded.


    ¡°They¡¯ve been very reliant on you.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­?¡±


    ¡°Both Park Deokgu and Jung Hayan have grown up in a veryfortable environment. The same is true of Hee-young, who is not used to hunting. Of course, I am not ignoring everyone¡¯s hard work, but all of you have been relying on the psychological stability that Lee Kiyoung¡¯s presence brings.¡±


    ¡°Psychological stability?¡±


    I understood what Kim Hyunsung was talking about. It made a lot of sense.


    ¡°To put it simply, Kiyoung¡¯s presence is preventing your growth. It¡¯s embarrassing to admit it, but I¡¯m convinced that my existence is also having an adverse effect. Unlike Kiyoung, I will have to join this expedition with you guys, but I¡¯m not going to involve myself too much. I thought it would be better if there were only four people, with the exception of Kiyoung and I, to get through the situation.¡±


    ¡®Ah, I overestimated this too much¡­¡¯


    What had been troubling me this entire time proved to give way to apletely different interpretation from what I originally thought.


    It wasn¡¯t that I was not growing up to standards - it was that I was impeding everyone¡¯s growth.


    I wondered if Kim Hyunsung was overestimating me, but it was true that Jung Hayan and Park Deokgu depended on me a lot. However, I never would have thought they would be so dependent to the point that they would stop growing.


    ¡°Kiyoung doesn¡¯t look convinced.¡±


    ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m not. Hayan and Deokgu¡­¡±


    ¡°You contribute more to the party than you¡¯re aware of, Kiyoung. I don¡¯t know if others have noticed it, but I have. To put it simply, an expedition without you would result in a fantastic failure for the party.¡±


    ¡°How can that be¡­? How am I to spend a month without all of you¡­?¡±


    ¡°We are not children, hyung. Of course, I admit that Kiyoung is great, but¡­¡±


    ¡°I am speaking as the leader of this party. Kiyoung will not be participating, and that¡¯s final. And though I will be joining you, only the four of you will be responsible for hunting and attacking.¡±


    Kim Hyunsung had an unreadable expression on his face, but I couldn¡¯t help but nod.


    ¡®He has a point.¡¯


    Although I felt a little puzzled, I knew that Kim Hyunsung had made the right choice in deciding which direction of growth the party should take.


    My party members might not understand, but both Deokgu and Hayan needed to learn what to do without waiting for my say-so.


    It was hard to believe that I would be separated from them for a month, but I also couldn¡¯t find it in me to refute Kim Hyunsung¡¯s decision.


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, I agree with Hyunsung. If that helps in your growth direction, I think it would be a good idea to do just that.¡±


    After all, the problem wasn¡¯t me; it was them.


    I knew that if I got off the bus, my party members would act like lost children. They needed to learn how to act on their own now instead of facing that problemter on.


    However, if they grew stronger to the point that I would not be able to catch up, this would be arge problem.


    ¡®That should not happen.¡¯


    If I had been excluded, then there must be a constion reward in store for someone such as I who harbored such horrible stats.


    I needed to find a way to increase my stats as well as get me a new job.


    It was a far-off theory, but perhaps I could squeeze a reward out of this sudden exclusion.


    ¡°In the meantime, I¡­¡±


    However, upon seeing Kim Hyunsung look my way with an expression filled with trust, I knew I had just been hoping.


    Only


    ¡°The same is true of Kiyoung. You just need to focus on increasing your stats and changing your job for the whole month.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yeah.¡±


    ¡°I advise you to start as quickly as possible. Of course, please do not help Kiyoung in this process. Everyone else should focus on their departure. Please do not worry about this, and just focus on your own growth.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    This man was giving me so much trust. I didn¡¯t know what I had done to earn it, but I didn¡¯t know how I should feel about it, either.


    ¡°Thank you for understanding. I believe in you, Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡®Do not believe in me too much, you bastard¡­¡¯


    It took all of my willpower not to give him this reply.

 Chapter 76: The Third Job (2)

    <h4>Chapter 76: The Third Job (2)</h4>


    It was, of course, a good thing to earn the trust of my leader. However, I was not too fond of this particr type of trust.


    I didn¡¯t know how to evaluate myself, but if I were to describe it, I would be a child who still needed Kim Hyunsung¡¯s warm love and attention, especially when it came to growth.


    I did not need to ask why I needed to raise my abilities and get another job, for I understood the urgency, but I was not too fond of this overestimation.


    Although I had painted the image of being fine on my own, I didn¡¯t particrly appreciate being put in this kind of situation. At the same time, I knew what Kim Hyunsung was thinking.


    This was because my fellow party members were indeed highly dependent on the psychological stability my presence offered.


    ¡°If oppa is not going, then I¡¯m not going to go, either. I will never want to go.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The problem was Jung Hayan. As the expedition date fast approached, she woulde up with all sorts of excuses to try and be excluded from the expedition as well.


    On the first day since our discussion, Kim Hyunsung immediately moved to achieve the goals he had cooked up for the whole party.


    He thought that if he managed to change his job or achieved desirable stats during the few days of preparing for the expedition, he would not have to leave the expedition. Of course, there was still the matter of Jung Hayan not wanting to take part, but he would have to find another solution for that.


    Achieving legendary status would be an impossible feat to achieve in a very short time. Every member had shown astonishing growth in such short periods, but it was apparent that we would not reach our target this time around.


    Jung Hayan, on the other hand, began to exhibit behavior simr to someone who was anticipating death.


    During the preparation time, she eventually went through the five stages: denial, anger,promise, depression, and, eventually, eptance.


    It didn¡¯t take too long for her to undergo the first step. She began to deny the fact that she would have to leave me for a month. In her mind, what Kim Hyunsung said was probably a joke.


    On the other hand, Park Deokgu and Sun Hee-young began to set their minds toward the uing expedition, packing everything they would need for the hunt. It was then that Jung Hayan was forced to face reality.


    Anger came soon enough.


    She had begun to hate Kim Hyunsung, who was responsible for the sudden expedition schedule. I felt worried for a while, but it didn¡¯t seem like her anger would give her any intention to kill him. Somewhere from deep within, she still regarded Kim Hyunsung with respect.


    In short, Jung Hayan spent this stage screaming in her room and exhibiting a neurotic expression. She did not forget to let out her pent-up anger to Kim Ye-ri, either, seeing as the child was the weakest target among the party aside from me. I knew she was only doing it to try and find an excuse to be excluded from the expedition.


    She tried to find faults with the kid and took every opportunity she could find to criticize. In short, Jung Hayan was being Jung Hayan.


    It got to the point where she approached Park Deokgu to talk behind Kim Ye-ri¡¯s back. Considering Jung Hayan¡¯s personality, this didn¡¯t feel right at all.


    When she entered the next stage -promise - there were a lot of talks.


    She tried to give various suggestions, appearing to be possessed.


    ¡°I can really work hard. I can increase my stats just as well without having to go on this expedition. So please¡­¡±


    That was one.


    ¡°How about we all go together for a week? That will work better.¡±


    That was another.


    ¡°I think oppa shoulde, but he should just watch over us, just like Hyunsung.¡±


    However, I knew her suggestions wouldn¡¯t be epted. Whether she liked it or not, she had to go through this expedition without me, and I had to stay back and work independently. I, too, acknowledged the need for theck of my presence for this expedition, and so I stayed quiet.


    Sun Hee-young and Park Deokgu reacted in the same manner, but that was less dramatic to an extent. There was no incentive for a formal protest to ur, but this proved to be quite the trigger for Park Deokgu.


    It was just a guess, but I thought that Park Deokgu was also in thepromise stage. It came to the point where they would approach me at random intervals.


    Then the most difficult stage came - depression.


    She noticeably began to lose weight and often spent the night in tears. She also often said her physical situation was chipping away and that she wouldn¡¯t join the expedition because of it.


    Slowly, the periods where she would mutter to herself shortened. This stage proved to be tiring not only for Jung Hayan but also for me.


    I tired myself out, trying my best to calm her down.


    Of course, I tried to soothe her with the end-of-expedition rewards she would be receiving and the weing I would give her once she got back, but the fact that she would be away from me for a month was enough to dull thoseforts.


    I knew Jung Hayan appreciated my efforts tofort her, but it only made her feel more depressed. The sweeter our time was together, the more bitter our time apart would be.


    Thest step eventually came - but it did note with consent.


    Since I had observed her go through all the steps, I expected her to undergo eptance as well eventually, but it seemed like this was not the case.


    Simply put, she was forced to ept this reality. No matter how much she cried, the n was set in motion and could not be stopped. This was the decision of the party as a whole, and it was also mine. Jung Hayan had no choice but to follow.


    If a month-long separation already garnered such intense reactions, I did not want to think about the possibility of being separated for a year.


    Apart from meeting me and developing strange tendencies, she was not ustomed to separation. Being someone who lived alone for a long time after being abandoned by my family, I did not mind the change as much as she did.


    Apart from Jung Hayan¡¯s dramatic schemes, however, everyone else did their part to prepare for the expedition¡¯s day. However, I couldn¡¯t say that they had prepared very well.


    I didn¡¯t understand why Jung Hayan couldn¡¯t seem to control her mentality well, but it also seemed like Park Deokgu had been acting a bit strange.


    Sun Hee-young had initially felt stressed, but she had soon begun to think of the expedition and had done her best to prepare for it. I did not know what Kim Ye-ri was thinking, on the other hand.


    Meanwhile, upon watching everyone try to prepare for the expedition in their way, I did not feel all that anxious about being separated from the party.


    Of course, something strange felt off about Park Deokgu, Jung Hayan, and Sun Hee-young, since none of them were familiar with the expedition.


    I knew the stress would be doubled at having a little kid tagging alongside them on the trip, but I didn¡¯t think it would be this much. It seemed that even Kim Hyunsung gradually lost his authoritative hand after our first discussion.


    ¡°Are you really going to go on the expedition in that state?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s sad, but this is necessary. I know even you have noticed how dependent they have been on you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I have¡­¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll soon realize it once we officially start the expedition.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°They haven¡¯t felt it as you have been with them this entire time. However, they will soon know what I was talking about during the hunt. If you and I could always be with them, there¡¯d be no problem, but¡­¡±


    I could understand what Kim Hyunsung was talking about.


    It wasn¡¯t just that we were inexperienced when it came to hunting. Kim Hyunsung also knew that there was a problem with the party¡¯smand system itself.


    If he and I were there, it would be fine, but the problem was that our party had no backbone. The team would always look to us for guidance, and that in itself impeded their growth. It didn¡¯t matter who among the three - Park Deokgu, Jung Hayan, or Sun Hee-young - would take the initiative, but they needed to take the first step in deciding their direction for growth.


    Even achieving that would be enough.


    To put it simply, this expedition would be a test for them to determine the next best option for our party.


    Honestly, I felt a little skeptical. It wasn¡¯t just the issue of not having them with me, either. It felt like a month was not enough to pack and prepare all the consumables needed for such a trip.


    All that Kim Ye-ri chose to carry were her bow and arrows.


    Jung Hayan, on the other hand, was so preupied with the thought of not seeing me that most of what she packed were things that would remind her of me.


    Many guilds and groups who had invested in our party would surely retract their offers right away if they saw how my team members were acting now.


    ¡°Still though¡­ You should prepare all the basic essentials.¡±


    ¡°I have the basics prepared. These are things that Deokgu and Hee-young have managed to pack. I am anxious as well, but this is necessary. It is essential that they recognize the difference in this expedition.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Then, we should get going.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    As Hyunsung and I headed out, I caught sight of the rest of our party members, who were all waiting for us to arrive.


    Although Kim Hyunsung was carrying arge bag of his own, he already knew that all of this could quite possibly be for naught. I couldn¡¯t help but sigh as I caught sight of Park Deokgu lugging about all the things he thought would be necessary for the expedition.


    Upon seeing me, my fellow party members began to express their sentiments.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much, hyung. We won¡¯t even take a month!¡±


    I doubted that. I honestly thought it would take double the time to aplish their goals.


    ¡°Please take care of everything while I¡¯m gone, Mr. Kiyoung. I feel bad that I won¡¯t be able to volunteer for the duration of this trip.¡±


    I expected to hear that from Hee-young.


    ¡°Oppa¡­ Oppa¡­¡±


    I wasn¡¯t surprised when Jung Hayan rushed towards me and hugged me with tears in her eyes.


    ¡°You should be careful in the meantime, and¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, Hayan.¡±


    I was more worried about her.


    Perhaps I was worried that she might meet someone else who she would deem worthy of her affections, but right now, all that could be focused on was the pain of being separated.


    Only


    Upon Kim Hyunsung¡¯smand, for everyone to start, I began to push Jung Hayan away. However, I never expected her to fall.


    It seemed like she was doing her best to garner enough strength even just to stay standing. I couldn¡¯t find it in me to continue gazing at a face filled with snot and tears.


    ¡°I will be back soon.¡±


    ¡°Please do not worry.¡±


    This expedition would surely not be afortable bus trip for everyone involved. I knew that Kim Hyunsung had his work cut out for him.


    Only half of me believed in this thought.

 Chapter 77: The Third Job (3)

    <h4>Chapter 77: The Third Job (3)</h4>


    The usually-crowded second floor of the Guild House was now strangely quiet, and I couldn¡¯t quite get used to the feeling.


    Even though my fellow party members had just left a few hours ago, I never imagined that I would feel this way. Of course, I felt lonely, but this was a natural reaction that came from a sudden change in environment.


    Honestly speaking, I felt a little happy. It was undeniable that there were some strange diforts that came with having my fellow members around.


    My personal time was always cut very short because of Jung Hayan¡¯s ever-present badgering, Park Deokgu¡¯s surprise visits, and Sun Hee-young¡¯s constant requests to volunteer. At that point, I was rather grateful Kim Ye-ri didn¡¯t talk much. If she did, then I would most likely have zero percent privacy.


    I¡¯d have to do all the basic chores myself for the time being, but it also felt like a vacation at the same time.


    ¡®


    In order to get the third job and stats that Kim Hyunsung desired, I would have to start moving quickly. I didn¡¯t know what it would take to spark my growth, but I at least had a few ideas.


    In fact, I found it hard to believe that I was in a hard situation.


    I had hero-grade alchemy equipment, numerous catalysts and materials, and my eventual growth was already confirmed.


    My intelligence stats were no problem at all, but my problem nowy in raising all my other stats - which was a feat that seemed impossible to do.


    This was why my third job was important.


    I hadn¡¯t thought about going for abat-type job for my next one, but it seemed that following a party¡¯s growth with a job that solely depended on intelligence would be a hard thing to do.


    As we continued to grow, I had to think of other ways to expand my horizons. There had to be answers to my current problems. I had to find a way to get abat-type job without losing my identity as an alchemist.


    In fact, this would also lead me to other opportunities. Being able to deal with a creature I could treat as my pet without having to consume magic would be very advantageous at this point.


    In fact, Ramus Tucker¡¯s Introduction to Alchemy dealt with Homunculus in great depth.


    [Homunculus means an artificially created creature that does not need a mother¡¯s womb. Since each school has different interpretations on the subject, I will at least define Homunculus as a unique creation.


    Of course, it doesn¡¯t mean that it is like the chimera. Unlike the chimera that creates something out of Yu, the concept of Homunculus that our alchemist deals with is the concept of creating something out of nothing.]


    Simply put, homunculus was the creation of artificial life.


    Of course, one wouldn¡¯t know what it looked like, or how to create one. Even Tucker¡¯s book contained nothing but theories on the subject.


    Although the chimera was exinedparatively in detail, chimera, a concept that manipted genes, and Homunculus, a creature that was created, had distinct properties.


    Perhaps for Tucker, Homunculus was an uncharted territory.


    No, if he had actually managed to create new life, then he wouldn¡¯t have been talking about the possibility of it in the first ce. Perhaps one could think of the concept as something divine.


    If one were to ask me if I would start relying on potions to master mybat ability, I would shake my head. This was just, after all, another of my theories.


    The principle of magic in this continent could be briefly exined. One simply had to build the Tower of Magic and cast a spell that would bring it into reality. Thepleted spell would stay within the user¡¯s arm or mind, and only the user would be able to trigger it.


    Was it possible to put a Spell of Staying within a potion or a specific item, not on your body?


    This was, after all, just an experiment. I knew some items could contain magic. However, this kind of item would not be a man-made item; it would already be a finished product.


    In fact, some magicians have used enchantment magic on select items, but the effects proved to becking and severely inefficient. This study had stopped because the cost was greater than the result.


    If an alchemist can use alchemy magic to contain disposable magic with such tenacity, then he or she would certainly achieve a very goodmercial result as well.


    Making a pet by manipting cells or genes was highly possible. In fact, I was thinking that this would be the simplest way. In this world, monsters were an object of high interest.


    To put it simply, it was supposedly quite easy to manufacture a chimera.


    Some monsters had very simr genes, and even if they underwent experiments and had their genes manipted, they could stille out alive.


    However, this job would not be made possible with an alchemist¡¯s magic, but by a warlock¡¯s.


    The problem with this n was that I would not be able to control a chimera using my own magic.


    Of course, I could find a creature that has barely grown yet and try to cultivate it, but in the end, I couldn¡¯t guarantee that this would be a sessful venture.


    I didn¡¯t want to get eaten up by my very own chimera.


    There were many directions I could take. However, I had to remember that this was a matter of survival for me.


    Although the risks were high, I¡¯d also thought about experimenting on my own body, and I¡¯ve also actually thought of ways to make the Sage¡¯s Stone. However, I didn¡¯t think these would work well.


    It was time to postpone all my other activities and actually find a way to spark my growth.


    Of course, not all of this could be done in a short time. I didn¡¯t want to end up wasting time with failed experiments. I had to move as efficiently as possible.


    It was not a bad idea. It wasmon sense to research or seek help if there were questions that you couldn¡¯t answer on your own.


    Magic and Alchemy were two different branches, but they all came from the same roots. It was the same for the other jobs.


    At this rate, it would be best if I could seek help from an experienced magic-user.


    I felt like they could be faithful workers in myb if they were really interested in the Sage¡¯s Stone.


    Eventually, I felt myself entering the restaurant with crowded thoughts.


    ¡°Are you eating alone today?¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    Upon hearing someone address me, I turned and saw a woman who looked a little younger than I.


    ¡°Ah! I guess this is the first time we¡¯ve talked. I¡¯m Hwang Jeong-yeon, I¡¯m in charge of the second party of the Blue Guild.¡±


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s nice to meet you! I am¡­¡±


    ¡°I know. You are Alchemist Lee Kiyoung of the seventh party. Am I right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°How was your visit to the Garden of Terror?¡±


    It felt like a random question, but I eventually realized why she had asked.


    After discovering the dungeon itself, Hwang Jeong-yeon was probably one of the people who chose to hand it to us instead.


    ¡°Thank you very much for the opportunity. Thanks to you, I had a great experience.¡±


    ¡°As I¡¯ve heard, you¡¯re very quick to notice things.¡±


    ¡°Haha, I¡¯ll take that as apliment.¡±


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s apliment. Actually, I feel a little apologetic. It would have been nice if you¡¯d had a purely good experience. I have a friend from the ck Swans who wants to apologize to you.¡±


    ¡°Ah! No¡­ I have already received an apology from them, and everything has gone well. I also recognized my own shorings in the process.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that soothes me. It¡¯s my first time talking to someone from the seventh party, and it¡¯s been great so far.¡± As Hwang Jeong-yeon spoke, her tense expression rxed. She looked better this way.


    Her facial features looked a little young, but it somehow reminded me of the old times.


    ¡°In fact, I¡¯ve been looking forward to getting to talk to you all, but it seemed like you¡¯ve all been very busy.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see.¡±


    ¡°We were waiting for the day when we could all have our reunion, but everything has been hectic since you guys came back. The guild has been preupied as a whole.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I heard about that. You entered a hero-grade dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Yes. It seems that you¡¯ve encountered more troubles than us, though.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    Hwang Jeong-yeon looked like a wizard to me. Perhaps being on the same job type alerted me of this. Considering the fact that I was talking to the quiet sessor and owner of the dungeon we had gone on, a new set of possibilities opened themselves up to me.


    I didn¡¯t even have to check her stat window. I knew she was a verypetent wizard.


    She did not bother covering up her magical abilities, and there was cleverness in her eyes. Her rxed personality probably came from her confidence in terms of magicalbat.


    At this point, I felt like I didn¡¯t even need to ask help from the Magic Guild anymore. I was sure Hwang Jeong-yeon wouldn¡¯t mind if I asked her a few questions.


    ¡°It¡¯s embarrassing to admit this, but I¡¯ve been feeling very disorientedtely.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I understand. We¡¯ve all been there.¡±


    ¡°There are so many options to choose from, but I don¡¯t know which direction to take¡­¡±


    ¡°I get you. It happens to everyone, most especially for you, Mr. Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re worrying about the Mercenary Queen and Jung Hayan, right? One is your lover from Earth, and the other is living here with us. It¡¯s hard to choose, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°In fact, it may be difficult to surpass the modern ethics of monogamy, but choosing both might be the best option for you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    My expression shifted into one of embarrassment. We were obviously thinking of different things. Upon seeing this, Hwang Jeong-yeonughed and stopped.


    ¡°Ah. That wasn¡¯t what you meant, was it?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m so sorry! You had such a serious expression on her face that I thought¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    She shed me an embarrassed expression. Something didn¡¯t feel right.


    I think I¡¯ve felt something simr somewhere else.


    They gave me different impressions and even lookedpletely different. However, the face I was imagining was a pig with a face like a bandit, and the woman in front of me very much looked like your typical modern woman.


    For some reason, however, this Hwang Jeong-yeon reminded me of Park Deokgu.


    It ominously felt like something bad would happen if I got myself involved in this.


    While I was wondering what I could say, she spoke again.


    ¡°Look at me going off like that. I¡¯m so sorry. I¡¯ve been watching you guys for so long that I couldn¡¯t help but ramble about it.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ I see, I see¡­¡±


    ¡°I know the two of you are close. Whenever I see Jung Hayan and Lee Kiyoung together, I often find myself smiling without knowing it. I think Jung Hayan really likes Mr. Kiyoung. I guess that¡¯s why you¡¯re wearing that type of magic.¡±


    ¡°What magic?¡±


    ¡°Location-tracking magic. I don¡¯t know if I should be here with you right now. I don¡¯t want Miss Hayan thinking of the wrong thing¡­¡±


    Only


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to act so shy. You let her cast the magic on you, didn¡¯t you? I find that so romantic.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Oh, you didn¡¯t know about it, didn¡¯t you¡­?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ can you pretend not to have heard what I said?¡±


    I found myself stunned with this new piece of information.

 Chapter 78: The Third Job (4)

    <h4>Chapter 78: The Third Job (4)</h4>


    I found myself stunned by this new piece of information.


    It felt so ridiculous that I couldn¡¯t even begin to respond. I didn¡¯t even need to clear my mind - the perpetrator was obvious in terms of personality and recent behavior.


    This was Jung Hayan¡¯s doing.


    Several guilds and ns came to mind, but I knew none of them had a valid reason to do this. There were also the three crazy women hanging around me that could be considered suspects.


    However, it was difficult for someone like Cha Hee-ra to hire a wizard and cast a spell on me. I also knew Lee Jihye neither had the time nor ability to cast this magic type on me. I would have noticed if she had beforehand.


    The suspect must have been someone who cast the spell while I was asleep in my room.


    Of course, this could only mean Jung Hayan.


    Thinking about her watching me sleep made goosebumps form all over my body.


    Before entering the Guild House, Jung Hayan came here every night to do various things, but when I thought about it, I had never woken up in the middle of the night after entering the Guild House.


    I didn¡¯t know exactly when, but¡­


    It felt strange to think that Jung Hayan was involved in this.


    However, when I thought about all those times that I had not woken in my sleep ever since we started staying at the Guild House, the answer came to me.


    Whenever I walked into my room with the intent to sleep, I must have been so immersed in my thoughts that I thought receiving headaches daily was normal.


    Of course, this was only spection, but if this was true, then Jung Hayan probably received some pre-sex education before we even arrived here.


    After trying to sort through my embarrassed, befuddled mind, I looked back up to see Hwang Jeong-yeon looking at me as if she had justmitted a big mistake. If I were her, I would have reacted in the same manner as well. It was like she had just tantly told someone they were being watched by their significant other.


    I didn¡¯t know how my rtionship with Jung Hayan must have looked to them, but I felt like I should have noticed this sooner.


    I opened my mouth to speak once more. I felt like I deserved a better exnation.


    ¡°Can you borate it for a bit?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­?¡±


    It is of utmost importance to know the exact situation. That way, I could be careful, too.


    ¡°So¡­ That¡­¡±


    ¡°I would like you to tell me the exact details.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡­¡±


    Her hesitation made me feel even more anxious.


    This was because I was worried that this spell might have hidden functions. I hadn¡¯t heard of eavesdropping magic within the continent before, but I wouldn¡¯t be surprised to find out that Jung Hayan was capable of producing new magic on her own. If so, how much would she have heard?


    ¡°Can I be honest with you, then?¡±


    ¡°Go ahead. I just felt a little surprised. I mean, I should have expected this to some extent¡­ Anyway, I don¡¯t really care.¡±


    ¡°If you say so, then I should let you know. Miss Hayan really surprised me.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. She tends to be a little too jealous at times. Perhaps that¡¯s what drove her to do this.¡±


    ¡°Oh my God, it¡¯s probably because of all the rumors with the Red Mercenary Queen. If so, then I can understand why she would do this.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Somehow, she managed to hide the presence of her spell really well.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°The average person won¡¯t even notice it, so I¡¯m not surprised that you haven¡¯t. The same goes for most wizards. They¡¯re not particrly sensitive to magic like me, or it simply feels so systematic andplicated that they wouldn¡¯t notice it at all. If I didn¡¯t have over 80 magic stats, I wouldn¡¯t have noticed it as well. The magical power is also very faint, and above all, it was designed to melt into Mr. Kiyoung¡¯s unique magic power.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Honestly, it¡¯s all so interesting to me as well. I didn¡¯t think that magic could be used in this manner, but the rumors did say Miss Hayan was a genius. Anyway, you said you were an alchemist?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am.¡±


    ¡°My ss is a little different from hers, but I can still tell you what kind of magic she used. The order itself stems from basic magic.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°The first enchantment, as I mentioned, is the location tracking magic. As the name suggests, it¡¯s a type of magic designed to help you identify where your target is. This is not really a big deal, but the second magic seems a bit interesting to me.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a kind of magic simr to creating a safety zone within a dungeon. It would befortable to think of it as a magic that sends a signal when a creature enters a certain radius. On average, the radius is about 50cm¡­ In simple terms, it would be right to exin that it is a magic that sends a signal to the caster when a specific someone approaches Kiyoung over a certain area. Of course, we have no idea as to who it is, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Usually, to cast this kind of magic, a part of the subject¡¯s body or a catalyst such as blood is needed¡­ Do you really not know this?¡±


    ¡°What would happen if it was done without a catalyst?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s impossible to use this kind of magic without a catalyst. This magic is difficult to find because it has transformed into a form simr to the kind of magic that Kiyoung has. In this way, the presence of a catalyst is essential. If not, the activation of the spell would be impossible to trigger.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I remember this.¡±


    ¡°So, a strand of hair would do? Or nails?¡±


    ¡°No. If one were to use these, they would need a bunch of them.¡±


    Of course, I don¡¯t remember allowing Jung Hayan to amass an abundance of my hair.


    However, I knew what she must have used - the tooth I had lost back in the dungeon.


    It felt ridiculous for me to remember that fact. At that time, I never imagined she would use it like this.


    When I thought about it on a deeper scale, I remembered Jung Hayan appearing during my talk with Lee Jihye. The spell must have alerted her as the other woman was inside the trigger radius.


    That was the whole reason why Jung Hayan had started at Lee Jihye so murderously. No wonder I felt so worried about seeing her in that manner.


    Meanwhile, Hwang Jeong-yeon was still staring at me with a worried expression of her own - simr to how a mother would look when watching her favorite drama shows.


    ¡°Does this type of magic include being able to listen in on conversations, or seeing what the person is currently doing?¡±


    ¡°Well, since there are two types of enchantments present, it¡¯s quite tricky to be able to tell. It¡¯s hard to believe that a neer has managed to create this type of magic. Of course, it was possible because the consumption of magical power used was low. This is enough to ensure a new type of thesis for magic academia!¡±


    Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°I think I can disarm the spell¡­ what do you want me to do?¡±


    ¡°No, no, I¡¯ll be fine for now.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you must be enjoying the restraint. It seems a little weird to me, but it¡¯s romantic all the same.¡±


    This was very shocking news, but I was grateful I was able to remain calm.


    I already knew Jung Hayan was obsessed with me, but not to this extent. However, I knew that I could handle her perfectly well, so this exchange didn¡¯t surprise me as much as it should¡¯ve.


    Of course, that didn¡¯t mean it didn¡¯t creep me out!


    At this, I wondered if there were other devices hidden in my room.


    ¡°Would you please go up to my room with me if you¡¯re avable?¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes?¡± The look Hwang Jeong-yeon shot me made me feel more embarrassed. I realized just how suggestive my offer sounded.


    ¡°Well, thank you for the suggestion, but I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m not interested in that sort of thing¡­ don¡¯t get me wrong, you are attractive and all, but¡­¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it in that manner.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°I would like you to see if there¡¯s any other magic residing within my room.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see!¡±


    Once again, I was able to notice that she smelled a lot like Park Deokgu.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go up together! I was curious about your workshop since it apparently costs a lot. Today¡¯s my lucky day!¡±


    ¡°Yes, the same is true for me.¡±


    If it weren¡¯t for her, I wouldn¡¯t have known about the presence of this type of magic.


    As soon as I got up from my seat, I noticed Hwang Jeong-yeon¡¯s expression once more. It was like she wasn¡¯t even taking this seriously. She seemed to regard us as a drama set.


    As we made our way up to the second floor, I could feel my steps getting heavier for some reason. However, this waspletely necessary.


    ¡°So this is the ce used by the 7th generation people. I heard it¡¯s very good.¡±


    ¡°Actually, I haven¡¯t seen other people¡¯s amodations, so I can¡¯t say the same.¡±


    Hwang Jeong-yan stopped momentarily in front of Park Deokgu¡¯s room. It was subtle, but I had caught it all the same.


    A horrible scenario emerged from my brain at this. Shaking my head, I coaxed her in the direction of my room, not wanting to think about it.


    I opened the door with a casual expression. My ce was minimalistic as a whole, with various books and equipment on my desk. Admittedly, my room looked messier than I would have liked, but there was nothing I could do about it for now.


    ¡°It¡¯s a really neat room.¡±


    ¡°A-Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, my goodness. You seem to have more books than me¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, I gave up reading these halfway through.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still good to study¡­ Oh, I got distracted. You wanted me to check if there¡¯s any other magic present within the room?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s right.¡±


    Only


    ¡°Wait.¡±


    Hwang Jeong-yeon then began to look around the room with magic-infused eyes. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d be so determined to find out about any magic spells. I knew I should not have underestimated Jung Hayan¡¯s power.


    After a while, Hwang Jeong-yeon¡¯s expression began to change very subtly. Whatever she found, she seemed to find it very interesting, as she was trying her best to hold back her smile.


    My anxiety peaked at this expression. Eventually, she spoke again.


    ¡°There is.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°I can see it on the wall and on the bed.¡±


    ¡®¡­¡±

 Chapter 79: The Third Job (5)

    <h4>Chapter 79: The Third Job (5)</h4>


    ¡°I can see it on the wall and on the bed.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Can I start with the wall first?¡±


    ¡°Sure, go ahead.¡±


    ¡°Miss Hayan is using the room next door, am I right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but¡­¡±


    ¡°She seems to be a little sneaky.¡±


    I began to understand what she must have seen. Since the tutorial¡¯s beginning, I¡¯ve already seen Jung Hayan create walls with her illusion magic.


    However, it felt embarrassing to realize that I had not noticed her change an entire wall.


    Leaning forward, I ced my hand on the wall and was surprised that it was still solid from my touch.


    I looked towards Hwang Jeong-yeon in confusion. Upon seeing this, she began to exin.


    ¡°Only a small hole has been changed, not the entire wall.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°If you put your finger in here, you¡¯ll understand what I mean.¡±


    As she beckoned at a particr spot in the wall, I followed her lead and poked my finger through. Embarrassingly enough, it pierced through to the other side.


    It was absurd for me not to notice something like this up until now.


    ¡°How can I not know¡­¡±


    ¡°It was created with weak magic power, and since this room itself is already surrounded by magical power, it¡¯s understandable for you not to have noticed. I don¡¯t think Mr. Kiyoung is that sensitive to magical power¡­ Most of all, this hole seems to have just been recently made.¡±


    ¡°Ah, you can tell?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It looks like it¡¯s been here for less than a month¡­ I don¡¯t know why Miss Hayan dared to do something like this, but¡­ I can guess why.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yeah.¡± I tried not to pay heed to Jeong-yeon¡¯s suggestive expression.


    Of course, I don¡¯t remember doing anything specific in this room, but I felt ufortable as I realized that Jung Hayan had probably seen all of me already.


    At times, I even dared toy on my bed naked. I¡¯m sure everyone would understand.


    I hadn¡¯t expected her to go this far, but it was the one responsible for leading her on, anyway. I had to tolerate all the mishaps that would emerge from it.


    Perhaps I should find it fortunate that I had discovered this right away. Who knew what else she might find out through this gimmick of hers?


    ¡°In fact, what¡¯s really amazing is this bed.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What about it?¡±


    ¡°It is no exaggeration to say that this is a new revolution in magical science.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    Seeing her impressed look at someone else¡¯s work made me feel bitter for some reason.


    After a few moments of waiting for her to speak, Hwang Jeong-yeon began to exin.


    ¡°It¡¯s a fatigue recovery type magic.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not just that. In addition to checking Kiyoung¡¯s condition, there are also various kinds of magic present, so many that I cannot exin all of them. From invigorating magic, to magic that boosts vitality¡­ There¡¯s also magic that speeds up brain rotation and blood cirction. In addition to this, there is also a built-in protection-type magic that can protect Mr. Kiyoung when something bad happens. If arge magic falls upon this Guild House, Mr. Kiyoung will probably be unscathed. If you had slept in this bed, you would have stayed in a deep sleep. I don¡¯t think you ever felt tired after waking up the next day. Am I right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I think so. I¡¯ve always woken up feeling refreshed.¡±


    ¡°By the way, if you slept in a bed like this, it would be natural for your fatigue to go away. I find that so romantic of her¡­¡±


    Indeed, I felt my heart warming up to Hayan. I thought there would be some magic, sure, but I didn¡¯t know it would be this kind.


    What was embarrassing here was the type of magic Jung Hayan had chosen to cast.


    ¡°Then, are you saying that the bed itself has magic? That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It would be impossible, right? I mean, even if it was, it would be inefficient. Putting magic into objects is something that many people have given up on doing.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Most of those would just bemercialized products. I have personally conducted research about it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I said this is revolutionary. If the concealment technology of the location tracking magic on Kiyoung is of a thesis level, the magic on this bed has the potential to shake the magic academia and create a new school. A newbie has done what others who have been here for years couldn¡¯t¡­ I personally feel a little intimidated.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, there are no restrictions.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what to say. No matter how talented Jung Hayan was, she could not have done all this so perfectly.


    ¡°This magic only works on you, Mr. Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I think that this magic also made use of catalysts. Using a part of Kiyoung¡¯s body as a catalyst, the magic waspressed to the point where the effect is only activated on the individual. The efficiency would be very poor if everyone could activate it. This means that it is a bed exclusively for Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°I see. Even so¡­¡±


    ¡°To put it simply, the magic activates because your gics and the gic makeup of the catalyst match.¡±


    Her exnation made sense to me.


    ¡°However, one has to charge it.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°At least once a month, the person who memorized the spell has to put in the magic again. Seeing that this type of magic has been here up until now, it must mean that Miss Hayan has been able toe here for some steamy visits¡­ Ho ho ho¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°There is also another thing.¡±


    ¡°Tell me, please.¡±


    ¡°Like I said, this type of magic uses catalysts. Hmm. Could you please turn the mat over? Or there must be a secret space somewhere¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, of course.¡±


    If what she said was true, the device should be somewhere within the bed. Not long after, I could see something white stuck inside the mattress.


    ¡°Huh. That¡¯s Kiyoung¡¯s teeth, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Probably so.¡±


    ¡°Would you believe me if I told you that Kiyoung¡¯s information stored in that catalyst is the one responsible for keeping the magic?¡±


    ¡°This is definitely something simr¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, so you¡¯re knowledgeable on the topic?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say I¡¯m an expert.¡±


    The only thing I was sure of was that this wasn¡¯t a simple type of magic.


    Using magic on a specific type of catalyst to ensure that it would only be triggered if the right target was present was on aplex level all by itself.


    I realized this approach perfectly matched the direction in which I wanted to grow. The idea of mixing different magic with catalysts was just the same as using one¡¯s gic makeup.


    Homunculus research, chimera research, and even magic potion research. This was the best approach I could use.


    Of course, my method would be different. Unlike Jung Hayan, I would have to approach this with my alchemy magic.


    As a user of catalysts and gically modified formtions, I had more knowledge than she did.


    In other words, the method would be the same, but how I was going to study all this would be done differently.


    I would have even thought that Jung Hayan had prepared all this in advance.


    I was sure of this now. Here was a result that would have taken me countless failed experiments to achieve. It would be unnatural not to get excited.


    ¡°You must be happy, too. Oh my God.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes. Honestly, I do feel happy.¡±


    ¡°Ah, but there¡¯s also another amazing feature hidden within this bed.¡±


    ¡°Oh? There¡¯s another one?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. There¡¯s a magic called Reverse.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a built-in debuff that removes all granted buffs.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Except for Kiyoung, it¡¯s probably triggered when you are close to the bed or lying down. Of course, in the case of others, the effect is not so great because the catalyst doesn¡¯t match with the target, but it can still cast a curse. If I sat down, I would have been affected a great deal. It means that if any other womany on this bed, she would receive a curse that would lead to her death.¡±


    ¡°So, that¡¯s why you asked me to lift the bed.¡±


    ¡°Yes, so basically, it¡¯s Miss Hayan¡¯s way of saying you shouldn¡¯t bring other women to your bed. That¡¯s so romantic!¡±


    I did not find this romantic at all. Rather, I found it a little scary.


    ¡°Is there anything else?¡±


    ¡°No, this is all I can find. If Kiyoung says he is doing research in earnest, the results may be different, but I¡¯m sure that there¡¯s very little information about this sort of magic. Jung Hayan looks like a cute little wizard, but she¡¯s actually more capable than one would think.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Rather than focusing on the bad aspects of this newfound information, I felt grateful to Jung Hayan for showing me which way I should take for my growth. Who knew I would find the answer in my room?


    Of course, it didn¡¯t mean that I would ignore everything she had done, but my training took precedence over everything else.


    As I looked over my bed once more, the tooth stuck in the corner began to look more lovable than creepy.


    It had been a while, but a question began to arise in my head.


    ¡°I wonder¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°If my position as of this moment is being transmitted to Jung Hayan, does this mean that she also has some part of my body?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    What other parts of me did Jung Hayan have?


    My hair remained the same, and I didn¡¯t remember her ever drawing blood. No, Jung Hayan could not have hurt my body before that.


    Only


    In the case of normal monsters, the parts used as catalysts were very diverse.


    It was not only hair and teeth bundles but also blood and eyeballs that could be used. The heart worked best, and even bones and organs woulde a long way.


    In the case of certain monsters, saliva and the liquid generated by the body for males were also effective, but it was difficult to guess what the hell Jung Hayan had taken.


    I tried not to think about it too much.


    I was curious about what kind of catalyst she would have taken from me, but there was no way of actually knowing. Still, though, my anxiety went through the roof.

 Chapter 80: The Third Job (6)

    <h4>Chapter 80: The Third Job (6)</h4>


    What was important at this point was finding out what Jung Hayan had taken from me, not what she had used the catalyst for.


    I knew I had to set some boundaries between us eventually, but there was nothing I could do at this moment in time. Jung Hayan was still growing up, after all.


    I knew that if Jung Hayan became a wizard powerful enough to wipe out the entire continent ording to Kim Hyunsung¡¯s predictions, then the unthinkable might happen.


    This peephole would be an entire wall, and this bed could be made to curse everyone it touches. That wasn¡¯t everything, even. She might also be responsible for the creation of recording magic. Other things came to mind.


    She could develop a mind-control spell that would manipte my mind little by little, or maybe use a powerful enchantment spell particrly made for me. She could even find a way to be invisible in order to stay by my side the entire time.


    Of course, I was still convinced that Jung Hayan wouldn¡¯t do all these things since she still held the title of Pure Advocate, but then again¡­ this was the same girl who had cut off Park Hye-young¡¯s limbs.


    I needed to be careful whenever Jung Hayan was around and when she wasn¡¯t.


    Thanks to Hwang Jeong-yeon¡¯s ability, I was able to find this out while it was still in the early stages. I would have to make an insurance n, but I had to focus on something else for now.


    ¡°This is incredible.¡±


    ¡°You think?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think you would use the whole second floor as a workshop.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    I knew what Hwang Jeong-yeon was talking about. As a wizard, it wasn¡¯t hard for her to feel impressed. By connecting my room and the alchemy workshop through the gap between the empty guild room, my workspace was wide as a result.


    I also knew what had caught her eye was not the workshop¡¯s setup but the items found within.


    Even for an experienced adventurer such as she, it would still be hard to earn so many rewards such as these.


    ¡°To be precise, it¡¯s so that my workshop and room are connected. It was a little ufortable to go back and forth¡­ The best textbooks to study are already here, so it¡¯s less time-consuming this way.¡±


    ¡°No, no, everything looks great to me.¡±


    ¡°They were all gifts. Oh, do you not have a second job?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my break time right now. Am I interrupting anything?¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯m just grateful for your help.¡±


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s nothing else for me to do¡­ as a wizard, I¡¯m surprisingly not that curious. Of course, I don¡¯t n on snatching Mr. Kiyoung¡¯s or Miss Hayan¡¯s research for myself, either!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I know that.¡±


    I made sure to assess her once more with my ability, wanting to memorize her stats.


    [Check yer Hwang Jeong-yeon¡¯s status window and talent level]


    [Name- Jeong-yeon Hwang]


    [Title- Daily Drama Lover]


    [Age- 34]


    [Propensity-an optimist who is noisy]


    [Job-Magician-Heroic Grade]


    [Job Effect-Acquisition of Basic Magic Knowledge]


    [Job Effect-Acquisition of Basic Magical Knowledge]


    [Job Effect-Intermediate Magic Knowledge Acquisition]


    [Job Effect-Intermediate Magical Knowledge Acquisition]


    [Capacity]


    [Strength -30/Growth Limit: Rare or higher]


    [Agility -40/Growth Limit: Rare or higher]


    [Health-32/Growth Limit: Rare or less]


    [Intellect-90/Growth Limit: Heroic or higher]


    [Durability-32/Growth Limit: Rare or less]


    [Luck -54/Growth Limit: Rare or higher]


    [Holy -80 /Growth Limit: Heroic or less]


    [Talent- Sensitive Body- Rare-grade]


    [Talent- Super Memory- Rare-grade]


    [Overall Review -The growth of her magic power is almost reaching its limit. It is not an exaggeration to say that the path to the top wizard is almost closed for her, but it seems that she is hiding her shorings with high intelligence stats. It would be right to think that it is a case where one can rise to the upper level because of the goodpatibility with the characteristics and the job. If the magical talent was not less than a heroic-grade, but more than a heroic-grade, the situation would have changed a little. It can be said that this yer is simr to Kiyoung Lee, but please don¡¯t think of her as arade. The yer Lee Kiyoung has no magical talentpared to this person.]


    I certainly didn¡¯t like the overall review, but I liked her abilities and growth.


    Of course,paring myself to her was a bit extreme, but she also simrly relied on her intelligence whenever shecked in other stats.


    It wasn¡¯t only Jung Hayan¡¯s magic that helped me today - even her stats made me learn something.


    ¡®Her characteristics are also good.¡¯


    The characteristic of having a Sensitive Body caught my eye, but not in the sexual sense. This was a characteristic that was heavily influenced by the magic power of the surrounding environment.


    However, what interested me more was her talent - Super Memory.


    [Talent-Super Memory- Rare-grade]


    [Gives you near-perfect memory.]


    Since it was only of the rare grade, her memory wouldn¡¯t bebeled as perfect yet, but I knew having an ability just like hers would be beneficial for reading people¡¯s stats.


    It didn¡¯t seem so impossible to develop the skill for myself.


    I ced my attention back on Hwang Jeong-yeon as she spoke again.


    ¡°Can I read it?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°The book you have put together.¡±


    ¡°Of course. I wanted to consult someone about it, anyway.¡±


    ¡°No, no. I won¡¯t give you anything but my personal opinion. Anyway, you¡¯re more of an expert at this than I am. This is all uncharted territory for me.¡±


    ¡°Even if you possess the intelligence of a senior wizard?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah. Come to think of it, Kiyoung probably doesn¡¯t know much about intellect. You probably don¡¯t have time to study your stats.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ Has Kiyoung ever wondered about his intelligence stats?¡±


    ¡°Of course I have. Unlike muscle strength, stamina, and magic power, there are areas that are hard to measure, such as luck stats or intelligence stats. In fact, even though my intelligence stats are rising, it is difficult to feel exactly what is changing.¡±


    ¡°I mean, you already know a lot.¡±


    ¡°Honestly, it is difficult to notice if something has changed.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure either, but I¡¯m sure Kiyoung is right. Just because your intelligence goes up doesn¡¯t make you a genius. I feel like there¡¯s no big change in the basic thinking skills of an individual. Knowledge doesn¡¯te so suddenly.¡±


    ¡°So, the reason for the existence of these stats is unclear? Is it the same for people whose intelligence stats have reached their 70s or 80s?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. To give you an extreme example, someone with an intellect in their 90s may not be able to do something as basic as memorizing multiplication tables.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s too extreme.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s a really extreme story. However, it simply means that one¡¯s intelligence stat has nothing to do with the intelligence that that individual really has.¡±


    ¡°Is it all about increasing your understanding of magical power or alchemy?¡±


    If that was all there was to it; then my stats could very well be a disappointment. On the other hand, I couldn¡¯t say they werepletely useless, either.


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s not just that.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t find the words to properly exin it, but I¡¯m sure its use will be a little clearer if your intelligence reaches over 80.¡±


    Now, this was a topic I was interested in.


    ¡°Most people with intelligence over 90 tend to develop something else other than their brains. Most of the wizards around me and those with their Intellect over 90 in Lindel had the knowledge to be called extraordinary.¡±


    ¡°Ha.¡±


    ¡°There were some people who said that their creativity or understanding of tactics had changed remarkably. In my case, my memorization skills have gone up beyondparison.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Since I was very young, I heard a lot of people saying that I had a good memory, but the moment I reached 90, I felt like my brain was getting better in ways that I could not understand. Of course, there wasn¡¯t much change in other parts. I think it¡¯s just a conjecture of ourselves, but I also think it has the effect of maximizing the efficiency of the part where our brain is most developed.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ That is actually very interesting.¡±


    ¡°Among the traits I have, the trait called Super Memory is the trait I¡¯ve obtained after my intellect exceeded 90. Mr. Kiyoung may also get something once he reaches that point. Since you are good at dating, will you progress into marriage? Ho ho ho¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    Hearing this sounded very pleasing to me. I thought my stats were hopeless as they were, but I didn¡¯t think that the one stat I had on high potential would give me an extraordinarily new ability.


    If Hwang Jeong-yeon was right, then I felt excited about what I could get.


    Since Hwang Jeong-yeon mentioned her ability had stemmed from what people had said about her, I tried my best to remember what other people had told me in the past.


    That was what people used to describe me. It felt ridiculous imagining a scenario where I gained an ability for better hair management.


    However, even that would be better than developing an ability that pertained to romance, like what Hwang Jeong-yeon had said.


    ¡°Does that mean everyone who exceeds 90 in Intellect will get their own characteristic?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not guaranteed for everyone, but I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be able to receive an additional trait. It¡¯s just not well known in the system.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for teaching me so many things.¡±


    ¡°No, no. You were bound to learn about it anyway. I¡¯m just saying that even geniuses canck familiar knowledge. Whoo. Have you felt like you¡¯ve made progress?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still at the toddler level. I¡¯m still trying to understand how all this works, after all.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve just started out. If there is anything I can help you with, please tell me.¡±


    ¡°I see no reason to refuse that offer.¡±


    However, I knew I would not be able to receive such help for free.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what I can do to repay you, but if there¡¯s anything, please do inform me.¡±


    ¡°Ah. I¡¯m not looking for any repayment¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to specify it.¡±


    ¡°Well, then¡­¡±


    ¡°Is there anything I can do?¡±


    Only


    Looking at Hwang Jeong-yeon¡¯s expression, I knew there was indeed something she had in mind. She tried to exin that it was natural to help me because we came from the same guild, that we had met by chance, but I knew she had approached me with a motive in mind.


    As I silently began to hope that her request wouldn¡¯t be too hard to do, she began to speak.


    ¡°Perhaps¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes? What is it?¡±


    ¡°Would you please introduce me to Park Deokgu once theye back?¡±


    I blinked. Out of all the hard requests I was expecting her toe up with¡­

 Chapter 81: The Third Job (7)

    <h4>Chapter 81: The Third Job (7)</h4>


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It would be nice if you could fulfill my request just this once. I didn¡¯t really mean to ask this of you, but since you insisted¡­¡±


    It certainly didn¡¯t seem like I had misheard her request.


    I didn¡¯t want to get involved in any romantic ventures that could happen between the two. However, I felt like it was only natural for me to wonder why she wanted this.


    ¡°Since when¡­?¡±


    ¡°Never mind when¡­ It¡¯s because Park Deokgu hasn¡¯t left my mind¡­¡±


    Was it because they had simr characteristics?


    ¡°I encountered him in the restaurant once. He looked at me so indifferently, but those eyes¡­ I¡¯ve been thinking about him ever since.¡±


    It felt a little embarrassing to witness this side of Hwang Jeong-yeon. However, she did mention being into bigger guys, so I guess that was to be expected.


    Objectively, Hwang Jeong-yeon was a very pretty girl. She had a soothing atmosphere that could make a person feel rxed just by being in her presence. She had her hair tied to one side that went past her shoulders,plete with a thin, little smile. I felt like there was something different about her. At the same time, I couldn¡¯t believe it only took Park Deokgu ten seconds to capture this woman¡¯s heart.


    Meanwhile, it had taken me quite some time to get Jung Hayan to develop feelings for me. It felt a little embarrassing to admit this, but I knew I had to ept it at one point.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to find a way.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ I think he¡¯s a really good person, and is someone I coulde to trust. I think we¡¯d be a good fit, don¡¯t you think? If you could help me out¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, but I¡¯d be eager to help you out in exchange! I won¡¯t interfere with your research!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll keep my word. However, you have a lot of work to do.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, and of course!¡±


    With that, I had gotten myself apetent assistant.


    It didn¡¯t matter whether Park Deokgu and Hwang Jeong-yeon became lovers or not, but I thought there was a good chance that they would be. I knew Park Deokgu would react ordingly if I praised her in front of him since he trusted mepletely.


    Bearing this in mind, I concluded that the price was reasonable. In any case, I wouldn¡¯t lose anything trying to y matchmaker. If they got together, then Park Deokgu would probably stop hanging around my workshop, and I would be able to do my research in peace.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s get started, doctor.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s do that, assistant.¡±


    With that, we set right to work.


    Very little time had passed since then.


    ¡°Did you find anything of use?¡±


    ¡°Not yet. But it doesn¡¯t mean I won¡¯t, soon enough.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t trying to create anything that could be called revolutionary. After all, I was using Jung Hayan¡¯s method and reconstructing it to fit my style.


    I needed this to increase my stats and to find me my new job. I had managed to increase my stats at the beginning of our research, but the progress slowed down once we reached the second half. Like before, the efficiency of stat increase by using the catalyst had begun to dwindle.


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±


    ¡°Like what I saidst time, I¡¯ve been trying to see if alchemy can alsopress and maintain the magic within a catalyst, and if there¡¯s any way to harness gic information with this type of magic.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see¡­¡±


    ¡°Your hunch about the construction and design of the spell seems correct. However, that means it¡¯ll be hard achieving the same result through alchemy. Jung Hayan really is a genius¡­¡±


    However, the things I at first found nonsensical soon began to make sense.


    I now knew why Jung Hayan was called a genius. Her ideas could branch into new theories. The magic power stored within her preferred catalyst was so huge that its effects could open up a new branch of study under magical academia.


    Her method of arranging the magic power, the order in which she built the Tower of Magic, and her execution were all done in a sophisticated manner.


    Unlike Hwang Jeong-yeon, whose intellect enhanced her memory, Jung Hayan¡¯s intellect was naturally predisposed for innovativeness and enhancement of magic.


    Now I knew why Kim Hyunsung seemed so obsessed with Jung Hayan.


    With this thought in mind, I continued my research.


    My struggle in finding an answer made me undergo sleepless nights, and there were times where I even dared to skip meals. Hwang Jeong-yeon also did the same. Though she did not help much in other aspects, her presence was enough to exin the aspects I had been struggling in.


    [Intellect increases by 1.]


    [Intellect increases by 1.]


    Though my progress went slowly, it felt pleasing to know that I was getting somewhere.


    By the time my intelligence stat had exceeded the 50s, I had begun to understand just how the mechanism of increasing intelligence worked.


    The first was the acquisition or understanding of new knowledge. The second was deep meditation. Sharpening one¡¯s imagination, indulging in experiments, reevaluating theories, and continually reading books - all of these helped build one¡¯s intellect.


    Just as Park Deokgu continually underwent weight training to build his strength, I continually fed myself with the knowledge to increase my intellect.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I cleaned your room, Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°Oh, please do not clean up near me. There are tons of data that I¡¯ve not organized yet.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Why don¡¯t you get some more sleep?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to cut off my progress.¡±


    Of course, Hwang Jeong-yeon had a point. Both my room and workspace had begun to look like a dump. All the data I had organized had begun to pile up once more, leaving little space to move.


    Seeing educational materials scattered all over my bed must have looked like an interesting scene, but it didn¡¯t mean that it was fun in actuality. Studying continuously was boring.


    Even though a door of opportunity had presented itself to me, there was no guarantee that it would open for me, and that alone increased my anxiety. However, I had no choice but to carry on.


    Even at this moment, I knew my fellow party members were doing their best to progress. I had to catch up before I got left too far behind.


    At the same time, I knew Kim Hyunsung wouldn¡¯t abandon me even if that happened. This was my own doing. It was natural for me to get left behind if I didn¡¯t exert the needed effort to improve. And in a way, Kim Hyunsung had steered me in the right direction - I didn¡¯t want just to be a simple asset.


    For the time being, I was forced to stick to my n.


    ¡°Hey, Mr. Kiyoung. How do you make use of your magic?¡±


    ¡°Ah. Different people have different ways of casting spells. In my case, I build up the Tower of Magic. Jung Hayan does it simrly, except hers is like a rotating watchtower. It¡¯s like gathering all the needed parts and building something out of them.¡±


    ¡°I understand what you¡¯re saying.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s actually moreplicated than others. I don¡¯t know much of anything else, so I think the most difficult part is finding gics that match.¡±


    ¡°Simply interpreting the order already seemsplicated¡­ It would be stressful to have to convert to making use of a magic circle.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really just a simple operation¡­ All you have to do is make use of your time wisely.¡±


    It might seem like a simple conjuring of a circle on the surface, but there was a difference. I knew I would get fruitful results with my research soon, but I was already getting impatient.


    One month had passed, but Kim Hyunsung and the others had not yet returned.


    Perhaps the consumables they had taken with them proved to be insufficient for the trip. Knowing their condition before they left, I knew they¡¯d have a hard time sorting their mess.


    Jung Hayan would have spent every night with tears, and Kim Ye-ri, without Kim Hyunsung¡¯s constantmands, would be shooting arrows in the wrong direction. Park Deokgu might even revert to being a coward again.


    On the other hand, Sun Hee-young would move normally, but as she would be burdened with leading the party, the whole team would feel at a loss. I felt a little better, knowing I wasn¡¯t the only one having a hard time.


    A little more time passed.


    At this point, I had slowly begun understanding Jung Hayan¡¯s magic, and my intelligence stats had exceeded 60. Personally, this felt like a very satisfying achievement.


    ¡°The results have shown themselves.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯re reaching the target intellectual levels.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Congrattions. How about taking a little break today?¡±


    ¡°No, no. It would be better to rest after I¡¯ve achieved my goal.¡±


    After so much time devoting myself to my progress, I began to ask myself questions that I knew would aid me in my goal. This time, it wasn¡¯t about the hidden truth of magic.


    Rather, I had started thinking about the job change I was aiming for.


    How could Jung Hayan have achieved such advanced creations without prior experience?


    I already knew the answer.


    Jung Hayan had gotten a job before she even went on a hunt. I didn¡¯t bother wondering as to how she had gotten it. She probably understood herself far more than I did with myself and had put this knowledge to good use.


    I was trying to do the same now, too.


    In addition to analyzing, describing, and organizing data, I needed to understand everything that was going through my head. I knew I was taking the right direction with this.


    I began to ask myself more questions because of this. ¡®Why?¡¯ questions were a constant presence. Thus I began my search for the hidden truth, rather than the visible results.


    I imagined experimenting and then tried to determine why it failed, which was not as difficult as it sounded. After all, I had a verypetent assistant by my side.


    In addition to that, I had also lost a little weight.


    Why would I, when I felt like I had just stumbled onto a valuable part of my progress?


    I didn¡¯t want a great answer to my goals. One very small piece was already enough.


    How did the change in gic traits, information values, and magic power affect the individual? Was the magic present in the transformed individualplete or iplete?


    We had not stopped experimenting with stranded DNA, and we still didn¡¯t know which virus was deadly to some monsters and why a particr gene would not ept said virus.


    None of these small pieces of information were well understood, but one thing was certain.


    We were slowly finding the answers.


    ¡°What do you need this time?¡±


    ¡°I need catalysts from the Garden of Terror, please.¡±


    I was far from finding the answers, and I wasn¡¯t that smart. I wasn¡¯t even a scientist, and I didn¡¯t know anything about genes and the like.


    However, I found the whole process of searching for answers fun.


    ¡°You must be enjoying this.¡±


    ¡°I am not.¡±


    [Intellect increases by 1.]


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it fun? I found it interesting.¡±


    Only


    ¡°No. Honestly, I found it boring.¡±


    [Intellect increases by 1.]


    ¡°You¡¯re lying.¡±


    [Intellect increases by 1.]


    As more time passed, I began to make even more progress.


    [You have discovered a new job.]


    The results I hoped to achieve had finallye.


    ¡°Phew.¡±

 Chapter 82: The Third Job (8)

    <h4>Chapter 82: The Third Job (8)</h4>


    I awoke to a loud atmosphere.


    Thest thing I could remember the day before was choosing my third job, testing some things with it, and then copsing in bed.


    As if I had just gotten out of aatose state, I felt nauseatingly groggy.


    The problem was that I had hardly slept the whole time I had been working. My room had not yet been cleaned up, so I had chosen to spend the night in my workshop.


    If I had known that my condition wouldn¡¯t have improved even after getting some rest, I would have cleaned up after myself the night before. In that way, I could have used the bed that Jung Hayan had infused with magic.


    As I turned my head, I caught sight of Hwang Jeong-yeon sitting on the far side of the sofa.


    She had tried her hardest to follow my schedule. Therefore, she must have also felt exhausted.


    Although I had not expected her to stay here, I did not feel alert. I felt pleased to know that I was not so wary of people anymore. The more I could trust, the better.


    It was then that I began to realize where all the noise wasing from.


    ¡°Gosh¡­ My hyung seems to have done a lot of work, too. The whole second floor is a mess. Oh, Hayan! If you keep running like that, you¡¯ll fall. Hee-young, please do something.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°First, we should organize our luggage. Hee-young, pass me the white one¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course.¡±


    I knew what this meant. My fellow party members were back.


    I had begun to smile at this realization. However, upon seeing Hwang Jeong-yeon groggily stretching, I began to panic.


    I could hear the sound of footsteps frantically making their way up to the second floor. I knew who that was.


    Even though Jeong-yeon and I had never indulged in any physical contact, it would still be bad for Hayan to see her here. It would not be beneficial for Hwang Jeong-yeon either, for she counted on me to introduce Park Deokgu.


    ¡°Oppa¡­ Oppa¡­¡± Jung Hayan¡¯s voice floated through the workshop¡¯s door. I knew the location-tracking magic was still working, so I couldn¡¯t pretend that I wasn¡¯t here.


    I felt like a protagonist in a horror movie.


    Rattle!


    ¡°Oppa¡­ Are you there? Are you there?¡±


    Rattle!


    ¡°Are you there? Oppa?¡±


    Rattle!


    ¡°You didn¡¯t even sleep? Maybe you were still researching¡­ Perhaps we should quiet down, for now, Hayan. It¡¯s still so early in the morning¡­¡±


    ¡°Or maybe there¡¯s something wrong with my hyung¡­ Perhaps he fell down?¡±


    Thump-thump.


    At this, Jung Hayan resumed her relentless knocking on the door. It was natural for Hwang Jeong-yeon to wake up from all themotion.


    It only took her a few seconds to grasp what was happening. Her eyes widened.


    ¡°Oppa! Oh, are you still sleeping?¡±


    I almost snorted at the question. If I were asleep, then she most certainly would not receive a reply.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    As I gestured towards the window, I saw Hwang Jeong-yeon nodding desperately.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Deokgu. I sleptte and only woke up now.¡±


    ¡°Oppa¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah! We¡¯re sorry to have disturbed you.¡±


    ¡°You came a littleter than expected. I¡¯ll open the door now. Wait.¡±


    As I spoke, Hwang Jeong-yeon dashed to the window. I could have said we were studying together, but even that would look suspicious. The fact that we were alone together at this time of day would not sit well with Jung Hayan.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    Hwang Jeong-yeon, who intended to jump from the second floor, let out a short scream.


    Rattle, rattle, rattle.


    Jung Hayan, who by now sensed that something was amiss, began to shake the door relentlessly.


    After making sure there were no telltale signs that Hwang Jeong-yeon had been here, I opened the door slightly, and the faces I hadn¡¯t seen in a long time reflected in my view.


    First, I saw Park Deokgu, whose simple smile I had missed.


    I didn¡¯t know why, but somehow, the guy¡¯s eyes were red. Looking at the wounds on his body, it seemed that the expedition was not easy.


    Of course, Jung Hayan looked the happiest. She first looked around the room to see if she could pinpoint where the scream hade from, but soon, she redirected her attention to me.


    In an instant, tears filled herrge eyes. I, too, felt the same way. It felt great having her back.


    ¡°Oh uh¡­ Oppa¡­¡±


    With this unfamiliar feeling bubbling up inside me, I began to stroke her head affectionately. Jung Hayan then began to sob.


    ¡°Oh, Oppa¡­¡±


    ¡°Was the expedition hard?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± As she couldn¡¯t speak properly, Jung Hayan resorted to nodding her head vigorously.


    I tried to wipe all the tears from her face, but I couldn¡¯t. Instead, I opened my arms out wide, and Jung Hayan rushed in at once. Her face rubbed against my chest.


    ¡°I missed you¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve missed you too, Hayan¡­¡±


    I was half-sincere in my words.


    Pretty soon, both Kim Hyunsung and Sun Hee-young appeared in my line of sight. Seeing as Hayan wouldn¡¯t let me go, I had to settle for waving at them as a form of greeting.


    I didn¡¯t even need to ask them. Assessing the atmosphere was enough.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°Yep, Hyunsung. Did the expedition go okay?¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t satisfactory, but it worked. Ye-ri had only managed to change to her second job since she was only on her first one, but Hee-young, Deokgu, and Hayan all finished their jobs. All of their stats also rose considerably.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that.¡±


    I knew Kim Hyunsung¡¯s role as their nanny wasn¡¯t easy, either.


    Upon seeing Hyunsung¡¯s curious stare, I knew what wasing my way.


    ¡°How about you, Kiyoung?¡±


    ¡°The same is true of me. I¡¯ve raised my stats and have gotten a new job.¡±


    ¡°What did you get this time?¡±


    ¡°Oh? Hyung also got a new job?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I did. I¡¯ll go down and exin what it is.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because it would be difficult for me to exin what kind of job I got. It will be quicker to show you in person.¡±


    ¡°Is this a high-grade alchemist job?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The status window says it¡¯s a newly-discovered job.¡±


    ¡°You mean it doesn¡¯t stem from your existing job?¡±


    ¡°It probably doesn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ I¡¯m a little surprised.¡±


    ¡°Thanks to that, I had no choice. If several jobs appeared at the same time, I would have postponed choosing until you guys came back. However, there was no option. I don¡¯t regret getting it, however.¡±


    ¡°Hearing you say that makes me feel a little more curious.¡±


    Jung Hayan was still clinging onto me, but I could see that Park Deokgu also looked intrigued.


    ¡°Aw¡­ I should have been with you in that glorious moment¡­ It¡¯s a shame my hyung couldn¡¯t have helped me choose my third job¡­¡±


    ¡°You will also like mine.¡±


    ¡°Oh, really?¡±


    I didn¡¯t know how Kim Hyunsung would react to my new job, but I knew Park Deokgu would like it for sure.


    ¡°It¡¯s really amazing that you managed to get a job on your own.¡±


    ¡°Sun Hee-young, however¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. For me, this is my fourth job change.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    I could now understand why the atmosphere felt warmer. Everyone¡¯s rtionships had improved. It felt like the new members had mixed well with the old ones.


    Park Deok-gu and Kim Ye-ri seemed to be highly attentive to Sun Hee-young¡¯s every move.


    It seemed that she was now the third inmand, right after Kim Hyunsung and I. Since she was the one with the highest specs during the expedition, it was natural for her to achieve this position.


    Although she considers it a new service to beat indolent people useless to society, I knew she was still apetent person.


    She was different from Jung Hayan, and in that sense, she had gained such a position. However, I was hoping that it would be Park Deokgu, who would act more proactively.


    Putting that aside, the overall atmosphere felt cheerful. We kept up a steady stream of conversation as we made our way to the training center for a demonstration.


    Demonstrations were necessary for the sole purpose of showing that the time spent in training was not for naught. I was always the one who garnered the least amount of attention. However¡­


    This time, things were different.


    It was only natural that they should recognize my true value. I wasn¡¯t just an alchemist who rode off on their money. I knew their valuation of me would rise today.


    ¡°I want you to watch me properly. The magic power itself isn¡¯t that bad, but I haven¡¯t been able to determine its efficiency yet¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course.¡±


    ¡°Hayan, can you step away for a moment?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes. Oppa.¡±


    At this, I slowly began to memorize my intended spell. My prepared catalyst reacted as soon as I applied my magic to it.


    Since I didn¡¯t have that much magic power, I felt it was only right to use this amount of mana.


    There were two things that I had prepared.


    One was a catalyst depicting a magic circle with various magic types, and another was a catalyst that could receive spells. I also had materials with the same information value and materials that could interact with each other if needed.


    The quality of said materials was also important for the conjuring of the magic circle, but their information value took precedence.


    As my thoughts began to scatter, I found myself getting a little distracted. However, it wasn¡¯t much of a strugglepleting the rest of the spell. After all, this was a simple incantation.


    That was when the tiny monster cells that had been flying towards the spell began to expand. Watching the transition from cells to the flesh was grotesque, but it was intriguing to watch.


    Kwajijijik, kujik, kadedeuk.


    Incoherent sounds began to fill up the venue. It sounded like a cacophony of bones twisting and cells exploding.


    Although this was a sound that was familiar to me, it was not to the others. I saw Kim Ye-ri covering her ears and grimacing.


    Only


    Eventually, the huge flesh that I had conjured began to form into the shape I desired.


    The giant lump of flesh soon transformed into a giant monster hand.


    Quad-de-deuk!


    Even before all this happened, I could feel everyone¡¯s gazes directed my way, almost as if asking for an exnation.


    ¡°Huh¡­ Hyung¡­¡±


    ¡°This¡­ How did you manage this?¡± Even Kim Hyunsung was shocked.


    Upon seeing his reaction, pleasure began to crawl down my spine.


    ¡°It¡¯s a characteristic thates with my new job.¡±

 Chapter 83: The Third Job (9)

    <h4>Chapter 83: The Third Job (9)</h4>


    Even before all this happened, I could feel everyone¡¯s gazes directed my way, almost as if asking for an exnation.


    ¡°Huh¡­ Hyung¡­¡±


    ¡°This¡­ How did you manage this?¡±


    Even Kim Hyunsung was shocked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a characteristic thates with my new job.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    Their anxious expressions signaled their need for a better exnation.


    ¡°To exin in more detail, I conducted a biological experiment and created this new type of gic information using the same catalyst.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about¡­¡±


    ¡°Would you please exin it more simply?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Think about how a television reacts to a remote. What I have in my hand right now is the remote control, and the arm of a giant monster over there is the TV. You will have to have a catalyst that can trigger the right reaction, and the preparation in itself is a little difficult¡­¡±


    ¡°Even if it is¡­¡±


    Surprised expressions scattered across my fellow party members¡¯ faces.


    When I had first managed this result, I was beyond surprised and embarrassed. Now, however, I felt proud. I couldn¡¯t believe I had managed to produce this kind of result.


    [Name - Kiyoung Lee]


    [Title - The Red Mercenary Queen¡¯s Gigolo]


    [Age - 25]


    [Propensity - Willing Strategist]


    [Job - Bio-Alchemy Summoner - Unique Heroic Grade]


    [It¡¯s a new kind of job that has never been discovered. Even on a continent with a long history, this kind of system has not yet appeared. If any alchemist were to see your results, they would undoubtedly praise you. As a result of your amazing achievements, you will raise your ss¡¯s rank to a unique Heroic rank. Intelligence rises by 4. Magic power increases by 3. The result of the alchemy is a pet. This grants you weak control over the said pet.]


    [Job Effect - Acquisition of Basic Magic Knowledge]


    [Job Effect - Acquisition of Basic Alchemy Knowledge]


    [Job Effect - Acquisition of Intermediate Alchemy Knowledge]


    [Job Effect - Acquisition of Special Summoning Knowledge]


    [Capacity]


    [Strength - 20/Growth limit: Below normal]


    [Agility - 21/Growth limit: Normal or less]


    [Health - 25/Growth limit: Below normal]


    [Intellect - 64/Growth limit: Heroic or higher]


    [Durability - 20/Growth limit: Below normal]


    [Luck - 45/Growth limit: Heroic or higher]


    [Mana - 15/Growth limit: Below normal]


    [Equipment]


    [Ramus Tucker¡¯s Introduction to Alchemy - Heroic Level - Alchemist Only]


    [Magic Shield Ring - Rare Grade]


    [Talent - Eye of the Mind]


    [Overview - Your efforts to stray from being the worst are distinguishable. Don¡¯t try too hard, however. Trash will always be trash. Apart from that, I apud your efforts. Until you reach your limit, try to do what you can.]


    In the meantime, my overall stats had increased a lot, and I gained special summoning knowledge as an additional job effect. It was strange to see I had gotten it.


    It was the knowledge obtained from the theory I established. What stood out was the fact that it was graded as a unique heroic-grade job.


    Everyone looked curious, so I smiled and spoke again.


    ¡°The job¡¯s name is Bio-Alchemy Summoner, and it¡¯s ranked as unique heroic-grade.¡±


    ¡°Ohh¡­¡±


    ¡°You mean it¡¯s of the unique heroic-grade rank?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Park Deokgu¡¯s expression seemed to drop. After checking his information, I understood why.


    He only got a rare-grade job?


    It turned out that everyone except him had gained a heroic-grade job.


    Even as a kid, Kim Ye-ri¡¯s growth was ridiculously fast, considering it was umon to get a heroic-grade job after only a second job change. Usually, a heroic-grade job would be obtained by the fourth or fifth job change.


    At this point, I knew I had to take care of Park Deokgu¡¯s mental state. Answering the questions of my fellow members took precedence, however.


    ¡°Unique heroic-grade¡­ That¡¯s great, Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve heard of ranks other than rare, heroic, and legendary.¡±


    ¡°Kiyoung is probably the only one among us who can receive such a job. There are also a few adventurers within the city with unique ratings. Like Kiyoung, when they discovered something new, they received this ss. It is said thatters are not given the same job even if they make the same actions or results.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    ¡°In simple terms, it means that this job group cannot be duplicated.¡±


    I liked the sound of that. Being special had its advantages. I knew my worth had gone up. I knew I was right when I saw Kim Hyunsung¡¯s excited expression.


    I had already wandered around the city to observe, and not once had I seen anyone with a unique heroic-grade job.


    If Kim Hyunsung was from the future, I daresay this could be an information breakthrough he was looking for.


    ¡°Since the job is specialized, there must be both advantages and disadvantages to it. It might hinder your progress towards potions or Homunculus¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve already thought about studying Homunculus, but I couldn¡¯t because I have low intelligence as of the moment. I also thought about controlling a chimera, but I can¡¯t do that because I¡¯m not of the Warlock ss.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Since I couldn¡¯t control the whole chimera, I thought there should be some way to control part of it¡­ Anyway, I¡¯m going to stop the spell now.¡±


    Upon the recasting of my spell, the monster arm began to shrink. This was a revised version of Jung Hayan¡¯s spell, used for reversing magical effects.


    ¡°I know it doesn¡¯t look like a pet. It wasn¡¯t a living thing at first, and it doesn¡¯t have its own will, but the system judged it as a pet after my job change.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    It looked great, but it didn¡¯t mean it didn¡¯t have its drawbacks.


    First, the quality of the material was very important. It had to be of decent quality to inject the magic circle with different types of magic. That meant only catalysts of at least rare grade could be used.


    The second was that its duration was not that long.


    Unlike most pets who eternally stood by their owners¡¯ side, mine could only be summoned for a short time.


    Another problem was that I could not build the whole body. I didn¡¯t know what could happen in the future, but I was only limited to creating a few body parts for now.


    Though the conjuring was done in the magical sense, its attack came in physical form. If I could find other unique monster catalysts, I could find a way around this. But for now¡­


    What was more important than my judgment was Kim Hyunsung¡¯s opinion about the matter. It all depended on whether my skill could help his ns in the future.


    As if on cue, Kim Hyunsung nodded when I looked at him for guidance.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    ¡°I thought you could achieve something, but I hadn¡¯t expected you to aplish so much,¡± Hyunsung remarked.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I replied, but quickly added, ¡°I still need to learn more about it, though¡­¡±


    Just knowing he was satisfied already made me feel better, and it wasn¡¯t just his reaction that sparked this satisfaction. My other party members also looked very surprised. Words of praise soon fell out of everyone¡¯s mouths, prompting a smile on my face.


    ¡°I always knew my Hyung was amazing¡­ This is great,¡± Deokgumented.


    ¡°Thank you, Deokgu,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Congrattions¡­¡± Kim Ye-ri greeted. It was the first time I ever heard her speak properly.


    I smiled and tried to reach out to stroke her hair, but she quickly hid behind Kim Hyunsung.


    It was then that I noticed Jung Hayan¡¯s expression.


    She sported an anxious look, and I knew it wasn¡¯t because I had reached out for Kim Ye-ri.


    You¡¯re worried because I might have found out about your magic, aren¡¯t you?


    Since Jung Hayan had noticed that the alchemy method I had used was very simr to her magic application, she trembled. I knew she feared my discovery of her doings.


    I knew I had to inform her and set a boundary between us, but now was hardly the time.


    ¡°Hayan,¡± I called out.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes, Oppa¡­¡± she replied.


    I reached out to take her hand upon seeing her guilty expression.


    I have no choice but to let her drown in her guilt.


    It was best to make her realize that her choice was wrong.


    However, it would be best if I didn¡¯t discuss it with her directly. I would find a more appropriate timing to talk to her about it.


    ¡°Shall we go for breakfast? Kiyoung also needs to know what jobs we¡¯ve obtained.¡±


    You don¡¯t have to tell me, but¡­


    I felt it would be more appropriate to hear them exin than find out with my ability.


    ¡°I think the expedition went decently?¡± I asked, trying to look na?ve.


    ¡°Oh, it didn¡¯t. In fact, it was so hard at first that I thought we would have to retreat¡­¡± Hyunsung replied glumly, making everyone quiet.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I want to hear more details,¡± I remarked.


    I didn¡¯t know how bad it was, but the quiet atmosphere made me think it was worse than I had initially imagined.


    ¡°We first entered a rare-grade dungeon. However, it took us three days to leave,¡± Hyunsung narrated.


    ¡°What? Why?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It was because of Jung Hayan¡¯s physical condition,¡± Hyunsung replied.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    I nced over at Jung Hayan, who had hung her head in shame. I understood how this came to be.


    Until the moment they left, Hayan had stubbornly refrained from eating or sleeping properly and spent most of her time exerting her energy into needless actions.


    So that¡¯s why you all came backte.


    The three extra days Kim Hyunsung had talked about was probably to refine Jung Hayan¡¯s messed up mentality.


    ¡°Deokgu also took a very long time to adjust. I also found more things they should work on. It was the same with Ye-ri. Aside from being inexperienced, she tends to move unexpectedly. It would have been even more difficult if Hee-young wasn¡¯t there,¡± Hyunsung recounted.


    The room stayed silent as she spoke.


    Go on. I¡¯m listening¡­


    ¡°Their formation also proved to be a mess. Had I not intervened, they would have been annihted right off the bat. There were a lot of times when the rear was in danger because they had not fortified it, and times when the front felt too scared to stay in ce because of the wayward trajectory of arrows,¡± Hyunsung continued.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± I muttered and nodded.


    ¡°It felt like the party would be wiped out at any time,¡± she added.


    The way Kim Hyunsung exined to me was simr to how a parent would tell their spouse about their children¡¯s bad behavior.


    Not surprisingly, Park Deokgu and Jung Hayan¡¯s heads dropped even lower.


    Only


    ¡°But the more times we went in, the more they improved. The results were not bad overall,¡± Hyunsung remarked, changing her mood from glum to hopeful.


    ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that,¡± I replied.


    ¡°We also achieved stats of 60, and all of us seeded in getting heroic-grade jobs,¡± Hyunsung added.


    Wait, all of you got heroic ss jobs? But Park Deokgu¡¯s status window¡­


    ¡°Let¡¯s head back inside so I can exin it all in more detail.¡±


    It didn¡¯t take me long to understand why Kim Hyunsung had chosen to speak that way. Upon turning and seeing Park Deokgu¡¯s ashamed expression, I realized what he had done to mask what kind of job he had gotten.


    This pig¡­

 Chapter 84: The Third Job (10)

    <h4>Chapter 84: The Third Job (10)</h4>


    I knew that Park Deokgu must have lied to them, and I could understand why he did it.


    He had probably consulted with Kim Hyunsung and Sun Hee-young and found out that everyone else had gotten a heroic-grade job. I did not know how badly he had performed during the expedition, but I did know that he felt inferior in its duration.


    It didn¡¯t help that Kim Ye-ri, who was only just a child, had gotten a job that was ssed on a higher grade than him. After all, the kid was a genius.


    ¡®She¡¯s above legendary potential.¡¯


    Kim Ye-ri¡¯s talent wasn¡¯t just limited to her stats, either. One could see her enormous potential just by looking at her. If one were to think about how well she had performed back in the Garden of Terror as a newbie, then it was natural to see an immense improvement on her next expedition. However, it appeared that Park Deokgu was not aware of this.


    Geniuses belonged to a ss far more sophisticated than the average human. I had not lived for a long time, but I¡¯d already seen a fair share of them.


    ¡®And not only on Earth¡­¡¯


    I found just many here - people who showed talent far beyond the simple understanding of many.


    Jung Hayan casually made use of revolutionary magic as if it wasn¡¯t a big deal. Sun Hee-young had the potential to be legendary and held the party¡¯s center position with her unique calmness. There was Kim Ye-ri, a kid from the slums with exceptional talent. Even Kim Hyunsung, a returner from the future, brought with him a sense of potential that was insurmountablepared to most people.


    We were the only party whose members could all be ssified as geniuses.


    Of course, even Park Deokgu had the potential to be a great adventurer, but when faced with the fact that he had natural geniuses on his team, I could understand how he must have felt.


    ¡®Everyone here is a monster.¡¯


    Even Hwang Jeong-yeon had said that she felt intimidated upon seeing Jung Hayan.


    Even so, Park Deokgu¡¯s decision to lie was quite surprising.


    Considering his personality, it would be correct to assume that he had chosen to lie without worrying about future consequences. It appeared that he prioritized his mental state above everything else, especially now that he found out I had also obtained a heroic-grade job.


    At this point, he must have felt like he was the only one being left behind.


    ¡°The job I got this time was an Archmage,¡± Hayan remarked.


    ¡°Oh?¡± I asked with a curious expression.


    ¡°Yeah. It boosts a lot of magic and increases affinity for all kinds of attributes, and it doesn¡¯t only boost elemental magic¡­ It also works the same for other types of magic. I can use magic more efficiently, and I¡¯ve also gained advanced magic knowledge. I can¡¯t say that it¡¯s amazing yet¡­¡± Hayan exined.


    ¡°No, no, that¡¯s already great!¡± I replied with a smile to cheer her up.


    ¡°Ah, my magic power also rose to 69 this time, Oppa!¡± Hayan added.


    ¡°That¡¯s brilliant, Hayan. You grew more than I thought you would,¡± I praised.


    ¡°My intelligence stats are also around 62,¡± she added.


    ¡°Why am I not surprised?¡± I asked, then she continued to bber about the group¡¯s stats.


    ¡°Hyunsung said that his stats rose to 70 as well. Sun Hee-young¡¯s stats went up by a lot, too, though she did not hunt much.¡±


    ¡®Ah, it seems like this kind of growth only applies to people like you¡­¡¯


    Park Deokgu¡¯s stats, as well as mine, only settle on the levels of 60.


    It was a little embarrassing for us to struggle at the same time, yet she grew even stronger than I did - but this didn¡¯t necessarily mean it was a bad thing.


    The stronger Jung Hayan gets, the safer I am.


    Of course, the opposite may happen to bite me in the ass, but this was good news for now. I began to appraise Hayan with my ability.


    [Archmage-Heroic Grade]


    [This is a job given to those who have the qualifications to explore the truth of magic. Magical power is increased by five, and affinity for all types of magical power is also increased. Nothing is known about the jobs that it can be changed into afterward.]


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    It was a job with a in-sounding name, but its description suited Hayan. It was a better title than, let¡¯s say, a murder mage or a madness mage.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t just Jung Hayan who had shown immense growth. The same could also be said for Kim Hyunsung.


    I couldn¡¯t determine the direction of his growth, but at least Kim Hyunsung seemed to have avoided the purest form of examination.


    [Advanced Swordsmanship Trainee-Heroic Level]


    [This is a job for those who practice learning the extremes of swordsmanship. Strength increases by 3, agility increases by 2, and magic power increases by 1.]


    There was no further exnation needed. The answer came just by looking at the description. For someone like Kim Hyunsung, a low-grade job such as this was only a passing opportunity for something greater. I knew he had chosen it for a reason. I also knew Hyunsung enough to know that he wasn¡¯t the type to make stupid choices.


    This time, he was the one who spoke.


    ¡°Ye-ri got a job as a tracker.¡±


    ¡°You mean the tracker?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± he nodded.


    ¡°As a type of archer, I thought it would be okay for her to handle small and medium-sized weapons such as daggers and swords, as well as bows. In Ye-ri¡¯s case, her stats meant she is capable of this. Her focus is on agility and magic, so her options will continue to expand,¡± Hyunsung exined.


    ¡®That¡¯s because she has no stats below the heroic level.¡¯


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t have to worry about being left alone anymore,¡± Imented.


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s right. That was quite a problem for our party. Oh, besides that, Sun Hee-young also changed her job as a Supreme Court. Her divine power has risen noticeably. Deokgu also said he got an avant-garde job rted to tanking skills.¡±


    Upon hearing this, I immediately assessed Sun Hee-young¡¯s title with my ability.


    [Dark Priest Supreme-Heroic Level]


    It seemed that Sun Hee-young had not exined her job to Hyunsung in detail. Upon hearing herself being mentioned, Sun Hee-young merely nodded.


    Her new job looked like an evolutionary version of her previous job, but I couldn¡¯t say for sure since there was no mention of any new spells or abilities.


    Whatever the case, our party was growing exceptionally well.


    Except for Park Deokgu, who was wearing an embarrassed expression, I knew we had substantially progressed.


    In truth, Park Deokgu had achieved amazing results if he stoppedparing himself to the rest of our genius party members. He would be weed wherever he went at this point.


    ¡®I need you to talk at least once¡­¡¯


    It was natural for him not to speak up when others were so fixated on their achievements. I didn¡¯t want to let my team members know that I could see everyone¡¯s stats, so it would be impossible to call Park Deokgu out on his sense of inferiority.


    ¡®There¡¯s nothing as stupid asparing yourself to a genius.¡¯


    It may sound a bit harsh, but I wanted Park Deokgu to realize that.


    Although the conversation had begun in a heavy atmosphere, it soon took on a lighter, happier tone. We soon startedughing about the mistakes they hadmitted in the dungeon and how I had been imprisoned in my workshop this entire time.


    When I heard that Jung Hayan cried every day and that Kim Hyunsung had to save the party countless times from danger, I couldn¡¯t help butugh out loud. Even Kim Ye-ri, who hardly ever spoke, had begun to participate in the conversation in a slightly more confident manner.


    It was then that the guild¡¯s door opened with a rattling sound.


    We all turned to see Lee Seolho and Lee Sang-hee, walking in with heavy expressions.


    ¡°I will prepare for the meeting right now. Please call all the remaining executives in the guild.¡±


    ¡°You mean, everyone?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. There will be no exceptions. First of all, please, convene. The meeting will be held in my private office. How many parties are there right now?¡±


    ¡°I know that the 2nd unit has returned.¡±


    ¡°The 7th unit also returned this morning, Lee Sang-hee, Lee Seolho.¡±


    ¡°If so, please send in for Hyunsung and Kiyoung as well.¡±


    ¡°Even them?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Please summon them all. I have news about the guild.¡±


    ¡°¡­Okay, that is noted.¡±


    ¡®What the hell is happening?¡¯


    It wouldn¡¯t take a genius to notice that something was wrong. Lee Sang-hee¡¯s expression, usually sopassionate and mother-like, was now very pale. Even Lee Seolho looked worried.


    ¡°You go up first. I¡¯ll catch up with youter.¡±


    ¡°Yes, please, Mr. Seolho.¡±


    I could see general guild members also making their way up, probably to alert Hwang Jeong-yeon of the sudden meeting.


    From what I could remember, the second unit lived on the fourth floor.


    ¡°Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°Kiyoung, let¡¯s head up.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes, yes, of course.¡±


    The light atmosphere just moments ago suddenly became much heavier.


    I could see Lee Seolho ncing my way. Normally, I wasn¡¯t the type to butt in others¡¯ business, but I felt my actions were slightly justified this time around.


    ¡°Others can use this time to do whatever they like. However, I rmend that you take this time to rest.¡±


    ¡°Noted.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I see.¡±


    ¡®What?¡¯


    I felt slightly disoriented by the atmosphere. I could hear the murmuring of other guild members growing louder and louder at this point. They, too, seemed to have no idea about what was going on from what I could hear.


    ¡°Kim Hyunsung, Lee Kiyoung. The Blue Guild Master is waiting for you¡­¡±


    ¡°I know. I will go up now.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Ah. Then I guess I¡¯ll head up as well.¡±


    The guild member who was undoubtedly tasked with alerting all members nodded and hurried out the door.


    As I went up to Lee Sang-hee¡¯s office in a hurry, I saw an armed guard opening the door. Kim Hyunsung and I were able to get past without hassle.


    ¡°Is everyone gathered?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I think so.¡±


    Lee Sang-hee stood in front of us with a serious expression. Hwang Jeong-yeon and Lee Seolho were with her.


    ¡®What? This is all of us?¡¯


    Only


    It was ridiculous to say that these are all the people present.


    ¡°Kiyoung, Hyunsung. Please sit down. I think it¡¯s time I deliver some bad news.¡±


    I still couldn¡¯t figure out what was going on, even after considering everyone¡¯s expressions. Kim Hyunsung, however, seemed to have an expectant look on his face.


    ¡®Does he know what¡¯s about to happen?¡¯


    It was then I realized the reason why we had even chosen to enter Blue Guild.


    ¡®He knows.¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung knew what had happened. Whatever it was, it was the reason why he had chosen for us to enter the Blue Guild, despite having countless other choices during the recruitment.


    It was then that Lee Sang-hee, designated Vice Guild Master, opened her mouth to exin.

 Chapter 85: The Crazy Old Man (1)

    <h4>Chapter 85: The Crazy Old Man (1)</h4>


    The atmosphere itself felt very heavy. Even a newborn baby would be able to sense the change.


    Lee Sang-hee, who looked hesitant, finally spoke.


    ¡°Currently, all parties except Blue¡¯s second and seventh units are isted in hero-grade dungeons. Life and death counts have not yet been confirmed, yet they have confirmed the morning¡¯s rescue signal. Considering that they had not been able to send a second signal, it seemed that there was a problem with the parties entering the dungeon.¡±


    ¡®What is this¡­?¡¯


    ¡°The exact time they entered the dungeon was on the 14th of August, and ourst contact was around 6:40 this morning. Is that right, Seolho?¡± Sang-hee added.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct,¡± Seolho replied and nodded.


    If they had entered on the 14th of August, then that meant they had gone even before we were recruited in Blue Guild. I could sense how things had gone for them.


    ¡®Their expeditions have failed¡­¡¯


    This was one of the typical reasons for the downfall of guilds. I had not yet been in Lindel long enough, yet this wasmon, obtainable knowledge.


    ¡®One expedition failure can make a small n stumble, yet two will cause even arge guild to stumble.¡¯


    The danger wasmonly known for everyone who would dare to enter a dungeon. At the same time, it was a testimony of power, which was what Lindel thrived on.


    If idents were to happen during an expedition, it would inflict not only physical injuries but also social ones. It meant that the unit or party was not as powerful as they seemed to be.


    This was why ordinary ns and guilds invested a lot in preparing for expeditions. Weaker guilds had even resorted to recruiting trial parties to estimate the dungeon¡¯s difficulty.


    If the dungeon found was a dungeon with a hero level or higher, one needed to be more careful.


    Unlike rare dungeons where simple monsters appeared followed by the boss monster, hero-grade dungeons had different mechanisms for each dungeon.


    I had not even entered one yet myself, but I knew how risky it could be.


    ¡®The Blue Guild would eventually copse because of several expedition failures.¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung must have already been aware of this situation. Sending in a rescue team must have been a predetermined procedure. Human resources were the topmost priority for every guild.


    No, before the topic of human resources, these people have been like family to each other. Blue had a long history, after all. If it were up to him, he would barge in and rescue them himself. However, there were certain procedures he still had to take note of.


    The question now was what choices we would make in light of this situation. Soon, voices rose in reaction to this. We started discussing what options we could take.


    ¡®It¡¯s a tabletop theory, anyway¡­¡¯


    ¡°Would you like to ask another guild for support?¡±


    ¡°I requested support from the Red Mercenary, but the answer is dyed due to the absence of the Mercenary Queen. We don¡¯t know how long it would take them to answer¡­ Perhaps it would be toote by then.¡±


    ¡°So, do you mean for us to barge in without any nned countermeasures?¡±


    ¡°I am not saying that. However, seeing as the rescue signal was sent just this morning, there is arge possibility that many of our personnel are still alive. That is why I called for an urgent meeting.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only right that we send in a rescue team, but we admittedly don¡¯t have a lot of power. At this point, what we need is structure, not a strategy.¡±


    ¡°If you want to organize a rescue team, retired people can also¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, but at this point, even just doing administrative work can already tire us old men out¡­¡± Lee Seolhoughed nervously.


    ¡°But our numbers aren¡¯t sufficient!¡±


    ¡°How is it not enough? We have the 7th unit, don¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°The 7th unit¡­¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the 7th party also considered as the main power of our guild?¡±


    ¡®This deranged old man¡­¡¯


    I decided to stay quiet. I could already see where this was heading. We would be sent in, regardless of what we could say in return.


    Though there would be information about the dungeon to aid us, the fact that the previous party had already failed meant that the expedition would be highly dangerous.


    Even if Hwang Jeong-yeon and Lee Sang-hee volunteered to act as the rescue team, it would still not be enough of a force.


    The question was how we should go about this. It would be ofmon opinion to dispatch a rescue team to save those in danger, but it seemed like people like Lee Seolho wouldn¡¯t be willing to throw their selves in harm¡¯s way.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t we pay an expensive amount for them? Now is the time for them to show that they¡¯re worth the money.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re a party that hasn¡¯t grown properly yet, Seolho.¡±


    ¡°Hwang Jeong-yeon, I know that very well. But isn¡¯t it the time for them to show what they¡¯re truly worth? We¡¯ll need all the help we can get.¡±


    ¡°Even if you put it that way¡­¡±


    ¡°This is a guild crisis. It¡¯s only natural for them to help out.¡±


    ¡°If you think so, why don¡¯t you also go, Lee Seolho?¡±


    ¡°As a retired adventurer, I own a weak and fragile body. I have been devoting my entire life to the guild. As much as we¡¯d love to rescue those in danger, I have to stay and protect the guild in my own way.¡±


    ¡°Ah, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Even if we go, we won¡¯t be of much help.¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­¡±


    ¡®What obvious excuses¡­¡¯


    Assessing this ridiculous atmosphere almost made meugh. I knew what this senile geezer was thinking. If Lee Sang-hee and Hwang Jeong-Yeon entered the dungeon together, the one who would reap the most benefit by staying safely behind would be him.


    ¡®Just as I thought, he¡¯s a rabid old dog.¡¯


    After analyzing him with my ability, I could say his stats weren¡¯t all that bad. He may seem like a weak man on the outside, but I could see that he still had some fight left in him. However, he doubted he could safely make it out of an expedition, which was why he chose to opt-out of the operation.


    This meant that Kim Hyunsung¡¯s party¡ªmy party¡ªwould be caught in the middle. Whether this rescue expedition seeded or not, most of the me would fall on us.


    ¡°It¡¯s still not the right time to dispatch the 7th unit.¡±


    ¡°Huh, but there¡¯s no other way, is there?¡±


    ¡°These are people who have only been in Lindel for less than a year.¡±


    ¡°But they are also guild members of Blue, who received preferential treatment, nheless!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a matter of preference. It¡¯smon sense. No guild in the city sends parties less than a year old to hero-grade dungeons. I mean, most guilds choose to dispatch trial parties¡­¡±


    ¡°Ha! A trial party, what a joke! I say we dispatch them!¡±


    ¡°Stop.¡±


    Lee Sang-hee eventually put an end to the ongoing argument.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to wait. Both Seolho and Jeong-yeon are right. No matter how fast Hyunsung and others grow up¡­ It won¡¯t help much.¡±


    ¡®This is it.¡¯


    ¡°Please protect the guild in my absence.¡±


    ¡°Ah, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop it. This is my decision. For the rest of you also going, please ready your people. Aside from this, we can only rely on the support of other guilds now¡­¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s your final decision, then¡­¡±


    I did not know if this was Kim Hyunsung¡¯s intention, but if it was, then I could understand why. If this rescue operation failed, then our party would soon be the most influential unit within Blue.


    Of course, there would be several problems to deal with, but assuming that we¡¯d be skipping a veryplicated part of the process, we would achieve our goals in a much quicker fashion.


    ¡®However, things might not go as well as we would like for them to¡­¡¯


    Conversely, it also meant that even Lee Sang-hee and Hwang Jeong-yeon might not make it back sessfully. If we were to lose two powerful members, then the story would change. We needed to make sure that this wouldn¡¯t happen.


    The fact remained, however. It would take a little more time, but the power would eventually shift to us.


    The most important thing was what choice Kim Hyunsung would take now.


    It felt very frustrating not to know what he was thinking. Of course, that didn¡¯t mean that he waspletely unreadable. I knew Kim Hyunsung would be able to see the benefits in this situation.


    ¡°We will go with you.¡±


    Kim Hyunsung reacted the way I expected him to.


    ¡°What¡­?¡±


    ¡°I already told you. We will go with you.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Thank you so much¡­ This¡­¡±


    Of course, I had to support Kim Hyunsung¡¯s decision. I did not oppose the notion. Both Lee Sang-hee and Hwang Jeong-yeon had helped me in so many ways, after all.


    ¡°Hyunsung is right. It is only right for us to go together.¡±


    ¡®Ah, but I feel so anxious¡­¡¯


    I knew there was another reason why Kim Hyunsung chose to take this path. Perhaps he was aware of the rewards we could reap from the dungeon we¡¯d be going into.


    After all, no matter how good Hyunsung¡¯s intentions were, he wasn¡¯t a saint.


    I took a deep breath and spoke.


    ¡°Recently, our whole party has been able to progress remarkably. All of us have acquired hero-level jobs as our third job, and our main stats are already in the line of 60s. In Jung Hayan¡¯s case, she has already reached the 70th level.¡±


    ¡°That¡­¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s nonsense¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, I know that this is not enough. We are aware of the fact that our stats are insufficient for hero-grade dungeons. However, we are also members of the Blue Guild. Though we are only bonded via contractual means, it does not mean that we take our responsibilities lightly.¡±


    Only


    ¡°Kiyoung¡­¡±


    ¡°I have been helped by many people. This time, I would like to lend you our services. If we judge that we cannot continue any further, we will take the necessary protocols and retreat. However, we ask you to allow us the opportunity to help.¡±


    I lowered my head a little. Everyone¡¯s reactions exploded at that moment. My actions might have seemed reckless, but it did not mean that it wouldn¡¯t garner positive attention.


    ¡°Ah, I definitely want you guys to go with us!¡±


    ¡°Haha, what a touching resolution!¡± The only blight was the old geezer¡¯s amusement.


    ¡°Lee Sang-hee, Mr. Kiyoung, and Mr. Hyunsung are volunteering. Since they have already acquired their third jobs, they may be able to be of help. Why don¡¯t you take them with you?¡±


    For all his stupidity, what the old man said was indeed correct.


    Perhaps I wasn¡¯t the only one thinking this way.

 Chapter 86: The Crazy Old Man (2)

    <h4>Chapter 86: The Crazy Old Man (2)</h4>


    ¡°That looks good.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that you had such strong minds to think about the betterment of the guild, haha.¡±


    The old geezer Lee Seolho remarked, but no oneughed with him.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only normal,¡± I muttered.


    ¡®As I said, he¡¯s deranged¡­¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know just what old men like Lee Seolho had contributed to the Blue Guild in the past. Seeing how Lee Sang-hee showed respect for old men like him made me think that they had a deep connection with the absent Guild Master, but I suppose knowing didn¡¯t matter.


    It already felt unsettling to know that the intention of my party and his ns matched.


    ¡°We¡¯ve already gained our third jobs, so that would definitely help,¡± I remarked.


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re all really amazing¡­ Worth the money¡­¡± Seolhomented.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it all thanks to the guild¡¯s support? Hahahaha¡­¡± he added.


    Hwang Jeong-yeon gazed at Lee Seolho with suspicion. It was only natural for her to do so. The man was never known for being an optimist, so his sudden pleasant disposition naturally warranted some scrutiny from the others who knew how he truly was.


    ¡°Though there are others who willingly went to participate, there¡¯re still others that insist on staying to guard the guild. Don¡¯t you ever think about participating before pushing someone else to do it?¡±


    I knew the remark was made for everyone too scared to join. It wasn¡¯t just Lee Seolho¡¯s expression who crumbled out of embarrassment upon hearing this. The others who were present also showed the same expression.


    ¡°W-Well¡­¡±


    ¡°It will be hard for us to stand in the front lines¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we can provide the needed power¡­¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t everyone here y a different role to keep the guild running? We¡¯re nonbatants in the first ce. Even Seolho Lee is retired. It will be difficult for us to gain the momentum needed to stand in the front lines.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that. To me, it looks like you¡¯re avoiding responsibility.¡±


    ¡°You talk too much.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m wrong. Just be honest and say that you don¡¯t want to go.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ Isn¡¯t that being a little too harsh?!¡±


    ¡°I think you know who among us here is being selfish right now.¡±


    Emotions shed with each other. It was natural for Hwang Jeong-yeon to make this assumption. Anyone else would¡¯ve done the same. However, we wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything about it.


    They were undoubtedly part of the nonbatant forces. It wouldn¡¯t make sense to bring them along with us. They would probably prove to be a hindrance.


    ¡°You really are all so shameless¡­¡±


    It might be a delusion, but I could almost see Lee Seolho and the others wishing for our immediate deaths in the uing expedition. It would be the perfect opportunity to take control.


    If allbatants were unable to return alive in the hero-level dungeon, they would infringe on a new system, based on the influence that the Blue Guild had cultivated, with Lee Seolho in the center.


    The world was changing, so there was no way an old geezer like him could bring the Blue Guild back to its former glory. Rather, it would make perfect sense for them to sell the guild.


    ¡®Of course, it¡¯ll alle down to money-making.¡¯


    Although there would be nobatants left within the guild, the wealth, infrastructures, and Guild House has value.


    I had also thought Kim Hyunsung was considering this, so why wouldn¡¯t they think of the same thing? What I couldn¡¯t understand was why Lee Seolho seemed like the mastermind of their group.


    ¡®Does he have some sort of backing system?¡¯


    I was almost sure of it. Old people do not take risks. Gambling was more for younger people who wished to live a stable life.


    I could almost wager that the only reason these old men were able to hold positions within the Guild was from taking advantage of countless other people¡¯s sacrifices.


    If not, it didn¡¯t matter. What mattered was that they were responsible for the rotting of the guild.


    When the atmosphere seemed to rise in intensity, Lee Seolho spoke again.


    ¡°Please stop it. Other people will also feel frustrated with what you are doing. Jeong-yeon also seems unusually excited today.¡±


    ¡°Master, but¡­¡±


    ¡°You cannot take administrative officers to a dungeon. The same goes for Lee Seolho. Considering that you are already retired and not in good shape recently, going with you is not a reasonable option. Of course, I know how Jeong-yeon feels. I feel the same way, too. Honestly, I am not happy with what you are both doing right now.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t help it¡­¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t like this before¡­ It feels embarrassing to show such unprofessionalism in front of Kiyoung and Hyunsung. The Blue Guild I imagined is not like this. Of course, your actions are reasonable. Indeed, you cannot leave the dungeon with the nonbatant army. I also know that your physical condition is not the same as before. Nevertheless¡­ I am really disappointed to see how you are all choosing to express your frustrations. No, in fact, I am most disappointed with my ipetence.¡±


    I knew regret welled up in both opposing parties¡¯ faces upon hearing this. The guilt would not go away unless they volunteered to join. Apart from this, I could also feel Lee Sang-hee¡¯s disappointment. She must have felt like she was abandoning Hyunsung and me from attaining a proper guild experience.


    Lee Sang-hee slowly began to look in our direction. I knew what she wanted to say even before she even spoke up.


    ¡°Hyunsung and Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I really am sorry to take back my previous statement. Would you mind¡­ going on this expedition with us?¡±


    Lee Sang-hee¡¯s voice trembled, and she had resorted to bowing her head. Tears had even begun to pile up in her eyes.


    ¡®This situation definitely does call for a change of mind.¡¯


    If this happened a month ago, she would never have allowed us toe along with them.


    ¡®That¡¯s why.¡¯


    Anyway, it seemed that we still had a chance of surviving, even with just 60 plus stats and a third job. I knew Lee Sang-hee had taken this into ount, which was why she changed her mind.


    I understood the urgency. This was the worst situation the Blue Guild has ever experienced, and we¡¯d need all the manpower we could get, even if we were collectivelycking. We didn¡¯t even know if anyone from the missing parties would still be alive once we got there.


    I could understand why she was willing to take every opportunity she could get.


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s answer to Lee Sang-hee¡¯s heartfelt request was obvious.


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    I had to smile at his response.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Sang-hee remarked.


    ¡°We have to do what we have to do,¡± Hyunsung added.


    Lee Sang-hee nodded and spoke again.


    ¡°Then, I shall prepare for the dispatching of the rescue team. We will immediately leave for the expedition.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s noted.¡±


    ¡°So, it stands. The second and seventh units shall go with me. Please get ready as soon as possible. We will leave in as early as half an hour.¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°For those who shall remain in the guild, please meet with the other guilds, including the Red Mercenaries. Please send a backup to the expedition as soon as contact has been made.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Seolho¡­¡±


    Lee Sang-hee called out and shifted her attention to Lee Seolho.


    ¡°Yes, Lee Sang-hee?¡± Seolho asked.


    ¡°I hope you don¡¯t disappoint me. And¡­ I¡¯ll choose to believe in you,¡± Sang-hee remarked.


    The old geezer was quick to respond in a seemingly sincere tone.


    ¡°I will repay your faith, Lee Sang-hee. As soon as we get in touch with other guilds, reinforcements wille your way.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    At this, Lee Sang-hee ran out, not wanting to dy any further. Hwang Jeong-Yeon followed suit, and even the administrative members moved with a sense of urgency. Kim Hyunsung and I did the same.


    Aftering down to the first floor, I witnessed the rest of our party members already assembled. Seeing as Sun Hee-young had taken the initiative to be in charge, it seemed that preparations for the expedition didn¡¯t need to be taken care of anymore.


    This was the perfect timing for my skills, as I had done more than just prepare for the expedition.


    ¡®What a pity¡­¡¯


    Lee Sang-hee was a good person. However, she was not an ideal leader. To put it simply, I found her way of thinking foolish.


    Faith was, of course, a good tool when dealing with great people, for example, like Deok-gun or Baek-Yi.


    Lee Sang-hee may have the same feelings for Lee Seolho and his idiotic underlings. However, it didn¡¯t necessarily mean that Seolho would pay tribute to the faith she had given him.


    I did not know the source of Lee Sang-hee¡¯s deep faith, but I could take a guess - she had faith in those she had been with for a long time. And she held the belief that even if the guild were in danger of being ruined, they would stay together until the end.


    It didn¡¯t matter if I was right or wrong. That kind of belief usually gets shattered by betrayal. In my opinion, these old geezers weren¡¯t different from the poor people that had hurt Sun Hee-young. Their only difference was the fact that they were lucky enough to score a position. They also knew how to step on others to work their way up.


    I couldn¡¯t me them for choosing to use their abilities. However, it just meant they were good at nothing else other than this trickery.


    ¡®Faith is¡­¡¯


    It was an emotion that persisted as long as both parties knew they could still benefit from each other. In the old men¡¯s eyes, they probably couldn¡¯t see any benefits that woulde from helping Lee Sang-hee out.


    ¡°We shall depart in thirty minutes¡­¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, Hayan.¡±


    ¡°Do you want me to get anything else for you, Oppa?¡±


    ¡°Ah, Hayan. I actually do. Can you get me something?¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°I have to run errands right now¡­ I don¡¯t have much time.¡±


    ¡°Sure. Just tell me what you need.¡±


    Kim Ye-ri, who was already looking in my direction with a suspicious expression, began to approach me right after Jung Hayan ran off.


    ¡®Huh. She notices things fast.¡¯


    ¡°Can you also run some errands for me?¡±


    She simply nodded her head in response.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be of great help to Hyunsung.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Can you give a letter to someone named Lee Ji-hye from the ck Swan Guild?¡±


    ¡°Lee Ji-hye?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lee Ji-hye. If it¡¯s possible, it¡¯d be better if no one sees you do it. Please don¡¯t try to read it halfway through, either.¡±


    Only


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°If you say I sent you, they will wee you. You need to go as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    She disappeared in an instant. My thoughts were in turmoil at this point. I didn¡¯t even know if I was doing the right thing. However, I knew I was correct to some extent.


    Why? One may ask.


    Because I knew nothing good woulde from putting faith into what I knew were my enemies.


    ¡°It¡¯s the perfect timing for some exposure¡­¡±


    I knew it was necessary to start removing the rotten executives from the guild.

 Chapter 87: Together Forever (1)

    <h4>Chapter 87: Together Forever (1)</h4>


    Lee Sang-hee¡¯s voice resonated within the room as I read Lee Jihye¡¯s letter brought by Kim Ye-ri.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get going.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    I stuffed the letter into my pocket and got up from my seat, nodding. By the time we left the dungeon, my n would be in progress.


    Right now, I had to focus on the expedition itself.


    The total number of members for the expedition was 14. We had six people from our party, seven people from the party managed by Hwang Jeong-yeon, and Lee Sang-hee herself, who would lead the expedition.


    Though wecked in number, we at least had some capable members.


    First of all, it was important to note that Lee Sang-hee was a pdin with a stat of 90. She was a talented individual who was not a good leader but was exceptional as abat agent. She was the best tanker of any avant-garde I¡¯d ever seen.


    Her agility level was low, but the merit of having 77 magic power and having self-healing abilities meant she was unmatched by any other tanker in Lindel.


    ¡®The same goes for Hwang Jeong-yeon¡­¡¯


    The 2nd unit also had decent overall stats. They averaged the 70 to 80 levels, and their overall potential was not bad. They were the ones who had the appropriate stats to enter the hero-grade dungeons.


    ¡°Since weck the time, we¡¯ll brief you on the way. Please note that our priority is not to clear the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Our purpose is to identify and rescue the survivors. If I determine that there are no other survivors, I will immediately call for our retreat. The rescue of the survivors is important, but your safety is more important than anything else. I hope you always keep that in mind.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course.¡±


    ¡°The level of the dungeon we are entering is of hero-grade, and the name of the dungeon is the Cursed Shrine. The types of monsters that will appear are ghosts and undead, and other detailed information has not yet been confirmed. We will search for survivors as safely as possible until backup arrives.¡±


    ¡°How long will this take?¡±


    ¡°It is a dungeon found in the undead hunting grounds within the western region of Lindel. It will take about 8 hours to get to the destination.¡±


    ¡°Ah, so it won¡¯t take that long.¡±


    Although we had prepared for the expedition in such a hurry, I still felt surprised to find out that we had scarce information about the dungeon we were entering.


    I could understand why so many parties had failed.


    No matter how much I thought about it, entering a hero-grade dungeon with little to no information beforehand seemed like a very risky endeavor one should not take.


    If the dungeon¡¯s grades were a rare grade, of course, it would be no problem at all.


    ¡®Was there any reason for them to enter?¡¯


    I thought that there was a possibility that the cause of the failure could be caused by arrogantly entering with the mindset of ¡®What could happen when I¡¯m using this amount of power?¡¯


    It was only natural for me to feel curious. Hwang Jeong-yeon saw this and approached me.


    ¡°The information is a bitcking.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s because we¡¯re in a rush.¡±


    ¡°Is there any reason?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I didn¡¯t have enough time to prepare for the expedition. It was a mistake to think about what could happen in a hero-grade dungeon because almost all the guild¡¯s power was put into the dungeon. Did you know that the Blue Guild Master is cursed?¡±


    Of course, this was the first time I heard of it.


    ¡°No. This is the first time I heard it.¡±


    ¡°Ah. It was meant to be kept under wraps. Lee Sang-hee is most likely waiting for the perfect time to tell you.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°It happened before you joined the party, Kiyoung. The Guild Master suffered a curse from an unknown force, and to dispel it, he forcefully entered the Cursed Shrine. In fact, I didn¡¯t think it was impossible at the time. The guilds members who left for the expedition were veterans specializing in hero-grade dungeons or huntingrge monsters.¡±


    ¡®Ah¡­¡¯


    It was amon mistake. If the expedition wereposed of veterans at least on Hwang Jeong-Yeon¡¯s level, they must have thought they were more than capable of legendary dungeons, much less hero-grade ones.


    ¡°Is there any info to be gained from the Cursed Shrine?¡±


    ¡°In fact, even I¡¯m not so sure about that. The curse that the Guild Master suffered was obtained in the process of discovering the Cursed Shrine, and of course, I thought there might be a solution to the dungeon that caused it. He was the one who reached out to open the dungeon entrance¡­¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    To put it simply, the Blue Guild Master was cursed for simply discovering the dungeon, so the veterans under him went in to search for a way to dispel it.


    It was as if it was the dungeon¡¯s way of attracting more adventurers.


    ¡®And to think, this is the dungeon we¡¯re about to get ourselves into¡­¡¯


    All of a sudden, I felt a little anxious. This eerily felt just like a horror movie, where the noble guys who tried to save their fallen friend would also get caught up in the bad events.


    This time, I had no choice but to hope that it wouldn¡¯t be like that.


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem surprised, Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°No, no. I just sort of expected that there was a reason for the Guild Master¡¯s absenteeism. I just didn¡¯t find it in me to dig in further. I was too busy focusing on my growth.¡±


    ¡°Ahh, yes. Lee Sang-hee probably didn¡¯t want you to worry about it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I guess you¡¯re right.¡±


    ¡°Oppa¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, Hayan.¡± Perhaps I had spent too much time talking to Hwang Jeong-yeon.


    I greeted Jung Hayan and stepped up to match her stride, and her frown immediately shifted into a smile. However, given the severity of the situation, I couldn¡¯t find it in myself to resort to hand-holding. Jung Hayan seemed to understand this since she wasn¡¯t pulling at my sleeves.


    Meanwhile, the road we were taking was an uphill that was too steep for wagons and the like.


    Since Icked in the physical category, I struggled to keep up with everyone else. However, we were still approaching our destination at a faster pace than expected.


    ¡®It¡¯s probably because of the sense of urgency.¡¯


    It was understandable for them not to show any consideration for the members with low stamina. For now, I had no choice but to match their stride while taking in health potions that I had brought with me.


    As the enemies we were going to deal with were the undead, it seemed that the priests thought it was good to save their divine power as much as possible.


    Eventually, when less than half a day had passed, we arrived at the area where the undead was located. This was the first time I encountered a monster called undead. It looked curious, snooping here and there.


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    The priests were openly frowning.


    In the case of Sun Hee-young, who had a job as a dark priest, it seems that she was not struggling as much as the rest of them, but she was certainly still affected.


    Kim Ye-ri clung onto Kim Hyunsung as if she was timider than she initially thought. Park Deokgu, originally the timid one, had a constricted expression due to the gloomy atmosphere.


    Among our party members, Jung Hayan and Kim Hyunsung were the only ones who were still in good shape. Kim Hyunsung, who knew about this area in the first ce, could not understand why Jung Hayan seemed to be smiling.


    The more we entered, the darker the atmosphere became.


    It wasn¡¯t just because it was nighttime. There was something about this ce that seemed to press on us. It felt unpleasant to continue with the damp, humid air, but we pushed through. The undead soundsing from god knows where only amplified the tension.


    To be precise, this was a ce that sparked irritation. In particr, the more we walked, the more the negative feelings within me intensified.


    ¡®Does this have something to do with the curse?¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t possibly know. Something about this ce hindered my normally critical thinking.


    ¡°Does this ce make you feel annoyed? Or is it just me¡­¡± Deokgu asked.


    ¡°I feel it too, Deokgu. It will probably get worse the deeper we get in,¡± I replied glumly.


    ¡°No¡­¡± Deokgu said in a miserable tone.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to deal with people like the undead¡­¡± he added.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped,¡± I replied coldly.


    With all the whispering and talking, it didn¡¯t take long for us to reach our destination¡ªa small room found inside the temple.


    There was something very wrong with it.


    When I flipped the bookshelf in the small room, the entrance to the dungeon came into view.


    There was one more new entrance in the room. I didn¡¯t know what exactly it was, but I noticed that it had a pendant of a beast hanging upside down, like a bad omen.


    Was this a shrine?


    ¡®It looks like a ce where the devil is being worshiped.¡¯


    Looking at the basement entrance, I thought I knew the reason why the Blue Guild Master, who found this ce, was cursed, especially considering how confident he was about his abilities.


    ¡®It¡¯s like breathing in itself can make you cursed¡­¡¯


    As I was looking around and assessing the atmosphere, Lee Sang-hee spoke up.


    ¡°I will be the first to enter. Unit 7 will follow, and unit 2 will enter right after. Priests, please recite the purification spell.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Sun Hee-young and a man from the second party could be seen reciting the spell. As soon as their light poured over us, the constricted feeling in my chest loosened a little.


    ¡®It¡¯s working.¡¯


    Everyone else nodded, and Lee Sang-hee moved.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°Oppa.¡±


    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s¡­¡±


    Of course, it is natural that we as we entered. The information of the ce immediately spilled over.


    [You have entered the heroic dungeon Cursed Shrine. The number of people [??/??] has been confirmed.]


    I thought the battle would start right away, but this wasn¡¯t the case.


    Unlike the Garden of Terror, where thendscape seemed to changepletely, the Cursed Shrine did not feel like it was separated from the outside. It felt like being in a huge shrine underneath the temple.


    The interior in itself looked sluggish for one as tense as me. As soon as I looked around, one of the archers in our group spoke.


    ¡°There doesn¡¯t appear to be anything nearby. We don¡¯t know the details yet, but the other traces around here seem to be harmless.¡±


    As the archer said, this area seemed safe. It seemed like the previous party hadpleted the attack here.


    Though the atmosphere still felt heavy, I didn¡¯t seem to be as affected as before.


    ¡°It looks like the coast will be clear for some time.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I think we can move faster for a bit.¡±


    ¡°I will do as you say. Priests, please be prepared to recite spells at any time.¡±


    ¡°Yes, okay.¡±


    It seemed like the party was approaching this a little faster than I thought, but that didn¡¯t mean we would neglect our boundaries.


    I couldn¡¯t see anything dangerous just yet, but because this dungeon had already swallowed up tons of parties in the past, I wasn¡¯t willing to let my guard down.


    ¡®It looks like they¡¯ve cleared this part with not a trace of evidence.¡¯


    One didn¡¯t need to be an archer to notice this. The deeper we got in, the cleaner the interior looked. Seeing this, I figured the previous parties did not have too much of a hard time in the beginning.


    ¡°Next¡­¡±


    Only


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to enter the next room.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be right behind you.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    It was then that I heard a voice I had never heard of until now.


    The curse will fall upon you.


    ¡®What the hell¡­?¡¯

 Chapter 88: Together Forever (2)

    <h4>Chapter 88: Together Forever (2)</h4>


    The curse will fall upon you.


    ¡®What the hell¡­?¡¯


    As everyone was looking around, I knew I wasn¡¯t the only one who had heard the voice.


    ¡°Just now¡­¡±


    ¡°Priests, please cast the purification spell once more.¡±


    ¡°Yes, alright!¡±


    Nothing was happening as of the moment, but hearing the voice had made us all tense. Honestly, I felt like leaving this ce right away.


    Lee Sang-hee and the second party remained calm, but our party seemed a little confused.


    The curse will fall¡­


    ¡°Can you feel the magic power?¡±


    ¡°No, I can¡¯t sense anything. There isn¡¯t even any divine magic¡­¡±


    I will curse these intruders¡­


    ¡°Perhaps it is a function that is nted in the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°What kind of curse is it¡­?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know yet. For now, this voice is our only lead.¡±


    ¡°Step back for now and cast the Holy Defense spell,¡± Lee Sang-hee ordered.


    Suddenly, I felt my eyes turning white from the harsh wind that had suddenly picked up. I didn¡¯t know what was happening. However, I felt dizzy. The urge to vomit was prominent. It felt like the world around me was changing. Of course, this did not seem like an appropriate expression. It wasn¡¯t easy trying to exin what kind of phenomenon we were experiencing.


    For a moment, I believed everyone around me was experiencing the same thing.


    After thendscape changed, the unknown voice spoke again, appearing a little startled.


    Why did you do that?


    Why¡­ did you abandon me?


    ¡®Ah¡­¡¯


    A familiar woman stood in front of me. I remembered who she was. She was the one I had left to be eaten by the monsters back at the tutorial dungeon. I believed I had no choice but to leave her to save myself, but I could never forget her. She had chosen to prioritize drinking water and food instead of escaping¡­


    I told myself this to ease my anxiety, but I had always felt sorry.


    ¡°What is this situation¡­?¡±


    I didn¡¯t care about the fact that she was approaching me with her intestines dropping onto the floor; the memory of her being eaten by the monsters still shed in my mind.


    I was frowning, but I wasn¡¯t scared.


    I already knew.


    ¡®This is fake.¡¯


    It hurt¡­ It hurt so much¡­ I thought you would save me¡­ Instead, you turned your back on me¡­


    ¡°Fuck.¡±


    You are a sad excuse for a human.


    ¡°Park Hyaeyoung¡­¡±


    Even the voice of Park Hyaeyoung, who died because of Jung Hayan, resonated in my ears.


    When she appeared, her arms and legs were amputated, and her eyes were full of resentment. I knew their resentment stemmed from the fact that they didn¡¯t choose themselves.


    Of course, in Hyaeyoung¡¯s case, it had been possible to save her.


    Nevertheless¡­


    ¡®I shouldn¡¯t feel guilty.¡¯


    You always defend yourself with that thought. It was a reasonable choice. I couldn¡¯t help it. It¡¯s a reasonable option. To me, you are the kind of human being that should never have existed.


    ¡°Are you even qualified to say that to me?¡±


    It was then that Jung Jinho appeared. Seeing him with a sword stuck to his neck made me feel a little queasy.


    It is no different. We are the same kind of person. We are selfish and greedy. Did Seokwoo die because he needed to?


    Now the people Sun Hee-young had killed appeared. Those rted to me were showing themselves one by one.


    ¡®Was this the curse they were talking about?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t think anyone else could see what I was seeing. It was just a hunch, but it felt like the illusion meant for me to see the things or people I would hate to see the most.


    I could sense the guilt within me, stirring me up, and it did not feel good.


    You killed us.


    ¡°Shut up,¡± I eximed. I was getting annoyed at this point.


    You only rely on rationalization. You¡¯re a coward.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with rationalizing? Humans are designed to find rationality,¡± I snapped back.


    And you feel guilty.


    ¡°It¡¯s a feeling I can have, of course, but I don¡¯t regret it,¡± I remarked coldly.


    You¡¯re worse than trash.


    ¡°Is that all you can say? The fact remains that I am the only one alive, and all of you are not. I will never change. Once a situation like that happens again, I will do the same,¡± I replied firmly.


    Someday, you¡¯ll be here with the rest of us.


    ¡°You can wish as much as you would like.¡±


    My vision then began to get much brighter. Those looking at me with those haunting expressions slowly began to scatter, and their insults began to intensify. I fell silent.


    It was not pleasant to see the bodies of those who should be dead. My entire body was soaked in a cold sweat. My legs began to shake, and my lips felt dry.


    ¡®It¡¯s fake¡­ This is all fake¡­¡¯


    You think so? Is this fake?


    ¡®Shut up.¡¯


    Even after I returned to reality, the voices never left my head.


    ¡®Sh*t.¡¯


    You killed us.


    ¡®Sh*t.¡¯


    You killed us. You!


    ¡®Damn¡­¡¯


    This was giving me more psychological damage than expected. As I gasped hard, I felt someone tapping my shoulder. I shuddered.


    ¡°Get off, right now!¡±


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    When I realized it was only Kim Hyunsung, I began to rx.


    Yes. All of that was fake. I had to return to reality.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes, I¡¯m fine.¡±


    Kim Hyunsung had sent a little bit of magic my way.


    ¡®The others¡­¡¯


    Everyone was probably going through the same thing as me, just with different illusions. As expected, an inexplicablendscape came into view.


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±


    I could see Kim Ye-ri trembling and shaking her hand relentlessly as if to get rid of something. No, it seemed like she was trying to push away whoever was approaching her.


    ¡°Stop¡­ Stop. Mom¡­ Mom! Help me! Please save me, mom¡­ Please¡­¡±


    Judging from what I could hear, she was likely reliving a memory she had back in the slums. I didn¡¯t need to see the scene to know that it was terrible.


    Park Deokgu, meanwhile, was crouching. When I saw him trembling without saying a word, I tried my best to imagine what he could see.


    Sun Hee-young was also crying. She wasn¡¯t screaming, but blood was running down her mouth. It appeared that they had all been biting their lips tightly.


    Of course, the person who showed the most iprehensible act among them was Jung Hayan.


    ¡°I hate it! I hate it¡­ Please, Oppa¡­ Oppa¡­ Oppa!¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry¡­ I did everything wrong. Please. Please¡­ I¡¯ll do better in the future. Please don¡¯t throw me away. Please¡­¡±


    ¡®Fuck.¡¯


    Honestly, I felt like her situation was serious. Tears were running down her eyes, and her nails were stained with blood. She had torn off her flesh with her hands. Seeing that her hair was sparse, it looked she had ripped off some of her hair as well.


    ¡°Oh, no¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t do that with her. Don¡¯t do that, Oppa. I¡¯m sorry¡­ I hate this! I hate it so much!¡±


    I couldn¡¯t predict just what she was seeing in herndscape. All the other people wore simr disoriented expressions, stuck in their illusions.


    Although I could see people waking up halfway through, most of them settled for falling and screaming, confusion evident on their features.


    Lee Sang-hee was busy apologizing to whoever she had encountered.


    ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m really sorry. Really¡­¡±


    I could guess what she was seeing - it was her letting down her fellow guild members. Since she had always been worried about the members in danger, I knew it was only a natural reaction.


    Hwang Jeong-Yeon, who was crying quietly, also woke up, looking around in mild panic.


    Except for Kim Hyunsung, most of those that had awakened were those who possessed high intelligence. They had individualistic differences, but their simrity in intellect was distinct. Jung Hayan¡¯s case might be peculiar, as she was the only one with high intelligence that was still stuck in herndscape.


    ¡®That¡¯s because her mind is unstable.¡¯


    ¡°Hyunsung, what happened¡­?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve also just woken up.¡±


    ¡°How long has it been?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯ve been here long. I don¡¯t really understand¡­¡±


    It had felt like hours inside my hallucinations. It was hard to believe that all of it had happened within a moment.


    Of course, in my case, I settled for solving the situation instead of grasping it. After erasing the questions lingering in my head, I spoke once more.


    ¡°How can one wake up?¡±


    ¡°It would be best to put one¡¯s magic power slowly. Divine magic will be a little more efficient, but¡­ I think it¡¯d be better for Kiyoung to focus on saving Hayan first.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Of course.¡±


    Kim Hyunsung then stepped towards Sun Hee-young¡¯s direction, deciding it would be best to free her first. Hwang Jeong-yeon thought the same thing as she approached her party¡¯s priest.


    As soon as I managed to clear my mind, the strange sensation left my body.


    I, too, slowly stepped towards Jung Hayan.


    ¡°I have to kill¡­¡±


    ¡®What was she talking about?¡¯


    ¡°I have to kill it all¡­ I have to kill them all. That way, I can be one with my Oppa. Okay. Yes. That¡¯s right. I have to kill them all.¡±


    Jung Hayan continued to mutter in a voice too quiet to be heard by others. I didn¡¯t know what she meant by ¡®bing one,¡¯ but it sure did sound scary. As I quietly approached, pushing in my magic, I felt Jung Hayan gradually awakening.


    ¡°We will always be together,¡± I whispered into her ear.


    Knowing Jung Hayan, she would snap out of it soon. And, to my expectations, she did. Her rough breathing slowly stabilized. Seeing that her body had stopped trembling, I knew she woulde to her senses sooner orter.


    Then, Jung Hayan looked in my direction.


    ¡°Oppa?¡± Hayan asked and tilted her head. Obviously, she was still recovering from her sudden awakening.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± I asked in a concerned tone.


    ¡°F-Fine¡­ Oppa¡­¡± she replied.


    ¡°H-Huh?¡±


    Jung Hayan tackled me into a tight hug. I felt suffocated, but I couldn¡¯t shake her off.


    ¡°Oppa¡­ Oppa, Oppa¡­¡±


    She kept calling me.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m here, Hayan.¡±


    As soon as I said this, Jung Hayan dissolved into sobs. It felt like taking care of a child who had just experienced a nightmare, but it didn¡¯t feel all too bad.


    You¡¯ll throw her away too.


    Although the voices never left me, it was natural for me to ignore them. This was the effect of the curse, after all.


    It¡¯s not an effect of the curse. It¡¯s the voice you hear in your own heart.


    Perhaps I wasn¡¯t the only one who was hearing voices inside their heads. Even after some of the others had woken up, they continued to talk to themselves.


    Eventually, no one will be left by your side. You¡¯ll have thrown them all away. Those next to you will also look at you with contempt someday. Someday¡­


    ¡°Is it really you, Oppa?¡± Hayan asked.


    Only


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me,¡± I replied.


    ¡°It¡¯s really Oppa¡­¡± she remarked. Her facial expression went from miserable to hopeful instantly.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡±


    Jung Hayan¡¯s anxiously spoke, trying to make sure that I was real, that this wasn¡¯t just another illusion. It made me wonder what kind of voice she was hearing in her head.


    I gulped while I continued to look down at Jung Hayan.


    ¡®This doesn¡¯t feel right¡­¡¯


    Jung Hayan¡¯s condition didn¡¯t seem too stable.


    In fact, she seemed like a bomb that could detonate at any minute.

 Chapter 89: Together Forever (3)

    <h4>Chapter 89: Together Forever (3)</h4>


    It wasn¡¯t just Jung Hayan who was acting this way.


    I couldn¡¯t say that the others were doing better than her, but they still exhibited signs of paranoia and anxiety even after their illusions had gone.


    Kim Ye-ri was one of them.


    That kid had always expressed a calm disposition, but now she was tightly clinging onto Kim Hyunsung, and fear was evident in her expression.


    As she was still just a child, I could understand why she would react that way. I didn¡¯t know what she had seen, but I was almost sure it had been one of her most traumatizing experiences.


    The same went for Jung Hayan. I could almost guess her illusion was taking the form of me abandoning her. Because of this, I realized that the curse was made to target the weak points of every individual present.


    Slowly, however, everyone awakened. Though they had escaped the influence of the curse, no one dared to speak.


    As I soothed a trembling Jung Hayan, gently stroking her hair, Lee Sang-hee spoke up.


    ¡°Phi, please report the damage situation.¡±


    ¡°Ah, the curse seems to be purely mental. It creates hallucinations for anyone whoes across it.¡±


    ¡°Is there anyone who can¡¯t move?¡±


    ¡°No one has been injured.¡±


    No physical damage had been inflicted. However, it had caused a great toll on everyone mentally. Now, I was beginning to understand why the previous Blue Guild parties had been annihted here.


    If the curse continued to haunt everyone here, or if it would begin to get worse¡­


    ¡®That¡¯s when the situation can get out of hand.¡¯


    Lee Sang-hee massaged her temples for a moment before speaking once more.


    ¡°Can anyone hear voices inside their head?¡±


    She received no answer.


    When it was apparent that no one dares to speak up, I did.


    ¡°I can.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°I think it will be the same for the others.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think the divine cleansing spell is effective. The curse is probably built into the dungeon itself. It¡¯s most likely triggered when entering a certain area, or when one has stayed for some time.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s a good line of reasoning.¡¯


    Lee Sang-hee had gone back to her poised self. I nced at Kim Hyunsung and saw him nodding, which meant that she had given a correct hunch.


    ¡°However, the symptoms might get worseter on. If this kind of curse is activated when we¡¯re facing the undead¡­¡±


    She didn¡¯t need to exin further. It would cause severe damage to the party. However, I knew the undead wasn¡¯t the real problem here; the curse was.


    Undead or ghost, it didn¡¯t matter. They were trivial appetizers. As the dungeon¡¯s name suggested, the real obstacle in this ce would be the curse inflicted upon us.


    Eventually, you will be left alone.


    ¡®Shut your mouth.¡¯


    I knew we would not be able to control the situation unless we got used to the curse. Though Lee Sang-hee, Kim Hyunsung, and I had already adjusted, I knew Hyunsung¡¯s situation was different from ours.


    However, it was well known that Kim Hyunsung¡¯s party was growing fast. It would be no exaggeration to say that our growth speed was iprehensible. Even I had been able to catch up, thanks to Tucker and my resources.


    It went without saying that our specs could reach up to legendary. However, just because we had high potential didn¡¯t automatically mean we were strong.


    Our party had a load of mental problems. The growth of one¡¯s mind can¡¯t possibly be on par with the growth of the body.


    ¡®Was this Kim Hyunsung¡¯s goal all along?¡¯


    Perhaps Kim Hyunsung had brought us along for this very purpose? However, the more I thought about it, the more it seemed unlikely. I knew he wasn¡¯t the type to disregard the possibility of people losing their lives. If this were a normal dungeon, he wouldn¡¯t have hesitated to send us in.


    ¡®The situation is serious now.¡¯


    Our party wasn¡¯t the only one suffering. The rest of the group was, too.


    In this kind of situation, there were only three options avable.


    The first was to return.


    There was too little information about the dungeon itself. It didn¡¯t matter if our main focus was to rescue our guild members. If the previous expedition leader had been more cautious, he would have chosen this option.


    The second was to continue.


    This was not rmended. As we didn¡¯t know our survivors¡¯ condition, there was a sense of urgency that couldn¡¯t be ignored.


    The third one was¡­


    ¡°First of all, it would be better to set up a camp here.¡±


    ¡®Right.¡¯


    ¡°For melee workers, please form a group and search the surroundings. Try to find information that can help with our next strategy. The rest of the people will set up camp here. Please prepare a meal. It¡¯s about time for us to take a break. The second unit should take charge.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯lle with you.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ But are you feeling okay?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I don¡¯t know why, but I don¡¯t seem to have been heavily influenced by the curse. Although I can hear the voices¡­ It¡¯s not enough to bother me.¡±


    ¡°Ah. If so¡­ Then please do, Mr. Hyunsung.¡±


    I think this was the best option we could have taken. Even before we had been cursed, the entire party already felt exhausted.


    It had been over half a day and six hours since we had entered the shrine. If we continued to push ourselves to search in this state, we¡¯d reach our limits and burn out faster than we¡¯d think.


    In particr, our priests and sorcerers were the ones who had worked themselves out the most, so it was only proper to give them ample time to rest.


    ¡°After we rest here, we can resume tomorrow morning. If we don¡¯t find anything or anyone after three days, we¡¯ll retreat. And¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯d be better for all of you to find a way around your curse.¡±


    ¡°Is that even possible?¡±


    I felt like it wasn¡¯t. Usually, a curse was semi-permanent.


    ¡°Yes, it is. For now, please focus on recovering your body. The countermeasures will be formed after the search team returns.¡±


    Once Lee Sang-hee finished speaking, a few people with high agility stats, including Kim Hyunsung and Kim Ye-ri, stood up and went out.


    Meanwhile, the rest of us did our best to set up camp.


    Seeing that he was so willing to head out, it seemed that Kim Hyunsung had some sort of n as to how we were going to tackle this situation.


    ¡®Maybe he knows of another hint.¡¯


    If their task was to risk themselves searching for more information, then our task wasn¡¯t just to set up camp. It was also to help ease everyone¡¯s mentality.


    I didn¡¯t even have to ask for confirmation¡ªthis task was up to me.


    Contrary to Sun Hee-young, who had quickly found stability, Deokgu, who still had a nk expression stered on his face, looked like he needed some help.


    I didn¡¯t need to do much with Jung Hayan. She¡¯d be alright as long as I was beside her.


    Seeing that people were having conversations as they worked, I thought that would be my best course of action.


    ¡°Deokgu.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Hyung¡­¡±


    He had on a remarkably shaky expression as he looked up at Jung Hayan and me.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± I asked.


    ¡°W-Well, of course,¡± Deokgu replied.


    ¡°I¡¯m asking you seriously,¡± I said firmly.


    ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t have to worry about me, Hyung. Take good care of Hayan because I can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡®This pig¡­¡¯


    ¡°What did you see?¡±


    ¡°Nothing special.¡±


    Park Deokgu seemed to think that opening up would mean he would be even more of a burden. As I quietly assessed him, I could see the anxiety written on his face. So, I took the initiative.


    ¡°I heard the voices of those I killed or those who died in front of me.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°I saw Yoo Seok-woo and Park Hyaeyoung, who could not be saved. Of course, I also saw the faces of Jung Jinho and his men. He told me I was going to die soon. They even told me not to rationalize their deaths.¡±


    He fell silent.


    ¡°How about you?¡±


    Park Deokgu¡¯s expression shifted into worry, to the point where I wondered if it was right for me to push him into telling. Perhaps it was about his weakness or trauma, so it was only natural for me to be careful.


    However, I knew it was necessary for him to speak, so I could help him out.


    ¡°Well, I¡­ Hyung, I saw you and the other party members die. I was fighting a giant monster¡­ I wasn¡¯t able to do so because I couldn¡¯t hold onto it. I also hesitated upon seeing both of you injured¡­ I¡­ Ugh¡­¡±


    It was quite a shock to see tears forming in Deokgu¡¯s eyes as he spoke, and he stuttered in a way that one would think he was choking.


    I knew Park Deokgu was weak, but I didn¡¯t think he¡¯d be this weak.


    ¡°Even when I killed Yoo Seokwoo¡­¡±


    Park Deokgu couldn¡¯t find it in himself to look at the scene.


    ¡°Then I saw all of you ming me, that you all died because of me¡­ It¡¯s all because of me¡­ I wasn¡¯t doing anything, just shivering¡­ The same situation came again, but I couldn¡¯t move¡­¡±


    ¡°And after that?¡±


    ¡°It was the same after that¡­ Never changing¡­¡±


    ¡°Can you still hear the voices?¡±


    I could see him nodding.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I can hear all of you.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°The voices of Hayan and you. I can also hear the voice of Hyunsung Hyung, and the voice of Hee-young Eunni, as well as Kim Ye-ri. Are you experiencing the same?¡±


    ¡°Of course, even now. But it doesn¡¯t hurt me much.¡±


    ¡°As expected of my Hyung¡­¡±


    ¡°You can do the same. What you¡¯re seeing are simple hallucinations.¡±


    I did not mean to say this for Park Deokgu only, but also for Sun Hee-young and Jung Hayan.


    ¡°There is no reason to be shaken, and there is also no need to worry. It¡¯s all just bullsh*t anyway. Don¡¯t let it bother you. Focus on what you see now.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°If I can do it, you can do better, Park Deokgu.¡±


    ¡°A-Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Remember that. If I can do it, you can do better.¡±


    Of course, I didn¡¯t mean that. However, I knew it would help him to an extent.


    After that, we delved into discussions covering various topics. We had a short talk with Sun Hee-young, and we had a meal with Lee Sang-hee, Hwang Jeong-yeon, and Kim Hyunsung to discuss our next strategy.


    Of course, it was only natural that I invested the most time inforting Jung Hayan. I needed to keep her mind off things by keeping up the conversation. I thought about talking to her the way I had talked to Park Deokgu, but I knew that tactic wouldn¡¯t be as efficient.


    In fact, I didn¡¯t even want to recall what I had seen again. Just talking about it meant I had to do my best to seem unaffected once more.


    Anyway, her situation was different from Park Deokgu¡¯s.


    Although everyone was sensitive to the situation, I knew they could survive through it. All we had experienced were hallucinations, after all.


    ¡®Anyway, everyone has taken a short break¡­¡¯


    It can be said that this was the best choice. It would be difficult to get some proper sleep, but because I was tired of the long journey, it didn¡¯t be a problem for me.


    Only


    ¡®Ah¡­¡¯


    At some point, however, I could sense Jung Hayan staring my way, heightening my senses.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be together forever. Yes¡­ no. Oppa won¡¯t do that. You are stupid. My Oppa told me to ignore your words. You are not real.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know who she was talking to, but she eventually leaned in to whisper in my ear.


    ¡°I won¡¯t listen to you, stupid idiot. My Oppa shouldn¡¯t die. I¡¯m going to live with him forever.¡±


    ¡®Sh*t¡­¡¯


    ¡°We¡¯ll be together forever. We can stay here for all time, Oppa. Hehehe¡­¡±


    Her creepy voice sent shivers down my spine.

 Chapter 90: Together Forever (4)

    <h4>Chapter 90: Together Forever (4)</h4>


    ¡°We¡¯ll be together forever. We can stay here for all time, Oppa. Hehehe¡­¡±


    Her creepy voice sent shivers down my spine.


    I knew Jung Hayan wasn¡¯t expecting me to flinch from the way she had been acting, so I chose not to move. In the first ce, her mentality was obviously not healthy.


    Sun Hee-young had a simr mindset, but she already had her own set of values in ce. She was essentially different from Jung Hayan, who relied entirely on me. Their biggest differencey in the fact that one knew how to control herself, and the other one didn¡¯t.


    I didn¡¯t know who Jung Hayan was hearing, but¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to listen to you. So don¡¯t talk to me. I won¡¯t listen, anyway.¡±


    Perhaps it was some twisted version of me.


    In context, it was correct to think so. After all, I¡¯m her biggest weakness.


    ¡°My Oppa can¡¯t die¡­ I¡¯m only going to cut your legs. You¡¯re going to run away? There¡¯s no way you¡¯re going to do that because you said you loved me. There¡¯s no way. If you do that, you¡¯re going to be hurting, and I don¡¯t like that.¡±


    Momentarily, I felt her hand stroking my leg. I wanted to scream, to resist, but I could not.


    I should have been sleeping soundly by now.


    ¡°You still don¡¯t know? Huh. You don¡¯t have to do that. If I cut off his arms, he won¡¯t have a hand that will stroke my head, idiot. He wouldn¡¯t even be able to hug me tight¡­ You are an idiot.¡±


    ¡®Sh*t.¡¯


    Her condition seemed to be getting worse.


    Right now, I could hear another voice in addition to Jung Hayan¡¯s.


    Hearing Jung Jinho and Park Hyaeyoung constantly invading my head irritated me. Since the curse ovepped with one¡¯s mentality, I knew all of us must be feeling worn.


    The curse eroded the mind faster than anything else. I knew it should not affect us, but in truth, it was honestly affecting Jung Hayan on argely negative scale.


    Nevertheless¡­


    ¡®She¡¯s notpletely crazy yet¡­¡¯


    I was sure of this because she knew not to act in that manner when other people were present. As long as she was acting sanely, it would all be okay.


    With these thoughts, I tried my best to stay quiet.


    ¡°Oppa seems to be awake¡­?¡±


    I froze when I heard it.


    ¡°No¡­ He has never awakened once. Oppa doesn¡¯t get up easily once he falls asleep. I cast magic on him, too¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah. This isn¡¯t the Guild House. I forgot¡­¡±


    ¡®Ah¡­¡¯


    Though my eyes were closed, I could still feel Jung Hayan moving closer. This was because I could feel her rough breathing right against my skin.


    I knew she was checking to see if I was actually asleep.


    After some time, she kissed me lightly on the lips and drew back.


    ¡®Ah¡­¡¯


    Feeling her move away, it seemed that she¡¯d decided it would be better to stay away from me.


    Still though, I didn¡¯t dare to move.


    Jung Hayan moved to another position. After some time, I thought about finally opening my eyes, however¡­


    ¡°Ah, so I was right. You¡¯re still sleeping, aren¡¯t you, Oppa?¡±


    Then she moved away again.


    I tried to sleep as much as possible, which wasn¡¯t a problem with my drowsiness. To put it inly, dungeons were no longer a problem for me.


    ¡®But I have more pressing matters to attend to.¡¯


    It was more important to solve this situation.


    In the first ce, Jung Hayan¡¯s abnormal behavior wasn¡¯t easily recognizable. It was also iprehensible that she had cast magic in my room and on myself.


    But she hadn¡¯t done that to hurt me. She had done it to protect me from any possible enemy.


    This was her own way of showing that she cared for me a lot.


    Simply put, Jung Hayan had never once shown that she intended to hurt me.


    The current situation felt different, however.


    ¡®Now, she¡¯s¡­¡¯


    Now it felt like a possible endeavor for her to take, especially after experiencing the hallucination. In fact, she must probably already be nning it.


    ¡®To stay together forever in this dungeon for the rest of our lives¡­¡¯


    I shuddered.


    In the first ce, the idea of ??thinking that drinking water and food can be obtained here was ridiculous. Drinking water could somehow be obtained by magic, but this was not a ce where humans could live.


    Of course, I wasn¡¯t sure if Jung Hayan was really entertaining the possibility, but it only felt right to act on it before she even attempted to.


    Assuming that Jung Hayan had really made up her mind, she had two options.


    One was to kill and hide those who had entered this ce. The other one was to disappear after taking only me.


    Although it seemed to me that the second option was more viable, there was no guarantee that she would not choose the first if things got worse than it was now.


    ¡®Although¡­¡¯


    I didn¡¯t think Jung Hayan would be able to kill everyone in this expedition.


    ¡®Knowing her specs, it¡¯s still a possibility.¡¯


    Jung Hayan was smarter and more resourceful than I would like to admit.


    The ce where we were now was a dungeon that had swallowed up the five previous Blue parties, and everyone had been afflicted with hallucinations. It didn¡¯t matter if Kim Hyunsung was a returner. Jung Hayan was still a very unpredictable variable.


    Suppose Jung Hayan¡¯s n was put into action andpleted sessfully. In that case, the dungeon we were in now might be renamed to a legendary dungeon, not a heroic-grade dungeon depicting a cursed shrine, but a legendary dungeon with a mad wizard and a cursed shrine.


    ¡®The mad wizard and the cursed shrine¡­¡¯


    It was an ominous-sounding thought.


    From Jung Hayan¡¯s perspective, anyone who dared to enter would be seen as an intruder in our own nest of love. It would be the best bad ending out of all possible scenarios.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t want to waste my whole life away in an area like this.


    This may be a safe andfortable ce, but my freedom would always be suppressed.


    ¡®What should I do¡­¡¯


    There were many options, but the first was to fix her mentality as soon as possible. In addition topleting the expedition¡¯s task, I had one more thing to do.


    As I busied myself in my next course of action, day approached our group. The first voice I heard was Jung Hayan¡¯s.


    ¡°It¡¯s time to get up, Oppa.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Huh.¡±


    As I nodded and looked up at her, her status window reflected in front of me.


    [Check the yer¡¯s status window and potential ability.]


    [Name - Hayan Jung]


    [Title - None. You should try a little more.]


    [Age - 21]


    [Alignment -???]


    [Job - Archmage - Heroic Grade]


    [Capacity]


    [Strength - 17/Growth limit: Rare or less]


    [Agility - 15/Growth limit: Rare or less]


    [Health - 29/Growth limit: Heroic or less]


    [Intellect - 61/Growth limit: Heroic or higher]


    [Durability - 22/Growth limit: Rare or less]


    [Luck - 52/Growth limit: Heroic or higher]


    [Mana - 70/Growth limit: Legendary or higher]


    [Equipment - Holy Protection]


    [Talent - How to Be a Wizard - Heroic Grade]


    [Generalment - Her growth rate is outstanding. yer Jung Hayan has a near-perfect understanding of magic. It seems that it is still difficult to advance her mind to the next level, but she is expected to gain momentum soon. I am very sorry to mention yer Lee Kiyoung. It is noticeable that her tendency is changing. If you don¡¯t want to transform the Cursed Shrine into a new type of dungeon, you should take some action. I¡¯ve hardly been affectionate, but I hope you survive.]


    ¡®Ah, so it¡¯s true¡­¡¯


    Fortunately, her change in disposition was not yetplete. I didn¡¯t know what the question mark meant, but the general review literally stated that Jung Hayan was at a crossroads.


    I didn¡¯t know what her tendency to change would be like, but it could very well be a positive change.


    When I looked at Jung Hayan again, I could see her acting like how she always was with me. Because of this, I felt embarrassed at my inability to act as casually as I would¡¯ve liked.


    ¡°Hehehe.¡±


    However, it was natural for me to cover up for my blunder. As I smiled and stroked her face, she looked very happy.


    ¡°Can you still hear the voice? Hayan?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I still hear it at times, but it¡¯s okay now. They¡¯re all just hallucinations.¡±


    ¡°What exactly has it been saying?¡±


    ¡°I do not know. I can¡¯t hear them well anymore. You don¡¯t have to worry.¡±


    Of course, she was lying.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m d. Anyway, we need to go soon. What about the others?¡±


    ¡°I heard that we would leave in half an hour. Everyone seems to be organizing their luggage¡­¡±


    We held hands at this point. I also smiled and kissed Jung Hayan on the lips. She then wrapped her arms around my neck, but we both knew we couldn¡¯t do anything further. It was time to move.


    However, with the way we were acting, it was almost like we were old lovers.


    For a long while, a blush stayed on Jung Hayan¡¯s face.


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    This was not a bad reaction. It felt like it would be better for me to move a little more actively, and it seemed to be working so far.


    Of course, it was natural for me to keep her close and continue to shower her with praises. I thought that what Jung Hayan needed now was greater affection. At least, when she was with me, her condition didn¡¯t seem to be worsening.


    ¡°Are you ready to leave?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve prepared everything.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Thanks. Then, shall we go out?¡±


    ¡°Ah. Oppa, wait¡­ I actually have something to say.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°The other day¡­ Um, aboutst time.¡±


    ¡°Huh. What about it?¡±


    ¡°We do¡­ First¡­ You know when you first kissed me, right?¡±


    Of course, I remembered.


    Before going to Cha Hee-ra, I kissed Jung Hayan to reassure her that I wouldn¡¯t leave her.


    ¡°Then¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You said you loved me, right? You said I was the only one.¡±


    ¡°Of course you are.¡±


    ¡°Even now¡­ Do you feel the same? You love me, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡®This¡­¡¯


    It was hard to tell what the right answer was.


    However, after assessing her nces, I realized I had another option. If I thought about it, I could simply just nod.


    However, it was very difficult to tell if this was really the correct answer.


    One wrong move could change her disposition.


    As I was thinking about this, Jung Hayan spoke once more, a little more forcefully this time.


    ¡°You love me, right?¡±


    At the urgency in her tone, I feltpelled to answer.


    Only


    ¡°Of course, I love you now, and I will continue to love you in the future.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ thank God!¡±


    ¡°By the way¡­ Why are you asking this all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s nothing¡­¡±


    Her expression showed pure joy, but it was still hard to tell if I had given her the correct answer or not. There hadn¡¯t been a change in disposition yet.


    ¡°I love you too, Oppa.¡±


    ¡°Me, too¡­¡±


    It was then that a change urred with Jung Hayan¡¯s status window.

 Chapter 91: Together Forever (5)

    <h4>Chapter 91: Together Forever (5)</h4>


    It was then that a change urred with Jung Hayan¡¯s status window.


    [Alignment - Fallen Advocate]


    Bile rose up my throat.


    ¡®It wasn¡¯t the right answer.¡¯


    Though I had realized this, I also knew I had no other answer to choose from. This was because I didn¡¯t know how she would react if I went the other way and said I didn¡¯t love her anymore.


    If neither seemed like the correct answer, then it was best to behave predictably.


    However, in this case, I could already predict the oue. I had to act as naturally as possible, so I continued to smile andugh as if nothing was wrong.


    ¡®I need toe up with a countermeasure¡­¡¯


    As I had mentioned earlier, I not only had to help save the survivors but also find a way to control Jung Hayan. Although many options came to mind, I soon found out which would be the most effective method to take.


    I¡¯ve never thought about excluding Jung Hayan in any situation, but I knew it would work as ast resort.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back in a minute, Hayan. I need to consult with Hyunsung and Sang-hee.¡±


    ¡°Alright, Oppa!¡±


    It was time for the executives to talk.


    Hwang Jeong-yeon, Kim Hyunsung, and Lee Sang-hee, who were already huddling together and talking, came into sight.


    ¡°A small statue?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°I could see that they were installed in certain areas, and for a while, I could feel the voices in my head disappear. I think it temporarily represses the curse¡­¡±


    ¡°So basing off of that, will it be safe to assume that there is a safety zone in each area?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if there will still be statues that will have the same effect in other areas, but¡­ It will at least help us to an extent. Divine magic is hard to get by, especially against the curse, so we should make the most of this discovery.¡±


    ¡°Thank God for that. Honestly though, I feel like the curse¡¯s cycles are getting shorter¡­¡±


    ¡°The statue¡¯s a little far from here.¡±


    As I approached, the others greeted me with a nod. Based on what I could hear, it seemed like Kim Hyunsung had discovered a possible safe zone against the curse.


    ¡®Huh, not bad.¡¯


    I knew we were bound to find it sooner orter, but being able to discover this as early as now was definitely impressive.


    ¡°How is the 7th unit doing?¡± Kim Hyunsung asked and looked at me.


    Now that he¡¯de back from scouting, it was understandable that he¡¯d ask about them.


    ¡°They asionally show signs of anxiety, but it¡¯s not too bad. Sun Hee-young, in particr, doesn¡¯t seem too affected. It¡¯s like she doesn¡¯t hear any voices at all.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not really sure, but I think intelligence stats y a big part in resisting the curse.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°How about the 2nd unit?¡±


    ¡°Those with lower intelligence specs in our party do seem to be more affected quickly. However, the situation isn¡¯t that serious yet. What I¡¯m worried about is how they will be if this cursests for another three days or a week¡­¡±


    ¡°Thankfully though, there are ces where we can rest free from the curse. I¡¯m hoping the priests can prioritize the lower intelligence party members. I¡¯m not sure if your hunch is correct, but it¡¯s worth a try. If any other information is gathered, please let us know immediately. It doesn¡¯t matter if it sounds trivial.¡±


    ¡°Alright, will do.¡±


    ¡°Then, we¡¯ll continue after the cleanup. As we have discussed, we will proceed with the search with Mr. Hyunsung in the lead.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    All of us nodded at this. Lee Sang-hee¡¯s business seemed to be over, but mine wasn¡¯t.


    ¡°Hyunsung, I will talk with Jeong-yeon for a moment before I get back.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes, okay.¡±


    Kim Hyunsung looked puzzled, and even Hwang Jeong-yeon looked surprised. However, she also looked curious as to what I wanted to talk to her about.


    After a moment, Hyunsung excused himself from the conversation, leaving Jeong-yeon and me to talk.


    ¡°How are you feeling?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m doing fine. How¡¯re you, Jeong-yeon?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, too. It seems that having a high intelligence stat certainly has a positive effect. Looking at Kiyoung makes me think he wasn¡¯t cursed at all.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no, I only look fine on the outside.¡±


    ¡°No way. You were able to awaken right away when you get afflicted with the curse. That kind of hurts my pride, hahaha¡­¡±


    ¡°Have you found out anything else?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s enough yet, though. I¡¯ll try and collect more data.¡±


    ¡°For example?¡±


    ¡°For example, the frequency of the voices. I hear a voice every 10 minutes and 46 seconds. It is getting shorter by 38 seconds every hour. The triggers ur slowly if you are resting without doing anything. Of course, there are individual differences, so it¡¯s not urate, but it¡¯s what I¡¯ve found out on my end.¡±


    ¡°Ah. It certainly helps to have a good memory.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Of course, it¡¯s not nice to hear the motherfuckers¡¯ voices more and more vividly. What¡¯s up, by the way? Are you trying to keep your promisest time?¡±


    ¡°No, the time isn¡¯t right for now. Park Deokgu¡¯s struggling a lot from the curse as well.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I did see Jung Hayan depending on you¡­ How romantic!¡±


    ¡°The situation¡¯s not really romantic¡­ I think Hayan¡¯s being influenced by the curse.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°She just doesn¡¯t seem like she is on the outside.¡±


    ¡°Is it because you two have been together for so long that you can notice the subtle differences?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go with that line of reasoning, yes.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ Why didn¡¯t you tell Lee Sang-hee or Hyunsung?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s something I have to solve by myself.¡±


    ¡°It would be nice to inform them, though. Our dungeon strategy can go wrong if even the smallest variable changes. If Jung Hayan is not in good condition, it¡¯ll be a better option to leave the dungeon first.¡±


    ¡°No, there is no guarantee that this curse will be stopped even if we exit the dungeon¡­¡±


    More dangerous things may happen if I chose that option. It would be better to stick to everyone.


    ¡°At least you know, Jeong-yeon. If something goes awry, at least I have an insurance policy.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m ttered for the trust, but it¡¯s hard to say I¡¯m confident enough to know what to do. I¡¯m not going to tell them, but I also have a stressful situation to take care of. What can I do for you?¡±


    There was no reason for me to prolong it any longer. I spoke.


    ¡°Can you use illusion magic, hallucination magic, or psychological magic?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Psychological magic is impossible.¡±


    ¡®Ah¡­¡¯


    ¡°I can, however, do hallucinations or illusion magic. The psychological aspect isn¡¯t actually impossible, but it¡¯s tooplex for me toprehend. I¡¯m sure you know this.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know that it¡¯s very difficult.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that easy. Fantasies and hallucinations have little effect on high-intelligence people, and even low-intelligence people can resist if they have high magical power. Psychological magic is the same. No matter how much the person tries to ept the magic, humans instinctively tend to push away what suddenly invades their minds.¡±


    I already knew this. However, when I heard that it was impossible right from the beginning, I deted a little. However, I held onto the hope that Jeong-yeon was the type who loved making the impossible happen.


    ¡°It won¡¯t be possible to do at this point.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be a different subject if the subject was cursed?¡±


    ¡°It will still be a difficult endeavor.¡±


    ¡°Then what if there were medications to help? Or a catalyst?¡±


    ¡°Are you talking about the way you use your magic?¡±


    ¡°Yes. In addition to that, there was a potion I¡¯ve been working on, a potion that can tap into people¡¯s emotions. Of course, it doesn¡¯t really touch your emotions, but you can at least experience a simr effect.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Would it be possible?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly¡­ It¡¯ll be abination of potion and illusion magic treatment. It seems like it¡¯ll be more effective, though. Humans instinctively remove barriers with potions. However, with the curse, it seems like one¡¯s mental state will have been weakened.¡±


    I stayed quiet as Hwang Jeong-yeon continued to mutter to herself. It seemed like she was mulling the theory over in her head. It felt a little interesting to watch her.


    ¡°If this actually bes a sess, it would make it easier for us to attack the dungeon. Of course, it¡¯ll require several experiments, but¡­ No matter how fast¡­¡±


    ¡°I think it would be better to skip all the chores and start the experiment right away. I have a test subject that I can use.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    She tilted her head at my sudden revtion.


    ¡°I think it would be better to try it on myself. I¡¯m the one who knows the most about this potion.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Would it be possible?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t give you a definite answer. It sounds like fun, though. Let¡¯s have clinical trials every time we take a break. If you ever have any problems¡­¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t happen.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t guarantee sess, but it was necessary to gamble at this stage if I wanted to maintain a safe rtionship with Jung Hayan.


    Of course, I knew that there would be a negative effect if Jung Hayan saw me cozying up to Hwang Jeong-yeon.


    ¡®It¡¯s all part of the n.¡¯


    Considering the big picture, this didn¡¯t seem like a bad option.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go and talk to Hyunsung for a moment,¡± I informed her.


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°For the time being, we¡¯ll be moving with the second unit.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It would be nice to do so. No, it would be better to send one of our party members. I have a lot to do from now on. It would be nice to tell other people that we are researching the dungeon. I don¡¯t know when the monsters wille out, but for now, I¡¯ll be able to experiment freely.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±


    Only


    ¡°Did you bring catalysts?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I also brought some Alchemy kits, so you don¡¯t have to worry.¡±


    ¡°Three days. I¡¯ll be able to figure this out in three days.¡±


    ¡°If you can achieve it in a shorter timeframe, then please do so.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I can, but my supplies are at least sufficient. If you can¡¯t produce the result, you¡¯ll develop a sense of inferiority.¡±


    ¡°This time, Jeong-yeon is the doctor.¡±


    ¡°Yes, my assistant. I am.¡±

 Chapter 92: Together Forever (6)

    <h4>Chapter 92: Together Forever (6)</h4>


    ¡°How¡¯s the reaction?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure how to answer that¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re okay with this? You¡¯re not feeling any abnormalities, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it seems okay so far. In fact, the data I¡¯ve gathered in previous trials had no problems with the body, so you don¡¯t have to worry about that.¡±


    ¡°When did you do such an experiment again¡­?¡±


    I had used it when I sessfully tried to lure Sun Hee-young into joining our party. At that time, I had obtained satisfactory results, but I had to stop the research overall because there had been so many limitations.


    I never thought it would be helpful in a ce like this. It seemed like every little thing had a chance of being useful every once in a while.


    ¡°How about making the concentration a little thicker?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not good to put too much. This is just the right amount, especially if you n to use magic againter on. Otherwise, it could trigger an effect on the body.¡±


    ¡°No, if you think about using it to try and resist the curse, it will outperform the curse.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Admiral Lee.¡±


    ¡°I think it would be okay to approach with simr effects.¡±


    ¡°It feels like we¡¯re moving in circles.¡±


    ¡°To be precise, we¡¯re not going back to square one. I think most of them are ready for this¡­¡±


    ¡°The problem is that you¡¯re not entirely confident about the results yet, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then you¡¯ll have to rewrite the form. It looks like today will be tough.¡±


    Even the simple exchange of opinions worked. I couldn¡¯t believe that it had only been a day since I felt hopeless about my situation. Who knew we could make so much progress?


    The main reason was that Hwang Jeong-yeon and I proved to be a good match.


    In the beginning, I only nned on coborating with her for the sake of getting my third job, but our rtionship turned out to be more beneficial than I thought.


    Of course, it didn¡¯t mean we were bound for intimacy. It was just that we were more efficient in our work together. Hwang Jeong-yeon had been able to help me in the aspects where I was weakest. She had helped me in so many ways. I had also been able to help her, of course, with my innovative mindset.


    ¡°How is Jung Hayan, by the way? You seem very anxious¡­¡±


    ¡°We only really talk in the evenings. I feel like it¡¯s best to remain a little distant.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°She hasn¡¯t shown any abnormal behavior yet.¡±


    ¡°I guess so. I can understand why you¡¯re in a hurry to solve this right away. I just feel like she¡¯s not happy with how we¡¯re spending so much time together.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that. As I said¡­¡±


    ¡°I know, and I understand. What I don¡¯t get is how I, a girl who has never been with a man, suddenly became the focus of a girl¡¯s resentment. It¡¯s almost as if I got caught having an affair with you. I kind of feel guilty¡­¡±


    Hwang Jeong-yeon lowered her head a little.


    ¡°My goodness¡­¡±


    ¡°Why do I have to be portrayed as the other woman? Even Park Deokgu might begin to have negative thoughts about me.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. After all of this is over, I¡¯ll definitely help you with him.¡±


    After saying that, Jeong-yeon¡¯s eyes seemed to sparkle, and she eximed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare forget that!¡±


    As time passed, Jung Hayan¡¯s symptoms began to worsen. I knew that my quality time with Hwang Jeong-yeon was the main cause of this progression. Simply put, she harbored jealous feelings.


    I knew the curse was elerating at a faster pace this time around because I wasn¡¯t always there to be with her.


    No, in fact, it would be impossible to predict how fast the curse will erode her mental health. I couldn¡¯t even tell what Jung Hayan was thinking.


    In the end, this was a race to see which would finish first¡ªJung Hayan¡¯s mental state or my experiment with Hwang Jeong-yeon.


    Had I been able to concentrate on the researchpletely, we wouldn¡¯t have had this problem in the first ce, but I still had to find some time to spend with Jung Hayan to ensure she wasn¡¯t regressing too much.


    It was also very important as we needed time for the potion¡¯s effects to stabilize. We couldn¡¯t rush anything at this point.


    ¡®If we rush its creation, there will definitely be bad side effects.¡¯


    We had to minimize any side effects as much as possible.


    It wasn¡¯t just Jung Hayan who hindered my research, though. We also had to focus on progressing through the dungeon to search for the other survivors.


    Of course, we could maximize exploration results while minimizing the effort needed, but it still proved to be a disadvantage for us.


    Despite Hwang Jeong-yeon¡¯s efforts, we hadn¡¯t really progressed much with our expedition. It may be because we had not yet found any monsters, but at least we were able to find small achievements with Kim Hyunsung¡¯s help.


    As I had been so focused on my research, I wasn¡¯t up to date with our exploration status, but we were apparently making slow progress. That wasn¡¯t even the worst of it.


    Aside from Jung Hayan, most of our party members were thoroughly getting affected by the curse, to the point where some of them would start talking to themselves at random intervals.


    Although Kim Hyunsung tried his best to repress the curse, the side effects we were expecting to appear began to show themselves.


    Among everyone afflicted with the curse, only Lee Sang-hee began to show some of the said effects.


    ¡°Sorry.¡±


    Her illusion, after all, was about the party members we needed to save. Her anxiety increased as well as her sense of urgency, but it was expected.


    ¡®That¡¯s because we haven¡¯t found a single hint, let alone any survivors.¡¯


    Based on the expression on everyone¡¯s faces, I knew everyone had begun to expect the worse¡ªthat none of them were alive. Still, the expedition continued to advance, and the curse continued its relentless attack on everyone¡¯s mental state.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be considered perfect yet. I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°At least it¡¯s helping. The voices are still there, but the headaches have stopped. In fact, just this much¡­¡±


    ¡°I should be able to call it an achievement, but¡­ We could still be able to improve its effects over time. I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°Exerting effort on it is more important than having regrets about it.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know. Can you please ask Hayan to stop staring at me?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t stop her from doing so, and you know that.¡±


    ¡°I know I¡¯m a drama-lover, but¡­ it¡¯s not nice experiencing this in reality.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I only like being part of the audience.¡±


    ¡°By the way, how are you coping with the curse?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ it¡¯s still difficult, mental-wise. However, being so focused on this research helped me a lot. I can still see hallucinations every now and then, but¡­ Aren¡¯t you experiencing the same?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but¡­ They¡¯re not all that serious.¡±


    ¡°Then it looks like the experiment is working.¡±


    A little more time had passed since then, but there were no changes in this short duration. The rescue team continued to move forward, but we had not encountered anyone. There¡¯s not a single monster, and definitely not a single survivor. It felt like being stuck in a maze.


    Kim Hyunsung looked unaffected, but Lee Sang-hee wasn¡¯t doing too well.


    ¡°Sang-hee, this is a safety zone.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Let¡¯s skip this one.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°A lot of time has already passed. I worry about the survivors. Let¡¯s rest at the next point.¡±


    ¡®There she goes again.¡¯


    ¡°But, this is already the second time we¡¯ve skipped¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯ll be one in the next room. Yes, definitely¡­¡±


    ¡°I think the Master needs to rest.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m okay. I know everyone is having a hard time, but please be patient. After finding a survivor¡­ Yes. If a survivor is found¡­¡±


    At this point, we might not find a single one. It would be safe to assume that they were all dead.


    Logically speaking, even if the previous party members have survived, it was highly unlikely that the undead didn¡¯t kill them off by now. Perhaps they even resorted to killing each other.


    ¡°Please be patient¡­ We¡¯ll speed up a little bit¡­ Yes, a little faster¡­¡± Sang-hee insisted.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    It was obvious - our expedition leader was suffering from her own hallucinations.


    As we trudged on, I could see several members showing annoyed expressions. Some even grumbled outints. Everyone was struggling with their own illusions, after all.


    Seeing Park Deokgu struggle was normal now, but even Sun Hee-young felt exhausted at this point. Everyone was on the brink of exploding.


    ¡®How many months are we going to spend in this state?¡¯


    This may seem like the worst situation for the party members, but this was the perfect time for Jung Hayan to execute her n, should she ever decide to push through with it.


    ¡°Come on, everyone.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re reaching our limit¡­¡±


    ¡°The guild members are dying on the inside.¡±


    ¡°The back-ups are struggling a lot, Lee Sang-hee.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Lee Sang-hee?¡±


    It was at this point that I realized something was wrong.


    The curse¡­


    ¡®Damn.¡¯


    Everyone was looking upwards. It was the same voice we had first heard when we entered the dungeon. Our mentality was slowly reaching the brink of despair. At this point, we would have to worry less about rescuing our fellow guild members and more about saving ourselves.


    ¡°Please recite the divine defense magic.¡±


    ¡°Ah, but¡­¡±


    ¡°It would be better than nothing. We will respond as much as possible. Magicians should also try to block the effects as much as possible.¡±


    Wizards and priests within the party did as shemanded, but this wasn¡¯t something we couldbat with magic.


    Slowly, I looked at Jung Hayan, who was smiling as she looked upwards. She wasn¡¯t talking, but she seemed like she wanted to say something.


    ¡®What¡­¡¯


    When I felt the strange aura emanating from her, I immediately shouted for Hwang Jeong-yeon.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Son of a bitch!¡­ Jeong-yeon, chant the spell immediately!¡±


    I had no choice but to execute the n now. Though the timing was a little early, there was nothing else I could do.


    ¡®Was it because of her jealousy of Hwang Jeong-yeon?¡¯


    I was almost sure of it.


    ¡°But the defensive spells¡­¡±


    Hwang Jeong-yeon seemed anxious, but this is no time to hesitate.


    ¡°Quickly!¡± I eximed in an urgent tone.


    ¡°Okay, I see! Is Jung okay? This is still¡­¡±


    ¡°Recite it quickly!¡±


    ¡°The content, too?!¡±


    I was frustrated at her endless questions. She still didn¡¯t seem to grasp the urgency of the situation, so I had to shriek some sense into her.


    ¡°For God¡¯s sake, just do it!¡±


    Screams began erupting from the front. Evidently, the curse affected several party members.


    After emptying the potion that I had prepared in my mouth, I immediately started to run toward Jung Hayan.


    ¡°I knew my Oppa felt the same!¡±


    I weed her outstretched arms and bent down to kiss her, transferring the potion from my mouth to hers.


    ¡°I love you, Oppa!¡±


    Only


    ¡®Sh*t, sh*t¡­¡¯


    I could feel magic spreading across my body, and the worst-case scenarios came into mind¡ªJung Hayan manipting me or trying to kill me.


    I didn¡¯t know what type of magic she was trying to use, but it was at least not a defensive one. Inwardly, I prayed that Hwang Jeong-yeon¡¯s spell would work faster than Jung Hayan¡¯s.


    Meanwhile, Hayan¡¯s eyes began to widen.


    ¡®Did I get caught?¡¯


    I wasn¡¯t sure yet. However, I knew she would be able to sense Hwang Jeong-yeon¡¯s magic at work. I would not let her achieve the ending she wanted for us.


    ¡°Ahhh!!!¡±


    I convinced myself that what she was seeing was the scenario I had prepared as she looked into the air and began to shed tears.

 Chapter 93: Together Forever (7)

    <h4>Chapter 93: Together Forever (7)</h4>


    Together forever!


    Yes, the two of us could stay together forever.


    Okay, we¡¯ll stay together forever.


    We¡¯ll make a home, just the two of us.


    Okay, it¡¯ll be a home where no one will dare interfere or try to break in. That¡¯s the ending we wanted, right?


    Does he want the same thing as well?


    Of course. Didn¡¯t he say that he loved you, too?


    Right, he did say that.


    It¡¯s too dangerous outside.


    That¡¯s right. There are too many people trying to take my Oppa away. Everything you¡¯ve told me sounded stupid, but¡­


    Look at that woman. She seems to be trying to flirt with your Oppa. I can understand your troubles. What about the other people trying to kill him? Recall what happened during the tutorial dungeon. Your Oppa is weak.


    That¡¯s right. My Oppa is weak.


    We need to protect him.


    Of course.


    He needs our protection. It¡¯s too dangerous outside.


    The spell I had been memorizing burst out of my mouth.


    It can¡¯t be helped.


    Kill everyone. Target the woman who has been trying to take your Oppa away first.


    But she¡¯s a high-ranking magician¡­


    It¡¯ll be easy to target her while she¡¯s under the effect of the curse.


    But the same will go for me¡­


    You¡¯ll be okay. I will protect you. You won¡¯t be affected by the curse.


    You mean you¡¯ll help me?


    I am you, and you are me. Aim for the head. Even a small spell will do. It¡¯s important not to waste your magic power.


    Ah! I¡¯ve seeded.


    Good. Who¡¯s next? What about that stupid-looking woman over there? Since her endurance is good, I think it¡¯d be better to approach her a little differently.


    I think a spell of corruption will do. No, it will take too long. ck magic isn¡¯t my specialty¡­ Should I try something else? It would be better to burst her head from the inside.


    Good idea. I didn¡¯t think of that. That¡¯s right; go ahead.


    Like this¡­


    We did it!


    Hehe. Yes, we did.


    Don¡¯t mind the rest. All of them will die anyway. Then¡­ what about Sun Hee-young?


    She went out with my Oppa every day, didn¡¯t she?


    Huh. Yes, she did.


    But¡­


    You can¡¯t be weak. Why not get rid of that little kid over there as well?


    I don¡¯t like the sound of that¡­


    Don¡¯t be weak. Kill her as painlessly as possible.


    Yes¡­


    Now, for Deok Gu and Hyunsung¡­


    It¡¯s too much to kill them. Why not put them to sleep instead?


    Are you not anxious? Kim Hyunsung is strong. What if hees back to the dungeonter on and takes your Oppa away?


    I won¡¯t allow that.


    Then kill him.


    I can¡¯t do that. Are you a fool?


    You are the fool. You¡¯ve been doing well so far. Are you going to give up now? Your ns will be foiled if you stop after only killing two.


    I can¡¯t do that. Deokgu, in particr, has helped me a lot.


    You will regret not doing it.


    I think it would be better to put them to sleep and send them out. I can¡¯t help it if they choose toe back, but I don¡¯t want to kill them either.


    You¡­


    Rather, it¡¯s better to take my Oppa. I have to take him somewhere so far that no one else can find him. Look at him sleeping; doesn¡¯t he look cute?


    Yes. But what if your Oppa tries to run away?


    He won¡¯t. He has told me that he loves me.


    It¡¯s still better to have an insurance policy.


    Yes. That would be okay. Hehe. My Oppa looks so cute whenever he¡¯s asleep.


    Huh. Yes, he¡¯s really cute. Anyway, we need to act faster.


    I need to redecorate our new home. Oppa likes to study, so it would be better to do a workshop for him. I also have to make a bathroom. I¡¯ll make it big so we can take a shower together. I also need to make a big bed, a bathroom, and I have to do my very best.


    We need a system that will kill anyone who will invade our home. Some time again, people aiming for your Oppa maye here, so let¡¯s make a golem and a chimera. The undead also has to increase their numbers. The dungeon¡¯s empty, after all. It might be hard, but I can do it for you. This ce will be our home.


    It will be my castle with my Oppa that will never copse.


    * * *


    Oppa is¡­? Where is he?


    It happened again. I don¡¯t think he ate today¡­


    I¡¯m so worried, is he okay? He seems to be in such bad shape. Perhaps he¡¯s sick. It¡¯s been several months already¡­ Perhaps my Oppa wants to leave this ce?


    That¡¯s a possibility.


    He told me a few days ago. He wants to see the outside.


    Don¡¯t be fooled. You should never be fooled.


    I hate the fact that he doesn¡¯t have as much energy as he used to. He doesn¡¯tugh anymore.


    Someday you will understand. You¡¯ll understand that all this is for you. It¡¯s too dangerous outside. Just today, strange people came into our home, right? If you go outside, you will be overwhelmed. Do you want to take that chance?


    Definitely not¡­ But my Oppa is showing such a sad expression¡­


    Then you can cast magic that will make him feel better. You will feel better too. If you feel better, you will be kind to us, and you will have a happier time.


    Is it okay, though?


    It¡¯s all for your Oppa.


    That¡¯s right. I should go and try it now.


    Good.


    Ah! He smiled. You were right.


    Right? Shall we use other magic? How about some kind of enchantment this time?


    But that¡¯s not what he would want.


    You¡¯ve been working hard so far; it will be a perfect reward for yourself, right?


    A prize for me?


    Yes. It will be a prize for us. I think it would be better to stay in this state for just one day. Think about it. How hard did you try to protect your Oppa? I catch and kill all the guys whoe here every day, and that¡¯s not enough. The dungeon was difficult to remodelpletely, and the chimeras have to be created every day, right?


    Still¡­


    Just do it for one day.


    Can I do that?


    Of course, don¡¯t worry, do it right away.


    Yes, it¡¯ll only be for today¡­


    Well done.


    Ahh!


    Good.


    Happy, I¡¯m so happy!


    I was right, wasn¡¯t I? It worked well.


    Huh. Yes, you were right.


    * * *


    What do we do? Oh, my Oppa ran away.


    I thought he would.


    Why? Why? Am I hated now? I made him happy every day¡­ I don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong.


    It may be because he¡¯s been drinking poison from the outside world.


    But we¡¯re inside. There¡¯s no way he could¡¯ve.


    Intruderse in every day, right? The dirty air they breathe pollutes Oppa¡¯s mind.


    I have to kill them all.


    Exactly.


    I never thought he would run away like this. It¡¯s the intruders¡¯ fault! Why not leave us alone? I don¡¯t know why they keeping in here to disturb us! I don¡¯t know! Wouldn¡¯t it be nice to go out and kill them all? Lindel, I have to kill everyone in Lindel.


    Good idea. But other than your Oppa, humans are like bugs, so even if you try to kill them, they will continue toe into this ce.


    Well, then what should I do?


    The outside air may have worn out your Oppa¡¯s mind. It won¡¯t be easy to cure. He can¡¯t escape the dungeon alone, but¡­ Shouldn¡¯t we just do something as a temporary measure?


    What?


    Let¡¯s cut his leg off!


    No, that¡¯s ridiculous.


    You can cut it in a way where it won¡¯t hurt.


    What?


    Huh. Cut it in a way where it won¡¯t hurt. If you put on magic that will make him feel good while you cut it off, your Oppa will surely not get sick. Of course, it will be a little hard to walk around, but it¡¯s okay because we¡¯ll always be around. He¡¯ll have to rely on us.


    No¡­ That¡¯s¡­


    What if your Oppa leaves this ce and runs away with another girl? The Red Mercenaries also came, right? Cha Hee-ra, that stupid woman, mighte again.


    Yes.


    Can you stand it? Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s going to be too hard when that kind of situationes? It¡¯s only right to cut it out.


    That does make sense¡­


    Have you ever regretted listening to me?


    But¡­


    Trust me this time. It¡¯ll work well.


    * * *


    My Oppa is going to die. I hate it so much! What if he dies?!


    It¡¯ll be okay.


    He tried to kill himself today! I don¡¯t understand! The intruders have finally stoppeding, and we get to enjoy all our time together!


    Maybe it¡¯s because his brain has already been eroded.


    I don¡¯t want my Oppa to die. He can¡¯t just leave me behind!


    Just make sure he doesn¡¯t. You can¡¯t turn him into the undead, so let¡¯s experiment. There must be a way to save him. You can enjoy eternal life together. Find a catalyst that allows the body to regenerate, and treat it on your Oppa¡¯s body. It may be a little painful, but it can¡¯t be helped, so your Oppa will understand. Of course, it won¡¯t be easy, but you¡¯ve been doing well until now.


    That¡­ okay. I have to do that. I have to do that so that this doesn¡¯t happen again.


    That¡¯s right. That¡¯s right.


    ¡°Oppa. Even if it hurts, please just bear with it. It can¡¯t be helped.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°I love you? Sure. I love you, too, so much.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°You must never die. Never!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°A lot of time has passed. Even a gray-haired Oppa is really cool. Ah, that¡¯s right¡­ Oppa!¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°I love you. I love you, too.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Your hair has grown a lot. Research? Ah¡­ Of course, you have to do it today. It may hurt a little, but you have to be patient. If you get sick, I will also get sick. So, let¡¯s do our best together.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Please be patient for a bit. You can still hold on. You can¡¯t let go. Ugh¡­ I love you. I love you.¡±


    ¡°¡­rese-.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ No! No!¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, Oppa. I¡¯m here.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°I love you. I love you, too. So please don¡¯t go. Please¡­¡±


    ¡°I resent you.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°I will me and curse you for making me this way. Forever¡­ No, I will curse you even in my death. You didn¡¯t give me love. You tortured me and eventually made me like this. Look at my body. This is your doing. Look at the things that surround us now. You screwed everything up.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh!¡±


    ¡°You gave up everything. You ruined all my love for you. We could have been happier. Even if I die, I will never forget you. I will curse you for eternity.¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t love you anymore.¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhh! I hate this! What do I do now?! Oppa¡­ Oppa!¡±


    You can save him. You can still save him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous! All¡­ It¡¯s all because of you! You made him like this! Oppa¡­¡±


    I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about¡­


    ¡°Die! Just die!¡±


    What are you talking about? Idiot. Don¡¯t tell me you haven¡¯t realized anything.


    Only


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Look carefully. I am you. Didn¡¯t you say we are one? You did all this. Idiot!


    ¡°No way¡­ No, I can¡¯t.¡±


    You know this.


    See¡­


    Quad-de-deuk!


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!¡±

 Chapter 94: Together Forever (8)

    <h4>Chapter 94: Together Forever (8)</h4>


    After suffering from another affliction from the curse, I shifted my eyes toward Jung Hayan. Her expression was far more serious than what I was expecting.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!¡±


    ¡®It was sessful.¡¯


    It felt shocking to realize this. Of course, the scenario might be too painful for Hayan to endure.


    ¡®This is the right answer.¡¯


    I had done it correctly. In the first ce, Hayan wouldn¡¯t have exhibited this kind of unusual behavior. The inflicted curse had messed everyone up. I simply chose to help her out with a little shock therapy.


    Hayan¡¯s face was currently covered in tears, and she had started tearing out her hair. The others were no different, but her case was the most serious. I went to grab her hand, but she shook me away.


    ¡°I hate you!¡±


    ¡®What power¡­¡¯


    Jung Hayan then tried to harm herself afterward, wringing her hands around her neck. I urgently pulled her arms away with as much strength as I could muster. Once I seeded in this endeavor, I quickly kissed her deeply, effectively stimting what was left of her sanity.


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡­ Oppa?¡±


    Hayan¡¯s expression shifted from confusion to shock, and then her eyes were filled with renewed tears.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Oppa¡­ Oppa¡­¡±


    She wasn¡¯t contented with just checking my face; she checked my entire body. Considering what she had seen in hertest illusion, it was only natural.


    ¡°I came back¡­¡± Hayan muttered.


    ¡°Hayan?¡± I called.


    ¡°I came back. Ugh, I came back¡­¡± Hayan continued muttering.


    ¡°What are you talking about, Hayan?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Nothing, it¡¯s nothing. I-I¡¯m sorry for being such an idiot¡­¡± she replied and lowered her head from embarrassment.


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    ¡°What do you mean? Is the curse affecting you? What did you see?¡± I asked, trying to act na?ve.


    ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t the curse. It¡¯s all my fault. I¡¯m sorry, Oppa. I¡¯m really sorry for being selfish. Please don¡¯t hate me¡­¡± Hayan replied apologetically.


    ¡®There¡¯s no way I would hate you.¡¯


    In the first ce, I had never felt hatred for Hayan. Sure, she was obsessed with me, but her abnormality only spiked because of the curse¡¯s effect.


    I was grateful for being able to squeeze some magic into her worn-out mind. The opportunity had quickly presented itself to me.


    One day, Jung Hayan might suffer from a terrible ident. Of course, the cause was unknown, but one thing was for sure¡ªit would be because of her ability.


    Knowing that I could suppress her from now on, I smiled in satisfaction.


    ¡®Now, I feel like I¡¯ve gained a new sense of responsibility¡­¡¯


    I didn¡¯t particrly love her or wanted to be bound to her, but the fact that I felt guilty andpassionate and even liked her was undeniable.


    You are rationalizing again. You¡¯re trying to remove your guilt through her. You think that, by not abandoning her, it would prove that you still have a conscience.


    ¡®Things like that happen, too.¡¯


    I also knew I had been affected by the curse, but that didn¡¯t matter now. All these voices only served to spout serious bullsh*t.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, but I have no reason to hate you. I love you the most.¡±


    Again, I was only half-sincere with my words.


    ¡°Huh¡­ My Oppa is also the most important to me. I like him the most!¡± she eximed.


    Once again, Jung Hayan hugged me tightly and rubbed her face against my chest.


    ¡°I¡¯m back¡­ Thank you, God! Thank you so much, God! Thank you very much!¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± I asked.


    Of course, I knew what happened. I just tested if she would reveal it to me, but she doesn¡¯t seem to want to.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing¡­ Oh, Oppa, are you okay? Did you suffer any injuries? Your legs¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± I responded with a bright smile to convince her.


    ¡°Wow¡­ Fortunately, your arms are also okay. There is no scar. You don¡¯t have gray hair. Your tongue is also intact¡­¡±


    Of course, I knew there would be some side-effects. Jung Hayan must have felt like the fantasy I had created would somehowe to life.


    ¡®She even thought she had regressed¡­¡¯


    If I had known that she would react in this manner, I would have twisted the story a little more. I could have portrayed a scene where Cha Hee-ra and Lee Jihye saved my life.


    Of course, it would be difficult to make a script, but if such a scene had been included, the hostility that Jung Hayan exhibited towards them would be greatly reduced.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry, Hayan.¡¯


    It would be better to try it out at ater time.


    ¡°Oppa¡­ Ugh¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you calm now?¡±


    ¡°Yes, a little¡­¡±


    ¡°Then, can you wait a minute? I should also take care of the rest.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Oppa. Go ahead.¡±


    At this, I patted her head, and she automatically blushed. She looked like a cute little puppy. However, memories of her illusion resurfaced once more, and tears formed in her eyes again.


    ¡®I can¡¯t do this¡­¡¯


    I knew it had been effective. Looking at Hayan now, it seems I sessfully regained her sanity and freed her from most of the curse¡¯s effects.


    I was pleased to find out that our experiment had produced sessful results. It was probably because Jung Hayan was a special case.


    ¡®However, it could also work on other people.¡¯


    The effect wouldn¡¯t just be enough; it would work very well. This was because Jung Hayan was the hardest to crack among them, and the experiment turned out well for her. The appropriate use of medicine and magic may not be perfect, but it would certainly help.


    As I turned to assess the situation, the rest of the room came into view.


    The scene was the same as the first time the curse had shown itself to us. Those who had been screaming at first slowly awakened and the rest were either looking around or talking to themselves.


    When my gaze met Hwang Jeong-yeon, I saw a question formed in her eyes.


    ¡®The experiment is a great sess.¡¯


    As soon as I took out my alchemy kit and began to conjure a magic circle, Hwang Jeong-yeon approached me. Her gaze was, naturally, focused as she was involved in this operation.


    ¡°Mr. Kiyoung, what do we do now?¡±


    ¡°Please lead them here, one by one,¡± I instructed.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Please lead the other people here, one at a time,¡± I repeated.


    At that moment, Hwang Jeong-yeon figured out what I wanted to do.


    ¡°Oh¡­ I get it.¡±


    ¡°Please get Lee Sang-hee first.¡±


    ¡°Master, please sit over here.¡±


    I wasted no time in speaking once our expedition leader had arrived.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see. Master, what are you currently experiencing?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah. There may be things rted to privacy, so it would be better to write it down. Jeong-yeon?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll have it ready.¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ What¡¯s happening?¡±


    Lee Sang-hee was visibly confused, so I began exining the procedures.


    ¡°I found a way to effectively curb the curse, Lee Sang-hee. First of all, you need to be at ease and write down exactly what symptoms and what kind of voices you hear. If hallucinations are starting to appear, it may be helpful to state exactly what it is. If you hear a lot of hallucinations, you should also describe phrases that you hear repeatedly.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°I will ask everyone to line up properly over here. Please bring all your writing instruments and wait patiently.¡±


    Everyone seemed to be a little puzzled, but they still obeyed.


    ¡°Ah. I see.¡±


    ¡°I see the faces of those killed so far. They keep telling me that I will die soon.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I can understand. I¡¯m also experiencing simr symptoms. Once you are prescribed a potion, your mental health will begin to regain shortly. Although, there are some missing items¡­ Um, well, I¡¯d be grateful if you could describe how they died.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°You can write down the parts that are too difficult to say. It¡¯ll be more effective, as well.¡±


    ¡°I will vouch for you. It will work, everyone.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Hwang Jeong-yeon.¡± After all, Jeong-yeon did y a crucial part in this.


    ¡°Oh, the next person¡­ Ah, Miss Gahyeon. So you can see your younger brother, who you left back on Earth?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°It must have been very difficult.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I also have a younger sister on Earth. Of course, I¡¯m worried about her, but¡­ First of all, it is important to be strong. You will see each other again someday. Now¡­ You seem to be showing signs of severe depression, but even if perfect treatment is impossible, you will be able to relieve the burdens of your mind.¡±


    After trying tofort Gahyeon, Hwang Jeong-yeon approached me.


    ¡°What should I do, Kiyoung?¡±


    ¡°I think potion 14 in the bag will be appropriate, Miss Jeong-yeon. I¡¯ll write a mental prescription right away. Gahyeon may go into treatment right away. Please prepare the magic.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    I was a meek idealist. I knew the medication would work well. Her propensity and hallucinations were very much visible, so cases like hers were easier to treat.


    ¡®After a beautiful reunion with her younger brother, he ends up asking her to live with strength.¡¯


    I knew this line would have a positive effect. Since my hobby was to read, I could incorporate some fantasy elements.


    ¡®I think it would be effective if I put in the part where the voice of her brother and the voice of the curse are opposed to each other.¡¯


    Of course, what I¡¯m doing right now wasn¡¯t medical. Simply put, I was just scamming everyone into receiving counsel. The curse wasn¡¯tpletely curable, nor would the hallucinations be inaudible. To be precise, it was all about putting a little antibiotic into the worn-out mind. However, it worked.


    The human mind was both weak and strong. Even though a curse like this can erode one¡¯s mentality, one could always find the strength to fight against it.


    I shared simr symptoms with many of these people, thus making it easy to treat them. In Hayan¡¯s case, my existence itself had power over her thinking.


    ¡®Good. Good.¡¯


    Only


    Everything seemed to be working well.


    Of course, I had not exined or informed Kim Hyunsung about this in advance. He was evidently surprised upon seeing me suddenly administer treatment.


    Even after receiving Hwang Jeong-yeon¡¯s mental treatment, Hyunsung still felt stunned, looking among the people who had been treated or were still waiting for their turn. I knew he had never imagined a scenario where we would find another way to fight the curse.


    He knew how to deal with this curse and was trying to put it into practice. We had done the same, just with a different method, and I knew he understood this.


    ¡°I came back¡­ Thank you so much, God. Thank you for bringing me back. Really, ugh¡­¡±


    However, Kim Hyunsung¡¯s expression turned serious upon hearing Hayan mumble to herself.


    ¡®She hasn¡¯t really regressed, Hyunsung¡­¡¯


    It seemed like I had some exining to do once all the treatments were over.

 Chapter 95: Together Forever (9)

    <h4>Chapter 95: Together Forever (9)</h4>


    ¡°How are you doing, Miss Gahyeon?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I think I¡¯ve improved a little. I can still hear the voices, but my head doesn¡¯t hurt anymore. How could this be?¡± she replied.


    ¡®It¡¯s all thanks to Jeong-yeon.¡¯


    Of course, I didn¡¯t mention this. It wasn¡¯t a bad thing to maximize my own value. I had to show them that I also managed to y apetent role during this expedition.


    ¡°What kind of magic did you use?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha. I didn¡¯t really use aplete type of magic. The brain is made up of associated neurons, responsible for receiving and processing stimuli. So, medically, the brain is ssified as the central nervous system.¡±


    ¡°Yeah? That¡­¡±


    Park Gahyeon¡¯s expression showed that she didn¡¯t know what I was talking about. Even I didn¡¯t know what bullsh*t I was spouting. I didn¡¯t know anything about the brain, and I sure as hell wasn¡¯t a psychology expert.


    However, the expressions of those around me had changed. Although they had already overestimated my abilities initially, their eyes had still widened when I continued to show off my so-called expertise.


    ¡°The central nervous system has a metabolism that is differentiated from other organs. To make adenosine triphosphate, you need a supply of oxygen to¡­¡±


    How many people in Korea had this kind of knowledge? I knew no one would understand me, which was why I was bold enough to spout whatever came to mind.


    ¡®There is no one here who has worked at the Brain Science Research Institute¡­¡¯


    Even if I didn¡¯t understand it,bining magic and alchemy knowledge was a field I was an expert in.


    ¡°Ah. I exined it in such a difficult manner¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ no¡­¡±


    ¡°To put it simply, this kind of curse, even if ites in the form of unknown magic, eventually involves the brain. Whether it¡¯s alchemy, ck magic, or divine power, in the end, it relies heavily on the brain.¡±


    ¡°s¡­¡±


    ¡°You can think about hearing voices because your brain has been led astray. Of course, I couldn¡¯t correct the illusions, but at least I could give antibiotics.¡±


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    ¡°It is the perception that what we see and hear is not reality. The human body is really amazing. Of course, these illusions cannot be cured with drugs. The science of magic is moreplicated than you think. Let me exin by involving alchemy¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ That¡¯s right. Yeah.¡±


    I could see people nodding, but I knew they did not understand. Even if one knew about how the brain worked, they still wouldn¡¯t understand, nor would they call me out on my bluffing.


    Of course, in Jeong-yeon and Hayan¡¯s case, their questions were a little more different. I exined things as subtly as I could, to the point where they believed I had given an urate answer.


    ¡®Very good.¡¯


    I could already feel my reputation rising. When I first came to the guild, I would not have thought that this would happen.


    ¡°In fact, when I first heard that the alchemist was brought at that price, the executives thought the higher-ups were crazy¡­ Looking at you now, I realize that you really are a genius. Ha¡­ What have you been doing back on Earth?¡±


    ¡®Genius is such an inurate terminology.¡¯


    The word scammer fits me better.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t done anything that warrants such praise.¡±


    ¡°Did you work in a research institute or something?¡±


    ¡°Well, in a way, yes. It¡¯s a bit difficult to tell in detail.¡±


    Of course, that was a big fat lie.


    ¡°Thank you very much. I am really reassured to have Kiyoung around. I thought the media was lying when they said you were a genius, but it¡¯s actually amazing to have such a person in the party.¡±


    It feels good to be praised, but I knew an age-old trick that would surely make me seem humble. Rather, it is guaranteed to warrant more praise.


    ¡°Hahaha. I feel embarrassed now. It¡¯s not like that. A lot of magazines exaggerate.¡±


    ¡°You look like the smartest person I¡¯ve ever seen!¡±


    Even this woman, Park Gahyeon, expressed her likability towards me. We were simr because we had left our younger siblings behind, and she seemed to be attracted to me. However, she couldn¡¯t express this outright.


    This was because Jung Hayan had fixed her attention on her with a re, making her whole body tremble.


    ¡®I haven¡¯tpletely fixed Hayan yet.¡¯


    Perhaps Jung Hayan¡¯s obsession with me could not be cured, even if a lifetime were to ur.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m overdoing this. I feel so embarrassed in front of Jeong-yeon.¡±


    ¡°No. I just have a good memory.¡±


    In summary, they were starting to recognize me as a genius alchemist, wondering if I was the type who was only born once every tens of thousands of years.


    ¡°The other alchemists I met before didn¡¯t feel like this.¡±


    ¡°There are alchemists who are smarter than me in Lindel. The only difference would be that they didn¡¯t get support, and I had a good start. In fact, everything is thanks to the Blue Guild.¡±


    ¡°Ah, you are so humble.¡±


    It was not humility; it was the in truth. No matter what bullsh*t I spouted at this point, my pure image had already been established and would not copse.


    ¡®Lee Kiyoung, a genius alchemist from the sky.¡¯


    Humans were usually jealous of people who are good at what they can understand. However, I was treated with reverence for my so-called achievements. Once this dungeon expedition was over, I would have permanent, substantial influence in Blue.


    This was also because Lee Sang-hee failed on her responsibilities as a good leader. Of course, she wasn¡¯t the type to be obsessed with power. She had a sense of responsibility, but she didn¡¯t bode well under pressure.


    Currently, she seemed to feel ashamed of how she had chosen to react under the curse¡¯s influence. She must¡¯ve thought something along the lines of ¡®I almost killed all the guild members,¡¯ or ¡®This job doesn¡¯t suit me.¡¯ Her self-me was highly evident.


    As I rested, Kim Hyunsung began to talk to the rest of the party, never missing the opportunities I opened up. Again, humans either despised or revered what they could not understand.


    Until now, it had been me who had proved my worth, but now, it was his turn. He moved while I was taking a short break.


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry about that.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°No matter how much the curse has influenced me, I should have kept my cool, yet I put you at risk. I have no excuses.¡±


    It was Lee Sang-hee who spoke up. Her personality was my favorite. She was the type to apologize even if there was nothing to apologize for.


    ¡°From this point on, we will adjust the party¡¯s route. We will consider clearing the dungeon as the primary priority rather than rescuing the survivors, and we will rescue the corpses and any survivors afterpleting the attack.¡±


    ¡®Finally.¡¯


    It was a very reasonable judgment. To save the dead, a living person cannot die.


    The order had only been reversed, but Lee Sang-hee¡¯s words meant a lot.


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, we will not stop searching for survivors. We will change the formation and move faster.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°I will have Mr. Hyunsung take the lead.¡±


    ¡°Of course. I¡¯ll do my best.¡±


    It looked like Kim Hyunsung had bided his time until the perfect opportunity arose. No more party members were affected by the curse. From his point of view, one worry had gone away.


    Kim Hyunsung looked at me with mirth dancing in his eyes. It was certainly advantageous for him to have the lead handed to him without any furtherplications. There was also something ominous in the way he presented himself.


    ¡®Is this intimidation?¡¯


    It was a fervor. Slowly, the party members stood straight, almost as if possessed.


    ¡®That¡¯s right.¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung was the ideal leader. Even Lee Sang-hee was also looking at him with a nk expression. He could be seen as a little dogmatic. But in the first ce, it could be considered that his judgment excluded the party members¡¯ opinions.


    He did what he thought was right and went straight for the goal. His whole demeanor screamed, ¡®This is the right way. Let¡¯s go together.¡¯


    Simply put, he possessed the charm that would make anyone want to follow him¡ªthe ideal leader. Though I wasn¡¯t knowledgeable about a ruler¡¯s workings, he was born to be a leader.


    ¡°We¡¯re going.¡±


    The effect was immediate. Everyone went to obey Kim Hyunsung.


    He urged the party to move at a faster pace, and so we quickened our steps. We ignored the search for any other alternative directions and focused on moving forward. I had noints about having him lead us as I trusted him immensely.


    We moved as if we weren¡¯t worried about encountering monsters. We didn¡¯t take into ount any traps that may lie waiting. There was something about Hyunsung¡¯s confidence thatpelled the members to not worry about such trivial matters.


    ¡®Are there really no monsters?¡¯


    I knew it was a possibility, but I hadn¡¯t expected it to be true. Perhaps this dungeon solely relied on the curse itself. If that hypothesis were correct, it would be obvious where Kim Hyunsung would be heading. We would be searching for the dungeon owner and the magician who had cast the curse.


    As we continued to walk, the scenery began to change. The number of forks in the passages lessened, and the small room where we came from was now invisible. Although we were walking at a fast pace, it seemed like the end of the dungeon was still far off.


    Of course, there were several attacks from the curse, but no one sufferedsting damage. This meant that the ¡®treatments¡¯ were effective.


    ¡°The undead¡­ No¡­¡±


    ¡°I definitely got a report¡­¡±


    ¡°Perhaps seeing the undead near the entrance triggered the curse. It¡¯s not confirmed yet, but I think it¡¯s safe to assume that.¡±


    ¡°Please stay vignt anyway.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Bodies were eventually found. They were confirmed to be former guild members of Blue. I didn¡¯t confirm in detail why they died, but I could predict it. They either took their own lives or had turned on one another.


    Lee Sang-hee expressed confusion at this, but she did not stop the party from advancing further.


    Only


    After some time, we came across a small door that was crudely decorated.


    As I slowly opened the door, I could see a woman sitting on a chair. She had her eyes closed, and her expression was immensely pale.


    Immediately, new information started pouring into the status window.


    [You have encountered a heroic-grade dungeon, the Cursed Shrine owner, the cursed Saint Juliana. The quest is activated.]


    [Heroic-grade forced quest is activated.]


    [Heroic-Grade Quest - Eliminate Juliana (0/1)]


    We had reached the end.

 Chapter 96: Juliana (1)

    <h4>Chapter 96: Juliana (1)</h4>


    An unpleasant voice echoed.


    ¡®Ahhh¡­¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know why, but my legs seemed to be shaking.


    It had been difficult to call the Garden of Terror¡¯s dungeon boss a real dungeon boss. Even though it had been colossal, its resilience had not been enough to withstand the party members¡¯ attack power.


    However, the woman in front of me was different. Though I knew nothing about her, I could feel an ominous aura in her presence. She certainly seemed like a priest with the uniform she wore, but the atmosphere she gave off seemed overbearing, to the point that I felt overwhelmed.


    I realized at once that she was the predator, and I was the prey.


    At this very moment, I missed being in a safe area in the rear of Kim Hyunsung¡¯s party.


    ¡®Hyunsung¡­ Is this okay?¡¯


    Ahhh¡­ Gedric¡­ My Gedric! You finally came to see me¡­


    ¡®What bullsh*t is she talking about?¡¯


    You finally found me. My lovely Gedric!


    Upon saying this, the woman bent her neck at an impossibly awkward angle, horrifying my party members. Then, she reached out to me.


    I thought about pretending to be Gedric for a while, but it would be dangerous to take the lead in a situation like this. It would be best to retreat to the rear and wait until the leaders themselves figured out what to do.


    ¡®Can the woman not see?¡¯


    At this moment, Kim Hyunsung took one more step.


    You are not him. Not him.


    After frowning heavily, the woman who had been called Juliana opened her eyes, showing ck pupils that seemed to have the ability to suck the life out of anyone.


    The physiological effect was instant. Goosebumps rose on my skin.


    ¡®Sh*t¡­¡¯


    You¡¯re not him!


    The very ground we stepped on began to crack, and the inside of the dungeon shook tremendously. I could sense strange energy as magic power began to spread in all directions, apanied by a loud ringing voice. This caused me to cup my hands over both ears.


    When I thought I would start bleeding from the intense pressure, a barrier covered the whole party. It turned out to be Sun Hee-young¡¯s defense, choosing to block the energy with divine magic.


    It¡¯s not him!


    ¡°Everyone, prepare for battle! Wizards, prepare your spells, and priests, keep the divine power going. We judged that it was a monster that couldn¡¯t attract aggro, and we will proceed with the operation as defensively as possible. This will be a long battle.¡±


    ¡°Noted!¡±


    Lee Sang-hee, who was calmer than expected, covered the rear with arge shield. As soon as the spell was recited, magical power began to rise from the area. It was up to the vanguard to earn us some time until we finished casting the magic.


    Of course, this did not mean that my side stood still.


    Starting with Kim Hyunsung, some began to shoot at Juliana.


    ¡®Stay safe, Hyunsung.¡¯


    The energy that seemed to be neither magic nor divine power burst out in all directions. The owner of this energy was tantly obvious.


    ¡®Juliana.¡¯


    ¡°Please prepare your defense magic.¡±


    You¡­ You dare invade this ce¡­ This ce!


    Shing!


    It was a spectacle to witness the ck sphere of energy rushing towards us, leaving cracks on the ground in its trail. However, this did not bode well for us.


    Lee Sang-hee instinctively brought up her shield to block the iing attack. In the end, she was sessful, but it had not been an easy task. It had only been possible because she had been infused with divine magic.


    ¡®This will not be an easy fight¡­¡¯


    Our strategy needs to be a little different than our usual method of hunting monsters.


    Back in the Garden of Terror, the monsters¡¯ attacks focused on those at the forefront. However, it seemed that Juliana had chosen not to target anyone in particr. Her main goal was to eradicate everyone she saw as ¡®intruders.¡¯


    This was the ideal moment to run away.


    It wasn¡¯t easy to deal with her and attack simultaneously, as our forces also had to focus on protecting the party¡¯s weaker defenses. The casting time proved to be longer than expected.


    Since this was meant to be a withstanding battle, the tankers had to make sure that we wouldn¡¯t receive anysting damage. Archers with high agilities couldn¡¯t expect any additional help.


    As Hwang Jeong-yeon and Jung Hayan recited their spells, the resulting magical power was enormous. It enveloped the madwoman in no time at all, but the ck sphere of energy returned tobat the power.


    At this moment, I released the spell that I had been memorizing.


    A huge arm arose out of the air and fell with the momentum to crush Juliana, who was currently wrapped around in the ck sphere.


    Swoosh!


    The expressions of my fellow party members showed their initial surprise at this. The dust soon settled to reveal Juliana looking my way.


    You dare!


    My magic was strictly ssified as physical. I didn¡¯t know if this was why I was able to inflict some damage on our opponent. However, this did not spell good news for me.


    ¡®Sh*t.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know if it was intentional, but the ck sphere of energy was nowing my way.


    Kim Hyunsung was in a position where he couldn¡¯t easily deflect the attack with his sword, should it evere my way. I knew I would be able to continue inflicting damage as long as I was being protected.


    ¡®Is this how heroic-grade dungeons are?¡¯


    I knew it wouldn¡¯t be easy, and yet I didn¡¯t expect it to be this hard.


    Now and then, roars reverberated throughout the dungeon, and the ground shook, cracks opening in various ces. Perhaps this was why Kim Hyunsung couldn¡¯t move properly.


    Lee Sang-hee was able to hold her ground, but Park Deokgu, who only had a meager amount of magic power, could only block small attacks.


    The only good thing was that the curse had not afflicted us yet. If one were to see hallucinations in this situation, it could prove fatal on our side.


    Somehow, I had to make a decision.


    I wanted to stay away from situations that could end up costing me my life. In the end, I settled for speaking up.


    ¡°Ah, my Juliana!¡±


    Soon, a strange vision settled upon the room.


    Ah, Gedric?


    My voice unexpectedly burst in the middle of the battle, effectively causing a lull within the fight. At this, my fellow party members looked at me confusedly, wondering what I was doing. However, I did not incline to answer.


    They would know soon, anyway.


    ¡°Juliana! My Juliana!¡±


    Gedric! Ah, you came. Gedric¡­ You finally came.


    ¡°Juliana! I¡¯ve been looking for you for an eternity. This shrine!¡±


    Gedric, finally¡­


    ¡°Juliana!¡±


    Oh, no. You are not Gedric.


    ¡®Damn.¡¯


    ¡°Many years have passed, Juliana. Contrary to you, who has been bound by this shrine, I have undergone many changes. An insurmountable amount of time has passed. My tone, my existence, and everything I am have changed.¡±


    No. You are not Gedric.


    ¡°Juliana! My love, Juliana!¡±


    You are not Gedric!


    ¡°Juliana, I have changed, but I still remember that day. I have always kept my memories of you within this body.¡±


    Ah¡­


    ¡°That precious memory¡­¡±


    Ged¡­rick?


    I didn¡¯t know what exactly she was thinking about, but I knew something woulde to mind. ck tears flowed out of Juliana¡¯s empty eyes. It was a grotesque sight to behold.


    However, I needed to focus. If I could find a way to weasel out more information¡­


    On that day¡­


    Anxiety rose within me. All it would take was one mistake for her to find out.


    ¡°We are each other¡¯s¡­ Ahhh! Juliana!¡±


    Gedric!


    ¡°They are oppressing me, Juliana! Ahh!¡±


    Lee Sang-hee, Park Deokgu, and Sun Hee-young all looked at me with irresistible curiosity. Meanwhile, jealousy was written all over Jung Hayan¡¯s face.


    ¡®Everyone has noticed¡­¡¯


    As I nced around the rest of myrades, I caught sight of Hwang Jeong-yeon, nodding.


    Nevertheless¡­


    ¡°Silly, stupid Juliana. Yes, yes, the Gedric you love is in our hands!¡±


    ¡®Ah¡­¡¯


    Knowing Jeong-yeon loved watching the drama, I¡¯d have expected her to exhibit some good semnce of acting skills. However, upon seeing her enact her role, I began to feel concerned about Juliana catching on to our scheme.


    Hwang Jeong-yeon¡¯s face was a bright red, but thankfully, Juliana didn¡¯t seem to have any doubts.


    ¡°Juliana! Do not save me. Run, run right away!¡±


    Gedric!


    ¡°Run away! Juliana!¡±


    You guys dare! Gedric!


    I don¡¯t know if this would turn out effective, but it worked better than I had initially thought. Of course, there would still be room for doubts in this kind of situation.


    However, there was no way she¡¯d be willing to fight out of the illusion. Gedric, who she had been waiting for all her life, had finally appeared, only to be on the brink of death once more. It would be natural for her to have such a reaction.


    ¡®It would be a problem if she decides to go crazy with her powers, but¡­¡¯


    I also knew there was no way she¡¯d dare create an explosion with her energy sphere. By doing so, she would also end up killing her beloved ¡®Gedric.¡¯


    Unlike the rest of my party members, who continued to look with mounting confusion, Kim Hyunsung rushed towards Juliana, swinging his sword.


    In truth, Hyunsung was still not at the stage where he would thrive easily inside a heroic-grade dungeon. It was only right to say that he was still in the growth stage.


    However, the way he moved to block Juliana from rushing over to our party surprised me. Kim Hyunsung managed to block the ck energy that extended from all directions with a single sh.


    Even though her attack range was limited, Juliana kept the attacksing, with Hyunsung parrying in turn.


    Quadduck¡­ Quazzik!


    Only


    As sounds reverberated from within the dungeon, the two continued to unleash a flurry of attacks and counterattacks that I could not even begin toprehend.


    ¡®Huh¡­¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung tried to extend his sword, but Juliana forced him to retreat halfway. At the same time, her ck sphere unleashed a flurry of energy, yet it did not take him much to block.


    Meanwhile, the rest of our party members looked on with expressions that could only border on shock. No one knew when the right timing was to intervene.


    In the first ce, it didn¡¯t seem easy to set the timing of how to intervene.


    I will hold them at bay¡­ Can¡¯t you run away at this point?


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Gedric! Gedric!

 Chapter 97: Juliana (2)

    <h4>Chapter 97: Juliana (2)</h4>


    It was highly evident that the fight had reached arger scale.


    Juliana, evidently the owner of this dungeon, had reached the point where Kim Hyunsung was forced to step up his game. Meanwhile, I could feel the room we were in changing, little by little.


    Can¡¯t you get out of here?


    Bang!


    Quadduck!


    At first nce, it would be easy to retreat. However, this was a battle that Kim Hyunsung had to dish out.


    Take the curse!


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!¡±


    Gedric!


    Unlike Kim Hyunsung, who could fight without any reservation, Juliana alternated between attacking and showing her constant weakness¡ªme. I didn¡¯t know what this Gedric meant to her, but I now knew that he was important enough for her to risk her life. Since someone important to her was being held hostage, it was only natural for her to be unable to properly execute her abilities.


    Whenever I screamed out for Juliana, she grew more agitated, thereby showing more weak spots. It would be easy to end the fight now.


    From the moment I had shown myself to her as Gedric, she had stopped executing her powers to the fullest. However, those who were watching the fight didn¡¯t seem to think of it that way.


    But no, they had nothing else to do but watch. This was Kim Hyunsung¡¯s turn to showcase his abilities to the rest of the Guild members.


    The guy in question was now biting his lips in concentration. To be able to incite such a serious expression showed that Juliana was very strong. The ck tentacles surrounding her stretched out in all directions, all to trap Hyunsung in ce.


    However, he was able to avoid their deadly grasp by dodging or by simply cutting them off. His high agility and flexibility reminded me of a splendid disy of acrobatics.


    Each time a tentacle was shed off, he would jump to another spot, as Juliana would quicklybat his parry with a second attack.


    Of course, it was also natural for Juliana to prove that she was not easy to beat.


    It felt as if I was watching a high-grade fight in front of me. Perhaps, Cha Hee-ra was the only other person I knew who could exhibit the samebat prowess. Even Lee Sang-hee, said to be the strongest among us, looked at Kim Hyunsung as if in a trance.


    When Juliana first exhibited signs of her unstable behavior, I began to think about the number of ways I could take her down. However¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s too dangerous.¡¯


    If I tried something out and it ended up backfiring, the whole party would be harmed. I was not too fond of gambling. Now was not the time to throw the dice.


    Wait a bit, Gedric. Just a little bit more!


    It was satisfying to know that our enemy was sessfully taken in with our act, but I felt like I had to intensify it a little more. I could see that Juliana¡¯s desperation would be the key to our victory.


    She genuinely thought ¡®Gedric¡¯ was in danger. s, she was doing her best to fight the invaders while trying not to harm me.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t sympathize with her actions. I didn¡¯t forget the fact that she was the owner of a dungeon that had swallowed up numerous victims and that my party might soon be a group of casualties if we didn¡¯t win this fight.


    Simultaneously, there was no excuse for the fact that we had invaded the dungeon even though she had made it explicitly clear that she did not want to be disturbed. Nevertheless, we came here for a reason.


    This troublesome fly!


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I¡¯m going to let the darkness swallow him up!


    A dark inverted cross materialized in the sky. It fell toward Kim Hyunsung, but he swung his sword in response.


    Bang!


    Quazzik!


    Quaddeuk!


    ¡®He¡¯s so strong¡­¡¯


    Seeing Kim Hyunsung tear down crosses that were bigger than his entire being enveloped me with a sense of awe. Without realizing it, I was stuck staring at the scene with my mouth wide open.


    You will eventually sumb to the darkness!


    Quazzik! Quaang!


    ¡®Huh¡­¡¯


    What was notable was the fact that Kim Hyunsung was smiling. Despite knowing one blunder could cost him his life, he seemed to be enjoying the battle.


    Quazzik!


    The fight truly brought out Hyunsung¡¯s strength. Of course, the difference in stats was inevitable, and Kim Hyunsung suffered a few wounds of his own, but he still seemed satisfied with how the fight was going.


    ¡®His stats haven¡¯t even reached an average of 80 yet¡­¡¯


    You can¡¯t get out of here even now. Shameless intruders¡­ face my wrath!


    A sword then fell from the sky, over the cursed saint who appeared to be ring at Hyunsung. It was not a sword that belonged to anyone.


    ¡®What kind of sword is that?¡¯


    No, in the first ce¡­


    ¡®What kind of fight is this?¡¯


    The fight I was witnessing was surely out of standard, and I didn¡¯t like it. Juliana, who seemed to have reached the second phase, was shing with Hyunsung with her sword.


    Kim Hyun-sung met Juliana¡¯s attacks head-on, and we, too, were affected. However, Park Deokgu and Lee Sang-hee were steadily protecting us, and our magicians ensured that we had an extrayer of safety after each sh.


    ¡®Will we be able to win?¡¯


    In the meantime, I was worried about the oue of the battle. I was sure that Kim Hyunsung would win, but I was worried about the injuries he would sustain in doing so. Even though our party kept a continuous supply of divine power to aid in the battle, there was no guarantee that we¡¯d be able to avoid the worst-case scenario.


    ¡®Should I believe in him?¡¯


    I knew this wasn¡¯t Hyunsung¡¯s full ability. He was probably hiding his true power. However, he might have been overconfident in his abilities.


    You will be trampled in the dark!


    Juliana lifted her sword, and Kim Hyunsung also concentrated his magic on his sword.


    ¡®This will probably be thest sh.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know how the fight was going, but the ominous feeling stayed within me. When the swords were about to hit, I couldn¡¯t help but scream.


    ¡°Juliana!¡±


    At this, the enemy in question turned her head towards me. Simultaneously, Kim Hyunsung shed through her sword with enormous energy, cutting through the air.


    The next thing I saw was his sword piercing right through her abdomen.


    Ged¡­ rick¡­


    ¡®Oh¡­¡¯


    I¡¯ve dealt with my fair share of monsters up until now, but this was the first time I¡¯d ever felt my heart squeeze upon seeing the death of one.


    It was probably because Juliana had instinctively reached out for me as she fell.


    Gedric¡­


    The expedition members slowly scattered behind me as this scene unfolded. When the steamy heart was left behind, a new energy spread in all directions.


    I flinched for a moment, but my head suddenly became clear. It was at this moment that I realized we¡¯dpleted the dungeon attack.


    [Heroic-grade quest has beenpleted.]


    [Heroic-grade quest - Eliminate Juliana (1/1)]


    [Gives 4 random stat points as a reward.]


    ¡®It¡¯s over.¡¯


    It was no wonder that everyone rushed to Kim Hyunsung. An eruption of voices soon reverberated in the room.


    ¡°Hyunsung, are you okay?!¡±


    ¡°Hyunsung!¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m fine¡­¡±


    The first point of action was to check on Hyunsung, but the chaos didn¡¯t stop there.


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it¡­¡±


    ¡°I knew it would be difficult, but I feel so embarrassed.¡±


    ¡°This is also my first time, so I can¡¯t really exin how the notion of promoting or demoting of ranks works¡­¡±


    ¡°Whatever happens, it will be a blessing to the guild.¡±


    I didn¡¯t understand what they were talking about, but I guessed it had something to do with the sword.


    [Cursing Sword - Legendary-Grade]


    ¡®Huh¡­¡¯


    It was faint, but the sword kept shing orange hues.


    ¡®Great¡­¡¯


    I was beginning to understand why Kim Hyunsung wanted to go to this dungeon.


    ¡®Is it for this?¡¯


    In front of me was a legendary item, one of the only ones on this continent, I could bet.


    There were a total of six confirmed legendary-grade items, perhaps a few more, but not more than 10. There was no guarantee that such artifacts would drop even in legendary-grade dungeons.


    If Kim Hyunsung knew that he would get one here, then his insistence ating would be understandable. Anything rated legendary was simply phenomenal, be it a legendary-grade dungeon, legendary-grade job, legendary-grade item, legendary-grade quest, or legendary-grade monster raid.


    Even if there would be a dispute over ownership, it won¡¯t be a strange scene to witness. Even so, the owner was already decided.


    It was then that I decided to speak.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t even imagine killing Juliana one-on-one.¡±


    ¡°I could have suffered if Kiyoung had not interfered. Thank you very much.¡±


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s desire for this sword was evident. Just as I desired good alchemy kits, he would also want good swords.


    There shouldn¡¯t even be a dispute as to who the owner would be. After all, we wouldn¡¯t have been able to survive this dungeon if it weren¡¯t for Kim Hyunsung!


    Lee Sang-hee also seemed to have something to say.


    ¡°First of all, I will dere thepletion of the attack of the heroic-grade dungeon, Cursed Shrine. Clean up the area and search for other items or bodies of other guilds. I would like you to look around in groups of three and report any unusual issues immediately. The settlement will be made after returning to the guild. Gahyeon, please return to the guild right now and let them know the situation of the expedition. And¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too early to tell all of you, but I¡¯m pretty sure you all understand who owns the cursing sword. Just in case¡­ This cursing sword¡­¡±


    Before Lee Sang-hee could finish speaking, a spectacle urred.


    ¡°Wow¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡®What¡­¡¯


    The sword lying on the ground suddenly started to rise and twirl up in the air. It was natural for everyone to feel rmed.


    As everyone looked at it confusedly, the cursed sword slowly approached me. What was strange was that I didn¡¯t feel hostility from it.


    ¡°Is this a master ceremony?¡± Someone else muttered.


    Only


    The sword approaching with a faint light seemed to look at me, making a continuous trembling sound.


    ¡®What is this¡­?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know what was going on.


    ¡®Oh no, don¡¯t be like this. Don¡¯t test me¡­¡¯


    I then realized what was happening.


    I could see an embarrassed expression showing on Kim Hyunsung¡¯s face.


    ¡®It¡¯s not like this¡­ Hyunsung, trust me, I didn¡¯t mean to do this.¡¯

 Chapter 98: Juliana (3)

    <h4>Chapter 98: Juliana (3)</h4>


    Kim Hyunsung looked like a mess. Though he had already received the divine healing spell, there were still many scars scattered all over his body. However, this was natural, seeing as he had just gone through an intense fight.


    He had small welts where Juliana¡¯s tentacles had managed to hit him, and half of his equipment had flown off or were destroyed in their continuous sh. His appearance overall was very grim.


    On the contrary, my appearance¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s clean.¡¯


    I suffered no torn clothes or wounds, let alone a single scratch.


    As the sword approached me, Hyunsung¡¯s expression was simr to someone who had fought to meet their lover, only for them to get abandoned.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard stories that legendary-grade items usually choose their owners. This seems like the case now,¡± Hwang Jeong-yeon remarked.


    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ve heard of such a story, too, Jeong-yeon,¡± Kim Hyunsungmented glumly.


    ¡®No¡­ Do not be like this.¡¯


    Embarrassment flew from all aspects of my body. Kim Hyunsung seemed to be feeling the same. I knew he had risked himself for the chance to gain this item, and knowing this hurt my heart.


    I did not mean to do it, but I apparently had gotten in the way of his ns.


    ¡®Damn¡­ I don¡¯t even know what to use it for.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure why it so suddenly acted this way¡­¡± I muttered.


    No matter how much I tried to sneak away, the sword kept following me.


    ¡°Is it possible to deny ownership?¡± I asked, trying to find a way out of this embarrassing situation.


    ¡°Generally, yes¡­ However, information on legendary items has not yet been released. I don¡¯t think this one will back down so easily, however¡­¡± Jeong-yeon replied.


    ¡°In that case, how would you like Hyunsung to catch it? First of all, I am not thebat type, nor is it an item I need. It would be better for Hyunsung to use it than me,¡± I remarked.


    ¡°Yeah. Hyunsung, I think it would be better to try that,¡± Jeong-yeon agreed.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yeah,¡± Kim Hyunsung responded.


    No wonder everyone¡¯s eyes were on him.


    At this, Kim Hyunsung began to reach out quietly, harboring an extremely nervous expression.


    Perhaps he had already encountered a lot of information about legendary-grade items, hence his hesitation in approaching the sword. Maybe this was even the same sword he had used in the past!


    However, we had no choice but to ept that handling this sword would not be easy. Even Kim Hyunsung looked unsure.


    The moment he grabbed the sword, dark energy began to pour out of the artifact. The expedition members quickly scattered in rm, afraid of what was to happen.


    Kwajijijiji!


    Upon seeing this, Kim Hyunsung sighed in resignation. I, too, looked away. My heart squeezed.


    ¡®Ah¡­ Sh*t¡­¡¯


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I can. It seems like the owner has already been decided,¡± Hyunsung remarked in a somber tone.


    ¡°Ah¡­ But I, really¡­¡± I trailed off, trying to find the right words to say.


    ¡°This is a very strong sword. It¡¯s a little regrettable, but I can¡¯t help it. In fact, Kiyoung has actually been the number one contributor in this expedition, so it¡¯s only natural that he gets chosen. I also got a lot of help from Kiyoung in thest fight. To be honest, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to guarantee what would have happened to me if he had not aided me,¡± Hyunsung exined.


    ¡°But I would not even be able to use this¡­¡± I argued.


    ¡°Even so, Kiyoung, you cannot deny it. I could feel it right after I grabbed it. It has already decided its owner. Even if someone else tries to use it, it will not unlock its abilities for anyone other than you. Only you will be able to make use of its true functions¡­¡± he insisted.


    ¡°What alchemist has a sword?¡±


    Everyone looked away at this. Everyone knew that me wielding a sword was like a pig wearing a pearl ne.


    I had weak physical stats. I wouldn¡¯t even be able to swing it for more than a few times before using up all my energy, but the sword didn¡¯t seem to care.


    As if it couldn¡¯t wait any longer, the ck energy from the sword began to trap me.


    ¡°Ahhh!¡±


    My arm was raised regardless of my will.


    ¡°Someone¡­¡±


    I tried to look around for help, but everything happened so fast.


    A familiar message came to mind the moment my hand closed around the sword¡¯s handle.


    [You have been recognized as the owner of the legendary-grade item, the cursing sword, Juliana. Congrattions on being a user of the legendary weapon.]


    ¡®Fuck, what is this recognition?! Take it back¡­ I don¡¯t want it!¡¯


    [Cursing Sword Juliana - Legendary-Grade]


    [A sword used by the cursed St. Juliana. This sword was created tens of thousands of years ago, when Ace, the god of the curse, descended for Juliana. It will not fade no matter how many years will pass. It inflicts a supetive curse that instantly inflicts mental damage to the injured target. You can use the energy of Ace by using magic power. Targets that have been exposed to this energy for a long time are also cursed. You can use arge amount of magical power to cast an area curse. Summons and reverse summons are also possible.]


    [Before Juliana died, she desperately sealed her soul within this sword. Juliana¡¯s love for Gedric is asleep. The sword moves on its own, protecting its owner from threats. Due to the low growth level, several functions of the item are sealed. Magic power increases by 15.]


    Gedric¡­ My dear Gedric¡­


    ¡®Okay, fine, I admit defeat¡­¡¯


    I looked at the sword in my hand with renewed emotions after reading its status. I felt so embarrassed with the specs that my mouth had hung open.


    The item¡¯s stats were iparable to any other item I¡¯ve encountered so far. In the first ce, everyone had already witnessed just how powerful the curse had been in here.


    Considering it almost swallowed an entire party with its skill, the ability to cast a curse was enough for it to be called a legendary item.


    Of course, it would be impossible with my magic power to do as much damage as Juliana did, but the possibility of using it is enough.


    ¡®What about the sword¡¯s ability to increase magic power by 15?¡¯


    I knew I had weak stats, but this sword had just given me hope. Plus, it was made to ensure that my protection would be its first priority.


    Since Juliana¡¯s ego was sealed within it, a new feature had been installed within the sword.


    The only problem was¡­


    ¡®Juliana¡­¡¯


    What should I do if the crazy bitch woke up again?


    My head hurt just trying to think about having to pretend to be Gedric the whole time I would have to use the sword.


    ¡°The owner ceremony is over.¡±


    ¡°This¡­ Hyunsung, I¡¯m so sorry¡­ I didn¡¯t mean for this to happen¡­¡± I said apologetically.


    ¡°No. If one were to think about what Kiyoung has done, you deserve it. Of course, as an alchemist, using a sword will be hard¡­ In the future, we can train together, right?¡± Kyunsung remarked.


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°I think it would be nice for you to learn how to use a sword. I will definitely teach you the basic level,¡± he replied.


    ¡®It still doesn¡¯t seem right¡­¡¯


    Somehow, I became quite anxious.


    ¡®Is he mad?¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t imagine Kim Hyunsung ever harboring a toxic grudge. However, one of the corners of his mouth was clearly lowered. I knew it was because all his efforts had been for nothing.


    As I looked around, I could see the expressions of Park Deokgu, Sun Hee-young, and Jung Hayan, all harboring a hint of pride.


    Jealousy was written on everyone else¡¯s expressions, but they chose not to act on this and apuded me instead. I had no choice but to speak, seeing the curiosity on their faces.


    ¡°That¡­ I¡¯m not really sure about the sword¡¯s quality, but the internal features are pretty good. It can inflict curses, and it¡¯s designed to protect its owner.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    Even Kim Hyunsung looked surprised. This was probably because it was a function that did not exist in the first case.


    Did it change because I had pretended to be Gedric?


    ¡°Ah. Others seem to be unable to read it. It is written that Juliana¡¯s ego is sealed. When a threates, the sword will move by itself. Of course, I will still have to make use of my magic power. Anyway, I think it¡¯s because Juliana has identified me as Gedric,¡± I exined.


    ¡°Oh, I see.¡±


    ¡®I have to pretend to be Gedric¡­¡¯


    If the sword finds out that I wasn¡¯t Gedric, the consequences would be dire. For now, the good news was that Juliana was still asleep from the battle that had just been ensured.


    However, the bigger benefit was that Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t seem to be exhibiting any more negative feelings towards me. He even nodded at my exnation.


    ¡®Did he think it would be useful?¡¯


    Probably so.


    He had probably epted that I was the owner, although his expression was still set in a cold, firm line.


    When I thought about it, this curse-making greatsword, Juliana, would have been one of the many legendary-grade items Kim Hyunsung might have acquired or known about in the past.


    However, his disposition and this sword did not seem to match at all. In fact, this sword would have been a better match for someone like Jung Jinho, that maniac back in the tutorial dungeon.


    ¡°First of all, congrattions, Mr. Kiyoung,¡± Lee Sang-hee greeted.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yeah¡­ Thank you,¡± I replied shyly.


    ¡°It¡¯s a littleplicated, but if Mr. Hyunsung¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I understand, Lee Sang-hee. Unfortunately, it seems to be an inevitable situation.¡±


    ¡°Normally, ownership needs to be discussed, but this is a legendary item, and the cursing sword acknowledged Kiyoung. It also seems that our work here is also finished to some extent, so I will be able to head to Lindel right after I finish some other work. Let¡¯s go home.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    We were able to gain more things upon thepletion of the dungeon. However, due to our failure to bring back the previous party members, Blue¡¯s power had dropped significantly.


    It might seem cruel, but this situation did not seem so bad at all.


    Lee Sang-hee¡¯s position has declined, therefore Kim Hyun-sung¡¯s and my internal evaluation have risen as a result.


    I don¡¯t know what choice Lee Sang-hee will make in the future, but seeing that she felt like a failure in leading the team in our expedition, she would probably step down from being the leader. In this way, Kim Hyunsung had a chance. We had proven ourselves enough on this expedition.


    ¡®Our condition has also improved a lot¡­¡¯


    In fact, it felt like everyone had progressed from the expedition. However, there were still some problems we needed to resolve.


    Park Deokgu still lied about his job, and Lee Jihye¡¯s n still needed to grow. I still had a lot of work to do once we got back.


    However, because of my newly-acquired weapon, I did not feel the oing onught of stress at all.


    Getting this sword out would be a problem. After slightly sending in some magical power, I began to mutter.


    ¡®Reverse summon.¡¯


    [The cursing sword refuses to reverse summon.]


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    ¡®Reverse summon.¡¯


    Only


    [The cursing sword refuses to reverse summon.]


    ¡®Go back.¡¯


    [The cursing sword strongly rejects reverse summons.]


    I began to panic at this point. Why does this have to happen?


    ¡®Fucking hell! Go back!¡¯


    [The cursing sword strongly rejects reverse summons. It has fallen in love with you. The cursing sword wants to be with you. The cursing sword feels angry.]


    ¡°Go back! Please!¡± I shrieked.


    It was definitely a satisfying expedition.

 Chapter 99: Juliana (4)

    <h4>Chapter 99: Juliana (4)</h4>


    ¡°Mr. Kiyoung, what is written there?¡± Sun Hee-young asked.


    ¡°Ah, Hee-young. It¡¯s a story about Gedric and Juliana. No way¡­ I think I should know more about it because of this sword,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Ah! Are you referring to the book you found in the inner room?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yes, I am. Upon reading it, I think it was actually worth finding out. It seems like a legend¡­ Well¡­ Anyway, it¡¯s interesting,¡± I answered.


    ¡°It must be fun to read. Could you tell me about it?¡±


    Sun Hee-young¡¯s curious expression was evidently visible. She had been snooping around me all day as we prepared to head back to Lindel. In fact, it was a nice opportunity to talk, as we hadn¡¯t really conversed with each other, except when it came to volunteering activities.


    Meanwhile, Jung Hayan clung onto my arm tightly, shooting Sun Hee-young a cautious look. I knew she also wanted a moment to know about the story.


    ¡®Ah, well, it¡¯s not that long, anyway.¡¯


    It would be nice to have something to talk about while we headed towards our next destination.


    ¡°The story started exactly 10,000 years ago,¡± I began.


    ¡°Ten thousand years?¡± Hee-young asked in disbelief.


    ¡°Yeah. This is a story before the birth of Benigore, the Holy Empire, where we¡¯re currently located. It¡¯s stated that a terrible battle took ce. It¡¯s also said that it had been a religious war centered between believers who worshiped the god of curse, and those who followed the god of blessing.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡± Hee-young nodded.


    ¡°Have you ever heard of it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yeah. The religious war created the Holy Empire, after all. That¡¯s an interesting story,¡± she replied.


    ¡°Yeah. At that time, it was said that Juliana was a saint serving the god of curse, and Gedric was a saint serving the god of blessing. The two didn¡¯t collide directly, but they always listened to each other and stood on the front line. It was also written that 15 years after the beginning of the war, the two collided on the front lines. In any case, there was a big battle in which almost all of the troops were deployed,¡± I narrated.


    ¡°The Berman Cliff Battle,¡± she added.


    I was surprised at her sudden response, so I tilted my head and asked.


    ¡°You know of it?¡±


    ¡°Anyone who has served in a temple always learns the most. Of course, I haven¡¯t heard of anyone named Juliana or Gedric, but¡­ If Kiyoung¡¯s book is authentic, we could add it to the history books we currently have,¡± Hee-young exined.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s rted to the Holy Empire, but¡­ that might be the case. Anyway, countless believers lost their lives, and Gedric and Juliana also fought until the end and fell off the cliff,¡± I retold.


    ¡°So, what happened?¡± she asked curiously.


    ¡°Actually, the record of this time is not described in the book. It only says that Juliana and Gedric returned to their respective temples exactly a yearter. Of course, Juliana¡¯s diary is very urate, but it is embarrassing to exin in further detail.¡±


    It was to be expected, after all.


    Gedric and Juliana survived together for nearly a year in a cave on a distant cliff and eventually developed feelings for each other.


    People nodded in response as I continued to exin. It was indeed an interesting story if one were to ignore the explicit content in between.


    ¡°From then on, it seems that Juliana and Gedric started meeting. The war had gone into a lull, so there were many opportunities to meet. Colossal damage was dealt on both sides during the Battle of Berman Cliffs. Of course, the two gods initially tried to separate the two, but they already loved each other too much,¡± I narrated as if it was my own experience.


    ¡°So, that¡¯s why she became like this,¡± Hee-youngmented and had a moment of reflection.


    ¡°Yeah. Of course, the two were angry at each other¡¯s gods. Under such circumstances, Gedric built a small shrine in the temple of the god of blessings¡­ That is the dungeon we went to, the Cursed Shrine. The two decided to stay here, and as a result, the gods became angry and tied them to this shrine,¡± I recounted.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    The god of curse cursed Juliana, thereby trapping her in that room forever, and the god of blessing blessed Gedric, turning him into a wanderer.


    Of course, the god of blessing did not allow Gedric to find Juliana.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    At Jung Hayan¡¯s words, Sun Hee-young nodded and spoke again.


    ¡°It would be natural for the shrine to be cursed. Building a shrine dedicated to other gods in the basement of the temple¡­ It¡¯s a big offense. Perhaps the undead army outside the Cursed Shrine were also affected by the curse itself.¡±


    ¡°In Gedric¡¯s diary, it was said that the god of blessing blessed them with eternal life, but from their point of view, it must have been a curse. The story ends here. In short, Juliana was forever waiting for Gedric, and Gedric was forever wandering in search of Juliana, whom he could not find.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a heavy story. However, Jung Hayan seemed moved.


    ¡°That¡¯s so sad¡­ She waited for someone who would nevere¡­¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but pat her head. Seeing this as an opportunity, Hayan hugged me tightly.


    ¡°Then, you mean that the undead found in the room on the left was Gedric, Oppa?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Oh, right¡­¡±


    In the process of searching for an unknown survivor, Gedric, as well as a group of undead, were found. We didn¡¯t have to search to figure out who we had discovered. It was because I was able to find an interesting item in his arms.


    [Gedric¡¯s Proposal Ring - Heroic-Grade]


    [You can resist Juliana¡¯s curse.]


    As I nced at the items in my hand, I felt like I could roughly understand this dungeon¡¯s original strategy.


    In addition, why Kim Hyunsung went around sote at night, and what the identity of the undead that the former party saw here.


    Perhaps the first way to attack the Cursed Shrine was to find Gedric wandering here. To catch him would mean gaining the needed resistance against Juliana.


    However, that would be a tricky ordeal. It was a huge shrine, after all. It would be close to impossible to find Gedric sessfully. On the other hand, not gaining resistance meant bearing Juliana¡¯s full wrath.


    In our party¡¯s case, we figured out a way to resist the curse before discovering Gedric.


    Had a little more time passed, Kim Hyunsung could have found Gedric, but the expedition¡¯s results were not bad overall.


    ¡°Love is definitely scary,¡± Hee-young remarked.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    I can empathize with that more than anyone else. My gaze fell on Jung Hayan.


    Anyway, in the meantime, I would have to learn as much as I can about Gedric. Juliana was currently still asleep in her sword, but I didn¡¯t know when she would wake up. Thus, I needed to be prepared.


    ¡°By the way, I know it hasn¡¯t been very long since we¡¯ve gone, but I¡¯ve seen no sign of reinforcements that he promised to bring,¡± I remarked.


    ¡°Who?¡± Hee-young asked.


    ¡°Lee Seolho, one of the retired members,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Ahhh. Perhaps it is because the Red Mercenary Queen has not yet returned, or some other problem urred. Anyway, wepleted the dungeon at a faster pace than expected,¡± Lee Sang-hee interfered.


    ¡°Oh, we were fortunate to have Kim Hyunsung with us, then. If we didn¡¯t, we¡¯d probably have died in there,¡± I remarked.


    ¡°Ah, yes. I¡¯ll ask about what¡¯s happened when we get back.¡±


    ¡®Hah, they probably wish we¡¯d die during this expedition.¡¯


    The timing was definitely ambiguous, but Lee Sang-hee seemed fixated on trying to excuse Lee Seolho¡¯s behavior.


    ¡°My Hyung is so kind that I¡¯m sick.¡±


    At this, Park Deokgu and Jung Hayan nodded. However, Sun Hee-young¡¯s expression did not look good.


    ¡®I guess she doesn¡¯t like him either.¡¯


    These old men, including Lee Seolho, were no different from the vagrants in the poor. They were useless beings who refused to move on their own. They stepped on others and tried to make a profit by torturing them.


    I¡¯ve already said it before, but the difference between him and the poor was that he had gotten luckier than them. However, they were all the same¡ªjust lumps of cancer in our society.


    ¡®Oh¡­ How has it been going, anyway?¡¯


    What I had asked Lee Jihye to do suddenly came to mind.


    She would have almost finished what I asked for, but I had to think about the possibility that we couldn¡¯t finish the job because the timing of our departure had been earlier than expected.


    Then I saw someone running towards us from afar.


    ¡®Park Gahyeon?¡¯


    The figure in sight was certainly Park Gahyeon, which Lee Sang-hee sent to the guild one step ahead of us. It meant something had happened.


    Seeing her anxious look, I began to feel both excited and worried for any uing news.


    Eventually, she reached Lee Sang-hee, panting and trying to catch her breath.


    ¡°Ugh¡­ Vice Guild Master¡­¡±


    ¡°Did you share the news? Why have youe back alone?¡±


    ¡°We did everything as ordered. I have news to deliver¡­ I can¡¯t help but¡­¡±


    ¡°Please calm down and tell me.¡±


    I noticed that she felt reluctant to share the news with everyone. However, she had no choice. Upon sessfully regaining her breathing, she spoke again.


    ¡°The¡­ The Guild Master has died.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡±


    ¡°The guild master¡­ He died.¡±


    ¡°Why¡­? The curse should have been lifted¡­¡±


    ¡°I heard it was exactly three days ago since you aplished the expedition¡­ He died quietly in his sleep. I knew I had to inform you right away.¡±


    Lee Sang-hee closed her mouth, at a loss for words. Park Gahyeon, meanwhile, had burst into tears. I¡¯ve never seen the Blue Guild Master, but I could surmise that his personality wasn¡¯t that bad.


    Logically speaking, this wasn¡¯t a bad situation for our party. We could gain more influence and control over the guild in this manner.


    Nevertheless¡­


    ¡®Why¡¯d it happen so suddenly?¡¯


    The timing was definitely odd. Of course, it could prove to be advantageous for some people. On the other hand, it could have been an effect of being exposed to the curse for so long, but¡­


    ¡®Is this Lee Seolho¡¯s doing?¡¯


    It was just a guess, but a very convincing one at that.


    ¡°First, let¡¯s hurry to the guild¡­ Please keep up with our pace, everyone. We¡¯ll get there soon. We need to settle the situation.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Lee Sang-hee.¡±


    And so, the party members trudged on with heavier steps.


    Perhaps because of the unexpected news, Lee Sang-hee led the expedition with her mouth shut, and the other party members also stepped in silently,forting Lee Sang-hee.


    Soon enough, the Free City of Lindel appeared in our sights. We could also see Lee Jihye and the other retired Blue Guild executives waiting for us at the entrance.


    Seeing that some of the ck Swans were with them, I knew something was up. Suddenly, I found this entire situation ridiculous, and I resisted the urge tough.


    ¡°Congrattions on surviving, Lee Sang-hee. I was just about to find you¡­¡±


    ¡°More than that, Seolho, what happened to the Master? Is he really dead?¡±


    Only


    ¡°Yeah. He at least died peacefully.¡±


    ¡°Ahh, where is the body?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s in the guild¡¯s basement. It¡¯s been three days, yet I still don¡¯t know what to do with the funeral¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    Their conversation had already bored me at this point. As the two continued to discuss, I looked at Lee Jihye, who smiled and tapped her leg.


    ¡®Ah, there it is.¡¯


    I knew a more detailed story woulde my way soon.

 Chapter 100: Old Forces (1)

    <h4>Chapter 100: Old Forces (1)</h4>


    Upon arriving at the Guild House, our party hurriedly unpacked before heading down to the basement. After some thought, I had decided to join them in checking the body.


    I initially wanted to talk with Lee Jihye, but I figured it could wait after. This decision was reinforced upon seeing her nod, understanding my decision.


    However, I knew she was thinking of something else, too. I didn¡¯t even need to ask what it was.


    ¡®Is she still on that soulmate mindset?¡¯


    I had some inkling of what the status system meant about the two of us.


    ¡®In fact, we¡¯re simr in a lot of ways¡­¡¯


    Following this line of thought, I knew not bringing her in Blue with us was the worst mistake I¡¯d ever made. I knew she had a lot she could have brought to the table.


    However, I knew her current position wasn¡¯t all that bad, either.


    Putting this aside, I bid Jihye a brief farewell before joining others in the basement. Since she was considered an outsider, she was not be allowed in this particr area.


    Upon reaching the basement, I saw a neatly organized room. A man was lying inside a coffin decorated with a multitude of white flowers. He looked a little old, and the countless wounds on his face were enough proof of his identity. A beard covered his chin, and gray hair covered his head.


    This was our deceased Guild Master.


    ¡®Is he in his forties? No¡­ Perhaps he was in his fifties¡­¡¯


    Since aging had slowed due to the influence of magic power, it was hard to pinpoint his exact age. Upon seeing hisfortably closed eyes, never to open again, cries erupted from the group.


    ¡°Aaaah!¡±


    ¡°Master¡­¡±


    ¡°Uncle, you said you would live until the end¡­ Ugh¡­¡±


    Though I had never met the Guild Master, I still felt sad. Everyone around me had tears in their eyes, and it was obvious what the Guild Master meant to them.


    And among them, the one expressing the most intense reaction was Lee Sang-hee.


    Before we had gone down, she had a calmposure. However, thatposure cracked the moment her eyesnded on the old man.


    It wasn¡¯t clear what had happened between the two, but I could tell that it was certainly not a normal rtionship. Her reaction was simr to seeing a loved one die.


    ¡®Or, perhaps, a lover¡­?¡¯


    That wasn¡¯t a convincing guess, however.


    Soon, the rest of us decided it would be best to leave Lee Sang-hee alone. The second unit slowly made their way up the steps, and our seventh unit followed suit.


    However, Kim Hyunsung must have had a different idea, for he stayed by Lee Sang-hee¡¯s side.


    ¡°He must have already gone to a better ce.¡±


    Meanwhile, Sun Hee-young cast a divine prayer towards the body and then went on her way. I did the same and soon was moving upstairs, with Jung Hayan clinging onto my arm.


    ¡°Hayan.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Oppa?¡±


    ¡°Have you felt anything weird?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°About the flow of magic power within the Guild Master¡¯s body¡­ Or, I don¡¯t know, some traces of other types of magic. I¡¯m not sensitive to this sort of thing, so I couldn¡¯t tell.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ I didn¡¯t find anything weird. I had only looked at him from a distance. Maybe I could¡¯ve noticed something if I was able to get a closer look.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Upon seeing Hayan¡¯s guilty expression, I decided it would be best to stop speaking.


    Instead, I decided to stroke her hair, which soon wiped off her sad expression. However, my thoughts had be a chaotic mess.


    I knew Jung Hayan was sensitive to magic power. It was one of her passive abilities, seeing as her potential went past legendary, regardless of her current status.


    The fact that she had not sensed even a sliver of magic on the Guild Master¡¯s body meant that, whatever caused his death, it had not been from the usage of magic power.


    ¡®Hmm¡­


    Upon reaching the ground floor, I caught sight of the second unit, all seated by the Guild¡¯s bar. When I approached them, people automatically gave way to me. This type of warm wee had probably stemmed from their appreciation of me back in the dungeon.


    If one achieved something in the dungeon, he or she warrants respect in the Guild.


    ¡°Ah, Mr. Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°You must also be sad¡­¡±


    ¡°Perhaps he is, but not as sad as Lee Sang-hee¡­¡±


    ¡°Yep, the two of them must have been very close.¡±


    ¡°She must be so heartbroken. The two of them have been together since the tutorial dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Really? They were together in the tutorial dungeon?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Come to think of it. The seventh unit doesn¡¯t know much about that. The Blue Guild was created by Lee Sang-hee and the Guild Master, Joo Seung-jun. These two settled in after arriving in Lindel. At that time, Lee Sang-hee was not an adult, so it must mean that the guild is quite old¡­ by fifteen years, to be exact.¡±


    Considering that Lee Sang-hee was 33 years old now, it meant that she had been 18 when the guild was first created.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. We haven¡¯t been in Blue for a long time, so we don¡¯t know the details, but Lee Sang-hee followed the Master like a father. Actually, when the Master was cursed, she tried to enter the dungeon alone to solve it.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°They always moved together, even in the guild, or whenever the time came for hunting or exploring. I don¡¯t mean to degrade Lee Sang-hee, but if it weren¡¯t for the Guild Master, she probably would have never reached this point.¡±


    Upon saying this, the second unit member looked toward Hwang Jeong-yeon, who nodded in reply.


    ¡°I¡¯m a little bit bitter, too. Maybe not as long as Lee Sang-hee, but I¡¯ve been in Blue for quite a while. Joo Seung-jun is¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°He was a great person. He knew how to sacrifice for others, and most of all, he cared about us a lot. He did not increase the size of the guild because it would be too difficult to care for each guild member if he did. Actually, all guild members liked Seung-jun. In our unit¡¯s case, it was enough just seeing him every day. Of course, this won¡¯t be the case now.¡±


    Everyone fell silent for a moment. The atmosphere became heavier.


    ¡°I thought I¡¯d get used to separation at this point, but¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t know much about Joo Seung-jun, but it seemed that he had been a good person. It wasn¡¯t only that. He also seemed like a strong and capable person.


    Still, my worries about the current state of Blue did not go away. Lee Sanghee was also strong, but she was not an ideal leader. She had a good character, but that wouldn¡¯t be enough.


    Blue had a centralized system that centered on Joo Seung-jun. Since the head had been cut off, it was only natural for the body to panic. In cases like these, old geezers such as Lee Seolho would surely try to take advantage of the guild¡¯s weakness.


    ¡°Was Lee Seolho already here from the beginning?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡®Ah¡­


    ¡°I heard that Seolho had also been with them since the tutorial. He worked a lot as abat agent and contributed a lot to the guild. Of course, he had some personal affairs with the Master, but I know that the two¡¯s rtionship was good. The same could be said for Lee Sang-hee. Of course, that¡¯s not apparent these days¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see. He was also quite trusted.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Perhaps Lee Seolho is also in pain¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh, I¡¯m not so sure about that?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    At this point, Hwang Jeong-yeon¡¯s expression had shifted into a nervous one.


    ¡°Can the rest of you go up for now? I need to speak to Mr. Kiyoung privately.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Hwang Jeong-yeon. Take your time.¡±


    Jung Hayan nced at me with a sad expression, silently asking if she had to climb up with the rest of them. When I shook my head, her face lit up.


    ¡°What did you mean earlier, Mr. Kiyoung?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ I don¡¯t think Joo Seung-jun died naturally. I think he had been killed.¡±


    ¡°Murdered?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Of course, it¡¯s just a wild guess¡­¡±


    ¡°I thought Jeong-yeon would have guessed the same, but it seems that this isn¡¯t the case.¡±


    ¡°No. In fact, I¡¯ve also thought about that. I didn¡¯t rule out that possibility¡­ But when I saw Joo Seung-jun¡¯s body¡­¡±


    ¡°You mean you couldn¡¯t find anything?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Same here. At a nce, there was no trauma, and no signs of magic could be found. Right, Hayan?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Oppa.¡±


    ¡°But the only way to kill people on this continent is magic. I think it¡¯s right to keep the possibility open. There is no motive for murder, but how many people would benefit if the Guild Master disappears and if we didn¡¯te back from the expedition? Oh, this can also be called a motive.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s definitely true.¡±


    ¡°We can find out if we can examine the body. If you can persuade Lee Sanghee¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course. I¡¯ll inform you.¡±


    ¡°The faster you can do it, the better. The remaining magic power might fade away at this point. If we were a littleter, we wouldn¡¯t have time to check the body. Perhaps the murderers would have cleared all evidence by the time of the funeral. I¡¯m d we were able to get back earlier.¡±


    ¡°I feel the same way.¡±


    ¡°In case you may find something else, it would be better if you and Sun Heeyoung go into the autopsy. Alchemy or divine power may have been used¡­ Anyway, it¡¯s best to keep all our options open.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be a littleplicated, though¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°I mean, to be suspicious of one guild member doesn¡¯t mean others would feel the same¡­ yet, I hope Lee Sang-hee is also thinking simrly.¡±


    Only


    Hwang Jeong-yeon had a point. Upon hearing her exnation, I felt the situation would be even moreplicated.


    ¡®It can¡¯t be.¡¯


    I did not want to harbor any doubts, but if Lee Seolho and Joo Seung-jun had really been together since their tutorial dungeon days, this could be a problem.


    As I thought about this, someone tapped on our table.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    It was a familiar yet very unpleasant voice.


    ¡°I want to know.¡±


    It was Lee Seolho and his followers

 Chapter 101: Old Forces (2)

    <h4>Chapter 101: Old Forces (2)</h4>


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    It was Lee Seolho and his followers.


    ¡°Lee Sang-hee is still¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s spending time with the Master in the basement. You also seem to be heartbroken.¡±


    ¡°It feels like someone in my family has died. The Master was such a special person to Lee Sang-hee. Of course, other people will feel the same, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah. In fact, I also lost sleep at first. My sorrow was heightened as there weren¡¯t a lot of people when it happened. However, Hwang Jeong-yeon, I must congratte you on your safe return. And for other party members¡­ I am very sorry for your loss.¡±


    His voice was full of favor. Of course, it wasn¡¯t directed to me, but towards Hwang Jeong-yeon, who was considered as the second party leader.


    Hwang Jeong-yeon must have also felt surprised by his sudden change of behavior, as her eyes had widened.


    ¡®Ha¡­


    I coughed into my fist and resisted the urge tough aloud. The old man was so tantly obvious. Of course, he wasn¡¯t expecting us toe back.


    In the end, it didn¡¯t matter if Lee Seolho had killed the Guild Master or not. The fact still stood that he would be delighted upon the urrence of this event. If we had note back, Blue would automatically be his for the taking.


    For this very reason, he had chosen to dy the sending of reinforcements. Either way, we hade back.


    ¡®It must have been embarrassing for him.¡¯


    It felt funny, but I couldn¡¯t help but take pride in this situation.


    As I mulled over these thoughts, Lee Seolho continued to talk to Hwang Jeong-yeon.


    ¡°I¡¯m really d.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°I was so worried because the reinforcements replied sote. Then, the Guild Master died. I tried my best to help out, but it just didn¡¯t feel right. My anxiety¡­ Anyway, it¡¯s so nice being able to see you in person once more.¡±


    Lee Seolho¡¯s red, teary eyes were indeed a spectacle to behold. He would undoubtedly receive the Academy Award for Best Actor if he kept this up.


    Hwang Jeong-yeon looked torn, so I figured it would be fun for me to step in.


    ¡®Shall we see his reaction?¡¯


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it toote to say that? I wonder if there was any other reason, Mr. Seolho.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no, I¡¯m just saying. Though the Red Mercenaries werete, there were also the ck Swans. There are also loads of people in need of a job. It wouldn¡¯t be so hard organizing a unit. Of course, it would be impossible if you were given a short time. However, we had been gone for so long.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahhh. Well, what¡¯s past is past. Can you at least tell me how the Guild Master died?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s exactly what I said. He died peacefully three days ago. He was fortunate to have died in that manner.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Did you not think about the fact that he might have been killed?¡±


    Lee Soelho¡¯s eyes widened at my deduction.


    ¡°What are you saying?¡±


    ¡°Take it literally. From your story, does this mean that no one was in the Guild Master¡¯s room when he died?¡±


    ¡°That¡­ I do.¡±


    ¡°From your reaction, it seems that you didn¡¯t even think about the possibility of him being killed.¡±


    As I spoke, I couldn¡¯t help but let a snarky smile slip through. It was because Lee Seolho had donned a nasty expression.


    ¡®Did you kill him?


    No wonder the crazy old man¡¯s face had turned red.


    In the first ce, Lee Seolho had a hot-tempered personality. If he didn¡¯t get angry in this situation, it would have definitely looked suspicious.


    ¡°What are you talking about now?!¡±


    ¡°Why are you getting all excited? I say this in total respect, Lee Seolho¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you saying we killed the Guild Master? I¡¯ve never once thought about that!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t even say our fellow guild members did it. I was just asking if there were any possible intruders¡­ You seem to be overly excited about this, and I don¡¯t know why.¡±


    Seolho was taken aback by what I said and struggled to find his words for a while.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ You¡­ Still¡­¡±


    ¡°Perhaps you feel attacked from what I said?¡±


    ¡°Do you dare talk to me like that? Me, who has maintained Blue Guild up until now?!¡±


    ¡°Your story has nothing to do with me, regardless of how many years you¡¯ve spent in service. However¡­¡±


    He fell silent.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see, why do you keep speaking so inly? Do you not mention your position enough? Why must you be so loud and defensive about it?¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°You have to be careful with your words, Mr. Seolho. If the Guild Master dies, do you think that means the end for Blue? There are various degrees of ipetence. What kind of executive lets the guild¡¯s reputation fall into disarray? Did you get sick of dealing with such affairs? It sounds ridiculous, and it doesn¡¯t make sense at all.¡±


    My arguments seemed to hit like daggers as he was at a loss for words.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it normal to make sure that there was no intrusion from the outside, or if there had been people inside the Guild Master¡¯s bedroom? If your definition of working hard is not enough, then just step down from your seat. You¡¯re not helping Blue at all. And then what? The reinforcement formation waste, so it couldn¡¯t be helped? That¡¯s what you call an excuse. That¡¯s what you call ipetence. To say you couldn¡¯t help it, it saddens me. Did you think we would ept that? Why are you doing this?¡± eximed.


    My tone rose as I speak further, but there was no response from him.


    ¡°You know. This is not a school. You can¡¯t just apologize for your mistakes and leave it at that. Do you think of yourselves as pirs that have kept Blue standing? No, if the Guild Master was the head, then you are all just branches.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ How dare you!¡±


    In an instant, magical power had condensed in Seolho¡¯s hand. Perhaps he wouldn¡¯t even hit me. He would know better than to do something so careless.


    On the other hand, perhaps he desperately wanted to do something to relieve his anger?


    If he actually did hit me, it would surely hurt. I was just a weak alchemist.


    Jung Hayan¡¯s eyes had widened, and she had started to memorize her counter-spell. However, the old man¡¯s fist was faster.


    I knew it wasing, and yet, I did not try to dodge. This wasn¡¯t because I was a masochist at heart. I simply found no reason to avoid the attack.


    Why?


    ¡°Oh, Juliana? You don¡¯t have to feel so excited, you know¡­¡±


    It was simply because something else had targeted Lee Seolho.


    ¡®It¡¯s so nice to have insurance. So, so nice¡­¡¯


    ¡°This¡­ This¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah. This is an item that I happened to get from the dungeon. It seems to have multiple functions. For one, it has a function that could turn that anger of yours into a peaceful death. Could you please remove your hand first, Lee Seolho? My Juliana seems to be ready to strike.¡±


    At this, Lee Seolho slowly retracted his arm. At the same time, my lovely Juliana also began to approach my way.


    It was also nice to see Jung Hayan harboring such a bitter expression.


    ¡®Don¡¯t be jealous of the sword¡­¡¯


    She probably felt that way because the sword had been able to do what she couldn¡¯t, which was to rescue me from the impending threat.


    ¡°I have something to attend to, so I¡¯ll get up first, Seolho.¡±


    ¡°At least make sure you write a report on what happened that day. What was the security situation when the Master died? What about the people who entered the guild? And, what about the general guild members? Oh, also, you need to send us an exnation of how the rescue team was dyed. I might even have to open up an investigation. However, I am giving you a chance. Wouldn¡¯t that be a less embarrassing scenario? Hayan, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    As I saw the expressions on the faces of Lee Seolho¡¯s followers, I felt my lips curling up into a satisfied smile.


    They all looked as if they were about to disintegrate.


    If it had been a ce where we were alone, they would have tried to teach me a lesson. However, the problem was that many guild members were curiously looking our way.


    ¡°Did you see it?¡±


    ¡°That¡­ that weapon¡­ What?¡±


    There was admiration in their voices.


    At the same time, I knew something had changed. Whatever it may be, I knew that they would treat me with more caution from now on¡­ and perhaps, a little more respect.


    As my smile began to widen, Jung Hayan asked a question.


    ¡°Oppa?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°By the way¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s true that those people killed the Guild Master¡­ Can you inform me?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You told me to write a report about it before.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh. No. It would be better for you to stay away from this situation, Hayan.¡±


    Jung Hayan looked as if she didn¡¯t understand. With her intelligence, I found it hard to believe that she couldn¡¯t. Perhaps it was just her attitude talking. Whatever it was, it didn¡¯t matter.


    ¡°New changes will soon take ce. This was the best way I could think of.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°A human is not an animal that can do anything perfectly. No matter how urately Lee Seolho can describe the time of death¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, I understand.¡±


    ¡°Obviously, he¡¯ll slip up somehow. It happened three days ago. Who¡¯s to say he can remember every single detail? It doesn¡¯t matter if Joo Seung-jun really died naturally, and the truth wille out soon enough. It¡¯s only natural to think that someone had killed the Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Then that means you need the right evidence.¡±


    Only


    ¡°It¡¯s not the evidence that matters.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Are we reasonable for feeling suspicious? That is what will draw them in.¡±


    ¡°One can create ¡®pieces of evidence¡¯ if the said cause of death was, let¡¯s say, a heart problem. People will believe them if we go down that route.¡±


    Upon seeing Jung Hayan nodding at my words, I realized I had made a mistake.


    I knew, for all she was worth, that she was still pure-minded. Informing her about this meant that I had just shown her another harsh feature of reality.


    ¡®Will this mean she¡¯ll evolve for the better?¡¯


    Obviously, the answer was no.

 Chapter 102: Old Forces (3)

    <h4>Chapter 102: Old Forces (3)</h4>


    ¡°If many believe that something is real, then it will be the truth.¡±


    Ah¡­¡¯


    Even as we walked, Jung Hayan continued mumbling to herself, almost as if memorizing what I had told her beforehand. This only added to my worries. However, I knew she would not act upon this new information, at least, for the time being.


    It was correct to think so. This, it would be best to secretly inform the people around us that we were lovers. We had been dating for a long time, after all.


    However, as time passed by, Jung Hayan¡¯s expression grew darker.


    Seeing as she had purposefully slowed her steps and kept tugging at my sleeve, I knew this expression meant she had discovered something she didn¡¯t like. The hand that held my sleeve seemed to have renewed strength.


    After we passed by the za and some general stores, arge-scale guild house came into view.


    ¡®ck Swan.


    It was one of therge guilds representing the Free City of Lindel, the ck Swan Guild.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    I had no choice but to stroke Jung Hayan¡¯s head upon seeing her gloomy disposition.


    ¡°We came here because I have something to do.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll have time to dateter on. Everything has been hectic these days. You understand, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Oppa.¡±


    It felt good being able toe here without having to hide from Jung Hayan. Of course, I couldn¡¯t take her in the room where Lee Jihye and I would be talking, but knowing that we were in the same building would at least give her some psychologicalfort.


    Though I had conversed with the ck Swans countless times before, this would be my first time visiting their guild house. As I stepped forward, the door slid open for me.


    ¡®Magic?


    Probably so.


    The ck Swans¡¯ ce was not only better than Blue¡¯s in terms of size but also structure. I then heard a voice from the inside.


    ¡°Thank you for visiting the guild, Lee Kiyoung and¡­ Jung Hayan.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes, thank you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure that you can bring her inside. This is your first time toe to the ck Swans.¡±


    Jung Hayan¡¯s expression lightened up a bit.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°I shall lead you to the reception room.¡±


    Our guide appeared to be calm, but upon closer assessment, he was actually very tense.


    We were greeted by everyone we passed by in the lobby. However, all these people also seemed tense in our presence. I could never have received this type of VIP treatment in Blue.


    ¡®Huh.¡¯


    I understood why Hayan and I were being treated this way, and I didn¡¯t mind it at all.


    ¡°Have you already eaten?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we ate on the way.¡±


    ¡°Then I will prepare tea for you. If you are ufortable¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you right away. Is Lee Jihye already inside?¡±


    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s waiting for you. I¡¯ll prepare a separate room for Miss Hayan.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I would be grateful if you could do that.¡±


    ¡°Miss Hayan, this way, please¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes, thank you¡­¡±


    I tried my hardest to ignore Hayan¡¯s beseeching look for as long as it would take. Upon finding out that she would just be in the next room, she thankfully stopped.


    One of the guides bowed his head and opened the door for me, and I could see Lee Jihye inside, wearing neat clothes and a calm expression.


    As soon as she was done examining me, she spoke.


    ¡°It¡¯s good that you came. However, I didn¡¯t know you would bring Hayan with you. Do you really not know the workings of a woman¡¯s heart?¡±


    ¡°We had our circumstances to take care of. You knew I wasing?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Someone already told me that you would be heading here once you finished your affairs in Blue. I¡¯m just making sure, but¡­ You have no intention of switching to the ck Swans, right?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m sorry, but yes.¡±


    ¡°I knew it.¡±


    Lee Jihye continued speaking once I shot her a questioning look.


    ¡°The guild panicked upon knowing that you and Jung Hayan wereing our way. They¡¯re all aware of Blue¡¯s recent events, so your transfer to our guild was somehow expected. Even I got excited¡­ Anyway, did you see the tense expressions of the guides?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I did. I never thought I would be treated this much.¡±


    ¡°You both deserve the treatment. One of you is a genius who has the potential to be the best wizard in the city, and the other is a talent who possesses legendary items, as well as valuable information on politics and alchemy.¡±


    ¡®Ugh¡­


    | already knew that Blue had a bad reputation, but I never imagined it would reach this extent. The fact that Lee Jihye already knew that I had gotten Juliana meant that one of the guys in Blue had already leaked information to the ck Swans. Who would have known?


    ¡®Sh*t.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look like that, Oppa. You just have to be more careful next time. Honestly, I thought you would be considering a transfer. Still, because of Kim Hyunsung, I know you¡¯ll stay in Blue.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s half-right.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Oppa.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    I remarked and tilted my head.


    ¡°I am going to ask this seriously.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Upon seeing my distorted expression, she cleared her throat and asked.


    ¡°Should I also consider Kim Hyunsung as a rival?¡±


    I fell silent


    ¡°You really have to tell me in advance. No matter how much my Oppa likes him, I have the confidence to overturn the sexual identity of an individual.¡±


    When she saw that I wasn¡¯t responding and I wasn¡¯t nning to, she retracted her statement.


    ¡°I¡¯m only joking.¡±


    ¡°Good, because I was just about to leave,¡± I said firmly.


    ¡°I needed to lighten up the atmosphere somehow. If you didn¡¯te here to transfer, then the reason why you came is obvious,¡± she exined.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°You will probably be satisfied. I can give you the data so you can review it back in Blue. To start with the conclusion, I¡¯m not exactly sure about the details, but Lee Seolho really does seem to have connections.¡±


    I felt as if a light bulb shone over my head. I knew it.


    ¡°Where?¡±


    ¡°In Japan.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting that¡­¡±


    I trailed off. I was taken aback somehow.


    ¡°To be precise, it¡¯s Yamato, arge guild in the Free City of Celia. They seemed to have been close for a long time, and the first contact had been after the rescue team left Lindel. They then had contacted several times after that,¡± she shared, ¡°We confirmed about three times. Of course, I couldn¡¯t check all of them. I don¡¯t know the exact contents. Still, I found something, but it¡¯ll be up to you to judge it.¡±


    I knew it. Humans, like Lee Seolho, didn¡¯t move without a backbone. Since they had already prepared for their escape, it probably meant that they had done various more things.


    No wonder they did not want to join the expedition.


    ¡°¡®They¡¯re so obvious. Does this mean they wanted to extend their influence in Lindel under the guise of protecting the fallen Blue? Perhaps they only thought of it as an insurance policy. The old man must have already received a lot of bribes¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re probably right. I don¡¯t have any interactions with Celia, but I think it would be morefortable for them to spread their influence in Lindel than in any other city.¡±


    This couldn¡¯t be called a serious situation. In the first ce, Lindel and Celia were already known as strong allies.


    Both cities were managed by the Holy Empire, Benigor, which of course, upon considering the decline in power, did not appreciate the past battle between Lindel and Celia.


    However, despite this, our trade with Celia was very active.


    Considering this background, this type of agreement would not be considered an act of invasion. However, this information was still useful. Even the simplest partnership could be seen in a negative light if given a suitable motive.


    ¡°I thought their connections would be in Lindel, at best¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, this is arger scale than what most would think. Do you know how creeped out I was when I found out? It seemed like a bug was crawling. Oppa¡­¡±


    ¡°You must have suffered.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t just end with simply suffering. I had to pull so many strings to find all of this out. If it weren¡¯t for you, I wouldn¡¯t have done it in the first ce.¡±


    I could definitely see how hard she had worked, seeing the thickness of the report that she held.


    Excluding Lee Seolho, other information was written in abundance. Even the daily lives of all the people involved. If there were even one person like Lee Jihye within Blue, the guild would not have suffered its current situation.


    I knew our rtionship was purely beneficial, but I still felt grateful.


    ¡°Thank you, Jihye.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not much. And there was definitely a problem with the reinforcement organization. The request for assistance came into the ck Swan, and it was officially made two days after the expedition left the road. There were various circumstances, but I¡¯m certain about our response.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    ¡°I also looked around in the square. If the formation of reinforcements was really dyed due to unavoidable circumstances, then I¡¯m telling you, their ipetence has reached an all-time high.¡±


    ¡°Is it all rted?¡±


    ¡°Sure, it is.¡±


    ¡°How do you feel about the Guild Master?¡±


    ¡°As expected, my Oppa has also thought about the possibility of him being killed.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only natural to think so.¡±


    ¡°I do not know.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ What else haven¡¯t you found?¡±


    ¡°How can I find more at this point? I am considered an outsider when ites to your guild.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    ¡°Even if you look at who hade in your guild or even tracked down Lee Seolho, there would be nothing to catch. It¡¯s also possible that he had died a natural death. Anyway, he was the Blue Guild Master. I heard that he was working himself to death, so a natural death sounds all the more possible. The timing is a little haunted, but the possibilities are still open.¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    When I realized that he might have indeed died from natural death, my head hurt. If it were really true, then this misconception would be a mistake on my part.


    Still, it seemed better to assume that Lee Seolho had killed Joo Seung-jun.


    Even with the meager information I had, it would still be possible to ruin some of Lee Seolho¡¯s reputation, but I knew I would need to gather more conclusive data before taking action.


    ¡®The death of the Guild Master may be our only shot¡­¡¯


    However, if I could nt some evidence¡­ As I nced at Lee Jihye, I caught her smiling. The moment I saw her expression, I knew she had already thought about the same thing.


    She spoke before I could even open my mouth.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    She had handed me a very small potion.


    ¡°It¡¯s a very difficult potion. It is not poison. Rather, it can be seen as a nervous stabilizer. It¡¯s a bitplex, so I don¡¯t know the exact details, but they said it could be quite fatal for particr types of patients.¡±


    ¡°Can I check it?¡±


    ¡°Ah, of course. This is a specialty potion.¡±


    Only


    After receiving the potion from Lee Jihye, I began to assess it. Soon enough, I realized that she had spoken the truth.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°I put a little on the clothes that Lee Seolho¡¯s uncle wears every day. Is this enough evidence? I couldn¡¯t prepare anything better because there wasn¡¯t enough time¡­¡±


    ¡°No, no¡­ This is more than enough.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good thing, Oppa.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t understand how she could trace my line of thoughts so urately and so naturally. It felt creepy to me.


    ¡®She really is a capable person¡­¡¯


    Now, I finally understood why the status system kept calling Lee Jihye my soulmate.

 Chapter 103: Old Forces (4)

    <h4>Chapter 103: Old Forces (4)</h4>


    Something about this didn¡¯t feel right at all. It actually felt like Lee Jihye was reading my thoughts.


    ¡®Does she have some sort of unique ability?¡¯


    It seemed like the only usible exnation, but I didn¡¯t see anything in her status window. Lee Jihye seemed like both a very valuable ally and a dangerous enemy to have at the same time.


    I knew it would be advantageous to pull her over to my side, so I softened my expression as I looked at her. Lee Jihye¡¯s reaction was immediate.


    ¡°Why are you looking at me like that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just because I¡¯m thankful. Honestly, I never expected to receive this much¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve entrusted a task to me. It¡¯s only natural that I work hard for it. I believe in your virtues, the values you possess. Stop looking at me like that!! know what¡¯s going on in your head.¡±


    ¡°If you want to repay me, eat ramen with me. Otherwise, just go.¡±


    Ah, but it was impossible for me to do so.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but still have some work to do. Don¡¯t hesitate toe to me if you need anything, though.¡±


    ¡°I want nothing else. I simply want to do my job right.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°You remember what I saidst time, Oppa?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡±


    ¡°Good. I think you should go now. Our dear Miss Hayan seems anxious.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Thanks again.¡±


    As I opened the door, I caught sight of Jung Hayan standing by the side. Next to her were the ck Swan guides, who all seemed somewhat restless.


    I knew Jung Hayan had felt anxious while waiting, but I at least had to praise her for not breaking in mid-meeting. Her self-control was noticeably higher than before.


    As a reward, I stroked her head, and like a child, her expression shifted into a happy one.


    ¡°Oh, Miss Hayan.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes¡­ Miss Jihye?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve be even prettier. I¡¯m d you got back from the dungeon safely.¡±


    ¡°Ah, thank you¡­¡±


    ¡°Kiyoung is pretty lucky to have such a beautiful girlfriend.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ That¡­ Thank you, Miss Jihye.¡±


    Lee Jihye¡¯s actions looked natural, but that didn¡¯t stop me from feeling like something was off. It was like she was showing off her closeness with me.


    Of course, this time around, I didn¡¯t have to feel guilty.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you both take some time to eat? Our Guild Master wants to see you, too.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a little bitte right now. We¡¯lle back another day.¡±


    ¡°You better keep that promise, Miss Hayan, and Oppa.¡±


    Seeing Lee Jihye speaking so naturally to me, I once again had to admit that this woman was unusual. It was apparent that no one, even Hayan, knew how to deal with her.


    ¡°Next time, I¡¯lle and visit your guild. Miss Hayan should also eat with us.¡±


    ¡°Ah, sure¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯ll be better for you to set a time, though. See you next time, Jihye.¡±


    Expressions of jealousy were evident as I spoke, though, of course, this was to be expected. After saying goodbye to Jihye, the guides then led us out.


    Seeing that the members we passed by once more greeted us again, realized just how much the ck Swans held us in high regard.


    ¡®It feels good.¡¯


    As Lee Jihye said, I could transfer here, and no one would find it strange.


    If Kim Hyunsung weren¡¯t nning on taking the guild for his own, I would have already switched to the Swans. There was no more merit in staying with


    Blue.


    The sun was still in the sky when we stepped out, but it had already begun to grow dark. I could see Jung Hayan blushing as she held my hand tightly.


    Lindel¡¯s sunset was a little pretty. Perhaps she found it a little romantic,


    I felt the same way. Despite her usual appearance, I strangely found Jung Hayan beautiful.


    ¡®It¡¯s probably because of the atmosphere.


    Jung Hayan and I continued to walk, talking about various things. Suddenly¡­


    Wow!


    ¡®What¡­


    Suddenly, Juliana began to ring slowly.


    As I looked around in amazement, I noticed Jung Hayan staring at me quietly. She was mumbling, but she wasn¡¯t talking to me.


    Of course, I could immediately understand what Jung Hayan was doing. A fine, magical force was moving around her.


    ¡°Why is she doing that?¡±


    There was no need to memorize a spell right in the middle of the city. I thought about whether or not I was thinking as harshly as I did back when I was cursed, but then I realized there was no need for me to think so.


    It was then that a roaring sound could be heard.


    Qawahang!


    ¡°Protection of the Wind!¡±


    As Jung Hayan yelled, the shield enveloped both of us. However, the explosion shook the interior. I coughed, feeling blood bubble up from my throat.


    ¡°Sh*t.¡±


    ¡°Oppa, this way! Don¡¯t stray away!¡±


    In an instant, screams surrounded us. It wasn¡¯t only us who had been affected by the explosion.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°Save¡­ help me!¡±


    Some were caught in the explosion, but I couldn¡¯t afford to care about them.


    The urgency on Jung Hayan¡¯s face made me realize just how dangerous the situation was. It was only natural to think so. Someone was aiming for us.


    ¡®But why?¡¯


    The sudden bombing had taken ce around Jung Hayan and me.


    Of course, it didn¡¯t take long to conclude. I already knew who the perpetrator was.


    ¡®In the city? Are you insane?¡¯


    There was only one human being in Lindel who would want to aim for my life.


    Lee Seolho, that crazy old man.


    ¡®Damn, I wasn¡¯t expecting this¡­¡¯


    I never would¡¯ve imagined that I¡¯d experience this right in the confines of the city. It was a mistake thinking that he was simply an old man.


    This kind of setup hinted at how much heckedmon brain cells.


    ¡°Are you really sane, Seolho?¡¯


    It¡¯s not something that any guy with a normal mindset would do.


    ¡®He wouldn¡¯t havee in person.¡¯


    Those who were aiming for Jung Hayan and I may well be Lee Seolho¡¯s underlings or even a Yamato guild member. The fact stood that we were being threatened.


    Before I could organize my thoughts, Jung Hayan jumped forward while holding my hand tightly.


    ¡°Hayan, this way.¡±


    ¡°There was another person over there. I couldn¡¯t see him clearly, but¡­¡±


    Ugh¡­


    The opponent was systematically aiming for this side. No other explosion could be heard after the first one, but I could feel magic power aiming right for us.


    ¡°Protection of the Wind!¡±


    Jung Hayan¡¯s magic blocked one arrow. Hayan, who had been running in a straight line, began to turn once again. She then noticed that there was a person in front, aiming right at us.


    The nerves began to get to me, and I began to bite my lips.


    ¡®Sh*t.


    We could block long-range attacks, but we would surely reach our limit soon. No matter how fast Jung Hayan cast her spells, she wouldn¡¯t be able to block all of them at once.


    I, too, went to memorize spells, but I only knew normal protection magic - and I didn¡¯t even know where our enemies were.


    ¡°You just have to hold on.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if Bluees, or Lee Jihye. Everyone has heard the explosion, so they will surely head this way.¡±


    ¡°Ah! Of course, I can hold on until then.¡±


    I don¡¯t know if I can hold on, however¡­¡¯


    ¡°Juliana!¡±


    The sword in my arms shot out in the air. Not long after, a screaming sound could be heard.


    ¡°Ahhhhhh!¡±


    It appeared that Juliana had pierced the archer that was aiming for us. Another wave of magic hade our way, but Jung Hayan managed to counter it with her own magic.


    I could hear the sound of swords shing, and then all was static for a moment. I didn¡¯t know how many people Juliana was fending off, but she obviously wasn¡¯t doing too well, either.


    We don¡¯t know how many people we had already mobilized, where the attacks wereing from, or where the people who were targeting us were located. They must be trained assassins.


    And I¡¯m the person they want to target.


    ¡®Sh*t.


    Bang!


    ¡°Juliana!¡±


    Kwaduk!


    I could see the sword mming against the sphere that had been targeting me. The message was clear to me.


    ¡®If you stop, you die.¡¯


    ¡°These crazy guys¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll protect you, Oppa!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t overdo it, Hayan.¡±


    It made no sense to lose my life or Jung Hayan to all this nonsense.


    It would be better for me to protect Jung Hayan, even if I got hurt. However, at this point, I could feel my breath running out. Inwardly, I cursed my low stamina stats.


    ¡°Oppa!¡±


    As I forced myself to keep moving, I could hear Hayan shouting. On impulse, I looked towards my side and saw a sword fast approaching me.


    ¡°Juli¡­¡±


    Even before Juliana coulde my way, Jung Hayan moved. Everything fell into slow motion as she pushed me out of the way.


    The sword pierced through her as I fell to the ground. In this unrealisticlooking scene, I began to swear aloud.


    ¡°Damn it, damn it! Juliana, Juliana!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ My name¡­¡±


    ¡°Juliana! Sh*t, Juliana!¡±


    ¡°Say my name, Oppa¡­¡±


    ¡°Hayan¡­ Hayan, Hayan!¡±


    ¡°Just for a moment¡­ Just like this¡­¡±


    The sword had entered Jung Hayan right through her belly. However, she continued to hug me tightly, doing her best to stop the iing attacks.


    ¡°Protect! Protect!¡±


    Protection magic could still be triggered, but it was badly broken. In the meantime, Jung Hayan continued to recite more spells, flinching every now and then from the pain.


    ¡°Dammit¡­ Dammit¡­ Get away!¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop trying to protect me! Get out of the way, stupid bitch!¡±


    ¡°I was¡­ hated¡­¡±


    I was at a loss for what to do. Everything seemed surreal.


    ¡°Protection of the wind¡­¡±


    ¡°Fuck that protection! Get it out of the way!¡±


    Was she really going to die?


    ¡°Turn it off right now!¡±


    Only


    Jung Hayan was dying. I bit my lips tightly and tried to push Jung Hayan away, and yet her blood continued to drip onto my body.


    ¡°Sh*t! Get out of the way, you stupid bitch!¡±


    It was then that a huge roar was heard.


    Qawahhh!


    Right after, I heard a familiar voice.


    ¡°This is ridiculous. There seems to be assholes in Lindel that think I¡¯m some kind of dead-beat?¡±


    ¡°How dare you try to attack the Red Mercenary Queen¡¯s Gigolo.¡±


    The person who appeared in front of us was a woman with red hair.

 Chapter 104: Old Forces (5)

    <h4>Chapter 104: Old Forces (5)</h4>


    The person who appeared in front of us was a woman with red hair.


    Cha Hee-ra¡­¡±


    ¡°You dare to disrespect me?¡±


    Cha Hee-ra looked as if she had juste out of the market, only to stumble onto this scene. Her bloodshot eyes made me tremble. She looked utterly angry. She didn¡¯t even have a weapon in hand, but she didn¡¯t need to. Her presence was enough to scare me.


    Of course, she wasn¡¯t angry at the fact that I had gotten attacked. She was angry because, by attacking me, her authority was questioned.


    It was then that an unidentified person dropped down and threw a sword at her.


    ¡°Danger!¡±


    However, I could see Cha Hee-ra kicking her feet up in the air before I could even scream out.


    Kwajiiik!


    ¡®What is that¡­¡¯


    A surreal scene urred in front of me. With a simple kick, the body of the man exploded.


    Just one kick¡­¡¯


    I knew I shouldn¡¯t say this about the person who was saving me, but I couldn¡¯t help but describe her as a monster.


    Now that the situation was heading down this route, I felt relieved. Who knew that my ¡®insurance policy¡¯ would one day save my life?


    My gaze stayed on Cha Hee-ra¡¯s form for a while, but it eventually dropped down onto Jung Hayan, who was still crouching and trying to protect me.


    ¡®Is Hayan still breathing?¡¯


    I checked her condition immediately.


    ¡®She¡¯s still alive.


    Her heartbeat was slow, but she definitely still had a pulse. Of course, I still needed to get a closer look.


    As she was barely conscious, I thought I could push her away, but it seemed that she still had no intention of letting me go.


    She really did stick to me like gum. As I lifted her andid her down, I could see more wounds entering my line of sight.


    It wasn¡¯t just about being hit by a sword. The mere fact that she was still alive was a miracle.


    ¡®Damn¡­


    It definitely looked painful.


    Nevertheless, I was thankful that she had taken it upon herself to block me from harm¡¯s way.


    ¡°What a stupid bitch¡­¡±


    ¡®What do I do?¡¯


    We couldn¡¯t head to a temple to find a priest that could heal her.


    ¡®But if I don¡¯t do anything now, she might die.¡¯


    For now, all I could do was apply all the first aid procedures I knew.


    I remembered Jung Hayan was wearing a healing ring. As I hurriedly reached out to get the ring out, Jung Hayan squeezed her hand close in front of me.


    Still, in this situation¡­¡¯


    Having consciousness was indeed a promising sign.


    I tried opening Jung Hayan¡¯s hand once more. Immediately after pushing the magic power into the ring, a white light began to envelop her.


    ¡°Heal.¡±


    Although it would only be minor healing, I knew it would help improve her condition.


    After that¡­


    I took out a potion. It wasn¡¯trge in quantity, but it was definitely of good quality.


    I opened the potion with my mouth and sprinkled it on Jung Hayan¡¯s wound. Afterward, I poured out the rest of the contents in my mouth. Then, I grabbed Hayan¡¯s chin and leaned down, iming her mouth with mine, transferring the potion to hers.


    ¡®It¡¯s working.¡¯


    Ironically, I could still feel Jung Hayan¡¯s tongue swirling around mine in response


    ¡®She¡¯s alive.


    I didn¡¯t know why she was moving, but I could feel my tension easing as I realized she was still highly responsive.


    When I pulled away, I noticed Hayan¡¯s breathing getting better. As I did so, my vision began to get blurry.


    I thought I wasn¡¯t shaken, but I strangely couldn¡¯t stop the tears from spilling out of my eyes. My near-death experience had pushed me to feel this way.


    As I looked up while wiping away my tears, I caught sight of the current situation.


    Cha Hee-ra was currently ying with the assassins.


    In fact, the word ¡®y¡¯ was an understatement. Most people had limbs torn or had burst due to her deadly movements. Of course, Cha Hee-ra had also been trying to see if there were any talented people among them, but she was to be disappointed.


    Our side was winning. After a little more time, there would be more guildsing to our aid.


    As I reveled in my relief, one of the assassins switched targets and starteding my way, swinging his sword as he did so.


    I flinched a little, but I felt no need to try and dodge. I knew he would be cut off before he could even think about stabbing me with his sword.


    A secondter, his beheaded body fell in front of me. A weing voice filled my ears.


    ¡°Forgive me for beingte.¡±


    ¡°Hyunsung, about Jung Hayan¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Hee-young came with us.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    Upon hearing this, I looked around and saw Sun Hee-young approaching us, hiding behind Park Deokgu, who was holding up his shield.


    It wasn¡¯t just them.


    The Red Mercenaries and ck Swans had also arrived,ing my way.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Sister¡­¡±


    Park Deokgu gently touched Jung Hayan¡¯s face, tears dripping down his cheeks. Sun Hee-young began to push her divine power into Jung Hayan. She seemed to be doing a professional medical treatment, which eased my anxiety a lot more.


    ¡°How is Hayan¡¯s condition?¡±


    ¡°Anyter, and she¡¯d be dead. If Kiyoung hadn¡¯t administered first aid to her¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡±


    ¡°Who are the attackers?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure yet. We were on our way back from the ck Swan Guild, and then an explosion ensued. All these assassins appeared right after. Thankfully, Cha Hee-ra came in time.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Kim Hyunsung¡¯s expression went cold. I breathed a sigh of relief as I saw this. It was the most passionate reaction he had shown us so far.


    Perhaps he had also experienced something like this in the past, but of course, he wouldn¡¯t tell us that.


    One thing was for certain¡­


    ¡®You¡¯re all dead, you bastards.¡¯


    There was no chance for all the assassins that had tried to kill Hayan and me. Against such ferocious enemies, they would not be allowed to safeguard their lives.


    Even Cha Hee-ra was literally tearing down the assassins on her own, and the rest of the Red Mercenaries hade to support her.


    It didn¡¯t take long for them to turn and try to run away.


    ¡°Do not let even a single mouse escape.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master.¡±


    At the same time that Cha Hee-ra spoke, Kim Hyunsung also rushed towards one of the assassins trying to get away.


    It seemed that the situation hade to an end. There were no more assassins around us, at least.


    Knowing this, Cha Hee-ra also began to march in our direction. The Red Mercenary¡¯s executives also did the same, shooting us an ufortable look.


    ¡°Ah¡­ I should have kept a few people alive¡­¡±


    ¡°They would still all be dead anyway. Everyone seemed to have brought poison. Those with severe limbs or severe wounds all took their own lives with it.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ I don¡¯t know if I should say that I¡¯m d¡­ Still, this habit needs to be fixed. Did you figure out who the other person is?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re working on it. The ck Swan also wants to cooperate¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah. That¡¯s their area of expertise, so let them. They¡¯ll probably do more work than us in a day.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t clean up after me again. However, if this happens again, I¡¯ll kill you myself.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°But before that¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Do you know what you all did wrong?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°I was surprised to see him being attacked in front of my own eyes.¡±


    ¡°And it even happened within Lindel. Are the guilds feeling toofortable these days? Huh? Or do you also see me as a fool? Did you lose your sense of duty just because you went on an expedition?¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡­¡±


    ¡°You know that I don¡¯t need nerds who can¡¯t do what I tell them to do.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t say it twice. Once again, if Ie across a scene like the one witnessed today¡­ That will be your downfall.¡±


    ¡°I will engrave it in my heart.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    I felt embarrassed upon hearing their conversation. It was because the man being scolded by Cha Hee-ra was looking my way with a strange kind of enthusiasm.


    Perhaps he had started to resent me, as he had just been given a newmitment.


    The other guys in the vicinity had their heads hung low as well. It was a little burdensome.


    Cha Hee-ra looked more like a demon than a hero at this point, roughly wiping the blood off her body with a handkerchief. It felt unsettling watching her do this so casually.


    After she had finished doing this, she spoke to me.


    ¡°My dear, are you feeling okay?¡±


    I debated how to address her but figured that it would be better to speak in a semi-casual manner.


    ¡°Thank you, Hee-ra.¡±


    In an instant, the smell of blood flowed into my nose.


    ¡°No, no, I guess there¡¯s more to this than what meets the eye. I thought her injury would be healed quickly, but it seems like¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Hyungjin!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master.¡±


    ¡°Here, put the guild members on standby at a distance of 50 meters outside the center of the copsed building. And¡­ Make sure that one over there is taken to the guild to be healed. Make sure to leave as little scars as you can. A woman¡¯s body is precious.¡±


    | nced over at Jung Hayan and found her sleeping. Sun Hee-young, on the other hand, was paying close attention to us.


    I wanted toe with them to take Hayan in, but I knew I had to keep Cha Hee-rapany


    ¡°Miss Heeyoung¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. For now, her vitals are stable. It will take a little while for her to regain consciousness, but we can leave her to recover.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good¡­ First of all, honey, there are a lot of prying eyes here. Looking at the little miss also hurts my self-esteem. Even if she got hurt, you know I¡¯m a jealous woman.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes. I¡¯m sorry, Hee-ra.¡±


    At this, Cha Hee-ra gestured towards me.


    ¡°Now, I want you to tell me what¡¯s been going on with you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit too long to exin.¡±


    ¡°You can speakfortably.¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯ll think about it.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, well done. I didn¡¯t think anyone in the city would do something this crazy. Whoever targeted you must have had his pride hurt. You know what I mean?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s because of the legendary item you¡¯ve received this time around. However, they do know that even if they kill the owner, they won¡¯t be able to use it, right? I want to know exactly who did this.¡±


    I worried about whether or not I should speak up. Perhaps she would take things into her own hands if I told her about Lee Seolho. The old man could vanish as simply as the wind.


    However¡­


    ¡®It¡¯ll be too easy.¡¯


    A simple death was not enough for the old man. Cha Hee-ra wasn¡¯t the only one who was angry.


    I knew I had to make the right call for this sort of thing, but the angrier I got, the harder it was to grasp any semnce ofmon sense I had. I didn¡¯t want to hand Lee Seolho over to Cha Hee-ra. That was my honest take on it.


    However¡­


    ¡®I can¡¯t lie, either.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but I think it has something to do with Lee Seolho, a member of my guild.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh. Lee Seolho¡­ Alright, that¡¯s noted.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s been more annoying than usual. Do you know that our Guild Master is dead?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the first news I heard as soon as I came back to the city.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a hunch, but I think that Seolho had something to do with his death. The situation is moreplex than it sounds, but it¡¯s a bit too hard to exin. I know it sounds absurd, but can I ask you to keep your hands off Lee Seolho?¡±


    Cha Hee-ra¡¯s face wrinkled in confusion.


    ¡°Honey.¡±


    Only


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°I may be a little quiet right now, but I know you know I¡¯m still upset. If you don¡¯t bring that bastard over here right now, there¡¯s no telling what I might


    do.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be honest. I like you. Given the circumstances, I won¡¯t get bored even if we explore each other all day. However, you shouldn¡¯t mess with my pride. I know roughly what you¡¯re thinking. You want to repay me for what I¡¯ve done. However, if I let you have all the fun, how am I supposed to unwind my wounded heart? Who should I turn to? Hmm?¡±


    I had predicted that Cha Hee-ra would say something like this. Looking straight into her eyes, I spoke once more.


    ¡°Yamato Guild.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Cha Hee-ra smirked.


    ¡°You really are my favorite piece of trash.

 Chapter 105: Agitation and Fabrication (1)

    <h4>Chapter 105: Agitation and Fabrication (1)</h4>


    ¡°You really are my favorite piece of trash.¡±


    I didn¡¯t quite know how to react to Cha Hee-ra¡¯s suggestive look.


    ¡°Is there a connection between Lee Seolho and Yamato Guild? I might have missed something, but now it seems like the situation has be even more fun.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not exactly sure about this yet. Still, it¡¯s not unlikely. If that old man wants to kill me, would any guild within Lindel be willing to do so?¡±


    ¡°My cute baby, are you trembling?¡±


    It was only natural for me to do so!


    ¡°A little¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re honest. borate further.¡±


    ¡°There is no one in Lindel who would dare defy you, Hee-ra. Therefore, it was only natural to think that the perpetrators came from somewhere else, somewhere where they won¡¯t have to worry about the future consequences of their actions.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense. Yamato¡­ Come to think of it, that unlucky bastard was the Guild Master¡­¡±


    ¡°Have you two met?¡±


    ¡°The masters ofrge guilds are supposed to meet regrly. The Holy Empire hosts these meetings. I ran into them quite often¡­ Well, anyway, I guess we can bear this for some more time. Did you know that fighting between guilds in the Holy Empire is forbidden? I trust that you¡¯ll be able to figure that one


    out.¡±


    ¡°Go on. I know you¡¯re also busy. My guild members will take you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Hee-ra.¡±


    ¡°The list I sent youst time will be very useful. Ah. And little Hayan¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave her to the Red Mercenaries. Only until this is over, however.¡±


    ¡°I thought that would be the case, honey. I wish I could spend some more time with you. However, I know you don¡¯t feel the same.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll see youter, then. I hope to meet you in a more romantic ce next time.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s do that.¡±


    As I slowly walked out, some of the people waiting outside ran towards me.


    ¡®Red Mercenaries¡­¡¯


    It seemed that Cha Hee-ra¡¯s scolding worked. I never imagined I¡¯d be in a situation like this. It was fun seeing the trembling faces before me, afraid that they might have another slip-up. It was really interesting to have these guys watching over me.


    ¡°That¡­ Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°I will take you to the guild.¡±


    ¡°Yes, please.¡±


    I found no reason to refuse.


    The area looked safe for the most part, but one could never be too sure with assassins. It was good to be as careful as possible.


    Meanwhile, Park Deokgu, Jung Hayan, and Sun Hee-young would be temporarily moving in with the Red Mercenaries. Upon realizing that Kim Hyunsung was nowhere to be seen, I figured he was still trying to track down the assassins that had managed to escape.


    ¡®Meanwhile, I have my own job to do.¡¯


    As I continued moving, I allowed myself to get lost in my thoughts. How could I deal with this old man in the most miserable way possible? How could I kill him?


    I thought it wasn¡¯t bad to revise some of the ns, but as I wanted to get things done as quickly as possible, it didn¡¯t seem bad to adapt to the current situation.


    ¡®Do not be shaken.¡¯


    The moment I let my emotions get the best of me would be the moment would lose.


    So, instead of showing such a weakness, I let one corner of my lip curl upwards. Coming back with a full-on smile would prove to be too suspicious.


    ¡°This is enough.¡±


    ¡°We will be waiting for you to signal to us from a distance. One may never know what can happen inside the guild.¡±


    ¡°Ah. You don¡¯t need to do so¡­¡±


    I did have high luck specs, but it didn¡¯t seem to be working in my favor. One of the Red Mercenary members pulled something out of his pocket and handed it to me.


    ¡°This is¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s something that can send a distress signal to us if trouble ever arises.¡±


    As he spoke, the man¡¯s eyes sparkled with determined aspirations.


    It seemed that he had a different reaction to Cha Hee-ra¡¯s harsh scolding. Was he actually willing to dedicate himself to protecting me?


    ¡®Additional security measures are good, but¡­¡¯


    They had better not restrict my actions. I would have a good chat with Hee-ra about thatter on.


    After lowering his head slightly, he immediately entered the guild, and a very cluttered interior came into view. Since the situation had blown over, it seemed that everyone simrly thought of returning.


    It was a sign that everything had gone back to normal once more.


    ¡°While I was talking to Cha Hee-ra¡­¡±


    She was indeed a capable person. Perhaps there would be a meeting soon where all of the Guild Masters would gather.


    In simple terms, it was an effort to pinpoint the terrorist mastermind. However, how to execute him would be a problem. It would also be difficult to find the evidence behind this attack, but at least the people were given sufficient warning not to try this again.


    The media was also clearly spinning reports on the recent urrences, and regretted not giving my statement. However, there was no need to utilize them now.


    After entering the guild, I looked around cautiously. Kim Ye-ri was the only remaining person from my party. Still, it was nice to see a familiar, nice face.


    I could also see an anxious Lee Sang-hee and Hwang Jeong-yeon rushing towards me.


    ¡°Mr. Kiyoung! Where did you get hurt?¡±


    ¡°I got away unscathed, Lee Sang-hee.¡±


    ¡°Good, that¡¯s good. But, ah¡­ I heard Jung Hayan got injured¡­¡±


    ¡°They said she would experience some aftereffects, but her life is no longer in danger. I was so distraught that I left her to the Red Mercenaries, along with Deokgu and Hee-young. Hyunsung, however, will probably be back soon enough.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°I think they¡¯ll be safer there than here.¡±


    Though I had not said this to target Lee Sang-hee, her expression still looked gloomy. Of course, my attention was not aimed at her but towards Lee Seolho and his other crooks.


    The old man himself had a calm expression, but his followers all looked uneasy as they looked at me. The guy they had tried to kill me was still alive. They were probably regretting their choices now.


    ¡®You idiots.


    These humans really did take ipetence to a whole new level. Even if I tried to forgive them a hundred times, they would never change. They were the so-called guild-parasites.


    Lee Seolho appeared to want something to say, meanwhile,


    ¡°Huh, you¡¯re really lucky to still be alive. It must be terrifying to experience such a chaos of terrorism¡­¡±


    ¡®Crazy old man.


    He certainly had a knack for pissing people off.


    ¡°In any case, you must still be feeling anxious about what¡¯s happened. Why don¡¯t you take a rest?¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡±


    ¡°You must have suffered a lot after getting caught in such an explosion. When I heard the news, I was also in shock. To lose such a talent will be really heartbreaking.¡±


    For a person who expressed his sincere worry, he certainly didn¡¯t look genuine about it


    ¡°It seems that bad news has been ovepping recently, so this old man is feeling very anxious.¡±


    As I thought about how to give a proper reply, I critically gazed upon the faces of the old geezers and his idioticpanions.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t just a mob.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps everyone will find outter. What happened wasn¡¯t an act of terrorism. They were all well-trained assassins. They were specifically targeting Hayan and me.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ But why¡­¡±


    ¡°I think it is probably because of the legendary item that Kiyoung has, Lee Sang-hee.¡±


    ¡®Ha.


    Of course, this wasn¡¯t an unconvincing story. Legendary rank items did garner that much attention. If one were to think about the possibility of taking ownership, most people would keel over in their greed.


    Nevertheless¡­


    ¡°Oh, it didn¡¯t seem like that.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    ¡°Only the Blue Guild members know I have a legendary-rank item and that I have ownership over it. I don¡¯t know who leaked the information, but it sure was brave of them to target me, thus making the Mercenary Queen their enemy.¡±


    ¡°Information¡­¡±


    Lee Sang-hee looked shocked by this news.


    ¡®You really are an innocentdy, Lee Sang-hee.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know what this guild meant to her, but she had to realize that this was no longer the Blue she had grown up in.


    ¡°The reason I was attacked is probably because of my curiosity.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m very cautious about saying this, but in fact, I have been wondering about the Guild Master¡¯s death.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°I know how the Guild Master was said to have died naturally, but¡­ I still have doubts about it.¡±


    As I spoke, I carefully watched out for Lee Seolho¡¯s expression. He looked curious as if asking me what the hell I was talking about.


    ¡°Huh¡¯


    Perhaps Lee Seolho wasn¡¯t the perpetrator, after all.


    The reason I was attacked may well be because I had hurt Lee Seolho¡¯s pride or had discovered his ns to sell the guild to Japan.


    In the first ce, Seolho had never expected us to clear the Cursed Shrine dungeon.


    Only


    Cleared dungeon or not, the Guild Master was set to die anyway, so perhaps he found no merit in murdering him straightaway. Of course, if he wanted to get things done a little faster, he probably would have pushed through with it.


    ¡®The Guild Master probably died a natural death.¡¯


    Unless Lee Seolho was acting¡­ however, that didn¡¯t matter now. The situation


    That fact alone can give one a framework to help solve the scattered puzzle pieces.


    As I slowly opened my mouth to speak once more, Lee Seolho looked as if he had just stepped on a pile of sh*t.


    ¡°Lee Sang-hee, it looks like there is indeed a traitor within Blue¡ªsomeone who murdered our Guild Master.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t the truth that made the world go round.


    ¡®It¡¯s agitation and fabrication.

 Chapter 106: Agitation and Fabrication (2)

    <h4>Chapter 106: Agitation and Fabrication (2)</h4>


    ¡°Lee Sang-hee, it looks like there is indeed a traitor within Bluesomeone who murdered our Guild Master.¡±


    Silence engulfed the guild¡¯s lobby as I finished speaking. Lee Sang-hee bit her Tips tightly, and Hwang Jeong-yeon, who knew about this in the first ce, nodded grimly.


    Meanwhile, those who were not involved looked around curiously. On the other hand, Lee Seolho and his followers all wore grim expressions.


    I didn¡¯t need to call them traitors directly. My implication was enough.


    ¡®Because it¡¯s true.


    Of course, agitation and fabrication wouldn¡¯t be enough to defeat them. The truth was needed as well, but the fabrication would prove to be just the right seasoning.


    I, for one, was not a smart person. I just knew how to speak convincingly. It would be easy to know the right things to say by assessing the other person¡¯s disposition. If not, then it would be impossible to achieve the right scenario.


    The reality was that ability yed a huge role in a scenario such as this. If Lee Seolho were as good as me, then he wouldn¡¯t be facing this kind of situation at all.


    The old men were all moving around restlessly.


    ¡°Trying to cause trouble¡­ Now is not the right time, Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°I understand where you¡¯reing from, young man, but now is not the time to sit around and talk nonsense. Lee Sang-hee, let¡¯s head back and¡­¡±


    However, Lee Sang-hee spoke firmly.


    ¡°No. I think I¡¯d like to listen to what Kiyoung has to say.¡±


    ¡°Ah, but¡­¡±


    ¡°I want to hear him speak,¡± she insisted.


    Fortunately, Lee Sang-hee was on our side. She was not stupid, either.


    Perhaps she felt that something was off with the whole situation when the reinforcements did not arrive; it was obvious that wanted to stay away from the expedition.


    She must have felt suspicious of them in the past, too. However, she had chosen to focus on her trust in them rather than the obvious. However¡­


    ¡®All one needs is some water and fertilizer to let the seed of doubt grow.¡¯


    ¡°Some vested interests have a simple behavioral pattern. If they think that they are not benefitting anymore, they will try to take over. Some people like that are in Blue.¡±


    Of course, I didn¡¯t directly pertain to them, but I was sure everyone knew who I was talking about.


    ¡®Lee Seolho.


    The one who acts the most suspicious ends up being more hated than the one who openly shows hostility.


    For all it was worth, I had a talent for unsettling people. Currently, Seolho¡¯s face was bright red. Still, he had the nerve to discredit me.


    ¡°I think your imagination is a little too dramatic, haha¡­¡±


    ¡°Seolho, we are facing a very different Blue from before. Didn¡¯t you say you gave a huge contribution to Blue in the past? Exactly what contributions were they?¡±


    Lee Seolho fell silent.


    ¡°You may have had to make extreme choices for your future and your guild. Perhaps you sought help from other guilds. Perhaps you felt inferior to someone. It is understandable to feel nervous since you¡¯ve sessfully led an alliance with arge guild in Lindel.¡±


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    ¡°But to think you¡¯d have the idea of being in cahoots with arge guild from another city¡­ Nice try. For that, I¡¯ll give you 6 points.¡±


    As I spoke, I incited my magic to raise the report I had received from Lee Jihye into the air, stirring up all the guild members present. It might be a little difficult to read the report¡¯s writings as it was floating in the air, but I knew everyone would be able to read it nheless.


    On it was information that Lee Seolho had indeed been conspiring with the Japanese. It was also recorded as to how, when, and where they had met in the past. Though they had just met three times, I knew the data was true.


    ¡°And what should we do with this data?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m someone who harbors a lot of doubts, so naturally, I alwayse prepared.¡±


    ¡°This is fabricated information, Lee Sang-hee.¡±


    ¡°Whether or not it is forged will soon be revealed anyway. My party, led by Kim Hyunsung, and the ck Swan Guild members are trying their best to find out who had attacked Hayan and me.¡±


    ¡°We have nothing to do with who your attackers are! Mr. Kiyoung, your anger is understandable, but it doesn¡¯t mean you can just frame us for something like this.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying that this information is fabricated in full confidence?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you confident that this data is not true? The truth is, the truth will be revealed anyway, you stupid and ipetent humans. How would you exin the empty schedules even if you did not meet up with the Japanese


    guild?¡±


    There was no denying that they had actually met up with the Yamato Guild. They knew this better than anyone else. However, the more they denied, the more the odds would stack up in my favor.


    No matter how much they tried to conceal their actions, the evidence would eventually appear. This was why I wanted them to deny the fact a little more.


    It was then that Lee Seolho spoke up.


    ¡°It is true that I met them, Lee Sang-hee.¡±


    ¡®What¡­¡¯


    ¡°But I swear I don¡¯t know anything about the Guild Master¡¯s death and this


    raid.¡±


    ¡®Fuck


    I realized that they were ying my game too - adding a dash of truth amidst the forgery. It was true that they had nothing to do with the Guild Master¡¯s death. The other was simply a bluff. Some fessed up while the others continued to deny. Perhaps they still cared about their standing within the guild.


    Soon after, I heard a voice confirming my thoughts.


    ¡°I just wanted to be a part of the guild¡­¡±


    ¡°Blue tethered on the edge of being ruined. I had to think of a countern in case Lee Sang-hee did note back. I did it in honor of the Blue Guild that our Guild Master had worked so hard to defend. This was all for Blue¡¯s sake.¡±


    ¡°And you didn¡¯t think you should have told me this in advance?¡±


    ¡°I just wanted to be helpful. This is a guild that I built alongside the Guild Master, after all. No one can ever lose their love for Blue. To say that I killed the Guild Master¡­ That¡¯s absurd, Lee Sang-hee.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ Shut up.¡±


    ¡°Lee Sang-hee.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, Lee Seolho.¡±


    Their attempt was good, but it proved to be insufficient in the end. It was then that I realized that it had not been me who had helped the doubt grow within Lee Sang-hee. It was actually Lee Seolho.


    Though Lee Seolho¡¯s next option wasn¡¯t bad, it wasn¡¯t the best, and in the first ce, it was true that they indeed formed an agreement with another guild.


    ¡°All your excuses for the guild is a bunch of bullsh*t. Just admit that you conspired with another guild and decided you were the best authority for Blue, you ipetent people.¡±


    ¡°What a pain in the ass! It¡¯s not easy to organize a rescue team within Lindel, so we had to ask for help from external forces! Why are you stirring up so much chaos?!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s some of the most illogical crap I¡¯ve ever heard. Do you know what you have inmon with people who end up destroying countries or groups? You both bring external forces in. I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re so creative with your stories. It¡¯s not us promoting this uproar. It¡¯s you.¡±


    ¡°I was going to tell you everything eventually, Lee Sang-hee.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have spoken up if I didn¡¯t know it was true. Why, then, did you only think of revealing your n now when I pointed it out? You never really intended to send a rescue party our way, now, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I just wanted to make everything perfect¡­¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s true, then your ipetence has reached an all-time high. How can you not organize a rescue team within a week? And in the first ce, are you even speaking the truth, Lee Seolho? The fact that the schedule was deliberately dyed was found through the investigation of the ck Swans.¡±


    ¡°What bullsh*t!¡±


    ¡°You are the ones spreading bullsh*t! Didn¡¯t you chicken out from joining the expedition because you were expecting us to get wiped out?! Lee Sang-hee, this disgusting traitor has been trying to gain Blue¡¯s ownership and hoping that we¡¯d fail to return. Of course, the Guild Master who had stayed behind was also a target that needed to be eliminated.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous! You don¡¯t know the bond that the Guild Master and I shared! He was like a younger brother, like family. I had no reason to kill Joo Seung-jun with my own hands.¡±


    ¡°But, your greed is a valid reason, right?¡±


    ¡°You are framing me! I swear to God I have never harmed the Guild Master!¡±


    ¡°So, you say you haven¡¯t done any harm, Lee Seolho. Then, what is this?¡±


    I took out the potion that Lee Jihye had given me. Once again, all eyes strayed in my direction.


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    ¡°Your acting skills are really outstanding, Lee Seolho. Don¡¯t you know what this is?¡±


    As I continued to shake the potion in my hand, the old man began to tremble.


    ¡°This was why you tried to kill me in the first ce, now, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°What bullsh*t are you talking about¡­ Lee Sang-hee! I would never do that¡­¡±


    ¡°His words are a sham, Lee Sang-hee. This potion was used by Lee Seolho when he killed the Guild Master. It is a type of tranquilizer, a kind of medicine that can help the human body. However, it is lethal for some people. It¡¯s a potion that slowly kills those who are nearing death.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen or heard anything like that! How dare you try to frame me!¡±


    ¡°The public indeed does not know about this, but these kinds of potions sometimes leave traces behind. When the plug is opened, fine particles floating in the air stick to the wool. If you can detect an ingredient in the clothes Lee Seolho is wearing, the answer wille out soon. No, you don¡¯t have to do it yourself.¡±


    As I slowly memorized the spell, the potion in my hand began to glow slowly. Likewise, Lee Seolho¡¯s clothes were engulfed in bright light.


    As I looked towards Hwang Jeong-yeon, she nodded, confirming that I had not manipted the spell in any way whatsoever.


    ¡°Exin why the same ingredients are on your clothing, Lee Seolho.¡±


    ¡°This is a trap, Lee Sang-hee! Why on earth would I kill the Guild Master?¡±


    Lee Seolho¡¯s embarrassed expression was evident for everyone to see. Even the other old men¡¯s excuses fell on deaf ears.


    ¡°These truly are disgusting and ipetent humans. They are vicious, Lee Sang-hee Joo Seung-jun probably died very painfully. And how painful it must have been to feel betrayed by someone they had trusted¡­¡±


    ¡°Bullsh*t! Lee Sang-hee, believe in your uncle. Everything that dirty alchemist says is a lie.¡±


    Now, they were desperately making appeals. The scenario was indeed quite the spectacle.


    ¡°Since I first came here, I have always considered you and Joo Seung-jun like my own family. I would never do that. Don¡¯t you know this already? Everything that alchemist says is a lie. Jeong-yeon! What do you say¡­ Everyone, this is all a lie!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s bullsh*t.¡±


    Lee Seolho was very easy to read. If someone asked me how to describe him in three words, it would be ipetent, greedy, and hot-tempered.


    As I resisted the urge to smile, Seolho¡¯s face grew redder.


    ¡°The truth alwayses out in the end.¡±


    ¡°This guy¡­¡±


    ¡°The guards of the guild should take that crazy old man away!¡±


    ¡°How dare you say that! You are the real problem! You are the cancer within the guild!¡±


    ¡°Whoever sees us knows that it is you who is the ipetent human in this guild. Actually, I¡¯m d you were an ipetent being. I was able to find traces of your actions because of it.¡±


    ¡°Are you condemning me, who has kept the Blue going for so long?! Can¡¯t you let go of this? Not everyone believes this crazy man¡¯s words, right? Let go of me! How dare you!¡±


    Watching him struggle against the guild guards was a spectacle. In my moment¡¯s hesitation, he broke away and began to run towards me, his anger palpable.


    ¡°This dirty guy! You are the problem, not me!¡±


    Only


    This time around, I did not try to avoid Lee Seolho.


    This wasn¡¯t because I had Juliana. No, it was because I had Lee Sang-hee.


    As if living up to my expectations, Lee Sang-hee, consumed in sadness and anger, opened her mouth wide to shout.


    ¡°You are acting like a child who doesn¡¯t even know how to feel embarrassed!¡±


    Bang!


    As she spoke, Lee Seolho¡¯s arm was cut off, bouncing towards the wall.


    ¡®Bravo!


    This was a scene worth putting into a painting.

 Chapter 107: I will remember you (1)

    <h4>Chapter 107: I will remember you (1)</h4>


    ¡°You are acting like a child who doesn¡¯t even know how to feel embarrassed!¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhhh!¡±


    Lee Seolho screamed as he cradled the stump where his arm had been just moments ago. Even the guild¡¯s guides were screaming, blood scattering all over the ground. The old man was breathing harshly and rolling onto the ground, at a loss for words from the excruciating pain.


    The dangerous look in Lee Sang-hee¡¯s eyes did not match her natural disposition, but I knew it was normal for her to feel that way.


    After all, the murderer responsible for the death of her loved one was right in front of her.


    That wasn¡¯t the only reason. She had chosen to believe in Lee Seolho, and look where that had gotten her.


    Nevertheless, her patience exined what she had been thinking of Lee Seolho.


    ¡°Hah¡­ Hah¡­ Hah¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh! I¡­ did not kill him! Lee Sang-hee, trust your uncle. You are the one who knows best that I will nevermit such a sin!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous. I trusted you! That¡­ The result of that trust¡­ Is this it?¡±


    ¡°No, I am being framed¡­¡±


    Lee Seolho had be a parrot crying out forpassion. Of course, I did not feel anypassion.


    I found it ridiculous seeing this old man beg for everything he had lost, but at the same time, the image of a wounded Jung Hayan kept reying itself in my head.


    ¡°I am being framed! I didn¡¯t kill anybody! Jeong-yeon, say something! There is no way I can kill Seung-jun!¡±


    ¡°Stop speaking, Lee Seolho! You really are¡­¡±


    ¡°No, no, I would never kill the Guild Master!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a piece of sh*t. The Guild Master did so much for you¡­ How could you do this?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t kill him! Ugh¡­¡±


    Meanwhile, the old men around Lee Seolho were trembling. Some were already preparing to change sides, but their struggles were useless.


    ¡°We really didn¡¯t know about this.¡±


    ¡°Kwan, this is irrelevant.¡±


    ¡°Catch everyone. There will be no exceptions. Put them all in jail.¡±


    ¡°It was all done by Lee Seolho! Lee Sang-hee! It was Lee Seolho¡¯s idea to attract Japanese guilds! Other than that, I didn¡¯t know about anything else!¡±


    ¡°I really didn¡¯t know about the Guild Master¡¯s death. Please believe me, please¡­ It¡¯s all done by that old man!¡±


    ¡°Can you not hear me?! Catch them all.¡±


    At her order, the guards raised their spears and began to capture all the old men, who continued to scream for mercy.


    ¡°We are being framed!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a lie! Lee Sang-hee! Please believe us¡­ Ahhhh!¡±


    The most ridiculous thing was that those grandparents also thought that Lee Seolho had killed the Guild Master. Of course, this only happened because I had been able to present solid evidence, but I still couldn¡¯t believe that they would just ept that fact so easily.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t know that Lee Seolho would kill the Guild Master, Lee Sang-hee! Please believe us¡­¡±


    It was no wonder that Lee Sang-hee¡¯s expression lookedplicated. In an instant, the inner system of Blue had been shattered. No matter how much purified water one would put in the tank, it would be impossible to clean it, as rotten, stagnant water had already infiltrated the area.


    Therefore, putting them all away would be the best option. It might be a little confusing and unsettling to do so, but this would be all they can do for the time being.


    As I tried my hardest not to smile, a familiar voice began to shout once more. It was Lee Seolho.


    ¡°That dirty alchemist! You¡¯ve tricked everyone in Blue with your disgusting tongue!¡±


    ¡°You are the one who sold Blue out, you disgusting traitor.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t kill anyone! You framed me!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s funny how you choose to make excuses until the end. How about you admit to breaking the trust of everyone who decided to put their faith in you?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t kill¡­¡±


    ¡°All criminals say that. But in the end, you are supposed to confess with your mouth. Your denial in the face of solid evidence is really embarrassing. If you had just decided to confess, there might have been some consideration for you.


    ¡°Sang-hee, just please trust me¡­ just one more time.¡±


    ¡°Lee Sang-hee, haven¡¯t you already given him a lot of faith?¡±


    ¡°He is framing me. That dirty alchemist is cancerous. You have to kill him, or to lock him up! He will soon be a monster that will eat Blue up.¡±


    ¡°You talk big, Lee Seolho. You seem obsessed about your contributions to Blue, but you¡¯re not the guild owner. You don¡¯t even deserve toment on Blue since you¡¯ve been in cahoots with other guilds, hiring assassins to kill new guild members, as well as killing the Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°This guy!¡±


    ¡°You are the one promoting trouble here. By nature, it ismon for people to try to solve a crisis together. However, humans like you don¡¯t do that at all. You can¡¯t because people like you value your own interests above everything else.¡±


    Lee Seolho was that kind of person.


    Though he continued to make appeals to Lee Sang-hee, the woman in question refused to acknowledge him and stared into the air instead.


    Although I was worried about her mentality, I knew she would recover from this eventually.


    ¡®Hyunsung will take good care of her.¡¯


    I knew Kim Hyunsung could make her feel better once he got back.


    Anyway, Lee Sang-hee simply refused to look at Seolho. Perhaps this was the only way she could rein in her anger. The rest of the old men were being dragged away to be locked up by the guild¡¯s guards. Their screams were like music to my ears.


    With almost everything in order, I slowly stepped in. This was simply to confirm our current status. The guild now felt cleaner, as we were sessful in removing the rotten members off the roster.


    As I made my way underground, the screams became more vivid once again. It felt pleasing to watch as the guild¡¯s guards subdue the struggling old men, all of whom were shedding tears. As I kept looking around, a voice rang out.


    ¡°Lee Kiyoung. How will we deal with the criminals?¡±


    I was surprised to see that it was a female guard. However, upon checking her stats, I knew she was more than capable of managing the prison.


    ¡°Just keep them intact until the Vice Guild Master decides what to do with them. In the meantime, just supply them with enough food and water to keep them alive.¡±


    ¡°Okay, will do.¡±


    ¡°Also, I would like you to go outside for a minute. I have something to ask the criminals.¡±


    ¡°Do you have anything to ask them separately?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course. Ah! I would like you to wait at the entrance, in case you didn¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°The underground prison is quiterge. You¡¯ve done a great job taking care of the ce.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll borrow one of the chairs here.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Lee Kiyoung.¡± At this, the guard hurriedly stepped away.


    As I slowly entered the prison, the eyes of those old geezers rested on me, looking for salvation. Then, various voices exploded at once.


    Some swore at me, and some tried to appeal to me. However, they were not the ones I came here for. I only had business with Lee Seolho.


    After settling down on my seat, Seolho stared at me in an agitated manner, cradling his severed stump.


    ¡°You motherfucker! This isn¡¯t the end, you piece of sh*t!¡±


    ¡°Thank you for telling me what I wished to say, you delusional old man.¡±


    As I said this, I slowly built up a magical barrier around Seolho and me. It was only a small amount, but it was enough to host a conversation with him safely.


    ¡°What are you saying¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare think that this is the end. I am stronger than you think, and I won¡¯t spare you any mercy. You really made me mad¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t be left with anything when you leave this guild, Seolho.¡±


    ¡°What bullsh*t are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°The Japanese guild you¡¯ve beenmunicating with will take you out of the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°The story will go like this. The killer who murdered the guild master, Lee Seolho, the Blue criminal who betrayed the expectations of the Vice Guild Master Lee Sang-hee, officially escaped the dungeon. Of course, unofficially, you will go to the Red Mercenaries¡¯ underground torture room. A priest know very well will take care of you. She¡¯s looking forward to meeting you. You will feel how strong a priest serving God is.¡±


    ¡°This¡­ This motherfucker!¡±


    ¡°You and all of the old people here will be killed and abandoned somewhere. Of course, everyone else will think that the Japanese have taken you, leaving no evidence. Fuhaha. The media will talk about you as a traitor, and all the humans in Lindel will call you trash. Blue will try to forget your name, and your name will slowly fade away before only half a year has passed.¡±


    His face went pale.


    ¡°Your death, the things you have contributed to the Blue, and the things you have aplished so far, one by one¡­ Gone. It¡¯s as if you never existed. You will die without leaving anything behind.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ You!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry too much, old man. I will remember you. While the priest takes care of you, I will watch from the sidelines. From your screaming, your distorted expression to your pain, and your voice calling for help, I will inscribe everything to my memory. Until the whole process is over¡­ I will be looking at you.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t do that! You¡­ You!¡±


    ¡°I will dedicate your face, distorted by pain, for my dear one who risked death for me. Your voice will always resonate in my mind as a reminder of what an old man who made a moment¡¯s wrong choice. You will be a stepping stone in my growth, and there is nothing you can do about it.¡±


    Only


    At this, Lee Seolho fell silent, the expression on his face fading.


    ¡°Look¡­ Kiyoung¡­¡±


    ¡°Would you like to do business with me?¡±


    ¡°No matter how badly we got along¡­ isn¡¯t this too disgraceful of a death?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t die like this¡­ Ugh¡­¡±


    He began to talk consecutively. I could feel the heartbreak in his voice, his fear of the inevitable torture that would soone his way. I didn¡¯t dare to respond.


    However, I looked at him right in the eye, as if to rehearse for the moment where I would finally get to witness his pain.


    Everything went silent.

 Chapter 108: I will remember you (2)

    <h4>Chapter 108: I will remember you (2)</h4>


    ¡°I¡¯ve done my research well. Those that should be punished¡­¡±


    ¡°They were bastards who deserved to die.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen a lot of sh*tty guys while living here, but this is my first time seeing real trash. The so-called terrorist attack in the middle of the city was actually to kill the new guild members. Even the innocent people who got caught up in the event feel sorry for them, but how embarrassing it must be!¡±


    ¡°Did you know? I heard they tried to attack the Red Mercenary Queen¡¯s Gigolo. I heard it from a friend who works for the Red Mercenaries. It doesn¡¯t feel right, however¡­¡±


    ¡°If so, then it¡¯s good that war did not happen. Ah! Look over there¡­ Hey, Mr. Kim! Have you read the newspaper today?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯ve read about what happened within Blue. Thanks to you, I was able to sleep wellst night.¡±


    ¡°Is your store, okay?¡±


    ¡°Of course! In addition to the insurance money, there seems to be no problem in recovering it if we add Blue¡¯spensation money. They actually didn¡¯t have to do that. They were victims as well. However, they felt sorry about it. I thought I would have to throw away my shop altogether, but the reward will be more than enough to fix it back up! Hahaha.¡±


    ¡°Look at the smile on this man¡¯s face.¡±


    Resounding voices from all over the ce reached my ears. Most of them were either cursing Lee Seolho or were worried about how Blue was faring.


    The true problem for us would be the cost of restoration within the city. It was clear that Blue could not handle the cost alone and would need donations from numerous ns and guilds to restore their image.


    Once again, we were indebted to the ck Swans and Red Mercenaries.


    As I wandered around the za to look at the newly-established buildings, the newspaper titles on disy caught my eye.


    [Blue traitor Lee Seolho, apparently hiding in the Ramadel Mountains near Celia.]


    Why did he make such a choice?


    [The rtion between Lee Seolho and his Japanese guild predicts Celia¡¯s future rtionship with Lindel.]


    Everything was just as I had expected.


    Everyone was already tired of the ck Swans incident, which was why they eagerlypped up the newest media coverage. The entire city of Lindel became noisy once more, and people eagerly voice out their opinion on the matter everywhere - in bars, in restaurants, and even on the streets.


    It was not an exaggeration to say that it ounted for 90% of Lindel¡¯s current conversations. It was a story that everyone found interesting.


    As I walked down the street, I gazed down at the newspaper in my hand.


    [What is the future of Blue within this great ordeal?]


    [Days after tracking the criminals who escaped after a terrorist incident in the city, a search team of Red Mercenaries found dozens of bodies near the Ramadel Mountains. The body¡¯s identity is presumed to be the criminal Lee Seolho, as well as the other Blue officers who chose to follow him.]


    As a result of urate identification, Blue judged them to be the aforementioned executives, and the official search ended on the 15th.


    The body was so badly damaged that it could not be recognized properly, so it seems that a professional torture engineer severely tortured the body.


    Red Mercenary officials have designated the Japanese guild as the culprit who had killed them, the usible reason being their anger over the executives¡¯ misconduct.


    While Blue¡¯s Vice Guild Master Lee Sang-hee has not yet appeared before the masses, all attention is focused on Blue.


    Once one of the guilds representing the free city of Lindel, Blue lost a lot of party members alongside Guild Master Joo Seung-jun, and it seems impossible for them to recover. Although the Red Mercenaries and the ck Swans¡¯ alliance is still smoothly maintained, many medium-sized guilds have also announced their support for Blue.


    Many of Lindel¡¯s scouts are also paying attention to what choices the remaining Blue executives will take. While many experts expressed concern about whether the Blue Guild would eventually disappear, the Red Mercenary Queen Cha Hee-ra, 28, remarked that the Red Mercenaries are indeed the Blue¡¯s allies and that she will do her best to help them out. Lee Jihye, the ck Swans spokesperson, also killed the buzzing rumors, and said that Blue would rise again.


    The reporter cannot urately judge what Blue would decide to do next for their future.]


    ¡®Huh, it¡¯s not bad at all.¡¯


    I found it to be a well-organized article. Most of all, I like the fact that it had chosen to take Blue¡¯s side. Of course, it was natural for all mediapanies to bring our guild into a new light, but Lindel Daily was quite reliablepared to other mediapanies.


    Kim Seong-gyeong is also¡­¡¯


    Seeing that he always wrote his articles in favor of us, he was apparently trying to get on friendly terms with us. I didn¡¯t know if he was doing it out of benefit or loyalty, but I would be sure to reward himter on either way.


    As I nodded along, I heard a familiar voice. It was Sun Hee-young¡¯s.


    ¡°What are you reading?¡±


    ¡°Oh, just another article. I couldn¡¯t really sleep well. Hee-young doesn¡¯t seem very tired.¡±


    ¡°I actually feel refreshed. It¡¯s been a long time since I had time to serve God. It feels good to witness our achievements based on the reactions of all the citizens living here.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do much. Hee-young did all the hard work.¡±


    ¡°You prepared a lot. If I had been alone, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to contribute so much.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s not it.


    In fact, it didn¡¯t matter if I was with them or not. Although it had been a little quiet recently, it seemed that our dear priest felt the most rewarded with the incident regarding Lee Seolho.


    I didn¡¯t even like Seolho from the beginning, but I didn¡¯t think he would go this far. It seemed like there was more to him than what was expected.


    ¡®Indolent thoughts, indolent spirit, he is the evil of society. He¡¯s as useless as a homeless peasant in the slums. Many people require help because of people like him who eat away at society. Repent. Of course, what I want is not just repentance.


    ¡®Ahhhh!


    When I recalled what happened yesterday, nausea bubbled up from within me. Personally, I wanted to praise myself for not averting my gaze halfway.


    Although I felt disgusted, I was still able to look at Sun Hee-young in the eye.


    ¡°Thank you so much for saying that back then.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°You told me we could make a beautiful Lindel together.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I did.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I was anxious at the time, but I¡¯m happy that it¡¯s turned out so well. We¡¯ve been together for such a long time¡­ Anyway, today is such a good day.¡±


    Sun Hee-young really did act like a priest, no matter what. I felt like we had gotten closer. At the same time, I already knew how she felt towards me.


    ¡®Don¡¯t do this to yourself.¡¯


    Sun Hee-young and I worked best as colleagues. I was already stressed by the woman I already had around me.


    At the same time, I could understand Sun Hee-young¡¯s heart. I was her only ally and the first one who opened up her eyes to reality. What she felt for me was not love yet, but if it continued to develop, then she would only get hurt in the end.


    This was a world where it was natural for people to develop feelings, even if one saw my close rtionship with Jung Hayan. Monogamy, polygamy, these were taken for granted, anyway.


    Even if I happened to have a lover or wife, it would not stop Sun Hee-young from trying to get closer. She wouldn¡¯t even consider other people, like Jung Hayan or Cha Hee-ra.


    I need to keep her in line and block her advances.¡¯


    ¡°Oh, why don¡¯t you grab a quick bite? It¡¯s been a long time since we¡¯ve got the time to do so.¡±


    ¡°Oh, let¡¯s do that.¡±


    Of course, it would be difficult trying to keep Sun Hee-young in line.


    After entering the restaurant and getting a seat by the terrace, Sun Heeyoung began the conversation immediately after cing an order.


    ¡°How was yesterday, Kiyoung?¡±


    ¡°It was a rewarding time. We¡¯ve done service all the way.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right; it was really rewarding. It¡¯s nice that there are people who can understand.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really grateful to you, Kiyoung. You made me realize that I was wrong.¡±


    ¡°Haha¡­¡±


    I knew where this conversation was going, and it was better to divert the topic as soon as possible.


    ¡°So, how is Hayan¡¯s condition?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s still recovering. Her body¡¯s recuperating. The priests in the Red Mercenaries are also working hard. You don¡¯t have to worry. She¡¯s only facing fatigue now.¡±


    ¡°I see. That¡¯s very fortunate.¡±


    ¡°By the way, what are you going to do next?¡±


    ¡°Hm? What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Will you still stay in Blue? You don¡¯t seem to be too involved in the guild these days¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    I knew what Sun Hee-young was talking about. I certainly hadn¡¯t been paying much attention to Bluetely. The guild was shaking from both the external and internal problems it had received.


    In fact, if I wanted to influence Blue, now would be the perfect opportunity. However, I didn¡¯t, and it was because of Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡®It¡¯s better if the power is concentrated into one ce.¡¯


    It honestly felt like I had handed the seat of power to Hyunsung on a silver tter.


    Lee Sang-hee was close to retirement, and Hwang Jeong-yeon was never interested in anything rted to power. This meant that Kim Hyunsung would undoubtedly be the next leader.


    Of course, he would only serve as a regent and not a Guild Master, but he would be one anyway, as the people would put their trust and faith in him.


    Right now, if I reached out to Blue, it would prove to be a counterproductive measure. I was the one who had contributed the most to the guild, after all.


    ¡®You don¡¯t have to ask me. I¡¯ll take care of you.¡¯


    It would be advantageous for me to take a step back at this point. I was still a necessary talent for Kim Hyunsung¡¯s kingdom.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been a little busytely. Hyunsung is always with Lee Sang-hee while the guild is in crisis, so I think it¡¯ll be okay.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°Now that we¡¯ve removed all the rotten people, we can now make a proper group.¡±


    ¡°Ahh! That¡¯s, right. Ah¡­ This is what Kiyoung has expected. I never thought about that¡­¡±


    ¡°Hahaha.¡±


    ¡°Maybe we should postpone the rest a little bit. I was expecting to have more time to serve with you, Kiyoung. Oh, don¡¯t get me wrong! I¡¯m not confessing or anything. I¡¯m just saying that¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, I think I know what you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    Her face reddened for some reason.


    ¡®Ah¡­¡¯


    | already knew what she was imagining. She probably wanted to build a volunteer house together and be in service there for life.


    ¡®That¡¯s not nice at all¡­¡¯


    If such a house were to bepleted, it would not be a house of love. It would be a house that woulde straight out of a horror movie.


    Sun Hee-young had a crooked mindset, not a crooked affection. She had a radically different mindset from Jung Hayan, who wanted to confine me and be with me forever.


    As a priest who works for God, it seems that she did not harbor such a unique idea.


    ¡®However, it¡¯s still not normal¡­¡¯


    ¡°What you¡¯re thinking isn¡¯t bad, Hee-young, but there is another important problem. There are more things to focus on for Hyunsung and me shortly, but you can call that a reward for yourself instead!¡±


    ¡°To put it simply, you are taking a break. We¡¯ll have more time together because of it. l-I mean, not that I meant anything else by saying that¡­¡±


    Only


    ¡°Yes, of course, I understand.¡±


    Of course, I had no intention of making Sun Hee-young¡¯s dreame true. I had to focus on what kind of painting Kim Hyunsung was painting for our future.


    Though he was weak in politics, Kim Hyunsung is Kim Hyunsung.


    Seeing as he stayed by Lee Sang-hee¡¯s side this entire time, it was evident that he had his own thoughts about the matter.


    ¡®Huh, Hyunsung, you really are naughty.


    If I were in his shoes, I would also have aimed to gain Lee Sang-hee¡¯s favor, too. We would probably be getting results before long.


    ¡®What is Hyunsung really doing, though?¡¯


    Lee Jihye¡¯s jokes about Kim Hyunsung and I resonated in my head, but the truth was, I really did have no idea about what was going on inside that guy¡¯s head

 Chapter 109: Recalling the Past (1)

    <h4>Chapter 109: Recalling the Past (1)</h4>


    ¡°Hye-jin, suddenly¡­¡±


    ¡°Master, Jung Hayan has passed away. The cause of death is still unclear, but we¡¯re leaning on suicide as of the moment.¡±


    ¡°What the¡­¡±


    ¡°It may be hard to believe, but it is true.¡±


    ¡°Clearly, something is wrong¡­¡±


    ¡°She is really dead.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. The guild members of the Magic Guild confirmed that they saw her hanged figure in her room.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps some assassins entered her room? That¡¯s also a possibility¡­¡±


    ¡°No, it really is suicide. The suicide note was also found, though I¡¯m not sure about this either¡­ It is said that unknown letters were found in Jung Hayan¡¯s room. We can¡¯t decipher them because they¡¯ve been magically encrypted, but after the news came, other guilds have been thinking about the possibility ofmunication with them.¡±


    ¡°So, she was experiencing inner pain?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a guess.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t be. When you consider the achievements Lindel¡¯s genius wizard has shown so far, it¡¯s stupid to think of that possibility. If I could have made a deal with them, I would¡¯ve been on their side long ago.¡±


    ¡°The Master is right, Hye-jin. Without Lindel¡¯s Archmage, the foundation itself would not have been maintained in the first ce. It is not an exaggeration to say that they¡¯ve withstood simply because she was there. The victory in the Battle of the Ramadel Mountains, the Battle of Northern Frost Wall, and even the Defense of Benigor was all thanks to her. Her cause of death is probably disguised as misinformation to divide us.¡±


    ¡°Hye-jin, the will is¡­ What was written in the will?¡±


    ¡°Ah, sorry, sorry¡­ Of course, there was a will, but the Magic Guild refused to disclose it, so the full text could not be confirmed¡­ However, it looked as if there were traces of abuse on her body.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure she wasn¡¯t assassinated?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I have heard that the wounds that remained on the body were wounds from a long time ago. Considering that there was also a wound just before the fester burst without treatment, some specte that it was the work of self-harm. Despite being able to heal with potions or divine powers, I heard that not only were the wounds left as they were, but even the unspeakable parts of the body were severely damaged.¡±


    ¡°Self-harm¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah. There¡¯s a real possibility that she really did self-harm, Master. I heard that Jung Hayan always had a hard time taking lives. She always had nightmares after the battle was over, and she was very reluctant to participate in the killings. It is not unreasonable to feel guilty because she was the type of person who had been forced to stand on the battlefield.¡±


    That did make sense, considering the character of Lindel¡¯s Archmage, Jung Hayan.


    ¡®Standing on the battlefield itself¡­¡¯


    It had probably been too much.


    ¡°If that¡¯s true¡­ I am totally at fault. I shouldn¡¯t have called her to the battlefield.¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s not the Master¡¯s fault. It wasn¡¯t just the Master who persuaded Jung Hayan. Everyone in the Holy Empire, the Republic, and the Kingdom Union were hoping that she would go. It was Ms. Jung Hayan, who also made the final decision. The Master¡¯s persuasion didn¡¯t drive her. Jung Hayan also said that she always owed a debt to the Holy Empire and Lindel¡¯s free people. She joined the battle for that very reason.¡±


    ¡°However, no one knows why she had decided to take her life. Master, it¡¯s probably true that you felt guilty, but I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the reason why. Of course, it was undeniable that you suffered, but¡­ you were so proud of who you protected. Jung Hayan is definitely that type of person.¡±


    I could imagine Jung Hayan not getting along with other people, and her smiling faintly after every battle and shaking hands with soldiers who had saved her life. This must also be contained in her memory.


    And the conversation we had together.


    ¡®It¡¯s rewarding.


    ¡®You made a tough decision.¡¯


    ¡®No, Mr. Hyunsung. No, of course, it¡¯s not that hard, but everyone is fighting as well. It¡¯s not just about feeling bad¡­ It also feels good to see everyone smiling. Hehe¡­ Thank you for calling.¡¯


    ¡®No. Rather, I am just grateful.¡¯


    She must have felt guilty.


    However, as Cho Hye-jin said, Jung Hayan must already know the pain she would have to endure. However, to lose her life over guilt didn¡¯t seem to fit.


    ¡°Then why¡­¡±


    ¡°We are still figuring out why. I guess there will be a clue in the letter encrypted with magic, although all the wizards on the continent are currently struggling to interpret the encrypted object.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    That was when I looked at Cho Hye-jin with a bitter expression.


    Quaang!


    I heard thunder rumble in the distance, and I wondered if the enemy had arrived.


    Soon after, I had no choice but to lower my sword.


    ¡°Kim Hyunsung!¡±


    ¡°Ah, Young Kim! If you do this¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut up and open the door. Kim Hyunsung, I know you¡¯re there! Open up!¡±


    ¡°Calm down¡­ H-He¡¯s in a meeting right now!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d better open the door before my patience runs out.¡±


    A familiar face came into sight as the loud noise rumbled once more.


    ¡°Youngdy¡­¡±


    ¡°Kim Hyunsung, you motherfucker!¡±


    In an instant, the huge sword she held swung my way, the loud sound echoing once more. Then, objects flew around in all directions, and the window that could not withstand the pressure broke.


    ¡°Son of a bitch! You killed her!¡±


    ¡°You dragged her into the war. This is bullsh*t! She died because of you!¡±


    ¡°Ah-young¡­ What are you doing now? Coming here suddenly and aiming your sword at our Guild Master¡­ I will formally protest this against the guild.¡±


    ¡°Shut your mouth, Cho Hye-jin. Do you want to protest? Go ahead. What will it mean in this situation? Do whatever you want. We¡¯re all going to die anyway. Fuck that sh*t!¡±


    ¡°Nevertheless¡­¡±


    ¡°I told you clearly, Kim Hyunsung. She said she would not participate in the war¡­ She died because of your greed!¡±


    ¡°If Jung Hayan had not been on the front line, countless civilians would have died, Kim Ah-young.¡±


    ¡°Did you hear me telling you to shut up? I¡¯m talking to Kim Hyunsung!¡±


    ¡°It was an unavoidable judgment. Of course, our master persuaded Jung Hayan, but because of her, we managed to win numerous battles¡­¡±


    ¡°My sister died because of those numerous battles. She is dead!! should never have listened to you.¡±


    ¡°The reason why she took her own life isn¡¯t clear yet. The possibility that she killed herself in the shock of battle has not been confirmed yet. You must check the evidence first.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all you¡¯re going to say? You dirty hypocrites. I should have listened to him instead¡­¡±


    ¡°Who is that person¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to know!¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Now you¡¯re sorry, huh? Kim Hyunsung, a hero? Don¡¯t be ridiculous.¡±


    ¡°You should think a little more calmly.¡±


    ¡°Shut up. Our guild will leave this sh*tty alliance. It was absurd to think that the enemies fighting each other would soon be one. The Republic and the United Kingdom uniting is such bullsh*t. I regret listening to you. Kim Hyunsung, the hero who saved hundreds of thousands of people. What does it all matter? My sister died¡­ My sister is dead! No matter how many people were saved because of her, it has nothing to do with me. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°You will never see me again in the future.¡±


    ¡°Please wait a minute, Kim Ah-young.¡±


    ¡°Cho Hye-jin.¡±


    ¡°The reason Jung Hayan took her own life would not be because of her guilt.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t bullsh*t me.¡±


    ¡°If you say so, but I know she wouldn¡¯t want you to do this. She indeed suffered a lot, but I clearly remember Jung Hayan being happy about saving a lot of people.¡±


    ¡°There is no exact will yet. Actually, we are not aware of even the possibility of assassination. Perhaps there is indeed a clue in a sealed letter or will. If after all investigations, it is revealed that Jung Hayan¡¯s death is rted to us, then¡­¡±


    ¡°I will apologize for this with my death.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not interested in your life.¡±


    It felt strange, not knowing what Kim Ah-young wanted. With this, I opened my mouth once more.


    ¡°The same is true of me. I will apologize with my death after all of this is over.¡±


    ¡°Master!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Hye-jin. Obviously, I am responsible, too.¡±


    Perhaps I didn¡¯t deserve to live. I had already made numerous mistakes in the past. It felt funny apologizing for them now, but I had no choice but to do so.


    However, I knew I still had work to do.


    It was natural seeing Kim Ah-young¡¯s conflicted expression in response to my words. I patiently waited for her answer.


    Bang!!


    Suddenly, a loud noise resonated from somewhere.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re under attack!¡±


    ¡°Master!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re under attack! Hye-jin, behind the current wall¡­ Ahh!¡±


    It felt like a familiar yet disparate magical force that rained from the unseen. We reflexively moved our body upon seeing this type of magic emanate from Kim Ah-young.


    As she shed down the sword, the split magic began to break down the walls of either sidepletely.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to head to the wall now.¡±


    Only


    ¡°Please don¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°First, we must gather our strength. After everything is done, I will leave my treatment to Kim Ah-young. Please lend me your strength for now.¡±


    ¡°Sh*t.¡±


    ¡°Hye-jin, is Cha Hee-ra still in the city?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Signals keeping from 12 o¡¯clock. Perhaps the Red Mercenaries also headed there¡­¡±


    Qawahhh!


    A blinding, white light engulfed the entire city of Lindel.


    As the light burst from all the buildings and lit up the entire surroundings, my eyes started to open.

 Chapter 110: Recalling the Past (2)

    <h4>Chapter 110: Recalling the Past (2)</h4>


    ¡°It¡¯s a dream¡­¡±


    It was a dream that I had gotten used to now.


    As I stood up slightly and looked out the window, I felt the roaring sound and light of that time as vividly as it had ever been. I tried shaking my head, but the feeling stayed.


    As I swallowed, I heard a tapping on the door.


    ¡°Hyunsung, it¡¯s time for the meeting. Lee Sang-hee summoned all the party members and executives who are still in Blue.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes. I will go out soon.¡±


    ¡°Yes. In thirty minutes¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll be there in half an hour.¡±


    I still had a lot of thoughts to sort through. I always ended up dreaming about the past. Every morning was the same.


    However, the moment I looked around, I would alwayse back to my senses.


    As I got up and headed for the bathroom, I saw a grim face reflected in the mirror.


    I haven¡¯t been able to sleep well recently.¡¯


    I still had a lot of work to do. The Lindel terrorist incident never did exist the first time around. I didn¡¯t even think they would attempt to do anything this early on.


    ¡®This feels so uneasy¡­


    I should have kept Lee Seolho¡¯s temperament in mind. I knew his rtionship with Lee Kiyoung wasn¡¯t good, but I would never have imagined that he would go to this extent.


    Thanks to this, he had helped me establish my position in Blue, but it had been a painful urrence as he had fatally injured Jung Hayan.


    ¡®I won¡¯t be able to do this without her.¡¯


    In the future, she would be a magician representing Lindel and even the Holy Empire Benigore. Her appearance had been a big source of motivation for everyone.


    In fact, if she hadn¡¯t died, the war could have ended with a human victory.


    Lindel¡¯s Archmage¡¯s appearance, who was respected by everyone, would be more overwhelming than any other hero, and thus, she yed the most important role.


    Considering her recent growth rate, she really did have an abundance of talent


    She was born with a natural aptitude for magic. The more achievements she obtained, the more her reputation grew as Lindel¡¯s genius wizard.


    In fact, there wasn¡¯t much information about Jung Hayan during the first time. She had joined the Magic Guild as a researcher on the condition that she would not participate in any expeditions or wars, and for a long time, she had not shown up.


    However, given her personality, her lifestyle had been easy to predict. She had refused to talk with people given her past experiences and had locked herself up in a tower.


    Perhaps her daily life had been very monotonous. Her hours probably consisted of studying magic all day and then sleeping. She probably never went out at all.


    Other than Kim Ah-young, she refused to talk with others. I knew I was probably right


    ¡®Shecks social skills.¡¯


    If this was Jung Hayan¡¯s shoring, then it could be called a disadvantage. This was the reason why I took her as mypanion on many adventures.


    Growth does not end in an instant. Numerous characters have their own stories, and each has achieved growth through their suffering.


    Some grew from a co-worker¡¯s deaths, some were betrayed by their lover, and some were able to y their roles during their struggle to the death.


    The same went for Jung Hayan.


    Perhaps the reason why she had been so strong was that she had locked herself up in the tower and refused to do anything else but study magic.


    When I think about it that way, I thought it would be right to send Jung Hayan to the Blue Guild. However, her mentality proved to be more important than her growth.


    That was the best choice I could make. After all, Jung Hayan was still growing, both externally and internally.


    And now, she had even started dating!


    I would never have imagined it the first time around.


    The rtionship was obviously wed as Hayan was evidently obsessed with Lee Kiyoung, but the fact stood that they were dating.


    By maintaining asting rtionship with him, the future of extreme choices can be avoided. The worst ending I had seen in my dreams could finally be overlooked. Even if it came to the point where they would break up, I knew Lee Kiyoung would never let anything happen to her.


    Meanwhile, Lee Kiyoung was apletely different type of talent than any other talent I had ever seen before, he was a verypetent man. It would be right for me to continue paying attention to both him and Jung Hayan.


    Since I didn¡¯t feel confident in myself, I needed their talent to prepare for this kind of raid.


    Deputy Hye-jin had been my right-hand man the first time around. With a spear, she had managed to scatter the enemy, going as far as to call them newborns.


    ¡®Perhaps she has arrived in Lindel now¡­¡¯


    As I thought about this, I quickly washed my face and stepped out. The familiarndscape came into view.


    With the head of the guild gone, Blue seemed to tether on the edge of ruination. It had maintained an alliance with the other guilds, but the quest hall was closed, and most of the guild members already left.


    Even some of the second unit members¡¯ transfers had already been decided.


    If this continued, then Blue would really dismantle.


    Recently, as Lee Kiyoung spent more time with the Red Mercenaries, many members were concerned about him leaving. However, I was certain that he wouldn¡¯t. It was because I was fairly certain of what it was that he really wanted.


    He wanted me to take over the Blue Guild.


    ¡®Howpetent.¡¯


    Knowing Lee Kiyoung, he would be able to calm everyone down. I also understood what I wanted. The steps had already beenid out before me. All I had to do was take them just as I had expected.


    Not long after I started walking, voices came to greet me.


    ¡°Kim Hyunsung.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°I have some documents you need to look at.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yeah.¡±


    ¡°There are issues you need to look at because Kiyoung hasn¡¯t been here¡­¡±


    ¡°Did you tell Kiyoung that we have a meeting?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I heard you wereing. Yesterday, the Red Mercenary took care of Jung Hayan¡­


    ¡°Ah. I heard that too. Please leave the documents that require payment in my room first. After the meeting, I will check it myself, so I can speak to the Master separately.¡±


    ¡°Of course. May I post the announcement on the expansion of guild members today?¡±


    ¡°I will be able to tell you this in person.¡±


    The guild member continued to ask me questions as we made our way to the meeting room. In fact, a lot of people had turned to me after Lee Kiyoung decided to go for a temporary leave.


    As we move slowly, it is no wonder that the conference room is in front of us.


    Upon opening the door, I caught sight of Lee Sang-hee, who looked noticeably awkward, and Hwang Jeong-yeon, leader of the second unit, staring up at me.


    There were only three people in the meeting room that had once been full, and they all looked terrible.


    ¡°Ah¡­ You are here.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Kiyoung¡­¡±


    ¡°I heard he¡¯s on his way.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that¡­¡±


    ¡°It seems like a long time since we hosted a meeting.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Sorry. Actually, I should have called for one earlier, but things didn¡¯t go as nned.¡±


    Lee Sang-hee¡¯s eyes were lifeless. However, I knew she would be able to pull through, just as she did during the first time.


    ¡°Mr. Kiyoung hasn¡¯t arrived yet, but it would be nice to tell you in advance.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°First of all, I am very sorry to see you put in a bad light. If I had thought of you who were still in Blue, I could have made better decisions. I am very grateful to the two of you, who served as the guild¡¯s support even while I was away.¡±


    ¡°I just did my best.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ In fact, I was able to think of many things while I was resting. Of course, I thought a lot about what to do in the future. Considering the guild¡¯s future, it would only be right to dismantle your unit and send you to another guild¡­ No, that would be the right way.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ No, I couldn¡¯t dismantle the ce the Master built with his own hands. I am very sorry to both of you, but please, I would like you to remain in this guild.¡±


    ¡°Of course.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ With the master¡­¡±


    ¡°I am not the master anymore, Jeong-yeon. It is only right that I step down.¡±


    ¡°W-What?¡±


    ¡°I not only endangered you during our expedition, but I had also let you down while I was busy grieving for the Guild Master. Although Lee Seolho hadmunication with a Japanese guild, I was not able to beat him because of my affection for him.¡±


    ¡°Nevertheless¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not the one who should take the lead. I am also included in the category of ipetent people that Mr. Kiyoung has mentioned before. If I take control of Blue again, nothing will change much from before. It is only correct that I retreat. It may be difficult, but¡­¡±


    ¡°But, I¡­¡±


    In truth, I had been expecting this kind of decision on Lee Sang-hee¡¯s part. She hadn¡¯t finished talking, but Hwang Jeong-yeon had already expressed her refusal.


    Lee Sang-hee¡¯s expression was also darkening. Around this time, it would have been effective to have Lee Kiyoung around to diffuse the situation.


    ¡°If Jeong-yeon is reluctant¡­¡±


    Only


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I will temporarily keep the seat of power.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, it is impossible for me to do all the work by myself, from one to ten. If you two help me in avoiding the wrong direction, it may not take long for me to get it back to where it was.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°There are still many talents who remain within Blue.¡±


    At the same time, a voice called out from outside.


    ¡°This is Lee Kiyoung. I¡¯m going in.¡±

 Chapter 111: Go to work! (1)

    <h4>Chapter 111: Go to work! (1)</h4>


    ¡°Kiyoung, you¡¯re finally here.¡±


    ¡°Ah. clearly¡­¡±


    ¡°This is Park Jung-ki, a member of the Blue Guild.¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhhh¡­ Jung-ki, yes. I remember. What happened?¡±


    ¡°The guild master has called for all the executives.¡±


    ¡°I see. Please go back first and tell them that I am on my way.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Okay.¡±


    For an ordinary guild member, Park Jung-ki¡¯s agility level was evidently high as he quickly disappeared from view.


    He must have been a designated messenger. Due to my ability, I managed to view his stats.


    ¡®Agility stat hero or less¡­¡¯


    ¡°Huh. That¡¯s not bad.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ It¡¯s nothing, Hee-young.¡±


    ¡°Do you have to go now? I heard him say that there was a meeting.¡±


    ¡°I think I can go in a littlete.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ That¡¯s fortunate. Then, how about drinking a cup of coffee?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s stop by a nearby cafe.¡±


    It felt weird because this felt like a date, but I didn¡¯t think I needed to rush. I knew why Lee Sang-hee had called for the meeting. She had made up her mind.


    She had probably called for us to discuss Blue¡¯s current status and the Guild Master spot¡¯s vacancy. It was only right for her to do so.


    Lee Sang-hee was, after all, ipetent as a leader. She was most likely aware of this fact, and since I had been absent from the guild, I knew she felt it even more.


    It was difficult to see the majority of the guild members choosing to leave rather than stay. At this point, it was no exaggeration to say that Blue was already sinking underwater.


    It was not a matter that Lee Sang-hee, with her troubled mindset, can handle.


    It seemed that Kim Hyunsung had kept her sane for a purpose, but I couldn¡¯t help but feel like there was a hole in his n. However, the current result would not matter.


    ¡®Because I can make the desired result happenter on, anyway.¡¯


    The fact that Kim Hyunsung was taking charge showed how much he had contributed to Blue. Unlike Sang-hee, Kim Hyunsung was apetent leader with both power and intelligence.


    I knew that all members would turn to him if I were absent from the guild for a long time.


    ¡®I feel sorry for doing this, but¡­¡¯


    Surely he knew why I had done this.


    ¡®That¡¯s why I decided to stay silent.¡¯


    As I continued to talk with Sun Hee-young, I felt the time pass us by.


    In fact, the conversation I had with Sun Hee-young was actually a little fun. Among the women I knew, Lee Jihye was, of course, the number one, but Sun Heeyoung had some parts thatplimented me well.


    It felt much better than having my brain picked at by someone like Cha Hee


    ra.


    ¡°I have to get going now.¡±


    ¡°Ah. That¡¯s a little disappointing. It felt good to be able to talk after so long.¡±


    ¡°I can say the same, Hee-young. Anyway, I¡¯ll often go out on breaks.¡±


    ¡°Will you hang out with me sometime?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course.¡±


    At this, we both stood up.


    In fact, while being with Sun Hee-young, I couldn¡¯t help but worry about Kim Hyunsung.


    I didn¡¯t know if I had done the right thing, but it felt like I had just given a list of chores to someone who did not want to be part of the process.


    I regretted not helping him out, but I knew Kim Hyunsung had probably done a great job. After all, he was not a fool.


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll see you after the meeting.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course.¡±


    Though I tried to walk slowly, I arrived back at the guild in no time. It seemed that I had walked faster than I normally intended.


    I was worried that he would have done the job well.


    After roughly bidding Sun Hee-young goodbye, I went straight to the conference room.


    After knocking on the door and peeking in, I could see three sets of serious expressions inside the room.


    ¡°This is Lee Kiyoung. I¡¯m going in.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course.¡±


    Lee Sang-hee wore a little glutinous expression, Hwang Jeong-yeon exhaled a sigh of relief, and Kim Hyunsung smiled up at me.


    It seemed that his work had gone sessfully.


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    ¡°Forgive me for beingte. There was a little ident on the way back¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine! The meeting was very sudden, after all.¡±


    ¡°By any chance¡­¡±


    It was Kim Hyunsung who answered.


    ¡°We were discussing how Blue should go forward. Lee Sang-hee has expressed her desire to retire from the front lines and was talking about the vacant spot.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Good, good.


    ¡°It¡¯s not enough, but I think I¡¯ll be in charge of the guild for the time being. Of course, Lee Sang-hee will stand in the position of teaching various things as an advisor.¡±


    At this, I quietly nodded.


    ¡®That¡¯s not bad.¡¯


    Having Lee Sang-hee as an advisor was also an excellent choice. Though she was an ineffective leader, it didn¡¯t make her an ipetent person.


    Perhaps she decided to make up for her ipetence as a leader by honing her skills in other ways. In this case, she seemed to have noticed how the guild members had been faring with the sudden power shift.


    Anyway, it was clear that Lee Sang-hee would not be intervening much. It wouldn¡¯t make sense to corrupt such talent.


    ¡®Yet you should still get to work, Lee Sang-hee.¡¯


    It felt like Kim Hyunsung had handled her a little better than I thought.


    ¡°You¡¯ve made such a difficult choice, Lee Sang-hee.¡±


    ¡°No, Mr. Kiyoung. I felt like I was wearing clothes that didn¡¯t really suit me. It feels good to have taken them off. Now, if you¡¯ll excuse me¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°I have to inform the other guild members about this.


    ¡°As you¡¯ve ordered, they¡¯re all in one ce.¡±


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll head there right away.¡±


    From the way she spoke, it was apparent that she had prepared for this burdensome task. Naturally, I couldn¡¯t stop myself from smiling.


    Kim Hyunsung seemed to have asked Lee Sang-hee a lot of questions about the new announcement.


    One look inside the auditorium notified me of the people we had gathered together. I could see Park Deokgu, Kim Ye-ri, and Sun Hee-young sitting in the front row. This time around, it would not be me speaking in front of everyone.


    ¡°Hyung.¡±


    ¡°How are you?¡±


    ¡°Oh, aren¡¯t you too busy these days?¡±


    ¡°Various things have happened. Now, there will be a lot of time to be able to do stuff together. After the guild has sessfully recovered, we¡¯ll have more time to rx.¡±


    ¡°I hope that dayes soon¡­ More than that, is Hayan okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes. She was even sleepwalking yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Ha, that¡¯s a good thing.¡±


    ¡°Miss Hee-young also said she could move around soon, so don¡¯t worry too much. Instead, we should focus on the news I heard today.¡±


    ¡°I was surprised to see everyone gathered around¡­ Did something interesting happen?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll know soon enough.¡±


    It would not be a fun announcement, that was for sure.


    After some time passed, Lee Sang-hee and Kim Hyunsung appeared on the podium. The real reason why Lee Sang-hee had called everyone on such short notice was that she wanted to get this over with as soon as possible. As she slowly opened her mouth, a calm voice resonated in the auditorium.


    ¡°The reason I have gathered you all today is to resolve Blue¡¯s current problems for the betterment of its future. To start with the conclusion, I have decided to step down from being the leader.¡±


    She was calm as she spoke, but it did not stop the voices from rising. A lot of people were concerned about what this meant for Blue.


    ¡°The new Guild Master of Blue has been determined. Kim Hyunsung, the leader of the 7th party, is suitable, and all of the leaders of Blue, including me, agreed. I understand that this is a confusing time. I am ashamed as a former leadership to appear in front of you like this, but I hope that we can ovee this crisis together.¡±


    At this, a small round of apuse filled the room. It was admittedly a good speech, both short and intense.


    As Lee Sang-hee quietly left the stage, leaving the stage to Kim Hyunsung, who did not appear to be nervous or awkward at all. In fact, it looked natural for him.


    ¡°Perhaps¡­


    Perhaps he had held a simr position in the past.


    ¡°It is an honor to be seated in such a way. To address your concerns, Lee Sang-hee did note down suddenly. She has given a lot of thought regarding this change, and has told me so in advance. Fortunately, Lee Sanghee, who was the founding member of Blue, will continue to remain in the guild as an advisor.¡¯


    ¡®Good. That¡¯s the way you should go.¡¯


    ¡°Blue has suffered a great deal. Most of the members here have probably been in Blue for a very long time. Understandably, you are all agitated by an event that happened a while ago.¡±


    That was an understatement.


    ¡°Let¡¯s think of this as a fresh start.¡±


    Kim Hyunsung was amazing at this.


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you that the change will start right from this moment. It¡¯s sudden, but I want to tell you my greetings and ns for future development.¡±


    I never thought that he would have prepared for this. When I looked at Lee Sang-hee, I felt like she already knew.


    I didn¡¯t know when they had such a conversation, but what I did know was that people weren¡¯t good at handling change. They would probably receive bacsh, although not on arge scale.


    However, Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t seem to think so. My heart pounded as he opened his mouth once more to speak. I knew he would give me a solid seat, given everything I had done so far.


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s voice boomed over the crowd.


    ¡°First, I appoint Mr. Lee Kiyoung as the Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡®I love you, Hyunsung!¡¯


    My eyes shed. This is what I had been waiting for, though I was not expecting to get it.


    I am second-inmand in his kingdom.¡¯


    I knew he cherished me, but it appeared that Kim Hyunsung appreciated me more than I thought. I couldn¡¯t help but smile at this point or dance. This had effectively brightened my mood.


    ¡°The Guild Secretary will temporarily also be Mr. Kiyoung for the moment.¡±


    Being able to handle the guild¡¯s funding would also give me an additional semnce of power. I was not only the Vice Master but the secretary as well. This meant that I would be busy for some time, but I knew I could handle


    ¡°After, a temporary personnelmittee will be established to recruit the most important personnel, Lee Kiyoung will also act as the chairperson for


    that.¡±


    Being able to pick people that would suit my tastes would definitely also work in my favor.


    ¡°We will create a new strategy team for targeting the dungeon, and Mr. Lee Kiyoung will be doing all the hard work temporarily.¡±


    It was only after a little while that I realized something was wrong.


    ¡°The Guild Future Strategy Headquarters and the Damage Countermeasure Committee have been established, and Lee Kiyoung will serve as the first chairman for the time being.¡±


    ¡®Wait.¡¯


    ¡°We temporarily appoint Mr. Lee Kiyoung to the Chief Executive Officer position to epass the overall administrative work. We will continue to work hard until the situation stabilizes.¡±


    ¡®Stop.


    ¡°We also appoint Mr. Kiyoung Lee as the manager of the Pension Strategy nning Office.¡±


    ¡®Stop.


    ¡°We have established a PR strategy team, and Lee Kiyoung will also temporarily be in charge of promoting the guild.¡±


    Only


    ¡®Please stop already, you bastard!¡¯


    The problem was that my name kept popping out of Kim Hyunsung¡¯s mouth.


    Of course, in addition to my name, the names of Hwang Jeong-yeon and Sun Hee-young also popped up in the middle, but it was me who kept getting appointed to various positions with the strangest titles.


    Eventually, the people around me started to give me pitying looks. At this point, I was suspicious of whether Kim Hyunsung was trying to keep me busy to prevent me from doing or saying anything else.


    ¡°I also appoint Mr. Lee Kiyoung as the interim chairman.¡±


    ¡®Okay, I get it already¡­¡¯


    The room had gone silent at this point.


    It was the first time I felt resentment for Kim Hyunsung.

 Chapter 112: Go to work! (2)

    <h4>Chapter 112: Go to work! (2)</h4>


    In the story, Hwang-hee asked to resign more than ten times, but Sejong hically ordered him to work until he died.


    Whenever Hwang-hee asked for resignation due to health problems, Sejong ordered him to work from home. When he asked for resignation, he sent a kiln to the pce. He even sent officials to Hwang-hee¡¯s house to handle paperwork even as hey on his deathbed, so the poor man really did work until he died.


    ¡®Fuck¡­¡¯


    I could definitely say that this was a simr situation.


    It felt like Kim Hyunsung was trying to make me conform. If his kingdom grew, and he left his name in history, it would be clear that my name would also be mentioned next to his.


    Albeit, I would be known as the stupid guy who overworked himself to death.


    However, this didn¡¯t mean that I would be left with nothing. Like Hwanghee, who Sejong favored until the end, despitemitting various corruptions, I will also be able to gain unprecedented power


    ¡®Ah, power¡­


    My position within the guild hadpletely shifted.


    Of course, my original position wasn¡¯t low, per se, but now? Now, I had gained enough power to control the guild itself.


    ¡®The only problem is that I wouldn¡¯t have the time to enjoy that power¡­


    Considering that most of the positions entrusted to me were only temporary, I knew this would soon be resolved. However, I also knew that handling the administrative systems within Blue was a very important job to be given.


    With this, I hade to realize that, once again, Kim Hyunsung was cing his trust in me. I knew that the other guild members also saw this and would now try to establish themselves in front of him.


    Still, my job title would always be weighty.


    Blue was not big, but it would reward me for all my work. I had be the person who would receive the most sry among everyone else, even more than Guild Master Kim Hyunsung himself.


    The annual sry I received when I first came here was 10,000 gold, and with less than a year passing by, it had multiplied by 12 times, perhaps even higher.


    Of course, the reality is that this would not be enough. The real problemy in the fact that Blue¡¯s current status meant that I wouldn¡¯t be able to receive my full sry. Though my payroll had risen, it would be impossible to receive it so long as the guild was still in a crisis. This was due to financial and manpower shortages.


    ¡®Alright, first things first¡­¡¯


    I knew I had to start with those two first.


    As I read the report ced in front of me, I heard a voice speak up.


    ¡°Lee Kiyoung, this is a report from the Damage Countermeasure Committee.¡±


    ¡°Leave it on my desk. I¡¯ll take care of what we¡¯re doing now and check it out right after. Oh, and if you¡¯re free, would you please call Jeong-yeon?¡±


    ¡°That¡­ Hwang Jeong-yeon says she has something to do¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah? I¡¯m sure she just decided to take a break.¡±


    ¡°She says something urgent hase up.¡±


    ¡®She definitely ran away.¡¯


    I shouldn¡¯t have believed her when she said she was going to take a break. I had only been here for a day, yet I¡¯vested even longer.


    However, I had to admit that she had made things easier, seeing as she had sorted out all the documents that had been piled up. This was a world that struggled without the existence ofputers.


    Still, it was impressive that she had decided to show just how resourceful she could be. Even then, I had not expected her to run away in the middle of it.


    I understood that the pile of work on my shoulders was scary, but that wasn¡¯t a valid reason.


    ¡°The guild¡¯s promotion¡­¡±


    ¡°As I said, we will give priority to posting the story of the change within the Blue Guild in the article, and we will disclose the attack journal of the Cursed Shrine. Please allow three days for the scheduling. No, I¡¯ll do it again. It would be nice to sell some of them after we released the free ones.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying that you¡¯d be selling a strategy journal?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will sell it.¡±


    ¡°Ah. So, this one goes to the business-¡°


    ¡°No. Just let it go. Business units have their work to do.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    That particr division was also under my jurisdiction, anyway. I noticed the guild member¡¯s pitying look as he, too, realized this sad fact.


    ¡°It will have to go through a little tweaking, but it will sell. The story of the Cursed Shrine is very stimting, after all.¡±


    ¡°I think I know what you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    ¡°Before leaving the expedition, I think it would be better to include a story about Lee Seolho. However, I¡¯ll need to refine it a little bit. If any people say that they write within the guild, we will collect all of them and put them into editing. Let¡¯s start that right now.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a good idea¡­ It may take longer if you think about publishing and mass production, Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°I will reschedule everything. Oh, it¡¯ll also be a good idea to add a list of items obtained from the Cursed Shrine in the article, along with the strategy journal. I think it would be better to unravel information about Juliana.¡±


    ¡°The legendary item you have?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Of course, I will not disclose the function of the item. Please emphasize ¡®legendary item holder¡¯ and then start the promotion. It will be fast and effective.¡±


    ¡°You must be more curious about the strategy journal.¡±


    ¡°Definitely.¡±


    It would be better to disclose the strategy journal after informing the public about where the legendary item came from. I wasn¡¯t entirely sure, but I had a feeling that it would make enormous sales. The public would surely have a lot of questions about it.


    The story of where the item was obtained and how I had be its rightful owner would surely be the talk of the town once more.


    It wasn¡¯t every day that legendary items were found, after all.


    And even then¡­


    ¡°The delivery time of the fantasy potion will be a little earlier than nned. For the timing, I think it would be better to unpack it at the same time as the strategy journal is sold.¡±


    ¡°Of course. I will adjust the schedule.¡±


    This would also be a good promotion. The potions that worked tremendously well within the Cursed Shrine would be a huge hit.


    Overall, the n itself was not bad. I just felt like something had been severelycking.


    ¡°Hm¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s nothing.¡±


    I felt like I was somehow veering in the wrong direction. I must not only promote the guild¡¯s products. I had to find some way to promote the guild itself. If I only focused on these, the guild would have only gained money, not influence.


    That alone could increase the guild¡¯s value. However¡­


    ¡®It won¡¯t make the people want to join forces with Blue.¡¯


    Icked that one decisive factor.


    ¡°Ah. What is the market price for a wagon billboard?¡±


    ¡°I heard that if you get it for a discount, it costs about 200 gold a day. Of course, if the area had arge popce, the cost would¡­¡±


    ¡°Not bad. The cost-performance ratio is good, and above all, we can use it right away.¡±


    ¡°Yes, perhaps¡­¡±


    ¡°It seems like a problem that we need to consider a little more. Aside from that, have you organized all of the heroic-grade items?¡±


    ¡°I heard that it¡¯s almost done.¡±


    ¡°There is not much left until the auction, so please tell them to bring it soon. I will sell everything that we do not need.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    I hated to admit it, but the work wasn¡¯t that bad. This was my area of expertise, after all.


    If this were a typicalpany, these problems would have required numerous meetings to coordinate the schedule. Adjusting everything by myself meant that I did not have to go through all the tedious processes.


    Of course, that didn¡¯t mean that my work wasn¡¯t difficult. My abilities were already limited in the first ce. My head had begun to hurt from trying to do everything by myself. I wasn¡¯t even familiar with the imperialws of this continent.


    It was easy enough to deal with the usual things, but some sensitive tax issues and imperialw-rted issues were bound to take me some time to sort through.


    ¡®Also, ourck of talent within the guild has be our biggest problem¡­¡¯


    Blue was never a guild that was small in size. Sure, it looked like an entertainment agency housing seven parties, but the number of in guild members and guild staff assisting them also yed a significant role.


    However, it was obvious that there were no significant talents among them. This was no thanks to the old geezers, who hadn¡¯t even thought about reforming the guild.


    ¡®They were useless from start to finish.¡¯


    In this situation, it was only natural for me to resort to some underhanded tactics.


    ¡®Cheap manpower.


    What I needed was inexpensive yetpetent manpower. The guild¡¯s image should attract them, and the promotion and marketing would determine the guild¡¯s future image.


    I knew some capable people would apply, but their numbers would not be enough. Thus, how could I solve this?


    As I massaged my temples, I heard Park Deokgu¡¯s voice from outside the room.


    ¡°Hyung, it¡¯s me.¡±


    ¡°You cane in, Deokgu.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ Oh, aren¡¯t you too busy?¡±


    ¡°Uh. Yes, I¡¯ve been really busy.¡±


    ¡°I came because our Guild Master wanted me to pass something onto


    you.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It looks like a fatigue recovery potion¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    Kim Hyunsung, you bastard.


    At this point, I must have lost to an enemy like him in my previous life. I broke out into a cold sweat as I realized I could have been the reincarnation of Hwang-hee in that story.


    ¡°I¡¯m so concerned about my Hyung¡¯s health¡­ I don¡¯t know where he got it, but it works great. With one potion, you can stay awake for about three days¡­¡±


    The more Park Deokgu spoke, the more I felt scared.


    ¡®Do not do this, you bastard¡­¡¯


    If Kim Hyunsung continued to y the role of Satan, I would definitely be his spawn.


    ¡®Perhaps the best solution was simple¡­¡¯


    At this, I opened my mouth to speak.


    ¡°Deokgu, let¡¯s talk for a minute.¡±


    ¡°Yes, what is it?¡±


    ¡°How is the image of our guild?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ Aren¡¯t we a ruined guild? We¡¯ve just started to recover again. We will definitely be sessful in the future, but for now¡­ Goodness.¡±


    That was the perfect answer.


    ¡°Then what do you think are the strengths of our guild?¡±


    ¡°Even if you suddenly ask me that¡­¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you seriously, so you can answer in any way you want. What should I say to havepetent human resourcese into our guild?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure about that¡­ Well, if it¡¯s the strength of our guild, of course, isn¡¯t it youth, passion, and ambition? And we have a capable Hyung!¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    That was an answer I never expected to receive. I couldn¡¯t believe I had not thought about this before. This made me smile, as Park Deokgu had actually helped me!


    After giving him onest nce, I spoke to Park Jung-gi, sitting next to


    Only


    me.


    ¡°Mr. Jung-gi.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°Please contact the Lindel Shipping Association right now and have them spread flyers everywhere.¡±


    ¡°Of course. I knew you¡¯d be able to recruit more people¡­¡±


    ¡°No, no. For now¡­¡±


    ¡°I think I need to recruit some interns.¡±


    I knew I wouldn¡¯t be able to handle all this work alone.

 Chapter 113: Go to work! (3)

    <h4>Chapter 113: Go to work! (3)</h4>


    ¡°I-Interns?¡±


    ¡°Yes, interns.¡±


    Park Jung-gi, who had been helping me with things in the meantime, wore a doubtful expression. I didn¡¯t me him for it. Will an intern be willing to apply for a copsing guild? That didn¡¯t seem possible.


    However, it wasn¡¯t a bad choice in our current situation. We had the media and masses on our side. We would still have some applicants willing toe in, either way.


    When public opinion and the mediae together, applicants are expected toe in anyway. This was how we could revive the image of our guild.


    ¡®Young Company, Young Guild!¡¯


    What we needed was to capture the guild simrly to a venturepany on Earth. It should be seen as a free, creative environment everyone can enjoy.


    Of course, the reality may be a little different, but the publicity had to be like this to find more talent and nobatant recruits who were both loyal and okay with rtively low wages.


    ¡®That¡¯s where the internse in.¡¯


    ¡°First, it would be better to change the interior of the guild a little.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°I think the office looks a little dull. This kind of guild isn¡¯t what Lindel¡¯s young talents would want. It would be better to remove all the desks using magic to change Blue¡¯s interior.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ I don¡¯t understand why we need to do that all of a sudden.¡±


    ¡°What Blue needs is innovation. In this kind of environment, it would be hard to think of new ideas. This is why we need to change the environment and make it livelier.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes. Okay.¡±


    Nothing sounded better than the word innovation. This was another one of my sleazy reasoning.


    ¡°It would be nice to tear down the offices used by Lee Seolho and the other old people. The area would look better if it was open and have sofas where the staff can rest. Oh, a sleeping capsule sounds like a good idea! We should use an existing one rather than create a new one entirely to minimize the budget. The important thing is the atmosphere. It is important to make Blue look like the kind of guild that promotes freedom and activity to stimte the young ones.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you install a pool table or a card game in themon room where employees can use during breaks, just make sure to put something. Oh, it wouldn¡¯t be bad to have a board game like chess. The price won¡¯t be too costly, anyway. Also, let¡¯s change the guild restaurant to a buffet establishment.¡±


    ¡°Ah, but the restaurant¡¯s budget¡­¡±


    A well-fed ve worked harder, after all.


    I didn¡¯t know about the rest, but I was sure this particr area needed an improvement for the sake of all the guild members and workers.


    ¡®The executive dining room is too big in itself¡­¡¯


    ¡°If you sort out the useless luxuries of the old men that were in ce before, we can pave out a n.¡±


    ¡°It still won¡¯t be enough. How much would you want?¡±


    I knew I had to worry about that for a bit. However, the answer in itself was simple.


    ¡°There will be no such thing as a maintenance fee in Blue from now on. Please make sure to subtract the cost for the welfare of party members and executives. You just have to put it in some of the remaining budgets.¡±


    It would be better to run ves with money.


    The annual sry that the executives and party members received was enough in terms of dignity. To use and receive benefits on top of that sounded ridiculous. I bet that, if it weren¡¯t for the guild¡¯s old forces, Blue would have been a muchrger guild than it was now.


    ¡°The sry of the Guild Master, Vice Guild Master, and diplomatic officers remains the same. We¡¯re just going to cut the amount we will actually receive by 30%.¡±


    I was only being honest. There were many things to do, so much that they would have to be written separately.


    Perhaps sensing the workload this entailed, Park Jung-gi looked at me in a tiresome manner, so I hurried to speak first.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure not to set a lunch schedule. Eat what you want, and when you want to. This also applies to all of the guild staff right now. Please notify me about this tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°We will also open all the amenities that were only used by executives in the past to everyone.¡±


    ¡°Really? Won¡¯t it be too small for all the guild members?¡±


    ¡°We will operate by reservation. Of course, it would be better if the party members or executives have priority reservation rights. It is a facility designed to be used, so it¡¯ll be a waste if we don¡¯t use it. During the expedition, there weren¡¯t any people who used it at all.¡±


    ¡®Efficiently, might I add.¡¯


    ¡°Oh, I see.¡±


    ¡°We will run a ss where you can study magic, swordsmanship, or imperialw for in guild members or guild staff. Jeong-yeon will teach the magic ss. The swordsmanship ss¡­ Well, if Lee Sang-hee permits it¡­ No, I will speak directly about it to Lee Sang-hee.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°How much do you think the budget will cost?¡±


    At my question, Park Jung-gi began to do the math in his head.


    Park Deokgu could do the work that requiredbor, and if one were to consider the changes with the maintenance budget, there would still be some money left.


    ¡®If we¡¯re going to be hiring interns, then the money will be enough.¡¯


    The cost of wages for a one-year hiring period for interns seeking free work was much lower. This was the best environment in which ves could be freely enved in exchange for almost nothing.


    In the first ce, not a lot of people would understand this type of system.


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to calcte anymore. Come to think of it. It will all be okay. I¡¯ll do the rest of the work today at the lodge. Please go home and bring the documents I need to review directly to my room. Mr. Jung-gi can bring it.¡±


    ¡°You mean, right now?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Construction will start right now.¡±


    ¡°The Guild Master¡¯s approval is¡­¡±


    ¡®Not required.


    ¡°There is no need for his approval. I¡¯ll tell him about itter.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Okay.¡±


    In the first ce, Kim Hyunsung had entrusted me with this task. It made no sense to stand around, waiting for his approval when I could be as efficient as possible with the allotted time.


    He also had his tasks as the Guild Master, so it would be better not to bother him.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s get started.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    I tapped a distracted Park Deokgu on the back, and he was quick to nod in reply.


    As I had expected, the construction went very quickly. There was a lot of manpower for such simplebor.


    The Lindel trade union hired technicians at a low price and brought together artists whose talents were wasted in the za. This wasn¡¯t just a paid job for them. It was another shot at bringing their careers to life.


    The dull interior space began to be filled by the works of artists who wanted to promote themselves for free, and because of that, there were even other people who were willing to donate works that they did not manage to sell.


    ¡®Ah, what a difficult world for artists to live in.¡¯


    Park Deokgu had been busy doing manual chores such as breaking down the dividers of the old offices. Although he was the type who refrained from using his head properly, this was still a n that he was interested in. Thus, the n proceeded quite smoothly.


    ¡°Lee Kiyoung, how would you like to deal with the remaining space?¡±


    ¡°How is the childpensation in our guild?¡±


    ¡°Subsidies areing out¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, then, I think establishing a children¡¯s home inside where they can safely leave their kids is a good idea. If you have ever worked as a child care teacher in your district, please report it to me. How many households are in the guild now?¡±


    ¡°Three families.¡±


    ¡°I see. That¡¯s actually very little¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a bit reluctant to marry anyway¡­¡±


    If a parent swore allegiance to the guild, there was a high probability that the child would also be loyal to the guild. We weren¡¯t just finding ves for shortterm work. We were finding ves who would devote their whole lives to working for the guild.


    Thus, it was only right to expand on parentalpensation and the maternity leave system, thus abandoning the old corporate guild beliefs on pregnancy and the like.


    The guild¡¯s appearance changed so suddenly that a lot of the existing guild members felt confused. Of course, this was also for their benefit.


    Promoting our guild was an indispensable opportunity.


    In addition to contacting the Lindel Daily, I had to worry a lot about renting a billboard. The title would be¡­


    [The Dream Job: A Job In Blue]


    Or¡­


    [Completely Different: 23 reasons why Blue Has Be the Dream Workspace]


    Showing our concern for our employees¡¯ welfare rather than our overall dignity, creating an atmosphere where everyone can enjoy their work, and focusing on developing each member¡¯s capabilities¡ªall these would be able to move the people¡¯s hearts.


    The guild we were going to create would prove to be very satisfactory.


    Of course, it was evident that Blue still had some iplete areas, but it was only human to show these. It would have a negative impact if we looked too perfect


    ¡°We¡¯re relying on word of mouth here. Please continue to educate our guild members. Public opinion is more important than the press itself. Send some members to the tavern to help pay their expenses. Due to the guild¡¯s circumstances, I will set a limit on what you can spend for dinner.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Enjoy as much as you can ande back. Of course, we cannot allow anything to interfere with our work tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Of course.¡±


    ¡°Innovation. What matters is innovation. It would be good to improve our image. We are the guild of the young and innovative. That¡¯s the image we should maintain. In addition to this, we¡¯ll also be supporting a variety of activities. Don¡¯t stop developing yourself. The same is true for Park Jung-gi. I think you have good agility stats¡­ It¡¯ll be a waste to rot your talent.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Thank you.¡±


    ¡°So, why aren¡¯t you all wearing the guild¡¯s insignia?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ It can only be worn by the executives as well as other party members.¡±


    ¡°Ha¡­ Those crazy old men¡­¡±


    ¡°W-What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. In the future, all guild members and staff shall also wear the insignia. Make sure to wear it outside, too. You represent the guild. That means everyone should be on their best behavior unless you want me to blow your head off. Make sure to remember that. I won¡¯t even allow you to look ugly. I¡¯m not turning this into a fashion show, but you should at least look neat.¡±


    ¡°Okay, thank you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you¡¯re thanking me for. It¡¯s only natural for you to wear the insignia as well.¡±


    The results were going fast, and they all led in a positive direction.


    We were currently seen as extending our efforts in taking care of our remaining members, all while changing the overall atmosphere of the guild. Thus, the people¡¯s opinions of us soared.


    At this point, we were receiving inquiries even though our application processes had not yet opened until eventually, a press conference was needed to reveal the guild¡¯s new interior.


    I was surprised to see how much the situation had improved. The public¡¯s attention positively stayed on us, and I was sure talented people woulde knocking on our door.


    Our previous events have be a thing of the past. And the past debates on whether Blue would sink or not turned into people wanting to join the guild.


    The Red Mercenaries and ck Swans, who never backed out on our alliance, also began to reach out again, and we were soon emerging as a promising guild with high potential. The old executives from the past were no longer a concern.


    I also liked the fact that our current staff was doing their best. Without their organized skills, the rumors about Blue would not have settled down so quickly.


    Even the guides already belonging to therge guilds were interested in us, which gave me a sense of how thorough the Blue guild was in terms of our educational systems.


    With this, our oncezy guild members felt motivated enough to improve themselves.


    ¡®These days, reports are alsoing up on time¡­¡¯


    Mistakes that were previously evident were now noticeably reduced.


    Of course, many of our people had skills too low to be calledpetent ves, but it was nice that they were all doing the best that they could for the guild. Everyone alternated between maintaining public opinion while dealing with their guild tasks.


    I endured as long as I could, but when I came to the point where I could no longer handle the work with such a small amount of people, anxiety began to well up within me.


    Only


    [Blue Internship Recruitment Announcement 1602]


    [We are looking for someone to be a new family member in the Blue Guild. Can be an official guild member in due time.]


    The reactions turned out to be more passionate than I had expected.


    ¡°The Blue Guild has risen.¡±


    ¡°Did you see their recruitment notice?¡±


    ¡°Is it true that they are also electing abat team?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    Lindel became noisy once more.

 Chapter 114: Go to work! (4)

    <h4>Chapter 114: Go to work! (4)</h4>


    Lindel became noisy once more.


    It felt rewarding seeing this kind of reaction. Perhaps the people had familiarized themselves with the current guild system. We now looked like a dream-likepany that considered numerous welfare and convenient benefits for employees.


    It was basically the same type of marketing that worked back on Earth.


    Numerous professional managers in thisnd who studied business administration and knew entrepreneurship also knew whichpanies were attracting talent. However, there was a difference between simply knowing and practicing.


    At least most of thepanies I know don¡¯t sessfully apply what they know. Perhaps it was because their greed got in the way, or it may be because they internally abused their workers or caused internal problems within thepany.


    The point was, there was no enterprise, here or back on Earth, that cared about its employees to this degree. This was true, especially in Lindel, who was known for its dangerous areas.


    Forrge guilds such as the Red Mercenaries and ck Swans, the circumstances are good, but it was a hellish experience for the rest of the small and medium-sized ns.


    What I did in the first ce was far from being innovative. Recruiting an intern wasn¡¯t good at all, but I knew I would find someone desperate to work because of the reward we promised.


    ¡®They can be full-time employees.¡¯


    That would serve as the honey for the bees. My insistence upon the term ¡®innovation¡¯ was only just a cover-up, after all. It was necessary for our longsting image, and soon, all of Lindel would link us to that word.


    ¡®The most important thing is our image.¡¯


    It was no exaggeration to say that the public¡¯s opinion of us could make or break our guild. As I leaned back and massaged my temples, I heard someone speak up.


    ¡°There are quite a few sessful candidates.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll take some time to sort them out.¡±


    ¡°Yes. The first test has already been taken, yet there are still so many. It¡¯s nice to have more talented applicants than expected¡­ After all, the Vice Guild Master is also exhausted.¡±


    ¡°No, no. I¡¯ll see to them myself.¡±


    It was better this way because I could check their status windows.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re going a little too overboard.¡±


    ¡°Of course not. It is necessary for me to know who will be our future guild workers.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t take too much time anyway.¡±


    The way to pinpoint talent was simple. There was nothing more effective than an imposed test.


    Those who applied for tests rted to imperialw and tax management questions and applied to the Pension nning Office decided that it was best to take an alchemy test, and it actually worked. They had heard the rumors and blocked the crowds in advance.


    The unfortunate thing was that, although some talented people had been eliminated because of a momentary mistake, there was no time to embrace them.


    People who could be used for additional power were the more important ones.


    ¡°Are all the interview applicants gathered?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Send them in one by one. I¡¯ll be the one conducting the interview.¡±


    ¡°Will do.¡±


    The first man who entered harbored a worried expression, seemingly too nervous to sit down. From my first impression, he was already a dud.


    It seemed like he wasn¡¯t aware that he¡¯d be meeting me for the interview, and I was already known as quite the powerful figure in the city.


    Laughing slightly, I checked his status window. His overall ability was low, and his propensity was¡­


    ¡®Indolent egoist.


    Ugh, he was the type of person Sun Hee-young absolutely hated. He would grow to be another thorn in Blue¡¯s side. I found no reason to give birth to another Lee Seolho.


    ¡°Ah. Kim Chul-soo?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Hello.¡±


    ¡°Ah. You do not need to introduce yourself. It will be a little different from the existing interview. You supported the crisis response team¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve heard of it, but I was a team leader in the Guardian Tree guild for a while.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve heard of that. That¡¯s very impressive.¡±


    That was a lie. I¡¯ve never even heard of it. It was probably one of those guilds that eventually dissolved. Kim Chul-soo had an eager look in his eye, but his disposition did not lie.


    ¡°I¡¯ll ask you a simple question.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Please design an evacuation n in the event of a disaster that would affect all of Lindel.¡±


    ¡°Y-You mean, now?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s okay if it¡¯s not perfect. All of Lindel¡¯s poption must be evacuated. How would you evacuate them?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ that¡­ First of all, I think using magic will be the most efficient way¡­¡±


    He had started rambling, far from my expected answer.


    ¡®How stupid.


    He hadn¡¯t even wondered about what kind of disaster would take ce. I had given him a chance to redeem himself, and he just blew it.


    ¡°Lindel¡¯s gate number three¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, that was a satisfactory answer. You may head out now.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes. Okay.¡±


    ¡°I will notify you if you managed to get in. The answer to your question was impressive. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Ah! Thank you.¡±


    If the right person didn¡¯t show up, it might be fun to keep him as a pet for a year. The next person came in as soon as Kim Chul-soo headed out.


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    The woman who walked in looked very pretty. However, traces of suffering were evident all over her body.


    ¡®She looks quite old, too.¡¯


    Her status window presented itself to me soon after.


    ¡®Name: Kim Mi-young, 39 years old, and is a workingwyer.¡¯


    Her intelligence was better than expected, and even her magical ability reached thirty.


    Her history looked pretty peculiar, as well. It seemed that she had worked for a middle-sized guild, retired at the age of 30, and opened up a small general store in the square after getting married.


    Perhaps it wouldn¡¯t be too bad to hear about her story.


    ¡°Miss Kim Mi-young.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes.¡±


    ¡°You applied for the Imperial Legal Affairs Team.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Your history is a little peculiar, but I would like you to tell me about it yourself. You¡¯re also married¡­ It seems that the rest period is a bit long. You took five years off as a result of it.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes.¡±


    At this, her expression darkened. I was sure she felt overwhelmed at this point. Thus, I decided to help her out by asking her a question.


    ¡°Your husband¡­¡±


    ¡°He is dead.¡±


    ¡°I see. I¡¯m sorry. Have you ever had children?¡±


    ¡°I have two. However, it will not interfere with my work.¡±


    ¡°You must have been treated unfairly by your previous guild.¡±


    She fell silent


    At that point, I could already deduce what happened. She probably met her husband in the guild, got married, and then got pregnant almost immediately after.


    After leaving the guild, she started a business with the money she had saved, and when the business did not work, her husband must have gone hunting.


    I didn¡¯t know if he died from illness or a monster, but anyway, her dead husband likely gave way to financial problems. She hadn¡¯t been able to apply for jobs right away because she first had to focus on parenting as well. She must have had a hard time trying to find a job afterward.


    ¡°During the break, I spent a lot of time trying to not only challenge myself but also to reflect inward. It was my intention to develop my skills through various activities.¡±


    That was a lie.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    However, I saw no reason to point out her fibbing. That was because this woman had the best talent I¡¯d seen thus far.


    ¡®Very good.


    Having children may be seen as a fault, but in another perspective, it meant that if I did something on behalf of her kids, she would be a loyal worker for Blue.


    Even her children might be future Blue guild members. Her only fault was that her rest period had been long. However, I knew she would exert the effort needed to adjust.


    ¡®Because a mother will do her best for her children.¡¯


    More than I can even begin to imagine.


    ¡°Do you think you can work actively for us?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course. I continued to study during my breaks, and I hold an Imperial Law Level 1 Certificate. Of course, it needs to be updated, but¡­ It won¡¯t be hard to do that.¡±


    ¡°I think you know what the situation of our guild is right now.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°I would like to hear why you applied as the legal team of the Blue Guild.¡±


    After a brief silence, she slowly opened her mouth to speak.


    ¡°I thought you would need people who are fluent in imperialw. With imperialw not allowing disputes with other Free Cities, considering the Blue Guild¡¯s recent incidents, I thought you would formally protest against the Japanese side. Of course, assuming that Blue has evidence.¡±


    ¡°I see. What if we don¡¯t have any evidence?¡±


    ¡°You might think of a way to put pressure on them that won¡¯t go against thew. As there are loopholes in modernw, there are also obvious loopholes in the imperialw.¡±


    ¡°Is there a way?¡±


    She nodded but did not expound any further. She probably believed that this would be one of her winning traits to get her the job.


    I liked it.


    ¡°I see¡­ Well, that¡¯s interesting. No, more than that, this is great.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯ll be nice to work with you.¡±


    ¡°R-Really?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you I¡¯m hiring you. As you may already know, you will have to work unpaid for a year. Of course, it doesn¡¯t mean that you won¡¯t receive anything. We will pay for your basic living expenses. Afterward, it would be better to negotiate a sry again. Ah! And, if only you¡¯d be willing to, I would like to entrust the position of team leader of the legal team to you. Of course, it will only be possible if you can obtain achievements during your internship.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°You can leave your children at the Guild Facility while you work. Where do you live now?¡±


    ¡°U-Um¡­ On the outskirts¡­¡±


    That meant she lived in the slums. That was even better. She had nowhere else to go.


    ¡°It would be better if you live in the Guild House. We will arrange a room for you and your children.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    I ced the contract on the table, and her eyes immediately focused on it. She would probably know more about this than I did. After all, she was more well-versed in this field than me.


    ¡°Read it and sign it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course.¡±


    I watched as she flipped through the contact, her suspicious expression turning into joy.


    ¡°You will get busy. This means you probably won¡¯t be able to see your kids for a few days. Of course, we will prepare everything you¡¯ll need, from education to future career paths. If you manage to make a difference, I will also send you to study abroad in the empire¡¯s capital. Of course, it is provided that your children will also join Blue. All of that is stated in the contract, Miss Kim Miyoung.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes, of course!¡±


    ¡°If you also want to learn the basics of being an adventurer, the guild also hosts simple swordsmanship sses and magic sses, so both you and your children can participate.¡±


    ¡°Thank you¡­ Thank you so much.¡±


    There was no reason for her not to sign, considering her children and their living conditions in the slums. It would be better to serve and stay in Blue than to live in daily fear in the slums. It didn¡¯t take too long for her to sign the contract. At this point, I was already smiling,


    ¡°Then, I will go to work¡­¡±


    ¡°Starting now.¡±


    ¡°A-Ah, really?¡±


    Only


    ¡°Find a man named Park Deokgu in the lobby, and then you cane to the Guild House with your children. After organizing your luggage and going up to the office, you can rewrite the employment contract you are holding. I¡¯m a little ignorant of thew. I made it by referring to what was in the past, but it looks strange to me.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Please submit it to me after you¡¯re finished with your work, Miss Kim Miyoung.¡±


    Kim Mi-young stared at me, doubting if she had heard me wrong, but overall, she wore a pleasant expression.


    ¡°W-Will do!¡±


    Ideally, you should never let your employees know that you¡¯d be treating them as ves. I couldn¡¯t help but smile as I saw her joyful expression.


    ¡°If you show us eptable results, we will convert you to a full-time employee even before the year is up. Do remember that it must be a convincing achievement.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will do my best.¡±

 Chapter 115: Go to work! (5)

    <h4>Chapter 115: Go to work! (5)</h4>


    The interview proceeded smoothly and ended sessfully. I was surprised to find out that there were more talented people like Kim Mi-young than I had initially thought.


    Of course, I found no reason to fire her. I knew desperate people ended up working better.


    Meanwhile, some people found strange questions I asked to be unfair. I couldn¡¯t me them. Even I didn¡¯t know what the correct answer would be.


    ¡°All Blue Guild members fell into the water. Exin who you would be looking for and why.¡±


    ¡°You had been asked to clean all the guilds in Lindel. How much can you say is the appropriate amount to charge?¡±


    ¡°You went on a dungeon expedition with your colleagues. Unconditionally, assuming that one person will die during the expedition, will you or will you not work on this dungeon attack?¡±


    ¡°What would you exin to your 5-year-old child if they ask what alchemy is?¡±


    All my questions were ridiculous, yet all of them aimed for one wordinnovation.


    It didn¡¯t matter in the first ce because I initially asked these to people I had no intention of keeping, yet some of their answers ended up surprising me. Thus, I decided to keep some of them. In the first ce, I based all my questions on usual questions thatpanies back on Earth asked.


    In the end, I was able to quell Blue¡¯s previous controversy by establishing the guild as the new dream workce for everyone. The interview process made sure of that.


    ¡°In case you do not get epted, please contact me separately.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°You may be wondering why you weren¡¯t chosen. Please take a quick look at your resume and tell me why you think you didn¡¯t get chosen, and write me a letter about it. This will probably help you out in your next job interview.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes¡­ Thank you.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡±


    I made sure Blue was also known as a guild who cared even for the dropouts, that it was different from other guilds who sent these people home without even telling them why they had been eliminated.


    At the same time, I did not neglect to make use of my journalist friends.


    [Why is Blue Different?]


    I sent them an article in the form of an interview with this title, and I received an embarrassingly hot response. Our followers made sure to spread the word about our guild.


    At this point, the former guild members who had deserted Blue after the incident with Lee Seolho began to contact us again. Of course, I refused to let them join once more.


    ¡®I don¡¯t need a bunch of migratory birds.¡¯


    It was better to hire a new batch of people who would surely love working with Blue. This meant that they were swamped with work, sure, but they were happy with the amenities and privileges that Blue provided. Plus, they got rewarded whenever they showed good results.


    This simple system encouraged Mi-young and the other interns. After they had sessfully adapted, they immersed themselves into their respective tasks, thereby creating a strange atmosphere ofpetitiveness within the workce.


    In short, everything was going smoothly. Nevertheless¡­


    ¡®I still feel like I¡¯m going to die.¡¯


    The fact that I was still busy was undeniable. My daily routine was simple, in a sense.


    I didn¡¯t know why, but I always found myself making excuses just to be able to see Jung Hayan in her hospital room, seeing as she still hadn¡¯t woken up. I felt like if I didn¡¯t do this, then I wouldn¡¯t be able to hold myself together anymore.


    There came the point where I felt so distressed that I had even slept right next to her. I even came to the point of masturbating, thinking that Jung Hayan would like it if she woke up. However, all I got from doing that was a sense of self-immtion.


    After taking a short break, I still had time to go to the workshop and study the potions that would soon be shipped off as products. Although the newlychosen alchemy nning team was doing a lot of work, it was difficult to say that my burden had been reduced since there weren¡¯t many things that they could do in the first ce.


    Those who were still on their second jobs were not yet qualified to be researchers. After that, meetings were held, the guild was organized, and detailed work orders were given.


    I particrly made sure to give Hwang Jeong-yeon a little more work and allowed myself some time to resent Kim Hyunsung.


    Next, to make it smoother, the public rtions strategy, future nning, imperial legal affairs, and the personnel nning for the future fighting force were alternated.


    I tried to finish the tasks that the interns could not do yet as much as I could. Of course, I couldn¡¯t ignore particr matters that required Kim Hyunsung¡¯s approval.


    ¡°Kim Hyunsung¡­ You cock-sucker¡­¡±


    As I muttered this almost unconsciously, I heard a voice speak up.


    ¡°What was that, Mr. Kiyoung?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, Miss Mi-young. I heard you are doing well recently.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Yes, I am. Thank you, Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°How about your children?¡±


    ¡°It seems that they are very happy because of you. Thank you so much for helping us out.¡±


    ¡®Ah, no, I¡¯m more grateful.¡¯


    It was interesting how grateful she was to me just because I had helped her kids out. Among all the people I had chosen to work for Blue, Kim Mi-young was the best. Given enough time, I was sure that she would be more than capable of being the team leader.


    ¡°No, no. I actually want to thank you foring to our guild.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course. Anyway, here are the new files.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Well done. I think you should rest for today.¡±


    ¡°But the amendments¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to consult with the Guild Master now. Anyway, you hardly spend time with your kids.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Thank you.¡±


    At this, Kim Mi-young¡¯s face reddened.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Vice Guild Master.¡±


    After Kim Mi-young left, I stood upright after organizing the new documents. Some particr affairs still needed the Guild Master¡¯s approval, especially for the riskier matters.


    At least, if the results did not turn out to be good, the higher-ups wouldn¡¯t be able to me me.


    As I made my way up with my head buried in thoughts, a peculiar scene presented itself to me.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    I could see some Red Mercenary Guild members, the same ones Cha Heera had sent to protect me in case the assassination would happen again.


    One of the mercenaries opened his mouth, and I worried about why they were here again.


    ¡°Long time, no see.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s been a long time. What brings you here?¡±


    ¡°Our Master is here.¡±


    ¡°Cha Hee-ra?¡±


    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s currently talking to Mr. Hyunsung, the Guild Master of Blue.¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, the door swung open, revealing Cha Hee-ra. It had been quite some time since Ist saw her, yet I still couldn¡¯t adapt to her smiling expression.


    ¡°Hey, there you are.¡±


    ¡°Hee-ra?¡±


    ¡°Perfect timing. I was just about to look for you.¡±


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s voice rang out from the open doorway.


    ¡°Kiyoung,e in.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yeah.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what was going on, but anxiety definitely coursed through my body. I didn¡¯t know what Cha Hee-ra would talk about with Kim Hyunsung alone. Conversation between two Guild Masters was normal, but most negotiations with the Red Mercenaries went through me. It didn¡¯t help that Kim Hyunsung¡¯s facial expression looked as if the sky itself had copsed.


    ¡®What happened?¡¯


    I had never seen that kind of expression on his face before. What was strange was that Cha Hee-ra¡¯s expression was the exact opposite.


    ¡°Did something happen?¡±


    As my anxiety started to build up, Kim Hyunsung started to speak.


    ¡°Nothing happened. We were just talking about a particr meeting.¡±


    ¡°Is this an important meeting?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve ever heard of it, so it would be nice to exin it from the beginning. It is said that the Holy Empire Benigore holds a party every year, inviting masters ofrge guilds belonging to each free city. It is a social event, so to speak.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    I definitely heard of this in the past, from Cha Hee-ra no less. Of course, this had nothing to do with us.


    Only guilds such as the ck Swans and Red Mercenaries were invited. Blue was literally just like a newly-starting guild. However, judging from Cha Heera¡¯s expression, there seemed to be something amiss.


    Upon seeing me looking at her, the woman in question started to speak.


    ¡°Of course, my Red Mercenaries as well as the ck Swans were invited.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°But I, the Red Mercenary Queen, have formally requested to bring Mr. Lee Kiyoung with me to the social event.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s actually more of a plea bargain than a request¡­¡±


    ¡°A-Ah!¡±


    I realized what had happened in an instant. I was also able to understand why Kim Hyunsung looked as if he had lost face.


    ¡®Damn! Cha Hee-ra, I love you!¡¯


    This meant I would get a break from my job!


    I had to resist the urge to kiss her luscious red hair and smiling lips out of pure appreciation.


    ¡°Ah, I see¡­¡±


    I resisted the urge to control my facial expressions.


    This would grant me the chance to take a breather from my tasks, enjoy a social event, be able to spend some time with Cha Hee-ra and wander around the empire itself.


    I missed being able to rest so much.


    ¡°Cha Hee-ra¡­¡±


    ¡°But, if Mr. Kiyoung, who is in charge of the overall business in our guild, goes missing¡­ Our situation may be very difficult, but it would be helpful for him to go to the capital to meet influential people.¡±


    As he spoke, Kim Hyunsung¡¯s expression was disastrous.


    I was not overconfident of my abilities, but in fact, it was not an exaggeration to say that the reason the guild was running well was because of me, Lee Kiyoung.


    It would be obvious as to what would happen if I fell out in this situation. The tasks on the rest of the members¡¯ shoulders would be even heavier.


    Justice prevails.


    It would be natural for Kim Hyunsung not to let me go, but it would not be a bad exchange if it meant giving us some publicity. That was why his facial expressions lookedplicated yet subtle.


    ¡°The Red Mercenary Queen says that if Mr. Kiyoung refuses, she will not take him.¡±


    ¡°Thank you foring.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I suppose that¡¯s true¡­¡±


    Considering Blue, who was always being helped by the Red Mercenaries, it was natural to ept such a simple request. I wasn¡¯t doing this just because I wanted to escape my duties.


    ¡°Is it then decided? Hyunsung?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I actually want to thank you, Cha Hee-ra. Opportunities like this are rare.¡±


    ¡°You look a little bitter, saying all that.¡±


    ¡°Because Kiyoung has so many roles in the guild¡­ Haha. When he¡¯s away, our jobs will be much harder to do.¡±


    ¡®Now, it¡¯s your time to cry over work.¡¯


    At this moment, I felt very triumphant. My time as a housewife was over, even if only for a short while.


    **


    *


    ¡°Hey, is she okay, Miss Hee-young?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m not sure why she isn¡¯t up yet, but there seems to be nothing wrong with her body.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good to hear that she¡¯s healthy, but it¡¯s a little worrying that she¡¯s not waking up. Still, there doesn¡¯t seem to be anything wrong with her vitals.¡±


    Only


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry. She¡¯s as healthy as can be.¡±


    ¡°By the way, did you hear? It seems like Lee Kiyoung is going to the Imperial Capital this time.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes. Thanks to it, the guild¡¯s swamped with work. Didn¡¯t they say that he¡¯d be gone for some time?¡±


    ¡°Probably. I heard that he¡¯d be going with the Red Mercenary Queen. It seems like the fiery boss won¡¯t be here for some time as well.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ No!¡±


    ¡°H-Huh?!


    ¡°J-Jung Hayan?!¡±


    ¡°Please exin that to me in detail!¡±

 Chapter 116: Waterway (1)

    <h4>Chapter 116: Waterway (1)</h4>


    ¡°Jung Hayan has awakened.¡±


    The news came right after Cha Hee-ra had just left.


    The timing itself seemed a bit odd, but I would be lying if I didn¡¯t say that it didn¡¯t make me happy. What had happened to her still felt so vivid in my head.


    It was ridiculous, but I wanted to see her right away. Of course, it didn¡¯t mean that I was falling for Hayan, but I was allowed to be affectionate with her, wasn¡¯t I?


    It was still a little too early to call it love. Plus, the fact that she had saved my life was probably interfering with how I truly felt about her.


    ¡°Ah. I¡¯d better go visit her.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course.¡±


    ¡°I will allow the Guild Master to take over the acquisition of work today. Mr. Park Jung-gi and Miss Mi-young, please review the instructions after you¡¯ve finished all the work.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course.¡±


    After I tapped them both on the shoulder, I left them to suffer with Kim Hyunsung and began to make my way towards where Jung Hayan was kept.


    Seeing that it was quiet inside, I was probably the first to get there.


    ¡°Hayan.¡±


    ¡°O-Oh¡­¡±


    I¡¯ve gone to visit Jung Hayan every day, but this was the first time I¡¯d be visiting her awake. However, Hayan looked depressed, scared even, and I quickly formed a hunch.


    ¡®Perhaps¡­¡¯


    It must have been because of the vulgar words I¡¯d screamed at her before she cked out-me yelling at and telling her to get out of the way. Thus, it would be natural for her to show such a reaction. Perhaps she felt like I hated her now.


    Jung Hayan was in a precarious state at the time, but she must have remembered what I said.


    For some reason, it felt a little embarrassing to say thank you due to the awkward atmosphere. I knew she must be feeling the same way.


    However, I soon realized I didn¡¯t even need to say anything. The moment opened my arms, Jung Hayan bounced between them and hugged me tightly.


    ¡°O-Oppa¡­ H-Hic¡­¡±


    ¡°Hayan, I¡¯m very grateful and sorry.¡±


    ¡°Oppa¡­¡±


    Jung Hayan thought of this as an excuse to rub her head against my chest. Even her weird habits looked cute to me today.


    As she looked healthier than usual, the worries in my heart began to fade away.


    ¡°It hurt a lot, right?¡±


    I asked her, stroking her back where there had been many scars. That was the part that worried me the most.


    However, as I slightly lifted her upper garment, a happy gasp escaped from my lips.


    ¡®There are no scars left.¡¯


    Meanwhile, Jung Hayan was staring up at me with a reddened face. I realized what this looked like to her and promptly released her top, my cheeks reddening.


    Of course, her expression shifted into one of disappointment as I did so.


    ¡°You¡¯re fine now, thank goodness.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Well, thank you for your concern, Oppa.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s natural for me to worry. You can¡¯t do that next time, Hayan.¡±


    ¡°Of course¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to get hurt.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Oppa.¡±


    As I stroked her cheek gently, her body trembled, much like a frightened animal. Though it was not much different from the usual, I probably regarded her a bit differently this time.


    I felt sincerely grateful to her and worried about her wellbeing. She must have had a hard time trying to adjust to the way I was looking at her now. I could understand Jung Hayan¡¯s feelings of affection for me now.


    It was then that, all of a sudden, she let out a little scream.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    ¡°W-What¡­¡±


    Jung Hayan began to breathe harshly, embracing her stomach and seemingly in pain.


    ¡°Where does it hurt?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m fine.¡±


    Her expression started to change as she replied, and I could see her struggling to calm herself down.


    ¡°Are you really okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Oppa. My stomach just hurts a little¡­ The wound from the knife gets sore a lot.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be nice to bring in Hee-young?¡±


    ¡°No, no, it¡¯s fine¡­ This is just a little pain¡­¡±


    It felt unsettling to see her act this way. My feelings of worry came back, this time, for a different reason altogether.


    This was the same feeling back in the Cursed Shrine expedition. It felt like Jung Hayan would start to harm herself if I left her alone. I knew she was not really in pain.


    Therefore, the only thing to do was to correct Hayan¡¯s abnormal behavior from the very beginning. What really annoyed me was the fact that¡­


    ¡®My heart is weakening.¡¯


    My conscience kept reying the memory of Jung Hayan holding onto me while bleeding nonstop. I could still feel the hot blood and her voice, whispering that she would protect me.


    I guiltily wondered if I should doubt her acting. It wouldn¡¯t be bad to y along for once.


    Jung Hayan got stabbed instead of you¡­ Think of that.¡¯


    As I quietly stroked her head once more, Hayan continued trembling.


    ¡°Ah¡­ It hurts¡­¡±


    ¡°I think I should call Sun Hee-young in now¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, no¡­ It feels better when Oppa strokes the affected area¡­¡±


    At this point, it felt ridiculous to continue going with the flow.


    However, it was then that Jung Hayan raised her top, exposing her bare flesh to me. I reached out to stroke the skin, and her expression shifted.


    ¡®Ah, is she expecting a prize?¡¯


    If so, there was no reason to hesitate.


    I ced my hand on her stomach, and her expression changedpletely.


    All the while, Jung Hayan kept mumbling about being in pain, but I knew that she was just pretending at this point. In fact, she looked as if she had just been given the entire world.


    ¡°Are you okay now?¡±


    ¡°Uh, a little further down than that¡­¡±


    ¡°Here?¡±


    ¡°Further¡­¡±


    ¡°How about here?¡±


    ¡°Just a little further down¡­¡±


    ¡®Fuck, how far do I have to go?¡¯


    ¡°A little further down¡­ Oppa, just a little more¡­¡±


    ¡®Hayan, stop telling me to go further down¡­¡¯


    ¡°Just a little more¡­¡¯


    ¡®Stop¡¯


    Something had changed in Jung Hayan. It felt like she had appealed to my sympathy for her, turned it into some kind of trick, and used it to her advantage.


    Was she learning this from me? She had definitely changed. I shook my head to rid myself of these thoughts. Jung Hayan was still a kid, after all.


    ¡®Still, though, it wouldn¡¯t hurt to try.¡¯


    In the first ce, Jung Hayan didn¡¯t have a talent for this kind of thing. However, I felt like I could not stop at this point, even if I wanted to.


    Seeing as she continued to goad me to trail my hand further down, she would get what she wanted soon enough.


    As I finally started to give in and give her her reward, I felt a voice speak up from behind us.


    ¡°Where are you sick?¡± It was Sun Hee-young.


    ¡°I went to find my Hyung, but it appears as if he was already here.¡±


    ¡°Hayan, I¡¯m d you¡¯re awake.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t just her.


    There was Park Deokgu, who looked at us with a knowing expression, and Kim Ye-ri, whose eyes were being covered by an embarrassed Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡°I already know this,¡± Kim Ye-ri¡¯s soft voice drifted out. ¡°You¡¯re about to make a child¡­¡±


    ¡®What is this kid saying?¡¯


    My face turned red in an instant. I quietly mumbled as I pulled my arm out, hoping no one would notice.


    ¡°It¡¯s because Jung Hayan had a stomachache. I was just checking it out.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ Oh, I¡¯m sure we weren¡¯t interrupting anything.¡±


    ¡°Would it be better for us toe backter on?¡±


    ¡®Park Deokgu, you bastard.¡¯


    ¡°No, no, I really was just checking it out.¡±


    For the first time, I could understand why Jung Hayan liked to stutter.


    Past the incident, however, our party seemed d to be reunited once again. Everyoneughed but did not say anything about it, happy expressions apparent on their faces. Even Jung Hayan, whose cheeks were bright red, seemed happy.


    Of course, we couldn¡¯t forget that the guild was still very busy. Nevertheless, it was nice for everyone to stop by to spend some time together. It was only for a short while, but I was happy that we could have a conversation together once more.


    Of course, as the chattiest one, Park Deokgu enjoyed this reunion the most. My ears had gone sore.


    ¡°Well, I was really surprised! When I told her that my Hyung was going to the capital, Hayan suddenly opened her eyes! I think this is what we call the power of love! Ahh!¡±


    ¡°It was only a matter of time until I would wake up, Deokgu. It¡¯s all thanks to the perfect treatments I¡¯ve been receiving.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see.¡±


    ¡°I was really surprised to wake up, myself¡­¡±


    ¡®Huh.¡¯


    Inferring from Park Deokgu¡¯s story, I had doubts about whether Jung Hayan had woken up earlier or not. However, that wasn¡¯t important right now.


    I felt more worried about her stable reaction. ording to Park Deokgu, she already knew that I was leaving for the capital.


    At this point, I had already expected her to cry or to throw a tantrum. As thought about this, someone else spoke up.


    ¡°Ah, it must be so hard for Hayan¡­¡±


    ¡®Ah, sh*t.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t shee with Hyung? Isn¡¯t that a good idea?¡±


    Only


    This pig¡­¡¯


    ¡°The Mercenary Queen has given her permission, Kiyoung. I¡¯ve thought about it a little, and I¡¯ve decided on the fact that Jung Hayan is indeed still unfit for


    work.¡±


    ¡®Ah, then you¡¯re definitely blind.¡¯


    ¡°I think being with Kiyoung will help her mentally.¡±


    I knew they just didn¡¯t want to deal with Jung Hayan after I left.


    Kim Hyunsung, even you¡­


    They were all definitely aiming for me.

 Chapter 117: Waterway (2)

    <h4>Chapter 117: Waterway (2)</h4>


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s expression notified me of his desperation.


    I knew he wanted me to bring Jung Hayan along, for she wouldn¡¯t be able to help with the workload here anyway. Though she possessed high intelligence, Hayan had no aptitude for work.


    If she were with me, her efficiency would increase. If she stayed behind, she would just end up being a hindrance to everyone. Kim Hyunsung, who had already gone through an entire expedition with her without me, knew just how stressful this was.


    After all, Jung Hayan tended to throw tantrums and whatnot in my absence. Hyunsung, with all his work, wouldn¡¯t even be able to take care of her. Even Park Deokgu seemed to side with him.


    ¡®You bastard.


    The problem was that it would be difficult to take responsibility for Jung Hayan. As Cha Hee-ra¡¯s Gigolo, it would be hard to bring her along to the party.


    Not only would it interfere with hosting a conversation with the Holy Empire¡¯s nobles, but it would also be hard to emphasize my friendship with the Red Mercenary Queen.


    Plus, this was supposed to be my vacation. I had to try and rebel.


    ¡°I think it would be nice to go together, but as you can see, Jung Hayan isn¡¯t feeling well. I¡¯m afraid she wouldn¡¯t be able to handle such a long trip¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    ¡°She wasining of abdominal pain just now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m okay now! Really!¡±


    Jung Hayan!


    Now I knew for sure that she was just pretending to be sick.


    ¡°No, Hayan, you still need to be stabilized¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, but Hayan is the most stable when she¡¯s beside you.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right, Deokgu Oppa.¡±


    It wouldn¡¯t be too long before I had to leave. I wanted to find a way to make Hayan stay behind, but I couldn¡¯t find a counterattack for the logic they had presented to me.


    ¡°Oh, and by the way, isn¡¯t love the sweetest and most effective recovery?¡±


    ¡®What kind of logic is that?¡¯


    ¡°No, Deokgu. Actually, Mr. Kiyoung has a point. Although her body has fully recovered, she will still need a stabilizer. Mhh, there doesn¡¯t seem to be anything wrong with her body and magic power¡­


    ¡°That¡¯s why she just needs some peace of mind, Sun Hee-young.¡±


    I could already feel that they had nned this setup right from the moment Cha Hee-ra had decided to take me along for the event.


    The tanking power of Park Deokgu, who ignored my remarks, coupled with Kim Hyunsung¡¯s logic, rendered me helpless.


    At this point, there was nothing I could say to get me out of this situation.


    The options were already set. I felt utterly bitter about it.


    ¡°I can¡¯t help it then. We¡¯ll go together.¡±


    ¡°Great¡­¡±


    ¡°You thought well.¡±


    ¡°Nice, Hayan!¡±


    ¡°Hehe¡­¡±


    As the loser lowered his head, the winners openly celebrated. A sigh escaped me. I had no other choice but to educate Jung Hayan.


    ¡®In particr, I should educate her about Cha Hee-ra.


    ¡°Speaking of which, the time has alreadye.¡±


    ¡°Kiyoung and Jung Hayan need time to get ready.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but before that, I have to oversee the handover.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see. Have you already packed your luggage?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course. Just bring it right down.¡±


    I felt like running away without settling things, but I knew the guild would suffer if I did.


    Although most of the tasks had already been ryed to Hwang Jeong-yeon, there was a difference between having her tell them to Kim Hyunsung and having me tell it to him myself.


    Since there wasn¡¯t much time left, all I could do was exin the best I could while showing him the previously prepared documents. Kim Hyunsung simply nodded.


    Our Hyunsung was not stupid. He would be able to handle all the work. And, in actuality, there wasn¡¯t a lot for him to do.


    ¡°It won¡¯t be that big of a deal. We have also hired new personnel, and the division of work has been clearly re-established. You just need to understand and organize the sorted documents, and you just have to confirm your decision as the final manager of whatever needs to be confirmed.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°The Pension nning Office can report to Jeong-yeon, and the Imperial Legal Team can report to the newly arrived team leader Kim Mi-young. We have prepared all guidelines for the work entrusted to the division, so please check all production and distribution lines yourself.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Okay.¡±


    ¡°You can also check the entire Crisis Response Committee, and¡­¡±


    As I continued to talk, Kim Hyunsung¡¯s expression began to change. He probably only just now realized that I had done so much for the guild. I could already guess what he was thinking of.


    ¡®Lee Kiyoung is such apetent person.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t actually a matter ofpetence. I just needed to find talented people toe to work for us. Though I didn¡¯t like working, I did my best to uplift our current situation.


    However, the truth remained that this wouldn¡¯t have been possible if we did not have such talented recruits. We were able to settle to some extent because of their hard work.


    Whatever the reason, I was d that Kim Hyunsung had, once again, seen me in a new light.


    ¡°You can take care of Kim Mi-young yourself.¡¯


    At this point, Hyunsung¡¯s expression turned to guilt. He probably felt bad for forcing Jung Hayan on me.


    T¡¯ve already forgiven you, Kim Hyunsung. You don¡¯t need to worry.¡¯


    ¡°That¡­ Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Jeong-yeon is already familiar with most of the guidelines.¡±


    I wanted to say more, but I already felt sorry for Hwang Jeong-yeon, so I refrained from doing so.


    As I continued to exin, I felt the minutes tick by. Though I wanted to be as detailed as possible, I knew I couldn¡¯t make Cha Hee-ra wait any longer.


    ¡°I need to go, Hyunsung.¡±


    ¡°Of course. By the time you return, the guild will be a little more rxed. On the work side, of course.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for making you feel as if I¡¯ve escaped from my work.¡±


    ¡°There is no need to be sorry. It will be a good opportunity for Blue as well. I also had a bit of work to do, but¡­ but so did Deokgu and Kim Ye-ri with her training. I thought it¡¯d be nice to get some new parties for any uing quests or expeditions.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, alright.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°No. That was what I wanted to say.¡±


    The warm farewell felt like a death g to me, but I knew nothing would happen.


    As usual, Blue would focus on restoring previous damage and returning the guild to normal, while Park Deokgu would continue to grow, as well as Kim Ye-ri, who already had excellent potential.


    From then on, it would be natural for more talented people to flock to Blue. Perhaps Kim Hyunsung already knew about who to recruit. As Kim Hyunsung looked at me affectionately, my heart squeezed.


    Don¡¯t stare at me like that. I know how you feel, motherfucker.¡¯


    As I held out my hand, Kim Hyunsung sped it over his. As I stepped closer, 1 thought about hugging him, but that felt awkward for some reason.


    Resisting the urge to smile, Kim Hyunsung simply patted me on the back.


    ¡®Ah, stop being so handsome.¡¯


    After that embarrassing moment, Park Deokgu approached me as well.


    ¡°Ah, Hyung¡­¡±


    We settled for bumping fists. I had no intention of hugging Deokgu, either. Considering his build, I would definitely get hurt.


    ¡°Always remember, Deokgu. If I can do it, you can do better.¡±


    ¡°It has already been engraved into my heart.¡±


    ¡°And share some meals with Jeong-yeon. She¡¯s been eager to talk to you.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡±


    ¡°And Hee-young, take care of yourself. It won¡¯t take long, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course. Just continue to work hard, Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°Volunteer work is prohibited while I am away. Wait for me to return, okay?¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­¡±


    ¡°You too, little kid.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Please be safe, uncle.¡±


    I looked up to see Jung Hayan holding her bag and drifting by the sides, unsure whether or not I would abandon her.


    As we opened the door of the Guild House, I could see Cha Hee-ra waiting outside. However, what caught my attention was the beast standing behind her.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    This was an animal withrge wings resembling a bird¡¯s, paired with a beast¡¯s body. This was a monster that I had only ever heard in mythology.


    ¡°A griffon?¡±


    ¡°There are only two of these in Lindel. This guy is perfect for long-distance travel. They even tried to mass-produce animals like him in the Holy Empire but failed. That¡¯s how rare they are.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know there would be three of us. I don¡¯t know if he¡¯d like that. This was supposed to be a two-man ride.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t the other Red Mercenary members going?¡±


    ¡°The rest of the people will follow onnd. Wouldn¡¯t it be convenient for us to go first? I¡¯ve been to the capital, but I barely have enough time to enjoy it. Get on quickly. I suggest you hold on tight because I¡¯ll be the one in front.¡±


    I nodded and followed her instructions, but I couldn¡¯t shake my nerves away. Of course, it was only natural for me to feel scared.


    As the beast¡¯s body trembled, I had no choice but to grasp Cha Hee-ra¡¯s waist tightly. She smelled good and was soft to the touch, but I couldn¡¯t afford to get drunk on her.


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    ¡®It hurts¡­¡¯


    ¡°Yikes!¡±


    Meanwhile, Jung Hayan angrily kept trying to pull me away from Cha Hee-ra. If I did, however, I didn¡¯t think we¡¯d survive the fall.


    ¡®If I fall, we both die, Hayan. Please stop pulling.


    It already felt like I was going to die this early on.


    As the Griffon slowly rose into the air, the guild members waving their hands as a farewell gesture gradually began to minimize in size.


    Hwang Jeong-yeon and Lee Sang-hee, who could note out to say goodbye, settled for waving from the windows. The same went for Park Jung-gi and Kim Mi-young.


    ¡°It took you a while to say goodbye to everyone. I didn¡¯t take you for that type of person, sweetheart.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a person, too, Nuna. A person.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think you had a cute side. Hold onto me tightly. Be careful not to fall off.¡±


    She didn¡¯t have to tell me twice. As I did so, a voice called out from below us.


    ¡°Hyung! Hayan! Oh, when you return to the guild, you have toe back as three people!¡±


    Keep dreaming, Deokgu.¡¯


    Only


    Even if we came back after two years, there would be no such thing. Meanwhile, Jung Hayan nodded.


    Don¡¯t make any promises, Hayan.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t bad to hear Park Deokgu like that again. The first time I heard that sound of his was when he first arrived in Lindel.


    ¡®What did he say? World, Park Deokgu is here?¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t remember properly, but I knew it was somewhere along those lines.


    As we continued to rise into the air, I mustered the courage to look below us and understood why Park Deokgu had shouted like that.


    ¡®It looks so small¡­¡¯


    The continent looked so small, almost as if it would fit perfectly in the palm of my hand

 Chapter 118: Shaman (1)

    <h4>Chapter 118: Shaman (1)</h4>


    ¡°How does it feel to fly high in the sky?¡±


    ¡°It feels good, Hee-ra.¡±


    It was a little scary, but it didn¡¯t feel bad. It certainly felt like a privilege to be able to see the vast continent all at once.


    Unlike other public transportation methods, it had the disadvantage of difort, but the view made it all worth it. In particr, what stood out was the magnificent, natural environment, the huge waterfalls, trees, forests, andrge cliffs.


    I don¡¯t remember seeing all of the tourist attractions on Earth, but I bet the things I¡¯m seeing up here are iparable to those on Earth.


    ¡°It¡¯s magnificent.¡±


    ¡°Because this is where the monsters are. It¡¯s not an environment where you can develop things like on Earth, right? Without the monsters, the trees below would have been cut down and cleared immediately. It¡¯s a valuable resource.¡±


    Cha Hee-ra was right.


    It must be because of the ecosystem that the area had maintained its astonishing beauty. In short, these monsters were the protectors of nature.


    I¡¯ve heard once that a writerpared humans to cancer cells on Earth. If you think of it as a sympathetic statement, the monsters living here are vines that eradicate cancer cells. Without them, I would never have been able to witness this.


    ¡®Is the tourism business worth doing?¡¯


    I felt embarrassed by my line of thoughts.


    ¡°Oppa¡­¡±


    It was then that Jung Hayan spoke. She must have felt alienated during my time spent talking with Cha Hee-ra.


    Since I¡¯m proud that she was patient thus far, I lightly stroked her hand.


    I half-expected her to act simrly as to how she did back in the Cursed Shrine, so it pleased me when she didn¡¯t.


    It was not clear as to why she was behaving, but I had a hunch.


    ¡®Is it because Cha Hee-ra saved my life?¡¯


    Probably so. This was all dangerous, after all.


    The danger was doubled - even tripled - once you stepped out of the city. Jung Hayan knew this, as she had already been the victim of such an attack.


    Either way, I was d that we had gone past her ns of isting us in the dungeon forever.


    ¡®A woman she could be anxious about, yet still, protect her man at the same time¡­¡¯


    This was probably how Jung Hayan saw Cha Hee-ra now. As a result, I could feel Jung Hayan evolving. On another hand, however, I still felt uneasy.


    As I busied myself with my thoughts, the time passed us by. After flying for over half a day, andscape that was entirely different from Lindel¡¯s presented itself to us.


    ¡°Wow!¡±


    Jung Hayan couldn¡¯t help but squeal, and I couldn¡¯t help but join her.


    ¡°Wow¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve never seen it before, have you?¡±


    At Cha Hee-ra¡¯s question, it was only natural for me to nod.


    The whole area disyed gothic architecture, with a huge temple reflecting in the glow of the sunset, and even though I had only seen it from a distance, its grandeur was visible.


    ¡°Huh. That¡¯s great.¡±


    I could see some griffons flying in the air to see if other people wereing here besides us. Perhaps Guild Masters that were not from Korea were alsoing.


    Looking down, I could see the inhabitants of the Holy Empire Benigore, dressed up in style more sophisticated than I would have imagined. None of them looked dirty or unsanitary.


    ¡°The civilization here is not as backward as we think it is. Rather, it has a long history and tradition. Residents and nobles alike are proud of their culture, and they have the power and intelligence to match that pride. In fact, in the Holy Empire, there are strong people like me who stand out.¡±


    ¡°It definitely looks like that¡­¡±


    ¡°You better not look at them too stupidly, baby. There aren¡¯t too many yers looking down at the imperialists.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the advice, Hee-ra.¡±


    Cha Hee-ra was right. Even when I checked the soldier¡¯s stats with my ability, I realized that their stats overpowered Lindel¡¯s every time.


    Of course, when wepared individuals, the power we had was better, but theparison was inevitable since there was a vast poption difference.


    I knew that they had power, but I didn¡¯t imagine it to be to this extent.


    ¡®If you had the same power as Cha Hee-ra¡­¡¯


    There would be no madman who would dare invade the Holy Empire. Sure, there were some in the past, but they were all dead now.


    ¡°The restaurant over there is pretty good. The food they serve is delicious. There are also a lot of quality goods in the cksmithing shop over there. Sometimes, weapons that are of heroic-sse out, and their price is lower than Lindel¡¯s. Oh, some yers also have roots in the capital. Getting permission is a bit tricky, but once you get a seat, you could believe that you¡¯ll enjoy the empire more.¡±


    ¡°People live the same wherever they live.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Cha Hee-ra was more talkative than I initially thought.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t because she was simply with me. She must¡¯ve felt excited to be able to tour the capital after a long time, considering her spontaneous personality.


    ¡°And that¡¯s what we¡¯ll be doing for the time being, since staying indoors would be very boring.¡±


    Our griffon continued to fly towards the castle as Cha Hee-ra continued exining her capital tour n in great detail. I alternated between listening to her and assessing the stats of the people below me.


    When the griffonnded in what seemed to be thending site, some of the imperial soldiers on standby came to greet us.


    The eldest soldier was the most striking as he was adorned in luxurious, heavy armor. Seeing him smile at Cha Hee-ra made me guess that they had a good rtionship.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time.¡±


    ¡°It definitely has! You look more refined now. Are you still working?¡±


    ¡°Of course. There are more rumors than that¡­ Let¡¯s see. This is the man who is reputed to be the Gigolo of the Mercenary Queen.¡±


    ¡°I am Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    I immediately activated my abilities to assess him.


    ¡®Victor Hart, 74 years old, his abilities¡­¡¯


    He was even more powerful than Cha Hee-ra. No wonder Cha Hee-ra liked him. With just one strike of his palm, he could probably behead me.


    Once he was done assessing me, Victor¡¯s eyesnded on Jung Hayan.


    ¡°And that¡­¡±


    ¡°That is his lover.¡±


    Jung Hayan bit her lips. Although she looked ufortable, she bowed her head and introduced herself.


    ¡°Hello, I am Jung Hayan.¡±


    ¡®Well done, Hayan.¡¯


    ¡°The young man looks more capable than I thought¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly why I brought him here. My baby, I¡¯ll exin more to youter on. Grandpa, how about a fight?¡±


    ¡°Sure. I have no intention of making the royal pce noisy, however. If you have timeter, pleasee to me. Tsu. You never change.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t been able to get any exercise. By the way, are we the first ones to arrive?¡±


    ¡°No, unfortunately, you¡¯re the second ones. Those from the Free City of Celia have been waiting for a long time.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°Kasugano Yuno.¡±


    ¡°The shaman?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t know why¡­¡±


    ¡°For a woman who always camete, this is a first¡­¡±


    The two seemed very invested in their conversation. The old man Victor doesn¡¯t seem to pay much attention here.


    Actually, this was better.


    Getting attention just for being the lover of the Mercenary Queen can make it annoying to move around.


    As they continued to talk, Jung Hayan slipped by my side, seemingly excited.


    I wanted to say something, but I was more interested in trying to hear what Victor and Cha Hee-ra were saying. The insignificant conversations of those in power proved to be very good information for people like me.


    Kasugano Yuno?


    Perhaps she was the person who ran arge guild in Japan. At least, it does not seem to be the Yamato guild, as Cha Hee-ra did not show much hostility. As I decided to store this information in my head, a woman in a modest outfit showed up.


    ¡®Is she Japanese?¡¯


    No, she looked neat, not modest. Several people followed closely behind her, as if ready to assist her at any given time. After all, the woman herself was walking with her eyes closed. Her long, braided hair reached the ground, and the calm way she presented herself was very impressive.


    [Check yer Kasugano Yuno¡¯s status window and potential.]


    [An eye that sees through the essence and the past and future resists the ability.]


    ¡®Sh*t¡­¡¯


    I instantly lowered my head. I had never expected toe across such a case.


    However, the status window changed as soon as I felt scared about being caught red-handed in stealing information.


    [yer Yuno Kasugano opens her status window and potential ability by herself.]


    ¡®What is this?


    [Check yer Kasugano Yuno¡¯s status window and potential.]


    [Name-Yuno Kasugano]


    [Title-Quiet Shaman]


    [Age-20]


    [ALIGNMENT-Fallen Seeker]


    [upation-Shaman-Legendary Grade]


    [Job Effect-Basic Magic Knowledge Acquisition]


    [Job Effect-Intermediate Magic Knowledge Acquisition]


    [Job Effect-Advanced Magic Knowledge Acquisition]


    [upational Effects-Advanced Magic Knowledge Acquisition]


    [Job Effect-Acquisition of Advanced Astrology Knowledge]


    [Capacity]


    [Strength - 13/Growth Limit: Less than normal]


    [Agility-20/Growth Limit: Normal growth limit or less]


    [Health - 17/Growth Limit: Less than normal]


    [Intellect-89/Growth Limit: Heroic or higher]


    [Durability-15/Growth Limit: Less than normal]


    [Luck-00/Growth Limit: Legendary or higher]


    [Magic-96/Growth Limit: Legendary or higher]


    [Equipment-None]


    [Talent-Essence and eyes that see through the past and future-Legendary grade]


    [General review-This is a legendary shaman. She has a terrible level of strength, agility, stamina, and durability, but her luck, intelligence, and magical potential are high, so she has very good stats for the rear. Just because she has less than normal stats, please don¡¯t think you are simr. She¡¯s essentially a different kind of person from yer Lee Kiyoung. It can be said that the efficiency of the legendary trait and her upation is good, but her condition doesn¡¯t look good because of contamination from something. I wouldn¡¯t rmend being too close.]


    Only


    ¡®What¡­¡¯


    Legendary traits, legendary jobs, and legendary potential stats. She was the kind of person that could easily be ssified as the strongest out of everyone.


    It was the first time I had seen a person with such a high luck potential, yet I was very worried about her other stats.


    Of course, what was more worrying than that was¡­


    ¡®What¡­¡¯


    She was facing my direction, even with her eyes closed.


    ¡®What?


    Tears fell down those shut eyes.

 Chapter 119: Shaman (2)

    <h4>Chapter 119: Shaman (2)</h4>


    ¡®What¡­ Why is she crying?¡¯


    Her eyes were basically nonexistent. I wasn¡¯t sure, but I had a feeling that she was blind. Nevertheless, she was looking in my direction.


    I could no longerprehend the situation at hand. Seeing the tears streaming down her face, I felt confused and distraught. I looked around me anxiously, but it was obvious that she was heading towards me.


    ¡®What¡­


    She furtively avoided her gaze and stopped for a bit.


    Seeing her quietly wiping her tears with a handkerchief, it seems she didn¡¯t even realize she was crying.


    More than anything¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s hard just trying to read her expression.¡¯


    Of course, this might also be because I was trying my hardest not to look at her. It was hard to grasp the concept of her having the propensity of a fallen seeker, and I didn¡¯t even know what kind of crazy trait was the eye that could see through the essence, the future, and the past. All I knew was that her eyes could see way further than mine would ever do.


    In other words, I met someone I wouldn¡¯t be able to understand at all.


    ¡®Fuck¡­


    There was nothing as annoying as meeting someone unpredictable.


    I knew Cha Hee-ra felt ufortable, as she did not know how this particr woman would behave. At least Jung Hayan was honest with her feelings. How this shaman chose to react in front of me was already way out of my expectations.


    No wonder I couldn¡¯t understand her. As I stepped back, Cha Hee-ra took a step forward.


    Ah, Cha Hee-ra¡­¡±


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Cha Hee-ra.¡±


    ¡°Yea, it¡¯s been a long time, whatever¡­ What brought you here all of a sudden? And with tears scattering like that¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s nothing. I just came to say hello.¡±


    ¡°To whom? We weren¡¯t close enough to do that. No, it seemed like you had some business with my baby rather than me¡­ I¡¯m not wrong, right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that. I just¡­ I really just came to say hello, Cha Hee-ra.¡±


    ¡°You know we¡¯re a bit sensitive because of those motherfuckers in Celia right now, right?¡±


    She fell silent.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re involved or not, but honestly, the junk over there doesn¡¯t look very good. I should know what kind of rubbish you¡¯ll be doing again. You came to say hello to me in this situation¡­ You stupid woman. If it wasn¡¯t for a strong castle, you¡¯d be dead.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on¡­ exactly¡­¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t know, shut up and get out of my sight. I don¡¯t know if you really don¡¯t know or if you¡¯re pretending not, but my baby seems to be a little uneasy.¡±


    I didn¡¯t feel anything negative from Yuno Kasugano, so I felt like Cha Hee-ra was too harsh. However, I supposed it was only right to feel sensitive from the attack on Lindel.


    Of course, assuming that the shaman is showing a different behavior than usual, Cha Hee-ra¡¯s reaction makes sense.


    Considering the conversation between Cha Hee-ra and Victor, the shaman herself didn¡¯t seem very passionate about this meeting. However, she still arrived early and had evene to ¡®greet¡¯ us, which was already quite suspicious when assessed logically.


    Soon enough, the people who stood close behind Yuno Kasugano did not take to Cha Hee-ra¡¯s words very kindly.


    ¡°You¡¯ve always been so harsh, Cha Hee-ra.¡±


    ¡°Yuno-sama is always¡­¡±


    ¡°I said shut up, trash.¡±


    As the situation escted, magic power began to form in the atmosphere. It was then that Yuno, who had been silent for some time, opened her mouth.


    ¡°Oh, no. Everyone, you can stop. I guess I really did act too abruptly.¡±


    ¡°To Cha Hee-ra, as well as to everyone else. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience we have caused. And if Celia has done anything wrong, then we apologize on their behalf.¡±


    As Yuno bowed down, her calm voice rang out towards us. Even Victor was silently staring at Cha Hee-ra as if telling her to respond to the sincere apology.


    I could understand him. After all, a fight breaking out between two powerful fighters right in the middle of the empire would not look good.


    ¡°I ept your apology.¡±


    ¡®Not bad, Hee-ra.¡¯


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll take that as my cue to leave. Please have a good time¡­¡±


    The Mercenary Queen nodded, and the shaman quietly began to go back the way she hade. That was when a voice drifted into my ear.


    -Pleasee to my room when you have the time. It is located on the 2nd floor of the West Building.


    ¡®What¡­¡¯


    As I looked around, I realized I was the only one who could hear the voice.


    -I hope youe.


    ¡®What a sh*tty situation¡­¡¯


    Nothing about this made sense at all. Why was she looking for me? Did she actually shed tears for me?


    Why would she invite me to her own room, feels like everything is shrouded in a veil.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t to spend a heated night¡­¡¯


    I would have enjoyed receiving such an offer if this were at a bar in some random hotel.


    Obviously, I needed more information. At that moment, I heard Cha Hee-ra looking here and whining.


    ¡°I can¡¯t figure out what you¡¯re thinking, it¡¯s creepy.¡±


    ¡°Do you know her, Hee-ra?¡±


    ¡°This is our second conversation. It¡¯s really amazing to see her talking like that¡­ It¡¯s the first time she¡¯s spoken so long.¡±


    ¡°I heard she entered this ce about five years ago before establishing a guild in Celia. She is the owner of Yozora, an emerging guild that is very sessful now. We don¡¯t know much about her, to be honest. Some people say that she can see the future and the past or see things that others cannot. It sounds like bullsh*t, but from the way she acts¡­ Well, I can¡¯t exactly say she¡¯s lying, can 1? I hardly know a thing about her.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that, honey. My fellow Red Mercenaries and ck Swans are sure to be familiar with them. Once they arrive, we can ask them.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I know one thing about her for sure, though.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°That woman is blind.¡±


    ¡°Um, yeah, I could tell that much¡­¡±


    I felt like I wouldn¡¯t be able to rely on Cha Hee-ra, information-wise. In the first ce, I should have prepared myself for this a little more ordingly.


    ¡°That woman is a little strange, Oppa.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. There¡¯s something weird about her¡­ Something I can¡¯t exin.¡±


    Jung Hayan didn¡¯t really talk to people in the first ce, but she already appeared to harbor a deep dislike for Yuno Kasugano.


    It felt embarrassing to see her sticking closely to my side.


    ¡°Old man, can we just go in?¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure. Now, where should we eat¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll just grab a bite at this restaurant today. No, just have people send it to the room. After two hours¡­I¡¯m a little tired after a long distance flight.¡±


    ¡°You were saying something about dueling?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not in the mood.¡±


    ¡°Well, do whatever you like. As I always say, making useless trouble¡­¡±


    ¡°I know, I know, I shouldn¡¯t start fights. I couldn¡¯t help but feel a little sensitive, though¡­ Do you even know what happened back at Lindel?¡±


    ¡°I know, but Hee-ra, if you have anything to protest, it is only right to make a formalint through the agency. You are too hotheaded¡­¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°Tsk. Let¡¯s go upstairs.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you again tomorrow.¡±


    Seeing how casual Cha Hee-ra felt as she moved within the ce gave me an idea of just how good the people here treated her.


    ¡°The food here is not bad. It¡¯s a little greasy, but it¡¯s fine eating once in a while. Let¡¯s go to the room first.¡±


    Seeing as it was our first time, Jung Hayan and I had no choice but to rely on Cha Hee-ra. I was sure we looked like two puppies chasing after our mother.


    After going down a flight of stairs, we soon arrived in front of Cha Hee-ra¡¯s door.


    When I opened the door, a colossal area greeted me.


    The area looked so spacious, It could amodate four or five people. I had never been to an expensive hotel, but I knew none of their suites couldpare to this.


    ¡°I have a lot of rooms anyway, so just pick one. There are also two toilets.¡±


    ¡°It looks great.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because this was the room I got from the empire¡­ Isn¡¯t it a bit useful? Actually, it¡¯s okay to stop by asionally and stay for a while. I don¡¯t like these things very much, but it¡¯s good to feel luxurious every now and then. Help yourselves while waiting for the food. We have about two hours. I have something to do now, so I¡¯ll be going out.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re bored, you can roam around as well. No one will try to hurt you anyway. It¡¯s not dangerous in these parts.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Okay.¡±


    Maybe there¡¯s a reason why Cha Heera came so early. I don¡¯t know for sure, but she must have an urgent work-rted thing. She seems a little preupied while taking her stuff out and closing the door.


    As soon as she left, Jung Hayan jumped onto one of the fluffy beds, reveling in itsfort. I thought of taking a breather but stopped myself.


    ¡®I might as well do something now.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t afford to pay attention to Jung Hayan for the moment, and the reason for this was obvious. It was because of the shaman.


    ¡®I would like you toe to my room when you have time. It is located on the 2nd floor of the West Building.¡¯


    The voice that had whispered to me so earnestly kept repeating itself in my head.


    It could be a trap, but I doubted that someone would dare harm me being this close to the capital.


    More than anything, when I thought she knew about my mind¡¯s eyes attribute, it was inevitable that I should go find her.


    No matter what happens it¡¯s right to have a conversation at least once.


    It¡¯s no exaggeration to say that my mind¡¯s eye is actually my breadwinner. It was the only weapon I could use with various low stats, I honestly don¡¯t like the idea of people knowing the existence of such a weapon.


    Since Cha Hee-ra went out¡­¡¯


    If I had a chance, now would be the best timing. In the worst case scenario, I had to find a way to get rid of her somehow.


    ¡°Hayan.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°I think I should head out for a while.¡±


    ¡°Oh, sure!¡±


    ¡°Can you wait for me here?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be back soon.¡±


    Though she looked reluctant, Jung Hayan did not try to stop me. I left quickly before I could take in the sight of her looking like an abandoned puppy.


    As I went on my way, I made sure to ask the numerous servants for directions, leaving as much of an impression as I could. I needed them to be informed of where I would be going in case I really was headed right into a trap.


    ¡®If it¡¯s a trap¡­¡¯


    I felt anxious, but I knew this was unlikely. If something went wrong, I knew a signal would be sent to Jung Hayan right away.


    As I headed towards the shaman, I slipped a hand into my bag and stroked the quiet Juliana.


    ¡®Even Juliana didn¡¯t react¡­¡¯


    It hadn¡¯t judged Kasugano as an enemy.


    Still, I refused to let down my guard. If I died now, all my work with Lee Seolho would be for nothing, and the problems back in Blue would only be bigger.


    Eventually, I caught sight of members of the Yozora Guild guarding the area. As if they were told to wait for me, they greeted me as I approached them.


    ¡®What the hell is this¡­¡¯


    ¡°You can go into this room.¡±


    ¡°Oh, alright.¡±


    ¡°However, that weapon¡­¡±


    One of the men looked warily at Juliana, but he couldn¡¯t seem to get the words out. It was at this moment that a voice rang out from the door they had been guarding.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Please let him in.¡±


    ¡°Yes, shaman-nim.¡±


    The moment they opened the door for me, I could see Kasugano Yuno kneeling down, her eyes closed. I wondered if any danger awaited me, so I gripped Juliana once more. Still, she was unresponsive.


    ¡°I have been waiting for you.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°My¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, Master.¡±


    ¡®What bullsh*t is she talking about?¡¯


    It¡¯s a spectacle seeing her slowly bowing to me with her outer clothes off.


    Tears once again poured down Kasugano¡¯s face, which exhibited pure joy. It didn¡¯t seem like she was lying, but this whole situation just seemed bizarre to


    me.


    ¡°Ah, my Master. I have been waiting for you for a long time.¡±


    Oh no, she¡¯s a crazy bitch.¡¯


    ¡°Peal and punish this bad servant¡­ My master.¡±


    Only


    ¡®Fuck¡­


    As I nced around, I caught sight of the strange tools that I had never even seen before.


    ¡°Please punish me¡­ My Master, my Master.¡±


    ¡°This is crazy!¡±


    I tried to open the door behind me again, but it refused to budge open.


    ¡°Please punish this lowly pig¡­¡±


    ¡°Get me out of here!¡±


    In this crazy situation, I had no choice but to scream.

 Chapter 120: The Black World (1)

    <h4>Chapter 120: The ck World (1)</h4>


    In this crazy situation, I had no choice but to scream. I couldn¡¯t understand what was going on around me.


    ¡®She¡¯s out of her mind!


    The shaman in front of me was simply insane.


    I kept trying to open the door, but it was still hopelessly shut. This hadn¡¯t been the kind of trap I was imagining, and I felt more confused than ever.


    In the meantime, the shaman continued with her onught of nonsensical ramblings.


    ¡°Master! Master! I have been waiting for this day for a long time.¡±


    ¡°F-Fuck!¡±


    ¡°My light, my love, my everything.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you daree near me!¡±


    Seeing her crawling this way made goosebumps rise throughout my entire body. I had no idea how to respond to her.


    ¡®Should I call Jung Hayan?¡¯


    It didn¡¯t matter; if she tried to physically touch me, Jung Hayan would be alerted anyway. She would realize that something was wrong and woulde to me right away.


    No - it was highly probable that she was on her way here right now.


    ¡®Nevertheless¡­


    As I tried to figure out what to do, my lips formed a frown. With the shaman¡¯s sudden antics, I hadpletely forgotten the purpose of my visit. I wanted to find out why she had called me here, and just how much she knew about me.


    With all the ruckus, I must have stepped back unknowingly, for I felt my back hit the door. However, Kasugano had not gone too far from her original position just moments ago.


    The door was locked, but it seemed like she had no intention of harming me.


    ¡®If she tried to do something¡­¡¯


    She would¡¯ve done it already.


    Even now, she seemed uneasy, her body trembling, but I felt like now would be the right time to have a conversation. For a moment, I thought pretending to be her so-called master would be more effective, but I quickly realized that that would be a bad idea.


    Considering her ability, she would see through me in an instant.


    As I calmed myself and sat myself down on a nearby chair, I could see the woman staring at me expectantly. It felt weird to be gazed at in that manner, and as I looked behind me, I was reminded of the weird tools that had been the first things toe into my sight ever since I entered the room.


    ¡®Why are they here in the first ce¡­¡¯


    ¡°Ahhhhhh¡­¡±


    Please don¡¯t make that sound.¡¯


    ¡°Master¡­¡¯


    Don¡¯t even think about it.¡¯


    I soon regretted choosing to sit down. However, I really had to start a conversation with her. The only problem was, I didn¡¯t know how exactly should start. Should I lead? Or should I go with her flow?


    Meanwhile, the shaman kept crying for punishment, a miserable expression on her face.


    As I had apparently spent too much time mulling over my thoughts, she opened her mouth first.


    ¡°Please, don¡¯t be formal with me.¡±


    That was better.


    ¡°Do you know who I am?¡±


    ¡°You are my only master.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not the point of the question. I mean, do you know exactly who I am?¡±


    ¡°I know nothing but the fact that you are my master.¡±


    ¡®What kind of sh*tty situation is this?¡¯


    ¡°I was able to realize it the moment I first saw you. You were the one I have been looking for. And the mind that saw through everything¡­¡±


    ¡°So, you do know.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I¡¯m being too unpleasant¡­¡±


    ¡®Stop.


    ¡°To be honest, it¡¯s a little embarrassing. I don¡¯t even know what you¡¯re talking about. I¡¯ve never even seen you before. I wanted to know why, so I came here, but your behavior¡­ You¡¯re right. It feels very unpleasant.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. My, I couldn¡¯t figure out my master¡¯s feelings¡­ I¡¯m so sorry, I¡¯m such a mistake¡­ Please do kill me¡­¡±


    ¡°What am I going to do¡­ I felt so excited and was unable to grasp the situation properly¡­ Please do forgive me!¡±


    ¡®She¡¯s not acting.


    Those were genuine tears falling down her face, which confused me even further. Because of this, I could tell that she wasn¡¯t lying.


    I just had to find out if she could really see the future or the past, as such an exnation was already written in her ability¡¯s description.


    [Talent-Legendary grade: Eyes that see through the essence and the past and future]


    [You can have a glimpse of what others cannot see.]


    Although it was described in a vague manner, it would be correct to think that she could see the future or the past. The title of her ability was already quite the telltale sign.


    ¡®Perhaps¡­


    ¡°Have you ever seen me in the future?¡±


    It was a good possibility, and it would exin why she kept calling me her master, and why I seemed to have such an influence on her.


    However, I would know the real answer only if she didn¡¯t lie.


    ¡°That is¡­¡±


    ¡°Or have you met me in the past?¡±


    ¡°Neither, Master. To be precise¡­¡±


    ¡°To be precise?¡±


    ¡°To be precise, it¡¯s neither the future nor the past. I don¡¯t know how to say this, but¡­ I can certainly see things through my eyes. You might think it¡¯s strange, but what I see isn¡¯t the past or the future. It¡¯s more like¡­ a memory engraved on my body.¡±


    ¡°A memory engraved on the body?¡±


    ¡°Ah, no, I think it would be more appropriate to call it the memory engraved in the soul. I don¡¯t know how to define it, but I¡¯ve been here for 6 years¡­¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say it was 4 years?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what the public knows, but it¡¯s actually been 6 years since I came here. l-if you want to go back four years ago¡­¡±


    ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯d like you to exin this to me first.¡±


    ¡°T-the first thing I saw as soon as I came here was my master and me together. I¡¯m not sure what happened, but I remember that I seemed very happy. Of course, it was a difficult memory for me to ept at that time¡­¡±


    ¡°How are you so sure that what you saw isn¡¯t the future?¡±


    ¡°Scenes from the future are usually in a white setting, while the past is gray. For scenes that are neither from the future nor the past, the setting is ck. I call this the ck world.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    That did sound convincing, even more so because the status window never lied. If she saw was neither the past nor the future, then that could only be one thing.


    ¡®Was it from the first timeline?¡¯


    All I could think about was the first timeline that Kim Hyunsung hade from. There was a high possibility that parallel worlds existed, yet! couldn¡¯t exactly disregard the possibility of her just having delusions.


    ¡®However, the former just might be possible¡­


    This girl seemed to know about me - and quite possibly, my own ability, too.


    She didn¡¯t seem to be aware of the fact that this was a different reality now, or the fact that she was also a time returner, just like Kim Hyunsung. The problem was - where did I fit in?


    ¡®Did I survive?


    I was sure I had also been present from the first timeline. In fact, I thought it would be less likely for me to have survived.


    Back then, Kim Hyunsung would not have been a returner, and I would not have been intrigued with his ability. Therefore, I wouldn¡¯t have chosen to follow him. However, it was likely that I had still chosen to pair up with Park Deokgu.


    However, I had been saved twice by Kim Hyunsung in the tutorial dungeon this time around. Without him, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to get out of there.


    ¡®And¡­¡¯


    If this woman really saw me as her ¡®master¡¯ from the first timeline, then it must mean that I had managed to garner some talent for myself. I didn¡¯t know what exactly happened, but this all felt a little odd.


    Of course, this was assuming that what Kasugano saw really was from that time. I couldn¡¯t confirm it yet, but it didn¡¯t stop me from weaseling out more information.


    ¡°Have you seen anything else? No, what else have you seen about me?¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t see much other than that. I¡¯m sorry, but my ability doesn¡¯t show what I want to see. The future or the past sometimes shows what I want, but in the case of the ck world¡­¡±


    ¡®Is there a penalty?¡¯


    ¡°In the case of the ck world, all I see are fragments of a scene. Of course, tthe one I would always see was the scene with my master¡­ No, in fact, most of them are just memories of spending time with you.¡±


    ¡°What kind of memory are you talking about, exactly?¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m ashamed to say it, but that¡­ that is¡­¡±


    I saw her looking at the things behind me. Only then did I begin to understand this shaman¡¯s reaction.


    ¡®Lee Kiyoung, what the hell did you do?¡¯


    ording to her status window, she was only twenty years old. I didn¡¯t know when I met her, but this situation felt so ridiculous that I couldn¡¯t help butugh.


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to say. I think I can kind of understand. Then, I¡¯ll change the question. How did the two of us meet in the ck world? Were you able to see this?¡±


    ¡°N-no. I could see to some extent anything rted to the master. It¡¯s fragmentary, so it¡¯s a little hard to exin in detail, but in the ck world, I remember that I myself went after the master.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°In the ck world, I could see my ability showing me my future with the master. I must have felt confused about seeing myself being very happy in them, so I went after him. However, I also felt suffering with him. I am also aware that I looked stupid back there in the ck world. I even went so far as to sympathize with the master. Even though I wanted to reject the future with him, I couldn¡¯t help but feel sorry.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡°At the time, I brought my master in, who had been injured at the time, and devoted myself to treating him.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a lifesaver.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I feel embarrassed¡­ Anyway, after the master had recovered, I saw¡­¡±


    ¡°What did you see?¡±


    ¡°I saw the master choking me¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°My master was choking me. I wasn¡¯t able to see it in detail, but I can clearly remember the words he said.¡±


    I got nervous for some reason.


    ¡°What did I say?¡±


    ¡°You said: Get rid of your pity, you damn bitch. All of you are the same. And¡­ In that way, my master and I became connected. The next scene happened after a long time. That¡¯s how our rtionship in the ck world began¡­¡±


    ¡®What the hell¡­¡¯


    How exactly would we have connected through those means? The story felt so absurd!


    As soon as I calmed my rapidly-beating heart, I began to piece what I had found out so far.


    First off, this shaman could see the future, the past, and the first timeline, unlike before, when her abilities were only limited to the past and the future.


    Second. She could not trigger her ability at will. The scenes came at random intervals.


    Third. What the shaman could see from the first timeline was very limited. It seemed that only the memories engraved on her soul could be read.


    Fourth. I don¡¯t know why, but it seemed like she again wanted to be my servant. Perhaps it was a side effect of looking into her ¡®ck world¡¯ too much.


    Only


    Fifth. She had saved me back in the first timeline.


    Sixth. Back in the first timeline, she had seen herself having a future with me. She decided to reject this.


    Seventh. In the end, she felt sympathy for me and thus decided to save me. How she found me, or where she saved me was not known. However, the fact stood that she still took me in and nursed me to full recovery.


    Lastly, the Lee Kiyoung from back then strangled her as soon as he had recovered, yet she still refused to change the future.


    Or perhaps she did, but couldn¡¯t. In short, I had stabbed the person who had decided to save me. There was no excuse for any of my actions.


    ¡®I was a total piece of trash¡­¡¯


    I felt ashamed of myself back then. I must have been a real asshole.


    ¡®This¡­ bastard¡­

 Chapter 121: The Black World (2)

    <h4>Chapter 121: The ck World (2)</h4>


    ¡®This¡­ bastard¡­¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t help but swear at myself, but in reality, my situation wasn¡¯t all that bad. I felt a little guilty thinking like this, but assuming that everything I had judged so far was true, then having the shaman by my side would be simr to having a strong alliance, as I did with Cha Hee-ra and Kim Hyunsung.


    Plus, she¡¯s unconditionally loyal¡­¡¯


    In other words, she was the perfect ally for me.


    At this point, I was lucky not to have chosen the path of a Summoner when the job presented itself to me.


    ¡®This is a new ss altogether.


    This shaman was not only the owner of therge guild in the Free City of Celia, but was also a non-standard existence whose power had a different concept than her preexisting magic - and could also see the past and the future!


    I couldn¡¯t urately assess her strength, but based on her stats and potential, she could be of greater use than even Jung Hayan.


    Naturally, I had to smile.


    ¡®I guess I¡¯m the irresistible type of trash, then.¡¯


    Of course, I had to confirm my assumptions before I could even think about reeling her in. Besides, I still had other questions on my mind.


    With this, I had no choice but to respond to the shaman who was currently looking at me with an impatient expression.


    ¡°I have a few more questions. How did I die in the ck world?¡±


    It was what I was most curious about.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know that.¡±


    ¡°Do you mean you couldn¡¯t see it?¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t. Perhaps it was because I died earlier than the master.¡±


    ¡°Maybe. How did you die?¡±


    ¡°I died for you. I haven¡¯t looked in detail, but that was all I could tell in the ck world, I had no regrets at the end.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ Then I¡¯m curious about how we got to know each other.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but what do you mean¡­¡±


    ¡°It is just as you heard. As you know, I can see others¡¯ information with my ability. Thanks to you opening your own info, I was able to check it with my own eyes¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a wizard with a magical stat of 96,plete with a legendary ss, and a legendary ability. No, would it be correct to call you a sorcerer?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t see the ck world, so I can¡¯t say for sure, but¡­ I imagine I wasn¡¯t very strong there, was I?¡±


    ¡°No. The master is more dignified than anyone else¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not what I¡¯m saying. I am asking on the grounds of a physical specification. Am I right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°The question is, why didn¡¯t you resist me? You said you saw me choking you, but there¡¯s an exnation missing in there, especially assuming that we must¡¯ve met each other at ater date back thenpared to now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I haven¡¯t seen the exact date, but I know that in the ck world, master and I will meet two to three years from now.¡±


    ¡°It means that you were 22 when we met.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t really matter when we met, but the point is that you were in a stronger position than me.¡±


    ¡°H-how dare I say that?¡±


    ¡°You know I¡¯m right. If you had the intention of killing me, I would¡¯ve already died. The same can be said here and now. Why didn¡¯t you kill me in the ck world?¡±


    My asking this question was inevitable. I didn¡¯t know why, but it was clear that I had been abusing her the first time around. Her mental state didn¡¯t seem to fare well because of it.


    I thought about the possibility of her using drugs or indulging in other methods, but I knew none of that could affect a person this strong. I knew that she must have had a lot of opportunities to break free from me if she wanted to.


    That being said, there must be a reason as to why she chose to stay.


    This shaman began to nod slowly, as if she was agreeing with my question. I realize she had been waiting for me to ask this all along.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because¡­ I, in the ck world loved you.¡±


    I almost fell off my chair upon hearing her answer. However, Kasugano continued talking, her eyes directly meeting mine.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard feeling emotions in the ck world, but what I felt for you was obvious. I was in love with you there.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps you developed it while you were nursing me?¡±


    ¡°It could be that. However, I think it has something to do with fate.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡±


    ¡°The more time I worried about you, the more I kept thinking about you. Of course, that also meant I spent more time with you. After spending so much time in the ck world, I suppose the feelings transferred to me, so I can¡¯t help but feel this way now.¡±


    Am I some sort of chic ma or what?¡¯


    In fact, I had never even thought of myself as handsome. Although I had no ws except for my asymmetrically-shaped eyes, nheless, it was not enough to say that I was handsome.


    The word ¡®handsome¡¯ suited someone like our lovely Kim Hyunsung.


    It was no exaggeration to say that he was the kind of person that could be considered ¡®perfect, due to those strong, big eyes, sharp nose, pretty lips, and chiseled body.


    ¡®His personality isn¡¯t bad, either¡­¡¯


    If anyone was suited to be the object of people¡¯s affection, it would be him. In short, I did not understand why these women clung to me instead.


    In Jung Hayan¡¯s case, I had acted on my own ord to capture her attention, but in the case of the other women? I had no idea.


    I had even gotten the affection of a powerful woman in the first timeline just by staying still!


    Of course, this hasn¡¯t been confirmed yet.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this an advantage at this point?¡¯


    ¡°Perhaps that was why I felt like I could ept anything from you.¡±


    ¡°What about the opposite? Was I in love with you?¡±


    ¡°I think you weren¡¯t. But I must have been one of the only people my master could lean on.¡±


    I don¡¯t know the past Kiyoung¡¯s feelings, but she was probably right.


    ¡°I understand to some extent.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡±


    ¡°What you¡¯re saying absolutely makes sense. It¡¯s very impressive that you revealed your own information and showed me your own status window. In fact, I don¡¯t doubt your ability to see the future, the past, and even the ck world. I don¡¯t even have to check. I can see your ability with my own skill.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s still not enough.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°This feels too suspicious. I¡¯m curious about how you¡¯re exining what you¡¯ve seen in the ck world,pared to what you really saw¡ªthe ck world me and the present me are not the same person. Likewise, the ck world you and the present you are not the same. Of course, I don¡¯t deny that you are affected. Still, it sounds absurd from my point of view. Do you understand what I¡¯m trying to say?¡±


    ¡°O-of course.¡± At this, the shaman trembled. It was as if she feared me telling her to go away.


    ¡°It¡¯s not just that. There is no guarantee that everything you told me is true. I¡¯m worried that you told me only the things you wanted. I don¡¯t know what being your master means, too¡­ To be honest, it sounds unpleasant. How many people in this world can ept this kind of story?¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡±


    ¡°How can I trust you?¡±


    ¡°That¡­ that¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°What you told me about the ck world doesn¡¯t do anything. With that alone, I can¡¯t be your master. How can we build the rtionship you want?¡±


    It sounded like a trashy deal, but it was the only thing I could work on.


    ¡°I-If you want, I can give you anything you want¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I want. If this rtionship is established, what you have is mine regardless¡­ Or are you looking for a rtionship whose foundation is based solely on words?¡±


    ¡°N-no. My¡­ Everything belongs to my master. That¡­ That¡¯s right!¡±


    ¡°Is there any way I can restrain you? No, have you ever thought about how can take you in with no doubts in mind?¡±


    ¡°Of course. There will be a way. I know my master feels suspicious. Yes. There is a way.¡±


    She seemed a little excited as she spoke.


    ¡°I hope you can exin.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s an incantation.¡±


    ¡°Incantation?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s a kind of witchcraft that helps my master own me. I can transfer ownership of my body to you.¡±


    ¡®Is that possible?¡±


    I had never heard of this method up until now. Sure, I had thought about creating magic that was simr to it, but nothing hade to mind then.


    Perhaps it was she who had created it with her own powers. If I were to think of it as her way of preparing the day when she¡¯d meet me in this timeline, then it would make sense.


    ¡°It¡¯s a kind of incantation that I put on myself. I directly connect my body, my master, and my mind¡­¡±


    ¡°I guess I know what you¡¯re talking about. However¡­¡±


    I wondered whether she was lying and that the magic would have the opposite effect, but I didn¡¯t want to think about the possibility.


    Just as Kasugano Yuno was desperate, I also wanted to earn myself another powerful ally. I wanted to be able to get her on my side as quickly as possible, without all the headache.


    I hated gambling, but just this once, I felt like the risk was worth it.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s see.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Then I will quickly start the ritual.¡±


    With her eyes closed, her smiling expression was apparent. It was almost as if she had just gotten the entire world handed to her on a silver tter.


    When she pulled a little dagger out of her arms, I flinched a little, but when she hurriedly wounded her own arm with it, I realized that she was trying toplete her incantation with her blood as the medium.


    ¡®Is the process simr to alchemy?¡¯


    ¡°Please wait a little a bit¡­ It¡¯s almost done. Almost!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. You don¡¯t have to hurry.¡±


    Seeing her drawing the incantation on the floor was quite the sight to behold. Even though I had told her not to hurry, she still seemed anxious to finish it as soon as possible.


    The process looked simr to most of the spells that I had dealt with, but the truth was, I still felt confused.


    Only one thing was for certain; this incantation was more difficult than 1 initially thought


    It was a spell that could only bepleted with blood as the medium, even if the caster was a high-ranking wizard on her level.


    I didn¡¯t know anything else, but the effect of the spell was certain.


    I waited for her to finish, a mix of anticipation and nervousness welling up from within me. Soon, I saw her rigid figure settle down in the middle of her incantation. She then looked up at me from her kneeling position.


    ¡°You cane this way.¡±


    As I moved, a faint light glowed from the incantation on the floor.


    There was still no reaction from Juliana. At least I knew whatever this was wouldn¡¯t hurt me.


    After a faint red light embraced her, the shaman opened her mouth again with a very satisfied expression.


    ¡°S-sorry, but I need to take my master¡¯s blood¡­¡±


    Almost as if in an enticed trance, I cut myself slightly on the hand and reached out for her.


    ¡°I want to give my all to the one who is before me. This lock will be a blood covenant that nothing can break, and no one can interfere with.¡±


    The light burst out in an instant.


    I somehow thought I had to grab her head, and so I did. Thus, I saw a fragmentary, yet iprehensible sight.


    It was literally the scene where I was strangling her.


    It must have been the ck world she saw.


    ¡®Get rid of your pity, you damn bitch. All of you are the same.¡¯


    ¡®Ahhh¡­ Poor man.¡¯


    ¡®You think you have the right to pity me?¡¯


    Only


    In the scene, Kasugano Yuno cried and hugged me.


    Hwaah ahhhhhh!


    When I opened my eyes again, I could see the incantation she drew being absorbed into her body.


    ¡°It was a sess, Master.¡±


    As she spoke, Kasugano looked overjoyed, which in turn made me feel guilty.


    ¡°Perhaps you really are a piece of trash¡­


    If the Lee Kiyoung from before had seen me now, he would probably think something along the lines of, ¡®Isn¡¯t this bastard a real piece of sh*t?¡¯


    Because of this, a sense of shame came upon me.

 Chapter 122: The Black World (3)

    <h4>Chapter 122: The ck World (3)</h4>


    Because of this, a sense of shame came upon me.


    However, it was only right to get this done and over with


    ¡°I¡¯m thinking of doing some tests¡­¡±


    ¡°Sure¡­ I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡± Kasugano had an expectant look as she spoke. One might even say she was overjoyed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t harbor any negative feelings towards you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know you are punishing me, only because you care about me.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t call it a punishment, but how you take it is up to you¡­ First of all, you won¡¯t be able to breathe from now on.¡±


    With widened eyes, Kasugano stared at me. With her stoic expression, 1 wondered if she had been scamming me all along.


    However, I realized my mistake as I heard her voice again.


    ¡°You must speak with magic.¡±


    I felt embarrassed at this point. The shaman opened her mouth once again, and I saw her trying to breathe in.


    ¡°You won¡¯t be able to breathe.¡±


    A lot of my mana was used up in an instant.


    I couldn¡¯t even imagine that so much magic would escape, but it was a cheap price for taking full control over another¡¯s body. I hadn¡¯t even noticed that I was frowning.


    The figure currently holding her neck and coughing was certainly not acting. As Kasugano rolled on the floor, stretching her hand towards me, I could tell how hard my order had been for her.


    ¡°Mas¡­ Master¡­ Cough¡­¡±


    Against her will, air refused to enter her lungs, hence her struggle. Tears naturally flowed down her eyes, and her tongue had rolled out, craving for oxygen.


    It would be a shame for her to die here.


    ¡°You may breathe from now on.¡±


    And so, I ended the test.


    With this, I could affirm that the contract between us had finally set.


    After Kasugano regained her breathing, she spoke once more.


    ¡°T-Thank you. Master.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure why she was thanking me, but at least the spell wasplete.


    ¡®And so perfectly done¡­¡¯


    If there was one penalty after all this, it would be that I had to take responsibility for Kasugano from now one.


    ¡®However, it should be fine.¡¯


    If I had seen the scene just before the incantation, I wouldn¡¯t have even bothered doing the test. I didn¡¯t even know why I had seen it in the first ce, but I didn¡¯t think it was because of the incantation itself. It was probably an urring error during the connection of body and soul.


    As I lifted her from the floor, I saw her looking at me with joy stered on that innocent expression. Upon seeing this, my guilt came back.


    I¡¯ll be nice to her from now on.¡¯


    I know that I did something worse that had surpassed my actions the first time around. It felt like I had personally quided an innocent soul into the depths of hell.


    After seeing her expression in the ck world, I felt even worse for her.


    ¡®Fuck¡­


    However, it was a reasonable choice, and the result wasn¡¯t bad, either. Kasugano looked happy with what had transpired, so it was probably a win


    win.


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s reasonable, but still¡­¡¯


    The momentary guilt was nothingpared to a lifetime spent with an additional, strong ally.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°W-what is that¡­? That doesn¡¯t even make sense.¡±


    As Kasugano flipped her long hair, her embarrassed expression was apparent. Sheughed a little and tried to switch into a sitting position. For now, it would be right to give her a reward for letting here to me.


    ¡°Ah, master¡­¡±


    I leaned in slowly, and she closed her eyes. As I kissed her on the forehead, she fell apart.


    ¡°Thank you. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Your actions in return for my trust aren¡¯tparable. And this is nothingpared to the warmth you¡¯ve given me in the ck world.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°It was only for a brief moment, but I think I saw what you saw.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ You said I was a guy in a poor situation, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I did. W-why¡­?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t understand, but perhaps we really are fated to meet, just as you said.¡±


    Her face turned ecstatic upon hearing this. I had said what she wanted to hear.


    It was then that I could hear noise from outside.


    Jung Hayan?¡¯


    She had probably been alerted when I made physical contact with Kasugano Yuno. She said she would tolerate it, but she probably couldn¡¯t in the end.


    ¡®No¡­


    I still had more things to discuss with Kasugano.


    However, I couldn¡¯t let Jung Hayan inside.


    ¡°I¡¯m only being curious, but have you ever talked to someone else about me?¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief. So, that¡¯ll be it for today¡¯s meeting.¡±


    ¡°As you wish.¡±


    ¡°I know it¡¯s already obvious, but please don¡¯t tell anyone about our rtionship.¡±


    ¡°Yes, alright.¡±


    Seeing how she so easily epted my instructions, it was possible that I had done the same back then.


    | also nodded and went to open the door, and unlike before, it opened easily for me now. At this point, I wondered how I shouldfort Jung Hayan, but then I saw a man I had never seen before I entered.


    He was a little tall and had a long sword at the waist.


    ¡®Is that a Japanese sword?


    It looked ridiculous to carry a Japanese sword in a continent based on the Middle Ages. Was it a custom order? I couldn¡¯t really focus.


    However, it was probably because I noticed the man in question staring at


    me.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    I decided to check his information with my ability.


    [Checking the status window and talent levels of the yer Ito Souta.]


    [Name: Ito Souta]


    [Title: Celia¡¯s Wind]


    [Age: 28]


    [Disposition: Careful Strategist]


    [ss: Warrior (Legendary)]


    [ss Effect: Acquisition of basic sword skills]


    [ss Effect: Intermediate Swordsmanship Knowledge Acquisition]


    [ss Effect: Acquisition of advanced sword skills]


    [ss Effect: Acquisition of advanced magic operation knowledge]


    [Stats]


    [Strength: 81/Growth limit: Heroic or lower]


    [Agility: 99/Growth limit: Legendary or higher]


    [Health: 61/ Growth limit: Rare or lower]


    [Intellect: 89/Growth limit: Heroic or lower]


    [Durability: 66/ Growth limit: Heroic or lower]


    [Luck: 34/ Growth limit: Common or lower]


    [Magic 75/Growth limit: Heroic or higher]


    [Equipment: Wind Sword (Heroic) 1602]


    [Ability: Wind de (Legendary)]


    [General review: This is a legendary ss warrior. The overall high stats, especially the high agility stats, stand out. His low durability is a w, but it is unnecessary for him as an agile swordsman. It¡¯s heartbreaking to see such low stamina. It is also noticeable that he¡¯s obtained a legendary ss as well as a legendary attribute. The only thing simr to our yer, Lee Kiyoung, is his disposition. Please try harder.]


    ¡®Everyone I meet is a monster.¡¯


    This one was a swordsman focused on agility. I didn¡¯t know who he was, but he certainly didn¡¯t look ordinary.


    It was impossible for him to be an ordinary man. He was just as powerful as Cha Hee-ra, if not more.


    Being a Vice Guild Master, I thought my own stats weren¡¯t bad.


    What was funny was that his disposition was a careful strategist, like me. Nevertheless, when I thought about the power he got, I felt like it was unfair for some reason.


    With these thoughts, I went to pass by him.


    ¡°Mr. Lee Kiyoung?¡±


    I felt the man¡¯s hand slightly holding my shoulder.


    ¡°Mr. Ito, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    I felt wary of him. However, this bastard kept looking at me, smiling.


    ¡®I don¡¯t like this¡­¡¯


    ¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Yamato Guild¡¯s Guild Master, Ito Souta.¡±


    I was speechless for a second. The Lindel terror incident had shed in my mind. Though it had not been enough for me to feel traumatized, remembering it still felt annoying.


    However, I swallowed and still decided to shake the outstretched hand in front of me.


    I couldn¡¯t show any agitation in this state, lest he noticed this. Anyway, I was safe for the time being. There was no way he could hurt me in a ce where conflict waspletely forbidden.


    I still had Kasugano in the room behind me, and Juliana was capable enough of preventing any surprise attack.


    ¡®If I think about his agility stat, it¡¯s unlikely¡­¡¯


    For now, it would not be too bad to talk to him casually. We were fated to meet anyway, and since I came here to formally protest against the Yamato Guild, I had to extract as much information as possible.


    ¡°It looks like you¡¯ve seen me before.¡±


    ¡°No, I haven¡¯t, but I¡¯ve heard a lot of stories about you. You were the centerpiece of the recent Lindel terrorist incident, after all.¡±


    ¡®This bastard¡­¡±


    I could see a slight smile forming on his face as he spoke.


    I thought it was only a pretense, but he was calmer than I thought.


    ¡®A careful strategist?¡¯


    It was probably because he had the same disposition as mine.


    ¡°I was really surprised when I heard the news. An attack in the center of the Free City? Although our cities are different, I was worried since we both came from Earth to this ce.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Right. Thank you for your concern.¡±


    ¡°By the way¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°They say that the Lindel made our guild the prime suspect in the attack.¡±


    ¡®So what?


    It felt too ufortable to talk about it here. Besides, Cha Hee-ra should take part in the conversation.


    ¡°It would be better to set up a ce for this conversationter. I don¡¯t think the timing is good now.¡±


    When I turned to go, I felt a hand clutching my shoulder once more.


    This time, it was Kasugano Yuno who came forward. Her quiet but heavy voice echoed.


    ¡°What are you doing to my client?¡±


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s nothing. I just wanted to talk a bit more.¡±


    ¡°Please, don¡¯t be rude.¡±


    That was when I felt a pulsating energy resonating from somewhere around


    me.


    ¡®Sh*t.


    I wasn¡¯t the only one who felt the unusual energy, as I could see a hazy curtain around me in an instant.


    Looking sideways, I realized it was Kasugano Yuno who had memorized the spell. I could see the motherfucker still smiling.


    I didn¡¯t think he would do anything crazy here, but since they were the ones who had caused terror in Lindel, I had to think that they wanted to get rid of me for sure.


    Kasugano Yuno, on the other hand¡­


    No matter how strong a shaman was, as a magician, it would be impossible to win a battle. It wouldn¡¯t take long to break through her shield and hit my throat as a warrior with his skills.


    ¡®Hyunsung¡­


    For some reason, I missed Kim Hyunsung¡¯s warm arms.


    Woooooooooooong!


    Juliana jumped out, yet Ito Souta¡¯s smile never faded.


    Something was wrong.


    ¡°No, Juliana!¡±


    I screamed, but it was toote. Juliana had already pierced the swordsman¡¯s neck next to Ito.


    ¡®What did the status window say? That he was a careful strategist?¡¯


    It was the perfect checkmate.


    Only


    ¡®Sh*t.


    After the man whose throat got pierced fell to the floor, Ito Souta grabbed the handle of the sword and began to speak.


    ¡°Well, well, well¡­ What is this, Kiyoung-ssi? Threatening me with a sword, hm? And in the throne of the Holy and Great Benigore Holy Empire, no less! Pfft¡­ And you killed one of my favorite subordinates¡­¡±


    ¡°Can I make a formalint on this?¡±


    ¡°If not¡­ Can we take this as a deration of war against our Yamato guild?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t only our dispositions that were simr.


    We also acted in a very simr way.


    I had no choice but to ept this fact as I looked into his provoking face.

 Chapter 123: Strike back

    <h4>Chapter 123: Strike back</h4>


    I had no choice but to ept this fact as I looked into his provoking face.


    ¡®So annoying¡­


    I didn¡¯t know if I was being xenophobic or whatever, but looking at ito pissed me off. I never imagined that I would get caught in his uncreative little trap.


    ¡®He knew about Juliana.


    He had even used the sword¡¯s ability to detect danger to his advantage. Although one of his underlings had died, it was nothingpared to what would happen from now on. No - I couldn¡¯t even tell if that had really been his underling in the first ce.


    I also had no idea if he had nned this, or if he just made it on the spot after meeting me, but I did know one thing - this wasn¡¯t over.


    It felt absurd to be caught, but Kasugano Yuno next to me could testify that it had been a sudden incident. It would also be helpful to exin Juliana¡¯s skills to the investigators.


    ¡®Do I have no choice but to disclose information about Juliana?¡¯


    It would be annoying, but it would not a bad deal if it meant I could strike back at him.


    However, it won¡¯t stop there, either.


    If I chose to assume that he had made connections with the Holy Empire¡¯s superiors in advance, then there would definitely be room for disputes in future debates.


    If a trial was held, it would likely put me at a disadvantage.


    No matter what I could say, the fact that my underling killed his underling wouldn¡¯t change. If this guy really had the same disposition as mine, then it must mean that he had already prepared everything in advance.


    And if he hadn¡¯t - then that meant he was envisioning the big picture as of this moment.


    ¡®That¡¯s because even I would¡¯ve done that.¡¯


    The only thing that he wouldn¡¯t have calcted would be that Kasugano Yuno, the lovely shaman, would take my side, but he probably didn¡¯t think that it was a threat.


    As I mulled these thoughts in my head, I heard his voice right in front of me.


    ¡°What you¡¯re going to do? My favorite subordinate has died, right in the royal city of the Holy Empire.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mess around, Mr. Ito. It was your subordinate who threatened my guests by showing bloodthirstiness. This case will be handled as selfdefense.¡±


    ¡°This is a little surprising, shaman. I didn¡¯t think our rtionship was this bad.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what you think. It is undeniable that your subordinate threatened my client.¡±


    ¡°I would appreciate it if you could exin exactly how they threatened him. No, even if he was threatened, would he throw a sword right away? No matter how you view it, we are the victims here. I at least expect you to maintain a good judgment as to who the offender and victim are. That¡¯s an action that will help your reputation as a shaman. Of course, it will also be helpful to Yozora, which is under your control.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Kasugano Yuno was definitely a reliable ally.


    It was clear that Ito wouldn¡¯t be able to lure her in. She and her guild Yozora would at least defend me with their power.


    However, I didn¡¯t know how to deal with this situation.


    When I looked at Juliana, she hovered around me, almost as if she was aware that she had done something wrong.


    As the sword seemed depressed, I took it back to my belt, and I immediately spoke.


    ¡°I apologize.¡±


    ¡°It is not something that can be simply solved by an apology, Mr. Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°The armament I¡¯m carrying, Juliana, the cursing sword, is a sword that moves in response to anything that threatens her master.¡±


    ¡°Ooh, I see. I didn¡¯t know there was such a weapon.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s surprising. I thought you knew about it.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯ve heard rumors that a Lindel adventurer has acquired legendary armor, but who knew it was this weapon?¡±


    He knew, without a doubt.


    I couldn¡¯t tell whether he heard the rumors or whether he confirmed it for himself, but I was almost certain that this nasty bastard was the main culprit in the Lindel terrorist incident.


    ¡®If not, there¡¯s no reason for him to be provoking me.¡¯


    ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t know why your guild members threatened me, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Our guild members have never threatened you.¡±


    ¡°No. They threatened him without a doubt. If I take this case to court, I will testify that your guild member threatened my client. Of course, our guild members who are here now will testify the same.¡±


    ¡®You¡¯re cheering up your master! Yuno!¡¯


    ¡°I can¡¯t ignore the shaman testifying like that¡­ That¡¯s a little weird to me. Right now, he seems to be in control of his sword. Even if you testify that my side threatened him first, there¡¯s no reason for my loyal subordinate to have died. Perhaps Kiyoung and the murderer who tried to kill hisrade looked a little alike, so I guess he unknowingly got angry.¡±


    ¡°To have a sword pierced in the neck for such a thing¡­ What a pity. It is also a sin not to properly control a weapon. The more I think about it, the more my heart breaks.¡±


    ¡®This bastard¡­


    Seeing that he kept focusing on emphasizing himself as a victim, I knew he was decided. He wanted to frame me, no matter what.


    ¡®Should I just ept it at once?¡¯


    If it was about self-harm, I could do it, too. If I could poke myself with his sword, I could also establish my side as self-defense.


    The problem was, Ito Souta would not make this easy for me. His high agility stats would make it impossible for me to do so.


    My options were limited, and I hated doing setups, but I still had to try.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t Souta-nim the one who caught me when I was trying to go my own way in the first ce? It happened suddenly, but I wonder if there was some other meaning for one of your guild members was sacrificed.¡±


    ¡°No way. You have a lot of imagination.¡±


    ¡°No, I was just telling the facts.¡±


    ¡°You can exin that useless conspiracy theory to the Imperial Inspector. First of all, someone died in the castle, so the procedure must be followed. And look, they¡¯reing over.¡±


    pretended to stay calm, but my insides were twisting. This was because I could indeed see the castle guards running towards our direction. It felt annoying to be treated as a suspect, when in reality, I had gotten caught in the trapid out by the bastard in front of me.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    It was the shaman who answered. It was the second time she took the lead, but then I continued her words.


    ¡°The guild member of the Yamato Guild threatened Mr. Kiyoung Lee and died in a self-defense attack with a sword stuck in his neck.¡±


    ¡°To be precise, it wasn¡¯t a threat. It seems that there was a little misunderstanding between us, but all of a sudden, he had his sword pointed right at us.¡±


    ¡°My sword is a weapon that is triggered by a threat. If you want to check the item information, I can show you. I was threatened by a guild member of the Yamato guild with no doubt, and that fact will be testified by Kasugano Yuno of the Yozora guild and her guild members.¡±


    Of course, the arguments of our two sides were different.


    After whispering to each other, one of the guards ran in the opposite direction. He was most likely calling up a senior.


    Not surprisingly, a guy wearing fancier clothes came in a hurry not long after.


    At this point, the incident was slowly bing bigger.


    This kind of situation was what Ito Souta probably expected, but my head hurt just thinking about how things would work from now on.


    ¡®I guess they will start an investigation.¡¯


    Of course, I would bebelled as the suspect. No matter the reason, no matter what had happened, the fact stood that a man had died in the royal city of Benignore, the Holy Empire.


    Although we identified ourselves as free people, we were also affected by imperialw.


    Considering that excessive disputes between guilds were not allowed in the empire, I, whomitted murder, will most probably be treated as the suspect.


    As Souta had said, that was the procedure.


    As expected, the man who had appeared before us stepped firmly in our direction.


    ¡®An imperial officer.¡¯


    ¡°I am Carlton of the Empire¡¯s Holy Knights. I¡¯m sorry, but you¡¯ll have to follow


    me.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    It was annoying to do so, but I knew it would be fine. Now that there were three different testimonies, Ito Souta may also be a perpetrator.


    It was clear that the victim¡¯s identity would be investigated right away, but with our shaman¡¯s testimony, public opinion as a killer could be calmed to some extent.


    ¡®Besides¡­¡¯


    Judging from Carlton¡¯s attitude, I¡¯m notpletely confirmed as a suspect.


    ¡®Rather, it feels like he respects me.¡¯


    Of course, that might change once the investigation took ce, but I knew would be able to reverse things afterwards.


    ¡°Yes. Okay.¡±


    However, when I began to move in the direction Carlton showed us, heard Kasugano Yuno speak, her voice sounding a little different than usual.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡±


    ¡°What¡­?¡±


    ¡°If you take my client and move even one step, I will make sure that you¡¯d be crawling on the ground in no time. Threatening my client is not allowed.¡±


    At this point, the ground began to tremble. The unknown incantation from before appeared and began to spread in all directions.


    As she opened her once closed eyes, I could see eyes that looked like two ck holes.


    Anyone could see that she had enormous magical power, enough to pulverize the whole ce.


    I swallowed nervously.


    ¡°Shaman¡­¡±


    Even Souta¡¯s calm fa?ade broke as the man gripped the handle of his sword. He could sense that Kasugano was just seconds away from exploding.


    ¡°Get rid of the dirty hands that are holding my client.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make me repeat myself.¡±


    ¡®This is bad¡­


    It was okay to defend me, but making a fuss about it would make things worse.


    Carlton of the Holy Knights also felt embarrassed by this scenario. He was looking this way with a frown, pulling out his sword.


    ¡°I-I just want to act ording to the procedure. And this kind of magic within the royal city is forbidden. Even it is you¡­¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t say it twice.¡±


    At this point, I had to do something.


    ¡°It will be fine, Yuno. First of all, I think it is right to follow. It¡¯s just a simple procedure.¡±


    As the magic started to settle, the surrounding area, which had been shaking, stopped.


    ¡°But¡­ Kiyoung-nim¡­¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t be a big deal. You just have to testify the facts.¡±


    The truth was meant to be revealed anyway.


    Although the world doesn¡¯t always work as we want it to, right?¡¯


    Souta¡¯s expression, which had returned to smiling, seemed to be saying just that. He would feel even more determined to mark me as the culprit now.


    Out of curiosity, I opened my mouth to ask.


    ¡°Are investigations confined?¡±


    ¡°No. It is only procedural investigations. Of course, we will try to provide you with the best possible convenience. I believe you will understand that inevitably there may be restrictions on your movement.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Of course.¡±


    ¡°All those who were on the Yamato guild side will also be investigated.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a little different position than ours, right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but it is. First of all, this was a murder case¡­¡±


    ¡°I see. Is it possible to testify through a representative?¡±


    ¡°Of course, that¡¯s possible.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Then let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Atchoo.¡±


    ¡°Do you have a cold?¡±


    ¡°No, eunni. I¡¯m sorry for suddenly sneezing.¡±


    ¡°It seems like you¡¯ve been working too much these days¡­ It¡¯s good to work hard, but you should prioritize your health. Anyway, I brought you with me so you can take a well-deserved rest. What do you think about the capital?¡±


    ¡°It looks like a good ce to live. It¡¯s not bad considering this is my first time here, and I can see the life in people¡¯s eyes. I couldn¡¯t even imagine that the level of civilization in the Holy Empire would be this high, but I felt surprised because it was more systematic than I thought.¡±


    ¡°I knew you would say that.¡±


    ¡°Rather than that, eunni, your makeup is really good today.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you seeing someely?¡±


    Only


    ¡°I don¡¯t even have time for that! I¡¯m super busy¡­ No, I think rather you¡¯re the one who¡¯s been dating¡­ Isn¡¯t it time to stop telling me about that kind of stuff now? Well, I already know everything, but it would be nice if you introduced me to him formally¡­¡±


    ¡°I will tell you when our rtionship progresses a little more. Oppa still has some things to deal with.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ Oh, it¡¯s arrived.¡±


    ¡°ck Swans, I sincerely wee you to the Holy Empire. It¡¯s been a while, Park Yeonjoo.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Long time no see.¡±


    ¡°Haha. I can see a familiar face for the first time. If it¡¯s okay, may I ask for your name?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Jihye?¡±


    ¡°Yes, eunni. Hi, everyone. I¡¯m Lee Jihye, who joined the ck Swan Guild during thest tutorial. It is an honor to meet the honorable and great imperialists of the Holy Empire. Thank you.¡±

 Chapter 124: Soulmate (1)

    <h4>Chapter 124: Soulmate (1)</h4>


    ¡®Huh. This isfier than I thought.¡¯


    My treatment had been quitefortable if you think about the fact that I was considered the killer of one of Yamato guild¡¯s members.


    The ce where I was lying on was afortable bed, not a hard floor, and the quality of the food served was excellent.


    I had been worried about eating the same type of food as lowly criminals.


    Seeing how I was being treated, I had no choice but to admit that both Cha Hee-ra and Yuno Kasugano were a stronger influence than I thought.


    If I had just been a lowly countryman, I would¡¯ve been hung straightaway. However, my position as the Mercenary Queen¡¯s lover and the shaman¡¯s client imposed a certain influence.


    I like having power because of this.¡¯


    It was safe to assume that I was safe.


    Of course, it was unlikely that my neck would be hanged just by my position. It would not be a pleasant story for those who want the empire¡¯s power cut off if they were to be oppressed by both the mercenary queen and the shaman.


    It was more important to protect me, than to me me for the death of amon member of the Yamato guild.


    What I needed to know was what that bastard Ito Souta would do.


    The intensity of the punishment I would receive would probably be determined by how much he talks, but the conclusion was that I at least didn¡¯t have to worry about being in a real mess.


    My only problem at this point was being at a disadvantage in terms of diplomacy. My issue certainly was controversial at every angle.


    After I ate, Cha Hee-ra appeared before me. Strangely enough, the woman looked unwell.


    ¡°Honestly, I feel good.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not you who¡¯s screwed, it¡¯s that bastard.¡±


    ¡°I thought I¡¯d be scolded. I¡¯m actually surprised.¡±


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s not that I¡¯m not feeling bad. It¡¯s bad enough that my n has been ruined, and I feel even worse knowing you got humiliated after going up to the shaman¡¯s room without informing me. You know I secretly value appearances. Nevertheless, you managed to kill a guild member of theirs. And in an audacious manner, too¡­¡±


    ¡°Thank you for that¡­¡±


    ¡°What is your rtionship with the shaman?¡±


    ¡°I never imagined that a woman who would stand by the Yamato Guild would vouch for my honey in the end. You weren¡¯t pulling strings behind my back, right? If so, I¡¯d feel a little sad.¡±


    ¡°You are free to believe it or not, but the other day was really the first time that I met this shaman.¡±


    ¡°You know that if you lie to me, the things that¡¯ll happen after won¡¯t be sweet, right?¡±


    ¡°Why would I lie to you? Remember when I first met Yuno Kasugano, she saw me and cried?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°She can see the future.¡±


    ¡°What nons-¡°


    ¡°Of course, she can¡¯t see what she wants, and even if she sees something, it¡¯s only a fragment. However, she can certainly see the future.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not kidding, are you?¡±


    ¡°I checked it myself. In fact, if you give it a little thought, you have the answer. How can a 16-year-old girl build arge guild in 4 years without that kind of ability? I kind of know why she¡¯s obsessed with me. I will get connected to this girl in the future.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s nuts.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why she was looking at me crying, and that¡¯s why she defends me this determinedly. You are free to believe it or not.¡±


    Cha Hee-ra seemed annoyed with this. Knocking on the table for no reason whatsoever, she spoke once more.


    ¡°Ha¡­ This bastard, you are full of pheromones.¡±


    ¡°You know, I only have you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not good if you cross the line, honey.¡±


    I could see a slightly distorted expression crossing over, striking the table. She didn¡¯t seem to like what she had found out. In fact, anyone could see that she was angry.


    ¡°So¡­ There is a way, right? Although I¡¯m constantly making a fuss, the public opinion isn¡¯t very good. It¡¯s the first time someone died from a quarrel in the holy city of the Holy Empire. They won¡¯t dare behead you, but the guilds from Lindel can lose ground. Even if it doesn¡¯t seem like a big deal, the situation is actually very delicate¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking. There will be changes in the n, but the results will still be the same.¡±


    ¡°It will be good for you to behave properly. The reason I¡¯m looking after you is that at some point, you¡¯ll be of help. It¡¯s always good to keep in mind that your attractiveness is only a secondary reason.¡±


    ¡°I know. Thanks, Hee-ra.¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯lle back in the evening. Do not get stressed. Take a break and think, honey.¡±


    ¡°You too.¡±


    ¡®You seem to be in a good mood.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know if I managed to make her feel better, but a faint smile was clearly visible.


    Like Jung Hayan, Cha Hee-ra¡¯s face was quite transparent. The only problem was that her emotions changed fast, as her status window suggested.


    I felt tired after dealing with all the women that came here today. In fact, it felt more difficult to deal with Jung Hayan and the shaman than it was to be investigated.


    ¡°Sniff¡­ Oppa¡­ Waaaah¡­¡±


    As soon as Jung Hayan came, she broke down into tears, as if the sky had copsed. She seemed to feel heartbroken upon seeing me in custody, all the while waiting to reunite.


    Perhaps she thought I would receive a big punishment. It was evident from the way she was crying and touching my cheek.


    Anyone who looked at us would think I was already on death row.


    Of course, after I exined the situation to her, her sadness turned into anger towards Ito Souta. In addition to this, she also harbored anger towards Kasugano, as she thought that this whole incident happened because of the shaman.


    Though Jung Hayan had gone into special treatment for her emotions, nevertheless, the anger did not subside, so she asked Cha Hee-ra for management


    ¡®Isn¡¯t sheing today?¡¯


    I shook my head as I felt as though I was waiting for Jung Hayan today.


    Of course, in Kasugano Yuno¡¯s case, the situation was not very different.


    Since she had to do other activities for me, it wasn¡¯t easy toe often, but she still found the time to report to me.


    Though I felt sorry for them, I was truthfully not waiting for either Hayan or Yuno toe.


    I was waiting for awyer who could sessfully defend me.


    Of course, it didn¡¯t matter if I had to defend myself, but it would definitely be better to have one of the main pirs of arge guild act as a representative.


    What I needed was a smart and capable woman.


    As I got lost in my thoughts, the door to my room opened. I wondered if it was Jung Hayan or Yuno, and I looked up¡­


    The woman in front of me turned out to be the woman I was waiting for.


    ¡®Lee Jihye.¡¯


    She looked at me quietly lying in bed.


    ¡°Look at you¡­ There is no better loser.¡±


    ¡°You got me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been caught very perfectly.¡±


    ¡°Your pride must hurt a lot, right? It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve ever seen such an angry expression on your face.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°I can tell just by looking at it.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know if she really knew me that well or was just quick-witted, but I felt like I had gotten kicked.


    I knew I should keep myposure as much as possible, but it was natural to feel angry for various reasons. I was the one who had a talent for backstabbing - how was it that I was the one who got backstabbed this time around?


    Some other monster managed to reel me in with a lousy trick.


    I may be smiling, but inwardly, I felt furious.


    I also felt embarrassed that Lee Jihye was able to see what Cha Hee-ra and Jung Hayan failed to, but I felt like I knew why.


    ¡®Soulmate.


    I thought about it every time I saw her. Certainly, Lee Jihye and I were a good match.


    ¡°I thought you would already be acting, but you¡¯re not.¡±


    ¡°I was waiting for you.¡±


    ¡°Is the title of Red Mercenary¡¯s lover and Shaman¡¯s client still insufficient?¡±


    She was right


    The fact that the ck Swan¡¯s executive, also a high-ranking executive trusted by the Guild Master, would act as my representative was very significant.


    That was how rtionships between the powerful worked.


    Considering that there was a practice in Korea that gave preferential treatment to the first trials ofwyers who were former judges or prosecutors, the answer came to me quickly.


    ¡®Keeping appearances is important.¡¯


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that there wasn¡¯t such a thing, but rather than focusing on that, I needed you.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ That doesn¡¯t sound so bad, oppa.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d you think so. Actually¡­ you are right. It¡¯d be a lie to say I¡¯m not angry. Also, my pride was indeed hurt, and my back aches a lot.¡±


    ¡°Shall we cry together?¡±


    ¡°No. I have a n, and I hope you can help me. I¡¯m not going to end up simply getting back at the same level. Of course, you will be gaining something with this, too.¡±


    ¡°I was thinking of helping you even if I ended up not get anything, since I¡¯m such a romantic. Personally, I¡¯m also angry at the guy who threw dirt on my own ns¡­ The first thing to do will be to find your rights, is that correct?¡±


    ¡°My fate will be in your hands, deputy.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you worry, my client.¡±


    Lee Jihye stood up as she spoke. She then walked towards the guard standing by my door, and I could predict just what she was going to do.


    After all, this was the role I wanted for her.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Where is Lee Kiyoung¡¯s weapon?¡±


    ¡°Ah. In the case of that armament¡­ We are keeping it for investigation¡­¡±


    ¡°Please bring that to me right away.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡±


    ¡°I told you to bring that weapon to me right away.¡±


    ¡°B-but¡­ Since it was a weapon used at the murder site, we are the ones in charge of managing it. Even if you tell me to bring it all of a sudden¡­¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the investigation done yet? The function of the item was clearly exined in words, and I know it was checked. I know they have already experimented on it several times. Is that not enough?¡±


    ¡°We keep it for any sudden situation that might arise. It¡¯s still considered to be dangerous¡­¡±


    ¡°In that case, this is one of those sudden situations, and I¡¯m telling you to bring it to me now. First of all, you must know that the Yamato Guild¡¯s guild member threatened my client. This is directly testified by Yuno Kasugano, who was there. He is half imprisoned even when they don¡¯t know for sure who is the victim and who is the perpetrator, and they even dared to take away his weapon!¡±


    ¡°Someone has died. For now, we have to follow the procedures¡­¡±


    ¡°The cursing sword, Juliana, is our client¡¯s minimal means of protecting his body. If an ident happens to my client who has lost the means to protect his body, can you take responsibility? The Mercenary Queen will not stand and watch.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°You people¡­ I¡¯m asking nicely.¡±


    ¡°Do you know how much that weapon is worth? It is one of the few legendary items on the continent. Do you think you can take responsibility if a problem arose with its functions? As far as I can confirm, I know that weapons that have been separated from their owners for a long time will develop side effects. If there is any problem with Juliana, I will sue you on behalf of my client.¡±


    ¡°We are just moving ording to the procedures of the Holy Empire. Even if you say you will sue us¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not the Holy Empire I will be suing. I am suing you, people, for neglecting management. It¡¯s not the Holy Empire¡¯s fault, but it is definitely yours, the individuals who are oppressing my client.¡±


    Only


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°The value of my client¡¯s weapon is so high that it cannot be converted into a meager amount. If you don¡¯t properly manage such weapons, do you think you can still be innocent? If I sue you, all of the guards here will quickly drown into debt, and will have to fight long court battles againstrge guilds to earn the money. It¡¯s so obvious that I don¡¯t have to say whose side the Holy Empire you believe in will take. Are you still confident with your answer?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re behaving this way because you believe that the Holy Empire will protect you if things go wrong, but if not, shut up and bring my boyfriend¡¯s stuff. Tell your supervisor exactly what I said, and if the supervisor doesn¡¯t have the authority, ask them from a higher-up to solve the problem. If that doesn¡¯t work, you cane up with a solution yourselves and bring Juliana here right away¡­ Otherwise, the humans involved will be bound together, and all will be sued.¡±


    ¡°T-that¡­ Our authority¡­¡±


    ¡°Did you not hear me? Bring a superior or a supervisor! Who is in charge here?! Who¡¯s doing things this way?!¡±


    Jihye, you¡¯re so cool¡­¡¯


    At least by my standards, she was worthy of being a girl-crush.


    That was the only way I could express this situation.

 Chapter 125: Soul mate (2)

    <h4>Chapter 125: Soul mate (2)</h4>


    That was the only way I could express this situation.


    After Lee Jihye¡¯s grand speech, the guards ran off to find their superiors.


    Unsurprisingly, sheughed and turned back to me.


    ¡°Well then. Shall we tell each other what we¡¯ve been thinking? I think you¡¯ve just noticed it¡­ Is the answer a little easy?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°When I count to two, we will speak at the same time.¡±


    ¡°One, two.¡±


    ¡°Safety is the priority.¡±


    ¡°Safety is the priority.¡±


    ¡°It worked. You know that the public¡¯s opinion of us is not very good, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°The first thing we need to do is to get Juliana back. Aren¡¯t you the victim? actually think it might be quite difficult to retrieve it. As the next best thing, it would be better to get help from a powerful person from the Holy Empire¡­¡±


    ¡°Victor Hart.¡±


    ¡°Is he someone you know?¡±


    ¡°He is close to Hee-ra. I don¡¯t know exactly, but he seems like the type of person who would feel sad if he were to be the second in the Holy Empire. With just this guy, we can get what we want. No, he¡¯ll be more than enough.¡±


    Of course, what Lee Jihye and I wanted was not simply safety. What we really wanted was¡­


    ¡®To overturn public opinion.¡¯


    That was the first goal.


    Changes came even with the littlest things.


    Public opinion was concentrated in the royal castle due to the sudden murder case. Knowing that I was being held in custody by guards was not very pleasant news.


    ¡®However¡­


    Everything would change when the perception that I was being protected would spread, not by the guards, but by Victor Hart, one of the Empire¡¯s best.


    This was my only option, but it would be enough to flip the tables.


    ¡°That¡¯s because it is you whose life is threatened.¡±


    ¡°Since I¡¯m in a very dangerous situation, I can¡¯t help it. It would be effective to be protected by a Mercenary Queen or a shaman, but it would be better if my protector came from the side of the Holy Empire. I don¡¯t know when Yamato¡¯s assassin wille, so it would be better to use that as an excuse.¡±


    ¡°Do you intend to touch Lindel too?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡±


    ¡°If you use the press, it¡¯s not hard to even develop anti-Japanese sentiment However, what you¡¯re nning worries me.¡±


    ¡°The Yamato Guild, who was the main culprit in the Lindel terrorist incident, persecuted and threatened the guiltless Blue guild member Lee Kiyoung. In the process, an unavoidable incident urred, and the victim, who had been condemned, went on the verge of being tried. I think that¡¯ll be fine. If you want it said in a more provocative manner, an innocent Korean would be in danger of climbing the guillotine. How about putting it like that?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not so bad. However, the reactions will be big. You know that, right?¡±


    ¡°Sure, that¡¯s what I¡¯ve been aiming for in the first ce. If you punish me, you will soon be punishing Lindel.¡±


    ¡°And thus, the Holy Empire, who prefers avoiding trouble, won¡¯t dare mess with you. You take care of your life properly. I like that, but¡­¡±


    ¡°You have a strange taste for men.¡±


    ¡°I told you. Ambitious men are my thing. I like a dirty, powerful man like you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just the same.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll be a little reluctant to touch you. Well, it would be better to wage a war than have you dying.¡±


    ¡°War doesn¡¯t happen that easily.¡±


    ¡°I think so, too¡­ Come to think of it, it¡¯s not my business. In fact, it didn¡¯t seem like it would matter if you prepared it alone, but if you are using me as a representative, I think you have something else in mind.¡±


    ¡°Of course. I¡¯m sorry, but I hope you can do this.¡±


    ¡°I was already going to. In fact, rather than the victim doing this by himself¡­ It is more effective to have arge guild¡¯s representative. Take a good rest.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay if I don¡¯t help?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I feel morefortable when I work alone when ites to this sort of thing.¡±


    Of course, I already know that Lee Jihye waspetent. However, I couldn¡¯t help but admit that I still felt nervous. This wasn¡¯t something I could easily control. In particr, I felt like it would be better if I could contribute in being able to have Victor Hart vouch for us.


    Less than two days passed, and I had no choice but to admit that Lee Jihye¡¯s influential power was indeed impressive.


    ¡°Will you take responsibility if there bes a problem with my client¡¯s health? No, it looks like he¡¯s alreadye down with something¡­¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s right.


    ¡°Ah. Are you Kendrick-nim? Are you in charge of this ce?¡±


    ¡®Well done, well done.¡¯


    ¡°How are you going topensate for the mental damage of his halfimprisonment?¡±


    ¡®You¡¯re the best, Lee Jihye.¡¯


    ¡°Is the investigation of the Yamato Guild being done properly?¡±


    ¡®Way to go!


    As she went about with herints, Jihye Lee¡¯s appearance reminded me of a particr foe from the previous Three Kingdoms period.


    I predicted, but couldn¡¯t even imagine, that she would be able to rob them right from the very bottom. In fact, I even felt sorry for Kendrick and the other guards. I knew how much they cared about me.


    They were innocent, but I knew what Lee Jihye was trying to do.


    ¡®We are the victims.


    She was emphasizing this fact.


    This press y, which started with the rumors that Ito Souta of the Yamato Guild had tried to assassinate Lee Kiyoung of Blue for some reason, had been very effective.


    No, simply describing it as ¡®effective¡¯ was not enough.


    Knowing that a member of the ck Swan had chosen to represent me, that the Red Mercenary Queen protected me, and the shaman continued to testify in my favor will not be pleasing to them.


    The keywords we held were safety, threats, and life.


    ¡®She is definitely talented.¡¯


    It was amazing as to how Lee Jihye knew what areas to tackle on. This allowed me to focus on my own personal matters.


    If it weren¡¯t for her, it would have been a little more difficult to deal with the Yamato Guild.


    ¡°My client is in a very stressed state.¡±


    ¡°Considering that we also give the most convenience¡­¡±


    ¡°Is this the best you can do? If you check the notes released by the Priest of our ck Swan Guild, you can see how mentally uneasy the client has been feeling. If I think about the post-trauma, I can see how much you pressured and persecuted him.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Why is Juliana sote? Is there any problem?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m looking for a room right now. The upper level is also having various meetings¡­ We would appreciate it if you could give us a little more time.¡±


    ¡°How long do you intend to repeat the same words? It¡¯ll be really hard if you keep doing this. Is there any problem with Juliana?¡±


    ¡°There is nothing wrong with the weapon.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a problem we need to check, Kendrick-nim. Once again, Juliana is my client¡¯s private property and is the only way to protect him. We can¡¯t guarantee that there will be no second threat when he has already been threatened once. It is undeniable that the Yamato Guild tried to threaten my client¡¯s life due to the circumstances of the incident. It would be nice if you could fix this somehow.¡±


    ¡°In case you don¡¯t know, we are on guard 24 hours a day.¡±


    ¡°Assuming Ito Souta ising to hurt my client¡¯s life, I don¡¯t think you have the power to stop him. Excuse me, but given the possibility that some of the Holy Empires might have coborated with them, we need a little more absolute protection. The protective measures requested by Victor Hart are still there. What should we do if you say that we can¡¯t even get Juliana back?¡±


    ¡°That is¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you saying that, if the viinse here like this, he must submit to his death? It has already been 18 hours since the formal request for protection. Our client is still very uneasy.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°If a request from Victor Hart-nim is impossible, isn¡¯t it natural to show minimal sincerity? The Mercenary Queen is also very worried. With a repetitive situation where you have to stay away from your desk, the victim¡¯s personal protection who is threatened with murder in the castle is so inadequate. If I could, I would take my client to Lindel right now.¡±


    ¡°We are also making our requests as much as possible. Oh, as you may know, Victor Hart is also very busy¡­¡±


    ¡°I feel like you¡¯re just making up excuses.¡±


    Lee Jihye had also been working hard, but Cha Hee-ra was also busy with secretly asking the old man, her old friend.


    I felt nervous, for it was taking such a long time, but I knew the end was near.


    Of course, it didn¡¯t take too long for the first piece to bepleted, as expected.


    ¡°P-permission has been passed. Kendrick!¡±


    I could see a very happy expression from the guard who had made the announcement. At this, the once-sweaty Kendrick began to smile.


    ¡°Victor Hart said himself that Lee Kiyoung was in his protection. Juliana is also scheduled to be shipped again today.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your hard work.¡±


    ¡°Not at all, Kendrick-nim.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a relief, Lee Jihye-nim. It seems that the permission has been passed. In the future, Victor Hart will formally protect Lee Kiyoung. As you heard, the investigation into the cursing sword is also over, so I will return it for now¡­ We believe that you will understand that in some areas, it will not be allowed to be taken in. Especially when you are away from Victor Hart-nim, Juliana should¡­¡±


    ¡°The first thing is topletely separate the guild members of the Yamato guild from him, Kendrick. They are undoubtedly threatening my client¡¯s life. It is not Lee Kiyoung that must be repressed, but they.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I will try my best.¡±


    I got a better result than simply getting Juliana.


    After I heard the door closing, Lee Jihye popped her head back in. I smiled.


    ¡°Good work.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know if you would be able to get Juliana back, but the results were not bad. In the future, Victor Hart will protect you.¡±


    ¡°Just listening to that makes me feel better.¡±


    One of the things we worried about the most since we came here had been dealt with


    ¡°I¡¯m worried about the movement restrictions, but it¡¯s not a bad deal. Anyway, our Jihye is on the move and the fact that Victor Hart will be useful for my ns.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t tell me about it yet?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s better if only I know. It¡¯ll work better. As things go on, you will naturally know.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m disappointed¡­ Well, anyway, as you¡¯ve heard, the restricted areas will also start to loosen up, little by little. If you go out with Victor Hart, it will be possible to go worship at a social church.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t old man Victor have a close match with Yamato?¡±


    ¡°I know a little bit about that¡­ Would you like me to tell?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Did you know that the Holy Empire is divided into emperors and popes? That old man is on the emperor¡¯s side. As Yamato sticks to the Pope¡¯s side, they obviously don¡¯t have a good rtionship.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s an interesting story. What happened to Lindel?¡±


    ¡°Causing some anti-Japan disputes won¡¯t be a problem. If you are treated unfairly, you don¡¯t have to worry about it, because even war could happen. Perhaps, with the old man sticking to your side, Lindel will have some background.¡±


    ¡°Please keep track of the public opinion back in Lindel.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about it as it¡¯s progressing quickly. But, more than that, shouldn¡¯t you go outside? They were working hard too¡­ I¡¯ve been working on the Vatican¡¯s side, but it¡¯s not easy since they settled there first.¡±


    Only


    ¡°On the emperor¡¯s side, we will meet secretly one by one. You didn¡¯t get theposition of the delegation, did you?¡±


    ¡°The imperial figures are still working on it. I¡¯ll leave this task to you. Anyway, if you go with them, they will inevitably stick to you. It won¡¯t be difficult¡­ Since we¡¯re going to be with Victor Hart, it would be better to maintain a close rtionship with him.¡±


    ¡°You already seem close to Hee-ra¡­ It won¡¯t be that difficult.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ Then, are youing to the party tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°I probably will.¡±


    ¡°A killer attending a party with an escort¡­¡±


    ¡°If anyone hears, they will misunderstand. I¡¯m the only victim¡­ You can be proud of this. This is the result of your achievement.¡±


    At this, a hint of a smile appeared on Lee Jihye¡¯s face

 Chapter 126: Soul mate (3)

    <h4>Chapter 126: Soul mate (3)</h4>


    Of course, the solution that Lee Jihye and I came up with slowly began to overturn the public¡¯s opinion.


    Bringing in Victor Hart as an excuse for the assassin actually managed to quiet the rumors within the royal castle, and had the effect of keeping Ito Souta in check.


    Exining Juliana¡¯s functions and characteristicsbined with Yuno Kasugano¡¯s, there was a lot to say about the case itself.


    The question of whether or not I willed my sword to hurt was still unanswered. Still, unless Ito Souma decided to make a solicitation to the Pope¡¯s side, even this was suspected of disappearing soon.


    The reason why I still had a suspectbel was nothing more or less than that of the specificity of the case, which was the first murder case in the royal castle within the Holy Empire, and that it defied the Pope¡¯s attempt to make therge Japanese guild look better.


    Of course.


    The reason all of this was possibley in Lindel¡¯s present state.


    Originally, Lindel had a good rtionship with Celia, but upon hearing the Yamato Guild¡¯s trap for an innocent victim did not sit well with most people, especially since Yamato was suspected to be the main culprit in the Lindel terrorist incident.


    Of course, the fact that I was in danger was a lie.


    Even now, I satfortably in my chair and could drink if I wanted to, but it was important for Lindel¡¯s citizens to believe the rumors.


    Of course, that wasn¡¯t all.


    The real goal was to develop hostility within the Lindel citizens by spreading the idea of the Yamato Guild¡¯s nned invasion in their Free City.


    In particr, Lee Jihye¡¯s n was so disruptive that I felt it a little more radical than mine, so the possibility of a war between Lindel and Celia was a worrying possibility.


    The biggest problem among them was that the Red Mercenaries and ck Swans did not intentionally suppress some radicals¡¯ actions.


    Even if I were to take a quick look at the current media, the answer was sttered everywhere.


    [Guild Ilsung conducts bombing magic training in the Ramadel Mountains near Celia.]


    [Today at 9 am, Lindel¡¯s Guild Ilsung conducted bombing magic training in the Ramadel Mountains. The ultra-long-range magic that hit the Ramadel Mountains across Celia has not been seen in Guild Ilsung so far. ordingly, Lee Seol-Ju (21), the highest dignity of the Guild Ilsung, said that the Japanese people¡¯s arrogant behavior has reached the peak and are constantly testing their guild¡¯s patience.


    Not only did he not hesitate to say that it would make the Free City Celia into a sea of fire. But after three days, they were surrounded by Celia¡¯s territorial waters and trained for ultra-long-range bombing magic¡­ and is expected to proceed. - Lindel llbo, reporter Kim Sung-gyeong]


    Among some of the radical factions, the actions of the Guild Ilsung were the most embarrassing. I had to ask Lee Jihye about the truth.


    ¡°These motherfuckers, this is fine, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. They¡¯re asking for money. Then you can rest assured. I made a deposit yesterday. Although all of these have been settled through agreements¡­ Well, seeing what they¡¯re doing, I got a little nervous. I didn¡¯t know they would do this much.¡±


    ¡°Too much provocation is not very good¡­¡±


    ¡°The kids in their guild are weird, but you can rest assured that the ck Swan will definitely stop them.¡±


    ¡°Do you know them?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I guess we do, a little bit¡­ We had a drink together once, and that¡¯s all. I thought it would be difficult to get along because I was a little bit dizzy, but who would¡¯ve thought that I could use them this way? They had crazy guys singing war songs, so I tried not to get close¡­ But after all, the more connections you have, the better.¡±


    ¡°There are all kinds of people.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Rather than going for some weak actors, something like that works. Thanks to this, rumors that a war is about to be waged is spreading throughout Lindel. A reaction certainly wille.¡±


    In other words, Lindel was a time bomb just waiting to explode.


    In fact, the merchants from Celia were quickly leaving Lindel in fear, and the innocent Taiwan¡¯srge guild was also undergoing evacuation procedures for their citizens.


    However¡­


    ¡°There won¡¯t be a war. How will a war happen when the Holy Empire is preventing such conflict? Rtions with the Republic and the Kingdom Union are also skewed, and the head-on conflict between the two cities is ridiculous. Tell them to enjoy doing bombing magic drills how much they want. The more they do that, the safer you are.¡±


    ¡°Ah. As much as possible, Juliana¡¯s information should be spread out, especially towards Celia¡­ State it as a wide-area curse that cannot be purified even by divine power. Research on wide-area magic that can curse an entire city by using Juliana as a medium is in progress. It¡¯s paying off so far.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not bad.¡±


    ¡°External war reporters were also sent to Celia for a different n altogether¡­ Oh, write a letter to announce that the Guild Ilsun is also developing mental attack strategy weapons. It seems like they like talking in this way. It would be more efficient for crazy guys like themselves to move than for normal people to announce.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Yes. I get it. Are you working on the Japanese press?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m working on spreading anxiety, since our shaman is also working hard. You don¡¯t have to worry about the Japanese. No, don¡¯t worry about Japan as much as possible.¡±


    ¡°You sure are talented. How did you make connections with Yuno Kasugano?¡±


    ¡°Do you really want to know?¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s okay. As long she¡¯s being useful, I don¡¯t care who she is, or where she lives.¡±


    ¡°I like this side of you.¡±


    ¡°Is this a confession at this timing?¡±


    ¡°Who knows?¡±


    At this, Lee Jihye slowly leaned in.


    It was then that we heard a thump outside.


    ¡°Oppa!¡±


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s time.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll have to start preparing as well.¡±


    ¡°I will help with preparation on my side. I already told the Mercenary Queen, so please wait.¡±


    The time to attend the social gathering this evening was fast approaching.


    For now, I had to focus on Jung Hayan, so I stepped towards the door.


    The door mmed open, and there stood Jung Hayan, who looked way different from before.


    I didn¡¯t know if it was because I had seen her a lot as a wizard, a ss who wore hoods often, but her appearance for the social gathering looked quite beautiful.


    She was wearing a white dress, a ne, and earrings.


    Overall, she looked very neat.


    As she had a very nice body, it looked like the dress was prepared for her, and the makeup on her cute and blunt face looked a little sexy.


    Overall, I had a strong feeling that she brought out her unique charm without going overboard.


    ¡°You look pretty, Hayan.¡±


    ¡°R-Really?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Hehehehe¡­¡±


    Whileughing, I could see her ncing at Lee Jihye sitting on the side of the room. However, her expression showed gratitude, not hostility.


    It was natural for Jung Hayan to show such a look, as Lee Jihye was the one who made it possible to be with me by releasing me from the halfconfinement.


    ¡°Oh, Hayan is so beautiful.¡±


    ¡°R-Really? Thank you, Jihye-ssi.¡±


    ¡°You look more mature today. Seeing you finished it so early, I think you wanted to show it to Kiyoung quickly, too. Am I right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a cute couple. Ah. I was just about to prepare Kiyoung¡­ Would you like to wait outside? Or you can sit here¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be sitting here!¡±


    ¡°Okay. Do whatever you feelfortable with.¡±


    When Jung Hayan settled, a full-scale renovation began.


    I just wanted to go like this, but it was essential to wear clothes that suited the formal asion. Of course, what Lee Jihye was preparing for me felt a little too much.


    ¡°Everyone,e in.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    This is because I didn¡¯t know that ck Swan artists, who were known for having many female guild members, would appear.


    ¡°He¡¯s not very handsome, but he isn¡¯t that bad. Please do your best, everyone. Kiyoung can¡¯t go to such a ce and be ignored, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lee Jihye.¡±


    I can¡¯t deny that I wasn¡¯t handsome. As these people clung onto me, I couldn¡¯t help but sigh and decided not to pay too much attention to them.


    Lee Jihye would be doing most of it, anyway.


    ¡°It would be better to leave a little bang. I would like the makeup team to create a good impression. It would be nice to go with a slightly weak, yet charming disposition. The costume team should avoid strong colors as much as possible¡­ I think it would be good just to make him stand out.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    ¡°Not red. Did you hear me? He has to look like a victim, enough to make the nobles feelpassion for him. Make him look as young as possible¡­ Instead of a suit, he¡¯s going to wear an imperial outfit. It¡¯s good to make him look friendly.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ Yes. Okay.¡±


    I knew keeping appearances was important. This was also part of politics, after


    However, the sight of the ck Swan staff sweating and moving to meet Lee Jihye¡¯s demands was a spectacle. Some of the world¡¯s most renowned makeup artists, coordinators, and even beauty creators were here.


    I had been checking myself in the mirror, but I honestly couldn¡¯t figure out what was changing.


    However, in Jung Hayan¡¯s eyes; it didn¡¯t seem that way at all.


    Little by little, her gaze became blunt.


    ¡®She¡¯s always like that.¡¯


    ¡°Hayan.¡±


    ¡°Hayan?¡±


    ¡°Hayan?!¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Yes!¡±


    It would be no exaggeration to say that my transformation was going smoothly just from her reaction.


    ¡°Did you finish all the work I ordered you to do?¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°The thing you had to send to Blue and the letter you should¡¯ve given to the shaman.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I did it all. As you¡¯ve said, I tied it tightly with magic and sent it.¡±


    ¡°Well done. After all, Hayan is the best.¡±


    ¡°But Kiyoung¡­ So, from now on, you don¡¯t have to stay here?¡±


    ¡°Huh. It doesn¡¯t mean I won¡¯t have any movement restrictions, but as long as I can attend the gathering, it¡¯ll be a convenience. It¡¯s all thanks to Jihye-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Perhaps, when the time passes, it will bepletely removed.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a relief.¡±


    As I talked with Jung Hayan, I could feel the time pass us by. In the meantime, Lee Jihye and the other ck Swan members continued to struggle with my appearance.


    After a while, even the physical change became apparent to me.


    ¡®Huh¡­


    I feel like I¡¯d be a handsome guy for some reason. Not as much the original face, but still¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s worthparing with Hyunsung as well¡­¡¯


    I could now kind of understand what clothes, hair, and makeup were, and how they were important.


    When they said that most of it was finished, I got up and once again looked at myself in the full-length mirror.


    I had gone into a suit, but the aristocrats¡¯ clothes, along with its many cumbersome decorations, certainly did not make it easy to move.


    ¡°Turn around, Kiyoung. I want to see if it went well.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course.¡±


    ¡°The decorations are a little crooked.¡±


    Lee Jihye quietly pinpointed what was wrong, but the expression of the guild staff told me they thought it looked good.


    ¡®So sly.¡¯


    The sight of Lee Jihyeing to me to check my clothes for thest time looked like a mother tying a father¡¯s tie to work.


    I don¡¯t know if it was because she wanted to show off to Jung Hayan or because she wanted to do it herself, but annoyance shed onto Hayan¡¯s


    face.


    ¡®If only they got on each other¡¯s nerves openly¡­¡¯


    I would have felt a little morefortable if they did, instead of going with such annoying subtlety.


    ¡°Our oppa is so cool, right, Hayan?¡±


    ¡°Ah? Yes¡­¡±


    Even with an important task ahead, Jihye still seemed to have some time for provocations.


    ¡°T-The rest, I will¡­¡±


    ¡°Since you¡¯ve been sitting so far, keep sitting. It¡¯s better to leave this to an expert, right?¡±


    Even tidying up the back of my jacket seemed to bother Jung Hayan.


    ¡®Stop, Jihye¡­


    Only


    ¡°That¡¯s right. All done!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Jihye-ssi.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wee. Of course, this is something I should do. Since our Hayan is still young and doesn¡¯t know anything, shouldn¡¯t I have to work hard to support you? I¡¯m having such a hard time because of this¡­ Ah¡­¡±


    The moment I saw Lee Jihye¡¯s face, which seemed to provoke openly, I was sure that we were soulmates.


    ¡®This is my wife, kid.¡¯


    Lee Jihye¡¯s expression as she taunted Hayan, was very simr to my usual expression.


    ¡°Shall we go now? I also have to prepare. Hayan, please take care of our oppa today.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course¡­¡±

 Chapter 127: Don’t Yield

    <h4>Chapter 127: Don¡¯t Yield</h4>


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll see you at the meeting. Kiyoung oppa, Hayan-ssi.¡±


    I felt a slight resentment towards Lee Jihye for leaving in such a heavy atmosphere. Jung Hayan didn¡¯t look all that good.


    Fortunately, she didn¡¯t seem like she was in the mood to kill anyone, but the look of defeat on her face didn¡¯t seem like it would go away anytime soon.


    ¡°The trimming¡¯s c-crooked, oppa¡­¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s not crooked.¡¯


    ¡°Ah¡­ I think it¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s crooked. 1-I¡¯ll fix it.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yeah¡­ Thank you, Hayan.¡±


    She had just now realized the difference between Lee Jihye and herself.


    Unlike she, who hade just to show off how she looked, Lee Jihye had made sure to take care of me, so she must be feeling inferior.


    Of course, I was not a child, and I didn¡¯t find any reason for women to act as pure housewives.


    If Kim Hyunsung were the one to stand on the podium today, it would have been me who¡¯d be fussing over him to make sure he looked good. I certainly wouldn¡¯t put makeup on him, but I would definitely make sure he had on the right clothes and the correct disposition.


    As she the representative agent among the representatives, Lee Jihye¡¯s behavior was quite normal. The problem was Jung Hayan, who had no choice but to ept all of this. Lee Jihye¡¯s snide remarks all throughout must have gotten to her.


    ¡®Because it¡¯s true¡­¡¯


    At this point, she¡¯d forgotten all about Lee Jihye saving my life, for the nervousness was evident on her face.=


    ¡°T-there¡¯s some dust here.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Thank you, Hayan.¡±


    ¡°There is something on your head, o-oppa¡­¡±


    Perhaps she was more affected than I thought, as she continued to smother me. Seeing her tear-filled eyes, I felt a sense of difort, as I knew she was on the verge of crying.


    Jung Hayan was ming herself. It shouldn¡¯t have been Lee Jihye who could take care of me, but her, who came from the same guild as I did. I personally would prefer Jihye handling things over her, but I, of course, wouldn¡¯t tell her that.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been b-busy since morning. I was also preparing¡­ I would take care of you if I had the time. Because of what you told me to do, I f-forgot¡­¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s okay. You don¡¯t have to exin, Hayan¡­¡¯


    ¡°No. It¡¯s okay. I can see how hard you¡¯ve worked. Seeing how pretty you look makes me happy too.¡±


    If Jung Hayan knew everything that Lee Jihye had handled, she would bow her head in shame.


    Unlike Jung Hayan, who only ran a very simple errand, Lee Jihye was not only manipting the masses in Lindel, manipting the media, and managing a personalwork within the castle, she was also defending me.


    However, what I wanted from Jung Hayan was not Lee Jihye¡¯s role.


    Each one of them had their own role to do.


    ¡°Jung Hayan is doing well. You don¡¯t have to worry about too many things.¡±


    She only needed to be patient as she was now, and to grow up as she had done so until now.


    This was not yet the stage for the out-of-standard great mage.


    ¡°O-oppa¡­¡±


    ¡®This is the stage for my soulmate and!


    As I snuck outside, I saw Victor Hart and some of his knights, whom I had recently met. They were my guards for the day, to protect me from any potential killer.


    ¡°Hello, Victor Hart.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a littlete, young man.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for taking care of all this.¡±


    ¡°I thought it wasn¡¯t dangerous enough to call out this resting old man¡­ You¡¯re more chicken-hearted than I thought.¡±


    ¡°There is nothing wrong with being careful.¡±


    ¡°Hee-ra said she would be waiting at the entrance. Then, will you go slowly?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just asking just in case¡­¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°A citizen of Celia has been killed, after all.¡±


    ¡°Of course not, Victor Hart. I am only a victim of murder threats. Juliana was just doing something her job to protect me.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you familiar too, Victor Hart? It is only because Ito Souta is coborating with the Pope¡¯s side and putting pressure on us by using me of being a suspect. Everything has been a calcted move. It would be retaliation from when we, the Blue, announced that the Yamato Guild was the main culprit in the Lindel terrorist incident. He is either trying to assassinate me or show me off as a murderer to conceal the truth.¡±


    ¡°Is that it?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Isn¡¯t it a little more intriguing that he couldn¡¯t stop Juliana in the first ce? What do you think, Victor Hart?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re asking, exactly.¡±


    ¡°If we assume that my sword was hurting someone around here, would Victor Hart be able to block it?¡±


    ¡°Ito Souta also has the ability to stop Juliana. Most of the invited guests here are probably able to stop Juliana. It is not true that I killed him on purpose.¡±


    ¡°But, you¡¯ve beenbeled a suspect.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because the world doesn¡¯t necessarily work with the truth. This is already not a simple murder case. It has be a little more political. Political battles within the Holy Empire were divided into the Emperor¡¯s and the Pope¡¯s. It¡¯s a fight for interests that has spread to Lindel and Celia.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s why they¡¯ve spread strange rumors over in Lindel.¡±


    I knew he was an armed man, but it seemed he had a logical mindset, too. I had to hold my breath, seeing him in such a bad mood.


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen a lot of young people like you. The ones with snake tongues.¡±


    And that¡¯s why I don¡¯t like quick-witted old men like you.¡¯


    As an old man who had gone through with all kinds of things, he was not just an ordinary fighter. This was a man who hadn¡¯t aged for nothing.


    Before I could organize my thoughts, he spoke once more.


    ¡°Usually, those kinds of people have sacrificed countless people to protect their own peace of mind, and they always don¡¯t end well. They destroy the people around them, as well as themselves in the end.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about¡­?¡±


    ¡°Tut-tut. Don¡¯t pretend like you don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve heard a lot of things. Aren¡¯t all of the provocations against Celia taking ce at Linde all your doing?¡±


    The old man¡¯s eyes appraising me quietly were making me nervous.


    Even if I kept ying innocent, I felt like there will be no results. I had no choice but to answer.


    ¡°About half is correct.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why you don¡¯t like this, but it was an unavoidable choice for me. If I must exaggerate a little, I wouldn¡¯t be attending this meeting in Lindel; instead, I would have been in court. Being caught up in Ito Souta¡¯s and Pope¡¯s traps, I don¡¯t know much, but I know I would suffer a lot of damage.¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t die.¡±


    ¡°Of course, because I am a lover that the Mercenary Queen cares about, and I am a client of the Yozora Guild¡¯s Shaman. But what do you think? If I were an ordinary person who didn¡¯t have any connections, are you sure I wouldn¡¯t get my throat cut in this situation?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    ¡°It would be difficult. A concession is a word suitable for people like you. Let¡¯s suppose I gave them a hundred concessions to minimize conflict. I mean to say, old man, that I¡¯m only human. It¡¯s so simple that if the favor continues, they¡¯ll think it¡¯s a right. Then you¡¯ll have to yield, and if you yield this time, chances are you¡¯ll have to yield the next.¡±


    ¡°Among the many free people, do you know why I can talk to you here in less than a year aftering from the tutorial dungeon? How could an idiot with no talent or special talent be here? It is not because I¡¯m the one that mercenary queen loves. It¡¯s not because I¡¯m the shaman¡¯s client.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because I didn¡¯t yield; thus, I¡¯ve reached this point.¡±


    ¡°Tut¡­¡±


    ¡°Because I didn¡¯t yield, I¡¯m being protected by the best-unmanned man in the Holy Empire. Because I didn¡¯t yield, I can be in a party venue and not in the courtroom, and because I didn¡¯t yield, I¡¯m still alive. Special people will not understand. Those who stand in a position that can concede don¡¯t understand guys like me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a unique way to think.¡±


    ¡°Anyone can think like this. The answeres when you think about why the Emperor of the Holy Empire gets conscious of the Pope¡¯s side. You¡¯ve probably been making concessions for centuries. It¡¯s because you kept yielding that it has be this way. Humans or groups who avoid conflict cannot speak out. I can understand you. Of course, I understand your love for the empire. But that¡¯s possible because you are in a position of power. There are so many guys like me in the world - those who ravenously eat the ones that yield and the ones who have fallen to the ground. In extreme terms, it¡¯s like you raised them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s sophistry. All you say is sophistry.¡±


    ¡°I hear that often. Still, there must be something you agree with. If I had swung my sword, had I coveted what was mine without conceding, what would¡¯ve happened?¡±


    ¡°There must have been a fight and a quarrel. There must have been a lot of blood on my hands, and I must have lived a life stained with regret because of


    ¡°Instead, the Emperor and his descendants, whom you love, would have lived a happy life. Of course, I understand that harmony is important. I am not telling you to defeat the Pope¡¯s side right away. They are already part of this Holy Empire. Still, to protect your rights, you must not yield.¡±


    ¡°I am not trying to start a war. I just choose not to give in to their own selfish desires.¡±


    ¡°If¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°What would you do if the ones you were talking about also don¡¯t yield?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I want to avoid war, too. One thing I can tell you for sure is that I don¡¯t mean to cause conflict. Stepping aside is something the other person should do. I threw the card, and whether to take it or avoid it is in their hands.¡±


    ¡°If they do not avoid it¡­¡±


    ¡°I told you, I already threw it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re scarier than I thought¡­ And also excellent¡­ I can see why Hee-ra likes you.¡±


    ¡°I will take that as apliment, old man.¡±


    ¡°Tut. Do you even like Heera?¡±


    ¡®Subtlety is not your strong suit, Victor.¡¯


    As we continued to walk, Jung Hayan stared up at me, almost as if waiting for my answer. Of course, there wasn¡¯t a right answer for this, but I had long since prepared an answer for such a situation.


    ¡°About half.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡±


    ¡°It looks like you care about her a lot.¡±


    ¡°Of course. It may sound funny, but Hee-ra is like a daughter to me.¡±


    I didn¡¯t answer after that. I saw Cha Hee-ra waiting once we arrived at the entrance hall. Her figure had been d up in a red dress, alongside her red hair and bright, red lips.


    ¡°Victor, honey, what did you two talk about?¡±


    ¡°Nothing much.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m happy to see the two people I like arriving side by side. Secondly¡­ You look a little pretty. You¡¯ll make a good impression wherever you go. What do you think, honey? It¡¯s been a while since I wore something like this. Do I look good?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t about looking good or not.


    Only


    I could see the numerous wounds that the revealing dress exposed, the wounds that showed the struggles Cha Hee-ra had faced. Although we chose different paths, I could see that she had lived a life simr to mine.


    Until she got to her current position, she never looked back.


    Cha Heera was fire - a zing, unquenchable fire. She wore a confident expression and an unrelenting attitude, unashamed to show off the wounds on her body.


    ¡°You look beautiful.¡±


    Upon hearing my words, Cha Hee-ra¡¯s face turned red, and Jung Hayan¡¯s hand squeezed mine painfully.


    And then¡­


    ¡°Guild Master Mercenary Queen Cha Hee-ra of the Red Mercenary Guild and Victor Hart-nim, Knight Commander of the Imperial Knights. Lee Kiyoung of the Blue Guild and Jung Hayan, also of the Blue Guild, are entering.¡±


    I heard a booming voice announcing our entry.

 Chapter 128: Trap Card Invoked (1)

    <h4>Chapter 128: Trap Card Invoked (1)</h4>


    I was not particrly interested. I had a n to put into action, and making my debut into the social world wasn¡¯t part of it. However, it would be quite beneficial.


    Just do what you have to do.¡¯


    Being a new figure always earned attention, especially one known as the lover of the Mercenary Queen, and the hot topic of this meeting. Simply put, this gave me an advantageous position.


    With that simple announcement, all eyes had gone to me.


    There wasn¡¯t such a daring person who would go so far as to mess with me, someone who was currently being protected by Victor Hart.


    I could see a luxurious interior as the door opened for us. Tables were arranged on one side, with uniform-d servants walking around carrying trays filled with light desserts or wine. Asians with dark hair talking over in one corner stood out.


    Of course, the most eye-catching among them were the imperialdies with colorful hair.


    Just by looking at the clothes, I could tell the fabric was luxurious, and the essories they were wearing were difficult to measure in terms of value.


    ¡®Imperial nobility:


    Those wearing the clothes of the priests of the Holy Empire were also noticeable. Perhaps they belonged to the Pope¡¯s side. What was confusing about them were the clothes and ornaments they wore, all looking highly expensive.


    It seemed that their religion did not have integrity included in their motto.


    Before I could take another step, I saw Cha Hee-ra reaching out to me, an expression of guilt on her face.


    ¡°Hold it, honey.¡±


    Even in the Holy Empire, it wasmon for men to escort women, yet Cha Hee-ra took my hand and started to lead me in a provoking manner.


    Although my arm hurt from the magic flowing to me, I kept my mouth shut tight and moved on.


    ¡®It fucking hurts. Fuck¡­


    The Mercenary Queen¡¯s gaze showed that she didn¡¯t care about what people thought of us as we walked. I didn¡¯t know how this would look to the people, a man being escorted by a strong woman, but¡­


    ¡®It works.


    This was helpful for my image.


    ¡°She is¡­¡±


    ¡°The rumor that the Mercenary Queen fell in love is true. Is this her first time?¡±


    ¡°He looks a little different from what I thought. I thought he would look a bit rougher¡­¡±


    ¡°It looks like he is a capable alchemist. He must be the academic type.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a face that I can¡¯t think of hurting anyone. And he¡¯s cute¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, I felt it too. Doesn¡¯t it make you want to protect him?¡±


    ¡°Right. It makes you think exactly that.¡±


    ¡°The Mercenary Queen¡¯s taste is great. At first nce, he looks ordinary, but you can see some peculiar aura around him¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. Yes, I felt that too.¡±


    The women talking to each other had their mouths covered with the fans they held, but I could still hear everything.


    ¡®What are thosedies talking about?¡¯


    I wasn¡¯t sure, exactly, but it felt like I had be a hit with the nobledies.


    Of course, this meant that the other men were looking at me in disgust. It hurt my pride slightly, but it wasn¡¯t too bad being known as the idiot following the Mercenary Queen.


    Anyway, my true prowess would be known someday. For now, it would be best to appear as the victim.


    ¡®That kind of guy?¡¯


    ¡®Ha, it must be a joke.¡¯


    ¡®A murderer, you¡¯ve to be kidding?


    ¡®There must be something in there.¡¯


    To instill this kind of perception was the first step. I didn¡¯t know if Cha Hee-ra intended for this to happen, but thanks to her bold actions, it was working so


    far.


    Even though we had been here for some time, eyes were still on us. I could see some peopleing over with the intention to talk


    I knew whoever you talked to first was a very important procedure. It would be good if we could talk to someone powerful.


    Once I settled in the right ce, I could see Jung Hayan biting her lips tightly.


    ¡°Our little Hayan looks quite miserable.¡±


    ¡°You can enter together tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes.¡±


    ¡°I like being fair.¡±


    Even in the midst of this, I felt grateful for Cha Hee-ra¡¯s consideration for Jung Hayan.


    ¡°It feels like all the main characters are gathered here.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Duchess Catherine.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Victor Hart-nim. How is the Mercenary Queen?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡®Huh, not bad.


    The one who had spoken to us was a woman with indigo hair. With just one look, one could tell that she held a very high position.


    ¡®Duchess Catherine.¡¯


    This was a woman who was said to be the center of the social church. Despite her position as the Duchess, I knew that she had made many connections because of her unique sociability.


    She held a lot of influence even in the Holy Empire. That was because she went on the front line for her old husband, who was currently lying in bed.


    In other words, it meant that she was someone who was optimized for working on sociability.


    ¡°Is this the protagonist of the buzzing rumors?¡±


    ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Catherine. You look a little different from what I imagined.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡±


    ¡°I imagined someone a little scarier. I didn¡¯t know you¡¯d be handsomely tall like this.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. Duchess Catherine is very beautiful, just as I heard.¡±


    ¡°Oh. You¡¯ve heard of me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course. I always hear a lot of stories about you from Hee-ra.¡±


    Smooth talk was my forte. As expected, I could see her smiling in response.


    ¡°If the Mercenary Queen doesn¡¯t mind, is it okay if I borrow your boyfriend for a while?¡±


    ¡°Of course, Duchess. I was worried that you would be bored of us, but I feel relieved.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    There was frustration on Jung Hayan¡¯s face, but I had gotten Cha Heera¡¯s okay sign. She had something else to do as well.


    Perhaps we would talk about the current atmosphere of Lindel with the ck Swan¡¯s master.


    Jung Hayan would also have to show her face to the court wizards, so it was natural that I had to deal with her too.


    As I extended my left arm to Duchess Catherine, I saw her face looking at it unexpectedly.


    In fact, it was only to protect my right arm that Hee-ra had caught earlier, but in her eyes, it seemed that I was escorting her.


    Of course, other nobledies beside her had also begun to approach me slowly. Since I was the center of gossip, it was natural for me to receive such treatment. As I saw questioning nces on everyone¡¯s expressions, wondered about what to start with.


    Above everything else, I knew it would help not to indulge into the topic they wanted right away.


    ¡®It is important toy down some stable foundation for conversation, first.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t just talk about the incident right away.


    ¡°Oh¡­ Then the Mercenary Queen¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. Hee-ra and I have known each other back on Earth. From then on, she helped me a lot.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh. So that¡¯s it.¡±


    ¡°Where did you get the sword called Juliana?¡±


    ¡°I got it while trying to save a party member from an attack in a dungeon. Originally, it was supposed to be owned by our guild master, Kim Hyunsung, but Juliana didn¡¯t choose him.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s awesome. I heard what the Blue went through because of someone¡¯s interest in the Free City. You found the treasure during the attack in the Cursed Shrine, right?¡±


    ¡°You seem well informed.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I heard that the potion you made was used to sessfully reduce the curse¡¯s effect, am I right? It was a hot topic in Lindel, as it was the first time an alchemist made something to help with an expedition.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I feel embarrassed.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so that really happened?¡±


    ¡°How amusing¡­¡±


    It seemed like some people already know about me. Of course, this didn¡¯t mean that they had researched about me in advance.


    Surely Lee Jihye had been talking about me everywhere. I didn¡¯t know how, but she must have instilled only the good stuff about me.


    From then on, we moved to talking and establishing friendships.


    ¡°Yamato Guild¡¯s Ito Souta from the free city of Celia is entering.¡±


    The guy who messed with me started walking slowly from the entrance. Of course, gazes flew from all over the ce.


    A pretty sharp-looking face came into view. He must have been good at keeping appearances.


    He did not only receive favorable nces from the Pope and his underlings, but also from the other nobles present in the party as well.


    ¡®So he¡¯s talented¡­¡¯


    There were already peopleing to greet him. At first nce, it seemed like he was intent on showing it all to me - hiswork, his talent, and his established talent.


    He moved with dignity and gave off a good impression. He didn¡¯t seem to be someone who hadmitted this kind of thing.


    I didn¡¯t know when he came, but if one were to assume that he had managed the people here for a long time, their trust in him probably went beyond imagination.


    His situation was different from Cha Hee-ra, who only kept close to Victor Hart.


    Considering that Park Yeonjoo of the ck Swan has just be a guild master and Yuno Kasugano didn¡¯t have that kind of personality¡­


    ¡®It means he¡¯s a popr guy.


    What was unexpected was that he was fast approaching me. At this, I changed expressions at once, shifting into a slightly frightened stance.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t figure out why he was talking to me.


    To simply show off? Or did he want to reconcile?


    I doubted it was thetter.


    ¡°Yes¡­ Long time no see.¡±


    The nobledies began to step aside, and Victor Hart began to get a little wary of him. As long as he was acting as my escort, this kind of behavior would be natural.


    I could see a little bit of interest on his face.


    ¡®Ha¡­¡¯


    There was amusement on his face.


    ¡®That¡¯s right, that¡¯s it.¡¯


    Souta did not know much about me. He probably thought of me as an easy win.


    However, the results would be different from the one he was expecting.


    I was not in the courtroom but in the social hall, and Lindel was on the verge of exploding.


    Even in the Holy Empire, I was in a position that was not to be messed with.


    From his standpoint, I must have just seemed like an interesting toy.


    ¡°There seems to be a little misunderstanding, Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡®Son of a¡­


    He wasn¡¯t backing down at all.


    On the contrary, he was definitely looking down on me, acting as if he had already won.


    ¡®You worked hard. That¡¯s pretty good. So what can you do now? You know you have no other option anyway. Hold my hand. That¡¯s the best you can do.¡¯


    That was what he was trying to say. I would be lying if I said that didn¡¯t hurt my pride.


    Suddenly, a voice spoke out from behind me.


    ¡°Saying it¡¯s a misunderstanding now? Stop with the bullsh*t.¡±


    ¡°Cha Hee-ra-nim, we only want to keep a good rtionship with Lindel. Whatever the reason, the two groups are too heated up.¡±


    ¡°Are they?¡±


    ¡°In the Holy Empire, we do not want conflict. Whatever the case¡¯s circumstances, I think it would be a good idea to unravel each other¡¯s resentment. It hurts me to lose one guild member too¡­ Isn¡¯t it better to coborate than to be fighting within the borders of the Holy Empire?¡±


    In summary, he was saying that he was willing to sacrifice, to yield in the name of peace.


    ¡°You should be talking to my honey, not me, Ito Souta.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Of course, I¡¯m also talking to Lee Kiyoung. I think it would be better not to cause any more problems. We sincerely apologize if our actions felt threatening.¡±


    Only


    His act of putting down his pride was indeed a spectacle. Upon the watchful eyes of everyone, I had no choice but to reach out for his outstretched hand.


    As I held out my hand unwillingly, Ito Souta squeezed my hand tight, smiling.


    If there was one thing he didn¡¯t expect¡­


    ¡°Thank you for the rational choice¡­ huh?¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhhh!¡±


    Indeed, one of my arms had not been normal from the moment I entered this ce.


    I invoked the trap card, you bastard!¡¯


    ¡°Ahhhhhhh!¡±

 Chapter 129: Card Trap Invoked (2)

    <h4>Chapter 129: Card Trap Invoked (2)</h4>


    Of course, I never intended to end things on even ground. It was not a bad idea to break an arm or dislocate a shoulder, but the gift I had prepared for Ito Souta was a little heavier.


    As I slipped my magic power into the pre-loaded magic from Cha Heera, results better than I had expected began to appear.


    I heard that it would hurt, but it was actually a lot more painful than I thought.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!!¡±


    The blood fountain popped out of my right arm instantly. At this, Cha Hee-ra cut off my arm with an urgent expression.


    Of course, she wasn¡¯t attacking me. Amputating my arm was more of a first aid.


    Before we had entered, the magical power that she had nted in advance had alreadye up through my body. Had my arm not been cut now, her magic would have soon prated my brain.


    Although I felt tremendous agony, seeing Ito Souta¡¯s absurd expression was more than worth it.


    It¡¯s a painkiller, a painkiller.¡¯


    ¡°This son of a¡­!¡±


    ¡®Huh, I like the acting.¡¯


    Cha Hee-ra¡¯s acting definitely added more liveliness to the sudden event. In the first ce, the person who had objected to the n and felt that it was too dangerous was her, so this added more realism to her feigned urgency.


    I wanted tough out loud. However, all I could do was scream.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!¡±


    My arm fell off in an instant.


    Of course, it was painful. No, it would be correct to say that the screams that I had endured so far burst out at once. I couldn¡¯t bear it, as I had been enduring the pain right from the moment that she escorted me into the party.


    I felt like a newborn baby.


    The group of nobledies moved away from me as they screamed in unison. I could see Jung Hayan running towards me with a startled expression.


    At this, Cha Hee-ra clenched her fist and turned to attack Ito Souta.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°Kyak!¡±


    ¡°Take this!¡±


    In the first ce, to pretend to be the real victim, it was effective to move yourself. Though painful, it was the only reasonable option.


    Even when faced with Cha Heera¡¯s fist, I saw Ito Souta¡¯s distorted face staring at me.


    It was only for a short moment, but as I rolled around on the ground, I let myself smile.


    ¡°Stupid bastard!¡±


    Kwajijijik!


    With a loud sound, Cha Heera¡¯s fist connected with his face, and his body flew through the air


    Baaaaaaang!


    ¡°This son of a bitch¡­¡±


    ¡°Cough¡­¡±


    After the smoke had cleared, I could see Ito Souta spitting blood as he raised himself up against the wall, with Cha Hee-ra approaching him.


    I knew he would be experiencing pain beyond imagination, for his endurance wasn¡¯t that high.


    Most of the attendees had a hard time following what was happening, but most of their eyes had fallen on me. I had naturally gathered their attention as I continued screaming in pain.


    The priests flocked to my side in no time, and many started running towards this side to check my condition.


    ¡°O-Oppa, are you okay? Oppa¡­ Sniff¡­ Oppa¡­¡±


    ¡°Uuggh¡­¡±


    ¡°Oppa¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!¡±


    Jung Hayan, who didn¡¯t know how to react in these kinds of situations, was holding my arm while crying, sheddingrge drops of tears. Lee Jihye, who came running, was also tearing her dress and controlling the blood dripping out from me.


    ¡®Huh, this is a really great scene.¡¯


    I felt like I was an actor in a movie.


    ¡°How did this happen?¡± Lee Jihye asked an obvious question to the nearby priest.


    Of course, she knew. Her own acting skills were outstanding.


    ¡°No, please treat him first. You need to reattach his arm. What are you doing? It¡¯s not the time to falter! Call the priest right now!¡±


    ¡°Quickly, the priest¡­ The priest!¡±


    ¡°If you dawdle for too long, it won¡¯t only be his arm that would be lost!¡±


    ¡°Please tell me the symptoms.¡±


    ¡°S-someone intentionally put in magic power through him. Fortunately, Cha Hee-ra prevented this by cutting off his arm, but he should be in a lot of pain. 1-I think the first thing is to suture the arm. Before it¡¯s toote, you must clear the remaining energy from the fallen arm. S-someone¡­¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯ll do it¡­¡±


    ¡°Please, Hayan.¡±


    Thankfully, this priest¡¯s remarks were falling in our favor. It would have been better if I¡¯d screamed even louder, but this was already quite effective. The sudden flood of magical power that started from my right arm was the cause of this situation, after all.


    And, even better, the suspect was obvious.


    It was our very own Ito Souta.


    This bastard was the culprit, in any angle that one would choose to take.


    Usually, those ssified as strong had a ss effect, the knowledge of advanced magic power management. Being able to deliberately inject magic into my arm and make it explode was only possible with those who had earned this kind of knowledge.


    The ones capable of that in this ce were at most five people, and the ones thate to mind first are Cha Hee-ra, Victor Hart, and Ito Souta.


    In the first ce, Victor Hart couldn¡¯t afford to put magic power in me, leaving only two suspects, and my beloved Hee-ra couldn¡¯t possibly do that to me, which left Ito Souta.


    Perhaps he was aware that he had gotten himself into a trap.


    As I lifted my head a little, I could see Jung Hayan grabbing my fallen arm and pushing away the remaining magical power, and behind her, I could see the bastard vomiting blood.


    ¡°Cough¡­ Bleargh¡­¡±


    It was a sudden attack, but he should have been able to avoid it.


    It felt a little frustrating.


    Although I was happy to see the guy vomiting blood, it would be better to see him counterattack Cha Hee-ra. However, things were exciting as they already were.


    The Yamato Guild members around him tried to somehow stop Cha Heera, but it was impossible. I wanted to see more, but¡­


    ¡®It will be hard in this context.


    Seeing the guards and Victor Hart blocking Cha Hee-ra, it seemed that I wouldn¡¯t be able to.


    I could see the crumpled expression on Victor¡¯s face as he quietly stared at Cha Hee-ra.


    ¡°Stop. I won¡¯t allow this to go any further.¡±


    ¡°Get out, old man. My business is not with you, but with the motherfucker behind you.¡±


    ¡°This is not a training center, Hee-ra.¡±


    ¡°You probably know who started this nonsense! Still, seeing you blocking, it looks like it¡¯s me, not that bastard¡­ The same goes for the other guards¡­ Are you still unable to distinguish who among us is the victim and the perpetrator? Do you need other evidence? He was caught in the act. Dying is nothing for this bastard who tried to kill my honey in front of me.¡±


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    Though everything she had said was purely nonsense, her acting was enough.


    No matter how crazy Ito Souta was, he surely wouldn¡¯t be crazy enough to burst my head with magic at such a ce where all the executives were gathered.


    If one were to think calmly, it was possible to recognize that the culprit wasn¡¯t Souta Ito.


    However, the same went for me.


    Of course, I was also not crazy enough to kill his guild members in the Holy City of the Holy Empire.


    I don¡¯t have the guts to do that¡­¡¯


    It would all lead back to the pain I suffered today. Just like what Souta had done, I had made up my own truth.


    ¡°You know that¡¯s weird. No matter how much he threatened Lee Kiyoung, he is not stupid enough to do something in a ce like this. Obviously, something is wrong. The first thing to do is to listen to the story ording to the procedure.¡±


    ¡°Well. It¡¯s up to you to think. We have pretty high-level information.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you clearly because there is no physical evidence, but it¡¯s all based on influence. I fully understand why Ito Souta did such a foolish thing. Even in this situation, he wanted to cover our honey¡¯s mouths. He knows that if our honey opens his mouth, he will not be safe.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s it.¡¯


    Cha Hee-ra was acting better than I had initially thought. I was worried about her abilities, but it seemed like she was doing a great job.


    ¡®Attagirl, Cha Hee-ra!¡¯


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    ¡°He wanted to shut Kiyoung up so much that he did this in a ce like this. He has a motive for that. I will vouch for it.¡±


    Of course, that¡¯s a lie.¡¯


    ¡°In the first ce, he threatened our honey and used Juliana to incriminate him for that reason¡­¡±


    ¡®That was also a lie.¡¯


    ¡°Can this also be exined if I say that the Lindel terror incident is also rted to this?¡±


    ¡®Of course, that was also a lie.¡¯


    ¡°If so, you know that you shouldn¡¯t be punishing his crimes. I understand that the person you love is injured and that you feel enraged, but please think about what kind of ce this is. Otherwise¡­ I have no choice but to lift my sword.¡±


    Victor Hart looked pretty nervous as he spoke. It was clear that Cha Hee-ra¡¯s acting had him convinced that she might be telling the truth.


    ¡®She¡¯s like a daughter to him, after all.¡¯


    Considering his words, it seemed that he had tremendous trust in Cha Heera, but they did say that raising a son or daughter might be useless in the end.


    Victor Hart, who had his sword raised quietly, stood there with a crumpled expression, so I had no choice but to open my mouth. There would be nothing to gain if I failed to confront the situation any further.


    ¡°Hee-ra, I¡¯m¡­ fine¡­¡±


    ¡°Honey.¡±


    Seeing Cha Hee-ra¡¯s beautiful figure rushing to meet me, my heart pounded.


    At this moment, she was more precious to me than Kim Hyunsung was. For some reason, I felt sorry for Hyunsung, but anyway¡­


    ¡°Are you okay, honey? What about your arm?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­ You can¡¯t make a fuss. Hee-ra¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Okay.¡±


    As the excitement subsided, her voice returned to that cheap y tone again. Fortunately, Victor Hart and the other guards had begun to encircle Souta Ito at this point in time.


    ¡°I have to arrest you first. What is your reason for doing that in a ce like this?¡±


    ¡°I did not attack Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°For now, you will be investigated ording to our procedure.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s a good word. The procedure¡­¡¯


    ¡°Yes. For now, I will ept to be investigated, but I attest that I have never attacked Lee Kiyoung. I would like to tell the others here that I did not approach him with the intention of killing, nor did I ever threaten him.¡±


    ¡°There will be a chance to make statements separatelyter. For now,e with me.¡±


    Only


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    I saw him looking at me. It was only for a brief moment, but the anger on his face was evident


    He had thought of me as an easy win and was proven wrong. I knew he would feel furious. I¡¯m sure he would love nothing more than to destroy me right now.


    ¡®If you wanted to kill me, you¡¯ve chosen the wrong ce.


    In the first ce, he shouldn¡¯t have gone for such a political fight.


    ¡®It¡¯s not over yet. Poor guy. This is just the beginning, so you can look forward to more.¡¯


    As I slowly lifted my middle finger, a thrilling pleasure ran through my back.


    ¡®Screw you.¡¯

 Chapter 130: Trap card invoked (3)

    <h4>Chapter 130: Trap card invoked (3)</h4>


    ¡®Screw you.


    Laughter came out of my mouth. I tried to resist it, but found that I couldn¡¯t. I was still surrounded by people trying to assist me, after all.


    ¡°H-He seems to be suffering seizures. Priests, please keep doing the spells, and wizards, please check if his body has some magic flooding.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Lee Jihye, who realized about my situation, luckily made up a lie in time, so I was forced to roll around once more as I held my arm. At this point, I could also see Yuno Kasugano pacing around restlessly.


    In fact, there was no reason for her to stay. My body was already recovering. I was already craving to rest in my room than to stay here creating a spectacle for the people.


    However, I needed to continue the act for one reason, and one reason only.


    ¡®We are the victims, you bastards!¡¯


    That was the message I wanted to portray.


    Of course, the person who showed this even better than I did was Jung Hayan.


    ¡°Waaaah, oppaaa! Waaaah¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­¡±


    ¡°Sniff¡­¡±


    Jung Hayan looked utterly lost and sad as she gazed down at me. For her, all of this must¡¯ve seemed real. Thus, her reaction was normal, seeing as she had almost seen me die from the hands of that dirty bastard.


    Anyone who saw her would think that I was already dead.


    Because she was crying so sadly, she had managed to touch the hearts of some of the nobledies within the crowd.


    Even Kasugano Yuno, who knew about the situation, had tears in her eyes. This kind of situation probably felt unfamiliar to her.


    My only role was to show how much pain I was feeling. At the same time, however, it wouldn¡¯t be good for me to overact at this point. As Lee Jihye thought of the same, she shifted her effort into lightening the atmosphere.


    It was then that Cha Hee-ra lifted me up. I knew this would prove to be another spectacle.


    She didn¡¯t seem to care about the blood on my body and clothes. In an instant, her body became covered in blood, yet this must seem like an infinitely beautiful view to the nobles of the Holy Empire.


    I really felt like I was being protected by this woman. Though I had not touched her all over, I could feel her solid body.


    Hee-ra wasn¡¯t needlessly bulked like Park Deokgu. Her muscles were perfectlypressed.


    When I thought of Ito Souta, who was beaten up by this massive fist,ughter came out again.


    ¡®It¡¯s great that you¡¯re not dead.


    At the right moment, he had probably protected his body with all his power. However, seeing that he vomited blood, he must¡¯ve suffered fatal injuries.


    To put it inly, Ito Souta had received double the damage that I had sustained.


    At this, we left the party hurriedly.


    Jung Hayan was also following me while wiping away her tears, and Lee Jihye stayed behind, as she felt like the duty fell on her to calm the people we would be leaving behind.


    Since she had confirmed that I was safe, she had moved on to the next part of the n.


    I felt a little disappointed, but that was Lee Jihye for you.


    ¡®It¡¯s also an action that¡¯ll work in my favor¡­¡¯


    Meanwhile, we were cruising straight into the medical wing.


    As soon as we arrived, Cha Hee-ra ced me down onto the bed, her expression serious.


    Even as the priests came and began the treatment again, I couldn¡¯t resist theughter.


    Jung Hayan also took a step back and looked at me, and Cha Hee-ra quietly opened her mouth.


    ¡°How is his state?¡±


    ¡°It seems like he¡¯s gotten a lot better, Cha Hee-ra. I don¡¯t think there will be any other side effects if he continues to rest like this.¡±


    ¡°Good work. Now you may go.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Hayan, you should go, too.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to¡­¡±


    ¡°Hayan, if you go to my room, there will be a letter in the second chest of drawers. You can go now and give it to the shaman.¡±


    ¡°O-oppa¡­ Sniff¡­¡±


    ¡°My body is fine, so you should listen to me, alright?¡±


    ¡°Y¡­ Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°You just need toe back after changing clothes and washing up. Just deliver it to her, then we¡¯ll stay together. You¡¯re a good girl, right? Tell Kasugano Yuno that I¡¯m fine now.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Yes¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t know why Cha Hee-ra asked even Jung Hayan to go, but the truth was I also wanted her to leave for a while. The errand she must do was just a good excuse.


    I felt a little sorry, seeing her still crying, but I couldn¡¯t openlyugh in front of that worried face.


    The priests had already left the room in a hurry, followed by a depressed Hayan.


    At this point, I had no choice but to let out theughter I had been holding back.


    ¡°Puh ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.¡±


    ¡°Puh ha ha ha ha ha. Cough!¡±


    I burst so badly that I began to cough. Cha Heera looked at me without saying anything


    ¡°I feel like a decade-old congestion has gone down. Hee-ra, did you see Ito Souta¡¯s face? Cough. Puhaha.¡±


    ¡°It was much more perfect than I thought. Really¡­ Actually, it would be better if he avoided your fist there¡­ That¡¯s a little disappointing. Had you beaten him to death there, it would have made things a lot easier. No, if I think about it now, I¡¯m d he¡¯s still alive. There are still a lot of gifts that I¡¯ve prepared, so he can¡¯t die just yet. You controlled your strength, right? Or was that bastard just quick to react? Puhaha. Anyway, it was sessful in the end. Cough.¡±


    While Iughed continuously, Cha Heera¡¯s expression began to change little by little. I didn¡¯t know why, but for some reason, I couldn¡¯t get rid of the feeling that she wasn¡¯t happy at all.


    ¡®Why is she like that?¡¯


    Obviously, I had no choice but to feel self-conscious.


    At this point, Cha Hee-ra began to speak, angerced into her tone.


    ¡°Honey.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Is this funny?¡±


    ¡®Why is she doing this again?¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m asking if this is funny, you bastard. Fuck Ito Souta or whatever, are you aware that you almost died?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t even say that it¡¯s fine since you¡¯re not dead. If things had happened a littleter, you could have died. You could have been crippled for your entire life. If I hadn¡¯t cut off your arm¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I said I believe in you, Hee-ra.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying that. It¡¯s about your attitude. I¡¯ve seen many crazy guys in my life so far, but this is the first time I¡¯ve ever seen a crazy guy like you, you bastard. I sometimes see people betting their lives, but this is the first time see someoneughing over it. Do you really want to die?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    ¡°If you want to tell me anytime. I¡¯ll beat you to death myself.¡±


    ¡°Why are you doing this?¡±


    A strong, unusual feeling welled up from within me. I had initially thought that Cha Hee-ra wouldugh alongside me once everyone had gone, so her reaction confused me.


    However, as soon as she began biting her lips tightly, I could understand why she reacted that way.


    ¡®Huh¡­¡¯


    I never imagined that the Mercenary Queen would ever look like this.


    ¡®No way¡­¡¯


    I thought about whether Cha Hee-ra was really into me, but I shook that thought away.


    No matter how much I tried to imagine it, the picture of her clinging onto me just didn¡¯t seem possible. It felt a little confusing, but at least her worry for me didn¡¯t seem that undeniable.


    No, she indeed liked me, as she said. Whatever the reason, this could be called a green light.


    ¡°Are you worried about me?¡±


    ¡°Shut your mouth¡­¡±


    As I gently rubbed her face, she trailed off.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry, Hee-ra.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because you were there. That¡¯s why I was able tough. I didn¡¯t think you would make a mistake. I was not betting my life. I knew I would never die.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Hee-ra.¡±


    I grabbed her face and pulled her closer, causing her to tremble.


    ¡®She is nervous.


    I would have never imagined it, but Hee-ra was actually nervous. At that moment, seeing her desire for me, I knew I was half-right with what I had been thinking.


    However, when she squeezed my arm none-too-gently, I couldn¡¯t help but let out a scream.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    ¡°S-Sorry.¡±


    ¡°No, Heera.¡±


    Her reaction this time around was also a bit different.


    Hee-ra looked a little embarrassed, as if she knew that she did something that wasn¡¯t like her at all. I saw her desperately trying to change the subject.


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m d to hear that it went well as you thought.¡±


    ¡°Yes. This is enough. It turned the situation over.¡±


    ¡°You have other ideas, right? You screamed as much as you wanted, but everyone will be wondering what it is that you know. They¡¯ll want to know why Ito Souta tried to kill you. Without solid evidence, he can be released easily.¡±


    ¡°I know that. The Holy Empire hates conflicts, after all.¡±


    ¡°It is certainly an ambiguous problem to execute the master of arge guild¡­ Considering that the Pope¡¯s side is also looking after the Yamato Guild, he¡¯ll probably be released a week or twoter.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry. I¡¯m only telling you, but I¡¯ve been working on something separately.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You can think of it as being rted to the errand I sent Hayan.¡±


    At this point, Hee-ra had donned a curious expression. I wondered if it would be better to keep my mouth shut, but I felt like she had the right to know.


    Telling her a little wouldn¡¯t ruin it, anyway.


    ¡°That¡¯s because I released the potion in Japan.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m distributing potions from Blue to Japan through Yuno Kasugano. Of course, externally, Shaman and Blue will take the position that they have nothing to do with this potion¡­ The people will know that a new n in Japan is developing and distributing this potion.¡±


    Only


    ¡°You¡­ bastard¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, with the new n as a distraction, rumors will spread that the real distributor of this is Ito Souta. Now, because of these damn procedures, his movements will be limited. This is a good time for the media toe into the foyer. Of course, I¡¯m not going to spread rumors directly here. It would be too risky. The truth will be revealed little by little¡­ That will eventually choke him.¡±


    ¡°You do know that Ito Souta made a good impression not only for the Pope but also for the nobles, right, honey?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why It¡¯s even better, Hee-ra. People don¡¯t really care about the bad guysmitting crimes. Rather, it¡¯ll be easier to work with if his appearance is good. I don¡¯t know exactly, but by the time Ito Souta appears in society again, public opinion about him will be irreversibly deteriorating. I can squeeze his image to the point where it will be impossible for him to recover.¡±


    ¡°Do you know what these kinds of people find the most fun in the world?¡±


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    ¡°They find it fun talking behind other people¡¯s backs.¡±


    A disconcerted expression appeared on Cha Hee-ra¡¯s face.

 Chapter 131: Witch hunt (1)

    <h4>Chapter 131: Witch hunt (1)</h4>


    Nobles who had nothing else to do liked to gossip about other people, and this was a subject that I knew everyone would like talking about.


    The news that Ito Souta, who everyone initially saw as a nice guy, tried to assassinate an innocent to conceal his weakness; this was enough to shake his social circle.


    Because he had a good image and reigned as an idol in the social world, this had created arger impact.


    After my conversation with Cha Heera was over, it felt a little wasteful to spend the day byforting Jung Hayan, but at the same time, I was in a good mood over the things I was hearing. Knowing that Lee Jihye was working hard was enough to make me happy.


    Though talking was part of my skill, backtalk was Jihye¡¯s specialty.


    ¡®Today, I should backtalk too.


    Anyway, it had been a while since Yuno Kasugano came here. She knelt down quietly and bowed to me.


    ¡°You seem to be in a good mood, master.¡±


    ¡°Of course, there are no aftereffects like I thought, and the n is proceeding smoothly.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ Did it hurt a lot?¡±


    ¡°It hurts, but it¡¯s fine. I took painkillers beforehand¡­ In fact, it wasn¡¯t very effective because it felt like the magic was turning my insides¡­ Rather, how is the distribution going?¡±


    ¡°We took care of everything exactly as the master said. It is already on the market, and the sales rate seems to be good.¡±


    ¡°About how much?¡±


    ¡°As of today, the profit has exceeded 20,000 gold, not considering what was put on the ck market before.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not bad, considering the short period.¡±


    ¡°Yes. There are more and more people who purchase simply for personal satisfaction¡­ I am expecting it to increase little by little.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    I knew it couldn¡¯t not be sold. Considering the price that could be easily essed by the general public, it was not strange that it would be a hit, since its effects could make you forget the harsh reality for a while. It was an improved version of the psychotherapy concoction that I had developed back in the Cursed Shrine.


    The problem was that the potion was very addictive.


    There would be no big problem if you consulted with a pharmacist, but there was no one who could handle the potion properly when I was the real pharmacist in the first ce.


    ¡°We won¡¯t get caught, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course, master. Items sold on the ck market areundered through my personal business site, and the new guild selling potions is also moving ording to procedures. Even some among the Yamato Guild members are using the potions¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s amusing. Any other news from the Yamato Guild?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t figure it out exactly, but it seems that the guild¡¯s mood has changed a little after Ito Souta was taken in for investigation. They are refusing to trade with our guild, and they are meeting with the other guilds.¡±


    ¡°Did you handle this?¡±


    ¡°Our guild is also constantly trying to contact the other guilds. You don¡¯t have to worry, master. Even in Japan, Ito Sota¡¯s public opinion is not very good.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve heard some good news. It felt better knowing his reputation was also dropping back in Celia. That was probably because Yozora, anotherrge guild, was directly using him.


    Of course, I couldn¡¯t say that the public¡¯s opinion of Yozora was good either because of their support in our favor. However, that would be resolved after all this was over.


    ¡°If there is anything unusual, report it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, master. We will continue to watch closely.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Have you seen anythingtely?¡±


    ¡°No. Until now¡­¡±


    ¡°You have a good yet annoying ability.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. P-Please punish me.¡±


    Once again, Kasugano knelt even lower. However, this wasn¡¯t the right time to give her the punishment she wanted.


    This was because I could hear Cha Hee-ra calling me outside.


    ¡°Honey? Didn¡¯t you say you had an appointment with Duchess Catherine?¡±


    ¡°Ah. I¡¯ll be out soon, Hee-ra.¡±


    Her voice sounded a little ufortable.


    Although the environment surrounding me had changed a little, what changed the most was my rtionship with Cha Hee-ra. Though she had forgotten that little awkward scenario back in the medical wing, she had been talking to me a lot more frequently, especially whenever she saw me with Kasugano. I feel like she worried about how the shaman would be with me from now on


    ¡®She just can¡¯t show it.


    She was the proud Mercenary Queen, after all.


    I myself didn¡¯t exactly know the cause for her changed attitude, but I knew it was on a personal level. Liking someone wasn¡¯t something that could be exined logically


    ¡®In any case, it¡¯s a good thing.¡¯


    ¡°I should get going.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Please do as you please.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m always grateful to you.¡±


    Even with the Mercenary Queen being who she was, I never forgot to take care of Yuno Kasugano. Just by gently stroking her hair, she already looked as happy as Jung Hayan.


    In other words, Kasugano Yuno was easy to handle, the lowest in terms of difficulty.


    Since she had already entrusted her body to me, there was no need to say anything else.


    ¡°You look happy, Master.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Being with you isn¡¯t boring. It¡¯s only because it¡¯s fun to curse Ito Souta with Duchess Catherine, so don¡¯t worry. Oh, keep getting acquainted with the characters in the Holy Empire. I¡¯ll see you next time.¡±


    When I slightly opened the door, I saw Cha Hee-ra gazing at me for a moment, before staring straight at the shaman with an odd expression.


    At first, Kasugano Yuno kept her head bowed, but sensing Hee-ra¡¯s unrelenting gaze, she had no choice but to look up and meet the redhead¡¯s stare right-on.


    ¡°Can we talk for a minute?¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°Go do your things, honey. The women have something to talk about. It¡¯s okay, right? Shaman?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Of course. I also have something to talk about with Cha Hee-ra. I¡¯m quite busy, but I think I will be able to make time if it doesn¡¯t take too long.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great. Then, see you in a bit, honey.¡±


    I was a little scared about what they would talk about, but I knew it would be better not to get myself involved. Besides, I had an appointment, and sharing my joy was more important than indulging myself in what I knew would be a stressful conversation.


    As I moved with the imperial knights who came out on behalf of Victor Hart, I saw the nobledies having tea time in the garden.


    ¡°Ah, Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°Nice to see you, Duchess Catherine and Countess Elise. Ah! Marlin Young-ae is also here today. It¡¯s been a while, everyone.¡±


    ¡°Everyone wanted to participate when they heard you wereing today. So? Are you feeling a little better?¡±


    ¡°s, it still feels very ufortable to move, but¡­ I can¡¯t miss the opportunity to talk with these beautifuldies. You must have been surprised about what happened thest time¡­ Thank you very much for calling me again today.¡±


    ¡°No. At that time, we, too, were sorry for not being able to take care of you properly, as we weren¡¯t aware of the situation.¡±


    ¡°It was a situation that would scare anyone. Rather, you don¡¯t know how grateful I am that you visited me privately¡­ Thank you so much for inviting me to this meeting.¡±


    ¡°No. Talking with Kiyoung is very fun for us too.¡±


    It couldn¡¯t not be fun.


    I would never say my speech skills were excellent. However, just by showing my admiration or apuding whatever the nobledies said, I had gained their favor.


    More than the conversation¡¯s topic, I was the hottest person in this royal city right now. Just talking with me gave them a sense of superiority.


    ¡®The rumors will be quick¡­¡¯


    Thesedies were said to be the center of gossip, so I knew the rumors would spread within the castle instantly.


    At the same time, I used this as an excuse in order to be able to rx and have tea. Sure enough, seeing thedies already chit-chatting made me smile.


    Although they shifted conversations from one topic to another, in the end, the conclusion of all conversations came down to Ito Souta.


    ¡°Oh¡­ I didn¡¯t see him that way, but he seemed a little scary.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. Who knew he would do that in social gatherings? If I think about that day, I still be so restless!¡±


    ¡°So Countess Elise does that too. The same goes for me. I thought he was trustworthy because he seemed to have a good rtionship with the Pope, but it¡¯s so hard to see through someone.¡±


    ¡°Actually, there is a story I heard¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah! Did you hear anything, Marlin Young-ae?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s a bit of a delicate story¡­ I heard it from a friend on the Pope¡¯s side. I¡¯m telling this only because I trust you all; I hope you keep the secret.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Of course.¡±


    I bet that Marlin Young-ae¡¯s story would spread all over the castle within three hours after this meeting was over. Her secret would soon be the next raging hot topic.


    ¡°Ito Souta and Sister Ariel from the Pope¡¯s side¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?!¡±


    ¡°Shh. Please lower your voice, Countess Elise.¡±


    ¡°There are rumors that they are in an inappropriate rtionship. Of course, it¡¯s not exactly confirmed, but if you think about him going in and out of the Pope¡¯s side in the middle of the night, it does sound believable¡­¡±


    ¡°Actually, Sister Ariel doesn¡¯t seem to be liked by many. To think that she was doing something like behind our backs! I find her a little weird, but who would¡¯ve guessed Ito Souta would like her, out of all the people¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because the Pope¡¯s side is not the same as it used to be. Oh, of course, I don¡¯t doubt the hearts of those who serve God, but some people act so crudely¡­¡±


    ¡°Actually, this is also a story I heard from a friend in Celia, but it seems that Ito Souta doesn¡¯t have a very good reputation in the Free City, either.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°They say he¡¯s showed a lot of unknightly behaviors such as harassing women and children, and harassing the weak. As the head of arge guild, everyone pretends to be unaware, but they said that such criticisms have only recently emerged because his influence has weakened.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°There is also a saying that he is the owner of the back world, that he runs a ck market and enves various races¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ How scary.¡±


    It didn¡¯t even matter if I joined in the conversation or not. Ito Souta¡¯s reputation was still going down the drain.


    Not only was he in a bad rtionship with the Pope¡¯s side, but strange rumors about him had also started circting. Most of them would be taken as the truth and would impact him badly.


    Of course, I saw no reason not to participate in the conversation.


    ¡°Ah. I¡¯ve heard it before.¡±


    ¡®Damn, Kiyoung. Lying again.¡¯


    ¡°I mean, I¡¯ve heard that he was running the ck market.¡±


    This is a rumor I spread, after all.


    ¡°Oh¡­ Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes. They said that you could get a variety of things. In fact, from the free people¡¯s point of view, there are a few busybodies who evaluate the growth rate of the Yamato Guild as abnormal. Of course, the guild¡¯s achievements are not being minimized, yet their growth rate is suspicious if you consider all their expeditions and activities so far¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, my¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say exactly what, but they say they¡¯re growing in a bad way. Oh, of course, the source is not confirmed¡­¡±


    It didn¡¯t matter; they would take it as the truth.


    ¡°I see. Just in case, the thing you know¡­ Is it rted to this?¡±


    ¡°Yes. However, it is not yet the right time to tell. I have to be a little cautious as well¡­ I¡¯m worried about whether I¡¯m creating useless trouble.¡±


    ¡°Seeing how hurt Lee Kiyoung was, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s just a rumor. He must have a guilty conscience, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah¡­ In the meantime, the fact that we drank tea and talked with that person¡­¡±


    ¡°There is no one in the world we can trust. Right, Marlin Young-ae?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Duchess Catherine is right. I certainly have to tell my father.¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡±


    ¡°The same goes for me. I must tell my husband.¡±


    This was why I couldn¡¯t stoping here.


    If Ito Souta were here now, he wouldugh at the ridiculous situation.


    As time passed, harsher criticism over his character became more apparent.


    ¡°Dirty trash.¡±


    Only


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it because of people like him that other innocent citizens are being criticized? Of course, I¡¯m not talking about Kiyoung¡­¡±


    ¡°No. I understand your feelings enough.¡±


    How could I miss out on meetings like these?


    ¡®It¡¯s fucking fun!


    Just imagining what other rumors I will spread tomorrow was enough to make me smile.


    I could enjoy the warm sunlight and delicious tea, and above all, a fun conversation.


    ¡®This is what motivates me to live.¡¯


    Gossip was indeed like a drug.

 Chapter 132: Witch hunt (2)

    <h4>Chapter 132: Witch hunt (2)</h4>


    Gossip was indeed like a drug.


    Of course, I wasn¡¯t the only one who was intoxicated by it.


    As the days would pass, Ito Souta¡¯s reputation would eventually go down the drain. Assuming that the material that made up this content was the same as that of the Earth¡¯s, his reputation would sink until it would reach the Earth¡¯s inner core.


    ¡®What a piece of sh*t.¡¯


    Even before four days hade and passed, he went from being a respectable figure to being a monster who did not hesitate to trade ves, organs, and the like, the type of cold blooded man who would sacrifice others¡¯ lives in order to maintain his power.


    The probability that he tried to assassinate me in order to cover up his operations helped the rumors grow faster.


    ¡®Of course.


    A few people did not believe in this fresh gossip, but that didn¡¯t matter. I knew most of them didn¡¯t care enough to inquire if the rumors were really true or not.


    ¡®That¡¯s because it distracts them from their own, boring lives.¡¯


    ¡°This already seems like a proper witch hunt. Puhahaha.¡±


    Rather than talking to those who actually held seats of power, I chose to talk to the nobledies instead. This was because, once they returned to their respective homes, they would talk about Ito Souta¡¯s stories all day long on my behalf.


    It was like finding workers without having to worry about their sries.


    Although our enemies were sending out their own people to rify the rumors, it was toote. No matter how much they defended themselves, the public¡¯s eyes have already gone cold.


    If these were modern times, Ito Souta would probably have already held a press conference to prove his innocence. However, since he was still being investigated ¡®ording to the procedure,¡¯ his actions were still limited, and thus, it would not be possible for him to.


    On the contrary, I continued to roam around, enjoying my freedom.


    Of course, the Pope¡¯s personnel who were quickly working on removing Ito Souta from their roster also proved to be valuable customers.


    ¡°Ahhh. Vice-Diocese Glen, it¡¯s so nice to see you again.¡±


    ¡°Haha. It¡¯s been only a day.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha. I always want to meet you. It is a very beneficial and enjoyable time for me to meet with you in order to talk about God.¡±


    ¡°Lee Kiyoung, you are ttering this insignificant priest.Oh, I have someone to introduce to you today. Have you ever heard of Bishop Jessica¡­?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I guess today I can get closer to the Benigore¡¯s Goddess.¡±


    ¡°First, you have to get close to Bishop Jessica. She is really looking forward to


    it.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I can already feel the pressure¡­¡±


    ¡°Hahaha.¡±


    Today I was meeting Vice-Diocese Glen, and tomorrow I would meet with Bishop Jessica. After that, I would immediately scout for more people.


    ¡°Ah, Kiyoung-ssi is here!¡±


    ¡°I came running because I wanted to see Bishop Jessica.¡±


    ¡°We decided that you would call me Jessica when there¡¯s only the two of us.¡±


    ¡°Ah. We did, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Today, let¡¯s go together to meet the Archbishop. I told Archbishop Andrine about Kiyoung-ssi, and she definitely wants to meet you.¡±


    ¡°I feel a little pressured. However, I still have to be brave for our Jessica.¡±


    ¡°Kiyoung-ssi, stop.¡±


    Likewise, after establishing a close rtionship with Bishop Jessica, I gained another step to power.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you. Archbishop Andrine.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s such an honor to see a well-known man these days.¡±


    ¡°I am more honored to see you in person. I heard good things about you from Bishop Jessica, but it seems you are more impressive than I imagined.¡±


    ¡°Ha ha ha ha ha. Our Lee Kiyoung is so funny. Come to think of it, it¡¯s time to eat soon, so how about we eat together? I have a meal scheduled with Cardinal Basel. Bishop Jessica shoulde too, if you have time.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your consideration. Archbishop Andrine.¡±


    My steps to meeting the higher-ups just kept gettingid out for me. As continued meeting more and more people, memorizing everyone¡¯s names became difficult.


    However,pared to Souta¡¯s predicament, mine was a blessing.


    ¡°It¡¯s a little sudden, but I prepared a gift for you, Cardinal Basel.¡±


    ¡°Oh my, what did you prepare Lee Kiyoung? You don¡¯t have to give anything like this. Oh, well¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop. It¡¯s just a little something. It¡¯s a good drink, so it¡¯ll be helpful when you¡¯re alone. Oh, and this is a donation I¡¯m making directly for your cause.¡±


    ¡°Well, all this¡­¡±


    ¡°It may be insufficient to be offered to God, but I put in about 50,000 gold. From now on, if there is an opportunity, I will continue to do my best to donate.¡±


    ¡°I think I know by now how much Lee Kiyoung loves God.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha. In fact, this is not the only thing I have prepared. I would like to give a separate donation to Cardinal Basel.¡±


    ¡°Well, what is that¡­?¡±


    ¡°I believe you will use it for God.¡±


    ¡°Hum¡­¡±


    Cardinal Basel¡¯s stunned appearance was quite the sight to behold, as he took what I had given him. After all, the Pope¡¯s side was already rotten.


    When a religion bes permanent, it automatically bes corrupt.


    It may be frowned upon by most, but this was the ideal ce for me to establish my position.


    ¡°We can¡¯t stay like this, how about seeing the Patriarch as well, Lee Kiyoung?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course, I¡¯ll have to meet him too.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I have someone to introduce you to before that. This is Helena, Director of Inquisition.¡±


    ¡°Helena?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Cardinal Basel.¡±


    ¡°He is a precious guest. Shouldn¡¯t you introduce yourself?¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you, Lee Kiyoung. I¡¯m Helena, the Director of the Inquisition.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve heard about you. You are doing an honored job of cutting down the throats of dirty heretics¡­ It might seem rude, but I never imagined that you would be so beautiful.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the hard work, doing what everyone doesn¡¯t want to.¡±


    Of course, I didn¡¯t forget to cozy up to the lower groups. In fact, it wasn¡¯t all that easy to manage socialworks.


    It was because there were so many things we needed to take care of.


    If someone were to say that making the first contact and giving small gifts during important events were not a big deal, then I would have nothing to say. However, there was a reason as to why most people were not good at this sort of thing.


    That was because most ended up getting tired of such a task. Their time was more precious for them, and it was more important for them to protect their own space and territory.


    Rather than talking with others, they got stressed about self-development and contacting useless people. I respected their value for their lives, but these people tended to be at a disadvantage in most of their rtionships.


    ¡®Because the world is such a rotten ce.


    Making sure you¡¯re known and having small talk was a way of setting your own insurance. The shirt was always nearer than the coat, and in turn, one would get fonder of people they¡¯ve already seen and heard aboutpared to those that they haven¡¯t.


    With one small mistake, everything a person had worked for could instantly unravel.


    It was my own opinion, but I felt like society¡¯s system was specially built for people like me.


    I hadn¡¯t been here for a long time, but my schedule was already bursting at the seams. Of course, it wasn¡¯t just me who was busy.


    Cha Hee-ra was also busy meeting with business higher-ups.


    She wouldn¡¯t be happy about it with her personality, but showing her face once a day, even briefly, was a necessity for her, an individualist.


    In truth, however, Yuno Kasugano was actually the busiest.


    It was natural for her to be busy because she was in charge of all the potions¡¯ distribution and management. In particr, it seemed that she was not adapting well to the fact that she had to manipte the masses within the Free City of Celia.


    Jung Hayan seemed to have some spare time, but she used it to deal with her stress about not getting to spend too much time with me. Fortunately, thest incident seemed to shock her, so she chose to stay in her own room, immersing herself in magic training.


    Among them, Lee Jihye had also been forced into a grueling schedule much like mine. She looked very tired on her way back after finishing her schedule.


    ¡°What did you dost night?¡±


    ¡°I was with Bishop Jessica and Helena, the Director of Inquisition.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve got talents.¡±


    ¡°I just finished attending a prayer meeting.¡±


    ¡°Itsted all night?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Who will believe that? I don¡¯t care about that, so just take care of it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s up to you to believe it or not.¡±


    ¡°They are useful people, right? Oppa?¡±


    ¡°They are, for now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all that matters. Did you get anything?¡±


    ¡°What I¡¯m doing personally doesn¡¯t seem to be bad¡­ I didn¡¯t bother talking about Ito Souta. The donations overjoyed them. What about you?¡±


    ¡°I have some hot news. If you listen, you¡¯ll be a little surprised¡­¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°He got a trial schedule.¡±


    ¡°Surely¡­ That¡¯s surprising news.¡±


    I thought it might not be easy to get to trial in the first ce. That really was unexpected.


    Although Lee Jihye and I had been talking with many people, considering the guy¡¯s position, it was betterte than never to stand on trial.


    ¡®Because I¡¯m being suspected, too.¡¯


    As I said before, the rtionship between Ito Souta and I was like the rtionship between Lindel and Celia just before the explosion happened. If Souta were to get an unfair trial, Celia would get upset.


    From the Holy Empire¡¯s standpoint, it would be better to smooth things over with everyone, even if it meant walking on eggshells.


    ¡®However, Ito Souta is not that stupid.¡¯


    If he found out that Lee Jihye and I have reduced his influence little by little, then there would be no reason for him to choose an unfavorable battlefield.


    sensitive to external gazes, was in a difficult situation to take care of him.


    ¡°What about the judges¡¯ bribe?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure yet. Some people have met me, and I think I saw people from their side too¡­ But there is something unusual about this whole thing.¡±


    ¡°Yes? What is it?¡±


    ¡°Ito Souta himself asked for a trial.¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhhh¡­¡±


    ¡°I thought he might want to finish things on his own before things could get worse¡­but It doesn¡¯t seem like that as well. When I see that he has worked hard in his own way, I think that he may have information that we have to worry about.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh.¡±


    Only


    ¡°It¡¯s because you are not clean, either. Of course, I don¡¯t know if the information he holds will have any influence or not, but once you see him trying to lead this to the court, then it¡¯s likely not made up. Perhaps its quality is so good that nobody will think it¡¯s weird.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°The reaction seems to be lukewarm¡­ Have you ever thought about what to do in this case?¡±


    ¡°Pff¡­ Hhhh. Well, it¡¯s simr. Remember when I said I had a little bit of insurance?¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve thought of dozens of options to prepare for whatever happens. Of course, one of them was to deal with Ito Souta asking himself for a trial and trying to attack us¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°I can assure you that he has chosen the worst option among the list. If he moves ording to my n¡­ Pfft. You¡¯ll know for sure what it¡¯s like to be backstabbed. You can look forward to it, Jihye.¡±

 Chapter 133: Witch hunt (3)

    <h4>Chapter 133: Witch hunt (3)</h4>


    Ito Souta¡¯s trial date was fast approaching.


    The sentence was simple, but it meant a lot. The citizens of Lindel, who were in a raging situation, clinked their drink sses, saying that this was a way of dealing justice, and the personnel in Celia were agitated by the sudden news.


    Of course, Ito Souta was the one who had asked for a trial, but it was impossible for people from Lindel and Celia to know about that. We wouldn¡¯t let the people know he was the requester, and likewise, Souta never delivered this piece of news to Celia, either.


    Last time, I became the victim, so it seemed that he wanted to be the victim this time.


    However, the only thing that mattered to us was the fact that he was being tried, because Yuno Kasugano was already blocking his attempts at manipting the masses in Celia.


    In fact, most of the people didn¡¯t have to know about the real situation. They only needed to know that he was standing in court as the perpetrator, and that the good-hearted Lee Kiyoung was being taken in for attempted murder.


    For now, this was enough. Anyway, the trial might not proceed normally.


    What they knew about the trial was that the punishment level depended on how much the offender Ito Souta harmed the victim Lee Kiyoung, but those in an important position in this trial were aware that that ce would also be a battlefield of politics between us.


    That was why Lee Jihye felt uneasy.


    ¡°It¡¯s a little too sudden, so I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re ready, oppa.¡±


    ¡°Enough, Jihye. We had a nice talk with the judges and those under the Pope.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because I¡¯m nervous. I think I know what you¡¯re hiding, but I have something that bothers me too. Even if you say that you have the insurance prepared, I¡¯m not sure if it will work¡­ Perhaps the trial is just nominal. The trial here is a little different from the modern trial. Thinking about what he will say while defending himself¡­ Isn¡¯t it natural for me to worry?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry. Our Ito Souta-sama can be just as smart as us.¡±


    At this, Lee Jihye looked at me quietly. It was the first time I had ever seen her so worried. It looked like she knew something, but it didn¡¯t seem to be too


    bad.


    ¡°I will trust you.¡±


    ¡°Yes. You can trust me, Jihye.¡±


    Although she felt uneasy, it seemed that she had decided to get rid of the rising anxiety.


    Good. The fact that Lee Jihye didn¡¯t care as much as she should, meant that things were going the way I wanted them to.


    I was curious about how Ito Souta would try to attack me, but everything had been calcted anyway. However, I still had to speak upon seeing Jihye¡¯s incessantly curious expression. I felt like it wouldn¡¯t be bad for her to know beforehand.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re curious, huh?¡±


    ¡°If I say I¡¯m not curious, I would be lying. I¡¯m only not bothered because you told me not to care. Didn¡¯t you say that I was getting in your way running around? You said it would be more noticeable if many people move at once.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that, exactly. In a normal situation, it would¡¯ve been better to get your help. That way, I could have made a more perfect trap. I kept it a secret from you because I wanted to show Ito Souta that I was being careful. That¡¯s insurance. What do you think? How do you think things will go? Fine, I¡¯ll ask this first. How far have you reached with a simple mind? What do you think was my original n?¡±


    Lee Jihye thought for a moment before speaking up.


    ¡°First¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°To end Ito Souta¡¯s political life¡­ You would have to iste him from both the side of the Emperor and the Pope. And the means were¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the drugs we are releasing in Japan. There are a few other things that I can see, but I thought the rest were just fake rumors to draw attention. Most of the rumors, like ve trafficking and organ trafficking in ck markets, are all made up.¡±


    ¡°You knew?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t have any material evidence. Just by the flow and simple thoughts¡­ I just thought that would be it. Of course, I was the only one who knew. I didn¡¯t dig into it any further, and even if I had, it would be impossible for me to know since my movements are limited. Wasn¡¯t it your n to use the drugs as clear evidence and put it with all the offenses Ito Souta had done so far and put an end to it?¡±


    ¡°Just use simple words, Jihye.¡±


    ¡°The original n is to end him with fake information that the Yamato Guild, run by Ito Souta, is selling drugs in Celia.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s the first. Then, why didn¡¯t I tell you or others about this?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because you have to be careful. There may be many reasons, but this is the most obvious answer.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s also the right answer, Jihye. But, as I said earlier, the important thing here is that I have to show that I am as careful as possible in this matter. I didn¡¯t even tell my representative, whom I trust the most, to make him think that I¡¯m preparing a big punch.¡±


    ¡°That¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, the information I made up is actually a heavy hit. The Lee Kiyoung¡¯s attempted murder case isn¡¯t just a rite of passage that he has to go through¡­ If he doesn¡¯t know that a new potion is in cirction in the city, he will be fatally hit by the crime of drug distribution. We¡¯re making him take the crime of distributing illegal potions in the city. This was the first route.¡±


    ¡°I got it.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s think of one more case here, this time when if he knows the existence of the potion.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°He might find out that the potion I put in cirction was a trap because it all looks suspicious. Personally, I think this is a bit more likely, since he asked to hold a trial first.¡±


    ¡°I think so, too.¡±


    ¡°It will be hard for him to find. This is information that only Yuno Kasugano and I know¡­ If he¡¯spetent, he could¡¯ve reached out to the fabricated information. Still, he probably had a hard time getting through the investigation. As I said earlier, this was the kind of work that even you did not get involved in. He must have thought about many things while digging. Since there was no evidence, he would think it was suspicious. For example¡­¡±


    After I took a moment, I saw Lee Jihye hurriedly opening her mouth.


    ¡°For example, that this is the only thing you¡¯ve prepared?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I see what you mean. But what if Souta Ito was expecting a second? He already knows that you are going to send him off with the potion thing¡­ What would you do if he knew your next move?¡±


    ¡°What do you think it will be my next move?¡±


    ¡°If I were you, I would incriminate Yuno Kasugano. It would be the most reasonable and worthwhile idea to send Yuno Kasugano and Ito Souta off, together. If Ito Souta speaks in court that it was not him who is currently distributing potions to Celia, but Yuno Kasugano and Lee Kiyoung, she would be your only means of escape, right?¡±


    ¡°Pfft, haha.¡±


    ¡°It is the right thing to testify falsely and send them both off. But it¡¯s a waste to throw away Yuno Kasugano here, oppa. If I¡¯m right, I¡¯d rather revise the n now. I understand that you¡¯re angry, but wasting that shaman on that bastard¡­ It¡¯s not a business that fits the budget.¡±


    ¡°Do I look like that kind of bastard?¡±


    ¡°I just thought about what I would¡¯ve done if I were you. That¡¯s the most reasonable option.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. It¡¯s certainly reasonable, but I don¡¯t intend to abandon Yuno Kasugano. Let¡¯s say that Ito Souta seeded in digging about the potion and brought information to the court that I was circting the potion. Let¡¯s say I¡¯m in a critical situation.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°It was wrong from the beginning, Jihye.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°This is not a drug.¡±


    ¡°I beg your pardon?¡±


    ¡°This is not a drug¡­ To be precise, if I say it is a drug, it bes a drug, and if I testify that it is not a drug, it will not be a drug.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°If Ito Souta doesn¡¯t know about the existence of this potion, this potion will be a drug. He would be a drug offender in no time, so his neck would be severed, or he would receive a fatal blow. On the contrary, if Ito Souta¡¯s evidence about the potion pushes me into a drug offender, this potion will not be a drug.¡±


    ¡°How is that possible?¡±


    ¡°Why do you think that is not possible? I¡¯m the only one who can detect the ingredients of this potion. No one knows alchemy better than me on this continent, Jihye. I made this potion, and you won¡¯t know the recipe unless you open up my head.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell this only to you¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Do you know what the base catalyst of this potion is?¡±


    ¡°Holy water.¡±


    ¡°I beg your pardon?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s holy water, the kind of holy water officially handled by the Holy Empire Benigore Kingdom. The moment Ito Souta says that this potion is a drug, the game is over. A potion made of holy water, said to be a drug? If this is not sphemy, what would it be? Puhahahahaha. What can he do if he knows about the existence of this potion? What can you do? He won¡¯t know even if he dies that this potion is made of holy water.¡±


    ¡°Puhahahahaha. It would be better to just die as a drug offender without knowing anything. The moment he pushes me to be the one who distributed drugs trying to turn the situation, the heresy interrogators will be dispatched! Puhahaha. Cough, cough. Yeah, I admit he¡¯s smart, Jihye. And what? Whether Ito Souta is smart or stupid, the game was over from the moment my potion entered Japan. He¡¯s not an alchemist.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a story that the choice is decided anyway. Puhahahahahaha! That¡¯s why I said he made the worst choice, Jihye. If it¡¯s correct that he will attack me with the potion I distributed, he made the wrong decision. For heresy, from his family members to the guild members will be screwed ¡­ Because this is the Holy Empire.¡±


    I saw Lee Jihye, quietly looking at me. Perhaps now she was organizing the information in her mind. There were many possibilities, but these two were the most representative.


    First, if Ito Souta didn¡¯t know about this potion, we prepared the fake evidence that the Yamato guild was distributing drugs. He would end up as a drug dealer.


    Secondly, if Ito Souta knew about this potion and brought evidence that would drive me as a drug dealer, I prepared this potion¡¯s recipe. I can calmly say that I am the one who distributed this great potion. It will end in sphemy.


    Either way, hell would await for him. It was hard to rein in myughter.


    ¡°Puhhahahahaha!¡±


    Lee Jihye¡¯s face upon looking at me had turned red.


    Only


    ¡°Oppa.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°You are really sexy.¡±


    ¡°You have such weird taste.¡±


    ¡°You are also an awesome piece of sh*t. It¡¯s really attractive.¡±


    I was speechless with herment. As I looked at my watch, I saw that the time to head to court was approaching. As I got up and opened my mouth, Lee Jihye nodded.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go finish this, Jihye.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really looking forward to it, Kiyoung oppa.¡±

 Chapter 134: Lies Mixed in the Truth (1)

    <h4>Chapter 134: Lies Mixed in the Truth (1)</h4>


    As I would be standing in a court, I would have to keep my body and mind in order.


    I didn¡¯t know about my mentality, but my external appearance was bound to be important


    I needed to prepare myself better this time around,pared to going to a social event.


    It was Lee Jihye who took care of me this time, but Jung Hayan, who learned a lesson from thest incident, was also snooping around and disturbing the ck Swan¡¯s Guild staff with all her might.


    She looked at me with satisfaction only after receiving I thanked her, but in fact, Jung Hayan¡¯s stake in this work was less than 1%.


    As I stepped forward with Lee Jihye, my delegation representative, I saw the courtroom in all its silent entirety.


    Meanwhile, my representative was already taking a seat. Over at one side, the religious leaders were doing the same.


    When I saw Bishop Jessica and Helena, the Director of Inquisition, and other important contacts, a satisfactory smile blossomed from their mouths as I slightly greeted them.


    ¡®They¡¯re important¡­ The religious leaders.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know why, but Cardinal Basel, who was always smiling, looked a little serious.


    As she was one of my precious insurance, it would require careful management


    ¡®That¡¯s because a priest can only hold a religious trial with a cardinal level or higher.¡¯


    On the other side was the jury. Originally, it was the right thing to be invited to such an event, but in Duchess Catherine and Marlin Young-ae¡¯s case, this did not seem all that necessary.


    Since this was not a jury system, it cannot be said that they had great authority, but it was still good having a supportive audience.


    When I made eye contact with them, the two began to smile.


    This ce began to feel more and more like the Colosseum, and we were the diators ready to fight to the deaths. All things considered, this was not such a bad metaphor.


    ¡°Because this is also a fight.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, Jihye-ssi.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so cold.¡±


    As I shook my head as if it was nothing, I saw Lee Jihye immersing herself in her papers again.


    As we didn¡¯t know what would happen, she was trying to check other countermeasures as well as other factors in various ways.


    After some more time, people started to fill up the empty seats, appearing one by one.


    The judges we already talked with had already entered, followed by Cha Heera and Yuno Kasugano in the witness stand, and¡­


    ¡°Please let the defendant in.¡±


    There stood our lovely Ito Souta.


    He looked quite confident as he entered through the door.


    As if to appeal that he was not a sinner, he was casually looking around, but the handcuffs on both hands showed that he was the perpetrator.


    Precious colleagues who I nted in the audience were slowly opening their mouths to speak.


    ¡°That¡­ That piece of trash¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you know where we are, for you toe like that?¡±


    There was no need to exin for the sudden pressure and intensity within the room.


    As the people on Ito Souta¡¯s side started screaming, the ones who had spoken only a couple of words started yelling and pointing at each other as well.


    However, the uproar didn¡¯tst long, for the Supreme Court Justice had begun to speak.


    ¡°I ask everyone to be quiet. Anyone who makes a fuss in the sacred court from now on will be dismissed.¡±


    ¡°This trial was held at the request of the defendant Ito Souta, the Guild master of the Yamato Guild. Before we start with the trial, I will give a time for Benigore¡¯s goddess prayer. Cardinal Basel will carry out the prayer.¡±


    ¡°Let us pray.¡±


    I could seeplex and annoying procedures everywhere. I wanted to start the trial right away, but I knew I wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything about it.


    While everyone had their eyes closed, I let my eyes drift over to Ito Souta, only to see him staring right back at me.


    ¡®He¡¯s angry.


    I could tell that with just one look. It was, of course, natural for him to remember what I had done to him during thest time we met.


    The eyes that were directed at mine looked like the eyes of a demon, ready to tear me apart


    Of course, he was scary. However, knowing that he can¡¯t move, there was no reason to be scared. In any case, Victor Hart and the Imperial Knights were guarding me, and there was no way a guy with his hands tied up could hurt me.


    It was only natural for me to raise the middle finger once again. As I stuck out my tongue with the corners of my mouth raised as much as possible, blood oozed from the lips that Ito Souta had been biting.


    ¡®What are you going to do, you bastard?¡¯


    ¡°Pff¡­


    Once again, it was proving to be hard trying to rein in myughter. I knew that one had to be quiet when they prayed, but riling Souta up was so much fun.


    Plus, that was the evilest look I had ever seen.


    ¡°Give us the blessing for a fair trial¡­¡±


    ¡°I would like to express my sincere thanks to Cardinal Basel for your hard work. The trial willst 60 minutes¡­¡±


    I nodded as the Supreme Court talked about how the procedures would go. I already knew about it, anyway.


    It would take ce several times, but I could squeeze Ito Souta out if this went ording to my n, but the time I needed would not be enough for one day only.


    ¡°Then first, the intiff¡¯s testimony¡­ This trial will begin with the statements of Lee Jihye, the representative of Lee Kiyoung¡¯s delegation. intiff?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Honorable Supreme Court. Before I start speaking, I would like you to look at the data we havepiled.¡±


    ¡°Please bring it in.¡±


    ¡°The incident didn¡¯t happen for the first time at the church on the 18th. My client, Lee Kiyoung, has been under constant threats of murder and unknown threats. This was the reason for some transactions between the Blue Guild¡¯s Lee Seolho and the Yamato Guild.¡±


    ¡°Please continue.¡±


    ¡°My client, Lee Kiyoung Lee, was directly harmed on October 1st, and you all probably remember the Lindel terrorist incident. This terrorist incident, contrary to what is known, was not a terrorist attack, but an assassination that specifically targeted my client, and the incident involved dozens of innocent Lindel free people. When the Blue Guild, the Red Mercenary Guild, and the ck Swan Guild were investigating Lee Seolho, they found that he had contact with Ito Souta of the Yamato Guild and even secured testimony. Still, a few dayster, on October 7th, his corpse was found near Ramadel Mountain.¡±


    ¡®You¡¯re speaking so well, Jihye.¡±


    ¡°The corpse of Lee Seolho found near the Ramadel Mountains was damaged by numerous torture wounds, but in the wounds, traces of the katana used by the Yamato Guild were found. I will present the data submitted and the conserved body of Lee Seolho as evidence.¡±


    Of course, everything was fake information. It was me who killed Lee Seolho in the first ce. However, it wasn¡¯t all that bad to use a few tricks with Lee Seolho¡¯s body, which was with us.


    ¡°Apart from that, most of the pleural fluids of the Lindel terrorist incident killed themselves before being caught, but we were able to confirm that the poisonous ingredients detected in their bodies were the main methods used by Japanese assassins.¡±


    ¡°I have objections. There is no evidence that the poison found in the assassins in the terrorist incident belongs to the Yamato guild. It is unsuitable for use as evidence.¡±


    ¡°First, I will take it as evidence. Please bring in the rted materials.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Honorable Supreme Court.¡±


    That was not fake information. Of course, there was no evidence that the assassins were sent from the Yamato guild, but depending on how you fabricated it, not having evidence was also evidence.


    ¡°It was not possible to check the exact background of the effluents, but it turned out that most of them were Japanese from the free city of Celia. I will also provide the evidence that the form of the weapon they were holding and the magical mechanisms wasrgely from the Free City of Celia.¡±


    As expected, from the other side, Ito Souta¡¯s representative eagerly started talking.


    ¡°I have objections. There is no evidence that they really came from Celia, even if they say that the magic mechanism or form of their weapon is from the Free City of Celia. Other groups trained professionally in order to condemn Yamato¡­¡±


    ¡°I will first take it as evidence.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous!¡±


    ¡°Please be quiet. All of the intiff¡¯s statements have not yet beenpleted.¡±


    Our Supreme Justice was eagerly taking evidence where our argument feltcking. At some point, he would begin to feel that something was wrong.


    ¡®Puhahahaha.


    This only meant that Lee Jihye had already met with the Holy Empire¡¯s Supreme Court Justice several times before. Of course, I had no idea what they had talked about, but he had received a lot of bribes, so he must be willing to close his eyes to some extent.


    There would be no fair trial within this courtroom.


    ¡°I have objections! That evidence is¡­¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s evidence good enough to be taken. Please bring in the rted materials.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Honorable Supreme Court.¡±


    ¡°I have objections! It is not physical evidence; it is more of a belief. Please reconsider the possibility of this being fabricated material.¡±


    ¡°Stop! All statements to the intiff have not yet beenpleted. First, let¡¯s read the rted materials. Representative, please bring in the materials.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Thank you, Honorable Supreme Justice.


    And Souta¡¯s representative again began to shout.


    ¡°I have objections!¡±


    ¡°I will take it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Justice.¡±


    Everything was full of evidence. For him, this was a faux trial.


    Those who I had nted here were apuding whenever the Supreme Court nodded, and every time Ito Souta¡¯s side opened their mouths, they all threw them a cold gaze.


    There were no holes in this n.


    No matter how much they stated that our information was fabricated, it was toote - it had already been taken as evidence. Everything indicated that everything was indeed the work of the Yamato Guild.


    ¡°The Juliana case is in a simr vein, Justice. In order to use my client as a killer, Yamato Guild¡¯s Ito Souta made a n based on information obtained from the terror attacks of Lee Seolho and Lindel. If you look at the item information of the legendary item, Juliana, as you can see, it only moves if it poses a threat to my client.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Kazuma Hiroyuki of the Yamato Guild was ordered by Ito Souta to act as a direct threat to my client. I will present as evidence the materials with the analysis of Juliana¡¯s reaction pattern and Yuno Kasugano¡¯s testimony.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll check. Yuno Kasugano of the Yozora Guild, pleasee to the witness stand.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ The first thing I saw¡­¡±


    Could this get any smoother? Yuno Kasugano¡¯s testimony was also very reliable.


    The jury and the religious people nodded at her testimony, and after it was over, she began to speak once more.


    ¡°Let the intiff take thest statement.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Honorable Supreme Court Justice. As everyone knows, you will remember the attempted murder case at thest social gathering. Fortunately, thanks to Cha Hee-ra, it became an attempted incident, but I don¡¯t think I need to prove this because hemitted the sin of anger in a ce where all nobles and religious people gather. It is undeniable that Ito Souta has evil intentions towards my client with all the evidence and circumstances that have been said so far, and everyone has confirmed with their eyes that he intentionally put magic into my client¡¯s arm that day.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t bother presenting evidence separately because everyone here is a witness. That is all.¡±


    Even the ending was good.


    Ito Souta¡¯s representative also made a few statements in the middle, but it was a futile attempt that managed to sway no hearts.


    I don¡¯t know how he¡¯ll refute this, but¡­


    ¡®This isn¡¯t the end, is it?¡¯


    This was to Souta we were talking about. It wouldn¡¯t end so easily.


    He waspetent and smart, so he certainly wouldn¡¯t copse like this.


    ¡®Show me what I¡¯ve expected.¡¯


    It¡¯s obvious that had fake evidence or whatever, and as I expected, Ito Souta began to speak.


    ¡°It¡¯s not true. The words of representative Jihye Lee are a little different from the truth.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s it.¡¯


    ¡°I didn¡¯tmit the Lindel terrorist incident, the Juliana incident, and the attempted murder incident either. To be precise, it was done on our side, but I can affirm that I have nothing to do with any of these.¡±


    ¡°Please refrain from statements that make no sense, defendant.¡±


    ¡°This is not a ridiculous statement. Everyone, and the Honorable Supreme Court Justice. It¡¯s a little bit sudden, but the potions that are currently being distributed in Japan¡­ Have you ever heard of fantasy potions?¡±


    Only


    As expected¡­


    He bit the bait.


    He bit it very properly.


    ¡®I am so d that he¡¯spetent.¡¯


    Fortunately, you noticed the detailed changes happening around you. Fortunately, you have reached results that could not normally be reached. It was fortunate of him to have dug into the rtionship between the fantasy potion and I as fabricated evidence.


    ¡®Puhhahahahahaha.¡¯


    Laughter was already busting inside me. However, I quickly resisted it.


    ¡®Thank you, you smart motherfucker!

 Chapter 135: Lies Mixed in the Truth (2)

    <h4>Chapter 135: Lies Mixed in the Truth (2)</h4>


    ¡®He knew about it!¡¯


    If he were an idiot with nothing but air in his head, he wouldn¡¯t be aware of what was happening around him. However, due to his cautiousness, he had indeed noticed this.


    His timing was also not bad. He probably thought he was one step ahead of me.


    Seeing his arrogant expression made the urge tough noticeably harder to resist. However, I knew I should stop acting so awkwardly.


    ¡®I should look surprised.


    It was good to bring about a sense of realism to the situation. However, it wasn¡¯t easy to contort my expression the way I wanted it to.


    ¡®Should I take an acting ss?¡¯


    I could probably find a suitable tutor within Lindel.


    Even as I held back myughter, Ito Souta was preparing himself to deal another blow. He looked around the audience, aware that everyone¡¯s attention was on him.


    With his rxed demeanor, it would be hard for everyone to think of him as a sinner. Meanwhile, one of his delegates could be seen pulling out a familiar, tiny potion. Without a doubt, this was the product I had made.


    ¡°This potion is currently circting.¡±


    ¡°Please refrain from making a statement that has nothing to do with the trial!¡±


    It had been good of me to tell Lee Jihye beforehand.


    She stood up while hitting the desk with a bang. Anyone would think that she did so in panic.


    ¡°I have objections! Supreme Judge, that person is talking about something that has nothing to do with this trial!¡±


    ¡°No, Supreme Judge. The story I¡¯m going to tell you from now on is, undoubtedly, a key issue that will y a major role in this trial, and it is a subject that should not be left out. Honorable Supreme judge, please allow me to speak.¡±


    The Supreme Judge shook his head slightly at Ito Souta¡¯s remarks, but the Yamato Guild Leader seemed to have one of the other judges on his side.


    As he whispered to the Supreme Judge, he eventually nodded.


    ¡°I will allow you to speak.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡®Good. Good


    ¡°As I said, this potion is currently in cirction. It hasn¡¯t been long since it started selling, but it was already being sold on the ck market for a long time. The price is about 20 gold per person; you can say that it is cheap, and you can also say it is expensive.¡±


    ¡°So what¡¯s the problem, defendant?¡±


    ¡°The problem lies in the effectiveness of this potion. Honorable Supreme Judge, just as it was named a fantasy potion, it was designed to allow humans to see the fantasy they want to see. It¡¯s a kind of hallucinogen. It¡¯s not just that. It¡¯s also deadly addictive.¡±


    ¡°I have objections, Supreme Judge.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll listen to his exnation a little more.¡±


    Ah, Jihye¡¯s timing was impable, and not to mention - her acting skills were amazing.


    After analyzing her expression and finding nothing wrong, Ito Souta continued to speak.


    ¡°Yes. You are right. This potion is addictive. Like¡­ Just like drugs.¡±


    ¡®Bingo


    ¡®Well done, my child!¡¯


    At this point, I wanted to cheer for him.


    The question now was how he was going to link this potion to me. If he linked it forcefully, it would look like he¡¯d gone down the wrong path. However, looking at his determined expression, it looked like he had something more to say. I continued to watch him.


    ¡°Our Yamato Guild has been paying attention since this potion was being sold on the ck market, and a tremendous effort has been put into finding out the source of this potion. It is not an exaggeration to say that it is a drug, and I was curious about who was trying to make the Free City sick.¡±


    ¡°The first traces were found on October 1st of the Lindel terrorist incident. The intiff pointed out and misunderstood us as the culprit of the case, but as a result of our guild¡¯s investigation, it was Kake, a small guild in Celia, the Free City that attacked Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡®Huh, he does have a way with words.¡¯


    ¡°You mean you have rted evidence? Defendant?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I do, Supreme Judge.¡±


    When I saw the Supreme Court carefully reading the document he prepared, it indeed looked very well fabricated.


    It would probably have been difficult to gather information about the small guild Kake in a short period, so it was highly likely that the existing guild was used as a victim.


    ¡°Small Guild Kake is a criminal guild that makes profits by distributing illegal items and unauthorized items such as drugs. It¡¯s spread out in the city, so you can think of it as a nuisance group even in the Free City of Celia. At first, it was a simple guess. Even with our guild¡¯s intelligence, we couldn¡¯t figure out why the Kake guild attacked Blue Lee Kiyoung, but we could find a very small hint.¡±


    ¡°What is that, Defendant?¡±


    ¡°It was evident that the Lindel terrorist incident was not just a terrorist incident, but a territorial dispute between drug groups.


    ¡®Whoa¡­


    ¡°Is this true, Defendant?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The person I mentioned, who distributes the fantasy potion in Japan, is the person who turned the power struggle between drug gangs into the Lindel terrorist incident. And the owner of the new guild Sora is Lee Kiyoung, sitting by the intiff¡¯s table.¡±


    ¡®Perfect


    Ah, this had gone the way I wanted it to.


    So now, I was the owner of a new guild called Sora. I was also the one distributing fantasy potions in Japan.


    What was not true was the fact that the Lindel terrorist incident is a power struggle between drug organizations. Everyone was looking at me as Ito Souta mixed the lies within the truth.


    The question was whether or not they would take the fabricated material as evidence, but I knew it was likely from how good its quality was.


    ¡°Lee Kiyoung-ssi, who is still sitting by the intiff¡¯s table and frowning, formed a new guild in coboration with Yuno Kasugano of the Yozora Guild, whom he had previously known. The guild¡¯s name is Sora. Kasugano Yuno was brought in to distribute the potion sold only in the ck market, and their n was a great hit.¡±


    ¡®Correct.


    ¡°We have created a system that allows a drug called a fantasy potion to be deceived as a medical potion to go through distribution procedures and distribute it legally.¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s not a drug, but, yes, that¡¯s correct.


    ¡°In less than a few days, they seeded in making a profit of tens of thousands of gold.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t just tens of thousands of gold.


    Already, a huge amount of money had been rolling in my way. Anyway, it was quite surprising.


    In just a short time, I never imagined that he woulde so close to the truth like this - and create fabricated evidence with his limited movement!


    He was certainlypetent.


    As I slightly frowned, I could see Ito Souta carrying on with renewed vigor.


    ¡°I think you may be aware that the Juliana¡¯s case that happened the other day was also investigated separately by the Holy Knights and our guild. Another interesting fact came out as a result of the investigation. Hiroyuki Kazuma, whose throat was pierced by Juliana¡¯s cursing sword, actually tried to kill Lee Kiyoung. It is certainly true that Juliana, who really sensed the threat to the owner, attacked Hiroyuki Kazuma.¡±


    ¡°Defendant. If so, are you saying that you admit to the crimes of the Juliana case?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It is my fault for not properly managing the guild members. Hiroyuki Kazuma, who was a regr member of the Yamato Guild, had two identities, but first of all, since he was indeed in our guild, I should be punished.¡±


    ¡°That means¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. Hiroyuki Kazuma, who died, was also a member of the Kake Guild. When the assassination at Lindel ended as an attempt, he tried to assassinate even within the royal city. Perhaps it was an unavoidable choice for the Kake Guild. It¡¯s because they knew that the drugs they were selling wouldn¡¯t sell if fantasy potions were on the market, just like the case with drug disputes.¡±


    ¡°At any cost, they would¡¯ve wanted to get rid of Lee Kiyoung-ssi, who is running the Sora Guild.¡±


    That was such a great script. At this rate, Souta could be called a ywright.


    Leading the two assassination cases into the fight of the drug cartel¡­ Anyone could see that things were about to get fun.


    ¡°Do you have any evidence that Lee Kiyoung-ssi is making and distributing fantasy potions?¡±


    ¡°Of course, Honorable Supreme Judge. Fantasy potion is actually a variant of the mental healing potion that yed an important role when the Blue Guild attacked the Cursed Shrine. If you take a closer look at the Cursed Shrine¡¯s attack log sold by the Blue Guild, you will realize that much of it is simr to the fantasy potion.¡±


    ¡°Keep talking, defendant.¡±


    ¡°If you look at Blue¡¯s strategy log, the dungeon called the Cursed Shrine is described as a dungeon where you will gradually experience and see hallucinations after a certain period. As a means to suppress hallucinations that have a negative effect on us, Lee Kiyoung decided that the means is to see a new type of hallucinations. It is the mental healing potion that was born of this kind of theory. The only thing that can be said to be different from the fantasy potion on the market is whether they are addictive or not.¡±


    ¡°I have objections. Supreme Judge! The defendant is turning to a different story after the most important case; the attempted assassination has been carefully ruled out. The main proposition of the trial is not the fantasy potion, but an attempted assassination at a social gathering.¡±


    ¡°No, Supreme Judge. Obviously, all of this is rted. The attempted assassination at a social gathering, I swear to Benigore¡¯s Goddess, was not something Imitted. It was difficult to draw an urate conclusion about why such an abnormality urred in Lee Kiyoung¡¯s body, but I think this is also rted to the Kake Guild. If you think about the connection between this fantasy potion and Lee Kiyoung, it¡¯s not weird to be aimed for your life when and where you are. Knowing that fact, Yamato Guild and I were framed because he knew that I was digging about the fantasy potion. I think you should also consider the probability that the attempted assassination case was his doing.¡±


    Good, good.


    ¡°I know that this trial is not a trial for the fantasy potion, Supreme Judge. However, it is undeniable that this potion is involved in all of this. Also, if you think about the dangers of this potion, I think you should hear about what the truth is from Kiyoung Lee sitting by the intiff¡¯s table.¡±


    Ito Souta was perfect.


    At this point, the man himself was nodding in satisfaction as the audience around us became agitated.


    Of course, this was natural. He had sessfully manipted them into thinking that I was the bad guy. It wasn¡¯t a full fabrication.


    Only


    More than half of it was true. I didn¡¯t know how he dug this so well, but wanted to apud the guy foring to his inevitable conclusion.


    Now, it was my turn.


    As I looked at Ito Souta, smirking, I knew he thought he had won. Of course, this was the moment I dropped the act.


    I drew my eyebrows in a grimace, and let my lips droop to its fullest extent.


    ¡®Puff.


    And then I looked at him, smiled, and nodded as a thank you. The more my expression changed, the more confused he looked.


    The moment I opened my mouth to calmly respond, Ito Souta¡¯s expression had crumpled.


    ¡°It¡¯s correct to say that I am the distributor, dear Supreme Justice Court.¡±

 Chapter 136: The Third Card (1)

    <h4>Chapter 136: The Third Card (1)</h4>


    ¡°It¡¯s correct to say that I am the distributor, dear Supreme Justice Court.¡±


    | swallowed theughter that was about to rumble out of me.


    As soon as I finished speaking, the audience was up in an uproar.


    Cardinal Basel looked calm, but others seemed to be disconcerted by the sudden change.


    It was, yet again, a natural reaction. It was the same as finding that a neighbor who had been sending out a good smile one day was found to be a drug offender in the next.


    It was a little embarrassing for me to admit this, but my image within the Empire was good enough to prate the sky itself.


    Perhaps thinking I had something up my sleeve, Ito Souta started to speak once more. However, what the public was waiting for were my next words, not his.


    ¡°It¡¯s too shameless to confess his sins so calmly. Supreme Judge, would you still need to listen? At present, the intiff and the defendant are clearly interchanged. Go ahead and arrest him as per the procedure¡­¡±


    ¡°Arrest as per procedure? I indeed distributed it, but I have never admitted my crimes with my mouth. You are still the defendant in this case.¡±


    ¡°If it is not a sin to distribute drugs in a free city, then what is? If you say that trying to drive an innocent person as an offender is also a sin, you can say so.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m saying that I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about now. This is what I¡¯m saying, Ito Souta.¡±


    ¡°It is as it is shown, Lee Kiyoung-ssi. Didn¡¯t you admit to your doings yourself?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about, Souta-ssi?¡±


    ¡°If you are thinking of ying innocent¡­¡±


    ¡°The fantasy potion is not a drug.¡±


    Seeing his disconcerted expression, the urge tough only grew stronger. He had no idea what I was thinking, and what I was trying to do. Perhaps he thought I was only bluffing, as he had taken the necessary and cautious steps with the assumption that I had an ace.


    ¡°Dear Supreme Justice Court, the fantasy potions that I have distributed are not something that can be called drugs. I hope that you will allow me to rify about the fantasy potions in cirction to the citizens of the Empire here.¡±


    ¡°Certainly¡­ I think this needs an exnation.¡±


    ¡°Supreme Judge!¡±


    ¡°I will allow you to speak.¡±


    Very good.


    ¡°Most of Ito Souta¡¯s testimony is true. It is also true that I made a mental healing potion at the Cursed Shrine and actually made a fantasy potion deriving from the former. I also created with Yuno Kasugano, a new guild called Sora, and distributed potions through this. I haven¡¯t been able to confirm that it¡¯s being sold on the ck market, but that is probably true as well.¡±


    ¡°Please continue to testify.¡±


    ¡°Of course, there are other testimonies that are not true. Saying that the Lindel terrorist incident was a fight between drug gangs and that Hiroyuki Kazuma was a member of the Kage Guild are all false. Of course, it is also false that the attempted assassination case was my own doing.¡±


    ¡°Supreme Judge!¡±


    ¡°Be quiet for a moment, defendant. As the defendant said before, what the intiff will testify from now on is very important in this trial.¡±


    The Supreme Court Justice, who had maintained a good rtionship with my side, was also hoping for us to win the trial. Seeing him cheering me on silently, I felt more confident.


    ¡°Of course, the biggest lie among them is the statement that fantasy potions are drugs. It¡¯s an empty story that doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡±


    ¡°Do you have any evidence?¡±


    ¡°To be precise, the fantasy potion is a potion made for healing purposes.¡±


    ¡°You mean treatment?¡±


    ¡°Yes, treatment. Like the mental healing potion used for the Cursed Shrine, the fantasy potion was created for healing purposes and then distributed for healing purposes. The defendant testifies that incidents ur due to the battle between the Kake Guild and my territory, but the truth ispletely different. The Yamato Guild, in which Ito Souta is a member, is holding hands with the Kake guild.¡±


    Yamato Guild and Kake Guild holding hands was something I had made up on the spot. Of course, I didn¡¯t have any evidence to present right away, but I thought it would be more efficient to talk like this.


    ¡°Everyone has heard of it somewhere.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s because of me.¡¯


    ¡°It is rumored that the Yamato Guild¡¯s Ito Souta handles ve trafficking, organ trafficking, and illegal drugs, as well as running the ck market.¡±


    ¡°I have objections. Supreme Court! Those rumors have no basis, and the content of the evidence to be presented is very poor.¡±


    ¡°The greatest evidence wille in a moment. Here is the start. Supreme Judge, the story begins when Yuno Kasugano of the Yozora Guild visited me. It was about a drug that had been illegally circting in Japanese markets for a long time. Yes. It¡¯s not a fantasy potion; it¡¯s a real drug. I heard directly from her that Celia, the Free City, was already exposed to illegal drugs and that many people were suffering from them.¡±


    ¡°What she asked me to do was make a cure.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah. As you all might think, fantasy potions are a cure for illegal drugs that are now hard to find in Celia. We, the Blues and Yozora, wanted to cure drug addicts and wanted to know where these illegal drugs were circting. That was probably where everything started.¡±


    ¡°What started, intiff?¡±


    ¡°I was constantly under threat of assassination. They seemed not to want me to approach the truth. In addition to the Lindel terrorist incident, there have been many threats that continue to target me. In fact, we weren¡¯t able to find about the group that was controlling the Japanese drug market, but we learned a lot thanks to the ongoing assassination attempts. As I said at the beginning of the trial, the Yamato Guild tried to assassinate me. Oh, maybe it was the Kake Guild too. I mean a guild member of the Kake Guild who was ordered by the Yamato Guild.¡±


    ¡°Everything is a lie under the guise of sophistry, Supreme. The statement that fantasy potions are the cure for existing drugs is unfounded. I wonder how a fantasy potion, which is addictive in the first ce, can be a cure for drugs.¡±


    ¡°Why are you saying that it can¡¯t be a cure, Ito Souta-ssi? The fantasy potion has already proven its effectiveness with the cursed shrine. And to say that is addictive¡­ Please be careful. It is true that fantasy potions have some addictive properties, but calling them drugs is no different from calling favorite foods such as wine as drugs.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°It is a product that was originally released as a treatment. If someone somewhere did not intentionally block the distribution, it would have already been in cirction. Supreme Judge, the reason Ito Souta continuously threatened me was to prevent the cirction of a remedy called the fantasy potion.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ridiculous. Your Honor, the alchemists in our guild, discovered the Weed ingredient that induces addiction and hallucinations in fantasy potions.¡±


    This is really surprising.


    Of course, I knew he would do theponent analysis to get some solid evidence, but I didn¡¯t think he would hit exactly one of the catalysts in it.


    Bringing alchemists who could be said to bepetent in their own way was certainly a thing to have my head cut off.


    However¡­


    There was no alchemist better than me on the entire continent.


    ¡°You have already finished detecting the ingredients. This is where you can get a little more curious, Supreme Judge. To be calling the fantasy potion a drug even though the ingredients analysis has ended.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t call a potion containing Weed ingredients as a drug, what should you call it, Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°Ito Souta-ssi. Is it correct that you have properly detected the ingredients? If it is correct that you fully know about the fantasy potion, the same words cannot be said. No, they shouldn¡¯te out.¡±


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    ¡°The fantasy potion is an object made of holy water, Ito Souta-ssi.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t just him. The entire courtroom had gone silent.


    This entire situation has just gotten a lot more interesting.


    Ito Souta¡¯s face was already very distorted. I saw him turning his head in a hurry to check the faces of Cardinal Basel, as well as the other religious


    people.


    ¡®Pfft.


    He didn¡¯t look like a powerful person who could control a city.


    ¡°Originally, that¡¯s what healing does, Ito Souta-ssi. Putting Weed as an ingredient was with nothing more than or less than the purpose of treatment. Benigore¡¯s Goddess holy water purifies all harmful ingredients. It was a little easy for me, seeing as I am an alchemist.¡±


    ¡°In fact, I didn¡¯t even need to make a separate treatment. The goddess¡¯ holy water was enough to clean up; it wasn¡¯t just illegal drugs that were eating away the Free City Celia. What the fantasy potion shows is a gift from the Goddess for us, Ito Souta-ssi.¡±


    ¡°You dare call the Goddess¡¯s gift a drug. If this isn¡¯t sphemy, what is it? Isn¡¯t that right, everyone?¡±


    Some still had their mouths closed tightly. However, it didn¡¯t take long for the silence to be reced with agitation.


    The first to shout out was Helena, the Director of the Inquisition, and one of the people who had maintained a close rtionship with me.


    ¡°It¡¯s sphemy!¡±


    This triggered the rest of the shouting.


    ¡°It is sphemy! sphemy!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s heresy! It¡¯s heresy!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s sphemy!¡±


    I thought that heresy was a little too far, but that definitely went in my favor.


    ¡®Pfft.


    Ito Souta spoke in a hurry.


    ¡°¡®T-That is because I didn¡¯t know the fantasy potion was made of holy water. If I had known, I would never have said that. Honorable Supreme Court. No, Cardinal Basel, don¡¯t you know how much faith I have in Benigore¡¯s Goddess?¡±


    ¡®It is better for him to make excuses like this.


    ¡°I want you to forgive my ignorance, dear priests. There was absolutely no other intention.¡±


    Cardinal Basel was currently the highest religious person here. Considering that only the Cardinals could hold the Inquisition, it was not unreasonable for him to be begging to Cardinal Basel. Still, unfortunately, Cardinal Basel had been on my side for a long time.


    Well, apart from that, in fact, his excuse was reasonable.


    Saying again that the fantasy potion was not a drug is like denying the testimony he had given so far. In other words, he was more likely to survive if he denied his former testimony.


    ¡®There is a possibility.¡¯


    If he said that he didn¡¯t, then there was room for more excuses.


    ¡®The problem is¡­


    This wasn¡¯t the end of everything that I had prepared. What else did I have up my sleeve?


    Of course, the precious wine I had prepared.


    ¡®It is also a special product. Puhahahahaha.¡¯


    The fantasy potion basically makes you see what you want to see, after all.


    Perhaps some religious people might think that what they see after drinking the holy water from the Goddess is a divine revtion.


    Only


    The same was true for Cardinal Basel, who was very religious.


    ¡®What do you think Cardinal Basel had seen after drinking the wine I presented? Idiot.¡¯


    Ito Souta couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine.


    ¡°At this time, it is judged that this case is out of the authority of the imperial court, and under the authority of the Second Cardinal of the Holy Empire, I formally request Judge James to hold an inquisition here and now.¡±


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    That would be a little secret only Cardinal Basel and I would know.


    ¡®Take this, Ito Souta!¡¯


    This was the most heartfelt gift I could ever give him.

 Chapter 137: The Third Card (2)

    <h4>Chapter 137: The Third Card (2)</h4>


    ¡°At this time, it is judged that this case is out of the authority of the imperial court, and under the authority of the Second Cardinal of the Holy Empire, I formally request Judge James to hold an inquisition here and now.¡±


    Cardinal Basel¡¯s stiff voice echoed throughout the courtroom. I knew Ito Souta felt confused about everything that was happening. The fact that he became a sphemer was undeniable, but it was also true that this had stemmed from his ignorance.


    ¡®What a stupid guy.¡¯


    His ignorance would be the very cause of his downfall. This all happened because he had inevitably called the fantasy potion a drug. Considering that it had been a mistake on his behalf, there may have been room for an extenuation, at the very least.


    However, the problemy with Cardinal Basel, who was now trying to hold the Inquisition trial.


    Of course, the reason why I had met with cardinal priests wasn¡¯t just to build friendships. Of course, establishing a rtionship with them was by no means a bad thing, but it also created amazing opportunities for me.


    For example, it gave me an opportunity to screw you over.¡¯


    It was not a big deal to experience hallucinations after presenting the wine made from holy water. Of course, the wine I had given to Cardinal Basel had been specially made by me.


    It had the same mechanism as the fantasy potion, but it was a luxury item that could not be said toe from the same roots.


    [Sacred Wine: Heroic Grade]


    [It is a wine made from holy water, called a gift from God. This wine, which is a mixture of severalplex ingredients, has the effect of permanently increasing the Holy Power stat by 2 and recovering the consumed Holy Power, limited to the first ss. Sometimes it shows something special.]


    ¡®There¡¯s no need to say anything else.


    Only about 8,000 gold was needed to make the bottle.


    Of course, it hadn¡¯t been thatplicated to make, but the situation I was trying to create was a bit difficult in itself. The fantasy potion was out of my control not in its creation - there was an alchemy factory in Blue - but in its gathering of ingredients. It might have been impossible, if Ito Souta had not been under investigation.


    No, it was definitely impossible.


    What I did after making the holy wine was very simple. I simply had a meal with Cardinal Basel and drank the wine together. The scene that unfolded afterwards had been even more borate.


    ¡®Puhahaha.


    It was something that would happen after 20 years.


    The scene had showed to Souta, who eventually signed a contract with a demon summoned from hell. In short, I had showed Cardinal Basel a gruesome scene for someone of his profession.


    Of course, the man himself struggled to protect both the Holy Empire and the Goddess of Benigore. Thus, it would be natural to think of Ito Souta as an enemy.


    The cardinal would¡¯ve seen Souta slowly and carefully entering the Pope¡¯s fold, and, five yearster, controlling the Pope himself. At this point, Basal would have also seen himself as the church¡¯s only hope, and the only one who would dare stand against the Yamato Guild leader.


    ¡®Very good.


    What he had seen was a lonely fight between Cardinal Basel and Ito Souta thatsted a very long time. As with any Apocalypse, Cardinal Basel would lose everyone he loved, and he would eventually face a very miserable and painful death.


    He would¡¯ve seen himself with a sword stuck in his heart, looking at the Pope¡¯s members surrounded by demons that had climbed up from hell. These people, in turn, would be crying and looking at ito Souta, who would be busy killing off their Goddess.


    After seeing the hallucination, Cardinal Basel¡¯s expression proved to be unforgettable.


    He seemed to doubt whether what he saw was a divine revtion, but the man had to admit that he had epted the will of the Goddess with a firm face the next day.


    ¡®This is simply because he has great faith.¡¯


    To our Cardinal Basel, Ito Souta was an enemy that needed to be removed right away. It was nothing more, nothing less than that.


    ¡®Like when Hyunsung saw Jung Jinho for the first time.¡¯


    There was no chance of escape for them. This was thest insurance prepared.


    Of course, I had a few more, but I felt like this would be enough.


    ¡°Judge James?¡±


    ¡°Okay. I will formally ept Cardinal Basel¡¯s request. As of this time, it is judged that this case is out of the authority of the imperial court, and under the authority of the Supreme Court of the imperial court of the Holy Empire. Thus, I will close this trial here and now.¡±


    Ito Souta¡¯s face looked overly disconcerted.


    ¡°Honorable Cardinal Basel, I understand what you are feeling, but I don¡¯t really understand this situation right now. I said I didn¡¯t really know about the fantasy potion; I never meant to insult Benigore¡¯s Goddess. Rather, it is Lee Kiyoung in the intiff¡¯s seat that should be punished!¡±


    ¡°Why should I be punished, Ito Souta-ssi?¡±


    ¡°Did you notmit a disrespectful act of mixing Weed ingredients with the holy water of the Goddess?¡±


    This was proof that he was indeed in a crisis. He was trying to find anything he could use to his advantage.


    ¡°Why is that disrespectful? Ito Souta-ssi, I have been through the purification process. The great power of the Goddess can bring anything back to a clean state. Of course, it can purify your disrespectful heart, too.¡±


    ¡°I-It¡¯s not just that. Cardinal Basel! Lee Kiyoung of the Blue Guild used the Goddess¡¯ gift to take advantage and gain an undeserved profit.¡±


    ¡°Some of the profits of the fantasy potion go to the Pope¡¯s side as donations, so you don¡¯t have to worry about unfair gains. Another part will go into rehabilitation treatment for real drug addicts. It is an object made as a gift from the Goddess. There¡¯s no way I¡¯d use it for private things. I¡¯m not like you, criminal Ito Souta.¡±


    ¡°Who are you calling a criminal¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course, you are the current criminal. If the fantasy potion isn¡¯t a drug, aren¡¯t all the testimonies you¡¯ve given up till now a lie? Having confessed your sins with your own words, you would have been convicted even if you had not passed on to the Inquisition. Oh, if you¡¯re regretting what you¡¯re saying right now, I definitely want to ask you again. Is the fantasy potion a drug? Is it?¡±


    ¡°Our proud to Souta-ssi of Yamato Guild. You have to answer my question. Is the fantasy potion a drug? Or is it not a drug?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not worth answering the question.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°The Goddess¡¯ gift can¡¯t be? Asking questions is in itself disrespectful. Supreme Judge, Cardinal Basel. This is a trap and a setback. Once again, I ask for a formal trial. No, I will request an adjournment. Supreme Judge!¡±


    He tried yelling at the Supreme Court eagerly, but there was no way that the Supreme Court would be positive in his response. Already, Cardinal Basel had gained the authority.


    ¡°The power of the current court is not on me. Defendant, please send the request for adjournment and appeal after the Inquisition is over.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ Cardinal Basel, this is a frame. This is a dirty masterpiece of Lee Kiyoung of the Blue Guild, who tried to trap me in the first ce. If you give me a little more time, I will be able to bring you convincing evidence.¡±


    It was impossible to understand why those kinds of people transformed into parrots shouting about setups at this point, but this was evidence that he was now desperate.


    While looking around with an unfair expression, the public¡¯s reaction to him was quite cold. It was revealed that he had already lied once. Now, there was no way they would listen to him, testifying that he had fallen into a trap.


    Rather, he was only making Cardinal Basel angrier.


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    ¡°Cardinal Basel?¡±


    ¡°Shut up, you filthy heretic!¡±


    ¡°I-I am not a heretic. Cardinal Basel, Chief Inquisitor Helena. There were some misunderstandings, but I never thought of betraying Benigore¡¯s Goddess.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie, you dirty heretic. Y-You think I don¡¯t know how dark you are on the inside?!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s unfair.¡±


    ¡°From the very beginning, when you were going in and out of the Pope¡¯s side incessantly, I felt something was weird.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    ¡°I told you to shut up. You dirty heretic! Did you think I didn¡¯t know that you were coborating with the demons from Hell?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Since you came here, I knew, by receiving a revtion from the Goddess, that you were trying to dominate the Holy Empire with the demons.¡±


    ¡°That¡­¡±


    ¡°You dirty demon worshipper.¡±


    ¡°What are you¡­?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m saying that I heard from the Goddess that you wanted to corrupt and kill everything in the Pope¡¯s side by slowly dominating from the inside!¡±


    ¡°T-There¡¯s some misunderstanding. Coborating with the devil, that is not true. I understand that you¡¯re angry¡­¡±


    ¡°No matter how many excuses you make, the fact that you tried to assassinate Lee Kiyoung in order to stop the distribution of the potion made with the holy water of Benigore¡¯s Goddess in Japan does not change.¡±


    ¡°Once again, we never did the assassination. It was the Kage Guild that tried to assassinate Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying that¡¯s a dispute between guilds?¡±


    ¡°N-No. The Kake Guild probably did not want to distribute a remedy made from the Goddess¡¯ holy water in Japan, so it attempted to assassinate Lee Kiyoung¡­¡±


    ¡°Your words are now different from before.¡±


    ¡°It is because I was ignorant.¡±


    ¡°You always have been. Hey. What is the Chief Inquisitor doing? Helena! Helena!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll start preparing right away.¡±


    ¡°Arrest that devil worshipper right now, and interrogate and judge him! There is no need for an inquisition. Even the means for a trial is a waste for that heretic. No, it¡¯s not just him. Take all the filthy demonic groups in the Holy Empire now, and the filthy heretics in the Free City of Celia.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I will send Heretic Inquisitors and the Holy Knights to Celia right away. I¡¯ll cut off the sprouts of the filthy demon worshippers!¡±


    It seemed that Cardinal Basel had reminisced about what he had seen and now felt angry. Of course, I could understand his feelings.


    Wasn¡¯t the future destroyer of the Holy Empire in front of him, after all?


    Of course, he would want to have him removed right away.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t expect that there wouldn¡¯t be a trial¡­¡¯


    Ito Souta¡¯s defeat was inevitable, but I had wanted to y with him a little more.


    In the second half, he copsed, but I still want to know what else he had prepared. It would have been a good source of entertainment.


    Even amidst the confusion in the hall, you could see Ito Souta looking at me.


    ¡®So, you noticed?¡¯


    He seemed to have understood a bit about how things were going, why he was stuck in such a situation, and why Cardinal Basel felt so angered.


    He looked as if he had something to say, but did not say anything.


    Logic never worked with religion.


    ¡®He must know that too.¡¯


    ¡°Put him on the fire right now! That demon worshipper!¡±


    ¡°Kill the heretic!¡±


    ¡°Execute the sphemer right now!¡±


    After being cornered, he only had two options.


    Would he be interrogated by a heretic inquisitor, which was like witchhunting? Or would he resist or run away from this unfair situation?


    Only


    The first option had little chance of survival. He would have been tortured and then died, but there may be a tiny hope.


    However, the second option was a different story. It was natural to bebeled as a demon worshiper and a heretic at the moment of resistance.


    The fact that he resisted the Pope¡¯s side proved that he was indeed a demon worshipper.


    ¡®What¡¯re you going to do?¡¯


    I was very curious about which one he would choose, but sadly, the only option he had seemed to lean on was thetter.


    Why?


    This was because I saw the Holy Knights and heretic inquisitors running towards him.


    ¡®Bingo.

 Chapter 138: The Third Card (3)

    <h4>Chapter 138: The Third Card (3)</h4>


    ¡°Catch the heretic!¡±


    ¡°Execute the demon worshipper right now!¡±


    Of course, there was no way he woulde back obediently. No, it seemed hard toe up with a positive result even if he didn¡¯t resist, so this would be a natural choice for him.


    As such, our priests in the court were engulfed in pure anger.


    Pfft.


    Simply put, he had no choice but to resist.


    ¡°Just obey and get right onto the interrogation, you devil worshipper!¡±


    ¡°Sh*t!¡±


    The two people around him fell out in an instant


    The restraints on his hands were broken so easily that it was futile. He wasn¡¯t even properly trapped in the first ce. He must have taken over some of the Imperial Knights.


    ¡°That¡­ Catch and kill the demon worshipper right now!¡±


    ¡°Catch him! It¡¯s heresy! Bring that heretic to this ce right now! Helena! Get that guy¡¯s neck! The neck!¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    In an instant, our surroundings fell into chaos.


    The problem was that no one there was on a level that could harm Ito Souta, but seeing them rushing to fill the courtroom seemed quite unwise.


    The guy had to make a decision quickly.


    ¡®He has to decide whether to fight or avoid.¡¯


    Even Gandhi, who shouted about nonviolence, eventually made the Holy Knights¡¯ side scream when he pulled out his sword to protect himself.


    Ito Souta wounded a knight when trying to take down the sword flying towards him.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°That dirty heretical bastard!¡±


    Lee Jihye, who saw it, quietly looked this way and muttered.


    ¡°Oppa, I think it would be a little dangerous to stay here.¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s not dangerous; you just have to watch the situation. I think things will get a little fun.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ I see.¡±


    Some were already leaving. The Supreme Court or those in high positions were preparing for any possible danger in the Imperial Knights¡¯ warm arms.


    It was a bit fun to watch Cardinal Basel.


    The sense of duty to save the Holy Empire from danger seemed to move him.


    ¡°Get him here right now! Director of Inquisition Helena! Doing that kind of thing in the sacred inquisition¡­ It must be heresy. You must be a demon worshipper!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°No! I¡¯m going myself. I will kill him myself! Bring my mace! Right now!¡±


    ¡°It is not wise for you to move.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, hurry up and catch him!¡±


    It was more scary than ridiculous to see an old man who seemed unable even to walk properly. After all, the chosen warrior who received the revtion of the Goddess was truly different.


    Eventually, as Helena, the Director of Inquisition, quietly moved her body, the war situation began to grow slightly.


    ¡®She is a powerful woman.¡¯


    It was notparable to Victor Hart or Cha Hee-ra, but she was powerful enough to lead the armed group. She would probably be on the same level as Lee Sang-hee or Hwang Jeong-yeon.


    Seeing her running with a mace reminded me of a holy warrior preparing to go to war.


    Seeing Archbishop Jessica doing all sorts of divine spells, putting shields and buffs, the Holy Knights once again struck at Ito Souta.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!¡±


    ¡®This is a spectacle, a spectacle.¡¯


    At first, Ito Souta was stopping those who kept running towards him, but how far could he go while still maintaining his pace?


    I thought he wouldn¡¯tst long, but Agility 99¡¯s abilities were more than 1 imagined.


    ¡®He won¡¯t be able to resist any longer.¡¯


    Seeing dozens of knights rushing at once, Ito Souta moved his body backwards. Of course, there was also a knight behind him getting ready to rush him.


    After pushing the knight with his arm, he took down the sword flying down from the side.


    It was certainly incredible for him to avoid all attacks in such a situation, but I could definitely see his crumpled face when Helena jumped into the front line.


    All this was because of my doing.


    Laughter burst out of me for no reason. His desperate voice felt like a catalyst that would summon myughter.


    ¡°Cardinal Basel! All of this was nned!¡±


    ¡°Shut up! You dirty heretic!¡±


    ¡°Everything is a misunderstanding. For now¡­ Please tell them to stop!¡±


    ¡°Shut your dirty mouth!¡±


    ¡°Helena-nim, you know well enough that I¡¯m not that kind of guy!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t call my name, you devil worshipper!¡±


    ¡°Bishop Jessica, please say something¡­¡±


    ¡°What are you doing?! Are you thinking of watching that devil worshipper teasing us with his cunning tongue?! Go ahead and shut his mouth!¡±


    I felt a little sorry for the guy, but the Director of Inquisition Helena and Archbishop Jessica were already on my side. I didn¡¯t even have to use the sacred wine. They spent a long time eagerly discussing about Ito Souta with me.


    Cardinal Basel¡¯s wrath was decisive.


    This breathtaking game was fun no matter what, but it needed new winds.


    As I looked at Jung Hayan, I saw her chanting a spell.


    ¡°The magic chain.¡±


    A chain made of blue magic power eventually wrapped around him. However, Ito Souta destroyed it with ease.


    Although Jung Hayan seemed a little disappointed, I nodded and pped my hands to encourage her. Praise bred both willingness and desperation within Jung Hayan.


    ¡°Wind de! Magic chain! Air boom!¡±


    I hadn¡¯t expected her to cast a triple-effect spell.


    She had reduced the output a lot, considering that others got caught up too, but as raid¡¯s main damage dealer, Ito Souta was in perfect condition.


    I felt like I needed to pitch in as well. Since my magic would be of no use here, I decided to call upon Juliana.


    ¡°Juliana!¡±


    Juliana, shooting out ording to my gestures, was faster than most of the knights¡¯ movements. She moved on her own, towards Ito Souta.


    The tanker group of the Heretic Inquisitors and Holy Knights were in the front line, so the main damage dealers like us were at ease in the rear. Moreover, Ito wouldn¡¯t be able to get past them.


    I didn¡¯t know if he would attack me or not, but seeing that he was still eagerly iming innocence, it looked like I wasn¡¯t safe anymore.


    Ito Souta didn¡¯t want the dispute to get any bigger. He believed that if he continued to persuade, this madness would calm down.


    ¡°Ah¡­ This is not easy?¡±


    ¡°I know, right.¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t really imagine him to be this strong¡­¡±


    ¡°How about getting the Red Mercenary Queen and the shaman?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think they¡¯re needed¡­ First of all, I have to protect the VIP guests if anything happens. Hee-ra seems to be enjoying herself¡­ If something happens, she¡¯ll join the war.¡±


    ¡°Ah. I avoided it! Please, focus.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not easy to catch even with Juliana¡¯s speed. He¡¯s really fast. Are all those who are masters ofrge guilds like that?¡±


    ¡°It would be nice trying to connect with Hayan-ssi. Or perhaps we can look for another way to attack. You said that if one gets hurt by Juliana, he will be cursed? I think it would be better to start by making shallow wounds one by one rather than aiming for the big one from the start. And didn¡¯t you say that she can directly curse and move things like ck tentacles?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a feature that is currently unavable. I think I can use it when Juliana¡¯s ego awakens¡­¡±


    ¡°Then it can¡¯t be helped. Since we can make the mental attack, try talking to them first. It wouldn¡¯t be bad to lead the Heretic Inquisition or the Holy Knights.¡±


    This was an excellent suggestion from the Strategy Team Leader Lee Jihye.


    Originally, a raid had to be done regardless of means and methods. My mouth began to open before I even finished thinking.


    ¡°We must capture that dirty heretic. He has been rendered strong under the power of the devil, so I think we should join forces as well!¡±


    As expected, I could see him staring at me. However, what else could he do?


    As soon as I said this, we clearly got in a systematic formation. The excitement had encouraged everyone to clear their minds and focus.


    ¡°Good! Let¡¯s kill that demon right now! Everyone!¡±


    ¡°Kill the heretic!¡±


    ¡°You mustn¡¯t let him run away. If you block the door and stick to it, you will soon weaken the filthy demon¡¯s power attached to him. Let¡¯s try a little more, everyone! For Benigore¡¯s Goddess!¡±


    ¡°For Benigore¡¯s Goddess!¡±


    Ito Souta was still staring at me.


    That was when Jung Hayan¡¯s magic hit his arm.


    It was just bondage magic, but taking advantage of that, Juliana passed by his arm.


    ¡°Damn!¡±


    ¡®Good¡¯


    At this point, I was unconsciously clenching my first. If the setting had been outdoors, Souta¡¯s agility would have helped him, but since we were inside, he was put at a disadvantage.


    Countless humans who are blocking him, he can¡¯t even attack properly.


    Of course, as time passed, he also started to change.


    I didn¡¯t know if it was because he decided that he had no hope anyway or because he wanted to rip my talkative mouth off, but the important thing was that he was resisting with all his might.


    In the meantime, it was his condition that caught my eyes.


    ¡®It¡¯s not ordinary


    The damage that almost killed him from Cha Hee-ra still remained.


    In that condition, he had to face Helena, the Director of Inquisition, buffed by Archbishop Jessica. Jung Hayan¡¯s chains holding him in ce also yed a huge role.


    ¡°We must punish that heretic! Everyone!¡±


    ¡°He is the cancer of the Holy Empire! No, he is the Free City¡¯s Cancer! We must remove him! The sprouts! The roots.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s all gang up together and do it!¡±


    ¡°S-Shut up¡­¡±


    ¡°The finish line is right in front of you!¡±


    ¡°Shut up! Please, please shut up!¡±


    ¡°You should be the one to shut up, not me. This filthy demon worshipper! Benigore¡¯s Goddess will punish you!¡±


    ¡°This¡­ This motherfucker! Motherfucker!¡±


    ¡°It is God¡¯s judgment! You dirty heretic! Benigore¡¯s Goddess, give me strength!¡±


    He certainly wouldn¡¯t be able toe to me. It wasn¡¯t just that.


    Not only was he noticeably anxious, but he responded with insults to me, who he had initially ignored.


    He looked angry, but that wasn¡¯t all. This was because of Juliana¡¯s curse.


    ¡°Receive the power of the goddess!¡±


    ¡°Goddamn it!¡±


    ¡°Everyone, the filthy devil¡¯s power is gradually fading away. You must be tired, but we¡¯re almost there. Let¡¯s try a little more!¡±


    ¡°This¡­ This weak trash! These pieces of sh*t!!¡±


    ¡°The devil is revealing its true color!¡±


    ¡°Shut your mouth!¡±


    ¡°You are finally revealing your true color! You dirty devil¡¯s servant!¡±


    As time went by, the more wounds umted on his body, the angrier Souta got. I once again felt like the chemistry between Juliana and I was quite good.


    In the end, Souta¡¯s gaze fell on me once more.


    ¡®Ah.¡¯


    The explosive magic power began to spread in all directions. This meant Ito Souta had given up on trying to persuade and defend at the same time. He had already made his decision.


    No, perhaps because of the curse, he couldn¡¯t figure out the situation, but no one would ever know the truth. It could simply be because he wanted to exact revenge on me, or perhaps he thought it would be better to render the Holy Knights incapable ofbat first.


    One thing was certain, however.


    ¡®He¡¯s very strong.¡¯


    He was stronger than I thought.


    I heard screams from everywhere. It was already hard to see him, but the Knights and the Heretic Inquisitors fell ridiculously.


    If he had a sword in his hand, his arms and legs would have been flying in all directions.


    The divine power that filled the area retains the existing troops, but in fact, their role was only to limit his movements.


    The Holy Knights and Heretic Inquisitors were by no means weak.


    The armed groups that the Holy Empire considered as the elite, Helena and Jessica, and some visible people, also had considerable stats.


    The fact that ito Souta is holding up so far doesn¡¯t make sense.


    ¡®In a wounded body condition? With no equipment? Are you serious?¡¯


    I could understand why the Holy Empire was sure to respect such strong people.


    I felt it with Cha Hee-rast time too, but there was definitely a reason for calling non-standard beings out of standard.


    ¡°Catch him! Ahhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t let him move! Surround him as much as possible!¡±


    ¡°Helena-nim!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make space for him!¡±


    ¡°Everyone, please give me a little more strength!¡±


    The road opened up in spite of me talking. Ito Souta was now running towards me.


    ¡®Whoa!¡¯


    I was surprised but not disconcerted.


    There were still many rough mountains left for him before hitting me.


    I could see Cha Hee-ra, who approached quickly, kicking him on his side even before he came to me.


    Baaang! With this sound, he got stuck in the opposite wall while screaming.


    He seeded in breaking through the first gateway, but unfortunately, he did not pass through the second gateway.


    ¡°Ahhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°Stop him right now!¡±


    Only


    ¡°Cough. Let me go! Let me go! I will kill you! aargh¡­ Kill you! I¡¯ll kill you no matter what. At any cost! At any cost! Lee Kiyoung. Lee Kiyoung! Let go of me right now! Cough!¡±


    ¡°Tie up his arms and legs!!¡±


    ¡°Let go of me. aargh! I will kill all those who approach me.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t intended, but the appearance of Ito Souta, who had been influenced by the curse, now looked like he was really drunk by the power of the demon.


    Seeing him spit blood out of his mouth after getting hit by Hee-ra, the possibility of him being affiliated with the devil became even more believable.


    This was a fitting end for a guy who pretended to be nobler than he really was.


    ¡°Whoo¡­ I¡¯m feeling way better now.¡±


    I had to nod at Cha Hee-ra¡¯s words

 Chapter 139: The Verdict (1)

    <h4>Chapter 139: The Verdict (1)</h4>


    I felt as refreshed as if I had gotten rid of a 10-year indigestion.


    Seeing him already surrounded by Heretic Inquisitors, I felt that all the hardships I had to do had been rewarded. I felt happy.


    Of course, Cardinal Basel, a warrior who felt like he had received a revtion from the Goddess, showed more joy than I did. Since he could change the dark future he saw, he may be thinking that he had aplished his assigned mission.


    ¡°Good job! Well done!¡±


    Of course, this was not the end.


    ¡°No. It¡¯s too early to celebrate! I have to send the Holy Knights and Heretic Inquisitors to the Free City of Celia right now. Archbishop Jessica, take the lead on the Holy Knight¡¯s official dispatch.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Cardinal.¡±


    ¡°It is a Holy War. A Holy War.¡±


    What I said earlier was also a fact, but what Cardinal Basel wanted was not just the death of Ito Souta. He wanted to find the other ¡®demons¡¯ rooted in the Free City and eradicate them.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t want to miss out on such a big event.


    As I subtly nced at Yuno Kasugano, I saw her nodding as if she knew what I was thinking.


    ¡°Cardinal Basel, if it¡¯s okay, can we, the Yozora Guild, join in?¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a situation where we don¡¯t know when the demon¡¯s trumps will escape the Free City of Celia. It will surely be helpful as time is urgent.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ thank you. Yuno Kasugano-nim. Thanks for the help. The Goddess will never forget about this.¡±


    If I were the Guild Master, I would have participated in the heresy judgment parade, but our Hyunsung and Deokgu both had many things to do.


    I didn¡¯t know about Kim Hyunsung, but Deokgu, who was soft, may have a hard time doing this.


    ¡°We, the ck Swans, shall help too.¡±


    ¡°The same goes for the Red Mercenary. Of course, since it is a Free City, we will require permission from the Yozora Guild, but if it is okay, I would also like to send troops.¡±


    ¡°Of course, everyone.¡±


    ¡®Whoa.


    Of course, the ck Swan and Red Mercenaries were also going to participate in this big event.


    It was time for a wholerge guild to disappear from the map.


    I can tell that I, the number one contributor, would get a big share out of this entire event.


    Anyway, most of what Yuno Kasugano would get was supposed toe to


    me.


    Lee Jihye would also have something to give me, and the Red Mercenary was sure to give me some of their bounty, too.


    Actually, various businesses in Blue were on hold due to capital issues.


    I thought that if Ibined all the gold from the fantasy potion and the ones from the Yamato Guild, I would still have some leftover gold if I were to screw up a few times.


    ¡°The future of the Holy Empire is bright because of all of you.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Cardinal Basel. This is a great opportunity to pull out the cancerous roots in the Holy Empire. I am very d to be able to lend a hand.¡±


    ¡°Hohoho.¡±


    ¡°I will send a letter to the Yozora Guild.¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much. It¡¯s not a situation where you can afford to be at ease, but thanks to you, I think I can calm down a little bit¡­¡±


    It would also be good for me to stay on the down-low.


    Ito Souta, who had been alternating between groaning, screaming, and resisting the Inquisitors¡¯ arrest, was already out of my sight.


    I wanted to talk with him at least once, but this came first.


    I have to take care of my achievements.¡¯


    It felt right to calcte what I can receive rather than indulge in a brief satisfaction. Everyone¡¯s gazes eventually focused on me as I began to move.


    In particr, Cardinal Basel greeted me with a very happy expression.


    ¡°Ah. Lee Kiyoung!¡±


    ¡°I think you have relieved the burden on your heart a little, Cardinal.¡±


    ¡°Ahem¡­ Ahem¡­¡±


    ¡°For thest few days, you didn¡¯t look so well. I am a little relieved to see you are doing better.¡±


    ¡°There is still a lot of work to do, but at first, I have eased my biggest burden. This is all thanks to Lee Kiyoung. Hohoho.¡±


    ¡°Haha. All I did was move ording to the will of the Goddess. Wouldn¡¯t all of this be the will of Benigore¡¯s Goddess? In fact, it would have been nice if our Blue Guild could also participate in this Holy War¡­ But we still aren¡¯t in a position to move, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°No.You¡¯re sorry? Lee Kiyoung is the biggest contributor to this event. If it weren¡¯t for Lee Kiyoung, we wouldn¡¯t have been able to find out about those demons. Haha.¡±


    I had done a lot, indeed. Not only did I cure a city that was about to be contaminated by demons, but also helped uncover Ito Souta¡¯s real identity.


    I presented the revtion of the Goddess to Cardinal Basel with sacred wine, and at this trial, I also provided good pieces of evidence.


    To exaggerate a little, everything had gone as smoothly as I had expected.


    ¡°I¡¯m really embarrassed.¡±


    ¡°No. You have aplished an achievement that deserves much praise. Besides, isn¡¯t it because of the Yamato Guild that the Blue Guild¡¯s power has been reduced? Governing internallyes first. I understand Lee Kiyoung better than anyone else.¡±


    What I wanted were not just words of praise.


    ¡°Give me a reward¡± lingered around my throat, but it appeared that I had no need to speak up.


    ¡°There will be a reward from the Pope¡¯s side.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not just the Pope¡¯s side. You¡¯ve done a great job for the Holy Empire, so you¡¯ll be rewarded by the royal city itself. It would be nice to talk to everyone else. Ah! If you have any questions, you can tell me.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t hoping forpensation, Cardinal Basel.¡±


    ¡°Hoho. Lee Kiyoung, don¡¯t you think that I know that? However, you are right to receive a decent reward for what you have done. Only then will my mind feel at ease.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°You have gone through a lot of trouble, Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°No. Hahaha. Cardinal Basel faced a lot more struggle than I did.¡±


    ¡®Good


    This situation was progressing beautifully.


    If it is enough for the Cardinal-Priest to make a rant like that, I think I can tell what I can receive.


    It¡¯s hard to predict exactly, but maybe¡­


    ¡®Ministerial-level treatment?¡¯


    I can be sure that I can receive such a reward. Of course, I¡¯ll know only after opening the gift box, but at least I¡¯ll be treated as a guild master of arge


    guild.


    I still do not know exactly about the privileges they receive, but I might get my own room in the pce and a Griffon payment for now.


    Of course, it is undeniable that other options wille with it.


    ¡®This is sweet.


    It was worth it to risk my life.


    I had to smilefortably in a situation where a smile was on my lips even when I was still.


    Looking aside, Ito Souta was being trapped by other Heretic Inquisitors, including Helena, the Director of Inquisition.


    The surroundings are very agitated.


    Only


    I could see those cleaning the hall due to a sudden fight, and the Holy Knights were busy running around to arrest the remaining Yamato Guild members in the castle.


    There¡¯s nothing to do, but it¡¯s okay to pretend to also be busy in the current situation.


    ¡°Let go of me! I am innocent! Let me go! Cough. Cough.¡±


    ¡°This filthy demon worshiper. If you make fun of your tongue anymore, I will crush your mouth.¡±


    ¡°Sh*t¡­ Sh*t!¡±


    In the meantime, Ito Souta¡¯s voice continues to be heard.


    He looks miserable.


    It doesn¡¯t look like a guild master who once was loved by everyone and wielded

 Chapter 140: The Verdict (2)

    <h4>Chapter 140: The Verdict (2)</h4>


    ¡°I think it will be a very good method for a guy who sphemed, speaking ill of the Goddess¡¯ holy water saying that it was a drug.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    ¡°Since the devil contaminates the whole body, it will be a ritual of purification.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that seems to be a very good method. If the execution were made carelessly, the demon¡¯s energy in his body would pollute the castle. That¡¯s right! Just as I expected from Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    I had just thrown him a curveball, but the Cardinal¡¯s reaction was very enthusiastic.


    If I thought about one of the punishments faced by witches in the Middle Ages, the one where they threw them into the sea with them tied to a stone. thought they had a simr method, but it seemed like they didn¡¯t.


    They must have their own methods, but at least, Cardinal Basel looked happy with the idea.


    ¡®Hmm. It¡¯s not bad.¡¯


    Ito Souta¡¯s case waspletely different from Lee Seolho¡¯s. He was alreadypletely in trouble, but as one never knew what could happen, it was right to deal with it when you had the opportunity. There was no need to wait around.


    At this point, I was sure Cardinal Basel felt more eager than I was.


    ¡®Considering what he had seen, that¡¯s understandable.¡¯


    ¡°W-what¡­¡±


    Of course, Ito Souta¡¯s reaction was to feel very disconcerted. Up until now, couldn¡¯t believe he had been throwing insults my way just a few minutes ago.


    He must be realizing what the reality truly was.


    Dummy.


    Even though he was exposed to the curse, seeing himid down t and struggling madly made me realize that pride usually didn¡¯t help at all.


    When he saw Cardinal Basel opening his mouth, his face turned pale again.


    ¡°Bring the bronze statue right now! A bronze statue!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Bring the empty bronze statue! That¡¯s a bronze statue filled with holy water!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll honor your order.¡±


    He indeed moved very fast. I didn¡¯t know what he had done in the past, but I knew I had made the right decision in choosing Cardinal Basel as the receiver of the ¡®Goddess¡¯ revtion.¡¯


    I thought he had a personality that preserved dignity and elegance, but it looked like he had a fiery spirit hidden inside. Of course, this worked to my advantage.


    ¡°Lift the very demonic worshipper, Heretic Inquisitor.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°The trial will proceed quickly. No, it cannot be called a trial. It is a good idea to ask the demon worshipper whether he is guilty of sin or not. It will be a simple execution.¡±


    ¡°Damn it¡­ Damn!¡±


    ¡°Even if you regret the sin you havemitted now, it is toote, devil worshipper. Now, please, clear up the messy hall, Holy Knights.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Okay.¡±


    ¡°It would be better to make space for the statue toe in. Yes. This way. This way! Everyone here now will be an observer of this execution. You will be the eyes and mouth of the Goddess to testify of this execution, seeing what the words of the wicked, who not onlymitted the crime but also betrayed God, are.¡±


    It was at this moment that Cardinal Basel would prove to be very useful for me in the future. If he were to get promoted one day, I, who would already have established a considerable acquaintance with him, would be able to wield unprecedented power.


    ¡®I have to be good to him.¡¯


    It would be good to bring him a few more bottles of sacred wine.


    Shortly after that, the former courthouse¡¯s door, the current execution site, began to open.


    What caught my eye was arge statue, a statue of a woman withrge wings. Of course, I know who it was. In order to impress these people, I had to gain some knowledge of theology.


    ¡®Raquel


    She was an angel that was considered the right-hand woman of Benigore¡¯s Goddess.


    I didn¡¯t know whether it was a good end or not to die inside such a statue, but the statue, which was made very beautifully, seemed more than enough to fit two adult men at once. It looked grandiose at first nce, but I soon realized it was a torture device.


    Or perhaps it was made just for storing items. Of course, its usage had nothing to do with me. Currently, the priests were busy pouring holy water inside the statue.


    As if they had practiced this beforehand, the whole thing looked sacred.


    Of course, it wouldn¡¯t look that way to Ito Souta.


    ¡°Crazy¡­ These crazy guys! These savage guys! Cough¡­¡±


    ¡°Marlin Young-ae! Duchess Catherine! Cough! Will you just be watching this madness? Judge James! Cough¡­ in the heavenly court. Execution?! Are you insane? Yuno Kasugano! Are you really betraying your country now?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by betraying my country? This is not the Earth, Ito Soutassi. We are now the imperialists of the Free Cities of Lindel and Celia. If you sinned, you must be punished. This society, which is fair to all, is very equal to sin.¡±


    ¡°Kiyoung you¡­ Cough¡­¡±


    ¡°So why did you do that? Why did you coborate with the devil?¡±


    ¡°No. I am not like that. Wasn¡¯t all of this something you made up¡­?¡±


    ¡°If anyone hears, they will misunderstand, Ito Souta-ssi. You have instincts, right? The wrong choice in an instant is what makes this result. You shouldn¡¯t have turned the Goddess as an enemy.¡±


    To be precise, you shouldn¡¯t have turned me into an enemy. I knew Souta would understand this.


    ¡°Benigore¡¯s Goddess never forgives enemies. She shows mercy only to the believers who turn their heads toward her.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ you!¡±


    ¡°She will never forgive those who oppose her.¡±


    ¡°Cough¡­ you¡­¡±


    ¡°You came too far to repent, Ito Souta-nim. I will not lie about you going to a good ce. Since you havemitted numerous sins, it would be hard to go to Heaven. I hope you don¡¯t make the wrong choice in the next life.¡±


    Though I knew I was speaking too much, I felt like it was only right for me to repay him for what happened in front of Yuno Kasugano¡¯s door.


    When he first backstabbed me, he wouldn¡¯t have imagined that the result would be this way.


    ¡°Pfft.¡±


    It was heartbreaking to see him tied up tightly, but this could also be seen as the perfect end for such an opponent.


    Cardinal Basel then spoke up in a solemn tone.


    ¡°Shut his mouth so that the sinner does not y with his cunning tongue.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°These savage guys! Let go of me! I said, let go of me!¡±


    He was resisting, but there was no way that a tightly tied up guy could do something.


    Eventually, he got gagged, muffling his directed curses.


    ¡°Mhmpf! Mhmpf!¡±


    Of course, this only served to anger Cardinal Basel further.


    ¡°Verdict! Guild Master Ito Souta of the Yamato Guild, the perpetrator of the Lindel terror incident, inflicted great wounds on the citizens of the Free City of Lindel and caused dozens of casualties due to personal greed. Not only that, hemitted a crime of anger in the Imperial Pce, threatening and assassinating the Holy Empire¡¯s guests. He is an imperial sinner who broke the imperial agreement to minimize conflict.¡±


    ¡°But.¡±


    ¡°This is not the primary reason to condemn the execution of the criminal Ito Souta. He made ns to dominate the Holy Empire through the demons, traded illegal drugs in the Free City of Celia, andmitted the sins of anger, such as very and organ trafficking. In the heavenly court, he sphemed about the holy water of Benigore¡¯s Goddess, saying that it was a drug, and then betrayed his oath with the Goddess with false testimony.¡±


    ¡°Ito Souta, a sinner that has sinned against the God and man with adopting the disobedience to the interrogation of the Heresy Inquisitors as evidence of being a demon worshipper¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll sentence you to death.¡±


    People began to apud as Cardinal Basel gave his verdict.


    Ito Souta, who was delivered to the statue with his limbs tied up, was struggling as much as possible, but there was no way he could resist at this point. However, his body was eventually squeezed into the dark and cramped door. ¡°Mhmpf! Mhmpf!¡±


    A small sshing sound was heard, and the statue closed.


    I heard a continuous thumping sound hitting the wall, but slowly, very slowly, it started to calm down.


    What was he thinking in there?


    Was he having regrets by now?


    I decided not to think about it. He tried to kill me, and I only paid it back.


    That was all.


    Thud


    I couldn¡¯t see the end personally, but well, this was not a bad result.


    Thud


    It was actually good.


    Thud


    This was the story that had been written down for him.


    After some time, the thumping sound from the inside disappeared. It was such a shabby end for what could have been such a powerful person.


    I stepped forward after greeting the people around me.


    You had a hard time.


    Thank you.


    Justice has won.


    The Goddess will bless you.


    These words enveloped the whole room. However, Lee Jihye and Cha Hee-ra still seemed like they had some more tasks to do. Now was not the time to talk to them, though.


    Holding Jung Hayan¡¯s hands, I passed through the chaotic ce, and soon after, a voice called out for me.


    ¡°The royal castle is going to pronounce the Griffon.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? That¡¯s good news.¡±


    ¡°Yes, young man. Not only that. As Cardinal Basel said, there are several rewards nned for you. Representatively, tens of thousands of gold coins and items will be paid. There will be a room just for you in the castle, and you can use all kinds of luxury items. Perhaps you¡¯ll be awarded a title¡­ It is almost certain for you to take a position at the Pope¡¯s side.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s great.¡±


    ¡°Are you happy? Are you satisfied?¡±


    ¡°Of course. That wouldn¡¯t be bad news to Victor Hart either. Everything was put together without war between Celia and Lindel, which you were worried about.¡±


    ¡°The war is not a problem. Innocent people may die¡­¡±


    ¡°Victor Hart. The guild members of the Yamato Guild are not innocent people. Ito Souta is a criminal whomitted a crime, a vicious man who sphemed and charged as a demon worshipper. The same goes for those in the Yamato guild. These are the ones who have be his hands and feet. You have to be careful with your words.¡±


    ¡°I say once again, but if it were me who yielded, I would not have been here.¡±


    ¡°I understand what you are saying. There must be circumstances that I do not know. But that way is too much.¡±


    ¡°No, Victor Hart doesn¡¯t understand me. If you think there is an enemy, you should not show mercy. Mercy is an emotion that the strong can have towards the weak, not the weak.¡±


    ¡°Who would see you as the weak? You are not the weak.¡±


    ¡°But I feel that way. Perhaps Victor Hart will never understand me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the same for me. I¡­ I don¡¯t think I can like you.¡±


    ¡°But, we will be able to get along.¡±


    I saw Victor Hart smiling at this as he eventually nodded.


    That was not a bad reaction.


    ¡°How is it? Let¡¯s have a drink. I have some very good wine.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m good.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you soon.¡±


    I watched Victor Hart as he stepped away. I had been worried as to how he would treat me afterwards, but there seemed to be no hostility in his eyes.


    Only


    On the part of the Emperor¡¯s side, I was not a person who can be rid of, so Victor Hart would have to stay close to me. Apart from that, the old man¡¯s eyes somehow annoyed me, but¡­


    ¡°Hayan.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Shall we drink some wine together?¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes, I would love that!¡±


    I wouldn¡¯t care about such trivial things. Today was a pleasant day, made to be celebrated.


    As I looked behind me, I gave onest nce at the ominous statue, sitting there in such an innocent manner.


    ¡°Thank you, you asshole.¡±

 Chapter 141: Going Home (1)

    <h4>Chapter 141: Going Home (1)</h4>


    It was the same day as per usual.


    Of course, this was not the case for the others. After all, one of thergest guilds within Celia had disappeared instantly, so I knew that the possibility of an uproar was probable.


    The Lindel Daily had also been diligent with dealing with the story, so wherever one would go, the topic of discussion would be about Ito Souta and the Yamato Guild. All the members of the Yamato Guild had also been executed the same day Ito Souta had died.


    The Pope¡¯s personnel, joined by the Yozora, ck Swan, and Red Mercenary Guild, had done their job, and the whole of Celia simply watched them do so. Of course, not everyone died.


    Those who thought that there was room for extenuation had their lives spared, but these were a sparse few. Most of the members dedicated to Ito Souta ended up dying.


    It was quite a disastrous result, simply for taking the wrong side.


    ¡®Tut-tut¡­¡¯


    I wasn¡¯t able to witness the scene myself, and therefore did not know the exact situation. However, I knew this had put me at an advantageous position. I could build up both mine and Cha Hee-ra¡¯s reputation, slightly crumpled from the Lindel terrorist incident, and also gain power by chumming up to the Pope¡¯s members.


    The alliance between our three guilds and the Yozora Guild had also been a great achievement. This had created great repercussions within the Holy Empire, and everyone had to admit that this was the first time that this had ever happened.


    Though the two Free Cities maintained afortable rtionship, this was the first time that there had ever been such a close alliance. This showed quite the beautiful image, of guilds from two different cities yielding to one another.


    Of course, this had not been the only case to happen.


    ¡°T-Then, will you be a priest?¡±


    ¡°Probably. Who knows?¡±


    There was also the case of a freeman earning an official title granted by the Pope. That freeman was, of course, me.


    ¡®Ah, how beautiful.¡¯


    I knew gaining a position was a good possibility, but I never thought I¡¯d achieve a position better than what I had initially thought. Being granted the title of Honorary Bishop, which was considered to be of the same ranking as that of the Archbishop, felt quite excessive for me.


    If one were topare this position to the positions within a royal family, would be of the same power as a count.


    I would be well-treated no matter which church I would go to, for I was now known as the Benigore Goddess¡¯ Honorary Bishop, a god that was considered one of the best among the few gods that did exist within this world.


    It felt amazing, just thinking about it.


    As I came to my senses after a while, however, I noticed Jung Hayan¡¯s pale, worried face. I felt like I knew what she had been worried about, and it would only be right for me to rify things before the problem could get bigger.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry. It¡¯s just an honorary position¡­ It doesn¡¯te with any responsibility, only rights. I don¡¯t have to attend prayer meetings, and I don¡¯t have to answer to the Pope.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, marriage and dating are also possible.¡±


    ¡°Ah!!!¡±


    As expected, it seemed that this was the problem. This had been Jung Hayan¡¯s concern.


    Unlike the Free City priests, marriage was taboo for those who served the Benigore¡¯s Goddess. However, this didn¡¯t seem to apply to the Honorary Bishop of the Free People.


    ¡°There are conditions for me to be able to distribute sacred wine periodically, but there are no other restrictions. It¡¯s not a free delivery too¡­ Rather, it¡¯s nice because I can make money.¡±


    ¡°Y-You¡¯re right.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s so good to be close to the church. Especially in the Holy Empire¡­¡±


    ¡°What exactly is so good about that?¡±


    ¡°There are many things. First of all, the most obvious is the treatment I¡¯d get.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°I am considered to be one of the highest at this point. If you think about being the Pope, the Cardinal, the Patriarch, and the Archbishop, it makes sense, right? Of course, there are positions such as Director of Inquisition or Commander of Holy Knights found within the middle, but the ranks of armed groups in the Pope¡¯s side onlye in second.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Yes. The position of Honorary Bishop can be considered the same as Archbishop¡¯s position.¡±


    ¡°Then that¡¯s actually quite high.¡±


    The rights that went with the title were not yet distinguishable, but I felt like it would be enough to move the Heretic Inquisitors and Holy Knights around.


    Basically, I could use them at my disposal if I ever came across a problem. Though this did not reach the scope of having them apany me in dungeons and the like, the fact that I could seek their help or support should any external disputes ur was already more than enough.


    ¡®If I can go up to the Cardinal¡¯s rank¡­¡¯


    If I did, then the three Temrs in possession of the Pope¡¯s side would react if I got in danger.


    I haven¡¯t confirmed it with my own eyes yet, but as they were the monsters the Pope¡¯s side was so proud of, they would be at least simr to or better than Cha Hee-ra and Victor Hart.


    T¡¯ll get there soon enough.¡¯


    Since I was a free citizen, it may be hard to be a cardinal priest, but anything can happen.


    Anyway, who would have known that I would have a position simr to that of Archbishop right now? if the right opportunity arose, I know I¡¯d be able to achieve the position.


    In conclusion, what I got was several hundred times better than earning the noble title of the kingdom, which was only superficial. The real nobilityy not on the Emperor¡¯s side, but on the Pope¡¯s. However, this did not mean that the Emperor was to be taken lightly.


    Because I gained a lot from them too.¡¯


    First, as Victor Hart had said, the royal castle gave me a griffon, a white one that was a little different from Cha Hee-ra¡¯s. I felt like they had given it to me while thinking of my position as an Honorary Bishop, as religion was a symbol of pure whiteness.


    I had examined the griffon to be of a suitable size to be called an adult. It was smaller than Cha Hee-ra¡¯s, but it could fly with no problem whatsoever.


    Pride filled me every time I looked at it. It felt like owning an expensive, foreign car.


    In fact, considering the high value of griffon in this world, it was iparable to the mass-produced products at a factory.


    ¡°Whoo¡­¡±


    Who would have thought that when I came here, I would get a griffon? And not only one!


    ¡®I got two.


    The other one was taken rather than gifted. It had been owned by Ito Souta himself, and was the thing that I wanted the most.


    I only had to spread rumors about wanting it, and I had naturally obtained it.


    The reason why I wanted him was obvious.


    ¡®I can¡¯t just forget about Hyunsung.¡¯


    It was a perfect gift for my Guild Master, who would still be suffering back in the guild.


    The ck guy was definitely a male. My griffon was a female, so perhaps they would make a good pair. We could even produce another griffon in the future if possible. Though it was said to be theoretically impossible, I felt like it was still worth a try.


    All in all, I was happy.


    ¡°Ah, oppa. Cardinal Basel is here.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Alright.¡±


    Seeing himing all the way here when I was about to leave revealed that he surely liked me.


    Even though we talked all nightst night, I was grateful for him showing up like this. I can even see the others hurrying right behind him.


    There were Duchess Catherine and Marlin Young-ae, Countess Elise, Archbishop Jessica, Director of Inquisition Helena.


    Of course, Cardinal Basel reached me first. His face showed his displeasure at me leaving.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t left yet, Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung.¡°


    ¡°Hahaha. That¡¯s because the Mercenary Queen hasn¡¯te yet.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°I expected Cardinal Basel to see me off.¡±


    ¡°Hohoho. Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung always seems to be good-natured. Haha.¡±


    ¡°I am so grateful that you came out to see me off so early in the morning.¡±


    ¡°It is not just a regr man, but Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung that is leaving, so of course I have to see you off. I¡¯m worried that this old man has been holding you too much.¡±


    ¡°No. I enjoyed it a lot too. I¡¯ll see you again soon. Cardinal Basel.¡±


    It was certainly interesting to see Cardinal Basel holding my hand tight. In his eyes was the kind of insurmountable trust no one could ever dare to reach.


    If this man became the next Pope, perhaps be a cardinal. With this thought in mind, I held his hand just as tightly.


    Of course, Cardinal Basel was not the only one who did not want me to leave.


    ¡°Lee Kiyoung-nim.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Duchess Catherine.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I havee at slightly bad timing. It seems that you didn¡¯t enjoy the social gathering properly¡­¡±


    ¡°No. Actually, I was a little busy before, but thest days have been really fun. It was really exciting to meet and talk with the people to who you introduced me to. I seem to have met all the people I could ever meet in a lifetime. It¡¯s all thanks to you, Duchess Catherine.¡±


    Even Marlin Young-ae was crying, strangely enough.


    ¡®What¡¯s wrong with that one?¡¯


    She made me remember Yuno Kasugano, who I had left two days ago. She had sobbed to me before she had left for Celia. I had to promise to stop by once a month, which barely even calmed her down.


    Of course, I understood her feelings. It would hurt to keep living separately from me. However, I couldn¡¯t take Yuno Kasugano to Lindel since she had some more work to do for me at Celia.


    ¡°Sniff¡­ Snife¡­¡±


    ¡°It seems that Marlin Young-ae is very sad. Hoho.¡±


    ¡°L-Lee Kiyoung! You muste again. Sniff¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, Marlin Young-ae. Of course, I¡¯ll visit you. I wille as soon as possible, so you don¡¯t have to be sad. Countess Elise too, we will definitely meet


    again.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to visit Archbishop Jessica and Director of Inquisition Helena as well.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung. We will also visit you at Lindel.¡±


    ¡°That would be an honor.¡±


    There were a great many people besides them who had arrived, and it was hard bidding them goodbye one by one. Though I was mainly focused on those who held a high rank within the society, I knew I had to value each and every one. Each of those here had their own set ofworks and connections that I could surely make use of. I couldn¡¯t throw anyone away.


    Managing a humanwork was certainly difficult.


    Although I felt like I had be a popr person in no time, well¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s a little tiring.


    I couldn¡¯t show my exhaustion, however.


    ¡°If this is your first time riding a griffon, the Pope¡¯s side will send you a driver.¡±


    ¡°Hahahahaha. Thank you for the offer, but it¡¯s fine, Cardinal Basel. I¡¯ve already flown in the sky a few times, and it felt okay. I think the Goddess has helped me in advance.¡±


    ¡°If you are an Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung, that is more than likely.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s such a big praise, Cardinal Basel.¡±


    When I thought it was getting boring, Cha Hee-ra and Victor Hart arrived at the Griffon take-off.


    They stopped by to greet everyone, too.


    After ncing at me, Cha Hee-ra couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    ¡°Shall we go, honey?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Hee-ra. Thank you, everyone, for seeing us off.¡±


    ¡°You are always wee here, Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha. Thank you so much.¡±


    As I climbed onto my griffon¡¯s back, Jung Hayan took the spot behind me.


    Only


    Cha Hee-ra ced herself on her griffon, and on top of Ito Souta¡¯s griffon sat an executive of the Red Mercenary Guild.


    It would seem like he would be the current driver on the way back.


    After a slight nod, griffon slowly started to p its wings.


    I¡¯m going home.


    As the background surrounding me changed, the ce I thought was my home also changed.


    I felt a mix of relief and disappointment,


    I wanted to see my family back at home. No, rather than that, I was curious about Hyunsung¡¯s reaction to my various gifts.


    ¡®Hyunsung! I¡¯m going!¡¯

 Chapter 142: Going Home (2)

    <h4>Chapter 142: Going Home (2)</h4>


    I was looking forward to going home. It had been fun staying in the city, but now I missed the guild more than anything.


    ¡®Ah¡­


    Of course, I was afraid of the uing work stress, but I knew it would have been sorted out to some extent by now.


    Thinking of Kim Mi-young, Park Jung-gi, Park Deokgu (whom Hwang Jeongyeon was in love with), as well as other members of what could be said as apetent administrative team working hard made me smile.


    I began to wonder how everyone was faring - from Kim Hyunsung to Park Deokgu, Sun Hee-young, and even little Kim Ye-ri.


    Though I missed everyone, I thought of our party members the most. It seemed to me that I had gotten attached to them. It wouldn¡¯t be bad to hang out as a group once I got back.


    ¡®Shall we go into the dungeon?¡±


    It might not even be bad to travel to Celia as a group. Of course, I didn¡¯t know if everyone would have the time to do so, but I could probably convince them to take time off to rx.


    Meanwhile, I had named my griffon White Paul.


    There had been no other reason for its name other than its obvious color. Though I initially felt ufortable getting on top of it, I could see that it acted in consideration of me.


    After crossing a small mountain, I finally saw the Free City of Lindel. This meant we were close.


    ¡®We have arrived.¡¯


    I was finally back.


    Of course, the ce we arrived at was thending site of the Red Mercenary Guild. There was still no space within Blue to amodate griffons.


    Sadly, Jung Hayan fell apart from my back and got off the griffon, and I stroked White Paul¡¯s head once.


    ¡°Krook.¡±


    It¡¯s definitely a cute guy.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay if I leave it with you for a while, right Hee-ra?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Take the other griffon, too. There is still no space in our guild to amodate these children.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not difficult, honey. Why don¡¯t you take a break for one night before heading back.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. I should stop by the guild first.¡±


    ¡°Really? That¡¯s sad.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll stop by tomorrow or the day after. When I have time¡­ I have some things to talk to you about.¡±


    She seemed a little sad, but I knew she must have other things to do on her end. After all, she had been gone from the guild for quite a long time as well.


    Jung Hayan and I eventually left the Red Mercenary Guild. Though it appeared that we had been gone for some time, Lindel still seemed about the same. I


    party members, while others were conversing.


    ¡®Ah, it¡¯s good to be back.¡¯


    It was then I saw a strangelyrge and familiar figure.


    ¡®That bastard¡­


    Even the back of the woman next to him was familiar. I didn¡¯t know what they were talking about, but they both seemed quite happy.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    Jung Hayan, who was beside me, uttered a small exmation as if she was surprised to see who was in front of her. I didn¡¯t even have to exin.


    I wasn¡¯t sure if the two were already in such a rtionship, but they looked very friendly from where I was standing.


    Smiling, I called out for the guy. He jumped in surprise and looked in our direction.


    ¡°Deokgu!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    I could see Park Deokgu smiling, as if I was someone who had died, but then came back to life. Then, his expression shifted, distorted, even, not in an angry manner, but in a manner that made him look as if he was trying to hold back his tears.


    ¡°H-Hyung-nim!¡±


    His vigor was like an 8-ton truck with a broken handle. It was as if a bull was charging towards me. I thought about dodging, but I felt so d to see him that I stood still.


    That was a mistake on my part.


    ¡°Hyung-nilim!¡±


    When I opened my arms a little, he looked a little more moved. As he hugged me tightly, I was instantly breathless.


    ¡®Fuck¡­ I shouldn¡¯t have let him hug me.¡¯


    I think some part of my back had broken.


    However, I also patted Deokgu on the back. People around us looked confused with our passionate embrace, but Park Deokgu was not conscious of it at all.


    ¡®This bastard¡­¡¯


    Eventually, he began to speak.


    ¡°Hyung-nim! You should¡¯ve told me that you came back¡­¡±


    ¡°Puhahaha. Everyone else knows already. Didn¡¯t you see the griffon flying here?¡±


    ¡°Ah! Was it you riding that white griffon?¡±


    ¡°I think I heard about hyung-nim¡¯s sess¡­ Whoo¡­ Did you have any other hard time besides that? You look a little tired.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that. Thest few days were quitefortable.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of¡­ The newspaper said that you were framed. Do you know how much my heart fell? Is that all solved now?¡±


    ¡°Of course. It was a story to be revealed in the first ce. It wasn¡¯t a big deal, so don¡¯t worry. Didn¡¯t you know since you got the letter?¡±


    ¡°No, of course, I know something, but I didn¡¯t really know what was going on there from here, so I couldn¡¯t tell how things were. I wanted to go if I could, but every time I got a letter¡­ Oh, I just thought you would ignore it. I was so worried that I couldn¡¯t sleep at night.¡±


    ¡°Puhahaha.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing tough about, Hyung-nim. Really! He doesn¡¯t say anything but, Hyunsung-ssi wanted to go too. Oh, and it turns out that I forgot about Hayan. How are you?¡±


    I found this to be good news.


    ¡°Yes. Deokgu. W-We¡¯ve been doing well.¡±


    ¡°No. We shouldn¡¯t be like this; you have to go back to the guild. Everyone will be happy to know that hyung-nim is back.¡±


    ¡°Rather than that, what were you doing here with Jeong-yeon?¡±


    At this, Park Deokgu hesitated. A shy expression crossed his face.


    Seeing Hwang Jeong-yeon blushing and turning away revealed that something really did happen between the two.


    ¡°R-Rather than focusing on that, return to the guild quickly, Kiyoung-ssi. It¡¯s so good to see you after a long time.¡±


    ¡°Ahem. Let¡¯s go quickly.¡±


    He looked so cute, trying to change the subject. At this point, I knew that the way back to the guild would not be boring at all.


    Meanwhile, Jung Hayan and Hwang Jeong-yeon seemed to be catching up as well. As they did, I continued to converse with Deokgu about the guild¡¯s current situation.


    ¡°How are Hee-young and Ye-ri?¡±


    ¡°Hee-young seems to be the same every day¡­ Ye-ri, that kid, is growing up.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°They grow up differently from day to day at that age. In fact, as I see her every day, I can¡¯t tell, but the other people in the guild say that she¡¯s grown a lot. Oh, and she seems to be getting stronger very quickly¡­ That¡­ You will probably be surprised when you see it.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t look so interested, hyung-nim.¡±


    ¡°No. I was already expecting that Ye-ri¡¯s growth would be fast. How are you, Deokgu?¡±


    While speaking, I looked at Park Deokgu with my Mind¡¯s Eye, assessing his stats.


    It was not that impressive because I had already seen more monstrous stats than most would ever see in their lifetime, but his progress seemed to be going quite smoothly.


    [Checking the status window and talent levels of the yer Park Deokgu]


    [Name: Park Deokgu]


    [Title: None. You should try a little more.]


    [Age: 23]


    [Disposition: Simply ignorant enthusiast]


    [ss: Steel Shield (Rare)]


    [Stats]


    [Strength: 67/Growth potential: Heroic or higher]


    [Agility: 34/Growth potential: Rare or lower]


    [Health: 70/Growth potential: Heroic or higher]


    [Intelligence: 27/Growth potential: Rare or lower)


    [Durability: 71/Growth potential: Heroic or higher]


    [Luck: 23/Growth potential: Rare or lower)


    [Magic: 22/Growth potential: Normal or higher]


    [Overview: He is showing decent growth due to high strength, endurance, and stamina. Endurance and stamina stats beyond 70 stand out. I feel bad for the rtiveck of magic power, but if he tries hard, he might be able to rise to be the top yer. However, I still feel quite sorry for his magic stats.]


    ¡®Endurance is 70¡­


    That was actually great. 70 was not low, by all means.


    ¡®You worked hard, Park Deokgu.¡¯


    It appeared that he could still catch up with the rest of the geniuses in the party.


    However, I knew that this would be a difficult feat. There was still a distinguishable difference between working hard and having natural talent, yet I knew Deokgu would be able to do it.


    ¡°Ah, nothing great¡­ I worked just as hard as everyone else¡­¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the usual training. My stats have risen, and I tried to visit the veterans saw at that time to learn a lot, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve grown as good as I wanted to.¡±


    ¡°How much is it?¡±


    ¡°I have over 70 endurance and stamina, and my strength is still 67. My magical power stats won¡¯t grow no matter what¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re doing well.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re doing well, so you just have to do as you do now.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have topare yourself with other people, Deokgu. If you work hard as you do, someday you will surely be rewarded. It¡¯s good to think about it, but don¡¯t go too deep. If it¡¯s too hard,e to me. If you look at the stats of the other free peoples we started with, or the people who have no choice but to choose the nonbat army, you can understand how fast your growth is.


    ¡°H-Hyung-nim¡­¡±


    ¡°Your efforts will never betray you. There is a quote that says that.¡±


    I felt guilty as I spoke. I knew that effort too easily betrayed human expectations. However, I knew I had to say it for the betterment of Park Deokgu. The man was already feeling emotional.


    ¡°Anyway, is everything I ordered done?¡±


    ¡°Ahhh. Probably so. Actually, I¡¯m not sure, but I don¡¯t think that the person named Kim Mi-young, chosen by you, controls other tasks besides her own.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good thing.¡±


    ¡°Well, of course, you have to check it yourself¡­ Hyung-nim didn¡¯t seem to have any problems either.¡±


    ¡°Anything special?¡±


    here?¡±


    ¡°A new person?¡±


    ¡°It seems like Hyunsung-ssi brought him personally, but I think it¡¯s been a while since he joined the Blue. He¡¯s a kind man, and he¡¯s also very strong. Ah! While he was away, he organized the guild, making him general manager of the administration¡­ He hangs out every day with our Hyun-ssi. They get along really well.¡±


    Against my will, I began to feel very nervous.


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°I am not sure what to say¡­ It feels like he¡¯sbining those things. He is smart and fights well.¡±


    I knew someone would fill in for me, but I didn¡¯t even think a new person woulde. When Deokgu said that he was close to Kim Hyunsung, my heart squeezed.


    Only


    ¡®Fuck¡­ Hyunsung¡­¡¯


    It was natural for me to feel anxious. I knew Kim Hyunsung would be able to attract talent to our Guild, but this was earlier than I had expected.


    As Kim Hyunsung¡¯s closest friend, I felt a bit uneasy.


    It was then that I could see the man himself from afar - what a joke of fate! He had a person right next to him. I could see Hyunsung smiling widely.


    ¡°Ah¡­ It looks like Hyun-ssi came to meet you. Hyung-nim.¡± Park Deokgu eagerly told me, but I couldn¡¯t focus on his words.


    It was obvious why.


    It was all because of Kim Hyunsung. Anyone could see that he was having such a pleasant conversation.


    ¡®You neverughed like that with me, you bastard¡­¡¯

 Chapter 143: Going Home (3)

    <h4>Chapter 143: Going Home (3)</h4>


    I felt incredibly disappointed,


    I didn¡¯t know if this was the right way to express it, but it felt like seeing your beloved wife flirting with someone else on your way home from a business trip.


    Plus, I had even prepared gifts, so the heavy feeling had doubled.


    ¡®I worked really hard¡­¡¯


    I even pulled a griffon for him.


    Of course, Kim Hyunsung could obtain it on his own in a few years, but it was I who had made it possible for him to acquire one earlier.


    Few people owned one in this entire continent; its value was beyond description. Of course, that was not the only thing that I¡¯d brought home for


    him.


    Currently, the items brought by the Red Mercenary Guild members could fill up a small room. It had all sorts of goods, including good quality items.


    I could take all these things as my possessions, but I had set them aside for Hyunsung.


    Seeing the bright smile he directed to her, one that he had never shown me, it was no wonder that the desire to give the griffon to him faded away in no time at all.


    ¡®This bastard¡­¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung was already waving in my direction. He was smiling happily, but it wasn¡¯t on a level to bepared with the sincere smile from earlier.


    Still, I decided to act naturally and waved back.


    ¡°Kiyoung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Ah, Hyunsung-ssi.¡±


    He didn¡¯te running like Park Deokgu, but he walked quickly and hugged me, which made me feel a little better.


    Nevertheless, the doll next to him bothered me.


    ¡°I found out that you came back after seeing the griffon returning. It¡¯s good that I came out in advance.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to do that.¡±


    ¡°No. Of course I had to. Kiyoung-ssi must have gone through a lot too. I already knew that you were involved in various things¡­ You¡¯ve done really


    well.¡±


    ¡°Haha.¡±


    ¡°What happened to Ito Souta of the Yamato Guild?¡±


    ¡°He was executed, just as you heard. He didn¡¯t have any holes to escape through because there were various charges on him. Actually, I wanted to free him of the death penalty as well, but Cardinal Basel¡¯s will was so stubborn.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°There seemed to be an underlying situation besides what had happened, but I didn¡¯t exactly get to find out¡­¡±


    As I spoke, Kim Hyunsung¡¯s rxed expression did not change. In fact, it felt as if he was d to hear that Ito Souta died. From this, I gathered that the man did not y a positive role in the future.


    Considering Souta¡¯s personality, that was highly possible. He was an arrogant guy, and he had attempted a preemptive attack on Lindel.


    Of course, he wouldn¡¯t be conspiring to overturn the Holy Empire by bing a demon worshipper as I showed Cardinal Basel, but at least he was out of the way now.


    ¡®It was a good thing I killed him.¡¯


    ¡°Have you ever heard about Ito Souta?¡±


    ¡°Yes. If you talk with many people, stories about other citiese out eventually. I just know that he was a guy with poor qualities. It was a rumor that had been openly spread before this case broke out, so you can assume that he was punished. It is not something for Kiyoung-ssi to feel guilty about.


    ¡®I don¡¯t feel that way, Hyunsung.¡¯


    It may be the starting point of backstabbing the Holy Empire or the war between Lindel and Celia, but the important thing was that his death had made the future a little more beautiful.


    Whatever he did in the first timeline did not matter anymore.


    ¡°How has Hyunsung-ssi been doing?¡±


    ¡°It was always the same for me. First, I had to stabilize the guild. In fact, when we heard the bad news, most of the work that Kiyoung entrusted had already been finished¡­ ¡­ If Kiyoung-ssi hadn¡¯t sent a letter stating that I didn¡¯t have toe to the Holy Empire, I would certainly have headed over there right away.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha. There was nothing to worry about. Rather, things went smoothly. I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve heard of it, but this time I got an official position from the Pope¡¯s side.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It was because Cardinal Basel liked me. I was given an undeserved position of Honorary Bishop.¡±


    ¡°Ah. I see.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps you haven¡¯t heard of it in detail. I heard it¡¯s been a while since the Pope¡¯s side gave an outsider an official position. It has been more than 254 years. The rank itself is the same level as the Archbishops, and there are various benefits¡­ It will also help our guild out.¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    It seems that no one had ever obtained the title of Honorary Bishop the first time, or perhaps Kim Hyunsung really wasn¡¯t just interested in that sort of thing. However, when I mentioned that it was on the same rank as the Archbishop¡¯s, his face began to brighten.


    His reaction was only natural. There were a lot of benefits aside from being able to control the Heretic Inquisitors and the Holy Knights, especially when it came to the Holy War.


    ¡®What can I say? I¡¯m talented.¡¯


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect anything like this at all¡­ It¡¯s more than I imagined. You did a really good job.¡±


    ¡®You think that¡¯s all, right?¡¯


    As I was thinking about informing him of the gifts, Hyunsung began to speak urgently. I already knew what he was going to do - he was going to introduce this unknown person to me.


    In his own viewpoint, this was his achievement, and he wanted to show her off to me, but I couldn¡¯t help but feel a little bitter.


    ¡°Actually, we have something new, too. I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve already heard from Deokgu, but while Kiyoung-ssi was away, I recruited a new person.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ So this is her.¡±


    ¡°Yes. This is Cho Hyejin, who just joined Blue.¡±


    The person standing next to Kim Hyunsung was a woman holding a long spear. The hair tied to the back, coupled with her tall height, somehow reminded me of an old samurai.


    She had distinct features, but she seemed to have a strong-minded personality for some reason.


    ¡®It seems like she actually is¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m Cho Hyejin. I heard a lot about you, Vice Guild Master Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh. So you¡¯re Cho Hyejin. Nice to meet you. I am Kiyoung Lee.¡±


    ¡°Yes. It seems like you¡¯re exactly what I heard. I¡¯m looking forward to working with you.¡±


    Of course, I immediately assessed her with my Mind¡¯s Eye.


    [Name: Cho Hyejin]


    [Title: Castle Rock¡¯s Stubbornness]


    [Age:25]


    [Disposition: An Inflexible Woman of Principles]


    [ss: Spearmanship Expert (Heroic)]


    [ss Effect: Acquisition of basic spear skills]


    [ss Effect: Acquisition of intermediate spear skills]


    [ss Effect: Acquisition of advanced spear skills]


    [ss Effect: Acquisition of advanced magic power management skills]


    [Stats]


    [Strength: 75/Growth potential: Hero or higher]


    [Agility: 82/Growth potential: Hero or higher]


    [Health: 87/Growth potential: Hero or higher]


    [Intelligence: 51/Growth potential: Hero or lower]


    [Durability: 71/Growth potential: Hero or lower]


    [Luck: 50/Growth potential: Hero or lower]


    [Magic: 60/Growth potential: Hero or lower]


    [Attribute: Hard-worker: Legendary]


    [Overview: Nothing stands out, but before the growth potential, she knows about the military more than anyone else. Also, due to the influence of her disposition and attribute, she has the capacity to grow even more than her supposed potential. She is a different type of genius than the other genius yers Lee Kiyoung has seen so far.]


    ¡®There¡¯s nothing that stands out, my ass¡­¡¯


    Many people lived in Lindel, but this was the first time I¡¯d seen someone with these stats and talent levels, all except for people on Cha Hee-ra¡¯s level.


    Of course, there were no stats beyond legendary, but her potential was already enormous.


    I already knew she was strong, just by looking at her stats. They were either Hero or higher or Hero or lower, and it felt unfair that I had been stuck with such sucky stats on my end.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s my first time¡­ seeing you in Lindel. Of course, I haven¡¯t seen all the people in this wide area¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah. Yes. Kiyoung-ssi is right. Cho Hyejin is from Castle Rock and not Lindel. Due to unavoidable circumstances, she left her previous guild and made connections with Blue when she came to Lindel.¡±


    ¡°Castle Rock¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Castle Rock was not a free city where free people settled. It was a territory contained within the Holy Empire.


    Since there were many hunting grounds and dungeons that could be used in its surroundings, I had also heard that some free people had settled over there.


    Considering that it was a little further south and close to the Monster Forest, it certainly didn¡¯t seem like a bad ce to settle in.


    Of course, some disadvantages certainly existed. First of all, as it wasn¡¯t a free city, the tax rates were higher, and there were significantly more restrictions. Free people were somewhat free from imperialws, but that only applied to areas such as Lindel.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Come to think of it¡­


    ¡®Was Marlin Young-ae from Castle Rock?¡¯


    I felt like I was right. Anyway, it wasn¡¯t my business if she came from Castle Rock or Camp Rock, for that matter. The important thing was, Kim Hyunsung seemed to have known Cho Hyejin from the first timeline, and even trusted her quite a bit.


    Her title was Castle Rock¡¯s Stubbornness; the disposition being Inflexible Woman of Principles.


    No matter which angle I tried to see her in, I didn¡¯t think we would have any affinities. I can tell she was just straightforwardly inflexible. To work with me, who throws principles in the trash, there was no way we could have good chemistry. However, I knew Kim Hyunsung wouldn¡¯t know about how I was feeling.


    I began feeling nervous for some reason.


    I really don¡¯t think we¡¯repatible¡­¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t just prediction, it was conviction. Her disposition had already spelled it all out for me - we wouldn¡¯t fit well together.


    ¡°Actually, Hyejin helped with the work that Kiyoung-ssi entrusted to us.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes. I see. There was a lot to do, but thank you very much.¡±


    ¡°No. I just did what I had to do. I simply handled it ording to the documents you had organized.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a reallypetent and kind person. If you talk to her, you will understand what I am saying.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°She also has a lot of power. I wanted to appoint her a key position in the guild right away, but I think it¡¯s a matter that requires Kiyoung-ssi¡¯s consent, so it¡¯s been pending.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    I at least appreciated this. I had no reason to reject her appointment, but I appreciated the fact that Hyunsung respected my authority.


    Even so¡­


    ¡°No. The offer is still overwhelming.¡±


    Only


    It felt nice seeing her reject the position.


    ¡°We can¡¯t be like this, let¡¯s go back to the Guild House quickly. Ye-ri and Heeyoung will alsoe right after work.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master.¡±


    As anyone could see, Kim Hyunsung was very excited about the idea of introducing new friends to an already-existing group.


    Although he was evidently hoping for some synergy between the two of us, I could already roughly predict how things were going to be from now on.


    For me, who wanted to remain as the closest person next to Hyunsung, this was quite the crisis.


    ¡®Hyunsung¡­ I¡¯m going to believe in you.¡¯

 Chapter 144: Going Home (4)

    <h4>Chapter 144: Going Home (4)</h4>


    On the way back to the Guild House, we were able to talk about various things. We mostly caught up on what had happened with each other, but it was fun overall.


    At first, Jung Hayan eyed Cho Hyejin cautiously, but immediately lost interest when it appeared like there was no connection between her and me. My only problem was¡­


    ¡®A new person has entered.¡¯


    My thoughts kept repeating themselves as I continued to observe her. In short, my initial reaction of her was simr to Jung Hayan¡¯s.


    Park Deokgu seemed to respect Cho Hyejin a lot, though. It seemed like the two had gotten close while I had been away.


    Of course, the conversation in itself wasn¡¯t bad.


    ¡°Hey, Hyejin-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°What do you think about our hyung-nim?¡±


    ¡°He seems to be as wise as I¡¯ve heard. In fact, I was always curious about who was able to organize the papers so well¡­¡±


    ¡°Without Lee Kiyoung, it would have taken longer for the guild to establish itself.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master. I thought¡­ it definitely wasn¡¯t an amount that could be solved by himself¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re exaggerating. I didn¡¯t do it alone. This was possible because of the help of others. There are many talented people within Blue.¡±


    Having Kim Hyunsung and Park Deokgu chattering made me feel happy. The fact that there was someone I didn¡¯t know hurt a little, but I gave way simply because I saw how happy Hyunsung was.


    Cho Hyejin was still growing. She didn¡¯t show her full potential yet. Nevertheless, it had already reached this much. She had a lot more room to grow in the future. She might even be able to grow into having a Guild Master-level power in the future, considering her attributes.


    Assuming that Kim Hyunsung had indeede from the first timeline and had met her before, then it would surely be beneficial to have her on our side.


    The only thing I had to focus on was which position I would take.


    Should I push her away, or ept her?


    Thetter, of course, was reasonable. The fact that there were people like this would help the guild itself. If Kim Hyunsung¡¯s kingdom were to grow bigger in the future, havingpetent members like her would surely be useful. She was knowledgeable in both literary and martial arts, and her power and talent levels were way beyond the ordinary.


    There was no reason for me not to ept her.


    The problem was that my influence would be reduced. Until then, for me, who had monopolized the love of Kim Hyunsung, having a sudden rival did not sit well with me.


    ¡®Although, it¡¯s pretty hard to imagine Kim Hyunsung being crazy about a woman¡­


    He wouldn¡¯t probably be like that. Of course, if colleagues from the first timeline like Cho Hyejin continue toe in, I felt worried that our Hyunsung would neglect our already-existing party.


    In Park Deokgu and my case, who had rtively low stats, we might be left in the dust.


    Of course, if I were to think about it in another way, the division of power was necessary. I had to reject having too much power on my side.


    However, I had to think that it was also a little too early. Even if forces that could keep me in check appear after Kim Hyunsung¡¯s kingdom had been established, it would not bete. There was no room to be worrying about principles; now, rapid growth was needed.


    Of course, it was all my brain¡¯s delusions that Cho Hyejin will tackle me.


    Because of my tendency to always think about the worst, I could readily think of various solutions if anything were to happen. Still, Kim Hyunsung¡¯s happy disposition, which I had never seen before, continued to bother me.


    ¡®First, let¡¯s just act normal.¡¯


    There were times when worrying ahead could be a big help, but that was not the case now. An unimaginably strong person had joined our Guild, and it was only right for me to feel happy.


    As we continued to move, the Blue Guild House slowly came into our view.


    I expected that I would be weed to some extent, but everyone looked busy thus far. It seemed like the guild staff had been working hard to prepare something.


    ¡®What could it be?¡¯


    I instantly realized that it was a party, and I felt better. Sun Hee-young, Kim Yeri, and Lee Sang-hee, whom I had not seen for a long time, ran to me and began to say hello in turns.


    ¡°Wee back¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Ye-ri.¡±


    She didn¡¯t say anything, but she looked at me quietly and said hello.


    ¡°Kiyoung-ssi! You are finally here.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Hee-young-ssi. Long time no see.¡±


    Sun Hee-young greeted me brightly, on the other hand.


    ¡°Thank you for your hard work, Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. Lee Sang-hee-nim.¡±


    Even Lee Sang-hee greeted me with respect, along with Kim Mi-young, the manager, and Park Jung-gi of the administration team. Seeing their reactions, I realized that they were able to sessfully conclude their work with ease.


    After greeting me, everyone started talking to Jung Hayan, and the atmosphere quickly became noisy. At the same time, food constantly sailed through the guild¡¯s yard. The person who prepared all of this was obvious.


    ¡®Hyunsung¡­


    This bastard clearly understood how to push and pull. Though all the disappointment did not go away, the wee party clearly lessened it to an extent


    Now I felt like I really was back home. Seeing my reaction, Kim Hyunsung smiled.


    ¡°Wee back once again, Kiyoung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Wee, Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your hard work.¡±


    And just like this, the short party started.


    There were many people who got moderately drunk, but all in all, everyone seemed to be enjoying.


    If I were to think about it, this was the first time I could have fun ever since joined Blue.


    Jung Hayan still stuck to me, sipping juice, and Park Deokgu busied himself by walking around and shoving food into his mouth.


    Of course, Hwang Jeong-yeon was sitting next to him. It was obvious that the two really did grow closer, as they were already acting like a couple.


    As the time passed by, some of the people began to fall prey to their inebriated state. The guild staff was no exception to the drunkenness.


    ¡°Ugh¡­ Do you know how hard it was? In fact, I kind of resented the Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been through a lot, Mi-young-ssi. Ah! Now I should call you Manager Kim Mi-young.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve only been postponing your appointment. I know best how hard Kim Miyoung has been suffering. Let¡¯s do the sry negotiation tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Ah!!¡±


    ¡°You will be able to work with a better treatment. I¡¯ll also keep your children in mind.¡±


    ¡°Ah!!! T-Thank you. Thank you.¡±


    I also did not forget to take care of my administrative team. Of course, Kim Mi-young, the best among them, immediately got promoted, which led to Park Jung-gi looking at her with undeniable envy. I knew I had to take care of him to some extent as well.


    ¡°It is only natural to do so. Ah. I heard that you received a lot of help from Cho Hyejin.¡±


    ¡°Yes. She¡¯s a bit stubborn, but¡­ she is a good person.¡±


    Her reputation is good.¡¯


    It seems that she was loved by many people. As we continued talking, a loud voice came from the side.


    ¡°Hyung-nim! Try this once! Hyung-nim!¡±


    ¡°Please try this, too, Hayan-ssi.¡±


    Sun Hee-young and Park Deokgu approached this way, both bringing tes of delicious-looking food.


    ¡°It¡¯s really good, Kiyoung-ssi. Much more than the food the restaurants here sell¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, is it?¡±


    ¡°Please try this, Hayan-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Yes. T-Thank you.¡±


    ¡°It really tastes great!¡±


    What he had in his hand was a simple stew served in a small bowl. It looked a little different from the fancy food that had been served so far. From its unsophisticated serving, I knew it was not the Blue¡¯s chef that had prepared this.


    Although the thickly-sliced beef looked delicious, I was confident that it would not exceed the food level that we could eat during the expedition.


    I couldn¡¯t understand why they were fussing over it so much.


    ¡°Try it quickly! Quickly!¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t win over Park Deokgu¡¯s enthusiasm, so the moment I took a spoonful, I thought something was different.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    The different taste instantly made me alert.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it delicious?¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s delicious.


    I didn¡¯t answer Park Deokgu, but my reaction said it all.


    ¡°Who made it?¡±


    ¡°Our Guild Master Hyun-ssi and Lee Sang-hee-nim made it. He went to the kitchen and made it, but who would have thought? Doesn¡¯t it just melt in your mouth?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°It really does!¡±


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s so good!¡±


    ¡°How about you, Hayan?¡±


    ¡°I-It¡¯s delicious, D-Deokgu. This¡­ is really good.¡±


    There was an unknown feeling of defeat in Jeong Hayan¡¯s voice.


    ¡°You can cook, too, right?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Ah¡­ That¡­ Yes! I have learned a little¡­¡±


    Her reaction betrayed the insecurity Jung Hayan felt. She reluctantly headed to the kitchen, her facial expression simr to that of Ito Souta¡¯s before he entered the statue.


    I made a mental note not to try out any of the dishes Jung Hayan would make today.


    Everyone in the party was in pairs and were enjoying the party in their own way. What stood out was Cho Hyejin, who was sitting down by herself.


    As she quietly chewed on her food, I decided it would be better to try and talk to her. I was curious about what kind of person she was. As Jung Hayan was in the middle of an infinite challenge, it would be the right timing to do so.


    After excusing myself from Kim Mi-young, who expressed the desire to talk a little more, I saw Cho Hyejin looking my way.


    ¡°What do you think of Blue?¡±


    ¡°It seems to be a good ce. I expected it from the rumors, but it was even better than I first thought.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°Especially when the Vice Guild Master entered, the atmosphere looks a little better.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like this every time. This is actually the first time I¡¯d gotten to enjoy¡­¡±


    ¡°You can see how much the members of this guild trust their Guild Master and Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°I also had the tutorial with some people, but because of various minor events after entering the continent, we split up, so it¡¯s definitely nice to see Blue being like this.¡±


    Though she was calmly eating her food, her words were quite sentimental. I thought about the possibility of her being drunk, but it certainly didn¡¯t seem that bad to me.


    I felt like I knew how her first party had ended, and why she left Castle Rock and came here.


    ¡®That¡¯s how people live in the first ce.¡¯


    ¡°It especially seems that Hyunsung-ssi really trusts Kiyoung-ssi. Even when we were on the way to meet Kiyoung-ssi, he kept talking about you.¡±


    Only


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°I thought you didn¡¯tugh very often, but that was a little unexpected.¡±


    Cho Hyejin¡¯s words surprised me. I realized I had misunderstood the situationpletely


    Looking at Kim Hyunsung, who was still busy cooking with Lee Sang-hee, the corners of my lips went up.


    ¡®I trusted you, you bastard!¡¯


    This was the moment where I felt like my loyalty to my returner had been properly rewarded.


    No more confirmation was needed.


    Kim Hyunsung trusted me, as much as he trusted the people he had been with the first time around.

 Chapter 145: Going Home (5)

    <h4>Chapter 145: Going Home (5)</h4>


    Until recently, I was on the verge of throwing away the idea of giving a griffon, but uponing to terms with this realization, I had gone back to wanting to present the gift.


    I knew that Kim Hyunsung was not good at expressing himself, but who would have known that he harbored such a bright smile?


    Honestly, I was on the verge of feeling pure disappointment. Though a year was only a short time, I had endured so much for Hyunsung. I was worried about my efforts being disregarded, but it appeared that I had nothing to worry about at all.


    It would be weird if he didn¡¯t return any of my affections. However, I could understand him to an extent.


    Of course, when I saw his expressionless face the first time we met in the tutorial, I had to think that this guy, who had returned for a reason, had abandoned his humanity, but the power of friendship had gently melted his frozen heart.


    Come to think of it, the variety of his facial expressions had increased quite a bit recently.


    At first, this guy had always treated us in a businesslike manner. The proofy in the fact that we still talked to each other formally. Though he joked with us quite a bit, I felt anxious because it felt like the distance between us wasn¡¯t shortening at all.


    But, thinking about it in the logical sense, our rtionship was indeed progressing


    ¡®It¡¯s not good to be too inhuman.¡¯


    Between a colleague in crisis and an about to end world; if Hyunsung was given the chance to choose, all I wanted was for him to choose the former.


    ¡®You have to save me first.¡¯


    I wanted him to prioritize me, too. I had no ns of leaving him at all. After giving the best of my allegiance, if he were to say, ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± and chose the world instead of me, it would feel like doing all the work and having someone else take all the credit


    However, it looked like all was doing well - Hyunsung was indeed bing affectionate towards me.


    Because of this wonderful realization, I lost control over my facial expressions. Cho Hyejin noticed this and smiled in return.


    ¡°You look happy.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know how Hyunsung thought of me. He doesn¡¯t usually express his emotions well¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, he thinks highly of you. You¡¯re colleagues, after all.¡±


    ¡°I think of him as a friend or a brother rather than a colleague. Of course, I don¡¯t know if Hyunsung feels the same, but I consider him like that anyway. The same goes for the other people who are with me in Blue.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°In fact, I can¡¯t say that we have been together for a long time, but there is a bond that the party members have built up.¡±


    ¡°Bond¡­¡±


    One would be amazed to find out the effort I¡¯ve exerted to build this bond. If it wasn¡¯t fatal, I would take a knife wound for Kim Hyunsung, Jung Hayan, and Park Deokgu.


    ¡°And that¡¯s what I¡¯ve been actually doing.


    ¡°I heard that there was a problem in Castle Rock, and you came here. Can I ask what happened?¡±


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s¡­¡±


    My curiosity about Cho Hyejin naturally came back after a while. However, Hyejin hesitated, as if she did not want to disclose what had happened.


    As she continued to stutter, I knew I wouldn¡¯t be able to get anything out of her. This didn¡¯t matter, however.


    T¡¯ll have to write a letter to Marlin Young-ae.¡¯


    Something indeed smelled fishy.


    Her reluctance was enough for my suspicion to rise. This meant that she had either made a mistake, or had faced a situation she wanted to hide.


    The fact that she had chosen a risky guild such as Blue was also strange in itself.


    Of course, Kim Hyunsung had to move around to recruit her¡­ Still, I had to think that there was something she felt guilty about.


    ¡®Hyunsung would have still epted her despite knowing that¡­¡¯


    This meant that he had thought she would be worth it.


    At this, I immediately decided to try and find out. There was no need for me to be scared anymore. I could use my newly-formed connections for this kind of situation.


    ¡°If you do not want to tell, you do not have to. You don¡¯t have to be nervous, since this isn¡¯t an interrogation. I¡¯ve read the profile of Cho Hyejin upstairs. It¡¯s almost excessive for us that you came to our guild since you¡¯ve been so active here.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re overplimenting me.¡±


    ¡°It seemed like I was the only one who didn¡¯t give you the weing. Hyejinssi, wee to Blue.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    That marked the end of my short conversation with her. I wouldn¡¯t have to worry about the division of power right now. It would probably happen after a year or two¡­ I would just have to continually remind her that I held a higher position than she did.


    Not long after we¡¯ve said our goodbyes, I saw Jung Hayan approaching me.


    She was holding a te with an original dish in hand. Not too far away, I could see Park Deokgu and Sun Hee-young quietly making their escape.


    From this, I surmised that I should never eat whatever Hayan had prepared.


    As I tried to look away, Jung Hayan finally reached me.


    ¡°O-Oppa. Would you like to try it?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    I would gamble if necessary. However, this seemed like something that wasn¡¯t worth even throwing a dice for.


    The oue was fixed, anyway, so I had to quickly change the subject.


    ¡°Would you like to head to the Red Mercenary now?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Since the party¡¯s reached a lull, I think it¡¯s better to give the present today.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    It was already 10 pm, and the atmosphere had changed significantly. It was quite a good time to present the griffon to our dear Hyunsung.


    The problem was that Jung Hayan looked sad at having her culinary efforts ignored. Considering the fact that she herself hadn¡¯t received any gifts from me, I knew just agreeing to take a bite of her food would make her happy.


    With this in mind, I instantly picked up a nearby spoon, took a portion, and swallowed it as quickly as I could. However, the taste still lingered in my mouth.


    ¡®Fuck


    I felt worried about what I had just eaten, but there was no getting out of this situation at this point.


    ¡°It¡¯s delicious.¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    ¡°Shall we go, then?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course!¡±


    Though Jung Hayan seemed excited at the prospect of us sneaking away, we were doing this for the sake of business.


    In short, we were to retrieve our gift from the Red Mercenaries.


    It had been quite a long time since I¡¯ve seen Lindel in its evening charm. The streets were still quite lively at this hour.


    I thought the security would be bad, but it seems that I was mistaken. Of course, the slums were dangerous, but the zas and areas where the guild buildings were found were as safe as the streets in the daytime.


    There were shining pearls that stayed lit until dawn, and there were merchants who ran night markets. Every house had its light on, and of course, the Red Mercenary Guild was no exception.


    I went back and forth for a short time, but I couldn¡¯t call the Mercenary Queen. I stopped by the stable for a while and came out with the items left in the warehouse as well as the griffons, and then everyone¡¯s eyes were focused on me.


    ¡°Krook.¡±


    Everyone looked at me in amazement as I dragged my two griffons along. It was like riding a foreign car in the countryside. As there were only four griffons within Lindel, their awed expressions were natural.


    ¡®This is the gift I¡¯m giving you, Hyunsung.


    Kim Hyunsung was no different from them. Of course, he could have ridden his own a lot of times back in the first timeline, but this was a different period.


    These guys were practical and could be used inbat. The ck one, which I nned to gift to him, looked quite sharp and charismatic. As Ito Souta was a man who valued his appearance, even his griffon was well-maintained.


    The murmurs around me soon became louder, and people crowded around me to get a closer look. I would never have imagined to receive gazes such as these back on Earth.


    I felt ufortable with how their gazes never left me until I arrived at the Blue Guild house, but Jung Hayan continued to look back at them with an expression of pride, as if to announce that I was her boyfriend.


    ¡®For some reason, I feel ashamed.¡¯


    She even seemed to be enjoying it.


    Once we got back, the people who were no doubt looking for us had on surprised expressions.


    ¡°Hyung-nim. Where have you been¡­ Huh? That is¡­¡±


    ¡°Actually, I was going to tell you about it separately¡­But I think now is a perfect time. We¡¯re also at a party, and I think it¡¯s very suitable to give a gift.¡±


    ¡°Wow!¡±


    No one hated gifts.


    The guild staff did not have much interest, already assuming that they were not included, but obviously, I had gifts even for them.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t prepare a gift for the staff, so I got you simple things sold in the capital.¡±


    ¡°Wow!¡±


    Even though I had phrased it like that, it wasn¡¯t a simple gift. What I had given them were valuable items that were treated as high-end brands in the capital.


    There were fountain pen sets and watches for the men, as well as cosmetic sets and bags for the women. Although they were quite expensive, they cost nothingpared to all the money that I had earned. Of course, also had handwritten letters for all of them.


    It was only right for me to give them personal keepsakes, after all.


    That was how one maintains his social life. Simply letting someone know that you have not forgotten them was already a huge boost.


    I nodded approvingly as Jung Hayan began giving them away one by one.


    ¡°I am not discriminating, but I prepared a separate gift for the executives, so hope that the staff doesn¡¯t get sad.¡±


    Of course, these people had no reason to be sad. In the first ce, the nobatants would feel happy to have even received a gift in the first ce.


    ¡°Deokgu obtained a shield from hisst expedition, so this sword¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh? T-Thank you. Oooh!¡±


    Park Deokgu¡¯s eyes, who had confirmed the function of the item, were huge. The heavy weight didn¡¯t disconcert him. He must have been surprised to see its stats.


    That was a natural reaction. This was, after all, an item considered to be superior among all the heroic-grade ones.


    [Giant¡¯s Great Sword: Heroic Grade]


    [Now, it is a great sword made of fragments of small daggers used by giants, a forgotten race. There aren¡¯t many people who can handle the master Kahs¡¯ work properly, but you will have a sinister destructive force if you can handle this heavy greatsword in the correct manner. Just owning it will increase your strength by 6. There are no other add-ons.]


    ¡°I also prepared a heroic grade ne to Lee Sang-hee and Jeong-yeonssi.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Kiyoung-ssi.¡±


    [A ne with the blessing of the Benigore¡¯s Goddess: Heroic grade]


    [This ne contains the blessings of the Benigore¡¯s Goddess. Intermediate curse cancetion, intermediate detoxification, and advanced healing magic are enshrined. All stats will increase by 1.]


    ¡°To our little one is a dagger¡­¡±


    ¡°Thanks¡­¡±


    [Archmage Isaac¡¯s Throwing Dagger: Heroic Grade]


    [It is a dagger that can both summon and unsummon. It is not known from which path it came in, but some experts are open to the possibility of whether this dagger has crossed another dimension. It contains traces of many years. On the back, there are letters that are not recognizable. Agility stat increases by 3.]


    ¡°To Hee-young, I prepared a ring for you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Kiyoung-ssi.¡±


    [Queen Carlena¡¯s Wedding Ring: Heroic Level]


    [It was a wedding ring that Carlena, the Queen of the Ruin, had kept her whole life. This very modest ring describes the character of Queen Carlena better than anyone else. Through the effect of Queen Carlena¡¯s sincere prayers, it was given divine power. The effect of all holy spells slightly increases.]


    All of them had received special items.


    Some were received gifts from the shrine, and some were brought over here after the Yamato Guild was destroyed.


    In fact, besides this, there was also the Sword of Wind that Ito Souta owned and some items used by the executives, but I thought it was right to distribute themter on.


    After I gave everyone presents, only Kim Hyunsung was left.


    Just remembering the fact that I used to be the one receiving gifts from him a few months ago felt absurd. Our returner definitely deserved his gift.


    Only


    ¡°The gift I prepared for our Blue Guild Master is this griffon.¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    Whether he noticed I was talking about him, the ck griffon opened his ck wings widely. Kim Hyunsung looked stunned, as it was obvious that he was not used to receiving anything.


    ¡®His mouth is almost tearing.¡¯


    I knew he would like his gift, but I never imagined that he would show this kind of reaction.


    Of course, it seemed as if he was trying not to smile, but just to elicit this type of reaction from him already felt like an achievement in itself. The smile on his Tips seemed to be nning to stay stuck on his face for a while.


    I¡¯m offering you my heart, you bastard.¡¯


    This could be said to one of my proudest moments.

 Chapter 146: Whistleblower (1)

    <h4>Chapter 146: Whistleblower (1)</h4>


    Kim Hyunsung was not used to receiving gifts.


    I didn¡¯t know how it had been like for him during the first timeline, but if one were to think about his high-level talents, it would seem like he was the giver rather than the receiver.


    This seemed to be the reason as to why he was unable to hide how he felt. He wasn¡¯t wearing a smile, nor was heughing, but his expression was one of pure joy.


    ¡®He likes it.¡¯


    This was a well-maintained ck griffon. I would have been disappointed if he had not made that expression. Because of its rarity, you couldn¡¯t dare to measure it by value. If this was rated using artifact ranks, this would obviously be a legendary-grade gift.


    This was also the reason why everyone around us looked very surprised.


    ¡°Wow¡­¡±


    It was hard to ept the fact that this gift hade from me, and not from a guild. It had been quite easy for me to acquire, which wasn¡¯t the same for the others. The fact that I had made my gift public meant there was a lot for me to gain.


    ¡®In this way, I¡¯m able to show how good the rtionship between the Guild Master and Vice Guild Master are.¡¯


    This was also a reaffirmation of my power. It meant I was very loyal to Hyunsung, and this would be the image engraved on everyone¡¯s minds.


    As expected, Kim Hyunsung shook his head, looking as if he was overwhelmed.


    ¡°l-I¡¯m fine, Kiyoung-ssi. I am grateful for the offer¡­ but it¡¯s too overwhelming.¡±


    ¡®You should definitely be overwhelmed. This is very expensive¡­¡¯


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be overwhelmed, Hyunsung-ssi. Since I have received so much from my trip, it was only right of me to do so. Ah! And I¡¯ve received this through sheer luck, so¡­¡±


    ¡°Nevertheless¡­¡±


    Of course, I knew he would react like this. This was a very big gift, after all. However, anyone could see that he really wanted it, and that he was only refusing out of courtesy.


    Hyunsung simply refused because he knew he would still get the gift, nevertheless.


    ¡°This is also for letting me acquire Juliana. I have my own griffon, so don¡¯t worry!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡®Take it quickly, you bastard. You¡¯re going to take it anyway.


    In the end, Hyunsung conceded. ¡°If you say like that, l-I will take it gratefully.¡±


    ¡®Do not stutter¡­


    ¡°You don¡¯t really have to feel overwhelmed. Haha. You can think of it as my payment for the things you have given me.¡±


    ¡°No. The one I¡¯m receiving is bigger. I will definitely repay this kindness.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s how it should be!¡¯


    As I slipped over the ck griffon, I saw Kim Hyunsung stroking him happily. As the giver, I felt pretty good about myself, and it wasn¡¯t just Hyunsung who had such a happy expression.


    Park Deokgu, Sun Hee-young, Kim Ye-ri, Hwang Jeong-yeon, and Lee Sanghee all wore a simr glow on their faces.


    I thought that, with the gift ceremony done, the party would also end, but it appeared that this was not the case.


    ¡°We have to party all night today since we¡¯re here. Ah! Hyunsung hyung-ssi, can we do that?


    ¡°Sure. Let¡¯s just resume working tomorrow afternoon!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a joke. It wouldn¡¯t be bad to take a day off. It¡¯s a great day, so we can get a little drunk. Hyejin-ssi,e here and hang out with everyone else.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master.¡±


    I actually felt tired from the trip back, but I knew I could hold out for a little longer.


    ¡°Ah! Oppa. Try this too.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Kiyoung-ssi, about the next volunteer schedule¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll try to make a schedule and go.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you tell me about what happened first?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit too long to talk about.¡±


    The night was long, and we had time, drinking the whole time and catching up on each other. Kim Hyunsung did not say much, but he kept looking at us whilst smiling. Park Deokgu busied himself with dancing.


    Though Cho Hyejin was unable to adapt, she got along very well with everyone in the end.


    Both Jung Hayan and Sun Hee-young bombarded me with questions, and Kim Ye-ri was forced to head to her room by Hyunsung, seeing as she was still a minor.


    For a while, I forgot about all my worries.


    It was only after I saw the sun beginning to rise that the party ended, and I closed my eyes, indulging myself in the happiness that I felt.


    Tap.


    Tap.


    Tap.


    After a while, I woke up at a sound from outside the window. I thought, It would have been nice if I slept a little more¡¯, but I had to lower my head because I felt heavy for some reason.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    Half of Jung Hayan¡¯s body was on me.


    I seemed to remember taking her to her room yesterday. I didn¡¯t know why she was here now, but she probably snuck here under the guise of being drunk.


    Perhaps she thought I wouldn¡¯t remember, but I didn¡¯t care at that point. My body was tingling. I didn¡¯t know how long I had maintained this posture, but my arm felt hopelessly numb.


    I didn¡¯t feel embarrassed as she had already pulled this tactic during our expeditions, but seeing as she was still pretending to be asleep, it seemed like I had to lie like this for a little longer.


    Tap.


    Tap.


    In the meantime, the sound continued to echo through the window. As I turned to look for its source, I saw a little bird constantly pecking at the window.


    It appeared that Marlin Young-ae¡¯s letter had already arrived.


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    I knew her reply would be quick, but not this quick. This proved to be quite advantageous for me, as I had so much I wanted to learn about Cho Hyejin. What had happened at Castle Rock was a mystery I wanted to unravel.


    I didn¡¯t want to pinpoint her weakness; I just wanted to know what she was


    hiding.


    I quietly opened the window so as not to wake Jung Hayan, and the bird entered the room. After I took the letter that was tied to one of its feet, quickly wrote down my reply, telling her I would meet her soon, and sent the bird out once more. That would surely satisfy Marlin Young-ae.


    I then opened the letter carefully.


    [I am very happy that you gave me this sudden letter shortly after goodbye. It was less than a day, but I was secretly thinking about you in my heart. In such a situation, this letter moved me as if it was warming my heart that was abandoned by the bleak winter breeze. Is it my mistake that you read my mind?]


    ¡®Why is this so long?¡¯


    I felt expectant upon seeing how long the letter was, but most of the contents were written in this manner. It seemed that Marlin Young-ae had exerted a lot of effort writing this.


    [I am ashamed to say this as an aristocrat, but the dreamlike times I had with Lee Kiyoung in the royal castle keep reying in my head. What if I could have been able to fly in the sky like a bird? Please, I hope that my heart will be conveyed with this letter.]


    ¡®What the hell is this¡­¡¯


    I didn¡¯t understand. We¡¯d never met alone. Duchess Catherine was always with us.


    Of course, considering the number of times we¡¯d met, it could be a possibility. However, there was no incident wherein I could¡¯ve possibly captured her heart. I had tried my best to be on my most polite behavior, but it appeared that my efforts were not effective.


    The more I read through the letter, the more disconcerted I felt. I skimmed through the pages before finally finding what I had wanted to know about.


    [I haven¡¯t been able to research much because of theck of time, but I think this is the information Lee Kiyoung wants. Since I was in a hurry, I gathered the free people and conducted an investigation. I called upon an employee who formerly belonged to Cho Hyejin¡¯s guild and asked about her. With this, I learned that the Little Rock Guild was closely rted to our Castle Rock Estate.]


    Oh¡¯


    Things were getting more interesting.


    [To conclude, the inspectorate of our estate has investigated the Little Rock Guild to which Cho Hyejin belonged. Although it was an investigation involving various things, I remember that the guild was mainly suspected of smuggling monster by-products and tax evasion.]


    Considering Cho Hyejin¡¯s disposition, it didn¡¯t seem like her at all. I continued reading through the letter in order to find more information.


    [The reason for the investigation was that a conscientious free citizen belonging to Little Rock first made a report to the inspectorate. At that time, I was too young to participate in the family event, so I only heard about it, but I know it was Cho Hyejin who helped at that time. Even though she belonged to Little Rock, I heard that for the sake of her conscience, she reported directly to our estate.]


    ¡®Whistleblower?¡¯


    I was able to realize why Cho Hyejin came to Lindel, especially Blue.


    For me, this was a bit of a headache. I didn¡¯t mean to me or criticize her actions. She did the right thing and deserved to be praised. It was indeed a courageous act.


    However, the problem is that her former guild members did not think so.


    The story must havee out.


    Some free people don¡¯t think they must obey thews of the Holy Empire. That was why they did not be imperial citizens.


    It would be easy to understand if you were to think that the Free City of Lindel was created for such people. Due to the nature of these people, they were often stingy about taxes.


    To some extent, a lot of people resorted to tax evasions, and ignored most of the imperialws. Cho Hyejin¡¯s old guild was probably the same - or even worse. If theymitted the act of smuggling monster by-products, then they must have dabbled in worse things.


    ¡®For example, the trade of interracial ves¡­¡¯


    The truth remained unknown, but the important thing to note was that Cho Hyejin was a whistleblower who reported her guild¡¯s internal corruption. What happened to her after was obvious.


    She was probably branded as a traitor, and was used as the scapegoat for many of their failures.


    ¡®That¡¯s how our society works.¡¯


    And, with that line of thought, that was also how whistleblowers were treated


    in modern society.


    Because of this, she probably couldn¡¯t join any other guild, as everyone else saw her as a potential harm to their own groups.


    Only


    Even those who knew she had done the right thing would still hate to be seen with her. I waspletely sure of this.


    Shaking my head, I continued reading.


    [In fact, the Little Rock Guild was able to avoid punishment due to insufficient evidence, but when I asked the former guild staff, I heard that Cho Hyejin left the guild because of unavoidable circumstances. Thest thing I heard was that she left for another city because she couldn¡¯t find a ce at Castle Rock. I thought she would have gone to Lindel, but I couldn¡¯t even imagine that Lee Kiyoung knew Hyejin. I think it can be called fate.]


    ¡°So, I¡¯m right.¡±


    Cho Hyejin acted ording to her conscience, and it ended her reputation. Everyone had seen her as a dangerous bomb, ready to expose the guild¡¯s secrets should she deem it fit to do so.


    Though I personally understood and respected her way of life, it would be a lie to say I did not think the same as these people.


    ¡®Ha¡­ We¡¯re in trouble¡­¡¯


    Due to my anxious nature, worry began to bubble up inside me.

 Chapter 147: -Whistleblower (2)

    <h4>Chapter 147: -Whistleblower (2)</h4>


    Of course, everything was legal to a certain extent. The reason for trusting Kim Mi-young manager, an expert in imperialw, was that she made good use of thew. This was because there were secretly many ways to avoid the dense known as the Imperial Law.


    There was no room for a problem once the investigation came in, but this in itself might already seem a little dangerous from Cho Hyejin¡¯s eyes.


    If she was a woman of principles, then perhaps she noticed the ills within the guild while I was away.


    ¡®That¡¯s not the only problem¡­¡¯


    Sun Hee-young¡¯s volunteering service could also be a problem. The work of removing garbage in slums may be viewed as contributing to society by catching and killing criminals from the point of view of some people, but to be precise, it was also a crime.


    The fact that I could control the media on my own might not sit well with people who adhered to their own values. People like Cho Hyejin would probably think that the press should be transparent.


    From my standpoint, she would be a hindrance. As her authority and influence within the guild increases, I would be more limited with what can do.


    ¡®Hyunsung¡­


    Why did he have to do this now? For a moment, resentment filled me up. However, this was no time to be picky. I needed Blue to grow as much as possible. Though it sounded selfish, I didn¡¯t want to be held back by my conscience.


    I thought Cho Hyejin would refrain herself from doing the same due to her past experience, but I knew it would not be easy to change personal values. She might overlook my activities the first few times, but I knew she and I would not get along in the end.


    First, I had to gauge how things would go.


    With this in mind, I gently disentangled myself from Jung Hayan, heading to the bathroom to wash up. In no time, I was dressed and on the move. I¡¯d initially thought that Jung Hayan was only pretending to be asleep, but it appeared that she genuinely was still unconscious.


    Right off the bat, I decided to visit Kim Mi-young. I felt a little sorry, seeing as it was her day off, but it would certainly be better for me to take care of things in advance.


    The whole Guild House was quiet, as if everyone was still sleeping. When I went to knock on Kim Mi-young¡¯s door, a little kid opened up.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    ¡°Hello. Is your mom here?¡±


    ¡°Mom! Uncle is here!¡±


    ¡°Mom!¡±


    I knew I wasn¡¯t old enough to be called an uncle, so that definitely hurt.


    As the children frantically called for their mother, I had to shake my head. I knew nothing felt more ufortable than having a boss suddenly call on an employee during a holiday. The sorry feeling came back again, but there was nothing I could do.


    ¡®You have to suffer as much as you receive.¡¯


    Since she had been promoted to manager, situations like these were inevitable.


    After some time, Kim Mi-young hade to the door, obviously having done so in a hurry.


    ¡°V-Vice Guild Master. Why did youe?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for bothering you on your day off, but I have something to talk about. And I have to write a new contract too. I actually came to do both¡­¡±


    ¡°If you could tell me¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah. It¡¯s a personal affair that I don¡¯t want to tell others about.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s work-rted. Will it be okay for me toe in?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s shabby, though¡­¡±


    This was the first time I had entered a room used by one of our guild staff, and it was definitely better than I had initially thought. It appeared that we treated our members better than I had first thought as well.


    Of course, Kim Mi-young had been given a better room because of her children, but the interior, as well as appliances, looked to be in very good condition.


    As I looked around, I noticed her children staring up at me, looking daunted by my presence. Pretending not to notice their wariness, I sat down on a nearby chair.


    ¡°Have you eaten?¡±


    ¡°No. Not yet. I came as soon as I got up.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re okay to¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It looks like you¡¯ve already eaten; I can¡¯t bother you. And the children¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah! Yes. Can they go to their room for a minute?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± came the immediate response, and they went and followed my request.


    ¡°Ah, they are very obedient.¡±


    ¡°¡®They¡¯ve matured at such an early age. It¡¯sforting, but it also makes me quite sad. Anyway, may I ask what kind of business you came for?¡±


    ¡°I just have a few things to check. As I said, I¡¯m also going to proceed with the contract part again. The annual sry is 700 gold.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡±


    I knew Kim Mi-young would feel disbelief at this. It was difficult for an employee to receive 700 gold per year. That was equivalent to about 70 million won in Hanwha, which wasn¡¯t easy to receive even back on Earth.


    ¡°Your annual sry is 700 gold, and you may receive a sry increase depending on your performance.


    ¡°T-That¡¯s too much¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s because the amount of work you¡¯ll do is roughly that much.¡¯


    ¡°I already know that you¡¯re doing more than your annual sry. If you look at the contract, the welfare conditions have also changed, so I think you should go over those as well.¡±


    ¡°T-Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Please read it slowly and sign it. It doesn¡¯t have to be today.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Ah! And another reason foring here today¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I would like you to tell me about Cho Hyejin.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ As I said yesterday, she works well, and¡­¡±


    ¡°Not like that. I want you to tell me what she had been doing and handling in my absence. If she made some payments, inform me of which document she paid for, and if there were any problems in the way she handled things. Tell me even the smallest detail - from her personality, behavior, or anything, really.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, the fact that I asked about her is a secret.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course¡­¡± Kim Mi-young¡¯s eyes had widened at this point. It was evident that she was not sure about what was going on.


    ¡°Is there something wrong with Cho Hyejin?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not really a problem. Rather, she¡¯s too clean. Oh, I think I need to exin her background first.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Cho Hyejin moved from Castle Rock to Lindel because she¡¯s a whistleblower. She exposed her previous guild¡¯s corruption and was then forced to leave. As the rumor spread, she could not join other guilds or ns in Castle Rock, and was forced toe to Lindel. She probably knew that Hyunsung-ssi was recruiting. I got the information from another source.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course she¡¯s right, but that doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s something I can¡¯t worry about. I asked because of what I¡¯ve been telling you. Do you understand what I¡¯m talking about?¡±


    Of course, she knew what I meant. The conclusion of my question was, did she ever do something that would make her guilty? If so, did Cho Hyejin know about that?


    ¡°I know why you are concerned. Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m relieved.¡±


    ¡°You can rx, you don¡¯t have to worry too much. First of all, I was dealing with the part that seemed to be a problem¡­ Some things rted to the potion factory, taxes, and the Free City of Celia, I¡¯ve taken care of and reported it to the Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡± That was indeed a nice thing to hear.


    ¡°Cho Hyejin mainly handled tasks in a more direct field, such as the Crisis Response Team and the Dungeon Strategy Team. I didn¡¯t know what specifically, however¡­¡±


    ¡°No. That¡¯s okay.¡±


    ¡°The guild itself is transparent and very clean. You can rest assured that you haven¡¯t broken thew, and everyone is working ording to thew.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief. So what about the moral part? Ah! Just honestly tell me what you felt.¡±


    As I nced at Kim Mi-young, I could see her nodding again and opening her mouth.


    ¡°In the case of the potion market, small ns and private pensioners have a monopoly that makes it difficult to move, but¡­ There are no legal problems either. If you start the Lindel Alchemy Assistance Project this time, there won¡¯t be any dispute. Actually, our guild image is pretty good. Everything seems to be working out fine.¡± At this, Kim Mi-young bowed her head in embarrassment. I had done the right thing picking her - she was definitelypetent


    She was different from sh*t like me. Compared to me, who only knew how to agitate, fabricate, and cheat, she was a genuine intellectual. However, it was good to have her by my side, for she would make me look a lot morepetent as well.


    ¡°Good.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡®Because of that, you can take a little more.¡¯


    With this in mind, I changed her sry to 1000 gold, 300 higher than her initial one. I could see Mi-young¡¯s eyes widening, but I continued to talk as if nothing big had just happened.


    ¡°I give you an annual sry that fits your capacity. I really like that the parts that are likely to have problems were pulled out beforehand and processed.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ Nothingpared to your kindness¡­¡±


    ¡°No. No. There is no such thing as kindness. It¡¯s ridiculous to say that it¡¯s kindness to pick up a rolling gem. Oh, are there any other specifics? For example, something about how much authority the Guild Master gave Hyejin?¡±


    ¡°If I may speak objectively¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I kind of feel like it¡¯s too much. When I think about her ability and character, understand that it is better to be in a good position, but she has more authority than what I was expecting.¡±


    ¡°Strictly speaking, is she on the same level as our Manager Kim Mi-young?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m just acting as a representative for the Vice Guild Master, nothing more or less.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    ¡°Hyejin is different. After recruiting Cho Hyejin, the Guild Master put her into work right away and handed over various positions. It was just a story, but I heard that Cho Hyejin would be serving as the guild¡¯s secretary as well. I understand the Blue Guild motto, but there are manyments that it seems she has given the authority to outperform other party members. A lot of members are concerned.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Apart from Cho Hyejin¡¯s character and ability¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah. I understand what you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    Of course, this did not mean that Mi-young was jealous of Hyejin. She wasn¡¯t that type of person, and they were on different levels. No matter how good Mi-young was, Cho Hyejin was far stronger in terms of stats, with one of the best powers. She was the type of person who was already guaranteed sess.


    From this, I knew Kim Mi-young was just concerned about Hyejin¡¯s sudden surge in power.


    ¡°Ah, but for our Vice Guild Master¡­¡±


    The fact that she was looking out for me surprised me and pleased me at the same time.


    ¡°Thank you for worrying about me.¡±


    ¡°I-It¡¯s only natural.¡±


    ¡°Of course, the Guild Master said that he would decide about Cho Hyejin¡¯s key position after discussing with me, but I think he¡¯s already made up his mind.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Only


    ¡®Guild¡¯s secretary¡­¡¯


    In terms of position, she had the same power as 1, the Vice Guild Master, did. Of course, my title was a notch above hers, but she had just as much authority as I did.


    I knew Kim Hyunsung was not trying to create a division of power. He was probably looking forward to how Blue would develop if Hyejin and I worked together, but she and I were aspatible as water and oil.


    I did not me him, however. Hyunsung couldn¡¯t read status windows like could, and therefore was likely to not have noticed how ipatible she and I were.


    ¡®Ah, this is bad¡­


    I was beginning to realize just why Hyunsung had failed back in the first timeline.


    Perhaps he had gotten backstabbed by guys like me several times.


    I¡¯m sure of it.

 Chapter 148: Whistleblower (3)

    <h4>Chapter 148: Whistleblower (3)</h4>


    I didn¡¯t know what exactly had happened the first time around, but considering his stats, I knew Kim Hyunsung had been granted a high position back then. Assuming that Cho Hyejin was his lieutenant, the guild that he had led in the past must have been straightforward and inflexible.


    If their enemies had been like Lee Jihye or me, it would have been easy for us to defeat them. In this way, I could guess just how Hyunsung had failed.


    It was very simple to beat humans who weren¡¯t used to backstabs, for they were unaware of theplexity that humans like me possessed. With this in mind, I surmised that Kim Hyunsung must¡¯ve been hit by Jung Jinho, and then had probably gotten harassed by Ito Souta.


    ¡®What would you do if you didn¡¯t have me, Hyunsung?¡¯


    No, perhaps Lee Seolho would have been enough to humiliate him. Assuming that Ito Souta managed to settle in Lindel through that old geezer, he would¡¯ve been able to wield great power as well.


    Returning to my senses, I realized that Kim Mi-young was staring at me.


    ¡°If you have any instructions¡­¡±


    ¡°No, no, it¡¯s fine. I think it would be nice to wait for now. Oh, but you¡¯ll still have your insurance, so it would be beneficial for you to have books and materials that could be used when the Imperial Auditor strikes.¡±


    ¡°Ah! Of course, sir.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s very reassuring to have you here, Kim Mi-young.¡±


    ¡°T-Thank you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for taking your time on a day off. I¡¯ll best be off now.¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯m d to have been able to help you.¡±


    Cho Hyejin had not left my mind the whole time I conversed with Kim Miyoung. Though nothing about her had been officially decided, I had already made it my n to control her.


    Blue had already epted Cho Hyejin, and I had already affirmed as to how much Kim Hyunsung trusted her. Considering that they had been together back in the first timeline, there was a high probability that I wouldn¡¯t be able to break the trust they had for each other.


    Considering Cho Hyejin¡¯s growth potential, it would also be hard to find faults with her.


    The most appropriate way to make her interested in me was to turn her into the same way as I had done with Hayan. However, just thinking about it made me self-conscious. I had already seen the side effects from Hayan and Heeyoung, and they weren¡¯t pretty at all.


    Plus, I don¡¯t think I¡¯d be her type¡­¡¯


    After I bid Kim Mi-young goodbye and left, I walked around the halls, feeling lost for some reason. It would be nice of me to take a break without worrying about anything, but with the sudden events, I knew it would be impossible for me to rx, given my personality.


    Of course, it didn¡¯t take long for me to decide on my next destination. I could only think of one ce to go.


    ¡®Hyunsung.¡¯


    It would only be right for me to talk to Kim Hyunsung, the Guild Master of Blue, about the guild¡¯s future ns for Cho Hyejin. If he knew what the future would hold, then he would probably make the most rational decision based on that future.


    ¡®How is this a holiday?¡¯


    I had been busy the moment I had woken up.


    ¡°Is Guild Master there?¡±


    ¡°He is probably in the office right now.¡±


    ¡°Ah, okay.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know if I should feelforted, but at least I wasn¡¯t the only one working hard. This would definitely be a great time to talk about work.


    As I knocked on the door, I heard a familiar voice.


    ¡°Come in.¡±


    I walked in and found Kim Hyunsung seated on his desk. Cho Hyejin was also there, and the two of them looked at me as I approached them.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t expect to see her there.


    ¡°Good, you¡¯re here! I was about to call you soon enough.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see.¡±


    ¡°Have you eaten already?¡±


    ¡°No, I haven¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s have a meal together¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course.¡±


    ¡®This is more bothersome than I thought¡­¡¯


    I was beginning to understand why Jung Hayan got so angry seeing me with other women. Of course, this situation was different, but the fact that Hyejin and Hyunsung talked to each other in private bothered me. In Jung Hayan¡¯s case, she was worried about what I did with other women. I now felt sorry for her.


    I¡¯ll be more careful in the future, Hayan.¡¯


    As I sent an apology to Jung Hayan in my heart, Kim Hyunsung cleared his throat.


    ¡°Did you have some business with me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but it¡¯s no big deal¡­¡±


    ¡°You can speakfortably.¡±


    Kim Hyunsung spoke with affection evident in both of his eyes. Of course, this was a natural reaction. Before I had even gifted him the griffon, Hyunsung already trusted me a lot.


    ¡°I was just curious about any future ns or schedules we had in store¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°Thanks to Hyejin, the stabilization of the guild is being finished to some extent. It seems okay for us to go on an expedition. It¡¯s time for me to get back to my job. I wonder if you¡¯re thinking the same as I do.¡±


    ¡°Yes, in fact, I had been thinking of that, too.¡±


    ¡®As expected.


    ¡°I think it¡¯d be better to tell you in advance. In your case, you¡¯ll need to prepare a schedule in advance, as you¡¯re handling several jobs at the same time.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Hyunsung is right.¡±


    Of course, Kim Hyunsung had no intention of abandoning me during this time¡¯s expedition. I had proved my worth in the previous one, and he had judged that having me with him would prove to be an advantage. Though my attack power was insufficientpared to other wizards, I had the ability to handle Jung Hayan, the flexibility to adapt to sudden situations, and the drive to carry the party should the need arise.


    He must¡¯ve felt like I needed to work more than expected, as he also wanted to see my growth as an alchemist. For this reason, he wouldn¡¯t leave me behind. The most important thing for me to focus on was to not fall behind during this time¡¯s expedition.


    ¡°There have been no definite decisions yet, but I think you¡¯re right. It¡¯s important for us to expand our funds through various businesses, but thanks to Kiyoung-ssi, we can now afford to go out. I¡¯ve also been focusing on a lot of things, but I think it¡¯d be better to tell you in advance.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°I think our next destination will be Castle Rock.¡±


    ¡°¡­Castle Rock?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡®Marlene Young-ae will definitely be happy.¡¯


    ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly, but I heard that they¡¯ve seen signs of abnormality with the monsters in Castle Rock. Either a new dungeon appeared, or a hero-grade monster had made the area it¡¯s home.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°The probability is small, but this could also be a monster wave. There are many hunting grounds near Castle Rock, so it would not be bad to go on an expedition around it. I want to hear what you think, Kiyoung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Ah, it also sounds good. I¡¯m a little surprised to find out that it¡¯s not near Lindel. Come to think of it, Cho Hyejin said she was from Castle Rock, so I think it¡¯d be a little easier with her help, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Vice Guild Master. I know its geography.¡±


    ¡°I neglected to tell you, but I was thinking of expanding our sales with the basic potion. Of course, we¡¯ll prioritize the expedition, but it won¡¯t be bad to sign supply contracts with stable guilds within Castle Rock, am I right?¡±


    ¡°¡­Yes, Guild Master. Though it¡¯s notrger than Lindel, the market itself is good. Most guilds there make a living out of going on expeditions. There will also be fewer priests there than here in Lindel.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s right.


    I nced at Cho Hyejin and saw that she wasn¡¯t looking too well. She had settled for guiltily biting her lip as she answered my inquiries, and it seemed as if she wasn¡¯t expecting us to head to Castle Rock for our expedition, either. However, Kim Hyunsung seemed to think he had to bring her along.


    ¡®Will this expedition be that hard?¡¯


    The answery in Hyunsung¡¯s answer. It could be a simple dungeon expedition, or it could turn out to be a hero-grade monster raid.


    Then there¡¯s the possibility of encountering a monster wave¡­¡¯


    At this point, I was beginning to feel like we were heading to Castle Rock to take care of whatever would happen in the future. In any case, I would be able to benefit from this expedition. I was going in order to improve the quality of our party, after all.


    What I liked most, however, was the fact that I¡¯d get to learn more about Cho Hyejin.


    ¡®Yeah, that¡¯s definitely the best part.¡¯


    I would have a chance to talk directly with the leader of Little Rock under the guise of visiting for business purposes.


    Although Hyunsung looked sad upon seeing Cho Hyejin, who suddenly stopped talking, he seemed to have no intention of changing his mind.


    ¡°When can I prepare for the expedition, Hyunsung-ssi?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°How about leaving immediately tomorrow? In the case ofmodities, they can be procuredter, but I think I¡¯ll personally need to find out about how we¡¯ll be distributing the potions.¡±


    ¡°I see. In fact, I thought we would leave within a month or two, but there seems to be nothing wrong with doing that. The problem is where we¡¯ll be staying.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you need to worry about amodation. I¡¯m a little intimate with the daughter of Lord Castle Rock¡­ Perhaps we could make use of that.¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    Marlin Young-ae would definitely wee me with open arms.


    Even after we had arrived at the restaurant for our meal, our conversation revolved about our Castle Rock expedition. Cho Hyejin wasn¡¯t as participative, and though Hyunsung noticed this, he chose not to point it out


    ¡®She evidently has bad memories of the ce.¡¯


    Though Hyejin knew she¡¯de back there at one point, she wasn¡¯t expecting toe back this early. Considering that she had only been in Lindel for a short while, she was still likely to be one of Castle Rock¡¯s hottest topics.


    Other than that, the conversation was a bit in. It felt like routine pleasantries.


    Kim Hyunsung seemed to praise Cho Hyejin consciously and seemed to appeal to me about her good points, but by the time the meal was almost finished, I was able to realize why he had said these kinds of things to me.


    When Cho Hyejin had gone for the loo, Kim Hyunsung spoke to me.


    ¡°What do you think, Kiyoung-ssi?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I mean, about Hyejin.¡±


    Only


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t seem to be a bad person. She is capable, and her disposition is fine. I think I know well why Hyunsung-ssi recruited her. Given the strength and potential for future growth, she is a coveted person everywhere.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief. I was worried that you would be ufortable.¡±


    ¡®Would I openly say I¡¯m ufortable if I really were, you bastard?¡¯


    ¡°It feels like the timing is a bit early, but as I said yesterday, I would like to appoint Hyejin to a key position¡­ I¡¯m curious about what you think.¡±


    This may very well be the reason as to why Hyunsung had tried to call me today. As he looked at me expectantly, I felt happy that he respected me enough to ask me, yet I also felt a little ufortable.


    ¡®Ha¡­¡¯


    ¡°Well, I am¡­¡±


    I had to think about this thoroughly before I could even give a reply.

 Chapter 149: Don’t You know why I’m Disappointed? (1)

    <h4>Chapter 149: Don¡¯t You know why I¡¯m Disappointed? (1)</h4>


    ¡°Well, I am¡­¡±


    I had to think about this thoroughly before I could even give a reply.


    The kind of answer I wanted to give was quite obvious. Of course, I didn¡¯t want her to gain any more power than what was necessary, but I also didn¡¯t want to show my contempt for her.


    It wouldn¡¯t be easy to achieve both, but I decided it was worth trying. I didn¡¯t want to give Kim Hyunsung the impression that I was someone who was greedy for power.


    ¡®It¡¯s a good thing that he¡¯s asked for my opinion.¡¯


    ¡°Before that, I am curious to know exactly which key position you are going to give her.¡±


    | already knew that the position would be for guild secretary, but of course, had to ask again.


    ¡°Ah, in fact, I¡¯ve been thinking about this a lot¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s okay, I¡¯m thinking about what it would be like for her to be the guild secretary.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡±


    ¡°The guild secretary.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ I see.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ well, I¡¯ve thought about it a lot, but I think your life will get a lot easier because of this too. Since you have so many tasks, Hyejin will be able to help


    you.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll probably be amazed if you check out how she handles things.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°She has helped in all kinds of aspects that you can¡¯t even begin to imagine.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Honestly, I was against this, no matter what Hyunsung said. I could also see him nervously fidgeting as I thought about how to respond.


    Ah.


    I was able to realize why he had on such an expression. First, he could see that I was not happy about it. Secondly, he seemed to feel guilty about trying to ce her in a high position without even consulting me properly.


    Of course, he was asking me now, but the fact that he was bothered was still evident.


    ¡®What a cute bastard¡­¡¯


    My unpleasant expression must have barred his idea of me liking his n. He must¡¯ve felt embarrassed to see that I, the star of his supposed gift, did not look happy after opening the present he had presented.


    No, he must¡¯ve noticed my difort as well. By this point, Kim Hyunsung must have realized that he had made a mistake. That was because he was not a stubborn type of person.


    My unpleasant face blocked his idea of me liking this or agreeing or being happy about it.


    I didn¡¯t know how Hyunsung had failed in the first timeline, but thanks to that, he seemed more attuned to his party members¡¯ psychological and physical conditions.


    ¡®Especially about mine.¡¯


    That had been made obvious to me as I remembered his devastated expression back when I was asked to go to the Holy Empire - Kim Hyunsung was not a dictator.


    Though he was our Guild Master, he acknowledged his shorings and knew when he needed help from the people around him.


    What mattered was the fact that I was one of the people he looked to for advice.


    ¡®That¡¯s right.


    After assessing him carefully, I began to speak.


    ¡°I do not know¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°I can see howpetent Hyejin is, but I think it is a little too early. I think it¡¯ll be better to watch her a little more¡­ Ah! First of all, I understand how Hyunsung-ssi thinks. You made such a decision because of me, who is under pressure¡­ That¡¯s very considerate of you.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°But I think that if she suddenly gets the guild secretary¡¯s position, it will instill a sense of difort in other guild members. Of course, this is only my personal opinion¡­ But perhaps this needs a little more time. From a guild employee¡¯s point of view, it will look as if a CEO who has never been rted to thepany has appeared to suddenly take control.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I didn¡¯t think of that at all¡­ But when you weren¡¯t here, she seemed to fit in well enough.¡±


    ¡°So I was the only one who didn¡¯t see it¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    Though I didn¡¯t show my direct intention, I used my skill to make him grasp my mood. The moment I shot Hyunsung a disappointed look, he flinched by reflex.


    I¡¯m a little disappointed in you, Hyunsung,¡¯ my expression seemed to say.


    Of course, this was only acting on my part. Kim Hyunsung seemed more embarrassed than before. He had not expected his question to receive this kind of reaction from me.


    In a way, I was happy because he had done this with his concern for me in mind. It showed that he cared about me, yet I didn¡¯t show this. I was kind of happy because Kim Hyunsung did this because he cared about me, but I didn¡¯t show it.


    Even the littlest sigh on my part seemed to work. Slowly, Hyunsung was realizing that the topic of Cho Hyejin¡¯s appointment was a delicate topic.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean that.¡±


    ¡°No. I believe in Hyunsung. You have never made the wrong choice until now. Personally, I think it¡¯s a bit unreasonable, but I trust your judgment.¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    ¡°I think it will be okay. Thank you for asking me, but the Guild Master of the n is Hyunsung, so you can do whatever you want.¡±


    ¡°You seem to have misunderstood something.¡±


    ¡°No, this isn¡¯t a misunderstanding.¡±


    ¡°Well, I was thinking about this because Kiyoung-ssi looked tired. I don¡¯t have any ns to appoint her right now, and because Hyejin-ssi is very ufortable with this¡­¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    I had expected him to react like that. Normally, what people would say in this situation was, ¡®I did this for you.¡¯ However, that didn¡¯t happen. I wasn¡¯t angry or annoyed, but as I continued to send out a strangely disappointed attitude, could see his frustrated expression.


    ¡®You don¡¯t even know why I¡¯m doing this.¡¯


    To express an example, I cast a special move, one known as ¡®Don¡¯t you know why I¡¯m disappointed?¡¯


    Of course, the effect was better than I imagined.


    It hurt me to hurt Hyunsung¡¯s feelings, but I had to dy Cho Hyejin¡¯s appointment as much as possible.


    ¡°Uh, Hyunsung-ssi¡­ You can forget what I said before. It¡¯s just a personal thought. If you think Hyejin is suitable for the job, you can appoint her without any rejection on my part.¡±


    ¡®Get all the burden!¡¯


    ¡°Ah! I¡¯m just telling you, but there is nothing misunderstood. Of course, you can think like that from your point of view.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not disappointed.¡±


    I¡¯m disappointed! I¡¯m really disappointed.¡¯


    I was twisting everything I said. Though he may think that I was okay with it, it would be difficult for him to appoint Cho Hyejin now. No matter how stupid Hyunsung could get, I knew he wasn¡¯t that slow.


    ¡®I think I¡¯ve managed to dy it a bit¡­¡¯


    I knew Cho Hyejin would end up securing a high position for herself anyway. I also knew I would have the authority to use her properly. It would be such a waste to remove a capable member.


    Her image as a whistleblower would also be helpful for our publicity. It would be ignorant for me not to use someone strong and smart as a party member.


    The only problem was when she hade in.


    It almost felt like ying a game of tug of war for power. However, once the problems around her were resolved, I was ready to work harder than anyone else to exploit her talents.


    Just like a dog.


    ¡°Hmm. I¡¯ll be going, Hyunsung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡±


    ¡°The meal is over. I need to get ready to go to Castle Rock.¡±


    ¡°Yes, okay¡­¡±


    ¡°I will order the basic items first, but if there is any additional need, I would like you to instruct and send it as a document.¡±


    ¡°That¡­¡±


    It was time for me to go, and as I opened the door, I saw the guild staff just about to enter.


    ¡°Oh. Kiyoung-ssi!¡±


    It was then that Kim Hyunsung decided to grab onto me as he called out for me in a loud voice. In that instant, all eyes focused on us. I could see most of the guild members blushing. Some of the female employees had even started squealing.


    ¡®What¡­


    ¡°I still have something to say!¡±


    The atmosphere around us had be very unusual. I heard a few ¡®I told you so¡¯s and a few ¡®Oh¡¯s.


    I immediately realized what all these people were thinking.


    ¡®It¡¯s not that¡­ Fuck¡­¡¯


    ¡°That¡­ I guess I didn¡¯t think this through, Kiyoung¡­¡±


    I got it. Let go of my arm.¡¯


    ¡°I only wanted to ease your burden¡­¡±


    That sounds even weirder!¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung seemed to struggle with himself for a bit before speaking once more.


    ¡°As Kiyoung-ssi said, it would be better to dy the timing a little. If you feel confused, then I sincerely apologize. I know the timing was strange, considering that you¡¯ve just returned.¡±


    ¡°No, that¡­¡±


    ¡°Kiyoung-ssi also needs time to get to know Hyejin-ssi. I also understand that the other guild members may feel ufortable. Of course, Kiyoung-ssi may also feel a sense of ipatibility. Naturally, you are a little embarrassed, and, naturally, you are disappointed. I didn¡¯t think this through.¡±


    That did feel like a sincere apology.


    It seemed like a strange misunderstanding had urred, but it wasn¡¯t bad. Jung Hayan was not the only one that was poor when it came to human rtionships.


    My dear regressor, who had lived more lives than me, was also quite clumsy. He was like a train - simply straightforward, and generally inflexible.


    ¡®He¡¯s a well-meaning arbitrator.¡¯


    Only


    The fact that this guy had gone through a lot and still maintained his humanity was amazing. The Kim Hyunsung I met in the tutorial was different from the Kim Hyunsung now. He seemed to have been slowly recovering.


    ¡®It¡¯s not bad.¡¯


    The fact that he was a kindhearted personforted me. If I were him, I wouldn¡¯t have apologized for this ambiguous situation.


    ¡®It¡¯s really not bad at all.¡¯


    I looked up at him before I spoke up once more.


    ¡°No. It¡¯s really fine, Hyunsun-ssi.¡±


    Half my words were sincere.


    I¡¯ll forgive you, you bastard.¡¯

 Chapter 150: Dont you know why Im disappointed? (2)

    <h4>Chapter 150: Don''t you know why I''m disappointed? (2)</h4>


    ¡°So, what happened, Hyung-nim? Did everything go well?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you tell? It went very well.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Why do you ask?¡±


    It had been a few days since my serious conversation with Kim Hyunsung. It was Park Deokgu now who had deemed to ask me, as we both packed our luggage.


    ¡°Nothing. It was just a little unexpected. Ah! How¡¯s our hyung-ssi?¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what to say. I¡¯ve only been noticing that Kim Hyunsung seemed a little depressed from our interaction. I couldn¡¯t figure out what Cho Hyejin meant to Kim Hyunsung, but the man must have realized that he had put her in a position I could not ept.


    I knew he gave it the excuse of preparing this for me, but I knew there was something else underneath. As a result, he had realized his fault.


    ¡®He looked like a dejected puppy.


    I knew Hyunsung had expected a positive reaction from me. However, if it was up to me, I would do my utmost to reduce Hyejin¡¯s authority. At the very least, what power I currently had should remain until Kim Mi-young can finish her job.


    All this I had disguised under the guise of Cho Hyejin being an entirely new member. In fact, apart from her abilities, there had been a lot of spections about her and Hyunsung being in a rtionship.


    ¡®It seems like he doesn¡¯t know.¡¯


    Personal reasons aside, I knew it was not the right time for Cho Hyejin to be put in a position of power. However, it wouldn¡¯t be good for me to be too openly discriminating.


    At this, I looked at Park Deokgu and spoke once more. ¡°Well, he seemed a little sad about it, but he agreed with me in the end.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d, then¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s with that face?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not a big deal. I¡¯m just surprised at the fact that you two had different opinions.¡±


    ¡°There was no trouble.¡±


    ¡°I know, I only heard things.¡±


    ¡°What did you hear?¡±


    ¡°Well, what the female guild employees are saying is one thing, but the rumors state that hyung-nim and hyung-ssi fought. Is that true?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait, wait! Did you actually fight?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not as big as you think. We just had some misunderstandings, so you don¡¯t have to worry about it. I felt disappointed that he made an important decision and only said itst¡­¡±


    ¡°So¡­¡±


    ¡°As a result, I got an apology, and everything is normal. If I keep going against it, there may be friction, but it won¡¯t happen. In any case, I think Cho Hyejin ispetent, and in Blue, we need talents like her. Ah! I¡¯m just telling you, don¡¯t go anywhere and talk about this¡­¡±


    ¡°Mm. My mouth is as close as an oyster.¡±


    ¡°Did you prepare everything you need?¡±


    ¡°Almost everything.¡±


    ¡°Can I check it once?¡±


    ¡°W-Wait just a little more.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while since we had a long expedition. There can¡¯t be any mistakes.¡±


    As I looked around, I saw other people busy preparing for the expedition. Hwang Jeong-yeon hade to help Park Deokgu with his belongings. Jung Hayan, Sun Hee-young and Kim Ye-ri were also taking quite a long time in organizing their luggage.


    Most of the members were disconcerted by the news that they were suddenly leaving for Castle Rock. Still, they were experienced, and in no time, I saw them transporting all the items without missing anything in a carriage.


    The guild staff proved to be busier than the party members. Loud voices echoed everywhere.


    ¡°Are you sure you packed the supplies there?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Park Jung-gi! Thest one is entering.¡±


    ¡°You have also arranged for the items to be sentter, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. So¡­ Alchemy kits, consumable catalysts, and spare equipment were first put in the warehouse.¡±


    ¡°Put the griffon feed in there as well.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°With basic protection magic, manage the items so that they don¡¯t get damaged. I¡¯ll check and tell the team members to be on standby.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Okay.¡±


    It felt good to see them preparing for the expedition on their own, without me having to take care of everything.


    ¡°But, manager¡­ I heard that it¡¯s going to be a long expedition, but there seems to be too much supply. There are many lists to purchase at Castle Rock¡­ The organized supplies are more than what our budget can handle¡­¡±


    ¡°This is a matter directly requested by the Guild Master, so just follow the orders. It¡¯s not our job to be curious, or to have futile questions. All we have to do is deliver the supplies without error.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course.¡±


    What was interesting was that the supplies that were going to the Castle Rock expedition, in fact, felt excessivepared to the usual expedition. I felt certain that Park Jung-gi, deemed Head of the Expedition Support Team, understood this the best.


    He couldn¡¯t say anything because the Guild Master directed it, but even if I were to think about it, the items that did go into this expedition were a bit strange. Of course, considering the current situation in Castle Rock, it made sense to an extent.


    I didn¡¯t know if the citizens over there were aware that something was indeed happening in their city, but Kim Hyunsung had clearly stated that something was happening in their area.


    ¡®A new dungeon appearance? Monster wave? A hero-grade monster?¡¯


    Considering the supplies, I knew which among these was most likely.


    ¡®You¡¯re so obvious, Hyunsung.¡¯


    It was necessary to prepare for any situation in an expedition, but it felt weird preparing a thousand arrows for Kim Ye-ri, who wasn¡¯t even a pure archer by default.


    And it wasn¡¯t just this, either.


    Basic stamina potions were being massively produced in our potion factory, all in order to reach the quota Kim Hyunsung had set for them. At this point, it was easy to predict about what was going to happen in Castle Rock - we were preparing for a massive battle.


    Of course, as Kim Hyunsung said, it was to prepare for anything, but seeing that the guy who knows the future is preparing too much, I could at least realize that the purpose of this expedition was not a simple dungeon attack.


    ¡®We¡¯re either going to face a monster wave, or a raid.¡¯


    Personally, I hoped it was the former. I was anxious, but I was also excited. If Kim Hyunsung was willing to dive into such a situation, it must mean that the reward was great.


    ¡°Not to mention, the experience¡­


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Oh, nothing. Hee-young, did you pack all our luggage?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve packed all my personal belongings.¡±


    ¡°What about the others?¡±


    ¡°We packed everything and checked Ye-ri and Hayan¡¯s luggage. Hyejin seems to have finished preparing as well. Everything is going well.¡±


    ¡°Good. Then I will tell our Guild Master that we are ready to go.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    My job here was done. Next¡­


    ¡°Manager Park Jung-gi?¡±


    ¡°Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°I believe you have handled everything without errors ording to the list.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Yes. There are a few things that are missing from the sudden preparation, but when all the supplies are in ce, you can head to Castle Rock. This is onest check, but do I really have to send all of these supplies?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Manager Park Jung-gi. Please send it without any error. No, it would be nice to send additional supplies if you still can. You did a really good job. Ah! If there are more items to be needed in the future, I will tell you again using a carrier pigeon.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    This part also seemed ready.


    Kim Hyunsung appeared then, at what I¡¯d call a perfect timing. There was no more need for me to find and report him about the finished preparations. We were set to go.


    ¡°I think we can leave right away, Hyunsung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Yes, thank you. You don¡¯t have toe out and check every time¡­¡±


    ¡°I get a bit nervous if I don¡¯t check it personally, anyway.¡±


    ¡°I feel reassured to have Kiyoung-ssi.¡±


    ¡®You have to, you bastard.¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s not hard work. The number of expeditionary members is 13, including me, Hwang Jeong-yeon, Park Deokgu, Jung Hayan, Sun Hee-young, Kim Ye-ri, Cho Hyejin, and five other guild employees. Except for some items that need to be adjusted, everything else is loaded onto the wagon. Later, as soon as the quantity is met, the other wagons will depart.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°The guild is nned to be handled by advisors Lee Sang-hee, and manager Kim Mi-young, among many others.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I confirmed. Then let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    After the guild members slowly entered the carriage, I also went to enter. It would be quicker if I went on a griffon, but there were a lot of supplies. It was unfortunate that the road to Castle Rock was a little rough in itself.


    Considering that it was a ce that had already been stabilized, I didn¡¯t have to worry about monsters attacking us, so the journey would be like going on a pic. In short, I could rx.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s been a while since we went on an expedition, so I¡¯m excited.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not going for fun, so you better be tense. You can rest until we get to Castle Rock.¡±


    ¡°Ahem, isn¡¯t hyung-nim being too tight?¡±


    ¡°Ha ha ha ha ha.¡±


    At Park Deokgu¡¯s words, Kim Hyunsung spoke up.


    Whenever it rained, the ground would harden. The same could be said between Hyunsung and me, who had just gotten out of a dispute.


    Perhaps I was just imagining it, but I felt like our rtionship had gotten a little strongerpared to yesterday. Just thinking about his nervous expression made meugh.


    I already knew Kim Hyunsung wasn¡¯t a bad person, but yesterday¡¯s incident seemed to make me trust in him a little more.


    Only


    That aside, we had a lot to do.


    On my side, I needed to find out some more information about Cho Hyejin, as well as find a way to distribute my potions in Castle Rock. Not only did I have to meet with Marlin Young-ae, I might also have to visit the church.


    Never mind a possible raid or monster wave - I had enough to do in the city.


    Out of everything, however, there was only one thing I considered the most important


    That was to protect Kim Hyunsung.


    It was then that something happened.


    [Your Hero-grade attribute, Mind¡¯s Eye, increases its grade.]

 Chapter 151: Marlin Young-ae (1)

    <h4>Chapter 151: Marlin Young-ae (1)</h4>


    This should have been a trip where I could finally get some rest.


    ¡°Whoo¡­¡±


    My body had already gotten into afortable stance. The problem was that this sudden development had me feeling constantly worried. I did not know why Mind¡¯s Eye¡¯s level suddenly evolved, but I found myself feeling expectant.


    It was only my hypothesis, but it felt reasonable to assume that it was because of Kim Hyunsung.


    [Checking the status window and talent levels of the yer Lee Kiyoung.]


    [Name: Kiyoung Lee]


    [Title: Mercenary Queen¡¯s Gigolo, Honorary Bishop of the Holy Empire of Benigore]


    [Age:25]


    [Disposition: Careful Strategist]


    [ss: Living Alchemy Summoner: Unique Heroic Grade 1602]


    [ss Effect: Acquisition of Basic Magic Knowledge]


    [ss Effect: Acquisition of Basic Alchemy Knowledge]


    [ss Effect-Acquisition of Intermediate Alchemy Knowledge]


    [ss Effect: Acquisition of Special Summon knowledge]


    [Stats]


    [Strength: 21/Growth potential: Common or lower]


    [Agility: 22/Growth potential: Common or lower]


    [Health: 30/ Growth potential: Common or lower]


    [Intelligence: 72/Growth potential: Heroic or higher]


    [Durability: 22/Growth potential: Common or lower]


    [Luck: 60/Growth potential: Heroic or higher]


    [Magic: 33/Growth potential: Common or lower]


    [Equipment]16021602


    [Cursed Sword Juliana: Legendary: Ownership]


    [Ramus Tucker¡¯s Introduction to Alchemy: Heroic: Alchemist Only]


    [Magic Shield Ring: Rare]


    [Attribute: Mind¡¯s Eye: Legendary]


    [General Review: You¡¯ve grown up to the point where you can act as a person. The intelligence stats and high luck stats that are already high are very impressive. Needless to say, the rest of your stats are trash, but it is stillmendable that your magic power stat is over 30. Of course, among them, the Unique Hero Grade ss and the Legendary Grade item stand out the most. There may be limitations, but try to struggle hard. I¡¯ll send you a little cheer.]


    ¡®Ah, it¡¯s be friendlier.¡¯


    It may just be an illusion, but it did feel like the General Review had be amiable towards me. Instead of telling me to die, it was actually cheering me on.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t know how this system worked, but it probably developed further due to my oath of allegiance towards Kim Hyunsung.


    It could be just a coincidence. However, considering the fact that Kim Hyunsung was a returner, it definitely didn¡¯t feel like one.


    You couldn¡¯t go back in time just because you wanted to.


    Looking at his status, I noticed that one of Hyunsung¡¯s titles stated, ¡°The Regressor of Altanus.¡± Perhaps he had received someone¡¯s help in the process of going back in time. Was it from supernatural beings? Perhaps he had even received help from God.


    The deity called God may be the guy who had made this system and watched us from afar, but he might also be the one responsible for imparting power that ordinary people couldn¡¯t normally use.


    Whatever the case may be, the fact stood - this was a timeline different from the first


    The problem is¡­


    Why did he turn Kim Hyunsung¡¯s time back?


    The answer was simple.


    He must¡¯ve wanted something in return, and, in doing so, granted Hyunsung¡¯s wish. I didn¡¯t know what he wanted, but our dear regressor seemed to be someone loved by transcendental beings, so perhaps skill level up was a gift just by being in his presence.


    It was a gift meant tofort one¡¯s hard work, and to encourage them to look forward to the future.


    [Attribute]


    [Mind¡¯s Eye: Legendary Level]


    [You can view the status window and hidden talent level of yourself as well as others. It is a legendary attribute, but an unknown force locks most of its functions.]


    [Addition: You can check the hidden uniqueness of yourself and others. A unique characteristic is a type of stat that the yer cannot directly check and can only be checked with the legendary Mind¡¯s Eye, an attribute that only the yer Lee Kiyoung has.]


    Knowing this, I knew that if I continued to work hard in the future, I may be able to release these said limitations one by one. Of course, everything was just my hypothesis. One could even say it was my brain deluding itself.


    However¡­


    ¡®Yes! I will pledge my allegiance! Thank you! It doesn¡¯t matter if I have to think of you as ¡®God!


    The important thing was that I had gotten new abilities. This was the most important part.


    I thought about the difference between my unique characteristics and the attribute, and why it would be important to see this, but I realized that it could be more useful than I thought.


    Suppose an attribute was a power given by the system. In that case, the unique characteristic would be the power of an individual who did not rely on the system, and had a different personality other than their original disposition.


    Most of my attributes had a positive effect, but perhaps my unique characteristics would not.


    On the contrary, it could be very negative.


    [Checking the unique characteristics of the yer Lee Ki-young.)


    [The Liar¡¯s Temptation]


    [Seduces the other person and makes them listen to you. The probability of being loved by a dangerous opposite sex increases.]


    This was a prime example. Of course, there were also others.


    [Checking the unique characteristic of the yer Jung Hayan.]


    [Love overflowing with blood]


    [You can dedicate everything to your loved ones, even your own life or conscience. The probability of awakening in certain situations involving the target increases. Please be careful of side effects.]


    In conclusion, I could deal with the people around me a little easier than before.


    I didn¡¯t know how much of this unique characteristic could affect individuals, but just looking at Jung Hayan already gave me a good idea.


    If Jung Hayan saw anything rted to me, it could be ssified as an individual¡¯s ability to exert power beyond imagination or to have strange ties to me.


    Anyway, while others enjoyed the trip, I had no choice but to work hard on what I had just gained. I felt mentally exhausted from researching new stats and analyzing the current situation rather than analyzing them one by one.


    ¡®But I like it.


    If I could lift all of Mind¡¯s Eye¡¯s limitations, I could confirm almost everything about a person. Perhaps I can even learn to read someone¡¯s mind, and extract all the information they knew!


    ¡®Goddess Benigore! Altanus! I will be loyal to our returner! You can give me more! Please give more!


    I cried out in my mind again, but nothing changed.


    Instead of the Goddess¡¯s voice, however, I heard Jung Hayan speak as she worriedly looked at my face.


    ¡°You look a little tired.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Is it because I couldn¡¯t sleep¡­? I¡¯m actually a little tired. How far until we arrive at Castle Rock?¡±


    ¡°I heard that we just need to go a little more. No¡­ we¡¯re almost there.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good thing.¡±


    ¡°O-Oppa.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°That¡­ That¡­ Isn¡¯t Castle Rock where Marlin Young-ae is?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard it somewhere¡­ That¡­ She likes you¡­¡±


    Park Deokgu, you bastard¡­¡¯


    It feels like it was him who had told her that.


    I thought that Jung Hayan had had more time to think alone for a few days, but she seemed to feel guilty about something. I wasn¡¯t sure as to why Jung Hayan was conscious of Marlin Young-ae, but something dide to mind.


    ¡®The letter¡­ Did she read it?¡¯


    It turned out that after reading the letter, I left Jung Hayan sleeping and left the room. If Jung Hayan had indeed read Marlin Young-ae¡¯s letter, this could be a useless misunderstanding.


    Even more, if she visited Park Deokgu for consultation and Park Deokgu said weird stuff, things could get even moreplicated.


    Still, it was not good for Jung Hayan to start acting up now, especially since I had a lot of things currently giving me a headache.


    ¡®Ugh, and it¡¯s all this pig¡¯s fault¡­¡¯


    I had no choice but to stroke Jung Hayan¡¯s hair while speaking soothingly.


    ¡°You can rest assured that I¡¯m in no rtionship with Marlin Young-ae.¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    After the Cursed Shrine incident, Jung Hayan had mellowed down and the incidents had decreased, but of course, she was still being herself. Continuous psychological management was required. I didn¡¯t even need to look at her unique characteristics to know this.


    ¡°Hyung-nim! Come out. Hayan, too!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I think we¡¯re already in Castle Rock. Whoa¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    When I went outside while holding Jung Hayan¡¯s hand tightly, I sawrge walls built entirely of rock.


    ¡°Wow¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s something worth seeing, right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s truly magnificent to see.¡±


    These barrier walls, all standing high, seemed as if they could withstand any attack without copsing. I felt a little frustrated upon being unable to see what was within the walls, but just having this as my weing sight was already enough to make me fall in love.


    Lindel, for me, felt slightly modernized, and the Holy Empire¡¯s capital felt too fancy. However, the castle-like walls in front of me represented the fantasy world I had always imagined.


    I found myself unconsciously remarking.


    ¡°That¡¯s cool.¡±


    ¡°You think so too.¡±


    ¡°Ah, Hyunsung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°As I heard it, Castle Rock in the past is said to have been the most important and strategic location in the Holy Empire of Benigore.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    ¡°The high walls were designed to keep out the monsters, and prevented them from invading the Republic. Of course, no monsters dare to hit the wall now, but it¡¯s still considered as Castle Rock¡¯s pride and joy.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s understandable. Because the location is good, it is also the closest to the border, with arge forest next to it¡­ Ah! If so, has the condition of the forest only recently started to be a little weird?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I have to check for further details, but I heard that the exchange rate of the mercenaries and free people staying in Castle Rock is constantly falling. Sometimes they see monsters popping out of the forest. I don¡¯t know exactly what it is, but it¡¯s not a good sign.¡±


    Don¡¯t know exactly what it is, yeah¡­¡¯


    It felt ridiculous to hear him say that after seeing just how much he had prepared for it.


    ¡®Cute bastard.¡¯


    While gently stroking Jung Hayan¡¯s head, the wagon continued to head towards Castle Rock. The closer we were, the higher the walls became.


    It was then that a familiar figure came into sight.


    ¡®Ah¡­¡¯


    Marlin Young-ae, apanied by her many knights, came out to meet me.


    I didn¡¯t know why she hade, but just looking at her made me feel worried.


    I didn¡¯t want to upset Jung Hayan. I could also feel Kim Hyunsung staring at me questioningly, wondering if it was because of me that they were here, waiting for us.


    At this, I was stuck between showing him mypetence and soothing Jung Hayan¡¯s psychological needs.


    However, the decision was taken entirely out of my own hands.


    ¡°Lee Kiyoung!¡±


    I saw Marlin Young-ae running towards me, tears streaming down her cheeks.


    ¡®Fuck¡­ Hayan, it¡¯s nothing this time.


    I made a show of pointedly talking to Hyunsung, making sure Hayan could hear.


    ¡°I never told her I wasing¡­ I guess she saw using from a distance.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Ahem. I think it would be better to say hello first.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes.¡±


    I waved my hand after getting off the carriage.


    Only


    ¡°Ah! Marlin Young-ae!¡±


    The moment I tried to act as formal as possible, her breathless figure appeared in front of me.


    ¡°Lee Kiyoung-nim!¡±


    Embarrassment flooded into me as she hugged me tightly, acting as if we were a long-distance couple that had only managed to meet again. As her knights watched us warily, I worried about whether I could push her away, or leave her be.


    ¡®Ha¡­


    As Jung Hayan bit her lips in silent agitation, Cho Hyejin and Kim Hyunsung both sported surprised expressions.


    It was then that I heard Kim Ye-ri speak, a surprising turn of events as she was always the quiet one.


    ¡°Womanizer.¡±

 Chapter 152: Marlin Young-ae (2)

    <h4>Chapter 152: Marlin Young-ae (2)</h4>


    I felt guilty hearing that, for some reason. However, this situation was more important than Kim Ye-ri¡¯s words. The only problem here was how Marlin Young-ae had chosen to treat me.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time; it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Marlin Young-ae.¡±


    ¡°The same is true for me. Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that you woulde to meet me in advance.¡±


    ¡°Actually, after receiving a letter saying that you woulde here once, I waited only for the day Lee Kiyoung would being.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    It took about 15 days from the time I sent the letter about maybeing here. I felt a little disconcerted about how she had chosen to react.


    ¡®She¡¯s a little weird, too¡­¡¯


    [Checking the unique characteristic of yer Marlin Young-ae.]


    [The Obsessed Girl]


    [She gets really obsessed about something she¡¯s interested in.]


    ¡®Fuck¡­


    It would be better for me to keep my distance in the future, considering her disposition. Back then, I didn¡¯t think there would be any problem with her, but I ended up being mistaken.


    I didn¡¯t know what was with her, but she was definitely not normal. I also found no other advantage to her than the fact that she was the Castle Rock lord¡¯s daughter, but I still had to y my cards right.


    ¡®This will get me a headache.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t want to gain a new Jung Hayan.


    ¡°I have always been waiting for news from Lindel. I knew you woulde here someday.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been keeping tabs on Lindel¡¯s press.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Right¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know how happy I was to see a carriageing from afar this morning. Ah, that reminds me¡­ Where are my manners? Hello, everyone that came to Castle Rock. I am Marlin Young-ae, but you can call me Marlin.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you, Marlin Young-ae.¡±


    ¡°This is Kim Hyunsung, our Blue Guild Master. Say hello to everyone else, Marlin Young-ae. Have you ever met Hayan?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s also good to meet you. I heard a lot about you, Blue Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°I have heard of Marlin Young-ae often too. It¡¯s only for a short time, but thank you very much for your willingness to take care of us during our stay.¡±


    ¡®Ah, it¡¯s not good to talk like that¡­¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t a good idea to inform Young-ae about that, given her tendency to misunderstand the situation. Already, Jung Hayan¡¯s expression was slowly worsening.


    As I thought about whether or not to make excuses, a different voice piped up from a distance.


    ¡°Whoo¡­ Whoo¡­ Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung!¡±


    ¡°Archbishop Judah! You were in the Castle Rock Temple.¡±


    This was also another acquaintance I had made back in the Empire. Though all we did was drink a cup of tea together, the Pope¡¯s members tended to be a little tight.


    ¡°If you had contacted me in advance, I would havee to meet you. Hohoho.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha. I can¡¯t keep a busy guy waiting. If I knew that Archbishop Judah woulde, I would have brought a gift. I didn¡¯t even know that you would be in Castle Rock.¡±


    ¡°Haha. It looks like I didn¡¯t tell you. The gift is¡­ Ahem. I am already grateful for the thought alone.¡±


    ¡°So. How is Cardinal Basel?¡±


    ¡°Haha. He is still the same. He is so busy with serving Goddess Benigore¡­¡±


    ¡°I see. Hyunsung-ssi. Come here for a minute¡­ I told you, right? This is Kim Hyunsung, the Guild Master of my guild, Blue. And this is Sun Hee-young, the priest of our guild. She has been working hard enough in the service to be called the Saint of the Forsaken. She is one of the few priests who are preaching the will of God at Lindel.¡±


    ¡°Oooh. So this is Kim Hyunsung. And this is the priest Sun Hee-young¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I heard a lot about you, Kim Hyunsung. How many times have I heard of you being impartial, just, and strong? I can see why Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung praised you so much. Your eyes are very deep.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s such big praise, Archbishop Judah. I¡¯m Kim Hyunsung, the Blue Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°Bishop Victoria! Come over here and say hello to Priest Sun Hee-young!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Archbishop Judah!¡±


    ¡°We are blessed to have such a priest among the free people.¡±


    ¡°Hahahahahaha.¡±


    They greeted each other instantly, and because of the noisy atmosphere, we were able to get rid of Marlin. People who had made acquaintances with Jung Hayan in the past rushed to greet her, but she didn¡¯t seem very interested in greeting them. Instead, she clung onto me tightly.


    Kim Hyunsung, on the other hand, was the busiest among everyone else. He looked a little embarrassed with everyone who hade to greet him. However, he knew that he could make some useful connections here, which in turn would lead him to newer connections.


    Just the simple task of my talking about Kim Hyunsung to everyone in the Empire had guaranteed that he would receive a positive atmosphere.


    This was really no big deal, but this could also be called a talent.


    Our old members didn¡¯t look that confused, yet Cho Hyejin looked as if she couldn¡¯tprehend the situation.


    ¡®It¡¯s understandable.¡¯


    Blue was a guild with a high potential. Externally, it was allied with the Red Mercenary, ck Swan, and Yozora Guild, and it dominated the potion market. Though we were just a medium-sized guild, we were in a good position altogether.


    Of course, we had the money, but we still had to be careful, lest we lost value in a ce where power reigned. Considering this, it was surprising to be treated in this manner.


    Even if Cha Hee-ra and Yuno Kasugano visited Castle Rock together, the Archbishops wouldn¡¯t bother greeting them. However, they did so for our sake. It was only normal to feel disbelief.


    ¡®Hyejin, take care of this, please.¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s better not to be outside; we should go inside first.¡±


    ¡°Hohoho. Let¡¯s do that. Marlin Young-ae, it was so nice to hear that Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung wasing, so this old man ended up taking away your time.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that. We are happy that you weed us. Archbishop.¡±


    ¡°It seems like our Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung¡¯s still very sweet with his words. Haha. Then let¡¯s go inside quickly, as Marlin Young-ae said. First of all, you must stay at Yeongju Fortress and rest, then stop by at the church.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course, Archbishop Judah.¡±


    ¡°The believers will be happy. Haha.¡±


    At this, the huge gate before us opened, and the interior of Castle Rock showed itself to us.


    Although the nation we lived in was diverse, I could see that most of the citizens here were Asians with ck hair.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know how surprised I was to have you visit Castle Rock like this, Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know we would be reunited so soon, Young-ae. Isn¡¯t it right? Hayan?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Oppa!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­


    Little by little, Hayan began to brighten up with my constant attention. On the contrary, Marlin Young-ae began to feel a little depressed.


    Kim Hyunsung, however, was busy talking with Archbishop Judah. The rest of our party members busied themselves with looking around Castle Rock¡¯s amazing infrastructures.


    However, what was more interesting to me than our party members were the yers that had settled within Castle Rock.


    Seeing that they harbored the same expression as Cho Hyejin made me smile a little bit.


    ¡°Pfft.¡±


    What they were thinking was obvious.


    They were probably wondering what kind of people wereing in now for them to be personally greeted by the Archbishop of the temple, as well as the Castle Rock Knights. Seeing them straining to see who we were was truly amusing.


    ¡®Tut-tut.


    However, the closer we headed towards Yeongju Tower, the more I realized that only one person among us was garnering the most attention.


    ¡®Cho Hyejin.


    Cho Hyejin made sure not to appear affected by the constant stares, but her difort was evident to me.


    So, it was true that she left Castle Rock on bad terms.


    As I continued to watch Hyejin, I saw her inconspicuously looking through the crowds, thinking of seeing a familiar face. I didn¡¯t know why she, who did the right thing, looked as if she was a sinner. However, it was interesting to see her uncaring fa?ade.


    ¡°Marlin Young-ae.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lee Kiyoung?¡±


    ¡°Do you remember Cho Hyejin? The one I talked aboutst time¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahhh! I see. I heard a lot from you from my father, Hyejin.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡±


    ¡°A few years ago, I was at the academy, so we never met. I heard you were active in Castle Rock. You did a very impressive job¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡­ It¡¯s not impressive. Just like other free people do¡­¡±


    ¡°Thanks to free people like Cho Hyejin and Lee Kiyoung, our Holy Empire can develop further. On behalf of the nation, I would like to say thank you.¡±


    When Marlin, a person of royal birth in the Castle Rock estate, stuck to Cho Hyejin and chatted with her, it felt like the gazes had gone back to focusing on her.


    Things were getting a little more fun.


    Some of the onlookers stood out.


    They had looks of distaste on their faces, yet the guild insignia on their chests told me what guild they came from.


    ¡®Little Rock


    I was sure of it.


    Among all the guilds located in Castle Rock, they were thergest. And¡­


    ¡®They were who Cho Hyejin reported in the past.¡¯


    While passing by, our eyes continued to meet. To be precise, I was conscious of them, and I was only looking at them once, but whether they knew it or not, they kept looking at us heading to Yeongju Tower.


    ¡®Should I talk with them?¡¯


    I indeed wanted to have a conversation at least once. I wondered exactly what happened and what position they were taking.


    ¡°Marlin Young-ae.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lee Kiyoung-nim?¡±


    ¡°I have a little question, but¡­ How is the rtionship between Castle Rock and the free people here?¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s a little friendly. We invited them to Yeongju Tower to spend time together¡­ Our Castle Rock is also being helped by the free people settled here. As well as reducing the number of monsters, we are grateful that they share our knights¡¯ work.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not as good as the Free City of Lindel, but in Castle Rock, we have a lot of benefits for free people, and we have various policies set in ce. They are indeed concerned with the citizens¡¯ welfare - not only the permanent residents but also the free residents.¡±


    ¡°Oooooh.¡±


    ¡°Do you have any more questions?¡±


    ¡°No, Young-ae, rather than that¡­ It¡¯s sudden, but I want to ask you for a favor.¡±


    ¡°In fact, the reason we came to Castle Rock was to sign contracts with some of the guilds here. If we can sell the potions distributed by our guild to Castle Rock, we¡¯ll be able to help each other.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s okay, I would like you to set the bridge free.¡±


    Only


    ¡°Yes! Of course! It¡¯s Lee Kiyoung¡¯s request, after all¡­¡±


    ¡®So the contract part is resolved¡­


    All that¡¯s left was to meet them. As I kept writing the screeny in my head, I heard a voice.


    ¡°Marlin Young-ae.¡±


    It was the first time I heard his voice. The guy looked a little taller than I did.


    ¡®What, this guy suddenly¡­¡¯


    In an instant, I figured out who he was.


    Cho Hyejin¡¯s rapidly darkening expression was a dead giveaway

 Chapter 153: Marlin Young-ae (3)

    <h4>Chapter 153: Marlin Young-ae (3)</h4>


    ¡®Ah¡­


    In front of me stood the Little Rock Guild Master, the guild who had kicked Cho Hyejin out. Instantly, I activated my Mind¡¯s Eye in order to read into his stats and attributes.


    His stats weren¡¯t bad, but they weren¡¯t great, either. Nothing was notable enough to be remembered. Of course, I wasn¡¯t in a position to say that, but after seeing a lot of great people, he didn¡¯t look impressive to me at all.


    Meanwhile, his disposition was¡­


    ¡®A Passionate, Ambitious Man.¡¯


    What a unique characteristic. He was definitely a leaf with different sides to him, though I had to admit it sounded awkward for some reason. It sounded like an ability that didn¡¯t really have any bonus effects. With this, I tried to picture what kind of person he really was.


    ¡®Aha¡­¡±


    It was just a guess, but I think I knew how he got entangled with Cho Hyejin. Just looking at him talking to us in this manner gave me some sort of answer. Simply speaking, he saw an opportunity, and decided to take advantage of it. He probably wanted to make his presence known, or know more about us in turn.


    He didn¡¯t seem to know that it was rude to barge in on Marlin during this time. perhaps it was even nned. It seemed like he could choose whether or not to wee any neers in the area. I wasn¡¯t a judger, but I found it quite annoying.


    ¡°Ah, Song Jungwook-nim.¡±


    Though she acknowledged him, she didn¡¯t pay much attention to him. Instead, she wrapped an arm around Jung Hayan¡¯s shoulders and passed by him. For her, it was more important to focus on us.


    ¡°Who was he?¡±


    ¡°Ah. He¡¯s Little Rock Guild¡¯s Master Song Jungwook-nim¡­¡±


    As I looked back, I could see Song Jungwook harboring a bitter expression, which was natural, considering he had just been humiliated.


    Obviously, I had nothing to do with it. It wasn¡¯t as if he had spoken to me first, and it was Marlin Young-ae who had decided to run to our side alone. Meanwhile, I was just on my way to Jung Hayan. Therefore, the embarrassing situation that happened was not my doing.


    Of course, he would show that face, considering that he was humiliated.


    ¡°Ah. You mean Little Rock.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I heard about them. I heard that their scale is quiterge in Castle Rock. Their adventure performance is also good. Did you say that they¡¯ve attacked three rare dungeons and one heroic dungeon?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ I-I don¡¯t know the details¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Marlin Young-ae. We almost passed by a nobleman. Could you please call him if that¡¯s okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course. Lord Rodrick? Could you please call Song Jungwook here?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Young-ae.¡±


    Song Jungwook¡¯splexion still hinted at how hurt his pride was. However, it could not be avoided. That was, until Marlin Young-ae called for him.


    Eventually, I saw him approaching us, biting his lip in an unsure manner.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for earlier, Song Jungwook. I was too busy.¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s okay, Young-ae.¡±


    ¡°This is Lee Kiyoung Lee, Vice Master of the Blue Guild from Lindel. He really wants to talk with you¡­¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    At this, he nced at me with an expression that seemed to say, ¡®of course you do.¡¯ He seemed to think I had a special intention for doing so. With this, Song Jungwook held his hand out for me to shake.


    ¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Song Jungwook, Guild Master of Little Rock.¡±


    ¡®Ha¡­¡¯


    ¡°Where is the Blue Guild Master?¡±


    ¡®This bastard¡­¡¯


    ¡°I tried to greet you once officially, but that¡¯s great timing.¡±


    ¡®How dare you talk informally to me?¡¯


    ¡°And¡­ It¡¯s been a while, Hyejin. I never thought you would be in Blue.¡±


    ¡°Ah. It¡¯s been a while, Song Jungwook-nim.¡±


    ¡®Are you looking down on me?¡¯


    It felt absurd that he was treating me in this manner. Of course, I was only the Vice Guild Master, so if I were to ssify us by rank, then this meant he was a notch above me. Not only was I younger, but he had been on this continent longer than I have.


    Therefore, talking to me informally would have felt okay for him.


    ¡®Are there any humans who still don¡¯t know that I have be an Honorary Bishop?¡¯


    It seemed that the Free People of Castle Rock had not heard of this yet. I should have that fact advertised on their newspaper at least once.


    I indeed came here for business, but it didn¡¯t mean that I would be the one to bow down. There was now that stated that a salesman was necessarily weaker. I didn¡¯t intend to do as he pleased, as he was not as powerful as Cha Hee-ra, or as talented as Cho Hyejin.


    However, it also felt stupid to fight at this point, so I didn¡¯t deem to answer. As if to ask silently about what was going on, I looked towards Marlin Youngae and found her looking surprised.


    ¡°P-Please do be polite.¡±


    ¡°Young-ae?¡±


    ¡°Lee Kiyoung is a guest of the Castle Rock estate. That¡¯s just rude.¡±


    ¡°M-Marlin¡­ Young-ae.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t see you that way, but I¡¯m disappointed, Song Jungwook-nim.¡±


    ¡°That¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll apologize instead, Lee Kiyoung-nim.¡±


    ¡°Ahem. Well, that¡¯s okay. You shouldn¡¯t be the one apologizing, Young-ae¡­ Would you forget what I said earlier?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°The thing I said about potions. Originally, I was going to enjoy for a while and go¡­ I think I¡¯ve changed my mind. It would be better to leave as soon as possible after finishing my business.¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    Marlin Young-ae¡¯s expression was wrinkled, while Hayan brightened up. As gently pulled Jung Hayan towards me, her expression became smug.


    ¡®This expression doesn¡¯t suit her at all.¡¯


    She evidently wanted to let everyone know that I belonged to her. She must have been aiming for a dangerous look, but she only looked cute in my eyes.


    Naturally, Marlin Young-ae paled. It was not because of Jung Hayan. It was probably from what I had just hinted - that I didn¡¯t care about sales, or potion-rted contracts, none of that. I would just go back after doing my business. I had been so excited to travel to Castle Rock, yet it had not met my expectations, simply because of such rude people. That was the hidden meaning behind my words.


    ¡°Lee Kiyoung-nim, that¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just head back, Young-ae.¡±


    The choice she would make was quite obvious. At this, Young-ae turned to Jungwook.


    ¡°Please formally apologize.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Please formally apologize for the rudeness you just showed to Lee Kiyoungnim, Song Jungwook-nim.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ To say I was rude.¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s indeed not like me to overreact.¡¯


    ¡°I think Song Jungwook-nim knows better what I¡¯m talking about. Please formally apologize for the rudeness you showed to Lee Kiyoung-nim earlier. If you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll never see your face again.¡±


    It was fortunate that Archbishop Judah was not here. If he hadn¡¯t been busy talking with Kim Hyunsung, Jungwook would have been surrounded by the members of the temple.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Marlin Young-ae. You don¡¯t have to do this.¡±


    ¡°No. Lee Kiyoung-nim is a guest of our Castle Rock.¡±


    I didn¡¯te as a guest, but¡­¡¯


    ¡°To show rudeness to Lee Kiyoung-nim is like showing rudeness to our family. I don¡¯t know what your father will think, but I think he must get an apology.¡±


    ¡°Young-ae.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but feel impressed. She was doing so much for me, for ruining a good rtionship with a guild like Little Rock would not be good for Castle Rock, either. It had just been because of her immaturity that she dared to act in this manner.


    Of course, inparison, Marlin Young-ae¡¯s family was stronger.


    ¡®This means it will hurt his pride.¡¯


    ¡°Song Jungwook-nim. Really!¡±


    ¡°Marlin Youngae, that¡¯s okay.¡±


    This situation looked pretty bad. Both the free and imperial people were now looking at both of them. Song Jungwook, who at this point represented the free people, had to bow to me.


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    It would definitely clear up the misunderstanding of power between us. The question was, would he really bow to me?


    ¡®His pride is quite high.¡¯


    I had no choice but to think that he would try to pass this evasively. If I were him, I would have made the same choice. Cho Hyejin was also watching, along with our other guild party members.


    Finally, Song Jungwook finally bowed.


    ¡®Wow¡­¡¯


    I knew he would gain nothing from me by doing this, but I knew why he had done so.


    ¡®It¡¯s because of Marlin Young-ae¡­¡¯


    He just wanted to look good in front of her. There was no other reason.


    ¡°Please forgive my rudeness, Vice Guild Master Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°Ah. It¡¯s okay, Song Jung-nim.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to cause you so much trouble when we¡¯ve just met.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha. The same goes for me. There must have been a misunderstanding.¡±


    ¡°Marlin Young-ae, it¡¯s okay now. It¡¯s a misunderstanding caused by mistake. I think it¡¯s only right to forgive him.¡±


    The picture that I, the Vice Master Guild of the Blue Guild, had forgiven the Guild Master of the Little Rock Guild, would prove to be quite a beautiful scene for our onlookers.


    At this point, they were probably thinking, ¡®We can¡¯t mess with that bastard.¡¯


    Of course, I had gained more than that.


    ¡°I was nning to visit the Little Rock Guild even just once, Song Jungwooknim. I hope you can visit Yeongju Tower soon and find me. No, I will go.¡±


    ¡°Hahahaha. It seems like I made a happy rtionship today. Well, if you have nothing more to say, I¡¯ll be going. Doesn¡¯t Marlin Young-ae have anything more to say?¡±


    ¡°No, Lee Kiyoung-nim. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s important¡­ Song Jungwook-nim, see you next time¡­¡±


    ¡°Hayan? Hyejin, move, quickly.¡±


    ¡°Yes, oppa.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Vice Guild Master.¡±


    Only


    ¡°And¡­ Well. Hyejin?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened when you were in Castle Rock, but you don¡¯t have to look down.¡±


    ¡°And there is no need to treat other guilds¡¯ Guild Masters. Hyejin is now a member of Blue. Always keep in mind that if you bow your head to another guild or n, it means that Blue is bowing down to them.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want for much. But that¡¯s enough for now.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Okay.¡±


    I now had a n for Cho Hyejin. When I saw Song Jungwook failing to grab onto Marlin Young-ae, a lot of good ideas began to emerge.

 Chapter 154: Little Rock (1)

    <h4>Chapter 154: Little Rock (1)</h4>


    Blue had adapted well to Castle Rock. Marlin Young-ae threw a grand party for us, and we were able to take a break,plete with delicacies and good drinks. Our fatigue was slowly going down the drain.


    Of course, I had a lot of work to do, but the special treatment I was receiving made the whole ordeal feel like a vacation. Of course, Kim Hyunsung was an exception.


    It was understandable, though. He had his own job - to greet other influential nobles.


    ¡®He looks tired.¡¯


    At the news that I wasing, bishops and nobles from other cities also headed to Castle Rock.


    During the five-day banquet, Hyunsung had to learn about them and greet them, and as a result, exhausted himself from doing so. He was not like me, who was ustomed to this sort of thing.


    Among them, it must have been a little harder, especially because of Count Castle Rock.


    In the end, Kim Hyunsung had to talk with Marlin¡¯s father the most. This was because this noble, who was more like an armed officer rather than a civilian, really liked him. In fact, his stats would put most of the free people to shame.


    As a result, I had the burden of having Marlin Young-ae cling onto me.


    ¡°Ahem. I think my daughter is troubling you, Honorary Bishop.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Count Castle Rock. I also enjoy talking to your intelligent daughter. There have been many things I canugh about these days because of Marlin Young-ae.¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much for saying so. Ahem¡­ In fact, she¡¯s the type that when she gets absorbed into something, she can¡¯t think of anything else¡­ Looking at her recently, it seems that she really cares about Lee Kiyoung-nim.¡±


    ¡°Haha¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll say this because there¡¯s only us, but I¡¯m so embarrassed because of her asking me to proceed with the marriage. Oh, this is a secret from Marlin. Honorary Bishop. I was asked just to feel you out¡­¡±


    ¡°Right. I¡­ I see.¡±


    This was the kind of dangerous situation I did not want to entangle myself in.


    ¡°I¡¯m ashamed to say this, too¡­ Hmm. I can¡¯t deal with my daughter¡¯s stubbornness. I¡¯m sorry to keep saying this.¡±


    ¡°No. I understand, Count.¡±


    This was already my second defense. Since Marlin was his only child, Count Castle Rock would normally want to grant anything his daughter would want.


    At first, he had looked at me as if I was a thief, but then proceeded to pressure me as if he wanted something from me, or had something nned. In fact, I wasn¡¯t that bad at all. I was a Vice Guild Master of an influential guild, and I was known as an Honorary Bishop on the Pope¡¯s side. Nobles such as him were known to be calctive people.


    In Count Castle Rock¡¯s case, he was more or less forced to grant his daughter¡¯s wish. However, he must¡¯ve thought it wasn¡¯t such a bad thing to connect her to me.


    ¡°Speaking of it, I heard that you are in a rtionship with the Mercenary Queen.¡±


    ¡°Yes. We have a small rtionship.¡±


    ¡°Even with the mage who always hangs around with you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s embarrassing, but yes.¡±


    ¡°I see. Hmm¡­ Does my daughter¡­¡±


    ¡°She probably knows.¡±


    Count Castle Rock had taken on a debating look. I had to speak up at this point.


    ¡°That¡­ Marlin Young-ae may still be confused because hering-of-age ceremony has just passed. To the imperial people, the free people look a little different and special. Of course, I would like to have your beautiful daughter as apanion, but I am very worried that a momentary mistake will ruin the future of Marlin Young-ae. The free people have a different way of living, and Marlin Young-ae¡¯s future is bright.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­¡±


    ¡°As Marlin Young-ae will have to inherit Castle Rock in the future, it would be better to observe her calmly rather than proceeding too quickly.¡±


    ¡°Ahem.¡±


    ¡°I will talk to Marlin Young-ae.¡±


    ¡°If so, then, please do. You seem to be a better person than I thought, Honorary Bishop.¡±


    ¡®Fuck¡­ Did I get some brownie points?¡¯


    ¡°No, Count. Anyone would do that.¡±


    ¡°Haha! You don¡¯t have to be shy. Rather, how about we have dinner together? I just got a good drink¡­ My daughter is also looking forward to it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the offering, but I have something else to do today¡­ How about tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow sounds good, too.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll be going, Count.¡±


    ¡°Okay, thank you. I had fun today.¡±


    I felt exhausted as I closed the door. Most of my luncheons with Count Castle Rock had gone in this manner. Just from his expression, I could tell just how often Marlin usually harassed her father.


    It wasn¡¯t necessarily a bad thing to marry Marlin, if only there was not a precondition stating that I always had to stay at Castle Rock. On another hand, a noble meant one could also be a noble. This wasn¡¯t that important for me, however.


    I was already an Honorary Bishop of the Holy Empire, a rank above a noble position, and this position could even rival the Count¡¯s.


    If Castle Rock¡¯s sovereignty was transferred to Marlin after Count Castle Rock¡¯s death, I could think about it a bit, but Marlin proved to be a burden in my current situation.


    The imperialists¡¯ marriage customs were enough to give me a headache.


    ¡®It is correct only to manage this to a certain extent.¡¯


    This was right when you were to think of Jung Hayan, Cha Hee-ra, and Lee Jihye.


    As soon as I got out of the room, I saw Marlin Young-ae approaching.


    Her face express she doesn¡¯t know anything.


    It¡¯s pretty ridiculous to show that expression when she has designed everything from scratch.


    ¡°Lee Ki-young! How was your lunch with my father?¡±


    ¡°The Count of Castle Rock treated mefortably, so I was able to enjoy the meal with ease.¡±


    ¡°T-That¡¯s fortunate. Did he say something¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a little embarrassed to tell you, but Count Castle Rock seems to be thinking that it would be nice for us to marry.¡±


    ¡°Is that true?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Haha¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course¡­my father¡­ Please understand, Lee Kiyoung. My father seems to like Lee Kiyoung very much¡­¡±


    ¡®Ah, that bashful face.¡¯


    ¡°It seems that Count Castle Rock cares about Young-ae very much.¡±


    ¡°Yes. He does. R-Rather than that, t-the answer¡­ How did you¡­¡±


    ¡°I told him that I should think a little more. I have my life as a free citizen, and marriage is still early for Marlin Young-ae and me.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°First of all, it would be better to get to know each other gradually, Young-ae.¡±


    ¡°Ah!! Yes¡­ Yes!¡±


    ¡°And I told him to postpone today¡¯s meal for tomorrow. I have something to


    do.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lee Kiyoung-nim. If you ever need help, feel free to contact me.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Okay.¡±


    My job here was finished. I¡¯ve enjoyed it as much as I had to, so now it was right to go to work.


    As I moved on, I caught sight of Jung Hayan. Kim Ye-ri¡¯s voice echoed in my ears, but I tried to ignore it.


    ¡®Womanizer.


    ¡°Oppa!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Hayan. You waited too long, right?¡±


    ¡°N-No, I haven¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Did you have lunch?¡±


    ¡°Yes. With Hyunsung, Deokgu, Ye-ri, Hee-young, Hyejin, and Jeong-yeon.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d. Hyunsung is¡­?¡±


    ¡°He said he woulde after he finishes investigating something¡­¡±


    ¡°Wel, then. Let¡¯s go?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Did you bring the documents?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°You seem to be in a good mood.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s been a long time since I can go out with oppa¡­¡±


    ¡°When I think about it, it really is.¡±


    Although I was only taking Jung Hayan as my escort, she wasn¡¯t the only one who apanied me. There were also Castle Rock Knights as well as some Heretic Inquisitors by my side.


    However, in a way, this was also another manner of rewarding Hayan, for being able to withstand all the difficulties that came in her way.


    T¡¯ll take care of you little by little, Hayan.¡¯


    As if taming a puppy, the notion of being rewarded for her endurance had to be put into her head. It would be trouble if she ran runs away from Castle Rock.


    Lee Jihye didn¡¯t go far as to make Jung Hayan angry, and in the case of Cha Hee-ra and Yuno Kasugano, they were far stronger than Jung Hayan in the first ce.


    However, in the case of Marlin Young-ae, she was just amon person who had no power.


    There may be cases where she could vanish depending on Hayan¡¯s mood.


    ¡®It¡¯s a good thing that I kept her from having a mental breakdown in the regression case.


    ¡°Then, where are we going now?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s have a date first, and then we¡¯re going to Small Rock.¡±


    ¡°Date¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because Hayan has been working hard.¡±


    Hayan brightened at this looking all the more cuter.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°I think there are more things to see near Castle Rock than I initially thought.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Though we were only going for a short time, I might as well enjoy our time together.


    ¡°Oppa! Look at that! The tree is shaped like a turtle.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Yes.¡±


    We went to see wonderful scenery.


    ¡°So cute.¡±


    ¡°How much is this?¡±


    I presented her with some pretty essories that we happened to pass by.


    ¡°Shall we go see the y?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ of course!¡±


    Our course was no different than that from Earth¡¯s.


    ¡°You can even ride a boat over there!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go ride that, oppa.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ Let¡¯s rideter.¡±


    ¡°But, I want to ride now¡­¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have time; we will have another chanceter on.¡±


    Although their culture here was backwardspared to Earth, there were still plenty of things to enjoy here.


    ¡°Hehehe.¡±


    Seeing the happy and smiling Junf Hayan, I wondered why I didn¡¯t do this right away. Of course, I had been busy, but I thought it would be right to take a little time in the future to do this again.


    ¡®If she gets stressed out, I can relieve it.¡¯


    ¡°This is so good. Hehe¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d.¡±


    I held her hands, hugged her asionally, and kissed her slightly at sunset.


    Only


    ¡®Was she this pretty?¡¯


    In fact, I had been aware that I was falling for Jung Hayan since before, but when I faced her seriously like this, I felt like I was being drawn in even more.


    I had recently started liking the fact that she had begun to act normally.


    ¡°I¡¯m always grateful for you, Hayan.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve always been grateful for you, too¡­¡±


    It sounded crazy, but if I were to get married, a girl like this wouldn¡¯t be bad, either.


    ¡°Then, shall we go to Little Rock?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±

 Chapter 155: Little Rock (2)

    <h4>Chapter 155: Little Rock (2)</h4>


    The short date was over. Thanks to that, I was able to have a good time with Jung Hayan, as well as find out how Castle Rock worked - almost like market research.


    I was able to check how much theirmodities were priced, and I was very satisfied. It seemed as if Castle Rock had a better condition than what initially thought.


    ¡®Ah, but the reason why is obvious¡­¡¯


    Most of the hunting grounds around Lindel were already saturated. Of course, it had many jobs, but there was no shortage of unemployed citizens, either. Compared to that, Castle Rock was still full of jobs, and as a new city, it was definitely notcking.


    Its resources were abundant, and it was considered both a strategic location and the ideal economic hub.


    ¡®It¡¯s more useful than I thought¡­¡¯


    It didn¡¯t seem like a bad idea to buy somend. Both the merchants and adventurers were active, and there was sufficient demand for certain necessities.


    What was a little funny was¡­


    ¡®Signs of danger?¡¯


    It didn¡¯t look like a city where big things were going to happen.


    ording to Kim Hyunsung, something will happen in this city within the next month.


    Our returner told me that there would be an imminent danger to Castle Rock, based on some data, and that was why we went on an expedition here in the first ce. However, everything seemed peaceful, which meant that the people were blissfully ignorant of what was about to happen.


    In the first ce, the sign itself may have been a story that Kim Hyunsung made up, but one could never be too sure. Things might have been simr back in the first timeline, so it might prove to be a mistake not to prepare for such an event.


    ¡®Most of the people here must have died¡­¡¯


    I thought Marlin and Little Rock were no exceptions.


    ¡°They¡¯re lucky.¡±


    ¡°Yes? Did you say something, oppa?¡±


    ¡°After looking around a bit, I think we can definitely distribute our potions here.¡±


    ¡°Ah! You said they were lucky that people could use the potion you made!¡±


    ¡°Yes. As I said before, Castle Rockcks priests. The potions here are of poor quality. Even more so whenpared to the potion I made.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Of course, my overall level of alchemist has not risen by much, but¡­ Since there is a lot of demand, it means that goods of that quality are also sold. Castle Rock is ideal¡­¡±


    ¡°I agree.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think they were making potions in the Little Rock Guild.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so, either.¡±


    I smiled a little at Jung Hayan, who was constantly giving me encouraging replies. As we continued moving, Little Rock Guild slowly came into view.


    ¡®It¡¯s pretty fancy.


    The Guild House itself was better than Blue¡¯s. I could see that they were using a fairlyrge site.


    I didn¡¯t know about the architectural details, but it felt like a good quality material was used. Overall, the impression of showing off was strong.


    ¡®Even the Red Mercenary is not that bold¡­¡¯


    Song Jungwook¡¯s disposition definitely did not lie. He was the type of person who valued his appearance and was faithful to his ambition.


    When we stepped inside, everyone¡¯s gazes focused on us. I made sure to appear as confident as possible, responding calmly to the guild¡¯s staffs greetings.


    After talking with the guide who came to us right away, we headed to the parlor, where Jungwook had been waiting.


    Of course, there were also some guild members next to him. Was this some sort of demonstrative show? They all had a certain vigor to them.


    Anyhow, this was the first time we met again since the incident back on the boulevard. Jungwook¡¯s expression didn¡¯t look so good. He had been humiliated that day, after all.


    As much as he was ambitious, I was sure that he valued reputation. If I had his personality, I would hold a grudge about this.


    ¡®So what? So what are you going to do?¡¯


    Pretending to be weak here was unnecessary, especially when our power rtionship was made clear.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Vice Guild Master of Blue. Long time no see.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha. This first meeting wasn¡¯t very good, but it¡¯s nice to see you like this.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Very nice to see you, Lee Kiyoung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha. Come on, loosen up, Little Rock Master. Someone will think that you met an enemy.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m hurt. Jungwook. If you keep looking at me like that, I¡¯m going to feel bad.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an important meeting, after all.¡±


    ¡°You seem pretty rxed for someone who is about to have an important meeting, Blue Vice Master. Having a leisurely date during the day¡­ I¡¯m feeling like a fool for preparing like this. No matter how prestigious you are in Lindel these days¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course.¡±


    ¡°Our Castle Rock is not a subcontractor, nor is it subordinate to Lindel. Isn¡¯t it correct to be polite, Lee Kiyoung-ssi?¡±


    ¡°It looks like there¡¯s an edge to your voice, Jungwook-ssi. Hahaha.¡±


    ¡°I am not kidding right now. Blue Vice Master.¡±


    ¡°There seems to be some sort of misunderstanding.¡±


    ¡°What misunderstanding¡­?¡±


    ¡°This will be an important meeting for you, but not for me. Are you saying it¡¯s rude for me to have a date with someone I love before joining a meeting like this? Pfft.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°And¡­ I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve tailed me, but¡­ I¡¯m a little disappointed with Jungwook. Isn¡¯t this an invasion of privacy?¡±


    His expression distorted. He didn¡¯t even know what I was talking about.


    ¡®I miss Ito Souta.


    An ambitious guy who can¡¯t even smell power like this¡­ It disgusted me.


    Even though I had already given various hints, it seemed that he had already made up his mind to hate me as he continued to maintain that attitude. For a guy who raised a guild this big, his scope of thinking was very narrow.


    I did something that could¡¯ve made him hate me, but I felt like there was more to this than I had initially thought.


    For example¡­


    ¡®Marlin Young-ae?¡¯


    It was not entirely impossible. It would happen everywhere that a man with a strong desire for power would use the immature aristocratic as a means of sess.


    I realized that we had been entangled in an interesting manner.


    ¡®It was Cho Hyejin and now Marlin?¡¯


    As Iughed, I could see him opening his mouth in surprise, looking dumbfounded.


    ¡°Please go back. I thought it would be better to meet with you at least once for Marlin Young-ae, but I don¡¯t want to work with someone who is not polite.¡±


    ¡°Ah, are you sending me back like this? Little Rock Guild Master?¡±


    ¡°I have said it politely, Blue Vice Guild Master. Our Little Rock is not going to trade anything with Blue. No, it¡¯s not just Little Rock. All the guilds and ns in Castle Rock will not want to work with Blue.¡±


    ¡°You will regret this.¡±


    ¡°I will not be polite to you twice. If you don¡¯t want to be forced out, please just go quietly.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the one who is not going to be polite to you twice, Little Rock Guild Master. I would like you to listen to what I have to say before getting upset.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll assume that you have consented, then. In that case, I¡¯ll tell you slowly. Hey. Song Jungwook-ssi. Have you ever heard of a case such as young people or artists starting to gather in a specific area?¡±


    ¡°What are you¡­¡±


    ¡°Please listen first. Puhaha! I don¡¯t know what happened, but anyway, the young people and artists that had gathered coincidentally slowly developed the area and the streets. Each way was different. They painted murals and opened shops with unique and distinct concepts, and gradually changed them as they create their own festivals and cultures.¡±


    ¡°The press quickly focused on the area. An area where artists work! They say it¡¯s a neighborhood with lots of good restaurants¡­ Pfft. Celebrities or social media stars, who are self-proimed celebrities, would go around the ces created by artists and young people as if it was their own property. You¡¯ve probably seen simr situations a lot.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ What does that have to do with our situation now?¡±


    ¡°The same will go for a ce like this. It might seem pretty usible at first. However, in the end, it will have a heartbreaking ending.¡±


    ¡°This is because theye in with bread.¡±


    ¡°What are you¡­¡±


    ¡°By this, I mean big capital or bigpanies.¡±


    ¡°That¡­¡±


    ¡°Thendlords, who at first have done nothing, will immediately raise their rent and drive out the young artists who created that glorious ce. They will expel shed bloody tears, but there¡¯s nothing they can do. That is because they are in a weak position. Well, the exnation is long, but in the end, they lose the ce they live.¡±


    Song Jungwook¡¯s expression began to distort once more.


    ¡°As if waiting for this moment,rge franchisepanies and self-employed people who want to taste the money rush in, and eventually the streets of young artists are upied by the current vested interests withrge capital. The problem stands here! Who is the young artist in this situation? Who are the bigpanies with huge capital?¡±


    I could see his mouth shaking.


    ¡°Who has the capital and influence that can shake your home?¡±


    His pupils had begun torgen.


    ¡°Who has a product that can shake the market¡¯s economy?¡±


    He flinched.


    ¡°Who has a close rtionship with the Red Mercenary and the ck Swan, who is the Honorary Bishop appointed to the Cardinal of the Pope¡¯s side, and maintains a very close rtionship with Castle Rock¡¯s daughter?¡±


    Of course, his reaction came right away. At this point, he would either bow in submission or fly into a rage. It seemed that a lot had chosen thetter.


    Though Song Jungwook quietly looked at me, the guild members behind him began to spit out disbelieving remarksplete with reddened expressions.


    Only


    ¡°What nonsense!¡±


    ¡°Shut your mouth!¡±


    After a while, however, their angry expressions paled. They trembled as if threatened¡ªan expression of fear formed on their faces.


    Of course, they were not trembling at what I had said. Following their line of sight, the source of their fear was soon evident.


    They had been staring at Jung Hayan, who quietly stood behind me.


    ¡®Wow¡­ Fuck, that¡¯s creepy.¡¯


    Jung Hayan had been staring at them with an expression that could be called terrifying, even by my standards.


    ¡®It would be better to cancel the thought of marriage.¡¯

 Chapter 156.1: Hypocrite (2)

    <h4>Chapter 156.1: Hypocrite (2)</h4>


    ¡°Hahahaha. I think we understood each other better than I thought.¡±


    ¡°I think so, too. Blue Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°There will be a lot of business meetings in the future. You¡¯ll be sure to benefit a lot from this agreement.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°Wow¡­ And the stories I heard today was very interesting. In particr, the one rted to Hyejin.¡±


    ¡°Yes. In fact, I was a little surprised that she was in Blue. I told you today, but as you heard, she is not a good quality person. Some talk as if she is an apostle of justice¡­ Tut-tut. It must have been because of their personal grudges. Actually, our guild was cleared of its charges.¡±


    ¡°Ah! I see.¡±


    ¡°Actually, we didn¡¯t agree with each other in almost every case. At first, I thought she was a littlecent, but she started intervening in everything as soon as she got the executive position. I didn¡¯t know if she was asking me to raise her sry or to do something else, but it was very difficult because this happened constantly.¡±


    ¡°What were you used of?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to tell, there is a way for me to find out personally, Song Jungwook-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Ha¡­ Haha. Of course, I can. The charges were cleared anyway. It was a monster deal.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°Apart from the tax issues¡­ There was a problem with the treatment of the guild staff, but the most important thing was the charges of illegal monster trading.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°She turned small things into big problems, and she is not flexible enough. There were a lot of problems in the dungeon and elsewhere. She also caused various troubles with other guilds.¡±


    ¡°Ah. She looked a little like that. There was a strong feeling of being stubborn.¡±


    ¡°She is a person who has a lot of problems in many ways. Ah! You should also have a drink, Hayan-ssi.¡±


    ¡°N-No¡­ I¡¯m good, Song Jungwook-nim.¡±


    ¡°It seems that Hayan-ssi doesn¡¯t like alcohol very much.¡±


    ¡®This guyys t better than expected.¡¯


    His arrogance from before hadpletely dissipated. He was now like a dog wagging its tail.


    His ability to suck up to me certainly stimted my sense of superiority.


    ¡®Well, I still don¡¯t know if it¡¯s real or not.¡¯


    If one were to think about his unique characteristic, there was a high probability that he was nning something. He was either going to backstab me, or find a way to use me properly.


    ¡®That¡¯s why it¡¯s more fun, but¡­¡¯


    Particrly, it felt amusing seeing him badmouthing Cho Hyejin. I¡¯d have to filter half of it, but I could still get a rough idea of what kind of situation she had been in. Jungwook had probably manipted the public¡¯s opinion of her.


    I thought he would have isted Cho Hyejin with words such as ¡®I don¡¯t like her¡¯ or ¡®She a bit suspicious.¡¯ The words of those in power garnered the most trust, after all.


    It would have taken less than a few months to iste a woman like Cho Hyejin.


    As the conversation dulled, Song Jungwook nced at me.


    ¡°It¡¯ste. How about sleeping here tonight, Lee Kiyoung?¡±


    ¡°Ah! It¡¯s already thiste. Thank you for the favor, but I think it would be better to return. Marlin Young-ae will be worried. Haha.¡±


    As expected, his expression dimmed. It was only for an instant, but the brief frown that shed across his face was an expected reaction on my part.


    ¡°Then, we¡¯ll be going now. I also drank a lot¡­ We¡¯ll talk about the unfinished storiester. Oh and¡­ Can I trust you with the work I asked for?¡±


    ¡°Yes. As you said, I will contact all other guilds in Castle Rock to proceed with the contract.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. You¡¯re a little morepetent than I thought, Little Rock Guild Master¡­¡±


    ¡°Thank you. Ahem¡­ Rather than that, it¡¯ste. Should I assign you an escort¡­?¡±


    ¡°Ah. I¡¯ll ept if it¡¯s an escort. Hahaha. I understand what you¡¯re worried about, but I am safe.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t told you. Last time, about the Lindel terrorist incident. I don¡¯t know if you remember, but I¡¯ve be a bit sensitive to safety since then. My sister Hee-ra pays a lot of attention¡­ The shadows of the Red Mercenaries are escorting me.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Of course, since I came to Castle Rock, the knights of Youngju Tower and the Heretic Inquisitors of the Pope¡¯s side have also been helping me. I am not an important person, but it seems that I am loved by many people. Hahaha. I¡¯m joking, but if the Little Rock Guild Master would dare to harm me, you would have been in a very difficult position.¡±


    ¡°I-I see.¡±


    Seeing that he was sweating, he seemed to have something nned for me.


    ¡°Of course, that won¡¯t happen. Then I¡¯ll be going. Hayan, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Yes, oppa!¡±


    As soon as I went outside, I saw what Castle Rock looked like at nighttime. Though it was marvelous in the day, it wasn¡¯t bad during the evenings, too. This medieval-styled city, looking a little rugged, certainly seemed very attractive to me.


    As I mulled over these nonsensical thoughts, I realized that I¡¯d drank a little more than I expected. No, if it was Little Rock that had prepared it, it was probably stronger than what I was ustomed to.


    As I slowly grabbed onto Jung Hayan, she automatically moved to support me.


    ¡°Y-You can lean on me.¡±


    ¡°Then, I will. When I stood up, I suddenly felt dizzy.¡±


    ¡°Are you having trouble walking, too?¡±


    ¡°No. I can still control my body. Thank you for your work today, Hayan.¡±


    ¡°No. That¡¯s all I do anyway. Anyway, there¡¯s something a little more surprising than that.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I mean, Hyejin.¡±


    ¡°Oooh.¡±


    Come to think of it; this was the first time that Jung Hayan had heard about Cho Hyejin. Unlike me, who knew about the situation roughly, it must¡¯ve been fun for her hearing about Hyejin.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know she was such a person¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah. That¡¯s not a bad thing. And to be precise, I¡¯ve only heard the story from the standpoint of Little Rock. Shouldn¡¯t I have to listen to Cho Hyejin¡¯s words at least once?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, you¡¯re right. That¡¯s the right thing to do.¡±


    ¡°But that fact alone makes us feel a little awkward. I hate to think of this, but it sounds a little awkward to be a whistleblower.¡±


    ¡°Yes! I feel the same way too. It is awkward, indeed. Oppa.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s not easy to act ording to your conscience.¡±


    ¡°Right! Y-You still have to take care of your conscience!¡±


    Jung Hayan hurriedly agreeing with whatever I said made me smile. I was curious as to what she really thought about the matter, but she probably wouldn¡¯t bother with it that much. It wasn¡¯t like her to think deeply about other people. What mattered for her was gaining my approval.


    The story of Cho Hyejin I heard from Song Jungwook was simple. It was nothing more than I had already thought. If Song Jungwook hadn¡¯t been exaggerating in some parts while telling me, the story would have be boring.


    ¡®Of course, I don¡¯t think he told me everything.


    Anyway, what was interesting among them was that the majority of those who joined Little Rock were thepanions whopleted the tutorial dungeon with Cho Hyejin.


    The guild was literallyposed of friends and acquaintances, just like Blue. It was like having Jung Hayan expose all of Blue¡¯s corruptions. It was easy to understand how her colleagues would¡¯ve thought she was a traitor.


    ¡®Illegal monster trading.¡¯


    Although they turned out to be innocent, I thought that Cho Hyejin was probably right.


    I¡¯m sure of it.


    Little Rock had many things to hide. Of course, there was no evidence, but looking at the dispositions and characteristics, the answer came quickly to me.


    Little Rock was illegally trading monsters through a route that I didn¡¯t know. Some of the lord¡¯s castles may be involved, as well as some other guilds and ns.


    ¡®He¡¯s a scammer.¡¯


    If possible, I would like to hear about Cho Hyejin¡¯s statement.


    As I walked while thinking about various things, we reached the square.


    ¡°Are you drunk?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just a little dizzy, but I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°You seem to be very tired.¡±


    ¡°No, Hayan.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better to rest a little and go?¡±


    ¡°I said I¡¯m fine. We¡¯re close anyway.¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m a little tired, too.¡±


    Following Jeong Hayan¡¯s gaze, what I could see was a luxury motel. I instantly realized what Jung Hayan meant.


    I¡­ Oh my.


    ¡°L-Let¡¯s take a break for a bit.¡±


    I thought she wanted to be together with me by taking the long way, but it seemed that her real purpose was this.


    ¡°I think you are tired. You must be.¡±


    She was even forcibly making me think I was tired. What made me embarrassed was the fact that I wanted the same thing as she did. I wondered if it would be nice to spend a little more time together.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    While I was trying to make my decision, I heard a voice call out to us.


    ¡°You are here.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    Jung Hayan stiffened as an unwee guest made itself known, yet I peered over her to find out who it was. My current position with Hayan looked somewhat tricky.


    ¡°Hyejin. What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°I came to pick up Kiyoung-ssi and Hayan-ssi.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°To be precise, it would be right to say that the escort car came. It¡¯s a dark night. Castle Rock is more dangerous than Lindel. There are also imperialists of poor quality in narrow alleys. Of course, it¡¯s hard for something to happen when you think of Hayan-ssi, but I think I¡¯ll be relieved to do this as I¡¯m the escort.¡±


    ¡°There must be a knight of Youngju Tower.¡±


    ¡°Ah. I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve heard it, but in this case, the Guild Master entrusted me with being Lee Kiyoung¡¯s escort. He was worried about the Lindel terrorist incident.¡±


    ¡°Ooooh¡­¡±


    I realized once more that our returner cared for me.


    ¡°Since it¡¯s dark, I thought it was right for me toe out. I was worried¡­ Then let¡¯s go together.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Thank you for picking us up. Hmm¡­ But when I think about it, I don¡¯t think I had a long conversation with Hyejin.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡±


    ¡°About going somewhere to spend a little time.¡±


    I just thought it wasn¡¯t a bad idea. Anyway, it was time to conduct at least one frank conversation with Cho Hyejin.


    Only


    Jung Hayan pouted her lips, but it would not be bad to drink at a nearby bar for a while.


    I thought Cho Hyejin would ept my offer. However, the reaction she showed was different from what I thought.


    She stared at me as she trembled.


    ¡°T-That¡¯s rude.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t see you that way. Were you such a rude person?!¡±


    Something unexpected just happened.


    ¡®What bullsh*t are you talking about?¡¯

 Chapter 157: Hypocrite (1)

    <h4>Chapter 157: Hypocrite (1)</h4>


    ¡°Hahahaha. I think we understood each other better than I thought.¡±


    ¡°I think so, too. Blue Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°There will be a lot of business meetings in the future. You¡¯ll be sure to benefit a lot from this agreement.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°Wow¡­ And the stories I heard today was very interesting. In particr, the one rted to Hyejin.¡±


    ¡°Yes. In fact, I was a little surprised that she was in Blue. I told you today, but as you heard, she is not a good quality person. Some talk as if she is an apostle of justice¡­ Tut-tut. It must have been because of their personal grudges. Actually, our guild was cleared of its charges.¡±


    ¡°Ah! I see.¡±


    ¡°Actually, we didn¡¯t agree with each other in almost every case. At first, I thought she was a littlecent, but she started intervening in everything as soon as she got the executive position. I didn¡¯t know if she was asking me to raise her sry or to do something else, but it was very difficult because this happened constantly.¡±


    ¡°What were you used of?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to tell, there is a way for me to find out personally, Song Jungwook-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Ha¡­ Haha. Of course, I can. The charges were cleared anyway. It was a monster deal.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°Apart from the tax issues¡­ There was a problem with the treatment of the guild staff, but the most important thing was the charges of illegal monster trading.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°She turned small things into big problems, and she is not flexible enough. There were a lot of problems in the dungeon and elsewhere. She also caused various troubles with other guilds.¡±


    ¡°Ah. She looked a little like that. There was a strong feeling of being stubborn.¡±


    ¡°She is a person who has a lot of problems in many ways. Ah! You should also have a drink, Hayan-ssi.¡±


    ¡°N-No¡­ I¡¯m good, Song Jungwook-nim.¡±


    ¡°It seems that Hayan-ssi doesn¡¯t like alcohol very much.¡±


    ¡®This guyys t better than expected.¡¯


    His arrogance from before hadpletely dissipated. He was now like a dog wagging its tail.


    His ability to suck up to me certainly stimted my sense of superiority.


    ¡®Well, I still don¡¯t know if it¡¯s real or not.¡¯


    If one were to think about his unique characteristic, there was a high probability that he was nning something. He was either going to backstab me, or find a way to use me properly.


    ¡®That¡¯s why it¡¯s more fun, but¡­¡¯


    Particrly, it felt amusing seeing him badmouthing Cho Hyejin. I¡¯d have to filter half of it, but I could still get a rough idea of what kind of situation she had been in. Jungwook had probably manipted the public¡¯s opinion of her.


    I thought he would have isted Cho Hyejin with words such as ¡®I don¡¯t like her¡¯ or ¡®She a bit suspicious.¡¯ The words of those in power garnered the most trust, after all.


    It would have taken less than a few months to iste a woman like Cho Hyejin.


    As the conversation dulled, Song Jungwook nced at me.


    ¡°It¡¯ste. How about sleeping here tonight, Lee Kiyoung?¡±


    ¡°Ah! It¡¯s already thiste. Thank you for the favor, but I think it would be better to return. Marlin Young-ae will be worried. Haha.¡±


    As expected, his expression dimmed. It was only for an instant, but the brief frown that shed across his face was an expected reaction on my part.


    ¡°Then, we¡¯ll be going now. I also drank a lot¡­ We¡¯ll talk about the unfinished storiester. Oh and¡­ Can I trust you with the work I asked for?¡±


    ¡°Yes. As you said, I will contact all other guilds in Castle Rock to proceed with the contract.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. You¡¯re a little morepetent than I thought, Little Rock Guild Master¡­¡±


    ¡°Thank you. Ahem¡­ Rather than that, it¡¯ste. Should I assign you an escort¡­?¡±


    ¡°Ah. I¡¯ll ept if it¡¯s an escort. Hahaha. I understand what you¡¯re worried about, but I am safe.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t told you. Last time, about the Lindel terrorist incident. I don¡¯t know if you remember, but I¡¯ve be a bit sensitive to safety since then. My sister Hee-ra pays a lot of attention¡­ The shadows of the Red Mercenaries are escorting me.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Of course, since I came to Castle Rock, the knights of Youngju Tower and the Heretic Inquisitors of the Pope¡¯s side have also been helping me. I am not an important person, but it seems that I am loved by many people. Hahaha. I¡¯m joking, but if the Little Rock Guild Master would dare to harm me, you would have been in a very difficult position.¡±


    ¡°I-I see.¡±


    Seeing that he was sweating, he seemed to have something nned for me.


    ¡°Of course, that won¡¯t happen. Then I¡¯ll be going. Hayan, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Yes, oppa!¡±


    As soon as I went outside, I saw what Castle Rock looked like at nighttime. Though it was marvelous in the day, it wasn¡¯t bad during the evenings, too. This medieval-styled city, looking a little rugged, certainly seemed very attractive to me.


    As I mulled over these nonsensical thoughts, I realized that I¡¯d drank a little more than I expected. No, if it was Little Rock that had prepared it, it was probably stronger than what I was ustomed to.


    As I slowly grabbed onto Jung Hayan, she automatically moved to support me.


    ¡°Y-You can lean on me.¡±


    ¡°Then, I will. When I stood up, I suddenly felt dizzy.¡±


    ¡°Are you having trouble walking, too?¡±


    ¡°No. I can still control my body. Thank you for your work today, Hayan.¡±


    ¡°No. That¡¯s all I do anyway. Anyway, there¡¯s something a little more surprising than that.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I mean, Hyejin.¡±


    ¡°Oooh.¡±


    Come to think of it; this was the first time that Jung Hayan had heard about Cho Hyejin. Unlike me, who knew about the situation roughly, it must¡¯ve been fun for her hearing about Hyejin.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know she was such a person¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah. That¡¯s not a bad thing. And to be precise, I¡¯ve only heard the story from the standpoint of Little Rock. Shouldn¡¯t I have to listen to Cho Hyejin¡¯s words at least once?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, you¡¯re right. That¡¯s the right thing to do.¡±


    ¡°But that fact alone makes us feel a little awkward. I hate to think of this, but it sounds a little awkward to be a whistleblower.¡±


    ¡°Yes! I feel the same way too. It is awkward, indeed. Oppa.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s not easy to act ording to your conscience.¡±


    ¡°Right! Y-You still have to take care of your conscience!¡±


    Jung Hayan hurriedly agreeing with whatever I said made me smile. I was curious as to what she really thought about the matter, but she probably wouldn¡¯t bother with it that much. It wasn¡¯t like her to think deeply about other people. What mattered for her was gaining my approval.


    The story of Cho Hyejin I heard from Song Jungwook was simple. It was nothing more than I had already thought. If Song Jungwook hadn¡¯t been exaggerating in some parts while telling me, the story would have be boring.


    ¡®Of course, I don¡¯t think he told me everything.


    Anyway, what was interesting among them was that the majority of those who joined Little Rock were thepanions whopleted the tutorial dungeon with Cho Hyejin.


    The guild was literallyposed of friends and acquaintances, just like Blue. It was like having Jung Hayan expose all of Blue¡¯s corruptions. It was easy to understand how her colleagues would¡¯ve thought she was a traitor.


    ¡®Illegal monster trading.¡¯


    Although they turned out to be innocent, I thought that Cho Hyejin was probably right.


    I¡¯m sure of it.


    Little Rock had many things to hide. Of course, there was no evidence, but looking at the dispositions and characteristics, the answer came quickly to me.


    Little Rock was illegally trading monsters through a route that I didn¡¯t know. Some of the lord¡¯s castles may be involved, as well as some other guilds and ns.


    ¡®He¡¯s a scammer.¡¯


    If possible, I would like to hear about Cho Hyejin¡¯s statement.


    As I walked while thinking about various things, we reached the square.


    ¡°Are you drunk?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just a little dizzy, but I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°You seem to be very tired.¡±


    ¡°No, Hayan.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better to rest a little and go?¡±


    ¡°I said I¡¯m fine. We¡¯re close anyway.¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m a little tired, too.¡±


    Following Jeong Hayan¡¯s gaze, what I could see was a luxury motel. I instantly realized what Jung Hayan meant.


    I¡­ Oh my.


    ¡°L-Let¡¯s take a break for a bit.¡±


    I thought she wanted to be together with me by taking the long way, but it seemed that her real purpose was this.


    ¡°I think you are tired. You must be.¡±


    She was even forcibly making me think I was tired. What made me embarrassed was the fact that I wanted the same thing as she did. I wondered if it would be nice to spend a little more time together.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    While I was trying to make my decision, I heard a voice call out to us.


    ¡°You are here.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    Jung Hayan stiffened as an unwee guest made itself known, yet I peered over her to find out who it was. My current position with Hayan looked somewhat tricky.


    ¡°Hyejin. What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°I came to pick up Kiyoung-ssi and Hayan-ssi.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°To be precise, it would be right to say that the escort car came. It¡¯s a dark night. Castle Rock is more dangerous than Lindel. There are also imperialists of poor quality in narrow alleys. Of course, it¡¯s hard for something to happen when you think of Hayan-ssi, but I think I¡¯ll be relieved to do this as I¡¯m the escort.¡±


    ¡°There must be a knight of Youngju Tower.¡±


    ¡°Ah. I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve heard it, but in this case, the Guild Master entrusted me with being Lee Kiyoung¡¯s escort. He was worried about the Lindel terrorist incident.¡±


    ¡°Ooooh¡­¡±


    I realized once more that our returner cared for me.


    ¡°Since it¡¯s dark, I thought it was right for me toe out. I was worried¡­ Then let¡¯s go together.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Thank you for picking us up. Hmm¡­ But when I think about it, I don¡¯t think I had a long conversation with Hyejin.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡±


    ¡°About going somewhere to spend a little time.¡±


    I just thought it wasn¡¯t a bad idea. Anyway, it was time to conduct at least one frank conversation with Cho Hyejin.


    Only


    Jung Hayan pouted her lips, but it would not be bad to drink at a nearby bar for a while.


    I thought Cho Hyejin would ept my offer. However, the reaction she showed was different from what I thought.


    She stared at me as she trembled.


    ¡°T-That¡¯s rude.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t see you that way. Were you such a rude person?!¡±


    Something unexpected just happened.


    ¡®What bullsh*t are you talking about?¡¯

 Chapter 158 Hypocrite (2)

    Chapter 158 Hypocrite (2)


    I wondered if I made any mistakes, but I couldn''t think of anything. I felt kind of slow because I was a bit drunk.


    ''Was I being rude?''


    Naturally, I questioned if it was necessary for her to react that way when all I asked was for us to go get a drink and it was to the point that I understood why Song Jung-Wook of the Small Stone Guild said she was inflexible.


    "I''m sorry, but I don''t know what I said wrong," I said.


    "A-Are you being serious?! Even Miss Ha-Yan is next to you¡­" Jo Hye-Jin said angrily.


    "Is Ha-Yan being here a problem?" I asked.


    "That''s not what I meant!" she yelled angrily.


    ''What the hell is she talking about?''


    It was then that I realized the reason behind the misunderstanding.


    ''Huh¡­''


    I realized it when I saw her blushing. The issue was the environment we were in, not what I said. She must have thought that I wanted to spend time with her in front of the luxurious inn in the middle of the night. She basically saw me as a person who sexually harassed his co-workers. Even Jung Ha-Yan wouldn''t have this kind of misunderstanding. When I kept telling her that she was being ridiculous, Jo Hye-Jin must''ve felt even more embarrassed because her face turned red, but when Jung Ha-Yan spoke up, Jo Hye-Jin realized that she misunderstood everything.


    "Wh-What is she talking about?"


    "I''m not sure¡­" I answered.


    "Oh¡­"


    "¡­"


    Cho Hye-Jin started looking around out of embarrassment because she realized her mistake.


    "That''s¡­ well¡­"


    "Is there a problem?" I asked.


    "I-It''s nothing. I must''ve misunderstood¡­"


    "What kind of misunderstanding?" I asked.


    "It''s nothing," she answered.


    "Were you having strange thoughts¡­"


    "I told you it''s nothing," she said once again.


    "I think I know what you think of me, Miss Hye-Jin," I told her.


    "That''s¡­"


    "I''m a bit disappointed," I added.


    "I-I''m sorry," Cho Hye-Jin said.


    ''This is my chance¡­''


    Being able to tease her like this was really good. When thinking about the type of person Cho Hye-Jin was, she seemed like the type that would decline if someone asked her to drink with them. It was possible that taking us back to the castle was the priority, but in the current situation, there wasn''t a reason for her to decline my offer.


    "Well, I was joking anyway and what I said could cause a misunderstanding. My rtionship with the opposite sex isn''t all pure and innocent so¡­ so it''s understandable for me to get treated that way," I said, teasing her.


    "That''s¡­ not true," she said.


    "You don''t have to worry about it. I''m used to it¡­" I added.


    "N-No, that''s not what I meant," she stuttered.


    "Do you really feel sorry?" I asked.


    "I do¡­"


    "Then¡­ how about epting my offer from earlier and killing some time before heading back?" I asked her.


    Co Hye-Jin was contemting. At any moment, she was going to nod in agreement and as expected, I heard her voice. "If it''s only for a moment¡­"


    "Great, let''s head in," I said.


    "Vice guild master, that''s¡­"


    "Huh? Does the inn not have a pub?" I asked.


    "Oh, no¡­ I''m sure they do," she said.


    Earlier, I only said it to tease her, but I guess to her, I wasn''t a trustworthy person. Even though polygamy and polyandry were taken for granted, my rtionship with women was a mess. She must have thought that I was trying to seduce her.


    ''I did think about it¡­''


    Cho Hye-Jin wasn''t really interested in me.


    When I opened the door to the inn, the receptionist came up to us.


    "Do you have a reservation¡­"


    "Oh, we''re not here to spend the night. We''d like to go to the bar or the pub," I told them.


    When I nced over at Jung Ha-Yan, I noticed her hurriedly taking gold out of her pocket and handing it to the receptionist.


    ''Why did she give them so much?''


    I was sure that they would be happy even with one gold, but since she grabbed however many she could, it seemed like she gave them at least five gold. The receptionist looked as if they hit the jackpot.


    "A quiet ce if possible," I added.


    "Of course. Right this way," the receptionist respectfully said.


    Having money did make thingsfortable. When we walked upstairs, I noticed a nice spot overlooking the city.


    "We''ll take that spot," I said.


    "Okay¡­"


    "What would you like to order?" they asked.


    "You can bring anything nice and the price doesn''t matter," I answered.


    "Alright. I hope you enjoy your time," the receptionist said before leaving.


    "Thank you¡­"


    When we sat down, Cho Hye-Jin looked at me with a slightly awkward expression as if she wasn''t used to this. It must be her first timeing to a ce like this. It was a bit fancy, but since she used to be one of the key members of the Small Stone Guild, I was sure she had enough gold toe here. But with how she acted, I was certain either Song Jung-Wook was stingier than I thought or Jo Hye-Jin lived a pretty simple life. I wanted to bet on thetter because it was hard to imagine her not getting paid a lot.


    "Is this your first timeing to a ce like this?" I asked her.


    "Huh? Yes¡­" she answered.


    "I heard you spent a long time in Castle Rock, so that''s surprising. I thought you would''ve gone to a lot of nice ces since you were an executive at the Small Stone Guild¡­ it seems like you''ve lived a simple life while you were here," I said.


    "Simple¡­ I guess you''re right. I don''t recall spending gold on unnecessary things," she said.


    "Hahaha, it''s not unnecessary." I pointed out.


    "Excuse me?" she asked.


    "Saving gold isn''t a good thing. You have to spend it to use it as intended. The people who have gold in this society need to use it in order for society to function. I believe you understand what I mean," I exined.


    "Ah¡­"


    "The receptionist who received a tip just now will spend that as well and the gold we spend today will be spent elsewhere. If you look below, the ordinary citizens and the people walking into restaurants and shops owned by poor citizens will also spend their gold. I''m sure you already know this, but the person at the top of the pyramid needs to spend their gold for the economy to function well," I added.


    "I understand what you mean, but¡­"


    "Yes?" I asked


    "Maybe I''m misunderstanding, but it sounds like you''re looking down on those people¡­" Cho Hye-Jin said.


    "I''m not, but it''s necessary to be aware," I told her.


    "Are you saying that you''re above those people?" she asked.


    "Yes. Personally, having that kind of awareness makes it easier to face them. Basically, you need to keep thinking about your position and the impact your actions will bring," I exined.


    "I''m having a difficult time understanding what you''re trying to say, Vice guild master," she confessed.


    "I must be talking nonsense because I''m drunk. I didn''t offer to get a drink to talk about this, but I guess you can consider this as an extension of our conversation. Ahem. I don''t know if you''re aware, but the master of the Small Stone Guild and I made an agreement today," I told her.


    "That''s¡­ a relief," she said in a low voice.


    As expected, she didn''t look so good because she probably thought that I heard stories about her. Obviously, I wasn''t thinking about hiding it; actually, I wanted to have a deeper conversation with her.


    "Did he tell you?" she asked.


    "About the whistleblower thing?" I asked.


    "Yes¡­"


    "Yes, he did. Before I could ask why you left the Small Stone Guild and why you came to Lindel, he told me what happened first. He seemed to resent you a bit and I understand why since you basically betrayed therades you were with since the tutorial dungeon," I answered.


    "¡­"


    "It seemed like everyone knew what happened. I don''t know why you were trying to hide it in the first ce, but it was a fact that I was going to eventually find out," I added.


    "Are you criticizing me?" she asked.


    "What did Mr. Hyun-Sung say? When he brought you to the guild?" I asked.


    "He said it didn''t matter," Jo Hye-Jin replied.


    She looked a bit rxed¡­


    ''Ohh.''


    It took me some time to catch on, but to her, Kim Hyun-Sung wasn''t just an employer to her.


    ''He picked her.''


    I wasn''t sure if it was intentional or not, but Kim Hyun-Sung definitely had his eyes on this woman.


    "He actually told me that I did a good job and that it''s important to stick to my beliefs¡­ that''s what he said," she added.


    "It''s a reasonable argument and something that Mr. Hyun-Sung would say. I''m also the same way. I''m not criticizing you. Didn''t you report them for illegal monster trading and tax issues?" I asked.


    "They were also involved in race ve trading," she said.


    "I see. I didn''t hear about that, but that''s fine. I''ll get straight to the point. I''m not criticizing you, but I do think you''re an idiot," I bluntly confessed.


    "Excuse me?" she asked, doubting her ears.


    "You''re an idiot," I repeated.


    "What do you¡­"


    "This society doesn''t think too fondly of whistleblowers. Even if you did it because of your beliefs, based on the result, you''re really an idiot. Why in the world would you do something like that?" I asked.


    "I don''t really understand what you''re saying. Didn''t you say just now that you weren''t criticizing me?" Cho Hye-Jin asked.


    She seemed as if she was panicking, but it was natural for her to react that way.


    "I''m sure I mentioned earlier that one has to always be aware of their position. Have you once thought about the consequences of being a whistleblower?" I asked.


    "Why should I? Theymitted a crime!"


    "I wasn''t telling you to think about them. I''m talking about the people who''ll be impacted because of your actions. I''m referring to the Small Stone Guild. After that incident, the guild had no choice but to restructure their guild, and even though they''ve been cleared of all charges, they''re still involved in tax issues," I exined, cutting her off.


    "¡­"


    "It seemed like they let go of a lot of the guild staff members. Many people lost their jobs within a day. From what I heard, some peoplemitted suicide and others went out of their way to go hunting and ended up being in a bad situation," I added.


    "That''s¡­"


    "Female staff members started working on the streets and the men who suddenly became unemployed went hunting to feed their families. The young members who had just been hired lost their jobs and are living in the slums begging for food," I told her.


    "Is that¡­ true?" Jo Hye-Jin asked with wide eyes.


    "No, I made it up just now," I answered.


    "V-Vice guild master? Why would you joke¡­"


    "But it''s not unrealistic¡­ I''m sure the things I said just now won''t actually happen to them, but it''s possible that a few people will actually have to live that kind of life. We never looked for them, but if we did, I''m sure we can find them easily. Your formerrades who you reported are living just fine, but I''m sure innocent people must have been affected," I exined.


    "Oh¡­"


    "That''s the reason why I called you an idiot. Leaving it to your conscience won''t solve everything, Miss Cho Hye-Jin. If you wanted to put an end to it, you should''ve nned it out more carefully. In the end, what you did was insulting," I told her.


    "¡­"


    "You didn''t contribute anything. Whether it was Castle Rock''s development or carrying out your beliefs, you haven''t done anything right. You basically reported yourrades without submitting any solid proof so you didn''t do anything other than relieving your personal conscience. Even if your n seeded, I still would''ve called you an idiot."


    "¡­"


    "Do you know how many guild staff members there are at the Small Stone Guild? This is also including the people who weren''t in the workforce or had no choice but to cooperate with the guild master in order to get by. You''re not someone who can take responsibility for all of those people. At this point, I think it''s a relief that your n ended up failing because hundreds of people would''ve ended up on the streets."


    "¡­"


    "Have you ever thought once about the issues I told you just now?" I asked her.

 Chapter 159: Hypocrite (3)

    <h4>Chapter 159: Hypocrite (3)</h4>


    ¡°I¡­ haven''t¡°


    She wouldn''t have. If she had ever lhuught about it at least unce, she wouldn¡®t have done anything like (his.


    ¡°Everything is about thinking ?rst, and then acting. Erogs die by the stones thrown for fun. In the end, there are many humans out there who can die if I just


    cough:


    "Vau always have to think about the position you are in, and how many wavelengths you''re going to cause when you talk Peuple like us¡­ Ah, have a drink-


    "No¡­ I will not drink Vice Guild Master:


    "l¡®m embanassed because I''ve been drinking by myself. I will formally request an escort to Veongju Tower, so I hope you will follow me:


    -Then, perhaps just a little¡­-


    -Thank you for that. Well, anyway. If I were Hyejin, I would have done it a little more boldly. Someone like you would probably have thought of it like me.-


    -what are you saying¡­?~


    "Vau are aware that simply whistlesblowing doesn''t solve the problem. right? Vau can solve the problem step by step from the inside and blow Song


    Jungwouk''s and your colleagues heads off. The guild will run normally, and there will be no damage to the guild staff, so there must be no problem:


    ¡°It¡¯s a personal idea, but I¡®m guessing you¡®ve thought about this at least once in this room:


    ''Thzt¡¯s because you''re not slupid.¡®


    ¡°Perhaps you didn''t do that because you didn''t want to create con?icts with your old colleagues. Vou don¡®t want to blow their heads off, and you want to


    keep your conso''ence. Vou wanted to do it without crossing the line, so you chose the whistleblower route. what do you think? ls it my delusion? I tried


    to persuade you in various ways, but it didn¡®t work. and in the end, you went with thest IesurL¡°


    A strange silence sank in the interior of the bar. Jung Hayan looked straight at cho Hyejin without saying anything, and Cho Hyejin settled for quietly sipping


    her alcohol.


    silence was a positive thing in this situation. I spoke once more.


    "As a result you were abandoned by them:


    -That criticizing expression doesn''t suit you:


    "No. I''m right This is the ?rst time I have seen a person named Song Jungwook of Small Rock. but I can tell what he did. oh, even the friends you did the


    tutorial with:


    ¡°How¡­¡±


    ¡°They are greedy people. They are the kind of humans who constantly want to climb up. They don¡®t care much about conscience or morals. More goods and


    more money means more power for them:


    "Vou can''t know that for a fact¡°


    ~Theyre very different from you. Perhaps they pulled some strings to get you out. Eirst to spread bad rumors on Castle Rack. Second, to ask other guilds and


    ns not to ept you. To have their ns hindered wouldn''t have been so pleasant:


    "I know hat much."


    "I heard a lot of stories from everywhere. They say you¡®re a person who has used her body to gain her cunent power, or that she frequemly caused friction


    with other guild members. It''s really funny. They¡®re still doing what they did back when they were students. I don''t know if they want to bully you, but it¡¯s so


    unsightly for adults to act like kids.-


    ¡°It¡¯s a simple rumor. I don¡®t care about rumors:


    ¡°They can still harm you. As a result, these rumors mined your position and reputation. what do you think? How do you feel about getting a betrayal in


    return for a good deed?~


    ¡°I¡®m ?ne with this. I was prepared for iL¡°


    ¡°So, what do you think about your choices? I mean, about this situation where nothing has been resolved. People in the world will see it and call it hypocrisy:


    ¡°It¡¯s not hypocrisy!¡°


    Bang!


    Cho Hyejin mmed her palms onto the table, panting heavily and looking angry. However, this reaction only meant that I had hit the spot


    Meanwhile, Jung Hayan grew disoonoerted. she started getting up from her seat but when I raised my hand, she reluctantly sat down again.


    "Anyune can say that except you, Lee Kl''young vice Guild Master. You are the hypocrite:


    -Ah:


    "I am not a fool. I know how different you are from the stories I heard about you:


    "Vau are sharp:


    ''I didn''t think she knew¡­¡¯


    "So?"


    ¡°That''s exactly what I mean!¡¯


    "I know what Hyejin is talking about obviously. I''m not all clean. The business I''m doing and what I actually do are subtly across the boundaries of thew.


    So what do you mean?~


    ¡°That''s what you call real hypocrisy, Lee Kiyoung:


    "I donate tens of thousands of gold to the Pope¡®s side once a month.-


    -The donation is used into various parts of the Holy Empire and bes a fund to help imperialist believers in need and free people who have a hard time in


    settling themselves.


    "Barely!¡¯


    ¡°Not atall. I also run a soup kitchen in a slum in Lindel. Vau may remember Manager Kim Misyuung. Not long ago, she was a poor woman begging every day


    in a slum. she was a woman struggling with poverty with two children. who do you think saved hef?¡°


    ¡°That''s¡­¡°


    ¡°It¡¯s not just her. Blue doesn''t choose only talented people. We may also choose a disabled person or a single mother, perhaps a warrior who suffers


    from sequels from a major injury in battle. lt was also my order to tell them not to discriminate against them. of course, it¡¯s an act that bene?ts Blue, but it¡®s a


    great social activity itself:


    "How would you exin that you are controlling the media in coboration with arge guild?-


    "Vau know more than I thought


    "I just happen to know. when you work in a guild, you end up seeing things you don''t want to see:


    ¡°Is there aw in the Holy Empire that states that individuals should not control the media?~


    ¡°In the Holy Empire, the concept of the press created by Lee Kiyoungsssi is still not well understood. Eorthem, the press is just a newsletter. Most people


    don''t understand the seriousness of what Lee Kiyuungsssi is doing right now:


    she was de?nitely a sharp knife.


    -vice Guild Master, this is a matter of basicmon sense. what you are doing is wrong:


    ¡°Well, I don''t know. Then, why doesn''t Hyejinsssiment about the problems of the current Holy Empire?¡±


    -what are you talking about¡­?-


    -why are you dosing your eyes to the aristocratic or royal system that believes that destiny has been dedded since birth? It you think about this, too, it isn''t


    uneptable by themon sense of the Earth, as Hyejin said:


    ¡°That''s lheif Iife¡­¡¯


    "If you really want to keep morality, shouldn''t you have to start the Erendr Revolution here? Marlin Vuungsae can eat cake ifshe doesn''t have bread, right?


    chances are, she doesn''t even care about the poor people in Castle Ruck. How about leading the people and making a guillotine right now?¡±


    "This Is¡­ choplogic:


    "I am aware of it to some extent. lt is a choplogic. However, it is obvious to shout choplogic in this situation. The boundaries of thew are very vague in the


    rst ce. whether to follow themon sense of the Earth or themon sense of this continent is what confuses all free people:


    ¡°That''s choplogic too:


    -There are so many intertwined values to behave ording to an individual''s conscience. Even if you just think about the death penalty right now¡­ Isn''t it


    hical to burn someone whomits a crime? A Japanese man named lto Souta lto drowned in a statue ?lled with holy water on charges of being a


    demon worshipper. Isn¡®t this hical?-


    -The death penalty itself is hical. But such a pmctice is natural in this continent Let''s think once again. Who is the bigger hypncrile?¡¯


    "TlTal''s¡­dToplugic."


    ¡°Is it me, who is contributing to this society while remaining within the boundaries of thew? or Hyejin, who ran away as a whistleblower because she was


    afraid of being confronted by her colleagues? who is the bigger hypocrite?~


    ¡°I¡®m not saying we should argue right now, Hyejinsssi.¡±


    -lt doesn''t seem like that Anyone can see that the vice Guild Master is provoking me:


    ¡°It¡¯s amon matter that can be debated about while drinking. Think of it as a simple exchange of opinions. I¡®m not taunting you, but in fact I don''t think


    Hyejin looks that bad. It¡®s wonderful to keep your personal beliefs:


    "If you''re teasing¡­-


    "No. I''m not teasing. You are a closer human to Kim Hyunsung than I am, but I long for those who adhere to that method. I admire upright people.-


    "Vou say that too easi.''


    ¡°It¡¯s my role to help the upright people from breaking:


    ¡°Lee Kiyoung¡­ Vice Guild Master¡­ -


    "I am a helpful human being. Oh, let¡¯s turn the subject once again and talk about Sung Jungwuok. Assuming that they¡®ve still been dealing with


    illegal monsters and trades of intenadal ves. what would you do if I had a way to decapitate them?-


    At this, cho Hyejin took on a serious expression.


    "I think I can take your revenge:


    Her expression deepened.


    she was usually pokersfaoed, but now I could understand why she was acting this way. I already knew what she would choose in the ?rst ce.


    "I don''t need help, vice Guild Master¡­ You should just focus on your job.-


    "Ah. I see."


    ¡°I¡®m sorry, but I''ll be going ?rst I will ask the knights in Veongju Tower to escort you. I¡®m sorry.-


    I saw cho Hyejin standing up quickly, looking deeply offended. I knew she would have a lot of things to think about now.


    ''Hypucrile.¡¯


    It was a word that suited her a little. she may be aware of it too, which was exactly why she had on such an expression.


    ''She wants to implement justice, but doesn''t want her colleagues to get in trouble:


    There was no pushover like her. As cho Hyejin left, Jung Hayan opened her mouth.


    ¡°She''s a sel?sh person. she said she''d escort you and went ?rst¡­-


    "Huh?"


    ¡°I¡®m talking about Hyejin"


    "Ahhh. Don''t hate her so much. She''s actually very kind"


    ¡°Even if she acts like that now, we¡®re going to be very close friendster"


    "What?"


    ¡°Friendships only get stronger after resolving disputes:


    [Cheddng the unique characteristic of the yer cho Hyejin]


    [Elower that Bluoms in Eriendship]

 Chapter 160: What Money Can’t Buy (1)

    <h4>Chapter 160: What Money Can¡¯t Buy (1)</h4>


    A few days had passed since the day I spoke with Cho Hyejin. I started to get serious about my work, and although I tried to get around by myself, it was Song Jungwook of Little Rock that proved to be a harder worker than me.


    He started promoting my potions to other guilds and ns as if he had pledged his loyalty to me, and before I could even make a move, he brought the signed contracts to me.


    It seemed like he wanted to get close to Marlin Young-ae and other nobles by visiting Yeongju Tower, but he was free to use his spare time the way he wanted, anyway.


    Rather, there was one time when he introduced me to the lower aristocracy with a feeling that he wanted me to take advantage of his connections, so he must feel that we were even now.


    Seeing him transforming into a loyal person was certainly disconcerting. Of course, that wasn¡¯t the only reason Song Jungwook continued to visit Yeongju Tower.


    ¡®Marlin Young-ae.¡¯


    He moved as if he had a deadline. The fact that he wanted to use Yeong-ae was a matter that I already noticed before, but since he was being obvious about it, I couldn¡¯t help butugh.


    ¡®Do your best.¡¯


    Certainly, if Song Jungwook connected with Marlin Young-ae, there will be a lot to gain from his perspective. He could be an aristocrat, buy somend, and thus be freer about taxes. I didn¡¯t really know if he loved her or not, but the closer he could get to Marlin Young-ae, the closer he could be a part of the big-time capitalists that I had mentioned before.


    I didn¡¯t have to say anything because it wasn¡¯t really something that would go against me, but I could tell that his intentions weren¡¯t good. Though Song Jungwook wanted to be close to me, he didn¡¯t want Little Rock to be under Blue¡¯s influence. On the outside, he nned to pretend to swear allegiance to me, and on the inside, he nned to somehow move around to reverse the situation. He was definitely a leaf with two sides.


    ¡®What a dishonorable guy.¡¯


    I had no intention of taking care of him, either.


    All one had to do was wait for the moment to cut the line while notpromising too much. Of course, I nned to take everything I could before that. It was not only Song Jungwook who had been busy.


    My other party members had also been busy. As I continuously went out for work every other day, I saw Kim Hyunsung busy evolving both Park Deokgu and Kim Ye-ri. Perhaps one of the other things Hyunsung had to do was persuade people by bringing the monster wave signs.


    ¡°Then I will be going out today too, Kiyoung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Hyunsung and Deokgu, be careful.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I already told you that you don¡¯t have to worry. Anyway, it¡¯s okay because we¡¯ll just wander outside and do some investigating.¡±


    ¡°If so, I won¡¯t worry. Hee-young-ssi, please also be careful.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Do not worry.¡±


    ¡°Hayan too.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Sniff!¡±


    ¡°Stop crying.¡±


    This time I didn¡¯t have to take any measures, Kim Hyunsung would take care of this, and I trusted him. It was quite a pleasure to have a colleague you could rely on.


    Based on what would happen in the future, Kim Hyunsung would collect information step by step and officially announce that information within Castle Rock.


    Unlike the previous timeline, Castle Rock, which entered into a state of war, would prevent the attack from monster waves or named monsters, and our regressor may stand up as the hero who saved Castle Rock.


    I didn¡¯t know if it would go as nned, but I knew it was my job to make it happen. I was also busy in many ways, but I could handle that much.


    ¡°Wait a minute, Kiyoung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Hyunsung-ssi?¡±


    ¡°That¡­Did something happen between you and Hyejin?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It seems like you¡¯re not getting along well recently¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, it was just a little dispute over work. You don¡¯t have to worry about it.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°I think I know what Hyunsung-ssi is worried about, but that will not happen.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Yes¡­ That¡­ I just want for you to get along¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. I want to be close to Hyejin as well. Since Hyejin-ssi is not going on the expedition this time, I will approach her carefully. Haha.¡±


    ¡°Haha. That¡¯s fortunate. Since you said so, I¡¯m relieved. Then I¡¯ll be going.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Be careful today as well¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡®I guess he¡¯s worried.¡¯


    Of course, I was also worried. Since thest incident, Cho Hyejin had been a little cold to me.


    However, the conversation window had not been cut off at all.


    This silent Cold War proved to be more terrifying than petty arguments.


    As I waved goodbye at the party members, I could see them waving back at me as well.


    Time had passed since we arrived at Castle Rock. It seemed that I got some outline of the things I had to solve.


    ¡®The first thing I need to do is to prevent a crisis that is about toe to the city.¡¯


    In fact, it was the main purpose of this expedition. It was also the goal of our lovely regressor, and the reason as to why our party came to Castle Rock.


    Additionally, we needed to announce the danger and establish our guild¡¯s position in Castle Rock. Right now, Kim Hyunsung was working on this, so there was nothing for me to do, but I must thoroughly prepare for all kinds of possible situations.


    ¡®The second thing is about Song Jungwook of Little Rock.¡¯


    I had to think about whether to keep him and continue, or to cut him off in the proper line.


    In fact, in this matter, the first thing was to know what Cho Hyejin will do, but for now, it was correct to prepare a paddle that could be used while maintaining the current situation. And¡­


    ¡®The third one is improving the rtionship with Cho Hyejin.¡¯


    I needed to create a bond of friendship between her and me. Unlike the first thing, the two other tasks were not to be done as a party, but were supposed to be done personally.


    I thought I should at least be able to control Cho Hyejin if I was going to work with her in the future. I needed to let her know I was a friend she could trust.


    Of course, it was not easy to get close to her when she kind of already knew about me, but by no means would this be a difficult job. This was because I had already caught some strands.


    In that sense, the time when other party members were away was always an opportunity.


    It was better to try to get closer by talking to her at least a little. Even if we didn¡¯t be friends, it was important to make her see me in another way by doing something to own her a debt or anything.


    While Song Jungwook was working for me, I didn¡¯t stay still.


    Looking ahead, I saw Cho Hyejin, who had been seeing off the outgoing party members.


    ¡°It seemed that Hyunsung-ssi was worried.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°He wondered if you and I had a fight.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to have conversations other than about business, Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°This is within the boundaries of business matters, Hyejin-ssi. It is very important to promote friendship between guild members.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re going to say weird things again¡­¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s not like that. Although we¡¯ve had some misunderstandings with each other, wouldn¡¯t it be better to resolve these misunderstandings in advance?¡±


    Although her reaction was a little cold, she had been like that all the time recently. Perhaps she, too, had a lot on her mind. What I had said in the past struck deep in her heart.


    ¡°When I talked about revenging you, it was for you, but it was also rted to work. Regardless of personal grudges, if they¡¯re still trying to do something illegal, I¡¯m going to have to be taking measures about this eventually.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°If you are not busy, there are ces I would like you toe with. Oh, of course, if Hyejin-ssi refuses, I will go there by myself. It¡¯s a pretty dangerous ce, but I¡¯ll be able toe back alive somehow. If I¡¯m not lucky enough, I¡¯ll be kidnapped and have an arm or leg cut off. Hyunsung-ssi will be very happy.¡±


    ¡°You are¡­¡±


    ¡°I am not a bad guy, Hyejin-ssi. This is all work. All the other party members are out and working hard, so shouldn¡¯t we be doing our job too? Ahem. Will youe with me?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re giving me a choice. I¡¯ll go with you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    In a way, I was lucky that Kim Hyunsung had entrusted her with escorting me. In this way, I could spend some more time with her.


    ¡°Ah. It is not a ce where you can enter with the clothes you are wearing, so you should change your clothes.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry, because I prepared everything in advance.¡±


    ¡°Can I ask you about the destination?¡±


    ¡°You will see. It¡¯s not fun if I tell you in advance. We will leave in an hour, so please do hurry.¡±


    ¡°You have already decided this beforehand. You really do as you please.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because I have a good initiative. Thank you for thepliment.¡±


    She still didn¡¯t look very happy, but seeing her go inside, it seemed like she was willing to follow my suggestion. On the other hand, I thought it wasn¡¯t bad to go on a date with someone who could be called beautiful.


    While she was getting ready, I, too, started getting ready. I changed into clothes prepared beforehand and groomed my hair properly, and then I was finished.


    It wasn¡¯t the clothes I had when I was at a party at the royal castle, but I smiled when I saw myself looking quite human.


    She soon came out onto the lobby, her face red.


    ¡°Do I really have to wear this?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you already change them? You don¡¯t have to be shy, Hyejin-ssi.¡±


    ¡°B-but¡­ They¡¯re too revealing¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry because it looks beautiful on you.¡±


    My prediction that the blue dress would look good on her was correct.


    It felt valid to tell the guide of Yeongju Tower to make her look good. It didn¡¯t matter if she was wearing makeup or not, but the finely tied hair looked really good with the dress. She looked ufortable as it showed off one of her legs and her back, but it had a sexy feeling overall.


    ¡®I thought she was a woman who was far from colors¡­¡¯


    She was attractive in her own way.


    ¡°Are you going to a party? If you need a partner, you could ask someone else¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not just a party, so just trust me. I have a wagon outside. Let¡¯s go?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I have a question before that.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about Little Rock¡­ Have you ever seen them illegally trading monsters or trading ves between different species?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I saw them trapped inside a wagon.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve never seen how the deal actually works. You probably found out about it by looking at the tax issues or monster trades.¡±


    ¡°How did you know¡­?¡±


    ¡°There must be a reason that the charges were cleared even with insufficient evidence.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You asked for the destination, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°We are going to visit that site from now on.¡±


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m trying to find out how the illegal activities are happening. That¡¯s what I¡¯m saying.¡±


    I could see Cho Hyejin looking at me with a nk expression as if she was speechless.


    There was no need for her to understand now. She only needed toe with me at this point to see.


    At this, I handed her one of the two objects I had in my hands.


    ¡°Take the mask.¡±

 Chapter 161: What Money Can’t Buy (2)

    <h4>Chapter 161: What Money Can¡¯t Buy (2)</h4>


    Cho Hyejin settled for silently sitting in the wagon, wearing the mask. However, I could tell she was nervous, and I knew what she was thinking.


    ¡°Is there really such a ce?¡±


    ¡°There is a supply only when there is demand. People only sell when someone needs it.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t even heard of a ce like that in the three years I¡¯ve been in Castle Rock.¡±


    ¡°It is not a ck market that ismon in some cities. It is a little more luxurious and operates as a VIP-only ce. Such ck markets can be found in Lindel.¡±


    ¡°Still it is¡­¡±


    ¡°The most active ce in the drug trade is usually at the border. On Earth, there are rtively many cities close to the border between the United States and Mexico. Castle Rock¡¯s geographic requirements aren¡¯t bad. I think it¡¯s because it is close to the Republic.¡±


    ¡°To the Republic¡­¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re in a cold war, but¡­ In the meantime, items that can be sold are selling well. Human beings are animals that canmit crimes anytime, anywhere, in any situation. To put it a bit exaggeratedly, the market will still operate even during a war.¡±


    ¡°How did you-?¡±


    ¡°How do I know this? I have purchasing power. Nothing is impossible with money in this world.¡±


    In fact, it was not just money. The truth was, I had gone through hell to find the route.


    Obviously, I was convinced that there was a market or auction house within Castle Rock, but it wasn¡¯t easy to discover the route that had formed over the years. Truthfully, it would be simple with the help of Song Jungwook, but I wanted to hide the fact that Cho Hyejin and I were nning on entering the underground auction house.


    In the end, it was Yuno Kasugano who helped me while I was working hard looking for this.


    Who would have known that one letter would solve everything?


    Thanks to that, I made a promise to stop by Celia after my work was over, but it was a promise I didn¡¯t know when I could fulfill.


    ¡°Even Count Castle Rock or Marlin Young-ae probably don¡¯t know about this. The same goes for Hyunsung.¡±


    ¡°The Guild Master, too¡­¡±


    If I were to consider things during the first timeline, it was about this time that Kim Hyunsung struggled to increase the armed forces within Lindel. He may have encountered it after work, but the illegal auction house was a bit far away for people like Cho Hyejin.


    ¡°It¡¯s because Hyunsung seems to have a fairly solid goal. There is a high possibility that he is missing these details. To put it nicely, he¡¯s looking at the forest, not the trees.¡±


    ¡°You mean, he¡¯s looking at the big picture.¡±


    ¡°Yes. For example, he focuses on events that could directly impact the continent, such as war or monster waves. You are more concerned with thefort of Castle Rock rather than the underground auction house of Castle Rock. That¡¯s the reason why I am searching through the forest now. If you have someone who sees the forest, you need someone who sees the tree.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°That role can be yed by someone like Hyejin or me.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, I will report it, but I don¡¯t think there is a need to show our Guild Master the rotten wood. He already has too much on his mind.¡±


    ¡°I can understand what you mean. Then the reason why you asked me toe with you¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve said this before, but I like you, Hyejin. I can also agree with the reason why Hyunsung wants to make you the guild¡¯s executive. Wouldn¡¯t it be easier for us in the future if we can understand each other well? Ah. It seems that we¡¯ve arrived. Let¡¯s get off. Until you enter the underground auction house, you should save your words.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah! My name here is Kasugano Haruka. You can call me Yuka.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Okay.¡±


    As we got off the wagon, I saw a rather quiet banquet hall. Cho Hyejin looked nervous for some reason. I wondered if it was due to our sudden departure, but that didn¡¯t seem to be the case.


    She wore a mask, but she must be thinking about whether she would be noticed.


    ¡°The other people¡­¡±


    ¡°The entrance is not only here, Yuka.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Stick a little closer to me.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Okay.¡±


    ¡®Hyunsung, I¡¯m sorry.¡¯


    As I gently grabbed her waist, I felt her tense up. Of course, I had no hidden intentions. We just needed to look like a Japanese couple with a load of money.


    Soon after, I saw a guide approaching our way. I could tell that he was strong just by looking at him, but he wasn¡¯t hostile. It would be strange to show hostility as we were customers who were also potential buyers.


    ¡°The Invitation.¡±


    As I took out what I had prepared, I saw him nodding.


    ¡°You just have to get in the carriage.¡±


    ¡°How is it today?¡±


    ¡°You will probably be satisfied.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±


    Once again, we got on the wagon covered with ckout cloth, and the wagon slowly departed.


    ¡°Is it safe, Vice Guild Master?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Haruka, Yuka.¡±


    ¡°Is it safe, Haruka?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Your heart is as big as beans.¡±


    ¡°It is because Haruka is here. I can¡¯t help but think about safety.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s safe, so you can rest assured, Yuka. It¡¯s a matter of trust. I bet the guards here are more concerned about my safety. They can¡¯t lose their valuable customers.¡±


    ¡°You said it was dangerous before departing¡­¡±


    ¡°It was a lie.¡±


    ¡°What kind of person¡­¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just enjoy and stop trembling? Have you ever drunk wine in a carriage?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I saw Cho Hye-jin quietly biting her lips, but she remained tense. It was natural to feel this way when going to an unknown ce. She had no way of telling if we were walking right into the mouth of a tiger.


    Though she was like this, her wariness wasn¡¯t a bad thing. It would not be needed here, but being prepared at all times was never a bad thing.


    Soon after, we got off the wagon, only to be led into yet another wagon. After some time, I could feel that we were almost at our destination.


    I heard a voice from outside as I sipped the wine in my ss for thest time.


    ¡°We¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s head out, Yuka.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Haruka.¡±


    ¡°Just in case, don¡¯t look around in awe like a country bumpkin in the city.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    When I opened the door of the carriage, the scene before me caught my attention.


    Seeing orange lights shining brightly inside with all sorts of luxuries felt as if I was in the capital of the Holy Empire of Benigore.


    Cho Hyejin also seemed amazed, but as I had warned her beforehand, she restrained herself. Nevertheless, I could see her pupils spinning.


    She flinched once again when I sneakily grabbed her hand, but I felt like she was adjusting quite well. It was quite fun teasing her.


    ¡°Let¡¯s head in.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    We weren¡¯t the only ones wearing masks. The other people around us were also wearing fanciful clothes and colorful masks. Though I was making a lot of money from my potion business, it was still in its initial stage. If I didn¡¯t have the allowance from Hee-ra and an ATM machine in the form of Yuno Kasugano, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to get here in the first ce.


    ¡°Is that person managing this ce?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous. Song is just one of many merchants here. Do you think that moron could really manage this kind of ce, Yuka?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    ¡°There are quite a few things to see. Let¡¯s just enjoy the tour.¡±


    ¡°This is not the atmosphere Haruka was talking about. It feels like I¡¯m in a masked ball.¡±


    ¡°Appearances can be deceiving. Anyway, if you go in, you¡¯ll know what I mean.¡±


    I raised my hand slightly and saw a guide carrying a ss of cocktail approaching us.


    ¡°Take a ss, Yuka.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want it, I¡¯ll drink by myself.¡±


    As Cho Hye-jin had said, this ce was more of a social church than a ck market. However, that was only on the surface.


    Of course, it was a little different if I were to see with my Mind¡¯s Eye. I can see that these people¡¯s dispositions or unique characteristics were not normal just by looking at them.


    ¡®Men and women¡­¡¯


    There were sexual perverts, ambitious people that simply wanted o show off their strength, and people who had the same disposition as Ito Souta and I.


    ¡®Even¡­¡¯


    I could even see a murderer just like Jung Jinho. It was obvious why they visited this ce. It looked like murder was an option here.


    I could see for what purpose so many spaces that I could see were being used. People¡¯s tendencies were quite easy to predict, depending on where they went as well.


    ¡®What should I show her first?¡¯


    Showing the weak ones step by step would be good for her mental health. It might be too disturbing to see something too strong from the beginning.


    Of course, it was natural to see the market managed by Song Jungwook.


    Just when I was about to go, an unknown voice came from the side. It was from a woman.


    ¡°There.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Would you mind for a minute? If only your wife, who¡¯s next to you, is okay with it. I want to spend a moment together¡­¡±


    ¡°W-Wife¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah. You must be a girlfriend. It doesn¡¯t matter whatsoever, but¡­¡±


    I couldn¡¯t see her face because she was wearing a mask. However, just by looking at her, I could see how high her stats were.


    ¡®She¡¯s strong.¡¯


    She was wearing a Chinese dress, which was a little unusual. She was probably a Chinese from the Republic or a Taiwanese staying in the Holy Empire. She looked great enough for me to deal with if I had the time, but now was not the time for useless small talk.


    ¡°No. We¡¯re good.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ Don¡¯t do that. I¡¯m okay with three, too.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m a little busy.¡±


    What bothered me a little was her eyes that reflected behind the mask. I didn¡¯t know exactly how to describe them, but they were enough to give me goosebumps in an instant.


    [Checking the unique characteristic of the yer Shaolin.]


    [Strangler Romanticist]


    ¡®Fuck.¡¯


    ¡°Don¡¯t do that.¡±


    ¡°No, no. We¡¯re fine.¡±


    It was then that I came up with my own unique characteristic for a moment.


    [Checking the unique characteristic of the yer Lee Kiyoung.]


    [The Liar¡¯s Temptation]


    [Seduce the other person to listen to you. The probability of being loved by a dangerous opposite sex increases.]


    ¡®The probability of being loved by a dangerous opposite sex increases.¡¯


    Come to think of it. It felt like eyes were focusing on me from everywhere.


    There was only one crazy woman brave enough to confront me head-on, but many other women were also staring at me with fans covering their faces.


    ¡®Ah¡­ Am I in danger¡­?¡¯


    It felt like all the women that the system would judge as dangerous were clustered here.


    ¡®What the f¡­¡¯


    As anxiety began to grip my entire being, I had no choice but to grip Cho Hyejin¡¯s hand.

 Chapter 162: What Money Can’t Buy (3)

    <h4>Chapter 162: What Money Can¡¯t Buy (3)</h4>


    As anxiety began to grip my entire being, I had no choice but to grip Cho Hyejin¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do that. It may not be obvious, but I am pretty attractive. You can¡¯t check my face because of the mask. This is ufortable. I can¡¯t even take it off¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be with you next time when the opportunityes. I am sorry, but I have an appointment today.¡±


    ¡°Even just for a minute? I¡¯d like to talk in a quiet ce. I don¡¯t do this to anyone¡­ Really.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    I nced at Cho Hyejin helplessly, as if telling her to handle this insane woman in front of me. Seeing this, she stepped forward, still holding my hand tightly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know who you are, but I think that¡¯s enough. He has clearly refused. Don¡¯t be rude.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go quickly, Yuka.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Haruka-nim.¡±


    ¡°What the¡­ She was a subordinate and not a girlfriend?¡±


    ¡°Our rtionship is not your business. Would you step aside? If you keep bothering us, I¡¯ll call security. I don¡¯t want to cause any problems, so please just go away. It¡¯s also quite unpleasant that you keep blocking our way.¡±


    ¡°Your subordinate is more possessive than I thought¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not about being possessive or not. It¡¯s about basic etiquette.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I could see the two women staring at each other. I felt a little nervous, but what could this crazy woman do? She knew that she couldn¡¯t make a fuss here.


    Cho Hyejin pulled me towards herself once more, but I knew she did not mean anything by it except to protect me. However, to everyone else, it looked like she was marking her territory.


    She must not mean anything strange.


    Thus, a woman with a unique characteristic of Corpse Lover looking at me slowly moved away from the crowd. Another woman, whose unique characteristic was A Master that Causes Pain, also lost interest.


    ¡®There are so many crazy women here.¡¯


    There were also many crazy guys, but they were irrelevant since they didn¡¯t care about me in the first ce.


    In the end, Shaolin slowly started to move away from us as well. Seeing some of the men nearby running towards her, I could guess that they were her subordinates.


    ¡°Paper and pen.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°This is the address where I can receive the letter. I hope you will contact me soon.¡±


    ¡°I will contact you if I have the time.¡±


    ¡°It seems that the people who do not want to reveal their identity to each other are all equally ordinary¡­ Seeing that you¡¯re here, you seem to be the same, but I¡¯m more capable than you think. Perhaps I can be helpful. In many ways, even¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to promise that I¡¯ll contact you, but I¡¯ll see you someday.¡±


    ¡®I¡¯ll never do that, bitch.¡¯


    ¡°You must. You made a promise, okay? Then, I¡¯ll be going¡­¡±


    ¡®Please, go away quickly. Please disappear. Disappear from the continent¡­¡¯


    As if unsatisfied, I felt her gaze continuously followed me. I could feel goosebumps rising on my skin. I tried to avoid her gaze as much as possible, yet at some point, I could affirm that she was indeedpletely gone.


    ¡°You¡¯re very popr.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s undesirable poprity in a ce like this. I wish you could walk a little closer.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to pretend to have a good rtionship with you either, but can¡¯t you at least make it look like you¡¯re marking your territory? It¡¯s ufortable to have eyes focused on me from everywhere.¡±


    ¡°Are you spraying pheromones?¡±


    ¡°I think that¡¯s simr. It¡¯s a little bit painful to say that these are the ones who get affected, but¡­ Anyway, walk a little closer¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit unpleasant being so close.¡±


    ¡°It hurts quite a bit to hear that right in my face.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    However, it worked. As we walked like a couple in a romantic rtionship, I felt safer, as if I was out of these women¡¯s range.


    In the first ce, talking to others in this kind of ce was not amonsense behavior. It was clear that the woman I just saw had been a little too active.


    As it was a ce where customers¡¯ security and safety should be thorough, I could reduce my worries about anything happening.


    ¡®Let¡¯s never meet again.¡¯


    I had no ns of meeting any of the women here.


    Of course, it was undeniable that everyone here was also capable, but I didn¡¯t want the number of women I had to deal with to increase.


    Anyway, as I still had a purpose, I had to look around slowly once again.


    Cho Hyejin also started to snoop around as if she was getting used to this ce. Right now, her curiosity seemed to triumph over her difort. However, the more we went inside, the more she noticed that the atmosphere was changing, so she naturally became cautious.


    When one could see people disappearing one by one in the corridor that was once full of guests, it seemed that everyone had gone for their own personal affairs. That meant we should, as well.


    When I nced at the security guarding one of the doors, they went and opened it for us.


    Inside was a typical ve auction house. Numerous people were sitting in luxurious chairs, indicating that they were regrs in this ce.


    ¡®Is it her first time seeing a different species?¡¯


    When I took a seat with Cho Hyejin, I saw a guide approaching us. He must havee to ask what we were going to drink. Meanwhile, I felt like I could fall asleep just sitting in this luxurious and fluffy chair.


    As if it hadn¡¯t started yet, I could see more peopleing in and taking seats one by one.


    ¡°What is this ce?¡±


    ¡°Well, I did not check beforeing in¡­ It looks like a ve auction house. I¡¯m just saying this, but let¡¯s not make a fuss.¡±


    ¡°I know that much.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d to know that. Do you know anything about different races?¡±


    ¡°No. I only heard them through stories. I just saw it once during that time.¡±


    ¡°Really? It¡¯s a little disappointing. I don¡¯t know much about it, either.¡±


    ¡°Rather than that, look at that woman sitting farther. Isn¡¯t that the same one from earlier?¡±


    As I followed her gaze, I could see that it was definitely that woman.


    ¡®Fuck¡­¡¯


    ¡°She probably didn¡¯t follow us. Don¡¯t look at her. I don¡¯t want to announce that I¡¯m here.¡±


    Apparently, she had been here even before we came in.


    I tried to turn my gaze away from her, and after a while, someone stepped onto the stage. Bright lights poured down from across the room.


    Then, a voice spoke.


    ¡°You¡¯ve all been waiting for a long time. Today, I would like to express my sincere thanks to all of you for visiting our auction house. You can look forward to the quality of today¡¯s products. We have our heart in our club, which always delivers sincerity.¡±


    These cheapments were typical of such a ce. I was expecting more for such a luxurious atmosphere, but this part seemed to be inevitable.


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be nice for me to take too long, since you are all busy people. It¡¯s sudden, but I¡¯ll start the auction right away. First, we have the 54-year-old Elf Rumenia.¡±


    A woman with long ears on one side slowly stepped onto the stage.


    I hated this, but my own eyes widened. This was because she had the most beautiful face than anyone I had seen so far.


    However, I was only fooled for a short while.


    Seeing the elf looking up at the stage with a terrifying face, I frowned. Her body was not wearing a single thread, and her hands and feet were wearing restraints. Her trembling figure was enough to induce sympathy.


    Greed quickly filled the eyes of those sitting in their seats.


    She was puffing her mouth, but I couldn¡¯t hear her voice, so she seemed to be under some spell.


    ¡°This is a hard-earned object. She has unusual emerald-colored hair, and, as you can see, she is in great shape. It¡¯s a clean product that¡¯s very well maintained, as well as its nutritional status.¡±


    As two people who came together slowly grabbed the elf¡¯s body and arrested her, she screamed and opened her mouth, but I still couldn¡¯t hear her voice.


    It seemed like they were trying to show us her back, but she trembled as if that alone was terrifying. Big tears popped out of her eyes, and she couldn¡¯t even stand as if her legs gave out.


    ¡°As she doesn¡¯t have any fighting ability, we didn¡¯t train her. I think it might be a necessary item for customers with a sadistic personality. It¡¯s also quite a young age for an elf.¡±


    ¡°I want to hear her voice.¡±


    ¡°Ah. If you want, of course, I have to show you. I need to ask for the other customers¡¯ consent. From now on, I¡¯ll only release the magic that she¡¯s been under for a while.¡±


    The wizard on one side of the stage slowly chants a spell, and immediately a voice simr to a scream burst out.


    ¡°Help! Please¡­ Help. Someone¡­ Please help me.¡±


    The voice itself was clear and crisp, but the content was not clear. She looked around with a crying voice, but there was no way that there would be a reaction.


    In the first ce, some nobles of the Holy Empire did not see other races as human.


    ¡°She has a nice voice.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha. Of course, I thought you would feel that way.¡±


    As I looked beside me, I saw Cho Hyejin shivering. Her crumpled face and clenched fists seemed to represent her feelings. I knew she would be a little angry, but I couldn¡¯t even imagine that she would be this furious.


    Cho Hyejin¡¯s personality was a little better than I thought.


    ¡°I say it once again, but if you cause a fuss¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡­ know.¡±


    In other words, this was the scene depicting human rights vitions. Definitely, themon sense of modern people could not be understood.


    There is no way the righteous Cho Hyejin can understand the low people who sent cheers or raised their fingers to express purchase intentions. They didn¡¯t even care about the pain of others. No, to be precise, they enjoyed seeing others in pain.


    ¡°What do you think is the problem? What do you think can solve the problem?¡±


    ¡°What do you want to hear?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, Yuka.¡±


    It seemed to me that she was regretting this and was feeling stressed. Maybe she couldn¡¯t even imagine that something like this existed. She didn¡¯t really understand how this ce worked.


    ¡°This is normal. Honestly, it¡¯s surprising that it¡¯s a little cleaner than I thought. Well, there may be ces dealing with special ves, but there is no time. You better pass it over.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I checked the reality of the ve trade myself. So, aren¡¯t you curious about how the monsters that they caught illegally will be used?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s stand up.¡±


    I saw Cho Hyejin¡¯s face with her lips tightly closed.


    ¡°Give me a ss, too.¡±


    I knew she would react like this.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to another ce, Haruka.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Yuka.¡±

 Chapter 163: What Money Can’t Buy (4)

    <h4>Chapter 163: What Money Can¡¯t Buy (4)</h4>


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to feel guilty.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I feel like I know what you¡¯re thinking about. ¡®If I had done the right thing¡­¡¯ Are you not thinking like this?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not.¡±


    ¡®You¡¯re not, right¡­¡¯


    I already knew what she was thinking. Wouldn¡¯t this have happened if the work hadn¡¯t been done lukewarmly?


    Of course, even if she¡¯d handled the Little Rock matter properly, nothing would have changed. I could assure that it wouldn¡¯t affect even 1% of this ce.


    ¡°Even if you had handled the matter properly, nothing would change.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Song is a part of this ce, not all¡­ As you can see, this ce is working without any external influences. I told you, even the Lord of Castle Rock wouldn¡¯t be able to predict that there would be such a ce.¡±


    ¡°How can you not know what is going on in your estate?¡±


    ¡°Do you think the mayor of Seoul knows everything that happens in Seoul? Perhaps some of the people rted to the Castle Rock¡¯s Lord have joined this ce. Some people know and cover it up. And can you be sure that the ce we are in is Castle Rock? Perhaps it¡¯s a border close to the Republic. It¡¯s in a secret location, after all.¡±


    ¡°Why¡­¡±


    ¡°It may be entangled in but it¡¯s not something Yuka should bother with. What you need to know is simple. It is a part that needs to be cut out, but this reality is definitely part of society. And the people in these seats are also members of society.¡±


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    ¡°There is no such thing as a world without crime.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    ¡°You will, eventually.¡±


    While we talked as we walked, Cho Hyejin continued to frown. Her tone was a little cold, and she seemed to be doing her best to hold back her anger.


    Of course, she wasn¡¯t angry with me. The only thing she was angry with was this environment and herself, who could not do anything.


    It was only now that she had faced reality, and it had pped her right where it hurt.


    Thinking that now was the perfect time to talk to her a little more kindly, I spoke up once more.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think there¡¯s really nothing they can¡¯t get?¡±


    ¡°They think they can buy everything with money. It¡¯s obvious what these people think.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. If you have money, you can buy everything. Not only ves but drugs or sex. You can even buy experience.¡±


    ¡°You mean experience?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Experience. I¡¯m just asking¡­ Have you ever killed someone, Yuka?¡±


    I thought that maybe she did.


    If she had rotted in this ce for quite a long time, there was no way she wouldn¡¯t have experience. Perhaps her first experience was in the tutorial dungeon. In ces where food was limited, there were many instances for brawls to break out,


    Our party also had this experience, all except for Park Deokgu. The same went for Jung Hayan as well as Kim Hyunsung.


    I also killed some in the tutorial dungeon, though I could no longer remember their names.


    As I stared at Cho Hyejin, she stared back at me for a moment before replying.


    ¡°I have¡­¡±


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s not a very good memory.¡±


    ¡°If it were a good memory¡­ It must be weird.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. It¡¯s not a good memory. However, people who think of it as a good memory pop out often¡­ Free people like us all have some experience, but it¡¯s difficult for ordinary nobles to experience it, right? In particr, murder among imperialists is absolutely illegal. Nobles can punishmoners, but they cannot kill them without sin. Where do you think crazy humans go to satisfy their needs? I¡¯m sure it will happen here, too.¡±


    ¡°No way¡­¡±


    Upon seeing Hyejin¡¯s doubtful expression, I couldn¡¯t help butugh. She still seemed to have hopes for humanity.


    At this, I raised my hand, and the guide headed straight towards me. Of course, she started looking at me as if to see what was going on.


    ¡®If you see it, you will know.¡¯


    Trying to exin in words would prove to be fruitless.


    ¡°How can I help you?¡±


    ¡°I need help with directions.¡±


    ¡°You can speakfortably.¡±


    ¡°I want to try this sword¡­ Is there a suitable ce?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Will it be against a monster? Or¡­¡±


    ¡°I have something to do now, so if you can tell me the way, I will go there on my own. Oh, before that, if there is a ce where I can see arge monster, please do guide me as well.¡±


    ¡°Am I allowed to guide you directly?¡±


    ¡°No. Just exining it is fine.¡±


    ¡°Go straight down this road and continue to the right; you will get to exit 3. Walk over there, and you¡¯ll see a circr arena. The admission fee is separate¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. Okay. You can go now.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    When the guy disappeared, I saw Cho Hyejin with a disbelieving expression.


    ¡°Did you see?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°There is nothing that cannot be bought. Experience can also be bought with money here. The same goes for illegal experiences.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Is there anything you usually want to do, anything that you have only pictured in your head? I¡¯ll pay the money here, so why don¡¯t you look it up?¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m only kidding. Rx.¡±


    Whatever she would want, it would probably exist here.


    I continued to step forward, ignoring her, and I saw the circr arena, just as the guide said. It was bigger than I had initially thought.


    It was almost as if the former Colosseum had been moved underground.


    I could see some people waiting to enter, while others talked to each other. As soon as we gave out the gold we had prepared, one of the guides nodded and directed us.


    ¡°To the VIP.¡±


    ¡°Additional charge is applied.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then.¡±


    ¡°Is the game about to start?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re on a break. The next match is scheduled to start in 5 minutes.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    After the guide left, Cho Hyejin immediately opened her mouth, curiosity evident on her face.


    ¡°Haruka-nim, what game?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ Didn¡¯t I say it was the first time I came here? If it were a game withrge monsters, it would be obvious what kind of game it would be.¡±


    ¡°Do you mean that this is a hunting game of some sort?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s something boring¡­ Do you think the people gathered here just because they wanted to see an adventurer beating monsters?¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll see.¡±


    As soon as I finished speaking, a voice resonated within the arena, signaling the event¡¯s start. Though no one screamed outright as they had to maintain their appearances, a few of them had settled for apuding.


    Among them, the one that stood out was the woman we had seen earlier. It felt like she was looking our way, so I averted my gaze.


    ¡®I must not give her any attention.¡¯


    As I lowered my head, arge monster soon entered the arena.


    ¡®So big¡­¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t even express it in words. The monster¡¯s head was simr to that of a lizard, but it had six legs. It was drooling at the corner of its mouth, and its scream was so loud that it hurt my ears. The audience, who had been quiet at first, also began to cheer as they saw it.


    Of course, someone else appeared on the other side. They were probably the humans who would have to deal with that monster. They were about thirty.


    These were ordinary people who would face monsters without even having basic equipment. I could also tell that these people were of different races, and therefore had no product value.


    The beautiful elves, perhaps reflecting the tastes of various audiences, stood out.


    Naturally, I looked at them through their status window, and of course, their stats were terrible. Those who had signs of fighting among them could be noticed, but of course, this wasn¡¯t enough to deal with such a monster. They were definitely going to face their deaths soon.


    After the chains holding the monster were broken, the monster rushed toward these thirty humans instantly. The said humans, who had all lost the will to fight before the match even started, began to scatter, fleeing through the arena.


    Voices erupted from everywhere.


    ¡°Hold on!¡±


    ¡°I told you to hold on a little more!¡±


    ¡®Are they even betting?¡¯


    The appearance of a monster crushing humans like a fish in the water looked so ridiculous that sudden uncontrobleughter came out of me.


    Blood spurted out continuously, but there were no people in this ce who cared about them.


    ¡°Kie-e-e-e-ee!¡±


    ¡°H-Help me!¡±


    ¡°Help me! Ahhhhhhhhh!¡±


    Their gruesome drama was unfolding, but those present here would not be interested in their documentaries. In fact, everyone would see this as a form of entertainment.


    As I found the scene quite gruesome, it appeared that I was not yet as rotten as these people. Seeing that more than half of the humans had already died, I began to feel ufortable.


    ¡®Tut-tut.¡¯


    Since I was feeling this way, Cho Hyejin should be even worse. She frowned at what we just saw at the ve market. I turned to look at her.


    ¡®Is it too strong?¡¯


    I could see rage shining from deep in her pupils. Blood dripped down from her lips from her incessant biting, as well as from her clenched fists.


    ¡®I think she will do something.¡¯


    ¡°You can¡¯t make a fuss here¡­¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ know.¡±


    I knew she was not registering what I was saying. I began to feel anxious about what she might do next. When I went to hold her hand, I could feel her trembling.


    In the meantime, the screaming continued. Now, only five humans remained in the stadium.


    ¡°H-Help me.¡±


    ¡°Please help me!¡±


    ¡°Please! Someone¡­ Somebody help!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to die¡­ Sniff¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to die. I don¡¯t want to die here like this¡­ Please¡­ Please¡­¡±


    The victims¡¯ begging were hopelessly drowned out amidst the shouts of the insane audience. However, it seemed as if Cho Hyejin could hear them clearly.


    ¡®Son of a¡­ Fuck¡­¡¯


    My anxiety spiked at the possibility of her running out. If that happened, it could escte to a situation that even I would not be able to handle.


    I saw Cho Hyejin getting up slowly, and I held her hand tightly once again, but in the eyes of Castle Rock¡¯s Stubborn Woman of Principle, I seemed to be invisible.


    ¡®Was the provocation too much?¡¯


    ¡°Don¡¯t do anything crazy.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°If you jump in, I¡¯ll die too.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you still want to save them?¡±


    It was a little too soon, but it was only right that I did it now.


    ¡°Think harder. How do you think you can save them?¡±


    The correct answer had already been decided. What was important now was if the answer woulde out of her mouth or not.


    I stared up at her for a long time, waiting for her to respond to my question.


    After what seemed like forever, Cho Hyejin finally spoke.


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I will buy them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡±

 Chapter 164: What Money Can’t Buy (5)

    <h4>Chapter 164: What Money Can¡¯t Buy (5)</h4>


    ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡±


    I had to admit that her learning ability was better than I thought. If one were to look at this ce, the reality would be much faster to ept.


    As soon as I raised my hand, the other mercenaries came into the amphitheater in no time.


    Several humans with shields approached the survivors while casting spells on the monster.


    Some people in the stadium wrinkled their faces in the sudden situation, but some were interested in the change. Arrows and magic were gradually embedded within the monster¡¯s body. Of course, it was natural that some got injured in the process.


    It seemed that they had to go overboard on this a little to save the item I was buying.


    In the end, however, the monster who had torn and killed humans soon stopped moving.


    I thought they would finish stunning it, but it seemed like there was no way to stop the enraged guy except by killing it. There was no use crying over spilled milk, however.


    ¡®I guess I¡¯m going to have to pay for that, too.¡¯


    Not only that, I feel like I¡¯ll have to pay to treat the injured.


    Unlike me, who worried about useless things, Cho Hyejin muttered quietly as she continued to watch. I could tell what she was thinking.


    ¡°Like this¡­¡±


    She wouldn¡¯t have imagined it would be solved so simply.


    ¡°Like this¡­¡±


    She wouldn¡¯t have expected it could be ended so easily.


    While she muttered out from the stands.


    ¡°Kill it!¡±


    ¡°What are you doing! Kill it!¡±


    ¡°You think I¡¯m paying to see something like this?!¡±


    ¡°Kill it! Kill it!¡±


    ¡®I think I¡¯m going to lose some money.¡¯


    However, it wasn¡¯t such a bad end.


    ¡°Simple, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m saying that it¡¯s just like that. It wasn¡¯t this simple to solve because we¡¯re in this ce, Yuka. The problem was solved easily because I have purchasing power. Not only here, but also out there. Most of the problems around us can be solved with these shiny objects.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    ¡°Perhaps Yuka can¡¯t afford to pay for that, so I will lend you the money. I think it will be more expensive than I first thought.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I have one condition, however¡­ that you be my friend.¡±


    Cho Hyejin didn¡¯t dare open her mouth. She just looked at me quietly.


    Of course, one of the guides started approaching us. Probably, he was calcting what just happened.


    ¡°How would you like to pay?¡±


    ¡°How much is it, exactly?¡±


    ¡°The cost of the surviving ves is 50 gold each for four people. One is a different species. An elf will be up to 500 gold¡­¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡±


    ¡°The cost of a dead monster is 10,000 gold.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Monsters were worth a lot more than dead ves.


    I had expected this, but for Cho Hyejin, I could see that she wasn¡¯t convinced as she looked at the guide, who had brought the slip with a nk expression.


    ¡°Also, the cost of the mercenaries invested in the rescue is 600 gold. Oh, the price includes treatment for the injured.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°The total admission fee for the audience in the stadium is 40,000 gold. In addition, the damagepensation amount is 20,000 gold, and the base cost is 50,000 gold. This will be a total of 121,250 gold.¡±


    ¡®Ah, it is more expensive than I thought.¡¯


    However, I would still be able to pay for it. Though it was a tremendous price, I knew Yuno Kasugano would end up paying it for me.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry, Yuno.¡¯


    Even for arge guild, it didn¡¯t feel good that this much money went out at once. It would only be right for me to pay her back someday. For that, I needed to write her a letter.


    ¡°I will take the payment slip.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for these 3333 sudden events.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±


    ¡°I am a lover of different races, and it hurts to see the elf dying. Elves aren¡¯t born to die. I haven¡¯t heard in advance that there were elves on the prey side¡­ Doesn¡¯t the original vendor provide advance information about the show?¡±


    ¡°Oh, we¡¯re sorry, sir¡­¡±


    ¡°I think it would be okay to make a brochure. Tut-tut.¡±


    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t call this to be an apology, but I¡¯ll provide you with some of the remaining elven ves.¡±


    When I looked at Cho Hyejin slightly, I saw her slowly nodding her head.


    It would be strange to refuse to get the elves for free when we could free them from pain.


    ¡°Hmm. Alright. I hope they are those who have even a littlebat ability. Oh, I don¡¯t want elves that are too educated. If you were serious earlier about apologizing, you¡¯d better show your sincerity. I also want to keep a good rtionship with this ce.¡±


    ¡°Yes. You don¡¯t have to worry. Ourpany always acts only for your satisfaction. When are you going?¡±


    ¡°I will go after looking around for a bit. I¡¯m not really in a good mood.¡±


    ¡°We apologize once again for our inexperienced management of apany.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I can understand. Then, we¡¯ll be going.¡±


    ¡°There are a lot of good elves in the central auction house today¡­ If you are interested¡­¡±


    To be doing business at such timing, this guy had some nerves.


    ¡°Are there any special items besides that?


    of items will be auctioned, including a monster egg and heroic-grade items. that are not avable anymore¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not interested in art, but¡­ Hmm, did you say that a monster egg ising out?¡±


    ¡°Yes. They say it is a special item that was very difficult to obtain.¡±


    ¡°Although it is interesting¡­ Unfortunately, we¡¯ll stop by at the central auction house next time.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what kind of egg it was for the central auction house to be selling, but it was better to get out of here right now.


    If we spent more time here, I might have to spend more than what I could afford. Cho Hyejin seemed to want to leave as soon as possible, anyway.


    Seeing her not saying anything until she got up from her chair and went out of the circr arena, she must¡¯ve been really shocked. The provocation was too strong for an innocent person.


    ¡°It¡¯s 50 gold.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°The value of those who have just died is only 50 gold. Only¡­ Only¡­ 50 gold¡­¡±


    ¡°To be honest, it was more expensive than I thought. I guess that¡¯s not like that to Yuka.¡±


    ¡°That damn monster cost 10,000 gold.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a reasonable price? I heard that it is difficult to capture that kind of monster¡­ Of course, it will be more difficult to manage. It is quite natural for them to be of higher value than humans assigned to be food; this is natural from their perspective. If you disassemble the corpse of that monster right away, the price of the things that can be used as catalysts will be over a few hundreds of gold.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still not convinced.¡±


    ¡°No one cares about whether or not our Yuka is convinced. The only thing that matters is the fact that monsters are more expensive.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying what I think; I¡¯m telling you a fact. It is not me who set the price; it¡¯s them. You¡¯re free to get drenched in your emotions, but I think it¡¯s time to wake up to reality¡­ Or are you a little more na?ve than I thought? You¡¯ve seen it with your own eyes. Isn¡¯t that what you would call injustice?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ understand, too¡­ I definitely understand, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Is it not convincing?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s¡­ just say so.¡±


    At this, Cho Hyejin closed her mouth, looking deep in thought. At this point, I knew it would be fine to end the conversation. Just the fact that she was thinking was a good thing altogether.


    I hade this far. It felt embarrassing just to leave. I went inside again and looked around slowly, but the other features didn¡¯t seem like they would provoke her much. Of course, she would show a shuddering reaction, but that would be all. It seemed that the scene she saw in the amphitheater would not be leaving her mind.


    Eventually, we ended up heading outside, where a wagon waited for us. Several elves looked our way, trembling, but I had no particr interest in them.


    ¡®Five people.¡¯


    Although the numbers were small for those who said they would take care of me, their condition didn¡¯t look bad. The restraintspletely constrained them, and there was a feeling of fear rather than hostility in the eyes looking at me.


    ¡°They¡¯re fine.¡±


    ¡°This is sincerely for customer satisfaction.¡±


    ¡°I am definitely satisfied. I shall visit again next time.¡±


    ¡°That is noted. Please do have afortable trip back.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Those elves can be loaded onto the wagon.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    After getting on the carriage with Cho Hyejin, the elves with trembling ears began to enter as well. When the carriage door closed, I could see Cho Hyejin carefully reaching out for one of them.


    ¡°Kyaak!¡±


    I cringed at the sound.


    From their perspective, Cho Hyejin would not be seen as a brave knight who saved her, but a crazy human.


    Cho Hyejin quietly spoke up as she watched the five people shaking together. I realized she was talking to me, not to them.


    ¡°What do you¡­n to do with them in the future?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ In fact, one can be said to be yours¡­ I need to think about it. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s good to go with them to the Yeongju Tower or release them in a reasonable ce. I must find a ce where they can be safely stored. Perhaps it makes the most sense to send them to Blue.¡±


    ¡°You are not going to release them?¡±


    ¡°Even if I release them right now, it doesn¡¯t change much. Soon after, they¡¯ll be caught again, and they¡¯ll be humiliated in the same way once again. Do you think elves, who can¡¯t do anything, will find their forest?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°For now, I have something important to do, so it¡¯s impossible right now. I will take them to the Elven Kingdom when I have something to do there. It wouldn¡¯t be bad to visit once the work is done.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a relief.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not as bad as you thought, right?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to answer that.¡±


    ¡°I will take that silence as a positive sign.¡±


    ¡°Why did you bring me here?¡±


    ¡°You needed to understand. You needed to see the result.¡±


    ¡°The result¡­ What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The result. The result of your judgment and the results you see now. The difference between what you previously did at Castle Rock and what you did today. Think for yourself which one is the right solution, Hyejin-ssi.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°It was me who saved them, but it was you, too. Your right choice saved them.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t necessarily think so¡­¡±


    ¡°The results you see are different, but¡­ If you say you don¡¯t think so, then I¡¯ll respect that.¡±


    Cho Hyejin shut her mouth at this. She seemed to be in denial about it, but it didn¡¯t matter at this point. What mattered was that I was able to get my thoughts through to her.


    By nature, bonds could not be formed in a short period. A bond was formed only when each other¡¯s values ??and ideas were exchanged and umted over a long time and when they can understand each other.


    Personally, I didn¡¯t think I was going to be influenced by her stupid ideas, but I at least had to show that I understood her. I was not hoping for something dramatic. I just needed to understand her for her to understand me.


    For now, this was enough.


    ¡°I don¡¯t necessarily think so¡­ but¡­ About today¡­ Thank you, Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡®As expected, I¡¯m right.¡¯


    There was nothing that money could not buy.

 Chapter 165: Monster wave (1)

    <h4>Chapter 165: Monster wave (1)</h4>


    ¡°For now, you will be heading to the Free City of Lindel. If you stay in our guild, I will definitely send you back to your hometownter on.¡±


    ¡°R-Really? Just in case¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry. I wouldn¡¯t have used thisplicated method in the first ce if I was just going to harm or defile you.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have saved you from monsters in exchange for a huge loss. As soon as you go to Lindel, you will receive a new ID, and you will be acting as a Blue guest. As long as you do not go outside the city, you are free to go out, and no humans will harm you. Of course, if you are afraid to go outside, you can only stay within the Guild House.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°You should thank Cho Hyejin here rather than me. She was the one who wanted to save you.¡±


    ¡°Ah! It¡¯s only for a short time, but thank you so much for taking care of us¡­¡±


    ¡°You will definitely be able to go back home. I promise.¡±


    ¡°Sniff¡­¡±


    As the elves cried together, Cho Hyejin busied herself withforting them. It looked like a beautiful scene overall.


    The reality of having to return 120,000 gold worth of elves to their hometown for free felt heartbreaking, but right now, this is better.


    They weren¡¯t useful anyway. Although their stats weren¡¯t bad, their talent levels would not be enough to nurture them into adventurers. They were meant to be normal vigers.


    This was a case where if they have no luck, they would again be caught by a hunter while trying to lead a normal life. It would be better to return them as fast as possible.


    This was because the news that I had obtained five elven ves woulde to Yuno Kasugano.


    For her, who still called me Master, that would lead to inevitable conclusions. I had to make sure I sent them out as soon as possible because she had just sent a letter, making a fuss abouting to Castle Rock herself.


    As I mulled this over, the elves looked at me warily. They must still be worried about whether they were being sold elsewhere, but they would understand me as soon as they arrived in Lindel safely.


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you just in case, but it would be better not to get out of the wagon until you arrive. It¡¯s not dangerous inside the wagon with the guild insignia, but outside it will be.¡±


    ¡°Yes. We will keep this in mind, dear benefactor.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s embarrassing to call me a benefactor. Rather, I feel sorry that I can save only you. On behalf of all human beings, I apologize.¡±


    ¡°A-Ah, but in case¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. If I see another elf, I will try to help them as much as I can.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s get on.¡±


    As the elves got into the carriage, they bid me goodbye. Cho Hyejin fussed over them onest time before she stepped back. She seemed a little bit relieved.


    ¡°Are you relieved?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not.¡±


    ¡°Have you grown attached to them in the meantime?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Though it was only a short time¡­ I must¡¯ve grown attached to them.¡±


    ¡°As a human being, you did everything. Not only did you save them, but you¡¯ll also hide them in a luxury inn and take responsibility for them in Blue, so I think you did more than that.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your kindness, Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°To be precise, it was you who showed kindness. Anyway, if you save the elves, you might get something in return.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Her fed up expression was highly evident in my eyes. To be fair, it wasn¡¯t exactly what I wanted to do, but it wasn¡¯t a bad idea overall. There was nothing bad about having elves feeling indebted to us, as their gratitude for us was immense. I didn¡¯t know when that would happen, but it was good to have them in our debt, just in case.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go get something to eat.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Vice Guild Master.¡±


    Of course, I wasn¡¯t being nice just with the elves. I had conversations with Cho Hyejin several times and seeded in getting closer to her to some extent.


    She hadn¡¯t changed as extremely as Sun Hee-young or Jung Hayan, but she was slowly starting to understand me. Of course, I was also in a situation where I had to understand her. Cho Hyejin might¡¯ve thought about bing closer, but I felt like she had decided to draw a line.


    It seemed a little difficult to make me look more favorable to her than a certain level because she was not included in what the system categorized as dangerous or crazy women.


    The most important thing was that I had gotten through to her.


    We still had a long way to go, but at least the worst was over. The proof was that, even though we kept hanging out together like this, she no longer felt any other difort.


    ¡®It¡¯s enough just by being friends.¡¯


    I much rather preferred this kind of rtionship, anyway. Aside from that, I was sure I wasn¡¯t her ideal type of guy at all.


    ¡°So¡­ Have you thought about it?¡±


    ¡°About what?¡±


    ¡°You know what I¡¯m talking about. We need to take care of this quickly before a new victim emerges.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure about that.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Ah. Of course, it doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t intend to punish them. They have to be handled by thew. I have believed in that so far, and I still think like that, but¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know if you¡¯ll be able to handle it well. Is that what you¡¯re thinking?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s embarrassing, but it is. Even if you inform the others about this, there is no guarantee that we will not get the same oue as before.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps Hyejin is right. If you move blindly without having the right evidence, it will certainly be the same.¡±


    Though she was not overly friendly with me, we had progressed enough to address each other¡¯s concerns. Even the smallest change helped.


    While we continued to walk, Cho Hyejin continuously participated in the conversation. This was good. It was an opportunity to let her know that one¡¯s way of life was diverse.


    ¡°Are you abandoning yourpassion for your precious colleagues from the tutorial?¡±


    ¡°Now, I don¡¯t want to forgive them.¡±


    Her standpoint on this had changed as well, which was only natural.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think they did something wrong, but¡­ It was a bit confusing because they were very different from what I imagined. No, I doubt that the people I knew are even involved in that.¡±


    ¡°The environment changes humans. Neither my friends on Earth nor Hyejin¡¯s friends would think we havemitted murder. Well, it was self-defense, but your hands are indeed dirty. They just throw away one of their possessions to go up. Even if they don¡¯t know that the elves or monsters they¡¯ve caught are being used for that purpose, the sins theymit will not disappear.¡±


    ¡°Vice Guild Master is right. It is not the right thing to do; it is only right to be punished. I¡¯m talking about that method. It looks like the Vice Guild Master has a n in mind, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. I like solving things personally.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve also been thinking about it, but I started thinking about whether it was right for an individual to punish another individual. Do we really have the right to punish them?¡±


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t we have? They, including the Little Rock, wielded their power and achieved its corresponding results. An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth is still my favorite proverb. If youmit a crime, you are punished. That¡¯s all. Having many thoughts is good, but drowning in them is not. Think it over. What do you want to do, Hyejin?¡±


    I could see Cho Hyejin looking at me quietly. I didn¡¯t respond, but the answer was fixed.


    ¡®That¡¯s right¡­ Of course, you¡¯d think so, too.¡¯


    If she could, she would kill all the guys in that disgusting ce.


    These conversations were annoying to handle, but they were helpful enough. It was not about being stubborn. It was a process of constantly exchanging values ??we each had.


    She unknowingly epted some of my values, like the one where money could solve most problems, and thus had been influenced little by little after that.


    Of course, I also had a lot of thoughts about her words. My rtionship with Cho Hyejin was a little different from my rtionship with Lee Jihye.


    ck Swan¡¯s Lee Jihye and I were called soul mates by the system because we had almost the same way of behavior and values. Of course, there was a synergy effect that came out of it. It was almost certain that our efficiency will more than double.


    Cho Hyejin waspletely different from Lee Jihye. She was a person who could hinder my efficiency, but she certainly made me think a lot. A different type of synergy emerges whenever one¡¯s opinions and values differ from another¡¯s.


    ¡®This is called harmony.¡¯


    Of course, this was a little more advantageous to me. I didn¡¯t want Cho Hyejin to block me and be a wall.


    Inparison to a car, she was a brake and a ck box. She was someone who could block idents in advance and take care of me even after an ident.


    In short, she was someone I could control.


    Even after Kim Hyunsung¡¯s kingdom expand and be huge, she, as my friend, will be the brake on the other side whenever I want.


    To really move the way I want, I had to decide who would be the person on the other side.


    ¡®I¡¯m looking forward to working with you, Hyejin.¡¯


    She and I wouldst long.


    ¡°I also think the same as you, Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°Since society doesn¡¯t solve it, the individual should move. That is the first step of a revolution.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you mean.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you that it won¡¯t end by just pushing them away. Crime doesn¡¯t go away, anyway.¡±


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    ¡°It is impossible to create a perfect society. I haven¡¯t been living for many years, but I do think that. Wherever humans live, sin always follows. Even if the Little Rock and that ce disappear, a second Little Rock and amphitheater will eventually be created. If you destroy them, a third Little Rock and amphitheater will be created. There is demand, so there is also a supply.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying¡­¡±


    ¡°I will control the ills of society.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a dangerous idea¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s better than just looking and do nothing. After pushing away the existing one, I will build a tower on top of it once again. The same is true for Lindel and Castle Rock.¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°I do not know. How would it be?¡±


    ¡°Are you thinking of buying the whole ce?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t even imagine that she would tell me to buy it. Laughter burst out of me.


    ¡°No. I intend to push it all at once. I will push away all of them without leaving a weed.¡±


    Of course, this would also work in my favor.


    After I finished speaking, I noticed Cho Hyejin was looking at me with an expression of mixed feelings. Perhaps she was thinking about everything I had done and said.


    Perhaps she even thought about not stopping me. It was because the sight she saw was very shocking for her to stop me simply with humanity. She might even be wishing to act by my side.


    The question is, how could I, who had no power, push all of this away?


    Although Cho Hyejin seemed to be feeling doubts, it was not impossible if the situation helped.


    ¡®The monster wave will also happen soon¡­¡¯


    Unfortunately, I did not know the location of that ce. After all, Cho Hyejin and I had been blindfolded all the way to the ck market, so we did not know where it was.


    However, I knew exactly who did.


    It would be someone who had been tracking my location from start to finish.


    ¡®Hayan, you must know it, right?¡¯


    Being stalked by the Archmage was more helpful than one would think.

 Chapter 166: Monster Wave (2)

    <h4>Chapter 166: Monster Wave (2)</h4>


    ¡®Am I right, Hayan?¡¯


    Actually, I was worried about the possibility of the guards discovering a location tracker¡¯s presence on me. However, I knew there was a good chance that it would stay hidden. After all, the magic used was of a type that even Hwang Jeong-yeon, someone considered as a high-ranking wizard, could not notice properly.


    Using catalysts to track locations was also a magical idea that hadn¡¯t yet appeared on the continent. Jung Hayan¡¯s tactics had slowly be more sophisticated over time. It would indeed be difficult to notice the magic on me unless another Archmage was in the vicinity.


    Although we went through an unknown location where one¡¯s magic might stop working, I think that the location tracker would not have stopped its function. This was the whole reason why I waited for Jung Hayan.


    Of course, the information that Kim Hyunsung would bring would also be expected. The puzzle I had been solving this entire time would soon be finished. The whole reason why I couldn¡¯tplete it by myself was that I couldn¡¯t fit thest piece in.


    Those who were each bringing a piece of the puzzle hadn¡¯t yet returned from their expedition, so there was nothing I could do right now.


    ¡®When are youing back, guys?¡¯


    The big event about to unleash onto the city would be a golden opportunity for a person like me to move easily. Waiting for it proved to be a hard feat, given by impatience.


    Honestly, it was also because I had nothing to do at the moment. I either spent time with Marlin Young-ae and Cho Hyejin or busied myself with managing the guilds and ns that had agreed to sign a contract with me.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t forget to manage each key character continuously.


    The representative one was Song Jungwook of Little Rock. The man in question still seemed to love pestering Marlin, but his anxiety about things not going as nned was evident.


    I knew I should sort this out after seeing this. Though Jungwook was loyal to me now, there was no guarantee that he wouldn¡¯t backstab me when it came to Marlin Young-ae.


    Though he had sworn his allegiance, it would not be strange for him to betray me when the right time came, given his characteristic.


    ¡®Even if it were me, I would want to do that¡­¡¯


    It seemed that I was the biggest obstacle in his ns to be a noble. Of course, even if I were not in the way, there was no guarantee that Marlin Young-ae would choose him, but¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s not something I should care about.¡¯


    Unlike Marlin Young-ae, Song Jungwook¡¯s value was slowly decreasing over time. Once I had taken everything I needed, I would drop him immediately.


    ¡®There¡¯s the thing with Hyejin, too.¡¯


    Spending my time with Jungwook was proving to be wasteful at this point.


    Besides that, in my spare time, I exchanged letters with the Strategic nning Teams of Blue and discussed Castle Rock¡¯s defense system and siege battles, and I didn¡¯t stop talking with Cho Hyejin about this topic. It was also an opportunity for me to learn battle tactics from her.


    In any case, I tried to organize and calcte the status of Castle Rock¡¯s troops while considering the appearance of raid monsters, and it was a simple everyday routine where I was constantly checking goods and supplies.


    It was around this time that Kim Hyunsung returned to Castle Rock with our party members.


    ¡°Lee Kiyoung-nim! Kim Hyunsung-nim just came back.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Thank you so much foring to tell me, Marlin Young-ae.¡±


    ¡°N-No. It is only natural for me to do so.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll be heading out for a while.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    For others, they were justing after hunting as usual, but this meant a lot to me. Kim Hyunsung¡¯s return meant that the changes would make themselves known soon.


    ¡®Good. Good.¡¯


    With these in mind, I headed out to meet the rest of my party members. Jung Hayan automatically ran towards me, and Park Deokgu greeted me with a wave of his hand. Kim Ye-ri, Sun Hee-young, and Hwang Jeong-yeon definitely looked tired.


    With this, I was able to realize that everyone had experienced a very tough schedule.


    ¡°Oppa!¡±


    ¡°Ah, Hayan. How have you been?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been doing well!¡±


    ¡°Did something special happen during the expedition?¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know if it should be called anything special or not, but I guess what our Hyung-ssi saidst time is true.¡±


    ¡°What he said?¡±


    ¡°You know, about a monster wave or something.¡±


    ¡®As expected, you brought in the information I needed.¡¯


    ¡°Is it true, what Deokgu said?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Kiyoung-ssi. It would be nice to tell the detailster.¡±


    ¡°Ah, so it is true¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. It has been difficult to make urate judgments, but I could get some strands with this expedition. First of all, it would be nice to meet with Count Castle Rock. As soon as I get back, I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯ll have to head to the office first. Perhaps¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. I will join you in a little while.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    A whole meeting would ensueter on. For now, it would be nice to have a casual conversation with Jung Hayan.


    ¡°Come with me for a minute, Hayan.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Okay!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to do this as soon as you came, but I have to ask for Hee-young-ssi and Jeong-yeon-ssi to check the supplies and ce an order for items to be requested separately from Lindel. Hyejin must know.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Kiyoung-ssi.¡±


    As soon as they left, Jung Hayan went to follow me. I didn¡¯t know what she was thinking, but she seemed to be in a good mood. As she went to hold my hand, I smiled.


    ¡®How can I talk to her about it?¡¯


    As of now, Jung Hayan was not aware that I knew about her secret. It would not be good if she tried to hide it, so I had to approach her as positively as possible. When I opened the door to my room, she started to smile like a kid receiving her Christmas present.


    Her face had reddened as if she had been expecting something.


    ¡°Come in.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Oppa.¡±


    At this, Hayan came in, shutting the door with a click.


    ¡®Why is she locking the door?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know what she was thinking, yet I still went to sit down, gesturing for her to sit beside me.


    ¡°W-Why did you call me?¡±


    ¡°I have a question.¡±


    ¡°Ah. A-A question?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s actually no big deal. By any chance¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Are you hiding anything from me?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Of course not, Oppa. What¡¯re you talking about?¡±


    It felt disturbing to see her lying to me so confidently. Now would be the right time to talk to her a little more directly.


    ¡°I¡¯m asking because it¡¯s about something absolutely necessary. Hayan, do you know where I went the day you left for the expedition?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡±


    ¡°The day the party members left for the expedition, you know where I went. Am I right?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. How would I¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not trying to me you, Hayan. You know that.¡±


    ¡°W-Well. I don¡¯t¡­¡±


    As she spoke, Hayan averted my gaze, her confident fa?ade now torn apart. She really didn¡¯t have a talent for lying now, did she?


    ¡°I know everything. You can speakfortably. I¡¯m not trying to condemn you. I¡¯m asking because it¡¯s really necessary.¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m not sure. R-Really¡­¡±


    ¡®You¡¯re so obvious¡­¡¯


    It felt like we would get nowhere if this continued, so I decided to exert a little more pressure.


    ¡°Hayan.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ yes?¡±


    ¡°I hate people who lie the most.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Everything else is fine, but I really hate people who lie.¡±


    ¡°T-That¡­¡±


    Of course, seeing her shivering didn¡¯t sit well with me at all. Tears had even begun to pour out of her eyes, much like a child who had gotten caught lying by his mother.


    ¡°Hic.¡±


    She even started to hup.


    ¡°Hic.¡±


    I thought she would be a little scared, but her reaction was a little harsher than I thought.


    ¡°Hic.¡±


    ¡°You knew where I went, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve known about your location-tracking magic for a long time now, Hayan.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°One. Two.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    As soon as I gave a small threat, she had immediately admitted to it. Though it hurt to see her crying, I¡¯d be lying if I said I didn¡¯t find her reaction fun.


    Although I wanted to make fun of her a little more, I had to get this over with. At this, I began to stroke her hair.


    ¡°I¡¯m not angry, so don¡¯t worry. I didn¡¯t like it a little at first, but I know that Hayan did all of this while thinking of me. Am I right?¡±


    ¡°Of course, Oppa¡­¡±


    ¡°You put that spell in case it would be dangerous for me, right?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, I also did it because of that¡­¡±


    ¡°You did it because you were worried that I would be attacked.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Y-You¡¯re right.¡±


    ¡°Your method is a little wrong, but I know that Hayan did it thinking of me, so I can understand.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s actually helpful and¡­¡¯


    A location-tracker was the most reliable insurance for me, who was continuously exposed to external threats at any time due to my poor specifications. Though there were some problems regarding personal privacy, it more than made up for my safety.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, just don¡¯t lie. Of course, this doesn¡¯t mean that Hayan¡¯s actions were good¡­ You know it wasn¡¯t good, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Oppa, I¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not trying to me you. Stop crying.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    ¡°Good. Then, shall we look at the map together?¡±


    ¡°A-Ah, of course!¡±


    I could see that she was definitely relieved, bouncing back immediately. I didn¡¯t know if it was due to her intelligence, but she seemed to have realized that she could be of help to me now.


    I even thought about whether I had done this correctly upon seeing her so happy, but I also pinpointed that she was wrong, so the result wasn¡¯t bad overall.


    Of course, I couldn¡¯t guarantee that she wouldn¡¯t lie again.


    ¡°Can you point it out with your finger?¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know the exact location. I don¡¯t know the geography of Castle Rock.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±


    ¡°However, it is definitely about 500 meters to the left from this side¡­¡±


    Even though she didn¡¯t know the exact location, the fact that she had managed to track down all the roads I had taken was creepy. Looking at her so focused on finding the way with a smile even before her tears hadpletely dried, I couldn¡¯t help thinking that this was so like her.


    ¡®She is really¡­¡¯


    ¡°This was a magic power freeze area. Still, that can¡¯t block the magic I put on Oppa. It¡¯s strongerpared to before.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°This must be a closed space, but it¡¯s strange. You definitely went this way¡­ And¡­ After stopping here for a while, it seemed like you went underground.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the road that was blocked. Just keep pointing.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Alright.¡±


    ¡°Here, like this¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Like this¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s here!¡±


    As soon as she finally pinpointed the exact location where we had gone, I couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    ¡®The ce is within the city.¡¯

 Chapter 167: Monster Wave (3)

    <h4>Chapter 167: Monster Wave (3)</h4>


    ¡®The ce is within the city.¡¯


    This worked in my favor. It would make it a little easier for my work.


    ¡®The western area, huh.¡¯


    Except for the fact that that was where the upper sses of Castle Rock lived, there was nothing special about it. It was hard to imagine that there was such arge site underground, but seeing that Jung Hayan pointed this out with confidence, it seemed that I would not have to worry about an error.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Thank you, Hayan.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe.¡±


    ¡®I think it¡¯ll be okay¡­¡¯


    The location wasn¡¯t bad. There were some things I was worried about, but to be honest, it didn¡¯t matter if the underground site ended up getting swept away.


    ¡®It¡¯s also far away from Yeongju Tower¡­¡¯


    Considering the fact that it was also on the opposite side of the church, it really wouldn¡¯t mean much if it disappeared off the map.


    ¡®Not bad.¡¯


    Even as I mulled over my thoughts, Jung Hayan continued to stare at me. Since I had this settled, it would be prudent for me to join the meeting.


    ¡°Good job, Hayan.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ It was no problem at all!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll see youter.¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­¡±


    I personally liked putting together puzzles. As one more piece fit in, I began to feel better. Anyway, even if I did not move, the situation in Castle Rock would continue to change.


    After praising Hayan and stroking her hair, I was immediately notified of Count Castle Rock summoning all guild and n masters in the territory. This only made me smile.


    I knew a situation simr to this would happen if this were the Holy Empire. Although simr in its conscription, it was the free people¡¯s duty to fight for the empire as they themselves were living within its borders.


    ¡®It¡¯s actually a very good situation.¡¯


    After all, it was Blue that had informed them of the impending danger. If I had to exin it, it would mean that we were in a pretty good situation even before the wave had started.


    As I moved towards the conference room, I saw Count Castle Rock and Kim Hyunsung talking. They both wore serious expressions, but this did nothing to alleviate my happiness.


    ¡°Is that true?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is. There are many simr situations already appearing in the forest.¡±


    ¡°This hasn¡¯t happened in decades¡­¡±


    As soon as I snuck into their conversation, their eyes began to focus on me.


    ¡°Normally, a threat sends a warning and doesn¡¯te. Then, at some point, it suddenlyes in. I think we should prepare for it.¡±


    My role was to support Kim Hyunsung¡¯s opinion and have the others believe in him.


    Even if something suddenly happened, there would not be many people to trust. Whatever woulde out of the mouth of the Honorary Bishop of the Holy Empire would be different.


    At my open, trusting expression, Hyunsung nodded at me with an expression of gratitude. Building up his courage, he began to talk once more, looking every bit like the man I admired.


    ¡°I have already told you, but signs will continue to appear. We checked it personally during our hunt. It is surprisingly simr to the signs that ur in cities that receive monster waves.¡±


    ¡®So we are indeed experiencing a wave.¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s strangely quiet, and the ecology of most monsters is abnormal.¡±


    ¡°It certainly seems like that. It¡¯s also suspicious that they are out of their territory¡­ First of all, it would be nice to have a meeting ande up with measures.¡±


    ¡°If there is a countermeasure, there¡¯s some data that have already been organized.¡±


    ¡°Ah, Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°Of course, there may be a manual in case the situation breaks out in Castle Rock, but we have something personally prepared. In fact, this is because we received the news that abnormal signs appeared in the monster forest even before we came to Castle Rock.¡±


    ¡°What? I haven¡¯t heard of it¡­¡±


    Of course, you wouldn¡¯t have heard it. There was no news like that in the first ce.


    ¡°It¡¯s a rumor spreading secretly among free people¡­ I understand that you haven¡¯te across it, Count Castle Rock. As a free citizen, it¡¯s a little embarrassing to say, but¡­ Many people do not like this situation.¡±


    ¡°I think I can understand what you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Despite living in the Holy Empire¡¯snd, many im only freedom and do not take responsibility for their obligations and rights. Some free people aren¡¯t very happy with this situation of being drafted. ¡®Why should we fight for Castle Rock?¡¯ There are certainly people who think that.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Most of them are the ones who will run away if the wave suddenly were to ur.¡±


    What I just said was not a lie. I knew there would be people who would try to flee. Count Castle Rock was no fool, so I knew he would understand what I was talking about.


    ¡°We need to dere martialw right now to ensure people¡¯s safety. It is better not to end with convocation, but to organize troops and wait for it on a war footing.¡±


    ¡®So, the motherfuckers at the auction house can¡¯t get out. Them and their money.¡¯


    Besides, the motherfuckers who would try to run away at this opportunity should also be properly stopped.


    ¡°I am worried that it may create anxiety for permanent residents, but¡­ This makes sense.¡±


    ¡°Feeling anxious is normal. It¡¯d be worrying if they didn¡¯t feel nervous at all.¡±


    Before I even finished speaking, other people had started to enter the conference room. These were all faces that I had seen at least once, due to Song Jungwook¡¯s introduction of them.


    It looked like Count Castle Rock didn¡¯t like them, however, and if one were to think about what I had just said before, then the reason why would be understandable.


    ¡°You can sit down.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Count.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Count Castle Rock.¡±


    ¡°Hem.¡±


    Although they greeted him one by one, this was, by no means, a social intervention.


    The guild masters and n masters all sat down with a puzzled look. Song Jungwook started looking at me as if asking what was going on.


    He looked funny, looking as if he could get something out of this.


    As the Honorary Bishop of the Holy Empire, he may already know that I was close to Count Castle Rock, so he, who had maintained a close rtionship with me, felt that he was safe, no matter what would happen.


    ¡®He¡¯s cute.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t tell if he was quick-witted or not. He knew that the case had happened, but he didn¡¯t seem to think about how his treatment will change.


    I sat in a nearby seat next to Kim Hyunsung, and after a while, Count Castle Rock began to speak. I already knew what this would be about, but not what he would say in detail. Whatever the choice, Count Castle Rock was free, but I knew that Marlin Young-ae¡¯s father, who now stood in front of me, would respect me to some extent.


    ¡®Right?¡¯


    Once the meeting of the day was over, after telling that a monster wave would be happening, there would surely be an expedition, a trip, or some guys choosing to flee from Castle Rock.


    It was uneptable even for the Count, who must protect the resident people. It would be reasonable to ept my opinion in many ways.


    ¡°From now on, Castle Rock will enter on a war footing.¡±


    ¡®Nice.¡¯


    ¡°I think there will be a monster wave within the next month. While requesting assistance from other cities, after blocking the exit, I will integrate the forces of the free men in Castle Rock with the forces of Yeongju Tower.¡±


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    Everyone¡¯s expressions had gone nk. In such a sudden situation, some of the faces began to crumble.


    ¡°A monster wave will ur?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ Where did this informatione from?¡±


    It was Kim Hyunsung who answered that bullsh*t.


    ¡°This is the information we have managed to investigate during our stay.¡±


    ¡°A-Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll tell you againter in the briefing. We are sure about this fact.¡±


    As soon as our returner stopped speaking, panicked voices began to fill up the room. In lieu of such a terrifying situation, it was natural for these people to feel anxious. Even hearing about Count Castle Rock¡¯s n seemed to do nothing but heighten their panic.


    ¡®Tut-tut.¡¯


    I thought something woulde out of dissatisfaction, but Count Castle Rock¡¯s attitude was much stronger than expected, and all the guild masters here didn¡¯t dare say anything.


    It was at this time that Song Jungwook, of the Little Rock, quietly opened his mouth.


    ¡°Count Castle Rock.¡±


    ¡°What is it, Little Rock Guild Master?¡±


    ¡°It makes sense to say that you¡¯ll be on a war footing and that you¡¯ll dere martialw¡­ but incorporating us with the Yeongju Tower forces in order to fight, that¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Is there a problem?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps it won¡¯t work properly. In the first ce, it is stated that the guilds and ns act as independent units in the event of a dangerous situation simr to that of war under imperialw. This same rule is also applied in Yeongju Tower¡­¡±


    ¡°No. To be precise, imperialw states that the troops¡¯ organization can be changed at the Supreme Commander¡¯s discretion. There is nothing wrong with imperialw.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    Other voices began to pop out from everywhere.


    ¡°When ites to the discretion of the Supreme Commander, I would like you to consider the choice you just made. We, too, are aware that we, as free people in Castle Rock, must join the threats thate, but¡­ Perhaps¡­¡±


    ¡°It seemed that a lot of fighting would happen with the Knights of Yeongju Tower. Do you mean for this to happen?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mean that. I was just telling you that free people have their own way. Please make a more rational choice.¡±


    ¡°About the free people¡¯s way¡­ I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. What is the free people¡¯s way? Is it the free people¡¯s way to put the imperialists at the forefront and only survive?¡±


    ¡°No, Count. At least I think that it should be a free citizen that shouldmand the free people¡­¡±


    ¡°So, the Little Rock Master will use his own troops. This is what you mean.¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    ¡°If not, what is it, Little Rock Guild Master? I am not stupid. I know why you are staying in Castle Rock, and I know why you want an independent unit. I know you would hate to give your life for this ce.¡±


    ¡°I never mean that. But the situation¡­¡±


    It felt like neither of them would yield. This was not a helpful image for both. It was imperative that free people and imperialists maintain a peaceful symbol of friendship.


    From the Count¡¯s perspective, he might think that this was a temporary dispute, but this would definitely create a rift in the future.


    ¡®Their rtionship might break at some point.¡¯


    Even if I didn¡¯t like it, I had to find some agreement. It was then that an unexpected response came out of Count Castle Rock¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°If you think so, then I¡¯ll leave it to Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s it!¡¯


    Of course, it was not a good thing for the free people living in Castle Rock. I was just a guest, after all. As expected, I could see some of the guild masters opening their mouths to protest.


    ¡°But Lee Kiyoung is not even from Castle Rock.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the maximum concession that I can make.¡±


    ¡°I think that would be nice, too.¡±


    What was a little surprising was that Song Jungwook had agreed with the Count¡¯s decision. He was now looking at me, smiling.


    ¡®This bastard¡­¡¯


    He seemed to think that I would take his side in this discussion.


    ¡®No matter how much you beg, you¡¯ll be at the forefront, Jungwook.¡¯


    That had already been decided since the start.

 Chapter 168: Monster Wave (4)

    <h4>Chapter 168: Monster Wave (4)</h4>


    ¡®No matter how much you beg, you¡¯ll be at the forefront, Jungwook.¡¯


    I could understand his thoughts. Of course, there was a difference between fighting and beingmanded while being incorporated into a separatemand unit.


    He wanted to keep his guild intact. No, to be clearer, this in itself was already a matter of survival. This was confirmed when he had agreed with the Count. It seemed that if he sided with me, I would hand over a suitable position for Little Rock.


    Perhaps¡­


    ¡®He probably wants to be ced in the rear.¡¯


    Count Castle Rock had made up his mind, anyway. The entire Castle Rock estate was turned into a war footing, and martialw was dered to block the free people from fleeing the city.


    He already knew that the Count would not give way. If he said that he was at the top of themand system, it might give a sense of incongruity. However, standing in the position of Honorary Bishop, things would be a little different.


    I had a usible position as a free citizen, and the position of Honorary Bishop received by the Pope¡¯s side was enough to grant me the needed authority.


    Choosing me as the person to be the shield of Little Rock was a great choice, but not grasping my intentions was the worst mistake he could have ever made. It seemed like he still thought that I cared about him; seeing him desperately agreeing was kind of fun.


    Naturally, some of the other guilds began to support his opinion.


    ¡°It is said that guilds and ns can operate independently, but¡­ we need to be on a war footing anyway. The Count¡¯s words seem to make sense. Although Lee Kiyoung is not from Castle Rock, isn¡¯t he from the Holy Empire just like us?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a bad decision.¡±


    ¡°In fact, it¡¯s not that we didn¡¯t think¡­¡±


    Sensing an opportunity for escape, others began to agree with the Count¡¯s proposed notion.


    ¡°I think Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung should lead this¡­¡±


    As some guilds began cooperating, the other existing guilds and ns who wanted to receive benefits also began cooperating. They instinctively understood that they could get something out of this. Instantly, the public opinion that ¡®this was a bad choice¡¯ changed.


    Seeing them wagging their tails as if this was their chance was ridiculous. It was like seeing domesticated dogs beg for their treats.


    ¡®The Count made the right choice.¡¯


    Coercive dealing with free people would help solve the crisis right now, but it was not a smart way if one were to consider the future. Compromising on the right line was an obvious step in the first ce. Choosing me as a connection point to connect him and the free people was a good idea for both him and me.


    ¡®It¡¯s reasonable.¡¯


    This was a situation where none of the free people in Castle Rock could be trusted.


    I didn¡¯t know if it was because of Marlin Young-ae or because of his heartbreaking attitude to Castle Rock, but it seemed like the Count had ced his trust in me.


    ¡®It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t understand when I think about the rumors that are spreading within the royal castle.¡¯


    My position meant I had a pretty good evaluation of the situation.


    Seeing that Kim Hyunsung also quietly nodded, it seemed that he also agreed with the Count.


    ¡®Of course, it¡¯s a good thing for me, too.¡¯


    ¡°I am¡­ It¡¯s overwhelming.¡±


    ¡°No. Lee Kiyoung. I will provide you with my full support.¡±


    ¡°If Song Jungwook says so¡­ ahem.¡±


    Anyway, I wanted to do themanding of therge-scale troops. Of course, theoretically, I had to study, but practice was different from theory. If I missed this opportunity, I would be no different than a fool, but humility was a virtue of Koreans.


    As soon as I opened my mouth, intending to say that I was struggling with the premise of not being good enough, I immediately felt all gazes focusing on me.


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    ¡°If so¡­ I will do my best to organize and operate units together with Castle Rock¡¯s Yeongju Tower. Thank you very much, Count Castle Rock.¡±


    ¡°Please take good care of it, Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    Now it felt like the atmosphere had calmed down. Seeing that all eyes were on me, it seemed that I had a lot of things to say. Considering that unit formation was of the utmost importance, it was only natural for them to look at me in this manner.


    ¡®Who would want to go to the first city wall?¡¯


    Although the protagonist had already been decided to fill the position, it is a position that I would have to consider until the end.


    While the briefing continued, I could see that some people were thinking aboutpletely different things. Of course, many of them had doubts about whether the monster wave will really happen, but Kim Hyunsung proved to be quite good at answering their questions.


    ¡°Most people who have been hunting recently can feel it. It means that there is a problem with the monster¡¯s ecology living in the forest in front of Castle Rock.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve definitely¡­ felt it. Basilisks living in swamps suddenly appeared in the woods, and so on. Higher monsters also appeared outside the forest. Even in our n, we have been refraining the new guild members from hunting.¡±


    ¡°If you look at the signs of the monster waves that hit Castle Rock decades ago, you can see that they are surprisingly simr.¡±


    ¡°What is the cause?¡±


    ¡°It would be correct to think that a poption saturation or a new monster that may threaten an existing monster is moving its habitat.¡±


    ¡°But can you judge with just that as a sign of a monster wave? It is only after the situation bes clearer that war footing and martialw can be implemented¡­¡±


    ¡°By then, it will already be toote. I think there is a difference between knowing and preparing and not knowing and preparing. Besides, if you look at the graph here¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ I see.¡±


    Now was not the time for me to intervene. It may seem that the information in the data presented by our side was a bitcking, but all the evidence clearly testified that something would happen. Those who harbored doubts were either dissatisfied with the sudden war footing or just didn¡¯t want to admit it.


    In fact, I was also having doubts.


    Looking at the circumstances brought by Kim Hyunsung, it was almost certain that a monster wave would indeed ur. I didn¡¯t even have to look for evidence. If it happened in the first timeline, it would definitely happen here, too.


    However, the reason was not clear. Kim Hyunsung did not seem to know for sure why the wave had urred.


    ¡®Does that matter?¡¯


    Anyway, what we had to do was obvious.


    ¡®To catch iing monsters. That was all.¡¯


    Most people besides me could understand this very well. Even after the briefing was over, conversations continued to take ce. At this point, it would be prudent for me to speak. If I didn¡¯t, this would go on for a longer time.


    ¡°Then, I will speak as amander. I would like you to submit information about each guild and n¡¯s unit formation and major sses. There should not be anything hidden because it is possible to have a reasonable arrangement only if it is urately described.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Supplies held by each guild are integrated. We, the Blue, will also integrate and operate the items we have brought.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Support will alsoe from Lindel. I hope you follow along as we n to integrate the supplies arrived from Lindel. We intend to leave the management of supplies to the Castle Rock Merchant Guild and Castle Rock Merchant Group. You don¡¯t have to worry too much, as we will distribute the supplies left reasonably after the work is done.¡±


    ¡°Still¡­ Each guild or group has its own circumstances¡­¡±


    ¡°This is a list of supplies to be paid for free from the Blue. It will be more than the total amount that some small and medium-sized guilds can afford. It would be nice to consider each of the guild¡¯s circumstances, but I am not in this post for your convenience. Of course, I¡¯ll take some into ount, but if you don¡¯t want to follow it, you should go under themand of Castle Rock and fight together with them.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that I won¡¯t follow¡­¡±


    The first thing I had to do was control the idiots who refused to listen. As for the supplies, it would only be right for me to guard them.


    At this, Song Jungwook from Little Rock also spoke up while nodding.


    ¡°I also agree with Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    Though I knew he wasn¡¯t sincerely loyal, this was good of him to do.


    ¡°Only the minimum number of troops will be left in the Guild Houses, and all guilds, for the time being, will use the barracks inside the walls and always wait by these areas. Also, the whole training will start tomorrow. Those from the Red Mercenaries will be in charge of training.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Are the Red Mercenariesing, too?¡± A hopeful voice inquired.


    ¡°Now, we are constantly inmunication with Lindel. Perhaps, if the timing coincides with hers, Cha Hee-ra will be able to fight together with us.¡±


    ¡°Oooooh.¡±


    Hearing this had sessfully eased away their anxiety. I knew what they were thinking. They were d that the Red Mercenaries would be there, since it would help them ovee the situation.


    I knew Cha Hee-ra was one of the reasons why most of these people looked up to me, too. Of course, the fact that I was a personally preparedmander was also a reason why they liked me.


    From the time Kim Hyunsung asked to go to Castle Rock, he had done nothing but gave orders and information. Still, it was themander¡¯s confidence in uneasy situations that, in turn, also gave confidence to those under him.


    Meanwhile, I had made sure to let them know of the consequences of disobeying me.


    ¡°Hahaha. I don¡¯t know how fortunate it is for having Lee Kiyoung at Castle Rock.¡±


    In the meantime, Song Jungwook busied himself with constantly kissing my ass in the hopes of getting the rear cement.


    ¡°The Castle Rock Merchant Guild will start sorting after receiving all supplies within today. Other guilds will also be armed and move their residence to the walled barracks.¡±


    ¡°All of this will happen today?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to move quickly, then.¡±


    ¡°If something happens, you must report it directly to me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, alright.¡±


    ¡°Well, what kind of barracks can I go to?¡±


    ¡°When youe back, everything will be ready.¡±


    They would need time to organize, so it was only right to give this amount of time.


    As I continued to talk about the n as if everything had already been prepared, the expressions of those listening to me began to change.


    They had started to look d that I had takenmand.


    ¡®And that¡¯s what I want.¡¯


    As an Honorary Bishop of the Holy Empire, I could get help from priests in other cities, and I could also get help from the Red Mercenary because I was the Mercenary Queen¡¯s Gigolo. Perhaps considering that I could also get the Yozora Guild¡¯s help in Celia, my background alone might make me look like a ratherpetentmander.


    ¡°We will try toplete the formation of the unit in consultation with Count Castle Rock as soon as possible. Let¡¯s dismiss the meeting at this point. Personal arrangements should be made as soon as possible. As Count Castle Rock said, we¡¯re cing on a war footing now. I¡¯m not a person who likes to make useless troubles, so if you follow me well, there will be something for you to get, too.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°It would be a good idea to think about what would happen after the wave is over instead of just thinking about what¡¯s going on as of the moment.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    As I stood up, all of them stood up as well. They approached me as soon as I left the room.


    Of course, the most active one among them was Song Jungwook, the number one contributor who had ced me on my current pedestal.


    ¡°Lee Kiyoung, what time can Ie in?¡±


    ¡°In fact, I would like everyone to gather by the afternoon, but¡­¡±


    ¡°I think it will take a little longer¡­¡±


    ¡°Then, it¡¯s a bit, but I¡¯ll give you this convenience.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°No. I can¡¯t be too inflexible.¡±


    ¡°As expected from Lee Kiyoung. When you first came to Castle Rock, did you feel that you were the one who would be the light to Castle Rock? Hahahaha.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t the only one wagging his tail. Most of them threw me praises in all directions.


    It took me quite a while to get rid of all of them. My conversation with Jung Hayan about the location-tracker on my body would have to wait at ater date.


    ¡®I have to organize the troops, too¡­¡¯


    This would not be a big problem as long as Cho Hyejin could help me with it.


    ¡°Hyejin-ssi?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Vice Guild Master?¡±


    ¡°I have to go to do something now. I have things to organize, too¡­ Hyejin may be able to organize the troops on her own.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Little Rock and Song Jungwook will be on the first wall, so just get the strands for the rest, please.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°If one has sinned, shouldn¡¯t they be punished?¡±


    Song Jungwook should definitely be on the lookout now.

 Chapter 169: From Trust to Betrayal (1)

    <h4>Chapter 169: From Trust to Betrayal (1)</h4>


    ¡°Uhm, Master. Is this really okay?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°That you entrusted Lee Kiyoung of the Blue as the generalmander this time¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah. You don¡¯t have to worry.¡±


    ¡°What? But¡­ The thing you¡¯re nning¡­¡±


    ¡°First of all, we have to deal with what¡¯sing. Anyway, Lee Kiyoung is from Lindel, and even if his influence at Castle Rock expands, there will still be a limit to it. No, rather, it¡¯s good for me. There are still a lot of benefits to gain.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a human who clearly understands what a give and take rtionship is. Lee Kiyoung from Blue¡­ Hahaha.¡±


    I definitely thought he was. He had surprised me the more time he spent within Castle Rock.


    At first, I only thought of him as a lucky kid. It seemed to me that he had acquired the current status by using his title of the Mercenary Queen¡¯s Gigolo.


    However, as time passed, I had to realize that the skills he showed were unusual. I was wondering how he got his current power, but that didn¡¯t matter. More important than that was his attitude toward the use of power.


    ¡®He understands.¡¯


    I felt like he understood better than anyone how to deal with power and use his position.


    In fact, it hadn¡¯t even been a few days since he came to Castle Rock. He got acquaintances with the n masters of almost all small and medium ns.


    ¡®Of course, this was because of me¡­¡¯


    One clear indicator of what kind of person he was had beening to find me right off the bat. I found it a little funny, but perhaps he found me somewhat respectable. As a person, Lee Kiyoung valued efficiency and could draw whoever his opponent was to his side. He also rewarded loyalty, making the people feel just how helpful he was.


    It was obvious what the consequences would be.


    Castle Rock¡¯s situation had changed a lot, from big aspects like economy and politics to the smaller ones that would initially not be worth mentioning. It had already reached the point where Castle Rock matters could be discussed without Lee Kiyoung.


    ¡®That¡¯s all abilities.¡¯


    As I thought about this, I saw deputy Park Ga-eul approaching me.


    ¡°I understand the Guild Master¡¯s thoughts, but strangely, I¡¯m a little worried about it¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s need to worry.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    ¡°Regardless of what you¡¯re thinking, I am not so stupid¡­ I heard that he is also not very close to Cho Hyejin. What does that mean?¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°That he is also a human like us. Most of the businesses undertaken in Blue are of the kind that has a foot wedged into thew. The contract he signed with me in the first ce wasn¡¯t that legal, right? It was forced.¡±


    ¡°Ah, it¡­ definitely was¡­¡±


    ¡°If you put together all the stories that we¡¯ve heard, it seems that he also showed a lot of actions that indicate hisck of conscience. He¡¯s closer to me than to Cho Hyejin. In fact, I think I can keep a closer rtionship with him without any consequences.¡±


    ¡°Master¡­ Are you going to tell him about our business?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Whoo¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still too early.¡±


    ¡°Well, then¡­ You mean you¡¯re going to say it in the end?¡±


    ¡°The more I think about it, the more I think it won¡¯t be that bad. It will probably be worth seeing when he gets in. Can you imagine what kind of attitude Lindel¡¯s Lee Kiyoung will show us when he goes to the underground? We could get a little bigger, too¡­ He can hold onto the amphitheater tightly. He can teach a lesson to those who looked down on Little Rock. That¡¯s it.¡±


    ¡°Certainly, the Master¡¯s words make sense, but¡­ I¡¯m still a little nervous. I kept thinking that it would not be good to get too close with him¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahhh. I¡¯m being careful, so you don¡¯t have to worry too much. Ahem. For now, let¡¯s keep moving just like we are now. Who knows? Lee Kiyoung just might pass Marlin over to me¡­ For now, if I pretend to be loyal, there will be plenty of benefits. You don¡¯t have to worry too much because I know what I¡¯m doing, Ga-eul.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I was a little worried when they said that I have to live on the wall. It¡¯s definitely good to have awork.¡±


    It certainly was. My room was so spacious that it could not be called a barrack, and it felt more pleasant than the room I had been sitting in.


    Though this situation could not be called extravagant, it was still better than what I would get on average after the city changed into a state of war. Lee Kiyoung was definitely being considerate.


    ¡°Even if you look at the room where we are now¡­ Can¡¯t you see how much he cares about me? Heh, he needs me, too.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°By the way, Park Ga-eul. You¡¯ve had that expression since a while ago. What is it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    ¡°Do you have anyints?¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s not like that. However, it seems like things are going too well¡­¡±


    ¡°There is no need to be anxious.¡±


    ¡°That person somehow seems¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I should say that it feels a little ominous¡­ Of course, it¡¯s just a feeling, but¡­ I really feel like there¡¯s no good in getting close to him.¡±


    ¡°Tut-tut. You¡¯re being careful to a fault.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Master.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not something to be sorry about. I also like that. Of course, it may be unreasonable to believe in a crazy guy who just suddenly appeared, but I heard something thest time I had a drink with Lee Kiyoung.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like gambling. But when you think it¡¯s worth it, then you must throw the dice.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°Whoo¡­ When I heard the story, I thought that he could do anything and be sessful about it. Although he is younger than me, I still learned something from him. There¡¯s something in him to be respected. I don¡¯t like gambling, but my sense is telling me it¡¯s time to roll the dice.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, I understand your worries, but it¡¯s not good to shrink in fear too much. What do you think is the difference between him and me? Look at what he has aplished. Can you believe that Lee Kiyoung has only been here for a year? Of course, there may be reasons for being close to the Mercenary Queen, but there are obvious differences between us.¡±


    ¡°What differences?¡±


    ¡°Every time the moment of choice came, I didn¡¯t throw the dice, yet Kiyoung did. That¡¯s why I¡¯m shilly-shallying in Castle Rock right now, and that¡¯s why Lee Kiyoung has Lindel in his hands. Do you understand me?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Of course, Master.¡±


    ¡°It means that you can¡¯t get anything without betting anything. Oh, this is what he said, too. Perhaps he seemed to be telling me to follow him. Ahem. Let¡¯s stop with this talk here. It¡¯s time for the meeting, so I have to head out. Just in case¡­ The things are stored properly, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master. All of them are being kept in the guild warehouse.¡±


    ¡°What about the egg?¡±


    ¡°You can rest 3333% assured that we are managing it properly.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right. That way, l can rub it once when work is over. Keep caring about the outside as well. At times like these, we have to work harder. Make sure to take care of the guys, too.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    After a long conversation, I came outside, only to see a huge wall.


    I could see the soldiers patrolling the exterior from the top of the wall, as well as the guild members for joint training, as well as those wearing the Red Mercenary¡¯s insignia.


    Of course, the most striking thing was a woman with red hair mixed with them.


    ¡®Cha Hee-ra?¡¯


    Although Lee Kiyoung said he could get the support of a Red Mercenary, I didn¡¯t even think they would reallye.


    Considering that bursting, solid body and strong impression, this was really the Mercenary Queen, just like I had heard. Just looking at her was enough to make my heart pound for nothing, so I didn¡¯t need to say anything else.


    ¡®Didn¡¯t he say that he knows her from Earth?¡¯


    To be honest, if someone asked me if I was jealous, I would definitely say I was.


    The Mercenary Queen was really powerful, but her exterior beauty also made me speechless. Her red lips, strong eyes, and ming red hair felt like a goddess from a myth.


    As I stared at her nkly for a while, I could see her looking at me, waving her hand. I righted my posture right away. It was correct to be as polite as possible. When I turned back, she had disappeared. I guess she had headed to the conference room.


    To enter the conference room after the Mercenary Queen was, of course, unimaginable.


    Holding on to the runaway spirit and running to the conference room, I could see that everyone had already gathered and conversations.


    ¡®Am I a littlete?¡¯


    It was natural to feel as if I had made a mistake.


    In fact, a little bit of tension was relieved. Considering that we¡¯re on a footing war, it was no different from making a big mistake.


    ¡°You are a littlete.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s okay, Little Rock Guild Master. The unit formation has not yet beenpleted. Still, I hope you move with a little tension starting today.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s it.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry about this.¡±


    Looking at Lee Kiyoung talking as if it wasn¡¯t a big deal, it certainly felt good.


    ¡®It¡¯s nice to be a friend of a man of power.¡¯


    ¡°Then, it would be better to continue what we were talking about.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Little Rock Guild Master should sit down quickly, too. We were in the middle of forming a unit.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Okay.¡±


    ¡°We have decided that guilds or ns that are a little smaller in size will be integrated. Although we have tried to give autonomy as much as possible, we ask for your understanding on the aspect that this had to be organized due to the structure.¡±


    ¡°Why do you speak with so much consideration, honey? If a generalmander orders it, then it¡¯s done. Right? Disobedience to orders can be punished by militaryw. All you have to do is cut their throat. Does anyone think I¡¯m wrong?¡±


    ¡°Yes. You¡¯re right, Cha Hee-ra.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes, absolutely. The Mercenary Queen¡¯s words are correct.¡±


    ¡°See? Everyone agrees. In wartime situations, themander¡¯s order is thew. This is the same with Lindel and Castle Rock, so it doesn¡¯t matter where you came from. I am not as soft as my honey. Disobedience means that you will die.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Yes!¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    ¡°Hee-ra¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay. Okay. I¡¯ll be quiet. Don¡¯t look at me that way, honey.¡±


    As I looked around, it was clear that almost all ns and guild masters tried to avoid making eye contact with the Mercenary Queen as much as possible. However, she was only noticing it now. Perhaps it was a natural reaction.


    She was the most powerful person in Lindel, and one of the five most powerful people within the Holy Empire, so it would not feel right to the free people in Castle Rock to be at the same ce with such a woman.


    However, when I remember how she waved her hand, it seemed that she was willing to wee me. That was probably because the Gigolo of the Mercenary Queen spoke to her in advance.


    ¡®I will be safe. Thank you, Lee Kiyoung. Heh heh.¡¯


    I was one who yed a decisive role in honoring Lee Kiyoung as themander, so I may be able to receive sweeter rewards.


    ¡°Ah. It would be better to announce the schedule first. First, I will announce the ones from the First City Wall.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°In First City Wall¡¯s case, I thought that it would be best to have someone I trust as it is a strategic point that is exposed to many risks.¡±


    ¡®Right.¡¯


    Perhaps one of the guilds with a size simr to that of Little Rock would enter.


    Being able to reduce the size of your rivals was a huge advantage here as well. I had to smile.


    ¡°Little Rock will take over the First City Wall.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡®What¡­¡¯


    My head snapped up in an instant.


    What caught my eye was Lee Kiyoung, who shot me a look while sending me a bright smile.


    ¡®That¡­ That son of a bitch!¡¯

 Chapter 170: From Trust to Betrayal (2)

    <h4>Chapter 170: From Trust to Betrayal (2)</h4>


    ¡°Little Rock will take over the First City Wall.¡±


    At this, Song Jungwook¡¯s expression trembled. It was surprising to see that he could sport such an expression. One would think that this situation is funny, but I thought it would not be fun for him either. If he could, he would scream right now. It was obvious why he was suppressing the urge to swear.


    ¡®Cha Hee-ra is an effective anger control disorder therapist.¡¯


    The biggest reason was that the lovely Cha Hee-ra was right next to me.


    ¡®In a war situation, themander¡¯s order is thew. This is the same in Lindel and Castle Rock, so it doesn¡¯t matter where you came from. I am not as soft as our honey. Disobedience means that you will die.¡¯


    I wasn¡¯t sure if this was calcted or not, but it was easier to move thanks to the groundwork prepared in advance. She was the reason why I, who had only been here for one year, could have the seniors in my hands. It meant that she could solve everything that stood in my way.


    I thought that I might look like a fox that sponged off Cha Hee-ra¡¯s power and force, but who cares about what others think?


    The only thing that mattered was that they elected me asmander and that Cha Hee-ra was next to me.


    Taking another look at Song Jungwook¡¯s face, I felt extra-grateful that she was beside me.


    ¡®His face shows that he¡¯s been betrayed.¡¯


    We were going to go different ways anyway.


    The answer came when I thought about his characteristic. In the first ce, he couldn¡¯t be consideredpetent enough to be carried. It would be better to offer him a sacrifice for Cho Hyejin¡¯s peace of mind rather than dry him out.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry, Jungwook.¡¯


    ¡°The Second City Wall is the Giants Guild and the Peppermint Candy n¡­ The Third City Wall is in Yeongju Tower¡¯s care. Subsequently, the Fourth and Fifth walls are formed by the n Alliance in the northern region of Castle Rock. As I said before, the Castle Rock Merchant Group will be in charge of the supply.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°After establishing the centralmand center centering on the Blue and Red Mercenaries, we will unify the reporting system.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes.¡±


    ¡°Thanks to the Mercenary Queen, the atmosphere seems to be tenser. I apologize again for this. Hahaha. It¡¯s only right to be nervous, but in fact, I¡¯m looking for a more rxed atmosphere.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha.¡±


    ¡°Hahahaha.¡±


    I didn¡¯t say it to be funny. I didn¡¯t mean to make jokes, but I could see everyone quick to react.


    ¡®Puhaha.¡¯


    Everyone was absorbed in acting carefully in front of me. They were probably thinking of the possibility of getting sent straight to the First City Wall once they made a mistake. Some people seemed a little disconcerted by me, who suddenly abandoned Song Jungwook, but it was not Song Jungwook that was important to them.


    I just announced the end of his modest power, and he was forced to ept it.


    As the rest of the guild masters looked at me warily, I couldn¡¯t help but smile. It seemed that their rtionship was not as close as I had initially thought.


    ¡°Ah. If you have any suggestions, feel free to tell me.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha. Of course.¡±


    ¡°If you are dissatisfied with the schedule, we will ept it after careful consideration.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ Honorary Bishop¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. You can talk.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ First of all, I am not dissatisfied with the organization, but I think you should pay more attention to the western area walls. Of course, it¡¯s only my personal opinion.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Thank you for the greatment.¡±


    ¡®He¡¯s sharper than I thought.¡¯


    When I opened my mouth to speak the line I had prepared in advance, Cha Hee-ra, sitting next to me, spoke first.


    ¡°You thought you had to put a little more strength on the First Wall that faces the forest, right, honey? That¡¯s why the Little Rock Guild took that heavy duty¡­ In the case of the west wall, if the first row is opened, Yeongju Tower and I will support you after that, so you don¡¯t have to worry.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes. Okay. That¡­ Sorry for the uselessment.¡±


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s nothing to be sorry about. You¡¯re asking because you don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    ¡°The Mercenary Queen¡¯s words are indeed correct. You can feel free to ask questions. As I am stillcking, many of your opinions will be helpful.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re notcking. It¡¯s great to be able to do this in a short period, and at least, I don¡¯t think youck in any way¡­ we couldn¡¯t have done this if it wasn¡¯t Blue anyway.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°The pre-war defense wouldn¡¯t happen properly. I can bet on it. After discovering the monsters btedly without any preparation, you would prepare for it, but it wouldn¡¯t be enough. Eventually, you would have abandoned Castle Rock and run away, or would get eradicated right away.¡±


    ¡°T-That¡­¡±


    In fact, I also agreed with Cha Heer-a¡¯s thoughts. However, I couldn¡¯t just say it like that.


    ¡°Hee-ra.¡±


    ¡°I know. I know.¡±


    It was good of her to work hard for me, but she was working too hard. The atmosphere was a bit weird, so I thought it would be better to end the meeting at this point.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t progress that much, but since the organization isplete, I think it¡¯s better for all of you to settle down. Details can bemunicated to each groupter¡­ And about work, the guild masters can do it at their discretion. Everyone will participate in the afternoon¡¯s training.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    ¡°Thank you foring here.¡±


    At this, everyone slowly started to head out, their friendly facades still in ce.


    ¡®They don¡¯t feel the danger.¡¯


    In fact, a lot of them didn¡¯t feel nervous at all. Of course, I could see those who took the current situation seriously, but I felt that some people were more interested in the benefits that woulde after that rather than stopping the monster wave.


    Wherever one would go, people¡¯s vested interests were simr. Indeed,manders who gave orders from behind in such a war were rtively less exposed to danger.


    As I exchanged greetings with everyone, Song Jungwook approached me.


    ¡°Uhm. Lee Kiyoung-nim¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, Song Jungwook-nim.¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­¡±


    ¡°You can talkfortably. Little Rock Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°B-By any chance¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Did I do anything wrong¡­?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure why you¡¯re saying that¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha. What could the Little Rock Guild Master have done? Rather, I want to express my gratitude here. You took over the wall that might be rtively dangerous.¡±


    ¡®To be exact, that¡¯s what I told you to do.¡¯


    ¡°Perhaps the Little Rock Guild will be a great example for the knights of the Yeongju Tower and other imperialists. We n to provide as much support as we can, so don¡¯t worry about anything else. Just focus on protecting Castle Rock.¡±


    I could see him staring at me with a nk face as he found this absurd. I didn¡¯t think there would be a need to talk about anything else.


    ¡°Is there any problem?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ nothing, Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°As you may already know, the Little Rock Guild Master¡¯s duty and responsibilities are enormous. I hope you will do your best.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    Of course, he had to do his best. If not, he would die.


    ¡°Ah. And in the future, if you have any questions or needs, you can tell me through my lieutenant.¡±


    ¡°Your lieutenant¡­¡±


    ¡°Lieutenant!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Vice Guild Master?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Cho Hyejin.¡±


    Upon my call, Cho Hyejin quickly approached. Song Jungwook bit his lips tightly.


    It seemed that he thought that the reason that he¡¯s been had was because of Cho Hyejin. I didn¡¯t mean toe between, but I feel like this was not bad, either.


    While looking at Cha Hee-ra and slowly walking away, I could see him clenching his fists.


    ¡®He¡¯s not all that wrong.¡¯


    Cho Hyejin was right about half of the reason he¡¯s been had.


    There was no reason to resolve the misunderstanding as it was better for him to resent her rather than me. Even if he tried to overturn something now, the tide had already been turned.


    He had no choice.


    ¡°Hyejin will manage the major events of the unit from now on. Well, even the smallest events will be impossible for me to manage. Come to think of it; you two already know each other¡­ This will be easier, then.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha. So I¡¯ll trust you, Hyejin.¡±


    As I moved slowly, I could hear the two talking behind me, but I didn¡¯t pay much attention.


    ¡®They must be resenting and fighting with each other by now.¡¯


    It was obvious as to what kind of situation would unfold. What was more important than their conversation was what I could get from this big event and how I could execute the n ording to the strategy.


    Now, that alone gave me headaches.


    ¡°Are you trying to make them fight, honey?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that, Hee-ra. More than that, thank you foring.¡±


    ¡°No. Rather, I want to say thank you for calling me from here¡­ I was waiting for an event like this.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nice of you to say that.¡±


    ¡°It would be nice if a monster wave happened, but there is a chance that it will not. So you can say that I came to see you instead. At the same time, I came to instill tension in the guild after a long time. It¡¯s not bad.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡±


    ¡°There is a chance that the monster wave will not happen, honey.¡±


    ¡°No way.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Looking at the circumstances Kim Hyunsung brought, it seems almost certain, but¡­ Should I say that the evidence is a bitcking?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Well, you don¡¯t know because you haven¡¯t been here for a long time, but the usual signs of monster waves are saturation of the forest or destabilization in the dungeon. It means that monsters that don¡¯t have enough food or ces to stay in the forest pop out. However, no matter how much I search through the data, there is no indication that the forest is saturated.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°There was no dungeon found nearby that could stimte other monsters¡­ If I say that there are signs, then the cause wouldn¡¯t be visible, would you understand?¡±


    ¡°I know what you mean.¡±


    Of course, this was the part where I also had questions.


    Unlike Cha Hee-ra, who seemed to have actually experienced a monster wave, there were times when I felt like I was missing something, although I could not pinch it properly because I had no experience.


    Of course, I felt like I was not the only one missing out.


    Kim Hyunsung, who seemed busy preparing for the monster wave, also seemed to be looking for the reason as well. In the first round, our lovely returner, who didn¡¯t have much to do with Castle Rock, was also unable to answer the reason as to why the wave started.


    ¡®But this is already confirmed.¡¯


    Whatever the reason, the wave would happen. It wouldn¡¯t end as to how Cha Hee-ra would describe it.


    As I thought about letting her in on what I knew would happen, a faint sound echoed.


    ¡°Kieeek.¡±


    ¡®What is this?¡¯


    What I heard faintly was the cry of a monster. It was a voice that came from inside, not outside the city.


    ¡°What¡­ What is this noise?¡±

 Chapter 171: From Trust to Betrayal (3)

    <h4>Chapter 171: From Trust to Betrayal (3)</h4>


    What I heard faintly was the cry of a monster. It was a voice that came from inside, not outside the city.


    ¡°What¡­ What is this noise?¡±


    As I shook my head at Cha Hee-ra¡¯s question, I heard another cry resonating from somewhere. It was a long, thin, high-tone cry, too distinct to be considered a human¡¯s.


    ¡°Kieeeeeeeeeeeeeek!¡±


    ¡®Did the monsters in the basement jump out?¡¯


    It was not impossible, yet it sounded a bit pathetic to say so. Whatever the reason, it would be right to identify the sound. As I opened my mouth to speak, Cha Hee-ra cut me off.


    ¡°Honey. Could you be quiet for a minute?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Just pipe down.¡±


    At this, she closed her eyes, trying to detect the sound. Though I couldn¡¯t understand her behavior, I could understand why she had told me to be silent.


    The floor had started to shake, and it felt scary to look down. Though it was subtle, the vibrations were simr to that of an earthquake. In an instant, I sensed the iing danger.


    ¡®What¡­ is it?¡¯


    ¡°Should we get ready?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I think it really ising.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not kidding. I guess I was wrong. It¡¯sing now, so get ready as soon as possible. It seems that it is still a little far away¡­ However, it will probablye soon.¡±


    ¡°Why is all of this suddenly happening¡­¡±


    The situation felt so ridiculous that I couldn¡¯t help butugh. I hadn¡¯t expected it to happen this soon. Though Kim Hyunsung had busied himself, he didn¡¯t move with a sense of urgency.


    ¡®Did it happen earlier than the first round? Did Kim Hyunsung know that the monsters would being in today? At this timing?¡¯


    As if I had conjured him, I could see Kim Hyunsung running towards us, a clear, disconcerted expression crossing his face.


    ¡®He didn¡¯t know.¡¯


    I could confirm this with the genuinely disbelieving expression he had on. Something must be wrong.


    ¡°Kiyoung-ssi¡±


    ¡°Yes, Hyunsung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Quickly prepare for battle¡­ The monster wave seems to have started.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes, alright.¡±


    Though I had wondered about the possibility of twisting the future, I didn¡¯t think it would change so much. At least we had done our best to prepare our troop formation.


    However, as I continued to think hard, I was able to get a glimpse of the fuse of this sudden bomb. No, I didn¡¯t even have to think harder. The answer was decided on the circumstance.


    ¡®The sound of that cry just now¡­¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know how it rang out of the city, but I was sure that the protagonist of this situation right now came from that cry.


    ¡°I think the scale is¡­ a little bigger than I thought.¡±


    ¡°I see. I¡¯ll get ready for battle right now. What about Hyunsung-ssi?¡±


    ¡°I will inform the Yeongju Tower directly. Kiyoung-ssi can continue to monitor the situation at the Central Command Department and operate a conservative reserve force. All Blue members will move at once.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes. Then I will load all the arrows and cast magic, then lie in wait.¡±


    ¡°Yes. And the sound we just heard¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re working on it. If something strange happens, I¡¯ll report it immediately.¡±


    ¡°And¡­ Kiyoung-ssi?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I trust you.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Thank you.¡±


    At that, I felt better. I knew Kim Hyunsung¡¯s words were not just mere pleasantries, especially during an event he considered important. This would be an excellent opportunity to umte a good amount of experience.


    Due to the circumstances, I was entrusted tomand, but it also would have been hard for Kim Hyunsung to trust me, someone, who had no experience.


    Of course, I felt grateful for his continuous, silent support. Although I had nked out for a while, I knew I should not idle like this.


    As soon as I started running to let the rest know that the situation had erupted, the soldiers quickly began to spread in all directions.


    A loud bell started rattling, and the surroundings be noisy in an instant.


    ¡°Ready for battle.¡±


    ¡°Ready for battle!¡±


    ¡°Get ready for battle! Ready for battle!¡±


    At this point, I opened my mouth once more.


    ¡°All forces hold the position, and the magic corps shall wait after casting!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a monster. All troops prepare for battle! Hold the position! Magic corps on standby!¡±


    It was certainlyfortable to have a messenger who would scream out for me.


    It seemed that Castle Rock wasn¡¯tpletely a mess, as it entered a war state in no time.


    Since the monsters were not visible, our fighters cast their spells and loading arrows without knowing why, but the anxiety was evident on their faces. Of course, in my case, I was still in a situation where I couldn¡¯t think of where the sound would havee from.


    However, the cry was a hint in itself. It sounded like a puppy crying out for its mother.


    It was momentary, but the egg of the monster that woulde out for sale at the auction house popped into my mind.


    ¡®It must be that, right?¡¯


    I hadn¡¯t checked it properly, but if the egg was sold or kept by a guild with a different purpose, I couldn¡¯t help but keep in mind the possibility that the egg had hatched.


    ¡®I should have checked a little more carefully.¡¯


    In the first ce, I should have been more suspicious when a monster¡¯s egg appeared in the central auction house. The puzzle seemed to fit perfectly when considering that.


    If the wave would start faster than expected, it was correct to assume that the cause would be that cry. I needed to find this out for myself first.


    ¡°Hee-ra.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°The sound we just heard came from within the city.¡±


    ¡°Do I have to check it?¡±


    ¡°Yes. You don¡¯t have to go there yourself. No, you better protect this ce. The Mercenary Queen¡¯s name helps increase morale.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°What about the western area?¡±


    ¡°When the wave starts, we¡¯ll start the operation right away, so you don¡¯t have to worry, honey. There¡¯s no problem here, so it¡¯s good to think carefully about what you¡¯d like to give me as a reward for this job. Because if it¡¯s money, I have too much already. Don¡¯t think about giving me gold coins.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you thinking about solving it with money this time, too?¡±


    ¡°About half¡­¡±


    ¡°I knew it. This is our maiden battle¡­ I mean. How about doing a short speech or something?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Everything felt so sudden that I felt unsettled. I already knew the importance of themander¡¯s role. It was not a human-to-human war, but it was also important to promote morale as this could be ssified as arge-scale battle.


    However, this was not a good time to make any risky decisions.


    It wasn¡¯t long after the formation was over, and everyone else had gotten busy.


    However, it was evident that everything had been firmly established.


    Little Rock, which I worried would escape through a chaotic gap, was also looking down from the First City Wall¡¯s top.


    The Merchant Union that delivered supplies was moving consumables such as arrows and potions to each location, and some of the imperial people, who were weak at heart, busied themselves with their prayers. Perhaps¡­


    ¡®They must¡¯ve realized it.¡¯


    The vibrations on the ground had slowly begun to get worse. The earth itself had started to shake, its magnitude slowly increasing.


    From far away came the echoes of monsters crying.


    ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯


    If someone were to ask if I was scared, I would say that, indeed, I was. Everything felt so unrealistic. I wondered if I would be able to do my job, and my anxiety spiked from there.


    ¡®Fuck¡­ It¡¯s scary¡­¡¯


    Of course, I had my own source of strength - the lovely leader Kim Hyunsung, the meat shield Park Deokgu, the adorably obsessed Jung Hayan, and the high-quality priest Sun Hee-young.


    Little Kim Ye-ri and Hwang Jeong-yeon were a little too considerate to be in my line, but they were still colleagues who could save my life if ever I¡¯d be in danger.


    The most reliable one right now was Cha Hee-ra, who was here beside me.


    It was undeniable that I was safe, watching the situation safely from the rear.


    Besides these, there were thousands and tens of thousands of soldiers who could throw their lives for me.


    ¡°Ah¡­ you bastard, there is no need to be anxious.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Voice magic, please.¡±


    ¡°You want to say something?¡±


    ¡°Of course, Hee-ra.¡±


    I began to speak as the screaming grew. The voice I spit out wrapped around the entire castle wall and the castle through amplification magic, and for a while, my voice was louder than the cry of the monsters.


    Perhaps it was my voice, not their shouts, that they heard was trembling.


    ¡°Our hometown is not here.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Strictly speaking, we are people who have nothing to do with this ce. Most people have been brought here without knowing why, and some havee to Castle Rock to survive. Some came to find work.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°There are probably many people who have their own share of bad memories. The environment here is not friendly to us. Some of you may have lost your friend, and some may have lost your lover. There may be some who spend their nights with alcohol because each day is so difficult, while others are worried and wondering about whether to take their own lives.¡±


    ¡°Honey?¡±


    ¡°But everyone¡­ Take a moment to look back and see the output behind you. You are the one who made the current Castle Rock. It is the free and imperial people who changed Castle Rock, which previously functioned as a military facility. Since everyone thought it was dangerous and was busy migrating and evading, Castle Rock is now a tourist attraction and hunting center for many tourists and free people. It¡¯s the result of your lost friends, lovers, and family.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°All of you have aplished and built this up. This high wall we are stepping on, the arrows we hold in our hands, everything you are in. It is you, not anyone, who have built these. It is a precious ce made with your blood and sweat. This is our shelter and home. It is a home with our loved ones and friends.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re good at talking, honey.¡±


    ¡°I will ask you guys. Isn¡¯t Castle Rock really our hometown? Do you really think it has nothing to do with us?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Castle Rock will be safe. If you lift your weapons with the will to defend, our homnd, where we work for ourselves, will be safe! Everyone, we are not forced to lift our swords because of our contract with the Holy Empire. We lift our swords to protect our hometown ourselves. Let¡¯s protect the base of life together! Everyone!¡±


    Though my speech was sudden, it didn¡¯t sound bad at all. The human mind would easily be impressed by this kind of speech when faced with extreme conditions.


    Some may be swearing at what bullsh*t I had just spouted was, but some who were touched may shout to forget their fears.


    ¡°L-Let¡¯s protect our hometown!¡±


    ¡®As I had expected.¡¯


    ¡°Let¡¯s protect our hometown! Let¡¯s protect our living base!¡±


    ¡®Good. Very good.¡¯


    ¡°Let¡¯s protect our hometown!!!¡±


    Shouts of defiance began to spread throughout the entire area. It felt ridiculous to hear it resound from the First City wall all the way here, but it appeared that even Little Rock had garnered courage from my words.


    ¡®You¡¯ll have to protect it harder, you bastards.¡¯


    ¡°Gwooooooooaaa!¡±


    Soon, monsters began to file out of the forest. Although the soldiers flinched, they soon recovered and readied their stances.


    ¡°Today, Castle Rock will be safe, everyone!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s protect Castle Rock!¡±


    ¡°All forces on standby!¡±


    ¡°Launch!¡±


    Magic and arrows covered the sky.

 Chapter 172: From Trust to Betrayal (4)

    <h4>Chapter 172: From Trust to Betrayal (4)</h4>


    I never imagined that I would see this kind of scene with my own eyes. I had only ever seen such in war movies and cartoons.


    What was more unrealistic than that was the presence of monsters constantly running towards the wall.


    ¡°Ah uh uh uh uh!¡±


    ¡®There are so many of them¡­¡¯


    I didn¡¯t go hunting a lot, but the ones I saw for the first time definitely stood out. These were medium-sized monsters, which were about five timesrger than humans, to small monsters that were continuously being stepped on by the bigger ones.


    The monsters may each have their own purpose and size, but the ones with only one purpose of crossing the walls certainly felt terrifying.


    As they stood there, magic and arrows began to fall upon them.


    There was a momentary yet loud roar.


    Kaw-ahhh!


    Kwajiik!


    Kaduuuk!


    An explosive sound was heard, and debris spread to the ground in all directions. The small monsters quickly got caught in the fire.


    Arrows were embedded in the whole body of medium-sized monsters, and thus, they fell. Arrows with magical power on each one of them were steadily blowing the heads of the small monsters.


    However, the number of monsters in the crowd was more than I had first imagined. It was ridiculous to see that they all protruded from the forest side.


    ¡®Where are theying from?¡¯


    It was clear that even the monsters residing within the deepest forest also popped out. As the forest was sorge, their numbers would also, no doubt.


    ¡°Launch!¡±


    When I went to speak once more, the secondary bombardment hit the ground from the wall. Once again, the same thing happened.


    The monsters that ran towards us got knocked down, and the others tripped over the already fallen bodies. When I raised my hand, the wizards who specialized in handling the earth¡¯s properties cast their spells, and spears made of soil and rocks started to pop out from the ground.


    The rest of the screaming mob got pierced by the spears.


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    Though it didn¡¯t show off very much, it proved to be quite effective in clearing up the monsters¡¯ forefront with a minimum attack.


    ¡®It¡¯s barely noticeable.¡¯


    The only thing we could do here was to use our arrows and magic efficiently. I thought about at least getting the experience by chanting spells, but I gave up on this thought immediately.


    To efficiently take care of thisrge event prepared by the returner, it would be good to leave themon-grade monsters or rare-grade monsters to the unimportant people.


    ¡®I have to save up my magic power in case of a formidable enemyter on.¡¯


    ¡°It was easy.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes, honey. This is a good start. It is impressive that you put the brakes with earth magic. There are not many flying monsters in Castle Rock, so if you keep blocking and defending the entrance, it¡¯ll be easier in the long run.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good news.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just saying this, but you¡¯d better save your magic power. Opportunities like this are rare.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    I could see the reality here; the guys who had more power were taking more than those who didn¡¯t. Unlike those under orders, setting rare-grade andmon-grade monsters, who didn¡¯t want to die, on fire, those who could be ssified asmanders were saving their magic power and stamina forter.


    ¡°They¡¯re attacking the First City Wall first.¡±


    ¡°Yes, they are.¡±


    During a pre-war defense, the monsters that entered in the first wave began to bump into the city walls. Their vigor alone seemed to create some damage, but the massive walls that had protected Castle Rock for hundreds of years could not possibly fall.


    At this, the monsters decided to use their fallenrades as some makeshift staircase.


    ¡°Block them out!¡±


    ¡°Quuuuh-uh!¡±


    ¡°Shoot your arrows! Sh*t! Arrows!¡±


    ¡°Push them away with magic!¡±


    The Little Rock Guild maintaining the front line was showing quite an impressive performance.


    ¡®Whoa¡­ They¡¯re desperate.¡¯


    It would only be natural for them to feel this way. If the monsters broke through, they would die.


    If I could, I would leave them to die right now, but there was no way I can do that.


    We were still in the early stages of the wave, so it was only right for them to keep holding on.


    Looking at Song Jungwook, who was doing his best to protect the guild members from afar, was enough to strengthen my resolve.


    ¡®Noble guys.¡¯


    If that wasn¡¯t a sacrifice, what would be a sacrifice?


    They were guarding their hometown, but they would not be able to protect themselves.


    Archers were shooting arrows constantly, as their wizards were already in danger of exhaustion.


    Some priests did not miss the tension, and the warriors were trying their best to drop the monsters that have started climbing up.


    Among them was Song Jungwook of Little Rock.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let theme up!¡±


    They might want to run away at this point. However, it seemed that they couldn¡¯t do so because of the Red Mercenaries on the ground.


    It would have been difficult even for me to throw everything away and run alone.


    Considering the guild members that they cultivated and the locations in Castle Rock they had made so far, there was no way they could make such a choice. I used the hometown reason for that speech, but in truth, this was a more precious ce than their real hometown.


    ¡®Wow¡­¡¯


    This was different from what I had expected; I thought they would copse in an instant. The power of Little Rock was stronger than I thought. Naturally, I was happy as amander for their hard work.


    ¡°Support the First City Wall.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir. The reserve squad should head straight to the First City Wall!¡±


    What was needed in this situation, which may be a prolonged war, was how to use adequate physical distribution and reserve forces.


    It was burdensome to have hundreds or thousands of lives in my hands, but it was more efficient to think of human lives as mere numbers on the battlefield.


    The damage would definitely ur to the other city wall, but now it was efficient to give a little margin to the first wall side. I could see that the wizards included in the reserve troops were running quickly.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°What, Hee-ra?¡±


    ¡°Nothing¡­ I just think you would be apetentmander.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t answer because Cha Hee-ra seemed to understand my thoughts.


    ¡°Do you like giving people hope?¡±


    I did not look at her. Instead, my gaze rested on Song Jungwook.


    With the sudden help from the reserve forces, I could see him looking this way, even from a distance. In an instant, hope came into his tired face.


    I could take this to mean that he had not given up on the First City Wall.


    ¡°The reinforcements are here! Hold on a little longer, everyone!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Guild Master!¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what he was imagining, but it was impressive that he was still doing his best as if he hadn¡¯t gotten abandoned.


    As soon as I started to focus support towards the First City Wall, the monsters¡¯ movements that were constantly climbing up began to take a break.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like it, Hee-ra. I think it would be better to use it as much as possible to make the most of it.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, the First City Wall will inevitably get pierced after some time. ording to Castle Rock¡¯s pre-war defense records, there has never been a First City Wall that hasn¡¯t been pierced during the pre-war defense thatsted for hundreds of years. Of course, the wall has never beenpletely pierced, but it has always sustained serious damage.¡±


    ¡°You studied hard.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a simple fact you can learn just by reading the record. I don¡¯t know what Castle Rock¡¯s wall architects thought when building this wall, but they seemed a little bit crazy.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°It is made to force sacrifices on the pre-war defense itself. The man who built the wall originally designed this wall under the premise that humans in the first wall could not survive¡­ Well¡­ That¡¯s why the rest of the bases surround the First Wall. For example, the background of Castle Rock, which has never copsed until now, was based on the sacrifices of numerous people.¡±


    ¡°You are saying that this time, the scapegoat is Little Rock?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Perhaps they can withstand the offense a little more. I just need to use them through, and after I have extracted all the magic power, I can throw them out. It would be unfair for them to die with the remaining magical power, and it would be a loss to this side as well.¡±


    ¡°You look so trashy¡­¡±


    ¡°I thought this was the reason you said I was going to be apetentmander.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right¡­ Still, you¡¯re really fucking crap.¡±


    ¡°These are criminals who would have had to die anyway. I gave them a chance to die like this, so they have to thank me. Isn¡¯t it what one would call a so-called honorable death?¡±


    It was, indeed. I could easily find evidence of the crimes they hadmitted. Even if he were to survive, Song Jungwook would end up dying in one way or another.


    There was also a possibility of him suffering severe torture, so it would be best to die surrounded by monsters. His death would work in my favor.


    ¡°Fight them back!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t let theme up! Never! What are the warriors doing?!¡±


    ¡®They¡¯re holding on better than I thought.¡¯


    Having the First City Wall precariously preserved was an impressive feat in itself.


    Of course, these were still only rare-grade monsters, yet it was not an exaggeration to say that just by holding on was enough for their role.


    If they blocked higher-grade monsters once, Little Rock would be doing more than their value, so I thought it wouldn¡¯t be bad to support them a little more. When the arrows intensively fell on the monsters under the first wall, they screamed out and gave room once more.


    Hope once again was shown on Song Jungwook¡¯s face, and he was sending a look ofplete trust to me.


    ¡®This stupid guy.¡¯


    It seemed as if he thought Little Rock was ced on the first wall to make it active.


    It was at this moment that rare-grade and higher-grade monsters appeared from the back.


    ¡®The full-scale battle begins now.¡¯


    A distinct four-legged monster jumped out towards the wall at once, climbing up with ease. Magic intensively poured out towards it.


    The primary goal was to reduce stamina by urgently integrating the reserve troops.


    In the meantime, seeing that Jung Hayan¡¯s and Hwang Jeong-yeon¡¯s magic had mixed into the fight, it seemed to me that now was the time to take a little more action.


    As the support to the First Wall was cut off due to new monsters¡¯ appearance, our proud Little Rock had settled for fighting hand-to-hand with the monstersing in.


    ¡®It won¡¯t make sense to support that.¡¯


    The thought of throwing them away had now crossed my mind.


    While slowly draining the remaining troops, I continued to support the First City Wall only from a distance. Screaming had already enveloped some of the areas.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°Help me! Help¡­!¡±


    Song Jungwook of Little Rock had also started to feel impatient. I could see him staring at me with a pathetic expression, but what he saw when he turned his head was the support team already retreating.


    ¡°Lee Kiyoung, you motherfucker! Re-Retreat! Troops, head back¡­¡±


    However, they couldn¡¯t. It was impossible to turn their back against the monsters that had already flocked in. Song Jungwook only continued to scream.


    ¡°Lee Kiyoung! You motherfucker! Lee Kiyoung! Lee Kiyoooouung!¡±


    ¡®Bye.¡¯


    ¡°Lee Kiyooooouung!¡±


    Eventually, arge number of monsters prated the First City Wall, and his voice got blocked out.


    I opened my mouth as I memorized the numbers.


    ¡°The sacrifice of Little Rock must not be in vain!¡±


    Tears fell down my cheeks as I spoke this.

 Chapter 173: From Trust to Betrayal (5)

    <h4>Chapter 173: From Trust to Betrayal (5)</h4>


    ¡°The sacrifice of Little Rock must not be in vain!¡±


    Tears fell down my cheeks as I spoke this.


    I thought the troops would get it together upon hearing my trembling voice, which spread out loudly due to voice amplification magic. Although some of them knew they could also die, Little Rock had not gone down running away.


    They probably hadn¡¯t even heard Song Jungwook¡¯s scream.


    Unlike me, who could identify the battle situation with magic, ordinary soldiers busied themselves with dealing with the monsters in their way. Therefore, Song Jungwook¡¯s incessant cursing of my name must¡¯ve looked like a war cry to them until Jungwook had died. For them, Jungwook had died a beautiful death.


    He and Little Rock had be heroes of this pre-defense war.


    ¡®I did you a favor, Song Jungwook.¡¯


    I had no intention of doing the same for myself. It would be better for me to survive through dirty tactics.


    Not surprisingly, many troops were impressed by Little Rock, one of the guilds representing Castle Rock. One by one, they echoed my words.


    ¡°Do not let the sacrifice of Little Rock be in vain!¡±


    ¡°Kill these dirty cubs, you bastards!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s protect our hometown!¡±


    In thest moments of his death, the pre-defense¡¯s troops got alive once again from archers who had fire in their eyes as if given a buff, to warriors who did not spare themselves, and to priests who constantly exuded divine power.


    I had to set an example too, so I also slowly started chanting a spell.


    It was time to show the dirty monsters that filled the First City Wall how big Castle Rock¡¯s united power was.


    ¡°Let¡¯s protect Castle Rock!¡±


    ¡®Puh hihahiiihat!¡¯


    As if she felt my magic, Jung Hayan also started to chant spells from a distance.


    If I were alone, it would be difficult to do great damage to them, but with Jung Hayan¡¯s magic, I could do a lot more damage than imagined.


    ¡®I have to gain more experience.¡¯


    The moment the spell waspleted, I could see arge hand descending from the sky to the First City Wall. The massive hand of the catalyst that had been reconstructed instantly continued to expand; of course, the magical power supplied from Jung Hayan constantly infused it with magic. With a ¡®Kwaang!¡¯ sound, the monsters in the First City Wall were immediately crushed.


    Little Rock seemed to have been crushed, too, but a small sacrifice was necessary for the cause. Eventually, the huge hand expanded and burst, causing an explosion.


    It was not my work, but it was obvious as to whose it was.


    ¡®Hayan!¡¯


    ¡°Kaw-ahhh!¡±


    ¡°Kadududukkk!¡±


    ¡°Kuh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh!¡±


    ¡®Nice!¡¯


    You couldn¡¯t hear any experience bar rising, but it felt like hundreds of monsters were swept away by the magic that we had chanted just before. As a result, part of the wall copsed, and the number of monsters that fell under it was quiterge.


    [Some sses have been opened. Please choose the ss you think you need.]


    ¡®Already?¡¯


    Considering that the higher ranking one got, the more difficult it was to grow, this was a great achievement. It seemed like I had managed to kill quite a few monsters, but I didn¡¯t expect to get a new ss this early. A smile formed on my face.


    Upon seeing this, Cha Hee-ra spoke.


    ¡°New ss?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I never thought I would rank up this fast.¡±


    ¡°How many times has this been, honey?¡±


    ¡°This is the fourth.¡±


    ¡°I think that one just now was good, but it appeared pretty fast¡­ I think the experience points from Ito Souta were also counted. Basically,bat gives one the greatest experience, but usually, all actions give experience in one way or another. I¡¯ll choose my new ss after this wave is over. I¡¯ll umte more experience that way, anyway.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the tip.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a fact that we all know. Rather than that, you should control your facial expressions.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Let¡¯s focus our magic power on the First City Wall, where monsters are being concentrated! This is thest message from the Guild Master Song Jungwook!¡±


    Of course, he had never said that.


    ¡°We must not let the will of the Guild Master Song Jungwook to protect Castle Rock in vain! Everyone! Let¡¯s hold on a little longer. Nothing can be saved without sacrifice. Let¡¯s fight together for the hero who lost his life while protecting Castle Rock! All forces, fire!¡±


    After all, I also wanted to get rid of any possible Little Rock Guild survivor. At my words, magic and arrows descended upon the area.


    A lot of magic was poured onto the battlefield, making it scary to calcte.


    ¡°Kaw-ahhh!¡±


    ¡°Kwajijijijijijijiji!¡±


    The roaring sound that rang through my ears sounded just like music. As much as I had to focus on reserving magic power, chanting me-based magic was worth it. As a result, everything within its path burned into ashes, setting off an array of mini-explosions.


    ¡®Whoa¡­¡¯


    ¡°Kieeeeeek!¡±


    ¡°Kuh-uh-uh-uh-uh!¡±


    In an instant, a huge hole filled up from within the mob of monsters trying to get past our defenses. Of course, the rest of them continued to run, yet they had also gotten inflicted by tremendous damage.


    ¡®All of this is thanks to Song Jungwook!¡¯


    At this thought, a smile formed on my face.


    ¡°This might be easier than I thought¡­¡±


    I couldn¡¯t deny Cha Hee-ra¡¯s words.


    Our people were effectively driving away the monsters, though new ones kept appearing.


    Some of them had managed to climb over the wall, but they were quickly taken care of. Even my own Blue party was doing the same thing.


    Kim Hyunsung flew from wall to wall, steadily arranging the monsters just like a god of war.


    I didn¡¯t know how he managed to cut off the neck of such arge monster with a single sword sh, but he managed to do that and much more.


    ¡®Kim Ye-ri, too¡­¡¯


    Even the kid was showing off his immense talent. Jung Hayan¡¯s magic urately hit the monsters, and Hwang Jeong-yeon assisted her as much as possible. Sun Hee-young focused on sprinkling her divine power in all directions.


    The onlymoner at our party was Park Deokgu. However, even he was doing more than average, so I could feel the impact of such a well-trained and capable party on the battlefield.


    ¡®They¡¯ve grown a lot.¡¯


    I could say the same about me, but our party waspletely different from before.


    It was then that a man wearing a Red Mercenary¡¯s insignia quickly approached us.


    ¡°Cha Hee-ra-nim.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Oh. Did you take care of it?¡±


    ¡°Yes. As you said, we¡¯ve got all the remaining items in the underground auction house. Besides, I also checked the cry of the monster we heard before.¡±


    ¡°Report it.¡±


    ¡°In the guild warehouse of Little Rock, I found a baby born from a monster¡¯s egg in a form I have never seen before¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It was a type of monster that I have never seen before. First of all, we are securing new recruits since we upied the Little Rock Guild House¡­ You will have toe and check it out yourself. Perhaps¡­¡±


    ¡®Hm?¡¯


    ¡°Perhaps it is the cause of the monster wave.¡±


    The Red Mercenary member nodded as I made this assumption.


    ¡®I was right.¡¯


    There would be no effect without a cause.


    When my spection was confirmed, my head started to ache. If we were to assume that the wave started because of a monster¡¯s egg, we might have to deal with its parents.


    Cha Hee-ra appeared to have thought of the same thing.


    ¡°Did you check where the eggs were found?¡±


    ¡°I interrogated the Little Rock warehouse manager, but he gave no clue other than finding it in a deep forest.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ They¡¯re crazy guys. It is not illegal to bring in monster eggs, but it¡¯s still taboo. I knew they were doing illegal things in the first ce, but I didn¡¯t think they were stupid enough¡­ At this point, I feel like those damn guys died too honorably¡­¡±


    ¡°Then, the monster wave¡­¡±


    ¡°There is a high probability that it¡¯s happened because of that baby, only now it can be exined. The beginning of the monster wave was clearly that howling¡­¡±


    ¡°Is this a dangerous repayment?¡±


    I could realize it was a stupid question even as I spit it out.


    Of course, it was dangerous.


    ¡°No. There won¡¯t be a big problem. First of all, it would be nice to go inside the city and check it out. I think I need to sort out a bit of appetizer before the main dishes. Don¡¯t worry too much. Now, we have to deal with just one more guy.¡±


    I was a little disconcerted to hear that Cha Hee-ra had to start moving now. Of course, it wasn¡¯t bad timing, but it was evident that the situation was urgent.


    ¡°I¡¯lle back.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes.¡±


    She waved as if it was not a big deal and jumped down the wall. Just in case it wasn¡¯t dangerous, I looked at the member of the Red Mercenary. He spoke right away.


    ¡°She prefers to fight alone.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°The master often shows excitement when she concentrates¡­ It would be better to say that she actually ends up losing her head.¡±


    I knew that much. If one were to think about Cha Hee-ra¡¯s attribute, the answer came quickly.


    [Attribute: Bloodthirsty Woman (Heroic)]


    [Intelligence stats are temporarily reduced to increase attack power.]


    This attribute made Cha Hee-ra the way she was. Considering that her original strength was already 97, her appearance in a state of increased attack power was like a god of war, and even that was not enough.


    Kaaduuuuuk!


    Baaaaaaanng!


    As I looked down at the bottom of the wall, I saw the monsters being ripped apart, just as I had expected. Though Cha Hee-ra calmly picked them off at first, her disposition gradually changed into something as simr as a beast¡¯s. It was like she was never a human in the first ce. The way she tore apart a medium-sized monster with her own hands made her look terrifying.


    ¡®She is strong¡­¡¯


    I knew how strong guys like Ito Souta were, but they were nothingpared to Hee-ra.


    Seeing herughing while covered in intestines definitely made her look insane.


    ¡®It¡¯s scary¡­¡¯


    It was then that Cha Hee-ra¡¯s gaze, whose eyes seemed to have lost all reason, moved onto the wall.


    ¡°Uh?¡±


    It was not an illusion. Her gaze had rested on me while holding a monster¡¯s head in one hand.


    Her expression soon turned into an eager one.


    ¡®No way¡­¡¯


    [Checking the unique characteristic of the yer Cha Hee-ra.]


    [A Lioness Faithful to Instinct.]


    ¡®No way¡­¡¯


    What I had only been imagining hade true.


    Seeing Cha Hee-ra running to me suddenly, I had to admit that something was really wrong.


    ¡°Fuck¡­ Sh*t!! Run!¡±


    I didn¡¯t know why, but Cha Hee-ra was definitely following me.

 Chapter 174: A Lioness Faithful to Instinct (1)

    <h4>Chapter 174: A Lioness Faithful to Instinct (1)</h4>


    ¡°Fuck¡­ Sh*t!! Run!¡±


    I didn¡¯t know why, but Cha Hee-ra was definitely following me.


    Those bloody eyes gave me goosebumps. I didn¡¯t know what she was imagining, but she was groaning with the sound of a beast, and a smirk was stered on her face.


    ¡®Sh*t¡­¡¯


    She had be an actual bomb.


    Unlike Jung Hayan¡¯s, Cha Hee-ra¡¯s case waspletely unexpected.


    Usually, when one did something, there were things within the range that could be expected. The same could be said for most things.


    The same was true for this expedition alone. Although I was a littlete to realize, the wave¡¯s cause could actually be inferred, and the copse of the First City Wall was already predictable.


    In this pre-war defense, we had prepared for a lot of variables, many of which I had thought up on my own. However, I never imagined that there would be a crazy situation where my own allies would be chasing me.


    I never expected this type of situation.


    ¡®This was not in my calctions.¡¯


    Having her chase after me was definitely terrifying, especially as she climbed up the wall with ease. I felt like I could understand why she had focused on me rather than the enemy.


    The answer came quickly if one were to think of her attribute, Lioness Faithful to Instinct.


    Cha Hee-ra had lowered her intellect for heightened offense, probably not thinking of this situation happening.


    In normal circumstances, she would have wandered the battlefield like a Bloodthirsty Madame. She would have focused on exuding the violence that was inherent in her.


    This time, it felt like something else had exploded instead of her violence.


    If this had happened before, I knew she would have warned me at least once.


    ¡®This is her first time.¡¯


    It definitely was.


    [Checking the status window and talent levels of the yer Cha Hee-ra.]


    [Name: Cha Hee-ra]


    [Title: Bloodthirsty Madame, Red Mercenary, Red Madame of Holy Empire]


    [Age: 28]


    [Disposition: Unpredictable Innovator]


    [ss: Mercenary Queen (Legendary)]


    [ss Effect-Acquisition of Basic Sword Knowledge]


    [ss Effect-Acquisition of Intermediate Weapon Knowledge]


    [ss Effect-Acquisition of Advanced Weapon Knowledge]


    [ss Effect-Acquisition of Advanced Dual Weapons Knowledge 3333]


    [ss Effect-Acquisition of Advanced Magical Power Management Knowledge]


    [Stats]


    [Strength: 117/Growth potential: mythic or higher]


    [Agility: 90/Growth potential: Heroic or lower]


    [Health: 90/Growth potential: Heroic or lower]


    [Intelligence: 00/Growth potential: Rare or higher]


    [Durability: 90/Growth potential: Heroic or higher]


    [Luck: 56/Growth potential: Rare or higher]


    [Magic Power: 82/Growth potential: Heroic or lower]


    [Equipment: None]


    [Attribute: Bloodthirsty Madame: Heroic]


    [Intelligence stats are temporarily reduced to increase attack power.]


    [General Review: Intelligence stats are temporarily reduced. The strength stat has increased by 20 to 117, which is only temporary, yet exceeds the legendary stat. She had lost all reason, so it would be better not to get too close. In particr, yer Lee Kiyoung¡¯s endurance, such as a piece of paper, may fly away with yer Cha Hee-ra¡¯s one gesture, so be careful. I hope this meeting is not the end. Please survive¡­]


    ¡®A general review that doesn¡¯t even help! I¡¯ll rip you off and kill you.¡¯


    As I expected, she was already andpletely swallowed up by instinct. What stood out above all was that the ridiculously high strength stat and growth potential were written as higher than mythic.


    ¡®Is that even possible?¡¯


    At this point, Cha Hee-ra¡¯s sneeze would be enough to kill me.


    The Red Mercenary member who had been beside me had confusion written on his face.


    ¡°W-Why?¡±


    ¡°First, run!¡±


    There should be at least one shield to protect my body. With this, I nced at the status window and checked out his stats.


    ¡®Not bad.¡¯


    ¡°Has she ever been like this?¡±


    ¡°N-No. This is the first time she¡¯s ever been¡­¡±


    Cha Hee-ra is continuing to climb the wall even as he spoke. I ran as far as I could until she finally got over the wall, but considering agility and stamina stats, I wouldn¡¯t be able to hide.


    ¡°Block me!¡±


    ¡°O-Okay!¡±


    As if possessed by my words, he held out his shield and tried to stop Cha Hee-ra, but he could not block her outstretched foot and crashed through the nearby wall.


    Crack!


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!¡±


    His bone had definitely gotten crushed.


    Cha Hee-ra would definitely not make the mistake of killing her subordinates, but if he were a normal person, his whole body would have burst, and he would¡¯ve died before he could even fly away.


    ¡°Juliana! No! White Paul! White Paul!¡±


    The thing that came to my mind instantly was Griffon White Paul, who hade with me.


    I didn¡¯t know if he heard my voice, but for now, there was no other way than to call him eagerly. However, the sted creature ignored my calls. I didn¡¯t know if it was because he couldn¡¯t hear me or if he found it too dangerous, but if it was thetter, then he was perfectly my griffon.


    I thought it would be okay if Cha Hee-ra caught me, but there was the possibility of her crushing my entire body, and I would rather not take that chance. Fortunately - or unfortunately - I saw Juliana rushing my way.


    ¡®That would slow her down for a while.¡¯


    She surely would. In the first ce, this was a ridiculous, unexpected situation.


    One of the walls would not be able to properly y the pre-war defense role thanks to Cha Heera, who had lost all reason. Whether I sink or swim, it would only be right to bring her into the city to lead this pre-war defense to victory.


    ¡®At first, I should head under the wall.¡¯


    Even without Cha Hee-ra or me, the pre-war defense would proceed smoothly. Of course, the story may be a little different if the mother of the baby that Little Rock was holding appeared, but the troops who were already struggling to protect Castle Rock knew that the victory of this battle was in our favor.


    If the remainingmander were not an idiot, there would be no problem right now.


    As I ran, I could hear screaming from behind me. Cha Hee-ra was probably striking everything that stood in her way. Given her power, she might exude damage that other people can¡¯t handle, but now was not the time to worry about others.


    ¡°Grrrr¡­¡±


    ¡®What is she, a monster?¡¯


    I felt like she was getting closer. Tens of thousands of thoughts passed through my mind about what would happen if I got caught, but no one could guarantee that my body would be safe.


    That was when I got lifted into the air.


    As I screamed without my knowledge, I soon realized that a different situation greeted me.


    After opening my eyes, I saw that it was not Cha Hee-ra, but Cho Hyejin, who had me in her arms.


    ¡°Whoo!¡±


    ¡°This¡­ What the hell¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a long story. For now, it would be better for us to run into the city.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes.¡±


    ¡°You must be careful, Hyejin-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°How is the situation at the pre-war defense?¡±


    ¡°It seems to be going well. However, I saw that Cha Hee-ra-nim was chasing the Vice Guild Master¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Does themand team know about this situation?¡±


    ¡°I told them that to prevent monsters from infiltrating the underground water, the Vice Guild Master and Cha Hee-ra would be moving with some troops.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only just a ruse I made up¡­ Ah! The totalmand of pre-war defense was entrusted to the Giant¡¯s Guild Master.¡±


    It appeared to me that Cho Hyejin had be a little more flexible now.


    I know she did that not to confuse the troops, but I would like to praise her a little for her willingness to lie. I also liked the fact that the Giant¡¯s Guild Master is inmand.


    He was a guy with a good sense and had asked sensible questions about the formation of troops on the western wall, so he would definitely lead the pre-war defense ording to the manual.


    ¡°By the way¡­ Why did Cha Hee-ra suddenly¡­¡±


    I struggled to find the right exnation, fighting through my embarrassment. Even I couldn¡¯t genuinely understand what was happening.


    Seeing my reluctant expression, Cho Hyejin decided not to ask further.


    In fact, I might¡¯ve looked out of my mind now because of how Cha Hee-ra was chasing me.


    As the stats themselves were so different, we settled for drifting past alleys, but she continued to destroy everything in her path in her fear of missing my location.


    At this, Cho Hyejin struggled to avoid all the debris falling onto the ground. As we moved at high speeds, my sight began to blur.


    ¡°Grrrrr¡­¡±


    Despite my unsettlement, augh bubbled out of me. This situation felt so absurd. I had not expected thispletely different


    At this point, I felt pretty sure that Song Jungwook had ced a curse on me before he died.


    This situation did not feel realistic at this point.


    However, since this was only an attribute, I knew Cha Hee-ra¡¯s behavior would soon revert to normal. All attributes had a time limit, after all.


    When I looked at Cha Hee-ra with my Mind¡¯s Eye once more, I could see her attribute information. I remembered that there was no such function until then. It looked like it hade with the evolution of my own ability.


    [Checkind the details of the attribute, Bloodthirsty Madame, of the yer Cha Hee-ra.]


    [Intelligence stats are temporarily reduced to increase attack power. Time limit 1 hour: 49 minutes remaining]


    ¡®Time limit, 1 hour?!¡¯


    It had only been only 11 minutes!


    It personally felt like 30 minutes have passed. Still, it was fortunate that a time limit even existed. If there was a condition written like, until Cha Hee-ra¡¯s stamina was exhausted, I might have to make a little extreme choice.


    ¡°You have tost for about an hour.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    While Cho Hyejin replied, I could see Cha Hee-ra heading right in our direction.


    ¡°Careful!¡±


    Cho Hyejin hurriedly turned around at the cry, but it felt like it was toote.


    I saw her biting her lips tightly, throwing me outward before pulling out a spear. She had realized the difference in stats.


    However, my predictions were wrong.


    I heard a bang, but Cho Hyejin did not bounce outward. After hearing a voice that seemed to cut through the air once, what I could see was Kim Hyunsung, who had gone to block Cha Hee-ra.


    ¡®Hyunsung!¡¯


    Our Hyunsung had saved Cho Hyejin and me from danger.


    Of course, the difference in stats was still absurd. However, seeing divine power being poured into him, I could see that Kim Hyunsung was not the only one who had arrived here on time.


    Looking back, Sun Hee-young was reaching out to Kim Hyunsung, and Jung Hayan was staring at Cha Hee-ra quietly. Even Kim Ye-ri and Hwang Jeong-yeon came. I felt shocked.


    ¡°What is this suddenly? Hyung-nim?¡±


    Park Deokgu, holding a shield, had stepped in front of me.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know well either. I don¡¯t know why, but she suddenly started to run towards me¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah. I know about the Mercenary Queen¡¯s attribute, having heard of it.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°It is a kind of attribute that improves attack power by reducing intelligence, and the estimated time is about an hour¡­ A little bit of time has passed, so we¡¯ll have to hold on a little. I don¡¯t know why this happened, but I think the first thing to do is to stop Cha Hee-ra.¡±


    ¡°What about the walls?¡±


    ¡°The pre-war defense itself has been fine so far. It would be okay to leave it for a while.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hold her down instead of killing her.¡±


    ¡°Is that even possible?¡±


    Jung Hayan shook her head at Park Deokgu¡¯s question. I didn¡¯t know if she saw this as an opportunity to kill Hee-ra, but her bright eyes looked creepy to me.


    Of course, if Cha Hee-ra died here, things would get moreplicated. Honestly speaking, our party was severelycking in power.


    The bnce of power could be maintained because of Hwang Jeong-yeon, who can be said to be a high-ranking wizard, and the returner, who was performing way better than imagined.


    Cho Hyejin was also one of the talented people who could maintain bnce.


    Assuming that these three people were not here, the meat shield, Park Deokgu, would onlyst for about 3 seconds. Kim Ye-ri, meanwhile, wouldst about 15 seconds.


    If the front row copsed, the back row would be pushed away in an instant.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what kind of situation this is.¡±


    I was not the only one who sounded disconcerted.


    All of the people here would not have expected that they would also have to stop Cha Hee-ra when they came to stop this monster wave.


    ¡®This is such an important event¡­¡¯

 Chapter 175: A Lioness Faithful to Instinct (2)

    <h4>Chapter 175: A Lioness Faithful to Instinct (2)</h4>


    ¡°We will fight with the idea of ??dealing with at least a legendary-grade named monster. Hee-young-ssi will buff the close-ups. Deokgu-ssi and Hyejin-ssi need to focus on not breaking down the back row. Ye-ri and I will block the front as much as possible, so I think, Kiyoung-ssi and Jeong-yeon-ssi should cast magic to stop her.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Okay.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Sun Hee-young and Park Deokgu nodded in reply.


    Normally, it would be the standard to add buffs to the rear, but I felt like he was trying to focus the buff on the front line to not let the melee forces copse in vain. I knew I would have made the same choice.


    What was a little exciting about this was that Kim Hyunsung looked quite familiar with this situation. In the future that would happen from now on, there seemed to be a few things that would cause Cha Hee-ra to stray.


    ¡®Of course, it will not be this kind of case¡­¡¯


    At least I knew Kim Hyunsung had been through this situation at least once.


    ¡°Grrrrrr¡­¡±


    Cha Hee-ra, staring at us quietly from a few meters from here, felt a bit scary. Her entire self was doused in red from the blood of the monsters that she had torn apart. I began to tremble.


    ¡®Whoo¡­¡¯


    The good news was that she could clearly separate allies from enemies. If she didn¡¯t kill a member of the Red Mercenary, she wouldn¡¯tunch a dangerous attack on us, either.


    Of course, even a stone that she would throw would be enough to behead me, but it as merit enough not to make a fatal attack anyway.


    ¡°She¡¯sing.¡±


    ¡°Grrrrrr!!¡±


    In the meantime, debris from arge building started flying in our direction.


    ¡®She doesn¡¯t mean to kill, right?¡¯


    In an instant, the shadows cast upwards swallowed up our party members, but as Hwang Jeong-yeon recited the spell, the fragments paused in the air.


    It seemed to be a magical shape that used telekic power. Cha Hee-ra disappeared among the thrown rubble.


    However, she appeared at the side in no time, her arms stretched out.


    It was surprisingly Park Deokgu that stopped Cha Heera.


    ¡°Don¡¯t even touch Hyung-nim¡­ Aaaak!¡±


    As soon as he blocked her attack with his shield, he bounced off to the other side. Though I knew he wouldn¡¯t die, his arm had probably gotten crushed.


    ¡®Wow, he onlysted for one second?¡¯


    Taking advantage of this, I could see Cho Hyejin, Kim Hyunsung, and Kim Ye-ri rushing to her.


    Cha Hee-ra struck Kim Hyunsung, who wielded his sword, with her arm as if she found him annoying, but our lovely returner avoided the attack by twisting his body.


    Cho Hyejin¡¯s spear then extended through that gap. A piercing sound rang through the air.


    ¡®I see.¡¯


    The strange thing was that I could see their attacks in detail. Perhaps this, too, was the effect of Mind¡¯s Eye evolution to a legendary level.


    However, when Cha Hee-ra punched through the spear that pierced her, Cho Hyejin¡¯s bnce was thrown off. As the crazed lioness prepared tond a blow, Kim Ye-ri, holding a dagger, appeared behind her. The kid¡¯s advanced ability left me open-mouthed.


    Assuming that they worked this well together during the first round, I knew Kim Hyunsung¡¯s efforts in finding them had not gone to waste.


    ¡°Hmmmm-ahhh!¡±


    Kim Ye-ri hurriedly threw her dagger, but as soon as Cha Hee-ra moved, the three members were swept away by the shock of her magical power. Seeing this as an opportunity, Jung Hayan cast her magic.


    ¡°Iiiik! Disappear!!¡±


    ¡®We¡¯re not supposed to kill her!¡¯


    It seemed that her true intentions hade out without her knowing, but it was hard to imagine that Cha Hee-ra would take damage from Jung Hayan¡¯s magic.


    Jung Hayan hurled a magic elemental bomb at high speed towards Cha Hee-ra.


    powerspletely turned the ground into a powder that tried to swallow Cha Hee-ra.


    ¡°Hiss!¡±


    However, the lioness simply struck the magic with her hand as if she found it annoying. The elemental bomb, created by Jung Hayan, struck the opposite building with a loud roar.


    Baaaaaaanng!


    Kaduuuuuk!


    ¡®Motherf¡­¡¯


    Seeing the buildings falling like dominoes reminded me of myself saying that Castle Rock would be safe, but beggars couldn¡¯t be choosers.


    First, we had to sort out this situation.


    Kim Hyunsung, as if thinking the same as me, immediately rushed to Cha Hee-ra with his sword, with Cho Hyejin and Kim Ye-ri right behind him.


    Once again, swords, spears, and daggers were shot at her, but everything proved to be useless. Meanwhile, Cha Hee-ra had focused on Kim Ye-ri.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t it dangerous?¡¯


    Kim Ye-ri¡¯s endurance was not high. When I tried to chant a spell in a hurry, Park Deokgu, who had popped up from nowhere, again blocked her attack.


    ¡°Nice, Park Deokgu!¡±


    ¡°Uuuuuuuhhhhhk!¡±


    I could see him being thrown back naturally into the opposite building. He rushed out as soon as he returned, but he at least prevented Kim Ye-ri from getting killed. His guts and strength were not bad. However, I felt like there would be no end to this.


    ¡®The problem is¡­¡¯


    I did not know for how long Cha Hee-ra would go easy on us. Even now, it seemed that she felt quite annoyed. Though the remaining reason within her told her not to kill us, she might be unable to hold herself back if this went on.


    If one were to face a mythic-grade stat, being bounced off to the opposite building will not be the end. Chances were, one would explode into a bloody mess.


    ¡®This is not good¡­¡¯


    I, Hwang Jeong-yeon, and Jung Hayan continued to pour out magic, but we achieved nothing with our efforts. Kim Hyunsung himself looked anxious.


    Cha Hee-ra and I still had plenty of strength. It was annoying to realize that I had to use my reserve of stamina and magic power I could¡¯ve used to gain experience with, but if this could be considered as an experience value, then it would not be so bad.


    ¡®Still¡­¡¯


    ¡®We can¡¯t keep going like this.¡¯


    Actually, the experience was not a problem.


    If the monster¡¯s mother appeared while Kim Hyunsung and Cha Hee-ra were away, we could be annihted along with Castle Rock¡¯s imperialists within the city.


    As I thought of a way to escape, a huge cry came from outside the wall, as if it had been waiting this entire time.


    ¡°Gruuuuuuuhhhhh¡­¡±


    A low cry resounded. However, it was enough to shake my entire body.


    ¡®We¡¯re doomed.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t see it from inside the city, but I thought I could predict what was going on. Seeing that I saw no figure hovering in the sky, I could tell that it wasn¡¯t a flying type, but upon hearing the chaos that had suddenly erupted, I had to admit that the situation had worsened.


    Of course, I was not the only one who had heard the cry.


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s expression had distorted, and Hwang Jeong-yeon also looked surprised.


    The impact in the voice was different from that of a heroic-grade monster¡¯s. I didn¡¯t know what kind of monster it was, but one thing was for sure¡ªour wall needed support.


    Cha Hee-ra was indeed a problem, but the city wall was of greater importance for now.


    ¡®I have to stop it.¡¯


    ¡°First, to the wall! Hyunsung-ssi! I think it¡¯s right to head towards the city wall first.¡±


    ¡°B-But¡­¡±


    ¡°No, go west!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have time to exin. After taking me west, you can go straight to clean up the monsters on the wall.¡±


    ¡°T-That¡¯s too dangerous, Oppa¡­¡±


    ¡°The party members are heading to the wall right now. Hyejin is in charge of themand and should focus on blocking the monsters approaching the wall. After you take me to the western area, I will head straight to the wall.¡±


    ¡°But.¡±


    ¡°No. This is our top priority. I¡¯m going to be okay, Hayan.¡±


    Jung Hayan looked surprised, but Kim Hyunsung quietly nodded, at once knowing what I had in mind. The order had already been given, after all.


    Kim Hyunsung came to me in an instant, grabbing my hand and running straight to the west. Thanks to his high agility stats, we arrived there in no time.


    The feeling of being in his arms was strange, but his speed was vastly different from Cho Hyejin¡¯s. I could see Cha Hee-ra running this way, screaming as if he had just stolen her lover, but it proved to be hard trying to catch up to us as we ran through different alleys.


    ¡°What do you have in mind?¡± Kim Hyunsung then asked, panting heavily.


    I knew he would be curious. It definitely seemed strange for me to suddenly want to head west.


    In some ways, what I was doing could be considered a gamble.


    I couldn¡¯t guarantee it, but if my predictions were correct, there was one more person in Castle Rock capable of fighting right now.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but maybe¡­ I might be able to get support there.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s this person I met a few days ago by chance¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s expression told me that he found me crazy. I wasn¡¯t all that sure, either. However, it was not impossible.


    If that person left the city immediately after exiting the underground auction house, it was possible that I would be wrong. Still, martialw was dropped on Castle Rock immediately after our trip to the ck market.


    Of course, security was tight, and the Red Mercenaries had encroached upon Castle Rock so that a single ant couldn¡¯t escape.


    If there were a separate underground entrance that I didn¡¯t know, it would be unknown, but as a result of an investigation centering on the underground auction house, no exit to the outside could be found.


    That was not all.


    If there were any lingering attachment for me, it would be impossible to get out of the city that easily. I knew that there was a possibility that this person would have been snooping at the underground auction house in the hopes of meeting me again.


    As I rummaged through my pockets, I saw the notes I had received before. I thought we would never meet again, but I couldn¡¯t even imagine that I would actually look for her.


    ¡°How far do I have to go?¡±


    After we continued to run on, I called out the name I had never thought of calling out before.


    ¡°Shao¡­ lin!!¡±


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    ¡°Shaolin! Come out!!¡±


    The returner¡¯s face looked disconcerted.


    His strangely twisted eyes seemed to be asking why I knew the name, but I could see that he was biting his lips and not asking anything else.


    ¡®Fuck¡­ You know who it is.¡¯


    It felt like he had been entangled in a bad situation with her. It wasn¡¯t the same reaction as Jung Jinho, but their rtionship didn¡¯t look all that good, either. Considering Shaolin¡¯s characteristics, it seemed that she was not on the side of justice very much.


    ¡®She may be from the Republic, so this would only be natural.¡¯


    ¡°Shaolin! Come out!!¡±


    ¡°Is she really there?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but perhaps¡­ No, she will be.¡±


    If she was really here, I was willing to bow down to her and ask her toe out. There were still 34 more minutes until Cha Hee-ra could regain her sanity.


    Seeing her still frantically chasing us, I knew this was ourst hope.


    I could not depend on Hyunsung to keep running forever. Until now, we had managed to avoid her somehow, but to be honest, we would notst that much longer.


    Suddenly, an explosive sound rang through the air.


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°I never thought I would meet you so quickly¡­ And in this situation¡­ Ah, what should I make of this¡­ masked man? Can I call you that?¡±


    The woman I was looking for appeared right on top of one of the nearby buildings.


    It is impressive to see her wearing a Chinese dress, just like the day we met before. She indeed looked beautiful without her mask. A smile appeared on my face.


    ¡®This is it!¡¯


    It would be most effective to make a crazy deal with a crazy bitch during this time.


    ¡®The bnce of power must be maintained!¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s an honor to meet you again, beautiful Shaolin-nim.¡±


    Her face took on an expression of shock at my greeting.

 Chapter 176: A Lioness Faithful to Instinct (3)

    <h4>Chapter 176: A Lioness Faithful to Instinct (3)</h4>


    ¡°It¡¯s an honor to meet you again, beautiful Shaolin.¡±


    Her face took on an expression of shock at my greeting.


    ¡°Really? Well¡­ this is my first time meeting you, so how do you know my name?¡±


    ¡°Of course, it is because your beautiful figure never left my mind. I kept looking for you.¡±


    ¡°Liar.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not lying, Miss Shaolin.¡±


    ¡°Ha¡­¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t youing out because you¡¯re thinking of helping?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not in a good mood because I¡¯ve gotten dumped¡­ To be precise, I came out to witness a death.¡±


    ¡®This bitch!¡¯


    I had expected her to act like this. However¡­


    ¡®She will definitely help.¡¯


    If she didn¡¯t want to, there was no reason for her to show up. She was ying hard to get because she wanted to get something out of this. After all, the fact that she, a member of the Republic, responded to my call and appeared within the Holy Empire¡¯s borders was already a penalty in itself.


    Of course, the ones who had seen her were me, Kim Hyunsung, and Cha Hee-ra, who was still on a rampage. However, her greed was still apparent, considering her reaction during our encounter at the underground auction house. However, there was a possibility that she had gone out tond herself a negotiation with me.


    ¡®I¡¯m not sure what negotiation is, but¡­¡¯


    What surprised me was Kim Hyunsung¡¯s reaction. The man looked angry as he gazed at the woman adorned in Chinese garbs. He then stared at me, not with hostility, although he appeared to be asking for an exnation.


    ¡°We met at a masquerade ball.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ I see.¡±


    ¡°This is the person who once I met with Hyejin while the party members were out hunting.¡±


    I knew Cho Hyejin would make the alibi with me.


    ¡°With Hyejin?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Previously, I received a slightly awkward proposal¡­ I remembered refusing, though. Do you have any idea who it is?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡±


    While I tried to convince Hyunsung of my innocence, a voice rang above us.


    ¡°Will you ignore me like this after calling me? Perhaps it would be better for me to go.¡±


    ¡°O-Of course! It¡¯s been a long time since we met. How can you talk like that, Shaolin-nim? I¡¯m really sorry aboutst time. At that time, my partner next to me was a little sensitive for my safety¡­¡±


    I felt sorry for putting Hyejin on the spot like that, but I had to appeal to Shaolin first. Even as I spoke, Cha Hee-ra continued to follow Hyunsung and me.


    ¡°In my memory, the one who looked ufortable was you, am I right?¡±


    ¡°Hahahaha. Why would I reject such a beautiful woman? I knew you would be beautiful, but you exceeded my expectations. Staring into your eyes will surely drown me.¡±


    ¡°Huh. What a smooth talker.¡±


    ¡°Why would I be lying?¡±


    ¡°Easy. It¡¯s because you¡¯re in a desperate situation right now.¡±


    ¡°In the first ce, a desperate situation is the best background to feel good about each other. Usually, all the main characters in movies act like this. Why don¡¯t you stop looking around and help me out? My situation isn¡¯t so good¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a problem for me to help, but it¡¯s a bit of an expensive order to stop the Mercenary Queen from the Holy Empire. I¡¯m not sure if I can stop her or not, and there must be something I can get in return.¡±


    ¡°I am not asking you to do your best to fight. I would be really grateful if you could help us against her for about 30 minutes¡­ If there is anything you want, we will do as much as possible to grant it. Of course, this includes safely exiting Castle Rock.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ 30 minutes is by no means easy.¡±


    ¡°How about gold coins?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    ¡°If you want material things¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a person whocks money¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll officially serve you a meal. Not only that, but we will be able to give you anything we can give.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°Please help us, oh, beautiful Shaolin-nim.¡±


    ¡°First of all, since it looks urgent, should the contract be concluded with this?¡±


    ¡°You just need to hold off against her without actually killing her.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that. She won¡¯t die even if I wanted to kill her anyway. That crazy gori¡­ Ah, well, it won¡¯t be bad to have you lot feel indebted to me.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know how, but she seemed to be acquainted with Cha Hee-ra. If Shaolin really held a seat of power, then it was possible that she would¡¯ve met Cha Hee-ra at least once.


    ¡®Does this make things better?¡¯


    It didn¡¯t matter. The only thing that did was that she had decided to help us, though it didn¡¯t seem like they were very close.


    ¡®Not bad.¡¯


    As Shaolin quietly reached out, a man appeared from behind her and handed her an armament from within the box he was holding. Shaolin epted the weapon quietly.


    ¡®A whip?¡¯


    It really didn¡¯t feel like she cared much about Cha Hee-ra.


    A secondter, enormous magical power flew towards Cha Hee-ra, who was still charging towards us. An explosion resounded, and Cha Hee-ra was struck to the side.


    Baaaaang!


    I found myself staring, mouth agape.


    ¡®Was she really that strong?¡¯


    Previously, I had not been able to check her stats properly.


    [Checking the status window and the talent levels of the yer Shaolin.]


    [Name: Shaolin]


    [Title: Sadist]


    [Age: 22]


    [Disposition: Curious Seeker]


    [Unique Characteristic: Strangler Romanticist]


    [ss: Whip Engineer (Heroic)]


    [ss Effect: Acquisition of Basic Swordsmanship Knowledge]


    [ss Effect: Acquisition of Intermediate Whipping Knowledge]


    [ss Effect: Acquisition of Advanced Fighting Knowledge]


    [ss Effect: Acquisition of Advanced Whipping Knowledge]


    [ss effect: Acquisition of Advanced Magic Power Management Knowledge]


    [Stats]


    [Strength: 87/Growth potential: Heroic or higher]


    [Agility: 89/Growth potential: Legendary or higher]


    [Stamina: 71/Growth potential: Rare or higher]


    [Intelligence: 81/Growth potential: Heroic or higher]


    [Endurance: 64/Growth potential: Rare or higher]


    [Luck: 81/Growth potential: Heroic or lower]


    [Magic Power: 89/Growth potential: Heroic or higher]


    [Attribute: Vibrant Lash (Heroic)]


    [Restores stamina in proportion to the damage done with the whip.]


    [General Review: I feel sorry for the low stamina and endurance stats, but she has overall stats that are faithful to the basics. She has a good disposition, but her characteristic is not very good. It would be right to say that she is a yer who possesses dangerous curiosity. One thing I¡¯m sure of is that she is not a good person to get close to.]


    Certainly, she was a kind of human that could be ssified as a strong man, but she was nothingpared to Cha Hee-ra. The difference in stats was still evident.


    However, it was the whip she was holding that bothered me.


    [Equipment: Whip Woold That Punished a Goddess (Legendary)]


    [This is a weapon found in an ancient shrine. We don¡¯t know how and who used it, but rumor has it that it was made to punish the goddess. Although buried for a long time, it retains most of its power. Ten points permanently reduce the owner of the item at random. As a result, the magical power of the whip increases.]


    ¡®As expected.¡¯


    Though most of its functions still appeared to be locked, it was entirely different from my Juliana, who still had not awakened yet. However, if one had a legendary item, it would make sense to try and stop Cha Hee-ra with it alone.


    ¡®At the cost of 10 stat points¡­¡¯


    Shaolin seemed confident with her ability, as the subordinates she had brought along stood still, not helping. If something dangerous happened, they would probably move, but as of the moment, she could still deal with Cha Hee-ra as she was still a considerable distance away.


    Meanwhile, her whip continued to create sharp, piercing sounds that seemed to cut through the air.


    ¡°Grrrrr!¡±


    Cha Hee-ra no longer focused on me, as she had sensed an imminent threat. She changed direction right away and rushed towards Shaolin. Because of this, Kim Hyunsung must¡¯ve thought that he didn¡¯t need to carry me anymore, seeing as he had started running towards the wall.


    However, I had no intention of going with him.


    ¡°I think you can head to the wall first. I need to stop by somewhere first¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I have some insurance in mind. Ah! Rather, just in case, I would like you to send the Red Mercenary members here. So far, it looks like it¡¯s going to be fine, but if things continue like this, we¡¯ll have to stop one of them.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I see what you mean. I¡¯ll head to the wall now, then.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Hyunsung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°And¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I would like you to exin in detail about today.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Once more, Kim Hyunsung¡¯s expression did not look good.


    ¡®He must be suspicious.¡¯


    It was understandable. He obviously hadn¡¯t expected me to know someone from the Republic, much less ask them for help. Of course, I didn¡¯t know where Shaolin lived or what she did, exactly, but I had still called out her name, and she still responded to me.


    To be honest, I hadpletely forgotten about meeting her back at the auction house.


    Anyway, I was in no panic about the monster wave. Currently, anyway. Since the Giants Guild Master was inmand, the Western region forces may have been reinforced. I didn¡¯t know what would happen, but it at least eased my worries for the time being.


    ¡°Gwuuuuhhhh¡­¡±


    Of course, if the crying, crazy monster outside went on a rampage, it would be a whole different story.


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll see you in a little bit.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Hyunsung-ssi.¡±


    Kim Hyunsung looked worried, even as he flew off. Meanwhile, I still had one more ce I needed to stop by at.


    ¡®Of course, it¡¯s a little scary to go outside¡­¡¯


    In case Shaolin did something to Cha Hee-ra, I would have to hide here and watch her until the Red Mercenary members arrive, anyway.


    It¡¯s hard to imagine Cha Heera being killed or injured, as Shaolin had said, but¡­


    ¡®Anything can happen.¡¯


    Therefore, I owed it to Cha Hee-ra to watch over her for now.


    ¡°Mad bitch!!¡±


    ¡°Grrrrrr!!!!¡±


    A chaotic fight had broken out both outside and within the walls.


    Thinking about the pre-war defense, where all I had to do wasmand safely from the rear, I realized things had just gotten a lot harder for me.


    This did nothing but make me feel sad.

 Chapter 177: A Lioness Faithful to Instinct (4)

    <h4>Chapter 177: A Lioness Faithful to Instinct (4)</h4>


    Thinking about the pre-war defense, where all I had to do wasmand safely from the rear, I realized things had just gotten a lot harder for me.


    This did nothing but make me feel sad.


    Still, to some extent, it felt like the situation had been cleared up. However, this did not mean that I was free to feel at ease. There were still many unstable factors. There was still the western wall that was scheduled to copse in advance, as well as the existence of a raid monster that would probably be ssified as legendary, at the very least.


    Of course, remembering that time has passed since we first heard the howling, I had good reason to think that our troops were holding on well enough. The side where Kim Hyunsung had gone would regain its vitality with his help. Thus, our pre-war preparations would not be for nothing.


    ¡®However¡­¡¯


    It was always natural to think of the worst-case scenario. One would never know for sure when and how a war situation would change. Cha Hee-ra had changed unexpectedly, for one, as well as the baby monster¡¯s howling.


    ¡®Therefore, the more insurance, the better.¡¯


    To sessfully solve this crisis, I had to keep thinking hard. With my limited skills, I had to rack my brains out to find more solutions.


    As I mulled these over, the battle in front of me continued to rage.


    Shaolin was strong enough, but I began to understand why she didn¡¯t seem confident about being able to kill Cha Hee-ra.


    Sure, her legendary item Woold was certainly powerful, enough to sweep away small buildings with one whip. However, Cha Hee-ra had sessfully managed to stay on guard right after the first surprise attack.


    ¡°Grrrrrr!¡±


    Bang! Bang! Seeing Cha Hee-ra being able to dodge all iing attacks didn¡¯t seem to be the work of someone who had a 90 agility stat. This only proved that she had indeed lost all reason, and all that was left to her was instinct. I could see all of this with my own eyes, and yet¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s sense.¡¯


    She had both sense and instinct. Cha Hee-ra couldn¡¯t have possibly reached that area if it weren¡¯t for all her training.


    Just like Jung Hayan, she was also a kind of genius. Of course, it would be faster to find a yer who did not have a special talent among the yers who have reached that level, but in my view, Cha Hee-ra was clearly unwise.


    Shaolin somehow managed to keep their former distance in an attempt to tie her up, but the beast would never follow the trainer, and so, the battle ensued.


    ¡®She¡¯s holding on well so far.¡¯


    Contrary to my opinion, however, I felt like Cha Hee-ra allowed Shaolin to keep that distance. Though the presence of magic could offset the weapon¡¯s shorings, the fact remained that it was still a whip. This meant that engaging in closebat would be very disadvantageous, especially if the opponent was Cha Hee-ra, someone who specialized in closebat.


    When the beast rushed right in front of Shaolin with murderous intent, the other woman ended up dropping her whip.


    After settling into a strange posture, she struck Cha Hee-ra¡¯s arm before striking her sr plexus using her elbow.


    ¡®Martial arts?¡¯


    Seeing Cha Hee-ra bounce off from the impact looked very much unrealistic to me.


    ¡®Fuck¡­ what¡¯s with those moves?¡¯


    It would be natural to think that a person wielding a melee weapon wouldckbat power. However, I was surprised to find that this was not the case at all.


    ¡®Why is she so strong?¡¯


    No matter how fast Kim Hyunsung himself grew, he still struggled to keep up with Cha Hee-ra.


    Shaolin was the kind of person who could be ssified as a strong woman. She perfectly ustomed her body from medium to long-distance battles and even super close-battles using legendary weapons.


    Although her stats seemed to be a little lower, she seemed better than Ito Souta. After all, she managed to fend off against Cha Hee-ra pretty well.


    However, it appeared that Shaolin did not think the same. I could see her displeasure at having only inflicted this much damage on her opponent. Following her gaze, all I could see was the red-haired beast once again standing, this time holding two cheap-looking weapons. It appeared that Shaolin had struck her right into a weapon shop.


    ¡®Come to think of it¡­¡¯


    This was definitely the first time I had seen Cha Hee-ra wielding a weapon.


    Yes, this was definitely the first time. I didn¡¯t know why she, who had acquired knowledge of advanced dual weapons through her ss¡¯s effect, did not carry her own armament, but the fact that the tides of battle would change from here on out was apparent.


    I started to worry about Shaolin.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t she dying, just keeping up like that?¡± I found myself wondering out loud. Someone answered me, however.


    ¡°It will be dangerous. Sure, she¡¯s strong¡­¡±


    ¡°You scared me!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°No. You came sooner than I thought.¡±


    It was the Red Mercenary I told Kim Hyunsung to bring over. He was currently standing behind me, staring right at me.


    ¡°Currently, there aren¡¯t a lot of troops on the wall, so I brought six members along. We came because they said that we had something to do together¡­ I guess now I know what it is.¡±


    ¡°Yes. That woman with a whip is now fending against Hee-ra. I would like you to watch her so that other idents do not happen. I was worried that she might get hurt¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that¡­ First of all, it is our job to protect the master, so we will follow your orders with gratitude. What about that other woman?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s confirmed that she has subordinates with her. They¡¯re about five. They seem to be from the Republic, but they have decided to cooperate with us, so please take care of their safety as well. Make sure that they don¡¯t die to the best of your powers.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I see what you mean. Usually, It¡¯s not easy to stop the master in that state¡­ Until her reasones back, I think I should support that woman. If she hadn¡¯te, another ident would have happened. She hasn¡¯t been like that recently¡­¡±


    ¡®I can¡¯t say that the cause is me.¡¯


    ¡°Has she ever be like that in the past?¡±


    ¡°There have been several urrences back when she was new here on the continent, and only once when she became Guild Master. Of course, this wasn¡¯t the same feeling back then¡­¡±


    ¡°Back then?¡±


    ¡°I remember her attacking both enemies and allies with no ability to distinguish them. I¡¯m d that that part¡¯s changed now, at least.¡±


    If that was the case, then that indeed eased some more of my anxiety. I was still curious about the news on the wall.


    ¡°I see. Ah. What is the current situation of our pre-war defense?¡±


    ¡°Fine. Although a legendary-grade named monster appeared, it was a little passive.¡±


    ¡°Aha¡­¡±


    ¡°Until then, only heroic-grade monsters or sub-species have been sent, but they have not made direct attacks on the walls. If the guyes in pushing, we would definitely take a lot of damage, but in the previous battle, our wizards saved up a lot of magic, so we can afford to fight. Defeating the monsters all at once on the First City Wall was definitely effective¡­¡±


    I nodded slightly. I had expected the named monster to stop moving at some point. However, I still didn¡¯t know why it would stop moving. It was not easy to wonder about.


    It would be a strange situation if I didn¡¯t smile.


    ¡®I can movefortably for now¡­¡¯


    My prepared insurance garnered me some additional safety.


    ¡°What about the western wall?¡±


    ¡°The western wall also hadn¡¯t faced any difficulties. Although there were many deaths, reserve troops were quickly put in to fill the void. Of course,pared to the other wall, it is true that their power is being pushed down¡­ Is there anything wrong with the western wall?¡±


    ¡°No. Listening to you, I think it will be okay. If you have any problems, you can evacuate to the eastern area.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    ¡°Are there any wizards capable of voice amplification magic?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes.¡±


    Even though the Red Mercenary¡¯s Wizard Squad was weak, seeing him here confirmed that our Kim Hyunsung really felt considerate for my wellbeing.


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    ¡°Apart from the wizard, everyone else can perform the mission I just mentioned. If by any chance, after the end of the runaway state, Hee-ra is¡­¡±


    ¡°There won¡¯t be any other side effects. You can assume that she will immediately return to the same state as before.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief. Then, I¡¯ll send the signal from this side.¡±


    ¡°What signal?¡±


    ¡°Hee-ra can tell you. From now on, I¡¯ll be heading towards the Little Rock Guild House. It looks like it¡¯ll be safe, so you don¡¯t have to escort me.¡±


    ¡°Please take one more person with you.¡±


    It seemed that they really cared about my safety. I know it was because of Cha Hee-ra¡¯s past orders, but I was indeed thankful. At my nod, a warrior sided up next to the wizard.


    ¡¯15 minutes remaining.¡¯


    It was nice to be able to watch the fight, thanks to Shaolin¡¯s capabilities.


    Being able to be escorted like this also made me feelfortable. Seeing my escort wizard cast illusion magic as we headed out for fear of being discovered, I knew they were afraid of Cha Hee-ra stalking after us. However, the woman in question didn¡¯t seem interested in going after us.


    As we moved, I heard explosions and roars resonating from everywhere.


    Nevertheless, the situation on our side was veryfortable. It made me feel very good, and it was obvious why.


    ¡®It feels like all the puzzle pieces have been gathered together.¡¯


    We made good time moving as fast as we could while Shaolin and the others distracted Cha Hee-ra. Of course, when she realized that I was gone, I could hear a louder roar than before, this time angrier, but I couldn¡¯t find it in me to care.


    ¡¯10 minutes remaining.¡¯


    ¡°Can you hold me and run?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course.¡±


    I felt sorry for the warrior who would bear the physical burden, but he was way faster than me. It would take us a little more time to reach the Little Rock Guild House because of its location.


    ¡®2 minutes remaining.¡¯


    If I had been with Kim Hyunsung, we would have already arrived. Since I was with a warrior who invested in endurance and strength rather than agility, I still found it impressive that we could move at this speed.


    Soon enough, the Guild House came into view.


    On cue, as if Cha Hee-ra had woken up, the explosions in the western area decreased.


    After a few more seconds, I could hear her screaming. I felt like I knew why, but it would be better to pretend that I didn¡¯t hear that.


    As I got closer to the Little Rock Guild House, a team member approached us.


    ¡°So, you were there?¡±


    ¡°Ah, Lee Kiyoung-nim.¡±


    ¡°Is there anything special here?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Rather than that, why did youe to this ce?¡±


    ¡°The newborn baby of the monster, is it here?¡±


    I knew I was being rude, but pleasantries were out of the question. The Red Mercenary members had already wandered around, finding what it was that I was seeking.


    The creature looked like a little dragon. The only difference was that its wings had not yet sprouted. To be precise, there was something attached to its forelimb, but no one could see it; I realized it was not meant to fly.


    Anyway, its appearance didn¡¯t matter.


    As soon as I removed its mouthpiece, the little guy¡¯s sad cry filled the city.


    ¡°Kie-e-e-e-e-ee-eek¡­¡±


    Bang! With this sound, I could see the mother monster smashing the western wall, this time looking directly towards me.


    ¡°Oh? What¡¯re you going to do, you bastard? Puhahaha!¡±

 Chapter 178: The Result of the Hostage Crisis (1)

    <h4>Chapter 178: The Result of the Hostage Crisis (1)</h4>


    ¡°Oh? What¡¯re you going to do, you bastard? Puhahaha!¡±


    My prediction proved correct. For someone who appeared so proud, embarrassment lingered in the eyes of the mother monster. She evidently hadn¡¯t expected us to hold her baby as a hostage.


    Although this made me the viin, this tactic worked in my favor.


    ¡°Guh-uh-uh-uh¡­¡±


    I could see her trying to move towards us. However, I moved Juliana close to her poor baby, and she ceased her movements immediately.


    It wasn¡¯t just her. The other monsters had also stopped moving.


    ¡®Did she signal for them to stop?¡¯


    She seemed to understand me better than I thought. Thanks to this, I could observe her closely. She was bigger than I thought, and although she stood a good deal of distance away, I could still scrutinize her figure.


    Even though I looked at her from a distance, I could see her figure exactly.


    There were two huge horns on her head, yet I knew they were not just decorative. Those horns must have yed a decisive role in smashing the western wall just before.


    ¡®They can be sold expensively.¡¯


    Her horns weren¡¯t the only ones that looked expensive. Her dark hide looked intimidating to anyone. Even from a distance, the shiny leather seemed imprable to rare-grade spells or lower. It would certainly make great quality armor.


    This creature was definitely a type of dragon, with its long tail and all.


    ¡®I think that could also be turned into a weapon¡­¡¯


    Of course, I had never thought that dragons would appear here. It didn¡¯t seem like the type of creature that sat on top of mankind, freely using its magic. However, even if one were to look at it simply, they would still be able to feel its enormous magical power. I didn¡¯t know if all legendary-grade monsters were like this, but this one seemed to harbor both emotion and high intelligence.


    Thus, it was also capable of maternal love.


    As soon as I looked at her with my Mind¡¯s Eye, information about her spilled out.


    [Dark Dragon Dialugia (Legendary)]


    [This is a legendary-grade monster that lives deep within the Rock Rebel Mountains. As a dragon-type monster, it has a certain level of intelligence and lives by hunting medium-sized or higher monsters using its huge horns and long tail.]


    [Checking the status window of the legendary-grade named monster, Dark Dragon Dialugia.]


    [Name: Dialugia]


    [Title: Ruler of the Rock Rebel Mountains]


    [Age: 4,036]


    [Disposition: A docile mother]


    [Category: Dragon]


    [Stats]


    [Strength: 105/Growth potential: Legendary or higher]


    [Agility: 101/Growth potential: Legendary or higher]


    [Health: 123/Growth potential: Legendary or higher]


    [Intelligence: 100/Growth potential: Legendary or higher]


    [Durability: 132/Growth potential: Legendary or higher]


    [Luck: 101/Growth potential: Legendary or lower]


    [Magic Power: 125/Growth potential: Legendary or higher]


    [General Review: She is very angry because her child was stolen. You should be careful.]


    ¡®The stats¡­¡¯


    Her stats were ridiculously high. Assuming that the method of calcting stats for monsters and humans was different, her stats far exceeded my expectations.


    Although her strength points were lower than those of Cha Hee-ra after a runaway, the two were vastly different in the weight division. It would not be an exaggeration to say that she had at least several times the efficiency if her strength depended on sheer size.


    Her endurance was 132, while magic power was at 125. I hadn¡¯t yet raided a legendary-grade monster, but I doubted the power of a city would be enough.


    ¡®It should be possible¡­¡¯


    It probably was. Of course, if they were to confront her, Castle Rock may be put at a disadvantage.


    However, I was holding her precious child as a hostage.


    The now silent legendary-grade monster¡¯s voice and reduced pressure gave Castle Rock a momentary silence, but there was no problem. Her intelligence proved to work in my favor.


    The answer came when I thought about why she didn¡¯t move actively in the first ce. There was a reason why someone who could easily break down the city walls would stop her rampage.


    ¡®Because the location was not confirmed.¡¯


    The body of the baby next to me was very much fragile. This made the mother monster anxious for the wellbeing of her lovely little child. She was probably thinking that we¡¯d whisk her baby away if she continued taking down our walls.


    There was no reason to directly confront a monster of such high intelligence.


    As the angry and anxious mother continued staring at me, our troops also looked confused and disconcerted. They tried to analyze why this non-standard monster suddenly stopped all movements.


    Of course, it was my mission tomand the troops that seemed unable to cope with the sudden situation. Their reactions proved to be interesting when I spoke.


    ¡°Let¡¯s protect Castle Rock, everyone!¡±


    My voice spread out with the voice amplification magic, clearly reaching every wall.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a monster. We have to show how strong our powers are to the dirty monsters who try to invade Castle Rock! The defense team shall chant shield spells in case of any situation, and all other troops should attack the monsters in front of you. Concentrate magic and arrows on your right arm! Melee ranks must protect the distant ranks and take down monsters that are still outside the walls!¡±


    ¡°Wahhh!¡±


    ¡°Victory is right before your eyes, everyone! All forces, fire!¡±


    shy-colored magic flies from the wall and fell on her in no time.


    Although her stats were high, the amount of magic they had gathered to direct at her would be enough to prate her hide.


    Sure enough, the mother monster staggered. This could not even be called a raid. She was being treated as a punching bag.


    Because of her defensive instincts, her tail swayed, but she knew it would risk her baby, so she kept quiet and quelled her rebellious streak.


    ¡°Kie-e-e-e-eek¡­¡±


    Once again, the baby started crying softly. It was impossible to tell if it could sense its mother, but it indeed sounded sad. This only served to disconcert the mother monster even more. Seeing her constantly getting pelted with magic and arrows was very amusing.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do our best, everyone! The enemy is now in an irresistible state. Victory is at hand!¡±


    ¡®She can¡¯t resist!¡¯


    ¡°Today¡¯s victory will be remembered forever in Castle Rock! It will be a victory achieved through sacrifice! Let¡¯s speed up!¡±


    ¡®This is the power of humans! You savage monster!¡¯


    ¡°Let¡¯s protect our hometown!¡±


    Through my exhration, however, I felt a little guilty. Dialugia had gone into a pitiful state, given the countless attacks she had been receiving. Whenever she threatened to move, I brought my sword closer to her baby, effectively stopping her in her tracks.


    She hadn¡¯t seemed to realize that, if she were to die, her baby would be next.


    Of course, even if she were aware of this, she wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything.


    This was what maternal love was. No parent would want to see their child get hurt.


    ¡®Whoo¡­ I¡¯m a little sorry, but¡­¡¯


    The guilt continued to stab my conscience, but I naturally had no intention of stopping. If I did, all of us would get hurt.


    This was an easy way to win, and I was going to take that chance.


    Half of Castle Rock¡¯s poption might die if I didn¡¯t, and we were not unlikely to be pushed back. Though it was a sorry situation for this docile mother, whose egg had gotten stolen, there was no other option avable.


    ¡®It can¡¯t be helped.¡¯


    She looked so helpless right now that it was impossible to believe she was a legendary-grade monster.


    It was then that I could see her looking up, her mouth still shut.


    ¡®What¡­¡¯


    It felt like strange energy, different from magical power, was flowing in this direction before I could even blink.


    ¡®What is this¡­¡¯


    Nothing felt wrong with my body. However, I felt my energy continuously sapping away. Worry began to gnaw at me.


    My status window popped up.


    [Title has been created.]


    [Dragon Spouse]


    ¡®What¡­ This is bullsh*t.¡¯


    [It is a title that can only be received by those who have been chosen as spouses of dragons who die and live together at the same time. You have been chosen as the spouse of Dialugia. From this time on, as Dialugia¡¯s spouse, you will live and die together. Magic Power will increase by 5.]


    ¡®This¡­ crazy¡­¡¯


    It¡¯s obvious what the debilitating feeling that suddenly came to me was.


    ¡®Sh*t.¡¯


    Though I should be happy that my magic stats had increased, this also proved to be a disadvantage. As the troops prepared their final blow, I knew I would die alongside her.


    ¡°S-Stop the attack! Stop the attack!! Stop the attack!!¡±


    First of all, I had to prevent her from getting killed. Logically speaking, considering the dragon¡¯s endurance, she probably would¡¯ve still survived, my anxiety-ridden nature couldn¡¯t get rid of my worries.


    As if they understood my orders, the magic attack stopped, yet Dialugia staggered. It appeared that she had fainted. Since the buildings covered her, it was hard to tell.


    My mind shed at the possibility of some troops nning to deal the final blow for some added experience points.


    ¡®N-No¡­¡¯


    ¡°Toward the monster!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I need to head to the monster right now!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes. Okay.¡±


    ¡®What the hell, you are going back and forth several times.¡¯


    Scooping me up, the Red Mercenary member began to run again. This time, I had the baby monster in my hands.


    Meanwhile, the battle resumed once more.


    The monsters that had stood on standby began to rage again, perhaps because Dialugia had lost consciousness.


    ¡°Capture the named monsters! Focus on clearing up the monsters outside the walls!!¡±


    ¡®Please don¡¯t kill her¡­¡¯


    ¡°I say it again! Capture the named monsters! After blocking the copsed walls with shield magic, enter the water system once again! Capture the named monsters!¡±


    ¡®Where is she?¡¯


    Despite reaching almost all the western regions, the shadow of Dialugia was not visible.


    Feeling frustrated, I ran down from the arms of the Red Mercenary warrior. However, I still couldn¡¯t see anything.


    No, what stood out was a human with arge horn on her head. It was noticeable that she was looking at me pathetically while being suppressed by several troops.


    I felt a little disconcerted, but I instantly recognized her to be Dialugia.


    ¡°Ba¡­ Baby!¡±


    Whoever would see the scenario would see her as the victim and me as the viin.


    ¡°You were okay¡­ Baby¡­ You¡¯re okay¡­¡±


    When I saw her vomiting blood, I hurriedly began to shout.


    ¡°Hands¡­ Hands off, you bastards!¡±

 Chapter 179: The Result of the Hostage crisis (2)

    <h4>Chapter 179: The Result of the Hostage crisis (2)</h4>


    When I saw her vomiting blood, I hurriedly began to shout.


    ¡°Hands¡­ Hands off, you bastards!¡±


    I had no choice but to put on a furious expression. Dialugia looked as if she would die on the spot if someone were to touch her. The soldiers around me looked disconcerted, wondering what this was about. However, I didn¡¯t have the time to exin.


    ¡°You need to return to the front line. I will detain her, myself.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Yes!¡±


    There was nothing they could do but follow my orders at this point.


    Meanwhile, I didn¡¯t know if Dialugia would recover with the potion I had, but this was the only one that could heal her. Currently, she continued to mourn over her child with what little energy she had. As I approached her with the baby in one arm, she reached out.


    I worried about her attacking me, but I knew she wouldn¡¯t dare try upon checking her status window.


    ¡®I waspletely fooled.¡¯


    The fact that she could transform into a human form was less important than the fact that she tied my life and hers together; I had been lured into aplete checkmate.


    The only exnation was that Dialugia had really used her brain. She knew that, if she died, her baby was likely to die as well. Thus, she tried to conserve her life by choosing me, the one who had held her baby hostage, and the one whomanded the enemy forces, as her spouse.


    I didn¡¯t know if she had realized that I was the type of person who wouldn¡¯t sacrifice my life for the sake of mankind, but her gamble proved to be sessful.


    As she had expected, I didn¡¯t want to make any sublime sacrifices.


    She understood that saving herself was the way to save her baby; and that holding my life would be the most reasonable way to survive.


    ¡®There was too little information about her in the first ce.¡¯


    What I missed was the ecology of a race ssified as a dragon.


    I at least learned four facts about them with the day¡¯s events. Of course, I didn¡¯t know if this was applicable for all dragons, but it was at least applicable to Dialugia.


    - A female dragon can produce children on her own. In the first ce, their sex might be meaningless to them. Considering their sparse poption, this was probably the case.


    - Dragons had a way to transform into a human form. It was not magic. It would be correct to call it their race¡¯s unique ability.


    - Though the means were unclear, a dragon has the right to choose their spouse. I didn¡¯t know if I¡¯d be able to resist it or not, but it was meaningless to try, as my resistance wasparable to that of an automatic door.


    - A dragon¡¯s spouse shares its life with the dragon.


    ¡®My body is evidently the biggest evidence.¡¯


    Though I did not understand them, I knew they were not simple creatures. They lived a life that had evolved in a different direction from humans.


    ¡®In a way, they should be called high-ranking individuals.¡¯


    I had a lot to research about this, but for now, I had to save Dialugia.


    As I poured the potion over her wounds, she started to recover, albeit very slowly.


    In the end, it didn¡¯t seem effective at all.


    As her original body was enormous, recovering in human form had massive drawbacks. If an actual human needed one potion to recover, this one would need at least a few hundred.


    Though Dialugia drifted in and out of consciousness, I could see that the potion had at least helped somewhat, as liveliness was gradually returning in her eyes.


    Instantly, she turned her attention to her precious baby, still in my arms.


    ¡°Ba¡­ Baby!¡±


    ¡°Kie-eh-eh-eek¡­¡±


    The thought of granting their reunion crossed my mind, but as I didn¡¯t know what action she would choose to take right after, I had to be cautious. I approached her slowly, and she looked up at me before speaking in a sad voice.


    ¡°P¡­ Please return it. My¡­ child¡­ Please return my child.¡±


    ¡®Fuck¡­¡¯


    ¡°Please. Please return my child. Please.¡±


    ¡®Do not cry¡­¡¯


    ¡°Please¡­¡±


    Her tears flowed down freely, like a waterfall. I felt like such a sh*tty person.


    I had expected her to rush into me as Cha Hee-ra did, but shey t as if she knew her situation well. I had also expected her to threaten me by taking both our lives, but she deviated from my expectations. She knew that choosing me as her spouse was herst resort.


    ¡®Is this her original personality?¡¯


    Perhaps it was, considering her disposition as Docile Mother. Seeing that there had been no record of her invading Castle Rock while being over 4,000 years old, it was right to think that she only came here in the first ce because of her child.


    ¡®Song Jungwook, you evil bastard.¡¯


    To feel less guilty, there was no choice but to me Song Jungwook. As I mulled over what to do, a Red Mercenary member approached me before speaking up warily.


    ¡°This person is¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s that monster from just now. Apparently, she can take on a human form.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t heard of anything like this¡­¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it either. I¡¯ve never thought anything like this would be possible. Perhaps it was because of this child that she invaded Castle Rock.¡±


    ¡°I-I see.¡±


    ¡°The pre-war defense is still going on. First, I will detain that monster, no, that woman. The situation at pre-war defense¡­¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s almost cleared.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡±


    Dialugia continued to reach out to me even as I spoke with him. She proved to be hard to ignore. I felt pity for her even when she was still in monster form, so my guilt only doubled upon seeing her as a human.


    Dialugia¡¯s situation was indeed heartbreaking.


    Not only was her egg stolen, but her baby had also been taken as a hostage. Humans had also almost beaten her to death.


    ¡°P-Please, return¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Baby¡­ Mom is here¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­ ¡­¡±


    ¡°Everything will be fine. You can rest assured. Baby¡­ You can rest assured.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Baby¡­¡±


    ¡°Kie-eh-eh-eek¡­¡±


    As much as I had to avoid returning her child, this scene was just too heartbreaking to bear. Dialugia¡¯s whole body was a wreck, and although the possibility of her returning to her original form and destroying us after we gave the baby back crossed my mind¡­


    ¡®There was no possibility.¡¯


    Dialugia had already lost most of herbat capabilities. The potion I had given her was just for first aid purposes. She knew that if she ended up dying now, her baby would be next.


    With this thought, I knew it wouldn¡¯t be bad to let her hold the baby. For now, I had to form some semnce of a good rtionship with her.


    I didn¡¯t say anything; I just ced the little monster into her arms. At once, Dialugia cradled the baby tightly to herself.


    ¡°My baby¡­ My baby!¡±


    ¡°Kiek!¡±


    The Red Mercenary member next to me looked worried.


    ¡°Will this be okay?¡±


    ¡°There will be no other problems. She has already lost almost all her fighting abilities, and holding a baby wouldn¡¯t make any difference. Rather, it will help her mental state.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Already, I could feel her mental state improving.


    After a few moments, Dialugia¡¯s eyes snapped to us, evidently wary of us possibly taking her baby away again. She was more sagacious than I had initially thought.


    At this point, it wouldn¡¯t be bad to have a conversation.


    She was definitely different from us. There was no way that those two big horns on her head were human. Neither were her eyes.


    ¡°Can you understand me?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    It took her a while to answer.


    ¡°I can¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fortunate. It would be better to introduce myself first. I am Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°Dialugia¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, there seem to be some misunderstandings between us. I want to give you several exnations, but not right now. For now, I think you should follow our constraints.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if you believe it, but it wasn¡¯t us who stole the child. From our perspective, Ahem¡­ The obvious thing is that you attacked us first.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t follow the constraints, we may have to use a somewhat rough method. Of course, your child will be safe the whole time. I promise I won¡¯t do any harm to the child.¡±


    ¡°I-I can¡¯t believe in humans¡­¡±


    ¡°You have no choice. Whether or not you choose to believe, you can only follow what we say.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    Dialugia¡¯s expression harbored serious doubt as she stared at me. If I were in her shoes, I would¡¯ve felt the same.


    I decided to look at her with Mind¡¯s Eye once more. I had to find out what type of attitude she had to make it easier for me to talk to her.


    [Checking the unique characteristics of the legendary-grade monster Dialugia.]


    [The Giving Tree]


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    It had been a while since I¡¯d seen a normal characteristic. As her existence itself was dangerous, I was worried about whether she was kind of like Jung Hayan or Cha Hee-ra, so this came as a surprise.


    ¡®That¡¯s good.¡¯


    Until now, I couldn¡¯t figure out the situation, but, naturally, various thoughts came into my mind as soon as I saw her characteristic. Dialugia had Docile Mother as a disposition and Giving Tree as a unique characteristic. I couldn¡¯t remember thest time I had seen someone with such a normalbination.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this a very good thing?¡¯


    Considering the fact that she and I now shared a lifeline, this proved to be very advantageous to me. Although I wasn¡¯t sure as to whether my life expectancy would increase or not, Dialugia was in a position where she had to keep living for the sake of her child.


    If I died, her precious child would be thrown in immediate danger. Thus, to care for her child¡¯s life was to care for her own. She could create monster waves, possessed huge magic and high intelligence, had steel-like horns and tails for an appearance, and had a breakthrough skill that could pierce the western wall.


    In short, she had sessfully fooled me. However, I saw this as an opportunity.


    ¡®Dragon spouse!¡¯


    Because of this, I had received 5 points in magic power, which was difficult to obtain given my stats.


    ¡®It¡¯s not just that.¡¯


    As an alchemist, who else would get the chance to study a living dragon?


    If I could get Dialugia¡¯s cooperation, I would have a living subject instead of a corpse. Of course, considering the fact that she and I now shared a life, it would be impossible to do rough things to her, but this would still be of great help.


    A smile formed on my face.


    Dialugia stared at my sudden change in expression warily. At this, I gently grabbed her shoulder. She groaned a little, but I was able to lift her.


    ¡°Let¡¯s keep the promise.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°Many humans died here, too.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, I understand the situation, but I was in a position wherein I couldn¡¯t help.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Okay.¡±


    ¡°First, I will go and arrest the recruits. I hope you understand that we have also been very considerate.¡±


    ¡°My child¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about your child¡¯s safety.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my child now as well, after all,¡± I whispered this part into her ear.


    Realization dawned on Dialugia¡¯s face, and she began to get pale. Of course, it would be better to keep this fact a secret. I didn¡¯t want to acquire any more trouble.


    However, love for this baby monster had genuinely bloomed in my heart.


    In the end, it was Dialugia, not me, who had been checkmated.


    ¡®Dad will be good to you!¡¯

 Chapter 180: The End of Pre-war Defense (1)

    <h4>Chapter 180: The End of Pre-war Defense (1)</h4>


    ¡®Dad will be good to you!¡¯


    It was originally an unwanted child, but that did not matter anymore. I now considered it as solid insurance, as it could protect me once I became too old.


    Meanwhile, Dialugia still looked speechless, her face taking on aplex expression. However, the answer had already been decided for her.


    ¡°It was an unwanted situation, but I will do my best. Oh¡­ well¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll head in first and finish my work, then go right after you. Pfft. See you in a minute. My baby, you should also stay there and listen to your mother.¡±


    ¡°W¡­ Who¡­ What baby¡­¡±


    ¡°Who would it be? Anyway, let¡¯s talk about it after work. Again, don¡¯t make a fuss about it. I don¡¯t want to employ the rough method either. What parent would want their child to get hurt?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I left quickly right after saying that. Though I didn¡¯t need to be present if the pre-war defense wasing to an end, it was mandatory since I was still the troops¡¯ generalmander. It would only be right to be present when they celebrated their victory.


    I didn¡¯t do much, but I still had every right to show off.


    As much as I wanted to be with Dialugia, I knew the Red Mercenaries would be enough to guard her. I nodded in thanks to them, and they nodded right back as if telling me not to worry.


    ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯


    As I slowly climbed up the wall, I saw the monsters¡¯ bodies lying underneath.


    It didn¡¯t feel like more waves coulde. None at all, as long as I had Dialugia and the baby here. Most of the humans on the wall looked exhausted, yet they pushed on to clear the few final creatures.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be pushed!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s end this!¡±


    Baaaaaang!


    It was nice to see the troops trying their hardest to finish them off. I could even see my party in the distance running along the walls.


    Jung Hayan was still spreading magic while biting her lips tightly, and Kim Hyunsung busied himself with cutting the throats of the guys trying toe up with his sword.


    It is natural that I, who had not gotten a lot of experience, was in a hurry.


    It was not a big spell, but I was forced to continue to attack the guys down there.


    ¡°Tankers, block the road to prevent the remaining monsters from entering the copsed western wall!¡±


    I had to show them that I did something, too. The conclusion of this battle was important.


    Crack!


    Crash!


    ¡°Groooooaaar!¡±


    Whoosh.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°Block!¡±


    The huge hand summoned by me fell, and the monsters screamed.


    I was not good physically, but my magic power was fine. I had to show a suitable example of what apetentmander was for everyone.


    My overall appearance did not look bad. My whole body was covered in dirt, and I had wounds from running away. I looked no different from those who had genuinely battled hard.


    Of course, the truth was far away, but who cared about it?


    Unlike themand unit, which looked rtively clean, my appearance was very dirty.


    Sneaking up to the front of the wall, I thought about showing myself holding Juliana in my hand and cutting through some of the monsters.


    The way I held a sword was still awkward, even though I had learned from Kim Hyunsung when I had gotten Juliana. To be precise, it would be correct to say that my body simply moved in the direction Juliana would move.


    After cutting the throat of a small monstering up, I once again activated my voice amplification magic before shouting loudly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let your guard down until the end! Wizards who have run out of magic should lift their swords and spears! Even the priests who have lost their divine power should throw stones under the walls. This is our hometown!¡±


    Of course, this was not my hometown.


    ¡°Victory is right before your eyes!¡±


    This was an undeniable fact. I knew the image of me struggling would prove to be an inspiration for our troops.


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    ¡°Stay strong,rades!¡±


    ¡°Generalmander.¡±


    Of course, I didn¡¯t forget to encourage them. I patted them on their shoulders to show support.


    ¡°Do not let the sacrifice of Little Rock be in vain!¡±


    It was then that a small monster ran into the soldier next to me. I knew that I would not receive severe damage if I were to get bit. Thus, I pushed the soldier away and let myself get attacked instead. Its sharp canines sunk into my flesh.


    ¡®It fucking hurts!¡¯


    This marked the first genuine wound I got in this pre-war defense.


    As soon as I let go of Juliana, the sword flew and pierced the monster. The guy I had saved looked at me in bewilderment.


    ¡°Lee Kiyoung-nim! We must treat that wound!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a big wound. Save your divine power.¡±


    ¡°And¡­ And the potion¡­¡±


    Of course, I had one with me, but I was not stupid enough to use it right away.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Divine power or remaining supplies must be used for the seriously wounded ones. I can bear such a wound.¡±


    ¡°Lee¡­ Lee Kiyoung-nim¡­¡±


    ¡°We have to live and meet our precious family again, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    If my endurance stats were a little higher, I might not have been able to fake the blood.


    Due to my low stats, my wounded appearance looked convincing.


    Anyone who sees me wielding my sword while grasping one arm would say that I indeed looked sorrowful.


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    It really hurt, but it was necessary for my fa?ade. Although I could still move my arm, my sloppier movements proved to emphasize my struggling form.


    I didn¡¯t necessarily ask them to look at me. Instead, I chose to fight in the most desperate way in an area that didn¡¯t seem so dangerous to be in. Though I could not achieve as much as Kim Hyunsung did, I had to show that I was doing a lot, too.


    I shook my head when the priest said he would treat me.


    ¡°This kind of wound is okay.¡±


    ¡°Generalmander¡­¡±


    At this, I took the potions I had with me and treated the others first. It was no big deal to me if it meant this would boost my reputation a lotter.


    ¡®There are quite a lot.¡¯


    At some point, the shouts of humans became louder than the shouts of monsters. This meant we were on the verge of victory.


    It was worth saying that the victory or defeat had already been decided to some extent from the moment I joined. Unlike those who were busy dealing with the enemies right in front of them, I had already checked the overall situation and knew that we would emerge as the victors.


    ¡°Waahhhhhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t give up!¡±


    The archers who had run out of arrows pulled out their swords and were now stabbing the monsters. And the warriors were now knocking the medium-sized monsters askew since their weapons had now be blunt.


    ¡°Waahhhhhhhhhhhh!!¡±


    After the cleanup, the soldiers in the third wall dropped their weapons and cheered, and the people in the fourth and second walls dropped their weapons and hugged each other.


    I also wanted to congratte myself on the victory, but it was only right to return to an area that had not yet been cleaned up and show a little bit of despair.


    It seemed like the arrangement would be over soon, but I still had to stay until the end. I guess I overdid it a little since I was out of breath, but did that matter? My fellow party members were also on the way.


    I threw Juliana, who instinctively flew and pierced the neck of a monster that had been fighting with another soldier.


    ¡®Whoa!¡¯


    That would mark another soldier who felt grateful upon being saved.


    My breathing had be rough at this point - I didn¡¯t have to fake looking so tired. At this point, I was really gasping for air.


    ¡®umting beautiful stories!¡¯


    Forter evaluation, the more I upped my reputation now, the better.


    ¡°T-Thank you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    Kim Hyunsung must also be working hard. One by one, the monsters copsed, and a shout echoed from almost all walls. Most of the monsters in the western wall were almost cleared.


    ¡®We won.¡¯


    Of course, in my case, the aftermath was the problem. There were quite a lot of things to do.


    The thing with Hee-ra had to be solved, and I had to settle things with Shaolin. I also had a lot of exining to do with Kim Hyunsung, and above all, it was important to secure Dialugia and my lovely child.


    Of course, other guilds in Castle Rock could not im ownership of her, but that was why I had to think about what to take care of first.


    ¡®I also have to decide on my ss.¡¯


    The post-war readjustment was also a problem.


    It meant that I had to settle those many monsters¡¯ corpses and have a meeting about the damage situation and the kind of benefits I could bring.


    Originally, guys like me were way busier after than during the war.


    ¡°Waahhh!¡±


    ¡°I lived! I lived!¡±


    ¡°Fuck! We did it!!¡±


    ¡°Wahhhhh!¡±


    In the meantime, the shouts were getting louder and louder. Each person¡¯s appearance was different.


    Some were crying because of the loss of a colleague, while others shouted with joy.


    Of course, most had gone with thetter. It would be right to give a conclusive speech now. It was time to dere the end of the war.


    ¡°We are¡­!¡±


    When I opened my mouth to speak, all eyes naturally fell upon me. However, it was here that the dizziness hit me.


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    I felt like my head was spinning. I tried to open my mouth again, but my lips refused to move.


    ¡®Fuck¡­¡¯


    I wondered if someone had killed Dialugia, but that did not seem to be the case.


    ¡®Did I bleed too much?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t, not that much. It was then that I realized that the troops had inflicted so many scars on Dialugia before, and it seemed like some of the damage had already been passed to me. In the meantime, I had used my magic power a lot, so it was not unreasonable to look like this.


    ¡®Ah¡­¡¯


    I struggled hard, but my eyes gradually became blurred and dark.


    I keep staggering. I tried to stay focused, but nothing happened.


    ¡®No¡­ Will this even look good?¡¯


    Everyone was already at me.


    ¡°Oppaaaaaaa!¡±


    ¡°Hyung-nim!!!¡±


    ¡°Kiyoung-ssi!¡±


    As I listened to the party members¡¯ voices screaming, I closed my eyes.


    ¡®Ah, perhaps this still looks good¡­¡¯


    It would be nice if they settled all the post-war preparations for me before I woke up again, but I knew that was useless wishing.


    This was the Battle of Castle Rock, a city that suffered an enormous number of fatalities and serious injuries. The General Commander became a role model for those who passed out due to exhaustion, yet the wound he had on his body was only one wound and that from a small monster.

 Chapter 181: The End of Pre-War Defense (2)

    <h4>Chapter 181: The End of Pre-War Defense (2)</h4>


    When I opened my eyes, brightness filled my sight. Though I still felt a little dizzy, it seemed as if only a little time had passed. I also felt a little refreshed, as if I had just woken up after a nap.


    The wound on my right arm was also healed, and my entire body felt clean.


    ¡®It looks like someone washed me.¡¯


    They probably washed my body with magic. I felt better all in all.


    Seeing that I had been left alone in arge room, I gathered that I was staying at a hospital of some sort. Of course, the room felt too luxurious to actually be a genuine hospital room.


    It was then that the door slowly opened. I turned my head, thinking it would obviously be Jung Hayan, but who I see was, surprisingly, Marlin Young-ae.


    ¡°Lee Kiyoung-nim!¡±


    It was a spectacle to see her running to me, with tears running down her face. My face flushed with embarrassment. This was definitely not how a noblewoman was supposed to behave.


    The remarkably embarrassing appearance was likable, but unfortunately, I was not interested in Marlin at all.


    ¡®She is cute, but¡­¡¯


    There weren¡¯t many benefits that came with her, and it felt like it would be a huge headache to take care of her and her antics.


    ¡°Ah, Marlin Young-ae.¡±


    However, this didn¡¯t mean that I shouldn¡¯t still get on her good graces.


    ¡°What day is it?¡±


    ¡°Exactly three days have passed since you passed out. I was worried that you wouldn¡¯t wake up¡­¡±


    ¡°Three days?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    It seemed that I¡¯d been unconscious for longer than I had initially thought. Hope began to bloom from within me.


    ¡®The cleanup must be almost over¡­¡¯


    No, even the task of cleaning up the monsters¡¯ corpses was not something to be done overnight, so the work was probably still going on.


    I had to realize why my party members didn¡¯t show up.


    Seeing that there was nothing wrong with my body, Dialugia seemed to be doing well. I was curious about where she was, but there were many other things I was also curious about.


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much, Lee Kiyoung-nim.¡±


    ¡°Marlin Young-ae?¡±


    ¡°You worked hard for Castle Rock until your body was broken like this¡­ You don¡¯t know how resentful I was for being unable to do anything. Sniff¡­¡±


    ¡°Hahaha. I¡¯m fine. The other people did the hard work. I didn¡¯t do much.¡±


    ¡°Lee Kiyoung-nim did a lot! Not only did youmand the free people of Castle Rock, but you prevented the monsters froming from the underground waterway¡­ All the imperialists in Castle Rock watched as you spared no effort on the battlefield! Sniff¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ Ahem. The Little Rock Guild and Song Jungwook, who sacrificed themselves for Castle Rock, are the true heroes. I just¡­¡±


    ¡°O-Of course, they¡¯re also appreciated¡­ Rather, are you¡­ Are you feeling a little better?¡±


    ¡°Yes. There seems to be no other injury.¡±


    Song Jungwook seemed to be irrelevant now. I could say that this entire thing was a sess.


    As Marlin Young-ae said, there was no such thing as a monstering over from the underground waterway. It was a lie made by Cho Hyejin to escape from Cha Hee-ra, but to make the lie true, some of the Red Mercenary members even threw a few monster corpses there.


    The fact that Cha Hee-ra¡¯s ns for the pre-war defense were smashed because of a runaway was a story that shouldn¡¯t be known except for the Red Mercenary members.


    The same went for the part where I tried to ¡®fight¡¯ on the battlefield myself.


    ¡®It¡¯s good.¡¯


    If Young-ae thought of me in this manner, then the rest of the imperialists must be thinking the same, too. There would be no red light on the benefits that Blue and I will take.


    ¡°Where are the others¡­¡±


    ¡°Which one?¡±


    ¡°My party members and Cha Hee-ra. And what about Dialugia? Has the cleanup been all over? What happened to other things?¡±


    ¡°Ah! I¡¯m really sorry, Lee Kiyoung. My first step was to exin what happened while you were lying down¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Marlin Young-ae. It¡¯s nothing to be sorry for. I just wondered if the battle had been properly finished.¡±


    ¡°I-I didn¡¯t know you would care for Castle Rock that way¡­¡±


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡±


    ¡°Sorry. I got distracted again¡­¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s really okay.¡±


    Marlin Young-ae definitely looked a little excited. She must¡¯ve thought that I had risked my life for Castle Rock in an effort to gain her affection. It was just my guess, but it would be right to block this misunderstanding beforehand as soon as possible.


    ¡°After Lee Kiyoung-nim passed out¡­ Ah! They started cleaning the corpses of the monsters right away, and that¡¯s still in the process.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°There is a possibility that there may be monsters that have survived, so the free people first sorted it out¡­ It¡¯s taking a little longer. Perhaps the Blue party members¡­¡±


    ¡°They must be working hard.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Together with the Red Mercenary Guild, they are protecting the workers from being injured in the front line.¡±


    ¡°Is Cha Hee-ra also joining them?¡±


    ¡°Cha Hee-ra hastily returned to Lindel. I¡¯m not sure what¡¯s going on, but she seemed quite busy, so I didn¡¯t even have time to say thank you. She¡¯s a hero that gave her time for Castle Rock¡­ It just hurts because I couldn¡¯t even treat her properly.¡±


    ¡®Did she run away?¡¯


    ¡°What do you mean by her being busy with work?


    ¡°Ah, she apparently had an issue that needed to be dealt with urgently¡­ Also, this is the letter Cha Hee-ra asked me to deliver.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Young-ae. If you¡¯ll excuse me¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. Of course, you can read it right away, Lee Kiyoung-nim.¡±


    After dismantling the cryptographic magic on the letter, I looked down quietly and saw Marlin Young-ae trying to peek at the contents. Of course, I had no intention of showing it.


    I thought that there would be an apology written on it, but the result was slightly different from what I thought.


    [Do not forget and do not ignore Vice Guild Master Lee Kiyoung-nim, living in Lindel. I believe that you will keep your promise. I¡¯m waiting for a good invitation at good timing. -To Honorary Bishop of the Holy Empire, Lee Kiyoung-nim, From Miss Shaolin, Chief General of the Republic]


    ¡®Shaolin?¡¯


    She had probably delivered a letter to Cha Hee-ra after the debriefing with her was over.


    If I could, I would ignore it, but I couldn¡¯t even imagine that she would be revealing her identity like this.


    ¡®General, huh¡­¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know the details, but the Republic didn¡¯t seem to think badly about giving such positions to free people. Her position was a little higher than I had expected. There were at least five more powerful people like her.


    I didn¡¯t know how the Holy Empire and the Republic¡¯s rtionship would flow in the future, but I got some good information.


    ¡®I think this can be used¡­¡¯


    I had to take risks on my side as well, but there will be some proper use for herter on.


    Anyway, I had to meet the Republic once, whether in a good or bad way.


    ¡®I don¡¯t think it will be very positive, based on what I do these days¡­¡¯


    Right now, I didn¡¯t even have the time to think about the Republic. It was difficult even to take care of myself right now. Just thinking about my work within the Holy Empire was enough to give me headaches.


    Cha Hee-ra was my immediate concern.


    Seeing that she exited from Castle Rock without meeting me first, she was definitely embarrassed about what had happened. It would be natural for her to feel this way, seeing as she had made quite the mess after leaving the front line.


    She would have the courage to appear to me again after some time, but it surprised me to know that she had such a feminine side.


    ¡°And!¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°That¡­ Although the event to grant honors has not been properly carried out, it seems that our Castle Rock Yeongju Tower will directly reward Lee Kiyoung, Kim Hyunsung-nim, and the other members of the Blue Guild.¡±


    ¡®Ah¡¯


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t hoping forpensation.¡±


    However, I was smiling. I had naturally ditched my cold exterior and became friendlier as I processed the news. Seeing this, Marlin Young-ae brightened and began to speak again. She had realized what I wanted.


    ¡°Castle Rock overcame this crisis because of Lee Kiyoung and the Blue Guild. I can see that my father is things¡­¡±


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡±


    ¡°If you think it¡¯s not enough, I will¡­¡±


    ¡°No. Marlin Young-ae¡¯s heart is good enough. I didn¡¯t really ask for a reward. As a member of the Holy Empire, I just wanted to help.¡±


    ¡°No. Let us repay you.¡±


    ¡°If Marlin Young-ae feels like that¡­ then I can¡¯t help it.¡±


    ¡°T-Thank you.¡±


    ¡°No. Rather, I am more grateful to you forpensating for the obvious.¡±


    It appeared that Marlin had such a pushover side to her. In this manner, I could get something better than what I had initially expected.


    As I sat up in my bed, Marlin Young-ae¡¯s face reddened. However, I had no intention of doing anything to express my gratitude. My mind was already set on the work I needed to do.


    ¡°The monster we caught¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Did you see a woman with horns on her head?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ If it¡¯s that woman¡­¡±


    ¡°Anything happened?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s probably in the Castle Rock Dungeon. In fact, we were also thinking about how to deal with her¡­ And¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. You can talk freely.¡±


    ¡°That monster talked nonsense about her sharing a lifeline with you¡­¡±


    ¡®Did she actually reveal that much¡­¡¯


    I thought it was a reasonable judgment. It seemed like she didn¡¯t say that I was her spouse, but she and her child should have their lives spared for now.


    I also liked the fact that she was waiting quietly for me. She herself must not have recovered properly yet.


    I didn¡¯t know if she was with the baby, but I knew I had to check.


    ¡°I think I¡¯ll have to go there.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°What Dialugia said is true. Actually, I don¡¯t know about what has happened in detail¡­ For now, I know nothing but the fact that she and I share one life.¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    ¡°Thank you for letting me know, Young-ae. Let¡¯s have a meal with Lord Castle Rock.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Lee Kiyoung-nim! Of course.¡±


    It was only natural for me to move as fast as possible.


    ¡®Shall I see if my child is doing well?¡¯


    That was my top priority as of the moment.

 Chapter 182: Bright Child (1)

    <h4>Chapter 182: Bright Child (1)</h4>


    When I went outside, I could see the scenery through the window, reflecting apletely ruined portion of the city. Of course, they intended to demolish the entire western area from the start, so seeing the slow restoration process reminded me that the battle was indeed over.


    ¡®The underground¡­¡¯


    The original n for it had been to break it down and make an entirely new pathway.


    I realized that the work was being done vaguely. Of course, a simple organization would be enough, but I knew things wouldn¡¯t always go as one would n for it to be.


    ¡®While the restoration work is in progress¡­¡¯


    I could proceed with my n, albeit a littlete.


    ¡®My head hurts.¡¯


    In many ways, various reasons were causing me to have a headache. Though my primary objective was to head to where Dialugia was being held, I could see various tasks that needed focus on every window I passed through.


    There were people still cleaning up the corpses of monsters, as well as eradicating the sttered blood from the walls and buildings. However, despite these mundane tasks, the workers were all wearing a smile.


    From everyone¡¯s standpoint, everyone had grown, one step at a time. This meant that even the low-level yers would have a chance to finally level up and get themselves another ss.


    The same went for my fellow party members and me.


    Hwang Jeong-yeon, Cho Hyejin, and Sun Hee-young, who already had high growth, may not have noticeable changes, but I knew that Jung Hayan, Kim Ye-ri, Park Deokgu, and Kim Hyunsung would have benefitted in terms of both stats and ss.


    ¡°I have to talk about this with them¡­¡±


    As this expedition¡¯s purpose was to level up, everyone must have achieved a result that they would find satisfactory. Park Deokgu may have even obtained a heroic-grade ss. A smile dawned on my face.


    It was then that one of the guards guarding the dungeon approached me.


    ¡°Lee Kiyoung? You woke up.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes. So, you are Baran-nim.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes!¡±


    He looked surprised to find out that I knew his name. He might have felt like he wasn¡¯t important enough to be remembered, but the truth was, I was being aided with Mind¡¯s Eye.


    This would definitely garner me some more positive reviews.


    ¡°May I ask why you came here?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I have some business in the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Ah, perhaps¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s exactly what you¡¯re thinking. I don¡¯t really know how to get there, so I would appreciate it if you could guide me.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay if you¡¯re busy with something else.¡±


    ¡°No! No. Of course, I have to guide you. Just trust me and follow.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha.¡±


    ¡°By the way,ing here, as soon as you wake up, you¡¯re really amazing. You should be resting¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been unconscious for too long, and I don¡¯t want to sit around while everyone else is working.¡±


    ¡°It is all thanks to Lee Kiyoung and the Blue Guild that they can be like that.¡±


    ¡°You are overplimenting me. Rather, how are you managing that monster?¡±


    ¡°Actually, I do not know the details. My job is to guard this ce, but other than the wizardsing and continuing to check on it, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on. At first, they put the restraints and bound them, but I know that at some point, the straps were dismantled.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a space allowed for me, but you can check it out for yourself. I think you can go in alone from here. Hey, open the way.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Okay.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    The guards stationed from within bowed to me before doing what they were told to do, chanting the required magic. The door began to open with a nking sound.


    I thought Dialugia¡¯s environment would not be good, but it looked better than I thought.


    Complex magical techniques were felt everywhere, but it was not the kind of magic that bursts if not stimted.


    It was then that I saw a familiar doll, with horns on her head.


    ¡®My child is here, too.¡¯


    Dialugia was hugging the baby tightly. I was worried about them being detained separately, but everyone seemed to deduce that this would be the best solution in appealing to her docile side. Currently, Dialugia was wearing magical restraints, with numerous magic circles on both her hands and feet. It appeared that they had found other countermeasures.


    There was even aplex-looking magic circle drawn onto her neck.


    ¡®Ah, but can they really control her with all that?¡¯


    Her body was not in normal condition, so it should be okay for now.


    ¡°Kiek!¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, Dad is here!¡±


    The little dragon who cried shortly as it looked at me looked pretty cute. I didn¡¯t know what was going on, but it felt like it was d to see me. It appeared that my standing as Dialugia¡¯s spouse was influencing it.


    Seeing the tail waving softly gave confidence to my theory.


    Of course, unlike my precious child, the woman was still wary of me, holding her child tightly. However, it was obvious that the baby wanted toe to me.


    As I pped my hands, Dialugia shrunk a little more. I could, however, see evident relief on her face. It seemed that she was worried as to whether I would die or not. If I did, then she would be in trouble.


    It seems that she was worried about my death.


    ¡°Who did you say was the fatherst time?¡±


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m disappointed to see you¡¯re acting like you don¡¯t know. We¡¯re going to be a family, and you¡¯re still so hard on me. Ah, baby! Did you miss daddy?¡±


    ¡°Kiek!¡±


    ¡°Our Tol To-ri (bright child) is also going crazy, wanting to see me.¡±


    ¡°He is not Tol To-ri¡­¡±


    ¡°Have you just made up his name without consulting? I¡¯m a little disappointed.¡±


    ¡°In the first ce¡­ You¡­¡±


    ¡°This all happened so suddenly, but wasn¡¯t this your choice to do so? It won¡¯t hurt me to be a father suddenly. This little baby is such a good boy. Well done!¡±


    ¡°Kiek! Kiek! Kiek!¡±


    ¡°Well done! Well done! Well done!¡±


    ¡°Kieeek!¡±


    ¡°The reason Dialuria is friendly with you is only because I chose you as my spouse!¡±


    ¡°Ah, you named it Dialuria? You should have discussed with me first¡­ Well, that¡¯s okay. I¡¯m a faithful spouse, anyway. By the way, it¡¯s really fortunate. It seems that these additional functions were also imnted in me because I became your spouse. I was worried that my child would hate me.¡±


    ¡°Chomp¡­¡±


    ¡°Our Dialuria should be held in daddy¡¯s arms once!¡±


    ¡°Kiekeek!¡±


    She was still holding our Tol To-ri, who was going crazy with excitement. It didn¡¯t take long for the overly excited guy to get out of its mother¡¯s arms. It looked pretty cute, wagging its tail and jumping in and licking my face.


    Meanwhile, Dialugia sported an amusing expression of betrayal.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Baby!¡±


    ¡°Oh, dear! Our Tol To-ri!¡±


    ¡°My baby has toe back to his mother!¡±


    ¡°Oh! Oh! Our Tol To-ri is so good! Well done!¡±


    ¡°Kieehek!¡±


    ¡°Baby! Can¡¯t you hear your mom tell you toe back?!¡±


    ¡°Our Tol To-ri¡¯s daddy will drive you an airne!¡±


    ¡°Kiek! Kiek! Haa! Haaa!¡±


    ¡°Ba¡­ Baby¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh! Oh! Are you excited? Our Tol To-ri?¡±


    ¡°H-He¡¯s not Tol To-ri! D-Dialuria¡­¡±


    ¡°Tol to-ri!¡±


    ¡°Kiek! Kiek! Ahhh!¡±


    ¡®This child likes me too much.¡¯


    I worried about it harboring a dangerous characteristic, but it seemed that even its characteristic and disposition had not yet been created when I checked with Mind¡¯s Eye.


    In the first ce, I still didn¡¯t know its gender, and I didn¡¯t know anything about dragons, so myck of understanding was understandable. It felt right to think that the baby felt pleased to meet its dad after such a long time. It felt more like a puppy than an actual child.


    Fortunately, I already knew how to deal with these kinds of guys.


    To be in this small ce, it would have been bored alone with his mother, so it was understandable for it to feel excited when I showered it with treats.


    In short, Tol To-ri wanted to be with me more than it wanted to be with its mother.


    ¡°B¡­ Baby¡­¡±


    However, Dialugia¡¯s depressed appearance could not be ignored. Seeing as Tol To-ri tried to pull me towards her, it seemed as if it wanted me to get along with her.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this like telling us to get along? Our cute little boy¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not Tol To-ri. It¡¯s D-Dialuria.¡±


    ¡°Haha. This is only a nickname, so don¡¯t worry. It looks so cute, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Kiek! Haa! Kie-eh-eh-eh!¡±


    ¡®Ah, it¡¯s so cute.¡¯


    At first, I didn¡¯t think I could get used to it, but the more I looked at it, the more I fell in love. It had adorably big eyes and a little tail that swung excitedly like a propeller. It held onto me as if it didn¡¯t want to be separated from me.


    For some reason, I felt my heart squeeze.


    Eventually, Dialugia could no longer watch me act friendly with the baby.


    ¡°Why did youe here?¡±


    ¡°Does the breadwinner need a reason toe to see his wife and child?¡±


    ¡°I-I couldn¡¯t help it back then. However, I have no intention of acknowledging a human like you as the father of Dialuria, nor as my spouse.¡±


    ¡°Whether you acknowledge it or not, I am already the father of this child as well as your spouse. Isn¡¯t that your choice? I believe this type of pact is irreversible. Above all, our Tol To-ri likes me. Saying that you have no intention of acknowledging me¡­ Tol To-ri, do you like me as your father?¡±


    ¡°Kiek! Haaa!¡±


    ¡°B¡­ Baby¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah. I¡¯m only curious, but is it possible to cancel the pact? I don¡¯t know much about dragons yet.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°So, it cannot be canceled.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t help it. I¡¯m still a young man with a bright future, but I can¡¯t pretend to be aloof when I see such a cute baby.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be responsible¡­ It was my m-mistake, and it was just an unavoidable choice for my child. In the first ce, you took Dialuria and threatened me!¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t say that in front of the child!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ D-Dialuria, it¡¯s not like that.¡±


    ¡°Tut-tut. Didn¡¯t I tell you clearly that it was not us who kidnapped Tol To-ri? Even in humanw, it is taboo to kidnap monster eggs or children. The criminals are already being punished well, except for a few. At that time, I was just protecting our Tol To-ri, and I never thought of doing anything.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re lying.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m serious. Why else would I care for Tol To-ri like this?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe in humans.¡±


    ¡°Then what will you do?¡±


    ¡°After I recover, I will go back into the forest with Dialuria. I no longer want to be involved with humans.¡±


    ¡°Do you think you can get out of this ce?¡±


    ¡°I can¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah. I see. I am very sorry about this.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ What are you saying?¡±


    ¡°Did you know that I passed out for three days?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It felt really painful. The blood didn¡¯t stop flowing just from the bite of a small monster, and I almost died from the side effects of excessive bleeding and using a lot of magic power. Isn¡¯t the human body very, very fragile? Passing out and dying even from minor wounds¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ ¡°


    ¡°If you and the baby go to the woods and I suddenly end up dying, it would be very dangerous for our Tol To-ri. He would have to grow alone without a mom and dad¡­ Now, isn¡¯t that such a pitiful scenario?¡±


    Dialugia¡¯s pupils had begun to sway at this point.

 Chapter 183: Bright Child (2)

    <h4>Chapter 183: Bright Child (2)</h4>


    ¡°If you and the baby go to the woods and I suddenly end up dying, it would be very dangerous for our Tol To-ri. He would have to grow alone without a mom and dad¡­ Now, isn¡¯t that such a pitiful scenario?¡±


    Dialugia¡¯s pupils had begun to sway at this point.


    At first, she seemed bewildered, but then slowly, her eyes became alive.


    I could tell what she was thinking. Due to her docile disposition, she was what one would call a pushover. However, it was natural for a mother to act for the best interests of her child.


    ¡°I believe that, in any case, you won¡¯t pick the option of keeping me captive for life. And to grow without a dad, I pity our Tol To-ri. I¡¯m not foolish enough to not provide safety.¡±


    ¡°That thought¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if you understand the dynamics of power, but I am a very important person, even among humans. There are a lot of people who care about me¡­ It will be a little difficult trying to achieve what you¡¯re thinking of.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­ think that.¡±


    ¡®Of course, you did.¡¯


    I knew I needed to exin a little to help her understand. When I gently pulled Tol To-ri to me, the little baby didn¡¯t hold back, its tail wagging incessantly as it panted eagerly.


    As I drew a small circle on the floor, I could see Dialugia looking at me curiously.


    ¡°This is the city of Castle Rock, where you are located.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°And this medium-sized circle is called Lindel, the free city where yers live¡­ Thergest circle that contains all of this is the human country, known as the Holy Empire of Benigore.¡±


    ¡°What does that have to do with the story now?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not just the size of thend you have. The poption is asrge as the size of thend, and of course, there are differences in the quantity and quality of troops that can fight. Whatever the reason, you¡¯ve touched Castle Rock, and you¡¯re here after losing a battle against a city.¡±


    ¡°If we fought with all our strength, it would have been different.¡±


    ¡°Humans are basically persistent. And mean as well. Ah! It¡¯s not my story, so you don¡¯t have to look at me like this. The story might be different, assuming you could kill all the personnel in this huge country, but I don¡¯t think so. In other words, I am in a rather high position on this hugend. You understood that, too, so you chose me as your spouse.¡±


    ¡°Humans are¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s suppose you kidnap me and lock me up somewhere. They will inevitablye and save me. Of course, Dialugia¡¯s fierce attack will oxidize most humans, but we are a very persistent species. They know your value very well.¡±


    ¡°What value are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°The value of your body.¡±


    Dialugia looked surprised, her face reddening. She had not expected me to say this.


    ¡°To put it inly, what¡¯s more important than the fact that I was kidnapped is the discovery of a legendary-grade monster, which is you. Your high horns, beautiful, sturdy scales, and a sharp tail, even your jewel-like eyes, will be coveted by many.¡±


    ¡°Even if you praise me that way¡­¡±


    ¡°I am not praising you. Haha. Everything I¡¯ve exined earlier is useful to humans. And uhm¡­ We can also get enormous goods. Do you know the concept of goods?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know it that much, but I know what you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    ¡°Your body is money. Your leather can make armor, and your horns can make weapons. All of the organs that make up your body are good materials for experimentation and have astronomical value. The reason humans haven¡¯t visited you until now is that they were not aware of your existence until now.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Humans are greedy. The moment you showed up, you put yourself at inevitable risk. Many humans will hear of you, and they will stop at nothing to get you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It will be a long fight. I won¡¯t put it past them to try and take Tol To-ri hostage, too.¡±


    ¡°I-Isn¡¯t that what you did? And as I keep telling you, it¡¯s Dialuria.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, the result is that whatever you choose, things aren¡¯t going to be very good. You have already stepped deep into human society. You are free toe, but not free to exit.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s absurd.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°It was humans who first persecuted us. We have nothing to do with them. Humans stole my egg and separated my child from me. I didn¡¯t want to fight.¡±


    Anger was evident on Dialugia¡¯s face.


    ¡°I just want to live quietly with my child. I don¡¯t want to go to war with humans.¡±


    ¡°Have I already told you that it¡¯s not your choice? It¡¯s not a good example, but aren¡¯t you hunting other monsters to live on?¡±


    As I slowly stroke Tol To-ri, he panted again and clung to me tightly. At this, Dialugia huffed and took Tol To-ri from me, not liking this any further.


    ¡°It is a very different act from selfishness that is simply made out of greed.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not so different, in my opinion. If we dig too deep, the story will be too long, so let¡¯s stop this story here. Let¡¯s change the subject for a moment. Tol To-ri,e here.¡±


    ¡°Kiek.¡±


    ¡°Why do you think you are alive now, thanks to whom?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°You know it. The legendary-grade monster Dialugia invaded Castle Rock, inflicting numerous casualties and inflicting astronomical damage. Of course, you can take advantage of the side effects such as the corpse of a monster, but to be honest, you are an enemy to humanity.¡±


    ¡°How many times do I have to tell you? It was humans who persecuted us first.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter to humans. To them, you are not an intelligent being but a monster. Strictly speaking, I am taking your side. We say we share our lives, but being able to spend time with our Tol To-ri and being able to live your own lives in a dungeon is because of one reason, that you are connected to me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°In extreme terms, if you hadn¡¯t chosen me as your spouse, you and the lovely Dialuria would have died. Because you understand that too, you have connected me to your life. In other words, you not being killed, well, it¡¯s the same for me.¡±


    ¡°Chomp¡­¡±


    ¡°If you just have your life, there would be no problem, right? We already know that cutting off tails or horns or peeling skins won¡¯t kill you. Assuming that I take Tol To-ri with me all the time, what could you do? As a result, I am treating you in a gentlemanly manner. Am I right?¡±


    ¡°Kiek! Haaa!¡±


    ¡°I want you to live a life with your child without causing any pain.¡±


    I knew she would realize this soon enough. I wasn¡¯t saying anything wrong. She hadn¡¯t fully recovered yet and was in a special situation where she must protect her child.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about a dragon¡¯s ecology. However, there are a few things that can be inferred. For example, why the dragon needs a spouse.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Why was your egg stolen in the first ce?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°You probably needed nutrition. Dragons are entities that consume energy, and it would have been difficult to be attached to a child for 24 hours straight. You might have had to prepare for parenting, and you might have had to prepare for winter. Perhaps you had to build a nest and do several things at the same time.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡±


    ¡°Parenting is not something you can do alone. There was no problem in the forest if you live alone, but seeing as you had something to protect, it must¡¯ve been different. For this reason, the dragons, which can have children alone, can choose a spouse. Am I right?¡±


    ¡°Co¡ªrrect.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fortunate. I can also see why a spouse who is unlikely to need it appears. You will have to protect your child from enemies around you, so don¡¯t you need someone to raise and protect your child together?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Now, it¡¯s your turn to tell me the right answer. As I said earlier, you are already in a rtionship with humans. Whether you don¡¯t want to get involved or not is not up to you. When the environment in which you will live is moved from a deep forest to a human city. Who do you think would be your ideal spouse?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Who do you think will be able to keep our Tol To-ri safe, guarantee a minimum of freedom, provide the education you want, and supply them with good quality andrge amounts of food? Where is the household capable of presenting a hard and safe nest to loved ones? Who is the ideal spouse you¡¯ve been looking for?¡±


    Dialugia still looked too hesitant to admit it. Tol To-ri, who could not understand what I was saying, innocently started licking my hand.


    If she decided to live in the woods, of course, she wouldn¡¯t need a spouse like me. By the standards of this beast, I was a weak, selfish, and powerless human. I didn¡¯t know if there were more dragon races, but perhaps she would¡¯ve preferred another dragon of higher stats.


    However, things had changed a lot. Not everything will be as I said, but she had already given herself this situation. As a result, she chose the next ideal spouse she could find.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ you.¡±


    ¡°Correct!¡±


    As I approached her slowly, she flinched. However, I had no intention of hurting her. Since she didn¡¯t know why I was lifting her, she let herself be dragged by me.


    ¡°First, let¡¯s get out of the dungeon. It will be frustrating if Tol To-ri is kept here.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°Since you¡¯ve suffered so far, shouldn¡¯t you rx and eat delicious food?¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°It would be ufortable to exin that I¡¯m your spouse, so it would be better to think about something that people would understand when they see you outside. This is sudden for me too, so please be considerate of me. There are also women that I¡¯m going out with¡­ It¡¯splicated in many ways. I may not be a good husband, but you can be assured that I can be a good father. You would like that better, won¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    ¡°There is a lot to be done. First of all, I have to get a document stating that I own you¡­ You also have to deal with what to do with the damage you have done. The human world is a littleplicated. Right. Tol To-ri, let¡¯s go outside.¡±


    ¡°Kiek! Kiek! Haaa!¡±


    ¡°Our cute Tol To-ri also has a lot of problems to deal with.¡±


    The sudden change of posture made her disconcerted. However, she seemed to be aware to some extent that she and Tol To-ri were safe now.


    Her thought process must beplicated by now. I, who she viewed as a nasty human being, had been showing her what a dedicated spouse should show.


    ¡°One thing¡­ I want to ask you something.¡±


    ¡°You can talk.¡±


    ¡°Humans are greedy.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Yes, they are.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the same for you. You don¡¯t have to lie. There are things I can see with my eyes.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I am also a greedy human being.¡±


    ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s no big deal. To take care of your safety is to take care of mine. You can join me in my experiment. At best, it¡¯s all about being stabbed with a needle, and there¡¯ll be no harm in life. It ends with lying still.¡±


    ¡°Experiment?¡±


    ¡°Ah. I didn¡¯t tell you. I am an alchemist.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what an alchemist is.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s get to know that slowly together.¡±


    ¡°Is that really all that is required?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Will you only provide nests, food, and safety for our Dialuria?¡±


    ¡°If you follow the procedures well, we can provide you with more. I was thinking of that in the first ce¡­ I also want to be a good father to cute Tol To-ri. I will do my best to make this a happy family. And again, you have no choice. Didn¡¯t I already say this?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Your body is money. However, if you lie still, everything will be solved. Hahaha.¡±


    Even I knew how sh*tty that sounded.


    At this, Dialugia began nodding her head, as if she had decided upon something.

 Chapter 184: Empire’s Eight Seats (1)

    <h4>Chapter 184: Empire¡¯s Eight Seats (1)</h4>


    A lot had changed.


    No, to be precise, it would be correct to say that we were in the middle of a change. My top priority was to gain ownership rights over Dialugia.


    This proved to be an easier process than I thought.


    Originally, Castle Rock had already decided to reward me; and the idea that the most active group of this expedition was the Blue Guild spread everywhere.


    Some guilds and ns felt regretful, but they decided not toin. The fact that we had saved their hometown was indeed true, and we had no obligation to provide them with Dialugia¡¯s precious scales or leather.


    It was a little selfish, but Dialugia was definitely by my own achievement. Just the idea of sharing her already felt strange.


    The only problem was the damage Dialugia inflicted on Castle Rock.


    Although the bereaved family should be given sufficientpensation, it is natural that this alone would be insufficient.


    I solved that by expressing my gratitude to Castle Rock for giving me enough rewards privately.


    Of course, it couldn¡¯t be finished, but I was able to somehow get it done.


    There were suspicions about whether Dialugia was the main culprit of the monster wave, but of course, the Heretical Interrogators ruled out this suspicion for my sake.


    ¡®Having power is good because of this.¡¯


    With this matter, I properly used my Honorary Bishop position, which had not been used until now. Starting with the Archbishop of Judah, whose roots were in Castle Rock, I sought help from those in high positions of the Pope¡¯s side, whom I had stayed in touch with. This resulted from constant petitions to Bishop Jessica, Director of the Inquisition Helena, Archbishop Andrine of the Pope¡¯s, and Cardinal Basel, who all loved me.


    Since I thought that the secret auction house in Castle Rock¡¯s underground should be maintained, I had to hide the fact that Little Rock kidnapped Tol To-ri and that Tol To-ri was also an entity affected by the monster wave.


    I was in a situation where I had no choice but to find a cause other than Dialugia.


    The Heretical Inquisitor and the Holy Knights concluded that the monster wave¡¯s cause was an unknown dungeon in Castle Rock¡¯s deep forest. Of course, most humans who did not want to be branded as traitors did not argue with their supposed findings.


    All in all, this was an efficient ending.


    Of course, the prerequisite for all of this was possible only because Dialugia and I had an official rtionship.


    ¡®I am the one who has been chosen by the dragon.¡¯


    Officially, Dialugia was a pitiful dragon that hade into the city under the control of an unknown dungeon, which gave her no choice but to choose me to save herself.


    Though it sounded terribly clich¨¦, it didn¡¯t sound bad at all. It was certainly better than saying that she had chosen me to save her baby. Besides, there had always been stories of humans being chosen by legendary entities.


    Since a legendary-grade named monster came rolling into the arms of the Holy Empire, it was no wonder that the Emperor¡¯s side also actively supported my case. I knew that, though the Imperial Knights were wary of such a creature, they were also hoping that Dialugia would someday be a dragon that would defend the empire.


    ¡°Because dragons are precious.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s nothing.¡±


    ¡°Er¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°That¡­ Thank you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you¡¯re expressing gratitude for.¡±


    ¡°In many ways¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry. It¡¯s because of you that things went well.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Dragons are precious. Since your personal history is longer than the history of the Holy Empire of Benigore, humans feel that your existence is amazing. You have been living for 4,000 years. All the books about dragons are almost lost. The Holy Empire wants to have an intact dragon, just as I want to hold you.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, the power I have has indeed been helpful, but this result is a great result from interests, so you don¡¯t have to thank me. Right, Tol To-ri?


    ¡°Kiek! Haaa!¡±


    ¡°Oh,e here, Tol To-ri.¡±


    ¡°Heck! Heck! Heck!¡±


    ¡°Shall we y airnes with dad?¡±


    ¡°Haaaa! Kiek!¡±


    ¡°Oh! Our Tol To-ri is good! Well done! Well done!¡±


    ¡°Kiek! Kiek! Kiek!¡±


    ¡®This kid¡­ is so cute.¡¯


    I tried not to get too attached, but this baby monster was much cuter than I had expected. Anyone would find it cute, given that it would run as soon as I pped my hands. Its adorably big eyes kept blinking as it wagged its tail eagerly.


    Even its cry, which at first sounded annoying, now sounded like the cutest thing ever.


    In his own way, Tol To-ri had secured a permanent ce in my heart.


    Of course, based on his appearance, it felt like having a pet rather than a real child, but I could now understand why people on Earth were obsessed with keeping animals, like dogs and cats.


    ¡°Oh! Come here, Tol To-ri!¡±


    ¡°Haaa!¡±


    ¡°Shall we eat a snack?¡±


    ¡°Kiek! Kiek! Kiek! Haaa! Kiek!¡±


    The way it went all crazy when I said something about snacks and walks made me want to hug the heck out of it.


    ¡°D-Didn¡¯t he eat snacks before?¡±


    ¡°In the first ce, kids only grow by eating. Right, Tol To-ri?


    ¡°Kiek!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll eat snacks twice a day. It¡¯s decided.¡±


    ¡°Tol To-ri likes eating this much, so what¡¯s wrong with a snack? Rather, isn¡¯t it good that he can umte nutrition?¡±


    ¡°His nutrition intake is already too much. And candy can¡¯t be called good food. It¡¯s a human-made food¡­ After a few years, he can eat as much as he wants, anyway, so it¡¯s good to keep his intake in the right amount now.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t like that your mother is too strict, right?¡±


    ¡°Kiek!¡±


    ¡°Dialuria¡­ M-Mom is only saying it for your sake¡­¡±


    ¡°From tomorrow, I will feed him only two. Let¡¯s eat only one more today, okay, Tol-Tori?¡±


    ¡°Kiek! Haaa!¡±


    The cute kid¡¯s eyes widened as soon as I pulled out another candy from my pocket. As the candy rolled back and forth in front of its eyes, I saw its pupils constantly moving.


    Its body was still, but its tail was hitting the floor without mercy. It was also cute to see it running around the room mercilessly once I ced the little candy in its mouth.


    ¡°Kiek! Haaa! Haaa!¡±


    ¡°Oh, is our Tol To-ri excited?¡±


    ¡°Haaa! Haaa! Kiek!¡±


    ¡°Well done! Well done!¡±


    Once again, I pped my hands, and it jumped on the sofa.


    It was no exaggeration to say that I gave snacks just to see it react. Dialugia, who imed that three snacks were not allowed, smiled upon seeing how delighted it was.


    It still felt like she was wary of me, but at least now she seemed convinced that I indeed liked Tol To-ri. Anyway, it was natural for her to feel that way.


    Without trying hard to imitate being a good father, I was showing the family she had dreamed of.


    ¡®This guy is so cute.¡¯


    What she was thinking was so obvious, as I also thought about whether I was giving Tol To-ri a little too much love. Recently, her quietlyughing and looking at me and Tol To-ri became a frequent urrence.


    ¡°Tol To-ri is standing!¡±


    ¡°Oh my, Dialuria!¡±


    Currently, the baby, who had always been crawling on all fours, had now managed to stand firmly on its own two feet. This baby never failed to surprise me with each day that passed by.


    ¡®Grow up quickly and take care of your daddy when he gets old!¡¯


    Though I still hoped for that, it didn¡¯t mean that I didn¡¯t genuinely care for Tol To-ri.


    The other party members in the Blue were also very fond of him, so it wasn¡¯t unusual for me to feel this way.


    Of course, not all the party members found him cute.


    ¡°O¡­ Oppa.¡±


    It was that Jung Hayan who had opened the door and came in.


    ¡°Ah. Is it Hayan? You worked so hard today.¡±


    ¡°N-No. It wasn¡¯t much. I was just watching the people working¡­ Now, we¡¯ve almost finished clearing the corpses. Are you feeling better now?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m healthy now. I only fainted because I exhausted my magic, and I hadn¡¯t received any special injury. What about the others?¡±


    ¡°I think everyone will gather in a bit. Hyunsung asked for a meal with the party members¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Are you free today?¡±


    ¡°Ah, I am.¡±


    ¡°T-That¡¯s fortunate¡­¡±


    I knew she was thinking that Dialugia and Tol To-ri had managed to take me away. Because of this, I knew I had to start working on bringing Dialugia to my side without making Jung Hayan cry about this new development.


    A few days ago, I had enough time to spare for her, but now I was so busy that I couldn¡¯t even sleep properly.


    As work was work for me, it wouldn¡¯t have been strange for Jung Hayan to feel robbed.


    Dialugia was a monster, but her appearance in human form was quite beautiful, and although I said I would be careful, I knew Hayan would have seen me holding Tol To-ri.


    She didn¡¯t say anything but¡­


    ¡®She may have felt like we were acting like a family.¡¯


    What was decisive was the announcement that Dialugia and I were sharing life.


    I didn¡¯t know why, but perhaps she was feeling a tremendous sense of loss. This was proven when she refused toe out of her room all day long. Even when I came to visit, she refused to open the door.


    She seemed to now devote her time to studying magic, but the results did not appear. No, it would be right to say that they had not yet appeared.


    If Jung Hayan was studying magic now, it was inevitably to find a way to connect her life with mine as well.


    It was impossible in theory, but perhaps¡­


    ¡®If it¡¯s her, it could be done.¡¯


    She might even conjure up something worse.


    Originally, her talent for magic was on the level of genius, and through this wave, she had grown tremendously.


    Jung Hayan was also a person who needed management as much as Tol To-ri, so I knew I had to pay more attention to her. Had it been announced that I became the dragon¡¯s spouse, it would have been much more difficult to control her.


    Just looking at her willfully ignoring Tol To-ri and Dialugia could tell me that much.


    At this, Jung Hayan stepped closer to me.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go together now!¡±


    For some reason, I was very much aware of Dialugia and Tol To-ri¡¯s presence. It felt like I was cheating on them both. However, I had no choice but to go along with what Hayan wanted.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll be back, Dialugia.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Dialuria should also stay quiet.¡±


    ¡°Kiek! Haaa!¡±


    ¡°L-Let¡¯s go quickly, Oppa! Everyone might be waiting.¡±


    Though Jung Hayan kept urging me to hurry along, I couldn¡¯t help but notice Tol To-ri¡¯s eyes, which were currently filled with anxiety.


    Unfortunately, it would be best to ignore it here.


    ¡°Kiek! Kiek!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go quickly, Oppa!¡±


    After closing the door, Hayan breathed out, as if she felt relieved.


    Instinctively, I too felt anxious, as if she noticed something. I knew I should be more alert.


    ¡°Is there any reason that Hyunsung-ssi said we should meet today?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°Oh, Oppa still¡­ I guess you haven¡¯t heard it.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t. Is there any news?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure about the details¡­ They¡¯ve been saying that the Holy Empire will elect the Eight Seats this time.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Rumors say that they¡¯ll be choosing around two people from the Blue Guild.¡±


    ¡®What¡¯s happening now?¡¯


    I felt a little disconcerted by the sudden news.

 Chapter 185: Empire’s Eight Seats (2)

    <h4>Chapter 185: Empire¡¯s Eight Seats (2)</h4>


    I think I could understand what that meant.


    ¡®The Eight Seats?¡¯


    What was the intention of the Holy Empire to create such a system?


    The Holy Empire did not give such high positions to yers. It was already unusual for me to be appointed as Honorary Bishop of the Pope¡¯s side, and this alone had brought great tumult to the Empire. In simple terms, it was not an exaggeration to say that yers other than me had nothing to do with the imperial officials.


    Though Guild Masters ofrge people were also considered important, there were boundaries in ce so they wouldn¡¯t be able to intervene in the actual politics within the Empire.


    With this, I could understand the Empire¡¯s position.


    It wouldn¡¯t be nice for the Empire if the yers got too deeply involved in their work.


    ¡®But now¡­¡¯


    Perhaps this new development was brought by the yers who tried to protect Castle Rock by risking their lives, but then again, perhaps it wasn¡¯t.


    Although this may stem from an external reason, it was a business that did not make sense if it had been brought about by the urrence of just one monster wave.


    ¡®Have they be conscious of the Republic?¡¯


    That was not a bad guess. The Republic and the Holy Empire had been in a strange rivalry since a long time ago. When the Holy Empire raised tall buildings, the Republic also raised tall buildings. When the Republic published research on new magic or dungeons, the Empire soon published a simr kind of literary work.


    This meant that there was always such a struggle in international rtions. If I were to think of Shaolin, who had a high position as the Five Tiger General of the Republic, there was a high probability that the Holy Empire had chosen to take action.


    Whether or not there was an official announcement about the generals of the Republic, I had not heard anything about that. Still, it was a good possibility since I had nted some of my own spies into the Republic. Besides that, there must be a strange tug-of-war and conflict of interest between the Emperor and the Pope¡¯s forces, as well as political factors that I did not know about. They might have given me, a yer, the Honorary Bishop position as a way to spite the Emperor¡¯s side. Considering that they might be picking someone from Blue¡­


    ¡®Won¡¯t they still pick an imperial person for the position, though?¡¯


    Whether my predictions were correct or not, I would be able to find out by talking to Kim Hyunsung. Because of our past misunderstandings, it would be awkward to meet with him now, but it wouldn¡¯t matter much as this was a meeting where everyone would be present.


    ¡°Hehehehe¡­¡±


    ¡°Why¡¯re youughing?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good to have everyone here again.¡±


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re right.¡±


    Jung Hayanughed, evidently unaware of myplex thoughts.


    ¡®It wouldn¡¯t be Jung Hayan.¡¯


    Most likely not. No, in fact, it would be difficult to find a person who would be fit to take on the position in Blue. Obviously, people saw us as rookies with rising potentials, and this was mostly due to Jung Hayan, Kim Ye-ri, Sun Hee-young, and Cho Hyejin.


    ¡®They¡¯ll probably pick Hyunsung.¡¯


    If only one person would be picked, it would undoubtedly be Kim Hyunsung. Of course, he hadn¡¯t shown anything big yet, but if I were to think about him filling up the position Cha Hee-ra had left vacant during the monster wave, it made sense.


    I, who had been busy wandering around, could not properly see what Hyunsung had managed to do. Still, unlike me, who had been busy raising my reputation, he had imprinted his strength onto the imperialists and the free people.


    ¡®Can I say that I¡¯m relieved that Hee-ra didn¡¯t participate?¡¯


    If Cha Hee-ra had been there, it would have been rtively difficult for Kim Hyunsung to be at the center of the Castle Rock City Wall battle.


    Whether she knew myplicated thoughts or not, Jung Hayan continued to smile, clinging tightly to me. It felt a little annoying, but it was good to walk with her all in all. The usual Jung Hayan was still pretty cute, after all.


    Before long, we arrived at the restaurant¡¯s entrance. I first caught sight of Hwang Jeong-yeon, who had been talking with Park Deokgu. Sitting next to her were Sun Hee-young and Cho Hyejin, drinking tea quietly.


    ¡®They look alike.¡¯


    Then there was Kim Hyunsung, who was taking care of Kim Ye-ri. He was the first to notice me. His expression as he waved us over certainly didn¡¯t seem all that bad. Contrary to my expectations that he would ask all kinds of questions as soon as his work was finished, he seemed to observe me closely, saving the asking forter.


    ¡®Although this is exactly like him¡­¡¯


    I knew I had to find a way to iste both of us so we could talk, as I did not want any unpleasant feelings to remain within Hyunsung. Park Deokgu noticed us as well.


    ¡°Oh my, Hyung-nim!¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Whoa¡­ Just having a dragon choose you makes it harder for the rest of us to see you!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make a fuss. It¡¯s not that big of a deal.¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s great enough. This is because Lee Kiyoung lives with a heart of gratitude to God¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really not a big deal, Sun Hee-young-nim.¡±


    At Sun Hee-young¡¯s words, Cho Hyejin stared up at me with a strange expression. However, she soon avoided my gaze, apparently not wanting to get involved. Instead, it was Hwang Jeong-yeon who spoke up.


    ¡°You two are so close together today. It¡¯s romantic.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ T-Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Please sit here, Hayan-ssi, Kiyoung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Alright, Jeong-yeon-ssi.¡±


    It had been a while since I had seen the party members, but the atmosphere wasn¡¯t all that awkward. Kim Ye-ri nodded a little, and I, knowing this to be a greeting, nodded back in reply. The rise in power among my party members looked obvious.


    I had not yet decided on a ss either, but I would have to focus on it soon. Kim Ye-ri, Kim Hyunsung, and Jung Hayan had already finished their ss changes. I thought it was right to take a closer look at these when I had the time. Contrary to my thoughts that all party members would have changed sses, Sun Hee-young, Hwang Jeong-yeon, and Cho Hyejin only managed to increase their stats, yet no ss change urred for them.


    ¡®These guys¡­ It¡¯s because their growth levels are already high.¡¯


    Park Deokgu was the problem.


    ¡®It¡¯s a pity. This guy¡­¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know if he was procrastinating on changing his ss or if he simply couldn¡¯t get one, but he still had the same rare-grade ss. His endurance and stamina stats rose, but the overall growth wasn¡¯t that great. Of course, his stats were greatpared to ordinary people, but he was among the lowest ones when it came to our party of geniuses.


    ¡®I think I should give him therapy sometime soon¡­¡¯


    Park Deokgu was working hard. I was the one who knows that best. However, it felt as if a wall was blocking him. I wanted to solve his problem right away, but for now, I had an urgent task. I turned to look at Kim Hyunsung.


    No wonder everyone¡¯s eyes were on him. They were hoping that the guild leader would be the first to speak.


    His voice then echoed as if meeting everyone¡¯s expectations.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while since everyone¡¯s been gathered like this. It seems like the aftermath of the battle is busier than the preparation beforehand. Hahaha.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Though this was clearly a joke, no oneughed. Kim Hyunsung certainly had no talent in that. He cleared his throat before speaking again.


    ¡°Ahem. Anyway, I-I¡¯m d that everyone is safe. And¡­ Thank you so much for trusting me and following me.¡±


    ¡°Ah, but it¡¯s only right to do so. You¡¯re our Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°No. Hyejin-ssi. It¡¯s not like that. This was probably the first major battle for you all, especially for Hayan-ssi and Deokgu-ssi¡­ And even Ye-ri and Kiyoung-ssi. I know best than anyone else that it¡¯s hard to stay on the front line even though you¡¯ve only been here for about a year.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ I didn¡¯t know that this was the four¡¯s first time.¡±


    ¡°It is.¡±


    ¡®I see.¡¯


    This wasmon sense. Park Deokgu scratched his head, evidently feeling shy.


    ¡®They were scared.¡¯


    If I, who believed in Hyunsung and Hee-ra, still felt scared, it would be normal for Deokgu to be as well. Kim Ye-ri was still expressionless, so I couldn¡¯t figure out what she was thinking, but Jung Hayan didn¡¯t seem to understand what Kim Hyunsung was talking about. I was sure that among all of us, she definitely did not feel an ounce of fear.


    ¡°No. Basically, we were able to stand on the wall because we had the belief that Hyunsung-ssi would not leave us alone. Actually, Hyunsung-ssi saved my life several times.¡±


    ¡°Kiyoung Hyung-nim is right. In fact, if it weren¡¯t for our Hyung-ssi, I would have died several times already. I admit that I was scared, but¡­ It was a good experience¡­ It is only right for us to thank you.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Right, Oppa is right.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Kiyoung-ssi is right.¡±


    As the party members shook their heads, Hyunsung appeared to feel moved. His sensibility was rich. As he bowed his head and thanked us, I realized his genuinely good nature once more. Seeing Hyunsung appear all embarrassed just made him way cuter.


    ¡°Thank you, everyone. Ah! My reason for calling everyone today was to talk about the Empire¡¯s Eight Seats, which will be announced soon. I didn¡¯t know if Kiyoung-ssi has heard, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, I heard it from Hayan on the way here. This was so unexpected¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, it felt a little sudden for me, too. I knew it would eventually happen, but it¡¯s so sudden¡­¡±


    ¡°Has Hyung-ssi ever heard anything rted?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t. Likewise, Kiyoung doesn¡¯t seem to have received this news in advance. It¡¯s not unnatural not to have heard of it, but the fact that even Kiyoung-ssi doesn¡¯t know¡­¡±


    It was true that this had been hosted by the Emperor¡¯s side, not the Pope¡¯s. This didn¡¯t mean that the Pope had been inactive. However, this affair was not under their jurisdiction.


    ¡°First, I have to exin about the Empire¡¯s Eight Seats. To put it simply, Empire¡¯s Eight Seats refers to a system that selects the eight people they think are the strongest in the Empire and gives them positions and authority. I think we need to find out a little more about it, but inparison, it¡¯s like giving the title of a noble.¡±


    ¡°Then, we¡¯ll have to ept it. No, I mean, do they really think that there are two people in our guild who they consider as the strongest?¡±


    ¡°It might be about how strong we are, but there are also probably many political reasons.¡±


    ¡°It is undeniable that Hyung-ssi is strong, but¡­¡±


    I agreed with some of Park Deokgu¡¯s words. It was true that Kim Hyunsung was strong, but it was still unreasonable to ce him among the eight strongest in the Empire. I tried to exin, but Cho Hyejin cut me off.


    ¡°Maybe the imperialists have been excluded. If they include the imperialists, the number of 8 is too small. There¡¯s Victor Hart of the Royal Castle. And I heard that the three Temrs from the Pope¡¯s side are a little stronger or simr to Cha Hee-ra. They already make up four people¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡­ Do you mean the red-haireddy? I¡¯ve heard of the old man Victor Hart before¡­ Tem, what is a Temr?¡±


    ¡°It refers to the three strongest knights that the Pope has. I¡¯ve heard that their power is of the legendary-grade, and they only move as a group when danger is posed to a priest above the cardinal-grade. Hee-young, a priest, must know this well.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Cho Hyejin is correct. Cardinal-grade priests y a big part in the Pope¡¯s side. Perhaps, if Lee Kiyoung also reaches that position¡­¡±


    If that happened, then it would definitely be a good day for me. As it was still a distant story, I didn¡¯t dare to answer, and Cho Hyejin once again spoke.


    ¡°If you think about it without the imperialists, it may seem right. First, there¡¯s Cha Hee-ra of the Red Mercenary Guild and Park Yeonjoo of the ck Swans. There¡¯s Yuno Kasugano from the Yozora Guild. In return, another strong yer wille out of Celia to rece the dead Ito Souta¡­ Likewise, in the Free City of Dawan, where the Taiwanese live, two people from therge guilds will be chosen.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, there are a lot of yers in the Empire who are said to be strong, but it is very likely they have ruled out some of those who live a secluded life or those who did not maintain seats of power. Perhaps, if some of the people refuse their seat, our Blue could have a chance.¡±


    ¡°Is there any reason to refuse it?¡±


    ¡°As much as you have authority and position, responsibilities will alsoe with it. Most people who want to be free from those shackles will not ept it. When they were about to announce the Eight Seats of the Empire, the monster wave took ce in Castle Rock, so it would only be natural for them to pay attention to us. Probably¡­¡±


    At this, Cho Hyejin hesitated. Kim Hyunsung now took over.


    ¡°Yes. Kiyoung-ssi and I were asked to join as members of the Eight Seats together.¡±


    ¡°Y-You mean, Hyung-nim?!¡±


    Park Deokgu stared at me in shock.

 Chapter 186: Empire’s 8 seats (3)

    <h4>Chapter 186: Empire¡¯s 8 seats (3)</h4>


    ¡°Yes. Kiyoung-ssi and I were asked to join as members of the Eight Seats together.¡±


    ¡°Y-You mean, Hyung-nim?!¡±


    It was easy to tell what Park Deokgu was thinking. Though he admired me, my strength was an entirely different story.


    ¡®Hyung-nim? Hyung-nim to be one of the eight seats?¡¯


    This was probably what Deokgu was thinking now. My physical ability was basically insignificant. A simple punch would be enough to wound me. Of course, I had Juliana, but this didn¡¯t count when it wasn¡¯t active. Sure, I also had a lot of alchemy magic considered tactically useful, but this was nothingpared to someone like Jung Hayan.


    Simply put, my individualistic power was less than a maggot¡¯s. Of course, Park Deokgu may not be thinking like this, but I knew he was wondering how someone like me could be rmended to the Eight Seats of the Empire.


    ¡°Hyung-nim too¡­¡±


    ¡°In Kiyoung-ssi¡¯s case, perhaps¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. Dialugia¡¯s existence would have been decisive. From the Empire¡¯s standpoint, there¡¯s no reason to exclude humans who had been chosen by a legendary dragon. If one were to think about it, Dialugia¡¯s power would be more than enough to upy all eight seats in the system. Considering that Kiyoung-ssi is the one responsible for such a creature, it would be strange for him not to get chosen.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°In simple terms, they would need to get the dragon¡¯s tamer before they can ce the dragon in their favor. Plus, Kiyoung is also a well-known Vice Guild Master. And¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°It might be unlikely, but he holds a unique position as an alchemist. Currently, he is almost the only one that can make potions of heroic-grade or higher. Of course, since the ss itself can be said to have nothing to do withbat, it wouldn¡¯t have much of a big impact.¡±


    ¡°I-I see¡­¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t control Dialugia at my own will like a tamer or a summoner.¡±


    ¡°B¡­ But even that is great, Hyung-nim! Isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Sure, one could describe it as great. As Cho Hyejin had said, Dialugia¡¯s existence was extraordinary. Though she was currently in a very unhealthy state, she was still powerful enough to cause destruction with one simple sweep. Of course, she had a free will of her own, but what would these people know about it?


    What was important was the fact that she had chosen me and that I could borrow her powers. Park Deokgu kept up the chatter, but he now sported a very bitter expression.


    ¡®Ha¡­ This bastard¡­¡¯


    The reason why he was acting this way was obvious. He felt as if he was falling behind. The gap between him and the rest of the members had be way too evident. To put it simply, what he was feeling was more of shame than jealousy.


    He was continually surrounded by monsters, which was why he failed to recognize his rapid growth. Now would be the right time tofort him.


    ¡°It¡¯s only because of political reasons that I was given the high position. The Yeongju Tower may have been conscious of the Pope¡¯s side and had taken action. However, nothing will change, Deokgu.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s great enough to be chosen. Hyung-nim is already an Honorary Bishop of the Holy Empire¡­ I really believe that you are the smartest person among everyone on this continent¡­¡±


    ¡°I am not smart; I just move a little more carefully than others.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not it. Besides, since you conducted the pre-war defense brilliantly, they must¡¯ve also considered that. The Guild Master Hyung-ssi also¡­ Anyway, I¡¯m d there are so many things to celebrate about¡­ Everyone¡¯s on a roll!¡±


    ¡°I have not yet decided on whether to ept it or not, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. This will depend on the thoughts of the Guild Master and the Vice Guild Master.¡±


    At Cho Hyejin¡¯s words, my gaze fell on Kim Hyunsung. Jung Hayan looked disinterested in the topic, but the rest of our party members looked serious. This would determine our future.


    ¡®Perhaps¡­¡¯


    There didn¡¯t seem to be anything bad by epting it.


    ¡°In my case, I think it is only right to ept it. We¡¯ll have a lot of responsibility, but it won¡¯t be profitable to refuse both as an individual and as a guild. In the future, it will be of greater help for Blue¡¯s growth. In Kiyoung-ssi¡¯s case, I think it is a matter to be decided by Kiyoung-ssi, but¡­ I would like to rmend you to ept it.¡±


    He was right.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I need to refuse, too. Representing the Empire will be advantageous for my activities.¡±


    ¡°I knew you would say so.¡±


    ¡°Haha¡­¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ Kiyoung-ssi and I will have to visit Yeongju Tower for a while.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡±


    At that moment, Jung Hayan looked horrified. Of course, she immediately went silent, but Kim Hyunsung seems surprised by her sudden reaction.


    ¡°Ah. You don¡¯t have to worry, Hayan. You¡¯ll be going with us.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Okay¡­¡±


    ¡°I hope that Hyejin-ssi will remain here to clean up, and Jeong-yeon will take the rest and return to the guild. Prepare for themand of advisor Lee Sang-hee.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ It seems we have to start to prepare for it slowly.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯re we preparing for?¡±


    ¡°The next group wille soon.¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    I hadpletely forgotten this. I knew it was usually held once a year, so considering the timing, it would definitely happen again soon. The tutorial in itself was probably already in progress, and depending on how quickly they would pass the exam, this might take from a few days to several months longer.


    ¡®Time goes by so fast.¡¯


    ¡°The Red Mercenary will be in charge of this tutorial dungeon, but¡­ Even if it¡¯s not our turn, recruiting new recruits is essential.¡±


    ¡°By how much will you increase the guild members?¡±


    ¡°That hasn¡¯t been decided, but¡­ if we can find a talented person who can understand and blend well with us, then we¡¯ll ept them.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve also been thinking about the direction of getting the priority to recruit under discussion with Cha Hee-ra¡­ This time around, we¡¯ll be busy again. Of course, even so, you should not neglect training and hunting. Anyway, let¡¯s skip the boring talk. Let¡¯s talk about this in further detail while we eat.¡±


    As soon as Kim Hyunsung finished speaking, the atmosphere became a little noisy. I knew this would eventually happen, and I admit that I did miss getting to talk with everyone.


    However, knowing that Tol To-ri was waiting for me made me feel a little guilty about chatting with everyone. I was worried about Park Deokgu, too, but he was doing his best to show his eagerness.


    ¡°Please have another drink, Oppa.¡±


    ¡°No. This is enough for me.¡±


    ¡°T-This is a good day.¡±


    ¡°Then, should I have one more drink?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    In the meantime, I didn¡¯t know what Jung Hayan was thinking, but she had been actively urging me to drink. It was good to drink in moderation, but I knew I shouldn¡¯t drink any more than I already have. Of course, it was difficult trying to refuse Jung Hayan continually.


    I didn¡¯t know what Deokgu was thinking, either, but he didn¡¯t seem to be in the mood to drink. He had refused with a smile when I offered him one, but he was evidently distracted. I thought about whether or not to talk with him, but he had managed to sneak away at one point.


    It wasn¡¯t just him. Kim Ye-ri, a minor, and Sun Hee-young, a priest who didn¡¯t enjoy alcohol in the first ce, had already gone away. This was okay because it was alreadyte, but¡­


    ¡°Then, I will also be going, Kiyoung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow, Hyunsung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The drinking session eventually ended. Jung Hayan was still guarding my side, and now it was only right for me to head back to my room.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go too, Hayan.¡±


    ¡°Ah, alright! Are you perhaps feeling drunk?¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯m still fine.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡®Why do you look so sad?¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯ste now, so you should go to sleep.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes¡­¡±


    ¡°Or would you want to go for a short night walk?¡±


    ¡°R-Really?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    I had recently been neglecting her, and now seemed like the right time to reward her. I knew Hayan must feel stressed, so it was only right that I ease her impatience before she burst.


    It was a bit chilly now, but it still felt nice enough to walk. The moon was high up in the sky, and just about anyone would consider this a romantic atmosphere. I could feel Jung Hayan¡¯s hand, which was holding mine, trembling. Though we were just walking around the gardens in Yeongju Tower, she already seemed happy. It was then that I heard a sound resonate from the area.


    ¡°Did you hear that just now?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    No wonder I felt curious. I grabbed Jung Hayan¡¯s hand, who had been trying to lure me into a secluded area.


    ¡®What the¡­¡¯


    Though I felt puzzled for a while, I began to realize what they were doing. Kim Ye-ri was currently running towards Park Deokgu with a dagger aimed at thetter¡¯s neck. Deokgu, in turn, lifted his shield as a reaction.


    ¡°Hup!¡±


    The sound we had heard was Deokgu¡¯s brief shout of concentration, yet his attack didn¡¯t faze Kim Ye-ri at all. The kid had sessfully avoided the attack.


    ¡®What is she, a cat?¡¯


    It felt like she could stay in the air longer than the others. Deokgu tried to swat her away mid-air, but she twisted her body just in time. As if this wasn¡¯t enough, shended by sitting on his shield, and even I couldn¡¯t understand how she did it.


    Even Park Deokgu seemed both bewildered and perplexed about her iprehensible actions.


    Taking advantage of his distracted state, Kim Ye-rinded a kick. As she kicked his head, Park Deokgu hit the floor. The short match was over with her holding her dagger right against his neck. The quiet voice of Kim Ye-ri echoed in the hall.


    ¡°You¡¯re weak.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not over yet.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s already over¡­ If I don¡¯t head to bed now, I¡¯ll get scolded. Anyway, it¡¯s alreadyte.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ Let¡¯s do it one more time.¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s not fun anymore.¡±


    ¡°Just onest time!¡±


    ¡°Uncle Deokgu, if I had done it seriously, you would have died several times already. This will be the end for today. We¡¯ll train again tomorrow, even though it¡¯s not fun.¡±


    Her words weren¡¯t intended maliciously. The kid was horrible atmunicating. However, it appeared that her words had struck Deokgu right into her heart.


    ¡°Then, ahem¡­ I¡¯ll see you tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Wrong. I am sorry, uncle. I¡¯m helping you practice.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the same thing. You should head in first, Ye-ri.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Uncle should also rest well.¡±


    ¡°And¡­ It¡¯s not uncle, but Oppa.¡±


    ¡°Huh. But you look like an uncle.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    This made me wonder whether Kim Ye-ri was inciting him on purpose. With a nk look, Park Deokgu watched Kim Ye-ri quietly leave. Even I had not spoken to that kid in forever. Perhaps Park Deokgu and Kim Ye-ri had already conducted a lot of these meetings.


    ¡®Tsk¡­¡¯


    Even after Kim Ye-ri left, Park Deokgu did not leave his seat and sat down, leaning against the wall. Jung Hayan, who had constantly been pulling me, was now looking at Park Deokgu seriously. His whole body was already a disaster. Not only was he covered with sweat, but he looked entirely dirty. Assuming that he had continued to do this after he quickly got out of the drinking table meant he had already been beaten by Kim Ye-ri several times, so this was natural.


    I didn¡¯t like seeing him burying his face between his knees. I thought about approaching him and talking to him, but he didn¡¯t seem to want that right now. Soon enough, he stood up and once more began to swing his sword in the air.


    Hoowook.


    His body trembled, showcasing his exhaustion.


    Hoowook.


    However, he continued to swing his sword over and over again. I honestly wanted to tell him that this was meaningless. He wouldn¡¯t be able to catch up with the others with this useless training regime. If one could be powerful by simply swinging a sword in the air, then almost everyone on this continent would have be powerful.


    The problem with Park Deokgu was not ack of effort but ack of talent. Even if he were to exert double the effort, the gap between him and our party members would continue to widen. Once he could catch up, the gap would soon widen once more. It¡¯s a vicious cycle.


    I wasn¡¯t in the right position to say this, but people like Park Deokgu simply cannotpete with people like Kim Hyunsung or Kim Ye-ri. Or so the system says.


    No matter how hard he would try, it would be those blessed with talent that would eventually rise to the top. To put it inly, the probability that Park Deokgu could catch up with those above him was close to zero.


    However, I didn¡¯t want to point out how stupid this was. I could hear him muttering all the way from where I stood.


    ¡°I can do better¡­¡±

 Chapter 187: Foolish Guy (1)

    <h4>Chapter 187: Foolish Guy (1)</h4>


    ¡°Let¡¯s head back, Hayan.¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­


    Though I wanted tofort Park Deokgu, now was not the right time. Nothing would get to his head, considering his current state of mind.


    Even Jung Hayan, who spent a lot of time with him, looked bummed. I knew she cared about the party members in her own way, but Kim Hyunsung and Park Deokgu were the most important for her. They were the ones we had been with since the start and had taken care of her, who had been a lonely person.


    In particr, Park Deokgu had been the one who had beaten up her molester, so he must be the one she was most fond of aside from me.


    ¡®He also yed matchmaker¡­¡¯


    We took care in quietly heading back, in case he would hear us. What he had muttered still bothered me up until now.


    ¡®I can do better.¡¯


    He was obviously reflecting on what I had told him when I first met him. At first, it had only been to make him take action, but this appeared to be his pir of support now. I felt embarrassed as I realized this.


    Of course, I believed in Park Deokgu. However, the reality shown by the status window was cruel.


    ¡®It¡¯s such bullsh*t for his effort not to count.¡¯


    Of course, for some, this may result in a big gift. However, some situations could not be reversed with effort alone. One example would be if the genius level were what Deokgu had been aiming for. When I looked behind me, I could see him mercilessly swinging his sword. And though I looked away, the scene never left my mind.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t want his efforts to betray him. However, upon concluding that his growth was really hitting its limit, I didn¡¯t know what to do.


    ¡®He might die.¡¯


    This wasn¡¯t the case of abandoning him in the worst-case scenario. Unlike me, whose position was in the rear, his position was on the frontlines. If he fought against something that he wouldn¡¯t be able to handle, Park Deokgu would surely die.


    This was proven back when Cha Hee-ra had gone berserk. If she had not been able to distinguish between enemy and allies, Park Deokgu would have died instantly on the first blow.


    Considering that our party¡¯s path would be quite difficult in the future, it might be better for Park Deokgu to stay put.


    ¡®My head hurts. Fuck¡­ I still have to change my ss¡­¡¯


    Still, I had a lot of things to worry about now, one being my fourth ss.


    ***


    ¡°Then, we¡¯ll see youter.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll finish the cleanup.¡±


    ¡°You can do it slowly. Hyejin-ssi.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll finish Lindel¡¯s affairs too, so you can go with no worries, Hyunsung-ssi. Kiyoung-ssi, please also have a nice trip with Hayan.¡±


    ¡°See you at Lindel. Jeong-yeon-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Goodbye, Kiyoung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°I will be back soon. Thank you for taking care of the slums, Hee-young.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Before leaving for the capital, I was given a short time to say my goodbyes to the party members. However, I could feel someone gazing at me sharply. It was not Cho Hyejin, who had to do all the remaining work, nor Kim Ye-ri who did not feel happy to be apart from Kim Hyunsung. It was Dialugia, who had Tol To-ri in her arms.


    Although she was expressionless as usual, I felt like she was not in a good mood, and seeing that she had a dissatisfied expression, I could tell she wasn¡¯t happy about me going to the capital. I said I would only be there for a short time, but nevertheless, she still seemed angry.


    She had raised her voice at me when I had returned the night I witnessed Park Deokgu¡¯s breakdown. To her, it felt like I had neglected the family and wandered outside.


    ¡®What is this¡­¡¯


    I knew that if she had her way, she would tie me up. Tol To-ri struggled through his cries, realizing that we would be apart for some time. Naturally, I knew I had to say something. Since Jung Hayan was still busy talking with the other party members, I had some time to talk to her.


    ¡°I will be back, Dialugia.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Dialugia, didn¡¯t you hear me?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it won¡¯t take long.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why you¡¯ve chosen to report to me. Won¡¯t you be satisfied only by doing everything you want to do, anyway?¡±


    ¡°I want to be with Tol To-ri too, but I don¡¯t have a choice in this situation.¡±


    ¡°Then what is the situation?¡±


    ¡°I gave you a clear exnationst time¡­ I hope you know that these are all efforts to provide a safe nest for both of you.¡±


    ¡°Well, I know what you think. All you talk about is providing a safe nest for us. That¡¯s good. However, the safest nest for Dialuria is one with you in it. As I said, I can¡¯t understand you whenever I think about how important this period is for Dialuria¡¯s growth. Don¡¯t you see Dialuria is also feeling so anxious?¡±


    ¡°Kiek! Kiek! Kiek! Kie-eh-eh!¡±


    ¡®Tol To-ri¡­ You¡­ Don¡¯t exaggerate, you fool.¡¯


    ¡°The human mind is so obvious. Anyway, you were already out of your mind, drinking that night. I think you¡¯ll know better how badly it affects our Dialuria¡¯s education, as well as your health, too. I don¡¯t care whether you hold hands or kiss other women, but you should at least be faithful to Dialuria.¡±


    ¡®Fuck¡­ she¡¯s scary¡­¡¯


    ¡°I knew well that humans are liars anyway. Nothing but good contractors¡­ A human who has promised not to get a shot of water on his hands throws away his nests easily. In the first ce, youck awareness.¡±


    ¡°Human society isplex. Communication is important, and drinking is indispensable.¡±


    ¡°You always talk like that. ¡®It¡¯splex. Human society is dangerous.¡¯ Could you first exin why you have chosen to leave Dialuria alone in thatplex and dangerous society?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you. It¡¯s because of work.¡±


    ¡°Your job is not to get distracted by drinking, but to protect and love Dialuria.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh,e on, our Tol To-ri!¡±


    I did not know what to reply with, so I naturally switched my focus. I knew very well that none of my exnations would work on Dialugia. For now, it would be best to be kind to Tol To-ri before I left.


    ¡°Kiek! Haaa!¡±


    ¡°Oh! Our Tol To-ri, good! Oh, right! Wait for two days. I wille back quickly, okay?¡±


    ¡°Kie-e-e-e-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee!¡±


    ¡°Tol To-ri! Don¡¯t scream!¡±


    ¡°Kie-e-ek¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll being back soon, so can¡¯t you wait a little bit?¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ Haaa!¡±


    ¡°You must listen carefully to your mother and wait quietly.¡±


    ¡°Heck! Heck!¡±


    ¡°Our Tol To-ri has grown a lot.¡±


    ¡°Kiek!¡±


    ¡°Well done! Well done! Well done!¡±


    ¡°Kiek! Kiek! Kiek!¡±


    As the little guy started to jump again, the dragon¡¯s anger seemed to lessen. With Tol To-ri looking so cute, it would only be natural for her expression to soften. Although she was still in a bad mood, her baby was the best way to melt her frozen heart.


    That was when I felt a strange gaze. It was Jung Hayan, whose stare was a stark contrast to everyone else, who had been staring at us with warm gazes.


    Of course, it was only then that she realized that the scene Dialugia and I showed was unusual. Dialugia didn¡¯t seem to care very much, but I, who was conscious of Jung Hayan, had no choice but to be concerned about this.


    However, most of the female crews just thought that Tol To-ri was cute. In particr, the eyes of Kim Ye-ri, who was seeing Tol To-ri jump for the first time, were shining brightly. Of course, Dialugia, seeing those eyes, hurriedly and warily lifted Tol To-ri.


    ¡°C¡­ Cute.¡±


    ¡°You muste back as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Ah. And after arriving at Lindel, the construction of the nest will proceed immediately. You should find a human named Kim Mi-young and tell her what you need.¡±


    ¡°An actual nest?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Actually, I don¡¯t know what a dragon¡¯s nest looks like¡­ I told her to start work immediately after consulting you.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s custom-made, so you can choose whatever you want.¡±


    Dialugia¡¯s expression was still full of dissatisfaction, but hearing the news that she would have a new nest seemed to make her feel better. However, this came at the expense of Jung Hayan. It seemed that, after crossing one mountain, I had to cross another one. However, I would be going to the capital with Jung Hayan anyway, so there would be many opportunities to work with her.


    Jung Hayan also knew this, so she also looked a little happy. Soon enough, she ran up to me and hugged me a little tightly. At this, my worries shifted to Park Deokgu, who now approached me with a casual expression.


    ¡°Well, Hyung-nim, have a good trip!¡±


    ¡°Yes. Please do take care of Dialugia and Dialuria while I am away.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because we share one life. Can you understand what I¡¯m talking about?¡±


    ¡°I think I know.¡±


    ¡°Deokgu.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I believe you. And if I do¡­¡±


    ¡°I know. I can do better. Are you going to keep saying that? I think it¡¯s going to create a crust on my ear. You don¡¯t have to worry about it, so you can just go.¡±


    ¡°You should get along well with Jeong-yeon.¡±


    ¡°Ahem. It¡¯s not like that with Jeong-yeon, so Hyung-nim should better be nice to Hayan.¡±


    ¡°Cheer up! Deokgu Oppa.¡±


    ¡°Am I not Park Deokgu, who is always full of energy?¡±


    At Park Deokgu¡¯s words, I smiled and stroked Jung Hayan¡¯s hair. I had to pretend that I believed him. While I didn¡¯t know much about him, I still had every right to be bothered because the signals were still noticeable. He had definitely swung his sword all night. He may think that I had not noticed it, but I could smell his sweat just by being near him.


    He had changed his clothes, but he didn¡¯t have time to shower.


    ¡°Kiyoung-ssi, we should¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes, Hyunsung-ssi.¡±


    We got on our respective griffons. Jung Hayan, too, stuck to my back like gum, and I waved my hand towards the people who were still greeting and Tol To-ri, who cried after me. To me, it felt like Park Deokgu had clenched his fist when I ascended to the sky alongside Hyunsung.


    Before I disappeared from their sight, I turned around, just in time to see him running off somewhere.


    ¡®Foolish bastard.¡¯


    He was the most foolish human I had ever seen.

 Chapter 188: Foolish Guy (2)

    <h4>Chapter 188: Foolish Guy (2)</h4>


    The capital, which had seemed quite amazing when I first saw it, was not very impressive when I looked at it the second time. Though the view was stunning, my eyes could not register its beauty. This was because Park Deokgu kept popping up in my mind.


    ¡®This bastard can really make a person feel upset¡­¡¯


    However, I had no choice but to discard these thoughts for the time being. I understood better than anyone else that I hade here for work. However, I had to make sure not to neglect the management of connections, either.


    This was the second time, but as soon as I got off at the familiar Griffonnding area, I immediately heard a cheerful voice calling out to me. I knew who it was, as I knew who liked me the most within the royal castle.


    ¡°Cardinal Basel!¡±


    ¡°Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung! Ah, you look so different! I¡¯ve heard about what¡¯s happened at Castle Rock.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha. It¡¯s all thanks to Benigore¡¯s Goddess. Bishop Jaina! And it¡¯s been a while, Director of the Inquisition Helena.¡±


    ¡°Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung, long time no see.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Please say hello to Kim Hyunsung, the Blue Guild Master who was rmended to take part in the Empire¡¯s Eight Seats.¡±


    ¡°Ooooh. I¡¯ve heard a lot about you, Believer Kim Hyunsung.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I also heard a lot about you, Cardinal Basel. I¡¯m Kim Hyunsung. Please take good care of me.¡±


    These three had greeted us the moment we had arrived, giving time for a short discussion. It felt like Cha Hee-ra herself had not arrived yet. In the first ce, the official announcement for the Eight Seats was still scheduledter on, but it wasn¡¯t like her not to be here yet.


    ¡®Is she still embarrassed?¡¯


    Considering this, she may have already arrived at the Royal Castle, quickly made her pledge, and then went away. I had heard that a few others had arrived earlier than us. Anyway, the Red Mercenary Guild was undoubtedly busy preparing for the new recruits, leaving no time for leisurely activities within the Holy Empire.


    While it had been fun talking and catching up with the members of the Pope¡¯s side, I was surprised to find out that it had been Cardinal Basel who had rmended me to take part in the Eight Seats of the Empire. I thought they would actually discourage me from being a part of it, but it seemed that I was wrong.


    They seemed convinced that I would remain faithful to the Pope¡¯s side than to the Royal Castle. If Cardinal Basel thought so, it would be natural to earn myself a spot within the system. The fact that the Honorary Bishop had been elected as one of the eight strongest in the Empire could be a form of publicity in its own way, after all.


    With Bishop Jaina and Director of Inquisition Helena, we had a short and interesting prayer meeting of only three people. Afterward, I continued to meet with the nobles I hadn¡¯t seen in a long time. All I did was greet the old man Victor Hart, but I also ended up chatting with Duchess Marlin, Duchess Catherine, and Marlin Young-ae, who had alreadye to the castle.


    The conversation mainly flowed toward Marlin Young-ae, who exined my saga about the Siege of Castle Rock to the other noblewomen. Since the other Blue Guild members were mentioned, my mind naturally shed back to Park Deokgu, annoyingly enough.


    Of course, I realized just how interested everyone was in Dialugia.


    ¡®It was good of me not to bring her.¡¯


    If Dialugia hade at this busy time, bringing Tol To-ri with her, an incident would most likely have taken ce.


    Like me, who was very busy, it was no wonder that Kim Hyunsung also had a busy time. As this was his first time in the Royal Castle, he spent his time building awork with Jung Hayan and me. Unlike me, who spent time with the nobledies and the Pope¡¯s side, he spent his time drinking alcohol orpeting for martial arts with the Royal Castle¡¯s powerful people.


    Contrary to me, who was being supported by the Pope¡¯s side after being chosen by a dragon, there were still doubts about Kim Hyunsung everywhere. It seemed that talking about swords with important characters from the Royal Castle like Victor Hart helped raise his evaluation.


    Though I knew I would be busy upon my arrival here, I had not expected it to reach this extent. Therefore, it was not unreasonable to find Kim Hyunsung looking even more tired than I was.


    Only two days had passed since we arrived at the capital. Unlike Jung Hayan, who always seemed to have a reserve of energy, Kim Hyunsung looked exhausted.


    ¡®Of course, I am the same, but¡­¡¯


    I had a lot to worry about, like Blue¡¯s future, my next ss, and my rtionship with Kim Hyunsung. Having too much to think about was also work in itself. Of course, I didn¡¯t even have to mention what I was most worried about.


    Though he had a different mindset, Kim Hyunsung was also in the same situation. As the tutorial dungeon¡¯s timing would be open soon, I knew that a lot of talents that Kim Hyunsung would be expecting would arrive.


    He had to select people who would y an active part in the future, and he would have a lot to think about his position, which would soon change externally. I didn¡¯t know what will happen in the future, but he did. There would be many situations in which mutual agreements were required, and their interests would be consistent. This was what tired him out, day and night.


    Though it felt like we had been avoiding talking seriously with each other, our conversations still flowed smoothly. After all, he and I were still friends as well as colleagues who trusted each other.


    ¡°Whoo¡­ It¡¯s been a long day.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps it will be a little busier tomorrow. I have to prepare for the ceremony¡­ Maybe we really were thest ones to arrive. In any case, there are a few more people Hyunsung-ssi needs to meet.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You should also meet Archbishop Andrine, as well as the noblewomen from influential provinces¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    His expression pleaded with me, asking me not to push through with this. He didn¡¯t mind meeting Archbishop Andrine, but he didn¡¯t seem happy about meeting the youngdies. His reaction made me smile.


    ¡°Ahem. If Hyunsung-ssi is ufortable, I will take care of the meeting with thedies.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to¡­ ¡°


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I have some time to spare.¡±


    ¡°T-Thank you.¡±


    It had been a while since someone had sincerely thanked me. As Jung Hayan dozed off next to me, Kim Hyunsung spoke again.


    ¡°It¡¯s already been a year.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Time seems to be passing faster than I thought. I was so busy that I didn¡¯t even notice that we¡¯ve been here for that long. In fact, you don¡¯t know how surprised I was when I heard from Hyunsung-ssi that we had to prepare for the next group.


    ¡°Hahaha. So there is something that Kiyoung-ssi does forget.¡±


    ¡°What? I¡¯m just an ordinary person. It¡¯s honestly overwhelming to only deal with what¡¯s happening right away.¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯m¡­ I don¡¯t think Kiyoung-ssi is ordinary at all.¡±


    ¡°I was just lucky. If I hadn¡¯t met Hyunsung in the first ce, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to survive the tutorial dungeon. And that¡¯s the same for Hyunsung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I know I sound so serious, but Kiyoung-ssi actually gives me a lot of strength.¡±


    I was proud to hear him say this so openly. The atmosphere wasn¡¯t that bad, and I had a drink beforehand since I had just attended a meal, but it appeared that I was still having difficulties trying to say what I really wanted to tell him. At least things were okay between us.


    ¡°Er¡­¡±


    ¡°Say it to me, too. Well done. Well done¡­¡±


    Jung Hayan¡¯s sleepy voice resonated from beside me, which naturally caused us tough. It was slightly different from what she usually said, but her tone of voice sounded serious.


    ¡°Come to think of it, I¡¯ve thought about something.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about how Blue currently is.¡±


    ¡°Ah. I see. Perhaps it¡¯s about the problem rted to the expansion of guild members?¡±


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s correct. It will still take a little more time, but I feel the need to revamp the system and the party now.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°I like how we are one big party now, but when the new party memberse in, it feels inefficient to stay as one group. I¡¯m still thinking about it, but perhaps it would be better to set up a second party and entrust it to Deokgu and Jeong-yeon.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    I shut my mouth. It turned out that Kim Hyunsung and I were thinking the same thing. Though Kim Hyunsung did not say it outright, it appeared that he had realized how difficult it would be for Park Deokgu to keep up with the current party.


    ¡®Are there any good tankers among the neers?¡¯


    I thought there might be. If a good front-liner were active in the future, it would be more efficient to ept him as a party member. Although this felt a little too sudden, I knew that Kim Hyunsung was not looking down on Park Deokgu. He had made his decision based on his understanding of Deokgu¡¯s limitations, and it was a reasonable choice at that.


    Making Deokgu a party leader would be the best way for him to gain experience.


    Park Deokgu¡¯s prestige and position in the n would increase, but as a result, he would move away from Kim Hyunsung¡¯s party. In fact, there was no reason for Kim Hyunsung to insist on Park Deokgu, considering that Lee Sang-hee¡¯s immediate return to the front line could lead to her joining our party.


    ¡®I know he¡¯s thinking about Deokgu¡¯s safety as well.¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s party, which had gained momentum from growth, would continue to set foot in new ces, and Park Deokgu would still continue to face new dangers. Considering the guy¡¯s specs objectively, it would be detrimental for him to stay with us.


    ¡®His role is different from mine, after all.¡¯


    However, it was natural to understand that keeping Park Deokgu in Kim Hyunsung¡¯s party and cing him in the rear would rather hinder his growth. Kim Hyunsung must have considered all these things. I knew he had brought his suggestion up to me because he considered me as Park Deokgu¡¯s closest friend.


    ¡®If you put everything together, such as Park Deokgu¡¯s growth and safety, and the fact that he wants to raise him as an executive in the future n, Kim Hyunsung¡¯s suggestion may definitely be better¡­¡¯


    For some reason, however, leaving him behind felt a little cruel.


    ¡®Fuck¡­¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t just me who knew about his limit. Though Kim Hyunsung could not see status windows like I did, he had fought alongside Park Deokgu enough to realize his growth potential.


    ¡°I know what you¡¯re trying to say, Hyunsung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, perhaps¡­ You seem to be talking about Deokgu. Am I correct?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m curious about what you think. In this case, I mentioned it first because I think Kiyoung¡¯s judgment is more important than my own. I think that Kiyoung-ssi¡­ knows him better than I do. It would be more dangerous for the party as time will go on¡­¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    My head already knew the answer, but my lips refused to move.


    ¡®This is annoying¡­ fuck¡­¡¯


    It felt good of him to ask about my feelings, but I hated Kim Hyunsung for this particr one. It felt like he was leaving the cruel decision to me.


    However, this was a situation where I had no choice but to answer. Eventually, I had to tell him what I thought was best.


    ¡°I¡­¡±

 Chapter 189: Foolish Guy (3)

    <h4>Chapter 189: Foolish Guy (3)</h4>


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I think it would be better to wait and see how things go first.¡±


    Honestly, that was a lie.


    I didn¡¯t think it¡¯ll be okay. Of course, I knew Park Deokgu was doing his best, but if the discussion was whether or not he could keep up with our party, that was a definite no.


    No, forget Kim Hyunsung. He wouldn¡¯t even be able to catch up with Cho Hyejin.


    No matter what one was to think about this, the best option was definitely to kick him out.


    ¡®Have I be too affectionate?¡¯


    I thought this was the case. I was making excuses, which was unlike me at all. In any case, Park Deokgu relied on me in many ways, and he saw me as a trustworthy person. Someday, I would definitely kick him out, but not now.


    I hated the thought of having a new tanker join us, thereby decreasing my influence within the party, and I also hated the thought of possibly spending my time taming whoever would be our new member.


    At least Park Deokgu was the type who would be willing to risk his life for me.


    Of course, it was unclear as to how this fearful guy would behave if that ever happened, but at least he wouldn¡¯t leave me alone.


    ¡®It¡¯s because he¡¯s working hard.¡¯


    It wouldn¡¯t be bad to believe in him a little more.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    It felt like Kim Hyunsung sighed briefly with what I said. I was forced to speak once more.


    ¡°Of course, we know very well that if the front-line copses, the whole party will be at risk. But I think that there are still areas that can be filled. Items, or¡­ There will be many ways. Most of all, Deokgu himself is working hard, so even a small achievement can be gained.¡±


    ¡®The oue may be very small, but¡­ Honestly, I¡¯m not expecting too much.¡¯


    ¡°I feel like he¡¯s training every day, and no one has noticed. Recently, I saw him sparring with Ye-ri. Of course, I can¡¯t really evaluate them, but they seemed to be having a good fight.¡±


    ¡®He was beaten to death.¡¯


    ¡°He definitely has enough willpower.¡±


    ¡®Useless and needless willpower.¡¯


    ¡°He might be slow, but he¡¯s still growing.¡±


    ¡®The problem is that his growth is too little.¡¯


    ¡°I think he would change a little on the next expedition. Definitely.¡±


    ¡®I can¡¯t be honest. Hyunsung¡­ Sh*t¡­¡±


    I was used to lying, but this was definitely not one of my best ones. I was too busy making up excuses for him that I had forgotten to rely on logic. It was definitely not something that suited me. However, I could see Kim Hyunsung smiling as he nodded.


    ¡°Okay, got it.¡±


    He looked happy, almost as if I had relieved him of a burden that I didn¡¯t know about.


    ¡®This bastard¡­ No way¡­¡¯


    I began to wonder if he had just tested me. Considering that he had felt wary of me due to recent events¡­ then that was definitely a possibility. If so, then Kim Hyunsung was way foxier than I had given him credit for.


    Perhaps he was suspicious as to how inhumane I could get.


    Seeing the bright expression on Hyunsung¡¯s face, however, it felt like he had seeded in getting something. I then began to wonder if this had also been a scheme of Deokgu¡¯s.


    ¡®It mustn¡¯t be a n.¡¯


    I firmly believed that it wasn¡¯t. Before I could even respond, Hyunsung had spoken once more.


    ¡°I know well what Kiyoung-ssi is thinking. In fact, I said earlier that I believe in Kiyoung-ssi¡¯s judgment, but there will certainlye a day when, not only our party members but also Deokgu-ssi himself, will be in danger.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ I know that, too.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s wait and see for now, but if his growth level or training results are not satisfactory, as I suggested¡­ It would be nice to form a second party. Of course, it would be better for Kiyoung-ssi to decide the timing. You have a better feel for this than I do.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Okay. Then, let¡¯s do that.¡±


    ¡®Does he mean he¡¯ll give Deokgu more opportunities?¡¯


    Whatever, I had still gotten what I wanted.


    Of course, if Deokgu did not perform to his standard, he would definitely get kicked out, but at least he would still be given more chances to improve.


    That meant I could only take one position at this point.


    ¡®I have to strengthen him.¡¯


    I had to find a way to make Park Deokgu improve. Though I didn¡¯t know exactly how, I knew there were many ways for one to get stronger. As I had mentioned earlier, I could get him some items or use my alchemy to strengthen his body.


    Of course, I doubted whether or not I could do this. However, this could grant me the needed step in obtaining my legendary ss.


    That was my first step.


    Considering that I, who had no talent in the first ce, had found a way to grow, Park Deokgu, who was undoubtedly better than me, could also do it.


    Though I found it funny that I felt concerned to this extent, I felt as if Kim Hyunsung was still testing me up until now. This meant I had to tackle this matter with all my might.


    ¡®This is thest time I¡¯ll care about you, Deokgu.¡¯


    I was not doing this because I cared about him. I already had a lot on my te, and it would be better to focus on my work than spend my time remembering that bastard¡¯s face.


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be going, Hyunsung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Also, what were you trying to say earlier?¡±


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s nothing. Next time, we¡¯ll have a drink and then talk about it.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Alright.¡±


    ¡°Kiyoung-ssi, I trust you.¡±


    ¡®You foxy guy¡­ Now I know this is definitely a test.¡¯


    ¡°Haha¡­ Then I¡¯ll see you tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    After picking up the dozing Jung Hayan, I left Hyunsung¡¯s room. Though Hayan herself was quite heavy, I could carry her without much difficulty, seeing as I at least had superior muscle strengthpared to the ordinary people living in this continent.


    Having moved around all day, it seemed that she was in no state to wake up. This freed my limitations a bit, seeing as Jung Hayan hated it whenever I had to head out somewhere.


    After depositing her in her room, I moved as quickly as I could.


    I had wanted to visit someone, and this was the perfect timing. I had postponed this because I felt both annoyed and busy, but now I had a good excuse to go.


    I had already decided that I should do something for Park Deokgu, but honestly, I didn¡¯t know how to do it. I didn¡¯t even know what had been hindering his growth!


    I was not a personal counselor. I just knew how to read status windows and dispositions.


    His magic power growth was ridiculously low, but his stamina and endurance were higher than heroic. The problem was that, even so, his overall growth had been progressing too slowly.


    Of course, that was not the only problem.


    Though it hurt to admit this, hisbat ability as an individual was lesser than the simple monsters that Kim Hyunsung had in in the past.


    ¡®To be honest¡­¡¯


    Even if Kim Ye-ri had lower stats than Park Deokgu, she would still be able to beat him.


    They had different abilities, after all. It was the same as Jung Hayan being able to defeat people whose magic and intelligence stats were higher than hers, all because she understood magic better than they did.


    In short, Park Deokgucked both experience and abilities. His ss was still of the rare-grade, and he hadn¡¯t even obtained an attribute yet.


    ¡®It¡¯s a total disaster¡­¡¯


    Of course, his potential attribute could still provide some hope for Deokgu, but his ability wasn¡¯t really something that one could hone through luck.


    In the meantime, I had to know what Park Deokgu had been like in the first timeline. After a few years, he must have grown more than he had in this timeline, but I wasn¡¯t yet sure. I had to check to understand how I could make him grow.


    Though Kim Hyunsung did not know Park Deokgu and me in the past, I knew Yuno Kasugano did.


    Before even reaching the room, the guild members of the Yozora Guild hade to greet me.


    When I waved my hand, the door opened on its own, and I could see Yuno in the same position as she was in thest time.


    ¡®Yuno Kasugano.¡¯


    She still had her long hair down, her eyes closed. She then spoke.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting, Master.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry foring to visitte.¡±


    ¡°No. Just youing is infinite glory. I know better than anyone else that the Master is busy. Come inside.¡±


    ¡°Did you know I wasing today?¡±


    ¡°T-That¡¯s not it.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡±


    ¡°I had been waiting for your arrival. I knew you would definitelye¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t know how to respond.


    ¡°It must have been hard.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t. Thinking I would be waiting for the Master made me feel a little better¡­ It was rather a fun time.¡±


    ¡®This is why I can¡¯t deal with her.¡¯


    ¡°Ahem.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure Master is here for something.¡±


    Seeing Yuno Kasugano¡¯s disappointed yet unsurprised expression, I felt a little guilty.


    However, I couldn¡¯t really lie to her. I had business to attend to, and it felt as if I was running out of time.


    As I sat down quietly, Kasugano inched closer to me, looking incredibly happy.


    Of course, she didn¡¯t smile openly as Jung Hayan did. It felt like she was doing her best to control her facial expression but was utterly failing.


    ¡°Well, at least I came, right?¡±


    ¡°Master, please just tell me what it is you want.¡±


    Since she said that, it wouldn¡¯t matter if I cut down to the chase. Anyway, just the fact that I was here seemed enough to make her happy.


    I had a lot of questions in mind.


    ¡°It¡¯s about the ck world.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You said you clearly found me in ruins.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I saw a dying version of Master.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ That was supposed to happen two years from now?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The exact date is not known, but I think it would happen after two or three years.¡±


    ¡°Was I the only one you found in ruins? Maybe others¡­ For example¡­¡±


    Yuno Kasugano cut me off before I could finish my sentence.


    ¡°I think Master is asking about a big man.¡±


    ¡°Do you know him?¡±


    Yuno Kasugano¡¯s closed eyelids opened, and she looked at me.


    In the ce where her pupils should be, there was only ck darkness. It looked like a scene straight from a horror movie, and goosebumps naturally rose on my skin.


    ¡®Don¡¯t look at me.¡¯

 Chapter 190: Foolish Guy (4)

    <h4>Chapter 190: Foolish Guy (4)</h4>


    Yuno Kasugano¡¯s closed eyelids opened, and she looked at me.


    In the ce where her pupils should be, there was only ck darkness. It looked like a scene straight from a horror movie, and goosebumps naturally rose on my skin.


    ¡®Don¡¯t look at me.¡¯


    Though I wanted to say this out loud, it felt as if Yuno Kasugano couldn¡¯t really see me. It felt as if she was seeing something different. Perhaps she was in the ck world now.


    Suddenly, her facial features, shaking with her lips tightly closed, looked very different from before. Though I knew her ability was very limited, there was a possibility that she could see what I wanted to know, and that in itself would be able to make me happy.


    ¡®Huh, not bad.¡¯


    Seeing that she knew about Park Deokgu, I felt as if my guess was correct to an extent.


    I couldn¡¯t confirm how I had lived in the first round before meeting Yuno Kasugano, but considering my disposition, I must have gone through a simr pattern. Therefore, I could at least predict that I had still gotten stuck with Park Deokgu back then. He must have really been someone I could rely on.


    It was not a big deal right now, but it was only natural to think this way since his initial stats were pretty good as they were.


    ¡®Since Hyunsung wouldn¡¯t have been a returner then, it would have been more likely that he did not try to contact us¡­¡¯


    I did not know whether or not Hyunsung¡¯s talent levels were high back then, but they probably weren¡¯t, seeing as I did not stick to him during the first timeline. Rather, I had chosen to cling onto Park Deokgu. That was until I met Yuno Kasugano.


    Did I end up backstabbing Park Deokgu in the end? This thought alone worried me.


    ¡®At least Park Deokgu wouldn¡¯t have abandoned me first.¡¯


    This fact was, at least, undeniable.


    As I mulled over my thoughts, Yuno Kasugano reached out to hold my hand.


    ¡®That scared me.¡¯


    When I turned to look back into her ck eyes, I could see something shining through.


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    [ess limited information due to external intervention. Checking the activation of the legendary-grade attribute, the Mind¡¯s Eye.]


    ¡®Wait¡­¡¯


    [yer Kasugano Yuno¡¯s attribute, the eyes that see the essence and through the past and future, do not resist.]


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    Before I could even form my own thoughts, I suddenly found myself being able to see the ck world, as Yuno Kasugano mentioned it.


    Now I realized why Yuno Kasugano called it that. I could also confirm the fact that I was currently seeing what she was seeing. I didn¡¯t know how this was possible, but I had been able to look at her memories in the past, so perhaps¡­


    At the time, it was a scene where I had been strangling her, but she was not in this particr scenario.


    What I was seeing now was Park Deokgu and me.


    As Yuno Kasugano described before, it was as if unedited videos or pictures had been mixed up.


    The Park Deokgu and I, in this version, looked entirely different, in a shabby kind of way. I looked like a third-ss adventurer who had just left the slums. Not only did I look miserable, my entire body felt frail and weak.


    ¡®Hey¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­¡¯


    ¡®For what?¡¯


    ¡®Today¡¯s hunting. I should have performed a little better¡­¡¯


    ¡®You don¡¯t need to worry about it, Deokgu. It was our first time anyway, and we still got paid.¡¯


    ¡®It was a good party¡­I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll call us from now on.¡¯


    ¡®I told you that you don¡¯t have to worry about that. I will do the rest on my own.¡¯


    ¡®Still¡­¡¯


    ¡®And oh, you can go first today.¡¯


    ¡®Do you have any other appointment?¡¯


    ¡®I have one with the Geumma n Vice-Director.¡¯


    ¡®Are you having dinner with her again?¡¯


    ¡®Don¡¯t be too upset. This will be helpful for both of us.¡¯


    ¡®That woman¡­ The rumors about her are not very good¡­¡¯


    ¡®It¡¯s not something you should care about. You just train hard. Remember what I told you.¡¯


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡®If I can do it, you can do better.¡¯


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    The scene changed once more. This time, I didn¡¯t know where we were, but I could tell that we were definitely not in Lindel.


    At least, as far as I know, there was no hunting ground in Lindel. I was now out of my cheap clothes at this point, seeing as Park Deokgu was dressed like a warrior, and I, a wizard.


    I didn¡¯t know what I had chosen for my next ss, but I had definitely not chosen alchemy. In the first ce, I would see no reason to choose it, as I had not received Ramus Tucker¡¯s Introduction to Alchemy from Kim Hyunsung in the first ce.


    ¡®Hyung-nim!¡¯


    ¡®You bastard! I told you to focus! Didn¡¯t I say that if you ck off, I will kill you?¡¯


    ¡®But, Hyung-nim¡­ your magic power.¡¯


    ¡®Don¡¯t worry about me. Worry about yourself.¡¯


    ¡®O-Okay.¡¯


    My movement didn¡¯t seem that bad, either. I appeared to be a wizard wielding a spear, and Park Deokgu looked like every bit a foolish frontliner.


    It seemed as if our rtionship with the people nearby wasn¡¯t too bad. I didn¡¯t know if the others belonged in a n, but it didn¡¯t seem like we belonged with the rest of them, either.


    I alternated between using my spear and chanting spells, but Park Deokgu himself seemed tomit many mistakes. It was as if he had not managed to ovee his trauma, as he had when we had first entered the Garden of Terror.


    Eventually, a monster passed through the front line and had aimed to hit the priest in the rear, but I had chosen to block its way. As a result, I got hurt by the monster, though it was me. However, the battle soon ended.


    As I tried tofort the angry priest, Park Deokgu bowed his head in shame.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry¡­¡¯


    ¡®How can you say you¡¯re sorry? I believed in your endurance ability and followed you¡­¡¯


    ¡®That¡­ that¡­¡¯


    ¡®Excuse me. Please say it directly. Don¡¯t hesitate. It¡¯s really annoying. Did you know I¡¯m being patient because of Kiyoung-ssi? Do you know how many times this has happened already? If you¡¯re going to be like that, I don¡¯t know why you chose to be a tanker. It looks like Castle Rock is looking for more workers. Go there and do some physicalbor. After Celia¡¯s guys came, the situation has gotten a lot worse. They say that anyone can go hunting these days¡­ It¡¯s so ridiculous, really¡­¡¯


    ¡®Ah¡­ I¡¯ll apologize for this, Gahee-ssi. He¡¯s not usually like this.¡¯


    ¡®I¡¯m only being patient because of Kiyoung-ssi. For Kiyoung-ssi¡­¡¯


    ¡®He¡¯ll be able to adapt soon. I¡¯ll buy you a mealter. How does that sound?¡¯


    ¡®Lunch? Dinner?¡¯


    ¡®Of course, it¡¯ll be dinner.¡¯


    ¡®Then¡­ I¡¯ll extend my patience. Ah. Have you given my guild proposal some thought?¡¯


    ¡®I still have some work to do, haha¡­ I will give a definite answer as soon as I am done.¡¯


    ¡®I¡¯ll be waiting.¡¯


    Once again, the scenery changed. This time, it appeared that we were on our way back from the hunt.


    ¡®Hyung-nim¡­¡¯


    ¡®So, didn¡¯t I tell you not to look back and focus? You bastard.¡¯


    ¡®That¡­ That¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­¡¯


    ¡®There¡¯s no need to be sorry. Hunting wasn¡¯t really our purpose anyway¡­ As a result, we got some stuff.¡¯


    ¡®Where are you going?¡¯


    ¡®You don¡¯t need to know.¡¯


    ¡®Are you sure¡­?¡¯


    ¡®Shut your mouth.¡¯


    ¡®I¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡¯


    ¡®You just have to follow me without worrying about anything. I¡¯ll do the rest for you. Everything will work out in the end.¡¯


    ¡®Still¡­ Getting in the right guild is more¡­¡¯


    ¡®You just need to shut up and remember one thing. If I can do it¡­¡¯


    ¡®I can do better.¡¯


    ¡®That¡¯s right. And¡­ Think about what I said a little more, Deokgu.¡¯


    ¡®T¡­ Thank you.¡¯


    More scenes shed after that. They weren¡¯t very useful, but they depicted me drinking with him, screaming at him, kicking him with my foot, etc. Everything passed by so quickly, so even the scenes that looked important had gone by in a blur. It was a shame all in all.


    ¡®Don¡¯t forget, Deokgu.¡¯


    ¡®I know.¡¯


    Interestingly enough, Deokgu¡¯s growth didn¡¯t seem that high, even during the first timeline. At this point, I wasn¡¯t surprised toe to this conclusion.


    ¡®Don¡¯t forget.¡¯


    ¡®I know. If Hyung-nim can do it¡­¡¯


    ¡®That¡¯s it.¡¯


    I had been curious about how he would grow in the future, and these memories were all useless.


    ¡®Are you tired?¡¯


    ¡®Hyung-nim, how can you be so cold?¡¯


    ¡®Because I have to kill to live. That¡¯s why I¡¯m being cold. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a big deal. This is the type of ce where you either kill or be killed. Do not forget it. If I can do it¡­¡¯


    ¡®If Hyung-nim can do it¡­ I can do better.¡¯


    ¡®That¡¯s right.¡¯


    Once again, the scene changed. This one portrayed him carrying me around and running without any hesitation.


    I wore ssy-looking clothes, and Deokgu had on fine armor, but what really registered in my mind was the fact that I was bleeding.


    It didn¡¯t seem as if we were in Lindel. I would have gloated on the fact that we looked quite sessful now if it weren¡¯t for the fact that I was bleeding.


    ¡®Can you hear my voice?¡¯


    ¡®Yes¡­¡¯


    ¡®If you die¡­¡¯


    ¡®Don¡¯t say that sh*t. I don¡¯t want to die.¡¯


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry, Hyung-nim. I¡¯m sorry.¡¯


    ¡®What are you sorry about?¡¯


    ¡®Because of what I said¡­¡¯


    ¡®Stop. I didn¡¯t really follow your words, so don¡¯t worry. There was only an error in my calction. I was wrong for believing at least a little in those hypocrites. You didn¡¯t do anything wrong.¡¯


    ¡®But because of me¡­ because of me¡­ H-Hyung-nim, as you thought¡­ I should have done¡­¡¯


    ¡®Yes, you bastard. I think it¡¯s because of you, so run faster. Seeing you regretting it like this, you can do better next time. Right?¡¯


    spells came our way, as well as a multitude of spears and arrows. Park Deokgu continued to run, looking really desperate.


    I wasn¡¯t sure about what had happened, but it seemed like Deokgu had made a suggestion, and I, for some reason, chose to act upon the said suggestion. As a result, things had backfired.


    Anyway, it appeared as if this whole game of tag had been going on for some time now. Park Deokgu alternated between trying to escape the siege by blocking the arrows with his body and beheading the people trying to block our way with a sword in one hand.


    However, his limit wasing. Although he could stop thebatants, he couldn¡¯t stop the multitude of spells and arrows falling from above.


    ¡®I can¡¯t tell you to abandon me and go, you bastard.¡¯


    ¡®I thought you would say that.¡¯


    ¡®But it would be better to leave me. Your body is ignorantly strong. You can live. I don¡¯t really care about dying, but I¡¯d appreciate it if you get revenge for me¡­¡¯


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this a n to prevent me from abandoning you through sympathy?


    ¡®You bastard¡­¡¯


    ¡®No matter what you say, I won¡¯t abandon you, so don¡¯t say that bullsh*t. I will save Hyung-nim.¡¯


    ¡®Stop with the bullsh*t, put me down.¡¯


    ¡®I¡¯m not bluffing. I will save Hyung-nim. Don¡¯t you remember?¡¯


    ¡®What?¡¯


    ¡®How many times Hyung-nim saved my life. I remember it all.¡¯


    ¡®I haven¡¯t really moved to save your life. You looked to be promising, and that¡¯s why I took care of you¡­¡¯


    ¡®I don¡¯t necessarily think so. No matter what you say, the fact stands that you still saved me. Thank you for taking all those hits instead of me¡­¡¯


    ¡®You couldn¡¯t die because I invested in you so much.¡¯


    ¡®I was grateful to you for defending me when we went to the dungeon and grateful to you for choosing me. No matter how much I try to remember, it seems that I was only saved by Hyung-nim. No matter how many memories I go through, you¡¯re the only one in them. I owe you so many things. It¡¯s my turn this time.¡¯


    ¡®You will die, too¡­¡¯


    ¡®I told you that I would definitely save Hyung-nim. Don¡¯t forget, Hyung-nim.¡¯


    ¡®What¡­¡¯


    ¡®If Hyung-nim can do it¡­ I can do better.¡¯


    ¡®¡­ ¡®


    ¡®If Hyung-nim can do it¡­ can do better.¡¯


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡®If Hyung-nim¡­ can do it¡­ I can do¡­¡¯


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡®Better¡­ I can do¡­¡¯


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡®If hyung-nim¡­ can do it¡­¡¯


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡®I¡­ can¡­ do¡­¡¯


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡®It¡­ I¡­¡¯


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    The scene changed.


    This time, I could see the face of Yuno Kasugano.

 Chapter 191: Foolish Guy (5)

    <h4>Chapter 191: Foolish Guy (5)</h4>


    I could see myself in an unfamiliar scenery, and Yuno Kasugano was also there.


    Unlike the explosions and screaming just moments before, I could only hear the chirping of birds here. Though the room I was in was definitely not luxurious by any standard, it still seemed neatly organized.


    The Kiyoung in this scene didn¡¯t seem capable enough to move his body. I felt like I had seen this room before.


    When Yuno Kasugano let me see through her memories, I had also been lying in this room.


    It seemed like she had made me stay here for the whole duration of my recovery. I didn¡¯t know how much time had rolled by since I passed out, but what I could tell was that the ck world definitely didn¡¯t look normal.


    Though I couldn¡¯t move my body for half of it was broken, I could see the intensity of the attacks that Deokgu had blocked for my sake. It was a miracle that I could even survive the attack. If Yuno Kasugano had not found me, I would have eventually died.


    Upon closer detail, I realized that I couldn¡¯t even move a single finger. Only my consciousness remained.


    Eventually, the door opened, and Yuno Kasugano came in and approached me.


    ¡®Poor person.¡¯


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡®What a pitiful person.¡¯


    Yuno Kasugano looked a little more mature than she was now. Since two years had passed, her hair was a little longer, and the atmosphere itself felt a little calmer.


    ¡®I know you must have a lot of questions. I can¡¯t answer them, but for now, I think it would be better for you to focus on your recovery.¡¯


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡®Ah, it turns out that I still haven¡¯t introduced myself. My name is Yuno Kasugano. I think you¡¯ve probably heard of it at least once, although I don¡¯t think my reputation is a good thing¡­¡¯


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡®Yes, you probably know me. I¡¯ll eventually tell you why I brought you here. Though I can¡¯t guarantee that your body will recover, I know that if you harbor the will, you¡¯ll be able to do normal activities.¡¯


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡®It seems like I¡¯ve been talking too much.¡¯


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡®I¡¯ll be heading back now, but I¡¯ll see you tomorrow.¡¯


    The Kiyoung in the scene didn¡¯t even register Yuno Kasugano heading back out. My gaze had been fixed on the ceiling, so I probably hadn¡¯t even seen her face.


    However, as I watched him, it seemed as if the Kiyoung in this timeline was thinking about made me realize something.


    Park Deokgu was dead.


    This was probably the entire reason why I looked so upset here. It was ufortable seeing myself cry continuously without either moving or not making a sound.


    Anyone could see that this was a tragic scene. I probably was a little more emotional in the first timeline than I was now.


    Honestly, I had to admit that I felt shaken just by seeing this scenario.


    The tears running down the ck world Kiyoung¡¯s face didn¡¯t stop, yet I continued to watch her.


    After a moment, the scene fast-forwarded a few days, depicting Yuno Kasugano looking for me to check on me once more.


    I couldn¡¯t tell why she was being so kind to me, but it appeared that what she felt was moreplex than it appeared on the surface.


    In the ck world, she probably knew that she and I would be together in the future. Taking this into consideration, then I could see why she was so dedicated to me. Her sympathy for me went beyond words, and she probably wondered if she would be able to change me in the ck world.


    Once again, the scene changed. Though the background itself did not change, it at least appeared that I could speak and move my body to some extent.


    ¡®Are you feeling better?¡¯


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡®I brought you a meal.¡¯


    ¡®Now¡­ I can eat it.¡¯


    ¡®It will be a little difficult to move your body yet.¡¯


    ¡®No need¡­¡¯


    ¡®Haven¡¯t I told you that it would be difficult to do so? Please let me. I¡¯ll feed you.¡¯


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    Though Yuno Kasugano¡¯s devotion was evident, the ck world Kiyoung didn¡¯t seem to believe her, which felt natural to me. If I were in that state, I wouldn¡¯t have believed in Yuno Kasugano either. I didn¡¯t know if Yuno was aware of it, but my eyes did not reflect friendliness.


    ¡®Why did you save me? No, I will change the question. What kind of ability is an eye that sees through essence, future, and past? Do you know about the future? Or did you know it was going to be like this?¡¯


    ¡®The information I can know is limited. You can¡¯t know all the futures, and you can¡¯t know all the pasts.¡¯


    ¡®If so¡­ Why did you save me?¡¯


    ¡®That¡¯s¡­¡¯


    ¡®You know the future me.¡¯


    Yuno Kasugano did not answer. I took that as a positive sign.


    Perhaps in the ck world, I was constantly thinking hard. I would continue to question why she saved me and what she expected from me by doing so.


    In the meantime, the scenery changed once more. Yuno Kasugano continued to care for me. While I seemed to be opening up to her, I still questioned her favor.


    This entire time, Yuno Kasugano told me useless stories as her way to pass the time. She narrated stories about her childhood, her current life, and her personal story.


    Through her constant chatter and determination, I could tell Yuno Kasugano was in love with me.


    She seemed to think of me every day,ing to spend time with me after a day of hard work. Sometimes, she shed tears right after exiting the room where I stayed in.


    She became happy with the smallestpliment that came out of my mouth and saddened by the smallest jab that I uttered.


    ¡®Why are you doing so much for me?¡¯


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    Whenever I asked this, she couldn¡¯t give me an urate answer. She simply blushed.


    A little bit of time had passed in the ck world, and the pain of the past began to heal alongside the recovery of my body¡¯s wounds. Of course, Lee Kiyoung of the ck world didn¡¯t seem to like this fact, for this meant that I had more time to drink alone, thus more time to feel angry.


    It was evident why Yuno Kasugano was obsessed with the future. She probably saw hers with me, which was the whole reason why she had dedicated her entire time to taking care of me.


    The ¡®me¡¯ now wanted to tell her that I found this whole thing stupid, but since I was just an invisible audience, I couldn¡¯t.


    A little more time passed.


    I recovered enough to move my bodypletely in the ck world, and Yuno Kasugano¡¯s visits became less frequent. Her conversations had dulled, leaving me more time to mull over my thoughts.


    I couldn¡¯t figure out what ck world Kiyoung was thinking, but if I were to guess, he was probably debating whether or not to use Kasugano or just simply ept her kindness. My first timeline version looked very much torn between these two options.


    Out of all the uncertainty, I seemed to be sure of only one thing. I relied heavily on her.


    ¡®Lee Kiyoung-nim, it¡¯s time to have some tea.¡¯


    ¡®Ah. Thanks.¡¯


    ¡®I think it would be a good idea to take a look at your body today to check on its recovery.¡¯


    ¡®I¡¯m fine. I can move now.¡¯


    ¡®Nevertheless¡­¡¯


    ¡®Do you have a hobby of taking caring of children?¡¯


    ¡®That¡¯s not it. I just¡­¡¯


    I had also made it a pastime to crack useless jokes. The atmosphere between us was so good that it felt ridiculous, even to me. However, I knew this inevitably would happen. Yuno Kasugano had devoted all her efforts to me, and I was stuck in this room, with only her forpany.


    With all the time we spent together, it appeared that her feelings were only strengthening. From my standpoint as a third-party audience, this was indeed dangerous. The best option at this point would be to leave Yuno Kasugano.


    Though the ck world Kiyoung didn¡¯t show this outright, I could still see what he was thinking.


    ck world Lee Kiyoung was afraid of forgetting.


    Yuno Kasugano evidently hadn¡¯t noticed this, but I could see this as bright as day. ck world Lee Kiyoung was a ticking bomb.


    A bomb that could explode at any time.


    The scenery changed once more.


    This time, the two seemed to have gotten a little closer, yet ck world Kiyoung seemed to still actively reject this development.


    Winter had ended, and spring hade. Spring had ended, and summer approached. Once again, the seasons changed, and fall arrived.


    ¡®I am going out.¡¯


    ¡®I¡­ I¡¯m not sure what you¡¯re talking about.¡¯


    ¡®I think you know what I¡¯m talking about.¡¯


    ¡®Y¡­ You can stay a little more.¡¯


    The leaves continued to fall.


    ¡®Y-Your body hasn¡¯t fully recovered yet.¡¯


    ¡®I¡¯m sure my body can function normally now.¡¯


    ¡®It¡­ cannot. You still have to take care of yourself a little more.¡¯


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡®Don¡¯t¡­ Please don¡¯t go, Lee Kiyoung-nim.¡¯


    More leaves continued to fall.


    ¡®I¡¯m grateful to you. I refrained from asking why you have been so kind to me, but now I know why.¡¯


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡®I¡¯m grateful to you, but that¡¯s all. I will correct my mistakes by killing many people. I will be more heartless and cruel. I know this is the future you¡¯ve seen.¡¯


    ¡®It¡¯s not like that. That¡¯s not what I saw, Lee Kiyoung-nim. What I, I saw, was me and¡­ I was with you.¡¯


    The fall air grew colder.


    ¡®You and I were together. I¡­ I checked it myself. I saw you and me together in this house. We looked happy. We had two children, and though I didn¡¯t catch their names, they were good kids.¡¯


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡®You cared for me and loved me.¡¯


    ¡®That¡¯s a lie.¡¯


    ¡®I¡­ I-It¡¯s true. You and I were having a peaceful life. Yes. Both of us looked happy. Not only me, but you looked happy, too, no doubt about it. You were living a normal routine. I¡¯ve been looking for you because the future I¡¯ve seen over and over had been bothering me. It didn¡¯t mean anything else.¡¯


    ¡®You are lying. I can see that for myself. I see no opportunity to waste any more time here.¡¯


    ¡®You stroked my head and whispered to me that you loved me. Y-You were living happily after forgetting everything. D¡­ Destiny! That¡¯s right. This¡­ is destiny. You and I, free from all pain, oppression, and the bonds of the past, just to be happy.¡¯


    The air grew colder and colder.


    ¡®Forget what?¡¯


    ¡®The pain¡­ It seemed that you had forgotten the pain. In the future I saw, I didn¡¯t see Lee Kiyoung suffering. He didn¡¯t even try to wash the pain away with alcohol. He did not suffer and alwaysughed. You looked really happy. A-And also, about him¡­¡¯


    ¡®What?¡¯


    ¡®Ah¡­¡¯


    ¡®Do you think I would have forgotten him?¡¯


    ¡®L-Lee Kiyoung-nim¡­ It¡¯s¡­ Not¡­¡¯


    ¡®I¡¯m asking if you think I would have forgotten him.¡¯


    ¡®Lee Kiyoung-nim¡­ That, that¡­¡¯


    ¡®Just because I wasted so much time here and even gotten around to smiling andughing, you really thought I would¡¯ve forgotten all about it? Do you think I would¡¯ve forgotten what those damn hypocrites did? Did you really think I would forget about that stupid bastard who risked his life for me? Are you really saying this is the future you saw? Huh?!¡¯


    ¡®That¡­¡¯


    ¡®Don¡¯t be ridiculous. I would never forget. Yuno Kasugano, you are poison. I thought you were medicine, but I was wrong. You are poison to me. Destiny? I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about, but I know one thing for sure, true destiny¡¯s the reason why I came here.¡¯


    ¡®Ah¡­¡¯


    ¡®Because of destiny, I¡¯ve been able to detoxify the poison that threatens to drown me.¡¯


    ¡®Lee Kiyoung-nim¡­ Sniff¡­¡¯


    Harsh winds picked up.


    ¡®Get rid of this cheap sympathy, you dirty bitch. All of you are the same.¡¯


    ¡®Ah¡­¡¯


    ¡®Do you think you deserve to sympathize with me?¡¯


    The lights had begun to dim down.


    ¡®Cough¡­ Cough¡­¡¯


    ¡®Thank you. Because of you, I know what to do. You will be an indicator.¡¯


    ¡®Cough¡­¡¯


    ¡®You will be an indicator that can show how cruel I can be. This is the conclusion you want, huh? It is not so? It may be a little far from the happy life you want, but¡­ Still, you will be by my side.¡¯


    ¡®Cough¡­ Cough¡­¡¯


    The leaves continued to fall in a haunting symphony.


    ¡®I will never forget him for as long as you are with me. You will be the medium that keeps me from forgetting him. It¡¯ll be good for you, too, huh?¡¯


    ¡®Don¡¯t¡­ cry. My¡­ love.¡¯


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡®Don¡¯t cry, my love¡­¡¯


    The haunting tone had reached a crescendo.


    The foolish guy stepped on the fallen leaves.


    Once again, the long winter hade.

 Chapter 192: Nothing Happened

    <h4>Chapter 192: Nothing Happened</h4>


    All of a sudden, I was thrown back into the throes of reality.


    I could feel it without having to look around. I was out of the ck world.


    As soon as I tried to refocus, I felt tremendous pain, so intense that I couldn¡¯t even scream. My brain cked out, and I had no choice but to grasp at my face.


    ¡®Sh*t¡­ Fuck¡­¡¯


    Perhaps this was a side effect of going into the ck world with Yuno Kasugano. It felt like my eyeballs would pop out at any time, and a scream lodged itself into the back of my throat.


    In the first ce, I didn¡¯t even know it was possible to head into the ck world as well, so having dire side effects was natural. I didn¡¯t know if the tears that streamed down my face were because of the pain, but they continued to run down my cheeks all the same.


    My current body seemed to have forgotten the first timeline, but my tears flowed all the same.


    ¡®What is this¡­ sh*tty situation?¡¯


    Of course, I was impressed. I didn¡¯t really care about the ck world. All I wanted to know was when and where I would die and what I had done with my life. What was important was not me as a whole, but how I had chosen to survive.


    I hade here only intending to know how to strengthen Park Deokgu, but I had ended up seeing more than what I had bargained for. I got to learn more about Yuno Kasugano.


    The problem was that I couldn¡¯t remember my own life from the first timeline, but I at least got a glimpse of what happened during that particr winter back in the ck world.


    Once again, I had to turn the story back to its origin.


    I heard Yuno Kasugano¡¯s story straight from her, so I already knew about this, but I didn¡¯t think I would be able to witness this in detail.


    The contents were ridiculously catastrophic. Park Deokgu died while protecting me, and I had betrayed Yuno Kasugano.


    ¡®I really was a piece of sh*t¡­¡¯


    If Yuno Kasugano had decided to kill me right then and there, I would surely have died. Even though the ck world Lee Kiyoung was sure that Kasugano would not kill him, he was still brave enough to take a risk and gamble the odds.


    Meanwhile, Yuno Kasugano was staring at me, her tears streaming down her face.


    ¡®How does she die?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t exactly know what the sh*tty version of myself was thinking, but due to her pitiful state, I at least gathered that it wouldn¡¯t be him who would¡¯ve killed her.


    ¡®Because he said he¡¯d let her be with him.¡¯


    Chances were, I had made this decision since she had proven herself to be useful to me.


    Based on Kasugano¡¯s story, it seemed as if I had been with her for quite a long time, so I definitely wouldn¡¯t have chosen to kill her. Therefore, it was only natural to conclude that an incident fell upon us, resulting in her eventual death.


    It wasn¡¯t just Yuno that lingered in my thoughts. The fact that Park Deokgu had died protecting me in the first timeline continued to bother me as well.


    ¡®This stupid guy¡­¡¯


    I had already assumed that he would be dead by the time Yuno found me, but I had not expected him to die a heroic death, and all because of me.


    I shook my head as I rubbed at my reddened eyes; my emotions were bubbling up from within me.


    Park Deokgu was alive this time around.


    I had at least managed to find some hints about his growth, so this didn¡¯t seem to be all for nothing.


    However, only one more question remained.


    ¡®ess limited information due to external intervention. Checking the activation of the legendary-grade attribute, the Mind¡¯s Eye.¡¯


    What external intervention?


    Up until now, I had never heard or seen such a phrase while using my attribute. I didn¡¯t know who it was but considering that I hadn¡¯t even triggered Mind¡¯s Eye, there seemed to be someone who wanted to show me something. Due tomon sense, it was unrealistic to intervene with this legendary-grade attribute. Both Mind¡¯s Eye and the Eye that could see through essence, past and future were not humane, ordinary attributes.


    Therefore, I had no choice but to think that some transcendental had shown me this scene.


    ¡®Why?¡¯


    Did they want to let me know that Kasugano and Park Deokgu were both important people to me? That wasn¡¯t a bad hypothesis.


    I at least was able to realize just how sh*tty ck world Lee Kiyoung was.


    ¡®Perhaps whoever wanted to show me is supporting me?¡¯


    It turned out that I was not the only one who didn¡¯t want Park Deokgu to die.


    ¡®Is it because that foolish bastard is my best form of insurance?¡¯


    That might be the correct answer.


    One thing was certain: whoever had intervened here didn¡¯t want a repeat of the first timeline¡¯s events. This was a situation where our interests had coincided.


    I hade to visit in a light state of mind, but what I had witnessed was a tremendous scene.


    When I turned to gaze at Yuno Kasugano, my eyes widened.


    ¡°Uh¡­ Huh¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    She was lying next to me,pletely naked.


    ¡®What¡­¡¯


    As I turned to look out the window, I saw the sun starting to rise.


    I knew that I¡¯d spent quite some time in the ck world, but I had no idea that it would take me all night. I wasn¡¯t expecting this situation at all.


    ¡®Sh*t.¡¯


    It couldn¡¯t be. I pulled up the nket, yet all the evidence pointed to the fact that Yuno Kasugano and I had indeed made love.


    Yuno herself looked happy, yet tinges of sadness were still evident.


    I didn¡¯t know if thest scene I had seen was of her intent, but the fact that she and I had explored each other was undeniable.


    Not wanting to think about this in-depth, I shook my head, which prompted the woman beside me to awaken.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Master.¡±


    ¡°You woke up.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ I have.¡±


    Her face was strangely red, but the smile on her face was evident. Her expression contrasted oddly with what I had seen in the ck world, but if she seemed happy, then this wasn¡¯t such a bad situation at all.


    Since she lived in Celia, I had neglected her. I didn¡¯t know if yesterday¡¯s events influenced me, but she seemed a lot cuter to me now.


    Most of all, I was also responsible to a certain degree as her life had gotten twisted due to my doings. She had apletely different personality from Yuno in the ck world because she had chosen to take a whole new approach.


    I could say she felt quite ashamed of how she had chosen to act back then.


    With these thoughts in mind, I patted her head for a moment, then began to ask her a question I felt the most curious about.


    ¡°I¡¯m just asking, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. Please do speak your mind.¡±


    ¡°Is it correct that you showed me the ck world?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no, Master. I also couldn¡¯t imagine you having the ability to do so. The Master came into me without any time for me to resist.¡±


    Something seemed off with her reply, but I decided to y along.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°A deterrence of power that I couldn¡¯t understand suddenly rushed in, like a flood. I didn¡¯t know if the cause was Master or something else, but it was my first time being in the ck world for such a long time.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s embarrassing, but I can usually only see one scene in fragments. Of course, if my ability grew a little more, this would improve, but¡­ Ah! Does the Master know something?¡±


    ¡°No. I haven¡¯t heard or seen anything like this. One thing is for sure. I¡¯m not the one who triggered the Mind¡¯s Eye. The attribute was already activated before I even looked into you with those eyes. Other than that, nothing changed, but¡­ Anyway, it was a bit of a fresh experience. My greatest achievement is being able to understand what the world you are seeing is like.¡±


    ¡°Have you gotten anything?¡±


    ¡°I have. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°And thank you for informing me about the ck world.¡±


    ¡°M-Master.¡±


    ¡°I have one more question I wanted to ask.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°This is nothing but¡­ Was the future you saw in the ck world really the future with me?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t confirm it. However, I think that that stupid Kasugano, in the ck world, would have lied to capture her Master.¡±


    ¡°You think?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t doubt it. She probably didn¡¯t know that she would have disgusted her Master. Oh, I think maybe it was part of it.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°It must have been because she wanted to be with the Master in the ck world.¡±


    ¡°I see what you mean.¡±


    In summary, she had lied in an attempt to draw ck world Lee Kiyoung to her, for fear of me straying away for her. In this context, I could believe that Kasugano¡¯s guess was indeed correct.


    Anyway, the situation itself wasn¡¯t that bad.


    As I tried to recall what I had seen, I remembered something I had forgotten about up until now.


    However, before I could voice it out, an explosion ensued.


    ¡®Fuck¡­¡¯


    Realizing that I was indeed right about what I was thinking of, a frantic, familiar voice echoed from the outside of the room.


    ¡°Oppa! Oppa!¡±


    ¡®Sh*t!¡¯


    I had forgotten that I had put Jung Hayan to sleep in my room.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t do this.¡±


    ¡°Let¡­ go of me!¡±


    Crack! Crash! Based on this sound, I could hear Jung Hayan fast approaching with the use of her magic. I didn¡¯t know if she was reacting in this manner because she thought I was in danger or because she had realized that I had been in contact with someone, but whatever the reason, I was not in a very good situation.


    ¡°Y-Yuno.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master¡­?¡±


    The wall next to me copsed, and a familiar face peeked in before I could even think about how to go about in this situation.


    There was an indescribable madness in Jung Hayan¡¯s eyes, who had her hand outstretched, a ridiculous amount of magic all over her body.


    Her eyes are swollen and red as if she had cried a lot.


    Her hair was a mess, and she seemed to be staring straight at Yuno Kasugano. I cringed with guilt.


    ¡®Fucking sh*t¡­¡¯


    I didn¡¯t have much interest in Jung Hayan¡¯s thoughts, but I knew this did not look like a good situation. Just a few minutes ago, I was thinking that letting Kasugano cling onto me was my karma for everything I did to her in the first timeline.


    The same went for Park Deokgu.


    When I thought about inflicting hurt upon Jung Hayan in the same manner, I knew I had done something wrong to her.


    ¡°Eeeeek!¡±


    Blood oozed out of her clenched fist as well as her tightly clenched mouth. Jung Hayan was trembling all over, and seeing her in this manner was terrifying.


    Before I could even think about this properly, a defensive statement erupted from my mouth.


    ¡°Nothing happened.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    What nonsense bullsh*t.


    However, the way I spoke seemed so transparent, almost as if I wasn¡¯t lying at all.

 Chapter 193: Dragon’s Nest, Experiment, Change, Enhancement (1)

    <h4>Chapter 193: Dragon¡¯s Nest, Experiment, Change, Enhancement (1)</h4>


    Upon seeing Jung Hayan constantly crying behind Kim Hyunsung, my conscience stabbed at me.


    She cried the whole way the entire time we rode back to Lindel, so it was perfectly reasonable to feel guilty. However, I had no choice but to maintain my serious expression.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry, Hayan.¡¯


    I had to show her that I was still angry. If I didn¡¯t, I would get myself into an unpleasant situation.


    Not only did she suddenly crash into Yuno Kasugano¡¯s room, but she also harmed the other guild members of the Yozora Guild.


    She even deemed to use magic inside the castle. Though it was not intense, it still had the power to destroy the castle. From the standpoint of the aristocracy that had been present, it was a pretty serious incident considering it hadn¡¯t been a long time after the Ito Souta incident.


    They wondered if there was something wrong between Yozora and Blue, trying to catch the most popr rumors, but that proved to be an impossible feat.


    Since this was an ident that happened in the castle, it would not be possible to hide this.


    Since Yozora Guild and Blue were in an alliance, however, we could easily cover up the event.


    If Yuno Kasugano didn¡¯t have full control of Yozora, it would have been a big incident that could cause irreparable damage to the rtionship between Blue and Yozora.


    ¡®Fuck¡­¡¯


    Of course, it was evidently a big incident for me as well. I had to convince Jung Hayan somehow, but there was no way I¡¯d be able to convince her. It was clear that logic wouldn¡¯t work on her, which was why I took the option of acting all angry.


    I was able to end the case by acting as if nothing had happened and getting angry instead over how rude Hayan had been. I knew there were many more options I could have taken, but I didn¡¯t have the time to think about it because I felt embarrassed enough about the entire situation.


    Though we were covered by one nket and had evidently spent the night together, I continued exining that what Jung Hayan thought had happened did not actually happen.


    Although I was almost naked, I made an excuse, saying it was needed for the ritual to do magic.


    When I managed to lie without batting an eyelid, I surprised even myself by how naturally I seemed.


    ¡®I really amplete garbage.¡¯


    For a moment, I felt simr to the sh*tty ck world Lee Kiyoung. The reaction my acting incited was even more impressive.


    Jung Hayan began to look doubtful at how convincing I sounded.


    I knew that to keep up with the act, I had to sessfully maintain my acting. I started by telling her how disappointed I was in her, then informing her of how rude she was. I then told her that she needed to reflect on her actions.


    Afterward, I asked her to apologize to all the Yozora guild members.


    Yuno Kasugano, who was quick to notice, jumped on the acting, thereby making Jung Hayan seem like the traitor among us.


    As a result, I had to keep the cold fa?ade up until now.


    ¡®Sorry, Hayan¡­¡¯


    Didn¡¯t they say that the one who loved more was also the weaker one in a rtionship? This event proved that.


    With embarrassment, guilt, and realization over how impulsive she had been, Jung Hayan remained shell-shock in that situation, not knowing how to react.


    Of course, I did not contact Yuno Kasugano after that.


    After the ceremony was over, I decided to leave without saying anything. This was because I thought Hayan would ride behind me, but she instead chose to ride behind Kim Hyunsung.


    I had pushed Jung Hayan to this extent just so she wouldn¡¯t cause any identster.


    Kim Hyunsung thought that we just had a lovers¡¯ quarrel. If only he knew¡­


    ¡®This shouldn¡¯t happen the next time.¡¯


    I eventually realized that Jung Hayan wanted me not to hate her more than she wanted to prove her doubts wrong. Back then, I had forced her to apologize, choosing not to acknowledge her trembling form. Of course, she had to concede to my orders.


    This emphasized the fact that I really was a piece of sh*t.


    After that, not a single day passed where Jung Hayan didn¡¯t cry.


    When I looked back at her while riding White Paul, I saw her continuing to wipe her face with one hand. Until now, I had been doing well, but I was soon reaching my limit, too.


    ¡°Let¡¯s take a break and go.¡±


    Due to Hyunsung¡¯s excellent five senses, he understood the atmosphere and had chosen to act upon it. Upon his suggestion, I followed him intonding on a nearby cliff.


    Afterward, an awkward silence ensued.


    Actually, it was Kim Hyunsung who acted more awkwardly than I did.


    ¡®This bastard.¡¯


    I knew he was quite insensitive in this aspect, but it was very unfortunate seeing him look between Hayan and us in such an obvious manner. From his perspective, this strange silence probably felt as striking as if a thunderbolt lit up the sky.


    If this were a mistake between the party members, he would try to mediate somehow, but as Jung Hyan and I¡¯s personal problems were entangled, it seemed that he didn¡¯t know how to go about this situation.


    ¡®I wasn¡¯t expecting anything, anyway.¡¯


    ¡°Let¡¯s have a quick meal and move on.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ It would be nice to do that, Kiyoung-ssi.¡±


    He was evidently trying to widen the distance between Jung Hayan and me.


    After we took our seats, he started to take out the food he had brought from the Royal Castle. Jung Hayan kept wiping away her tears as she helped him prepare. Upon seeing this, my guilt refused to go away.


    Though Hayan evidently did not have any appetite, she still forced herself to eat. It appeared that she had been crying with everything she got, but seeing my cold disposition, she soon held back her tears.


    Jung Hayan was very much aware of me, while Hyunsung was very much aware of her. Thus, a strange meal unfolded before us.


    ¡°I-It¡¯s a nice day.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t actually very good weather. Embarrassed by what he had said, Kim Hyunsung decided to shut his mouth. Meanwhile, Jung Hayan continued to force herself to eat.


    As this was an atmosphere that I had created, it was also my job to take care of it. In the end, I had no choice but to reach out to Jung Hayan first to reconcile.


    When I inadvertently put some of my food onto Jung Hayan¡¯s te, she looked up at me in shock. Eventually, a new batch of thick tears started streaming down her face.


    ¡°Hmmmk¡­ Hmmmk¡­ Hic¡­¡±


    ¡°You should eat a lot.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­ Hmmmk¡­¡±


    ¡°Slowly.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Hmmmmk¡­ I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t cry.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ Ugh¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to choke.¡±


    I felt quite ufortable.


    ¡®It shouldn¡¯t be like this¡­¡¯


    I felt like I did something bad, but since I had reached my limit, I had no choice. Jung Hayan and I were, in fact, officially maintaining the position of being lovers.


    Though this wasn¡¯t one based on genuine love, we at least had some semnce of feelings for each other. We¡¯d go on our own dates, whisper sweet nothings to each other, and be intimate every now and then.


    It didn¡¯t matter if I truly loved her or not. I was her lover, and that was an undeniable fact. Jung Hayan was also aware of this.


    If she found out that her boyfriend had spent the night with another woman, reacting this way was something that any normal girlfriend would do. However, this wasn¡¯t a normal situation, and Jung Hayan was not a normal person.


    ¡®Yes. I had to do that.¡¯


    Once again, I had resorted to making up excuses. My rtionship with Jung Hayan required a constant acquiring of power instead of the rtionship being purely romantic. However, if I were to think about the Cursed Shrine incident, the guilt returned.


    It may sound like bullsh*t to some, but I was evidently the powerful one in this rtionship.


    Seeing her still eating with tears running down her face had been enough to weaken my mind, but I had to remind myself that I should not let go of my tension.


    After eating, I boarded the griffon once again.


    At this point, Hayan looked torn between riding behind Hyunsung once more or riding behind me. At this, I reached out to her, and a smile immediately formed on her face.


    ¡°Heh¡­ Hehe.¡±


    She instantly looked better, and I instantly felt morefortable.


    ¡°Hold tight, Hayan.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Her voice was livelier than before. She must have thought she had been forgiven to some extent.


    ¡®I should have done more research, anyway.¡¯


    I had a lot of work to do once we got back in Lindel, and since I didn¡¯t have the time to decide if I could still maintain this ufortable rtionship with Hayan, I had topromise for the time being.


    For now, I had to focus on strengthening Park Deokgu and creating a spark of change with my research and work.


    I hoped I would be able to achieve both. Although the research should be a bit difficult, I knew I¡¯d be able to yield some results at least.


    ¡®Why?¡¯


    Because Lindel had a treasure trove of knowledge.


    Although I did not have time to study it in detail, Dialugia herself was a living specimen. She was a great sample that would let me know everything about dragons.


    Of course, I also felt worried about whether I could understand Dialugia with my current knowledge, but I knew it would eventually work out.


    The only way to evolve Park Deokgu would be to find some results with my research.


    ¡®A serum.¡¯


    The most realistic n for reinforcing Park Deokgu was already being drawn into my head.


    Eventually, the Free City of Lindel entered my point of view.


    I wanted to relieve my umted fatigue, but I knew it would be better to start my research right away. It was then that I caught sight of an unfamiliar buildinging into view.


    No, to be precise, it couldn¡¯t even be considered a building.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    It was an architecture that looked like a cave. The problemy in the materials that made up the building.


    ¡®Mithril?¡¯


    It feels like the building itself was covered with mithril, though it had been made of many other metals that I did not know of.


    Basically, the massive structure made of heroic-grade or higher materials was of the right size to house Dialugia¡¯s dragon body.


    At this, I remembered what I had told Dialugia before leaving Lindel.


    ¡°We are nning to build a nest, so you can do whatever you want.¡±


    ¡®You¡¯re crazy! You¡¯re crazy!¡¯


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about money.¡±


    ¡®This is crazy!¡¯


    ¡°You can do whatever you want to do.¡±


    ¡°This crazy girl!¡±


    This was what would inevitably happen if I left bankbook management to someone who had no knowledge about the economy. I had to hurry back and check my safe.

 Chapter 194: Dragon’s Nest, Experiment, Change, Enhancement (2)

    <h4>Chapter 194: Dragon¡¯s Nest, Experiment, Change, Enhancement (2)</h4>


    ¡°Sh*t.¡±


    I arrived at Lindel, but I couldn¡¯t find it in myself to restfortably. It was because the party members were still out hunting, and I was in dire need of help.


    I immediately visited manager Kim Mi-young.


    I had to check if what I saw was true. The almostpleted nest was so absurd that it was jaw-dropping.


    ¡°Sh*t!¡±


    Not much time had passed since I left Lindel. If I were to think about it withmon sense, it was impossible that the building was already nearingpletion. No, to be precise, it was not impossible. This ce had a different background from the Earth, after all.


    If you put high-quality personnel to do the job, then it was a whole different story.


    Of course, if one were to hire wizards or craftsmen with skills, the reality was that it would cost a lot more. Looking at the beautiful architecture that resembled a piece of art, it seemed as if all craftsmen had been gathered.


    Probably, more than one or two people were employed. Otherwise, there would have been no way that the central axis would have already beenpleted.


    ¡®Fuck!!!¡¯


    In order to make the nest, they seemed to have hired all the wizards of heroic-grade or higher, as well as cksmiths and even production workers.


    Thebor cost itself must have been very expensive. However, the bigger problem is the material that makes up the nest.


    In the first ce, it was questionable whether that amount of mithril ore was avable in Lindel.


    Considering that mithril ore was imported from other cities and Yeongju, the transportation cost would have been unimaginable.


    They must have even used griffons!


    Even if they refrained themselves, it would already be costing astronomical amounts of money.


    Of course, my personal fortune was immense, but even if I spent all my fortune, it would never match the money that went into building that nest, especially if the interior had been decorated.


    ¡®Crazy woman. Crazy woman!¡¯


    With this, I had forgotten about Park Deokgu and Yuno Kasugano in the ck world for a bit.


    When I opened the administration office door in a hurry, I saw the face of manager Kim Mi-young, looking surprised.


    ¡°Vice Guild Master.¡±


    Of course, she has something to say about this ridiculous situation.


    Manager Kim Mi-young is not stupid. There is no way she will allow to put that amount of money to build the nest. I mean, she couldn¡¯t control the situation either. I had to open my mouth immediately.


    ¡°Kim Mi-young manager, that nest¡­¡±


    ¡°F-first of all, I want to apologize, Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°I need to get all the details.¡±


    ¡°Yes, so¡­¡±


    The story was a bit concise. She exined that Dialugia immediatelymissioned the nest¡¯s construction after Kim Hyunsung and I went to Lindel.


    Of course, the work progressed quickly because I had already told manager Kim Mi-young that we would make a nest.


    ¡°At first, I listened to Vice Guild Master and didn¡¯t pay much attention to the budget¡­¡±


    ¡°The budget kept increasing?¡±


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s right.¡±


    The problem was when Dialugia started directly intervening on the construction site.


    She insisted onpleting the nest as she intended by continuing to give additional orders as if she wasn¡¯t satisfied. Of course, everything had to go her way.


    There was a limit to the budget that could be organized, and I must have already used my personal property and the property of Blue.


    At this point, when manager Kim Mi-young realized that something was wrong, she and several party members tried to stop Dialugia, and as I thought, they couldn¡¯t.


    ¡°I thought that it should not be left as it was, so I cut off the money line as soon as possible, but¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡­ Dialugia herself started to get money.¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°She went to each guild and borrowed money directly from her name.¡±


    ¡°You couldn¡¯t have stopped her.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Strictly speaking, the guild cannot force Dialugia-nim to exercise any rights. She isn¡¯t someone who can be controlled physically, so what we could do was to put pressure on other guilds not to issue bonds to Dialugia.¡±


    That was a great decision.


    If you can¡¯t stop her from borrowing money, you could stop the guild from lending her the money.


    ¡°Of course, this n did not go smoothly either. When the guilds in Lindel didn¡¯t issue bonds to Dialugia-nim, she quickly realized that we were doing something¡­ She then announced that she would sell kins and scales to humans throughout Lindel.¡±


    ¡°Was it sold?!¡±


    It is impossible to sell anything from her body without my permission. I had no choice but to realize why the situation had reached this point.


    ¡°No¡­ To prevent that, we had no choice but to allow her to borrow money from other guilds.¡±


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s see how much it is.¡±


    Manager Kim Mi-young slowly handed out the documents to me. The more I checked it, the more I felt like passing out. I had no choice but to realize that I should praise the administration team, including manager Kim Mi-young, rather than reproach them.


    It can be seen that they managed the funds tightening the belt.


    Come to think of it, her dark circles almost reached her chin, as if she hadn¡¯t slept for a few days. The same was true for the others. I could have been sure that these days were hell for them, too.


    ¡°Thank you, Manager Kim Mi-young.¡±


    ¡°No, Vice Guild Master. Rather, I want to say sorry.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t me the guild¡¯s administrative team. Strictly speaking, this was my fault. I felt like I¡¯ve worn her out before I even had the chance to study.


    I was speechless. I had gotten myself into a pile of debt in no time at all.


    Of course, some profits would continue toe in. However, the ck market in the underground of Castle Rock was still under being prepared.


    I felt a bit bitter, but how could I recover if Dialugia was still there?


    Of course, I had to go to Dialugia. I had to know the welfare of the nest.


    As soon as I got onto White Paul, Jung Hayan looked at me. She obviously wanted toe together, but I couldn¡¯t let her. After all, this was definitely a family affair.


    ¡°Hayan.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Oppa¡­¡±


    ¡°I will start researching tomorrow. You should start preparing. Perhaps you¡¯ll have to stay overnight with me in theb for a few days.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Yes!¡±


    For now, I could leave Jung Hayan with this. I then flew quickly towards the nest.


    ¡®That¡¯s cool¡­ Did she pour out magic stones, too?¡¯


    Its sheer size would be enough to overwhelm people, and it seemed like it was not only magic stones that were used. Many artifacts were also in ce.


    As I entered the nest, I could see a very colorful interior.


    The night lights embedded in the sky were sprinkled with brilliant light, and even objects whose purpose was unknown were visible.


    I was not a dragon, so I was not entirely sure, but perhaps each of them had their own use.


    It was then that a voice called out to me. It was obvious who it was. When I turned my head and looked, I could see Dialugia approaching me.


    ¡°You came back quickly.¡±


    ¡°Where is Tol To-ri?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s still sleeping. More than that, I have something I want to show you.¡±


    ¡°You made this so fast¡­¡±


    My anger once again rose to the surface. However, I realized that Dialugia looked the happiest than I had ever seen her ever since she hade here.


    I would look like that, too, if it were me. Anyone could see that this ce was beautiful.


    It even had its own artistdscape. There were also ponds and trees in the cave, so what else did I need to say? The resources were enough for them to be calledkes and forests.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s amazing what human magic can do.¡±


    ¡®Fuck¡­¡¯


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think we could create an environment like this in the nest.¡±


    ¡®She looks so happy¡­¡¯


    What she was feeling was theplete opposite of what I was currently feeling.


    ¡°Actually, since I have to live with you, I wanted to discuss things with you in further detail, but I thought you were busy¡­ Tol To-ri also needs a big nest.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t very busy. You could have consulted me at once.¡±


    ¡°No. I think I had been a little sharpst time. It hit me how high your position is in the human world. There were many things that I couldn¡¯t solve by myself, but by putting your name on it, I was able to realize what you told me before.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°I was able to realize why you could provide a safe nest. Ah. Of course, I would like you to restrain yourself a little from going out too much¡­ You need to focus on Tol To-ri, too¡­ Anyway, it seems as if you¡¯ve worked hard.¡±


    Honestly, my lips were trembling. I hade here,pletely ready to burst out at her for wasting so much money.


    But for now, I felt like I could tolerate it. This was because she suddenly became kinder, the one who had treated me so coldly up until I went to the capital.


    ¡®She is a treasure.¡¯


    Dialugia was indeed a treasure. Even she was realizing, little by little, her worth.


    Although she robbed my entire fortune and even made debts, it was not bad overall if I could manage to look good with owning such a nest.


    Anyway, many things could be obtained with little research. The money wille in eventually. She would be the key for me to earn astronomical amounts of money and would be responsible for my ss change as well as the enhancement of Park Deokgu.


    ¡®Tol To-ri¡¯s quality of life will also improve.¡¯


    It seemed that taking this direction wouldn¡¯t be so bad. Thinking like this made me smile.


    ¡°Ah. Come to think of it, did you say that there is something you want to show?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Arge nest has been made, and of course, there are many things you should know about. Humans don¡¯t know anything about dragons.¡±


    I knew I certainly didn¡¯t. I had initially thought that I could get a rough idea of ??the dragon¡¯s ecology just by going around this ce.


    Walking around with her, I could see that there were certainly a lot of amazing things.


    ¡°It¡¯s a food warehouse.¡±


    ¡°Does it need to be so big?¡±


    ¡°Now Dialuria is starting to eat more little by little¡­ He will continue to take nutrients between 3 and 5 years. This is to turn all nutrition into magical power.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡±


    ¡°Some of the magic of humans is a kind of magic that preserves the food for longer periods of time. Thanks to that, I think I can get a lot of help.¡±


    ¡°What about that forest andke?¡±


    ¡°Ah, Dialuria will learn to hunt there.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    She didn¡¯t spend my money on useless things as I thought. Of course, all the goods to be used by our Tol To-ri should be of the highest quality.


    ¡®Although my chest still feels sore¡­¡¯


    ¡°And this is your room.¡±


    ¡°You also¡­¡±


    ¡°You are Dialuria¡¯s father. Of course, you have to think about sleeping here. I¡¯m still ignorant of the way humans live, and I¡¯m still not sure, but I did my best.¡±


    ¡®I can¡¯t stay here all the time, but¡­¡¯


    First, however, it would be correct to thank her.


    ¡°Thank you for your consideration.¡±


    ¡°In fact, this is what I really want to show you.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    As I passed through the room of a dungeon-like structure, what I saw is arge alchemyboratory. It was aboratory of a size that could not be too difficult to fit in Dialugia¡¯s original body.


    ¡®What¡­¡¯


    ¡°They said that it is indispensable. I honestly don¡¯t like it that much, but didn¡¯t you say you want to know about my body? In the first ce, I am here with that condition, actually. I¡¯m not sure, but by human standards, I know I¡¯m a luxury product. You just need to know that it is my gift to you for giving me this nest.¡±


    ¡°Gift¡­¡±


    The scale was quiterge. It felt like many gold coins were spent in this particr area.


    Dialugia must have ordered the construction manager to create this workshop. As she didn¡¯t know anything about this, she must¡¯ve struggled a little, but honestly, her efforts and consideration were admirable.


    Though momentary, a question passed through my mind.


    ¡®Is the budget correct?¡¯


    The budget that was roughly calcted with the papers and in my head was just this cave. It would not be enough to set up a workshop of this size.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry. It¡¯s really a gift.¡±


    ¡°Gold is¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah. Kind humans lent the money to me.¡±


    Fortunately, she didn¡¯t sell her body parts.


    ¡°I was able toplete this nest with a lot of help from the guilds in Lindel, but in fact, gold alone was a little short even with that. There was a kind human being who lent money to me, and I asked for help from them.¡±


    For some reason, an ominous feeling passed through me.


    ¡°The conditions were a bit tricky, but fortunately, I met those conditions¡­¡±


    ¡°What was the condition?¡±


    ¡°Unusually, there seemed to be humans who offered loans only to women. I didn¡¯t know in detail, but I stumbled across a yer Professional Women¡¯s Loan. As it was a gift, I don¡¯t think I should owe it to the humans of the guild you belong to, so I made a contract for the first time. I wasn¡¯t a yer, but it seems like there¡¯s some credit because of you.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so happy. It is my sincerity for you to be good to Tol To-ri in the future.¡±


    ¡°No, what did you say before? That¡­ Before you said about not wanting to owe me.¡±


    ¡°Are you talking about yer Professional Female¡¯s Loans? Are you hearing about it for the first time?¡±


    ¡°Hey¡­ I already¡­¡±


    ¡°So you know, too. Ame¡­ Ame¡­ I don¡¯t remember what he said¡­ Ah! It was lent from the guild called America Love.¡±


    ¡°Hey, you crazy woman!¡±


    I had no choice but to scream the moment she said this.

 Chapter 195: Dragon’s nest, Experiment, Change, Enhancement (3)

    <h4>Chapter 195: Dragon¡¯s nest, Experiment, Change, Enhancement (3)</h4>


    ¡°Hey, you crazy woman!¡±


    I knew this continent was not very kind to women.


    If you had talents like Cha Hee-ra, Jung Hayan, and Cho Hyejin, or if you were strong like Lee Jihye, the story was different. But most of the women who freely rode from the tutorial dungeon were considered the underdogs of this society.


    Men also had a hard time when they had to fight monsters. Naturally, physically weak women would have a hard time, too.


    The reality was that those without a wizard aptitude or priest aptitude gave up fighting even before they even started, and even if they had the aptitude, those without talent did not get many different results.


    Even those who dared to go into a party hunt with some of the crazy guys would get humiliated. Female yers exposed to the specifics of hunting or having to spend a long time with the homeless were naturally separated from hunting.


    In fact, female yers who were not in a guild did not get in easily unless they were in a fixed party. It wouldn¡¯t be easy to trust in a man they had only seen for the first time in a situation where you had to spend days and nights together, either.


    So, considering that most of the guild members were only women in the ck Swans, this problem felt a little more serious before we even came in.


    In the end, the women who gave up living as yers turned to be amon worker or got in a guild as a clerical worker.


    However, guilds, ns, and even self-employed people did not pay them the proper wages.


    The minimum wage system was implicitly set, but most of the time, they were not followed.


    So, as a result, what was born was¡­


    ¡®The yer Professional Women¡¯s Loan.¡¯


    It was a legitimate loanpany such as Love America or Garrosh & Cash.


    Lindel also had its own bank. Although it was a little primitive, the Holy Empire also ran an Empire bank, and loans and insurance products certainly existed here.


    Obviously, people with no base could borrow money from such facilities.


    ¡®Damn.¡¯


    In the end, amon clich¨¦ was that those who could not afford the snowball-inted interest would get confined to a corner.


    Of course, there were cases like mine, when wives with adventurer husbands were unable to meet their consumption barriers.


    I never imagined that a dragon that wasn¡¯t human would end up backstabbing me.


    Dialugia looked confused with my reaction, apparently not having figured out the situation yet. Her bewilderment soon turned into anger.


    ¡°W-What did you say? It¡¯s rude. I did it for you! This is a gift!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s for me, my ass!¡±


    ¡°You¡­ really are a rude person! This kind of person is the father of Dialuria! Don¡¯t humans understand what a gift of gratitude is?!¡±


    ¡°Are you saying this without knowing who is really rude?! Get the contract right now!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I want you to get the contract quickly, you woman!¡±


    After seeing me so perplexed, she began to realize that something was wrong. Hurriedly, she handed me the documents.


    It would have been a little better if she had borrowed money from Garrosh & Cash. It was a small n, and n Master Gal Oh-shik¡¯s power wasn¡¯t too strong.


    However, Kim Mijoo¡¯s story from America Love was a bit different.


    It was a little insufficient to be called arge guild, but at least, it had the force andwork to protect itself. Of course, if one were to look at the size itself, it couldn¡¯t bepared with the Red Mercenary, the ck Swan, the Blue, and the Yozora Guild, but not only had she legally borrowed money, she has already used it all.


    Because of this, I felt annoyed about the prospect of all the time I would spend negotiating in the future. There were so many things to do right now that I didn¡¯t even have the time to pay attention to it. The one who had asked to borrow money first was our side. Blue would not look good for all the other guilds or ns.


    ¡°H-Here it is.¡±


    Suddenly, my irritation sprang up.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need it!¡±


    Having been unable to withstand my anger, I threw the contract away as soon as Dialugia handed it to me. She seemed unsure as to what she had done wrong, but the atmosphere made her feel that she had made a huge mistake, so she, of course, looked a little depressed.


    This was a huge sum of money. Plus, it was Dialugia who had approached them first.


    There was no excuse for this.


    ¡®I already spent a lot of money in the underground arena¡­¡¯


    It would be hard to get help from the Yozora Guild. Perhaps the best option was to borrow money from the ck Swans or the Red Mercenaries.


    I couldn¡¯t wait to see the mary interest increase more and more.


    ¡®If there were a table, I would like to turn it over.¡¯


    I wanted to explode. However, I had to restrain myself. Nothing good woulde from falling out with Dialugia.


    ¡°I¡­told you ¡­ to not toe into contact with humans thoughtlessly, Dialugia.¡±


    ¡°I still don¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t borrow gold carelessly. I know you are intelligent, but your sociality is the same as a child in terms of human society. I understand what you meant, but let¡¯s learn this step by step. No, in the first ce¡­!¡±


    ¡°Kieeek!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Kie-e-e-e-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee!¡±


    ¡°Oh! Did our Tol To-ri wake up?¡±


    ¡°Haaa! Haaa!¡±


    Tol To-ri managed to appear to save her mother just when I was about to explode. I wasn¡¯t sure if my loud voice woke him up, but Dialugia must be thinking that he appeared at the right time.


    I couldn¡¯t get nervous in front of him since we had to look like a close couple.


    In fact, the appearance of Tol To-ri jumping toward me was so cute that my anger got relieved for a moment. At this point, I think I could understand what it felt like to live for your children, so I didn¡¯t need to say anything else.


    ¡°Oh! Yes, daddy¡¯se home. Did you miss me?¡±


    ¡°Kie-e-e-e-ee-ee Kie eh eh! Haaa! Haaa!¡±


    Tol To-ri, shaking his tail like crazy, seemed to be on a sugar-high. He licked me all over, evidently showing how much he missed me.


    Since he hadn¡¯t seen my face for a long time, it would be natural for him to react like this.


    ¡°Yes, yes, daddy came back after work!¡±


    ¡°Kieehek!¡±


    Perhaps he didn¡¯t even know what I was saying. He excitedly jumped around, trying to be hugged.


    As I picked him up and turned back to Dialugia, the woman averted her gaze.


    ¡°I¡­ I can repay it.¡±


    ¡°How? Note that there is no option to sell any part of your body. Your body is entirely mine. That was a deal.¡±


    ¡°Kieek! Haaa!¡±


    ¡°T-Then I can go hunting and grab the monsters.¡±


    ¡°It is not an amount that can be covered by catching one or two monsters. And if you catch it, you can only use it to block interest, anyway. I will take care of the gold. Whoo. Tol To-ri is not the only creature that needs education. I think you should get some education, too. This shouldn¡¯t happen next time.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I have something to check about your body right away, so please prepare for it.¡±


    I was thinking of taking it easy, but with the sudden turn of events, I now wanted to head right into work. Anyway, theboratory itself had already beenpleted.


    Sure, I felt grateful, but I couldn¡¯t even express it because of my instant annoyance.


    She didn¡¯t tell me, but Dialugia felt a little bit disappointed. In the end, I had to thank her quietly.


    ¡°And¡­ Thank you for the gift. I gratefully ept your intentions.¡±


    Only then did she begin to feel better.


    After spending time with Tol To-ri, I thought it was appropriate to get to know her right away. I had a lot of work to do, so I had neglected this particr task.


    ¡®In fact, I wanted to rest for a few days¡­¡¯


    However, my empty bankbook had pped me in the face.


    ¡®I was supposed to make money¡­¡¯


    Compared to the money I would make from now on, the money I had so far was only a small amount, anyway.


    Even though I knew it better than anyone else, I couldn¡¯t resist my anger. It was natural to think about how to approach Dialugia while spending time with Tol To-ri.


    Meanwhile, Dialugia still looked immensely guilty.


    ¡°What should I do?¡±


    She was looking at me with an expression depicting herck of knowledge.


    ¡°First of all, you just need to change into your original body. I haven¡¯t figured it out yet.¡±


    ¡°Ah, alright.¡±


    As soon as I finished speaking, I saw something wrong happening with her body. Her clothes were torn, but there was no time to appreciate her body openly, seeing as she was slowly transforming back into dragon form.


    Her unique scales grew along the arms, and the appearance of human skin breaking out to form dragon¡¯s skin looked really fascinating. I could hear the sound of twisting bones and muscles, but it didn¡¯t look painful. It was as natural as walking.


    ¡°Grooooaarr¡­¡±


    Her dragon form was still too overwhelming for me to bear. My jaw was dropped without my knowledge. I honestly still found her scary like this. Now I was starting to regret throwing the contract in her face.


    I didn¡¯t know how I was being reflected in her gaze right now, but Dialugia¡¯s appearance from up close was really overwhelming.


    I could see her big eyes staring straight at me.


    ¡°Wow¡­¡±


    Dialugia had big horns, as well as teeth that seemed to be able to chew and swallow me whole. Looking at her glossy leather and scales, I could feel that a dragon was really in front of me.


    -Is it weird?


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    -I can only convey my mind to my spouse. Somehow, the body organs of dragons are impossible to speak out humannguage¡­


    ¡°I see what you mean. You don¡¯t look weird. I just thought it was really great. At that time, you only looked scary, but looking at you calmly makes me feel really surprised.¡±


    ¡®You blew away my money, but¡­¡¯


    ¡°At first, I¡¯ll start by simply analyzing your blood. After that, we will measure the numbers and employ it hurts, you have to tell me.¡±


    I put into her arm a specially designed syringe and slowly drained her of some of her blood. Immediately I heard her voice.


    -It tickles. Hee¡­ Hihi. Hihihi.


    The sound of herughter was lighter than I thought.


    ¡°Please be patient.¡±


    -Hee¡­ Hihihihi!


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to see me dying, don¡¯t move!¡±


    -But¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s all over now. Please be a little careful. My body is really fragile.¡±


    -Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be careful.


    In fact, I didn¡¯t think this study would be finished overnight. I worked quickly because I didn¡¯t know how long this would take.


    Immediately, I activated my Mind¡¯s Eye and began to transfer her blood to the pension kit.


    Her blood became separated little by little, transferred to each sk, and immediately reacted with the catalysts.


    I wasn¡¯t hoping for a result. My first step was to check how it reacted to the equipment I had prepared. It was natural to extract cells and search for any genes.


    I thought it would be better to experiment with this equipment first because it may take a little time to calcte with my current equipment and magic power.


    ¡®Where should I dig into?¡¯


    [The first to discover the legendary-grade catalyst -.]


    [Intelligence increases by 1.]


    [The first to discover the legendary-grade catalyst -.]


    [Intelligence increases by 1.]


    [The first to discover the legendary-grade catalyst -.]


    [Intelligence increases by 1.]


    [Please enter the name of the catalyst directly.]


    [You got a new title.]


    [First Discoverer]


    [This title is for yers who have discovered a new material that did not previously exist on the continent. Intelligence increases by 1.]


    [Alchemist Who Experimented with Dragons]


    [This title is for the first yer on the continent who explored living dragons. Intelligence increases by 1.]


    [We admire your endless search for alchemy and truth, as well as your adventurous spirit.]


    [Discovered a new legendary-grade ss.]


    [Dragon Alchemist: (Unique Legendary)]


    ¡°I love you!¡±


    At that moment, I forgot that she had blown all my fortune.

 Chapter 196: Dragon’s nest, Experiment, Chance, Enhancement (4)

    <h4>Chapter 196: Dragon¡¯s nest, Experiment, Chance, Enhancement (4)</h4>


    I had already expected that, to some extent, there would be results.


    This was because Dialugia was a legendary-grade monster ssified as a dragon race, and her body was still a mystery.


    However, I didn¡¯t think I would be presented with such a big gift.


    [Dragon Alchemist (Unique Legendary)]


    ¡®A unique legendary!¡¯


    I had gotten a unique legendary grade. I was happy when I got my heroic-grade ss, but the effect was different from before when my body shone in purple.


    ¡°Wow¡­¡±


    I saw my body shine in bursting. The golden light was an effect that I had only heard about, which signaled the change to a legendary-grade ss. It felt like I had turned into a powerful person.


    I didn¡¯t think that the golden light that emanated from my body would cease to shine, and I didn¡¯t think my smile would ever disappear, too.


    ¡®Legendary grade!¡¯


    Eventually, the light started to fade, which gave my tired eyes some time to rx. However, the lingering feeling did not fade easily.


    ¡°Pffft¡­ Hahahaha.¡±


    It was foolish, butughter kept bubbling out of me. It would be strange not to be happy. I knew that having anything on this continent that was legendary meant a lot.


    Juliana was fully effective even when it was not active. I had my legendary-grade attribute Mind¡¯s Eye. And now, even a legendary-grade ss!


    I wanted to ask the general review guy who had been mocking me about who was blind now.


    Considering that the continent¡¯smon sense was that usually, at the fifth or sixth time a legendary-grade ss would be given, my growth rate seemed so fast that it was shameful to say that I was not talented.


    ¡®Of course, my stats are poor¡­¡¯


    This was not a normal legendary ss. This was a unique legendary grade. This achievement was worth it just because I was the only person on the continent who could achieve this ss now.


    [Dragon Alchemist (Unique Legendary)]


    [It¡¯s a new kind of ss that has never been discovered. Despite the continent¡¯s long history, alchemy using a living dragon as a catalyst was never tried nor practiced. We highly appreciate your achievement and decided on making Dragon Alchemist a Unique Legendary-Grade. Every alchemist will be surprised by your great achievements. Dragon Alchemist is the only alchemist who can use alchemy with dragons as a catalyst. What you can make depends on your research and alchemy skills. Intelligence increases by +6. Magical power increases by +7. Your understanding of dragons will improve. The ss effect of the previous ss Living Alchemy Summoner remains the same. Some of the results created by the ss effect of the unique legendary-grade Dragon Alchemist are judged as summoned creatures.]


    ¡®Whoaa!!!¡¯


    [Checking the status window and the talent levels of the yer Lee Kiyoung.]


    [Name: Lee Kiyoung]


    [Title: Mercenary Queen¡¯s Gigolo, Honorary Bishop of the Holy Empire of Benigore, Spouse of Dragon, First Discoverer, Alchemist Who Experimented With A Dragon]


    [Age: 25]


    [Disposition: Careful Strategist]


    [ss: Dragon Alchemist (Unique Legendary)]


    [ss Effect: Acquisition of Basic Magic Knowledge]


    [ss effect: Acquisition of Basic Alchemy Knowledge]


    [ss effect: Acquisition of Intermediate Alchemy Knowledge]


    [ss Effect: Acquisition of Special Summoning Knowledge]


    [ss Effect: Acquisition of Advanced Alchemy Knowledge]


    [ss Effect: Acquisition of Professional Dragon Alchemy Knowledge]


    [Stats]


    [Strength: 21/Growth potential: Common or lower]


    [Agility: 22/Growth potential: Common or lower]


    [Stamina: 30/Growth potential: Common or lower]


    [Intelligence: 87/Growth potential: Heroic or higher]


    [Endurance: 22/Growth potential: Common or lower]


    [Luck: 65/Growth potential: Heroic or higher]


    [Magic Power: 45/Growth potential: Common or lower]


    [Equipment]


    [Juliana, the Curse Sword (Legendary-grade: Ownership)]


    [Ramus Tucker¡¯s Introduction to Alchemy: Heroic-grade: Alchemist Only]


    [Magic Shield Ring 3333: Rare]


    [Attribute: Mind¡¯s Eye (Legendary)]


    [General Review: I am sorry to see you working so hard to raise the magic power that does not seem to grow alongside your intelligence. I couldn¡¯t even imagine that you would have a magic power of 45, but I want to apud you. The other stats are still terrible, but I would like topliment you for getting an intelligence stat that will soon break through 90 and for your unique legendary ss. I look forward to your endeavors from now on, but¡­ Don¡¯t be too proud. Except for intelligence, magic power, and luck, all stats did not increase by even 1.]


    ¡®I¡¯m an alchemist anyway, you bastard. What does it matter?¡¯


    In fact, it didn¡¯t mean it didn¡¯t matter at all. Strength, agility, and endurance were fine, but stamina was a very important factor.


    However, I was in no state to regret now.


    Who would have imagined that I would have 45 stats of magic power?


    ¡®This¡­ is 45 stats of magic power!¡¯


    It was still desperately shamefulpared to other wizards, butughter came out due to the enormous magical power inside me.


    Of course, this was tremendous magic power by my standards. I slightly pushed the magic power into my hand, held the catalyst that looked pretty hard in my arms, and exerted some strength¡­


    ¡®Damn.¡¯


    It didn¡¯t break.


    Unavoidably, when I put down the catalyst and picked up another catalyst, the thing broke with a clopping sound.


    ¡®Ha!¡¯


    I felt like the Hulk. Things that couldn¡¯t be done with the magic power of the 30s be possible in the 40s. I could use temporary body enhancement through the use of magic power. My intelligence stat, which wasn¡¯t increasing well recently, also achieved explosive growth.


    I had already heard through Hwang Jeong-yeon that one more attribute would open when the intelligence stat reaches 90.


    Raising my intelligence stat by 3 while researching would probably be nothing.


    Of course, there may be some limitations when moving from 89 to 90, but there was no problem with my growth right now.


    Anyway, I had only achieved the 4th ss change, and I still had the 5th to expect.


    It was difficult to understand the speed of human growth here since I had only been living here for about a year. At best, the guys who came with me were, at most, in their third or second ss. My choice to hold onto Kim Hyunsung¡¯s party fit perfectly.


    I benefitted a lot, and thanks to that, I had shared very pleasant situations with them.


    At this point, Dialugia, who had been looking at me with a very pathetic expression, spoke.


    -Did you get anything?


    ¡°Thanks, I got something very good. I love you, honey. Oops! Oops!¡±


    Dialugia¡¯s status was promoted from a crazy woman to a lovely boss.


    I couldn¡¯t express this joy in words, so I ran to her big face and kissed her without hesitation.


    -That¡¯s disgusting. Could you please stop doing this?


    ¡°No, we can kiss each other, at least!¡±


    -Anyway, I told you not to do this. This expression of affection is ufortable and unpleasant. If you have the time to do this, finish the experiment as soon as possible, and pay more attention to our Dialuria. As expected, humans¡­


    ¡°Our sweetie! Howe I haven¡¯t known this charm so far? Glossy, shiny, and elongated horns! There is no ce that isn¡¯t pretty.¡±


    -I don¡¯t know why, but despite being praised, it feels very unpleasant.


    ¡°Hhhh!¡±


    -I told you not to stick to me. Stop it, or else I will move.


    ¡°Oh, you are so lovely¡­ If you move, I will get crushed and die.¡±


    -T-This human¡­


    Honestly, I was very excited. I had been very happy upon achieving the unique heroic-grade Living Alchemist Summoner, but this was a whole new feeling. Anyway, nobody could see me here, so I thought it wouldn¡¯t be bad to express my feelings alone.


    At first, Dialugia seemed disgusted by my actions, but after a while, she sighed quietly as if she had given up. She then spoke once more.


    -So¡­ What did you get?


    ¡°Ahem¡­¡±


    -Please tell me quickly. Is there anything you¡¯re trying to hide?


    ¡°No. I just had to calm down a little from my initial excitement. I knew your body was worth more than I thought.¡±


    -It was because of your greed in the end.


    ¡°Not really. Well, that¡¯s not wrong, but¡­¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -Please just tell me quickly.


    ¡°Of course. Humans living on this continent are given sses differently from you. I don¡¯t know if you can be given a ss when you¡¯re in human form, but humans do. Ah! This story is tooplicated, so I think it¡¯s better to skip it. That¡¯s not what matters now. I must have already told youst time that my ss is an alchemist.¡±


    -I remember that, yes.


    ¡°Alchemists are the professions bestowed on those who seek the truth. Although it is a profession derived from wizards, it is undeniable that their pursuits are different from them.¡±


    -It doesn¡¯t suit you very much.


    ¡°I won¡¯t deny that. Anyway, to be a little grandiose, things like genes and blood from your body are materials that have never been found on the continent. Of course, it is impossible to use it as a catalyst immediately, so it has to undergo a purification process. Still, it is undeniable that this is the first to be discovered. In other words, these three substances are objects that were not originally in this world.¡±


    -Isn¡¯t that my blood? It is not a material that did not exist in this world, but it has existed since the past.


    ¡°Since it has gone through the purification process and sessfully catalyzed it, it cannot be said that it is your blood exactly. Strictly speaking, it is a synthetic catalyst made up of several catalysts that help smoothen activity. The fact that the main ingredient came from you doesn¡¯t change. An experiment that was done simply to see a chemical reaction made a huge hit. Of course, I did some calctions in advance¡­ Honestly, I didn¡¯t expect this result, either.¡±


    Of the hundreds of sks, only three survived.


    At first nce, it didn¡¯t seem to have been a very good result, but it was undeniable that I had hit the jackpot right from the first experiment.


    The legendary catalysts that were shining brightly made me feel thrilled just by looking at them.


    At a nce, interest passed through Dialugia¡¯s expression as she quietly looked at them with her big eyes.


    -What is its name?


    ¡°It is undecided. Didn¡¯t I tell you? This is the first discovered catalyst. There are three, so I think you, me, and our Tol To-ri can each decide the name of one.¡±


    -Ah¡­


    She seemed to be in a good mood. The big eyes blinked widely once.


    ¡°Since they were prepared without urate calctions, there is still time to define and prove what effect they have and why these results came out, but the process of organizing it is not that difficult.¡±


    -So, that was helpful.


    ¡°Of course. And it¡¯s not just this that I got. I mentioned earlier that humans are given sses through certain actions.¡±


    -Yes.


    ¡°Before the discovery of these three catalysts and even a closer look at your body, I was given a ss. It would be right to say that it is a top-ranked ss and a ss specializing in the study of the dragon races. That means I can understand you better.¡±


    -Are you saying you have been given a special power?


    ¡°Yes. You can think of it in that way. Of course, this is still in the early stage, so a little more research is needed¡­¡±


    -Ah¡­


    ¡°If the research is done sessfully, I will be able to do many things, like putting your breath into this little sk.¡±


    -Breath?


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to expect the same firepowerpared to when it woulde directly from you, but it probably will.¡±


    -That is impossible. You cannot fit it into that tiny sk. That ismon sense.


    ¡°Whether it¡¯s impossible or not, I¡¯ll need to go into research to find out. I am judging that there is a possibility.¡±


    -Honestly speaking, it was probably impossible.


    ¡°It will be possible. This kind of thing is achievable now. The third ss I got was called a Living Alchemist Summoner. Considering the effect of that ss and the effect of the ss called Dragon Alchemist now¡­¡±


    The moment I grabbed the catalyst made from Dialugia¡¯s cells, the catalyst turned into magical power, and I felt it hovering around me.


    Contrary to the original, which needed a switch and remote control, the dragon¡¯s catalyst hadpletely eliminated such aplicated process.


    Simply put, everything was possible with just one catalyst. It could be said that it was a unique legendary-grade ss correction effect.


    Zap! Zap! Strange energy sttered in my hand with the sound. It was natural for Dialugia to look at me nkly.


    She naturally looked pretty curious about what I was going to do. I was also curious about what the oue will be.


    As soon as I used the energy in my hand to seal and touch the ground, a little further away, arge dragon¡¯s hand began to materialize from the earth.


    Magical power drained in an instant and broke! Zap! The dragon¡¯s arm protruded with the sound.


    -Uh¡­


    ¡°This is great¡­ This¡­¡±


    -Nonsense¡­ Y-you¡­


    Dialugia had on an iprehensible expression. She wasn¡¯t the only one.


    I, too, felt perplexed by the results I had made.


    -Are you a god? What you did now¡­ That excluded all types ofmon sense!


    ¡°Oh, of course, that is not a living thing. So far, it is hard to expect even destructive power. And I can¡¯t make a real dragon. I don¡¯t think this is an area where we can question whether it is possible or impossible by experimentation. Creating a human-shaped homunculus is also very time consuming and expensive. If that¡¯s possible, as you say, I¡¯ll be in the realm of God, not human. I can¡¯t create aplex and noble creature like you. Of course, the subspecies¡­¡±


    -You mean creating a subspecies is possible?


    ¡°No, no, it is impossible.¡±


    -I see.


    ¡°Yet.¡±


    The sound of Dialugia swallowing echoed through the nest.


    It would be impossible to make a clone of Dialugia. However, it may be possible to produce clones for other drake species.


    Ideas that seemed possible, such as the breath potion, continued to pop up in my mind.


    Of course, there was much to think about this study¡¯s final purpose, which was Park Deokgu¡¯s enhancement method.


    ¡®Perhaps there is a real possibility.¡¯


    I may be able to turn myself into Captain Lindel, whose name would always be mentioned within Blue¡¯s history.

 Chapter 197: Dragon’s nest, Experiment, Change, Enhancement (5)

    <h4>Chapter 197: Dragon¡¯s nest, Experiment, Change, Enhancement (5)</h4>


    With as much enthusiasm I could muster, the research began in earnest.


    First of all, I prioritized collecting Dialugia¡¯s data, so I kept scanning her with my Mind¡¯s Eye and made sure to check on anything I thought I would be missing.


    Though I initially wanted her to lie down when I did my research, I now had no choice but to hope for Dialugia to move. This was because the research was conducted on how much of her athletic ability and her magic power could operate.


    It was not possible to properly confirm how much power her breath held, but it was possible to obtain some data through her testimonies or her ability to manage her magic power based on her magic power stats.


    ¡®One city?¡¯


    Her testimony was that she had enough power to incinerate a small city.


    In fact, I didn¡¯t doubt this at all. This was because it was judged that only those who matched the top ranks among the yers with a magic power stat of 125 and advanced magical power management knowledge could do it.


    Of course, in Mind¡¯s Eye, I couldn¡¯t find any traces of her acquiring advanced magical power management knowledge, but the evidence revealed that she possessed something simr.


    In the first ce, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to use different types of breaths if she hadn¡¯t acquired advanced magic power management knowledge.


    There were also two types of breath, and they were ssified as follows:


    - A radial type with enough magic power to blow away a city.


    - Concentrated type for those with high magic resistance or for those who are difficult to deal with simple magic power.


    For example, the radial was a breath made to deal with multiple enemies rather than an individual. Although the range isrge, the damage was less to humans of the same type as Cha Hee-ra, who had high endurance and magic resistance.


    This was where concentrated breath came in.


    As such, the concentrated type had a high density but narrow range. However, it was considered superior in all aspects.


    It was difficult to calcte the exact number, but it was enough to prate the shield of an Archmage who hadpleted the 5th to 6th ss change.


    Of course, there was a difference in flying speed, so I thought that even those with high agility would not be able to properly avoid the concentrated type of breathing.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t just the breath I focused on. I immediately pulled out data on how much power she could generate by assuming her agility and strength stats, and all other data were extracted and stored.


    There was a small margin of error, yet I knew I could acquire more precise datater on. It all depended on the timing.


    ¡®To intensively dig into only one side¡­¡¯


    Dialugia was so big and vast. She was a treasure trove of knowledge and a mountain range of knowledge. Therefore, it took a while just to study the specs.


    Honestly, I wouldn¡¯t be able to do this alone. Contrary to my thoughts that flight would be impossible, I was a little surprised that she could use magical power to fly. It seemed like she didn¡¯t usually use it because it continually consumed magic power, but the ability to fly seemed important for her.


    ¡®A dragon is a dragon.¡¯


    I had to raise Dialugia¡¯s rating a little more.


    Of course, I couldn¡¯t be passionate only about the calction of these said specs. ssifying and extracting such data was a basic task. It was merely a ssification of information in order to facilitate future research.


    Although themon principle was to wait for data to umte, Dialugia was not a dead creature but a living one. The blood or cells I could draw from her were almost infinite. A few liters of blood could repair itself in less than a few hours.


    There was no reason not to elerate progress while worrying about money and materials. Excluding the elements that threatened my safety¡­


    ¡®I¡¯ll just do it.¡¯


    A slightly dangerous experiment didn¡¯t matter. I was willing to take the risk.


    There was only one way to solve my problems, and I had more than enough alchemy kits to make real, substantial progress.


    were continuously undergoing refining, and the magic fire circle never went out.


    Of course, it was Jung Hayan that continually supplied magic power to this magic circle.


    Everything about Dialugia was considered top secret.


    The only one that could enter theb was Jung Hayan. In fact, I thought that it would be better to call schrly Hwang Jeong-yeon, but I didn¡¯t dare call her because I had judged that the only one I could trust was Hayan herself.


    Dialugia was my supreme treasure.


    Even if Jeong-yeon and I came from the same guild, my greed dictated my reluctance in handing over precious data.


    Except for the idental burst on the first day of the experiment, no new developments urred, but I didn¡¯t feel nervous. This was because I was confident enough to know that there would be an improvement soon. The vast amount of data and kits that kept running day and night were simr to those of an automatedboratory.


    Dialugia was looking at us without knowing anything but sometimes ended up falling asleep as she remained lying down for most of these procedures.


    When the outer side made no progress, I focused on her inner resources.


    Since I had no intention of dissecting the lovely Dialugia, I started by scanning her as a whole before experimenting in once.


    Of course, the most memorable experiment among them was to enter her interior directly.


    It sounded crazy, but Jung Hayan and I actually looked inside through her mouth beforeing back out. With her help, I explored Dialugia¡¯s esophagus and stomach, as well as other organs quite well.


    -Must you do it in this manner?


    ¡°It¡¯s all about the advancement of great alchemy. It¡¯s also for your benefit.¡±


    -I also don¡¯t know how my body will react.


    ¡°If I think it¡¯s dangerous, I¡¯ll get out of it right away, so don¡¯t worry too much.¡±


    -It¡¯s not because I think you¡¯re in danger¡ªI-It¡¯s embarrassing.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -¡­


    Surprisingly, it was also the first experiment that Dialugia didn¡¯t feelfortable with.


    Dialugia described the experiment as feeling naked, but I found this funny, considering that she wasn¡¯t dressed right from the beginning.


    Fortunately, the heartbreaking possibility that Jung Hayan and I might end up dissolving in the acidic solution of Dialugia¡¯s stomach did not happen.


    This was because dragons did not digest what they ingested but rather dposed them into magical power. In other words, Jung Hayan and I almost became her new source of magic power.


    Dialugia¡¯s organs had almost started disassembling without her knowledge due to past injuries, so she was able to get the help of Jung Hayan¡¯s protective magic to fix them.


    The first body exploration ended there. Special equipment was made in-house, and only after this was I able to look around rtively safely andfortably.


    The interesting thing I had discovered while exploring her body was that her organs¡¯ structure was moreplex than that of humans.


    In a way, this would be obvious knowledge. She was, after all, a race that could be said to be a superior entity. The fact that her form of digestion would be to gather magical power was a surprising discovery in itself. I thought it would be amazing to see Tol To-ri do this since he ate more than double his size. Who knew he would have such an organ?


    Like amon clich¨¦ in any fantasy novel, digested magic power was sent to the heart, and the heart would then supply it with blood to the whole body.


    ¡®So, it was this.¡¯


    That was the reason why her blood could be a catalyst containing magical power.


    All her other organs were also unique. In a way, her body was a huge power nt. The unrefined, contaminated magic power would also undergo a purification process without discharging it outside the body.


    The secret of all the energy she turned into actiony in magic.


    I just nodded when I saw all of that, but Jung Hayan, as if amazed just by the fact that Dialugia could even move, was analyzing the data in her own way.


    There was something even she could learn from this. Eventually, she acquired her own achievement just by exploring Dialugia¡¯s body.


    Thus was the creation of a legendary-grade attribute.


    [Archmage¡¯s Heart (Legendary)]


    This was absurd.


    ¡°How is this is an attribute? No, how¡­¡±


    ¡°I made one more organ made of magic power.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I thought it would be nice to have something like this, too¡­ I tried it once before¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯ve aplished it right away, Oppa¡­ Hehehe¡­¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ Good job, Hayan.¡±


    ¡°Hehehehe¡­ ¡±


    I knew this without the need for an exnation. However, my gaze continued to rest on Hayan. I knew she was a genius, but I honestly hadn¡¯t expected her to produce something right away.


    Like Dialugia, she couldn¡¯t break down everything into magical power, but Jung Hayan certainly became able to constantly recircte and recycle magical power in her body.


    In addition to preparing a charger that could quickly recharge magical power in the body, she continued to purify and umte the remnants of magical power remaining after using magic.


    Although the magic power level did not increase right away, it had established a system that could continuously circte and recharge magic power in any situation.


    Of course, Jung Hayan¡¯s awakening proved to be quite the stimulus for me.


    I didn¡¯t feel inferior, yet I found this whole affair unfair. I was no longer satisfied with getting the legendary-grade title of Dragon Alchemist. I had to get another one.


    Amidst continuing research on the serum to strengthen Park Deokgu, I approached the principle of how she could release that breath in my spare time.


    The breath delivered the magical power stored in the Dragon Heart to a special organ in the neck before releasing it at once.


    It was true that Dialugia was also at risk if we were to take samples of important internal organs.


    If I did something wrong, and she ended up losing her breath ability, the damage would be very serious. I had no choice but to make a small model of this organ. After aplete scan of her organs with the Mind¡¯s Eye, I eventually figured out how her organs worked.


    Dozens and hundreds of experiments turned out to be useless, but I learned something new every time. Eventually, I created a small bottle that looked exactly like the main organ, thus making the breath ability avable.


    The deformed-shaped ss bottle had already undergone magical treatment and had been engraved several times with small spells for amplification, diffusion, and control.


    The final touch of the potion was a magical catalyst made up of Dialugia¡¯s blood.


    With my magic, the stored blood all fell into a small vial.


    Hmmm!!


    The blood entered through the malformed ss bottle entrance and rotated violently like a motor, thus activating the spell.


    It only took about 2 seconds.


    Eventually, this small vial created a wave of magical power, releasing the magical power contained in the blood in all directions.


    That was how dragons employed their breath. However, the ss bottle could not withstand the magic and broke in an instant.


    Though this could not be ssified as a radial or concentrated type since it was simply an explosion, this was enough to create the magic power of the magnitude I desired.


    [Legendary-grade potion - discovered for the first time.]


    [Intelligence increases by 1.]


    [Please enter the name of the potion directly.]


    [Enter the name of the potion.]


    [Dragon Breath Potion (Legendary)]


    Baaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnng!!


    ¡°Explosion is art!¡±


    Dragon Breath Potion MK1. This was the moment when the continent¡¯s first-everbat potion was created.

 Chapter 198: Dragon’s nest, Experiment, Change, Enhancement (6)

    <h4>Chapter 198: Dragon¡¯s nest, Experiment, Change, Enhancement (6)</h4>


    [Dragon Breath Potion (Legendary)]


    [This is a legendary potion made by Dragon Alchemist Lee Kiyoung. After 2 seconds, Dialugia¡¯s magical power is released in all directions when injecting magical power, creating an explosion with a shock wave.]


    This peculiar-looking ss bottle in my hand looked cooler than I thought. The deformed appearance also looked highly unusual. I was on a definite high.


    This was a tool that could make up for myck of magic power and as another means to protect my body. Of course, the fact that it would take two seconds before activating would prove to be quite a disadvantage. I wouldn¡¯t be able to use this during an interpersonal battle, yet I still felt good despite knowing this.


    For now, it¡¯s an advantage just to have one more option besides magic.


    My personal specs alone were not enough to reach the Eight Imperial Seats, but as I continued to improve this potion, the magic power alone may be enough to deal with even an Archmage.


    At this point, Dialugia had returned to human form.


    ¡°That¡¯s great. Really¡­ I didn¡¯t think I could really make it¡­¡±


    She was amazed enough when she first saw it, but she looked even more amazed to see it up close. Her amazement soon turned into a smile. The fact that she was surprised meant that I had done it right.


    ¡®This is the power of alchemy.¡¯


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I say it before? This is the product of science, magic, and alchemy. Of course, there are still many things to improve¡­ In a way, it¡¯s a primitive test piece, but it will develop more and more in the future.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t understand how this is possible. Of course, its magnitude isn¡¯t as powerful¡­¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s sufficient, though¡­ Ahem. Anyway, the principle is simple. Your organ was just a model. What appears to be a vial contains a few of your cells. It¡¯s not perfect, but it¡¯s probably enough to be a thermal organ te. The only difference is that it has been drastically reduced in size and that what flows through this organ is purified blood, not magic power.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°In fact, I¡¯m not sure how this organ can emit magical waves, but that¡¯s not what matters. The important thing is that the organs inside you can emit magic power, and I was able to copy it.¡±


    ¡°Is that possible?¡±


    ¡°It is impossible formon people. My eyes are a little better than theirs¡­ Well, for exnation¡¯s sake, it¡¯s like this: Magic power flows into your blood. Just as you¡¯re delivering magic power to your organs, I dropped a dose of your blood into this ss model. Following the guidance of the engraved spell, the blood creates energy and activates this organ. It takes two seconds to activate¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°And¡­¡±


    Zzzaaaaaaaap!


    Baaaaaannnnng!!


    The potion I threw broke, thus creating arge wave of magical power.


    I didn¡¯t know if this was the influence of her magical power, but seeing it burst in such a manner seemed to make my guess usible.


    I knew it definitely wouldn¡¯t be that cool if it had been an ordinary explosion.


    Considering the price of that ss bottle, it seemed a little wasteful to break, but it was a test product anyway, so it didn¡¯t matter if it burst.


    ¡°It¡¯s amazing, just looking at it again.¡±


    ¡°I am also amazed. Anyway, I think you don¡¯t need to participate in the experiment for the time being. We¡¯ve also gathered all the data we need, and everything else is up to me.¡±


    ¡°Is what you originally decided to make beenpleted?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m almost at the final stage. In fact, it¡¯s okay to say it¡¯s almostplete, but¡­ I didn¡¯t have the confidence to make anything more than this with my current ability.¡±


    The serum that would strengthen Park Deokgu was almost in the final stage.


    It should have been a little difficult to make two things at once, but Jung Hayan, who busied herself with ying with Tol To-ri, proved to be very helpful.


    The reason was that the probability of sess could only be increased when alchemy¡¯s area got expanded and imported into magic.


    Repairing a person¡¯s body was more difficult than making a dragon breath potion.


    Although it wasplete, I knew more improvements were in order. However, the limit of ability cannot be helped. At this point, I was limited to improve the potion only by this extent.


    [Enhancement Serum (Legendary-Grade)]


    [This is a legendary-grade potion made by Dragon Alchemist Lee Kiyoung. Made from Dialugia¡¯s serum as a catalyst, this potion forcibly increases the user¡¯s physical abilities. It can only be used on yers with stamina of 70 or higher and endurance of 70 or higher. The probability of sess is not that high. If it fails, the user will die, so please be careful when using it.]


    The green liquid looked ominous. It wasn¡¯t even warm, but the way it boiled alone was quite gaudy. It was obvious as to why it required more than 70 stamina. Naturally, there was a risk.


    Even if one managed to make a serum, it would not be safe to inject it. The human body would reject the dragon¡¯s blood, and the minimum stats to ovee the rejection were either stats of 70 stamina or 70 endurance.


    Of course, the probability of sess could be increased with the practitioner¡¯s will as well as the help sess rate was less than 62%, which was risky no matter how high it seemed to be.


    Though it can be used on people like Kim Hyunsung or Cha Hee-ra, the effects would prove to be meaningless since their stats were already so high. I wasn¡¯t that stupid.


    In other words, this was a custom-made item just for Park Deokgu.


    It was originally designed with him in mind and improved to fit his body.


    Nevertheless, I thought that the probability of sess was only this much because the enhancement procedure itself was a risk-bearing procedure.


    ¡°It definitely looks dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Our blood causes rejection to other monsters as well. To do this with the blood of another race in the first ce is a dangerous idea.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°If it fails, one¡¯s whole body may burst and die¡­¡±


    I definitely didn¡¯t want to see Park Deokgu¡¯s body bursting to death.


    When I collected Park Deokgu¡¯s body data during a busy experiment, he was still busy wielding his sword. What I was trying to do now was, in a way, simr to making a chimera.


    Considering that all chimeras had some side effects, I didn¡¯t even want to rmend this.


    But¡­


    ¡®I think it will work somehow¡­¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know why, but I was confident about this. It was different from feeling confident in my abilities. This particr confidence stemmed from my honest judgment that this experiment had a higher probability of sess than what it really seemed to have, thanks to whatever transcendental being kept intervening in my affairs.


    ¡®Whoever that is doesn¡¯t want Park Deokgu to die.¡¯


    Though this sounded like a simple delusion, I couldn¡¯t help but feel that way.


    Considering that the being had also intervened with my Mind¡¯s Eye, there was plenty of room for it to intervene in this experiment as well.


    ¡®The probability of sess can continue to increase.¡¯


    I knew Park Deokgu would ept this, anyway. It was entirely his decision to make. However, I myself could get kicked out of Kim Hyunsung¡¯s party if I became too reckless about this, so it would be better to y safe for now.


    ¡®Let¡¯s do that.¡¯


    I wanted this to be a surprise, but it was difficult to raise the probability of sess without a definite target.


    ¡°Hayan.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Oppa?¡±


    ¡°Can you bring Deokgu here?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Of course!¡±


    Jung Hayan nodded at my request and ran out. Dialugia looked at me with a strange expression.


    ¡°Are you really doing it?¡±


    ¡°We have to do as far as we can to improve it. It¡¯s a potion tailored to individuals, so if he¡¯s here, I can increase the chances of sess a little more.¡±


    ¡°How will you¡­¡±


    ¡°I think it would be a good idea to check out what kind of rejection his blood is causing and recreate a potion that can offset the effectiveness of this fortification serum. I¡¯m just going to inject the potion first, then inject the serum to increase the chances of sess. I have to go through a close inspection.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to understand exactly what you¡¯re talking about, but¡­ you seem confident.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. It¡¯s a bit disappointing that we can¡¯t do clinical trials¡­ Anyway, this time, I will try to approach this a little carefully.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ Is there anything I can do to help?¡±


    ¡°Just injecting your energy will reduce the rejection.¡±


    Surprisingly, Dialugia herself seemed interested in alchemy.


    ¡®Shall I get her to train with the neers this time?¡¯


    While waiting, I decided to entertain these useless-sounding thoughts.


    Park Deokgu was important, but Dialugia¡¯s socialization was also a task that I needed to solve.


    In conclusion, I did get help from thisb¡¯s costs, but I would hate having to undergo such a situation again. If Lee Jihye hadn¡¯t helped me, I would have felt how risky the loan business was.


    As I continued to talk with Dialugia, I gradually began to hear Jung Hayan¡¯s voice. Coupled with Park Deokgu¡¯s, they proved to be quite the noisy pair.


    I wanted to show Deokgu the serum right away, for I had prepared it as a gift.


    ¡®It¡¯s not a surprise, but I have to show him this.¡¯


    I could understand the feelings of a man without talent better than anyone else. Because of this, I was already looking forward to seeing what kind of reaction Park Deokgu would have.


    As the two approached me, Park Deokgu waved at me. Since it had been a while since we had seen each other, his expression appeared to be one filled with joy.


    ¡°Hyung-nim!¡±


    ¡°Deokgu.¡±


    ¡°Well, how are you? Experimenting is good, but please show up every once in a while in Blue. The guild¡¯s administration team is living hell. There seemed to be more preparations than expected for the tutorial dungeon.¡±


    ¡°I was a little busytely making something.¡±


    ¡°I heard everything from Hayan. I heard you made something amazing¡­¡±


    He was smiling, almost as if he was feeling good about himself. Seeing that he was all sweaty, it appeared that he had been training before Hayan had urged him toe with her.


    After hearing him talk, I was worried about whether Jung Hayan told him about the serum, but I quickly realized that he was talking about the dragon breath potion.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you call to show me that dragon breath potion or what? Whoa¡­ I knew Hyung-nim would show me first! Hayan has already spread rumors throughout the guild.¡±


    ¡°Haha. Actually, it¡¯s also because I made something else, something new.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    No wonder my heart had been trembling. Park Deokgu was totally clueless. With this, I handed him the Enhancement Serum. The man lookedpletely startled.


    ¡°Please read it.¡±


    ¡°Huh? This?¡±


    At my request, Deokgu immediately checked the potion¡¯s status window with interest. As he did so, I began to speak.


    ¡°There are some things that I still need to do, but it¡¯s all custom made, so it won¡¯t be a problem. For now, I think it would be better for you to stay here from now on.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°There are some problems with what I¡¯m doing right now. I have to weigh the number of cases. Oh, and don¡¯t mind the penalty. If I can improve it, the sess rate will eventually be higher than 80%. I called you here¡­¡±


    ¡°Is this what you called for?¡±


    ¡°Yes. You seemed to be having a hard timetely.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    He showed a reaction that was different from what I had been expecting. Did he not like it?At this, Park Deokgu quietly pushed my hand away.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to drink it, Hyung-nim.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I told you I¡¯m not going to drink it.¡±


    ¡®This bastard¡­¡¯


    For the first time, Park Deokgu was staring at me with a serious expression.

 Chapter 199: Dragon’s nest, Experiment, Change, Enhancement (7)

    <h4>Chapter 199: Dragon¡¯s nest, Experiment, Change, Enhancement (7)</h4>


    His reaction was different from what I had been expecting. I thought he would feel excited, but instead, it was as if he felt reluctant.


    Of course, I was disappointed.


    It was natural to feel this way, considering the time I spent making the Enhancement Serum. It was a research of my choice, but this was still made exclusively for Park Deokgu.


    ¡®This¡­ bastard¡­¡¯


    I didn¡¯t understand why he would reject this. Of course, I knew there would be a reason why, but I didn¡¯t think he would stick to that resolve so much.


    This was probably because he wanted to get stronger with his own strength, and he didn¡¯t want to borrow the power of these potions.


    ¡®This bastard¡­¡¯


    Was he not desperate? If he were aware of the situation he was in right now, he would never say that. In the first ce, he was only able to get this far because of my help.


    I was dumbfounded by his narrow-minded way of thinking when it came to abilities.


    If Park Deokgu were in a small or medium-sized guild that wasn¡¯t Blue, he would have epted this serum right away. If this potion were released on the market right now, a lot of people would immediately go and buy it.


    It was embarrassing to say this, but this was an elixir for people like him.


    My eyes were sparkling as I felt a little betrayed. I was not angry. I simply felt a little offended.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I appreciate this, but I will not drink it. Did you really call me just for this?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s why I called you.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate your concern, but you don¡¯t have to worry about me. I am not a child, and I can do well enough without anything like this.¡±


    Park Deokgu did look very ufortable. This was the first time he had looked at me like that ever since we had met.


    It seems like I had hit his soft spot, but perhaps it was also because he felt inferior. He had been working hard to catch up with us, but with this potion, he might feel that I pitied him.


    However, at this point, I had no choice but to urge him.


    ¡°Stop this useless stubbornness.¡±


    ¡°I am not being stubborn.¡±


    ¡°Remember that it¡¯s not just for you. It¡¯s also for the party.¡±


    ¡°You can just cut to the chase. Are you saying you need a stronger front liner?¡±


    I could neither confirm nor deny this.


    ¡°Then you just have to use someone else. Anyway, I won¡¯t take this.¡±


    ¡°You!¡±


    ¡°I said I¡¯m not taking it!¡±


    The moment I grabbed him, trying to pull him back, he got angry and struck my arm. Although my stats had increased quite a bit, obviously, my weak body bounced off.


    Park Deokgu looked shocked, and his shock quickly gave way to guilt.


    ¡®Motherf¡­¡¯


    Fortunately, I was able to protect the Enhancement Serum, but it didn¡¯t change the fact that my fall had been a painful one due to this. After checking the serum¡¯s safety, I immediately turned to look at him.


    ¡°You bastard!¡±


    As I tried to scream in anger, I felt a huge flow of magical power.


    ¡®Ah.¡¯


    ¡°What¡­ are you doing?¡±


    As I turned my head, I saw Jung Hayan reaching for Park Deok-gu. It looked like her new legendary-grade attribute was a sess because the magical power that I could feel from her was much more than I could imagine. I didn¡¯t know what spell Hayan used, but the ground on which Park Deokgu had been stepping on began to crumble.


    Deokgu tried to hold on while trembling, but he couldn¡¯t resist the pressure of magical power felt from above. I felt sad seeing him lying t on the ground like a frog.


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    He kept trying to get up, but this was not possible. It was apletely different thing to withstand attacks due to high endurance and to be able to move with the pressure of magic.


    It was especially impossible for a guy with low strength and magic power to resist this unknown magic. I knew that Jung Hayan was sensitive to my safety, but I didn¡¯t think she would treat Park Deokgu like this.


    ¡°I apologize.¡±


    ¡°Whoosh!¡±


    ¡°I apologize!¡±


    Craaaaaaackkk!


    ¡°Argh!¡±


    She exerted more strength once again, and Park Deokgu began to dig deeper. I had to rush to stop her. Although Deokgu was strong, there was no way he wouldn¡¯t sustain any injuries from the spell.


    ¡°Jung Hayan, stop.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t hurt, and he didn¡¯t do it on purpose.¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Apologize to Deokguter.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    As Jung Hayan lowered her hand, the intensity of her magic disappeared.


    Even with 45 magic power, Jung Hayan¡¯s magic power had been hard to bear.


    As I moved towards Park Deokgu, I could see him quietly getting up. I checked him with Mind¡¯s Eye and was relieved to see that he had not received any major damage. To resist Jung Hayan¡¯s magic, he raised his magic power too much, so his innards were a little damaged, but he would be able to recover solely with his own power.


    I quietly reached out and waited for him to hold my hand, but the bastard¡¯s expression didn¡¯t look very good. What blossomed on his face was a terrible look of defeat. He had not even been able to withstand Jung Hayan¡¯s attack.


    ¡®Ah¡­¡¯


    I had to admit that things had gotten a little more twisted. Now I was sure that Deokgu felt inferior.


    ¡®Right now, even I¡­¡¯


    Even I had a hard time trying to catch up with such a party full of monstrous geniuses.


    As a part of the nobatant group, I was somehow getting by. This put Deokgu in a more desperate situation than me.


    In the end, he didn¡¯t reach out for my hand.


    Feeling defeated that he couldn¡¯t escape from the magic, he stood up by himself and started walking outside the nest, refusing to look at any of us.


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m sorry about earlier, Hyung-nim.¡±


    ¡°No. You seemed a little angry. I¡¯m sorry too, Deokgu. I think I rushed things a little¡­ Let¡¯s talk about this slowlyter.¡±


    ¡°No. Hyung-nim didn¡¯t do anything wrong.¡±


    ¡®This is so annoying¡­¡¯


    I wanted to just tell him that he didn¡¯t have the talent, that he had bigger limitations, that he should just shut up and drink if he didn¡¯t want the gap between him and the party to widen. However, I cared about his feelings, so I kept my mouth shut about it. I didn¡¯t need to tell him, for I knew he already felt that way. In this regard, it would be better for me to act gently.


    Jung Hayan was watching me quietly as if she knew she had made a mistake, and Dialugia, looking at me from a distance, seemed to know what the situation was right now.


    I clearly was not expecting this.


    ¡®It¡¯s fucking frustrating, fuck¡­¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know what Park Deokgu was thinking, but it didn¡¯t mean my worry for him lessened.


    In the end, I knew I had to head out.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go to the guild for a minute.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­ Oppa.¡±


    I had to find another solution to this problem.


    ¡®This is thest time, really.¡¯


    This was thest time I would take care of him. If he fell again, I decided, while going back to Blue, that I wouldn¡¯t protect him any longer.


    I didn¡¯t head back riding White Paul. I wanted to see how Park Deokgu was. If he saw me approaching him with my griffon, his sense of inferiority would only increase.


    Anyway, the Guild House wasn¡¯t that far, and I soon reached my destination.


    Though I wondered if he would drink his sorrows away, I felt like I wouldn¡¯t find him at the bar. Just in case, I headed to the ce where he was with Kim Ye-rist time.


    When I arrived, I found Park Deokgu and Kim Ye-ri together, as I had expected. Kim Ye-ri rolled her eyes upon sensing my presence. Though she was aware that I was here, it seemed that Park Deokgu was not.


    Seeing that she didn¡¯t tell Park Deokgu, she must be aware of the situation here.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t good, uncle. You shouldn¡¯t forcibly train yourself. Give yourself time to rest.¡±


    ¡°No, it won¡¯t be training today.¡±


    ¡°Then what will it be?¡±


    ¡°Sparring.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s sparring, we do it every day. It¡¯s also considered training.¡±


    ¡°No. Not that.¡±


    ¡°Then what?¡±


    ¡°I want to spar for real.¡±


    ¡°You mean you don¡¯t want me to go easy on you? You¡¯ll get hurt.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±


    Park Deokgu looked nervous as he spoke. I knew he felt shaken at the fact that he couldn¡¯t even resist a single attack from Hayan and thus wanted to know exactly how strong he currently was.


    Instead of answering Park Deokgu, Kim Ye-ri slowly turned towards me.


    It looked as if she was asking me if she would really be allowed to do this. Since I couldn¡¯t find any other solution, I gave her a slight nod. Now would be the right time for Park Deokgu to face his harsh reality.


    The moment Park Deokgu got into position, Kim Ye-ri immediately rushed towards him.


    ¡®Kim Hyunsung?¡¯


    I instantly realized who the kid¡¯s model for practicing closebat was. She was a bit lighter and more stylish than Kim Hyunsung, but the fact that they had the same stance was inevitable.


    It seemed like Hyunsung had influenced her more than I had initially thought.


    Park Deokgu corrected his sword as he felt startled, but Kim Ye-ri had already reached him. Blood spurted out, almost instantly.


    When she fought Cha Hee-ra, I had felt it roughly, but that little kid¡¯s fighting ability was almostparable to Cho Hyejin¡¯s. It really hurt to see Park Deokgu pushed down to the point of embarrassment. This wasn¡¯t even a fair fight.


    Although he was holding on with his innate endurance, he could not catch nor block Kim Ye-ri.


    However, this did not mean that Park Deokgu was weak.


    ¡®It simply means that Kim Ye-ri is too strong.¡¯


    It felt like she already knew how Deokgu usually moved. The fact that she moved faster than half a heartbeat should also be taken into ount.


    After she dashed away, one of her throwing knives got stuck in Deokgu¡¯s body, and with her other dagger, she shed through his body.


    It was dazzling to see Park Deokgu¡¯s bloody appearance in an instant. I now understood why she kept saying she had gone easy on Park Deokgu.


    ¡°I want to stop now.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s stop now. It¡¯s too dangerous. If we continue¡­ I¡¯ll call the priest.¡±


    ¡°A little bit more¡­ Please¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to. I don¡¯t know why you keep trying to fight with me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Uncle cannot fight me. Do you finally admit defeat?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t do it like Aunt Cho Hyejin or Hyunsung Oppa anyway. It¡¯s better to ept this fact.¡±


    The little kid looked at Park Deokgu quietly before immediately turning away, presumably to call a priest.


    Park Deokgu sat on the ground and buried his head between his knees. I looked at him, thinking he would eventually get up and start swinging his sword just likest time. However, he did not get up again.


    Instead, I could only hear the sound of him crying as quietly as he could.

 Chapter 200: Lee Kiyoung’s prank

    <h4>Chapter 200: Lee Kiyoung¡¯s prank</h4>


    It wasn¡¯t that he was desperate. In fact, Park Deokgu might be more desperate than anyone else. Just by looking at his relentless training, I could see how much he felt cornered.


    Nevertheless, I couldn¡¯t understand why he wouldn¡¯t just ept my gift, but I knew there must be a reason why. Perhaps he had wanted to repay me for my trust, or that he wanted to stand by our side using his own strength, but what was more important to me right now was to make him realize that his growth should hold precedence over his pride.


    ¡®But no, he had to be all stupid.¡¯


    Right now, he did not have the ability to make his self-diagnosis. Naturally, he felt frustrated since he didn¡¯t know what his problem was.


    From the beginning, it was unreasonable to have tried to put geniuses such as Kim Ye-ri, Kim Hyunsung, and Cho Hyejin on the same line as him.


    Kim Ye-ri was right. He had his own role, and even if Park Deokgu epted this serum, he would not be able to catch up with the geniuses in Kim Hyunsung¡¯s party.


    I, too, was simr to him. After realizing that I couldn¡¯t catch up with geniuses from the beginning, I promptly changed my route. Though I had a great purpose and strong will, the chances of me catching up to Jung Hayan¡¯s level were zero.


    Of course, Park Deokgu had a higher possibility of reaching them whenpared to me.


    ¡°So the method you thought of is this?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a bad method¡­ If anything goes wrong, it couldpletely ruin a person, right? I¡¯ve seen so many people since the tutorial, but they didn¡¯t seem to have strong willpower. Rather they looked pretty dependent. Honestly speaking¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°To be honest, if it weren¡¯t for Kiyoung, Park Deokgu would have died in the tutorial.¡±


    Lee Jihye spoke this harsh fact. If Park Deokgu heard her, he would feel depressed.


    Jihye herself seemed tired, which led me to believe that her work in ck Swan had been tough so far. However, she still looked rxed and had a confident expression, as always.


    ¡°You¡¯re one to speak.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t know. I think I would have survived without Kiyoung-ssi and Hyunsung-ssi. Well, it¡¯s already in the past, so let¡¯s stop reminiscing. That¡¯s not what matters now. And why do you keep calling me Nuna, Oppa?¡±


    [Checking the status window and the talent levels of the yer Lee Jihye.]


    [Name: Lee Jihye]


    [Title: ck Swan¡¯s Head.]


    [Age: 29]


    [Disposition: Selfish Ambitions]


    [ss: Commander]


    [Stats]


    [Strength: 16/Growth potential: Common or lower]


    [Agility: 15/Growth potential: Common or lower]


    [Stamina: 27/Growth potential: Common or lower]


    [Intelligence: 67/Growth potential: Rare or higher]


    [Endurance: 14/Growth potential: Common or lower]


    [Luck: 44/Growth potential: Common or lower]


    [Magic Power: 13/Growth potential: Common or lower]


    [General Review: It¡¯s been a long time since we saw your soulmate. As always, I hope you don¡¯t get too intimate. You know that the possible child to be born will be really pitiful, right?]


    ¡®It¡¯s because you¡¯re older.¡¯


    She didn¡¯t seem to know that I could check her age. As I still wanted it to be a secret that only I knew, I swallowed General Review¡¯s joke about the child to be born and quietly averted my gaze.


    ¡°I don¡¯t even look that old¡­ Anyway, it really is amazing.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you would care for him like this. I thought you were more of a cold type¡­ Do you find it hard trying to get rid of him because you¡¯ve been together since the start?¡±


    ¡°Something like that.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s surprising. I knew you were all about Hyunsung-ssi, but this time you seem to be doing everything you can for that big dunce. If I hadn¡¯t heard the news that you were with Yuno Kasugano in the Royal Castle, I would have had doubts about whether Kiyoung-ssi was a homosexual.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just joking. That¡¯s because I know better than anyone else that you¡¯re not. Still, if you really do like men, you should let me know. It¡¯s good to feel challenged, but if that¡¯s true, it¡¯ll sadden me a lot.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that.¡±


    ¡°I know. I know you¡¯re just worried about Park Deokgu, so I just said it. There¡¯s no reason not to throw him away, but it¡¯s evident that you still want him around. You know that there¡¯s been a lot of talk at other guilds and parties, right?¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯ve been quite busy with my researchtely. Are there any bad rumors circting?¡±


    ¡°Something like that. It is rumored that the Eight Seat members Kim Hyunsung and Lee Kiyoung of the Blue party are looking for a decent front liner.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just a rumor.¡±


    ¡°It may not sound like gossip to big-mouthed people. Some people are more observant than you think. The fact that Deokgu can no longer catch up with the party is a known fact, and there are about entrusting the front liner of Blue to someone like that, right? The transfer market is moving strangely due to rumors of you seeking a capable front liner. The frence tankers are also excited about getting contacted¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, I understand you, but in order to seed, you have to think carefully about the best timing to get rid of him. Well, I know you¡¯ll do well on your own¡­ I am not in a position to judge this. Please just think that I¡¯m worried about my husband and had just been babbling things.¡±


    ¡°No. You¡¯re actually right in some parts.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Actually, Hyunsung-ssi asked me about setting up a second party. Rather than abandoning Deokgu, we chose to prevent him from endangering himself in potentially dangerous situations. We also had the idea of recruiting a new tanker for our current party¡­¡±


    ¡°How unfortunate¡­ for Deokgu-ssi. If you decide to raise one, is he going to recruit from the new recruits in the tutorial dungeon?¡±


    ¡°Probably. Although retired, Lee Sang-hee is still a Blue adviser, so it¡¯s not really an urgent situation. But we still have to prepare. I¡¯ll only be willing to take care of Park Deokgu to this extent. Do you understand what I mean?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Honestly, I spent so much time and money making the Enhancement Serum even though I had a lot of other priorities to attend to. It¡¯s not just the Red Mercenaries and ck Swans that value these new recruits.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ Since Blue has settled down a little, you would want to bring many good neers. I understand.¡±


    ¡°This is the first and thest time. If something doesn¡¯t work or if he doesn¡¯t change anything¡­¡±


    ¡°Will you kick him out from the guild?¡±


    ¡°No. It would be appropriate to leave him to the second party. We¡¯ll either make him a training instructor or an administrator.¡±


    ¡°See? You definitely got softer.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take this as apliment, Nuna.¡±


    As I teased her, Lee Jihye smiled. It felt a bit ufortable for her to be observing me like this, but since she had promised to help me, the purpose had beenpleted.


    ¡°I know you must be busy, so thank you for your care, Nuna.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll just think that you bought a few stocks. Something wille backter. Well¡­¡±


    ¡°Sooner orter, the ck Swan will also have a drop of bean sprouts.¡±


    ¡°I think that Yeon-joo Eunni will like it. Ah. And please ask Hyunsung-ssi to make some time.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°My Guild Master keeps asking me to see him, but there¡¯s been no response.¡±


    ¡°Park Yeon-joo?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Did you hear anything?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely nothing¡­¡±


    ¡°I think Yeon-joo Eunni likes Hyunsung-ssi. She seems really intent on asking me to arrange a meeting. I¡¯m just curious¡­ he¡¯s not a eunuch, is he?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think¡­ so¡­¡±


    This was a new story that I had never heard of. I thought he had been getting close to Cho Hyejin. Who would have known that he would be caught up in a dating rumor with the ck Swan¡¯s Guild Master?


    Of course, this helped Blue. Seeing that I didn¡¯t know, Kim Hyunsung seemed to be disinterested, but still¡­


    ¡®This is good news.¡¯


    ¡°Really, it seems like you¡¯ve been stuck in researchtely. There wasn¡¯t any official movement, but this was also a story that became popr within Lindel, much like Park Deokgu.¡±


    ¡°What story?¡±


    ¡°It is rumored that the reason why Blue Guild was able to rise to its current position is due to the womanizing of the Guild Master and the Vice Guild Master. Honestly, it¡¯s not even wrong, right? I don¡¯t know about Kim Hyunsung, but it¡¯s a rumor that perfectly fits you. You don¡¯t even have that handsome face, but women still seem to stick to you like a charm¡­¡±


    I knew that was indeed a very sad story, but I didn¡¯t dare give a substantial reply. However, Lee Jihye¡¯s previous remark was indeed correct. I had spent too much time on my research. I had to wonder if there were any other rumors.


    ¡°Are there any other rumors I haven¡¯t heard of?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Well, the Red Mercenary is betting life and death on acquiring neers from this tutorial dungeon. The Mercenary Queen hasn¡¯t given an official statement yet. I¡¯m guessing there¡¯s a different reason as to why she hasn¡¯t yet appeared, but other people think differently.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s the correct answer.¡¯


    ¡°And what else? There are rumors that the Eight Seats of the continent will be officially announced sooner orter. I think the Holy Empire spread this rumor. It should be viewed as a fact rather than a simple rumor.¡±


    ¡°Good. I knew there would be an official announcement. The timing seems right, too. Perhaps¡­¡±


    ¡°It will be after the tutorial dungeon opens, right? Ah! Also, I heard that you got engaged to Marlin Young-ae and would acquire Castle Rock soon¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just a rumor.¡±


    ¡°I thought so. The source of information came from Marlin¡¯s side.¡±


    ¡°You seem to know all kinds of stuff.¡±


    ¡°What can I say? The intelligence in ck Swan is the best in the Empire. Oh, and did you know, Oppa?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Kim Ye-ri of your guild¡­¡±


    ¡°What about her?¡±


    ¡°Did you know she¡¯s been getting close to our guild¡¯s kidtely?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know much about her. It¡¯s Hyunsung that takes care of Kim Ye-ri¡­¡±


    ¡°It would be better to tell her to stoping to ck Swan.¡±


    ¡°Did she cause some trouble?¡±


    ¡°No. Not like that¡­ In fact, the one that Ye-ri is close to isn¡¯t that¡­ safe. Of course, she doesn¡¯t do anything bad, but¡­ Rather than Yeri damaging the ck Swan, I¡¯m worried that my child may be a bad influence on yours. It¡¯s quite hard to control our kid, too¡­¡±


    ¡°What, is she a psychopath?¡±


    ¡°No. Her personality is good. She has both talent and ability and is actually evaluated as a talented person who can soon lead the future of ck Swan.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, you don¡¯t have to worry too much. It seems politically beneficial that Blue¡¯s future and the ck Swan¡¯s future are getting along well¡­ If you think about making friends, there is a high probability that you will be positively affected. Our guild¡¯s little ones have always been lonely. It¡¯s a relief to hear that she has friends. Hyunsung will also like it. You don¡¯t have to worry too much.¡±


    As I finished speaking, Lee Jihye began to call out, startling me.


    ¡°You¡¯ll see. Sira? Chae Sira?¡±


    Someone answered her call right away.


    ¡°You called because you need me? Do you admit it? Yes, you do. The fact that you called me during a meeting with Lee Kiyoung, who has been appointed as one of the Eight Seats of the continent, means that you finally acknowledge me! Awesome. This is sick. You¡¯re calling me on a quiet night! I¡¯m feeling surprisingly excited!¡±


    ¡°No. There is no need for you toe in.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Though I couldn¡¯t see her face, I now knew the reason why Lee Jihye had warned me about Kim Ye-ri often visiting the ck Swans.


    ¡°I know what you mean¡­ I will stop her using all means possible.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Anyway, you are going to enter the dungeon soon, right? Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll have everything Oppa ordered. I will proceed ording to the scenario.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Nuna.¡±


    ¡°No need to thank me. Between us¡­ Anyway, please do well. Park Deokgu is still a good guy, but I hope this opportunity will give him some good results.¡±


    ¡°Are you serious?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely. It¡¯s natural for a person in power to have one or two such loyalists, right? I won¡¯t see you off, my love.¡±


    ¡°Yes. See youter, my soulmate.¡±


    The dice has already been thrown.


    This was the first-ever Park Deokgu Awakening and Enhancement n.


    I would make him Captain Lindelter on, but first, I had to enter the dungeon with him.


    Of course, before that¡­


    ¡®I should warn Hyunsung beforehand.¡¯


    He shouldn¡¯t let Kim Ye-ri, the future of Blue, grow in such a lopsided direction.

 Chapter 201: Lee Kiyoung’s Prank (2)

    <h4>Chapter 201: Lee Kiyoung¡¯s Prank (2)</h4>


    ¡°Is this really okay?¡±


    ¡°Sure. I don¡¯t know when we¡¯ll be able to gather like this again. When I start getting busy in earnest, I¡¯ll have less and less time to hang out with you all. Things will get crazy once the new recruits arrive. Hyunsung-ssi also understands that, so I think that¡¯s why he allowed me to go to the dungeon this time.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°I also need some time to rx, and it¡¯s been so long since we¡¯ve done this. Some people also need a break, you know.¡±


    ¡°Hyung-nim¡­¡±


    Park Deokgu looked grateful for some reason. Perhaps he thought that the reason for this dungeon trip was because of him.


    In his position, it would be natural for him to think so. Going to the dungeon at such a sudden time might seem suspicious to anyone who was to chance upon it.


    It was only a few days ago that he had a dispute with me.


    Naturally, he¡¯d think that the reason why I started nning a dungeon expedition was that it would be my form of reconciliation to him.


    In fact, Jung Hayan still felt ufortable with Park Deokgu, and I didn¡¯t dare talk to him until this expedition arrived.


    Thus, it would be natural for him to feel this way.


    He wouldn¡¯t even be able to imagine that I had nned all of this in apletely different direction from his line of thinking.


    After all, this was the first Park Deokgu Awakening and Enhancement n, directed by Lee Kiyoung, written by Lee Kiyoung, and supported by Lee Jihye.


    It was a real gift prepared for him, who had felt dejected after Kim Ye-ri had beaten him. This way, he would have a real shot at achieving what he wanted to achieve.


    Hecked many things, but one of the biggest problems Park Deokgu currently had turned out to be¡­


    ¡®The fourth ss change.¡¯


    Among the Blue party members, he was the only one who hadn¡¯t gotten a 4th ss change yet and was still maintaining his rare-grade ss. I didn¡¯t know why he hadn¡¯t gotten around to changing his ss after experiencing an entire monster wave, but my guessy on the possibility that his barrier was a psychological one.


    This made me curious about one thing.


    If a crisis would hit us, how would Park Deokgu react?


    It wasn¡¯t a big deal, but it was something worth thinking about. This was something he had never experienced before since Kim Hyunsung¡¯s party was full of geniuses. Thus, every possible problem ended up getting solved by Hyunsung before it could scale into trouble.


    It wasn¡¯t just Kim Hyunsung. Jung Hayan¡¯s protective magic blocked the backup before Park Deokgu could get hurt.


    That being said, in every party battle, our party members always ended up outshining Deokgu in terms of performance. Though he was able to experience the battles alongside them, it made me think if his constant behind-the-scene performance was the reason why the system wasn¡¯t able to judge what kind of ss to give him.


    This was only my hypothesis. However, I had to think that it was worth experimenting with. It didn¡¯t matter if he didn¡¯t develop his ss or attribute this time. If he felt that hecked in this expedition, it would be a little easier for him to ept the serum, and if he couldn¡¯t get through this, I could push through with assigning him to a new party.


    However¡­


    ¡®There is no chance of that happening.¡¯


    I knew Park Deokgu would never give up, hence why I had proposed this expedition.


    Having cleared up my thoughts, I smiled and spoke to him once more.


    ¡°Even so, you shouldn¡¯t be too distracted. It doesn¡¯t matter that the dungeon is rare-grade. Always keep in mind the possibility of an ident.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Uncle Kiyoung is right.¡±


    ¡°I know that. This time, Hyunsung-ssi will not be here, so we should stay alert.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m not telling you to feel too pressured. I bought a dungeon with low difficulty on purpose. You can get nervous, just don¡¯t move in a rush.¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­ You didn¡¯t have to buy a dungeon¡­¡±


    ¡°The other guilds are now busy preparing for work after the opening of the tutorial dungeon. I got it for cheap, so you don¡¯t have to feel so burdened.¡±


    ¡°If so, that¡¯s a relief.¡±


    The smile he currently showed was one I hadn¡¯t seen in a while. Though Deokgu usuallyughed when he was with other people, this was the first time that his expression felt sincere.


    I didn¡¯t know what exactly Deokgu was thinking, but I was sure he was feeling better now.


    ¡®His condition¡¯s not that bad.¡¯


    I also felt like he desperately wanted to restore his rtionship with Hayan, considering how badly things had gonest time. However, it wasn¡¯t him who needed to apologize. It was her.


    ¡®Tsk. This foolish guy.¡¯


    However, it was cute seeing Deokgu fretting about this, so I let him be.


    When I took my gaze away from him, I saw our five other party members approaching. Five of us would be going¡ªme, Park Deokgu, Jung Hayan, Kim Ye-ri, and one priest, who would serve as our backup should anything happen.


    Originally, I wanted to bring Sun Hee-young, but I couldn¡¯t because of the busy time.


    Hwang Jeong-yeon, who had maintained a fairly close rtionship with Park Deokgu, was also unavable because she was currently in charge of Blue¡¯s administration.


    In fact, I thought Hwang Jeong-yeon could be used as the centerpiece of this n, but considering her poor acting ability, I decided it would be better for her to stay still.


    Of course, the rest of my members were the same. Both Jung Hayan and Kim Ye-ri were unaware of the basics of socializing and were far from my first choices when it came to ns.


    ¡®They, too, have terrible acting.¡¯


    With this, I had chosen Ahn Ki-mo, a priest from the Red Mercenaries. This was because I needed talented people who could somehow relieve the awkward atmosphere created by Kim Ye-ri and Jung Hayan.


    At this point, Deokgu began to speak.


    ¡°Oh, it looks like I didn¡¯t greet the priest¡­ If it¡¯s okay, please introduce me, Hyung-nim.¡±


    ¡°Is this your first time meeting him?¡±


    ¡°Well, yes.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s to meet you, Deokgu-ssi. I¡¯m Ahn Ki-mo.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh. I¡¯ll call you Ki-mo Hyung-nim.¡±


    ¡°Haha. Yes. As a member of the Red Mercenary Guild, I came across fate and was able to join this expedition.¡±


    ¡°Since Hee-young was very busy, I had to use awork.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ I see.¡±


    Ahn Ki-mo¡¯s appearance seemed to help, seeing as Deokgu seemed to like meeting new people. Plus, Ki-mo had a friendly, likable face.


    ¡°Thank you foring, Ki-mo-ssi.¡±


    ¡°No, no, Kiyoung-ssi. Blue is also a friend of the Red Mercenary, and I was feeling very bored. You don¡¯t know how honorable it is to be with the party that has made Lindel upbeat these days.¡±


    ¡°I was just lucky. When ites to clearing dungeons, one dungeon with a heroic-grade and one dungeon with a rare-grade is all I¡¯ve got to show for it.¡±


    ¡°Why does it matter how many dungeons you have cleared?¡±


    ¡°Hahahaha¡­¡±


    ¡®This guy is a natural¡­¡¯


    It was worth it. I heard that he majored in theater, and though he wasn¡¯t famous, I heard that he was able to do some roles in Daehakro.


    I could remember that he was not an ordinary priest, but a kind ofbat priest. However, no matter where I looked, there was no evidence of his experience in the area.


    Whoever sees him would see him as amon priest. The appearance alone made him deserving of joining us.


    The party members began to head to the dungeon while talking loudly. Though it would be possible to move quickly with a wagon, I thought it would be better to talk while walking, creating a pic-like atmosphere.


    There was no problem at all, except that Jung Hayan had strangely been avoiding Park Deokgu because of the pressure for acting, and he felt ufortable by it.


    I did not intervene, simply because this might be better than her destroying my ns.


    Kim Ye-ri was all about being quiet, throwing a few words out every now and then, but fortunately, it was unlikely that she had been influenced by her Red Mercenary friend very much.


    Deokgu, who was naturally friendly, got closer to Ahn Ki-mo in no time. We spent a lot of time sitting and resting while walking, and I put a lot of effort to sleep overnight by building a camp.


    Although I didn¡¯t drink too much, I enjoyed the atmosphere as much as I could. So far, almost everything was going perfectly. I also had a lot to worry about, so this proved to be a good chance for me to enjoy and take a breather.


    What was interesting, however, was that Kim Ye-ri was surprisingly good at cooking.


    ¡°Bride ss.¡±


    Her answer, which briefly exined why she was so good, revealed that Kim Hyunsung had been garbage at this particr skill.


    Once I knew we were getting nearer, I snuck a nce at Ahn Ki-mo. The peaceful break ended here.


    Seeing my signal, Ki-mo upped the acting.


    ¡°I think we¡¯re almost there now.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ki-mo-ssi. We will be able to enter the dungeon by tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°You said it was a rare-grade dungeon, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Looking at theposition of the party, I don¡¯t think there will be any big problems. Those of you who are here must be able to attack easily.¡±


    ¡°Of course. We have Hyung-nim and Hayan with us¡­¡±


    ¡°But if you are to enter this area, you will have to be a little alert.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ You¡¯re talking about that.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lee Kiyoung-nim knows about it.¡±


    At this, Park Deokgu looked between the two of us curiously. He evidently didn¡¯t know what we were talking about. Upon seeing this, Ahn Ki-mo continued to speak.


    ¡°Ah, Deokgu-ssi doesn¡¯t seem to know about it.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°A few years ago, a n waspletely annihted in this area. It is not officially known, but if you are a member of arge guild, you would have heard of it at least once.¡±


    This was a lie.


    ¡°It happened around here?¡±


    ¡°Yes. At the time, Lindel did not make an official announcement on this case. I know everyone else knows about it, though.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°They call it the Murder Brigade.¡±


    As the atmosphere changed, I could see Park Deokgu swallowing. By this point, Ahn Ki-mo had taken on a nervous expression.


    ¡®This bastard.¡¯


    I had brought him along because I heard he was good at acting, and it was more than worth it. Even I began to feel nervous with the sudden change in atmosphere. Both his facial expressions and actions seemed so perfectly natural.


    ¡®This bastard¡­ makes me want to recruit him.¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s a murderer n created by psychopath killers who have passed down to the Holy Empire.¡±


    To be precise, this was the future n that would be created by Jung Jinho, the now-deceased psychopath killer.


    ¡®I owe you one today too, Jinho!¡¯

 Chapter 202: Lee Kiyoung’s Prank (3)

    <h4>Chapter 202: Lee Kiyoung¡¯s Prank (3)</h4>


    In a way, Jung Jinho was the biggest victim in the second timeline. Had the future flowed as it was, Jung Jinho may have founded the Murder Brigade by now.


    ¡®Perhaps he could have be the real owner of Juliana¡­¡¯


    Of course, I didn¡¯t know if they would have the same affinity, but this did not matter now.


    Anyway, the answer as to how I knew all this was easy.


    ¡®Because I saw it.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t actually see it. In the conversation between Lee Kiyoung and Park Deokgu in the first timeline, it wasn¡¯t hard to deduce the fact that I had been in contact with the brigade at the time.


    It seemed that I didn¡¯t join because of Park Deokgu, but I personally got close to Jung Jinho.


    The Murder Brigade was an unofficial n that would be created in the next year or two. Though I didn¡¯t have any detailed information, I knew one thing for sure. Since this was a n built around Jung Jinho, it would not appear in the second timeline.


    I was only borrowing the name of Murder Brigade under the fictitious murderer n¡¯s name, but it certainly still felt cold.


    ¡®Even if the guy is not here, the members aren¡¯t going anywhere, so it¡¯s not like there is no chance of being created¡­¡¯


    However, I knew that without Jinho, they wouldn¡¯t have much of an impact.


    Meanwhile, Ahn Ki-mo continued talking, and even I attentively listened.


    ¡°Murder Brigade?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°You mean there are such guys found near Lindel?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Although they regrly patrol at the city level, the Murder Brigade¡¯s own technique is so secretive. I know that our guild still hasn¡¯t caught their tail. Of course, a little time has passed since then, but we still have to be careful.¡±


    ¡°Oh, did they ever show up recently?¡±


    ¡°If so, I wouldn¡¯t have joined you guys. Hahaha.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fortunate¡­¡±


    It was interesting watching Ki-mo assured him that nothing would happen anymore right after raising the tension this much. After all, one had to throw the bait in order to catch the fish.


    Ahn Ki-mo¡¯s naturalness at acting was a stark contrast to Jung Hayan and Kim Ye-ri, who were both spouting out fearful remarks with painfully stoic expressions.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much, Deokgu. It happened a long time ago¡­ Just be careful, because anything can happen. Isn¡¯t that right, Ki-mo-ssi?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s been a long time. Of course, it doesn¡¯t mean that it wouldn¡¯t¡­¡±


    Park Deokgu, who was responsible for the safety of the party members, spoke quickly.


    ¡°What¡¯s on your mind?¡±


    Without a doubt, he had taken the bait. Upon seeing this, Ahn Ki-mo sent a subtle signal back to me, confirming what I already knew. Things were going well so far.


    ¡°Ah. It¡¯s no big deal. You really don¡¯t have to worry about it, Deokgu.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m asking because I¡¯m really curious, Ki-mo-ssi.¡±


    ¡°This is because the frequency of disappearance cases has increased a bit recently.¡±


    ¡°Disappearance¡­ cases?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Of course, it¡¯s not a remarkable number. It usually just happens annually.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Anyway, they¡¯ll definitely lessen if you can train the new recruits right. Usually, their stats increase explosively in the first year of entry¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°Although the city has been avoiding brutal expeditions, they usually don¡¯t listen. Even though it has been less than a year since entering the continent, the recruits from thest year were exceptionally full of confidence, thanks to the two people chosen for the Eight Seats of the Empire. Hahaha. Of course, I¡¯m not ming Kiyoung-ssi. The idents that have happened were because of their choice.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s the only reason?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not really something you should care about. The Red Mercenaries had already finished their search for that. We have searched several times already, but there¡¯s been no trace of the Murder Brigade staying nearby.¡±


    ¡°The Red Mercenary is reliable, but¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t know if it was because Kim Hyunsung wasn¡¯t here, but he had fallen for the trap much easier than I had initially thought. The fact that he was responsible for our safety probably helped.


    Of course, there was Kim Ye-ri as the front liner, but she had an assassin¡¯s role. She would focus on the offense, barely giving her other teammates any thought.


    Park Deokgu now looked so serious that I resisted the urge tough.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s get going.¡±


    ¡°Hyung-nim.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°N-Nothing.¡±


    At this point, Park Deokgu must want to go back. Had this not been a ce for reconciliation, he might have pushed through with retreating.


    Personally, I liked that expression of his very much. I really liked the fact that he always worried about and always thought of the worst.


    When we were almost at the dungeon, he started asking questions once more.


    ¡°Hyung-nim, where did this dungeon¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. The source has not been confirmed, so I bought it through a guild. Thest one who had it was the ck Swan.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Why? Is there something wrong with it?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing like that. Well, perhaps the ck Swan Guild¡­ Do they have anything to do with the brigade?¡±


    ¡°There must be some sort of rtion. Even when they were still active, the ck Swan was still one of Lindel¡¯s giant guilds. Are you still worried about the brigade?¡±


    ¡°Not really. Something just feels a little ominous¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to look so serious. I¡¯ve been careful. It¡¯s been a few years already, and there¡¯s no reason the brigade would be aiming for Lindel at this time. Of course, they aren¡¯t the type to do something for no reason¡­¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s you saying that, then it must be true¡­ For some reason, I keep¡­ Isn¡¯t Hyung-nim an important person in the city?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Well, since you¡¯re a member of the Empire¡¯s Eight Seats¡­ well, I¡¯m just worried about an ident happening at this time.¡±


    His hunch had been right. Though he was bad at exining, I understood what he was trying to say.


    He probably thought that having me apany them to an expedition right after being given such an important role would make things much more dangerous for me.


    If one were to assume that a group of unspecified individuals would target me, it must mean that the brigade within the city would have found information of me quietly buying a dungeon.


    With my death, they would be able to resurrect their brigade.


    Of course, Park Deokgu wouldn¡¯t have thought this far. In the first ce, the only pieces we threw were bits of information about the brigade, and there was too little other information to fit the whole puzzle. This was why he kept drilling us with questions, trying toplete the puzzle by himself.


    There was no way to check whether the piece he was looking for would fit the picture he drew or not, but I honestly wanted to apud him.


    ¡®This bastard has grown.¡¯


    It was quite different from what he used to be when he started following me without thinking. Simply put, Park Deokgu was growing both mentally and physically.


    With that aside, I could feel his anxiety gradually increasing.


    Ahn Ki-mo¡¯s role in throwing baits would prove to be crucial at this point in time. The fact that both Hayan and Ye-ri stayed quiet certainly helped.


    As time went by, Park Deokgu¡¯s suspicion grew, so I tried my best to soothe him, saying that Jung Hayan and Kim Ye-ri would be okay.


    Of course, this was all just the initial steps that we needed to take for the n to go off without a hitch.


    Of course, it will begin once the ¡®It¡¯s going to be safe¡¯ consciousness had unconsciously settled in their head.


    ¡®It¡¯s about time toe out.¡¯


    The timing was perfect, both in terms of location and timing.


    Since Lee Jihye hadpletely nned this part, I also felt curious about it.


    When we were almost ready to enter the dungeon, a woman appeared from nowhere and began to approach us, harboring a cold expression.


    ¡®Is that¡­?¡¯


    It definitely was. Seeing her would seem like a strange sight, even to me. Anyone who saw her would think that she was blocking the road.


    ¡°Hey¡­ Who¡­ are you? Did youe here alone?¡±


    Even when Park Deokgu spoke carefully, she didn¡¯t answer. In contrast to Park Deokgu, who felt anxious, I felt a little disappointed.


    ¡®Just one person?¡¯


    Lee Jihye, who had ranted that she would prepare perfectly and told me not to worry, passed by in my mind. I thought she would at least send the ck Swan elite, but it appeared that she had only sent one.


    I checked the surroundings just in case, only to confirm the fact that she was indeed the only one that Lee Jihye had prepared.


    Of course, since this was just acting, it didn¡¯t really matter who came, but I still felt like thiscked the urgency I had been aiming for.


    ¡®Tsk.¡¯


    It was then that I felt an explosive, murderous aura emanating from the woman.


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    My hands and feet trembled, and I started backing away, almost unconsciously. This was the same feeling as when I had gotten hit by Cha Hee-ra before.


    ¡®Uh¡­¡¯


    The moment I felt the aura wrapping around my body, I realized just who Lee Jihye had sent.


    This was another powerful yer in Lindel, who had been evaluated as an equal to Cha Hee-ra.


    It was another member of the Eight Seats of the Empire, the Guild Master of the ck Swan, who had been said to like Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡®Park Yeon-joo?¡¯


    Before I could even organize my thoughts, Park Deokgu began to shout.


    ¡°Run!¡±

 Chapter 203: Heroes Are Made

    <h4>Chapter 203: Heroes Are Made</h4>


    I had definitely ordered Lee Jihye to do this properly.


    ¡®It would be nice to make it feel like a real crisis¡­ If it feels too awkward, it won¡¯t work.¡¯


    ¡®Isn¡¯t it just enough to neutralize your party? It won¡¯t have a chance if it¡¯s amon guild member.¡¯


    ¡®Ah, you think so?¡¯


    ¡®Hmm¡­The executives are busy right now¡­I don¡¯t think it will change much if I send one executive¡­ I¡¯ll just do this on my own. I can¡¯t help it. I don¡¯t know if it will work or not, but if the deal goes well, you will probably get satisfactory results.¡¯


    ¡®Do you have some people in mind?¡¯


    ¡®It¡¯s a secret. Please just wait and see.¡¯


    Obviously, I was not expecting something to this extent. I had never doubted Lee Jihye¡¯s ability to handle work.


    I knew she would have prepared some great event, but I couldn¡¯t even imagine that she would bring the master of the guild she belonged to. It was easy to understand what kinds of conditions were offered.


    She must have decided to participate in this event on the condition of meeting Kim Hyunsung.


    Of course, it was undeniable that Lee Jihye¡¯s work was perfect.


    ¡®But¡­¡¯


    Once again, she did it too well.


    ¡°Run!!¡±


    After receiving the wave of magical power and the murderous aura right in front of him, Park Deokgu¡¯s reaction was natural.


    Of course, all of us here could be ssified as strong. We had Jung Hayan and Kim Ye-ri, and even Park Deokgu, who had the lowest specs, had also achieved tremendous growthpared to most people.


    However, this definitely did not indicate that we would be able to defeat her.


    ¡°W-what is this all of a sudden¡­¡±


    ¡°Hyung-nim! Run quickly! Quickly!¡±


    Seeing his distressed expression meant that he cared about my safety, but assuming that this was not acting, I could understand why he was raging like that.


    This was different from when I ran into Cha Hee-ra. Back then, the bnce had been maintained with the presence of Kim Hyunsung and Cho Hyejin, plus the fact that Cha Hee-ra could still distinguish me as her ally.


    Now alone, Park Deokgu would not be able to hold the front lines. He must have also realized this, hence his current attitude, but he had also grown strongerpared to that one time.


    Reflexively, Jung Hayan chanted a spell, and Kim Ye-ri readied her dagger and began to watch out for the woman, who was currently looking at us coldly.


    ¡®Fuck¡­ What if that really is a brigade?¡¯


    Looking at the covered woman with Mind¡¯s Eye, I could confirm that it was indeed Park Yeon-joo, and yet¡­


    ¡®I feel scared.¡¯


    Not only did she disappear from view in an instant, but seeing her materialize while running towards us proved to be a horrifying sight.


    ¡°Oh!!¡±


    Because since there was a certain distance between us, Jung Hayan¡¯s spell reached her first.


    Baang! Along with the sound, dozens of spells begin to pour out toward Park Yeon-joo.


    Though they all intended to track her down, she continued to rush toward me, blocking all attacks with the one dagger she was holding.


    Since Hayan¡¯s magic had been thrown for exploration purposes, it would be hard to affect her.


    Of course, I had no choice but to put magic power into the dragon breath potion.


    Forget resisting. It would be better to get rid of the murderous vibe we were receiving.


    Zaaaaaaaaap!


    Baaaaaaaannnng!!


    After hitting Jung Hayan¡¯s strands of magic, what awaited us was a huge explosion.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t think we would get hurt. Even if we did our best, she would still be more than fine.


    Park Deokgu, who was surprised upon seeing the dragon potion¡¯s effects, looked at me, but I couldn¡¯t answer him.


    ¡°Focus, you bastard!¡±


    ¡°O-okay. Hyung-nim!¡±


    Now, there was nothing that Park Deokgu could do. She was currently trying to close the distance between us, and we were trying to increase it.


    Jung Hayan continued to chant spells to get rid of her, and I responded to variables just in case.


    ¡®Ugh, my pride hurts.¡¯


    This was also a test to show how strong Jung Hayan and I have be.


    ¡°The winding step!¡±


    Jung Hayan¡¯s body began to light up due to her spell. Even so,pared to that woman¡¯s agility level, hers was inadequate, but it would definitely help her.


    After the explosion was over, Park Yeon-joo passed through the smoke as if it was nothing. There was annoyance inly written on her expression.


    ¡®Did we piss her off? Fuck¡­¡¯


    I threw a legendary-grade potion, so it would make sense for her to feel that way. Now, she moved a little faster than before.


    Once again, I put in my magic power.


    My potions took two seconds before exploding. However, it would take less than two seconds for Park Yeon-joo to reach us.


    Zaaaaaaaap!


    Still, it was only right for me to throw it. The explosion would reach us, but that didn¡¯t matter.


    Immediately after throwing it in front of us, a dragon¡¯s tail materialized and wrapped around us.


    Baaaaannnnngg!!!


    Due to its protection, only Park Yeon-joo got caught up in the next explosion.


    Again, Park Deokgu looked at me with a shocked expression.


    ¡°This, this¡­¡±


    ¡°I have had some achievements recently.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    The moment the dragon¡¯s tail disappeared, Jung Hayan¡¯s magic burst out.


    ¡®Actually, can we win?¡¯


    I daydreamed about this for a moment, but this was soon shattered when Park Yeon-joo continued to move again.


    ¡®Oh, my God¡­¡¯


    I thought we had a little more distance between us, but this turned out to be a fluke.


    ¡®Is it an attribute?¡¯


    All that I could check with my Mind¡¯s Eye was her name.


    Park Yeon-joo probably had an attribute or ability that could shorten the distance in an instant.


    When I hurriedly touched my catalyst, a crackling sound sprang from my hand once more, but there was no way I would be able to do anything else.


    At this point, Park Yeon-joo was swinging her dagger straight towards me.


    Before Park Deokgu could even react, Kim Ye-ri jumped in front of me, holding her own dagger.


    Baang!


    ¡°I heard that there are many talents in Blue¡­ I guess it was true?¡±


    I felt like praising Kim Ye-ri for being able to block her attack. However, though she was the only one fast enough to respond to Yeon-joo, this didn¡¯t mean that she would be able to defeat such a powerful woman.


    One attack was prevented, but, naturally, subsequent attacks couldn¡¯t all be avoided.


    After recovering her dagger, Park Yeon-joo struck Kim Ye-ri with her foot straight away, and the child began to spew blood, flying to the other side and eventually getting entangled into the branches of arge tree.


    ¡®Retire.¡¯


    ¡°Ye-ri!¡±


    ¡°It would be better to start worrying about you, Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°Ahh!¡±


    After the incident, a startled Park Deokgu began to run towards Ye-ri¡¯s direction.


    ¡°Ahn Ki-mo, treat Ye-ri!¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Yes!¡±


    Right after his response, dozens of daggers and swords struck the back of Ahn Ki-mo, who had been running towards Kim Ye-ri in a hurry.


    ¡®Is that also an attribute?¡¯


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    It would be natural for him to die immediately, but looking at the screaming Ahn Ki-mo, it didn¡¯t seem like he had received a direct damage attack. Park Yeon-joo had probably used a specially-processed dagger.


    ¡°Groaaannnn¡­¡±


    Nevertheless, looking at Ahn Ki-mo, crawling and acting so naturally, was a spectacle to behold. He must¡¯ve been born with such talent.


    ¡®However, it¡¯s not necessary for him to do that much¡­¡¯


    The way Ahn Ki-mo acted, one would think he had just lost Kim Ye-ri, who was arade. However, he was not the star of this show.


    It was Park Deokgu.


    All these stages were indeed made just for him.


    Biting his lips anxiously, I saw him gradually facing Park Yeon-joo.


    Of course, there was no way he could win a match against her. There was a vast difference in their agility stats, so it couldn¡¯t be helped.


    There was no way that he would be able to stop Park Yeon-joo from running to Jung Hayan.


    In the end, Jung Hayan also had a ck dagger stuck in her chest, which signaled her retirement from the y.


    At this, I approached Jung Hayan with a startled look and sprinkled a potion on her chest.


    ¡®This isn¡¯t really stuck in, right?¡¯


    I confirmed this fact when Jung Hayan¡¯s eyes opened slightly. It appeared as if nothing was wrong with her. Though I was curious about how the sword was made, it wasn¡¯t important right now.


    ¡°Op¡­ pa¡­ I love¡­¡±


    ¡°You can live, Hayan.¡±


    ¡°I love you¡­¡±


    ¡°Hayan!¡±


    After acting as the heroine of misery, which I had never ordered, Jung Hayan¡¯s breath gradually began to subside.


    Upon seeing this, Park Deokgu screamed while raising his shield.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!¡±


    I had expected this, but he looked pretty desperate. His expression contained resentment for his own helplessness.


    I didn¡¯t know what he was thinking about right now, but I felt a little sorry upon seeing the tears flow down his eyes.


    ¡®It¡¯s all for you, Deokgu. You can do it.¡¯


    Park Yeon-joo did not aim at me after she had attacked Jung Hayan. This granted me the position to continue crying while holding onto Jung Hayan. She probably knew it would be more dramatic to deal with me once the change within Park Deokgu urred.


    Though she allowed Deokgu to rush at her, his sword could not reach her.


    ¡°Sh*t!! Sh*t!!!¡±


    There was no way a sword that couldn¡¯t reach Kim Ye-ri would be able to reach Park Yeon-joo.


    It looked like he was being thoroughly harassed.


    Seeing him getting bloodier by the second, I felt sorry for him. Nevertheless, he did not let go of the sword. The reason for this was obvious.


    He was trying his best to protect me.


    ¡°Run! Hyung-nim! Get away quickly!¡±


    He kept repeating the same words over and over again.


    ¡°Hyung-nim!¡±


    ¡®I¡¯m very sorry¡­¡¯


    If he discovered that all of this was just acting, I would not resist it if Park Deokgu beat me to death as a result. Seeing him telling me to run away with tears flowing down his own eyes made the whole thing more emotional.


    Once again, I could see just how much he valued me.


    We knew all this was fake, so we didn¡¯t think of it much, but all of this obviously felt real for him.


    To tell me to run away while holding her back meant he valued my life more than he valued his.


    Of course, passion and determination did not solve everything.


    As more time passed, a bloody Park Deokgu panted heavily, his shield and sword still in his hands. However, it appeared as if he was not able to move his body anymore.


    As Park Yeon-joo raised her hand, a ck dagger floated in the sky, signaling his execution.


    ¡°Run¡­ Hyung-nim¡­ With Hayan¡­ Quickly¡­¡±


    The moment the ck dagger aimed right for Deokgu¡¯s heart, I jumped out, taking the hit for him.


    I knew I moved only because of Park Yeon-joo¡¯s signal, but there was no denying as to how dramatic it was.


    Though the ck daggers struck my body, I felt no pain, just difort.


    A small voice protruded from behind me.


    ¡°Hyung-nim?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ ¡±


    ¡°Hyung-nim?¡±


    ¡°Bastard, run¡­ run¡­¡±


    When I looked at Park Deokgu while spitting out the red potion I had prepared in my mouth, his expression was severely distorted.


    ¡°Hyung-nim¡­ Hyung-nim¡­ Hyung-nim¡­¡±


    Looking at him crying and calling out to me like a child made my heart squeeze. I couldn¡¯t even imagine that he thought so highly of me.


    ¡°Hyung-niiiim¡­ Haaaah¡­ Hyung-nim!!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Hyung-nim! Hyung-nim!!¡±


    ¡°Always remember¡­ Deokgu.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t go¡­ Don¡¯t go¡­ Because I remember¡­ Hold on a little more¡­ a little bit more¡­¡±


    Though his face was still covered in tears, his expression had taken on a more serious note.


    Perhaps Park Deokgu was also aware of it.


    ¡®He can still save us.¡¯


    Jung Hayan was still breathing hard, and Kim Ye-ri was doing the same. The same went for me.


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    The bastard, who had done nothing but tremble in fear up until now, slowly began to stand up, despite it being hard to move due to the sustained injuries.


    He had chosen to stand up in order to fight and defend, rather than squeeze and die with a body in a pitiful state.


    ¡®Good! Fuck! That¡¯s it!¡¯


    As he tightened his hold on his sword and shield, moving to block me, Park Deokgu began to look more and more like the heroes found in movies.


    His murmuring reached my ears.


    ¡°I¡­ I can do better.¡±


    It was the line that had continued to support him up until now.


    All the preparations werepleted, and the situation was dramatic enough.


    Originally, heroes reached past their limits during this time of the battle. Of course, I believed in him.


    Just seeing him lift the sword and shield once more made him well-qualified to be a hero.


    ¡°I¡­ I can do better.¡±


    The moment Park Yeon-joo, who still maintained a cold expression, swung her hand again, dozens of daggers struck me once more.


    At this, Park Deokgu lifted his shield up higher, and I saw his body turning gold as he began screaming something I couldn¡¯t understand.


    ¡°Change¡­¡±


    [Checking the unique characteristic of the yer Park Deokgu.]


    [A hero that does not fall]


    ¡®That¡¯s it!!!¡¯


    I knew this would eventually happen.

 Chapter 204: Heroes are Made (2)

    <h4>Chapter 204: Heroes are Made (2)</h4>


    The golden light emanating from Park Deokgu¡¯s body was so dazzling that I found it hard to keep my eyes open properly. It was simr back to when I had changed into a Dragon Alchemist, and my satisfaction doubled.


    ¡®I did it!! Fuck!¡¯


    I was worried about whether all of these ns and stages would be meaningless, but in the end, all of this work proved to give better results than I imagined. In fact, if I hadn¡¯t seen the ck world with Yuno Kasugano, this project wouldn¡¯t havee to mind in the first ce.


    At that time, I paid attention to the fact that when Park Deokgu chose to save me back then amidst the hail of magic and arrows, sacrificing his own life for my sake.


    Of course, it was undeniable that he had a strong body. Even now, his endurance and stamina stats were excellent. However, that didn¡¯t mean that Park Deokgu could¡¯ve saved me.


    No matter how strong he was, his body would¡¯ve inevitably been destroyed. It was far from a simple miracle that he could save me from the many spells that swept away the city.


    Perhaps the same thing happened back then.


    If my hypothesis was correct, then it was true that he had true potential since the start.


    The light engulfing his body did not stop as Park Yeon-joo¡¯s daggers continued to hit him. Only when the brightness had begun to dim could I properly check Park Deokgu¡¯s status window.


    ¡®Good!¡¯


    [Checking the status window and talent levels of the yer Park Deokgu]


    [Name: Park Deokgu]


    [Title: None. You should try a little more.]


    [Age: 23]


    [Disposition: Simple and Ignorant Enthusiast]


    [ss: Shield of Faith (Legendary)]


    [ss Effect: Acquisition of Basic Sword Knowledge]


    [ss Effect: Acquisition of Basic Shielding Knowledge]


    [ss Effect: Acquisition of Intermediate Shielding Knowledge]


    [ss Effect: Acquisition of Advanced Shielding Knowledge]


    [ss Effect: Acquisition of Advanced Magic Power Management Knowledge]


    [Stats]


    [Strength: 70/Growth potential: Heroic or higher]


    [Agility: 35/Growth potential: Rare or lower]


    [Health: 81/Growth potential: Heroic or higher]


    [Intelligence: 29/Growth potential: Rare or lower]


    [Durability: 90/Growth potential: Heroic or higher]


    [Luck: 29/Growth potential: Common or lower]


    [Magic Power: 28/Growth potential: Common or higher]


    [General Review: Durability stat has reached 90. Magical power and agility stats still haven¡¯t grown much, but his high stamina and endurance arepatible with the legendary-grade ss ¡°Shield of Faith,¡± so he has grown to the point where he can rise to the top. The growth potential of endurance and stamina is noticeable, but since they were determined to be higher and not lower, I can say that there is room for a little further increase depending on whether or not he tries. Of course, he will go through hell. Please do not spare support and encouragement.]


    ¡®Awesome¡­ Endurance stat of 90?¡¯


    It was so ridiculous that I had to clear my throat. As General Review had stated, the fact that his endurance stat had exceeded 90 was equivalent to opening the way to the top for him.


    Of course, his other stats were terrible when it came to rtivity, but it was certainly meaningful to have a legendary-grade ss, as well as an endurance stat of 90.


    Besides¡­


    ¡®Advanced magic power management knowledge?¡¯


    It was also surprisingly disconcerting to learn that he possessed advanced magical power management knowledge, something that only people like Park Yeon-joo, Cha Hee-ra, the deceased Ito Souta, the old man Victor Hart, and Kim Hyunsung had.


    Deokgu¡¯s magical stat was only 28. It seemed as if the size or the amount of magic did not matter when acquiring knowledge of magic power management.


    It may be hard to use this knowledge right now, but it was undeniable that it would help a lot in his climb to the stop.


    Of course, the most disturbing thing was his explosive increase in endurance.


    It was obvious why the endurance stat, which had not exceeded 80 when I had checked it recently, became 90. He probably got a ss bonus.


    [Shield of Faith (Legendary)]


    [From ancient times, the shield of faith was not a name for a ss, but a title created to honor great warriors. Only those warriors who threw their lives to protect others have earned the title of Shield of Faith, and they have been enshrined in the warrior¡¯s graves and have been revered by ancient warriors for centuries. The will of these great heroes is inherited, and the title of Shield of Faith is determined as the ss of yer Park Deokgu. Durability stat increases by 15. All stats except for endurance stat decrease by 1. He has been blessed by heroes and thus has acquired advanced shielding knowledge and advanced magic power management knowledge. With the special ss effect of the Shield of Faith, a legendary-grade attribute, the Ultimate Sacrifice, is opened.]


    [Checking the attribute of the yer Park Deokgu.]


    [Ultimate Sacrifice 3333 (Legendary)]


    [For a certain period, he has received external shock and damage instead of a selected target.]


    ¡®Scam!¡¯


    I knew he would bloom, but it turned out that he had developed too much. I felt shocked at the rising of his endurance stats, as well as the attribute of receiving damage instead of allies.


    The low level of agility that bogged him down had been solved with ¡°Ultimate Sacrifice.¡± Now, he had the chance of taking damage that would originally be far for him to reach.


    I didn¡¯t know if this would be the direction he would want to grow in, but he had now finished his ss change as the best tanker on the entire continent.


    ¡°Ahhhhh!¡±


    ng! With a shout, he moved to block my way again. Perhaps this was Park Deoukgu¡¯s attribute, Sublime Sacrifice.


    ¡®I cannot be right.¡¯


    There were things that I was worried about while supporting his dignified figure. If Park Deokgu knew that the ck daggers didn¡¯t do any damage, things would get very serious.


    We¡¯vee too far at this point, so I had to hide the fact that this was a prank.


    I wasn¡¯t getting injured because of his new attribute that managed to block the attack of Park Yeon-joo, but the moment the ck daggers would hit me, this prank would end.


    ¡®This can¡¯t happen.¡¯


    No matter how much all of this had been for Park Deokgu, I couldn¡¯t even imagine how betrayed he would feel. I had no choice but to ask Park Yeon-joo to stop disappearing, and thus I nodded my head.


    In response, Park Yeon-joo also turned her head.


    However, contrary to my thoughts that she would go back; unfortunately, the ce where she turned to look at was Kim Ye-ri.


    ¡®Fuck¡­¡¯


    Her ck daggers began to shoot at Kim Ye-ri as if she had taken my head gesture as a signal to attack Kim Ye-ri.


    Even after seeing Park Deokgu¡¯s body shining in gold, she hadn¡¯t realized it was all over. Perhaps she had been driven by her passion for Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡®This crazy bitch!¡¯


    ¡°No!¡±


    ck daggers were shot at Kim Ye-ri in an instant.


    Park Deokgu also tried to reach out with surprise, but he wouldn¡¯t be able to get to her in time.


    In the end, whether he thought it was right to activate his attribute once again, a transparent shield began to intercept the daggers heading for Kim Ye-ri.


    ¡®Sh*t!¡¯


    The moment that the dagger touched the shield, he might discover that all of this was an act. As I debated whether or not to use alchemy, I saw Ahn Ki-mo taking the dagger instead of Kim Ye-ri.


    ¡®You¡¯re not dead yet! That bastard!¡¯


    ¡°Nice, Ahn Ki-mo¡­¡±


    It looked like he was still alive on the setup.


    ¡°Groooan¡­¡±


    ¡°Ki¡­ Ki-mo Hyung-ssi!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t let a young child¡­ die.¡±


    He didn¡¯t even need to say that. This was already dramatic and impressive enough.


    Park Yeon-joo was not the only one who was full of passion. That bastard Ahn Ki-mo seemed too immersed in this acting.


    ¡®Now stop.¡¯


    It was too much.


    I understood the two actors¡¯ passion, but I had no choice but to swallow hard when they were slowly exceeding the risk level.


    Now the time had reallye to put things to an end.


    While Park Deokgu was distracted by Ahn Ki-mo, I started sending OK signs repeatedly.


    Park Yeon-joo nodded as if she finally understood what I was saying.


    Park Deokgu had already be noticeably stronger. As if he had received a reward for his efforts so far, he increased all of the stats that were stuck, as well as the legendary-grade ss attribute and ss.


    However, I didn¡¯t think he could beat Park Yeon-joo in a fight.


    Of course, considering the fact that he was blocking all attacks, a draw might be possible, but his role was not about personal offense but on protecting the rear.


    ¡®Plus, Park Yeon-joo isn¡¯t being serious.¡¯


    It was better to have this end rather than to pretend that Park Yeon-joo lost.


    Finding this to be good timing, she began to retreat, and for a good reason.


    Behind us, I could hear loud voices calling out for us.


    ¡®ck Swan.¡¯


    The rescue team hade.


    ¡°Do not miss it.¡±


    ¡°Rangers, start tracking right away.¡±


    ¡°The rest, please move the injured quickly.¡±


    Voices were heard from everywhere, and the ck Swan¡¯s pride, the elite rangers, disappeared, following their Guild Master. Meanwhile, the priests approached us, with the other ck Swan Guild members following suit.


    Ahn Ki-mo, who had pretended to be stunned with a dagger in his chest, took the dagger instead of Jung Hayan and Kim Ye-ri.


    Two or three priests began to approach Kim Ye-ri, who really seemed to be stunned.


    With the reinforcements¡¯ sudden appearance, it didn¡¯t take long for Park Deokgu to return to his senses. At this, one of the elite ck Swan guild members addressed him.


    ¡°Park Deokgu of Blue? I have something to ask about the ident.¡±


    ¡°What¡­ What?¡±


    ¡°You can rest assured now.¡±


    ¡°H-How? No, what is this?¡±


    ¡°Ah, we caught sight of a rescue signal.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Ah¡­ Rescue signal¡­ What about Hyung-nim? Are he and Hayan safe? And Ye-ri?¡±


    ¡°Out priests are now working on healing them.¡±


    ¡°W-Wait a minute¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, we¡¯re currently in an emergency.¡±


    ¡°I-I will go with them. Let go of me!¡±


    My body was carried into a carriage regardless of my will. Kim Ye-ri, Ahn Ki-mo, and Kim Ye-ri also starteding in, one after another.


    Looking at the wagon that looked like a makeshift ambnce, I could confirm that the ck Swans had a better system than I had initially thought.


    When I slightly opened my left eye, I could see Deokgu watching us getting into the carriage one after another.


    Of course, he had a runny nose and a face filled with tears.


    ¡°Hic, hic¡­ Hyung-niiim¡­¡±


    He was reaching out as if the crying he had endured all this time had finally burst, seeing the actors, including myself, entering the carriage.


    ¡°Hic, hic¡­ Hayan cannot die. If you die¡­ No, I will go with you! Let me go with you!¡±


    It seemed as if he was just now realizing that all the trouble was over.


    With the advent of the reinforcements, the brigade¡¯s viins escaped, and the dying colleagues were once again visible.


    ¡°Let me go! Hyung-nim! Hyung-nim! Say something. Say something! Hic hic¡­¡±


    ¡°You should not do this, Park Deokgu-ssi. The patients are in an urgent situation right now. It¡¯s a situation where they need to be asfortable as possible!¡±


    ¡°Hic-hic-hic¡­ Please save our Hyung-nim¡­¡±


    ¡°We will do our best.¡±


    ¡°Please save him. Please. Haaa¡­ Ye-ri! Ahn Ki-mo-ssi!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get so close to the wagon! They have to rx!¡±


    ¡°Hic-hic-hic¡­ Please save them. Sir, please¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. Please believe me.¡±


    He sounded so sad that even my own eyes had begun to tear up. It took all of the medical experts and priests¡¯ participation in order to calm Park Deokgu down. However, the man didn¡¯t appear to be calming down anytime soon.


    ¡°Hic¡­hic¡­¡±


    The sound of him crying began to bother me.


    ¡°The viins may find the wagon again. Deokgu-ssi, please pay attention to the safety of the carriage.¡±


    In the end, seeing that he quieted down in response to this, I was able to confirm that his sense of responsibility had remained strong until the end.


    Once the door of the carriage finally closed, the four of us lying down slowly started to get up. There were some indescribable emotions on each individual¡¯s face.


    ¡®It¡¯s an expression I know very well.¡¯


    I knew they were feeling the emotions that I usually felt. Ahn Ki-mo¡¯s face showed satisfaction of having done something perfectly, but that was all. There was no way he couldn¡¯t be embarrassed to look like this. He also had some conscience. Among them, the most serious was Kim Ye-ri.


    ¡®She was awake.¡¯


    Kim Ye-ri, who seemed very shocked, now had terrible guilt on her face.


    As the four sinners looked at each other¡¯s facial expressions without saying anything, Kim Ye-ri¡¯s small voice echoed in the carriage.


    ¡°From now on, I don¡¯t want to do this. I¡­ feel like garbage.¡±


    ¡°Good work¡­ Still¡­ This whole thing is a sess.¡±


    ¡°Uncle Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°We did well, right?¡±


    I nodded a little, but I couldn¡¯t find it in myself to sound cheerful. This was because I could still hear Park Deokgu crying outside.


    The innocent Kim Ye-ri had not yet ovee her guilt.


    As I slowly opened my mouth tofort her, Kim Ye-ri quietly nodded.


    ¡°There are some things that cannot be helped in life.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Okay¡­¡±


    However, she still looked a little worried.

 Chapter 205: G.T.O (1)

    <h4>Chapter 205: G.T.O (1)</h4>


    Nearly a month had passed.


    After receiving first aid for about a week at the ck Swan Guild, I was transferred to Blue and spent the rest of the time in the guild¡¯s hospital room.


    Of course, a weekter, Ahn Ki-mo, a member of the Red Mercenary, headed back to his own guild, but in the process, I had no choice but to feel a little disappointed. This was because I genuinely wanted to snag him for myself. He would prove not only a trusted ally but someone who could take on the role of both sub-tanker and sub-healer.


    His stats as a battle cleric wasn¡¯t bad, and in fact, I liked that his disposition was a little simr to mine. It was natural for me to feel greedy. This was because, putting the good abilities aside, I knew it was hard to find an actor that was so passionate.


    What made me happy was that he also said that he would like to work with me again.


    He had said this because his contract period with the Red Mercenaries would end soon and thus had been hoping for me to take him in. Of course, I agreed.


    I was going to visit Cha Hee-ra anyway. I would discuss Ahn Ki-mo with her the next time I visited.


    ¡®It¡¯s been a long time since I saw her.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t as if she had not visited me after receiving the news that we had gotten attacked by the Murder Brigade. Given the public¡¯s opinion, her visit had been long-awaited. Though she didn¡¯t stay for long due to her embarrassment, I was still able to talk to her for a bit.


    In the meantime, the ck Swan made an official announcement about one of the Eight Imperial Seats of the Holy Empire getting attacked by the Murder Brigade, showing off its influence in Lindel in the city.


    This was something that Cha Heera and Kim Hyunsung also officially agreed on.


    Kim Hyunsung and the Blue¡¯s main characters knew that all this fuss was a prank for Park Deokgu alone, but there was no reason not to politically use this big incident.


    This was probably something that Lee Jihye herself had done.


    The trteral alliance between our guilds immediately strengthened the city¡¯s boundaries and exercised influence within the city in terms of security.


    Since I believed in Lee Jihye and Kim Hyunsung, I did not check the detailed report, but it was confirmed that they are actively moving to see if this incident could awaken a sense of awareness in a city that had been a little settled as ofte.


    Of course, Park Yeon-joo, the Guild Master of the ck Swan, seemed to be expecting to meet Kim Hyunsung for this reason, but ording to Lee Jihye, there wasn¡¯t much progress, so it would be up to me to arrange a meeting between the two of them.


    Though I did everything I could to support our lovely returner, the fact that I would be getting myself into his love affair would make things a littleplicated.


    If I were to see the big picture, it would be beneficial for both guilds for him to connect with Park Yeon-joo. There was no reason not to help, so if this incident ended well, it would not be bad to take some measure in that matter.


    Of course, the ck Swan¡¯s movement was not limited to Park Yeon-joo¡¯s personal greed. The first thing they asked uponing to me was whether I could sell the Dragon Breath potion. Explicit amounts and explicit offers came and went, but I wasn¡¯t surprised.


    Since it was a potion that could show insane firepower simply by putting in magic power, it was understandable that they mored for me to sell.


    Of course, I had no intention of selling the Dragon Breath potion on the market.


    In the first ce, the production process wasplicated, so mass production was impossible because the quantity of products could be limited.


    It could not be made in a factory since it was something that had to be made by hand.


    Of course, one could sell only one or two, but it didn¡¯t make me feel so good to pass over my source of ie. Anyway, the stone I had thrown had caused a ripple of events to ensue, so it wasn¡¯t all for nothing.


    ¡°Hic¡­ hic¡­¡±


    Of course, the bastard in front of me was still unable to escape the influence of said ripples.


    ¡°I told you it doesn¡¯t hurt anymore. Stop crying, Deokgu. It¡¯s been a month.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Tsk. I just have to be a little careful next time. It¡¯s not your fault. I¡¯m the one who made a mistake this time.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault.¡±


    ¡°I should have moved a little more closely. If I had properly prepared, this wouldn¡¯t have happened in the first ce. As Ahn Ki-mo said, I did be overconfident.¡±


    ¡°What¡­ do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Why? It is said that yers who have just passed a year are overflowing with confidence and go on unreasonable expeditions. The same happened to me. In fact, I didn¡¯t really imagine something would happen or that I wouldn¡¯t be able to solve it. To put it bluntly, I thought that even if the Murder Brigade attacked us, we could, of course, beat them. This is a big lesson. We¡¯re not standing at the end. We¡¯re just at the starting point. I think we gained more than losing. Not only me but you, too.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°So how is it? How do you feel about being stronger than before? Have you tried it?¡±


    ¡°Well, I haven¡¯t tried many things. All I did was spar a few times with advisor Lee Sang-hee and Hyung-ssi¡­ The two seem to be very satisfied. Actually, I¡¯m not sure what¡¯s changed. Certainly, my body has be firm, but¡­ Ah! My endurance stat is now 90!¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still hard to use the sword as well as the advanced magical power management knowledge and advanced shielding knowledge, and I haven¡¯t even absorbed all this knowledge yet¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to rush, Deokgu.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re doing well enough right now, and you¡¯re actually strong. To be honest, it¡¯s more than I expected. The things in your head won¡¯t run away. If you keep doing the way you are now, you will achieve even greater results. And¡­¡±


    ¡°Hyung-nim¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about this.¡±


    I slowly put Enhancement Serum down on the table next to the bed.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t because I didn¡¯t believe in you.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    I could see that he felt overly touched. Though it embarrassed me by doing this, Deokgu¡¯s expression was more than enough to want to hug him. In the end, I had to be direct.


    ¡°As I have always said, I believe in you. All I can do, you can do better. From the time we first met until now, that fact has not changed. Anyway, congrattions, Deokgu.¡±


    ¡°Hyung-niiim¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay, don¡¯t cry. I¡¯m sick of it now.¡±


    ¡°Hic¡­ Ye-ri.¡±


    Seeing him getting teary-eyed once more, I had a feeling it would take yet another month for him to recover.


    When I pushed him, he tried to grab Kim Ye-ri¡¯s arm, who had been beside me, but there was no way Kim Ye-ri would ept it. Rather, Kim Ye-ri was desperately looking away from him.


    The guilt in her had not healed yet.


    ¡®I can¡¯t look at Uncle Deokgu in the eyes,¡¯ she¡¯d told me, and I let her be.


    ¡°Hayan¡­ Hic¡­ hic¡­¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m really okay now. I am healthy. I can walk around like this!¡±


    Jung Hayan, who didn¡¯t feel guilty in the slightest, was now also embarrassed.


    Normally, it was okay, but when he asked us where we were hurting, everyone reacted the same way. Honestly, I was embarrassed to face him properly. I knew only Ahn Ki-mo could handle him.


    ¡°But, Hyung-nim¡­¡±


    In fact, I, too, could move freely. As he kept following me, I just decided that it would be better to lie in bed. No matter how many excuses I made, I felt like he wouldn¡¯t believe it, so I had to look at Sun Hee-young, who was currently here with us.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, too. Actually, I¡¯m also doing work here. Hee-young also said that he¡¯s fine¡­ Isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The trauma haspletely healed. There are no other side effects. The reason my recovery was slower than other people seems to have been unavoidable due to the nature of my ss.¡±


    ¡°See?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps, after a week, you will be able to move as usual.¡±


    ¡°Than¡­ I¡¯m d¡­¡±


    ¡°So, I would like you to be considerate so that Kiyoung-ssi can restfortably.¡±


    ¡®Nice, Sun Hee-young.¡¯


    She fully understood that I wanted to be alone.


    With Sun Hee-young hitting the nail on the head, Park Deokgu coughed a couple of times, taking Kim Ye-ri and Jung Hayan outside.


    Of course, Jung Hayan didn¡¯t seem to want to go out, but¡­ She also thought that it was a good opportunity to talk with Deokgu.


    In the end, it was only me, and Sun Hee-young left in the room.


    Come to think of it. It had been a while since we had been together like this. There was nothing awkward about the situation, but I was very bothered about her strangely reddish face.


    ¡®At least this one knows how to discern.¡¯


    Honestly, I was very grateful for her being in the Blue. The moment¡¯s silence was bothering me, so I knew I had to speak soon.


    ¡°So, how is the tutorial dungeon?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Originally, it is usually opened around this time¡­ It seems a littleter than usual.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It will probably open after a while. I haven¡¯t been here a long time here either, but it usually opens around this time.¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhhh¡­ Come to think of it, Hee-young has been around for a long time.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. In fact, I didn¡¯t do anything productive back then. When I think of myself back at that time, I think I was just dead.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if this sounds a little ridiculous, but I only recently felt alive. So is the true meaning of service and the work I do in Blue. I always think about how insignificant my actions had been before. It¡¯s all thanks to Kiyoung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha. I didn¡¯t do anything. It¡¯s all thanks to Hee-young¡¯s good work.¡±


    ¡°No. I am really grateful to Kiyoung-ssi. In fact, I think I know why you did this again.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°With Deokgu-ssi¡­ That you made a n to kill murderers outside the city conclusively¡­¡±


    ¡®What is she talking about?¡¯


    I had never made such a n. However, this crazy priest seemed to think that she was right.


    Considering her disposition, however, I should¡¯ve expected this.


    ¡°I understand that this kind of thinking is presumptuous, and I¡¯m sorry¡­ that¡­ Kiyoung-ssi¡­¡±


    ¡®What¡¯re you thinking?¡¯


    I was getting nervous, especially now that Sun Hee-young was looking straight at me.


    Her cheeks were strangely red, and she was holding her chest with one hand.


    Her breathing was a little bit rough, but she didn¡¯t seem all that excited. Rather, I felt like she was looking at me a little anxiously.


    ¡®Ah¡­¡¯


    Even a fool would know what she was trying to say.


    ¡®Why so suddenly?¡¯


    I knew that this crazy priest had a crush on me, but I couldn¡¯t even imagine her making such a move. She had always taken on a passive role this whole time.


    Though she had hinted at her feelings before, this was the first time she¡¯d been so aggressive.


    I mean, Sun Hee-young was definitely pretty. She was not called a saint of those who was abandoned for nothing. Of course, her behavior and character were certainly influential, but I was sure that one of the biggest reasons she came to be called a saint in Lindel was her looks.


    With that neat priest¡¯s uniform she always wore, with hair that reaches her shoulder and calming atmosphere would make one think, ¡®This is an adult woman.¡¯


    I was also a man, so, naturally, I was thrilled. Looking at me with such a serious expression, it was not unreasonable that my heart began to flutter.


    ¡°Oppa!¡±


    That was when the door opened with a bang. It turned out to be Jung Hayan that opened the door without knocking.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    There had been no physical contact between us.


    She popped out in good timing, but I couldn¡¯t even imagine that she would do this even after getting scolded thest time.


    Perhaps there was a reason? Jung Hayan looked excited.


    Rather than getting angry, she waited calmly for a moment, and I could be sure I wasn¡¯t wrong.


    ¡°The tutorial dungeon has opened! The Red Mercenaries want to call you in as an instructor!¡±


    ¡°This is definitely interesting.¡±

 Chapter 206: G.T.O (2)

    <h4>Chapter 206: G.T.O (2)</h4>


    ¡°Oh, I made a patiente here¡­ I¡¯m sorry, honey.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make fun of me. You already know it. Anyway, I never thought I¡¯d be here again¡­ I somehow feel different. Thanks for calling me, Hee-ra.¡±


    ¡°Right? Most of the people whoe back here usually react this way.¡±


    Cha Hee-ra looked the same as usual. She had an unblushing expression, and her eyes and red lips still felt dangerous for some reason. Her biggest feature was the hair that had not been properly trimmed. Seeing that it now went over her shoulders and down to the chest, it really seemed like I hadn¡¯t seen her in a while.


    This was the first time we were able to see each other. I knew she had been avoiding me, so it was quite surprising to see Cha Hee-ra pretending to be okay.


    ¡®Is she trying to pretend that nothing happened?¡¯


    Perhaps this was the case. Due to her personality, this would be natural for her. Whatever the reason, what Cha Hee-ra did at Castle Rock was a pretty big mistake.


    Since it had caused damage to me, it would be natural for me to gain something from it.


    Perhaps her calling me here would have something to do with that. The guild in charge of this tutorial dungeon was the Red Mercenary Guild. Even if the Blue and the Red Mercenary were in an alliance, it was still a privilege to disclose this to me first.


    ¡®Maybe she could even give me some priority bargaining rights¡­¡¯


    I wasn¡¯t sure, but I had to think that there could be some benefits once I came here.


    ¡°Ahem. Then, I want to hear how this will work, is that okay?¡±


    ¡°Uh. Well, okay, I was thinking of starting right away, anyway. Did you have dinner?¡±


    ¡°Not yet.¡±


    ¡°Then, listen while eating. It won¡¯t be hard.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Hey! Could you bring me something to eat? It can be something simple. Ah! You know what we atest time, right? Bring that.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Guild Master.¡±


    Certainly, the Red Mercenary was differentpared to when Blue was in charge of the tutorial dungeonst time. It was quite strange that the Guild Master did not go directly to meet the attacking team like Lee Sang-hee in the past.


    I could realize how unusual it was for her to visit Jung Hayan and me before.


    ¡®Perhaps it was because we had finished the tutorial in the shortest time¡­¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t believe that the ce where I was in now was the ce that Lee Sang-hee used in the past. The training center, which could be seen out of the window, was alsopletely refurbished, waiting for new recruits to enter.


    At this, the door behind us opened, and the food that Cha Hee-ra ordered had arrived.


    Since I wasn¡¯t the type to enjoy food, I didn¡¯t pay much attention, but the edibles¡¯ quality looked pretty good even at a single nce.


    ¡®This is also different.¡¯


    ¡°Try some of this, honey. I tried itst time, and it¡¯s delicious.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Would you like a ss of wine?¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯m good. I¡¯m still a patient, after all.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a little disappointing. By the way, what do you think of this?¡±


    ¡°You want an impression?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I was really surprised.¡±


    ¡°I would like you to tell me in more detail.¡±


    ¡°I feel like I know why people say that Red Mercenaries are the Red Mercenaries. When I first came here, Blue seemed quite amazing, but its level was definitely differentpared to you. You are just showing off, right?¡±


    ¡°Right. Although neers areing, this event, which is held once a year, is a ce to show other factions about how strong our guild is, so I have no choice but to care about it. The transfer market will open soon, and other guild scouts would be here. Isn¡¯t it good?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a mean hobby.¡±


    ¡°Originally, the person at the peak needs to show off his power at least once, honey. Otherwise, there will always be useless challengers.¡±


    ¡°There won¡¯t be a crazy guy in Lindel who will dare challenge you.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I didn¡¯t do this thinking about the people in Lindel. We also have Celia, home of the Japanese, and Dawan, home of the Taiwanese. As you can see, we, the Red Mercenaries, exaggerated a bit. In order to properly show our power, I reced all the badges and equipment of the members with new ones, the training center equipment was up-to-date, and heavy construction was carried out a few months ago.¡±


    ¡°Is this rted to the reason you called me?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ It can¡¯t be said that it¡¯s not. Though it¡¯ll be good to be able to show that my alliance with Blue is strong, I have another reason for calling you.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°You know what it is, right?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if it is the reason I think¡­ Is it because of the manufacturing job?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I was worried that I would be wrong, but I¡¯m relieved.¡±


    ¡°In fact, until you came in, I didn¡¯t pay much attention to such matters. To be honest, I was entirely indifferent to the whole thing.¡±


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s normal.¡±


    ¡°An alchemist is, at best, enough to be used at parties without priests. In fact, it is nonsense to hire an alchemist¡­ You only need to buy potions, but there is no reason to call a nonbatant alchemist as a party member, right? Alchemists are the ones who bite the bullets at parties without wizards or priests.¡±


    ¡°You are stating too many facts.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not talking about you. The same goes for cksmiths. There are already many capable cksmiths in the Holy Empire. No fool entrusts materials and weapons to beginners even while adventuring¡­ Besides, I think you know how these people usually end. They spend the rest of their lives in the slums until someone stabs them.¡±


    ¡°That was, until I appeared, right?¡±


    ¡°You got it right. It was until you came in. Until now, there has been no case of a manufacturing production with the support and capital of a guild. Of course, this doesn¡¯t mean that the guilds tried. Even before you came, there had been several attempts, but it was all a failure.¡±


    ¡°I know what you mean.¡±


    ¡°Because of this situation, I started thinking about giving possible support to production workers in cities.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a little surprising.¡±


    ¡°Actually, besides you, there¡¯s another guy who was a starlight engraver or a sunlight engraver. He appeared in a small neighborhood¡­ He didn¡¯t seem to be very efficient, but he¡¯s also one of the manufacturing workers supported by a guild. I wasn¡¯t able to get how much he was worth, but I saw the potential. He¡¯s here because of my personal greed, but also because of the petitions of Lindel¡¯s guild and n masters.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ So, that¡¯s how it worked out.¡±


    ¡°It seemed like it wouldn¡¯t matter if I ignored it, but I¡¯m also in favor of improving the quality of urban production workers. Even the Empire seems to want it.¡±


    I could clearly understand what was going on.


    ¡®So, it was like that.¡¯


    In other words, because of me, the expectations for manufacturing production had risen. In fact, among all the potions I made, the advanced products were so effective that they had simr efficiency to a priest¡¯s healing.


    Since they were recognized as consumable, expensive potions were not used a lot, but one could always carry a few for an emergency if one were to go hunting.


    Because of this, there was a rise in manufacturing jobs within Lindel, and some guilds and ns still did not stop investing in manufacturing production.


    In this situation, it was obvious what kind of petitions many guilds and ns had made to the Red Mercenaries. They must have asked what it would be like to put a manufacturing job course in this training center¡¯s training.


    Some guild¡¯s petitions could simply be ignored, but this would prove to be a problem for the guild in itself. In particr, considering that the Empire was also strangely hoping for it, it was not unreasonable to make this choice.


    ¡®The wise king deigned toe out¡­¡¯


    Cha Hee-ra probably thought that this timing would be an opportunity to show both authority and mercy just like the ideal king.


    ¡°They were thinking that if they kept making a petition to the Red Mercenary Guild, you would call me. They are clever¡­¡±


    ¡°They probably want Blue, too. When you were stuck in theb, there must have been a lot of harassment and lobbying everywhere. They were considerate of you and let you research in peace.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m grateful to them.¡±


    ¡°So touching. Just in case, you two are not dating, right?¡±


    ¡°What and who are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. It¡¯s just a strange rumor going around the city¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a rumor.¡±


    ¡°Then, that¡¯s a relief; anyway, it¡¯s turned out like this. Of course, I told you not to worry, and if you don¡¯t want to do it, I don¡¯t intend to force you.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to.¡±


    ¡°Is there a reason?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m honestly in favor of improving the quality of manufacturing production.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s surprising.¡±


    ¡°Of course, since I¡¯m monopolizing the market, I might think it would be beneficial not to do it, but it won¡¯t necessarily be that way. To be honest, the market hasn¡¯t even been formed yet. I¡¯m the only famous seller, and my potions are pretty expensive. Because of this, it means that only those who are able will be able to buy it.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡±


    ¡°Poor parties or ns can¡¯t afford to buy my potions. Those who go out hunting without a priest and die can¡¯t use my products, anyway. That¡¯s why it¡¯s only a low-cost model, but¡­ There is also a problem with the brand image, and if you are going to run a factory, it would be beneficial to run a high-end product.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I understand. Doesn¡¯t it mean that the market is more active only when there are people who spread it from the bottom?¡±


    ¡°Right. Originally, potions are recognized like expendables, so its image isn¡¯t good, but some people have never drunk it. What do you think would happen if the people in the bottom made progress after returning from hunting? Do you think they will continue to use the low-end model with their lives at stake?¡±


    ¡°The destination is ¡®made by Lee Kiyoung¡¯ anyway, is that what you mean?¡±


    ¡°Right. People like luxury goods here and on Earth. This is because buyers want apany they can trust. I am not showing off, but I am unique as an alchemist. I¡¯m sure there¡¯s zero chance of apetitor appearing while I¡¯m alive. The question is, is there anything I¡¯m getting with this right now? They wouldn¡¯t have petitioned with nothing to offer.¡±


    ¡°Of course, they¡¯re offering something. First is the reward that will be returned to you. The guilds and ns will pay gold under the guise of education.¡±


    ¡°Nice!¡±


    ¡°So, you like it?¡±


    ¡°Recently, something bad has happened, and I needed money. There¡¯s nothing for the Red Mercenary?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you being too blunt, honey?¡±


    ¡°Ahem¡­¡±


    Although Cha Hee-ra pretended to look disappointed, I knew it was impossible for her to get nothing in return.


    ¡°Of course, the Red Mercenary will also receive a reward. There are also a few things I¡¯m going to give you personally¡­ I was thinking of giving this even if you chose not to push through with the manufacturing. And¡­¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°I n to transfer some of the priority bargaining rights to Blue.¡±


    ¡°How many?¡±


    ¡°Before that, shouldn¡¯t you be asking how many attack teams there are?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°There are a total of 14 people who are attacking the dungeon in this tutorial. There are five priority bargaining rights that we can give. I¡¯m only giving you too much.¡±


    ¡°You say there are fourteen?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Your small party was special. So¡­ Are you going to do it or not?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this a little too much for you?¡±


    ¡°I told you, I¡¯m doing this as an apology, so don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°Apologies for what¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mess with me, you know why. Don¡¯t even look at me while making that expression. Answer me quickly. Are you going to do it, or not?¡±


    Upon seeing Cha Hee-ra¡¯s rushed expression, I couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    She looked pretty cute. Of course, the answer had already been decided.

 Chapter 207: G.T.O (3)

    <h4>Chapter 207: G.T.O (3)</h4>


    ¡®I¡¯ll do it.¡¯


    It was only right for me to do so. Though I did not desire the five priorities of bargaining rights, it would be helpful for Blue to be able to recruit potential members rather than give it to other guilds. Even if I hadn¡¯t gotten such rights, I still would¡¯ve stayed to take a look at the neers.


    Just being able to see who was talented and not talented first would be a huge advantage.


    Now was the time to openly search for a new jewel.


    What was a little surprising was the choice of the Red Mercenaries for these new recruits.


    ¡®I¡¯m going to train the target team before everyone else. Of course, I¡¯ll pay more attention to them, but that¡¯s it.¡¯


    ¡®You mean you won¡¯t give them special treatment? Can you do that? Then, there¡¯s no reason to have the right to bargain first, Hee-ra.¡¯


    ¡®Honey, I¡¯m Cha Hee-ra. Is it a good idea to give special treatment to the new recruits who have just arrived because you want to look good to them? It¡¯s not me that needs to be conscious of them. It¡¯s them.¡¯


    ¡®You¡¯re right¡­¡¯


    ¡®In thest tutorial dungeon, your party was a little special, and because Blue was in a hurry, Lee Sang-hee gave you special treatment. Usually, guilds don¡¯t do that. Anyway, all of the groups are the same for me. I refuse to hear that they didn¡¯t train the new recruits well this year¡­¡¯


    ¡®I didn¡¯t know you were taking care of that, too.¡¯


    ¡®You know how badly Blue was criticizedst year, right?¡¯


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    ¡®Since they were busy recruiting your party, they did a bad job training the new recruits. Of course, each one of them received more training in their respective guild or n, but people saw all of it as a mess. They forcefully entered the forest and raised the mortality rate because they didn¡¯t obey the procedure. That can happen this time, too, right?¡¯


    ¡®Ohhhhhh¡­¡¯


    ¡®The Red Mercenaries should always be perfect. That¡¯s why we called Sun Hee-young and Hayan¡­¡¯


    ¡®What? Really?¡¯


    ¡®We have to do this properly.¡¯


    When I thought about the conversation I had a few days ago, I was forced to nod.


    First of all, since it was Cha Hee-ra, it would be obvious to have the target team trained to their potential. In fact, I hadn¡¯t seen the target team yet, so I couldn¡¯t see how strong they are, but it seemed that their level wasn¡¯t very good, considering that the Red Mercenaries were not preparing for recruitment right now. Of course, they would have to give out additional benefits, but not moving in a hurry was definitely interesting to see.


    ¡®It¡¯spletely different from Bluest year¡­¡¯


    Lee Sang-hee had hurried to make us an offer back then. Considering their situation, their actions were understandable, but now the differences were so big that I felt a little off.


    What was most surprising was that Jung Hayan and Sun Hee-young had been invited as instructors.


    I knew that the Red Mercenary¡¯s priest and wizard lines weren¡¯t very good, but this didn¡¯t mean they were weak.


    ¡®There are kids like Ahn Ki-mo¡­¡¯


    Despite having high-level wizards and priests, it seemed that they really wanted to finish the training of this tutorial dungeon by coborating with Blue.


    Thanks to that, Sun Hee-young and Jung Hayan seemed happy. It appeared that they found being a teacher more fun than being with me.


    The training center opened a few days ago, and Jung Hayan and Sun Hee-young, which were in charge of mainstream subjects, had already taught their first ss. Seeing that their condition was better than expected, they definitely felt good.


    The good news here was that Jung Hayan found something she could focus on.


    I knew that Sun Hee-young originally liked this kind of work, so this was good for her as well.


    ¡°Hee-young-ssi looks really happy.¡±


    ¡°Oh, did it look like that? I remembered a little bit of my old days¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I was a teacher for a while.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Is that true?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Of course, I quit because of personal circumstances, but I am very impressed to be doing something simr to this again.¡±


    ¡®It kind of suits her.¡¯


    It was new information, but the image fit Hee-young somehow.


    Of course, doing relief activities in ces such as UNICEF matched her, but wearing sses and standing at the teacher¡¯s tform also perfectly synchronized with her.


    ¡°I also dreamed of being a teacher when I was in elementary school, Oppa!¡±


    ¡°Oh, really?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡®This doesn¡¯t suit her very much¡­¡¯


    No matter how much I think about it, I couldn¡¯t imagine Jung Hayan bing a teacher.


    ¡°That¡­ You must have done it very well.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ How was the ss?¡±


    ¡°It was better than I thought, Oppa. Hehe¡­¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m not sure why people don¡¯t understand the basics¡­ Still, there were a lot of people who seemed to be trying their hardest.¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t understand?¡±


    ¡°Yes. No matter how much I exin, they don¡¯t understand the techniques well. Even if I try to exin it as easily as possible, it seemed that not even one person understood¡­ Most of them were nice, though.¡±


    ¡°How did you exin it?¡±


    ¡°Just told them to do like this and like that¡­ Even if I asked him to feel the magical power, they couldn¡¯t feel it.¡±


    ¡®No wonder.¡¯


    In the first ce, Jung Hayan and themon people had different perspectives. No matter how much passion she put into a ss, less than 1% would be able to understand Jung Hayan¡¯s exnation.


    I had to think that it was fortunate that the magic instructor had not been her.


    ¡°Is the same for Hee-young-ssi?¡±


    ¡°Yes. But I think it is natural. The target team members usually havepleted the first ss change, but in the case of the survival team, many people have not even been able to change the first ss. Not being able to feel magical or divine power¡­ if you think about it, it is natural.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t about in-depth sses. Those with talent are likely to change ss in this process¡­ I don¡¯t think it¡¯s bad that one can decide their own career path. That¡¯s why the Red Mercenaries haven¡¯t separated the sses yet, right?¡±


    ¡°In short, it¡¯s enough just to teach them little by little. Is that what you mean?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Kiyoung-ssi. It¡¯s like sending the young children to the piano academy, taekwondo, and English academy. Come to think of it¡­ Is today your first ss?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Since there aren¡¯t many categories, there aren¡¯t many sses, too.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Let¡¯s go together, Oppa! I have sses, too. Hehe.¡±


    ¡°Really? Then let¡¯s go. What about Hee-young-ssi?¡±


    ¡°I have no more sses today. I¡¯ll see both of youter.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    In fact, I wasn¡¯t really concerned about the ss.


    None of them could understand alchemy properly anyway¡­ Of course, during the in-depth course, I should give proper education, but the more important thing was to find more ves to work hard in Blue.


    Once I have had time to exin what nobatant or production alchemists were, I could exin the basics of Ramus Tucker¡¯s introduction to alchemy to those who had changed their ss as wizards, and that was it. It wouldn¡¯t be a difficult task at all.


    As my time approached, I decided to hurry up.


    Holding my Introduction to Alchemy book in one hand made me feel a little cool. I could somehow understand why Jung Hayan felt excited about hosting her own ss.


    ¡°What ss is Oppa?¡±


    ¡°ss C.¡±


    ¡°Ah. I went there yesterday, and the kids were really nice. The average age is a little young there.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Still, the ratio of wannabe wizards is high, so everyone is feeling motivated¡­ Come to think of it, the ratio of girls is a bit high.¡±


    ¡°Ah. By the way¡­ don¡¯t we look just like a teacher¡¯s couple, Hayan?¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes, we actually do!¡±


    ¡®She¡¯s happier than I thought.¡¯


    As it was my first time entering the camp, I looked around and saw people doing physical training at the gymnasium.


    The instructors who were watching the training from outside greeted me, so I greeted them back with a nod. Of course, I didn¡¯t intend to stay long.


    I kept looking around, but there weren¡¯t that many who stood out.


    ¡°I¡¯m going this way, Oppa.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Then, I¡¯ll see youter.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Jung Hayan seemed to be in charge of ss B. As soon as Jung Hayan entered the quiet ssroom, her would-be students immediately greeted her.


    ¡°Hello, instructor!¡±


    ¡°Yes. How are you all? I will now start the ss.¡±


    For some reason, the oddly-dignified voice didn¡¯t sound like Jung Hayan at all, leaving me with no choice but tough out of amusement.


    ¡®These new recruits seem to be in good shape.¡¯


    Certainly, unlike Blue, the Red Mercenary had a systematic system, so it seemed that they already knew how this ce worked. Naturally, I had very little expectation for my future students. Upon reaching ss B, I heard voices murmuring.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t Instructor Sun Hee-young really pretty?¡±


    ¡°Yes. But I find Instructor Jung Hayan prettier¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, Jung Hayan instructor is also pretty¡­ She¡¯s cute. It¡¯s the only pleasure in life here.¡±


    ¡°What does it matter? They said that Instructor Jung Hayan has a boyfriend.¡±


    The voices continued to talk even as I had entered the room. Of course, they had noticed me and sat down, but I received none of the greetings Jung Hayan had gotten.


    ¡®Uh?¡¯


    Some time had passed since I entered. Nevertheless, seeing that the atmosphere was not calming, it seemed that they had not been properly informed about who was in front of them.


    Some of them looked curious, and some of the others were looking at me,ughing. It was ridiculous, but they certainly had on looks of scorn.


    ¡®Didn¡¯t they tell them who I am?¡¯


    If so, I could understand their cold reaction. It would be natural that most of them would not be interested in manufacturing production, as they were all hoping forbat jobs.


    I could now somehow understand the sadness of a teacher in charge of a non-mainstream subject. Of course, I was feeling worse than that.


    In their eyes, they obviously thought of me as a freak.


    ¡®Huh¡­¡¯


    I wanted to praise them for being able to distinguish between thebat and production workers.


    ¡®However, they chose the wrong person to mess with¡­¡¯


    As I continued to stare at them for a while, a rude voice called out.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to start the ss? It¡¯s been five minutes already. Can I call you a nobatant teacher?¡±

 Chapter 208: G.T.O (4)

    <h4>Chapter 208: G.T.O (4)</h4>


    ¡®Ha¡­¡¯


    This situation felt so absurd that I keptughing.


    The people in front of me can be ssified as newbies, no matter which angle I saw them in. At this, I quickly checked the rude girl¡¯s status window.


    She had had her first ss change, but her stats weren¡¯t even good.


    ¡®She must have been carried.¡¯


    Her teammates must have outshined her in every way. I could easily forget about her.


    Anyway, she didn¡¯t need my help, seeing as she obviously thought of me as someone she could easily disrespect.


    ¡®Han Sora?¡¯


    Upon not receiving a reply, the short-haired girl spoke again.


    ¡°Teacher?¡±


    It would be natural to think that I had no idea what to do. It felt ridiculous trying to look good in front of a room full of newbies. Now that I had to worry about my appearance, it hurt my pride even to have to think about how to deal with these crazy guys.


    I didn¡¯t need to think hard as I did with Ito Souta. I could just smash them with force. In response to my emotions, Juliana struggled to free herself from her sheath.


    Meanwhile, the newbies continued tough, thinking that I felt mortified. I couldn¡¯t believe Jung Hayan had described them as ¡®nice.¡¯


    ¡°Teacher? Are you not starting the ss?¡±


    ¡°I am not a teacher. Call me Instructor Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh. So the nobatant teacher should also be considered an instructor.¡±


    At this, moreughter erupted from the ss. Though I wanted tough alongside them, I was not the type to let such disrespect go.


    ¡°Whooo¡­¡±


    As I sighed, Han Sora began to utter another insult.


    ¡°Instead of sighing, why don¡¯t you start the -?¡±


    Whing! In an instant. Juliana had unsheathed itself and aimed its de at her.


    Screams erupted as the objects in its way. Due to the presence of a legendary item, the windows began cking from the pressure.


    In the blink of an eye, Juliana¡¯s de was a few millimeters away from Han Sora¡¯s throat.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    The short-haired nuisance couldn¡¯t even find it in her to properly react.


    The same went with everyone, who stayed quiet until Juliana calmed down and returned to me. However, Han Sora had begun trembling, realizing that she had almost died.


    ¡®That was awesome¡­¡¯


    Seeing the yellow liquid dripping under her desk, it looked like she was properly scared.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡±


    Pretending to be strong was more fun than one would think.


    ¡°This is fun. What is your name?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    Han Sora hesitated. At this, Juliana threatened to approach her once more.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ Han Sora¡­¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re Han Sora. Before I start this ss, I think it¡¯ll be necessary to exin its background. It seems that many people are dissatisfied with this ss.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I know all of you are probably thinking, ¡®I don¡¯t have enough time to train¡­ Why should we receive training conducted by a non-mainstream and production worker?¡¯ You, sitting next to Han Sora. Do you think the same?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You can answer as honestly as you want to.¡±


    ¡°I-it is not like that. I never thought of that¡­¡±


    ¡°No. I already told you, you can answer honestly.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes I do¡­ A-A l-little¡­¡±


    ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s natural to think so. You don¡¯t know what¡¯s happened, but you¡¯ve been thrust into a situation you never expected to be in. It¡¯s a little early to get used to, but you should have understood this fact already.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°If you have power, you get special treatment.¡±


    After I finished speaking, I looked around, seeing their expressions shift into somethingplex.


    ¡°I think some of you have already noticed this difference. Everyone knows that the raid team whopleted the attack in secret is being treated better. In fact, they deserve to be treated. That¡¯s how fast they adapted¡­ They¡¯re the type of new recruits that our society likes.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Your thoughts are correct. This is a ce where you will be treated better if you have strength. In fact, some of this world¡¯s few strongest yers enjoy privileges that are impossible topare tomon yers¡­ The goods they earn are also beyond imagination. What will be the difference in ie?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ do not know.¡±


    ¡°Some yers don¡¯t earn even 1 gold per day, while others earn over 1,000 gold per day. The corpse of a monster bes money, and the higher its difficulty, the higher its value. The same goes for attacking higher-level dungeons. Targeting a dungeon with a heroic-grade or higher is the same as obtaining enormous goods. The problem is¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°The problem is that there aren¡¯t that many yers who reach that level.¡±


    I could see the trainees looking at me, their interests piqued.


    ¡°Yes. There are not so many. Everyone starts like you at first. You doubt, you ovee, and then you train. At this point, I think about whether this world is okay or not. It¡¯s fun to level up like ying games, and it¡¯s fun to get new equipment.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Then, an ident happens, or you reach your limit. You realize this is not a game. The talented and the non-talented begin to be categorized. Some will ascend upwards, and the others will be left on the ground. Perhaps some of you will feel the reality as soon as you leave this school. It¡¯s more dangerous than you think it is. Why are there so few yers going up the top?¡±


    They already knew.


    ¡°Most of them die in the process. Even if they don¡¯t get eaten alive by a monster or survives, they end up living in the slums. In men¡¯s case, they are often used for human experimentation, and in women¡¯s case, they are easily sold as ves to other countries or be prostitutes. It¡¯s harder than you think just to simply eat and live.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Those aren¡¯t even the worst-case scenarios. Some people get kidnapped by monsters, eventually getting eaten.¡±


    Honestly speaking, that was still a mild case. There were some worse scenarios I could still think of.


    ¡°Perhaps a simr case will happen to one of you. I¡¯ve only met you all today, but if I tell you my personal impressions, most of you here will probably die within three years or be half-wit and wander around the slums. Perhaps I¡¯ll even see you working at a bar. Ah¡­ Especially people like you, Han Sora.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Usually, someone like you dies first or bes a cripple. Of course, you all look almost the same, but why¡­ It¡¯s amon clich¨¦ that the person who runs first reaches the end first.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°You, and you¡­ And you, the trainee next to him¡­ And also the trainee next to him¡­ There is a high probability that you are all going to die away from home. I can bet not one of you will go up in a high position¡­ Ah! Except you!¡±


    [Checking the status window and talent levels of the yer Yoo Ahyoung.]


    [Name: Yoo Ahyoung]


    [Title: None. You should try a little more.]


    [Age: 21]


    [Disposition: Timid Optimist]


    [ss: Unemployed]


    [Stats]


    [Strength: 11/Growth potential: Heroic or higher]


    [Agility: 10/Growth potential: Rare or lower]


    [Stamina: 27/Growth potential: Legendary or higher]


    [Intelligence: 10/Growth potential: Common or lower]


    [Endurance: 12/Growth potential: Rare or higher]


    [Luck: 15/Growth potential: Heroic or higher]


    [Magic Power: 01/Growth potential: Rare or higher]


    [General Review: The talent levels in stamina and strength are high. Although the talent levels in endurance and magic power are unfortunate, they have the potential to grow into a great front liner.]


    ¡®It¡¯s fine.¡¯


    I don¡¯t think she participated in the target group, but she was much better than I thought. This was the first time I had ever seen a legendary or higher-grade of stamina.


    I came here to find myself a gem, and it seemed as if I had seeded.


    Though her enormous chest area prompted me to stare at her longer, I managed to keep my gaze strictly on her face. She seemed startled by my sudden pick.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ Yoo Ahyoung, i-instructor.¡±


    Come to think of it. She was one of the few who didn¡¯tugh at me at first.


    I could see everyone had turned to see her. They looked like they didn¡¯t understand, but theirprehension had nothing to do with me. After knocking on one of the school tables with my finger, I continued to talk again, effectively recapturing their attention.


    ¡°Except for trainee Yoo Ahyoung, none of the people here will have the chance of getting to the top. Not one. Well, perhaps you can, but I¡¯m sure that you¡¯ll only be able to reach it after encountering a lot of near-death experiences.¡±


    ¡°Th¡­ at¡­¡±


    ¡°Originally, the world is unreasonable. Let¡¯s talk about instructor Jung Hayan for a moment. She is now one of Lindel¡¯s leading wizards. She has achieved such high growth that even the Magic Guild is paying attention to her, and there are actually more wizards underneath her than the ones above her. How long will it take for you to achieve all of this?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°She only took a year to do so. It may seem like nothing, but this is unusual enough, even more, when you think about the fact that there are people in the city who can¡¯t even keep up with her toes even after studying magic for over 20 years. At this point, I will be speaking bluntly.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You are all garbage with no potential.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I am here. Do you ask why a nobatant worker is acting as an instructor in one of your sses? I¡¯m here to rescue at least one of you, seeing that most of you will die once you head to the city.¡±


    ¡°Y-You¡¯re being¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not being rude at all. Even if you go monster hunting or to war, you won¡¯t be able to amount to anything more than a bullet trap anyway. If you can¡¯t contribute to the city in terms ofbat, then hammering or touching an alchemy kit will help the city more. Don¡¯t try to go in a futile direction, idiots, because it¡¯ll be a waste of time. I bet it¡¯ll be better for guys like you to listen to me than to take another instructor¡¯s ss.¡±


    As I finished speaking, a hostile atmosphere began to emanate from the ss. It felt like the trainees wanted to interject, but they couldn¡¯t, which was perfectly understandable, seeing that Juliana was still hovering in the air.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you in the next ss, morons.¡±


    As I headed outside, I found Jung Hayan waiting for me. Her sticking to me proved to be a fun ordeal, seeing as the trainees were watching us through the window.


    The two guys talking about her before I entered the ss shot me nk looks, which improved my mood.


    ¡°Pfffhaha.¡±


    ¡°Did you have fun, Oppa?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ Yes. It was more fun than I thought. The students are okay, too¡­¡±


    ¡°Right? All the C-ss kids were really nice.¡±


    ¡°Yes. In particr, I kept looking at Han Sora for some reason¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s so passionate about the ss¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Her face is also cute¡­¡±


    ¡°I-I-I¡­ I see.¡±


    ¡°It seemed like she was in the attacking team, but I think it would be better to recruit her in Blue. I want to have her next to me.¡±


    ¡°Oh? If so¡­ Ah¡­ I know, I r-remember her¡­ yes, she¡¯s indeed cute¡­ Ah¡­¡±


    Jung Hayan struggled to keep her smile intact as she responded.


    I knew Jung Hayan tended to be more hostile, responding to feelings of jealousy, rather than when someone tried to insult me. Though this was such a petty method of revenge, I couldn¡¯t help but expect Hayan¡¯s eventual treatment of Han Sora in her next ss.


    ¡®You need to be punished, you bedwetter.¡¯

 Chapter 209: An Ominous Feeling (1)

    <h4>Chapter 209: An Ominous Feeling (1)</h4>


    ¡°That crazy, tiny fox-eyed bastard!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t cause useless problems, Han Sora.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s so annoying. So annoying! He thinks he¡¯s so important¡­ An alchemist who makes potions! How¡­ dare¡­ he lecture me?!¡±


    ¡°I told you not to cause trouble. This is not the tutorial dungeon. We may have been the kings there, but here we are neers. No matter how you think, it¡¯s only right to submit as much as possible.¡±


    ¡°We are neers, meaning, new recruits that would be getting offers fromrge guilds.¡±


    ¡°It has not been confirmed yet. We don¡¯t know anything until we stamp the contract. We only got an initial offer, and we still have to show how much we grow, and there¡¯s the demonstration at the training center. Some guilds even say they do separate entrance tests, so don¡¯t worry about anything else except your training. Of course, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t understand how you¡¯re feeling¡­¡±


    ¡°You should know since you¡¯ve taken that bastard¡¯s ss, too!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ Him looking down at someone from above was not very pleasant, but his personality in itself did not seem to be a problem. It was a realistic story, so I didn¡¯t get offended. Of course, what happened in our ss didn¡¯t happen in yours, so it wasn¡¯t such a coercive atmosphere¡­ The other instructors were also treating him respectfully.¡±


    ¡°Go figure. He¡¯s the boyfriend of instructor Jung Hayan, hence the treatment.¡±


    ¡°Oh, really?¡±


    ¡°Yes. That fox-eyed bastard is Jung Hayan¡¯s boyfriend¡­ She definitely made that flying sword. She¡¯s one of the best wizards in the big city. Wouldn¡¯t she be able to make a sword like that? That bat-like foxy man¡­ It¡¯s clear that he¡¯s having an easy life because he got lucky with a woman.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t stand it, Oppa.¡±


    ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t really matter what you do, but at least you¡¯d better make sure you don¡¯t do any harm to us. I have an ominous feeling for some reason.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°That person named Lee Kiyoung. Even if I try to figure out who he is, nothinges out. The instructors also seem to be careful about what they say.¡±


    ¡°These are the Red Mercenary Instructors. They don¡¯t ept personal questions. You must have mistaken it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I wish I were mistaken¡­ It seems that they don¡¯t want to intentionally leak information, and anyway, I don¡¯t know. You can go find out. Honestly, I can¡¯t afford to care about this. Just thinking about the entrance test right now gives me a headache.¡±


    ¡°My God. You babbled that we were forever one in the tutorial dungeon, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Situations change. Stop caring about useless things, and focus on the entrance tests and the demonstration. All the other kids are crazy about it. It¡¯s also time to grow up.¡±


    ¡°Save it. I¡¯ll do it myself.¡±


    ¡°Just don¡¯t do any harm to us.¡±


    ¡°I said I got it!¡±


    Of course, the situation would be annoying.


    ¡®Forever one, my ass¡­¡¯


    I thought my colleagues back in the dungeon would help, but it turns out that I was mistaken.


    In fact, I didn¡¯t expect much, but I didn¡¯t think they would show such a cold reaction.


    ¡®They are all stupid.¡¯


    I felt frustrated. These guys weren¡¯t using this opportunity properly.


    ¡®Do we really need to submit, just like that?¡¯


    No matter how hard I thought about it, I didn¡¯t think we needed to do that at all.


    Of course, it made sense to want to join a huge guild. It was worth thinking that having a stable start while receiving their protection was ideal enough.


    However, they did not care about the treatment they are currently getting.


    The attack team basically got different treatment from the survival team.


    Of course, there seemed to be no big difference on the outside, but it was undeniable that they were getting preferential treatment and the reason why was obvious.


    Unlike the survivors who couldn¡¯t adapt and wasted their time trembling in the dungeon, they risked their lives and eventually got what they wanted.


    Considering that the guilds and ns here wanted to recruit more powerful and more talented people, it was also important to y hard to get moderately good results.


    ¡®Now we are the best!¡¯


    Stupid people.


    ¡®Chang-ryul Oppa said he wanted to go to Blue¡­ Didn¡¯t Hyeja Eunni say she wants to go to the ck Swan? The rest want to join Red Mercenary¡­ Phew¡­¡¯


    I can bet that if the attack team had done a better job negotiating, I wouldn¡¯t be in this situation now. It also meant that the alchemist wouldn¡¯t have made me look like a fool like this.


    ¡°Damn¡­¡±


    I remembered that mortifying moment when his sword came my way, causing me to urinate with fear on the spot.


    As I opened the door to the lecture room nervously, I could see gazes focusing on me. I saw some women running this way. I didn¡¯t remember their names well, but I was familiar with this scenery.


    ¡®I guess they want to stand in line.¡¯


    That was because I was a privileged person around these parts.


    ¡°Eunni? Did things go well?¡±


    ¡°No. The Oppas are not very interested in this. They¡¯re all preparing for the entrance test and the demonstration¡­ It¡¯s so annoying.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s an entrance test, is it hosted by Red Mercenary?¡±


    ¡°Red Mercenary and Blue. There are other guilds and ns too¡­ Ah! I guess you don¡¯t know yet.¡±


    ¡°Yes. We weren¡¯t informed of anything.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s the Magic Guild, ck Swans, and various others. In fact, the conditions for medium-sized guilds seemed all right as well.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Where are you going to go?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ At first, I got an offer from the Red Mercenary, and although it is a secret¡­ I got an offer from the Magic Guild too, but I¡¯m not sure¡­ I won¡¯t say I didn¡¯t think about Blue, too, but¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think Blue is a bad choice if you continue to grow as a wizard. Instructor Jung Hayan is there.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t met the people from Blue yet.¡±


    ¡°What? Really? I-Is it because of that person?¡±


    ¡°Maybe¡­¡±


    This was another reason why that alchemist was annoying.


    ¡°It¡¯s intentional, right?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I think the probability is high.¡±


    ¡°I think¡­he is in a high position with a big influence in the guild.¡±


    ¡°Influence, my ass¡­¡±


    ¡°Erm¡­ You know Yoo Ahyoung, right?¡±


    ¡°Who is Yoo Ahyoung?¡±


    ¡°Big breasts¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ That cow?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but they said she would be getting into Blue.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°They said she also had an interview with the Blue Guild Master.¡±


    At this, I clenched my fists, an ominous feeling rising to the surface.


    It was because the stupid bitch, who had been busy running away throughout the tutorial, received an offer from Blue, and I felt perplexed that I didn¡¯t.


    I could understand ??why this had happened.


    ¡®He¡¯s taking revenge.¡¯


    The reason had probably been my cocky attitude when we first met. It was too absurd of a reason for him to try to deliberately exclude me.


    I¡¯m sure there were some circumstances behind the scenes that I didn¡¯t know about.


    ¡®Why didn¡¯t you wear a guild badge, so I knew who you were? So annoying¡­¡¯


    Involuntarily, I began to swear.


    ¡°Ha¡­ Fuck. That¡¯s really absurd.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. What did they see in a cow like that, to give such an offer? Her grades weren¡¯t good, either. Stamina training seemed okay, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? They must be thinking about something dirty. It¡¯s all bullsh*t that he has influence in the guild. The reason that Lee Kiyoung is pretending to be king here is all because of instructor Jung Hayan¡­ It¡¯s probably the same in Blue. He must be a headache. That guild, shaken by a casanova? Even if an offer for recruitmentes in, I will reject it.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Of course, it was a lie. The otherrge guilds were not bad, but if one were to ask which guild I really wanted to go to, it was Blue.


    One reason was that I might be things from the genius wizard Jung Hayan, but the other reason I thought Blue was okayy in the background of that medium-sized guild.


    For one, it had an alliance with the Red Mercenary.


    Going into the Blue that has just started to rise and grabbing the real power is more advantageous than entering as a bottom low-rank guild member of the Red Mercenary.


    As the scale was notrge, the support I¡¯ll be given would be a little more concentrated.


    ¡®Now, it¡¯s all messed up.¡¯


    I was nervous about whether he had even told the instructor Jung Hayan about this incident.


    ¡®I have to do something¡­¡¯


    It was then that the ssroom door suddenly opened.


    Naturally, my head turned.


    In an instant, the rabble, who had gathered, ran to their seats and waited for the instructor to say hello. Instructor Jung Hayan hade into the ssroom to lecture.


    However, her personality seemed off today.


    ¡°Sit down. I will skip the greetings and start the ss right away.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Like thest ss, we¡¯re going to write with magic power. Those who haven¡¯t felt magical power yet, separate from the group.¡±


    ¡°Yes, instructor.¡±


    ¡°W¡­ We don¡¯t have time, m-move quickly, quickly!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes!¡±


    Unlike thest time, she seemed noticeably colder.


    It was annoying that she didn¡¯t pay attention to the sitting trainees, but instead, she was looking at me. It seems that she had lost some weight. She looked sick, which made me wonder if something had happened.


    Of course, that fox came to mind, seeing her exuding an annoying atmosphere.


    I could be sure that all the trainees here were thinking the same thing.


    ¡®He must have turned the story to his benefit.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t really understand why two people who didn¡¯t match were going out, but that was not what mattered.


    There was a definite edge to her voice all throughout the ss. She wasn¡¯t openly irritated, but¡­


    ¡°Stu-Stupid! D-Do it right!¡±


    She kept spouting up insults like this.


    ¡°I was able to do this from the beginning¡­ I already exined¡­ How stupid.¡±


    Or insults like this.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you understand? So frustrating¡­ Everyone else can understand this.¡±


    Or like this.


    ¡°They¡¯re stupid. Stupid¡­ Really stupid¡­ They¡¯re really stupid¡­¡±


    I could hear her muttering all these. It was no wonder that the ss, which usually had a nice atmosphere, had be very ufortable.


    Considering that few were still practicing to feel their magical power, there was no way other people could do the lessons that proved to be difficult, even for the wizard herself.


    Amidst that, I was concerned about the way she was looking at me.


    I didn¡¯t know why, but her gaze sent goosebumps down my spine.


    I haven¡¯t tried or heard about the practice of writing letters in the air with magical power. However, I thought I had to live up to their expectations, and in fact, I felt like I was following the pace.


    ¡®You have to smash them with your skills.¡¯


    If I worked hard, they would eventually acknowledge my worth.


    ¡®You have to do this, at least.¡¯


    I had to keep showing that I was special. Only then would I be well treated.


    Eventually, I bit my lips tightly and slowly began to form the magical power to make the letters float. I felt like it would copse immediately if I let go of the tension. As I concentrated my magical power while trembling, I felt instructor Jung Hayan¡¯s gaze burning a hole through me.


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know if I was mistaken for a moment, but she looked annoyed.


    No, her expression was moreplex than that. I wondered if my method was wrong, but it didn¡¯t seem like I was doing anything bad. I felt like she was wondering a lot about something.


    ¡®What is she thinking? What¡­ is she wondering?¡¯


    The whole room had gone silent. That was until Jung Hayan slowly began to smile. She looked startled, almost as if she had realized something.


    ¡®Huuuuh?¡¯


    As she started tough, I couldn¡¯t help but shiver. Not only was I breaking out in cold sweat, but my chin was trembling without my knowledge.


    Seeing herugh made me feel upset for some reason, but something about it made me feel ufortable.


    ¡®What¡­ Why is she¡­¡¯


    Even her eyes seemed strange. There was something within their depths that I couldn¡¯t exin.


    ¡°Uh¡­ Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ Well done, trainee Han Sora.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re pretty good among the people here¡­ Thank God¡­ you¡¯re not stupid¡­¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°I think trainee Han Sora can take a separate ss¡­ Hihi¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s okay¡­ Can I teach you some stuff after school?¡±


    No doubt, she had finally acknowledged me. It was only right for me to be proud and, of course, to be happy. I looked around, and everyone was staring at me with envy. Their gazes were saying that, as expected, I was different.


    ¡®I have to agree.¡¯


    Of course, it was only right to nod.


    An opportunity to be tutored by a genius wizard probably only came once in every century.


    However, for some reason, I couldn¡¯t find it in me to utter a sound.


    ¡°I said I would¡­ t-t-teach you!¡±


    This was because her smile had reached a lopsided figure, thereby causing me to feel the slightest bit of fear.


    ¡°I¡­¡±

 Chapter 210: An Ominous Feeling (2)

    <h4>Chapter 210: An Ominous Feeling (2)</h4>


    ¡®Thank you.¡¯


    That was what I should say.


    I knew this was the correct answer, but my mouth wouldn¡¯t open for some reason. Missing this opportunity was silly. My brain understood it, but I was confused by the feeling that my body was constantly rejecting it.


    ¡®I have to agree.¡¯


    I kept repeating this to myself, but my mouth eventually betrayed my expectations.


    ¡°I ¡­ that¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°A-After school, I have something¡­ I have something I need to do. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    Instructor Jung Hayan¡¯s expression seemed very disappointed. Her dejected expression was like seeing a puppy getting abandoned by the owner.


    The slightly lowered eye nt and big eyes were full of disappointment. For a brief moment, I med myself for my stupid choice. I wondered my body caused such a reaction, but the answer refused to reveal itself.


    I was bothered by Instructor Hayan¡¯s voice, who had kept muttering about something.


    ¡®Something¡¯s not right.¡¯


    It was probably a trap set up by that fox. This was a high possibility, considering the fact that he had a fairly petty personality.


    And¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s overwhelming just trying to follow the ss.¡¯


    Of course, it was good to learn something new, but the homework and assignments I¡¯d been learning over and over were already making my head explode.


    was undeniable that I had made a stupid choice.


    However, I didn¡¯t want to correct this. My breathing was gradually returning to its original state.


    Just in time, the bell announcing the ss rang, and Instructor Jung Hayan, who continued to mutter quietly, slowly began to leave the ssroom.


    I even thought about approaching her because she had looked so sad, but I did not raise my hand. This was because I saw trainees from the same ss rushing to me again.


    ¡°Y-You¡¯re really great, Eunni¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Who would have known that Instructor Jung Hayan would make such an offer?¡±


    ¡°Is¡­ that so?¡±


    ¡°Yes. When I saw today¡¯s ss atmosphere, I thought that the alchemist must have said something¡­ After showing your ability, it seems that the instructor also got greedy. That¡¯s because she is also a Blue executive. Perhaps, sooner orter, you¡¯ll be getting an offer from Blue?¡±


    One of the rabbles next to me immediately spoke.


    ¡°Sora said she would not go, so it doesn¡¯t matter if the offeres or not. Didn¡¯t you see her tly refusing the instructor offer?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ She did, right?¡±


    ¡°Instructor Jung Hayan did seem a little desperate¡­¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°She was wearing a startled expression¡­¡±


    ¡°It definitely was when Sora was sessful, wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    Though they were all talking in front of me, I couldn¡¯t find it in myself to participate. My mind kepting back to Hayan¡¯splex expression, as well as the strange feeling I had.


    When I started to speak, everyone¡¯s attention refocused on me.


    ¡°By any chance¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sora Eunni?¡±


    ¡°Have you not felt anything weird?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°I mean, Instructor Jung Hayan. Didn¡¯t she seem a little weird today?¡±


    ¡°She did look a bit sick. She was a little irritated¡­ and looked tired. That¡¯s what I felt¡­¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not talking about that¡­ There¡¯s something else.¡±


    ¡°She looked¡­ a bit retarded.¡±


    The answer I got had been far from what I was actually expecting.


    One of the rabbles next to me opened her mouth immediately.


    ¡°Hey! Someone will listen. Pfff. Actually, you¡¯re not wrong¡­¡±


    ¡°Why? Isn¡¯t that true? Actually, I did feel like that a little from the beginning¡­ At that time, I just thought that¡­ she stuttered a lot. I don¡¯t know if all geniuses are like that, but didn¡¯t you feel like she was a little disabled?¡±


    ¡°Are all geniuses like that?¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s a genius, I¡¯m not envious at all. Are, are, are¡­ Aren¡¯t they stupid?¡±


    ¡°You nuts! Your impression of her is on point! Do it one more time.¡±


    ¡°Y¡­ You are all, s-s-s-stupid! She¡¯s not even a snake, but why does she keep his-s-s-s-ssing like that? Pfft. I think she doesn¡¯t know that she looks more stupid talking like that.¡±


    ¡°So damn funny!¡±


    ¡°She must be going out with a guy like that because she¡¯s a little retarded. Some people I know do that, too. They¡¯re people who have a little problemmunicating with others. They couldn¡¯t learn from a good family and thus grew up like that. I don¡¯t know, but she must have had some traumas.¡±


    ¡°You crossed the line a bit, but it actually is funny. She must not be really retarded, right?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe she was normal, but got crazy because she studied magic too much¡­ Isn¡¯t that it? Sora?¡±


    ¡®Did I take it too seriously?¡¯


    Seeing them joking around, I felt weird upon realizing that I was taking this too seriously.


    ¡®Maybe she was a bit sick.¡¯


    She really didn¡¯t seem to be in good shape at the time. She used tough alongside us whenever she would stutter.


    At this, I began to join the rest of them with theirughter.


    ¡®It seems like she really is a bit retarded¡­¡¯


    I thought that maybe they were right, so I spoke up.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ It¡¯s possible. It¡¯s usually like that in the movies. There are cases where people with autism also have a very good memory. Isn¡¯t that the case in magic, too? In the case of instructor Jung Hayan, it seems that they have inherent magical power and affinity¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, really?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps she turned crazy. Haha. Some people have aphasia due to trauma in the tutorial dungeon. Isn¡¯t that the case?¡±


    ¡°Ah. You finallyughed. Until before, you were all serious.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because you guys are so funny. I really thought so without knowing it. Retarded. Hahaha. I feel so stupid to think that I looked up to a person like that. What does it matter if she¡¯s a genius? She just keeps stuttering anyway.¡±


    ¡°Right. If you have the same skills, the guild should use a person who is fine psychologically or speaks normally, Eunni.¡±


    ¡°Right? Shall I go to Blue and be better than her? There is no guarantee that I am a genius¡­ If I grow to some extent, wouldn¡¯t they prefer me to a retarded bitch? I know the Blue Guild Master is not a fool.¡±


    ¡°It would be possible if it¡¯s you. If that happens, you can¡¯t forget about us, okay?¡±


    ¡°Why would I forget you? Even if you go to another guild, we should keep in touch often. Hey, if I get into the Blue and catch the Guild Master¡¯s eyes, I can even petition for you to enter as a low-rank party member.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s only a possibility. Blue is not arge guild¡­¡±


    ¡°I really wish that could happen. Blue¡¯s definitely different from otherrge guilds. When my influence grows¡­ It¡¯s convincing, seeing what the alchemist is doing right now. What will that person do if you ever go to the Blue?¡±


    ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be such a guy in the guild where I am going. He¡¯s going to be stuck next to instructor Jung Hayan. When the two break up, that¡¯s it¡­¡±


    ¡°Right now?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s very easy to ruin a man¡¯s life. What will he do if I say I was sexually harassed? Instructor Jung Hayan, no, even that retard would get disgusted, and he might even get kicked out of the Blue. If I can pretend to be a victim for a while and get the guild¡¯s support, won¡¯t it be enough?¡±


    ¡°Do you want to do that? No, if anyone hears this now¡­¡±


    ¡°Do not worry about it. I blocked the sound with magical power since that retard was saying a bunch of stuff.¡±


    ¡°Wow¡­¡±


    ¡°This is a ce of survival. Ability is also important, but sometimes you also need the wisdom to live easily.¡±


    ¡°It really looks like you¡¯re going to be sessful¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good to use all means and methods necessary. Being a weak woman is also a great weapon in society.¡±


    ¡°I feel like I¡¯ve learned something substantial from you.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Eunni¡­ I think someone ising.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    I looked behind me and was surprised to see who it was.


    ¡®Chang-ryul Oppa?¡¯


    He was a person that I was a bit careful of among all the people in the attack team. It was because he didn¡¯t talk much, and he always wore a cold expression.


    I didn¡¯t know why he came to see me, and it was hard trying to guess because I couldn¡¯t tell what he was thinking.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go talk to him a little, and then I¡¯ll be back.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Do that, Eunni.¡±


    This man was someone I considered important, so I had to approach him right away.


    ¡®Why is he wearing a mask?¡¯


    He was still a difficult person to understand. However, I couldn¡¯t show this. As I approached quietly, he spoke to me first.


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk for a minute.¡±


    ¡°What is it, Oppa? Ah! Come to think of it. You recently met the Blue Guild Master, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Is there an entrance test there, too? Are you confirmed to enter? No, how much are your down payment and annual sry? It¡¯s not just roughly cheap, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Our values ??should be decided by us, not by them. If we can get it right, we can increase both the sry and the down payment¡­¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯te here to say that, so shut up. And lower your voice.¡±


    ¡°My¡­gosh ¡­ Then speak quickly.¡±


    ¡°I honestly don¡¯t like you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s very fortunate. I don¡¯t like you, too.¡±


    ¡°But that doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t have any affection at all. Still, we had a good rtionship in the attack team. And there¡¯s the thing in the tutorial dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Quit stalling. Tell me something a little more productive.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re nning to do from now on, but¡­ It would be better for you not to be connected with Blue and live quietly as if a dead rat.¡±


    ¡°What? Saying this so suddenly¡­¡±


    ¡°This is a warning. Do not do anything useless and think about yourself. Don¡¯t do anything like what you did in the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°What? What did I do in the dungeon¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know. You are too greedy.¡±


    ¡°Stop saying these useless things, say something helpful¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all I can say. I don¡¯t want to be deeply involved with you, and I don¡¯t want to be known to have a big mouth. Honestly, I don¡¯t want to tell you this right now¡­ It¡¯s annoying.¡±


    ¡°What information do you have?¡±


    ¡°This is the information I¡¯m giving. Be quiet, as quiet as a rat.¡±


    ¡°No, don¡¯t¡­ Was it decided for you to join the Blue?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be going now. I clearly told you.¡±


    ¡°What? Chang-ryul Oppa!¡±


    After the conversation, he put his mask back on and walked away. Though it was only a short conversation, my displeasure was immense.


    ¡®If there is anything you want to say, you can just say it openly.¡¯


    It was not unreasonable to feel annoyed hearing him speaking so vaguely. My face crumpled, and of course, I started talking to myself.


    ¡°This is so fucking annoying. If you give me information, make sure you do so thoroughly. Who said I was curious about that?¡±


    After saying this, I immediately turned and saw the rabbles still talking. They were eagerly raising their voices as if they didn¡¯t notice that I was approaching.


    I wondered if they were saying something behind my back, so I concentrated the magic in my ears to hear them more urately. Of course, they weren¡¯t talking bad about me.


    ¡°But can Eunni really go to Blue? Didn¡¯t she just ignore that retard¡¯s offer?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ Maybe not? Even if she did, if Eunni¡¯s n seeds, it¡¯s almost certain she will join, and it¡¯s good that it¡¯ll feel like we¡¯re getting a blow in that stupid alchemist¡¯s face. He¡¯s just a production worker¡­¡±


    ¡°If Eunni goes to Blue, is there a possibility for us to join Blue, too?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ No, but Eunni will take care of us. And the instructor Jung Retard wasn¡¯t likely to give up, so I guess Eunni¡¯s quite coveted.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°She kept muttering as she left the ssroom earlier.¡±


    ¡°What? I didn¡¯t hear¡­¡±


    ¡°Did you hear what she said?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°She said, ¡®I-I-It¡¯s fine¡­ T¡­ There are still m-many opportunities¡­ I can do it.''¡±


    ¡°Your impression of her is funny.¡±


    ¡°What can I say? I was trying my hardest to hold back theughter.¡±

 Chapter 211: An Ominous Feeling (3)

    <h4>Chapter 211: An Ominous Feeling (3)</h4>


    ¡®Yoo Ahyoung¡­¡¯


    Of course, she was my number one recruitment target.


    Although she had no ss job yet and her attribute hadn¡¯t even blossomed, she certainly had the merit. The talent level of her strength was heroic, and her stamina was legendary.


    I didn¡¯t feel like her disposition would suffice as a front liner, but I knew it would be possible if I brought her to Blue and trained her intensively.


    ¡®Although she is a little passive¡­¡¯


    As the number of trainees wasrge, their dispositions were also very diverse. If I categorized itrgely, there were about three.


    - Those who wanted to move by themselves.


    Most of the attack teams belonged to this side.


    Because they were the ones who were most aware of what they should do and what would happen from now on, these kinds of humans seem to try to do everything on their own. Besides lectures and set training, they divided their time and moved actively.


    - Those who only did what they were told to.


    In terms of proportion, this had the highest percentage. They worked hard in lectures and education, and they worried about the future, but they did not show much effort after training or education time was over.


    - Those who were not worth feeding.


    Lastly, we had the garbage that was not worth mentioning. They had no enthusiasm, no achievement, and were the garbage scum of the education center.


    We could say that most of them would end up in the slums or would just worry about making a living after their education was over.


    ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯


    To be precise, Yoo Ahyoung was a character lying between the second and third.


    Although she seemed like she was of the third type, she had strangely been catching up in terms of progress. Her training performance wasn¡¯t bad, as if she was determined to show that her strength stat was legendary.


    Honestly, if she weren¡¯t talented, I wouldn¡¯t have paid much attention to her.


    ¡®But because she has talent¡­¡¯


    It was important to have talent in any way possible for Blue¡¯s sake.


    A year had passed while living at Kim Hyunsung¡¯s party. While looking at many characters¡¯ talent levels and status window, a thought had begun to manifest itself in my head.


    Surprisingly, finding people with legendary talent levels was amon urrence.


    It was natural to feel that way.


    Park Deokgu and I were the only ones who didn¡¯t have such natural talents within Kim Hyunsung¡¯s party, and the people I met and saw each time always had something special to them. If it wasn¡¯t their talent level, it was their special attribute or ss. Therefore, my standards had naturally risen.


    However, after arriving at the education center, I noticed that there weren¡¯t many people with legendary-grade talents.


    ¡®Come to think of it, Cho Hyejin herself didn¡¯t have a legendary-grade talent.¡¯


    Even if one had heroic-grade stats, they could be strong enough. There was a difference between the heroic or lower-grade level and the heroic or higher-grade. However, the heroic-grade meant that you could at least up your stats to 90.


    ¡®If I think that way, I am not bad, either.¡¯


    Anyway, the important thing was that she was a talented person.


    Although shecked enthusiasm, I want topliment her just for following me without falling behind during training or ss. Perhaps the environment surrounding her helped to some extent. In ss C, she was in a strangely lonely position.


    ¡®It¡¯s probably because of me.¡¯


    Jealousy made a person ugly, after all.


    She wouldn¡¯t have been much noticed except for her big chest until I spoke to her, so it would be natural for her to garner everyone¡¯s resentment.


    While I mulled this over in my head, I heard Sun Hee-young calling out to me.


    ¡°I think the recruitment is almost certain.¡±


    ¡°Ah, are you talking about Yoo Ahyoung?¡±


    ¡°No, the other one.¡±


    ¡°Lee Chang-ryul?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Hyunsung-ssi also seemed to have decided that. Of course, he was a little doubtful at first, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Come to think of it, didn¡¯t you say that he had a battle with Ye-ri?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The result was a little good. She said she liked the fact that he was seeking to be an assassin, and she said he was a natural in battle.¡±


    ¡°Did you watch it, too?¡±


    ¡°Yes. They needed a witness, and they had to prepare if anything happened¡­ I¡¯m not sure about the battles of the melee soldiers, but it seemed desperate. As soon as they started, he threw the sand he had in his hand, and he didn¡¯t hesitate in attacking a vital spot. Ye-ri was a little disconcerted, too. It seemed that he had been hiding a stinger in his mouth, so I think that¡¯s why he was wearing a mask¡­ Anyway, he was impressive.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡±


    Besides Yoo Ahyoung, if there were someone I thought would be recruited, it would be Lee Chang-ryul, the archer.


    ¡®I felt like his talent levels were not that good.¡¯


    His agility stat was heroic or higher, strength stat heroic or lower, intelligence heroic or higher.


    The rest of his stats, however, were bad. Nevertheless, I used one of the priority bargaining powers on this guy because he had trained himself to specialize in closebat.


    It was impressive that he had decided to be an assassin, the top ss of archers.


    It always helped for one to have a solid goal. However, I didn¡¯t know if his battle ability was excellent or not because I had not seen it myself¡­


    ¡®He must have guts. It¡¯s no different from revealing his true nature while the Guild Master was watching.¡¯


    Throwing sand to test the opponent and solve the battle with all sorts of undercover tactics was a very difficult idea for ordinary people to do.


    It felt like we not only tested him. He had tested us, as well.


    ¡®This is my style. What do you think?¡¯


    That was what he wanted to say.


    Of course, Kim Hyunsung was not the type who cared about that. Rather, it was enough for him to see that he was a natural inbat, so he naturally had a good affinity with Lee Chang-ryul.


    Though he hadn¡¯t yet signed a formal contract, he was already considered as a guild member.


    I heard that he had a meal with Kim Hyunsung, so it was basically the same as confirming the contract.


    ¡°It worked out well.¡±


    ¡°Yes. So now you have three priority tickets left?¡±


    ¡°Yes. In fact, there are no other people who stand out so much other than the two, so for now, they are on hold¡­¡±


    ¡°Considering that the demonstration ising soon¡­¡±


    ¡°I am definitely worried.¡±


    This recruitment was for the creation of the second Blue Guild party. However, the problemy in how topose a party besides Yoo Ahyoung and Lee Chang-ryul.


    Assuming that Ahn Ki-mo, who was ssified as abat clergyman, could also be included in the second party, the front line would be solid at first, but the rear position would be too poor if it remained this way.


    ¡®I can¡¯t just pick a random recruit.¡¯


    I cared more about quality than quantity.


    As it was a request from the lovely returner, I had to keep thinking about what kind of party I would make. It didn¡¯t mean that I couldn¡¯t look for people with potential at all, but there were a lot of people who made me think, ¡®Should I recruit them?¡¯


    Coming to the Blue was like saying that one could get overwhelming support, so I had to be cautious even when it came to sparing the resources.


    This was the reason Sun Hee-young and I had been busy recently. Jung Hayan, meanwhile, was blissfully unaware of how the guild¡¯s politics worked.


    ¡°Hee-young-ssi, I want to read the document of the attack group once again¡­ Ah. Actually, you can read it first.¡±


    ¡°No. No. You can read it. I¡¯m going, anyway¡­ I have something to do today.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Sun Hee-young, who handed over the papers she was reading, bowed slightly and then left.


    After saying goodbye, I also started skimming through the document, which contained a brief profile and stats of the attack team. Though I had checked them with my Mind¡¯s Eye, I also needed an indicator of how much growth had been achieved during their time here.


    As I turned to the next page, a little familiar name stood out.


    Han Sora.


    Naturally, I didn¡¯t pay much attention to her after I talked to Hayan about her.


    ¡®Her grades are better than I thought. She¡¯s able to catch up, too¡­¡¯


    It appeared that she wasn¡¯t as useless as I had first thought. I had spoken a little bit harshly at the time, but this woman seemed to have something in her, seeing as she belonged to the attack team. She would end up reaching the limit, but as the ratio of usable wizards was small, she was a talent that medium-sized orrge guilds would want to take.


    The Red Mercenary seemed to be observing her secretly, but I did not stop them.


    This was because, as I did with Ito Souta and Lee Seol-ho, I knew it wasn¡¯t necessary to ?have a scuffle with this woman.


    ¡®She will fall eventually, anyway¡­¡¯


    It was then that, suddenly, a loud sound resonated from outside.


    ¡°You cane in.¡±


    The door slowly opened, revealing a familiar face.


    ¡°What the hell?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but utter this aloud. It turned out to be Han Sora, who was smiling slightly, looking at me.


    ¡®Speak of the devil¡­¡¯


    It was pretty unsightly to see her looking so confident.


    I didn¡¯t know what she was thinking, but she seemed rather expectant.


    ¡°Are you curious about why I can be here?¡±


    I was not very curious. There was only one reason a trainee could be here.


    ¡°Have you had an interview with the Red Mercenary?¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a ce where trainees can¡¯te in. I think it would be better for you to go out.¡±


    I shook my head at her. However, she persisted in staying.


    ¡°I came because I wanted to say, or rather, suggest something. I guess it can be called a deal. Ah! Of course, I would like to apologize for the rude behavior from before.¡±


    ¡°¡­ ¡°


    As soon as I closed my finger, Juliana began toe to mind. I saw Han Sora flinching.


    ¡°It would be better not to threaten me. Isn¡¯t it useless anyway? Wasn¡¯t it a rule that instructors can¡¯t touch the trainees?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not absolute. Therefore, it would be better to go back to where you came from quietly.¡±


    ¡°This is something that can help you out.¡±


    ¡°Whooo¡­¡±


    ¡°I want to join the Blue guild.¡±


    ¡®I don¡¯t care.¡¯


    ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve thought about a lot of possibilities, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s bad to start with Blue. If you offer to recruit me on good terms, I am willing to enter.¡±


    I don¡¯t know what kind of confidence she was high on, but she was inly ridiculous. Did she really think I would just agree and offer her a contract?


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a bad offer for the Blue Guild, either. Wizard human resources are a little precious, right?¡±


    ¡°You are not qualified. And a transaction can only be established when there is something to exchange with each other. The word ¡®deal¡¯ is my favorite word, but anyone can see that you have nothing for me.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m not sure which of us is not qualified¡­ You think you are something just because you are in the arms of Instructor Jung Hayan.¡±


    ¡®Crazy bitch.¡¯


    ¡°And you arepletely wrong. I¡¯m here to make a deal, and this is pretty appealing to you, too, right?¡±


    ¡°What can you give me?¡±


    ¡°Your reputation. And everything.¡±


    ¡°What bullsh*t.¡±


    At my reply, Han Sora began tearing off her clothes. Though I was able to get a good look in, I didn¡¯t understand why she was doing that.


    ¡®She¡¯s really going nuts¡­¡¯


    When I first visited Cha Hee-ra, I didn¡¯t know if Cha Hee-ra felt this way, but I really couldn¡¯t discern this punk.


    ¡°I think the conversation will get a little better now¡­ What do you think?¡±


    Was her best n really to get involved in a sex scandal?


    ¡®Should I kill her?¡¯


    It would be a little annoying, but I was confident enough to get around it.


    Anyway, the other person was a trainee who had nothing, and I had the power to manipte the public¡¯s opinion. Of course, I couldn¡¯t easily cover the fact that an instructor killed the trainee when the demonstration was just about toe, but her face annoyed me so much that I could not stand it.


    Just in time, someone knocked on the door, and a familiar voice echoed.


    ¡°Oppa? Can Ie in?¡±


    Jung Hayan appeared with good timing. No, it wasn¡¯t good timing. Rather, she might have calcted it. She had used her brain pretty well.


    Meanwhile, Han Sora looked triumphant.


    ¡°Soon, instructor Jung Hayan wille in. Are you okay with that?¡±


    Once Jung Hayan came in, it would be her, not me, who would be in danger.


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to lose everything you¡¯ve built up, right? It won¡¯t be very good for you to get caught in such a scandal. If you get into problems with Instructor Jung Hayan, it would not be good¡­¡±


    ¡°You crazy bitch.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the praise, instructor. I hear that a lot.¡±


    I felt like she didn¡¯t even know what I meant. I suddenly felt exhausted.


    ¡®What am I going to do with this child?¡¯


    ¡°Whooo¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry. If you take care of the contract, this won¡¯t happen again.¡±


    ¡°There will be a cloak in the desk closet next to you. Just put it on and head out quietly. Then nothing will happen.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just a stupid bitch who thinks she¡¯s so smart. I would only feel pathetic if I decide to toy with you. Just go out¡­ Then you can still be saved.¡±


    ¡°Can I really just go out? You will regret it. Can¡¯t you hear the voice of Instructor Jung Hayan outside?¡±


    ¡°Talking to you pisses me off. Just get out. I¡¯m busy.¡±


    ¡°I definitely gave you a chance.¡±


    ¡°I also gave you a chance. The choice is yours.¡±


    I saw her tightly biting her lips. Evidently, she thought I was bluffing.


    However, in the end, she didn¡¯t wear the cloak, as I had instructed her to do. She didn¡¯t seem to realize that I had said it for her sake.


    ¡®I also don¡¯t want to see Hayan crying¡­¡¯


    I wasn¡¯t such a sh*tty person.


    Thus, it was a spectacle to see her open the door after ignoring mymand.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Oppa!¡±


    What Jung Hayan encountered would be Han Sora, who was almost half-naked.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    It had been a long time sincest I saw Jung Hayan with such a distorted expression.

 Chapter 212: An Ominous Feeling (4)

    <h4>Chapter 212: An Ominous Feeling (4)</h4>


    It had been the first time I¡¯d seen that expression since the Cursed Shrine incident. I unconsciously flinched, but I wasn¡¯t very conscious. I knew Jung Hayan was better than this.


    Lately, she hadn¡¯t killed anyone, and I had seen her trying to avoid doing things I didn¡¯t like. In fact, her current silence meant that she would not harm me.


    Jung Hayan stared at Han Sora for a long moment before thick tears started dripping down her face. Even as she started hupping, she looked surprisingly cute in my eyes.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ Ugh¡­ Hic!¡±


    ¡®I have to soothe herter.¡¯


    I was beginning to think she would soon develop a sadistic disposition.


    I didn¡¯t know what she thought when she saw Jung Hayan crying, but Han Sora looked quite happy. She must have felt that things were going ording to her intentions.


    Her own ns were just as dumb as her. Her big n was to ruin me with a sex scandal and ensure her spot in Blue?


    ¡®Her efforts aremendable, but¡­¡¯


    She was going against a powerful enemy. Her n was understandable, considering that even the owners ofrge corporations suffered from sex scandals, but unfortunately, this was not Earth.


    ¡°Haaaa¡­ Hic¡­¡±


    Jung Hayan¡¯s expression had taken on aplex form.


    In the case of Yuno Kasugano¡¯s bed-sharing incident, it seemed that being severely scolded had been memorable, so she seemed to be hesitating now.


    She thought she would get scolded again. Eventually, after lowering her head, she started to cry and run away.


    ¡®I have to praise her for that.¡¯


    It seemed that it had been effective to get scolded once. Meanwhile, Han Sora shot me a triumphant look.


    ¡°I told you you¡¯d regret it, right? Now, who will protect you?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It will make you feel that you have messed with the wrong person. Please note that I didn¡¯t want to do this, too.¡±


    ¡°Alright, whatever. Just get out.¡±


    ¡°I will go to instructor Jung Hayan.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Do whatever you want to do.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll run to instructor Jung Hayan and tell her that you have molested me, and then I¡¯ll tell the instructors of the Red Mercenary.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a dumb bitch. You know that, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I want to ask you. Anyway, please struggle with your heart¡¯s content.¡±


    ¡°Okay. While you¡¯re already visiting, make sure to tell her to do whatever she wants.¡±


    ¡°Aha, bluffing until the end¡­¡±


    ¡°I said, I¡¯m busy. Get out quickly.¡±


    Jung Hayan¡¯s tearful acting was nowhere near close to Ahn Ki-mo¡¯s, but she would still get merits from me for that.


    ¡®About 70 points¡­¡¯


    After the door closed, I could hear Han Sora running.


    I still had a lot of work to do, so I was annoyed as I had lost so much of my precious time, but I didn¡¯t bother with it very much. As Han Sora said, she was going to find Jung Hayan on her own.


    ¡®If I think about it, it wasn¡¯t a bad n.¡¯


    If she was going against amon instructor of a medium-sized guild and not me, it was worth apuding her. She aimed for the time where Jung Hayan woulde, and although it was a little dull, she did that because she knew she was in a weak position.


    ¡®And she was daring, too¡­¡¯


    If only I were amon instructor from a medium-sizedpany¡­


    ¡°At least it wouldn¡¯t have been like now.¡±


    She wouldn¡¯t get humiliated if that had been the case. Jung Hayan was surprisingly clever. Basically, she understood the power difference quite well.


    Compared to dealing with the woman who I couldn¡¯t remember the name of, a lot had changed.


    She knew her social position very well, and she could even afford to think about others¡¯ social position and strength. She was aware of who was important to me and up to what extent.


    For example, Cha Hee-ra, Yuno Kasugano, Lee Jihye, and Dialugia have already been ssified as important people to me.


    She had categorized them as ¡®a strong person,¡¯ ¡®a person who is helpful to Oppa,¡¯ ¡®a useful person,¡¯ and ¡®a person I don¡¯t like a little, but should not harm¡¯ respectively.


    I couldn¡¯t read the inner heart of Jung Hayan, but it was an aspect of hers that I realized after observing her for a long time. Of course, even so, her disposition had changed a bit. She was still very jealous and often gave out a cold expression at times.


    Han Sora, however, was neither a strong person nor a person who could help me. She also had a very low social position.


    It was just a simple guess, but I knew she wouldn¡¯t stand for it this time. Jung Hayan may know better that there was no physical contact between us, but¡­


    ¡®I think she forgot, seeing her reaction¡­¡¯


    It seemed that everything had beenpletely forgotten by the impact of what she had seen.


    ¡®Well, it doesn¡¯t matter.¡¯


    If Jung Hayan did this matter right, I would reward her handsomely.


    ¡°Now, who should I take for the second party¡¯s backline¡­?¡±


    * * *


    ¡®It worked better than I thought¡­¡¯


    The best thing was to encounter instructor Jung Hayan in this state. No, in fact, a better situation would be to have the stupid alchemist to ept the offer, but heartbreakingly, he refused. I wondered if there might be any other bluff that I don¡¯t know about because he looked overly rxed¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s over.¡¯


    Everything had been done perfectly.


    I knew the bastard would try to control the instructors somehow to prevent the spread of rumors, but there were many things I had thought of and prepared for.


    One would be to draw Instructor Jung Hayan over to my side. I felt better when I remembered her crying. Of course, it would only be natural for her to do so.


    It would naturally be shocking to see the man you love rape and harass another woman.


    Originally, I thought about visiting the Red Mercenary first, but when I remembered Instructor Jung Hayan¡¯s devastated expression, I had no choice but to think that this might be a little more effective. She must be really confused, so if I visited her to inform the facts, it would be a natural step for her to be Lee Kiyoung¡¯s enemy.


    ¡®It will take a little time, but it¡¯s going to be easy to persuade Jung Retard.¡¯


    She would be my first priority before the Red Mercenaries. I was in the victim¡¯s position, and I didn¡¯t have an affair with Instructor Lee Kiyoung.


    That part was important.


    As I followed after Hayan, I could see people looking my way. This would be good, as it would be sufficient evidence.


    I held back theughter wanting toe out and continued to shed tears as I knocked on Jung Hayan¡¯s door. However, there was no answer.


    ¡°I-I¡¯ming in, instructor. Sniff¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    As soon as I opened the door, I caught sight of Instructor Jung Hayan enveloped in a nket.


    ¡°S-Sorry. It was so sudden¡­ I know it¡¯s rude, but I thought there was only one ce to go for help. I-I thought you might misunderstand¡­¡±


    ¡°Haaa¡­ Hic¡­¡±


    ¡°There was no other intention. Instructor¡­ Instructor L-lee Kiyoung asked me toe to the temporary office for a moment¡­ I just thought he¡¯d make an offer to recruit me¡­¡±


    ¡°Hic¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a misunderstanding, Instructor Jung Hayan. It¡¯s not what you think.¡±


    ¡°Misunderstanding?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m not in that kind of rtionship with instructor Lee Kiyoung¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I-It¡¯s very hard to say, but¡­ Instructor Lee Kiyoung¡­ Sniff¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°He said that if I stayed quiet, he would make me look good to the guild¡­ O-Of course I said no, but¡­¡±


    ¡°His¡­ Did Oppa say that?¡±


    Right.


    ¡°Yes. Although I told him that he shouldn¡¯t be doing this¡­ Forcefully¡­¡±


    ¡°D-d-d¡­ Did he touch you?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°W¡­ Where did he touch you?¡±


    ¡°To say that¡­¡±


    ¡°I-I-I¡¯m asking where he touched you!¡±


    The sudden outburst took me by surprise, but still, I felt happy with the situation.


    Jung Hayan looked more angered than I thought, and she seemed to be mentally shaken.


    ¡°That¡­ My breasts and¡­¡±


    ¡°Waah¡­ Waaaaaaahh¡­ Hic¡­Wahhhhhhhhhhhh¡­¡±


    ¡®This is over.¡¯


    By now, the stupid alchemist may be trying to prove his innocence to the Red Mercenary, but if I make Jung Retard stand by the side, it would be the same as being half sessful.


    ¡°What did ¡­ Hic¡­ oppa say¡­ when he touched you?¡±


    ¡°Can I tell you¡­?¡±


    ¡°T-T¡­ Tell me quickly!!¡±


    ¡°He called me attractive¡­ And, of course, I kept saying no¡­¡±


    ¡°Attractive?¡±


    ¡°Yes. He said that as an instructor¡­ he knows he couldn¡¯t, but he was saying¡­ sniff¡­that he was sexually attracted. Forcing me to kiss him¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°He told me not to tell anyone while he lifted my skirt up, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Down below, too? Hic¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Waa¡­ Waaaaahhh¡­ Hic¡­ Wahhhhhhhhhh¡­¡±


    ¡®She sure cries a lot.¡¯


    Of course, I could understand that it was shocking, but I couldn¡¯t even imagine crying like that with my body wrapped tightly in a nket. I was starting to think she really was deluded.


    Her emotional shock worked in my favor, but not when she would be too busy crying in order to talk to me properly, and that would be bad.


    ¡®She has to testify¡­ Tsk. She¡¯s so annoying.¡¯


    ¡°Waah¡­ Hate¡­ I hate it¡­ Hic!¡±


    ¡°The shock must be great¡­ Instructor Jung Hayan.¡±


    ¡°I-I will kill¡­¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t do that. Even if¡­¡±


    ¡°Hic¡­ Gasp¡­ Waaah¡­ I¡¯m going to k-k-k-kill¡­ I will kill!¡±


    ¡®Crazy bitch. She really is a crazy bitch.¡¯


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be nice to go to the Red Mercenary and exin the situation? T-To go this far, even Jung Hayan-nim would be in trouble. The first step should be to testify¡­ Of course, it doesn¡¯t mean that instructor Lee Kiyoung is not guilty, but if you kill him¡­¡±


    ¡°I-I think I can kill because it¡¯s useless. Only this time¡­ right? I¡¯m only doing it this time. It¡¯ll really be thest¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡±


    ¡°Y-You can¡¯t¡­ you can¡¯t do that! Oppa will get angry. You might be really scolded. This time it¡¯s real. What if he bans ess this time?¡±


    ¡°What¡­ What are you¡­ saying now?¡±


    ¡°But she doesn¡¯t have anything, right? It¡¯s not even helpful to you, like the red-haired and the blind bitch! Oppa didn¡¯t even tell me to be careful! Isn¡¯t this true that he hasn¡¯t told me anything? No! It¡¯s different! This time I might not be going to be s-s-scolded!¡±


    ¡°Instructor¡­¡±


    ¡°Can I do that? Just, just, just this time? Yes¡­ she doesn¡¯t have any talent¡­ Oppa was mistaken this time. He hasn¡¯t even offered to recruit her yet. Yeees! She¡¯s useless!¡±


    ¡°Jung Hayan¡­?¡±


    ¡°Okay! T-T-T-then¡­ Let¡¯s kill it! No¡­You can¡¯t kill it. If you kill, you will be caught by oppa.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    She mmed against the wall.


    ¡°If I just don¡¯t kill¡­ fine! Let¡¯s do it!¡±

 Chapter 213: An Ominous Feeling (5)

    <h4>Chapter 213: An Ominous Feeling (5)</h4>


    It was natural for me to wonder what had happened. I grabbed my hot chest and stepped back, but my body refused to move properly. It was obvious why.


    ¡®Magic? None was cast¡­ Something like this¡­ Is it possible?¡¯


    I¡¯d heard in ss that simple magic could bepleted with no chanting, but I didn¡¯t think it was really possible.


    Perhaps this was an improved version of the trapping magic.


    There were many thoughts in my mind, but none could exin the situation I was in now.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Ah¡­¡±


    As I slowly turned my head, I could see a dark room. This was an eerie atmosphere where no single light could enter.


    As if a magical power upied the said room, it was getting harder and harder to breathe.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Ahhhhhh!¡±


    Without even realizing it, screams continued to pop out of my mouth before I could evenprehend what was happening.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do this! Ahhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°S-Save me¡­ Save me. Help me. Help me. Help me.¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m not killing you. I can¡¯t kill you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯te close! Don¡¯te close!¡±


    ¡°B-B-But I want to. Hehehehehe.¡±


    It was natural to realize what the anxiety I felt at that time was. I wasn¡¯t mistaken, and it wasn¡¯t that she was sick.


    The fear I felt then began to rise to the end of my chin. I couldn¡¯t even feel the pain of having a dagger in my chest.


    In this confined space, I couldn¡¯t even move my body.


    The most terrifying thing was Hayan¡¯s expression as she looked at me. Her lips werepletely twisted, and her eyes strangely looked empty.


    ¡®What to do?¡¯


    I can¡¯t think of anything.


    ¡®What should I do?¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t think of anything else. If I moved a little, I would die. No, dying was not the problem.


    I just wanted to get out of this ce. My body had been trembling so much.


    ¡®He knew.¡¯


    Lee Kiyoung knew that this woman was apletely crazy bitch.


    ¡®That¡¯s why he told me to put on the cloak and go out.¡¯


    He already knew in advance that this would be the result.


    ¡°Instructor Jung Hayan, please do not do this. I have done nothing wrong. I just¡­¡±


    ¡°Eeeeekk!!¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!¡±


    All of a sudden, she stuck something into the back of my hand.


    ¡°This thief! P¡­ Prostitute!¡±


    Pain spread throughout my whole body. It was so frustrating that I couldn¡¯t move my whole body, and I couldn¡¯t even scream properly.


    ¡°Fool! Stupid!¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!¡±


    Tears continued to pour out of my eyes, and I couldn¡¯t figure out what was going on in my body.


    ¡°It hurts! It hurts! Save me. Please¡­ Please save me.¡±


    I was scared of what she was doing because the pain had been transmitted from so many ces simultaneously. When I finally came to my senses, I felt like there was no sensation in one of my eyes, and my limbs weren¡¯t moving properly.


    Obviously, I was going to die here. However, I couldn¡¯t let that happen. I only realized now how to survive. In fact, it could be said that I had realized it for a long time.


    I just didn¡¯t have the right time to speak. I had been busy screaming over and over again.


    ¡°This is a¡­ lie. Nothing¡­ happened¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°No such thing¡­¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    ¡°Happened¡­¡±


    I could barely speak. I felt so numb.


    At this point, the room becamepletely quiet, save for me spitting out blood every now and then.


    ¡°What¡­ did you say?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­a¡­lie. No such thing¡­¡±


    ¡°Lie.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s true¡­ I made up everything up¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°All¡­ made up¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ Save me¡­ please.¡±


    ¡°What? What? R-Really? Yes. I think it really is.¡±


    ¡°Save me¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh my god. What do I do? What do I do? B-by any chance, has anyone seen youing in here?¡±


    It was a voice that seemed a little embarrassed.


    I didn¡¯t know if her anger had subsided a little because of the words I just said, but shepletely sounded different from before.


    As usual, Instructor Jung Hayan was correct. It seemed that my consciousness was gradually fading, but I had no choice but to grasp it straight.


    I knew that answering the question had something to do with survival.


    ¡°Yes¡­ Red Mercenary members¡­ Some of them¡­¡±


    If no one had seen me, she would have no qualms about killing me right off the bat.


    ¡®Damn¡­¡¯


    If I were to think about it, there had been several signs. It was the same as Chang-ryul Oppa¡¯s advice, and most other colleagues told me not to do anything useless.


    Even instructor Lee Kiyoung had sent me a signal. I could remember him looking at me as if I was pathetic. Tears popped out of my other eye.


    ¡°Do not cry.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t¡­ say¡­ anything. Save me.¡±


    ¡°I said I¡¯m not killing you. W-Where is the potion? Consider this a punishment for lying. You can¡¯t think this way, Han Sora! You shouldn¡¯t fool an instructor!¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°H-How can you tell a lie like that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry.¡±


    ¡°But really, w-what should I do? I can¡¯t be caught by Oppa¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­ I¡­ My eyes keep closing¡­¡±


    ¡°Y-You can¡¯t! Die!¡±


    Her attitude was so different from the previous one that I felt confused. After I felt something warm sprinkled all over my body, I passed out.


    I prayed that I at least would wake up somewhere other than in this room.


    * * *


    No matter how much I thought about this¡­


    ¡®She exaggerated too much¡­¡¯


    I thought Jung Hayan would do this right, but I couldn¡¯t imagine that she would do this.


    She seemed to have relieved all of her recently umted stress.


    If Jung Hayan hadn¡¯t gone to Sun Hee-young, Han Sora would be dead, without fail.


    Of course, I did not me Jung Hayan¡¯s actions. It seemed that it wasn¡¯t right topliment her, so I went in the other direction.


    Rather than focusing on what made her wrecked, I was patting her head for punishing a trainee for trying to do something bad.


    As a result, Jung Hayan gradually thought that she had been praised for what she had done.


    When I asked Sun Hee-young to bring her to me with only external wounds healed, she gave me a guilty expression. But when I told her about the problem, she immediately asked for a reward with a triumphant expression.


    I felt a bit disconcerted by her sudden change in attitude. Anyway, I was a little busy, but I had a pretty good time with her.


    In the meantime, the demonstration had passed, and most of the trainees finished their first ss change.


    I, who would be in charge of training for the manufacturing production, also gathered wizards to give alchemy lectures. Blue offered Lee Chang-ryul a higher sry than expected.


    ¡®It¡¯s because he wanted it.¡¯


    They wanted an environment in which they could practice rather than sry or down payment.


    Chang-ryul was not as sh*tty as I had expected him to be. He wanted a narrow room where he could be by himself, as well as a heroic-grade item that he could use as a weapon.


    ¡®What an unusual guy.¡¯


    Of course, everything was going well with Yoo Ahyoung, too.


    Kim Hyunsung did not understand why I wanted to recruit her, but he relented upon my insistence. Though Ahyoung couldn¡¯t be said to be naturally talented, her legendary-grade of stats became better as the days passed.


    It was probably around this time that Han Sora Han woke up and starteding to the sses. Of course, a tremendous aftereffect remained on her body.


    At first, most of her magic power circuit had been broken. In Sun Hee-young¡¯s words, she could only recover after about a year, so her life as a wizard was actually over.


    Of course, it didn¡¯t seem like she couldn¡¯t aim for recovery at all, but the fact that her body was a mess was undeniable. One of her eyes could not recover, and she had developed a limp. The fun part was that she came to listen to an alchemy lecture hosted by me.


    ¡®Thak you¡­ for giving me a chance.¡¯


    ¡®What?¡¯


    ¡®Thank you¡­ for trying to save me¡­ back then.¡¯


    It was annoying to deal with her from my perspective, so I just waved my hand for her to get dressed. But from her point of view, she had epted that I gave her a chance.


    Of course, the results weren¡¯t good, but I didn¡¯t know Han Sora would ept it that way, so I just nodded.


    Absurdly, she was incredibly focused on ss.


    I didn¡¯t know if she wanted to be a full-time alchemist, but she didn¡¯t give up on her life anyway. The most interesting part was that she was being a little harassed by those who always crowded her.


    I couldn¡¯t check it with my own eyes, but it seemed that she had quickly be the weakest in the newly formed group.


    ¡®After all, humans are fun¡­¡¯


    If my memory was correct, it means that the people who followed Han Sora, calling her Eunni, had started tormenting her. All I had seen were themughing at her and calling her a dork, but she probably suffered worse.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t feel any sympathy. It seemed a little pitiful to see them smack her legs while she was wearing a bandage, but her pain didn¡¯t make my heart squeeze.


    Besides that, anyone could see that Han Sora, struggling with a painful life, had shown that she did not want to meet Jung Hayan. When she met her once, she pissed herself.


    ¡®What on Earth did she do?¡¯


    I had to think about that. Perhaps that was not the only painful thing.


    It was natural for her not to receive an offer from any guild as she was not avable at the demonstration due to her long absence. It meant that, at the end of the training period, she had nowhere to go.


    When I lost all interest in her, I immediately focused on finding a backline.


    This was because Kim Hyunsung did not pay much attention to the new recruits this time around, contrary to my guess that he would bring in as many talents as he knew in the future.


    Of course, he sometimes was dubious about his memory, so he slowly looked at the trainees¡¯ faces, but he realized that there was no one he was looking for.


    In short, Blue had not yet used its three other priority bargaining rights.


    Even today, Cha Hee-ra asked me about it.


    ¡°Is it really okay to not kick her out, honey?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°That stupid girl, Han Sora or something.¡±


    ¡°What? It¡¯s alright.¡±


    ¡°Whoa.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. You just seem a little bit more generous. Weren¡¯t you the type to go till the end to chew, bite, taste, and enjoy this kind of thing?¡±


    ¡°It depends on who I¡¯m dealing with. If I had thought about it from the beginning, I would have just killed her. Rather, how much did you pay them forpensation?¡±


    ¡°A hundred gold per person?¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t give much. No, it¡¯ll be a lot from their point of view.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re about to fail anyway, but it¡¯s meaningful that they ran first to me and reported. I don¡¯t think they¡¯re good kids, but they did a good thing. Anyway, that Han Sora, or whatever her name is, is also very pitiful. The ones who call themselves her friends told me all of her ns. I find that funny.¡±


    ¡°From their point of view, they thought it would be more beneficial to appeal to our sides.¡±


    ¡°They asked me if they could join the Red Mercenary as a reward. I wanted to smash their heads, but I held myself back. By the way¡­¡±


    I braced myself for the real conversation.


    ¡°Do you have any ns to use your rights, honey? Other guilds won¡¯t wait, either. I¡¯m trying to block the transfer market as much as possible, but the small and medium-sized ns are soon going to feel furious. How about just recruiting anyone?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ Our Guild Master won¡¯t like that. In the first ce, Blue is aiming for elite recruits¡­¡±


    ¡°My gosh. Every day, it¡¯s all about Kim Hyunsung. You two have something going on between you, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡±


    ¡°Okay, then. Anyway, are you thinking of using it? The ck Swan Leader, Park Yeon-joo, that bitch is raging. She even screamed, asking if we made an alliance.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m also indebted to her. I can give her one. And in our guild, I think I can just open it when the recruitment of Yoo Ahyoung is finished¡­ Oh, and Hee-ra. I¡¯ll just give you the remaining one. But, by any chance¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahn Ki-mo?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°He said he wanted to go to Blue¡­¡±


    ¡°Can he, Hee-ra?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯ll get the money, though. Our guild also invested in that bastard.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ He said something about being loyal and whatever¡­ Ahn Ki-mo, that bastard. Don¡¯t trust him too much. He¡¯s very clever. When he came in, he said that this was his grave, that he¡¯d stay with the Red Mercenaries until he died. And now? He says he wants to go to Blue. I thought he was aedy actor. You have to be aware as to when you¡¯ll get backstabbed. I¡¯m warning you in advance, okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    For some reason, he definitely looked like that type of character.


    Though I had fun during my conversation with Cha Hee-ra, now was the time to move things along.


    As I stood up, she looked up at me inquiringly.


    ¡°Going to the interview, honey?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I have to go see Yoo Ahyoung. I want to recruit this one quickly, but she just won¡¯te to us easily.¡±


    ¡°Originally, big kids are like that.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s sexual harassment, Hee-ra.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say which part of her was big.¡±


    At this, Cha Hee-raughed at me knowingly, which incited my feelings of guilt.


    I was forced to leave the office in a hurry.

 Chapter 214: Gangwon-do’s Dating Expert (1)

    <h4>Chapter 214: Gangwon-do¡¯s Dating Expert (1)</h4>


    There were certain things that one would eventually start to notice if they lived here, even if they did not want to notice them in the first ce. Special treatment was one of those things, and although it wasn¡¯t usually obvious, it was definitely noticeable in this small, confined space.


    The trainees here stood on an almost equal starting line, all except for the attack team. They all received the same training and took the same ss.


    Each one might want different things, but as they could recognize the fact that talented people were getting special treatment, most of them desperately changed as the time for the end of education approached.


    Those who usually didn¡¯t have any thoughts about getting serious also started to get nervous. It would be natural for all trainees to act so desperately with the deadline looming on the horizon.


    ¡®I think I can enter a medium-sized guild, right? Still, I think I¡¯m good enough to get an offer from one of the main guilds in Lindel, right?¡¯


    Vague thoughts such as these would begin to revolve around every person¡¯s mind.


    Contrary to what they thought they needed to live enough, they began to realize that they had nowhere to go. In the midst of that, the attack team, or those who at least had potential, became envied by everyone after getting offers from guilds as an early admission.


    Those who remained started to get a little more impatient, but there was no way that those without talent could show anything in such a short period.


    The possibility of joining a middle-sized guild, getting good grades, or receiving offers from any guild would soon be evident during this short period.


    Someone was already expected to walk the path of sess, while others would take the path of failure.


    The problem is all of these people used the same ssroom, the same restaurant, and the same amodation. The invisible stratum was formed.


    The cases of the maids and servants who were sucking up Han So-ra began to spring up everywhere. In a society where there was nothing, the number of people trying to somehow grab onto the string of opportunity increased.


    For a while, the nominees who joined the group felt what life was like in the upper ss. Of course, everyone was careful with each action they made.


    ¡®It¡¯s because it¡¯s awork.¡¯


    This wasn¡¯t a bad thing. If some of these people were to go out into society, they would meet all kinds of people anyway, so making connections now would prove to be quite beneficial.


    The problem was the opposite case¡ªpeople who were destined to stay at the bottom. It was better to be indifferent to them.


    However, some of these individuals were pretty rxed. They were neither the nominees who joined the group nor talented. They were the ones ambiguously standing somewhere in the middle, tormenting those who seemed to be weak, and with it, consoled themselves day by day, feeling superior that their situation was better than those they tortured.


    Simply put, Han Sora was facing such a situation now. In just one day, she became someone everyone either adored or envied, to someone everyone mocked because she had be magically disabled.


    ¡®There is also the opposite case.¡¯


    If Han Sora was the person who fell from the top, it was obviously the opposite for Yoo Ahyoung. Of course, it wasn¡¯t that she worked hard. She was the type of human being who could jump up without doing it.


    When I first entered ss, I had praised her potential. And because of that, she seemed to be secretly hated, but her true value was revealed as time passed. Most of the trainees who hated her began to act as loyalists. The evaluation and grades as a close-quarters ss at the bottom were from the lowest to the best. When rumors that she had been offered to join the Blue became official, she became a beacon for all the garbage trainees.


    When I saw Yoo Ahyoung talking with Park Deokgu, I certainly realized how unfair the world really was.


    ¡°Ahem¡­ I mean. Our guild¡¯s support is very good¡­ I wasn¡¯t a big deal in the past, too. I changedpletely since I entered Blue. So¡­ We¡¯ll do everything we can for you.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Okay.¡±


    ¡°If you want to change your life, go to Blue! I¡¯m sure of it! You probably already heard it, Yoo Ahyoung-ssi. Although it hasn¡¯t been officially announced yet, the Blue Guild Master Hyung-ssi and our Hyung-nim are assigned to a seat at the Eight Seats of the Empire, and our Hayan is very good with magic! If you see it, your jaw will drop.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°The kid Ye-ri is so fast that when she moves, she disappears, and there¡¯s also Cho Hyejin, who is really good at handling with spears¡­ And! Mage schr Jeong-yeon is really smart. Probably as smart as Hyung-nim. She hardly ever forgets what she saw once, and her administration work is amazing! Our Sun Hee-young¡¯s a little scary, but when you see her sprinkling divine power, your jaw will drop as well.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°The way they all fight is so incredible! Some of them just go toink-toink-toink, some of them go bang-bang! That kid Ye-ri is good with a bow, too, so she just shoots it very fast everywhere. But in the meantime, if monsterse in, Cho Hye-jin¡¯s spear attacks them with tease! Like this! It moves like this, just like a snake!¡±


    ¡°Pfft.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even have the chance to do anything, because it all gets cleared in no time! And there¡¯s about the other time, too¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Oh, first, get another drink. Eat the meat, too! Isn¡¯t the trainee¡¯s food a little too poor?¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s better than I think. The amodation is also good.¡±


    ¡®Deokgu! You¡¯re doing good!¡¯


    When I saw Yoo Ahyoungughing, I had to realize that my thoughts were correct.


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    Interviews with Kim Hyunsung had already been conducted several times.


    She even had an interview with me. Of course, it had been a long time ago when the guild¡¯s catalog had been distributed, and there was a time when I thought the money wasn¡¯t good enough, so I kept raising the sry and the down payment.


    There was also a time when Kim Hyunsung approached her first to be friends, but his social skill level was not so high, so it would be impossible to convince her.


    I also tried quite a bit to suck up to Yoo Ahyoung, but I thought it was impossible to get closer to her, as she always seemed wary of me.


    I sent Park Deokgu just in case a few days ago, and it was finally starting to produce results.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know what she¡¯s thinking.¡¯


    I bet Park Deokgu was way friendlier than I am. When I remembered how quickly he became close to her at their first meal, I had to nod once again.


    ¡°It looks like you are really close to each other.¡±


    ¡°Ah! Of course. Didn¡¯t you say itst time, too? Of course, I¡¯m close to everyone else. But what can I say about Hyung-nim, me, and Hyunsung-ssi? The close bond that has been passed was maintained since the tutorial. The unspeakable passionate friendship of men! Something like that! Now I think I can see what Hyung-nim and Hyung-ssi are thinking even when I close my eyes!¡±


    That must just be his illusion.


    ¡°Speaking of the tutorial, I remembered something¡­ At that time, Hyung-nim¡­ there¡¯s a crash! After hitting the monster¡¯s head with a stone¡­ He said, ¡®Deokgu, if I can¡­ You can do better.¡¯ Wow! That gave me courage in the dungeon. Originally, I was trembling because I was scared, but I got courage!¡±


    ¡®How many times has he told this story?¡¯


    One downside was that it would make me a little embarrassed, but I could bear it.


    ¡°You told that storyst time, Deokgu Oppa.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Still, it¡¯s a story that makes me feel good every time I listen to it. I feel that you are really close.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha. We are a little bit, actually. Of course, the rtionship between Deokgu, Hayan, and Hyunsung, who have met in the tutorial dungeon, is also valuable. But our Blue Guild is the best because it has a family-like atmosphere. I have a good rtionship with other guild members, too.¡±


    ¡°Ah! I see.¡±


    ¡°Yes. In fact, everyone is close to each other like family.¡±


    ¡°Not only close like a family! Hyung-nim and Hayan can soon be a real family.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ As expected, they were dating each other, right? I heard something about it, but I wasn¡¯t sure, so I was just thinking¡­¡±


    ¡°For¡­now, it is.¡±


    ¡°And it¡¯s the Gangwon-do¡¯s dating expert, Park Deokgu, that connected the two!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying that I was a bridge between them and yed a decisive role. Hayan was a little timid, so I just gave her a little push. Ahem.¡±


    ¡°Gangwon-do¡¯s love doctor? So, did you two meet in the tutorial and started dating?¡±


    ¡°Yes. That definitely happened.¡±


    She looked like she was finding this interesting.


    ¡®Is she interested in this kind of thing?¡¯


    I thought maybe it could be. Although time had passed by without anyone noticing, it was natural that she, who was still in her early twenties, would be interested in such love stories.


    I opened my mouth to speak, but Park Deokgu cut me off.


    ¡°That¡­ Actually, Hayan is a genius, but! Ahem! When she was in the tutorial dungeon, there were some bad times. I don¡¯t know in detail, but other people just hated her¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying that bad people bullied her. At that time, in our tutorial dungeon, Hyung-nim was gathering and protecting the survivors¡­ Anyway, they gave just a little bit of the distributed food to her on purpose! These rotten bastards!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to say this, but there was this guy! He was trying to do something to her! No, this story is a bit delicate. Anyway, Hayan couldn¡¯t say anything, but it must have been very hard at the time.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°At that time, it was our Kiyoung Hyung-nim who appeared like a hero.¡±


    My face turned red.


    ¡®So embarrassing.¡¯


    But it wasn¡¯t so bad. I could see Yoo Ahyoung ncing at me and nodding.


    ¡°At that time, Kiyoung Hyung-nim started to take care of Hayan. Of course, up to this point, Hyung-nim said that he took care of Hayan because he remembered his younger sister¡­ But a human¡¯s heart doesn¡¯t work the way we want it to. Since she liked him so much, I gave her some advice¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°At the time, there was no one who didn¡¯t know about Park Deokgu, a dating expert in Gangwon-do. Ahem¡­ It wasn¡¯t a big deal. It gets too long to talk about in detail, but anyway, I gave her a lot of advice, and they suddenly got close. Anyone who gets into the hands of a Gangwon-do¡¯s dating expert is sessful!¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°But, in the end, it is because of these two people that their love blossomed. Hayan took courage, and Hyung-nim ended up liking her. The fact that their love ended beautifully is because of the role they yed, not mine. I only helped.¡±


    ¡®This bastard¡­¡¯


    As he looked at me and raised his thumb, I felt like shaking my head at him, but at least Yoo Ahyoung¡¯s reaction wasn¡¯t a negative one. She even looked impressed.


    It was then that she spoke.


    ¡°Er¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s okay, can I get a consultation from you, too?¡±


    Of course, that had beenpletely unexpected.

 Chapter 215: Gangwon-do’s Dating Expert (2)

    <h4>Chapter 215: Gangwon-do¡¯s Dating Expert (2)</h4>


    ¡°Of course! When ites to dating, Park Deokgu is the best, right?¡±


    Unlike me, whose cheeks were red, Park Deokgu busied himself with boasting. I wasn¡¯t sure if he really was Gangwon-do¡¯s dating expert, but it seemed that he couldn¡¯t hide his joy upon learning someone wanted to apply for a consultation after a long time.


    ¡®Who is it?¡¯


    Though I felt exhausted, I was also curious.


    ¡®Is it Kim Hyunsung?¡¯


    It was not impossible.


    Unlike Deokgu and I, our lovely returner was not only a typical good-looking guy, but he also had the desired manners. If I were a woman, I would be chasing him, too. He was sessful, so it was obvious for him to put up iron walls around him to prevent girls from approaching.


    ¡®Or is it one of the trainees?¡¯


    I thought there was no reason to keep postponing our guild¡¯s proposal, assuming that the one she liked was among the trainees. All I had to do was wait for her answer.


    Since she is not asking me to leave, I suppose it didn¡¯t matter if I heard it.


    ¡°So.¡±


    ¡°Well, tell me openly.¡±


    ¡°Err¡­¡±


    ¡°Anything is fine.¡±


    Ahyoung hesitated before speaking once more.


    ¡°The fact is¡­ I have someone I¡¯m going out with.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I, like Instructor Lee Kiyoung and Instructor Jung Hayan, in the tutorial dungeon¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡±


    I felt surprised at the fact that she already had a beau. However, I wasn¡¯t surprised.


    If you were a man, you couldn¡¯t possibly dislike a woman like this. Although her personality is fine, her appearance was the one that proved to be overwhelming.


    The face was a little ordinary, but the legendary chest¡¯s majesty covered all the cons.


    It should be the same now, but there must have been people trying to do something to her in the tutorial dungeon.


    ¡°Then, aren¡¯t you two already dating? I don¡¯t think you need much help¡­¡±


    I couldn¡¯t even imagine that Yoo Ahyoung would have a boyfriend on campus. Obviously, I remember that she was always alone at first. Though I hadn¡¯t been interested in the other recruits, I paid quite a bit of attention to her.


    It might sound like I was a stalker, but it was to figure out what kind of person she was, and in fact, I was able to empathize with the situation she was in.


    ¡®I haven¡¯t seen her recently, but¡­¡¯


    I haven¡¯t seen anyone I could call her boyfriend.


    She didn¡¯t have any friends to talk to, and she was always alone. The only people that talked to her until she achieved some results were only gangster-like bullies.


    However, for some reason, there was a situation that I can predict.


    ¡°No. The situation is a littleplicated now.¡±


    ¡°Ahem. I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t y the role of cupid of love, but counseling is still counseling. Well, aren¡¯t you worried about your rtionship? Then, here is Park Deokgu!¡±


    ¡°Yes. As I said before, Oppa and I met in the tutorial dungeon. He identally rescued me from being almost hit by a monster. We didn¡¯t ask one another to go out, and as the situation was, we didn¡¯t have time to do something like lovers¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmmm¡­ Yes. Hyung-nim and Hayan were the same.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ Did you say that the Blue Guild Master Kim Hyunsung saved the survivors?¡±


    ¡°Yep. He is great.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t like that, but Oppa did something simr. He saved the survivors as far as he could, and he did not hesitate to go on dangerous paths with others to get food¡­ Maybe because of us, he couldn¡¯t participate in the strategy. He wasn¡¯t on the attack team, but he changed his ss in the tutorial dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Wow!¡±


    ¡°Anyway, the important thing is that I liked him, and he liked me, too.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s so exciting.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to tell everything that happened in the dungeon, but¡­ Ah! What else happened¡­¡±


    I wanted to listen a little more, but the dramatic pauses were driving me crazy. When it appeared that no one was going to speak up anytime soon, I took matters into my own hands.


    ¡°I have a question. May I ask it to you, Trainee Yoo Ahyoung?¡±


    ¡°Ah! Yes.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a little rude, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen you go around with your boyfriend. Of course, I understand that because of ss, yet you always seem to be alone every time¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhhh¡­ Actually, when we came out of the tutorial dungeon and just started getting the education, Oppa asked me to keep a little distance. I understand it because it was a time when we had to focus more on training. It was a little lonely, but¡­¡±


    ¡®I knew it.¡¯


    [Checking the unique characteristic of the yer Yoo Ahyoung.]


    [Rich Heart]


    ¡®You got conned¡­¡¯


    I was now able to put the pieces together.


    He had only stayed with her back then because he had nothing left to lean on. However, once he found a possible path he could take, he dumped her.


    ¡®A sh*tty person like me can understand this. He¡¯s definitely a Lee Kiyoung-inspired bastard.¡¯


    There must¡¯ve been a reason for him to hang around with Yoo Ahyoung in the tutorial dungeon.


    In short, he may have needed someone to release his sexual desire, or he may have needed someone to die for himself or someone to sacrifice in case of an emergency.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like we got the seven-year itch yet. Oppa is just a bit cold-hearted¡­ Still, he¡¯s a warm person inside.¡±


    In other words, she was the one who had gotten abandoned. The reason she survived the tutorial dungeon was that she had gotten lucky. If there had been an opportunity for her to be abandoned, she would definitely have been.


    What came after was also obvious. Afterpleting the first ss change and leaving the tutorial dungeon, he must have realized that he was quite talented¡­ The existence of this woman, who was holding him back, must have bothered him.


    In the eyes of a guy who couldn¡¯t see her talent, he would have thought that the only advantage of this woman was her big chest. Of course, it wouldn¡¯t take long before he realized that the insurance he was carrying was a gem.


    Now would be the right time for him to change his attitude.


    ¡°Since education is almost over now. Oppa came back to me as before. He hasn¡¯t received an offer from a guild yet, but he will definitely be taken by other ns and guilds. What I¡¯m worried about¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe the guy who is your boyfriend said he wanted to join the same guild. Or he probably asked you to ask us if he could get in the Blue to be together with you.¡±


    ¡°Huh. How did you know?¡±


    It was too obvious.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I felt that way for some reason.¡±


    ¡°Instructor Lee Kiyoung is right. It may feel a little insignificant, but it¡¯s an important issue for me¡­ Actually, it¡¯s the first time someone has expected something from me. The reason I was able to work hard was all because of what the instructor said¡­ Also, I want toply with what the instructor said, but I feel kind of guilty because of him.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me to bring him together with you?¡±


    ¡°Because I know it¡¯s a nuisance.¡±


    ¡®Ah, she¡¯s nice.¡¯


    If she had asked me with no worries, perhaps I could have done something. She deserved to be treated, after all. However, she didn¡¯t because she knew it would be a nuisance for us.


    ¡®The guy who conned her¡­ Should I take him in?¡¯


    That guy¡¯s personality seemed like trash, but he could be used once the contract was sessful.


    Even if I didn¡¯t use him as a party member, he could still be useful in other things, and it was not a bad deal to be able to save talent in exchange for taking in one piece of trash, as long as he didn¡¯t get too cocky and ask for a boost to raise his sry.


    It may be annoying to have someone who could control a person like Yoo Ahyoung, but it would, in turn, be easy to control him with the power I currently held.


    If I did not feel satisfied with him, I could just kill him¡­


    ¡®I can just give him some gold.¡¯


    Of course, I could provide some love counseling to Ahyoung. That would be a simpler method.


    If not¡­


    ¡®Is it better to just drop him?¡¯


    Ahyoung looked like a pushover. It looked like she would give him everything with a little bit of sweet talk, so perhaps it was okay to do the work.


    As I tried to organize my thoughts, Deokgu took a deep breath.


    ¡°Hyung-nim, I have to say something.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to say this, Ahyoung-ssi, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s better for you to break up.¡±


    At this, Ahyoung looked a little disconcerted. It was also strange to see Deokgu looking so serious.


    The girl¡¯s reaction was natural. She must¡¯ve thought Deokgu was rude to suggest such a thing.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen him, and I don¡¯t know his face, but he honestly doesn¡¯t seem to be a good person.¡±


    ¡®He¡¯s too direct¡­¡¯


    Speaking carefully here would¡¯ve been the better option. Park Deokgu was too direct.


    ¡®Gangwon-do Dating Expert King Deokgu, my ass.¡¯


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°As a messenger of love, it hurts not to bless you two, but Ahyoung is worth more than him. I¡¯m not saying this because I¡¯m in the Blue Guild. Honestly, if it were Hyung-nim, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem to bring that person to the guild with Ahyoung. Isn¡¯t it? Hyung-nim?¡±


    ¡°Well, yes.¡±


    ¡°Of course, there are vacancies in our guild¡¯s T.O! Can you call him a man when, instead of supporting and cheering for the person he loves, he holds you back and wants to be carried by you? To tell you to keep some distance just as soon as you got out of the dungeon, he¡¯s someone petty and shamefully dirty. Who can guarantee that he didn¡¯te back because Ahyoung is doing well?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    All of a sudden, this bastard had be sharp.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s a little abrupt, but I¡¯ll tell you an old story. In the past, there was an aunt named Oh Young-hee in our neighborhood. It is assumed that her husband met another woman and ran away to Seoul, leaving her with a less than a three-month-old baby. When I was just a high school student, aunt Young-hee¡¯s restaurant was doing pretty good, so she put out the 2nd and 3rd stores in other areas¡­ The cheating husband came back and asked her to take him in.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°In the end, since that aunt had a daughter, she was forced to ept him. After she died of a sickness, he returned to the woman he ran away with and spent a lot of aunt¡¯s money. There are many bad people in the world. It¡¯s because Ahyoung seems to be too nice¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, I haven¡¯t lived long enough to give this advice. I¡¯m not a fuddy-duddy that is telling you this for you to obey. I¡¯m not saying this because I¡¯m in a higher position either, but¡­ Ah! Aren¡¯t we friends now since we had a drink? I¡¯m speaking as a friend. This is something Ahyoung has to choose. Please think carefully about whether that guy is really the person that Ahyoung thinks.¡±


    ¡®Why is this bastard doing this suddenly?¡¯


    ¡°If he¡¯s not that kind of guy, then Park Deokgu, the messenger of love, will support you with all my utmost power.¡±


    Park Deokgu¡¯s response was heavy, but it was not bad overall. I could tell that Yoo Ahyoung knew how genuine Deokgu¡¯s words were. She probably understood that this was not bait to try and get her to join Blue.


    There was a tense pause, and, as Ahyoung¡¯s expression worsened, I could tell she hade to a decision.


    If that guy treated Yoo Ahyoung sincerely, she had nothing to be anxious about, but I could be 100% sure that he was trash.


    ¡°I¡­ I do not know.¡±


    Though her response had been this, her expression looked sad. She must¡¯ve remembered some bad memories of him.


    ¡°W-What if what Deokgu Oppa said¡­ is correct¡­ W-What should I do? What should I do?¡±


    Park Deokgu nced toward me before speaking up once more.


    ¡°Well, Hyung-nim will get revenge for you!¡±


    Once again, this bastard reminded me of how annoying he really was.

 Chapter 216: Cute Revenge (1)

    <h4>Chapter 216: Cute Revenge (1)</h4>


    Each person valued different things. In my case, I valued survival.


    I thought getting on Kim Hyunsung¡¯s bus was my top priority, and I moved desperately to survive with myck of talent. I threw the dice and visited Cha Hee-ra, risking my life, and even had to beat a crazy old man who didn¡¯t have the right disposition.


    I knew that I shouldn¡¯t belittle other people, and I knew that I shouldn¡¯t ignore the different values ??each of us had, but honestly, Yoo Ahyoung¡¯s worries didn¡¯t really touch me.


    ¡®I understand, but¡­¡¯


    Of course, I could understand. She was now in her early twenties.


    She needed a safe ce to put her mind since she was risking her life all the time in a ce where there were all kinds of monsters. It certainly had merit.


    First of all, the promise of being lovers contributed to each other¡¯s mental stability.


    I couldn¡¯t understand all of Yoo Ahyoung¡¯s thoughts, but perhaps the reason she was able to withstand the tutorial dungeon was that there was someone who she could mentally depend on.


    ¡®In my case, is it possible to project it onto Kim Hyunsung?¡¯


    I could also remember the stability I felt from our warm returner. It may be a little different from Yoo Ahyoung, but if I were to think about struggling not to fall off of Kim Hyunsung¡­


    ¡®Now I can understand¡­¡¯


    Things had just gotten a lot more interesting.


    If a third party realized that Kim Hyunsung was a returner and that third party tried to take Kim Hyunsung from me, I would go crazy.


    As I nced at my side, I could see Yoo Ahyoung looking nervous.


    ¡°Are you really okay with this?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m a little sorry for Oppa, but¡­ Listening to Deokgu Oppa, there are a few things that bother me. I want to check it with my own eyes.¡±


    ¡°You may be a little shocked¡­¡±


    ¡°I can bear it. Would I not be seeing his true nature? And the conversation will be inaudible to other people, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m sure of it. Of course, it won¡¯t work for those sensitive to magic or warriors with acute senses, but this is a training center. At best, only the instructors will be able to see or hear us. The attack team won¡¯t be able to see it, too.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s incredible¡ªthis thing called magic. You can even make your body transparent. No, in this case, isn¡¯t the Instructor Jung Hayan the best one at this sort of thing?¡±


    ¡°No one else can handle this kind of magic so perfectly.¡±


    In addition to attack magic, if there were another kind of magic that Jung Hayan could do well, it would, of course, be stalking magic.


    Jung Hayan was a specialist who had unrivaled authority in such types of magic as location tracking, invisibility, and sleep magic. She was so good that even Magic Guild said that we should open up a school in honor of her.


    ¡®She must have even developed magic that I did not know about.¡¯


    It was just a hypothesis, but considering that she was even checking my heartbeat, it was a probable story.


    ¡°Anyway, it would be better to wait. Let¡¯s wait while chatting.¡±


    ¡°Do you think he wille?¡±


    ¡°Trainee Yoo Ahyoung should hope for that person not toe.¡±


    It was already not a good thing toe to an empty ssroom after the ss was over.


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    As the prospect of giving up made itself known to me, the door of the lecture room opened.


    However, the people that came in were not who I expected them to be.


    These people looked familiar, and soon, I began to realize who they were.


    ¡®Han Sora¡¯s maids.¡¯


    Of course, they were now ying a leading role in harassing Han Sora.


    They held Han Sora herself, wearing bandages around her arms and legs and wearing an eye band.


    ¡®Oh, my¡­¡¯


    I didn¡¯t activate the invisibility magic to see this kind of thing, but I felt worried about being a witness to such an event, all the same.


    ¡®Yoo Ahyoung can¡¯t know about that¡­¡¯


    Externally, it was said that Han Sora inadvertently entered into Jung Hayan¡¯s magicboratory and had an ident. Of course, I could have said she was punished for trying to do something with me, but seeing how Han Sora looked now; there was no way I could announce that.


    ¡®Since she was talking about sexual harassment or something, I gave her a lesson!¡¯


    Of course, the innocent Jung Hayan was disqualified as an instructor for careless management of the magicboratory.


    Han Sora, a thief who tried to steal Jung Hayan¡¯s magic with a small amount of constion money, will not be charged for trespassing on Jung Hayan¡¯sboratory, showing the broad generosity of Blue to the trainees.


    There was still a little time left, so it didn¡¯t matter if they came in here, but if she heard that maid 1, maid 2, and maid 3 were talking about the sexual harassment case, it would get awkward.


    ¡®Since they received 100 gold each, they wouldn¡¯t talk.¡¯


    However, it didn¡¯t feel nice seeing them up to no good.


    When Han Sora was pushed away, she staggered and hit the corner at the end of the ssroom.


    This, of course, elicited giggles from the three other girls.


    ¡°You look good. You pretended to be a queen, and now you¡¯repletely disabled, Han Sora-ssi. Pfft.¡±


    ¡°I knew it since you were walking around so cockily. Instructor Lee Kiyoung was right. Originally, the kids that pretend the most are the first to get fucked.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Look at her expression. Look at her expression.¡±


    ¡°Let your expression loose, bitch.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you don¡¯t like us. How could you be happy? The maids who used to suck up to you are now looking down at you. It would be annoying enough, right? Inside, you must be cursing us a lot. But, Sora-ssi, it¡¯s time to know your ce now!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    It was a little embarrassing to see the maids beating Han Sora. Of course, I knew she was being bullied, but I didn¡¯t expect it to be this severe.


    ¡°Hey. Don¡¯t hit her too hard.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. No one will notice. You just need to hit around the area with the bandages.¡±


    ¡°No, she can¡¯t die like that. She¡¯s not in good condition. She can¡¯t even walk¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Originally, these strong bitches have an extra physical strength to be beaten up.¡±


    ¡°She won¡¯t even scream. She¡¯s really strong. Hey, Sora Eunni. Please talk. Yeah? Haven¡¯t you thought we¡¯d be more upset if youe out this way?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey. Bring me that.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Okay.¡±


    Of course, I knew why they were acting this way.


    ¡®It¡¯s because of their sense of inferiority.¡¯


    Unfortunately, all four were students in my alchemy ss. In Han Sora¡¯s case, if the magic circuit was smashed and she was forced to choose alchemy, the other three students would be in a position toplete the alchemy course with no choice.


    The interesting part was that Han Sora had the best grades among them.


    In the first ce, she was smart, she was quick to understand, and when I saw her desperate focus, I think this result was inevitable.


    ¡®She is strong.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t say that she was talented, but she was definitely desperate. Perhaps these girls weren¡¯t happy about this fact.


    Yoo Ahyoung spoke to me nervously, yet I shook my head.


    ¡°S-Shouldn¡¯t we stop them? Instructor Lee Kiyoung?¡±


    ¡°No. Let¡¯s wait and see. Of course, the three trainees will be disciplined, and we¡¯ll take different measures with Han Sorater. It¡¯s not a good thing to be found out that we were hiding here with invisibility magic.¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    ¡°There are things I want to check personally¡­¡±


    ¡°What? What did you say?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    Our voices did not reach Han Sora and the other wenches, anyway.


    It was hard to understand why we were whispering, but I had to focus on the situation happening in front of me for now. It was because I saw one of the maids was carrying a bag.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this something you saw a lot? Sora Eunni?¡±


    ¡°Give¡­ Give it to me.¡±


    ¡°Our Sora Eunni has finally opened her mouth wide. Pfft. Why? You ignored this so much, and now it has be precious?¡±


    ¡®Wow¡­ These are real demons¡­¡¯


    One of the maids brought out a personal alchemy kit. It was a cheap alchemy kit distributed to students for practice.


    ¡°I said, give it to me!¡±


    Han Sora, who had not resisted until now, lifted her body and rushed to them, but there was no way she could take the object from the hands of those who could move normally. I felt bad for her.


    ¡°I said¡­ give it to me!¡±


    ¡°Your impression of her is damn funny! Pu-ha-ha-ha!¡±


    ¡°I told you to give it to me!¡±


    ¡°I told you to give it to meee! I don¡¯t want to. I¡¯m not giving you. Hey, take it!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    They then began to pass each other the kit, making a game out of it until Han Sora finally managed to snag it for herself. Of course, this only resulted in the others grabbing onto her.


    As she refused to let go of the kit, I could tell she was quite strong.


    ¡°Our Sora Eunni is really strong. Hey, let¡¯s destroy that.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Really? It¡¯s a fixture that came out for practice.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. She will do it by herself. Whether she gets another one or not, that¡¯s her responsibility, and it¡¯s not our concern. She will have broken it because she was careless.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t do what? Sora Eunni, are you telling me not to break this? But I want to, what should I do? You once said that it was trash from manufacturing workers, but now you are hugging it as if it were a treasure. Hey, grab it!¡±


    ¡°I told you not to. Sorry. I was wrong.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s toote to apologize, Sora. Pfft.¡±


    I bet those three were born with qualities that would make them great viins in the future. The whole situation felt so ridiculous that I couldn¡¯t help but let out augh.


    As the three girls tried to smash the kit, Han Sora did her best to protect it from further harm. It was like seeing Park Deokgu protect me with all he had. However¡­


    ¡®There¡¯s no way she can block it.¡¯


    Eventually, two of them caught Han Sora directly, and the other started to step on the alchemy kit with excitement palpable in her actions. The kit broke easily, seeing as it was cheap.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do it! I told you not to! You!¡±


    ¡°Nope? Nope? Pfft¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t do it, I was wrong!¡±


    ¡°No? Hey. Sora Eunni is crying.¡±


    ¡°Sniff¡­ Don¡¯t do it¡­¡±


    Looking at Han Sora, who was now crying while grabbing the broken bag, the girls slowly calmed down. Eventually, they all turned around.


    ¡°It should have been that way from the beginning, Sora. Now you know your ce, right? Stop being cocky. Pretending to work hard and gettingpassion is disgusting¡­ Let¡¯s go, girls.¡±


    ¡°Oh. It¡¯s already thiste. Sora Eunni, we¡¯ll be going now.¡±


    ¡°Pooey! Get off to Asgard! You one-eyed Odin-bitch!¡±


    ¡°Pu-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha. She said Odin!¡±


    Of course, Han Sora did not follow them. After checking the inside of the bag, she cried even more, which made my heart squeeze.


    ¡°Waaaahhh¡­¡±


    It was then that the door of the ssroom once again opened. Yoo Ahyoung¡¯s eyes widened.


    The next batch of tormentors hade in.

 Chapter 217: Cute Revenge (2)

    <h4>Chapter 217: Cute Revenge (2)</h4>


    ¡®Tsk.¡¯


    The next batch turned out to be a tall and handsome guy. Of course, he was not alone.


    Attached next to him was quite a pretty woman.


    [Checking the status window and talent levels of the yer Kim Ki-cheol.]


    [Name: Kim Ki-cheol]


    [Title: None. You should try a little more.]


    [Age: 25]


    [Disposition: Selfish Optimist]


    [ss: Warrior]


    [Stats]


    [Strength: 18/Growth potential: Rare or higher]


    [Agility: 18/Growth potential: Rare or higher]


    [Stamina: 18/Growth potential: Rare or lower]


    [Intelligence: 18/Growth potential: Rare or lower]


    [Endurance: 18/Growth potential: Rare or higher]


    [Luck: 18/Growth potential: Rare or higher]


    [Magic Power: 08/Growth potential: Rare or higher]


    [Overall: He just has ordinary talent levels and stats. Uninteresting piece of trash. 3333/3333.]


    I couldn¡¯t see anything unusual about him at all.


    One thing I could confirm was that he was an optimist like Yoo Ahyoung.


    Of course, Yoo Ahyoung had ¡®timidity,¡¯ and he had ¡®selfish,¡¯ but I thought that there were some parts that both matched quite well. Anyway, it would be natural for the two sudden guests to open the door and look surprised, seeing as they were not expecting anyone to be here at this time.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°What do we do, Oppa? Should wee next time?¡±


    ¡°Who knows when an opportunity wille again? We don¡¯t have time anymore, but this is the only ssroom where instructors don¡¯t go around.¡±


    ¡°We can do itter.¡±


    ¡°But I don¡¯t want to. I want to be with you now. Excuse me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but if you¡¯re not using this ce¡­ Can we use it?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Of course, there was no way that Han Sora could reject their proposal. Seeing her head out was like seeing a puppy head off into the rain.


    ¡®What a pity.¡¯


    Of course, many people were more pitiful than Han Sora in Lindel, but watching an event like this firsthand stabbed my conscience. She was the one who started this whole thing, but she was still human, and I was capable of feeling sympathetic.


    ¡°What? She didn¡¯t even answer. Why does she look like that? Do you know her?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s Han Sora.¡±


    ¡°Han Sora?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The kid who was in the attack team.¡±


    ¡°Really? Are you talking about that wizard Hanso? Ki-cheol Oppa?¡±


    ¡°Why are you so oblivious to the news?¡±


    ¡°Should I be scolded for not knowing that? I just wasn¡¯t interested.¡±


    ¡°She got caught while robbing an instructor¡¯sb. I heard that she was greedy¡­ Well, she didn¡¯t have luck. They said that the instructor Jung Hayan was away for a while, and she identally touched what she was experimenting with, and it exploded.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the result of a genius wizard¡¯s research, so it¡¯s natural to want to steal it, but karma apparently exists. Thanks to that, many of the wizards resent her. Many people thought that the lecture of instructor Jung Hayan was a little bit difficult to understand, but it was definitely helpful. I also learned how to use magic power because of instructor Jung Hayan.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh¡­ So that¡¯s what it was.¡±


    ¡°Han Sora is the wrong one, but it¡¯s sad for me, having Instructor Jung Hayan disqualified. I should have gotten a little closer with her¡­¡±


    ¡°Is that because you want to get into Blue?¡±


    ¡°It has not been confirmed yet, but it¡¯s good to have some connections. This is already a society. Rather than spending time stupidly, there is nothing wrong with getting close to each instructor.¡±


    ¡°Is that why you are being nice to me?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ do you want to know?¡±


    ¡°Save it. Thanks to Oppa, I¡¯m getting benefits, too.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I like you.¡±


    As I averted my gaze, I saw Yoo Ahyoung trembling. Naturally, I cringed. However, Yoo Ahyoung next to me was not Jung Hayan. She wouldn¡¯t go berserk.


    It appeared to me that this wasn¡¯t the first time these two had gotten intimate.


    ¡®Tsk, tsk.¡¯


    [Checking the unique characteristic of the yer Kim Ki-cheol]


    [Horny fox]


    When I checked the unique characteristic, a very predictable characteristic came out.


    ¡®Ah, then he definitely likes women.¡¯


    I began to like him even less. Though he was doing what he could to assure his position, he had no substance to him whatsoever. Guys like him never became sessful.


    ¡°By the way, you have a girlfriend¡­ Is it okay to do this?¡±


    ¡°You ask that every day.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because this turns me on a little more. Isn¡¯t it the same for you?¡±


    ¡°A little bit.¡±


    ¡°You have to be good to Yoo Ahyoung so that you can go to Blue.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m already in. Or I can go to another guild¡­ Who would have known that the woman that I threw away would be a gem? The fact that I hung around with her in the tutorial is good.¡±


    ¡°But if it were me, I would be a little more careful. Of course, it¡¯s not bad for me to do this with Oppa, but¡­ Are you not nervous? Although the cow looks to be quite slow¡­ Just settle down. She has a nice body.¡±


    ¡°It has nothing to do with her body. She¡¯s not much fun. It¡¯s the kind that¡¯s okay to be married with, but not to date. You know what I mean?¡±


    ¡°Then, what about dating?¡±


    ¡°Is that what you want to hear? Of course, I have to date you.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Seeing them start to make out made me feel sick. Of course, what I felt couldn¡¯t even bepared to what Yoo Ahyoung was feeling.


    The more intimate they got, the more she trembled. She reached out to take my hand.


    Tears continued to pour out of her eyes.


    ¡®Even Han Sora¡­¡¯


    Today, I saw two women cry, which, for some reason, incited my feelings of guilt.


    ¡°Shall we leave?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I think it would be better to leave.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°No good woulde from staying here.¡±


    They might be surprised to see the ssroom door open by itself, but that was not something I cared about.


    Meanwhile, Ahyoung¡¯s emotions only worsened.


    I knew it would only be right tofort her. When I patted her shoulder, I was tightly hugged.


    ¡®I knew it.¡¯


    ¡°Waaaaahh¡­ Gasp¡­¡±


    Of course, I started to resent Park Deokgu.


    ¡°Waaahhh¡­ Waaah¡­¡±


    It seems as if she trusted him more than I thought. Due to the tutorial dungeon¡¯s nature, this was a natural and inevitable result.


    It was hard to sympathize with her because I had never been backstabbed like that, but I could tell just how much hurt she was feeling.


    She calmed down after a while.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    She was still sniffing, but it was much better than before.


    Her eyes were swollen, and her face was buried in my chest as if she couldn¡¯t calm down, but she eventually nodded.


    Hugging for a little longer could have alerted Hayan, who was resting at Lindel, so I quietly disengaged from her before speaking once more.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what to say in order tofort you, but I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ Sniff. It¡¯s okay. I was expecting it¡­ I could remember some things¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°But when I saw it¡­ Ugh¡­¡±


    Although I did not sympathize with her sadness, I had no choice but to convey words of constion diligently. I knew that only this would make her give a positive answer.


    At this point, I was sure she would end up going to Blue. However, one more thing remained.


    This was Park Deokgu¡¯s work, not mine.


    ¡®Revenge?¡¯


    Of course, looking at her status or disposition, she didn¡¯t seem to want it much, but she might want to get some retribution for her broken heart.


    ¡®She is not going to kill him or make him a crippled person¡­¡¯


    People like Jung Hayan, Lee Jihye, and Cha Hee-ra would do this, but it didn¡¯t work as a solution for these women or newbies.


    ¡®It sounds like fun, but¡­¡¯


    It wouldn¡¯t be bad to enjoy some entertainment, seeing as I¡¯d been working hard recently.


    Yoo Ahyoung hesitated for a moment before speaking in a firm, clear voice.


    ¡°I¡¯ll join Blue.¡±


    ¡®Nice.¡¯


    ¡°You thought well. There is also a saying that says the best revenge is sess. Maybe your ex-boyfriend will bitter. We will offer you both the annual sry and the down payment, along with the best treatment.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ but I don¡¯t really have that kind of mindset.¡±


    ¡°If he knows that the woman he has abandoned and joked is actually such a precious person, he will regret all that he¡¯s done.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the kind words¡­ Thank you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not just sweet-talking. I¡¯m talking about reality. Yoo Ahyoung, you are a talented, beautiful, and smart woman. It¡¯s actually a waste for the idiot in the ssroom over there. If it¡¯s okay with you, I¡¯d like to rmend a fun way to exact your revenge¡­ Oh, of course, this is a gift for joining Blue.¡±


    ¡°What? No, you don¡¯t have to¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s date for a while.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Ah. Of course, it¡¯ll just be for a few days, so you don¡¯t have to worry about it. It¡¯llst until the end of the training period. That boy will definitely be foaming at the mouth.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll be someone who¡¯ll be more capable than him. Well, in many ways, be it sexual, power, or finances.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    I knew she knew what I was talking about.


    Originally, she could have nned to deal with the sadness all by herself, but I had managed to intrigue her with my suggestion. This was why human psychology was interesting.


    The scene she just saw had been shocking enough. The sadness may not go away yet, but negative emotions such as revenge wereing up on the one side of her heart.


    ¡®It may be that reason she wants toe to Blue immediately¡­¡¯


    It would not be bad to deal with this right away since she might constantly be crying of sadness.


    Rather, if she kept it inside, there may be room for an explosion in the future.


    ¡®I can¡¯t let this destroy her personality like Hayan or Hee-young.¡¯


    This was revenge that could be considered cute.


    Yoo Ahyoung nodded effusively without knowing.


    ¡°Then¡­ Please, instructor, help me.¡±


    If I was going to do this, I would do it properly.


    ¡®I have to employ Tol To-ri. And call White Paul.¡¯


    After all, a man¡¯s car was his pride.


    [LMFAO]

 Chapter 218: Cute Revenge (3)

    <h4>Chapter 218: Cute Revenge (3)</h4>


    In the end, Blue ended up using its real priority bargaining rights with Yoo Ahyoung.


    Of course, after everything had been concluded, we still had one left, but I did not feel the need to use it. I knew that making other guilds and ns wait any longer was a nuisance enough, so I hurried to open the transfer market. As a result, new recruiters came pouring in.


    In my opinion, these new recruits¡¯ potential was just ordinary, but the reaction was very good, perhaps because of the perception that the Red Mercenaries had directly trained them.


    ¡®That¡¯s because everyone is actually in good condition.¡¯


    It may be insignificant to a medium-sized guild, such as the Blue, Red Mercenary, ck Swan, or Magic Guild, but this would prove to be a big deal for the smaller ns and guilds.


    Thanks to the Red Mercenaries, these recruits garnered more attention than they would ever have if any other guild had trained them.


    Meanwhile, their said trainers shared information about each n and guild with the trainees in the training center. Guild guides, such as catalogs and pamphlets, were distributed among trainees, and it wasmon to see them having discussions about these during their breaks.


    Information that had been almostpletely controlled began to be released.


    While the training schedule was still ongoing, there were concerns that the training center would be quite a bustle and training would be disrupted, but that did not happen.


    In order to stand out to the scouts who visit several times a day, new recruits who had not yet received an offer had to work on training with everything they had, and the ones who were already recruited had to work hard to increase their value.


    A strange,petitive atmosphere resonated within the area. Of course, it wasn¡¯t just the trainees whopeted.


    Each n and guild also felt thepetitiveness and thus showed each other up.


    The proper recruitment war had begun.


    giving gifts to prospective members and ndering other ns in order to get the trainees on their side.


    For example, guild masters and scouts began to show off a more luxurious appearance. They were always seen with a well-trained elite to show off their strength or wealth.


    The n welfare, the guild¡¯s budget, and even the amodation¡¯s quality and future development possibilities have bemon topics to hear about.


    Although it seemed surprisingly effective, Blue did not participate in theirpetition.


    We didn¡¯t even distribute a guild catalog, and it was obvious why.


    ¡®There¡¯s no more need to promote anything.¡¯


    Blue¡¯s recruitment had actually ended with Lee Chang-ryul and Yoo Ahyoung. We thought there was no need to seek other new recruits anymore, so there was no need to bother preparing presentations to promote the guild.


    Even if we didn¡¯t do anything, rumors were sure to revolve around, anyway.


    Information was constantly being released in the training camp. After the market was opened, it was no longer a closed ce. In the process of talking with the scouts of each guild, the new recruits gradually learned to what extent of power Kim Hyunsung and I had in Blue.


    Besides being appointed to one of Eight Seats in the Holy Empire and being the Vice Master of Blue, I was also the Honorary Bishop of the Holy Empire. As a bonus, I was also the Mercenary Queen¡¯s Gigolo. I didn¡¯t know how many titles these trainees knew about me, but I didn¡¯t care.


    Even if they hadn¡¯t heard the story, they would definitely feel that something had changed about me.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a griffon?¡±


    ¡°Is it for Instructor Lee Kiyoung?¡±


    ¡°I heard that there are only four of them in Lindel. One belongs to the Red Mercenary¡¯s Guild Master, one belongs to the ck Swan Guild Master, and the other two are owned by the Blue Guild Master and the Vice Guild Master¡­¡±


    ¡°Who did you hear it from?¡±


    ¡°From a Nuna in my n¡­¡±


    ¡°Ohhh¡­ Did you finally decide to go in?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Thanks to this, I heard all kinds of things, and I think that people shouldn¡¯t judge someone just by their appearance.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not joking. Even cars can be priced, but griffons are more valuable¡­¡±


    ¡°He was chosen as the Honorary Bishop of the Holy Empire. That would be normal.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Do you think that¡¯s all? Oh, this hasn¡¯t been confirmed yet¡­¡±


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t just White Paul that I showed. From wearing simple clothing, I had begun wearing more expensive and luxurious items.


    Of course, I still didn¡¯t think that the trainees would be able to distinguish these things, but I enjoyed them eyeing my ssy getup.


    ¡®The ss is almost finished, too¡­¡¯


    In fact, there were no sses today. It wouldn¡¯t be awkward to look like this as long as I intended to privately visit the training center as a ¡®possible recruiter.¡¯


    I saw the trainees settling in front of the training center¡¯s main entrance before leaving to do their respective tasks. With just a little bit of magic, I could hear what everyone was saying.


    ¡°I¡¯m so jealous¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re lying. It is said that polygamy is alsomon here anyway¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no love in polygamy.¡±


    ¡°If you have a lot of money, love that you didn¡¯t initially have will blossom, bitch. This is a dangerous ce, anyway. Entering Instructor Lee Kiyoung¡¯s arms is better than living with a beggar that is looking for love. You will be a thousand times happier than living with him. Should I give an extreme example?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Others may not know, but at least I¡¯m more likely to be Mansour¡¯s third wife than a capable lover.¡±


    ¡°Somehow, I sympathize with that¡­¡±


    With this, I greeted the students simply by raising one hand.


    Only a few of the trainees came close to me to be friendly. Most of the female trainees nced at me and decided not to say a word, knowing who I had been waiting for.


    Eventually, Yoo Ahyoung approached me, looking happy for some reason.


    In an instant, the trainees who were passing through the front door scrambled to get out of her away.


    ¡®Is this some sort of Moses reenactment, or what?¡¯


    Yoo Ahyoung now looked more confident. She was obviously aware of the interest and jealousy pouring out from everywhere.


    Seeing that she was enjoying the gazes quite a bit, Iughed. She herself had changed a lot. First of all, there was her appearance. Most of the things on Yoo Ahyoung¡¯s body were also luxurious. No one would think she was a trainee that had been receiving the same education.


    ¡®She looks more like a princess now¡­¡¯


    Conscious of the envy in everyone¡¯s gaze, she hesitated, so I took this chance to speak.


    ¡°Shall we go then?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Instructor Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    Her wide smile didn¡¯t even seem like it was just acting.


    Of course, most of the things she was wearing were the ones I had given her, even the rings on her hand. When I remembered the first time I gave that gift, anotherugh came out.


    Of course, what was interesting was not Yoo Ahyoung¡¯s reaction, but the people around her.


    Yoo Ahyoung still hadn¡¯t officially joined Blue.


    When I first sent that kind of gift, there were spections about whether it was a small bribe to here in the Blue, but as time passed, the story of whether the offering went beyond the meaning of a simple gift started passing around.


    I wasn¡¯t surprised that strange rumors had begun to circte within the training camp.


    ¡®Instructor Lee Kiyoung is interested in trainee Young Ahyoung.¡¯


    It all started with that rumor.


    ¡®Making here to the Blue was because he wanted to have her next to him.¡¯


    However, I didn¡¯t just receive positive gazes.


    In my case, there had already been rumors that I liked women anyway, so it didn¡¯t matter that much. It was just that a lot of ufortable gazes had begun to rest on Ahyoung, who had suddenly be a princess overnight.


    Of course, it took only a few days for those ufortable gazes to turn into envious gazes. Her level had risen too high to cancel her out of simple jealousy.


    From the trainees¡¯ point of view, Yoo Ahyoung¡¯s existence had so far flown so high that it was now invisible for those who still remained at the bottom.


    It was now a familiar sensation for her to hold my hand in order to get onto White Paul. As I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle throughout this ordeal, Ahyoung nced at me.


    ¡°As expected¡­ It doesn¡¯t suit me, does it?¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯mughing because you seemed so natural.¡±


    ¡°I feel ashamed to hear such a statement.¡±


    ¡°How do you feel?¡±


    ¡°Honestly, I like it. In fact, I felt skeptical about it at first, but I was surprised to feel better than I first thought.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fortunate. Did anything unusual happen today?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Some people have asked me if it is true that I¡¯m dating Instructor Lee Kiyoung. They asked about Instructor Jung Hayan, too. They were surprised when I said that I wasn¡¯t dating you yet.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Oh, and that person¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°He said that I should stop seeing you.¡±


    ¡°He seems to be anxious. Haha.¡±


    ¡°He hasn¡¯t told me, but he must really be anxious. He tried to touch me too¡­ Of course, it was annoying. I left right away. It was him who first told me to get closer to you, and now he¡¯s afraid that you might take me away. Thanks to that, he tries to approach me every chance he gets.¡±


    The fact that I had been showering Yoo Ahyoung with gifts was undoubtedly the reason why he had be anxious.


    ¡®It would be strange if he wasn¡¯t¡­¡¯


    The same was true of me, too.


    If a smart guy stuck to Kim Hyunsung, I was sure that I wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep due to anxiety.


    ¡°Do you know what else I said? That he has changed these days¡­ However, he rather asked me if I was still the Ahyoung he knew. Honestly, I was so perplexed back then that I wanted to squeeze his head off.¡±


    ¡°You could have hit him.¡±


    ¡°Can I really do that? The n you told me about¡­¡±


    Ahyoung was definitely more talkative now.


    ¡®She¡¯s definitely having fun.¡¯


    I thought it would be a very fun time for her, but I realized that she had ended up liking my n a little more than I thought.


    ¡°You can do whatever you want to do. The n is easy enough to execute. The most important thing is that Ahyoung¡¯s mood is relieved.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes!¡±


    Her voice had considerably brightened.

 Chapter 219: Cute Revenge (4)

    <h4>Chapter 219: Cute Revenge (4)</h4>


    In a day, everything had changed. It might be a bit clich¨¦, but I couldn¡¯t think of any other words that could exin the situation right now.


    The attention and gazes of people were ufortable, but I got used to it after some time.


    Of course, I wasn¡¯t enjoying their envious expression. I knew better than anyone else that this was just acting anyway, and I didn¡¯t value it much.


    What I was interested in was the effect of the reactions of people around me on Kim Ki-cheol.


    ¡®That mean bastard¡­¡¯


    No matter how I try, the thought of him annoyed me. The disgusting scenes and voices I had witnessed kepting back, and it was hard to bear. Just by imagining it, my eyes got teary, and tears threatened to pour out of me.


    ¡®So annoying.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t like the fact that I had to feel this way because of him. If I hadn¡¯t pulled through with this n, I would¡¯ve been holed up in my room, crying. At first, I wondered how helpful making this kind of n with Instructor Lee Kiyoung would be, but it certainly helped.


    At least, the frustration in my chest was released, and that was enough to make put me in a good mood. This wasn¡¯t an emotion that I couldn¡¯t express, but what is important is that it relieved the frustration.


    As I headed towards my room, a familiar voice called out to me.


    ¡°Ahyoung.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°What? I came because I wanted to see you.¡±


    It was Kim Ki-cheol.


    At first nce, he seemed rxed, but his anxiety was evident. For a moment, tears threatened toe out.


    However, I felt at ease for some reason, probably because I could read the anxiety contained in his expression.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you not supposed to be out at this time? I know that the trainees are not allowed to leave the amodation after midnight.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the same for you, too.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know well that the situation is different between you and me? I was given the right to go out, and you came out without permission.¡±


    ¡°To be precise, it is not without permission. I had something to do, too.¡±


    ¡°Do what? Did you get an offer from a n?¡±


    ¡°Well. It¡¯s something simr.¡±


    ¡°Where?¡±


    ¡°It was a medium-sized guild. It¡¯s not in Lindel, but a guild in the Castle Rock area, I don¡¯t know if you know, but it¡¯s called Giant Guild.¡±


    I had heard of it. It was a guild that became sessful after making an impressive performance in the Siege of Castle Rock. Originally, a guild called Little Rock had been the leading guild before them.


    ¡®Didn¡¯t he say that a person named Song Jungwook came up after giving his life for Castle Rock?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t remember well, but from what I heard from Instructor Lee Kiyoung, this appeared to be the case. Though the Giant Guild was not in Lindel, it was still said to be one of the guilds that most trainees were aiming for.


    Recently, the joining cut had also increased considerably, so if one were to think objectively, it was a guild that one could not get in easily, but Kim Ki-cheol¡¯s performance seemed to make the cut.


    Little by little, I began to feel frustrated, though I couldn¡¯t figure out why.


    Eventually, however, I began to realize that the reason why was because I didn¡¯t want Kim Ki-cheol to be doing good.


    ¡®So annoying¡­¡¯


    In the end, I couldn¡¯t help myself from speaking harshly.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a ce where you can go to, considering your grades.¡±


    I regretted my words at once, but I gradually felt better when I saw Kim Ki-cheol¡¯s slightly distorted expression.


    ¡®Ah¡­¡¯


    ¡°With your grades, shouldn¡¯t you be looking for a n and not a guild?¡±


    I knew I wasn¡¯t supposed to say this, but my mouth, moving as if possessed by something, didn¡¯t seem to want to stop.


    ¡°If you¡¯re going without a down payment or an annual sry, you¡¯d better quit, Oppa. I heard it from Instructor Lee Kiyoung. In that case, you will likely be used for things like transporting the corpses of monsters, not for an official guild member.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m saying all of this for your own good. How much are the annual sry and down payment?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty good.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes. When I told them I was going with Ahyoung¡­¡±


    ¡°I never agreed. Why¡¯d you do that?¡±


    I was so angered that I couldn¡¯t even speak properly. I knew something about this was fishy, but I never imagined it woulde out this way.


    ¡°You¡­ Are you really going to Blue?¡±


    ¡°What about it? Kiyoung said he would treat both my down payment and annual sry as the best. Blue¡¯s welfare issues are also higher than otherrge guilds.¡±


    ¡°When I asked to go in together¡­¡±


    ¡°I never said that I would go in together with you. Only you thought that way.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know that the rumors about them are not very good, especially Lee Kiyoung?¡±


    ¡°What about the instructor? Wasn¡¯t it Oppa who said that it would be good for me to get close to Instructor Lee Kiyoung in the first ce? Oppa told me to do that. And he doesn¡¯t look like a bad person. He is a much better person than you think.¡±


    ¡°I heard something, too¡­ His rtionship with women is alsoplicated¡­ It¡¯s what they say¡ªa dawdler in one thing is a dawdler in all. The power gained by Instructor Lee Kiyoung¡­ Do you think it could have been made in the right way? Do you think he is only an alchemist?¡±


    I had no choice but to hold back so as not to say, ¡®You¡¯re just asplex as him.¡¯


    ¡°This is not even Earth. Why is that a fault? Rather, it¡¯s nice that he¡¯s confident. It¡¯s not that he does it secretly. It¡¯s a story that everyone knows¡­ Most people with ability do that, too.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ You mean that looks good?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look good, but it¡¯s not bad, either. That person¡­ He is capable enough, so I think he can do that.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think that Instructor Lee Kiyoung¡¯s interest in you is real, Ahyoung. You think you know his world because he¡¯s so kind to you, but you don¡¯t know it well¡­ All that¡­¡±


    ¡°Is it important whether his interest is real or not? How much do you think that all of the clothes I¡¯m wearing are? Even if you work your whole life, you won¡¯t be able to buy anything I¡¯m wearing. I thought it was justmon, but this ring¡­ It costs 20,000 gold.¡±


    Kim Ki-cheol¡¯s expression changed into something I knew very well.


    ¡®Inferiority.¡¯


    ¡°Did you¡­ sleep¡­ with him¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, they say that it takes one to know one¡­ Do you think I sold my body?¡±


    ¡°Speak straightly. Yoo Ahyoung, you¡­¡±


    ¡°What if I did?¡±


    Once again, his face wrinkled. My body had begun to tremble. I knew I shouldn¡¯t do this, but it felt so addictive that I couldn¡¯t stop.


    ¡°You!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not just money and power that¡¯s great about him.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t evenpare him with someone like you in any way. Do I have to say it? It was the first time I thought I was happy to be born a woman.¡±


    ¡°Yoo Ahyoung!¡±


    Kim Ki-cheol¡¯s expression had begun to worsen. At this, Instructor Lee Kiyoung¡¯s words came to mind.


    ¡®Men foam at their mouth when the woman they thought they owned gets taken away by another man.¡¯


    When I first heard that, I didn¡¯t know what exactly he was talking about, but now I could see what Instructor Lee Kiyoung, just by seeing Kim Ki-cheol.


    Not only did I feel the tingling sensation behind my back, but I felt as if the frustration in my chest had exploded, all at once.


    ¡®I feel good.¡¯


    Just seeing him feel so inferior was enough to make me feel better.


    ¡®Can I end it like this?¡¯


    Normally, I wouldn¡¯t have done it. However, I wanted to see this man suffer a little longer, and I wanted to see it for a long, long time.


    I wanted to make him feel pain, over and over again. However¡­


    ¡®I was also in pain.¡¯


    My heart seemed to be torn.


    ¡®But I shouldn¡¯t be the only one who suffers. He should also know how it feels to be betrayed.¡¯


    Once again, Instructor Lee KiYoung¡¯s voice resonated in my head.


    He might have said it without meaning, but for some reason, his words lingered in my head.


    ¡®The best way is to exact revenge until you feel relieved. People who say they feel guilty or say it¡¯s meaningless are people who have never properly taken revenge. If you do it correctly, it¡¯ll feel so good that your heart will burst.¡¯


    I was definitely on a high right now. I wanted more.


    ¡°I said it because I was angry. I¡¯ve never really done that.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    For a moment, I could see an expression of relief on Ki-cheol¡¯s face.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahyoung.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Do you know you¡¯ve been weird these days?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Is that because I made you disappointed? Is it because I asked you to take some time away?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    ¡°It was all for you. I believed in the potential you had and thought that I might be blocking your way. However, looking at you now, it sure seems that I have been very negligent these days.¡±


    Bullsh*t. Of course, I knew he was lying.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ahyoung.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    However, I couldn¡¯t hold back a smile.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to see your face now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Really¡­ Still, I hope you at least know this. I love you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be going now.¡±


    ¡°Ahyoung! Yoo Ahyoung!¡±


    ¡°And¡­¡±


    ¡°I will ept the apology, Oppa. Tomorrow¡­ Let¡¯s have a meal.¡±


    At this, Kim Ki-cheol began to smile once more.


    Once again, that familiar, thrilling feeling coursed through my spine.


    * * *


    As I was sitting on a sofa in Cha Hee-ra¡¯s room and browsing the documents, Cha Hee-ra herself spoke to me.


    ¡°You still haven¡¯t picked up the backline? Honey?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I have to make a second party¡­ There are no kids that seem useful. I was going to pick up a freshman, but I guess I have to turn this into a job position.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps there will be a few wizards from the Magic Guild once their contract expires. I¡¯m also trying to bring some people from there, but you should look out as well.¡±


    ¡°Rather than that, I want to grow them from the beginning, without any impurities.¡±


    ¡°Ah. I like that. So, that¡¯s why you¡¯re recruiting neers¡­¡±


    Certainly, the job position was fine, but as two more new recruits grow together, I wanted to bring a new backliner as well.


    It would be hard to bring in someone I personally liked this time around.


    Since I understood that wizards had to have an understanding of magic, talent, and determination to work hard, I knew that fine wizards weren¡¯tmonly found.


    I would have epted them if they were half of what Jung Hayan was.


    ¡°Phew¡­¡±


    ¡°You seem to be having fun joking like that even while you¡¯re busy.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s kind of fun.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s up to you¡­ You told Hayan about Yoo Ahyoung, right?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes. Not much. Hayan is in Lindel now. I think it¡¯s fine. Are you okay with that?¡±


    ¡°I always liked this kind of thing. It feels refreshing. There aren¡¯t many things to enjoy here¡­ I¡¯m too sessful to be treated like such a princess, so I can¡¯t feel that kind of catharsis, right? It¡¯s about being satisfied for others.¡±


    ¡°Why, do you want to be treated like a princess?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re walking all over me these days. Huh?¡±


    I stopped smiling, guilt sparking up from within me. I knew Cha Hee-ra still had a scary aspect to her.


    ¡®Because I saw that form¡­¡¯


    Her with red eyes, drooling and approaching me like a crazy bitch was still clear in my head, so it would be natural for me to show such a reaction.


    ¡°You just imagined about that day, right?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ Hee-ra.¡±


    ¡°I know just by looking at your face. Didn¡¯t I tell you to forget about that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not something I can forget just because you tell me to do so.¡±


    I was just making excuses at this point.


    The door opened, and the guild staff informed us of the new report.


    The thought of being able to see Tol To-ri after some time made me feel better.


    ¡°Lee Kiyoung-nim. Er¡­ A guest hase.¡±


    ¡°Please guide him to my room. Please tell him that I¡¯ll be meeting him in a little while.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ The door is too narrow for him to be able to enter¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°That¡­ Excuse me, but I think you¡¯ll have to go outside and check it yourself.¡±


    ¡°What? No need to¡­ Isn¡¯t Dialugia with him? I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re talking about right now¡­¡±


    ¡°Kie-e-e-e-e-eeeeee-ee-eeeek!¡±


    This voice was different from usual. As I headed to the window and looked down, an unfamiliar creature came into view.


    ¡®Tol To-ri?¡¯


    It was like arge dog¡­ no, it was a beast. My eyes widened.


    ¡®Tol to-ri¡­ How did you grow up this much?¡¯

 Chapter 220: A Grown Tol To-ri (1)

    <h4>Chapter 220: A Grown Tol To-ri (1)</h4>


    Even as I rubbed my eyes before looking again, the scene before me did not change.


    Dialugia, who was standing nkly and looking around, hade with him, but I paid her no attention and fixed my gaze on Tol To-ri once more.


    When I saw himst time, I remember that he had been about the size of a pup.


    Seeing that he had grown up to the size of arge tiger, my jaw inadvertently dropped. At this point, he looked scary, not cute.


    Though Tol To-ri had been sniffing around curiously, he perked up and looked my way instantly. The unexined emotion in his eyes unsettled me.


    ¡°Kie-e-e-e-e-ee-ee-ee-ee!¡±


    After letting out a huge scream, he began to nod, drooling. I felt nervous. Though he often drooled during his infant years, I began to wonder if he now saw me as food.


    In addition, he looked highly expectant. I knew I shouldn¡¯t let him down, as I had neglected him thus far and only got to see his new form now. Dialugia¡¯s upset expression reinforced this idea.


    The best thing to do now was for me to wee them.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Tol To-ri¡­¡±


    The moment I spoke, Tol To-ri brightened.


    ¡°Haaaaa! Haaa!¡±


    ¡®What¡¯s with him?¡¯


    ¡°Kie-e-e-e-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee!¡±


    He surged forward at a faster speed than I had initially expected. Reflexively, I got into posture. Before I could evene to my senses, he jumped onto me, and I fell onto the ground.


    ¡°Kiek! Haaaa! Kie eh eh! Haaaa!¡±


    It was painful, but the pain onlysted for a while. When I saw the tears in his eyes, my guilt only doubled.


    ¡°Kie eh eh eh! Haaaa! Haaaaa!¡±


    As he looked up at me with his tail wagging furiously, I could tell that this was definitely Tol To-ri.


    ¡°Oh!¡±


    ¡°Kiee-ek!¡±


    ¡°Oh! How have you been, Tol To-ri?¡±


    ¡°Haaaa! Haaaaa!¡±


    Not only did he lick each ce with his tongue, but he also kept sniffing and smelling me everywhere. I couldn¡¯t hold him in my hand like I used to, but I hugged him tightly and stroked him everywhere.


    ¡°Well done! Well done! Well done!¡±


    ¡°Kiek! Haaa! Kiek! Haaa! Kiek! Haaa!¡±


    His reaction remained the same to my praise.


    ¡®So cute.¡¯


    In the meantime, he was looking at me with eyes, asking me to lift him up, but given his size, it now proved to be difficult to do so.


    Dialugia, who saw this, approached us slowly.


    ¡°He grew up too fast.¡±


    ¡°If you are always together, you¡¯d be able to check on his growth. I can feel how much you have neglected our Dialuria in the meantime.¡±


    ¡°I was a little busy. I nned to visit home. Somehow, things didn¡¯t go well. Isn¡¯t it me that sends the food he eats every time? If you scold me too much, I¡¯ll be a little disappointed.¡±


    ¡°Just doing that doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re doing a father¡¯s duty. It¡¯s more important to be by his side. Think how lonely Dialuria has been. Isn¡¯t he missing you enough to shed tears? Are you okay? Dialuria?¡±


    ¡°Kiee-ek!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not mad at your dad, Dialuria. I¡¯m just talking for a moment. It¡¯s not that I¡¯m punishing and fighting him, my lovely son.¡±


    ¡°Kiek!¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t tell you to be together every day, but you should be with him at least once a week, no, maybe once every three days. And from now on, I will teach him how to hunt little by little¡­ I don¡¯t know about the other days, but you must be with us on that day. It¡¯s the day of Dialuria¡¯s first hunt. It will be helpful if his father sees it.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes. Of course. If there is such a day, it would be better to tell me in advance¡­¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t I telling you right now?¡±


    Dialugia seemed dissatisfied. Certainly, seeing tears on Tol To-ri¡¯s face was sad, even to me.


    In fact, I didn¡¯t think it¡¯d been so long in terms of time, but there was definitely be a difference between what I felt and what he felt. However, a thought popped up in my head.


    ¡°Will he get bigger than this?¡±


    ¡°No. He will keep this size for a few months. Of course, he will grow little by little, but we still have to wait for him to grow up.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh¡­¡±


    If he got a little bigger during his stay here, he might really feel life-threatening.


    ¡°It will be a little difficult to handle.¡±


    ¡°He will also learn how to change and learn how to speak.¡±


    ¡°Ah! Like you?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Usually, it is normal to take a little longer, but¡­ our Dialuria is very smart.¡±


    As if Dialuria wasn¡¯t content staying on the ground, he got on his hind legs, trying to get on top of me.


    ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯


    Of course, he couldn¡¯t easily climb.


    ¡®Ah, he¡¯s heavy.¡¯


    Since my strength had increased a lot, I had stronger muscr strength thanmon adult males, but it was not easy to bear this much weight.


    Nevertheless, it looked like he didn¡¯t want to give up.


    In the end, he hung off of me in a half-piggyback.


    His legs and tail were wrapped around my waist, his front legs around my chest and left shoulders, and his right shoulders kept pushing my face as he continuously screamed.


    ¡°Shall we go together today, Tol To-ri?¡±


    ¡°Haaa! Haaa!¡±


    I had to use a little magic power, but I felt morefortable once I did. A familiar voice now called out to us.


    ¡°Is he Dialuria? No, was it Tol To-ri, Honey?¡±


    It was Cha Hee-ra.


    ¡°Kee-e-e-e-eek!¡±


    I didn¡¯t know why, but Tol To-ri began to scream as he caught sight of the red-haired woman.


    The sound was a little different from usual. He appeared to be hostile.


    ¡®What¡¯s with him?¡¯


    ¡°Ke-e-e-e-ee-ee! Kiek!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s so cute! Tol To-ri! You really are a real dragon. Even by looking at the nest in Lindel, I could feel it, but seeing him here, it feels a little more usible.¡±


    However, the more she approached, the more Tol To-ri trembled. He must¡¯ve felt that Cha Hee-ra was a dangerous person.


    The fact that he had been quick to notice certainly seemed to resemble me.


    Of course, in my case, I didn¡¯t have any contributions to Tol To-ri¡¯s genes, but I thought about it anyway.


    ¡°Really cute. Look at him with his head down. Tol To-ri is drooping, honey.¡±


    It was then that Dialugia blocked Cha Hee-ra¡¯s hand, which had been trying to stroke Tol To-ri.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you see he is scared? Please step back.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    Cha Hee-ra looked at Dialugia up and down, and after fixing her gaze on the horn for a while, recognition dawned on her face.


    ¡°Oh. You are¡­ Dialugia?¡±


    ¡°Yes. You?¡±


    ¡°You can call me Cha Hee-ra. I didn¡¯t know he was scared¡­ my mistake. I¡¯m sorry, Tol To-ri. And I¡¯m sorry to you too, Dialugia.¡±


    ¡°Ah, no¡­ I overreacted a little¡­¡±


    It was a little unexpected to see Cha Hee-ra acting like this.


    Seeing that she kept giving attention to Tol To-ri, she seemed to like cute things.


    Of course, the current Tol To-ri was too grown up to be called cute, but I wasn¡¯t used to seeing the red-haired woman being so gentle.


    ¡®Does she like children?¡¯


    Cha Hee-ra apologized immediately at Dialugia¡¯s words. It may be a little rude to describe her in this manner, but it felt like I had seen something akin to a gori cherishing its babies. After everything was said and done, Cha Hee-ra was a woman, too.


    On the contrary, Dialugia, who had reacted with an edgy voice, looked confused.


    ¡°I heard a lot about you¡­ Nice to meet you. Is it okay if I speak to youfortably?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really care about that.¡±


    For some reason, it felt like they would get along well.


    ¡°Are you going to the training center now?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Yes.¡±


    ¡°Dialugia? How about we go to take a little rest?¡±


    ¡°Yes? But¡­ I have to take care of my child.¡±


    ¡°It will be fine for a while. Our honey will take good care of him. The ce where he works is also nearby. If something happens, he can run there right away, and I think it¡¯s better for you to take a break.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s have some tea and talk. You look like you need a break.¡±


    Dialugia evidently looked tired. I didn¡¯t know if it was just me, but there were dark circles under her eyes, and her skin and hair, which had always been smooth, now felt crumbly.


    The long-stretched horns above her head also seemed to be a little dull in color.


    Of course, she couldn¡¯t help but be tired. Even though she had more than a 100 stamina stat¡­


    ¡®Parenting is exhausting.¡¯


    Right now, Tol To-ri was quietly sticking to my back, but it probably wouldn¡¯t be easy to control him once he went berserk.


    Of course, I felt guilty.


    ¡°It would be better for you to take a break, Dialugia. I think it would be nice for me to take care of Tol To-ri today.¡±


    Only then did Dialugia begin to look relieved. For a short time, Dialugia¡¯s gaze fixed onto Dialuria, but she eventually nodded.


    ¡°Then, please.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Please rest assured.¡±


    ¡°Today, Tol To-ri should hang out with dad. Okay?¡±


    ¡°Kiek! Haaaa!¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t behave, I¡¯ll send you back home. You have to be quiet.¡±


    ¡°Kieeek!¡±


    Dialuria nodded effusively as if he surely understood the words. Dialugia¡¯s expression also brightened.


    ¡°Then, I will be going.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡®It¡¯ll be fine, right?¡¯


    It was a fact that most of the trainees knew that I had been appointed to one of the Eight Seats of the Empire anyway. They also knew that a dragon had chosen me.


    There must be some trainees who had doubts about whether that was true or not, but I knew I would get more attention today than usual.


    Although there were practical education and training using monsters, it would be their first time to see a legendary-grade monster.


    ¡®Even if he¡¯s still a baby¡­¡¯


    Tol To-ri¡¯s specifications were quite high.


    [Checking the status window of the legendary-grade named monster, Dark Dragon, Dialuria.]


    [Name: Dialuria]


    [Title: Tol To-ri]


    [Age: 1]


    [Disposition:???]


    [Category: Dragon]


    [Stats]


    [Strength: 32/Growth potential: Legendary or higher]


    [Agility: 32/Growth potential: Legendary or higher]


    [Health: 33/Growth potential: Legendary or higher]


    [Intelligence: 10/Growth potential: Legendary or higher]


    [Durability: 41/Growth potential: Legendary or higher]


    [Luck: 32/Growth potential: Legendary or lower]


    [Magic Power: 40/Growth potential: Legendary or higher]


    [Overall: He is very excited. You¡¯re lucky to be able to be the father of this kind of being. Please be careful.]


    ¡®His disposition hasn¡¯te out yet.¡¯


    His durability stat was at 41, while his magic was at 40.


    In short, even if the attack team rushed to Tol To-ri all at the same time, it would not be possible to defeat him.


    Of course, my baby couldn¡¯t fight as he still couldn¡¯t handle the magic as well as his body properly, but I could be sure that Tol To-ri would have the upper hand due to his primal instinct.


    ¡®There are three days left to finish the ceremony¡­¡¯


    After the work here was done, I knew I had to pay more attention to Tol To-ri.


    ¡®Yoo Ahyoung also seems to be nearing the end¡­¡¯


    Seeing that she had been spending time with Kim Ki-cheol again recently, I knew she wanted to find more ways to stab him in the back.


    I let her do what she wanted, but I never thought she would be designing it to this extent.


    It seemed that this aspect had been hidden behind her optimistic and rxed personality.


    As I entered the training center with these thoughts, I could feel the gazes from everywhere.


    Of course, there were also voices whispering everywhere I went.


    ¡°That¡­ Isn¡¯t that a dragon?¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Wow¡­ I didn¡¯t believe it, but I guess it¡¯s true¡­ I think only a few can be sessful here in that aspect. Won¡¯t I get chosen or something, too?¡±


    ¡°At best, you¡¯ll get chosen by goblins.¡±


    However, something felt off.


    ¡®What¡¯s wrong with him?¡¯


    Tol To-ri was hanging quietly behind my back.


    When a male trainee passes by, there is no problem.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    However, when a female trainee passes by, the problem is that he foams his mouth.


    ¡°Keee-ek!¡±


    I even thought about whether he had a problem as he even showed his teeth as if telling them openly not to approach.


    He looked around to check if there is no one approaching.


    It¡¯s ridiculous, but that kind of look is pretty familiar.


    ¡®Jung Hayan?¡¯


    Tol To-ri is showing what Jung Hayan has always shown.


    ¡®No, it can¡¯t be.¡¯


    I activated my Mind¡¯s Eye to check it.


    [Checking the unique characteristic of the legendary-grade named monster, Dark Dragon, Dialuria.]


    [Twisted and Dangerous Affection in the Dark] [#Father that can¡¯t stop him] [#Mom is annoying, too]


    ¡°Ke-e-e-e-e-e-eeeeeek!¡±


    ¡°Tol To-ri, y-you¡¯re crazy¡­¡±


    I was able to realize now that Dialugia had failed to properly discipline her child.

 Chapter 221: A Grown Tol To-ri (2)

    <h4>Chapter 221: A Grown Tol To-ri (2)</h4>


    No matter how much I rubbed at my eyes, the result stayed the same.


    [Checking the unique characteristic of the legendary-grade named monster, Dark Dragon, Dialuria.]


    [Twisted and Dangerous Affection in the Dark]


    [#Father can¡¯t stop him]


    [#Mom is annoying, too]


    ¡®What is this?¡¯


    It was hard to understand what the hell was going on. Somehow, I could feel that he had been sticking to me too much, but I never expected him to grow in this direction.


    ¡®This¡­¡¯


    I found it so ridiculous that I couldn¡¯t help butugh. Perhaps it was because I had been away for such a long time.


    I thought that I¡¯d been good to him and cherished him in my own way, but I didn¡¯t realize that he would be this way because I hadn¡¯t gone to see him in so long.


    ¡®Plus, what¡¯s up with the hashtags?¡¯


    If Dialugia knew what her son thought of her, it would drive a stake through her heart.


    The only thing I could be relieved of was that his disposition had not yet been decided.


    ¡®Is it possible to change the characteristic already created?¡¯


    I was anxious about one thing.


    There was no choice but to pray for a good disposition. It seemed a littlete, but I had to pay attention to his education with all my strength from now on.


    ¡®If you can change the odds, change it¡­ They have to choose a disposition that is as good and safe as possible.¡¯


    Only then could this extreme situation be reversed.


    ¡°I said you should be quiet, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Haaaa!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not good if you threaten other people.¡±


    ¡°Kiek!¡±


    ¡°Today, you need to be quiet in order to be together with me. Otherwise, I¡¯ll send you back to your mom right away. You got that?¡±


    ¡°Kiee-ek!¡±


    He had an expression full of dissatisfaction. However, seeing that he nodded effusively, it seemed that he did not want to return to his mother.


    It was natural to show such a reaction since I only saw him again after a few months, but my anxiety did not go away. I felt like sending Tol To-ri back to his mother right away.


    However, when I remembered how tired Dialugia looked, I knew I couldn¡¯t. First, I had to control Dialuria with a half-threat to keep him well-behaved.


    However, he kept trembling and sending wary looks whenever women passed by.


    Most people were interested in whether he seemed cute, blowing air out of his nose while blinking those big eyes. I was sure he would bite if they approached too near.


    As I entered the lecture room with these thoughts, I saw the trainees looking at me with nervous expressions on their faces. They greeted me as soon as I took my seat.


    ¡°Instructor, hello.¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s nice to meet you, everyone.¡±


    How everyone here treated me had changed the moment they found out about my titles, and how most of them had their base talent situated within alchemy. I also knew that the more they tried to dig in information about me, the more they realized how unique I was in this field.


    Sure, there might be stronger people than Cha Hee-ra on this content, and there may be wizards who were more familiar with magic than Jung Hayan, but there was no alchemist who was better than me, as far as I knew, especially among yers.


    I was a Dragon Alchemist, a unique legendary-grade ss. Even if there was someone who had a better understanding of alchemy than me, there was no way he could follow me in the field rted to dragons.


    In other words, they saw me as just a mere production worker, so they must¡¯ve thought that I had risen to the top with only alchemy. I was a person who changed the continent¡¯s perception of alchemy and was named one of the continent¡¯s Eight Seats.


    I even devoted myself quite a bit to this ss, so it was not unreasonable that people who respected me began to increase.


    ¡®Even I think it¡¯s a little amazing¡­¡¯


    I could even see Han Sora straightening up, expecting what I would be teaching today. Unfortunately, I had no intention of starting another lesson.


    ¡°In fact, there will be no ss today.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    As soon as I said this, more than half of the ss donned saddened expressions.


    Though the trainees ended up enjoying alchemy ss, I had already taught them all that I could. What direction they would next take would depend entirely on them.


    ¡°There are also only three days left untilpletion¡­ I¡¯ve taught you most of the basic things. Some of you have already changed your ss as an alchemist, so you must know, some of the knowledge I gave you is much greater than the basic knowledge they infuse.¡±


    ¡®Although this is all based on Ramus Tucker¡¯s Introduction to Alchemy¡­¡¯


    Heroic-grade books contained more advanced information than a normal one. More than half of the trainees in my ss would have no problem making some money just from being an alchemist.


    ¡°In fact, even if we did an alchemy experiment today, there wouldn¡¯t be a big difference for you. From now on, this is an area where each person must study in the direction they will choose to take. How you will grow will be up to you.¡±


    One of my more dedicated students raised his hand.


    ¡°Then today¡¯s ss¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s make it a little more fun. For this session, I¡¯ll turn it into a time to respond to your questions. Perhaps this will be a little more helpful for you. I¡¯ll answer any question you might have.¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    I was expecting to receive some academically-rted questions, which was why the first question surprised me.


    ¡°Well, then Instructor Lee Kiyoung. If it¡¯s okay, can I ask you about the¡­ creature on your back?¡±


    A lot of the trainees seemed wary of Tol To-ri, who had been ring at all of them.


    It wasn¡¯t a question I couldn¡¯t answer, so I spoke with no hesitation.


    ¡°This is a dragon.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    Murmurs responded to my answer.


    ¡°Er¡­ I¡¯m Kim Min-young, a trainee who has been appointed to join the Magic Guild. That¡­ I¡¯ve heard that a dragon chose instructor Lee Kiyoung. Is it that dragon?¡±


    ¡°The dragon that chose me is this child¡¯s mother. Perhaps, if you go to Lindel, you can check it with your own eyes. There is a big nest just outside the city. In terms of size, it will probably be several times that of this training camp.¡±


    ¡°Wow¡­¡±


    ¡°I would like to tell you a little bit more, but most of the detailed information about the dragon is confidential. There is no need to block in our guild. The Empire controls the information. Of course, very basic information is already avable on the market, but¡­ Anyway, let¡¯s stop talking about this. Any other questions?¡±


    ¡°Er, Instructor Lee Kiyoung?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s okay, by any chance, you¡­ with the Mercenary Queen¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. I have a rtionship with her.¡±


    ¡®Are they really asking these questions?¡¯


    The ones who had been asking me were the same girls who had tortured Han Sora. It appeared that they weren¡¯t aware of how valuable this time would be for them.


    ¡°Do you have any ns of adding more lovers?¡±


    The next question was a little more spectacr. Apparently, they were more interested in personal questions. Unfortunately, if they thought I would take in one of them, they were wrong.


    ¡°Kiee-ek!¡±


    Tol To-ri also began to stare at them, looking seemingly frustrated with their questions. I also felt a little annoyed, yet I knew it was my fault for not specifying which questions to expect.


    However, for these trainees, they were throwing away the opportunity to get good tips for alchemy.


    It was then that Han Sora raised her hand.


    ¡°I¡¯m Han Sora. That¡­ About what you said earlier, you said that from now on, it is an area where each person should study¡­ I want to know exactly what you mean.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡®This is a good one.¡¯


    It was the most realistic question for one to ask.


    ¡°Can I think of it as a question that asks me how I wanted to grow?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m embarrassed, but¡­ That¡¯s right.¡±


    She was probably asking this because she knew just how bleak her future was.


    ¡°Well¡­ If I were to exin it simply, you could think of it as going into an advanced course of one discipline. Let¡¯s suppose that we are learning about cars. You guys have now realized what a car is like. We know how a car is, and we know what it does.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s think of it as a little specialization. Yes, specialization. Now that I realized what a car is, I just need to dig into it a little more intensively. Which way you go, of course, is up to you.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Some people will study the exterior of cars, and others will dig into engines and some of the devices inside. Perhaps some people will change their direction and think about motorcycles. The same goes for alchemy.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Potions, homunculus, chimeras, catalysts¡­ the areas vary. Of course, there may be other areas that I do not know.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s okay, can I ask you what area you studied?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I first majored in living bodies. Naturally, I set foot in other areas, too, but it can be said that the main thing I started researching was about potions and living bodies. After that, I studied dragons professionally.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Being a pioneer in one field has quite a merit. Those who think ¡®what can be done with only alchemy¡¯ are people who don¡¯t deserve to be an alchemist. Look.¡±


    As I slowly gathered magic power in my hand, magical power sshed out of my hand with a snapping sound. As I flicked my fingers lightly, a pair of dragon arms began to form on either side of the ckboard behind me.


    At this point, the trainees were probably well aware that this was not a simple model.


    Although the size was reduced to one that could fit in the ssroom, I could see the trainees¡¯ faces whitening as the arms began to move.


    ¡°It¡­ can¡¯t be¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Awe was written on everyone¡¯s faces.


    ¡°How¡­ This is¡­ This is nonsense. How is this even possible?¡±


    ¡®Effort and experience, ss correction, a genius wizard¡¯s support, and a devoted dragon, non-dry resources, as well as natural luck.¡¯


    In fact, the most important were thest three, but I couldn¡¯t say that.


    ¡°It seems a little difficult to answer that question. It¡¯s okay to say as what I just showed you is my breadwinner. If you think carefully about why an alchemist is not just a ss, but a wizard¡¯s higher ss, the answer will eventuallye.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°You may be able to realize the ridiculous things you imagine in your head. If you just drink, you might be able to make a potion that can turn you into a superhuman. Perhaps there is someone who can create the Homunculus or Sage¡¯s Stone. Of course, even if it takes a lifetime, some people do not realize even half of the ss¡¯s contents¡­ Your question was pretty good, trainee Han Sora.¡±


    ¡°Thank¡­ you.¡±


    ¡°A lot of time has passed receiving unnecessary questions¡­ Let¡¯s finish with a few words.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve all worked hard.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Perhaps most of you received offers from guilds or ns, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Some are medium-sized, and some arerge, and some are small, but well, it doesn¡¯t matter. The important thing is that Lindel needs you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°The reason I joined this ss is that I was asked to share some of my alchemy knowledge at the city level¡­ no, the Empire level. If you think about it that way, you will find an answer. The world has changed. They think they need an alchemist at the Empire level so that it would be okay for ns and guilds to invest a little more in alchemy and other production positions.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°You are part of a project under the Empire level. I¡¯m not going to tell you to show outstanding performance, but at least try to get out and make sure you don¡¯t get humiliated. If you can¡¯t prove your worth, you¡¯ll be thrown back and will have to beg on the road.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know if they understood what I said, but the room had now be quiet.


    ¡°The reason I taught you to the best of my ability was not because I like you, but because it was a national project. I think you can understand what I¡¯m talking about.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t disgrace my name, everyone. And¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°If youe to me when you¡¯re having a hard time, I¡¯ll give you some advice. Thank you for your hard work.¡±

 Chapter 222: A Grown Tol To-ri

    <h4>Chapter 222: A Grown Tol To-ri</h4>


    Ending the ss in this manner proved to be bittersweet. If one were to ask if I had gotten affectionate, I would simply say no.


    Though I didn¡¯t much like people such as Han Sora¡¯s tormentors, most of the students who worked hard were kind.


    Though I felt slightly affectionate, it was not enough for me to sacrifice my life for one of them. If they came to me during their hardships, I would dly give them a meal, as well as some expert advice.


    This was exactly the right distance between an instructor and a student.


    In fact, I didn¡¯t have any worries about them now.


    ¡®Everyone will be making their own breadwinners.¡¯


    In fact, except for a few, including Han Sora, almost all of the trainees had managed to enter the middle orrge guilds.


    In the first ce, considering the purpose of this education, it was a very natural result.


    There was no reason not to get alchemists who harbored good and useful knowledge in each guild and n.


    Even if their grades were a little exceptional, they received offers fromrge guilds, and those with high magic power or high intelligence were happy at the offeringsing from everywhere.


    Of course, they couldn¡¯t get the down payment and annual sry as much as abat job did, but at least it was still higher than that of a normal production job. They were treated better than a half-wizard who couldn¡¯t use magic properly.


    As a side note, most of those who chose thebat post on the first day, ignoring my advice, were miserable. The wizards, not onlycking magical power but also understanding, lost their ce to go, and the warriors without talent would surely be monster food soon or waste away their lives in the slums.


    As a result, the rise in alchemy first started within Lindel.


    In this situation, it was obvious that most guilds did not recruit Han Sora, whose grades were at the top. They had probably heard the news that she tried to sneak into Jung Hayan¡¯sboratory and steal her achievements.


    Usually, those with this tendency would get excluded from the group.


    Of course, the truth was that she ran into me with a sly trick, but it helped her that I end the situation to this extent rather than revealing the useless sexual harassment.


    If the truth was announced to the outside world, it was clear that all guilds and ns who did not want to be disliked by Blue would try to defeat her.


    ¡®Her current oue is way better than that.¡¯


    Even if she hadn¡¯t received an offer within her training period, she would probably get in somewhere else if she applied for a job and got an interview. She had the ability.


    ¡°Han Sora¡­¡±


    When I unconsciously muttered her name, Tol To-ri began to scream.


    ¡°Ke-e-e-e-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee-ek!¡±


    ¡°Shush! You should be quiet!¡±


    ¡°Kiek¡­¡±


    I needed to suppress Tol To-ri soon, much like what I had done with Jung Hayan. She was the whole reason I had improved at observing people¡¯s behavioral patterns, after all.


    I had just screamed for a moment, but there were already tears in his big eyes. The guilt soon overwhelmed me. Nevertheless¡­


    ¡®I need to be a strict father.¡¯


    ¡°Dialuria.¡±


    ¡°Haa¡­ Haaa¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay when it¡¯s just you and me or with your mom, but you have to be careful when you¡¯re with other people. Otherwise, Dad cannot hang around with Dialuria.¡±


    ¡°Kiek!¡±


    ¡°Since you are smart, I believe you will understand what dad means. Am I right?¡±


    ¡°Kiee-ek!¡±


    Just in time, I saw two people approaching this way.


    ¡®Yoo Ahyoung¡­ and Kim Ki-cheol¡­¡¯


    Seeing Kim Ki-cheol¡¯s wary exterior, I knew I had done a good job in my acting. Yoo Ahyoung soon reached me, looking pleased.


    ¡°Instructor Lee Kiyoung!¡±


    Kim Ki-cheol had no choice but to approach me as well, although reluctantly. However, there was a glint of triumph in Ahyoung¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Kieee-ek!¡±


    ¡°Shush!¡±


    Once I gave Tol To-ri a warning, he stayed quiet.


    ¡°Ah, trainee Yoo Ahyoung, and¡­ trainee Kim Ki-cheol.¡±


    They looked pretty close now, which reinforced just how cruel Ahyoung could be. Goosebumps rose along my skin as I saw how good she now was at acting.


    Kim Ki-cheol, who didn¡¯t know anything, thought that he had once again gained his girlfriend¡¯s heart back, but this was far from the truth.


    ¡°Instructor. Er¡­¡±


    ¡°Did you think about it?¡±


    ¡°No. Not yet¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a shame.¡±


    ¡°Can I postpone my answer until thepletion ceremony?¡±


    ¡®You already signed a contract, you¡­¡¯


    Her acting skills proved to beparable to that of Ahn Ki-mo¡¯s.


    ¡°Yes. Of course. Come to think of it¡­ he is¡­¡±


    ¡°Hello, Instructor Lee Kiyoung. I¡¯m Kim Ki-cheol. I¡¯m Yoo Ahyoung¡¯s boyfriend.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh. I¡¯ve heard about you.¡±


    ¡°I am¡­ I heard that Ahyoung is indebted to you. Thank you for taking care of her.¡±


    ¡°No. People like Yoo Ahyoung aren¡¯t people who can easily be seen anywhere. It is natural. Hahaha¡­ You two look good together.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Recently, there had been some misunderstandings¡­¡±


    I could recognize Kim Ki-cheol¡¯s expression as that of inferiority.


    His gaze was fixated on Tol To-ri, hanging behind me, and he also seemed to be envious of the clothes I was wearing. Jealousy did not look good on him.


    As I quietly turned to Yoo-Ahyoung, I saw that she felt quite good as she kept smiling.


    ¡®She won¡¯t get weird from this experience, right?¡¯


    At this point, my worries began to rise, but I knew it wasn¡¯t dangerous yet, for her case.


    I was even more worried at the fact that Tol To-ri was also fixated on her chest.


    ¡°Kie-e-ek¡­¡±


    It was then that Yoo Ahyoung, who had not noticed, moved her body a little more actively.


    ¡°Oh, is this the kid, Dialuria, you talked about thest time?¡±


    ¡°Yes, trainee Yoo Ahyoung.¡±


    ¡°He is cute. Can I touch him, just this once?¡±


    Not only did she snuggle him closer to her chest, but her voice had also taken on a higher pitch.


    Anyone would feel like she was constantly sending out signals that she wanted to look like a woman to me no matter what.


    I was worried that Tol To-ri would go crazy, but seeing that he remained silent, Ahyoung seemed to be within the allowable range. Of course, his body trembled, but there was no offensive reaction. Rather, Kim Ki-cheol proved to be the more angered one.


    His expression had now shifted into hostility.


    ¡°Tol To-ri doesn¡¯t like the touch of human hands very much. It would be better to spend time togetherter. You can get along quickly.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes. How about tomorrow evening?¡±


    It was Kim Ki-cheol who answered for her.


    ¡°Instructor Lee Kiyoung, Ah-young has no time tomorrow¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes! I would love to, Instructor.¡±


    But Yoo Ahyoung interrupted him.


    ¡°Ahyoung¡­¡±


    ¡°I have time. Of course, it¡¯s okay, instructor.¡±


    ¡°Haha. That¡¯s fortunate.¡±


    ¡°Er¡­ Instructor! Since we¡¯re meeting¡­ Again, er¡­ Can I ask the same thing to you?¡±


    ¡®Ask what, you woman?¡¯


    Though Ahyoung didn¡¯t directly say what she was asking for, the suggestive look in her eyes eventually made me smile.


    ¡®Genius.¡¯


    Didn¡¯t they say that a woman¡¯s vengeance knows no bounds?


    This acting, which seemed to be saying that there was something peculiar between us, was better than Ahn Ki-mo¡¯s own acting.


    ¡®I really have to recruit this one.¡¯


    Perhaps she didn¡¯t even know she had this kind of talent. I bet, if she received proper guidance from Ahn Ki-mo, it would be no different than getting the Lindel Actress Award.


    ¡°Er¡­ I really liked what you taught mest time¡­¡±


    ¡®What was good¡­ we didn¡¯t do anything. We¡­¡¯


    I felt a little embarrassed with the sudden set-up. However, I had no choice but to respond.


    ¡°Of course. Ahyoung. Rather, I would like to ask you that¡­ It¡¯s fun to be with Ahyoung as well. I will teach you everything I couldn¡¯t tell youst time.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes. But there is also Ki-cheol¡­¡±


    ¡°No. You don¡¯t have to worry about Oppa. I don¡¯t think he knows much. Instructor Lee Kiyoung teaches better. Then, I¡¯ll see you, instructor. We¡¯ll get going!¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Of course, what we would be doing would bepletely innocent, but Kim Ki-cheol would definitely think that we¡¯d be up to no good.


    ¡°W¡­ What¡¯s going on? Do you have to meet him tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ You don¡¯t need to know.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°No, why are you trying to intervene in what people do? Isn¡¯t that an obsession? It was Oppa who asked me to stay cool. Don¡¯t worry too much about my things.¡±


    ¡°Ahyoung¡­ still¡­¡±


    As they moved away, the remnants of their argument reached my ears.


    I had initially thought she was a fool just wandering around smiling, but she seemed to understand the concept of how to mess with him properly.


    As anyone could see, Kim Ki-cheol was anxious, while Yoo Ahyoung seemed rxed. He didn¡¯t even dare to ask openly if she was cheating on him. The power dynamics of their rtionship waspletely reversed.


    At this point, Kim Ki-cheol would constantly be wondering about the possibility of Ahyoung and I having an affair behind his back.


    However, something unexpected urred.


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    It appeared that he was not the only one who thought this way.


    ¡°Chiing¡­ Kiehek¡­¡±


    Tol To-ri had begun to cry. He must¡¯ve understood the conversation that had just taken ce.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t think that Tol To-ri would notice this strange atmosphere, but considering that he was smarter and quicker than most people, I should have expected this.


    Thick tears continued to wet my shoulder as he hugged me tightly, as if not wanting to let me go. He then continued crying sadly.


    ¡°Y¡­ Your dad is not cheating, okay? I¡¯m serious¡­¡±


    Now I felt even sh*ttier.


    ¡°Dad only has Tol To-ri. I¡¯m not having an affair and leaving your mom.¡±


    No, I was already a low-ss piece of sh*t even back then.


    ¡®Damn.¡¯

 Chapter 223: Completion Ceremony (1)

    <h4>Chapter 223: Completion Ceremony (1)</h4>


    I knew this was an important issue.


    It was natural for me to want to show Tol To-ri all the good things, as he had not yet formed his disposition. He even already had a strange characteristic!


    If he ended up with a selfish or calcting disposition, there would be a big problem raising him.


    ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯


    I could no longer stay still in regards to Tol To-ri¡¯s education. I simply couldn¡¯t entrust Dialugia with such a crucial matter.


    Seeing the kid sleeping next to me while snorting, I began to wonder if my worries were useless.


    However, in any case, I had to pay attention in his early stages as he may soon have enough power to blow away a castle with one simple breath.


    As I slowly turned my gaze away from Tol To-ri and looked ahead, I saw two women who were still fixated on him.


    ¡°He is really cute.¡±


    ¡°Yes. He seems a little tired. Lately, he was so excited that he wasn¡¯t able to sleep well.¡±


    It was Cha Hee-ra and Dialugia.


    It is quite surprising to see that they had be quite close after only three days.


    Cha Hee-ra also maintained a rtively amicable rtionship with Jung Hayan, so it can be said that she had good sociability in her own way, but Dialugia was a little different.


    Even if her sociability was zero in the first ce, she couldn¡¯t even blend in. I had a rough feeling about how Cha Hee-ra could get close to her.


    Perhaps Cha Heera was able to develop their rtionship because she understood the mother¡¯s heart to some extent. Looking at Cha Hee-ra gently patting the head of Tol To-ri was simr to how one would pet an animal.


    ¡°Hee-ra, are you not going to thepletion ceremony?¡±


    ¡°Ah. Is it already thiste? Well, if I stay from the beginning to the end. What would I do? Anyway, I only need to memorize a congrattory speech¡­ The executives decided to do the rest. How about you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m goingter. I have to leave today, but there are some things I haven¡¯t organized yet. I¡¯m almost finished.¡±


    ¡°Time flies so fast. It¡¯s already thepletion ceremony¡­ Oh, did you manage to form the backline?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You couldn¡¯t in the end.¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯m just going to look inside Lindel. It was hard to find a useful wizard, so I tried to find archers, too, but I didn¡¯t like anyone. Everyone is below my standards.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying this for the other ns and guilds, recruiting kids below that level, to hear you?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mean that¡­¡±


    ¡°I was kidding. You don¡¯t need to panic.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s so mean.¡±


    ¡°I still want to say something, however. Is that okay?¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s advice, it¡¯s weed.¡±


    ¡°Blue has a cut line that¡¯s too high in the first ce.¡±


    ¡°So we look that way, huh?¡±


    ¡°No, more than Blue, you seem to be putting strict standards on other people.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ You might think so.¡±


    I knew Cha Hee-ra was right.


    ¡°In the first ce, the Blue members are a little peculiar, honey. We both know how strong Kim Hyunsung and Jung Hayan, the two geniuses, are. There¡¯s also that kid, Kim Ye-ri, and even that priest, Sun Hee-young. She isn¡¯t remarkably great, but she¡¯s innately familiar with divine power.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Cho Hyejin, that girl, can¡¯t be called a genius, but she¡¯s definitely talented. I think that trying hard is part of talent, too. I bet that probably Kim Ye-ri, no matter how strong the kid gets, will have a hard time catching up with someone like Cho Hyejin.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°In fact, it¡¯s peculiar as to how all of these talented people are gathered together. Usually, most of these people should be running their own guild or n somewhere. Well, anyway, even if we leave these monsters aside, there are other ordinary people in your guild, right?¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡°You, too¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°So is the Mage Schr Hwang Jeong-yeon¡­ And your guild¡¯s big fat¡­ Oh, you said it was Park Deokgu. Isn¡¯t that the same for him? But, as far as I can see, these people are also members of the guild that shouldn¡¯t be left out right now.¡±


    That was definitely true.


    ¡°Even though you and the Mage Schr originally had one foot in thebat group and the nonbat army, it¡¯s not like that for Park Deokgu, right? I feel a little sorry for him, but in fact, I thought he was going to fall off soon.¡±


    In fact, I had thought the same thing as her.


    ¡°Look at him. Not only had he endured for a longer time than I thought, but he was even able to improve. It¡¯s because the guild members helped and cared about him so much that that pig will someday be a top yer.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡±


    If it were before, I would have shaken my head at Cha Hee-ra¡¯s words, but it was definitely different now.


    Of course, Deokgu may be more famous as a tanker with a famous name rather than bing famous for his personal strength, but certainly, Park Deokgu now had the potential to catch up with Kim Hyunsung¡¯s party.


    ¡°Even ordinary people can be strong, with the right support and care. That¡¯s why our Red Mercenary¡¯s recruitment cut line is lower than expected. In fact, there are times when people who you never expected anything from suddenly stand out, you know?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°Talent is, of course, important. There are cases where you can¡¯t do anything. But when I see people, there is one more thing I see other than talent.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Their willpower.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    ¡°Actually, that¡¯s why, in the beginning, I epted your request here. It may sound funny, but your eyes were a little different¡­ Usually, those who are desperately clinging achieve one or two things.¡±


    It certainly made sense.


    Even if my eyes could see almost anything, it didn¡¯t necessarily predict the future.


    In fact, I had no idea that Park Deokgu would grow this much. At the same time, I never expected Lee Jihye to be perfectly settled in the ck Swan.


    ¡®The same goes for me¡­¡¯


    ¡°You¡¯ll do it in your own way, but that¡¯s what I wanted to say. Let¡¯s go out and take onest look. After thepletion ceremony, you should take your guild kids anyway.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ You have to do the speech, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s annoying, but I have to do what I have to do. What about Dialugia?¡±


    I had initially thought that Dialugia wouldn¡¯t want to go.


    ¡°It would be hard to move together, Cha Hee-ra. Dialuria is still sleeping¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah. Then we¡¯lle together after I¡¯m done.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    ¡®Blue doesn¡¯t needpletion ceremony or whatever.¡¯


    Come to think of it, the outfit Cha Hee-ra wore was a little different from usual. Usually, she preferred wearing clothes with a little exposure.


    It was the same when I first met her, and when I saw her wearing a dress at the party.


    It seemed that she now thought that she had to be formal as she had to read the congrattory address in front of everyone. Seeing that she was wearing pretty cool armor, it seemed that it would be okay to call her a Red Knight rather than Red Mercenary.


    I was also dressed neatly, but I couldn¡¯t bepared to her current extravagance.


    ¡®She really is cool.¡¯


    As we headed to the training center¡¯s tourney hall while being escorted by members, I saw all the trainees lined up. On the tform, Lindel¡¯s main guild masters were sitting in a simple tent while watching the trainees.


    ¡®Hyunsung!¡¯


    Of course, even Kim Hyunsung stood out. Though he was speaking to ck Swan Guild Master Park Yeon-joo, he smiled when he caught sight of me.


    I didn¡¯t want to wave my hand frivolously, so I greeted him with a nod.


    Meanwhile, Cha Hee-ra climbed onto the tform without giving another nce to the trainees.


    Although some trainees looked at Cha Hee-ra¡¯s red hair in an immobile position as if amazed, most of them wore a tense expression.


    ¡®Come to think of it, is it their first time seeing her?¡¯


    She was ranked as Lindel¡¯s top yer, as well as the leader of the Red Mercenary Guild.


    Her red hair fluttering behind her armor made her look like a goddess on the battlefield. Usually, those kinds of people exuded an intimidating aura without even trying.


    I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s an appropriate example, but it was simr to watching TV.


    I, too, went up on the podium with her. I took a seat in the right ce and looked at the trainees eagerly, but unfortunately, no one stood out that much.


    After the ceremony was over, Lee Chang-ryul and Yoo Ahyoung would prepare to head to Lindel with me. I could see some nces over here.


    ¡®Was Kim Ki-cheol¡¯s case solved well?¡¯


    Upon seeing Ahyoung¡¯s happy expression, I felt like it did.


    Perhaps she was thinking of messing with him a little more after thepletion ceremony.


    Lee Chang-ryul stood still, wearing the mask he always wore, but he sent me a favorable look.


    It was then when Cha Hee-ra started her congrattory speech.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for making you suffer through such an ordeal such as a speech. I would like to go to Lindel and focus on my own life, but usually, there are useless events and customs in these ces. In fact, I don¡¯t have much to say to you. The guild¡¯s executives wrote the congrattory remarks¡­¡±


    ¡®She won¡¯t read it.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m not into these things, and I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll need a little more realistic advice than just trying to look good reading something like this.¡±


    Looking at the Red Mercenaries¡¯ executives¡¯ expressions standing together on the podium, I could tell they already expected this.


    ¡°Actually¡­ it is inevitable to hold a sword once you get here. Whether you¡¯re a blue-cor worker or a hater of fights, someday the day wille when you¡¯ll have to lift your sword. Monsters could attack the city, or war could happen unexpectedly. yers are designed to live that way.¡±


    This was an interesting story.


    ¡°That¡¯s why we gave nonbatant soldiers and people useless training such as basic physical training. This expression will be easy to understand for those who don¡¯t know the world¡¯s situation yet. You guys were sent here as warriors and were also raised as warriors. From Earth¡¯s point of view, it may sound ridiculous, but you are all warriors. The possibility of disaster is definitely something that could make you shrink, but¡­ Of course, everyone has different ways of fighting¡­ Well, if I continue to talk like this, I¡¯m going to end up rambling. All I want to say is one thing. Don¡¯t get killed in useless ces.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The entire venue had be quiet.


    ¡°See you on the bigger battlefield, newbies.¡±


    As if nned, the g of the Red Mercenary was lifted. The ceremony ended with all the members sending a salute to Cha Hee-ra.


    I had no choice but to think that it would not be so bad even if I went to the Red Mercenary Guild instead of going to Blue with Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡°Would you like to say a word, too?¡±


    As I shook my head, she came down from the tform, looking perfectly at ease.


    ¡®I¡¯m really going to fall for this one¡­¡¯


    Rather than being a ¡®woman,¡¯ the person Cha Hee-ra had be was cool.


    Thanks to the fact that she had wholeheartedly distracted me, there was no time to have a look around the trainees waiting forpletion. As I tried to go for onest scope, the other guild executives began to herd their charges out.


    A few trainees started to move on to the wagons that would take them to Lindel, and Blue, which received the two reserved ones, was no exception.


    Yoo Ahyoung and Lee Chang-ryul were now on their way to the Blue g.


    It was then that a person came in my line of sight, someone who had not received any offer and thus had stayed by the sides, looking for the wagons that were just waiting to depart.


    ¡®Han Sora.¡¯


    For some reason, this felt simr to when I had seen Lee Jihyest year. I had thought about bringing Sora along, but I knew Blue didn¡¯t need another alchemist.


    Of course, I also knew it wouldn¡¯t be bad to use her since she had the passion for it, but since she already had friction with me¡­


    ¡®Usually, people who are desperately clinging achieve one thing.¡¯


    The words Cha Hee-ra said before we came here lingered in my head.


    I habitually looked at her status window, but nothing had changed much from before.


    ¡®No¡­¡¯


    The most crucial thing had changed. I was so surprised that I began tough.


    [ss: Warlock]


    ¡®Would you look at that¡­¡¯


    Almost unconsciously, I began to call out.


    ¡°Hey,e here.¡±


    I saw Han Sora¡¯s pupils shaking as she realized I was talking to her.


    ¡°Pleasee here, Han Sora-ssi.¡±


    Though I was talking as formally as I could, she did not cease her trembling.

 Chapter 224: Completion Ceremony (2)

    <h4>Chapter 224: Completion Ceremony (2)</h4>


    I could understand why Han Sora was trembling. If I were her, I would not want to get involved with Blue anymore at this point. She might even want to move out of Lindel and into another city.


    If she were smart, this would be her best n. What Jung Hayan had done to her had been very traumatic. Fortunately or unfortunately, Jung Hayan wasn¡¯t here, but I thought there was a high probability that she wouldn¡¯t want to be entangled with me.


    However, what she thought had nothing to do with me.


    What was a little more important was that she had chosen ck wizard as a ss.


    ¡®Warlock.¡¯


    There was no reason to ask why.


    [Warlock (Rare): This is a ranged ss that can use ck magic. ck magic is a new level of magic thatpletely overturns the existing magicalmon sense. Because of the concept of borrowing power from the devil, some religious groups feel strong resistance to ck magic, but its destructive power can be overwhelmingly higher than that of other upations. Acquired basic ck magic knowledge. Magic power will increase by 4.]


    ¡®Look at her¡­¡¯


    Her magic power circuit had been destroyed, so this ss was what she could at least choose.


    Unlike wizards that forcefully demand affinity for magic, ck wizards were one of the sses that were less influenced by magical power.


    I also remembered taking a lot of time to decide between a ck wizard and an alchemist.


    At the time, Park Deokgu rmended the warlock ss, and Kim Hyunsung rmended changing to an alchemist.


    I thought the former would be better, but what made mee this far was choosing to be an alchemist with the heroic-grade item called Ramus Tucker¡¯s Introduction to Alchemy.


    However, there was something that came to mind at times.


    ¡®What if I had chosen to be a warlock instead of an alchemist?¡¯


    Of course, being an alchemist was not all bad. I think I had been excessively well treated, and my achievements were excellent. In addition to obtaining a unique legendary-grade ss, myck of force had also been partially filled.


    Nevertheless¡­


    ¡®Warlock wouldn¡¯t have been bad, either.¡¯


    I sometimes wondered about this. If I had chosen to be a warlock, it would have been inconvenient to move around the Holy Empire, but that area was unknown to me.


    I was both curious and interested.


    While thinking about these things, Han Sora spoke. Of course, she looked very embarrassed.


    ¡°Is it¡­ me¡­ y-you¡¯re calling?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Please get off the carriage for a moment, Han Sora-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    She did look anxious. From her expression, I knew she had not taken the warlock ss to take revenge. No matter how well she must¡¯ve done, the idea that she could harm Jung Hayan was impossible.


    ¡®I guess that¡¯s fortunate.¡¯


    The two were already at different levels, and the gap would never close.


    She knew this better than anyone else.


    I nodded and spoke to the coachman waiting for departure.


    Still wearing a bandage all over her body, she got off the wagon and looked at me anxiously.


    ¡°You can go first. The Blue Guild will take her to Lindel.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Okay, Lee Kiyoung-nim.¡±


    ¡°I think it would be better for trainee Han Sora toe with us in our carriage. Follow me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°We could talk a bit. Oh, I forgot that your legs were a little ufortable. You can walk slowly.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    An awkward atmosphere ensued as she followed me to my guild carriage.


    ¡°Instructor Lee Kiyoung¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Did I do anything wrong? Er¡­ If I have made any mistakes, I-I¡¯ll apologize. So¡­¡±


    ¡°Ohh¡­ It¡¯s not that, so don¡¯t worry. To be honest, I¡¯ve already forgotten about that. You don¡¯t have to worry. And I think it would be okay to call me Kiyoung-ssi, not Instructor Lee Kiyoung¡­ or you can call me Blue Vice Guild Master, or well, whatever title is fine.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not an instructor anymore.¡±


    ¡°No. Not that¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ You mean that. That¡¯s exactly what I meant. I think you have already received enough punishment, and you¡¯ve already apologized.¡±


    ¡°Then, why¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Why did I call you? And right after thepletion ceremony was over.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll be able to guess easily.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps¡­ kill¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to Blue together.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I said, let¡¯s go to Blue together. The treatment won¡¯t be bad. We¡¯ll give you a good sry, and we¡¯ll make the down payment as much as the others. Of course, not as much as Yoo Ahyoung or Lee Chang-ryul, butpared to other guilds, you will not be disappointed.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You can check the welfare content and other parts while reading the catalog, and the contract term¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°The contract period is for life. Actually, this is notmon, and, indeed, this is not permitted under imperialw, but well, if you don¡¯t open your mouth, no one will know.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡­¡±


    ¡°There are some things that you¡¯ll have to do. First, since you have knowledge of basic alchemy, you will be seated as a vice chief in the alchemyb¡­ Oh! You¡¯re going to take the backline of the new second party of Blue, so you should keep that in mind.¡±


    ¡°My¡­ magic power¡­ And the l-legs¡­¡±


    ¡°The legs don¡¯t really matter. It¡¯s not agility that I ask of for the rear, anyway. The problem is about magic power. A broken magic power circuit will take a while, but let¡¯s see if there¡¯ll be a way to fix it. Of course, the aftereffects will remain, but it doesn¡¯t really matter to you whether the power circuit is alive or not.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about¡­ I am¡­¡±


    ¡°Han Sora-ssi. Let¡¯s not lie. Don¡¯t worry about how I know or what did I do to know. Just nod your head. Anyway, rather than wandering off alone¡­ It would be a little safer to be next to me. You should know by now what influence and power I wield.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I mean, if you do not want to receive sudden visits from Heretic Inquisitors that the Empire boasts about, then just quietly sign the contract. Blue cares about talent. It doesn¡¯t really matter about the secrets or disabilities you have.¡±


    At this, Han Sora stayed quiet. Of course, I saw her face turning really pale. I didn¡¯t know what she is thinking, but I¡¯m sure she was fully aware that the situation was already twisted.


    Rejection was not an option. I knew she had taken my threat to heart.


    ¡®It¡¯s because she is smart.¡¯


    ¡°And Hayan¡­¡±


    ¡°Hic.¡±


    Seeing her hupping as soon as I spit out Hayan¡¯s name was amusing. I knew she wouldn¡¯t want toe to Blue because of Jung Hayan rather than me.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry. She won¡¯t ever touch you first unless you pull crap on her first. Oh! I just have this one paper. Please, sign up first.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I-I was wrong. I¡¯m sorry. Hic. Please, don¡¯t¡­ do this.¡±


    ¡°No, aren¡¯t there the sry and the down payment below? This is good for you, too.¡±


    ¡°Let me live. I beg you¡­ Everything else is fine. Just please¡­ please¡­¡±


    ¡°Gosh¡­ Didn¡¯t I say she wouldn¡¯t kill you?¡±


    ¡°I beg you, please. Please, I don¡¯t want to go. Please¡­¡±


    ¡°I will add a little more down payment.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean that¡­ please¡­ Instructor, I was stupid. So¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not really trying to harass you. Please, just sign up.¡±


    The way she grabbed my pants was indeed a spectacle. I knew and understood why she refused me, but I also felt like she was exaggerating.


    ¡®But she¡¯s going to be really useful¡­¡¯


    Cha Hee-ra was right. She had enough surviving will, and she was desperate, too.


    If I think about it, I think she was a talent I could have more expectations forpared to Lee Chang-ryul or Yoo Ahyoung.


    ¡®She¡¯s going to be the backliner.¡¯


    Seeing Han Sora signing her name on the contract with her trembling hands made me feel proud, for some reason. In time, Yoo Ahyoung and Lee Chang-ryul, who had been where the Blue g was, also began to approach us.


    I thought Kim Hyunsung would guide them, but it was unexpectedly a guild employee who guided them.


    ¡®Manager Kim Mi-young?¡¯


    It had been a long time since I had seen her.


    ¡°Manager Kim Mi-young, it¡¯s been a long time.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Vice Guild Master. It does look like it¡¯s been a while.¡±


    ¡°What about Hyunsung-ssi?¡±


    ¡°The Guild Master said that he has a business meeting with Park Yeon-joo of the ck Swan. He said he was sorry and asked me to guide them instead.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    It looked like she really fell for him.


    Perhaps Kim Hyunsung thought this would be an awkward situation, too.


    ¡®She¡¯s not the type of person who he can just ignore.¡¯


    What was a little strange was that Sun Hee-young wasn¡¯t here, either. Upon realizing this, Kim Mi-young spoke once more.


    ¡°Hee-young-ssi also decided toe in the ck Swan¡¯s carriage.¡±


    ¡°Oh! So, it really was a business meeting.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Of course, he said he wasing to Lindel by this evening. He asked me to tell you that they were going to eat together as a wee meal.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°More than that, who¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit too sudden, but I recruited someone else. I¡¯m sorry to bother the administration team, but I think she¡¯s a necessary talent for the second party.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    Manager Kim Mi-young¡¯s gaze at Han Sora strayed towards her one eye and leg. Of course, what was most evident was her anxious expression.


    However, I knew she would trust in my judgment the most.


    ¡°Yes. As soon as we get there, we will go through the enrollment procedure and report it to the guild association. The contract¡­¡±


    ¡°Since she just signed the contract, please check and add 10% more than what has been written. Now that I think about it, it feels like it was a little cheap. Come to think of it, you and Chang-ryul-ssi were at the attack team together in the tutorial, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Vice Guild Master. But¡­¡±


    ¡°Since we have considered many things, you can trust and follow us. Although your body is not really well, you¡¯ll do your job well enough.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lee Kiyoung-nim.¡±


    Since he was wearing a red mask, I couldn¡¯t confirm what kind of expression Lee Chang-ryul was making, but he didn¡¯t look to be in a bad mood.


    Of course, it was Yoo Ahyoung who looked to be in a better mood.


    I was worried because my gaze was taken away by Han Sora for a while, but it seemed that things had worked out better than I thought.


    ¡°Come to think of it, Ahyoung-ssi¡­ has the thing with Kim Ki-cheol been solved? I should have helped¡­ I¡¯m sorry. Something suddenly happened.¡±


    ¡°No. You didn¡¯t have to help.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d, then¡­¡±


    ¡°I feel relieved enough. Manager Kim Mi-young also helped¡­ Of course, there are still more things I want to do¡­ Can I tell you thatter?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡®I think she really got the hang of this¡­¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know how Manager Kim Mi-young helped her or what she wanted to do in the future, but it was a little scary to think that her mind was still on revenge.


    ¡®It¡¯s not bad, though.¡¯


    Overall, I felt like I had gotten myself a decent party in this round, which I was sure I would feel a little dissatisfied in.


    Yoo Ahyoung, Lee Chang-ryul, and Han Sora¡ªa well-bnced party would bepleted in a short while if I put the experienced Ahn Ki-mo in there.


    However, when I put everyone together, I realized each individual had something missing from them. In fact, I was worried about leaving them to Ahn Ki-mo, but I knew he was a clergyman capable of being a front-liner and a back-liner.


    They were capable enough, yet there was room for more growth in the future.


    ¡®I guess I can raise them properly¡­¡¯


    Of course, many problems must be solved for them to blend into the guild. As I mulled over my thoughts, I could see a wagoning in this way.


    What was a little unexpected was the presence of one person in the carriage.


    ¡°Oppa!¡±


    I saw Jung Hayan waving with a bright expression. This was definitely not a good time.


    Sure enough, Han Sora began to tremble.


    ¡°Argh¡­ Ahhhhhhhhh¡­ Argh!¡±


    What was more problematic was the fact that she had peed herself once more.


    ¡®Is she still like this?¡¯


    It appeared that it was only me who had thought that she was gradually getting better. Her situation seemed worse than what I had initially thought.


    Seeing Jung Hayan waving with a bright expression, I felt goosebumps behind my back.


    ¡®You¡­ What the hell have you done¡­¡¯


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±

 Chapter 225: The Party (1)

    <h4>Chapter 225: The Party (1)</h4>


    In fact, even I had felt unsettled when Jung Hayan had brought Han Sora to us. Though Han Sora had received treatment from Sun Hee-young, she looked nothing more than a rag at the time.


    It was unknown what had exactly urred between Jung Hayan and Han Sora.


    However, considering Han Sora¡¯s condition at the time, it was clear that she suffered more than I could ever imagine. The aftereffects had remained even after she had gotten healed.


    ¡®I think her trauma is stronger than I first thought.¡¯


    Who knew she would pee on the spot with just a mere nce at Jung Hayan?


    Now that she knew that everything was a misunderstanding, Jung Hayan seemed not to care much about Han Sora, but I had no choice but to worry about her all the way back to the city in the carriage.


    To be precise, she changed her pants three times from the tutorial training center to Lindel. If the wagon had not been wide, I could have been sure that she would have changed at least seven more times.


    Thanks to this, Han Sora used the same space as Dialugia and Tol To-ri, who was busy sleeping, and not mine, but it seemed that even that made her a little ufortable.


    Even if I wanted to do something, I knew I couldn¡¯t.


    Hearing Jung Hayan¡¯s name not only triggered her seizure but also caused her to tremble continuously. For now, I had no choice but to wait and see until she got used to it.


    At this point, I wondered if it was a mistake to choose Han Sora.


    Even if the first party and the second party were to be divided, the second party could stand together with us in a dungeon or battlefield once they got on the right track.


    Considering this, I knew it was necessary to do something with Han Sora¡¯s mentality.


    First of all, I had to show that I


    I was the one who held the cor of the overly excited dog, and it would be effective just to show that it usually wore a muzzle. Sure, she still would be scared, but I could at least stop her from having seizures.


    As I was thinking of a solution, the wagon had now passed by Lindel¡¯s front door.


    That was when Yoo Ahyoung¡¯s jaw dropped. Han Sora, who had been trembling, was also looking out the window as if she was curious, and Lee Chang-ryul also nced outside the carriage, all the while pretending not to be interested.


    ¡°Wow¡­¡±


    It was the same as our party¡¯s reaction when we had first seen Lindel.


    Of course, I knew it was natural to show such a reaction. Unlike the training center that did not have any amenities or forms of entertainment, there were pieces of evidence that Lindel had achieved some degree of civilization throughout the city.


    There are also cultural facilities that one could enjoy, and the faces of some of the people were full of life. And just as expected¡­


    As soon as we entered the began to be heard.


    ¡°We¡¯re looking for a party! We just need one priest in order to go hunting. By-products are also distributed in proportion. We just need one priest! We politely refuse a thief.¡±


    ¡°We dispose of rare-grade items. They¡¯re all cheap, soe and take a look.¡±


    ¡°Extra! Extra!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re looking for more people to explore a dungeon! It¡¯s only amon-grade dungeon!¡±


    ¡°The best seller who struck Lindel, How An Alchemist and a Genius Prosecutor Fell in Love, the 3rd book! Only 93 copies are left in limited quantity. We will only distribute it up to 93. I¡¯m really sorry for those who have been waiting.¡±


    ¡®Now they¡¯re even selling novels¡­¡¯


    Among them, what caught my eye were the crowded people outside the square.


    All in all, the area was very noisy. Seeing that a group of almost all women struggled to buy that unknown novel, even I began to wonder what the hell was going on.


    ¡°What?! Are you kidding me? I¡¯ve been waiting sincest night. Does that make sense?¡±


    ¡°How can you organize an event like this¡­ Where is the organizer?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about money. If there is any remaining quantity, just release it, quickly!¡±


    ¡°Do you think that I don¡¯t know that you distributed it to therge guild officers in advance? Do you think that only therge guilds read it?¡±


    It was a fever simr to the time when Blue announced the new potion¡¯s model.


    Certainly, it felt like the amount of gold consumed for any content had increased as people had more money. I evenughed at the people urging the ones who had already bought the limited edition novels to sell them back.


    Unconsciously, I began to speak.


    ¡°Manager Mi-young?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh. That¡­ It seems to be a popr novel on Lindel recently.¡±


    ¡°I see. Does it sell well?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Originally, it was a novel that only wandered around in the dark, but gradually it was on everyone¡¯s lips¡­ Recently, I heard that it is also distributed in Celia and Dawan.¡±


    ¡°Celia and Dawan? Huh¡­ Whoa. That¡¯s interesting. Certainly, the content business seems to be okay these days¡­ Do we have any item being prepared by Blue?¡±


    ¡°No. We haven¡¯t thought about in that area yet¡­¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s okay, please give me a report, including market research. It doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s a littleid-back, so I¡¯d be grateful if you send it to me. It would be fun to be in charge of distribution¡­ Oh, did team leader Kim Mi-young read that novel?¡±


    ¡°What? Ah¡­ Yes.¡±


    Her expression looked a little shaky.


    Manager Kim Mi-young was the type of person who was considered a work addict. I felt a little relieved to know that she was enjoying her leisure time and hobbies.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good thing. Perhaps the content¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a bitplicated to exin.¡±


    ¡°I see. Did you read it too, Hayan?¡±


    ¡°No. This is my first time seeing this. I didn¡¯t even know there was such a thing.¡±


    Certainly, there were still a few people who still enjoyed that kind of content.


    Anyway, at least the neers didn¡¯t find Lindel to be all that bad. On the contrary, they looked to be in a pretty good mood.


    Of course, if one were to look a little deeper, some things may make one frown, but it was certainly a ce where other people live, too. There were also a lot of people smiling, and they seemed to be very active.


    The reason for the whole city to be a little livelier must be, in part, the neers, but I wanted to thank the Lindel citizens who had managed to show them good impressions.


    Eventually, the carriage passed the square and headed for the Blue Guild House.


    ¡°We¡¯re here, Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°Oh, alright.¡±


    The moment I got off the carriage, Park Deokgu and Hwang Jeong-yeon caught my eye. It had also been a long time ago since Ist saw Kim Ye-ri, and it was Ahn Ki-mo who stood next to her. And¡­


    ¡®Cho Hyejin also came.¡¯


    The work at Castle Rock seemed to be finished now. I knew there would be a chance for us to talk separatelyter.


    What was a little fun was that the Blue Guild House had been expanded while I was away.


    ¡®I heard it in the report, but¡­¡¯


    It was different, being able to see it for myself.


    The design itself seemed to be more of a medieval-style than a modern one, but there was also something ssical about it.


    The new recruits looked amazed at how the Blue Guild House looked.


    Before I could even give the infrastructure a full appraisal, someone called out to me.


    ¡°Hyung-nim!¡±


    ¡°Oh, Deokgu. It¡¯s been a while, Jeong-yeon-ssi, and Hyejin-ssi. And Ye-ri, you too¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. Long time no see, Vice Guild Master¡­¡±


    ¡°What about you, Ahn Ki-mo?¡±


    ¡°Actually, our former guild master told me to leave as quickly as possible if I was going to leave, so I packed up and left. I¡¯ve been living in Blue since a few days ago¡­ Haha.¡±


    ¡°Ah! I see. Wee to Blue. And let me introduce to you. These are the neers who came in this time. From the left, this is Yoo Ahyoung, Lee Chang-ryul, and Han Sora.¡±


    Greetings ensued after I said this.


    ¡°Hello. I¡¯m Yoo Ahyoung. Take good care of me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Lee Chang-ryul.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ Han Sora. Please take good care of me.¡±


    Seeing them introduce themselves in different ways made me happy.


    Yoo Ahyoung was quite lively, Lee Chang-ryul was quite¡­ poker-faced, and Han Sora was still highly aware of Jung Hayan¡¯s presence.


    I spoke once more.


    ¡°Yoo Ahyoung is a warrior, Lee Chang-ryul is an assassin, and Han Sora is a wizard. I¡¯ll tell you more about themter, but I¡¯m nning to raise them as the new second party¡¯s main members. I think it¡¯s better to start with the amodations first¡­ Oh, Deokgu. I think it would be better if you were to guide them. Please also join them, Jeong-yeon.¡±


    ¡°Well, if it¡¯s this kind of thing, I¡¯m always down!¡±


    ¡°I think I can guide you step by step from the basement to the upper floors, and Jeong-yeon can choose the amodations right away. Lee Chang-ryul-ssi said he wanted to go to the most isted room, so please do that¡­ Han Sora and Yoo Ahyoung, please make your decisions carefully.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm¡­¡±


    ¡°There will be dinner in the evening, so you can finish all of your things by evening.¡±


    I thought there was a high probability that the guild staff had done it all, but there would be people here who would want to prepare as well.


    ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ do it¡­¡±


    It was Kim Ye-ri who looked at her first-time juniors with an amazed expression.


    She seems to have already recognized herself as a senior.


    Of course, it was impossible to entrust such a task to a child who was not yet an adult. Before I even thought about whether she needed a guardian, I heard a voice next to me.


    ¡°I will go with you, Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°Then, please, Hyejin-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°I will go with you.¡±


    ¡°You do that, Ahn Ki-mo-ssi.¡±


    Although I felt distracted by how many people were around me, the atmosphere wasn¡¯t all that bad, all in all. Jung Hayan herself didn¡¯t seem to care.


    Since Tol To-ri had been asleep for quite a long time, it seemed like Dialugia would not return to the nest today. Meanwhile, the sun seemed to set at a faster pace than usual.


    The new recruits were still going around the Blue Guild House, and as Kim Ye-ri, Cho Hyejin, Ahn Ki-mo, and even Jung Hayan began preparing for the party, all the work preparations ended soon.


    As soon as I heard that Kim Hyunsung had arrived back in Lindel, I promptly began to wait around for him.


    Shortly after that, the man himself entered my line of sight.


    ¡®I missed you, you bastard.¡¯


    It had been a while since we¡¯d been face to face like this.

 Chapter 226: The Party (2)

    <h4>Chapter 226: The Party (2)</h4>


    I knew Hyunsung would feel the same, too.


    He for sure wouldn¡¯t express it openly, but upon seeing me, a weing feeling shone in his eyes. We had both been so busy that it was nice just to be able to see each other like this. We were like a busy couple who only managed to find time to rx now.


    Even though we were aware that we were living in the same house, we were so busy that we could only see each other when going to and returning from work.


    I knew I, myself, had been busy, and I knew Hyunsung was, too.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t know the details of what he did exactly, but at least I could be sure that he was ready for the future toe.


    Kim Hyunsung was very diligent and had no way of doing a crappy job. I felt curious as to what he had been up to.


    ¡°You¡¯re here.¡±


    Once he noticed that we had been waiting for him, he replied.


    ¡°Forgive me for beingte. Something suddenly came up.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Hyunsung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°I was thinking of joining you guys¡­¡±


    ¡°You said you had a business affair with the ck Swan.¡±


    ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be talking about this here. It¡¯ll be better to tell you about it once the party ends. For now, let¡¯s enjoy the arrival of our neers.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    ¡®It seems a bit serious¡­¡¯


    As we had spent a long time together, it was easy to tell when something was off. Kim Hyunsung¡¯s expression definitely didn¡¯t look very good. Something was obviously bothering him.


    Of course, his expression had only been brief, and as soon as the stories of the new recruits came out, his expression shifted into one of happiness. However, he couldn¡¯t fool me.


    ¡®He¡¯s thinking about something¡­¡¯


    There was nothing I could predict because nothing had been revealed in context.


    I started to remember that Park Yeon-joo of ck Swan had constantly been talking to Kim Hyunsung. I thought she was expressing interest at the time, but now that I thought about it, I felt like they did have a pretty serious conversation.


    ¡®Did anyone cause some trouble?¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t imagine the Red Mercenary or the ck Swan guilds in crisis.


    First, the Guild Master Park Yeon-joo was in a good situation, and even when I spoke with Lee Jihye, I couldn¡¯t find anything unusual. I couldn¡¯t help but feel bothered.


    After Kim Hyunsung patted my shoulder, I started to move. Of course, all guild members¡¯ eyes were focused on him. Seeing him trying to join and take a seat was quite the spectacle. I thought it was time for him to say something, so I decided to push him a little.


    ¡°Please say something, Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Hyung-ssi should say something since we¡¯re all gathered like this!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    Hyunsung seemed embarrassed, but he didn¡¯t look upset. Eventually, he stood up.


    ¡°Yes. I think it would be better. First of all, I¡¯m sorry for beingte. I tried toe as soon as possible, but some things held me up.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because of work and nothing else. You don¡¯t even have to apologize. You¡¯re running around busily in order to feed us.¡±


    ¡°Haha. Thank you for thinking so. Actually, I nned today¡¯s meeting, but since I didn¡¯t actually prepare, giving a congrattory speech seems very embarrassing. Yoo Ahyoung, Lee Chang-ryul, Han Sora, and Ahn Ki-mo¡­ I haven¡¯t been able to talk much with you since I wasn¡¯t at the training center, but I feel like you are good people.¡±


    In fact, they were chosen based on ability rather than disposition, but I kept this to myself.


    ¡°Of course, you must have the ability tobine it. Actually, with Chang-ryul-ssi, I checked it myself. Anyway, it¡¯s nice to meet you all. It may sound obvious, but we, Blue, are aiming for a family-like guild. I¡¯m probably not alone with this idea.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Lee Sang-hee and Hwang Jeong-yeon, who first founded Blue, think so, too¡­ Also, Kiyoung-ssi, Hayan-ssi, and Deokgu-ssi, who came here first, and Ye-ri, Hee-young-ssi, and Hyejin-ssi, who came in after that, are all probably thinking the same thing. The same goes for Dialugia.¡±


    Though fellowship tended to be a bit of an overkill, this kind of friendship was very wee.


    ¡°Thank you to all the members who made this guilde alive¡­ Thank you to all of you who are new. You will not regret choosing Blue. Finally¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Wee to Blue.¡±


    When I saw him talking with a slight smile on his lips, I had to admit that he was handsome.


    Seeing that the faces of Cho Hyejin and Kim Ye-ri were subtly reddening, it seemed that I was not the only one thinking about this. If Kim Hyunsung had stayed back on Earth, he probably would¡¯ve made a living just from his looks alone.


    ¡°Let¡¯s all raise the sses.¡±


    Of course, it was Park Deokgu who screamed the loudest.


    ¡°Let¡¯s drink!¡±


    And then, the small party started.


    Yoo Ahyoung felt distracted with the colorful food in front of her that she couldn¡¯t have possibly eaten while she had been a trainee.


    Jung Hayan and Sun Hee-young were quietly eating food on either side of me, and Kim Hyunsung and Lee Sang-hee were talking about various things.


    Although it was a dinner party, the number of people exceeded ten, so we all ended up talking separately in the end. Of course, it was Park Deokgu who always showed an unrivaled performance in such a ce. It was enough to hear him talking loudly, even from here.


    ¡°No, but why does Chang-ryul wear a mask like that?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Uncle Chang-ryul. It¡¯s in his mouth. He has that¡­ Stinging.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ the other day¡­ we fought once. While taking the entrance test and¡­ though he fights a little dirty, he¡¯s not all that bad. I feel like he¡¯s talented.¡±


    At least Park Deokgu and Kim Ye-ri had Chang-ryul covered. Meanwhile, the focus fell on Han Sora.


    ¡°Ah. Is Han Sora really ufortable with her legs? Well, don¡¯t worry about anything. Our Hyung-nim and Hee-young are the types of people who can heal a crippled flower! If they start treating it properly, you¡¯ll be able to stand up in less than three days. Right, Hee-young?¡±


    ¡°I have to try, but¡­ I¡¯m not sure. I¡¯ve already treated it once, but the aftereffects still remained, but of course, if she continues exercising, her condition will get better than it is now.¡±


    ¡°Of course, you¡¯ll get better! And don¡¯t worry about your eyes¡ªif Kiyoung-ssi¡¯s miracle potion doesn¡¯t work, he¡¯ll at least attach a ss eye!¡±


    ¡°T-Thank you.¡±


    Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t have the ability to heal crippled flowers. Of course, I thought it would be nice to have it, but it was beyond my ability to perfect Han Sora¡¯s physical condition.


    ¡°I heard about you¡­ Well, I mean, you suffered after getting in at my Hayan¡¯s magicb. Don¡¯t worry, though! Our Hayan! Huh? She¡¯s the icon of forgiveness. There¡¯s no angel like her!¡±


    ¡°Hic¡­¡±


    ¡°Right? Hayan?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I-I made a mistake, too. Still, from next time you c-c-can¡¯t do that, okay?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Argh¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry! Urinary incontinence will also be cured!¡±


    Park Deokgu was really something. This time, he focused on Dialugia.


    ¡°And about her¡­ Well, neers haven¡¯t seen her, but in fact, her real identity is a dragon.¡±


    The horns on the head were enough for one to guess.


    ¡°I saw her original form once in the Siege of Castle Rock¡­ No, well! A bad wizard in some dungeon controlled this dragon. And just like that, Hyung-nim was the one who gave a helping hand to her! What did Hyung-nim say back then¡­?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop the attack! Stop the attack! Don¡¯t attack anymore! He shouted and blocked her front. Phew! If he were a girl, I would have fallen in love at that moment! Even the dragon¡¯s son! So, he was protecting Tol To-ri, holding him in one hand!¡±


    I felt embarrassed.


    ¡°Actually, it was fortunate that we didn¡¯t fight back then. Obviously, if I had been hit with that paw, I would have died immediately. If you get swallowed in one bite, well, you won¡¯t be able to resist. Anyway, because of that, the dragon chose Hyung-nim. Oh, right. Then it turned out that there was something like an energy waveing out of the dragon¡¯s mouth.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s called Breath.¡±


    ¡°Breath or energy wave, they¡¯re the same! But what¡¯s interesting about this is that Hyung-nim made that Breath a potion!¡±


    ¡®This bastard¡­¡¯


    Deokgu was admittedly being too noisy, but I couldn¡¯t really me him.


    In fact, thanks to him, the atmosphere became better, and some people were even smiling.


    As he talked about Dialugia and me, I felt embarrassed and wanted to hide somewhere.


    However, most of them looked and listened to him with interest. Truly, the atmosphere would¡¯ve been gloomy without Deokgu here. I didn¡¯t have to take things into my own hands.


    Of course, it didn¡¯t take long for Deokgu to take the wrong conversational path.


    ¡°When he first said he was going to be an alchemist, you don¡¯t know how much I tried to stop him. Of course, I believed in him back then, but he still chose to be an alchemist after leaving a cool job like a warlock¡­ Now, it¡¯s all proved to be the right choice, but well, I was looking down the production staff at that time.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of which, countless possibilities are open to production workers, too! It¡¯s all up to you. I realized it upon seeing Hyung-nim.¡±


    ¡°You really mean that, Deokgu Oppa?¡±


    ¡°Ah, is Ahyoung also interested in it?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes. At first, I was unsure if I would go for abat job, but Instructor Lee Kiyoung told me that I had potential¡­ So I decided to dig into this seriously.¡±


    ¡°Ohhhhhh¡­ I see!¡±


    ¡°And¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Actually, I have a second ss change ahead. I haven¡¯t chosen yet, but¡­ That¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I have the cksmith as an option.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Silence filled the room. Kim Hyunsung¡¯s expression was that of an urgent one.


    There was a bit of embarrassment on Ahyoung¡¯s face as she looked at Park Deokgu. Not surprisingly, I heard Park Deokgu muttering.


    ¡°cksmith¡­ seems good¡­¡±


    ¡®This crazy bastard¡­¡¯


    At this, Kim Hyunsung spoke up as well.


    ¡°Ahyoung-ssi, did you have any other sses?¡±


    ¡°Ah. There are two options. One is a cksmith, while the other is a defensive warrior.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not bad. It¡¯s surprising that you only have two options, but it¡¯s probably a side effect of your lopsided growth. If you be a defensive warrior, you¡¯ll be able to do your part.¡±


    ¡°Defense Warrior¡­ Well, I think it would be nice, but¡­ In fact, all the basic shield knowledgees with the ss effect that I can teach.¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t start, you bastard.¡¯


    ¡°Think about it. Hyung-nim chose an alchemist, but what about the magic power that he shows right now? It¡¯s better than just wizards.¡±


    I was, of course, a special case.


    ¡°People who walk on special paths that other people have not originally walked get more attention! Well, isn¡¯t it aplete fraud to make weapons with a hammer that kills monsters, all while lifting a shield?¡±


    ¡°It¡­ makes sense, but there will be a difference in growth as we go to the second half. As Ahyoung-ssi is talented, she will probably be able to get a heroic-grade or higher legendary-grade ss.¡±


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s say, a legendary-grade cksmith might rip off a monster¡¯s head with a hammer at once.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ Such a thing¡­¡±


    Kim Hyunsung also looked perplexed by theck of logic.


    ¡°The choice will be up to Ahyoung-ssi, but if you think about Hyung-nim¡¯s case, it¡¯ll be nice to go for a cksmith! A new breeze ising! Yoo Ahyoung, a genius cksmith who can make anything! Wow¡­ Doesn¡¯t it make your heart shake, just thinking about this?¡±


    ¡°Of course, that doesn¡¯t mean that production workers are bad. As Deokgu said, considering Kiyoung-ssi¡¯s case, there is a possibility. However, considering Ahyoung¡¯s talent, you can get enough results even if you take the ssic route. From aprehensive perspective, it would be ideal to choose a warrior as well.¡±


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s words were, in fact, true.


    Of course, one needed a cksmith. However, Yoo Ahyoung was too good to settle for this.


    ¡°Considering Ahyoung¡¯s talent, she can be strong without taking the regr route! Lindel needs a new wind! I definitely rmend going for the cksmith!¡±


    ¡°If Ahyoung-ssi chooses to be a defensive warrior, I will give this shield as a gift.¡±


    Kim Hyunsung was employing the same tactic as the time he urged me to be an alchemist.


    The one thing Kim Hyunsung overlooked, however, was that Park Deokgu was no longer a child.


    ¡°If you choose to be a cksmith, I will not only pass onto you my shield skills, but I will also give this hammer as a gift!¡±


    It was a heavy hammer that he one day acquired from a dungeon expedition. Kim Hyunsung¡¯s face was stained with embarrassment for a brief moment.


    ¡°cksmith! Originally, a person with a wide chest can hit with a hammer!¡±


    ¡°Go for a defense warrior. Don¡¯t let that talent go to waste.¡±


    ¡°That talent can be fully demonstrated elsewhere! cksmith!¡±


    ¡°Defense warrior!¡±


    ¡°cksmith!¡±


    ¡°Defense warrior!¡±


    ¡°acksmiiiith!¡±


    ¡®This¡­ this crazy pig¡­¡¯


    What was even more embarrassing was that I felt convinced by Park Deokgu for some reason.


    Yoo Ahyoung¡¯s expression showed her embarrassment since she didn¡¯t know that the topic she threw would overheat like this.


    ¡°Defense Warrior!¡±


    ¡°cksmith! cksmith, no matter what!¡±


    ¡°The defense warrior is better, I¡¯m sure.¡±


    ¡°Defense warrior!¡±


    ¡°cksmith!¡±


    ¡°Defense Warrior!¡±


    ¡°cksmith! She needs to wield the hammer!¡±


    Yoo Ahyoung looked conflicted.

 Chapter 227: The Party (3)

    <h4>Chapter 227: The Party (3)</h4>


    Even I felt convinced.


    It felt like Deokgu had been spouting bullsh*t at first, but what he said sounded appealing.


    ¡®I guess he¡¯s right¡­¡¯


    I could tell that Deokgu¡¯s words made sense. There was no reason to choose a defensive warrior. Its advantagey in the fact that one could head to the rted melee high rank.


    Of course, what he said was the most important factor in Ahyoung¡¯s growth, but it was undeniable that it would take a long time, considering her disposition was basically optimistic.


    If I were to think about it, Yoo Ahyoung did not show that kind of passion at the training center.


    ¡®It doesn¡¯t suit her aptitude.¡¯


    The personal analysis was that although she was very talented, she was not very interested in this particr field. Therefore, I was not surprised that cksmith was one of her options.


    ¡®Because Park Deokgu himself never got this kind of ss.¡¯


    As she said, the category was created because she was interested in production work. Of course, what we needed right now was a front-liner who would endure for the party.


    However, if Park Deokgu, who has advanced shield knowledge, cared for Yoo Ahyoung, it was worth trusting in him.


    Considering that I also had the same magic power as a wizard with alchemy, we might be able to use a cksmith as a front-liner if the timing and growth method were correct.


    ¡®Her talent levels are also not bad.¡¯


    The fact that her stamina was legendary-grade also showed that she could be used as a cksmith.


    One thing I was worried about was that Kim Hyunsung was reluctant for her to be a cksmith.


    Of course, this was not because Yoo Ahyoung would achieve great sess as a warrior in the future. Kim Hyunsung seemed not to know Yoo Ahyoung well.


    From Kim Hyunsung¡¯s point of view, he would not want to turn a very valuable talent into a production worker, but with time, it was possible to find a person with a level simr to Yoo Ahyoung somehow.


    Why?


    Because I had my Mind¡¯s Eye.


    The same went for Kim Hyunsung, who could still recruit future talent.


    In particr, considering that there was Dialugia, the supreme treasure here, perhaps Ahyoung could get a ss like Dragon cksmith.


    ¡°Hey, what does Hyung-nim think? Do you not like the cksmith, too?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    ¡°Think about it! cksmith is perfect! Anyone can see she looks like a cksmith, right?¡±


    It really did look like that.


    ¡°Imagine hitting an anvil with a hammer. Since you work in an ultra-hot furnace, her me resistance might be better than normal potential. She will be able to survive in a sea of ??fire.¡±


    ¡®That sounds ridiculous, but¡­¡¯


    As I nced at Yoo Ahyoung, she was also looking at me with a confused expression.


    I also think that something like a cksmith would look better than just wearing armor.


    ¡°cksmith!¡±


    ¡°Defense Warrior!¡±


    ¡°cksmith!¡±


    ¡°Defense Warrior!¡±


    In the meantime, Kim Hyunsung and Park Deokgu were still arguing. I knew I had to say something soon. Unfortunately, I had to let our lovely Kim Hyunsung down.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think¡­ being a cksmith is bad, either.¡±


    ¡°Kiyoung-ssi?¡±


    Kim Hyunsung looked shocked.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry, Hyunsung-ssi.¡¯


    Even his pitiful expression could not bepared with Deokgu¡¯s enthusiasm.


    ¡°Of course, I can understand what Hyunsung-ssi is thinking, but I think it is more difficult to find an excellent cksmith than to find an excellent warrior. If you look through the entire Empire, you will find a good cksmith eventually, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Personally, I don¡¯t want to disclose the special resources that Blue has to other guilds or outside¡­ As Deokgu said, he can teach enough of the knowledge that can be obtained through a ss change.¡±


    ¡°Nevertheless¡­ She won¡¯t be able to learn advanced magic power management knowledge.¡±


    ¡°I also don¡¯t have advanced magic power management knowledge, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a big boostpared to other wizards in terms of firepower.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯re a special case¡­¡±


    ¡°She could be a special case, too. Oh, of course, I¡¯m just exining a simple example. I think it would be better to leave the choices to her.¡±


    In fact, this was the most important issue.


    ¡®What choice will she make?¡¯


    No matter how hard I push, her fate would be determined by her own choices.


    In fact, even from the guild¡¯s standpoint, it was possible to push it forcefully. This was especially true if you signed a contract as abat job as Yoo Ahyoung did.


    However, Blue respected individual freedom. Force was never an efficient option.


    Of course, the reverberation of Park Deokgu¡¯s soul had strangely persuasive power, but Kim Hyunsung and Park Deokgu¡¯s struggles were only mere rmendations.


    The most important thing is Yoo Ahyoung¡¯s opinion.


    Once again, the room quieted down.


    ¡°Er¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°In fact¡­ the cksmith¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­:


    ¡°Whoa! I knew you would! You look like a cksmith, through and through!¡±


    ¡°Can I hear why?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes. It¡¯s hard to say anything in particr, but¡­ Should I say that I am attracted to that for some reason? I don¡¯t know if this would suit me, but it¡¯s what my heart tells me.¡±


    This was rather convincing.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    The returner quietly averted his gaze, his face reddening.


    ¡®You are a man, too.¡¯


    Yoo Ahyoung, who was not aware of Kim Hyunsung¡¯s reaction, continued to speak.


    ¡°Of course, I will train hard not to harm the second party. I think it might be possible if I find my own way, just like Instructor Lee Kiyoung has said. It¡¯s a bit scary to choose to be a production worker, but¡­¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Kim Hyunsung returns to reality, his expression sullen.


    However, that expression was loosened in an instant. If Yoo Ahyoung thought that way, he probably knew it¡¯d only be right to support her.


    He may have been crazy about the resources Dialugia had, and he may have thought that the timing was not bad when thinking about the cksmithing techniques that would appear in the future. Above all, the fact that Ahyoung had chosen to follow her heart must¡¯ve sat well with him.


    Overall, I felt that he respected her choices.


    ¡°It¡¯s unfortunate, but I can¡¯t help it. The guild will provide maximum support.¡±


    ¡°If you want to change what is written on the contract, you can do that. I signed a contract as abat job in the first ce¡­ I feel guilty.¡±


    ¡°Oh. You don¡¯t have to worry about that, Ahyoung-ssi. Instead, I think I need to adjust the contract period¡­ If Ahyoung chooses a cksmith, then the resources she can touch may be a little different¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. I have that in mind enough, Instructor.¡±


    ¡°If so, that¡¯s good.¡±


    ¡°Well! Well!¡±


    Park Deokgu nodded his head as if satisfied. I even thought about this as his scheme to eliminate a front-liner who could potentially be better than him, but I knew Deokgu was not that type of person. He probably had never even thought of that.


    However, it does feel a little strange. From Park Deokgu¡¯s point of view, it may have been only a gain, but considering the result alone, it was reasoning that was worth having at least once.


    ¡®It was Park Deokgu who first brought up the story of production workers¡­¡¯


    Of course, he wouldn¡¯t have seen the cksmith in Yoo Ahyoung¡¯s ss selection list. Such things could not be seen even with the Mind¡¯s Eye.


    However, his persuasion had worked to his advantage this time around.


    ¡°I¡¯ll push that hard! Leave the training to me!¡±


    Deokgu¡¯s boldness had begun to sprout in a different direction.


    ¡®Perhaps he¡¯s not a fool.¡¯


    In the end, Yoo Ahyoung was engulfed in a faint light, and Park Deok-gu once more maintained his position as the best front-liner thus far.


    The conversations once again picked up, and course, most of the subjects were about Yoo Ahyoung, Han Sora, and Lee Chang-ryul.


    ¡°Some new knowledge came in?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I want to try it right now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll look into it to see if there is anything I can help with.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Instructor Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    Of course, it was Yoo Ahyoung who received the most attention among them.


    As we saw this kind of conversationing and going even in the ce we created to get out of various situations, it seemed that we were already yers to our bones.


    Kim Ye-ri was also having a rather serious conversation with Lee Chang-ryul, and Sun Hee-young was also having a conversation with Han Sora.


    Of course, it was not an ordinary conversation.


    ¡®It seems she was able to adapt here in the end.¡¯


    As I had juste back to Lindel today, I wanted to leave this party a little faster. Eventually, people gradually got drunk and began to leave.


    Kim Ye-ri, who was still a minor, had long been inside with Cho Hyejin under the Guild Master¡¯s strict order to sleep and get up early.


    Sun Hee-young, Hwang Jeong-yeon, and the neer and Ahn Ki-mo also went in to take a rest, and Jung Hayan was dozing yet holding onto me firmly.


    Of course, the same went for Park Deokgu and Kim Hyunsung.


    Somehow, thest people left were the four I met in the tutorial dungeon.


    ¡°As expected, only the four of us survived until the end!¡±


    ¡°Yes. The ones from the tutorial¡­¡±


    ¡°Phew¡­ I think it¡¯s been a year already, so my feelings are really different. It¡¯s amazing because I think the time to raise our sessors has alreadye. I thought I¡¯d be stuck with Hyung-nim all the time, but in fact, I¡¯m happy to be with Hyung-ssi for so long, too.¡±


    ¡°I think I know what you¡¯re talking about. It¡¯s a bit awkward to say this, but thank you foring along for the entire ride.¡±


    Perhaps he thought it was a little embarrassing remark, but it was only right to meet his remark in stride.


    ¡°It¡¯s only natural. We¡¯re colleagues, after all.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Hyung-nim¡­¡±


    I knew I had made a cheesy remark. However, I could see Park Deokgu and Kim Hyunsung looking at me with an emotional expression. I had to hurry to change the subject.


    ¡°And it¡¯s probably because Hyunsung-ssi¡¯s decision is always reasonable.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ That¡¯s right.¡±


    It was then that the atmosphere began to get serious.


    ¡°Actually¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°It may not be a little rational this time.¡±


    ¡°Are you talking about what happened with the ck Swans?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Is it dangerous?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡®Fuck¡­¡¯


    The thing that I had been worried about finally came.

 Chapter 228: Crack Museum (1)

    <h4>Chapter 228: Crack Museum (1)</h4>


    ¡°Is it dangerous?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ see¡­¡±


    I already knew that something bad had happened, especially if Hyunsung was present. He was like an NPC harboring the main quest, seeing as he always events where crisis usually followed.


    If I were to think about it, it had never not been dangerous.


    Participating in the attack team with Jung Jinho in the first tutorial had also been a risk, and the siege of Castle Rock was also a dangerous thing. Of course, I didn¡¯t feel burdened with such an event because I believed in him.


    I knew that if any crisis came, he would appear like lightning and solve it.


    In particr, in the tutorial dungeon¡¯s case, the reality was that the difficulty had greatly decreased when he joined. It was a dangerous situation, but I wasn¡¯t particrly nervous.


    If I were to think about it, all of my decisions were rational choices made after considering all kinds of factors. Indeed, Kim Hyunsung never warned me of the dangers of his choices.


    Even when an incident happened, he would say that he could solve it, but at least he had the confidence to make sure that colleagues in the same party would not die.


    ¡®If he says it¡¯s dangerous this time¡­¡¯


    Then this meant it really was. Anxiety bloomed from within me.


    ¡°Can I hear what¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°A support request came from the ck Swan.¡±


    ¡°It will be difficult to refuse.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Park Deokgu spoke up, looking confused.


    ¡°Why is it so hard to refuse?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because we owe them a lot.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    ¡°We owe the ck Swan a lot haven¡¯t paid for everything yet, and they helped us even when I had a problem at the royal castle. Also, I got a lot of help in aspects that cannot be seen. Maybe you¡¯ll be surprised if you know, Deokgu. We¡¯ve been influenced and affected even in the trivial aspects.¡±


    They had even helped us get rid of Park Deokgu¡¯s potential barrier.


    ¡°Although it is called an alliance, the Blue, the ck Swan, and the Red Mercenary are groups that maintain independent powers. Of course, we have no choice but to move for personal gain. This alliance is maintained because the groups need each other, not because of the odd friendship or the goal of defending Lindel.¡±


    ¡°But Hyung-nim and the red-haired were being pretty¡­ friendly, right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a rtionship between Hee-ra and me, not a Blue to Red Mercenary one. Of course, there are some advantages to being close, but that¡¯s all. As much as I put Blue first, she will put the Red Mercenary first. Actually, Hyunsung-ssi also maintains a close rtionship with the ck Swan Guild Master. Public work is public and private work is kept separate.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh¡­¡±


    ¡°Nevertheless, if you think about the fact that among our three alliances, we are the ones receiving support in it bes pretty obvious. It means that we are the ones being fully cared for. In the first ce, our guild is a medium-sized guild when ites to moving goods and abilities, but the scale itself is small.¡±


    ¡°I think I can understand¡­¡±


    ¡°In short, it is Blue that gets the most advantages in this trteral alliance rtionship. However, this honey is not free. You can understand it like that. It means the time hase to pay for the honey we¡¯ve been eating.¡±


    Kim Hyunsung nodded at my words.


    ¡°Kiyoung-ssi is right. This is the first time that the ck Swan Guild has officially requested help from us. If we reject it because this is dangerous, we will lose trust from the ck Swan and the Red Mercenary guilds. Of course, the same goes for other guilds and ns.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ It¡¯s like that¡­ so it¡¯s about trust.¡±


    ¡°Yes. It will be easy to understand if you think that way.¡±


    From this standpoint, it was something that we really had to ept.


    If, as Kim Hyunsung said, this mission was really dangerous, it may be possible to repay our debts.


    ¡®It¡¯s not bad.¡¯


    Blue, too, may get in danger someday, somehow.


    It was a little ironic that we had to take risks in order to ovee more risks, but originally this continent gave rewards equivalent to the risks one took. It was necessary to gamble this time around.


    ¡°What exactly is it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a rescue trip to a dungeon.¡±


    ¡®I knew it would be like this.¡¯


    Unless a war broke out and or they were held captive in another country, the ck Swan¡¯s only reason to ask for help would be because of these types of things.


    ¡°To exin, I heard that the main executives and members of the ck Swan were isted in the dungeon. The request I received from the ck Swan Guild Master Park Yeon-joo is to rescue those who are isted in this dungeon, as well as attack the dungeon at the same time. Of course, it seems that the main power of ck Swan, including Park Yeon-joo, will move alongside us. I think the total number of the attacking team will be 30.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ Is it possible that those who were in the dungeon died?¡±


    ¡°There is one survivor who has managed to exit the dungeon. ording to the testimony, those in the dungeon are surely isted. The name of the dungeon is Crack Museum. The unusual part is¡­ It is said that it is an unssified dungeon.¡±


    ¡°So, there was a survivor who came out. No, rather¡­ You mean the dungeon has no rating?¡±


    ¡°Yes. If I exin it in more detail, I heard that it is a type of dungeon that changes its rank. It can be amon-grade dungeon, as well as a legendary-grade dungeon. Personally¡­ maybe we should think about the possibility of the dungeon changing to above the legendary-grade.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Of course, the odds are very low¡­¡±


    If there was really the possibility of changing to a dungeon above the legendary-grade, entering itself would be both irrational and suicidal. Considering that there were only a few legendary-grade dungeons that had gotten attacked so far, the assumption of entering a dungeon that might have a legendary-grade or higher felt wrong.


    Of course, if there were survivors, the ck Swan would have to prepare things rted to the attack, but nheless, there were still too many risk factors.


    ¡®If it is above the legendary-grade¡­ Is it a mythic-grade?¡¯


    It could also either bemon-grade or heroic-grade, too.


    ¡°How is that possible?¡±


    ¡°The Crack Museum is a type of dungeon where named monsters appear randomly.¡±


    ¡°Ohh¡­¡±


    ¡°It is said that named monsters of rare-grade, heroic-grade, legendary-grade, and mythic-grade are sealed in a crack and only randomly send out named monsters.¡±


    ¡°How did you get such information?¡±


    ¡°It would be better to show the report in person, rather than just exining it in words. This report is based on information from a dungeon guide called Crack Museum Guide.¡±


    ¡°Yes, please.¡±


    ¡®Dungeon guide¡­¡¯


    I sometimes heard that there were dungeons of this kind. No, I had actually experienced it.


    It may be a little different, but in fact, I could think of the woman¡¯s voice heard in the tutorial dungeon as a dungeon guide.


    For example, being a dungeon guide was an irregr that informed how the dungeon ran and what goal was needed to be achieved within it. however¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s different from the Cursed Temple¡­¡¯


    The problem was that the information did not exist at all in the case of the Cursed Shrine, where I had obtained Juliana.


    That was the reason why a dungeon had been able to swallow up most of Blue¡¯s former members. In that sense, it was not bad to have such a special NPC attached.


    ¡®Is it okay to assume that there are no annoying traps orplicated things?¡¯


    That could mean that the dungeon might have otherplications, but¡­


    ¡®For now, it doesn¡¯t seem that bad.¡¯


    At least, likest time, I wouldn¡¯t have to think my brains out or worry about other things than the attack, which was further strengthened the moment I read the ck Swan survivor¡¯s report.


    Of course, it would be hard to trust the report¡¯s uracy, but this was still better than nothing.


    Kim Hyunsung stayed quiet as he watched me read the report, being considerate enough for me to concentratepletely.


    ¡®In fact, nothing will change if I read it, but¡­¡¯


    [Unrated Dungeon Crack Museum Report.]


    [This report is made based on the testimony of the ck Swan Guild¡¯s survivor, who was guided by the Crack Museum guide.]


    [It is divided into the first half, listing the guide as it is, the middle listing the dungeon called Crack Museum¡¯s progress and events, and thest half listing the attack.]


    ¡°¡­¡±


    [ording to the Crack Museum Guide, the Crack Museum is a collection of secrets and treasures created by the Guardians of the Crack, and the guide Marx is an ego ring that has been created by them.]


    [The Crack Guardians have been weathered over time and have lost their existence and significance, and the guide Marx is the only remaining Crack Guardian. Among those who entered the dungeon, a representative was elected, and about 30 explorers were fixed for the museum¡¯s peace. Museum explorers started exploring the museum after wearing the guide¡¯s ring, but once they entered the dungeon, they couldn¡¯t leave the dungeon until they finished the exploration or paid the price, and they were forced to attack.]


    ¡°¡­¡±


    [Dungeon attack can only bepleted after sealing the Crack Guardians or defeating three of the named monsters contracted, and there is no other method. Named objects managed by the museum exist not only from the main continent but also outside of it. Some transcendental beings take the form of contracts, not seals.]


    ¡°Ha¡­¡±


    [There are a total of 500 entities in the museum, and three types of legendary-grade or higher named monsters, thirty types of legendary-grade monsters, four hundred types of heroic-grade monsters, and the remaining monsters are ssified as rare-grade monsters.]


    ¡®This is¡­pletely¡­¡¯


    [Named monsters of the three selected entities are thoroughly randomly determined.]


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    [There are three rewards for exploring the museum. The rewards are three types of legendary-grade or higher armaments, thirty types of legendary-grade armaments, four hundred types of heroic-grade armaments, and the remaining armaments of the rare-grade¡­ this part has been omitted.]


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    [The rewards are also thoroughly randomized.]


    ¡®So, the whole system depends on luck¡­¡¯


    [You could also get rare-grade rewards by defeating legendary-grade monsters, or get a rare-grade monster and receive legendary-grade weapons.]


    Park Deokgu, who quietly looked at the report I was reading next to me, seemed to be able to understand this much.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this much like a game of drawing lots?¡±


    I had no choice but to nod in response to his muttering.

 Chapter 229: Crack Museum (2)

    <h4>Chapter 229: Crack Museum (2)</h4>


    ¡°This is basically a game of drawing lots.¡±


    ¡°Someone in our guild said the same thing.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°Park Deokgu.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh! It turned out that Yuno Kasugano of the Yozora Guild also revealed her intention to participate in this expedition¡­¡±


    ¡°She can¡¯t.¡±


    Lee Ji-hye looked at me as if surprised by my firm remark.


    Of course, if she, who was counted as one of the Eight Seats, participated in the expedition, it would be something to cheer for. Unfortunately, this was not an ordinary dungeon.


    ¡®Her luck stat is zero.¡¯


    Considering Yuno Kasugano¡¯s luck stat, she would only prove to be a nuisance. Honestly, I wanted to tell her not to bother at all.


    ¡°This is unexpected. I thought you would want to take her¡­¡±


    ¡°She has a low luck stat.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s not even a single ray of hope for her.¡±


    ¡°I knew you were a little close, but enough to share stats?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know it in detail, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Well. What can I do?¡±


    She seemed to be ncing at me strangely, but seeing that she didn¡¯t say anything else, I understood that she didn¡¯t care. She didn¡¯t really care who I went out with in the first ce.


    One thing she cared about was whether the people I went out with were useful.


    I didn¡¯t know why she thought that I woulde back to her in the end, but one thing I could admit was that her presence made this work very easy.


    ¡®I should have brought her to Blue.¡¯


    She was not only adapting well in the ck Swans, but she was also doing really great, so I thought it was fortunate to be in there, but there were obviously regrets.


    ¡®I¡¯mfortable.¡¯


    We were so good working together that I had to think that. Lee Jihye began to speak as she checked on the expedition¡¯s profile again.


    ¡°This is hard. The luck stat is also important, but it¡¯s difficult to bnce it, and it¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve been putting my energy into the formation itself. Of course, the formation of other expeditions was obviously tricky, but it was never that hard.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Besides¡­ Looking at it like this, there aren¡¯t many people with really high luck stats. Yours is only in your 70s¡­ I thought it would be higher¡­¡±


    ¡°What is the average luck stat for those isted in the museum now?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. About 30? There could be an error of about minus 15 or plus.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s enough for them to fail.¡±


    Of course, the most necessary part for attacking the Crack Museum was the luck stats.


    I didn¡¯t have to look for those with high stats with my Mind¡¯s Eye.


    Lee Jihye proposed to reveal some limit to luck stats for the attack on this dungeon, and of course, the ck Swan and Blue members agreed on this.


    Contrary to what I thought that it would be a smooth formation, what made it hard was that no one had a higher luck stat.


    Ideally, it would be to organize the expedition with only those with luck stats over 80, but those with legendary-grade luck were harder to find than those with talent in other general stats.


    Among the yers¡¯ stat, there was no choice but to admit that it was the most veiled stat.


    ¡®Of course, it was.¡¯


    How to raise it hadn¡¯t been identified yet, and even why there was a luck stat in the first ce was unknown. There were cases in which people with high luck stats died, and in some cases, people with low luck stats like Yuno Kasugano could still walk the path of sess.


    As your strength stat rises, you get stronger.


    As the agility stat rises, you get faster.


    The simple logic that could be easily applied to other stats did not fit well for luck stats.


    Of course, getting luckier¡­


    ¡®Seems to affect the production workers¡­¡¯


    Anyway, this expedition had no choice but to include those with high luck stats in the spirit of catching at straws. Of course, going to the expedition with this formation was suicide.


    Being realistic, the number we were targeting to have is an average luck stat of 60 or more.


    A member with this level of luck stats has the power to deal with at least a legendary-grade named monster. This was the core of this program and the reason why Lee Jihye was struggling.


    ¡°What did the Blue decide?¡±


    ¡°We are thinking about it together. First, we four are confirmed, such as me, Hyunsung, Hayan, and Hee-young.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you taking Deokgu? Hasn¡¯t he grown as a great power of Blue?¡±


    ¡°I have a lot of worries about that now. All other parts of him are good, but his luck stat is currently forty. It¡¯ll be a problem just having him around.¡±


    ¡°Just put him in. He¡¯s the one who can protect you when things go wrong. Since your stats and as well as Hayan¡¯s and Hyunsung¡¯s, are high, it probably doesn¡¯t matter. The problem is our ck Swan members. What will Dialugia do?¡±


    ¡°I think she will probably participate¡­ As it is a dungeon, it will be difficult for her tomit. I don¡¯t want to wee her because she is not good with weapons. Of course, she should be useful as her stats are high¡­¡±


    ¡°And what about her precious son?¡±


    ¡°If shees with us, the guild members who¡¯ll stay in Blue would take good care of Tol To-ri. I¡¯m worried about leaving Tol To-ri alone, but¡­ if she thinks she has to go, what can I do?¡±


    ¡°In human form, her luck stat was about 80.¡±


    ¡°Your Guild Master¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. She has about 80. If that¡¯s the case, the front line isn¡¯t bad. Even if any named monster pops out, they¡¯ll be able to respond flexibly, especially Deokgu¡­¡±


    ¡°He is definitely helpful. In the first ce, pure tanks with specs capable of receiving attacks from legendary-grade named monsters are rare.¡±


    ¡°The priest line is a bit weak, but it seems we can¡¯t do anything about it, and this makes it difficult to organize the backline. We don¡¯t know when a monster with high physical resistance or with high magic resistance will appear¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to talk a little more about the formation. I think the guild masters are things¡­ They¡¯re the expert in catching monsters, and we¡¯re just giving an opinion as a strategy team. All we have to do is submit a report, select a list of names, and do our job. When¡¯s the next meeting?¡±


    ¡°In about two hours.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s look at the distribution team.¡±


    ¡°What about the formation? There are still some members left from my guild¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll finish it.¡±


    Although she looked at me suspiciously, Lee Ji-hye nodded immediately. I understood why she seemed suspicious, though.


    She didn¡¯t know that I knew about the ck Swans very well. While walking around in the ck Swan, I had already confirmed the attributes and rough specifications with my Mind¡¯s Eye.


    Of course, I remembered those who went above the executive level, so it felt a little morefortable to do it alone. This meant that making a formation with the attributes, stats, sses, and dispositions considered is something that other people couldn¡¯t do.


    ¡®If everyone reveals their status window, the story would be different¡­¡¯


    Unexpectedly, there were many things that the people here wanted to hide, especially in terms of disposition and characteristics.


    It was notmon, but considering that many people leaked false information by using the fact that others couldn¡¯t check the status window, I thought that I would be the only one on the continent that could form a suitable group for this expedition.


    Formation was also about statistics, after all.


    If Ipared the dungeon strategy to a ser game and thought of the expedition¡¯s formation as the 11 yers, the answer would soone to me.


    I had to consider the rate percentage when two yers were used together, the win rate when a particr yer yed at home, and the odds when they didn¡¯t y.


    The victory of the game would be the sess of the expedition, and the defeat of the game would be the failure of the expedition.


    Of course, certain parts could not be exined in this kind of way.


    ¡®Because it¡¯s just a numerical value, anyway.¡¯


    Obviously, there were other variables in practice, and it was entirely up to the expedition to respond to these said variables.


    In the first ce, if the yers were capable enough to y against each other, they wouldn¡¯t have needed a manager or coach.


    Statistics never lie. This was far more persuasive than the useless power of friendship or the inexplicable kind of passion and spirit.


    ¡®What kind of disposition usually fails in expeditions?¡¯


    Of course, I was not a god. I also knew that it was dangerous to judge a person only by their disposition or characteristic.


    However, in order to increase the probability of sess, even by a little, I knew it was not bad to quantify and mix these small parts. This was emphasized to me upon seeing how nervous our lovely returner was.


    Unlike Park Deokgu, who optimistically thought, ¡°We just need to draw well,¡± Kim Hyunsung was unexpectedly unable to hide his nervousness throughout the decision of this expedition.


    It was obvious as to why he, who always exuded confidence, would be like this.


    ¡®Has he ever experienced it?¡¯


    Again, this was only spection, but I¡¯m sure he¡¯d have experienced the Crack Museum at least once. If not, at least he may have heard about this dungeon.


    What I could predict was that if a mythic-grade monster pops out, all of ourpanions would be annihted.


    I knew how dangerous our situation was, given Hyunsung¡¯s hardened expression. Due to his anxiety, preparations were done at an urgent pace.


    Perhaps Kim Hyunsung is worried about the ones who have been sealed or have signed a contract with the Crack Museum.


    There was definitely a monster that he thinks to be impossible to control with his own power.


    ¡®I will carry you.¡¯


    There wasn¡¯t much I could do, but at least I could help in this aspect.


    It had been a while since I had focused on something to this extent. No, it had been a while since I¡¯d been busy dividing most of my duties to others¡¯ tasks.


    It had also been a long time since Lee Jihye left the office upon noticing my energized state.


    The meeting began, and the report of the unit I organized was safely delivered to Kim Hyunsung and Park Yeon-joo.


    Of course¡­


    ¡°Hyunsung-ssi, your Vice Guild Master¡­ is reallypetent. How¡­ How is this¡­ possible?¡±


    The expedition I formed had gone onto an immediate pilot training session that produced results that even surprised the Guild Master of the ck Swan.


    ¡®I was lucky.¡¯


    It had gone exactly what I thought.

 Chapter 230: Crack Museum (3)

    <h4>Chapter 230: Crack Museum (3)</h4>


    The expedition crew whopleted the simtion training were engulfed in a strange sense of floating while gasping for breath. Some were screaming, and some simply nodded.


    Everyone thought it might be natural in some way to be filled with unfamiliar excitement. Even Park Deokgu and Kim Hyunsung were also clenching their fists.


    Of course, I could understand how they felt. I, who participated in this training right now, was also feeling an unidentified joy. Most of them probably think this was fun, much like a sport or a game.


    Of course, this was a different kind of training, but the feeling of sess was simr to when orchestra members seeded in a perfect ensemble.


    Whenpared to ser, ten people created a perfect goal together, and whenpared to an AOS game, five people managed a perfect hit. The training ended smoothly from start to finish without any creaky parts, and an expedition of close to thirty people was gradually able to move like one body.


    The flow wasn¡¯t twisted either, and the swapping and timing were perfect.


    Even I, who had made this expedition, felt amazed, so it wouldn¡¯t need another modifier.


    Of course, the most passionate reaction among them belonged to the ck Swan¡¯s strategy team and the Guild Master Park Yeon-joo, the designated leader.


    I remembered that they didn¡¯t look very happy at first upon the unfamiliar formation. Thus, they had acted coldly the first time around. Most of their first-team party members were removed, after all, so their reactions were understandable.


    ¡®But I think it would be better to try it once.¡¯


    The training, which started with encouragement from both Kim Hyunsung and Park Yeon-joo, took the temporary expedition to the regr expedition within less than 30 minutes.


    As she nodded at the satisfactory result, Park Yeon-jo spoke once more, brushing off the dust on the equipment.


    ¡°I¡¯m really¡­ embarrassed. Actually, I didn¡¯t really trust the strategy support team. This¡­ Of course, the actual performance may be different, but it feels so different now.¡±


    What was a little fun was that Kim Hyunsung seemed a little more proud of the praise I had received than me.


    ¡®This bastard¡­¡¯


    This was proof that he believed in me. It felt satisfying to be able to prove my worth once again.


    ¡°Kiyoung-ssi has shown outstanding abilities in many fields. In fact, this is the first time I had entrusted to another person the organization andposition of an expedition of thirty people, so I was a little worried, but I am d that the results came out well.¡±


    ¡°First time?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Oh, of course, in the Siege of Castle Rock, I hadmanded arge force, but this is the first time that I have formed a 30-man expedition.¡±


    ¡°Ha¡­¡±


    ¡°I always think about it, but Kiyoung-ssi really seems to have a lot of talent.¡±


    ¡°No, Hyunsung-ssi. This is not something that can be exined as having talent or not. Would you understand if I said today was the most perfect one among the many hunting expeditions and training days I¡¯ve ever experienced? This is really¡­ this is nonsense. Kiyoung-ssi received the information about our guild members only yesterday. He would not have memorized all the names of the members¡­¡±


    ¡°Hahahahaha.¡±


    ¡°In the first ce, the formation ofrge troops and expeditions is apletely different matter. This is too weird. Besides, even though there was a limit of 60 or more of the average luck stat, and it is this much¡­¡±


    Seeing that Kim Hyunsung¡¯s face, which looked originally anxious, had loosened a little, he seemed to be in a better mood.


    ¡®Why are you more proud?¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t just Hyunsung. Even Park Deokgu and Jung Hayan looked openly proud.


    Seeing that they were being bombarded with questions from other ck Swan members, it certainly looked like they were interested.


    ¡°Our Hyung-nim is a genius! A genius!¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t praise me that way, you bastard.¡¯


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t bad to make me look good, but the problem was that he always exaggerated. Park Yeon-joo was still looking at me as the expedition members were getting acquainted with one another. Her disconcerted expression made me feel anxious.


    ¡°How did you do it? This is¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s simple. It¡¯s just statistics.¡±


    ¡°I know that, too. Creating data by quantifying the report in the expedition journal¡­ That¡¯s what our guild¡¯s dungeon strategy team is also doing.¡±


    ¡°I also received a lot of help from Jihye-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Jihye? Oh, of course, Ji-hye is alsopetent and smart, but¡­¡±


    In fact, it couldn¡¯t be said that I had done this on my own.


    Although it was almost entirely my responsibility to organize the troops, I was able to derive the results based on the data that Jihye Lee had made in advance.


    I actually received a lot of help from her in the part of the expedition¡¯s position line and swapping.


    Even the data she had was information that had not been spread to her guild, so it would be correct to say that I definitely received that help.


    Besides, because Lee Jihye¡­


    ¡®Is a Commander.¡¯


    The ss Lee Jihye chose was a Commander, so she was a little brighter than me in this aspect.


    In other words, there was a synergy effect that the system had also recognized.


    ¡®I was lucky.¡¯


    Originally, I hit the jackpot at once during a process that I had to revise repeatedly after a test.


    The formation that I had been thinking of for about three days had seeded in one queue. If I tried the same thing again, I knew I wouldn¡¯t get the same results.


    ¡°It¡¯spetent, but it doesn¡¯t make sense. Kiyoung-ssi, if you like, maybe you would like to¡­ ck Swan¡­¡±


    I felt shocked. She shouldn¡¯t have said that in front of Kim Hyunsung. At once, her face reddened.


    ¡°Ah. I¡¯m sorry, Hyunsung-ssi. I was a little¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, ck Swan Guild Master. Being the head of a group, it is unavoidable that you are attracted to talents.¡±


    ¡°Oh! It was not an offer to recruit. It¡¯s just really amazing¡­ If I¡¯m not being rude, can you please tell me if there is a specific method? It¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t tell me today.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    I knew I had a personal debt to Park Yeon-joo due to the problem with Deokgu.


    Naturally, I thought it was right to give a tip.


    Of course, if I exined from start to finish, I¡¯d have to talk about my attribute, so I had toe up with a reasonable reason. I¡¯d feel a little sorry for the ck Swan¡¯s strategy team, but¡­


    ¡®I have to say something.¡¯


    ¡°I was really lucky. Originally, I was nning to do it in three days¡­¡±


    ¡°Three days are amazing enough.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, some reasons are a little difficult to tell, but the one thing I can tell you is it¡¯s probably because I¡¯m an outsider that I could produce this result with an unfamiliarposition.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡±


    ¡°The organization andposition created by the internal strategy team are bound to be affected. I heard that the strategy team is made up of retired people¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. That is correct.¡±


    ¡°They are also affected by rtionships. The reality is that they tend to organize the formation thinking of the people they are more mindful of than people with the same abilities. There must be some who¡¯ve been rotting their talent within the Second Army of the ck Swan. Most of the people I found are of that kind. It¡¯s hard to happen in a guild with a few elite talents like ours¡­ In the case of ck Swan or Red Mercenary, the situation is different.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh¡­ I see.¡±


    ¡°If this problem is solved, things will be better than now.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Thanks for the advice.¡±


    ¡°No. It was a great experience for me, and above all, I think this result came out because they have been well trained. They are definitely ck Swans.¡±


    It was for a brief moment in a pretty warm atmosphere, but her expression got a little cold.


    That was when I thought of what Lee Jihye had said before.


    ¡°The sociability goes too far here. It¡¯s not because only women are gathered, but¡­ It¡¯s just that there are many times when it¡¯s easy to see people fighting and splitting sides. Gosh.¡±


    I remembered Lee Jihye¡¯smentation, saying that this was the weakness of her guild.


    Looking at the expression of Park Yeon-joo, it looks like she was also experiencing stress for a simr kind of reason. I didn¡¯t know for sure, but I could tell that this was something they would try and change after this expedition.


    ¡®I feel guilty for some reason¡­¡¯


    Although this had nothing to do with me, I became curious about the dungeon strategy team¡¯s fate, who had tried hard in their own way.


    ¡®It might be good for Lee Jihye.¡¯


    Perhaps she had waited for me to say something like this. As I nced at her, I saw her immediately smiling, so it seemed that I was right.


    At this, Hyunsung began to speak.


    ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard, Kiyoung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°No. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s enough to say that this was all hard work. This time, I really got a lot of help from Jihye, and I also got lucky. I was also surprised by the result.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so humble.¡±


    ¡®But it¡¯s real, why don¡¯t you believe it, bastard?¡¯


    I felt that no more excuses would work, so I thought it was best to change the topic.


    ¡°Is it possible to start?¡±


    ¡°I think the period will get a little longer. I originally tried to take a little more time to prepare. The ck Swans were not expecting how quick the formation had been made. As you might think, there will be a schedule change.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good for the ck Swans.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Even though she pretends to be okay, Yeon-joo-ssi is quite nervous. It seems to me that there are many units that she likes among those who have been isted. It would be natural to want to rescue as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    As I looked up at Kim Hyunsung, his anxious expression had deepened. He looked more anxious than usual.


    It wasn¡¯t an expression that suited Kim Hyunsung, but it felt like seeing a puppy that couldn¡¯t pee. It almost seemed like a lie about him feeling proud of me. He seemed to want to talk about it but found that he couldn¡¯t.


    ¡®This bastard¡­ Does he have worries again?¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t always give the right answer, but it was also my job to take care of his mental state.


    I had to at least try to make him talk.


    ¡°Do you have anything you want to say?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ It looks like I¡¯ve been too obvious.¡±


    ¡°No, you didn¡¯t.¡±


    He got embarrassed for a moment.


    Soon after, he gathered enough courage and began to speak. I thought it was probably rted to the strategy, but what he spoke proved to bepletely different.


    ¡°Er¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°That¡­ What the ck Swan Master had previously said¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, what she just said.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I mean, by any chance¡­¡±


    His lips were wriggling, and his eyes were uneasy. I could immediately notice what he was thinking.


    ¡®I¡¯m not going anywhere, bastard.¡¯

 Chapter 231: Welcome to the Museum (1)

    <h4>Chapter 231: Wee to the Museum (1)</h4>


    I felt pleased upon realizing that Kim Hyunsung was, indeed, giving me more importance.


    In the first ce, I already yed a major role in his ns, but it was clear that this incident had managed to surprise even him.


    I remembered the question he¡¯d asked me a few days ago, andughter popped out of me.


    ¡®I said I¡¯m not going anywhere.¡¯


    He¡¯d been anxious at the fact that many offers hade my way.


    ¡®I do have some skills.¡¯


    Although it was ironic to evaluate myself, in truth, my influence in Blue was by no means small, in terms of both ie and diplomacy.


    The potions produced at the potion factory of Blue were distributed not only to Lindel but also to Celia and Dawan, thus umting our enormous wealth. Even the other businesses promoted by our administrative team were now spreading their wings.


    Blue didn¡¯t even have to go on expeditions anymore. We could survive simply by relying on the potion industry. Of course, I haven¡¯t done just that.


    I was also the person whopleted the triad with the Red Mercenary and the ck Swan, and even the Yozora Guild with Yuno Kasugano, forming the fourth alliance; I was also the Honorary Bishop of the Holy Empire.


    Since I maintained friendly rtions with the Pope¡¯s side and the influential nobles, it was correct to think that I was already important enough in terms of diplomacy. I had even gotten a position in the Eight Seats and had Dialugia in my possession.


    In the extreme, even if I leave the Blue and set up another guild, I would notck anything.


    It was also natural for Kim Hyunsung to feel anxious.


    ¡®Why?¡¯


    Because he didn¡¯t have anything left to give me that I would need.


    In the beginning, I epted everything he gave me, but Kim Hyunsung¡¯s and my social status were now almost equal. I felt a little bad for him, but in fact, it was not an exaggeration to say that my position was a little more superior.


    This was no longer the old Lee Kiyoung, who felt innocently pleased with a single rare item. We¡¯d aged like high school sweethearts who had be adults as time passed by. The things that these high schoolers once enjoyed, such as small essories, dates, and having a cup of hot coffee together on rainy days, gradually became dull as they got used to it.


    In particr, assuming that the other had already achieved great social sess and nothing wascking, it would be clear that even luxury items might not be able to satisfy me.


    It would be natural to think, ¡®Will he/she really be happy with this?¡¯


    Choosing a gift for someone who had everything was not easy.


    It would be natural for Kim Hyunsung, who is not very familiar with human rtions, to go through difficulties.


    ¡®What I want is not that, Hyunsung.¡¯


    Of course, I was not hoping for an expensive gift or a legendary-grade item. Rather¡­


    ¡°Kiyoung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes.¡±


    ¡®Yes, I wanted something like this, you bastard.¡¯


    He was currently handing me a cup of coffee.


    ¡®That¡¯s the right answer.¡¯


    I felt satisfied, and pride-filled.


    ¡°Gosh¡­¡±


    ¡°Did you see them?¡±


    ¡°Are they really¡­¡±


    ¡°The mood just now is pretty good.¡±


    We were watching the formation of the members we had formed.


    ¡°They said this is a coffee from another kingdom. You seem a little tired¡­¡±


    ¡°Thank you. Actually, I couldn¡¯t sleep yesterday¡­ I think this will help.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good thing.¡±


    Though I wasn¡¯t looking at him, I could feel him ncing at me.


    ¡®I think I know why¡­¡¯


    The main reason was that there were only four men included in this expedition.


    Except for Kim Hyunsung, Park Deokgu, Ahn Ki-mo, and I, all the expedition members were women.


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    Wherever one would look, there were women.


    Recently, I thought that Jung Hayan and Hwang Jeong-yeon were a little on the warpath, but I had to admit that the cause was here.


    Jung Hayan, who would be going with us, looked a little better, yet Hwang Jeong-yeon seemed worried. It was the same for Kim Ye-ri, who had not gotten selected this time. I could still remember the way she looked at Hyunsung when she had not gotten picked.


    It was unusual enough for Kim Ye-ri, who rarely changed her expression.


    From Kim Hyunsung¡¯s point of view, it was a decision made considering Kim Ye-ri¡¯s safety. There was no need to insert her since the ck Swan already had a high rate of assassins, but Kim Ye-ri¡¯s expression, who had always been included in the first group, was terrible.


    ¡®Well, if she thinks that her beloved Oppa will spend more than a few weeks in an environment like this¡­¡¯


    Even I would feel worried.


    ¡°Did you bring pads?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Eunni. I¡¯ve got the ones that came out as supplies.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want it toe during the expedition¡­ It feels ufortable and annoying to move.¡±


    ¡°I know, right. There won¡¯t be any medicine. Why won¡¯t someone develop magic for this?¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t this be solved with alchemy?¡±


    They were obviously saying this because I was within hearing range.


    ¡®Do usually women talk like that?¡¯


    It was not something I could tell, but one thing was certain: the women who grew up as adventurers on this continent were almost 180 degrees different from the women on Earth.


    They were freer with things rted to sexuality, and they were more independent.


    Their physical ability was already almost the same as that of a man, so they became a little easy-going, and they didn¡¯t care much about what others thought of them.


    As if they didn¡¯t care whether I saw it or not, I could see the members sitting on a chair and changing armor like stockings.


    It was no wonder that the beautiful legs attracted attention.


    I felt Jung Hayan grabbing my sleeve.


    ¡®It¡¯s not like that, Hayan. This can¡¯t be helped. It¡¯s like inertia.¡¯


    Most of the assassins and archers were wearing armor with lots of exposure.


    Of course, if that were the end, Kim Ye-ri and Hwang Jeong-yeon would not have sent such anxious expressions. What was more dangerous than those defenseless people was the group that was conscious of me.


    ¡®It¡¯s not bad, though.¡¯


    To put it inly, the four men here were not bad candidates to be husbands if I were to think about this continent as a standard.


    Kim Hyunsung, who had a model-like proportion and a celebrity-like face in the first ce, made the impossible possible in a year.


    I was not handsome, but I was also forming my own group of unwee enthusiasts.


    Park Deokgu, who had arge body with bursting muscles, was certainly in demand.


    And, though Ahn Ki-mo didn¡¯t seem to have any distinct characteristics, he had a face with all the basics as much as he once wanted to be an actor.


    What was important is that we were those with a guaranteed social status and future.


    Not only did we possess force, which was considered the most important factor in the continent, but we were also the executives of the emerging venturepanies, so I understood the desire to look good to us.


    ¡®Because everyone is old¡­¡¯


    Of course, age was a factor that didn¡¯t matter at all, but since they were in theirte 20s or early 30s, I felt like they had to have a desire to get into a good rtionship.


    Usually, yers who reached that level had high standards.


    Strangely, the most popr was surprisingly Park Deokgu.


    ¡®Park Deokgu, king of harem¡­¡¯


    Seeing that women surrounded him after saying goodbye to Hwang Jeong-yeon, I almost felt a little bit jealous. It seemed as if he didn¡¯t care much about Hwang Jeong-yeon¡¯s expression, who was biting her lips.


    ¡°Can I hang onto your arm once?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind, but¡­ Ahem¡­¡±


    ¡°Look at your body. It¡¯s all muscle.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really tall.¡±


    ¡°I grew up like this because I ate well and slept well.¡±


    Park Deokgu truly looked like the Gangwon-do¡¯s dating expert.


    Kim Hyunsung was the one who their Guild Master, Park Yeon-joo, had eyes on, so they would think it was better not to approach, and I also had a rtionship with the Mercenary Queen, so it would not be easy to approach me.


    Of course, the biggest cause was Jung Hayan, who was holding my sleeve tightly and ring everywhere, but since I was also a man, I got a bit jealous of Park Deokgu.


    Contrary to the expressions of those who remained, the atmosphere of those who left the expedition is not bad. If only one more person joined, theposition of this expedition would bepleted perfectly.


    I saw the one that we all were waiting for, walking this way slowly.


    ¡°Ke-e-e-e-ee!¡±


    It¡¯s obvious as to who it was.


    It was Dialugia, acting as a special bodyguard.


    ¡®I told you not to bring him¡­¡¯


    Apparently, there was also the lovely Tol To-ri, who I ordered not to bring along.


    ¡®I have to be firm¡­¡¯


    Dialugia¡¯s feelings were also understandable, but¡­ I was sure it would be worse to say goodbye here.


    Whatever she was feeling, the expedition waiting for the departure was already busy.


    ¡°Ah¡­ You have arrived. I think we can just say our goodbyes and leave.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Kiyeeek¡­ Kie-ee-eek¡­¡±


    ¡°Everyone, prepare for departure.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°Jihye has all the supplies, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Eunni.¡±


    ¡°Please take care of the guild.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, just have a good trip.¡±


    ck Swan Guild Master Park Yeon-joo was now saying goodbye to Lee Jihye.


    ¡°Kiiyiing¡­ Kie-ee-eek!¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll be going. Jeong-yeon-ssi. Take care of the rest. The training of neers¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. Leave it to me, Hyunsung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Thank you again.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon, Ye-ri. Hyejin-ssi, prepare for departure.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Guild Master.¡±


    Kim Hyunsung was not only saying goodbye to Hwang Jeong-yeon, who would be in charge of the guild while we are away, but was alsoforting Kim Ye-ri.


    He was seen eventually exiting the door with Cho Hyejin.


    It was time for Jung Hayan, who was on the lookout, to leave, so it took a long time to say goodbye to the remaining personnel.


    ¡°Kiyiing¡­ Kiyiing. Kie-ee-ee-eek!¡±


    However, I could not fit into that group¡¯s category. This was because I had to be in a grand separation ceremony with Tol To-ri.


    ¡°Kiyiing¡­ Kiyiiing¡­¡±


    ¡°You have to be quiet, Dialuria. Your mom is¡­ Mom is¡­¡±


    ¡°Kie-e-ek¡­¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t take long. In the meantime, my friends will be with you. It won¡¯t be in the nest, so it¡¯ll be a little ufortable, but you won¡¯t get bored because there are many things to y with.¡±


    ¡°Kiyiiing¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry for leaving it like this. My baby¡­¡±


    ¡°Ke-e-e-e-ee!¡±


    ¡°Tol To-ri, Dad and Mom have something important to do for a while, so we have to go out. You can hang in there, right?¡±


    ¡°Kiyiing¡­ Kieeeeeek! Kee-eh-eh-eh-eh!¡±


    My heart aches to see tears dripping from his big eyeballs. Of course, I knew Dialugia would feel even worse than I did.


    ¡°Dialuria, if you cry, it makes it hard for your mother to go¡­¡±


    ¡°Kiyiiing¡­¡±


    ¡°Dialugia, I think we have to leave now. Everyone is waiting¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute¡­ Let me hug you onest time, baby¡­¡±


    The way the mother and son were mourning together looked beautiful. However, the expedition was already ready for departure.


    It would get embarrassing to keep dragging time here. It was best to end this time with onest hug.


    ¡°Dialuria¡­¡±


    It was then that Tol To-ri passed by Dialugia with his arms open.


    ¡°Kie-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-eok! Haaa! Kiying!¡±


    However, Tol To-ri ran right past her, jumping into my arms in an instant.


    ¡°Dia¡ªluria?¡±


    ¡°Ke-e-e-e-eel! Kiyiing¡­ Haaaa¡­ Kiyiing!¡±


    He seemed pitiful as he whined, his face buried in my chest.


    ¡°Kiiyiing¡­ Kiek. Kie-ee-ek!¡±


    He continued screaming as he red at the rest of the expedition.


    ¡°Kueeek! Kie-eh-eh-eh-ek!¡±


    ¡°You can be calm, right Tol To-ri?¡±


    ¡°Kiyiing¡­ Kiyiing¡­¡±


    ¡°After this finishes, I will y with you all week. Until then, you have to be patient.¡±


    ¡°Kiyiing¡­ Kiek¡­¡±


    Dialugia looked at Tol To-ri, who was busy licking my face, with an expression of devastation on her face.


    ¡°Di¡­ a¡­ luria?¡±


    Anyone could see that she felt betrayed.

 Chapter 232: Welcome to the Museum. (2)

    <h4>Chapter 232: Wee to the Museum. (2)</h4>


    ¡°Kieeek. Kiying kiying¡­¡±


    ¡°Dialuria¡­¡±


    Dialugia¡¯s betrayed expression was still evident. Meanwhile, I felt embarrassed.


    I thought I would see the heartwarming parting scene of a mother and her son, but what I could see was the mother¡¯s distorted face, who had gotten betrayed by her son.


    ¡°Kiiyiing¡­¡±


    Whether he knew his shocked mother¡¯s expression or not, Tol To-ri still buried his face in my chest and waved his tail.


    As I gently stroked his head, the whine turns into panting in an instant. He eventually turned over and exposed his stomach to me. Naturally, I reached out for a scratch.


    I sometimes thought that he was like a puppy, but he acted like one more so today.


    It seemed that he was showing affection as much as we would be separated in a little while, but Dialugia¡¯s expression of looking at all these actions seemed to be terrible.


    Her mouth was open, of course, and her pupils were shaking continuously.


    When Dialuria was still the size of a puppy, I remember that he followed his mother, too.


    At that time, I felt that he paid more attention to me, but now that he grew up to a teenager¡¯s size, I had no idea that this would be how he¡¯d react. Seeing her extremely tired expression, I could tell that he had given his mother a lot of trouble¡­


    ¡®Didn¡¯t he show his mother this behavior?¡¯


    Considering Dialugia¡¯s reaction, he would never have shown his belly like this.


    I understood roughly what ¡®Mother is annoying,¡¯ written with a hashtag on his unique characteristic, meant.


    ¡®That¡¯s not good¡­¡¯


    Although his characteristic was already twisted, I honestly wanted him to grow up normally. However, I couldn¡¯t focus on this now. I had the expedition to focus on.


    As it was, the expedition members were waiting for me.


    ¡°Tol To-ri, I think daddy needs to go¡­¡±


    ¡°Kiyiing¡­¡±


    At this, Dialuria continued crying. Tears immediately filled his eyes as if he could understand what I was saying. Seeing his arms open, he seemed to be waiting for a hug.


    As I held him slightly, I could still hear the sound of panting.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    Dialugia continued looking at us with a nk expression. I knew I had to speak up.


    ¡°Tol To-ri, shouldn¡¯t you say goodbye to your mom?¡±


    It was a bit cute to see Dialugia looking grateful.


    Tol To-ri seemed to be reluctant, but Dialugia, who was in a hurry to miss her chance, quickly went to hug her son.


    ¡°If you obey them well, we are going to y together all day, okay?¡±


    ¡°Kiek!¡±


    ¡°Dialugia, it¡¯s time to leave.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Dialuria, mom¡­¡±


    ¡°Kiek!¡±


    The situation ended only after passing Dialuria to Hwang Jeong-yeon and Kim Ye-ri, who were not going to the expedition.


    Of course, the screaming picked up once we left, but I chose not to look back.


    ¡°You must not look back.¡±


    ¡°B-but¡­¡±


    ¡°You need to be firm.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°If you look back and keep responding, it will be more difficult to separate. I don¡¯t know much about the dragon¡¯s ecology, but Dialuria can be alone right now. Of course, he needs a lot of help, but the guild members will take care of him.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I wanted to give her some advice, but unfortunately, I was not an expert. I hadn¡¯t had any parenting, and I hadn¡¯t raised amon puppy, either.


    Rather than pretending to know something, I thought it was best to keep my mouth shut.


    ¡°Kie-e-e-e-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee-eek!¡±


    Seeing that Dialugia was constantly flinching and reacting to the sad cries from far away, it seemed as if she would have run to Dialuria again if I had not been here.


    I saw her holding back her tears.


    ¡°Sorry for being a bitte.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Kiyoung-ssi. We are still departing earlier than scheduled. We also understand the situation, so¡­¡±


    Park Yeon-joo, who said so, look at Dialugia this time.


    ¡°Nice to meet you, Dialugia. I¡¯ve always seen you in the nest, but it¡¯s the first time I¡¯m officially greeting you. I am Park Yeon-joo.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Dialugia.¡±


    ¡°Thank you foring with us.¡±


    Dialugia nodded, looking overly depressed. Perhaps she needed time to calm her sadness while thinking about Tol To-ri.


    ¡°First, get on the carriage. We will have to travel for about two days.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Go inside and rest, Dialugia.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    A total of five wagons were loaded with luggage.


    There were supplies for 30 people to eat during the expedition, first aid supplies, and clothes to change for those isted in the Crack Museum.


    ¡®Their carriages are really good¡­¡¯


    After I first sent Dialugia into the wagon where Blue was staying, and I was forced to realize that it was certainly not just big when I looked around the wagon.


    ¡®We should also buy it.¡¯


    In the first ce, as I went only on a small expedition, it was true that I did not feel the need for arge wagon. However, upon seeing this, I knew it would be a good investment.


    It looked like a trailer. When I saw there was such a room in the carriage, my jaw dropped.


    ¡®I knew that the welfare of all guild members was good¡­¡¯


    As it was a women¡¯s guild, the welfare for this part seemed certain.


    Park Deokgu and Ahn Ki-mo, who had already entered, were also looking around with expressions of wonder.


    ¡°It¡¯s really good.¡±


    ¡°Well, weren¡¯t you from the Red Mercenary? Such a wagon¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, it is true that they also haverge wagons, but they are not so well maintained. They don¡¯t really believe infort during expeditions. She said it would be better to invest in equipment with this kind of money. It is also a problem that wizards and priests are indispensable.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because it is a burden on horses to pull a carriage like this anyway. No, rather than that, it is impossible in the first ce. This is why sorcerers have to give up their magic power to horses constantly. Of course, in order to manage the overburden, the priests must also give them divine power.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh¡­¡±


    ¡°Perhaps the ck Swan shall employ coachmen. Usually, most of the wizards are abandoned because they have no talent or progress.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s right¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be bitter, Deokgu-ssi. This is good for them, too. The wages are higher than you think, and in a way, they created jobs. It will be perfect for wizards who have lost their talents.¡±


    ¡°Oh. I can see it that way, too! Hyung-nim, can we have this kind of wagon?¡±


    ¡°I think that¡¯ll be okay¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, it is!¡±


    Jung Hayan, Sun Hee-young, and Cho Hyejin, the female members sitting in the carriage, showed more joy than Park Deokgu.


    They didn¡¯t say it outright, but it seemed that the guild members were envious of the ck Swans, who could use such facilities.


    Kim Hyunsung, who had just finished organizing his luggage in the room, came out.


    ¡°I was thinking about it, too. New members have also joined, and we n to have one more party in the future.¡±


    It was quite interesting to see their faces brightening once again when the guild master gave his permission. Of course, Dialugia didn¡¯t seem to care that much, but in the first ce, these facilities weren¡¯t for her.


    Kim Hyunsung smiled a little and spoke once more.


    ¡°And about this expedition¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°In the future, there will be no time to have briefings or training. Of course, it seems that there will be a time to convey brief changes while having a meeting and a meal, but¡­ First, I have documented all the parts that everyone needs to understand, so you must read them.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°When we enter the dungeon, we will probably get quite busy. It wouldn¡¯t be bad to enjoy your leisure thinking it¡¯s thest time.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    He could say that, but there was no way we could enjoy it when we were going on an expedition. The same was true for Kim Hyunsung, and even Jung Hayan was not as rxed.


    ¡®That¡¯s because there is always danger in dungeon attacks.¡¯


    Everyone knew it very well as this was not their first time. As the wagon began to move, we began spending our time in our own ways.


    As Kim Hyunsung had previously announced, we had a short briefing time based on changes or reports during our every break, and we organized or repaired other items whenever he had time.


    Personally, it was a bit boring, but these repetitive briefings were certainly helpful.


    Though we moved quickly, it was apparent that Yeon-joo felt impatient.


    Exactly two days passed, and when we arrived at an area where it was no longer possible to travel via wagon, we unloaded the luggage and began the march.


    ¡®The reality is a little different, but¡­¡¯


    In fact, the dungeon attack would not take long.


    The reason I forcefully filled the bag was because of the possibility of being isted in the dungeon. Of course, I didn¡¯t tell the expedition members this, but those who were quick to notice were probably feeling the possibility of failure.


    Assuming that a mythic-grade named monster would appear, all we could do was endure it with the collective power we had now. Or else, we would pay the price.


    Anyway, the atmosphere of the expedition wasn¡¯t all that bad.


    Harem King Park Deokgu was enjoying his heyday surrounded by female guild members of the ck Swan, and although not as much as Park Deokgu, Ahn Ki-mo also became very close to some.


    Jung Hayan had the privilege of sticking to me during our breaks. Sun Hee-young seemed to be having a serious conversation with the ck Swan priests, and Cho Hyejin, who was secretly in love with Kim Hyunsung, didn¡¯t seem very happy about his rtionship with Park Yeon-joo.


    The scenery before us kept changing, and the expedition gradually reached a ce that no one else seemed to have reached.


    ¡®It¡¯s pretty¡­¡¯


    A purple light emanated from the cracked space of arge rock wall, with no end visible.


    Perhaps the Crack Museum would be found within that rock wall.


    And then¡­


    [Wee to the Crack Museum]


    A little kid created out of magical power appeared before us.


    We had officially entered the Unrated Dungeon Crack Museum.

 Chapter 233: Welcome to the Museum (3)

    <h4>Chapter 233: Wee to the Museum (3)</h4>


    [You have entered the Unrated Dungeon Crack Museum.]


    [Checked the number of people limit [30/30].]


    [Unratedpulsory quest 3333 is activated.]


    ¡°¡­¡±


    [Quest: Museum Tour (0/1)]


    It seemed as if the quest would start once the group entered. A ¡®museum tour¡¯ must mean a dungeon attack.


    After checking the message, I looked around and saw a gorgeous stone room. The atmosphere was different from the inside, as opposed to the outer wall surrounded by rock walls.


    The most interesting thing, however, was the presence in front of us.


    The magical manifestation of a cute little boy greeted us politely as if he knew that we would be here in advance.


    [Checking the information of the dungeon manager Max.]


    [Seeing the dungeon manager¡¯s pile with the legendary-grade attribute, the Mind¡¯s Eye.]


    [Manager Max¡¯s Pile]


    [It is an agglomerate of magical power created by manager Max. Since it is a virtual image without a substance, the status window and information window cannot be checked. You can see limited ess to information in the museum.]


    ¡®Is that so, too?¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t see the status window and the information window. What was visible was simply a description of the pile.


    ¡®The Mind¡¯s Eye is convenient.¡¯


    Only someone with my ability would probably know that he was not a real person. He looked like an object. There was no emotion in his eyes, and I felt a sense of awareness in his polite posture. His handsome face garnered his cute attribute.


    Was this a Homonculus? Probably not.


    It was unknown how high the Crack Guardians¡¯ abilities are, but I was sure that manager Max was not a Homunculus.


    ¡®What the hell is it?¡¯


    As I mulled over this, the kid began to speak once more.


    -Wee to the Crack Museum, dear museum explorers.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -Those who¡¯vee this time are not aggressive. Usually, those whoe heree in and prepare for battle right away¡­


    We, too, would have had the same reaction if we didn¡¯t have information about this ce.


    There was no way to tell if the one in front of us was a manager or a named monster.


    Park Yeon-joo slowly opened her mouth, finding the quiet silence too ufortable. As we had already read the report in advance, it was easier to respond.


    However, our first step would be to take a look at this so-called museum.


    ¡°We know a little bit from the explorer who has visited this museum most recently. One being that you are the manager of this museum, too.¡±


    -I thought you would. A few weeks ago, I sent one back. You are the ones he sent in return.


    ¡°Yes. To be precise, the people who are now isted in the museum are those under my control. Are they by any chance¡­¡±


    -If you are asking whether they are alive or dead¡­ Yes. They are still alive.


    I saw Park Yeon-joo look greatly relieved by Max¡¯s words. We came as soon as possible, but she would have been nervous as it took us some time.


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief. Is there any way I can get them back?¡±


    -Of course. It is a very worthy reward to give the exhibited items to those who havepleted the museum tour. They haven¡¯t been exhibited in the museum yet.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -In fact, since it¡¯s the first time we¡¯ve received a sample of species from another dimension, I felt a little excited to disy them. However¡­ I held off from doing so.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -Looking at the guests who have visited today, I think it¡¯s fortunate that they haven¡¯t been exhibited in an empty ce yet.


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    -I couldn¡¯t even imagine that a soul whose causality was distorted would visit.


    He was definitely looking at Kim Hyunsung.


    Fortunately, he didn¡¯t talk about regression or anything, but it seemed that Kim Hyunsung looked different from the others in his eyes.


    ¡®Does he also have Mind¡¯s Eye?¡¯


    The odds and ends of this possibility were slim. As a museum manager, he would only have the talent to find ¡®items¡¯ worth exhibiting.


    He simply said that the cause-and-effect ratio was distorted, but he didn¡¯t seem to know that Hyunsung was a returner. Meanwhile, our returner stared back at him calmly.


    -And also, there is a dragon that has been recently discovered.


    The manager turned his attention to Dialugia next.


    -How many thousand years have you lived?


    ¡°Am I obligated to answer?¡±


    -I apologize if it was a rude question. It¡¯s just because I¡¯m d to see you. I remember that there were so many dragons in the past¡­ Of course, if you think about dragons¡¯ ecology, it¡¯s not strange when their generation ends¡­ Oh! I think I¡¯m being inappropriate. Sorry.


    He started to talk more, evidently getting more and more excited.


    ¡®I guess he is not a machine?¡¯


    I could see that he harbored emotions, which a simple guide would not possess. This information will certainly be usefulter.


    I nced at Dialugia, who still hadn¡¯t gotten over her separation from Tol To-ri.


    Naturally, she was not in a good mood because she had just been hit by a rude remark. However, she managed to rein her emotions in and nodded calmly. She seemed to be better at holding back her emotions in matters that did not concern her son.


    ¡°There is no need to apologize. Obviously, more and more people are giving up their duty to have children. It¡¯s been a long time since I also saw others. The species obligations and customs are often being ignored. Fewer than three dragons have children.¡±


    -I see. That¡¯s a shame. Hmm¡­ Come to think of it. You also have a descendant.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    -Ah¡­ I also remember that the Guardians said you were important. Dragons, like the Guardians, exist to maintain the bnce and safety of the continent. Unfortunately, you have a descendant; I don¡¯t think you can go to the museum tour. Instead¡­ Well¡­ If it¡¯s a dragon¡¯s horn¡­


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to leave my horn in a ce like this.¡±


    -Of course, I am not asking this for free. How about this? This will be a good enough deal.


    As soon as he finished speaking, a rumbling sound began to resonate throughout the museum.


    The details were unknown, but it felt as if the inside of the room was moving.


    Shortly after that, the ss wall on the museum¡¯s entrance wall disappeared, and a new ss tube appeared. What was interesting was that there was an item on the ss wall.


    I could see that a veryrge box was filled with tools I had never seen before.


    ¡®That is¡­¡¯


    [Dragon Lord¡¯s Parenting Set (Legendary)]


    [This is a set of parenting tools made by the Dragon Lord, which existed tens of thousands of years ago, to increase the fertility rate. It includes an improved bottle, toys to help with brain activity, and aids for babies who are still struggling to fly. Unlike other items, this parenting set is a handcrafted product made by the Lord himself with his own scales, and it is of great value.]


    ¡®What¡­¡¯


    I thought that all kinds of things would be on disy, but I couldn¡¯t even imagine that such a product would exist.


    Dialugia¡¯s brightened expression worried me at this point.


    ¡°Oh! This is¡­¡±


    -What do you think?


    ¡°Where did you get this?¡±


    -What do you think?


    If it continued like this, she would probably agree to make the trade.


    Of course, I owned everything about her, from head to toe. The horn, considered to be of the highest value, could not be given to the museum. I didn¡¯t want to intervene, but I had to.


    ¡°Dialugia, I will make a simr type. If Tol To-ri finds out that the horn on your head is gone, he will be very upset.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°I will make it with items of the same grade, using your scales. Even if a Dragon Lord made that, it would be a little more meaningful if it was made from you, the mother.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ I see.¡±


    Even though she answered, she still couldn¡¯t take her eyes off the object, seemingly possessed.


    She had the same look as a housewife looking at TV home shopping.


    ¡°Tol To-ri will like it more. And, although it looks to have a great value¡­ That¡¯s all already used. Dialugia, it¡¯ll be okay to trade your horn for it, but I would hate seeing the adorable Tol To-ri using items that have already been used by others.¡±


    I knew I had finally gotten through to her. In particr, there were no mothers who would dare use used baby bottles. Relief coursed through me.


    Of course, the dungeon manager, who had missed a good opportunity, was now looking at me, frowning a little.


    It took less than a few seconds for the expression on his face to turn into one of surprise.


    -You¡­


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    -You have something amazing, too.


    ¡®Fuck¡­¡¯


    -How does such a lowly and despicable being possess such a valuable thing? May I take a closer look at your body?


    I could instantly realize what he was talking about.


    ¡®The Mind¡¯s Eye?¡¯


    The only thing I could boast of was that. I was aware that the Mind¡¯s Eye¡¯s value would be quite a lot because of functions were still limited. Still, I didn¡¯t think that the museum manager who kept mythic-grade items would be surprised.


    ¡®Perhaps¡­ Is there any possibility of further evolution?¡¯


    I thought about it, but what bothered me the most about this situation were the expressions of the people around me. Hearing that I, who looked ordinary, would have something worthy to be disyed in the museum would, of course, make them curious.


    I had to speak hurriedly.


    ¡°I refuse.¡±


    -Sorry if it was sudden. Nevertheless¡­


    He certainly didn¡¯t know in detail as to what I exactly had. He was murmuring something, but of course, I didn¡¯t intend to make him look into my eyes.


    As if he noticed that I was aware of him, he looked a little bit regretful and averted his gaze.


    -Compared to the three mentioned earlier, your quality is a little lower, but¡­ Some humans have been blessed with mana. And you, too¡­


    This time, he was pointing to Jung Hayan and Park Yeon-joo.


    ¡®I guess Yeon-joo has something, too.¡¯


    Of course, she had something to hide since she upied a Guild¡¯s Master position.


    Looking back, I remembered that she had nothing special in my Mind¡¯s Eye.


    Come to think of it. It seemed that her title looked a little peculiar. I guess he probably meant that.


    -It¡¯s a very fun day. I cannot just serve these important people. Yes. Right. If it¡¯s okay with you, I would like to guide you personally.


    I wanted to ask him that, myself. It would be fortunate to have someone to talk to about the dungeon. It was only right to ept this.


    ¡®You have to extract the courtesy as far as it could possibly go.¡¯


    I had to see if I could also get something beneficial out of this.

 Chapter 234: Mythical Being (1)

    <h4>Chapter 234: Mythical Being (1)</h4>


    -Our museum handles many things. Things that you call artifacts also exist, and, as I showed you earlier, we also have things of historical value. Of course, it¡¯s not just weapons and equipment that we keep.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -Some creatures have been sealed, as well as those who have signed contracts. They exist to let you experience the museum tour firsthand. Of course, there are also beings from other dimensions. Those who havee through the Crack need to be managed properly, as they may harm said dimensions.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -There were many sacrifices and many fights. The Crack Guardians have devoted their all to sealing the Crack but have always been concerned about the invisible threat ever since. That¡¯s why they said we should always be alert about the Crack. That¡¯s why most of the rewards of exploring the museum are made up of what your species would call treasure.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    -Of course, great poweres with great responsibility. That¡¯s probably why the Guardians only reward those whoplete the expedition.


    ¡®I think I can tell what happened¡­¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know when, but once a Crack had opened on this continent, it appeared as if threatening beings had appeared through it. The Crack Guardians had sacrificed their lives to stop the threat and eventually seeded in sealing the Crack.


    The result of this was¡­


    ¡®The Crack Museum?¡¯


    I was sure it hadn¡¯t been made with bad intentions.


    ¡®It seems a little bit deteriorated, but¡­¡¯


    I wasn¡¯t sure as to why all the named monsters and all the rewards were set randomly, but the creator¡¯s intention didn¡¯t matter.


    Max then spoke again.


    -All rewards and tests are randomly determined. The threats can be of any kind, size, or aspect.


    ¡®I knew I should focus on the wordsing out of the manager¡¯s mouth, but honestly? I was more affixed to the items that we passed by.¡¯


    [Doom Beast¡¯s Gauntlets (Legendary)]


    [These are Doom Beast¡¯s gauntlets that came through the Crack. As a weapon used by the legendary Beast Master in the past, it enhances affinity for all beasts and can interact with the souls of animals. You can summon three legendary-grade beasts inside the gauntlets, and these beasts have been lifelong friends with the legendary Beast Master. This part of the information is omitted.]


    ¡®Huh¡­¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t just this.


    [Frost Greatsword (Legendary)]


    [This is the cursed ice greatsword used by the King of Defiance. No detailed information is known other than its ability to control the dead. The information is so deeply sealed that even the Mind¡¯s Eye cannot see it.]


    ¡®Control the dead?¡¯


    It meant that one could be a necromancer just by getting this sword.


    The same went for Doom Beast¡¯s Gauntlets, as one would be capable of controlling three legendary-grade beasts just by having it in one¡¯s possession.


    Of course, Juliana was also legendary-grade, but I had to think that she was a little weaker since her ego was still sealed.


    Whirr.


    At the sudden sound, I looked around, my hand still stroking the sword¡¯s handle.


    -As expected, you are very interested in weapons. Most of these are dangerous to handle. Some types are impossible for those who are not qualified to use in the first ce. Oh, can you see this here?


    [God¡¯s Hammer (Mythic)]


    [It is a hammer in which the power of five titans sleeps in. The Volcanic God of Light¡¯s powers, the Goddess of the Forest, the Lord of the Waves, the King of the Wind, and the Queen of the Heart are sleeping. Five properties are avable¡­ The rest of the information is omitted.]


    ¡®Huh¡­ Something like this¡­¡¯


    It was a hammer that seemed too difficult to lift with both hands. However, I could feel its tremendous power just by looking at it.


    Even if an ordinary person lifted it, I felt like he could immediately be a top-level yer.


    -This is one of the weapons that came through the Crack. In terms of grade, it can be called a mythic-grade. Would you believe if I said this hammer had the power of the five titans asleep? I remember that the Crack Guardians at that time did their best to seal the power of the titans raging inside this hammer. Other weapons have their own values, but I can confidently say that this is, by far, the best among the weapons you call items.


    Max¡¯s face was full of confidence as he said this.


    I was not the only one staring at the disyed hammer nkly. Everyone else seemed just as transfixed.


    This was not because I could see the ability of the item with my Mind¡¯s Eyes.


    There were things whose power one could feel even without such an ability.


    Anyone could see that it was a weapon that would be impossible to find within the entire continent.


    ¡®Fuck¡­¡¯


    What was interesting in the meantime was the brief exnation written at the bottom of the exhibit.


    ¡®It seems that the Crack Guardians haven¡¯t even noticed the true identity of the item.¡¯


    I did various tests and investigations and actually checked it, but half of the information that my attribute could not know was not written. Such was the power of Mind¡¯s Eye.


    In the meantime, Max looked really proud at the looks of awe written on our faces.


    -Of course, there are only two more mythic-grade weapons, but it is still one of my proudest collections.


    ¡°Is this one of the items we can get as a reward?¡±


    -No. This item is not awarded as a reward. Unfortunately, the Crack Guardians did not allow it. However, the two remaining mythic-grade items will be given equally at random probability.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    The odds were two in five hundred.


    Assuming that Kim Hyunsung acquired this kind of weapon, he would probably jump out of happiness. It was a heartbreaking fact that he had not yet gotten such a quality item.


    In terms of acquiring a legendary-grade item, the probability was thirty-two in five hundred.


    It was not a bad number in probability.


    If we get a mythic-grade item, it would be awesome, but even a legendary-grade one would be great. I didn¡¯t want to settle for anything lower than a heroic-grade item.


    ¡®That¡¯s not allowed.¡¯


    -Of course, as I mentioned earlier, you mustplete the museum tour to receive a decent reward. Would you like to go somewhere else?


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    It would only get more important from here on out.


    Items could be received as a reward, anyway. Survival always came first.


    After walking for quite some time, it was clear that the atmosphere had changed from before.


    We eventually saw the beings sealed or collected by the Crack Guardians.


    Of course, I activated Mind¡¯s Eye as soon as I realized where we were.


    ¡®I have to collect all information.¡¯


    There were a total of three named monsters needed for the tour. No matter what kind it was, we would definitely bump into three of them.


    As there was no information about them at all, it would not be bad to prepare in advance.


    I excluded the heroic-grade monsters and focused on the legendary- and mythic- grade monsters, as they were the more urgent ones.


    [This is the target that the attribute Mind¡¯s Eye cannot be applied in due to the difference in rank.]


    ¡®What¡¯s¡­ that?¡¯


    A monster with green skin sat in a chair made of weapons. It had huge horns, a huge tail, and seven weapons floating around it. Just looking at its eyes was enough to make my body tremble.


    How could we ever beat something like this? Just one nce notified me of how otherworldly it was. The difference in power was so evident that attempting to fight it would be suicide.


    Even a multitude of Kim Hyunsungs would not be able to defeat this thing.


    As I looked at Kim Hyunsung, I could see that he was quietly staring at the green monster.


    ¡®Did he meet this monster in the past?¡¯


    Taking this into consideration, I could now understand why Hyunsung had called this trip dangerous.


    Park Deokgu then spoke up.


    ¡°What is this monster? Whoa¡­ He does look cool.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch it! You bastard!¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but scream out of reflex. I was afraid that the green monster would suddenly jump up and attack us.


    -Oh, as expected, you recognize it. But you can rest assured. Nothing will happen just by touching the pavilion. Besides, what¡¯s in front of you is a dummy.


    ¡°A dummy?¡±


    -Yes. It is a well-made replica. In fact, these beings are difficult for even the Crack Guardians to sealpletely. I had only heard of it as a mythical being here since before I was born. Oh. If you want to see the mythic-grades, I will show the other ones as well. One is staying here on a long contract with the Crack Guardians, and the other is¡­ It¡¯s hard to exin. You¡¯d better see it for yourselves.


    It meant that there were two more monsters just like this.


    ¡®Sh*t¡­¡¯


    I had taken this too lightly. This was indeed a dangerous expedition.


    Though the chances were only three out of five hundred, we had to avoid these three mythic-grade monsters no matter what. We wouldn¡¯t be able to beat them with the power we currently had.


    Forget about fighting or anything; running away was the right choice.


    The manager, Max, didn¡¯t seem to be interested in what we were thinking. He was still busy showing off the collection of the Crack Guardians.


    -This might be more familiar to you. It is a fragment of the ancient god of the continent. I don¡¯t think you know, but perhaps the dragon here¡­


    ¡°I heard something from the Lord when I was very young. I¡¯ve heard that it was sealed somewhere¡­ so, it was in a ce like this. Is this controble?


    -Yes. Fragments have no ego. The seal of the Guardians weakens its strength. If you were to deal with this being, it would only be unsealed for a certain amount of time.


    The topic of discussion was a monster with big eyes and tentacles. I could not read its information with my Mind¡¯s Eye, either.


    It looked better than the monster we saw before, but if this one were released, we would be wiped out as well. One single sweep would be enough to eradicate the whole frontline.


    We had to avoid picking the mythical-grade heroes, no matter what.


    It had a less than 1% probability, and our expedition¡¯s average luck stat was over 60.


    Only those with really bad luck would get mythical beings. Most would just get heroic-grade named monsters. It was no wonder that everyone¡¯s facial expressions worsened the more they heard Max exin.


    -Oh, it¡¯s time.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ time?¡±


    -Yes. It¡¯s been a long time since I talked with high-ranking people, so I lost all consciousness of time. The seal has been released. Oh, it¡¯s already started.


    Once again, a rumbling sound resonated, and our location changed.


    The exhibited beings disappeared into the ground, creating a decent vacant space for a fight.


    My anxiety started rising.


    -Let¡¯s look here first. Although it is randomly selected, the Guardians have created a system called a spinning wheel so that you can easily adapt.


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    -When you spin this sign and insert magic power, the monster to fight gets randomly selected. Please, select one representative and spin the sign.


    ¡°Yes, alright.¡±


    ¡®What the hell is this spinning wheel? Sh*t¡­¡¯


    It was a bit disconcerting, but I had already seen it in the report.


    Who would spin it was also already decided.


    The first was Park Yeon-joo, who had a high luck stat. The ck Swan Guild Master put her hands on the wheel with a slightly edgy look, and everyone looked at her nervously.


    ¡®Please¡­¡¯


    She just needed to avoid any mythical-grade monsters.


    ¡®Please¡­¡¯


    We would have to use our full strength with the legendary-grades, but it was still better to fight against three legendary-grade monsters than a single mythical one.


    [The spinning wheel is spinning.]


    ¡°Please!!¡±


    At this moment, everyone¡¯s thoughts were united.

 Chapter 235: Mythical Being (2)

    <h4>Chapter 235: Mythical Being (2)</h4>


    Everyone¡¯s eyes were focused on the funny-looking spinning wheel, which would be the ultimate decider of our collective fate.


    The spinning wheel was constantly spinning under the influence of magical power, whether or not it knew our intentions.


    If I were to think about it in terms of probability, the probability of getting a mythic-grade was remarkably low. The odds were three in five hundred.


    Of course, I could say that the probability of getting a legendary-grade monster was not very high, too. It would be ideal to get a heroic-grade named monster, but even if a legendary-grade monster came out, we would be able to handle it.


    ¡®It will depend on which typees out, but¡­¡¯


    The expedition¡¯s specs were enough to handle even legendary-grade named monsters.


    Among the legendary ranks, it would be different only if monsters about to be promoted came out, but I knew that most of them could be dealt with.


    The wheel gradually began to slow down, to the point where we could read the divisions imprinted on the wheel. Every time it went past the mythic-grade division, which was colored white, there was a collective sigh of relief.


    The same went for the legendary-grade, which was distinguished by gold.


    ¡°S-Spin a little more!¡± Deokgu shouted, and I could feel the members of the ck Swan sending their silent support.


    Eventually, itnded on a gold division.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    There were sounds of regretful murmurs shifting among us.


    It was okay, though. We could still handle this.


    What was important was it was not mythic. With that fact alone, I could feel relieved.


    [The spinning wheel has stopped.]


    [Legendary-grade named monster Skeleton Knight Baan has been selected.]


    -Ah, Skeleton Knight Baan. I remember it being a creature on this continent that had the soul of a hero.


    Though Max gave a brief exnation, I didn¡¯t care to listen.


    All of his information had appeared in my eyes, anyway. The only important thing about it was whether or not it could be defeated.


    ¡®It¡¯s a melee type that can use unique spells.¡¯


    Its unique spells were Energy Drain and Summon Skeleton.


    Although thetter was roughly predictable, it was not known what form the other would be activated in, so when I looked at the sub-list again, I could see a little more information.


    ¡®It would appear as a magic circle on the floor.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know what Baan looked like when it was human, but now it was quiterge, definitely taller than the average human height.


    It seemed to be over 2 meters long and looked more like a mercenary than a knight.


    This was a legendary beginner or intermediate at best. We could definitely win.


    Of course, the exterior aura itself was definitely legendary. It would not break with a simple hit.


    Not only was there green light shining through the gap between the eyes and the bones, but the weapon he was holding was also emitting rather ominous energy.


    If I met it alone, I would have run away with all the energy I could muster.


    But now, I was not alone. Our attack method seemed to be fairly clear¡­


    ¡®So, we just need to avoid the Energy Drain?¡¯


    First, the key was to avoid the magic circle that would form on the floor.


    The front line would then take care of the annoying trash mobs.


    I gestured for Jung Hayan to listen to what I had to say, and she nodded and stepped closer.


    ¡°Hayan.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Oppa.¡±


    ¡°Prepare the floating magic for everyone.¡±


    ¡°Ah, of course! I¡¯m on it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll signal when it¡¯s time. Focus on triple-casting. Floating magic should always be in thest ce. Always be ready to chant it when you get the signal.¡±


    ¡°Yes. And the m-magic¡­ By reducing the magic power a little, up to f-four are possible.¡±


    ¡°Then, please do that.¡±


    It was not a lie when the museum manager said she was a human being blessed with mana.


    In fact, the quadruple casting was not possible to do simply by having magic power and affinity. It depended on talent, and how blessed one was with mana.


    ¡®She¡¯s a genius.¡¯


    Of course, there was a disadvantage about draining magic power upon the simultaneous casting of spells, but it wouldn¡¯t be bad to give it a try since Hayan already had a feel of the spells¡¯ patterns to some extent.


    Some time had passed already.


    The manager, Max, was still exining about the creature, but the Skeleton Knight seemed ready to fight.


    At this, Max nodded.


    -I¡¯ve talked too much. I guess I made you wait for the fight between you and Baan. Then! Good luck, museum explorers.


    ¡°Prepare for battle.¡±


    At Hyunsung¡¯s words, everyone started to prepare in their own way. The Skeleton Knight slowly began to lift his sword.


    Shiing!


    Could the monster cover a long-distance attack? If he did, it would use uprge amounts of magic. The possibility did not surprise me at all.


    Obviously, the manual for that kind of attack was already stored in my mind a long time ago.


    Divine power poured into the front-liners as they blocked the rear. Wizards began to chant spells, and all front liners except Kim Hyunsung and Park Yeon-joo waited.


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Everyone understood the pattern, even without verbal instruction.


    ¡®That¡¯s why they prefer experienced people.¡¯


    Each person understood how to move around due to both practice and experience.


    ¡°Grrrrr¡­ Grrrrr¡­¡±


    The moment the monster raised its hand, skeleton soldiers started to rise from the floor. I spoke immediately.


    ¡°Deokgu, Hyunsung-ssi, and Yeon-joo are the main front-liners. The rest should make a wall with your bodies and clear the soldiers first. Please corner the named monster separately to the right. Until the next soldierse out, the long-distance ones should focus your firepower on the named monster, and when the soldierse out again, clear the soldiers first. When the pattern changes, I will send a signal. Defensive wizards should always keep only the shield magic that responds to the same ranged attack.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    No one answered except Park Deokgu. However, I knew they all understood.


    At this, Kim Hyunsung, Park Yeon-joo, and Park Deokgu began to run and approach the Knight. They would naturally attract its attention.


    Since the monster was not a fool, it would want to clear the backline first, but, naturally, there was no way to do anything because the front line had chosen to attack him head-on.


    For now, he had no choice but to rely on his summoned soldiers.


    ¡®I¡¯m sure you¡¯re hoping the trash mobs will solve it¡­¡¯


    The first spell of Jung Hayan popped out in no time.


    ¡°¡­ ¡­!¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s freaking fast!¡¯


    Her magic burst with an unidentified sound. Large spheres of me began to fall, iparable to the ones I had conjured before, all at the same time.


    Baaaaaaaaang!


    Several skeletons that had been summoned were smashed.


    At this point, I thought that the skeletons would copse soon, but it turned out that they weren¡¯t that weak. Translucent defense magic spread among the enemies.


    ¡®Is there a skeleton wizard? No, were they summoned by ss?¡¯


    I was able to realize once again that a legendary-grade fight was something we should not take lightly. Skeleton archers pulled out their bows, inciting shield magic to spread in our party.


    The mages of both camps began to chant their spells.


    As I felt that the battle would drag on, I immediately pulled out the Dragon Breath potion.


    Shooooo!


    As I threw the potion into the air, its effects activated, melting the enemy¡¯s shield magic. Taking this opportunity, our wizards¡¯ spellsnded on their side soon after.


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    Meanwhile, the front line was sessfully keeping them from reaching us.


    The fact that the backline was safe was evidence that the raid was working well.


    I knew that just summoning the soldiers already used up Baan¡¯s energy. Moreover, if he summoned each ss like this, he would consume more magic power than before.


    I began to understand how this monster fought. He extracted magical power that could be used as an Energy Drain, all while still calling skeletons with his Summon Skeleton.


    This was a knight magician strong enough to prevent the joint attacks of Kim Hyunsung, Park Deokgu, and Park Yeon-joo.


    Since we didn¡¯t know how he actually battled, we were naturally having a hard time. I was also well aware of how a single hit of his Energy Drain would kill a good number of our people.


    ¡°The main wizards should focus their magic on Baan. The front line should clear the remaining soldiers, and the third party wizard should continue to maintain the shield magic. When the second summoning begins, the front line will need to rebuild the wall.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°The second summoning has begun. The second summon has begun! First, focus on the soldiers. Priests, please focus on Deokgu.¡±


    What surprised me a little more was that Park Deokgu was doing better than expected.


    Of course, without the priest, Kim Hyunsung, and Park Yeon-joo, it would have been difficult to withstand, but he was sessfully blocking each attack thus far.


    ¡®Excellent, you piggish bastard!¡¯


    I knew I had to reward him with all the effort he had shown thus far.


    ¡°Once again, focus on damaging Baan. The third summoning has begun. It¡¯s a massive troop. Thirty mages¡­ archers, start shooting the mages.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    As I spoke, I took Juliana out. It would not be possible to escape this battle unscathed.


    What annoyed me a little was¡­


    ¡°It may be difficult for people in the front line, but please do not get hurt as much as possible. Baan seems able to recover his mana. It is only a small amount, but please be careful.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    It was weak, but the skeletons he summoned also had the ability to drain. The fact that he pulled arge summon at once by the third time also showed that he was in a hurry.


    As expected, Baan raised one of his hands.


    The moment he began to lower it, I screamed aloud.


    ¡°Jung Hayan!¡±


    ¡°Float together!¡±


    After the screamed, the bodies of 30 people began to rise into the air in no time.


    It had been fortunate of me to tell her to prepare the spell in advance, I realized. Baan¡¯s magic circle was something that could never be avoided if one stayed on the ground. The whole battle floor had gotten engulfed within the circle.


    ¡®This level of strength is enough to be ssified as cheating¡­¡¯


    Even if one¡¯s agility level were high, it would be impossible not to step on this floor. This was the true power of a legendary-grade monster, after all.


    The unique skills he had were definitely enough to be ssified as above standards.


    Nevertheless¡­


    ¡®My Mind¡¯s Eye can win when ites to cheating!¡¯


    As we floated in the air, Kim Hyunsung rushed forward andnded the finishing blow, effectively bursting Baan¡¯s head.


    ¡®Let¡¯s get the reward, Hyunsung!¡¯

 Chapter 236: Mythical Being (3)

    <h4>Chapter 236: Mythical Being (3)</h4>


    ¡®I guess that¡¯s okay.¡¯


    It was not easy to catch a legendary-grade named monster, even if its rank was slightly lower than ours. However, it was true that we should¡¯ve given it some more time.


    No matter how we could respond the second time, there would have been no way to avoid the first Energy Drain. This meant that things might have gotten twisted if the floating magic had not been cast in time.


    The most obvious thing was the difference between knowing and not knowing.


    After casting the first Energy Drain spell, the monster¡¯s skull, which had concentrated a lot of magical power, was vulnerable to attacks, and Kim Hyunsung had taken the opportunity.


    Though he had done the right thing, the way with which we ended Skeleton Knight Baan did not seem legendary at all. In any case, we had beaten him without having to sacrifice anything.


    Now, it was time to challenge the second monster.


    l had begun to look forward to the next challenge, and apparently, so were the ck Swans.


    -You are strong.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -Of course, there are some people with high profile, so it¡¯s natural, but I didn¡¯t think that Baan would fall so easily. When the Guardians see you, they will be really happy.


    Looking at the expressions of the people around me, I knew that they were feeling just as impatient as I was. Just how long was Max going to keep talking?


    -As mentioned earlier, rewards are provided for each experience. One of the museum¡¯s armaments will be presented to you, which is also randomly selected. The method is the same as before. Afterpleting all the tours, you can run all three at once, too.


    ¡°I¡¯ll start right away.¡±


    Waiting was stupid, especially if the item could help us against our next enemy. Sure, there was still a possibility of receiving a cursed item that we wouldn¡¯t be able to control, but that had a much lower probability rate than receiving a legendary-grade item.


    It had been a very smooth expedition thus far, but it was also necessary to gamble.


    Even if we received a cursed item and got a penalty, we could still somehow win against a legendary-grade monster.


    If we were to face off a mythic-grade monster, it didn¡¯t matter if we had a cursed item in our possession or not as we would still get annihted.


    The only way we could beat a mythical being was¡­


    ¡®Equipment.¡¯


    We also needed to be armed with a mythic-grade item.


    Of course, the entire expedition will not change with just one item, but if our returner¡¯s boring equipment was upgraded, I knew he would make a breakthrough.


    ¡®We have to get a mythic-grade item for Hyunsung, no matter what.¡¯


    That way, the team would be safe.


    -Some of you may have seen it before, but there may be items that interfere with your tour.


    ¡°That¡¯s okay.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know if Max was talking about it because he was worried about us or because he didn¡¯t want to remove the artifacts disyed in the museum, but he still nodded.


    -If you say so¡­ Okay. As before, the representative cane out and spin the spinning wheel.


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Except for Park Yeon-joo, the ones who had a high luck stat were Jung Hayan, Dialugia, and I.


    ¡®It can¡¯t be Dialugia.¡¯


    If something like that parenting set we saw earlier came out, it wouldn¡¯t even be a funny situation.


    In that sense, Jung Hayan and I were also dangerous. If Hayan spun, perhaps other unthinkable items woulde out as well.


    ¡®Kim Hyunsung is also not bad.¡¯


    Though it was not too high, Kim Hyunsung also had good luck stats.


    More than anyone here right now, he most desperately wanted a weapon. If his luck stats helped in this situation, we might be able to getpensation.


    ¡°I think it would be better for Hyunsung to spin this time unless other people have disagreements.¡±


    ¡°Yes. He can do that.¡±


    ¡°Hyunsung-ssi, please, spin.¡±


    ¡°No. Those who have a little higher luck stat than me¡­¡±


    ¡°I think it would be better if Hyunsung-ssi spins it.¡±


    At my firm reaffirmation, he nodded and stepped forward. Taking a deep breath, he spun the wheel. Everyone¡¯s eyes immediately focused.


    ¡°Please¡­¡±


    A mythical weapon muste out. That way, we could proceed with the remaining two sessions with a sense of stability.


    Kim Hyunsung also looked very desperate. I knew he had a weapon he had his eyes on but couldn¡¯t get the chance to obtain it.


    After I stole Juliana, he had always been stuck with heroic-grade equipment. Those sad days seemed to be passing by on his face.


    He must be thinking that it would be nice if even a legendary-grade came out, but it was not the legendary level he should choose.


    ¡®It¡¯s mythic that you need, Hyunsung!¡¯


    If he were to receive a legendary-grade item, it must be one of the higher level ones, which would soon get promoted, a weapon just like the Frost Greatsword we saw earlier.


    [The spinning wheel is spinning.]


    ¡®Please.¡¯


    [A rare-grade weapon, Archmage Isaac¡¯s Magic Sword, was chosen.]


    ¡°What?!¡±


    -This is one of the items that came through the Crack. It¡¯s lower-ranked, but it has value¡­


    Silence filled the entire room. Everyone¡¯s expressions resembled that of absurdity.


    The Skull Knight was definitely a legendary-grade monster, and the expedition team wasted the time they worked hard to beat it. The fact that our reward was this magic sword wasughable.


    Kim Hyunsung was staring at the result he got with a nk face. The number of rare-grade items in this ce was less than ten. The probability was even lower than the legendary-grade items. He had just proven how he didn¡¯t have the required level of luck.


    As if he was thinking this to be unfair, he clenched his fist, but he didn¡¯t throw the sword or cursed. He just stood there, quietly looking at the sword.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s nothing to be sorry about. There is no guarantee that the result would be different if another person had picked. We will get a good reward for the second time.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to feel so depressed.¡±


    ¡°Right, Hyunsung-ssi. There¡¯s no guarantee that you will have a good pick just because of a high luck stat¡­ If you see that I picked a legendary-grade monster just now, perhaps the luck stat doesn¡¯t mean much in this kind of draw¡­¡±


    Though we weren¡¯t sure about how luck factored in this dungeon, it would still be safer to pick someone with a high luck stat. However, just because one¡¯s luck stat was high didn¡¯t mean they were born to have a good oue in life. There were people with high luck stats yet were stuck in the slums.


    Of course, it may be different for Yuno Kasugano, whose luck stat was a big, fat zero. The fact that she had been able to be sessful only proved that this stat needed more research.


    In Kim Hyunsung¡¯s case, he didn¡¯t have the necessary luck this time. In fact, the thing that bothered me more than that now was¡­


    Was this whole spinning wheel actually randomized?


    No, whether it was random or not, the attitude of the manager, Max, was also a problem.


    The fact that he was proud of the museum was painfully obvious. He knew what the Crack Guardians, who created him, had intended upon creating this ce, and the fact that he respected said Crack Guardians was fully recognizable. Seeing as how he passionately exined about each item, I knew he was attached to this museum. If he were an intelligent being, he would not want to remove the high-value items disyed in the museum.


    The manager, Max, may not be of perfect intellect, but he was close to it.


    Even now, he was harboring a relieved expression at the results. However, I didn¡¯t know if the others could also observe this, or I was different because of my Mind¡¯s Eye, but¡­


    Though Max was a machine, he was also an intelligent being.


    I wondered if he was a hidden named monster in the dungeon, but I didn¡¯t think this was the case. This Crack Museum was managed by the system, not by him.


    The Crack Guardians had created the system, but it was also a system maintained by the transcendental beings who controlled this continent. Had it been possible to destroy everything, I would have taken a mythic-grade item for free and then ignored the museum expedition he was proceeding with and leave.


    Just like the tutorial dungeon, one could leave afterpleting the quest. This museum was a simr case.


    The important thing was, to what extent could the administrator¡¯s rights influence the system?


    There was a possibility that Max could manipte the oue. However, I still needed to think about this some more.


    First of all, the main task would be to manage the items on disy.


    Seeing that he was able to show the dragon¡¯s parenting set meant that he could get things out, but perhaps that was the only thing he could do.


    As I struggled with my thoughts, Max continued talking, mostly about the item we had just gotten. Though he had a regrettable expression, he exined that this was still difficult to obtain.


    -It¡¯s a little disappointing that I have to say goodbye to our dear stuff. It was one of the objects that have been on disy in our museum for a long time, even if it is low ranked¡­ However, I can¡¯t help it. There¡¯s nothing I can do about it.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°I have a question, Max.¡±


    -Please say it.


    ¡°How big is your authority over the museum?¡±


    -I don¡¯t know what you mean¡­ I¡¯m simply the system manager, so I¡¯m not in a position to do anything.


    I didn¡¯t know if he was telling the truth or not, but I thought it was probably true. If he were the boss of this dungeon, not the manager, he wouldn¡¯t have treated us this way in the first ce.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    -Ah, I lost track of time again. It¡¯s time for the next battle. Completing the second will give you a little more time to explore the museum, so please, stay strong.


    ¡°Then, the next¡­¡±


    ¡°I will spin it.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes. Kiyoung-ssi also had a high luck stat.¡±


    At this point, I feel like it wouldn¡¯t be bad for me to spin, especially since I wanted some more extra time to explore the museum.


    I didn¡¯t know how much time we would get, but I definitely needed to extract more information about this ce.


    ¡®However, it won¡¯t be enough.¡¯


    It was impossible to escape from the dungeon¡¯s basic system, but who knew if there was another way?


    Since Park Yeon-joo had gotten a legendary-grade named monster, this time around, we had to get a heroic-grade!


    For some reason, I didn¡¯t feel pressured at all.


    [The spinning wheel is spinning.]


    When I put down the pressure and inserted my magic power, the spinning wheel began to spin fiercely. I couldn¡¯t help but expect to get a heroic-grade purple space or a rare-grade purple space.


    ¡®It¡¯s fine.¡¯


    I never thought I had bad luck aftering here.


    Everything was good, and I had faced some pretty dangerous things, but¡­ overall, I had definitely been born with strong luck.


    However, my expectations were shattered in an instant.


    As the spinning wheel began to slow down, my heart rate increased.


    ¡°Wa¡­ Wait.¡±


    [The spinning wheel is spinning.]


    ¡°W-Wait!¡±


    [The spinning wheel is spinning.]


    ¡°Please stop. Sh*t¡­¡±


    [The spinning wheel is spinning.]


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    [The spinning wheel has stopped.]


    [Mythic-grade monster, Ancient God¡¯s Fragment has been selected.]


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    A heavy silence filled the entire room.


    Suddenly, a loud voice shouted out.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s a frame-up!¡±

 Chapter 237: Mythical Being (4)

    <h4>Chapter 237: Mythical Being (4)</h4>


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s a frame-up!¡±


    Unexpectedly, Kim Hyunsung had said that this spinning wheel was sh*t because it was a bit suspicious, but it didn¡¯t make entirely any sense in terms of probability.


    Perhaps I just wasn¡¯t lucky enough, but I had to stop the mythic-grade being from popping out at any cause.


    ¡®Nonsense.¡¯


    The one called the Ancient God¡¯s Fragment was now trying to pop out, making a rumbling sound. I didn¡¯t know if it took this long for the seal to be released or if Max had dyed it for a while, but I knew that he would annihte us all once that guy was released.


    ¡°The odds are being manipted!¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what I was talking about, either. I only knew that I felt scared.


    However, manager Max seemed to be interested in my bullsh*t.


    If he respected the Crack Guardians, he wouldn¡¯t be happy about this museum being insulted.


    -I know what you mean. The odds are not manipted. Everyone has a chance of one in five hundred.


    ¡°From our position, there is no way to believe if this is true or not. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    It was Ahn Ki-mo who had spoken.


    ¡®Nice, Ahn Ki-mo.¡¯


    I knew he would be useful in this kind of situation, but I couldn¡¯t even imagine that we would be good together. The n was obvious. He needed to distract him while I tried to think of a way to escape.


    Fighting a mythical-grade monster was not an option.


    The level difference was so big that it was impossible even to assume that we had a chance of fighting. It was like attacking a tank with a slingshot.


    Even assuming that Kim Hyunsung had several aces up his sleeve, we would not get out of this unscathed.


    As Ahn Ki-mo finished speaking, he turned to me. I nodded and spoke again.


    ¡°Ahn Ki-mo is right. You said there had been no maniption, but where is the evidence that your words are not false?¡±


    -Is there any reason for me to answer your questions?


    ¡°Of course, there is. You did not call this ce a dungeon, you called it a museum, and you called us explorers, not attackers. If this museum is a dungeon, there is no reason for you to convince us, but if this museum is not a regr dungeon and the arrangements made by the Crack Guardians are correct, an exnation is a duty, not an option.¡±


    -Duty, not choice¡­ You make an interesting argument.


    ¡°It would be fun from the manager¡¯s point of view, but it¡¯s a very important issue for explorers. We did note to attack the dungeon. We are here to experience and explore the museum. Isn¡¯t that right, everyone?¡±


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s right. Absolutely right.¡±


    Ahn Ki-mo was the only one who answered. However, I knew everyone else had begun totch onto the same idea.


    -I understand your position. Although to my eyes, it appears to be just an act not to proceed further, but¡­ since it¡¯s been a long time since weed guests came, I think I do need to give you an exnation. I don¡¯t know how to exin it, but¡­ would you be convinced if I quantify the results of the explorers who have visited the museum so far?


    He was more quick-witted than I thought, and he looked offended.


    The crack museum he loved was on the verge of falling into a bad reputation, so it was only right that he would want to remedy this.


    Our points of view had to be different. Though we thought of this ce as a dungeon, he saw it as a museum. For him, this was a gift from the Crack Guardians for the continent¡¯s humans and a ce where numerous histories had been recorded and stored.


    ¡°I wonder if there is any evidence that you didn¡¯t manipte the numerical data as well. Where is your original body in the first ce? It is a dummy that guides us, not you. If you are really the manager and not the owner of this museum¡­¡±


    As I spoke, I knew I had no choice but to think that it shouldn¡¯t be done this way.


    ¡®I would only be dragging time in the first ce.¡¯


    It was already confirmed that he was not the Dungeon Master. The system¡¯s focus here was the exploration of the museum, not the death of the manager, Max.


    His death would not mean anything for the dungeon. It would be impossible to resist the system itself with ordinary human power.


    If it were possible to resist, the yers before us would¡¯ve already destroyed this ce. Even the Cursed Shrine where I met Juliana could also be stabilized after bombarding magic from the outside.


    In summary, there was only one way to attack the dungeon.


    ¡®Follow the rules.¡¯


    If it was impossible to resist the system, there was nothing else you could do.


    ¡®Damn.¡¯


    Of course, I didn¡¯t want to die in a ce like this.


    Meanwhile, the manager, Max, had begun speaking once more, but I couldn¡¯t seem to tune in to his words. I couldn¡¯t even afford to answer.


    Rather, it was Park Deokgu who was more angered than me. I watched him slightly in awe as he continued to shout. Ahn Ki-mo readily assisted him.


    ¡°Where is the evidence that this is true, as Hyung-nim said?! It was a little weird from the beginning! Saying weird things about exhibiting Hyung-nim and Hyung-ssi as soon as we first met. Isn¡¯t that a strange intention?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡±


    ¡°If you haven¡¯t said that from the beginning, then perhaps¡­ I don¡¯t know about the cause-and-effect ratio being distorted and blessed with mana, but it doesn¡¯t make sense to believe in a dungeon manager who says he will exhibit a normal person in a museum!


    ¡®You¡¯re doing well, pig.¡¯


    He certainly had the qualities of an agitator. The tone of the voice itself could somehow make heads nod.


    -That¡¯s the rule. As a manager, I can¡¯t say that I have no greed for rare objects at all, but there has been no probability maniption.


    ¡°Saying that you¡¯re greedy, doesn¡¯t that say it all? If you really had the quality of a manager, you shouldn¡¯t say that in the first ce! I don¡¯t know what the Crack Guardian is, but it sounds really weird that a manager, who was made by them, who has defended the continent, would disy the people living on this continent!¡±


    -That¡¯s a humanistic way of thinking. It is not you who make up the continent. Rather, humans are close to cancer on this continent.


    I understood what he was talking about.


    I¡¯ve heard such a thing before on Earth. It was not the humans who the Crack Guardians protected. It was probably the continent itself they had been guarding.


    ¡°That¡¯s the way the Crack Guardians think? If so, why are you trying to test against humans? Why give them the weapons that humans use as a reward?! Isn¡¯t your opinion, not the Crack Guardian¡¯s, that humans are cancer?¡±


    -That¡¯s the guardians¡¯ will¡­


    ¡°Who made this museum to watch in the first ce? In my opinion, you¡¯re deprived. Of course, the Crack Guardians regret putting someone who doesn¡¯t know what kind of fruites out of his farm as a manager! Wouldn¡¯t a guy like this try and manipte the system?¡±


    ¡®Well done.¡¯


    Though Deokgu¡¯s words were offensive, they certainly fit the situation.


    In the first ce, I knew that when Deokgu was angered, he tended to rely on strange logic to support his im, but he was doing a lot better than I had initially thought.


    The others were gradually raising their voices as if they agreed. It was mainly the women¡¯s team included in Park Deokgu¡¯s harem.


    ¡°Right! It¡¯s strange, no matter how I think about it. There are only ten rare-grade items, but we pick one of them. And what¡¯s with the mythic-grade monster? It is certainly strange to think about the fact that a legendary-grade was picked from the very beginning.¡±


    ¡°Right. Deokgu-ssi, you¡¯ve said it well!¡±


    Ahn Ki-mo was raising his voice, too.


    ¡°What we don¡¯t believe is you, the manager, not the Crack Museum!¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes! Absolutely, Ahn Ki-mo! After all, the educated ones are different! Anyone can see you look like a scammer¡­ you can¡¯t manage anything properly! I think Hyung-nim could do better if he were the museum manager! Hyung-nim as the museum manager!¡±


    Their conclusion was definitely weird, but they were at least giving me ample time. This gave me enough time to talk with Kim Hyunsung and Park Yeon-joo.


    ¡°What do you think we should do, Kiyoung-ssi?¡±


    ¡°There is no option to fight. It must be avoided. You have to think about this in another way. For now, it would be best to do business with a museum custodian, but I don¡¯t think the authority given to Max is enough to override this system.¡±


    ¡°Oh, the first time you spoke up was to take time.¡±


    As Park Yeon-joo realized this, she nodded and spoke once more.


    ¡°Then, the choices we¡¯ll encounter are¡­¡±


    It was Kim Hyunsung who answered her.


    ¡°It is impossible. This ispletely different from catching a legendary monster. Of course, if you are to head into an unavoidable situation, you should consider that, too¡­ I don¡¯t want to rmend it.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I know it won¡¯t be a fair fight in the first ce. But I don¡¯t see any other options.¡±


    They now understood my concern. We had to find another option.


    ¡®Although it is ideal to do business with the manager¡­¡¯


    -Whatever you mean, whatever you say, I am the manager of this museum. All I do is maintain and manage. In the first ce, the probability of maniption is out of my authority. Unfortunately, there is no way to block the options that have alreadye out. Although I have been dying the emergence of mythic-grade being for a while¡­ He will probably appear here soon.


    ¡®I knew it.¡¯


    -The time to release the seal is only one hour. If more fragments are released, the seals of the Guardians may be released. So this test will be about holding on, not fighting.


    ¡°This scammer!¡±


    -I told you I¡¯m not a scammer. I thought you were good people, but it turned out that you were rude customers. I can also understand why you were so unfortunate and chose a mythical-grade being. The Crack Guardians didn¡¯t want people like you getting artifacts from this ce!


    ¡°Once again, that¡¯s bullsh*t.¡±


    In the meantime, Max had begun to tremble, looking very much upset. His offended expression only grew when our thirty voices rose as one, criticizing every aspect of him and his beloved museum.


    This transaction was impossible in the first ce. As expected, it was impossible for him to act outside of the basic system.


    ¡®It¡¯s not even a maniption.¡¯


    It was simply bad luck.


    I had begun biting my nails. Although I knew I had to do something about it, I literally choked when I saw the creature slowly appearing in front of my eyes.


    ¡®Sh*t.¡¯


    The Ancient God¡¯s Fragment continued to stare at us.


    It was difficult to express the feelings one would feel when they saw someone on a totally different level from them. Jung Hayan was also biting her lips tightly, and Kim Hyunsung nervously held his sword. Even Dialugia looked nervous.


    ¡®One hour? We won¡¯tst that long.¡¯


    I knew everyone was also thinking this way. However, there was no choice but to rebel, so all that was left to do was prepare.


    That was when an absurd thought entered my mind.


    If we went through this the traditional way, we would surely die. However¡­


    [Part of the seal that held the Ancient God¡¯s Fragment is removed.]


    The moment I heard the message, I spoke.


    ¡°Prepare for battle.¡±


    -Good luck.


    ¡°It willpletely unseal. However, don¡¯t attack the monster. Attack the blue chains that trap the Fragment.¡±


    -Huh?

 Chapter 238: Juliana’s Awakening (1)

    <h4>Chapter 238: Juliana¡¯s Awakening (1)</h4>


    Everyone looked at me as if I had gone crazy, and I could understand why.


    What would happen was obvious if we were to break the chains. However, this was the only option we could take in order to survive.


    The manager, Max, did not have the power to destroy therge system in the Crack Museum. The same was true for us.


    If anyone could interfere with the system, it would be the Ancient God¡¯s Fragment.


    It would be possible for it to smash the exhibition hall where the mythical weapons protected by the system were stored or to open an escape from this dungeon, which would be impossible to escape from withoutpleting the quest.


    If things were to go wrong, we would have released a great threat to the continent with our own hands, but there was no guarantee that this monster was necessarily bad.


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    ¡°I will not listen to objections. I just thought this was the most probable way to survive.¡±


    ¡°Are you serious?¡±


    ¡°I am serious.¡±


    If the Ancient God¡¯s Fragment was crazy, it was only right to make a violent sacrifice here for the continent.


    This had a good probability. The entire continent could get swept away by this single monster and getpletely destroyed. Nevertheless¡­


    ¡®First, I have to survive.¡¯


    It was a typical small, civic mindset, but I had no choice but to think of it in this manner. I was not a saint with an aptitude for sacrificing, just like Kim Hyunsung was.


    My life was of the utmost importance. I had no intention of dying here, nor did I intend for myrades to die in this ce.


    ¡®To hell with sacrifice.¡¯


    The lives of the people around me were also more valuable than all other humans on the continent. It was a trashy mindset, but I couldn¡¯t help it.


    ¡°Is there any other¡­¡±


    ¡°There is no other way. I¡¯ll think about it after releasing the seal.¡±


    Kim Hyunsung bit his lips a bit but nodded vigorously upon seeing how serious I was.


    There was no other way for us to do this except to improvise. One single mistake could make everything copse.


    However, I naturally did not exin any further than this. If Kim Hyunsung¡¯s self-sacrificial personality came out, I would not have a logical counter. All I knew was that we needed to survive this hellhole.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t just the expedition team that felt disconcerted by my words. Max looked utterly perplexed as we approached the Ancient God¡¯s Fragment.


    There had obviously been no madmen for centuries who had attempted to unseal the mythic-grade monsterspletely. I was confident that we would be the first.


    -What are you¡­ trying to do?


    ¡°Obviously, we¡¯re trying to survive. What can we do about it? The dungeon guide is an idiot. What else can the explorers do?¡±


    -This is a dangerous idea. Don¡¯t do this¡­


    ¡°Puhaha. Your tone has be quite polite, manager. If you don¡¯t like that, why don¡¯t you stop this mess?¡±


    -I said I don¡¯t have that authority. A-Again, there was no odds maniption. And¡­ Er¡­


    ¡°What?¡±


    -If you thought I had given you a rude reaction, then I¡¯ll apologize.


    ¡°Where can I get the apology? Can I die and get it in heaven? Shut up, manager. If I die, I won¡¯t die alone.¡±


    -D-Do you have any idea what you¡¯re trying to do?


    ¡°Shut up, you bastard. We¡¯re not doing this because we want to.¡±


    -Selfish humans. These rotten humans! Do you think you can break the seals the Guardians have hung?


    ¡°The way I see it, we have a better chance of breaking them than defeating the Ancient God¡¯s Fragment. What do you think, museum manager Max?¡±


    -Dialugia! You know, right? Do you really think that creature shoulde out to the world?


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Changing tactics, Max appealed to Dialugia, who had been harboring a dark expression.


    I didn¡¯t know much about dragons but seeing as they were bnce-correcting beings, I thought she might want it not toe out to the world.


    As expected, she spoke up, but¡­


    ¡°Er¡­¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to see our Tol To-ri being teased for not having a mother and father, do whatever you want, woman.¡±


    Her mother¡¯s intuition stayed strong. Dialugia began to bite her lips tightly.


    Upon seeing this, Max began to shout once more. I felt amused upon seeing his embarrassed expression. The more crumpled he looked, the better this idea sounded to me.


    This meant that there was indeed a possibility. The seals hung by the Crack Guardians were fragile against external shocks, although I didn¡¯t know about the internal shocks.


    ¡®This is possible¡­ There must be a hole.¡¯


    Even if they had managed to seal mythical beings like Ancient God¡¯s Fragment, there was no way that there will be no errors in constructing such a system.


    Of course, it was just a guess, and even if I were to assume that I was right, it would not be easy to break it. However, it was a much more usible n than dealing with a mythic-grade monster for an hour.


    ¡°Ignore all of Max¡¯s bullsh*t. Dialugia, prepare your Breath and pour out your biggest firepower magic at the same time. If possible, Hyunsung-ssi and Yeon-joo-ssi, after the explosion¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    It sounded no different than an order tomit suicide, but for now, the two nodded.


    [3. 2. 1.]


    [The battle has begun.]


    It must be destroyed before the monster could attack us.


    As expected, the Ancient God¡¯s Fragment began to go insane as soon as we tried to rip off the seal. Just looking at it was enough to make my entire body tremble in fear.


    However, this fear soon dissipated as Dialugia herself transformed.


    Her sheer size and majestic appearance could make everyone exim. As soon as she finished transforming, Dialugia had begun to gather ridiculous amounts of magic power.


    If the aftermath of her Breath hit me, I would get severely damaged. However, as much as protection magic would be ideal, we had to focus all magic power on offense.


    ¡®I have to stop the shock wave.¡¯


    It was up to me to block the aftermath of the shock by summoning the dragon¡¯s tail.


    That alone may not be enough, but I had no time to think of a better counter.


    Leaving some of the dragon Breath potions in my pocket, I instilled magical power. Jung Hayan had also begun casting spells.


    It was the first time she had looked so serious. The amount of magic power she was gathering wasparable to even that of Dialugia¡¯s. Everyone had begun to look at her in amazement.


    Meanwhile, other wizards also began chanting spells, and even the priests, like Sun Hee-young, also chanted prayers in order to aid their firepower.


    Breaking that seal was definitely possible.


    At this, Dialugia released her Breath.


    Craaaaakkk!


    The sheer intensity pushed her body back.


    The light she fired out instantly gnawed the ground and flooded into the chains that held the Ancient God¡¯s Fragment.


    Meanwhile, in front of Jung Hayan, an indescribable sphere had appeared. The sphere approached the seal slowly before heading right into it as if being sucked in.


    had also begun to tap the chains of the seal. As we got to work, the monster continued to roar.


    The sound was enough to tear through everyone¡¯s eardrums, but Kim Hyunsung and Park Yeon-joo still managed to break through the aftermath of the explosion.


    Their job was to hit the seal¡¯s weakest link, therefore destroying it in the process.


    Though they moved with high agility, I was still able to view them with my eyes.


    Even though Hyunsung¡¯s shield had worn off and he had gotten wounded, he continued to concentrate his magic on the hand that held his sword.


    It would be hard enough to handle the shock wave of an explosion. Hyunsung seemed to be in bad condition, but he continued swinging his sword while forcibly swallowing the blood that was about toe out.


    ¡®You can¡¯t die, Hyunsung!¡¯


    ¡°Deokgu, prepare to collect Hyunsung and Park Yeon-joo.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes! O-Okay.¡±


    ¡°Hee-young-ssi, Ki-mo-ssi! Please intensively push the divine power to the position I pointed to. Wizards must always prepare their defense magic, and the front line, including Park Deokgu, should begin to enter. When Dialugia is ready for her next Breath, shoot immediately.¡±


    ¡°Hyung-nim, are you going to go, too?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    We no longer had enough time to talk. If Hyunsung died, I would die, too.


    It was then that something huge hit us. It looked to be a huge tentacle.


    ¡®Ah¡­¡¯


    Though the Ancient God¡¯s Fragment¡¯s attack didn¡¯t recognize us as targets yet, getting hit would kill us. I could do nothing else but stare up at it nkly.


    ¡®Are we going to die?¡¯


    Fortunately, Dialugia prevented the attack.


    ¡®Damn.¡¯


    Though she had saved us, this was also a terrible urrence. She had ended up using her second round of Breath at it.


    If something like that hit us, it would have killed us all. She had no choice but to save us.


    Once again, the shock wave struck, and my body was almost pushed back, but I avoided falling over by holding onto Park Deokgu.


    were poured out, and Kim Hyunsung and Park Yeon-joo continue to try and break the seal¡¯s chains.


    Nevertheless¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s not enough.¡¯


    We needed just a little more¡­ A little more power just to break the seals.


    ¡®Damn.¡¯


    As I tried to think of another way, my sword began vibrating in my hand.


    ¡°Juliana?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Juliana! Oh, my Juliana!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Wake up, Juliana. Ahh, my Juliana! I need you! Juliana! I need you!¡±


    Though this, too, was a suicide attempt, I could see no other choice but to appeal to my sword in a tone that was dramatic enough to appear in a Shakespeare y.


    ¡°Aaah, Juliana! My love! Wake up, Juliana. Please! Please save my colleagues and me in this situation! My love, Juliana!¡±


    ¡®Sh*t.¡¯


    ¡°Juliana! Sh*t!¡±


    Was it a mistake trying to rely on something like this?


    As I began to sumb to my turmoil of thoughts, I heard a voice that I had not heard in a long time.


    -Ahhhhhhhhhhhh! Gedric! My Gedric!


    ¡°What?¡±


    -Aaaaaah! My love Gedric! My everything! My all! The light and hope of my life! Savior of my life. My eternal flower! Gedric! Finally! Finally, I can hear your voice! My Gedric!

 Chapter 239: Juliana’s Awakening (2)

    <h4>Chapter 239: Juliana¡¯s Awakening (2)</h4>


    ¡°Good!¡±


    Though her voice gave me chills, I couldn¡¯t help but rejoice all the same.


    Though it would be hard to sort this out afterward, what was more important was the task that I had to aplish in front of me. I would take care of the restter on.


    ¡°My Juliana! You finally woke up! You don¡¯t know how long I¡¯ve been waiting for you.¡±


    -Gedric! My Gedric, I, too, have been imagining being with you for a long time.


    ¡°Juliana!¡±


    -Gedric!


    It was a bit scary seeing the sword floating around me and making weird sounds. I worried about it eventually piercing my neck as it realized that I was not Gedric.


    Nevertheless¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s fine.¡¯


    There were no such signs yet. Juliana still considered me as Gedric and was now moving to protect me.


    ¡®I did a good job wearing this¡­¡¯


    [Gedric¡¯s Proposal Ring (Heroic)]


    [You can resist the curse of Juliana.]


    This was Gedric¡¯s Proposal Ring, found in the Cursed Shrine. Though it had no function, I had always worn it on my finger out of habit.


    I had to smile.


    ¡°Juliana! My Juliana! We don¡¯t have time for this. Juliana!¡±


    -Gedric¡­ Ahhh! My love Gedric! Please kiss me. Please hug me to let this body crumble!


    ¡®You¡¯re a sword¡­¡¯


    ¡°Juliana! I need your strength. We must release the wicked Crack Guardians¡¯ seals that are forcibly holding onto the Ancient God.¡±


    -Aah! My love Gedric! Whisper a little more love. Gedric! Myntern! My light!


    ¡®Crazy bitch!¡¯


    I knew I wouldn¡¯t be able to control her, but I had no idea her sanity was this unstable.


    I didn¡¯t know why the hell Gedric liked this woman and why he had been looking for her for such a long time, but I bet it could be a type of Stockholm syndrome.


    Perhaps he had gotten kidnapped. For some reason, that thought began to settle in my mind.


    ¡°Help me! Juliana! I need your love.¡±


    -Gedric! My Gedric!


    ¡°Juliana! The world is in danger!¡±


    -Ahhh¡­


    ¡®Sh*t!¡¯


    There was no more time left to dy. If I kept going at this rate, Juliana would only move after the rest of my party members had gotten wiped out.


    I had no choice but to run as I held her in my hand.


    I didn¡¯t know how to use a sword, but something had changed after I inserted my magic power into it.


    -Gedric! Your warm magic is flowing! Your power is flowing into my body! Ahhh! My love!


    ¡®Please, shut up!¡¯


    Though her voice drove me crazy, it appeared that my magic had activated something.


    -A little more! A little more! Please! Gedric! A little more of your love!


    [One of Juliana¡¯s sleeping functions has been unlocked.]


    [AS¡¯s Tentacle]


    ¡®Nice!¡¯


    Until now, Juliana¡¯s only function was to cast a curse.


    Of course, that alone made her worth it. If I cursed the other person just by hurting them and consuming a lot of magical power, I could even apply a wide area curse.


    Just listing the features mentioned above was not enough for a legendary-grade item.


    It even protected me by itself, so it was definitely an ideal item. However, that was not its only function. This would soon be confirmed.


    ¡°Nice!¡±


    Of course, AS¡¯s ck magic had been used before, but the magical power flowing from the sword was different from before.


    If what I used before had been the closed beta version, what I saw now felt like the function had undergone several upgrades.


    The tentacles of ck magic, previously used by Juliana, began to bloom around her sword.


    As these tentacles also moved towards me, I began to feel nervous. However, I knew she did not intend to harm me. The feeling of difort, however, rose when the tentacles slipped through my clothes.


    Fortunately or unfortunately, the tentacles didn¡¯t seem to limit my actions, but it was natural to think that they might eventually trap me.


    However, the tentacles weren¡¯t the problem.


    -More¡­ More! Ahhh! Gedric, your love! A little more of your love!


    ¡®Stop sucking it up!¡¯


    Juliana was drinking my magic like crazy. My magic stats were already low, so having her slurp it up like it was nothing felt like a total burden. It even felt as if my life force was being drained.


    However, the results were better than expected.


    ¡®Fine¡­ take a little more!!¡¯


    The energy the sword emitted was obviously not the type that I could create with my meager supply of magic. The ck tentacles extending in all directions had long been out of my control.


    However, I had no idea or ability to control it, anyway. All I have to do was hit this overflowing energy against the sealed chains, and it would be fine.


    ¡°Deokgu!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Okay!¡±


    Park Deokgu, who had been looking at me with a strange expression, stretched out his hand toward me. When I saw that he understood without any exnation, I felt proud.


    With the tentacles wrapped around my body, I wouldn¡¯t be able to throw myself off the aftermath of such an explosion. I felt sorry, but I had no choice but to seek Deokgu¡¯s help.


    ¡®I¡¯ll have to hurt you instead¡­¡¯


    A transparent and faint shield appeared on my body. This was Park Deokgu¡¯s attribute, where he would take the damage received by others in their stead.


    As soon as I touched the ground with my crackling hands, the dragon¡¯s tail protruded from the floor and raised me up to the chains.


    Although it was a little scary, Park Deokgu would take the damage even if I fell, anyway. Right now, swinging my sword was the top priority.


    Of course, there was no damage from the aftermath of the explosion. I didn¡¯t feel hot, and my skin didn¡¯te off.


    ¡®Be patient, Deokgu!¡¯


    ¡°Kiyoung-ssi?¡±


    Though I heard Hyunsung calling out to me in confusion, I chose to ignore him. I couldn¡¯t afford to answer him, anyway.


    ¡°Break it! Fuck!¡±


    I then attacked the weak-looking seal using the energy within the sword.


    The magical tentacles surrounding my body and the tentacles stretching out from everywhere quickly fell toward the chains, and the remaining magical power also quickly escaped.


    -Gedric! Gedriiic! Aaah! Ah!


    ¡°Break!¡±


    If once was not enough, then I would have to break it twice. If not twice, three times.


    Though I was a beginner when it came to swordsmanship, I still had to try. Even the seal itself had a limit.


    Cracks had begun to form along the chains. This indicated that the seal was breaking.


    ¡®Good!¡¯


    It was then that Kim Hyunsung jumped out and swung his sword towards the part I hit.


    I felt surprised, but I also felt d. I was past my limit, for Juliana drained too much magic power from me.


    Hyunsung hade just as I had lost all my magic, and I was grateful for that.


    As soon as the lovely returner¡¯s sword touched the cracked chain, the blue chain broke, and light began to pour out.


    ¡°Nice!¡±


    I felt Kim Hyunsung¡¯s hand on my back. Regardless of my will, my body began to move away from the chains, and I saw the Ancient God¡¯s Fragment once again.


    ¡®I did¡­ the right thing, right?¡¯


    We had only managed to break one of the chains.


    However, the bnce of the seal holding the mythical being tightly broke, which prompted the other sides to break as well.


    No, to be precise, the Ancient God¡¯s Fragment was pulling the chains apart on his own.


    ¡®He looks very strong¡­¡¯


    It was only then that I started to realize what we had just released in the world. My entire body had begun to shake.


    [A Fragment of the Ancient God is released from the seal.]


    [Warning]


    [The Crack Museum¡¯s protection program is operating.]


    [Warning]


    [The program is not operating normally.]


    [Warning]


    [The preliminary program is operating.]


    [Warning]


    [The Fragment of the Ancient Godpletely awakens.]


    ¡°Groaaaaaaaaaaarrr!!!!!!!¡±


    -Ahhh¡­ Ahhhhh¡­ No!!!!


    Max began to cry out at the same time the mythical monster roared out.


    ¡®Preliminary program?¡¯


    I was unsure what it was, but fortunately, there seemed to be a Crack Museum program that would handle situations like this.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t know if that preliminary program could really fix this, but it was toote for me to do anything else. Now the responsibility rested with the manager, Max.


    After all, it was sweeter to screw someone over than to let others screw me over.


    Of course, I could not find it in me tough aloud in this situation. Even if we seeded in breaking his seal, the fact that we were in danger still remained.


    Before this monster could threaten the rest of the world, it was threatening my life, first.


    The fragments seemed to have no thinking ability, so there was no option to negotiate with the ancient gods. Nevertheless¡­


    ¡°Yay, it¡¯s the Ancient God!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°The Ancient God has awakened! The Ancient God¡¯s Fragment has been freed!¡±


    I could see no other choice but to shout this aloud. I didn¡¯t know if this would work, but at least I was producing some results.


    The museum¡¯s outer walls, which seemed to be unbreakable, were now copsing, and the sturdy exhibits were also breaking.


    ¡®My prediction was correct.¡¯


    This monster had the ability to resist the system.


    ¡°Grooooaaaaaarrr!!!¡±


    As the Ancient God Fragment¡¯s tentacle swung once more, the museum began its road to destruction.


    -No¡­ Noooo!!


    Max kept screaming. I then turned to the other members of the expedition.


    ¡°First¡­ Let¡¯s go to the broken area and gather some items. There will be several exhibition halls influenced by the Ancient God.¡±

 Chapter 240: Mythic-grade Item (1)

    <h4>Chapter 240: Mythic-grade Item (1)</h4>


    Everyone was looking at me as if I had gone crazy, thinking about grabbing items at a time like this. However, it was only right to increase our chances of survival in this situation.


    There may even be a mythic-grade item within the broken pavilion.


    It was not an option, but a necessity, to raise the entire expedition¡¯s specifications at this point.


    ¡°Of course, it would be nice to look for our isted people.¡±


    ¡°Is there any way to fix this?¡±


    ¡°That is not our job; it¡¯s the museum manager¡¯s. The preliminary program has been triggered, so the Crack Guardians¡¯ arrangements would have worked. What matters now is our safety. Please, let¡¯s move quickly. Hyunsung-ssi. Right now, it¡¯s hard to move my body¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes.¡±


    Kim Hyunsung, who had been holding my body, nodded to show that he understood. In fact, even his body looked damaged.


    It was natural for him to be a mess since he had continuously swung his sword towards the chains in the explosion.


    Park Deokgu, who had received all the damage I suffered, looked even worse.


    Although Sun Hee-young and Ahn Ki-mo continued to sprinkle divine power over us, it would take us some time to recover fully.


    -Gedric¡­ Gedric!


    In the meantime, Juliana keeps crying out. She had gotten considerably quieter once I sheathed her back to the scabbard around my waist, but she continued to mutter anxiously.


    ¡°I will go out to the exhibition hall on the side. Other monsters may have awakened, so it would be better to move to the opposite direction from the monster exhibition hall.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Alright.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll move as fast as possible to recover even a little bit. Let¡¯s enter.¡±


    All members of the expedition nodded, exhaustion apparent on their faces.


    I was not the only one who had drained their magic power to the limit. Everyone used more magic power than they had to in order to break the seals created by the Crack Guardians.


    As their stamina stats were high, they could still walk normally. Such was not the case for me, however.


    ¡®I really can¡¯t move my body.¡¯


    Of course, being able to be closest to Kim Hyunsung had not been intended. But this was not a bad turnout of events. I didn¡¯t care if the ck Swan members were looking at me with a strange expression.


    In the first ce, everyone knew that I had a weak body.


    As soon as I finished talking, Dialugia scooped everyone up, and we rushed towards the pavilion. Leaving the insane Ancient God¡¯s Fragment, we entered the exhibition hall.


    Though Ancient God¡¯s Fragment continued to scream, his attention was not on us.


    The things that had confined him for so long were still around him. He would probably want to smash it all to pieces before going after us.


    Of course, the condition of the museum was terrible. Most of the exhibition halls were utterly broken, but even those inside of them had gotten destroyed.


    ¡®We won¡¯t be able to save anything here.¡¯


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the next room. If we stay here, the aftermath of the explosion can reach us. Our goal will be to get to the manager¡¯s office.¡±


    ¡°The manager¡¯s office?¡± Park Yeon-joo repeated.


    ¡°Yeah. There must be somewhere where Max¡¯s original body is located. Seeing that he¡¯s not here, he might be quite busy doing something else. It will be hard for him to care about us anymore. First, take off the ring that you received before entering the dungeon, Yeon-joo. We no longer need to be guided by the dungeon manager anyway.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I was thinking of doing that.¡±


    ¡°And¡­ Hayan?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Oppa?¡±


    ¡°I think it would be good for you to make a map from now on, alongside the Rangers of the ck Swans. Don¡¯t worry too much about me. It¡¯s just that I can¡¯t move because of magical exhaustion, but I have no other wounds.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Oppa¡­¡±


    ¡°Does Hayan know how to draw a map?¡±


    ¡°No. Instead, she is always checking my location. This will help. It will be quite detailed and urate.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re¡­ a unique couple.¡±


    Park Yeon-joo looked amazed at the fact that I had tolerated my girlfriend relentlessly pursuing me.


    If it were Earth, it would be natural for me to feel suffocated, but it was possible to tolerate this in a ce where one never knew what, where, and when something might happen.


    ¡®Of course, by my standards¡­¡¯


    ¡°Hee-young-ssi, Ki-mo-ssi, and other priests should also take a break for a while. If you are exhausted, we won¡¯t be able to get out of this ce sessfully.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be hard to rx, but please try to recuperate as much energy as possible.¡±


    ¡°Hyung-nim is right. It won¡¯t be good if we rush into this impulsively. In fact, we¡¯re not just in bad condition to fight; we can¡¯t even walk properly.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Deokgu.¡±


    ¡°In that sense¡­¡±


    ¡°I was going to set up a camp when we got a little farther away.¡±


    ¡°Are we going to eat?¡±


    ¡°Of course, we should eat. It¡¯s just that we lost a few supplies, so we¡¯ll have to ration.¡±


    If our conditions permitted it, sleeping would be rmended. However, I knew this would be impossible. As the roaring continued behind us, even camping sounded dangerous.


    However, this was necessary. Our expedition members desperately needed the rest.


    As we rested for a moment, another Fragment tentacle pierced the left wall.


    ¡°Whoa!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡­ scared the crap out of me.¡±


    It was hard to imagine how scared other people would have been, seeing that Jung Hayan, who had always been so aloof, looked terrified.


    Calming the expedition member was one of the things people like me could do. I had no choice but to speak up at this point.


    ¡°It probably wasn¡¯t for us. He seems to be just moving¡­ First, it would be better to move to a ce where those tentacles won¡¯t be visible.¡±


    ¡°B-But why isn¡¯t he doing anything?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯m not sure what the Ancient God¡¯s Fragment is¡­ It looks like he¡¯s about to create roots, though. Maybe he¡¯s working on paralyzing this museum¡¯s function and trying to absorb the magic power flowing from it. It¡¯s better to focus on our situation now.¡±


    ¡°O-Okay.¡±


    Though I spoke this assuredly, I also couldn¡¯t help but wonder what the monster¡¯s n would be.


    It seemed like a good idea to ask Dialugia afterward, who had heard of the Ancient God¡¯s Fragment before.


    After she had returned to human form, she seemed lost in her thoughts. Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t a very serious expression, but she looked to be engulfed in shame. It was, after all, the job of dragons to promote the flow of bnce.


    As she had contributed to our n, she must¡¯ve been thinking about how her ancestors would regard her now.


    Meanwhile, the rest of our members were at work.


    Based on the map made by Jung Hayan and the Rangers, I began to figure out the structure of the museum itself. The tentacles of the Ancient God were visible as I studied, but he was certainly not moving.


    ¡®So he really has created roots.¡¯


    I wasn¡¯t sure what kind of consequences this would bring, but one thing was certain: it was now easier to move around. The walls that the system had brought up as a barrier were now broken.


    It was easier for us to grasp the situation now that the museum¡¯s function had been paralyzed.


    I was curious about how the museum, which had triggered its preliminary program, might be taking care of this, but of course, I knew that going to check it would be a stupid choice.


    If the museum¡¯s function had really stopped, it was possible that the sealed monsters had also awakened. Perhaps they had begun fighting each other.


    However, seeing that the museum had not yet copsed, it seemed that Max was still working hard on its preservation.


    ¡®Can he stop it?¡¯


    In fact, I didn¡¯t know which side I should support.


    The perfect scenario would be for the museum to reseal the Ancient Gods after the expedition could rescue the isted people, as well as obtain a few items.


    Of course, because I tended to think about the worst, it was difficult to settle for this hopeful scenario. Some positive thinking would be ideal at this point, though.


    ¡°Oh¡­ I think it¡¯s fine here¡­¡±


    Upon reaching a definite spot, Deokgu quietly spoke up.


    ¡°It¡¯s definitely¡­ okay.¡±


    Cho Hyejin also nodded.


    The Ancient God¡¯s Fragment was not visible within this area, and it was wide enough for thirty people to rest. The most important thing was¡­


    ¡°Hyung-nim! There are a lot of items here! It seems that the functions stopped here, too¡­ The exhibition hall doesn¡¯t seem to be obeying. Huh! There seem to be a few legendary items, too¡­ Can I have this?¡±


    ¡°Oppa. There¡¯s a wand here! T-This one looks to be legendary, too!¡±


    ¡°I think there are a few heroic-grade items, too¡­ It seems to be in better condition than most heroic-grade items. There seems to be an item that boosts divine power, Kiyoung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Is there anything that Hee-young is also greedy for?¡±


    ¡°Rather than being greedy, if there¡¯s a Bible elsewhere¡­ I¡¯m just curious¡­¡±


    I knew that we could obtain items along the way, but facing this reality was still jaw-dropping.


    Everyone gazed around with their mouths wide open.


    When I turned to gaze at the items, however, my own jaw dropped.


    There stood a sword, shining in its own glistening hues.


    It looked a little crude, but I could see that it is a great sword just by staring at it. What was even more spectacr was that it was pointing directly at Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡®I-It¡¯s a mythic-grade.¡¯


    We had hit the lottery.


    ¡®Hyunsung! We are safe, right?!¡¯


    When I turned to Kim Hyunsung, I saw him already shooting a pleasant smile my way. It had been a long time since he smiled like that.

 Chapter 241: Mythic-grade Item (2)

    <h4>Chapter 241: Mythic-grade Item (2)</h4>


    My worries began to dissipate upon witnessing this.


    Kim Hyunsung, receiving the light emanating from a mythic-grade sword, truly looked like a warrior that one usually only saw in fairy tales.


    ¡®Whoaa¡­¡¯


    I had never regretted following Kim Hyunsung, and this reinforced my belief.


    ¡®It¡¯s magnificent! Hyunsung! It¡¯s great!¡¯


    The protagonist, originally, was mostly him.


    I remembered myself being chosen by Juliana, but this was a different situation. Even I had to admit that Kim Hyunsung was definitely different from me.


    The white light turned towards him as if it were enticing him, and he slowly reached out, as if it was his own from the beginning.


    I was not the only one transfixed by this sight. The ck Swans had begun to swoon upon seeing his handsome figure engulfed in such a light.


    I already knew that the world was unfair, but I had no choice but to face this harsh reality once more. It was as if God had chosen Hyunsung to have both talent and looks.


    As soon as the sword reached his hand, the light spread out into the entire room.


    However, as if nothing had happened, Hyunsung took his sword to his waist, looked around with a little embarrassed expression, and spoke.


    Unlike me, who could see information about the sword from the beginning, other people would be very curious.


    ¡°I think I have seeded in getting the Sense of Ownership.¡±


    ¡°As expected¡­ you have. Is it a mythic-grade sword?¡±


    It was Park Yeon-joo who asked this.


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s a mythic-grade sword. I don¡¯t think I can use all the functions because I am not yet capable as a user¡­ Compared to the legendary-grade item, there seems to be no shortage. First of all, I apologize to all of the ck Swan members.¡±


    ¡°No. You don¡¯t need to apologize at all, Hyunsung-ssi. Ownership is not something one can decide on. The weapon has chosen you. And since you were in the position of helping the expedition in the first ce, I don¡¯t want to make this a problem. It would be a lie if I said I¡¯m not envious, but seeing that you have done well makes me feel better.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your consideration.¡±


    Hyunsung was really lucky. Though this was ground for ownership problems between guilds, the ck Swans still let him take it.


    Plus, ck Swan Guild Master Park Yeon-joo had a crush on Kim Hyunsung, and this problem was passed without worry because of the peculiarity of Sense of Ownership.


    ¡®But since we got it, it¡¯s right that we take it.¡¯


    No matter how high the value was, it was no different from a stone if there were no capable users.


    When I, unfortunately, thought that it would be unreasonable for us to own the legendary-grade shield that Park Deokgu was touching, as well as the legendary-grade staff that Jung Hayan was staring at, I saw Hayan herself getting engulfed in bright light.


    ¡®Good job, Hayan!¡¯


    She had also seeded in getting the Sense of Ownership.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    A faint smile was already hanging on Jung Hayan¡¯s face, who bowed her head.


    Though I should¡¯ve controlled them from touching the items, I couldn¡¯t help but hold back a smile.


    ¡°Jung Hayan.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ Oppa.¡±


    ¡°Deokgu, for now, put down your shield.¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t put it down.¡¯


    ¡°Deokgu.¡±


    ¡®Start the Sense of Ownership quickly! You pig bastard. Put in the magic power and take it! I will handle it! Originally, you just have to take it, and then wait and see.¡¯


    ¡°O-Okay. Hyung-nim.¡±


    ¡®Just take it!¡¯


    Unfortunately, my real intention had not been properly conveyed.


    Park Deokgu, who put his shield down on the ground while looking clueless, retreated about two steps while smacking his lips. It was a little regrettable, but I had no choice but to continue talking, swallowing the bitter taste on my mouth.


    ¡°I think it would be better for Hee-young-ssi to put down her item for now as well. The same goes for Ki-mo-ssi. I understand that you¡¯re a little excited, but we didn¡¯te alone. Item distribution is the exclusive authority of the expedition leader, and Park Yeon-joo is the expedition¡¯s right leader. There¡¯s nothing to do in Hyunsung¡¯s case, but¡­ Hayan¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡®What are you sorry about? You did really well. Do that again next time.¡¯


    After all, after going out of the dungeon, it wouldn¡¯t be bad to reward her.


    ¡°Well, it seems that it happened without Hayan knowing. Scolding her like this¡­ It¡¯ll be quite difficult to stayposed in this situation unless Park Deokgu¡­ Ah, yes!¡±


    The clueless Park Deokgu was proud of himself as he was eager to be patient with Jung Hayan, but that pig needed a punishment, not a prize.


    ¡®You¡¯re grounded when we get back.¡¯


    However, I couldn¡¯t show what I truly felt.


    At this, I looked towards Park Yeon-joo.


    ¡°I will apologize instead.¡±


    ¡°No, Kiyoung-ssi. It¡¯s been done already¡­ I think it¡¯s better to celebrate than to get angry in this situation.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to keep apologizing. Anyway, in the current situation, this is more important than anything else. It is appropriate for someone who can use it right now to take it. First of all, I want to think of surviving as my top priority. If she seeded in getting the Sense of Ownership, it means that Hayan-ssi is the one who can handle that weapon best at this ce. Our wizards also seem to be okay¡­ Congrattions, Hayan-ssi.¡±


    ¡°T-Thank you¡­¡±


    ¡®Right.¡¯


    I was sure of it. Park Yeon-joo was an angel. She seemed to be conscious of Kim Hyunsung since she was showing too much kindness, but I started to envy Kim Hyunsung once again as she showed that she would yield to him as much as she could.


    I thought that a very bright tomorrow would be waiting for this particr love affair.


    ¡®It makes sense, too.¡¯


    I also really like the part that she thought on the premise of surviving rather than to sumb to her greed. I could see why she had appointed Lee Jihye, who originally had nothing, and gave her the authority to solve both the big and small issues in their guild.


    ¡°Of course, can we first determine whether the remaining items can be used on our side?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I think it would be nice to do that.¡±


    I also like the part of taking what she could in this situation.


    ¡®I envy Kim Hyunsung.¡¯


    In the midst of that, Juliana began to talk to me, muttering something.


    It might be the aftermath of waking up after a long time as she soon became quiet, but there would be a substantial difference between Kim Hyunsung¡¯s mythic-grade sword and Juliana.


    Anyway, if I looked at the situation objectively, it seemed that the Blue Guild had gained both mythic and legendary items. The remaining legendary item was the shield that Park Deokgu touched. However, there were also other high-quality heroic-grade items.


    Since the shield was an item that required ownership, our side had a chance of obtaining it, but in fact, I thought that the ck Swan might dominate the heroic-grade items.


    Sun Hee-young nced at me as she wanted to get the heroic-grade auxiliary tool ssified as a Bible, which bothered me, but it would be hard, even for me, to ask for that item now.


    There were only four priests in this expedition right now.


    Although all of them were equipped with heroic-grade items, there was no guarantee that they would not want that Bible.


    As it was a secondary weapon rather than the main armament, it may be difficult for priests who generally wore a two-handed staff to use, but there was no end to the original human greed.


    It would only be right to wait and see.


    That was, if¡­


    [Sword of the 12th Knights: Durendal (Mythic)]


    [In mythology, this is a great sword used by the head of the 12 Knights. Known to cut out anything, this great sword, despite countless years, did not wish for its light. It is no longer possible to ess detailed information. -Durendal does not break.]


    [Blood-Stained Red Gem: Anemone (Legendary)]


    [This is a staff decorated with jewels from the blood after the jealous goddess murdered her husband¡¯s lover. Basically, it amplifies the user¡¯s magic and awakens the knowledge of the unique magic embedded in the gem. The user¡¯s growth value is low, so the avable unique magic knowledge is limited. Magic power increases by 10. -Anemone to be cursed! Dirty whore Anemone! You will never get out of that gem for a lifetime.]


    Since we had already taken items of this level, there was no conscience left to im ownership of heroic-grade items.


    Like the Fragment of the Ancient God or the green monster I saw before, mythic-grade items couldn¡¯t be checked with my eyes, but there were things that I could feel even if I didn¡¯t see them with my ability.


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s sword was definitely the highest treasure, as it was a sword that would never break. That alone was worth it.


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s swordsmanship skills were already high enough to be recognized as one of the Empire¡¯s Eight Seats, even with the public doubting his experience.


    I didn¡¯t know what features were hidden but assuming that Hyunsung, who already had no shorings in many ways, used it, just the fact that this was an unbreakable sword would prove to be dangerous in his hands.


    The legendary-grade staff that Jung Hayan had gotten also didn¡¯t need much to say.


    ¡®The exnation¡­ made me a bit uneasy¡­¡¯


    However, I felt good. Our rank had definitely raised.


    After the jealous goddess murdered her husband¡¯s lover, the exnation that the blood was made into gems sounded ominous, but, for now, it was a good thing.


    ¡®Anemone¡­¡¯


    Even if it had a good affinity with Jung Hayan, I felt like there would be a problem. In fact, after taking ownership, she didn¡¯t seem to be all that interested in the big staff.


    ¡®If you¡¯re going to do that, why¡¯d you run so fast and take it?¡¯


    It felt ridiculous, seeing her lose all interest right after the Sense of Ownership had ended.


    It seemed that she was greedier for the stats inherent in the staff than the staff itself, but I wondered why she had wanted to take the legendary-grade staff, even when she knew that I would scold her.


    However, I soon began to understand why.


    ¡®Her magic power stats are at 97¡­¡¯


    It had only been a little over a year, but this marked the moment when Jung Hayan gained enough power to officially enter the Empire¡¯s Eight Seats.


    With this realization came another, darker thought.


    ¡®Now, wait a minute¡­¡¯

 Chapter 242: A Short Break (1)

    <h4>Chapter 242: A Short Break (1)</h4>


    ¡®This is not good¡­ Ah¡­¡¯


    Of course, a sh*tty person like me had no right to say this, but Jung Hayan had a more meticulous and trickier side than I had initially thought.


    Unlike the innocent Jung Hayan from the past, she didn¡¯t immediately act whenever she wanted to kill. Of course, the schemes that she had shown so far were of a cute level.


    Though it was not apparent to everyone else, I knew something about her was different.


    She understood the difference in power and strength and could realize when she was in a rtively weaker position.


    That was why she had be obsessed with magic after meeting Cha Hee-ra for the first time, for a chance to gradually be stronger than her.


    Of course, it could be said that it was because she got the ability to discern whether a person was important to me or not, but it was also because she knew she was stronger that she turned Han Sora into a mess back at the training camp.


    It was just spection, but I understood Jung Hayan¡¯s behavior pattern.


    ¡®This isn¡¯t good.¡¯


    On the one hand, I was happy at the fact that she was getting stronger. On the other, I felt anxious because I couldn¡¯t predict what kind of trouble she might cause.


    ¡®And now, her magic power is at 97¡­¡¯


    Entering thete 90s with major stats was the minimum condition necessary to be a strong yer on the continent, considering that Cha Hee-ra had a 97 strength stat.


    Ito Souta also had agility in thete 90s, and Park Yeon-joo, who was now talking eagerly to her members, also had specs in thete 90s.


    Of course, one could not measure the power simply by their stats, but in Jung Hayan¡¯s case, she could be one of the top yers in the entire Empire after gaining a little more experience. She must be aware of this fact now.


    It wasmon knowledge that the existence of an item that could increase one¡¯s stats existed, so she grabbed such an item while everyone was distracted by Kim Hyunsung.


    After she got her stats, she dumped the artifact itself, and once more, I was able to confirm that I was right.


    In the past,pared to Cha Hee-ra and Yuno Kasugano, she was rtively in the position of the weak, but now she seemed to think that she was fast approaching their level.


    I couldn¡¯t help butugh at my suspicions being proven right. Though we had no problem right now, I knew I had to control her early on. I would have to retrain Hayan once we got out of this dungeon.


    It was very annoying that I had to take care of her mentality regrly, but it was a low price in exchange for having the Supreme Archmage as my pet. Though I worried about her causing any trouble¡­


    ¡®She won¡¯t do that.¡¯


    As I looked at Jung Hayan, still holding my arm and guarding me against the ck Swan¡¯s female group, a sigh came out of me once more.


    It was then that Park Deokgu called out to us.


    ¡°Hyung-nim! Hayan! Come and eat!¡±


    ¡°Oppa! I think the meal is ready!¡±


    ¡°Oh? That was fast.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Hehehe.¡±


    ¡°Phew¡­ I¡¯m telling you the food is delicious! Yeon-joo prepared it, and my eyes almost popped out at how delicious it was!¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°This is just my opinion, but it seems that Yeon-joo likes our Guild Master, Hyung-ssi! So, I think she was trying to show her skills. This is the message of Gangwon-do¡¯s dating expert, Park Deokgu. I smell something. I really can!¡±


    He sat down on the floor, spitting out what everyone already knew.


    When I nced over towards Hyunsung, I could see Yeon-joo all over him. Cho Hyejin looked sullen.


    ¡®So she gets jealous, too.¡¯


    This was such a contrasting expression to the stiff one she always showed me.


    ¡°We¡¯re still on an expedition, Deokgu-ssi. Such a personal story¡­¡±


    ¡°Hyejin doesn¡¯t look so good, either¡­ Hyung-ssi and Park Yeon-joo are giving off good vibes together, so why would she look that way? Hm?¡±


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahem. If you don¡¯t want to reveal it, I can¡¯t help it, but nothing gets past the dating expert.¡±


    ¡°P-Please refrain from saying useless things¡­¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want your guy getting stolen by other guild people, you better go there now. It looks like the vibe over there is good¡­ Of course, I¡¯m still cheering you on! Look, even if it looks like they¡¯re just having a simple meal together, that in itself is already a pretty big deal.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Even the ck Swan members are rooting for them. You need to do something.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡±


    ¡°It would be better to get over there before they be sweethearts.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not because of that reason, but¡­ Suddenly, I just remembered I have something to report to the Guild Master, so I¡¯ll get up first, Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Hyejin-ssi. Cheer up.¡±


    ¡°I already told you I¡¯m not going over there for that reason!¡±


    As I saw her blushing while getting up from her seat, I couldn¡¯t help butugh. She even forgot to bring along the spear that she always carried around.


    Her flustered expression showed how she felt for Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡®Cute.¡¯


    A rtionship should be fresh and pretty like that.


    It was different from Jung Hayan and Sun Hee-young, who looked around everywhere as if warning the others not to approach me.


    What was a little surprising was that Sun Hee-young didn¡¯t seem to be very close with the ck Swan guild members.


    As a priest, it seemed that she did not fit well with them, who were free-minded. In fact, it appeared as if she didn¡¯t like them at all.


    ¡®I have to have an interview with this one, too¡­¡¯


    Although she had been neglected so far, Sun Hee-young was also one of the targets that needed major management. I did not care for her much because, unlike Jung Hayan, she seemed capable of taking care of herself.


    Just as Kim Hyunsung trusted Cho Hyejin as an aide, I also trusted Sun Hee-young.


    ¡®She does her job pretty well¡­ she is rational¡­¡¯


    It is apletely different topic, but in fact, she was also pretty. Even with her strict sister-uniform and sacred vibes, Sun Hee-young could very well be my type.


    As I gazed at Sun Hee-young for a while, I felt Jung Hayan grasping my arm.


    ¡®It¡¯s not that, Hayan. Don¡¯t get angered¡­¡¯


    After gently patting Jung Hayan¡¯s hair, Park Deokgu continued to speak once more.


    ¡°Hey, Hyung-nim. This is a slightly different story, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nice that we¡¯re taking a break now, but I don¡¯t know if we really can be here like this.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Ahem. Aren¡¯t we a bit too rxed?¡±


    ¡°Ohhhh.¡±


    It did seem that way. Since we had to ssify heroic-grade items anyway, we went and set up camp, and after preparing a meal, we decided for all expedition members to rest.


    Of course, the Rangers had to search the surroundings by rotation, but it would be no exaggeration to say that they were really resting too freely in the time after that.


    Some people were sleeping, and some of the other members were sitting and reading books.


    ¡®How Alchemists and Genius Prosecutors Love? Volume 3?¡¯


    I caught sight of one of the books they were reading. It certainly seemed to be a hit within Lindel.


    ¡®I have to read that one.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know what it was about, but it seemed to be a big hit.


    Anyway, since everyone was resting like that, it would make sense for Deokgu to feel unsettled. It was like everyone was pretending to be unaware of what had happened to us.


    ¡°It¡¯s because there is nothing we can do right now.¡± It was Sun Hee-young who said this.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    Of course, I had no choice but to agree with her.


    ¡°Hee-young-ssi is right. It doesn¡¯t make sense to go back there now, so it¡¯s better to rest. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s unfortunate or fortunate, but it looks like the Fragment of Ancient God, or whatever it is, is quiet, so you can rx. Just to you know, I intend to camp here today. Of course, it will only be for a short time¡­¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡®For now, it¡¯s only right to take a break.¡¯


    It was not that I wasn¡¯t uneasy.


    If the museum were to copse, then we would have to find a way to get out of here. However, nothing could be done about it as of now.


    Dialugia had stayed quiet this whole time, focusing on her recovery. Kim Hyunsung and Park Yeon-joo, who were the strongest in the expedition, were also in terrible condition.


    ¡®They look to be fine on the outside, but¡­¡¯


    I knew they were also quite a mess on the inside.


    Of course, it was true that we had big expectations for Kim Hyunsung, who had obtained a mythic-grade item, but he could only be of use once he recovered.


    He pretended to be okay in front of all the expedition members, but I could see how much damage he had taken with my Mind¡¯s Eye.


    Above everything else, I was anxious about this worst-case scenario to happen.


    I also had to keep in mind that the manager, Max, might consider me a removal target.


    ¡°So don¡¯t worry, take a rest, for now, Deokgu. Rangers are looking around, and once they check the position, we¡¯ll move right away and start fixing everything from scratch.¡±


    ¡°I am fine. I¡¯m more worried about you than me. Even now, your paleplexion doesn¡¯t look so good.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I can recover, given enough time.¡±


    Park Deokgu, who originally had no sense of crisis, saying that made me feel more anxious.


    I also wanted to focus on recovery, but I also felt like we should be on the move now.


    I had no choice but to look at Dialugia quietly.


    ¡®Fragment of the Ancient God.¡¯


    Dialugia was the only one that had any useful information.


    Seeing that she had opened her eyes, it seemed that she had sessfully recovered.


    I had finished my meal. As I stood up quietly and sent a signal to her, I saw her getting up as well. Park Deokgu didn¡¯t follow, realizing we would be talking about something important, and Jung Hayan nced at me, wondering if she shoulde with me or not.


    I didn¡¯t say anything, so she decided to wait. It bothered me a little that she surprisingly stayed without saying anything.


    ¡®I have to listen to Dialugia first.¡¯


    It would be better for me to be the only one allowed to hear about what Dialugia had to say. If I were to make a selfish choice, it had to be me who would have to be responsible for pulling the trigger.


    As our distance from the expedition members became somewhat distant, Dialugia began to speak. Considering how urgently she spoke, I knew our situation did not look good.


    ¡°You can speak, Dialugia.¡±


    ¡°The continent will be destroyed.¡±


    ¡°I knew it. If so¡­ how can it be fixed?¡±


    ¡°In the next 30,000 years¡­ The continent will copse.¡±


    ¡°But how do we fix it?¡±


    ¡°It will disappear without a trace. Don¡¯t you have any idea as to how we can solve this?¡±


    ¡°So, we don¡¯t need to fix it.¡±


    It was a little reassuring. I was trembling at the news of the world falling or copsing, but I didn¡¯t expect it to happen after my death.


    Dialugia looked somewhat perplexed with my answer. However, my mood had already brightened.


    ¡®In 30,000 years! Fuck! I can just leave it alone!¡¯


    I knew I was being selfish, but I couldn¡¯t help it.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry for the descendants of these bad ancestors¡­¡¯


    I was not interested in whether the world would perish after I died, which I knew made me sound like an even sh*ttier person.


    However, I couldn¡¯t find it in myself to feel guilty at this point.


    ¡°Yes!¡±

 Chapter 243: A Short Break (2)

    <h4>Chapter 243: A Short Break (2)</h4>


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    Dialugia looked mixed parts perplexed and speechless, seeing me look so happy. In fact, I didn¡¯t even try to hide how happy I felt.


    ¡®If it¡¯s 30,000 years, even mankind would have perished.¡¯


    In fact, it didn¡¯t matter to me whether mankind would perish by then or not. I knew that this continent had its fair share of ancient stories.


    ¡®No, it must be really old.¡¯


    Dialugia alone had lived for 4,000 years, and there was also someone they called the Dragon Lord. Considering that God had blessed this continent, then the history of mankind must¡¯ve indeed been long.


    Although the probability is low, the civilization here could be maintained even after 30,000 years.


    ¡®If I think about it in a dragon¡¯s standard, however, it would be a lot different¡­¡¯


    Considering that I shared one life with Dialugia, I thought I would live quite a long time, but not for another 30,000 years.


    Dialugia spoke once more as I mulled this over.


    ¡°Is it true that you said this doesn¡¯t need to be fixed?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t¡­ mean exactly that¡­¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t even speak of how absurd that is. Or did you not understand the seriousness of this situation? The Fragment of the Ancient God will slowly absorb all life on the continent. It will suck in the magic power spreading in the atmosphere and start to eat some of thends we are stepping on. All lifeforms will die, and in the end, there will be nothing left.¡±


    ¡°Ah! Do the rooted tentacles y that role? That¡¯s why the museum¡¯s function is also stopped. It doesn¡¯t seem to be affecting us either¡­ Are we safe?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter that right now. You really are¡­!¡±


    ¡°No, why are you so angry? You can speak slowly without being excited, Dialugia.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not grasping the severity of our situation.¡±


    ¡°Why are you so angry with me? Honestly, who¡¯s the one who yed the biggest part in unlocking the seal?¡±


    ¡°T-That¡­¡±


    ¡°Does the dragon have a lifespan of more than 30,000 years? Is that why?¡±


    from individual to individual. It¡¯s around 10,000 years, but it is usually impossible to live longer than that. For reference, you, too, will follow my life span as a dragon spouse and live for about 6,000 more years if nothing happens during that.¡±


    It felt a little too long, and though I had expected this, I felt restless when Dialugia spoke it out loud.


    ¡°It won¡¯t copse after 3,000 years, so there¡¯s nothing wrong with it. Our Tol To-ri can livefortably for about 10,000 more years¡­ I also think my grandchildren can endure it without difficulty, but I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re saying this.¡±


    ¡°Howe you don¡¯t? Didn¡¯t I just tell you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. All of our descendants will take care of it.¡±


    ¡°What on Earth are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°The future is created by our descendants.¡±


    Even I knew my statement sounded trashy.


    Dialugia looked disgusted.


    ¡°You can¡¯t just say that. The continent will be destroyed. This will be confirmed if we don¡¯t fix it now. It¡¯s like destroying the world with our own hands. How should we see our a-ancestors at this rate?¡±


    Certainly, with the standard of dragons, the feeling was a little different.


    If someone is told me that the world would perish in 300 years, then the average person may feel a little upset. Even Kim Hyunsung would take on the responsibility.


    I also knew Dialugia would be that kind of dragon.


    ¡°This is something that needs to be fixed. It must be fixed.¡±


    ¡°You mean risking our life?¡±


    ¡°No, but¡­¡±


    ¡°No, Dialugia. Let¡¯s be a little more honest. What¡¯s the most important thing?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°The most important thing for us, isn¡¯t it our Tol To-ri?¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°So, didn¡¯t you help unseal the Ancient God? Think about this carefully. If we shut our mouths and pretend we don¡¯t know, we will be able to live happily with Tol To-ri. Honestly, we were lucky just now. We were really lucky. It would not be strange even if we all had died.¡±


    I knew she would eventually agree with me. Just the fact that we had survived was a miracle in itself.


    The Fragment of the Ancient God didn¡¯t even recognize us as the enemy. He was just wriggling around, destroying everything it saw.


    ¡°I understand that you love the continent. I don¡¯t know much about dragons, but hearing about bncing things or something, I think you feel responsible. But it¡¯s okay to be moderately selfish. If we do something wrong, trying to fix this, we will all die.¡±


    ¡°I know that. But¡­¡±


    ¡°We are not alone, right? You have to think about Tol To-ri, who will be left alone.¡±


    At this, Dialugia shut her mouth, a terrible expression of guilt crossing her face.


    ¡®She¡¯s really¡­¡¯


    She was a tree that gave generously as a unique characteristic, so if it weren¡¯t for Tol To-ri, she might have jumped into the fire to protect the continent at the expense of her life.


    ¡°You say you don¡¯t know that Tol To-ri might be waiting for her mom and dad to return as soon as possible. Do you think I want to pretend that I don¡¯t know about the fate of the continent? However, it is not the fate of the continent that Tol To-ri needs. It¡¯s his parents. Let¡¯s talk openly. Is Tol To-ri important? Or the ones who will be left on the continent more important?¡±


    ¡°Tol¡­ Tol To-ri¡­¡±


    ¡°Right. Tol To-ri is the most important. So, you don¡¯t have to think about this too much.¡±


    ¡°I-It¡¯s not this¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry too much. Didn¡¯t you hear it, too, Dialugia? A preliminary program has been triggered, and the Crack Museum is now working hard to fix it. If what they prepared fails, I will do my best to prevent it. Of course, if it¡¯s within reach of my hand.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    When I patted her shoulder, I could see her bowing down. It seemed hard for her to ept this fact, but what she thought about this didn¡¯t matter.


    As my life was the most important thing to me, Tol To-ri was the most important to her.


    ¡®Good thing.¡¯


    I was d that Tol To-ri existed.


    ¡°Oh, for reference, about the copse of the continent or the destruction of the world, it would be better not to tell any of these to the expedition members.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s obvious that normal humans will think like me¡­ Still, there may be someone who feels responsible. Let¡¯s agree on what to say.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand how.¡±


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s about the Fragment of the Ancient God. So far, you¡¯ve been recovering yourself and didn¡¯t ask anything, but you¡¯ll probably get a few questions when you get back. You are the only member of the expedition who knows about the Fragment of the Ancient God, and you are the only one who knows why these tentacles are stuck on the floor of the museum. Everyone has a lot of questions. I¡¯ll tell them a bit, so you just need to sprinkle it with enough affirmation for everyone to trust us.¡±


    ¡°Should we do it, even to that extent?¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to do it, close your mouth, and it won¡¯t matter, but¡­ It¡¯s a little ufortable as I¡¯m the only one doing the bad things. Show me your love for Tol To-ri.¡±


    Dialugia began to bite her lips. Eventually, she nodded.


    Though it felt like I was destroying something pure, this was the only way we could do this.


    As we talked about what to tell the rest of the members, a floating object caught my eye.


    ¡®What is that?¡¯


    Funnily, it felt like it was invisible to Dialugia¡¯s eyes.


    She noted that the surrounding magic power had be weird, as if she felt something strange, but she certainly couldn¡¯t see the object. At this, I activated my Mind¡¯s Eye.


    [Anemone¡¯s Eye]


    [It is one of the unique spells given by the Anemone¡¯s blood-stained gem. You can see the world through the Anemone¡¯s Eye.]


    ¡®It¡¯s just Jung Hayan¡­ Phew¡­¡¯


    I was scared at the possibility of it being the work of the Ancient God¡¯s Fragment, but I was relieved upon realizing that it was only Jung Hayan spying on me.


    In fact, even saying that I felt relieved seemed funny. Though this was not unusual for me, it would certainly feel creepy for others.


    However, I didn¡¯t feel bothered, mostly because I had gotten used to Jung Hayan.


    What intrigued me, however, was the fact that even Dialugia couldn¡¯t see it.


    ¡®Thinking about it, this might be dangerous¡­¡¯


    I hadn¡¯t even expected Hayan to be able to employ the Magic of Knowledge spell right away.


    She really was a genius. I knew better than anyone else how hard it was to practice magic.


    However, I couldn¡¯t dwell on Hayan¡¯s growth right now. The important thing was to talk to our fellow members.


    Jung Hayan would definitely cooperate if she found out that I wanted to lie to the expedition, and she wouldn¡¯t care if the world would get destroyed, anyway.


    After we finished talking, we started heading back to the group. Anemone¡¯s Eye continued to follow us until it finally disappeared. As Hayan could now see us with her own eyes, she must¡¯ve dismantled the spell.


    ¡°O¡­ Oppa!¡±


    Though we had only been apart for some time, her happiness upon seeing me was cute.


    When I stroked Jung Hayan¡¯s hair once, she made a grunting sound that sounded simr to Tol To-ri¡¯s, but I couldn¡¯t just pay attention to her.


    This was because Kim Hyunsung and Park Yeon-joo approached us immediately.


    ¡°I think you can rest assured for now.¡±


    ¡°Oh. So, you already know the story?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°May I ask you to exin what that means?¡± Park Yeon-joo spoke, her curiosity evident.


    My face, which looked more optimistic than they thought, seemed to be instilling hope within them. All other expedition members were also looking at me. Although they pretended to be casually listening in, the anxiety on their faces was palpable.


    ¡°First, Dialugia will exin.¡±


    Beside me, Dialugia stepped forward with an expressionless face.


    ¡°The Fragments of the Ancient God¡­ I-I think he has entered in the rest phase.¡±


    Of course, only I could see the guilt she felt at having said such a lie.

 Chapter 244: A Short Break (3)

    <h4>Chapter 244: A Short Break (3)</h4>


    ¡°A rest phase?¡±


    ¡°Yes. He had entered the rest phase. Perhaps this is a side effect. I don¡¯t know in detail either, but I can be sure that he will continue to be in the same state as it is now. If I express that he is sealing himself, it will be easier for you to understand.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ is a relief.¡± Park Yeon-joo nodded.


    Kim Hyunsung sighed, looking relieved.


    All other members of the expedition looked happy. They must have thought that we would have to do something about the Ancient God¡¯s Fragment.


    Honestly, I didn¡¯t want even to imagine the oue. Everyone knew that it was simply because of luck that we survived. Hearing that he would be inactive made them all smile.


    In the first ce, ssifying it as a ¡®rest phase¡¯ was not entirely a bad thing. Of course, the monster¡¯s main body was fighting with the preliminary program, but at least the tentacles had settled in to begin and absorb the museum¡¯s system, and with it, the entire continent.


    If he wasn¡¯t attacking us, then that meant he was resting. Right?


    ¡°There is also an arrangement of the Crack Guardians prepared by the museum, so things will soon get¡­ fixed.¡±


    ¡°Things¡­ worked really well. Kiyoung¡¯s choice would have been right¡­¡±


    ¡°It was a fluke. It was actually dangerous. I was lucky. It¡¯s a littlete, but I apologize for causing trouble to the expedition. It was actually gambling. Not only us¡­ Even the people in Lindel could¡¯ve been in danger.¡±


    ¡°Apologize? It was unavoidable that a mythic-grade monster appeared randomly, and since Kiyoung-ssi took care of it well, everyone survived, so it¡¯s only right for us to be thankful to you for the moment. It¡¯s a littlete, but¡­ I want to personally show you my gratitude. If it hadn¡¯t been for the base that you showed me, some of us would probably have died.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be ashamed if you praise me like that. In fact, at the time, survival was the only thing in my mind.¡±


    If things were to go wrong, my position would have been quite awkward.


    ¡°By the way¡­ What on earth is the Fragment of an Ancient God?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what Dialugia will exin.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes. Actually, I don¡¯t know anything in detail, because the time I have lived hasn¡¯t been that long¡­ I just heard it from both my mother and grandmother. I know nothing else but the fact that it has existed since the beginning and will put the continent at risk.¡±


    ¡°So, the manager, Max, was right. That¡¯s really absurd. We already knew that this ce is not an ordinary ce, but an Ancient God¡¯s¡­ Fragment¡­ Everything just seems so surreal.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I fully understand that. I have lived for more than 4,000 years, but such beings have onlye through stories. Of course, I didn¡¯t think it would be found in ces like this¡­ and even more so, while sealed.¡±


    As Dialugia continued to talk, a loud voice cut her off.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t they just kill him instead of sealing him? I don¡¯t know why this museum did such a nuisance.¡±


    ¡°It is impossible to kill the Fragments of an Ancient God. It¡¯s because there is no shortage of being called God itself rather than a person who has earned the divine. Those called Crack Guardians would also have been best able to seal the Fragment. Of course, it was a mistake to be too overconfident of them. They probably never imagined that seal would break.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I see¡­¡±


    ¡°If he has entered the rest phase, what about the tentacles that are reaching the museum now?¡±


    At this point, I felt like it would be fine if I took this particr question, which Ahn Ki-mo had asked. The man himself looked uneasy for some reason.


    Meanwhile, I already felt proud of Dialugia for being able to talk with a poker face. Although she seemed to try her best to rein in the guilt, only I was actually able to notice her struggle.


    ¡°The previous guess is correct. He¡¯s probably trying to bring down the museum¡¯s system because it was the seal that held him up until now¡­ He has entered the rest phase, but the main body is fighting for strength with the museum¡¯s preliminary program. Of course, that won¡¯t even take long.¡±


    ¡°Ohhhh. I see¡­¡±


    After coughing to catch everyone¡¯s attention, I spoke once again, this time in a louder tone.


    ¡°To sum it up, there seems to be no big problem. The preliminary program will seal him during the rest phase and will probably seed in sealing it with a high probability. Right, Dialugia?¡±


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°I think we¡¯d better exit the museum after rescuing the isted survivors before the seal ispleted. The system also has a hole, so we can leave the dungeon withoutpleting the museum tour. Although the quest is unfinished¡­¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t help it, right? If the seal isplete, the museum may be under the influence of the system again¡­¡±


    I nodded at Park Yeon-joo¡¯s answer.


    I didn¡¯t know if the manager Max would really seed in sealing the Fragment, but I had no intention of going where his main body was, anyway.


    There was no reason to support putting the seal if the monster itself didn¡¯t seem to possess any threat to us. The only sealing we would do was to seal our expedition.


    It was the perfect n¡ªno additional troubles included.


    ¡°Anyway, to conclude¡­ At least, it seems that we arepletely free from the influence of the Ancient God¡¯s Fragment. Of course¡­ Yes. The continent is also safe. You can rest assured. Right, Dialugia?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°The continent¡­ The continent is¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°T-The continent¡­ is safe!¡±


    As Dialugia struggled to conclude this, cheering burst out within the group.


    Park Deokgu expressed his joy by hugging the female teams. Seeing their spirits rising up once more, even I felt relieved.


    ¡°Of course, it is too early to be happy. The dungeon attack itself has not beenpleted yet. As I said, shouldn¡¯t we save the isted survivors?¡±


    ¡°Yes, absolutely!¡±


    ¡°In fact, because I think it may be a little difficult to find isted people in thisrge area¡­ I think the party should go to the museum¡¯s administration room.¡±


    At my suggestion, Kim Hyunsung spoke. Since he had more experience than I did, he for sure knew how we could get there.


    ¡°If we follow the tentacles of the Fragment, we can find the ce where the museum manager is.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Though the n was vague, it was better than having none at all.


    ¡®First, we should follow the tentacles and find Max, the museum manager¡­¡¯


    And with this, we could identify the location of the survivors. With this, I had to consider the possibility of making Max the viin of this whole situation.


    I¡¯d appreciate it if he informed me of the location, but he probably didn¡¯t like us anymore because we had screwed him up.


    Of course, how he treated us didn¡¯t matter. I bet he had no way of stopping this mess.


    Seeing that he didn¡¯t show up right now meant that he couldn¡¯t afford to pay attention to other ces while trying to clear things up.


    If we were to find the manager¡¯s room¡ªand, by default, him¡ªit was clear that I would be the de facto leader in trying to handle him.


    ¡®Or I can just kill him¡­¡¯


    In fact, I could disguise him as a named monster hidden in this dungeon.


    As I mulled this over, Kim Hyunsung continued to lead the way.


    At this point, I felt d that I cared about Hyunsung. As he noticed the path I had opened up, I had to admit his skills were good.


    ¡°It should be safe right now, but everyone should still stay alert. Even if the Fragment has entered the rest phase, this dungeon is still dangerous. There may be other programs that protect the museum in the direction of the manager¡¯s room¡­ There is a chance that other monsters affected by the Fragments will also be awakened.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Even if we go to the manager¡¯s room, not everything will be solved. We don¡¯t know anything about the museum, we just took a break, and we haven¡¯t finished our attack yet.¡±


    As I wondered if Hyunsung was being too firm on us, he continued speaking.


    ¡°And¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Taking a break is also one of the essential missions during an attack. We will leave in 4 hours. Everyone, please recover as much as you can. I really want no one to die so we can all return to Lindel.¡±


    At his words, all the other members nodded, acutely aware of the potential severity of our situation.


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    If it had been I who had spoken this, it would be difficult for them to ce their trust in me. I hated to admit it, but Kim Hyunsung¡¯s dashing appearance was a prerequisite to garner this kind of crowd effect.


    Even now, Park Yeon-joo, Cho Hyejin, and some ck Swan members had begun to swoon.


    ¡®They¡¯ve really fallen for him, haven¡¯t they?¡¯


    Seeing them staring at him with such admiration made me feel perplexed.


    Anyway, as Kim Hyunsung said, everyone tried to recuperate as much as they could. Though I had expected to be given a lesser time frame, it appeared that he thought we could still spare some more time. This meant that Hyunsung could make a full recovery in just four hours.


    Since I had been suppressing my urge to sleep, I found this fortunate.


    ¡®I think I can sleep¡­¡¯


    Like me, those in desperate need of recovery set up camp, settled in a suitable ce, and began to sleep.


    When I entered the simple tent, a prettyfortable space greeted me. My anxiety gradually began to melt.


    Of course, Dialugia, who had since been wallowing in her guilt, found it hard to loosen up.


    ¡®Tsk¡­¡¯


    She sat further away, muttering to herself.


    ¡°It was for Dialuria¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It was for my dear son. Mother¡­ Grandma, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Seeing her like this, the familiar feeling of guilt red up within me.


    ¡°It was for Dialuria¡­ Ugh¡­¡±


    Whether or not I felt guilty had nothing to do with my exhaustion. However, I soon fell into a deep sleep.


    ¡®Ah, I really am a piece of sh*t.¡¯


    Once again, I was reminded of how trashy my personality was. However¡­


    Sleep was indeed a sweet escape.

 Chapter 245: Max, the Museum Manager (1)

    <h4>Chapter 245: Max, the Museum Manager (1)</h4>


    ¡°Wake up, Oppa.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be leaving soon.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    I slowly opened my eyes, only to see Jung Hayan right in front of my face, just a few millimeters away. However, I did not stir, for I had already gotten used to her. Having her look into me with herrge, unblinking eyes had be a routine.


    As I sat up, I gave us a little distance and began to rub at my eyes.


    ¡®I feel strangely tired¡­¡¯


    Even though I had a pretty good sleep, my fatigue remained.


    Of course, I wasn¡¯t just tired. The magical power that was on the verge of exhaustion had also been somewhat filled.


    Seeing Jung Hayan with a healthierplexion, it seemed that, if one¡¯s magic stat was high, the recovery rate was also higher.


    ¡°How many hours did I sleep?¡±


    ¡°About 3 hours and 40 minutes.¡±


    ¡°You should¡¯ve woken me up a little faster.¡±


    ¡°Y-You were sleeping so well that I didn¡¯t notice¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°No. You don¡¯t have to apologize.¡±


    ¡°May I wash you?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes. Please.¡±


    Of course, this didn¡¯t mean that she would wash me by hand. As Hayan chanted a spell, my face started to feel moist. Magic proved to be convenient, even for the daily necessities of one¡¯s life. Of course, since it felt like someone else had been washing me, I felt a little ufortable, but this was something to be thankful for in the dungeon.


    As soon as they packed their luggage, the expedition members were already starting to clear up the camp.


    No dictating was needed. Everyone already knew what they had to do.


    At this, I could confirm that most of the ck Swan members here were veterans from the slow yet sure movements that they exhibited.


    Nevertheless, some of their other members moved in a rtively quick and panicked manner, informing me that not all of them were experienced when it came to expeditions.


    The smoothness in the way they moved was surprising, considering that they were all women. At least, they were all aware of how dangerous this ce was.


    One could lose their life with just the tiniest mistake.


    As I mulled this over, a voice called out to me.


    ¡°Kiyoung-ssi, you¡¯re up.¡±


    It was the lovely Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes. I¡¯m a littlete.¡±


    ¡°No, no. Actually, I was going to wake you up just before the departure, but I saw Hayan-ssi in the tent¡­ Are you feeling well?¡±


    Strangely, I felt ttered that he was looking out for me. He probably knew that my body had not yet fully recovered.


    In fact, Park Yeon-joo and Kim Hyunsung were the ones who suffered real damage, but as my body was weak, I felt extremely tired just by being drained of my magic power.


    ¡°Can I hold your hand for a minute?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes. Of course.¡±


    As soon as he finished talking, some of the members¡¯ gazes focused on us. The ck Swan members who had been busy cleaning up stopped and turned to watch what we were doing.


    ¡®I think I know what they¡¯re thinking¡­¡¯


    Something simr had already happened once.


    I could see them swooning at the sight of the two of us standing close together, with Hyunsung sping my hand and closing his eyes.


    ¡®This bastard¡­¡¯


    Although I knew that he was only doing his best to check the condition of my magic power, it may have looked affectionate for the rest of the members.


    ¡°You seem to be okay.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m not fully recovered, but thanks to your consideration, I was able to rest.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good, Kiyoung-ssi.¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t smile like that, you bastard.¡¯


    He was showing me a smile he hadn¡¯t ever shown, even to Park Yeon-joo. My anxiety spiked, as this only seemed to empower the members¡¯ misunderstanding.


    Come to think of it. I began to be suspicious of ¡®How Alchemists and Genius Prosecutors Love.¡¯


    I knew it was just a fictional novel, but I had slowly grown to be suspicious of the story it contained.


    ¡®Fuck¡­¡¯


    When I get back to Lindel, I would have to read it once to figure out the situation.


    Besides this, our expedition appeared to be sailing smoothly. The ck Swan expedition began to move faster and faster. They reminded me of veteran soldiers expertly packing up after listening to a charity ball.


    Strangely, they all seemed to be full of spirit.


    I think this expedition was different for them because there were men around.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be leaving in a bit. As we said in the briefing, the destination is the administration office. We will follow the tentacles of the Fragments of the Ancient God. Make ast check for anything missing, and be careful not to touch the tentacles during the march. There may be an ident, so wizards, please cast defensive magic in rotation.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°We will move as fast as possible as long as we are fully recovered. Hyunsung-ssi said that he would be in the lead, so it would be nice if you can follow us as quickly as possible.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Guild Master.¡±


    Immediately after the short briefing, we stood up and started walking.


    The only difference from the previous one was that Kim Hyunsung had begun to walk at a very fast pace. Usually, those who lead this kind of march were the archers.


    Among them, it wasmon sense to leave the task to rangers, who specialized in reconnaissance and trap dismantling.


    In Blue, the pursuer Kim Ye-ri was included in this position, and of course, the number of rangers who joined this expedition was more than three. The fact that they all followed behind meant they had cedplete trust in the de facto leader in front.


    One would think that everything was possible just because they were strong, but this was not the case at all. Such was the exquisiteness of jobs.


    For example, in Cha Hee-ra¡¯s case, she could never do what a Ranger could.


    She wouldn¡¯t be able to dismantle a trap, only to destroy it, and even then, she wouldn¡¯t be able to sense where it was located.


    When the Rangers who, at first, looked at Kim Hyunsung unweely began their march, the surprise soon showed on their faces as he expertly led us around.


    ¡®Was he a Ranger in the first round?¡¯


    It is natural to think that even in the first round, he would be a swordsman.


    Perhaps he had chosen a ranger-type ss.


    ¡®Did he take a growth route like Kim Ye-ri?¡¯


    Perhaps his experience stemmed from the past. At this point, what did it matter? Amidst my curiosity, only one thing was for sure¡ªKim Hyunsung was the mostfortable when he was the one in front and leading.


    ¡°There seems to be no trap. I¡¯ll speed it up a little more.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Check.¡±


    ¡°I see some golems in front. We cleared them up.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Check.¡±


    ¡°I see monsters of heroic-grade or higher. They seem to be out of the influence of the system.¡±


    ¡°We cleared them up.¡±


    The most beautiful part was that we were able to move at such a fast pace.


    Named monsters with a lower level of heroic-grade were cleared immediately.


    Luckily, we didn¡¯t see a legendary-grade monster, but it was hard to tell whether Kim Hyunsung avoided it on purpose or if he really didn¡¯te across it.


    In fact, he didn¡¯t even give us a chance to see the monsters that came our way, shing them apart the moment his eyes settled upon them.


    Seeing that even the monsters which seemed quiterge had had their heads blown away, the mythic-grade sword had really helped Hyunsung a lot.


    Seeing his efficiency, the Rangers had begun to bow their heads in shame.


    ¡®He¡¯s fast!¡¯


    The speed at which the expedition advanced was higher than expected. It felt as if we were in a race rather than a dungeon exploration.


    Instead ofrge rooms, broken pavilions, or broken items, narrow streets or golems began to appear. Meanwhile, the tentacles stuck to the floor or wrapped around the pirs were getting thinner. This meant that we were approaching the end.


    Shortly after that, the tentacles¡¯ end began to appear, yet Kim Hyunsung did not stop.


    Although the road seemed to be cut off, he continued moving to a ce where the flow of magical power was still being felt.


    Arriving here in less than six hours would not have been expected by Max, who was moving around while watching arge video.


    -N-No!


    [Error]


    [The main program is not operating.]


    -Why isn¡¯t the main program operating? Is he already being eroded? No, no¡­ this can¡¯t happen.


    [Error]


    [The main program is not operating.]


    -Even a preliminary program needs to be reinforced. If this is pierced, it¡¯s over. I need to put all the reserve magic power into the main program. That¡¯s the right thing to do. The museum will be destroyed, but¡­ I have to protect the continent, the continent. The Crack Guardian entrusted it to me. I can¡¯t give up like this. Grunt¡­


    [Injecting magic power into the preliminary program.]


    While preparing for the battle, we had entered quite confidently, but what was unfolding in front of me proved to be quite the spectacle.


    A little boy with blonde hair was moving around and controlling a device made of magic circles.


    He didn¡¯t even notice we had arrived, or perhaps, he couldn¡¯t afford to.


    The Ancient God¡¯s Fragment shown in therge hologram of magical power seemed to be held by blue magical power, but anyone could see that it would not be enough to seal him back in.


    As expected, the preliminary program and the Fragment of the Ancient God were fighting. It looked terrible, even by watching the video. We were fortunate not to have gotten stuck in that battle room.


    -No matter what it costs, I have to seal it again.


    As I took another step, Max whirled around, apparently not expecting us to find him.


    -How¡­ did you¡­


    I thought he was a machine-like guy, but the original body certainly harbored emotions.


    The expression ¡°Why?¡± was seen first, followed by surprise.


    Then, fear etched onto his expression.


    Surprisingly, thest emotion that he showed was a sense of responsibility.


    While holding a device made of a magic circle tightly, he began to shout.


    -No, no! You¡­ you¡­ trash! You filthy Ancient God, minions! Do you think I¡¯ll let you destroy the continent?!


    ¡®We¡¯re not the bad guys, you bastard.¡¯


    I knew that, at this point, the situation hadpletely changed.

 Chapter 246: Max, the Museum Manager (2)

    <h4>Chapter 246: Max, the Museum Manager (2)</h4>


    Anyone could see that he looked anxious.


    When I look at his face, I could see what kind of misunderstanding had passed through his mind. His body trembled, and he seemed to have all sorts of wicked thoughts.


    Seeing that he was desperately blocking the control device, he seemed to think that we hade here to destroy it, which was the opposite of what we had been trying to do.


    Right now, I was hoping that the seal would remain, but if things were to go awry, then there was no reason not to destroy it.


    Anyone who had something to protect automatically became weak.


    Of course, I still had to think about whether I could call him a person, but I at least liked the fact that he was capable of feeling anxious.


    ¡®That¡¯s interesting.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t just him. Everything that made up this room proved to be full of wonders.


    In fact, from the moment I entered this room, my interest in the manager, Max, had declined significantly.


    ¡®This is a trove of treasure.¡¯


    The hologram, which seemed to be made of magical power, was probably the best of them.


    It was natural to be amazed upon seeing such a kind of technology in a world without video media and recorders. Looking at magic circles shining everywhere, I could somewhat understand how it worked in principle.


    At the very least, I can use what he already had.


    ¡®Do these need permission to be used?¡¯


    When I checked with the Mind¡¯s Eye, the information showed in my eyes.


    [Crack Museum Control Device (Legendary)]


    [Manager permission is required.]


    ¡®As expected¡­¡¯


    It was unfortunate, but besides that, there were also some interesting artifacts.


    My interest also seemed to be a threat to Manager Max.


    -Never¡­ I will never let things happen the way you want.


    Seeing him act upon his misunderstanding just made him look cuter.


    In fact, his whole appearance was the whole epitome of cute. He looked like a blond boy that would break just by touching him.


    Also, the power felt from him was not that great. Although the expedition members were preparing for battle, it was only to prepare for an emergency.


    Honestly, there was no need to be so vignt. Unlike the expedition members who thought an element could be a threat, there were no dangerous elements in my eyes.


    A golem outside that guarded the manager¡¯s room was all there was, and Max¡¯s power could be ssified as that of a heroic-grade monster¡¯s.


    To sum up, this was a situation where we ourselves could take action.


    I didn¡¯t think about it when I saw the pile, but when I looked at his original body, the sensor that detected pushovers kept lightning up.


    I then stepped forward and spoke with a smile.


    ¡°Well, well¡­ Who is this? Aren¡¯t you, Max, the museum manager, who protected and inherited the Crack Museum?¡±


    -You¡­ you!


    ¡°I¡¯ll be disappointed if you get so angry like this, manager. As expected, the vibe is a little different when we talk face to face. Your original body is actually that of a little boy¡¯s. So? If you have a moment, would you like to have a conversation?¡±


    -You¡­ You crap, fucking bastard!


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why you are so angry.¡±


    -You filthy Ancient God¡¯s servant! T-Things won¡¯t work out the way you want them to!


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why you think of us as servants of the Ancient God¡­ Ahem. We apologize for making things a bitplicated. We couldn¡¯t help. First, you¡¯re the one who started faking, and I don¡¯t know about the museum tour or whatever, but we didn¡¯t have many options to survive.¡±


    -S-Shut that dirty mouth! I didn¡¯t manipte the probabil-


    ¡°I have a few questions I want to ask¡­¡±


    -Dirty humans! I shouldn¡¯t have received people like you as guests.


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m just talking to you, but why are you so angry, museum manager?¡±


    -L-leave now! Right now! W-where¡¯s the guard golem¡­


    ¡°If it¡¯s a rock that doesn¡¯t do anything, I¡¯ve already dealt with it. Don¡¯t do that, let¡¯s just talk¡­¡±


    -Eeek!


    The only problem was that he refused to listen to me. It would be beneficial for both sides if we could just talk this out instead of fighting.


    ¡®We can¡¯t fight¡­ we can¡¯t.¡¯


    Of course, no one wanted to harm the treasures within the room by battling.


    The value of many of the devices, including the museum¡¯s control unit, was indescribably astronomical.


    Depending on the use, it may have more value than the mythic-grade sword that Kim Hyunsung obtained. That museum device control certainly goes beyond Durendal¡¯s value.


    The expedition members, who were still flustered, hadn¡¯t thought about it yet, but everyone woulde to know this if they only had my ability.


    After entering the continent, I wondered if I had ever wanted something so intensely.


    In the end, I had to speak to Kim Hyunsung and Park Yeon-joo quietly.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, everyone, but I want to negotiate with the museum manager¡­ If it¡¯s okay, could you leave it to me?¡±


    Amidst Max¡¯s insane ramblings, I continued to speak.


    ¡°I think it would be more effective to be just the two of us than to have a group together¡­ Please.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be dangerous?¡±


    ¡°Ah! It¡¯s okay if Dialugiaes with me. I think I can get satisfactory results for both guilds. That is if the ck Swans permit it¡­¡±


    ¡°Fine by me.¡±


    I already expected Kim Hyunsung to say this, but the problem was Park Yeon-joo.


    ¡®I think this one has also noticed¡­¡¯


    ¡°I will tell you the whereabouts of the isted people within 10 minutes.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what conclusion she hade to, but seeing her nod meant that she had decided to leave this up to me. I knew I had done a good job building up her trust.


    ¡°Yes. If so, please.¡±


    ¡®That is why people¡¯s usual behavior is important.¡¯


    I could confirm once more that my reputation had done me some good.


    Everyone slowly started to get out of the management room, and only Dialugia stayed beside me, looking displeased. Finally, we could have a conversation in peace.


    -Negotiation? Negotiation? Do you think I¡¯m doing something like that with you? Get out of here!!


    I expected Max to react like that, but I honestly didn¡¯t care.


    As he stopped to take his breath, I began to speak, and anxiety filled his expression. It seemed like he did not know how to react to this sudden change in attitude.


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    -Huh?


    ¡°Can¡¯t you figure out what¡¯s happening now?¡±


    -What¡­


    ¡°Our brilliant Crack Guardians have nted a sense of responsibility, but I guess they didn¡¯t give you wit.¡±


    -I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about, but¡­


    ¡°Shut up and listen to me, manager. You¡¯ve been talking about protecting the continent or whatever, but¡­ You¡¯re not hoping that the seal over there will be released.¡±


    -Huh?


    ¡°Oh. Push the strange misunderstanding into a corner of your magical brain. I am neither a servant nor a merciful of the Ancient God as you might think. Releasing the seal was unavoidable, but there was no other reason than to survive. Of course, it feels good to see how things went well.¡±


    -Don¡¯t say weird stuff and¡­ Fuck!


    Seeing as I didn¡¯t want him to start screaming once more,


    ¡°If that is released¡­ You said the continent would fall apart?¡±


    At this, he shut his mouth.


    ¡°I heard it from our woman. Right, Dialugia? In the future, it will slowly absorb the life force of the continent and be stronger¡­ That period is probably¡­ Did you say it was 30,000 years?¡±


    -Actually, it¡¯s a little shorter¡­


    ¡°You seem to feel quite responsible for this continent, but unfortunately, I don¡¯t. Honestly, it has nothing to do with me whether the continent is destroyed or is intact after 30,000 years. The future is created by our descendants¡­ They will take care of it.¡±


    -H-How can you say that?


    ¡°Is this a hologram made of magical power? Looking at him right now, this is the Fragment of the great and dignified Ancient God? Ha! He seems to be trying to get rid of something like a preliminary program. If my eyes aren¡¯t a knothole, the power bnce looks pretty tight¡­¡±


    -Er¡­


    ¡°Ergo. You¡¯ve seen this, right? What if this potion explodes here? What if one of the control units over there goes down and the magic power being delivered to the preliminary program is cut off?¡±


    -D-do you think I¡¯ll let you do th¡­


    ¡°Oh. Don¡¯t get angered, Max. Dialugia, please subdue it.¡±


    As Max ran towards me, Dialugia ced herself between the two of us.


    I could see him struggling with her overwhelming body.


    -E¡­ Eeek! Put me down! Put me down!


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    -I don¡¯t know about humans, but you shouldn¡¯t do this! Those who keep the continent¡¯s bnce shouldn¡¯t be involved in this! You are a dragon! Do you know what you¡¯re trying to do now?!


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    -We have to protect the continent! If you are a proud dragon, get that trash right now! That¡¯s the only way for this continent to survive!


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    -This is ridiculous¡­ You can¡¯t do this! You can¡¯t!


    Dialugia¡¯s face showed a terrible sense of guilt. For some reason, I felt like she was ming herself too much.


    As I said earlier, it didn¡¯t matter whether he was released or active, but it was less unpleasant to be quiet than to be released.


    I had no choice but to stick with my current attitude, however.


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t even think about using the continent as bait, but his reaction was so good that I found myself gradually bing excited.


    ¡°It must be really worth it seeing this! The Crack Guardians will jump up from the grave! I¡¯m about to put in the bomb now.¡±


    -Don¡¯t! D-Don¡¯t!


    ¡°I think it¡¯ll be stronger than I thought, so it might not be possible with one bottle¡­ When magic power enters this potion, it will explode after two seconds! The continent will soon perish!¡±


    -Don¡¯t! Don¡¯t!


    ¡°Hey! You have to speak formally with adults!¡±


    -Please don¡¯t!


    ¡°No. After all, I need to do it with my own hands rather than destroy it with a bomb. Isn¡¯t there any suitable stick?¡±


    -Ugh¡­


    As I picked up a stick nearby and made a swinging motion, Max began to look more and more anxious.


    Honestly, it didn¡¯t make sense to smash that control with this stick, but nothing could make him more anxious than a violent demonstration.


    It was funny how he shook every time I threatened to destroy the control.


    ¡°The continent will now be destroyed after 5 seconds. Thump, thump, thump, thump!¡±


    -No¡­ No!


    ¡°Five!¡±


    -Please don¡¯t do this!


    ¡°Four!¡±


    At this point, Dialugia had also begun to look anxious.


    ¡°Are you really going to do it? You!¡±


    -Highly proud dragon! Quickly!!


    ¡°Three!¡±


    -No¡­ No!


    ¡°Two!¡±


    -Ugh!


    ¡°I¡¯m doing it!¡±


    -W-What do you want?!


    When I let the stick swing dangerously close to the control device, Max hastened to bring up negotiation.


    Fortunately, he had given me the right answer.


    I couldn¡¯t help but smile. When I prepared to speak once more, he trembled.


    ¡°The museum.¡±


    I spoke in a firm, unwavering voice.


    -H-Huh?

 Chapter 247: Max, the museum manager (3)

    <h4>Chapter 247: Max, the museum manager (3)</h4>


    ¡°You heard me loud and clear. I want the museum.


    -Hu¡­ uh?


    ¡°This museum. Give it to me.¡±


    -W-What are you talking about?


    ¡°Let¡¯s run this museum together. Well, there is no other purpose¡­¡±


    -T-the system doesn¡¯t allow you to take any stored items even if you step in as a manager. That won¡¯t be allowed.


    ¡°I know that. On the way here, I found out that some are still being protected. You mustplete the expedition to receive the reward because that¡¯s the rule here. I know that rule cannot be broken. What I need is not an item. Oh! I almost forgot. First, I have to know where the isted people are.¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t even think about trading things using them. If the number is wrong, I will really smash everything. It hurts me to see the continent copse. Please don¡¯t make me react so negatively, alright? I am a gentle and kind person.¡±


    I saw him rolling his eyes at my request, which led me to think that I might have to respond a little more roughly. I could see his ns of doing negotiations with the ck Swan survivors.


    ¡®Not a chance.¡¯


    It meant that I have to show him that there was no room for a deal. It was important to instill an image of a psychopath that would really overturn everything if he made the wrong choice.


    -But¡­ that¡¯s¡­


    ¡°You look a little ufortable.¡±


    -Er¡­


    ¡°I guess I really did make you feel ufortable, huh, Max?¡±


    -No, it¡¯s not that¡­


    Using Jung Hayan for reference, I opened my eyes wide, emphasizing how angry I was, and Max began to tremble once more, looking at me as if I was demented.


    ¡°It seems like my request was too much. I almost made a big mistake, didn¡¯t I, Dialugia?¡±


    ¡°That¡­¡±


    ¡°It really looks like that! I made the museum manager, Max, ufortable! I was wrong! This demoralized mortal is wrong! How dare I upset the museum manager defending the Crack! I made a very big mistake!¡±


    In an angry fashion, I began to hit the wall next to me with the stick - and although I did not have enough power to actually make a dent, I knew it still had an effect.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do anything! Don¡¯t run the museum too! Don¡¯t explore! Don¡¯t even seal it! Do nothing!¡±


    Crash!


    Bang!


    This was a little hard to do alone. I wanted to have Ahn Ki-mo with me or even Park Deokgu, but upon seeing Dialugia¡¯s expression, it seemed that I no longer needed one.


    She, like Max, was also looking at me as if I had lost all my sanity. I knew she was now thinking something along the lines of, ¡®This man is my child¡¯s father?¡¯


    ¡®This is acting, woman. Don¡¯t misunderstand¡­¡¯


    Although I wanted to clear things up with her, I needed to continue my acting if I wanted the little blond boy to sessfully respond to me.


    And it was effective. The moment Max looked at Dialugia¡¯s expression, he realized that my actions indeed seemed genuine.


    Honestly, I was out of breath now.


    As I regained my breathing, both Manager Max and Dialugia looked at me with absurd gazes. I must¡¯ve looked like a man who had gone crazy from his anger.


    I didn¡¯t feel bad at all.


    ¡°Phew¡­ Phew¡­ Phew¡­¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°Max-ssi, have you ever heard of this?¡±


    -Heard¡­what¡­


    ¡°I mean, I am doing you a great favor right now, Manager-ssi. It¡¯s a very good offer. It¡¯s an ending that can make everyone happy¡­¡±


    At this, Dialugia spoke up.


    ¡°ept it.¡±


    -E-Even you¡­


    ¡°Come on. Quickly. You can see how serious he is.¡±


    It was fun to see Max nervously swallow. He seemed to have tremendous trust in Dialugia¡¯s judgment, as his gaze alternated between the museum¡¯s control unit and me.


    I could understand Dialugia¡¯s train of thought, however. In order to keep the continent safe, she, too, thought that the best way would be to ept my deal.


    I didn¡¯t know if she remembered me holding Tol To-ri as a hostage, but her expression as she gazed at me definitely resembled utter disgust.


    ¡®I must¡¯ve looked like real trash back then¡­¡¯


    However, she had no choice but tofort herself that I was on the good side.


    ¡°Phew¡­ Phew¡­¡±


    ¡°Be quick; ept it. I know a human¡¯s disposition best. If you ept, nothing will happen. I promise.¡±


    -To do this to this extent¡­


    ¡°I was forced to be here, but I also do not want the continent to copse. Never.¡±


    -Grunt¡­


    Max, who was shedding thick tears while being suppressed by Dialugia, was the victim himself.


    I felt a little sorry, but I had no other option.


    ¡°There is little time left to choose, Max-ssi. Don¡¯t test my patience.¡±


    In the end, he began to shake and nod his head in alternation.


    ¡®I did it.¡¯


    It would indeed seem that he had the authority to bring in another manager.


    In fact, the museum itself had ceased almost every function.


    Since all the magic power left in the main circuit was redirected into the preliminary program, it was unknown whether the dungeon¡¯s original shape could be maintained as before.


    ¡®I actually feel sorry for him.¡¯


    The exhibition halls that he boasted of were all smashed, and most of the objects in them were destroyed in vain. With just a bunch of new guests, his museum had quickly be a garbage dump. From his point of view, I was the gue¡ªthe bringer of destruction.


    I saw him wiping his tears, biting his lips tightly while trying to calm his shaking hands.


    Dialugia released his hand with a somewhat pitiful expression, and when he went to touch the magic circle, a system message appeared in front of me.


    [Max, Level 5 Manager of the Crack Museum, has offered you a position as the Manager of the Crack Museum.]


    [Do you want to ept it? The ss will not change. Upon eptance, a title will be created.]


    [Crack Museum Level 5 Manager]


    [You can view information that can be viewed with the Level 5 Manager of the Crack Museum. Basic privileges of level 5 managers can be used.]


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    As I appraised the message, I could see nothing that woulde back to bite me in the ass.


    It wasn¡¯t a ve contract, and it wasn¡¯t a life-sharing obligation, like with Dialugia.


    I wouldn¡¯t ept it if it would change my ss, but it would indeed be weed if only a title would be created. As soon as I chose to ept it, a message came once again.


    [A title is created.]


    [Crack Museum Level 5 Manager]


    [The magic power increases by +1.]


    ¡®Nice!¡¯


    I wanted to yell at the pleasant news. It only raised my magic stat by 1, but for me, who could no longer improve in terms of magical power, this was also good news.


    At the same also began to appear in the status window.


    Although it contained the authority and responsibilities of the Crack Museum manager, I did not read it in detail.


    Max would do all the duties anyway. I only had to enjoy the privileges that came along with it.


    However, a lot of information poured into my head. My head began to tingle.


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    The most amazing thing was that I could see all the control devices that couldn¡¯t be normally be seen with my Mind¡¯s Eye.


    I didn¡¯t know if this was the effect of bing a level 5 Manager, but now, I had ess to more detailed information, including operation methods and manuals about getting around with this job easily.


    ¡®Still¡­ I don¡¯t think this will be an easy job¡­¡¯


    Looking at the solution book from the manager¡¯s perspective, I could better understand how serious the current situation was.


    If I had ever pped the control with that stick, there would really be a possibility that the museum would copse.


    ¡®I can fix this.¡¯


    As I mulled the possibilities over, I saw Max crying and talking to himself.


    -Grunt. The museum is over¡­ It¡¯s over¡­ Guardian¡­ Guardian Metel¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I made a mistake.


    ¡°Why are you crying, manager? A coworker came in, and you¡¯re not happy¡­¡±


    -Waaaahh¡­ Haaah¡­


    ¡°Get out of your seat for a minute. Please pass the location of the survivors to the expedition outside.¡±


    -What do you want to do again?!


    ¡°What else am I going to do? Now, this is also my museum. Isn¡¯t it natural to fix that insane Ancient God¡¯s Fragment?¡±


    -Wait a minute! Do not touch these things so carelessly!


    ¡°Please get out of your seat. It¡¯s my first time, so I don¡¯t know if it will work¡­ However, I think I know what to do.¡±


    -What can you possibly know!?


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if this is the right to do. No, but why do you keep talking to me so informally? Huh?¡±


    -W-What do you know?


    ¡°I only know because I can see it. Why, you can¡¯t see it?¡±


    -See?


    ¡°No wonder your museum became a mess. Tsk.¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°The museum is in a mess, but why wasn¡¯t the auxiliary power in District 4 turned on? It¡¯s also in the manual¡­¡±


    -Huh?


    ¡°The main program seems to be down, not damaged. I¡¯m d you didn¡¯t put the magic power all the way into the preliminary program. And why are your unused piles still maintained? I¡¯ll dismantle it right away and turn it into magic power. Even such magic power can be used in a time like this.¡±


    Now that I had gotten into work mode, Max¡¯s voice had be irritating.


    ¡°Get out of the way. I¡¯ll cut off all the magic power supply that goes into the exhibits maintained by the main power. It¡¯s better to save even some of them¡­ If it went like this, the seal would have beenpletely released before I could even destroy it.¡±


    -What?


    ¡°Wow¡­ It almost got really dangerous. Dialugia, the isted ck Swan expedition will be in District 5 and District 32. It looks like they¡¯re in better condition than expected, so please tell them to rest assured and guide them here. And staff Max.¡±


    As I called his name, his expression tightened.


    -Yes? Well, if there¡¯s anything¡­ Can I help? What should I do? I¡¯ll assist next to you right now!!


    ¡°Get some coffee.¡±


    At this, I received another system message.


    [Legendary-gradepulsory quest is activated.]


    [Quest: Continental Salvation (0/1) (Legendary)]


    [Reward: (Title) Continental Guardian]


    [Continental Guardian]


    [This is a title given to members of the expedition who prevented the copse of the continent. All stats are permanently increased by +1.]


    Now, this would be sufficient motivation. It now seemed absolutely uneptable to destroy the continent where my precious descendants would live.


    And just like that, I had undergone a dramatic change in attitude.

 Chapter 248: Max, the Museum Manager (4)

    <h4>Chapter 248: Max, the Museum Manager (4)</h4>


    I probably wasn¡¯t the only one who had received the quest.


    Since the task was to save the continent, even the members waiting for me outside would probably have gotten the same system message.


    Shortly after, the expedition members began to enter the administration room and settled in.


    Seeing that some unfamiliar faces were visible meant that they had sessfully managed to save the isted survivors.


    ¡®They¡¯re in better condition than I thought.¡¯


    I had expected this.


    In the beginning, staff Max was not actually a named monster but a magic aggregate ssified as a dungeon guide. There was no reason why he would persecute them in the first ce.


    ¡®He kind of has a pushover personality as well¡­¡¯


    Anyway, I could see that everyone harbored absurd expressions. They seemed to be asking me as to what the hell I was doing here.


    They seemed confused as to how different the scenery now was. Compared to the previously screaming Max, they now saw me skillfully handling devices I had never before seen in my life, all while drinking the coffee the blond boy himself had made. I knew it was necessary to exin.


    It was Park Yeon-joo who couldn¡¯t resist her curiosity any longer.


    ¡°What¡­ is going on?¡±


    ¡°We made a deal. I said that I would fix the seal of the Ancient God.¡±


    ¡°I-I see. And how do these devices¡­¡±


    ¡°I am not sure, but it is a system that is easier to understand than you think. In fact, at first sight, I thought I knew how it worked, so I proposed the deal. There are several noticeable errors. I¡¯m pretty good with machines¡­¡±


    ¡°So this can be solved because you¡¯re pretty good with machines?¡±


    Doubt filled Yeon-joo¡¯s voice, and I couldn¡¯t tell her it was because I had my Mind¡¯s Eye attribute that I was able to understand right away.


    Even Kim Hyunsung looked surprised, but soon enough, his expression shifted to one of pride.


    Once again, he had begun to appraise me as if I was a rare treasure he was d to have gotten his hands on. Contrary to his subtle expression, Park Deokgu was more direct.


    ¡°I told you our Hyung-nim is a genius! Whoa! Hyung-nim is awesome!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that.¡±


    ¡°Well, didn¡¯t you say that you knew just by looking at it?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    To be precise, I didn¡¯t have a good brain, but good eyes. If I didn¡¯t have Mind¡¯s Eye, none of this would have been possible.


    However, due to Park Deokgu¡¯s cheers, the ck Swan members had begun to see me in an entirely new light. In the first ce, I had already managed to get into their good graces by creating the perfect formation for the expedition.


    Park Deokgu and Kim Hyunsung once more looked triumphant, and Jung Hayan began to look wary once more, perhaps because of the way the ck Swan members were now looking at me.


    Though I wanted to bask in their attention, now was not the time. The preliminary program in itself would not be able to handle the Ancient God¡¯s Fragment.


    In the main protective device¡¯s case, the Crack Guardians¡¯ arrangement was a system that moved by itself, while the reserve was a system which must be moved manually to catch him.


    I could understand why Max was desperately holding onto it.


    ¡®You have to keep it tied up.¡¯


    The Fragment of the filthy Ancient God had not yet beenpletely sealed. Not only was he constantly wriggling, but he was struggling to cut down the preliminary program in one way or another.


    Right now, the image reflected in the video was simply that the blue magic power was holding him around, but this seemed to be a little moreplicated than I thought.


    I needed to keep injecting magic power into the holes that Ancient God had made. It meant that I have to empower every side where he would attack.


    In short, it would be like ying a game wherein I would have to avoid all the bulletsing my way.


    Of course, the operation would be much moreplex than simple game controls. That was why this would be a difficult task.


    In summary, I had to focus on this task and this task alone. I could not afford to get distracted.


    In an instant, the noisy atmosphere gradually became quiet, perhaps because of my serious expression and fumbling hands.


    As time passed, the only sound I could hear was the sound of the magic circles running and Max desperately pacing back and forth.


    Anyone might think that things were not going well.


    Upon noticing my turmoil, Kim Hyunsung spoke up.


    ¡°Can I help you with anything?¡±


    ¡®Ah¡­ the only one who gets me.¡¯


    ¡°Hmm¡­ Yes. I think it¡¯ll get easier if I get more pairs of hands.¡±


    I needed more workers for this thing to be sessful.


    ¡°Staff Max, handle this for a moment. Don¡¯t inject magic power into useless ces¡­ It won¡¯t take long, so just keep the things the way they are.¡±


    -Okay!


    As soon as I got up, he hurriedly went to take my ce. I then shifted my focus onto the expedition members who were now giving me their full, undivided attention.


    Afterunching a magic hologram, I started a briefing about the situation.


    ¡°I¡¯ll exin the situation for a minute, as concise and fast as possible.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    However, before I could get right into it, Park Yeon-joo began to speak.


    ¡°Excuse me. Excuse me, can I ask you a quick question? Kiyoung-ssi?¡±


    ¡°Yes. You can speak.¡±


    ¡°Before that¡­ Didn¡¯t you say that the Ancient God¡¯s Fragment entered the rest phase?¡±


    ¡°Yes. He definitely entered the rest phase. Dialugia judged to be that, and when Manager Max heard the story, he said he thought the same thing.¡±


    Of course, this was a lie.


    ¡°I tried to reseal the guy who went to rest at the museum, but the current situation was that the Fragment of the Ancient God noticed the activity of the preliminary program and started to resist. I¡¯d like to exin it in more detail, but I don¡¯t have the time right now¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Of course, you will be in doubt. At this point, almost all the parts are now sealed. However, as you can see, cracks are starting to form in the seal. What staff Max is doing right now is to cover the hole using the magic power stored within the preliminary program.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°Fortunately, I¡¯ve got some spare magic from somewhere else, and I¡¯m keeping it the way it is. However, my judgment now is that I need other means to keep the guy still. I also need another worker to handle things if anything happens.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Certainly, if I knew this would be dangerous, I would not have asked you for help. Of course, this doesn¡¯te without any risk¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like it¡¯s going to kill you.¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯ll block anything before you get in danger. The preliminary program exists for that reason, too.¡±


    ¡°I think I know¡­ what you mean.¡±


    ¡°If it is judged that things are not going well, we will not only open a retreat but also put your safety first.¡±


    ¡°Then if the seal is broken¡­¡±


    ¡°It was me who broke the seal in the first ce. There must be some way to fix it.¡±


    Truth be told, there was no way to fix it. This meant that if the seal breaks, the continent will copse after 30,000 years.


    Honestly, I didn¡¯t care about the continent¡¯s existence, but the sad part was that I would have something to lose this time around.


    ¡®My museum¡­¡¯


    These control devices will not be able to be used again, nor will they even be avable. All functions would cease to work.


    ¡®It would be better to block the seal.¡¯


    I nodded and spoke again, this time with a slightly heavy voice.


    ¡°We will move while giving importance to our survival.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Okay.¡±


    ¡°Because Hyung-nim said such things, I am strangely relieved.¡±


    ¡°Ahem. And I have something to say, which may seem out of character¡­¡±


    ¡°You can speak.¡±


    ¡°Everyone must have received the quest.¡±


    I knew they have.


    [Checking the legendary-grade quest.]


    [Quest: Continental Salvation (0/1) (Legendary)]


    In fact, I could see everyone looking at their status window.


    ¡°Actually, I am someone who would rather prioritize your lives than the existence of the continent. It was also because of my selfishness that made things moreplicated than it already is. Receiving a quest in this manner made me feel a little strange.¡±


    Actually, it did not feel strange at all.


    ¡°A strange sense of responsibility began to manifest itself in me. Oh, of course, it¡¯s not because of the stats attached to the titles thate as rewards. Haha.¡±


    As soon as Iughed a little, everyone did the same. Of course, there was no sense of responsibility for me. I just wanted the reward. Gaining another point for my magic stat meant a lot.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to do our best in this quest, of course, with no one dying in the process.¡±


    This was for the museum!


    ¡°This is for our descendants who will live in Lindel in the future.¡±


    Cho Hyejin, who knew my true nature to some extent, and Dialugia, who couldn¡¯t seem to forget my previous reactions, showed their confusion at the bullsh*t I had just spouted out, but most of the members nodded in response to my words.


    In particr, Sun Hee-young and Ahn Ki-mo seemed to like my speech.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    At Kim Hyunsung¡¯s words, all the members of the expedition nodded and began to move.


    Dialugia looked at me with a perplexed expression this entire time, and although it pierced my consciousness, we were at least moving to save the continent now.


    ¡®Let¡¯s show the power of humanity to the Fragment of the dirty Ancient God!¡¯


    And thus, the battle began in earnest.

 Chapter 249: Max, the Museum Manager (5)

    <h4>Chapter 249: Max, the Museum Manager (5)</h4>


    Finally, the fight to protect the museum, no, the continent, had begun.


    With one gesture, Max hurried to step away. The way he transitioned from enemy to loyal subordinate seemed funny to me, but it must¡¯ve been an unavoidable choice for him.


    ¡®Because he¡¯s desperate.¡¯


    He seemed convinced that I could do the tasks hecked in.


    The first reason was that I could directly check the weakening areas with my ability before the system could even alert him of it. The same went for the behavioral patterns of the Ancient God¡¯s Fragment.


    I couldn¡¯t check his information, but I could study his movements.


    In a situation where every second was important, being able to see vulnerable areas in advance helped prepare for severe situations.


    ¡°You told them exactly the shortest distance, right? Max?¡±


    -Yes. Maybe in a little while, they will enter!


    ¡°Very good.¡±


    -Is there anything else you want me to do?


    ¡°For now, get me another coffee.¡±


    -Okay!


    As soon as I looked at the magical hologram, I saw the expeditionary squads invading where the Ancient God¡¯s Fragment was located.


    ¡°What about the voice connection?¡±


    -It¡¯s already connected. When you want to talk to them, just put the magic power in the magic circle located at the far end and talk, um¡­


    ¡°You can just call me President Lee.¡±


    -Yep! President Lee.


    He was certainly quick to catch on, definitely not as stupid as I first thought.


    With this, I tried the voice connection out.


    -Ah¡­ Voice test. Hyunsung-ssi, if you hear my voice, please raise your right hand.


    The returner in the video raised one hand as if confirming. It wasforting, seeing him move with the mythical-grade sword in hand.


    The others were already preparing for battle. I knew that they were capable enough of handling the smaller things without me having to tell them to do so.


    -Again, it is important not to touch the magic power of the preliminary program. Others, except for Hayan, please infuse your magic power for the preliminary program. Hayan, it would be better to prepare a big spell, and Dialugia should bemitted as well.


    Of course, the expedition¡¯s magical power was very helpful, although it was still insufficient to overpower him. However, all of them were pretty high-level wizards, and their magic stats were all over 80.


    -The same goes for the melee group. You just need to infuse it slowly until I tell you to stop.


    I was talking as if they were doing well, but in truth, the situation wasn¡¯t looking that good.


    The stronger our power was, the stronger he became. Our system of handling the problem at hand proved to be veryplex.


    In fact, I was taking magical power from everyone, but it was still not enough topletely seal him. After taking a sip of the coffee that Max made, I continued talking once more.


    This time, I was speaking to Max himself.


    ¡°Let¡¯s check if there¡¯s any more magic that can be drawn from other areas.¡±


    -President Lee, the situation is¡­


    ¡°I don¡¯t think this is such a good situation¡­ However, it¡¯s good that you guided the expedition members in advance.¡±


    -Ah¡­


    ¡°I will try to block it as much as possible, but there is a high probability that one side will still get pierced. We stillck too much magic power.¡±


    -If you inject the dragon¡¯s magic power¡­


    ¡°We need to be prepared if it gets pierced. Dialugia is just an insurance. The more insurance, the better.¡±


    -I see.


    ¡°And since anything can happen, we also have to secure a retreat.¡±


    -What?


    ¡°What, punk? Why are you ring at me? Even if things go wrong, we have to live, so we cane back to make another attempt. You, I don¡¯t think you know because you¡¯ve lived your entire life in this museum, but the guys out there are one of the best in mankind. If they can¡¯t fix this, no one can.¡±


    -Ah! Is that so?


    ¡°Otherwise, would we have been able to beat the legendary-grade monster so easily and break the seals ced by the Crack Guardians? Don¡¯t worry too much, Max. To be honest, I also value this museum. It¡¯ll be sad if we won¡¯t be able to use what¡¯s here. And quit twisting my words. I can¡¯t focus.¡±


    -Yes¡­ Yep!


    I was surprised at how willingly he followed mymands. He, too, must know that I was undertaking a very serious task.


    At this point, I had begun to alternate between focusing on the magic circles and speaking to the expedition members.


    -Hayan, keep the magic you are casting as it is and inject a little more magic power to the side where the tentacles are focused on Deokgu. It seems that it¡¯ll break over there.


    What was a little annoying was that the monster had be a little cleverer. He had started to focus on one side only. With this, we had no choice but to focus the magic on the weaker sides.


    ¡®Damn.¡¯


    I wanted to preserve the magical powers of Jung Hayan and Dialugia aspletely as possible for our future escape, but there was no other way. It would be better to take a risk in order to stop the monster¡¯s tentacles from piercing than to risk having to escape from a failed mission.


    That was not the only problem.


    ¡®My magic power is another problem.¡¯


    I had to be aware of this, possibly being a long-term battle.


    It was a tedious task to continuously pour magic into the magic circle to control the device. Though it didn¡¯t take a lot of magic powerpared to casting a spell, I still had to reserve it, seeing as I would have to keep doing this for quite a long time.


    This was the reason why I had to use Max, who was watching the situation from behind me.


    He was actually doing quite well. My only worry was that he might get too confident of his abilities and make a mistake.


    -President Lee, Numbers 21 and 7 are tightly sealed!


    ¡°Don¡¯t get too excited. If one gets released, the monster will think that the other can be crushed as well. There are signs¡­¡±


    -Number 9 was also sessfully sealed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move too quickly. Only put it in the ce I told you to put it in from now on.¡±


    -Number 10 has been sealed sessfully!


    ¡°Recover the remaining magic power.¡±


    -Number 69!!


    ¡°You bastard! Who told you to put it there?!¡±


    -Huh? 6¡­ 9¡­ Look at it¡­


    ¡°A quick look on one side of video 69¡­¡±


    Craaashh!


    Along with the sound, I could see arge tentacle protruding through the seal.


    Looking at the towering tentacles, it¡¯s so ridiculous that I want tough.


    While Max pushed his magic power to the side of 69, the monster bounced as if it was expanding. Once again, I held the magic circle and fired a chain of magic at him, but it was not easy to grab ahold of it.


    ¡®He can break all the others, too.¡¯


    No, if I let him run wild, he would surely break the rest.


    The situation had already gotten out of hand.


    -Prepare for battle! Prepare for battle!


    The video showed the members of the expedition preparing without me having to tell them. Though I could not hear what they were saying, I could see Kim Hyunsung yelling while Jung Hayan busied herself with activating a spell. They all knew they had to push the monster back in.


    The only good thing in this situation was that their target was clear.


    -Focus on the tentacles. You only have to hit the tentacles.


    It was spectacr to see dozens, no, hundreds of tiny magical powers hitting his tentacles continuously. That was probably Jung Hayan¡¯s doing.


    Dialugia started throwing herself forward, predicting that she might hurt someone if she used Breath with such strong firepower, and so, I had to invest a little more magical power into the chains that held him, just so she wouldn¡¯t get hit.


    ¡°Themand and control room¡¯s magic power is being kept to a minimum, and all of the reserves are being delivered to that side.¡±


    -I-I¡¯m sorry¡­


    ¡°You should do better next time, Max.¡±


    -President L-Lee.


    It was indeed a spectacr sight to see arge dragon trying to bite the monster. I didn¡¯t even need any audio; just watching it from over here was more than enough.


    However, I was unsure as to whether or not the monster received damage from it. I began to worry about the possibility of Dialugia dying, but fortunately, that didn¡¯t happen.


    However, the Ancient God¡¯s Fragment started twisting his tentacles in resistance, causing her body to bounce off and hit against the wall. Sun Hee-young and Ahn Ki-mo¡¯s divine powers immediately shot towards Dialugia, who quickly stood up.


    Park Yeon-joo and the ck Swan personnel had also started jumping at the monster with their swords.


    ¡®What¡­¡¯


    It felt like seeing Valkyries jumping onto a God.


    The image of female swordsmen who did not know fear would look beautiful to anyone.


    ¡®Damn.¡¯


    However, the Ancient God did not seem to think the same way. Smaller tentacles had begun to shoot at them. I didn¡¯t even know he was capable of doing that.


    Most of the members blocked the tentacles with their swords. At the same time, Park Deokgu jumped between them and blocked some of the attacks with his shield, and Cho Hyejin grabbed Park Deokgu¡¯s shoulder and swung a spear at the monster.


    Thud! Thud!


    Although several strands fell off, the attack continued to spread out.


    However, Dialugia took the attack with her tail to prevent any injuries from forming. I saw great magical power gathering around her mouth.


    -No Breath! Ah! Piercing type! Piercing!


    A piercing Breath shot from her mouth, piercing the same side where she had hurt him with her teeth. That was when a chain of the preliminary program broke, creating an opening.


    Kim Hyunsung, who had been cutting numerous tentacles with his sword, reached the pierced section.


    ¡®Please¡­ Fuck! Hyunsung!


    It felt like time had stopped the moment the returner swung his sword.


    The moment the sword, neither slow nor fast, swung through the tentacle, it neatly divided into two parts, wriggling helplessly.


    ¡°Yeeeeeeeeeeeessss!!!¡±


    -Grunt!


    ¡°Start sealing it! Fast, fast, fast! Seal the other side at once, I say!¡±


    -Waaaaaahhh¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t cry! No,e out!¡±


    As I fumbled with the magic circle, Max¡¯s trembling voice had begun to resonate from behind me.


    -The upper areas are all sealed. Sealed everything from Number 32 to Number 41! Number 69 has also been sealed¡­ Waaaahh¡­


    The monster was now being wrapped in chains. Chains of blue magic power that protruded from everywhere held him tightly, in the same shape back when he was still sealed.


    Before long, arge door began to open, one that would put him in a long, deep sleep. The Ancient God struggled in resistance, but the tide had already turned.


    ¡°Disappear, you filthy devil! Puhhahaha!¡±


    At this point, I was totally pumped.


    For some reason, his big eyes seemed to stare right into the administration room, but that didn¡¯t matter to me now.


    ¡°I¡¯m not giving my museum away! Puhaha! Cough! Cough!¡±


    I ended upughing so much that I started to cough.


    Eventually, he was ced inside, and the big door made of blue magic started to close slowly.


    The magical barrier in front of the door began to distort, and a crystal of magical power in the shape of a human began to appear, chanting a spell to strengthen the seal.


    ¡®What is that again?¡¯


    It didn¡¯t seem to be a threat.


    When I saw Max looking at the video nkly, I realized that this was the Crack Guardian, though she seemed more like a remnant of herself.


    I didn¡¯t know what the hell she was doing there, but Max had begun to shed tears.


    In an instant, she hadpleted the spell, and the unknown runes flew toward therge door.


    Once again, the blue light darted towards the inside of the hall before flying back once more. I could see the expedition members sitting down on the ground and hugging one another.


    ¡°Niiiceeeee!¡±


    [You havepleted the legendary-grade quest.]


    [Quest: Continental Salvation (1/1) (Legendary)]


    [Title is created.]


    [Title: Continental Guardian]


    [All stats increase by 1.]


    [Museum Manager level has increased by 1 level. The Crack Museum Level 5 Manager title has been changed to the Crack Museum Level 4 Manager. A new title is forcibly created due to the earnest request of the Crack Guardian Metel.]


    [Max¡¯s Guardian]


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Amidst my joy, I turned to look at Max in confusion, only to see him hanging his head in embarrassment.

 Chapter 250: Max, the Museum Manager (6)

    <h4>Chapter 250: Max, the Museum Manager (6)</h4>


    When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw had been people looking down at me.


    ¡°We did it.¡±


    ¡°It was a sess!¡±


    I remember finding this particr scenario strange. There had been a lot of peculiar beings that filled up the room I was in. Some had pointed ears, and the others were noticeably short in height. Some were evidently taller, and others even had green skin.


    As I looked around, I saw the face of someone with blond hair with sharp ears, whoughed loudly as she stroked my head. For me, she was the most memorable of them all.


    ¡°Your name is Max.¡±


    -Max?


    ¡°Yes. Max.¡±


    -Max!


    ¡°And my name is Metel.¡±


    -Metel?


    ¡°Yes. Metel.¡±


    -Metel!


    ¡°This is a ce called the Crack Museum. You are an agglomerate of magical power created by our Guardians¡­ Shall we walk first before I exin further? Can you walk?¡±


    -Ah¡­ Yes.


    At the time, everything had been full of wonders. These people greeted me, stroked my head, and proudly brandished the objects on disy all around them.


    Everything had been new for me¡ªthe cold sensation I felt when my feet touched the floor, even the magical feeling prickling my skin. I couldn¡¯t help but feel grateful for being born. Everything around me seemed to be a blessing.


    Time passed.


    Of course, I had learned a lot since that day. I learned how I was made and why I was born, and I learned about the existence of the Crack Museum, its significance, and how the administration office worked.


    The study time had been fun. I was able to spend time with the Guardians, and if I worked hard enough, I would receive praise.


    ¡°Do you understand?¡±


    -Yes. Jamie-nim. I can understand. I also memorized all the list of items in the museum!


    ¡°Really? Our Max is so smart.¡±


    -Thank you.


    I managed to acquire a lot of knowledge.


    ¡°You were born to manage the museum, Max. This is in order for you to take over the duties of our Guardians. I¡¯m sorry, but I hope you can understand us.¡±


    -You don¡¯t have to be sorry. Oliver-nim. I am happy to be born. I really am.


    I learned what responsibility is.


    ¡°I¡¯m just saying that, but you know that your body will scatter when you go outside the museum, right? Because the magical power in this museum is the only thing that keeps you up and running. You have to be careful.¡±


    -Yeah. Snef-nim!


    I had learned what I shouldn¡¯t do.


    ¡°I¡¯m d you worked hard. Hmm. You look a little like me¡­¡±


    -It¡¯s an honor for you to say that, Isaac. I heard you are leaving today¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m not from here, after all. I¡¯ll see you again someday. Bye, Max.¡±


    -Ah¡­ Okay.


    Of course, there were things that I didn¡¯t get used to even after time passed, but I really enjoyed my time with the Guardians. I missed when I used to be able to talk with them.


    ¡®Thank you for making me, Guardians.¡¯


    It was enough to think about simr things several times a day. Some Guardians were a little difficult to deal with, but there was also the opposite.


    -Guardian Metel!


    ¡°Max! How was it today?¡±


    -Well. Today I checked the administration room and saw the sealed Crack with Snef.


    ¡°Oh. Didn¡¯t he say anything? Did he treat you well?¡±


    -Yes. I heard several exnations. The Crack ispletely blocked now, but as we don¡¯t know when it will open again, we have to keep an eye on it. And the items in this museum¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s the same story every time, you must feel sick of it now¡­¡±


    -No, Metel-nim. That¡¯s why I was born. I was created to take over the maintenance of the museum after the Guardians! I have to work hard!


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -Guardian Metel?


    ¡°It¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t get too overwhelmed.¡±


    -I¡¯m sorry?


    ¡°No, nothing. Shall we not go to the ss tomorrow and y together?¡±


    -Can I do that?


    ¡°Sure. You can take a day off.¡±


    I especially enjoyed my time with Guardian Metel very much. Although the others were kind and treated me well, Guardian Metel treated me differently from all the other Guardians.


    -Guardian Metel, what is a ¡®parent?¡¯


    ¡°A parent is either a father or a mother. Elves like me, and humans like Jamie, are born differently from the way you were born. When a woman and a man share love, they have a child in the woman¡¯s belly, and in time, theye out to the world. They call parents to the ones who gave birth. Of course, the concept of raising¡­ Ah! Why are you asking about parents suddenly?¡±


    -Snef-nim said that the Guardian Metel is like my parent.


    ¡°Of course! The method is a little different, but I¡¯m no different from being Max¡¯s parents. I¡¯m the one who made the biggest contribution in getting Max out to the world. Snef is quick to notice. Actually, I was thinking of Max as my child. What do you think? Can you call me mom?¡±


    -N-No.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    -It¡¯s just¡­embarrassing.


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be. Just call me mom,e on!¡±


    -L-Later. I¡¯m really embarrassed.


    I really thought it had been a good thing to be born. Those were the happiest times of my life.


    I didn¡¯t have any worries. Iughed every day, ran around, and sometimes even acted like a baby to Guardian Metel.


    More time passed by.


    I didn¡¯t really know how much time had psed, but it was enough time for Jamie¡¯s hair to turn from blue to white, and it was enough time for wrinkles to form on Oliver and Snef¡¯s faces.


    Snef-nim, who had always been angry every day, had more time to quietly read or look away, and his body noticeably weakened. Oliver-nim couldn¡¯t chew his food properly, and every time we were together, he would stroke my head.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    -No, Oliver-nim. I¡¯m the one who¡¯s sorry. There¡¯s nothing I can do¡­


    ¡°I¡¯ve be a big burden for you.¡±


    -I¡¯ve never thought of it like that, Oliver-nim!


    ¡°Haha¡­ Thank you for thinking that way. Yes¡­ Thank you.¡±


    -Oliver-nim? Guardian Metel! Oliver-nim is weird! Guardian Metel!


    And¡­ For the first time in my life¡­


    I learned what death was.


    -So, humans die.


    It must have been around this time that I realized what I already knew.


    ¡°Our cutie¡­¡±


    After that, Jamie-nim passed away.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for treating you the way I did. I just want you to know that I didn¡¯t hate you, though. Max, take good care of the museum.¡±


    Then, after that, Snef-nim disappeared.


    Guardians Metel cried quietly every time the other Guardians closed their eyes one by one, and the days when she did not eat became frequent.


    Around this time, I began to regret being born.


    When the Guardians died, or when Guardian Metel holed up in her room, I always thought of that.


    I thought the same thing as time passed, and now there were only two of us left in arge museum. Of course, this didn¡¯t mean that I had be unhappy.


    Guardian Metel wasn¡¯t old, and she spoke of a lot of things we couldugh about.


    We read books together and ran around the museum. We had didn¡¯t stop. I stillughed more than I cried.


    It was a little disappointing that I couldn¡¯t go outside with her, but I loved it all the same.


    I thought everything would stay like this forever.


    However, Guardian Metel was not infinite, either. Like Jamie-nim and others, she started to act differently around me.


    Around this time, Guardian Metel didn¡¯t seem to be able to exit her room.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to start¡­a research, Max. I will get busy, alright?¡±


    -Yes¡­ Guardian¡­


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll being out too much. During that time¡­ Please take care of the museum.¡±


    -You can count on me, Guardian.


    I didn¡¯t know what exactly she was researching, but I didn¡¯t like the expression on her face. I began to dwell on my unhappiness at being born in the first ce.


    Guardian Metel continued to devote herself to her research and thus began to deteriorate rapidly. On the rare times that she came out, I would see her coughing, holding her chest, and gasping. It was scary, but I had no choice but to smile and focus on the museum¡¯s management.


    I had to do my job.


    Guardian Metel continued to put spells on me during this ordeal, saying the same thing every time.


    ¡°I love you.¡±


    That was a lie.


    She said the same when it became difficult for her to move.


    ¡°I love you.¡±


    That was a lie.


    Even when all the magical power in her body was gone, she spoke with a smile.


    ¡°I love you, Max.¡±


    She was lying.


    She said the same when she poured out all her magic and took me out of the museum.


    She said the same thing while muttering, ¡®The research is a sess,¡¯ and when her body finally broke.


    ¡°I love you¡­ I love¡­you, Max.¡±


    I thought of all of these as lies.


    -Lie¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -If you love me¡­ Then you shouldn¡¯t have made me. Sniff¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -If it¡¯s true, you shouldn¡¯t leave me alone like this. If Jamie-nim, Oliver-nim, and Snef-nim, liked me, they shouldn¡¯t¡­ Sniff¡­ leave me alone like this. Metel-nim is a liar. Sniff¡­ You said that we could be together forever¡­ You liar¡­ It would have been better if I weren¡¯t born. It would have been better not to have been created.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -I never said I wanted to go outside. You said I could continue living in the museum. I haven¡¯t even asked for anything like this. If you said you love me¡­ You should¡¯ve stayed with me. You shouldn¡¯t have done this to me.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -Me too¡­ I love you too! I love you too. So don¡¯t go. Please¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -I knew it wasn¡¯t actually a lie. I know it¡¯s real. Wake up. Please wake up.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -Sniff¡­ Please¡­ Please.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    * * *


    ¡°Is that the end?¡±


    -Yes¡­ Afterward, it is as exined. I entered the museum and fulfilled the duties and responsibilities of the guardians. I was surprised when the museum suddenly turned into a dungeon.


    It had been a more touching story than I thought.


    I began debating about whether I should shed some crocodile tears for Max, who calmly managed to finish the story.


    However, I didn¡¯t cry.


    His story felt a bit unrealistic to me, and the loud voices approaching us proved to be a distraction. The other expedition members had probably arrived.


    [Max¡¯s Guardian.]


    [This title was created with the earnest request of Guardian Metel. Depending on whether Max grows or not, the Museum Manager¡¯s level is raised. -Sorry. Please treat him sincerely.]


    ¡®Wow¡­¡¯


    This wasn¡¯t bad at all.


    I wasn¡¯t mortgaged like I was with Dialugia, and it was up to me to decide what to do with him.


    However, I started to feel guilty.


    Even the woman named Metel had crossed the Rainbow Bridge after taking responsibility for the final seal. This all felt so ridiculous that I couldn¡¯t help butugh.


    ¡°Then, what I saw for a moment¡­¡±


    -It¡¯s probably the remnant thoughts left by Metel. Perhaps she didn¡¯t believe in me until the end.


    ¡°No. It¡¯s right to think in the context that perhaps she left it in consideration of you going out.¡±


    -Ah¡­


    ¡°Anyway, so¡­ now the Crack Guardian wants me to take care of you. No, why didn¡¯t you go outside that day in the first ce?¡±


    -S-Someone has to be responsible. I am the manager¡­ I-I¡¯m sorry.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be sorry, staff Max. Nothing has been lost. But the question is how to exin this¡­¡±


    Jung Hayan bit her nails nervously as I trailed off, thinking about what to do with Max.


    Of course, his story wasn¡¯t all that bad. Being able to raise the level of Museum Manager was already a huge benefit in itself. Many things had happened to us, but acquiring this responsibility was definitely the highlight of this expedition.


    ¡®It needs someone to take care of it, anyway¡­¡¯


    Of course, since I had be a guardian, it would be a little different from how I lived here, but this guy¡¯s existence was indeed indispensable. He was the only one other than me that could handle these devices. Besides, it would be possible to shorten the time it took to extract the mass-production type based on these devices.


    ¡°Hey, staff Max.¡±


    -Yes?


    ¡°By any chance¡­ The internal design of the devices here¡­¡±


    -I¡­ know about them. Of course, I can¡¯t touch the core devices¡­


    ¡°This? How about this?¡±


    -Ah¡­ I guess I can handle that¡­


    ¡°Huh¡­ Is there anything else you can do?¡±


    -Ah¡­ I think I can make that too, President Lee.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    -President Lee?


    The answer has already been decided. In fact, I didn¡¯t even have to think about it much.


    ¡°President Lee, my ass¡­ You can call me father, son.¡±


    -What?


    ¡°Pfft.¡±


    I had gotten myself a son who would be responsible for my happy retirement.

 Chapter 251: A Quick-witted swan (1)

    <h4>Chapter 251: A Quick-witted swan (1)</h4>


    Although I had unexpectedly gotten myself a son, the expedition ended perfectly.


    One mythic item and two legendary items were acquired, and a high-quality heroic-grade item was also obtained.


    Unfortunately, the shield had been acquired by the ck Swans, not by Park Deokgu, but if Blue had taken even the shield, I would not have the heart to face Park Yeon-joo anymore.


    ¡®Rather, it¡¯s better this way.¡¯


    For Park Deokgu, I would just need to make him a useful shield. Anyway, we¡¯d soon have apetent cksmith, and garnering the right materials would be easy.


    One important thing was that we benefitted more than them.


    Considering that the most sessful people who led the expedition were the main pirs of Blue, it seemed that the prizes had gotten properly distributed. Still, it was natural to have a conscientious distribution as we had established a suitable alliance. Anyway, the things that we did manage to obtain were priceless.


    We got titles, items, and so on, but of course, the mythic-grade weapon obtained by Kim Hyun-sung and the museum control device I had obtained stood out the most.


    Right now, everyone¡¯s focus was on the mythic-grade item, but it was true that everything here was greater than any other achievement for me.


    ¡®The world will change.¡¯


    If what I was thinking was right, then a transformation would definitely take ce soon.


    ¡®There are so many things I can do.¡¯


    Everything I hadn¡¯t yet done would be possible. I wanted to return to Lindel as soon as possible to study, but the problem was that our way back was slow.


    All the expedition members were physically limited, so this was natural. I didn¡¯t feel too nervous about it. A wagon would be waiting for us anyway and would bring us to Lindel soon.


    Because if we go outside this area, a wagon wille in, and after getting in the wagon, it will be very soon to Lindel anyway.


    ¡®And we¡¯re all in good spirits¡­¡¯


    This was all thanks to a new guest who had deemed to join us¡ªthe little boy who I had now deemed as my son. Even the survivors we had saved showed just how grateful they were for having been saved. Max had been friendly with them and had hosted a lot of conversations with them as we walked. I could guess that his eagerness stemmed from the many years he had spent wallowing in his loneliness.


    The museum had been his only friend, and seeing how obsessed he was with the ce, I could tell that it had be his own coping mechanism.


    Of course, that wasn¡¯t the only reason as to why expedition members epted him.


    ¡°Sniff¡­¡±


    ¡°Waaaah¡­¡±


    As soon as the story of him was revealed, all everyone could feel for him was sympathy.


    ¡°Waaaaaah¡­¡±


    In particr, Park Deokgu began to care for Max a lot more than what was necessary.


    ¡°So, then¡­¡±


    -In fact, I have been in the museum since then¡­


    ¡°You must have been lonely¡­¡±


    -A bit, but I got used to it. There are so many things you can do at the museum.


    ¡°I told you not to say anything. Sniff¡­ If you are Hyung-nim¡¯s child, you are also my child!¡±


    -Ah¡­ Okay.


    Of course, I did not hide the fact that I had be Max¡¯s Guardian. It was just a title that did not bring about newer changes anyway.


    Jung Hayan, who I thought would be quite shocked, didn¡¯t seem to be interested, and Dialugia was quite aloof as well. At first, she worried that I would neglect Tol To-ri, but she must¡¯ve concluded that having a brother wouldn¡¯t be bad for Dialuria.


    In short, Max had transitioned from being a viin to being another family member.


    Unlike the machine-like dummy, the original body was faithful to expressing emotions, and he looked terribly adorable. He had captured the ck Swan members¡¯ hearts in an instant.


    Eventually, we reached the area where the ck Swan wagons were waiting for us. Kim Ye-ri and Hwang Jeong-yeon were also there, anticipating our arrival. However, the Blue newbies were nowhere to be found. They must have stayed back in the Guild House.


    Before I could even raise my hand, I could see a little kid running fast from afar. I knew she would be anxiously waiting for Kim Hyunsung¡¯s return, but I wasn¡¯t expecting her excitement to be this great.


    ¡®This cold kid¡­¡¯


    I could also see Tol To-ri eagerly waiting for me toe.


    Hwang Jeong-yeon eagerly passed by me to greet Park Deokgu, which made me snort derisively. Meanwhile, Kim Ye-ri was hugging Kim Hyunsung as if they¡¯d spent years apart.


    ¡°Thud, thud.¡±


    ¡°Yes? Did you say anything, Oppa?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, Hayan.¡±


    Seeing this made me feel anxious. I knew Hyunsung viewed the kid as a younger sister, but from what I could see, Ye-ri saw him as something way more than that. Due to the ignorant personality intrinsic to protagonists, Hyunsung did not notice this.


    ¡°Get in the carriage quickly and have a good rest, Oppa.¡±


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s right. I used too much magic power in the administration room¡­ And I¡¯ve only slept for three hours.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you hurt anywhere else?¡±


    ¡°No. Hee-young-ssi. There¡¯s no pain thus far.¡±


    ¡°If you sleep well, you will be fine.¡±


    As expected, the only ones that took care of me were Sun Hee-young and Jung Hayan. However, when I was about to get onto the wagon that I¡¯d be sharing with Kim Hyunsung and Park Deokgu, I saw a familiar face.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re fine, Kiyoung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Jihye-ssi.¡±


    Lee Jihye had alsoe to greet her Guild Master.


    Jung Hayan appeared a little wary upon seeing her, but this soon dissipated when Jihye addressed her casually.


    ¡°Oh. Hayan-ssi, it¡¯s been a while. It¡¯s nice to see the two still sticking together.¡±


    ¡°Oh. J-Jihye-ssi. Hello.¡±


    ¡°Hee-young-ssi, too, it¡¯s been a long time, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Long time no see.¡±


    Friendliness was indeed the way to go to destroy any wariness.


    Jihye had a habit of buttering Jung Hayan and me up, but today, she seemed to do so with double the eagerness.


    ¡®The news must¡¯ve reached already the ck Swan¡­¡¯


    When one of our Rangers went ahead to inform the rest of the people back in Lindel, news of our achievements as well as what had transpired within the dungeon must¡¯ve reached their ears as well. They may have even created a simplified attack journal about it at this point.


    After all, ck Swan was one of the most sensitive guilds in Lindel.


    The only reason that the busy Lee Jihye came was probably here because she had received a direct message from Park Yeon-joo. Sure enough, when I turned to look at the two of them, I could see them exchanging meaningful nces.


    ¡®Jihye works hard, too.¡¯


    She also possessed the desperation to maintain good standing in her guild.


    As she tried to endure keeping a good fa?ade with Jung Hayan and Sun Hee-young, I decided to help her just this once. When I coughed slightly, Lee Jihye turned to me and spoke.


    ¡°Oh! Come to think of it. I have something to tell you. It¡¯s a bit important, so I don¡¯t want to tell you here. Why don¡¯t we go back to Lindel together? I have arranged a separate carriage.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a little tired, but¡­¡±


    At this, Jihye red at me as if she couldn¡¯t believe I would say something like that. However, this dissipated when she realized I was just messing with her.


    ¡°Hyunsung-ssi and our Guild Master will also be together.¡±


    ¡°If so¡­ Let¡¯s do that. Jihye-ssi.¡±


    Although Jung Hayan deted with this news, she wouldn¡¯t be able to do something about it. A summit meeting was a summit meeting, and even Kim Ye-ri would have to answer the protocols.


    Thanks to this, both Park Yeon-joo and Lee Jihye became the object of hatred by all the women in Blue, but I knew they were too focused on other matters to care about this.


    As I entered the carriage, I could see the gorgeous interior that still stood out. It was a different one from the carriage we had used to get here. Of course, I knew they were doing this because we were distinguished guests. I also knew it was probably because they were hoping to wheedle some benefits from us by treating us well.


    After all, this expedition was a joint effort by both guilds. I acknowledged this and would make sure not to appear so ungrateful for all their help. I may be a sh*tty person, but I wasn¡¯t sh*tty enough to stab a trusted colleague in the back.


    As the four of us settled in a carriage that was toorge for a party of four to use, we got served tea and had begun chatting. Once a rxing atmosphere had been established, Lee Jihye got down to business.


    I was able to realize once again that she was very used to this.


    Of course, it was Park Yeon-joo who actually called for this meeting, but it was undeniable that my soulmate was the apparent leader.


    ¡°Before congratting you on a sessful expedition, I want to express my gratitude for participating in this expedition, Hyunsung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°No. Rather, we are even more grateful to you for making such an offer. It¡¯s embarrassing because the Blue gained so much than what was necessary.¡±


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯ve helped us more than you realize. In fact, it was Hyunsung-ssi and Kiyoung-ssi that yed a decisive role in the attack. In many ways, you deserve to own your rewards. And it doesn¡¯t make sense to argue about it when you already got the Sense of Ownership. However¡­ uhm¡­ Now, Kiyoung-ssi owns the museum, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. To be precise, I received the title of Manager. I¡¯m also Max¡¯s Guardian.¡±


    I began to worry about whether or not we would have a dispute over this. I could give them a small portion, but if they were to discuss taking half of the contents, I would have no choice but to destroy our formed alliance.


    ¡°I have to tell you. We have no intention of iming ownership of the museum.¡±


    Lee Jihye, who was quick to notice, spoke this. Park Yeon-joo nodded.


    ¡°Yes. ording to Jihye, we have no intention of iming ownership of what Kiyoung-ssi has. However, in the future, all the investments that the Blue Guild will carry out¡­ I would very much like for you to be a little considerate of us.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    I knew Yeon-joo did not mean her words. She must¡¯ve probably wanted more than just ¡®a little.¡¯ They wanted us to remember that, if it weren¡¯t for them, we wouldn¡¯t have the museum in the first ce.


    In fact, they deserved more than that. An expedition was never done alone.


    I, too, nned to hand over a certain share to the ck Swans and actually nned to promote this as a joint project. What surprised me a little was how quick they were to act about this.


    They already knew what I was going to do.


    ¡®Ah¡­ they do like sticking their noses in everywhere, don¡¯t they?¡¯


    ¡°In fact, I think it¡¯s too early to talk about business, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Just tell us, Kiyoung Oppa. I want to know if you¡¯re thinking of the same thing as us.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I have two things in mind. I happened to have ownership of the museum, but I wouldn¡¯t have been able to get it without the ck Swan.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fortunate. If it¡¯s okay, can we hear a bit of¡­ what you¡¯re thinking?¡±


    ¡°Of course. The first thing I¡¯m thinking of is running the Unrated Dungeon Crack Museum¡­¡±


    From the looks on both women¡¯s faces, they had already been expecting this.


    ¡°The second is¡­ making a broadcasting station.¡±


    At this, Lee Jihye clenched her fist. She was probably thinking the same thing as me by now.


    ¡®We¡¯d have full control of the press.¡¯


    This was the moment when another pir of power was added within the Holy Empire.

 Chapter 252: A Quick-witted Swan (2)

    <h4>Chapter 252: A Quick-witted Swan (2)</h4>


    ¡°You mean that that little boy named Max has the skills to make it possible, Oppa?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s still impossible to use all the functions of the museum. The core devices that made up the system are still out of my control. The management level is still only at 4¡­ When it reaches level 1 or 2, there may be another way. In fact, I wasn¡¯t very interested in other features. I¡¯ve been concerned about the magic hologram since the first time I saw it.¡±


    ¡°This technology definitely¡­ doesn¡¯t exist on the continent. It is understandable. I would go crazy over it, too. Even so, many guilds studied that area after you gave such a hard time for all the reporters in Lindel¡­¡±


    ¡°No. I was thinking of getting help from guilds who were already conducting this type of research. What they have is literally just technology, which won¡¯t be enough tomercialize it.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it rather disadvantageous to get help from others like this?¡±


    ¡°No. Actually, it doesn¡¯t matter if I leak the video technology. Of course, theter they get, the better it¡¯ll be for us, but the important thing is not the video, but from where we send it.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh. The control tower is in the museum.¡±


    ¡°Correct. Anyway, we¡¯ll still have control because this is not an interactivemunication like SNS. It won¡¯t be impossible if Max does it, but¡­ I don¡¯t even think it¡¯s necessary. There¡¯s nothing like a fool box to fool the public. Since ancient times, the nobles have made use of this.¡±


    ¡°They did. Spreading celebrity scandals and passing by thew from behind¡­ Making stimting broadcasts makes people fools¡­ Would they call the public ¡°the brainwashed¡± for no reason?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous. Brainwashed, my ass. They¡¯re customers who bring us valuable license fees.¡±


    ¡°Somehow, that sounds even more disturbing.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re mistaken.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know if they wanted me to discuss this further with Lee Jihye, but the Guild Masters left after the conversation¡¯s crucial part ended. This only symbolized just how much they had grown to trust us over the course of time.


    In fact, it was natural that Kim Hyunsung had delegated full authority to me, as the museum control device was owned by an individual, not by Blue. He wasn¡¯t an idiot.


    I knew more than anyone else how much money this would cost as well as its eventual impact. Nevertheless, seeing that he didn¡¯t say anything to me, he certainly didn¡¯t seem to be greedy.


    Even if I were to think about it a hundred times, I was right to choose him.


    Anyway, Kim Hyunsung left all of this work to me, as did Park Yeon-joo with Lee Jihye.


    This was the reason why she and I were having this conversation.


    Of course, in Lee Jihye¡¯s case, she was not entrusted with full authority like me. However, this was still great.


    This was possible because not only did Park Yeon-joo trust her, Lee Jihye met all expectations.


    Jihye took a sip of her tea before speaking once more.


    ¡°So, how much will you do?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    ¡°I was given permission not to care about the investment cost. It seemed that our Guild Master would like to board with you at any cost. The guild executives are also on the same page¡­ You know, without saying, that the ck Swan has high expectations for me, right? Oppa?¡±


    ¡°So, right now, you are asking me to save your face, right?¡±


    ¡°Directly speaking, yes. I think I deserve enough. So far, I¡¯ve epted everything you asked for. No matter how much I feel for you, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll feel so good if you don¡¯t help here. Of course, it is natural that if my authority increases, it will benefit you. It¡¯ll be a win-win.¡±


    ¡°Hey¡­ You may be right, but you have to say it properly. Actually, it¡¯s not just me that¡¯s been gaining. You also sold my name a lot. To be precise, until now, it has been a win-win¡­ Talking like you sacrificed alone. I¡¯m a little disappointed¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey, Oppa¡­¡±


    ¡°You know that cuteness doesn¡¯t work with me, Nuna.¡±


    ¡°I know. I was just trying to grab at straws. So what are you going to do? Don¡¯t make fun of me and decide quickly.¡±


    ¡°Ahem¡­¡±


    Lee Jihye certainly looked nervous, almost as if she was testing just how much I thought of her through this discussion. Of course, there was no reason for me to neglect her.


    Besides the fact that the ck Swan directly connected to me, there were many benefits to having her as an ally. It was natural for me to take care of her, seeing as she was verypetent and had good chemistry with me.


    ¡°Do whatever you want to do.¡±


    It was a line I wanted to try once for some reason.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Of course, in a conscientious manner.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I will. I¡¯ll only call it 3% higher than the guild expects.¡±


    ¡°How much is that?¡±


    ¡°5 percent?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°Too high?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the opposite. It¡¯s quite lower than I thought. It¡¯s not as if the ck Swans did not help during the expedition. Let¡¯s go for ten. A total of 13% would be enough.¡±


    ¡°Can I really do that?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Honestly, I felt bad, too. It is safe to divide in moderation. You don¡¯t know where the beast-like guy who has shot Yushin¡¯s heart will pop out after eating all alone.¡±


    ¡°Your expression is a little weird, but I know what you mean. As much as you care, I¡¯ll push the investment bigger. And from the dungeon¡­¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s just right to take fifty/fifty over there.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh.¡±


    ¡°The museum controls are basically my personal achievements, but I don¡¯t intend to do that with the museum. We did the attack together. I wouldn¡¯t have gained it without the ck Swan.¡±


    In fact, I thought that the museum itself was in my possession, so I couldn¡¯t help but feel wary of my allies. When giving something, it should be given, as rtionships such as ours could quickly get distorted even during a minor event.


    ¡®The control device is mine anyway.¡¯


    Even if I were to divide the big ship in half, I would still have the steering wheel and helms under my possession. No further exnation was needed than that.


    ¡°Then we will pay a little more for the remodeling of the Crack Museum. I have to separate the partitions, so that¡¯ll cost a bit more.¡±


    ¡°Of course, it will. It¡¯s the first dungeon theme park in the world.¡±


    ¡°Rather than a dungeon theme park¡­ I think the word Kangwon Land would be more suitable¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t go anywhere and say that¡­¡±


    ¡°Obviously.¡±


    ¡°Well, anyway, we¡¯re done talking about this. Would I be able to save your face with this?¡±


    ¡°Yes, much more than I thought.¡±


    As I nced at Lee Jihye, I could see her smiling. There seemed to be a faint smile on her lips, but she seemed able to suppress theughter that was about to burst out.


    ¡®Is she happy?¡¯


    There was no way she wasn¡¯t.


    I didn¡¯t know if she is happy that I saved her face or because of the favor I did, but personally, it seemed like thetter.


    ¡®I¡¯ve never seen such an expression on her face.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know if it was because the system certified her to be my soulmate, but even though we hadn¡¯t spent much time together, I could feel something.


    ¡®Was she rted to me in the first round?¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t mull this possibility over, however, for Lee Jihye was now approaching me.


    ¡°What? Why are you approaching like that?¡±


    ¡°I do not know?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t stick too close, Nuna. I¡¯ve got an eye on me these days. I don¡¯t think I can see it now¡­ I don¡¯t know when it will pop out.¡±


    ¡°Eyes?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It seems like we¡¯ll arrive soon anyway. We don¡¯t have enough time to spend a long ride together, Jihye-ssi.¡±


    ¡°We really don¡¯t. We¡¯ve spent so much time talking that we¡¯ve already arrived. It¡¯s been a long time since we are alone. I think we should¡¯ve had a little private time.¡±


    ¡°Talking about work with Nuna is a private conversation in itself. Talking about what¡¯s going on in the world and¡­¡±


    ¡°Talking about behind the scenes events is the most fun.¡±


    ¡°Agreed. Anyway¡­ I¡¯ll see youter. No, we¡¯ll keep meeting anyway, even for museum work. Nuna will be in charge of that, right?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what will happen because of the checklist within the guild, but there is a high probability that I will take charge. I¡¯m also the number one contributor to this agreement. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow. I won¡¯t go out to say goodbye so that Hayan doesn¡¯t feel too bad.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Do that.¡±


    As the carriage stopped, I headed outside and saw Ahn Ki-mo and Sun Hee-young greeting the ck Swan personnel.


    Of course, it was not just them.


    There was also Dialugia shaking their hands with an awkward expression, as well as the female team surrounding Park Deokgu. Since the number of people was quiterge, it felt like it would take quite a long time to say goodbye.


    It was then that one of the ck Swan members ran over here and handed me something.


    ¡°Er¡­ I¡¯m really grateful to you for helping us on the expedition.¡±


    At this, Jung Hayan immediately started walking my way, already alert. However, the woman who had approached me quickly slipped into their carriage, terrified that she might get attacked.


    I didn¡¯t remember helping her, but at least she seemed to think I had saved her.


    It was a little disappointing to realize that I couldn¡¯t confirm her unique characteristic, but it didn¡¯t make me feel too bad.


    ¡®You still got it, Lee Kiyoung.¡¯


    I wasn¡¯t garnering as much attention as Park Deokgu or Kim Hyunsung, but I could at least still get my own fair share of admirers.


    Anyway, the ck Swan personnel waved at us until their carriage was no longer visible, and then we were finally free to get back to the Guild House.


    Everyone moved with familiarity, except for one person who hadn¡¯t adjusted properly yet.


    ¡°Come here, staff Max.¡±


    -Yes¡­


    It was the guy who hade out to the world for the first time. Even after arriving at Lindel, he kept looking around as if amazed.


    As I quietly reached out my hand, he eagerly grabbed it.


    It was then that a loud sound came from far away.


    ¡°Dialuria!¡±


    Just by looking at Dialugia¡¯s tears and screaming, I knew who awaited me.


    ¡°Tol To-ri!¡±


    The one who was waiting for me hade to greet me.


    It felt like she had gotten a little bigger in the meantime. Nevertheless, seeing her running on all fours looked quite adorable, and of course, shepletely ignored her mother.


    It was a little bit painful to see her pass by Dialugia, who was busy shedding tears.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    What I saw next was quite unrealistic.


    -Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!


    Tol To-ri¡¯s body hammer, containing a full-bodied blow, hit Max¡¯s chest urately.


    ¡°Ke-e-e-e-ee-ee-ee-ee-eeek!¡±


    [Checking the unique characteristic of the legendary-grade named monster, Dark Dragon, Dialuria.]


    [Twisted and Dangerous Affection in the Dark]


    [#Mother came, too] [#Who is this guy again?] [#I don¡¯t know, but body hammer] [#Sessful]

 Chapter 253: There’s No Bad Dragon in the World (1)

    <h4>Chapter 253: There¡¯s No Bad Dragon in the World (1)</h4>


    It all happened so quickly that I didn¡¯t know how to respond.


    Although Dialuria did not attack with the horns on her head as if she still had some conscience left in her, Max¡¯s face was clearly distorted with pain; his eyes closed as he fell back.


    ¡°Ke-e-e-e-ee-eeeek!¡±


    It was a spectacle to see him maintaining a dignified posture, almost as if saying, ¡®What are you looking at?¡¯


    As dragons only deemed themselves threatening by looking big, Dialuria stood up on her hind feet and maintained her offensive posture.


    ¡°Kiek! Haaaa!¡±


    Of course, afterwards, her tail had begun to wag. I didn¡¯t know whether or not to pet her.


    Before I could even say anything, Dialugia beat me to it.


    ¡°Di! Ah! Luria!¡±


    I had initially worried about Dialugia getting mad at me for discouraging her baby, but that didn¡¯t happen. On the contrary, she looked both perplexed and angry.


    Though Dialuria was always impulsive, this was the first time she had acted in such an aggressive manner, and so Dialugia knew she must correct this behavior immediately. Meanwhile, I hurriedly went to check Max¡¯s condition.


    As if the pain was unfamiliar, the boy grabbed his chest before looking up at me.


    ¡°Max, are you okay?¡±


    -Lee, President Lee¡­


    Instinctively, he recognized that it was safe to be with me.


    ¡°Ke-ee-ee-ee-eee!¡±


    Of course, Tol To-ri screamed upon seeing this.


    ¡°Dialuria! What have you done now?¡±


    ¡°Kiek!¡±


    ¡°What is that attitude now? Are you saying you did the right thing?!¡±


    ¡°Ke-e-ek!¡±


    ¡°Why are you always¡­¡±


    ¡°Ke-e-e-e-ee!¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t I always said that you shouldn¡¯t do it that way? Why are you ring at your mom?!¡±


    ¡°Kiek!¡±


    ¡°Mom has been patient, too!¡±


    ¡°Wow!¡±


    ¡°Mom is also a dragon! Dragon!¡±


    In the meantime, Tol To-ri was showing a lukewarm attitude towards her mother. She continued snorting, as if her anger had not yet dissipated.


    ¡®This child needs some solid education.¡¯


    Right now, Tol To-ri could be ssified as between rare and heroic grades, but assuming that she would grow to a legendary-gradeter, the normal body hammer may no longer feel normal.


    If Max had been an ordinary kid, he would have gotten seriously injured. The feeling that we started on the wrong foot dwelled within me, but I still had to correct Dialugia¡¯s behavior from now on. In the end, I had to take a firm position.


    As I spoke, both an excited Tol To-ri and upset Dialugia turned to look at me.


    ¡°Dialuria.¡±


    ¡°Haaa¡­¡±


    ¡°You know what you did just now was wrong, right?¡±


    ¡°Haaa¡­¡±


    ¡°Go back to the nest right now. You¡¯re banned from going out from today. You¡¯re forbidden to y, and I won¡¯t y with you until you reflect on yourself. I¡¯ve canceled all of the things I said about hanging out together and going out together after returning from this expedition. Snacks are also banned, so this is all up to you.¡±


    ¡°Kiek?¡±


    At first, Dialuria looked embarrassed. A few moments passed before thick tears began to fall from her face.


    ¡°Kiiyiing¡­ Kie-eh-eh¡­¡±


    Anyone could see that she looked devastated. Though her sad expression looked irresistibly cute, I knew I shouldn¡¯t fall for her charms. It was important to stay as calm as possible.


    ¡°Kieehek! Kiiiiiieeenng. Kiiieng¡­ Kiiiiiieeenng¡­¡±


    It appeared that Dialuria had already begun to regret her decisions. However, this was not enough. As someone responsible for her behavior, I had to educate her properly.


    Meanwhile, the other expedition members had begun to pass by us after seeing that Max was alright. However, Jung Hayan¡¯s expression had be serious.


    She seemed to think that she would end up just like Tol To-ri if she did something wrong and would get exiled as I saw fit.


    At this point, I realized that what I¡¯d done for her back in the Cursed Shrine was slowly fading. I knew I had to take action with Hayan once more, but the problem was I just didn¡¯t have the time to take care of everyone.


    Of course, in Jung Hayan¡¯s case, who had be the top-ranked wizard with a magic power of 98, I should be careful, but Dialuria was the top priority for now.


    ¡®Anyway, it doesn¡¯t seem like she will burst right now.¡¯


    Even Jung Hayan would have to stay quiet for the time being, as she still had to take some time to organize her newfound strength and abilities.


    ¡°Kiing¡­ Kiing¡­¡±


    -President Lee. I think¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, staff Max. This kind of behavior needs to be corrected.¡±


    -But, he seems to be crying so sadly¡­


    ¡°Kids at that age are clever. At least for a few days, he has to think about what he did wrong.¡±


    -Ah¡­ Okay.


    ¡°Ke-e-e-e¡­¡±


    In the background, only Tol To-ri¡¯s cries rang through my ears.


    ¡®I have a lot to do, though¡­¡¯


    I had to take my time with this one, seeing as it was his education that I had been neglecting. Eventually, however, I left a crying Tol To-ri behind and entered the Guild House. I could finally see the faces of the new recruits after a long time.


    Yoo Ahyoung, as if she had been hammering all day, greeted me with a little sweat, and Lee Chang-ryul bowed his head and greeted me in his own peculiar manner.


    As expected, Han Sora avoided Jung Hayan as much as possible, greeting me with a trembling voice. Fortunately, it seemed as if they didn¡¯t have any problems that needed to be taken care of.


    Momentster, Kim Hyunsung officially dered the end of the expedition, giving us time to rest and rx. Of course, this was only applicable to thebat members.


    The guild staff, on the other hand, would have more work to do from now on. Even now, Manager Kim Mi-young was busy calling all the guild staff.


    Of course, I was in the position of overseeing the guild staff, too, so I also couldn¡¯t rx. There were always new urrences every time that I couldn¡¯t find it in myself to just sit back and let others do the work.


    ¡®The Eight Seats of the Empire will be announced soon, too¡­¡¯


    We had dyed this enough times already, so it was only right to focus on it now.


    ¡®I also have to stop by the Castle Rock ck Market once¡­¡¯


    I had to make sure things were working properly.


    ¡®Before entering the business, market research on the area of conflicting cities¡­¡¯


    I also had to consider whether my products can slip into the Republic.


    ¡®I have to take care of the newbies, too¡­ ck magic research is also scheduled¡­¡¯


    And that wasn¡¯t all. It was absolutely imperative that my connection with the Pope¡¯s side was not cut off, so I also had to spend time with Cardinal Basel and host a tea party with the rest of the aristocrats.


    In the meantime, considering the need to conduct research on the museum¡¯s control system there was no room for me to sitfortably and rx.


    ¡®Let¡¯s finish this all one by one.¡¯


    I could leave most of it to talented staff, but some things couldn¡¯t be done at all. With all the things I had to do, I wouldn¡¯t even be surprised if I would end up dying young.


    My head hurt like hell. However, Park Deokgu, who was freed from all his luggage, had already begun to make some noise.


    ¡°Hey, Hyung-nim. Why don¡¯t we, men, soak our bodies in hot water to celebrate? Ki-mo said he wasing, and Hyung-ssi, too¡­ Oh, Chang-ryul will alsoe! Max wille, too!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a private bathroom, so why¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s different from that! The shared bathroom is for this type of bonding! Do you think there is any other use? This is what strengthens teamwork. Teamwork!¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ I¡¯ll catch up with all of you.¡±


    ¡°You have toe!¡±


    ¡°Okay, Deokgu.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know why he was so inspired, but it seemed like he got all excited for a group bath. Even the women¡¯s team nned to do the same, with Hwang Jeong-yeon leading the group.


    ¡°Hayan-ssi, get ready quickly.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ I-I¡¯m¡­ fine¡­¡±


    ¡°Aw,e on, don¡¯t do that.¡±


    Even Jung Hayan was being dragged into it. She looked my way as if asking for help, but there was no way I could get her out of this.


    The one who seemed to really need help was Han Sora, who tried her best to avoid Hayan on a daily basis. Sharing a bath together would be a definite hellish experience for her.


    ¡®Should I go in, too?¡¯


    Still, though, I had my own responsibilities to take care of.


    ¡°Manager Kim Mi-young.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡®I would be screwed if she weren¡¯t here.¡¯


    ¡°Did you get any letters while I was away?¡±


    ¡°Oh. I was trying to tell you that. There were about five letters from Cardinal Basel and three each from Bishop Jessica and Director of Inquisition Helena. Duchess Kathrin also asked if she could be part of the party. There are exactly 144 letters from Marlin Young-ae. There are also letters from other guilds, as well as letters whose senders are unknown¡­¡±


    ¡®144 letters from Marlin Young-ae?¡¯


    ¡°A letter with an unidentified sender?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The sender only told you to keep your promise.¡±


    Ah, it was the Republic¡¯s crazy bitch. I¡¯d almost forgotten about her.


    ¡°There are so many¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. There¡¯re many invitations to events from Celia and official invitations from Dawan¡­ Oh! Cha Hee-ra also asked you to contact her as soon as you arrive at Lindel.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ Please organize my schedule by selecting only those that you think are really important. Of course, Hyunsung¡¯s too. If possible, please adjust the destination so that it does not ovep.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I will.¡±


    ¡°Oh. And how old are your children?¡±


    ¡°They just started going to school. Of course, I am satisfied enough with the educational program within the guild, but I thought it would be better to stay with other people together¡­¡±


    ¡°Ohhh. I see. That¡¯s rather good. Can the little blond kid who just came in go there, too? No, just tell them that he is my adoptee and prepare for him to go to school right away.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°And¡­ Talk with the ck Swan and take care of the publicity for this expedition. It is important to emphasize that we have obtained the title of Guardian of the Continent, so I would like you to fill in that part.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°I always tell you this but thank you very much. I wouldn¡¯t have survived without you.¡±


    ¡°No, no, you¡¯ve done more than enough for me, too.¡±


    ¡°If you need anything, feel free to tell me.¡±


    ¡°No. I am satisfied enough, Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be heading in.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Please have a good time.¡±


    If Kim Mi-young would one day decide to leave her job, it would be a major catastrophe for me. I knew I had to raise her sry once more to keep things sweet.


    I hadn¡¯t even started my work yet, but I already felt a little lighter.


    It may be because I put down all my heavy equipment and stuffy luggage, but I couldn¡¯t say I didn¡¯t like the feeling.


    After entering the bathroom to keep my promise with Park Deokgu, I took off the rest of my equipment one by one. The guild staff would collect itter on, anyway.


    ¡®Is this my first time visiting the public bath?¡¯


    There were many amenities in the Blue, but it felt like my first time using one. The moment I took off my clothes and went into the bathroom filled with steam, Park Deokgu¡¯s voice greeted me.


    ¡°Whoa¡­¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Whoa¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°As expected from Hyung-nim!¡±


    Although I didn¡¯t exactly know what he was talking about, I found myself instinctively wrapping my towel around my waist, cheeks reddening.

 Chapter 254: There’s No Bad Dragon in the World (2)

    <h4>Chapter 254: There¡¯s No Bad Dragon in the World (2)</h4>


    ¡°But why take a bath suddenly? I know your intentions are good, but it just feels a little sudden.¡±


    Though I seemed to beining, it didn¡¯t feel all that bad.


    ¡®Rather, it feels good¡­¡¯


    I had been washing myself with magic all this time, but taking a bath like this seemed more effective. I felt like I would be able to rx better.


    When I heard about the remodeling design in the past, there was definitely an exnation about what the waterponent was about, and it seemed that this was the effect.


    ¡®Mineral bedrock water, or something.¡¯


    I was not the only one who felt good. Everyone else was smiling.


    In particr, Kim Hyunsung and Ahn Ki-mo¡¯s facial expressions were the most rxed, almost falling into a deep sleep.


    ¡®It¡¯s surprising that Hyunsung is also here.¡¯


    In fact, it was also unexpected that our lovely returner participated in Park Deokgu¡¯s n. He seemed like the type who would avoid such a ce. However, it seemed as if he didn¡¯t really care.


    ¡®This bastard¡­ I guess he¡¯s confident¡­¡¯


    In fact, I would not have participated if Kim Hyunsung himself had not participated. It didn¡¯t suit my personality to a position where thepany¡¯s boss personally visited.


    At this, Park Deokgu replied.


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you it¡¯s about promoting friendship? It doesn¡¯t mean much.¡±


    ¡°To promote friendship?¡±


    ¡°Yes, friendship. In fact, I haven¡¯t spent time with you since the new recruits came in. Well, we¡¯ve been moving and sleeping together since the tutorial. So, we¡¯re close, but neers don¡¯t have that at all. That¡¯s why Chang-ryul is here!¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡°I should have paid more attention to it¡­ I was worried about neglecting the new recruits and going to the expedition right away.¡±


    ¡®Our pig is being nice.¡¯


    Honestly, it was the part I¡¯d been missing. Since Park Deokgu had already gotten alienated once, he would probably pay more attention to this part.


    ¡®I thought he was living without thinking¡­¡¯


    I was certainly grateful to him for taking care of this part.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I nned this with Jeong-yeon. Ahem. When it feels like a group event, it¡¯s usually a little difficult to miss. If you forcefully go skin-to-skin like this, you are supposed to get close to each other.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°And since we¡¯re talking about it¡­ Actually, there¡¯s no problem on our men¡¯s side, but the women¡¯s side really doesn¡¯t feel close. Hayan and Hee-young also went on an expedition like that, but they¡¯re not that friendly. When I see them, I get all awkward.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s definitely no feeling of them being close.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Hyung-ssi feels that way, too! And since Cho Hyejin is a person who only talks about principles and principles every day, isn¡¯t she a person who¡¯s built up a wall from sociability? Ye-ri, that kid, never answers properly. In fact, it¡¯s a little embarrassing to say this, but Jeong-yeon may well be the only friendly one among them.¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhhh¡­¡±


    If I were to think about it, that was certainly true. In the meantime, it was embarrassing to see him taking care of his fianc¨¦e, but I couldn¡¯t think of anything to refute that line.


    Among the Blue female guild members, Hwang Jeong-yeon was the closest to normal.


    ¡°Ahem! Referencing from this¡­ Han Sora, that person, trembles when she sees Hayan¡­ The situation is better for our cksmith, but it is really difficult when I heard from Jeong-yeon. On the way home in the carriage today, Kiyoung and Hyunsung weren¡¯t with us.¡±


    ¡°Did anything happen?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather be happy if something happened. They didn¡¯t even say a word to each other!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I had to be wary of them in the wagon! While riding that long road¡­ Ye-ri and Hyejin exchanged a few words, and that was all. There wasn¡¯t a normal conversation. It was all rted to work! This is definitely not normal, isn¡¯t it? Ki-mo? Ahn Ki-mo!¡±


    ¡°Yes. If I could¡¯ve escaped from that situation, I would¡¯ve. Well, it wasn¡¯t an atmosphere that could be both ignored and endured.¡±


    ¡°Yes. It wasn¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°It would have been better if they at least fought¡­ I tried to release the hardened atmosphere, but¡­ It would have been better if I didn¡¯t. I still can¡¯t forget their expressions.¡±


    I was half-expecting this to happen, so I couldn¡¯t say I was surprised. Of course, Park Deokgu started to talk more excitedly as he thought this was an opportunity to let loose some more.


    ¡°Chang-ryul, say something, too!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know much about the other people yet.¡±


    ¡°Then! Can you tell me a little bit about the rtionship between Ahyoung and Sora?¡±


    ¡°There aren¡¯t enough connections to define. To borrow the expression Deokgu used earlier, I think it would be appropriate to do it forcefully.¡±


    ¡°Ahem¡­ Look at this! This is the current address of the Blue female members!¡±


    ¡°Well, actually, all I can do is just this much¡­ A more fundamental solution seems to be needed. At this point, Hyung-nim and Hyung-ssi have toe out with power¡­ Don¡¯t we have to do a unitypetition at least once? Of course, I¡¯ll be in favor. Someone say something¡­¡±


    When Park Deokgu trailed off, a different voice drifted through the baths.


    ¡°Wow¡­ Ahyoung-ssi, it¡¯s really big. How can it get this big?¡±


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    I could hear Hwang Jeong-yeon¡¯s voice drifting through the wall. We hadn¡¯t noticed it because we¡¯d been very invested in our conversation.


    ¡®It seems like the renovation of the construction wasn¡¯t done properly¡­ this¡­¡¯


    Though I tried my hardest not to listen in, it proved to be quite hard.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m not sure. It just happened¡­¡±


    ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s just a chunk of fat.¡±


    ¡°Oh. That¡¯s not it, Yeri. Look how pretty¡­¡±


    ¡°Not really. People said it wasn¡¯t good to have them too big. They clearly said it wasn¡¯t good.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I wonder if there are people who don¡¯t like it¡­¡±


    ¡°Some men will like it, but more people probably don¡¯t. Yes, that¡¯s right. There are surely many people who have different tastes.¡±


    It was Cho Hyejin who spoke this. I felt the need to refute her words, for I was pretty sure that had been a fake statistic.


    ¡°If it¡¯s the right size, it¡¯ll be about Hayan¡¯s or Hee-young¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°No. In Hayan¡¯s case, it is above average no matter what¡­ Actually, Hee-young¡¯s, too¡­ I think that Sora¡¯s is the right size. By the way, Hayan¡¯s body is surprisingly pretty. I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d have such a figure.¡±


    ¡°I-I-It¡¯s embarrassing if you keep staring.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    My imagination had run into overdrive. Naturally, I began to head out of the bath, afraid that a more detailed description might be spoken aloud.


    The other men followed right after me, startled. This was because the girls had be even more preupied.


    ¡°You can go for it, but be careful. I get ticklish¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. Okay, Ahyoung.¡±


    ¡°T-Then m-me, too¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes. Then Hayan-ssi, too¡­ Please wait.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not very interested, but¡­ it seems interesting, so please¡­¡±


    ¡°W-Wait a minute! If you do it all at once¡­ h-hey¡­¡±


    Though I didn¡¯t know what exactly was going on, my body had begun to respond.


    All of the female crews seem to be paying attention to Yoo Ahyoung¡¯s overwhelming size. I knew I had to escape as soon as possible.


    ¡°I guess we were mistaken. They¡­ seem close, right?¡±


    Ahn Ki-mo¡¯s small voice echoed throughout the tiny hall. Even Park Deokgu couldn¡¯t argue.


    However, I had to admit that the bath felt good. In the meantime, seeing Max whining alone and drying his hair looked like his chest was hurting, so I brushed his head off with a towel.


    -T-Thank you.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to be grateful. Would you like to drink anything? No, can you even drink?¡±


    -Yes. Basically, it doesn¡¯t matter if I don¡¯t consume nutrients, but after all, as I¡¯m out of the museum, I want to enjoy everything you have to offer.


    ¡°Now, drink some milk here.¡±


    -Thank you.


    ¡°Tsk. Is your chest a little better?¡±


    -Yes¡­ Yep. It¡¯s throbbing a little bit, but it¡¯s okay now.


    ¡°Tol To-ri will be your sister, Max.¡±


    -Ah¡­


    It was fun to see him looking so worried.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be busy starting tomorrow.¡±


    -Yes!


    ¡°You¡¯re going to go to school. Your research needs to be done quickly. Do you understand me?¡±


    -Ah¡­ Yep. Okay, President Lee.


    Come to think of it. I hadn¡¯t even decided on his room yet.


    With this in mind, I excused us to Kim Hyunsung. When I brought Max out, however, I unexpectedly found Dialugia waiting outside.


    ¡®Why is this woman here?¡¯


    There was only one reason she was here now¡ªhe must¡¯ve caused trouble again.


    Before I even said hello first, she spoke, looking very embarrassed. However, what she said was entirely different from what I had been expecting.


    ¡°Er¡­¡±


    ¡°What happened? Is it Tol To-ri again?¡±


    ¡°Oh! Not like that. Not like that, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I was wondering if you could forgive Dialuria¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Our D-Diaruria looks so pitiful¡­ I think she has already received enough punishment.¡±


    ¡°I beg your pardon?¡±


    ¡°Er¡­ I think she¡¯s been looking forward to the both of you going out together¡­ It seems that she¡¯s already reflected a lot. Er¡­ So¡­¡±


    Less than three hours had passed since the body hammer case. I knew Dialugia¡¯s pushover disposition was the whole reason why Dialuria had grown in such a negative manner, but¡­


    ¡°I think¡­ it would be better to forgive her.¡±

 Chapter 255: There’s No Bad Dragon in the World (3)

    <h4>Chapter 255: There¡¯s No Bad Dragon in the World (3)</h4>


    ¡°You don¡¯t mean that, right?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s already reflected on this a lot, really.¡±


    ¡°I doubt that¡¯s the case. She¡¯s just upset the schedule didn¡¯t go the way she wanted it to.¡±


    I could already guess what had happened. At first, Dialugia had agreed with Tol To-ri¡¯s punishment upon seeing how she behaved. However, returning to the nest and seeing her daughter shed thick tears had softened her up.


    This alone made me realize how bad her parenting was. She must¡¯veforted Dialuria with promises of talking to me and getting her out of her punishment. In short, she had basically taught her to cry in order to get his way.


    ¡®And it actually works¡­¡¯


    Dialugia was the type of mom who would do anything to make her kid happy. No wonder Dialuria thought of her mother as a pushover.


    ¡°Actually, I only told her that outings would be banned.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes. But looking at you, I think it would be alright to prolong the punishment a little.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you mean¡­¡±


    ¡°You have to teach her that she can¡¯t get everything she wants. I know very well that I¡¯m not in a position to tell you, but our Tol To-ri has lived doing what she wants to do up until now. She should know that sometimes there are things that she can¡¯t get by crying over it.¡±


    ¡°O-Of course, I agree with¡­¡±


    ¡°So you agreed. What¡¯s the problem here?¡±


    ¡°I think Dialuria was really looking forward to the both of you going out together¡­ Wasn¡¯t that the promise you made before you left for the expedition? I know Dialuria best. She is already reflecting on it enough. If you go there and reason with her¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too soft on her.¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯re well aware that Dialuria likes her father a lot.¡±


    Absolutely. I even thought it was dangerous, looking at her characteristic.


    Upon seeing my guilty expression, Dialugia decided to take the opportunity.


    ¡°I can say for sure. It¡¯s because you didn¡¯t stop at the nest and didn¡¯t give love since she was very young. Still, leaving a child thirsty for her father¡¯s love as it is¡­ Of course, it is Dialuria¡¯s fault today. But I think you should let a little loose for your child to be able to breathe.¡±


    ¡°Is that really the reason? It seems you¡¯re saying that simply because you don¡¯t like to see Tol To-ri crying.¡±


    ¡°W-What do you take me for?¡±


    Seeing her reddened cheeks, I knew I had hit the bullseye.


    However, Dialugia didn¡¯t say anything wrong. It was undeniable that I had left most of the child-raising to her. I only spent once a week with Tol To-ri, and even that was stopped when I had to go to the training center for a month.


    If I were to think about it, I had no right to talk about proper parenting. Nevertheless¡­


    ¡®This one is definitely a problem.¡¯


    Dialugia¡¯s unique characteristic was a Tree that Generously Gives. This was proven in the way she smothered Tol To-ri with her love. Seeing this for myself reminded me of a ve working hard to please her master.


    Dialugia didn¡¯t even have her own life in the first ce.


    Everything about her revolved around Tol To-ri. Though Imended her dedication, this was exactly the problem as to why Tol To-ri took her for granted.


    ¡®This one also has a problem.¡¯


    I had to teach her to respect herself more, but the problem was I didn¡¯t know how to do it.


    ¡®It¡¯s difficult to raise a child.¡¯


    Honestly, I didn¡¯t even know where to start.


    I didn¡¯t have a child on Earth, nor have I ever been in a ce like early childhood education to learn theory. The only knowledge I had was the one I saw through programs like ¡°Super Nanny,¡± and I didn¡¯t even enjoy it. Perhaps that was the same with Dialugia.


    This meant I needed an expert who could give me some realistic advice.


    I¡¯ve got a ton of work to do, but if I were to think about the grown Tol To-riter, there could be nothing more important than shaping her up now.


    Eventually, I spoke up.


    ¡°For now, go back today. I¡¯ll be there tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°T-Then!¡±


    ¡°No. I don¡¯t mean to withdraw the punishment, but¡­ I think we need an urate diagnosis of our family.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You just need to know that for now.¡±


    I went to quickly write a letter, leaving a wondering Max behind.


    * * *


    The next morning, I faced a displeased Dialugia.


    ¡°You¡­ will¡­ consult an expert? I don¡¯t understand. Why do we need help from others to raise our child? Our Dialuria is a dragon, not human.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not sure if it will work or not, but it won¡¯t get worse than it is now. Whatever it is, the advice of people who have experience is helpful.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ it is, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ Was Tol To-ri well yesterday?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Yesterday she fell asleep when she heard that her dad wasing¡­ She seemed to be looking forward to a lot this morning. Anyway, has that expert raised a lot of children?¡±


    ¡°No. He didn¡¯t. Just think of it as having a professional education. He is not just limited to early childhood education, he is also a person who spans many fields. Beforeing here, he was working as a family psychotherapist. When he came here, I was told that raids while using the title Monster Behavior Analyst.¡±


    ¡°A dragon is not a monster.¡±


    ¡°I know that, of course, but we still need to give it a try.¡±


    As expected, Dialugia didn¡¯t seem to like the idea of getting an expert¡¯s help.


    It was not unusual for her to respond that way since psychotherapy was not properly established on this continent as of the moment. Plus, they were a different species than humans.


    In fact, I didn¡¯t have high expectations, either. Raising humans and raising dragons seemed to be different because I assumed that the dragons¡¯ intelligence exceeded that of humans¡¯ to dismiss it as simply a monster.


    ¡®Although Tol To-ri seems to act ording to her instincts¡­¡¯


    I didn¡¯t have enough time, so I sought help from Lee Jihye to help me find someone.


    She had assured me that this would help, but I honestly still doubted it.


    If I kept bottling up my emotions, I would just take longer to solve the problem. It was at least more realistic to get advice from people who have learned a little more than me.


    Not far from the nest, I took a seat with Dialugia and waited. Eventually, someone came.


    Appraising the man, I saw that he had a trustworthy look on his face.


    ¡°I am Kang Hyun-wook. Uhm¡­ Lee Jihye introduced me¡­¡±


    ¡°Ohh. Yes. Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Dialugia.¡±


    ¡°I am truly honored to meet these high-profile people. I didn¡¯t know that I would be in contact with you¡­ Haha. They say we don¡¯t know what can happen in our lives, and it¡¯s amazing. This big and magnificent nest amazes me every time. I didn¡¯t know I would ever get to step into it.¡±


    ¡°This is all spent money, too.¡±


    ¡°Someone like me can¡¯t even imagine. Anyway, I don¡¯t know if I can help, but I¡¯ll do my best.¡±


    ¡°Please, doctor.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to call me that. Just call me Hyun-wook, Blue Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Okay. I think you can just call me Kiyoung-ssi too.¡±


    ¡°Haha. It¡¯s a bit too much for me, so I¡¯ll call you Lee Kiyoung-nim.¡±


    He gave off a better impression than I thought¡­


    When he first appeared, I didn¡¯t feel that he was very trustworthy, but it seemed that he was not a bad person after meeting him face to face.


    ¡®I think he will be helpful¡­¡¯


    As if Dialugia felt the same way, she loosened up a bit.


    When we went up to the nest together, he looked around as if he was amazed, but I could also see the firmness in his expression, meaning he was aware that he was working.


    ¡°So, what will you do, Hyun-wook-ssi?¡±


    ¡°Oh. First of all, you don¡¯t have to worry about me. I think you can be with your daughter like you normally do. I think it would be better to see what kind of problem there is first.¡±


    ¡®He is real¡­¡¯


    I felt like he was already eager to get started. Though it bothered me, I couldn¡¯t mull it over because Tol To-ri had alreadye running towards me.


    ¡°Haaaa¡­ Kiek! Kie-ee-ee-ee-ek!¡±


    Though Dialugia ran to meet her first, Tol To-ri once again ignored her mother, waving her tail softly as she waited to be hugged. I realized that she had never really reflected on what she had done the day before.


    ¡°Dialuria.¡±


    Noticing how serious I sounded, Dialuria stiffened and began to whine once more.


    ¡®She definitely has a lot of problems¡­¡¯


    Right now, I wanted to scold her again, but for now, seeing as Hyun-wook was watching us, I had to show my usual appearance as much as possible. In the meantime, Dialugia was openly scolding her daughter, looking perplexed as she realized that Dialuria never did regret her actions.


    Still, seeing how happy her daughter was, she decided to let it pass.


    We ate together, talked a little, and yed, and the time passed us by.


    Only after Tol To-ri fell asleep did Kang Hyun-wook approach, looking very serious. I was curious about how he would start this, and he chose to take the harsh path. I already knew this, but Dialugia herself looked very shocked.


    ¡°The child is behaving as if she had no mother. It even seems that she ispletely ignoring her.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ that¡­¡±


    ¡°She has no eyes for anyone other than her father.¡±


    Anyone could see this. The important thing was what caused this.


    ¡°Is there any reason?¡±


    ¡°There is a reason for every behavior of children who are not yet mentally mature. Actually, there are many small problems, but in my personal judgment, the biggest problem seems to be that the guardians don¡¯t look so close to each other.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not just that you don¡¯t seem close. It seems that the two guardians aren¡¯t interested in each other at all. It¡¯s so tantly obvious that even a child like your daughter can see that. Did you know that you two talked to each other in less than 30 seconds in a timespan of a few hours?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    I had not realized this fact.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to say this, but¡­ The root cause of your daughter¡¯s problems seems to trace back to the two guardians. I can never think of this as a normal family.¡±


    Dialugia¡¯s face turned pale due to this brutal conclusion.

 Chapter 256: There’s No Bad Dragon in the World (4)

    <h4>Chapter 256: There¡¯s No Bad Dragon in the World (4)</h4>


    ¡°W-What does that mean?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but please take what I said in a literal manner.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    Anyone could see that Dialugia was shocked. It was natural for her to find it hard to ept her daughter¡¯s deviation, seeing how much she loved her.


    There were probably many thingsing to her mind.


    ¡®Now I think I know why it became like this¡­¡¯


    This was a family that had not been created in a normal manner. Dialugia and I didn¡¯t have amon denominator, and we didn¡¯t like each other very much.


    If one were to ask me, I felt a little ufortable with her.


    Of course, the impression of a bad first meeting was offset by arge nest and warm, high-quality food, but¡­ Tol To-ri never seemed to have forgotten her first impression of us. Rather than being a couple, we just decided to raise a child together.


    There was no physical contact, no sweet words, nothing. If Tol To-ri had indeed noticed this, then her behavior was definitely understandable.


    After checking our expressions, Dr. Kang Hyun-wook once again prepared to speak. Dialugia, who at first had condemned me saying that an expert couldn¡¯t solve this problem, was listening with full force.


    ¡°Of course, the diagnosis has not yet beenpleted, but at least this is what it looks like to me. Your daughter¡­¡±


    ¡°You canfortably call her Dialuria.¡±


    ¡°Okay. You may already know that Dialuria is showing signs of excessive obsession with her father. We have to wait and see a little more, but it seems to be an early symptom of the Electraplex¡­ She is likely being influenced by the bad rtionship between you two.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Usually, this kind of obsession is caused by the feeling that she doesn¡¯t want her father to be taken away by her mother. Among them, a very rare case¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. Please keep saying.¡±


    ¡°Well. Before I exin, it would be better to tell the background first. I heard in advance that Lee Kiyoung-nim doesn¡¯t have enough time to devote to his family.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes, that¡¯s true.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s natural to be this busy as you are the most famous person in Lindel these days. The problem is, thanks to that, you¡¯re reducing the amount of time you spend with your daughter¡­ Lee Kiyoung-nim may also think that this part cannot be helped. The problem is that Dialuria thinks that her mother is the reason why her parents are unable to devote time to her. Of course, the actual cause is a little different¡­¡±


    ¡°Ohhh¡­¡±


    ¡°I-Is it because of me?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Dialuria doesn¡¯t know exactly what her father is doing outside. She has no idea what you do, how high Lee Kiyoung¡¯s position is in society, and what responsibilities you have. Of course, you may have heard it, but what your daughter sees is just the fact that her father is never around.¡±


    ¡°I-I see.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps she may have concluded that the reason why the guardian doesn¡¯te home often is that Lee Kiyoung-nim does not value Dialugia. If she has ever seen Lee Kiyoung-nim with other women, this conclusion may be even more concrete. It may be rude, but I have seen a simr case aftering to the continent. Of course, it was a monster, not a human, but¡­¡±


    Kang Hyun-wook seemed cautious about notparing dragons to monsters. However, there was nothing bad about listening to him.


    I could say that Dialugia was certainly a higher life form that surpasses most humans, but Tol To-ri was still in a period when instincts were ahead of reason.


    ¡°You can speak freely.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Among the griffons living in a typical paternal society¡­ I certainly remember that there was a case like this. It¡¯s a case I¡¯ve only seen once, and I¡¯ve worked at the Griffon Training Center for a long time.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°The situation was very simr. It was a male with many females, and he began to obsess over one female. Naturally, I remember that he didn¡¯t pay attention to other females and didn¡¯t even go to them, thereby neglecting his other children. Eventually, it seemed that one of the young griffons who hadn¡¯t gotten their father¡¯s attention started to think strangely.¡±


    ¡°W-What is it, Doctor?¡±


    Now Dialugia was even calling him a doctor. Using the monster griffon as an example did not seem to make her angry.


    ¡°The child seemed to think, ¡®My mother is not an attractive woman. That is why my father does not love me.¡¯ Therefore, he seemed to think that she was not loved, either.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    ¡°In Dialuria¡¯s case, the situation is a little more serious. The griffon in the case I exined did not seem to have an Electraplex. We need to find out a little more about why Dialuria is showing a severe obsession with his guardian¡­¡±


    That was probably because of his unique characteristic.


    ¡°There is a high probability that she thinks that she should be a charming being and have her father in her hands. Of course, ignoring her mother is a simr context.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡±


    ¡°Perhaps she also finds her mother annoying. There is a high probability that she also has questions about why her mother is with her father. Of course, she bes difficult to control. If her guardian is taking care of her with too much sincerity, this problem is only emphasized. It¡¯s because, usually, the beast¡­ no, the children rank up against everyone in this period. If you think you can ovee this with greater love, you are thinking in the wrong manner.¡±


    ¡°Then, the more we do, the more the symptoms will elerate.¡±


    ¡°Lee Kiyoung-nim is correct. It just makes your child¡¯s thoughts a little firmer. Of course, all of this is spection. I can¡¯t be certain that the diagnosis is correct, having seen her only once.¡±


    However, what he said was very likely.


    ¡®No¡­ It was too urate¡­¡¯


    I checked his attribute, but there was nothing that analyzed the behavior of people or monsters.


    This meant this was a diagnosis that only pros who had seen and heard numerous cases could make. He was certainly an extraordinary person, seeing that he made a living with such talent.


    ¡®It won¡¯t be bad to get close to him¡­¡¯


    Perhaps he would be able to help me in the future.


    Dialugia spoke up at this point.


    ¡°T-Then, is there no way? We have to keep going like this¡­¡±


    She had even begun to cry.


    From her point of view, it may be unfair. Tol To-ri, who she expected to grow up while reciprocating her love, was now ignoring her.


    It was natural for her to feel shocked upon hearing that Tol To-ri saw her as the lowest ranker in the nest. Of course, the biggest emotion that epassed all of that was the guilt for not presenting a normal family.


    ¡®It¡¯s a little pitiful¡­¡¯


    If I were to think about it, it was not an exaggeration to say that most of the causes are my fault.


    Dialugia may think that things havee to this point because of her own fault, but in all actuality, I was the real culprit. Therefore, it was up to me to fix this situation.


    ¡°There must be some way.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Of course, there is a way. It¡¯s actually very simple.¡±


    ¡°To regain my authority as a mother, uhm¡­ it would be nice for us to have a good rtionship.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Like Dialugia-nim, Lee Kiyoung-nim¡¯s role is also very important. Lee Kiyoung-nim with Dialugia¡­¡±


    ¡°I see what you mean.¡±


    I had to spend more time, not only with Tol To-ri, but also with Dialugia.


    ¡°If possible, it is important to express a lot of affection and draw a line with your daughter. This area is the mother¡¯s, and it¡¯s not where you cane in. You have to make her understand that her mother¡¯s rank is not third.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ I see.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Dialugia¡¯s role is also important. If you have generously poured out your love so far, it would be better to reduce that love a little from now on. It may not be easy, but it is a must. Likewise, show that you are spending a lot of time with Lee Kiyoung-nim.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t be easy to change the thoughts that are already fixed in her head. I hope for this to happen, but¡­ at first, she will probably show a strong rejection reaction.¡±


    ¡°A strong rejection reaction? Then uh, what can we do?¡±


    ¡°You still have to keep going. You must be a firm guardian.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Okay.¡±


    ¡°I will tell you this once again because I think you have a soft spot with your child, Dialugia-nim.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You need to be firm.¡±


    I knew that Dialugia had heard this a lot of times, but this seemed to be the first time that she had truly acknowledged it. Slowly, she nodded as if she had decided upon something.


    I could predict that things wouldn¡¯t change much even if she did that, but I wanted to praise her for being willing to show a little effort.


    ¡®I will have a lot of work to act on.¡¯


    At this point, I would have to take some acting lessons from Ahn Ki-mo.


    The next day, we put the n to action. After asking manager Kim Mi-young to postpone all schedules, I went to the nest once more.


    Naturally, I also had to soothe Jung Hayan, who expressed her desire to be together all day long.


    I wondered if she would monitor me with that eye again, so I even came out with a small homework asking her to conduct research with Max.


    This was because I thought that if she was focusing on other things, there was a high probability that she would not dare to peek.


    For reference, Juliana, who had fallen asleep again, was sealed in a sword strap and then tied up and left in the room.


    This was because I thought that Lindel wouldn¡¯t be ready to face the sword anyway. Meanwhile, I had an important task ahead of me.


    ¡®Tol To-ri Rehabilitation Project.¡¯


    It was the first day I decided to try Dr. Kang Hyun-Wook¡¯s solution.


    I was already ready, but I doubt that Dialugia was. Anyway, the bow had already been pulled, and the arrow was gone. Nothing would change if we didn¡¯t try.


    ¡®Phew¡­¡¯


    As I moved towards the nest, I could see Tol To-ri panting from afar.


    ¡°Kiee-ek! Haaa! Haaa!¡±


    She may have already heard from her mother, but upon seeing her overly excited expression, I could tell that she hadn¡¯t expected me toe twice in a row.


    It was a spectacle seeing her tail swaying and even running towards me, drooling. She looked so cute that I wanted to hug her tightly. However¡­


    ¡®You must be firm, guardian.¡¯


    After avoiding her, I immediately ran into the nest and hugged Dialugia, who had been waiting for me. Thanks to preparing this in advance, she hugged me back in a more natural fashion.


    Anyone could still see that this was an awkward expression of affection, however.


    ¡°You came?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Ke-e-e-e-ee-eeeeeeeeee!¡±


    This was when the screaming began.

 Chapter 257: There’s No Bad Dragon in the World (5)

    <h4>Chapter 257: There¡¯s No Bad Dragon in the World (5)</h4>


    ¡®There is a high probability of a strong rejection reaction at first.¡¯


    Dr. Kang Hyun-wook¡¯s voice rung in my ears.


    Anyone could tell that Dialuria was angry right now. When I nced back at her, I saw tears running down her eyes.


    She looked a little scary, staring at me while snorting. I felt perplexed, not knowing what she would try to do. Dialugia also looked disconcerted, not expecting Tol To-ri to react in this manner.


    However, Tol To-ri had not tried to ram into her mother, which meant she still had some reason in her left. It wasn¡¯t toote to fix her attitude.


    If she showed such animosity right in the beginning, I would have to think about how to solve this problem more seriously.


    ¡°How are you, Tol To-ri?¡±


    ¡°Kieeek!¡±


    I had to say hello to Tol To-ri after saying hello to Dialugia.


    Kang Hyun-wook¡¯s solution was that, whatever I did, I should let her know that her mother was my priority.


    She kept panting and running as if asking me to look at her, but I didn¡¯t show any reaction other than giving her a slight pat on the head. I then turned back to Dialugia.


    ¡°Have you eaten?¡±


    Though I wanted to be more informal, this was morefortable for me. Dialugia, on the other hand, showed less effective acting than I did.


    ¡®Of course, she would react this way.¡¯


    Right now, even I, upon seeing Dialugia¡¯s friendly appearance, felt awkward. Of course, her appearance, polymorphed as a human, was beautiful enough, but the reality was that she wasn¡¯t my type.


    Of course, it would be the same for her, who harbored a very normal characteristic. Naturally, it was difficult to act in such a situation.


    ¡°No. I was waiting for you so we can eat together.¡±


    ¡°What about Tol To-ri?¡±


    ¡°Not yet¡­¡±


    ¡°We should have a simple meal.¡±


    ¡°But I have prepared something because you wereing. Let¡¯se in.¡±


    Our exchange was so awkward that it was enough to drive me crazy.


    Seeing Dialugia all dressed up and acting friendly only emphasized this. Her hair, which was well-groomed around her big horns, was swaying more today, and it felt like she applied something on her skin that was not necessarily makeup but made her glow all the same.


    She had also tried to put on a nice outfit. All in all, I could see that she had done her best to imitate the fashion sense of the young women wandering around Lindel Square. Though it didn¡¯t suit her very much, she still looked undeniably beautiful.


    She must have been shocked to hear that Tol To-ri didn¡¯t think of her as a charming woman.


    ¡®Obviously so.¡¯


    When I thought that her human form had changed this much, I wondered what her dragon form would look like. Though I was not knowledgeable enough to evaluate the dragons¡¯ beauty standards, I knew her ck scales must be shining.


    In any case, this non-standard family began to spend time together slowly, maintaining a little awkward atmosphere.


    In the meantime, Tol To-ri was constantly trying to divert my attention using small, melee attacks, but as advised, I did not give more attention than what was necessary.


    Of course, it didn¡¯t mean I didn¡¯t react at all. I would give her a little pat or brief praise, but that was all. I was careful not to show an enthusiastic reaction.


    Instead, I spoke more to Dialugia and paid more attention to her.


    Of course, the angered child began to scream once more, but we had to push through with this if we wanted her to grow the right way.


    We did the same thing as we ate, with me showing more attention to Dialugia. It didn¡¯t take much time for Tol To-ri to realize that she had been pushed back to second ce.


    ¡°How was your meal?¡±


    ¡°It was delicious. Thanks to you, I ate well. Just sit down. I¡¯ll do the dishes for us.¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯ll do it. You don¡¯t even go hunting these days¡­¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯ll¡­¡±


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s do it together.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really fine¡­¡±


    ¡°No. Let¡¯s do it together.¡±


    I was not in my prime. Anyone could see that this was bad acting, yet Tol To-ri seemedpletely fooled. It was harder to keep up this fa?ade with Dialugia than expected.


    Fortunately, the situation itself did not seem all that bad.


    The process of standing next to each other and washing dishes was very tiresome, but I knew our image must look very romantic.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t like the way we were doing this without smiling.


    ¡®Did she say she is very ticklish?¡¯


    I remembered it for sure because I almost got smashed in an experiment before.


    As I gently touched Dialugia¡¯s hand with my own bubble-stained one, she nced at me as if to ask what the hell I was doing. However, she did not reject me outright, knowing it would destroy everything we¡¯d worked for.


    It seemed to be a sess as I saw that she eventually started to giggle, right after I had begun scratching the back of her hand.


    ¡°I-It tickles. Hehe¡­¡±


    ¡°Haha.¡±


    Though the awkwardness was still evident, our technique seemed to be working. As I continued to talk to her, she continued to listen to me.


    ¡®It¡¯s not that bad¡­¡¯


    Since this was the first time we had talked to each other longer than what was necessary, I began to see more of Dialugia¡¯s good qualities than her ws.


    Wemunicated better than I thought, and, surprisingly, we were on the same wavelength.


    ¡°Hehe. That¡¯s a fun story.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It seemed to be the funniest story I heard recently. Ah! Come to think of it¡­ Has the museum manager got a little better?¡±


    ¡°He is adjusting well now. In fact, he wasn¡¯t really hurt from the start. It¡¯s because he is stronger than normal children.¡±


    ¡°How about the work he¡¯s doing?¡±


    ¡°Now that he has just entered research, we¡¯re bound to see results soon.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s amazing.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I mean, how we can send out a hologram of magic power in multiple directions from one ce. Humans have been doing that since before. They¡¯ve tried to do a lot of strange things. In fact, I haven¡¯t been very friendly to humans, but I knew there was something to learn from them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a little strange. Most of the empire¡¯s ancient books state that dragons have a fairly good magic level and have some things developed¡­¡±


    ¡°I heard that we usually get a lot of such misunderstandings. However, if you think about it a little, you will find the answer. Our people¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ You won¡¯t need it.¡±


    ¡°Yes. We don¡¯t. Of course, we can learn, but we don¡¯t have to. Some dragons cannot use magic, and most of them are interested in the human world. Of course, they are apt to be treated differently by the older ones. In a way, humans are amazing.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean.¡±


    ¡°Since humans are biologically weak, they constantly develop to ovee that weakness. They craft weapons, learn magic, and keep searching for new things. Of course, there were times when that desire produced negative consequences, but there were certainly other times when it had beneficial results. To be honest, even to you¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°No. Don¡¯t do that. Please tell me, wife.¡±


    ¡°That term of endearment is terrible.¡±


    ¡°The child is watching.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I am asking you because I¡¯m curious, Dialugia.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Just like the previous story, I just thought you were great. The dragon Breath potion, and the previously made serum¡­ It¡¯s even more so when I think about yourck of physical ability or magical affinitypared to other humans. You¡¯re not that bad.¡±


    ¡°Am I different from your first impression?¡±


    ¡°I still get angry when I think about that time, so I hope you don¡¯t mention it¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah. Okay. Pfft.¡±


    ¡°Pfft.¡±


    As soon as I startedughing, Dialugia did the same. This wasn¡¯t acting anymore. It all felt genuine. Remembering our first meeting was indeed hrious at this point.


    I knew Dialugia would never have expected her life to end up this way¡ªto go from living in the wilderness to eventually forming a bond with humans.


    I didn¡¯t know her real feelings, but she seemed to think that her life here wasn¡¯t too bad.


    ¡®This is a nice atmosphere.¡¯


    After all, being natural was better than useless acting. I even momentarily forgot about Tol To-ri¡¯s constant screaming. If we could keep this up, we would make a more beneficial process.


    When I raised my hand slightly and tucked Dialugia¡¯s hair behind her ears, she looked up at me with wide, startled eyes.


    ¡®She actually is pretty.¡¯


    The atmosphere was strange for some reason, perhaps because of her big horns.


    Seeing that her face was strangely red, she seemed a little embarrassed, but she also seemed to think that this expression of affection was fine. This was all for Tol To-ri, after all.


    ¡®I think this is harmonious enough¡­¡¯


    When I wondered if I should kiss her forehead to show a more definitive image, Tol To-ri started grabbing my pants, trying to separate me from her mother.


    ¡®This is¡­¡¯


    ¡°Kiyiing. Kiyiing¡­ Kieek!¡±


    As if she found this uneptable, she had begun to pull at me with all her might. If I were to remove my resistance, I would end up getting dragged onto the floor.


    ¡°Ke-e-e-e-ee!¡±


    Her big eyes seemed to desperately ask me not to do this. It was almost as if she was a wife whose husband had gotten stolen by a prostitute.


    ¡®This is your mother, Tol To-ri.¡¯


    ¡°Kiyiing¡­ Kiing¡­¡±


    Not only did she continue to cry, but she was also now staring at her mother. At this point, I had begun to wonder if Kang Hyun-wook¡¯s diagnosis might¡¯ve been wrong, but it was still necessary to have to try and discipline my family.


    Right now, she was frantic about not wanting her dad being taken away from her, but if she were to constantly see this, I knew she would eventually learn.


    What I was worried about was whether or not Dialugia could withstand her child¡¯s hurt gaze, but upon seeing her determined expression, I knew she would be able to handle this.


    ¡°I¡¯m talking to your mom, Tol To-ri. You shouldn¡¯t do this.¡±


    ¡°Ke-e-e-e-ee!¡±


    ¡°Hey! You can¡¯t keep throwing a tantrum.¡±


    ¡°Kiyiing¡­ Haaaa¡­ Haaaa!¡±


    As if trying to draw attention to herself, she began to show off the jump pose that I liked seeing the most. It squeezed at my heart to see her doing it with tears in her eyes, however¡­


    ¡°You can¡¯t keep doing this. Sometimes you should be alone, too.¡±


    Dialugia opened her mouth with courage as if this was also an opportunity.


    ¡°D-Dialuria. You should listen to your dad, right?¡±


    Her expression was definitely that of a firm mother¡¯s. At this, I subtly nodded at Dialugia, praising her for her efforts.


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t want to!!!¡±


    Upon hearing an unfamiliar voice, I turned to see a child¡ªnot a dragon¡ªstaring defiantly back at us.


    ¡°Uh? Tol To-ri?¡±


    Now it looked like I couldn¡¯t use this nickname anymore.

 Chapter 258: There’s No Bad Dragon in the World (6)

    <h4>Chapter 258: There¡¯s No Bad Dragon in the World (6)</h4>


    This was definitely a very embarrassing situation.


    The human appearance of Tol To-ri, who was still angered, was definitely Dialugia¡¯s daughter.


    Her head still had undergrown horns, and her small stature andrge eyes were reminiscent of her mother¡¯s. It appeared that Tol To-ri¡¯s cuteness was now at its peak, one I wasn¡¯t able to see develop as I had not spent enough time with her.


    Her hair was just down to her waist, and her skin was white like her mother¡¯s.


    When she had first transformed, she had been utterly naked, but now she was, thankfully, wearing clothes that were simr to Dialugia¡¯s. I didn¡¯t know if Dialugia intended this or not, though. All I could see was how simr they were to each other.


    Even their mannerisms were simr. The way Tol To-ri kept her mouth shut, her habit of touching the hair around her horns, the way she impatiently tapped her foot¡­


    ¡®She really looks like¡­¡¯


    Dialuria was definitely the spitting image of her mother. Of course, it appeared as if she herself didn¡¯t care, seeing as she was clinging onto me and ignoring Dialugia.


    After a brief silence, a perplexed Dialugia spoke.


    ¡°Dialuria¡­ What¡¯s going on? Why are you being like this?¡±


    What was ridiculous was that Dialugia felt happier than anything else. Apparently, it was an unusual urrence for a dragon to be able to transform this early on. I could see how proud she was of her daughter for being so advanced.


    Of course, I couldn¡¯t me her for thinking that way. What I didn¡¯t like, however, was how she openly showed how pleased she was.


    The disciplinary period was going well as it was, but it was undeniable that the situation had taken an unexpected turn. However, I could admit that there were more positive points than there were negative ones.


    Being able to actuallymunicate with Tol To-ri was one such positive point. However¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Her focus was entirely on me, having ignored Dialugia¡¯s question. At this, Dialugia spoke once more, the disappointment evident on her face.


    ¡°Dialugia, you have to pay attention to what your mother says.¡±


    Now I could see how Dialuria treated Dialugia while I was not present.


    ¡®She is really a saint.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t understand how Dialugia could endure being treated like this, but I never did understand how maternal love worked in the first ce.


    ¡°Dialuria, how are you feeling? C-Can you walk? Your magic power is also good¡­ That¡¯s great. Mother wasn¡¯t able to do it like Dialuria until I was over 100 years old¡­¡±


    I shook my head. The more Dialugia praised her, the more she would think of her mother as a pushover.


    ¡°I knew you were smart, but¡­ you have higher magic power than kids of your age¡­¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t praise her.¡¯


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you could speak right away¡­ That¡¯s amazing. Can you tell your mom how you felt?¡±


    She had evidently forgotten about yesterday¡¯s discussion, fawning over her child like this. I knew I had to intervene.


    When I went to speak, Tol To-ri¡¯s attention eventually shifted to me.


    Though I wasn¡¯t much of a leader, I still needed to act like an authoritarian.


    ¡°Luria.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Dad!¡±


    ¡°You have to answer your mom¡¯s questions sincerely.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay¡­¡±


    ¡°And keep your posture straight. I haven¡¯t said anything so far, but your mom is still the person your dad loves. I still haven¡¯t forgiven you for what you didst time¡­ I wouldn¡¯t have been here if your mom hadn¡¯t told me to forgive you. Of course, I¡¯m happy that you¡¯ve grown up and achieved results, but it¡¯s not good to have this kind of attitude. Have you treated your mother with this attitude since the start?¡±


    ¡°N-no¡­ I haven¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d that¡¯s the case, but I hope you¡¯ll be careful from now on.¡±


    I knew I had to emphasize that part about loving Dialugia, so I did.


    ¡°First, you have to apologize to your mother.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°I-it¡¯s okay. Dialuria¡­ Our Diaruria is apologizing¡­ Your mother is crying for nothing¡­¡±


    ¡°Go and give her a hug.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Dialugia looked thrilled to have Tol To-ri acknowledging her, but I honestly felt like the situation itself hadn¡¯t improved. She still obviously saw Dialugia as a rival.


    I couldn¡¯t even believe that what I had feared would happen would actually happen.


    Of course, I knew she was someone to take care of, but Dialuria always felt more like a pet. Seeing her transform into a human created a new sense of responsibility for me.


    I was vaguely aware that I had be a father, but now this was even more emphasized.


    ¡®Now what do I do¡­¡¯


    As I mulled this over, Dialuria began to speak once more.


    ¡°Er, dad. By the way¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Can I be with dad every day now?¡±


    Upon hearing this, a peculiar sense of burden began to overwhelm me. Of course, I would be Tol To-ri¡¯s real interest. Though she felt jealous of Dialugia, her biggest concern was getting separated from me.


    Naturally, I didn¡¯t know what to say. I didn¡¯t want to lie. Even as I thought about what to say, Dialugia¡¯s sad expression was apparent.


    Though I would hate to give this type of answer, it was still better to be honest than to lie.


    ¡°It¡¯s impossible right now. I have many things to do. I have more work to do in the following weeks¡­ You understand that daddy is busy, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°But if I have a little less work to do, I can be here every day. Of course, even from next week, if I finish my work early, I¡¯ll try to visit.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Sure. However, Luria has to make a promise, as well.¡±


    ¡°What is it¡­¡±


    ¡°The first is to respect your mother¡¯s words and treat her well. The second is to apologize to your younger brother, who you saw the other day, and get along with him. Oh¡­ And one more thing. Blend well with people in the human world and be quiet. If you keep these three things well, I think dad will also like Luria very much¡­¡±


    ¡°I can keep it! I can keep it!¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes! I can keep it!¡±


    As we interlocked our pinky fingers and made the promise, she hugged me tightly, apparently in a very good mood.


    ¡°I like this so much!¡±


    Though I knew I had to be a little stricter in order to discipline her, it was hard to do so when she was acting in such a cute manner.


    I felt like now wouldn¡¯t be the right time to continue being so strict with her.


    As I nodded a little and patted her back, she disyed her cuteness, lying down as if asking me to touch her belly. Though her appearance was still a human¡¯s, she was, after all, still Tol To-ri.


    ¡°Purr¡­ Purr¡­¡±


    It was a spectacle to see her starting to make a purring sound as I gently stroked her lower chin.


    I knew that if her tongue was long, she would lick my cheeks like she used to do before.


    ¡°Good job! Good job! Good job!¡±


    ¡°Kiek! Kiek! Kiek!¡±


    She looked so adorable, responding to me in such a childlike manner. Though this wasn¡¯t normal behavior, she wasn¡¯t a real human, so I felt like this would be alright for now.


    Meanwhile, Dialugia looked between the two of us unsurely, not knowing what to do with her.


    It seems that she wanted to participate, so I slowly gestured for her toe closer. Though Tol To-ri was highly aware of her mother approaching, she didn¡¯t seem openly upset.


    That, or she knew she had to keep her promise to me.


    To be honest, Dialugia was the one who seemed to be enjoying this more than Tol To-ri. At times, Dialuria would turn to her mother and give her an awkward hug like before, but it onlysted briefly, as Dialugia intensely showed her happiness.


    I didn¡¯t know if Dr. Kang Hyun-wook¡¯s solution worked or not, but upon seeing her positive reaction, I felt like it was working some wonders.


    ¡®This is a family. Family.¡¯


    Although it was still a mess¡­ It would have been impossible to say that we could make good progress just a few days ago.


    ¡°I like dad very much!¡±


    The strange aspiration in her eyes still made me nervous, but I had to believe that time would eventually fix it.


    [Checking the unique characteristic of the legendary-grade named monster, Dark Dragon, Dialuria.]


    [Twisted and Dangerous Affection in the Dark]


    [#Why isn¡¯t he calling me Tol To-ri?] [# I¡¯m not sure, but my dad is mine.] [# I¡¯m not going to give him to mom either.] [#Love changes.]


    Yes, time would definitely fix it.

 Chapter 259: Official Announcement (1)

    <h4>Chapter 259: Official Announcement (1)</h4>


    Tol To-ri¡¯s problem had been settled for now.


    I had blindly hoped for her to change dramatically, but no such miracle happened. The only thing that changed dramatically was her appearance.


    Dialugia regained her position in the house little by little, and Tol To-ri also seemed to recognize her mother¡¯s position.


    Whenever I was around, she clung to me tightly, refusing to let go. However, she gradually started to change. Of course, I didn¡¯t know if Tol To-ri intended this change, but Dialugia had begun to feel happier with every day that passed.


    She was greatly impressed by Tol To-ri¡¯s kindness, enjoying her changed attitude.


    Of course, Dialugia was working harder and more intensely on Tol To-ri as she received this new treatment, which I was against. My personal judgment was that she should be separated from her mother¡¯s arms.


    As a result, Tol To-ri started going to school with Max.


    Dialugia seemed reluctant to know that Tol To-ri, a dragon, was being educated by humans but eventually conceded because she knew this would help build up her character.


    Of course, it was the right decision.


    Though Dr. Kang Hyun-wook originally rmended this for Tol To-ri, it also helped Dialugia to an extent. The mother also needed some time to herself, after all.


    I already knew that many mothers gradually lose themselves after having a child.


    ¡®Parenting depression?¡¯


    Dialugia got a very high score in the test that Dr. Kang Hyun-wook used to use on Earth, which worried me more than it should¡¯ve. Though Dialugiaughed about her results, I couldn¡¯t find it in me to do the same.


    The expert judged that it would not be strange if she would suddenly burst one day, for Dialugia had a lot of pent-up stress stored within her. While Tol To-ri enjoyed her time in school, I helped Dialugia find things she could enjoy during her free time.


    Slowly, she improved day by day.


    The opposite happened for me. Since I had postponed most of my work in order to build up some progress with my family, this only meant that I had a lot to focus on.


    To sum up, three things happened all in all.


    First was the Pope¡¯s sidework management.


    I met with Cardinal Basel, whom I hadn¡¯t seen in such a long time, to resolve our misunderstandings and talk I wanted to scream in joy when I heard that the present Holy Empire¡¯s Pope was too old and would soon return to God¡¯s arms.


    Of course, I was told that one of the three cardinals would be elected Pope, and I heard directly from Cardinal Basel that he would most likely be the next Pope.


    If Cardinal Basel became the Pope, it was no wonder that my standing would also rise. As I may receive a slightly higher status than Honorary Bishop, I worked hard to satisfy Cardinal Basel¡¯s mood. And it wasn¡¯t just him, either.


    I also held a prayer meeting to confirm our strong friendship with Archbishop Jessica and the Director of Inquisition Helena. It was also natural that I participated in various activities such as dinners, voluntary services, and other rted events on the Pope¡¯s side.


    Since I no longer had to keep managing the Bishop-level line, I brought Sun Hee-young on this particr visit.


    ¡®The atmosphere was good.¡¯


    It was no wonder that Sun Hee-young, who was truly an exemry priest, became close to the bishops. They seemed a lot more intimate than I thought, so I thought it would be okay for her to take over every matter other than Cardinal Basel.


    The second waswork management with nobles.


    It was as important to manage the Emperor¡¯s side as much as the Pope¡¯s side.


    Of course, as my direct link was with the Pope, I didn¡¯t give that much weight to the social world, but it was quite important to take care of a legion of nobledies, including Duchess Catherine, who had helped me greatly with the Ito Souta incident.


    Immediately after the end of the meeting with Cardinal Basel, I was invited to the nobles¡¯ social church. I remembered this period as being really crazy.


    The Blue and ck Swan¡¯s adventure journal had also been released around this time, and soon, we had a lot of work to do revolving around the museum. People¡¯s awareness of me soared.


    The aristocratic wives who were with me started to feel proud, and I was able to ess a variety of information.


    During one of these events, I heard a story about a particr imperial princess. Though I didn¡¯t give much importance to it, I stored it in my head, thinking it might help meter.


    The third was the Castle Rock¡¯s ck market.


    After the social parties ended, I headed straight to Castle Rock, the hometown of Marlin Young-ae. Though this was because of Marlin Young-ae¡¯s invitation, it was actually to check on the ck market built in Castle Rock.


    I couldn¡¯t involve myself directly because of Cho Hyejin¡¯s strong opposition, but this ck market was still running with decent profits.


    I thought it would be okay to deal with something more illegal, but I had to give this up because I couldn¡¯t handle having any more tasks on my te. I wasn¡¯t even interested in this ce for the money, anyway.


    The reason for this ck market¡¯s existence was to check the list of customers who used these ces, nothing more or less.


    ¡®There will be some use for themter on.¡¯


    Having a list of customers and a ledger was a big boost.


    If I tracked the documents, books, and locations that have piled up, it was easy to find out the identity of the masked bastards.


    Of course, since Marlin Young-ae clung to me most of the time, I couldn¡¯t look around in too much detail, but the ck market was definitely a decent ce to be.


    ¡°Phew¡­¡±


    That wasn¡¯t all of the work I needed to do. I also had to focus on the guild¡¯s internal and external affairs, as well as my research.


    While joining the research of the magical hologram device with Max and Jung Hayan, who had been experiencing a little difficulty, Lee Jihye and I also began to prepare for our business and eventually began to renovate the museum.


    I didn¡¯t forget to support the newbies, too.


    We found out what mechanism the ck Wizard worked with through discussions with Han Sora, and I gave Yoo Ahyoung full-fledged support to quickly improve her cksmithing skills.


    Research on the new potion did not stop, and I had spare time to think about how to treat the serum that Park Deokgu refused to use.


    This workload felt simr to when Kim Hyunsung assigned me all the guild¡¯s work in the past. The only difference was that he didn¡¯t have a choice back then.


    Now, the reason was that we didn¡¯t have enough time. The Empire no longer wanted to postpone the official announcement of the Eight Seats of the Empire.


    I had to clear my schedule somehow, and because of that, I was forced to proceed with this impossible schedule. I was able to cope easily since I was used to working so much, but everyone else felt irritated with the schedule.


    Like me and Kim Hyunsung, the Red Mercenary Guild Master also had a busy time during this period.


    ¡°It¡¯s so tiresome. Is there even a usible reason for the eight people from each free city to gather for the official announcement? Can¡¯t the Emperor just formally proim it?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right¡­¡±


    ¡°Even though they know that everyone is busy, they still insist. I¡¯m pretty sure the Taiwanese and Japanese guys are also annoyed. The problem is that the Empire¡¯s so bent on such events. I¡¯m so annoyed. Right? Honey?¡±


    ¡°But from the Emperor¡¯s perspective, he wants to show that he is doing something. I haven¡¯t heard of it in detail, but it seems that his position is getting weaker recently¡­¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s a rumor or something, but rumors were circting among the nobles. Just having these rumors around already weaken his position. It seems like he wants to take this opportunity to let them know that he¡¯s in good health¡­¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t hear that¡­ Did the ck Swan Master know?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve heard about it, too.¡±


    Park Yeon-joo spoke up at this point. However, Cha Hee-ra looked ufortable.


    ¡°And only we didn¡¯t know. Is this really a three-way alliance? Huh?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m very disappointed with the museum thing. Honey, even if you were me, you would have been disappointed, right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Cha Hee-ra. We had already received so much help from the Red Mercenary¡­ I had heard that you were going to another dungeon, so I thought it would be better not to tell you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just saying this, so don¡¯t worry too much. Even if I couldn¡¯t participate in the strategy, I¡¯m grateful to you for being considerate enough to let me invest. Still, I hope you can talk about things like this with me beforehand. I don¡¯t have the type of personality that gets greedy about gains and losses. It¡¯s natural to send troops when an ally is in danger.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Park Yeon-joo nodded enthusiastically as soon as Cha Hee-ra finished speaking. I, too, understood what the Red Mercenary Queen meant.


    If Park Yeon-joo thought that this alliance was entangled in a particr interest, Cha Hee-ra seemed to understand this alliance with a concept a little further away from it.


    I always thought about it, but her personality¡¯s influence would be greater than the strength of being favored by the members.


    I would never be able to do it like Cha Hee-ra. However, I averted my gaze, feeling awkward.


    Currently, Kim Hyunsung, Cha Hee-ra, and Park Yeon-joo were sitting down, and respective deputies were standing behind each one.


    Behind Kim Hyunsung was Cho Hye-jin, behind Cha Hee-ra was an unknown Red Mercenary officer, and behind Park Yeon-joo was Lee Jihye.


    Originally, Blue didn¡¯t carry its attendants, but as this was an important event, we had to send out one of the parties, and the lucky member was Cho Hyejin.


    In the first round, she had been close to Kim Hyunsung, so he seemed to think she was suitable for such a position. Of course, I also brought an attendant with me.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    It was a happy Jung Hayan.


    ¡®Actually, I think she can sit here, too¡­¡¯


    As I was lost in thoughts, the door slowly opened.


    After Yuno Kasugano, who was the first to enter the room, it was my first time seeing all the other faces.


    ¡®The Eight Seats of the Empire.¡¯


    It was definitely my first meeting with the other three. However, Kim Hyunsung looked as if he already knew who they were, which meant he had met them back in the first timeline.


    At this, I began to study his expression as the three other individuals walked in.

 Chapter 260: Official Announcement (2)

    <h4>Chapter 260: Official Announcement (2)</h4>


    Anyone could see that one of the three persons, who came in right after Yuno Kasugano, also came from Japan. Naturally, I began to assess them with Mind¡¯s Eye.


    ¡®Ibuki Suzumiya.¡¯


    His ss name was Twilight Assassin. He was clearly someone powerful who was in charge of Celia, seeding Ito Souta. I¡¯ve heard about him from Yuno Kasugano before.


    He had been here for three years now and was one of the people who was considered a talent.


    Overall, his selected stats caught my eye, but the most striking one was his agility. Considering that his ss and attribute were also legendary-grade, I knew his base stats were enough to garner him a ce within the Eight Seats of the Empire.


    ¡®He must be strong.¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung nodded at him, which meant he had been impressive even in the first round, where it was presumed that Ito Souta had been alive.


    He must¡¯ve been famous even back then.


    His disposition wasn¡¯t bad, and his unique characteristic was normal. He seemed a little timid, but his skills were more than good enough.


    The two people who came in after him were a man and a woman.


    ¡®Taiwanese¡­¡¯


    They were both Guild Masters in charge of the giant guild representing the Free City of Dawan.


    One of them was known as Cheon Gwan-wi. Seeing that he was tall and was holding a cane, I could tell which ss he had.


    ¡®Wizard?¡¯


    He was a Fog Summoner ranked at the legendary-grade.


    Reading the description, I think I knew what kind of magic he was using. Even though he didn¡¯t have a legendary item, seeing that he had 96 magic power, I could see just how much time he invested in magic. Considering that there weren¡¯t many decent wizards on the continent, this man¡¯s achievements were tremendous.


    Nevertheless¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s lower than Hayan¡¯s¡­¡¯


    Of course, his stats weren¡¯t negligible.


    I knew it would be difficult to determine superiority and inferiority by considering only experience, skill level, and magic power.


    Of course, considering the monstrous things Jung Hayan had shown so far, I couldn¡¯t imagine her falling behind. There must be a few cards hidden up Gwan-wi¡¯s sleeve as well.


    The woman that came in with him had long hair tied to one side.


    ¡®Wi Ran.¡¯


    Wi Ran was your typical archer. I had a strong feeling that she was the type of strong woman who behaved ording to her mood. Her ss was a heroic-grade Ranged Sniper.


    Although she had good stats, what stood out to me was the legendary-grade attribute Perfect Marksmanship. I could understand what her attribute was about without bothering with its description.


    What was interesting was that the woman¡¯s equipment and essories were pretty expensive. I was able to recognize it at a nce because I was wearing the same brand.


    ¡®Thebination is good.¡¯


    Although each one of them was strong, I felt that the synergy between the two could not be ignored. I could definitely imagine the Fog Summoner obscuring the opponent¡¯s view and the Ranged Sniper blowing their head off with an arrow.


    If I used them on the battlefield, they would undoubtedly lead us to new victories. Perhaps they were aware of their worth as well.


    ¡®That¡¯s why the two guilds were able to reach the top.¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s reaction towards them seemed to reinforce this fact.


    Looking at him greeting with a smile this time, there didn¡¯t seem to be any problem with the people who had gathered here. Though I didn¡¯t know what criteria they used when they selected the Eight Seats, no one here seemed to be ineligible for the spot. If I were to pick one¡­


    I was most definitely the least deserving.


    In the meantime, Yuno Kasugano had quietly bowed her head to me, and I reciprocated her actions. She seemed to be aware that she needed to act normally in a ce where all the important people were present. Her eyes were still closed, and she wore the same style of neat clothing she usually wore.


    However, it was still a little embarrassing to see her so attuned to me.


    ¡°I¡¯m Ibuki Suzumiya.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard a lot about you.¡±


    ¡°Cheon Gwan-wi.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°Wi-ran. I am from Dawan.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you.¡±


    What followed afterward were the awkward introductions. Though most of the people here already knew each other, Kim Hyunsung and I were neers, so we had to undergo this torturous form of socialization. I wasn¡¯t nervous, but the atmosphere felt pretty heavy to me.


    ¡®Is this natural?¡¯


    The ones who had already settled down here and had gained fame and strength in their own way were now all gathered in one ce. Naturally, a strange atmosphere was created.


    Amidst the silence, the first one who opted to speak was the Taiwan prodigy, Fog Summoner Cheon Gwan-wi.


    He had on a little sullen expression from the time he entered, depicting his dissatisfaction with the selection¡¯s results.


    ¡°Four, two, two¡­¡±


    ¡°Why? Do you have anyints?¡±


    ¡°No, Cha Hee-ra-nim. Rather than being dissatisfied, the selection was a little bit¡­ I wonder if it was being biased towards one side.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯reining.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I admit that the neers from Lindel are exceptional¡­ I guess I¡¯m just disappointed. There are many talents in Dawan as well¡­¡±


    ¡°So you think we¡¯re undeserving.¡±


    ¡°No, no, please don¡¯t think that way¡­¡±


    ¡°How can we not when you say it like that? Aren¡¯t youining?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t really have to do this, Cha Hee-ra.¡±


    ¡°Hey¡­ Look at her ring. You look like you¡¯re going to hit me, how funny. It still seems like yesterday when you couldn¡¯t even look me in the eyes.¡±


    ¡°That was a long time ago¡­¡±


    ¡°Why? You didn¡¯t do that when you went down on your knees, asking me to save you.¡±


    ¡°Cha Hee-ra-nim¡­¡±


    Though they quarreled in this manner, Gwan-wi didn¡¯t seem like a bad person. They must have shared history the rest of us weren¡¯t aware of, probably a conflict with Hee-ra in the past.


    In an attempt to hide her embarrassing past from the rest of us, Cha Hee-ra smiled, cleared her throat, and spoke once more.


    ¡°Gwan-wi, don¡¯t feel bad and listen. The Empire was considerate to you and not us. We could have taken at least one more seat for Lindel. They were considerate for you not to feel bad. Do you understand me?¡±


    ¡°Even though¡­¡±


    ¡°Why? Do you think I¡¯m lying?¡±


    As Cha Hee-ra nced at Jung Hayan, the expression on Cheon Gwan-wi¡¯s face hardened in realization.


    ¡°This is our little honey¡­ It¡¯s been a little over a year since you came in, right?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ way¡­¡±


    ¡°Why doesn¡¯t it make sense? Our honey and our honey¡¯s Guild Master Kim Hyunsung, as well as Jung Hayan over there, are the yers who¡¯ve cleared the tutorial dungeon in the shortest time. I knew immediately that they had potential, but honestly, I wasn¡¯t expecting them to achieve this much, either. Well¡­ they were lucky, and they have the skills¡­ Anyway, that¡¯s it.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    ¡°There is one more, but¡­ She¡¯s still a little bit insufficient to fit in here¡­ Still, she seemed to be useful.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s unfair.¡±


    ¡°I feel that way sometimes. What do you think? In the eyes of the most famous wizard in the Empire¡­¡±


    ¡°I will notment any further.¡±


    Jung Hayan seemed aloof to the situation, but most of the people¡¯s eyes were now on her.


    In particr, Wi Ran, the archer, looked at her more explicitly.


    ¡°There are so many talented people at Lindel. There are two new recruits in the continent¡¯s Eight Seats, which have only been here for a year. I didn¡¯t know that they might even have an amazing wizard¡­ In fact, I thought the Empire might be giving too much preferential treatment to Lindel until I checked it with my own eyes. Seeing you all in person is a different experience.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re overpraising us.¡±


    ¡°No. I was simply telling you what it is, Blue Guild Master. I can tell that you¡¯re strong without having to confirm¡­ The other one has a nonbat job, so it¡¯s even harder to judge, but he must have got a high score for having a dragon choose him.¡±


    ¡®Right on point.¡¯


    She was pretty direct. Kim Hyunsung smiled and spoke once more.


    ¡°He is actually an excellent alchemist.¡±


    ¡°I know that. We¡¯re using the potion welling into Dawan. Thanks to that, the surviving rate of yers has also increased a lot, although the price is a little high¡­ I think it would be right to say thank you. Oh, do you have any ns to sell those items in your arms?¡±


    It looked like she was talking about my Dragon Breath potion. I thought she would have a good eye for being an archer, but she was more perceptive than I was expecting.


    ¡°If I have the opportunity, I would like to, but it is an item that cannot be mass-produced. It¡¯s a legendary-grade potion, so the cost to craft it even once is already too high.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s unfortunate. Well, it¡¯s nice to meet you all anyway. It¡¯s been a long time since ourst meeting. I¡¯m d that the Red Mercenary Guild Master and the Yozora Guild Master have been doing well.¡±


    ¡°You still talk too much.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying that again. Cha Hee-ra-nim still has a mean mouth. I understand that she upset you, but don¡¯t get me involved in this, too¡­ That person¡¯s will is not Dawan¡¯s. Although we move together, I have never been dissatisfied with this selection, really. Oh! Again, I¡¯m changing the topic, but¡­ this neer has a pretty good eye.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    Perhaps she was talking about the brand of clothes I was wearing?


    Seeing Cha Hee-ra nodding, I knew she understood why Wi Ran had said that.


    ¡°It must be fate, seeing us all gathered like this¡­ Shall we have dinner after this is over? What do you think? Yuno Kasugano-nim, too¡­, Oh, and¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Ibuki Suzumiya.¡±


    ¡°Oh. And what about Ibuki-ssi?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine with me. If we have time to do that, I mean.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps we¡¯ll be too busy with the party.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. Oh. I think I haven¡¯t prepared a dress¡­¡±


    The atmosphere was more harmonious than I thought.


    After Ito Souta died, Celia and our side got close, so there would be no other problems, but the people from Taiwan were also quite peculiar. Though they openly quarreled with Cha Hee-ra, there seemed to be no real animosity between the two parties.


    ¡®It may be because it feels like we¡¯re in the same boat¡­¡¯


    Obviously, our positions were different, but in any case, Lindel, Celia, and Dawan were in the same boat, known to all of us as the Holy Empire.


    If there was no crazy guy like Ito Souta present, this was a perfectly normal gathering.


    ¡°By the way, isn¡¯t the Holy Empire really funny? They haven¡¯t even thought about doing something like this, but as soon as the Republic announced about the Five Tiger Generals or something along those lines, they hurried to create the Eight Seats of the Empire. Anyway, when they announce this, I know the Republic will be releasing a new zodiac.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid they¡¯ll really do that.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think the atmosphere between them is good these days¡­ I don¡¯t know if a war will break out soon. Has our shaman seen anything?¡±


    ¡°You say the atmosphere is bad?¡±


    ¡°Originally, the Chinese guys and our guys hate each other, but these days, it seems a little too hostile. Lindel is in the center, so I¡¯m not entirely sure, but in Dawan, which is adjacent to the Republic, the circumstances are visible.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°There have been several fights.¡±


    ¡°You always fight.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just saying this, but¡­ I¡¯ve definitely felt something different than usual.¡±


    Seeing that he was talking quite seriously, it felt like it wasn¡¯t just a theory.


    ¡®Why would a war happen so suddenly?¡¯


    At this, I nced towards Kim Hyunsung, who wore a calm expression.


    ¡°Can you tell us a little more about this?¡±


    However, upon hearing the serious tone in his voice, I knew we weren¡¯t necessarily safe.


    I didn¡¯t know when it would be, but the possibility of war seemed to be high.


    ¡®Hyunsung will protect me, right?¡¯


    I knew I would be safe in his arms.

 Chapter 261: Official Announcement (3)

    <h4>Chapter 261: Official Announcement (3)</h4>


    Simr to whenpared back on Earth, the rtionship between Taiwan and China wasplex.


    Most Chinese residing in the Republic still firmly believed that Taiwan was a sub-state that they owned, which the Taiwanese obviously did not take with pleasure. It appeared that Dawan was still being caught up in this particr dispute.


    Of course, it was funny to bring Earth¡¯s international rtions here, but it didn¡¯t seem unnatural, for there were also yers who still had anti-Japanese sentiment within Lindel.


    In fact, guys from Imic cultures were still fighting every day, and the United Kingdom, where European powers were located, was still not free from the shackles of the past.


    The rtionship between China and Taiwan was a little moreplicated than that, however.


    The tutorial dungeon in Dawan was closely rted to the Republic, so it was consistent with their interests to secure even more tutorial dungeons. Even the ce where Dawan was located was the territory of the Old Republic. Thanks to this, the Republic had taken on a provocative stance.


    International rtions had always been a chaotic matter, no matter where one went.


    As the Empire, the Republic, the Kingdom, and the different races had been fighting since before we came, they may seem normal from the outside, but its inner rtions decayed from this fact. Therefore, rumors of war, possibly breaking out, did not seem surprising to me at all.


    ¡®A yer is still a yer in the end¡­¡¯


    Now, I could tell that the leaders were on the verge of war. However, I felt as if it would take some time before that were to actually happen. I knew these guys weren¡¯t stupid. If they were really thinking about starting a war, they wouldn¡¯t have announced the Five Tiger Generals or the Empire¡¯s Eight Seats. This meant they wouldn¡¯t sh right into battle.


    At this time, this kind of announcement was just an armed demonstration. However, I couldn¡¯t deny that I had begun to feel nervous.


    Kim Hyunsung and I had just settled down and spread our wings, so a war would put us in a disadvantageous state.


    Hyunsung himself was listening with a serious expression to the stories about the Republic continually provoking Dawan.


    ¡°The exact ce where the incident took ce is Laius.¡±


    ¡°There¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a neutral zone, a ce where some Southeast Asian guys, including Laos, are summoned. Have you ever heard of¡­ no, I believe you¡¯ve already heard of it. It¡¯s just below the border¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t know in detail, but I¡¯ve heard of it.¡±


    ¡°Our Dawan¡¯s tutorial dungeon is just right next to the Republic, and Laius is right in the lower south, so anyone can go in and out of it a lot. Of course, the same goes for the Republicans.¡±


    Fighting within a neutral country is prohibited by continentalw.


    ¡°Of course, the battle didn¡¯t happen inside. It was only small-scaled, and all the guys were fighting each other in front of a rare dungeon, but the fight eventually got more intense. The beaten guys called over their senior guild members, so their opponents called theirs over, too. There wasn¡¯t a massive battle, but if someone had pulled the bowstring¡­ Boom!¡±


    ¡°You guys do that every time.¡±


    ¡°Should I say that it was a woman¡¯s hunch? Should I say it¡¯s an archer¡¯s hunch? Perhaps Cha Hee-ra would have felt something simr if she had been with me. I knew something was going to burst, and I almost regretted not being able to do something about it to the best of my ability.¡±


    ¡°There was no mediation?¡±


    ¡°A full-fledged fight didn¡¯t happen because there was. I also sent an official report to the Empire¡¯s side. Come to think of it, they said that they were officially protesting, but I don¡¯t know if they¡¯ve actually done anything¡­¡±


    Unlike us, who busied ourselves fighting with monsters, Dawan seemed to be suffering from more than just the usual oppression.


    They might not take it as a big deal, but ignoring these trivial signs was illogical.


    ¡®Should I visit them?¡¯


    It didn¡¯t seem all that bad to visit Dawan and Laius. I felt like I was prepared to face whatever the atmosphere would be in there.


    ¡®Tol To-ri might go crazy again, though¡­¡¯


    It wouldn¡¯t be bad to get there as fast as possible with White Paul before such a tantrum urred.


    As I mulled this over, the others concluded their conversation without much results.


    ¡°I will take you to the audience chamber.¡±


    It was finally time to meet the Emperor of the Empire.


    When the deputy of Cheon Gwan-wi opened the door, I could see a guard waiting for us outside, bowing his head to us.


    Upon seeing this, Cha Hee-ra got up.


    ¡°What¡¯s the schedule?¡±


    ¡°There is no specific schedule after dinner with Your Majesty. There is tomorrow morning, however¡­¡±


    ¡°Ohhh. So, we just have to keep the pose in front of the imperialists.¡±


    ¡°Ahem¡­¡±


    ¡°Please guide me. We waited for quite a long time, but I hope the mealtime is short.¡±


    ¡®Hah, there¡¯s no way that¡¯ll happen.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know how long these types of dinners usuallysted, but I could bet they wouldn¡¯t be shorter than four hours.


    It took about two hours to eat with an ordinary nobleman, so, naturally, dinner with the Emperor would be double the time. Just thinking about it was enough to make me feel exhausted.


    ¡°Oh. Excuse me, but¡­ I will take the entourage people separately.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡±


    It was Jung Hayan who strongly protested. She hade here thinking that we would be together the whole time, so this tidbit surprised her.


    ¡°It will be finished soon, Hayan. Stay here and eat with Jihye and Hyejin.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Oppa¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Hayan-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Alright.¡±


    Since this seemed to be an important setting, Hayan thankfully relented.


    I was curious about what kind of conversation they would have there, but my ce was not there. The guards who were already waiting began to take the entourage group separately, and Jung Hayan disappeared from view only after looking back at me several times.


    Cha Hee-ra was already walking with a tired expression, and Yuno Kasugano had stepped up to take the seat next to me, where Jung Hayan had previously been.


    In front, Kim Hyunsung was walking while talking with Park Yeon-joo and Wi Ran, while Cheon Gwan-wi walked with Ibuki Suzumiya behind them.


    The scenery that greeted us as we walked was very much pleasing to the eye. I had already expected this from someone whose position was the highest among all the noblemen.


    Ornaments that seemed to have poured gold were arranged neatly, and the road to the parlor was also gorgeous. This was a ce fit for the Emperor of the Empire.


    As we reached our destination, the colossal, intricately-designed doors opened to reveal Victor Hart, who I hadn¡¯t seen in quite a long time.


    ¡®Is he the escort?¡¯


    Cha Hee-ra began to exchange words with him, but I didn¡¯t think to listen in. Knowing him, he was probably advising her to stay polite.


    After the rough body search was over, the vassals and the guards began to guide us, and once we again stepped on the red carpet with Victor Hart at the lead.


    ¡®Did we just pass by threerge doors?¡¯


    When thest door finally opened, it revealed the Emperor, sitting on his seat and waiting for us.


    ¡®What is that?¡¯


    I hadn¡¯t been expecting anything great.


    Cha Hee-ra had already told me that he was an old man, and she couldn¡¯t really feel that the Emperor of the Holy Empire was apetent human throughout her stay in the Empire.


    But this was even lesser than I imagined.


    Although he was wearing arge crown, he trembled as if he had no more strength to handle the crown¡¯s weight, and he did not seem to be smart.


    Rather, he had suspicious and venomous eyes evoking useless boundaries, with a wrinkled face and a dwarfish body to boot. It was hard to think of him as the Emperor of this great Empire.


    ¡®What kind of Emperor is that?¡¯


    I¡¯d rather believe that the woman sitting next to him was the Emperor, whose identity I believed I could guess. When I triggered my Mind¡¯s Eye, I found out I was right.


    ¡®Princess of the Holy Empire.¡¯


    She definitely had an aura, with her disposition as a Calcting Innovator.


    Her characteristic wasn¡¯t bad, and her stats were good.


    Her eyes seemed to see through me, and there was the elegance of a leader that was difficult for one to describe.


    When I turned to look at the Emperor once more, all I see was an old man on the verge of death.


    ¡°Everyone¡­ sit down¡­ in your seat¡­¡±


    A voice that seemed to be unable even to kill a mosquito rang out.


    ¡°I see Your Majesty, the Emperor.¡±


    ¡°I see Your Majesty, the Emperor.¡±


    Everyone was polite as they had learned before, and the old man smiled at this.


    ¡°It¡¯s an honor to see the heroes¡­ who represent the Empire. I¡­ I think everyone knows why I called you here. First¡­ everyone, please sit down. Oh, before that, I need to introduce¡­ my daughter, Charlotte.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the Second Princess Charlotte. It¡¯s nice to meet you.¡±


    ¡°I see the Princess.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so polite. I already know that you are not familiar with imperial etiquette. I didn¡¯t invite you to make you feel ufortable, so I hope you raise your head.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Right. Yes, absolutely. You said well¡­ Charlotte.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Everyone sat down slowly, and the meal began with a light conversation, but I didn¡¯t think to listen in.


    Most of the stories that came out were useless, and all the stories were about heroes.


    ¡°Ahem¡­ Ahem¡­¡±


    Honestly, all I could hear was his constant coughing. I bet I could fight him and emerge as the victor.


    ¡®How can this be an Emperor?¡¯


    Without a regime change, the Empire definitely had no future. I could even bet that the Emperor would be the one to incite the war, given his senile appearance.


    With this, I spoke up once more.


    ¡°As expected from the Emperor, your eyes are full of vibrance. Hahaha.¡±


    Everyone¡¯s gazes shifted to me; their widened eyes surprised at my nerve.

 Chapter 262: Official Announcement (4)

    <h4>Chapter 262: Official Announcement (4)</h4>


    It was very easy to coax powerful people.


    The Princess, sitting next to the Emperor, would take a little time, but to look good to that old man would indeed be a piece of cake.


    I didn¡¯t know how this Emperor ran the Empire when he was young and what he did, but I knew very well what his state was right now.


    ¡®Lame duck.¡¯


    This Empire really needed a change in regime if it wanted to be sessful in the future. No wonder so many rumors were circting about him.


    Of course, this didn¡¯t mean that the Emperor had lost his power. He was still in position, the supreme decision-maker with a fixed amount of support, and the power to proim his sessor. This meant that he would stay in power for the next three to five years.


    The question was, how did the Emperor himself feel? Even if he actually wasn¡¯t¡­


    ¡®He can obviously feel the imperial power weakening¡­¡¯


    Otherwise, there was no reason for us to be here.


    The Emperor¡¯s disposition was Timid Power.


    He was the kind of human who would match well with me.


    Those in power pretended to hate the vassals, but the truth was that they loved them more than anyone else. Humans couldn¡¯t hate those who ttered them directly.


    ¡®I can¡¯t tter him too openly, but¡­¡¯


    I could definitely get him to like me within the course of this dinner.


    ¡°Hahaha. That¡¯s¡­ a funny story¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t have to talk much, and he was already showing me a smile, undoubtedly seeing me as a nice guy at this point.


    ¡°Come to think of it¡­ you are an alchemist, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, His Majesty, the Great Emperor.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard a lot about you. I remember that you¡­ hmm¡­ had many titles. You are also the person who developed alchemy in the Empire¡­ Didn¡¯t they say you were chosen by a dragon? If my memory is correct¡­ Charlotte?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. Lee Kiyoung, who was appointed as one of the Eight Seats of the Empire, is the Vice Guild Master of the Blue Guild, founded in the Free City of Lindel, and is the first to be chosen by a dragon on the continent. I was also told that he was the first summoner to receive an honorary post from the Pope¡¯s side, and he is very close to Cardinal Basel.¡±


    ¡°Right. He did¡­ He is the Honorary Bishop of the Pope¡¯s side.¡±


    ¡°I was lucky. That¡¯s why I could get acquainted with him. Haha. Cardinal Basel has a fiery side, but he is more concerned about the Holy Empire¡¯s future than anyone else.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ I know.¡±


    ¡°In fact, I like to meet new people. I have a strong rtionship with other nobles in the Empire.¡±


    ¡°Oh, is that so¡­¡±


    ¡°I have a good rtionship with people like Count Castle Rock, Duchess Catherine, and Count Elise.¡±


    I also had a very good rtionship with the nobles of the pro-emperor faction.


    ¡°With Victor Hart¡­¡±


    Victor Hart, who was standing near the Emperor, sent me a questioning look, but I averted my gaze and continued.


    ¡°Since Cha Hee-ra and I are also close¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ is that so? Hahaha. I see. Come to think of it¡­ Victor Hart, you said you think of that red-haired foreigner like a daughter¡­ right? My old friend got a very good son-inw in hister years¡­¡±


    ¡°I-I apologize, Your Majesty.¡±


    Victor Hart didn¡¯t seem to want to be associated with me very much, but it was far toote for that.


    ¡°Yes¡­ okay. That¡¯s right¡­¡±


    In the meantime, seeing that the woman named Charlotte told the Emperor that I was rted to the Pope¡¯s side, it seemed that she didn¡¯t like me. Because of this, I thought about whether I was too openly acting as a vassal.


    The Emperor was important, but the Princess was also the main subject of management.


    Of course, she also seemed to loosen her expression after hearing that I was getting along with the nobles of the pro-emperor faction, but she was still wary of me.


    Now, I knew it wouldn¡¯t take too much time to get her over to our side.


    I bet the Princess also knew that they would eventually need me. I was already the center of attention as it was, and not taking advantage of this would be their loss.


    ¡°By the way, the Princess¡¯s beauty is dazzling. Seeing the eyes full of vibrance, anyone can see that you have inherited His Majesty¡¯s blood.¡±


    ¡°Right. Our Charlotte is beautiful.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s also thanks to Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ absolutely.¡±


    It was funny seeing how easily he epted my praise. However, Charlotte herself was aloof to mypliment, which gave me more insight into her personality.


    ¡®I need to spend some time in order to get close to her¡­¡¯


    This would only work if I could see her after this affair, but I could focus on thatter.


    While the meal continued, we talked course, the topic wasn¡¯t just focused on me. From the Emperor¡¯s point of view, all eight people here were subject to management.


    Everyone else answered the Emperor¡¯s question sincerely and tried to maintain a good atmosphere, but somehow, attention was bound to focus on me.


    Each of the Eight Seats of the continent was basically the head of their own respective group, and it was natural for each one to stand on top of others. I could already tell I had won this fight, though. All of these were necessary techniques for living in society.


    Anyway, the Emperor had shown me that he wanted to have a separate discussion with me as the meal continued. The others also felt like leaving the Emperor up to me.


    In particr, Cha Hee-ra, Celia¡¯s Ibuki Suzumiya, and Dawan¡¯s Cheon Gwan-wi seemed to have little interest in getting close to the Emperor. They even seemed grateful to me for snagging his attention.


    Kim Hyun-sung felt unusually focused on the Princess, but it was difficult to read his face, so it was difficult to judge what the Princess had been like in the first round.


    ¡®Is she the next Empress?¡¯


    The possibility was high.


    In the first ce, it was already evident that she had a high standing, as she had been included in this social event.


    As time passed by, the hard atmosphere gradually loosened.


    Of course, the old and sick Emperor also began to focus on the stories, turning his attention back to me. I didn¡¯t even have to bring up the subject first.


    Rather, he was just throwing questions to me, ones that were easy to answer.


    As usual, with someone who had condescending attitudes, I eximed at his youth¡¯s story and praise for His Majesty¡¯s greatness. The pleasant Emperor smiled once more at this.


    Of course, this alone was not enough. The art of conversation was a tricky field.


    One had to keep in tune with the other person¡¯s story and find elements that interested them as well. That was the way to be liked.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t difficult to find such an element.


    Even our 1-year-old Tol To-ri would know what these humans wanted.


    ¡°Did you just say an elixir? Hm¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. It is a potion that has been handed down only as a story along with the Sage¡¯s Stone to those who study alchemy, although I haven¡¯t yet learned the details due to my low achievements. It is a divine gift that is said to be able to heal all diseases and injuries, as well as restore youth.¡±


    ¡°Haha. I see. Is it possible¡­ to research about it?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but it is not. To be honest, it is almost impossible to achieve such results within a short period.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Thank you for being honest.¡±


    ¡°It seems like I shouldn¡¯t have said it.¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s not that. Rather, it¡¯s better to be honest like this. You uh¡­ are a little different from the other nobles.¡±


    ¡°I sincerely apologize for that.¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯m not rebuking you, so you don¡¯t have to apologize. Hmm¡­ So, that elixir¡­¡±


    Hook, line, and sinker. There was no need for me to instill hope in him for that elixir.


    It was more advantageous for me to tell him that it was impossible than try and deceive him. He was already interested, anyway.


    ¡°It seems that elixir is a potion that can turn the Sage¡¯s Stone into a catalyst. Of course, it is still not possible to properly figure out what the Sage¡¯s Stone is.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh¡­ I see.¡±


    ¡°Making an elixir or seeing the Sage¡¯s Stone is probably the dream of every alchemist. I believe it will happen someday. I didn¡¯t expect that I would be chosen by a dragon until a few months ago, so perhaps someday¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, yes. Come to think of it, you said you were chosen by a dragon¡­ I¡¯ve never actually seen a dragon in my whole life, so I was hoping it came along, but how unfortunate.¡±


    ¡°Yes. As you might expect, it¡¯s not a creature I can control¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Even if I say they¡¯re better creatures than human beings, there is no shortage.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ I can show you a little bit of that here. Of course, it¡¯s not aplete dragon, but¡­¡±


    The Emperor looked at me, curiously. At this, Victor Hart stiffened.


    ¡°Please refrain from doing useless things¡­¡±


    ¡°No. Victor Hart¡­ Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung is not such a person.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    I definitely liked the trust in his voice.


    ¡°No¡­ How can I see the dragon?¡±


    ¡°I know you¡¯ve authorized it, so please excuse me, Your Majesty.¡±


    As mes sprang up in my hands, the face of a dragon slowly began to materialize in one of the walls of the spacious parlor. The crackling sound as it formted its shape sounded unrealistic, even to the most experienced wizard.


    ¡°Grrooooaarr¡­¡±


    Although it was downgraded enough to fit inside the room, with itsrge eyes, menacing teeth, and huge horns, anyone could see it was a dark dragon.


    The Emperor and members of the Eight Seats from other cities¡ªeven Charlotte¡ªwere looking at it with their mouths open. However, this was just a childish showmanship.


    It went without saying that Jung Hayan¡¯s magic was more useful on the battlefield than any of my skills. Kim Hyunsung could easily cut my materialized dragon¡¯s head off with his sword.


    However, my goal here was to give off an impressionable show of my alchemy, and it was working.


    ¡°Ha¡­ Haha¡­¡±


    The Emperor quietlyughed, looking perplexed.


    ¡°This, like this, uh, how¡­¡±


    The Princess herself was also speechless.


    ¡°It¡¯s just alchemy.¡±


    This was only a small event that would prove my worth.

 Chapter 263: Official Announcement (5)

    <h4>Chapter 263: Official Announcement (5)</h4>


    ¡°You did very well.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What?¡±


    ¡°You know¡­ about what happened yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°The old man¡¯s reaction was an expected one, but the fact that the Princess had also spoken surprised me.


    It certainly did feel like that.


    I couldn¡¯t look at the Princess¡¯s face because I was concentrating on the Emperor, but I remembered her stuttering with her eyes wide open.


    Of course, the Emperor¡¯s face was even more spectacr.


    It was enough to be worried that the old man¡¯s heart would stop in surprise, so I would not need another modifier.


    After the short demonstration, it was natural that raised.


    They seemed amazed that, even in this ce where magic and divine power were normal, I had managed to create a dragon-like entity. Of course, what I created wasn¡¯t a real-life form, but it would definitely look no different for them.


    The look of those who rubbed their eyes was still clear. The Emperor wasn¡¯t the only one who was surprised.


    Ibuki Suzumiya seemed to have been told by Yuno Kasugano beforehand, but the attitudes of those from Dawan to me had changed noticeably.


    I had proven that I wasn¡¯t just lucky to be there.


    Cheon Gwan-wi, the wizard, continued to ask questions even after mealtime was over, and Wi Ran, the archer, made me feel embarrassed, seeing as she continued to send me strange gazes.


    Of course, the Emperor¡¯s reaction was more important than theirs.


    I didn¡¯t know if the bait had been effective before, but after the meal was over, he told me that he would like to have a separate conversation with me.


    He even said he wanted to support alchemy, so it was quite a big achievement to say that this happened in only five hours.


    ¡®Sweet!¡¯


    In the first ce, I wasn¡¯t interested in unnecessary support, but in the rare catalyst that may be stored in the treasury/ If I were to receive imperial support and support from the Holy Empire, it would be strange not to look forward to it.


    ¡°I thought I would get bored to death, but thanks to you, I had fun, well¡­ Maybe some of them are also grateful to you. Dealing with that old man is so annoying.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ is what people would like you to think. The opportunity to have dinner with the Emperor doesn¡¯te easily, and in this case, if I don¡¯t give a strong impression, I don¡¯t know when I can do it again. In my perspective, I¡¯m the one who doesn¡¯t understand you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like it. It doesn¡¯t matter if I don¡¯t get close to that old man. It seems that Wi-ran and Park Yeon-joo think that they need that, too¡­ Well, do you think they do it because they like it? Phew¡­ Seeing you doing that yesterday, I just thought¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°This bastard is enjoying it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s apliment, right?¡±


    ¡°Sure. I thought you were a natural.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t deny it.¡±


    Hearing that I was as natural as a suck-ass is a bit painful, but I indeed enjoyed it.


    When I turned my face at the sudden rush of embarrassment, what I saw was a crowd cheering under the tform of the royal castle.


    I expected the scale to be quiterge, but they paid a little more attention than I thought.


    The shouts I heard made my ears hurt, and just looking at the scale of the imperial gs and decorations all over the ce, it felt like they spent quite a bit of gold.


    The nobles sitting on one side were also influential nobles representing the Empire. My gaze stayed for a while where Marlin Young-ae was waving, before I waved back roughly.


    Located a little farther from there are the members of the Pope¡¯s side.


    The Pope did not appear, but there were three cardinals present, including Cardinal Basel.


    It was confirmed that Archbishop Jessica and the Director of Inquisition Helena, who could not usually be seen in official events, were also present.


    Seeing that all the people who have a strong rtionship with me attended made me feel proud.


    ¡®That¡¯s right.¡¯


    ¡°But when does this start?¡±


    As soon as I heard Cha Hee-ra¡¯s voice mixed with dissatisfaction, a loud voice began to resonate.


    ¡°Your Majesty is entering.¡±


    The Emperor and Charlotte, the Second Princess of the Empire, had appeared on the podium. The only difference from yesterday was that the woman who was estimated to be the First Princess was also present.


    As soon as I looked at the status window with my Mind¡¯s Eye, the First Princess¡¯s information appeared.


    ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯


    Charlia, the First Princess of the Empire. Her disposition was a Self-righteous Egoist.


    ¡®Whoa¡­¡¯


    Even the Emperor, who couldn¡¯t see things straight, also knew which of the first and second princesses suits the Empress title better.


    ¡®She can¡¯t make it¡­¡¯


    With a vicious face, the First Princess looked like a viin.


    The poison that filled Charlia¡¯s eyes was directed towards Charlotte, who was favored by the Emperor. Of course, her face also looked full of greed.


    [Unique Characteristic: Jealous Witch]


    Her unique characteristic was also a witch. I thought there might be a reason her personality was formed that way.


    It was like an obvious clich¨¦, so I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d have to exin it.


    The second was more favored by the father, and the first was unloved. It was a story that I heard a lot about quarrels between sisters. I didn¡¯t know them much, but I was sure the hostility was present.


    Until now, the fight for sessors had not been so fierce, but if the Emperor¡¯s health was deteriorating in earnest or external factors were involved, it would soon emerge on the surface.


    I even thought about whether it had affected her unique characteristic, but being within a viin category did not mean that everyone will not love her.


    ¡®It would be better to avoid this one.¡¯


    Anyway, the Emperor, apanied by the First and Second Princesses, slowly began to walk out. It didn¡¯t take long for him to stand in front of the tform where all the imperial people were visible.


    ¡°I think he is going to give a speech¡­¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ he has to. It¡¯s because it¡¯s been a long time since he has the chance to unt himself. He made the Eight Seats or whatever to do that.¡±


    I had no choice but to agree with Cha Hee-ra.


    As expected, the Emperor¡¯s voice stretched out and was heard loudly using the voice amplification magic¡­ Honestly, it wasn¡¯t all that great of a speech.


    ¡®It¡¯s boring.¡¯


    He had no power to attract people with his voice, his speech content was too long like the words of a principal¡¯s admonition, and honestly, it was just difficult to bear.


    My expression of irresistible yawning would best describe the situation.


    ¡°Dear people of the Holy Empire. Thank you for keeping this ce together¡­¡±


    It felt like I¡¯d already heard the phrase ¡®Dear people of the Holy Empire¡¯ about 23 times.


    ¡°Even today¡­ the power of the great Empire¡­¡±


    That ¡®great Empire¡¯ seemed to have been spoken about 35 times.


    When I finally heard the concluding statement, I couldn¡¯t help but breathe out a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Now¡­ I would like to introduce to our proud citizens of the Empire¡­ the power of the Empire, the shield that protects the Empire, and the sword that kills its enemies¡­ These dark-haired foreigners have lived together in thisnd and have contributed a great deal to the Empire¡¯s development, and now, I appoint those who will be called as the Eight Seats of the Holy Empire!¡±


    ¡°Woooooaaaaaahhh!!¡±


    It was natural for a loud shout toe out.


    I didn¡¯t know if it was a cheer that the Emperor¡¯s long speech was finally over, or if it was a cheer for the Eight Imperial Seats, but the probability of the former was never low.


    The Emperor nodded happily at the shouts of the crowd and continued to speak.


    ¡°The First Seat of the Empire, Cha Hee-ra.¡±


    Cha Heera, sitting next to me, jumped up and headed in front of the tform.


    ¡°I¡¯m going first, honey.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    I could see her red hair swaying while she walks confidently in front of the crowd, wearing some nice armor.


    ¡®She looks cool.¡¯


    The soldier who was introducing Cha Hee-ra on behalf of the Emperor shouted out her performances. My face turned red upon hearing this, but I knew it was a necessary part.


    ¡®It¡¯s a little too much, but¡­¡¯


    I wondered if it would have been nice if they had taken easy, but it was not so bad. This was the right ce for it, anyway.


    The publicity effect that the Emperor was expecting was sufficient. There was no problem, as the public seemed enthusiastic.


    Even after Cha Hee-ra, the Empire¡¯s people cheered every time the Eight Seats went out one by one.


    ¡®I know why he did this¡­¡¯


    As time passed, I thought about it deeply, and the answer I came up with was ¡®The public is thirsty for power.¡¯


    ¡°The Third Seat of the Empire, Yuno Kasugano.¡±


    Yuno Kasugano was next to the Fog Summoner¡¯s Cheon Gwan-wi.


    I could see her going forward with a slightly hardened expression as if she wasn¡¯t used to this.


    ¡°The Fourth Seat of the Empire, Park Yeon-joo.¡±


    The crowd shouted.


    ¡°The Fifth Seat of the Empire, Wi Ran.¡±


    The shouts burst once again.


    ¡°The Sixth Seat of the Empire, Ibuki Suzumiya.¡±


    And¡­


    ¡°The Seventh Seat of the Empire, Kim Hyunsung.¡±


    The lovely returner stood up only after some rabbles went out.


    Despite wearing a light armament, his footsteps were unstoppable.


    The imperial g fluttered due to the blowing wind, catching everyone¡¯s eyes and inducing a strange feeling that raised the atmosphere even more.


    ¡®It¡¯s picture-perfect, Hyunsung!¡¯


    I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s a coincidence, but just as the clouds in the sky parted, sunlight began to pour.


    ¡®Its direction is great!¡¯


    The direction that I thought was too early felt okay now.


    The cheers of the imperialists were growing and growing, and of course, my turn was no exception.


    ¡°The Eighth Seat of the Empire, Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    My name was called next, so I tried to walk as dignified as possible, but it was impossible to show such a dignified image like the other Eight Seats.


    I even missed my step and almost fell. However, the shouts were still quite loud.


    ¡°He is the Blue Vice Guild Master representing the Free City of Lindel, and he has been chosen by a dragon. He is also the Honorary Bishop of the Holy Empire, one of the 30 Continental Guardians who saved the continent, an alchemist representing the Empire¡­¡±


    I also thought that there were quite a lot of titles I had won. It had even increased as the unofficial titles were added.


    Of course, an extraordinary genius, the guru of strategy and resourcefulness, and ridiculous titles came out with them, but they were all just part of publicity¡­


    ¡®I could turn a blind eye on this.¡¯


    Perhaps the people who nned this event had chosen to make me appear as the brain of the Empire.


    All they showed were the Castle Rock¡¯s Monster Wave blockage and troops¡¯ formation, but as the Five Tiger Generals of the Republic had simr things, it seemed that they wanted to bnce it.


    ¡®It¡¯s not bad.¡¯


    Although there were a few lies, I had no reason to refuse them, all because it made me seem like a genius.


    It was also the position I wanted in the first ce, and the effect that I looked great even if I wasn¡¯t really great was tremendous.


    ¡°Woooooaaahhhhhh!!!¡±


    Crowds were screaming as loudly and cheerfully as they could.


    It was a perfect sess for the Emperor, the nners, and the participants of this event. If there were a problem, it would be that many events will be organized after this.


    Many schedules had piled up, such as going down to the tform and doing a march, shaking hands with some imperial representatives, parties with nobles, etc.


    ¡®Do I have to do it like this¡­?¡¯


    It was quite fun at first, but as time passed, I seemed to hit the limit of my physical strength. It was then that the old Emperor personally came to me and raised my hand.


    A cheer burst naturally, and the old Emperor tapped my back.


    ¡®This old man really likes vassals.¡¯


    It was umon to see an emperor who liked vassals too openly.


    I didn¡¯t know why, but Cardinal Basel, who was shocked by looking at it, slowly approached my direction.


    ¡®I did not hope for anything like this¡­¡¯


    It was nice to be favored by many, but in this way, the possibility of creating enemies increased.


    Of course, the results went as expected. I felt Charlotte¡¯s gaze, looking at me with displeasure. However, having the Emperor on one side and the Cardinal Basel on the other side proved to be more reliable than expected.


    ¡®I, man! Ugh! I went with them! Man! I had a drink with them! Ugh! I had a meal with them! I went to the sauna! You know! I did everything, man!¡¯


    These words continuously revolved around in my head in a mocking fashion.

 Chapter 264: 1st Princess Charlia (1)

    <h4>Chapter 264: 1st Princess Charlia (1)</h4>


    Being liked by someone was easier than one might think. Human rtionships were also not as difficult as most people thought.


    Of course, it was also important for us to have a meal together and head to the sauna at least once.


    However, the important thing was how much you could suit others¡¯ needs. What they liked, what stories they wanted, and what they wanted to hear. It was important to think through the conversation and suited them as much as possible.


    I didn¡¯t have to resist at first. I didn¡¯t even need to im my beliefs.


    If the other person was a conservative type, I listened to the story from the conservative standpoint and just agreed with it.


    If the other person is standing in a progressive position, I also listen to the story from a progressive standpoint and just agreed with it.


    That was all, really.


    It was even simpler if one were to think about the death penalty.


    If the subject was in a position in favor of the death penalty, one could just prepare information and stories that the subject wanted to hear.


    It would be even better if it sounded a little more professional. I would raise my voice, discuss the death penalty¡¯s necessity, and actively agree with the subject¡¯s words.


    Naturally, the subject had no choice but to think, ¡®Oh! We fit better than I thought! We have the same thoughts!¡¯


    Of course, I had beliefs, but that didn¡¯t matter. Just because I was in the opposite position didn¡¯t mean I had to shout it out. Most of them would get upset, or try their best to escape from the conversation if I did.


    If I wanted to show my position to the other person, I couldn¡¯t just get angry right away. I needed to take a little more time. From the moment I recognized that the subject was a good friend and a colleague expressing the same position, I could add my opinion, little by little.


    This was the way to get close to the subject, and the way for a vassal to handle the powerful.


    ¡®Cardinal Basel¡­¡¯


    In Cardinal Basel¡¯s case, this had been done for a very long time.


    As we spent time together, I kept in tune and nodded happily. It was also essential to study in advance to have a conversation.


    I had to be fluent in theology and knew well about hearsays and demons. I even took longer studying to keep up with his knowledge level than talking to him, so there would be no need for other words.


    It only took me several months to build a rtionship that couldn¡¯t be broken.


    Naturally, I was also thinking about the amount of time I would spend with the Emperor and was working on it. However, the effect was more than I could imagine.


    Sometimes, there was this case.


    No matter how much you¡¯d try to be liked by the other person, you couldn¡¯t get close to them if your fire point didn¡¯t match, leaving the conversation¡¯s topic and the disposition aside.


    Of course, the old Emperor was the opposite. It felt like our fire points fit perfectly.


    This Emperor was looking for a perfect form, and I was 100 percentpliant with that condition.


    ¡®Whoa¡­¡¯


    He was a different type of soulmate from Lee Jihye. He kept talking to me, even making me feel ufortable.


    Even as the party began after the Eight Seats of the Empire parade was over, I noticed that he wanted to keep talking. I bet this Emperor would have been stuck here if he hadn¡¯t been aware of the other nobles.


    This old man also had a lot to do. He had to talk to the influential nobles and build rtionships with the people of the Pope¡¯s side. He was naturally busy.


    Of course, the eight foreigners newly appointed as the Eight Seats of the Empire were also busy.


    Every time there was a meeting like this, we got a lot of attention, but it was the first time we received attention to this extent.


    Although the Free Cities of Lindel, Celia, and Dawan were in the Holy Empire¡¯s arms, they were always recognized as independent regions.


    The same went for the strong people in the cities that controlled them.


    Indirectly, they had a lot of influence on the Empire, but it was impossible to engage in direct activities. Since the situation hadpletely changed, it was reasonable for the influential nobles to stick to us.


    In the name of the Eight Imperial Seats, it was possible to empower the Holy Empire¡¯s politics.


    I didn¡¯t know for sure, but the aristocrats who stood in the anti-emperor group and those sensitive to changes in the situation were likely to be more sensitive to today¡¯s affairs.


    ¡°Hahaha. The cheers of the imperialists seem to keep ringing in my ears.¡±


    ¡°Of course they would. Was the fame of adventurers who settled in the Holy Empire created overnight?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Absolutely.¡±


    ¡°I heard that every kid these days have read the adventurer¡¯s journal. It was as if I was seeing the stories of heroes and warriors that I had only seen in children¡¯s books.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha. What¡¯s different from a hero or a warrior? The Eight Seats of the Empire proimed directly by Your Majesty are already heroes of the Empire.¡±


    ¡°Absolutely!¡±


    I could hear these types of talk all around me. When I saw the nobles who rushed in to talk about these kinds of things, it made me want tough.


    It had not been long since the party started, but many people were already tired.


    Cha Hee-ra was talking as numerous nobles surrounded her. A smile was painted on her lips, but I knew best than anyone else that she was on the verge of reaching her limit.


    Park Yeon-joo was leading her own conversation quite skillfully, and in Yuno Kasugano¡¯s case, she was the kind who listened to the stories around her calmly.


    The same went for the lovely returner.


    ¡®Has he learned the nobility etiquette?¡¯


    Certainly, it felt like he had the etiquette in his gestures. It was visible that he was paying more attention than usual.


    I had also learned many things by flocking with noble wives so far, but I couldn¡¯t behave as naturally as Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡®He must have put some effort in the first round¡­¡¯


    As I thought about it and turned my head, one of the nobles I was talking with, one with blond hair, continued.


    ¡°My daughter is furiously asking me to buy the adventurer¡¯s journal where Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung was introduced. She is a spoiled kid who only causes trouble, but curiously, she bes quiet if you hand over a book that¡¯s rted to you¡­ Hahaha.¡±


    ¡®He¡¯s pretty good at lying.¡¯


    Still, he had said that to win my favor. It wouldn¡¯t be bad if I epted it in moderation.


    ¡°That¡¯s such an honor, Baron Naboth. Haha. Whenever I have the time, is it okay for me to visit the estate? Of course, I don¡¯t know when that will be.¡±


    I didn¡¯t have any ns to visit, but it was still good to pretend to take him up on his offer.


    ¡°Ohh! I¡¯ll be thankful if you do that! I will be ready and waiting.¡±


    ¡°If I remember correctly, the territory that Baron Naboth rule is¡­ perhaps Garcia near the east-west¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an honor that you know, Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung. In fact, it¡¯s a trivial little manor, but it has a beautifulke called Mirror Lake, which makes it a nice ce to go for boating in the fall. Perhaps if youe with your lover, you will be able to make good memories.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Is that so?¡±


    He said that, conscious of Jung Hayan sticking to my side.


    Seeing that Jung Hayan¡¯s hand, who only had a business smile without saying anything, was clenched, it seemed like she was telling me to actually take him up on his offer.


    ¡°Ah¡­ I¡¯ve been there. Theke was a very attractive ce as if it was reflected in a mirror. When my husband was still healthy, it was a ce we visited every year.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve also been there, Duchess Catherine.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lee Kiyoung. You probably won¡¯t regret it.¡±


    ¡°Since other people also have said this, I will have to visit next year right away. Hahaha.¡±


    ¡°Hahahahahaha.¡±


    Of course, I had no intention of going. Perhaps it would be different if there were a treasure hidden in that mirrorke, but I didn¡¯t have enough time to go to that distant ce for some simple sightseeing.


    ¡®By the way, this atmosphere is great.¡¯


    It seemed like a lie that I talked about the war with the Eight Seats of the continent just a day ago.


    Seeing the nobles enjoying their leisure, things like war felt like a story of a distant country.


    I had to think that people in power were like this everywhere.


    Not only did everyone raise their sses, but the sound ofughter filled the banquet hall, and thedies continually tried to show off all their luxury.


    Some of them talked about the Empire¡¯s future, but seeing that their faces had turned red, it seemed like they had already consumed quite a few sses.


    ¡®Empty talk.¡¯


    Rather, empty talk was better. It was an irony to talk about the future of the Empire whilst being drunk.


    ¡®But I don¡¯t really care about it.¡¯


    I had a lot of things to care about besides the future of the Empire. Princess Charlotte, who kept on guarding me at this point, bothered me the most.


    ¡®Did I behave too much as a vassal?¡¯


    I bought her vignce when I increased the tempo, wanting to look good to the Emperor right away. However, the Emperor had ended up liking me too much.


    ¡®I don¡¯t think I could even get close to her¡­¡¯


    Apart from her disposition, I had the impression that Charlotte was the kind of human I could not get close to, for some reason.


    As she was someone close to being the next Empress, I would have to work hard, but it would consume so much time.


    ¡®After some time, I¡¯ll try to get close to her again¡­¡¯


    When I was busy thinking about it, something unexpected happened.


    p!


    Along with the sound, a loud voice came from somewhere.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry. I-I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡®What is that again?¡¯


    It was an incident not far away from where I was.


    One of the maids bowed her head and continued to squeeze her head, and the woman in front of her was panting as if she couldn¡¯t relieve her anger.


    Even if I don¡¯t hear what happened, I knew.


    ¡®The First Princess.¡¯


    It was the First Princess Charlia.


    Seeing that wine was spilled on the white dress she was wearing, it seemed that the maid had caused the most unfortunate ident in her life.


    The appearance of her pping a handmaid¡¯s cheek once again with a reddish face after being drunk was definitely the standard scene of a vicious viin.


    ¡®Whoa¡­¡¯


    ¡°You bitch¡­ How dare you? You bitch!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Your Majesty. K-Kill me, please.¡±


    ¡°Bring the sword. I don¡¯t think my anger will be relieved without cutting the bitch¡¯s neck right now. Hurry! Can¡¯t you hear me?!¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s apletely crazy bitch.¡¯


    Even if it wasn¡¯t her mistake, and even if she was drunk, showing that attitude was definitely a negative factor. Now I knew why the nobles didn¡¯t want to be anywhere near her.


    ¡®Does she have an anger control disorder? Does she have no conscience?¡¯


    Looking at her disposition and characteristic, I thought she was a lost cause, and seeing what she was doing now, really did make me feel that way.


    Some knights and nobles tried to calm her down, but she was already out of control.


    The appearance of the princess, who was already properly sunk in alcohol, was a drunkard itself.


    The Emperor shook his head from side to side and clicked his tongue, and the Second Princess Charlotte did her best to try and fix the case.


    It was then that something interesting caught my eye.


    ¡°This one is peculiar. This¡­¡±


    As the maid repeatedly apologized to the First Princess, I appraised her with Mind¡¯s Eye.


    It was no big deal. I just thought it was definitely strange. All her stats were more than 60.


    ¡®You said that such a woman stumbled and fell?¡¯


    I bet it was impossible even if the sky copsed. I could only think that the wine was spilled as part of it for some purpose.


    For example, the purpose of lowering the image of First Princess Charlia.


    Someone probably wanted to make a crazy bitch look even crazier. It was almost obvious as to who the culprit was.


    ¡®Charlotte.¡¯


    The reason was also simple.


    ¡®She¡¯s much greedier than I thought.¡¯


    The invisible fight for the Empress title had already begun a long time ago.

 Chapter 265: 1st Princess Charlia (2)

    <h4>Chapter 265: 1st Princess Charlia (2)</h4>


    ¡°Princess, calm down¡­¡±


    ¡°I told you to get my sword as quickly as possible!¡±


    ¡°P-Princess!¡±


    ¡°Right now! Can¡¯t you hear me? Is there anybody capable enough of doing this?¡±


    The angered Princess could not even properly control her body.


    She was definitely drunk. If someone knew what the First Princess Charlia was like, they had caused this incident at the very best time.


    There were various circumstances to simply dismiss this as a minor happening.


    Right now, the First Princess, Charlia, may look like a psychopath, but this was not a causeless effect.


    ¡®This was all properly nned.¡¯


    It was also done when Charlia was out of her senses, so the person who caused this must have been rejoicing within.


    I didn¡¯t know if the culprit was really Charlotte or a noble under her control, but the situation had be so chaotic that it was no longer possible to fix it just as the one who caused this wanted.


    Charlia staggered and bumped into tables all over the ce. The food and the bottles on the table began to fall on the floor with a rumbling sound.


    The weak-hearteddies had begun to scream while avoiding the broken ss, while the noblemen couldn¡¯t figure out how to react.


    In the meantime, Charlia, who couldn¡¯t figure out the situation, was yelling to bring her sword, and the maid standing in the position of the perfect victim was showing off a performance in a simr level to our guild¡¯s Ahn Ki-mo.


    ¡®It¡¯s a mess¡­ It¡¯s a real mess.¡¯


    The most prestigious banquet in the Empire quickly turned into space where the city officers drank cheap rum.


    It was also not unreasonable for the atmosphere to suddenly be awkward.


    In the midst of this, the Emperor, the father of this crazy woman, turned his head and clucked his tongue, almost as if he didn¡¯t want to see this anymore.


    I could understand why the First Princess had be like this. This just reminded me of how much I had neglected Tol To-ri in the past.


    Of course, the drunken woman was still screaming her head off.


    ¡°How dare¡­ you bitches look down on me?! Are you bitches looking down on me, too?¡±


    ¡°I-It¡¯s not that, Princess.¡±


    ¡°If not, why don¡¯t you move even after hearing mymand¡­? Ugh¡­¡±


    ¡°P-Princess.¡±


    ¡°Let go of me. Didn¡¯t I tell you to let go of me right now?!¡±


    ¡°You seem a little drunk¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not drunk.¡±


    ¡°P-Please, just calm down.¡±


    Baron Naboth was now cringing, almost as if he found all this terrible.


    Of course, I had begun to speak at this point. Since there was little information about the First Princess, I wanted to hear more about her in detail.


    ¡°Baron Naboth, she¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. This is¡­ Charlia the First Princess of the Empire.¡±


    Seeing that he went silent after that, it seemed that he was not bold enough to openly gossip about the Princess.


    However, just by looking at his distorted face, I could predict how bad she was.


    Today couldn¡¯t just be the first time. There must have been various incidents that had taken ce in the past.


    I could be sure that she would have had caused troubles alone, even if Charlotte or the nobles under her did not step forward. I thought about sorting out the situation, but I was not the main character who would end this event.


    As expected, shortly afterward, female knights appeared from one side, and Charlotte quietly opened her mouth to the knights while calming the people at the party.


    Only one word from her was enough to clear up the chaotic hall.


    ¡°She looks very tired. Take care of the First Princess.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Princess, we¡¯ll take you to the bedroom.¡±


    ¡°Let go of me! I told you to let me go!¡±


    Despite the guardianing, she still continued to struggle. It was embarrassing to call such a being a Princess.


    I bet, if it were an ordinary noble doing that, they would have been overpowered and rolling on the ground.


    It was not easy to deal with her even from the knights¡¯ standpoint as she kept struggling and shaking off their hands.


    It seemed that Charlotte was trying to handle it carefully, trying not to hurt Charlia, but in some ways, she seemed to be taking as much time as possible.


    ¡®Does she want to show this scene a little more¡­?¡¯


    If I were Charlotte, I would have dyed the time as much as possible. That way, the crowd here would know just how trashy the First Princess was.


    They were not expressing it, but what these people were thinking was very much obvious.


    ¡®Is that a Princess¡­¡¯


    ¡®The future of the Empire is dark¡­¡¯


    It was then that the situation surrounding the First Princess changed.


    ¡°Uhhhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°Aaahh!¡±


    The Princess¡¯s body, who staggered and tried to shake off the hands of the knights, suddenly tilted. Embarrassingly, she fell towards our side.


    The disloyal Baron Naboth sneakily left with a grotesque scream, but I couldn¡¯t find it in me to escape.


    ¡®Should I take this, or not¡­¡¯


    thoughts passed by.


    I was worried about whether it was right to intervene here or not.


    It was obvious that there was nothing good about being associated with the First Princess, who was already falling into hell. It meant that taking a step back and watching was a more beautiful picture.


    ¡®I think that¡­¡¯


    It was only right to ept it.


    Many eyes were watching. Many nobles, and their daughters and wives, were focused on the scene, so it would not be bad to save her from bing a frog.


    It was better to show that I had manners rather than not showing any help.


    Since anything could happen, physical contact was out of the question.


    As I quickly flicked my fingers, a dragon¡¯s palm popped out of the ground with a crackling sound to catch her.


    ¡°Let go of me!¡±


    It was ugly and heartbreaking to see her scream as if she thought that the knight had gotten her.


    While the nobles were looking at her and me with their eyes wide open, the struggling Charlia leaned on the dragon¡¯s hand and began to calm down after a long time.


    She was all out of stamina.


    ¡®Did she fall asleep?¡¯


    As I slowly went to her, I saw her face with her head, furtively raised.


    Since she was looking up at me, it looked like she hadn¡¯t fallen asleep yet.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you okay? Your Majesty¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s quite good. What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about¡­?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re quite good-looking.¡±


    Augh came out of me because I found it all so ridiculous.


    ¡®You¡¯re crawling into the ground.¡¯


    She was talking as if she was conversing with a male prostitute.


    ¡°You seem to be drunk, Your Majesty. Please sleep. Rest assured that I will take care of you.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Okay¡­ I¡¯ll try. If I am satisfied, I will give you a thick¡­ gold coin¡­¡±


    As she nodded and started to doze off, it seemed that her physical strength was already at the limit. There was no choice for me but to smile for now.


    This was because the Emperor had already begun to look at me in an apologetic manner.


    Even seeing himing to speak to me directly, it seemed to me that he was embarrassed to have shown this type of scenario.


    ¡°Ahem¡­ I made you see what shouldn¡¯t be seen.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Your Majesty. Anyone can make mistakes.¡±


    ¡°Tsk tsk¡­ I can¡¯t even face anyone. Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung¡­ I will definitely repay you for today.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t hoping for anything. Haha.¡±


    ¡°Ahem¡­ No.¡±


    ¡°Rather, it is an honor to be able to help, Your Majesty.¡±


    The Second Princess, who was suspected to be the culprit, also seemed to have thought that this was not a bad finish. She was already busy organizing and controlling the hall.


    In the end, there was only one loser in thismotion.


    Charlia was the only victim here, being dragged and leaning onto the knights.


    If she was sane, she¡¯d remember the mistakes she made today as soon as she would wake up tomorrow.


    ¡®She¡¯ll want to run away in embarrassment.¡¯


    Princess Charlia had just sessfully showed all the delegates here how hopeless the future of the Empire would be if it were in her hands.


    Of course, it was obvious from the beginning, but in this case, I could confidently say that the victim was a fool.


    Rather, if she had generously forgiven the maid, she could have given a different impression than usual.


    Her first mistake was to drink wine without thinking, and the second was that she let it intoxicate her.


    ¡®She can¡¯t be the Empress.¡¯


    Now, the delegates¡¯ opinion of Charlotte would rise.


    This was natural, was it not? One was ipetent and a wicked woman, and the other was meticulous and had a wise king¡¯s qualities.


    ¡®There¡¯s an obvious victor even if they haven¡¯t proimed it yet.¡¯


    For the future of the Empire, it was obvious as to who would be selected as the sessor.


    This stupid Emperor, who continued to talk next to me, seemed to have already appointed the second Princess, Charlotte, as his sessor.


    ¡°But I¡¯m d Charlotte is good with this.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha. She must be very reliable.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ She is. My only concern is the stupid thing you saw earlier. I shouldn¡¯t have brought her today. Tsk¡­¡±


    ¡°Everyone has their own dark times.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung is right. Thank you for saying so. Yes¡­ I should think so¡­¡±


    It was obvious that, although he was speaking ill of Charlia as if he was disappointed, it did not mean that he wanted me to do the same.


    Even though she had fallen out of favor with the Emperor, she was still his child and blood.


    I thought the words he wanted to hear would be words to relieve his worries, and I was right.


    ¡®Still, he must like the Second Princess more.¡¯


    At this point, the Second Princess had begun to approach us.


    She was approaching the way a triumphal general who had already cleared up everything and won the war would. She already sent back the maid, who spilled the wine, and the floor was neatly clean. She cleared it out perfectly as if there had been nomotion from the beginning.


    Realizing that she was apetent human being, my heart began to flutter without my knowledge.


    ¡®Long live, Her Majesty Charlotte!¡¯


    Although it was not yet final, I was already ready to serve her to the best of my ability.


    It would take a while as we didn¡¯t get off to a good start, but my efforts would prove to be satisfying in the end.


    When I was about to speak, her gaze fell on me in the same way as one might appraise a cockroach.


    ¡°You worked hard¡­¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty, it is veryte. I think it would be better for me to get going.¡±


    ¡°Right. Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung is¡­¡±


    ¡°I will express my gratitude instead. I am worried about your health¡­¡±


    ¡°So, I¡¯ll be doing that.¡±


    Seeing her turning her back on me,pletely ignoring my existence, made my teeth clench.


    ¡®This rotten bitch¡­¡¯

 Chapter 266: 1st Princess Charlia (3)

    <h4>Chapter 266: 1st Princess Charlia (3)</h4>


    ¡°He¡¯s been tamed.¡±


    ¡°¡­ ¡­¡±


    ¡°You should have controlled the old man properly. Anyone can see that the Emperor seems too friendly, but it¡¯s not unusual for the princess to be wary. I think I know what kind of person she is just by looking at her. Anyone can also see that you two don¡¯t match. Rather, she seems to hate you. I don¡¯t understand. How can she hate someone like you?¡±


    I could be likable to her, but it was definitely different for the princess.


    ¡°This time, it¡¯s your mistake. Of course, I didn¡¯t even think that the Emperor would like you that much.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    After the party was over, I couldn¡¯t properly register what Lee Jihye was saying. Indeed, I couldn¡¯t refute anything.


    It would be natural for her to be wary of me since the ns I had for up to a month or two had ended within the span of one day.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be hard for the Princess to beat you, since you¡¯re also a member of the Eight Seats of the Empire, and considering your rtionship with other nobles and the Pope¡¯s side, it would be even harder. I think there is a high possibility that she will contact you at the right time.¡±


    ¡°After taming is over?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think so? She is not stupid enough to push you away just because you two don¡¯t match. If she¡¯s just doing this because she doesn¡¯t like you, you can assume that she¡¯s simr to that stupid First Princess. That would mark the end of this Empire.¡±


    I had to nod.


    ¡®She¡¯s not that stupid.¡¯


    There may be many reasons other than the ones Lee Jihye said.


    Perhaps the reason was that I maintained a lot of close rtions with other nobles. Perhaps she didn¡¯t want my influence to grow anymore within the group.


    She understood that my valuation would skyrocket if even the next Empress herself showed favoritism to me.


    I¡¯ve already shown a friendly rtionship with the Emperor in front of many people, and everyone knew about my close rtionship with the Pope¡¯s side.


    She might have thought that minimal inhibitors would have been needed.


    ¡®That¡¯s herself¡­¡¯


    Another reason was that she might¡¯ve thought that the Pope¡¯s side sent me here.


    The Crown and the Pope¡¯s side were basically living together in the same boat of the Holy Empire, but they were still fighting a subtle power battle.


    If she considered the fact that I was approaching the Emperor with a certain purpose, it would make sense for Charlotte to ignore me.


    Well, whatever the reason, the issue was exactly as Lee Jihye said.


    ¡®I have to tame her.¡¯


    ¡°You must¡¯ve been pretty annoyed. She will probably and gradually reduce your political position¡­¡±


    ¡°You mean cut off my hands and feet?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t know if she can do that much¡­ She¡¯ll probably just crush you only enough to stop you from sticking out like a sore thumb, and perhaps there will be a secret contact after that. Honestly, your current self is too big for the Princess to eat. After reducing you to a suitable size, she would probably swallow you in one bite.¡±


    ¡°This is annoying¡­ I don¡¯t know how long this work willst, and I honestly don¡¯t like that she¡¯s trying to beat me. Since the Pope¡¯s side or Duchess Catherine¡¯s a fixed power, there¡¯ll be no problem, but¡­¡±


    ¡®I can lose more than that.¡¯


    ¡°Are you worried about losing more than that?¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    Lee Jihye was like a ghost lurking in my mind and knowing all my thoughts.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. She will probably not do that much. She might want topromise properly. If you yield now, you can get bigger thingster¡­ Wouldn¡¯t it be nice to slowly control the Princess after yielding once? It¡¯s like a frog thrown in a lukewarm ce. Oppa, you¡¯re good at that. Pretending to be on the same side and backstabbing themter on.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll ept it as apliment.¡±


    We indeed had very simr thoughts.


    Of course, I also agreed with Lee Jihye in this part.


    If I yielded once, there was a possibility that I could change the Princess to suit my taste.


    The supporting forces that the Princess defeated would alsoe back. Rather, they may have grown stronger than before.


    ¡°Still¡­ To do that, you are¡­¡±


    ¡°Right. I have a lot of doubts¡­¡±


    If it was my belief or my pride that she wants to take away or step on, I could give it to her, but if it was power or something materialistic, I¡¯d be reluctant to give it up.


    ¡°I will never give up on this aspect.¡±


    ¡°So, does that mean you want to fight with the Princess?¡±


    ¡°But to get on the wrong side of the next Empress, it¡¯s a little bit¡­ I¡¯ll have to find a way. I still have a little time.¡±


    ¡°I thought you would, but¡­ as expected. Is there anything I need to prepare in advance?¡±


    ¡°Not yet. I have a lot to think about, too. Let¡¯s stop talking about this. I will tell you if there is anything thates to mindter. You should also think of other ways. I¡¯m so annoyed that I¡¯ve already had so many headaches. Oh, more than that, how was the meal?¡±


    ¡°What meal?¡±


    ¡°At that time, after we went to meet the Emperor, we ate separately.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ What are you curious about?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m curious if Hayan has adapted well.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t bad. She talked well¡­ She seemed a little annoyed to be separated from you¡­ she was very depressed.¡±


    ¡°Did anything happen?¡±


    ¡°One of the attendants from Dawan was quite interested in Hayan.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It was fine until mealtime, but the man slightly touched her shoulder to talk after it was over¡­¡±


    ¡°And then?¡±


    ¡°Well, he was just crushed. I don¡¯t know if it was magic, but the room was distorted, and the man¡¯s arm was crunching. It was a mess. He was screaming, and I could see the magical power running through his shoulders¡­ it was fortunate to have a priest among the attendants who came with him because he would have been crippled.¡±


    ¡°Why are you telling me this now¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, we agreed to bury the incident. I didn¡¯t even have time to meet you. After that, she looked a little embarrassed¡­ I predict that she wouldn¡¯t even tell you about it. Everyone knows that this could be a problem, so we decided to pretend that nothing happened. And it¡¯s not like the man didn¡¯t make a mistake.¡±


    ¡°So, you agreed with her.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s wrong to touch ady¡¯s body. Well, we didn¡¯t want things to grow because she is one of the most powerful wizards in Lindel. That¡¯s why power is good, right?¡±


    Jung Hayan seemed to be under a little more stress than I thought.


    She didn¡¯t show it whenever she was with me, but her dissatisfaction must have umted as her time away from me got even longer.


    I had to be grateful that Lee Jihye was helping me around.


    ¡®Because I don¡¯t have time to take care of her.¡¯


    I wanted to express my gratitude to Park Yeon-joo, who had agreed to bring Lee Jihye as an attendant.


    ¡®She seems to adapt well, too¡­¡¯


    Considering that most of the attendants had a strong force, she was adjusting very well. It even felt like she was more proactive.


    Lee Jihye was Lee Jihye, after all.


    As if she was conscious that I was looking at her with a strange expression, she tucked her hair behind her ear and opened her mouth.


    ¡°There was no incident other than that. The atmosphere wasn¡¯t good after that, but what can I do? The top heads are really close. It will probablye back to normal soon. I think he roughly heard about Jung Hayan. I can tell just by seeing the change in his attitude.¡±


    ¡°If so, that¡¯s good. If this case ever grows, tell me.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t. There¡¯s no need for you to interfere directly¡­ but just have a word with Hayan. It doesn¡¯t matter that I fixed it, but it honestly scared the hell out of me.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll warn her.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. Anyway, that¡¯s it, then?¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Nuna.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I also gained something. If you need help, just tell me. Oh, and about the Princess, she¡¯s a must. You have to set the route so that I can decide how to move.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Then see you next time, my love.¡±


    Lee Jihye stood up, kissed my cheek, and then went out.


    Seeing that she didn¡¯t say anything about the ¡®body talk¡¯ as usual, it seems that she felt slightly bothered by Jung Hayan and the scene that Hayan had caused.


    ¡®It must have been a surprise.¡¯


    I thought that maybe Jung Hayan¡¯s face was more memorable than the shattered hand of that stupid man.


    Even I, who was always with Jung Hayan, couldn¡¯t get used to the face she made whenever she was really annoyed.


    ¡®I need to have a word with her.¡¯


    I remember that when I asked, she definitely said not much has happened. Even though it was fixed now, she had lied, so it would be right to give her a warning. I had a feeling that I¡¯d been letting her loose too muchtely.


    Since we¡¯d be seeing each other less from now on, it would not be bad to take her to the woodshed.


    Just in time, I could hear the door opening and closing.


    It was obvious who it was, so I immediately opened my mouth.


    ¡°Come and sit down.¡±


    It was natural to show a different voice than usual.


    It only worked when I showed that I was very angry. An uncertain attitude did not work anymore with Jung Hayan, who had gotten cleverer.


    Probably by now, she was wondering about whether she shoulde in or not, reflecting on her mistakes.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you not to lie?¡±


    She was definitely wondering. Perhaps something hade to her mind.


    ¡°No. Rather, stand at the door and answer. I don¡¯t want to see your face right now.¡±


    If I saw her crying, I would get soft.


    It was hard to hear, but by now, it was clear that she was shedding thick tears.


    However, it was then that a different voice was heard.


    ¡°Er¡­ Kiyoung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    The visitor was not Jung Hayan, but Kim Hyunsung. It felt like my face turned red instantly. Kim Hyunsung looked at me, sticking his neck.


    He seemed to think that he had done something wrong, but seeing my face; he realized that he had misunderstood.


    However, he was wondering if it was okay toe in without having figured it out.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Come and sit down. I thought you were Hayan¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, no. It¡¯s fine. Rather, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m the one who came so suddenly.¡±


    We were both embarrassed. It was hard to fix the gaze. In this case, it was only right to go straight to the point.


    Kim Hyunsung nodded as if he was thinking the same, and when I saw that, I had to speak right away.


    ¡°Has anything happened¡­?¡±


    ¡°Oh. I have a little¡­ Well¡­ I don¡¯t know what to say. I came here for a personal request.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Please tell me anything.¡±


    ¡®If he asks, I have to do it.¡¯


    If I were to think about it, Kim Hyunsung never asked me to do something directly. For some reason, I was proud, and I began to feel curious since I couldn¡¯t figure out what he needed.


    It was also strange that he had something to ask suddenly at this timing.


    ¡®What could it be?¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung looked quite serious.


    The awkward atmosphere suddenly disappeared.


    It felt like he continued to worry while trying to speak. He seemed to keep thinking about whether his judgment was correct.


    And then, with an embarrassed expression, he spoke.


    ¡°I want to stop the Second Princess Charlotte from bing the Empress.¡±

 Chapter 267: 1st Princess Charlia (4)

    <h4>Chapter 267: 1st Princess Charlia (4)</h4>


    ¡®What is this suddenly?¡¯


    Anyone could see that it was an embarrassing request.


    I kind of knew that our lovely returner was thinking about something, but I couldn¡¯t imagine it would be this.


    ¡®Why?¡¯


    When my expression shifted into doubt, Hyunsung continued talking. I didn¡¯t ask why, but he had noticed my skepticism by himself.


    Of course, he couldn¡¯t seem to be able to exin in detail. I couldn¡¯t me him - he couldn¡¯t just straight up confess that he¡¯de from the first timeline.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I hope you don¡¯t ask why. I will return this favor¡­¡±


    ¡°No. You don¡¯t even have to think of it as a favor. You must have a reason. If it¡¯s something that helps the guild or our party¡­¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s nothing like that. It¡¯s personal¡­¡±


    He could¡¯ve just said it was for the guild, but when I saw him drawing a line with this personal thing, I thought that this was so like him.


    ¡®Tsk tsk.¡¯


    Of course, it was personal.


    Charlotte was wary of me, but considering the Holy Empire as a whole, her bing Empress was the only way to go for this Empire.


    The current Emperor was a shameful figure to even be called an Emperor, and the First Princess, Charlia, was crazy.


    Of course, it was easier for me to handle the Emperor or the First Princess, but if I considered the Empire¡¯s development to be more important, I would unconditionally exercise a vote for Charlotte.


    ¡®I don¡¯t even need to exercise it.¡¯


    Charlotte was practically next in line for Empress.


    The First Princess was a troublemaker of this insane imperial family, and the session structure was limited. The Emperor also seemed to think of Charlotte as his sessor, so unless a twist happened, she would safely rise to the throne.


    ¡®And she may already have¡­¡¯


    Charlotte was likely the Empress even in the first round. No, it was not just a probability.


    The fact that Kim Hyunsung said he wanted to prevent her from bing Empress was in line with the saying that the First Empress had been her.


    I didn¡¯t know why Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t want her to be Empress, but I had two guesses.


    ¡®Will she go crazy?¡¯


    The first was if Charlotte would be the worst tyrant ever in the future. It was not impossible.


    Considering that she tried to ostracize Charlia, she was not a nice person, either.


    Although her characteristic and disposition were closer to goodness, she didn¡¯t hesitate to swing her sword against those who she judged to be her enemy.


    It was not unusual for her to be a blood-crazy Empress, given her cold appearance.


    For Kim Hyunsung, who must lead the second round sessfully, it was natural that he did not want to entrust the country to the tyrant of the first round.


    However, looking at his face, I thought that this spection had to be put aside.


    There was no hatred toward her in his face.


    ¡®He may be hiding it, but¡­¡¯


    I had a strong feeling that he was feeling sorry for her.


    The second one that can be guessed was the miserable life of Empress Charlotte.


    If she couldn¡¯t bear the crown¡¯s weight, whether she felt ashamed of herself or her bing an Empress, it would have been miserable.


    Charlotte herself may have regretted she ascended to the throne, and Kim Hyunsung may have watched it.


    I didn¡¯t know their story, but I thought that the second guess might fit when I saw him asking me without malice.


    If not¡­


    ¡®What if the First Princess bes an all-time high Empress?¡¯


    No matter how I think, it was not the third guess.


    The First Princess I saw was a crazy bitch full of ego and poison and was a hopeless fool.


    If this was the case, Kim Hyunsung should have said that he wanted to make the First Princess Empress before saying he wanted to prevent the Second Princess from bing Empress.


    No matter how I would think about it, the third was out of the question. The probability lied in either my first or second guess.


    It seemed like it wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to talk about this first.


    ¡°Is there anything I don¡¯t know about?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ a little¡­¡±


    ¡°I see. Actually, I¡¯m talking about it for the first time, but the Second Princess Charlotte was hostile to me as well. It would certainly be difficult if such a person became the Empress.¡±


    ¡°Yes. You¡¯re right. That¡¯s why.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it perfectly so she can¡¯te back again¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t have to. As moderate as possible¡­ I¡¯ll be satisfied if she doesn¡¯t be the Empress.¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s the second.¡¯


    The second was indeed correct. Kim Hyunsung favored Charlotte.


    Even though he could be favorable because she was a bloody Empress in the first round, these spections were now meaningless.


    The important thing was that Kim Hyunsung did not want to make the Second Princess Empress.


    ¡°I understand what you want. I also understand you can¡¯t answer the questions.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your understanding.¡±


    ¡°Not at all. There are many things that I have received so far, so I have to pay back¡­ and we are colleagues after all.¡±


    ¡°That means¡­¡±


    He looked very touched.


    ¡®That¡¯s right.¡¯


    The more requests like this, the better.


    Just in time, I should have set a course. I was thinking about her, too.


    It wasn¡¯t bad that I felt like Kim Hyunsung opened the way, but it was true that my head hurt when I were to think about quarreling with the Second Princess.


    Naturally, it would be almost impossible to end it well.


    There would be friction in any way, and even if I assume I¡¯ll win this dogfight, Charlotte was likely to get hurt.


    ¡®I don¡¯t care, but¡­¡¯


    The question was whether Kim Hyunsung would tolerate it. It was natural to check with him before starting work, and when I opened my mouth quietly, there was a moment of silence.


    ¡°You must have expected it, but it won¡¯t end well.¡±


    But it looked like he has already made up his mind.


    ¡°Okay. Please, do so.¡±


    He looked a little bit bitter, but I was able to set my mind right.


    ¡®Charlotte is an enemy.¡¯


    There were absolutely no personal bad feelings left. If it wasn¡¯t for Kim Hyunsung¡¯s words, there was a high possibility that I would have taken the Charlotte route without difficulty.


    That was the reasonable decision with the biggest gain.


    The reason I came to think this way, however, was because of Kim Hyunsung. I couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    * * *


    Thanks to that, my daily life, which was already busy, became a little busier.


    It was obvious why.


    I had to organize yesterday¡¯s work.


    I already told Lee Jihye the route I would move, and she nodded without saying anything as if she had expected it.


    I heard, ¡®I knew you would. That¡¯s how Lee Kiyoung works,¡¯ but it was not because of personal bad feelings.


    Although it seemed she misunderstood, it would be better if Lee Jihye moved with a strong will.


    Of course, Lee Jihye wasn¡¯t the only one who moved quickly.


    For some reason, even Cha Hee-ra said, ¡®As expected, honey. If you need anything, tell me,¡± and with that, she said she would help; and Yuno Kasugano obviously decided to cooperate with me.


    Even the rest of Blue wasn¡¯t still.


    Kim Hyunsung was a little more motivated than usual, and he was able to entrust a few things to Jung Hayan.


    In the meantime, I was also running around and promoting meetings with influential nobles.


    It was the usual schedule, but, naturally, the inside story was different.


    If the meetings until now were to maintain a close rtionship, this time, I had to use the close ties I had gained.


    It meant that, since I¡¯d tapped the anvil and hammer, it was time to pull out the finished knife and swing it.


    Of course, the finished weapons were waiting for me to judge who the enemy was, and once I did, I thought there might be repercussions.


    Anyone could see that the Second Princess¡¯s position was solid, and turning my back on her was like turning away from power.


    ¡®Duchess Catherine¡­ and the Count Castle Rock.¡¯


    They might be reluctant.


    No matter how close we maintained our friendly rtionship, throwing a dice saying that they were hostile to Charlotte would still be hard.


    Of course, the Pope¡¯s side would support me, but considering that the Imperial Family and the Pope¡¯s side were not very involved in each other, there was a high possibility that my position as Honorary Bishop would not be utilized.


    ¡®It¡¯s hard¡­¡¯


    Charlotte might not know that I was hostile to her. But sooner orter, she would.


    ¡®I have to choose the route well.¡¯


    To be honest, I¡¯ve already thought of a way.


    No, the options were limited, anyway. It was either I go right into Charlotte¡¯s camp and troll it to divide the camppletely¡­


    ¡®Or I make Charlia the Empress¡­¡¯


    Honestly, I was reluctant about them both, but there was no other option.


    ¡®The other way is treason.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t want my neck to be cut off by the guillotine, so I couldn¡¯t help it.


    In the meantime, since Charlotte was wary of me, doing this was out of the question.


    In the end, I had no choice but to choose thetter, but this was, in a sense, a disaster for the Empire.


    Perhaps Kim Hyunsung took this into ount and had asked me the favor.


    In fact, to stop the Second Princess from bing Empress was the same as telling me to make the First Princess the Empress.


    ¡®So, he means that it doesn¡¯t matter if the Empire copses?¡¯


    Or, he must have believed that I could control the First Princess.


    Of course, even if I set up Charlia¡¯s camp, the problem would lie after that.


    The First Princess was still an imperial nuisance, and many nobles had turned their backs to her.


    She had no support base, and she was not capable.


    ¡®It will be tougher than I thought.¡¯


    It was not just tough. However, I had to choose the most obvious option.


    While I was about to meet Charlia, who wanted to thank me for thest party, I saw the maids¡¯ faces at the ce where the First Princess stayed, leaving me to think about her characteristic more and more.


    ¡®Cra¡ªzy.¡¯


    All of the maids I encountered looked terrified, and they were extremely nervous that something would happen. It was obvious as to how she usually treated her subordinates.


    I bet that there would be no good days for the maids who lived here.


    ¡®Real trash.¡¯


    It was also true that I was slightly nervous.


    Originally, I wanted to avoid being associated with Charlia as much as possible, but what could I do in this situation?


    ¡®I have to face it once.¡¯


    ¡°E-er¡­ Your Majesty. L-L¡­ Lee Kiyoung-nim hase.¡±


    After the voice of the maid, who was shivering, a voice brighter than I thought came out from the inside.


    ¡°Really? Tell him toe in.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Your Majesty.¡±


    It was a very different voice from yesterday.


    It sounded a bit sharp, but I would not be mistaken that it sounded more careful than I thought.


    After the door opened, what I saw was Charlia waiting for me in the parlor with her hair and make-up done.


    I don¡¯t know if it was because of my characteristic, but her eyes, looking at me, were full of favor.


    It was a spectacle to see her smiling with a shy face.


    It was enough to doubt my eyes if she was the same person as the woman I saw yesterday.


    ¡°I am Charlia.¡±

 Chapter 268: 1st Princess Charlia (5)

    <h4>Chapter 268: 1st Princess Charlia (5)</h4>


    Her tinum hair, considered a symbol of the royal family, was stretched, and her high-rise nose and long eyshes were surely considered a beauty.


    It may be because they were of the same blood, and although I can see that she resembles Charlotte overall, they had differences on the face.


    Of course, the impression itself was not that good.


    She continued to smile, but even so, it didn¡¯t mean that her vicious nature would dissipate.


    In fact, what stood out more than her face was what she was wearing.


    ¡®How much is all that?¡¯


    Upon seeing that she was adorned with all kinds of jewels that anyone would think were gorgeous, my eyes widened.


    Rings withrge jewels and rings with borate carving patterns were ced on her fingers, and the small earrings on her ears were reflected by the lighting through the window and shimmered.


    The gorgeous ne, enough to think that her neck might get stiff, was located in the center of her exposed chest.


    The dress she was wearing was not ordinary by any means. It wasn¡¯t a brand I knew, but that was why it was more valuable. It must be a dress made by a famous designer in the kingdom.


    What was a little peculiar was that her upper body¡¯s exposure was considerable, but it didn¡¯t feel vulgar.


    Overall, I felt like she was being too much, but I couldn¡¯t deny that this suited her well.


    As I looked at her, realizing that the introduction waste, I quietly bowed and opened my mouth.


    Inwardly, I thought that tens of thousands of hungry people would be able to eat to the fullest by selling just one of the things she was wearing, but there was no way I could show this.


    ¡°I¡¯m Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I know you. Honorary Bishop Kiyoung Lee. I¡¯m thinking of having some tea, do you¡­?¡±


    ¡°Anything simple is fine.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve heard it, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, Your Majesty.¡±


    Charlia looked at the maid to see if she had heard it, and she trembled and answered.


    ¡®By the way, this one also has a brazen-faced¡­¡¯


    Even though she looked like a fool when I first saw her, looking at her pretending to be a normal person was indeed funny.


    It didn¡¯t look bad, as it meant that she could at least judge what was right and what was wrong, but it looked ridiculous for the maids.


    Contrary to what I thought that I had to wait a bit, two sses were served along with several kinds of refreshments as soon as the maid went out.


    ¡®It¡¯s very fast.¡¯


    Some things had been arranged on the table beforehand, but several maids still stuck to the table.


    Unlike their anxious expressions, their body didn¡¯t have an inch of error like a well-trained soldier.


    Even though there were already more than ten types of refreshments on the table, more refreshments were constantly popping up.


    The maid, pouring tea slowly into an empty cup, looked to be praying for the taste of this tea to suit my taste.


    The maid who was pouring the cup to the First Princess seemed to be praying not to make a mistake.


    As I naturally raised the cup, as usual, the maids¡¯ faces focused on me.


    ¡®It¡¯s so ufortable.¡¯


    It was obvious why. They may be wondering if the tea suited my taste.


    If I said something negative here, the handmaids¡¯ wrists may be blown away.


    As I quietly nodded and opened my mouth, I saw two of them grabbing their chests as I expected.


    ¡°It tastes good. Of course, the scent is good, too.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d that it suits your taste. I was worried that it wouldn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s definitely new, but it¡¯s good. It feels like it calms me down¡­ and it feels like it makes me drowsy, too. There is also a feeling that it¡¯s warming my body.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a tea that was brought from the faraway Elven Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°Ohh. Is that so?¡±


    ¡®Elven Kingdom, my ass.¡¯


    When I felt something in my body, I looked at the tea in my hand, and the additives in the tea began to shine.


    [Rafflesia¡¯s Petals (Common)]


    ¡®Aphrodisiac.¡¯


    It was so ridiculous that I wanted tough.


    ¡®This crazy woman.¡¯


    Her n to pretend to call me to express an apology and gratitude was ridiculous.


    She used very small amounts to make it inconspicuous, but it was obvious as to what her purpose was.


    My heart rate gradually increased, and the woman in front of me suddenly looked more attractive.


    As I continued to look at her with the Mind¡¯s Eye, I realized that tea was not the only thing that contained aphrodisiac ingredients.


    It was also mixed with Charlia¡¯s body and scent. To put it simply, it was filling up thisrge room little by little.


    I didn¡¯t know if she wanted to take more time to explore each other, but if the quantity was this much, it seemed that she wanted to make me look at her as a woman.


    ¡®Is she influenced?¡¯


    Not all crazy girls seemed to be influenced by my unique characteristic, but this Princess seemed to have a pretty big crush on me.


    Putting her characteristic aside, she must have heard that I had defended her in front of the Emperor.


    ¡®I guess I can use her¡­¡¯


    However, this method made me ufortable.


    I wasn¡¯t that much affected because I had a pretty strong immunity to the drug, but seeing her continuously give out suggestive signals was a little annoying.


    The scent from her body kept tickling me, and she was attractive enough.


    My gaze kept moving toward her chest, and there was also a desire to kiss her vicious face.


    However, obviously, I couldn¡¯t do that. Honestly, I didn¡¯t want to get involved in anything other than work with her.


    And the Anemone¡¯s eyes that suddenly popped up was bothering me, too.


    ¡®Why are there so many things bothering me?¡¯


    However, I had no choice but to keepining.


    Contrary to me, who had manyplex thoughts, Charlia slightly bowed her head as if she felt that things were going well.


    ¡°I should have told you this first¡­ I would like to apologize for being rude the other day formally. Of course, I also want to thank you for helping me after that¡­¡±


    It seems that she received such education as she spoke to me like a graceful royal family. I had to take it in moderation, too.


    To her, what happened that day would be a shameful incident that she would want to erase.


    However, it would be advantageous to be more honest with each other for future conversations.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s not something to apologize for, and I didn¡¯t give great help to hear this. Anyone can make mistakes¡­ and I¡¯m sure you were having a hard time. No, before that, I can also understand why the Princess couldn¡¯t hold her anger.¡±


    I could see she was disconcerted.


    However, as if it was hard to say that she agreed with me, she probably thought that she should start with excuses.


    Of course, this was not the kind of reaction I wanted.


    ¡°Ah. It¡¯s not that I couldn¡¯t hold my anger¡­ I was too¡­¡±


    ¡°No. Since the dress you wore for an important party was ruined. It was also because of a maid¡¯s mistake. Of course, I understand. Yes.¡±


    ¡°No, I was having a hard time then¡­ To be precise, it wasn¡¯t that I couldn¡¯t control myself¡­¡±


    She kept ying coy with me. I had to talk more honestly since she still couldn¡¯t seem to catch the point.


    It was because it seemed that she could only understand it by speaking openly.


    ¡°Princess, I¡¯m not that good a person.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡±


    ¡°It literally means that. To be honest, I am a very bad person. Even if you had your maid¡¯s neck cut off at that ce that day, I wouldn¡¯t have cared that much. I am a selfish person, and¡­ if only me and the people around me were okay, it didn¡¯t really matter what happens with anybody.¡±


    ¡°¡­ ¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh! I am like Charlia-nim.¡±


    ¡°What does it mean to say that we are the same¡­?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m also a person who has to give a disadvantage to the person who has harmed me in some way to be satisfied. I bet, if the same thing happened to me at the party, I could beughing on the outside, but I¡¯d be thinking differently on the inside.¡±


    ¡°¡­ ¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to hold in one¡¯s anger. In such a situation¡­ you have to pay it back right away when you are annoyed enough. It certainly makes me feel better when I see the person who raised my anger on his knees¡­¡±


    Despite having said this much, it was a spectacle to see that she was acting coy to the end.


    That would be natural. She was suspicious of my intention in saying this.


    That wasn¡¯t all. It was a small amount, but seeing that she had used an aphrodisiac, I could at least tell she had a crush on me.


    It was not easy to reveal her inner self to such a person.


    ¡°I¡¯m joking.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Er, as I heard, you have a great sense of humor.¡±


    She then forced out augh.


    I quietly put down the tea and spoke once more.


    ¡°It seems rude, but¡­ I will be going now.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I received the words of an apology and gratitude properly and¡­ I have an appointment with the Emperor.¡±


    ¡°S-So quickly¡­¡±


    ¡°After drinking, the tea doesn¡¯t seem to fit my taste¡­ I will make time again around tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    She seemed disconcerted as I stood up right away.


    Seeing that her face was distorted momentarily, it seemed that she found it actually difficult to hold in her anger.


    It was obvious. The attitude I had shown right now was downright rude.


    Nevertheless, seeing that she still refused to show her true personality, she still must be trying to reel herself in.


    It now seemed that she had resentment toward the person who ruined today¡¯s meeting, but I didn¡¯t care.


    After getting up and showing good manners, I turned my back and the maids who were waiting outside quickly passed by me and went inside.


    The door was firmly closed, and the faces of the maids waiting outside turned pale.


    ¡®They think I ruined it.¡¯


    There was no sound from the inside as if soundproofing magic was in ce, but I thought I could see what would happen.


    She must be screaming, ¡®that damn bastard.¡¯


    If I weren¡¯t the one she was angry with, I thought she would be pouring her anger elsewhere.


    After counting only 10 seconds, I turned around and headed back to the already closed room, and I saw the maids¡¯ faces more embarrassed than before.


    ¡°Charlia, Your Majesty! It¡¯s Lee Kiyoung-nim!¡±


    I cast a simple spell that I had memorized beforehand.


    ¡°Silence.¡±


    ¡°Mmm!¡±


    I could see the maid touching her neck with no voice.


    ¡°Now, w-what rudeness¡­ Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung. If you are going to visit the Princess again, I-I will tell your intention to the Princess first.¡±


    Crack! Craaackk!


    The dragon¡¯s tail protruding from the floor blocked the mouth of the maid trying to speak.


    When I opened the Princess¡¯s room door with my own hands, I saw the scenery I expected.


    The first thing I heard was the voice of the Princess.


    p!


    I¡¯ve heard it before came along with the voice of a terrified maid.


    ¡°I told you¡­ I told you to make sure there weren¡¯t any mistakes in serving the guests. I¡¯ve said that again and again! Didn¡¯t I! Say it! He¡¯s an important guest!¡±


    ¡°K-Kill me. Please kill me, Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°All right! If that¡¯s your wish¡­ Ah.¡±


    The splendid event that took ce in less than a minute after I went outside is a spectacle.


    One of the maids who entered had already red cheeks, and the one who was on her face was rubbing her palms.


    The Princess, who couldn¡¯t figure out what to do while looking at them and with me alternately, looked embarrassed.


    In the silence that entered the room for a moment, I gradually opened my mouth.


    ¡°My prediction was correct. No matter how I think, the Princess and I seem to be the same.¡±


    Of course, that crazy woman and I were not the same kinds of trash.


    ¡®We¡¯re not the same. Absolutely. I¡¯m not that trashy.¡¯

 Chapter 269: Like Father, Like Daughter (1)

    <h4>Chapter 269: Like Father, Like Daughter (1)</h4>


    I could see Charlia¡¯s face turning pale.


    Of course, she would be embarrassed. She had wanted to look good to me, and her n had backfired.


    The same went for the two maids. They had no idea what the hell was going on.


    In the first ce, there was nothing they could do except to tremble.


    Charlia tried to open her mouth to see if she could fix this somehow, but the situation was so strange for a proper excuse toe out.


    The circumstance was obvious to anyone, and she was between the devil and the deep blue sea.


    ¡°S-so, this is¡­ this is¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t care. You don¡¯t have to exin. As I thought about it, it was just time to eat, so I just wondered if we could have dinner together. First of all, you shouldn¡¯t let this stay like this, so it would be a good idea to clear the room a little. Please also clean up outside the door. Before entering, I used a little rough method¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°And I sincerely apologize for the rudeness a while ago, Your Majesty. I think it would be a good idea to reveal each other¡¯s inner feelings a little more when having a deeper conversation. I thought it couldn¡¯t be helped.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ No¡­¡±


    ¡°I will serve Your Majesty, so I would like you to prepare the dinner.¡±


    When I lifted the two maids who were still lying on their faces, I saw them hesitate.


    They were watching out for Charlia, but she nodded quietly, and I saw them disappearing outside.


    ¡°The tea was delicious.¡±


    ¡°T-that¡¯s fortunate.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty Charlia, you don¡¯t have to be so embarrassed.¡±


    ¡°Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung-nim, just now, that was¡­¡±


    ¡°I know everything. You were correcting the underling¡¯s mistake.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes. Yes. That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°I said it before, but it¡¯s understandable enough. You may be upset because there is a disruption in your guest service. If I had been in your position, I would have been angry, too.¡±


    ¡°Yes. You¡¯re right.¡±


    ¡°In the first ce, there are humans who understand even you speak to them once, and there are humans who do not. It¡¯s not unusual for them to be punished since they did not listen to the words of Your Majesty¡­¡±


    ¡°Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung-nim is¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°You really understand me.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Didn¡¯t I tell you earlier? We are the same kind.¡±


    I could see her thinking hard. She had only noticed that I was armed with goodwill rather than evil will.


    She seemed to think that it was now okay to be a little more honest. I felt her ncing at me carefully.


    ¡°There are many whock a little.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it¡­ they are different from the Princess.¡±


    ¡°Most are stupid¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, is that so?¡±


    ¡°Where is that descent going¡­? Once I say it, they can¡¯t understand it properly. I always get stressed because they¡¯ve annoyed me more than once.¡±


    As she spoke excitedly, her face looked like she had met an old friend. I nodded, going along with her words.


    ¡°Hmmm. You can¡­ Of course, you can think like that.¡±


    ¡°Of course, it hurts me to do this, too, but in order to discipline them¡­¡±


    ¡°It is necessary¡­ necessary. It can¡¯t be helped.¡±


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s right.¡±


    However, this didn¡¯t mean that Charlia dropped all her pretenses.


    It seemed that she was trying to go with the ¡®correcting the discipline¡¯ topic, but she was at least honest enough that it could not bepared to before.


    Meanwhile, dinner began to be prepared.


    Since I told her in advance that we would eat here, not a restaurant, the appetizer hade, with the maids looking extremely tense.


    They were different people than the ones from before, but their hands were also trembling.


    However, they thought it was fortunate that the Princess had on a big smile.


    ¡°Actually, I heard about you from my father.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m curious about what he said. I am worried that His Majesty might have said something about me again.¡±


    ¡°Ah! Nothing like that. That you defended my mistake¡­ that¡­ what happened that day¡­¡±


    ¡°Haha. The word defense is not appropriate. I just said the right thing.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s because of that, but my father asked me several times.¡±


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    ¡°Make sure to make a time to apologize to Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung¡­ Of course, it wasn¡¯t because of my father that Lee Kiyoung was brought here. At that time, I wanted to talk to you about my mistakes once again, and most of all, my personal curiosity toward Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung was big¡­¡±


    ¡°Aha¡­¡±


    ¡°I feel like you¡¯re a better person than I first thought of, seeing you in person like this.¡±


    This line sounded a bit ominous. It was especially embarrassing to hear that the Emperor had talked about this with Charlia first.


    Of course, it should be done, but I was worried that he might think differently inwardly.


    ¡°I wonder what kind of curiosity you have. But I understand. Most nobles are also very interested in us, summoners, especially now that I was appointed as one of the Eight Imperial Seats. Maybe an adventure journal¡­¡±


    ¡°As a matter of fact, I was able to read the journal from the Blue Guild for a moment yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Hahahaha. That¡¯s an honor. By the way, this is really a coincidence. In fact, I also wanted to see Your Majesty Charlia.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to see what it would be like to chat, but who knew that the opportunity woulde in this way? Haha.¡±


    While we were talking, the meal continued.


    When I stopped talking for a moment and looked at the maid, I saw those who opened their mouths as if they were waiting.


    It seemed like they were waiting for the right timing to continue to say something, and I guess I had just helped.


    ¡°Er¡­ Your Majesty, the steak.¡±


    ¡°Rare.¡±


    ¡°I would like the same thing as the First Princess.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°You can bring dessert an hourter. I think the conversation will take a little longer.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I understand.¡±


    In fact, although I liked it well-done, I wanted to give the impression that I was like the Princess.


    When the barely-cooked red meat came out, I was a little embarrassed about how to eat it.


    Blood was gathered on the te of the Princess, who was familiar with the cutting.


    I didn¡¯t know if it was because of my mood, but I found the sound and the texture grotesque. Still, I pretended that this was nothing.


    Charlia, who had cut a piece of steak like that, opened her mouth again after the maids left.


    Seeing that the cuts weren¡¯t taken to her mouth, it seemed that she was curious about the story from before rather than in the food.


    ¡°Er¡­ Excuse me, but can I hear what you want to talk about?¡±


    ¡°Haha. It¡¯s not a big deal. Actually, this is something about the imperial family¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡±


    ¡°I hope you listen without misunderstanding. Charlia-nim, I don¡¯t want this summoner to judge or gossip about the imperial family. I just want to hear what you think of the Second Princess Charlotte.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that the Second Princess is secretly dominating this Holy Empire.¡±


    ¡°Who said such thoughtless words?!!!¡±


    ¡°It seems that the great and wise Emperor left many things to the 2nd Princess after his health had deteriorated. Influential aristocrats also were seen moving with the Second Princess. Although she is actually outstanding in her abilities, no, I am afraid that I might sound like spheming the imperial family.¡±


    ¡°No, Honorary Bishop. You can keep talking.¡±


    ¡°Ahem¡­ Actually, there have been many proposals for us, too¡­¡±


    Of course, it was a lie. No proposal has evere our way.


    ¡°C-can you tell me in details? When you say us¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh. It was only secretly said to a few members of the Eight Seats, but after the Emperor dies, it seemed that she wished for us to be on her side. I don¡¯t know if I can say this, but¡­ it feels like she is being hostile to you.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t wrong, though. This would definitely happen sooner orter.


    It seemed that the Princess in front of me also had no intention of revealing what the truth was. In fact, she wouldn¡¯t even have the ability to uncover it for herself.


    When I saw her muttering ¡®Charlotte¡­ Charlotte,¡¯ it seemed that her anger toward her younger sister had filled her head.


    ¡°So, the answer is¡­¡±


    ¡°It is still on hold, but in fact, in our Eight Seats of the Empire¡¯s case, we are refraining from entering the politics of the Holy Empire as much as possible. Foreigners have foreigners¡¯ lives. However, Her Majesty Charlotte did not seem to like us very much for keeping a lukewarm attitude. I don¡¯t think she has a bad temper with the stories that are going around in public, but it¡¯s hard to believe it because there are many fake stories these days.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Yes. You¡¯re right. The Second Princess Charlotte¡­ No, the evaluation of that sneaky whore has already been fabricated. Yes. Absolutely. Everyone is being deceived.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s embarrassing to say, but she¡¯s a bitch with bad demeanors. We shouldn¡¯t have epted her as a Princess since she was born an illegitimate daughter after eating her mother¡¯s poor blood. It was something everyone was concerned about. Yes, it was. I knew that her greed would reach the sky, but as soon as she became a member of the imperial family, she showed off her ambition by bewitching my father.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°She says she is not interested in men, but my ears hurt with her voice that I hear every time I pass by the ce where she lives as she brings several men to the pce. Blood cannot be deceived. Yes. Absolutely. She always smiles in front of people, but you don¡¯t know how much dirty stuff she does in the back¡­ I can¡¯t even exin everything in words.¡±


    I expected it, but once she started to talk about Charlotte, it felt like she wasn¡¯t paying attention to me.


    It was natural that a short mealtime was not enough for her to vomit resentment for the Second Princess. I couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    This was because it sounded like the saying, ¡®the pot calling the kettle ck.¡¯


    ¡°That damn bitch. A loach is defiling the imperial family and damaging its authority. I cannot see the faces of the ancestral emperors. And my father, my father is my father. How, how can he¡­ value that dirty¡­ more than me¡­¡±


    Not only was her fist trembling, but she was biting her lips tightly.


    The pleasant atmosphere from before now felt like a lie.


    She had bloodshot eyes and was shedding tears from how resentful she was. Of course, those tears weren¡¯t pure tears that truly worried about the imperial family.


    These tears stemmed purely from jealousy.


    It was full of anger, obstinacy, and malice toward Charlotte, who had what she could not have. Her resentment was this big.


    It was no wonder that I sneakily gave her a handkerchief. As she wiped the tears, I could see her leaning back as if she was surprised.


    ¡°Ah¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Lee Kiyoung-nim is¡­ kind.¡±


    ¡®What?¡¯


    It was a line that sounded dangerous for some reason. As I felt like she would use this opportunity to have an intimate moment with me, I pulled back immediately.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I couldn¡¯t even dream that such a thing was happening. After all, it seems that there are more lies than truth in the words of the public. Haha.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°In fact, I have heard rumors about the First Princess¡­ Yes. Definitely, most were bad reviews. But looking at you like this, you seem to be quite different. You are more than anyone else who thinks about the imperial family and is intelligent, and you are beautiful, gentle, and strong. The wisdom, words, and actions you have made me feel like I¡¯m seeing the incarnation of the Goddess Benigore¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°I dare say¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°I feel like you are really close to the next Empress.¡±


    As I took a bite of the cut meat, I felt the taste of raw meat that had not been cooked properly.


    Charlia, who has heard me and was smiling widely, quietly nodded, and swallowed the food.


    I didn¡¯t know if it was because of the sweetest ttery in the world or because the cold meat tasted better than she thought, but I could see Charlia shivering softly with pleasure.

 Chapter 270: Like Father, Like Daughter (2)

    <h4>Chapter 270: Like Father, Like Daughter (2)</h4>


    I was not sure what the poor blood and the royal blood she was talking about were, but I had to admit only one thing.


    The First Princess in front of my eyes properly inherited the blood of the Emperor.


    It seemed that even a little ttery worked wonders for her.


    As if she couldn¡¯t remember ever being praised, I couldn¡¯t get used to how she quivered her body every time I said sweet words.


    Her face didn¡¯t necessarily need another modifier.


    ¡®Will it really be okay with her?¡¯


    Among the numerouspliments and ttery, the First Princess was most eager to respond to words that ttered her more than Charlotte.


    As expected, her favorite sentences were the ones that contained ¡®than the Second Princess.¡¯


    It was almost like a magic sentence.


    I think you¡¯re more beautiful than the Second Princess. You¡¯re more intelligent. You¡¯re the exact opposite of what I¡¯ve heard in the city.


    However, the stupid Charlia has somehow managed to catch up that, in my long-standing praise, I was praising her more than the Second Princess.


    ¡®This, she understands well.¡¯


    My face, smiling widely, seemed that I was blitzed. She seemed to feel this kind ofpliment sweeter than anything else.


    ¡®Of course, she would.¡¯


    I had learned a lot while talking with her.


    First, the mother of the Second Princess was amoner.


    The second was that, thanks to the clever Second Princess, the First Princess had begun to fall apart, little by little.


    ¡®I understand.¡¯


    One day, suddenly, amoner¡¯s bloodline was appointed as the Second Princess and monopolized her father¡¯s love.


    The Second Princess was very clever when she talked, and she began to show her outstanding talent in many different fields.


    For the First Princess, it was natural that she would think of it as absurd.


    As opposed to her stat talents that almost looked like crap, the Second Princess had an overwhelmingly high proportion of heroic-grade or higher stats, so it was obvious how much she med herself in her childhood.


    [Acquisition of Basic Swordsmanship Knowledge]


    [Acquisition of Basic Magic Knowledge]


    [Acquisition of Basic Constitution Knowledge]


    [Acquisition of Basic Training Knowledge]


    [Acquisition of Basic Military Knowledge]


    [Acquisition of Basic Refinement Knowledge]


    [Acquisition of Basic Alchemy Knowledge]


    [Acquisition of Basic Spirit Knowledge]


    The most striking part of her status window was the several acquisitions of basic knowledge. In addition to this fact, the knowledge she had acquired was countless. The reason was simple.


    I could affirm that there was nothing that the First Princess hadn¡¯t done in her childhood. I could see that she struggled desperately in her own way.


    If swordsmanship didn¡¯t work, then it was magic. If magic didn¡¯t work, it was military knowledge, and if that didn¡¯t work either, it was spirit.


    Nevertheless, it was clear that her copsed like a sandcastle whenpared to the Second Princess¡¯s talents.


    Needless to say, I could imagine what that little girl must have felt at that time.


    The First Princess must have gotten on the perverse line after that. In the end, she stayed in the pce, drinking heavily and harassing her maids.


    Of course, these stories were thoroughly described in Charlia¡¯s view.


    I bet that the life of the Second Princess could not have been so smooth, considering Charlia¡¯s characteristics and temper.


    ¡®She must have bullied her persistently.¡¯


    She may even have gone beyond simple bullying.


    She may have faced the threat of possible assassination, and it would have been routine for her to have red cheeks.


    Considering how evil this vicious viin could be, the Second Princess must have grown up with bloody tears through her childhood, too.


    This was a story of the heroine Charlotte, who had be stronger by standing up even when she was stepped on, and the viin Charlia, who tried to step on her.


    This story was bing the separation of good and evil, and it must have been moving toward a conclusion.


    ¡®Until I intervene.¡¯


    Right. Until I intervened.


    Charlotte, who was persistent, had grown enough to have the imperial family under her control. It was time to relieve the frustration she had since childhood, and the situation was actually still going on.


    Currently, there was nothing left for the First Princess Charlia. Charlotte cut off her hands and feet and took all the authority to exert influence.


    The stupid First Princess probably wouldn¡¯t know what kind of situation she was in until she had a sword right to her neck.


    ¡®But¡­¡¯


    It didn¡¯t mean that there was hope.


    It was good that the legitimacy belonged to the First Princess.


    Charlia hadn¡¯t even started, but she wasn¡¯t toote.


    As we continued to talk, Charlia spoke, gently wiping her tears fromughing too much.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know when was thest time I¡¯veughed like today. Iughed so hard that I almost cried.¡±


    ¡°Hahahaha. Me, too. This was a lot more fun than I thought, Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t notice it was dark already¡­ If it¡¯s okay for you, I¡¯ll give you a separate room, so why don¡¯t you rest here today? I want to talk more with Honorary Bishop¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Your Majesty. If I could, I would stay here talking all night long, but it¡¯ll probably be troublesome to the First Princess. You know how the public eye is¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll be making a lot of noise everywhere. It doesn¡¯t matter if my image gets bad, but I don¡¯t want the Princess to be word-of-mouth.¡±


    ¡°The public eye¡­¡±


    ¡°You have to be careful. The masses are the kind of people who believe only what they see. Even if we were only talking about the Empire¡¯s future, today¡¯s meeting wouldn¡¯t look that way for some dirty-minded people. I want to protect Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe it will be the same in other aspects besides this.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about¡­¡±


    ¡°There will be many stupid people who don¡¯t understand Your Majesty¡¯s will to correct her discipline. You should think carefully about the difference between the Second Princess and you. Humans need to have two faces in order to be favored by the public.¡±


    ¡°¡­ ¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, I understand the version of the innocent Princess Charlia, but¡­ just as the taste varies depending on how you cook good ingredients, the information that is passed on to the public also depends on how you cook it. As I spent time with the Princess, I could see how broadminded you are, but how could your countrymen, who know nothing, dare to measure the size of the sea.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Thank you.¡±


    ¡°The stupid ones should also be able to gauge your intelligence and refinement. It is not the imperial discipline that matters to them. The most important thing is what they see.¡±


    She probably knew better than to act recklessly.


    However, her fiery temper was not stopping the anger and stubbornness that came from within.


    ¡°I think¡­ that Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung is right. Yes. That¡¯s right. Stupid people believe in what they see. Nobody cares about things that they cannot see.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Sometimes you have to wear a mask that suits the public. Ahem¡­ I will be honest.¡±


    ¡°You can talk¡­¡±


    ¡°I want to get on the same boat as Charlia.¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    ¡°Actually, I intended to watch a little more, but today, speaking with Your Majesty Charlia, I realized how useless my worries were. As I am also in the position of the imperial people, I think I can tell how much Your Majesty thinks about the imperial people. Of course¡­ I will not deny that I¡¯m blinded by your beauty. Haha.¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhhh¡­¡±


    ¡°What will you do, Your Majesty?¡±


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    ¡°Will you get on the same boat¡­?¡±


    ¡°Of course! Of course! Absolutely! Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung! Of course!¡±


    It was like seeing a starving demon.


    I could see her standing up and holding my hand as soon as I reached out.


    She, too, was surprised and let go of my hand, but she couldn¡¯t possibly be in a bad mood.


    It looked as if she had found antern in a dark ce.


    ¡®So easy¡­¡¯


    I initially thought it would be easy to control her, but it was easier than I imagined.


    No one trusted her or looked for her. I understand that I¡¯m her only ally, but seeing that she has infinite trust, I coughed with embarrassment.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to react since you are weing me like this. Hahaha.¡±


    ¡°I-I showed an embarrassing¡­¡±


    ¡°No, Charlia. I¡¯m rather happy that you showed it. Ahem¡­ Then, it would be better to wrap up for today. Before it gets darker¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes. Let¡¯s do that.¡±


    She seemed a little disappointed, but I thought it couldn¡¯t be helped.


    If I kept staying in this room, I would really get in trouble. This would be all for today.


    If we were going to work together in the future, I would need to correct her behavior, but today¡¯s progress felt too hasty.


    In fact, I could only advise on her schedule or behavior after I got a little closer to her.


    When I got up and opened the door, I saw a smile on the maids¡¯ faces waiting outside.


    They must have checked Charlia¡¯s face behind me.


    The Princess sent me away with a delightful smile, and the maids who guided me looked the same.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need a bath service today. I¡¯ll do it myself, so don¡¯t let anyone in the room for a while.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°And be sure to ask when Lee Kiyoung will visit again.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Okay.¡±


    Charlia¡¯s voice toward the underling sounded very warm.


    ¡®She felt something.¡¯


    I had to leave with light steps.


    She seemed to have forgiven at least the minor mistakes when she was in a good mood.


    I hated to think of this, but that aspect was definitely simr to me.


    I was determined to scold Jung Hayan for the attendants¡¯ problem, but I thought it would be hard to control my emotions.


    Apart from the maids who guided me, I could feel the maids who heard the Princess¡¯s words approaching at a rapid pace, and as I looked back, I saw them bowing their heads in a hurry.


    As I quietly looked at her as if telling her to speak, I saw her nodding and opening her mouth.


    ¡°H-Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°Yes. You may talk.¡±


    ¡°Er¡­ May I ask when you are visiting again?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I have to think about it a little more¡­¡±


    The maid¡¯s face became gloomy at once.


    ¡°No¡­ can you ask her if a lunch tomorrow is fine?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Okay!¡±


    Her sad expression turned into one of happiness right away.


    ¡®I know why.¡¯


    He seemed to think that I could make the crazy woman quiet.


    I could tell without having to say it. I didn¡¯t know how badly Charlia treated them, but I could be sure her kind disposition was a new treat.


    Of course, I wasn¡¯t the only one who had noticed her change.


    ¡°The First Princess has changed.¡±


    It was one of the warmest news that hit the castle exactly three days from that day.

 Chapter 271: Like Father, Like Daughter (3)

    <h4>Chapter 271: Like Father, Like Daughter (3)</h4>


    The First Princess had changed.


    To be precise, rumors were spreading throughout the city that she was ing to her senses.¡±


    She looked different even for me, so those who had been with her for a long time will be taking her change more dramatically.


    The first who had noticed the change was her direct maids. They would probably get more surprised as time passed by. Things that she used to have taken sensitively were now often overlooked, and she also generously overlooked small mistakes.


    It would not be unreasonable that the happiness circuit of the maids, who had been taking all kinds of craziness under her, would go wild.


    Interestingly, these maids only waited for me to find the First Princess, but as if they were convinced that I changed her, they were showing strange movements. Regardless of her being the First Princess, they were showing organized behavior in order to bring her closer to me.


    Of course, to me, these actions were just cute, so I didn¡¯t care much.


    Rather, I felt sorry for her maids, who had to show such a move.


    ¡®Right. You must have suffered the most¡­¡¯


    I just didn¡¯t want to burn their happiness circuit.


    This didn¡¯t affect me much, but this organized action is like a struggle for survival for them. I even felt a strange cheap sympathy for them, so whenever I was with Charlia, I sometimes raised my thumbs for the conduct of her maids.


    The effect was better than expected.


    When I met the maids the next day, their faces were filled with spirit as if they were ready to swear allegiance to me.


    Considering that was something I just did out of pity, the effect was good.


    In fact, after a little more time, whenever I wasn¡¯t there, her maids hade to the point of telling me how Charlia was doing.


    Of course, this was not amon form of reporting.


    When I asked them what she was like when she entered and left her parlor, all they did was give a fairly sincere answer.


    They¡¯d say something like,¡® Since the Honorary Bishop went back, she looked very happy,¡¯ or ¡®She took the time to read, and she couldn¡¯t easily fall asleep.¡¯


    However, it was certainly pleasant news that her maids favored me.


    ¡®They¡¯ll have some use.¡¯


    There was always a ce to use any material. Even the maids who had little power would prove to be advantageous on my side.


    As mentioned earlier, the biggest beneficiary of this event was the First Princess¡¯s maids.


    It was obvious without saying it, but it wasn¡¯t the only ones she bullied that gave me a big smile.


    Her people, who were worried about her, were also nodding at her changed behavior.


    In particr, the Emperor of the Empire was very happy.


    Charlia, which he always considered to be trouble, had changed enough to make the old man, who only looked at his children, feel good.


    In fact, it wasn¡¯t that big of a change.


    It wasn¡¯t that I did some magic topletely fix Charlia¡¯s state of mind. In the first ce, humans were easy to turn evil, but difficult to be good.


    Even if it could be fixed, it couldn¡¯t be done in such a short time.


    ¡®Absolutely¡­¡¯


    It was almost impossible to reform Charlia and make her Empress.


    I just talked about how she would be better seen by the public and presented that vision. In addition, it was natural to manage her schedule by making a list of things to do.


    Charlia had the same malice and stubbornness as Charlotte.


    The sense of defeat that she felt since she was a child was only ruining her self-esteem. She was ipetent and tightly packed with inferiority, but that was why she had grown up as someone who wanted to be recognized more than anyone else.


    I couldn¡¯t dare imagine how stressed she would have been when no one cared for her as all of the gazes were directed at her sister.


    I¡¯m sure the kind of person that Charlia was waiting for would have been someone like me.


    Someone who could recognize and support her. Someone who could tell her that even waste that couldn¡¯t be recycled was great.


    Decisively, someone who could properly decorate her insignificant behavior and put it on the market or a person who could sell a cookie bag filled with nitrogen, more than half.


    ¡°She gave the maids a vacation.¡±


    ¡°Seeing that she continues to go to the temple, it seems that the First Princess¡¯s Majesty is determined.¡±


    ¡°I was told that she was also attending the cab meeting in the morning. They said she was just listening quietly¡­¡±


    ¡°I heard that she is curious about how the country people live. I heard that she wanted to go out on her own and that she had already set up a schedule.¡±


    ¡°Come to think of it¡­ I heard that recently she is not even drinking.¡±


    ¡°I also paid attention when she refused the wine at thest dinner meeting.¡±


    The nitrogen to put in the First Princess¡¯s insignificant steps was very simple. When I opened my mouth, their gazes switched over to me.


    ¡°The bloodline is not going anywhere as expected. Hahahaha.¡±


    It was a sentence of conversion that could attract old nobles in a single moment.


    ¡®Elective symbol number 1, Charlia. The bloodline doesn¡¯t go anywhere.¡¯


    Of course, the Empire wouldn¡¯t set up such a frame, but this was necessary to decorate Charlia¡¯s insignificant moves.


    The candidate¡¯s actions for themon people were basically focused on themon people, and those who wanted to save the economy were focused on the economy.


    Their policy directions, public rtions, and campaigns all looked the same, but of course, there were differences.


    In my case, it was more absurd. The frame I put on for Charlia was not for the imperial people, nor did it mean to save the Empire¡¯s economy.


    It was not even a slogan representing a candidate.


    ¡®Orthodox.¡¯


    ¡°Absolutely! Her Majesty Princess Charlia inherited the royal family¡¯s blood.¡±


    ¡°Right. Hohoho. Who doesn¡¯t get lost once, right? Where will that blood go?¡±


    ¡°If you think about it, didn¡¯t they say that the youth of the Seventh Emperor, who was only heard as a story, was not so smooth? Only when he was over forty years old, he devoted himself to studying, and only after he was over fifty, he inherited the throne. If you look at the achievements he has aplished despite that¡­ I also wonder if now it¡¯s just a beginning to Her Majesty Charlia.¡±


    ¡°Hahahaha. That¡¯s right!¡±


    It was a spectacle to see them talking by themselves.


    I thought my mission was over by just saying one line, so I started heading to a corner with a wine in my hand.


    It was no wonder that Jung Hayan, who I haven¡¯t spent time with for a long time, had begun to follow me. Lee Jihye, who was doing the same work on the other side, was slowly approaching me as well.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you tired?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ no, Oppa¡­ because I¡¯m with you. Hehe.¡±


    It felt like a long time since Ist talked to Hayan.


    Of course, I always talked to her since I saw her every day, but I felt sorry because I couldn¡¯t take care of her in decisive moments.


    I wanted to do something for her, but Jung Hayan seemed to be happy as long as she was with me.


    As I gently stroked her hair, she snuggled closer and closer, as if she was in a good mood.


    ¡°Shall we toast?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°So, how was the study?¡±


    ¡°Ah. I think it¡¯s doing well. I had to advance my schedule a little, so I got a little busy, but it w-was¡­ smoother than I thought. We¡¯ll try to build a prototype within a few days.¡±


    ¡°Did he say when will it be ready?¡±


    ¡°No. He didn¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°Should I ask him a little more?¡±


    ¡°No. There¡¯s no need to. The Second Princess¡­¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m keeping an eye on her.¡±


    ¡°Okay. If there¡¯s anything unusual going on, you should report it immediately.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    As I held her hand slightly, I could see her bowing her head.


    We just happened to be in the middle of the social party, and she seemed utterly happy as I dragged her around.


    I hadn¡¯t learned social dance properly, but it felt like I could do some steps.


    Jung Hayan, too, began to spin round and round, feeling good.


    I didn¡¯t know what she was thinking, but seeing her big smile, it seemed that she felt pretty good. I thought she felt as if she was a fairy tale princess.


    Of course, I was not in a bad mood either. If you were to ask me, I would say I feel pretty good.


    Although she was often scary, Jung Hayan basically put me first. I had gotten used to it, and she was pretty cute to me whenever she did so.


    ¡®I¡¯m a little nervous that she¡¯s been too quiettely, but¡­¡¯


    I thought there would be some action as her magic powers increased, but she hadn¡¯t done anything other than using the Anemone¡¯s Eyes asionally.


    Considering that we¡¯d been separated for a long time, she had indeed be very quiet.


    ¡®Did she think it was insufficient?¡¯


    Except during the time she was doing the quest I¡¯ve given to her, she spent all her time making use of her knowledge from the legendary-grade staff, so she may feel that she hadn¡¯t yet digested the things she has gained properly.


    ¡®I guess she wants to be stronger.¡¯


    I was, of course, anxious about how she would behave once she got what she wanted.


    Even if I were to only think about what I heard from Lee Jihye, I didn¡¯t know when and where she was going to make an unexpected move, but at least she wouldn¡¯t do anything weird where I couldn¡¯t see her.


    Anyway, things that could be called ns were already in progress.


    Charlotte¡¯s surveince entrusted to Jung Hayan and the research on video hologram technology I¡¯d requested from Max are cruising as if they were in a breeze.


    The key was whether it could be done in time, but I didn¡¯t need it right now.


    The two sisters¡¯ fight for imperial power had not yete to the surface, and just because the video media had gotten created right now, it did not mean that it could be utilized.


    That was to say that it was time to bnce the scales.


    It was time to raise the position of the First Princess a little further and proceed with the negative things about the Second Princess.


    ¡®The powerful people must have at least one bad rumor about her.¡¯


    I even thought about spreading some pretty well-fabricated groundless rumors, but I thought it was good to keep a decent level as the returner cared about her.


    Of course, from Charlotte¡¯s point of view, it could be a frame that would piss her off, but this was the best I could think of.


    The slogan for making her negative was quite simple.


    ¡®As expected, you can¡¯t fool the blood.¡¯


    It was the same words, but the meaning was clearly different.


    Having amoner as a mother was a big weakness in this kind of society.


    ¡®Where will that half-blood go?¡¯

 Chapter 272: Like Father, Like Daughter (4)

    <h4>Chapter 272: Like Father, Like Daughter (4)</h4>


    The negative rumors about Charlotte proceeded secretly, very slowly, and quite maliciously.


    I didn¡¯t want the rumors to escape outside the walls of Imperial Pce, however.


    I designed it so that the rumors woulde from the outskirts to the center, and proceed to flow from the small side to therge side.


    It wasn¡¯t hard. The ck Swans and Yozora Guild of Yuno Kasugano had been helping me.


    The ck Swans, which could be ssified as arge-scale information guild, specialized in this kind of work, and Yozora, which managed to absorb the guild of Ito Souta, was also good at it.


    Of course, we did not openly move the media. I thought that the timing had note yet.


    Besides, the Blue and Red Mercenaries were still not there.


    I had limited movement, so Kim Hyun-sung and Cha Hee-ra were busy trying to persuade Dawan¡¯s Eighth Seats, Cheon Gwan-wi and Wi-ran, to move together.


    In fact, it didn¡¯t matter if they stuck to the Second Princess¡¯s side, but in the end, I thought they would be with us as we were in the same position as yers.


    If they were imperialists, they would have made different choices, but they understood that they couldn¡¯t afford to be against Lindel and Celia, which were in the same predicament as them.


    Obviously, not only was uncovering information easy, but so was creating fake information.


    The most important thing when creating this kind of information was to base it on facts that exist. It was effective to add at least something suspicious rather than fake information without any basis.


    One might think that Charlotte might have nothing to be attacked, but in fact, it wasn¡¯t that way.


    The fact that she cared for the imperialists very much was a valid hit.


    ¡°Jihye, what¡¯s the schedule for the Second Princess today?¡±


    ¡°Well, today is the same as usual. Have a meeting with the citizen¡¯s representative¡­¡±


    ¡°Ohh. So, nothing relevant. I think you can do it as usual.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re talking being prodigal to those poor blood, right?¡±


    Her civic talks, who talks seriously about the Empire with civic representatives, has been transformed into a time to enjoy ying to prodigal with poor blood.


    ¡°Oh, they said she had a simple meal with the maids.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ Let¡¯s spread that together. About the poor blood.¡±


    ¡°I tried to do it, though. We have to push it properly since we started this. One side is poor blood, and the other is noble blood. Whoever sees it, what the half side does is better. This is really fun.¡±


    The meal she had with the maids to humble herself was turned into bullsh*t, saying that poor blood was flowing in her body.


    ¡®She is also really amazing.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know if it was her mother¡¯s influence, but her ankle had gotten caught because of her nature for caring for the people.


    She wouldn¡¯t have been caught if I hadn¡¯t caught her in the first ce, but what was important was that she had already caught my eyes.


    In fact, the more I learned about her, the more I realized that she was the ideal Empress.


    Perhaps Lee Jihye was also thinking the same as me.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t care, but the more I see her, the more I wonder if we¡¯re doing the right thing.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I bet, if Charlotte bes Empress, she would be good and wise that willst in history for a long time. If only people like you don¡¯t blow up in the middle.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m thinking about that, too, Nuna.¡±


    ¡°Honestly, we don¡¯t care about the Empire anyway, but if we¡¯re going to be on the same boat, it¡¯s good to be in on that¡¯s big and safe, right? When I just heard about her, I didn¡¯t know, but looking at the information taken by Hayan-ssi, she is really natural. She has leadership, charisma, and tenacity.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Being weak to the weak and strong to the strong, she has the right political skills¡­ Do you think she¡¯s pretty daring to have tried to tame you in the first ce? It is by no means easy that the Princess, who has amoner as her mother, reached this position. And how great is her love for the people¡­ it¡¯s not unreasonable with her appearance, her talent, her intelligence, her character, for the First Princess to be jealous and go crazy.¡±


    ¡°I think so, too. It¡¯s funny that I¡¯m talking about politics here, but¡­ I¡¯m sure there are quite a lot of things in her mind, but what can I do?¡±


    ¡®If Kim Hyunsung said that I couldn¡¯t¡­¡¯


    There is no perfect human in the world. She also had all kinds of problems.


    ¡°Did you get that offended by that? You¡¯re narrower than I thought. I prefer her¡­¡±


    ¡°I said it wasn¡¯t because of that. Honestly, I don¡¯t think that Second Princess is bad either. No matter how I think, she¡¯s much better than the First Princess¡­ That¡¯s all, though. Charlotte may be for the imperialists, but not for us. I¡¯d rather have Charlia, who I can change to my taste over. It¡¯ll be hard, but it doesn¡¯t make sense for her to miss the opportunity to be the Empire¡¯s unelected leader.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. I was just saying. Anyway, I¡¯ll keep working on it because the title has been decided. Today I have to see how and from which side to spread.¡±


    ¡°Is there any movement over there?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it weird that there isn¡¯t any? It may take some time for the rumors to reach the royal castle, but this is because the Princess is too sensitive about her stories. I¡¯m sure she¡¯s looking behind the rumors to discover from which malicious side had leaked it. If we get caught, you and I are both dead.¡±


    ¡°We can cut off the tail anyway. If we pretend that we didn¡¯t do it, it¡¯s okay.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been sticking around with the First Princess these days. It won¡¯t be easy for you to pretend that¡­ You just didn¡¯t do anything official yet, but even a dog knows that you¡¯re trying to get in that line. Charlotte, of course, must know.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m feeling it, too.¡±


    The number of nobles saying that they couldn¡¯t make it to the appointments was increasing.


    Charlotte¡¯s camp judged me as an enemy and had pressured several aristocrats to refrain from meeting with me.


    Duchess Catherine, Count Elise, and Marlin Young-ae were still giving me strong support, and in fact, most of the people who expressed such intentions were not friendly or were useless.


    However, what was surprising was how fast Charlotte reacted.


    She stole a march on me even before the rtions between Charlia and I came to the surface.


    It was not just that. It was certainly strange that suspicious ims were popping out in the royal castle.


    The purpose of the strange story was also very explicit.


    ¡®Is it right for one of the Eight Seats of the Empire to be involved in the politics of the Empire?¡¯


    ims with such titles were popping out.


    In fact, with a little thought, one could see how absurd this im is.


    It was the Emperor¡¯s arbitrary act to appoint foreigners as the Eight Seats of the Empire in the first ce, and to oppose this was no different from defying the Emperor.


    Of course, Charlotte, as I knew it, was not dumb enough to deny the Emperor¡¯s decision head-on.


    To nevertheless maintain such a im was an expression of a willingness to reduce somehow the authority and radius of action of the Eight Seats of the Empire.


    When bargaining for a hundred gold item, calling out a ridiculously low price from the beginning symbolized trying to beat the original price.


    She wanted to lower the price as an excuse for a little w in the product, lower the price once more with a scratch as an excuse, and then take me in after offering the lowest price.


    ¡®I understand her thoughts.¡¯


    The Eight Imperial Seats might not have been in the picture Charlotte was drawing in the first ce.


    So to speak, we were unwanted guests, uninvited guests.


    In her first round, the foreigners may have actively pursued her, but now that the situation is the opposite, the Empire¡¯s Eighth Seats would have been a nuisance.


    In summary, after that day, we had exchanged a light punch without even facing each other.


    Any quick-witted noble will be aware of the strange atmosphere in the imperial family.


    ¡°The problem is that it is a little faster than I thought¡­¡±


    ¡°What I was thinking about came a little faster. It is natural to go with this flow in the first ce, and whether the Second Princess¡¯s camp ispetent or herself ispetent, I should consider it¡¯s one of them. Personally, I think it¡¯s thetter, but what does that matter? First, our side is also progressing smoothly, so it would be good to wait until the rumors settle in the royal castle. Anyway, isn¡¯t it time for you to visit the First Princess?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I have to.¡±


    ¡°I left the schedule on the desk. You could review it and proceed as it is.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m doing it for myself. It¡¯s a chance for my future husband to be the unelected leader of the Holy Empire¡­ you think I¡¯d miss this opportunity? I hate gambling, but I know if I push from here, I¡¯d be helping.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take it well.¡±


    ¡°Do well¡­ Oh, and I won¡¯t control the intensity level on some of them. I think there should be a few that¡¯s really stimting.¡±


    ¡°You just have to do it moderately. I¡¯m not trying to step on her so that she cannot recover.¡±


    ¡°I know. I¡¯ll do it moderately¡­ Moderately.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what the standard of moderately to Lee Jihye was, but I thought it would be better to review it at least once.


    As I walked out of her room and headed for my own, watching her waving, I saw a maid pacing around my room.


    It was one of the First Princess¡¯s maids.


    I didn¡¯t know her name, but I remembered seeing her often.


    She must have been the one lying on her face and rubbing her palms the day I went to see her for the first time.


    It was obvious why she was walking in front of my room.


    ¡°Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh.¡±


    After confirming her name with the Mind¡¯s Eye, I carefully started to speak.


    ¡°Maid Alice.¡±


    ¡°Please, talk morefortably. I-I¡¯m afraid that someone will listen.¡±


    ¡°Haha. It is because talking formally has be a habit. Rather, why did youe¡­ no, no. I guess I asked a useless question. I was about to visit her Majesty. So¡­ how is her schedule¡­¡±


    ¡°She went to encourage the Imperial Knights and praise the hard work they have done so far.¡±


    It was so trivial that I had forgotten it. Visiting the Knights Temr to encourage the Imperial Knights, it was a way to show.


    Seeing her looking for me even in this kind of work, she seemed to trust me quite a bit.


    ¡®Of course, she would.¡¯


    Her evaluation had changed in less than a week after following the camp¡¯s schedule and properly enjoying the promotional effect.


    Even blind people were aware of the great power of the camp.


    ¡®Although being too dependent is bad.¡¯


    ¡°Not necessarily bad¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Did the Princess leave already?¡±


    ¡°No. She is still wondering what dress to wear¡­¡±


    ¡°Ohhh. Come to think of it. I haven¡¯t told her yet.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°It would be better to wear light armament, not a dress. It¡¯s light armor, but it¡¯s a little luxurious. She doesn¡¯t have to wear a dress to visit the Knights Temr. I bet this will work better. I believe she¡¯ll understand what I¡¯m talking about.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Okay!¡±


    These details were important even for trivial outfits.


    ¡°Tie her hair up, minimum essories, and the Imperial Knights¡¯ seal is perfect.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Yes.¡±


    ¡°If you go ahead and set her up, I¡¯ll follow you quickly.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    At this, she began to run away.


    I went into the room for a second and arranged the schedule once again.


    After she visited the Imperial Knights, she would visit the Court Wizards.


    ¡®It¡¯s the day to y the First Princess Cosy.¡¯


    In this way, it felt as if I was a celebrity manager as I scripted her schedule, her clothes, and even her speech.


    After another final check, I headed for the parlor where we had always met, and I was able to see Charlia ready.


    She looked exactly how I ordered the maid to make her look.


    It wasn¡¯t enough to be called a knight, but there were no light arm and no unnecessary essories when training.


    ¡°Honorary Bishop!¡±


    ¡°Charlia-nim, well¡­ sorry to keep you waiting.¡±


    ¡°No. I just got here, too¡­¡±


    ¡°Hahaha. Certainly, you don¡¯t just look good in a dress. You look very beautiful this way, too, so it seems to me that the clothes look good thanks to the Princess.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re exaggerating¡­¡±


    In fact, her maids looked even more amazing than the smiling Princess.


    They have a lot of abilities that they certainly have because they¡¯ve struggled in hell.


    It must have been a short time, but, surprisingly, they understood what I wanted, and even the light makeup had been perfectly done.


    Even the roughly ordered hair was of quite high quality.


    ¡®They¡¯re insane.¡¯


    Standing like a folding screen in the back, the maids saw me praising Charlotte and made a face as if saying that they did it.


    I wanted to check the maids with my eyes, but due to theck of time, I had to turn my gaze back to Charlia.


    After again praising Charlia for her beauty, I briefed her about her precautions and about what to do.


    After exining how she would move, when I handed her a note with the speech¡¯s contents, she carefully read and reviewed it.


    ¡®I like this look.¡¯


    You must have a will even if you did not have the capability.


    As if she had gained confidence, she walked pretty confidently. However, it didn¡¯t take long for her face to frown.


    Another person was seen in front of the training ground of the Imperial Knights.


    ¡®Would you look at her¡­¡¯


    After checking Charlotte, who visited the Imperial Knights one step earlier, I had no choice but to click my tongue.


    ¡®It is correct to think that she aimed for it.¡¯

 Chapter 273: Carrots, Sticks, and Swords.

    <h4>Chapter 273: Carrots, Sticks, and Swords.</h4>


    ¡®Tsk tsk¡­¡¯


    I had to say that it was intentional.


    I definitely remembered that there had been no visit to the Imperial Knights on her schedule.


    It was no different from a local candidate from the precincting here to campaign for the same ce, so it was reasonable to think it was ridiculous.


    As opposed to the First Princess, whose position was narrow, the Second Princess¡¯s camp and support were indeed solid.


    When I saw the influential nobles who hade with her, I thought about having brought more people, too.


    Charlotte made a weing expression as if she had been waiting for us, and slowly began to walk toward us.


    Charlia wasn¡¯t stupid enough to not figure out why she was here, so she was also was staring at her with her bloodshot eyes and trembling hands.


    ¡°You can act, as usual, Your Majesty.¡±


    As I whispered to her in case she might do something unexpected, I saw Charlia nodding quietly.


    However, her face still looked as if she wanted to tear apart and kill the woman in front of her.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know if she can stand it.¡¯


    When she thought about her half-sister, she shed blood tears at her jealousy, so it was natural that I felt anxious.


    The Second Princess, Charlotte, may have bad feelings for her sister, but she at least did not reveal it on such an asion. She was quietly nodding with a smile on her face.


    Seeing her, Charlia began to speak.


    ¡°W-What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°I heard that you would visit the Imperial Knights and praise their hard work. Since it¡¯s not amon asion, I came to see you in case I could be helpful. I¡¯m sorry for not being able to contact you in advance.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Help, my ass.¡¯


    ¡°Okay¡­ Thank you.¡±


    Charlia replied, quietly nodding at her embarrassing words, but anyone could see she was in a bad mood.


    I wanted topliment her just for not showing off.


    ¡®The picture is not bad.¡¯


    ¡°The First and Second Princesses visited the Imperial Knights together¡± would indeed be good news.


    If it went well, both could produce very good results, which could be considered a win-win.


    Of course, the Emperor would nod, and it was clear that the imperialists, who knew nothing, would also raise their voices about the sister¡¯s friendship.


    The problem was only one risk factor of not knowing when Charlia would go crazy, but at least the behavior she was now showing was quite normal.


    In any case, these sisters, without further conversation, began to enter the knights¡¯ training ground.


    The Second Princess nced at me and not at the First Princess, and she still seemed not to like me.


    ¡®Of course, she wouldn¡¯t.¡¯


    She must be thinking that I was one disloyal retainer.


    Every time Charlia did something, she whispered to me, so it would be weird not to notice that I¡¯m controlling her from behind.


    Since I was managing her actions and schedules, she¡¯s not wrong¡­


    ¡®I don¡¯t want her to look at it too badly¡­¡¯


    Small citizens¡¯ honest feelings were that they didn¡¯t want to look too bad to the powerful, even if they were enemies.


    When we entered the training hall, the Imperial Knights¡¯ vicemander and the person-in-charge of this event bowed and greeted us, but he looked disconcerted as if he didn¡¯t know that both sisters would being.


    ¡°I am very happy that you came like this, First Princess and Second Princess.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m worried about whether we are bothering the knights.¡±


    ¡°No. They would be very pleased just with the visit of Your Majesty Charlotte.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d you think so.¡±


    Charlia was also trying to say something, but it felt like Charlotte had stolen her march.


    ¡®I knew this would happen¡­¡¯


    In contrast to her, who skillfully led her mood as if she was familiar with this, Charlia¡¯s position was somewhat unclear.


    She must feel that she had openly be a folding screen.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    Looking at her hesitating was a spectacle.


    She seemed to want to take back the initiative to herself, but the vicemander and Charlotte were already having a conversation on a subject that she couldn¡¯t interrupt.


    It seemed that our Second Princess had extensive knowledge in this area as well.


    ¡°So, did you solve the problem of restructuring your troops?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Of course. The Imperial Knights indeed consist of cavalry-oriented troops, but I thought it would be better to increase the proportion betweenmon infantry and shields.¡±


    ¡°Definitely, these days, it¡¯s impossible to operate troops with only cavalry¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. You are right. It¡¯s indeed impossible since there are some limitations. And the supply of knights¡¯ personal potions you promoted is also highly expected.¡±


    ¡°I think it would be better to talk about it with Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung here.¡±


    ¡°Come to think of it¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. The potion supplied to the Imperial Knights will be brought directly from the Blue¡¯s alchemy workshop. The best alchemist on the continent is in the Empire, and there is no reason not to use it.¡±


    ¡°Haha. I see. In fact, I have used the high-quality potion distributed by Blue. It is indeed hard to purchase with the sry of ordinary knights, but the potion is incredibly effective.¡±


    ¡®Look at this¡­¡¯


    I had my eyes wide open at the sudden carrots that were thrown in.


    It was true that Charlotte holding the stick was unpleasant, but the carrots were sweet.


    ¡®Should I see it as an apology gift?¡¯


    Upon looking at the supply potions that had been in cirction in the Empire, it was undeniable that the quality was poor.


    Considering the knights¡¯ survival rate and safety, it was, of course, right to use the potion that was being mass-produced in the Blue¡¯s alchemy workshop.


    I thought it was time to make a direct contract with the Empire, but I couldn¡¯t even imagine that they would be doing it in advance.


    ¡®I don¡¯t think so¡­ There must be a reason.¡¯


    Anyway, if I were to think about it in terms of stability, it would be correct to supply them with this potion.


    It wasmon sense in both the Earth and the continent to bring good quality goods to soldiers.


    Of course, there must be some countries where thismon sense doesn¡¯t work, but at least the Empire was not stupid enough to neglect the knights and soldiers who sacrificed their lives for them.


    That was to say, from Charlotte¡¯s point of view, this was just thrown bait.


    If I were to take it, it would be good, but there was something she could get even if I didn¡¯t take it.


    ¡®To drive a wedge?¡¯


    My guess was probably right.


    When I saw Charlia being openly ufortable, I was also forced to flinch.


    It wouldn¡¯t be a bad thing to get in between their conversation. Of course, Charlia, who waspletely alienated, had to be brought here with me.


    ¡°It¡¯s true that it is expensive, but you won¡¯t need to doubt the quality,¡± I replied.


    ¡°I will pay special attention to the items to be delivered to the Knights, who are working hard day and night for the Empire. Actually, Blue is not economically good because of some things, but¡­¡±


    Actually, it was.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to make a contract with a much lower price than what¡¯s on the market.¡±


    As it was an opportunity, it was natural that I should take it as much as possible. There was no special discount.


    ¡°In fact, the First Princess Charlia had mentioned simr thoughts with the Second Princess¡­ Hahaha. This is a coincidence.¡±


    Of course, I had never heard anything like that.


    Many lies had popped up in less than a minute, but I¡¯m not ufortable as they are good-intentioned lies.


    As I pushed Charlia, she nodded and went ahead.


    ¡®Just roughly go along with me.¡¯


    ¡°I see. Your Majesty Charlia, too¡­¡±


    The vicemander of the Imperial Knights, who smiled and nodded, still looks proud.


    Charlia also seemed to be going along with this. ¡°I¡¯m embarrassed.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha. I see. Hahaha. I didn¡¯t know you two would think of the Knights to this extent.¡±


    ¡°The country must be safe for it to develop. To do such acts for the Imperial Knights, the best-armed group in the Empire, it¡¯s probably something that ??anyone living in this country would think.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your words, Your Majesty Charlia. Hahahaha.¡±


    ¡®Good. She is doing well.¡¯


    It had worked that she read my note beforehand. Charlotte herself was calm.


    Seeing that Charlia took a step back from the ce she went in and narrowed the distance to me, it seems I was right.


    Since she couldn¡¯t embrace me, she must be determined to at least drive a wedge between us.


    During the conversation, Charlotte and Charlia gave words of encouragement to the Imperial Knights, who were performing their show-off training.


    I felt that most of the knights were showing favor to Charlotte, but it certainly seemed that they were showing off who was the strongest.


    It was the first time that I had also entered the Imperial Knights training hall, so while I was constantly paying attention to Charlia, I was busy checking the Imperial Knights specifications with my Mind¡¯s Eye.


    ¡®The knighthood level is quite high.¡¯


    It was not shameful to say that it was indeed the best power of the Empire, as Victor Hart was raising it with his best.


    Seeing that most of them have high endurance and stamina, their destructive power when riding on a horse was truly unimaginable.


    I bet that any small and medium-sized guilds would be wiped out at once. Obviously, however, the First Princess wasn¡¯t thinking about that.


    She was busy following the actions and movements that I had given her.


    ¡®However, she¡¯s doing pretty well.¡¯


    She expressed words of encouragement and praised their military exploits.


    Anyway, this kind of tour was mostly insignificant and was only for show. The Second Princess, who was also good at swordsmanship, showed better performance from there, but it was fine if Charlia didn¡¯t show that much.


    ¡®Because she only has to do what she can.¡¯


    She didn¡¯t have to be so loud.


    ¡°Thank you for your hard work.¡±


    ¡°I will do my best to protect the Empire.¡±


    ¡®Very good.¡¯


    ¡°It is thanks to you that the Empire is safe.¡±


    ¡°Thank you! It is an honor, First Princess.¡±


    ¡®Yes, you just have to do that. All you have to do is do what you can for the moment.¡¯


    In fact, it was difficult enough just to shake hands with knights with high strength.


    Even though they controlled their strength, it was inevitably painful for people like us who had weak endurance.


    She had already shaken hands dozens of times and still managed to keep her smile even when she had swollen palms.


    Just that was enough.


    While nodding satisfactorily, Charlotte approached us and opened her mouth.


    ¡°You think this will change something?¡±


    Her tone was very calm.

 Chapter 274: Carrots, Sticks, and Swords (2)

    <h4>Chapter 274: Carrots, Sticks, and Swords (2)</h4>


    Charlotte always maintained the same poker face. Looking again, she had many simrities with Charlia.


    The same went for her tinum hair, as well as for her white skin tone. I thought that, if I were looking from a distance, it would probably be hard to tell them apart.


    Of course, upon closer inspection, there was a difference between her and the First Princess, who had a vicious expression, but I basically realized that she inherited the same imperial blood.


    ¡®If her hair color had been different, it would have been a little more convenient¡­¡¯


    Going along with the rumors about the poor blood would have been easier.


    I didn¡¯t know if she knew what I was thinking, but after Charlotte tucked her flowing hair in her ear, she spoke once more.


    ¡°A person doesn¡¯t change so easily.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I also agree with you. I actually have that kind of thought¡­ I wonder why you are saying that to me.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to pretend you don¡¯t know, Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung. I know roughly what kind of person you are, and don¡¯t you know what kind of person I am?¡±


    ¡°Really, I don¡¯t know what your Majesty Charlotte is talking about, and in a ce like this?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m asking now about you taking the same path as my sister.¡±


    I thought she was pretty direct. As I thought it was time to save her words, I quietly shut my mouth, and she continued talking.


    ¡°I thought you were a chatty type, but you spoke lesser than I thought.¡±


    ¡°It looked like you had the wrong idea about me.¡±


    ¡°Yes. You are right. I indeed had the wrong idea. I thought you were a little more rational, but¡­ you¡¯re just acting out ofmon sense.¡±


    ¡®You¡¯re right.¡¯


    Anyone could see that it was not a rational act to stick to Charlia¡¯s side.


    Normally, I would have chosen to side up to Charlotte right away. My fear of how much Kim Hyunsung¡¯s request and his whip would hurt was to me for this irrationality.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard a lot about you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Especially from Victor Hart. I already knew you didn¡¯t really like making concessions, but you¡¯ve acted more extreme than I thought. I admit I was making some misjudgments about you. And I apologize for the rudeness I have shown before.¡±


    ¡°Saying that was rude. I¡¯m worried someone might hear you, Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°I was telling you about what I was doing to get rid of your hands and feet, Honorary Bishop. As you can understand, I didn¡¯t feel very happy about your existence. Had the Honorary Bishop been in my position, you too would have thought about how to restrain yourself. The fact that one person has too much power is a threat to someone like me.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I have much power, Your Majesty Charlotte. How can I talk about my power in front of a member of the imperial family?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to feel ufortable having this kind of conversation. But I don¡¯t think you will respond if I say this. Then, let¡¯s change the subject.¡±


    Charlotte stopped talking for a moment and looked forward.


    It was because the First Princess had climbed onto the tform after she finished her tour with the Imperial Knights.


    After she was seated in the right seat, she looked at me nkly, and it seemed that she wanted to continue to talk after I sat next to her.


    After I pleaded with a nce to the First Princess for her understanding, I sat down, and she pulled out the speech, which was in her pocket, and put it on the podium.


    Since this was the speech I wrote down, she would go at least halfway.


    Charlia began to read the speech in a confident and silvery voice.


    Those sitting in their chairs looking at the tform apuded, and voices of even more confidence were heard.


    I wanted to see how she was doing, but I couldn¡¯t focus on the First Princess, perhaps because Charlotte had started talking to me again.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you a little more directly, Honorary Bishop.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I want you to be on the same boat as me.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying¡­?¡±


    ¡°It is exactly what I¡¯m saying. I want you to get rid of my sister and get on my boat.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I have a lot of doubts. I also have a lot of worries. I think I may be the kind of person simr to you. Even if you tell me that you will, I will probably not stop the work I¡¯ve nned in advance. I¡¯m going to diminish your power and try to get your concessions.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±


    ¡°But I can promise that the results will be good for you. You may not like it right now, but¡­ I bet all results will be good for both you and the Empire. Of course, I can¡¯t say that it will be better than the oue that Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung is nning, but at least it will not be riskier than the investment you are currently making.¡±


    I had thought that she would be saying this. It was indeed an appealing offer.


    ¡®Does she mean that I¡¯m a talent she desires?¡¯


    Of course, she also recognized that I was too big to swallow. There was no change in the idea of ??reducing my authority.


    In fact, I didn¡¯t mean that I didn¡¯t want to change my posture at all.


    If it wasn¡¯t for Kim Hyunsung¡¯s request, it was worth thinking about seriously changing boats.


    ¡®But¡­¡¯


    As I told Victor Hart during the Ito Souta case, I never yielded in this aspect.


    Others should yield, not me.


    ¡°Excuse me, but I did some preliminary research about the Honorary Bishop. I was interested in another thing than the title that everyone knows, such as the one chosen by a dragon and the Holy Empire¡¯s Honorary Bishop. It was most impressive that the media was rooted in Lindel and brought about several transformations.¡±


    ¡°It is an honor.¡±


    ¡°The free city is basically separated from the Empire, but it is indirectly affected as it is separated in reality. That¡¯s just the fact that a simr institution was created within the Empire soon after the media took root and started at Lindel. You are basically a selfish human, but we also know that you have a minimum conscience. Whatever the reason, what you¡¯ve been doing has had good results for many.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps¡­ I think the reason you can produce such results is that you¡¯re watching out for others. No. I¡¯m sure. You must be watching out for the public. Even if you don¡¯t yield what you have to the strong, you are the one who does it to the public.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for thinking so. I have to think a little bit about whether I should ept this as apliment.¡±


    ¡°It is apliment, so you don¡¯t have to worry. Honorary Bishop, the Empire needs talent like you. We need people who can do politics that watch out for the majority and talents that watch out for the public.¡±


    I had to hold my breath for a moment.


    ¡®This is a real deal¡­¡¯


    She was a really good dealer. I knew she was clever, but she was smarter than I thought.


    Her way of thinking itself feels different from many of the nobles here, and it is impossible topare her with Charlia, who reads the note I wrote in front of the podium like a parrot.


    It felt like I could see why people gathered around her.


    If she was a person of this degree, being authentic or whatever didn¡¯t matter. Instead, they would want to follow her.


    It was said that there was a separate seed for the heirloom, but the person in front of me seemed to have been born to be an Empress.


    It felt like I was looking directly at the growth period of a great person that I had only seen in fairy tale books when I was a child that I almost jumped right onto the offer.


    ¡°Oh. For your reference, I also know that strange rumors have been circting recently.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°A lowly bloodline, a prodigal game, or the seductive voice every night. These are ridiculous rumors that don¡¯t even feel worth responding to.¡±


    I expected it, but it seemed that she already knew about this.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t caught the tail yet¡­ and it may take some time to find the source of the rumor, even if I catch it, but I¡¯m suspicious about where it¡¯s alling from.¡±


    ¡°I am not sure what rumors you are talking about, Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°I am not saying that I want the Honorary Bishop to know. You just need to listen. If the previous apology and the offer were the carrots, then I¡¯m talking about the stick from now on.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t hesitate to throw swords at my enemies, Honorary Bishop. I know you are an important person to the Empire, but if you really turn your back on me, I have no choice but to pull the sword out. You will have to make wise choices.¡±


    ¡®Damn¡­¡¯


    ¡°If you think about why there aren¡¯t any people who are advising father, no, His Majesty¡¯s side, the answer wille.¡±


    ¡®Fuck¡­¡¯


    ¡°It will be a good experience to yield this time.¡±


    ¡®If I could, I would yield with full force.¡¯


    It was natural to think that a lot of annoying things would happen if I faced her head-on.


    However, I had my own problems, too.


    As much as I received Hyunsung¡¯s special order not to make the Second Princess Empress, I couldn¡¯t get onto her boat.


    At that point, Charlia had already finished her speech.


    ¡°If you have the desire to yield, get down on your knees, and kiss my hand. I¡¯m not a person who says this twice. The carrots and sticks for you were thest ones here. The next thing I draw will be the sword.¡±


    At a nce, it seemed like this was the case, but the answer was fixed.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    I had already decided on a route here, and there were no other options. I didn¡¯te too far, but it would be funny toe back now.


    The desire for posture change was still alive and breathing in my heart¡­


    ¡®If I yield once.¡¯


    I must keep yielding.


    I couldn¡¯t help but make this choice because I could see what kind of human Charlotte was, just as Charlia began to run over here with an anxious expression.


    She wanted the well-being of the imperialists, and for that, she would continue to demand concessions from me.


    The result was obvious without having to open the lid.


    As I looked next to me, I saw Charlotte¡¯s faintly smiling face. I didn¡¯t know what that smile meant, but I could guess that it was a look that her own expectations were correct.


    ¡°Remember the first words I said, Honorary Bishop. People don¡¯t change easily.¡±


    She immediately turned her back and left without saying goodbye.


    I understand what Charlotte meant, but I myself thought Charlia wasn¡¯t that much.


    ¡°Thank you for your hard work, Princess.¡±


    ¡°Did I do well?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It was a very good speech.¡±


    She was good at doing what I told her, and she was aware that she was just spreading her wings.


    ¡®She won¡¯t be that stupid.¡¯


    However, absurdly enough, it didn¡¯t take much time for my firm beliefs to copse.


    Charlia was indeed that stupid bitch.

 Chapter 275: Those Who Have Limits Are Bound To Reveal the Rock-Bottom (1)

    <h4>Chapter 275: Those Who Have Limits Are Bound To Reveal the Rock-Bottom (1)</h4>


    Everything had been going smoothly.


    Charlotte, who left after making me feel uneasy, was quieter than I thought.


    Actually, it was the timing when the disinformation that I had spread to the nobles and the public had begun spreading everywhere.


    I could confirm that the Eight Seats of the Empire were growing in check, but in the end, this resulted in Dawan¡¯s Eight Seatsing to our side.


    It wasn¡¯t only bad. Of course, there were some anxiety factors. The reason was that Charlotte¡¯s camp was even bigger than I thought.


    In fact, they were gathering faster and more cautiously than I had initially expected.


    They weren¡¯t really doing anything, but the problem was that I had a feeling that we were definitely under political pressure. This was because supporting Charlia, a bad egg, meant there was more to lose than expected.


    ¡®Of course, it would be like that.¡¯


    Charlotte¡¯s camp was not just about its size.


    There was a strange bond between them, and in reality, they seemed to be running towards one goal. Obviously, the members themselves weren¡¯t bad, either.


    Of course, some members remained in the camp because they thought it was advantageous to simply be in Charlotte¡¯s arms, but at least the core members were mostly respected by the imperial people.


    ¡®Noblesse Oblige.¡¯


    They were those who practiced it, and their individual power was, by no means, small.


    I tried to get those who were at the bottom, but of course, the process had not been easy.


    In fact, it became hard to see the nobles that I was close to. We would talk at the social gatherings, but the core nobles avoided one-on-one meetings with me, and I was often isted without knowing it.


    Charlotte¡¯s peoplework was much wider than mine.


    Naturally, I thought my side also needed power. At least I had to grow to a simr size. That way, I could surely attract those who stood on the edge of uncertainty.


    The legitimacy Charlia had.


    It was natural to keep pushing the idea: ¡®She properly inherited the Emperor¡¯s blood.¡¯


    I had to push exaggerated publicity for the First Princess and a negative invisible rumor for the Second Princess.


    As a result, the picture I wanted was made. People gathered, and power was formed. The problem was that most of the gathered nobles were garbage.


    Their power was by no means small, but¡­ most of the people in Charlia¡¯s camp were old.


    ¡®Old people like Lee Seolho.¡¯


    A deep-rooted evil festival of grandpas that doesn¡¯t fit with the young blood or innovation¡ªthat was the current Charlia¡¯s camp.


    Of course, Duchess Catherine and Countess Elise, which had a strong rtionship with me, and Count of Castlerock and Marlin Young-ae, who had a debt to pay me, had been sending positive signals. Still, they were also in a position to lead their families to their future, so it was hard for them to decide.


    In this situation, all I could do was to make Charlia look good.


    To the nobles who were indecisive, I had no choice but to show that she had changed.


    As I understood well that my destiny depended on this matter, I put all my devotion and effort into ying a game of raising a princess.


    Of course, Lee Jihye was also working hard, but I could be sure that I was more exhausted than her.


    Still, unlike her, who didn¡¯t have to see Charlia¡¯s face, I had to keep sticking to her side.


    ¡®Fuck¡­¡¯


    In other words, I was the one who needed to clean up every mess she¡¯d make.


    It was natural that I was tired because I had to check her clothes, as well as cheer her up and praise a grown-up adult like a child.


    It wasn¡¯t just that. Besides work, conversations like personal actions and questions were getting longer, and as time passed, I often felt that she was trying to invade my personal space.


    For example, she had been asking me what kind of rtionship I had with Cha Hee-ra or Jung Hayan.


    The most she did was ask me what I thought of her, but with the unique characteristic I have, what kind of crazy situation would happen?


    It was natural for me to worry.


    One good thing was that there was a difference in our positions. Maybe that was an obstacle for Charlia. She was proud to be the blood of the Imperial family.


    If she thought that even that didn¡¯t matter, then it meant that she¡¯d really taken over the emperor¡¯s blood.


    Anyway, Charlia was following my schedule firmly withoutints. The idea of being recognized by her surrounding environment seemed to give momentum to her behavior.


    In fact, Charlia¡¯s external evaluation had beenpletely reversed.


    It wasn¡¯t a long time, but the First Princess built up her profile, and although she was in the middle of a deep-rooted evil festival, she had developed her own strength.


    ¡®It was the most important period.¡¯


    The importance was insufficient to emphasize.


    Although she stillcked a lot in many aspects, now this ipetent First Princess was on the same starting line as Charlotte.


    Unlike their well-organized forces, Charlia¡¯s side had a fight going on of deep-rooted evils for food. I was lucky that Charlia trusted me the most.


    The story was long, but for now, it was a result that I could be satisfied with.


    The only thing that was a little worrying was how she would take this situation.


    Charlia, who didn¡¯t do anything, might have felt a radical change, but she wouldn¡¯t be acting up if she knew her ce.


    No matter how much she created her power and was bing snobby, she would at least know her limits as she was just standing at the starting point.


    That was my mistake.


    ¡®Sh*t! Sh*t!¡¯


    It was my mistake to see a little bit of hope for this stupid woman.


    The First Princess Charlia was having a little tea time with Duchess Catherine, Countess Elise, and Marlin Young-ae, that I¡¯d always met.


    What happened while I was in the bathroom was so unrealistic that it was disconcerting.


    ¡®Stupid bitch. Stupid bitch!¡¯


    I had no choice but to realize the meaning of ¡®People do not change¡¯ that Charlotte had said.


    The peaceful atmosphere until now had long since disappeared. The scene in front of me was filled with confusion.


    Nothing more or less.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhhh!¡±


    Seeing Marlin lying on the ground and grasping her face with Duchess Catherine taking care of her was truly unrealistic.


    Charlia looked down at Marlin Young-ae, huffing angry and annoyed, and Countess Elise was also clearly embarrassed.


    After opening the door, I expected to see the four womenughing and getting close to each other, but who would have imagined that it would be such a mess?


    I don¡¯t know how this happened, but I could tell why Marlin Young-ae was rolling over the floor, grabbing her face.


    Somehow, Charlia had thrown tea onto Marlin Young-ae. I was so embarrassed that I had to pause for a moment.


    However, my body responded first to the painful scream of Marlin¡¯s young-ae.


    ¡°Ahhhhhh!!¡±


    ¡°M-Marlin Youngae!¡±


    ¡°L-Lee Ki-young Honorary Bishop! That¡­ That one! She dared to!¡±


    In the meantime, Charlia spoke to me as if I had arrived at the right time, but she wasn¡¯t important.


    After ignoring her, I went straight to Marlin and her footsteps and seeing her condition. I immediately lifted her up.


    ¡°Maid Alice, the priest¡­¡±


    ¡°I have already called for him.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Charlia was literally more ipetent than a maid.


    Seeing me very desperate, it seemed that she realized what mistake she had just made. I really wanted to crush her myself.


    ¡°L-Lee Kiyoung¡­ it hurts. It hurts! Sniff¡­ it hurts.¡±


    ¡°Just hold tight, Marlin Young-ae. No, Maid Alice! I have a potion in my bag. For now, get that!¡±


    ¡°Oh! Okay!¡±


    ¡°Duchess Catherine and Countess Elise, take care of Marlin Young-ae for a moment ¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes. Okay, Honorary Bishop.¡±


    I am not in a position to be picky.


    Naturally, it hurts because the hot tea is all over her face.


    It was possible to treat wounds, but if her eyes were to get injured, it¡¯d be a problem. No, it would be harder to fix the situation if there would be a scar left on her.


    The maid was already bringing my bag. Countess Elise was crying as if she was in this kind of situation for the first time, and Duchess Catherine was biting her lips, trying to somehow calm Marlin.


    ¡°It hurts. Lee Kiyoung¡­ Sniff¡­ I can¡¯t see. Waaahh¡­¡±


    ¡°Marlin Young-ae, please, hold tight. I will treat you now. The priest will also being soon, and everything will be fine.¡±


    Unlike Charlia, who was nkly watching all these situations, Alice handed a potion to me, like a nurse handing a scalpel, and I immediately opened the lid and began pouring a high-quality potion on Marlin¡¯s face.


    It was good that I carried potions all the time, just in case.


    ¡°One bottle will be sprayed on the wound, and you will drink one bottle slowly. It will also have pain relief, so it will surely be okay.¡±


    ¡®She must get better.¡¯


    ¡°Yes¡­ Yes¡­ Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°Open your eyes slowly.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Lee Kiyoung-nim¡­¡±


    ¡®Sh*t.¡¯


    I wasn¡¯t a doctor, but anyone can see that Marlin Young-ae¡¯s eyes were not fine now.


    Since it hasn¡¯t passed much time, she would definitely be able to recover.


    ¡°This is going to sting a little bit.¡±


    ¡°H-Hug me tight, Lee Ki-young. Sniff¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. Yes. I will.¡±


    As I held her hand tight, I felt Marlin Young-ae¡¯s hand shaking.


    It would be natural for her to be scared. As I slowly put the potion into her eye, her body suddenly became stiff, and she began screaming.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°You will get better, Young-ae. Please, hold tight. It¡¯s recovering.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­ Haaa¡­¡±


    After lifting Marlin Young-ae¡¯s body again, I immediately kicked the door and left.


    Duchess Catherine followed me, and Count Elise¡¯s face was already filled with tears.


    Meanwhile, the priest Alice had called for had arrived. Marlin Young-ae had already exhausted herself. Only then did I feel the situation had been cleared up a little.


    ¡°First, we must move Marlin Young-ae somewhere she can rest. I think it would be better to do the rest of the treatment there.¡±


    ¡°There is a room I received from His Majesty not far away, so it would be better to go there, Honorary Bishop.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Duchess Catherine.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I am doing what I have to do. Honorary Bishop, is Marlin Young-ae okay?¡±


    ¡°She will probably get better. I don¡¯t think there will be any scars left, and her eyes will recover. But why did this happen so suddenly¡­?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s long to exin, but¡­ Charlia, that crazy¡­ No, while her Majesty was talking with Young-ae, she suddenly threw a kettle of hot water at Marlin Young-ae. Marlin Young-ae did notmit any disrespect to Her Majesty Princess Charlia. She was simply talking about her friendship with Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°She did that so suddenly that¡­ I didn¡¯t know what the hell was going on. I¡¯ve been thinking about if Marlin Young-ae had conduct that would be troublesome to Her Majesty, but¡­ I don¡¯t remember anything.¡±


    ¡®Fuck.¡¯


    As expected, Marlin Young-ae hadn¡¯t done anything wrong.


    The two who followed were also looking at Marlin Young-ae nervously.


    Perhaps they were the most surprised. When I looked closely, I started to see marks as if they were burnt by hot water.


    It was such an urgent situation that they couldn¡¯t afford to take care of themselves.


    Immediately after asking for their consent, I began to look after the wounds.


    Everything had gottenpletely ruined. All the hard work I¡¯d done so far has be a waste of time.


    I feel like I knew why Charlotte hadn¡¯t been active. She knew what her sister was capable of doing in order to destroy herself.


    ¡®Sh*t! It¡¯s fucking ruined. All fucking ruined!¡¯

 Chapter 276: Those Who Have Limits Are Bound to Reveal the Rock-bottom (2)

    <h4>Chapter 276: Those Who Have Limits Are Bound to Reveal the Rock-bottom (2)</h4>


    My options were limited.


    Fortunately, among the misfortunes, Marlin Young-ae recovered her body somehow, but she still had to rest.


    In fact, the expression ¡°fortunate among misfortunes¡± also did not fit well with the current situation.


    Duchess Catherine was busy shaking in anger, and Countess Elise was also wearing a nk expression, as if the shock had not dissipated yet.


    I also had a bitter taste in my mouth.


    I hadn¡¯t been paying much attention to Marlin Young-ae, but it wasn¡¯t a good feeling to see her hurt as we often met each other.


    Even in this situation, the thought still in my head was how to solve this problem.


    ¡®What can you solve? Fuck¡­¡¯


    This was a problem with no answer.


    In the first ce, she was one of the members who were deciding about entering Charlia¡¯s camp, and they would prove to be an indispensable force.


    They were the real deal. They were on the border with the Republic, the central force of the Eastern aristocracy, and had powerful military power.


    They were different from the old men who were just trying to reap benefits from Charlia.


    She was not only rude to such a customer, but poured hot water on her, so there was no way to find a resolution.


    On the surface, they might have bad feelings for me, who urged them to soak in Charlia¡¯s camp.


    It would make no sense to reconcile them.


    I, too, had to choose between Charlia and Duchess Catherine.


    Marlin Young-ae, who was asleep, was still holding my hand tight.


    It was then that Duchess Catherine¡¯s heavy mouth opened.


    At first, it seems like she was saying words of constion to me after reading my apologetic face.


    ¡°There is no need for Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung to be sorry.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry.¡±


    ¡°No. You haven¡¯t done anything wrong. Even if I were the Honorary Bishop, I wouldn¡¯t have expected this to happen.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m deeply ashamed.¡±


    ¡°No. Really. But¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I understand what Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung is thinking and in what direction you are trying to move, but I think it¡¯ll be difficult for us to be together in that direction.¡±


    ¡®Damn¡­¡¯


    This was an obvious result.


    If they said they would be with us despite this situation, I would call them saints, not nobles.


    ¡°I know you¡¯ve been caring about us, you¡¯ve made room for us, and you¡¯ve helped us in many ways, but¡­¡±


    ¡°I can understand. Duchess Catherine, Count Elise.¡±


    ¡°Of course, considering Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung, we will not join the forces of the Second Princess. But¡­¡±


    There was no way to end this situation just by not participating in the forces of the Second Princess. I knew their anger would not be relieved so easily.


    It didn¡¯t matter if she was a member of the imperial family. There was indeed a limit.


    If today¡¯s affairs spread to the aristocratic society right now, Charlia would surely be attacked. Even the filthy old men on her side would probably run away from her.


    Who would want to serve as Empress who harms them?


    After a brief sigh, Duchess Catherine spoke once more.


    ¡°However, I cannot help but ask Her Majesty to take responsibility for this matter. We will formally report this matter to the Emperor, and we will ensure that the First Princess faces a fair penalty.¡±


    ¡°I fully understand. I, too¡­ I will do my best to ensure that the First Princess is punished.¡±


    I also had to make this choice.


    If I didn¡¯t join the other side right now, I might be considered an enemy as well.


    It was enough to be thankful just to maintain neutrality.


    As if she liked my answer, Duchess Catherine nodded again. It wasn¡¯t a simple factional fight. It was sincere advice.


    ¡°I know that Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung is smart, but I will say a word from an older perspective. Being with her will not benefit the Honorary Bishop either. You¡¯d better take off your feet when you can. I also thought about whether she changed, but I realize that people don¡¯t change so easily. She is inherently violent and unable to hold in her anger. I believe that Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung will make a wise choice.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to take it into ount, Duchess Catherine.¡±


    There was nothing I could say other than that.


    ¡®Damn. Damn.¡¯


    Marilyn Young-ae¡¯s ident would get into Count Castle Rock¡¯s ears very quickly. Of course, I was also worried about what Count Castle Rock, who cares for his daughter, will do.


    I was also concerned about the Emperor¡¯s reactions, who would once again think Charlia was hopeless, and Charlotte, who would take advantage of this chance.


    ¡®All she needed to do was follow along blindly.¡¯


    Instead, she blew the opportunity I had given for her.


    ¡®This stupid bitch! Scum!¡¯


    This was what one would call real trash.


    ¡°We will be protecting Marlin Young-ae, Honorary Bishop. You can go back and¡­¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°No. You don¡¯t need to worry¡­ the Princess was left alone in the parlor. She will need someone to take charge of the situation and sort it out. We honestly don¡¯t have the courage to see her face again. Please.¡±


    ¡°Fine, alright.¡±


    Finally, after holding Marlin Young-ae¡¯s hand tight, I said goodbye and returned to the site where the ident took ce.


    The sights along the way were certainly a mess.


    The decorations were broken apart, and an empty potion bottle could be seen lying on the floor.


    As I got there, Charlia¡¯s maids also looked the same as before¡­


    Maid Alice¡¯s cheeks were already swollen red.


    Seeing her cleaning up outside with tears in her eyes, it looked like Charlia, who couldn¡¯t stand her anger over what happened, had returned to doing her bullsh*t.


    ¡°Maid Alice.¡±


    ¡°Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung-nim!¡±


    ¡°Your face¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Rather, Honorary Bishop¡­ t-the Princess is looking for you urgently.¡±


    ¡°Before that, the first thing to do is to get treatment. If you have the potion, you¡¯ll get a little better.¡±


    ¡°H-How dare I drink this precious thing¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. This is in return for helping me quickly. The Princess is now¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Err¡­ S-she seems very angry. I think it was a shock that the Honorary Bishop ran out, leaving the Princess alone¡­ She ordered us to bring you as soon as possible, but perhaps you haven¡¯t met the other maids.¡±


    ¡°Oh. I haven¡¯t. It seems like I missed them.¡±


    ¡°You have to go in quickly. She is very sad.¡±


    Trantion - the bitch had gone crazy.


    As I continued to hand out the potion, Maid Alice felt burdened, but nevertheless, swallowed the potion in her mouth.


    Her cheeks swelled up, and the wound in her mouth has healed.


    ¡°I can¡¯t be like this. I¡¯ll take you there.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s okay, Maid Alice. I¡¯ll go alone.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°You can clean up here with others. I¡¯llfort her well.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ Okay.¡±


    In fact, I didn¡¯t know how to soothe her.


    It would be appropriate to say that I didn¡¯t have the slightest idea. I think I knew what the situation was.


    While I was away for a moment, they would have started talking about me, and as usual, Marlin Young-ae would have gotten excited and chatted about me.


    I didn¡¯t know what Young-ae had said, but there was a possibility that she had brought up the previous story about the possibility of us having an engagement.


    Perhaps she talked about the letter that we had exchanged or the things we did in Castle Rock.


    Although she didn¡¯t show on the surface, Marlin Young-ae¡¯s behavior was very simr to a teenage girl¡¯s fan behavior following a singer. Obviously, Charlia had been unable to reign in her anger.


    That would be the end of the case. It was unlikely that Marlin Young-ae had provoked her. She was not that type of person.


    As I strode and pushed the door wide open, Charlia looked at me as if she had been waiting. She looked as if she had found this entire situation absurd.


    Then, she opened her mouth.


    If I could, I would¡¯ve thrown the Dragon Breath potion right in her face.


    ¡°Lee Kiyoung-nim! You are here now.¡±


    ¡°¡­ ¡­¡±


    ¡°Have you heard about what happened from Duchess Catherine or Countess Elise? I-I don¡¯t know what you heard, but¡­ that stupid Marlin keeps saying weird stuff¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­ ¡­¡±


    ¡°She kept saying nonsense that she might get engaged to the Honorary Bishop. It¡¯s ridiculous. She said that you¡¯d exchanged a lot of letters, but I couldn¡¯t stand listening. I thought that I should protect your honor, so my hand moved automatically.¡±


    ¡°¡­ ¡­¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect things to get this big, but she deserves more. She is only the daughter of a Count¡­ How dare she doesn¡¯t know her ce¡­¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not just the Count¡¯s daughter, Charlia-nim.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I understand what you¡¯re worried about. However, just because we won¡¯t get a little aristocrat¡¯s power on the outskirts doesn¡¯t mean that the ship that Lee Kiyoung and I are together is sinking. We have already gathered many forces¡­¡±


    It had already sunk to the mantle.


    To be in a boat with this woman was more dangerous than to be with Jung Hayan.


    I had realized it a littlete, but I could be sure of it now.


    ¡°She¡¯s not a small noble. Count Castle Rock is one of the loyalists who have defended the Empire from the Republic¡¯s threats for over a decade, and Marlin Young-ae is Count Castle Rock¡¯s most cherished daughter. Although small in size, it is hard to imagine the symbolism of the Castle Rock family and the trust that the imperialists send them, Princess.¡±


    ¡°I-It¡¯s okay. No matter how it is, just because of one crazy bitch¡­¡±


    She waspletely wrong.


    She didn¡¯t do it identally, and not only was this deliberate, but she had no awareness of what she had done.


    Seeing the rush to make excuses after releasing her anger, I felt pathetic when I thought of how I had struggled to make this an Empress.


    It¡¯s embarrassing just to imagine how funny Princess Charlotte would have looked at me.


    ¡°The same goes for the Duchess of Castle Rock, and so is Countess Elise. They were more valuable people than those who are gathered in the camp.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ but¡­ then, if we find a w¡­¡±


    ¡°They are not stupid, either. They will formally protest this matter to the Emperor, and he will also discipline Charlia. It doesn¡¯t matter that they are descendants of the imperial family. Nobles devoted to the Empire cannot be treated this way. It¡¯s not just a matter of joining our side or not. I¡¯m talking about turning her back on the Princess at all.¡±


    ¡°W-We¡¯ve done well so far, so somehow¡­¡±


    ¡°You must¡¯ve had done something so far to be able to fix it. What is easily stacked will easily fall apart. The Princess has not aplished anything great. You were just starting to step off the starting line, and you broke down the tower you could keep building in the future. This time¡­¡±


    ¡°D-Didn¡¯t I tell you that it¡¯s fine?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I-I definitely told you that it was fine. When I be Empress, I can solve everything!¡±


    I was surprised to see that she had started screaming.


    It felt like she was saying that she didn¡¯t want to hear any more nagging, so I almostughed in perplexity.

 Chapter 277: Unwanted Plan (1)

    <h4>Chapter 277: Unwanted n (1)</h4>


    I kept imagining throwing the Dragon Breath potion right into her face, but I knew I couldn¡¯t do that.


    Unaware of her ce, Charlia began to talk once again as if she got the courage upon seeing me speechless for a moment. Of course, this was a stupid assumption on her part.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry for yelling. However, I wasn¡¯t saying that for no reason, Lee Kiyoung-nim. No matter how big the problem is, I can fix it all.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Until now, I was quietly cowering because I had no power, but not now. Look at the nobles gathered under my name. Compared to Charlotte, there is absolutely no shortage.¡±


    ¡®What bullsh*t.¡¯


    ¡°They are gathered under legitimate and authentic blood. They are the ones who will agree with me.¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s not that¡­¡¯


    ¡°M-My dad must have seen me in a new light. If I be the Empress, everything will be solved. Yes. Absolutely. Perhaps, sooner orter, he will realize who really will take over the throne. It will definitelye. Lee Kiyoung, when that timees¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I will seat Lee Kiyoung as the prime minister of the Empire. I will do that.¡±


    ¡®I never said I needed anything like that.¡¯


    Looking at her saying that as if it was even a great gift wasughable. It wasn¡¯t even realistic.


    Even if she had said that after being chosen as the sessor, I would still say that it was not time to get excited.


    However, it would be strange to believe her when she was saying that right after she ruined what we had built so far.


    ¡®This is ridiculous.¡¯


    No wonder I had begun thinking about abandoning her.


    Charlia¡¯s ship was already sinking. I was on top of it and would feel it greater than anyone else.


    Even if a miracle happened, it was impossible for her to ascend to the throne.


    I always walked a single path, and it was the first time that my senses were screaming so much.


    I thought that no matter how I persuaded Charlia or made a fuss, I couldn¡¯t change her.


    ¡®I have to get out, quickly.¡¯


    Of course, contrary to what I was thinking, my head had begun to unconsciously nod.


    This was because I thought it would be more realistic to find a way to live just epting, rather than saying, ¡®Let¡¯s stop with the open alliance.¡¯


    It was no wonder that Charlie herself looked slightly surprised.


    Unlike the inside, where I was swearing all kinds of things, I had no choice but to maintain my usual appearance on the outside.


    ¡°Ohh. I see. I didn¡¯t know you were thinking so far¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. If you continue to help me, I will never forget your kindness, Honorary Bishop.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll do it as I¡¯ve been until now, but¡­ it¡¯ll be hard if today¡¯s thing happens again.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I-I¡¯ll admit that I was a little hasty. But Marlin, that crazy girl¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. Yes.¡±


    No matter what she would say, I wouldn¡¯t listen. It would only further my anger.


    She was talking as if I wasn¡¯t angry anymore when she saw me nodding and thought that my anger was relieved.


    Though I wasughing now, I would not see her for a few days afterwards.


    If Duchess Catherine, Count Elise, and the Count of Castle Rock began to protest formally against the Emperor, the Emperor¡¯s position was bound to punish her.


    Right now, everything would be the way she was thinking, but in less than three days, she would realize that something had gone wrong.


    Of course, my expectations had never been wrong.


    The enraged Count Castle Rock knocked on the imperial city¡¯s gates right before the next morning, got in a conversation with the Emperor, and remained locked out for hours.


    He thought he couldn¡¯t have neglected it even as an Emperor because she didn¡¯t mess with a sub-noble that didn¡¯t have anything, but this was the Count of Castle Rock, who had fought hard for the imperial family.


    This was a situation that he couldn¡¯t ignore, even though this was a sub-noble in the first ce.


    Still, as the Emperor was in a desperate situation that he had made the Eight Seats of the Empire strengthen his imperial power, he would have no choice but to ept Count Castle Rock¡¯s protests sensitively.


    I couldn¡¯t hear what they talked about, but eventually, the Emperor ordered Charlia to be detained in her room.


    Of course, the rooted evils side also took showmanship, such as apologizing to Marlin Young-ae. Still, it was impossible that Charlotte would do nothing during this situation.


    Like a fish in water, she shook public opinion, proving how useless the legitimacy was.


    Perhaps because of thest resistance of the rooted evils, Princess Charlia was allowed to meet with a minimum of people during her custody, which was not very pleasant news that I was included.


    She had personally mentioned my name.


    My position was a little more embarrassing because this was the time when I also instructed the Eastern aristocrats, including Duchess Catherine, to distance themselves from Charlia.


    It didn¡¯t matter if I distanced myself from other people, but because they were the ones that I could say were my most valuable contacts.


    It seemed that they understood my political position, perhaps because I¡¯d been good to them, but I thought it would have been hard for them to look only positively at me even if I were in their shoes.


    The atmosphere changed afterwards.


    Stocks, which had been rising well, suddenly plummeted.


    ¡°Have you heard the story? The Count Castle Rock¡¯s Marlin Young-ae¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh. Of course, I heard. Princess Charlia poured the boiling tea on her face as it was¡­ Are the rumors true?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I happened to see the Honorary Bishop running while holding Marlin Young-ae. At first, I wondered what was going on because I could not see in detail through the window. I didn¡¯t even dream that that would have happened.¡±


    ¡°They said that if Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung weren¡¯t there at the same time, she would have almost lost her sight. If he had gotten there a littleter¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to imagine. Count Castle Rock must be very upset.¡±


    The nobledies talked about this day and night, and the powerful noblemen also exchanged their opinions on the incident.


    ¡°Tsk. It doesn¡¯t matter if she has the royal family¡¯s blood. Mymon sense doesn¡¯t really understand how she could do that to the Count, who has protected Castle Rock silently for the royal family.¡±


    ¡°There may have been some reason¡­¡±


    ¡°Even if Marlin Young-ae¡¯s attitude was disrespectful, how could she throw boiling tea? In fact, we are talking between ourselves, but Her Majesty Charlia¡¯s maids look terrible. You can see how her usual behavior will be. There must be a citizen to have an Empire¡­ How can she treat people below her like that¡­?¡±


    ¡°His Majesty will be very upset, too.¡±


    ¡°Actually, he said he drank wine that he doesn¡¯t likest night, so how heartbroken he must be¡­ When he heard the news that the First Princess had changed, I remember him being happy. It would have been better if he hadn¡¯t had such expectations.¡±


    Even the Eight Seats of the Empire, who were only trusting me, were inquiring about it, so I wouldn¡¯t have to exin what my position would be like.


    ¡°I¡¯m just talking about it, but¡­ Is this okay? Even if I look at it, the atmosphere doesn¡¯t look good¡­ If I take a step out, don¡¯t hate me too much. I¡¯ll trust you will exin it well to Cha Hee-ra. Oh, of course, it doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m doing it right now, so please rest assured.¡±


    ¡°If you have any other ns or anything we can help with, please tell us.¡±


    Even if Dawan¡¯s Wi Ran and Cheon Gwan-wi said this, I had nothing to say.


    One of the reasons I was bothered was that Kim Hyunsung was busy moving while I was having a hard time.


    Our lovely returner left everything to me and started wandering everywhere, but it was hard to find out where and what he was doing.


    When I firstid the foundation, he supported me, but it seemed like something else was happening at the time.


    In Cha Hee-ra¡¯s case, she didn¡¯t really see it as a big deal if I failed in this or not,


    Certainly, those who weren¡¯t very interested in politics seemed to think that it wouldn¡¯t have much damage if I failed.


    Actually, they weren¡¯t all that wrong.


    Even if Charlotte became the Empress without much difficulty, it wouldn¡¯t affect us directly.


    To be precise, it would not cause any physical harm. They wouldn¡¯t cut our throat for treason, and we wouldn¡¯t rot for life in prison. However, in my case, the story was a little different.


    Getting on the wrong line once meant the loss of the political grounds that I considered most important.


    Charlotte, who had already recognized me as an enemy, would do her best to cut off my limbs, and I would have to start all over once again.


    No one would want such a hellish situation.


    ¡®Strong bitch.¡¯


    Of course, this situation was hell for me.


    It was not that I did not try to contact Charlotte again, but the Second Princess seemed to be thinking about aiming at my back by being openly hostile rather than being subtle about it.


    Perhaps unfortunately or fortunately, the nobles at the Second Princess¡¯s camp also gave me a warning.


    ¡®We shouldn¡¯t say this in the first ce, but¡­ this is in consideration of Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung. It would be better to stay quiet for the time being.¡¯


    Something was indeed happening.


    My nobles¡¯ connection was gradually being cut off, and all that was left was all the people with whom I had been close from the beginning.


    Of course, I went around meeting people, but it was difficult to achieve good results.


    As a result, the only ce where I could go was to the Emperor, who could die at any time.


    It was the reason why I had to go to the Emperor¡¯s room, thinking if I really should develop an elixir.


    ¡®I will serve you with all my heart, Your Majesty.¡¯


    The loyalty that had been for Charlia for a while was once again transferred to the Emperor.


    The most important thing was that the Emperor must be healthy until all of these events subsided, and I re-establish my foundation.


    The Emperor¡¯s maid greeted me, and the door began to open from the inside.


    It was a face I often saw these days, but nevertheless, it looked more tired than yesterday.


    Naturally, drinking alcohol like that would put a strain on his health.


    The insane behavior of the First Princess was paving the way for the Emperor¡¯s road to heaven.


    The Emperor¡¯s presence was precious to me as he was the only one I had a chance of winning back at this point.


    ¡°Ooh¡­ You¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty, are you okay?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m always the same¡­ I¡¯m okay¡­¡±


    ¡°You must recover your health as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha¡­ I am always healthy¡­ Rather, Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Did you¡­e after meeting Charlia today?¡±


    I froze.

 Chapter 278: Unwanted plan (2)

    <h4>Chapter 278: Unwanted n (2)</h4>


    The existence of the First Princess within the Empire was troublesome.


    The Emperor was also well aware of it, and for that reason, he had refrained from letting the First Princess do any important tasks, for fear that she would cause trouble.


    ¡®It¡¯s not just that.¡¯


    It was no wonder that he was worried about her as a father.


    If I were the Emperor, I wouldn¡¯t be able to leave the First Princess as she was, too.


    Right now, it was good to have the Emperor¡¯s protection, but if I were to think about him going back to the arms of the Goddess Benigore, it was pretty obvious as to what would happen afterward.


    The Second Princess would probably ascend to the throne, and the First Princess would be disadvantaged somehow.


    She may not end up with simple discipline if she were to cause some trouble, just like now.


    From a father¡¯s point of view, that may make him feel uneasy. However¡­


    ¡®But this is ridiculous. Ridiculous.¡¯


    If this old man also had a conscience, he would never think that way.


    Today, I was worried upon seeing his serious face, but I don¡¯t think he was thinking the same as me.


    He would note up with an unforgivable offer.


    My intuition kept ringing with warnings, but the problem was that I couldn¡¯t do anything right now.


    I had to somehow stop the line from popping out of his mouth.


    ¡°I met her for a moment in the morning.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ how is she¡­¡±


    ¡°She is a little psychologically unstable, but¡­ It seemed that she was deeply aware of her own mistakes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d she thinks so¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t want to talk about Charlia anymore.


    ¡°Rather than that, I heard that your Majesty had a drink yesterday¡­¡±


    ¡°I did. And the reason why I called Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung today is that I was thinking about having a drink together. Today, I have something to tell you¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not good for your health, Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Hohoho. I think the Honorary Bishop really cares about me. Even if you say the same thing as other loyalists, what you say sounds a little different¡­ It¡¯s amazing.¡±


    ¡°Who would think different than wanting Your Majesty to be healthy? Perhaps the reason Your Majesty feels that way is because Your Majesty has more confidence in me.¡±


    ¡°Right. I trust Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung. Yes¡­ Absolutely. That¡¯s why I wanted to say¡­¡±


    ¡°Haha. In order to repay His Majesty¡¯s trust, I must work really hard.¡±


    My form of distraction was not working. It looked like he had already made up his mind.


    ¡®It may not be what I¡¯m thinking, however.¡¯


    The Emperor had different troubles, and perhaps he would say somethingpletely different.


    No matter how much of a troublemaker Charlia was, I was a foreigner who was not included in the imperial category.


    No matter how I was to think about it, it was a situation where many difficulties were blooming.


    As the Emperor quietly raised his hand, some maids popped out and started pouring wine into a ss.


    It was a great honor to be able to drink wine together, but I couldn¡¯t figure out why I was so anxious.


    Eventually, the Emperor said what he wanted, and I was forced to curse the fact that my prediction was correct.


    ¡°I¡¯m just saying this, but¡­ what does Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung think of Charlia?¡±


    ¡®This psychopathic bastard!¡¯


    I thought about how to respond for a moment, but there was nothing I could do except to change the topic once more.


    ¡°Contrary to popr evaluation, she is someone who has great qualities. Although she has a fiery temper that can¡¯t hold in her anger, she doesn¡¯t hesitate to push ahead with what she¡¯s nning. She has determination and momentum, and takes responsibility at all costs to the work entrusted to her¡­¡±


    ¡°No. That¡¯s not what my question meant, Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty. I¡¯m sorry, but it¡¯s hard to understand exactly¡­ w-why His Majesty is saying that? What kind of rudeness did the First Princess do?¡±


    ¡°No. I didn¡¯t mean that. It would be better to ask a little more clearly. I am now asking ¡­what Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung thinks of my daughter Charlia as a woman.¡±


    The Emperor was indeed a psychopath.


    ¡°Uh, what do you mean by that¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡­ I¡¯m sure you know what I mean.¡±


    ¡®Sh*t.¡¯


    I don¡¯t know what to think of Charlia as a woman.


    ¡®Honestly, if given the opportunity, I want to throw the Dragon Breath potion in her face¡¯ was in my mouth, but there was no way I could say that.


    ¡®You have to get rid of your sh*t¡­ why do I have to do that?¡¯


    It was only right to start with praise and then reveal the will of rejection.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure how to say this, but¡­ H-Her Majesty¡¯s beauty is as beautiful as a gem. She even has a voice that came down from the sky¡­ and that noble blood always maintains its dignity¡­ so it¡¯s not suitable to foreigners.¡±


    I thought it wasn¡¯t a bad finish, but it seems that the words I toldst do note to this psychopath.


    ¡°Hohoho. Right. It¡¯s not wrong that even though the child has a mean side, she looks like her mother and is beautiful as a gem. In fact, when she was young, she was voted the most beautiful girl in the Empire, so where would that beauty go?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°For a long time, marriage proposals came from all over the ce. Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°I was holding Charlia for my selfishness, but now is the time to let her go.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes¡­¡±


    As he stopped right in the part ¡®for a long time, marriage proposal has beening from all over the ce,¡¯ there was no need to exin the reason.


    There may not have been anyone who the Emperor or Charlia liked, but I bet they all realized what kind of person she was and widened their distance.


    They decided that there was more to be lost than gain with having a rtionship with the First imperial Princess.


    I feel the same, too.


    ¡®What can I get?¡¯


    The rtionship between the First and Second Princesses was like water and oil.


    It didn¡¯t matter if she was a member of the imperial family or whatever. Being associated with the First Princess was no different from making the Second Princess into one¡¯s enemy.


    ¡°Actually, I was really disappointed and thought a lot about this incident.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°I was unknowingly looking forward to Charlia because of the stories that have been told, but I realized once again after going through this¡­ Governing someone doesn¡¯t suit her.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t necessarily¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d love to see her build a family before I die, Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sure you will.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I should be. So that I¡­ can be relieved. To leave that spoiled brat and leave¡­¡±


    ¡°P-Please refrain from saying that. Your Majesty will remain healthy andst as a ruler of the Empire for a long time.¡±


    ¡°Hohoho. Thank you. Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung, you already know it, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­ ¡­¡±


    ¡°Everyone must, but the rtionship between the first and the second child is not very good. I am indeed worried that the second will do something terrible to her sister after I leave. My father, His Majesty, and I went through that process. Charlotte is clever, but she doesn¡¯t hesitate to use her hand for what is needed. She will probably be the same to her sister.¡±


    ¡®Fuck¡­¡¯


    ¡°Charlia. That fool is my daughter, too. I want our first to live a safe and peaceful life. If it is someone she likes and follows, she will be able to give up her greed and live happily.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ w-what you mean, Your Majesty?¡±


    ¡°Hohoho. I thought you were quick to notice, but you¡¯re a little dull in this aspect.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°I heard why that child did something terrible to Marlin Young-ae. I also raised my voice when I contained her. I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve noticed, but it looks like the kid is thinking about you a lot. It seems that she¡¯s been quiet for you to like her.¡±


    ¡°¡­ ¡­¡±


    ¡°I thought you feel the same when I heard this¡­¡±


    ¡®What¡¯s that bullsh*t again, fuck¡­¡¯


    Of course, I¡¯ve never shown anything like that. Apparently, this crazy woman had spouted a lot of bullsh*t. It was so ridiculous that I wanted tough.


    ¡°I also thought about various ways, but after much thought, I was convinced that this was the best option. Yes. Absolutely.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty¡­¡±


    ¡°Please take Charlia in.¡±


    ¡®This bastard!¡¯


    Before I could say anything, the Emperor hade to a conclusion.


    I clenched my fist tightly. It was understandable enough toe to that conclusion, but honestly, I didn¡¯t think of anything other than running away.


    If possible, I would escape the imperial castle by sprinting.


    ¡°There is a manor left in the north. It¡¯s hard to say that it¡¯s a good ce, but it¡¯s quiet and out of sight.¡±


    I know.


    It was incredibly cold, and there was nothing to eat.


    Most of the northern provinces within the Empire were like that.


    ¡°There may be opposition from the nobles to give a manor to a foreigner, but as it is you, they will surely agree. It wouldn¡¯t be bad to go there with Charlia and live a leisurely life. Charlotte wouldn¡¯t even use her hand to her sister in the periphery. If Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung takes that child, it wouldn¡¯t be too much considering the other foreigners¡¯ gazes.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ Er¡­ So.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about being a foreigner. Couldn¡¯t you also say that you are already an imperialist? If you are the Honorary Bishop of the Pope¡¯s side and hold the status of one of the Eight Seats of the Empire, you are well-qualified. Above all else, aren¡¯t I sending my trust to the Honorary Bishop like this? You can ignore the gap in status. Yes. Absolutely.¡±


    ¡®The gap in status, my ass¡­¡¯


    ¡°Hohoho. Of course, I would like you to keep in mind that there is a little bit of my desire to get a good son-inw, Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    It seemed that he thought I would happily ept this offer.


    This whole situation had gotten out of hand.

 Chapter 279: Unwanted Plan (3)

    <h4>Chapter 279: Unwanted n (3)</h4>


    I felt as if the three imperial family members had decided to drive me crazy.


    I had begun to resent the Emperor. I had also even begun to resent Kim Hyunsung, the lovely returner, who had given me this ordeal.


    I didn¡¯t know when it started, but I felt like he had already appointed the Second Princess as the Empress. Of course, it wasn¡¯t a hopeless situation for the First Princess, but I thought this case was probably decisive.


    As he mentioned earlier, it must be fine to at least make the First Princess live safely.


    The problem was that the old psychopath¡¯s n included me.


    ¡®If I have thoughts, would I want to make a living with that?¡¯


    The moment I epted that, at least a few necks would be cut off.


    It would be difficult to stop Jung Hayan that had been quiet these days, and Cha Hee-ra was also likely to be ufortable.


    I bet, if I set up a living in the north with the First Princess, the next day, she would be found as a cold corpse. I would know exactly who would be her killer.


    No, going to the northern part with her in the first ce was no different from being distant from the central power.


    ¡®I have to refuse, no matter what.¡¯


    ¡°Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Hohoho.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ Thanks for the offering¡­ As you know, I am¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahhh. The wizard attendant and the Queen of the Red Mercenary can be tolerated.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ What do you mean¡­?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be too much to say not to meet people who you are already meeting. Hohoho. Charlia¡¯s jealousy is so severe that you will have a hard time. Yes. Probably so.¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s not something that you can talk about whileughing¡­¡¯


    Upon seeing him saying that with a bright smile, it certainly did seem that this old man was senile.


    Now was not the time to be considerate of his mood.


    ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ have to think about it over time, Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Right. It¡¯s an important matter, so you¡¯ll need to be prepared, Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung. I can understand.¡±


    ¡°No matter how I think, it¡¯s a burdensome proposal¡­ Of course, I am grateful for your Majesty¡¯s proposal, but honestly, I can¡¯t judge if I¡¯m the right person for Her Majesty Charlia.¡±


    ¡°Too much humility is poisonous. Hohoho. Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung has nothing tock. Yes. Absolutely. Who would call our son-inwcking? Think carefully. Of course, as it is premature, the conversation we had today, the other people¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah. They won¡¯t know anything.¡±


    ¡°Right. It¡¯s reallyte. You can go. Oh and¡­ I understand your feelings, but I hope you answer as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. I will give you an answer after careful consideration.¡±


    ¡°Yes. You should.¡±


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be leaving. Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Go, Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡®Sh*t.¡¯


    As soon as I turned away from the Emperor, a curse came out of my mouth.


    Somehow, this imperial group not only bothered me, but it seemed that they were conspiring to destroy my life.


    Until now, I¡¯d been through annoying situations many times, but among them, this was surely the worst. I had to find a way out of this somehow.


    In the first ce, it was troublesome that my movements were limited, as I could not know exactly why Kim Hyunsung told me not to make the Second Princess the Empress.


    Simply put, his request was too much.


    I was grateful to him for taking my abilities into high ount, but making the lunatic First Princess the Empress is impossible no matter what bullsh*t I do.


    He even gave a restriction saying that I cannot pull Charlotte to the rock-bottompletely, so it felt like my hands were empty.


    Charlia was a difficult opponent to fight with a huge burden.


    ¡®I¡¯m stressed.¡¯


    Naturally, I went to find the returner.


    I had to stop by my room, so I quickly walked in and opened the door, and I saw Jung Hayan lying on the sofa in a strange position.


    She was ridiculously wearing the outerwear that I had taken off on her face, and it seemed better not to think about what she had been trying to do.


    ¡°Is it Hayan?¡±


    ¡°O-o¡­ Oppa? Y¡­ You came back?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It seems like it¡¯s been a while¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Yes.¡±


    As she opened her mouth in a voice of embarrassment, she hurriedly squeezed the outerwear covering her face to the side and sat up.


    She looked very embarrassed that it was so unlike her.


    It seemed that it would be better to change the topic for Jung Hayan, so I had no choice but to choose a good topic and open my mouth.


    ¡°Lindel is the same, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Er¡­ Research is also paying off. And¡­ Deokgu is doing well, and ¡­and the new Han Sora¡­ and Yoo Ahyoung¡­ and ¡­ both Ahn Ki-mo and Chang-ryul havepleted attacking rare-grade dungeons.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fortunate. Oh, let¡¯s talk a little bitter. I have something to do now. And Hyunsung-ssi¡­¡±


    ¡°It seemed like he¡¯d being inte today. I-I think Hyunsung-ssi is also very busy these days. Hyejin said¡­ that recently even she could hardly see Hyunsung¡¯s face.¡±


    ¡°Is Hyejin in the room right now?¡±


    ¡°Yes. We ate together and came back.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s okay, can you call her?¡±


    ¡°O-Of course!¡±


    If Kim Hyunsung was away, I had no choice but to ask his deputy, Cho Hyejin.


    In order to hide her embarrassment, Jung Hayan ran outside, and after a while, she showed up with Cho Hyejin.


    It had been a long time since I saw Jung Hayan as she had many things to do in Lindel, but it had been even longer with Cho Hyejin.


    This also indicated how busy I¡¯d been, so I felt a bitter taste in my mouth.


    Jung Hayan took a seat on one side as if she had no intention of leaving Cho Hyejin and me in this room, and Cho Hyejin bowed as usual and sat in front of the table.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Hyejin.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Long time no see, Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°Are you not moving with Hyunsung recently?¡±


    Cho Hyejin¡¯s expression became very dark at the words I said.


    She came to the capital as his attendant, but that guy was moving alone, so it was not unreasonable for her to feel ashamed as this would make one feel like she was not doing her responsibilities as his second-inmand.


    Cho Hyejin nodded quietly as if my prediction was correct.


    ¡°Er¡­ Yes. That¡¯s right. The Guild Master seems to be focusing on his personal work these days¡­¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Come to think of it. I had a message from the Guild Master to Kiyoung-ssi.¡±


    ¡®I knew it.¡¯


    ¡°Please tell me right away.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ he¡¯s asking even though it¡¯s hard¡­ he said he would finish his work as soon as possible ande back and join you.¡±


    ¡°¡­ ¡­¡±


    Naturally, there was nothing I could say.


    I wasn¡¯t expecting a solution, but I couldn¡¯t agree with his words to make me wait.


    ¡®The bastard.¡¯


    Of course, the Emperor¡¯s health had not yet deteriorated to a dangerous extent.


    If he knew roughly when the Emperor was going to heaven, it made sense that he was expecting this fight to drag on a little longer. Still, even now, considering that my political position was being ruined, I couldn¡¯t afford to remain still.


    As I had many fears, I had no choice but to think about could possibly happen.


    Still, the timing had been struck by the Emperor¡¯s words. This would be a good time for the Second Princess topletely annihte us.


    Perhaps Charlotte would openly promote a meeting with the First Princess and me.


    It would be seen as a good opportunity to send two people she doesn¡¯t want to see in exile simultaneously, so even if I were Charlotte, I would actively push the two of us.


    I was now a little more stressed than before. My voice began to sound annoyed, even to me.


    ¡°Excuse me, do you have no idea what Hyunsung is doing?¡±


    ¡°No. I also don¡¯t know what he¡¯s doing right now. However¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°He seemed¡­ to be looking for someone.¡±


    ¡°Someone?¡±


    ¡°Yes. A person. The Guild Master also seemed not to know who he was looking for. Unusually, even if I were a little farther away, I would always attend a social party like a masked ball with him¡­ It felt like he was looking around more sensitively than usual.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°I offered to see if I could help, but he shook his head. After he said that it would be morefortable to move alone¡­¡±


    ¡°He started going to ces where Hyejin¡¯s gaze couldn¡¯t reach.¡±


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s right. I¡¯m just sorry for not being able to fulfill my responsibilities. I should have been an attendant who can be a little more helpful¡­¡±


    ¡°No. No. It¡¯s not Hyejin¡¯s fault, so you don¡¯t have to me yourself. Perhaps he¡¯s doing this for something else. Yes. Definitely.¡±


    ¡®Is it important?¡¯


    I knew from the beginning that he would not be just ying around. This meant that this was an urgent event for Hyunsung. I could bet that this person would y an important event in the future.


    ¡®I have to understand.¡¯


    It was annoying to have my position narrowed, but what Kim Hyunsung was doing now was more likely to be more important than just getting a political position.


    ¡®I still have a lot of time. Right. It is correct to understand.¡¯


    As mentioned earlier, the Emperor¡¯s health was normal. I still had time to change this situation.


    ¡®Okay. That¡¯s right. He has to work out more important things first.¡¯


    But gradually, my annoyance began to get the best of me.


    Of course, I could understand that he was having a hard time, too, but I had to think about whether he had been neglecting me too much.


    If the house¡¯s head neglected the house and started to wander around, the house would eventually fall into shambles.


    All I needed right now was a word offort and some warmth, but he was still busy running around.


    It was official - I was very much annoyed. I doubted this feeling of resentment would ever disappear.


    I wonder what the hell was going on for him to leave me altogether.


    ¡®So that¡¯s more important. Okay, that¡¯s it.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know if it was because of my anger towards the imperial family, but I was gradually bing disappointed with Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡®Shall I just ruin everything¡­?¡¯


    The condition that the Second Princess couldn¡¯t be Empress.


    If I were to get it right, it didn¡¯t matter as to what would happen.


    ¡®Yes¡­ Let¡¯s turn it over.¡¯


    I started to smile.

 Chapter 280: Unwanted plan (4)

    <h4>Chapter 280: Unwanted n (4)</h4>


    ¡®It¡¯s not your Majesty Charlotte¡¯s fault.¡¯


    ¡®You don¡¯t need tofort me.¡¯


    ¡®It was inevitable.¡¯


    ¡®No. It is not a problem to end with rationalizing that it is inevitable. Maybe there was another way. I should have looked for another way. Yes, I should¡¯ve.¡¯


    ¡®It was a decision made for the imperial people.¡¯


    ¡®I killed another innocent imperial citizen with my own hands for those imperial people.¡¯


    ¡®If you hadn¡¯t done that, more people would have died. The knights and soldiers who defend the Empire, and many good people looking only at Your Majesty, would all have died. That gue¡­¡¯


    ¡®I know. I know. I already know that there was no other way to save the contaminatednd, that there was no other way because it was polluted through the air, and that I had to deal with it before the symptoms urred. But Count, they weren¡¯t undead yet. I¡¯m sure they were human. Their painful screams weren¡¯t the sound of the undead. It seems I can still hear the children crying. No, I can hear it clearly.¡¯


    ¡®What¡­¡¯


    ¡®I hear them talking to me. I hear the imperial people ming me after dying for being betrayed by this stupid Empress.¡¯


    ¡®You seem to be very tired, Your Majesty.¡¯


    ¡®No. I¡¯m not. I am definitely fine.¡¯


    ¡®Your Majesty¡­¡¯


    ¡®When I was very young¡­¡¯


    ¡®Yes.¡¯


    ¡®When I was very young¡­ I remember what my mother said when it was before her death.¡¯


    ¡®¡­ ¡­¡¯


    ¡®She told me not to be harsh. She told me to quietly live a normal life and enjoy the moment. She told me to live apart from the imperial family, peacefully outside the center, and like others. When she died, I remember that she also said something simr. I was very young at that time.¡¯


    ¡®Your Majesty¡­¡¯


    ¡®I saw all the hardships my mother had suffered here. I felt more keenly than anyone how the powerless, not the privileged ss, were treated in the Empire. So I wanted to change the Empire. Yes. That¡¯s why I wanted to be an Empress. I got rid of my sister with my hand, betrayed my father¡¯s expectations, and I even have blood in my hands. I have fought with the Pope¡¯s side, and also with foreigners like the Count. That¡¯s how I became the ruler of this Empire.¡¯


    ¡®¡­ ¡­¡¯


    ¡®And after I got to this position like that, in the end, I thought I was the same human as them. No. From the beginning, I was no different from them. I got blood in my hand once again to keep my position, and I have lived that way for several years. I have lived that way¡­ because I was afraid of losing my power. Themitment to create an Empire for the imperial people was overwhelmed by fatigue and pressure, and my childhood dreams were worn out by reality. Suddenly, when I looked in the mirror, it seemed that the face of my sister, who I hated so much, was reflected.¡¯


    ¡®No, Your Majesty.¡¯


    ¡®This position doesn¡¯t suit me. I only realize it now. I¡¯m someone who cannot bear the weight of the crown and cannot wash away sins. It¡¯s hard. Yes¡­ It¡¯s so hard. As my sister said before¡­ in the end, it seems that poor blood can¡¯t bear this weight.¡¯


    ¡®Your Majesty¡­¡¯


    ¡®If I were born again¡­ If I were born again, I would like to live as my mother said, like everyone else. Meet loved ones,ugh and chat, have many children, and start a family¡­ like others¡­ I want to live like that.¡¯


    ¡®You will be able to do that.¡¯


    ¡®Haha. Of course, I have never thought about marriage, but if I¡¯d met someone like the Count, I would be very happy to live such a life¡­ anyway, let¡¯s stop with the chitchat. I have to get up again.¡¯


    ¡®I think it would be better to take a rest. You don¡¯t even have to go out.¡¯


    ¡®I¡¯m fine. I have to finish the remaining work quickly. I have to protect the Empire by burning the imperial people.¡¯


    ¡®Charlotte-nim.¡¯


    ¡®Today¡­ tomorrow ¡­ and also, the next day, I have to protect¡­ the Empire by killing¡­ ha¡­ hahaha. The imperial people.¡¯


    I opened my closed eyes for a moment and grabbed the sand on the floor.


    It must have been in this ce.


    It was here where I had the conversation with Charlotte, and the innocent imperial people died. It was the ce where the gue had spread, transformingmon people into the undead.


    It was the first area where the disease, which killed a quarter of the continent¡¯s poption, came into being.


    When I opened my hand, the wind blew away the sand I had been holding.


    As I looked at it nkly, a person in front of me suddenly came into my view. I realized that I had spent a lot of time lost in emotions.


    ¡°W¡­ Why are you here¡­¡±


    ¡°So, you know me.¡±


    ¡°¡­ ¡­¡±


    ¡°The rumor seems to have reached this ce. Amon person wouldn¡¯t recognize me.¡±


    ¡°No. No. How can people like us not recognize someone important like you? R-Rather than that¡­ what ¡­ brings you here? Do you have any business in this small town¡­?¡±


    ¡°I came to do an investigation. I got information that an association uses magic that is not allowed in the Empire, so I came to see if by any chance¡­ but looking at your reaction and the current situation, it seems that what I was worried about was true. Who would have imagined that there would be a ce like this in a basement like this?¡±


    ¡°E-Excuse me, but I don¡¯t understand w-what you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    ¡°Sdin the Secret Society. A ck Wizard Alliance within the Empire. It has been established for 24 years, has about 670 people, and it is distributed evenly in the outer regions of the Empire. The purpose of its creation and its significance is the eternal life of the n members. Did I say something wrong?¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re¡­ t-talking about.¡±


    ¡°I will first ask you a few questions.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Have you ever met a masked man and woman?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ what you mean.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an expressionless, dull ck mask. The mask has a spell on it, and it is difficult to dispel unless you are a high-ranking wizard. The man is of average height, and the woman is a bit smaller. They call each other best friends, and they¡¯re actually very close. Oh, and the man is a ck Wizard like you guys. If he¡¯de here, you would have recognized him right away. Perhaps he¡¯s a n member from Sdin.¡±


    ¡°ck Wizard?¡±


    ¡°Yes. He¡¯s a ck Wizard. If you¡¯ve ever seen him, you will definitely¡­¡±


    ¡°I have never heard of him. R-Rather, I¡¯m not sure¡­ what you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    ¡°I guess you¡¯re not lying.¡±


    ¡°Of course. I don¡¯t know anything about Sdin or b-ck magic, sir.¡±


    ¡°No. What I meant was that you didn¡¯t know about the masked people. We¡¯ve already confirmed that the people gathered here are ck Wizards, so you don¡¯t have to hide it. I have met other Sdin ck Wizards. Gartel in the north, Va in the south, Hebbel in the east, you are already the fourth.¡±


    ¡°This c¡­ crazy¡­¡±


    ¡°I will change the question. If you¡¯ve never seen the masked man and woman¡­ Where is your n master?¡±


    Silence descended upon the entire room.


    He still kept his face saying that he didn¡¯t know anything, but at the same time, I tried to speak up again. I heard the sound of a spell being cast.


    ¡°D¡­ Die!¡±


    ck and green spheres and arrows struck in an instant.


    As I leaned over and swung my sword, therge orb that was approaching split in half.


    ¡®Poison.¡¯


    This was an umon magic.


    When an unknown substance from the shrapnel sshed on my clothes, smoke rose with a squealing sound. I held my breath with magic and moved instantly.


    As soon as the sword was pulled out and I rushed, a huge monster rose up from the summoner and struck me.


    It was a low-grade demon I had seen before.


    After I cleared it by putting magic into the sword and wielding it, the ck wizard¡¯s arm in front of me was thrown, and the body of the ck wizard who was chanting the curse was cut off.


    ¡®One devil summoner and one necromancer.¡¯


    Skeleton soldiers poured out from all sides, but I swung my sword, the soldiers copsed, and the necromancer fell with blood.


    This was the same asst time.


    ¡®Their level is low.¡¯


    It was not that I got too strong.


    It felt like there was definitely a level difference from the ones I had seen in the first round.


    It was hard to imagine it was the same Sdin that drove the entire continent into fear then. There was no demon summoner to summon named demons, and at best, low-grade demons and intermediate-grade demons were all that there was.


    It was difficult to find those whopleted the 4th ss change in the first ce.


    ¡®Was there a trigger?¡¯


    It was correct to think that the masked man, who had dered himself to be the head of these people a few yearster, had done something.


    ¡®They haven¡¯t met yet.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know exactly when he would be active, but it was not at this time.


    When I saw that he was not moving, even when the struggle for the imperial power had been revealed, it meant that he¡¯d be active a littleter than now.


    In the first ce, this was not the time when the man would usually be active.


    It wasn¡¯t too bad since I wasn¡¯t looking for the man from the beginning. However, it was a bit hard to understand that the woman wasn¡¯t showing up, either.


    I remembered that the masked woman was clearly active in the Imperial Pce at this time.


    Of course, I hadn¡¯t spent much time in the imperial city in the first round, but I think I had seen her move with the influential nobles of Charlotte¡¯s camp when I once entered the capital.


    ¡®Is she hiding? Or has the future changed? If she were active, she wouldn¡¯t have a reason to hide¡­¡¯


    Seeing that she didn¡¯t show up even when the Second Empress was politically threatened meant that the future might have changed for a certain reason.


    Considering the fact that the woman in the mask spent a long time with the murderous brigade, including the demon swordsman Jung Jinho¡­ perhaps, after Jung Jinho¡¯s death, she had lost her ce.


    If this spection was really correct, the masked woman wouldn¡¯t be lured after driving the Second Princess to the brink. The masked woman would not show up in the second round.


    I could think of this as a positive butterfly effect created by Jung Jin-ho¡¯s death in the tutorial dungeon.


    As I slowly went down to the underground, I began to see Sdin¡¯s findings.


    I could not recognize many things, but considering that the gue began based on these studies, these were objects that should not exist on the continent.


    As expected, it was still in its early stage.


    When I generated magic power from my hand, a small me sprang up, and the me that fell on the research data began to burn.


    I kept thinking of the imperial people burning and screaming painfully and the face of Charlotte, who had gone mad while screaming, but I shook my head and erased the bad memories.


    However, her voice continued toe to mind.


    ¡®I want to wake up in a quiet forest listening to the birds singing. It will be difficult, but I want to live without maids, too. I want to listen to a troubadour¡¯s song from a bar. Yes. I want to live like that. I think I liked you a little. It seems like that when I think about it now. I¡¯ve never loved someone, so I¡¯m not sure what my feelings are, but it¡¯s probably simr to what my mother talked about. Please be happy, Count. In the next life, let¡¯s run into each other a little more ordinary. Let¡¯s face each other while smiling.¡¯


    I bit my lips, and then I went back right away.


    After going up the long basement, I saw the town with nothing different than usual.


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    It was then that I found a very familiar face on one side of the town square.


    ¡®What the?¡¯


    He disguised himself poorly with magic, but he couldn¡¯t hide that big size¡ªthe original member of the Blue, whose face I long have seen.


    ¡®Deokgu?¡¯


    The reason why Park Deokgu was here on the outskirts of the continent, far from Lindel or the capital, was unknown, but Kiyoung-ssi must have sent him on an errand.


    By now, he would be busy calming public opinion.


    ¡®Why is he here?¡¯


    Naturally, I was curious. I think he had already received orders from the fact that he was on the outskirts.


    The crowd was nodding and cheering at the big man¡¯s speech. It was when I moved in curiosity and put magic into my ears.


    The contents I heard from the strangely drawn voicepletely overturned my expectations.


    ¡°Imperial people! By the imperial people! A country for the imperial people! The owner of the Empire is not the imperial family! It¡¯s the imperial people!!¡±


    ¡°W-what¡­ is that¡­?¡±


    This certainly didn¡¯t happen in the first round.


    ¡°With a burning thirst! With a burning thirst! Democracy! Hurray!¡±


    ¡°What is this¡­?¡±

 Chapter 281: Unwanted Plan (5)

    <h4>Chapter 281: Unwanted n (5)</h4>


    Even if I rubbed my eyes and looked again, Park Deokgu was still screaming in the square.


    I was embarrassed to find him here, but the way he screamed with his fists clenched was even more embarrassing.


    ¡°The imperial people are the owners of the Empire! Think carefully! Who has the sovereignty of the Empire?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the Emperor?¡±


    ¡°No! Absolutely not! The Empire only exists because of you! The sovereignty of the Empire belongs to the imperial people! All power muste from the imperialists to be the right country! No matter how much power the Emperor has, what can he do without you?!¡±


    ¡°T¡­ That¡¯s right! That¡¯s right!!¡±


    ¡®What is this¡­?¡¯


    Someone in the crowd cheering eagerly also looked familiar to me.


    ¡®Ahn Ki-mo?¡¯


    He looked no better than an imperialmoner, but if you peeled off the magic that surrounded him, you would surely get a familiar figure.


    It was not just Ahn Ki-mo.


    Blue guild employees, who I could only recognize by their faces, began to appear.


    Several people were already screaming and instilling an uplifting sense within the surrounding atmosphere.


    ¡°From the very beginning, Goddess Benigore has said that everyone living on this continent is equal! Just think about it! Dear Imperial people! Is this Empire truly equal under the protection of the Goddess Benignore? Think again! This unlearned, ignorant guy also had to send his beloved family to the demons of poverty and hunger!¡±


    ¡°Gosh¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    ¡°In my daily life, I¡¯d like to think that it is fortunate to be able to eat corn porridge! The thieves in the imperial pce celebrate every day with alcohol and meat! What nonsense is that?!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡±


    ¡°Politics for the imperial people, by the imperial people, in the Empire! That¡¯s what this country needs right now. We need to enlighten ourselves to get what we want! We need to remind the self-proimed noble blood that despises us that the owners of the Empire are the imperial people!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡±


    ¡°Of course! Absolutely! We have to fight! We have to realize that even stupid guys with nothing learned like us can do something for the Empire!¡±


    ¡°W-What can we do?!¡±


    ¡°Anything dearrades can do! First, quickly get one of the books here! Our Hyung-nim, no, it¡¯s a book written by someone who is with us!¡±


    ¡°But¡­ Isn¡¯t this treason against the imperial family?¡±


    ¡°Treason against the imperial family! Those imperial noble blood are the ones rebelling against Goddess Benigore! Are you saying we can¡¯t even read books like this? I¡¯m not armed or spitting directly in front of the Emperor, so why would we be charged with treason? The Empire is not the Emperor¡¯s, but of the imperial people, and the Goddess! Are you saying that a country that prevents you from reading books really seems normal? If that seems normal, run to the lord right now and reveal my sins! I will be proud to sacrifice for democracy!¡±


    ¡°L-Long live democracy!¡±


    ¡°Long live the Democratic Fighter!¡±


    ¡°My name is Bark Teoku! Democratic Fighter Bark Teoku!¡±


    I was forced to be away for quite some time.


    It was no wonder that I actually could not afford to look around the world because I had to be cautious and stealthy when digging about Sdin or the masked man and woman.


    It felt like the world had changed upon seeing this scene happening in front of me. Both the old and the young were now moring around for the books.


    It was then that a voice came in from the crowd. An old man had opened his mouth.


    ¡°Are you a foreigner?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes.¡±


    ¡°I heard that there was no king or Emperor where the foreigner came from¡­ Is that true?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is, but¡­¡±


    ¡°There really was a country like that. Oh, I¡¯ll read this book here.¡±


    As soon as I took the book, I saw that it was of a fairly small size.


    Seeing that it was made so that it could be easily hidden and fit in a pocket, it seemed that they were also concerned about matters of censorship.


    At the bottom of the book titled Sacred Democracy, an unknown author was marked.


    ¡®Oscar?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know who Oscar was, but as Deokgu had said, Kiyoung had written this.


    When I open the book randomly, I can see the full text.


    [The imperial people must be able to participate in the imperial rule actively. The human rights of imperialists must be guaranteed, andws and procedures for implementing them must be applied equally to all imperialists. Thews of human rights and equality are ¡°basic rights¡± that must be enjoyed by the citizens of the Empire, and these equalityws, ording to the will of Goddess Benigore, apply not only to the Empire but also to all humans living on the continent.]


    ¡®Huh¡­¡¯


    [The Empire must maintain a welfare system that guarantees a minimum life for the imperialists. Listed above are the contracts between the state and the people. The Empire is not maintained by vested interests, but by contracts between the state and the people, and the people need to realize this. The sovereignty of the Empire rests on the imperial people, and all poweres from the people. It is the one thing to keep reminding yourself of.]


    It felt like a mix of words I had heard before.


    The logic of political scientists was brought to the continent and changed to suit their taste.


    I could see that the doctrine that all men were equal under Goddess Benigore was being used as a shield.


    ¡®It¡¯s definitely Kiyoung¡¯s skill.¡¯


    That person¡¯s personality was highly visible within the text.


    As I kept turning the pages, the contents that popped out in the book were a spectacle.


    The Pope¡¯s side, another vested interest in the Empire, was describedpletely separately.


    Although there were many words written on it, this book had only one meaning.


    ¡°Equality for all is¡­¡±


    ¡°This is the will of the Goddess Benigore. That¡¯s it! That¡¯s what Oscar wants to say! That¡¯s our Hyung-ssi with a quick understanding¡­ H-Hyunsung? W-Why are you¡­¡±


    Deokgu looked embarrassed.


    ¡°Mr. Bark Teoku, it would be better to talk for a moment.¡±


    A bitterugh popped out.


    * * *


    This certainly worked.


    ¡®It has no choice but to work.¡¯


    Considering that 99.9% of the people were Benigorians, it would be weird if this did not work in the first ce.


    A sentence that had appeared a few times in the Bible was inted and interpreted politically.


    Since religion was woven into democracy, it was natural for this book to gain momentum.


    However, since this was also written in a hurry, it didn¡¯t mean that there weren¡¯t any holes at all, but I knew the people would be willing to overlook these holes.


    Everyone was equal under the Goddess.


    The weight and sweetness of this sentence would be irresistible tomon imperialists. It may have reflected sweetly even to themon priests.


    As I slowly closed the book while sitting in front of the bonfire, I saw Deokgu and Ki-mo staring at me.


    It was good to hear the branches crackling and burning, but I couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    ¡°Can I hear an exnation?¡±


    It was natural to wonder what had happened in front of me today. However, I did believe that an exnation was due.


    ¡°No, I think I should speak before that¡­ Well, why is the Guild Master here?¡±


    ¡°There was something I had to do personally. I¡¯ll tell you more about it when it¡¯s sorted out, but you can think of it as something rted to ck Wizard.¡±


    ¡°What? Did you get a request from the Pope¡¯s or the Imperial Family?¡±


    ¡°You can think so. Then, and Deokgu¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, I am on Hyung-nim¡¯s errand. This is already the twelfth one. I was told to work slowly starting far from the capital, but¡­ you know that Lee Jihye? I wasmissioned to spread this book from where Jihye-ssi picked! Curiously, I haven¡¯t seen any nobles or knights like nobles while working on this. Isn¡¯t that right? Ahn Ki-mo?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s as Deokgu said. Since the troops are concentrated on the eastern side, the western side where we are right now has a lot of room. Also, long time no see, Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°Yes. As I was focused on my work¡­¡±


    ¡°I heard that it had been a while since you¡¯ve been gone from the royal castle.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Things happened in the middle¡­ Actually, we¡¯ve bumped into each other just when I was about to return. That¡­ Is Kiyoung-ssi the one who made this book?¡±


    ¡°To be precise, it wasn¡¯t made by him alone¡­ he made it with Jihye-ssi. Hee-young seemed to have often visited the royal castle to help, too. Well, what can I do? More than that, it seems that Hyung-nim is looking for you anxiously¡­ Haven¡¯t you seen each other for a long time?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Actually¡­ a lot of time has passed.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Hyung-nim looked for you¡­ well.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Did he?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Absolutely! It seemed like he wasn¡¯t in a good mood, as if something bad happened in the royal castle. In fact, it seems like he has no energy every day. He walks around with a face that he does when he is a little angry. That¡¯s why I¡¯m even doing the Democracy Fighter Bark Teoku.¡±


    ¡°Did you say he wasn¡¯t in a good mood?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I definitely had that feeling.¡±


    ¡°Is this book¡­?¡±


    ¡°Oh. It¡¯s a book that he made crankily.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡®Perhaps he can be like that¡­¡¯


    I suddenly thought about it, and I realized that I certainly didn¡¯t care much after leaving the job with him.


    I thought that Kiyoung would do well, and in fact, I thought that only Kiyoung could control the First Princess.


    Perhaps it would be weird if it wasn¡¯t hard.


    The Charlotte I knew was a capable Empress, and Charlia was an irreparable idiot.


    I, too, couldn¡¯t help it because I had something to do, but if I had to say something about this, it meant that I had made a mistake.


    Kiyoung was a really trustworthy person in general, but I knew that he sometimes expressed his dissatisfaction like this.


    As we had spent a lot of time together, I can roughly see what kind of person Lee Kiyoung is.


    It was the same with Cho Hyejin¡¯s case, and it would be strange if I didn¡¯t know because he showed such behavior in very small things, too.


    ¡®He¡¯s expressing dissatisfaction.¡¯


    Considering what Deokgu said, it would be okay to think that this was an expression of his dissatisfaction.


    ¡®I couldn¡¯t take it into ount.¡¯


    I thought it was definitely a mistake.


    I only thought that there was still a lot of time left, and I could not calcte the anxiety Lee Kiyoung would feel, or that the political prestige would be ruined.


    The problem was that what he did was too big and radical to be called a mere expression of dissatisfaction.


    There was an old saying that the country and home must be at peace.


    I had focused too much on the outside and was too negligent to the situation inside.


    ¡®W¡­ What should I do?¡¯


    I had to worry about whether it would be better to bring him a gift.

 Chapter 282: Please, Revolutionize (1)

    <h4>Chapter 282: Please, Revolutionize (1)</h4>


    ¡°This will work unconditionally, Oppa. I bet it will. I knew you were good at this. How did you even think about linking this with religion?¡±


    ¡°Anyone could¡¯ve thought of this. They just didn¡¯t have a chance to do so. In the first ce, I¡¯m the only foreigner who memorizes the doctrine of the goddess Benigore, aside from the priests. A revolution was an option that you were also thinking about, and it¡¯s not that great, you know.¡±


    ¡°Although¡­ In my case, I still thought that the civic consciousness of the imperial people was not enough to ept this.¡±


    ¡°No, no. The imperialist level of consciousness is quite high. The Second Princess, who loves the imperial people more than anyone else, has constantly raised the level of consciousness several years ago. The situation itself could have burst at any time. There was just no opportunity.¡±


    ¡°Have you judged it that way? You give a lot of credit to the imperial people. In my personal opinion, I think the doctrine of the Goddess Benigore is the first contributor to this work. In fact, the reaction¡¯s better than I expected. If you¡¯re lucky, you can even get the Pope¡¯s side, so it¡¯s even better.¡±


    ¡°I am also talking about my personal thought. A civil revolution is like this in the first ce. Most of these kinds of revolutions¡­¡±


    ¡°You want to talk about the bourgeois revolution, right? It is led by capitalists who have economic rights, but do not have control.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Right.¡±


    I could see Lee Jihye nodding. Seeing her smiling, it seemed that she was having as much fun as I was.


    ¡®Of course, it¡¯s fun.¡¯


    Lee Jihye liked this kind of situation in the first ce.


    The ordinary people were moving ording to my ns. She felt that she had been the catharsis for that, so it was not unreasonable for her to indulge in her newfound power.


    When I raised my face, I saw Lee Jihye looking at me as if she was asking me to continue talking, and so I did whilst smiling.


    ¡°Of course, it is a matter of thinking a little about what happened on Earth and whether we should put the same kind of history here. However, there is no guarantee that we will not be able to do that if only the shorings are met.¡±


    ¡°What iscking?¡±


    ¡°Force.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh. I know what you mean.¡±


    ¡°The difference here and on Earth is the intensity of force. Unlike the bourgeois on Earth, where they only need to have an economic zone, this one feels slower because it has one more condition.¡±


    ¡°It is said that the bourgeois ss here has to add force to the economy. There¡¯s no way a revolution could ever happen.¡±


    ¡°I think so. It seems that the reason why those in power here could have power was simply because of the force they possess. Just looking at the knights here, you can assume that they can deal with dozens of civilians¡­ In such a situation, can you really rebel against the powerful? In fact, they were almost ready for the revolution. They just couldn¡¯t put it into action.¡±


    ¡°How can you say that?¡±


    ¡°Poverty, hunger, inequality, the gap between the power and the marginalized, the growing civic consciousness, and¡­¡±


    ¡°The press.¡±


    ¡°Right. The press is decisive. Another reason might be the emergence of the new bourgeois. People who have power and economic power, yet do not have control.¡±


    ¡°The foreigners.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°There are a few more factors. Private mercenaries or wizards stuck in the magic tower. As you said, the conditions to have a revolution were already being met little by little. You are saying that everything was just not connected, right?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m right, but I think so. The question is how to blow this off.¡±


    There was also another problem - the condition to move radically.


    Unnatural revolutions or reforms, no matter how well done, had side effects.


    If I was lucky enough to get this done sessfully, this Empire was sure to bear some side effects.


    Of course, I was not a political expert, so I did not possess the ability to predict anything like that, and I had zero interest in it in the first ce. It was beyond my ability to anticipate uing problems.


    It meant I had no choice but to focus on this right now.


    ¡®I have to finish it in a sh.¡¯


    Another factor of insecurity was the existence of the Republic.


    It was just an imagination, but if things were to break out, they would likely try to jump on the bandwagon of the revolution that would take ce within the Empire.


    I had to solve this problem by exploding it all at once.


    It was natural that the longer the time that those in power and imperialistsmunicated with each other, the more we were subjected to external pressure.


    Losing Duchess Catherine, Countess Elise, and Marlin Young-ae was one of my concerns, but I think I could protect them.


    Nobles respected by the imperial people would be established as a new ss altogether.


    It may be a bit unreasonable, but it was only right to force them to participate in the revolution.


    ¡®I have to do it like that.¡¯


    Of course, the most problematic among them was the existence of the Second Princess.


    She noticed that I had been moving, and I had to move carefully as there was a possibility that she would steal a march on me.


    ¡®It could be ruined in an instant.¡¯


    If I were to be used of treason, it wouldn¡¯t matter that I¡¯m one of the Eight Seats, Honorary Bishop, or the dragon¡¯s spouse. It¡¯ll be the end for me.


    That was why I kept meeting the Emperor and Charlia, or politically fighting by constantly camping.


    I could turn their gaze right now, but I knew that my limit woulde soon.


    ¡°Oh, Nuna. So, how about the Second princess? Does she have any reaction?¡±


    ¡°No. She¡¯s pretty quiet. I don¡¯t think she¡¯s still interested as if she¡¯s busy solving the problem with the evil nobles on Charlia¡¯s side, but¡­ She¡¯s strangely quiet when I think about it. Even though she is working quietly from the outskirts, for a woman who can even notice when someone is cursing her to be quiet¡­¡±


    ¡°Right? It feels like the pressure on this side has been reduced, considering that she talked as if she woulde running right away not to let me breathe. Actually, it seemed like I couldn¡¯t even breathe until a few days ago¡­ is she watching out for the Pope¡¯s side?¡±


    ¡°It could be. Or¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just my simple thought¡­ er¡­ and it suddenly came to my mind. Didn¡¯t you say that the Second Princess of the Empire cares a lot for the imperial people?¡±


    I felt like I knew what Lee Jihye wanted to say.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be¡­¡±


    ¡°It would be a good idea to keep that possibility open.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that too spective?¡±


    ¡°I just imagined. There is no physical evidence anyway, and if you write a novel, she might even want this situation. As you said, the Second Princess could also have made ns, recognizing that the foreigners are of the new bourgeois ss. If she were at least interested, she would have been noticing some situations. Just looking at the enormously erged media is enough to think about it, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­¡±


    ¡°It would have been an idea she couldn¡¯t have had if you hadn¡¯t created the press¡­ There are already several presses in this Holy Empire. Not only foreigners but also imperial people are making and selling imperial newspapers, so I think anyone could call them precursors, right? If the Second Princess isn¡¯t an idiot, she would have smelled it since the Imperial Newspaper was published. Even now, there is a video hologram with magic power. If¡­ If only the Second Princess has noticed about the magical video hologram¡­ then, we can really think she wanted to lead this situation.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that the Second Princess provoked me, who is at the center of the new bourgeois ss. Is that what you mean? She forcefully tightened and threatened me to want me to move like this? To move the foreigners?¡±


    ¡°I said it was a novel. By the way¡­ It makes a lot of sense. Spending a lot of time with the imperial people and¡­ honestly, even trying to tame you feels a bit arbitrary. She threatened as she would swing the sword right now, but your limbs weren¡¯tpletely cut off, right? Of course, it is impossible to say that it was not cut at all, but¡­ she didn¡¯t touch your force. I was expecting this was her thinking of getting you.¡±


    ¡°If she wanted, she would have spoken directly to me.¡±


    ¡°If she had told you, do you think you would have listened to it? Even I don¡¯t think you would¡¯ve. You would have thought of backstabbing her with it. Like gar¡­ no¡­ how can I say it? Oh! Feudalism and absolute monarchy are more advantageous to those who are cool disloyal people. I say it because it seems that it fits well with you and me, but if the method is not correct again, there wouldn¡¯t be a revolution or anything like that. We would be just getting benefits the way we are now.¡±


    Honestly, I couldn¡¯t deny this.


    If the Second Princess had calmly brought up about the revolution, I would have smashed her back, using that as a weapon.


    Even though I thought that there was no way she would be doing that, my mind kept moving towards Lee Jihye¡¯s novel.


    In particr, the conversations I had with the Second Princess suddenly began to ur. Specifically, the conversation at the Imperial Knights Training Center.


    At the time, it felt like an unimportant conversation, but when I think about it now, I have a lot of doubts.


    ¡®It may be rude, but I did some preliminary research on the Honorary Bishop. I was interested in something a bit different from the title that everyone knows, such as the one chosen by the dragon and the Honorary Bishop of the Holy Empire. It was most impressive that the media was rooted in Lindel and


    Revolution.


    ¡®The Free Cities are basically separated from the Empire, but in reality, they are bound to be indirectly affected as they are separated. That¡¯s just the fact that simr institutions were established within the Empire shortly after the press took root and started on Lindel. You are basically a selfish human, but I also know that you have a minimum degree of conscience. Whatever the reason, what you¡¯ve done has brought good results for many.¡¯


    Results in favor of the majority.


    ¡®I think the reason you can produce such a result is that you are probably watching out for others. No. I¡¯m sure. You are surely watching out for others. Even if you don¡¯t yield to the strong, you are a person who concedes what you have to the public.¡¯


    Concessions for the public.


    ¡®The praise is correct, so you don¡¯t have to worry. Honorary Bishop, the Empire needs a talent like you. We need talented people who see the public¡¯s eyes and people who can do politics that sees the majority.¡¯


    Perhaps Lee Jihye was right.


    I didn¡¯t know why the returner, who I had begun to resent a little, said that such a woman shouldn¡¯t be the Empress, but it must be that some kind of trash drove her crazy in the middle.


    Predicting that there was no such thing in the first round, it wasn¡¯t the time to make a quick decision yet. This was not an unusual urrence altogether.


    there was no urate physical evidence, so I had to move a little more carefully.


    Of course, in the meantime, my beliefs about her continued to sprout.


    Even thest words she said to me now sounded suspicious.


    ¡®I don¡¯t hesitate to use swords at my enemies, Honorary Bishop. I know you are an important person to the Empire, but if you really turn your back on me, I have no choice but to pull the sword out. You will have to make a wise choice.¡¯


    It was natural to wonder exactly what it meant to really turn my back on her.


    It wasn¡¯t clear what was the wise choice she was talking about and who she defined as the enemy. If I were to assume that this is what she really wanted, I could interpret it this way.


    ¡®I do not hesitate to put a sword into the monarchy. You are needed in the Empire for the future. You will bring a transformation to the Empire, so there is no shortage even if you are someone important in the Empire. If you really turn your back on my expectations and the public, I will draw a knife. So¡­ Please¡­¡¯


    ¡°Revolutionize.¡±


    ¡°What? What did you say? What are you talking about suddenly? We are already doing it.¡±


    ¡°Fuck¡­¡±


    ¡°What? Why?¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯re right.¡±


    To be precise, in the case of Lee Jihye and me, we had been forced to join, but¡­


    The Second Princess. I had to realize that Charlotte had also wanted the same thing as us.5

 Chapter 283: Please, Revolutionize (2)

    <h4>Chapter 283: Please, Revolutionize (2)</h4>


    ¡°Sacred Democracy.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It is a book written by a man named Oscar. Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung probably wrote and distributed it. I think everyone has read it. The more I read it, the more I think it¡¯s a really interesting book. In ces where the foreigners lived, this idea seems to bemon. I knew it, but it was true that our Empire was in retreat.¡±


    ¡°¡­ ¡­


    ¡°This book,pleted in a matter of days by a foreigner,pletely denies the current regime of the Empire. Anyone who thinks such a way will know how the Empire¡¯s vested interests have led its people with absurd ideas. He didn¡¯t say anything wrong. All humans are equal.¡±


    ¡°What does Your Majesty¡­ think of this Sacred Democracy?¡±


    ¡°Excellent. It¡¯s very good. Of course, the idea of ??bringing democracy based on the doctrine of Goddess Benigore bothers me a bit because there is a conflict with the ideals we want. Rome wasn¡¯t built in one day, right? I can¡¯t even argue that this is the best course of action right now. He might have thought that the Goddess¡¯s will must beid on the ground for the imperialists who are still ustomed to the imperial system to stand up. He may have thought of the Pope¡¯s side support, too. In a way, it is a genius idea to draw in the doctrine of the Goddess.¡±


    ¡°Definitely¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. There may be some side effects, but it¡¯s just as effective. He might be focusing on the restless imperial people.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d that what you thought has worked out, Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°This is just the beginning. Yes. It is more important what happens from now on.¡±


    I could see their faces nodding and responding to my words.


    Seeing that everyone¡¯s eyes were sunken, it looked like they hadn¡¯t slept well yesterday while reading the book.


    That was obvious.


    This little book was, strictly speaking, the first new kind of Bible in cirction in the Empire. It was a book containing the ideas and ideals from the continent of the foreigners.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t without fault, but as I said earlier, I thought this was a problem that time would eventually solve.


    For now, the top priority was to overturn the current system of the Empire. The work that had been done little by little from the old days has only begun to bear fruit.


    ¡®My prediction was correct.¡¯


    It was right to judge that, if I pushed him to a corner, he would destroy the system.


    Of course, it was much faster and more radical than expected, so I was surprised, but it seemed to remind me that he waspetent, so I could confirm once again that this decision was correct.


    ¡®I thought it would take at least six more months¡­¡¯


    In less than a month, a strange atmosphere had formed throughout the Empire.


    Unlike me, who couldn¡¯t figure out how and where to start, he was doing things perfectly. It would be strange if my jaw hadn¡¯t dropped.


    Civil revolution.


    It was a dream and a wish that had been in my mind for a long time.


    If I were to think about it, the first idea came when I overheard the conversation between the foreigners, Cha Hee-ra and Victor Hart, a few years ago.


    ¡®Old man Victor, there were no nobles or Emperor where we lived. I¡¯ve never learned this etiquette.¡¯


    It was just one word, really just one word.


    It was something I heard by chance, but it¡¯s a voice that kepting to my mind.


    I couldn¡¯t understand with my head full of thoughts of being Empress at the time, but I remember that was the beginning.


    A country not ruled by an Emperor. A country without nobles.


    ¡®Is that possible?¡¯


    No wonder my head had been filled with doubts.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t impossible at all when I were to think of the Republic, which was in conflict with the Empire.


    The Republic, whose power had been skewed by special groups, advocated for the liberation of all humans, but it was because the President was wielding unprecedented power under a one-party dictatorship.


    I thought it would be different from the meaning of the absence of an emperor and nobles, as the foreigner Cha Hee-ra had said.


    Literally, their continent was a ce where one did not need to learn etiquette.


    ¡®They¡¯re all equal.¡¯


    I tried to forget about it, but my curiosity began to grow like a snowball.


    In a few words, my curiosity had been piqued.


    There were many times I couldn¡¯t sleep because of frustration, and in the end, I had to move to solve this curiosity.


    I started by inviting foreigners to the castle.


    Where is the ce? How can such a ce exist? Without an Emperor, who would rule the country?


    I had conversations with foreigners several times a day, but it was difficult to find someone who could correctly answer my questions.


    This was because the majority of them were scared.


    It was not unusual for ordinary foreigners to be scared, as it was considered taboo to discuss their continent within the royal castle.


    Of course, it is natural that I was shocked by the basic information that I could get.


    ¡®An election in which a leader is elected every few years. A representative elected by citizens, impeachment. The people¡¯s check of power, the history of the foreigner¡¯s continent¡­¡¯


    Everything was full of wonders.


    When I reached the point where my curiosity could not be solved only by the invited foreigners, I immediately began to run outside.


    Of course, I couldn¡¯t move freely because of all the gazes, but I looked around the Free City built by the foreigners whenever I had a chance.


    What was their life like, what did they do, and how did those who hade to a new continent live?


    It was to check the things I was curious about. Honestly, the results were not satisfactory.


    Contrary to what I imagined as a utopian world, there was also poverty and discrimination.


    An Emperor did not exist, but there were leaders up there by force, and in a way, it seemed that there was nothing much different from the situation of the current Empire.


    When I tried to return after feeling skeptical, what I saw was the beginning of the media. This was what had urged me to learn more.


    I felt like the world had changed overnight. I could see how the world was changing, even from the eyes of others.


    The foreigners, who belonged to the lower ss, rose, and they directly began to boycott the powerful. It was an iprehensible situation.


    It looked like a small version of the events that I only heard as stories that the ones who had been quiet so far started to move as one.


    What I thought would never change slowly did.


    The giant guild ck Swan, located in the Free City of Lindel, began to watch out for the foreigners, and even within a few days, the ck Swan¡¯s leader changed.


    ¡°No way¡­¡±


    The lower ss of foreigners changed everything without spilling any blood or causing any damage.


    ¡®Bloodless Revolution.¡¯


    The shock of seeing it with my own eyes was indescribable.


    It was no wonder that my gaze had been drawn to the person at the center of the case.


    At the time, the media had been dealing with Lee Kiyoung as a victim. I began observing this foreigner, who seemed to be moving the media, and dug information using my powers as a Princess.


    I learned several things about him.


    That he came to the castle and found the demon worshipper Ito Souta.


    That he sessfully defended Castle Rock.


    That he was chosen by a dragon, and not only obtained a position from the Pope¡¯s side, but was also loved by many nobles.


    Of course, there were times when I saw things I didn¡¯t want to see, but the important thing wasn¡¯t what kind of person he was.


    I started to see more and more of what he could do. His weapons weren¡¯t just dragons or potions he made.


    His fancy speech and personal connections were also his weapons, but the biggest weapon he had was the press, and the right way of using it. Because of him, I learned a lot of things.


    The incident at Lindel became a new hope and light.


    ¡®I need to prepare.¡¯


    I could change the Empire.


    ¡®Imperial people can also stand up.¡¯


    Those with will had to be brought together.


    ¡®There are definitely nobles and awake intellectuals who consider the current system unfair. Definitely.¡¯


    Foreigners would also help.


    ¡®I have to move him.¡¯


    What I had been doing without a break has finally begun to pay off.


    I hadn¡¯t aplished anything yet, but if someone were to ask me if I was happy, I would nod.


    ¡°You seem to be in a good mood, Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Yes. It is difficult to continue to conceal my joy while thinking that this is the beginning.¡±


    ¡°Er¡­ Princess.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but may I say something?¡±


    ¡°What are you sorry for? You can tell me, Baron.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just asking. If this is over¡­ I¡¯m curious about what you will do.¡±


    ¡°Ohh. I will be the same as you. I will probably live a normal life. Of course, it¡¯s hard, but I want my father and my sister to live a new life. The life my mother told me about in the past. That is¡­ if it¡¯s possible. Haha.¡±


    ¡°Princess, but as I¡¯ve always said¡­¡±


    ¡°Baron, I am no different from other imperial people. I was lucky to be more educated than they were, and I was lucky to be able to explore more than them. There is a lot I realized while learning about foreigners. I am not a person who can stand on top of others. I just want to live a normal life. Like you guys, I want to love, and I want to have normal rtionships.¡±


    ¡°This is so like Your Majesty. Haha. Do you have anyone in your mind?¡±


    ¡°Haha. That¡¯s a question so like the Countess.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps¡­ the reason you¡¯re always watching the Honorary Bishop¡­¡±


    ¡°Hahahaha. No. He¡¯s an interesting person, but he¡¯s far from my type. Rather, the person who can be called his boss is a little closer to my type. I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m talking about in front of you. Anyway, let¡¯s end the conversation here today. We¡¯ll be busy again from tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Have a good night, Your Majesty.¡±


    As I quietly nodded, I could see them leaving.


    When I hurried back to my room and flipped through the Sacred Democracy again, previously iprehensible ideas started to get stuck in my head more clearly.


    For the time being, I thought I would spend my time reading this book over and over again.


    ¡°The sovereignty of the Empire rests with the imperial people, and all poweres from the imperial people.¡±


    Others who might be reading this somewhere would not be different from me now.


    Some would be reading this book in the stables, others in the school when they were out, and others relying on small candles.


    Perhaps there were even people in this imperial castle reading this book.


    They would be enlightened by sharing the book and discussing it with each other. This little Bible would be the beginning of the revolution and the light of the imperial people.


    ¡°He is a genius.¡±


    I had no choice but to admit this as I flipped through the pages once more.


    ¡°Honorary Revolution.¡±


    If everything went ording to n, the Empire would be able to take one step further without ever spilling blood.

 Chapter 284: Please, Revolutionize (3)

    <h4>Chapter 284: Please, Revolutionize (3)</h4>


    ¡°Honorary revolution, my ass.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure that¡¯s what she¡¯s aiming for. I can see what she¡¯s thinking. After stabilizing the imperial people who will rise for the revolution, the nobles that united with the Second Princess will pressure the existing vested interests to change the system. Saying the line, ¡®This is the will of the imperial people!¡¯ There is nothing I can think of other than that. Charlotte wouldn¡¯t want the imperial people to spill blood.¡±


    ¡°It sounds good to hear. Bloodless revolution, honorary revolution.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you like it? Again, would it be better to stick to the First Princess and use the Second Princess of treason?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t do that. You¡¯re not supposed to work with such a stupid person, to begin with. So, all other options are out of the question. The revolution will go on.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to go along with the beat?¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s a little different from the direction Charlotte wants. What I want is not an honorary revolution, but a revolution made bypleting the struggle. There is a difference between a revolution being led by the citizens and the Second Princess. I¡¯m not saying this because I was caught by surprise, Nuna. When things are done, Charlotte will surely remain as the symbol of the Empire. Even in the course of the honorary revolution, it is a nuisance to prevent the Republic from jumping on the bandwagon¡­ The longer you drag this on, the more disadvantages you get. It means that it¡¯ll eventually be impossible to negotiate.¡±


    ¡°They must have a meaning, too. You¡¯re not just trying to do it because you¡¯re upset, right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not trash enough to spill innocent imperialists¡¯ blood simply because I¡¯m upset. It¡¯s just about 2% of the reason, but it is inadequate, so I would like you to think that there are other reasons.¡±


    ¡°I do not know. You¡¯re trashy enough as it is¡­ No, it¡¯s because you¡¯re a cool, disloyal man.¡±


    ¡°The symbol of the Empire will be Oscar, not Charlotte.¡±


    ¡°Ohhhhhh! So, until the end, you will remain as a non-elected leader. This is good news.¡±


    ¡°To be honest, it¡¯s a little funny.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if she thought I was going to blow something and stop the imperial people from getting up. I¡¯ll show her. If she thinks I¡¯ll stop at Sacred Democracy, she¡¯s mistaken¡­¡±


    ¡°She must be expecting you to use the press. She will be prepared for it. The Second Princess has a good image, so she will fix it immediately after you blow something lukewarm. Do you have something good?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a secret. Have a guess. You can look forward to it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard. It is still impossible tomercialize it, but I¡¯m expecting you to use that magic hologram, but¡­ the content in it will be a problem. To finish it in a short period, the entire continent would have to watch it. And to make the people angry, it won¡¯t be possible to do with an ordinary content¡­ Did you even film a nobleman beating up amoner? Or did you film Charlia¡¯s usual behavior? Actually, did you even have time to shoot¡­? Oh! That was what you ordered Hayan to do. That means that the invisible eyes you mentioned earlier meant¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct. I won¡¯t tell you the content, though.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a bad hobby. Well, as you prepared it, I won¡¯t worry about the content. And it would be good to quickly decide who will y the role of the Democratic Fighter Oscar. I think it¡¯s important that you don¡¯t give them time to prepare and rush over. Anyway, I¡¯ll be leaving, Oppa. I have work to prepare. Oh! And this is from Deokgu. It looks like it also contains a letter, but read it before you go to soothe that crazy bitch.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Thanks, Nuna.¡±


    ¡°Oh. And there are 44 letters of thanks from Marlin Young-ae.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll read thatter.¡±


    ¡°Then do it.¡±


    I could see her cing the letter on the table and leaving.


    Still, I had a little time left before I had to see Charlia.


    Considering that I received regr reports from Deokgu, I thought it would probably be useless this time.


    ¡®I miss you. When will youe?¡¯


    It would be about this kind of content.


    Seeing that it was a little thicker than usual, however, it looked like it was filled with something else.


    It was when I tore up the envelope sealed with magical power and took out his letter, thinking it was probably something of a specialty from somewhere, that I noticed a slightly different font from the usual font I had been receiving.


    [I heard about the situation from Deokgu.]


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    [Sorry for not being able to help in various ways. I sincerely apologize for not being able to focus on this properly after burdening Kiyoung-ssi.]


    ¡®Kim Hyunsung?¡¯


    It was Kim Hyunsung who had sent the letter. Though the handwriting was familiar, I never would¡¯ve thought it would be him.


    ¡®Why is he with Deokgu?¡¯


    I definitely remember that Park Deokgu had been working on the outskirts.


    I couldn¡¯t understand how a guy, who became democratic fighter Bark Teoku and working like crazy, could be with Kim Hyunsung.


    Seeing that there was an exnation that he met Park Deokgu by chance, I thought that human fate was really a wonder.


    In the letter, Kim Hyunsung seemed to be trying to exin something, but in fact, such excuses wouldn¡¯t be enough to catch my eyes.


    Seeing him going on and on apologizing, it seemed that he had recognized his mistake.


    I began to nod at the words of a sincere apology. There was a busy job, and he did his best to do it.


    Of course, I was still a bit upset, but I was able to understand him in the end.


    [I was a little surprised by the sudden changes and unexpected things, but as much as I believed and trusted in Kiyoung-ssi from the beginning, I will trust you until the end. In fact, I wanted you to think of a different direction, but it must have been an unavoidable choice for Kiyoung-ssi. I believe that you will achieve a stable regime change by minimizing as much damage as possible.]


    I didn¡¯t know if this meant that he would ept a bit of blood being spilled, but it probably meant something simr.


    Kim Hyunsung also believed that a perfect, bloodless revolution couldn¡¯t possibly ur.


    [I can tell what Kiyoung-ssi is worried about. Perhaps the most worrisome thing is the intervention of the Republic.]


    ¡®He¡¯s not wrong.¡¯


    [I don¡¯t know if I can help, but I will try to curb the Republic¡¯s intervention as much as possible. By all means, I hope that this will help Kiyoung¡¯s ns. Thank you, and I¡¯m sorry for your continued care.]


    ¡®This is fortunate.¡¯


    It was definitely wee.


    He hadn¡¯t responded badly to this n, and it felt best to be in a situation where Kim Hyunsung couldn¡¯t pay much attention to such internal affairs.


    I decided to overturn everything, but it must be true that I was worried about what the people¡¯s holy struggle would look like to him.


    He said he would take the initiative and block the Republic¡¯s intervention, so I couldn¡¯t help but be in a good mood.


    ¡®Good!¡¯


    It was then that a phrase caught my eye at the end of the letter.


    [Behind the letter, there is a gift in another envelope. I think Kiyoung can use it more than me.]


    ¡°Why did he send it?¡±


    The parcel was not a special product from Park Deokgu, but a gift from Kim Hyunsung. Unconsciously, I had begun to smile once more.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t have to do this¡­ no¡­ why is he sending something like this again? Gosh.¡±


    [Chanelia Hermes¡¯ Infinite Bag (Heroic)]


    ¡°This is sick¡­ Phew¡­¡±


    [This is an infinite bag created centuries ago by Chanelia Hermes, a legendary hunter and leather craftsman. Crafted in Drake¡¯s leather, this bag is made for adventurers, so it¡¯s not only convenient, but also durable as an armor. The built-in subspace, worthy of the name of an infinite bag, isrge in size, and you can store things very safely. It has an additional function that increases your luck stat by +3.]


    ¡°Kim Hyunsung, salute, salute!¡±


    It was something I definitely needed. My desire to dance was growing.


    Seeing that my resentment had begun to melt away, it definitely seemed like I was not immune to bribery.


    It even looked better than the bag Kim Hyunsung had been carrying in the tutorial dungeon.


    This was an item that was absolutely necessary for me, due to the nature of my ss.


    I didn¡¯t know how he suddenly got this, but as he was hanging around with Park Deokgu, he must have managed to rob a monster¡¯s treasure trove at night.


    It felt like it definitely suited me when I deemed to wear the bag. When I put my hand inside, however, I felt another item waiting for me.


    ¡®He¡¯s even more thoughtful than I thought!¡¯


    There were advanced catalysts inside.


    It wasn¡¯t jaw-dropping, but when I saw the many interesting materials, it seemed like he had carefully selected them. It was no wonder that my smile refused to fade.


    It would be strange not to be in a good mood when he sent me the right things just when I needed them. The fact that he supported my n was an unprecedented bonus.


    Still, he was a little more concerned about me than the Second Princess.


    The brakes were now gone.


    I didn¡¯t like being ahead of myself, but I started to think that it might be okay to think about the post-revolutionary period.


    ¡®It won¡¯t be a problem if I run it right away.¡¯


    It was thest thing I had been putting off.


    The author of the Sacred Democracy, determining my substitute as Oscar, was actually the final piece.


    I needed someone to guide the revolution from the bottom, like the democratic fighter Bark Teoku.


    It couldn¡¯t be a foreigner, and choosing nobility was a little uncertain.


    He shouldn¡¯t be stupid like Charlia, or smart like Charlotte.


    The reborn leader of the new Empire, author of Sacred Democracy, must have a good feeling for me while knowing how to think properly.


    To put it a bit openly, it should be someone I could control. The problem was that there were no such characters around.


    Lee Kiyoung¡¯s connection hadpletely built up a wall with themoners.


    As I managed to establish rtionships with good people, I naturally only met nobles, or high-ranking officials from the Pope¡¯s side.


    As I mulled this over, a voice called out for me.


    ¡°Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung. Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung. T-The Princess is looking for you.¡±


    When I opened the door reflexively, I saw a face I encountered quite often recently.


    ¡°Oh! Maid Alice!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes?¡±


    ¡°Hold on. Pleasee in for a moment.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry? What do you¡­? Oh! I shouldn¡¯t be like this! H-Her Majesty Charlia¡­¡±


    ¡°I want you to give me some time. First, this way. Please, sit on the bed or the sofa.¡±


    ¡°H-Honorary Bishop? Er¡­ Do you have any business with a girl? Er¡­ Uhm¡­ It¡¯s too, s-sudden, Honorary Bishop. I-If the Princess knows about this¡­ A-And I¡¯m still not ready! Of course, if you push it, I can¡¯t help¡­ How a lowly maid like me could dare to¡­ So! I¡¯m not upset! Nevertheless!¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what kind of weird imagination she had, but I had different ns for her.


    ¡°When you have two, you can lower the word.¡±


    ¡°Yeah? What do you mean¡­?¡±


    ¡°You will know soon, Mr. Oscar.¡±


    The image of Maid Alice, trembling like a puppy in the rain, was reflected in my view.

 Chapter 285: Alice’s letters (1)

    <h4>Chapter 285: Alice¡¯s letters (1)</h4>


    [Sincerely yours, Alice from the Imperial City.]


    [How are you, mother? This is Alice. It¡¯s getting colder, and I just wonder how my mother, who is far away, has been doing. Since I haven¡¯t been home for a long time, I¡¯m worried if my younger siblings are going to school, or if my grandmother is in good health.]


    [I think mother is also worried about how her daughter is doing. Don¡¯t worry about me. I¡¯m doing well, and the First Princess still treats me very nicely. She always praises me for being a good working maid and asionally strokes my head.]


    [Last time, I did a great job in hosting an important guest, so she rewarded me. Of course, it was possible not because of my strength, but because of all of the other maids¡¯ efforts. Oh, actually, I¡¯m sending a letter after a long time because I have something to tell, mother.]


    [The fact is¡­ I think I have to quit this job. Of course, it is impossible to quit at will, but I¡¯m able to leave thanks to the strength of the man I mentioned before. I know nothing and learned nothing, but I know that he wants me eagerly¡­ so, since I¡¯m soft, I was forced to follow him.]


    [Looking at it, there may be a little misunderstanding. I¡¯m not saying he¡¯s taking me as his concubine! Of course, if that happens, I wouldn¡¯tin, but¡­ right now, I am satisfied with just being by his side. Oh! And you don¡¯t have to worry too much, as I will continue to send money. Anyway¡­ I feel like something important is about to begin. I also feel like my life will change. I¡¯m not sure what it is yet¡­ Ah. I have to leave now. I¡¯ll tell you more about itter when I have time! I¡¯ll write to you againter, mother. Stay healthy!]


    * * *


    [Sincerely yours, Alice from Lindel.]


    [I came to Lindel, Mother! It¡¯s a free city where foreigners live, so it¡¯s full of wonders. The person I told you aboutst time sent me directly here. I¡¯ve ridden a Griffon for the first time in my life, and you don¡¯t know how nervous I was¡­ I was fortunate to have arrived safely. All of the people who I¡¯m with are nice and good people.]


    [All of them are talented wizards and swordsmen, so I can¡¯t believe that I¡¯m with them now. And I even saw the rumored dragon with my own eyes! It was really enormouslyrge and majestic, and my legs went rubbery upon seeing it for the first time.]


    [Actually, it¡¯s a little scary. It¡¯s not the dragon. It¡¯s just my current situation. Sudden changes in the environment are unfamiliar to people like me. I cut my long, golden hair, which was said to be the vige¡¯s pride, with short hair, and for the first time in my life, I even tried a sword that didn¡¯t suit me.


    [When I looked in the mirror, it felt like I was seeing somebody else. Of course, I was relieved that he said it suited me, but it hurts because I can¡¯t seem to show him a womanly figure. I feel anxious because I don¡¯t think I can meet his expectations. I just wonder what the hell I can do.]


    [And¡­ I don¡¯t know why, but I felt like I was hated by some wizards here. Even the little dragon hates me. Even the priest is also cold, so I don¡¯t know how to act. Did I do anything wrong? I¡¯m used to being hated, but I want to get along with them, so I¡¯m very worried. Do they not like my lowly status? It can¡¯t be helped, but it¡¯s a bit bitter.]


    * * *


    [Sincerely yours, Alice from Castle Rock.]


    [I¡¯m in Castle Rock! And I was able to see him after a long time. In fact, I heard a lot of stories. I¡¯ve also learned many things. I couldn¡¯t understand all of what he said, but it didn¡¯t seem wrong. They said he was extraordinary, but who knew he was thinking so big. I think that Goddess Benigore sent him as an envoy to us.]


    [On the second day, I also met Count Castle Rock. I was quiet because he told me not to say anything, but I could hear them in a separate room, debating loudly.]


    [I was a little anxious, but it seemed that Count Castle Rock agreed with him. Marlin Young-ae was very angry recently. It looks like some promises were made, but it¡¯s not something I¡¯m concerned about. In the end, I¡¯m d things seemed to go well.]


    [I heard that people like Duchess Catherine and Countess Elise are heading to Castle Rock. It was something I thought about casually, but I am anxious because it seems to be getting bigger and bigger than I had first thought. Even more, because I have an important speech tomorrow.]


    [I am going to work hard. With so many people working for the Empire, I should do my best, too. I think the next letter will be posted from elsewhere. Stay healthy. Today, I¡¯m sending a little big money. Don¡¯t be surprised and don¡¯t tell anyone. It¡¯s not bad money, so you can rest assured. I¡¯ll close for now.]


    * * *


    [Sincerely yours, Alice, from an unknown ce.]


    [Have I told you that the first speech ended without a hitch? Since I¡¯m busy, I¡¯m confused about if I sent the letter I wrote. Contrary to the concern if I could do it well, I have already delivered my fourth speech. I was very nervous and worried, but thanks to the people who cheered me up, I was able to get courage. I think I¡¯ve gotten a little used to it now.]


    [In fact, until now, I thought that I just had to do what he told me to do, and¡­ I think my thoughts have started to change little by littletely. Yes. He must have influenced me. I came to think that not only the background that surrounds me, but also that my eyes to see the world have widened. In fact, I haven¡¯t seen him since Castle Rock. But when I look at the books he has given me; I feel like I¡¯m always with him.]


    [This is all the will of Goddess Benigore, right? It¡¯s not just me that has changed. The first, the second, the third. It feels as if the cheers of the people grow little by little as time passes. Yes. Everyone is changing.]


    [Today, I think he wille to visit me after a long time. I heard that he wasing with Cardinal Basel¡­ perhaps he¡¯ll say something important again. Can I be in a position like this? I always think that way, but it wouldn¡¯t be strange that I could raise my voice as he said. I¡¯ll close for now, mother.]


    * * *


    [Sincerely yours, Alice from Celia.]


    [I had a meeting with the Eight Seats of the Empire. One of them didn¡¯te, so it would be correct to say that it was with the Seven Seats. Hehe. Unlike when I couldn¡¯t understand anything initially, I can now understand what they are saying. I thought that it was fortunate that what I was studying had results. I thought I had to move desperately.]


    [There shouldn¡¯t be anythingcking as I give a speech every day. Of course, I think I will do it today, too. Today, it is for foreigners. I am worried about whether they will ept me, but the people of the Seven Imperial Seats also smiled and greeted me, so foreigners will certainly like me, right?]


    [Because the Mercenary Queen and the shaman also weed me with open arms. In particr, the shaman quietly nodded, but I¡¯m still curious about what that means. Rumor has it that she can see the future, but will something good happen in my future? Maybe I¡¯ll be his concubine! It could be that!]


    [I remembered when I was writing this, but in fact, I heard that a marriage conversation with the Princess is in progress. Yes. That Charlia-nim. I knew Charlia-nim was yearning for him, but I had no idea that she would move this way. Fortunately, he didn¡¯t seem to be interested in Charlia. That bitch ## die# be## good# then ##, right? Ink has spilled. Hehe. It¡¯s not anything important, so you don¡¯t have to worry about it.]


    [Oh! And did I tell you in thest letter that there was a meeting with Cardinal Basel? Yes. Fortunately, I think the talk with Cardinal Basel was good. In the beginning, I wasn¡¯t worried since he has a close rtionship with Cardinal Basel¡­ And as expected, Cardinal Basel also greatly nodded. He asked me to shake hands and told me he is looking forward to work with me. This is what he said. In fact, after this is over, Cardinal Basel may be able to take the ce of Pope! Of course, this is a secret! Mother! Please!]


    * * *


    [Sincerely yours, Alice from somewhere underground.]


    [Mother. It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯m sending you a letter. It was a short period, but during that time, I was very busy. Some things didn¡¯t go well. I didn¡¯t have time to send a letter. I don¡¯t think you had any financial difficulties since I sent you arge amountst time. You haven¡¯t spent all of it, right? If it¡¯s mother, I know you wouldn¡¯t.


    [There are many things I want to tell, but I don¡¯t have the time, so I need to reduce it, mother. I just wanted you to know that I¡¯m doing well. Just in case, I will be sending money again. Don¡¯t be too surprised because it¡¯s the money he gave me. And please burn all the letters I have sent so far. Don¡¯t tell anyone. Please. Please. You have to burn them all. Everything.]


    * * *


    [Now, I think I know what job has been given to me, Mother. It¡¯s alreadye to this point after following him busily. Actually, I¡¯m still dumbfounded. It¡¯s hard to understand all of his words, and I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on right now, but as time goes by, I have a sense of mission that I need to help even with such a small force. He told me that it seemed I¡¯ve changed, too. Hehe. Of course, I was relieved by him still saying ¡®Alice-nim is Alice-nim after all.¡¯]


    [Of course, I have be a little closer to him. It¡¯s embarrassing to say this, but I was able to kiss him. I don¡¯t know if he likes me. Actually, I took courage. I still can¡¯t forget his startled expression. I think things have made me stronger.]


    [Usually, I would never have been able to move like that¡­ Hehe. Anyway, he didn¡¯t look so upset either. He patted me on the shoulder. After that, it seemed that the wizard hated me, but I couldn¡¯t hide my true feelings anymore.]


    [In fact, at first, it was just a little crush. I just thought about how good it would be to enter as his concubine, and that was all. Since he has power and is handsome. However, while spending time together and working toward the same goal, my feelings grew bigger and bigger, and I couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore.]


    [Oh. Of course, it wasn¡¯t just my feelings for him that grew. The same goes for my feelings for the Empire. Did I ever say that I have a sense of mission? Yes. At that time, I have more sense of duty now. I was born with a lowly status and grew up lowly, but there was no such thing as a lowly life in the world. He said it to me directly.]


    [My younger siblings, I, my mother, and my grandmother are all the same. The Princess and I are the same humans. He must have known this for a long time ago. That¡¯s why he treated me well. Unlike Charlia.]


    [Mother.]


    [I think I have to do something that could be dangerous. Not only me, but all of myrades who share my goal will be in danger. But don¡¯t worry too much. I will make an Empire where my mother and younger siblings can live happily, even at the cost of my life. He told me that when you have to spill blood, you just have to do it. Yes. At first, I was scared, too, but now I am not.]


    [As much as he shed tears for the imperial people to be sacrificed, I am ready to throw my all. I won¡¯t make tearse out of his eyes anymore. Never.]


    [Yes. Never. Even if I have to give my all.]


    [I am ready to throw everything. Even if I die, my blood for the Empire will nourish the future.]


    [Mother.]


    [I will fight. I corrected mymon sense from the past and doing so, for democracy. For the cause. I will fight for a sacred democracy.]


    [Nevere outside after three days.]


    [Do nothing and stay at home. Perhaps my people will go there. They will protect you and my sisters. I¡¯ll say it again.]


    [Nevere out after three days. Heed my pleas.]


    [Sincerely yours, Oscar from the capital of the Empire.]

 Chapter 286: Half-baked Revolution (1)

    <h4>Chapter 286: Half-baked Revolution (1)</h4>


    ¡®Time goes so fast.¡¯


    No, in fact, if I were to think about it, not much time had passed.


    However, it felt like two years had passed. A lot of things around me had changed, so it was not unreasonable to feel like this.


    Perhaps it wasn¡¯t just me who felt this way.


    ¡®Charlotte.¡¯


    I think she would be feeling the same way.


    Of course, speed was the most important thing in this work. Moving in secret was important, but moving fast was even more important.


    Before the Republic could intervene.


    Before the imperial family could respond in any way.


    I had to get ready to blow this thing before Charlotte got anything more up her sleeve.


    It was no wonder she also agreed with this idea.


    We didn¡¯t say anything to each other, but I agreed to match her actions, and she agreed to move ording to my will.


    It had been decided to form an implicit alliance.


    It was a bit vague if one was to call it sleeping with the enemy, but I was now on her boat, as she said before.


    I had united the foreigners, the Pope¡¯s side, and some nobles, and she united the awakened civil representatives and the nobles of her own forces.


    Meanwhile, I began to move the imperial people simultaneously across the continent.


    Not only did I quickly spread the ideas written on the Sacred Democracy, but I awakened the hidden aspirations within them.


    If I were alone, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to get things going so fast.


    I thought it would be difficult to enlighten the imperial people, but this idea began to spread from the moment the foreigners settled on the continent.


    The current was rising way faster than I imagined.


    If she moved to the East, I went to the West, and if she moved to the South, we went to the North.


    Was the difference moderate, or more radical?


    If I were to think about it, it certainly meant that she was getting on the same page as me.


    It was impressive that Charlotte also borrowed the Sacred Democracy. Thanks to this, it was easier for me to assemble the imperial people.


    After some thoughts had taken root, the imperial family also began to notice my movements.


    While designating Sacred Democracy as a forbidden book, they began digging behind me, and the problem was that the Emperor had appointed Charlotte as general manager of this matter.


    The general manager was thinking differently, so there was no way they could catch me. Although there was time to flinch once, the outpost of the revolution had already begun.


    Numerous secret societies that Charlotte and I did not intend were created, and they showed their activities to enlighten all imperial people.


    Cardinal Basel of the Pope¡¯s side decided to ride on the imperialists¡¯ backs to be the next Pope, and some nobles with whom I was close to also agreed with my n.


    It hadn¡¯t been easy to persuade the nobles. It came to the point that I even thought about getting rid of them if things went wrong. However, Count Castle Rock and Duchess Catherine, feeling tired of the ways of the imperial family, eventually epted my words.


    ¡®Our power will remain even after the revolution is over.¡¯


    Even if a sacred democracy would begin, they would not lose power.


    The same went for the nobles, some bourgeois sses, and us foreigners. Rather, I presented a vision that they would gain greater power, so they nodded.


    Though they shook their head at the dangers of the real democracy Charlotte wanted, they had no choice but to recognize the benefits behind it. In the meantime, Oscar, who had been picked as the next leader, began working hard to fulfill her responsibilities.


    This woman, called a symbol of democracy by some groups, was also one of those who made me feel the passage of time.


    Perhaps she had gotten even busier than Charlotte.


    It would never have been easy for her to be a symbol of democracy,ing from a maid. The undeniable fact was that she tried harder than anyone else.


    It was effective as she followed my words properly.


    When I first adopted Alice, I hadn¡¯t been expecting much, but she was surprisingly in line with my set conditions.


    As I nced toward the window, I saw her staring nkly at the sky - a short-haired with a sword worn in her waist.


    All she learned was refined swordsmanship, but she achieved results within a short amount of time. Thanks to her hard work that is beyond her talent.


    As I quietly called her name, she looked back in a hurry.


    In fact, her expression or face itself was not all that different from before. However, the strangely changed vibe, and the emotions reflected in her eyes prove that my n was indeed the right one.


    ¡°Oscar-nim.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Honorary Bishop. You said you¡¯d call me Alice when we were alone.¡±


    ¡°Haha. Yes. I did. I must have been a little bit distracted as we have a big thing ahead.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much, Honorary Bishop. Everything will work out. I will do my best to make your ne true.¡±


    ¡°Haha. Thank you for the words. And¡­ Thank you so much for sharing this big burden with me.¡±


    ¡°No. You don¡¯t have to say that. Actually, when the Honorary Bishop first called me, I was surprised, but now I feel very happy. I feel a sense of duty for what I am doing now. Yes. I really do.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say as you think so.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the one who should say it.¡±


    ¡°Maid Alice, no¡­ Alice -nim, too.¡±


    ¡°No. No! It¡¯s better to call me Maid. I like it better.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°No, please. When there¡¯re only us, please call me like that. If even the Honorary Bishop calls me Oscar¡­ I think¡­ I¡¯ll get a little confused.¡±


    ¡°I understand. If you say so¡­¡±


    ¡°Come to think of it, did you eat? If you didn¡¯t, I have to hurry to prepare¡­¡±


    ¡°No. No. It¡¯s fine. Actually, I just came here to make sure that Maid Alice is doing well.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll serve you some tea!¡±


    It was not bad to be served tea from the symbol of imperial democracy.


    This was why I couldn¡¯t hate Alice.


    Since she polished various skills under Charlia, the tea had been prepared in an instant. It felt as if all kinds of fatigue were gone by just taking a sip.


    ¡°Do you like it?¡±


    ¡°Of course, Maid Alice. Come to think of it. You kept looking outside, so perhaps¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m worried if my mother and my younger siblings are doing well.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry. The Blue guild members are already protecting them. If I get into trouble, Alice-nim¡¯s family will be protected.¡±


    ¡°Please refrain from saying that. I don¡¯t want the Honorary Bishop to get hurt. Okay, now¡­ Is it time to leave?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s leave, Oscar-nim.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Honorary Bishop.¡±


    ¡®Cute.¡¯


    The way she bit her lips tightly was cute in her own way.


    However, her face started to get serious.


    Probably as far as thest part was ahead, she¡¯d have mixed feelings, too.


    ¡®It must have been hard.¡¯


    However, it must have been that rewarding.


    It felt like I was looking at someone else. I got goosebumps for some reason when I saw Oscar with a stiff expression.


    When I opened the door, the first people I saw were Max and Jung Hayan, who both looked very nervous.


    I thought they would be nervous since I exined every single day how important this was.


    In Jung Hayan¡¯s case, she nced at this side and inted her cheeks, so she didn¡¯t seem to like Alice very much.


    Of course, Jung Hayan never did like any woman, but as the time spent with Maid Alice was getting longer recently, she¡¯d been feeling under the weather.


    ¡®I have to give her some attention.¡¯


    As much as she had endured and worked hard, I had to soothe her after this work was over.


    I gently waved, and she smiled in return.


    Next to her, Max, the museum manager, was jumping with both arms up as if he¡¯d thought I waved at him. When I sent the signal asking if it was ready, he made a circle with his arm.


    Sun Hee-young, Ye-ri, and Hwang Jeong-yeon, who I hadn¡¯t seen in a long time, were also present.


    Except for the newbies that went to protect Maid Alice¡¯s family, and Cho Hyejin, who was called by Kim Hyun-sung, all the Blue members were gathered.


    Of course, democratic fighters ¡®Bark Teoku¡¯ and Ahn Ki-mo were still waiting to blend with the imperial people.


    It was then that the Maid Alice, no, Oscar stepped to the podium.


    ¡®It¡¯s now beginning.¡¯


    It seemed that she had already memorized everything as I saw her speaking without looking at the speech that I¡¯d written.


    Charlia, who hadn¡¯t even tried that much, came to mind.


    ¡®She¡¯s a hundred times better. Much more capable. Yes.¡¯


    I wanted to focus on thest part of the speech, but I had to head to where Jung Hayan and Max were as I had other work to do.


    Lee Jihye spoke to me while I was moving. Her voice pierced through the cries of Oscar and the imperial people.


    ¡°It¡¯s beginning.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I guess.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been curious to death, but I can finally see it. I was really curious if, by any chance, Charlotte could calm down the imperial people, because that¡¯s the most important thing.¡±


    ¡°If she can fix the one blow I prepared, I will call Charlotte a god.¡±


    ¡°So, you must be confident, right? Honestly, I don¡¯t mean I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re thinking¡­ it¡¯s just not very likely to be realized. Historically, it¡¯s not there wasn¡¯t anything that could be called an honorary revolution or a bloodless revolution at all¡­¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t there one in Ennd?¡±


    ¡°Ohh. The one that made James II exile abroad? That didn¡¯t mean democratization was achieved. It is meaningful that the Bill of Rights was drawn up, but¡­ and I think that one has spilled blood, too. I don¡¯t know if Charlotte knows this, but if she¡¯s taking that as a model, I guess we can say it is. Corrupt, ipetent, and of course, a self-righteous imperial family mixed with religious issues¡­ the people are alsoining.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know much about world history¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to know. It¡¯s obvious, anyway. Although it has changed a lot, the n is to recover the imperial people who have risen, release the troops that have been built up, and go with the people to press the Emperor. In the case of the British bloodless revolution, there is a difference that the troops came from outside, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that different. It will spill blood, but we can minimize it. That¡¯s a good n. It¡¯s a good idea¡­ Personally, I don¡¯t think Charlotte is stupid. In fact, I even have respect for her.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think you would say that, but it¡¯s surprising.¡±


    ¡°Originally, historical philosophers, innovators, and idealists are like her. The example must be different, but would those who have put industrialism to the world, or who have chosen it as a state system, have made that choice because they were stupid? It¡¯s not just those people. Most of all, political idealists are what can be called geniuses.¡±


    ¡°You are right.¡±


    ¡°The problem is why these people fail.¡±


    ¡°I think I know that, too.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a personal thought.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s a personal thought, it¡¯s rather wee.¡±


    ¡°They believed that other humans would also pursue their ideals.¡±


    I was no longer interested in what Charlotte thought, but it was a bit heartbreaking to find out that she believed in the imperial people and those in her camp.


    I bet some in her power did not agree with her ideas.


    However, what mattered right now was not her internal circumstances, but what route my boat took to its destination.


    It had been her who had been running the boat so far, but from this moment on, I would.


    At the moment, our Oscar was giving an interesting speech.


    I thought it was just the right timing.


    ¡°Hayan, Max, release the video.¡±


    We couldn¡¯t watch this good thing alone.


    A magical hologramrge enough to be seen from outside the window appeared.


    The screen created in the air wasrge enough to be seen by all the capitalists¡¯ imperialists, which revealed Oscar standing in front.


    Lee Jihye, staring at the scene nkly, looked at the video in front of her and turned her head toward the hologram that Max was preparing with a rather astonished face.


    ¡°W-What is that?¡±


    ¡°What else could it be? This is the video to be released next time.¡±


    ¡°I know that. The question I am asking is¡­ what would the content be?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a list of the nobles and their activities going in and out of the ck market I run.¡±


    ¡°Y¡­ you¡¯re crazy. Oppa¡­ this is really¡­¡±


    ¡°Puh-ha-ha-ha-ha.¡±


    ¡°I-I think you went too far. This is¡­ too¡­¡±


    ¡°Why? Nuna¡­ Do you think that¡¯s too much?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ It¡¯s good. To be honest¡­ I got a little wet.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what exactly she meant by that, but Lee Jihye¡¯s voice had begun to tremble subtly.


    Naturally, I smiled.


    I was sure it wouldn¡¯t take too long for the anger of those who were staring at the magic hologram to explode.


    Anyone seeing this video with a vested interest would definitely think that way.

 Chapter 287: Half-baked Revolution (2)

    <h4>Chapter 287: Half-baked Revolution (2)</h4>


    -Dearrades, who share our will. It seems like this is my first time greeting you. I think some of you have met me, and some of you know me indirectly. I¡¯d like to introduce myself formally. My name is Oscar. I¡¯m the author of the Sacred Democracy and one of the ordinary imperial people, like you, sitting at the Civil Revolutionary Corps¡¯ head.


    * * *


    ¡°Er¡­ Charlotte-nim.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m also watching. What am I seeing¡­?¡±


    ¡°T-the Honorary Bishop seems to have prepared it.¡±


    ¡°Is it illusion magic?¡±


    ¡°Probably not, Princess. It is impossible even for an archmage to disy suchrge-scale illusion magic. I thought he¡¯d be preparing to some extent, but what the hell is this¡­?¡±


    ¡°¡­ ¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­ ¡­¡±


    ¡°A video. It¡¯s a video.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a video created via magic power. One day I heard that there was something like that in the city where the foreigners live. Yes. It must be. It certainly is.¡±


    ¡°How¡­ did you¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have time to give you a detailed exnation. There must be a source that is sending that out from somewhere.¡±


    ¡°Do you mean a source?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Isn¡¯t he a wizard, Count? Can you feel the flow of magic somewhere?¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry. I think someone twisted the wavelength of magic power in the capital, so I don¡¯t think I can.¡±


    ¡°We have to stop that. We can¡¯t let that out. Never. Never! A lot of blood will be spilled. Count! We have to stop that quickly. We have to stop that. Ahh¡­ How do we¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ alreadyte. We can¡¯t fix it¡­¡±


    * * *


    -You don¡¯t have to be surprised or disconcerted. Dear citizens, what you see now is not illusion magic. It is a gift given to us by the Goddess Benigore, who sees all humanity equally, and a means to unite and raise our dearrades.


    It was the mirror and blessing of the Goddess Benigore, who reflected things we couldn¡¯t see.


    * * *


    ¡°The Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung¡­ Where is¡­ the Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung?¡±


    ¡°I-I heard he went into Lindel today, Your Majesty. He¡¯ll be back after catching up on some work¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡­ What the hell¡­ If there¡¯s anyone who can exin this phenomenon, bring me right now. Anyone will do. Anyone¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Oscar, Your Majesty. The one you see up there right now is Oscar.¡±


    ¡°I know that. I¡¯m asking why the author¡¯s face is floating in the sky. You stupid thing! What are the court wizards doing?! Make anyone stop that. Right now!¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty. P-Please, calm down. The court wizards are looking for a way now.¡±


    ¡°Oh, God¡­ Oh, God¡­¡±


    * * *


    -Dearrades. Please check and judge with your own eyes. And you have to move by yourselves. How was the Holy Empire so far, and what those nobles, who looks down on us saying we¡¯re poor blood and calls themselves nobly, really are! You must check and judge for yourselves. From now on, the scenes that I, Oscar, will show you can be a bit shocking and cruel. But it shows exactly how it is, and it is our life itself. Please do not look away. Instead, look properly. I hope you can see what kind of ce we have been living in so far.


    * * *


    ¡°Very good.¡±


    I saw Maid Alice speaking as calmly and clearly as she could.


    I knew she would do well, but she was leading the atmosphere way better than I thought.


    She had been able to calm those who are confused by the magical hologram that suddenly appeared. Most of the foreigners were very surprised by the new technology that Max and Jung Hayan now showed.


    As if it was valid for Alice to say that this was a gift from a Goddess, I was able to see that the imperial people were quickly regaining theirposure.


    Oscar, who stood inside the screen, didn¡¯t have to add anything else.


    After she introduced herself and sessfully snagged their attention, she urged them to watch the following scenes.


    It was the right decision. There was no need for unnecessaryments on these videos.


    The scene that would be seen next would be devastating and powerful enough by itself.


    After Oscar¡¯s face disappeared, a slice of corrupt nobles took its ce. Things were getting so much fun that I needed popcorn.


    There was Baron Haian, who reigned in absolute power in the small town of Vine.


    There was Duke Caribou, who had a pretty good image, in the Metropolitan City of Vatican.


    There was Count Bush, who already had a lot of trouble due to his high tax rate.


    Many others were the ck market VIPs.


    ¡°Puhahahaha.¡±


    It was a list that I thought I could use someday. I could tell without having to say that to blow it in this situation would be the most effective.


    These targeted people would feel fear at first. Then curiosity, and then anger after that.


    Those who were with us right now were also trembling at all this information.


    It would be strange not to get angry with such a scene unfolding in front of them.


    -Ahhhhhh!! Ahhhhhh!!!


    -Ahhhhhhhhh! Please¡­ please!


    The ck market in the underground of Castle Rock would be closed because of this, but there were many other ces where I could make money, anyway.


    By the end of this, most of the Empire¡¯s humans would be cleaned up, so demand would also be reduced.


    I feel like it would be good to start a new business in another country.


    In fact, not all nobles were like that, and what was seen in the video also underwent some editing and exaggeration, but what did that matter to the public?


    After all, most people only believed what they could see with their own eyes. Some of them had even begun to turn away, unable to stomach the scenes ying in the hologram.


    -Hahaha¡­ It seems that this relieves your stress, Duchess.


    -Didn¡¯t I tell you not to call me that way, Count.


    -Ah. Sorry. I¡¯ll stop¡­


    -Haha. It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s okay. It was just a joke, so you don¡¯t have to lower your head like that. I think I was a little sensitive. Right. Count is right. It really feels my stress is relieved. It¡¯s important to clear my head like this from time to time as I do important things for the Empire. Even though this ce isn¡¯t actually the same as it used to be, it¡¯sforting to have a ce like this.


    -In fact, I was thinking simrly. Duchess. It¡¯s definitely dull these days. Therefore, I made a separate space in my estate. Even for the Duchess¡­ no, it must be difficult for the Duchess who is respected by the imperialists.


    -What is so great about being respected by people who aren¡¯t even human? Tsk. This is all because of my son. I also would like to, as Count Bush¡­ Ah! I¡¯m curious about this, but¡­ The tax rate in Count Bush¡¯s province¡­


    -Yes, it is high. But what, is there another way? In other provinces, many foreigners areing. In fact, I really don¡¯t want to get them into my province. They are strong, but aren¡¯t they also born with low blood? I don¡¯t like them at all. His Majesty is also in an ambiguous position. Isn¡¯t it a humiliation to us already, just to say that we¡¯re giving them a title? What can we do? If you don¡¯t want to fall behind other provinces, you have no choice but to squeeze the permanent residents. Hahahaha. Come to think of it, even the Duchess?


    -Our province is likely to open sooner orter. Count, how can I reject when the flow of the times is like this? I can¡¯t fall behind. Actually, it is not that I like them all, but there are often good ones. I mean, that -. Unlike other strangers, he has a pretty good side. He is a good guy.


    -Ohhhhhh¡­ I heard about -. There are certainly such rumors. I don¡¯t have any contact with them in the first ce, but¡­ since Duchess says that, I¡¯ll have to schedule it someday.


    Naturally, the name ¡®Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung¡¯ had been censored.


    -By the way, Count, if you raise the tax rate like that, the imperial people¡­


    -Hahaha. Of course, a petition for reconsiderationes up. Well, lightly ignoring such things is enough. Duchess, those lowly guys were dogs and pigs anyway. If you ignore them lightly or step on them carefully, they will be quiet.


    It could be said that this was a good picture that showed just how some corrupt nobles usually thought of them.


    -Resist¡­


    -Then you just have to step on them even harder. Duchess, these guys are like weeds, so they keep growing unless you take their roots. When you step on them, you have to step properly. You have to keep making them recognize that their identity itself is different, and handling them like you¡¯re dealing with livestock makes them quiet. Hahaha. What do you think? If you are interested, Duchess¡­


    -When I have time, I¡¯ll stop by.


    -If you visit, I will do my best to serve you. Hahaha.


    I could bet that all therades currently gathered would be angry just by seeing that. As the video progressed, the images reflected in my view were indeed a spectacle. It wasn¡¯t just that one that had been prepared in the first ce.


    As much I thought that I should blow it right once I blow it, I needed to show it to the people in this Empire properly.


    The production made for the hungry imperial people was like a tragic independent film.


    The next scene showed a nobleman harassing children.


    -P¡­ Please stop. Please.


    Another was a nobleman who cruelly executed innocent people.


    -Please save me. Please save me. Please¡­


    There were sh*tty old pieces of trash that executed dirty things to those who could be called their granddaughters.


    Poor imperialists discriminated against and oppressed intellectuals.


    The boy soldier mobilized to hunt monsters, eventually meeting his end.


    Consideration for all walks of life was not left out.


    Even those who made remarks that looked down on the foreigners and those whoined and ranted against the Pope¡¯s side were included.


    In the first ce, a foreigner or Cardinal Basel would be driven by need, not anger, but the more motives, the better.


    It was no wonder that the magical hologram that protruded like a panorama was enough to take away their souls.


    The entire capital quickly became quiet. Surprisingly, no sound was heard.


    It was then that Lee Jihye, who had approached slightly, quietly opened her mouth.


    ¡°Oppa, this is being sent out throughout the Empire, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. To be precise, it¡¯s being sent within each headquarters. Ourrades in other regions are also watching the situation¡­ Oscar will fire the re, so we have to move it simultaneously.¡±


    ¡°You were right.¡±


    ¡°About what?¡±


    ¡°You can see the atmosphere now, right? If Charlotte can calm this down, I would call her a Goddess. Sincerely. The bloodless revolution has already crossed the water. If Charlotte is looking at this, she must already be at her wits¡¯ end.¡±


    In the middle of the conversation, the video reached its peak.


    The face reflected in the video was none other than the face of the First Princess Charlia.


    That mad maniac¡¯s performance began to fill the screen like a leading actor in a 10 million audience movie.


    There were so many great scenes that we had a hard time editing it.


    The scene not only included pping a maid¡¯s cheeks, but also insulting them and embellishing herself with luxury. Anyone could see that she was a wicked woman.


    At this point, my favorite scenes and lines came out. As I lifted my head again with full anticipation, I saw her face, spitting out an excellent line with a pretty unhealthy expression.


    -The imperial people don¡¯t have bread to eat? Haha. If you don¡¯t have bread, you eat cake, right? Why do they wonder about it?


    Lee Jihye then asked me a question again, as if she was feeling too absurd.


    ¡°Did she really say something like that?¡±


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s a frame-up. Nuna.¡±


    That was why it worked.


    This was because that frame-up would be one of the frame-ups most recognized by history.

 Chapter 288: Half-baked Revolution (3)

    <h4>Chapter 288: Half-baked Revolution (3)</h4>


    ¡°They¡¯re not scrambling to rebel like I had first thought.¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t know how to rebel. They are scared and angry, but they might not know how to burst what¡¯s inside.¡±


    ¡°I understand, but you must be a little disappointed.¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. I¡¯m not that disappointed either. I expected this to some extent. Even if they were on board with other forces, can those who have been bred all this timee out of the fence with their will? Probably, when the re goes off, they will alle out running. Look at the faces of those here right now. I bet, they¡¯ll wail, ¡®let¡¯s fight together.¡¯ By just saying that everything will be over.¡±


    ¡°The process of putting ideas in their head was a little hurried. Well, I know, too. I just said that out of disappointment. So? Shall we blow it now?¡±


    I had to wonder about it for a bit. They didn¡¯t express it, but all the imperial people¡¯s anger was now on the verge of explosion.


    In fact, Charlia¡¯s famous lines were enough, but as it was a scene that decorated a page of history, a little cool direction was needed.


    For example, the sublime sacrifice of democratic fighters shoulde out.


    It was one of the things I had been nning, but Oscar¡¯s brand value was quite great to use as a re.


    ¡°Hang on. She hasn¡¯t finished her speech, anyway.¡±


    In fact, it was Charlotte that I had been waiting for.


    The timing was certainly not bad. It was a very good time to take care of the people and march together.


    However, seeing that they hadn¡¯t revealed themselves, it seemed that there had indeed been some internal problem.


    The awakened nobles who agreed with Charlotte¡¯s opinion would still be with her, but they must have thought, ¡®can we keep our power?¡¯ after watching this video.


    Even within her camp, some nobles appeared in the video, so she would be doing her all to calm them down by now.


    The degree of friction between those who thought they could not fix the imperialists¡¯ anger and those who thought they had to do what they had to do could be predicted even without an eye to bat in the future.


    ¡®As much as I moved in a hurry.¡¯


    She also moved in a hurry. They both had side effects.


    It was when I slightly nodded towards Lee Jihye.


    ¡°The traitor¡¯s sugar-coated words should not deceive all imperial people, but keep their ce!¡±


    The amplified voice protruded from the royal castle.


    I waved my hand to withdraw the n, and Lee Jihye also sent a sign saying that she knew.


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    This low tide was not bad, either.


    I thought Charlotte would respond first, but the first one that opened the mouth to the imperial people was the royal family¡¯s representative.


    I thought it would be better for the Emperor toe out at the same time, but there was no way a scared old man could go to such a ce.


    The old man that can die at any moment would be looking for Charlotte or me by now.


    With a loud voice, the knights popped out from the inside for an unforeseen armament, and it seemed that the wizards were somehow looking for a way to stop the magic hologram.


    The archers all shooting arrows at the magic hologram was a spectacle. The urgency in their movements revealed the crisis they were experiencing now.


    They already know that something big woulde out if they failed to calm down the imperial people.


    ¡®They¡¯re not that ipetent.¡¯


    However, no n of theirs could effectively cover this up.


    A forced arrest had already taken ce, and screams were now starting to erupt from all over the capital.


    How was the behavioral pattern of those in power who felt a crisis o different from the Earth or here?


    Laughter came out of me, almost without my knowledge.


    ¡°I¡¯ll say it again. Don¡¯t be fooled by the rebels, all the people of the imperial stand! Everything is false and manipted by magic. Imperial people, what you are seeing is not the blessing of Goddess Benigore, but the whispers of the devil. Oscar is an imperial traitor! The same is true of all who share her will with and who follow her. It is an evil that moths the holy Empire!¡±


    ¡®I better start responding.¡¯


    Before sending a signal to Oscar, Alice began to respond in an angry tone of voice, so unlike the gentle maid I hade to know.


    -Aren¡¯t you the ones who moths the country?! Dirty imperial families, it was you who were dragging this Empire below the water. Look above the sky. What you have done is known by the imperial people who died of evil deeds, and the Goddess herself knows.


    ¡°How dare you speak about the Goddess with that dirty mouth? You traitor!¡±


    -The traitors are you. You are against the Goddess¡¯s will that considers all humans to be equal under the Goddess! You are the traitors who divide the ss and create discrimination between the lowly and the noble blood. Remember, since they¡¯ve been an imperial family. Check with your own eyes what those with noble blood have done.


    Contrary to my worries that she might be speechless, Oscar was stubborn, and she said what she had wanted to say.


    Lee Jihye turned to me. ¡°That¡¯s not a script, right? Oppa?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It isn¡¯t. It¡¯s probably from her own thoughts.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s worth it. She¡¯s even better than Charlia.¡±


    I was just thinking the same thing.


    I didn¡¯t think she would be embarrassed, but Oscar took the lead and denied the imperial power head-on.


    -You are not the reason that there is an Empire. The existence of imperial people is needed in order to have an Empire.


    ¡°There is an empire only when there an Emperor. You traitor! Look at you now. Look at you agitating without showing your true face. Imperial people, Oscar is a demon who tries to put you in danger. That person a wicked witch who¡¯s wrapped in good words but pushes your back on the cliff. Anyone will do. Whoever catches that witch, regardless of the reason or your status, I will give a title and prize money. She is a witch to be executed. She must be executed!¡±


    -I am not hiding. The Goddess is rebelling!


    Maid Alice, looking straight at Jung Hayan, who was sending the video, turned her back instantly. She then walked away, out of sight from the hologram.


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    It felt a little disconcerting, but her execution wasn¡¯t that bad. It would at least create quite the impression on the imperial people.


    I quickly started to beckon to Jung Hayan.


    Since it was time for Oscar to appear in the world, it wouldn¡¯t be bad to let all the imperial people check where she was.


    ¡°Honorary Bishop.¡±


    ¡°You can do whatever you want, Oscar-nim.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    To set the mood, she picked up a randomly hanging g.


    Holding a g with the logo of the Sacred Democracy, which had now be a symbol, Oscar showed herself to the imperial people.


    The clock tower at the top overlooked the imperial capital.


    The figure of Maid Alice standing there holding a g was enough to decorate a page of history.


    The imperial people who had been watching, all turned their heads to the clock tower.


    Everything felt so dramatic that I wanted to scream in joy.


    ¡®Perfect.¡¯


    With this kind of production, I didn¡¯t even need to use a scapegoat as a signal.


    ¡°I am not hiding.¡±


    -I am not hiding.


    The mirror of the Goddess reflected her words right from the top of the clock tower.


    Certainty abounded in the faces of those who thought that what was seen would be illusion magic.


    The soldiers rushed into the clock tower in no time, and the soldiers that had been waiting for this blocked them. A loud sound popped out from all over the ce, and the prepared mes soared one by one.


    Although magic and arrows poured out, it was natural that they were blocked by the defense magic we had prepared in advance.


    It was scary, but the democratic fighter continuing to speak out in the meantime showed more than what I was picturing.


    -I am not hiding, Rebels of the Goddess. I am not pushing the backs of the imperial people here. I will stand before them first. Where is the Emperor?! Say you who used me of hiding. In this situation, where and what is the Emperor doing?!


    ¡®She has awakened!¡¯


    I could bet that this was indeed the brightest time in Alice¡¯s life.


    -Where is the Princess who adorned herself with the blood and sweat shed by the imperial people? Where and what are they doing now, who harbor the divine blood you propagated? I don¡¯t want to hear your voice. Imperial dogs. I want to hear the voices of those who created this wrong system, drinking sweet liquors behind it!


    ¡°T-This is Charlotte, the Second Princess of the Empire! Your aspirations wille true!¡±


    Another voice I finally hear.


    The appearance of her screaming without voice amplification was a spectacle.


    I wanted to associate myself with her, but the train had already gone. I didn¡¯t want to spoil the historicalndmark that was already happening here.


    ¡°Hayan, turn up the volume on our side and block all the voice amplification magic going to Charlotte. Cheon Gwan-wi, please, also help her.¡±


    ¡°Yes! Yes! Oppa.¡±


    No one was interested in Charlotte¡¯s voice, which was soon drowned sounds.


    Since the fires were rising all over her, I saw several knights pushing her back inward.


    The Second Princess, who loved the imperial people more than anyone else, was throwing them away, telling them not to do this, but how could her loyal servants leave her in this dangerous situation?


    They knew best that things had already gone wrong.


    Instead of her voice, what resounded within the capital was the soft voice of our energized Oscar-nim.


    -Imperial people! They are hiding behind the castle for fear of getting hurt. These are the real faces of the powerful dogs who so far despised us as lowly blood and believed that strength and power would protect the imperial people. As reflected in the mirror of the Goddess, their concern is not to rule the Empire and lead us in the right direction. All they want is to exploit, exploit, and fill their stomachs. All the nobles in this country, except for some who have awakened, civic revolutionary supporters, such as Count Castle Rock, Duchess Catherine, and Countess Elise, are no different from society¡¯s cancerous mass.


    I liked the fact that she made sure to do what I ordered.


    Of course, she had to reveal the names of our sponsors. My contacts, who were a little anxious, were all probably nodding by now.


    Oscar nced at me.


    It felt like she was asking if she could start now, so I opened my mouth silently.


    ¡®I really like that she obeys me well.¡¯


    If Charlia had been like her from the start, I wouldn¡¯t have had to do all these troublesome things.


    Upon seeing my signal, Oscar delivered what I said to the public.


    ¡°You must get up.¡±


    She raised the g, pulling out her sword, and spat out the words that dwelt inside.


    -You must get up!


    ¡°We must build an Empire for the imperial people.¡±


    -We must build an Empire for the imperial people!


    ¡°Comrades.¡±


    -Dearrades!


    ¡°I will take the lead first.¡±


    -I will lead the way before anyone else.


    ¡°I will bleed first.¡±


    -I will bleed before you. I will shed blood for the cause and for you.


    ¡°Wake up.¡±


    -Wake up!


    ¡°Many people will be with us.¡±


    -Many people will be with us. The Pope¡¯s side, which knows the true will of God and truly prays for the Empire, some nobles who support us, and the foreigners who have now blended like a family, everyone will be with us!


    ¡°Fight.¡±


    -Wake up! Raise your weapon! Take your rights back! Dear Imperial people, the time hase!

 Chapter 289: Half-baked revolution (4)

    <h4>Chapter 289: Half-baked revolution (4)</h4>


    From then on, the mes of the revolution soared.


    Hidden foreigners and troops poured out from underground, and me magic burst out from all directions.


    The Civil Revolutionary Corps put weapons in the imperial people¡¯s hands and threw themselves into the mes alongside them.


    When arge number of people gathered, the fear disappeared, and the erupting madness spread.


    This revolution, which had started from the Empire¡¯s capital, was being shown in real-time through each city¡¯s magical holograms, excluding the provinces governed by sponsors.


    Citizens from other cities were also running out into the streets with swords whilst shouting.


    ¡°Hayan, how is the situation?¡±


    ¡°I-I think all other cities are simr. It all went as you thought!¡±


    Certainly, looking at the hologram managed by Max, a pleasant smile graced my lips.


    When I saw the live broadcast screen, I had chills. It was a pity that I couldn¡¯tment.


    ¡®Georgina, a small and medium-sized city, managed by Count Bush, who showed great performance with his dog pig speech.¡¯


    The foreigners were the Garrosh and Cash n of Lindel.


    I knew that a guy named Gal Oh-sik with a big ax had decent skills, but seeing what he was showing now proved to be more than I imagined.


    It was also a level that could be said to have a high level of incitement.


    I didn¡¯t think it would be bad to set up a meeting with himter.


    -We are not dog pigs!


    -Waahhhhhhhhh!


    -We will be the master of the Empire!


    -Stand up! Compatriots! Fight and Revolutionize!


    -We are not dog pigs!! We will be the¡­ master of the Empire!!


    I certainly thought that no ce would be more passionate about the revolution than here.


    As much as it¡¯s suppressed, the burst is big.


    As I slowly turned my gaze toward the Vatican province, a beautiful scene was drawn once again.


    Imridan, the demon hunter of the Illidari Guild, had chosen to lead the people.


    With her ss change¡¯s influence, her eyes were spewing green energy, but it looked like it would be reassuring if she were on the same side.


    -Dearrades. We must hold onto our fate with our hands. We can¡¯t avoid this forever!


    -Waaaahhhh!


    -Reinforcements arrived from Castle Rock Estate. The blood we shed today is not meaningless. It¡¯s for a ce to live for the Empire! In the capital,patriots are already starting a rally. Victory is before our eyes! Let¡¯s fight, everyone! Everything is ready. It is they who are not ready.


    ¡®That woman is okay, too.¡¯


    In addition to that, the revolution was starting ways, in various provinces.


    I had put the foreigners and honorary nobles since I thought that things with those facing off against the Republic needed to be sorted out immediately, and it seems to have worked.


    Originally, the eastern part wasposed of the supporting regions of Count Castle Rock, Duchess Catherine, and Count Elise.


    It was natural to want this to be cleared out as quickly as thergest forces were together.


    It seemed that another area was having a hard time, but it was not something I cared much about while I myself was in a safe ce.


    ¡®Cardinal Basel must¡¯ve started the change¡­¡¯


    I thought it would be a sessful regime change, as it attracted people from the Pope¡¯s side, including the Director of Inquisition Helena and Archbishop Jessica.


    Aside from Basel, another cardinal was also said to support Basel. Two out of three Temrs were with us, so I was in an even better mood.


    If Cardinal Basel became the Pope, my heart fluttered, thinking that I could also be the Honorary Cardinal.


    ¡®Hyunsung must be doing well.¡¯


    It was still too early for the Republic to move.


    I didn¡¯t know how they were able to judge this case internally, but it took three more days just for them to bring in the troops.


    ¡®Before that, the revolution will be over.¡¯


    There was no need to kill all the nobles¡¯ troops.


    All one needed was the throat of some nobles.


    Soldiers who refused to draw swords to ordinary imperial people and those affected by the magic hologram scenes were all ready to betray the nobles who paid them sries.


    Troops of Charlotte, who didn¡¯t want to sacrifice the imperial people, were alsopelled to follow this side, so the revolution could be said to already be half-sessful.


    It seemed that it wouldn¡¯t be bad to release one more video.


    ¡°Hayan, prepare Ahn Ki-mo.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry? Ahn Ki-mo?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to shoot a video here and release it right away. I think I need a scene of a sublime sacrifice¡­ I think that role will need the democratic fighter Ahm Ki-mo.¡±


    ¡°Ohh. Okay! Ahn Ki-mo! Ahn Ki-mo! O-oppa is calling.¡±


    There should be at least one scene of sublime sacrifice in this kind of revolution. Lindel¡¯s Ahn Ki-mo, who had always dreamed of bing an actor since the Earth, looked at me with a nervous expression as if he has already heard about the situation. It was a screen debut that would spread across the continent. Originally, I wasn¡¯t going to sacrifice him, but I had started to think that this would be better. Some of the imperial people might get scared if I sent out too many realistic scenes.


    Their sacrifice should not be a terrible and desperate death, but a sublime, touching, cinematic death.


    Who would like to see the guts and blood spilling?


    ¡°Please tell me when you are ready, Ahn Ki-mo.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Vice Guild Master. How do I¡­ how should I move¡­¡±


    ¡°It is a scene where you¡¯ll be wearing imperial armor and being hit by arrows. Of course, the arrows are fake, so you can rest assured. It would be nice to see the democratic fighter Argimo sacrifice to protect the girl who has joined the revolution. Oh. Ye-ri! Come here, too.¡±


    ¡°I said I don¡¯t do this anymore. I want to go outside like uncle Deokgu. You said we should protect Oscar.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s do it onest time since you did well thest time. You can do well this time, too. Both of you will roughly disguise yourself with magic and will enter at the cue sign in exactly 10 minutes. There is only one scene to be released anyway, so you don¡¯t need to be so nervous.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes. Okay, Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°I really¡­ don¡¯t want to do it¡­¡±


    ¡°This is thest time. Really. I promise.¡±


    ¡°This is really thest time, okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay. Then, get ready. Don¡¯t improvise too much. Jihye here will exin the script.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    The scene wasposed of one professional and one amateur, but they were ready in no time.


    Several Blue guild staff appeared wearing the imperial soldier armor with a sour expression, and Ahn Ki-mo and Kim Ye-ri nodded, meaning they were ready.


    Unlike what she said she didn¡¯t want to do, Kim Ye-ri seemed to be looking forward to doing this.


    ¡®She can¡¯t be honest. This kid.¡¯


    As soon as the okay sign went off, the dynamic acting began.


    Kim Ye-ri walked, struggling with a g of the Civil Revolution Grouprger than her own body. However, the longing for revolution in her eyes could not be hidden.


    Her facial expression was the best part, and I was all trembling. Unlike with Park Deokgu, when she had acted all awkward, she was showing perfect concentration this time.


    ¡®Did she practice?¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t imagine Kim Ye-ri practicing her acting looking in the mirror, but it meant that she was a natural at this if she didn¡¯t.


    The voice burst out of Kim Ye-ri¡¯s mouth after she swallowed her saliva once.


    ¡°For the sacred democracy! Fight! Revolutionize! Let¡¯s fight together and win!¡±


    The scene of her running around with a g was truly a democratic fighter.


    The extras that were put in were swinging their swords together, and in this narrow space, a wonderful production started.


    The soldier with the bow aimed the cruel and mean arrow at the girl who yearned for democracy, and a me burned in the eyes of Democracy Fighter Argimo.


    ¡®Aaaahh!!!¡¯


    Argimo¡¯s expressions of momentary agony are definitely immersive.


    Argimo, which had been established as a symbol of revolution along with Bark Teoku, had mixed feelings about both the cause and the need to protect the girl.


    ¡°Die! You filthy traitor!!!¡±


    One of the Blue guild employees improvised without my knowledge, but it wasn¡¯t all that bad.


    Argimo, our hero, trying to block the dirty arrow of the mean vested interest, flew toward the innocent girl.


    ¡°Haap!¡±


    Chuck, chuck, chuck!


    Several arrows stuck Ahn Ki-mo.


    Ahn Ki-mo shook quite nicely. He didn¡¯t make painful screams, nor did he cry for life.


    Movie-like blood flowed from where the arrow had struck.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    The screen once again showed Argimo, and somehow the next arrow did not fly.


    Something was indeed strange about that, but who could think of such a probability in this scene right now?


    They would think that some foreigner who protruded from somewhere had overpowered them.


    ¡°Ahhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­ I¡¯m¡­ fine.¡±


    An urgent cry went out from both Kim Ye-ri and Argimo, who refused to let go of his democratization aspiration whilst dying.


    His figure, forcibly raising his body while being hit by an arrow, was openly melodramatic. However, in a world like this, this kind of melodrama indeed worked.


    ¡°I have to get up. Yes. Myrades¡­ are fighting, too.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ I-I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ll¡­¡±


    ¡°A child¡­ doesn¡¯t have to fight.¡±


    At this point, I felt like cringing, but considering that the public will ept this as a real situation, it was eptable.


    Still, Argimo staggered and could not stand up properly.


    He dragged his body, stood firmly, holding his weapon, and eventually fell apart.


    ¡°The blood that I shed¡­ is to make the imperial people¡­ proud¡­¡± He mumbled. ¡°With a burning thirst¡­ With burning thirst¡­ sacred democracy¡­ hurray.¡±


    The way he closed his eyes was indeed cool. Kim Ye-ri¡¯s eyes were filled with tears.


    However, she wiped away the tears and picked up the weapon the Democratic Fighter had. This made me cringe, but after some editing, it would be pretty eptable.


    With a g in one hand and a sword in the other, she started to shout while looking at the castle.


    ¡°Cut!¡±


    ¡°¡­ ¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­ ¡­¡±


    ¡°Now. I really won¡¯t do it anymore.¡±


    ¡°Our little actor Kim! Why are you so good at acting? It was really perfect. Ahn Ki-mo was also very cool. Max, send this out right now.¡±


    ¡°Yep!¡±


    ¡°You know. Put in moderate noise when you think there¡¯s an awkward scene, you know what I mean, right?¡±


    ¡°Yep!¡±


    Kim Ye-ri, with a strangely happy expression, and Ahn Ki-mo, who had made his sessful debut, took off their disguises and got ready to support the foreigners once more.


    In the meantime, the video they shot had begun to go through a bit of editing, and the fuel was added once again into the mes.


    ¡°Waaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°Sacred Democracy! Hurray! Hurray!¡±


    ¡°Goddess Benigore is with you! Stand up and fight!¡±


    ¡°Do not let Argimo¡¯s sacrifice be in vain!! Let¡¯s stand up with the g, people!¡±


    A fight between those trying to head to the castle and those trying to stop them began.


    When I saw Oscar fighting with the people under the protection of Bark Teoku, I couldn¡¯t help but nod.


    At this time, the appearance of a strong reinforcement was already enough to decorate a solid page of the history of the Empire.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get ready to go.¡±


    The time hade to smash the Emperor and Charlia¡¯s back.

 Chapter 290: Half-baked Revolution (5)

    <h4>Chapter 290: Half-baked Revolution (5)</h4>


    mes surrounded the entire ce.


    Several screams erupted, and I had no choice but to fix the falling helmet whilst biting my lips tightly.


    It was ufortable because my view kept getting blocked.


    Not only did the breathing sounds get worse, but swearing began to pop out of my mouth.


    ¡°Sh*t. Sh*t¡­¡±


    ¡°Fire! Fire! They are not imperialists, but rebels possessed by a witch! Don¡¯t stop with the arrows! Never let them enter the Imperial Pce! Don¡¯t putpassion in your hands! Don¡¯t let theme here!¡±


    ¡®Traitor. They are traitors.¡¯


    Though I knew I had to do what I had to do, the bow could not be pulled off that easily.


    Perhaps it was not just me who felt this way.


    The colleague next to me had also been unable to pull the arrow off of him.


    All I can do was to pray not to hit anyone and shoot these to the sky.


    ¡®Sh*t! Damn! Fuck!¡¯


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at the sky! It is the whisper of the devil. The blessing of Goddess Benigore is a false story! That¡¯s not the Goddess¡¯ mirror! All that Oscar said is a lie! Don¡¯t be fooled by their words. Do not believe anything! Only His Majesty is right! Don¡¯t panic! Do not panic!¡±


    He said this without hesitation, but Chief Baek also had traces of anxiety on his face.


    When I saw him open his mouth to tell us not to panic, I thought it might be a message to himself. He probably felt that something was weird, too.


    ¡®Devil¡¯s whispers, my ass!¡¯


    Indeed, if that was the devil¡¯s whisper, as the Imperial Pce said, by now, the Heresy Inquisitors from the Pope¡¯s side should havee out to stop them.


    Even some priests had also begun to side with the imperial people.


    No matter how I thought about this, it didn¡¯t make sense that the foreign priests and the actual priests who had prayed were also present.


    There was no official announcement, but they must have determined that they were not wrong.


    If the Pope and other cardinals had also checked the Goddess¡¯s mirror, I guess they would know who was good and who was evil.


    ¡®That¡¯s not a lie.¡¯


    In fact, I was born and raised in a province ruled by Count Bush, and I knew better than anyone else as to what had been going on over there.


    The hungry imperial people and the nobles were busy filling their stomachs.


    I had to worry that today would pass with no trouble, and I had to pray to Goddess Benigore every night that no other incident would happen after this.


    Why was our life so miserable?


    If Goddess Benigore did exist, I had to wonder why she did not care for us every time.


    ¡®They are correct.¡¯


    It was not that Goddess had a problem. The problem was the nobles and royal families who had rebelled against the Goddess.


    ¡®Everyone under the Goddess is equal.¡¯


    There was no way that the Goddess Benigore distinguished the precious from the unworthy from the beginning.


    The Goddess¡¯ mirror was the Bible and weapon of enlightenment that she had chosen to give to the people.


    There were aristocrats who did not see people as humans, but as dogs, and only saw them as targets to be exploited.


    Meanwhile, an imperial family was busy living a luxurious life with the imperial people¡¯s taxes.


    ¡®If you don¡¯t have bread, you can eat cake? What¡­ bullsh*t is that?¡¯


    ¡®What bullsh*t she is talking about?!¡¯


    ¡°How can she say something like that¡­?¡±


    In cities in the north or west¡¯s outskirts, thousands and tens of thousands of people couldn¡¯t even eat grass porridge, let alone bread.


    Beforeing to the capital, I only thought that cakes were things from fairy tales.


    It was a kind of luxury that I needed to be prepared to buy with the sry I was currently receiving.


    They always said that they always thought of the people as well as the imperial people, but the royal family didn¡¯t even care as to what kind of life they lived.


    It was not even strange if one were to see what the nobles, the royal families, and those who could be called the vested interests of this Empire really did.


    The Second Princess Charlotte, famous for being incorruptible and not extravagant, also used an amount unimaginable bymon people¡¯s standards for dignity maintenance.


    Probably, tens of thousands of imperialists could live without hunger if the royal family¡¯s vaults were released.


    ¡°You have to stand up! Let¡¯s stand up together! This Empire is not of the royal family. It belongs to Goddess Benigore and all imperial people!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s follow Oscar!¡±


    ¡°For the sacred democracy!¡±


    The appearance of Oscar, who had begun to lead the people with a g, was different from what I had always heard.


    She looked as intense as if she was the Goddess of Liberty.


    She was a woman with golden hair, receiving light from the priests¡¯ blessings and divine powers. Her appearance was even sublime.


    As I looked above the sky without noticing, I began to see new people within the Goddess¡¯s mirror.


    I could see a still young girl, a girl who can¡¯t even hold a big g properly.


    If I had married a little early and had children, I¡¯d probably have a daughter about her age.


    When I raised my head again with my mind confused, I saw an imperial soldier wearing the same armor as mine.


    ¡°N-No!¡±


    ¡®Are they shooting even a small child¡­?!¡¯


    I was also an imperial soldier.


    But what was the reason to pull a demonstration with such a girl? My hands had begun to tremble.


    I didn¡¯t know if this was unfortunate or fortunate, but it was seen that the girl was saved because of a man who had chosen to dive in front of her.


    However, the man who was hit by the arrow stumbled and began to fall to the ground.


    As I watched him slowly closing his eyes, I felt a lump in my throat.


    -With a burning thirst. With burning thirst¡­ sacred democracy¡­ hurray.


    What was right, and what was wrong?


    ¡®Damn.¡¯


    What was I doing here now?


    All these people were fighting.


    Why couldn¡¯t I lift my sword together and shoot arrows at them? Why should we protect those who harassed and oppressed us?


    I couldn¡¯t understand anything anymore at this point.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think about anything else.¡±


    ¡°Sir.¡±


    ¡°Mike, I¡¯m saying this for your own good. Don¡¯t think about anything else. We just weren¡¯t lucky. We just happened to stand on the other side of them. If we turn our backs like this now, we will be killed by a knight¡¯s sword, not the imperial people. It¡¯s not just you. There might be at least a few thousand people who want to get out of this position right now.¡±


    ¡°Then why¡­?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s life for guys like us, Mike. As the wind blows and the waves strike, being dragged back and forth¡­ that¡¯s our life. I am not pulling the bow because I want to.¡±


    ¡°The Goddess will punish us, sir. I won¡¯t be at peace, even if I die.¡±


    ¡°No. The Goddess will also forgive us. Yes¡­ She will definitely forgive. She will pat our back, saying it was unavoidable.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­ ¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­ ¡­¡±


    Craaackkk!


    Baaaaannngg!


    ¡°Don¡¯t stop! Don¡¯t stop your movements!¡±


    ¡°You are also imperial people! Let¡¯s stand up and fight together! Your swords shouldn¡¯t go to the same imperial people! It¡¯s the imperial soldiers and knights. Let¡¯s stand up together. Let¡¯s fight together!¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhhh! Get your defense magic ready!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t listen to your enemies! Right now, you should only think about protecting His Majesty. His Majesty!¡±


    ¡°Where is your Emperor?! What are you fighting for?! Empire soldiers!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a witch! Oscar is a witch! Cover your ears rather! Cover your ears! Soldiers of the Empire! If you haven¡¯t forgotten that you have pledged allegiance to be His Majesty¡¯s sword, throw arrows! Save those who are possessed by the devil!¡±


    ¡°Priests! Call the priest!¡±


    ¡°We are not lifting our swords towards you! Lower your weapon! Lower your weapon and fight with the will of the Goddess in your heart!¡±


    ¡°Protect His Majesty!¡±


    ¡°I will protect you! I will be with you!¡±


    in, all mixed up.


    In the meantime, explosions and screaming sounds continued to be heard.


    Chief Baek literally wanted to cover his ears.


    ¡®Right. It can¡¯t be helped.¡¯


    This was inevitable.


    I had sworn to the Goddess to fight for His Majesty.


    I couldn¡¯t possibly abandon that oath.


    Even if I were to die here as the sir said, the Goddess would understand. She would pat my back, saying it was inevitable.


    My mouth was distorted, and my hands had begun to shake.


    It was then that an unexpected voice was heard.


    ¡°The Emperor is leaving the imperial city!¡±


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    ¡°The Emperor and Princess Charlia! They are exiting the Imperial Pce!¡±


    ¡®W¡­ What is that¡­?¡¯


    When I raised my head again, I saw them reflected in the mirror of the Goddess.


    Surrounded by knights, the appearance of quickly exiting the Imperial Pce¡¯s back door is a spectacle.


    It was not just them.


    The same went for some of the nobles who stayed in the Imperial Pce.


    They were hiding in the safest ce and were leaving when the fight was about to take ce.


    ¡°These bad motherfuckers! You dirty bastards! How can you say that you still rule the Empire?!¡±


    That was the one to which I pledged my allegiance¡ªthe one who ruled as the absolute of this great Empire.


    No wonder sparks had begun to burn in my eyes.


    At that point, I aimed the arrow without knowing it and shot it at the Emperor reflected in the mirror of the Goddess.


    Chuck.


    With that sound, something hit by an arrow fell to the floor.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s¡­ that¡­?¡±


    I could see arge shadow gradually cast over the capital.


    The Goddess mirror, which I could see just before, was not even visible, hidden by something huge.


    As if it was at night, the appearance of a creature that covered the sun for a while is the best part.


    It was hard to understand how someone with such a huge body could float in the sky.


    ¡°Ohhh¡­ Ohh¡­¡±


    There was no way I wouldn¡¯t notice what that was. This was something I¡¯d heard only by stories.


    ¡°Really¡­ It really existed.¡±


    Other soldiers also began to mutter, gazing at the sky nkly.


    Craaaaackk! Cruuuusshhh!!


    After passing by the soldiers, a huge w lodged itself into the Imperial Pce.


    Although the imperial castle debris fell to the floor, the huge creature began to upy the top of the imperial castle as if it were its own nest.


    Grrroooaarrrr!


    It made a loud sound that made the skin vibrate. The surroundings were immediately silenced.


    ¡®Dragon.¡¯


    It was obvious as to why such a creature was here. It was because of the foreigner chosen by a dragon¡ªone of the Eight Seats of the Empire, as well as the Honorary Bishop of the Holy Empire.


    I could see a little human muttering, all while holding the horns on the head of the dragon.


    ¡°Where are you going in such a hurry, Your Majesty?¡±

 Chapter 291: Half-baked Revolution (6)

    <h4>Chapter 291: Half-baked Revolution (6)</h4>


    ¡°Where are you going in such a hurry, Your Majesty?¡±


    ¡®Nice one.¡¯


    This was a very fun situation.


    Naturally, a pleasant smile had formed on my face.


    I wanted to apud to the Emperor and the nobles.


    ¡®They were running away.¡¯


    I thought that I should also give a reward to Jung Hayan, who had caught the Emperor right in the act of doing so. In fact, I did predict this to some extent.


    Even historically, in the face of a national crisis, the first ones to run away were always those who possessed vested rights.


    There were only a few people who calmly met their end, or stayed with the people.


    Of course, there was no way that the nobles holding a deep-rooted evil festival with that stupid Emperor could make such a beautiful choice.


    ¡®It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t understand¡­¡¯


    I could understand that the head of a group should be safe.


    However, it was entirely their responsibility to see how people epted their behavior.


    The soldiers¡¯ faces, who now looked at the Emperor with a dejected expression, was now reflected in the Goddess mirror.


    ¡®The timing is not bad, too.¡¯


    They dropped the weapons one by one while staring nkly at Dialugia.


    In fact, dragons were not invincible.


    They fought in an ufortable state, but the people who actually gathered at Castle Rock had pressured Dialugia to the point of death.


    In a little more detail, they had only aplished this thanks to the viin who had taken her child as a hostage, but this in itself could already be considered a victory.


    Even the hard leather of a dragon would be pierced when it was hit by magic, or a sword containing magic power.


    Although their basic resistance was strong, dragons also had a limit of stamina and endurance.


    However, her strength was not important. Her value and symbolism were even more important.


    Although she did what I told her to do, I heard Dialugia¡¯s voice talking to me as if she still harbored some doubts.


    [We¡¯re in the middle of the enemy¡¯s line¡­ are you really okay with this?]


    ¡®Sure. If I wanted to fight properly in the first ce, I could just shoot your Breath or shoot from a distance. Why would Ie all the way here? Our wizards will protect us against small attacks. You don¡¯t have to step on the humans here and kill them. You just need to shout and to look cool.¡¯


    [I don¡¯t feel good about it. I feel like I¡¯ve be an attraction for everyone to see¡­]


    ¡®You¡¯re mistaken, Dialugia. It would be more appropriate to call it an object of awe, not an attraction. So you just have to put in some magical power and cry once more with a growling sound. If you can do anything like that, then please do.¡¯


    [You must keep the promise.]


    ¡®Of course.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t that a transparent dragon would appear somewhere, but Dialugia cried vigorously again anyway.


    ¡°Groooooaaaarrr!¡±


    Hearing that sound, some soldiers began to fall into confusion.


    The impact was enough to stir the Civil Revolution side, which I had told them in advance, to go crazy.


    Of course, it was not only the people and soldiers who were looking this way. The Emperor was also looking at this side with his eyes wide open.


    What was fun was that there was a ray of hope on the face of the old man, so it seemed that he had thought of me as his savior.


    It was clear that he was hoping for Dialugia and me to resolve this riot. It wasn¡¯t unreasonable for this country to look like this since he still didn¡¯t know that I had backstabbed him.


    ¡°Ohhh. Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung! You finally came. You finally c-came!¡±


    ¡°¡­ ¡­¡±


    ¡°I knew you woulde. I knew you were a loyal one. Right now. Kill all those traitors right now¡­ R-Right now!¡±


    ¡°¡­ ¡­¡±


    ¡°These¡­ foolish traitors. Ho¡­ hoho. It looks like that¡¯s a dragon. You¡¯re indeed reliable, Honorary Bishop. Yes. Very reliable.¡±


    ¡°¡­ ¡­¡±


    It was not just the Emperor. The other nobles had begun to cheer on me as well. Charlia looked as if I was a prince who hade to save her, which was perfectly ridiculous.


    ¡°Honorary Bishop! Hahahaha! I knew you woulde! Let¡¯s kill those filthy rebels right now!¡±


    ¡°Honorary Bishop! Honorary Bishop! I¡¯ve been waiting!¡±


    ¡°Hurry! Wipe them out! Honorary Bishop! You have to drive those demons out right now!¡±


    In the first ce, foreigners had also joined the revolution. I didn¡¯t know why they thought I was on their side.


    My voice echoed in the hall, where it went silent for a moment.


    ¡°There seems to be some misunderstanding, everyone. I am not your ally. Haha.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I am also a member of the Civil Revolution and one of the imperial people who follow Oscar, Your Majesty.¡±


    The Emperor looked bbergasted, as if he didn¡¯t want to believe that I had done this.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to joke¡­ Honorary Bishop. Ho¡­ hoho¡­ I think I made Honorary Bishop¡­ disappointed. R-Right! What was the problem? Honorary Bishop. I-I guess you didn¡¯t like the fact that I gave you a manor in the north¡­ okay¡­ I got it wrong. Tell me wherever you want. I-I¡¯ll give you everything I can! Honorary Bishop!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha. That¡¯s not what I want, Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°T-Then, what do you want? I¡¯ll do anything you want.¡±


    ¡°Even without Your Majesty¡¯s grace, what I want wille true, Your Majesty.¡±


    His face began to distort slowly. It seemed as if he had believed in me more than he was supposed to.


    I felt a little sorry for making him feel this betrayal, but ironically, I also felt good.


    After a slight exhale, I spoke once more. Jung Hayan¡¯s voice amplification magic came in, and before long, my voice began to resonate loudly in the capital.


    The Goddess¡¯s mirror also reflected Dialugia and me, so I was sure my image was being shown within the entire Empire.


    ¡°Look at me! Imperial soldiers and knights who follow the Emperor!¡±


    ¡°H-Honorary Bishop¡­¡±


    ¡°Engrave in your eyes is the image of the Emperor you were asked to protect! That is the reality of the old Empire, the vested rights you were trying to protect, even risking your life. They are the ones who are trying to save their lives by throwing you into the battlefield as their scapegoats and discarded horses! Could that be said to be a leader suitable for an Empire?!¡±


    ¡°What are you¡­ Honorary Bishop?!!¡±


    ¡°What the Empire needs is not a person who exploits the imperial people and takes care of their ownfort, but it¡¯s someone who takes the lead before anyone else and fights for you!!¡±


    At the right timing, the camera turned to Oscar exquisitely.


    It seemed as if she had been thrown on the ground as she was covered with dirt, and blood was flowing through the broken armor.


    Oscar¡¯s face, with sweat on her head, really fit the figure of the leader I had talked about just now.


    As I beckoned again, Jung Hayan¡¯s camera began to show the Emperor.


    The Emperor, who was trembling and terrified, was a stark contrastpared to Oscar.


    ¡®This is the object of my loyalty.¡¯


    I knew most of the people were now thinking this way.


    ¡°Leave your weapons, soldiers of the Empire! Throw away your weapons and fight with us! You, too, are members of the Empire and deserve to be with us. The Goddess¡¯ mirror is shining on us. You have to make your own judgment as to which side you will stand on. Everything is the will of the Goddess Benigore. The Goddess will be with us!! Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung will be with you. Along with Cardinal Basel and many priests! The Holy Knights will be with us, too! Would you stand on the side of an ugly vested right? Or will you be embraced by the sacred democracy and join the glorious Goddess¡¯ temple?!¡±


    It was no wonder that I looked at Sun Hee-young quietly.


    Divine power was pouring all over the ce.


    All the priests with this side and the foreigners had begun to spread their divine power together, and it was spectacr.


    ¡°The Goddess said that all humans under the Goddess are equal. We have forgotten that word until now. We¡¯re all sinners. But we can be forgiven. It is their fault that we sinned against the Goddess. If we drive away those who have rebelled against the will of Goddess Benigore, we can be forgiven by the Goddess ourselves. It is not toote, even now. Dear imperial people! Join the temple! Don¡¯t go against the Goddess and be her sword!¡±


    The Civil Revolutionary Corps had begun to radiate brilliant light surrounded by divine power. The imperial troops were now trembling in a hurry to hide.


    Soldiers abandoned their weapons one by one and began to take off their armor, and the priests who were on the side of the Empire also began to change camps.


    ¡°I-I will be with you, too!¡±


    ¡°I will also use the sword for the Goddess.¡±


    Although Chief Baek and some knights were screaming against it, the trend had already declined.


    ¡®It¡¯s a magnificent sight. A magnificent sight, indeed.¡¯


    I had seen various posture changes so far, but what I was seeing now was an unprecedentedrge-scale change of attitude.


    99.9% of the imperial people had begun to be believers of the Goddess Benigore.


    Mixing religion and ideology really did fit perfectly in situations such as these.

 Chapter 292: Half-baked Revolution (7)

    <h4>Chapter 292: Half-baked Revolution (7)</h4>


    Of course, I had to admit that I had a fair percentage of my share in the benefits.


    No fire existed without smoke.


    Actually, what happened to these people had nothing to do with me now.


    Even now, as things were being finished, I did not feel interested.


    The Emperor¡¯s power had been smashed, anyway. Even if this revolution was notpleted, it would not be possible to raise the imperial power that had already fallen to the earth.


    ¡®There is no possibility of that.¡¯


    There was literally zero chance this work would fail.


    I thought that the dragging period of power fight could be quite long, but the anger that the existing vested rights showed was enough to change the minds of those in a vague position.


    Even if I were a soldier of the Empire, I would have naturally pressed the button to change the posture.


    All that was left for them now was the sincere devotees of the Emperor, some knights, and the soldiers who couldn¡¯t choose to stand with the Goddess in the end.


    I was a little worried about how the Imperial Knight Victor Hart would move, but seeing that no other news came, Cha Hee-ra seemed to have been able to block him well.


    In fact, when I saw the situation going by, I wondered if I didn¡¯t even need to send Hee-ra along.


    ¡®That old man must not have chosen again this time.¡¯


    Whether he was guarding the Empire or that old Emperor, he must be confused as well.


    I couldn¡¯t imagine him wielding his sword for the majority of the imperial people that were now deemed as traitors.


    Likewise, it was hard to imagine a scene where he would swing his sword at the Emperor.


    Again, the old man had chosen not to choose a side.


    ¡®Should I say he¡¯s clever, or just in stupid?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know what other people¡¯s standards would be like, but Victor Hart was the idiot among idiots, at least in my standards.


    Under the Imperial Pce, yelling and screaming were heard continuously.


    ¡°Find the traitors of the Goddess! Find the Goddess¡¯ traitors! Search everything inside the castle! She will be hiding somewhere! Definitely!¡±


    ¡°The maids are innocent! Even the Goddess will not forgive anything that hurts the innocent. They can be with us just as we have repented of our sins!¡±


    ¡°These crazy traitors! Get on your knees! Will you not get down on your knees right now? How these dirty and lowlymoners dare touch me?!¡±


    ¡°Please save me. Please¡­ I was wrong. Please save me!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t leave even one alive! What are the Heretic Inquisitors doing?! Without immediately finding out that the Goddess¡¯ rebels had cooperation with the devil!¡±


    ¡°Get them out! Get them all out!¡±


    were all mixed and heard. It looked as if everyone had gone mad.


    Oscar was still leading the people, protecting the innocents in the castle, all while searching for the hidden nobles.


    In the meantime, seeing Heretic Inquisitors on their way, it seemed that Cardinal Basel¡¯s work, which had already urred inside the Holy See, had also been wellpleted.


    The imperial people had already blocked and tightened the entrance to the capital¡¯s back, so the Emperor and Charlia had already been caught.


    Since the Goddess¡¯ mirror continued to show the sinful people, there would be limits for them to withstand.


    I thought about whether I should shoot the Breath once, but I only regret not being able to do that.


    ¡°Puhahahahaha.¡±


    To sum it all up, it was not a situation whereughing would be weird.


    It was no wonder that in the midst of that, I saw Jung Hayan staring at me.


    I nodded slightly, and I could see her disappearing from my sight as if she herself felt excited.


    I didn¡¯t know what she was trying to do, but if I would guess, she would be headed right for the First Princess. Since she had said something about sharing love or whatever, Hayan must have thought of this as an opportunity to loose what hatred had been umted inside.


    ¡®It¡¯s victory.¡¯


    As I slowly got off of Dialugia, I saw some familiar faces.


    ¡°Oh, Cardinal Basel!¡±


    ¡°Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung!¡±


    ¡°So? Did everything go well? Cardinal Basel?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Thanks to you, Honorary Bishop! Absolutely! It hurts a little, but what can I do if it¡¯s the Goddess¡¯ new will? This is all for the Goddess, so she will be happy.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Absolutely. The Goddess wouldugh too, and nod at the Cardinal. Hahahaha. By the way¡­ If things were done sessfully, I should call you Pope Basel, not Cardinal Basel, from now on. I¡¯m jealous, Pope. Aren¡¯t you a little closer to the Goddess? Hahaha.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t even been crowned yet. Hohoho. Well, it looks like that it¡¯ll happen soon¡­ and Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung, shouldn¡¯t you be called the Honorary Cardinal?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry? What¡­ do you¡­?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha. You don¡¯t have to be so surprised, Honorary Cardinal.¡±


    ¡°No, Cardinal Basel¡­ I-It¡¯s so sudden, well¡­¡±


    ¡°In fact, I¡¯ve been thinking about this since this story came out, Honorary Cardinal. Although there is no precedent in the church yet, who would dare to deny my words when I, the next Pope, would do that? Haha. Actually, it¡¯s not Honorary Cardinal. I wanted to raise Lee Kiyoung as a Cardinal on the Benigore Church. Still, there are some stiff internal regtions, and honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung seems to hate being repressed, so I could only do this.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Cardinal Basel¡­ It¡¯s too much for me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not! Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung is the right person for this position! You¡¯re the one I trust the most!¡±


    ¡°I have done nothing but serve the Goddess, Cardinal Basel.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I have no choice but to like the Honorary Cardinal. Hahaha. You¡¯re not greedy! Greedy! How can a person who¡¯s not greedy exist? Hahahaha. Are foreigners like Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung¡­ no, people,mon? Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung is a blessing from the Goddess!¡±


    ¡°T-This is a great praise, Your Holiness Pope.¡±


    ¡°Hahahaha. Stop saying that, Honorary Cardinal. Please use that title when the crowning ceremony is over. Hahaha. Oh! And even if you are an Honorary Cardinal, we will take measures so that you can receive all the benefits you enjoy as a cardinal. Don¡¯t be too disappointed.¡±


    ¡®Nice! Nice!¡¯


    I wanted to scream inside. On the outside, I would say that he didn¡¯t need to do this, but who in actuality would refuse this position?


    ¡®It¡¯s the Honorary Cardinal.¡¯


    In addition to numerous privileges, the three Temrs would respond to the personal safety of Lee Kiyoung.


    One of the secret weapons hidden by the Holy Empire was to be my shadow warrior. I wanted to dance in happiness.


    ¡°Thank you for the words, Cardinal Basel. Come to think of it, Archbishop Jessica and Director of Inquisition Helena¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah! Archbishop Jessica is helping those who go to the city to realize the will of the Goddess, and Director of Inquisition Helena is still punishing the existing sinners at the Holy See¡­ Actually, I also have to leave, but when I saw that Cardinal Lee Kiyoung came with the dragon, I came in a hurry. Hahaha. It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve actually seen it, but to have been chosen by such a transcendental creature¡­¡±


    ¡°Everything is the Goddess¡¯s will. Haha. Would there be any other reason?¡±


    I certainly thought that this had all been done too soon, but it seemed as if things had been going better than what I had initially imagined.


    Since he said that Helena was finishing up, he coulde out rest assured.


    They were still scuffling inside the royal city. The temperature difference from here was probably quite big.


    In fact, I wanted to drink a cup of tea, but I couldn¡¯t afford to rx now.


    I saw those who were now approaching, swayed by the troops. Some of them looked to have paused in the middle, and some were smiling.


    They, too, were convinced that we had won.


    ¡°Duchess Catherine! Countess Elise!¡±


    ¡°Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung! Ah! Cardinal Basel was here, too.¡±


    ¡°Ohh. Long time no see, Duchess Catherine.¡±


    ¡°Cardinal Basel also seems to be in a better mood.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha. It is the day when the enlightened people can preach the new will of the Goddess. Of course, I would be in a better mood. Come to think of it, didn¡¯t you say she came to talk with Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung? Let¡¯s talk about it.¡±


    ¡°No. That¡¯s okay, Cardinal Basel. It¡¯s a good day as you said, so why don¡¯t we have to show us that we are together? Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung is actually only here to give his thanks, so it feels more burdensome if you leave. Stay here.¡±


    I saw Cardinal Basel nodding.


    There was an old saying that the Pope¡¯s side always said: As a new era has arrived, there is no need to growl and show teeth to each other.


    The nobles, including Duchess Catherine and Cardinal Basel¡¯s Vatican, understood this better than anyone else.


    I, too, nodded and spoke right away. It was only right to make the friendly atmosphere even friendlier.


    ¡°Haha. Duchess Catherine, too¡­ What are you grateful for? Rather, it¡¯s only right for me to say thank you.¡±


    ¡°No, Honorary Bishop. We, the eastern nobles, no, we are no longer nobles. Gosh¡­ Anyway, if the Honorary Bishop didn¡¯t care about us, we wouldn¡¯t have been able to stand in the Goddess¡¯ temple either. What the Honorary Bishop has done for us will never be forgotten. I¡¯d also like to apologize for the things I made you take care of, since it¡¯s a very sensitive and heavy matter.¡±


    ¡°Of course I can understand, Duchess Catherine. Rather, thank you for being with me. Thank you for trusting me. If the eastern nobles had not been with me, things would not have worked out so well.¡±


    ¡°No. Rather, we were very happy to be able to share our will with the imperial people, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Hahaha. You don¡¯t have to worry, Duchess Catherine. I arranged seats in the assembly for the nobles who joined the deration of support for the civil revolution. No. It is not something I prepared. Our imperial people will provide it. Haha.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for caring for us.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll thank you again, Honorary Bishop.¡±


    ¡°There is no need, Countess Elise. I¡¯m all embarrassed. Hahaha.¡±


    Our pleasant conversation was a stark contrast to the nobles who had not taken our side.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°It hurts¡­ hurts! Help me! Help me!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t miss a single one! We must not miss a single rebel who betrayed the Goddess!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t let Argimo¡¯s sacrifice be in vain!¡±


    ¡°For the sacred democracy! For the Goddess!¡±


    Hearing all that made me acknowledge what a pleasure it was to know that I belonged to this group. I felt a bit guilty, but this was how society worked, anyway.


    ¡°Then, why don¡¯t we go to another ce?¡±


    ¡°Where¡­?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha. We have to get this done right. Duchess! Cardinal Basel,e with us, too. It is a glorious imperial people victory. On a day like this, the Cardinal shouldn¡¯t be left out.¡±


    ¡°This is¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. Come with us, Cardinal. You have to introduce yourself to the people of the Empire. You¡¯re going to be the Holy Father now.¡±


    ¡°Ahem. Then, let¡¯s do it. The great Goddess¡¯s army has won, so of course, we have to celebrate!¡±


    It was when we were just about to move. Another group appeared in a fairly close ce.


    When I saw that distorted expression, I smiled. Naturally, I began to p. The eastern nobles joined me in doing so.


    ¡°Hahahaha. Isn¡¯t that the number one secret contributor to this revolution? Your Majesty Charlotte! Hahahahaha. And all the nobles who supported our revolutionary group! Thank you very much. Your Maje¡­ no, no. They are no longer the royal family. Charlotte-nim!¡±


    ¡°Y¡­ you¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, well, well. Let¡¯s move together! It is a great victory for the imperial people.¡±


    With a shameless expression, I lifted my thumb up, and a shivering fist appeared in my sight.

 Chapter 293: Half-baked Revolution (8)

    <h4>Chapter 293: Half-baked Revolution (8)</h4>


    What she was thinking was obvious. If she wasn¡¯t cursing me right now, then she was probably thinking as to how shameless I was.


    Her face looked as if she wanted to question or say something, but when she saw Cardinal Basel and Duchess Catherine approaching, she deftly closed her mouth.


    In fact, the reason why she was able toe out of her hiding ce ande here was also because of my help from before.


    If I hadn¡¯t, she would still have to hide in fear of being swept away by this fire.


    ¡°Hahaha. It was a fact that even I didn¡¯t know. Charlotte-nim seems to have been the secret contributor to this event.¡±


    ¡°Thanks to you. You helped a lot, Your Majesty.¡±


    Of course, she deserved a thumbs up. I affirmed that if I had done it alone, I would never have been able toplete the revolution in such a quick time.


    When she opened her mouth, I can see that her gaze had focused on me again.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t been able to tell you, but in fact, it wouldn¡¯t be wrong to say Charlotte is the number one contributor to this revolution. We spread the Sacred Democracy together and spared no effort in supporting both sides ways! It is said that despite having a big contribution, you give up everything for the imperial people, so it would be nice for other imperial members to be as good as Charlotte. The people would probably never have risen.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Hahaha. Am I right, Charlotte? It seems that our Charlotte-nim is so thrilled that she can¡¯t talk properly. Of course, that¡¯s understandable, since we are on the verge ofpleting the revolution you dreamed of. Oh! And the same goes for the nobles who follow the Second Princess. Well then,e here. In fact, you couldn¡¯t join us in the Deration of Support for the Civil Revolution, but all the imperial people will know that you were with us in your heart.¡±


    I could see some nobles reading the room. Duchess Catherine and Countess Elise were also holding the hands of other nobles having conversations, while the others, who were a little nervous at first, began to settle down.


    They had already figured out which one here was the popr one.


    ¡®That¡¯s right.¡¯


    Those who really sympathized with Charlotte¡¯s will were still with her, but those who were acting for their personal gain already had their switch posture button pressed. She kept rubbing her lips as if she had something to say, but in this friendly atmosphere, causing a quibble would be hard.


    She probably cared more about the nobles behind her rather than herself.


    She understood that the imperial people would judge not only her, but also the nobles with her if I were to say one word.


    ¡°Hahaha. You canugh. Charlotte-nim, although some blood was spilled, it is still a victory for the people.¡±


    I didn¡¯t intend to get under her skin, but her fists trembled once again as if she didn¡¯t like the way I talked. When I quietly asked for a handshake, she held my hand tightly.


    ¡®Ouch, it hurts.¡¯


    It was fun as it seemed to represent her feelings.


    ¡°Hahaha. I didn¡¯t know that Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung would be close to Charlotte-nim¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not that close, Cardinal Basel. We were connected as we were running toward the same goal. Charlotte-nim also has a special regard for the Goddess.¡±


    ¡°I know that well! Charlotte-nim made a very big decision. It would have been a hard decision¡­¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that proof that she is thinking about the imperial people and the Goddess? Haha. Well, well. Come this way. I will escort you. You might see angry people¡­ so you will probably be safe with me. Charlotte-nim.¡±


    ¡°¡­ ¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so grateful, Princess. You don¡¯t have to think of this as a consideration. The things Charlotte-nim has done for me are the real consideration.¡±


    Seeing that she couldn¡¯t even speak a word, it was no wonder that I felt a gratifying feeling. In fact, she looked as if she wanted to punch my smiling face, but she was now thoroughly in a weak position.


    Perhaps she was thinking about what my intention was. To be precise, it was natural that she had her doubts about why I was keeping her alive, and although we had been working together so far, it was clear that Charlotte and I had started taking a different route through this revolution.


    For me, I no longer need Charlotte. Since she didn¡¯t know about Kim Hyunsung¡¯s request, she would be busy trying to use her head by now.


    ¡®Okay. Why would I want to keep you alive?¡¯


    No matter how much I tried, all that woulde as an exnation would be about clearing up and fixing up after the revolution. However, many people can do that besides her.


    ¡®No. I guess not.¡¯


    Since most of the nobles were dead, a person who could quickly clear up the confusion was also needed. Some can be said to be the Civil Revolutionary Corps executives along with Oscar, but there was no way that those who did not know about business could move a country properly.


    ¡®I should move the nobles of Charlotte¡¯s camp together.¡¯


    That was right.


    ¡®I did a good job of saving her.¡¯


    It was only because of Kim Hyunsung¡¯s request that I saved Charlotte, but at this point, I started to think that it had been the right choice. I could also imagine the imperial family giving back sovereignty to the imperial people, so Charlotte¡¯s existence was a stroke of genius, no matter what I were to think about it.


    While pondering many things, screams could still be heard¡ªscreams of those who could be said to be mostly from enemies.


    I didn¡¯t feel anything, but she seemed to be in pain upon hearing it.


    ¡°Oh. Look at the Goddess¡¯ mirror over there! Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung. It seems that the evil Emperor and the First Princess, who knows only luxury, were finally captured by the crowd following the Goddess. Tsk, tsk. So clueless. Clueless! How can the Emperor, who is said to rule a country, run away, abandoning those who protect him? Tsk. Isn¡¯t that right, Duchess Catherine?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Cardinal Basel. The people of the imperial family were always self-involved. Oh. Don¡¯t misunderstand. I didn¡¯t say it with Charlotte-nim in mind.¡±


    Just in time, I could see, in the mirror of the Goddess, the Civil Revolutionary corps handling the Emperor and his people.


    Seeing that Charlia¡¯s condition was quite good, it seemed that Jung Hayan had been a stepte. However, she still screamed the same way as before.


    -Charlotte¡­ Charlotte, this dirty bitch! Everything is your fault. Everything!


    -¡­


    -Let go of me! Let go of me! I am a Princess of the Empire! How dare you¡­ You bastards!


    -¡­


    -I told you to let go of me!


    Of course, the eastern nobles were looking at the Goddess¡¯ mirror coldly. They were still thinking about her pouring hot tea on Marlin Young-ae.


    ¡®They are also very scary people.¡¯


    Fortunately, we were on the same side. Anyway, starting with Charlia in the video, I felt that the crowd¡¯s shouts were getting louder, drowning out her screaming.


    The scene of the existing vested rights being dragged down by the revolutionary group was enough to be considered a spectacle. As anyone could see, this time was the victory of the Civil Revolutionary Group.


    The remaining insurgents were quickly cleared up, and more and more people were choosing to surrender with white gs, or were throwing away their weapons.


    ¡°It is the people¡¯s victory!¡±


    ¡°It is the victory of the Empire! It is the victory of our Civil Revolutionary Corps!¡±


    ¡°Blessed be the Goddess Benigore!¡±


    On the other hand, cheers popped out from everywhere.


    ¡°That damn bitch!¡±


    ¡°We must cut the throat of the filthy Goddess¡¯ traitors right now!¡±


    ¡°Kill it! Kill it!¡±


    Those who wished for blood once more screamed in madness. Some people were shedding tears at the thrilling victory, and some were praying to the Goddess.


    Anyone could see that this situation was fun. The Goddess¡¯ mirror once again showed Oscar.


    As I had chosen her as the next leader, her promotion was not an option but a must. Oscar¡¯s appearance still looked sublime.


    It was certainly beautiful to see hermanding a revolutionary group with a g raised to a sacred democracy, leaving many wounds behind.


    ¡®Phew¡­ I chose her well.¡¯


    I originally thought it would be good to use her as a scapegoat, but she was more than I had ever imagined.


    In an instant, a voice burst from Oscar, staring straightly at the camera.


    -Surrender! The imperial people who are still resisting their interests on the opposite side of Goddess Benigore, throw away your weapons! It is pointless to spill blood anymore. This is the victory of the imperial people.


    The cheers burst out in response.


    -Yeah. That¡¯s right. It is the victory of the imperialists, the civil revolutionaries, and the people!


    ¡®Good, good.¡¯


    -It is a victory that has been wrought by your blood. It¡¯s the Goddess¡¯ victory!


    ¡®Very good!¡¯


    -But, everyone, this victory was not achieved by our own strength alone.


    ¡®Of course, of course, you should.¡¯


    - All the foreigners who support our Civil Revolutionaries, and all the Eight Seats of the Empire who are at the center of them, and some of the nobles who have supported the Civil Revolutionary Corps are also entitled to enjoy today¡¯s victory.


    ¡®Right! That¡¯s it!¡¯


    -Cardinal Basel of the Holy sector and Charlotte, who made great decisions for the Empire, are also good enough to be the leading roles in today¡¯s victory.


    ¡®You speak well! Alice!¡¯


    -Those in the Civil Revolutionary Corps who have joined us from the beginning to the end also deserve to be here!


    ¡®That¡¯s right.¡¯


    Now was the time to head out. No wonder there was pride in the faces of those who are here. The civil revolutionaries who were with us started shouting our name. Oscar¡¯s proper incitement and support have paid off.


    ¡°Honorary Cardinal, now¡­¡±


    ¡°Ohh. I think we can go up together. Oh, before that, since many people are watching, it would be better to tear off your clothes and put a little dirt on them. Shouldn¡¯t we leave the impression that we fought together? By nature, the public always cheers for this.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right. Lee Kiyoung is right. Certainly, it would look a little weird if our clothes were too clean.¡±


    ¡°Well, well. I will help you all. Oh! Charlotte-nim,e here, too. Originally, in these things, it is more important to give a show. Hahahaha.¡±


    As I started to help, everyone here begun to transform, looking like we had all been in a fierce battle together.


    The cheers didn¡¯t stop even when we appeared to the public, going up to the ce where Oscar was.


    Anyone could see that this was the imperial people¡¯s perfect victory. However, the number of people who can climb on the tform was limited.


    The executives of the Civil Revolutionary Corps, whom I picked and selected, and our nobles who had chosen well which side to get on were the only ones who could. The foreigners and some of the Holy sector were greeting each other. Some people might think that something was weird, but what about it?


    This kind of revolution naturally flowed in the direction the media wanted.


    ¡°Puhahahahaha! This is our victory, imperial people!!¡±

 Chapter 294: Half-baked Revolution (9)

    <h4>Chapter 294: Half-baked Revolution (9)</h4>


    The cleanup went faster than I first thought.


    The people cheered fervently at us, who had be the new Empire¡¯s entitled officials, and the Civil Revolution Group shouted in honor of today¡¯s victory. ording to Oscar, it was a victory for both the people and the imperialists. Though I thought differently, I chose to stay quiet.


    It was my aim that the majority of the people thought they had made this revolution.


    ¡®That¡¯s good. That¡¯s good.¡¯


    No matter how I thought about this, I had no choice but to nod satisfactorily.


    The voices asking to bring the guillotine and cut the throats of the Goddess¡¯s rebels were rising, but the executives and nobles of the revolutionary group, especially Charlotte, would not want such a brutal task.


    Their treatment should have been done legally, but also humanely and democratically. It meant they would have to get a fair trial on the surface.


    Of course, this trial would move in the direction the new entitled officials want, but it was important to instill hope that this regime would be different. The results would just be the same, anyway.


    The important thing was, ¡®Who is being executed and who is having a toast?¡¯


    ¡®It¡¯s sweet to be on the winner¡¯s side.¡¯


    The Emperor and Charlia couldn¡¯t be helped, but most of the nobles who got on the wrong side would also have their heads blown away.


    In fact, I could say that this was a positive side of this revolution.


    This was an opportunity to sort out the incapacitated trash centered on Charlia at once. I was sure that Charlotte would not be able to refute this opinion.


    Blood had to be spilled, but the fact that the nobles who exploited the imperial people would havepletely disappeared remains the same.


    There were cities where the revolution had not yet beenpletely finished, but I could bet that it would meet the same ending within a few hours. Things were getting more and more fun.


    Lee Jihye, who quietly took a seat next to me, seemed to be thinking simrly to me, seeing that she was smiling.


    ¡°You seem to be in a good mood.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not bad.¡±


    ¡°Oppa.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to say this during such a good time, but is it okay to talk about work for a moment? Some things need to be done right now.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Nuna.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ first, it¡¯s about the grain or goods stored in the Imperial Pce.¡±


    ¡°I think you can check the important things separately, store them, and take care of the rest. Sort by item and store things that you think will be really helpful here¡­¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ then, as you said, it would be better to keep the goods and the items stored in the warehouse of the Imperial Pce first and open all the grains. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s bad to take on victory right now. I think there will be a little left, though¡­¡±


    ¡°Then give some of them to nobles or something. The western and southern nobles are also stocking up a lot, so it¡¯s not going to run out right away. Rather than that, how about the outside? Did it turn out well?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still busy moving the corpses. I thought I did it quickly, but there were a little more dead than I expected.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough, since the knights and wizards possessed by the imperial castle aren¡¯t suckers. I was fortunate that Hee-ra was holding on to Victor Hart. If it weren¡¯t for that, things would have been a little harder. Even if that old man had gone on the front line, he wouldn¡¯t be able to cut through the imperial people¡­ still, he is one of the symbols of the Empire.¡±


    ¡°He is.¡±


    ¡°Oh. And put all the dead in the National Cemetery, Nuna. It would be nice to sweep away unnecessary space on the Imperial Pce¡¯s side and build a national cemetery for the Democratic Fighters in the corner. Also, don¡¯t forget the tombs of our democratic fighters Argimo and Bark Teoku. For those who are a bit important, make the tombstone a little taller.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too hard for that¡­ aren¡¯t you giving me too much work? I¡¯m busy enough already¡­¡±


    ¡°I have my own work to do.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. It doesn¡¯t look that way¡­ This isn¡¯t what someone who is drinking leisurely would say.¡±


    ¡°This is all real life. Maybe in a little while, you will get really busy. Originally, in this kind of thing, it¡¯s more difficult to pick up the pieces than to start.¡±


    In fact, there were not just one or two things to worry about. Although we tried to reduce property damage as much as possible, the amount of damage would be enormous as the people from all over the Empire had joined us.


    Right now, I was able to withstand my personal property, the goods I had umted in the imperial city, and the Holy side donations. Still, the problem was a little more serious in the case of the cities where the production facility itself was damaged.


    The fact that most of the useful knights were dead was also a problem.


    When I first appeared, I enjoyed afortable life from the safe rear, so I could not check the actual battle scene in detail, but the Empire¡¯s appearance after the battle was definitely disastrous.


    There were also many imperialists cut with a single swing, and those who could not be protected with magic ended uppletely burned.


    In fact, what had been worse than them were the Emperor¡¯s soldiers who rebelled against the Goddess.


    That would be an indicator that the anger of the people was great. Of course, there were also deaths among foreigners.


    Since it was to deal with famous knights and wizards, it was an unavoidable sacrifice, but the Eight Seats of the Empire, or named such as Lindel¡¯s Gal Oshik, and Imridan did not lose their lives.


    If the Emperor hadn¡¯t been shown running away in real-time, the battle would have been a little longer, and more damage would have urred.


    In fact, such internal problems could be fixed somehow as long as time would permit it.


    ¡®Republic, United Kingdom, Heterogeneous Kingdom.¡¯


    Although it prevented foreign forces from jumping on the bandwagon of the revolution or attacking, taking advantage of the chaos, the current Holy Empire was in a situation where its power had been cut off.


    The first concern was how the United Kingdom would think of this revolution, how the Republic would react to the suddenly changed regime, and whether different tribes would send their delegations.


    In short, this had been a heavy blow for the continent. Whether it was positive or negative is was known yet.


    As I quietly looked away, I could see Lee Jihye quietly leaving.


    She would have her things to sort out, but she left for a moment due to the sudden appearance of a guest.


    ¡°Something happened, Charlotte-nim?¡±


    Charlotte had a strangely heated expression.


    Seeing her holding a wine ss in one hand, it seemed she was a little drunk.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to move¡­ to a quiet ce.¡±


    It was true that the voice that seemed to be openly drunk made me somehow anxious, but I willingly nodded.


    Jung Hayan would be looking at me anyway, and Park Deokgu would be keeping an eye on me, so my safety was guaranteed.


    ¡®There¡¯s no way this woman would suddenly throw a knife.¡¯


    ¡°Yes. It would be better to do that.¡±


    I felt like a gentleman escorting ady at a party like this.


    As I slightly extended my hand, I could see her holding it with a reluctant face. Like thest handshake, her hands were filled with emotion, and it hurt.


    As I stepped forward and opened the huge window, I saw a balcony where two people could talk in private. She took a seat on one side, and I took a seat, too.


    ¡®She wouldn¡¯t push me from here, right?¡¯


    These scary thoughts continued to envelop me. However, seeing that she had begun to speak quietly, it seemed that she hadn¡¯t called me here to kill me.


    ¡°Why did you save me?¡±


    Ah, what an interesting question. Of course, I didn¡¯t know how to properly answer it, but I could still try. I couldn¡¯t tell her Hyunsung¡¯s request, after all.


    ¡°It must be for a simr reason as Charlotte-nim told me. Didn¡¯t you say that the Empire at that time needed people to watch out for the public eye? Haha. That¡¯s exactly why. There is no reason to pretend. Oh. If you doubt that, then I will change the answer. The reason is that I had no reason to pretend with you.¡±


    ¡°There is no reason to pretend¡­¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a fellow who has been running toward the revolution together? Of course, there was a little difference between our methods, but in the end, it produced the ideal results for both. The imperial people won, and the existing privileged and deep-rooted evils forces lost their power.¡±


    ¡°And new privileged and deep-rooted evils forces took their ce. You, and the people with you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like the way you talk, but I¡¯ll just smile and let it pass. Charlotte, even if this revolution had beenpleted as a bloodless revolution, it would have been inevitable for new privileged and new deep-rooted evils forces to settle. That¡¯s because the nobles under you are not by your side. They do not have the same dream as yours. Of course, I don¡¯t know if there is one or two who really want to realize the same ideal as you, but the vast majority of the nobles in your camp would not choose to let go of their power.¡±


    This was an undeniable fact. Charlotte looked as if she also agreed with me on this front.


    ¡°It¡¯s no different from drugs. The power to move the people being on top is like drugs. Noble idealists like Charlotte-nim may not know this well, but most nobles will agree with me.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s why you killed the people. That power you call drugs has forced countless imperialists and innocent soldiers to die.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not the one who killed the people. They fought for the value they wanted. If you say the sublime sacrifice of the democratic fighters is meaningless, do you think that the empire people will like it?¡±


    ¡°They didn¡¯t die for the value they want. You are brainwashing the imperial people. You released fabricated information, agitated them, and pushed them to the edge.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not me who had been pushing. It was done by the nobles and royal families of this country. It doesn¡¯t mean there was no such thing as a hoax, but what the Goddess¡¯ mirror was reflecting was based on facts, Charlotte-nim.¡±


    ¡°There was no need to¡­ There was no need to do this!¡±


    As she mmed the table on the balcony, the table cracked. I knew she was strong, but it was a little unnerving to see such a disy of strength.


    I knew what picture Charlotte really wanted, but even if I tried to refute it before my greed, it would never be able to get refuted.


    ¡°So, as you wish, if an honorary revolution had really happened¡­ Do you think a lot would be changed from now? I bet it could have gotten worse, but it wouldn¡¯t have gotten better.¡±


    ¡°At least it wouldn¡¯t have spilled a lot of blood. No, before that, we wouldn¡¯t have faced these different situations. The existing production facilities would have been preserved, and the troops would have remained intact and would have resisted other countries¡¯ intervention. It would not have instilled disharmony in the United Kingdom, and many imperial people would not have to lose their families.¡±


    ¡°I can agree that the side effects could be minimized, but it would not have been without side effects. This is not meaningless death, Charlotte. It is important that the imperial people spill some blood and rise on their own. If you had intervened, the imperial people of this country would have lived their entire lives passively. The next time I face this kind of situation, I won¡¯t move thinking someone like you will help.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a leap in your logic.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a leap, Charlotte. You may not know, but the history of foreigners is evidence of this. Humans are a kind who do not realize unless they learn. The same goes for the ruler and the ruled. The ruled must try to pull the ruler down with its own hands, without the help of people like you. They must try to kill their king. That¡¯s historical learning, Charlotte.¡±


    ¡°Humans are not so stupid. I don¡¯t know what you think of humans, but¡­¡±


    ¡°No. Humans are stupid. Not everyone lives with an ideal like you. There are surely humans who can¡¯t realize by themselves and only understand by learning. That¡¯s why this will help. It spilled a lot of blood, but it must have been a great lesson. Later, the rulers will fear the ruled, and the ruled will also remember that they can pull them down and cut their throats. Charlotte, you said you need someone who knows how to do politics that watch out for the public eye. From now on, I bet those who have been in charge will bepelled to watch out for the public. It¡¯s only half, but I don¡¯t think the output I¡¯ve made can be better than this. I am a conscientious person and not someone who exploits the imperial people. This victory will be remembered not as my victory, but as an imperial people¡¯s victory, and this history will remain in the hearts of the imperial people forever.¡±


    I could see Charlotte, who listened to me, trying to open her mouth again.


    She would certainly want to refute, and there would be a lot to refute. However, if we were to continue talking, it would be me who would seem like the fool.


    I then stood up.


    ¡°I! I have¡­ onest question.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Did you¡­ foreigner¡¯s country¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. Surely, on the surface, it is a country in which the people have sovereignty.¡±


    ¡°Is it¡­ Is it¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahhh. I guess I know what question you¡¯re asking. Well¡­ I think this is the only thing I can tell you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Either here or there, the privileged do the same thing , anyway.¡±


    I didn¡¯t want to break the dream of a girl who believed in Santa us, but the reality was indeed cruel. As I left Charlotte with her head hanging down, I could see Jung Hayan and Yuno Kasuganoing up to meet me.


    Everyone seemed to be spending their time in their own way.


    I had been thinking a lot, but as always, time would make me forget everything.


    In their own way, some would share joy, and others would dwell on regret. The privileged would always be there, as always.


    As usual.


    As always.


    And in that line of thinking, a little time had passed.

 Chapter 295: Time Has Passed (1)

    <h4>Chapter 295: Time Has Passed (1)</h4>


    [The history of the Holy Empirepletely ended in the year 1093 of the imperial calendar.]


    [It was the will of the people who could not stand the evil done by the imperial family and some nobles, and it was the will of the Goddess Benigore, who tried to punish heretics, apostates, and rebels. On November 9th, when the revolution waspleted, the rebels¡¯ trials proceeded for exactly one week. On the 23rd, an institution called the New People¡¯s Assembly was created by the Civil Revolutionary Group.]


    [The New People¡¯s Assembly is an institution whose significance is that 200 members selected as representatives of the imperialists re-establish the constitution and humanw or discuss the state¡¯s general administration. It consisted of 42 aristocrats, 60 foreigners, and 98 members of themon public who made up the civil revolution, which was the great first step of the newlyunched New Sacred Democracy.]


    [The first agenda for them was the treatment of the apostates, but the Holy See transferred their trial to the people in honor of the will of the Civil Revolution. In the New People¡¯s Assembly, the first historic vote was held, and the rebels¡¯ execution was decided with 299 affirmations and one abstention. At the end of the 29th, all the royal families were executed except for the Second Princess, Charlotte, thest blood of the imperial family. The execution was very humane because of the request of the former Second Princess.]


    [After that, the provisional government was established immediately, and a general election was held under the auspices of the New People¡¯s Assembly. It was the first Sacred Democracy¡¯s proud¡­]


    ¡°It was the Sacred Democracy¡¯s proud first general election.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It was still less than a year ago, but it¡¯s something you must know if you live in our Sacred Democracy. It goes without saying that it was a victory that had been won because of many people¡¯s sacrifices. What you have learned today is highly likely to appear in future exams, so be sure to know. Now, here is the question. We learned it yesterday. Who are the people who have the right to vote in our democratic country?¡±


    ¡°Me, me! Me! Me! Me!¡±


    ¡°Yes, student Luria. Shall we answer?¡±


    ¡°All the country¡¯s people and foreigners who believe in Goddess Benigore!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the right answer. Well done. We¡¯ll give you apliment card, so be sure to pick it up after ss. As Luria answered, the first thing Oscar, who is the leader of the Civil Revolutionary Corps and now the leader of our Sacred Democratic State, did after establishing the Provisional Government was to give the imperial people the right to vote.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    I could see Dialuria, looking triumphantly behind her after shouting the correct answer.


    She wore a hat on her head as she continued smiling.


    Max, the museum manager, who raised his hand but couldn¡¯t make himself heard, looked disappointed.


    ¡®So cute.¡¯


    She seemed to be in quite a good mood, showing how active she was.


    This was a ss I visited to keep my promise with Dialugia, but looking at that happy face, I started to think that it was a good thing that I came.


    ¡®I have to see if her education is going well, too¡­¡¯


    It was natural to wonder how Dialuria and Max were doing, and how they were living. I couldn¡¯t act as a father every day, but I wanted to see how they¡¯ve grown all the same.


    In fact, to be more honest, I had my own personal reasons.


    What I was more curious about was the current curriculum itself.


    Publication of state-authored textbooks and appropriate education were as important as outside work.


    This division was notunched to work for only a few years.


    Citizens¡¯ education was a necessity, not an option, as it had tost for at least a few decades, or even a few hundred years more.


    I had once told Max and Dialuria that history education was not important, but this did not extend to other children next to them. History was evaluated as more important than swordsmanship or magic, which weremonly considered as important.


    Today¡¯s young prospects be my faithful voters a few yearster, and their children also be valuable guests who would willingly exercise a vote for us.


    With the Goddess¡¯ mirrorpletely under control, I didn¡¯t have to do this, but the more insurance, the better.


    ¡®I can¡¯t get off guard.¡¯


    It was why educational institutions were installed throughout the Empire, even if it was considered a little too much.


    When I nced over, I saw Dialugia looking at Dialuria whilst smiling widely.


    The situation was the same for other parents. Of course, they had also been eyeing me.


    Although it was a private school where the sons of former nobles, famous adventurers, or the children of well-known wealthy families gathered, I was the Honorary Cardinal of the Sacred Democratic State and the Vice Guild Master from the most popr guild in the Free City of Lindel, no, in the country.


    It was not unusual for them to focus on me.


    ¡®It¡¯s funny.¡¯


    To put it inly, humans with higher authority than me in the Empire could be counted within ten fingers.


    If I were to think of even my unofficial position, they could be counted within at least three fingers.


    Despite the great revolution of the people, there was still an irreversible gap in status. A lot of things had changed, but the point was, it felt like nothing had changed. This was exactly what I had told Charlotte.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t our Dialuria really smart?¡±


    ¡°Look, who did she get that from? Naturally, she is smart.¡±


    ¡°Yes. She definitely got that from me.¡±


    Dialuria was likely smart because she resembled me. I could be sure of it.


    ¡°Now, soon, the history ss will be over. Next is swordsmanship practice. After that, there is also magic practice. Let¡¯s move, quickly. Oh, and Dialuria is also learning alchemy through her after-school activities, so please keep an eye on that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go. You don¡¯t have to whine about it. But Dialugia, this¡­ does she really need to learn this? Actually, I don¡¯t think Tol To-ri needs it¡­¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you the one who told her to go to school in the first ce?¡±


    ¡°I meant to learn social life¡­ not this.¡±


    ¡°Anything is good once you learn it. Indeed, she doesn¡¯t need it as a dragon, but our Dialuria said she wants to learn it¡­ this behavior itself helps brain growth. I am familiar with basicbat skills, too. Not all, but I know some of the continent¡¯s history. Of course, I don¡¯t know it at a professional level.¡±


    ¡°Ohh. You did.¡±


    ¡°Regardless of the reason, it definitely helps to use the brain, especially at this time. She already has more magic power than all the children her age.¡±


    ¡°There aren¡¯t other dragons her age. How can wepare?¡±


    ¡°I know just by looking. Hihi.¡±


    I felt like there was no fool for a daughter like Dialugia. I got all embarrassed for her.


    I thought she would¡¯ve changed a bit, but now, I felt like she became one of those hyper-parenting moms.


    Of course, the difference was that she was sticking to me without spreading much distance as in the past.


    ¡°Well. Then I¡¯ll end the history ss with this. The swordsmanship practice will begin immediately, so students, prepare the weapon and parents, please, move to the training center.¡±


    Seeing that things were going just as Dialugia said, it seemed that she really knew her schedule.


    Anyway, as the teacher had said, I slowly started to move.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t forget to greet others who hade here to greet me.


    ¡°Honorary Cardinal. Hahaha. I didn¡¯t even know that I would see you here.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Long time no see, Senator Chenko. Haha. What a coincidence. Isn¡¯t this the first time since then? How¡­ is the council nowadays?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s always good. Oscar-nim is still the same. In fact, there are many problems to solve, so it¡¯s a bit concerning, but¡­¡±


    ¡°What, is there any problem that is too difficult to handle?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s obvious. It is the United Kingdom again.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if they¡¯re feeling threatened after the revolution, but they¡¯re still not favorable. Even the Republic sent us congrattory remarks, but they have no response at all, so¡­ it¡¯s just frustrating. I don¡¯t know if the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is working or not¡­ It still feels unorganized inside.¡±


    ¡°It will be obvious. They must probably also be anxious that a revolution will erupt from within there. They must think about whether or not there will be a spark of fire in their own country. You don¡¯t have to worry too much, Senator. Perhaps, in a little while, whatever it takes, a solution wille out.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. I see.¡±


    ¡°Yes. In fact, you can rest assured that my trip to the neutral country is also rted to that matter.¡±


    ¡°As expected.¡±


    ¡°The kingdom will not be able to maintain that attitude over and over again. Most of the foreigners living there are friendly to us.¡±


    ¡°You are referring to the Goddess¡¯ mirror.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Right. Like the current people, in fact, foreigners are also very familiar with the Goddess¡¯ mirror. Contrary to the kingdom¡¯s privileged, the foreigners who are located there will surely be hoping for us to export the Goddess¡¯ mirror.¡±


    As television suddenly appeared in this barrennd where there was nothing to enjoy, it was not unreasonable for the foreigners to harbor such expectations.


    Right now, even in Lindel, Celia, or Dawan, the reaction to the Goddess¡¯ mirror was explosive.


    Even though it had only happened for a short period, ns such as dioramas and movies were alsoing up on the surface, and the ¡®Master of Battle,¡¯ which was actually aired as a test, recorded explosive audience ratings.


    The craftsmen, who had been in this area for several years, talked about the tips and know-how needed for battle and their experiences, and there was no way that the reaction would not be good.


    It was no wonder that the people, who had a lot of interest in foreigners, had also begun to get addicted to this stupid box one by one.


    I bet that each kingdom was struggling with the foreigners¡¯ request to import the Goddess¡¯ mirror.


    ¡®Culture and technology are also weapons.¡¯


    In a sense, it was more threatening than a sword or a spear.


    While I was lost in my thoughts, I heard Dialugia¡¯s voice again.


    ¡°Now is Dialuria¡¯s turn! She¡¯s doing it now.¡±


    ¡°Ohh. Yes. I¡¯m going. Going.¡±


    Although the swording practice had begun, my expectation had diminished for the obvious result.


    Our Tol To-ri was already capable of crushing the children around her with only her basic physical ability.


    As expected, she was showing swordsmanship knowledge, along with her physical abilities, to the innocents in an openly provoking manner.


    ¡®Better than most adventurers¡­¡¯


    Even with the opponent who picked up the sword together, she did not finish him at once, but used it to show herself.


    From anyone¡¯s perspective, it felt like the opponent was better, but the kid couldn¡¯t withstand the agility and strength of our Tol To-ri.


    Even before finishing, she stopped the sword aimed at the opponent and showed off her next skill.


    ¡®Her opponent is so pitiful¡­¡¯


    The kid, who had learned swordsmanship for a long time, was also trying not to disappoint his parents, biting his lips tightly, but no matter how hard a cat trained his ws, he couldn¡¯t beat a tiger.


    The difference in basic stats was so big that it could be considered a joke, rather than a serious demonstration.


    I, who could be said to be obtuse, somehow found myself empathizing with the kid.


    It was enough to be ashamed of Dialugia, who was pping her hands next to me and smiling.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t our Dialuria doing great? I don¡¯t know much about swording, but even if I look at her with the other kids out there, she isn¡¯tparable. Considering that it hasn¡¯t been a year since she started it properly, she¡¯s indeed a talent from heaven.¡±


    ¡®This is your daughter dragon. And that¡¯s pushing it with force¡­¡¯


    ¡°How nice for her to be considerate of the other so that they do not get hurt¡­¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s not a consideration. She¡¯s toying with him¡­¡¯


    ¡°I think I¡¯m making a fool of myself.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s right.¡¯


    I wanted to say all this, but it kept lingering in my throat.


    ¡°The winner is Dialuria.¡±


    ¡°Good job. My daughter! Dialuria! You¡¯re the best! The best! Dialuria!¡±


    Tol To-ri looked at me while taking on a victory pose. I didn¡¯t know where she had gotten it from, but she seemed to harbor the talent of provocation.

 Chapter 296: Time has passed (2)

    <h4>Chapter 296: Time has passed (2)</h4>


    The world had changed so much as time continued to pass.


    To be precise, only the Empire, or the country that was now called the Sacred Democratic State, and its surroundings had changed, but at least no one could deny that positive changes were taking ce inside.


    Most noticeable was the disappearance of the empire-wide ss.


    Of course, informally, there had to be a visible ss. Most of the nobles still had enormous wealth and were referred to as parliament members, and Charlotte was also a part of the parliament.


    However, the fact that the status system was officially abolished was a story that the general public would also cheer for.


    Privileged sses such as the nobility and the royal family hadpletely disappeared.


    Of course, there should have been a privileged ss of priests, but as much as it had the Church¡¯s title, there was no word about the privileges the Holy sector enjoyed.


    Rather, it was not necessary to exin that there had been a widespread awareness of how they were wielding greater power than before, based on sacred democracy. It was a privilege that should be enjoyed by those with the job of a priest serving God.


    Everything went exactly as I thought. Although distribution had not yet beenpleted, the Goddess mirror was distributed one by one for each generation, and the contents that were transmitted through the mirror of the Goddess were all packaged and aired in favor of the current government and foreigners.


    Although a lot of information was released, it was natural that the information that the general public could ess was very limited.


    Things I thought were a bit unfavorable to me couldn¡¯t even be examined in the first ce. A lot of the citizens had been fooled by the television they called the Goddess¡¯ mirror.


    As a result, the task of shaking public opinion using the media was a piece of a cake. I had been hoping for this to happen right from the very beginning.


    If the cage wasfortable, animals would not dare go out of the cage.


    ¡®If they are happy, that¡¯s it.¡¯


    No one cared about the truth. I didn¡¯t know if it was because of the Goddess¡¯ blessing, but it was enough to leave the inside problems to our Alice/Oscar.


    It wasn¡¯t that there weren¡¯t any creaky parts, but she was moving as well as I intended, and above all, she was passionate and highly motivated.


    What I had to think about at this point was the things outside the country, rather than inside.


    ¡®Are the kingdom bastards out of their minds?¡¯


    It was no wonder that what I just heard from Senator Chenko remained strangely in my head. The problem was the United Kingdom, which was sensitive to each and every step from this side. Of course, it was a natural reaction.


    Since a revolution broke out in a nearby country and the heads of the royal family fled, they were worried that a simr kind of revolution would break out in their kingdom.


    I could understand by looking at the world history that took ce on Earth, but I didn¡¯t like the fact that they kept trying to ostracize our country.


    As the number of knights in the country had decreased significantly, I wanted to avoid conflicts with foreign forces as much as possible.


    ¡®Alliance¡¯


    Alliance was necessary for the country to survive, and work to improve rtions with the Republic was also essential. To do this from only within, the country was very limited.


    My choice of a neutral country, Laios, was far too reasonable as my first diplomatic stage.


    Of course, Dialugia would not have liked this news.


    ¡°So. You really are going outside today.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you familiar with the inevitable situation? I talked about it a few days ago¡­ I thought that recently after I finished my work, I could alwayse to the nest¡­¡±


    ¡°It was something you hadn¡¯t done so far, so you just did what you were supposed to do as a father. You know it¡¯s not something you can show off or use as a bargaining chip.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t take that long. Still, today I attended her sses.¡±


    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s a promise that should have been kept months ago.¡±


    ¡°It was an unavoidable situation. How can I visit a school that was closed and has been remodeled? It is unfair to me me for that since I participated in arger visit in a better circumstance. And I¡¯m saying because I¡¯ve already said that. I am not that free either. Even during that busy schedule, if you keep expressing your dissatisfaction like this, when I have poured out my passion on Tol To-ri made her happy enough, I can¡¯t help but be disappointed. Or is there any other reason that you don¡¯t want me to leave the nest for?¡±


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    ¡°For example, Dialugia, you don¡¯t want to let me go¡­¡±


    Although it was a word thrown to provoke Dialugia, I noticed that Dialugia¡¯s expression had changed. She looked at me absurdly, as if asking what the heck I was going on about.


    ¡®Fuck¡­ I am also popr, you know.¡¯


    I was loved by some unique people, but at least it was not enough for me to be treated like that. No wonder my face heated up as she continued to look at me the same way one would look at an insect. In that moment, I saw Tol To-ri, no Dialuria, and Max running to us after sses were finished.


    Although her body trembled, she and I yed a good rtionship in front of her. As I pulled her body as tightly as possible, Dialugia nced at me and frowned.


    However, it was natural that she would be unable to push me away. She must be conscious of Dialuria. Dr. Kang Hyun-wook¡¯s solution was still in progress.


    ¡°Dad! Today¡­!¡±


    ¡°Everyone was watching, Dialuria. I can see how hard you have been working.¡±


    ¡°Hehehehehe!¡±


    ¡°Aside from sses like this, you are working hard on what your mother is teaching you, right? What do you think, Dialugia?¡±


    No wonder I looked at Dialugia with my eyes full of love. Dialugia, who had been showing her rotten expression until now, was also acting with love for her daughter.


    ¡°I saw it well, honey. You were amazing, Dialuria. Especially, thest swording demonstration is really¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­ ¡­¡±


    Of course, Tol To-ri¡¯s eyes, who harbored a twisted characteristic, would see the two of us disapproving. The way she looked at her mother was scary in itself.


    Dialugia looked a little embarrassed, but I began to express affection with the momentum that I would give infinite love, and she nced at me as if telling me to stop.


    ¡®Screw you, woman.¡¯


    It was dreary and timid revenge, but I didn¡¯t care at this point.


    ¡°Oh. Our youngest son, too, I watched you well.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes.¡±


    ¡°You are getting along with Dialuria, right?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes¡­ Yep, Father.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    In fact, it didn¡¯t feel like they were getting along very well. Max, the museum manager, who had not forgotten the body-hammering of their first meeting, was still struggling with Tol To-ri, and Tol To-ri still did not like her younger brother.


    I usually thought that this was a problem to be solved by time, but it was taking longer than I thought.


    Anyway, as the ss visitation, which I thought was a big task, ended, and as we had a good time after eating together on the way back to the nest, I didn¡¯t see the time to leave for Laios fast approaching.


    As expected, Tol To-ri cried and grabbed my pants, and he did not express it well, but the manager also showed signs of disappointment.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon, so you have to listen to your mom and wait. Max, also take good care at managing the museum, and the opening seems to have to be dyed a little more because something has happened¡­¡±


    ¡°Yep. Okay.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Tol To-ri¡­ No, Dialuria. This time it won¡¯t take really long, so it¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Well, let me hug you. Come here.¡±


    Her appearance of jumping in immediately was quite cute. I even stopped as she ran towards me in dragon form.


    With the sound of Kieeeeeek! There was a lot of saliva on my face, but I didn¡¯t get upset.


    It felt as if Max was noticing the tearful breakup between a daughter and father. As I beckoned, he noticed this and approached.


    ¡®This one has also changed a little.¡¯


    There had been a strange increase in him acting like a baby. Originally, even when she was in a human form, our Tol To-ri was openly clingy, but in Max¡¯s case, he often took a position that seemed to be constantly watching out.


    Perhaps it could be said that it was a side effect of having connected with me too suddenly.


    Of course, as he was the No. 1 contributor that elerated the magical hologram¡¯s birth, I gave him the best care, but it was a different story from whether Max wasfortable with me.


    Only recently did he do this little by little, so I had no choice but to think that the guy had also changed.


    It didn¡¯t seem as if he didn¡¯t like to be treated as a child, as I saw a small smilee out in response to a single stroke on his head.


    ¡®He¡¯s cute¡­¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t help but mull over all the changes that had happened as I returned to the Guild House.


    It was because it was not only the background and Max that had changed.


    Blue also had undergone a huge change. Now, the newbies brought in as the Blue¡¯s second party, Lee Chang-ryul, Yoo Ahyoung, and Han So-ra, had grown to the point that they could no longer be called newbies.


    In particr, Lee Chang-ryul achieved a startling growth, but rather than stats and his talent levels, he had a colossal and fatal awareness of battle.


    As a cksmith, Yoo Ahyoung grew enough to handle Dialugia¡¯s scales, and although a littlecking as a tank, she was able to grow into a kind of front liner that could stand up stably based on her excellent stamina.


    The same went for Han So-ra. She still had herme one eye, but she was on the verge of a direct contract with the demons beyond the stage of beasts.


    Of course, it went without saying that her growth as a ck Wizard was a secret between us.


    Ahn Ki-mo was still the same, but he was putting all-out efforts to raise the second party to the level of the first party with Hwang Jeong-yeon, who officially became Park Deokgu¡¯s girlfriend.


    ¡®Of course, it will be impossible, but¡­¡¯


    Blue¡¯s main party could be said to be the best in the current country or continent. In Park Deokgu¡¯s case, who was now solidifying his position as a genuine tanker in name and reality, he hadn¡¯t changed so much, but his skills weren¡¯t stationary. He had gone up to a position with his crazy training, and in fact, he was able to fight with Kim Hyunsung¡¯s eternal lieutenant Cho Hyejin.


    Originally, Kim Ye-ri, a kid who could be ssified as a genius, had achieved terrifying growth and grew up with an appearance that could not be called a kid anymore, but for some reason, she did not grow at all in one ce. Sun Hee-young had also grown into a top-notch priest. She was given the title of Honorary Bishop that I had previously received, and she had a divine power worthy of its position.


    If I had to clear it up, Blue had be stronger and stronger. Not only by force, but also by political position, which had risen to the point where no one would dare challenge it.


    In fact, it was not an exaggeration to say that it was on the path to sess. Of course, even amidst such growth, some anxiety elements somehow bothered my nerves.


    There were two things, to be precise.


    One thing was Kim Hyunsung, the lovely returner, and¡­


    The other thing that amplified the anxiety more than him was Jung Hayan, who had been very quiet recently.


    ¡®It¡¯s too quiet. Fuck¡­ Why is she so quiet these days?¡¯


    Being able to make me so anxious without doing anything could be said to be one of Hayan¡¯s ability. The atmosphere was like the calm before the storm.


    Soon, the candle would blow out.

 Chapter 297: Time Has Passed (3)

    <h4>Chapter 297: Time Has Passed (3)</h4>


    In fact, there was not a big problem, even in Kim Hyunsung¡¯s case.


    He was still doing his job as a Guild Master quite well, and was also doing various things simultaneously as one of the state¡¯s Eight Seats.


    He took the newbies and went to a heroic-grade dungeon, and of course, he never neglected his personal growth.


    Although he was a little hated by Charlotte, it seemed that he had rebuilt their rtionship by meeting her regrly, and while also struggling to bnce himself with Cho Hyejin and Kim Ye-ri, he continued to meet with Park Yeon-joo, the Guild Master of the ck Swan.


    He was a handsome and capable guy, so it was no wonder a lot of women got hooked.


    No matter what I was to think of it, he was having good days.


    Although everyone was busy with the Church¡¯s internal arrangements, no one could deny that they had a rtively rxing and peaceful time.


    The problem was that he was ufortable with ease.


    ¡®Tsk¡­¡¯


    ¡®Can I stay like this?¡¯


    It was natural that he often seemed to think these thoughts. Perhaps the thing from a few months ago was crucial.


    Actually, it was not much. In summary, it was a small event that happened to the guild members, but it was an event that could be ssified as a little fun from my point of view.


    Our returner, who had been serious for about two months, went ambitiously on an expedition after convening the guild members.


    I thought that the expedition itself was unreasonable because, at that time, I was very busy with internal arrangements, but of course, I had to think that there must be some reason.


    It was because it wasn¡¯tmon for that guy to summon all guild members, so I thought there might be a good reason. There had been a great sense of responsibility to prepare for one of the catastrophes that would happen in the future on Kim Hyunsung¡¯s expression, so I also had to be nervous.


    Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t seem to take the deceased into ount, but things could get wrong.


    In the case of other guild members, they had gone on an expedition, puzzled. But when I opened the lid, surprisingly, nothing happened.


    The only thing I could see in front of me was amon-grade underground dungeon, and the expedition members had no choice but to send a disconcerted expression to Kim Hyunsung.


    There were cute little monsters, and even non-starter monsters ced in the ck curtain ce that would drive Kim Hyunsung into a crisis in the future.


    ¡®Er¡­ I arranged this ce¡­ because I thought you had been too busy these days. This¡­ it is a pep rally. A pep rally¡­ Yes. That¡¯s right. I hope¡­ you can take a break.¡¯


    I still couldn¡¯t forget the guy¡¯s trembling face of the guy, whopletely had no talent for lying. He carefully searched the dungeon to see if his memory was wrong, but nothing could be found naturally. He confirmed with his own eyes that the future had indeed changed.


    He should¡¯ve been relieved, but on the contrary, he seemed to be noticeably nervous.


    It was heartbreaking to see our lovely returner anxious. Of course, I could understand to some extent. There must be many disconcerting things for him now.


    ¡®I think he thinks the future has changed too much¡­¡¯


    If it were in the first round, it would be time for the city where Park Deokgu and I were living to disappear from the map, and Deokgu would have crossed the rainbow bridge.


    It was also about the time when Yuno Kasugano would have discovered me in the ruins. There might be some time errors, but the rough calctions were indeed correct.


    In the ck world, I must have been recuperating in Yuno Kasugano¡¯s room by now.


    I did not know what happened in detail, but a city had been wiped out. There was no way this case wouldn¡¯t be reported in the first round because, whatever the reason, the city I looked at through Yuno Kasugano had totally crashed.


    That didn¡¯t happen in this round. The filthy killer Jung Jinho was also killed before he had managed to grow, preventing the birth of the Murderer n, and demon worshipper Ito Souta was also prevented from seizing Lindel or summoning demons due to the performance of the Honorary Bishop.


    Yuno Kasugano¡¯s Yozora Guild also increased their moves after meeting me. With the press¡¯s birth, some influential people started to act more carefully, and a sacred democracy was established in the country.


    There were already many significant cases. There was no way that the butterfly effect would not happen.


    Obviously, Ito Souta, Jung Jinho¡¯s agents, and those who were with them also wouldn¡¯t appear in this world. The number of the Murderer n itself had dramatically decreased.


    It was not surprising that the future disasters Hyunsung knew had disappeared, as it was also thanks to the Free Cities of Celia and Lindel¡¯s attention to security.


    It was right to be happy, but he¡¯d also be anxious about it.


    The big picture that ran through the continent may not have changed, but there was no way to be happy that the merit of knowing the future was fast disappearing.


    Kim Hyunsung poured his anxiety into concentration and training to be even stronger. He often traveled around the continent by himself and seemed to move with the intention of stepping on someone¡¯s tail.


    He was certainly in a situation where he could be at ease, but he was opting for a way to blow away his anxiety by whipping himself up.


    ¡®Because this bastard is feeling nervous¡­¡¯


    I had be nervous, too. In Kim Hyunsung¡¯s case, this was all. However, in Jung Hayan¡¯s case, the situation was a little different.


    ¡°Uh? Hey, hyung-nim!¡±


    I heard a voice calling out to me as I had been walking.


    ¡°Ah. Deokgu.¡±


    As I turned, Park Deokgu, who had not changed much, came into view.


    He was still the same, except that he had gotten a little bit bigger. It was a spectacle to see him running this way, being on the lookout. It looked like he was guarding me, but unfortunately, I was not under threat.


    ¡°I mean. It¡¯s dangerous to go around alone like this. If you had sent even one pigeon, I would have met you in the nest.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no danger¡­ we¡¯re not in another country. It¡¯s Lindel. Didn¡¯t Hayane along?¡±


    ¡°It seems she is stuck in her room today¡­ I asked her toe to meet you together, but she refused, saying there was work to be done.¡±


    ¡®This kind of thing makes me nervous.¡¯


    I¡¯m sure Jung Hayan would never have made this choice. She was not only strangely quiet, but there had been a small change in her behavior.


    ¡°Come to think of it, you¡¯re kind of separated from her these days¡­ Did you two fight?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s nonsense.¡±


    ¡°If you have any concerns, get a consultation from Dr. Park Deokgu¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing like that.¡±


    ¡°Even if it¡¯s Hyung-nim, you¡¯ll have a couple of worries. You¡¯re wee to speak frankly at any time.¡±


    ¡®I wish it had been a fight, you bastard¡­¡¯


    That¡¯s right. If we really had a love fight or something, I wouldn¡¯t be this nervous.


    In fact, her behavior hadn¡¯t changed significantly from the usual. I still could feel relieved that Jung Hayan had not stopped stalking me yet.


    She sometimes observed me through Anemone¡¯s Eyes, and when I went to meet her, she still stuck to me like crazy.


    She often insisted that we should go out on a date, and she still tried to have physical contact with me in any way.


    What had changed was that she had not been sticking to me for 24 hours like before. If I calcted the average amount of time we were together per day, it was less than 5 hours. It was an unbelievable situation if Ipared to the old days when she tried to stick with me all day long.


    I thought about whether she had matured or not, but the odds would be small.


    ¡®No. Maybe she has really¡­ matured, but¡­¡¯


    In fact, there were many times where I felt like she was trying to restrain herself.


    As a great example, when I went out to meet Hee-ra or Yuno Kasugano, she didn¡¯t even cause a scene, and even when I went out for dinner or didn¡¯te back to the guild house for some time with work, she didn¡¯te to look for me.


    She was still biting her lips, waving her hands, and telling me toe back quickly, but she seemed to have a notion that she should not cause trouble to these people.


    I couldn¡¯tin about that, but I felt like Jung Hayan herself was under more stress.


    I could see how stressed Jung Hayan was, just by looking at her.


    She bit her nails so much that her right fingernails were all messed up, and there were many times when she looked tired as if she didn¡¯t have a nice sleep.


    I even witnessed her muttering alone or screaming loudly, saying she was an idiot, so it was not unusual for me to tremble at the thought of what she could change into.


    Right now, she had been quiet and well, but her condition was like a bomb that might explode at any time. As this situation persisted for several months, there were times when I approached her first.


    ¡®She¡¯s not ying games with me, right?¡¯


    Of course, I couldn¡¯t picture Jung Hayan doing that. If this was a strategy, she was half-sessful. I had spent a lot of time actually worrying about Jung Hayan.


    ¡°What is she doing?¡±


    ¡°Well, it seemed the same as usual¡­ isn¡¯t Hayan going to Laios with you?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯ve heard that¡­ she¡¯s preparing for that¡­¡±


    ¡®Has she really matured?¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t imagine Jung Hayan waiting for us after packing things up first, but if Park Deokgu¡¯s words were true, I could think of the possibility that she had really matured.


    As I slowly walked, I arrived at the guild house in Lindel. The guild staff greeted me one by one, including the newbies and others.


    ¡°Hee-young-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Oh. You¡¯re here, Kiyoung-ssi. Do you need to leave right now? I have something to discuss with you about the Holy sector¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. I think I have to pack and go right away. If it isn¡¯t anything that will take long¡­¡±


    ¡°No. If so, I think it would be better to talk next time.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°No. No. There is no need to be sorry.¡±


    After greeting Sun Hee-young, it was natural to take care of Han Sora, who had decided toe with me.


    The urinary incontinence symptoms that popped up when she saw Jung Hayan were somewhat cured. I thought it would be appropriate to take her as an assistant because she had actually proved herself to bepetent.


    I couldn¡¯t keep Hee-ra and Yuno Kasugano, who wereing together, waiting again, so I had no choice but to go upstairs to pack.


    ¡®What is she really doing¡­ Is she really getting ready?¡¯


    Of course, even at that moment, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder what Jung Hayan was doing.


    It was the first time wherein she didn¡¯t show her face to me, even though I had arrived at the guild.


    It was just when I tried to divert my happiness circuit without even realizing it that something unusual happened. With a short bang, the door in the next room bounced out.


    ¡°I¡­ I did it. I did it¡­ it¡¯s done! Hehehehehe! It¡¯s done now!!¡±


    Hayan seemed to be in a good mood.


    Of course, I looked at the door. After seeing Jung Hayan in the room with my own eyes, I had no choice but to swallow hard.


    ¡®What is this¡­?¡¯


    I wanted tough because it was so ridiculous.


    ¡®Magic power¡­ her magic power stat¡­ Ny-nine.¡¯


    Jung Hayan stared back at me.

 Chapter 298: Magic Power Stat 99 (1)

    <h4>Chapter 298: Magic Power Stat 99 (1)</h4>


    ¡°O-Oppa! I did it!¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ Right¡­¡±


    ¡°I-I finally did it!!¡±


    I heard a voice that sounded very excited. And it was not just her voice. Her face was positively glowing, too. It was a sight to see her run over, opening her arms as if she were asking for a hug.


    It was the first time she had been running openly like this, so I couldn¡¯t help but feel a little embarrassed.


    As I opened my arms and patted her back, she sniffed and buried her face deeper into my chest.


    ¡®She¡¯s as usual.¡¯


    As usual, although nothing had changed, I was very concerned about the magic power that now fluctuated inside her body.


    ¡®Ny-nine magic power¡­¡¯


    It was ridiculous, but my ability never lied.


    I felt so disconcerted that I had to clear my throat. Of course, I expected that she would grow, but I never imagined it would increase so fast.


    When certain stats entered the 90 range, one¡¯s growth slowed noticeably.


    If the growth potential was heroic-grade or higher, it was almost impossible to level up, and even if it was a legendary-grade or higher, it was still not easy to raise the stats.


    In Jung Hayan¡¯s case, having magic power of 90 with a legendary-grade item and a case of sessful ownership, her stats had exploded.


    Although the magic power increased very quickly, it was, of course, an abnormal growth route and had its own side effects.


    She chose to increase the specs because of her desire to get stronger quickly, but she was in a situation where she had to take some time to review the path she got.


    After twists and turns, she got a magic power stat of 98, but the time it took to raise the magic power stat by 1 was about 3 to 4 years.


    In fact, Kim Hyunsung also judged that it would take a lot of time to assimte the things Jung Hayan possessed, and he expected that she would spend about a year only learning the magic she had learned from the legendary item, Anemone.


    ¡®She turned it over.¡¯


    She had turned it over perfectly.


    Jung Hayan, currently having magic power of 99, meant that she had assimted all the magical powers absorbed from the blood-stained gem, Anemone.


    Without that being enough, it seemed she had pushed through the limits.


    I hadn¡¯t seen her hold on to magictely, so I never imagined that she would grow so suddenly.


    ¡®So, it was this.¡¯


    This was the reason she was quiet. It seemed that she put some restrictions on herself.


    I didn¡¯t know the details, but I thought there might have been a promise with herself, such as refraining herself until she reached the goal.


    I had to be happy and apud, but thinking that a rugby ball, which could bounce anywhere, had risen to the ranks of Superman in name and reality, I couldn¡¯t help myself from feeling alert.


    ¡®How far did she get?


    I couldn¡¯t measure herbat power well.


    ¡®Fuck¡­ She mustn¡¯t be stronger than Kim Hyunsung, right?¡¯


    She was not.


    The growth bnce of Jung Hayan was too specialized for magic and intelligence. And in the first ce, the wizard¡¯s interpersonal battles could not bepared to that of a swordsman or a warrior.


    However, at least in terms of firepower, I personally judged that she was not behind. I wanted to use thebat power meter Park Deokgu, but even if I were topare with Park Deokgu, if the current Jung Hayan¡¯s magic hit him, he would be a barbecue in no time.


    If I were to think about simple firepower, she might be in the top three of Lindel¡¯s, no, of the entire State.


    Naturally, I was happy and anxious at the same time. But for now, I thought that congratting her growth was the first thing to do.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Oh! M-My magic power has increased. It¡¯s ny-nine now! I can use magic that I haven¡¯t been able to use until now, and I think I can do experiments with things I¡¯ve been thinking about!¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s really great. Hyunsung said it would take a few years.¡±


    ¡°I-I worked hard, though. I¡¯ve worked hard thinking about Oppa. That¡¯s why I haven¡¯t been able to give you a lot of attention. Now we could be together a little longer. Hehe.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great. I also thought that Hayan wanted to be alone.¡±


    ¡°No! Absolutely not! Never! When I¡¯m with you, I always keep thinking about something else¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Okay¡­¡±


    I could tell what the other thoughts were, but I didn¡¯t ask in detail.


    ¡°You must be tired, then. It looks like you didn¡¯t sleep¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. Actually¡­ I am a bit¡­¡±


    ¡°I think I better go to Laios alone, right?¡±


    ¡°No! I-I¡¯m fine! I¡¯m not tired at all! L-let¡¯s sleep together. No, let¡¯s go together, Oppa. I¡¯m almost done packing!¡±


    I didn¡¯t even think I would be able to leave her anyway. When I nced into the room, I could see the inside as if it were in ruins.


    I was sure that she hadn¡¯t packed her luggage, let alone mine.


    I wanted to go without her as an unknown uneasiness kept rising, but it also worried me to leave her in this condition alone.


    There was some internal conflict, but it was only the right choice to take her. I could see her rush into the room and pack her things just in case I suddenly changed my mind.


    She had a smile, and seeing her even humming, it looked like she was thrilled.


    It felt like she had gained a lot of confidence.


    I could see her simply packing up her clothes and cosmetics as if she could buy everything else she needed in Laios.


    I also went into the room and packed my own luggage.


    After a while, I went down to the first floor with Jung Hayan, and from there, I could see Park Deokgu and Han Sora waiting for us.


    Han Sora felt a little surprised when Jung Hayan came down, but she remained calm. She realized that she was in a good mood, seeing her with a pleasant smile on her lips.


    ¡°Are you not going to say goodbye to the Guild Master?¡±


    ¡°I did it yesterday. Today, Hyunsung-ssi said he would not be able to meet us because he had something to do¡­ Let¡¯s leave quickly. We will bete.¡±


    ¡°Hey, we¡¯re thiste because Hyung-nim and Hayan came outte. But if we move fast, we will arrive on time. If not, I can run with all of you three.¡±


    ¡°I refuse that¡­ let¡¯s move. I think it¡¯ll be fine if we¡¯re a littlete.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    We said goodbyes once again to those who came and turned our backs.


    I could see Kim Hyunsung, who said he might not be able toe out. I was happy to see him, but I didn¡¯t bother to give him a flowery greeting.


    I smiled and held out my hand at the face of the guy who always seemed nervous recently, and he also held my hand and smiled.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back.¡±


    ¡°Yes. If anything happens, I will contact you.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Hyunsung-ssi.¡±


    This was the end of the goodbye as I didn¡¯t n to be away for long.


    I couldn¡¯t make the Red Mercenaries wait too long, so I walked as quickly as possible.


    Jung Hayan was holding my arm tightly and showing a triumphant expression. Park Deokgu had an anxious expression in case we would bete, and Han Sora was steadily maintaining a safe distance from Jung Hayan.


    In the meantime, Jung Hayan seemed to want to get a reward for being separated as she was gradually burrowing into my arms.


    In fact, I felt a little ufortable. But right now, I thought it would be better to let her do what she wanted.


    There was nothing good about giving her a bad mood.


    ¡®Did she think I¡¯d like it if she got stronger quickly?¡¯


    There must be such a reason, but I thought there was probably a slightly different exnation.


    When I recalled, it was after she saw someone powerful with her own eyes that Jung Hayan first started obsessing with power.


    She continued to go through situations in which she needed strength, and that memory served as her driving force and spurred her growth.


    If my prediction was correct, I might have a little headache to contend with in the first ce.


    As we chitchatted, I saw some people waiting for us in front of the meeting ce.


    It was definitely attractive to see her wearing clothes that reveal her body shape, just like when I first met her. The woman with red hair, the Guild Master of the Red Mercenary, and one of the State members.


    She was the Mercenary Queen Cha Hee-ra, who was called the number one in Lindel¡¯s name.


    She was still the same, rushing in this way and opening her mouth with her arm on my shoulder.


    Although Jung Hayan was startled for a moment, she did nothing but stare at Cha Hee-ra.


    ¡°You¡¯re a littlete, honey?¡±


    ¡°Oh. Because work ended a littlete¡­¡±


    ¡°Such an unbelievable lie¡­ Well, you must bete procrastinating in the guild house. Anyway, let¡¯s go. Oh, long time no see.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°How have you been?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    However, Jung Hayan¡¯s expression looked quite strange. It wasn¡¯t obvious, but it felt like she was measuring Cha Hee-ra up.


    She didn¡¯t look hostile, but it looked like she was trying to start something slowly.


    ¡®Fuck¡­ What¡¯s up with her?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know how to put it, but Jung Hayan, who slowly looked up and down at Cha Hee-ra, also kept moving her fingers up and down.


    Cha Hee-ra, who took me into the carriage with her arms around my shoulders, also stopped.


    I could see that she turned and looked directly at Jung Hayan. There wasn¡¯t any conversation, but somehow, I felt like I was being ignored.


    Jung Hayan¡¯s risk meter, Han Sora, hobbled and moved to Park Deokgu¡¯s back, thebat power meter, and the sudden situation dumbfounded Park Deokgu.


    It felt like a bomb was going to go off. It wasn¡¯t good timing for me to do something about it.


    The two were just looking at each other, and Jung Hayan wasn¡¯t particrly rude to Cha Hee-ra.


    ¡°Why? Do you have anything to say?¡±


    ¡°N-no¡­ actually¡­¡±


    ¡°But why do you look at people like that? Huh?¡±


    ¡°H¡­ How did I look?¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t fucking do this, you two¡­¡¯


    Suddenly, the surroundings be quiet. Those who gathered to go to the Laios together and the voices that were heard from the surroundings could not be heard.


    I suddenly wanted to pray to Goddess Benigore right at this very moment.


    Whether it was unfortunate or fortunate, Jung Hayan lowered her head a little, and Cha Hee-ra smirked and started talking to me once more.


    Of course, the arm on my shoulder and her chest position, which was strangely close, were still there.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go in, honey.¡±


    It was then that Jung Hayan opened her mouth.


    ¡°I think¡­ you¡¯d better put that arm away¡­¡±


    She was whispering to herself, but it was loud enough for us to listen.


    ¡°O-O-Oppa seems to be ufortable¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t fucking really do this, you two¡­¡¯


    Jung Hayan was smirking. Cha Hee-ra¡¯s own expression was unreadable.

 Chapter 299: Magic Power Stat 99 (2)

    <h4>Chapter 299: Magic Power Stat 99 (2)</h4>


    It felt like the air was getting heavier.


    I didn¡¯t know why, but it was getting harder and harder to breathe. An unknown pressure had bloomed within this atmosphere.


    ¡®Fuck¡­¡¯


    Jung Hayan, too, was not doing any other threatening actions.


    I had no choice but to pray that she would not do a crazy thing, like openly being hostile to Cha Hee-ra. However, the fact that her behavior was a little strange was undeniable.


    I didn¡¯t know how to put it, but it might be appropriate to say that she was acting up.


    Of course, Jung Hayan and Cha Hee-ra didn¡¯t have a vertical rtionship, but Cha Hee-ra had the upper hand in this.


    The madwoman with her red hair was the only anger control disorder therapist in Lindel, and the treatment was in some ways valid for Jung Hayan.


    Since there was a gap between the two that could not be filled, Jung Hayan lowered her head first.


    The reason why Jung Hayan suddenly took this position was simple.


    ¡¯99 magic power.¡¯


    Now she must be thinking she was stronger.


    ¡®Is this animal kingdom or something?¡¯


    Cha Hee-ra¡¯s bncing had ended in Jung Hayan¡¯s mind. It would be appropriate to say that it was a small struggle that had started within Jung Hayan.


    I didn¡¯t know if I was reminiscing about the revolution that took ce in the Holy Empire, but it felt like seeing a young challenger showing his teeth to a male who monopolized a female.


    It was natural to reminisce an intense struggle.


    Of course, in my case, the genders were reversed, but the fact that I was in a simr situation was undeniable.


    It was a spectacle to see the two slowly exchanging words while making the situation more ufortable. I bet, if these two had nothing to do with me, I would have escaped from this situation straight away.


    Just like Han Sora, who was already far away.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I think¡­ Oppa is u-ufortable¡­ nothing else¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think there is no other reason¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re¡­ m-misunderstanding¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not misunderstanding¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really mistaken¡­ it¡¯s true. I don¡¯t mean anything else. I told you. It¡¯s just because Oppa looks u-ufortable¡­¡±


    ¡°Sister, do you think I¡¯m a moron?¡±


    The atmosphere had changed in an instant.


    Of course, I thought I had to intervene, but Cha Hee-ra blocked me, tantlying forward as if telling me to shut up.


    In no time, she had stridden towards Jung Hayan.


    There was a slight height difference, so Cha Hee-ra was looking down at Jung Hayan, and Jung Hayan was looking up at Cha Hee-ra. However, Hayan looked confident.


    ¡°You know you¡¯re annoying me right now, right?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I do¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Now, you¡¯re talking to me informally.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­¡±


    ¡°So why are you ring like this?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you¡¯re talking about. I¡¯m j-just as usual¡­i-it seems like eunni disapproves of me. E-Eunni, you don¡¯t like me, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I guess you went crazy, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­ ¡°


    ¡°I think I know why you¡¯re doing this sh*t, but if you don¡¯t want to die, look down.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t say it twice, newbie. If you don¡¯t want to have your delicate neck twisted, look down right now.¡±


    Suddenly, I felt as if I was suffocating.


    Until now, I felt like it was hard to breathe, but suddenly, something seemed to be stuck in my throat.


    Cha Hee-ra started threatening Jung Hayan by drawing up all her energy. I wasn¡¯t sure if it was her magic power or killing aura, or whatever, but I just knew I had to leave right away.


    It was hard to imagine how much pressure Jung Hayan would feel since even I was feeling it.


    ¡®Fuck¡­¡¯


    No wonder I looked at Cha Hee-ra with my Mind¡¯s Eye.


    I could see in real-time that her intelligence stat was going down, little by little.


    Of course, her strength stat was constantly rising.


    She was using her unique characteristic to reduce intelligence and increase strength. It felt like they were really going to fight, and my feet moved without my knowledge.


    I thought Cha Hee-ra to be at least rational, but considering that her title was a Blood-Thirsty Madwoman, a red madwoman in the Holy Empire, her temper was far from rational.


    It was not an exaggeration to say that her current position and being a group leader were giving her a cosy of someone normal.


    To put it, she was a lioness with chains on her own, a mad dog who was holding her temper.


    It was true that a young challenger had nudged a sleeping lion¡¯s nose.


    ¡®Stop it, Hayan¡­¡¯


    There was a reason as to why she had reigned as queen of Lindel for years.


    Actually, I know what Jung Hayan was thinking. Her magic power stat was 99, and she had actually grown to an unparalleled level from before.


    Judging by those who can be said to be powerful, for example, Garrosh & Cash¡¯s Gal Oh-sik and Im Li-dan, too, were no match to Jung Hayan.


    However, in Cha Hee-ra¡¯s case, the story was a little different.


    ¡®Strength 98.¡¯


    The basic strength was 98, and also, it was possible to move the intelligence stat to the strength stat flexibly at any time.


    ¡®Strength 101, 103, 106.¡¯


    As the strength continued to increase, the intelligence decreased.


    While I was worried that the same situation as thest time would happen, I had to look at what kind of action Jung Hayan would take.


    Biting her lips tightly and her eyes filled with strange spite, her face seemed to be getting more and more angered.


    This was not a catfight. It felt like bloodshed.


    Hayan indirectly challenged her, and the red-haired madwoman was now trying to stamp out the new challenger.


    I bet, if Jung Hayan had been a person who had nothing to do with me, the incident would have happened no matter what.


    ¡®Does she think she¡¯s stronger?¡¯


    She might have thought it was worth trying, but the reality was a little different.


    I also didn¡¯t doubt that Jung Hayan was strong, and I thought that she could actually be a match to Cha Hee-ra, but when I opened the gift box, I could confirm that the experience and years between them were different.


    ¡®She¡¯s stronger than I thought.¡¯


    Even though her ss was the Mercenary Queen, considering that she didn¡¯t carry a weapon, she was even more than that.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    When they were spending some time with each other, finally, one of them started to lower their tail.


    Of course, this fight¡¯s winner was not the new challenger, but the red-haired madwoman guarding the throne.


    Jung Hayan began to lower her head as she talked slowly.


    ¡®Yes¡­ Do that.¡¯


    As if she felt it was unfair, tears were forming in her eyes, and her hands were trembling.


    Now, when she just thought that the world belonged to her, the wall she thought she could ovee blocked her once again, and it seemed that tears of injustice had burst out.


    ¡°Haaap¡­¡±


    ¡°If you were like this from the beginning, we wouldn¡¯t have to do this. I told you when we first met.¡±


    ¡°Hic¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember exactly what I said, but¡­ did I tell you to learn how to kill a killing aura? I think so. Isn¡¯t it right, honey? Today, I will teach you one more thing, sister.¡±


    ¡°Hic¡­¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re not sure, don¡¯t try. Don¡¯t mess with me. Do you know what I mean?¡±


    The situation ended with Cha Hee-ra patting Hayan¡¯s shoulder like that.


    It was a very short time, but it seemed even longer to me.


    Cha Hee-ra stroked Jung Hayan¡¯s head as if it wasn¡¯t a big deal, but the challenger wouldn¡¯t have overreacted like that if she thought it was nothing.


    In fact, it was correct to think that she moved because she felt threatened to some extent.


    ¡°Honey, you can alsoe here and talk to her. Well, it¡¯s good if youfort her, and make her understand what I¡¯m saying¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ okay, Nuna.¡±


    ¡°I said it first in case something happenster, but if this happens next time, I won¡¯t stay still. You know what I¡¯m saying?¡±


    I understood this enough.


    It would cost a life.

 Chapter 300: Laios, the Neutral Country (1)

    <h4>Chapter 300: Laios, the Neutral Country (1)</h4>


    I still was anxious, but pressuring Jung Hayan had been done properly. I really wanted to get mad and ask what crazy thing she was doing, but I couldn¡¯t say that right now.


    Jung Hayan wanted to annoy Cha Hee-ra little by little, and Cha Hee-ra had overreacted.


    I thought they both had their own faults.


    If I were to take Cha Hee-ra¡¯s side too much, it might cause other problems.


    First, after pointing out Hayan¡¯s attitude, I started by saying that she should show a little more respect, and I also expressed that I wasn¡¯t really ufortable.


    Of course, it was natural to tter her in the midst of that by saying, ¡®thank you for thinking of me¡¯ or ¡®I understand you.¡¯


    When I first pressed her a little harshly, she had produced thick tears, but after that, I could see that her face melted at the other benefits that flew in.


    Everything didn¡¯t go as she thought, but I was satisfied as to how it had ended.


    ¡®Damn.¡¯


    It felt like she was still thinking the way she wanted to.


    Of course, she had nodded at my stern warning, but I had doubts about how far this effect would go. This was only a preview of the disaster that was toe.


    Seeing that she had shown her teeth to Cha Hee-ra right after gaining strength, it was evident that she would do this to others even more.


    If she was left alone, even if she was quiet right now, an incident would definitely happen someday.


    In the first ce, magic was a difficult area for me to understand.


    It was hard to imagine what a wizard like Jung Hayan can do when they got enough momentum.


    ¡®Although it is difficult¡­¡¯


    Nevertheless, Jung Hayan was very important to me.


    In a way, this was no different than an equivalent exchange. If the price of dealing with Jung Hayan magician was to care for her mentality enough, it was a business that I could do.


    The problem was that it became strangely dangerous, but considering the future, this could be well-tolerated.


    Of course, she was not the only one who I needed to take care of.


    However, Cha Hee-ra was much easier to care for than Jung Hayan.


    Among the people I knew, she was one of those Imunicated the best with. At least, until she turned crazy.


    From my perspective, the two should stay the same without any friction. However, it was not that easy to solve other people¡¯s work.


    Of course, Jung Hayan wasn¡¯t starting any quarrel with Cha Hee-ra, but anyone could feel a strange atmosphere between the two of them.


    Park Deokgu and Han Sora, who specialized in detecting Jung Hayan¡¯s dangers, was no exception.


    ¡°So, recently, I felt like Hayan had a sharp edge!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ right.¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s what I¡¯ve said many times. We haven¡¯t had time to do anything properly because we¡¯ve been busy, but, naturally, even Hayan is stressed!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s definitely time to refresh. In fact, Hee-ra also had a little edge in her reaction, but Hayan¡¯s eyes were a little harsh, too. It¡¯s hard to define just what¡­ honestly, I was a little scared, too. I¡¯m sorry to say this, but I just wanted to leave.¡±


    As I slowly turned my gaze toward Han Sora, I could see her trembling.


    ¡°You can believe it because I definitely saw it with my love dating expert Park Deokgu¡¯s eyes. Honestly, it seems like Hyung-nim and Hayan are getting along well, but the progress is too slow, and since Hyung-nim is so popr, every woman sticks to you like this! And like that! Ahem. No matter how freely this continent thinks about love, people like Hayan, who is too soft and can¡¯t kill a single ant, get too stressed out about this. Yes, absolutely! Isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Sure¡­¡±


    I was curious about where the information ¡®being unable to kill a single ant¡¯ came from, but there was no energy left to tackle Park Deokgu¡¯s words.


    Han Sora, the biggest victim of Jung Hayan, was also staring at Park Deokgu as if he was talking bullsh*t, but for the sake of her social life, she nodded meekly.


    However, with her lips tightly closed, she seemed to be preparing for the real situation that mighte.


    ¡°It¡¯s a good idea for you two to go on a trip sometime. The territory from the man said to be that Nabot Baron, no, now he¡¯s a senator! Didn¡¯t he say there was such a thing as a Mirror Lake? You can go out there sometime, enjoy the boat, have dinner, and then it¡¯s the best if the carriage gets cut off¡­¡±


    ¡°We have to go around here for a long time to get to the Mirror Lake. And why would the carriage be cut off? I have a griffon.¡±


    ¡°Of course, that¡¯s all excuses. That¡¯s what they usually do. Ahem. I can¡¯t say¡­ exactly, but that¡¯s what they usually do.¡±


    ¡°I may go out to y someday, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Not now. You mean this?¡±


    ¡°We can take a rest in Laios. They¡¯ll be taking care of us there. Of course, after that, we¡¯ll have to move busily, but we can still rest. Anyway, as you said, I should go out with Hayan.¡±


    Even Yuno Kasugano¡¯s trip to Laios was also scheduled.


    Except for Lee Jihye, who was in the ck Swan, all those rted to me were gathered.


    There was no need to exin that I felt a little guilty as much as there had been an incident with Yuno.


    ¡®Fuck¡­¡¯


    Of course, I just said nothing had happened at the time.


    Rather, I escaped the crisis by getting angry, but there was no doubt that Jung Hayan had not forgotten about that.


    As she revealed her teeth to Cha Hee-ra, there was no guarantee that she would not do so to Yuno Kasugano.


    ¡®She¡¯s different from Cha Hee-ra¡­¡¯


    Although strong enough to rise to the Eight Seats of the Empire, Yuno Kasugano was the support-type.


    If I measured her in terms ofbat power, Yuno Kasugano couldn¡¯t handle Hayan.


    ¡®She¡¯s not going to do crazy things like when we were in the Shrine.¡¯


    Since the Jung Hayan regression case, there was no way that she had been thinking of such crazy thoughts until now.


    However, it was worth considering that, upon having a lot of time alone with her, as Park Deokgu said, as much as something could happen.


    While pondering, Park Deokgu opened his mouth again.


    Seeing that the subject hadn¡¯t changed yet, it seemed that he also took this case quite sensitively. Of course, he didn¡¯t seem to have the same worries as me, though.


    ¡°That¡¯s that¡­ So, what are you going to do about Hee-ra and Hayan? To be honest, I¡¯m definitely on Hayan¡¯s side¡­ Still, the atmosphere is ufortable. That atmosphere is more terrifying than fighting openly. I¡¯d rather try to make them talk¡­¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s probably the thought of those who wish tomit suicide.¡¯


    ¡°But I¡¯ve heard that there are a lot of problems like this on the continent these days. Since everyone is monogamous and polygamous, of course, there is such a thing as having a staring contest. Well, I had a drink with a friend in the past, and I heard that he also had two wives.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Who?¡±


    ¡°Maybe Hyung-nim knows¡­ It¡¯s Gal Oh-sik.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I know. That friend was quite useful¡­ How did you get to know him?¡±


    He was the one I wanted to make strings with.


    Seeing that he was quite close to Deokgu, I didn¡¯t have to do anything.


    ¡°Of course it is by a love consultation! In any case, he¡¯s running a n, and he earns good money, so it seems like it happened. But the problem is that the two don¡¯t get along. Every time they met, they stare at each other, they talk behind their backs, they raise their voices, and they fight, so my friend is in the middle having a hard time.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s not even having a hard time¡­ That¡¯s good enough.¡¯


    If it had been that much, I would have justughed off.


    Whether he understood me or not, Park Deokgu began to open his mouth, taking that guy as an example.


    It was a very long story, and honestly, I didn¡¯t care enough to listen.


    ¡°Ahem¡­ Well, that¡¯s what happened. Hyung-nim, you have to stay alert, too. It¡¯s good for the person in the middle to get in tune and bnce. There is the famous adage saying that the bnce of power must be maintained.¡±


    ¡°Never heard of it.¡±


    ¡°Well, anyway, it is nagging to say that Hyung-nim¡¯s role is more important than anyone else in this. Whatever it is, arrange a meeting once and make the two get close. This way, no one would suffer. Of course, it is important to take care of Hayan first. If Hyung-nim is going to have a rtionship with several people, it is correct to improve their rtionship little by little from now on. I bet it¡¯s really dangerous if it doesn¡¯t happen.¡±


    He must have said without thinking, but the words saying that it would be dangerous were true.


    Park Deokgu was right, by a hundred times.


    ¡®I have to do it somehow.¡¯


    I wanted to call Kim Ye-ri and Ahn Ki-mo to act once again, but they were not in this wagon.


    ¡®Are we almost there?¡¯


    Come to think of it. It felt like we had been on this wagon for quite a long time.


    In the middle of the conversation with Park Deokgu and Han Sora, I nced at the window, and I could see the background passing at a fairly fast pace.


    It was just a wild guess, but unlike the State, the exotdscape stood out a lot.


    ¡®Neutral country.¡¯


    This was the only country on the continent that stood for a neutral state.


    It was not as strong as the State or the Republic, but it was one of the countries that I thought had numerous possibilities.


    As it was located in the south, it was warm, had a wide variety of food, and close to the sea, making it a resort and travel destination often visited by foreigners from the State and the Republic.


    Although the purpose ofing here was far from rest or Jung Hayan¡¯s care, it was correct to take action as Park Deokgu had said.


    ¡°Thendscape is awesome¡­ Isn¡¯t that right, Hyung-nim? Isn¡¯t it Sora¡¯s first time to see such andscape?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Of course, this is the first time, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Anyway, Hyung-nim, this is an opportunity. Originally, a ce like this makes people more open! Obviously, Hayan must also be preparing herself.¡±


    I needed to find out more about what kind of preparation it was, but I didn¡¯t want her to be preparing herself.


    Of course, everything went ording to my wish.


    The carriage, which had been running continuously, stopped, and the door of the carriage opened. A little childish voice was heard.


    ¡°Wee to Laios, Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung and Mercenary Queen of Lindel.¡±


    We had arrived in the neutral country.

 Chapter 301: Laios, the Neutral Country (2)

    <h4>Chapter 301: Laios, the Neutral Country (2)</h4>


    As I got out of the wagon, I could see people roaming around with beautiful brown skin.


    I could definitely feel that I hade to another area. They looked different from the State people who were your typical white people.


    If Ipared them with the races on Earth, it seemed like I was seeing people from South America. Their healthy, stic skin and shiny ck hair stood out.


    The most interesting thing was how they were dressed. Everyone was wearing light clothes, unlike the typical medieval era.


    ¡®Because it¡¯s hot.¡¯


    The weather was quite hot because it was located further down to the south.


    Right now, I also wanted to throw away these cramped clothes.


    The inside of the wagon, where the temperature control magic was continually spinning, was okay, but I knew it would be hard to breathe outside.


    ¡®Ah¡­ so stupid.¡¯


    One thing I had overlooked was the attire of the Laios¡¯s people around me.


    ¡®It would be fine, right?¡¯


    The problem was that everyone was dressed too freely.


    In this ce, this would be a normal outfit, but honestly, I didn¡¯t know where to look.


    Like the dancers¡¯ clothes, they showed off their solid bodies, regardless of men and women, so naturally, I was worried about Jung Hayan.


    Jung Hayan, who was absorbed in magic training in the carriage, frowned as soon as she came out.


    ¡®I just need to be careful.¡¯


    If I didn¡¯t keep looking dumbly at them, there wouldn¡¯t be any other idents. Even so, Jung Hayan probably wouldn¡¯t do anything because she had gotten scolded beforeing here.


    Anyway, since they came to say hello, it was correct for me to greet them, too.


    While I was distracted by the exotic scenery, Cha Hee-ra had already finished with the greetings, so I also took a step closer.


    ¡¯15 or 16 years old?¡¯


    What I could see was a kid who looked like a middle school student.


    She had brown skin like the rest of them, but the distinctive ornament on the shiny ck braided hair stood out.


    It was a pretty noble face, but for now, I could see her greeting us politely.


    It was an old custom of Laios to tap the red diamond pattern on the forehead. It was awkward, but I also thought it wasn¡¯t bad to say hello in that way.


    Nothing was stamped on my forehead, but it was a natural act because I had to show that I respected Laios¡¯ culture as much as possible.


    If the person in front of me were a normal kid, I would have ended my greetings by only bowing.


    ¡®Pristina, the 27th Queen of Laos.¡¯


    Considering that the kid¡¯s identity, whoseplexion seemed to have been burned because of wandering outside, was the queen, there was no way I could treat her like an ordinary kid.


    ¡°I¡¯ll introduce myself. I¡¯m Pristina of the neutral country, Laios.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard a lot about you, Pristina-nim. It¡¯s a great honor to meet you. I didn¡¯t think you were going toe in person, but I don¡¯t know what to do with such hospitality.¡±


    ¡°No, Honorary Cardinal. It is an honor to be able to see the Honorary Cardinal, who is an important person in the State.¡±


    ¡°You can speak to me morefortably.¡±


    ¡°No. I can¡¯t. You¡¯re an important guest, so it¡¯s better to take you inside first.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡®It won¡¯t be easy.¡¯


    I just said hello for a moment. However, I was sure it would be hard to get what I could get from this conversation.


    ¡®The guard is strong.¡¯


    They knew very well why we visited such a distant ce. The purpose of this mission was to ally with Laios.


    Strangely emphasizing the word neutral and saying she couldn¡¯t treat mefortably, I felt their will to never get involved in my affairs.


    ¡®It will be so from their perspective.¡¯


    Being neutral was possible only when you had the power to protect your country.


    However, this small country in the southern part of the Sacred Democratic State and the Republic was rtively weakpared to the two countries.


    The number of named powerful people, the troops¡¯ quality, and even the foreigners were also poor.


    The reason why Laios could stand in a neutral position, despite being ironic, was the situation between the State and the Republic.


    This happened as they walked a tightrope between the two countries that had always been fighting from the past.


    In some ways, Laios was a strategic point between the two countries.


    There was also a way to cross the sea, as well as being able to go directly to other countries through Laios.


    From the Republic¡¯s point of view, if Laios joined hands with the Empire, they thought they might be left behind, and the same was true of the Empire¡¯s point of view.


    In fact, there were times when the Empire and the Republic considered how to split the country called Laios, which meant that this country had suffered unwanted pain between them.


    Some changes took ce after the Continental War II when the Empire and the Republic almost extinguished each other, and there was no choice but to choose a ceasefire.


    Laios deredplete neutrality, saying that they would not choose either the Republic or the Empire, and the two countries epted and respected it.


    I didn¡¯t know why the Republic and Empire at the time epted the Laios deration of neutrality, but I had to think that there were probably some political reasons intertwined.


    Perhaps it was because they were worried about whether or not the Laios would give power to the other side, or perhaps another talk came out with the armistice agreement between the leaders of that time.


    I didn¡¯t know whatever it was, but one thing was for certain: the Laios leaders were all wise.


    Political skills were also unusual, and I could be certain of their ability to walk on a string.


    ¡®It¡¯s great.¡¯


    It was by no means easy to maintain sovereignty while breaking your back among the great powers.


    Not as much as the State or the Republic, but they also possessed power.


    I didn¡¯t know what the foreigners from here were thinking, but perhaps the people who lived in Laios would have great pride in the country.


    Looking back, Jung Hayan was slowly following me whilst talking with Park Deokgu, and Han Sora was still maintaining her safe distance from the two.


    ¡®I can be relieved right now.¡¯


    Although she was on the lookout as if she felt upset, she didn¡¯t look like she would explode right away.


    If I told her to go out together tomorrow or the day after, she would loosen up and startughing at once.


    Apart from her, Cha Hee-ra and I, the main members of this mission, were walking on the street alongisde Pristina.


    Although it was peculiar to walk down the street without using a wagon, I felt like I knew roughly what this kid intended.


    ¡®This is a nice ce.¡¯


    Basically, there were smiles on people¡¯s faces.


    The standard of living itself did not seem very high, but I could see that they were happy.


    I didn¡¯t know if the continent also surveyed the national happiness index like the Earth, but this country would surely rank at the top if I were to evaluate them.


    The answer came just by looking at the people cheering for Pristina and her responding to their greetings one by one.


    The faces of the city¡¯s people were full of energy, and the tourists assimted to them did not look awkward.


    Those who hade from Dawan¡¯s side for recreation and those who wore clothes that were slightly different from the national dress style were probably the Republicans.


    It wasn¡¯t without any strange tension, but it seemed that they were trying to avoid the friction in this ce, where it was not ssified as a conflict zone under continentalw.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t know such a ce existed.¡¯


    I kept seeing unusual things in front of me.


    It was then that the kid with a bunch of things on her hair opened her mouth again.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard it¡¯s the first time that you two visited this ce.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s correct.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m curious as to how you two see our Laios.¡±


    It was obvious what answer she wants. And I can predict what she¡¯s going to say.


    However, it was such a reasonable argument that I didn¡¯t think it was going to be easy to refute.


    Cha Hee-ra slightly passed the answer to me, and I had no choice but to speak up.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice. People¡¯s faces are full of life, and everyone seems to be satisfied with their lives. In a way, I think it¡¯s ideal.¡±


    ¡°Thank you so much for seeing it this way. Since it is the Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung, who fought together for the ideals of the State people, who said that, I¡¯m happy.¡±


    She smiled a little and spoke again.


    ¡°It is as Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung sees. Of course, this country also has some problems, but I am proud of the previous kings¡¯ achievements, and I want to keep their ideals in ce.¡±


    I knew it would be like this.


    ¡°A lot of time has passed in, bringing the country that has suffered every time between the two powers during Continental War I and Continental War II. Also, with many small wars, famine, and invasion of outside forces, Laios has shed a lot of blood to protect the ideal and its independence. Of course, we are grateful to the State and the Republic people who consider our Laios very important¡­ To be honest with you, excessive interest is burdensome.¡±


    ¡°I can understand.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps that¡¯s why Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung came here. I¡¯m sorry to have to offer you a t refusal even before you bring it up. But as before, we have no intention of standing on either side. Of course, I said the same thing to the Republic, so the leaders of the State and the Republic won¡¯t have to worry.¡±


    This meant that she didn¡¯t want to go through hard times again.


    If additional weight was shaken to either the Republic or the State, everything that had been achieved so far can be lost.


    ¡®I can understand. Absolutely.¡¯


    This felt much like the power struggle between Jung Hayan and Cha Hee-ra.


    To sum up, I had to remain neutral, but I couldn¡¯t let Laios stay neutral.


    ¡®I look like garbage.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t help but think that I was a typical hypocrite.


    ¡°I didn¡¯te here only because of that matter, Pristina. I¡¯ll talk to you about other issues, but you were too hastily¡­¡±


    ¡°I see, Honorary Cardinal is right. I was a little hasty. But¡­ I hope you think it was a way to convey our meaning more clearly. Of course, it doesn¡¯t mean that we don¡¯t wee you. We at Laios are always ready to thank and wee those whoe here. Of course, it is also one of our tasks to wee your delegation to this ce.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°It is an old custom and pride here to thank a friend from afar.¡±


    ¡°Ohh¡­¡±


    ¡°You must be tired, so we will guide you through the room as soon as we enter. Oh. Come to think of it. You said that it was your first time in Laios. It¡¯s a little embarrassing for me to say this, but there¡¯s a lot for lovers to enjoy. I heard that Cha Hee-ra and Lee Kiyoung made good ties since the continent of foreigners. It wouldn¡¯t be bad to take a brief look around.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your consideration.¡±


    It was Cha Hee-ra who said thanks.


    She seemed to be in a good mood right away, but for some reason, I was afraid to look behind me.


    Like me, I didn¡¯t know if she was trying to smash my neutrality, but she was quite sharp.


    ¡°Looking like this, the two of you make a nice couple.¡±


    It felt like the temperature in the back was gradually decreasing.


    ¡®She¡¯s not doing this on purpose, right?¡¯


    There was no choice but to send a slightly suspicious expression to the battered blows that flew in.


    ¡°There is a rock that says that if you whisper love, you will be together for a lifetime, and many people who visit Laios often visit it together. If you have time tomorrow, perhaps you two¡­¡±


    ¡®Stop.¡¯


    I knew Pristina meant no malice, but I wanted to shut her mouth as of right now.


    Jung Hayan¡¯s expression looked positively dangerous.

 Chapter 302: Laios, the Neutral Country (3)

    <h4>Chapter 302: Laios, the Neutral Country (3)</h4>


    The sharp attacks were unsettling, but Laios was a more peaceful and livable ce than I thought.


    I didn¡¯t know if it was because of the exotic scenery or the unique nationality, but I thought I could see why so many people visited Laios.


    They hated quarrels and valued bnce and harmony.


    Most people made it their highest value, the one that ruled and controlled them, and some of their unusual behaviors reminded me of Earth¡¯s Buddhism.


    In fact, unlike the State, the prominent upations in Laios were monks and ascetics. Those who could be ssified as priests were different in nature from the Holy Knights owned by the State.


    If the crusaders¡¯ pursued faith in God, their pursuit was a spiritual discipline.


    In some ways, it seemed that religious issues could cause friction, but it was not.


    This was probably because the people of Laios believed in the Goddess Mahamara, who could be ssified as an ally of the Goddess Benigore.


    The doctrine of the Goddess Mahamara was not belief in herself, but the discipline and happiness of believers. I could be sure that their nationality¡¯s backgroundy in the doctrine of the Goddess that they were serving.


    ¡®It¡¯s a nice ce.¡¯


    As a result, the country as a whole was simple andcking in luxury.


    However, it was impossible to treat the guests of the State recklessly.


    It went without saying that we had received a magnificent banquet as a gift that could be considered quite magnificent from their standpoint.


    They must be thinking that they might make a mistake with the delegation.


    The State was definitely a big country. Even after the civil revolution, the State still stood at the center of the continent¡¯s political scene.


    It was apparent that they thought that they should notmit a mistake to our delegation representing the State.


    I had been invited to many ces in the meantime, but it was the first time that I had received hospitality sofortably.


    The dancers¡¯ dance was beautiful, and their culture and music were also good to see and hear.


    ¡°How was the banquet?¡±


    ¡°I had a fun and great time. I didn¡¯t know how to express my gratitude for the hospitality that is full of heart.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d you were satisfied. I was worried that the food and drink wouldn¡¯t suit your taste¡­ I¡¯m relieved. We have a separate building that you can use during your stay. Red Mercenary and Blue members can use it separately, so I hope you stay with the delegations that came together and take a slow tour of Laios tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your consideration, Pristina.¡±


    ¡®The treatment is good.¡¯


    I had felt it before, but she seemed to know how to make me in a good mood.


    That didn¡¯t mean that she was just obsequiously fawning over around.


    Since Pristina had already expressed her edgy rejection of the proposal to be with our side, this banquet would also be an apologetic expression.


    It was already dark, so naturally, I needed to sleep.


    When I got up, I felt like the drunkenness came all at once.


    ¡®Is the drink stronger than I thought?¡¯


    I thought it was a sweet drink, and this was happening since I had drunk it thoughtlessly.


    My body was tired from a long trip.


    Park Deokgu, who approached without a word as if he had noticed that I was struggling, grabbed me.


    Jung Hayan, afraid of being stolen, also grabbed my arm, and in the meantime, Cha Hee-ra took over my baton.


    She started directly dealing with the kid. She gestured as if telling me to leave.


    Park Deokgu nodded in reply, and I was able to leave the banquet after greeting roughly.


    ¡®I¡¯m very tired¡­¡¯


    Park Deokgu and Jung Hayan seemed rtively fine.


    Since there was a difference in stats, it seemed that I got drunk a little bit faster.


    Even Han Sora didn¡¯t seem to be as tired as I was, so my low stamina saddened me.


    ¡°Gosh. Didn¡¯t you have too much? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen you drunk like this.¡±


    ¡°Well. I¡¯m particrly tired today.¡±


    ¡°I understand you, too. It¡¯s a pleasant ce after a long time. Everyone seems to be nice, too.¡±


    ¡°Well, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, take a rest today and go around with Hayan tomorrow. I heard there are many things to see and do here and there.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Well, there is also a cave of truth, but it is said that it is the heritage of the Goddess discovered hundreds of years ago. I¡¯m not sure what it is, but it seems that there are many cultural heritages and preserves designated by continentalw. There is also aw banning the hunting of endangered monsters in Laios, so wouldn¡¯t these things be well-preserved?¡±


    ¡°Strictly speaking, even the State is strictly managing things rted to the Goddess Benigore.¡±


    ¡°Ah, does the State have such a thing?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, it seems like a much better ce than I thought.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡®I¡¯m tired to death.¡¯


    It would be a side effect of taking drinks from Jung Hayan.


    Jung Hayan held my arm, as if she were worried about me, and moved, but in fact, we were both being dragged by Park Deokgu.


    Not long after leaving, I could see arge annex.


    Exotic styles were still visible, but the inside of the annex was simr to that of the State.


    It must have been the ce where the State¡¯s delegation always came.


    ¡°I-I can take him on my own from now on.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I can take him to the bedroom.¡±


    ¡°Then you do that!¡±


    ¡°Yes. T-Then let me do it.¡±


    Park Deokgu raised his thumb towards me as if it was good, but unfortunately, I could not afford to do something.


    I felt like I would fall asleep any minute now.


    ¡®I¡¯m d I don¡¯t need to wash.¡¯


    Magic was quite effective in this case.


    After entering the spacious room, it was no wonder that I immediately spread out in the bed.


    Jung Hayan asked, ¡®Shall I wash you?¡¯ and all I could do was gesture a yes.


    Of course, I was thinking about what to do with Laios, even as I slowly fell asleep.


    It cannot be said that it was very urgent thus far, but the current State needed a reliable alliance. The Republic, our sworn enemy, was out of the question.


    In the case of the United Kingdom, they were prepared to pull out the sword on their guard, so the only ces we could try were Laios and other races.


    I started thinking about how to approach those who were constantly insisting on neutrality, but the problem was that I couldn¡¯t find an answer.


    It wouldn¡¯t be bad to find a weak spot and drag it, or worsen their rtions with the Republic.


    ¡®It¡¯s not good to approach too quickly. I¡¯ll wait and see.¡¯


    They treated us well on the surface, but they were already wary of us enough.


    ¡®My head hurts¡­¡¯


    Even though I could restfortably, seeing me thinking about this over and over again, I could say I was definitely a workaholic.


    As the kid Queen said, I felt like it would be nice if I could take a rest tomorrow without thinking about anything.


    With that thought, I closed my eyes and was able to jump out of bed at the same time as the sunlight shining on my face.


    It was morning already.


    ¡°Ugh¡­ my head.¡±


    ¡°Oppa, are you awake?¡±


    ¡°Ah, Hayan. What time is it now?¡±


    As I turned to the side where the voice was heard, I saw Jung Hayan walking around while holding arge bowl at the door.


    ¡°It¡¯s three o¡¯clock now.¡±


    ¡°Three o¡¯clock?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I-I thought you would get up by now, so I brought some warm stew. I made it myself! You just got up at the right time.¡±


    ¡°Is it already thiste?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I feel like I¡¯ve only slept for a few hours¡­ why am I so tired?¡±


    ¡°Y-y-y¡­ you overdid it yesterday.¡±


    Ah, that was right.


    As I nced at her quietly, I could see her wearing a big smile, apparently in a good mood. I had been worried about her the day before, but it seemed as if her emotions had improved overnight.


    It looked as if she slept well or was energized.


    ¡®Her skin is also very firm.¡¯


    It was hard to believe that we had a drink together.


    I didn¡¯t know if it was magic or not, but the gloss flowing on her skin looked as if she had even applied oil on it, and overall, she seemed to be in a better mood.


    I was also a little relieved by that.


    However, I couldn¡¯t help but be happy with her feeling better.


    ¡°Since¡­ you¡¯ll be tired, eat this and sleep a little more¡­¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s a little wasteful toe here to sleep. I can just drink a bottle of potion. What about Hee-ra? No. Is Deokgu still inside?¡±


    ¡°Oh. The two of them went outside with Sora. All the members of the Red Mercenary, too. I think they are going to take a tour in Laios today. They asked me to contact them when you wake up.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°We have a lot of time, so let¡¯s move slowly. Ah¡­ Wait, Hayan.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Yes?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been a little indifferent these days, right?¡±


    ¡°N-no¡­ Because Oppa is busy. Y-you have a lot to do, and I can understand.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for understanding.¡±


    I gave a kiss on her forehead, seeing her ears redden cutely. Anyway, I couldn¡¯t just sit still here.


    After inhaling the mingling and strange stew she brought, I immediately started to get ready.


    ¡®It would have been nice if Maid Alice was here.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t understand why I still called her a maid, but I was so tired that it made me think about all kinds of things.


    It was usually burdensome, but it was a pity that she was not here at times like this.


    No matter how much Jung Hayan tried to take care of me, there was a gap that cannot be filled between a professional and an amateur.


    Although I was grateful for her intention, Jung Hayan running around panting to take care of me was actually slowing down the preparations.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get out.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°It looks like we¡¯re going on a date after a long time. Right?¡±


    ¡°Ah! Yes! I-it is!¡±


    ¡®Okay. Today isplimentary.¡¯


    After that, I would have to join Cha Hee-ra anyway, but it would be important to Jung Hayan for us to be together even for a short time.


    Since she was already in a good mood, it wouldn¡¯t be bad to bring it to the top here.


    She could be quiet for a while, and it would be possible to improve her rtionship with Cha Hee-ra little by little.


    ¡®I might feel less worried¡­¡¯


    Thanks to Jung Hayan, even I was getting in a better mood.


    But as I thought everything would work out, it didn¡¯t take long before I realized that it was going to be twisted somehow.


    ¡®What is she doing here?¡¯


    She was now someone I had blurred memories of and couldn¡¯t remember her name well, but she was very familiar.


    The first time had I encountered her was at the ck market, and the second was when I got help with Cha Hee-ra¡¯s episode.


    The only Republican contact I knew, a member of the Five General Tigers, the Republic¡¯s pride, possesses a legendary-grade weapon, a whip that punished the Goddess, owner of the Woold.


    She also had one of the sh*ttiest characteristics I¡¯ve ever seen.


    ¡®Shaolin?¡¯


    I had no choice but to rush to turn around.


    ¡®Fuck¡­¡¯


    It was because I felt guilty.

 Chapter 303: Tiger’s Mouth (1)

    <h4>Chapter 303: Tiger¡¯s Mouth (1)</h4>


    ¡®It¡¯s not my lucky day¡­¡¯


    It was definitely Shaolin.


    The information in my Mind¡¯s Eye also confirmed that she was, without a doubt, the woman I had seen before.


    There was growth in her stats, but the characteristic was the same, and the ss and all aspects perfectly matched.


    The minions she always dragged around were also still the same.


    One of the minion¡¯s bags must have a legendary-grade weapon.


    They were looking around the shops on the street, just as I had chosen to take a leisurely stroll on the streets of Laios.


    Since I had met an unwee face on the street, obviously, I turned around immediately.


    ¡®Fuck.¡¯


    It had already been over a year since I got help on the condition that I would arrange a meeting in the near future.


    The letter that said ¡®Keep the promise¡¯ still lingered in my head.


    Since she was mighty crazy, just like Jung Hayan or Cha Hee-ra, I didn¡¯t know what she might do.


    If I let Jung Hayan bump into that crazy bitch, an ident would likely happen in the neutral area.


    Jung Hayan looked a little surprised as I suddenly turned around.


    I never expected to hear Shaolin¡¯s surprised voice.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Jung Hayan seemed a little confused, but the crazy woman¡¯s voice was clearly heard.


    ¡®Did she notice?¡¯


    As a particrly loud voice came from the heart of the streets filled with Laios¡¯ people and tourists, I had to pull Jung Hayan¡¯s arm immediately.


    ¡®Let¡¯s go quickly. Quickly!¡¯


    I was walking unconditionally without looking back, so I didn¡¯t know if she found us.


    ¡°Oppa, just now¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be disturbed by other people right now.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ O-oppa.¡±


    Jung Hayan didn¡¯t need to know that I had promised to have a secret meeting with the Republic¡¯s mad bitch.


    It was in no time that I managed to escape from the crowded area with Jung Hayan. However, my anxiety refused to die down.


    ¡®Is it better to go through the other side?¡¯


    Or¡­


    ¡®Would it be better to go to see Hee-ra right away?¡¯


    Jung Hayan began to whisper at some point.


    ¡°Er, Oppa.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I think there is someone following us.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°There are three people following us. I can¡¯t determine the exact location, but I think they are people we saw earlier.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure they¡¯re not the shadows from the Red Mercenary?¡±


    ¡°Yes. They¡¯re not those uncles. They look like the ones she had with her earlier. I don¡¯t know, but¡­ I think I¡¯m pretty sure.¡±


    ¡®Ah¡­¡¯


    ¡°What should I do?¡±


    ¡°For now, just leave them alone. We just have to give them the slip slowly. What about that person?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t see the woman. I don¡¯t know why, but I don¡¯t think they want to be spotted either. We¡¯re still a bit far away. D-Do you know them?¡±


    ¡°A little¡­¡±


    It was nice to hear that they didn¡¯t want to cause a big problem, either.


    I thought it would not be bad to go straight to her and say hello in a casual way, but¡­


    ¡®That bitch was a real crazy bitch, too.¡¯


    She was a VIP of the ck market, and I could tell she was insane just by looking at her eyes.


    I didn¡¯t know what it meant to have Strangler Romanticist as a characteristic, but I didn¡¯t want to die from being choked at this age.


    Aside from not thinking right, she would probably have violent reactions if she so much as got upset.


    Of course, Jung Hayan was more likely to react to the reaction.


    Since I had confirmed that she was in Laios, I thought it would be better to contact her separately.


    For now, I thought it would be better to get out of here quickly, pretending not to have seen her.


    I had dragged Jung Hayan, moving to the most crowded ces, and then we started to wander around the outskirts of the city.


    In the meantime, she swelled her cheeks, feeling disturbed, but, of course, I couldn¡¯t just focus on this date.


    Jung Hayan was constantly live-broadcasting about the people following us, and I had no choice but to worry about when the crazy bitch with the whip would find me.


    Even Jung Hayan was also quite alert.


    When I thought back to the Lindel terrorist incident, it was not unreasonable for her to be sensitive.


    Even back then, it had started like this.


    Eventually, we wandered around a couple of store alleys, and we often used her magic to get rid of them, but¡­


    ¡®Where are we?¡¯


    The problem was that we hade quite far.


    I wasn¡¯t flustered as we weren¡¯t lost, and I had the most reliable bodyguard next to me, but I felt frustrated thinking of the way back.


    I came out looking forward to enjoying Laios, but I couldn¡¯t help but sigh.


    Although Hayan wasn¡¯t showing openly, she was also a little bit bitter. It had been quite a long time since we had gone out together.


    It was actually a time that she was really looking forward to, and since I didn¡¯t know when I would be free again, today was a very precious opportunity for Jung Hayan.


    Her happy ns were interrupted by an unexpected visitor.


    ¡°We¡¯d bettere out again next time. Today was kind of crazy.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­ Oppa.¡±


    To sum up, the initial purpose of making Hayan feel good was already ruined.


    I had to pray that having a meal in a decent ce would help Jung Hayan cheer up.


    All the good ces nearby were also open, and I thought it was time to eat, so I held Jung Hayan¡¯s hand and went to a suitable ce.


    ¡®What can I say to Hee-ra?¡¯


    As much as I had to cheer Jung Hayan up, thinking about having to spend time with Cha Hee-ra also gave me a headache.


    As I chose the right ce and went inside, the interior was quite pleasing.


    There was a luxurious feeling in its own way, and seats filled with people also looked fine.


    What was a little strange was that there were many people with dark hair and not the brown-skinned Laios.


    Even white people who seem a little different from the State people stand out.


    ¡®What is this¡­?¡¯


    I immediately realized that something was wrong.


    As if representing my uneasiness, my Mind¡¯s Eye reacted quickly.


    [Checking the status window and talent level of the yer Valentin Alexandro.]


    [Name: Valentin Alexandro]


    [Title: Ronaf¡¯s Monster, Ronaf¡¯s yer, One of the Republic¡¯s Five General Tigers]


    [Age: 39]


    [Disposition: Simple Ignorant Killer]


    [ss: Ronaf¡¯s Brawler (Heroic)]


    [ss Effect: Acquisition of Basic Martial Arts Knowledge]


    [ss Effect: Acquisition of Intermediate Martial Arts Knowledge]


    [ss Effect: Acquisition of Advanced Martial Arts Knowledge]


    [ss Effect: Acquisition of Advanced Magic Power Management Knowledge]


    [Stats]


    [Strength: 97/Growth potential: Legendary or higher]


    [Agility: 89/Growth potential: Legendary or higher]


    [Health: 91/Growth potential: Legendary or higher]


    [Intelligence: 31/Growth potential: Common or lower]


    [Durability: 87/Growth potential: Heroic or higher]


    [Luck: 32/Growth potential: Common or lower]


    [Magic Power: 61/Growth potential: Heroic or higher]


    [Attribute: Anger Control (Legendary)]


    [Overall: I feel sorry for the low magic power, but the strength, agility, and stamina are bncing it. Neither the disposition nor the attribute is very good. I would not rmend spending a long time with such a person. I mean, if yer Lee Kiyoung doesn¡¯t want to die quickly.]


    ¡®What the¡­¡¯


    What stood out was a white man who is as big as Park Deokgu. No, he was even bigger than Deokgu. He also had a long wound on his face that imposed on his intimidating aura.


    He seemed to be an unusual martial artist and considering his advanced magical power management knowledge as his ss effect.


    The disposition itself seemed dangerous, but what was bothering me the most was the title of one of the Five General Tigers of the Republic.


    ¡®Fuck¡­¡¯


    There was one more person who stood out beside him.


    It was the guy sitting at the center of the table with ck hair and a body shape simr to me.


    He was no doubt Chinese. Unlike me, who looked a little bit sneaky, his easy-going impression stood out, but the stats themselves did not seem like that at all.


    [Checking the status window and talent levels of the yer Jin Qing.]


    [Name: Jin Qing]


    [Title: Bookmaster, Sage on the Battlefield, One of Republic¡¯s Five General Tigers]


    [Age: 30]


    [Disposition: Premeditated Tactician]


    [ss: Legion Wizard (Legendary)]


    [ss Effect: Acquisition of Basic Magic Knowledge]


    [ss Effect: Acquisition of Intermediate Magic Knowledge]


    [ss Effect: Acquisition of Advanced Magic Knowledge]


    [ss Effect: Acquisition of Advanced Summoning Knowledge]


    [ss Effect: Acquisition of Advanced Magic Power Management Knowledge]


    [Stats]


    [Strength: 65/Growth Potential: Heroic or higher]


    [Agility: 75/Growth Potential: Legendary or higher]


    [Stamina: 89/Growth Potential: Rare or higher]


    [Intelligence: 99/Growth Potential: Heroic or higher]


    [Endurance: 77/Growth Potential: Rare or higher]


    [Luck: 67/Growth Potential: Rare or lower]


    [Magic Power: 97/Growth Potential: Heroic or higher]


    [Attribute: Unable to read.]


    [Overall: A mage with perfect bnce. The stats and talent levels stand out that make me sorry to evenpare it with yer Lee Kiyoung, but I won¡¯t mention it. Unfortunately, the magic power level seems impossible to grow any further, but the intelligence level of 99 and high basic stats are more than enough to offset the shorings.]


    The remaining one was also one of the Five General Tigers of the Republic.


    The other scums were also quite skilled.


    ¡®Are they having dinner or something?¡¯


    Obviously, I felt like I had to get out of here as soon as possible.


    Jung Hayan, who didn¡¯t notice, looked at me and urged me to go in quickly, but I didn¡¯t move.


    The attention was now focused on me because of the sudden appearance of a customer.


    The Russian,rger than Park Deokgu, was also looking at this side, as well as the Chinese, who had ridiculous stats as a wizard.


    ¡®Would it be weirder if they don¡¯t recognize me?¡¯


    I thought maybe they wouldn¡¯t recognize me, but it was more likely that my face was better known than I thought.


    No, even if that¡¯s not the case, they would likely expect me to be a member of the State.


    The first to get up was Valentin Alexandro, who had arge body. His monstrous body seemed even more imposing now.


    ¡°Imperial people, no, are they now state people?¡±


    His raspy voice made my hairs stand on end.


    The Chinese Jin Qing was looking at me, tapping on the table, and there was an amused look on his face.


    I didn¡¯t know about the others, but at least he seemed to know me.


    I could feel Jung Hayan slowly releasing her magic when she noticed something was wrong, so I had to hold her hand tight for now.


    There were two on this side, and a lot more on the other.


    There were even two of the Five General Tigers of the Republic, and Jung Hayan might not know, but, right now, it was hard for me to be treated as a man of strength.


    If we were to get into a fight, it would be us who would die, without a doubt.


    ¡®Although it¡¯s a neutral area¡­¡¯


    There was no guarantee that a battle would not take ce. I didn¡¯t know if this was for better or for worse, but I also heard a familiar voice behind me.


    ¡°These dickheads. How can they miss it? Useless bastards. They are all trash.¡±


    ¡®Sh*t¡­¡¯


    The retreat was blocked entirely.


    It will be ridiculous for them, but I had no choice but to open my mouth with thick skin.


    ¡°Shaolin, you were here!¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know how much I have been looking for you. Hahaha.¡±


    Her reaction wasn¡¯t that good, but well.


    ¡°You still look beautiful as ever.¡±


    Jung Hayan¡¯s expression crumbled entirely.

 Chapter 304: Tiger’s Mouth (2)

    <h4>Chapter 304: Tiger¡¯s Mouth (2)</h4>


    Shaolin¡¯s face was filled with perplexity.


    Her face seemed to ask, ¡®What is this bastard doing here?¡¯ She also seemed unable to respond to the sudden ttery.


    The big Russian and the Legion Mage, Jin Qing, looking over here, were observing us with an excited expression.


    They had noticed that we already knew each other.


    ¡°Is he a customer?¡±


    Jin Qing didn¡¯t say anything, but I could hear Valentin muttering alone in a tone of disappointment.


    I didn¡¯t know why he was disappointed, but one thing for sure was that we had to get out of this ce quickly.


    Only when I held Jung Hayan¡¯s hand tightly as if telling her to calm down that it felt like her breathing was a little more stable.


    ¡®She¡¯s not jealous.¡¯


    She was also extremely stressed.


    Since three strong people in the room were at her level just by looking at them, she was worried that my safety might bepromised.


    Looking at her with her head down and mumbling without paying attention to me, I thought she was doing some sort of image training, but it seemed like she was preparing for a situation if anything were to happen.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for thete contact, Shaolin-nim.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not enough to say it¡¯s toote. I¡¯m sure I told you. That if you don¡¯t keep your promise, I don¡¯t know what I would do.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I also wanted to contact you, but as you know, the State has suffered a series of serious incidents over the past time. I¡¯ve tried everything I could, but I didn¡¯t have time¡­ It was very hard for me, too.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I thought we bumped into each other earlier, but I think that was my mistake. And, if you¡¯re here to see ady, it¡¯s good manners toe alone, but why did youe with a woman? Besides, how did you know I wasing here?¡±


    ¡®Fuck¡­ I didn¡¯t think about that.¡¯


    I had made a mistake on my first line.


    Instead of ¡®You don¡¯t know how much I¡¯ve been looking for you,¡¯ I should have used lines like ¡®What a coincidence.¡¯


    She had a reproachful tone of voice, thinking that I¡¯d pried into information about the foreigners of the Republic.


    Even Jin Qing looked perplexed. They might have thought that I was paying attention to their movements.


    Of course, it was nothing like that. I just came in by ident, and I just met Shaolin by ident.


    However, it would be natural for these people to be suspicious that someone powerful from the State had entered such a ce outside the city.


    They thought I might have had a purpose.


    ¡°Perhaps you mistook somebody else for me. It was also a coincidence that I came to this ce. Anyway, you¡¯re still the same.¡±


    ¡°You, too. You still have that mouth. You still sing a different tune. You say it¡¯s a coincidence that you have just entered here among the many ces? I don¡¯t know how you got here, but you know it doesn¡¯t look good to you, right? Even if it¡¯s a good customer, he¡¯ll be an uninvited guest if hees too suddenly. Of course, I don¡¯t really care, but I¡¯m curious about what my friends will think¡­ I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anyone around, considering you came confidently. I think I¡¯m looking at a herbivore that walked in on his own to be eaten¡­ What should I do? Shall I eat it?¡±


    ¡®Fuuck¡­¡¯


    ¡°Who is it?¡±


    ¡°Oh. Valentin-nim probably knows him¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m asking who this is.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s the most popr in the Statetely? The Blue Vice Guild Master located in Lindel, the one chosen by the dragon, the first foreigner who received the position in the Holy Empire, one of the Eight Seats of the Church, and the Gigolo of the Mercenary Queen¡­¡±


    It was then that Valentin suddenly swung his fist against the wall.


    Jung Hayan, who reacted reflexively to the sound, immediately raised her eyes and moved her hand.


    A dagger was aimed at Jung Hayan¡¯s neck, but she quickly opened her mouth as if she didn¡¯t care.


    She seemed to be thinking of chanting the spell even at the cost of her life, but I couldn¡¯t ridiculously lose Jung Hayan like this.


    ¡°Stop!¡±


    The movement stopped, and the dagger, rushing toward her neck, also stopped moving.


    A line of blood was flowing from Jung Hayan¡¯s white neck, and Shaolin lowered the dagger.


    ¡°If you had chanted, you would have died. Although half of the people here would have died too, but¡­ that thing just now wasn¡¯t a big deal, so you don¡¯t have to get angered, wizarddy. That uncle is just a little hot-tempered.¡±


    ¡®So, what¡¯s up with him?¡¯


    ¡°Ohh. He had a thing with that red gori in the past. They broke badly at that time, I guess? The scar on the face was that gori¡¯s work. When the Mercenary Queen is mentioned, he¡¯s like that¡­ I think I shouldn¡¯t have talked about the Mercenary Queen.¡±


    I could see herughing. However, it felt like her level was quite high for her to crack such a simple joke.


    The guy, who looked like a bomb about to explode, was staring at this me with bloodshot eyes.


    Not only was he breathing hard, but he was starting to put pressure on me with energy.


    My legs almost fluttered for a moment, but pretending to be weak wouldn¡¯t help. I felt like a mouse dangling right in front of a cat.


    When Jung Hayan bit her lips tightly and held my hand, I felt better.


    It was then that he came swinging his fist without notice.


    ¡®Fucking¡­ crazy!¡¯


    Because of the wind pressure, all nearby objects were blown away, and a sound as if the air was being torn was heard.


    Jung Hayan bit her lips, and I also tried to move my hand, but, of course, I was also worried about Shaolin behind us.


    ¡®If I get hit, I¡¯ll die.¡¯


    I would get crushed, just like that.


    In fact, I somehow believed in Shaolin. However, that didn¡¯t eradicate the fear I had inside of me.


    As the fear of death struck right before my eyes, I immediately turned my head and looked for the bitch I could lean on to.


    However, Shaolin was already not there.


    Although I cursed, I rushed to make a seal. Jung Hayan was also trying to chant a spell again. However, it seemed as if this would not be needed.


    In a split second, Shaolin had appeared in front of us, holding out her whip.


    ¡®Sha¡­ Shaolin is the best!!¡¯


    Once again, a roaring sound was heard, and their voices came to me.


    ¡°What are you doing? Are you trying to kill him? Didn¡¯t I say he was my guest?¡±


    ¡°Let me go.¡±


    ¡°What if I don¡¯t? You¡¯re the one who should fall back before I lose my temper.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡®He is also a mess¡­¡¯


    No matter what I was to think, it was necessary to sort things out.


    The wild boar¡¯s face turned red and blue from anger, but Shaolin was also shaking her arms as if it was too hard to block that attack directly.


    She was a medium-to-long distance type to begin with, so it was correct to think that she went a little too far to block this attack.


    At this point, I wanted nothing else but to find a bathroom.


    Fortunately, there seemed to be one normal person among them.


    It was no wonder that they needed a leash to control these two crazy nerds.


    ¡°You better stop, Valentin, Shaolin. This is not a conflict area.¡±


    ¡®Legion Mage?¡¯


    It was Jin Qing.


    What I was curious about was that at one word, the Anger Control Disorder and the crazy bitch slowly stepped back a few steps.


    The big guy was still shaking his hands, but he seemed to be holding back his anger by turning the table into powder.


    Shaolin also took a few steps back without saying anything, and started getting her arm healed by her minion next to her.


    The easy-going looking parasitic guy, who stood up, continued to talk,ing in this direction.


    ¡°If you do it any longer, we will face a bad situation either. He was the first foreigner to receive the title of Honorary Cardinal¡­ He is one of those under the protection of the Temrs, managed by the Holy sector of the State. I don¡¯t know what they are, but perhaps one of them would have blocked it if Shaolin-nim hadn¡¯t stopped it.¡±


    ¡®He knows well¡­¡¯


    I had only been told that this was the case, but I hadn¡¯t actually tried to see if a Temr would really pop out.


    I had never seen the Temrs themselves, and I didn¡¯t know how they moved to protect me. I had only heard stories of them protecting those they were assigned to out of the blue.


    ¡®Just now was very dangerous¡­ Why didn¡¯t it pop out?¡¯


    I am worried that it will pop out after my head gets broken.


    ¡°The delegation from the State is still in Laios¡­ and even under continentalw, it is taboo to fight in neutral areas. Of course, it is also illegal to kill people from other countries. Being criticized by the internationalmunity is something anyone wants to avoid¡­ Especially in sensitive times like these days. I understand Valentin¡¯s feelings, but he¡¯s not the Mercenary Queen.¡±


    ¡°¡­ ¡­¡±


    ¡°Even if it is not here, there will be a chance someday. In fact, from my point of view, it is ideal that it does not happen¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh. It turned out that the introduction waste, Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung. I¡¯m Jin Qing, one of the Five General Tigers of the Republic and serving as the Republican military. Nice to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Ah! Nice to meet you. I¡¯ve heard a lot about you.¡±


    In fact, I hadn¡¯t heard about him, but he quietly nodded.


    ¡®Intelligence 99.¡¯


    He looked to be easy-going, but I knew he was the type to have a lot of thoughts.


    A simple intelligence stat was not an indicator of being smart, but this wizard looked pretty smart since he had Book Master attached as a title, as well as an unreadable attribute.


    It seemed impossible, but it was not unreasonable to be curious if he had a mythic-grade attribute, or if he was a user with eyes like Yuno Kasugano or me.


    ¡®He¡¯s a high level.¡¯


    I realized once more in this slightly calm atmosphere that they were of higher quality than I thought.


    She was simply holding on, but that Shaolin had faced Cha Hee-ra for more than 30 minutes, and Valentin Alexandro was a moving bomb.


    Jin Qing, who looked like a good person, was also hiding something despite his excellent stats.


    ¡®Is he stronger than the Eight Seats?¡¯


    Of course, there were monsters like Cha Hee-ra and Kim Hyunsung in the Eight Seats.


    However, they had specifications that exceeded the lower squad of the Eight Seats of the Empire.


    For example, Dawan¡¯s archer, Park Yeon-joo, and Cheon Gwan-wi could not possibly handle these guys.


    The strength was not determined only by visible things such as stats, attributes, and weapons, but it cannot be said that the gap did not exist at all.


    ¡°Well¡­ I don¡¯t know why you came here, but I think it¡¯ll be okay to listen. I think it would be right to say hello first. Ah! Please take a seat. The same goes for thedy.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    I could see him pulling out the chair to make me sit, but Jung Hayan slightly crumpled her face as if his kindness was unpleasant.


    I didn¡¯t know why, but for some reason, it felt like he was trying to look good to Jung Hayan.


    ¡®Son of a bitch.¡¯


    He had found out that she was an unrivaled talent in the world.


    I did not know if he was interested in her as a man, but it was an undeniable fact that either way, I felt like sh*t.


    He was looking at me with an amused expression.


    ¡°Well¡­ It looks like you haven¡¯t eaten yet¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s correct.¡±


    ¡°This ce takes quite a bit of time. Why don¡¯t we try a simple game before waiting for the meal?


    This was unexpected.


    ¡®What¡¯s this bullsh*t all of a sudden?¡¯

 Chapter 305: Simple Game (1)

    <h4>Chapter 305: Simple Game (1)</h4>


    ¡°You mean a game?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s a simple one. It will be easier if you think of it as a game like chess or Korean chess. Of course, it can be a little moreplicated than that, but¡­ you will understand it quickly.¡±


    ¡®Why a game all of a sudden? This crazy bastard¡­¡¯


    I just wanted to ask them to let me go back home quickly, seeing as I was not interested in this at all. However, I couldn¡¯t possibly say that.


    ¡®Is it safe for now?¡¯


    Seeing that he didn¡¯t want to cause problems in conflict areas, he didn¡¯t seem to like being involved inplicated affairs very much.


    Right now, it seemed like he was being strangely favorable to me, but I would never know when this would change.


    I thought it wouldn¡¯t be bad to y along with it since it felt like it wouldn¡¯t be bad to follow what this guy was saying. For now.


    The atmosphere was also not very ufortable, and this bastard certainly controlled Shaolin and Valentin.


    I didn¡¯t know if it was because he had the power to surpass these two, or if there was any other reason, but seeing the Russian Park Deokgu, who breathed hard but didn¡¯t try to get me, answered my question.


    ¡®It¡¯s fine.¡¯


    As I turned and looked at Jung Hayan, I noticed that she still could not rx, but she seemed to calm down a little when I patted her shoulder slightly.


    I lost my appetite, as I thought I had almost died, but I had no choice but to do as he suggested.


    ¡°This dinner is on me. Oh, I think I need to exin the game first. Have you ever heard of this kind of game?¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯m only seeing it for the first time¡­¡±


    One of the guys brought him a board game that looked ridiculously big.


    It wasposed of dozens of Korean chess horses, and it would be true that the map itself was taken from a real terrain.


    Forests, seas, deserts, ins, city walls. Theposition greatly.


    Kings, knights, wizards, knights, priests, people, I couldn¡¯t say exactly what, but as he spoke, it felt like this was an extension of chess, or Korean chess.


    It¡¯s even moreplicated than those. We had to deliver supplies to the fighting horses, and in order to move troops ssified by sses, we had to meet the necessary resources.


    The soldiers were also very subdivided, and many sses were basically operated on the continent, such as archers, infantry, and horse riders.


    ¡®Game, my ass¡­¡¯


    This board was a miniature version of a war.


    Of course, it was undeniable that some rules were in ce as we were ying a game.


    ¡®What is his intention?¡¯


    I started to get curious about his primary intention.


    Perhaps I could think of this as real entertainment, or perhaps he intended to test me out.


    The way he looked forward to it, it seemed like he¡¯d heard about me, but most of the information about me being a genius of resourcefulness was fabricated.


    ¡®I think I made him misunderstood¡­¡¯


    However, this was not a situation where I could refuse.


    ¡°The basic rules are the same as always. When the king dies, it¡¯s a defeat. Losing all the horses you have is also a defeat. If you have any questions or need anything, feel free to tell me.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°I think it would be better to give some additional handicap¡­¡±


    ¡°I will not refuse. The more, the better.¡±


    ¡°I thought you would be offended, but that¡¯s fortunate.¡±


    ¡®Why would I be offended?¡¯


    If he thought I would refuse, then he was wrong.


    I enjoyed starting advantageously, to begin with. I was just doing this to gain more time, but¡­


    ¡®This is an opportunity.¡¯


    As I nced at Jung Hayan, she nodded as if she knew what I wanted.


    Since he was a military of the Republic, it was natural that he was smart for this kind of strategic simtion.


    Unfortunately, I was not into chess or Korean chess, but I could adapt a little since this was not an ordinary horse game.


    Exactly until a few minutes ago, I thought so.


    ¡®This¡­ this¡­ son of a bitch. This fucking pro!¡¯


    From the beginning, my troops and supplies were superior.


    However, as the game progressed, I gradually felt embarrassed.


    No matter how much it was my first time, he did so well aside from my inexperience. Little by little, he gnawed my horses and tightened my breath.


    I wonder how I, who had maintained more troops, managed to get stuck.


    The more I moved the horses, the more I felt like things are getting twisted.


    In fact, my camp was in a state of chaos from the start. What was even more annoying was that I felt that he was going easy on me, but he had a slightly annoyed face as time passed, unlike the initial amused look.


    ¡°The genius of the Empire, no, the State¡­¡±


    It was a spectacle seeing him mumbling.


    Unfortunately, being a genius was only part of publicity.


    At the time of the Eight Imperial Seats¡¯ announcement, the imperial family had spread a lot of ridiculous stories, so I thought it was not unreasonable for him to have such information.


    But even if he were to grasp this false information, it didn¡¯t mean that I did not feel offended at all.


    There was definitely a feeling of contempt on his asional cold stare at me.


    ¡®No, is it different from contempt¡­¡¯


    His face now was not showing a boring face or a face that is looking down on me. I didn¡¯t know why, but he seemed very upset.


    ¡®What¡¯s up with this bastard?¡¯


    It was then that a little unexpected voice burst out, just as we had reached the game¡¯s midpoint.


    ¡°Are you not ying properly? You don¡¯t have to bother about the others here. It¡¯s literally a game, and I don¡¯t want to cause friction regardless of win or loss.¡±


    ¡®What bullsh*t is that?¡¯


    ¡°I want you to y it a little sincerely.¡±


    ¡®So, what bullsh*t is that?¡¯


    I was already ying as sincerely as I could.


    If I were really ying the game for entertainment, I¡¯d have chosen to lose at some point. That was the way to make the other side like you, after all.


    ¡®What can I do if it¡¯s not working? You bastard.¡¯


    If I had been familiar with this game, I wouldn¡¯t be losing in such a ridiculous manner.


    If I had been good at tactics, I could have tried, but he was like Lee Jihye, who had chosen to be amander, not me.


    I did some basic studies and thought that I wasn¡¯t bad either, but¡­


    ¡®He¡¯s on another level.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t even be considered a match for him.


    It was then, after 10 moves had passed, that this crazy guy¡¯s mood had changed a little.


    ¡°I thought this would be a good entertainment in a while. From my perspective, I thought I was considerate enough of Honorary Cardinal. I guess the Honorary Cardinal doesn¡¯t want topete sincerely with me.¡±


    ¡®Compete for what, you crazy bastard?¡¯


    ¡°I think it would be better to make a light bet. That way, Honorary Cardinal will be a little interested, too¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s say that if I win in the next 100 moves, it¡¯s my victory. Otherwise, it¡¯s the Honorary Cardinal¡¯s victory. What should be the content? Oh, let¡¯s bet a finger. All ten fingers. I¡¯m not sure, but if it¡¯s a simple bet, the Temrs of the Holy sector may also tolerate.¡±


    I almost cursed. This filthy pro had no consideration for newbies.


    I lifted my head a little in doubt and looked at his face, but his eyes weren¡¯t looking at me. It was striking to see that he was focused 100% on the game, trying to somehow bring out my true intentions.


    ¡®He¡¯s serious.¡¯


    What was stuck in his eyes was sincerity without a speck of dust.


    In terms of disposition, he was not someone who enjoyed gambling. This meant that he already knew he had victory on his side.


    Unfortunately for him, I had no hidden intentions with ying this game.


    ¡®This crazy bastard!¡¯


    ¡°B-Beat him! Oppa! Don¡¯t go easy on him!¡±


    ¡®I said, I¡¯m not.¡¯


    Jung Hayan was also cheering with her two fists clenched as if I could win, which added some more tension to Jin Qing¡¯s expression.


    ¡®Fuck, someone, bring Lee Jihye.¡¯


    I was definitely not strong enough in this area.


    The crazy bastard who promised to finish it in 100 moves began to pressure me in earnest.


    It was impossible to oppose him in the first ce. I couldn¡¯t keep up with him with my dull mindset.


    ¡®I have to hold on.¡¯


    It might be possible if it was just about not losing.


    The conditions for defeat were that the king must not die, as well as prevent the horses¡¯ annihtion.


    As soon as I said that, his face crumpled immediately when he figured out my intention.


    ¡°You mean you won¡¯t fight until the end.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about right now.¡±


    ¡°I thought I had shown enough favor to you, but the Honorary Cardinal seems to ignore me to the end.¡±


    ¡°You seem to have misunderstood something, really.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    His expression crumbled. I didn¡¯t know why, but I think I had made him mad.


    If I was ridiculously defeated, I thought that not only my fingers but my neck might be blown away, so no other expression would be necessary.


    However, my behavior didn¡¯t change.


    It was impossible to overturn a match that had been lost from the middle.


    This was a turn-based game in the first ce.


    Although the space was limited, if he moved one space forward, I could step back one space. I might be able to endure this for 100 moves, but that was a small possibility.


    ¡®The priority is to save the king.¡¯


    I wouldn¡¯t think about anything else.


    One knight was sent to a in where it was rtively easy to move, and the archer or assassin was sent to flee to the forest.


    The wizard was used only to attract the attention of the enemy and the people¡­


    ¡®That¡¯s going to be discarded.¡¯


    After securing as much of the supplies that the people provided each turn, I used them to gain some time, or block a path.


    Killing the people running toward the main force made him consume a turn.


    If this wasn¡¯t a game, I¡¯d be absolutely crushed, but¡­


    ¡®It doesn¡¯t matter because it¡¯s a game, anyway.¡¯


    Honestly, I couldn¡¯t be sure that I wouldn¡¯t also move in this manner if a real war were to actually break out.


    I don¡¯t know if he would be satisfied, but if his purpose was to understand a human named Lee Kiyoung, then part of that purpose was achieved.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry I¡¯m such a sh*tty person.¡¯


    While our great people blocked his main force, my king began to fall back.


    I also usedmon soldiers until the end and pushed it in boldly when I judged that they could no longer withstand it.


    Nevertheless, his troops, who were taking away my side one by one, were now suffocating.


    ¡®Is he some kind of Zhuge Liang?¡¯


    In the next 20 moves, a picture of my king being caught by his soldier was being drawn in my mind.

 Chapter 306: Simple Game (2)

    <h4>Chapter 306: Simple Game (2)</h4>


    It would all be over in the next 20 moves.


    Considering the location of the horse that he would move and the space where I can run away, his troops would arrive here within at least 20 moves.


    There was still a little more left until the 100 moves he promised woulde to an end.


    Although I tried hard to hold on, he didn¡¯t spend turns by ignoring the bait thrown earlier or chasing away troops.


    He must be thinking that he only needed to take the king.


    ¡®Was I supposed to have added more troops to the king?¡¯


    The baits thrown in all directions to prevent the annihtion of the troops did not work.


    He knew that he wouldn¡¯t be able to get me within 100 moves.


    ¡®My finger¡­¡¯


    Of course, I could put it back on, but that didn¡¯t mean that I liked the pain that came with having it getting cut off.


    No wonder I wanted to give this crazy pro a blow.


    I had no choice but to start thinking.


    Although I had endured enough, the retreat had already been blocked, and he had tightened me in all directions.


    There was also a limit to putting the king behind, and most of the people had alreadye to their end as chess horses.


    I tapped my finger on the table and saw the guy ncing at me.


    Seeing that he was still staring at me with a quiet face, he thought that I had still been dealing with him moderately.


    The meal that was served a few minutes ago was now getting cold, and those watching the game now turned their gazes to me.


    Those who knew how to watch the match must be counting the moves by now.


    ¡®Fuck¡­¡¯


    Although I had no choice, I had to try.


    Not only did I smirk, but I also showed a smile as if everything was going as expected. Everyone¡¯s gazes shifted into curiosity.


    They¡¯re wondering why I was able to make this face in such a situation.


    Of course, everything was just bullsh*t and acting.


    Jin Qing also started looking at me, amused as I was maintaining the poker face. He then suddenly grinned.


    I didn¡¯t say anything, but I had instilled the idea that my next move would be different.


    ¡®Different, my ass.¡¯


    Strategy was my area, but not my strength.


    It was embarrassing for me to say this, but my strengths were incitement and fabrication, fraud, ckmail, and¡­


    ¡®Psychological warfare.¡¯


    In this kind of game where you could y face-to-face, there was room for this kind of joke.


    As soon as I flicked my finger, it began to form a small dragon arm from the table.


    The faces of those looking at me were amazed.


    Of course, they would.


    It was not a very useful ability, but I had never seen anyone who wasn¡¯t surprised to see this dragon skill.


    King.


    The main unit moving with the king was caught by the product of my alchemy skill, and the horse slowly began to move.


    Even in the meantime, I maintained the smile on my face as if Jin Qing would soon get caught.


    I made the troops that had spread prate his core, and the knights who gained time in the ins also turned around.


    It was a ridiculous, evil move, a move that meant nothing.


    ¡®Work. Please¡­ let it work.¡¯


    If the answer was that he was overestimating me, I could get this to work. This was not entirely lost yet.


    The scattered troops and the soldiers with the king also could afford to resist until the end.


    The same went for supplies. It would not be enough, but I could still procure things that could reach his king.


    No more production was possible because there were no people¡­


    ¡®I just need to move the supplies that the soldiers have to the knights.¡¯


    Of course, the soldiers would die in istion.


    However, the knight¡¯s sword could still reach the other king.


    I had no intention of counterattacking, but I also had no choice but to hope that this meaningless move would be a genius stroke that no one would be able to understand.


    It was then that he looked at me quietly.


    ¡®Did it work?¡¯


    His face seemed to be wondering as to why I made this move. Seeing him scrambling for an answer was quite funny, honestly speaking.


    I didn¡¯t know what his next move would be, but at least I had made room for thought.


    Too much pretentiousness could cause doubts, so it would not be harmful to be appropriately arrogant.


    I stared at him with my legs crossed slightly as if telling him to figure out, to ept it, and he began to look into the board to see if the move I had made was really correct.


    I didn¡¯t say anything. No, it was already unnecessary.


    I had no choice but to wait for the Republic¡¯s galleries that came with him to interpret it at will.


    As expected, a humming sound began to resonate. I didn¡¯t think he would lose his judgment, but I wanted him to be shaken by the galleries a bit.


    Doubt and firm determination were evident in his eyes.


    One side would think that he should be careful with my move, and the other side would think it didn¡¯t matter, and to just keep pushing.


    In the fight that was taking ce inside him, I had no choice but to hope that the one who wanted to wait and see would win.


    Finally, he began to hold his horse in his hand.


    I looked at the board with a throbbing heart, and he¡­


    ¡®Done!¡¯


    He chose to wait and see another move.


    ¡®Pfff.¡¯


    Of course, even if I earned one more turn, it was nned that I would lose, but at least it felt like I had screwed with him.


    I didn¡¯t know if he pretended to be deceived or was really deceived, but it was undeniable that he moved as I intended, anyway.


    I picked up the horse again with the dragon¡¯s arm still in shape on the table.


    There was expectation on his face.


    It looked like he was looking forward to what I would do next. Of course, there was nothing to show.


    It was just a show to gain some time, but it really seemed like he thought I was hiding something.


    ¡®Retard.¡¯


    If he were to look back in this game in the future, he would probably notice that I had nothing hidden up my sleeve.


    Once again, it was just when I lifted the horse.


    Baaaaang!


    The door popped out with a loud sound.


    Not only the door, but the entrance itself had gottenpletely smashed.


    As I turned my head momentarily, I saw a person I was d to have seen in that moment.


    ¡°Hee-ra?¡±


    An angel hade to protect my fingers.


    ¡®Fuuuckl! Cha Hee-ra is the best!¡¯


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t just her.


    Park Deokgu and Han Sora were also present, and some members of the Red Mercenary.


    And¡­


    ¡®Yuno Kasugano!¡¯


    With both eyes closed, I saw a face looking for me urgently.


    I had never been this happy to see that face.


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    Jin Qing was dumbfounded, but only for a brief moment. Meanwhile, Valentin, who lost his mind whenever something about Mercenary Queen was brought up, rushed toward her.


    Korean Park Deokgu, abat power meter, blocked him.


    Korean Park Deokgu bounced out with a banging sound, but the guy got up again and rushed to the Russian.


    ¡°This insect¡­ I¡¯ll kill you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think this greeting is too rough¡­? Ahem. Huh?¡±


    In this sudden situation, Shaolin withdrew her whip, and other Republicans were also preparing for battle.


    Of course, our saviors who came to find me also had poison in their eyes.


    Jin Qing stood up and once again opened his mouth toward Russian Park Deokgu.


    ¡°Valentin Alexandro, I told you I don¡¯t want to cause any problems.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Cha Hee-ra, it¡¯s been a while. And¡­ it¡¯s been a long time, too, Yuno Kasugano.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯te here to get your greetings, you rat. I came to get someone back.¡±


    ¡°Oh, there seems to be a misunderstanding. We did not persecute Lee Kiyoung, one of the Eight Seats of the State, but¡­ rather, Lee Kiyoung came here¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut up. If you don¡¯t want to see me going crazy¡­ The reason I¡¯m not doing anything now is because of the debt my honey owes to that crazy whip girl.¡±


    I could see Jin Qing staring at Shaolin with a smile on his face.


    Shaolin began to open her mouth, gently softening her arm.


    ¡°I once stopped that gori from going crazy at Castle Rock. Probably because of that¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. Whatever the reason, this event ends here. Oh, Valentin, you¡¯re still the same. How have you been?¡±


    ¡°This bitch¡­¡±


    I thought their roaring at each other was just like a dog and a cat.


    I realized that the Empire¡¯s rtionship with the Republic was definitely not that good. Not only for continental people but also for foreigners, but it wasn¡¯t nice to see.


    If an ident urred, there was a high possibility that Jung Hayan and I would be the first to be sacrificed.


    Under the Continental Law, idents in neutral areas were taboo, and Jin Qing, just like me, did not want to cause significant friction.


    Although I couldn¡¯t tell which side was superior, the squad with Cha Hee-ra, Yuno Kasugano, and Jung Hayan was by no means weak.


    That pro¡¯s ability was still unknown, but if something were to happen, someone would definitely die.


    Whatever the case, the first thing to do was to calm the hostility that was filling the air.


    ¡°Excuse me, but I think it would be better to stop, Jin Qing.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    He had a look of regret, probably because he wouldn¡¯t be able to see my next move.


    I stood up fairly confidently, and, of course, no one held me back.


    It was because Jin Qing had grabbed the hand that I extended.


    He also didn¡¯t want to cause friction here, so it was only right that this would end here.


    Hee-ra also let go of the tension as the warm atmosphere of exchanging greetings while shaking hands was created.


    I wanted to make fun of him a little more, so I opened my mouth toward him.


    ¡°If it had gone that way, I would have won the bet.¡±


    Of course, it was bullsh*t.


    ¡°It would have been fun.¡±


    He bowed before turning to look at the board once more.


    ¡°Shaolin-nim, I will get in contact with you.¡±


    ¡°I bet you I may go crazy if you don¡¯t do it this time again. I won¡¯t see you off because of that red gori, so goodbye.¡±


    Of course, I now nned to make an appointment with Shaolin.


    Unlike before, when I was busy paying attention to the inside, I was now interested in the Republic.


    What kind of guy Jin Qing was, who were the members of the Five General Tigers of the Republic, and some other basic information.


    While I was saying goodbye to Shaolin, Jung Hayan was also talking to Jin Qing, and I could see that he had given her a note.


    I had no choice but to realize that the interest he first showed in Jung Hayan was sincere.


    ¡®It¡¯s impossible to like him, that guy.¡¯


    It was natural to be upset when someone tried to put their hands on what I had.


    As I looked at her quietly, she got surprised and ran over here. The guy who was just trying to say goodbye to Jung Hayan hardened his face for a moment.


    Jung Hayan grabbed my arm tightly, and I silently opened my mouth toward her.


    I had to make sure she did what I ordered.


    ¡°Did you just record it?¡±


    ¡°You mean the war g-game, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll analyze it right away when I get home. I¡¯ll send the video to Lee Jihye as well, you will be tired, but it would be better to stay with me all night today. It¡¯s okay with you?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Yes! O-of course. Absolutely.¡±


    ¡°Oh. And I don¡¯t like you getting along with someone like that. Do you know what I¡¯m talking about?¡±


    I can, and you can¡¯t.


    I was such a hypocrite.


    I could see that Jung Hayan¡¯s face had turned pale upon seeing the reproach on my face.


    Innocent Jung Hayan seemed to think that she had just cheated on me.

 Chapter 307: Jung Hayan’s Instruction Manual (1)

    <h4>Chapter 307: Jung Hayan¡¯s Instruction Manual (1)</h4>


    ¡®I¡¯m annoyed.¡¯


    I wasn¡¯t neglecting Jung Hayan, but, indeed, I wasn¡¯t paying attention enough. I had thought that, whatever I did, she would support me all the way.


    Of course, that thought remained the same now, but¡­


    ¡®I forgot.¡¯


    I indeed forgot about the value of Jung Hayan.


    She was a genius wizard that Kim Hyunsung had been watching since the tutorial.


    Her importance was indescribable when I recalled that her talent was extraordinary. Even I, who could not see the same future as Hyunsung could, could understand that much.


    It was not enough to say that she was a talent sent from heaven.


    Even those who had legendary or higher-grade magical talent didn¡¯t grow as fast as her, or were as familiar with magic as her.


    Among many talented wizards, Jung Hayan¡¯s growth was overwhelmingly fast and strong.


    She was a talented person who was essential in order to escape the future threats that Kim Hyunsung knew.


    She was fast catching up with Kim Hyunsung, a returner, with her pure talent, so this alone was enough tobel her as out of specification.


    It was just a simple guess, but Jung Hayan was an indispensable wizard for the future toe, and she was a talent enough to those who didn¡¯t know this to drool over for her.


    It was not unreasonable for the opposing camp to be interested in her like today.


    If she simply looked strong, it would not have caused a problem.


    Anyone could see that she looked mentally unstable, and since she was not easy to be handled, it was no wonder that she could attract people.


    Even if I had been on the opposite side of Jung Hayan, I could be sure I would have done all kinds of crap to get her on my side. Jin Qing seemed to think the same.


    ¡®Absolutely not.¡¯


    There was no one anywhere who wanted to be robbed of the sweet fruit he had grown with all his might.


    In fact, there were many times when I thought that it would be better to distance myself a little because Jung Hayan¡¯s excessive affection burdened me, but when I felt that someone was taking away our precious archmage, love that did not exist before began to arise.


    ¡®It surely would be a shame.¡¯


    On one hand, it was regrettable that Jin Qing was interested in her.


    If it were someone else, it would not be a bad idea to use it as a role in extracting information.


    Anyway, after I finished talking, she started to panic.


    She seemed like an innocent girl who didn¡¯t have the concept of pushing and pulling, and was worried that this might make me hate her.


    ¡°I-i-it¡¯s not like that. It really isn¡¯t like that! He was just talking to me¡­ I, I¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­ ¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not t-that kind of woman!¡±


    Suddenly, she burst.


    I didn¡¯t know what kind of woman Jung Hayan was talking about, but if what I was guessing was correct, I was indeed a man like that.


    It was quite the sight to see her running towards me in a fit of surprise.


    It wouldn¡¯t be bad to try increasing the intensity a little more, so I could see her tearing up when I turned to avoid her gaze.


    Upon seeing this, she made short work of Jin Qing¡¯s note, even going so far as to use magic to burn it up before stepping on it, as if she had been touching something dirty.


    The interesting fact was that Jin Qing was looking at the scene, and, of course, it made his face crumple.


    Whatever his intentions, it would be strange if he wouldn¡¯t be upset to see something like that in front of his eyes.


    ¡®Don¡¯t touch it. I call dibs on this.¡¯


    Obviously, I showed this type of expression.


    Jung Hayan shed thick tears while she continued to desperately defend herself.


    I was a little embarrassed because even I didn¡¯t expect such an overreaction.


    ¡°Sniff¡­ hic. I¡¯m really n-not that kind of woman. Really. Hic. I¡¯m not cheating on you or something like that, really¡­¡±


    It was all the more exciting to see her staring at the person who made the misunderstanding as if she didn¡¯t like him, but I felt that any further stimtion would wear out my conscience, so I had to hold out my hand.


    It was undoubtedly cute to see her running to me when she saw this.


    Looking ahead, I could see the lovely rescue workers still waiting for me.


    ¡°I know, Hayan. I was just saying, so you don¡¯t have to worry too much.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really not. Hic¡­ really.¡±


    ¡°I know. I just said it.¡±


    And with this, I went to fix the atmosphere.


    I repeated that it was okay, but she continued breathing harshly. The nces of resentment sent to Jin Qing remain unchanged.


    And that concluded the business I had with him.


    The officials of the Republic seemed to be on the lookout for us until the end.


    It was not unusual for them to react like that since Hee-ra was ring at them in such a scary manner.


    The first one that greeted me was Park Deokgu as I moved from the Republic to the State¡¯s camp.


    Perhaps thanks to blocking the attack of the Russian Doppelganger, he didn¡¯t look the best.


    Still¡­


    ¡®Even to be able to continue standing up is something to be grateful for.¡¯


    He bounced off terribly, but he had already grown to the point where he could stop that attack at least once.


    ¡°Did you get hurt?¡±


    ¡°No, Deokgu. There¡¯s no problem. I think it¡¯s better to take care of your body first than me. You just blocked an attack¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, I think my insides are a little twisted, but it¡¯s not a big deal. I can survive by receiving treatment from the priests. Rather than that¡­¡±


    ¡°Why did youe here? Honey?¡±


    Cha Hee-ra cut our conversation off. She seemed annoyed, but perhaps she didn¡¯t like the fact that I¡¯d put myself in danger. She also seemed to think that I went crawling into the tiger¡¯s mouth by myself.


    Even if I were Cha Hee-ra, I wouldn¡¯t believe that I came in by chance.


    ¡°It was really a coincidence. Actually, there is a reason that I¡¯vee this far, but to exin it is a little long¡­ Thanks anyway, Nuna. It was actually a time when I was getting a little nervous.¡±


    ¡°If this weren¡¯t a neutral area, you would have died. No matter how much you say our second is next to you, it¡¯s not good to wander around too much. Do you understand me?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Even at a nce, she didn¡¯t seem to be in such a good mood.


    Although the Republic and the State had always been in disputes, in fact, I didn¡¯t expect the foreigners to have such a bad rtionship between them.


    It seemed that emotions ran deep enough that they couldn¡¯t be united by the fact of being the same foreigners.


    If they had faced each other on the battlefield several times, it would be natural to think that way.


    Even though it was said that they were doing well now, it was difficult for those who fought in the past to smile and greet each other.


    ¡®The ones who came in recently won¡¯t understand¡­¡¯


    Even Yuno Kasugano didn¡¯t seem veryfortable. When I went to greet her, however, her expression loosened.


    Anyway, Cha Hee-ra continued staring at the people of the Republic until the end.


    She still seemed to be in a bad mood.


    Even Jung Hayan was walking, feeling a little blue, so there was no need to exin that the way back was pretty gloomy.


    ¡®I guess I¡¯m going to get busy¡­¡¯


    In the meantime, I began to wonder as to what could happen in the future.


    As the problem with the Republic floated on the surface, I knew I had to gather some information.


    The first was to find out if they really were our enemies.


    * * *


    ¡®Please. Please, just let it go as if nothing happened¡­ please¡­¡¯


    I didn¡¯t likeing here from the beginning.


    I felt as if every day I was on pins and needles.


    There was something ominous from the beginning, but seeing the way we were going back, I had no choice but to repeat the same thoughts over and over again.


    Instructor Lee Kiyoung, no, moving with Vice Guild Master Lee Kiyoung was also burdensome, and my flesh trembled.


    Just thinking that the same ident as thest time might happen made me tingle.


    As I nced at the side, I saw Jung Hayan-nim, who has maintained the same face for thest few days.


    A stiff face.


    I understood very well from my experience that that face meant she was on the verge of exploding.


    Just by ncing at her, I felt like my dder was tickling, so I had to turn to the person I thought was the safest.


    He was the only one who could protect me if something happens.


    ¡°Do I have something on my face?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    ¡°Come to think of it, how are the things Hyung-nim asked for¡­?¡±


    ¡°There is no problem, for now. Even though Queen Pristina is still a little firm, the Vice Guild Master seems to have thought that this would take a lot of time¡­ I was instructed not to move, being too obvious.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I see. There¡¯s a reason why Hyung-nim brought you. I noticed it from the time he asked me to bring you, but it seemed like he was trying to entrust the administrative affairs as well. Isn¡¯t that right, Hayan?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes.¡±


    However, he also seemed to be watching out for Jung Hayan.


    She seemed a little nervous for a different reason than me, but she was openly showing that she was in a bad mood, and it was not unreasonable for her to be so restless since she continued crying even while eating.


    The atmosphere resembled a mourner¡¯s house.


    When I recalled the cause of all this, a resentful feeling began to leak from one side of my heart.


    ¡®Please¡­ Please¡­¡¯


    The same was true now.


    Jung Hayan¡¯s eyes were filled with tears since morning, but I didn¡¯t feel sorry for her.


    I was rather scared.


    It was because I remembered the first encounter with her.


    ¡°Hey, H¡­ Hayan, don¡¯t worry too much.¡±


    ¡°Gasp¡­ I-I¡¯m really not that kind of woman¡­ Hic¡­¡±


    ¡°H-hyung-nim told you he was just saying. H-he really doesn¡¯t care. The reason he doesn¡¯t have time to be with you is because he¡¯s always busy. Busy¡­¡±


    ¡°B-but¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not only you but also Sora, and I haven¡¯t seen Hyung-nim in years. Even the Mercenary Queen and the Shaman said it¡¯d been a long time since they had a meal with him. Perhaps, from his perspective, isn¡¯t it natural that he wants to learn more about the Republic while we¡¯re here? I can guarantee, I don¡¯t know what mistake you made, but it¡¯s never because of you that he hasn¡¯t been here recently.¡±


    ¡°I-in the past, no matter how busy he was, he always hugged me once, but¡­ from that day on¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all your imagination. Actually, it didn¡¯t look much different to me. Instead, I feel that he¡¯s paying more attention to you¡­ and it seems you¡¯re overreacting a bit.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ hic¡­¡±


    I wanted that prediction to be correct.


    If that were the case, I would have been able to sleep rxed. However, I also knew it was impossible for things to be solved so quickly.


    ¡°Haap¡­ It¡¯s all because of that guy. H-he said we would go on a date again. Haap¡­ He hasn¡¯t said anything else since that day¡­ the date has been canceled, too¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not really your fault.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not that kind of woman¡­ Hic. T-that guy made him misunderstand¡­¡±


    ¡°It seems like that, too¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­ ¡­¡±


    The look in her eyes had begun to look weirder and weirder. My mind shed back to the past.


    ¡®Please don¡¯t do this. Please, please, let¡¯s live peacefully.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know what she was thinking, but Jung Hayan-nim¡¯s face was slowly stiffening.


    ¡®Please. Please¡­ Please, just hold it in.¡¯

 Chapter 308: Jung Hayan’s Instruction Manual (2)

    <h4>Chapter 308: Jung Hayan¡¯s Instruction Manual (2)</h4>


    ¡®What do I do?¡¯


    My legs trembled, almost unconsciously.


    ¡®S-Should I run away¡­?¡¯


    It was not unreasonable to think that. Deokgu didn¡¯t seem to have noticed something strange yet, but I, who had already seen her like that before, knew very well what that meant.


    It felt like the point of the conversation didn¡¯t match. It was scary to hear her voice continually muttering quietly.


    I didn¡¯t know what it was, but it was natural to think that she was buried in one thought.


    The current Vice Guild Master Lee Kiyoung was really busy. He was already busy because of the thing with the neutral country, and since the Republican variable had intervened, it was natural for him to have a lot of routes in mind.


    The situation had even gotten busy enough for him to entrust me with a few simple things, so there would be no need to exin how busy he really was.


    The problem was with Jung Hayan, and the way she had epted it.


    ¡®What the hell did he say¡­?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know what happened or what she heard because she didn¡¯t go out to meet the Vice Guild Master, but looking at her reaction, it seemed like she had been scolded, being asked if she had cheated on him.


    ¡®It¡¯splete hypocrisy.¡¯


    The fact that the Vice Guild Master¡¯s rtionship with women was not so clean was the fact that not only Lindel, but also the State and the whole sky knew.


    I just wondered how he said that without blinking.


    ¡®She thinks it¡¯s all that guy¡¯s fault.¡¯


    Not only was the initially scheduled date suddenly canceled, but the recent drastically reduced time together made me feel like she was turning all of the causes to him.


    She turned the arrow at one of the Five General Tigers of the Republic. Of course, it was just a prediction, and it could simply be spection.


    However, it was natural to be sensitive to each and every action of Jung Hayan-nim from my standpoint, hoping that a big thing would not happen.


    I wanted to leave in a hurry, but my legs didn¡¯t move. Surprisingly, it was Deokgu who went first.


    ¡°Oh. I-it¡¯s training time. I have to go out first¡­ Ahem. I¡¯ll see you this evening¡­ Ahem.¡±


    ¡®S-so cheap.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know the details, but he thought that it was out of the scope of the cases he could handle.


    ¡®I trusted him¡­¡¯


    I wanted to leave, but my feet refused to move. Instead, my legs started to tremble, and my body trembled like strabismus. With the cold sweat that kept running down, I bit my lips tightly and turned my attention as much as possible.


    ¡°W-What can I do?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Yes¡­ Yes?¡±


    ¡°What can I do¡­? What if Oppa keeps hating me?¡±


    It was hard to tell whether she was talking to herself or me.


    ¡°So¡­¡±


    Obviously, I had gone through a simr situation before. Whatever the case, the right answer was to get up and get out of this ce right now.


    The moment I moved my body while tapping my stubborn leg, I suddenly felt her squeezing my hand.


    ¡°Aaaahhh!¡±


    A scream popped out at the moment, my heart rattled, but the hall was still quiet.


    ¡°So, what do you think, Sora-ssi? What should I do?¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t ask me.¡¯


    ¡°Hic¡­ I don¡¯t want to be hated by Oppa¡­ He must be thinking that¡­ I-I¡¯m such a woman who goes around in any ce¡­Hic!¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s not you. It¡¯s him¡­ He¡¯s doing it!¡¯


    I had to swallow back the words that came to my throat. I couldn¡¯t predict what would happen if I were to spit that out.


    With as much courage as possible, I turned my head, and what I saw was a woman showing an anxious look while wiping thick tears.


    I shouldn¡¯t think of this, but I started to feel somewhat sorry for her.


    ¡®It would be right tofort her.¡¯


    For now, that was the right answer.


    ¡°As Deokgu oppa said, it would be okay. He wouldn¡¯t think that. It seems¡­ that he was just saying¡­ and because he¡¯s actually¡­ very busy.¡±


    ¡°H-His eyes definitely looked a little different from usual¡­ Hic. He just seemed to hate me¡­¡±


    ¡°You must have been mistaken. Yes. E-Even when he¡¯s with me, he talked a lot about Jung Hayan-nim. That you¡¯re kind, good, and he always says¡­ you¡¯re the one he loves.¡±


    ¡°Really? Ah¡­ did you ever talk to O-oppa?¡±


    ¡°Of¡­ course! We weren¡¯t alone! Yes! We weren¡¯t alone! Deokgu was also there! Yes! We couldn¡¯t have been alone. Yes. Hahaha¡­ We weren¡¯t like that.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ I see.¡±


    ¡°And whether he just said it or not, isn¡¯t it good to have listened to t-that?¡±


    ¡°W-what? What¡¯s good about it?¡±


    Despite having a short conversation, my body trembled, all out of nerves. There was a possibility that I would fall into hell with one wrong move.


    ¡®It was dangerous.¡¯


    In particr, the story that I talked about with Vice Guild Master Lee Kiyoung had room for misunderstanding.


    ¡°What exactly did the Vice Guild Master say?¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t like that¡­ Hic! I talk to people like him.¡±


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s good!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s good about that¡­¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t stare at me¡­ please. Please¡­¡¯


    ¡°It means¡­ he¡¯s jealous.¡±


    ¡°Jealous?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Vice Guild Master Lee Kiyoung doesn¡¯t want to see you talking to other men. Definitely. If he didn¡¯t like you, he wouldn¡¯t care¡­no matter what you did with that guy. If he said that¡­ it means that he¡¯s possessive. It¡¯s rather good.¡±


    ¡°I-i-it means that?! Possessive?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Sure.¡±


    ¡°Was O-pppa jealous?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure because I wasn¡¯t there, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Oppa was jealous¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. Right.¡±


    ¡°Oppa was jealous!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°He wants to own me!¡±


    ¡°Yes! That¡¯s it!¡±


    Did I say the right thing? I thought about it, but I couldn¡¯t figure it out for the life of me. For now, she stopped crying.


    She was so excited that my nerves skyrocketed, but my breathing became more and morefortable when I saw Jung Hayan¡¯s eager face.


    ¡®Did I really say the right thing?¡¯


    But the problem was that I kept feeling anxious. I don¡¯t know why, but unidentified anxiety sprouted in the corner of my heart.


    ¡®If the¡­¡¯


    She realized that the Vice Guild Master was jealous, but if she tried to do the same thing again, and end up being really hated¡­ If this happened once again, and once againe into a groaning and crying situation, this time the arrow may turn towards me.


    ¡®It¡¯s because of the S-S-Sora. It¡¯s because of Sora! Hic¡­ I really didn¡¯t want to do this¡­ It¡¯s all your fault!¡¯


    When I imagined Jung Hayan stabbing me with a dagger by saying that, I started to think it wasn¡¯t the right thing. Whatever I said, it would be hell after that, but at least I wanted to avoid the arrows to my side.


    I might really die. Last time, I just survived because I had been really lucky. No, it was better to die than to go through that once again.


    I had been looking for happiness little by little recently.


    ¡°A-and!¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°And that person must¡¯ve had¡­ bad intention. Yes. Bad intentions. The Vice Guild Master tends to see people well, so he must have noticed that the person has a different idea. He doesn¡¯t really care about Jung Hayan talking with other men, right? He must have had something different in his mind. That¡¯s why he was upset.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ I-I see.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Of course, it doesn¡¯t mean that everything I¡¯m saying is correct, but I think it¡¯s likely to be so. Rather than because of Jung Hayan-nim¡­¡±


    ¡°Right? Is it because of that, that bad person, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°What do I do?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I have to prove that I have only Oppa. I have to prove that I don¡¯t care about that bad guy as much as a hairpin.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to prove it¡­¡±


    ¡°Oppa should know that I am not that kind of woman¡­ Yes. Right.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t he¡­ already know?¡±


    ¡°But he needs to know a little more. Jealousy is good, p-possessive is good, too, but¡­ I hate him looking at me like that. I will¡­ Yes. I only have Oppa. We have to prove our innocence. Because she said he was a bad person. Yes¡­ It¡¯s not our fault.¡±


    I started to feel like the air was gradually getting heavier.


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s¡­ not because of Hayan-nim.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because of that person, right?¡±


    ¡°If you have to find someone guilty¡­ It could be, but¡­¡±


    ¡°I only have Oppa, but he talked to me for no reason and made him have a useless doubt. He made him look at me as a strange woman. So it¡¯s correct that it¡¯s his fault. This wouldn¡¯t have happened if it hadn¡¯t been for him. He was the one who interrupted our date¡­ At that time, though, the atmosphere was good at first¡­ We could have dinner together, and we could have be o-one formally! Okay¡­ But we were disturbed.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ that¡­¡±


    ¡°We were disturbed. We were disturbed¡­ It wasn¡¯t enough to interfere, so he took time with something unreasonable. Just think about it. It was actually dangerous then. My precious oppa could have died by them. Those are the people he doesn¡¯t need. And they are dangerous people.¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s wrong.¡¯


    It was terrifying to see her keep muttering alone. I thought I was going to feel nauseous thinking about that time. The rat in front of the cat would not be more scared than this.


    ¡°Right. It¡¯s not just that person. That woman seemed to like Oppa, too¡­ Even the big guy swung his fist at Oppa. Just think about it. It¡¯s those people who keep him busy. If it weren¡¯t for those people, we would have been able to hang out every day¡­ Why do theye to Laios and make people feel ufortable? They should be stuck¡­ in the Republic! Those i-idiots! Those fools! There are many ces I haven¡¯t been to yet, and there are many things I want to do¡­ Deokgu also said this trip was an opportunity! They ruined all those opportunities. Everything! They screwed it all up!¡±


    ¡°P¡­ please¡­¡±


    ¡°I have to get rid of them. I have to kill them.¡±


    ¡°Help me¡­¡±


    ¡°I have to kill¡­ It¡¯s to clean up. I should have gotten a little stronger¡­ Because those people are also strong¡­¡±


    ¡°Please. Please save me.¡±


    Not only was my body shaking, but I started to feel that my bottoms were getting damp.


    Tears flowed out of my tightly closed eyes. I knew that I wasn¡¯t the target of that anger, but my mouth kept asking for help. The nightmares I felt before started toe to my mind.


    The voice of Jung Hayan-nim, which was heard while murmuring unknowingly for help, gradually faded. The room had quieted down.


    ¡®Did she leave?¡¯


    As soon as that hopeful thought entered my head, a voice spoke up to dash it.


    ¡°Sora-ssi also thinks the same, right?¡±


    Of course, I had no choice but to nod at her words.

 Chapter 309: Jung Hayan’s Instruction Manual (3)

    <h4>Chapter 309: Jung Hayan¡¯s Instruction Manual (3)</h4>


    It was undoubtedly unpleasant that the situation was twisted.


    It was something I had been prepared for. From the time I came here, I knew that I would have to spend some time on this, but the work had be moreplicated than I had initially thought.


    In fact, hoping for results in less than a week aftering here was worse than a thief¡¯s mindset.


    Looking at Pristina gently avoiding my suggestions or questions, I thought maybe this alliance proposal itself was problematic.


    ¡®Prematurely.¡¯


    Only a week had passed since then. As the other side was also aware of our intention, it was natural for it to be necessary to do prior work, rather than move openly.


    Even Han Sora, who I had an expectation for, was working hard, and I also spent most of my time with the people of Laios, so it would be correct to think that I wasying the foundation for now.


    ¡®Republican bastards¡­ so annoying¡­¡¯


    It was obvious as to why I had be so nervous about something I didn¡¯t have to be anxious about. The anxiety factor that everyone knew was none other than the existence of the Republic.


    Three of the Eight State seats moved, and those who could be said to be important figures of the Republic also visited Laios. It would be fortunate if they simply came to enjoy tourism, but that was an impossible thing to hope for.


    I had to think that they wanted something else, and that maybe, what they wanted wasn¡¯t much different from what we wanted.


    ¡®An alliance with Laios.¡¯


    In a way, I could say that it was a kind of work that would take ce every year, but this time it felt like the scale had gotten much bigger.


    As such, it was an indicator that the situation on the continent was unstable, so there was no need to exin the importance of this event.


    If Laios and the Republic formed an alliance, it would be a big loss for the Empire. As the State had already achieved many results, it would be regrettable for us not to take any action now.


    ¡®Absolutely¡­¡¯


    I did not want to miss the benefits that I could reap from this ce. It had already been decided that I was busy with all the important issues gathered. Thanks to that, each day had be very monotonous.


    The day would begin by meeting Pristina and other people from the neutral country.


    It was no big deal, but I had also met with foreigners living in Laios and talked about the supply of potions I made, all produced in the State.


    While proposing a contract enough to satisfy them, I talked about the benefits we could share if Laios were to join the State. In a way, we would give them enough money that can be called a lobby, and of course, a contract with this good condition has not been yet implemented. Rather than me refusing, the neutral country didn¡¯t like these contracts, and they were aware that if there was something to receive, there should be something to give.


    ¡®Their vignce is thick.¡¯


    They say they weed the guests, but the Republic and the State were indeed unwee guests for Laios. They hoped to maintain their position as a neutral country rather than the immediate gains, so in a way, it was like talking to a brick wall.


    Nevertheless, since there was nothing that I could do other than trying continuously, it was best toy as much ground as possible from the State¡¯s perspective.


    The Republic might be in a simr situation. It was impossible to implement extreme diplomatic strategies as we knew that opposite camps were staying at Laios. Although we were in a position where we couldn¡¯t confirm what each force was proposing and how it was moving, we didn¡¯t have to see to know.


    Actually, I should have taken a rest and focused on talking with the Laios. Since there were manyplex issues entangled, I had to skip all the schedules with Jung Hayan or Cha Hee-ra.


    I immediately sent the game¡¯s content against that pro to Lee Jihye for her to analyze with Max the patterns and habits. I had to find a different way to get past this.


    [I think it¡¯s still hard with my level. You felt it too, but at first, it felt like he was taking it easy¡­ I don¡¯t think I can use it as data either¡­ Of course, it is better to have it than not have it. For now, I will continue to simte. Honestly, I¡¯m not confident.]


    That was the reaction I got after Lee Jihye saw the video I sent. The fact that a capable person like Jihye could admit that made me nervous. This was even harder than the war propaganda n.


    It was about the dangers of potential enemies.


    Originally, I had already confirmed that the Five Tiger Generals were strong, but what I had actually seen was more than I had heard before.


    The Russian Park Deokgu seemed to be abination of Korean Park Deokgu and Cha Hee-ra, and I didn¡¯t even need to say anything about Shaolin.


    The same went for Jin Qing. Not only did he have a high magic power to be considered a sheer genius, he had such a good physical ability that he could also be considered a magical swordsman. It was a little shocking personally that they were stronger than the lower squad of the Eight Seats. If the level of the remaining falls short of them¡­


    ¡°They¡¯re stronger.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡±


    ¡°You said they¡¯re stronger than me, right? It¡¯s not publicly known, but it doesn¡¯t make any difference. To be precise, I am the lowest among the five republicans. No, in a way, you can think that I¡¯m simr to Valentin. We haven¡¯t fought before, and I can¡¯t judge how strong they are with just these specs, so I¡¯m not sure, but I¡¯m just making a rough guess.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°I mean, except for our soldier. I can say he¡¯s in second ce in the hierarchy, but he¡¯s a wizard, so it¡¯s hard to measure¡­ One thing is for sure, our number one is really strong. You will probably be surprised if you see it. But¡­ aren¡¯t you being too explicit?¡±


    ¡°I am not sure what you are talking about, Shaolin-nim.¡±


    ¡°Of course, you do¡­ I understand that you want to get information out¡­ but I can see that you only want to ask that kind of questions.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just your imagination. Well, if you have any questions, you can ask, too. It¡¯s more about exchanging information than taking it out.¡±


    ¡°This is not the kind of information exchange I wanted¡­ this is a meeting between a woman and a man, of course, I don¡¯t want to talk about these serious things. We¡¯re even having dinner at a nice restaurant with a ss of wine¡­ You owe me a lot, and I think you¡¯d better think of my mood at least a little bit.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I am truly grateful for your help before, but¡­ there¡¯s also our current situation ¡­ and it¡¯s only been a few days since the two of us started seeing each other. Anyway, ahem¡­ This time, it¡¯s your turn.¡±


    ¡°Then the question, what do you think of me?¡±


    Overall, spending time with Shaolin in this way was already a confirmed issue.


    I needed information, and as she said, I had a debt to pay.


    ¡®She¡¯s bold.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know if it was because she was still immature, but she was more outspoken than I thought.


    Of course, Shaolin would be like this. She was 22 years old when I first saw her. It would have taken quite a while for her to reach this level, so she must have been active in her mid orte teens.


    Her talent was indeed extraordinary, and she would have taken all sorts of expectations at an early age going through an elite road.


    Even her face was very attractive. In a way, she was definitely a different type from the women I had seen so far. It was a simr word, but she had a stronger impression of sexuality than sexiness.


    She had a ferocious impression like the ¡°people-snatcher¡± Charlia, who I didn¡¯t even remember the face of anymore, but she was sexually attractive in a way that could not be exined. With the deep sidecut of the Chinese dress that she was wearing, as well as the longshes and fingers, the reddish face and the eyes looking at me, and even her actions, I could feel a strong sense of temptation.


    I felt sorry for Jung Hayan, but it was impossible topare with her periodic seduction.


    That didn¡¯t mean I wouldn¡¯t try my best to wheedle information out of her, however.


    ¡®It¡¯s crazy.¡¯


    This could be a trap. If I sessfully get baited¡­


    ¡®I might die.¡¯


    In other words, she was not what she seemed to be. Seeing her right now, she looked normal on the outside, but I knew best than anyone that she was not.


    The first ce I met her was in the ck market, and it didn¡¯t show, but the temper itself was very cruel.


    Kim Hyunsung also treated her as a viin, so it was obvious as to what she was doing in the first round.


    To put it all together, spending time with her was no different from wanting to be found the next morning as a corpse.


    ¡°I think you¡¯re beautiful. Honestly, I am interested.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fortunate. In what way?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t know exactly what to say¡­ Ah. What do you think of me?¡±


    ¡°Is that a question?¡±


    ¡°Yes. This is a question.¡±


    ¡°Can I be a little honest?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Of course.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You look really sexually attractive¡­¡±


    I had no choice but to cough. It was not because she was thinking the same thing as me, but because I was embarrassed that she said that too bluntly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t usually get this feeling¡­ It¡¯s really weird. In fact, it is true that you are a little far from my type¡­ you keep making me impatient¡­ it looks like sweet honey is dripping from you. Can you understand it if I exin it like this? Your body seems to have a sweet scent, and your lips seem to have some nectar on them. You wouldn¡¯t have put magic¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahem¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if you look like that to other people¡¯s eyes, but¡­ It¡¯s funny that at least it looks to me.¡±


    I didn¡¯t think Cha Hee-ra or Jung Hayan would see it as Shaolin described it.


    ¡°Well, if it¡¯s apliment, thank you.¡±


    ¡°Of course, it is apliment. Although the expression was long and vulgar, I meant that I¡¯m attracted to you as a woman.¡±


    I could see her smirking. I didn¡¯t know if it was my imagination, but I felt like she was smacking her lips for some reason. It was when a sense of uneasiness rose within me.


    ¡®What the¡­¡¯


    ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    ¡®What is that?¡¯


    The problem didn¡¯te from her. Instead, a little far from this ce. The ground had started to reverberate, and I could feel unimaginable magical power from above.


    ¡®Fuck¡­ What is that?¡¯


    I could see arge concentration of magic falling out in the outskirts of the city.

 Chapter 310: Jung Hayan’s Instruction Manual (4)

    <h4>Chapter 310: Jung Hayan¡¯s Instruction Manual (4)</h4>


    Even though I rubbed my eyes once, I could still see the same thing in front of me.


    It was not a dream. Certainly, arge dark red sphere was falling from the sky.


    ¡°What is that¡­¡±


    Shaolin was also flustered. She looked out the window and muttered to herself, and she looked even more bewildered than me.


    It was obvious why she had such an expression.


    ¡®There¡­¡¯


    The ce where the magic fell off was the ce where people from the Republic lived.


    ¡®That¡¯s crazy¡­¡¯


    Baaaaaaaannngg!


    With that sound, huge magical power began to strike the protective magic that protected the city.


    The people who were eating with us screamed at the ridiculous scene.


    With a crackling sound, the basic magic that protected the city was shattered, and the enormous magical power was sucked into the gap in an instant.


    All of this happened within a few seconds.


    Amazingly, the impact did not reach here.


    I didn¡¯t know what kind of magic it was, but it seemed to be a kind of magic aimed only at the exact target point.


    It was not an element type. There was something like ck magic, but I couldn¡¯t feel it.


    The expression of simply swallowing up space would be appropriate. It was an aggregate of high-density magical power.


    ¡®That¡¯s crazy¡­ crazy!¡¯


    No wonder I was more surprised than the dinosaurs watching the meteor fall.


    I didn¡¯t know what was going on, but I wondered if it would be better to run away from here right now.


    I didn¡¯t know what others would think, but at least from my point of view; it was like a natural disaster that I couldn¡¯t understand.


    ¡®Is it really a natural disaster¡­¡¯


    Kaaaahhhhhhhhh!


    The sound I heard for the first time in my life began to ring in my ears.


    The sphere that had fallen in the specific ce rotated fiercely andpletely consumed the space it was in.


    There was nothing in it, leaving only a neat section that looked as if a paper had been stapled.


    Even in other ces, the dark red magic power was falling. It wasn¡¯t a number that could be said to be that many, but it was enough to turn the city into an abyss.


    As if that thing was lucky, it swallowed most of the minerals at random.


    That¡¯s the only ce that thing hit directly.


    Kaaaaahhhhhhhhh!


    After the chain of sounds got smaller and smaller, I began to see andscape that I had never seen with any magic.


    ¡®How can this be? No, what is that?¡¯


    I admit that magic was a science that even I couldn¡¯t understand, but I couldn¡¯t believe what I was seeing with my own eyes. If I hadn¡¯t felt artificial magic, I would have thought it wasn¡¯t magic. I would have concluded that it was one of the peculiar natural phenomena urring on the continent like a magical storm.


    I was not the only one who was speechless at this ridiculous situation. The restaurant had now gone silent.


    Beginning with the cry of a baby heard from somewhere, everyone started rushing outside. Of course, we were no exception.


    ¡°I have to go.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡±


    She seemed to be thinking for a moment, but I could see her nodding. She must have felt that it would be fine if I went, too.


    Immediately going out of the restaurant, I could see the surrounding scenery going wild. I could see investigators dispatched from Laios running, and monks and ascetics looked for any injured people.


    Wizards who came outte also seem to have moved early.


    It wasmendable that they responded faster than I thought, but¡­


    ¡®The level of the wizard is low here.¡¯


    It was hard to expect them to figure out something. Perhaps the most they could do was control the surroundings and pretend to do something.


    Civilians were running in all directions in the meantime. In fact, Shaolin¡¯s minions showed simr reactions to them. It felt like they all didn¡¯t know how to handle this.


    I was not very different from them either. I had to worry about a second bombing right now. That was why I had stuck with Shaolin.


    We headed to the ce where the first magic fell in an instant.


    ¡®What the¡­¡¯


    After arriving at the ce, I saw a magnificent sight.


    ¡®They must have all died.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know what happened to the people inside, but I bet they couldn¡¯t even rescue the bodies of the ones that had gotten properly hit,


    ¡®Are the pro and the big guy dead¡­?¡¯


    However, seeing some people gathered, it seemed that my wish had note true.


    As I passed through the crowd, I saw the pro and the big guy that I¡¯d seen a few days ago. Only three minions survived. The rest were all dead.


    I didn¡¯t know how they were able to survive this mess, but I was able to nod when I saw the big guy¡¯s one arm twisting in an inexplicable direction.


    He must have saved the pro.


    ¡°Sh*t¡­ Ahem. Damn!¡±


    He was coughing while being treated by several priests.


    By immediately receiving the healing magic, they could save his arm, but it seemed that he needed a little more time to recover his entire body.


    On the one hand, I thought that it was amazing to have survived such a thing, but it seemed that he went too far.


    Jin Qing was looking at the neatly-cut section while calming others.


    It seemed that he was doing his own analysis.


    I was not the one who did this, but I started getting anxious for some reason.


    ¡°I was wondering if¡­ this¡­¡±


    ¡°I can guarantee this has nothing to do with the State this time.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Is it true?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    This time, I had nothing to be ashamed of.


    Shaolin, looking at me quietly, slowly nodded. She seemed to have understood that I was not stupid enough to do something like this.


    Launching a preemptive strike against the Republic in a neutral country, it was extremely sensitive.


    There was no single reason why we, were are staying here to form an alliance with Laios, would do this. Of course, I would be grateful if they thought so, too, but¡­


    ¡®They can bog me down.¡¯


    If they wanted to twist my words, they could do it anyhow.


    First, I needed toe up with a solution. Although we were together, I had to open my mouth in a hurry.


    ¡°It¡¯s better to go and talk, Shaolin. I have to look into the situation separately, too¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. I think it¡¯s better, too. Before that big buy gets angered again¡­ We¡¯ll only know what happened after looking into it, but right now, they have no choice but to doubt you. Please understand that much.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Of course.¡±


    ¡®Understand, my ass¡­ I hope they don¡¯t make up a scenario.¡¯


    The probability was low, but it was not impossible.


    ¡°I won¡¯t see you off.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    After talking to me, Shaolin approached Jin Qing and Valentin.


    I heard them talking, but I couldn¡¯t listen to it clearly.


    They would contact the Republic immediately, and an investigation team would be dispatched immediately.


    Of course, I thought that the State would also send an investigation team.


    The powerless Laios would not be able to prevent a forceful group under the name of the investigation group from entering the country. Eventually, the situation would be moreplicated.


    ¡®It should be absurd from their point of view, but¡­¡¯


    The case had already happened and could no longer be reversed.


    By now, the Queen of Laios might be having a headache.


    When I looked back again, I saw those who had already controlled other people¡¯s ess and started investigating them.


    At first nce, it seemed like there was nothing wrong with the State camp, but since it was a sensitive issue, I have to investigate.


    If it was Jung Hayan, she might find out something¡­


    ¡®Fuck¡­¡¯


    ¡°Sh*t.¡±


    I thought out loud automatically.


    Unknowingly, the curse words continue to linger around my mouth. Suspicion began to dwell inside of me.


    ¡®It¡¯s not, right?¡¯


    No. It can¡¯t be. Jung Hayan couldn¡¯t possibly be the culprit.


    ¡®The motivation is also uncertain.¡¯


    It was already foreseen that she would cause some ident from the time she gained 99 magic power.


    Although she was being repressed by Cha Hee-ra right now, the fact that Jung Hayan could run wild at any time did not change.


    She was very quiettely, but because of that, I felt even more anxious. Since the incident with the Republic people, I hadn¡¯t seen her in some time.


    Of course, we met asionally and spent time, but I wasn¡¯t confident that it was enough to care for Jung Hayan.


    The date was ruined, and we even got a strange misunderstanding, so if she thought it was all because of the Republic guys, she could easily take extreme measures.


    I mean, unless there was no one to stop her.


    ¡®No. Maybe not. It won¡¯t be.¡¯


    However, within mymon sense, the number of people who could demonstrate this kind of magic is limited, and of course, the number one priority was Jung Hayan.


    It was her.


    The idea that it wasn¡¯t the time to cover up for others suddenly awakened. For now, I had no choice but to head to the camp of the State.


    ¡®Sh*t. Damn. Damn!¡¯


    As I ran in a hurry, I saw those who were definitely located nearby. There was no way they wouldn¡¯t havee out after all this fuss.


    They were very well established, and ess was controlled so that even those from Laios could not approach.


    I didn¡¯t know who took these measures, but the decision was perfect.


    As soon as I threw my coat and walked inside, the Red Mercenary guild members guided me, and the wizards who came with Yuno Kasugano were also pursuing magical power or collecting fallen fragments.


    ¡°You¡¯rete, honey. Where have you been? Did you see the magic falling?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I came because I saw it. I was looking at the situation elsewhere. This¡­¡±


    ¡°No, wait, just in case, I have to ask first. Did you do this?¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯m not rted to this.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s really not me.¡±


    I don¡¯t know why she asked me if I did it, but Cha Hee-ra nodded for now.


    It seems like she thought that I had done something.


    Cha Hee-ra tried to tell me something, but this time I had no choice but to interrupt her.


    Because it wasn¡¯t her that was urgent at this moment.


    ¡°Have you seen Hayan? Nuna?¡±


    ¡°There she is.¡±


    She said, nodding as if she understood the meaning of my question.


    As I moved my gaze along her finger, I was able to see Jung Hayan working hard on the investigation with her back on me.


    ¡®You didn¡¯t do it, right?¡¯


    The way she didn¡¯te to me at once was undoubtedly suspicious.


    I called Jung Hayan, and she began to turn her head with a slightly nervous expression.


    ¡®Please¡­¡¯

 Chapter 311: Jung Hayan’s Instruction Manual (5)

    <h4>Chapter 311: Jung Hayan¡¯s Instruction Manual (5)</h4>


    ¡°Hayan.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ O-Oppa, you¡¯re here?¡±


    I could see her rushing here as soon as she turned. She had the same expression as usual. No, it was a little different.


    She was restless. Her unidentified guilt was also visible. But that feeling was momentary. Jung Hayan, now, was definitely her usual self.


    ¡°Hayan, did you¡­¡±


    As I started talking, she was preparing to answer with her lips shut. I could see her taking a deep breath as if she was also worried.


    Jung Hayan had no talent with lies. She was hopelessly obvious when she lied to me.


    If Jung Hayan tried to tell a lie, she would be as prepared as she was now. No wonder I looked around while trying to ask the question.


    It was not appropriate to ask such a question in a ce like this in the first ce.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°No, nothing. Let¡¯s talkter.¡±


    There were too many eyes here. If it was right that Jung Hayan did this, the fewer people who knew it, the better.


    It was not that I didn¡¯t trust the Red Mercenary and Yozora guild members, but I had to be careful as anything could happen afterwards.


    It would be weird to drag Jung Hayan to another ce. I also think perhaps this wasn¡¯t done by Jung Hayan.


    ¡®There is no sign that she consumed magic power.¡¯


    I even looked at her with my eyes opened widely. I didn¡¯t know how strong the magic power of 99 was, but she should be exhausted if she had just used the same magic once.


    ¡®There may be some other way.¡¯


    No matter how crazy she was, she wouldn¡¯t have done it without thinking about the aftermath.


    If the culprit was her, it was right to think she¡¯d done this with something in mind. Probably, things like evidence were handled earlier.


    The fact that not only the Republic¡¯s amodation but also other areas were blown out would be a result of the desire to avoid the situation where the State would be suspected.


    Not experiencing magical exhaustion was also an extension of that work. I had to turn around and open my mouth, looking at Park Deokgu, who had a nk face.


    ¡°Deokgu.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Take Hayan and go outside for a moment.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean¡­ s-suddenly at this time?¡±


    ¡°Maybe there are civilians, and other people caught up in this incident. Don¡¯t do anything else. Just focus on helping with the remedial work. Do you know what I¡¯m talking about?¡±


    ¡°Ohhh¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m talking about helping the neutral country with magic. While you¡¯re going, it wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to give them what we have as relief supplies¡­ Anyway, the main aid is magic. You need to help as well as you can. I¡¯m leaving this to you.¡±


    ¡°Ohh! Oh! It was that! Phew¡­ as expected from Hyung-nim.¡±


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    ¡°Even in this situation, you¡¯re trying to take care of other people¡­ You¡¯re really different. This is a real righteous person! You always seem indifferent, but you¡¯re thinking about other people more than anyone else! Lee Kiyoung, the righteous! Even the sound of it it¡¯s different.¡±


    ¡°Stop saying useless things, ande back quickly.¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s an urgent situation. Absolutely. Leave it to me! I will solve it perfectly.¡±


    ¡°Take some of the wizards of the Yozora Guild. Hayan, let¡¯s talk when youe back after going around the city.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Oppa.¡±


    She was looking more and more nervous. It even seemed that she wanted to pee really badly. As I kept looking into her eyes, I could see that she snuck away from my gaze. Seeing that she didn¡¯t stutter, I felt like she was conscious differently than usual.


    ¡®You¡¯re the one who did it. Fuck¡­¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t really be sure yet, but I was able to make a half-decision looking at Jung Hayan¡¯s expression. I didn¡¯t know how she did it, but¡­


    ¡®She¡¯s the one who did that.¡¯


    There was a high probability that she was the protagonist of this incident. Even if she wasn¡¯t, I had to act thinking that she was. No wonder that I felt that I should make her go out a little faster. I had to show others that she had enough magic power in her body as she could be suspected of being the magical manifester.


    The volunteer work was a bonus. If I was lucky, we could look good to Laios, so it was right to let Jung Hayan go right now.


    Anyway, Park Deokgu, Jung Hayan, and some Yozora Guild wizards quickly started to leave this ce at my urge. It wasn¡¯t long after the incident, so it seemed to be the right timing as well.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back, so be careful, Hyung-nim. There is no guarantee that it will not fall again.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s unlikely that¡¯ll happen. Just go quickly. I¡¯ll be building all defense magic.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    When Park Deokgu and Jung Hayan were no longer visible, I had no choice but to start moving, too.


    If Jung Hayan had hidden her evidence, I had to check it with my own eyes. Even if she hadn¡¯t, I had to figure out where this kind of magic came from.


    Other wizards from the State and Yuno Kasugano were collecting samples and seeing the reaction. As I approached, I could see weing faces.


    I couldn¡¯t say that I had great knowledge of magic either, but at least alchemy was often helpful in this area. I even had the Mind¡¯s Eye, so I would be a hundred times more helpful than the existing wizards.


    [??? Scattered Magic Power Crystal (Legendary)]


    [Semi-mythic-grade magic, it¡¯s a crystal with the influence of???. It can be used as an advanced catalyst.]


    As soon as Iid a mat and started gathering magic in my eyes, I saw many things.


    [??? Survival magic power (Legendary)]


    [Semi-mythic-grade magic it¡¯s the residual magic power floating in the atmosphere under the influence of???. It will be scattered in 7 hours.]


    ¡®Semi-mythic-grade¡­¡¯


    The level of the revealed magic was semi-mythic-grade. Strictly speaking, it was a kind of spell with an effect of magic power 99 or higher.


    Indeed, many things were invisible to this eye. Naturally, it could not read it properly because it had been rated as a semi-mythic-grade. In fact, even when the magic fell, what I could see¡­


    ¡®Was nothing.¡¯


    Though I got a lot of thought, it was faster to open the sk immediately and collect things that seemed worth researching, as well as magic crystals and debris, and things like residual magic that others couldn¡¯t see, so it was faster for me to do the work myself.


    It was a little disconcerting to see other wizards picking up useless stones with only magic, but it was not easy to distinguish even with my own eyes.


    ¡®Good job.¡¯


    Probably, it was possible because the traces were also swallowed up entirely. It was hard to say that it was impable when I actually got up close and look at the swallowed section.


    Most of the traces were fragments that had fallen, and there were no other traces other than that. It was not going to be easy to find the magic spot in this way.


    Considering that the residual magic power floating in the atmosphere would disappear in the next seven hours, it would be even harder to find traces by then.


    What was a little interesting was that the fragments affected by this magic could be used as catalysts, but the exact use was not known yet, but as it is a legendary catalyst, it seemed that various uses could be found. Of course, this magic itself is also very interesting.


    ¡®It looks like the whole space was swallowed up¡­¡¯


    It definitely felt like that. If I were to look at Valentin¡¯s arm uncut and distorted in a deformed direction, it was correct to think that the arm was removed before being swallowed into the space.


    He resisted the force that pulled him, and although his arm broke, he was spared from losing itpletely.


    If it were sucked a little further into the sphere or couldn¡¯t resist, I could bet that his shoulders, or the whole body, would have been neatly removed.


    ¡®No¡­ It¡¯s not disappearing¡­¡¯


    I decided that this wasn¡¯t swallowed by space when I found a very small substance. It was a small piece that was the size of a grain of dust.


    ¡®Something is weird.¡¯


    It was only momentary, but it was natural to realize what that is.


    ¡®This crazy¡­¡¯


    It didn¡¯t disappear.


    ¡®It¡¯spressed.¡¯


    This magical effect that neatly swallowed the section of this cepressed it into this little piece.


    ¡®This crazy¡­ crazy¡­ Fuck¡­¡¯


    I thought that dying by whatever it was would be the same, but if I were to think that the victims of the Republic werepressed into this small piece, sweat began to drip down my forehead.


    This was a kind of magic thatpressed what was around into a grain of dust from the moment the sphere¡¯s shape exploded. It sucked in andpressed it before the person even noticed it. In an instant, the bones and blood crumbled and reverted to a radish-like shape.


    It was embarrassing, but this grain of dust felt heavy, almost as if I¡¯m holding a stone. This thing I had now contained the ground that the magic dug out of this area.


    I was wondering if it would be a useful energy resource in some sense if it had magical power or couldpress something in this form, but¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s so scary¡­¡¯


    This was too scary.


    At first, I hoped it wouldn¡¯t be Jung Hayan, but the more I learn about this magic, the more I would rather hope¡­ it was her.


    ¡®What if an unknown enemy uses this magic?¡¯


    This felt like a level of a natural disaster simr to that of meteorites falling from the sky. If Jung Hayan caused this, I could fix it, but if an unknown enemy had manifested this magic, I would choose to quickly run away. As always, the smartest way to do this was to press the switch posture button.


    ¡®Please, this should be Hayan¡¯s work¡­ Please¡­¡¯


    What was disturbing in the meantime was that I could see an unfamiliar ck smokeing out of this little substance.


    It was so fine that it wasn¡¯t noticeable, and of course, there were more remaining magical powers of other types, but it kept bothering me that out of all the remaining magic, there was something that was supposed to be ck magic. I remembered someone then.


    ¡®Where is Han Sora?¡¯


    I started to feel like the puzzles were being put together.


    ¡®Where is she¡­? Fuck¡­¡¯

 Chapter 312: Jung Hayan’s Instruction Manual (6)

    <h4>Chapter 312: Jung Hayan¡¯s Instruction Manual (6)</h4>


    ¡®Jung Hayan didn¡¯t do it alone.¡¯


    It was just a guess, but I started to think that. It was impossible to say that it was only her skill.


    No matter how careful she got, Jung Hayan wouldn¡¯t be able to handle things this carefully. It was even impossible to detect where the magic power came from.


    The magical power was different from anyone I knew, and it felt like the spell waspleted by twisting it two or three times. Even if she had a powerful magical ability, it was correct to think that someone from the outside helped.


    It was in an instant that I quickly turned my gaze. This was because I was very bothered that Han Sora wasn¡¯t in this room.


    If the Republic side found out that ck magic was also involved, we may also be in a dangerous situation.


    Using Han Sora as a discarded hand was a problem that solved everything, but it was a waste to throw away the ck Wizard, which was now gaining momentum in level-up.


    ¡®It doesn¡¯t make sense.¡¯


    When I was indulged in all sorts of thoughts, it was Celia¡¯s Yuno Kasugano who spoke. When I nodded and opened my mouth, I could see her nodding.


    ¡°Master, no, Lee Kiyoung-nim. Are you looking for something¡­?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not really anything important¡­ Have you seen Han Sora from our guild?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Probably in her room. I heard that she wasn¡¯t feeling well¡­ Is there any problem? Or have you found anything?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s something uncertain to say, but I think I caught a clue. Kasugano-nim, please wrap this up. This is a sample I collected. I think you can take all the simr things. In particr, you must take the magic crystal. It may be used for clues or new researchter.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s a catalyst that can be used as a high-end material. I¡¯m not sure what this is, either.¡±


    Of course, I thought it would be better for me to keep thepressed catalyst. I had to see if there was any other reaction.


    ¡°Yes. Okay.¡±


    ¡°Cha Hee-ra will take over the external work. If there is an official announcement, I wille back here. If possible, look for traces that have urred in other areas, and take whatever it¡¯s needed.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Please do as you please.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m asking just in case¡­ Is it possible for you to track this magic?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know in detail. I¡¯ll have to look at it a little bit more, but even if it¡¯s traceable, I¡¯m going to spend a lot of time on it.¡±


    ¡°And with your eyes¡­¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, but it¡¯s not something I can see whenever I want¡­ But I think it would be better to get out of Laios soon.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°A-Actually¡­¡±


    She was taking a long time. Of course, I started to get impatient. As soon as I spoke, I could see her starting to speak as well.


    ¡°You can talk.¡±


    ¡°I could see a scene where the city was ruined when the magic fell. Of course, it was only a short time¡­ the time is not urate either¡­¡±


    ¡®What the hell is this again¡­¡¯


    I swallowed hard.


    ¡°I was wondering whether I should tell Lee Kiyoung-nim or not¡­¡±


    ¡®Is there anything to think about? Of course, she has to tell me.¡¯


    It had to be a little questionable, but I realized why she hesitated to tell me when she started to talk again.


    ¡°I also don¡¯t know what the consequences of the future I¡¯m telling are. Unlike the past, the future has the potential to change even with a tiny thing¡­ if Lee Kiyoung has anything to do with the future I¡¯ve seen¡­ then, maybe what I¡¯ve said will create the original future.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying that there¡¯s a possibility that it¡¯s going in the original way because you¡¯re conscious of the future?¡±


    ¡°In short, yes. What I have said now may also be one of the processes that will lead to the future I see. Of course, the opposite can happen¡­ I decided that it would be better to tell you as it could be dangerous. I don¡¯t know what will happen after, so you should think about getting out of Laios first.¡±


    ¡°I understand what you¡¯re saying.¡±


    I understood very clearly. I was sure she was worried that something might happen because she just told me about the future. Even if an average viger had heard this, the future was likely to be distorted. They would indeed warn people to leave the town.


    Since I was a powerful man who could move many people, I might be at the center of this case. The act of trying to stop the future Yuno Kasugano saw may be a catalyst for elerating things.


    ¡®It¡¯splicated¡­¡¯


    Obviously, there were many things to be careful about when she had only seen a fragmentary scene. Kasugano, in the first round, had to live a life where she was unhappy because she slipped her tongue.


    ¡°For now¡­ I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡±


    ¡°Please move carefully.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Rather than that¡­ about Laios¡­¡±


    ¡°There is no official announcement yet. Just now, Cha Hee-ra formally requested the State to dispatch an investigation team, and Laios also epted it. As concerns about secondary damage, they care more about civilians in their own country than us. It¡¯s the same for the expert who came to our delegation. If you want¡­¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s okay.¡±


    It was obvious as to what they would say anyway. They would have expressed a sincere constion to the Republic, preparing itself if anything happens, and said that they were doing their best to cope with this situation.


    Even in a neutral country, the current situation was problematic. They could twist the situation politically if they wanted. As it was such a sensitive matter, they wouldn¡¯t be able to settle their positions immediately.


    In fact, I was worried about how Laios woulde out, but there was a problem that was bothering me more. Anxiety began to amplify in the story about a sea of fire in Laios.


    ¡®Will it be Jung Hayan?¡¯


    It was very likely. It was Jung Hayan who caused this ident from the first round, too. The story was that from now on, there would be a series of incidents that could provoke Jung Hayan, and the explosion, due to her meltdown, would destroy Laios.


    Although the possibility was low, this was a phenomenon such as an external attack or natural disaster. There was also a theory that it would go into ruins as the second impact begins. Still, obviously, the first story was more likely.


    It was indeed good that Yuno Kasugano told me. Her remarks reminded me of the need to be careful even now.


    ¡®I just have to be careful.¡¯


    Be careful not to irritate her as much as possible, and once again prevent her from having a meltdown. Of course, it was important to find Han Sora before that.


    ¡®Why is it soplicated?¡¯


    Things seemed to have gone twisted, but the top priority was to erase the traces and take care of Jung Hayan.


    As I walked, lost in thoughts, I could see the amodation right away. Unlike before, when it was peaceful, the Red Mercenary members were strictly controlling others¡¯ entry.


    Even I, too, went through a simple procedure. I didn¡¯t get upset. That kind of check was definitely something they had to do.


    After entering, I went straight to Han Sora¡¯s room and started knocking on the door. There wasn¡¯t much reaction, so I opened the door right away, and I could see her sitting quietly on the couch.


    ¡°Sora-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ Yes. Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°You know why I came, right?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly¡­ what is it?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t y innocent with me.¡±


    ¡°Is it because of what happened outside¡­? I heard that something happened. I¡¯m sorry that I couldn¡¯t help because I wasn¡¯t feeling well.¡±


    Definitely, her acting skills were at a high level. She had developed in this aspect in the first ce, so she didn¡¯t fall behind with Kim Ye-ri and Ahn Ki-mo. I even wondered about whether she didn¡¯t know anything.


    ¡®Does she really not know?¡¯


    I thought about it for a moment, but I could see a feeling of fear in her eyes, so I thought it wasn¡¯t that. She was not afraid of me.


    ¡®She must be afraid of Jung Hayan.¡¯


    It was clear that Jung Hayan had firmly warned her not to speak of this matter. That was not acting to screw me up. It was the struggle for her own life.


    ¡°Han Sora-ssi. I don¡¯t have time to do this. I know what you¡¯re worried about, but I¡¯d like you to speak quickly. I need to figure out what¡¯s going on. It¡¯s okay if you¡¯re worried about Jung Hayan. I¡¯ll take care of it as far as I can.¡±


    ¡°I really don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. Vice Guild Master. R-Really¡­¡±


    ¡°Speak quickly. I don¡¯t have time.¡±


    ¡°I really don¡¯t know. W-why are you doing this?¡±


    However, her eyes were trembling. I didn¡¯t know what she was imagining, but I could see her pupils, arms, and legs shaking.


    It seemed like her whole body was telling me not to do this, begging for me not to ask her.


    I started off a little poorly, but, naturally, I felt sorry for some reason. However, I was not in a position to take care of her.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t do this. I really don¡¯t know anything.¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t do what.¡¯


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    ¡°I need to know what¡¯s going on so I can fix it, Sora-ssi. I know roughly everything. That you¡¯re rted with what happened today.¡±


    ¡°Really¡­¡±


    It already consumed much time. Naturally, I approached her, and she looked confused.


    Seeing her crouching as far as she can, I felt that she wanted to hide something. I grabbed her arm, and I saw a face looking up at me as if telling me not to do this.


    As she chanted simple magic, her top would be split in half. Of course, the scene I expected came into my eyes. Arge ck speck was covering her chest.


    ¡®The phenomenon of magic power exhaustion.¡¯


    It was the perfect proof. Of course, the voice of excuse burst out of Han Sora¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°This, this is not that. That¡¯s not what you¡¯re thinking!¡±


    She mumbled and shouted as if she was startled, but the evidence was so clear. Han Sora and Jung Hayan did this.


    ¡°It¡¯s really a misunderstanding. This is I¡­ I mean. It¡¯s a misunderstanding.¡±


    ¡°Misunderstanding, my ass¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wrong. This is a misunderstanding. Yes! A-a misunderstanding! Please¡­ please save me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°H¡­ Help me.¡±


    ¡°Why am I¡­?¡±


    She, who mumbled with her body trembling, quickly realized that I was not the one who opened my mouth. As I looked behind without even knowing it, I could see Jung Hayan looking here.


    ¡®Fuck¡­¡¯

 Chapter 313: Jung Hayan’s Instruction Manual (7)

    <h4>Chapter 313: Jung Hayan¡¯s Instruction Manual (7)</h4>


    ¡®Sh*t¡­¡¯


    It was no wonder that my head went nk instantly.


    ¡®It¡¯s ruined.¡¯


    It was obvious as to why Han So-ra kept shouting for me to save her.


    ¡°This¡­ I mean¡­ please¡­¡±


    Han So-ra, trembling like an aspen tree, looked not only pitiful but pathetic. In a way, she even looked tragic.


    ¡®Why of all timings¡­¡¯


    Whatever the reason, it was obvious what the situation would look like now.


    The fact that Han Sora, who had taken off her top, and I were together was not a good picture for Jung Hayan.


    I would have to exin that there was a misunderstanding, but I didn¡¯t think she would ept it.


    ¡®What a time to appear.¡¯


    I wonder why she appeared at this timing.


    She was obviously expecting me to visit Han Sora.


    It was clear that she moved quickly, anxious that she would be caught, too. Of course, the picture she saw now would be more shocking than what Jung Hayan expected.


    If I were to think about it inmon sense, it made no sense for Han Sora and me to enjoy secret meetings at this time, but I wouldn¡¯t have suffered this much if she had themon sense to think that.


    Jung Hayan¡¯s pupils shook in an instant. I could see her biting her lips as if she was showing hostility toward Han Sora.


    Of course, this should be fixed.


    Thick tears filled up in her eyes. It was a spectacle to see her run to the other side in no time before I even open my mouth.


    Immediately I tried to run, yelling ¡®Jung Hayan,¡¯ but I felt somebody gripping my ankle.


    It was Han Sora, who was crying with a runny nose that¡¯s sitting behind.


    ¡®What¡¯s up with this again?¡¯


    ¡°Let go of me.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t leave me alone¡­ Please don¡¯t leave me alone.¡±


    ¡°Let me go.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t leave me alone. Please s-save me. Please exin to her. Please tell her it wasn¡¯t anything. Please. Please. Ahem. Please¡­¡±


    ¡°No, first, let me¡­¡±


    ¡°No. No. Don¡¯t leave me. Don¡¯t leave me. Please don¡¯t leave me alone. I¡¯ll do whatever you ask. Don¡¯t leave me. Don¡¯t leave me! Please¡­ Waaahhh¡­¡±


    Of course, it was not good to follow her with Han Sora.


    At first, I thought it was best to leave her and go, but I couldn¡¯t do anything because, like a cicada clinging to an old tree, she didn¡¯t want to fall off my leg.


    There was no way to get rid of this woman with my weak strength.


    ¡°You have to tell her that it was an ident. Please tell her you have no interest in me. Please¡­ You have to tell her that you think of me as less than a stone on the side of the road. Ahem.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I got it.¡±


    ¡°Nooooooo! Don¡¯t leave me. Please don¡¯t leave me! I¡¯ll exin everything about what you were asking. Please don¡¯t leave me. Don¡¯t leave me alone. Please¡­ Please don¡¯t leave me alone¡­ Ahem. Save me¡­ I said, save me! You son of a bitch!¡±


    I knew very well that Han Sora was afraid of Jung Hayan, but now I could see that her condition was more severe than I thought.


    It even seemedughable to think that she had gotten better recently.


    Naturally, I felt that I shouldn¡¯t waste more time here. I kept thinking about the future that Yuno Kasugano saw.


    ¡®The story about the fire sea in Laios.¡¯


    It bothered me very much that I don¡¯t know the exact time. I also started to get more and more anxious as I think it may be today.


    If, as Kasugano said, Jung Hayan really ruined the city¡­


    ¡®I won¡¯t be able to fix it.¡¯


    That waspletely out of my reach to fix.


    It was also essential to avoid continuing to drag time here. For now, I had to think that taking her with me was the top priority.


    As I sighed and opened my mouth, I saw her face as if she is asking what I¡¯m talking about.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, for now. Quickly. I¡¯m going to find her right now.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    However, at the words she heard right away, she nodded.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t like that, stay here¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go! I¡¯ll go! Of course, I have to go. Of course. Of course, I will. I¡¯ll go with you. Y-you need to prepare quickly. Quickly¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. We have to go quickly. Only then can this misunderstanding be resolved.¡±


    She tried to get up in a hurry, but she cannot stand properly as if her leg suddenly gave out. She ovepped with the appearance of a newborn zebra, trying to raise its body.


    I threw a jacket that could cover her upper body right away, and Han Sora was ready to go out with a trembling body.


    ¡°There will be no damage to Sora-ssi, so you can calm down. I¡¯ll tell her it was just a misunderstanding, so you don¡¯t have to be too anxious.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Yes. Okay. Yes.¡±


    ¡°And you have to answer in detail to the question I asked before. If you don¡¯t like that, you can stay here alone.¡±


    ¡°Of¡­ course, I have to¡­ tell you. Yes. Of course¡­¡±


    ¡°You can follow me from a few steps away.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Yes. I¡¯ll do everything. I¡¯ll do and tell you everything you ask me. I-instead, you¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll exin it to her.¡±


    I spoke confidently, but I had to worry about myself first.


    ¡®It¡¯s not just you, Sora¡­ it¡¯s the same for me.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know where Jung Hayan went, but, naturally, I moved in a hurry.


    This was because Yuno Kasugano¡¯s words came to my mind. I didn¡¯t know how or why Laios was ruined, but somehow I felt that I had sparked the catalyst for it.


    It was all spection that Jung Hayan¡¯s explosion would turn it into ruins, but at least that was the only thing I could think of now.


    I wanted to dash to find her, but because of Han Sora, who was running while limping, it proved to be a hard task.


    There was no guarantee that the wild Jung Hayan will not attack Han Sora.


    After seeing that Sora was not with me, she may appear to wrap up the event she couldn¡¯t finish at the training center.


    She wouldn¡¯t have gone too far anyway, so it wouldn¡¯t be bad to sort the situation while looking for her.


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about what happened before, Sora-ssi.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know e-exactly where to start with.¡±


    ¡°First, why did Sora suffer from magical exhaustion?¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯m the one who unleashed the magic.¡±


    ¡°The fact that you cannot unleash the same kind of spell before¡­¡±


    ¡°No. I simply chanted thest word and literally made it appear. I don¡¯t know how she did it, but Jung Hayan-nim transferred the spell to me. I don¡¯t know if the expression ¡°transfer¡± would be appropriate¡­¡±


    ¡°Is that possible?¡±


    ¡°Because it is single-shot. Of course, even that is impossible in theory¡­ And the magic thatbined all my magic power into it is the magic you saw.¡±


    ¡®Is it possible because it¡¯s Jung Hayan?¡¯


    In other words, the enormous magical power was unleashed by borrowing Han Sora¡¯s body for a moment.


    I thought this was a twist in her magic power to make it difficult to find traces.


    Perhaps, while Han Sora unleashed the spell, Jung Hayan chanted another spell, and it was certainly a spell to confuse future investigations.


    The person whopleted the spell was Jung Hayan, but the manifester was the ck Wizard.


    I didn¡¯t know if this was also nned, but this was why I felt the scent of ck magic that Jung Hayan couldn¡¯t use.


    I felt like my curiosity had been resolved to some extent.


    I felt like the puzzle was now being put together.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think you should¡¯ve told me in advance?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m s-sorry.¡±


    I did not me her. Her actions were understandable enough.


    I didn¡¯t know how the two did it together, but somehow this came up, and Han Sora couldn¡¯t have rejected Jung Hayan¡¯s offer.


    ¡®Who will say she is not a ck Wizard?¡¯


    It was not only ridiculous, but embarrassing to see her sign a contract with Jung Hayan.


    Of course, from Han Sora¡¯s point of view, there was no option to refuse with the fear that she might die.


    Instead, I thought that she would have assisted her with infinite affirmation on her n.


    ¡°But she took some measures to prevent others from finding traces in various ways. It was the reason why she unleashed the magic with my body. I tried to stop her, but¡­¡±


    She wouldn¡¯t have tried to stop her. She didn¡¯t have that much courage.


    ¡°She was under so much stress¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°The more she thought about it, the more I felt like she was trapped in her own thoughts. She seemed to¡­ have concluded by herself that everything went wrong¡­ because of the people of the Republic.¡±


    ¡°What in the world is wrong?¡±


    ¡°She said that she hated to think that Vice Guild Master thinks of her as a strange woman¡­ I told her that you were rather jealous, and she liked it very much at first, but even after that, you continued to be very busy¡­¡±


    ¡°You mean she got more anxious?¡±


    ¡°Yes. After that, she kept muttering only words I couldn¡¯t understand, and eventually¡­ she said that it seemed that you hated her, or that she doesn¡¯t have the confidence to look at Vice Guild Master¡¯s face¡­ that she had to fix things. I didn¡¯t know it meant something like this. She said she had to prove her innocence¡­ and she asked me to join the n¡­ Of course, I didn¡¯t know what she was talking about, but I just wanted to live¡­ I didn¡¯t want to get hurt¡­ Sniff¡­¡±


    ¡®Fuck¡­¡¯


    Whether she was filled with sorrow, she started talking nonsense.


    To be honest, it felt a little bit painful to see the tears falling.


    ¡®I think I¡¯m the one to be med¡­¡¯


    I had momentarily pushed Jung Hayan when I saw an unweed guest.


    Of course, I thought I pulled her back afterward, but the problem was that, from Jung Hayan¡¯s point of view, she didn¡¯t feel like it was pulling.


    Since the Curse Shrine incident, she was very quiet, so it was a losing move that I thought that she was being cared for this much.


    Because of the quiet Jung Hayan, I also let go of the tension.


    In the end, something that could explode had indeed exploded.


    ¡®What¡¯s with that she can¡¯t look straight into my eyes?¡¯


    I only once warned about having conversations with guys like Jin Qing.


    I couldn¡¯t understand why that would make her a weird woman and that she had to prove her innocence, but from the pro¡¯s point of view, he received a lifelong grudge for giving the wrong note.


    ¡®It¡¯s ruined.¡¯


    It felt like I was getting closer to the end.


    The future that Yuno Kasugano saw continued to shimmer in front of my eyes.


    ¡®It won¡¯t be the ending to die together. Right? That¡¯s correct, right?¡¯


    Perhaps she was still running around struggling to prove her innocence.


    Whatever it was, it was clear that I would be in the worst situation.


    As I looked out of the window, I could see the back of Jung Hayan, clenching her fists and running outside.

 Chapter 314: Jung Hayan’s Instruction Manual (8)

    <h4>Chapter 314: Jung Hayan¡¯s Instruction Manual (8)</h4>


    No wonder I thought I had to catch up to her in a hurry.


    I was moving too slow because Han Sora kept limping, trying to keep up with me as much as possible.


    ¡®Should I leave her?¡¯


    The thought passed for a while, but Han Sora, who recognized my expression, opened her mouth.


    ¡°Don¡¯t leave me. I¡¯ll run as f-fast as I can. Haaap¡­ Haaap¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I felt like carrying her on my back.


    However, it was terrifying that Jung Hayan might see the scene again.


    But more important than that now¡­


    ¡®Where is she going?¡¯


    I just wondered where in the hell she was going.


    I didn¡¯t know if she thought she should leave for now, or if she was trying to finish something she didn¡¯t finish, but whatever it might be, it was not good news for me.


    Once again, the words of Yuno Kasugano echoed.


    ¡®Is this serious¡­?¡¯


    If the city became ruined by this kind of thing, it would be a ridiculous urrence.


    ¡®Sh*t¡­ Damn.¡¯


    I put magic into my eyes as much as possible and continued to pursue Jung Hayan.


    It was difficult for me to catch up as I ran around an unorganized, crowded city.


    First of all, I was curious about which direction she was running. The most likely thing was, however, the ruined ce where the Republic people were.


    I thought it was likely that she was going to finish something she didn¡¯t finish.


    Putting Han Sora aside, for now, it seemed she was thinking about me hating her first.


    I began to think that my Mind¡¯s Eye would be able to read the subject¡¯s mind.


    I couldn¡¯t figure out what Jung Hayan was thinking right now, so it was frustrating.


    It was hard to understand Jung Hayan in a standard way of thinking, but I can¡¯t get the hang of it this time.


    Perhaps the most probable guess was that she was going to use magic.


    Even while wandering through the alleys, I couldn¡¯t get a picture of where Jung Hayan was headed.


    One thing was for sure; she was continuing to go into the outskirts of the city, which made me a little more puzzled because it was far from the ce where the Republicans were staying.


    It was then that Han Sora opened her mouth.


    ¡°I think I know where she is heading.¡±


    ¡°Where is it?¡±


    ¡°To the beach. I¡¯ll give you the exnation while moving.¡±


    Even if she didn¡¯t say that, I wouldn¡¯t want to throw her away, but it seemed that Han Sora herself tried to build her own safety device.


    ¡°There is a ce where I made a magic circle. Basically, it was a device to trap Jung Hayan¡¯s magic power in my body, but she customized the magic circle I made. She said it was a way to maximize the magic output¡­¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t erased that yet?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m s-sorry. However, Jung Hayan-nim said that it might be useful in the future. She said that if things were to fail, she might have toe again, that for now, it would be better to watch the situation after the first attack¡­¡±


    ¡°Sh*t. How can you leave a trace? Is it a ce where other people can find?¡±


    ¡°They won¡¯t be able to find the ce of the magic circle. There areplex types of magical barriers, so no one can enter except Jung Hayan and me. Of course, there is no problem because the ce is twisted in double or triple. Finding or destroying it is impossible unless they are a wizard who is in the field¡­¡±


    Unfortunately, there was one more wizard in Laios who had reached the point.


    Of course, there was a possibility that he would not be able to find out right now since he was solving this problem with the Republic side, but if that remained, it was correct to erase the traces as soon as possible.


    If the pro moved faster than I was thinking, there was a chance that they would get there.


    ¡®You did a lot. Fuck¡­ How in that short of a time¡­?¡¯


    Not only did she search for a magic spot, but sheid traps and even twisted them in double and triple.


    By my standards, it would take more than a month to prepare. It felt right to think that it was possible because it was Jung Hayan.


    Han Sora, who was also smart, also helped, so of course, the job was solved in a sh.


    Since there was no one to stop it, she would have worked like a runaway lotive. If the ce where Jung Hayan was heading right now was really that ce, it was correct to think that she would undoubtedly go to unleash the next magic.


    Of course, I could tell without seeing that the firepower will be even greater than the first.


    ¡®I have to go quickly.¡¯


    At least, I must arrive before Jung Hayan hadpleted the magic.


    ¡°Where is the shortest distance?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know that well. We can just head to the beach.¡±


    ¡°I think we should go a little faster. First of all, you¡¯re going to need to be on my back or my arms.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t! P-please¡­ Jung Hayan can see it. I can¡¯t do that.¡±


    ¡°Uh? Hyung-nim! Did you alsoe here? Hey, have you met Hayan? She said she was going back because she had something to do¡­¡±


    ¡®Nice timing, Park Deokgu!¡¯


    It was Park Deokgu who was cleaning up the copsed wreckage.


    He was busy doing volunteer work, and his face had something, but his face that saw Han Sora and I was happy.


    He thought we also came to join him.


    But after checking our faces that seemed desperate, he realized that it wasn¡¯t.


    ¡°What is going on?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all good. Carry Han Sora here and follow me. Sora can tell Deok-gu the ce you said earlier.¡±


    ¡°What kind of frenzy happened? W-what happened? This.¡±


    ¡°First, follow me. I¡¯ll exin itter.¡±


    ¡°Where did Hayan go?¡±


    ¡°Just run.¡±


    ¡°I-I have to do what you ask, but¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s urgent, so quickly.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    We met a reliable support group met at a reliable timing.


    As if responding to my expectations, Park Deokgu lifted Han Sora and started running, and I, too, was able to move quicker.


    The more I chased after Jung Hayan, the more I headed toward a ce where there were no people.


    It was a ce I decided toe to one day, but I feel a little sorry foring only after this situation.


    However, there was no reason to think of such sentimental thoughts.


    When I saw that I was now standing at the crossroads of death or life, or destruction or not, the sunset sea did not look pretty.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°Sora-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Oh, we¡¯re almost there. Just go inside a little more¡­¡±


    ¡°From here on, I will take the lead. Sora, please, just guide me. Deokgu, I think it would be better to follow from a few steps behind.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see. Are you going to a dungeon in this situation?¡±


    It was not the right answer, but it indeed felt simr. The inside looked like a maze.


    It was like recycling a dungeon that was previously abandoned.


    As Han Sora chanted the spell, the magic barrier faded, and Park Deokgu and I entered inside.


    It felt like pressing a password, but curiously, I could see the magic barrier created immediately after I passed.


    It really felt like I had entered a dungeon.


    If this dungeon¡¯s boss monster was Jung Hayan, it was almost impossible to execute the attack with these party members now.


    As I went inside to some extent, I could see various barriers, so, naturally, Han Sora pressed the password each time.


    It wasn¡¯t until after a long time that I could go to the passage that led to one road, but it was better for me to enter first than Han Sora and Park Deokgu.


    Even Han Sora, who asked toe together, didn¡¯t seem to have any intention of meeting Jung Hayan before me.


    When I beckoned, she immediately nodded, and I had no choice but to repress my anxious mind and move on.


    What I saw was a room with a light generated by the magic circle.


    It was usually where the dungeon¡¯s boss monsters took ce, but if you want to say that it was beautiful, then it is beautiful.


    Of course, it was Jung Hayan in the middle of that magic circle.


    I could see her looking at me with messy hair and bloodshot eyes that I hadn¡¯t seen in a while.


    ¡°Hayan.¡±


    ¡°Hic.¡±


    The outward appearance showed that there was a great deal of mental concentration.


    ¡°In a little bit, i-i-it¡¯s over.¡±


    ¡®What¡¯s over¡­¡¯


    ¡°This, this time, I can definitely do it! S-so please forgive me. Please forgive me. I won¡¯t say it anymore. Hic!¡±


    ¡®Forgive what?¡¯


    ¡°I-it¡¯s that person¡¯s fault. I¡¯m not a strange woman.¡±


    ¡°I never said you were a strange woman. And it was a misunderstanding when I was with Han Sora just before. Come here. It¡¯s okay, so you have toe here.¡±


    ¡°I know it¡¯s a misunderstanding. Still, the way Oppa l-l-looks at me has changed. I¡¯m really not that kind of girl¡­ You said we would go on a lot of dates¡­ and it was all canceled. Hic. It¡¯s all because of them. You said we would go to the beach, too, but all of it was canceled¡­¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s not that¡­¡±


    ¡°You still think of me as a b-bad girl. Hic. That¡¯s why you didn¡¯t meet me!¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s not that. Fuck¡­¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know where to begin with this ridiculous misunderstanding. I couldn¡¯t even think that my thoughtless words would cause such a big wave.


    ¡®Why did this turn out this way?¡¯


    No matter how much I thought about it, it was difficult to understand Jung Hayan¡¯s thoughts.


    ¡°T-That¡¯s what Deokgu said in the past. Once in doubt, you will continue to doubt¡­ me too.¡±


    ¡®Park Deokgu, this bastard. Stop saying useless things.¡¯


    ¡°O-Oppa will continue to doubt. You¡¯ll keep being suspicious until that bad idiot is gone from this world!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t do anything like doubt, Hayan. Really.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying you don¡¯t, but you still have doubts. You think I¡¯m a superficial woman! I think I know just by looking at your eyes. Hic¡­¡±


    ¡°No. I don¡¯t. Never¡­¡±


    ¡°Right. You¡¯ll continue to doubt. You¡¯ll keep being suspicious.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m saying I¡¯m not. Fuck¡­¡±


    ¡°I have to prove my innocence!¡±


    ¡®There is no need to prove¡­ Stop proving.¡¯


    ¡°Right now!¡±


    The room began to rumble in an instant.


    Magical power beyond my imagination began to burst out.


    ¡®The fire sea ending is not allowed.¡¯


    Yuno Kasugano¡¯s voice spread like an echo.


    ¡°Jung Hayan!¡±


    ¡°I have to prove innocence!!¡±


    ¡®This crazy!¡¯


    With a rumbling sound, dirt fell from above.


    The light of the magic circle continued to illuminate Jung Hayan, and the magic power from all over her began to gather on her.


    ¡°Hayan, there is no need. You know how much I¡­¡±


    ¡°They should be gone. Those idiots must be gone!¡±


    She kept muttering that she loved me, but there was no sign of any decrease in her magical power as if she had already gone crazy.


    It was natural to think that, if magic is unleashed here, they¡¯ll definitely suspect us.


    The alliance with the Laios won¡¯t happen, and instead, the continent may be stamped as static, resulting in a scenario for the destruction of the State.


    ¡®I neglected too much.¡¯


    I just pushed and didn¡¯t pull.


    Without my knowledge, she was mentally confined. The magic continued to rise, and the sounding from the room grew as if it would tear my ears at some point.


    It was natural to think that it was not long before the magic would be unleashed.


    Probably the moment a spell pops out of Jung Hayan¡¯s mouth, I bet that part of Laios will be ruined.


    ¡®It¡¯s ruined. Fuck. It¡¯s ruined¡­¡¯


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!¡±


    The moment a dark red light emanated from the spellcaster¡¯s eyes and mouth, I was also forced to shout the magic spell with a loud voice.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get married.¡±


    In an instant, silence subsided in the room.

 Chapter 315: Jung Hayan’s Instruction Manual (9)

    <h4>Chapter 315: Jung Hayan¡¯s Instruction Manual (9)</h4>


    ¡°Let¡¯s get married.¡±


    In an instant, silence subsided in the room.


    The pulsing magical power and Jung Hayan, who was screaming to chant the incantation, also became quiet. Even I was surprised by the sudden change of attitude.


    Jung Hayan, which had emitted a dark red and ominous light with her messy hair, was also returning to normal at some point. She had sparkling eyes, and her hair, which began to float into the sky due to the influence of her magic power, settled down.


    I could tell she doubted what she had heard.


    Her first reaction was to tilt her head. She thought about it, and the second one was that she wore a startled expression.


    Of course, in the end, she had a face asking for an answer if what she heard was true.


    ¡°Yes¡­ Yes?¡±


    ¡®Sh*t¡­¡¯


    ¡°Yes?!¡±


    ¡®Fuck¡­¡¯


    ¡°M-m-m¡­ marry¡­¡±


    The way she kept muttering, it was obvious that she had gone even crazier than before.


    It was tough to judge if I did well.


    This was because I thought that if it became for me to give her benefits whenever she would go crazy, she would start acting like this even more.


    However, it was also true that I couldn¡¯t think of any other way to stop Jung Hayan right now.


    If I¡¯d said a half-hearted line, the magic would have fallen.


    I even thought of browbeating her, but looking at the possibility that she would¡¯ve gone even crazier¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s only right to do this.¡¯


    It was the best choice I threw to stop Jung Hayan right now. No, it was an unavoidable choice.


    ¡°J-Just once again. Please say it once again.¡±


    For some reason, I couldn¡¯t say it again. It seemed that unidentified anxiety was clogging my throat. However, it was no use crying over spilled milk.


    Eventually, I had to close my eyes and open my mouth.


    ¡°Let¡¯s¡­ get married, Hayan.¡±


    Still, as it was a memorable proposal, it was natural to take a formal posture as much as possible, and Jung Hayan, who had already started dropping thick tears, seemed to be touched enough, but I had to fix it properly once I did it.


    Come to think of it. I remembered putting some items in my pocket. I didn¡¯t know if it¡¯s a coincidence or not, but I pulled out the ring I got before.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that the way I look at you has changed. Er¡­ I needed time to reflect on what I think of you.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh¡­ Ohhh¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry if you were sad.¡±


    In fact, it was hard to deal with it because it was just random words. I don¡¯t know what the hell I need time to reflect, but ridiculous words started popping up unconsciously.


    But no matter what I said, Jung Hayan was ready to be moved.


    ¡®It¡¯s better than the ruin of the State.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t fall apart from Jung Hayan, anyway.


    It¡¯s a high risk, but the merit was big enough to outweigh that risk.


    Had this not happened, the rtionship between Jung Hayan and I would not have been certain ten yearster.


    ¡®I made a slightly better choice.¡¯


    I thought this was more rational, but somehow, bitterness wasing up deep in my heart.


    ¡®Still¡­ I didn¡¯t want anything like this. Fuck¡­¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I haven¡¯t been able to pay much attention and made you anxious. But rather, I think it was a time when I could look back on o-our rtionship. I realized how precious you are¡­¡±


    ¡®I really want to look back.¡¯


    I kept stuttering my words like Jung Hayan. I thought I was gifted for lies, but I was really reluctant in this.


    ¡°Waahhh¡­ waaah, Oppa¡­ Hic. Sniff.¡±


    ¡°You can answer¡­¡±


    ¡°No! No, no, no! Now! I want to do it now! I want to do it, n-now!¡±


    ¡®You can answerter¡­¡¯


    Before I even asked her, I saw he nodding relentlessly while shedding thick tears.


    ¡°Yes¡­ I¡¯ll do it. I¡¯ll do it. Waaah¡­ I¡¯ll do it. I¡¯m doing it. I will. I will do it, no matter what. Even if the sky falls, I will do it. Hic, hic¡­¡±


    ¡®Damn.¡¯


    After grasping the ring in my hand, I saw her hugging me and crying.


    There was a great deal of emotion and a sense of aplishment on her face. She put the ring on her left ring finger before I could even do it.


    It was instantaneous, but Jung Hayan¡¯s move had just surpassed demon worshipper Ito Souta.


    ¡®Sh*t!¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s finally done. Finally¡­¡±


    She looked happy when she talked to herself and nodded to herself as usual.


    It seemed to be quite contrasting with my face, but I was forced to smile.


    Of course, Jung Hayan, who was continually wiping her tears with her hands, seemed to have no room to see my face, but I could say that this was essential to prevent other idents.


    I had to tell Han Sora and Park Deokgu, who were still waiting outside, that the situation was over to some extent, but Jung Hayan had no intention of stopping from crying. Tears came out once more when I think she has calmed down.


    ¡°Waaahhh¡­ I love you. I love you. I only have Oppa. Hic!¡±


    ¡°I love you, too.¡±


    When she rushed in and hugged me tightly, my chest quickly became damp.


    ¡°I will never let go¡­ never.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    In the meantime, I felt an unknown chill for some reason when she was muttering.


    We slowly fell apart after hugging for a few minutes.


    She slowly closed her eyes, standing on her tiptoes as if asking for a kiss. When I think about it, it was a romantic scene.


    Between the magic circle, which still has a lot of light, dozens of colors illuminated each other, and a pool of water trapped under the cave reflected the light.


    Jung Hayan was waiting for a kiss from me, half-cuddled in the middle.


    People who didn¡¯t know my situation will think it¡¯s a stunning scene.


    No, in Jung Hayan¡¯s mind, today¡¯s events will reflect much distorted.


    This space, which may be remembered as fear to one side, will feel like a blessing to the other, so this indeed felt ironic.


    Many married men and married women made jokes about marriage and said bad things, but in my case, it was not something to dismiss as a joke.


    However, this cursed body specialized in survival began to rush toward Jung Hayan¡¯s lips.


    After putting our lips together for a long time, I could see her face looking at me with swollen eyes.


    Of course, there is no need to mention that Jung Hayan opened her mouth quickly, wanting to finish this quickly.


    ¡°Hic¡­ When should we hold the ceremony? And what about the marriage certificate¡­?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡­¡±


    ¡°What about the children? I¡¯m okay without a b-b-baby. I¡¯m worried that you would only care for the baby¡­ S-Dtill, we can have as much as you want! As much as possible! After holding the ceremony, we¡¯re going to travel right away, right?¡±


    ¡°I mean¡­¡±


    ¡°I have a lot of money saved up! Oh! Are we going to stay in the Blue Guild? It doesn¡¯t matter, though. If you like it, everything is fine!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ yes.¡±


    ¡°I think it would be okay to live in a ce where no one could find us¡­ but you won¡¯t like it. Still, I wish we lived in a quiet ce if possible. R-right? And let¡¯s go to Mirror Lake for the honeymoon. I really wanted to see it. I want to ride a boat¡­ it will be very romantic to be together at the lke. A-And I¡¯ll serve you breakfast every day. Now, I-I don¡¯t know very well about it¡­ but I¡¯ll study hard that thing to do at night! And! I¡¯ll study everything! Hic¡­ I¡¯m really happy¡­ I will also attend a cooking school.¡±


    ¡°First of all, let¡¯s talk about t-that. First, it¡¯s important that we think that way.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Yes. And again¡­¡±


    ¡°And¡­ For the time being, let¡¯s keep it secret from others¡­¡±


    ¡°W-Why?¡±


    ¡°There is still a lot of work to be solved¡­ Actually, I want to be with you right now, but there are many situations involved.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°And¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I want to settle down a little bit more properly.¡±


    Since I had done it, it was natural that I needed to fix it.


    Although Hayan looked surprised, it was only right for her to yield this much. It would be hard to handle Cha Hee-ra¡¯s anger as it was.


    ¡®Although it is openly typical¡­¡¯


    This was thest resistance I could make.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m fine. We can do it in any way. It¡¯s okay to be j-just two of us¡­ I don¡¯t need anything else. I just need O-Oppa¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because I don¡¯t want to rush that.¡±


    ¡°Still¡­¡±


    ¡°For now, let¡¯s talk about thister. Don¡¯t be too nervous¡­ The most important thing is that we share the same feeling.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°And although¡­ it¡¯s a good day. I think I need to say a word about this. Let¡¯s go back and talk.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    Only then did she realize what she had done, and her face turned blue.


    Certainly, she seemed to havepletely lost reason just before. It was a magical spell that I spat out in a panic, but with this, I think I could stabilize Jung Hayan for the time being, so I think it¡¯s not bad.


    It must have been the sweet thing that Jung Hayan had been waiting for, too.


    She may be worried that if she has done something wrong, I would cancel the marriage.


    ¡®Not bad.¡¯


    At least one means of control was created. The sweeter the bait, the better it worked.


    The only thing I¡¯m worried about is when all of this bait is gone, but I think she¡¯d stay quiet for at least a year.


    Right now, the expression of concern was strong.


    ¡®Responsibility for doing this.¡¯


    She must be thinking about it.


    She was so angered that she went wild and blew it up, but she was not stupid enough to not know the incident¡¯s seriousness.


    At first, she seemed psychotic and out of her mind, then happy as if the world has approached after talking about the ceremony, and now a dog in the rain.


    She had a more anxious expression than I expected.


    It was then that Jung Hayan carefully opened her mouth.


    ¡°O-Oppa¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I think s-s-someone came.¡±


    At the line that seemed to say what should we do, her face was forced to turn blue.


    As I solved the internal problem, an external problem came in.


    ¡°This¡­¡±

 Chapter 316: In the Name of Light (1)

    <h4>Chapter 316: In the Name of Light (1)</h4>


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I-I think someone is here. There seems to be someone outside breaking the barrier. I¡¯m not sure, but I think so¡­¡±


    ¡°Can you check it now?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll check it out¡­¡±


    I could see Jung Hayan slowly chanting the spell.


    She must be trying to watch the situation with Anemone¡¯s Eyes because that was the only way to find out what was going on outside right now.


    I should take some action, too.


    I could see a little embarrassment in Jung Hayan¡¯s face when she slowly opened her eyes.


    ¡°Who is it?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Quickly.¡±


    ¡°TTthat person.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s that person. The Republic people.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Jung Hayan, who nced at me, seems to think that I might misunderstand something, but I was not in a situation where I could misunderstand that.


    I was also getting more and more anxious.


    Naturally, I felt that the fire I had barely recovered could be rekindled. No, internal problems were no longer a problem.


    I had stopped Jung Hayan in the first ce to avoid being pointed out as an ouw. It was to avoid the continent¡¯s public rush and to establish an alliance between this side and Laios.


    If they were to find this out now, the alliance would no longer be possible. I would also be recorded as the continent¡¯s political opponent and be attacked by neighboring countries.


    ¡®Why did theye so quickly? Fuck¡­¡¯


    That was the evidence that Jin Qing waspetent.


    It meant that he had that much good magical skills to move just by following my trail.


    It was not easy for an ordinary wizard to feel the trace itself.


    To search for the magic that Jung Hayan twisted in double and triple was also impossible for other wizards with stats over 90.


    Perhaps he found my whereabouts because of my movements. Nevertheless, it was undeniable that the Republic side moved quickly.


    It didn¡¯t matter as to how he found me. What was more important is that I was cornered as a result of that.


    There were a lot of magic barriers and a huge magic circle.


    And anyone could see that Jung Hayan in there was the one who unleashed the magic. By any means, I was no better than a cornered rat.


    ¡®I¡¯m screwed. What should I do?¡¯


    My head was burning with stress from the series of recent events.


    ¡°Can you erase the magic circle now?¡±


    ¡°I-I can erase it, but it will take a while. Perhaps there will be some traces left¡­ And¡­ I think they have broken through the first barrier right now.¡±


    ¡®Sh*t.¡¯


    ¡°What should I do?¡±


    ¡°Wait.¡±


    ¡°It seems that the second barrier has also been broken¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I think they got there in the third time¡­¡±


    ¡®Why so fast?¡¯


    ¡°Is there any other way to get out of here?¡±


    ¡°No. There¡¯s no such¡­ S-should I look for it?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Even looking for it, a way out would not appear anywhere.


    ¡®Damn it, damn it¡­¡¯


    The situation was rapidly getting worse, just like when the murder suspect was found at the scene by the police.


    ¡°Park Deokgu and Han Sora¡­¡±


    When I were to think about it, I started to worry about Park Deokgu and Han Sora, who were still waiting outside.


    First of all, it was important to inform them of this situation.


    As I hurried out of the room, what I could see was Han Sora, who was waiting for me with a nervous expression.


    Park Deokgu still didn¡¯t seem to know what¡¯s going on.


    ¡°Has everything worked out? No, rather, why the hell are we here?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll exinter.¡±


    ¡°You keep saying that. The curiosity is driving me crazy.¡±


    Park Deokgu really looked curious.


    Perhaps looking at my face, he realized that the situation was indeed serious.


    Of course, Han Sora was no exception. In her case, she began to turn pale. It was obvious as to what she was thinking.


    She must be thinking that things with Jung Hayan went wrong.


    ¡°Things went well, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It went well.¡±


    ¡°Re¡­ ally?¡±


    ¡°Yes. You don¡¯t have to be nervous.¡±


    ¡°Because you don¡¯t look so good¡­¡±


    ¡°Something else happened. First, let¡¯s go insi¡­ no, No, I think it¡¯d be better if only Sora came in. Deokgu, you keep on alert. If something happens, call me right away.¡±


    Deokgu, who did not know what was going on, was excluded for now.


    It was hard to predict as to how he would react if he heard that they destroyed the city.


    ¡®It¡¯s better for Park Deokgu not to know.¡¯


    It was correct to hide the fact that Jung Hayan and Han Sora¡¯s coboration destroyed the city.


    However, it looked like his frustration has already reached the limit. I could see him opening his mouth with a loud voice.


    ¡°Hey, what is it? I followed you because you asked me to, but I don¡¯t know what the hell is going on. Up until now, the inside was making a rumbling sound. No, was Hayan inside? Is it really Hayan who did that before? It seems like she was screaming, too¡­ I can think of a way to help if you exin what this is all about!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll exin everything in a bit.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°What happened today¡­¡±


    ¡®This pig is faster than I thought¡­¡¯


    It was momentary, but it was natural that my heart sank.


    However, I had to clench my fists at what he saidter.


    ¡°Did you found the whereabouts? Did you catch the culprit? No, at least a hint? So that¡¯s why only the wizards moved?¡±


    ¡®This bastard¡­¡¯


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that it?¡±


    ¡®This lovely pig bastard!!¡¯


    It was only momentary, but a lightbulb had flicked on inside my head.


    I wonder why I didn¡¯t think of this. This pig, who gave me a big hint, became lovely.


    ¡®You bastard!¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know if it was a coincidence or not, but I realized it at Park Deokgu¡¯s guess.


    ¡®That¡¯s it!!¡¯


    The perfect solution that looked like a picture.


    Of course, there would be several variables, but what else could I do?


    Currently, there was nothing else I could do.


    ¡°Right. Deokgu. You¡¯re right. Fuck! You¡¯re right! How did you know?! Puhahaha!¡±


    I sent him a heartwarming smile instantly.


    The pride of getting the right answer passed through Park Deokgu¡¯s face momentarily.


    ¡°Really? Yes. I knew it! I knew it! It¡¯s my job to notice what you¡¯re thinking! Phew¡­ Am I not your brother Park Deokgu? But why did you hide it from me? Were you giving me a quiz or something?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not enough to tell Laios people or anyone else yet.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no reason to hide it even from me! I¡¯m disappointed.¡±


    ¡°I was going to tell you at the right time. It¡¯s not because I don¡¯t trust you, but because I haven¡¯t been certain yet. It¡¯s also dangerous. Anyway, I got caught, so there¡¯s nothing I can do. Everything you said was right, Deokgu. Pfff. Just like you said, Hayan, Sora, and I were looking for the one who did that magic, and I¡¯m not sure, but we¡¯vee to a conclusion.¡±


    ¡°Still¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be too upset. It was all because I had something in mind. I think I have to look at the situation inside once again, so if anyonees until the investigation inside is finished¡­¡±


    ¡°Stay alert, you mean?¡±


    ¡°Of course. You are the only one I can trust. Deokgu, you can do it, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I can! If that¡¯s the case, leave it to me! Because I will be holding on to prevent even one ant approach! Yes, I will!¡±


    ¡°Wow! Our Deokgu is so reliable!¡±


    ¡°When ites to trust,e to Park Deokgu! Saying it like that, I can feel the responsibility!¡±


    I saw Park Deokgu raising his shield after nodding effusively.


    I felt like it would have been better if Ahn Ki-mo or Kim Ye-ri had been here. I didn¡¯t know if this would be the second episode of Park Deokgu¡¯s prank, but this wouldn¡¯t happen.


    ¡®Maybe he¡¯s not an idiot.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know how he appeared at the right moment and helped at the right time.


    I looked at Park Deokgu with my Mind¡¯s Eye, but the way the guy was snorting and holding the shield was still the same.


    In the meantime, Han Sora was looking at me as if saying what I was talking about, but what could I do?


    Han Sora, one of the culprits, didn¡¯t have the right to do that kind of expression.


    I kept feeling like I was going to burst intoughter. I quickly spoke up.


    ¡°I would like you to help me with the investigation inside, Sora-ssi.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Quickly. It¡¯s urgent.¡±


    ¡°What¡­ happened? Are you¡­ sure everything¡¯s fine? Perhaps¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not what you¡¯re thinking, so, quickly. It¡¯s urgent.¡±


    ¡°I, I¡­ I won¡¯t get in trouble, right? You¡¯re not angry, right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing like that, soe in quickly.¡±


    ¡°Really? Really? I¡¯m not going to be sacrificed¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not calling you for that. Pleasee inside quickly. This is not a request. It is necessary.¡±


    ¡°R-Really¡­¡±


    ¡°Go in quickly, Sora. It¡¯s! This is all necessary to catch the ouw! If you avoid this because it¡¯s dangerous, those who were unjustly sacrificed¡­ Anyway! I don¡¯t know who they are, but those vile scumbags need to be eliminated! I don¡¯t know where they live, but since it¡¯s caught in Hyung-nim¡¯s hand! They will definitely pay for their sins! Yes! Absolutely! It¡¯ll be crushed! The moment you get caught by the righteous Lee Kiyoung, the bad guys will tremble!¡±


    ¡°Right. We must find the ouw. Right! Deokgu, then, I¡¯ll trust you. Criminals usuallye back to the scene, so they mighte back here. Perhaps they know we¡¯ve arrived here.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, just leave it to me. I¡¯ll be holding on tight until your investigation is over.¡±


    The problem with Park Deokgu was over.


    When I hurriedly looked at Han Sora, I saw her moving as if she was really reluctant.


    When we entered, I could see her flinching as if she saw Jung Hayan nervous, but when Jung Hayan came running to me, she sighed, relieved.


    She realized that the problem between Jung Hayan and I had been solved.


    ¡°Thank God. Thank God¡­ I¡¯m saved¡­¡±


    She even started to cry thick tears. However, we didn¡¯t have any time to spare.


    ¡°I¡¯m saved¡­ It¡¯s all solved.¡±


    ¡°Not everything has been resolved, Sora-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Just one more thing.¡±


    ¡°W¡­ What.¡±


    ¡°You can summon it, right?¡±


    I could see her face looking at me as if she was asking what I was talking about.

 Chapter 317: In the Name of Light (2)

    <h4>Chapter 317: In the Name of Light (2)</h4>


    ¡°You can do it, right?¡±


    ¡°I-I can, but¡­I haven¡¯t tried¡­ it yet¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s try it. Because the more supplies you have, the better.¡±


    She looked like she wanted to ask what the hell I¡¯m talking about right now.


    Of course, she could be perplexed.


    In the first ce, I had blocked the ck Wizard Han Sora from signing a contract because the information on the demons that could actually be summoned was very limited.


    However, this was something that needs to be done.


    This process was necessary for a more detailed n. The first reason was that I felt the ck magic energy from the magic that fell today.


    There were many other reasons, but I didn¡¯t have time to exin them individually. We should move as fast as we can now.


    ¡°But right now¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Hayan can lend the magic power, and this ce will take care of all the arrangements. You just need to lend your body. Instead, I¡¯ll make sure that you get a reward afterward. Depending on the case, I could send you out to another area¡­¡±


    Of course, I didn¡¯t intend to send her out, but I could see her eyes were open, biting the bait.


    ¡°I-I¡¯ll do it!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t promise you exactly when, but I¡¯ll try to move in the direction you want. And about summoning¡­¡±


    ¡°There was so little information that I didn¡¯t have enough time to study. I think it would be okay with Jung Hayan¡¯s magic power¡­ I was worried about whether I could do it¡­ so I think maybe an intermediate or advanced demon will be summoned¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how strong intermediate and advanced demons are, but it must be an entity that can do the magic that fell in the city today.¡±


    ¡°An entity that can do that much¡­ It doesn¡¯t seem to bemon even among demons¡­ but I will try.¡±


    Seeing her burn her heart with hope at the bait of transfer, it seemed that she really didn¡¯t want to be with Jung Hayan.


    Jung Hayan was clenching her fist as if she was determined to make up for her previous mistake, but it seemed she had a rough idea of what my n would be, without me exining.


    ¡°How far did you go?¡±


    ¡°There are still some left. I think there will be enough time, Oppa.¡±


    ¡°So let¡¯s start right away. Sora, do you need any other summoner or anything else?¡±


    ¡°No. I don¡¯t. I heard that each demon has a slightly different summoning method, and some entities can be summoned with only magic power. In severe cases, you may have to meet ridiculous conditions, but¡­ magic power is enough for now.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m d if it doesn¡¯t matter, but¡­ I think it¡¯s better to start. We don¡¯t have time to hesitate. Let¡¯s start right now.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    After I talked, Han Sora headed to the center of the magic circle in a hurry.


    The same went for Jung Hayan.


    As before, there wasn¡¯t a magical storm like raging billows, but significant magical power had gathered in an instant.


    I could see the magic power pouring into Han Sora through the magic circle.


    Han Sora¡¯s continuous mumbling and chanting the spell was a spectacr sight. As a once talented student, she had no distraction in chanting the spell.


    ¡®I guess she will seed.¡¯


    However, I could see that the magic circle was gradually losing its light.


    This was not a good sign.


    As if she recalled the possibility that the summoning would fail, Jung Hayan pushed in her magic again, and Han Sora also opened her mouth with a slightly louder voice.


    I had to do something here, too.


    I didn¡¯t know if it will help her, but the moment I pushed my weak magic power into her magic circle, a ck glow began to emit from where Han Sora was standing.


    The cave reverberated with a crackling sound, and all the magic that had glowed brightly until now were all turned ck.


    ck light sounded ridiculous, but what I could see now was ck light.


    ¡®What the.¡¯


    Naturally, I was flustered because I felt a wave of magic power bigger than I had imagined.


    Eventually, when the light brought me to the point where I couldn¡¯t even open my eyes properly, I could see that there was something beyond description in front of me.


    ¡®What¡¯s that again?¡¯


    [Belial, the devil of falsehood and incitement (Mythic)]


    [One of the 72 Demon Lords]


    [???]


    ¡®Why did something like thate out¡­¡¯


    Looking down, floating in the air, was a monster with an indescribable appearance.


    Han Sora was staring as if she couldn¡¯t believe the oue she had achieved, but I could see her swaying as if because of the aftereffect of the subpoena ceremony done with a weak body.


    -It¡¯s fun.


    It was not fun at all. Just a nce at it seemed to overwhelm me.


    Nevertheless, it exuded such a presence that even I felt bewildered.


    His low tone of voice felt like it was shaking my brain.


    He didn¡¯t seem stronger than the demon with seven weapons andrge horns or the Fragment of Ancient God from the museum, but he was also a superior entity that I could not bear to look at.


    ¡®It¡¯s mythic-grade.¡¯


    -It¡¯s amusing. How could you bring this body over here? It wouldn¡¯t be the influence of this magic circle, and there would have been insufficient sacrifices to meet the conditions for summoning me¡­ Unfortunately, this method of summoning vites the terms of the contract. This ck wizard is too small to hold me¡­ and it didn¡¯t even meet all the conditions.


    It just so happened that a slightly stronger one came out.


    Nothing changed.


    As soon as I inhaled as much air as possible, I started to feel that I was stabilizing.


    Han Sora was still holding her head, and the aftereffect of summoning him was probably quiterge.


    I didn¡¯t know if it was right to do it here, but it was only right to talk to him.


    I was running out of time.


    ¡°T-Thank you very much for answering the call.¡±


    -So, it¡¯s you.


    He was looking straight at me.


    It didn¡¯t need to be said that I wanted to prostrate myself in case I did something wrong.


    ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡±


    -It¡¯s you, Mortal. Your disgusting magic power brought me here.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡±


    -It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve seen a human with a wavelength that matches so well with me. It is a pity that a human with such aptitudes does not walk this path. Hmm¡­ Anyway, since I came to this world like this, tell me what you want. A direct contract is not possible, but there must be a reason for summoning me, so I¡¯ll listen. Yes. You can think of it as amemoration of meeting someone with the right wavelength after a long time.


    ¡®Things are going better than I thought.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know about the magic power wavelength, its propensity, and what it was but the fact that he was friendly to me is good.


    Of course, considering that he was wearing the mask of a devil of falsehood and incitement, I was worried about whether he would backstab me with a smile, but a demon could not harm his summoner.


    At least, those who were not the upper demons couldn¡¯t.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t know what the mythic-grade creatures with the strength to resist some part of the system will be, but doubting him did not make a difference.


    -I like that you have a lot of doubt. I haven¡¯t seen a disgusting human like you for a long time.


    ¡®Is that apliment or a curse? Fuck.¡¯


    -But there is no need to doubt, mortal. You are valuable ones. It¡¯s notmon to summon one of the 72 Demon Lords. The vessel that summoned me also has room for further growth and has been blessed with magic power. Of course, the disgusting human with better eyes than us. The same goes for you. If you don¡¯t like the indirect contract, I would rmend summoning others, but considering the vessel¡¯s condition, it seems hard to summon again¡­ If this is something I can easily help you with, I will. You guys have no idea, but this is also an achievement.


    ¡°What do you mean, an achievement?¡±


    -Well, it¡¯s something you don¡¯t need to know. It will be easier to think that being able to gain a contract is something good for us as well. It¡¯s such a shame. If you had had a direct contract with me, you would have been able to get a direct contract after a very long time among our 72 lords¡­ Well, enough with the small talk. It¡¯s better to read the contract first. It¡¯s an indirect contract, but a contract is a contract.


    ¡°¡­Thank you.¡±


    -It¡¯s not enough, but let¡¯s settle the price with the magic that summoned me. Of course, it includes the pleasure I will feel in this work. Please, I wish it was something that would entertain me¡­


    It was in an instant that a ck contract was created in front of me.


    I think it was safe to say that it was an inherent power of demons.


    I didn¡¯t know where and how they were living, but it didn¡¯t seem like they lived happily in the inferno like I was thinking. The contract had its own system.


    There were also no uses that would be a problem.


    ¡®I guess it looks good.¡¯


    I was doubtful, but I realized he spoke the truth.


    The devil who upied one of the 72 Demon Lords was favorable to me.


    However, it was the ck Wizard Han Sora who had to sign the contract. At this point, I think it wouldn¡¯t have been bad even if I had been a ck wizard.


    ¡®Such a shame.¡¯


    If I had chosen to be a ck wizard, I would have really a chance to make a direct contract with him.


    No, perhaps in the first round, where I chose to be a ck wizard, I could have really signed a contract.


    For now, the best I could do was to look at the contract carefully.


    I could see Han Sora, who still did not seem well, ncing at me.


    No wonder I nodded, looking at her like that. I expressed that there was no problem with the contract.


    She looked suspicious, but Han Sora also began to nod her head in a positive light.


    - This is a special case, so I¡¯ll take all three of you as contractors. Of course, the contractor had to be limited to a vessel, but she couldn¡¯t have brought me in alone.


    ¡°Thank you very much for your consideration, Belial.¡±


    -No need to tter me, disgusting human. Hahahaha. Instead, say what you want quickly. I don¡¯t know the circumstances, but you called me because you wanted something, right?


    Of course, I do.


    As I nodded quickly, he also nodded his head.


    ¡°It¡¯s something very simple for you, Belial-nim.¡±


    -Tell me.


    ¡°I want you to fool some humans. That¡¯s all.¡±


    I could see the demon smiling, as if it was a really pleasing request.


    -That¡¯s a pleasant request, disgusting human.


    ¡®Devil Summoner, Jin Qing!¡¯


    It was right to eradicate such darkness on the continent.


    And it would all be in the name of light.

 Chapter 318: In the Name of Light (3)

    <h4>Chapter 318: In the Name of Light (3)</h4>


    I could see the lieutenant, who hade with me, with her mouth open.


    She was probably expressing surprise at the barrier in front of her.


    She was also a wizard. There was no way she couldn¡¯t recognize its worth.


    ¡°Is it fascinating? Ludmi.¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°No. I can understand. Since you¡¯re also studying this science¡­ It would be strange not to be surprised.¡±


    ¡°It feels¡­ It feels like we have entered a dungeon, sir.¡±


    ¡°Strictly speaking, it is far from a dungeon. There¡¯s no system judgment in this ce. It will be easier to think that someone made it artificially.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s true, isn¡¯t it even more amazing? The very fact that a human can create this kind of magic barrier¡­ It¡¯s hard to understand from mymon sense¡­¡±


    ¡°If¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°If you are a specialized wizard, it will be possible. This is not a matter of magic power but rather a matter of technique¡­ As you can see, it is designed quiteplexly. Even those who are familiar with magic won¡¯t be able to figure it out at once. This is enough to think that the ss or attribute rted to this¡­ is most likely to be at least legendary-grade.¡±


    ¡°Legendary-grade¡­¡±


    ¡°Probably, it is the work of one of the State¡¯s Eight Seats or the Republic¡¯s Five Tiger Generals or someone who has simr powers. The most appropriate person would be the State¡¯s shaman. Or a wizard hiding in the magical kingdom¡­¡±


    ¡°But isn¡¯t she not a wizard? To be precise, she is close to a sorcerer¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, this is not her doing. Her magic has a different mechanism than the magic we use. If it were her doing, I would have noticed right away. Of course, the State wouldn¡¯t have done such a stupid thing.¡±


    ¡°Then, sir.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying that the person who made this barrier and the person who dropped the magic this morning is not the same person?¡±


    Of course, I had to nod at the question.


    It was hard to say that the same person cast the two magics, no matter how I thought about it.


    The fact that the one who had the magic of formidable power and the user of defensive boundary magic that even I found hard to decipher was the same person was impossible, even on a continent where there were many iprehensible things.


    The two magic were entirely different types of magic.


    It would be impossible for a genius on top of a genius to master both magic, which was not easy to get to the level even if one kept digging on only one thing.


    ¡°It¡¯s highly likely they¡¯re not the same person.¡±


    ¡°I knew it¡­ If so, it would be right to think that this is a specific group targeting us.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I think it¡¯s probably right that they nned it for us at the national level.¡±


    ¡°National level¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what the purpose is, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Is there any possibility that it¡¯s the State?¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t be them.¡±


    Something was suspicious about this whole thing.


    However, if it was the Lee Kiyoung I knew, he would have no reason to do this. The political problems this would bring would be massive.


    I didn¡¯t know him well yet, but he preferred to minimize the risk as much as possible.


    His past moves gave a strong feeling that he was always concerned about his safety and political position.


    In fact, I could see that in the simple game that we yed.


    ¡®To say that the State did this?¡¯


    No matter how unstable the State was, they wouldn¡¯t be foolish enough tomit such stupid things.


    Despite the task of making an alliance with Laios, no one was going to make this stupid move.


    ¡®The situation itself is useful.¡¯


    If I hadn¡¯t considered the possibility of a third force hoping the two forces to fight, I would have sent a protest to the State right away.


    As I didn¡¯t know exactly who they were and what they wanted, I had to avoid moving externally as much as possible.


    As I went inside, lost in thoughts, the more difficult it became to dismantle the magical barrier.


    Looking back, Ludmi and other wizards who came with us were also in deep trouble.


    It was also surprising that archers were not allowed to follow their tracks.


    Not only was the magic barrier periodically erasing traces in this ce by itself, but it was continually interfering so that it could not be traced in any other way.


    ¡®As if the magic power is alive.¡¯


    It was a passing thought, but it might be an expression that fit well.


    I had a hard time processing all of this.


    ¡®Is it really made by a human?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know if rangers that could read hundreds of years old trails may be able to light up this trail, but archers who had reached that level did not exist in the Republic.


    No, it was not evenmon to find such power among the elves.


    Even if theye¡­


    ¡®They won¡¯t be able to read the traces urately.¡¯


    Had it not been for the faint reverberation of ck magic, we wouldn¡¯t have evene to this point.


    ¡®A ck magic¡­ ck magic.¡¯


    It was then that a voice came from next to me.


    ¡°Er, sir.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not for me to say this, but can I suggest to go back¡­ It doesn¡¯t matter if something happens to us, but I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll get in trouble.¡±


    I could understand them, but this couldn¡¯t possibly be dyed.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. We have insurance on hand, and an investigation team from the Republic is probably arriving¡­ I know I¡¯m at risk, too, but just following this trail took a lot of time. The time it takes for magic to remain floating in the atmosphere immediately after the manifestation of magic is usually around five hours. In this case, it may take about seven to eight hours, but it is by no means a long time.¡±


    ¡°Seven hours¡­¡±


    ¡°It means that the concentration of magic power is that strong. We have to keep trying at least until the reverberation of floating magical power in the atmosphere remains. If we can¡¯t follow this trail within today, it¡¯s very likely that everything will be cleared after that.¡±


    ¡°But the President will be worried, sir. If the one who unleashed this kind of magic is aiming for you¡­¡±


    ¡°I can look after myself. For now, the break is over. We will move faster than we just had.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Please prepare the magic right away. I will lead.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    With the momentum, the unofficial investigation team went through the cave in a matter of seconds.


    The more I went in, the more ominous magic power I felt. The more the barrier was released, the more magic power blocked inside flowed in.


    ¡®It¡¯s inside.¡¯


    I could consider this a hint.


    ¡®It could be a trap, but¡­¡¯


    The insurance against raids was more than enough.


    As soon as I walked, I could see the hall.


    Of course, what was inside was way beyond my expectations.


    ¡°Sir, sir¡­ this.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m also seeing.¡±


    ¡°Sir¡­ what¡­ What the hell is this?¡±


    ¡°A demon¡­¡±


    ¡°Demon?¡±


    It was a monster with a huge appearance.


    His face was like the lightning of fire, and his eyes were like mes burning in the abyss.


    His mouth was like a crack in a rock, and hisrge wings seemed to tuck into a crumpled sky. It seemed that I was overwhelmed just by looking at him.


    It¡¯s hard even to describe the majesty. A human being is too small and shabby to look at him located among several ck magic circles.


    You couldn¡¯t even stand properly under his pressure.


    Biting my lips tightly as the best I could do.


    ¡®This¡­ Something like this¡­ Exists? On this continent?¡¯


    I was starting to feel suffocated.


    While wandering around the continent, I have watched many creatures that the expression ¡°out of standard¡± fits, but no one had provoked this fear.


    ¡®This is¡­ This makes no sense¡­¡¯


    ¡°R-Run away¡­¡±


    ¡°No, Ludmi. There is no need to run away.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡±


    ¡°It is sealed.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    ¡°Someone seemed to have sealed the devil. I don¡¯t know if he¡¯s here from the beginning, but¡­ right now, that demon can¡¯t move by itself. I don¡¯t know who sealed such creature here, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe a ck wizard?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I believe to be a¡­ pretty high-ranking ck wizard. I¡¯ve studied ck magic for a while, but I haven¡¯t seen or heard anything about how to use a high-ranking demon. Maybe¡­¡±


    The destruction of the city was most likely the power of that. The most convincing evidence was right before my eyes.


    The magic circle used to summon demons is also rtively recent. The binding magic to seal this demon was also noticeable.


    ¡®What is it aiming for?¡¯


    The probability was low, but I had to think about the case where the magic was not aimed only at the Republic.


    It sounded ridiculous, but it was possible that it was waged by ck wizards who harbored resentment from the State, the Republic, or the neutral country.


    It wasn¡¯t that there weren¡¯t any ck wizard ns working in secret.


    The number of cases that should be considered for this incident had increased.


    Whatever the reason, the important thing now was to inform others about this.


    ¡°First, report to the Republic¡­ and then, Laios. Take control of all this area right away and take steps to ensure that the dispatched people can alsoe here. This is our top priority. I¡¯m telling you just in case, but you guys here right now haven¡¯t seen anything. Anything.¡±


    ¡°O-Of course, sir.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ right now¡­¡±


    It was when I said this. Someone appeared on one side of the room.


    ¡®What is that¡­¡¯


    It was so dark that I couldn¡¯t see well, but when I put in magic on my eyes as much as possible, I could see a face I had seen before.


    ¡®Lee¡­ Kiyoung?¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t instantly understand why he was here.


    It was because I had encountered an unexpected person in a much-unexpected ce.


    The Honorary Cardinal of the Holy State was with a sealed demon.


    He spoke way before I could.


    ¡°It was you. The summoner who summoned the demon here¡­ was it¡­ really you?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I asked if it was you, Jin Qing.¡±


    ¡°What¡­?¡±


    ¡®Bullsh*t.¡¯

 Chapter 319: In the Name of Light (4)

    <h4>Chapter 319: In the Name of Light (4)</h4>


    Of course, I held no personal spite against him. However, it was only by chance that he had stepped on my tail.


    The possibility of being a potential enemy may also be a reason, but it didn¡¯t really matter what it was.


    It doesn¡¯t matter who I me. All I had to do was get out of my tight spot.


    It was the first thing I could do at this point. From my point of view, delicious prey appeared at the right timing.


    Rather, I was d it was him.


    If he continued to be active, there was a possibility that I would be in danger.


    If I gave him more time, he¡¯d notice that all of this was our doing.


    ¡®It has to be this guy.¡¯


    I was d I hade here.


    Such thoughts began to appear in my mind. For now, I opened my mouth. Naturally, I had to warm up slowly.


    ¡°Was it really you?¡±


    ¡°W-What are you talking about¡­?¡±


    He looked bewildered.


    He must be trying to figure out the bullsh*t I was spouting.


    He was probably thinking of several possibilities. The first thing he could think of was that I was misunderstanding.


    ¡°There seems to be some misunderstanding. We, too, have only been looking for traces. No, why are you here in the first ce¡­ I want to ask you how you came in.¡±


    ¡°Is that true?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s our first time here, too.¡±


    ¡°How can you prove that?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t trust you, too, Lee Kiyoung. Before asking why we are here, you have to prove why you are here. How did you guys get here? Depending on the answer, I may have to use other methods.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the same for us to be in a position to use force, Jin Qing.¡±


    ¡®I¡¯m sure.¡¯


    So far, he hadn¡¯t turned his arrow towards me.


    I had confidence in this kind of acting, but I started to be proud of myself when things really went as I thought.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t know if he was suspicious of the State from the inside, but at least he doesn¡¯t look to be.


    As he said, I couldn¡¯t exin how I hade here, so it was natural to open up some possibilities.


    Before opening my mouth, Park Deokgu popped out and began to be on guard against them.


    Jung Hayan did the same. There was a tension in the air, seeing that she was already trying to chant a spell.


    In fact, Park Deokgu¡¯s acting was even better than mine, probably because he wasn¡¯t even acting in the first ce.


    When he first came in, he was so shocked that he was open-mouthed, so it wouldn¡¯t be too much to react sensitively.


    The coboration between Park Deokgu, who is really worried about this situation, and Jung Hayan¡¯s solemnity to make up for her mistake, was wonderful.


    ¡®It¡¯s perfect.¡¯


    If Ahn Ki-mo and Kim Ye-ri were here, they would have performed this mission even better.


    ¡°Deokgu.¡±


    ¡°Hyung-nim.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be on guard for now. There seems to be some misunderstanding.¡±


    ¡°B-But¡­ I don¡¯t think it¡¯s good to let our guard down for now. It doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s unlikely that he could have summoned this big monster.¡±


    ¡°No. It may be a trap, but it¡¯s not going to happen openly.¡±


    ¡°Still¡­¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not someone who can do that. Maybe there was a misunderstanding. First, let go of your guard. This is not a request, Deokgu.¡±


    ¡°If you say it like this¡­ Instead, it¡¯ll just stick together. Honestly, I don¡¯t want to leave Hyung-nim in this ce for long. If that wakes up¡­¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes, Oppa! There¡¯s the demon and¡­ t-t-that bad person¡­¡±


    Meanwhile, Jung Hayan¡¯s acting was a spectacle.


    As I looked at her openly, she closed her mouth tightly. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t speak,¡± she understood my meaning.


    I could see her hinting at his murder.


    Anyway, my remarks seemed to relieve some tension.


    When I took one more step, it seemed that Jin Qing¡¯s camp had softened the guard to some extent. Of course, nheless, they seemed to be sensitive to their own safety.


    The wizards were muttering spells, and Jin Qing also stared at me quietly.


    ¡®That¡¯s normal¡­¡¯


    Even if I were the guy, I¡¯d consider whether this side could attack them.


    But, unfortunately, what I wanted was not their death.


    ¡®Rather, it¡¯s the opposite.¡¯


    In fact, I thought I couldn¡¯t have had this conversation if it wasn¡¯t for Park Deokgu.


    It was because Park Deokgu, who was afraid of the demon, continually sweated and seemed to be really concerned about our safety.


    ¡°Damn¡­ if you¡¯re going to talk, talk quickly. No, more than that, shouldn¡¯t we do something about this encounter first?


    I nodded and opened my mouth.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t for Park Deokgu.


    ¡°First, let me tell you how, Jin Qing. We arrived here by tracking the traces of magic power floating in the air and the ck mage¡¯s reverberation. Of course, I didn¡¯t move at the State level. Since this is an issue, I thought I¡¯d move before the State¡¯s investigation team moved first. It had to be solved before the magic power floating in the air waspletely gone.¡±


    ¡°The same is true for me. I haven¡¯t informed the Republic yet¡­ how did you do with the magic barrier?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you that. How did you get to this ce? Dismantling the magic barriers¡­¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t tell you either. Let me tell you one thing for sure. This is not our doing. I can¡¯t prove it right now, but if I do a full-fledged investigationter, I will be able to read the traces.¡±


    ¡®The full-scale investigation team should note.¡¯


    ¡°To Laios¡­¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t inform them yet. No, to be honest, we, from the Republic side, wanted to take care of this, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Things must have changed.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I never thought I would meet you. More importantly¡­ when did you arrive here?¡±


    ¡®So, you¡¯re going to feel me out, huh?¡¯


    ¡°It hasn¡¯t been that long. It was only a few hours before you entered, and it wasn¡¯t long before we discovered the sealed demon and the magic circle. I sensed someone wasing in this way, and I thought it was the creator of this division. There is no reason to disappear after summoning a creature with such tremendous power. I thought it woulde again.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It may have tried to finish the n that could not be finished with today¡¯s magic, or it may have apletely different purpose. To be honest, it doesn¡¯t mean I didn¡¯t think about the probability of this to be Republic¡¯s own creation¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the Republic¡¯s foreigners who died, Honorary Cardinal. You better be careful with your words.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I made a mistake.¡±


    ¡°I can guarantee the Republic has nothing to do with this. Rather, it would be more persuasive to assume a third force promotes the fight between the State and the Republic. If, indeed, the State has nothing to do with this, as you im.¡±


    ¡°A third force¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a hypothesis. But considering the corrtion between the magic barrier and the magic that fell today and this demon, It¡¯s highly likely that a group did this. It¡¯s just a guess, but¡­ about the possibility of being a ck wizard n¡¯s work¡­¡±


    ¡°It is convincing. I don¡¯t really know about ck magic, but the creature we are looking at is not just any creature¡­¡±


    Suddenly, heavy energy fell into the room.


    Park Deokgu was the first to detect a hint of danger.


    He took care of us with a really startled face. Perhaps it was an instinctive act.


    Jin Qing and the party were also looking at him with wide-open eyes.


    They were worried about whether something had moved.


    It was then that the giant demon¡¯s closed eyes slowly opened.


    ¡°He wasn¡¯t¡­ sealed¡­ Prepare for battle! Prepare for battle!¡±


    Before he even opened his mouth, monsters with an indescribable appearance popped out from under the ground.


    ¡°Sh*t¡­¡±


    Jin Qing looked very much flustered.


    As if Park Deokgu was really surprised, he started to swing his shield as much as possible, but he seemed to be anxious that the same thing as Park Yeon-joo¡¯s case would happen again.


    Jung Hayan bit her lips tightly with somewhat exaggerated acting, and I also responded and started to form a camp.


    ¡°A trap? Jin Qing-nim, let¡¯s deal with this first.¡±


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s better¡­¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    It was no wonder that both of us had taken on a startled face. I was only acting, but it was a real situation for him.


    Looking at the situation right now, he would have no choice but to express that feeling.


    Different types of monsters were now threatening us.


    In contrast, Jin Qing and his minions seem to be protected by monsters.


    ¡°W¡­ was it really you?¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s¡­ not. No¡­¡±


    ¡°This¡­ scumbag! How do you do this while wearing a human mask?!¡±


    Park Deokgu¡¯s really angered voice as a bonus.


    ¡°What is this¡­?¡±


    ¡°Is it a trap to attract this side from the beginning?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not. You¡¯re misunderstanding.¡±


    ¡°It was you¡­ who really dropped the magic in Laios?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a misunderstanding. The situation at this time has nothing to do with us.¡±


    However, it was only us that the monsters were attacking.


    Everything was an act, but thanks to Park Deokgu, who wielded a shield with a rather thrilling expression, it felt real. He was indeed the top contributor in this act.


    ¡°Damn. Prepare for battle! Get ready for battle!¡±


    At the same time, the demon lord also began to open his mouth.


    -My contractor, Jin Qing. Your wish wille true. Unseal this seal! Then you¡¯ll have more power in your hands!


    It was the timing expected from the lord of falsehood and incitement.


    What came out after that were swearwords.


    He realized what I had wanted since he was clever.


    ¡°This scumbag!!!!!¡±


    Everything had been improvised from start to finish.


    -Do you want power?! Jin Qing! Everything you want wille true!!

 Chapter 320: In the Name of Light (5)

    <h4>Chapter 320: In the Name of Light (5)</h4>


    At that instant, the demons rushed in from all directions.


    Park Deokgu was in a defensive posture with the most number of wizards he could gather, and his face had a sense of mission to save us somehow.


    I felt both sorry and grateful, but we were not more important than this one.


    -Come on, unseal my seal, contractor, Jin Qing! You¡¯ll get more power in your hands!


    ¡°These motherfuckers! Son of a bitch! Son of a bitch!!¡±


    -I will give you infinite power! Contractor!


    ¡°Lee Kiyoung, you son of a bitch!¡±


    ¡®The height¡­ That guy¡¯s a catch. A catch.¡¯


    I think I knew why he said that I was a human with a wavelength that matched with him.


    As if it were a troupe from the beginning, he had a great deal of skill in giving out the lines I wanted.


    Above all, I was satisfied that I felt like he was enjoying it the most.


    When he behaved like the title of a demon lord of falsehood and incitement, he seemed to feel pleasure in when the other person was suffering.


    Of course, I thought the same thing.


    Looking at his distorted face, I felt like I was relieved of all the stress that I had gained with Jung Hayan.


    After all, sometimes you had to hold an event like this to bring your life back to life.


    -This city! No, I¡¯ll give you the power to destroy this continentpletely! Contractor!


    ¡°T-This lowly garbage!¡±


    -Unseal the seal! Jin Qing! Hurry!


    The picture itself was so perfect that I didn¡¯t have anyints.


    He swore at me while Park Deokgu and our group were struggling, surrounded by demons.


    Since we were fighting desperately enough to doubt whether the acting was real, there was no way that a good picture wouldn¡¯te out.


    I also sprayed the dragon breath potion in all directions, and Jung Hayan cast a spell quickly and attacked the demons.


    Some fell apart, but other demons quickly appeared in the empty spot.


    If it weren¡¯t acting, I would have peed.


    In Han Sora¡¯s case, who showed upte, she struggled a lot, but looking at her like that gave more vitality.


    ¡°Don¡¯t lose, Deokgu, Hayan. If such a devil is released in the world, then Laios will not be safe. You have to break through, not hold on. Don¡¯t let that devil¡¯s seal be released! Is Sora okay?¡±


    ¡°I think she was eroded by ck magic, Oppa. Sora¡­¡±


    We started to recite the pre-set lines.


    I had to make sure that we would not get investigated, but it was an excuse, considering the possibility of bad things happening to Han Sora.


    ¡°Sora, please hold on a little more. You have to resist the ck magic.¡±


    ¡°Hyung-nim! First, the body!¡±


    ¡°The body is not important now. Listen to me, Deokgu. Even if I die here today, that demon must be sealed.¡±


    ¡°Hyung-nim!¡±


    The face of the crying Deokgu was a sight to see.


    In fact, even saying that line felt embarrassing.


    Still¡­


    ¡®This is a video to be sent to the Holy See.¡¯


    It was correct to prepare a separate edition for the Holy sector.


    Perhaps Pope Basel would love it.


    Of course, I held the rosary in my neck tightly.


    The scene of me closing my eyes and praying to Goddess Benigore was also captured on Hayan¡¯s camera.


    ¡°Goddess Benigore, even if your servant loses his life today¡­¡±


    ¡°Even if I die today! I¡¯ll never let Hyung-nim die!¡±


    In the meantime, Park Deokgu, who was listening to my prayer, began to awaken.


    As the guy who had grown more than thest time wielded his shield in earnest, lower-ranking demons fell down in a row.


    ¡°You filthy devil¡¯s servants! How can you put on a human mask and do such bestial things! Trying to take advantage while sacrificing even your own colleague!¡±


    Seeing him burning with a useless sense of justice, I thought it was fortunate that I didn¡¯t tell him.


    Of course, Jung Hayan was also preparing her own spell.


    Seeing her looking at Jin Qing with burning eyes, it seemed like she hated to see him.


    It was the eyes that were disturbing me just before, but the situation has turned into this, so there is no need for other exnations.


    The true eyes of a righteous mage sent anger to the demon summoner, who was trying to destroy the world.


    Jung Hayan¡¯s murderous intent could be gilded to this extent.


    ¡°Don¡¯t lose. You must prevent the seal from being released.¡±


    ¡°To such a low-key joke¡­¡±


    ¡®He gets caught. Why wouldn¡¯t he get caught?¡¯


    He also knew it. There was no way he didn¡¯t know that I had the magic hologram.


    ¡®Because he knew about me in the first ce.¡¯


    Perhaps he has realized by now - how I got to this ce and how I was able to achieve ridiculous achievements.


    He might have noticed the meaning of the move I made that day.


    I haven¡¯t achieved much with real abilities. Most of them were bluffing, rumors, incitement, and fabrication.


    Seeing his red face, he certainly noticed everything. If he were expecting a fair battle of wits, I felt a little sorry.


    ¡®It will be useless even if you struggle.¡¯


    Incitement could be done in one sentence, but it took dozens, or even hundreds, of evidence to exin it.


    It was ridiculous to think of the impact of this kind of video in a single sentence.


    Probably, if this thing was released, he may have to spend his whole life trying to exin it.


    What was disappointing in the meantime was that I couldn¡¯t put a magical hologram on Laios right now.


    If I hadn¡¯t had time to think more closely about this n, I would have to send the video without editing.


    ¡°Do you think I don¡¯t know this is your own y?! People won¡¯t be deceived by a self-made y that doesn¡¯t even make sense¡­¡±


    He was now trying to spout up excuses, but it would all be for nothing. Even the wizards next to him were looking suspiciously at him.


    ¡°No one will be fooled. This self-written y will fool no one.¡±


    No matter how hard he tried to exin, he could only say that much.


    Anyway, in the edited video, that line will turn into a devil¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Ahem!¡±


    ¡°H-Hyung-nim!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, Deokgu. Just go faster!¡±


    ¡°These bad guys, how you dare to do this to Hyung-nim!¡±


    Moreover, no matter how much he was shouting, there was already a different feeling of desperation between him and me. The public¡¯s reaction to this would be worse.


    Meanwhile, I felt as if I had gained a thousand soldiers with Belial hitting the right spot.


    -Are you hesitating now? Contractor! Quickly, take my hand and unseal!


    ¡°S-Shut up, devil. Calling me with that dirty mouth!¡±


    -Contractor!!


    He somehow tried to defend himself, but he would realize that he could do nothing.


    The only thing he could do was to kill me so that the evidence will be destroyed.


    He could only do that much. However, I saw him hesitating.


    ¡®Right¡­¡¯


    He knew that the moment he attacked, his situation would get worse. It was a spectacle to see him stranded. This picture was a real checkmate.


    The face that told to give me 100 moves ovepped with it.


    ¡®And I¡¯ll give you 100 seconds, you bastard. Thank you. Thank you so much!¡¯


    It was really fortunate that the guy hit the right spot.


    Instead, I was really grateful that he came to this ce. If it weren¡¯t for him, I would probably be thinking about how to resolve this in a different fashion.


    ¡®What do you want to do?¡¯


    Do you want to kill me or just to get screwed stupidly?


    Or do you want to run away?


    Of course, all of them were impossible.


    Considering that we are contracting Belial, they would have to worry about their own life or death.


    Of course, they never really did have that kind of contract with Belial, but it was natural for those who didn¡¯t know the contract details to be cautious.


    -Contractor! Hurry!


    ¡°Damn¡­¡±


    He must have realized that he had no choice. It was then that the voice of the demon came into my head.


    [This is fun. Fun.]


    ¡®I¡¯m d you are satisfied, Belial-nim, who is respectable and great.¡¯


    [I said there is no need to tter me, disgusting human.]


    ¡®It¡¯s not ttering. I just told the truth. Rather, why are you talking to me¡­ separately?¡¯


    [Ah! No big deal. I just thought there was a problem with the contract.]


    It was momentary, but a curse came out.


    I thought it would be like this for some reason, but I didn¡¯t really think he would backstab me like this.


    [You can rest assured, mortal. It¡¯s not something that will cause damage to you. Didn¡¯t I tell you? You are important. Those who can call one of the 72 demon lords are not thatmon.]


    ¡®Then, what do you want¡­?¡¯


    [The contract was clearly asking to trick some people.]


    ¡®That¡¯s right, but¡­¡¯


    [But, as a result, aren¡¯t you tricking all humans all over the continent?]


    This quick-witted bastard.


    [I don¡¯t know when was thest time I saw a disgusting human trying to y a joke on me, the lord of falsehood and incitement. I bet you will be able to adapt well enough to settle down in the ce I live.]


    ¡®T-Thank you, and I¡¯m sorry.¡¯


    [I also made a little joke on the contract. Actually, I thought about punishing you, but I also felt a strange sense of identity. I am going to be satisfied with getting paid a little more. So, about the contract you read¡­]


    ¡®Yes.¡¯


    [You¡¯re not thinking that your contract and the contract that the ck Wizard read were the same, right?]


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    The contract was but a single page.


    Han Sora and I were undoubtedly reading the same contract.


    However, in an instant, I realized that what we were reading would have been different.


    ¡®Such a stupid mistake¡­ sh*t!¡¯


    I nodded, and Han Sora signed off.


    Of course, it was a mistake to think that we were reading the same text. I should have had a little more in mind that he as a demon of falsehood and incitement.


    [No need to worry, disgusting human. Didn¡¯t I say? I¡¯m just getting paid. The reason the ck Wizard signed without any doubts was that she thought you would affirm. I¡¯m saying that you would have signed it because it was something you could have done. If it were absurd, the ck Wizard you¡¯re controlling would have questioned first.]


    ¡®Then¡­ the content is.¡¯


    [Didn¡¯t l say? I¡¯m just getting paid. Just that.]


    Really in the blink of an eye.


    The sky began to open with the sound of heaven and earth opening up.


    In an instant, the demon, who had grown in size, dropped severalrge spheres at the big city of Laios.


    In an instant, Yuno Kasugano¡¯s voice passed through my ears.


    That absurd prophecy that the city would be in ruins kepting to my mind.


    Everyone here opened their mouths wide at that ridiculous sight.


    It seemed that the magical power that kept him was not enough, and it seemed that all humans in the whole city wouldn¡¯t be eradicated, but anyone could expect that it would cause significant damage.


    ¡®Han Sora, fuck!¡¯


    In other words, Han Sora epted without any doubt that I was in favor of making the city in ruins.


    ¡®He could see through people so well¡­¡¯


    This could be tolerated unless it was a situation I was being suspected of.


    However, it would be better toe intact than to bepletely devastated. Meanwhile, spheres continued dropping down from the sky.


    Rather, it was natural that I thought that this could be used to tie Jin Qing further.


    [urrence of the legendary-grade forced quest.]


    [Save Laios from danger. As soon as possible, you lousy guy (0/1)]


    ¡°Jung Hayan!¡±


    As expected, light was the way to triumph.


    [Note: It¡¯s a y on words. Hayan (??) = White]

 Chapter 321: In the Name of Light (6)

    <h4>Chapter 321: In the Name of Light (6)</h4>


    The sky deftly split with a loud sound.


    ¡°Oh, God,¡± I found myself uttering, my eyes fixated on the scene before me.


    Other people were no different.


    Countless servants were all looking at the sky with their eyes wide open, as a huge demon could be seen in sight.


    It was a monster, one which had an indescribable appearance.


    When the demon, who seemed to be able to devour the city, opened his mouth, the sky cracked, and a dark red sphere of an iprehensible size fell.


    -Contractor, Jin Qing. What you want wille true!


    I didn¡¯t want to believe that all of this was real. With a sudden, unforeseen urban crisis, I was staring at the sky, speechless.


    -Thank you! Thank you! Contractor!!


    ¡®Jin Qing?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t understand what the hell was going on.


    All I knew was that I had to escape from this unrealistic scene, rather than thinking why the name of the Republican military was being mentioned by the monster itself.


    ¡®All will die.¡¯


    If that kind of thing fell, countless people would end up getting killed. That was an inevitable fact.


    That was, after all, the same dark red sphere magic that previously attacked the city.


    The city¡¯s protection magic, which was quickly reorganized, shattered quickly with a crackling sound.


    ¡®Mother¡­ father.¡¯


    This was a neutral country with a long history.


    ¡®I have to protect it.¡¯


    Yes, father.


    ¡®It¡¯s not that you¡¯re superior, Pristina. Only with the people around you can you exist.¡¯


    Yes, mother.


    ¡®The royal family exists for the country, Pristina. You have to keep what our royal family values.¡¯


    Yes, father.


    ¡®Don¡¯t forget. Only with them, we exist. Don¡¯t forget that, Pristina.¡¯


    Yes, mother.


    ¡°No.¡±


    Everyone would end up dying.


    ¡°No¡­ No!!¡±


    All my loved ones would die.


    My breathing suddenly became rough. I heard screams from all directions.


    The wizards around me once again used their magic, but they soon began to vomit blood as they overexerted themselves.


    ¡°Ahh. Oh, God. Please¡­ Please, save them. Please. I will do anything. I will do anything to protect Laios. Please, save them. Please.¡±


    ¡°Pristina, you must avoid it! Quickly!¡±


    ¡°Oh, God. Please¡­ Please. Please.¡±


    ¡°Pristina!¡±


    ¡°Please!!¡±


    Craaakkk.


    Nevertheless, the huge sphere started to get closer and closer to the city.


    ¡®It¡¯s over.¡¯


    Everything was going to be over. However¡­


    ¡°Aaaaahhhh¡­¡±


    Kaduuuummm!


    Magic materialized out of nowhere, blocking the approaching red sphere.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    It was all so dazzling that I couldn¡¯t even open my eyes properly.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ Oh, God.¡±


    If Laios survived today, I would definitely tell everyone that a brilliant light had saved the country from utter destruction in the future.


    * * *


    ¡®The magic power color needs to be changed¡­ the picture doesn¡¯t look that good.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t think it would be a good idea to use blocking magic that was the exact same color as the devil¡¯s magic.


    I wasn¡¯t ming Jung Hayan, but it was still a pity.


    Of course, the biggest question was whether it could be prevented, but it would have been more satisfying if it had been a picture with a little bit than bigger light.


    [urrence of a legendary-grade forced quest. Please hold her hand. Gnash (0/1)]


    ¡°What?¡±


    [Take the hand of the human blessed with magical power. I¡¯m telling you to hold Jung Hayan¡¯s hand, trash. I won¡¯t say it twice. Hold her hand, quickly (0/1)]


    I once assumed that there was a subjective opinion in the overall review or the system quest window reflected by my Mind¡¯s Eye, but I didn¡¯t think it would really be like that.


    Still, one thing was for sure.


    ¡®Someone is indeed watching.¡¯


    Perhaps there was a possibility that it was the same person as the one who returned Kim Hyunsung.


    This also exined that the Mind¡¯s Eye¡¯s seal was released when I swore allegiance to Kim Hyunsung, and that the system did not want Park Deokgu to fall behind.


    Certainly, Hyunsung and I were being guided by a transcendental lifeform.


    ¡®Lucky! Lucky! Yolo time!¡¯


    However, there was one thing that I still found a little questionable.


    ¡®Is it possible to intervene directly like this?¡¯


    In the end, I had to forfeit the idea.


    If this were possible on a daily basis, things wouldn¡¯t have been so twisted. In other words, it was highly possible that even the transcendent being was going too far just by sending me on this quest.


    Anyway, it had been a while since I had received a legendary quest.


    Of course, I was sure that I would get a pretty good reward.


    There was no choice but to hold onto Jung Hayan¡¯s hand, who was busy casting magic. Hayan looked startled as I did so.


    She must be delighted, however, as she shed me a big smile. Considering the fact that I had proposed to her just moments before, her good mood was inevitable.


    My heart pounded a little like a fool, seeing her smiling in such a pure manner.


    Of course, the system¡¯s voice made me even happier.


    [Legendary-grade questpleted.]


    [Please hold the human hand blessed with magic power. (1/1)]


    [A new ss has been opened as a quest reward. Please choose the ss you think you need.]


    [ss]


    [Alchemist of Light (Semi-Mythic)]


    [It is said that only those chosen by God can change ss to Alchemist of Light. The magic power will have divine power. Magic power increases by +5. I¡¯ll just say one thing, you¡¯re a real son of a bitch. Disgusting bastard. Really, you are really irreparable piece of trash.]


    ¡®Semi-Mythic-grade! Yolo, indeed!¡¯


    No wonder my eyes had widened upon this scene.


    In fact, I didn¡¯t even care about the curses that were written in the end. It was certainly disappointing that my magic power would only rise by 5, but it was still good.


    I didn¡¯t know what else had changed, but at least the color of my magic had indeed shifted. It was now a brilliant gold, one that would surely dazzle whoever would see it.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!¡±


    ¡®Cheer up! Our existence! Jung Hayan!¡¯


    When I held her hand, Jung Hayan also gradually began to be colored with light.


    I don¡¯t know if it was due to my influence, or whether Jung Hayan magic had changed just because she held my hand, but more and more radiant light began to fill the city.


    I couldn¡¯t even open my eyes properly because I was the aforementioned emitter of light.


    Even though the quest was necessary, the contract with the demon was also important.


    ¡®Is it okay to block it? It¡­ It wasn¡¯t in terms of the contract¡­¡¯


    [It doesn¡¯t matter. Just remember you cane to this side whenever you want, disgusting human. Since despite being surrounded by light, your trashiness does not go away, I¡¯m getting greedier. How can a single human be so purely dirty¡­? I guess I know why she won¡¯t let you go even by sacrificing herself so much.]


    ¡®When you say she, do you mean¡­¡¯


    [The other being talking to you right now, human. Anyway, always remember, disgusting human. If you desperately want to¡­ we can, anytime¡­]


    [Forced heroic quest is activated. Don¡¯t talk with the demon lord, you piece of trash. (0/1)]


    [Isn¡¯t this much okay¡­?]


    [I told you not to talk to it.(0/1)]


    [Ahem. Well, I think it¡¯s okay to step back from this point. Anyway, it would be better to wrap up. Struggle with this situation, disgusting human. That¡¯s all for the conversation.]


    Of course, I didn¡¯t understand what was going on.


    Right now, I wasn¡¯t sure what the system meant. However, one thing was for sure. Jung Hayan was doing her best to barricade the magic that wasing our way. It was apparent that she was struggling a little.


    ¡®She can stop this, right?¡¯


    I thought I should add my weak magic power onto hers, but my magic just made her shine even brighter.


    No, it actually seemed to be helpful. The brilliant golden light seemed to steadily drive away Belial¡¯s energy.


    ¡°Eeeeek! Eeeeeek!¡±


    I found it ironic that Jung Hayan, who tried to destroy the city just before, was trying to stop this somehow, but that was how life usually worked.


    ¡®I think she can stop this.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know if Belial was reaping his magic power, but when I turned my magic power around Jung Hayan¡¯s body, she seemed to have gained a little more energy.


    Although it was weak, there was a possibility that it could have divine power as well.


    I had to learn a little more about this ¡°semi-mythic-grade¡± ss.


    Even so, Jung Hayan¡¯s nose was bleeding. I was getting tired as well.


    Of course, it was a scene too good to watch alone. Han Sora seemed to havee to her senses even in the midst of all this.


    There was even no need to edit such a scene.


    It was unfortunate that I could not prepare in advance, but video holograms began to emerge in some areas.


    This scene would eventually be broadcasted throughout Lindel as well as the State.


    ¡®I should¡¯ve installed it in arge size in Laios as soon as I arrived¡­¡¯


    ¡°I-I¡¯m ready.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Send the sign.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Vice Guild Master.¡±


    The broadcast began spreading throughout the country when Park Deokgu was protecting us frantically.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!¡±


    When I thought of the people who would soon be watching Jung Hayan and me, brightly emitting light, I began to smile.


    ¡°The light will not lose, demon!¡±


    -Kukkukku! If you want toe,e! Petty human! Contractor, unseal the rest of the seal! I¡¯ll help this insignificant mortal realize what real fear is. What are you doing, Jin Qing?! Unseal this seal! I will listen to what you want. I¡¯ll put the world in your hands! I will make you rich!


    The demon was also backing me up.


    The face of Jin Qing, who couldn¡¯t even do anything about this situation, turned blue. He would be unable to escape from this situation unscathed.


    ¡°The light will burn the demon! Everyone! Please give me strength. Please give us the strength to stop this wicked demon!¡±


    -You mere human! How dare you!


    [I told you not to talk with him. (0/1)]


    Someone seemed discontented, but it was undeniable that this was a near-perfectmunication.

 Chapter 322: Hero of Laios (1)

    <h4>Chapter 322: Hero of Laios (1)</h4>


    The moment a dark red sphere fell on the city, I stared at the scene nkly. It was because even I couldn¡¯t even figure out what was going on.


    Of course, I could recognize that something big had happened. That was because I heard screams erupting from everywhere.


    ¡°Everyone, head underground! Repeat. Everyone, enter the underground shelter! This is a real situation. This is a real situation, not training. Enter the designated near building with protective magic. I repeat. Go into the underground shelter or the designated building with protective magic and wait!¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°Oh, God. Oh, God.¡±


    ¡°What are you doing, Marina? Can¡¯t you hear them shouting for us to avoid you? Quickly, now.¡±


    Instantly, I was awakened by the voice.


    I began to get dizzy when I realized that the surroundingndscape, which just before felt like a dream, was still there.


    ¡®Leah.¡¯


    I thought of my daughter, who would be left alone at home.


    ¡®Please¡­ Oh, God. Please.¡¯


    I heard a voice calling me from behind, but I couldn¡¯t stop. I had already started to run. Though I was soon running out of breath, I was still a long ways away from reaching my destination.


    Thanks to the people running to the other side, I was far from moving forward.


    Everyone must be heading to the shelter or to the ce where the protection magic was still maintained.


    ¡®I shouldn¡¯t have left her alone¡­ I shouldn¡¯t have left her alone!¡¯


    ¡°Marina!¡±


    ¡°Let me go! Let me go! Let go of me!¡±


    ¡°First, let¡¯s go to the shelter. Leah must have avoided it already. Quickly¡­¡±


    ¡°I told you to let go of me. Please. Let go of me. Please¡­ I have to check, at least. I have to make sure she¡¯s avoided it safely!¡±


    ¡°Damn¡­ Wait here.¡±


    ¡°James?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back as soon as possible. Wait here. No, wait in a safer ce.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    I saw James running to the other side in a hurry.


    I knew I should go with him, but my legs refused to move, probably because of my fear.


    All I could do was pray.


    ¡°Please be safe¡­ Please, let my beloved Leah and James both to be safe¡­ Please. Please.¡±


    The waiting time wasn¡¯t that long, but I felt like waiting for hours. My tears kept flowing out of anxiety, and my chin and legs were shaking.


    Gradually reaching the city, the sphere was being sucked into the earth as if it were ready to devour everything.


    As the little bit of hope was about to vanish, I saw James holding Leah from a distance.


    Baaaaanngggg!!


    The dark red sphere collided with the clock tower with a tremendous sound. The loud roar made my ears hurt.


    ¡°It¡¯s dangerous! James! Dangerous!¡±


    He looked at the sky immediately.


    As the fragments of the huge tower fell, Jamesid on his stomach, holding Leah tightly. I was afraid of them getting knocked out from the debris.


    Time seemed to stop around me.


    ¡°N-No!!¡±


    As I closed my eyes and burst into tears, my daughter¡¯s voice began to be heard faintly.


    ¡°Mom¡­ Mom¡­¡±


    ¡®What¡­ the¡­¡¯


    It didn¡¯t make sense.


    As I slowly opened my eyes, I could see the city surrounded by a crowd of lights.


    The fragments that fell from the tower were also engulfed by the light and pushed out more and more. The light seemed to engulf everyone in a dazzling white gleam.


    Leah was pulling her cor carefully, and James was looking up at what happened.


    ¡®He helped.¡¯


    My prayer to God had reached.


    ¡°It¡¯s a miracle. It¡¯s a miracle. God, thank you. Thank you very much. Leah¡­ Leah!¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s not a miracle, Marina.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a miracle¡­ This¡­ is definitely not a miracle.¡±


    Naturally, I followed James¡¯ gaze while hugging Leah tightly.


    What I saw was a scene that could only be said to be horrendous.


    -Hyung-nim! Hyung-nim! Please, hold on a little more. Just a little bit! Just hold on a little more!


    -Ahhhhhhhhh!!


    -These dirty bastards! Damn. Damn! Hyung-nim!! If you hold on a little more, support wille! Hold on until then. You know that you can¡¯t die pushing yourself too much, right? Don¡¯t overdo it. I¡¯ve warned. I won¡¯t forgive you if you pass out overdoing it. I won¡¯t forgive you!


    The scene in front of me was difficult to understand. My jaw hung open.


    ¡°James¡­ that¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened, Marina. But¡­ it seems that people from the State are confronting the demon. The lights surrounding the city now seem to have been created by them. I¡¯ve heard about the¡­ Goddess¡¯s Mirror before, but who knew I¡¯d really see it?¡±


    ¡°It looks dangerous¡­¡±


    It literally did.


    It looked like a close call to anyone.


    Arge man was wielding a shield and sword while surrounded by countless demons. Rather than taking care of his own safety, he did his best to protect those behind him.


    He smashed big and small monstersing from everywhere with the shield or cut them with swords, but his body had long since been inflicted with numerous wounds.


    I couldn¡¯t understand how he could move in that condition.


    As the number of monsters closing the siege increased beyond his control, he began to block them with his body.


    Having his arm bit off, his leg limping, and not worrying about his safety; I could see him not sparing himself for his embattled colleagues.


    -Hold on a little more. Just a little bit. This time¡­ this time, for sure. This time, I will take you without any wounds. The same thing will never happen again!


    -Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!


    -I won¡¯t let you finish that way likest time. I won¡¯t be so helpless! I won¡¯t be just staring at it like that! You dirty bastards!! You can¡¯ty a finger on Hyung-nim. Son of bitches¡­ Son of bitches! Come here. Come here!!


    I didn¡¯t know what was going on.


    However, even a fool would know that the tears in therge young man¡¯s eyes were not because of pain. Instead, they were filled with anxiety at the thought of losing those who he cared for.


    Therge young man with the shield seemed to have more wounds, but the dark-haired woman next to him also did not look normal.


    I didn¡¯t know why, but one of her legs was limping, and a slender hand was shooting magic at the approaching people.


    Anyone could see that she looked precarious.


    Not only was her skin cracking, but blisters were blowing out of the skin on her body.


    -Haap. Haap. Whew¡­ Let¡¯s hold on just a little. Just a little bit. It¡¯s almost done. Let¡¯s hold on a little more. You can¡¯t pass out yet. Sora, you can do it. Let¡¯s not pass out. Do not pass out. You can still do a little more.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t know what kind of force they were using.


    She was also doing her best to somehow protect those around her with her own body.


    -Hyung-nim, Hyung-nim!


    -It¡¯s going well. Everything is going well.


    There was one man and one woman. They were holding hands tightly and reaching out to the sky.


    Anyone could notice the fact that they were blocking the ck sphere falling in this city.


    Like the brilliant light surrounding the city, their bodies were shining all over.


    -Ahhhhhh!!


    The woman holding a shield of light was vomiting blood from her mouth and nose.


    -Ahhhhhhhhh!!


    Likewise, the man was grabbing his chest and sending light together.


    They looked fine on the outside, but their legs were evidently trembling. I could see just how serious their situation was.


    -Don¡¯t overdo it. I really won¡¯t forgive you if you die like this! If you two go first like this¡­ Haap¡­ I really won¡¯t forgive you! I¡¯ll die with you, too!


    -Ahhhhh!!


    -If it¡¯s too hard, you can give up¡­ No one will me¡­ Gasp. Hyung-nim and Hayan. No one can me you. You already did enough. Haap¡­ You¡¯ve already done enough.


    -Focus, Deokgu. Focus. Kahak.


    -H-Hyung-nim.


    To make matters worse, the man had begun to vomit blood.


    -Don¡¯t look back, focus! I¡¯m okay. I¡¯m okay.


    -Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!


    The woman had also begun to vomit, yet was still trying to exert all she¡¯s had.


    -Don¡¯t die¡­ Please. Please¡­ please¡­ God. God. God. Buddha. Goddess Benigore. Please. Please save Hyung-nim and Hayan. Please¡­ if you¡¯re really there¡­ please. Don¡¯t take my good Hyung-nim and Hayan. Please¡­ they are people who have lived this way all their lives. Please don¡¯t take them away with something like this! Isn¡¯t it too unfair to die from something like this? It seems too unfair!!


    -Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!


    -I¡¯d rather die instead. Rather, take me. Rather¡­ if you¡¯re going to take someone, take me. Haap¡­


    -Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!


    The light did not fade.


    Despite the big young man saying that it was okay to give up now, I didn¡¯t think that the lights that fill the city will disappear.


    ¡°A-Are they in danger? James¡­ are they in danger?¡±


    ¡°They could die.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ They¡¯ve already crossed their limits for some time. They must be using all the magic power in their body. I¡¯m a low-ranking mercenary who¡¯s only caught goblins, but¡­ I know that much. This is not the kind of magic that a human can manifest. Perhaps¡­ even if they save this city. Those two who unleashed this magic¡­ they will die.¡±


    ¡°Why¡­ to that extent¡­?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know either. People like me will never understand people like them.¡±


    Tears had begun to flow down my cheeks. My heart had already reached out to them.


    ¡®Please¡­¡¯


    As I looked next to me, I saw my daughter gently putting her hands together.


    She pulled her cor and looked up at me as if to do it with her, as if asking for us to pray together.


    No wonder I closed my eyes quietly with my hands together toward the sky.


    ¡®I wish they will be all right¡­ Please do not those nobles lose their lives unjustly¡­¡¯


    Immediately after that¡­


    A scene that could only be exined as a miracle began to manifest itself.

 Chapter 323: Hero of Laios (2)

    <h4>Chapter 323: Hero of Laios (2)</h4>


    ¡®We did enough! It was perfect, Deokgu! I¡¯m sorry, but you carried us!¡¯


    No matter how intense the acting was, it would not be livelier than the real thing.


    If one really made this into a movie, Park Deokgu showed acting good enough to aim for the best supporting actor award.


    He seemed to be in deep despair with tears in his eyes, trying frantically to protect his colleagues.


    It hurt a little that his whole body was now covered with blood, but seeing that he was a very strong guy, I knew he would be able to recover his stamina within a few days.


    Rather, it was Jung Hayan and Han Sora that were the problems.


    ¡®I¡¯m also a problem.¡¯


    Even if I tried my best to hold it in, my vomit refused to bubble down.


    It would be natural to be like this as I tried to support Jung Hayan with the little magic power I had. In fact, if I hadn¡¯t been able to change my ss to the mythic-grade, the Alchemist of Light, Jung Hayan would have been a total mess.


    She was able to endure until now because the magic power that I shared was slowly recovering her body.


    To put it a little exaggeratedly, not only did she use all of her magic power in her body, but she was also using up the entirety of her vitality.


    There was Jung Hayan¡¯s tremendous affinity to consume magic power and restore magic power, but if it weren¡¯t for my magical power that became divine, her insides would have beenpletely damaged and retired.


    ¡®No, before that¡­¡¯


    If that Belial had beenpletely summoned, the magic would have already fallen into the city.


    In any case, the important thing was that Jung Hayan and I were excellently defending against the magic of the demon that had been ¡®summoned¡¯ by Jin Qing.


    I didn¡¯t know anything about ck magic, but I could see that the time left for the demon lord to stay in this world was short.


    Now felt like the good time to wrap this up.


    As I nced at Belial quietly, I could see the guy also nodding.


    ¡°Hyung-nim, don¡¯t overdo it. Hold on a little more.¡±


    In the midst of all that, Park Deokgu, who was busy shedding tears and wielding a shield, seemed like the noblest one of them all.


    Anyway, Jin Qing looked at me and Jung Hayan wrapped in a crowd of lights absurdly.


    He already couldn¡¯t think of getting rid of me.


    As soon as Jung Hayan and I, who were doing our best to save the city from the demon, went through the media, this n would be over.


    I wished he would attack me instead, but it seemed that he could not cast attack magic either because of the dark curtain ced by Belial.


    Since he couldn¡¯t get out because of this guy¡¯s monsters escorting him, it would be an awkward situation for him.


    Of course, even in this extreme situation, the demon lord Belial continued to shout Jin Qing¡¯s name.


    -Contractor, it¡¯s still not enough. Not enough. Don¡¯t lose to the light, contractor!


    ¡°Sh*t. Damn¡­¡±


    Instantly, we both realized that it was time to end this.


    Even the ce that could not be called a cave because the sky was already open began to spread in all directions in a slow manner.


    Everything I was worried about as evidence burst in a cluster of light.


    This ce, created by Jung Hayan and Han Sora, disappeared without a trace.


    The light also destroyed the demons who were persistently tormenting Park Deokgu, and even the ground we were stepping on had hollowed out.


    Perhaps, with the influence of enormous magic power, my body had slightly risen into the air, and the light went through the veil of darkness.


    Hwaaaaaaaaahh!


    I heard a sound that was quite hard to describe.


    ¡®It¡¯s a warrior of light. A warrior of light.¡¯


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!!¡±


    When I poured out thest handful of my magic power to Jung Hayan, it was natural that she also increased the output a little more.


    The dark red magic power that surrounded the sky split under the influence of the shield of light.


    ¡®Phew. It¡¯s a magnificent view. Magnificent.¡¯


    The brilliant light devouring darkness was like a beautiful scene from a myth.


    At this point, everyone would be praying, looking at this scene.


    I was not sure about Laios, but there may be a loud crowd shouting and a voice saying not to lose, at least in the State.


    We were able to win because you were here!


    It was only natural that I would have to prepare the lines I would useter.


    By the time the brilliant light in the sky devoured the dark red sphere, Jung Hayan had held my hand and screamed once more. At this point, it would be better for me to y along.


    ¡°Aaaahhhhh!!¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!!¡±


    Belial also showed off his final acting as if he noticed that the finale was approaching. He looked just as desperate as Deokgu.


    -These bastards¡­ how dare you bastards do this to me?! Did you think you could beat this demon lord? Contractor Jin Qing, hurry up and pour out the rest of your energy!


    Here, a close-up of the bewildered face of the devil summoner was taken.


    Then, there was another close-up to the scene where the attack against the city gained strength.


    The passionate cameraman Han Sora¡¯s ability to switch screens was as natural as if she had just realized this talent.


    -Ugh¡­ these dirty henchmen of the light. Sh*t¡­ damn! Damn!! How dare these mere humans!!


    ¡°Ahhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhhhh!¡±


    It was strong acting that seemed to explode thest power. I, too, pushed my body to the limit while holding Jung Hayan¡¯s hand tightly.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhh!¡±


    And silence came.


    An explosive light filled the sky afterward. There was no way to express that scene without literally the word explosion of light.


    Hwaaaaaaaaahhh!


    It was hard to even open my eyes properly. There were no more dark red spheres in sight.


    Instead, there was a light powder that began to fall into the neutral Laios.


    Jung Hayan started to droop, and Han Sora, who had already crossed her limit a long time ago, also vomited blood while having seizures.


    Meanwhile, Park Deokgu prepared for Jin Qing¡¯s next possible attack with a shield.


    I thought it would be better to pass out, but I could stand a little longer. That was, at least, until I hadpletely wrapped up the situation.


    I kept smiling at the loud crowd¡¯s shouts that shook the whole city.


    Public opinion waspletely settled in me. At the shout, Belial also slowly went through the process of reverse summoning, and began to say hisst line.


    -Don¡¯t think this is the end, human.


    Of course, the voice that I heard separately was a bonus.


    [Don¡¯t take it personally about today¡¯s work, disgusting human. I finished my job a little more splendidly, and in the end, it was good for you. I want you to know that the lord of falsehood and incitement can¡¯t be backstabbed, so I yed a little bit more than intended.]


    He went a little too far for this to be just a joke, but¡­


    ¡®No question about it. Phew. Thank you very much, Great and respectable Belial. If I have time, I want to arrange a meeting¡­¡¯


    [Haap¡­ I¡¯m getting greedier.]


    ¡®I will only be waiting for the day to meet Belial-nim. Yes. Absolutely.¡¯


    [Heroic-grade quest is generated. I told you not to talk with the demon lord. (0/1)]


    [Then I¡¯ll be going. I have little time to stay in this world¡­ Anyway, as you said, I really hope to meet again.]


    ¡®Have a good night, Belial-nim.¡¯


    -I wille back. Don¡¯t forget, humans. Don¡¯t think today will be thest!


    Belial¡¯s splendid finish till the end was the standard work of a hard-working boss.


    He also looked very magnificent during the reverse summoning amid light.


    Even during that, his burning eyes staring at the city were enough to instill fear into everyone¡¯s hearts.


    At first, I wasn¡¯t sure if I should express my gratitude, but he must have gained something with this.


    Since the demon of falsehood and incitement was with us to scam the entire continent, the performance may have been better, as he had said.


    ¡®That¡¯s not what¡¯s important.¡¯


    The demon lord who had already left was not important.


    Jin Qing, watching this situation, being confined by the non-standard entity, was now more important.


    ¡®It¡¯s almost time for people toe.¡¯


    The light side was on the verge ofpletely retiring.


    Park Deokgu tried to protect us as much as possible with the shield, but he was also in danger.


    In contrast, the dark side was looking rtively fine, so it was natural to be dangerous if we were being attacked at this time.


    Despite the aftereffect, Demon Summoner Jin Qing had no sign of running out of magic power.


    ¡®If I get rid of him, everything will be over.¡¯


    Just then, I heard the sound of many footsteps.


    The Red Mercenary Guild, Cha Hee-ra, Yozora Guild, and Yuno Kasugano had already arrived. I couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    I started to think about what would happen afterward.


    Of course, the investigation team sent from the Republic also hurried to the demon summoner Jin Qing, but the people in the Laios were like rats trapped in poison.


    As expected, I could see some of them trying to run away.


    Even if it were me, I would have wanted to avoid the option of being investigated by Laios as well.


    Like Ito Souta, thest thing that the demon officials did was always to run away.


    Laughter popped out unknowingly at the thought that this was the end of the cursed darkness that had turned away from the light.


    ¡°The demon summoner is running away! Demon Summoner Jin Qing is running away! Pfff. The demon summoner is running away!¡±


    It was then that blood spurted out of me.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    My head felt dizzy in an instant. My surroundings blurred out.


    Along with the beeping sound, my mind went nk. My body now refused to move.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Blood started trickling down my throat.


    ¡°Sh*t¡­ don¡¯t¡­ miss him¡­ demon¡­ summ¡­¡±


    I couldn¡¯t even talk properly, but it surprisingly didn¡¯t hurt.


    ¡®I¡¯m not dying like this, right?¡¯


    ¡°H-Hyung-nim! Hyung-nim! Hyung-nim!!¡±


    Park Deokgu had begun to cry out.


    ¡°Take care¡­ of¡­ Hayan¡­ and Han Sora. I¡¯ll trust Yuno Kasugano¡­ to¡­¡±


    ¡°I got it. Don¡¯t talk. I got it, so you stop talking!¡±


    ¡°Make sure to catch¡­ the demon summoner¡­¡±


    It wasn¡¯t just him I could hear. There was also Cha Hee-ra and Yuno Kasugano.


    ¡°Do¡­ you feel¡­ better, master¡­?¡±


    ¡°Are you okay? Honey? Are you sure¡­ you¡¯re fine?¡±


    I started to hear the beeping sound continuously. This was the real limit now. I was really on the verge of passing out.


    ¡®If I¡¯m going to pass out, I have to do it properly¡­¡¯


    First, I held the rosary tightly on my neck. I knew that, upon seeing this, Pope Basel would inevitably shed tears of emotion.


    I thought about fainting while standing, but I knew that would just be overdoing it.


    A good option was to look like I was protecting Jung Hayan.


    ¡®It¡¯ll work.¡¯


    Soon, everything went ck.


    [Legendary-grade quest ispleted.]


    [Save Laios from danger as soon as possible, you bastard. (1/1)]

 Chapter 324: Hero of Laios (3)

    <h4>Chapter 324: Hero of Laios (3)</h4>


    ¡°Guild Master. Guild Master! Ye-ri, have you seen the Guild Master?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, either. I wanted to ask uncle Ki-mo¡­ but is this really a dangerous situation? Somehow¡­st time, with¡­ er¡­ uncle Deokgu was¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahem. It will be this time. You shouldn¡¯t think that way, Yeri-ssi. No matter how Vice Guild Master¡­ even so, now¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh. Right¡­ sorry. I was wrong. Worrying first rather than doubting. Right. I think I have be weird, thinking too much these days. It seems I¡¯ve been contaminated¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°It would be better to apologize to the Vice Guild Master. Rather than that, w-what should we do. I can¡¯t see the Guild Master¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahn Ki-mo-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Ah, Sun Hee-young-nim! You¡¯vee at the right time. Have you seen the Guild Master?¡±


    ¡°He went out first. Immediately after the video started¡­ with Dialugia, he might be able to arrive after his business is over¡­¡±


    ¡°I see. Does he have anotherpromise¡­?¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t, but I decided to go straight to Laios with Hyejin. We¡¯ll leave in an hour.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡±


    ¡°After canceling all schedules held in the guild, all party members will head to Laios. We will not ept disagreements. That is all.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Yes. Okay. I will also pass it on to Ah-young and Chang-ryul.¡±


    ¡°Then, please.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Er, Sun Hee-young.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry too much. The Vice Guild Master will be safe.¡±


    ¡°Yes. T¡­ Thank you.¡±


    * * *


    ¡°Holy Pope.¡±


    ¡°You useless things! You useless things!¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Is the Honorary Cardinal¡­ Honorary Cardinal still dying? Still¡­ why¡­ why! Until things get to this point! What are the Holy Knights doing?! Where and what were the Temrs doing?!¡±


    ¡°The Temrs have not yet received the signal¡­ a-and since the safety of other cardinals, and Your Holiness is a priority¡­ they had no choice but to stay in the State.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ So, you mean they stayed still even though Honorary Cardinal was fighting until the point where he couldn¡¯t stand up?! You stupid thing! So you left him alone until he looks like that now?! You stupid things! You stupid things!¡±


    ¡°Holy Pope¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut up! Useless garbage! When you guys were arguing over the table here, the Honorary Cardinal was alone against the demon. Without anyone knowing, he was fighting the darkness. If the Honorary Cardinal dies, I will not remain still. No! I will go directly. Right now! Directly! I will stand by him until he wakes up!¡±


    ¡°You must keep your seat, Holy Father. Even Honorary Cardinal wouldn¡¯t want Your Holiness to move. It takes more than a few days, even flying with a griffon. He¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯m sure Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung will be safe. Surely¡­¡±


    ¡°No. Then¡­ bring Honorary Cardinal here¡­¡±


    ¡°I was told that he should be asfortable as possible. We are also saddened¡­ by not being in Laios now. But even if the Honorary Cardinal had been here, he would have said that Your Holiness must remain in the State.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­ You are right. You are right. Archbishop Jessica is right. Even Honorary Cardinal wouldn¡¯t want me to leave. He is that kind of person. He lived only for Goddess Benigore. He was that kind of person.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Let him be fine¡­ fine¡­ Goddess Benigore. Please do not forsake the servant who follows you. Please¡­ This old servant will pray once more. Please¡­¡±


    * * *


    ¡°I will go directly to Laios.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I said I would go myself.¡±


    ¡°Oscar-nim¡­¡±


    ¡°Lee Kiyoung is fighting alone. I can¡¯t be still. He sacrificed everything he had for the State, no, for the continent. Again, we cannot leave him alone to sacrifice. I know very well what you mean. I also know that I shouldn¡¯t be away. But¡­ but, I would like to finish this work myself. Laios is first talking about an alliance. I can¡¯t entrust Lee Kiyoung to do thister. As he has worked hard for the State and the continent, I, too, have to take risks. Please prepare a delegation. I will visit Laios in person.¡±


    ¡°O-Oscar-nim¡­¡±


    ¡°So, I¡¯ll be asking you.¡±


    ¡°I will prepare as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Senator Catherine¡­¡±


    ¡°I will formally request support from foreigners as well. I heard the news that the Blue Guild and the Holy side are also moving. We will also schedule a meeting with Queen Pristina as quickly as possible. I will do my best to get things done as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Senator Catherine. Lee Kiyoung, please¡­ just be alive. Just be alive¡­¡±


    ¡°He must be fine. Surely, he¡¯ll wake up again as if nothing had happened. Definitely.¡±


    * * *


    ¡°He really annoys people.¡±


    ¡°Why? Jihye Unnie? Oh, it¡¯s because of the lover that you hid. Are you worried, too?¡±


    ¡°Worried, my ass. He¡¯ll probably be safe without any wounds. He must be up and dancing by now. Why would I have to worry? No, I don¡¯t want to. He might be angry when he hears that we missed the demon summoner or something. Anyway, I¡¯m not worried. That fainting is just a show, too. Definitely.¡±


    ¡°Your face doesn¡¯t show that.¡±


    ¡°Does it look like I¡¯m really worried?¡±


    ¡°It looks like that to anyone. Your face is different than usual, and¡­ why are you biting your nails again?¡±


    ¡°When did I bit my nails? You¡¯re funny. Will you keep acting up? Did you finish everything I ordered? Are you here doing this after finishing your work?¡±


    ¡°N-No, I didn¡¯t, but¡­¡±


    ¡°But why isn¡¯t this person picking up? If he¡¯s up, he should tell he¡¯s okay. It¡¯s really annoying.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re worried about him.¡±


    ¡°You!¡±


    ¡°Just go to him. He¡¯ll be happy to see you. I understand your idea that being too clingy doesn¡¯t look attractive, but if someone you like has fainted, you have to visit him at least. There are a lot of strange rivals around already. Didn¡¯t you see him fainting while holding hands with the wizard girl at the end? It¡¯s not attractive to be too clingy, but pretending to be too uninterested is not attractive, too. Who knows? If he¡¯s not even picking up, he may be waiting for you toe.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not the kind of person.¡±


    ¡°Still¡­¡±


    ¡°Still¡­ It wouldn¡¯t be bad to go there. Of course, I¡¯m not listening to you. I just don¡¯t have anything to do, and I think I should show my face. Something important in Laios will happen in the future. I have to go. I¡¯m also curious about the truth¡­ Let¡¯s go right now.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go quickly. If I can borrow a griffon from Yeon-joo, we can go fast. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°But, I¡¯m still not ready.¡±


    ¡°If you need anything, you can buy it there anyway. Let¡¯s go first. Quickly.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes¡­ Jihye Unnie.¡±


    * * *


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to thank me, Pristina. Even us, who came together as a delegation, didn¡¯t know¡­ most of all, such a miracle would not have happened if it had not been for the desperate prayers of the people of Laios.


    ¡°No. We¡­¡±


    ¡°As a result, not everyone in the group lost their lives. Haha.¡±


    ¡°You must be very worried, Cha Hee-ra.¡±


    ¡°He will be fine. No, more than that, I¡¯m already familiar with this. He is the type of guy who sacrifices himself for others. I have a lot to worry about when I spend time with him. He always wakes up as if nothing happened, so I¡¯m sure it will happen again this time.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ as expected. So, Honorary Cardinal of the State was that kind of person.¡±


    ¡°Rather, Pristina. Why don¡¯t you say that this is alright for those gathered in front of the castle? Everyone must have their own life. Being gathered like that for days¡­ of course, we are grateful enough, but still, seeing people gathered without even eating makes me worry. If some people end up getting health problems staying like that¡­¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s okay, Cha Hee-ra. They are all gathered by their own will and are praying. That¡¯s how grateful the people of Laios are to Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung and other heroes. Wasn¡¯t everyone watching the scene in the Goddess¡¯s Mirror? Of course, it cannot bepared with Cha Hee-ra or others, but our people and I only hope for Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung to get well soon, too. I am well aware that God is not very involved with matters in this world, but¡­ we hope this time our prayers reach¡­¡±


    ¡°Nevertheless¡­¡±


    ¡°You really don¡¯t have to worry. For those who voluntarily gathered, the royal family has been very supportive. In fact, I don¡¯t know if we¡¯ve been very helpful. The people themselves are scrambling to share food and give what they have. Of course, it¡¯s not a sufficient amount, but¡­ it may be because Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung¡¯s sacrifice greatly moved everyone. Even after hundreds of years, the achievements of the Honorary Cardinal and heroes will be remembered by Laios forever. Yes. Forever.¡±


    ¡°It is an honor.¡±


    ¡°No, rather, I am more honored, Cha Hee-ra. Thank you very much.¡±


    * * *


    ¡°Sora-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Yes? Vice Guild Master. Did you call¡­?¡±


    ¡°What do we have for dinner?¡±


    ¡°Oh! I think we¡¯re having meat after a long time.¡±


    ¡°How¡­¡±


    ¡°It seemed that Yuno Kasugano was secretly bringing it in. It wouldn¡¯t have been easy because the castle ispletely surrounded by people¡­¡±


    ¡°Whatever the reason is, we¡¯re going be able to eat meat after a long time.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Rather, Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°Tell me, Sora-ssi.¡±


    ¡°When are you going to announce that you¡¯re awake? It seems that there are quite a few people gathered in Laios right now¡­¡±


    ¡°Ohh! I think staying in bed for three more days will be fine. That way, people will know how to be grateful. There is a danger of life and death. If you y with public opinion once, it will be fine. Oh, since we¡¯re already talking about it, please spread the rumors.¡±


    ¡°What rumors?¡±


    ¡°That tonight is the crucial moment. That there is a high probability, I won¡¯t be able to make it to the next day. Things like that.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Okay.¡±


    ¡°It will be noisy outside the city because of people crying, but I think the picture that happens the next day will be pretty good. Anyway, please give me what you brought, Sora-ssi. I¡¯ve been lying down for more than half a day, and I¡¯m starving.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Vice Guild Master. Er¡­ And when¡­ will you move me out¡­?¡±


    ¡°As you know, the public eye is so focused right now¡­ you will have to wait a little longer. Don¡¯t worry too much. When everything is over, I will assign you to the safest task possible. Oh, this is delicious. Is it a short te?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°It melts in my mouth. Whoa¡­ it melts smoothly!¡±


    ¡°I know, right. It¡¯s really delicious. Thank God. I¡¯m really d.¡±


    ¡°I think it tastes sweeter eating while watching the people gathered in front of the pce. It seems to melt gently. I don¡¯t know if they¡¯re going to end up building a statue for me or something¡­ Fuhahahaha.¡±

 Chapter 325: Hero of Laios (4)

    <h4>Chapter 325: Hero of Laios (4)</h4>


    I had no choice but to look out of the royal castle with a delighted expression. My good mood was indeed inevitable.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t that there weren¡¯t any unpleasant parts at all, but it was because mostly everything was going as I had initially thought. I couldn¡¯t even sleep properly from the amount of people that had gatheredst night.


    It was annoying to be a hero in a country, but it was also definitely a good thing.


    Looking outside, I could see the citizens of the neutral country praying for my safety.


    It was even touching to see people of all ages, young and old, and foreigners from all over the continent.


    I could be sure that a scene like this wouldn¡¯t be made even if Pristina, Queen of Laios, was the one on her deathbed.


    ¡®Of course, they should do that.¡¯


    What they saw through the Goddess¡¯s Mirror on that day was truly the standard of sacrifice. What they saw were true heroes.


    There was Park Deokgu, a warrior who had tried to defend me whilst covered in blood, Han Sora, who continued to chant spells with her skinny body exposed to dark magic, and Jung Hayan and I, who decisively defended the demon¡¯s attack while being surrounded by light. Even though we all frequently vomited blood and grabbed our chests as we reached our limit, the image that we tried to protect Laios was an image that would only ever be seen in epics.


    ¡®It was a perfect picture.¡¯


    I feel proud, even as I thought about it again.


    Just as expected.


    Loud voices were already starting to be heard from outside. They must have listened to the news that I had already woken up.


    ¡®Hyunsung also came, right?¡¯


    The person who was waiting with Park Deokgu, who woke up the fastest, for me to wake up was, of course, the lovely regressor.


    When I heard the news that he had been walking outside for a very long time because he was told that I had to be absolutely calm, I felt moved.


    ¡®Right. I can also understand you.¡¯


    I had already felt someone supporting him right from the very start.


    No, it can be said that it is uncertain to say that he was being supported, but at least it was undeniable that a transcendental entity had been gazing at him.


    Again, it was correct to think that I had received a bit of it because I had pledged my loyalty towards him.


    ¡®It¡¯s a semi-mythic grade ss. Semi-mythic grade.¡¯


    It is very strange and annoying that the reward for being upgraded to a semi-mythic grade was only 5 magic power, but it was also unusual for a ss to be rated a ¡®semi-mythic¡¯ quality.


    Since my magic had the nature of divine power, I was the only person in the State, no, the continent that could use both divine power and magic.


    It was a little perplexing at the moment, but considering that the transcendental entity did not want Jung Hayan to die, I had to take note of this as well.


    If I had not healed Jung Hayan¡¯s body at that time, I bet she would not have woken up until now.


    Perhaps she would¡¯ve even lost her life.


    ¡®It thinks that Jung Hayan is also important.¡¯


    To analyze it, the transcendental being looking at all of this from above was hoping for Kim Hyunsung and Jung Hayan to not die.


    For example, it was the reason why Kim Hyunsung had no choice but to return.


    So, assuming that an invisible threat was real, it made sense to hope that Jung Hayan was safe. Though she had monstrous stats, her safety was still of the utmost priority.


    I didn¡¯t want to imagine losing a card named Jung Hayan when I was to think of preparing for an invisible threat.


    Despite receiving various buffs, blocking a massive attack falling across the city was an achievement great enough that themon people wouldn¡¯t understand.


    [Alchemist of Light (Semi-Mythic)]


    [It is said that only those chosen by God can change ss to Alchemist of Light. The magic power will have divine power. Magic power increases by +5. I¡¯ll just say one thing, you¡¯re a real son of a bitch. Disgusting bastard. Really, you are really irreparable trash.]


    ¡®I think this one hates only me that much¡­¡¯


    In the meantime, I still felt like the system hated me, something I didn¡¯t understand at all. However, it didn¡¯t change the fact that I was getting to enjoy more and more benefits.


    In any case, I had to prepare to greet the guests, those from the State, from the Holy side, and Laios. Many guests awaited the hero.


    As I looked next to me, I saw Jung Hayan, who had also just gotten up.


    Since we had to live only within the boundaries of Yuno Kasugano, Sora wasn¡¯t the only one watching out for Jung Hayan.


    Having to use one ward for three was very fun for some, but hell for others.


    Still, unlike Han Sora, who had recovered her energy to some extent, Jung Hayan¡¯s face was pale, so I had no choice but to feel worried.


    No matter how much semi-mythic magic I gave, and regardless of the fact that her magic power stat was 99, it was apparent that she was experiencing side effects from using excessive magic power.


    However, she didn¡¯t look upset.


    Just as I enjoy the Laotian people¡¯s worry, Jung Hayan also seemed to enjoy the situation where I would worry about her.


    ¡®It seems like she¡¯s getting strangely simr to me.¡¯


    She held the ring with her left hand as if it were precious, so even if her body was struggling right now, she still thought that she gained more than what she lost.


    ¡°Hayan, do you feel better?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Oppa. It is still impossible to use magic, but¡­ no problem. It¡¯s okay. Ahem, ahem. It¡¯s really okay. You don¡¯t need to¡­ ahem. worry.¡±


    I already knew that her continuous coughing was just acting, but I had no choice but to worry as I knew the condition of Jung Hayan better than anyone else.


    ¡°Are you really okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m really okay. Ugh¡­ I¡¯m really okay, so don¡¯t worry¡­ ahem.¡±


    Even the way she grabbed her chest was a spectacle.


    ¡°Ahem, ahem. I-I¡¯m sorry. Actually, I¡¯m not okay. Ahem. I-I think I will be better if you pat me a little. You know, that magic power.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Okay.¡±


    ¡°My chest hurts so much. Ahem. My chest¡­ My chest hurts so much.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°It hurts so much. O-Oppa¡­¡±


    Also, there are now reasonable excuses.


    Jung Hayan already knew that my magic power also contained divine power.


    After she woke up, I had already been sending her magic power dozens of times, but she silently showed off her chest as if she was still hungry for more.


    When I put my hand on her, the sight of her flinching looked strangely cute.


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    She made a strange sound for a moment, but for now, I had to send magic power to her desperately.


    Anyway, if I wanted to greet the guests soon, it would not be bad to extract some magic power now.


    ¡°Yes. A little m-more left from there. Not in the middle¡­ my c-chest area hurts. Please do it around the chest area. My chest¡­ my chest hurts so much.¡±


    ¡°Do you feel better now?¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ no. A little bit more¡­ Just a little more. The middle of my chest hurts so much. Ahem. Ugh¡­ Huh. The middle hurts, so there¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t know exactly where the middle of her chest was, but her face had begun to turn red, whether it was from pain or pleasure.


    Han Sora didn¡¯t even know where to look in this sudden situation. I also felt embarrassed.


    We kept trying not to make eye contact with each other, and then, voices came from outside.


    In any way, they saved both Han Sora and me.


    Jung Hayan looked at me as if it was a pity, but I couldn¡¯t always ept this stupidity.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do the restter.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    She had a long expression. However, she also looked like she needed to control herself.


    It was impossible to say that she had matured, but she seemed to at least have regained some sort ofposure.


    This could all be said to be the influence of the proposal.


    I roughly arranged the sheets, and as I got up, and I saw a face that looked a little pale, whether it was the influence of having my magic power drained by Jung Hayan.


    The original pale Jung Hayan and Han Sora, who were slow to recover, was also not easy.


    I was a little sorry to hear Park Deokgu¡¯s voice, but the remorse soon turned into approval. At this point, the door had opened with a rattling sound.


    Some of the barriers that had covered the room during that time were immediately dismantled, and at the same time, several people quickly entered the room.


    ¡°H-Hyung-nim! Hyung-nim!¡±


    The first thing I heard was Park Deokgu¡¯s voice, but the other thing I also noticed was the maid Alice, no, the person who should now be called Oscar.


    ¡°Honorary Cardinal!¡±


    It was very embarrassing to be hugged at the same time as she jumped. I knew she would be worried about me, but not to this extent.


    ¡°Sniff¡­Sniff¡­ Is your body, your body okay?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes.¡±


    ¡°Where were you injured? Can¡­ ugh¡­ you recognize me?¡±


    ¡°Of course, Mr. Oscar. You didn¡¯t have toe here¡­ It looks like I made you worry.¡±


    ¡°Wow¡­¡±


    It seemed that she was unable to hold back her bursting cries.


    Still, as she was the head of a country, I thought she would show a little definite appearance, but she couldn¡¯t hide the anxiety she had in her heart.


    I wasn¡¯t in a bad mood, but it was no wonder that I would still be watching out for Jung Hayan.


    As I turned, I saw Jung Hayan looking certainly unpleased.


    I thought it would be okay as she was being quiet at first.


    ¡®No¡­¡¯


    Rather, there werepletely different emotions on her face.


    ¡®What should I say¡­?¡¯


    Instantly, I realized that the expression she wore was one of superiority. Soon enough, Hayan began to stroke the ring on her finger.


    ¡®Is that supposed to be effective¡­?¡¯


    Of course, it may be as ambiguous to say that this worked, but the sense of superiority on her face had not disappeared.


    Nevertheless, as the cuddling time got longer, she gradually began to look nervous, but when I pulled her off a little, Hayan settled for nodding as she knew I would eventually do this.


    As I looked at the people who came to this hospital room one by one, familiar faces that I had not seen before came into my eyes.


    ¡°Hyung-nim. Hyung-nim¡­ Haap. Is Hayan okay? What about Sora? Is everything okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Deokgu. There seems to be nothing wrong. We were a little nk, but as for the whole body¡­ I think we¡¯re doing better.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it back to normal, yet?¡±


    ¡°No. No. It¡¯s okay. There is nothing wrong with the body. The same goes for all others.¡±


    Park Deokgu was squeezing me whilst he tended to his runny nose.


    The guild members who came together were also visible.


    Sun Hee-young was also looking very relieved, and Cho Hyejin looked really surprised, Kim Ye-ri seemed to be overwhelmed with guilt for some reason, and Ahn Ki-mo was still smiling.


    I could also see Yoo Ah-young and Kim Chang-ryul.


    ¡°Fortunately. Vice Guild Master. The outsiders said that the sky helped¡­¡±


    ¡°I think so, too.¡±


    Seeing Lee Jihye¡¯s face ncing at me from behind, she seemed disappointed that I hadn¡¯t contacted her.


    Still, I could see her sweeping away from her chest as if knowing that her turn would beter.


    I started to get tired as I continued to greet the people of the Laios and those who came to see my condition from the Holy side.


    However, I was still grateful for everyone worrying about this.


    Duchess Catherine, no, people like Senator Catherine and Senator Elise were also shedding tears. Many of the personal connections that I had built up shed at my awakening after a long time.


    Of course, I smiled as innocently as I could and responded to their worries.


    ¡°Er¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°Kiyoung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Hyunsung-ssi!¡±


    And there entered Kim Hyunsung, our lovely regressor.

 Chapter 326: Hero of Laios (5)

    <h4>Chapter 326: Hero of Laios (5)</h4>


    ¡°Kiyoung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Hyunsung-ssi!¡±


    ¡®This bastard¡­¡¯


    In fact, it hadn¡¯t been that long since we had been apart, but it felt like I hadn¡¯t seen him in a long time.


    A bitter smile began to circte at the thought of having suffered that much. Eventually, things had worked out so well that I was able tough, but it had been from a series of situations where I had been walking on thin ice.


    I had to think I was lucky, no matter how it was. If something had slipped, I would have had to run away from Laios, or could have died.


    Kim Hyunsung, this bastard, must¡¯ve had a hard time as well, but as a result, I was the one who had to ovee the danger of death several times. While Kim Hyunsung was taking care of his mental health, I actually went back and forth between life and death.


    He must have known enough about it. It would be natural to show a pretty somber face.


    ¡®Yes. Punk. I was very sick. It really hurt a lot. And it was hard, too. It was really hard¡­ Fuck. This is all for you. So you can feel a little sadder.¡¯


    Actually, it wasn¡¯t very painful, but it felt like I wanted to express that it was hard for some reason.


    While I didn¡¯t see his handsome face, he got pretty bony, and I didn¡¯t know if I was mistaken, but his eyes were definitely red. He didn¡¯t cry like Park Deokgu, but he was also worried about me.


    ¡®Does he have more affection than I thought?¡¯


    In fact, I didn¡¯t think Kim Hyunsung would be worried about me this much.


    Of course, I thought that an invisible bond between us had built up, but when I heard that he headed this way with Dialugia as soon as the news about the magic hologram went out, I was quite surprised. He even stayed in front of my door with Deokgu rather than going after the enemy.


    He chose to stand by my side rather than close the case.


    ¡°Hyunsung-ssi. It¡¯s been a long time. Ahem.¡±


    A coughing sound began toe out as if Jung Hayan¡¯s cough had infected me.


    Rather than thinking first and act, the body was pretending to be in pain first. I was even embarrassed to believe that it really started to hurt.


    Did they say that humans changed their bodies as they deemed fit? Not only did it feel like someone pricking my chest with a needle, but it was also getting harder to breathe.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    As expected, Kim Hyunsung approached in a hurry. It seemed like he was pretending to be okay right now, but anyone could tell that he was worried about me.


    I kept wanting to smile. The specs that I saw with my Mind¡¯s Eye were also excellent.


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m fine, Hyunsung-ssi. More importantly¡­ You didn¡¯t have toe all the way here¡­¡±


    ¡°No. Of course, it is correct toe first. I was really¡­ I was really worried. I¡¯m d you¡¯re okay, Kiyoung-ssi. And your body¡­¡±


    ¡°Haha. Ahem. It¡¯s fine. Hyunsung-ssi, really. I heard that my body recovered quickly enough to be called a miracle. Hayan, Deokgu, and Sora suffered more than I¡­ Really, ahem. I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°Are you really okay?¡±


    He seemed to be worried as I kept coughing. I kept saying I was okay, but anyone could see I wasn¡¯t. I was hoping to see if he would take out something like an elixir from the bag, but I would have used it earlier if there were such a thing.


    Of course, others also seemed worried, too, but perhaps because of the strange atmosphere, they stepped back and simply watched us.


    ¡°Excuse me¡­ for a second.¡±


    He even snuck up and started to put his hand on my chest.


    ¡®Why? What¡¯s up with this bastard? What¡¯s wrong with him?¡¯


    Although it was momentary, Jung Hayan¡¯s eyes opened widely. Most of the female audiences who looked at Kim Hyunsung and I also had reddish faces for some reason, but a sound like ¡®oh my god¡¯ started toe out from behind.


    ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯


    It even made me feel more ufortable because I was lying in bed.


    He leaned over first, just in case it would be ufortable for me getting up. I was surprised for a moment, but I believed he wouldn¡¯t do anything to harm my body.


    As expected, he began to pour his magic power on me. There was no such thing as a function to recover the body with his magic power, but he was trying to figure out whether my body was in normal condition by turning the magic power around my body.


    It was no wonder that I thought that I did well at pouring magic into Jung Hayan just before. What Kim Hyunsung was feeling right now was mypletely empty magic power.


    He had on a serious look. In fact, there was nothing strange about me but a little heavy breathing, but he seemed to be checking if there was any residual effect.


    Of course, he was not a doctor. However, after a fewps on my body with magic power, I really felt rxed and drowsy.


    ¡®I really want to sleep now.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know if it was an appropriate expression, but it felt like I was getting a massage. It felt as if the inside of my body was being massaged coolly with magical power.


    ¡®How is this possible?¡¯


    It was impossible to do this with my magic power that had gained divine power. It was the advanced magic power management knowledge possessed like a privilege of the continent¡¯s powerful people.


    However, I could be sure that not many of them could do this. Without Kim Hyunsung¡¯s delicate control, I wouldn¡¯t have felt thisfortable.


    What was a little strange was that the room was bing extremely quiet. The galleries surrounding Kim Hyunsung and I were shutting their mouths and engrossed in the strange sight we were showing.


    In particr, Laios¡¯ maids who watched this situation showed reddish faces as much as Han Sora when she looked at Jung Hayan and me. I thought it wasn¡¯t a big deal, but¡­


    ¡®This is fucking¡­¡¯


    I started to get nervous as our audience had begun to gush. When Kim Hyunsung¡¯s magic power rotated around my body, a blush appeared on my face, and suddenly, an exim popped out.


    Of course, this was only the effect of magic, no other reason. I felt like the asion where everyone that was worried about me was suddenly turning weird.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m all right now, Hyunsung-ssi.¡±


    I had no choice but to hurry to stop him because it seemed that if it kept going like this, this asion would lose its essence.


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°This is enough. I appreciate your thoughts, but your magic power is so great¡­ that it¡¯s too much for me to ept any more¡­¡±


    ¡°Then, how about a little more gently¡­¡±


    ¡°No. Just your thought is enough.¡±


    I thought it was all over, but the faces of those who were listening to our conversation seemed to get even redder. I had to speak once more.


    ¡°Everyone, thank you for visiting. Really¡­ I am worried that I may have troubled you for nothing.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t, Honorary Cardinal. Thank you very, very much. Laios will never forget the sacrifices of Lee Kiyoung and other heroes.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. Pristina-nim. But we can¡¯t be the only ones to take the credit. Had it not been for the prayers sent by others, we would not have been able to stop the demon that day. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s really a miracle, but it seemed like I could actually hear many voices.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that much to be thankful for. Probably, even if other people were there, they must have made the same choice as us.¡±


    As I looked at Jung Hayan, Han Sora, and Park Deokgu, I saw them frantically nod. However, Pristina still didn¡¯t seem satisfied. Not only did she thank me with the long-standing custom of Laios tapping on the forehead, but she bowed her head toward me. Of course, her eyes were filled with tears.


    ¡°Thank you very much. Thank you very much.¡±


    ¡°You can raise your head, Pristina-nim. And the same goes for other Laios people. If you keep doing this, I¡¯ll get more embarrassed. Ahem.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Honorary Bishop.¡±


    ¡°Kiyoung-ssi.¡±


    It was a little ridiculous that everyone here flinched with just one cough.


    The atmosphere got more pleasant. Park Deokgu, who was constantly crying, was energized, and Kim Hyunsung, whose eyes were getting red, also wiped out his chest.


    Dialugia was looking at me like trash, she didn¡¯t say anything, but she seemed to have noticed that there was no danger of dying in the first ce.


    In fact, if something went wrong with my body, she would be the first to feel the signal, so it would be natural for her to look like that.


    After confirming that not only I but also Jung Hayan and Han Sora were in good shape, the room was the same as usual, and even in the middle of that, I had the Laios people thanking me. Of course, I opened my mouth as if I didn¡¯t know anything. This time it was about those whose outside.


    ¡°Come to think of it. It seemed a little noisy outside. Did anything happen? No¡­ more importantly, was the work properly finished¡­¡±


    ¡°I think it would be better to take a rest without thinking about anything else, Honorary Cardinal.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ That demon summoner Jin Qing¡­¡±


    I knew the truth. I had already heard all the progress from Cha Hee-ra.


    I knew that the demon summoner who tried to destroy the city had escaped from Laios, but I had to open my mouth naturally because I had to show that I was constantly caring about Laios.


    ¡°First, you have to pay attention to recovering your body.¡±


    ¡°But outside¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Honorary Cardinal. It wasn¡¯t because of the demon summoner that it was noisy outside¡­ it¡¯s because of the Honorary Cardinal.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡±


    ¡°I guess you haven¡¯t seen it yet.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about¡­¡±


    I knew the truth.


    Pristina smiled slightly and began to open the curtains. As she opened the window, a pleasant breeze began to enter the room.


    It was natural to pretend to be surprised because it was my first time seeing such a sight officially.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    What I saw was a scene of countless Laios citizens praying. It was a massive crowd, as if almost everyone in the capital was gathered.


    This was, therefore, a magnificent sight.


    Naturally, I had to stand up slowly at this point. Of course, since I didn¡¯t have physical strength, I stumbled, but thanks to Park Deokgu holding me tight, I avoided falling.


    It wasn¡¯t a scene I had nned, but it was not all that bad. As I raised my hand a little, a thunderous shout began to burst out. Even¡­


    ¡®Why are these guys crying¡­?¡¯


    Iughed when I saw the innocent Laios people shed tears of joy.


    ¡°Wahhhhhhhhhhhh!!¡±


    I didn¡¯t know if it was because of the shouts, but my back was tingling. They cried and hugged each other. It was as if there was a festival.


    ¡°Ha¡­ haha.¡±


    I looked at her as if I didn¡¯t believe it, and she looked at me with a quiet smile.


    ¡°Everyone has gathered voluntarily. After watching the heroes¡¯ sacrifices, they have waited with us for all of you to wake up. Everyone, as one.¡±


    ¡°Really¡­ It¡¯s a grateful sight.¡±


    ¡°In the square.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s okay, I would like to put a statue of you guys in the square.¡±


    ¡®Pheeew¡­ You¡¯ve made it, Kiyoung.¡¯


    Iughed a little without saying anything, but Pristina sent a big smile as if she epted it as a positive sign.


    ¡°Laios will never forget your sacrifice. Never.¡±


    The alliance had already been established. Everyone was smiling happily. There were shouts outside andughter from inside the room. In summary, everyone was happy.


    Of course, there were still people who were ufortable in this situation. Looking back a little, I saw Yuno Kasugano, watching out for me with her head down.


    ¡®Yuno Kasugano.¡¯


    It was obvious why she was with such a face alone.


    ¡®Because she did something wrong.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know the reason. However, it was a behavior I could not understand. Although she confessed with her own mouth first, it was a little vague to say that it was a problem that I could forgive easily.


    Others didn¡¯t know it yet, but about Jin Qing, the dirty demon summoner¡­


    It was her who had helped the guy get out of Laios.

 Chapter 327: Hero of Laios (6)

    <h4>Chapter 327: Hero of Laios (6)</h4>


    Everything was done perfectly, but wrapping things up proved to be annoying. No, in fact, I was more happy than annoyed.


    As a result, if I were to think about it, everything was going in the direction I wanted, except for the missing Jin Qing. However, I had no choice but to feel anxious about the fact that the demon summoner was alive.


    The people of Laios and I would be thinking the same.


    I requested the Republic to take over the demon summoner Jin Qing, but there was still no answer. There was nothing to be heard other than saying that they would grasp the situation a little more closely.


    Of course, the Republic¡¯s remarks to closely grasp the situation were excuses and bullsh*t. There was no way they could do anything.


    The ce where we confronted the demon had already been erased from the map, leaving no traces other than a bunch of lights.


    Even in Laios, they were refusing the people of the Republic to pass over. The only evidence left was Ito Souta¡¯s conviction and the Goddess¡¯s Mirror we¡¯ve recorded the incident with.


    No matter what I thought, they couldn¡¯t grasp the situation.


    Nevertheless, it would be irrelevant to interpret that bullsh*t as an expression of the will to protect Jin Qing, no matter what.


    I knew that the Republic wasn¡¯t as sensitive to ck magic as the State, but what happened would affect the entire neutral nation. The Republic¡¯s foreigners were also killed, and in some way, it was a case that was bound to be entangled in international affairs.


    Despite all these backgrounds, the Republic chose to protect the guy after listening to Jin Qing.


    ¡®They said men are blind in their own causes.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know what was going on, but he might be trying to rify this case and put his sins on me.


    In fact, the probability of a bomb dropping on me, who had so much evidence, converged to zero, but I still had no choice but to be dissatisfied with the fact that the opponent with a grudge was still alive.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t have to exin that I was also swaying public opinion.


    I felt a little sorry for the demon worshiper Ito Souta, but that was the reason his name had been repeatedly mentioned recently.


    ¡°The demon worshiper Ito Souta. And this time, demon summoner Jin Qing¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Does the Honorary Cardinal think there is a connection between those two?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s probably¡­ hard to say there¡¯s any. We don¡¯t know when they got in contact or what they want, but it doesn¡¯t change that their ultimate goal is the same. The darkness is already deeply rooted in our continent. I knew there were groups of only ck wizards all over the ce, but¡­ I didn¡¯t think they would be expanding their influence this much. In fact, it was just a coincidence that I stepped on Jin Qing¡¯s tail¡­¡±


    ¡°You are saying that the situation seems to be more serious than the Holy See thought.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Maybe they have their ownmunication channels. Given that the Republic currently protects Jin Qing, it would be better to think that the Republic is also affected by its roots. In the worst case, we can think¡­ it¡¯s alreadypletely stained¡­¡±


    ¡°Already so far¡­ Oh, God¡­¡±


    ¡°Think of the case of the State. No one knew that Ito Souta was a demon worshiper. During the long period of his career at Celia, no one had noticed that Ito Souta was a demon worshiper. If Ito Souta had swallowed the country as it is, we would have had to take a position simr to the current Republic. Maybe the State would¡¯ve faced a great threat, just like Laios.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s terrible just to imagine.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not just the Republic. In each country or city, there may be ces touched by the demon. Yes. I¡¯m sure of it. There certainly will. First of all, I will report on this event¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah! Honorary Cardinal. You don¡¯t have to. I appreciate your thought, but for now, please consider recovering your body as the top priority.¡±


    ¡°What? But¡­¡±


    ¡°His Holiness said it directly. He said that he would move immediately after the Honorary Cardinal got better¡­ so he told us not to force you. I understand that you have many worries in many ways, but it would be better to let your body rest sufficiently. We know how much the Honorary Cardinal is thinking of the Holy See and the Goddess Benigore. But now, in this situation, the Goddess will not want you to jump back to her front line. The first thing is to recover your body.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    What was a little annoying in the meantime was that my movement was limited.


    I couldn¡¯t move properly because of those who overprotected me, although I got tremendous benefits from exaggerating to be hurt. In fact, this situation was not confined to the Holy See.


    ¡°Oscar-nim.¡±


    ¡°You said that when we¡¯re alone, you would call me Maid Alice, Honorary Cardinal.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Yes, Maid Alice. I made a mistake. Haha.¡±


    ¡°So. Does the tea suit your taste? I should have prepared some refreshments, but I didn¡¯t have time,ing in a hurry¡­¡±


    ¡°Haha. It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s been a long time since I had the tea that Maid Alice made, and it feels like my body is already recovering. More importantly, the alliance with the neutral country¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s going well. Some of these tribal kingdoms also want the same thing as us¡­ No, please forget about this. Recovering your body right now is the top priority, but I¡¯m talking about work again. I understand the Honorary Cardinal, but I hope you don¡¯t think about anything other than rxing now.¡±


    ¡°But the situation is¡­¡±


    ¡°I know you don¡¯t believe, but we¡¯re doing our best, too.¡±


    ¡°Maid Alice¡­¡±


    ¡°I will do my best to finish the work so that it does not be a nuisance. So please¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. Okay. If you say it like that¡­¡±


    And so did the State¡¯s leader, Alice, no, Oscar, and even Kim Hyunsung began to protect me as if protecting a baby bird.


    Whether this was shocking to him as well, he started acting as if he would give it all.


    ¡°Hyunsung, now, I should slowly¡­¡±


    ¡°No, Kiyoung. You can still lie down a little longer. Hyejin and Hee-young are taking care of the guild-rted work together. I am also working hard. In the meantime, you have been running too crazy. You can rest a little more.¡±


    Although the lovely returner showed warm eyes and urged me to rest.


    ¡®You, your political sense is zero.¡¯


    There was no way I wouldn¡¯t feel worried.


    Thanks to our trustworthy Cho Hyejin and Sun Hee-young, I felt that the issues rted to the current case were smoothly resolved.


    In fact, it wasn¡¯t a long time after waking up, but due to my nature of bing anxious when I stay still, I had to get stressed out ways.


    While lying down, statues in honor of the heroes were climbing on the square of Laios, and even the sixth volume of How an Alchemist and a Genius Swordsman Love appeared in Laios.


    Whenever I saw the statues in the square getting more and more distinct, and every time the wandering Laios maids talked about the novel, I realized that time was passing me by.


    Practically, not much time had passed, but seeing the popr bestseller in the State was hitting Laios, it wasn¡¯t a short time either.


    ¡®What kind of novel is that? Is it that fun?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know why, but it was surprising to see that they were selling like hotcakes.


    Anyway, whether it was big or small, the things surrounding me were gradually changing. In fact, I was anxious about what the next move of the demon summoner would be, but the Republic still remained silent.


    Around this time, I, too, hadpletely let go of my external work.


    ¡®The State is not that ipetent.¡¯


    I already had arranged everything, so if they could not achieve results in this situation, it was only right to seek asylum in another kingdom, even for the sake of my future.


    ¡®Instead¡­¡¯


    It wouldn¡¯t be bad to have time to solve internal problems rather than outside.


    Not only did I set a schedule of the study to find out about the semi-mythic-grade ss of the Alchemist of Light, but I also started to make a lot of hypotheses.


    I also began thinking of some solutions to the problem surrounding the lovely returner and the management of people in need of it, including Jung Hayan and Cha Hee-ra, and discussions with Lee Jihye.


    The busy work quickly relieved the feelings of being unable to stay still.


    Of course, the fact that there was an important thing to deal with didn¡¯t need to be mentioned twice.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, master. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Yuno Kasugano, who was ready to be a demon summonerpanion, was an important issue.


    ¡°No matter how much you ask for my sin, I have nothing to say. Please forgive me for making this choice even though I knew you wouldn¡¯t like it.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m really sorry. Sniff! Please don¡¯t throw me away. Please don¡¯t abandon this girl.¡±


    Looking at her quietly, it was a sight to see her shedding tears.


    I¡¯ve heard many times why Kasugano saved him, but I waspelled to find out with this incident that her future wasn¡¯t always right.


    In fact, it was not that I didn¡¯t believe in her.


    She was the one who took care of me in many ways when I fainted, and it was she who had been the most active in fixing things and swaying the media since then.


    I couldn¡¯t just openly hate her.


    Lee Jihye asked if we could really trust Yuno Kasugano, but from my point of view, Yuno Kasugano was a card that was attractive enough.


    However, if I considered that Yuno Kasugano and I didn¡¯t have a very good rtionship in the first round¡­


    ¡®She wouldn¡¯t be gathering energy to backstab me, right?¡¯


    It was something worth worrying about.


    As a result, in the first round, the ck trash Lee Kiyoung had made Yuno Kasugano¡¯s life miserable, and she knew that, too.


    Although she said it was a happy time, anyone could tell that it was an experience far from happiness.


    The chances were small, but I couldn¡¯t help but wonder for me, who felt suspicious.


    ¡®To be nning a revenge of the first round¡­¡¯


    There were many awkward points in many ways.


    First of all, I held her life and death ticket.


    However, if I considered that looking forward to the future or the ck world, she might have thought differently about me, it was hard not to look at her with suspicion.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m really sorry.¡±


    ¡°Well, it would be better to listen to the story in detail once again. I hope this time, I can understand.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t exin the details. However, Jin Qing shouldn¡¯t end up in that way in that ce. The master¡­ The master¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°The master may be in danger.¡±


    There was more than half the probability that she was really worried about me.


    However, there was no guarantee that she wouldn¡¯t have the perfect n in her mind to send me to hell. It was right to think that it was an issue that gave me headaches in many ways.

 Chapter 328: Us in the Black World (1)

    <h4>Chapter 328: Us in the ck World (1)</h4>


    In fact, it was Lee Jihye¡¯s words that made me doubt.


    ¡®I am not sure about the rtionship between the two of you, but think carefully if she¡¯s someone you could really trust. No matter how I think about it, it¡¯s a minus that she helped others in a crucial situation. And it was none other than Jin Qing, the demon summoner. I¡¯m not saying this just to reduce our rivals. I¡¯m just really worried. People who are good at backstabbing get backstabbed in strange situations. That¡¯s amon clich¨¦.¡¯


    She said that right after I said that it was Yuno Kasugano who had let Jin Qing go.


    Of course, she was not wrong.


    However, I couldn¡¯t agree with the saying that the one who was good at backstabbing would be backstabbed, but in Yuno Kasugano¡¯s case, I couldn¡¯t help but mull this over.


    No matter how I was to think about it, it was true that meeting with her was arbitrary.


    Of course, there was an inessible safety device between Kasugano and me. However, even so, I had to avoid letting my guard down.


    It was a bit different, but like the famous line that was popr somewhere, if you didn¡¯t believe it in the first ce, you wouldn¡¯t be betrayed.


    Probably, Yuno Kasugano was also anxious because she could tell the suspicion in my face.


    There was no way that Yuno Kasugano, who was more sensitive to the atmosphere than others, couldn¡¯t notice the temperature difference.


    As I set the mood and looked straight ahead, she continued to speak again with a visibly nervous face.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t have time to exin because the master was down at the time. It¡¯s hard to understand, but at least my actions¡­ please know that it was for you.¡±


    I already knew that.


    However, the problem was that she couldn¡¯t exin what kind of future she saw.


    If it were a convincing story, I would be able to nod¡­


    ¡°I can¡¯t remember anything. I must have seen the future with my own eyes, but I can¡¯t remember it as if there¡¯s a haze. Really. Please believe me.¡±


    This situation was a problem.


    Of course, I wanted to give more credit to the possibility that her words were true.


    She was also the one who had confessed her sins right after I woke up, and she even said she would take any punishment sweetly. It made no sense for her to plot something like this and still ept punishment.


    If I looked at Yuno Kasugano, who came every day before I could organize my own thoughts and said that she had made a mistake, the probability of thinking something different seemed to be infinitely close to zero.


    However¡­


    ¡®No. There is no need to doubt. If I don¡¯t believe in her, nothing can be solved anyway.¡¯


    Although there were risks, it was also true that this problem could not be solved without trusting Kasugano.


    It would be natural to hold on to a string of suspicion, but for now, it would not be bad to think about the premise that Kasugano¡¯s words were true.


    ¡°Are you sure you have seen the future?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s not the ck world. Neither is it the past. That¡¯s for sure. What I saw must have happened in the future. It seemed to be after a lot of time passed from now¡­¡±


    ¡°What exactly does it mean to be in danger¡­?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to exin. Should I say that your life is in danger? Or should I express that the position or situation of the master is in danger¡­ I¡¯m not even sure about that. Shortly after seeing that future with my own eyes, I tried several times to check it out, but it didn¡¯t seem like a lie. I¡¯m really, really sorry.¡±


    It was a sight to see her prostrate herself. Now I felt embarrassed.


    ¡°Is there any probability that you could not remember or recall because the future has changed?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t work that way. As the future I mentioned recently has not been realized, the future change has nothing to do with my inability to recall the scene. Please talk to me morefortably before that. Please¡­ please speak informally. Sniff.¡±


    She looked significantly anxious. In fact, at times like this, I thought that she resembled Jung Hayan.


    It seemed that me talking formally was a harbinger of not epting her as a servant.


    I thought I didn¡¯t have to be distinct since I spoke respectfully when we were with others, but it seemed very important to her.


    ¡®Didn¡¯t I talk formallyst time?¡¯


    In fact, I didn¡¯t even remember it well.


    However, unlike then, it would be natural for her to be anxious since I was talking as if I were treating a stranger in this atmosphere.


    Of course, the way I speak didn¡¯t matter.


    At the moment, I wasn¡¯t happy with Yuno Kasugano, so I spoke with honorifics, but her frustration made my annoyance soar, and the informal way of speaking popped out.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t Yuno Kasugano the one who knows best that the future could change? Again, the city was not in ruins.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Of course. But¡­ for some reason, I thought I should do that. The feeling like I had to let him go right away¡­ I felt that way. I can¡¯t exin it, but I¡¯m sure of that.¡±


    ¡°In other words, does it mean you let him go because of a simple feeling? Even knowing that I¡¯ll be in an awkward position?¡±


    ¡°Although a little different¡­ yes. Maybe¡­ Please kill me. Sniff.¡±


    ¡°In fact, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t believe in you, but¡­ I still don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°I am also confused. Sniff¡­ I¡¯ve seen so many things, but it¡¯s the first time I didn¡¯t remember it, and it didn¡¯t look like fog. As if someone from outside intervened¡­ Yes. I feel like someone disturbed it.¡±


    ¡°Intervention from outside¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. Yes, it is. This never happened before¡­ Please kill me.¡±


    In fact, Yuno Kasugano had been making the same excuses over thest days, but the word of external interventiones anew.


    ¡®This¡­¡¯


    There were some things that I had some doubts about.


    ¡®Is it the system?¡¯


    It was not entirely impossible.


    I had concluded that transcendental beings did not directly intervene in mortal affairs, but there was still room for intervention in this area.


    If the future that Yuno Kasugano saw was a future it didn¡¯t want, or a future it didn¡¯t want to show, the phenomenon of fogging her head could be exined.


    ¡®It¡¯s pretty convincing.¡¯


    Considering that Yuno didn¡¯t intend to backstab me, it was indeed pretty convincing.


    One question was why the transcendent existence prevented her from remembering the future. It might not be the system because I was friendly enough to it.


    In fact, it also invested a lot in me, and it cursed me, but as a result, it was always kind to me.


    Of course, it was obvious as to why we had a good rtionship. It was because I was being submissive to the lovely returner. I finally got a semi-mythic-grade ss and even became someone capable of using divine power.


    This achievement was perfect, and I was able to send the demon away.


    In any way, I could only be seen as an ally of the transcendental being. Judging from that, there were two possible hypotheses.


    The first was that there was not only one transcendent being watching me.


    This was a pretty convincing deduction. One might feel that it was forced to drag me, while the other may not like me.


    Maybe it didn¡¯t let Kasugano recall the future that I was in danger considering that I could avoid the danger.


    In other words, it may be hoping for me to be in danger or, worse, to die. Aside from this case, there was one other thing I could think of¡­


    I mean, if the transcendental beings didn¡¯t n on antagonizing me, the rest I can think of¡­


    ¡®Is it because of Hyunsung?¡¯


    I knew that the danger I was in some way rted to Kim Hyunsung. It was sudden, but I felt like it was something I could think of.


    The system and the transcendental existence had nurtured Kim Hyunsung, the protagonist of the worldview, and were actually watching him with interest.


    That was the reason why I received so many benefits. If I had started as an enemy of Kim Hyunsung, I would never have received gifts like this.


    For example, in an extreme case, the scene that Yuno Kasugano saw was a scene where Kim Hyunsung was hostile to me, and if I were to find out that fact¡­


    ¡®Will I backstab him?¡¯


    Transcendental beings may be on the lookout for a future where I will backstab the lovely returner.


    ¡®But I got very fond of him. I¡¯m not so trash¡­¡¯


    Of course, I couldn¡¯t guarantee how I would move when the actual situation came.


    ¡®It¡¯s just a deduction anyway. I don¡¯t have to think deeply.¡¯


    It was interesting, but unfortunately, these two hypotheses were impossible to hold.


    Both stories had nothing to do with the demon summoner Jin Qing. Even if one of the two was true, it was not a reason for Yuno Kasugano to save the demon summoner.


    It was a hypothesis that struck my head hearing about an external intervention, but it was still a trashy deduction.


    The puzzle pieces seemed to be gathered, but it felt like they weren¡¯t connected.


    ¡®Maybe it is rted to the first round?¡¯


    I think this might have gone too far. Of course, there was nothing bad about finding out about it.


    However¡­


    ¡®The problem is that it can¡¯t be seen just because she wants to.¡¯


    Although she had tried several times, Kasugano had never seeded in connecting with me since Park Deokgu¡¯s day.


    Kasugano, who always said sorry with her head down, looked like a middle-aged man suffering from erectile dysfunction.


    She failed every time she tried, so she rarely called me to meet her as if she had lost her confidence. She was afraid to see my disappointed and annoyed face.


    ¡°The ck world¡­¡±


    Kasugano got startled by my self-talk. In an instant, a sense of urgency filled her face.


    ¡°I-I will try. As it may be a hint, this time I¡¯ll certainly¡­¡±


    ¡°Can you do it?¡±


    ¡°I am in good shape today. Yes. I think I can do it.¡±


    I made an expectant look. As she looked straight ahead, Kasugano slowly opened her closed eyes and began whining.


    Somehow, she was trying her best to see the future or the ck world, but she started sweating as if it wasn¡¯t going well. She looked worried as if asking herself, ¡®What if it doesn¡¯t go well this time as well?¡¯


    It didn¡¯t mean that she could see it just because she wanted to, in the first ce, nor could she connect just because she wanted to connect.


    However, deep inside, disappointment rose in her like water.


    ¡®I guess she can¡¯t do this again.¡¯


    I had been through this situation so much that now I could sense it.


    It seemed like she was doing her best while whining, but she looked like Tol To-ri with her head down this time. Eventually, she slowly closed her eyes and started turning her head in my direction.


    In that desperate face, there was a feeling that she had to seed at all costs this time.


    ¡°I have an absurd request¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Er¡­ D-Do you remember that thest time you and I were connected, our bodies were also connected?¡±


    ¡°I do, but¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s unlikely, but I¡¯d like to give it a try. Maybe a kiss or a corresponding act might create a possibility to connect. It¡¯s only spection, but¡­¡±


    ¡®What is she talking about again?¡¯


    But for now, it wouldn¡¯t be bad to nod.


    It was not without an anxious mind, but I grabbed her hand and kissed her lightly in an instant. Magic power started to rise as much as a very red face.


    However, the anxiety in her eyes refused to disappear. She still looked like Tol Tori with a bowed head.


    ¡®That¡¯s so frustrating¡­¡¯


    What she was thinking was obvious.


    ¡®What should I do if it doesn¡¯t work well this time?¡¯


    Or¡­


    ¡®I¡¯ll be abandoned. If it fails, I¡¯ll be abandoned.¡¯


    It was a matter of confidence rather than a matter of method.


    I let her be for a while, but it didn¡¯t seem that bad to give confidence as the issue was important.


    ¡°You can do well.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°You can do well this time. Slowly. You can befortable. Right. Like that. Slowly. Now, you just need to befortable and trust your body to me. I¡¯ll do it all on my own.¡±


    There was nothing I could do, but when I tried to do physical contact while gently stroking her hair actively, I felt a reactioning.


    Not only did she shake her body softly, but she also puffed her mouth in the air like a goldfish.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ Ahh.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry. Actually, I never doubted you, Kasugano. I justined. I think you know that I care for you. It will be this time, too. Do not try to do it in a rush; do it slowly. It doesn¡¯t have to be today. Rx and slowly. Right. Okay. Right¡­¡±


    I just tried it to try it out, but as I whispered sweet words and breathed in, Kasugano, who was wearing Tol Tori¡¯s expression with a bowed head, gradually raised her head.


    She looked solid as if she burped on purpose.


    I thought, ¡®Would it work with this?¡¯, but immediately afterward, I had to shout at the sense of being sucked somewhere.


    ¡®Nice!¡¯


    I had solved the inner erectile dysfunction of Kasugano.

 Chapter 329: Us in the black world (2)

    <h4>Chapter 329: Us in the ck world (2)</h4>


    [Reading limited information. Confirming the activation of the legendary-grade attribute, the Mind¡¯s Eye.]


    [yer Yuno Kasugano¡¯s attribute, the Eyes that see the essence and through the past and future, do not resist.]


    At first, it was a coincidence.


    At the second time, it was possible to spy on the ck world through external intervention, but this time it seemed to have passed very smoothly.


    The attribute grade remained unchanged, but I thought it could be the influence of my ss evolution into a semi-mythic.


    I didn¡¯t know if it was right to express it this way, but it felt like the human price had risen. It would be natural to feel good. The precursor was the same as thest time.


    I felt like I was being sucked somewhere in an instant. At the same time, the scenery I saw began to changepletely.


    It felt as if the soul had escaped, but there was nothing wrong with it.


    It was not flustering as I had seen it several times. It was no wonder that I began to feel very happy. It wasn¡¯t as much as the future, but the ck world was also significant enough to me.


    ¡®What. What am I watching?¡¯


    It was annoying that I had gotten inside the ck world for now, but couldn¡¯t know what I could see. However, this was still satisfactory.


    Even if it was just for a moment, being able to stand on the same line as the lovely returner was beyond merit.


    In an instant, the scenery in front of me began to pass by.


    The unannounced scene I saw was¡­


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    The lovely returner, who hadpletely lost his mind, and a masked man.


    A masked man was looking down at Kim Hyunsung, who looked worse than I thought. No, the gender was not clear, either. It was hard even to tell, if it was a man or a woman.


    For some reason, the silhouette looked like me, but the atmosphere was subtly different from me.


    In the context, it felt like that garbage drove Kim Hyunsung mad. Regardless if he regressed, considering the talent Kim Hyunsung has¡­


    ¡®This bastard is the viin from the first round. This dirty piece of trash.¡¯


    The scene that had beenpletely ruined was giving strength to my hypothesis.


    I couldn¡¯t even notice what kind of ce this ce was. It hadpletely copsed to the point where I wondered if it will change this way when the end of the worldes.


    Corpses were everywhere, and those bodies were even decaying in real-time.


    The painful screams of humans still alive were being heard everywhere, and some were melting or self-harming.


    ¡®It¡¯s a living hell, a living hell.¡¯


    It seemed that it was being influenced by something, but of course, there was no way to know what it was.


    If I were there, I could find hints, but unfortunately, I only looked at the scenes that had already flowed from a third party¡¯s perspective.


    ¡®What the hell is it?¡¯


    It was difficult to grasp what the hell happened and exactly when the scene in front of me happened.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t Hyunsung dead?¡¯


    I thought about it for a moment, but the scene I was seeing was not the ending of the ck world.


    A young woman, staggering to her feet, now blocked Kim Hyunsung.


    She was also not ordinary. Her body was so damaged that her ability to stand still was a miracle. Of course, I knew very well who was blocking Kim Hyunsung¡¯s front. She belonged to the same guild as us, so it was only natural to know.


    Cho Hyejin, Kim Hyunsung¡¯s lieutenant.


    She was a party member with a political sense, and although it was uncertain to say that she was out of standard, she was talented with spearing skillsparable to a monster.


    She was also my friend with whom I asionally drank, so I wasn¡¯t happy looking at her broken appearance.


    Standing lean on one of her spears, she seemed to copse right away.


    Most of her clothes were torn. It was enough for me not to know where to put my eyes on.


    ¡®This is not intentional¡­¡¯


    In fact, her embarrassing appearance didn¡¯t even catch my eye.


    I, from the ck world, didn¡¯t seem to care much about it either. It was actually an appearance that looked desperate rather than embarrassing, so it would be natural for me to react that way.


    Anyway, the way she was ring at the man wearing a mask seemed to tell that she was the Cho Hyejin I knew.


    But that was only for a moment. After a moment, she spoke.


    ¡®Please save him.¡¯


    ¡®¡­ ¡­¡¯


    ¡®¡­ ¡­¡¯


    ¡®What?¡¯


    ¡®Please¡­ save¡­¡¯


    ¡®Pfff! I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a line that a woman admired enough for being called Mythical Spear should say. It seems that you don¡¯t want to die.¡¯


    The voice seemed to have been altered, but this dirty viin¡¯s tone was very simr to mine for some reason.


    ¡®Please¡­ Please save it. If it¡¯s my neck, I¡¯ll be happy to give it to you. But please. Please, only the Guild Master¡­¡¯


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡®Please. Please have mercy on him.¡¯


    She was so subdued that it was hard to think that it was the Cho Hyejin I knew.


    Her always confident face was nowhere to be seen. Tears continued to flow from only her one eye, and she put her forehead to the ground with her body covered in dirt.


    It was not a situation to say that it was simply humiliating.


    I knew very well why a proud woman like her was looking like that.


    Cho Hyejin never bends her will.


    The image didn¡¯t match enough to doubt whether it was the same person or not. It seemed it was the same for the guy wearing the mask.


    The guy made an exaggeratedly surprised gesture and continued to talk again.


    ¡®s. It was him. I guess it was him. Gosh, Kim Hyunsung has a goodwork. So many people say they will die instead. I¡¯m envious and bitter¡­¡¯


    ¡®Please. Please.¡¯


    ¡®What should I do¡­ Actually, I came to kill today, but seeing someone like you, I be strangely weakened. I¡¯ve been through simr experiences a few times, and I know very well what it¡¯s like to lose someone important. I like this kind of humanity. Isn¡¯t it cool? It¡¯s also a beautiful look. It¡¯s a scene that looks like it wille out of a drama or a movie.¡¯


    ¡®Please.¡¯


    ¡®If it¡¯s love, no, respect¡­ I don¡¯t know what it is, but it is sublime to throw your life for someone you care about. Yes. It¡¯s sublime.¡¯


    ¡®Please. I beg you.¡¯


    ¡®By the way. Whenever I see a scene like this, I feel upset rather than sad. My head seems to be burning, and I get nauseous. This means it¡¯s tough because I keep thinking of scenes I don¡¯t want to remember. Other people¡¯s beliefs cause guilt in what I am doing. Oh, if you think I don¡¯t feel guilty, you¡¯re mistaken, Cho Hyejin. I am definitely a person. A Person.¡¯


    ¡®¡­ ¡­¡¯


    The more I looked at it; the more unpleasant emotions began to appear.


    I hoped it was not the case, but I thought that I might be that masked viin. In fact, I hade to that conclusion right from the start.


    Obviously, this was the ck world that I was seeing through Yuno Kasugano.


    At least she or I, who were connected to her, one of us should have appeared.


    I wanted to curse.


    If I were to think about it, it seemed likely.


    Lee Kiyoung of the ck world was hopeless garbage among the garbage, and after losing Park Deokgu, hepletely lost his mind.


    The purpose was, of course, his revenge.


    I didn¡¯t know how many years would have passed since Park Deokgu died, but it felt that the story fit perfectly when I thought that he had reached this point after going through many things.


    I wanted to guess how many years have passed with Cho Hyejin or Kim Hyunsung¡¯s appearances, but it was hard to infer from their appearance that didn¡¯t age under the influence of magic power.


    Anyway, my anxiety started to rise more and more. As nothing has been decided yet, it seemed that I would not have to make hasty judgments.


    In the meantime, the words of the masked trash were a spectacle.


    ¡®Look, Cho Hyejin-nim. Isn¡¯t my head continuously burning? I also want to be satisfied with you alone, but I¡¯m worried that I can¡¯t aim well with my head hurting. I¡¯m afraid it¡¯ll hit the person behind you. That shouldn¡¯t happen. Wouldn¡¯t it be sad when you try to give your life for someone you love, but my hands slip, and I make a mistake? Haha.¡¯


    ¡®If so¡­¡¯


    ¡®s. Stop it, Hyejin. That¡¯s not right. That¡¯s not right. Decide yourself! Lancer! I¡¯m not saying that. It¡¯s also part of revenge, so it would be better to finish it with my own hands. All you have to do is stop the headache. Just the headache. Then everything will be solved.¡¯


    ¡®I¡­ What can I do?¡¯


    ¡®You don¡¯t have to do anything. Actually, I don¡¯t know what to order. Even if I ask you toe with me, it is obvious that it is difficult for you to ept it. I also don¡¯t want to hold a bomb, so¡­ well, that¡¯s it. I think it would be better to solve this headache on my own. I¡¯ll keep my promise.¡¯


    It was then that an arrow flew in from somewhere. In an instant, a bunch of arrows started to get stuck in Cho Hyejin¡¯s body.


    ¡®Kahak¡­¡¯


    Cho Hyejin looked more relieved than in pain.


    The man wearing a mask spoke out once again, looking at her face.


    ¡®Cho Hyejin. The master of your guild will go back alive.¡¯


    ¡®Thank¡­ you¡­¡¯


    ¡®In such a situation, if I receive even gratefulness, it makes me sadder. Rather than thanking me¡­ say what you want to say. I don¡¯t hate people like you. I can¡¯t be sure if I¡¯ll give you your will, but it¡¯s still better than having no one to listen to thest words.¡¯


    ¡®Sigh¡­ Sigh. Guild¡­ Master.¡¯


    ¡®Yes, yes.¡¯


    ¡®Guild Master.¡¯


    ¡®Yes, yes.¡¯


    ¡®I¡­ I¡­ liked yo¡­¡¯


    ¡®Yes, yes¡­ I definitely got it, Cho Hyejin.¡¯


    ¡®¡­ ¡­¡¯


    ¡®Ah¡­ You are already dead.¡¯


    ¡®¡­ ¡­¡¯


    ¡®Actually, I didn¡¯t hate you¡­¡¯


    ¡®¡­ ¡­¡¯


    ¡®What can I do? The situation we are facing is different. It¡¯s an obvious line, but we could have be friends if we had met differently elsewhere. I was your enemy, but on the one hand, I respected you. Thest was the same. In fact, I didn¡¯t want to end it this way, but Mythical Spear¡¯s end was more humiliating than sublime¡­ Well, what more do I need to say? You are already dead.¡¯


    I think I knew roughly what that trash was talking about.


    The ck world¡¯s details are unknown, but Cho Hyejin was a foreigner with a high reputation called Mythical Spear.


    There must be a desire to show her a humiliating death, rather than a sublime one.


    However, seeing that he couldn¡¯t easily leave Cho Hyejin¡¯s side, it seemed that his conscience remained as he said. What he was worried about was indeed obvious.


    He was thinking about whether to leave Cho Hyejin¡¯s body as it was.


    That masked trash and I were never the same person, but even if it were me, I wouldn¡¯t like that Cho Hyejin, who showed a simr appearance to Park Deokgu, would face such an end.


    As if he was determined, he slowly stretched out his hand.


    Contrary to the mention of her humiliating end, ck mes began to soar from her body. He didn¡¯t say anything, but he picked up her spear and put it in the ashes.


    He slowly turned back and removed the mask that covered his face, and the man muttered.


    ¡®I feel dirty.¡¯


    It was also true that there was a certain expectation that we would not be the same person.


    However¡­


    Upon seeing the face reflected in my eyes¡­


    It was perfectly the same face as mine.

 Chapter 330: Us in the Black World (3)

    <h4>Chapter 330: Us in the ck World (3)</h4>


    It was momentary, but my mind was dazed.


    I couldn¡¯t be any happier.


    I wanted to put a curse on Lee Kiyoung in the first round, who looked like a human trash viin.


    I didn¡¯t know what had happened, but the atmosphere itself had changed considerably. The dark circles were down, and he had lost more weight than now.


    It didn¡¯t need to be said that there were many differences with the current me. My mind was a mess, but I couldn¡¯t organize my thoughts right now.


    I thought I could¡¯ve taken the crazy route, but I never thought it would be this big.


    I didn¡¯t know how this happened and how this division came about, but Kim Hyunsung was unconscious, and Cho Hyejin had died.


    The surrounding area waspletely ruined, and counting the deceased was meaningless.


    It looked like a war had happened. No, it must be a war. At this scale, I could only think so.


    ¡®Is this maybe¡­¡¯


    It was an instant that I thought that I might be the one that the lovely returner has been searching for all along. Just having killed Cho Hyejin was enough to hold a grudge.


    Recalling Kim Hyunsung¡¯s reaction when Shaolin called me ¡®masked man,¡¯ I thought that my hypothesis might be correct. At the time, I thought that the lovely returner¡¯s sensitive reaction was due to Shaolin, but perhaps the focus was on the masked man.


    The awkward expression he showed right after also bothered me.


    As soon as I thought I had to watch the situation a little more, I started to feel an unknown force pushing me away.


    I couldn¡¯t say precisely what, but it was frustrating for me, who wanted to see the story behind this scene. It felt like it was rewinding a video.


    From the scene where arrows fell on Cho Hyejin to the scene where I was looking at Kim Hyunsung for the first time, the scenes started passing too quickly that it was now hard to recognize.


    I knew roughly what this was. Time passed quickly like thisst time. The only difference was that it was rewinding time this time around.


    The scenes that would be interesting in the middle were noticeable, but of course, I couldn¡¯t know exactly what was going on, or what it was.


    The appearance of Yuno Kasugano and I together was also reflected in an instant after passing by¡­


    Jung Hayan?


    Jung Hayan and I were together.


    ¡®Oppa, I love you. I really love you.¡¯


    ¡®I love you, too.¡¯


    What the hell was this?


    I didn¡¯t know why Jung Hayan and I were together, but it looked quite sweet to anyone.


    What was particrly surprising was Jung Hayan¡¯s eyes. There was no such madness or obsession as it had now.


    To be precise, she looked like a simple girl, and it felt like she would break with just a touch.


    The big eyeballs were still there, the hair that only came to the shoulders, and she even wasn¡¯t well dressed.


    Nevertheless, looking at her cute face, I had doubts about what happened to my mind, but that Jung Hayan was really cute.


    In time, the scene in front of my eyes was a spectacle. I couldn¡¯t even imagine seeing romantic scenes, but they were so dynamic that my face had reddened.


    Looking at Jung Hayan that clings to me in the ck world, I felt guilty, but I was the one who¡¯s with her anyway, so I could face it with confidence. Of course, I couldn¡¯t stop turning red.


    When I thought that the current me also maintained a deep rtionship with Jung Hayan, the guilt disappeared quickly.


    In the meantime, it stood out that every single action of Jung Hayan was very passive. Compared to her now¡­


    ¡®It just looks like a different person.¡¯


    I even thought that she might be a person with a simr face, but what I was seeing now was definitely Jung Hayan.


    She was still crying, and she was also trying to look good to me.


    ¡®Yes. Oppa is right! I-it seems it was destiny that I met Oppa. Destiny. It must be destiny.¡¯


    Or something.


    ¡®I-I-I was wrong. Really hic¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡¯


    These behaviors were not that different from now.


    I was not sure as to how I met Jung Hayan. Judging from the fact that Park Deokgu was not next to me, I met Jung Hayan after Park Deokgu had died.


    I was more interested in this because there had been no more information about this.


    It was because I couldn¡¯t even imagine that Jung Hayan and I would have had a contact in the first round. Considering if the reason as to why I was suffering from Jung Hayan was to pay for my previous life¡¯s sins, I had no choice but to look at it as carefully.


    This was because I was wondering what the trashy guy would do to Jung Hayan. However, this looked like the exact opposite.


    I could guarantee that it was showing something that could be called the epitome of an ideal boyfriend.


    Jung Hayan always looked bright, and I, as well.


    The only thing that I was a little curious about was that there was no one else but her and me.


    I couldn¡¯t tell where we were meeting. It was a magicb, and inside arge room. Others were nowhere to be seen.


    I even thought about whether Jung Hayan was imprisoning me, but it was different than that.


    Jung Hayan of the first round seemed unable to think like the Jung Hayan of the second round.


    ¡®What the hell is it?¡¯


    I was curious, but the curiosity quickly disappeared. Rather than finding an answer, I got speechless at a very shocking sight.


    After passing quickly one more time, the next scene was a spectacle.


    Jung Hayan was being abused. She was being abused both mentally and physically. Even so, I could see that she couldn¡¯t let go of her bond with me.


    As she was now, she was obsessed and epted everything that was done to her in case she might be hated.


    ¡®I love you. I love you. So please don¡¯t say that.¡¯


    Nevertheless, it didn¡¯t make sense for her to hug me.


    Even now, the affection of Jung Hayan could only be seen as unconditional.


    ¡®Hehe. I love you.¡¯


    He wasughing.


    ¡®I like you very much.¡¯


    He held her in his arms like a fool.


    The ck garbage was smirking. I could understand what he was thinking.


    He must be thinking that Jung Hayan hadpletely fallen for him. Once again, the scenery began to change.


    The next scene showed Jung Hayan, quietly left alone in a room.


    To be precise, I, from the ck world, was just looking at her with a strange crystal ball, but I could see the scene inside the crystal very clearly.


    It was unknown how long time had passed since then, but looking at her with messy hair, nkly looking up at the ceiling, she was on the verge of copse.


    ¡®What is this?¡¯


    What she was looking at was a rope hanging from the ceiling.


    It was obvious as to what she was thinking. Her eyes were swollen from crying, and the stuff in her room was indescribably messy.


    It looked like she kept reading a bunch of letters.


    I couldn¡¯t even see what it was, but she kept crying, reading dozens or even hundreds of letters.


    Seeing Jung Hayan reading the letters while smiling like a fool, those many letters seemed to have some pretty happy memories.


    It wasn¡¯t just one asion, but this apparently looked like all the letters Jung Hayan and I exchanged throughout the entire rtionship.


    However, as time passed, her face distorted, and tears burst out.


    ¡®I like you. I love you. Sniff¡­ So pleasee back. I was wrong. Pleasee back.¡¯


    Of course, the answer was not heard.


    She was just talking to herself. No, I thought perhaps she might have noticed that I, from the ck world, was watching her, but now she seemed unable to afford to bother about her surroundings.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ll do better in the future. Please don¡¯t say that. Don¡¯t say you hate me now.¡¯


    ¡®¡­ ¡­¡¯


    ¡®Hic. Sniff. Please. I beg you. If you¡¯re watching, talk to me again, Oppa. As usual. I hate it like this. I hate breaking up like this.¡¯


    ¡®¡­ ¡­¡¯


    ¡®You remember when we first met, right? I remember everything. I confessed with courage, and your surprised face at that time. And I remember everything when we connected. I remember the day we first connected, the day we fought, and the day you got angry. Everything. I miss you. I really miss you¡­ really¡­ I¡¯ll never say no again. I will do everything Oppa asks me to do. Now I don¡¯t care what happens to other people. I won¡¯t be bothered no matter what happens. All I need is you. So pleasee back. Don¡¯t say you hate me. I¡¯ll do everything you ask me to do. Sniff. Sniff¡­¡¯


    ¡®¡­ ¡­¡¯


    ¡®You said it was fate. You said it must be fate that we met. You told me that even if we were born again, we would meet again. You said we¡¯ll continue to be together. His¡­ I hate that. It is so painful not to have you. I can¡¯t do anything. Nothing. I-i-it¡¯s better to die. I¡¯d rather¡­¡¯


    ¡®¡­ ¡­¡¯


    However, hesitation continued to be seen. She made the decision, but it couldn¡¯t be easy.


    ¡®Hic. Hic¡­¡¯


    I could hear the hups and sobs.


    She looked at the ceiling and stared outside. She climbed up and down the chair several times.


    ¡®It¡¯s so painful¡­ I can¡¯t think of anything¡­ I¡¯m scared. ¡­ Please help me, Oppa. Please help me. Smile again like before. Hic. Sniff.¡¯


    She grabbed her head and curled up or even flipped the nket over.


    However, the gaze continued to focus on the rope fixed to the ceiling.


    I had a bitter taste in my mouth.


    ¡®Right¡­ Oppa said.¡¯


    ¡®¡­ ¡­¡¯


    ¡®That w-we¡¯ll meet in the next life. He said so. Right. It¡¯ll hurt just for a moment. If I suffer for a second, I will getfortable. It won¡¯t be dark. He said we¡¯d meet in the next life, so I can do that. Hic¡­¡¯


    ¡®¡­ ¡­¡¯


    Her body trembled.


    It seemed very difficult to step on the chair and climb up slowly. I know how hard it was for one to take their own life.


    Some people said they take their lives for no significant reason, but the weight of life each could bear as all different.


    It was an extreme choice made only when the courage to die was greater than the courage to live.


    To be honest, just looking at it made me feel all painful.


    ¡®Phew. Phew¡­ Oppa will recognize, too. He¡¯ll recognize how much I love him. If he knows I¡¯m d-dead, he¡¯ll remember me forever, right? Maybe he¡¯ll r-r-regret. He might be sad. I¡¯ll be gone, but maybe I¡¯ll remain in his memory forever. It¡¯s better than being forgotten. Yes. T-that¡¯s better. We will meet in the next life. Because Oppa said that. Yes¡­ right.¡¯


    ¡®¡­ ¡­¡¯


    ¡®No. M-Maybe, he¡¯ll show up to rescue me. B-Because he always came to me when I was in trouble. He might suddenly appear out of nowhere. He might do that. Hic¡­ he might¡­¡¯


    She continued sobbing.


    Tears continued to fall on the floor, and her voice trembled. Her breathing got rougher little by little, and from a certain point, there is no sound other than weeping.


    ¡®Sniff. Hic.¡¯


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡®Sniff¡­ Hic. Please. Please¡­¡¯


    She hesitated several times.


    However, Jung Hayan eventually made the decision. She walked on her own and slowly began to hang the rope around her neck.


    ¡®Pant¡­ pant¡­¡¯


    The sound of her voice resonated. If she wanted to cut the rope, she could cut it with magic.


    However, it was even more painful to see because she did nothing.


    As I reached out to the crystal that Lee Kiyoung was looking at, my body was sucked in immediately.


    I could see Jung Hayan struggling right in front of my eyes.


    ¡®He¡­ will¡­ Keck. To save me. Oppa¡­ wille.¡¯


    Of course, he wouldn¡¯te.


    However, Jung Hayan continued to mutter the same words.


    She looked into the air and began to mutter.


    What was a little strange was that she seemed to be staring at one ce.


    I might be mistaken, but the ce where her gaze stayed was certainly where I was.


    I was momentarily startled and looked behind me, but there was nothing. I was the one in her eyes.


    I didn¡¯t even think that my current condition would be reflected in the eyes of others, but it seemed that I was visible in Jung Hayan¡¯s dying eyes.


    Of course, it may be my illusion, or what Jung Hayan saw might be a hallucination.


    However, for some reason, I could be sure that this Jung Hayan was looking at me.


    It was because her muttering voice was reaching strangely loudly.


    ¡®You came. To save me¡­ you came.¡¯


    Slowly. Her body was stretched.


    I wanted to run and cut that rope, but of course, I couldn¡¯t influence the ck world.


    I tried to open my mouth, but there was no voice.


    ¡®I¡¯m relieved. Relived¡­ Now we can really be together¡­¡¯


    Oddly enough, tears seemed to flow from my eyes.


    The same was true in Jung Hayan¡¯s eyes. With her struggling body, she reached out, and thick tears were dripping.


    ¡®I love¡­¡¯


    And that was the end.


    Her immobile appearance made my lips mp tightly.

 Chapter 331: Us in the Black World (4)

    <h4>Chapter 331: Us in the ck World (4)</h4>


    There was no need to be shaken.


    It was the same as when it happened with Park Deokgu. I knew I didn¡¯t need to be shaken, but the shock was pretty big.


    Still, this was thest image of the person I was fond of. There was no way it wouldn¡¯t be painful.


    No, I didn¡¯t even know that I was going to be this shaken.


    Of course, it was true that I had gotten affectionate, but there were times when Jung Hayan made me annoyed, so it wouldn¡¯t be strange to feel such a difference.


    Anyway, my head was burning.


    This was the second round. It just wouldn¡¯t happen in my timeline.


    I knew it wasn¡¯t appropriate to be too immersed, but it was annoying that I was being forced to get immersed repeatedly.


    The current Jung Hayan was spending her days very happily, so she was indeed different from the first round. It felt like I was stabilizing my mind and body when I breathed a little bit.


    In the meantime, what was very flustering was that I was really paying for the sins I made. Fuck.


    A joke had, indeed, be a reality.


    It was correct to think that I hadmitted an indescribable amount of sins, not simply a mistake.


    Because of the circumstances, it was no different from driving Jung Hayan to the end of a cliff and urging her to jump down the cliff.


    But now that I thought that I was being punished, I started to get more and more flustered.


    In fact, I was responsible for 80 percent for why Jung Hayan was in this condition, but it was a small citizen¡¯s way of thinking that if others were being med, I would be the one to me.


    When I clicked my tongue for the rush of bitterness, the scenery surrounding me changed once again.


    The most recent connection with Kasugano felt like I saw quite a lot, but this time, too.


    I didn¡¯t know if it was because I helped, but I could only exin that I was lucky this.


    It seemed that the scenes I was going to see now would be the fastest thing in time.


    What happened shortly was after Park Deokgu died.


    The moment I saw myself from the ck world very lean and full of spite, that thought began to shake my mind.


    I couldn¡¯t figure out where on earth I was heading or where I was in the ck world.


    It looked like an underground waterway, and in a way, it also looked like an abandoned dungeon.


    However, it couldn¡¯t be helped to be unkind when looking at the ck world. One thing was certain. The ce I was heading to right now was not a good ce.


    No matter how I thought about this, it didn¡¯t make sense to arrive at and flowing with honey and milk after passing such a ce.


    As expected, a voice began toe from one side of the darkness.


    ¡®Long time no see. So¡­ you¡¯re Lee Kiyoung? I¡¯m sorry for the confusion. I can¡¯t remember people¡¯s names well¡­¡¯


    ¡®No. It¡¯s fine.¡¯


    ¡®I thought you wouldn¡¯t look for me anymore¡­ No, honestly, I never thought you would be alive. It¡¯s nice to see you like this.¡¯


    ¡®Something happened. Well¡­ I don¡¯t think you want to know about it.¡¯


    ¡®You are right. It doesn¡¯t matter how you are alive. Why did youe to this ce? A few years ago, you definitely rejected my offer¡­ Oh,e to think of it, is the big man dead?¡¯


    ¡®¡­ ¡­¡¯


    ¡®I thought he wouldn¡¯t be able to live long, but my prediction¡­¡¯


    ¡®¡­ ¡­¡¯


    ¡®Honestly, it¡¯s a miracle that the big guy was alive until then¡­¡¯


    ¡®Shut up.¡¯


    ¡®What?¡¯


    ¡®I said, shut up. If you talk one more time, I will tear your mouth as it is.¡¯


    ¡®I think I didn¡¯t hear right. Are you sure you¡¯re saying this to me?¡¯


    ¡®Of course, I am, dirty bitch. Do you have the right to say that? The bitch who was ying to be the saint of the abandoned was backstabbed and ended up in a cheap brothel.¡¯


    ¡®What?¡¯


    ¡®Did I say something wrong? Sun Hee-young?¡¯


    ¡®This crazy bastard¡­¡¯


    And what are you doing here¡­?


    It was Sun Hee-young, the current Blue guild member, who appeared in the dark.


    I roughly anticipated that the end would have been bad, but I never imagined I would meet her in a ce like this.


    It seemed that we had been well acquainted.


    We didn¡¯t look to be on good terms, but it was nice to see her. She looked very different from now.


    Her face revealed that she had suffered all kinds of things.


    Still, there was a bit of madness on her face, unlike now where she was in a good position.


    Since I heard that she was going around a cheap brothel after being backstabbed, it would be natural for her to look like this, but still, I was surprised.


    One little question was why Kim Hyunsung did not recognize her.


    It was probably right to specte that she was very likely active only in the shadows, or was not exposed to external affairs.


    Perhaps she died rtively quickly, but now that was not important in this situation.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t say anything wrong.¡¯


    ¡®Do you want to die?¡¯


    ¡®That¡¯s what I want to say. You crazy bitch.¡¯


    ¡®You!!¡¯


    I was more bothered about what kind of ce this was, than why she was even in this ce.


    What the hell was that I hade here before, and I didn¡¯t know what it meant that I rejected the offer she had made, but it was not that there was nothing to be expected.


    I hoped my prediction to be wrong, but the voiceing from a deeper ce told me that I was right.


    ¡®Stop. I think it would be better to stop there, Hee-young. And¡­ Kiyoung¡­ it¡¯s been a long time.¡¯


    It was Jung Jinho, the psychopath killer.


    Another viin in the first round, Kim Hyunsung¡¯s enemy and the owner of the murder brigade.


    Of course, he was very different from what I saw in the second round.


    I wanted to see the stats with my Mind¡¯s Eye, but I couldn¡¯t see them.


    In fact, I didn¡¯t even have to look. I could tell enough without checking that he was a powerful man.


    He looked the same. He had several swords on his waist, and his equipment was light armor. It seemed that he still preferred lighter movements.


    No matter how I thought about this, it looked like he had grown into a huge piece of trash. I am proud of myself for the wonderful disposal of this trash bastard in the second round.


    He was not the only one who was here.


    Lee Ki-cheol?


    It was the guy who became the prey of the burning zombie in the tutorial dungeon.


    Somehow, a criminal with a familiar name was also visible, guys stood out.


    Of course, they were all faces I didn¡¯t know now. There were over ten members at a nce, and everyone looked like a strong yer who had reached a considerable level.


    Naturally, they were powerful since they had been doing enough evil that made the lovely returner frightened.


    They were notparable to the Eight Seats of the State like Cha Hee-ra and Park Yeon-joo, but they were at least a group of guys who could make a name for themselves right below them.


    The brigade was stronger than I had previously imagined.


    Anyway, in response to Jung Jin-ho¡¯s wee greeting, I, too, in the ck world, nodded, answering the greeting.


    The atmosphere was quite harsh, but the ck world Lee Kiyoung did not seem to be scared.


    ¡®Yes. Long time no see.¡¯


    ¡®Groan. This is difficult.¡¯


    ¡®¡­ ¡­¡¯


    ¡®I remember sending you on the condition that you will never find us again¡­ You should have died the moment you rejected our offer in the first ce. It was my whim and consideration that saved you, but who would¡¯ve thought you woulde back like this. Oh, of course, if you¡¯re here to tell something nice, I won¡¯t use the rough method. However, depending on the situation, you may have to die here.¡¯


    ¡®¡­ ¡­¡¯


    ¡®Can I hear the reason you came?¡¯


    ¡®It won¡¯t be something you won¡¯t like.¡¯


    ¡®Yes, yes.¡¯


    ¡®It¡¯s a bit embarrassing, but I came because I wanted to change the answer to the offer I had received.¡¯


    I knew it.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s nice, but I changed my mind from the time when I was trying to recruit you. At that time, I needed Kiyoung-ssi, but I don¡¯t think I need you that much now.¡¯


    ¡®It will be helpful.¡¯


    ¡®I know it will help. I already know that you are excellent. However, if there is more than one head in a group, it will be a little messy. Oh, I think you understood what I mean, but the brigade has already recruited a head. It may be someone who may be better than you in some aspects. Personally, I want to include you, but the opinions of other members are also important. Of course, the position of the existing head is the most important, right? The opinions of the members of the brigade are the top priority. I am friendly to you, but the most important thing is our family.¡¯


    The appearance of the guy looking around in exaggeration was a spectacle.


    I could see some of them opening their mouths as if in response to him.


    ¡®Kill him.¡¯


    ¡®Let¡¯s kill him.¡¯


    ¡®I think it would be better to kill him, too.¡¯


    ¡®I agree.¡¯


    It was male and female twins who opened their mouths.


    The skinny and tall man also nodded. The guy without one leg also spoke quietly.


    I didn¡¯t know who they were, but it would be nice to remember these bastards¡¯ faces now. All the guys who need to be killed right away were gathered here.


    In particr, I surely remembered the faces of those who voted against it.


    What was a little curious was that Sun Hee-young did not vote in favor.


    Her own characteristic was probably influencing her, but her personality was a bit cautious. Although they had a brief quarrel, it was more natural for them to take a position to wait and see.


    ¡®It seems that opinions will be divided into half and half, but I think we should hear about the motive before that. What made you feel like joining the brigade? It¡¯s not unexpected, but I still want to hear it through your mouth.¡¯


    ¡®Revenge.¡¯


    ¡®Who is the target?¡¯


    ¡®All rotten humans on the continent.¡¯


    ¡®Ha¡­ Haha. Puhahahahaha!¡¯


    ¡®It¡¯s not funny.¡¯


    ¡®No. I wasn¡¯tughing because it¡¯s funny. Hahaha. That¡¯s great. Great. Haha. That passion is important. What do you think? Everyone. He wants to take revenge. Kiyoung, do you know that? Not all of those whoe here move for the same reason. Somee in because of impulse, some because of pleasure, simply because they like money or murder, and otherse in disappointed with humans. Everybody is different, but no one here will think less of your reason. Probably most of the brigade will agree with you. We grow up eating that negative energy. I particrly like that there is a clear direction.¡¯


    ¡®If so¡­¡¯


    ¡®But it¡¯s impossible for now. If the existing head agrees, I will also vote in favor. Well¡­ So I think things will be like this. What do you think?¡¯


    As psychopath killer Jung Jinho looked back, I could see a woman sitting.


    Perhaps she was the head Jung Jinho was talking about. She was wearing a mask, and interestingly, that was the same design that I would wear afterward.


    I see the woman, who slowly took off the mask, looking straight at me and opening her mouth.


    ¡®Wee to the brigade.¡¯


    Absurdly, the masked woman was also familiar to me.


    Lee Jihye.


    It was the woman who the system recognized as my soul mate.

 Chapter 332: Us in the Black World (5)

    <h4>Chapter 332: Us in the ck World (5)</h4>


    I was surprised at that moment.


    I immediately felt like I was getting sucked in somewhere, and I had to watch the situation impatiently.


    This couldn¡¯t be happening. Thoughts of something like this began to fill my head, and it was natural to think of this. What I honestly wanted to see was how things worked afterward.


    I was also unable to capture all of the brigade members, and could not see their future actions.


    I was most curious about what the hell Lee Jihye was doing there. I didn¡¯t think she would have just died in the first round, but I couldn¡¯t even imagine that she would be active in the brigade.


    Of course, in the second round, Lee Jihye didn¡¯t join the brigade, and a brigade was not even created anyway. It was something I didn¡¯t need to know, but I couldn¡¯t help but be curious.


    It was bothering me as it felt like I got cut off while watching a diorama. If I thought that the brigade may be secretly working, I got even more bothered.


    It was not just empty spection. Since there was no Jung Jinho, its power was inevitably weakening. However, the brigade members I actually checked were those with excellent fighting power and personality to say that they were ipetent to be unable to act just because they had no head.


    Even if the brigade was not created ording to the existing spection, each of them might be working secretly.


    I hated to wake up, but my eyes slowly started to open regardless of my will. I was looking forward to seeing anything else, but this seemed to end here. A familiar scenery that was different from the ck world came into view.


    ¡®Fuck¡­¡¯


    The ce I was lying down on was a bed. I thought I had a good time with Kasugano again this time, but it didn¡¯t seem like that. Yuno Kasugano was sitting in a chair and guarding my side.


    ¡°Did you get what you want?¡±


    ¡°About half¡­ First, thank you. I guess I know why you said that. I think I can roughly know what the future you saw is¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really, really d that it helped.¡±


    ¡°How long has it been?¡±


    ¡°It hasn¡¯t been so long. So¡­ do you need time to organize your thoughts?¡±


    She seemed to have noticed my troubled face.


    ¡°Should I leave you¡­?¡±


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to leave. Rather, is there a chance to see one more¡­?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Master. That¡¯s impossible. K-Kill me, please. If you want to punish me, I¡¯ll ept it willingly¡­¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s okay. I didn¡¯t think it would be possible.¡±


    It seemed impossible to see the future or the ck world repeatedly, regardless of whether it was okay for one¡¯s body.


    Yuno Kasugano¡¯s power was an ability that went beyond reason. If I simply think about it, there is no way I can see it in session. It¡¯s a pity, but I couldn¡¯t just keep hanging on to it, so for now¡­


    ¡®Shall I arrange them in chronological order?¡¯


    I thought it would be nice to retrace the story that went unruly. The first priority was to organize what Lee Kiyoung of the ck world did after Park Deokgu died.


    In time, it was like this.


    - Lee Kiyoung of the ck world entered the brigade after Park Deokgu died.


    He didn¡¯t seem to have gone in with Yuno Kasugano, and it was the first ce he went to. Naturally, he felt that he needed power at the time he had a goal. As the brigade was a group that perfectly fit the ck world Lee Kiyoung was trying to do; it made sense that Lee Kiyoung had taken the risk to join.


    I didn¡¯t know why her Lee Jihye was there, but I thought what may have happened after was obvious.


    He would have done trashy things I couldn¡¯t see with my eyes open, and he would have continued to grow in size and power.


    I would have to think about whether he had kept moving with the brigade, but they would likely have worked together, at least until he was established.


    - What happened after that was Jung Hayan¡¯s death.


    Time had passed since number 1. It was unclear whether he worked with the brigade or Lee Jihye, or whether he was with Yuno Kasugano.


    One thing was for certain. I had driven Jung Hayan to the edge of the cliff.


    The reason could be easily inferred. At that time, Jung Hayan definitely belonged to Lindel, and it seemed that she was not active in the Blue Guild, but the trash in the ck world recognized Jung Hayan as an enemy.


    I wondered why he didn¡¯t take Jung Hayan, but as a result, the ck piece of trash threw her away, and as a result, she hung her neck.


    ¡®Really¡­ I¡¯ll never say no again. I¡¯ll do everything Oppa asks me to do. Now it doesn¡¯t matter what happens to others.¡¯


    I remembered she said that. I didn¡¯t remember it exactly, but before she took her own life, she definitely muttered simr kinds of words.


    At some point, Lee Kiyoung would probably have urged her to cooperate with him to do trashy things together, and unlike now, Jung Hayan from the first round, who was soft, did not seem to ept his proposal.


    It was possible that she sold information from an ally or did a frivolous errand, but she couldn¡¯t turn her back on such a decisive matter.


    She, as a result, was abandoned and driven to the edge of the cliff. She hadn¡¯t been able to choose what the current Jung Hayan would do even without ordering.


    ¡°The environment is very important¡­¡¯


    Assuming that the only decisive difference between Jung Hayan of the first round and Jung Hayan of the second round was the time when she met me, the decisive reason for her being strange now was really me.


    There was no reason to deny it, but¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s bitter¡­¡¯


    It was hard to judge whether Jung Hayan and I were well-matched. Anyway, I started to understand why our lovely returner was so happy that he pped his hands, seeing Jung Hayan and me together.


    In the first round, to the people of Kim Hyunsung¡¯s camp, Jung Hayan¡¯s suicide incident would have been reflected like this. The case where some trashpletely ruined an arch wizard that no one could mess with.


    Kim Hyunsung, who didn¡¯t think that I and the trash were the same people, may have thought that a great shield had been created in the affectionate, close couple in front of him.


    No, he must have thought so. Even when it wasn¡¯t allowed to take Jung Hayan, Kim Hyun-sung tied Jung Hayan and me as 1+1 and sent us to the expedition. It was even enough to be linked to on the way to the training camp or the royal castle, so I understood how much he wanted to avoid what happened in the first round. He didn¡¯t want to kill Jung Hayan.


    At that time, I thought that this bastard might have made a strange n like Park Deokgu, but now that I knew the truth, I could only nod. Anyway, what happened next was¡­


    - Massive war, or terrorism.


    As a result, most people, including Cho Hyejin, had died. Many things were not clear about this. The problem was that I couldn¡¯t see the exact group that attacked Kim Hyunsung¡¯s camp in the first round.


    Of course, I could see myself, but no matter how I were to think about this, it was hard to say that an individual or the brigade did the scene I had seen at that time. One city waspletely in ruins, and Kim Hyunsung also couldn¡¯t get up, just like a rag.


    Cho Hyejin seemed to know me, and I couldn¡¯t even confirm the appearance of those who had shot arrows at her.


    What I could think of was that I had nned arge-scale war scenario, such as infighting or war with other countries. However, it was impossible to say that this also fit perfectly.


    Not only did Kim Hyunsung never send out anger against a specific country, but he seemed to want to minimize conflict and save as much power as possible.


    ¡®There must be a reason for Kim Hyunsung¡¯s return.¡¯


    Of course, it seemed that I was included in the reason, but perhaps something like humanity¡¯s enemy may pop out.


    ¡®If I think about the system, it¡¯s even more so.¡¯


    The answer became a little clearer when I were to think about the behavior of the transcendental being that returned Kim Hyunsung.


    It wanted to save Jung Hayan and attach me to Kim Hyunsung.


    Even though I, who was already presumed to be the first round¡¯s mastermind, was stuck with the returner, I didn¡¯t feel that the problem had beenpletely resolved. I couldn¡¯t check it with my own eyes, and yet¡­


    ¡®There is a reason for returning. Definitely.¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung and the system were preparing for an invisible threat. It could be a devil or an angel. Perhaps a third force would suddenly pop out.


    Even now, the answer was noting out, so I should avoid thinking about it deeply.


    What was more important than that now was why these scenes were visible.


    Of course, I think I know why. The future that Yuno Kasugano saw¡­


    ¡®Must be a scene where Kim Hyunsung threatens me.¡¯


    This was a scene that the transcendent being absolutely didn¡¯t want to show me. If I had known from Yuno about that, I would have taken action no matter what. I wouldn¡¯t have done anything extreme like turning my back against Kim Hyunsung, and yet¡­


    ¡®I don¡¯t know.¡¯


    Whatever it was, it was undeniable that I was the viin in the first round. Knowing that fact was the best achievement of seeing the ck world this time.


    I immediately understood why Yuno Kasugano had let Jin Qing go to protect me.


    It was a very simple matter if I were to think about it. She didn¡¯t seem to understand why she felt that way, but I had no choice but to nod.


    Yuno Kasugano¡¯s choice was really the best. As I slowly turned and looked at Kasugano, her face became lovely to my eyes.


    ¡®Phew¡­ Thank you.¡¯


    Even though it was just momentary, the suspicion that sprouted in my heart began to disappear like snow melting. When I grabbed her face with my hands, she seemed startled, but I could see her slightly blushing when I kissed her forehead.


    ¡°T-Thank you.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ I¡¯m more grateful. I think your choice was right.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. How dare of me.¡±


    ¡°No. Your choice was right. It would have been more difficult if Jin Qing had been in our hands or died¡­¡±


    ¡°What exactly are you talking about¡­?¡±


    Yuno Kasugano didn¡¯t know that Kim Hyunsung was a returner. It¡¯s clear that she didn¡¯t even know that what he was looking for was the masked man, and even because she lost what she saw through outside intervention, she didn¡¯t seem to understand the corrtion between what she saw today, and letting Jin Qing go.


    It was natural to open my mouth slowly. I could see Kasugano nodding at what I said.


    ¡°Oh yeah¡­ It¡¯s a bit unfortunate that I missed that demon summoner¡­¡±


    It was correct to hold a little more solid evidence.


    ¡®That bastard is the culprit. Yes. Absolutely, that bastard is the culprit.¡¯


    Demon summoner wasn¡¯t the only title he got.


    ¡®The masked garbage in the first round, Jin Qing¡­¡¯


    After joining the brigade in the first round, he not only made Jung Hayanmit suicide, but also killed Cho Hyejin and backstabbed the lovely returner countless times, the one that Kim Hyunsung was looking for and the masked trash who turned the city in ruins. It was the true identity of the man who was thought to be just a demon summoner.


    ¡®A masked trash who couldn¡¯t even be recycled!!¡¯


    My heart had begun to burn with full intensity.

 Chapter 333: I Have No Shame in my Life (1)

    <h4>Chapter 333: I Have No Shame in my Life (1)</h4>


    Naturally, I had alreadypletely forgotten what I checked. To deceive others, one first had to deceive oneself.


    In fact, I felt fierce anger at the trashy Jin Qing that I could easily pass through a lie detector.


    ¡®Dirty demon summoner. Trash bastard. There was a garbage guy here that couldn¡¯t even be recycled.¡¯


    At this point, I could even conjure tears.


    When I recalled that Jin Qing, the dirty masked trash, had toyed with Jung Hayan of the first round, my fists had clenched without my knowledge.


    My beloved prospective bride had suffered from some dirty punk in the past. Not only that, but he killed Cho Hyejin and strongly backstabbed the lovely regressor.


    It would be strange not to feel angry even though this wasn¡¯t the real turn of events.


    Yuno Kasugano was quietly ncing at me a few steps away as if she was feeling my anger. She didn¡¯t seem to realize what I was thinking yet.


    ¡°Thank you for showing me something important, Kasugano.¡±


    ¡°It is natural, master.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d to see the garbage in the ck world with my own eyes. We¡¯ve figured out the filthy trash identity who drove the light camp into a corner. Right? What would have happened if we didn¡¯t see this today? He must have been a great threat to us.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I think that demon summoner Jin Qing was the viin who threatened the ck world. Whoa¡­ I really didn¡¯t expect it. Right?¡±


    ¡°Yes? Ah¡­ Ah yes. You¡¯re right. Yes. You¡¯re right, master.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you understood?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I got it.¡±


    As soon as I spoke, she nodded frantically. As she was smart, she would know what I was talking about.


    Kasugano, who didn¡¯t even know Kim Hyunsung was a regressor, seemed to be wondering why I was saying this.


    But that was not what mattered. What mattered was who the masked trash was. I had already decided his identity, and Yuno Kasugano simply went along with it.


    ¡°The master in the ck world spent the rest of his happy life with me. I clearly remember living with you after I rescued my master from an isted dungeon. I mean, when the masked Jin Qing joined the brigade.¡±


    ¡°Ohh. Yes. We did, right?¡±


    In the meantime, Yuno Kasugano started adding useless details to the story. It didn¡¯t matter, however, and it didn¡¯t bother me at all. Honestly speaking, I even wanted to apud her for making up such a detailed backstory.


    Seeing her muttering to herself whilst smiling, I could tell she was in a good mood.


    First, all the heavy burdens in my heart had been removed.


    I hadn¡¯t decided what to do afterwards, but what I needed to do now was obvious. I had to prove my innocence to the lovely regressor.


    This mission¡¯s goal was to indirectly convey the fact that the dirty demon summoner Jin Qing was indeed the masked trash.


    In the meantime, Kasugano carefully opened her mouth to ask a question.


    ¡°More importantly, master, can I ask you a little arrogant question?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I think I know what it is, but¡­ you may be wondering why I care about the ck world, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Of course, if the master doesn¡¯t want to, you do not have to tell me¡­ I wonder if I can help¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡®She can surely help, but¡­¡¯


    In fact, I wondered if it would be better to tell her that Kim Hyunsung was a regressor in order to do things a little more smoothly, but I also thought that I had to consider this matter a bit more.


    ¡®What do I do?¡¯


    Of course, I could be indecisive.


    It was not that I didn¡¯t trust her, but because I was naturally wary.


    However, considering that the merit when she directly acted was also quite big, I started to think that there was nothing wrong with revealing it to her alone.


    She herself was a half-regressor, anyway.


    If Kim Hyunsung found out that Kasugano can watch the first round, I might be able to move things forward in a whole new phase.


    ¡®That¡¯s right! Fuck! I should have done that from the beginning!¡¯


    I felt so stupid, wondering why I haven¡¯t thought about using her all this time.


    Having Kasugano dispatched unconditionally benefitted me. Upon making my decision, I opened my mouth to speak.


    ¡°Have you ever heard of a regressor?¡±


    Of course, she shook her head.


    Yuno Kasugano didn¡¯t even know that the ck world had been the first round.


    Besides, I could roughly predict her reaction, but it was still quite different from hearing the story through others.


    As I slowly began to exin, I could see her continuously nodding. Unlike the weight of the content, it didn¡¯t feel like I was talking about something big.


    I just calmly conveyed the fact that Kim Hyunsung was a regressor and that the ck world that Yuno saw was the first round that Kim Hyunsung went through, and about the probability that he was looking for the masked trash, Jin Qing.


    Yuno Kasugano continued to nod. Funnily enough, she didn¡¯t seem to be suspicious of me.


    Of course, this was a highly improbable story. And yet, there was not a single speck of doubt on her face.


    The moment I expressed my conviction about the ck world that had been unclear so far, Yuno Kasugano suddenly began to cry.


    ¡®What¡¯s up with her? What¡¯s wrong? It¡¯s not something to cry about. Wasn¡¯t she expecting something like that?¡¯


    ¡°I see. Sniff¡­ so, that¡¯s what it was.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°And master knew that the Blue Guild Master is a regressor¡­¡±


    ¡°Right. The reason I¡¯m with him is not simply because of that¡­ Well, anyway, what I just told you it¡¯s a secret between us. I believe you got what I mean.¡±


    ¡°Ah. What about the others¡­?¡±


    ¡°The others?¡±


    ¡°The wizard or the Mercenary Queen.¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t know. No one knows about this, including Jung Hayan or Cha Hee-ra. This is something that only you and I know.¡±


    ¡°Ah! I-I¡¯m so honored. It¡¯s a secret¡­ it¡¯s a secret between us.


    ¡°There is nothing to feel honored about. Well, you might think like that. I believe you probably know what to do from now on. I think I can exin the detailster¡­ But is there any problem?¡±


    ¡°This¡­ no, nothing. But master, maybe¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Do you remember what I told you in the ck world?¡±


    ¡°What specifically do you mean¡­? I heard so many things.¡±


    ¡°I mean the lie I told to keep you.¡±


    ¡°Ohh¡­¡±


    ¡°I said that I had seen a future where you and I live happily together. I said that the master would¡¯ve had forgotten everything and live happily with me. I told you that I found you because you kept appearing in the future I had seen. With no doubt.¡±


    ¡°You did.¡±


    ¡°At the time, I thought it was a lie to keep you from leaving. As a result, it was a foolish remark that touched the wrath of the master who had lost Park Deokgu, but¡­ I was thinking about the possibility that it wasn¡¯t a lie¡­¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m talking about the possibility that I may have seen the future of the second round, master.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    It felt like I got hit in my head with a hammer momentarily.


    In fact, I had never thought about the possibility that Kasugano in the first round would see the future of the second round.


    At the time of seeing that future, I thought Kasugano would have lied to stop me simply, but the spection she was making right now sounded very credible.


    Kasugano in the second round was also limited, but she could look inside the first round.


    Perhaps Kasugano from the first round could also look into the second round. For Yuno in the ck world, the second round would have been part of the future as well.


    If that was the case¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s awesome.¡¯


    I started to smile.


    ¡°Maybe, in the ck world, I think that while I was dying, I thought about the second round. Thinking like that¡­ makes me sad and overwhelmed¡­ Sniff.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ and you¡­¡±


    ¡°I died for my master. It was an end that fits me from the ck world, and she, too¡­¡±


    ¡°Can you tell me exactly how you died? You said you couldn¡¯t know exactly before. Have you seen anything in the meantime?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    It seemed to me that she was having a hard time answering such a trivial question. Unlike that time, when she was not clearly aware, she now seemed to know how she had perished.


    However, it seemed as if she didn¡¯t want me to know, so I chose to stay quiet.


    When Kasugano saw my face and was just about to speak, I just raised my hand and stopped her from opening her mouth because, in the first ce, it wasn¡¯t very important for me to know how she died.


    ¡°Stop. It doesn¡¯t matter now. Anyway, thank you again.¡±


    ¡°No. I just did what I had to do. D-Do you trust me now?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    My hesitation was a joke. However, when I saw her devastated face, I had no choice but to immediately stroke her hair. Perhaps this was the answer instead.


    Naturally, I saw Kasugano smiling widely. Even I started to feel better.


    If what ck Kasugano saw was really the future of the second round, it was almost certain that I would walk in a bed of roses.


    ¡®Although the future can change¡­¡¯


    Basically, the warm news that I would actually have a happy ending made me want to fly.


    No wonder I opened my mouth, ncing at Kasugano.


    ¡°I also hope the future you saw is the present future. No, it will definitely happen. Even if it is a different future, we have to do our best to achieve it.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Master. To think that much!¡±


    It was when I smiled that I felt like I¡¯ve made a big mistake. What she told me at the time began toe to mind slowly.


    ¡®I saw you and me together in this house. We looked h-happy. We had two kids, and I haven¡¯t heard their names yet, but they were definitely good kids.¡¯


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    As I turned, I saw Yuno Kasugano¡¯s face, who was still crying with her face blushing.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I am not good enough, but I will do my best to serve you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t mean that¡­¡±


    ¡°Please ept my bow once again.¡±


    ¡°No, wait.¡±


    It felt like she was having some kind of weird misunderstanding.


    When I swallowed hard, I heard a knock on the door.


    For a moment, I thought that it might be Jung Hayan, so I got tense, but it wasn¡¯t her voice at all.

 Chapter 334: I have no shame in my life (2)

    <h4>Chapter 334: I have no shame in my life (2)</h4>


    ¡°Can Ie in?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course.¡±


    It was Lee Jihye who hade.


    As if she expected that someone was inside after hearing me speaking formally, she looked a little stiff when she came in.


    It was natural to have such a face as we had always maintained a businesslike rtionship in front of others. After seeing me immediately, she looked at Kasugano and seemed to tell me to get rid of her quickly.


    ¡°I¡¯m here to talk to you about business, Blue Vice Guild Master.¡±


    As I nodded roughly, I saw Yuno Kasugano getting up. She probably thought that now was the appropriate time for her to leave. I definitely liked that about her.


    If it were Jung Hayan here, she would have insisted on staying. Even Cha Hee-ra would do the same. If Cha Hee-ra were here, Lee Jihye herself would have gone back.


    Except for having a slightly strange taste, Yuno Kasugano fell within the category of extremely normal people, at least.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll be leaving, Blue Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Yuno Kasugano. You¡¯ve worked hard.¡±


    After showing a smile at my farewell, Yuno Kasugano left lightheartedly. Lee Jihye¡¯s face became a little sulky when she saw a big smile on Kasugano¡¯s face.


    ¡°Seems to be in a good mood.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°The woman who just left, not you. Yuno Kasugano of the Yozora Guild. She looked very satisfied, and recently, Jung Hayan seemed to have a simr face¡­ Is there any fun story going around without me knowing? No, more importantly, do you remember what I said?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Can we trust that woman?¡±


    I saw a face looking at me with piercing eyes.


    ¡®Gosh¡­¡¯


    It was no wonder that I, too, looked closely at her face. For some reason, she had ovepped with herself in the ck world.


    ¡®It¡¯s really amazing.¡¯


    It was almost impossible to survive in the tutorial dungeon with Lee Jihye¡¯s specs. No, considering her personality, she must have done her best to survive at all costs.


    ¡®Who knew she would pop out of the brigade suddenly?¡¯


    If I were to think about this carefully, she didn¡¯t meet Jung Jinho in the tutorial dungeon. This was because it seemed like Jung Jinho, the psychopath killer, had been trying to recruit me before her.


    Perhaps she, too, had established herself and turns.


    ¡®She is said to be my soul mate, right?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know how long she and I worked together in the first round, but it would have been a very long time. This was because we had been wearing the same mask, and I, in the ck world, would have judged her to be useful.


    So was Jung Hayan and Lee Jihye.


    Even Sun Hee-young and Yuno Kasugano were also rted to me in the first round. Human fate really was amazing.


    ¡®Was her purpose of joining the brigade, revenge, too?¡¯


    There were plenty of possibilities.


    Psychopath killer Jung Jinho and his gang were originally a group of crazy people, but Lee Jihye and I were basically gray humans.


    It meant that she might¡¯ve had a reason to reject me, too.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t know why, but I thought it would be most likely that.


    As I stared at Lee Jihye, I could see a slightly embarrassed expression on her face, one that was so unlike her.


    ¡°W-Why are you staring at me like that? It¡¯s embarrassing.¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s nothing. Did you say you had something to talk about business?¡±


    ¡°I just said it. I just came to see you. Well, since I came, I tried to talk about something else¡­ but why is it so hard to see you? Do you know how hard it was to get through the visit reservation?¡±


    ¡°But I was about to get up. It¡¯s rather a problem because they keep asking me to rest around. I have to know what¡¯s going on outside. It¡¯s good that you came. How are things goingtely?¡±


    ¡°Nothing has changed that much. The Republic is still silent. They said they would investigate, but they¡¯re just pretending to be blind. Oh! The State side is preparing to mention this matter in the Continental Tribunal formally. Of course, the Republic will not respond, but they must care about the international perspective, right? I was surprised to find that Oscar has been sopetent. Anyway, she keeps putting pressure in different directions. She is distributing data that the Republic vited continentalw to neighboring countries this time¡­ In fact, the reaction has been pretty good so far.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good news.¡±


    ¡°In some countries sensitive to ck magic, public opinion has already turned its back¡­ Oh, especially among the different races, the atmosphere is really good.¡±


    ¡°Different races?¡±


    ¡°Elves hate ck magic, too. Well, I don¡¯t know how they are either¡­¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps¡­ Didn¡¯t you hear that the delegation wasing?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I heard it¡­ Are the elvesing to Laios now?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Perhaps the alliance will start with three sides. The State as the main body with the elven kingdom, and even Laios, not being a neutral country anymore. Wow, you were really alienated. You¡¯re not even a kid, but you don¡¯t know that this is a secret? I guess you really took a good rest at this opportunity. Ah, I envy you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t feel so good. It¡¯s true that I get anxious when I stay still¡­¡±


    ¡°This is also a work addiction. Anyway, the background is roughly the same as I said. I don¡¯t know what kind of guts the Republic has to keep covering the demon summoners, but they¡¯ll have mixed feelings, too. I heard that Jin Qing¡¯s personal power also seems to be great. They must be thinking it¡¯s too big a tumor to cut out, well. In fact, I¡¯m sure he¡¯s ying a part in his continuous plea of innocence. The truth doesn¡¯t matter. He¡¯s already known as a demon summoner¡­¡±


    ¡°Right?¡±


    ¡°What an evil face. How did he get caught up in this kind of thing¡­? I guess he sold his country in the past life. Anyway, this is all you need to know. Oh! About the elven delegation that I told you about¡­ This isn¡¯t clear to me either, but it looks like there¡¯s quite a tycoon among the elven delegation visiting Laios.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Actually, I don¡¯t know who it is. They¡¯re so closed that I couldn¡¯t find any information¡­ Perhaps when the delegation arrives in Laios, they may first find you. Even if they¡¯re not involved in the negotiations currently taking ce, it doesn¡¯t change that all of this is thanks to the heroes of the light who protected Laios. But how does it feel? To be a hero?¡±


    ¡°Do I have to say that? Look outside, Nuna. Having our own statue says it all, well.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re never humble. I like your trashy side.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take it as apliment.¡±


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s apliment.¡±


    Lee Jihye approached quietly and sat down next to me.


    She was smiling, but whatever the reason, she must be happy that I was achieving something.


    When I were to think about what Lee Jihye had said when she first reached out to me, the answeres out quickly.


    ¡®I¡¯m a woman who can turn a man like you into a king.¡¯


    I remembered that she had told me the story of the U.S. president.


    Actually, I couldn¡¯t even say that I managed toe up here without her help. Of course, most of it was thanks to me, but I knew how hard she worked in the areas I couldn¡¯t overlook.


    Actually, it felt like she was my invisible hands and feet.


    ¡°Come to think of it, before¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah. I guess you remembered it. I didn¡¯t bring it up first because I thought it would be bothersome. So, what percentage is my share?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t do that. Actually, it doesn¡¯t matter what you think, but I¡¯ve had already told you before. It doesn¡¯t matter what you do with the mad wizard or the Mercenary Queen. A woman like me will be the one who is loved in the end, anyway. Do you remember that?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ Do I look attractive now?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a lie or just a line. Actually, Lee Jihye was attractive enough.


    As she noticed that I wasn¡¯t lying about it, I saw her smiling. She looked satisfied.


    In fact, when she mentioned Kasugano and Jung Hayan earlier, it seemed that she had a slightly anxious expression, but when she looked at my face, it seemed that her remaining anxiety had surely flown away.


    ¡°What are you going to do now, anyway?¡±


    ¡°Is there anything we can do? We¡¯ll just do like we are doing now. You¡¯re doing well enough. I should get up and get active here, too. I know you¡¯ve told me, but it¡¯s different from when we actually see in the field. I have no idea how¡¯s the atmosphere because I¡¯ve been lying down. It seems to be flowing to our advantage, but no matter how I think about it, I don¡¯t know what guts the Republic has to be holding up like this¡­ The atmosphere¡­¡±


    ¡°It was a little weird in the first ce. It felt like they were preparing something, and in fact, there were still small disputes in Dawan. Maybe it¡¯s not us who want to get the benefits, but them, but who knows? You¡¯ll never know until you open the gift box.¡±


    ¡°Right. There¡¯s definitely¡­¡±


    ¡®There¡¯s something that¡¯s not right.¡¯


    Although my personal problems were important, I certainly needed to sort out the external issues, as well.


    Anyway, the urgent thing to focus on was Kim Hyunsung.


    As soon as I started to speak, I saw Lee Jihye opening her mouth right away.


    ¡°Do you know what Hyunsung is doing now?¡±


    ¡°Ah. Maybe he will be on the scene?¡±


    ¡°Scene?¡±


    ¡°Where the devil was summoned. Recently, he¡¯s been only wandering around the scene with Deokgu. Honestly, I don¡¯t know if there¡¯s anything to be found there, but his face is a little scary recently. Still, I thought his face was a little loosen up, but¡­ what should I say? Oh, when he was expressionless in the tutorial dungeon for a while. It looks just like then.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Perhaps even now¡­¡±


    ¡®This is not good¡­¡¯


    In fact, just having Kim Hyunsung in that ce was already not good.


    Even more, I couldn¡¯t express how I felt now that I had seen the first round through Yuno Kasugano. The candles were burning for real from both sides.


    He didn¡¯t seem to be suspicious of me yet, but when I thought that an arrow might fly to me, anxiety started to rise.


    ¡°What? You look like¡­¡±


    ¡°Send someone over there and tell them that I got worse.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Something like I¡¯m not feeling well. You know.¡±


    ¡°No, why suddenly¡­¡±


    ¡°Quickly.¡±


    ¡°Okay, for now. I just have to tell them exactly what you¡¯re saying, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Then I¡¯ll be back.¡±


    ¡®Let¡¯s go with this first.¡¯


    First, it was natural to prevent our regressor from snooping around the scene as much as possible.


    When Lee Jihye quickly went outside and called for someone, the outside became bustling in no time.


    Of course, my physical condition was too normal to be pretending anything, but there was no other way.


    There were not enough supplies to put out an urgent fire right away.


    First of all, I had to hold Kim Hyunsung on my side as a pretext for being sick.


    ¡®The problem is if this will work¡­¡¯


    Of course, I knew that Kim Hyunsung cared for me, but¡­


    Kim Hyunsung was an outside man who had a very important taskid out in front of him.


    It was clear that he would notpletely abandon the work just because I had suddenly gotten sick. He might think it was more important to track the trash from the first round than me being sick right now.


    ¡°Kiyoung-ssi!¡±


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    ¡°Do you feel better?¡±


    ¡°This bastard, why did youe so quickly?¡¯


    What I could see is Kim Hyunsung, whose whole face was pale and sweaty.


    ¡®Phew!¡¯


    There was a saying: ¡°If one could get even one true friend in his life, it would be considered a sessful life.¡±


    It was the moment I realized that I had been living without any shame.


    ¡®I believed in you, Hyunsung!!!¡¯

 Chapter 335: Aftereffect (1)

    <h4>Chapter 335: Aftereffect (1)</h4>


    ¡®It hasn¡¯t even been 10 minutes!¡¯


    The ce that was now in ruins was, by no means close to here.


    As soon as Lee Jihye talked to him, it would be correct to think that he came running in a rush, literally.


    It seemed that he, who already had a high level of agility, came running quickly using magic power. If not, there was no way he could get here so fast.


    Seeing Kim Hyunsung taking a slow breath, I had to think that he may have gone too far.


    ¡®Can he get this fast?¡¯


    I had already felt how fast humans with high agility could be, even with the demon worshipper Ito Souta, but I didn¡¯t think it would be that much.


    Anyway, it was natural that part of Kim Hyunsung was happy.


    I thought there could be some action, but it was a bigger result than I had initially imagined.


    ¡®I¡¯ve no shame at all!¡¯


    He even arrived faster than those inside the castle. I felt sorry for thinking something weird just before, but I was busy convincing myself that I didn¡¯t do that.


    I may look like trash, but at least now I could face Kim Hyunsung with confidence.


    ¡°You still¡­ haven¡¯t fully recovered.¡±


    ¡°Cough. It¡¯s not. Haha, there¡¯s nothing wrong with me anymore. I just had a brief seizure¡­ Even though I told her not to tell¡­ it looks like I¡¯m disturbing you. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Of course, it was natural to convey that I didn¡¯t want him to know.


    I coughed and looked at him with moist eyes that were seemingly about to die. It wouldn¡¯t be bad if I were to lie around this point.


    ¡°I am healthy. First, you have to finish what you are doing.¡±


    ¡°No. It is not urgent.¡±


    ¡®Not urgent, my ass. There is nothing more urgent than that right now.¡¯


    There was one. It was that a close friend had been lying on the sickbed.


    ¡®Hyunsung, I didn¡¯t know you would think of me this much.¡¯


    Compared to the time in the tutorial dungeon, there were changes in several ways in both Jung Hayan and me. It seemed like there was no change in Park Deokgu, but the truth was that he had changed at least a little as well.


    However, if I had to pick the person who has changed the most among them, it would be natural to say that it was Kim Hyunsung.


    As Lee Jihye said, the expression of the person who rarely showed his feelings had be rich.


    Looking at his desperate expression now almost made me want tough. This bastard was, by nature, a kind of affectionate human being.


    I had also realized that I was a colleague who joined the ¡®Kim Hyunsung family,¡¯ but it was the first time I had been so sure.


    When he just started the second round, he should have been moving with a great sense of duty, but one¡¯s nature didn¡¯t change so easily. This bastard was basically a good man.


    ¡®It must have something to do with the first round.¡¯


    The loss of not only Cho Hyejin but also many colleagues was likely to have caused trauma to him.


    As if my predictions weren¡¯t wrong, he urgently started grabbing my hand.


    ¡°Wait.¡±


    ¡°Cough. I¡¯m really okay, Hyunsung. It¡¯s just a seizure. I know my body best. Yes. I¡¯m really okay now.¡±


    With good timing, the medical staff and Lee Jihye rushed in.


    Even though it was a group of priests, the atmosphere in the hospital room quickly became busy. Kim Hyunsung¡¯s expression also began to get serious. I could feel the magic powering into my body.


    Perhaps he wasn¡¯t able to find the cause of the seizure either. Of course, he couldn¡¯t. There was no such thing as a seizure in the first ce.


    ¡°Er, Guild Master. Wait¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see how his condition is. For now, you could leave us alone¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Okay.¡±


    ¡°Lee Jihye, please tell us exactly¡­ how¡¯s his condition.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly either. Suddenly, he grabbed his chest¡­¡±


    It was apparent that she was thinking about how to exin to the high priest, so I opened my mouth first.


    ¡°It was just a short seizu¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. He grabbed his chest and had a seizure. I don¡¯t know why, but I was so surprised and flustered, too¡­ and he was in too much pain. Is there anything wrong with the Blue Vice Guild Master?¡±


    ¡°I think we should check it. There seems to be no problem just looking at him¡­ there is a high probability that you¡¯re experiencing aftereffects.¡±


    ¡°A-Aftereffects?¡±


    ¡°Yes. This is not somethingmon.¡±


    ¡®This is another new setup.¡¯


    From there, I paused for a moment.


    However, looking at Kim Hyunsung¡¯s face full of worries, I felt that the aftereffects¡¯ setup was not bad. It was part of an operation to throw a load at Kim Hyunsung, to begin with, so it was only correct to apud it rather than panic.


    ¡®This bastard won¡¯t suspect a sick person.¡¯


    The more safety devices, the better.


    ¡°Seeing that the magic power circuit was not broken, we thought you would be okay now, but¡­ maybe we were thinking wrong¡­¡±


    ¡°What exactly happened to him?¡±


    The lovely regressor also spoke urgently to the hesitating medical staff, including a high-ranking priest.


    Actually, I didn¡¯t know what the hell was going on, but for now, since they were putting on a show for me, it was better to keep my mouth shut.


    ¡°This is a very rare case, so how do I exin it¡­ I think it would be better to go outside. Since the patient is also here.¡±


    ¡°No. You can tell me.¡±


    ¡°Kiyoung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Hyunsung-ssi. I need to know what¡¯s going on with my body.¡±


    His mouth was shut tight, and he looked sorrowed. The priesthood, watching out for us for a moment, began to open its mouth as if determined slowly.


    As a medical staff representing the State, they were making a quite usible reasoning. It even looked quite sharp.


    ¡°Did you know that your magic power has be divine?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t know how this did happen, but¡­ Is that a problem?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know in detail, either. It is the first time that magic power and divine powers are shared in the first ce¡­ It¡¯s probably a rare case that won¡¯te out even if you search the entire continent.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I am not saying that it is bad to have a divine nature. Of course, the fact that the Honorary Cardinal¡¯s body recovered quickly can be affirmed that the divine power has had a profound influence.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°But assuming¡­ assuming that originally, Honorary Cardinal¡¯s body and the magic circuit had to bepletely destroyed¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°The reason why the body should have beenpletely destroyed is that it¡¯s still in normal condition¡­ if it¡¯s due to the divine nature of the magic power¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°It is very likely that you might have side effects that we are not aware of. Like the seizure just now, it¡¯s likely you¡¯ll get the aftereffects when using magic power, or doing certain behaviors.¡±


    Of course, there were no such aftereffects. I currently felt so lively that I could get up and dance.


    However, listening to them, I started to think that it might be that, too. It was due to the divine nature of magic power that I was able to maintain living in thispletely broken body!


    Indeed, I was quite lucky to have a background story this dramatic.


    Lee Jihye made an absurd expression for a moment, but she suddenly began to cry. Her acting skill was superb.


    ¡®She¡¯s not a joke.¡¯


    The situation was no different for Kim Hyunsung. He currently looked as if the sky had copsed.


    Considering how important magical power was to those who lived on this continent, it would not be unreasonable to have such a face.


    On the continent, there was a joke that it was better to have no arms than to have no magic power, so the situation in which I was now was like the main character of the tragedy.


    ¡°No way¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, it is not enough to be able to give a definite answer yet. First, there seems to be no problem with the Honorary Cardinal managing the magic power right away¡­ and the circuit itself is fine. Of course, I don¡¯t know what will happen if he continues to use magical power¡­ it would be better to refrain from using it as much as possible. You should avoid engaging in fierce battles like this or before.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes. Okay.¡±


    The bitter look on my face would make this atmosphere even better.


    Kim Hyunsung had a very troubled face. He didn¡¯t shed tears, but it seemed that his trembling arms were a sufficient exnation for his feelings.


    In a way, this was like a death sentence for an adventurer.


    He faced a crisis, one wherein he would have to leave me behind on this long journey. As I nced at Lee Jihye, she noticed what I was trying to say. She started to nod.


    I saw her taking the medical staff, which had done its part, and leaving the room.


    Of course, I started preparing the field in order toplete the original mission.


    At this timing, I decided that it would not be bad to take this to the next level.


    ¡°Ha¡­ haha. It¡¯s a relief. Because it means there¡¯s nothing wrong with my body. Even if it¡¯s an aftereffect, it won¡¯t be a big deal. My body was weak in the first ce, and in fact, I wasn¡¯t very gifted with magic. Alchemy doesn¡¯t use a lot of magic, so I won¡¯t have any problems living as I did before. Of course, it may affect the use of magic¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Hahaha. I can be as active as before. Thanks to Hyunsung¡¯s great consideration, I could avoid difficult things¡­ my body is just a bit tired. It should be fine to use alchemy magic as before. Yes. This doesn¡¯t mean that I can¡¯t use magic at all.¡±


    Although smiling, my current expression was the face of a person who was feeling quite lost.


    Thanks to all the pranks, my acting skills had genuinely improved.


    I could see Kim Hyunsung looking at me with a sad face. Only heartbroken people could make this kind of expression.


    His red eyes seemed to be holding to their tears.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry.¡±


    ¡®No, if you do that, I¡¯ll feel too trash.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s all my fault.¡±


    ¡®Hyunsung, if you do this, I will feel very sorry.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha. You don¡¯t have to be sorry. They said it was just a spection, and my body should be able to recover quickly. Please raise your head, Hyunsung-ssi. It doesn¡¯t suit a Blue Guild Master. You should always look confident to other guild members.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Naturally, please keep what happened today as a secret. Especially Deokgu or Hayan, I don¡¯t want them to know. They will definitely suffer from guilt. Oh, the same is true for Sora.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry.¡±


    ¡°It is not your fault.¡±


    Perhaps he felt guilty for not being with me. However, I was also thinking that this bastard was feeling guilty for nothing special.


    ¡®That¡¯s why you got backstabbed that much in the first round, bastard.¡¯


    Looking at him with his head down poked my conscience. Naturally, I thought it would be okay to say something.


    This was because I didn¡¯t think it was in my interest to see him shaking because of my pretense. Rather, this was an opportunity to make him stronger.


    Those main character-like people grew at the expense of their peers¡¯ sacrifices.


    The situation had be strange, but this was the best position all in itself.


    ¡°Look up, bastard.¡±


    Although he looked startled for a moment, he didn¡¯t bother to point out my tone.


    ¡°It just got a little annoying, but nothing changes. It means that there is no problem with being active as before. Of course, there are several limitations, but it¡¯s not something for you to have your head down. I would have died if it weren¡¯t for you in the tutorial dungeon in the first ce. I¡¯m the one who has to be thankful.¡±


    Although it may be cringy, these lines work well.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I know the burden you are carrying. Actually, I don¡¯t know exactly, but I feel like that for some reason. Of course, I believe the burden you have is for us, and I am not falling behind or anything. I¡¯ll just walk a little slower, so¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Stretch your shoulders.¡±


    I finished by patting him on the shoulder. I could see him looking at me.


    ¡°Then, Guild Master. Let¡¯s get some air for a moment. I have something to tell you.¡±


    I prepared the ground. I hadn¡¯t yet decided what to talk about first, but I still had a lot to share.


    ¡®First¡­¡¯


    It would be right to start with Jin Qing¡¯s flirting at Jung Hayan.


    ¡®I have to protect my precious bride-to-be!¡¯

 Chapter 336: Aftereffect (2)

    <h4>Chapter 336: Aftereffect (2)</h4>


    It had been a while since I came outside. I had been lying down so much that I wasn¡¯t used to walking anymore, but I felt good.


    I was just walking around the Laios¡¯s royal castle, but I felt like I was definitely abroad. Unlike the State, where colorful flowers were lined with other colorful flowers, Laios¡¯ garden was green with an unorganized feeling.


    I liked the lighting through the thick trees and trunks, and the overall atmosphere was not bad.


    Kim Hyunsung seemed to be supporting me, and even at my request for him not to, he refused to listen. He looked a little relieved because of the first aid, but his guilt didn¡¯t seem to disappear.


    ¡®I don¡¯t even know why the hell he is feeling guilty¡­¡¯


    However, I could expect this a little. Until now, Kim Hyunsung had only been focusing on his personal work than on actual guild work.


    In fact, there were more times when he didn¡¯t stay, than when he actually stayed in the guild.


    He was trying to fix the wrong things from the first round, but in the present, when the future had changed a lot, it was a very meaningless act.


    He had been so lost in the specter of the first round that he was missing out on something really important. It was a mistake for him not to know that the masked trash Jin Qing was making a new start in the Republic.


    In such a situation, since I had received a big aftereffect, being busy, he might feel the responsibility of not taking care of the guild members properly.


    In my case, it was fortunate that he wasn¡¯t sticking to me, but I didn¡¯t want to bother to stop him from thinking like that.


    Right now, I felt like he was taking care of me greatly. I would never fall, but he seemed to be thinking about my leg getting rubbery and falling.


    ¡®There is no need to do this.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know why, but I could feel the eyes of those who were wandering around us. It was starting to stand out, and I could see the maids ncing at this side.


    I wondered if it would be nice to go to another ce, but perhaps our voices won¡¯t reach them.


    ¡°What did you want to say¡­?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s something a little important.¡±


    It was natural to think about a better way to tell him. It might be questionable if I were to talk too openly about the identity of Jin Qing.


    Of course, Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t seem to be suspicious of me right now, but there was still nothing wrong with being careful.


    Atst, he started to speak. It looked like he was not slow. He seemed to be expecting what I was trying to say.


    ¡°About what happened in Laios¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. You¡¯re right. I think it would be good to know the exact progress¡­¡±


    ¡°I know a little about it, Kiyoung-ssi. I don¡¯t want to burden you right away. I¡¯ll take care of everything this time¡­¡±


    ¡°No. No. It¡¯s fine. You don¡¯t have to worry that much. It¡¯s a little frustrating just to keep lying down, and this is important to me as well¡­ Yes. It¡¯s really important. It¡¯s probably something that Deokgu doesn¡¯t know. And¡­ I have something I would like to ask for a while.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡®Should I do it now?¡¯


    Since I couldn¡¯t tell what he¡¯s thinking, I felt frustrated in many ways.


    I began to wonder if he was really suspicious of Jin Qing as the masked man. There was a high probability that he was thinking that way, but if Kim Hyunsung saw Jin Qing with the masked man in the first round, things might get a bit twisted.


    ¡®What if¡­¡¯


    What if Jin Qing and Kim Hyunsung were close friends in the first round?


    Or what if Jin Qing was also building a hostile rtionship with the masked trash?


    What if Jin Qing was also one of the people who were murdered by the masked man?


    As in the example above, if there was a certain situation that was certain that Jin Qing was not the masked man in the future of the first round that I didn¡¯t know, Kim Hyunsung might be excluding the demon summoner as masked trash, Jin Qing, from the suspect ship.


    He may be starting an investigation on the premise that a third force was maneuvering to condemn him.


    If Kim Hyunsung was really investigating, considering this case to be the act of a third force and, my rash remarks may rather raise doubt.


    I had to slowly, yet carefully, make him suspect that Jin Qing was the masked trash, to the point that he felt that everything he had seen in the first round was a lie.


    The key to the beginning was Jung Hayan.


    I felt like it was a little early, but for now, speaking out would be the correct thing to do. There was no need to worry any further.


    As soon as I started exining, I saw Kim Hyunsung nodding frantically.


    ¡°It¡¯s something rted to Jung Hayan.¡±


    What I wanted to say was very simple.


    ¡®That Jin Qing bastard kept flirting with our Jung Hayan.¡¯


    Of course, I couldn¡¯t say it simply like that. It was because there must be a form. If I were to exaggerate this a little, then I might be able to produce a usible result.


    I shouldn¡¯t give him the answer.


    Kim Hyunsung must realize by himself that Jin Qing was trash.


    ¡°What about Hayan-ssi?¡±


    He looked puzzled. However, Kim Hyunsung slowly fixed his expression as he read my serious face.


    ¡°Of course, it would be nice if it was my misunderstanding and unfounded, but I feel something is not right.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°In fact, when I first encountered the foreigners of the Republic¡­¡±


    When I tried to open my mouth to exin everything, case by case, a loud voice started toe from somewhere.


    ¡°Hey! Hyung-nim! Hyung-ssi! What are you doing there?!¡±


    ¡®Ah¡­ Sh*t. Park Deokgu!¡¯


    As I turned in the opposite direction, he opened his mouth with a louder voice.


    ¡°Hyung-nim!! I am here!¡±


    It was quite the spectacle to see him running over here.


    The atmosphere became uncertain because he invaded just when I was about to start a serious conversation.


    Although I beckoned for him to leave quietly, he epted it as an expression toe this way.


    ¡°Hyung-nim. Can you move already? Are you alright? Didn¡¯t you say you were in pain earlier? When I saw Hyunsung suddenly running toward the royal castle, I thought something happened¡­ I was really worried, you know? It seems like you¡¯re okay seeing you move like this. Well, I¡¯m a little relieved now.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t resent him. I didn¡¯t know if he was really worried, but it was apparent that he was indeed looking for me diligently.


    He pretended to be okay, but seeing him with his eyes getting red, I felt sorry for some reason.


    However, that was a separate issue. First, as there was something important to talk about, I had to make him leave.


    ¡°There seems to be some misunderstanding. My body is fine, Deokgu. Nothing has changed. Anyway, we can talkter, first, tell Hayan¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah! Was Hyung-nim about her? No need to worry. I asked Jeong-yeon to take care of Hayan. You can be relieved. Probably not a single ant will be able to invade her room.¡±


    ¡®What bullsh*t is this pig talking about¡­?¡¯


    ¡°I was the only one who knows since Hyung-nim and Hyung-ssi might be worried. Oh¡­ As expected, you can¡¯t be fooled, as expected from Hyung-nim!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, Deokgu-ssi?¡±


    I also couldn¡¯t understand what the hell he was talking about. Following the previous moment, Kim Hyunsung also looked very confused.


    It would be nice to realize that he made a mistake by looking at Hyunsung¡¯s face and my distorted face, but he began to open his mouth with a loud voice.


    I grabbed my head for a moment, but Deokgu¡¯s next words really worked in my favor.


    ¡°That Jin Qing Demon Summoner trash guy! He is aiming for Hayan!¡±


    ¡®Deokgu! Fuck. I love you!¡¯


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m not sure. But seeing that Hyung-nim thinks the same way as me, I think I can reveal it now!¡±


    ¡®This pig bastard¡­¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m sure!¡±


    ¡®Why are you so helpful¡­?¡¯


    He may not be stupid. I always thought about it, but today I started thinking more and more like that.


    Unlike ten seconds ago, when I wanted to tell him to leave immediately, it was natural that I felt like Park Deokgu could join our chat at any time.


    ¡°That filthy demon summoner trash even¡­ flirted while handing her a note! At that time, I thought that because she is so attractive and kind, it would be an insect twisting, but¡­ no matter how I think about this, it¡¯s too suspicious. Then I came to the right conclusion today. Yes, absolutely!¡±


    ¡®Yeah, that¡¯s it, bastard.¡¯


    ¡°I don¡¯t know much about magic power, but for some reason, it seemed to contain suspicious magic power! Actually, she seemed a little weird at that time, but I didn¡¯t mention it because Hyung-nim didn¡¯t seem to want to talk. I was doing some kind of volunteer work, but Hyung-nim asked me to follow him, so I just followed. Who would have known that the demon summoner was standing there?¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°This is just my guess. Hyung-ssi, maybe we should think about the possibility that the demon summoner intentionally attracted Hayan! It¡¯s weird that he even flirted with her, giving a note even though he was there that day! Most of all, it was the most suspicious that the devil¡¯s seal was notpletely released. Yes, absolutely! Perhaps¡­ I even thought that those rotten guys were trying to sacrifice Hayan!¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s another new interpretation¡­¡¯


    At this point, he was capable of telling a story interesting enough to be a writer.


    It was so ridiculous that it made meugh, but if there was something that could support this evidence, then I would have the power to make ite true.


    ¡°Even I know that Hayan was blessed with magic power, but wouldn¡¯t they know about that? Probably, they couldn¡¯t have summoned the demonpletely by their own power. Inevitably, they had no choice but to find her ¡­ Everything was a setup from the beginning.¡±


    ¡°It may be possible.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know the details, but maybe they¡¯re still looking for a chance!¡±


    Park Deokgu looked at me as if he was asking what I thought of his deduction. It was different from the scenario I had originally written, but this was also convincing in its own little way.


    Kim Hyunsung, who said that there was a possibility, stiffened, but he seemed to have not yet believed what Deokgu had said.


    He seemed doubtful of this exnation - it was up to me to make his resolve weaken.


    ¡°What Kiyoung-ssi was trying to say¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. Although different, they are simr. Of course, it would be nice if I were mistaken, but this is not impossible. It waste, but I was also feeling some strange signs. At the time of the museum expedition, there was a moment when Max said that she was a human blessed with magic power, remember?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°As far as I can see, Jung Hayan¡¯s body is a crystal of pure magic. I don¡¯t know much about ck magic, but it would be hard to find a better quality material than her if she is used as a sacrifice. Maybe they have a different purpose, too. Most of all, strange things keep getting caught in my eyes. To be precise, it was bothering me.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    It wouldn¡¯t be bad to hesitate here once. It was time to bring up something important.


    ¡°Before the Republic left Laos, I had seen some people hovering around Jung Hayan. Of course, I could be mistaken, but¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The faces seen in the first episode should appear at this point with strength. These were the trashy people that voted against for me to enter the brigade.


    Perhaps it was petty of me to exact revenge this time around, but I couldn¡¯t help it. Though I didn¡¯t know who they were, I knew Hyunsung probably did.


    ¡°A man and woman twins who looked like archers, a young man without one leg, and a tall skinny man.¡±


    Now the displeasure on Kim Hyunsung¡¯s face was highly evident.


    ¡°¡­brigade.¡±


    Everything had fallen into ce.

 Chapter 337: Aftereffect (3)

    <h4>Chapter 337: Aftereffect (3)</h4>


    This was just the beginning, but it was no wonder that I felt partly rxed, almost as if I had taken some medicine. It had been quite a long time since I felt thisfortable.


    I had seeded in indirectly preventing the masked trash from threatening the camp of light.


    I had to admit that I felt a bit guilty, but I couldn¡¯t wait to see the forces of darkness run wild.


    As there wasn¡¯t much I could do right now, I thought giving heavy homework to the lovely returner was the most beautiful way to do it, and it had worked perfectly.


    This was because, after the conversation about the brigade and Jin Qing trash was over, I was feeling that he had been moving a little more actively. It was obvious what Kim Hyunsung, who had a lot in his mind, picked as his top priority.


    ¡®I think it would be better to attach Cho Hyejin to Jung Hayan.¡¯


    Naturally, it was a protective measure for Jung Hayan. If the masked trash Jin Qing had a negative effect on Jung Hayan like in the first round, it was not enough to say that it was a reasonable judgment.


    The brigade may be watching for opportunities anytime, anywhere. In that sense, it would be the best option to attach Cho Hyejin to Jung Hayan.


    First, Hyunsung was also working on internal affairs while remaining in Laios.


    Jung Hayan and I were also recovering from this ce right now, so I wondered if the reason he didn¡¯t go around was just to take care of us. However, I knew that that wouldn¡¯t be the only reason for this.


    ¡®Maybe he¡¯s thinking hard¡­¡¯


    He had a feeling that the masked piece of sh*t was really Jin Qing.


    Naturally, he would want to take some action, but Kim Hyunsung was also not all-around. He couldn¡¯t do everything just because he wanted to.


    Currently, the masked Jin Qing was under the protection of the Republic, and the dirty brigade was holding his breath somewhere out of my gaze. After invading the Republic¡¯s main headquarters, there was no way to assassinate masked trash Jin Qing or capture brigade members when we didn¡¯t even know where they were.


    No matter how strong Kim Hyunsung was, there were limits to what an individual could do.


    Of course, his advantage was that his range was very wide, but doing a Republic¡¯s solo y was quite close to suicide.


    As the situation was like this, Kim Hyunsung was also nervous. What was a little surprising was that he was showing a surprisingly calm appearance.


    I didn¡¯t know whether he had grown in his own way, or remembered being backstabbed by the masked trash Jin Qing in the first round, but he was showing a satisfactory move.


    ¡®Very good.¡¯


    It was hard to say that this was a dramatic sudden development or reversal, but what the lovely returner had chosen was to focus a little more on this situation that currently surrounded Laios. Not only did he take the initiative to form the Three Kingdoms alliance, but he also focused his efforts on the unity of the foreigners in the State.


    Those who ran medium-sized guilds flew in and out of the Laios several times a day, and he held the Eight Seats of the State conference directly while moving to rally the foreigners staying in the confederation.


    Our Hyunsung had indeed changed!


    He thought that it was right to slowly take care of the immediate tasks rather than find results by running around busily.


    ¡®My tears want toe out of your growth¡­¡¯


    In the past, he probably might have left for the Republic on his own, and only after the situation came to an end would hee back to help.


    I didn¡¯t know if someone who was not good with words like him could rally many forces, but the attempt itself was beautiful enough. Of course, the important thing was its purpose and justification, and yet¡­


    ¡®That¡¯s too obvious.¡¯


    It was a move to perhaps prepare for an enemy, or put some pressure on the Republic side.


    I thought it wasn¡¯t too bad if war broke out, but Kim Hyunsung seemed to want to separate Jin Qing and the Republic. Of course, there was a high possibility that this would not flow the way Kim Hyunsung wanted it to.


    If there was a move from the State¡¯s trteral alliance, there might be a move from the Republic side as well. It was even more so if the Republic side did not intend to abandon Jin Qing.


    If the current Republic waspletely contaminated with ck magic and brigade, it might be thinking of backstabbing.


    Since I was not currently in the field, I couldn¡¯t figure out exactly how things were going, but I could feel the atmosphere as strange as Lee Jihye had said.


    Of course, I wasn¡¯t the only one who had felt the strange atmosphere. It was slightly different, but Park Deokgu, who yed a big role, was also showing quite an anxiety.


    Whether it was stimted by Kim Hyunsung¡¯s talk about the brigade, he always took a longer training time. As Guild Master and Park Deokgu, who could be said to be the guild¡¯s main axis, showed themselves off in this manner, it was natural that the minds of the guild members staying in Laios also changed.


    As a result, the heroes of light, except for Park Deokgu, were the only onesfortable in the guild.


    Jung Hayan was having a great time day by day, and Han Sora finally got a separate room, so she couldn¡¯t help but cheer.


    It was no wonder that in a moment of peace, I did the things I had to do, too.


    Spending time with Tol To-ri, Max and Dialugia was the most important thing among them. It wasn¡¯t that long, but Tol To-ri and Dialugia seemed satisfied in their own way, and Max was the same.


    Not only taking care of the family, but also taking care of myself was very obvious. I even went into research to get a closer look at the ss ¡®Alchemist of the Light¡¯, but there had been no great achievement.


    This was not unreasonable because the research base was all in Lindel. I hadn¡¯t been off that long of a period, but I was definitely having ants in my pants.


    After spending enough secluded time to satisfy Kim Hyunsung, Oscar, Pristina, and the other guild members, I expressed my opinion that I was okay now and received a confirmation from the medical staff that it wouldn¡¯t be bad to return.


    There was no doubt that it was not bad for the timing to return when the three-nation alliance of the elves, Laios, and the State had been formed.


    [Eberia¡¯s Princess of the Elven Kingdom, Elena, visits Laios.]


    [The news that Princess Elena of Eberia, the elven kingdom of the veil, is visiting Laios, is drawing great attention. It was already well-known news that the Eberian delegation woulde to Laios, but it is spected that Princess Elena¡¯s presence in the delegation may be an unconventional personnel reshuffle.]


    [Eberia, which has long refrained from exchanges with other countries due to the issue of elven very or discrimination against different races, has been able to show such a radical move, and it is not difficult for everyone to guess why. ording to Princess Elena¡¯s aide, it is said that she received a lot of inspiration from the heroes of the light, including Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung of the Holy State, who overcame the case of the Laios demon summoning. Since other aspects were not yet clearly rified, she dismissed the controversy with the remarks, but the Kingdom of Eberia also expressed great regret and anger for this demon summoning case. Currently, the Kingdom of Eberia is escorted by the State and the Laios¡¯ allied forces, and is scheduled to stay in Laios from the 25th to the 31st. -Reporter Kim Seong-gyeong of the Lindel Daily]


    ¡®It¡¯s very good.¡¯


    Perhaps this was the important guest Lee Jihye had been talking about.


    When I looked down, I could see the stacked articles, but I did not want to read them. Of course, I was familiar with the content of the articles. This was because, unlike what I just read, all other articles had gone through Lee Jihye¡¯s hand.


    [Demon summoner Jin Qing, who the hell is he? -Reporter Park Seong-gyeong of the Lindel Daily]


    [The full story of the Laios Demon Summon Case. -Reporter Merlia, the State Newspaper.]


    [Why is the Republic defending Jin Qing? About the long history of ck magic and the Republic. -Reporter Cheon Wi, Dawan Daily]


    [Who are the heroes of light, who became heroes of Laios, and the Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung? Including a special interview with Pope Basel. -Papal Magazine.]


    ¡®Whoa¡­ I want to read this.¡¯


    Of course, things that I hadn¡¯t seen before stood out to me. When I picked up the article roughly, I could see the pleasant content.


    Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung was a model for all religious people and a treasure given by the Goddess Benigore for the continent.


    I already knew that Pope Basel cherished me, but it was heartwarming to directly hear such a warm message.


    ¡®That¡¯s it. Yes. Absolutely.¡¯


    It was a biased article that made you feel what it contained just by looking at the title. Of course, my happiness surged just by reading this.


    It was not unreasonable to say that the Elf princess or something wanted to see me. As I smiled, a voice came from outside.


    ¡°Oppa!¡±


    ¡°Ah, Hayan.¡±


    It was Jung Hayan that opened the door and appeared. Immediately behind her was Cho Hyejin, who closely marked Jung Hayan.


    I felt guilty that I couldn¡¯t save her from the trash Jin Qing¡¯s hand in the first round, but I nodded and opened my arms.


    ¡°Hehehe.¡±


    ¡°How are you feeling?¡±


    ¡°Er, er, er¡­ I think I¡¯m better than before, but it still hurts¡­ The lower abdomen is aching and aching. Like someone kicking¡­ My heart hurts, too.¡±


    ¡°Really? Shall we take some time after work today?¡±


    ¡°R-Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes. We don¡¯t have a long schedule anyway. Come on,e here.¡±


    As I spoke again, she rushed to hug me.


    I thought it wasn¡¯t good to be epting such foolishness, but for some reason, I remembered her face at that time, and I wanted to hug her at least once every time we met.


    ¡®Dirty masked trash Jin Qing.¡¯


    It was a little embarrassing to feel her digging into my arms, but this much attention was safe.


    As I patted on Jung Hayan¡¯s back and looked ahead, I saw Cho Hyejin¡¯s face. She wasing to talk to me.


    In fact, I already knew what she wanted to say. It was something I had heard hundreds of times.


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re really okay? Vice Guild Master?¡±


    ¡°How many times are you talking about it already? I¡¯m fine, Hyejin. No, and you can talk to me as usual. Vice Guild Master sounds a little stiff¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m on a mission now, Vice Guild Master. And¡­ no matter how much you have recovered your health, it is dangerous to overdo it. Actually, I also wanted to cancel today¡¯s schedule.¡±


    ¡°Ah. You can¡¯t. It¡¯s the first step in bringing the interracial alliance. Princess Elena wanted to see us, so I have to meet her. In fact, it¡¯s not that I¡¯m not able to move.¡±


    ¡°Eberia said it was also okay¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Hyejin. I¡¯m absolutely not overdoing it. Haha.¡±


    Although she softened up when drinking, she was certainly too hard when working publicly.


    However, even this hard conversation didn¡¯t seem to pleasure Jung Hayan. I saw her pulling my clothes, trying to divert her attention to herself.


    We had been through many of these patterns, but in fact, most of the stories were useless. However, this time, there was quite a bit of interesting news.


    ¡°You know that?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°The rumor is that the elf princess¡­ can tell the cleanliness of the soul!¡±


    Strange worries began to rise from her sudden remarks.

 Chapter 338: Aftereffect (4)

    <h4>Chapter 338: Aftereffect (4)</h4>


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Where did you hear it?¡±


    ¡°I heard it from the people of Laios.¡±


    She nodded her head as if convinced, but when I looked at Jung Hayan¡¯s confident face, somehow, it didn¡¯t sound convincing.


    Of course, it didn¡¯t mean that I didn¡¯t believe in Jung Hayan, but I simply could not rule out the possibility of it being a lie to grab my attention.


    I had to look for someone to judge the truth.


    As if asking if this was really true, I looked at Cho Hyejin, and unexpectedly, she nodded and opened her mouth.


    ¡°Yes. It is true. I don¡¯t know exactly, too, but¡­ I have heard it like Hayan.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°There is no way to tell whether it is true or not, but¡­ Sometimes it is said that a special entity among the elves is born with that ability. Of course, there is no known difference between the cleanliness of the soul or simply the distinction between good and evil. In fact, there is so little information about the elves that there will be no exact information, especially for the high elves.¡±


    ¡°You mean high elf?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It is said to be a story passed down among continental people. Considering that Princess Elena is a high elf born after thousands of years, it¡¯s usible enough¡­ Oh! Stories of high elves looking at clean souls often appear in fairy tales and stories of the State.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡®This is rather more convincing¡­¡¯


    It was far from meaning that it was absurd to appear in children¡¯s books, traditions, and stories on this continent because this was not the Earth.


    Most of the children¡¯s books and legendary stories here were based on true stories, and there were actually many dungeons and monsters discovered because of these. There was nothing strange about that.


    It was not strange for an elf to pop out, looking at the cleanliness of the soul.


    ¡®This is making me worried¡­¡¯


    In fact, there was nothing to feel guilty about. I was already a hero among the heroes who had saved Laios, no, even the continent.


    Even if they judged my soul to be unclean, it would be difficult to find a situation in which they would condemn me. Following this mindset, it wouldn¡¯t make sense to worry much.


    Light Kiyoung¡¯s magical power was filled with divine power, and his title was also inscribed as ¡°Continental Guardian.¡±


    Although things were a bit twisted, it was also true that I had saved Laios.


    Perhaps¡­


    ¡®Who knows if my soul has be a little cleaner?¡¯


    There were countless numbers of good things I had done recently.


    Things got a little twisted in the first round, but anyway, wasn¡¯t I currently working hard for the camp of light in Kim Hyunsung¡¯s arms?


    Although I had begun to think like this, it was no wonder that I began to feel anxious because anything could happen. In fact, it didn¡¯t matter as to what would happen, but looking good was still an important part of the job.


    In the end, I had to open my mouth toward Cho Hyejin. I had to refrain from pretending that I was sick anymore, but this much was okay.


    ¡°Hyejin, do you have a wheelchair here?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Somehow, I suddenly ran out of breath¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    She looked as if she wanted to say many things, but Cho Hyejin epted my request without saying anything further.


    After she went outside for a while, her face pulling a wheelchair was engulfed in an unknown sense of shame. She sighed differently from the way she was worried about me before.


    It seemed that she noticed what I was thinking.


    ¡®I have to exaggerate this much.¡¯


    Even if my soul was a little dirty, everything would be solved if I were topete with a clean and noble appearance.


    ¡°Cough. Cough.¡±


    A cough came out unexpectedly, whether it was the influence of being too absorbed in acting too much, but Cho Hyejin, pushing the wheelchair, had on a cold expression.


    Of course, Hayan¡¯s worried face was evident. With this, we went on our way.


    As the faces of Laios guards opening the door showed infinite respect for me, my confidence to get out of the wheelchair rose.


    After imitating Laios¡¯ specific greeting method, cing my palm on my forehead, I went inside and saw Han Sora and Park Deokgu sitting with awkward expressions on their faces.


    Of course, Kim Hyunsung was also present.


    I noticed him a little flustered whether he hadn¡¯t expected me to appear in a wheelchair.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Kiyoung, maybe again¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahh. It¡¯s nothing, Hyunsung. I was dizzy for a moment. There is no problem with walking or moving, but I came like this because I was wondering if I wouldn¡¯t show a good appearance to the Eberian delegation. The conference with Oscar and Pristina is¡­¡±


    ¡°We have a scheduleter. First of all, the Eberia side requested that they want to meet Kiyoung-ssi and Hayan-ssi personally¡­ Kiyoung, rather than staying like this, you can go in if you¡¯re not feeling well. Even if you don¡¯t do this, the Three Kingdoms Alliance wille true without any major problems.¡±


    ¡°Haha. I am not here for the Three Kingdoms alliance.¡±


    ¡°Hyung-nim, are you not feeling well again?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that, Deokgu. It¡¯s as I said to Hyunsung, you don¡¯t have to worry.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±


    Worries wereing from everywhere, which pleased me a lot. At this point, one of the guards came to announce.


    ¡°Princess Elena is entering.¡±


    The door on the other side opened, and some elves appeared.


    ¡®They came very quickly.¡¯


    I heard the news that they wanted to see us, but I couldn¡¯t even imagine that they woulde running to this ce as soon as they arrived in the State.


    It seemed like I really became the hero who saved the continent. When I looked at them smiling, I could feel that they were definitely different from humans.


    Overall, they gave off a calming impression, and even their walk felt mysterious.


    I had seen elves before, but they still had an exotic and mysterious appearance. I was nkly looking at them, so there would be no need for other expressions.


    Among them, an elf appeared, wearing white cotton yarn.


    Just by looking at the clothes she was wearing and the vibe she showed off, I could tell that she was Elena.


    When I looked at her with the Mind¡¯s Eyes, her information poured down right away.


    [Checking the status window and talent levels of Elf Elena Eberia.]


    [Name: Elena Eberia]


    [Title: High Elf, Princess of Eberia.]


    [Age: 231]


    [Disposition: Curious Defensor]


    [ss: Elune¡¯s Guardian (Legendary)]


    [Stats]


    [Strength: 19/Growth potential: Rare or higher]


    [Agility: 20/Growth potential: Rare or higher]


    [Health: 30/Growth potential: Common or lower]


    [Intelligence: 92/Growth potential: Heroic or higher]


    [Durability: 35/Growth potential: Rare or lower]


    [Luck: 90/Growth potential: Legendary or higher]


    [Magic Power: 91/Growth potential: Legendary or higher]


    [Attribute: A Sense of Looking at the Soul (Legendary)]


    [She can feel the soul of others.]


    [Overall: On the whole, she has a weak body, but she has great stats. Basically, the legendary ss that can be ssified as a priest ss, Elune¡¯s Guardian, and the legendary-grade attribute that can distinguish the soul¡¯s cleansing stands out. Of course, yer Lee Kiyoung does not have to test. The result is obvious.]


    ¡®Ah¡­ That was true. Fuck.¡¯


    Of course, I felt guilty, momentarily. Besides, I didn¡¯t know how that attribute worked. The exnation was also very short and simple.


    However, I started to get nervous at thements of the overall review.


    In the meantime, when I saw Elena taking off her cotton yarn, my anxiety began to dissipate little by little. She had hair of the same color as her emerald eyes. Her appearance was ridiculously overwhelming.


    Although there was a sense of heterogeneity that her race itself was different, she was sufficiently beautiful from the point of view of human beauty.


    ¡®This is crazy¡­¡¯


    No, I couldn¡¯t define her with words, saying that she was simply a beauty.


    I felt like I was seeing an entity that best matches the expression ¡°beautiful.¡±


    I was startled at the thought that I was staring too nkly, and I looked at Jung Hayan, but she was controlling herself, looking at the ring that I gave her. I knew the proposal I had made was indeed very helpful.


    At this, Princess Elena began to speak.


    ¡°Nice to meet you, everyone. I¡¯m Elena, from the Kingdom of Eberia. It¡¯s a great honor to meet some of the most renowned heroes.¡±


    It was like the sound of jade beads rolling over a silver tray. However, I pulled myself back without even realizing it.


    Unlike my brain, which recognized her as beautiful, her voice somehow felt repulsive.


    When everyone was silent, Kim Hyunsung was the first to greet her.


    As he slowly lowered his head, I could see Elena lowering her head slightly. Whether he was acquainted with her or not had not yet been confirmed.


    No matter how well I had gotten to know Kim Hyunsung, I couldn¡¯t tell what emotions he was feeling just by looking from the back.


    ¡°I am Kim Hyunsung of the Blue Guild. I¡¯m not enough, but I¡¯m the master of the guild of heroes who saved Laios. It is an honor to meet you like this.¡±


    ¡°Blue Guild! I have heard of it. It¡¯s the guild from the heroes that saved Laios. Ah¡­ As expected.¡±


    ¡°Pardon me?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ I see. Yes.¡±


    At this, Princess Elena had begun nodding. Tears had even begun to fall from her face, all looking like glistening, teardrop-shaped jewels.


    However, it is certainly bewildering to suddenly drop tears after holding Kim Hyunsung¡¯s hand.


    ¡®Is she feeling anything?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know in detail, but I think she had seen something in Kim Hyunsung¡¯s soul.


    I suspected that she saw Kim Hyunsung¡¯s first round, but it didn¡¯t seem like that. It was very different from saying that someone can look into the soul and look into the ck world.


    Even the exnation itself seen through the Mind¡¯s Eyes was very simple.


    Unlike my eyes or Kasugano¡¯s eyes, it was correct to think that her attribute was not seeing something, but feeling.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry. To suddenly behave like this¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°I did it suddenly¡­ without noticing. I¡¯m really sorry. I¡¯m¡­ sorry.¡±


    Of course, apart from that, I didn¡¯t get a sense of how to deal with this kind of case because no one usually shed tears right after a greeting.


    If I could, I would ask openly what she was doing, but I couldn¡¯t just say that. Although this wasn¡¯t an official meeting, it was still a very important one.


    It was then that Park Deokgu, who could not hold up his curiosity, opened his mouth.


    ¡°Did you just look into his soul?!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡±


    ¡°Well, everyone is saying that. That the high elf princess can see the soul and h h h. In fact, I don¡¯t believe in this kind of thing, but it was because you suddenly cried when you saw him. If you don¡¯t want to say anything, you don¡¯t have to. Still, I would like it if you say.¡±


    Silence with a different meaning from before flowed.


    I couldn¡¯t even imagine that Park Deokgu would ask that kind of thing.


    I wondered if it was diplomatic rudeness and looked at her in an anxious mind, but it seemed that she hadn¡¯t really put it in her mind.


    As Kim Hyunsung nced at him, Park Deokgu began to lower his head quickly. In the meantime, Elena smiled slightly and shook her head.


    ¡°Deokgu-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Did I make a mistake? I-I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°No. No. It¡¯s fine, Kim Hyunsung, that¡¯s okay. Rather, sorry for thete answer. In fact, I didn¡¯t think you would ask me directly, so I thought about how to tell you. As expected, you¡¯re very¡­ pure and transparent.¡±


    ¡°Do you know me?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I only saw you through the Goddess¡¯s Mirror¡­ You¡¯re actually the way I imagined. Huhu. Oh, you asked a question. I don¡¯t know if this will be the correct answer, but I will try to answer it first.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Of course. It can¡¯t be called a big secret anymore. Well¡­ To be precise, it is not possible to look into the soul. I think it would be more urate to say that I can feel it. The fact that I was rude before¡­¡±


    ¡°Is it because Hyunsung¡¯s soul felt that way?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I think that expression is appropriate. Rather, I should apologize. I¡¯m really sorry, Kim Hyunsung. I didn¡¯t mean to know¡­ I felt it without noticing.¡±


    ¡°No, Princess Elena. I understand.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your understanding. If I made you ufortable¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not ufortable. I don¡¯t know when its soul or anything like it, but isn¡¯t it just like when we smell, taste, or see with our eyes?¡±


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s an appropriate expression.¡±


    ¡°Well, then it doesn¡¯t matter. Ahem. Rather, it¡¯s a good thing for us. You will be very surprised by seeing our Hyung-nim¡¯s soul!¡±


    As my anxiety began to rise, Park Deokgu¡¯s confident remarks were a great spectacle.


    ¡®Stop it, pig bastard.¡¯


    His sudden remarks forced me to step back a little, as quietly as I could.

 Chapter 339: Aftereffect (5)

    <h4>Chapter 339: Aftereffect (5)</h4>


    ¡®Don¡¯t raise her expectations unnecessarily.¡¯


    I could quickly notice why Elena looked happy. Literally, that elf can feel what kind of soul others possessed.


    Although Park Deokgu used a cheap expression of smelling, it was not actually wrong.


    It would be correct to express that she had senses that worked the same as sight, touch, and smell, but was built differently in a way that I couldn¡¯t seem to understand.


    She seemed to have been greatly moved by Kim Hyunsung, and she seemed to be feeling purity and transparency from Park Deokgu.


    For her, it was as if a pleasant ce surrounds her, so it was not unreasonable that she was smiling.


    ¡®Will Han Sora be okay?¡¯


    I was a little worried about her, but perhaps she would be okay.


    Even if Elena were to feel something, there¡¯s plenty of room to gloss it over, and she couldn¡¯t definitively detect the rtionship between the soul and ss.


    To avoid the fact that Han Sora was a ck wizard, I had already worked on many things with Jung Hayan. As if that was not enough, Yuno Kasugano joined and had helped with concealing various circumstances.


    As a result, even high-ranking priests couldn¡¯t notice that she was a ck wizard.


    ¡®It¡¯s a legendary-grade attribute, but it¡¯s definitely vague.¡¯


    Han Sora nced at me as if she became anxious about the elf princess¡¯s soul remarks, but of course, I nodded as subtly as I could in reply in silent assurance.


    Meanwhile, Park Deokgu greeted Elena in earnest.


    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve introduced myself. I¡¯m Park Deokgu from Blue.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m familiar with your name, Park Deokgu. I¡¯m Elena Eberia. It is a great honor to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Do you even know my name?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s natural to remember a hero¡¯s name. I¡¯m a little embarrassed, but I don¡¯t just know the name. In fact, even what you guys did¡­¡±


    ¡°Can you even know that?¡±


    ¡°Ah! I didn¡¯t mean it that way. As I said, all I can feel is your soul. I know of you because I havee across a lot of newspapers and magazines while in the Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh. Come to think of it, there have been a lot of such things since that day. It seems those things reached there.¡±


    ¡°Actually, our Kingdom is still forbidden to bring in goods of the State and Laios, but most of us already know about you. Some even made it into a y, and bards sing songs that praise your achievements. Because the sacrifices and miracles you showed that day was deeply rooted in the hearts of our elves, not just Laios. It was amazing. And¡­ it was so majestic that I could not take my eyes off. I haven¡¯t lived for that long, but I¡¯m sure it was the most brilliant sight I¡¯ve ever seen.


    ¡°I-It¡¯s an honor for you to say that. Actually, I have done very little. Ahem. That¡¯s embarrassing. Oh, Sora here was also a great help. I wouldn¡¯t have been able to endure it alone if it weren¡¯t for her.¡±


    He looked embarrassed, which was so not like him. It must be embarrassing to hear that right in front of him.


    It was quite a sight to see him blushing and handing over the baton to Han Sora. In any case, even Han Sora popped out and greeted with Park Deokgu¡¯s introduction.


    ¡°I¡¯m Han Sora.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you, Han Sora. It is an honor to meet you.¡±


    It was true that I was worried about what kind of reaction she would show. However, there was no sign of change.


    ¡®Uh?¡¯


    Although Han Sora mended her ways, it could be said to be a surprising result considering that she had been trash at it before.


    She wasn¡¯t showing a pleasant smile like Park Deokgu or Kim Hyunsung, but she quietly smiled, lowered her head, and looked pretty happy, even grabbing her hand first.


    I was really surprised to see them talking so casually.


    ¡®I think I will be okay, too.¡¯


    I was sure that I had a soul, at least simr to Han Sora. No, I was better than Han Sora.


    Lee Kiyoung¡¯s 26 years of life, the timing when I knew better than anyone that I had lived without shame.


    Rather, I was partly relieved as I watched her talk to her longer than with Park Deokgu.


    After spending time with her for a while, it was Jung Hayan¡¯s turn.


    Kim Hyunsung introduced Jung Hayan, and once again, the awkward self-introduction time passed.


    ¡°I¡¯m Jung Hayan.¡±


    ¡°I-It¡¯s an honor. It¡¯s really an honor.¡±


    She seemed happy enough when she was with Park Deokgu and Han Sora, but after Jung Hayan appeared, her face has be even more spectacr.


    I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s an appropriate expression, but she looked like a fan meeting idols.


    ¡®No way¡­¡¯


    ¡°So, are you all recovered now?¡±


    ¡°Yes? Oh¡­ Yes.¡±


    ¡°M-More importantly, I will officially introduce myself. As you may have already heard, I¡¯m Elena Eberia. It was¡­ it was really moving. How could you take care of others even at the expense of yourself¡­? Your noble image prepared to die will go down in the history of the continent.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I still feel like crying when I think about it. I heard that you have been on this continent for less than two years, but how did you use such pure magic power¡­? Oh! I can¡¯t be like this, no, that¡¯s not it, I was really impressed. What should I start with¡­? There were a lot of things I wanted to say, but my mind went ck¡­ I¡¯m really sorry.¡±


    ¡°No. There is no-nothing to be sorry for.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s okay with you, can I shake your hand¡­?¡±


    ¡°I-I-It¡¯s okay, but¡­¡±


    ¡°It is an honor. It¡¯s really an honor. After all, everything was exactly what I thought.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ what you are talking about.¡±


    ¡®This is almost certain.¡¯


    I was not mistaken about this at all.


    Her graceful face still remained, but her being strangely excited, made her look just like a teenager. Showing such a face at the age of over 200 was also an ability.


    Jung Hayan was at a loss as to how to respond to the way the elf was gushing over her.


    I wasn¡¯t exactly sure, but the princess of the Elven Kingdom seemed to be obsessed with our heroic story.


    In fact, although most of the Laios and the State showed simr reactions, this woman felt more excessive. She seemed to have read everything about us, such as magazine interviews, and she even saw that scene many times through the Goddess¡¯s Mirror, so I could say that my prediction was correct.


    I could understand the Laios people because they had actually seen us, but she was stuck in a kingdom secluded from other countries and faced us only through media. In a way, it was not unreasonable to have a strange fantasy about us.


    Although she had adapted to this kind of case because of the Laios people, Jung Hayan was confused by the sudden change of posture.


    Since she wasn¡¯t good with human rtionships, she was confused with the princess saying something she hadn¡¯t yet understood.


    It was then that Park Deokgu¡¯s exnation came in.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it that you were amazed by our Hayan¡¯s transparent and clear soul?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Park Deokgu-nim. She is filled with such pure love. This¡­¡±


    ¡°I knew you would.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I upset you. I don¡¯t usually say this, but Jung Hayan is really¡­¡±


    ¡°As expected from our Hayan. Isn¡¯t it just as I said? I¡¯ve never seen or heard about anyone as clean and nice as Hayan in my life. In fact, when I first saw her, I wondered how there was such a nice person, but seeing now the Elf Princess talking, I think I can tell. Well, the person next to her is out Hyung-nim. I think you¡¯ve seen him through¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. I know. I clearly remember his face, too. It¡¯s really an honor, Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°No. I am honored.¡±


    ¡°I-I think I should thank you first.¡±


    ¡°I received enough thanks, Elena-nim. I didn¡¯t do that to be receiving gratefulness in the first ce, so you don¡¯t have to lower your head.¡±


    ¡°No. This time, I am not thankful for the things I said earlier. Haven¡¯t you rescued the elves before?¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, so you might not remember, but¡­ I clearly heard the news that Lee Kiyoung saved our people who were suffering at the time.¡±


    ¡°Come to think of it¡­¡±


    ¡°It was true, then. Thank you very much.¡±


    I could see her bowing her head a little far away.


    ¡®Wow¡­ It worked out like this. That¡¯s why people have to live nicely.¡¯


    The good deeds that were done in secret hade back as a plus.


    ¡®This is karma! Yes. Absolutely!¡¯


    I wanted to smile more and more as I wanted to maintain a good rtionship with this elf. It felt good to see her talking so casually to me.


    In fact, it didn¡¯t matter as to how she perceived my soul, but she didn¡¯t seem to have any suspicion on her face. I even felt like a fool to have been worried. It would have been better not to have arranged this wheelchair either.


    ¡°Our people who were saved by Lee Kiyoung at the time are doing very well. They wanted to be with this delegation, but they¡¯re still reluctant to go outside. On behalf of the two, I would like to say thank you.¡±


    ¡°Hahahaha. I just did what I was supposed to do.¡±


    ¡°You are so humble. I am worried if I havee too suddenly. I didn¡¯t know you were still having a hard time walking¡­¡±


    ¡°Cough, cough. It¡¯s fine. Thanks to many people praying, I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s just a little hard to breathe. You really don¡¯t have to mind it. Cough. In fact, I also really wanted to see the princess. If the princess hadn¡¯t suggested it, I would have visited you first.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for saying so. Er¡­ I-If it¡¯s okay, could I shake your hand¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. Of course, Elena-nim.¡±


    Unlike my expectations, a warm atmosphere continued. With the unexpected good story being revealed, others also looked surprised.


    Who would have expected I had helped the elves with no one knowing?


    Originally, good stories were more effective when it was revealed in an unintended situation.


    Elena¡¯s expression was also full of joy.


    Demon Lord Belial¡¯s expression saying that I was disgusting seemed to mean that I was divine enough to feel disgusting.


    At this moment, Elena moved one step forward.


    ¡°U-Ugh.¡±


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    The elf, who had initially been smiling and gushing around, suddenly began to frown and start nauseating.


    ¡°Ah. I-I¡¯m sorry. Suddenly, u-ugh. I¡¯m being rude¡­ gosh, what¡¯s going on? There¡¯s no way. U-Ugh.¡±


    ¡®No.¡¯


    ¡°U-ugh. U-ugh.¡±


    ¡®Why are you doing this? Fuck.¡¯


    ¡°W-Wait. U-ugh¡­¡±


    ¡®No, this is too bad.¡¯


    ¡°aaarrgghh.¡±


    Something happened that had not been included in my calctions at all.

 Chapter 340: Aftereffect (6)

    <h4>Chapter 340: Aftereffect (6)</h4>


    ¡°You look happy, Elena-nim.¡±


    ¡°How can I not be happy? It¡¯s about seeing heroes who saved Laios and the continent. It is an honor to be able to actually see them, who I only saw through the Goddess¡¯ Mirror. Oh! Look there, Ludwig. I guess it was true that they made a statue of them.¡±


    ¡°Yes. You¡¯re right.¡±


    ¡°The warrior standing at the front is Park Deokgu, the wizard is Han Sora, and the two in the middle are Jung Hayan and Lee Kiyoung. You know, too, right? About the heroes who defeated the evil magic that fell that day. Whoa. I can¡¯t believe they look so majestic. We should also honor their achievements in our kingdom. I made a request to my father and mother, but they only said they would consider it. I don¡¯t think they intend to¡­ Oh! Do you know that? Ludwig? About the Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung. How devout his faith is, it is said that Goddess Benigore sent him to the continent.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°In an article published directly by the Holy side of the State, the life of Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung is expressed as a struggle against the darkness itself. The demon worshipper foreigner, and this time he blocked the Republic¡¯s wicked n who summoned the demon, so there is a possibility that he is indeed an apostle from the Goddess Benigore¡­ No! Maybe it¡¯s not only Goddess Benigore, but Elune¡¯s apostle. Whatever the reason, haven¡¯t we also had a connection with him? Of course, it¡¯s a public matter, but¡­¡±


    It was an inference that the more I thought about it, the more I nodded.


    ¡°Can you believe that mother and father directly ordered the promotion of the Three Kingdoms Alliance? As a result, if you think about it, Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung has served as the bridge. Fate. Just like fate.¡±


    ¡°Elena-nim, I understand the excitement, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. Of course, I always remember what mother and father said.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d then. However, we should avoid getting involved in private matters as possible.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I know that well, Ludwig. But¡­¡±


    ¡°There is no such thing as ¡®but,¡¯ Elena. Please behave quietly in the city and refrain from getting in contact with them as much as possible. It doesn¡¯t matter that they are heroes. You must remember that they are human, too.¡±


    ¡°But our people were saved by Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung¡­¡±


    ¡°Sigh¡­¡±


    ¡°Not all humans are the same, Ludwig. I understand you, but I believe some of them will have a clean soul. Not everyone is bad. Recall what happened at Laios that day. They weren¡¯t terrified, and they didn¡¯t run away. Instead, they stood upright on both feet, facing the demon¡¯s threat head-on¡­ No elven or other race would behave like them.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I know what you are worried about. However, it is not good to disparage even the heroes who defended the continent.¡±


    ¡°I think I made a mistake, Elena. I apologize.¡±


    ¡°No. You don¡¯t have to apologize to me. More importantly, I guess we will arrive soon.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I can finally meet them. I really don¡¯t know how to express this feeling.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so nervous.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Yes.¡±


    I heard him telling me not to be nervous, but I couldn¡¯t help but tremble all the same. My heart kept racing.


    I would finally face the heroes who had saved the continent. It would be strange not to tremble.


    ¡®It¡¯s mental.¡¯


    It would be appropriate to express it that way.


    When I arrived at the castle, I was greeted by the Laios people and important people of the State, but time passed fast enough that I didn¡¯t even get to acknowledge it.


    I thought I should be calm, but I kept getting thirsty. I couldn¡¯t even notice the surrounding view. At this, I could see Ludwig opening his mouth as if he was worried.


    ¡°Elena, are you okay?¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m fine, Ludwig. Can I have anything to drink?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Of course. I will prepare it soon.¡±


    ¡°Do I look weird right now?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t. You¡¯re, as usual, Elena.¡±


    ¡°How much time do we have left? No, where are the heroes of light¡­?¡±


    ¡°I heard they¡¯re waiting in the reception room right now.¡±


    ¡°What? A-Are you saying we made them wait?¡±


    ¡°They came a little earlier than expected.¡±


    ¡°We have to head to the reception room right now. To keep them waiting¡­ such rudeness!¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll follow as you said.¡±


    No wonder I had begun to hurry out of anxiety. Once again, my heart beat fast, but I knew that shouldn¡¯t make them wait any longer.


    After the reception room door was opened, my head began to go nk.


    I tried to control my emotions somehow, but I couldn¡¯t understand what I was talking about in reality.


    However, I couldn¡¯t help it. The heroes I longed for were just as I had imagined.


    Park Deokgu, who defended many demons, Han Sora, who did not stop chanting spells even though her body was in bad condition, and the two behind them were definitely Jung Hayan and Lee Kiyoung.


    It wasn¡¯t easy to see them because of Park Deokgu¡¯s big size, but I thought it would be better to greet them one by one. I felt like my heart would burst if I stayed like this.


    ¡®How can there be such a pure person?¡¯


    When I saw Park Deokgu, I was surprised without knowing. He has a clear feeling. It was also honest and transparent. It was like seeing an unstained little child.


    In fact, I was a little surprised when he asked the sudden question, but I even smiled when I saw him apologizing immediately.


    In Han Sora¡¯s case, it felt a little different.


    ¡®It¡¯s weak.¡¯


    It was very small and fragile.


    Crucially, she even seemed to be scared. It felt as if she would copse immediately, and she was unstable as if she would break down in an instant.


    ¡®How¡­ despite being in that condition?¡¯


    Could she have thought of throwing her own life easily? How could she confront a huge demon with such a small and fragile soul?


    No one could easily do it. I didn¡¯t even need to exin how much courage she needed to confront the demon. When I recalled her facing the demons face-to-face while trying to grasp the trembling legs, I almost cried.


    However, I had to open my mouth wide to the soul I saw afterward.


    ¡®Jung Hayan-nim!¡¯


    It was her¡ªan archmage who used magic by vomiting blood while surrounded by light.


    When I saw that scene through the Goddess¡¯ Mirror, it was a series of surprises, but Jung Hayan-nim was even more surprising in reality.


    ¡®No way¡­¡¯


    It felt like seeing someone broken in a soul filled with love. It was that huge and overwhelming.


    I had never felt this kind of soul.


    I couldn¡¯t feel anything else. Jealousy, anger, happiness, sadness, and the primitive emotions that someone could feel were all bound up in a single great spirit.


    Naturally, awe arose without my knowledge.


    Even adults who had trained their minds for tens of thousands of years could not have that kind of soul. It was almost obvious who that love was intended for.


    ¡®Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung. This is Lee Kiyoung-nim. Really¡­ he¡¯s here¡­real.¡¯


    I was sad seeing him sitting in a wheelchair, but I was relieved to know that he was fine. My heart pounded, hearing that he wanted to meet me, but something felt weird.


    ¡®I can¡¯t feel anything.¡¯


    It¡¯s just as I said. I don¡¯t feel anything.


    I tried to look at it slowly while having a conversation, but nothing changed. Rather, it felt very ordinary.


    I wondered for just a moment. The second I moved to shake his hands, what I felt¡­


    ¡®What is this?¡¯


    ¡°aaarrggh.¡±


    It was a disgusting soul inside. I didn¡¯t know how to exin this. I couldn¡¯t understand how such a saint had such a soul.


    It was not the kind of soul that gave fear, nor was it wicked.


    It was a ridiculously pure, disgusting soul.


    I felt goosebumps on my back. I wanted to leave. I tried to endure it as much as possible, but I couldn¡¯t. It was just when I was bent on my back, almost vomiting.


    ¡°Cough¡­ cough.¡±


    ¡°Kiyoung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Cough. Cough, cough. I, I¡­¡±


    ¡°Kiyoung-ssi. Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Please¡­ the p-priest¡­¡±


    ¡°Kiyoung-ssi! Now!¡±


    ¡°H-Hyung-nim. W-What¡¯s going on suddenly? Q-Quickly, even if it¡¯s Hee-young!¡±


    ¡°Oppa, Oppa!¡±


    He suddenly grabbed his chest and began to fall. Others swarmed around the man gasping.


    ¡°Seizure! It¡¯s a seizure.¡±


    ¡°Waaaahh. Oppa¡­ Hic. Oppa!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch him, Hayan-ssi. Touching the body makes it more dangerous. Hyejin-ssi, please call the medical staff quickly.¡±


    ¡°A seizure. What do you mean? Huh?¡±


    ¡°This is an aftereffect.¡±


    ¡°What the hell¡­¡±


    ¡°After thest incident with the demon summon¡­¡±


    ¡°So! What are you saying suddenly? What do you mean by aftereffect! He said it was no big deal when he was sick thest time!¡±


    ¡°Kiyoung-ssi didn¡¯t want to announce it. I¡¯ll exin itter, Deokgu-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it that we shouldn¡¯t let him be like this? Don¡¯t we have to inject even magic power¡­?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not just a matter to be solved with magic power. This¡­¡±


    ¡°No! No! Oppa, Oppa!!!¡±


    ¡°He will be fine. He must be fine.¡±


    I was speechless at how the situation had suddenly unfolded. The disgusting smell of the soul felt strong.


    ¡®What the hell is this¡­?¡¯


    In the meantime, the priest and other medical staffe to the reception room.


    Jung Hayan-nim was crying, and Han Sora looked anxious. Park Deokgu and Kim Hyunsung also looked very sad.


    I thought he would get better, but Lee Kiyoung, who groaned in pain and shivering, wasn¡¯t getting better.


    Instantly, a small deduction came to a corner of my mind.


    Perhaps¡­


    ¡°The d-divine power does not work. His body must be in normal condition¡­¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a priest? Q-Quickly, do something! Huh? I mean, try to save our Hyung-nim!¡±


    ¡°His body is definitely normal. This is my first time seeing t-this kind of seizure¡­¡±


    ¡°Waaaah. Oppa¡­ Waaaahh.¡±


    Perhaps¡­ It may be Elune¡¯s revtion that I could meet the heroes of light.

 Chapter 341: Aftereffect (7)

    <h4>Chapter 341: Aftereffect (7)</h4>


    The continuous voices seemed to tell how urgent the situation was.


    Naturally, I could see the faces and backs of the flustered people. The leader of the State and Pristina of Laios also appeared in the noisy hall in an instant.


    Of course, there was no time to greet them because they had disappeared into the crowd to immediately check Lee Kiyoung¡¯s condition.


    The divine power of the high priests of the State was constantly lighting up the room.


    During that, the people present all had their own reactions. Some prayed, and others watched the situation with an anxious expression.


    Park Deokgu was talking to a high-ranking priest, and Jung Hayan was crying. Others were no different.


    Everyone was nervous.


    ¡°Gasp. Waaaahh¡­ Oppa¡­¡±


    ¡°H-He will be okay. He must be fine. Calm down.¡±


    ¡°Waaaaahhh. Hic. No. It can¡¯t be¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey, doctor, is there any way? He¡¯s suffering like this! Does it make sense that there is nothing wrong with him?¡±


    ¡°The body is fine. I-I¡¯m sure of it. The body is definitely normal¡­ I couldn¡¯t find the cause. For now, there seems to be no other way except to inject divine power. I heard that he was suffering from aftereffects, but I couldn¡¯t imagine he was suffering like this. Honorary Cardinal kept saying he was okay¡­¡±


    ¡°Did you believe that?! How can you say that¡¯s normal! Did you ept that even though you know Hyung-nim¡¯s nature?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m r-really sorry, Park Deokgu. I¡¯m doing my best, too¡­ Honorary Cardinal¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be sorry for me! You have to know the cause of what the hell hurts!¡±


    ¡°Calm down, Deokgu-ssi. It is not a problem that can be solved by yelling.¡±


    ¡°T-Then what can I do, Hyunsung Hyung-ssi? We need to know what aftereffects he has to do something about it, right? O-Of course, there is nothing I can do¡­ Still, we need to know what¡¯s going on!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know the details. In particr, since Kiyoung¡¯s body exudes a lesser amount of magical power, he must have received a bigger rebound than Hayan-ssi. On the outside, there seems to be no problem, but there is a high possibility that the shock is ovepping inside.¡±


    ¡°T-Then how does he usually¡­¡±


    ¡°The reason Kiyoung was able to recover his body is because of his unique constitution. It is a special constitution that shares divine power and magical power. I am also sorry for not being able to tell you in advance. He told me to keep it a secret, especially from Deokgu and Hayan¡­ I¡¯m really sorry.¡±


    ¡°N-No. It¡¯s not something for you to lower your head. Even if it were me, if Hyung-nim had said that, I would have kept my mouth shut. H-Hyung-nim must have thought that he had to endure it. It¡¯s a busy time. Since it¡¯s something important, he didn¡¯t want to be a burden.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Since he didn¡¯t want to worry others, he must have suffered alone. He must have acted as if nothing had happened, squeezing his chest every day. Even though he was in pain like this, he just didn¡¯t want us to be worrying, so he was enduring it with a smile.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Gasp¡­ if only I could be in pain instead¡­ I would want to do that. I really can¡¯t see it. I don¡¯t think I can stand to see Hyung-nim suffering like this.¡±


    ¡°I understand. I feel the same way.¡±


    ¡°Damn. Damn!¡±


    Park Deokgu turned his back and clenched his fist.


    ¡®I¡¯m right.¡¯


    Of course, it was a simple doubt at first, but the more I listened to their conversation, the more I had to be sure.


    It was natural that I nodded and stood up.


    Nothing was clear yet, but if Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung really received the revtion of Goddess Benigore and Elune, I might also have been guided by something.


    What I was currently looking at in the Laios reception room may be one big revtion, all of which were being put together like a puzzle.


    ¡®Right.¡¯


    No matter how I were to think about this, I could only conclude that way. Of course, I was not sure if my guess was correct or not.


    However, even at this moment, the odor that was pricking at my nose was getting worse.


    There might be a possibility that it may be my misunderstanding, but there was no more time. This was because I felt the soul of the hero, who was still in pain grasping, was fading.


    No, in the first ce, even the small light was engulfed in perfect darkness.


    ¡°Please make room. I¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps I have a way.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? Elena-nim, until now¡­ Then, howe, seeing Hyung-nim, you¡­¡±


    ¡°I am not sure. I¡¯m just guessing, but maybe something happened¡­ with the Honorary Cardinal¡¯s soul.¡±


    ¡°What on Earth are you talking about? C-Can you even know that?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The current condition of Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung is a difficult condition to judge simply that it is an aftereffect. If there is really nothing wrong with his body, it may not be a wound on his physical body. It is even more so if the high-ranking priests of the State have not noticed it.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s not a physical wound¡­ can it be a s-soul wound?¡±


    ¡°I think I can exin it like that for now. It is unclear whether this is the area I can help with, but¡­ if you leave the Honorary Cardinal as he is, there will surely be problems. I also don¡¯t know how the oue of this will be. One thing I can say for sure is that the current condition of the Honorary Cardinal is so disastrous that it is beyond words. If I don¡¯t take any measure, he will copse right away.¡±


    ¡°Please exin in an easy-to-understand manner.¡±


    ¡°I think it would be most appropriate to say he is contaminated.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean¡­ contaminated?¡±


    ¡°Yes. He is so polluted that it is difficult to describe. Perhaps as a side effect of resisting the power of the demon that day¡­¡±


    ¡°Is that why the elf princess just got nauseous?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ embarrassing, but it is.¡±


    ¡°No. There is no need to be embarrassed. That¡¯s because Hyung-nim¡¯s condition was terrible. I-I can understand this. More importantly, w-what happens if there is a problem with the soul?¡±


    ¡°I have never seen anyone contaminated that copsed, but the body will likely begin to copse. Just as if the water in the pond rots, the surrounding area also gets affected. That¡¯s exactly the Honorary Cardinal¡¯s condition. He is probably going through a painful process beyond our imagination.¡±


    ¡°T-Then, do something. Quickly! Please, do something to Hyung-nim!¡±


    As I nodded, the heroes stepped aside. What stood in their eyes were expectations and doubts.


    Of course, I could understand. I felt disappointed, but what I was saying was ridiculous even when I thought about it myself.


    ¡°If something goes wrong or you see other signs¡­¡±


    ¡°I can understand you are doubtful. However, I am here on behalf of the kingdom of Eberia, not to harm the heroes. If I try to harm Lee Kiyoung, you can cut my throat.¡±


    ¡°Elena! That¡­!¡±


    ¡°It will be fine, Ludwig. Don¡¯t worry. Everything will be fine. I think I know why I came here. No doubt, Elune brought me here.¡±


    Every time I took one step, I felt disgusting energy that could not be exined in words. However, I had to bite my lips tightly and maintain myposure.


    The hero was suffering worse pain. It was not him that was painful, but the sublime soul that resisted the demon until his soul had begun to rot.


    ¡®It¡¯s painful.¡¯


    It all felt so disgusting that even my own soul felt like rotting.


    It was surprising to see that purity still remained in this situation. It was hard to guess what his original soul was like.


    With this sensation that was confusing me, I shook my head as much as I could and stood in front of him, and what I could see was a miserable sight. He was constantly gasping for breath, and tears flowed out of his bloodshot eyes. He was biting his lips to bear the pain, but a miserable scream was leaking from him.


    Even the trembling legs and twisting body seemed to be telling the extent of his suffering. It did not match the hero¡¯s appearance, one who did not retreat at all with a huge demon in front of him.


    This hero of light, who had not suffered even from breaking his own body, was suffering enough to shed tears of blood at the contamination of his soul.


    How¡­ How could he be so sublime?


    How could this happen to a human that was so altruistic and sacred?


    Lee Kiyoung struggled to swallow his scream and nodded as if he was okay, for me not to worry.


    Tears flowed out without my knowledge. Slowly, I put my hand on his chest.


    I had the sensation of touching a rotten maggot, but after biting my lips tightly once again, I put the other hand.


    ¡®It¡¯s neither disgusting, nor dirty.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know if it would work.


    However, I continue to push away the energy inside his body. This was because I thought I should stop it from beingpletely eaten.


    ¡®Elune, I know you led me here because of this noble soul. Since it¡¯s your servant who is asking, please give me the power to save this soul. Please. Please.¡¯


    Please, I beg you.


    ¡®Please¡­ I will never forsake him even if I sacrifice my all.¡¯


    While I kept holding his hand, struggling to crush these gruesome sensations, a short scream was heard.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    His breath slowly stabilized.


    Both the deformedly bent waist and the limply trembling legs began to return to normal.


    The hero who was suffering was not there. Instead, his face looking at me while touching his body with eyes of doubt stood out.


    ¡®It was a revtion. The revtion was correct!¡¯


    [Heroic-grade forced quest is activated.]


    [My dear daughter¡­ run¡­ (0/1)]


    [For unknown reasons, the forced quest of the heroic-grade was canceled.]


    I think there was something going on that I couldn¡¯t seem to understand.


    [Legendary-grade forced quest is activated.]


    [Transition of Revtion (0/1)]


    I think I knew what role I had now been given.


    ¡°Hyung-nim! Hyung-nim!¡±


    ¡°Oppa, Oppa. Sniff.¡±


    The moment I heard a big cheer, I had to smile a little.


    ¡°Thank you, Elune.¡±

 Chapter 342: Crying wolf (1)

    <h4>Chapter 342: Crying wolf (1)</h4>


    ¡®It was an enthusiastic performance! Fuck!¡¯


    I had been telling many lies so far, but even I was surprised by my acting this time around.


    I was so focused that my body was soaked with sweat. It was a scene that suited the expression of putting a soul in acting very well.


    From the middle, it was actually painful, so no other expression would be necessary.


    As I turned my eyeballs as if I had be a really sick person, I could see Elena¡¯s face, looking at me with her moistened eyes.


    The same went for the others. It knew it might have seemed a bit exaggerated, but the more I thought about it, the more appropriate it was. It seemed like it would be okay to pass it over as a simple happening and go quietly, but as it was a sensitive period, even such a small incident would be uneptable.


    A discarded cigarette fire could eventually spread to arge fire.


    My previous action was first aid by putting out a small ember with a fire extinguisher.


    ¡®Very good. Very good! This is Light Kiyoung. Yes. Absolutely.¡¯


    Light Kiyoung must remain forever as Light Kiyoung, and this shield must be constantly maintained.


    I wanted to pay tribute to myself, who had managed to escape the crisis with my momentary wits and rising acting skills.


    Of course, even amidst joy, I thought I couldn¡¯t help but feel a little bitter. Belial¡¯s expression of ¡°a man with a disgusting soul¡± waspletely correct.


    Iforted myself bitterly that it wasn¡¯t, but I couldn¡¯tpletely deny what he said.


    ¡®It¡¯s not enough to vomit, though.¡¯


    I was hurt a little bit.


    ¡®The nausea was too much.¡¯


    However, immediately after this, I shook my head.


    What did the soul matter? It didn¡¯t mean that transcendental beings would reward you just because it was clean.


    Anyway, the part that I thought was fortunate was that Elena didn¡¯t show much doubt about me.


    Instead, it felt like shepletely believed in me. Anyone could see that the expression on her face seems worried. Of course, she seemed to be in pain, being next to me, but she was still smiling widely.


    However, I couldn¡¯t appreciate her face for long. It was because I had to endure the smacking of Jung Hayan¡¯s body that ran straight in.


    ¡°Waaaah. Oppa. Oppaa¡­¡±


    Her face was filled with tears and a runny nose as if she was really surprised.


    The situation was not different for Park Deokgu, too, and Kim Hyunsung exhaled his breath and grabbed his chest.


    Until now, I was just pretending not to know, so all I had to do was to show that I wanted to find out the truth.


    ¡°What the hell¡­ happened?¡±


    ¡°H-Hyung-nim, are you really okay?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Right. I¡¯m okay, Deokgu.¡±


    ¡°Are you really okay? Are you really not in pain?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m really fine. I¡¯m sorry for worrying you. And that I hid it¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Gasp¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­ ¡°


    Once again, thanks to Park Deokgu, it had definitely be burdensome.


    He didn¡¯t talk as if he choked, but looking at other people¡¯s faces, I couldn¡¯t do this twice. Many people had gathered, and even Oscar looked worried.


    ¡°Are you feeling better? Honorary Cardinal.¡±


    ¡°Yes. The pain is gone. I showed you something I shouldn¡¯t. I looked so stupid. Haha.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to say that.¡±


    ¡°More importantly, Oscar-ssi, just now¡­¡±


    ¡°Princess Elena of the Kingdom of Eberia helped.¡±


    ¡°Elena¡¯s¡­ help?¡±


    It was natural to look doubtful. Light Kiyoung, who was being tortured by the demon, did not notice why this pain had gone.


    Oscar slowly got up and bowed to Elena, and I began to look even more embarrassed.


    ¡°Come to think of it, the situation was so urgent that I couldn¡¯t even greet you. I¡¯m Oscar, Elena. The State will never forget the help you gave today. Thank you again. Sincerely.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Elena Eberia. You don¡¯t have to lower your head, Oscar. I just did what I had to do. I wasn¡¯t asking forpensation. I was helping the hero, and it¡¯s a mission given to me.


    ¡°What are you talking about¡­?¡±


    ¡°Honorary Cardinal, it is Elena-nim who stabilized the Cardinal in a dangerous state.¡±


    ¡°Is that true?¡±


    When I asked her back, I could see Elena looking at me. ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t know what happened, but I was the one who stabilized Lee Kiyoung¡¯s condition.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ can you exin this?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Honorary Cardinal, you may feel absurd to hear this, but I hope that you do not misunderstand and listen.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Elena slowly nodded and immediately continued talking.


    It wasn¡¯t exactly the same as I expected, but some parts matched. In summary, it looked like this.


    After that day, the aftereffects remained in me, and the ce where the aftereffect remained was not actually the body.


    Although she said boring things about souls and everything, seeing that the State¡¯s priests nodded, they seemed to think there was a possibility.


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    No matter how they thought about this, they couldn¡¯t find any abnormalities in my body, so it was simply natural to turn the arrow to the other side. It may sound absurd to these people, to think that there was a problem with the soul, but the people here had actually confirmed that I had recovered.


    It was not unreasonable to nod at Elena¡¯s remarks. I wasn¡¯t the only one who knew the high elves¡¯ traditions.


    Anyway, as the story continued, more and more people began to nod. There was no need to exin that I was also included in the group.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to believe, but¡­ now it¡¯s a bit clear.¡±


    ¡°Yes. It is no exaggeration to say that the current Honorary Cardinal¡¯s soul is on the verge of breaking down. I have never seen such a pure, disgusting soul.¡±


    ¡°Then what about now that the treatment is over?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do any treatment, Honorary Cardinal.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I was simply alleviating the suffering of the Honorary Cardinal. Sorry to disappoint you, but no real treatment has been done. The erosion is still going on¡­ and with my weak strength, I couldn¡¯t get rid of the disgusting energy surrounding the Honorary Cardinal in a short time. I had simply done some first aid. Yes. It was all about simply giving first aid. Nothing has changed from before.¡±


    It was then that the voice of Kim Hyunsung, who was still listening, was heard.


    He had to be interested. It was probably the most important thing for him.


    ¡°Then, do you mean he may continue to show seizure symptoms in the future?¡±


    ¡°I hate to disappoint you, but it¡¯s very likely. Of course, if he receives proper treatment and management, his condition can improve slightly, but even that is not clear¡­ It¡¯s a good idea to find some other way. I hate to say this, but maybe the time is running out.¡±


    ¡°T-Then what about our Hyung-nim? He has to keep living like this, you mean? No, you mean he could die?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t be, Deokgu. My condition seems to be getting better little by little¡­¡±


    ¡°No, how can you judge that? Who knows if one day this will happen again? Er¡­ E-excuse me, but can¡¯t Elena keep watching Hyung-nim every time he gets sick? I-I will do whatever I can. P-please¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not possible.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t Eberia¡¯s elven princess who stopped Park Deokgu, but an attendant who hade with her.


    This was a natural reaction.


    No matter how much my life depended on it, Elena was still a noble high elf born after thousands of years, and even a country¡¯s princess.


    It was unreasonable to be a healer for the soul of some dog sh*t. There may be room forpromise to some extent, but there was a high possibility that even that would not work.


    ¡®I¡¯mfortable with this, too.¡¯


    Of course, this was also afortable setting for me.


    If she kept sticking to me, there was a high possibility would soon blossom.


    There was the problem with Jung Hayan, and I didn¡¯t want anyone knowing my whereabouts anymore.


    For whatever reason, there was no way to let Elena from the Elven Kingdom do that. As expected, he started talking seriously again.


    ¡°Princess Elena is the body that must protect the kingdom.¡±


    ¡°B-But¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Deokgu. It¡¯s not right to ask an unreasonable request because there is a difference in our positions. Please forget what Deokgu just said. Everyone, I¡¯m sorry for the inconvenience.¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s not that, Honorary Cardinal.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡±


    When I realized the sense of responsibility in Elena¡¯s face, I thought that something had gone slightly twisted.


    ¡°I will not return to the kingdom.¡±


    ¡°¡­Yes?¡±


    ¡°As Park Deokgu said, I will continue to remain with the Honorary Cardinal and take care of the wounds. I shouldn¡¯t let the hero of light die like this.¡±


    ¡°Elena-nim, what are you saying?!¡±


    ¡°I have already made a decision, Ludwig. I will tell my mother and father as well. I will continue to be with him.¡±


    ¡®What bullsh*t is this again?¡¯


    ¡°You can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not up to you, nor anyone else to decide. If it¡¯s my position that¡¯s holding me back, I¡¯ll be happy to take them off. I think you understand what I¡¯m talking about.¡±


    ¡°Elena, please refrain from reckless remarks. Do you know what you¡¯re saying?¡±


    ¡°Ludwig, it¡¯s not the position that matters to me.¡±


    ¡°Why¡­?¡±


    ¡°I have received a revtion. I¡¯m absolutely not mistaken. I really got a revtion from Elune. I also had a role to y in the continental crisis. It is no coincidence that I am here.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    As the two elves looked at each other for a long time, the room¡¯s atmosphere became heavier.


    ¡®Why is she suddenly saying about some kind of revtion?¡¯


    ¡°It was inevitable that I met these heroes today.¡±


    ¡®So what bullsh*t are you talking about?¡¯


    ¡°I also had a role.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t figure out what she was talking about. It seemed as if she had definitely misunderstood something.


    It was even more flustering because I didn¡¯t know if it would benefit me, or damage me.


    ¡°I came here to save you, Honorary Cardinal.¡±


    ¡®This crazy¡­¡¯


    It was such a sight to see her bowing to me.


    I didn¡¯t know what that revtion was, but I was assured that she would soon put me in trouble.


    ¡®I¡¯m having a headache¡­ Ah¡­¡¯

 Chapter 343: Crying Wolf (2)

    <h4>Chapter 343: Crying Wolf (2)</h4>


    There was no more time to be spent thinking.


    This was because the situation had changed immediately after the ridiculous incident ended. After calming down Elena, who announced that she would follow me for a while, a strange silence circted in the room.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about the revtion and what¡¯s going on¡­ but you¡¯re saying Hyung-nim might die?¡±


    No wonder Park Deokgu opened his mouth. Jung Hayan also began to cry like a waterfall.


    There was loud talking.


    Kim Hyunsung also seemed to be greatly agitated. His face, tightly biting his lips, was exactly the same as the face he showedst time.


    ¡®Was my performance too enthusiastic?¡¯


    Upon seeing this, tremendous regret dominated me.


    The elven aides took Princess Elena, who was still showing a determined face, and more silence fell in the room.


    ¡®It wasn¡¯t supposed to be like this. This is bad¡­¡¯


    It was then that Kim Hyunsung opened his mouth.


    ¡°Can other people go out for a while? I have something to talk about with Kiyoung. Oh, if it¡¯s okay, please stay, too, Deokgu. Hyejin, take care of Hayan, please.¡±


    I felt like he was going to say something serious. The Blue guild members, as well as the priests and Oscars, began to leave.


    Seeing that Park Deokgu was left behind, it seemed as if he wanted to persuade me at any cost.


    However, it was not nice to even talk about this.


    ¡°Uh, what should we do? Wouldn¡¯t it be better to keep asking for it for now?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± ¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous. What would the princess of a country gain to be in charge of treating me? Even if she says she wants to, it will undoubtedly be a problem on Eberia¡¯s side. You don¡¯t have to worry too much. You too, Hyunsung. You don¡¯t have to keep in mind what happened just before.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not something to be saying so easily, Kiyoung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Hyunsung Hyung-ssi is right. It¡¯s not that easy to decide. Whether you get down on your knees or think about another way, it is only right to continue to seek treatment from Elena for now.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s useless.¡±


    ¡°This is not useless.¡±


    ¡®Sh*t.¡¯


    Things got a littleplicated. Although I felt sorry for Park Deokgu, who was talking with tears, I couldn¡¯t let Elena stay here.


    Kim Hyunsung was constantly looking at me with a firm expression. He seemed to be looking for a way to do something, but he frowned even more as the answer wasn¡¯ting out.


    Kim Hyunsung would also agree with me to some extent. It was easy to say, but the Three Kingdoms Alliance itself could not happen if we were to do something wrong.


    Of course, it would be an expanded interpretation, but a very small thing could distort political rtions.


    ¡°Can¡¯t she stay? The elf princess is saying she would stay, too, so what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I said it wasn¡¯t that simple.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care if it¡¯s a simple matter or whatever! Hyung-nim is about to die, and how isn¡¯t that a big deal now? If the State officially asks her to take care of you for at least a few months, they will certainly listen to it.¡±


    ¡®Gosh, this pig bastard. Stop it.¡¯


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    ¡®You pig bastard.¡¯


    ¡°Hyung-nim, please change your mind, too. You have to think about those who remain. You don¡¯t have to worry about anything else. No matter what happens, you should get treatment!¡±


    ¡®You, bastard. Do you know how hard this meeting was arranged?¡¯


    It was when I was about to say something that Kim Hyunsung quietly opened his mouth.


    ¡°No. We don¡¯t have to let her stay here.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Kiyoung-ssi can go to the Kingdom of Eberia.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡±


    ¡®Sh*t.¡¯


    The curse almost popped out.


    ¡®Sh*t.¡¯


    ¡°So¡­ What Hyunsung is saying¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It would be better for you to go to the Kingdom of Eberia. It¡¯s certainly unreasonable to ask Elena to stay in Laios, but it¡¯s also possible to send Kiyoung to the Kingdom of Eberia.¡±


    ¡°Are you being serious right now?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Of course, you may think that this is not a good time, but you getting better is the top priority for now. It¡¯s the most reasonable way to do that.¡±


    ¡°Even so, to be leaving at this time¡­¡±


    ¡°There will be no problem. I understand you, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Still, this is¡­¡±


    ¡®Fuck. They¡¯re making a fuss when there¡¯s nothing to be cured. I¡¯ll be screwed¡­¡¯


    Big lies always came with great responsibility.


    Naturally, my head was hurting from the various problems that had suddenly sprung up. It seemed like both candles would be burning in an instant.


    Even if it affected the alliance, it was better to force the elf to stay over here. The most painful part was that I would stay away from Kim Hyunsung.


    No matter how much I was out of the suspect line, it is not nice to go to the Kingdom of Eberia apart from Kim Hyunsung. Just imagining that he would be investigating around while I was away made me nervous.


    ¡®No way. It doesn¡¯t make sense. Yes.¡¯


    I spoke confidently, but the atmosphere was pretty cold.


    ¡°Hyunsung, you don¡¯t have to do that.¡±


    ¡°No, Kiyoung. I can understand the desire to stay here and watch the end of the situation, but Kiyoung¡¯s healthes first.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really okay¡­¡±


    ¡°No, how can you say that after what happened?! How could I believe in those words? It¡¯s not okay to say that you¡¯re okay! Of course, I understand that you have many worries, but your health is the top priority. That¡¯s right. That¡¯s right! Hyung-nim, if the Three Kingdoms alliance ispleted, the Eberia kingdom will be opened soon anyway, and then you will be able to enter the ce where the elves live.¡±


    ¡®Sh*t!¡¯


    ¡°No, it¡¯s really okay. I¡¯m really fine. Besides¡­¡±


    ¡°No, Kiyoung-ssi. I will not hear an objection this time. Kiyoung will unconditionally go to Eberia.¡±


    ¡°What? What are you¡­?¡±


    ¡°It is exactly what I said. And all the Blue guild members, including me, are also going to go to Eberia.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ what the hell¡­?¡±


    There was no choice but to look at him quietly.


    ¡®Is this kid really sane?¡¯


    Of course, for me, I had to cheer. Whatever the reason, I would be stuck with Kim Hyunsung anyway.


    However, when I was able to recall his personal affairs, I could never say that he had made a reasonable decision.


    ¡®Does he know how important it is now?¡¯


    External work was also important, but for Kim Hyunsung, he had just caught the brigade¡¯s tail and the trash.


    He had already moved a few steps away, but he was still one step closer. It was not unusual to get annoyed since he was being held back by something like this.


    Nevertheless, we would still go together to Eberia.


    ¡®He really deserves to be backstabbed several times.¡¯


    After weighing the masked man and me, he must have decided that I was more important now. I was expecting a trauma about a colleague¡¯s death, but it felt worse than I thought.


    I had no choice but to exim at his goodwill because he would rather choose to spend his time with me, leaving many political problems behind.


    ¡®That¡¯s why you get backstabbed¡­¡¯


    However, unlike what I was thinking, I began to smile.


    There were still problems, but the worst had been avoided. It was a hundred times better to move together than to move alone.


    Even that feeling was being conveyed, so I felt better inside. The fact that Kim Hyunsung protected me was in line with the fact that I would be safer.


    ¡°No. You don¡¯t have to. There¡¯s no need for you to go together¡­¡±


    ¡°No! That¡¯s right! It¡¯s not just Hyung-ssi. All other Blue guild members will move together!¡±


    ¡°But the situation¡­¡±


    ¡°Forget about all other issues for now. You have to focus only on recovering.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You will definitely be able to recover.¡±


    ¡®No, that would be impossible.¡¯


    It was fortunate if the condition did not get worse and worse, let alone recover. No matter what Elena did, I knew better than anyone else that she wouldn¡¯t be able to do this.


    It had not yet been revealed on the surface, but it could still be considered a problem.


    ¡®She¡¯ll notice¡­¡¯


    It was a good thing if the big ears continued to make misunderstandings, but if there were even minor troubles, an annoying situation might unfold.


    Even if I showed off acting that my body was getting better, my soul wouldn¡¯t get better at all.


    ¡®What should I do?¡¯


    For now, I had no choice but to endure and endure.


    In the meantime, a curious thing came to mind, and I opened my mouth.


    It was understandable that Kim Hyunsung, Park Deokgu, and Jung Hayan would go together, but it was not exined why all the guild members had to go.


    I didn¡¯t know what he was thinking. If he was really worried about me, it was right for only him toe or just send Jung Hayan or Park Deokgu.


    Taking all of the Blue Guild members to Eberia was a waste of manpower anyway and irrational.


    I didn¡¯t even understand why he was doing this right now.


    I could see Kim Hyunsung quietly opening his mouth as if he had noticed the curiosity in my face.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure yet, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Maybe, we may be able to restore Kiyoung¡¯s body to normal.¡±


    ¡°What? What does¡­?¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Of course, it is not yet a step to say definitely. It is unknown whether it is possible or not.¡±


    ¡°You mean his body will be back to normal?¡±


    ¡°If it seeds.¡±


    ¡°It means he won¡¯t die?¡±


    ¡®Fuck¡­¡¯


    I was forced to feel anxious. It was because I couldn¡¯t even get a hint of how the hell could I be cured. This was just ridiculous spection, but he might rmend that I take a drink of spring water that would heal the soul.


    Of course, there could be no cure for that.


    In the end, the suspicious ending was inevitable. It was an uneasy situation to be with Kim Hyunsung, and even more so not to be with him.


    The former would be better if I have to choose, but there was now that the less bad could be the worst.


    ¡®What should I do? Sh*t. What should I do?¡¯


    When I was holding my head, I could see the regressor¡¯s face patting on my shoulder.


    ¡°I promise you again. I won¡¯t let Kiyoung die at any cost.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know when I had gotten deadly sick, but Kim Hyunsung¡¯s face had the most enthusiastic look I had ever seen.


    ¡®I won¡¯t die, you bastard. I¡¯ll live until I reach senility.¡¯

 Chapter 344: Crying Wolf (3)

    <h4>Chapter 344: Crying Wolf (3)</h4>


    ¡®I won¡¯t die, you bastard. I¡¯ll live until I reach senility.¡¯


    Of course, there was no way I could say this. Demonstrating willingness for life had the potential to make the situation worse.


    ¡°Hyunsung Hyung-ssi is right. We will never let you die.¡±


    ¡®Sh*t.¡¯


    ¡°Hyunsung, the seizurests for only a short time. The rest of the time, I¡¯m really healthy.¡±


    After lying that much, I felt like no one would believe me even if I were to say I was fine now. I could understand how the boy who cried wolf felt in the fairy tale.


    I wanted to show that I was fine somehow, but in Kim Hyunsung and Park Deokgu¡¯s eyes, I looked like a righteous person who did not want to be a burden to his colleagues.


    Honestly, if I really had a fatal disease, I would want to head to the Kingdom of Eberia at all costs. However, this was a different situation.


    As I always thought of the worst, the worst scenario came to mind again.


    First of all, checking what card Kim Hyunsung had was the top priority.


    No matter what, it was not good to refuse too much, as it may seem strange that I didn¡¯t want to leave for the kingdom of Eberia.


    ¡®Does he have a way?¡¯


    Looking at Kim Hyunsung¡¯s confident face, it seemed that he really had a way.


    ¡®Does he have some kind of an elixir recipe?¡¯


    He probably had something that matched.


    I didn¡¯t know what it would be, but the ce was definitely the Kingdom of Eberia. Whether it was a dungeon reward or a treasure held by the elves, it seemed that something was corresponding to the mythic-grade.


    The only way I could heal my current soul¡¯s wounds was that much, so it was correct to think as above.


    ¡®Is it a dungeon? Or are there some elves¡¯ treasures?¡¯


    Considering that all party members were moving, it was likely to be the former one. Of course, the possibility of thetter was high enough. We may have to use force if it was thetter.


    If I considered that the only information that Kim Hyunsung had from the first round that fit rtively urately was the dungeon¡¯s location, the probability went up even more.


    His strange remarks were tantamount to suggesting that he was aware of a certain amount of the situation. The possibility was more than enough.


    The Kingdom of Eberia, the Forest of the World Tree, had not been touched by foreigners so far, and because of the strict guard, I could count on one hand those who have entered there.


    Right now, even High Elf Elena had an ability with apletely different mechanism than mine.


    They may be overflowing with simr abilities or things that cannot be found in human countries. Among them, there must be a possibility that there was something that could help me.


    I didn¡¯t know if it was a coincidence, but from Kim Hyunsung¡¯s perspective, the timing was indeed just right.


    I thought that, maybe the reason he led the Three Kingdoms¡¯ alliance was that he was nning this.


    ¡®This is usible.¡¯


    Of course, he didn¡¯t think I had a mortal illness until then, but he knew about the aftereffects. After realizing that the situation was a little more serious, he may have thought he couldn¡¯t afford to dy anymore. His priorities had changed.


    Of course, this was unpleasant for me. There was no such thing as a wound to the soul.


    It was quite the sight to see him looking at me like I was going to die while grabbing his head. For them, I seemed to be living a life with limited time.


    ¡®But it¡¯s not that¡­¡¯


    It was embarrassing to say that it was a lie now.


    ¡°We will leave tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°What? It¡¯s too sudden¡­¡±


    ¡°There is no time to dy.¡±


    ¡®I¡¯m just dying a little more.¡¯


    ¡°It will be a hard expedition.¡±


    ¡®Then let¡¯s just take a break at home. Hyunsung¡­ please, please.¡¯


    ¡°It won¡¯t take long. You don¡¯t have to worry about Laios. It¡¯s not something that Kiyoung-ssi should be concerned about right now. There are more talented people in the State than Kiyoung thinks. For me, I would rmend getting away from work as much as possible, but if you wish, I will take action so that you can continue to see the situation.


    ¡®It¡¯s not necessary, you bastard.¡¯


    ¡°Hyung-ssi is right. Both Oscar-nim, Pristina-nim, even the people from the Holy side, and the Laios people all work hard. They couldn¡¯t make you worry¡­ Everyone thinks the same thing as us.¡±


    ¡®I got it. Don¡¯t be impressed.¡¯


    Park Deokgu¡¯s face, swallowing words, came into sight as if he felt like crying. I didn¡¯t know what the hell he was talking about and why he moved, but since he was a sensitive guy, it was clear that he was thinking something I couldn¡¯t possibly understand. I wanted to get out of this situation somehow, but the problem was that I couldn¡¯t.


    ¡°But Eberia¡¯s permission¡­¡±


    ¡°I will finish it within today. Perhaps they will agree.¡±


    What I could hope for right now was that Eberia refused this request, but they couldn¡¯t say no.


    ¡®Please refuse. I don¡¯t want to go. Fuck¡­ I don¡¯t want to go¡­¡¯


    I had mixed feelings about this. I was grateful that they were organizing all these things for me, but it was heartbreaking that the result of the act woulde back to me like sh*t.


    It was at that moment I had a pretty good idea. Of course, it may be irrational, but it was still worth trying.


    ¡°I want to ask you one more thing, Hyunsung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Will the method be dangerous?¡±


    Kim Hyunsung paused. Like an innocent guy, lies didn¡¯te out of him so well. Eventually, he exhaled and spoke.


    ¡°I can¡¯t say it¡¯s not dangerous. But as much as possible¡­¡±


    ¡®This is it!¡¯


    ¡°I will not refuse to go to Eberia, Hyunsung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°But I don¡¯t want to get my body back to normal if it puts others in danger, Hyunsung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t put others in danger just to save my body. And also, to go on an expedition at a time like this. No matter how I think about it, it¡¯s all nonsense. You must have your own business to deal with. The same goes for everyone else. I don¡¯t want the Blue Guild members¡­¡±


    If someone else was in danger, the story would change. I wanted to get up and dance right now.


    ¡°I can take any risk.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think that just because you do, other people will be able to do that. If you try to save someone who hasn¡¯t died yet, you will be criticized toughly. Of course, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t understand you and Hyunsung, but it¡¯s right to focus on what¡¯s right in front of us. My problem is after that. Unless we are at least surely prepared, such an expedition¡­¡±


    ¡°I-I can bear it! Hic!¡±


    That was when the door suddenly opened with a bang.


    ¡®What is this again?¡¯


    It was Jung Hayan.


    It looked like she had been crying until now. It was quite a sight to see her looking at me.


    No, I wanted to ask what kind of day drama she was filming right now. And behind her, Blue Guild members began to appear one after another.


    ¡®Sh*t. What is this?¡¯


    It may be very touching in some ways, but in the current situation where everything was a lie, it was nothing more than a cheap tear-jerker.


    My cheeks started to turn red for nothing.


    Sun Hee-young, who seemed to be feeling a sense of responsibility for some reason, and Ahn Ki-mo and Kim Ye-ri, who had always sent mischievous expressions, had determined expressions for some reason. The same could be said for Kim Chang-ryul and Yoo Ahyoung.


    In fact, despite not having such great contact with Kim Chang-ryul, he seemed to have decided to be with me. Jung Hayan kept shedding tears. Magic schr Hwang Jeong-yeon was also standing there with a warm smile.


    ¡®You don¡¯t have to do thising in groups. You guys¡­¡¯


    They even started talking one at a time as if they had allbined.


    There was no need to exin that I felt like my limbs were gone.


    ¡°I¡¯m okay, too, Vice Guild Master. Hahaha. I¡¯ve received a lot of help in the meantime. You¡¯re also the one who helped me to be in this guild. This time, it is my turn. No matter how dangerous it is, it is natural to go together.¡±


    ¡°Me too. I¡¯ll go with you, uncle Kiyoung. I don¡¯t like it¡­ But I don¡¯t want you dying. And it won¡¯t be very dangerous. Since Hyunsung¡­ will be there. Yes. We are also strong now.¡±


    It was Ahn Ki-mo and Kim Ye-ri who were making an unsuitable expression.


    ¡°Me, too. I will never, never let Lee Kiyoung die. Even at the expense of my life. I will do whatever I can.¡±


    ¡°Me, too. You¡¯re the one who made the current Blue guild the way it is, right? Researching with Kiyoung is one of the joys of my life, and I can¡¯t have that taken away.¡±


    Sun Hee-young and Hwang Jeong-yeon also had their chance to talk.


    I appreciated their thought, but I also started to feel like I wanted to escape somewhere. My face was getting redder and redder by the minute. I was so embarrassed that I was right in the middle of this tear-jerker.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best, Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°Vice Guild Master is the benefactor who made me now. I want to be helpful this time.¡±


    Kim Chang-ryul and Yoo Ahyoung also sported determined faces.


    Instead, an ambiguous face like Cho Hyejin would be more beneficial to my mental health.


    Han Sora looked like she didn¡¯t want toe, but she was watching the situation from behind as if she had just realized the atmosphere.


    ¡°Hic. Hic!¡±


    Jung Hayan, who shed tears without saying anything, was a bonus.


    I don¡¯t know why she¡¯s here, but even Princess Elena was shedding tears.


    While waiting for the quick end of this cheap tear-jerker that couldn¡¯t be seen without tears, Park Deokgu and Kim Hyunsung, who inhaled Blue feelings with lethal doses, quietly approached and patted my shoulders.


    ¡°I will never let you die. Never.¡±


    ¡°I think it is decided. Look. Kiyoung is not alone.¡±


    ¡®Not alone, my ass.¡¯


    I wanted to leave this ce.


    However, I was forced to nod and drop a tear because of those serious faces.


    It was a perfect checkmate. I wanted to resist a little more, but I couldn¡¯t say anything else at this ce.


    Naturally, I opened my mouth in the end. A voice that sounded like I was very moved came out without my knowledge.


    ¡°Everyone¡­ thank you very much.¡±


    It was a time when it can be called a crisis, both externally and internally.


    It was the moment when the expedition caught in a big lie took the first step to the elves¡¯ home to recover my body.


    I didn¡¯t know when it would be, but perhaps history would remember an event like this. I meant, as the warriors who risked their lives to save the hero of light from a crisis.


    ¡®From now on, I should refrain from lying.¡¯


    It was only half sincere.


    ¡®For something like this.¡¯

 Chapter 345: Crying wolf (4)

    <h4>Chapter 345: Crying wolf (4)</h4>


    In fact, it wasn¡¯t that I didn¡¯t think about my final resistance, but everything happened so fast that I couldn¡¯t even take any countermeasures.


    It was very heartbreaking to see the guild members prepare for the expedition immediately after the meeting was over.


    Of course, the tears were not from the guild members¡¯ suffering. Instead, to be perfectly honest, I wanted the guild members who pushed me to the wall to suffer a little more.


    I was hoping that the elves would refuse my trip to Eberia, but even that was ruined. On the elf¡¯s side, they were weing us with open arms instead. I didn¡¯t know if they really asked what our party wanted, but it would have been the best news for the elves who were worried about the welfare of Princess Elena.


    Of course, the elf called Ludwig didn¡¯t look very happy, but after Princess Elena¡¯s fierce argument, the weak opposition had automatically be smashed.


    It was no wonder that the Three Kingdoms Alliance also proceeded very smoothly. With the elves, Oscar and Pristina, who decided that they couldn¡¯t be dyed for a day, moved quickly.


    Even the country leaders were doing their best to put me into the pit of Eberia, so everything had gotten solved easily.


    The speed at which the Holy Democracy State, the Kingdom of Laios, and the Kingdom of Eberia were hinderingplicated documents was faster than my act of gathering energy for a change of posture. As a result, everyone was satisfied.


    It was an alliance that was neither favorable nor disadvantageous to anyone.


    [Sess of the Three Kingdoms Alliance, the first step toward harmony between different races.]


    [On the 26th, the alliance between the Holy Democracy State, the Kingdom of Laios, and the Kingdom of Eberia were concluded. Each country¡¯s leader expressed great satisfaction that the alliance was formed much faster and more flexible than expected. In particr, the transformation of the Kingdom of Eberia, which had been exclusive to humans, surprised many. The deration of the Three Kingdoms Alliance was read aloud at a convention held in the royal city of Laios, and a step into a new utopia amid the cheers of the people. ¡°This is a small step, but it is a big step toward improving rtions with the different races,¡± said Oscar, the State leader.]


    [Since then, the Three Kingdoms Alliance condemned the Republic that was protecting the demon summoner Jin Qing and appealed to join them in the extinction of ck magic on the continent. While everyone is paying attention to the Republic¡¯s future movements, which are still sparing words, the Three Kingdoms Alliance ns to formally refer this matter to the Continental Court on the 29th. -Reporter Kim Seong-gyeong of the Lindel Daily]


    ¡®Sh*t.¡¯


    It took less than a day for the documents to be stamped, and the article hade out.


    The content was also very satisfactory, and I liked the n to refer this matter to the Continental Court, but dissatisfaction arose naturally.


    If they could have finished it so quickly, I would like to ask why they had been dying so far. It could have been possible because each of the articles had gotten conceded by the State and Laios, but I couldn¡¯t understand the elves who epted it without any suspicion.


    In a way, it could be seen as an advantage. It was no different than the fact that I had made the three kingdoms.


    ¡°It¡¯s time to leave, Kiyoung-ssi.¡±


    I wanted to take a little more time, but Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t even bother giving me a small margin.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go together.¡±


    ¡°Yes. How are the preparations?¡±


    ¡°The preparations are perfect. The guild members were also in better condition than ever. They are very passionate, especially around Deokgu. He is already passionate, but this time he is more enthusiastic than usual.¡±


    ¡®Park Deokgu, this bastard, is the worst.¡¯


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry too much. It won¡¯t be a big deal.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    It was such a sight to see him holding me up with one arm even though I could walk by myself.


    Kim Hyunsung tried to give me strength as if he thought the reason I had no strength was that I was sick. I began to feel embarrassed.


    ¡®I¡¯m not sick. It was all lies.¡¯


    Even if I were toe and shout out now, no one would believe me. There seemed to be nothing in the mind of the lovely returner other than the idea of ??treating me.


    As we keep moving, I could see people ncing at me.


    Even though it was still early in the morning, rumors had already begun to spread.


    It was news that the Blue Guild was leaving on an expedition to recover the body of the hero of light, Lee Kiyoung.


    I didn¡¯t know where the rumors had originated, but I thought it might be Park Deokgu with a high probability for some reason. As we moved a little further, the guild members, Elena, and other major figures from each country were visibly waiting in front of the royal castle¡¯s gate.


    Yuno Kasugano, who was chatting with Hee-ra, Lee Ji-hye, Oscar, and Pristina, was looking at this ce from a distance.


    It went without saying about the papal officials.


    It looked like they had been waiting for me since dawn, but it was not easy to exchange greetings one by one. Cha Hee-ra, who seemed to be under the weather, looked at me, and patted my back, and Yuno Kasugano also lowered her head.


    Although Oscar had said some words of blessings, it honestly didn¡¯t get into my ears. The high priests of the State and others were also simr.


    Of course, I tried not to lose my business smile, but I didn¡¯t need to exin that a smile with bitterness, which was inherent, popped out.


    In fact, it seemed as if that face suited better. Suddenly, I started to hear a sniffing sound from somewhere.


    Lee Jihye seemed desperately holding on toughter, but she was showing off her acting skills as she was shedding tears.


    ¡®She¡¯s really¡­¡¯


    I could bet on it.


    If Elena were to see Lee Jihye, she might even vomit blood. It was a shame to be unable to do so.


    In fact, I wanted to bring people who could help me a little more, but unfortunately, the situation was that only the Blue Guild members could go on the expedition.


    Kim Hyunsung held back other people¡¯s participation, and honestly, I agreed with that decision. It was because we needed people to take charge of the field before we ended our expedition in Eberia.


    Anyway, the overall atmosphere was like a mourner¡¯s house. However, they also seemed to have some hope. Incessant encouragement was poured out to Kim Hyunsung, who was in charge of this expedition, and the expedition opened the gates of the royal pce to take a step forward.


    ¡®Oh, don¡¯t do this. What kind of tear-jerker is this?¡¯


    A spectacr and magnificent sight came into view.


    ¡®Please don¡¯t do this. Don¡¯t attack my conscience. You bastards. ¡®


    In fact, my conscience was fine. It was because I had seen the endless flow of Laios people before.


    There was no crowd shout as it was a very solemn atmosphere.


    Honestly, it would have been a pleasant sight if it were the usual, but I didn¡¯t feel well for some reason. In fact, when I saw the gathering when I was passed out, I cheered, but the situation was the oppositepared to then.


    Everyone waving their hands and cheering for me looked like the demons of hell, shouting that the time to be punished hade.


    ¡°It looks like they gathered more thanst time? That¡¯s great¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°As expected from Hyung-nim.¡±


    Park Deokgu, next to me, began to mutter, and Jung Hayan nodded. Kim Hyunsung was still sticking to my side as we walked.


    Voices kept popping out from everywhere. At first, it was just a small voice, but the voices began to grow louder as time passed.


    ¡°B-Be strong.¡±


    ¡°Cheer up! I will pray.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. And I hope that you wille back to Laios in full form! I will pray every day for the Honorary Cardinal.¡±


    ¡°Thank you! Thank you so much!¡±


    ¡°Laios will not forget you. Please stop by again.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t lose hope. Thanks to Lee Kiyoung, we didn¡¯t lose hope. Please do not lose hope.


    ¡°You will be able to ovee it. If it¡¯s Lee Kiyoung, you will surely ovee it!¡±


    Honestly, it was spectacr. People were standing densely in all ces except on the path our expedition were to pass by. Some screamed from the windows of the houses, and even people on the roof can be seen.


    All they had inmon were their tears.


    The Laios¡¯ guards seemed to have a hard time controlling the crowd, so there was no need to say anything else.


    It was then that a little kid broke out of the line.


    Instantly, the guards rushed to stop the kid, but in the meantime, the cursed brain of having to manage the image began to move first. When I quietly went to stop the guard, the little kid stepped over and gave me a letter and a bar of chocte.


    [Thank you, Champion of the Light. Thank you for saving my mom and dad, and for saving me, too. I heard that you¡¯re hurt a lot. I hope to see you again in a healthy way. I will pray every day.]


    It was crooked writing. The font sizes were also different, but from the kid¡¯s point of view, there were signs of trying to write as straight as possible.


    ¡®This is too much.¡¯


    Nevertheless, my wall of conscience did not copse. I could see the cute hand clenching her fist and talking to me.


    ¡°Cheer up! Cheer up!¡±


    ¡°What is your name?¡±


    ¡°Leah, I¡¯m Leah. You must stay healthy, warrior!¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    I finished by nodding and patting her head once.


    Although bitterness came up once again, Kim Hyunsung seemed to think that I was having aplicated idea. He turned his head slightly and smiled.


    ¡°I wanted to show you this scene.¡±


    ¡®This was your work.¡¯


    ¡°Everyone is hoping that Kiyoung¡¯s body will be healthy as soon as possible. Look at them. There are so many people who support you.¡±


    ¡®I can see it too, Hyunsung.¡¯


    ¡°I will do my best, too. I hope that Kiyoung will not lose hope.¡±


    ¡®I have never lost¡­¡¯


    ¡°Be relieved, everyone! We will definitely return him to normal! Everyone rest assured! Ugh¡­¡±


    ¡°Please, Park Deokgu!¡±


    ¡°Trust me! I will definitely bring him back to my health! I will definitely save him!¡±


    ¡°You can ovee it! Lee Kiyoung!¡±


    In the meantime, Park Deokgu screamed loudly, and cheers popped out again.


    Park Deokgu couldn¡¯t figure out why he was crying, but he kept raising the atmosphere. The greater the cheering, the more the guild members had a strange sense of duty.


    ¡®Sh*t.¡¯


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, everyone.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Guild Master.¡±


    Our group¡¯s morale was strong.


    Unlike the Blue Guild members, who constantly grew to adapt in whatever situation they were to face, anxiety was constantly blooming inside me, as much as the sound of cheering from afar.

 Chapter 346: The Elves’ City (1)

    <h4>Chapter 346: The Elves¡¯ City (1)</h4>


    ¡°How are you feeling, Honorary Cardinal?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯mfortable. I can¡¯t remember when was thest time I was able to be sofortable. I¡¯m in a very good mood.¡±


    Of course, it was all ironic, but Elena didn¡¯t seem to notice the thorns in my words. She smiled widely as if she was happy upon hearing my response. She sent a divine power that I hadn¡¯t heard of while thinking that she had a rewarding time today.


    It looked like she was treating a leprosy patient. She seemed to put up with it, but I could see her mouth slowly opening as if my disgusting energy was not disappearing. As we had been in an enclosed space for a long time, it was frankly amazing to endure this much.


    I didn¡¯t know why my soul was disgusting, but considering that she let everything inside her out as soon as she met me, she could be said to be courageous to hold on so far.


    ¡°Can I go get some air? Ugh.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course.¡±


    The sound that came after leaving the wagon with a smile was a spectacle.


    ¡°Ugh. Ugh.¡±


    ¡®I can hear everything¡­¡¯


    ¡°aarrggghhh.¡±


    ¡®I can hear everything¡­¡¯


    ¡°aaar¡­ ggghh.¡±


    ¡°Elena-nim¡­ Elena-nim.¡±


    ¡°Sigh¡­ Sigh¡­ Yes.¡±


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m fine. Ludwig.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to overdo it.¡±


    ¡°No, Ludwig. Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung will be having a harder time than me. I have to work hard as the mission was given to me. I can¡¯t even say that it¡¯s hard at all. Haha¡­¡±


    ¡°But¡­ Elena, he¡¯s¡­¡±


    I couldn¡¯t hear his voice as if he realized that he hadn¡¯t used soundproofing magic, but it was like locking the stable after the horse was stolen.


    ¡®There is no such nightingale.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t hear them, but I think I could tell what they were talking about. Perhaps Ludwig and her attendants were telling her that she needed to take a break, and Elena, united with her strange sense of mission, was nodding her elongated head, saying it was all okay.


    In fact, this treatment was a trivial process of sending her divine power, but to her attendants, it would seem as if their princess was stepping into a space full of twisted, deadly gues. It was hard for them to see the princess vomiting several times a day.


    It was too harsh even for me to think of, but perhaps over there, they would think it was even worse.


    As I nced at the window, I started to see thendscape constantly changing. It seemed like I was on a train. It was not unreasonable to be fast because it ran with a horse with various buffs pulling the carriage. Even the wagon didn¡¯t feel shaken. I couldn¡¯t imagine how hard the guild¡¯s wizards and priests were trying to maintain it like this.


    I bet it would feel morefortable to just march.


    ¡®Because there is no need to do this.¡¯


    Of course, even if I were to say that I was okay in the current situation. It was nothing more than an empty cry. In the meantime, I said countless times that I felt like I was getting healthy, but all were ignored. In fact, by now, I hade to the point where I had to keep lying. Pretending to be fine all of a sudden could look strange, so I was still maintaining my previous state.


    Of course, I was slowing down the cycle of my seizures, little by little, to show that Elena¡¯s treatment was working, but all the other guild members were unsure, thanks to this elf princess, which stiffened herplexion.


    Come to think of it, thest time I had a seizure was 11 hours ago.


    The seizure cycle was gradually slowing down from the first 8 to 11 hours, so it would be appropriate to have a seizure by now. I didn¡¯t want to do it because I felt sick for some reason, but I quietly adjusted my breath and tried to crumple my whispering voice into my throat.


    The point was that I didn¡¯t want to be noticed. The current Light Kiyoung was a person who wanted to hide as much as possible that he was sick from his teammates. He repressed a miserable scream and twisted his whole body, much like when someone was watching. He moved enough to appear in a major zombie movie. It was a move that deserved an acting award to me.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Ah¡­¡±


    Of course, the unbearable screams started to leak out. As the door rattled open, seeing Elena appear once again seemed to confirm my voice.


    ¡°Lee Kiyoung! Lee Kiyoung!¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°Ludwig! Please hold onto the arm of the Honorary Cardinal.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Once again, erosion seems to be going on. Please be patient, Honorary Cardinal. I am with you. I am with you.¡±


    ¡°Ugh.¡±


    It was no wonder that she bit her lips tightly and shed a few drops of tears. Of course, Princess Elena herself was crying, and she was pushing her divine power over here.


    ¡°You will be able to ovee it, Lee Kiyoung. You have to fight.¡±


    ¡°Gasp¡­¡±


    ¡°Please do not give up. Don¡¯t ept it. Resist it to the end.¡±


    ¡°What. Our Hyung-nim again¡­¡±


    ¡°O-Oppa!¡±


    It was natural that the galleries that came to see my acting first went into the room with anxious faces.


    She had a deep divine power, so it would be normal for me to look healthy for some more time, but for some reason, this woman¡¯s divine power was painful. What I feltst time was not my mistake. I had been treated several times since then until now, but it hurt for some reason. Of course, it wasn¡¯t annoying, so I could show a calming performance when Elena, who eventually pulled her divine power to her limits, sighed and took her breath away.


    ¡°Waaahh¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you okay? Hyung-nim, are you okay?¡±


    However, afterward, my body became drowsy as if I would fall asleep. The painting contrasted with Elena, covered with sweat, and Park Deokgu and Jung Hayan, who were crying. Even today, the thought that I had piled up a stack of trash was quiet, but this was the best in the current situation. For now, I had no choice but to keep this lie.


    The voice I heard when I was about to fall asleep with my eyes closed was a spectacle. It wasn¡¯t good news for me.


    ¡°Is he a little bit better? Is he sleeping right now?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Fortunately, he seems to have cked out.¡±


    ¡°I want you to be honest with me. He looks a little rxed now, but the seizure cycle is noticeably longer¡­ wasn¡¯t it first aid, for now?¡±


    ¡°No. I would like to say good news, but it is not. Of course, it is wee that the cycles are getting longer apart, but¡­ the condition did not get better. The inside is still contaminated and twisted that I can¡¯t see with my eyes. Rather, I feel like he¡¯s increasingly resisting my strength. I couldn¡¯t imagine it would it be so rotten¡­ it may be difficult to improve his condition simply on my ownpletely.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. There is still erosion going on, and it is still dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Uh, what should we do?¡±


    ¡°How do I tell you¡­ for now, I will try to reach with my strength.¡±


    ¡°Well, thank you very much. Heartily ¡­¡±


    ¡°I always tell you, but there is no need to say that. It was a job given to me.¡±


    ¡°Oh! A-And I want to ask you one more thing¡­¡±


    ¡°You can talk.¡±


    ¡°Time, how much time is left¡­ does he still have time?¡±


    ¡°¡­I can¡¯t exactly know that. Will it be tomorrow or a yearter? For now, I have no choice but to hope that Lee Kiyoung Lee will endure it. It all depends on the will of the Honorary Cardinal.¡±


    ¡°T-Then it won¡¯t be a problem. I don¡¯t know anything else, but Hyung-nim has a strong mentality. Erosion, contamination, or whatever, he¡¯s going to blow it all away. Probably, if you let him be, he will endure for ten years. I¡¯m sure he will¡­ I can be relieved¡­ Yes, absolutely¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. He will definitely get through it.¡±


    I heard Park Deokgu¡¯s voice, who seemed to be crying, and sensed Jung Hayan, who was busy rubbing my hands. In fact, I had heard such a conversation more than once or twice, but it had soon be burdensome.


    ¡®No, not much time left, my ass.¡¯


    I wanted to get up and dance right now, but I couldn¡¯t even open my eyes to the very solemn atmosphere. As this happened several times a day, it became rather dull. In the asshole show, which had now be a daily routine, the Blue Guild members were swaying day by day, and there was no day where no tears ran down their cheeks.


    ¡°I think he¡¯s having a good sleep after a long time¡­¡±


    ¡°I think it would be better to leave. There is not much left until arrival, so it would be better to let him rest, even Jung Hayan.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll stay in h-h-here.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll stay h-here.¡±


    ¡°Jung Hayan-nim, I understand your feelings.¡±


    ¡°I will stay here¡­ Hic. I will stay here.¡±


    ¡°Please let her stay with him for a moment.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Hyung-nim will want it, too. We will arrive in a few hours anyway. Let¡¯s leave.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what the hell he meant by I was going to want it, too, but I heard the door closed once again. It was no wonder that I had gotten tense. This was because, in the past, when I was sleeping, Jung Hayan always did something unusual.


    However, she didn¡¯t do anything other than lying next to me. Instead, only a crying sound continued to resonate.


    ¡°Hic¡­ Waaaahh¡­¡±


    ¡®Oh, gosh.¡¯


    ¡°Hic¡­ Hic¡­¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t cry¡­¡¯


    At this point, even though it was me, I was going to feel guilty. It was very burdensome to hear only the sniffling sound in the quiet room. I want to lead my tired body and take one more nap, but I couldn¡¯t possibly sleep in this atmosphere.


    ¡°Hic¡­ You can¡¯t be sick. Hic.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Hic¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­ ¡°


    ¡®When will we arrive? They said we¡¯re almost there.¡¯


    Time seemed to continue to flow, but the sound wasn¡¯t going to diminish, and it wasn¡¯t until three more hours with my closed eyes that I started to hear the sound of bustling outside.


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t confirm what kind of situation it was, but the wagon¡¯s speed that was running crazy seemed to be gradually decreasing. We were close to the Kingdom of Eberia. Jung Hayan, who had only been crying, got up.


    I didn¡¯t know exactly what she was doing, but she was probably looking out of the window. At one point, the carriage stopped, and I heard the sound of the door opening.


    ¡°Nuna, it seems like we arrived. You shoulde outside¡­¡±


    ¡°How about Oppa?¡±


    ¡°I guess he has to stay a little¡­¡±


    ¡°No, Deokgu. I¡¯m awake.¡±


    ¡°Gasp¡­ You can sleep a little more. Why are you already¡­?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve arrived, and I have to see what the Eberia Kingdom looks like.¡±


    As soon as I got up, Jung Hayan grabbed my arm. Park Deokgu also started to treat me like a baby bird. Eventually, I got out of the wagon, but everyone¡¯s treatment had begun to make me feel ufortable.


    ¡°Wee to the Kingdom of Eberia, everyone.¡±


    ¡°Wee.¡±


    At the forefront, Kim Hyunsung was talking with someone while shaking hands, and Cho Hyejin and others were no different. In fact, what caught my eyes more than the guys was the current background surrounding me.


    An eye-catching scenery unfolded before my eyes.


    ¡°Wow¡­¡±


    My jaw had unconsciously dropped.

 Chapter 347: The Elves’ City (2)

    <h4>Chapter 347: The Elves¡¯ City (2)</h4>


    Information about elves was extremely limited. This was because they were the most veiled among the heterogeneous peoples who maintained a closed policy, and I could not even say that their rtionship with humans was good. After Castle Rock was turned upside down, it became difficult to find elven ves in the State, but in fact, elves were traded in secret somewhere on the continent.


    As the situation was like this, the elves had chosen to hide about themselves, and as a result, the forest of the elves had be an unknownnd except for them. I was indeed quite surprised when I first saw Laios. However, the Kingdom of Eberia was showing a more overwhelming sight than I had initially imagined.


    ¡®Really¡­¡¯


    It was a natural scene that was truly awe-inspiring. The lush green forest, the colorful flowers, and therge trees of different sizes were difficult to look up at the ends, and the air entering the lungs was also different.


    It was ridiculous for me to use this expression, but it felt like my whole body was purified. Of course, it was not actually purified.


    The most impressive thing was therge tree located in the center of the city. The tree, whose size could not be determined, was strangely harmonized with the surrounding scene, creating a perfect picture.


    ¡®World Tree?¡¯


    That was the World Tree that had only been heard by rumors. I had never heard of a tree emitting a faint light, so it must be it. In the meantime, Elena was holding her ears punctuated, but she seemed to be in a good mood.


    I felt gooding to a ce with good air after wandering around in the trash. As I looked around here and there, I turned to the voice I heard, and a face that seemed familiar for some reason came into sight.


    ¡®They look alike.¡¯


    It was a man with emerald hair and eyes like Elena. Anyone could see his connection with her.


    After greeting Kim Hyunsung, the leader of the group, he turned to me. He was 300 years old. The age difference was not so big to say that he was her father, so I thought I could probably think of him as her sibling. The peculiar thing was that the force he had was considerable. He was a capable person who had reached a level simr to the Eight Seats of the State or the Five Tiger Generals. There were some other strong yers besides him, but I was very happy to be able to see someone talented who could be used as the front.


    ¡°Wee to the kingdom of Eberia, Lee Kiyoung-nim.¡±


    ¡°And you are¡­?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Elios Eberia. You can call me Elios.¡±


    ¡°It is an honor to meet you¡­¡±


    ¡°No. There is no need to express courtesy. It¡¯s an honor to meet you. More importantly, I heard you are not very well¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s embarrassing, but¡­ that¡¯s correct.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that serious to worry about.¡±


    ¡°I also saw Lee Kiyoung fighting through the Goddess¡¯s¡¯ Mirror. On behalf of our elves, I would like to express my gratitude.¡±


    ¡°I just did what I had to do.¡±


    Our greetings were a bit stiff. I started to feel like some of them were truly wary of us.


    ¡°Let¡¯s move first. I will guide you where you¡¯ll be staying.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Armed men can be seen covering this ce. It was to protect us, on the surface, but I also thought that it was to protect the other elves from us.


    Interestingly, the other elves were watching us as if they were looking at zoo monkeys. It was the same with the little elves who were gathered all over the ce, but those looking at us from the strangely shaped building also stood out. Some were gossiping, and others were cheering. Looking at their reaction¡­


    ¡®Does it mean that half of them are weing?¡¯


    In other words, it meant that the other half were not weing. I felt that they were more vignt than rejecting us, but it had the same meaning. While we were walking slowly, I saw Elios opening his mouth again.


    ¡°This is the first time humans havee here since 556 years ago.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a long time, but it¡¯s going to be amazing enough for children. I hope you don¡¯t get offended. Of course, some asionally express hostility¡­¡±


    ¡°I can understand.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d you understand. In fact, when I heard that you were visiting here, I felt a little worried, but rather¡­ I also think it¡¯s a good thing. Everyone has a certain level of aversion to humans. Of course, it¡¯s not a hatred of the heroes of light, but our people still remember the pain. It¡¯s even more so if you think about the fact that we can still see cross-racial hunters outside of the royal pce and that cross-racial ves are being traded somewhere.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, I know that the State is one of those countries that have adopted a ban on the ve trade, but most of the elves will not make that distinction. It¡¯s heartbreaking for me, too, but for some elves, humans¡­ are just greedy and dangerous ones.¡±


    ¡°These people are different from others, brother. What I saw in the Goddess¡¯s Mirror¡­¡±


    ¡°I know that, Elena. I am not trying to me our guests right now. I am just exining the truth.¡±


    ¡®He¡¯s not just doing that¡­¡¯


    Of course, this elf named Elios did not show hostility to us, but the conversation just now may contain a lot of hidden things. In short, he told me to be quiet. Certainly, although the Three Kingdoms Alliance was formed, the temperature difference felt by that side, and this side seemed to be different.


    ¡®Things got interesting.¡¯


    I literally meant it.


    ¡®There seems to be something wrong¡­¡¯


    It was just a simple idea, but it was still a good guess. Although they stamped the document, if I looked at those agitated by the fact that only a few humans were here, I could see what the atmosphere was like. It may be that they simply reached out to face a great threat, but it was likely that they also had external or internal problems. I mean, they could have reached out to us because of need.


    ¡®What can it be?¡¯


    Of course, I didn¡¯t see any situation right now. It seemed like a peaceful ce without contention at the moment. Besides, they didn¡¯t look like they didn¡¯t have power. The soldiers¡¯ overall level seemed to be high, and there were many useful archers among them. The proportion of summoners that were not easily found on the human side was higher than that of wizards.


    To be honest, this was one powerful country. Also, considering that the barriers spreading near the city were also of high quality, it was questionable as to why they asked to join the Three Kingdoms Alliance.


    ¡®There must be a reason.¡¯


    When I tried to think again in a situation where the background knowledge around me was insufficient to guess various things, I heard a voice again. We¡¯ve arrived at the amodation in no time.


    ¡°As long as you stay in our kingdom, you can stay here. Today, relieve your fatigue, and I¡¯ll schedule a meeting with the King. Oh, I won¡¯t stop you from looking around the city during your spare time, but I hope you don¡¯t approach restricted areas.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°I will guide them directly to the city, brother.¡±


    ¡°No, you should see our father for a moment, Elena. I think it would be better to leave the guests¡¯ guidance to Ludwig.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Father is waiting. Then, everyone, have a rxing time¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait, Elios-nim.¡±


    It was then that Kim Hyunsung suddenly spoke.


    ¡®What? Hyunsung, why are you doing this again¡­¡¯


    ¡°If possible, I would like to see His Majesty separately now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡±


    ¡°I know it¡¯s rude, but it¡¯s an urgent thing. Could he¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ste now¡­¡±


    ¡°Please.¡±


    ¡®¡­What¡¯s up with you, man?¡¯


    It was certainly sudden for him to continue to ask for permission. I didn¡¯t know what the hell it was, but Elios looked disconcerted, and I didn¡¯t even need to say anything about Elena¡¯s face. I didn¡¯t know, but it was undeniable that it was something rted to me.


    It may be unreasonable to say that it was rude behavior, but he would not disagree that the atmosphere had changed a little. I could see Elios¡¯s face while talking once more. It was clearly different from before. It was a look that seemed to be wary of something.


    ¡°Can I hear why, first?¡±


    ¡°His Majesty will be able to understand if he hears it himself, Elios-sama.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°There won¡¯t be any harm done towards Eberia.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    A long silence followed. Kim Hyunsung was quietly looking at Elios, and so was Elios. It was then that the tall elf sighed loudly.


    ¡°If you say so, I will submit a request. Kim Hyunsung, please follow me. Elena, you go back to your room for a minute¡­¡±


    ¡°No. I will stay with them.¡±


    ¡°Elena.¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯ve heard the situation roughly, brother. My will remains unchanged.¡±


    ¡°Sigh¡­¡±


    His head must be hurting. I feel sympathy naturally. I know very well how he felt. In the end, it seemed that he could not ovee his sister¡¯s stubbornness.


    After Elios nodded to us and started to walk, I saw the back of Kim Hyunsung following the guy. It was a sight to see him ncing at me. His face looked like someone who was going to an important interview, and it was filled with solemnity.


    ¡®What on earth is it?¡¯


    It was true that I was anxious because there was no information. I thought something was going on, but I didn¡¯t expect him to act so fast. He even needed to be alone with the King. I was worried that he would suddenly say to hand over the kingdom¡¯s treasures, but even though the situation was urgent, I would not make an irrational move to that extent.


    ¡®This is nerve-wracking¡­ It¡¯s making me nervous about sending him alone¡­¡¯


    I wanted to follow along, but I was already tightly stuck with others. I hope that the way to heal my body was not found. I thought it would be perfect if this were finished in moderation, not bing something too big.


    In the meantime, Elena was busy guiding the other guild members while checking my condition, and the other guild members were also having conversations, but I couldn¡¯t hear them. This was because I was worried that the ufortable situation would be even more ufortable.


    Of course, as always, my sad hunch had never been wrong.


    An hour passed after Kim Hyunsung went outside. Then, I started hearing busy noises somewhere. It felt like the armed men were heading this way. As I naturally looked at Elena, I could see her nodding and looking outside the door.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Excuse me for a moment, Elena-nim.¡±


    ¡°What is this doing now?!¡±


    ¡°Please forgive the rudeness.¡±


    ¡°Put that weapon down from your hand right now!¡±


    There were noisy sounds from outside. I couldn¡¯t figure out what was going on, but I could tell one thing for sure.


    ¡®What the hell did Kim Hyunsung say?¡¯


    Our lovely returner had indeed made an irrational move.

 Chapter 348: The Elves’ City (3)

    <h4>Chapter 348: The Elves¡¯ City (3)</h4>


    As I concentrated my magic on my ears, I started to hear a loud sound from the next room. Armed knights rushed into the room in an instant.


    ¡®Fuck¡­ What the hell did he say?¡¯


    Instantly I put my hand into my arms. It was only a matter of seconds to decide whether it was better to throw the Dragon Breath potion.


    Princess Elena was constantly shouting as if she felt greatly embarrassed, but she didn¡¯t seem to be that helpful.


    ¡°I have clearly told you to put down your weapon!¡±


    ¡°It is an order from Elios. We¡¯re not trying to do any harm. It is in order to protect the guests for a moment.¡±


    ¡°Is that the attitude of those who want to protect now? It doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s an order from my brother. I will not stand it anymore.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Elena-nim. I think you should stay, too.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what the hell was going on.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t feel the murderous intentions towards us from those elves, but I couldn¡¯t feelfortable with them trying to detain us.


    ¡®It looks like everything is ruined.¡¯


    Naturally, I was seriously worried about whether I should escape from here. That was when the wall on the side copsed.


    The thing that emerged through the walls was holding arge shield.


    ¡°Vice Guild Master!¡±


    It was Yoo Ahyoung.


    Next to her was Kim Chang-ryul, wearing a mask as always.


    ¡°Come over this way. Quick, this way!¡±


    Naturally, I got up and hurried. I could feel Yoo Ahyoung tightly grasping my body.


    I could feel her, but it was impossible to think something differently in such a crazy situation. As soon as I grabbed Elena¡¯s hand, she also came to this side.


    ¡°Ahhh!¡±


    ¡°What the hell is going on?¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m not sure either. Why suddenly. Suddenly¡­¡±


    ¡°A trap? Is it a trap? Vice Guild Master?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Ahyoung-ssi, do you know where others are?¡±


    ¡°I do, Vice Guild Master.¡±


    Kim Chang-ryul was the one who answered. Contrary to his name, his talent was notme. Whatever it might be, I had to open my mouth quickly as opening the road was an urgent priority.


    ¡°We¡¯ll try to avoid killing as much as we can.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    The exnation was indeed concise, and the answer was short.


    Immediately, Yoo Ahyoung put on the helmet that had been loose on the bed and started running. Kim Chang-ryul also prevented the elves from entering through the wall where Yoo Ahyoung had made a hole.


    Interestingly, their level was way higher than I thought.


    I thought it wouldn¡¯t be bad if I looked at them carefully with my Mind¡¯s Eyes when I had a chance, but it was impossible in the current situation.


    As soon as I chanted the spell and flicked my fingers, the tail of arge dragon protruded from the floor and filled the wall that Kim Chang-ryul was blocking.


    Despite not instructing anything else, Kim Chang-ryul stuck to the door with Yoo Ahyoung and began to break through the troops that were in the crowd.


    ¡°Come over here, Vice Guild Master!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s look for Hayan first.¡±


    A great flow of magic power emanated even before I finished talking. Of course, only Jung Hayan could move this level of magic power.


    ¡®What is she nning now?¡¯


    No wonder I opened my mouth with a loud voice.


    ¡°Don¡¯t kill!¡±


    I shouted, but I don¡¯t know if she heard it.


    I waited for the magic to fall out of anxiety for a moment, and fortunately, the magic power disappeared as if she could hear my voice.


    I didn¡¯t know what this situation was right now, but I prevented the big magic from falling for now.


    I didn¡¯t think I could say it was instead, but¡­


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!¡±


    With this sound, a few of the elves on one side could be seen bounced out.


    It seemed that she simply injected her magical power and pushed away the oing troops. The ce where the binge was heard was clearly from Jung Hayan¡¯s room.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the ce where we heard the sound.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    In my words, Yoo Ahyoung tapped the helmet again, and the face cover on top of the helmet hade down with a click.


    I was worried if she was seeing properly, but I don¡¯t have to worry about it in the first ce. Her appearance immediately starting to move was quite impressive.


    Wearing heavy armor and the way she was swinging the hammer, she could be called the main tanker rather than a cksmith. She also seemed to have been influenced by Park Deokgu and Kim Hyunsung a lot, seeing her movements.


    Since her talent was outstanding in the first ce, it was not strange that she had grown to this extent.


    Of course, the same was true for Kim Chang-ryul, who ran around whilst doing what Yoo Ahyoung couldn¡¯t do.


    ¡®Are we doing well with this?¡¯


    What bothered me was that they really did not seem to have any intention of killing us.


    However, the situation was clear just by sending an armed army. I didn¡¯t know if it was really only to contain us, or to protect us.


    ¡®It would be better to find the others first.¡¯


    At least, it had been correct to listen to them when all the guild members were gathered together.


    When I flicked my finger again, the dragon¡¯s head popped out. However, this time, magic was gathered at the dragon¡¯s mouth¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s the B-Breath!¡±


    ¡°Get out of the way!¡±


    There was no way I could shoot something like the Breath.


    Yoo Ahyoung led me, and quickly we went between those who moved to space where we could escape and those who realized that they were deceived blushed, but it was already toote.


    ¡°There are four of them right around the corner.¡±


    ¡°Get ready, Ahyoung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Vice Guild Master.¡±


    At that moment, I was trying to push the magic power into the potion in my arms while moving my body like a slide to be prepared if anything happens.


    Yoo Ahyoung, too, tried to swing the hammer, but put her hand straight on a familiar face.


    No, to be precise, she was being blocked by arge shield.


    ¡°Gosh, you scared me, Hyung-nim! Ahyoung, you¡¯re here, too!¡±


    ¡°Kiyoung-ssi!¡±


    ¡°Vice Guild Master!¡±


    It was Park Deokgu, Han Sora, Hwang Jeong-yeon and Sun Hee-young.


    Han Sora looked somewhat anxious while Park Deokgu and Hwang Jeong-yeon were no different than usual.


    ¡°Are you okay? What the hell is going on?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll find Hayan first.¡±


    ¡°Maybe she¡¯ll be fine because she¡¯s with Hyejin.¡±


    ¡°Did you check where Ahn Ki-mo and Yeri are?¡±


    ¡°Maybe they are¡­¡±


    Bang!


    It was then that an explosion had been heard from upstairs.


    As I nced at the window, I could see Ahn Ki-mo and Kim Ye-ri jumping outward.


    ¡°We¡¯re going, too.¡±


    ¡°Will Hayan be okay?¡±


    ¡°You said she¡¯s with Hyejin. They wille down soon.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay. Hold on tight, Hyung-nim.¡±


    ¡°Jeong-yeon and Sora, prepare floating magic.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Vice Guild Master.¡±


    Before even sending a signal, Park Deokgu and Yoo Ahyoung strongly struck against the wall with their shields and, momentarily, the wall copsed.


    While I was trying to say something, Park Deokgu grabbed my waist and immediately fell to the ground without hesitation. Princess Elena was screaming with her eyes wide open, as if asking what was going on, but I wanted to ask it more.


    I looked down and looked for Kim Ye-ri, but the problem was that I couldn¡¯t see where she went.


    As I fell, I turned my head, and I saw Kim Ye-ri hanging on the wall on one side. There was a string on her waist, and Ahn Ki-mo was hung at the end of the wire, screaming.


    Kim Ye-ri, who saw us, immediately cut the line where Ahn Ki-mo was hanging, and she jumped.


    I didn¡¯t know how she could move in the air, but she grabbed Park Deokgu¡¯s shoulder and joined the party, and floating magic was used on Ahn Ki-mo, who was falling.


    Soon, Elena and I, Kim Ye-ri, and Yoo Ahyoung hanging on Park Deokgu, came down to Sora, and Sun Hee-young immediately opened her mouth to speak.


    ¡°Gather together.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    She just said a word, but a light shined through the tightly gathered Blue Guild members.


    The buff series of divine spells were constantly pouring out, and vitality began to grow in the body. The exnation was long, but in a series of steps that took ce in an instant, Elena¡¯s jaw dropped.


    ¡°A-Amazing¡­¡±


    I could agree with her.


    Even so, it seemed that our Hyunsung had not been still while I was resting, seeing that the growth of the party members stood out even to me.


    There were also people whose stats were notpleted, but they werepletely offsetting each other¡¯s shorings.


    However, I was surprised only for a moment.


    When I turned to move on to the next route immediately, I heard Elios¡¯ voice approaching this side.


    ¡®Ah¡­¡¯


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to attack. Please throw away your weapon.¡±


    ¡°Brother! What the hell is this for?¡±


    ¡°You stay quiet for a minute, Elena. I swear. I wasn¡¯t trying to cause a big problem. I just had to keep you all safe until the detailed talk was over¡­¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the same? What the hell are you doing? We have to talk.¡±


    ¡°It is difficult to talk about here. First, the weapon¡­¡±


    ¡®Damn.¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®What should I do with this?¡¯


    It was natural to think about whether I wanted to believe or not. Looking at Elena¡¯s expression, she definitely didn¡¯t know.


    In general, I thought it could be a misunderstanding caused by Kim Hyunsung, but the possibility that the elves were rted to the Republic could be excluded.


    ¡°I want to hear what¡¯s going on first.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you here right now. Please give up. It won¡¯t help both countries to cause other problems anymore.¡±


    ¡°You have to be aware that it is you who are causing the problem right now.¡±


    ¡°It was never meant to threaten. If you are surprised, I sincerely apologize.¡±


    ¡®It doesn¡¯t seem like he¡¯s lying¡­¡¯


    Nevertheless, I didn¡¯t feelfortable throwing away the weapon in my hand.


    When I was in the upper hand, it was only right to choose conversation, but anyone could see that the current guild is in a difficult situation.


    If I were to even throw away my weapon, I could be ridiculously backstabbed. He blocked even the retreat.


    It was not that I didn¡¯t think of a picture of Elena being held hostage and escaping, but the fact stood that I didn¡¯t want to.


    ¡°First, I have to do something about that bastard.¡±


    He was powerful with a level simr to at least the Eight Seats. Even if I were to run away from here, doing something about him was the top priority. I looked carefully in an instant, and his power was not bad. Park Deokgu and Yoo Ahyoung stood in the front line, and Ahn Ki-mo and Sun Hee-young could take care of the sustain. If Jung Hayan or Cho Hyejin joined us, we could prate through not only him, but also the troops.


    ¡®That bastard is the problem¡­¡¯


    It was when I was thinking about it that I remembered something.


    ¡®Where¡¯s Kim Chang-ryul again?¡¯


    He was nowhere to be seen. I wondered if he ran away by himself, but he wasn¡¯t thatme. I don¡¯t know what that guy was thinking, but I think I knew.


    ¡®Should I do it?¡¯


    I could try. It would be more beautiful to start with a surprise attack if I was thinking about breaking through them. Quickly, I put my thoughts into action. As soon as I chanted the spell, the party members who noticed my movement reacted. Elios also showed a startled expression and pulled out his sword, but Kim Chang-ryul with a dagger jumped out in a moment.


    ¡®Kim Chang-ryul, you cowardly bastard! Nice!¡¯


    The guy turned and grabbed Kim Chang-ryul¡¯s hands, but the coward began to say some memorizations with a shouting sound. I thought that I was experiencing the miracle of the red mask he always wore, but the elf turned his head and avoided even that. Of course, Kim Ye-ri took the chance and quicklyunched and took off the dagger from the hand of the guy holding Kim Chang-ryul, and Park Deokgu and Yoo Ahyoung immediately grabbed the shield and took a big step forward. The surprise attack gave me some time to think.


    ¡®We can break through.¡¯


    If there was a mistake in my calction, it was that Kim Chang-ryul could not get out of his armspletely.


    Bang!


    With that sound, I could see Elios crushing Kim Chang-ryul, who was stuck on the floor.


    ¡°I am serious. Throw away your weapon. I didn¡¯t want to do any harm.¡±

 Chapter 349: The Elves’ City (4)

    <h4>Chapter 349: The Elves¡¯ City (4)</h4>


    ¡®Sh*t¡­¡¯


    ¡°I will tell you again. I never intended something different.¡±


    ¡°How can I trust you?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°If I do this, can you trust me?¡±


    As he stepped away from Kim Chang-ryul, I could see the guy raising his hands. He really expressed no willingness to fight.


    ¡®Am I overreacting?¡¯


    It would not be unreasonable for me to think this way. If he really wanted to do something to us, it would have been ideal taking Kim Chang-ryul hostage.


    When I swallowed hard, Kim Chang-ryul got up and moved with an embarrassed expression.


    He had bowed his head slightly to mean he was sorry, but I couldn¡¯t say it was his fault. I patted him on his shoulder to mean he did well, and he bowed his head again.


    With the brief lull, all of the guild members¡¯ eyes were focused, and everyone was looking at me as if asking what to do. It would be a natural reaction because I had the final decision, but in this case, everyone¡¯s eyes felt a little burdensome.


    ¡®Sigh¡­¡¯


    In the end, I also had to step back and raise my hands. It was because I thought that there was no hostility in him and that it would not be bad to have a conversation.


    Of course, there were minimal lines that could not bepromised.


    ¡°We won¡¯t give our weapons. Since the situation is like this, I hope you understand this much.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s what you want¡­ however, I want you to follow the control.¡±


    ¡°What kind of control are you talking about¡­?¡±


    ¡°You just have to answer a few questions and wait until the conversation between my father and Kim Hyunsung is over. If you move in a way that doesn¡¯t make us feel threatened, I can be satisfied.¡±


    ¡°Has anything happened inside?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you after going inside. This is not something to be told here.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    There seemed to be a reason why he couldn¡¯t say. His face that was biting the lips was the face that had all the worries of the world.


    Anyway, this sudden happening ended futilely. I could see Jung Hayan and Cho Hyejin walking from the entrance, but they also recognized that there was no need to fight. It seemed to be Cho Hyejin¡¯s judgment rather than Jung Hayan¡¯s judgment. She watched the situation calmly.


    ¡°Oppa!¡±


    After giving her a little hug, I began to walk immediately. It was a bit embarrassing to look back at the debris made by this side and the other side, but the feeling disappeared quickly because of the serious atmosphere.


    Interestingly, the number of elves to control us was very small. Elios was here, but he could be dealt with Jung Hayan alone.


    If the situation were to break, the advantagey with us. Of course, other elves must be blocking the road outside, but we were advantageous if a battle urred immediately.


    It was obvious as to why they were in this position because we were not humans to trust.


    ¡®He said he had a question¡­¡¯


    It was security. It must be something that others should not hear.


    What he wanted to ask us was likely to be what Kim Hyunsung was currently talking with the King of Eberia. I didn¡¯t know if I was right or wrong, but I would know in a moment anyway. After roughly taking a seat, I could see him opening his mouth.


    ¡°I want you to forgive the rudeness from just before.¡±


    ¡°No. There were mistakes between each other. I¡¯m d to clear the misunderstanding even if it¡¯s now.¡±


    ¡°No. I think I was too hasty. I sincerely apologize.¡±


    ¡°I think there must have been a situation where you had to do that.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Did you hear from Elena?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°N-No, brother. I¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not asking you, Elena. I am now asking Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, brother. I don¡¯t really understand why you are doing this. It¡¯s such rudeness to the heroes who prevented the continental crisis. It¡¯s not like us to behave like this.¡±


    At Elena¡¯s words, I could see Elios ncing at me. He seemed to be thinking about whether or not to tell us.


    I also thought that frustration would be relieved if I knew something, but unfortunately, I had no information. I thought it would be better if he could at least tell me something.


    It was then that Elios, who had a stiff face for a while, opened his mouth again after he touched his lips. There was a worried expression, but it seemed that he calcted that we would know anyway.


    ¡°The Blue Guild Master knew about the condition of the World Tree.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You really didn¡¯t say anything?¡±


    ¡°I swear I don¡¯t know about that. Why¡­¡±


    ¡°Swear to Elune?¡±


    ¡°Yes, brother. I really don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve certainly never said anything about the World Tree.¡±


    ¡°Then how¡­¡±


    ¡®Kim Hyunsung¡­ This bastard¡­¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know what happened, but I think I could tell as much that Kim Hyunsung had made a mistake.


    The conversation that he was having in the castle was a secret that only a few elves knew.


    From the elves¡¯ point of view, it was natural that they were agitated since humans who visited the vige suddenly talked about the subject of security.


    ¡®He thought he heard it from Elena.¡¯


    They, too, would have spected on this issue, but it was impossible that he would have heard it from Elena. Kim Hyunsung just told about what happened in the first round.


    ¡°How could this bastard say just like that?¡±


    From his point of view, it was because he thought he had no time to dy, but even so, it was impatient to talk immediately upon arrival.


    If he knew the elves were hiding something, he should have done at least a bit of preliminary work.


    From their perspective, it was not unreasonable to be flustered since a foreigner who suddenly came talked about a secret that only they knew.


    ¡®This frustrating bastard.¡¯


    In fact, Kim Hyunsung was not so stubborn. Seeing that even when releasing information from the first round, he only did it after creating an excuse, it was correct to judge that he moved after at least thinking about it.


    Nevertheless, I was sure that he had gotten me in mind, by all ounts, for doing this kind of overkill.


    He really was in a hurry.


    ¡®If it¡¯s really like this, he¡¯ll be willing to take any risk.¡¯


    It seemed that he didn¡¯t care about the question between us and the elves. I didn¡¯t even need to exin that it appeared that I was checking with my own eyes the driving force that made him be backstabbed in the first round.


    It was true that it was a little ufortable, but as a result, it was an action taken for me, so I could not resent it.


    Rather, it made me feel better, as he thought he had to save me by taking the risk of getting rumors.


    ¡®Okay, it¡¯s my role to fix this sh*t. Well¡­¡¯


    I was hoping that the expedition itself would fall apart, but it was correct to help him as much as it could be dealt with as an international problem.


    This much was easy to be fixed. After getting a hint hearing about the World Tree, it took me an instant to organize my thoughts.


    This was probably the most appropriate excuse. I opened my mouth a little, and immediately I could see Elios looking at me.


    ¡°He must have known something that outsiders should not know.¡±


    ¡°Do you know about that, too?¡±


    ¡°No. I don¡¯t, but there is a point¡­¡±


    ¡°What are you¡­?¡±


    ¡°There is a foreigner in the State who can look into the future and the past. Of course, it¡¯s limited, but she can see what we don¡¯t see, just like Princess Elena.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what it is about, but maybe you have heard of it. I don¡¯t know the details, but the Guild Master is close to the shaman of the State.¡±


    Actually, she was a little closer to me.


    ¡°That means¡­¡±


    ¡°You can rest assured. She¡¯s the type who doesn¡¯t talk about what she sees. I bet others don¡¯t know. Even with a few knowing, there will be no harm to Eberia.¡±


    ¡°How¡­ can you assert that?¡±


    ¡°For reference, the fact that a shaman of the State can see the future is also a secret that should not be told to other countries. There are fewer than ten people in the State who know this. I think you know what I mean, Elios-nim.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    This was because we were in the same boat now.


    ¡°Then, can I hear exactly what¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Sigh¡­¡±


    ¡°If you are ufortable¡­¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s something you¡¯ll know anyway¡­ I think I can get what the Honorary Cardinal means. That¡¯s right. It is no longer the same time as it used to be.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    With a slight sigh, he began to speak up in earnest. It was roughly predictable, but I was also curious.


    However, it felt different from when listening directly to him.


    ¡°Do you know how our elves could deter outside invasion for such a long time?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. If I think about what you just said to Elena¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s because of the World Tree.¡±


    ¡®I already heard it and knew it, bastard.¡¯


    ¡°To be precise, it is because of the powerful magic that the World Tree emits. It is no exaggeration to say that our kingdom is maintained by it. Forests and water are affected, as well as in very minor areas. You can think that it is because of the World Tree that we have been able to continue to maintain a closed position. The Kingdom of Eberia does not have to worry about running out of resources.¡±


    ¡®He seems to be talking in a too detailed manner¡­¡¯


    ¡°The same is true of barriers that prevent outsiders from entering. The existence of the World Tree itself was able to avoid great dangers withoutrge human resource consumption. Yes. Until now.¡±


    ¡®So there was no separate wizard.¡¯


    Somehow I thought the level was too high.


    ¡°You¡¯re talking in the past tense.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡®I smell something.¡¯


    It¡¯s something simple.


    ¡°When did it start?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been 42 years ago.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Starting from 42 years ago, the roots of the World Tree continue to rot.¡±


    There was no room for denial. The fact was very simple.


    No matter how much we were making a show, the elves wouldn¡¯t have reached out for us.


    ¡®You guys were also having a hard time.¡¯


    It was not only the State and Laios that were in danger.

 Chapter 350: The Elves’ City (5)

    <h4>Chapter 350: The Elves¡¯ City (5)</h4>


    If I were to think a little bit about their current situation, the answer woulde quickly.


    The Eberian Kingdom had been able to live a wealthy life while maintaining its closing policy until now, all because of the World Tree.


    I had no choice but to think that something was wrong right now.


    The continent¡¯s resources were not infinite. The reason why the Kingdom of Eberia,pletely disconnected from the outside world, could continue to develop was nothing else.


    ¡®It means the resources are endless.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know with what mechanism the city was working, but it was undeniable that most elves depended on the World Tree, and considering that soil and drinking water were also affected, the answer was already there.


    The same went for defense systems. Historically, the Kingdom of Eberia had constantly resisted external threats. Many countries were now adoptingws to ban the interracial ve trade, but it was not in the past.


    Most of the authoritative nobles had elven ves. There was even a precedent that they invaded the Kingdom of Eberia on a national or territorial basis, so there was no need to exin what the situation was like.


    The World Tree was closely rted to their lives as well as the existence of the Kingdom.


    However, said World Tree was rotting.


    ¡®It can be said that it is on the verge of breaking down.¡¯


    From their standpoint, they had no choice but to find an alternative quickly. If the World Tree copsed as it was, the future of Eberia was almost as obvious.


    They would be struggling with resources and would not be able to cope with external threats properly. If I exaggerated a bit, troops would be sent to bite them from all over the ce.


    I didn¡¯t know if that would be a reality or not, but at least it was enough to make the leaders nervous.


    At the same time, the Laios¡¯ demon summonsing case bursts. The State was still a country that could be ssified as a powerful country, and the image of Laios, who spent most of their time as a neutral country, was inevitably better.


    It meant they would have thought that joining us was their way to live. If they could trade with the outside world, they could get out of the situation of limited resources and even prevent other threats.


    Of course, the fact that they reacted negatively to ck magic also helped to encourage the choice, but the fundamental reasony in their own crisis.


    When I looked at Elena slightly, she looked serious, but she didn¡¯t seem to think that the alliance had political reasons.


    ¡®She¡¯s naive.¡¯


    Byparison, Elios must have acted with all of this in mind.


    It seemed that the State was worried that this would be a cause of concern, but even in there, Eberia was prey that they did not want to miss.


    There were many resources in the forest and the external image we could get from joining them.


    Of course, if we knew that their resources were on the verge of running out, we would not have proceeded with the alliance on equal terms.


    In a way, we were scammed. It wasn¡¯t enough that the back was tingling, but it was correct to say that we had suffered minor damage.


    ¡°The root of the World Tree¡­¡±


    ¡°It is still in progress. The investigation continues from the point of discovery to the present, but the cause has not been directly discovered. At first, the rotting area was very small, but now, about a third of the roots arepletely contaminated. The rate of erosion is very¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fast.¡±


    ¡°Yes. It even continues to elerate.¡±


    ¡°How much is left?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be gone in 30 years, if long¡­¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s too fast¡­¡¯


    They are pressed by urgent business.


    ¡°Then, Hyunsung has¡­¡±


    ¡°He said he could solve the problem.¡±


    ¡°You mean Hyung-ssi?¡±


    ¡°Yes. He¡¯s still talking to my father.¡±


    ¡°Can I check it with my own eyes?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t trust you, but I hope you¡¯ll stay here until his Majesty finishes the conversation. It¡¯s really not because I don¡¯t trust you. I just want you to understand that the situation is that much serious.¡±


    ¡°I repeat, but you don¡¯t have to be sorry.¡±


    This was because there was no guarantee that we would not aim for the roots; I would have made the same choices as he did.


    Rather, it was correct to think that this was not too much. Although it was a little twisted initially, the quarantine measure was enough evidence that they were showing sufficient consideration to us.


    Of course, I felt curious about the case when things didn¡¯t go well afterward.


    ¡®Because Kim Hyunsung is not good at speaking.¡¯


    One way or another, I could only grasp the exact situation when he returned. It was then that I could just hear the knocking on the door.


    I was happy to see him momentarily, but I was forced to harden my expression.


    ¡®That bastard.¡¯


    Although it was for me, it was an undeniable fact that he acted without a word to me.


    Of course, it was Kim Hyunsung who showed up. His face, with a smile, was somewhat proud.


    ¡®Was he sessful?¡¯


    It was only right to think that he at least elicited a positive response. Kim Hyunsung, who entered the room with several elves, exined to the guild members as soon as he arrived.


    The elves who hade together were also having a conversation with Elios in an atmosphere that could be said to be quite harmonious.


    Naturally, I was worried that he would leave it up in his mind and then suddenly go off. He should have been like this straight from the beginning.


    When I went straight to the door with a hardened face, not looking at him, I felt his gaze focused on me, but this method was the most effective to uncover the secrets that he kept.


    ¡®You don¡¯t know why I¡¯m angry?¡¯


    It had been a long time since Cho Hyejin¡¯s case that I used this skill. When I looked back for a moment, our eyes met, but I saw a bright smile as if he felt proud, rather than if he had made a mistake.


    It was only natural to frown. It was only then that he realized he had made a mistake, and I saw him running towards this side.


    It was a sight to see him following me through the door that was about to close. Other guild members seemed to be wondering what was going on, but they did note inside together as if Kim Hyunsung restrained them.


    ¡°Er, Kiyoung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Kiyoung-ssi¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    It was only right to ignore his voice.


    ¡°You heard about it from Elios-nim¡­ Fortunately, things seem to have worked out well. Of course, he said that he would think about it a little more, but I was told that he would give a definite answer within tomorrow as soon as possible. He also said he was positive.¡±


    ¡°I see. That¡¯s great.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think things would go well¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes. I see.¡±


    When I tried to make my face harden and show that I was upset, I saw a little anxious face likest time. I didn¡¯t know if he was quick-witted or not, but it seemed that he thought I would praise him if he were to achieve some results.


    It was so ridiculous that I wanted tough. As I was organizing my thoughts on how to speak up, I immediately heard a voice.


    ¡°Er¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I am sorry for not telling you in advance. I wanted to tell you, but it was a little impulsive. Also¡­ you¡¯re not feeling well, and I didn¡¯t thoughts.¡±


    ¡®Oh, if hees out like this, it¡¯ll be embarrassing again¡­¡¯


    The appearance of apologizing for knowing that he had done something wrong seemed to show that he also developed tolerance. In fact, I wanted to be a little more annoyed, but the reaction seems that I didn¡¯t even have to be.


    ¡°Sigh¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry.¡±


    ¡°Hyunsung-ssi, at least, shouldn¡¯t I know how things work¡­?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    He looked like a puppy left alone in the rain.


    ¡®I can¡¯t get weak.¡¯


    I thought about it, but in the end, I had to surrender at his sad shoulder. The atmosphere was created roughly anyway. I didn¡¯t even need to press him anymore. When I sighed once again, I could see him ncing at me, but he seemed to be relieved by my slightly rxed expression.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how Hyunsung knows about this, but I roughly said that it might be because of Kasugano.¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened or how Hyunsung knows about this issue, but it¡¯s not the case that matters. At least I think I deserve to know what will happen in the future.¡±


    ¡®Considering how much I have done so far.¡¯


    Of course, considering that he didn¡¯t have the time to make excuses, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to talk about this easily. He still seemed to want to hide the fact that he was a returner.


    ¡°I¡­ I wasn¡¯t thinking straight.¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s not because I want to get an apology. Yes. Never. Didn¡¯t I tell you clearly?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean¡­¡±


    ¡®This slow bastard.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t seem to realize that if there was anything he would be hiding, it was an expression to pay the tax quickly. As soon as I hardened my face, I could see him showing off the dog¡¯s expression in the rain.


    I was forced to open my mouth again because he seemed to be able to understand only if I were to speak directly one more time.


    ¡°I told you that I deserve at least to hear what will happen in the future.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Although he seemed to be wondering, it seemed he thought it was only right to talk about it in the end. I could see him opening his mouth carefully.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how far you have heard it, but¡­¡±


    ¡°I heard that you said you could solve the current situation in Eberia.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I know roughly the reason. Of course, I am not sure. It¡¯s only spections¡­¡±


    ¡®Spection, my ass.¡¯


    The words Kim Hyunsung said was the right answer.


    ¡°It¡¯s probably being influenced by the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It will be easy to understand if you think about the time of the Cursed Shrine.¡±


    I understood. Not all dungeons do, but certain dungeons affected the surroundings just by remaining.


    What I could easily guess was that a dungeon was created in the Kingdom of Eberia. I didn¡¯t know if the dungeon was contaminating the World Tree, or sucking up nutrients, or if the dungeon¡¯s reward was the key to solving this situation. It was likely that any of the three would have a pretty high rating.


    Perhaps this was the reason he described it as dangerous.


    ¡°Do you know the exact location?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not urate, but it¡¯s easy to find. I hope you don¡¯t ask how I got to know this.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°The name of the dungeon is Twisted Demon¡¯s Pond. Most of the main monsters are demons, and so are named monsters. The rating is above the legendary-grade. The dungeon strategy is the purification of the pond, including the killing of named monsters, and you will probably be able to heal your body there.¡±


    ¡®So, it¡¯s the third one.¡¯


    The detailed situation remained to be seen, but he seemed to believe that a pond that could cure the World Tree could cure my disease as well.


    ¡°I see. Do you think the twisted pond can solve my problem?¡±


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡®This is pretty good.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t even imagine him telling me everything like this just because I put a little pressure on him. I thought that I could only know simple information at best, but his current face was quite a pleasure to see.


    It seemed as if Hyunsung wanted to confess something, but his voice was noting out properly. I realized what he was worried about and what he was trying to reveal in an instant.


    ¡®Right. Hyunsung. You can tell it all to your heart¡¯s content. You know that I¡¯m full of understanding.¡¯


    ¡°Are you not asking?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Why do I¡­?¡±


    ¡°Do you know all these things?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t tell me. It would be a lie if I said I¡¯m not curious, but I don¡¯t want to make you troubled.¡±


    ¡®This is the correct answer.¡¯


    In response to my trusting response, Kim Hyunsung looked moved.


    He even looked to be feeling guilty. It seemed to be telling whether it was only right to continue lying to me, who gave him such infinite trust. It felt like his eyes looking at me were somewhat changing. It was then that he nodded and opened his mouth.


    ¡°Kiyoung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°So¡­¡±


    ¡®Bingo!¡¯


    ¡°It may sound ridiculous. But in fact¡­¡±


    It was natural to cheer inside, but it didn¡¯tst long, either.


    ¡°Hyung-nim!! Hyung-ssi!! Please,e out!¡±


    The appropriate intruder appeared at the right time.


    ¡®That son of bitch is really¡­¡¯


    Without realizing it, I clenched my fists tightly.

 Chapter 351: Kim Hyuna (1)

    <h4>Chapter 351: Kim Hyuna (1)</h4>


    ¡®I don¡¯t know if that pig bastard is helpful or not.¡¯


    He could be helpful in decisive moments, but he could also be a blow to unexpected situations.


    This was the moment where I could finally hear the words that Kim Hyunsung had returned from his mouth. He must have worked very hard.


    It was evident that he was trying to unlock the treasure chest impulsively without even knowing it in a subtle atmosphere. This short break would give Kim Hyunsung time to think again.


    While I was driving him into the wall, an obstruction came out. Of course, it was not the time to say that it was toote.


    ¡®It¡¯s still possible.¡¯


    Naturally, I opened my mouth while looking at Kim Hyunsung immediately.


    ¡°What you were trying to tell me¡­?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing.¡±


    ¡®Damn.¡¯


    ¡°I think it¡¯s better to tell youter. Others seem to be waiting, too, and some problems need to be solved right now.¡±


    ¡®I knew it. Fuck, I knew it.¡¯


    I wanted to ask one more time. However, I couldn¡¯t just ask too openly. It was unfortunate, but¡­


    ¡®I guess I could be satisfied with this much?¡¯


    In fact, just having thought about revealing the truth at least once was a big achievement to me. I think I knew how he trusted me just by trying to reveal a secret that would be too difficult to tell anyone.


    The first attempt was made, so the second and third attempts would appear a little easier. There was still a feeling of stickiness around my mouth, but I had to let the train go for now.


    ¡°Yes. Then next time¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I noticed a slight nod. As Kim Hyunsung opened the door, I saw the guild members looking at this side, turning their heads.


    Of course, the most noticeable person was Park Deokgu, who had shouted loudly. He looked happy for some reason, but it was a face that I wanted to smack.


    Jung Hayan, Sun Hee-young, and Cho Hyejin, who had also been hanging around, also had smiles blooming.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on, Deokgu?¡±


    ¡°It would be faster to hear from Elios than me. Ahem. It¡¯s good news.¡±


    Despite Park Deokgu¡¯s words, Kim Hyunsung looked quite nervous. It was then that Elios, who was talking with other elves from behind us, opened his mouth.


    ¡°I think I have a few things to tell you. First, I would like to apologize again and again for the rudeness from before.¡±


    ¡®How many times is he going to apologize?¡¯


    It seemed like he was really sorry. Well, it was understandable since the elves were known to have a soft personality, but at this point, I was a little tired of it. Anyway, he started opening his mouth with a rather serious expression. There was no need to exin that everyone¡¯s eyes were focused on him. From now on, his answers would determine the path to our party.


    ¡°I just received an edict from my father.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°To start with the conclusion¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°My father decided to ept the Blue Guild¡¯s proposal positively.¡±


    ¡®Whoa¡­¡¯


    ¡°It was a message to mobilize everything Eberia can do to support the Blue Guild¡­ I think you have to agree to a few terms.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s it.¡¯


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. You can tell us right away.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes. First, it seems that the elves, including me, should move together. To get you guys to move, it¡¯s¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Rather, I want to thank you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your understanding.¡±


    ¡°Because it is natural to be nervous.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ another thing is that there is a use that we won¡¯t talk about this outside. Of course, this document has no effect, but it would be nice if you checked it at least once. Themittee¡¯s position is that they want to be assured even in a formal way¡­ I hope you understand.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I can.¡±


    ¡°And finally¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I would like you to tell the State about what you heard from the shaman. About what Kasugano-nim saw¡­ It may be ufortable, but please.¡±


    ¡®Our Hyunsung is not that good at lying¡­¡¯


    When I turned my head and looked at Kim Hyunsung, I could see him clearly contemting. The thing he heard about the future through Yuno Kasugano was a lie that I roughly put together.


    It was very likely that he hadn¡¯t even spoken with her. It was a moment when I thought it would be better for me toe forward. Kim Hyunsung opened his mouth with a small voice.


    ¡°It is the destruction of Eberia.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    I could instinctively know. This bastard was not lying now.


    ¡®Was it the first round?¡¯


    Perhaps it didn¡¯t matter if I thought so. Elios felt the sincerity in his face, too. I could see him immediately responding.


    ¡°Is that true?¡±


    ¡°I am just telling you what I heard. I also didn¡¯t hear the exact timing, but I was told that the Kingdom of Eberia was caught in a war disaster. There will be a great war unimaginable, and everyone, including humanity and these races, will struggle with this ce as their final stronghold. However, I have heard that in the end, it will not be able to withstand and copse.¡±


    At first nce, it sounded like a cult leader shouting about the apocalypse and hurling curses, but his serious expression was making this absurd remark sound convincing.


    ¡°Can you exin in more detail?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t heard of the cause or anything else. That¡¯s exactly what I heard.¡±


    ¡°Then the World Tree¡­¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t rot because we are here. The future may change, Elios. What she can see with her eyes is not the exact future. Even small actions can certainly change. Just like now.¡±


    ¡®Is it okay to think that he has grown?¡¯


    He was a bit different from the past that used to act by relying on the information from the first round. He was confident that he could step forward and change the future.


    I had to nod in satisfaction because Kim Hyunsung¡¯s growth was always helping me. Of course, personal development was also important, but the information he had revealed was also interesting.


    ¡®Thest resistance? Union?¡¯


    This was not a war between the Republic and the State as it was now. It may probably be about Jin Qing, the masked trash, or an enemy who had not yet appeared.


    ¡®If it really is¡­ is it okay to assume that the rotten World Tree has been resolved before that?¡¯


    Of course, it was spection. However, it was hard to believe that the Kingdom of Eberia, where the barriers sustained by the World Tree, fell and became the ce of final resistance. Of course, it cannot be said that the defense here was weak, but it did not feel like Castle Rock or the State, made of high walls.


    If the World Tree hadpletely copsed yet chose this ce as thest ce, the first roundmanders were indeed sh*theaded.


    ¡®Hyunsung knows how to solve it, and¡­¡¯


    In the context of the situation, it was unknown whether he had been directly involved, but it was correct to think that the World Tree had gotten cured before Kim Hyunsung¡¯s final resistance.


    He has at least heard of it. In a nutshell, after the World Tree was healed, there was a fight here, and in the end, humanity had gotten destroyed.


    I didn¡¯t know if there were other battles afterward, but the time when Kim Hyunsung returned would not be too far.


    There were many interesting things to think about, but there was no time. This was because the atmosphere felt unusual.


    ¡®Sh*t¡­¡¯


    ¡°I see¡­ I got what you mean. I think it¡¯s better to discuss this matter slowly.¡±


    ¡°No. I think it would be nice to talk while moving.¡±


    ¡°What? That means¡­¡±


    ¡°We will move right now. Elios-nim, I would like you to prepare an elven expedition right away.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine, but¡­ it must have been overwhelming for you toe a long way¡­ if you can just rest for a little bit¡­¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have time to dy. I¡¯ll give you short exnations and briefings while we¡¯re on the move.¡±


    ¡®You can take a break.¡¯


    ¡°Of course, after that, we will give you enough time to rest. All the guild members, please get ready to leave right now.¡±


    ¡°Hyunsung, I understand, but¡­ everyone is very tired now¡­¡±


    ¡°No. We¡¯re okay.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re okay, too. We still have enough strength.¡±


    ¡°Well, Ki-mo, Hyung-ssi, and I have plenty of physical strength. Ahyoung and other people are fine, too, right? Rather, I think you¡¯re the one that needs a little rest, wouldn¡¯t it be better to sleep a little? If it feels a little ufortable, I can carry you and move. Or I think it¡¯s not bad to put you to sleep with sleep magic and take you. After you wake up, everything will be resolved. Ah! Come to think of it, does Hyung-nim even have to go?¡±


    This was another problem I didn¡¯t think of. As I naturally turned my head, I could see Kim Hyunsung nodding.


    ¡°Yes. It may be hard, but I think it would be better to move with Kiyoung. I¡¯ll give everyone just 30 minutes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d I didn¡¯t unpack. I didn¡¯t think we would move this fast. It¡¯s all because of Hyunsung.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m ready, too.¡±


    ¡°Me, too.¡±


    In fact, there was nothing to get ready for. This was because, as Park Deokgu said, we literally didn¡¯t have time to unpack our luggage properly. I always thought that Kim Hyunsung was moving in a hurry, but I did not know that this would proceed so fast. I needed time to think, so I opened my mouth, but even that was a futile resistance.


    ¡°What about the supplies?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry. My father told me that Eberia would give all the support needed. Maybe my brother is arranging everything.¡±


    ¡°Are youing with us?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Although I¡¯m weak, I¡¯m thinking of helping. It would be terrible if something happens with the Honorary Cardinal while I¡¯m away. Since there is no one else to treat him except me¡­ I can¡¯t help it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your hard work.¡±


    ¡°No. We are very sorry and grateful. But where are we going¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll start investigating the fairy forest first.¡±


    ¡°You mean the fairy forest?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to brace ourselves and go.¡±


    I spoke to her as I saw her strange face, and I immediately heard an answer.


    ¡°Is it a dangerous ce?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Because the fairies love to y around.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡±


    ¡°Come to think of it, you don¡¯t know much about fairies. Well¡­ they must have been forgotten by the continental people¡­ Of course, you won¡¯t have to worry too much. Although the power of the fairies is special, it does not harm the human body¡­ For example, it¡¯s all about changing the body¡¯s appearance or changing gender for a while. Among them, some do little nasty pranks, but they¡¯re all basically nice.¡±


    This had gotten a bit interesting.

 Chapter 352: Kim Hyuna (2)

    <h4>Chapter 352: Kim Hyuna (2)</h4>


    ¡°It is natural that you cannot see them on the continent. The type of environment is very important for the fairies to live.¡±


    ¡°You mean the environment?¡±


    ¡°Yes. When our long-time ancestors were active, we heard that they were found all over the continent, but¡­ At this time, you will not find us anywhere except the Kingdom of Eberia. Basically, fairies can only live in unpolluted forests.¡±


    ¡°Well, they¡¯re like an extinct animal¡­ They can only live in the top quality water area. You mean this?¡±


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s right, Park Deokgu. Those who have lost their ce in life because of humans¡¯ reckless development¡­ are a little more¡­ Ah. Sorry. I wasn¡¯t trying to say this¡­¡±


    ¡°No. I can¡¯t say you¡¯re wrong.¡±


    ¡°As expected!¡±


    ¡°But Elena¡­ I can¡¯t think just like that. Unlike the elves, who are protected by the World Tree, nothing has been given to humans. Considering that all the resources necessary to build barriers and wallse from the forest, sacrifices would have been indispensable for human survival and development. Assuming the elves didn¡¯t have a World Tree, things would be more interesting.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°The elves would have had to build barriers and build walls. There would be no continuous fruiting, so they might have needed somend to farm to sustain therge poption. It would have been necessary to create a water channel for drinking water, and it would have changed a lot differently than now.¡±


    ¡°T-That¡¯s reasonable.¡±


    ¡°Of course, nowadays, the boundaries are blurred whether it is simply for survival or to satisfy their own greed¡­ If humans were given the same means as the World Tree, I think it could have been a little different from now. I think that¡¯s very unfortunate. When the environment changes, many things change.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°I think I talked about useless things too much.¡±


    ¡°No, Honorary Cardinal. I think you were telling from a slightly different perspective, so I think it helped to broaden my narrow perspective.¡±


    ¡°More importantly, now¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah. We will be entering the fairy forest by now.¡±


    ¡°Have we arrived already?¡±


    ¡°Because we came running a full day. From now on, it¡¯s a good ce to get off because it¡¯s a ce where we can¡¯t get in by a carriage. Jung Hayan, Sun Hee-young, I think it would be nice to get ready.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I could see the faces of Jung Hayan and Sun Hee-young, who nodded slightly.


    ¡®They don¡¯t seem to be in a good mood.¡¯


    Interestingly, Jung Hayan seemed to be less upset. Seeing that she didn¡¯t explode even during the constant conversations with Elena, the proposal seemed to have worked.


    Of course, it may have been decisive to think that she was now in charge of my health.


    In contrast, Sun Hee-young had a slightly darker expression, and I think I could see why she was maintaining that expression.


    ¡®Does she think her ce was taken?¡¯


    In fact, Sun Hee-young was in the position of being my doctor before this false bum show.


    Recently, many things happened that made her fall apart from me, and she seemed to be in an even worse mood because she was deprived of her job.


    The series of processes of taking care of me was the only thing where she could be connected to me, so it wouldn¡¯t be too much for her to make that face.


    Of course, I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s still the same as before. It seemed that Sun Hee-young was showing interest in me without making it obvious, so I was consciously pushing her away. Seeing that she continued to maintain a dark face, it seemed that my n was not very sessful.


    She¡¯s just not extremepared to Jung Hayan. I need to limit my actions considering she¡¯s gotten a little weird. It was little by little, but I need to prevent her from having a mental breakdown.


    As I smiled, she¡¯s smiled slightly as if she cheered up a little. A very bright smile stood out. It¡¯s something I¡¯ve always thought, but certainly, her appearance is close to my ideal type. Of course, only the look.


    As I got off the wagon while having useless thoughts, I could see the party members just starting to get off the other wagons, but in fact, this sight was unfamiliar.


    Usually, we all roderge wagons together, but we divided the people as the road we took was hard for arge wagon to pass through. Of course, the horizon was way more worth it to watch than that scene.


    ¡°Wow¡­!¡± Jung Hayan eximed.


    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful. It¡¯s really beautiful. This ce¡­¡±


    Sun Hee-young expressed. Of course, my mouth opened, too.


    When I first came to Eberia, my reaction had been the same, but the appearance of colored flowers that could not be seen on Earth was spectacr.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t monsters living here?¡±


    ¡°Yes. This is also one of the areas protected by the World Tree. Of course, wild animalse in, but basically, it¡¯s a ce where even they don¡¯t like toe¡­ As I said before, the fairies are a little bit serious. Perhaps those without immunity were startled and left.¡±


    ¡°If possible, it would be better to go back quietly.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Even while I chatted for a while, the guild members unpacked their luggage and prepared to march. As Kim Hyunsung sent a signal, the formation was provided instantly. The elves were no different from us.


    I realized that they were well-trained, but looking at it like this, I felt different again. Even in the wagon, the two formations were quiteplementary, perhaps as if they had a separate conversation with Kim Hyunsung.


    It didn¡¯t feel like it was perfectly harmonized, but it looked like it was well mixed. It was definitely worth a nod.


    I liked it more than anything else that she regarded my safety as more important than her being a healer. It didn¡¯t seem to be very different from usual, but it was a good feeling of being cared for one way or another.


    Anyway, the party began to march slowly. Of course, Kim Hyunsung was at the forefront, and I didn¡¯t know if he had ever been here, but he was indeed busy guiding the people.


    Of course, the steps we had taken were quite cautious, not because we felt that the situation was dangerous, but in order to avoid annoying situations. It was true that it was boring and difficult as we continued to move on.


    After a long time, I resented my cursed stamina. After taking a sip of the stamina potion, I could see Elena looking at my frowning face.


    ¡°Honorary Cardinal, are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Of course.¡±


    ¡°If you are feeling tired, you must speak to me. Just as the body breaks when the soul is weakened, the opposite is possible. No, I think it would be better to bring it to the front rather than this.¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s fine, Elena. In fact, it¡¯s not that hard.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to refuse. It¡¯s getting darker, and everyone is getting tired¡­ I think it would be nice to tell you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really okay, really.¡±


    However, the rest had already been decided. As Jung Hayan tapped in front of her and began to convey her intentions, the news was delivered to Kim Hyunsung, who was instantly in the lead, and all the elves had begun unpacking to find a suitable ground.


    It was getting dark. It was then that the light shimmered slightly in front of my eyes.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Oppa. Just now¡­¡±


    ¡°I saw it too, Hayan.¡±


    It felt like a firefly. The only difference was that a small chatter was heard.


    Basically, it was anguage that even strangers who were equipped with trantion magic could not understand. I was a little puzzled for a while. When I remembered what we had been talking about all day, I felt like I could see what was in front of me.


    ¡®It¡¯s a fairy.¡¯


    It looked simr to what you imagined¡ªa dragonfly a little different from the palm of the hand with wings were constantly emitting tiny light.


    It would be right to think that it looked like an elf rather than a human, and it looked very cute.


    Strangely, it seemed that a lot of them were gathering near Jung Hayan, but considering that the ce where they gathered is a forest where pure magical power was gathered, the scene gathering around her did not seem strange.


    It was a very pure arrangement, so it attracted the fairies to the temple.


    ¡°Fortunately, they didn¡¯t gather a lot.¡±


    ¡°Ah. This is not a lot?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The days are dark, and it seems to be rewarding to move quietly.¡±


    There were enough by my standards, but to them, it wasn¡¯t.


    ¡®It¡¯s pretty.¡¯


    In the meantime, the elves were familiar while setting up a camp, and it felt like they didn¡¯t pay much attention to the fairies. On the contrary, most of the Blue Guild members were ncing at their surroundings.


    I had seen many amazing things so far, but this would be the first time I¡¯ve seen it, so it was understandable. Kim Ye-ri, who pretended that she didn¡¯t like cute things, waspletely absorbed.


    Of course, some who had suffered from the pain they gave already existed.


    They robbed the red mask Kim Chang-ryul always wore, and Park Deokgu became like a Christmas tree. Strangely, some of the fairies had begun throwing small rocks at Han Sora, but it didn¡¯t seem painful. Instead, she looked quite shocked.


    She, too, was a woman, so she seemed unhappy to be hated by those with cute faces.


    She seemed to know why, but it was natural for her to pretend that it was nothing. I didn¡¯t have to say anything about the others.


    Returning to schr mode, Hwang Jeong-yeon had her eyes wide open, and many fairies had begun pulling at her hair and taking her sses.


    Yoo Ahyoung¡¯s appearance was, even more, a spectacle. Quite a few fairies were pulling her cor. There was even a guy trying to get through her shirt, so it didn¡¯t need to be said that it was a pretty embarrassing scene to look at.


    ¡°Ahh!¡±


    ¡°Stop it. S-Stop now!¡±


    Of course, Elena¡¯s situation was no different. Some of the fairies were using her ears as if they were trampolines. Looking at the guys¡¯ expressions jumping from her big ears, it seemed that they were not happy.


    ¡®These guys are really annoying.¡¯


    Just in time, several had started rushing to me as well. They were not really harmful, but it felt really annoying.


    ¡°Can¡¯t we do anything to stop them?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes. You can kick them out, but if you do, they will bring in more friends. Maybe it¡¯s time for the kids to fall asleep soon, so they¡¯ll be a little quiet after dinner. Until then¡­¡±


    It was when Elena continued talking. Slowly, Kim Hyunsung began to approach. He also had many fairies attached to him, but he probably had something he wanted to say.


    It was then that I realized that something had be strange. I was not mistaken. Kim Hyunsung¡¯s body shape can be seen gradually changing.


    I didn¡¯t know if he noticed the weirdness either, but I could see his head down, looking down.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    It was a thin voice.


    ¡°This became annoying.¡±


    His long hair was down to his shoulders.


    I was able to realize that he was the first sacrifice to their pranks.


    ¡°Kiyoung-ssi. Don¡¯t you feel anything ufortable?¡±


    ¡®I¡¯m the one who should be asking it.¡¯


    Looking at me was a woman who looked like she was in herte teens.


    ¡°Oppa¡­ became a girl.¡± Kim Ye-ri mumbled in shock.

 Chapter 353: Kim Hyuna (3)

    <h4>Chapter 353: Kim Hyuna (3)</h4>


    ¡°Oppa¡­ became a girl.¡±


    There was nothing else to say because Ye-ri¡¯s description had been highly urate. As I looked around quietly, the faces of those still staring at Kim Hyunsung caught my eyes.


    It was no wonder thatughter hade out.


    I had heard about this beforehand, but the scene that happened in front of me was quite unrealistic. Even if I were to guess, he only seems to be about 17 years old, max. It was not only his gender, but his age seemed to have changed.


    The height and limbs were shortened, and the straight hair down to the waist was noticeable Glossy ck hair seemed to be referring to this kind of hair, all fluttering.


    His face looked as if the original Kim Hyunsung had been transferred into a woman¡¯s body.


    I always thought he was good-looking, but when he went to change his gender, it seemed like he could beparable to the elves. He seemed to be unaware of himself, but he looked good enough to say that he was a girl of matchless beauty.


    This was not a subjective evaluation.


    The Blue party members and even the elves ncing at him also turned their eyes as if they looked amazed.


    What was even more interesting was that the behavior of a girl in herte teens seemed a little older to her and, for some reason, was unnatural. For example, seeing Hyunsung stroking the chin or frowning with a serious expression oddly looked cute.


    ¡®This bastard is too cute.¡¯


    Of course, it was not that my heart was beating or anything.


    In the first ce, I was aware of the fact that he was younger, and that Kim Hyunsung was the core. However, there was no denying that I wanted to stroke his hair at least once.


    This was a situation where I was entirely speechless.


    As I looked at Elena, I saw her calmly starting to speak.


    ¡°It¡¯s temporary. You don¡¯t have to worry too much.¡±


    ¡°Ah, is it?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Basically, if it¡¯s not in the fairy forest, the magic won¡¯t be maintained, and he will return to his original state soon after leaving the fairy forest or after a while. Unusually, it is impossible to dispel it in general¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the reason?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s probably because the magic is driven differently. The boundaries of whether or not the magic used by fairies is indeed magical are also very ambiguous. I don¡¯t know much, but I can at least affirm one thing. It won¡¯t be a big problem.¡±


    ¡°I see. That¡¯s a relief.¡±


    Kim Hyunsung nodded as if relieved by Elena¡¯s words. Of course, Kim Ye-ri and Cho Hye-jin also exhaled a sigh of relief.


    It seemed that they were quite anxious to see that they sighed too openly. Considering that Kim Hyunsung was also the same¡­


    ¡®It means that he hasn¡¯t been here before.¡¯


    He pretended as if it was no big deal, but I thought he might have been quite surprised because I could see him smiling slightly after rechecking what he already had heard of.


    I didn¡¯t know if this was just acting or not, but it was indeed true that Kim Hyunsung also experienced the fairies¡¯ pranks for the first time.


    In other words, he did not experience this dungeon himself.


    Considering that he said that this was above legendary-grade, it was impossible to proceed with the expedition like a pic.


    ¡®If you had experienced it, it would be better, but¡­¡¯


    However, the problem was that the atmosphere had gotten blurred because of the constantly crowding fairies. The chattering around and the serious atmosphere didn¡¯t mix well. I could see that they had let go of the tension, even if it was a little bit.


    ¡®Because taking rest is also important.¡¯


    It seemed that the others had recognized the implicit permission. It was Ahn Ki-mo who opened his mouth first.


    ¡°I had doubted, but it was true. It¡¯s really amazing. The Guild Master and ah, Ye-ri¡­ They are affected by magic.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I mean the gender.¡±


    ¡°Uncle Ki-mo¡­ I¡¯m still the same.¡±


    It was momentary, but his face looked like he got scared. Whether he realized that he had made a mistake, I could also see him desperately fixing it.


    ¡°My, my eyes are strained.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°N-No one else has changed on our side except for Hyunsung. Is there any reason?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it just because the fairies wanted? I thought I had seen all the strange sights when I came here, but it still seems that there¡¯s much more. It¡¯s also the first time seeing Hyunsung changed like that¡­ No matter how brief it is, don¡¯t we have to change the name? I think it would be okay to call him Kim Hyuna.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s rude.¡±


    ¡°Well, Hyejin is too strict.¡±


    ¡°Calling him Guild Master is enough.¡±


    ¡°Ahem. I only said it as a joke. I just wanted to say something useless. It sounds like a unique experience, but I don¡¯t want to join.¡±


    ¡°That, everyone¡­ must feel the same.¡±


    ¡°I may want to see a little¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what the intention in Hwang Jeong-yeon¡¯s words was, but I had no choice but to agree with Kim Ye-ri saying that she didn¡¯t.


    Of course, this was a sight that I didn¡¯t want to see either.


    When I realized that even the fairies had eyes, Han Sora was constantly being attacked by the fairies in the midst of that.


    For some reason, this was all a little sad.


    The other female guild members were preparing the meal, but it was a little full-fledged, unlike what I thought would be something simple. There seemed to be a direct instruction from Kim Hyunah, but it appeared that we were entering the dungeon tomorrow.


    Come to think of it¡­


    ¡®Didn¡¯t he have anything to say earlier?¡¯


    When I turned, I saw himing this way.


    Looking down at the guy who was a little taller than me felt a little strange. Looking at him patting my shoulder also seemed unnatural for some reason.


    ¡°After that, it seemed like I hadn¡¯t heard the answer before¡­ Are you feeling all right considering you¡¯re not well?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Actually, there¡¯s nothing wrong, but¡­ Elena said it would be better to take a break. I didn¡¯t want to cause any damage¡­¡±


    ¡°No. We are almost there, anyway. I thought it would be better to take afortable break for a day or so. Everyone agreed without saying anything, but the back liners would have struggled physically. Both Hayan and Hee-young, too, as well as Sora and Jeong-yeon.¡±


    ¡°Since they kept using magic power¡­ are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Of course. Physically, the problem is¡­ Oh, are you talking about my condition now?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°The clothes I am wearing are ufortable, but it¡¯s okay, except for the shorter height. It seems like it¡¯ll be okay to fight, only the appearance has changed, but the physical ability seems to be the same. It would have been a bit ufortable if I had been in the position of Deokgu or Ahyoung, but it seems that there will be an advantage as the body became smaller. Of course, the answer wille soon as to which one is more efficient.¡±


    ¡®I didn¡¯t ask about that¡­¡¯


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s because of the mood, but should I say I feel a little delicate and agile? I think it is correct to think so. Oh, thank you, Hyejin.¡±


    As if the meal was ready fairly quickly, Cho Hyejin handed over the stew bowl to Kim Hyunsung. Of course, a bowl was delivered to me, too.


    Kim Hyuna opened his mouth once again, holding a spoon to his mouth.


    ¡°Anyway, I am d that there was a slight difference. The seizure timing is also getting dyed¡­ Yes. I¡¯m really d.¡±


    It was quite a spectacle to see him smiling widely. I could tell he hadn¡¯t adapted to his body just yet.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it really pretty?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°This ce.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I agree. It¡¯s probably a sight that we can¡¯t even see on Earth. Haha.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Of course, it is. No matter where you look on the, there will be no such ce.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Kiyoung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit sudden, but in fact, I¡¯ve had many times resented foring here.¡±


    ¡°I think¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. Probably most of us did. No one likes being brought here without knowing anything. There were many times when I cried and shouted without understanding what the quest was or why I was here.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s surprising. It didn¡¯t look that way at all¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because I thought it would be better to keep myposure in front of others. But¡­ humans are so fickle, you know? I guess I got fond of this ce, too. I sometimes miss the city walls and Lindel, which I at first didn¡¯t want to see, and I often think that I don¡¯t want this ce to disappear. Of course, the same is true for Kiyoung and others.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°In fact, I never imagined we would get so close. I didn¡¯t know that I would have trusted Kiyoung this far.¡±


    ¡®Me too, man.¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s funny, but I began to think, recently, how fortunate it was.¡±


    ¡°Fortunate?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The fact I met all of you, the connection created like this. It¡¯s unexpected, but I hope to see this scene together even after a lot of time. So¡­ let¡¯s hold on a little more.¡±


    He got up first and extended his hand to me. It was natural to hold his hands slightly. When he raised me, I was able to get up naturally.


    ¡°I said something embarrassing, but I mean it.¡±


    ¡°No. I appreciated it. I think the same way.¡±


    The sunset background was very noticeable. Even the sunset seems to be helping him. It was impressive to see him smiling brightly.


    It was then that I found that Jung Hayan, located a little farther away, with terrifying eyes.


    It was scary to see her twisted mouth after a very long time. She seemed to pretend to be okay, but she had on a deformed face no matter who were to see her.


    ¡®She¡¯s not going to cause more idents, right?¡¯


    Naturally, I let go of Kim Hyuna¡¯s hand momentarily.


    Seeing him still smiling, I think he hadn¡¯t noticed anything strange.


    ¡®Stop smiling. Bastard.¡¯


    If he didn¡¯t stop, a real monster sh might happen. I beckoned to Jung Hayan instantly out of anxiety.


    She suddenly lit up and ran over here, hugging me.


    ¡°Haha. It looks like I took too much time. Then I will take a look around with other elves for a moment. If you take a rest today, you will be able to enter the dungeon tomorrow. Again, I believe in Kiyoung. You will be able to withstand it somehow.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    With a satisfactory face and patting my shoulder, I felt guilty. What filled up in his eyes was strong trust and belief.


    The dungeon wasing soon, so I was more concerned about the end of this.


    ¡®It would be terrible if Kim Hyunsung really misunderstands something¡­¡¯


    If I was misunderstood as the masked trash Jing Qing, it would be terrible because there was nothing more painful than getting backstabbed by someone you really trusted.


    Of course, I was innocent, but I thought I had to think about a case where this treatment didn¡¯t work or the situation worsened.


    ¡®That pointy ear is the problem.¡¯


    If Kim Hyunsung¡¯s solution worked, it would be a great relief. I felt guilty, but it could be a good thing to clean my soul.


    However, the biggest problem was if it didn¡¯t change much.


    Even a lie, a small the given situation more tangled than it already is. The problem was that, although I had been looking for a solution until now, I couldn¡¯t find any.


    At first, my thoughts were inclined toward interfering with the dungeon journey itself, but the n was out of the question since I heard Kim Hyunsung talk about thest resistance and stuff.


    It was true that the dungeon must be cleared at any cost. That was how we responded to future threats.


    ¡®Does it look so disgusting to need treatment?¡¯


    It was just when I was lost in my thoughts¡­


    ¡®How do I look through Hayan¡¯s eyes¡­¡¯


    Jung Hayan was staring at Kim Hyuna a little too much.


    As I looked at her holding me tight enough to hurt my arm, I started to think that, although momentary, I had gotten hit in my head with a hammer.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t I think of this?¡±


    ¡®Why haven¡¯t I thought about contaminating that elf until now?¡¯

 Chapter 354: An Easy Elf, An Easy Elena

    <h4>Chapter 354: An Easy Elf, An Easy Elena</h4>


    ¡®Why haven¡¯t I thought of this until now?¡¯


    I knew I had to keep a look a bit serious, but I still kept smiling. The problem hadn¡¯t been solved yet, but it seemed like I had found a good solution.


    Even after Kim Hyunah, Kim Ye-ri, and Kim Chang-ryul got clues about the dungeon together, theughter continued to pop out of me, and though a loud voice resonated from the front, I did not pay much attention.


    Anyway, it must have been news that the dungeon that Hyunsung was hiding was found.


    Whether this prediction was correct, the guild members and elves were preparing to enter the dungeon. It was no wonder that Elena also showed an excited expression; it was pretty fun to see her looking at me whilst moving her ears up and down.


    Looking at her, who looked so innocent, I couldn¡¯t understand why I hadn¡¯t been able to think of this until now.


    In a sense, I wanted to thank both Jung Hayan and Kim Hyuna.


    ¡®There is no need to really cleanse my soul.¡¯


    Literally, it didn¡¯t really have to be cured. She was the only one who could see my condition anyway.


    As long as that emerald pointy ear elf didn¡¯t feel ufortable with me¡­ Even if Kim Hyunsung¡¯s n were to fail, there was a possibility that this would be solved if I made her believe that the treatment was over.


    ¡®If the characteristic change¡­¡¯


    I was curious about what she would think of me. Belial certainly called me a disgusting soul, but he did not vomit or frown.


    Perhaps it was the effect inherent in my characteristic. It may be a disgusting soul to Elena and others, but it might not look like that to Jung Hayan.


    Of course, Jung Hayan didn¡¯t have Elena¡¯s attribute, but she wouldn¡¯t get nauseous if she did.


    If Elena¡¯s characteristic or disposition would get reversed, there was a possibility that her perspective on me would also change.


    It may be a little difficult, but since I had a lot of time to be with Elena, it was worth trying at least once.


    ¡®This is not my specialty¡­¡¯


    Of course, I did not feelfortable. Bringing a pure elf to the abyss was a very difficult spell for Light Kiyoung, who had been reborn. This was not even my specialty.


    However, I thought it couldn¡¯t be helped for the cause. I had even considered an unfortunate ident of this innocent elf in the worst case, but more than that, this showed how cheap I was.


    Of course, there were many difficulties in implementing the n right away, but¡­


    ¡°Oppa, are you not feeling well?¡±


    ¡°N-No. Hayan. I was thinking about something else for a second.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s f-fortunate.¡±


    Atst, that difficulty began to talk, but it was the right timing.


    I saw the party members who were just about ready to enter the dungeon waiting for me. As I walked while preparing usible storytelling, I couldn¡¯t even think that things had gone this far.


    ¡®I need a little more time to think¡­¡¯


    Of course, there was no time to enjoy such leisure. As I thought the time was urgent, I had decided to enter immediately.


    It would have been nice to have realized this before leaving, but after the train had already left, I have no choice but to do my job well within my current situation.


    For example, this was a quest with a time limit given only to me. From the moment I entered the dungeon until the dungeon was attacked, at any cost, I must make Elena realize what the true light was.


    As soon as I nodded and walked, a familiar voice came immediately.


    [You have entered the Twisted Pond in a legendary-grade dungeon. Number of people [23/34] checked.]


    ¡®It¡¯s still the same.¡¯


    It gave an atmosphere of choking and pressure. It was about time I got used to it, but I couldn¡¯t get used to this strange atmosphere.


    The overall atmosphere of the Twisted Pond was like the Garden of Horror.


    Though, in fact, they didn¡¯t have much inmon except that they had nts. This was because the whole ce, which we hade through the underground, was damp and moist, and all the roots and nts tangled around were rotten.


    It was different from the garden that kept it green. Elios slowly opened his mouth as if something was bothering him before we really entered.


    ¡°I had doubts, but¡­ it was true.¡±


    Of course, who answered was Kim Hyunsung. It was time to exin how he could find clues so easily that even Eberian rangers couldn¡¯t. I was lucky, anyway. He would speak, but what about it? As long as they epted it, that was it.


    ¡°I was just lucky because I had received guidance from the fairies. I didn¡¯t think I would be able to find it this early either.¡±


    ¡°This area has already been investigated¡­¡±


    ¡°You will not be familiar with dungeons, so it will only be natural.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ it¡¯s really amazing.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s that our Guild Master has found dungeons amazingly since long before. There¡¯s nothing to be weird about. Since we¡¯ve been summoned, there will be more than ten dungeons that have been found or attacked. It¡¯s not something to be med for¡­ and he is exceptional among foreigners who are eager to find dungeons.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®You covered it well.¡¯


    ¡°Uncle Deokgu is right. Since before. Hyunsung¡­ No, the Guild Master is a pro in finding ces like this.¡±


    ¡°I see. I think I know why you, who have just arrived here, have grown so much.¡±


    ¡°Well, actually, discovering is important, too, but attacking is even more important than that. Without Hyung-ssi¡­ no, without the Guild Master and Hyung-nim, our guild could not have grown this far.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Absolutely, if I were to tell stories of our guild¡¯s attacks on dungeons, a day wouldn¡¯t be enough. Ah, but I¡¯m a little nervous because it¡¯s still a legendary-grade¡­ Are you, elves, familiar with dungeons?¡±


    ¡°Actually¡­ We¡¯re not.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. If it¡¯s not for a special reason¡­ of course, it¡¯s not that we won¡¯t go at all, but it will be difficult topare with you guys. There are not many dungeons in the Kingdom of Eberia.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not known. It might be hidden here and there, just like this ce.¡±


    Even if I were to think about it, thest remark was bullsh*t. Anyone could see that he didn¡¯t know a thing about dungeons. Although I was expecting him to be a little trustworthy, the elves were rather an awkward bunch.


    ¡®Tsk, tsk.¡¯


    They really didn¡¯t look experienced. I didn¡¯t know why a group with this kind of power looked somewhat so awkward.


    ¡®Can I think that they are simr to the Knights?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t really know if this could be expressed like this, but it seemed to me that it was simr to the fact that the Knights possessed by the State were unfamiliar with attacking dungeons.


    Unlike mercenaries and professional treasure hunters, these people were ignorant of the dungeon itself. It was apletely different story between going through war or an interpersonal battle and attacking a dungeon.


    These were the former specialists, not thetter.


    ¡®Of course, they know the basics, but¡­¡¯


    It meant that there was a high possibility that they wouldn¡¯t know what to do in sudden situations. Since it was not the forest, their movement would indeed be limited, and the dungeon itself, called Twisted Pond, didn¡¯t seem to suit the elves. They hade together to watch us, but perhaps I should think about the possibility that they might be a nuisance.


    ¡°Since you said you¡¯re not familiar with¡­ it would be better to reorganize the overall formation. Is that okay?¡±


    ¡°I think we¡¯ll listen to it first.¡±


    ¡°There is no change in creating a line around Kiyoung and Elena¡­ Others except Elios would be better off standing in the rear. Rangers, summoners, and the rest of the warriors will be in charge of the middle, and we will be in charge of the front line.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡®He doesn¡¯t look very pleased.¡¯


    If it were me, I would have weed it with open arms. However, on the elves¡¯ side, it seemed that they did not like us to bepletely in charge of the front line. They might think so.


    In fact, this expedition had been created to heal the World Tree rather than me. Considering that it was an elven job and a task given to the elves, it might feel ufortable to see the Blue getting the advantage.


    If it were an individual group, some would think it would be fortunate to receive the benefits, but they belonged to a huge kingdom. It meant that we had to consider several things.


    ¡®They aren¡¯t stupid than I thought either.¡¯


    In fact, it didn¡¯t matter what happened with the camp.


    ¡®Hyunsung will take care of the dungeon strategy¡­¡¯


    I just had to do what I had to do.


    I didn¡¯t have enough time and ability to pay attention to strategy. It was only correct to try to solve the immediate problem.


    ¡®How can I do this?¡¯


    I must also be careful with Kim Hyunsung and guild members¡¯ eyes. Above all, I needed to figure out exactly how Elena thought and felt about me.


    I nned to start as soon as sufficient preparations have been made.


    ¡®She is the real problem.¡¯


    Of course, the most problematic one was none other than Jung Hayan. She wouldn¡¯t dare put magic on Elena, who had been serving as my nurse, but I didn¡¯t know what she might do if she were to lose it.


    If I were to think about the possibility of having a boat ride with just the two of us on Twisted Pond, it was not enough to be careful a hundred times.


    The ideal thing was to somehow create a situation where we could be alone. Above all else, this was my top priority. There was no beginning without talking to her first. There was no way to have an ident if nothing happened.


    No matter what happened, I had to talk to her.


    ¡®How long does it take to attack the dungeon?¡¯


    If I were to think about the food we brought, the expedition would take at least ten days. Even assuming that camps would be made more than ten times, it was undeniable that time was insufficient. No matter how I was to think about it, there was no other way than to grab my chest.


    It was even hard to walk, as there were no wagons in sight.


    There was now against going in a rickshaw because there was enough manpower left.


    ¡°Cough¡­ Elena, I can¡¯t breathe¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Cough. Cough¡­¡±


    When I started with the n, I felt all of the gazes focused on me.


    I looked like a child screaming for a toy. I promised myself to refrain from doing these bullsh*t shows as much as possible, but humanmitment was originally easy to break.


    When I started with the same symptoms they had seen thest time, I saw them moving in a hurry.


    ¡®This is not my fault.¡¯


    The warped air in the warped ce had no choice but to devour some pure soul.


    This was the moment when I desperately needed to cut off the outside world. Of course, everyone knew that the beautiful elf caregiver should stay with me.


    ¡®I don¡¯t want to walk. Bastards! ¡°

 Chapter 355: An Easy Elf, An Easy Elena (2)

    <h4>Chapter 355: An Easy Elf, An Easy Elena (2)</h4>


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this toofortable?¡¯


    It was going perfectly as nned, but it all felt sofortable that I felt guilty.


    Looking outward, I could see the guild members and elves still struggling. They were in trouble due to the sudden appearance of a monster.


    ¡®This is tricky.¡¯


    This was definitely tricky.


    As Kim Hyunsung had, most of the main monsters in the Twisted Pond were demons. Even so, they were low-level demons that couldn¡¯t bepared with Belial, but this dungeon was not of a rare ormon-grade.


    It was definitely a dungeon that had received a legendary-grade, so it was only correct to think that a demon or monster of at least legendary-grade would appear.


    It didn¡¯t make sense topare with a mythic-grade creature in the first ce.


    If it was the mythic-grade that I had seen so far, it was at least three or four levels higher than a legendary-grade. In that sense, my semi-mythic-grade ss, the Alchemist of Light, also had endless ways to use it, but the problem was that I couldn¡¯t research because I was only in bed recently.


    It might take a while, but perhaps I should create a potion that would hit the system¡¯s walls.


    ¡®It¡¯s just a wish, but¡­¡¯


    My body was definitelyfortable, so my thoughts had begun to leak to one side.


    The expedition members who were wordlessly fighting wouldn¡¯t even afford to do that.


    This was because the demons¡¯ faces from at least heroic-grade or higher, and those who were fighting them looked quite serious.


    There was anxiety on Park Deokgu and Yoo Ahyoung¡¯s faces, not to mention the facial expressions of Jung Hayan or others. Of course, trying to break through the difficult dungeon with the elves as quickly as possible made them look like that.


    ¡®It seems that they¡¯re not at ease anymore¡­¡¯


    Of course, the causey solely with me.


    Even so, since Light Kiyoung, was suffering, they were under pressure toplete the attack quickly.


    I was worried about what to do if an ident were to take ce, but I had begun to feel relieved when I saw Kim Hyunsung - no, Kim Hyuna - effortlessly splitting the head of one of the demons.


    About three hours since I started myfortable journey in the rickshaw, Kim Hyunah was still smooth sailing.


    As she continued to nce at me, Elena, who was in the same space as I was, slowly opened her mouth.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry, Honorary Cardinal. Nothing bad will happen.¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s not because of that, but¡­¡¯


    There was nothing bad about thinking that way.


    ¡°I would like to help them in any way¡­ I am notfortable lying here alone.¡±


    ¡°No. As I said before, you should avoid going outside as much as possible. This Twisted Pond and the polluted magical power emitted by the demons are adversely affecting your soul. Moving rashly now will only make things worse. Blue is strong. The same goes for our Eberian Elune Knights. Nothing bad will happen.¡±


    ¡°I am not doing this because I don¡¯t trust them¡­¡±


    ¡°You have to trust them. I¡¯m sure your colleagues totally understand you.¡±


    ¡®Of course, they do.¡¯


    ¡°They will be able to reach the end of the dungeon without any problems. Please think of yourself first rather than the people outside. That way, your colleagues will also be able to fight relieved.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I should think so.¡±


    Naturally, I maintained a sorrowful expression. I could see Elena looking at me worriedly.


    [Disposition: Curious Defensor]


    Her disposition was a Curious Defensor.


    [Checking the unique characteristic of Elena Eberia]


    [Emerald Delusional Flower]


    Her characteristic was Emerald Delusional Flower.


    It made sense if I were to think of her background.


    She was an elf who had been stuck only in the Kingdom of Eberia, and seeing that she was basically interested in humans and other countries, her characteristic must have stemmed from this.


    If one asked me if I didn¡¯t like it, I would answer that I liked it. The disposition and the characteristic were fine.


    I liked the fact that she was curious, and that it went well with the unique characteristic. Most of all, it was best that she was like a dreamy girl who didn¡¯t know the reality.


    It meant that this was better than dealing with people who were worn out from the world.


    ¡®It means I have to do something with her¡­¡¯


    First, the most important task waspleted. The narrow space was ufortable, but it was a great achievement to be alone with her.


    We were even magically blocked from the outside, so this was pretty good timing to have a conversation.


    Of course, the problem of her instinctive rejection of me remained, but as our rtionship progressed or her way of thinking changed, it would eventually be easier for her to ept me.


    ¡®It¡¯s a problem that I don¡¯t know which direction to shake.¡¯


    First of all, there was no disagreement that I needed to get closer to her in the current situation. We had to talk as much as possible.


    I needed to know more about her, and figure out what kind of life she had been through. The first step required to connect was to understand each other.


    As I nodded and opened my mouth, an answer came immediately.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you tired?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°No, Honorary Cardinal. No matter how polluted your soul is, it doesn¡¯t feel dirty. In my eyes, I can see more of the nobility in it.¡±


    ¡®Right. Thank you for saying that.¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true, Honorary Cardinal. As I said before, I have watched the Honorary Cardinal and the Heroes of Light through the Goddess¡¯ Mirror. It was a great sight. Yes. It is vivid enough to make me receive goosebumps whenever I see it. It will be unforgettable even after a few hundred years that the four heroes faced the great demon without a single step back.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal, Elena. Everyone else would have done the same.¡±


    ¡°No. I actually thought of myself there, but even if I think about it hundreds of times¡­ I couldn¡¯t do anything other than sit down. The Heroes of Light had given me courage.¡±


    ¡°Courage?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°It hasn¡¯t been that long, but I had lived in the Kingdom of Eberia for 200 years. Like all elves. Ludwig and my brother, Elios, said that outside the kingdom was always dangerous, and in fact, I had grown up hearing stories about other humans. I¡¯ve been told that it¡¯s a scary and dangerous ce outside.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯ve only stayed in the kingdom.¡±


    ¡°Yes. For me, the outside of the kingdom was just a scary and terrifying ce.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t look like that, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I say this before? It was the Heroes of Light who had given me courage. Perhaps, if I had not seen the Goddess¡¯ Mirror, I wouldn¡¯t have left the kingdom of Eberia. And I probably wouldn¡¯t know what my mission was. Have you ever heard of High Elves?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I have. The story of not being born for a very long time, and the fact that Elena is a high elf.¡±


    ¡°In fact, being a high elf doesn¡¯t mean anything special. There is nothing different from others other than receiving the blessing of the World Tree and the blessing of Elune. Of course, historically¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Historically, the ancestral guardians have always yed a huge role. Long ago, from the time when the human kingdom was not divided, from the days when humans and these races had been fighting as one, the ancestral guardians appeared in the world and faced direct danger. You can think of all the elvenpanions in fairy tales or history books as the guardians of our ancestors.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if this is because of it, but I thought that I would have a role given to me. And Lee Kiyoung directly found the reason for me.¡±


    ¡°The mission you talked aboutst time¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. I have received a revtion. I mean the Elune¡¯s revtion to heal Lee Kiyoung¡¯s contaminated soul and join the Heroes of Light.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what she was talking about right now, but this spelled good news for me. This meant that it was true from the start that she was feeling favorable towards me.


    ¡®It¡¯s better if she misunderstands like that.¡¯


    If she really thought that she had received a revtion, perhaps I could make use of that.


    ¡®Yes. I absolutely can.¡¯


    There was no reason not to use this since she was making up the story for me herself.


    I thought about this for a moment, but it was in no time to make a decision. There was no reason to take any more time than this.


    As I frowned, I saw her approaching in a hurry to check my condition. She looked harried. At this point, I could feel the divine power being sent to me in a hurry, but of course, it didn¡¯t work. This time around, it seemed that a little different treatment would be needed.


    I instantly stopped breathing as much as possible and had begun shedding tears. To Lee Kiyoung, having 26 years of acting, shedding crocodile tears was a piece of cake.


    ¡°Are you okay? Honorary Cardinal, are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Cough¡­¡±


    ¡°Honorary Cardinal!¡±


    I didn¡¯t forget to shake my arms. No, actually, this was the most important task.


    This was because she had to properly recognize that the time had passed when she could treat me with divine power.


    She kept pouring out her divine power to me, but I had to make her realize that it was not working anymore. As I shook my whole body as if I went crazy, Elena immediately became flustered.


    ¡°N-No.¡±


    As I rolled my eyeballs and looked at her, I caught her looking at the window inside the narrow kiln as if she was thinking about asking for help from outside.


    However, everyone was busy helping out in the fight - no one would help her now.


    In the meantime, the event I prepared was soon reaching the peak.


    My entire body staggering, I reached my arms out into the air. I showed sad eyes whilst making grabby motions, almost as if asking for salvation.


    ¡°Oh, Elune. Elune¡­ please¡­ ¡±


    ¡°Cou¡­ gh¡­ sigh¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, Elune.¡±


    Elena had begun to cry. I felt her tightly holding my arm, all while reaching out into the air.


    That was when my condition stabilized.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Sighs and doubts of reliefy on her face filled with tears.


    She had experienced a miracle of sudden stabilization of my body, which seemed to die just before, so it would not be unreasonable to make that face.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡®Right¡­¡¯


    ¡°No way¡­¡±


    ¡®That ¡®no way¡¯ is true.¡¯


    Soul erosion had broken into stage 2.


    It was no longer a divine power that was needed. Only Elune could rescue Light Kiyoung from the crisis of death.


    [Heroic-grade forced quest is activated.]


    [Stop! You damned demon! (0/1)]


    [For unknown reasons, the forced quest of the heroic-grade was canceled.]

 Chapter 356: An Easy elf, An Easy Elena (3)

    <h4>Chapter 356: An Easy elf, An Easy Elena (3)</h4>


    ¡®Good. It¡¯s good.¡¯


    It seemed like something had just passed, but I didn¡¯t pay much attention to it. This was because what was important at this moment was Elena¡¯s reaction.


    She looked to be speechless, but then, she took her breath as if she was so relieved by my normal condition.


    It seemed to me that she was very surprised by the sudden situation.


    Her ears were trembling, and her emerald hair was sweaty, but she thought it was more urgent to take care of me than to take care of herself.


    ¡°Are¡­ are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m okay, Elena.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d. I¡¯m really d.¡±


    This turned out to be a pretty good event.


    Looking at her reaction, the result didn¡¯t seem to be bad either. I think it had been a little impulsive, but there¡¯s certainly merit.


    Elena had a legendary-grade ss and legendary-grade attribute with magic power and luck stats over 90. She was talented with her innate quality of magic, and she was someone who was expected to have a powerful impact on the Kingdom of Eberia.


    If it were before, I would have tried to bring her to my side at any cost.


    I hadn¡¯t been much hung up on talents because my life had improved a lot by now, but being able to take her as a pet was a good enough reason to take on the risk.


    The dice had been thrown in a very easy way. Since I had decided to move, it was better to do it properly.


    ¡°You don¡¯t look well¡­ did anything happen? Maybe you¡¯re feeling worse¡­¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s nothing like that. Yes. It¡¯s not that, but¡­ Yes. Yes¡­ Absolutely not. Rather, how do you feel right now?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I feel a little morefortable than usual.¡±


    ¡°Is that true?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ see.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how on earth this happened, but thank you.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just that you¡¯ve stayed with me like this again.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes. It¡¯s nothing. I just did what I had to do.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps Elune¡¯s revtion¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°It looks like it really exists.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Actually, I was a bit aware that I had only days left to live, Elena-nim.¡±


    ¡°What? You knew¡­?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I couldn¡¯t diagnose what exactly it was, but it was constantly sending signals here and there. In fact, I was giving up halfway¡­ I also thought a lot about whether the role that was given to me only came this far.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Elena said that Elune had a revtion for me¡­ Maybe I have a little more reason to stay on this continent. Something more important than what happened at Laios. Haha. Cough. Cough.¡±


    ¡°Lee Kiyoung-nim!¡±


    It was quite the spectacle to see her holding both my hands in a hurry. The anxiety had never left her face.


    ¡°Yes¡­ Yes! I think so, too. There must be a reason Elune ordered me to help the Honorary Cardinal. Yes. Definitely. And¡­ Yes. And there may be another reason to¡­ why we met.¡±


    ¡®As expected, she would think like that.¡¯


    ¡°Another reason¡­ What do you mean¡­?¡±


    ¡°N-Nothing. It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    I saw her with her head bent. Although she looked ufortable, her red face, for some reason, showed that she was harboring many thoughts. This was only natural.


    ¡®Has she ever held a man¡¯s hand properly?¡¯


    She was an elf who had been stuck in the forest for nearly 200 years. She was also a character who seemed very ignorant about the rtionship between men and women in the first ce.


    Elena didn¡¯t feel ufortable holding my hand freely for a handshake, or putting her hand on my chest for treatment. She wasn¡¯t aware that the treatment practice so far was in contact with the opposite sex. It was just a process of treating a patient.


    However, when the setting was changed, then her mindset would change as well.


    Once she started to recognize it, it meant that simple treatment actions would no longer be the same as before.


    For a girl with many dreams, the subject of God¡¯s will or destiny was a subject that she could only nod to.


    When I considered that the lines appearing in the numerous romance novels distributed throughout the continent were all about the will of God, revtion, and guidance, and destiny, the answer to taming her was obvious.


    Even in her imagination, it would be the background where this bullsh*t would work, but what happened to her had been a reality.


    I couldn¡¯t expect aplete change, but she would definitely be conscious of me.


    ¡®No, I could do it much faster than I thought.¡¯


    Once I had built a quick but solid rtionship, it was easy to push things into her head.


    No, I didn¡¯t even need to push. Hopefully, I might be able to get things done smoothly without such a task. There was no choice but to keep nodding. It was then that I felt cold energy somewhere.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    A pair of eyes were seen through the small window that was open for me to see the outside situation.


    I was quick to realize that Jung Hayan was looking inside with her face close. It felt like a snake scanning my back.


    ¡®Sh*t.¡¯


    I felt guilty for a moment, but when I saw Jung Hayan slowly removing her face from the kiln, I realized that she had not figured out the situation.


    She was just wondering what I was doing.


    When I saw her worried face, I felt my conscience being stabbed. I wasn¡¯t aplete douche after all.


    ¡®I¡¯ll do better, Hayan.¡¯


    Although it was a uselessmitment, it was only natural to suppress the remorse that had been raised for a while.


    Now, I had to start with the immediate situation. It was when she was constantly checking my knee that I heard a sound.


    Craaack!


    Baaaaaaang!!!


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!¡±


    The first thing I heard was a loud voice. I had no choice but to cover my ears momentarily by the sound of a tearing voice.


    I don¡¯t know why, but I felt a huge impact on the kiln.


    I momentarily looked outside through the small window, but the party members could not be seen. No, her body was crashing inside the small kiln where she was rolling and falling through.


    No wonder Elena and my body had gotten tangled. I thought I had to fix my body somehow, but it was not easy to chant spells in this situation.


    ¡®What the hell is this? Fuck!¡¯


    It was evident that the stallions, whether it was an Elven Knight or what, had an ident.


    I wondered if Jung Hayan caused this, but the possibility of this was zero. It was hard to imagine a scene where she was hurting me even if I were to simte hundreds of times.


    If she had wanted to kill Elena, she would¡¯ve done it instead of attacking the wagon.


    ¡®It¡¯s an ident.¡¯


    In this context, it was only correct to think so. No wonder I thought I was off guard.


    I should have expected something to go wrong from the time the elves moved awkwardly.


    I didn¡¯t know if Kim Hyunsung or Jung Hayan was currently pursuing us, but if they were inbat or were in a special situation, there was a possibility that I could bepletely isted.


    It was rather poisonous not to know what the situation was doing outside.


    I shouldn¡¯t have blocked the sound.


    Fortunately, this kiln was very strong, but it seemed to havee down to a very deep ce seeing that it kept falling even after a long time had passed.


    I didn¡¯t know how far it was going to fall, but I knew I had to do something about it.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°Da¡­ mn!¡±


    Crack!


    Bang!


    Craaack!


    However, even that was not easy.


    I could hear the kiln being hit by external objects, with various sounds resonating. If it weren¡¯t for the spells put on for safety, they would have already been broken.


    ¡®What about using floating magic?¡¯


    Considering that wizards like Jung Hayan, Hwang Jeong-yeon, and Han Sora could not afford to catch me, the situation may be worse than I had initially expected.


    There was no more lighting through the windows.


    As I hugged Elena desperately and pped her hands, the dragon¡¯s tail emerged and began to wrap around her body.


    The protection magic outside the wagon must protect us, but as there were situations that we did not know, we must prepare as much as possible in order to protect our bodies.


    ¡®Sh*t. Sh*t.¡¯


    The moment I heard a great sound, I fluttered, but there was nothing wrong with the bodypared to the sound.


    Strangely, the wagon had not gotten broken in the first ce.


    I didn¡¯t know how manyyers of defense magic had been put on it, but it was rewarding to have had it.


    ¡®Our wizards are capable.¡¯


    Meanwhile, it was pitch ck when I tried to look outside.


    As I chanted the spell a little, my surroundings began to glow slowly with a bit of light. As I raised my body in an ambiguous posture, I saw Elena trembling while hugging me tightly.


    Seeing the flinching and moving ears, it seemed that she didn¡¯t know about this situation.


    Of course, I was the same. I wondered how a well-going expedition could reach such a close.


    As soon as I bit my lips, Elena, who had her face pressed right over here, slowly began to talk to me. There would be no need to exin how the expression was.


    ¡°Lee Kiyoung. How on earth did this happen?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know in detail. I think we fell after being shocked by something¡­¡±


    ¡°Where are we?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure either. Nothing can be seen outside¡­ First of all, it would be a good idea to check the outside situation. In the worst case, I think you should think about that when we¡¯re far from your party. It is possible that we are isted.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡±


    ¡°For now.¡±


    The first thing to do was check where this was, and if there were people who had also fallen.


    I rummaged through the infinite bag that Kim Hyunsung gave me, and immediately took out the dragon breath potion. As much as that event could happen, I got ready to get out.


    I could see Elena looking at this side with an anxious expression, but I had to open the door of the kiln slowly for now.


    The shrieking sounds heard from outside was exceptionally loud.


    I looked around while swallowing, but I couldn¡¯t see anything as if the pupil was quite bulky.


    That was when something fell from the sky. I wondered if it might be the lovely returner who hade to me, but what I saw was apletely unexpected figure.


    ¡®Sh*t.¡¯


    It was not even alive.


    Reflected in my sight was the upper body of an elf.


    ¡°This is terrible¡­¡±


    My lips had begun to dry.

 Chapter 357: An Easy Elf, An Easy Elena (4)

    <h4>Chapter 357: An Easy Elf, An Easy Elena (4)</h4>


    It was certainly one of the Elune Knights who was dragging the kiln.


    It was so messy that his shape couldn¡¯t even be recognized anymore because of his falling shock, but my Mind¡¯s Eyes kept telling me that he was the elf who had been with us.


    ¡®Did he fall from where he originally was?¡¯


    I simply couldn¡¯t figure out what had happened.


    What was certain was that there had been an ident that I didn¡¯t know about, and the expedition could not respond. Other than that, everything was unclear.


    It happened so quickly, and as I was stuck in the wagon, I had no way of knowing what had been going on outside.


    ¡®Who was in the backline?¡¯


    Most of the Blue Guilds were in the front line.


    The ones who were close to the kiln were Ahn Ki-mo, capable of closebat while at the same time being a back liner, and the elves who dragged the kiln.


    Seeing that this poor guy also looked like this, it would be reasonable to assume that the ident took ce from behind.


    ¡®Is Ahn Ki-mo safe?¡¯


    If he didn¡¯t fall here together, I knew he¡¯d be okay, but it was possible that he had gotten caught in the middle.


    Of course, there was a possibility that other guild members had also fallen.


    ¡®Has the ground copsed?¡¯


    All kinds of imagination had entered my name, but there was no clear answer.


    One thing was certain, however. This was not a very good situation.


    In any case, if I were to get isted inside the dungeon, I should consider the worst, especially since this was a legendary-grade dungeon.


    There was no front-liner to protect me, and our supplies were limited.


    It was not unreasonable for me to frown. This was because I had realized that my current situation vastly differed from the norm.


    It was only natural for me to check my belongings. I knew I had to check what I had.


    I had a portable alchemy kit.


    ¡®This is something I always carry¡­¡¯


    I had food and drinking water that would normally be sufficient for about five days.


    ¡®If I save it, I can eat it for 20 days.¡¯


    I had a Dialugia catalyst.


    ¡®I brought this generously.¡¯


    I was also carrying legendary-grade health potions, as well as other catalysts and materials.


    ¡®It¡¯s not enough¡­¡¯


    These weren¡¯t bad items to hold onto, but none of them were sufficient enough to protect my body.


    I missed Juliana, who had been left behind back in Lindel.


    After she woke up once, she didn¡¯t have a chance to participate in the battle directly, and having left her alone was a mistake.


    ¡®I¡¯ll have to carry it with me when I return.¡¯


    I had to admit that I had gotten quite soft.


    Being surrounded by monsters, it was true that I had indeed neglected to develop myself. I didn¡¯t have the time to be ying in the field, but I couldn¡¯t deny that I had indeed been idle recently.


    Of course, nothing would change if I were to regret it now.


    After shaking my head once, I immediately rummaged the arms of the elves. I had to find out if there was anything useful.


    I searched quite carefully, but the only thing I could save was a dagger that had been sheathed around the waist. In fact, I didn¡¯t know how to use one, but it was still better than nothing.


    ¡®It¡¯s so light.¡¯


    ¡°L-Lee Kiyoung-nim.¡±


    I heard a voice when I looked around slowly again. It seemed that Elena had be anxious because I did note back.


    ¡°Are you there? Honorary Cardinal?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Elena. You don¡¯t have to worry. I¡¯m going there now.¡±


    Once again, I returned to the carriage, and I saw Elena, looking up at me from inside.


    Seeing her ears trembling, it seemed that she was terrified. She was relieved to see me, but she didn¡¯t seemfortable. She had on the same expression as those I had been with back in the tutorial dungeon.


    Although I had already expected it, it seemed that she had not much experience in real lifepared to her stats.


    In a way, she had be an annoying baggage for me.


    ¡°H-How is it outside?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look good. We don¡¯t know where we are now, and we don¡¯t see anything around¡­ It would be nice to wait for the expedition until the wagon¡¯s protective magic fades. If they are okay, they wille down here.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Honorary Cardinal is right. They wille to find us soon. Yes. Definitely.¡±


    ¡®I hope things go well so easily, too.¡¯


    ¡°Honorary Cardinal?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you this just in case¡­ In case no onees¡­¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t happen. I don¡¯t know how long it will take, but they will definitelye.¡±


    There was no way they would note.


    I didn¡¯t know what had happened, but I highly doubted that this event had managed to kill them. I hated to think of the opposite, and I highly doubted that Kim Hyunsung would just go down in this manner.


    The same went for Jung Hayan.


    I may just hate to think that way, but I couldn¡¯t imagine Kim Hyunsung retiring in a ce like this, no matter what I were to think.


    The same went for Jung Hayan.


    If those two were alive, it was clear that they would choose to find me rather than attack the dungeon. They probably knew where Elena and I fell, so they would be heading right here after the expedition would get overhauled.


    ¡®It will take some time to learn.¡¯


    When I thought about Jung Hayan¡¯s crying, blowing, and raging, I thought it was fortunate that I wasn¡¯t there right now.


    Probably everyone is sweating out to stop her.


    ¡®It¡¯s weird that the Anemone¡¯s eyes are not visible¡­¡¯


    Because it is too far, the cast itself may be impossible.


    Because Jung Hayan¡¯s stalking camera doesn¡¯t have a long-range.


    ¡°The question is, how long can we endure this¡­? I guess. We¡¯re safe right now, but you don¡¯t know when the monsters will attack. It would be nice if the protection magic hanging in the kiln would continue, but it will probably be a day long. There is not enough food.¡±


    ¡°How much¡­?¡±


    ¡°If we save it, it will run out in about ten days.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡±


    ¡°First, I think it would be better to hold on while saving as much as possible. Maybe you also have separate luggage¡­¡±


    ¡°A-All my luggage is managed by Ludwig¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°No. You never thought this would happen. More importantly¡­¡±


    It was then that I felt that the ground was moving suddenly.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Elena suddenly held her breath. She was frightened, as it seemed like the earth beneath us had begun to move. Naturally, I went out of the carriage to check - and it appeared that this was indeed a true urrence.


    ¡°Wait¡­¡±


    ¡°I-It is dangerous, Lee Kiyoung-nim.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t it¡­ seem to be moving?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It seems that the whole ground is moving. Yes. Definitely.¡±


    No. it was not just about moving. After a while, I started to feel that it was moving in earnest with a roar.


    ¡®Fuck. Is this?¡¯


    Naturally, I hurried to the ce where the elf body was. I had noticed something strange.


    The corpse, whose lower body had gottenpletely blown away, looked no different from the previous one, but the cross-section was indeed very worrisome. I was, by no means, an expert, but I at least knew this much.


    It looked like it was bitten by a huge stapler. It had a rough surface as well as strange saliva.


    [Salit¡¯s Saliva (Semi-Mythic)]


    [It is a material that cannot be used as a catalyst for alchemy.]


    ¡®Sh*t¡­¡¯


    I began to look around continuously with the Mind¡¯s Eyes.


    I wanted to turn my circuit of happiness at least a little, but the sight I had witnessed using my Mind¡¯s Eyes again betrayed my expectations.


    [Salit¡¯s Stomach (Semi-Mythic)]


    ¡®Fuck.¡¯


    [Salit¡¯s Stomach (Semi-Mythic)]


    No matter where I looked, it all seemed the same.


    ¡®We were eaten.¡¯


    The ce where Elena and I fell right now was the stomach of an unknown, giant monster.


    His teeth must have ripped that elf, and only the upper body had managed toe in. The kiln that Elena and I were riding on fell to this side, fortunately.


    ¡®We have to get out.¡¯


    Even Park Deokgu would know that we would eventually get digested after being here. If we were to stay here and wait around, we would get digested faster than we would get caught.


    ¡°Elena,e out. I think we should move right now.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It seems that we are in the belly of a monster. For now, I think it would be better to get out of where we are.¡±


    ¡°What are you t-talking about¡­?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you an exnation on the move.¡±


    As soon as the elf came out with a bewildered expression, she frowned. This was a natural reaction, given that she now understood the situation we were in.


    ¡°Where are we going?¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s what I want to ask you.¡¯


    Of course, this monster¡¯s organs werepletely different from humans. It was no wonder that I couldn¡¯t get a sense of what was going on.


    ¡®Can I think that it is simr to Dialugia¡¯s?¡¯


    It was no wonder that it was morefortable to start with something rather than start with nothing.


    Of course, there were substantial differences in size, but I couldn¡¯t help but think that Dialugia¡¯s body tour might be helpful on unexpected asions. After all, Dialugia¡¯s organs broke down everything it ingested into magical power, and delivered it to the body.


    I was not sure about this, but I was sure of the possibility of it being able to move its body with a simr mechanism.


    This was a semi-mythic-grade monster, after all.


    Naturally, I began to look at our surroundings in a much more hurried manner.


    I thought there must be an organ that would transfer the broken down energy to the body, especially the heart. I looked around right away, but the problem was that it had gotten so wide that I couldn¡¯t even look closely.


    However, there were certainly ces where magic power flowed through.


    ¡°Elena, please check if there is any ce where you can hear a sound. Even the smallest sound is fine.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Elena-nim?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Elena-nim!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes, yes! Lee Kiyoung. What did you say?¡±


    ¡®Ah¡­ It looks like this one let her fear get the best of her.¡¯


    This was not an unreasonable reaction.


    If one were to suddenly hear the news that they had entered the stomach of a monster, anyone would surely react that way.


    Rather, it was good that she was not screaming and going crazy. I thought about abandoning her for a moment, but it was unconditionally helpful that one priest knew how to do at least something in the current situation.


    Slowly grabbing her hand, I could see a face looking up at me whilst flinching.


    Her ears were trembling, and, as expected, her expression was one of fear.


    I quickly decided that it would be better to soothe her rather than get angry. Slowly stroking her head and then opening my mouth, I could see her looking at me.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry, Elena.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes¡­ Yes.¡±


    ¡°No matter what happens, I¡¯ll be sure to protect you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I was sure that I had gotten used to saying these cringing things. Of course, I was only lying. If a crisis were to fall upon us, chances were I would have to abandon her.


    Seeing that this was not enough, I went to hold her hand. Her eyes were still horrified, but I could see her biting her lips and nodding as if she had decided something.


    ¡°No. I-I¡­ No matter what happens, Lee Kiyoung must be. Must¡­¡±


    ¡®Okay. I like that attitude.¡¯


    ¡°We will be able to get out of here. The two of us.¡±


    ¡°Yes. The two of us.¡±


    ¡°Er¡­ Honorary Cardinal.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Unless it¡¯s something special, I think it¡¯s helpful to keep holding hands. You might have seizures again in case.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I think it would be better to do that.¡±


    ¡®She is really too easy.¡¯


    Her strangely red face was definitely not an illusion.


    As I turned her hand, which I normally held, and interlocked our fingers, I saw her head down quickly, as if she felt a little nervous.

 Chapter 358: An Easy Elf, an Easy Elena (5)

    <h4>Chapter 358: An Easy Elf, an Easy Elena (5)</h4>


    ¡°Will the others be okay?¡±


    ¡°They will be okay. There was no other trace except for the one who fell with us. They must be heading where we are right now.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°There is a high probability that this monster is the Dungeon Boss from the Twisted Pond. He is also the one who has caused the World Tree rot. I don¡¯t know why the dungeon boss, which should be at the end, suddenly appeared, but if there is no other problem, the expedition members will also be able to reach this ce within 15 days.¡±


    Though I said that I didn¡¯t know why, that did not mean that I couldn¡¯t predict why the dungeon boss suddenly popped out.


    This was just a guess, but he was probably settled somewhere in the center of the Twisted Pond.


    It was said that this ce was a dungeon, but it looked like it took enormous magic power to keep the demons within the dungeon.


    The visa that allowed the demons who could not stay on the continent to stay here was the magic power emanating from the Twisted Pond, or the World Tree.


    Salit, the named monster, was likely located closest to the Twisted Pond.


    There was no way that such a guy would suddenly go for a walk at the dungeon¡¯s beginning without harboring any ns.


    It was correct to think that we were being aimed at right from the beginning, rather than identally being discovered.


    ¡®Because it doesn¡¯t seem like there was a battle after that.¡¯


    It meant that he had just swallowed the kiln and pulled out immediately.


    That was the reason that Kim Hyunsung and other guild members could not react to it, and the elves who were guarding the rear did not respond properly.


    Of course, considering that it was a semi-mythic-grade monster, it could not be helped, but it was undeniable that the rear was not able to respond.


    In the midst of this, doubts arose as to why he was aiming at me.


    Of course, there was an expected answer that arose. Belial, the demon lord, said that he coveted me, so I must have been coveted by Salit as well.


    This posed another problem here.


    ¡®Why the hell did this bastard swallow me up?¡¯


    Belial clearly expressed that he was not willing to kill me, and he actually didn¡¯t.


    For demons, a contract would be needed. He even showed himself to be friendly, saying that he wished to meet me again.


    The fact that Salit swallowed me to kill me was far from the devil¡¯s way of thinking that I knew.


    ¡®Is he incapable of thinking?¡¯


    It could be the kind that moved by instinct.


    Not everyone who was ssified as a demon would think and act like the 72nd Lord.


    It would be nice to check his information a little more, but the information given to me was only this much. It was regrettable that there were parts that could not be seen with the Mind¡¯s Eyes, which was still a legendary grade attribute.


    The only reason why I could see fragmentary information about him was also because of the influence of my ss.


    ¡°More importantly¡­ I-I think it¡¯s really fortunate.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡±


    ¡°If it weren¡¯t for Lee Kiyoung, I would probably still be there¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to think that way. I was able to get here because of you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not. It was you who found out that we were inside a monster¡­ I did nothing¡­ Yes. I was only scared. In fact, I still am. It¡¯s amazing how the Honorary Cardinal can be so calm. I¡¯m just sorry for not being able to help you as much.¡±


    ¡°Haha. I am not that courageous as you think. In fact, I¡¯m just the same as Elena-nim.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I am saying that I am an equally timid person.¡±


    ¡°But how can you¡­?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m not sure, but I¡¯m already quite used to this situation.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Elena-nim¡¯s presence also has an impact. If I were alone, it would have been difficult to hold on. It¡¯s just as helpful to have someone to rely on.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ t-thank you for saying so.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not just saying, I mean it. Maybe if Elena hadn¡¯t held my hand now, I would have already passed out. Thank you very much for that alone.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    As we walked, I noticed that Elena¡¯s legs were shaking, so she must have reached the limit. It was understandable. We had been walking for two days without proper rest.


    I was also in a situation where my physical strength was at its limit.


    It was not unreasonable that she is struggling without her experience of marching like this. She has high basic stats, so she may have some spare stamina, but her feet would definitely not be okay.


    ¡°I think it would be better to take a break and go.¡±


    ¡°No. I can¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°I was getting tired, too. We¡¯ve been walking for two days without sleeping properly.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®You don¡¯t have to feel so guilty because I¡¯m also exhausted.¡¯


    In the meantime, I kept looking around, but I still couldn¡¯t find anything weird.


    I thought that there might be other monsters in his body, but so far, I hadn¡¯t found anything special.


    If we wanted to take a break, now was the right time. It was inside the passage to the next organ, and it had the proper terrain to be able to hide our bodies.


    ¡®Well, I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯ll help¡­¡¯


    Still, this was better than nothing.


    As I sat down, she also sat when I gestured for her to sit next to me. She frowned as if doing this was already painful.


    There was no need to exin that this was what I thought it was.


    ¡°Can I take a look at your feet?¡±


    ¡°What? No. I¡¯m fine¡­¡±


    When I took off her boots carefully without listening to her reply, I could see that the blisters had burst and had gotten all tangled.


    Although it seemed painful because of the blood sticking to the boots, the shame was greater than the pain. Once again, I saw her face blushing.


    ¡°T-That¡¯s okay. I can recover myself.¡±


    ¡°You should¡¯ve told me¡­¡±


    ¡°I thought you would be worried. But I¡¯m fine now, Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°No. I think it would be better to save your divine power. Since we don¡¯t know what will happen, you need to fill your stamina. I have a potion, so I think it would be faster to treat it with this.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡®Not a chance I would let this go.¡¯


    Of course, the top priority is to get out of here alive, but I did not neglect my job.


    There was a feeling that the goal was just around the corner, and she wasn¡¯t as resistant as I thought.


    I didn¡¯t know if it was because we were inside the demon, or because she had already gotten used to it, but she refused to get nauseous or frown around me anymore.


    The same was true now. There was no other rejection while I was slowly touching her feet. Rather, she had her head lowered, almost as if she felt embarrassed.


    As I took out the potion and slowly poured it over her feet, I saw Elena¡¯s face twitching along with her ears with the unfamiliar sensation.


    ¡®It¡¯s a little bit concentrated, but this would be better.¡¯


    After slowly pouring the potion on her wound, she slowly began to touch her feet, and her ears were clearly pping.


    She held her breath as much as possible, but she looked to be ashamed of it. Seeing her overreacting, showing one¡¯s feet must have been embarrassing for an elf.


    ¡®They¡¯re very small.¡¯


    It felt like her feet were a little small for her body. I didn¡¯t know how it would be considered, but I had to do my best to heal her feet for now.


    I put my hand on her calves while I was at it, but she wasn¡¯t too embarrassed or resistant. Rather, she nodded, wanting to express that it was okay.


    ¡°I think it would be good to work on the muscles, too.¡±


    ¡°Yes? Ah¡­ Okay. You don¡¯t need to¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe it works great for relieving muscle fatigue. I¡¯m not showing off, but the potion I made has many benefits. It will be okay if you stay like that a little, so it would be better to have a quick meal while you wait.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Please take it, Elena-nim.¡±


    ¡°No. This is not necessary. You should eat it instead of me¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m used to it. Rather, I don¡¯t eat a lot at times like this. I am full enough with what I ate before. Take it, quickly. It¡¯s an insignificant meal, but it will satiate you for the time being.¡±


    ¡°T-Thank you.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to say that.¡±


    I finished with a little smile. I saw Elena reluctantly receiving what I handed over.


    She also looked to be feeling guilty about receiving help alone, but she also seemed strangely happy.


    ¡®This is working better than I thought.¡¯


    I wondered if the improvement was faster than expected, but I didn¡¯t have to think that this was a weird urrence.


    Couples in action movies and horror movies didn¡¯t kiss for a climax for no reason. The more desperate and dangerous the situation was, the easier it was to feel likable.


    Of course, if she were to get a good feeling about me paying attention to her a little here, it was definitely beneficial.


    After the expedition arrived at the ce where Salit was, the event to restore my body would begin immediately after the fight, so it was good to pay attention in advance.


    ¡®They must being, right?¡¯


    It was only natural for me to feel anxious while chewing the beef jerky that I had eaten earlier.


    I was currently heading to his heart in case the expedition got into an ident, but it was unclear if things were going well.


    Not only his outside, but also his inside felt solid. I couldn¡¯t even be sure that I could do damage with the Dragon Breath potion.


    ¡®This woman also doesn¡¯t look like she has a high attack power¡­¡¯


    Whatever it was, it remained true that if we settled down, we would surely die.


    We had gotten out of his stomach right now, but there was no guarantee that we would not be disassembled even if we ced ourselves in another organ.


    It was then that Elena¡¯s body, holding my hand, trembled.


    ¡®What¡¯s up with her?¡¯


    She looked a little nervous. I was worried if something happened, but it didn¡¯t look like that.


    She was rubbing her lips as if she wanted to ask something very much, but it felt as if she couldn¡¯t speak easily. I waited to see if she would say she wanted to go to the bathroom again, but what I heard waspletely unexpected.


    ¡°Er¡­ Honorary Cardinal.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°M¡­ Maybe¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, Elena-nim?¡±


    ¡°Uh, what kind of rtionship¡­ do you have with Jung Hayan¡­?¡±


    ¡®Now, would you look at her?¡¯


    She was looking at me, biting her lips tight as if she had finally asked. Her face went as red as a beetroot.


    ¡®Look at how upset she was.¡¯


    It felt cute how she said what I had been waiting for.


    On one side, things got tangled up, but on the other, things seemed to be working out well.


    Seeing Elena, who also seemed a little anxious, I opened my mouth with a bright smile.


    ¡°I love her.¡±

 Chapter 359: An easy elf, an easy Elena (6)

    <h4>Chapter 359: An easy elf, an easy Elena (6)</h4>


    ¡°He will be alive. Because Hayan also said that he was alive. Surely he will be alive. Yes! Absolutely.¡±


    ¡°¡­ ¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey¡­ Loosen up your face. O-Of course, I am also worried, but Hayan said so. He will definitely be safe! Hyung-nim was always like a cockroach. He is someone who can survive alone in the desert. Being alive all this time must be proof that he¡¯s found a way¡­ I¡¯m sure of it. He must be all right. He must. Yes. Absolutely.¡±


    ¡°¡­ ¡­¡±


    I swallowed hard.


    It was because I felt a gloomy atmosphere. Everyone was not their usual selves.


    He kept opening his mouth as if he was okay, but Park Deok-gu also looked somewhat anxious, and Sun Hee-young maintained an unusually nk expression.


    Of course, Kim Hyunsung, the Blue Guild Master, looked the most unusual.


    Anyone could see he was giving off vibes that made it hard to approach him.


    He seemed to be repressing it as much as possible, but nevertheless, the surroundings seemed distorted because of his killing aura.


    ¡®Have I ever seen him like that?¡¯


    At least I have no memory.


    Of course, I usually hang out with Jung Hayan and the Vice Guild Master, so I didn¡¯t have time to talk to the Guild Master, but I know that he¡¯s never shown such a look.


    That¡¯s because I heard it from Yoo Ahyoung and Chang-ryul.


    He usually spends a lot of time expressionless, but when he talks to the Vice Guild Master or Cho Hyejin, he sometimes smiles, and when I just joined the guild, I remembered that he weed me with a smile.


    ¡®He gets quiet.¡¯


    He seems to shut his mouth when his anger rises to the top of his head.


    Seeing that he didn¡¯t say a word for two days now, it¡¯s clear that he¡¯s more than just angry.


    I had no choice but to think that I saw quite a lot of him in this expedition.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I apologize again and again.¡±


    ¡°¡­ ¡­¡±


    ¡°I have nothing to say.¡±


    ¡°¡­ ¡­¡±


    He¡¯s not even talking to the elven leader, so I can see how angry he was.


    I think it¡¯s understandable.


    It is difficult to say that anyone is responsible for the ident, but if I had to pick a few, it was the elves that guarded the kiln where the Vice Guild Master and the Elf Princess were riding.


    It is absolutely their fault for drawing the sword while ignoring themand to evade. Perhaps it was because of their insignificant pride.


    ¡®It¡¯s stupid.¡¯


    Although their kind is different, it felt like seeing myself from before.


    After the speed of erosion of the Vice Guild Master increased, the elves except Elios were in charge of the rear boundary for a smooth attack, and as they also became onlookers, they wanted to show that they could do something, too.


    The problem was that what they had to deal with was the named monster from this dungeon.


    No one expected that he would pop out of the ground, swallow the kiln, and go back.


    Cho Hyejin, who approached the head elf who kept bowing his waist, opened her mouth.


    ¡°I think the Guild Master is very upset right now. I don¡¯t think he¡¯s in a condition to exchange views on the details of the expedition. If it¡¯s something important or something rted to the expedition, I will try to find a point of consensus within my own words or as much as I can.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Once again, it¡¯s not something for you to apologize. And Princess Elena is also with him¡­ so rather than a reprimand for the past, it seems that the top priority is to go where the named monster is as soon as possible. We¡¯ll break through as fast as we can, with minimal breaks, with Guild Master at the center.¡±


    ¡°Then, from now on¡­¡±


    ¡°We will try to eat within the scope of the supplies and reduce the amount of sleep time. We don¡¯t have time.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Okay.¡±


    ¡®He will be alive.¡¯


    I don¡¯t know if it were someone else, but it¡¯s hard to imagine that the Vice Guild Master will die in such a ce.


    Although he is actually alive¡­


    ¡®There is no way that man will die.¡¯


    He¡¯s never going to die like that.


    Of course, he shouldn¡¯t die that way. If there is any harm to Vice Guild Master¡¯s body, that person who is muttering quietly will not remain still.


    Just looking at her gives me goosebumps.


    I kept trying to look somewhere else because my legs kept shaking, but I also became very cautious about her putting those thoughts into action.


    She seemed to be quietly lowering her head, but anyone can see that she wasn¡¯t in her normal condition.


    She kept dropping tears and frowning as if somehow ufortable.


    If something really happened to the Vice Guild Master, the arrows of anger currently being umted may be directed towards an unspecified number of people.


    And that shouldn¡¯t happen.


    Seeing Jung Hayan-nim ncing at the elves¡¯ camp with a cold look, suddenly I had to shudder and think of what happened before.


    * * *


    ¡°I love her.¡±


    ¡®Of course, I¡¯m not in love.¡¯


    Sometimes the problem is that she loses her mind, and it can¡¯t be undone, but if you ask me whether I like her or not, of course, I like her.


    I feel guilty for not being able to protect her from the masked trash in the first round, and I feel a little responsibility in the second round.


    I like that she thinks about me, and her recent moves seem pretty cute.


    ¡®This much can be considered to be love, well.¡¯


    Of course, it is natural that I started acting to give my words confidence as much as possible.


    Because I already know the answer to why Elena asked this. Maybe Elena also knows the answer.


    If she saw the scene through the Goddess¡¯ Mirror in the first ce, it would be hard to think of Jung Hayan and me as just good friends.


    I couldn¡¯t help but think that the reason she was asking about this was that she wanted to confirm it with my own mouth.


    ¡®It¡¯s obvious.¡¯


    ¡°I-I see. I thought so¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. When we first met, it was the same situation as now. At that time, we weren¡¯t alone like we do now, but we ran into a dungeon by chance.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    Her face was clearly darkening. She has never learned how to manage her facial expressions.


    The proof is that her ears were shaking.


    It is not yet possible to determine how far she has fallen for me, but the very fact that she has asked this question tells me that she is shaken.


    I can¡¯t even tell howplicated her mind will be.


    I sprinkled various baits and tossed them, but it¡¯s up to her to put up with it.


    It was a divine move to include the subject of revtion.


    When I thought of Elena, who was heart-broken, I was conscience-stricken, but she couldn¡¯t get back the ball she had already shot.


    It¡¯s even hard for me to keep a face saying, ¡®I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re asking something like that.¡¯


    ¡®It¡¯s not easy to act.¡¯


    However, I think I¡¯m cut out for it.


    When I opened my mouth again, I began to see her looking at me. Of course, her ears are still shaking.


    ¡°I am very grateful and sorry for her always being next to me. We¡¯ve been together since then, but I didn¡¯t do anything. Instead, I got a lot of help. Haha.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°The way she smiles is very cute, and sometimes she looks angry, but even that¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. J-Jung Hayan is very p¡­pretty. Her soul also overflows with love.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s because of that, but I sometimes think about it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡±


    ¡°I think it might be fate. Haven¡¯t you, Elena, thought about that?¡±


    ¡°What exactly are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°It means that God will prescribe our destiny.¡±


    ¡°O-Of course. I also received a revtion¡­¡±


    ¡°Haha. What I¡¯m talking about is a little different from your grandiose story. Of course, they can be said to be simr, but it is quite different from what Elena thinks. It may be a little insignificant, but¡­ if you think how many foreigners and continental people live on the continent¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°It is the destiny between man and man. For me, it feels like that to have met Hayan. Of all the people, it¡¯s certainly no coincidence that I¡¯ve been able to meet her and build a good rtionship.¡±


    ¡°¡­ ¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s this saying from where Ie from. People are connected by a red string. Maybe she and I are connected by a red string. I¡¯m sure of it.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Yes¡­¡±


    It was then that Elena¡¯s expression was even darker. It¡¯s hard to say something, but it felt like she¡¯s overwhelmed by a sense of guilt.


    It seemed that she was a little annoyed and upset.


    Most importantly, she seemed to be sending negative energy. It¡¯s a face I¡¯ve never seen before.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know if it can be said that it is sessful.¡¯


    It was then that she carefully opened her mouth.


    ¡°B-but. O-Of course, it could be that, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Such matters have to be thought¡­ a little more carefully. T-The will of God is not something that can be judged so recklessly.¡±


    ¡°Oh. I¡¯m sorry, Elena. I wonder if I¡¯ve been disrespectful¡­ I sincerely apologize for any sensitive subject. I don¡¯t really know about Elune¡¯s doctrine.¡±


    ¡°No! It¡¯s not that. Lee Kiyoung-nim. Yes. It¡¯s not that. I¡¯m not saying that¡­ It¡¯s not that it¡¯s different from the doctrine. O-Of course! It¡¯s not that I can¡¯t believe in the rtionship between you and Jung Hayan, but I was worried that Lee Kiyoung would distort the will of God¡­¡±


    I bet she is distorting the will of God rather than me.


    ¡°Oh, I see.¡±


    ¡°In my case, I heard the voice of God d-directly.¡±


    ¡°Is that true?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I have heard it clearly. That is why I was able to tell you with confidence. B-but Lee Kiyoung is a little different from me, right? I just said it because¡­ I wondered if you should think about that matter more carefully as much as you are in a position to spread the will of the Goddess Benignore to others. I-I¡¯m sorry. If I was too¡­ If I was too cocky¡­¡±


    ¡°No, Elena. You weren¡¯t. Thank you for saying that. You¡¯re right. I was a little careless. It is not unreasonable to be concerned when I think of religious events that have urred by distorting the will of God.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Yes! That¡¯s why I am saying that.¡±


    She still has a pretty dark face. She¡¯s talking gibberish, but that¡¯s what she meant in the end.


    ¡®That my meeting with Jung Hayan is not fate.¡¯


    She went around, but the key must be saying that. She has a pretty cute way of thinking.


    In my eyes, it was cute that she did what I intended, but she was engulfed in an indescribable sense of guilt.


    ¡®That¡¯s right.¡¯


    The way to be garbage is easy.


    The first thing to realize is that she is trash and epts the guilt as it is, whether she feels guilty about it or regrets her own actions.


    The most important is to realize.


    Of course, this is not the end. Obviously, the next chapter also exists.


    In this case, it¡¯s a little easier.


    ¡®Because it rationalizes.¡¯


    Humans and elves are no different. Every animal that thinks is supposed to rationalize its own wrongdoing.


    Just like the innocent Princess Elena.


    When it¡¯s someone that is not used to wrong or negative energy. It¡¯s even more.

 Chapter 360: Trash Elune (1)

    <h4>Chapter 360: Trash Elune (1)</h4>


    Of course, I was not saying that everything I had said was right. In fact, this was just my own, personal opinion. This was because each person had a distinctly different case.


    There were certainly people who epted their own negative behavior, and those who sincerely repented.


    ¡®It¡¯s a problem because I¡¯ve never seen one, but¡­¡¯


    A person like that definitely existed somewhere on the continent or Earth.


    I believed in the Evil Nature Principle in the first ce, and I felt that the former was more persuasive than thetter.


    Of course, even if she were thetter type, I would continue to believe that she would act like the former. The fact that she did something she would regret was evidence that she was already hopeless.


    Real adults didn¡¯t even do things they would regret in the first ce.


    ¡®Yes. Absolutely.¡¯


    She wasn¡¯t showing any changes as soon as I expected, but whenever she looked at me or tantly showed that she harboredplicated thoughts inside, I had to admit that it had worked to some extent.


    I could be sure that, although the resistance had been quite rough, thest conscience remaining in the Kingdom of Eberia would soon copse.


    The longer we spent time here, the closer she and I would get, and the closer Elena would arrive at the wise choice.


    On the other hand, I was the exact opposite of her.


    It was no wonder that I had said that about Jung Hayan.


    Of course, I did not directly say things she was sensitive to, like fate or revtion, but I proceeded with such a nuanced conversation.


    It could¡¯ve been a pretty awkward event for her.


    I didn¡¯t know if it was because of that, but Elena was getting clingier and clingier as we continued exploring the interior of Salit. Honestly, getting her to this point did not take too much effort at all.


    Of course, this didn¡¯t mean that the elf was obvious about her feelings, either.


    It wasn¡¯t a situation where she could do it, and above all, she wasn¡¯t someone who had the courage to in the first ce.


    Whether she wanted this or not, our rtionship quickly drew close.


    The longer we moved around while holding hands all the time, and as much as we engaged in contact was inevitable.


    In severe cases, we stayed together, even when dealing with the physiological phenomenon. I was actually firmly attached to Elena, so I didn¡¯t have to exin how much she trusted me.


    It was only natural for us to rely on each other in the worst situation where we could not survive alone. The circumstances were in favor of the progression of our rtionship.


    As expected, it was less than a day after that day that she started talking about Jung Hayan. Instead of denying the negative energy in herself, she began to rationalize and ept it.


    ¡®It can¡¯t be helped. Perhaps this is the right way.¡¯


    Although there was still a sense of guilt on her face, it was a great improvementpared to the beginning.


    It was still awkward, but it was the first time in her 200-year life to be insulting others. Of course, the method looked like an amateur¡¯s and looked cute.


    Seeing her ears fluttering, she seems to be thinking of getting started. Where we were did not matter anymore. What mattered were the thoughts in her head.


    ¡°Er, Honorary Cardinal.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Elena.¡±


    ¡°I-Is Jung Hayan-nim a little bit too jealous?¡±


    Asking something like this was indeed evidence that she was an amateur. This was the moment when I realized that acting as sly as a fox truly needed talent.


    I was overwhelmed with the awkward acting, but at this point, it was my job to act fooled, just this once.


    As I nodded in affirmation, her ears fluttered once more.


    ¡°Actually, it is more than too much. As I said before, she doesn¡¯t even like me talking to other women. Of course, even though it looks cute, it would be a lie if it wasn¡¯t a burden. I¡¯m a bit unhappy with it in the first ce.¡±


    ¡°I-I see. After all, d¡­ do you think that a broader understanding woman is rather your ideal type than a woman who has a lot of jealousy¡­?¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s Lee Jihye¡¯s way of thinking.¡¯


    ¡°Not necessarily. To exin whether or not it is, of course, it can be said that the broader understanding is better¡­ I don¡¯t think we can tell the difference between the opposite sex and the same sex as we meet a lot of people.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Yes. But why?¡±


    ¡°N-Nothing. It¡¯s just¡­ I just remembered what I felt when I met Jung Hayan-nim¡¯s soul.¡±


    ¡°Last time, you said it was a soul full of love¡­¡±


    ¡°O-Of course, Jung Hayan-nim has a soul full of love, but there are parts that I have not yet been able to talk about. Would it¡­ be better to say that it¡¯s not just a pure soul¡­? It is difficult toment in detail, but it must be something Lee Kiyoung does not know about.¡±


    ¡®I hit the right spot. Prepare the popcorn.¡¯


    ¡°Was Hayan affected by the demon¡­?¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s not that. Yes. It is not. I-It¡¯s just the nature of Jung Hayan-nim¡­¡±


    ¡°I see. I felt it from the first time I saw her, but it¡¯s really amazing. Being able to feel the soul of others¡­ In some ways, you might think it¡¯s mere unhappiness. Oh! Could it be that even souls that fit well with each other can be distinguished? For example, if the soul wavelengths match, or if they¡¯repatible.¡±


    ¡°Of course. I can¡¯t say exactly, but¡­ I can tell that to some extent.¡±


    ¡°Then, how about Jung Hayan and me?¡±


    It was really interesting to see Elene struggling to form an answer that would benefit her. Contrary to the stabbing conscience, my heart was beating. The naive elf who was quietly watching out for me had be a fun little conquest.


    However, in the end, I could see her eyes closed, opening her mouth. Again, she chose to abandon her conscience.


    ¡°You¡­ may be disappointed, but it¡¯s not very good. Yes. If I tell you exactly, it will be right¡­ to say that it doesn¡¯t match that much.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Is that so?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ I¡­ I¡¯m sure.¡±


    As her face darkened from yet another lie, my heart once again fluttered.


    She seemed to be regretting what she had done because she couldn¡¯t put up with her instant greed.


    Of course, it was my role to help her not to regret it. She should¡¯ve known that the consequences of betraying her own conscience coulde as joy, not pain.


    Only then could she be one step closer to being trashy.


    ¡°Excuse me, but what about Elena and me?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. This was a little rude for me to¡­¡±


    ¡°No. Yes. I didn¡¯t mean that. I was just a little surprised¡­ Yes. I-I have to give you the answer.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s embarrassing, but to tell you exactly as it is¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°The wavelength of the souls seems to fit very well. Yes. If you¡¯re asking if it¡¯s good or not, it¡¯s definitely good.¡±


    ¡°Is that true?¡±


    ¡°Yes. This is the truth, without any lies.¡±


    She didn¡¯t even remember anymore how much she had thrown up the first time she met me. At this point, I knew she would want to take things even further.


    She¡¯ll need some ointment to apply to her guilt, and she¡¯ll need some water to drink.


    ¡°ording to your words, the revtion that Elune-nim gave you might bepletely different. Hahaha.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Oh! It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°We should start moving again. I would like to stay here for another day, but we¡¯re close to the heart. Let¡¯s cheer up.¡±


    ¡°Honorary Cardinal, what you said earlier¡­¡±


    ¡°Haha. It¡¯s really nothing. It¡¯s just something¡­ I suddenly remembered. Due to the current situation.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°I will tell youter.¡±


    I showed her my best rendition of sad eyes. Likewise, Elena¡¯s eyes also held a spoonful of sadness.


    However, I didn¡¯t go on and on. This was important, but the fact that we must get out of this ce still remained.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps, by tomorrow we¡¯ll be arriving at the main organs. Of course, this is only if I were to assume that my guess is correct¡­¡±


    ¡°What you think is probably right. We were able to reach this ce without any trouble. However, if we arrive at the main organ¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if my potion or your divine power will work, but I think we should try. Monsters like these are usually more vulnerable to internal attacks than external attacks. We don¡¯t know when the party will arrive, so we have to prepare in advance.¡±


    ¡°As expected¡­ that¡¯s why you continued studying alchemy.¡±


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s right. It seems to be difficult in the same way as before. Before, I got new powers from Goddess Benignore, but I couldn¡¯t use them properly because I was lying in bed.¡±


    ¡°You also¡­ received the trust.¡±


    ¡°Ah. I guess I didn¡¯t tell you.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I am only an alchemist, but thanks to the consideration of the Goddess, I got undeserved strength. The problem is, I can¡¯t get a sense of how to use this power¡­¡±


    ¡°Uh! Maybe I can help.¡±


    At first, I felt skeptical about her ability to help me. However, as the moments began to pass me by, I began to feel like she might really be able to help me.


    ¡®This¡­¡¯


    Maybe it was really possible.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this really a gift?¡¯


    Thinking of the revtion she had received, I began to nod once more.


    Perhaps Elena was a gift from Elune to me. No wonder I realized that Elune was a more cold-hearted fellow than I thought.


    ¡®Phew. This ¡®guy¡¯ is also really trash.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine that she would just hand over her daughter like this.

 Chapter 361: Trash Elune (2)

    <h4>Chapter 361: Trash Elune (2)</h4>


    The more I thought about it, the more likely it seemed.


    I was sure that the revtion Elena was thinking as well as my conclusion were far from being the same, but the revtion she received must be to treat me.


    I thought that that much was everything.


    I couldn¡¯t even imagine the assumption that there was a connection between the system-given ss, Light Alchemist, and Elena.


    ¡®It sounds so natural that I can¡¯t believe I hadn¡¯t thought of this before. Who would have imagined this?¡¯


    Guardian of the legendary-grade Elune¡ªthe one and only high elf.


    If I were to simply exin her with adjectives, I would fall short, but the weight of the names of high elf and god¡¯s apostle was never to be taken lightly.


    This was even more so when I considered that the high elves were born under the influence of the World Tree¡¯s magic power.


    In the first ce, it was correct to think that the World Tree itself had the power of a semi-mythic grade. It had managed to keep the demon that had currently swallowed us to stay in this world, and it was busy covering the entire Eberian Kingdom.


    Meanwhile, I had gotten influenced by Elune, who was in turn being influenced by the World Tree. Existence itself seemed to have ns for us.


    In other words, she was the daughter of Elune, and the alter ego of Elune. No wonder I couldn¡¯t imagine Elune turning over her precious daughter.


    ¡®Who would¡¯ve thought her to be this cold-hearted piece of sh*t?¡¯


    I already knew that transcendental beings were not perfect.


    However, not only did she have the same mindset as me, but she was also the type to resort to such low actions. I wasn¡¯t expecting that.


    Now I just pitied Elena.


    ¡®Cold-hearted trash.¡¯


    Of course, no matter what the circumstances were, they had nothing to do with me. Rather, I wanted to wee this.


    Regardless of the circumstances, it was only right to take it boldly if it was beneficial to me.


    The transcendental being had also thrown in a gift in the hope that it would help Kim Hyunsung more, anyway. I still didn¡¯t know what would happen in the future, but there must be a reason for all of these events.


    One thing I learned from this incident was that there was not one creature in charge of the whole system.


    Those who were called gods on the continent were likely looking down at us from above.


    ¡®Elune, this garbage, can also affect the system.¡¯


    Of course, all of this only stemmed from my imagination.


    The exact thing had not been decided yet, but one thing that I was certain of was that they were protecting both Kim Hyunsung and me.


    It was only right to think that Elune would go so far as to even offer Elena to me.


    ¡®Don¡¯t help me with this. You could help me with the situation I¡¯m in.¡¯


    Of course, my grievances burst out of frustration. In the context so far, I could assume that transcendental beings could not be greatly involved in human death or life.


    I didn¡¯t know if it was really impossible, but at least the fact that it imposed huge penalties was undeniable.


    What I was certain about was that the transcendent existence did not want Kim Hyunsung and I getting split up. There was also a possibility that Elena would be the catalyst for the alchemy used by the Light Alchemist.


    If thetter was true, then it was only right to scream.


    As I continued to grin and look at Elena, I could see her face looking up at me, not understanding my expression.


    She shivered for a second as if she felt something, but she still seemed to be in a good mood.


    ¡°Do you have anything you want to say?¡±


    ¡°I just remembered that you said you would help me.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Of course, I can help. I will do whatever I can.¡±


    ¡°It can be a little hard, but I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s okay. It¡¯s quite rude¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about it. If it¡¯s anything I can do¡­ I will do my best.¡±


    I saw her nodding innocently. I knew she would never expect me to decide to use her for my study.


    In fact, her consent was not important. If my guess was correct, then this wasn¡¯t something I should try. It was something I had to do.


    Still, it was more convenient to coax a little more. As the situation was like this, the depending on how well she would cooperate with me. I knew I had to get right to the point.


    ¡°I think I should take a look at Elena¡¯s body.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    It felt like time stopped for a moment.


    I didn¡¯t know what was going on, but since her face went as red as a beetroot, I knew I had to clear things up as quickly as I could. I made sure to only convey the core details as much as possible.


    Throughout the exnation, Elena nodded and sometimes made exmations.


    It was impressive to see her continually nodding, but the fact that she had a stronger connection with me would indeed be a pleasing proposition to her.


    ¡°I understand what you said, Lee Kiyoung-nim. However, as to how to help with it, I don¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s the problem.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t have her blood tested, or her clothes taken off from the beginning. The whole process was quite problematic.


    Considering the time spent discovering and researching Dialugia¡¯s catalyst, it was absurd to make a new kind of object here.


    Naturally, the equipment and catalysts I had in my possession were also unimaginably poor.


    Dragon¡¯s Breath potion and Enhancement Serum were the products of assets created through numerous hypotheses and experiments.


    Since there had been thousands of experiments with hundreds of alchemy kits, it had been possible to produce results in a short time.


    ¡®Fuck¡­ I am not a genius.¡¯


    It is impossible to produce results right away when there were insufficient resources.


    It took decades to formte a theory, and I didn¡¯t know how much experimentation I could do.


    Although Elena was next to me, the number of other catalysts that could support her was extremely scarce.


    It was clear that all the materials I currently had would run out after four or five experimentations. I had to think of a different way.


    It would be impossible to use Salit¡¯s body as a catalyst. Gathering saliva would not do me any good, either.


    [Salit¡¯s Saliva (Semi-Mythic]]


    [It is a material that cannot be used as a catalyst for alchemy.]


    I did bring it just because, but it seemed that there were some conditions that needed to be met in order to use a semi-mythic grade monster as a catalyst.


    Just as the Light Alchemist used high elf Elena as a catalyst, I might also need to obtain a specific ss to use the catalyst.


    ¡®Shall I just convert?¡¯


    Of course, I couldn¡¯t even try because I didn¡¯t know how to do it, and Han Sora wasn¡¯t here. However, if it were Belial, perhaps he would respond to me.


    I roughly memorized the magic circle, and the ce where I was currently in was inside of Salit, so perhaps there was a possibility.


    Elena¡¯s reaction was a different issue altogether, however.


    ¡®I think I can convince her, but¡­ it¡¯s a little wasteful to abandon the Light Alchemist¡­¡¯


    However, this was a risk I would be willing to take. It certainly seemed much more usible to use a better means for survival instead of aimlessly wandering around.


    I couldn¡¯t just wait for Kim Hyunsung forever.


    I understand that I can¡¯t intervene recklessly, but at this point, I think there must be some action from above.


    ¡®The more I think about these bastards, the more I think they¡¯re being too much.¡¯


    I had dedicated my mind and body to the camp of the light, but what I got in return was only a semi-mythic-grade ss.


    How much did I pay for the offering as an Honorary Cardinal of the Goddess of Benignore? This thought passed through my mind. I bet it would not be an exaggeration to say that no one had ever sacrificed more than me.


    ¡®That¡¯s right. Right. Even if I think about it a hundred times, it¡¯s true.¡¯


    What about the Laios case?


    Although there was a slight crisis, the impact of the incident could not be fully expressed.


    Not only did the miracles I showed on the whole continent got broadcasted, but statistically, the number of Benignore goddess worshippers had increased significantly.


    No, the number had already gone through the roof.


    Just as the demon raised results through contracts, if the sky¡¯s existence was filled with the believers¡¯ results, how much I had contributed to the church could not be expressed in words.


    [Rare-grade forced quest is activated.]


    [I¡¯m in the red, you sh*tty bastard. I¡¯m in the red, and I¡¯m out of business trying to settle the mess you¡¯ve made¡­ It¡¯splete chaos. (0/1)]


    That wasn¡¯t even everything. I had even made the Goddess Benignore seem like a democratic fighter. With the Goddess¡¯ Mirror, praise songs for Goddess Benignore resonated all over the continent.


    [Rare-grade forced quest is activated.]


    [Are you nuts? Is that a feat? You don¡¯t get the situation¡­ (0/1)]


    That wasn¡¯t all.


    Not only did I always assist Kim Hyunsung, but I was loyal with the momentum to even offer my life. I thought that if the price for that loyalty were barely this, it wouldn¡¯t be bad to take Belial¡¯s side instead¡­


    [Rare-grade forced quest is activated.]


    [It is taboo to intervene greatly in things on the ground. Let¡¯s not do this. I understand you, but if it¡¯s you¡­ (0/1)]


    It was toote. The seeds of bitterness had already been nted in my heart.


    Now that a demon had eaten me, it was not a bad idea to convert my¡­¡­


    [Rare-grade forced quest is activated.]


    [Hey, Kiyoung. Let¡¯s not do this. Things are a little bad now. I don¡¯t have any conditions either. It¡¯s a situation where I use so much divine power that I have to borrow from here and there. I¡¯ve already borrowed a lot, and it¡¯s really impossible anymore. (0/1)]


    I was on the verge of dying now. There were only five days left of food, and my legs were all swollen.


    I thought that I would have the only glory being together with Kim Hyunsung, but this was indeed a very cold and hungry path to take. Now I could understand the feelings of those who had chosen to turn away from the Goddess.


    Of course, I was not making a ridiculous request, like asking her to get me out of here. I already knew that it was impossible.


    However, I never hoped to be put into a situation like this. Wasn¡¯t it their job to put their loyal servants onto a morefortable path?


    One thing was for sure - Goddess Benignore had to take some pointers from Elune in terms of treating their favored ones.


    ¡®You understand? There¡¯ll be no such thing as apromise.¡¯


    [Rare-grade forced quest is activated.]


    [Garbage bastard (0/1)]


    ¡®It can¡¯t be hel¡­¡¯


    [Semi-mythic-grade forced quest is activated.]


    [Raise your right hand (0/1)]


    [Quest Completion Reward]


    [Bomb of Light Potion Recipe (Semi-mythic)]


    Upon seeing the system light up with the answer to my problem, I perked up once more.


    This was my answer to faith.


    ¡®Long live the Goddess Benignore.¡¯


    After all, heaven did not really throw out its believers. At that moment, my firm belief in the Goddess rose again.


    Once again, my heart had begun to fill up with light.


    [Rare-grade forced quest is activated.]


    [You are real trash. Really. (0/1)]

 Chapter 362: Trash Elune (3)

    <h4>Chapter 362: Trash Elune (3)</h4>


    ¡®Very good. It¡¯s very good.¡¯


    I felt as if my heart had been cleared with light. I had no choice but to once again reinstate my loyalties to the great goddess of Benignore.


    As expected, if you build up your virtue, you would surely get something in return one day.


    A smile popped out of me.


    Who could believe that a semi-mythic quest that had never been seen would ur by only raising my right hand?


    As I slightly raised my right hand while maintaining a serious expression, a pleasant sound began to be heard. This was obviously the happiest part of my day.


    [Quest of the semi-mythical grade ispleted.]


    [Raise your right hand (1/1)]


    [Quest Completion Reward]


    [Bomb of Light Potion Recipe]


    [High Elf¡¯s Tears with Divine Power (0/1) Leaf of the World Tree (0/1)]


    [Catalyst for the Light Alchemist Only (Semi-mythic).]


    Several other catalysts were listed. Some of them were definitely what I already possessed.


    Of course, the two most important ones were missing, but looking at the atmosphere, it felt like Elena already had what I needed. It was very likely that she also owned the leaf of the World Tree.


    Otherwise, there would be no reason for our Goddess to throw out such a useless card.


    ¡®If I did this by myself, I would never seed.¡¯


    The recipe itself was veryplicated before the fact that the World Tree leaves were used as ingredients.


    There was a lot more to worry about than I had initially thought, and this was not something I could create by risking a hundred attempts.


    If I tried to do something, I would have lost all the precious catalysts.


    ¡®It would have taken several years.¡¯


    Even techniques I had never used were being described in detail.


    In general, it wasmon to use magical power when dealing with alchemy circles or catalysts. For example, it could be exined as putting the oil called magic power into a car called alchemy.


    However, the alchemy of light from the venerable Goddess Benignore was not magic power, but holy oil and fuel. There was a significant difference from what I was ustomed to.


    ¡®It was just a guess. I was really right.¡¯


    This was a bit different, but I didn¡¯t even think it would work out so well that I couldn¡¯t help but try. It was only natural for me to pray out of thanks once more. I had learned that our goddess always did watch over me.


    ¡®This is it! This is it!¡¯


    This also somewhat proved my hypothesis. This continent was being protected by several gods, and theymunicated their will through the medium of quests.


    Intervening too deeply was, of course, forbidden, and they would get penalized for wrongdoing.


    Perhaps the bastard Altanus, who returned Kim Hyunsung, was likely to have suffered an unimaginable penalty. I could imagine that the Goddess Benignore had suffered through the same thing as well.


    Of course, I couldn¡¯t care less about that now. What mattered was that I could reap the benefits.


    As I kept smiling, Elena began to look at me with curiosity. I hurriedly spoke up.


    ¡°I received a revtion.¡±


    The most appropriate, beautiful, and sure word. There was nothing more reassuring to her than this.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I think it would be better to walk slowly while we talk about it. Oh, and what I need right now are high elf tears with divine power and leaves of the World Tree. Maybe you¡­¡±


    ¡°Everyone in the Eberian Kingdom has a World Tree leaf. I¡¯ve known that it has no effect¡­¡±


    ¡°If Elena-nim can drop a few tears in it, I can convert it into a catalyst I can use.¡±


    ¡°Lee Kiyoung-nim, I think I know what this is rted to, but it¡¯s so sudden it¡¯s hard to follow. Just exin a little bit slowly¡­¡±


    ¡°I will exin thister. One thing I can say for sure is that I have received a revtion from Goddess Benignore. I think I can see why Elena-nim and I have met. Yes. I¡¯m sure of it.¡±


    Basically, I met her so I could use her. However, I couldn¡¯t just tell Elena that Elune had ratted her out. Instead, it would be better if I were to tempt her.


    ¡°W-What¡­¡±


    ¡°Elena-nim is someone¡­ I need¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I had thrown out the bait of temptation - it was toote to back out now.


    Although I didn¡¯t express it in words, I turned to look at her quietly. I knew she could discern what the suggestive expression on my face meant - she had turned as red as a beetroot.


    Oh, she definitely knew it.


    Her ears were trembling as if she was nervous. However, strange emotions hade to her face.


    ¡®A feeling of immorality? Achievement?¡¯


    It seemed to me that she felt guilty, too, though the joy on her face obviously overrode that.


    Most of all, the fact that I wanted her seemed to make her happy. Perhaps she thought that she had finally beaten Jung Hayan. Though it felt to me like a mistress happy at being able to steal the man away from his wife, I didn¡¯t feel like it was strange at all.


    However, I also wanted her to be slightly aware of the fact that what she was feeling was wrong. Seeing her staring up at me, her lips tightly closed, was kind of cute.


    There was no need for words. She was holding my wrist tightly enough.


    Her whole body was trembling, and she had on a very nervous face. Her ears had drooped down, but she was still smiling.


    At first nce, she may seem guilty, but it would soon turn into a pleasant tension. As expected, I could see her quietly nodding. She obviously thought that she had won, that I had finally recognized her feelings.


    The time itself had be very generous, thanks to the efforts of our Goddess Benignore. At this point, I wondered if it would be okay to make a little move.


    Honestly, being moderately rxed made me feel like I was just camping, not stuck in some monster¡¯s body.


    ¡®It wouldn¡¯t be bad to get trapped at least once more.¡¯


    I could feel her pulling my arm slowly.


    She turned her head as if asking me to look at her and stopped, but cutely enough, she had pressed her body back together. I took a step back, and she took a step forward.


    ¡°So, you¡¯ve r-realized it.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I-I already knew. In fact, I had realized it for a long time, but I was pretending n-not to know. Of course, I wasn¡¯t sure, but I¡­ I think I can know everything now.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, I know that there is someone Lee Kiyoung already loves¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a little bit sudden, but¡­ Elena, this isn¡¯t what I just said.¡±


    ¡°No. I know Lee Kiyoung already k-knows. I¡¯m sure.¡±


    ¡®Would you look at her?¡¯


    She seemed quite determined. Her trembling legs and trembling ears were really fun to watch.


    Seeing that she was saying this despite my tant excuses, it seemed that greed had risen in her for the fruit that refused to fall.


    ¡°You already know. T-The reason you can¡¯t take another step right now is obviously because of guilt. B-Because you are too kind.¡±


    ¡®Right. I¡¯m kind.¡¯


    ¡°Lee Kiyoung has said¡­ People are connected with a red string. At that time, I thought you and Jung Hayan-nim were connected, but now I have realized that it¡¯s different. Yes. Definitely. Please look straight at me, Lee Kiyoung. It¡¯s not Jung Hayan¡­ that is your fate. Please¡­¡±


    ¡®Whoa.¡¯


    I thought that I would have to goad her, but it turned out that the opposite had happened - she was encouraging me.


    ¡°This is not something to be talked about here. We don¡¯t have time for this. More importantly, Elena, you seem a little excited. If you calm down a little bit¡­¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s because we¡¯re here that I can tell you. I can tell you because it is now. Please look straight at me. Please do not avoid my eyes and look straight at me.¡±


    She had even begun to cry. I felt tempted to harvest some of those tears, but I knew it didn¡¯t feel like the right time now.


    ¡°Please look at me. I hope you don¡¯t hide your emotions. I want you to be honest and express it as it is.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°I know you feel guilty. But. But¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Hug me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Hug me.¡±


    Now Elena just looked desperate. I had never imagined that she would act so aggressively. This only proved my point - that she acted more on impulse than anything else.


    Of course, I could see how brave she was.


    Elena had recently turned into a bit of an active personality, but the 200 years she was trapped in the kingdom had probably helped with this development.


    ¡®She doesn¡¯t seem to care if the fruit is poisoned.¡¯


    Her ears were trembling. I could see hering up and bringing her lips closer.


    Of course, I just pretended to refuse, but I didn¡¯t. Our lips touched in an instant.


    [Heroic-grade forced quest is activated.]


    [For unknown reasons, the forced quest of the heroic level was canceled.]


    I flinched at the uninvited visitor who hade for a second, but it was obvious as to what happened next. Perhaps Elena had even noticed. The fruit she wanted so much wasn¡¯t as sweet as she thought.


    As time passed and I was sleeping, the sound of her sniffling from inside of the monster echoed.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t worry about it.


    As always, I knew she was going to rationalize herself eventually.


    This was unavoidable.


    [Legendary-grade forced quest is activated.]


    [For an unknown reason, the legendary-grade forced quest was canceled.]


    I didn¡¯t know if I was just thinking it, but for some reason, I felt as if someone else was crying, too.

 Chapter 363: Light Kiyoung Said, Let there be light: And There Was Light (1)

    <h4>Chapter 363: Light Kiyoung Said, Let there be light: And There Was Light (1)</h4>


    The next morning turned out to be very pleasant.


    Of course, there was still the lingering smell of the disgusting demon, but that did not deter the good news.


    ¡°This is the item you were talking about. I don¡¯t know if this is correct¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it is, Elena. I don¡¯t know how to thank you.¡±


    ¡°No. I just did what I had to do.¡±


    [Light Alchemist-only Catalyst (Semi-mythic).]


    [High Elf¡¯s Tears with Divine Power]


    [Light Alchemist-only Catalyst (Semi-mythic).]


    [Leaf of the World Tree]


    ¡®My precious¡­¡¯


    My hands had begun to tremble by just looking at it.


    ¡®My precious!!!¡¯


    Just having the ingredients prepared just for me made me feel good.


    Of course, this was a treasure that could never be priced¡ªthough it was just a small amount of liquid in a small potion bottle, and a small leaf.


    I could feel myself about to burst intoughter when I started thinking about the impact these catalysts would have in the future.


    I wanted to get up and dance right now, but I couldn¡¯t afford to. Elena¡¯s expression did not look that good.


    Of course, this was to be expected. I knew she had undergone a lot of thinkingst night. Nevertheless, she still took it upon herself to give me this gift - and I was proud of her for it.


    As I lifted my head once again to look at her, I saw her face,plete with swollen eyes.


    I thought she would be okay, but she looked like she was having a harder time than I thought.


    Her ears were drooping, and she still had unknown guilt on her face. It was obvious that this elf was kind by nature.


    So far, guilt and a strange sense of betrayal had coexisted within her.


    ¡®How do I go about with this¡­?¡¯


    I was once again reminded of how cruel Elune could be.


    It was all now spilt milk, and things had already happened. A heartbroken elf had been thrown away by the god she believed in. It was only right to get her out before she became unable to make aeback. In the future, she would have to continue with me.


    As I slowly held her hand, she flinched for a second. Seeing her reflexively trying to avoid my hand was also quite interesting.


    Of course, in the end, she epted my hand without avoiding it. The tingling pleasures of immorality once again covered her feelings of guilt.


    I thought maybe things wouldn¡¯t get worse when she was talking, or was with me.


    ¡°About yesterday¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ er¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°No. It is not something for Elena-nim to apologize. I had the same feeling. And I think it was necessary.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°I feel a little refreshed, but¡­ of course, I don¡¯t know if I should call this as treatment, but it feels something different from before. How does Elena look at me now?¡±


    ¡°Come to think of it¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°So, it was that. I¡­ It was that.¡±


    ¡®Yes¡­ you¡¯re right. You are right.¡¯


    She didn¡¯t see me as someone utterly repelling anymore. Though I knew I still had some negative effect on her, at least she wasn¡¯t resisting the urge to gag like before.


    It was evident that her disposition was changing, little by little, and it was proof that I had gotten into the heart of an innocent elf.


    I couldn¡¯t quite yet determine to what extent I had been settled in, but I thought that, maybe if I let go of her hand, she could make an extreme choice.


    It is correct to think that the only reason she can withstand the guilt that weighs on her is my existence.


    Perhaps she would make the same choice of Jung Hayan from the first round, the one that had been toyed with by the masked trash.


    ¡®I can¡¯t let her do that. Yes. Absolutely.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t let the golden goose, no, the precious Elena turn into that.


    Elena mumbled alone whilst nodding.


    ¡°I see. Yes. It was unavoidable. To heal Lee Kiyoung¡­ Yes. It was necessary. Yes¡­¡±


    It seemed that she was now a little out of it. Naturally, I held her hand tightly.


    She couldn¡¯t refuse and epted when I kissed her slightly. Rather, she was clinging to me, little by little.


    What I saw after ending the kiss was a reddened face, and now it seemed like I would have to do this kind of work for the next few days.


    It didn¡¯t matter if she felt this out of curiosity, pleasure, or anything. The most important thing was to stop her negative thoughts.


    ¡®It can¡¯t be helped.¡¯


    There had been a few twists and turns, but for now, my work could be considered a sess.


    I didn¡¯t make her dangerous like Jung Hayan, and I hadpromised very well in the right line.


    Whatever the process, I had sessfully prated Elena¡¯s heart.


    Above all, it was important that the contaminated soul was healed by a sincere sharing of each other¡¯s feelings with High Elf Elena.


    The next thing to do was quite obvious.


    Having dug into Elena¡¯s heart once, it was time to rush to the heart of this filthy bastard who swallowed me.


    ¡®Did you think you could digest me?¡¯


    It didn¡¯t have a ghost of a chance.


    ¡°I think it would be better to be going right away.¡±


    ¡°What you said you would make¡­¡±


    ¡°We will have time in the way. The catalyst itself can be prepared while moving. It¡¯s all in my head, so you can simply rest assured.¡±


    Elena looked puzzled, but she chose to follow alongside me. It seemed that she was amazed at my ability to prepare a catalyst that would usually need processing whilst moving.


    No, considering the fact that she was an Elf, she may even marvel at the process of alchemy itself.


    ¡°It¡¯s amazing. Of course, I saw itst time, but¡­¡±


    Ah, she was interested. This was good; I could keep her distracted from her negative thoughts.


    ¡°That¡­ Are you memorizing all the methods and procedures to make it?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m used to it. It¡¯ll probably be ready in a few hours. And then, I can use the alchemy kit to make potions right away.¡±


    Currently, making a new potion was, arguably, easier than taking candy from a baby.


    Of course, it was hard to say that there was absolutely no difficulty, but it just felt like cheating on a test. No wonder I felt like a genius.


    I could make perfect measurements and sense without a single error.


    I was just reading the manual and working on it, but she looked at me with a face that looked as if she had seen something great.


    ¡®It¡¯s really effective.¡¯


    Certainly, as my magic power held divine power, every time I exuded my magical power, light burst out. Admittedly, I only had little divine power, but as it was the semi-mythic-grade¡¯s influence, the whole thing looked like a sacred show.


    ¡®This is the energy of light. Yes. Absolutely.¡¯


    I felt like forever ever since I had done some proper alchemy.


    Even I couldn¡¯t really figure out what this was. I was just doing what I was told to do. One thing I was sure of, however, was that It looked like I was working a miracle.


    Just beforepletion, I suddenly felt like the monster was moving.


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    It is definitely not an illusion. Even Elena looked to have felt the same.


    Of course, I wasn¡¯t as flustered, as it wasn¡¯t the first time this happened. Actually, there had been several movements from him during our stay here.


    I remembered he was just tossing and turning around at best. However, the shock that struck again forced me to realize that something was wrong.


    ¡°L-Lee Kiyoung-nim.¡±


    ¡°I feel it, too. I think it would be better to go a little faster. Let¡¯s try to hold onto each other as much as possible, so we don¡¯t get separated.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    We couldn¡¯t go back to where we came from. If we fell from here, everything we worked for would just be in vain.


    Once again, I had found myself on an unexpected journey.


    ¡®What¡¯s up with him all of a sudden?¡¯


    As soon as I started thinking of useless things, my insides trembled. I immediately began chanting a spell.


    ¡®This¡­¡¯


    From the vibrations, it appeared as if he had engaged in a fight.


    As I embraced Elena tightly with one arm, she also closed her eyes tightly and began to hold onto my body.


    ¡®Is it Hyunsung?!¡¯


    At that moment, he shook his body with a loud roar once again.


    ¡®He came.¡¯


    Blue guild members and the Elune Knights of the Kingdom of Eberia had arrived.


    ¡°What¡¯s¡­ going on? Lee Kiyoung-nim.¡±


    ¡°It seems like the expedition has arrived. I don¡¯t know exactly, but¡­ I¡¯m pretty sure.¡±


    It¡¯s about three days earlier than the expected time for the expedition team to get here.


    If the expedition moved very quickly, it would be about the right time.


    ¡°Then how¡­¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t change what we have to do. Perhaps the expedition is also struggling. If you and I help them, we will be able to attack the named monster more easily.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°I think it would be better to hold onto me. Please be careful because you might bump your body.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Okay.¡±


    In the meantime, I noticed her blushing face, but I didn¡¯t care for it much.


    ¡®In the middle of this, she¡­¡¯


    I had to solve the immediate problem now.


    I didn¡¯t know exactly how the situation outside was going, but it was likely to be a tough fight, as I had just said. This was, after all, a semi-mythic grade named monster.


    No matter how good the Blue Guild members were, some sacrifices would still have to be made.


    Since the schedule had been shortened by three days, the back liners with weak physical strength would probably have already hit the limit.


    My mind was a mess, but my hands started to move quickly. I continued to advance, putting the divine power.


    ¡®Sh*t.¡¯


    I was going crazy experimenting, all while creating Dialugia¡¯s catalyst and bncing my body.


    However, the results were getting closer.


    Elena also created a curtain to prevent shock just in case and looked at me with anxiety. Her expression gave away the fact that she was praying.


    It must be a prayer for the heartless trash Elune, but I quickly realized that it was working.


    This was because, after activating the prepared catalyst, a blinding light rushed out.


    ¡®Nice!¡¯

 Chapter 364: Light Kiyoung said, Let there be light: and there was light (2)

    <h4>Chapter 364: Light Kiyoung said, Let there be light: and there was light (2)</h4>


    The light burst through from my creation.


    The result that had already left the kit and entered the bottle was radiating such a brilliant light that I couldn¡¯t open my eyes properly. The way it constantly emitted light made me feel anxious, for some reason.


    ¡®Benignore didn¡¯t backstab me, right¡­?¡¯


    I felt like I was close to exploding due to the anxiety that was building up inside of me.


    Of course, it was hard to imagine that the venerable Goddess Benignore would abandon me, a devout believer and a proud ally of Kim Hyuna, but it didn¡¯t mean I did not feel worried at all.


    My anxiety only stemmed from the realization that not all transcendental beings were genuine in their actions. Take Elune, for example.


    ¡®No. Still, our Goddess Benignore is not that kind of being.¡¯


    She must have sacrificed a lot already, so she wouldn¡¯t backstab the devout believer so far. Perhaps she had added her own power to this creation to aid me.


    I was nervous, but I was quite sure that this wouldn¡¯t explode.


    ¡°It¡¯s Elena-nim¡¯s divine power.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡±


    ¡°Please keep sending divine power here. It will definitely work.¡±


    ¡°O-Okay. Please leave it to me.¡±


    No further exnation was needed. She immediately nodded and shoved divine power into the bottle.


    It was a solid fact that Elena¡¯s divine power was a little more concentrated than mine. As if she had received a golden egg, she continued to inject her divine power. I joined her in doing so.


    Once again, the light began to burst.


    I was a little scared whenever it would shake violently, but in the end, the sound I wanted began to resonate.


    ¡®As expected, I wasn¡¯t wrong. Long live, Goddess Benignore.¡¯


    [Thebination of Light Bomb Potion, a semi-mythical-grade potion, was sessful.]


    [Magic power increases by 1.]


    [Light Bomb Potion (Semi-mythic)]


    [Alchemist of Light exclusive consumption item: Daily usage limit (3/3)]


    [This is a unique potion that can only be activated by the semi-mythic ss, the Alchemist of Light. Created by Goddess Benignore¡¯s consideration and Elena¡¯s sacrifice, this potion triggers a massive explosion of light that reacts to the user¡¯s enemies and allies immediately after instilling the user¡¯s divine power. Allies are immediately healed of serious injuries, but enemies remain exposed to the effects of the explosion. This potion can be used three times a day. P.S: Crappy bastard. This is really thest time. I¡¯ve passed my limit.]


    Nice! Nice! Sweet! Sweet!


    ¡°Lee Kiyoung, I think it¡¯s done. We did it. We did it!¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m also seeing it, Elena-nim.¡±


    ¡°I-It really¡­ such a thing¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to Elena.¡±


    ¡°No. This is the result of your achievements. Yes. The crystal of divinity surrounded by this pure light is your feat. You¡¯re really amazing. Really¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re overplimenting me. I wouldn¡¯t have been able to make it if I were alone.¡±


    I also wanted to scream. However, it was hard to express my joy due to the situation.


    I felt like I wanted to dance with that in my hand, but for now, it was best to put the potion in my arms. I wanted to appreciate the brilliance in more detail, but unfortunately, I didn¡¯t have the time.


    Considering the potion¡¯s durability, it may not be broken by a simple shock, but there was nothing wrong with being careful as anything could happen.


    I would only be rest assured if I put it in the infinite bag that Kim Hyunsung had given me.


    As soon as I squeezed it in and moved, I saw Elena grabbing me and nodding.


    ¡®She seems to be in a good mood.¡¯


    There was an unimaginable excitement on her face.


    She had an expression that seemed as if she had thought that she had indeed saved the world. There was even respect on her face whilst looking at me.


    ¡®Right. It¡¯s understandable. I understand. I understand.¡¯


    This was a semi-mythic grade potion.


    Of course, it was still one step below the mythic grade, but this potion was definitely and at least on the fringes of the mythic-grade.


    I didn¡¯t know how strong it was, but I was sure the firepower would be more than expected.


    It could even recover allies from severe injuries immediately.


    It should be a little insufficient, but perhaps it would have a performance that exceeded a high-ranking priest¡¯s divine power.


    The only downside was that there was a usage limit per day.


    I didn¡¯t know if it was blocked by Benignore or if it had been restricted because it was out of standard, but it didn¡¯t matter now, anyway.


    ¡®It¡¯s a fact that it can distinguish enemies and allies.¡¯


    No matter how I was to look at it, this object deserved some praise.


    ¡®Let¡¯s go! Long live, Goddess Benignore!¡¯


    Since I had ovee the most difficult mission, the next step was a piece of a cake. If I went into his heart and threw the thing that was in my arms, everything would be solved.


    The expeditions outside would be happy, and I also would be happy. My contaminated soul had already gotten healed.


    Everyone would feel amazed upon witnessing Light Kiyoung¡¯s feat, who had gained new power whilst purifying his defiled soul.


    The situation I was in right now was pretty tough, but when I anticipated the warm results that wouldeter, I couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    Of course, it was not easy to move.


    They were still in the middle of a fierce battle outside. No, honestly, I was not sure that the battle was going on. I wanted to see what the situation was like, but unfortunately, I couldn¡¯t.


    ¡®I wish I could convey the situation here¡­¡¯


    Somewhere, I felt a little familiar magic power.


    If what I was feeling right now was not my illusion, this pleasantly familiar energy was hers.


    ¡®Jung Hayan?¡¯


    I had to smile.


    Of course, after I realized that I had Elena in my arms, I felt startled, but since it was inevitable, she would probably understand.


    Although I felt nervous, I thought she would give a greater significance to have confirmed that I was alive, rather than the fact that I was holding her.


    As I slowly looked around, a familiar eye began to appear in my sight.


    ¡®Anemone¡¯s Eye.¡¯


    Sure enough, the expedition had arrived here. I could see the big eye chasing me.


    Not only did this pierce through Salit¡¯s resistance, but to have found my location urately gave me goosebumps.


    Of course, it was not magic that attacked the outside or the inside, so the resistance judgment was different from usual, but it was still surprising to show such magic.


    As I looked exactly in the Anemone¡¯s Eye and nodded, I felt as if that thing also nodded.


    ¡®My expectation was correct.¡¯


    I knew it - Jung Hayan couldn¡¯t check on me personally because she was far away.


    It was a moment to realize once again that the reason for this agitation was because of the expedition.


    ¡®It means it was correct that a battle was in progress.¡¯


    She seemed to worry about me even while the battle was going on.


    I wanted to tell her to focus more instead of wasting useless magic power, but I thought that this was better.


    This was easier for outside personnel to get my intention as I wanted.


    ¡°Tie him up as much as possible. I will run toward the heart.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°And focus on the outside, not here.¡±


    She must have heard it. However, Anemone¡¯s Eye was still following me.


    As I looked into Anemone¡¯s Eye and beckoned, I could see the magic dissipating immediately as if she understood what I meant.


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know how much progress was made, but my intention was clearlymunicated.


    They must know that the impact he would get affected us as well. I didn¡¯t know how high his endurance was, but it was highly likely that other attacks other than those of Jung Hayan and Kim Hyunsung would not work properly.


    They were giving him physical shocks, but the attacks had not reached the inside.


    As he was too big, there must be a limit to Hyuna¡¯s cutting. Had I been able to see the end, Salit would have already been rolling over the ground.


    ¡®It means I have to help.¡¯


    I was not doing this because I wanted the final blow.


    ¡®Very good.¡¯


    Whether the message delivered to Jung Hayan was effective or not, it felt that his movement had substantially decreased.


    It didn¡¯t seem like they were restraining his movement right now, but they seemed to be refraining from using magic that could give physical shock as much as possible.


    Naturally, it was now easier to move. Seeing that, Elena began to open her mouth.


    ¡°Lee Kiyoung, are you¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. The expedition seems to have confirmed our current location. Perhaps, in a little while, there will be a signal.¡±


    ¡°I see. It¡¯s really¡­ fortunate.¡±


    ¡°I think Hayan has found me. Seeing the different aspects of the battle, it seems like they are trying to help from outside.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ good.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s move quickly. The signal will probablye within minutes.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Yes!¡±


    It was then that I felt a heavy shock once again. I flinched for a moment, but wasn¡¯t surprised. I felt the pressure of something pressing him from above.


    I could feel him struggling, but he was definitely fixed in a corner. The insides were swaying, but his position didn¡¯t change.


    ¡®We¡¯re almost there.¡¯


    My legs hurt, and I was out of breath.


    However, perhaps because of the passion for thest hit, or the determination not to put the expedition members in danger, an unknown spirit had risen inside me.


    I was now starting to remember what I¡¯ve been through all this whole time. Of course, there were a lot of things to thank for Salit because what I gained thanks to him weren¡¯t little.


    Unfortunately, it was time to say goodbye to him here.


    [Heart of Salit]


    I had finally reached my destination.


    The scene of the huge heart moving violently was overwhelming, but of course, I didn¡¯t want to just watch it nkly.


    I wanted to get out of here as fast as possible. I also wanted to get rid of the stress that I had been under so far. I picked up what was in the infinite bag in no time.


    ¡®Did you think you could eat me?¡¯


    It must be clear that the energy of light that Light Kiyoung possessed was too brilliant for him to digest.


    Naturally, I poured divine power into the newly created Light Bomb potion.


    As soon as the item left my hand, a blinding glow began to spread around the potion.


    ¡°Fuck¡­¡±


    As much as I wanted to, I couldn¡¯t take a picture of this scene.


    A shout burst out without my knowledge. It was a line famous all over the world, but I wanted to shout it at least once.


    ¡°Let there be light.¡±


    ¡®And there was light.¡¯


    And there was light. Literally.


    [A feat that cannot be achieved was achieved.]


    [A new title is created.]

 Chapter 365: Light Kiyoung Said, Let There Be Light: And There Was Light (3)

    <h4>Chapter 365: Light Kiyoung Said, Let There Be Light: And There Was Light (3)</h4>


    ¡®Is he really alive¡­?¡¯


    I knew it was wrong to have these kinds of questions. However, in my mind, an ominous feeling continued to spring up.


    In fact, it was not unreasonable to have such anxiety.


    This was because I witnessed arge, unimaginable monster swallowing a carriage with one bite.


    No matter how I were to think about this, it was the Elune Knights¡¯ mistake.


    Naturally, this left a bitter taste in my mouth. I realized that Elune Knights were too weakpared to humans, based on the situation¡¯s judgment and the mental state.


    Unlike the Elune Knights, armed with their characteristic arrogance, humans were always calm and humble. Although the enemy¡¯s level may fall short of expectations, they didn¡¯t get cocky.


    Even if I assumed that this human and the elf¡¯s basic specs were the same, I thought that the difference between the knights and them wouldn¡¯t change.


    ¡®No. It¡¯s not just Elune Knights.¡¯


    The same was true for me.


    ¡®I was at a distance where I could take care of them.¡¯


    Nevertheless, I couldn¡¯t even move.


    The overwhelming size and majesty made my body stiffen without my knowledge.


    This was the kind of monster I had never seen before.


    Even when I close my eyes again and thought of the guy, my legs began to shake. Other elves would not be much different either.


    Nevertheless, these people in front of me didn¡¯t seem to have any other kind of worries.


    Their only interest was whether Lee Kiyoung was alive or not.


    They didn¡¯t care about how big and how strong the giant monster was. They just silently moved.


    The wizard seemed to have been half-minded by the shock of the ident, and the Blue Guild Master had closed his mouthpletely. I could also understand what the little assassin and female warrior with a spear felt just by watching him, as well as the warrior carrying arge shield by yielding a hundred times.


    However, it was really amazing that the faces of those who were still hard to say that they had reached the point were not distorted with fear.


    ¡®They must believe.¡¯


    It was obvious what they believed in. They believed in the Blue Guild Master, who was silently walking with a sword longer than himself.


    Indeed, the battle he had shown so far seemed unrealistic. That expression suited him.


    His speed was hard to follow with the eyes, and every time the sword was swung, huge demons fell like fallen leaves.


    It felt like it was telling me how far humans could be strong with a sword. He even made me think of the God of War.


    However, it didn¡¯t mean that I felt assured. This expedition is strong.


    Several assumptions came to my mind, but I wasn¡¯t sure that this monster could beat that monster. Even if he was fully prepared and entered, I could not sessfully predict the result.


    I shook my head when I remembered that they had a physical penalty.


    ¡®Is it okay at this pace?¡¯


    Everyone would already be aware that the current expedition members were working hard enough. Even without battle, they had crossed a difficult area, shing with demons.


    In the aftermath of arriving here after countless battles, some had already reached their limits.


    It was hard to imagine how to deal with the demon with such a body.


    ¡°Elios-nim, is it really okay to keep going like this?¡±


    I heard a question when I was lost in thought. As I turned, I saw the worried face of one of the Elune Knight.


    ¡°I wonder if they¡¯re not going too far with the expedition. Of course¡­ It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t understand them, but if they keep going like now, it¡¯ll be a battle where they¡¯ll lose before fighting.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be good to ask for support from outside¡­ Or maybe you might want to consider another method.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The elf who asked the question looked terrified. I gave him a bitter smile.


    It was because it felt as if the voice contained within the question was being heard.


    I saw his face blushing as if he had noticed the meaning of the smile that came out without my knowledge. However, he was not wrong.


    The opponent was an unrivaled monster. Dealing with named monsters without recovering health was akin to suicide.


    As I slowly looked around, I could see the woman with a spear, Cho Hyejin.


    Naturally, I approached her because I had to talk about the problem.


    ¡°Cho Hyejin-nim.¡±


    ¡°You came in good time, Elios-nim.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°The Guild Master judged we are near the end of the dungeon. It would be good for the exhausted elves to take a break. It¡¯s not going to be a long time, but I think they can recover the stamina here for a while.¡±


    ¡°If so, then the main force¡­¡±


    ¡°He said that the main force would continue with the expedition. Han Sora, Kim Chang-ryul, and Yoo Ahyoung from the Blue will remain here, prepared for an emergency with the elves. He said he would ask you to organize it afterward, as he will open up the road.¡±


    ¡®Is she serious?¡¯


    It didn¡¯t seem like she was joking.


    I could actually see those who were getting ready to move.


    The wizard, who was constantly crying, was already standing up and preparing to walk, and the situation of the others was not that different.


    I could see how important Lee Kiyoung was to them. Of course, I felt the same way. I couldn¡¯t even dare to imagine that I would lose Elena.


    In the end, I talked without my knowledge.


    ¡°I¡¯m going, too.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It will definitely be helpful. No, I definitely want to go together. Some of the knights will have enough physical strength. It is not enough, but I will do my best to help.¡±


    ¡°No, no, Elios-nim. Rather, we wanted to ask. To say that you will help us¡­¡±


    ¡°It is not something to be thankful for. Of course, I have to go.¡±


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s head out immediately.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Of course, my body trembled, but this job would be worth the risk.


    Looking at the humans who didn¡¯t seem to be fearful, I felt as if my previous thoughts were bing more firm.


    The expedition, which was moving slowly, increased their speed more and more.


    ¡®We¡¯re approaching the end.¡¯


    As we went deeper and deeper, the pressure I felt before continued to hit my whole body.


    I tried to pretend it was okay, but I was not used to the feeling of my body receiving its first rejection. The others were also getting more and more determined.


    That was when Kim Hyunsung, who had been silent until now, opened his mouth.


    It was when I thought that it was getting harder to even breathe under the unknown pressure.


    ¡°Take a deep breath.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Yes.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s prepare to enter.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°We will make it our top priority to protect Jung Hayan and Sun Hee-young. Hyejin and Ye-ri focus on protecting the rear as much as possible. Jeong-yeon will assist Hayan as much as possible¡­ It will be difficult, but Ahn Ki-mo will take care of the party member¡¯s overall recovery.¡±


    ¡°You mean only me? Guild Master?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Most of the divine power is limited to damage and maintenance of buffs. The front line will be burdened, but Deokgu has to endure with a personal potion as much as possible.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°If you think it¡¯s dangerous, try to retreat ording to the manual. However, Deokgu will not remain, I¡¯ll be thest to remain. And¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Elios-nim will also be in charge of a key role in the battle. It will definitely work. The power of Elios and the power of the enemy are close to the extreme. I know it¡¯s scary. It is not something to be ashamed of. It is natural. It will be easy to move if you keep remembering that the enemy is also worried about you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the advice.¡±


    He quietly nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s get in.¡±


    We entered into arge void at his voice. It was a difficult ce to describe.


    It was said that this was a Twisted Pond, but what I saw was ake whose size could not even be determined. This was the root of the World Tree that was connected to theke. I could see that the ugly magic beast I had seen before was rooted in.


    How should I describe that appearance?


    The overall image was more like a snake.


    However, the mouth with tens of thousands of teeth was, by no means, an ordinary snake.


    The exterior looked as if he was wearing the surface of a corpse. I saw the unmelting ice-like eyes staring at me at the same time. No wonder my body trembled with unknown goosebumps.


    However, reminiscing about what I had just heard, I fixed the sword and grabbed it.


    It was a spectacle to see him poking out two huge tongues, but then turning his head as if he was not interested.


    ¡®Am I not worth fighting¡­?¡¯


    It seemed to have eyes as if looking at an insect.


    ¡®Right. I would look like an insect.¡¯


    In front of that overwhelming being, humans or elves would indeed look like insects.


    It was then that his eyes were on alert. Explosive magic began to erupt from behind me.


    ¡°G-G-Give me back. Hic. Give me back.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Give me back! Give me back!! Give me back!!! Give me back!!! Give me back!!!!¡±


    ¡°Get ready for battle.¡±


    ¡°Give me! I said give me! Give me! Give me!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s enter.¡±


    I had witnessed tremendous magic power that I could not dare to measure. That magic power attempted to change in an instant in the form of magic.


    Five magic spells were cast.


    After a huge me and other natural magic spells were created, it looked like a fairy tale to see magic cast down on a monster of this type.


    The earth cracked, and the sound of the explosion went off in no time.


    The girl with the sword did not panic. Rather, it was thrilling to see her immediately getting into the battle posture.


    In the meantime, the magic that had been cast had effectively pinned the monster down to the floor.


    ¡®No way¡­¡¯


    It was not possible to check whether there was damage inflicted or not. However, it was clearly visible that his body was being pushed out due to a physical shock.


    ¡®This is nuts¡­¡¯


    The others began to form a square position around the breathless wizard.


    As soon as the priest named Sun Hee-young offered a prayer, it was immediately visible that a crowd of lights emanated from all directions along with a transparent membrane surrounding the square.


    ¡®Sanctification.¡¯


    It was known that only a few high priests could use it. The magic beast¡¯s gaze that was looking at us like an insect had changed.


    In an instant, the moment he got up and rushed straight ahead, he got crushed by a tragedy that came from somewhere.


    What could be seen was a girl holding a sword¡ªthe Blue Guild Master and the expedition leader.


    He was someone followed by the adjective of being a genius chosen by God, as well as being the top ten in the State.


    ¡®I knew he was strong, but¡­¡¯


    ¡°Trash bastard.¡±


    There were goosebumps all over my body.

 Chapter 366: Light Kiyoung Said, Let There Be Light: And There Was Light (4)

    <h4>Chapter 366: Light Kiyoung Said, Let There Be Light: And There Was Light (4)</h4>


    ¡°Trashy bastard.¡±


    Obviously, he had only swung his sword once.


    Nevertheless, the magic beast with thatrge of a size fell. The energy emanating from the sword was quite difficult to describe. I found it unbelievable to witness a human that would be able to unleash such a crushing blow.


    The magic beast in front of us was, without exaggeration, a huge hill, a small mountain.


    The fact that a magic beast of that size had lost its bnce with a sword wielded by a mere human made me doubt my eyesight. Even his fellow guild members were also tantly looking at him with widened eyes.


    Now I had good reason to think that he had been hiding his full power this entire time.


    ¡°Pant. Pant. Pant¡­¡±


    Unlike the wizard, who had started to pause to catch her breath, the swordsman was not disturbed. I couldn¡¯t help clenching my fists upon seeing this scene. The fact that a single human could grow to this extent was thrilling.


    My respect for him had grown.


    However¡­


    ¡®Is there no damage?¡¯


    The problem was that the attacked monster was fine.


    If it had been a normal monster, its body would have gotten split in half from the first strike. It turned out that they still couldn¡¯t inflict damage on him, even with this amount of power.


    Once again, the attack magic and the Elune Knights¡¯ arrows didn¡¯t have any effect. In short, they were just trying to buy some more time.


    Of course, from behind, the wizard was chanting another spell again, but I knew it still would not have any effect.


    ¡®This is not working.¡¯


    No matter how I saw this, I knew this was going to be a long, long battle.


    If the wizard named Jung Hayan stopped fighting, the monster would automatically be the winner of this battle. The bnce was that easy to disrupt.


    Currently, the means to injure that guy¡¯s skin were her magic, and the Blue Guild Master¡¯s sword.


    As I turned my head, I saw the eyes of the wizard who seemed to have lost her mind.


    ¡®No.¡¯


    I tried to scream, but thanks to the beast that raised his body again and came flying, I was forced to bite my lips tightly.


    In an instant, various supporting spellse down to the man with a huge barrier and shield.


    The warrior, with his mouth full of potion, raised his shield to cover his body.


    ¡°Deokgu! Start with the protection magic!¡±


    ¡°Oh, I know! Don¡¯t worry, Hyung-ssi! I¡¯m not going to die here!¡±


    Craaaackkkk!


    The defense magic that protected the expedition members had gottenpletely broken.


    With a shield, the warrior took the chance, went one step forward, and hit the side of the beast¡¯s head. He must be trying to change his course, though his actions did not hold much power. He was nearing his peak.


    I was worried that he might not have enough power to endure it, but the magic that flew at the right time helped him.


    ¡°Jeong-yeon, nic¡­ cough!¡±


    ¡°Deokgu!¡±


    If Hwang Jeong-yeon¡¯s spell and his actions did not ur at the same time, I was a hundred percent sure that Deokgu would have been dead by now, though he had sessfully defended against the monster¡¯s attack.


    At the same time as the potion was hurriedly inhaled, thebat priest¡¯s recovery spell continued to fly towards him.


    ¡°Cancel the spell. Hayan, look for¡­ Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Oh! O-Oh! Okay! Okay!¡±


    She hadn¡¯tpletely lost her mind yet. I nodded as she canceled the offensive magic she was preparing to cast once more. However, this meant that it was the melee group¡¯s turn to attack.


    They did not hesitate. With buffs on their side, the melee attackers dove in¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s perfect.¡¯


    The weapons had been infused with the faint outline of divine power, which had all been thanks to the priest named Sun Hee-young.


    I, too, drove the energy inside the dagger and threw it¡­ Though the monster still looked to bepletely unaffected. This meant that he must have some overwhelming endurance.


    ¡°We don¡¯t need to care if we do damage or not.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Okay.¡±


    What their Guild Master wanted was a long-term war.


    If even one person were to make a mistake, we would all be annihted. The one who induced this tense situation was the Blue Guild Master.


    A very hectic time had passed.


    The expedition continued to endure his attack, and he also continued to receive crushing blows and magic with his body. We were put at a disadvantage, but that urgency and anxiety had elicited perfect concentration.


    Everyone was probably thinking the same way as I was.


    However, Kim Hyunsung looked to be in a daze, though his movements were wless. In fact, he appeared to be in a different realm altogether.


    The magic burst out, and the sword swung. At the same time as the shield would break, I heard the priest¡¯s voice chanting a recovery spell.


    ¡®Focus.¡¯


    ¡°Focus!¡±


    ¡°I can do it. Just a little more focus!¡±


    The same went for me.


    I bit my lips tightly, and although it was not enough, I swung my sword. Though it looked impossible, I knew that, given enough time, we would eventually be able to crack through the monster.


    Eventually, our fear of the enemy subsided, and the pressure about making mistakes gradually disappeared. This was also when Jung Hayan spoke up in a serious tone.


    ¡°S-Stop him from moving.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, Hayan?¡±


    ¡°O-Oppa said so. He¡­ clearly said it. To keep him tied up as much as possible. He¡¯s running towards the heart.¡±


    ¡°Is that true? Is Hyung-nim alive? I-Is he okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Hic. He¡¯s alive. He¡¯s fine, without a singlewound¡­ Hic. Waaahhh¡­¡±


    ¡°Guild Master Hyung-ssi!¡±


    ¡°I have already heard it. Change the strategy. We¡¯ll try to keep him from moving as much as possible.¡±


    ¡°I knew it! Everyone, cheer up!¡±


    ¡®This¡­¡¯


    As I looked at the wizard reflexively, I saw her nodding. That meant that Elena must be alive, too.


    My fists clenched without my knowledge. There was a reward for not giving up. I truly felt that way.


    I was not the only one who felt is happy. The Blue Guild Master, who had maintained a stiff face until now, also had a smile on his lips. Anyone could tell he looked relieved. It must have been hard trying to hide his joy.


    ¡®It could be dangerous.¡¯


    Originally, he must have been mindful of the situation, wherein he might lose more members trying to save one. It was also close to irrational to be changing the operation of battle now. However¡­


    ¡®He trusts him.¡¯


    The two trusted each other.


    Since they believed in each other, he must be able to work without things.


    He wanted him to tie the monster up, and that was it.


    At his words, which held no further exnation, the entire expedition changed the route. The Guild Master, the wizard, and others turned right away without any disagreement.


    I would call it crazy on typical days, but I couldn¡¯t find it in me to protest. If the others were acting without doubt, then Lee Kiyoung must be someone who didn¡¯t mince his words. Thus, I nodded and went into formation.


    To help even a little more, I held my sword as tightly as possible.


    ¡°Get as far from the pond as possible.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    It was no wonder that the enormous magic power burst once again. It looked like Jung Hayan had drawn all the magic power inside her. She didn¡¯t care about the future. She didn¡¯t even consider the fact that she could be attacked.


    It was then that our opponent sucked in a deep breath.


    ¡®Breath?¡¯


    The tremendous energy was aimed towards the wizard who was busy chanting a spell. However, the man with the shield - Park Deokgu - rushed in without hesitation.


    ¡°It¡¯s dangerous!!¡±


    Despite my outburst, the man did not back down.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t he scared to die?¡¯


    When the terrible thought of the warrior¡¯s body being melted past my head, the Blue Guild Master, who appeared in no time, began to climb on his back.


    He had employed speed that was ??beyond my eyesight. In fact, I didn¡¯t know what he had just done.


    However, seeing the magic beast splitting near his neck and bleeding, I only guessed that he, no, she, had swung her sword. At this, great energy spewed up from the monster¡¯s mouth.


    The ceiling copsed. The magic to protect the expedition from the debris was cast, and at the same time¡­


    Chains of magic started to tie him up.


    Whooooosh!


    The chains that came out from all directions literally grabbed the magic beast¡¯s body tightly, and bind magic poured out around the chain. Even the melee fighters were sending what they had of their magic power.


    ¡°Eeeeeeekkk!¡±


    Maintaining the magic was also not easy. I could tell just how much these humans can endure. If a single thing were to go wrong, the chain might break.


    ¡®How much power is left?¡¯


    It was not unreasonable to feel anxious. I knew it would be hard to handle what would happen if this happened to fail.


    However¡­


    ¡®I have to believe.¡¯


    Just as they believed in their fellows, I also believed in them.


    ¡®Oh, Elune.¡¯


    ¡°Eeeeekkkkk!¡±


    ¡®Oh, Elune!¡¯


    Please, let this be a miracle.


    ¡®Oh, God.¡¯


    A miracle!!


    ¡°We just have to hold on for a little more! A little bit more!¡±


    A miracle!!!


    ¡°Oh, Elune!!!¡±


    A miracle!!!!


    ¡°A miracle!! In return for their faith and noble struggle!!!¡±


    ¡°Eeeeeekkkkk!¡±


    ¡°Oh, Eluneeee!!!!¡±


    And then¡­


    The world began to be colored with light.


    God didn¡¯t answer the prayer, but obviously, right after I shouted Elune¡¯s name, light from the inside of the monster began to pour hard enough for me to squint.


    Brilliant light continued to emanate through his wound and the scales.


    The demon kept screaming. Even amid his howling, there was so much light that I couldn¡¯t open my eyes. This was the type of divine power that would be hard to cut through.


    The wounds I had gotten so far had healed in no time.


    ¡°Nonsense¡­¡±


    There was no need for other adjectives.


    ¡®Light¡­¡¯


    Between the radiant light, I had to spit out the words that were full in my heart.


    ¡°Let there be¡­ light.¡±

 Chapter 367: Light Kiyoung Said, Let there be light: And There Was Light (5)

    <h4>Chapter 367: Light Kiyoung Said, Let there be light: And There Was Light (5)</h4>


    ¡°Let there be light!!¡±


    ¡®Thank you! Elune, you piece of trash! I ept your daughter dly!!¡¯


    [A feat that cannot be achieved has been achieved.]


    [New title is created.]


    [Saint of Light]


    [The magic power increases by 1.]


    ¡®Yolo!!!¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t help but scream in an emotional manner, my fists tightly clenched.


    Lee Kiyoung, the Saint of Light.


    I knew better than anyone that it was not polite to refuse a gift from God.


    A true believer among the believers best understood the heart of Goddess Benignore.


    Looking at the miraculous things that were happening right before me, it was not unreasonable to believe that the Saint of Light title had actually been given to me.


    ¡®This is +1 magic power.¡¯


    At this moment, I believed I could find a way to raise my magic power stats to at least 60. Meanwhile, the sublime light of divine power took away my attention as it continued to shine with all its might.


    It would be normal if I couldn¡¯t open my eyes because of the bright light, but strangely, the light spread out in all directions, so it proved to be very easy to see.


    Elena was also looking ahead with a dazzling expression at a glorious scene that could not seem to be exined. The light had begun to surround Salit¡¯s heart.


    Whoooosh!


    The divine power continued to extend in all directions.


    Even the word ¡°beautiful¡± would be insufficient to describe this scene now.


    I didn¡¯t know if it was because Elune had driven her daughter, but I certainly seemed to feel the energy of Elune from the Bomb of Light.


    That was the natural result of havingpleted it with Elena as the catalyst, and I could only thank Elune for this feat.


    I couldn¡¯t get a sense of how far the light was going, but one thing is certain: the effect was more than I expected. It might look even more dramatic because it had popped inside, not outside the body. However, it still felt amazing.


    The first target, his heart, had already disappeared within the light.


    ¡®Pheeew. This is the power of light! Yes, absolutely!¡¯


    [Attack of the legendary-grade dungeon, Twisted Pondpleted.]


    [New title is created.]


    [Guardian of the World Tree.]


    [The magic power has increased by 1.]


    ¡®Earned +2 magic power! Hurrah, Yipee!¡¯


    The dungeon attack hadpletely ended with thest blow. The ending was too futile for a semi-mythic-grade monster.


    While my legs hurt quite a while, perhaps because of the influence of the light, I could feel them eventually getting better.


    I thought of eating meat immediately because of my hunger, but I was not in a hurry, and it was all thanks to the hard work of various things.


    Naturally, I opened the status window with happy news. It seemed to have been opened after a while, but it didn¡¯t change all that much.


    [Checking the status window and talent levels of the yer Lee Kiyoung.]


    [Name: Lee Kiyoung]


    [Title: Mercenary Queen¡¯s Gigolo, Honorary Cardinal of the Holy Empire of Benignore, Spouse of Dragon, First Discoverer, Alchemist who Experimented with Dragons, Continental Guardian, Level 4 Manager of Crack Museum, Guardian of Max, Saint of Light, World Tree Guardian.]


    [Age: 26]


    [Disposition: Careful Strategist]


    [ss: Alchemist of Light (Semi-mythic)]


    [ss Effect: Acquisition of Basic Magic Knowledge]


    [ss Effect: Acquisition of Basic Alchemy Knowledge]


    [ss Effects: Acquisition of Intermediate Alchemy Knowledge]


    [ss Effect: Acquisition of Special Summoning Knowledge]


    [ss Effect: Acquisition of Advanced Alchemy Knowledge]


    [ss Effect: Acquisition of Professional Alchemy Knowledge]


    [Stats]


    [Strength: 25/Growth potential: Common or lower]


    [Agility: 25/Growth potential: Common or lower]


    [Health: 30/Growth potential: Common or lower]


    [Intelligence: 93/Growth potential: Heroic or higher]


    [Durability: 25/Growth potential: Common or lower]


    [Luck: 75/Growth potential: Heroic or higher]


    [Magic Power: 53/Growth potential: Common or lower]


    [Equipment]


    [Magic Shield Ring (Rare)]


    [Ramus Tucker¡¯s Introduction to Alchemy (Heroic): Alchemist Only]


    [Cursed Sword Juliana (Legendary): Ownership]


    [Dragon Breath Potion (Legendary): Consumable Items (No Limit)]


    [Bomb of Light Potion (Semi-Mythic): Consumable Item (1/3)]


    [Attribute: Mind¡¯s Eyes (Legendary)]


    [Unique Characteristic: Temptation of a Liar]


    [Overall: God of Taxation L###### ##### For unknown reasons, overall is not shown.]


    ¡®What is L, the god of taxation?¡¯


    My magic power is 53.


    I thought it wasn¡¯t going to grow at all, but the fact that I was still moving forward made me happy. A smile had begun to form on my face. We had just been able to solve a very troublesome problem, after all.


    The remaining problems were all very trivial.


    ¡®Which way is better to show up?¡¯


    It was true that it would be a little embarrassing to walk out myself.


    As much time had been spent inside him, showing that I had been rescued would be more appropriate.


    I was worried about Jung Hayan, but it didn¡¯t seem bad at adding image-making as protecting the poordy. Nothing special would happen, but it was the moment when the action to be a punching bag would pay off.


    ¡°Lee Kiyoung¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all over, Elena.¡±


    ¡°Really¡­ It¡¯s really over.¡±


    She seemed to be having mixed feelings. I could see her ears drooping as if she felt both tired physically and mentally. However, the relief was still apparent.


    ¡®It would be nice if we were trapped a little more here.¡¯


    I suspected whether she was having thoughts like Hayan, but Elena was not Jung Hayan.


    It seemed difficult for her to hide her mixed feelings. She must be thinking about what to do after we were to out. For me, what happened next didn¡¯t matter.


    Of course, it was indeed advantageous to have her by my side, but the fact that the princess of a country that had be a guild member would very much sound unpleasant on the kingdom side.


    Considering many things, of course, my head started to hurt. Meanwhile, a familiar voice had begun to resonate from the outside.


    Light flowed in from above as if light had entered a cave. The light pouring down in the big space was inferior to the light I created, but it was still worth watching.


    ¡®It¡¯s refreshing.¡¯


    No wonder the air flowing in felt so fresh and clear.


    In fact, it didn¡¯t felt that different, but it was more pleasant than the inside of the demon. Unlike me, Elena took a deep breath.


    She didn¡¯t say anything, but the time she spent inside must have been very frustrating.


    ¡°Oppa! Oppa! Oppa!¡±


    As expected, the first voice I heard was from Jung Hayan. As soon as I looked up at the voice, I could see Jung Hayaning down in a hurry.


    I was momentarily startled, but after I let go of Elena¡¯s hand, I got Jung Hayan¡¯s.


    I thought that her strength level had increased quite a bit, but still, jumping like that, not hesitating, was too much for her.


    At the same time I received her, we fell immediately, but I didn¡¯t get upset.


    ¡°Waaaahhhh.¡±


    Of course, I heard her crying. For a second, I reflected on whether I had spent more time making her cry than I had made herugh.


    As I hugged her tightly and stroke her head, I began to hear her hupping. Turning my head slightly, I saw Elena quietly nodding.


    I was worried whether she would get angry, but her innate nature seemed to have not changed.


    ¡°Hic. Hic!¡±


    ¡°You worried a lot, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    After I stroke her head for a while, she seemed to calm down little by little.


    Normally, she would have gone crazy not to let go of me, but I could see her stepping aside as if she had recently grown up.


    Of course, as soon as I got up, she continued sticking to me, but this was already something I was used to. As much as she had been suffering so far, I could endure as much annoyance.


    As we slowly rose in the air with floating magic, we naturally left the interior of Salit.


    What came into sight was Elios, the elves, and the Blue Guild members looking at me with a nk expression.


    Park Deokgu was already in tears with a messy expression, and Sun Hee-young was also wiping away her own tears.


    Others were no different.


    Hwang Jeong-yeon, Kim Ye-ri, and Cho Hyejin also expressed happy faces, needless to say about Ahn Ki-mo.


    In the newbies¡¯ case, they seemed to be out of battle, but I thought it was a very appropriate measure. In fact, it was the elf¡¯s response that bothered me more than the Blue Guild members¡¯ response.


    It was interesting to see how he stared at me as if seeing a ghost, all while running and holding Elena in his arms.


    ¡®I guess it could¡¯ve been seen from the outside.¡¯


    He must have felt the power of the trash Elune. It was amusing seeing him distance himself from me, as if I was someone sacred that he must avoid.


    The moment I was thinking about how I could use this, I heard Deokgu¡¯s voice and the guild members¡¯ encouragement.


    It was a pretty obvious moment, but of course, I felt good. Han Sora, Kim Chang-ryul, and Yoo Ahyoung, who came right after, did the same.


    It was not easy to answer because there had been so many questions at once. It was when I kept making awkward smiles that someone else approached.


    ¡°Kiyoung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Ah, Guild Master.¡±


    It was Kim Hyunsung, no, Kim Hyunah, who still maintained his changed appearance.


    For some reason, the word Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t fit properly. When I saw his face filled with mixed feelings, I felt emotional for some reason.


    ¡®You¡¯ve been worried, bastard. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m fine.¡¯


    He had the expression of a mother bird witnessing the miracle of the dying baby birding to life. He tried to say something, but he kept hesitating as if he was choking inwardly.


    ¡®Right¡­ man. I¡¯m alive.¡¯


    ¡°Er¡­¡±


    ¡°Hahaha. Well, I¡¯m alive somehow.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I was a little flustered, but¡­ thanks to¡­¡±


    ¡°No¡­ er¡­¡±


    ¡°I will give a detailed exnation as we return. I also have a lot I want to hear. Oh, we should also talk about what to do with that body. I thought you would take longer, but¡­ who would¡¯ve thought that you woulde so fast. I couldn¡¯t even imagine. You had a hard time, Hyunsung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°So¡­¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°No. You don¡¯t have to¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry too much. Whatever the reason, in the end, we¡¯re safe. Oh, and I think we should also talk about the healing of the contaminated soul¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®He must have been really worried.¡¯


    That was the expression I could see. It could be more than Jung Hayan or Park Deokgu, but not less.


    Unlike the two who were already crying, the only thing he didn¡¯t do was cry, but their expressions were all the same. He must have been relieved when he really confirmed that I was alive.


    I thought I had seen pretty many varieties of faces recently, but I couldn¡¯t even imagine seeing a face that had been pushed to the point of crying. It even looked like he had dirt all over his body.


    He kept hesitating without even thinking of saying anything. He was trying to say something, but it didn¡¯t seem toe out well.


    No wonder he opened his mouth after taking a deep breath.


    I wanted to shout out the famous lines that popped out only in third-ss Japaneseics, such as ¡®I¡¯m back,¡¯ but unfortunately, it felt too embarrassing for me to spit out.


    ¡°So¡­ hmm. I came back alive somehow. Haha.¡±


    This was enough. It was then that he hugged me tightly.


    ¡®Fuck, that scared me. What¡¯s up with this bastard?¡¯


    It looked like he wanted to have a wild man¡¯s hug.


    It seemed that my body moved without my knowledge, but the problem was that his current body was not of a man¡¯s.


    There is also a height difference, so it looked like he was dangling.


    For some reason, the surroundings bothered me.


    Jung Hayan seemed to try not to look this way, but Hwang Jeong-yeon, who liked gossips like this, was busy making exmations.


    Of course, with the voice I heard after that, I had no choice but to pat him on the shoulder.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ really d you¡¯re okay. I¡¯m¡­ really¡­ you¡¯re¡­ you¡¯re okay.¡±


    I felt like he was being really sincere.


    ¡®That¡¯s it. Hyunsung! That¡¯s it!¡¯


    I just had to smile.

 Chapter 368: Resting Unicorn (1)

    <h4>Chapter 368: Resting Unicorn (1)</h4>


    Park Deokgu opened his mouth just when the situation was about to be cleared up.


    To be precise, he hadn¡¯t stopped talking all throughout the march. He was back to being his old self.


    The only problem was that he was being a little noisy, but it wasn¡¯t too annoying.


    ¡°So, didn¡¯t I say it? Our hyung-nim is someone who would survive even if he falls alone in the desert. Phew¡­ In fact, I¡¯m saying only it now, but when others were anxious, I didn¡¯t even bat an eye! I knew he would obviously be alive. He isn¡¯t an ordinary person. Not only was he alive, but he smashed that guy¡¯s heart! Phew.¡±


    ¡°I was lucky. I¡¯ve learned a little bit about Dialugia before, and it just helped. There was also received¡­¡±


    ¡°Since they¡¯re the same reptile, the internal structure was the same?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that, but¡­¡±


    If Dialugia had heard what he said, she would be pissed.


    ¡®No. It doesn¡¯t sound that ridiculous¡­¡¯


    I criticized him for a second, but on second thought, it was not really like that. Dialugia herself would be very upset, but to some extent, it was something I could somewhat agree with.


    In fact, it was my personal reasoning that it was a structure of a higher being rather than a reptile. Of course, this was only an assumption.


    It wasn¡¯t anything fixed yet, and I hadn¡¯t done research on the bodies of other beings, so I couldn¡¯t give a definite answer, but there was a possibility that Park Deokgu¡¯s bullsh*t was not actually bullsh*t.


    Perhaps they had simr structures because they were in the big frame of this world¡¯s reptiles.


    If Salit and Dialugia had nothing inmon, the time to reach the heart would have been even longer.


    ¡®If I think about it like that¡­¡¯


    I knew I had been very lucky.


    ¡°Not only that. Not only he recovered and healed the World Tree, but he achieved a new feat. Salit must have been greedy or felt threatened by the energy of the light flowing from you. That¡¯s why he swallowed you. Ah. Come to think of it¡­ Is it really okay now?¡±


    Elena, not me, answered the next question. I wasn¡¯t the one who Park Deokgu was looking at, so it would be natural for her to answer.


    ¡°Yes. Of course, it is still difficult to confirm that it has beenpletely cured, but at least¡­ I think you don¡¯t have to worry about the copse of the body due to the contamination of the soul anymore.¡±


    ¡°Uh! Is that true?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m sure of it. However, since there is still a need to keep an eye on him¡­ I think he will need to receive treatment regrly.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. If the specialist says so, you should. Anyway¡­ please, take good care of him.¡±


    ¡°P-P-Please, take care of him. And¡­ t-thank you, Princess Elena.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ No, Jung Hayan. This is something I have been given to do.¡±


    Seeing Jung Hayan stuttering and thanking her, I could see that she was feeling guilty, as her ears were drooping.


    In fact, I, too, was sporting a guilty conscience as well.


    This was because I did not expect that Jung Hayan would show such a reaction. I already knew that what she valued ??most was my safety, but I didn¡¯t expect her to show as much sincerity as she did.


    Of course, it didn¡¯t mean that there had been no hostility at all.


    She had seen us through the Anemone¡¯s Eye and saw her sticking to me, so she could, of course, show this type of reaction.


    She nced at her and forcibly pulled me towards herself. She didn¡¯t say anything, but she was still subtly expressing for me not to get close to her.


    Surprisingly, since Elena noticed this kind of thing quickly, she, too, showed a subtle reaction.


    Nevertheless, it was certainly worth apuding Jung Hayan for behaving like this. It certainly showed how she had taken the situation.


    It wasn¡¯t meant to be, but it was effective to show my acting, much like I was between life and death. Now Elena wouldn¡¯t say that I had beenpletely cured. She would somehow try to hide and stay with me.


    The procurement of Bomb of Light potions was somewhat safe. Jung Hayan¡¯s reaction was also great. This return trip was no different than a winner¡¯s return trip.


    ¡®I also confirmed my true friendship with Hyunsung.¡¯


    For some reason, I had also seeded in winning the subtle respect of the elves.


    I had gained the ability that fit the new ss, and even the most painful problem called Jung Hayan was getting easier.


    No matter how I was to think about this, it would only be right to nod.


    Among them, the best thing I could say was that I had confirmed how much Kim Hyunsung cared about me. Even though it could still improve, I could feel his sincerity in the way that he was subtly making sure I wasfortable and safe at all times.


    He seemed to have ced me at a distance where he could react in time, just in case the same thing from before happened.


    In Jung Hayan¡¯s case, she was walking next to me without thinking, but other guild members other than her were not neglecting their guard, with the special order of the Guild Master.


    Even the elves were the same, so there was no need for other words.


    Of course, the atmosphere was not at all horrible.


    Park Deokgu was constantly talking, and Cho Hyejin¡¯s lips also had a strange smile. Yoo Ahyoung, Han Sora, and Kim Chang-ryul, who finished a difficult expedition, were also somewhat rxed.


    Kim Hyuna knew when to be firm with them and when to let them be. It would not be good news to me if he had been too firm with the guild members in this situation.


    ¡®It¡¯s the Fairy Forest.¡¯


    Since we had already left the dungeon, it was correct to judge that there was virtually no threat.


    Even Kim Hyunsung put the sword he was holding into the sword strap, and once again, a joyful atmosphere began to surround the expedition.


    ¡°By the way, how long will Hyung-ssi stay in Kim Hyuna¡¯s version?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not Kim Hyuna, it¡¯s Guild Master, Deokgu-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Hyejin is too uptight.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re rude¡­¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s okay, Hyejin. I know there is no malice. Perhaps it¡¯ll be soon. The Twisted Pond was located in the Fairy Forest, so even if it¡¯s not affected by the location, it¡¯s time for the effect to end, so I¡¯ll probably be back soon. Right, Elios-nim?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes. When you leave the Fairy Forest, you will soon return to normal. By the way, it seems strangely quiet. I thought the fairies woulde in right away¡­¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it because people other than us came in? Everyone must have gone there¡­¡±


    ¡°The Fairy Forest is tightly controlled. We left the dungeon earlier than expected¡­ and even the elves who will meet us must not have heard about it yet. Even the first rangers must have not yet reached the pce.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    Of course, I don¡¯t want the bothersome guys toe out. I indeed felt good as I didn¡¯t have to be harassed by them as soon as I leave the dungeon.


    Han Sora, who didn¡¯t have to be hit with stones anymore, wasughing outright, so that should be enough.


    ¡®Is this maybe¡­¡¯


    It was natural to worry about whether something happened.


    It was not strange if something had happened in the ten days where we werepletely cut off from the outside world. Of course, it wasn¡¯t that I didn¡¯t trust Lee Jihye and other authorities, but thinking that things or negotiations with the Republic went wrong caused a headache to appear.


    Kim Hyuna and Cho Hyejin were also stiffing their faces whether they were thinking simrly, but I soon felt relieved.


    ¡°Uhm¡­ er¡­¡±


    Before long, the fairies appeared in a group. There were even more than thest time we met.


    ¡°Ah¡­ No.¡±


    Han Sora muttered as if she felt an unknown ominousness, but the number of fairies around us wasn¡¯t decreasing. Rather, it was getting more and more crowded.


    It was not painful being hit with stones from them, but I was sure she didn¡¯t feel too good being abused by kids who could be said to be cute. At this, I could see Han Sora¡¯s face turning pale.


    If she had ears attached, too, it would have drooped by now.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s more thanst time¡­¡±


    ¡°This¡­ Haha. I think today is a lucky day.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about, elf?¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s a unicorn.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s a unicorn, given that such many fairies are gathered. I¡¯ve heard that sometimes it¡¯s seen in the Fairy Forest, but¡­ to think I¡¯d actually see it¡­¡±


    ¡°Is that true? Unicorn or something like that really exists?¡±


    ¡°Uncle Deokgu is a fool. This is a ce where there¡¯s even a dragon¡­ there¡¯s nothing strange about having a unicorn.¡±


    ¡°Oh, t-that¡¯s right.¡±


    It was not only Park Deokgu that opened his eyes to what Kim Ye-ri and Elios had said.


    I, who had been waiting for the fairies who tried to beat Han Sora, had to open my eyes wide. I concentrated my magic on my eyes little by little, so I felt like I was clearly seeing a horse-like figure.


    Of course, the one with the longhorn, shining white was the animal I imagined.


    ¡®It¡¯s true.¡¯


    [Unicorn Larisa (Legendary)]


    [This is a legendary-grade monster that lives somewhere in the Fairy Forest. They have intelligence and live by drinking the World Tree leaves and the pond of the World Tree. They are very favorable with pure and innocent people.]


    [Checking the status window of the legendary-grade named monster unicorn Larisa.]


    [Name: Larisa]


    [Title: God of the Fairy Forest]


    [Age: 3473]


    [Disposition: Pure Idealist]


    [Category: Unicorn]


    [Stats]


    [Strength: 94/Growth potential: Legendary or higher]


    [Agility: 104/Growth potential: Legendary or higher]


    [Stamina: 100/Growth potential: Legendary or higher]


    [Intelligence: 99/Growth potential: Legendary or higher]


    [Endurance: 82/Growth potential: Legendary or higher]


    [Luck: 112/Growth potential: Legendary or lower]


    [Magic Power: 99/Growth potential: Legendary or higher]


    [Overall: Don¡¯t hurt it.]


    After looking at the expedition, I think he had been surprised for a second, but he did not care as if he judged that we were not people who could harm him.


    Rather, he even walked slowly toward this side as if he found us interesting.


    Everyone was looking at him with their mouths open in a sudden situation, but honestly, in my case, other things were more noticeable.


    ¡®How much is it all¡­¡¯


    No, money was not the problem.


    It had a brilliant mane that seemed to contain divine power. In any way, that could be the catalyst itself. Tails, fur, leather, even tears, and blood.


    If I scratched a little bit of the horn on his head, I would be able to purify it as a semi-mythic catalyst. It was not unusual for me to swallow hard. I wanted to run right now and defeat him.


    However, looking at the atmosphere, it seemed that I was the only one thinking about that.


    In a way, it was an animal that could be ssified as God, and it even looked like it favored us, so I knew I couldn¡¯t do anything about it. Since we had saved its source of replenishment, the World Tree pond, he seemed to feel grateful.


    ¡°Elena, why don¡¯t you try going to him?¡±


    ¡°What? Brother¡­ I¡­¡±


    ¡°Can we go? Elf?¡±


    ¡°Haha. If the story about unicorns is true, there will probably be no problems. I heard from my father and mother that unicorns like pure people.¡±


    ¡°Ohh. You mean the legend that¡­ it likes virgin girls?¡±


    ¡°I know that gender is irrelevant. I heard that my grandfather once said that he rode on the back of a unicorn when he was a child. And the purity depends on how to interpret it¡­ so It¡¯s not yet known exactly what kind of people unicorns like. There are only a handful of people who actually saw a unicorn in the first ce.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh. So, it¡¯s something like that. Looks like he¡¯sing this way. Phew¡­ Isn¡¯t heing looking at Hyung-nim?¡±


    ¡®That would never happen. Pig bastard.¡¯


    All I wanted to do was to avoid getting stabbed by his horn.


    The sudden appearance of the unicorn had made all of the Blue Guild members feel nervous. Meanwhile, Elios kept pushing his sister¡¯s back.


    ¡°Elena, it would be nice to go there. Haha.¡±


    ¡°No. Brother, I¡­¡±


    ¡°Hahaha.¡±


    It went without saying that the elf¡¯s face was bing increasingly embarrassed.

 Chapter 369: Resting Unicorn (2)

    <h4>Chapter 369: Resting Unicorn (2)</h4>


    Her face was getting more and more crumpled by the second.


    Although she was stepping back slightly, it seemed that Elena¡¯s strange behavior was not visible to Elios. Instead, he looked to be proud.


    He firmly believed that the reason that unicorn wasing to us was his sister.


    ¡°I-I¡­¡±


    While Elena hesitated, the unicorn came over here.


    Park Deokgu, who only looked at him strangely at first, was also flustered as the unicorn got closer, and I saw him opening his mouth.


    ¡°Phew. It really seems to being this way¡­¡±


    ¡°Is this safe? Isn¡¯t he suddenly attacking or something?¡±


    ¡°He won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d then, but¡­¡±


    It was natural that I could see Park Deokgu looking at Kim Hyunsung.


    Rather than listening to Elios¡¯ words and judging them, he must be trying to listen to Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡°Yes. I think it will be okay.¡± Kim Hyunsung also nodded.


    The expedition didn¡¯t bother to stop or block him as the unicorn never showed any hostility. However, in Kim Hyunah¡¯s case, it seemed that he wanted to be prepared if something happens.


    Seeing him approaching me, he seemed to have decided that it was better for me to stay within his ownfort zone.


    In the meantime, the Blue Guild members were showing individualistic reactions.


    For some reason, Jung Hayan had the mostplicated reaction among them. She was strangely anxious.


    ¡®What¡¯s up with her?¡¯


    As far as I knew, Jung Hayan never had a boyfriend, nor did she ever get involved.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t know everything about her, but given her behavior so far, there was no need to prove her innocence through the unicorn.


    No, I could confidently say that even if she had proven that in the first ce, there would be no merit. The present was the present, and I didn¡¯t need or have a reason to care about her past love history.


    ¡®But this¡­¡¯


    But all of a sudden, an idea began to stick to my mind. It was because I was worried about Jung Hayan¡¯s behavior when I fell into a deep sleep.


    ¡®Perhaps¡­¡¯


    In the meantime, I¡¯ve had this delusion that she might have been doing something every time I was asleep, but that was only a delusion. I didn¡¯t really think deeply that she¡¯d be doing something.


    For some reason, I felt that my energy was being sapped in the day when I fell asleep after drinking what Jung Hayan had offered, but I think she wouldn¡¯t go so far.


    Seeing Jung Hayan ncing at me, naturally, I began to suspect that the assumption was true. She made an astonished expression right next to me, probably noticing my calcting expression.


    I was worried that she would make a fuss about having to prove innocence once again, but she didn¡¯t seem to do that. However, before I could even say what to do, she started taking the first step with dignity.


    From her point of view, this was to prove her innocence, and of course, her face looked very careful.


    ¡°I-I-It¡¯s a unicorn.¡±


    The tone was also unnatural. Rather, the unicorn, which came here thoughtlessly, seemed more surprised. It was difficult to exin in words when he looked at Jung Hayan quietly.


    I couldn¡¯t read the unicorn¡¯s face, but he must be¡­


    ¡®Wondering.¡¯


    He seemed to be wondering about whether or not to consider her to be safe.


    I didn¡¯t know what kind of thinking there is in proving the innocence, but now Larisa the Unicorn was definitely struggling with the reflection of a lifetime. Jung Hayan began to look more and more confident.


    She was moving slowly, as if she had no hesitation whatsoever.


    The unicorn, who looked closely at Jung Hayan several times, ended up nodding and began to push his head out in front of Jung Hayan, almost asking for her to stroke him.


    There was no need to exin that Jung Hayan¡¯s face brightened immediately.


    ¡°S-so cute¡­ s-so cute. Look. Oppa! Look!¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ yes. I can see.¡±


    I was seeing it, but I didn¡¯t know what the hell she wanted me to do. I could tell she was only happy that she had proved her innocence.


    Of course, I felt relieved, too. It turned out that my delusions were nothing but delusions.


    ¡®Right. She wouldn¡¯t go so far.¡¯


    Of course, there was one option I didn¡¯t want to imagine¡­


    ¡®There¡¯s no way she would go too far.¡¯


    Our Jung Hayan wouldn¡¯t.


    As I shook my head and looked in front of me, I saw Jung Hayan trying to get on his back, but as if he was reluctant, he moved away.


    ¡°Good boy. Good boy.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Unicorn, you¡¯re a good boy, right? Come here.¡±


    She called for the unicorn as if she was a little embarrassed, but he turned his back and started moving to the other side.


    Jung Hayan¡¯s face was filled with regret for a second, but still, she returned with a smile as if she thought this much was already a sess. She looked like a triumphant general.


    It was visible that she felt she hadpleted the pureness proof quest.


    ¡°The u-unicorn must be tired. Hehe.¡±


    ¡°Yes. He seems to be.¡±


    I finished with a single stroke on her head to her satisfaction, but my eyes were heading towards the next unicorn¡¯s destination.


    As much as I confirmed that he was really friendly to this expedition, I had to know who he was interested in.


    He passed by Park Deokgu, Hwang Jeong-yeon, and the Elune Knights and was in front of Cho Hyejin.


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    I could see her turning red.


    ¡®She didn¡¯t seem to date much at all.¡¯


    ¡°This is different. I am¡­ er¡­¡±


    She got embarrassed a hundred times more than Jung Hayan.


    ¡°I-I have a lot of dating experience¡­ no, it¡¯s not a lot¡­ I mean, this is¡­¡±


    Seeing her talking gibberish is a spectacle. She seemed to be confused as to whether to deny it or take it calmly.


    Considering Cho Hyejin¡¯s age, she must feel embarrassed that she has never had a rtionship. However, apart from what she denied, she seemed to hate looking superficial to Kim Hyunsung.


    She seemed to be eager to find an appropriate bnce, but there was no way she could find one.


    Cho Hyejin, whose ability to cope with such a situation was close to a eunuch, showed that the more she talked, the more she looked like she was copsing.


    ¡°I-I¡¯ve done a lot of things like dating. But I believe in premarital chastity¡­ Yeah! Premarital chastity! T-That doesn¡¯t mean I didn¡¯t have experience¡­ No, I have experience, but should I say I don¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡®What is she talking about?¡¯


    ¡°There is no need to be so embarrassed. I heard that unicorns like pure people very much.¡±


    ¡°Yes. T-That¡¯s right. I am a little pure¡­ so this is for that reason.¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t detonate yourself¡­¡¯


    What was even more pitiful was that Kim Hyunsung wasn¡¯t paying attention to Cho Hyejin at all.


    It meant that she was making all kinds of excuses, trying to look good to someone, but that someone didn¡¯t care about that at all.


    Whether Cho Hyejin was embarrassed or not, the unicorn showed her a friendly look and continued to rub his neck against her head, and it was not necessary to mention that her face had turned red again. I even wondered if she might be humiliated that way.


    ¡®Just attack him already.¡¯


    In the end, Cho Hyejin was a spearman, so if she were to learn horsemanship, it would be useful. Of course, Saint of Light Lee Kiyoung was always ready tomunicate with the unicorn.


    ¡®Oh, that¡¯s it.¡¯


    I don¡¯t know why, but his reaction was quite different from Jung Hayan. He seemed to be acting cute.


    Anyone would see this as an opportunity, but Cho Hyejin was still busy rectifying her blushing face.


    If I were her, I would have recklessly climbed the unicorn¡¯s back and see. It was then that the unicorn got up and started to move again.


    With a rather urgent expression, he moved toward this way.


    Naturally, I was happy, thinking that maybe I would get chosen even by a unicorn.


    However¡­


    ¡®There¡¯s no way that could happen.¡¯


    At that moment, Elios, who is nearby, pushed Elena¡¯s back.


    Jung Hayan, who failed to climb him, looked to have expectations ofing to her again. But it was the elven family that took the first step.


    ¡°Elena, try to stroke him once.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes¡­ Yes.¡±


    With a dubious expression, Elena stretched her hand, but the unicorn just passed by her.


    ¡°Pfft.¡±


    The winner¡¯sughter echoed from Jung Hayan¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°S-She must be more superficial than I thought, Oppa. R-right?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°Y-You have to be careful too. You can¡¯t help it because of the treatment, but¡­ she is not pure. We can¡¯t tell what she¡¯s thinking¡­¡±


    She even whispered in my ear. She was lightly framing Elena, but I had no choice but to break out in a cold sweat. However, there was no way I can do something.


    I had no choice but to nod at what Jung Hayan said, leaving behind the shocked expression of Elios.


    In the meantime, the unicorn showed itself to be friendly to Sun Hee-young and Kim Ye-ri, and lightly passed by Yoo Ahyoung and Han Sora.


    Seeing that he wasn¡¯t interested in Kim Chang-ryul and other Blue men and Elune Knights, there seemed to be no pure men here.


    I wondered if I really had a chance, but after reading his eyes, I had no choice but to step back.


    ¡®Okay. I won¡¯t get close, you bastard. I won¡¯t because I don¡¯t want to.¡¯


    The unicorn wandered around for a long time, and the ce he eventually went to was¡­


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    In front of the lovely returner.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Kim Hyunsung did not panic or blush. He smiled slowly and ended with one stroke on his head.


    ¡°That¡¯s a cute guy. Haha.¡±


    He even patted on his back.


    There was a strange feeling of defeat on Jung Hayan¡¯s face, and Elena, who was not even the target ofparison in the first ce, still looked embarrassed.


    It seemed like she was exchanging a strange gaze with Elios, but I didn¡¯t know what they were talking about.


    In fact, I didn¡¯t want to know much.


    The expedition members began to flock around the unicorn in front of Kim Hyunsung, and he began to shake his body lightly as if he felt happy.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if he¡¯s saying it¡¯s okay to climb, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, try climbing on him. Or maybe Hyejin can try. I don¡¯t know what it is, but isn¡¯t it good to ride up there?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I think it suits Hyejin better than me¡­ Isn¡¯t Hyejin familiar with horsemanship?¡±


    ¡°I am, but¡­ I¡¯m good.¡±


    ¡°It will probably be of great help.¡±


    It could be said to be an opportunity, but Cho Hyejin looked very embarrassed.


    If she rode something like that and appeared on the battlefield, she would surely be mortified. While she may be a target of fear to enemies, she could also be a mockery.


    ¡°Riding on his back doesn¡¯t mean you can be the owner of a unicorn. It would be better to try it. Hyejin,e on.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡­ I mean.¡±


    It¡¯s a sight to see him smiling and pushing Cho Hyejin¡¯s back.


    Park Deokgu continued to urge her to climb, and Ahn Ki-mo, other female guild members, and even the Elune Knights rushed her to head up.


    I was all in tears as Cho Hyejin¡¯s face was getting redder.


    ¡°I¡¯ll say it once again, but I think that¡­ I will definitely be rejected. It¡¯s not what you all think.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it a good idea to give it a try?¡±


    ¡°I will definitely be r-rejected.¡±


    Unfortunately, the probability converged to zero.


    After a little while, Park Deokgu just pushed her back, and in the end, Cho Hyejin began to climb on top of the unicorn with a pitiful image.


    I thought about whether he would reject her by any chance some, but the Unicorn was rather snickering as if he was happy. That was when the two bodies felt like they were shining brightly for a while.


    ¡°Whoooooaaa.¡±


    As expected, I could see Cho Hyejin blushing, surrounded by pping expedition members.


    [yer Cho Hyejin has acquired a new title.]


    [Title: Perfect Pure Virgin]


    [Title: Master of the Unicorn]


    Cho Hyejin was 26 years old.


    This could be called an opportunity, but she did not seem to be pleased with this at all.

 Chapter 370: Lucky Day (1)

    <h4>Chapter 370: Lucky Day (1)</h4>


    ¡°I mean¡­ it¡¯s nothing that. As I said, I¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    No one had been saying anything to her.


    The sight of Cho Hyejin, who had been making excuses alone throughout the journey to the royal castle, looked sad.


    Her behavior to ignore her perfect pureness actually seemed a little sad in some way.


    It would be better if I walked around pretending to be okay, but it was also hard for me to show a reaction because she had been begging like that.


    Of course, I understood her sentiment. It must be difficult to withstand the eyes of the Elune Knights, who looked at her with respect.


    There weren¡¯t talking to me, but I could hear them talking to each other.


    ¡®She is a great human.¡¯


    ¡®Perfect pureness. She seems to be a respectable human.¡¯


    ¡®To be chosen by a unicorn¡­¡¯


    There were murmurings like that. There was no way that Cho Hyejin could not hear what I could.


    ¡°Ha¡­ haha. I didn¡¯t know why this had happened, but I think I¡¯ve been pretty l-lucky. It¡¯s really peculiar. When I was on E-Earth, I was very popr.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s a lie.¡¯


    Of course, it could be said that she was pretty enough, but I was sure there would not have been a man who approached Cho Hyejin first.


    ¡°It must be clear that this unicorn is mistaken. Yes. It must be.¡±


    However, the title didn¡¯t lie.


    [Title: Perfect, Pure Virgin]


    I was curious as to how someone could get the title of ¡®perfect.¡¯


    Cho Hyejin¡¯s life, except for Kim Hyunsung, seemed to have been without close encounters with the opposite sex.


    When I thought about it, she even looked a little pitiful.


    What was worse was that the insensitive Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t even know he had something going on with Cho Hyejin. With her hair turned white, the image of Cho Hyejin sitting on the unicorn immediately came to mind.


    ¡®Poor dear¡­¡¯


    Of course, it was not just me who felt that for her.


    Park Deokgu, who was called to be a love doctor, quietly talked to me as if he noticed why Cho Hyejin was acting like that.


    In fact, I didn¡¯t know if his advice would help, but if Cho Hyejin wanted to escape from the perfect pureness, she had to grab a straw.


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not something to be ashamed of.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s a little slower than others, but one day you¡¯ll be able to find someone that fits you. There¡¯s someone out there for everyone.¡±


    ¡°So I¡­ I¡¯m saying it¡¯s nothing like that many times.¡±


    ¡°If you need a consultation, tell me anytime. I am confident to help you with both sides. It¡¯s the same with Hyung-nim. Isn¡¯t it? Hyung-nim?¡±


    ¡°Of course. That¡¯s what friends are for.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not what you all think. I am just like everyone else¡­ yes. Just like everyone else. Normally¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to make such excuses. Hyejin doesn¡¯t have a problem. This is something everyone can experience. For now, I can confidently say that epting is the first. If you keep avoiding it, it will be really difficult to date. This is also an extension of the rtionship between people¡­ It¡¯s a bad habit to whip too much to yourself. Absolutely.¡±


    ¡®Is this bastard really¡­? He¡¯s more serious than I thought.¡¯


    ¡°I can tell just by looking at you. Really. Lowering your standards could be a way¡­ Oh, and more than anything else, Hyejin has been really busy. Naturally, you didn¡¯t have time.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ I certainly didn¡¯t have much time.¡±


    Considering that she had always been attached to Kim Hyunsung, she was never running out of time.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to do anything right now, but if you talk when you have the time, I think I¡¯ll be able to coach you appropriately. Hyung-nim will help. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    Actually, I didn¡¯t know what kind of coaching to do, but I nodded, for now.


    When I thought of the unicorn following Cho Hyejin, I knew I had to stay favorable for now. I still wanted to use it as a catalyst.


    If Kim Hyunsung really got in a rtionship with her, the unicorn may one day go away.


    ¡®That absolutely can¡¯t happen.¡¯


    I felt sorry for my friend, but I hope that she could spend the next 7-10 years alone - that was, until I could take everything from the unicorn.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that Deokgu is correct¡­ Still, it would be nice to hear about it from you. Kiyoung¡¯s story, too¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, well thought.¡±


    ¡°You really thought well.¡±


    I sincerely wanted to cheer, but I couldn¡¯t do that. Although I was a little bit upset, today could be said to be a lucky day anyway.


    ¡®It feels like I just got it¡­¡¯


    Of course, I didn¡¯t get a unicorn.


    ¡®It¡¯s for a guild member¡­ so it¡¯s like mine.¡¯


    Yours was mine. Mine was mine.


    No matter what I thought about it, it was a situation that would make me yell.


    The horned horse didn¡¯t seem to have reached that point, but that didn¡¯t matter.


    The Bomb of the Light potion was the first thing I had gotten after changing sses.


    Assuming that two or three potions could be developed in the future, and if I thought that the potions¡¯ performance would also beparable to that of the Bomb of Light, I could consider that I had gained the power suitable for a ss of semi-mythic grade.


    I remembered the time I had spent spearing due to theck of magic power. I realized once again that I had really chosen the right path.


    Of course, it was not just me who felt happy.


    For the members of the expedition, this expedition was no different from great sess.


    First, there was the body of Salit.


    It was an object that could not be processed for me, but there was one more production worker beside me in the Blue Guild.


    ¡®Yoo Ahyoung.¡¯


    Its outer shell was strong enough to withstand the attacks of Kim Hyunsung or Jung Hayan.


    Of course, it was affected by magic power and the Twisted Pond, so it was judged upward, but even so, it didn¡¯t mean that the outer shell, which was initially hard, was going anywhere.


    In addition to being able to arm Park Deokgu and Yoo Ahyoung fully, it was also possible to process weapons with the guy¡¯s bones.


    Not to mention my treatment, which was the greatest achievement, I also gainedplete trust from the allies.


    The only damage was the two Elune Knights who had died.


    It hurts, but if I tried thinking about the death of a guy who I wasn¡¯t close to, I could safely say it was a sacrifice for a noble cause.


    ¡®Yes. Absolutely.¡¯


    It was not just that.


    I didn¡¯t know if it was because they had overworked themselves while I was in the dungeon, but I could see that they were growing, little by little.


    Yoo Ahyoung, Han Sora, and Kim Chang-ryul had benefitted a lot in terms of growth, but the existing Blue Guild members were no different.


    Ahn Ki-mo, who was okay, became a little more okay, and in Kim Ye-ri¡¯s case, who could be called a talent bug, jumped over the wall once more.


    ¡®It¡¯s needless to say about Cho Hyejin.¡¯


    Even if left alone, Sun Hee-young would be fine growing alone, and Park Deokgu¡¯s spec-up was already scheduled.


    Kim Hyunsung¡­


    [Checking the status window and talent levels of the yer Kim Hyunsung.]


    [Name: Kim Hyunsung]


    [Title: The Returner of Altanus, the Swordsman Who Started the 2nd Round, The One Who Failed, The One Who Embraced Sacrifice. The Enlightened One. The Sword-Blessed Swordsman. The Unarmed Climbing the Top. Continental Guardian. The Owner of Durendal. Guardian of the World Tree.]


    [Age: 23]


    [Disposition: Well-Meaning Mediator]


    [ss: Sword Left (Unique Legendary)]


    [ss Effect: Acquisition of Basic Swording Knowledge]


    [ss Effect: Acquisition of Intermediate Swording Knowledge]


    [ss Effect: Acquisition of Advanced Swording Knowledge]


    [ss Effect: Acquisition of Advanced Magic Power Management Knowledge]


    [Stats]


    [Strength: 95/Growth potential: Legendary or higher]


    [Agility: 103/Growth potential: Legendary or higher]


    [Health: 101/Growth potential: Legendary or higher]


    [Intelligence: 75/Growth potential: Heroic or lower]


    [Durability: 95/Growth potential: Heroic or lower]


    [Luck: 99/Growth potential: Heroic or higher]


    [Magic Power: 97/Growth potential: Heroic or higher]


    [Attribute]


    [Attribute: Mythic (Legendary)]


    [Attribute: Sword (Legendary)]


    [Attribute: Aggregate (Legendary)]


    [Attribute: Job (Legendary)]


    [Equipment]


    [Magic Resistance Cloak (Heroic)]


    [Balmain¡¯s Dense Magic Armor (Legendary)]


    [Serena¡¯s Agile Windboots (Legendary)]


    [Sword of the 12th Knights: Durendal (Mythic)]


    [Overall: Don¡¯t backstab him. Really, don¡¯t backstab him. If you really do it, I die, and you die. I¡¯ve warned. Never backstab him.]


    ¡®Phew¡­ It¡¯s reassuring.¡¯


    It was noticeable how he had grown even more while I hadn¡¯t seen him.


    ¡®When did his ss change?¡¯


    I remember that his existing ss was definitely a legendary grade.


    It seemed that there was a certain achievement when I saw that he got a unique legendary grade when I didn¡¯t check it for a while. The original heroic-grade Sword Expert had disappeared, and there were four legendary-grade attributes.


    Considering that an average yer couldn¡¯t even have a single legendary trait, it was all worth apuding.


    What about the stats?


    Needless to say, his agility at 104, stamina at 101, and other stats were never low.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t the seal unlocked yet?¡¯


    It seemed that the mythic sword called Durendal had not yet been used with full potential.


    That sword was good enough.


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s status window itself was very simple, as he was aiming for a pure swordsman ss in the first ce. He was strong enough, without anyplications whatsoever.


    If I were to think of the swordsmanship that could be judged by his experience or the system, it was safe to assume that he had more than the status window clearly disyed.


    Perhaps he would be able to face Salit alone.


    Of course, the stats needed to grow more.


    ¡®Because there could be something like the Altanus Benignore buff¡­¡¯


    I had thought about whether Cha Hee-ra was stronger than Kim Hyunsung, but as he grew to this point, I started to wonder if he might be a match to Cha Hee-ra when she had lowered her intelligence to the maximum.


    I wasn¡¯t interested in gossip like who was stronger, but I had to nod to the fact that the most reassuring people were allies here, anyway.


    It was a perfect expedition in many ways. When I slightly turned my head, I saw Kim Hyunsung, who had returned to his original gender.


    ¡®Ah¡­ That¡¯s over.¡¯


    It was a dangerous idea, but strangely, I felt that it was unfortunate.


    ¡°You are finally back.¡±


    ¡°Congrattions, Oppa.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Ye-ri.¡±


    ¡°Congrattions, Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Hyejin.¡±


    I gained a lot, and lost little.


    It felt like it was a lucky day.


    I felt unknown anxiety with the good luck, but the outside would not have been a mess after only ten days, and a few days had already passed.


    It was already overwhelming just to think about how to deliver this good news. It was then that the Ranger, who had first run out from far away, hade in a hurry.


    ¡°Wait a moment.¡±


    ¡®Sh*t.¡¯


    As always, sad feelings had never been wrong.


    ¡®Something must¡¯ve had happened.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t supposed to be a ranger, but those who celebrated the expedition¡¯s return were supposed to meet us.


    The face of the elf running alone was distorted with pain no matter how I was to see it.


    He did not appear to be injured, but it seemed that he had continued to run without rest. It meant that there was news that needed to be delivered as quickly as possible.


    I prayed that it would not be a big deal, but I had to realize that my hopes were falling apart as he got closer and closer.


    ¡°That¡­ Did anything happen? Why, all of a sudden?¡±


    After all, bad things happened on lucky days.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Elios opened his mouth.


    It caught my eyes that the messenger, who had been gasping for a long time, breathed wildly and opened his mouth.


    ¡°Phew¡­ War. It¡¯s a war.¡±


    ¡°Fuck.¡±


    The curse had popped out without my knowledge.

 Chapter 371: Lucky Day (2)

    <h4>Chapter 371: Lucky Day (2)</h4>


    ¡®I wasn¡¯t anxious for no reason¡­¡¯


    In fact, this wasn¡¯t something I hadn¡¯t expected at all.


    ¡®I just set the probability low.¡¯


    This had been ssified as something that rarely happened because the Republic¡¯s extreme choice could have been self-defense.


    The cause was always on our side.


    As if international rtions were not important, it was irrational itself to stand up to someone like the demon summoner Jin Qing with the current circumstances.


    Of course, not all countries were as sensitive to demons as the State, the Laios, or some of the other races.


    However¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s still irrational.¡¯


    Turning against God is something that couldn¡¯t be imagined on the continent, at least.


    Of course, even if the demon in the Republic decided their course in that direction, there would still be questions.


    War was not such an easy decision. It didn¡¯t mean that you could prepare for it in less than a month. At least, if I had been in the Republic leader¡¯s position, I would have looked and moved a little longer.


    That was right.


    Of course, the story would be different if the Republic had been working on this war scenario since before.


    ¡®No. Still, it¡¯s the same as it¡¯s irrational.¡¯


    If I were to think about it, there had been a time when the Cheon Gwan-wi and Wi Ran of the Eight Seats in the State had said that the Republic¡¯s movement was unusual.


    Of course, even so, as long as the situation came to this point, it was not the time to enter the war scenarios they had. We could never pull the trigger first. Even more, assuming that the two groups have simr strengths.


    If they were to pull the trigger first, there were two reasons. No, three or so.


    They were out of their mind, they were confident of winning, or they really needed to start a war.


    Maybe they thought that they needed to deal with the internal threat outside, or they may have the confidence to devour the State without much damage.


    Of course, there was no guarantee that it was they who had attacked first. Indeed, we had not yet heard exactly how the war broke out.


    However, it was undeniable that an ufortable situation would havee.


    ¡®The United Kingdom is also bothering¡­¡¯


    There was also the possibility that some countries, who considered it dangerous for the State to spread the idea of ??revolution, had also cooperated with the Republic.


    Both the Republic and the State didn¡¯t choose the monarchy, but unlike the State, which was made up of a bloody revolution, the Republic only changed in name from the emperor to president.


    Each country¡¯s leaders may have been unpleasantly looking at the people¡¯s victory, which was achieved through the Goddess¡¯ Mirror.


    There was no end when I was to think about it.


    No wonder a headache had begun to spring up, all because of the constant rush of misceneous thoughts.


    Of course, it was not just me who was suffering from a headache.


    ¡®That¡­¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung also had aplex expression.


    ¡®Are we not expected to have a war? Was the timing early?¡¯


    Naturally, it felt frustrating because it was impossible to know what had happened in the current period of the first round. We didn¡¯t even know if the current war would work in our favor.


    I had no choice but to guess.


    The face Kim Hyunsung was showing was far from the one that weed the war.


    Even though this was an opportunity to end Jin Qing, the masked trash of the first round, seeing the expression on Hyunsung¡¯s face told me that he did not wee this change in events.


    What I could guess right now was that Kim Hyunsung¡¯s return was not at least because of the Republic, or the first round¡¯s masked trash.


    What he was worried about right now was power loss¡ªloss of troops capable of responding to the unknown threat that he had faced against during the first round.


    If I assumed that a really big event would break out in the not too distant future, it would be natural not to wee a fight between humans.


    Not only Kim Hyunsung, but also Benignore and Elune trash were not opening their mouths.


    ¡®Is there a security level? Or can¡¯t you tell me, too?¡¯


    If I were to think that there was also the possibility that the masked trash might be on the side of the unknown, then it was worth considering. However, I still did not know what I should do about this now.


    I couldn¡¯t set the right route to take. I hadn¡¯t heard of the start of the war yet, but these things had already happened.


    The question now was how to solve this war.


    ¡®Should I even try to stop?¡¯


    If we were to fight with the spirit of death, the power would be reduced regardless of this war¡¯s victory or defeat.


    Even if the State won, it would suffer great damage. Even if we solved the immediate problem, we would not be able to prepare for the future properly.


    When a heavy silence descended, I spoke up.


    ¡°Hyunsung. This¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing. I have no idea what to do.¡±


    ¡°For¡­ now, we should hurry back to the kingdom to see the situation. We should also be briefed on how things are going. Is the kingdom of Eberia also under the influence?¡±


    The elven messenger answered the question. I could see him speaking with an anxious voice, as if he didn¡¯t know much.


    ¡°No, but I have heard the news that the current troops are heading to the kingdom. Perhaps rather than a direct attack, the better idea would be to iste the support forces heading to the State and Laios.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s right.¡¯


    As long as the World Tree¡¯s magic power was maintained, the troops would not be able to enter.


    What they wanted was the istion of the Eberian kingdom. They did not only want to decimate the troops; they also wanted to block their supply.


    ¡°What about the State?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Honorary Cardinal. The State is¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°At the moment, the front line on the Dawan side has already copsed, and I have heard that Castle Rock is being surrounded by enemy forces.¡±


    ¡®Fuck. It¡¯s more serious than I thought¡­¡¯


    It was shocking news that the Dawan Front had already copsed. It was clear that if Castle Rock were to be captured, we would be pushed back to Lindel.


    If we were to get pushed to Lindel, the capital would also be dominated quickly.


    The fact that the Dawan Front copsed in the first ce meant that the Laios side¡¯s situation was also not very lucky.


    ¡®Ah¡­¡¯


    Even things were going against us too quickly.


    ¡°We will return as quickly as possible.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The guild members who agreed with Kim Hyunsung¡¯s words nodded. No wonder we began to move in a hurry.


    As we approached the royal pce in Eberia, we could see that there were certainly some battles.


    Many troops were waiting. Feary in the faces of some. Even though the battle had not yet taken ce on the Eberian front side, they already looked like this.


    I, too, would surely soon look like them.


    The soldiers and guards sent signs as the castle kept getting closer. After a simple procedure, we greeted each other. Several of the elvenmanders started talking with Elios and Kim Hyunsung seriously.


    It felt like the atmosphere had be horrible once again. The only hope I could see was that I had caught sight of some unfamiliar people walking towards us.


    Even when I looked up straight with my eyes open, they didn¡¯t seem to be settled here. That would be natural because the race itself was different.


    ¡®Dwarf?¡¯


    Certainly, they were dwarves.


    It was the same as the description I had read somewhere, with the appearance that it was hard to think of as human by any way, with the short stature and the big beard that covered the face.


    It felt like one of them approaching us was a dwarf of a high position. Kim Hyunsung and Elios were also confused by their sudden appearance.


    I was not the only one who felt puzzled as I could hear the entire expedition muttering. I couldn¡¯t imagine that things would have gone this far while I was inside. There were so many things that happened so quickly that it had been difficult to follow.


    However, I nodded.


    I didn¡¯t know what was going on, but at least it wasn¡¯t bad news that he was here.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Volgor.¡±


    ¡°Elios. It¡¯s nice to see you. I couldn¡¯t even imagine seeing you like this¡­ Did you achieve any results in the expedition?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Fortunately, it ended safely¡­ Is it possible that Volgor is here¡­?¡±


    ¡°We also decided to add some strength.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fortunate out of misfortune.¡±


    ¡°Who knew I would be impressed by human speech? Haha. Come to think of it, there was an important guest. Nice to meet you, Blue Guild Master, and Honorary Cardinal of the State. You can call me Volgor.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you, Volgor-nim.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard a lot about you.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re exactly what I heard from the little human woman. You¡¯ve been having a lot of trouble.¡±


    ¡®What is this again?¡¯


    ¡°Ah. Come to think of it¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. Soon after arriving, what exactly happened¡­? In fact, I don¡¯t really understand why you came to join us.¡±


    ¡°Five days ago, some humans came to the kingdom. And they had a lot of conversations with His Majesty the King. I never thought that an elf or that human woman could change his Majesty¡¯s mind, but in the end, it worked out. I was also impressed¡­ That¡¯s why we are here.¡±


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    It seemed that they weren¡¯t just being attacked. There was some movement on the side of the Three Kingdoms Alliance.


    I didn¡¯t know how many achievements had been made at the moment, but they probably thought that it was more advantageous to grow in size.


    I think I know who led this work for some reason. Speaking of a little human woman, I had only one person in mind.


    ¡®Lee Jihye?¡¯


    I thought she would be in Laios, but she seemed to havee here.


    As I turned my head while talking with the dwarf, I could see those wearing the guild pattern of the ck Swan. Perhaps the rest of their members would being for me now.


    Naturally, I thought I needed to know a little more details.


    I couldn¡¯t help but speak up to Kim Hyunsung, Elios, and Dwarf Volgor. ¡°Hyunsung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I think there is something I need to find out for a minute. If you go first and listen to them, I will catch up with youter.¡±


    He was a bit puzzled, Hyunsung eventually nodded.


    ¡°Yes. Okay, Kiyoung-ssi. I think it would be better for other people to return to amodation and reorganize. Ahyoung will repair equipment and expand personal supplies. Others can rx if they need a break. I will take time to exin the route and the current situation in the future. Please, Deokgu, Hee-young, and Hyejin,e with me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Don¡¯t worry about us and go.¡±


    ¡°Then see you in a minute.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Hayan.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Oppa.¡±


    ¡°Go in first and take a nap. I know you haven¡¯t fully recovered yet. I¡¯ll go right away.¡±


    I didn¡¯t hear an answer at first. She seemed to be trembling, but Jung Hayan eventually nodded.


    She had also consumed a lot of magic power, and she would have hit her physical limit as she basically had a weak body.


    Not knowing when the battle will take ce, recovering would be the top priority for now.


    Before long, Kim Hyunsung moved along with Elena and Elios, and others and the guild members began to scatter to do the work they were given.


    Except for Jung Hayan, there was a slight tension on their faces. They all knew the weight of war.


    Humans and monsters were different.


    It wasn¡¯t until now that there was no battle with humans, but anyone would have to show signs of anxiety under the current situation.


    Only after I was alone, a member of the ck Swan guild began to approach me slowly.


    ¡°Honorary Cardinal, wait¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. You can guide me.¡±


    It was obvious where he was going.


    ¡®Why is she here?¡¯


    Lee Jihye was here.

 Chapter 372: Lucky Day (3)

    <h4>Chapter 372: Lucky Day (3)</h4>


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I couldn¡¯t meet you. I¡¯ve had so many things to do. The report was dyed because I heard that you wereing back earlier than expected. In fact, I¡¯m also busy sorting everything that happens in a day. I thought you would be okay, but you look even better than I thought.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s apliment, right?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    When I opened the door, Lee Jihye immediately stood up. Although she was pleased with the feeling of having seen me after a while, she didn¡¯t dare say it.


    Her appearance was the same. She still had a small stature and an outward appearance that didn¡¯t fit her age.


    She recently looked a little bit nk, almost as if she hadn¡¯t slept well, but seeing that she was still holding on to her spirit, it seemed she had escaped the worst of the worst.


    ¡°Sit. I¡¯ll serve you a cup of tea. You must have been really surprised, by the way.¡±


    ¡°Of course. I had an idea but never imagined it would really explode like this. What the hell is this¡­ no, more importantly, why are you here?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here because I think this is the safest ce.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®She is a real trash.¡¯


    It was no wonder that I felt instantly speechless with the confidence in her expression. I already thought that Lee Jihye had a trashy quality simr to mine, but her actions proved to be faster than I thought.


    It was obvious that it was safer to be here than to be at Dawan, Castle Rock, or Laios. There was a basic defense system here called the World Tree, and at least there was no direct threat, so here was the right ce to pick as the safest.


    What surprised me was that she felt overly confident. Her face without any shame was so great, even from the gaze of the Light Kiyoung.


    ¡°What¡¯s with that look? It¡¯s rude. You know how hard it is to live as an ordinary person in a ce like this. The physical shock that can be felt like a minor injury to others is also the least fatal injury to me. You have to understand this much. Honestly, even if it were you, you would havee running here.¡±


    ¡®I can¡¯t deny it, but¡­¡¯


    ¡°You¡¯re agreeing with me right now, right?¡±


    Although I flinched for a moment, it was natural to stay as expressionless as possible. I could see Lee Jihye opening her mouth, as if she thought this was the opportunity.


    ¡°Well, actually, it¡¯s not really just for that reason. At least I had something to do. If you saw dwarves on the way, you¡¯ll know why I am here.¡±


    ¡°Oh. That¡¯s right. How did you harass them?¡±


    ¡°I appealed with tears.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It was effective to use the tears while showing edited videos that were circting during the Laios incident and the things you had been struggling with. Dwarves are simple. They actually get very affectionate. Of course, that wasn¡¯t the only reason, but perhaps the tears worked rather better than the gains or interests they would get. What do you think? This was a pretty good speech. Want to see it?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ I¡¯m good.¡±


    ¡°Oh. And one more thing. Wouldn¡¯t I meet you quickly being here? It¡¯s easier to listen to it here than in a hard situation room. Hmm. I don¡¯t know where to start from¡­ how do you want me to start?¡±


    ¡°Of course, from the beginning.¡±


    Right after I answered, I could see Lee Jihye Lee tapping her finger on the desk. This was the gesture she did when she had something to think about. I patiently waited for her to start.


    She kept hitting her desk, and somehow it felt good to hear.


    However, the sound flowing from Lee Jihye¡¯s mouth wasn¡¯t a pleasure.


    ¡°The first was Dawan. In fact, opinions on this part are a little divided, but the issue is whether the State or the Republic started. Of course, from our point of view, it is true that they came in first. From their point of view, they are arguing that this side first picked a fight. Anyway, the little friction that happened there grew a little¡­ and burst out with a bang, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t there any deration of war?¡±


    ¡°There was right after that. They said that some of them died in the front line of Dawan, but our side also had some casualties. No matter how you look at it, they intentionally picked a fight first. There was no talk of any other conditions orpensation. They just came in with the troops right away that night. I guess they were preparing for it, right? Of course, we could prepare for the surprise attack, but as a result, we were forced to pull the Dawan Front back in a matter of days. After that, it also affected the Castle Rock¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Did you know that Castle Rock is currently isted?¡±


    ¡°Roughly. But could things get worse like this?¡±


    ¡°Because some kingdoms, including the Mado Kingdom, came in from the other side. In the meantime, Castle Rock has been isted and has remained like that so far. Castle Rock is also a strategic point that cannot be discarded on our side. Knowing that support wille, the Republican Alliance decided to press the Elven Kingdom¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why you were sent as a special envoy to persuade the dwarves.¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s simr. Even though Castle Rock is holding on as much as possible, anyone knows that the expiration date is running out. The State and Laios are also trying various things to reduce the burden as much as possible, but it cannot be denied that Castle Rock is in danger. If you think so, it means that you and the party arrived just at the right time. It was at the point when I was thinking we should push it out.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Our purpose is to send reinforcements to Castle Rock in at least ten days. If we fail, things will get worse. If we lose Castle Rock, soon we¡¯ll be cornered in Lindel.¡±


    ¡°If they reach Lindel, they can get to the capital soon.¡±


    ¡°Right. Do you have any other questions?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m curious if the United Kingdom has all turned around.¡±


    ¡°No. Several key kingdoms, including the Mado Kingdom. Of course, it¡¯s not exact. I¡¯m guessing they¡¯re split in half, but is there a lot you can trust in this situation? I¡¯m just thinking.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s true, it¡¯s okay to say that it¡¯s a fortune among misfortunes?¡±


    ¡°Sure. In fact, I am curious about the reason why the Kingdom Alliance participated in the war¡­ the State is judging that they¡¯re wary of the spread of the revolutionary thought. There¡¯s no way it wouldn¡¯t have been a problem internally when something like that went off right in the country next to them. They would have been annoyed. As the Republic burst right then, there is a feeling that they ran in taking that as a chance.¡±


    ¡°I think the same way, Nuna. Other reasons may be intertwined, but we can see that that the interests were entangled. It¡¯s understandable why they continue to hold Jin Qing, the demon summoner trash. If they thought they would start a war anyway, there is no reason to defeat us while taking a big loss. The Republic is not sensitive to ck wizards¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, right? Anyway, this is a report. It¡¯s not just as concisely as I just exined. It¡¯s probably written in a little more detail. I¡¯m not sure, but it contains all the information. Take a look¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, one more thing I¡¯m curious about.¡±


    ¡°Please, ask.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s in Castle Rock?¡±


    ¡°Yuno Kasugano.¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°Count Castle Rock, no, it¡¯s Congressman now. Our Guild Master is also in Castle Rock. One of the Eight Seats of the State, Cheon Gwan-wi, is also in Castle Rock. It¡¯s not going to copse right away. Because the squad isn¡¯t that bad, some people can at least withstand it.¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s not bad.¡¯


    It was difficult to say that the Shaman Yuno Kasugano, the Mist Summoner Cheon Gwan-wi, and the individual¡¯s armed forces were overwhelming, but these were people who ranked in the Eight Seats of the State. They also specialized in defense.


    The question of how Castle Rock was holding up under such circumstances had been resolved. After mulling over this, I began to peruse the report given by Lee Jihye. Reading the detailed progress made me feel a little more flustered.


    ¡®They really wanted to start a war, huh?¡¯


    It really seemed like they had been nning this since the start.


    At this point, I thought they had alreadybined with the Magic Kingdom. They thought that they had the upper hand and immediately turned the card over.


    What I expected before had partly been right.


    Of course, I couldn¡¯t be happy about the war or that I was right about that.


    What was more important now was the context rather than the beginning. What I could see was a huge map. It felt like a mini-map with all the statuses of the troops.


    ¡°Nuna, this is¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh. I should show you this, too. This is the most updated map. The situation of the troops is also thetest.¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be said that it¡¯s the worst.¡±


    ¡°It must be said that there is a hole with a way out.¡±


    As she said, the situation was not as bad as I had imagined.


    On arger scale, it was true that the Dawan Front was pushed and Castle Rock had gotten isted, but I could see that we were gaining an advantage, too.


    Except for the two fronts, the eastern front wasn¡¯t bad, and the western front was even pushing itself forward.


    ¡®Right. The State is not so ipetent.¡¯


    The key was whether or not it was possible to take the troops and supplies of the kingdom of Eberia to Castle Rock.


    If this supply route was in ce, it would be of great help to lead the future situation.


    The most important thing to do was join the interracial coalition forces, which was intuitive enough for a child to see. Now, all we had to wait for was whether or not they would have a breakthrough or not.


    ¡®This is a little familiar¡­¡¯


    It was simr to the strategy simtion we didst time.


    It was a technique of slowly tightening from ce to ce and trying to take advantage of it.


    Masked trash, demon summoner Jin Qing, this was definitely his work. What I felt a little curious about was that there were significantly fewer troops in Laios.


    It was certainly disconcerting to deploy the least troops without covering up the enemy allies. I couldn¡¯t understand the current state of the Laios front.


    ¡°Why is Laios like this?¡±


    ¡°Oh. I forgot to tell you. There is a brief ceasefire there. Mercenary Queen is there.¡±


    ¡°But what does that and have to do with¡­?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all about attacking the enemy¡¯s allies.¡±


    ¡®They¡¯re out of their mind.¡¯


    ¡°The Mercenary Queen lost her mind when she evacuated their people, and now it¡¯s in that state. We think there¡¯s going to be a loss of troops when we enter, so both groups are not taking any chances. In the current situation, it is extremely burdensome to subtract a few named and go there.¡±


    ¡®There must be a time limit.¡¯


    Cha Hee-ra¡¯s attribute Blood-thirsty Madwoman clearly had a time limit of one hour.


    Her presence in Laios so far could not be exined by her status window as seen by my Mind¡¯s Eyes.


    ¡°How long Laios, no, Hee-ra has been in that state?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been eight days.¡±


    ¡®Something is not right¡­¡¯

 Chapter 373: PTSD (1)

    <h4>Chapter 373: PTSD (1)</h4>


    ¡®Eight days¡­¡¯


    It was a pretty long time.


    It would be flustering to think that Laios had beenpletely excluded during those eight days. Of course, there may be minimal troops left, but Laios had still gotten abandoned on the battlefield.


    I don¡¯t know how crazy she had gone for the situation to be like this, but¡­


    ¡®I understand.¡¯


    Considering that Cha Hee-ra¡¯s strength had risen to 117 during the Castle Rock crisis, it was natural to avoid it.


    Even if I were the Republic, it would have been difficult to take some action.


    In order to safely subdue it, it is possible to cope with it by sending at least someone as strong as one of the Eight Seats of the State or the Five General Tigers.


    ¡®And that¡¯s not easy.¡¯


    In the current situation where the front line was still tightly maintained, it was almost impossible to pull back the named names.


    Even if they were on the way to recapture Castle Rock and do the Eberian istion operation simultaneously, they wouldn¡¯t be doing anything stupid as focusing on Laios.


    ¡°Is there anything that the State is doing?¡±


    ¡°All they can do is wait¡­ In fact, on the outskirts of Laios, the Red Mercenary is in charge of the front. Probably they want to get their queen back when everything is done. Something simr must have happened before we came in. At that time, I heard that she was in that state for twenty days¡­¡±


    ¡°How was the situation then?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know in detail, either. No one knows it, and all they did was to bring the queen who was passed out.¡±


    I wondered if it had a possibility of happening,


    ¡®It is possible if there¡¯s no survivor.¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s because there were no survivors. I don¡¯t know what the queen was doing in the past and what¡¯s going on in Laios now. Seeing that she is still alive, the queen must be doing well. I want to give it a little more weight, but what can I do about it? Castle Rock is more urgent right now. On the Laios side, you will do something, well.¡±


    ¡®Do what? You mean bitch.¡¯


    Light Kiyoung was not a suicide seeker.


    When the Castle Rock Monster Wave had urred, I remembered it was a nightmare.


    Moreover, Cha Hee-ra at that time had been in a normal crazy state.


    Now that she had gonepletely insane, my body would be torn as soon as she was to see me. Perhaps my pelvis would get smashed and chopped like tofu.


    Just imagining it made me have goosebumps behind my back.


    When I shook my head, Lee Jihye opened her mouth again.


    ¡°Shall we move to another ce and talk?¡±


    ¡°It would be better. I also wanted to see the front line.¡±


    ¡°I wanted to show you. I asked to go out because of that.¡±


    As I slowly opened the door, I could see the ck Swan guild members waiting. They were the escort group of Lee Jihye.


    Seeing that their level wasn¡¯t too bad, I could tell how much the ck Swan Guild Master, Park Yeon-joo, cared about Lee Jihye.


    Of course, it was a bonus that Lee Jihye considered her own safety to be the most important.


    The soldiers around me still looked anxious. They must know that the battle would begin within a few days. No one wanted to die. And, whether you liked it or not, war created casualties.


    I had begun to understand the situation, but it did not make me any happier. It was because our opponents seemed determined, and had decided to block the Eberia side.


    Despite having the advantages of a castle defense battle, they had no choice but to enter the field first.


    It looked like we would have to do a siege battle. This was the type of work that could not be built in a short period, but if there was magic, it was easy to build a city wall.


    Of course, this was iparable to Castle Rock¡¯s walls, but the fact that there was a wall of that kind was indeed great pressure from the opponent¡¯s perspective.


    ¡°Who is the opponent¡¯smander?¡±


    Perhaps a wizard.


    ¡°We haven¡¯t confirmed it yet. Well, still, one of the Five General Tigers will be with them, right? Judging by what I can see, he will be in the rear rather than the front line. As you can see, the situation in front of us is not very good. The troops are also inferior, but it is in a situation where we have to even a siege battle. We were on the inferior side, but now that you¡¯ve joined, it¡¯s going to be better. Hyunsung is also here. Oh,e to think of it, there¡¯s also Hayan.¡±


    ¡°Hayan can¡¯t be used here.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°We have to look at things in the long run. I ordered her to recover as quickly as possible, but in her current state, she will fall back by using magic only a few times. Even that, magic with arge range should be avoided as much as possible. And our Guild Master¡­¡±


    ¡®I want to hide it much as possible¡­¡¯


    If there was a person who had the most information that had not been released yet, of course, it would be the lovely returner.


    Still, unlike me, who held the title of Honorary Cardinal, there was no information about Kim Hyunsung at all. I bet the Republic didn¡¯t even take Kim Hyunsung at a high level.


    To them, he was only a child who has been on the continent for less than five years.


    Jin Qing, who knew that I was a scammer, might think that Kim Hyunsung was a simr kind of guy. It was important that they had the least information about him as possible.


    I could recognize the urgency of the situation, but we must avoid putting in the strongest from the first fights. Though everyone apparently wanted to end this as fast as possible, it would be inevitable to prolong the fight eventually.


    ¡®Who uses their weapon from the beginning in the first ce?¡¯


    ¡°You want to save them forter?¡±


    ¡°If possible.¡±


    ¡°You know that simply pushing out isn¡¯t a good thing, right? It is important to push it properly without damage. If we don¡¯t have the troops to get to Castle Rock after the battle, the fight itself will be for nothing. All they have to do is to hold on.¡±


    ¡°I understand that, too.¡±


    Their role was not to do a castle defense battle, but to hold back the ones from this side. For them, the city wall is a kind of thing that doesn¡¯t matter at all.


    ¡®But what can I do?¡¯


    Whatever it was, we had to push our own troops forward.


    ¡°So, you were here.¡±


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s voice came just in time. As I turned, I could see him and themander.


    It looked like everyone had gone on a tour together.


    Elios, the dwarf, Volgor, and those I had not memorized the names of yet were valuable workers who would eventually move on the battlefield.


    ¡°Oh my, Volgor.¡±


    ¡°Oh! It¡¯s the little human woman.¡±


    ¡°I was looking around for a moment. I also exined the situation a little to the Honorary Cardinal here.¡±


    ¡°I see. How have you been?¡±


    ¡°Good. Thanks. Volgor-nim is still reliable.¡±


    Lee Jihye, who immediately adorned an inviting smile, felt surprising even to me.


    However, she was not much different than me. Kim Hyunsung, who was asking me questions, had forced me to wear the same kind of smile as well.


    I felt a sense of shame, but there was nothing I could do.


    ¡°Have you heard of it?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The situation seemed a littleplicated. I was able to figure out the roughposition as well. Jihye exined in a lot of detail.¡±


    ¡°What do you think, Kiyoung-ssi?¡±


    ¡®Think what, you bastard?¡¯


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    This was the line I wanted to ask him. For now, it was the most important to open the road unconditionally.


    ¡°I heard that themand team is setting the next five days as the timing. If it is dyed, Castle Rock could be dangerous¡­¡±


    ¡®The faster, the better, but¡­¡¯


    It was quite interesting that his face looked like it was asking for permission from me.


    In fact, I was not strong in martial arts, either. Everything I had learned just scratches the surface.


    As I felt like I had been lying too much, they seemed to think I had some knowledge in that as well. Of course, the important thing was not that he asked about my opinion.


    I felt that how Kim Hyunsung looked was more important to me. He looked very nervous.


    ¡®Is it obvious?¡¯


    The demon in the first round was crouching in the meantime.


    Jin Qing, the masked trash, finally revealed his nature and reached out the demon¡¯s grip to the camp of light.


    For Kim Hyunsung, who I believed in having suffered a lot in would not be unreasonable to be nervous suddenly.


    ¡®How many times has he been backstabbed?¡¯


    Interestingly, I felt that he was being reliant on me.


    By now, he should have solved the problem somehow if Light Kiyoung had not been contaminated by the demon¡¯s grasp.


    He dyed a lot of time, and he seemed to think he had given time to the masked viin. He seemed to be pretending to be okay, but his face itself was stained with anxiety.


    My eyes, who were always closely watching Kim Hyunsung¡¯s face, could not be deceived.


    ¡°Of course, I am aware of the fact that we have to get through the road as quickly as possible, but maybe there is a trap¡­ my opinion is that it would be better to approach it a little more carefully.¡±


    ¡°What? You mean a trap?¡±


    ¡®There¡¯s nothing that looks like a trap¡­ well, was there such a thing?¡¯


    However, upon closer inspection, there was nothing in here that looked like a trap.


    Rather, this was a very in and simple problem. This was a fight over whether or not we could get rid of our opponents and attain victory. Even if he were the first round¡¯s masked trash, it would have been impossible things in this situation.


    There was not enough time, and the range of motion was still limited.


    What could be done was, at best, something using a secret agent or inducing friction between groups. Of course, it was far from Jin Qing¡¯s style.


    When I looked at the mini-map again, I couldn¡¯t figure out what was wrong with it.


    However, Kim Hyunsung¡¯s face was stained with unknown anxiety.


    ¡°There may be something for sure, definitely.¡±


    ¡°Ohh. Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°It would be better to take at least a little more time to watch more. Of course, it¡¯s just my personal opinion¡­¡±


    ¡®No. I don¡¯t think we need to look into it in detail¡­¡¯


    ¡°I think it would be nice if you could also find out a little more, Kiyoung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Okay.¡±


    For now, I had to answer Kim Hyunsung¡¯s request, which he had brought out very carefully.


    We all had to look before we leap. However, the behavior Kim Hyunsung was showing was no different than analyzing before leaping.


    He had a face that showed he was still convinced that there was a trap lying underneath,


    ¡®Is this bastard suffering from PTSD?¡¯

 Chapter 374: PTSD (2)

    <h4>Chapter 374: PTSD (2)</h4>


    ¡°Don¡¯t you see anything unnatural or strange?¡±


    ¡°No. I don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡®Stop it.¡¯


    ¡°You can rx, Hyunsung. Themand is taking care of what you are worrying about as much as they possibly can.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s understandable, but it¡¯s not good to worry too much.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I understood. But perhaps¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Is the detecting magic¡­?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve already confirmed it, but¡­ I will instruct them to investigate again.¡±


    ¡®You didn¡¯t understand at all. Fuck.¡¯


    I understood that he was worried, but I felt a little tired.


    In fact, there¡¯s not much time left to enter.


    As we suddenly joined this operation, it is hard enough to pay attention to other parts.


    We¡¯re so bust to check even basic things.


    Looking at Kim Hyunsunging every day and saying useless things, it really looked like PTSD.


    ¡®This bastard¡­¡¯


    He was looking openly anxious even now. I didn¡¯t know what made him so nervous, but the expression on his face worsened as time went by.


    His expression from yesterday was different from today¡¯s. Even I was affected and thought that we shouldn¡¯t head in like this.


    Of course, that didn¡¯t mean that I had dyed the schedule or thought about a different method.


    It was a situation where we could be judged to be superior in power, and I knew that it would be disadvantageous if we did not manage to break through.


    I could understand Kim Hyunsung, but no matter how I was to think about this, we could not dy it.


    It was true that spending time here was abandoning Castle Rock, an important strategic point.


    It is no wonder that I turned and nced at the lovely returner. He wasn¡¯t scared, but he seemed to be more worried about the current situation than anyone else.


    I wanted to look into what Kim Hyunsung was thinking.


    ¡°We also have to keep in mind the possibility that the wall itself is a trap. There may be some magic in the wall itself, and there is also a possibility that explosive magic is built into the troops protecting the wall¡­¡±


    ¡®You mean they would sacrifice such an army?¡¯


    ¡°I think internal surveince should also be a little more thorough. In particr, a little more thorough vignce against dwarves¡­ It¡¯s a bit abrupt, but the investigation into the gue should also be conducted.¡±


    ¡°You mean the gue?¡±


    ¡®Why are you improvising about the gue suddenly? Bastard.¡¯


    ¡°We also have to consider the probability that the current confrontation has be a mass infection. A type of virus that only infects at close range¡­¡±


    ¡®What kind of bullsh*t is this again?¡¯


    The explosive magic was bearable, but with the mass infection that had suddenly popped out, I had no choice but to hold my breath.


    ording to Kim Hyunsung¡¯s words, the entire army currently blocking us had be a carrier of an unknown virus.


    I had no choice but to wonder where this idea hade from. There was no way to make such an inhumane choice, no matter how much of a bastard Jin Qing was.


    ¡®The masked garbage wouldn¡¯t go this far¡­¡¯


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you thinking a little too much about this¡­?¡±


    In the end, I had to say these words carefully. At this, Hyunsung spoke up once more. The candle was burning at both ends.


    ¡°I¡¯m not, Kiyoung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°To sacrifice such troops for a simple trap¡­ It will not be easy even for the Republic.¡±


    ¡°I am not worried about the Republic.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Jin Qing, he¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m worried about Jin Qing. I¡¯m not sure yet, but the devil summoner won¡¯t tell the difference between friend and foe. For the sake of the purpose, he will not choose any means, and he might not care about sacrificing the troops of the Republic or the civilians. You must remember that.¡±


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    ¡°You should not assume that he is attached to the Republic or any group. You should simply assume that that¡¯s all a device that can protect his body, even those closest to him. He is not a human that considers how much he sacrificed his troops to achieve victory.¡±


    ¡®This bastard is going too far¡­¡¯


    No matter how trashy trash Jin Qing was, he would not be a human without any blood and tears.


    ¡®Right. He wouldn¡¯t be that much trash.¡¯


    ¡°At least you should not assume that humanitarian methods or warws designated by continentalw will be considered. The same goes for women and children. Rather, those who are socially weakened are more likely to be used as long-term means. Please preach to be extra cautious in child soldiers¡¯ case.¡±


    ¡°Yes. O-Okay.¡±


    ¡°Besides, do not touch other supplies or itemsing from outside¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°You should be even more careful with the supplies used by enemy forces. As soon as the battle is over, used supplies must be disposed of immediately. What I¡¯m saying right now may sound crazy, but you have to be more careful right after the battle is over.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Hyunsung-ssi. I will remember it.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Kiyoung-ssi. Oh¡­ you can continue sleeping¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I suddenly came at dawn.¡±


    ¡°No. No. I¡¯m going to be up early today anyway. And a visit like this is rather nice.¡±


    ¡®But knock it off.¡¯


    It was already the third time today. Once in the afternoon, once before bed, and once in the dawn.


    It would be nice to think about it all at once and tell me, but he seemed to remember being backstabbed once every now and then.


    It was indeed meaningful to indirectly experience how the masked trash backstabbed him, but I had a guilty conscience for some reason.


    Of course, I had nothing to do with the masked garbage, but it was because I felt guilty that I could not protect Hyunsung in the first round.


    Hostage y was the default option. I felt like I had heard all sorts of trash behaviors.


    If everything Kim Hyunsung told me was what he had experienced, then I thought it was not unreasonable to pay attention like this.


    ¡®So, the entire troop is a virus carrier?¡¯


    That wouldn¡¯t happen, but if I really assumed that the n was going on right now, the masked trash was the biggest son of a bitch in the world and real trash, deliberately sending troops to death.


    What was more impressive was that the troops would fight, thinking that they were dying whilst fighting for the country.


    ¡®This is real deception. Deception, I say.¡¯


    The thoughts that masked trash Jin Qing nted on them, the cause of the war, and the reason why his camp shouted justice were all just bullsh*t for a bigger sacrifice.


    All of the usual wars went like that, but the idea of ??deliberately creating carriers and putting them into the war was an unthinkable idea that no one other than a real bastard could do.


    Of course, the enemy forces in front of me were not carriers.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t change the fact that he¡¯s going to die, but¡­¡±


    ¡®We must keep the minimum principle. Yes, absolutely.¡¯


    Anyway, there was some good news.


    First, the lovely returner had realized little by little that Jin Qing trash was indeed the masked trash. It seemed that he was still notpletely sure, but it was safe to assume that he was almost sure by his reaction.


    If he was not worried about that, there was no way he woulde and pour out his anxiety several times a day.


    ¡®For now, I can assume that I have stability.¡¯


    I had prepared a few more things, just in case, but at this point, I didn¡¯t even need to do anything. In fact, I thought that the job should be done in the other direction.


    Assuming that Jin Qing didn¡¯t use wicked tricks, the returner¡¯s gaze may fall out from him. Anything was fine, but such was a thing I wanted to prevent from happening.


    It was when I was wondering whether I should show a new self-written y.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    I heard something from outside. It had been a while since Kim Hyunsung went out.


    ¡®Has it been three hours?¡¯


    Unlike what I thought that I would hear a knock on the door right away, the door started to open both suddenly and slowly.


    ¡®Fuck.¡¯


    It was natural to feel instantly surprised.


    We were on the front line with the enemy, and it wouldn¡¯t be weird for an assassin toe in anytime.


    I didn¡¯t know how the hell they had gotten here, but that was not what matters now.


    No wonder I had gotten up right away. I put myself on the wall and put my hand right into the bag. What I got had my hand was the Dragon Breath potion.


    Cool sweat flowed down my back, and thoughts of all kinds began to pass by. The moment the sweat from my head flowed down the chin and fell, I could see the doll sneaking into the room.


    ¡°Hayan?¡±


    ¡°Oh! Oh! Y-Y-Y-You were up.¡±


    What was visible was certainly Jung Hayan. I had to breathe a long sigh.


    ¡®That scared me. Really.¡¯


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°I-I slept too much¡­ during the day. I couldn¡¯t sleep, so I just¡­ yes¡­ er¡­¡±


    She looked really embarrassed. Perhaps she was trying to sneak into my room again.


    Although I was stunned by her halting, I had to give a small smile after patting her head.


    ¡°You should rest a little more.¡±


    ¡°B-B-But, I really can¡¯t sleep.¡±


    ¡°How much has your magic power recovered?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say that I have recovered greatly. It seems like I overused it recently, so it¡¯s still only a little¡­¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t overuse it this time. You know you have to be out ofbat as much as possible?¡±


    ¡°Yes. O-Of course.¡±


    ¡°Unless it¡¯s a really dangerous situation, you¡¯d better not intervene.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    ¡°Shall we go outside for a minute?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    I could see her smiling continuously as if she felt good to take a walk together.


    ¡®I was too careless.¡¯


    Of course, in the meantime, I had no choice but to focus on self-reflection.


    ¡®I was lucky it was Hayan.¡¯


    Of course, an outside intrusion was almost impossible. The World Tree was helping the Kingdom of Eberia.


    However, it was not impossible at all. As this was a world that could not be understood by simplemon sense, there was no guarantee that if it were an assassin of the level of one of the seats, it would not be prated.


    ¡®I guess I have to ask for an escort¡­¡¯


    It wasfortable to move alone, but at least I felt that I needed an escort to buy me time.


    As we slowly climbed up the barrier with useless thoughts, a pretty beautifulndscape soon came into sight.


    Of course, the walls still stood out today.


    ¡®A few days left?¡¯


    No wonder I nodded at the greetings of the guards guarding the barrier. It was then that a loud voice could be heard.


    -Surrender.


    It was a voice amplified by voice magic.


    ¡®It¡¯s a propaganda activity.¡¯


    It was now time to rationalize the war they had waged by ying big voice magic and time to encourage surrender. It was time to criticize the present system and the State and appeal that they were justice.


    By analogy, it was like a strategic loudspeaker sent to the enemy.


    ¡®Well, that is also important.¡¯


    This was the first time I had heard of it today, but it felt like it was pretty borate.


    -Dear elves. And I¡¯m also talking to some dwarves. Our anti-State coalition is not your enemy. You are being deceived. We are deceived by the wicked lie of the State that disturbs the continent. I will say it again. Our anti-State coalition is not your enemy. If you do not intervene in the current war, we promise to pull back our troops immediately.


    ¡®Tsk, tsk.¡¯


    The way he spit out his words was indeed amusing.


    As I muttered unconsciously, I could see Jung Hayan staring at me.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s do some propaganda activities?¡±


    The enemy was obviously unaware that such propaganda was my forte.

 Chapter 375: Fact Always Wins (1)

    <h4>Chapter 375: Fact Always Wins (1)</h4>


    ¡®Dumb humans.¡¯


    Of course, knowing the other enemy¡¯s intentions didn¡¯t mean that I could stop that kind of propaganda.


    It was not an option, but a necessity, to demolish the opponent¡¯s morale even a little before fighting or war. The anti-State alliance probably thought that they were right, so it was natural to invest in propaganda.


    I looked around a bit and found that the elves sitting there were familiar with that voice.


    It was probably heard from the time when the opposite camp¡¯s wall was established.


    ¡®Was there any response on our side?¡¯


    There was no way there wasn¡¯t. I then opened my mouth and asked.


    My question was answered by an elf guard looking at the wall. She was indeed a rare swordswoman. As I naturally saw her stats, the numbers weren¡¯t that bad.


    ¡®It¡¯s surprising.¡¯


    She was just watching the guard, but her stats were about an Elune Knight¡¯s level. Perhaps Elios hadn¡¯t noticed her.


    ¡°Is it always heard?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Honorary Cardinal. I know it is usually heard about twice a day.¡±


    ¡°What is our response?¡±


    ¡°The kingdom also periodically uses voice amplification magic toward the anti-State alliance¡­¡±


    ¡°I see. Hmm¡­ How is it? Does it seem to be directly affecting our morale?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t. Because we know that all the words of our enemies are false, and we know what the anti-State coalition wants. And there¡¯s no way we can trust such a ridiculous thing.¡±


    ¡®Education is in ce.¡¯


    This was also natural, in a way.


    No matter how absurd it was, if you constantly listened to something, someone would be affected.


    They wouldn¡¯t expect to move many people anyway. Even if only one person would get affected, it could always be considered effective.


    The anxiety created by that one would spread very quietly and slowly into the unit.


    Anxiety or doubts continued to spread like cancer cells. Therger the scale, the harder it was for themand to grasp.


    The superior was not God.


    No matter how careful the troop management was, it was impossible to know what the advisor was thinking.


    Education was what you needed for that. It was a kind of brainwashing activity.


    We were not at fault. We were justice, and they were evil. They hadunched the first strike. Justification was crucial in this part.


    The size and quality, the branch of the troops, and the abilities that the named could have on the battlefield and its direction could be used.


    There were many variables on the continent¡¯s battlefield, but the troops¡¯ morale was just as important as it was, even those who did not know that the tactics would know.


    While tapping the thigh with a finger, the voice amplified continuously began to be heard.


    It was propaganda that deserved acknowledgment.


    -The State is disturbing the order of the continent. They made up something ridiculous about a demon summoner, turning the neutral region into a conflict zone. Not only did they urge war and encourage conflict, but on the 14th, eventually, they dered war first and pushed their troops in. Numerous civilian casualties were incurred, and our anti-Statement coalition had no choice but to raise the war g. This is because the lunatic group who wants a war can no longer be left to roam the continent. The Holy State that all of you are aware of is not the former State. It¡¯s just a mob under the name of revolution, with the mask of the idea of sacred democracy!


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    -Oscar, who is currently the leader of the State, is the true rebel of the Goddess and the one who disturbs the order of the continent. She cannot even be said to be the leader of the State. She is just a puppet who follows the words of Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung of the Holy See.


    ¡®It¡¯s not like a puppet¡­¡¯


    Although I flinched a bit, I had no choice but to keep myposure.


    I could see the elven guard we talked with earlier looking forward with a fiery eye, even opening his mouth. I could see him possessing a very cautious attitude.


    ¡°Er¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry. We know better than anyone else that it is a ridiculous rumor, Honorary Cardinal.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°How dare they? I don¡¯t think any of the elves here think of what they say to be the truth.¡±


    asionally, it was very burdensome to face such eager eyes. The innocent eyes of the wless elven guards somehow began to pierce through my conscience.


    Jung Hayan nodded as if the elf who believed in me looked to be okay, holding my hand tightly.


    ¡°Y-Yes. It¡¯s all lies.¡±


    ¡°I-I saw Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung fight against the demon through the Goddess¡¯ Mirror, and I was really impressed. The story of saving our friends at the ve Auction, or protecting Elena while you were in the huge beast.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I had to protect her. But for some reason, I wanted to avoid his gaze.


    ¡°All the elves will want the same. I hope that those words will not hurt Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡®I¡¯m not really hurt¡­¡¯


    ¡°T-That¡¯s right, Oppa. You don¡¯t have to worry about it.¡±


    I was pretty sure she was trying her best tofort me. She even looked angrier than me.


    In fact, whatever they said over there, I was calm. In the meantime, the propaganda content was getting more intense.


    -Our anti-State alliance is ready to ept you at any time. Please avoid losing our alliance and pretend. We are not here to fight you. All we want is the normalization of the continent. It is only our wish to overthrow the pope, who pretended to be a god, misled the entire continent, and exploited the people by hiding behind the back of a god, and the puppet queen and the mob who follows her. I know you hate fights. Please consider carefully. Please listen to our voices to all of you and the leaders.


    After their speech was over, she kept ncing at me, tantly worried.


    ¡®I¡¯d appreciate it if she thinks so.¡¯


    Of course, there was an existing sense of embarrassment, but if the overall public opinion is this way, there was no need to worry too much.


    Of course, we shouldn¡¯t stop educating to maintain morale.


    Most elves won¡¯t believe that, but maybe other people, including dwarves, might be unknowingly affected.


    ¡®I should have read everything yesterday.¡¯


    At this point, I am curious about the content of this propaganda. It must be definitely written in the report Lee Jihye had given me to read.


    But I thought I didn¡¯t have to look at the content again now.


    ¡®I can ask, well.¡¯


    I just had to ask the elf woman in front of me.


    ¡°What is the content of the propaganda on the part of the Kingdom of Eberia?¡±


    It is mainly content that directly criticizes the human behavior of the Republic. The Laios incident and the propaganda that they started war first do not stop. Inhuman experiments, ruthless and thoughtless logging activities, and even criticism of reckless hunting. Each time the content is different, but this is normal.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ see.¡±


    ¡®What¡¯s with the logging activities and reckless hunting?¡¯


    From an elf¡¯s point of view, it was understandable to say that, but I could confidently say that it wouldn¡¯t work for most humans.


    I bet they would evenugh.


    ¡®Would they make them feel guilty with only that?¡¯


    The essence of this kind of propaganda was to make the other person feel doubts.


    Of course, there could be no humans questioning things like logging or hunting. A more direct method would be needed.


    In fact, we didn¡¯t even have to say anything until we had a sore throat because we already had the most convincing evidence.


    ¡°Hayan.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s prepare the Goddess¡¯ Mirror with Sora.¡±


    ¡°W-Which one?¡±


    ¡°Did what happened in Laios still remain? I don¡¯t need anything else, just that.¡±


    ¡°Just this one?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Can you do it? Of course, it has to be big enough to be seen by the other side.¡±


    ¡°I think I can do it if Han Sora trainee, no, if Sora-ssi helps.¡±


    ¡°Really? That¡¯s great. Isn¡¯t it a thing that consumes a lot of magic power?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll ask Jeong-yeon to help. And to the other elves.¡±


    ¡°It would be better to do that. When you¡¯re ready,e right here.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    ¡®Then I just have to ask for some extra time.¡¯


    In fact, there was no problem with this at all.


    The elf woman seemed curious about what I was trying to do. She was pretending to look forward, but I could see that she was moving her ears.


    In the meantime, Jung Hayan started moving in a hurry.


    ¡®What else would I need?¡¯


    Talking all day only hurt the mouth and hurt the head.


    Of course, the meaning had not been conveyed as it was, and the efficiency was not very good. The amount of magic power that went into the voice amplification magic was also quite high.


    Of course, it was more effective to borrow the power of civilization.


    After a while, I began to see Han Sora and Hwang Jeong-yeon, who was running eagerly at Jung Hayan¡¯s call.


    The use of magical hologram artifacts was no different from a professional level anymore. As a huge magical hologram floated on the Eberian Kingdom¡¯s side, eyes began to focus not only on the sky, but also here.


    Naturally, I began to open my mouth because I needed some time to exin.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s better to keep it in the air outside of the advertising time. They probably know better what is good and what is evil. I will tell themand. Please spread it to other units. You don¡¯t have to be so surprised.¡±


    ¡°I will go preach right now.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. Hayan, test it right away and activate the magic hologram. They might not be able to see it. The demon summoner is in close-up detail.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    ¡°Sign up as soon as you¡¯re ready.¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m ready.¡±


    ¡°Then send it right away.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Oppa.¡±


    I felt a little sorry for the demon summoner Jin Qing, but his face was already sold. Since he had gone through a lot, I thought he could go through a little more trouble.


    No matter how insensitive the Republic was to ck magic, it would be hard to not be shaken by watching such a scene.


    ¡®Special star Belial, thank you again today.¡¯


    -My contractor Jin Qing. Your wishes wille true. Come on, unseal this seal! Then you will have more power in your hands!


    What appeared in the Goddess¡¯ Mirror was Jin Qing threatening the light, all while holding hands with the demon.


    There would not be many people who could smile while looking at the true image of the day that the demon summoner, masked trash Jin Qing showed.


    ¡®You can¡¯t win against the facts by only talking about incitement and fabrication even for a hundred days. You bastards!¡±


    The power of facts was indeed great.

 Chapter 376: Fact Always Wins (2)

    <h4>Chapter 376: Fact Always Wins (2)</h4>


    ¡®How dare you try to win with agitation and fabrication?¡¯


    If one were to speak without proof, you would never get out of the level of agitation and fabrication, anyway.


    Proper evidence was the most obvious fact.


    It was understandable that you wanted to crush my image somehow, but you had met the wrong opponent.


    -My contractor, Jin Qing. Your wishes wille true. Come on, unseal this seal! Then you will have more power in your hands!


    ¡®That¡¯s right.¡¯


    -Contractor Jin Qing. Don¡¯t you want to have this power? It is the power to achieve whatever you want.


    ¡®Yes, absolutely.¡¯


    -Fufufufufu¡­ Hahahaha!


    ¡®Long live the Belial-nim! Screw you!¡¯


    Even Ahn Ki-mo and Lee Jihye had no choice but to apud Belial, who had been acting eagerly. At this, I looked above the sky, feeling proud.


    The scene that appeared on the huge screen was now the demon summoner trash selling his soul to the demon. The fact that it also showed him trying to persecute our camp was a bonus.


    Perhaps some people on the side of the Republic camp had seen that scene for the first time.


    The Republic and the State werepletely cut off, to begin with. Even if there was an exchange, there was no way that those sensitive to information control would let us circte such videos or rumors.


    Of course, some people might know, but¡­


    ¡®They must be seeing this kind of thing for the first time, these bastards.¡¯


    They, too, had probably been educated.


    ¡®The Republic¡¯s Jin Qing is innocent, and everything is incitement and fabrication by the State. It¡¯s something that everyone has made up and manipted. You can never believe it or be agitated. You must never get involved in the tactics of agitation from the State.¡¯


    They must¡¯ve said that the State was picking apart to start a war, and it was the State hidden behind the back of God that was inmunication with the demon.


    They must have been making noise several times a day and throwing tickets to the war.


    Most of the troops would know so. However, there was a distinct difference between listening in words and seeing evidence in person.


    ¡®Because humans are suspicious animals.¡¯


    It was sessful enough just to make themand group question.


    Of course, I firmly believed that the aftereffect of this video would not end there. Naturally, I had no choice but to affect the mentality of the soldiers of the Republic directly.


    ¡®To say they¡¯re not as sensitive to ck magic as the State or elves?¡¯


    ¡°What does that matter? Are you sensitive to this situation right now? Will it get into your eyes not being sensitive? Huh?¡±


    This was about aesthetics.


    Seeing Belial being output as a magical hologram made my heart beat. Belial was more demoniac than the image of a demon in general.


    His face was like a lightning bolt of fire, and his eyes were like mes burning in the abyss.


    His mouth was like a crack in a rock, and hisrge wings seemed to poke through a crumpled sky.


    This appearance alone made us feel alien and evoked a sense of instinctive human fear.


    There would be no madman in the world who saw things like that and thought that he was on the side of justice.


    ¡®Yes. Light won¡¯t be light for nothing, and darkness won¡¯t be darkness for nothing.¡¯


    Humans who were not affected by this dichotomous way of thinking did not exist, as far as I knew.


    Light Kiyoung was surrounded by light, and the demon¡¯s warped camp was so polluted that it produced nausea.


    Which side justice was on had already been decided. Galleries that were currently viewing this magical hologram would also know the answer.


    I overdid it a little and started putting magic in my eyes. Though the distance was quite far, my attribute¡¯s influence allowed me to see some faces.


    ¡®Bastards. You turned pale. Pale.¡¯


    The foreigners looked at least better.


    However, the faces of those who appeared to be Republicans were a spectacle.


    Their faces were staring nkly at the magic hologram as if they couldn¡¯t believe it was distorted.


    Some were already showing anxiety on their faces. Of course, this didn¡¯t mean that being a foreigner was different. Some of them were biting their lips tightly and even sighing.


    -You dirty son of bitches of light. This is the power of hell magic. Contractor Jin Qing, what you want wille true!


    ¡®Whew!¡¯


    -Thank you! Thank you! Contractor!!


    Just in time, the video was now running towards the climax.


    There were very few adaptations added, but all of them were actually what had happened and were facts.


    There was no such thing as a maniption discriminator on this continent, but no one could object to this sense of urgency. Now I was sure that the other camp was in a panic.


    Seeing the Republic¡¯smanders running around and fixing the situation was enough to make meugh.


    They were all shouting something. Of course, I couldn¡¯t hear it, but I could already guess what they would be in a fuss about.


    They had tried their best to fix the people¡¯s mentality, but it was nothing more than peeing in their pants for warmth in the winter.


    It would rather raise the doubts of those who have doubts, making a fuss like that. It was impossible to stay still.


    There was no need to exin that the amplified voice had been heard once again.


    ¡°S-Should I stop now?¡±


    ¡°No. No. Why stop already? Let¡¯s see it one more time.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    The most important thing in education was obvious.


    ¡®Repeated learning is important.¡¯


    It was important to put it in their heads enough to memorize it.


    -Please stop sending the video of the manipted content right now. All of the videos you are sending are manipted. It¡¯s nothing more than a self-written y created to fool you. Dear fellows, please do not be fooled by the fabrication and open your eyes to the truth.


    -Contractor! Do you want power!


    -The Republic has nevermunicated with the demon, and Jin Qing could not find any signs of ck magic. He is innocent.


    -Come on, unseal! Jin Qing! You are my contractor.


    -They are messing up with the continent. The wicked groups of the State are disturbing the order of the continent.


    -I¡¯ll give you the power to swallow the continent, Jin Qing.


    ¡®Whew.¡¯


    It felt like the talking magic hologram was hitting them back. They were constantly yelling as if they felt bewildered, but I couldn¡¯t hear it properly.


    The Republic¡¯s wizards were rather embarrassed, sending out incitement and fabricated content.


    No matter how many times they shouted that what we showed was fake, they couldn¡¯t possibly wake up with the fact unfolding in front of them. It was not about worrying about the misled elves, but about the mental state of their own troops.


    Of course, there was no specific way to do so.


    -I¡¯ll say it again. I want them to stop sending fabricated footage right now. You are being deceived. All of this is a self-written y made by Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung. It¡¯s just a dirty trick to trap the Republic.


    ¡®Yes, you bastards. Keep being noisy about it.¡¯


    -Hyung-nim¡­ Hyung-nim! Hayan! Please be patient. Just a little bit! Just hold on a little!


    -Don¡¯t falter. All of this is manipted. It was not the Republic but the State that summoned the demon.


    -These dirty guys! Damn. Damn! Hyung-nim! If you hold on a little more, support wille! Hold on until then. You know you shouldn¡¯t die by overdoing it, right? Don¡¯t overdo it. I warned you. I won¡¯t forgive you if you pass out overdoing yourself. I won¡¯t forgive you!


    It was not just directed to the elves, it was also to themselves.


    They were all insisting that it was fake, but the desperate appearance of Park Deokgu popping out through the magic hologram was enough to inspire emotion. The same went for Han Sora.


    It looked like she would pass out at any moment.


    It was a moment when that would make me want to cry again.


    Needless to say, the appearance of Jung Hayan and I, who were already being limited whilst being dyed with light.


    Surrounded by the divine light, the appearance of the demon summoner¡¯s debris fighting against the summoned Belial was like a hero mentioned in a fairy tale. As it was a real situation, it seemed to me that the video was selected very well.


    Surrounded by filthy evil groups, this was a famous scene that we saved the neutral country of Laios from danger.


    The elves were also bing solemn while looking at us in the magic hologram.


    ¡°Hayan, activate your voice amplification magic. Put my face on the hologram right now.¡±


    ¡°Yep!¡±


    At this point, it was the right timing for me to pop out. Clearing my throat, I tried my best to refine my voice. It had been a long time since I had done this, so I still felt pretty nervous.


    As expected, my mouth didn¡¯t let me down.


    ¡®The frame is important. The frame.¡¯


    I had already decided with which frame to choose.


    The political conflict between the State and the Republic was out of the question, for now. It was only right to exclude the State and Republicpletely from this frame.


    This was not about being different. This was about right and wrong,mon sense and nonmon sense.


    To interpret this war only as a conflict between the two countries was stupid in any way. This war was not a fight between the Three Kingdoms Alliance and the anti-State alliance.


    ¡®It¡¯s a fight between justice and evil.¡¯


    ¡®It¡¯s a fight between fact and fabrication.¡¯


    ¡®It¡¯s a fight between light and darkness.¡¯


    Slowly, my voice began to be transmitted.


    As I spoke calmly, I immediately heard my voice with the voice amplification magic applied loudly.


    ¡°Be with the light, everyone.¡±


    -Be with the light, everyone.


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    -Please get on board with us on the side of the light. Please hold our hand for the continent. We shouldn¡¯t aim our swords at each other.


    ¡®The sound quality is also good.¡¯


    -We are facing amon enemy. Humanity is witnessing an unimaginable enemy together. What you have just seen is the proof, fact, and enemy of all of us.


    ¡®The flow is not bad.¡¯


    -The Three Kingdoms Alliance was notunched to disturb the continent, destroy order, or cause war. It¡¯s the opposite. It is to protect all living things on the continent, humanity, heterogeneous races, thend given by the Goddess, and all who live on it. I think you¡¯ve just seen the magic hologram just before. What you¡¯ve seen for yourself is never false or manipted. It really happened, it¡¯s a nightmare that fell on Laios months ago, and it¡¯s an ordeal that we must ovee together.


    ¡®Yes, that¡¯s right. Absolutely.¡¯


    -There were still demonic forces crouching around the continent. People like Jin Qing, who caused the Laios crisis and seeded in summoning the Demon Lord, are still looking for opportunities everywhere. Of course, our State was no exception. The State remembers. The numerous things that the demon worshipper Ito Souta has caused¡­ the State remembers.


    Still, thinking about what happened then made my heart ache.

 Chapter 377: Fact Always Wins (3)

    <h4>Chapter 377: Fact Always Wins (3)</h4>


    -It¡¯s not just in the State. There are already demonic minions hiding in each kingdom or continent. Like Ito Souta, the demon worshipper of the State, and Jin Qing, the demon summoner of the Republic, they are disrupting the continent¡¯s order with their own purpose. Even at this moment, the forces of darkness continue to consume light and the continent. They are moving to use their power to achieve what they want. This situation is the picture they wanted. Everyone, please open your eyes. Don¡¯t be fooled by the demon¡¯s voice and look at what really matters.


    Naturally, I looked at the top of the city wall with serious eyes. There were eyes that were already moist. It seemed quite usible, even if I were to think about it.


    The light that gently wrapped around my body added a sense of trust to what I said.


    ¡®As expected of Light Kiyoung.¡¯


    Even if I thought about it again, I wanted to say that this was a real game-changer, now that I had gotten the ss as Alchemist of Light.


    It would have been less persuasive if it had been ugly darkness surrounding me while talking about this.


    -What they want is the destruction and fall of the continent. They want to take away your family, the ce where you live, everything you have to protect. Your enemy is not humanity, but the demon and its minions who have put you where you are now. The Republic¡¯s current regime, whose roots have been rotted by demon summoner Jin Qing, is the target of your sword.


    No one would disagree that this was a fact, all without a lie.


    -Please throw away your weapon. We need to hold hands together and face a greater threat. We need to root out the demon, including the demon summoner Jin Qing. We must protect our living base and take a step forward. Conflicts between nations and ethnic groups must be abandoned, and everyone must take a step forward. It is time to make a decision toward the light. Why are you there? What did you go to the battlefield to protect? Are you in ce to protect what? The Three Kingdoms Alliance is not your enemy, but your ally. It is time for all who live on the continent under the name of light to gather strength. Please make a decision.


    Make it or not.


    -Stand up. Do not be swallowed up by the dark, but get on board with the light. The continent can be one under the name of light.


    Of course, I could see the elf looking at me. It looked like she had been quite impressed.


    The situation was simr for the enemy camp.


    The Republic soldiers, who had already been agitated since the Goddess¡¯ Mirror popped out, were influenced by the soft light that I was emitting.


    Themand team tried to respond as much as possible, but they were all a step toote. Before entering the full-scale wordy warfare, I thought I could say one more word.


    -The power of darkness is too great. The power of the Three Kingdoms Alliance alone cannot save this continent. A small candlelight cannot light the darkness, but I could realize from the experience of the Laios crisis that a group of people could light the darkness. You are the candle that can light up the darkness. It is a light that can illuminate the darkness for everyone, whether the ones with strong force or those fearful of the sudden war.


    It was then that a loud voice hade from the other side.


    -It is fabricated evidence that the Jin Qing military is a demon summoner. Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung, who jokes with the continent and stands out as a puppet of the State, is the continent¡¯s achievement. The Laios incident is also his own y and what he propagates through the Goddess¡¯s Mirror¡­


    -What you believe is a hoax. It is a hoax to cry out for justice without solid evidence. Believe what you see with your own eyes. Believe what you see, not what you hear. Whom the unimaginable powerful demon calls to be his contractor? Who was the one who brought great despair and danger to Laios? Who is the one who refuses toe out and refuses the trial enforced under continentalw? Perhaps you don¡¯t even know that the Three Kingdoms Alliance has been formally put to trial. Think again. Ladies and gentlemen, who have been holding his breath in the safest ce since causing all this confusion! I am standing in front of you now. Unlike Jin Qing, the demon summoner, I¡¯m standing here to talk to you!


    -Don¡¯t be fooled. Not everything seen through the Goddess¡¯ Mirror is true.


    -Look at you now. Can you say it¡¯s not true either?


    I wanted to send a thumbs up to Jung Hayan, who immediately turned the camera at the signal I gave.


    What the magic hologram was now showing was the spokesman for the Republic. Instantly, a startled face was reflected in my view.


    ¡®Is she Russian?¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t clear whether she was a foreigner or Russian, but when I checked with my Mind¡¯s Eyes, the needed information poured in immediately.


    [Checking the status window and talent levels of the yer Yev Karina.]


    [Name: Yev Karina]


    [Age: 34]


    ¡®Russian.¡¯


    I felt that I didn¡¯t even need to see the other side.


    She looked like a nonbat type in the first ce, and it was hard to say that her stats were also transcendent.


    It wasn¡¯t as terrible as Lee Jihye, but I thought it was likely that she was a wizard capable of self-amplifying voice amplification magic, probably from the Jin Qing line.


    Her irritated face even looked a little cute.


    It was obvious as to what she was actually thinking. I could already predict what she was about to say.


    ¡®Something like denying the frame of light and darkness.¡¯


    Or¡­


    ¡®Or try to turn it upside down.¡¯


    Either way, she would soon be reborn as a demonic official, anyway.


    * * *


    -Look at you now. Can you say it¡¯s not true either?


    ¡®Why am I here?¡¯


    I had no choice but to question from inside.


    I heard that the current location had not been confirmed, but themand¡¯s judgment that it would be located in the State¡¯s capital or Lindel had copsed.


    ¡®No. Still, nothing changes.¡¯


    Instead, it was better. All forces were currently blocking Eberia.


    If the operation was sessfullypleted after the Siege of Castle Rock begins, the overall war situation became even more advantageous.


    Lindel, then the capital.


    This war was on the verge of victory. The problem was that many people, including myself, were feeling pressured by the current situation.


    ¡®I have no choice but to deny it.¡¯


    It was not all, but it was enough to see the soldiers confused.


    The Republicans, in particr, were imbued with uncertainty. Some foreigners were also confused.


    Of course, I thought they had to be. The previous video was that shocking. Ordinary ck wizards usually ended up calling a lower or intermediate demon.


    I had never seen or heard about a transcendental monster full of malice that it was even fearful of being faced. Even though I didn¡¯t see it in person, my whole body was trembling, so I wouldn¡¯t need another expression.


    ¡®That kind of thing¡­ exists on the continent?¡¯


    If the demon lord¡¯s image that was being reflected in the Goddess¡¯ Mirror was really true, I could understand the ridiculous story Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung was mourning.


    The vain story that there was darkness targeting the continent.


    However, if I were to think about this ce as a standard, it was not really an empty story.


    Anyone with an adventurer title would know how dangerous the malicious beings hiding all over the continent were.


    Of course, I believed in Jin Qing. However¡­


    ¡®Even if that video is manipted.¡¯


    It doesn¡¯t change the fact that it¡¯s destructive.


    Having heard of the detailed situation, I could not escape the growing seeds of doubt. What if Jin Qing really was a demon¡¯s servant?


    What if most of the people of the Republic were really being deceived by Jin Qing?


    What if that Honorary Cardinal was chosen by the light?


    If the purpose of the military was not consistent with that of the Republic¡­ Demon Worshipper Ito Souta, Demon Summoner Jin Qing¡­


    I started to doubt this a little more. I had to admit that he was already deeply involved.


    ¡®It¡¯s a lie. It¡¯s definitely¡­ fabricated.¡¯


    I knew nothing good woulde out of questioning, but strange thoughts kept popping up in my head. What I needed to do in this situation, however, did not change.


    The Republic, including myself, had already gotten their second wind, and it was impossible for ordinary people to resist it.


    ¡®I¡¯m doing what I need to do.¡¯


    I needed tofort the soldiers and to respond to the Honorary Cardinal¡¯s words.


    I had long thought about it, but I still acted instantly. As soon as I exhaled and opened my mouth, a loud voice began to be heard.


    My reflection in the Goddess¡¯ Mirror looked uneasy even when I saw it for myself.


    However, this was for the best.


    ¡®It¡¯s propaganda, and it¡¯s a tactic. Let¡¯s never have questions.¡¯


    -Everything is enemy propaganda and tactics. This is a deceit tactic to defeat the allies¡¯ morale. Oh, it wasn¡¯t Jin Qing who summoned the demon. The Honorary Cardinal of the State was the one who caused the crisis. It is an borate script created to start this war and a ploy to take the Republic! You must not listen to them. They are the real demons. Those who deceive and agitate the people are the demons that should not be settled on the continent. We must remember how much blood has been shed because of the riots in the name of sacred democracy.


    ¡®Right.¡¯


    -This is a self-written y using Laios people¡¯s lives as coteral to attract the neutral country of Laios to them. The demon summoner is not Jin Qing, but the State¡¯s Honorary Cardinal and the people with him!


    ¡®Is it really? Wouldn¡¯t it be okay to say that those who risked their lives to protect Laios were really the ones who summoned the demon?¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t acting at all.


    Therge warrior was resisting, shedding tears sincerely, while the Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung and the wizard were constantly vomiting blood and resisting transcendent power.


    ¡®Was it really an act?¡¯


    -Everything¡­ is a trap. It is a self-made y that tries to obscure judgment. Imagine why the State attempted to attract the neutral country, Laios. Think about why they were trying to attract different races. It is this war that they aim for and want. It is the Three Kingdoms Alliance that denies the Republic with a sword in order to take our possessions and is disrupting the order. All these situations are what demon summoner Lee Kiyoung wants! He is the one who summoned the demon! Jin Qing wouldn¡¯t do that!


    It was then that a big, thundering cry broke out.


    -What lies are you telling?! I am a clergyman chosen by Goddess Benignore and Elune, a messenger chosen by God! You servant of the filthy demon!


    At this point, a divine light that I had never ever seen before came out, blinding me with its sheer brilliance.

 Chapter 378: Fact Always Wins. (4)

    <h4>Chapter 378: Fact Always Wins. (4)</h4>


    ¡°Are there any other soldiers agitated?¡±


    ¡°There¡­ are not, Karina-nim.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s a lie.¡¯


    ¡°How about on the other side? Check it.¡±


    ¡°There aren¡¯t any, too. Of course, it is difficult to say that the atmosphere is the same as usual, but the spread of useless rumors is being prevented as much as possible¡­ Since we are thorough not only in rted education, but also in the speed of admission, there will be no morale affected.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s impossible.¡¯


    I thought that this was definitely a lie. The Honorary Cardinal shouted, all whilst being surrounded by brilliant light. And it was just after I watched the incident in Laios.


    There was no way that soldiers who could not shake off the fear of war would not be anxious to see that.


    ¡®It wasn¡¯t invented.¡¯


    It was a great light that I had seen through the Goddess¡¯ Mirror, a divine light that was iparable even to that time. I hadn¡¯t even been on the continent for a long time, but this was the first time I had ever seen that level of divine power. I thought it might be a simple trick, but¡­


    I even thought that he might have really been chosen by God. There was no need to mention that I couldn¡¯t sleep properly after witnessing that scene.


    If Lee Kiyoung or someone rted to him really had one hand in the demon¡¯s summoning, as the Republic was promoting, no matter how I were to think about it, I could not understand this divine power.


    Of course, not all clergies were good.


    However, most clergymen who had reached the stage where he had had a strong faith.


    They served God, prayed for those in need, and lived only for God. The divine power possessed by the Honorary Cardinal exceeded the saints of each denomination. It was safe to say that it was equivalent to the transcendental beings who had left their names in history.


    In other words, if he really had anything to do with the demon¡­


    ¡®It is impossible to obtain the same divine power as now.¡¯


    This was only a conviction, not spection. I didn¡¯t know in detail exactly with what mechanism the divine power worked, but I was aware that the demon summoner or those involved in ck magic could not possibly get that kind of divine power.


    ¡®You must never trust him, Yev Karina. Absolutely.¡¯


    The words of militarymander Jin Qing suddenly came to mind. However¡­


    ¡®If he¡¯d rather be honest¡­¡¯


    If Jin Qing had any purpose, I would have endured and epted it. I would have nodded if he had summoned a fearful being for the benefit of the Republic. If he were honest¡­


    ¡®What can I do with questioning? He wouldn¡¯t do that.¡¯


    Anxiety in themand and control room led to anxiety for the entire army. I began to anxiously bite my lips. It was then that the voice came from outside.


    ¡°Yev Karina-nim. Senior Bishop Priest wants to see¡­¡±


    ¡®Damn.¡¯


    If I were to think about it, it was the expected procedure.


    ¡°Tell him toe in.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I will tell him as it is.¡±


    Shortly after some time had passed, I could see an old man with gray hair. He may appear to be a tacky old man at first nce, but no one would consider the one in front of me to be an old man with nothing to do.


    Even in the Republic, a religious body exists. Of course, I couldn¡¯t say that it was the foundation of a nation like the State, but their position in this society where priests were essential was not entirely small.


    The same was true of priests who were serving in the military. Turning away from their voices was no different than turning away from the religious body itself.


    That was why I did not feel happy with this situation now. I could roughly predict what that old man would say.


    ¡°What is it? Bishop Priest.¡±


    ¡°Ahem¡­ It¡¯s about what happened yesterday, Yev Karina.¡±


    ¡°I have already announced our position regarding what happened yesterday¡­ There is nothing to say about it. The Republic¡¯s position is already¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, but¡­ there¡¯s something that¡¯s not quite right about it. Could you dispense the others for a second?¡±


    ¡°No need to do that, Bishop Priest.¡±


    ¡°This is a request.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t want it.¡¯


    I had to exhale because I myself knew the meaning of those words.


    ¡°Please go back to each location and check the unit again.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Okay.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°So¡­ May I hear what you want? Senior Bishop Priest.¡±


    ¡°I have to talk to him¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry? What are you¡­¡±


    ¡°I will talk to the Honorary Cardinal of the State. If you can arrange a seat separately¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous. Even if it¡¯s you, I can¡¯t let what you just said slip. To say you are going to meet him in this situation? We¡¯re in a war. Our job is to defend this ce, and we shouldn¡¯t think about anything else. My job was to cut off the reinforcements and supplies going to Castle Rock. It was not my job to have the priest and him meet.¡±


    ¡°Our job is not to win this war, but to defend the Republic.¡±


    ¡°To win this war is to protect the Republic, Priest.¡±


    ¡°Do you really think so?!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You really haven¡¯t thought about any other possibilities after looking at that just now? His divine power is not a lie. Do you really think he summoned the demon and trapped Jin Qing, just as he said? Could the demon summoner, or the one who does what he¡¯s involved in, have that kind of divine power? Goddess Benignore willugh. The gods are not involved in the present world, but they are not just watching, either. Those who have bad personalities are not given such divine power! He is a saint, and he is the one chosen by the light. Heavenly saint¡­¡±


    ¡°He is a scammer! Senior Bishop Priest!¡±


    ¡°How can a scammer show that kind of thing? What we witnessed yesterday wasn¡¯t what we saw in the Goddess¡¯s Mirror¡­ it was actually happening, and it was real. There are some talks alreadying out among the priests. In order to appease them, you must arrange a meeting with Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°But¡­!¡±


    ¡°How long have you lived in the Republic? Yev Karina, I grew up in the Republic, and I am still standing here to protect the Republic. I have no intention to do anything that harms the Republic. I just want to know something. Whether what we know is the truth¡­ I know that you are loyal to Jin Qing. I, too, don¡¯t think he is that kind of person. But at least I want to check it with my own eyes, if he really is the one who has been chosen by God.¡±


    ¡°Jin Qing is not such a person.¡±


    ¡°It could be a third party¡¯s job.¡±


    ¡°Jin Qing also spoke of the possibility of a third party¡¯s actions. But in the end, everything was the trap of Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung¡­¡±


    ¡°There is a possibility that this is also a third party¡¯s work. I can tell just by looking at his eyes. He¡¯s not a great man who would do that. He is a human chosen by the light. To say that he summoned the demons and trapped Jin Qing¡­ I would rather believe that the demon has done some volunteer work.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°More than anything else, do you think it makes sense that he was able to set a trap for Jin Qing, which have never seen the Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung before? The demon and everything that was there, the magic that fell to summon the demon¡­ really¡­ you think it was all just for Jin Qing alone?¡±


    ¡°As a tactic to pressure the Republic¡­¡±


    ¡°Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung didn¡¯t even know that Jin Qing was in Laios.¡±


    ¡°How can you affirm that, Bishop Priest?¡±


    ¡°Did you not look directly through the Goddess¡¯ Mirror? All the people from the neutral country were watching what happened at that time in Laios. If Jin Qing¡¯s words are true, doesn¡¯t it mean that Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung was dealing with the fearful creature as a servant? Do you think that the one who has such power fooled Jin Qing in line with Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung? Do you think that makes sense? Do you think that the demon, who could threaten the continent, listened to a man and yed a y only to entrap Jin Qing? Does this mean that he even had nned and executed it all in a month? It¡¯s not easy, even if the coincidences were to ovep. I¡¯m just talking within the line ofmon sense right now. Yev Karina. If really¡­ if Cardinal Lee Kiyoung really wanted to confuse the continent, he would have summoned the demon once again. He wouldn¡¯t have done this annoying thing. He wouldn¡¯t do that.¡±


    ¡®Sh*t¡­¡¯


    I wanted to deny it, but it was pretty hard to deny. This was because the Priest Bishop hadn¡¯t said anything wrong.


    The reality of the tremendous incident that took ce in Laios¡­


    To have yed a y to deceive Jin Qing just by listening to a mere human, even a child wouldn¡¯t believe that. It was more realistic to think that there was indeed a third party, and that it was trying to separate the State and the Republic. I know I couldn¡¯t do this, but my expression had been growing darker and darker by the moment. As I muttered, I immediately heard an answer.


    ¡°How¡­ can you affirm that, Priest Bishop?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I want to talk to him.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I want to have a conversation. To see what kind of person he is with my own eyes¡­ and if he is really an envoy chosen by God? What he¡¯s thinking. And¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°If there is a real threat to the continent.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°There are many things I want to hear. As he said, we may be thinking wrong. It is not at each other that we need to aim our swords.¡±


    ¡°The conversation¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a request.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t give you permission.¡±


    ¡°Yev Karina!¡±


    ¡°I mean, officially.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t officially give you permission. If it¡¯s discovered that Senior Bishop Priest will meet Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung¡­ it will have a huge impact on morale. There is no guarantee that it will not be used as a propaganda tactic by enemies. But¡­ I will take action so that you can meet him unofficially. Of course, that would require their agreement. First, I will convey our intention. As soon as¡­¡±


    ¡°As soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°I know. Senior Bishop Priest. Because the war ising soon.¡±


    I had no idea whether this was right or not. My head had be veryplicated, thinking about many things at once. However, I knew the reason why I nodded at the proposal of the Senior Bishop Priest.


    ¡®Because I want to know the truth.¡¯


    Shortly after, about an hour after sending the letter.


    An identical letter had arrived from the Kingdom of Eberia. It was true that I didn¡¯t expect much. However, the letter of Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung had implied a perfect affirmation.


    [I also want to solve this problem through conversation. We salute the High Bishop Priest¡¯s determination who is loved by the light and the concession of the beautiful and noble Yev Karina. -Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung.]


    ¡°So¡­ Yev Karina will being, too?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t easily nod to that question.

 Chapter 379: Fact Always Wins. (5)

    <h4>Chapter 379: Fact Always Wins. (5)</h4>


    ¡®I will remain here and keep my seat.¡¯


    ¡®Will you?¡¯


    ¡®Yes, if you don¡¯te back within three hours¡­¡¯


    ¡®That won¡¯t happen.¡¯


    ¡®No, if you do note back within three hours, I will send troops right away. I told you clearly. It¡¯s just for three hours, Senior Bishop Priest.¡¯


    ¡®Okay, I¡¯ll make sure toe back within three hours.¡¯


    ¡®The condition is not to use this meeting for propaganda. You must tell him. And right after returning¡­¡¯


    ¡®Yev Karina, I¡¯ll tell you what we talked about.¡¯


    ¡®Yes, then, please, Senior Bishop Priest.¡¯


    ¡®No, I¡¯m feeling rather grateful. It must have been an unreasonable request¡­ Then, I¡¯ll be back.¡¯


    ¡®I¡¯ll apany you to the entrance.¡¯


    The conversation I had exactly two hours and 22 minutes ago was constantly lingering in my mind. Naturally, the thought of whether or not I did the right thing crossed my mind.


    It was certainly not impossible tomunicate between the confronting troops during a war, but this was certainly an exception.


    I didn¡¯t even ask for permission from a senior unit for the meeting of Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung, and the Senior Bishop Priest of the Republic.


    I couldn¡¯t even imagine them epting the proposal from this side so easily.


    ¡®They don¡¯t think it¡¯s a trap?¡¯


    From the standpoint of the State, it was certainly understandable to think of this as a trap. The Republic mainly contained propaganda that ndered Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung and actually pointed him as the official enemy of the continent.


    However, he seemed overly calm, waiting at the meeting ce. He really didn¡¯t look like to be thinking this was a trap. I had only encountered him for a second, but his quiet smile was still in my mind.


    He believed that the Republican camp would not do anything useless.


    ¡®No¡­ why didn¡¯t I go in with Bishop Priest?¡¯


    This was an excuse telling myself that I had to stay here. In fact, the answer was already there.


    ¡®This was because I didn¡¯t have the confidence not to be shaken.¡¯


    I must have been afraid that all my beliefs regarding the Republic and about my values would copse.


    I indeed wanted to know the truth. However, I didn¡¯t have the confidence to face him directly. Though contradictory, I thought it couldn¡¯t be helped because I was a coward.


    ¡®It¡¯s also someone I will fight¡­¡¯


    Looking out the window, I could see the small tent where they were still talking.


    It was natural to wonder what kind of conversation was going on. It was then that a voice came from the side.


    ¡°Will it be fine? Yev Karina.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Jun Weng was here.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It will probably be okay. They¡¯re not going to do anything stupid. Although it¡¯s an unofficial conversation, it¡¯s a conversation between priests. The Senior Bishop Priest is not going to do such a stupid thing either.¡±


    ¡°I see. Senior Bishop Priest¡­¡±


    ¡°No need to worry. He¡¯s a little stubborn, but he¡¯s someone that the Republic really needs. He will never do anything that harms his home country. From his point of view, it¡¯s us instead that wouldn¡¯t look trustworthy, because we are foreigners.¡±


    ¡°I guess so.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°But Karina-nim¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°What is the reason?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I honestly don¡¯t understand well. Of course, it is because of Bishop Priest¡¯s honor¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not sure either, really.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t doubt Jin Qing. However, this war has some weird aspects. It feels like it¡¯s moving ording to someone¡¯s n. Maybe¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps the Republic started the war. I¡¯m not sure, but there¡¯s a high probability.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a personal thought. And it¡¯s also the thought I¡¯m suppressing as much as possible. Of course, even if the Republic is wrong, I will be with the Republic and Jin Qing. That doesn¡¯t change, Jun Weng, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I want to know what the truth is. I don¡¯t want to be dragged around without knowing anything. That¡¯s why I nodded to the Bishop Priest¡¯s proposal. I need to know what I¡¯m fighting for. At least, I think so.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Has Jun Weng never doubted the Republic?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that I haven¡¯t, but¡­ I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever thought deeply like Karina-nim. Of course, I can fully understand Karina. But¡­ it wouldn¡¯t be nice to go too deep. Come to think of it, Jin Qing always said that he worries about such Karina.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he said that thinking deeply is an advantage, but being too indulged is a disadvantage. And also, because of that personality, he said that it doesn¡¯t suit the battlefield¡­¡±


    A bitter smile had been created. My pride was hurt, but I was able to understand enough.


    That was why I was assigned to the guardian rather than the one who fought. That was why I was confronting Eberia, not Castle Rock.


    ¡°You know well, Jin Qing¡­¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s why he said you would shine more in a ce like this.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Haha, that¡¯s good news. He was really thinking of me¡­ that¡¯s good news.¡±


    ¡°There must be a reason why he told us not to trust Cardinal Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°Yes. That, too¡­¡±


    ¡®There must be a reason.¡¯


    ¡°You said that it was for fighting. A little while ago.¡±


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s right, Jun Weng.¡±


    ¡°Is there not enough reason to fight for those who currently believe in Karina?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    At this point, it now felt as if theplicated things were being organized all at once.


    Of course, nothing had been organized. Still, the seeds of doubt were growing in my heart, and my head hurt because of many thoughts.


    I felt like I knew what to do. I had to do my best in the work given. That was all for now.


    Anyway, the battle would take ce, and if I were to make a mistake, many would die. It was inevitable that the soldiers of the Republic and the soldiers of the State would collide.


    Which side was friendly and which side was the enemy had already been determined.


    ¡°I see¡­ yes, I see.¡±


    There was also a faint, unknown smile on my lips. Absurdly, I had forgotten such a simple thing. Tactic was indeed an efficient way to win. It was a way to win the battle while minimizing the damage of allies. The work to be done was set.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get up. Three hours have passed.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Karina-nim.¡±


    After taking a few steps, I could see the Bishop Priest. What was a little surprising was that Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung wasing with him.


    Of course, the escorts were together, but the very casual appearance seemed a little strange.


    There were eyes that could be said to be a little torn, a sharp nose, and strangely red lips. Overall, it was difficult to say that he was handsome, but his face felt erotic somehow.


    However, when he smiled, a very nice-looking face came into my eyes.


    ¡°I heard about you, Yev Karina-nim. Thank you for making this difficult decision.¡±


    ¡°No, Honorary Cardinal. Please keep your promise. This conversation is¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, I will not use it for propaganda. To use the way we talk about God is¡­ I don¡¯t enjoy it either¡­ what do you think? It¡¯s a little disappointing to just go like this, you could talk with us, too¡­¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll go back right away. Thank you for being friendly, but as of now, we¡¯re enemies. Afterward, I¡¯ll meet you once everything is over.¡±


    ¡°Okay, unless any one of us doesn¡¯t die¡­ Yes. You¡¯ve decided that way.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately¡­ hmm¡­ no¡­ hmm¡­ it¡¯s really unfortunate. I don¡¯t want to fight either¡­ I want you to understand our current situation, Karina-nim.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I understand. Your side¡­ and our side, too. Then see you on the battlefield.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t know if the meeting ce will be the battlefield¡­ anyway, thank you. Bye then.¡±


    It was no wonder that I could see him slowly turning his back. Even the voices of conversation could be heard.


    ¡°I came out so far as Hyung-nim said, but I hope this will not happen next time. My heart was beating, but are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I be okay? I just trusted. Deokgu, them, and you, too.¡±


    ¡°Well, thank you, but it¡¯s a little embarrassing. It would be better to go back quickly. Maybe the chase team will follow us.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t happen.¡±


    ¡°You trust people so easily.¡±


    The one he was talking to must be the warrior that I had seen through the Goddess¡¯ Mirror.


    I thought that was a familiar face. Although I was interested, I was forced to turn my head right away. This is because a voice was heard from the front.


    ¡°What should we do? Karina. Even now, rangers¡­¡±


    ¡°No, we don¡¯t have to do that¡­ we will meet them anyway.¡±


    ¡°Yes, then, I will do so.¡±


    ¡°More importantly, how was the conversation, Bishop Priest?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Bishop Priest?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Did you call me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, how was the conversation¡­?¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s it. He seemed to be a better person than I thought, so I spent a little more time talking to him. I¡¯m sorry about this.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ You¡¯re still thinking of fighting¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, there¡¯s nothing to be done. Perhaps the same can be said of the Honorary Cardinal that the situation cannot be changed. It¡¯s a situation where each side can¡¯t yield¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s unfortunate.¡±


    ¡°Instead, have you solved your questions, priest?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s uncertain to say it¡¯s actually solved, but I feel refreshed. I think I know roughly what he is thinking¡­ and I think I know what kind of person he is. If the eyes of this old man are certain, he can be said to be an envoy chosen by God. No, I can be sure. He is a saint chosen by the Goddess Benignore.¡±


    ¡°Is that true?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°Then the Laios case¡­¡±


    ¡°He wouldn¡¯t do that. He¡¯s not like that. He¡¯s a man who can¡¯t even lie properly. He is the one who is worried about the blood that would spill again¡­ He is someone who suits the expression of a saint. Yes, absolutely¡­¡±


    ¡°Still¡­ we are going to fight.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your understanding.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°And the thing in your hand¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s wine.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Have you heard of the sacred wine that only high-ranking priests of the State can drink? This is what is left after drinking today. He said to take it as a gift. It¡¯s not poisonous or dangerous, so don¡¯t worry. So, would you like to go in and have a drink?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡­¡±


    ¡°I am not talking about getting drunk together. Karina, please listen to what I have to say for a moment.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe it will be something very important.¡±

 Chapter 380: Fact Always Wins (6)

    <h4>Chapter 380: Fact Always Wins (6)</h4>


    ¡°Maybe it can be something very important.¡±


    For some reason, everything that was unfolding was leaving a bad taste in my mouth. However, I had to nod slowly. I had to figure out exactly what they talked about inside.


    The disadvantage of the current Republican camp was its ignorance of enemy information and the influence of the World Tree of the Kingdom of Eberia. I had only learned recently that the Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung had been staying in Eberia, so there was no need for other expressions. It was stupid to think that this was the only card they were hiding. If I were to think about them hiding various cards¡­


    ¡®There may be some information.¡¯


    Even in a very small conversation, you could make a lot of guesses. In order to effectively finish this battle, I needed first to understand what the opponent is thinking.


    ¡®It¡¯s not just about defending.¡¯


    The issue was how long it would take. In terms of time, there was a high probability that the war would start tomorrow if it was early, and the next day if it was a little slower.


    Enemy troops must be prevented from arriving at Castle Rock, so they must be held for at least five days. Even if the enemies were to arrive, it must be after the capture of Castle Rock.


    ¡°The situation is favorable.¡±


    The walls were solid, and the troops were superior. They were in the position of a castle defense battle, not a siege. If I induced long-term battles around the wizards¡¯ physical distribution and priests¡­


    ¡®They won¡¯t break down so easily.¡¯


    They would never fall easily. Soon after a while, I heard a knock on the door. Who it was was obvious. I could see the Bishop Priest¡¯s face, entering the room with a slightlyplicated expression. It was a dark face, depending on every angle I looked in. I thought I could roughly see what he was thinking.


    ¡®He doesn¡¯t want to fight.¡¯


    That was probably it. From the priest¡¯s point of view, it couldn¡¯t be helped.


    ¡°What do you want to talk about, Senior Bishop Priest?¡±


    ¡°Oh, nothing special. Perhaps, Yev Karina, you have more you want to hear from me¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re¡­ right, Senior Priest. Theck of current information is undeniable. Which cards do they have on the State¡¯s side? Also, you have to tell me what kind of conversations you had inside.¡±


    ¡°It was a simple conversation between priests. You probably won¡¯t be able to earn anything even if you listen. What we talked about was not about the war in the first ce¡­ It was about peace and coexistence and a new step. It was about what the Goddess really wants, and it was also the direction we priests should move forward. There is a difference between the gods enshrined in, but everyone¡¯s roots are the same¡­ Haha. Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung, he said he was an atheist until he came here. Can you imagine? An atheist¡­ to be an atheist on this continent!¡±


    ¡°In fact, the ce where we came from, there were a lot of people who had the same idea. There is no such thing as divine power there.¡±


    ¡°I heard there was constant war. On Earth, where the foreigners came from. What was interesting is that the wars caused by religion also took up arge number of them. Of course, this doesn¡¯t mean that religious war doesn¡¯t happen either, but¡­ it would be impossible topare it with the Earth. I heard that countless people fought for their religious beliefs. Fighting for a god who may or may not exist, a god who does not reveal himself and does not have divine power¡­¡±


    ¡°Certainly, it happened. No, maybe even now¡­ they will be fighting.¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t understand it, but he said now he can understand. Of course, that doesn¡¯t mean he can understand distorted fights. He said he could understand the faith of fighting for what he believed in. I think I can see why Goddess Benignore and Elune made him their messenger. Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung, his faith is pure. He is a very clean person.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a real priest with pure faith. He knows the road he¡¯s trying to go is dangerous, but he¡¯s not afraid. He doesn¡¯t hesitate to fight in the name of God. He even said he was studying Varian¡¯s doctrine¡­ Hahaha. It¡¯s time to reflect on myself once again. Have I ever fought under the name of God? Am I qualified to say I am a priest? About what I¡¯ve done far¡­¡±


    ¡°You did many things. And the Senior Bishop Priest will still do a lot in the future.¡±


    ¡°No, all I did was¡­ nothing. I didn¡¯t do anything for God.¡±


    ¡°No, priest.¡±


    ¡°Open the way.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡±


    ¡°You have to open the way. They have a cause, and we don¡¯t. You have to avoid fighting. There is no reason for the people of the Republic to shed useless blood. All he wants is to be one under the name of light. All he wants it¡¯s to catch the demon summoner Jin Qing and end this chaos. We have to open the road and head to Castle Rock together.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I told you we should be with them, Yev Karina.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about, Senior Bishop Priest? We¡¯re at war now. Opening the way? That makes no sense¡­ And doesn¡¯t the Priest Bishop know better than anyone else that Jin Qing is not someone like that?¡±


    ¡°I was talking about possibilities. If he is really confident, why didn¡¯t hee out in the continental trial? Why was he consistent by not answering questions from the State? He¡¯s the demon summoner. I saw it clearly with these two eyes.¡±


    ¡°I think you are drunk. I¡¯ll listen to that tomorrow. Please go back now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not talking nonsense, Yev Karina. I saw it clearly! He said he received divine revtion! He¡¯s the demon summoner¡­ He has to get the proper Inquisition trial.¡±


    ¡°I told you I thought you were drunk! Bishop Priest!¡±


    ¡°Jin Qing, didn¡¯t he say he was the demon summoner?! Yev Karina!¡±


    ¡°If you talk about useless things anymore, I will rule it with militaryw!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ It Looks like I got excited for a moment¡­¡±


    ¡°Phew¡­ No. I can fully understand you¡­¡±


    ¡°Would you have a drink with me?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, priest. My head hurts, so just go back. And what happened today will be posted regardless. No, I¡¯ll pretend I didn¡¯t hear anything. Please, think again.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­ Okay.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say much, but I respect the priest a lot. I want us to meet him with a smile tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    As I watched the priest walk away, his drooping shoulders came into sight. I couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine what conversation they had.


    I bit my lips tightly. I looked at the wine on the table. Naturally, I took it without knowing it. But soon, I had no choice but to throw the ss that the Bishop Priest¡¯s poured to the floor. It was because I realized my choice had been a mistake.


    ¡°Fuck.¡±


    And¡­


    ¡°You should have drunk that drink, Yev Karina.¡±


    I turned to the ce where the voice was heard in an instant, and what I see through the cracks of the dark was the old man with gray hair. His eyes were full of madness, and an unknown hostilityy in his face. Naturally, I started chanting a spell.


    However, the moment I saw the dagger in the hand of the old man who ran into me suddenly, sudden fear and disconcert hit my mind. It didn¡¯t mean I hadn¡¯t been through this kind of situation. However, the unusual appearance of Bishop Priest made it difficult to think about other things.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°You should have drunk it! The sacred wine I handed you!¡±


    ¡°This¡­ This crazy old man!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m crazy? You think I¡¯m crazy?! The crazy one is you. You bitch, servant of the filthy demon!¡±


    ¡°What¡­ are you?!¡±


    ¡°Do you think we don¡¯t know the ns of the demon worshippers?! A n to summon the demon once again to Castle Rock?! Do you think we don¡¯t know you¡¯re trying to summon aplete demon once again by offering sacrifices to everyone there? When I received the revtion from Varian, you thought I would be deceived by obvious means!¡±


    ¡°This is bullsh*t!¡±


    ¡°I saw it! I saw the future, and I¡¯m actually experiencing it! I also received a revtion! Varian¡¯s revtion saw the Republic be a sea of ??fire! What you guys are trying to do in Castle Rock! I realized it all, this stupid thing! I realized why you were going to start this war!¡±


    ¡°This¡­ Let go of me!¡±


    ¡°Do you dare try to harm Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung? Are you trying to harm him, knowing that he has been chosen by God?! He is Varian¡¯s son, and a chosen messenger! A mere demon¡¯s servant like you can¡¯t do anything to him!¡±


    ¡°Crazy¡­ old man!¡±


    It felt like my mind went nk instantly. I struggled, but once again, it was difficult to speak out because of the metal stuck in my stomach.


    ¡°I will fight, too. To protect the people of the Republic, I I will be with Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung!¡±


    My vision became blurred. However, it was no wonder that I thought that I should hold onto my mind properly. Stuttering, as I reached out my arm, something of an unknown shape was caught in my hand. I then hit his head with it.


    When the Bishop Priest fell to the ground, my body was released from his restraints, and I heard him gasping. I didn¡¯t know what had happened, but what was certain now was that Bishop Priest was not normal. Looking ahead again, I saw that his broken head was rapidly recovering with divine power.


    ¡°You finally revealed your true color¡­ You dirty demon¡¯s servant.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ I¡¯m not that¡­¡±


    ¡°This dirty bitch!¡±


    ¡°I am not that!!!¡±


    Once again, I struck the object in my hand at the priest who stretched out his dagger. I felt a dull sensation for an instant, but my body, which had already swung in fear, was now out of his control. To survive, I let go of reason to survive.


    ¡°I¡¯m not!¡±


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    ¡°Demon¡¯s!¡±


    ¡°Gasp¡­¡±


    ¡°Servant!¡±


    ¡°Gasp!¡±


    ¡°I just want to protect!¡±


    ¡°Ahhh!!¡±


    ¡°The Republic! I just want to protect Jin Qing!¡±


    ¡°This¡­ dir¡­ ty¡­ serv¡­¡±


    ¡°Just die!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Die! You traitor!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Dieee!!!¡±


    Something sticky sttered on my face. As I leaned down my arms without strength, what was in my hand had statue.


    whose sword and shield was covered with blood. The reason was unknown. However, looking at the statue, somehow, Iughed. It was then that a huge sound came out.


    Baaaaaannngg!


    Before even knowing what happened, I could see the soldiers¡¯ facesing in to report turned pale.


    ¡°Yev Karina! Interracial coalitions are flocking to the walls¡­ what¡­ w-what have you done¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°What have you done?!¡±


    There was no way I could answer. My whole body was losing strength.


    ¡®As expected¡­ Jin Qing¡­ was right. Jin Qing¡­ was right.¡¯


    It felt as if the voice I heard before was echoing in my head.


    ¡®You must not trust him, Yev Karina. Absolutely.¡¯


    ¡°As expected¡­ Jin Qing¡­ wasn¡¯t wrong¡­¡±

 Chapter 381: Holy War (1)

    <h4>Chapter 381: Holy War (1)</h4>


    ¡®It¡¯s not going as nned.¡¯


    -Die!


    -¡­


    -Die! Traitor!


    -¡­


    -Die!!!


    ¡®Savage¡­ So, so savage.¡¯


    Yev Karina looked virtually like a demon¡¯s servant through the Goddess¡¯ Mirror.


    Striking the head of a revered priest in the Republic with the statue of look like a psychopath killer to anyone¡¯s eyes.


    I knew it would not be hard for people to believe that she was a member of the brigade from the first round. No, not only the brigade.


    No one could deny that she indeed looked like a demon¡¯s servant. Even Belial wouldugh out loud if he were to witness this scene.


    ¡®That¡¯s a good stuff, good stuff.¡¯


    Not only were her face and clothes covered with blood, but her hair was in a messed up craze.


    This was no different than a criminal caught in the act.


    In fact, it was a little different from what I had originally intended, but this wasn¡¯t all that bad, either. If it were as it was, the Bishop Priest¡¯s death, who had been moving for justice, would not have happened.


    He would be useful, too.


    ¡®The Senior Bishop Priest moved too early.¡¯


    It seemed that the sacred wine did not fit the taste of the Senior Bishop Priest.


    I had exined that it was an urgent situation, but I hadn¡¯t expected him to move in such a hurry. I had refrained from using this tactic as much as possible because of this kind of side effect, but¡­


    ¡®Since she was someone qualified I met after a long time¡­¡¯


    It would be unfortunate to send him off empty-handed.


    It wasn¡¯t that I wasn¡¯t worried, but the result itself wasn¡¯t bad, apart from what I had been worried about.


    Anyway, the enemy¡¯smander was almost dead, and the Republic¡¯s soldiers hade in at the right time.


    This meant that confusion could not possibly be avoided.


    The Bishop Priest¡¯s desperate martyrdom would soon spread within the unit.


    Everyone would see the truth through the Goddess¡¯ Mirror, even if they were to try to hide and conceal the demon minion¡¯s identity, to say the least.


    In fact, I didn¡¯t even need to do anything else.


    Even at this moment, several sounds were being heard from the inside. He must have preached to the priests under hismand to some extent.


    ¡®The priests of the Republic are also quite good.¡¯


    I felt stupid upon having looked down on them in the past. It was also true that I doubted that they would be a little different from the ones from the State.


    However, I could once again confirm that everyone felt the same way about God. This siege had gotten easier, thanks to the Bishop Priest¡¯s ultimate sacrifice.


    As I looked outside, I could see the soldiers preparing for the fight. I really wanted to fight together, but I still felt toofortable within the safe confines in the rear.


    ¡®I have to do things like speech.¡¯


    Just in time, I started to hear a slow knocking on the door.


    As I walked outside, I saw Elena waiting for me. Naturally, it felt like this was the first time that I had seen her after a long time.


    However, I didn¡¯t show the fact that I was happy to see her.


    It seemed that she was watching out for Jung Hayan, and now that I was about to participate, it was time to get a little serious.


    Not surprisingly, I could see her slowly opening her mouth.


    ¡°Probably¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°You will probably be a great source of courage for the soldiers, Lee Kiyoung. I¡¯m sorry I gave you a very burdening role.¡±


    ¡°No, Elena. It¡¯s just embarrassing to say it¡¯s a heavy role. This is a ce that should be protected because this ce is now my hometown, too. Rather, I am very grateful for the opportunity to help.¡±


    ¡°Honorary¡­ Cardinal.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go, Elena.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    As if she had seen Elena slightly blushing, Jung Hayan began to frown, but she didn¡¯t care much because I hadn¡¯t fully recovered yet.


    I always felt good when going up on the tform. As I looked around, I began to see some familiar faces.


    The Blue Guild members who were forced to head into the battlefield seemed a little nervous.


    Others seemed to be determined, but Yoo Ahyoung, who was having such arge-scale war for the first time, seemed quite nervous.


    Kim Chang-ryul was so calm that it felt a little amazing. Park Deokgu had some unknown anxiety on his face. Kim Hyunsung looked the same.


    ¡®He seemed uneasy.¡¯


    Of course, Kim Hyunsung would think it would be better to go in after preparing a little more, but now was the time.


    The urgent thing to do right now was to support Castle Rock. It would be counterproductive to argue now.


    I thought about making a trap that Kim Hyunsung would approve of, but I wasn¡¯t confident enough to gamble like that right now.


    I had to keep the troops in front of me as far as I could and head to the Castle Rock Front. Anyway, the more I climbed the stairs, the more my vision began to expand.


    As amander in the backline, I looked safe in any way. Of course, there was no way I could show a relieved expression.


    This was the beginning of an important war, and most of the troops must have feelings that were hard to imagine.


    As I slowly turned my head to both sides, I could see those who were alleviating the anxiety in their own way.


    Some were resolutely tying their swords or helmets, while others were busy praying. Some were holding their colleague¡¯s hand or patting them on the shoulder, while others were quietly looking at the enemy in front of them.


    One thing they had inmon was that they waited for my voice, standing on the podium.


    ¡®I can feel the pressure.¡¯


    I could bet that no one could look at this scene without any thoughts.


    As soon as I had adjusted the crumpled clothes and opened my mouth, I could see the soldiers listening in immediately.


    ¡°The most important thing in a fight is justification.¡±


    -The most important thing in fighting is justification.


    However, my voice was not light. The ce had be very quiet. When I opened my mouth again, everyone was listening with rapt attention.


    -Yes. It is justification. It is important to witness and face properly why you have to fight, why you have to lift your sword, why you have to risk your life, and why you have to take away precious life. We lifted the sword. We made up our minds to fight, and now we are facing the enemy. I will ask you. Why did you lift the sword? What is the cause and justification for lifting our swords?


    There was no way someone would answer.


    It wasn¡¯t a question I had asked to have an answer anyway, but everyone would indeed be feeling it.


    -Why, why are we here now? Why are you facing your fearful enemy with your sword? Why are you standing here with a g, knowing that you may lose your life? I believe everyone knows. Probably everyone is aware of it. This fight! This fight is for the future! Our good cause is not who invaded first or who disrupted the order of the continent. Our cause lies in the future we should live in and enjoy.


    This was correct.


    -A future for prosperity among races! It is the future where there is a perfect harmony between different races and humans. It is a future that is made up of harmony, not to fight against each other. I am here. As a human who stood on the other side of the tribe for an immeasurable amount of time, I am now standing on the battlefield with you. I am here now to face amon enemy. It¡¯s a small step right now, but it will soon lead to a big leap forward, and it¡¯s the utopia we need to build together.


    Naturally, I looked at Elena, who was next to me.


    The daughter of the notorious Elune and the Bomb of Light potion¡¯s precious ingredient quietly smiled at me and nodded.


    No sentence would probably sound sweeter to her than what I just said. Of course, I thought it would be the same for most of the other elves.


    ¡®I like harmony.¡¯


    -That future is the future for this continent and light. It is not for a dark continent but a future with light. Benignore, Elune, Varian, and all the lights that exist on the continent live in harmony.


    This was an important speech.


    With confidence apparent in my voice, I once again looked straight into the soldiers¡¯ faces. The divine power that surrounded my body was just a bonus effect.


    Some devout elves¡¯ eyes began to change as if they remembered the radiant light from thest propaganda activity.


    -That future is the future for the things we must protect! It is the future for our ideas, freedom, and right thoughts and actions.


    This was also important.


    Of course, it would be standardization, not regtion, but saying that would not induce the effect that I was going for.


    -That future! It¡¯s the future for our future generations. It¡¯s the future for our future generations who will live on the continent in the future. The ce our sons will live will not be a continent full of darkness. The ce where our daughters will live will not be where humans and different races point their swords at each other. The ce where our children will live will be where the right ideas and philosophy are ced. You are here for all of this. We are here for the future we must protect and for the future we each dream of. Some are here for the family, some for drinking and singing together, some for the loved ones, and some for the future with God!


    ¡®Here, I hold my breath and¡­¡¯


    -We are strong!


    And thus, I uttered it.


    -Those with cause and justification are strong. An army with a cause and justification is strong. We will win! In the name of every God that exists on the continent, we will triumph. We will win that way to draw our own utopia.


    ¡®This is good.¡¯


    -Let¡¯s take a step towards the future.


    All the soldiers stepped forward. There was conviction in their faces, and everyone held their weapons straight.


    -That step is a step toward the future. Let¡¯s fight together. For the utopia, we draw. For our future generations! For all who live on this ground! Let¡¯s go!


    The shouts burst out in no time.


    It was impossible to tell if it was a polite shout or simply to forget fear, but the noise had grown louder.


    Dwarves were acting the same as usual, while the elves were being unusually responsive.


    Numerous troops reworked their helmets in response to the signals of themanders of each unit and took one more step.


    -All! Advance!


    Soldiers crammed themselves into arge battlefield. It was truly a sight to behold.


    -Let¡¯s go together! Those who fight with the light!


    ¡®Someone, pour some light!¡¯

 Chapter 382: Holy War (2)

    <h4>Chapter 382: Holy War (2)</h4>


    Since there were no visual effects that would make this look even more spectacr, I felt kind of sad. I had really wanted to reenact what my brain had been visualizing all this time.


    However, seeing that there was no response above, it seemed impossible to raise a hand to either side in a battle like this.


    ¡®You just need to sprinkle some light on the scene, but even that you won¡¯t do. I¡¯m disappointed, Benignore!¡¯


    Though disappointed, I had never heard of transcendent beings in the sky supporting any individual or group.


    Of course, I had experienced it firsthand, but that was an exceptional case. It was unfortunate, but I also knew it couldn¡¯t be helped.


    ¡®Because it¡¯s not bad even without it.¡¯


    The current scene was ideal enough.


    This side was the army of light, and the other side was the army of demons. This was a fight where the good and evil forces had already been determined.


    While looking at the scene with satisfaction, I heard Elena¡¯s voice next to me.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The moment she chanted the spell, her enormous divine power covered the allied forces.


    ¡®Whew!¡¯


    If my eyes were correct, it must have been a buff type of divine magic.


    The power itself wasn¡¯t that satisfying since Elune hadn¡¯t bothered helping, but at least we had gotten the buff.


    ¡®She¡¯s too cheap, that Elune¡­¡¯


    I had anticipated it since she had sold her own daughter, but it was certainly not like her to not aid in this situation.


    In any case, the army of light had begun to get influenced by Elena¡¯s divine power.


    Elena, who had actually unleashed the spell, had her ears drooped. She seemed to have exhausted most of her divine power.


    The divine power had surrounded almost all of the troops, so it was not unreasonable to look like that.


    After nodding, I had begun to walk again.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t mean to stand together on the battlefield. I just went to the control room where Lee Jihye was because I didn¡¯t want to fight where an arrow could hit me anytime.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Hayan. What will Elena do?¡±


    ¡°Sigh. Sigh. I want to watch the battle here. Maybe I could help.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t overdo it, Elena. This is not thest battle.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Honorary Cardinal. I will take it into ount.¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s not necessary to take it into ount¡­¡¯


    If, by any chance, it would take a long time for her to recover after retiring, it would be difficult to use her abilities inter battles.


    The stamina consumed in the Twisted Pond did not fully recover yet.


    Having to look afterward, we had to hide and save my power as much as possible. That was why I hadn¡¯t given other missions in this battle to Jung Hayan, or to our lovely returner.


    Jung Hayan¡¯s mission was to maintain the Goddess¡¯s Mirror with other wizards, and Kim Hyunsung¡¯s role was to be prepared if anything were to happen.


    I had told him many times not to run wild, so I knew he would obey me unless a big twist were to happen.


    Of course, it was undeniable that if Kim Hyunsung were to use his strength, we could easily take the victory, but I felt reluctant to expose his power.


    At present, it would be sufficient to cover the battlefield properly.


    Of course, it was Kim Hyunsung¡¯s role to take care of the Blue Guild members.


    ¡®Yes, absolutely.¡¯


    Thinking that some elves and dwarves would definitely die was definitely a snobbish way of thinking, but it was what I genuinely felt.


    As I put magic power into my eyes, I could see Kim Hyunsung, who looked around with his sword. He must be trying to keep his eyes on the location of the other guild members.


    ¡®I think I can be relieved with this part.¡¯


    It would be right to put a point that at least one worry could be relieved.


    Anyway, before the proper siege could start, I had to go to the control room quickly, so I could see a simple tent as soon as I moved.


    Opening the installed door and going in, I could see Lee Jihye looking through the magic holograms.


    In addition, I also saw some people of the ck Swan, elves, and evenmanders on the Dwarves¡¯ side.


    ¡®It¡¯s a very good environment.¡¯


    The advantage of reading the flow of the battle in real-time did not even need to be exined.


    On therge main screen, I could see the entire force, and in other mirrors, I could see each unit separately.


    Of course, there were separate screens for the named ones. It was correct to manage heroes who could greatly influence the battlefield, such as Kim Hyunsung and other Blue Guild members, Elios, and the dwarves.


    If this had been a modern battlefield, I wouldn¡¯t need to do that, but the continent¡¯s war was way different from a modern war.


    It was certainly convenient if one were topare it to chess.


    General soldiers were pawns, and other heroes with different abilities were bishops, knights, queens, and rooks.


    I knew that pawns could be weapons if used well, but the other roles¡¯ importance was not urate to chess.


    What adventurers above the heroic-grade could do was not simply move a few more spaces.


    They lead the troops, take the lead in front of the soldiers, and influence the pawns around them, including themselves.


    Just like now.


    ¡°Come here,e on. Prepare the spirit magic. Implement defense magic before the collision. The same goes for the summoners under themand.¡±


    ¡®Were there summoner elven sisters?¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t remember properly.


    However, I could at least get a rough spec. Although it was uncertain to say that they were at the Eight Seats¡¯ level, they had enough level to call them named.


    The existence of a variant that popped out behind their backs in an instant was sure to be what the elves called spirits.


    -Ahhhhhh!


    As soon as they began to emit something unintelligible, the soldiers¡¯ defensive magic was definitely different.


    It hadn¡¯t been a long time since Jung Hayan was also focusing on the screen, with her eyes shining as if she was impressed. It was then that Lee Jihye opened her mouth again.


    ¡°The magic of the enemy archers and wizards will fall again. Once again, we will implement defense magic.¡±


    Her voice resonated within the entire control room.


    Perhaps that voice would propagate through the Goddess¡¯ Mirror.


    ¡®The correspondents will send signals to eachmander and named heroes in their own way.¡¯


    Those who received the situation before the enemies¡¯ arrows and magic fell would immediately implement the defensive magic.


    ¡®The tactic genius will like this.¡¯


    Of course, Jin Qing was not here. However, it didn¡¯t really matter if he held the baton or not.


    Leaving the tactic genius aside, the level of infrastructure we had was way different.


    In other words, his tactical strategy was not going beyond the board game level, no matter how hard he would want to try. There was no need to mention the difference in the system we had¡ªhow the whole force moved, and how we could get the details.


    There was no way he knew better than we did.


    The speed of delivery of orders from the control room to the battlefield was also painful to take note of.


    ¡®Because it¡¯s all about having good items.¡¯


    The unitmand system¡¯s infrastructure equipped with the Goddess¡¯ Mirror was a legendary-grade item that could be used from the rear.


    It had near to unlimited visibility, and amunication system that could be delivered to individuals. It could even calcte the timing of the enemies¡¯ iing magic.


    Even with these things, if we were to lose the battle, I had no choice but to doubt Lee Jihye¡¯s qualities. After the crisis once passed, I could see Lee Jihye looking at me.


    ¡°Blue Vice Guild Master, and Hayan is also here.¡±


    ¡°Long time no see, Jihye-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Yes. It has.¡±


    ¡°The current situation¡­¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s good to see it as good. I don¡¯t know why, but the enemy forces certainly look confused, and ours aren¡¯t. I don¡¯t know the source or reason, but I¡¯m just grateful. Thanks to that, I think we can go a little easier. Of course, it doesn¡¯t change that we have to be careful. Do you have anything to say to them?¡±


    ¡°No. Not yet. I don¡¯t think I need to.¡±


    ¡°I was very impressed with the speech, Honorary Cardinal.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an honor to say that.¡±


    ¡°I am more honored, well.¡±


    ¡°So. Are you confident about this battle?¡±


    ¡°Are you asking if we can win or not?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Or are you worried about how much damage we¡¯ll suffer? I¡¯m sure we won¡¯t lose. Opp¡­ No, Honorary Cardinal. I don¡¯t want to show ipetence even though youid the groundwork like this.¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s a good attitude. Good attitude.¡¯


    It was not just words. It was hard to say this, but she was also talented in tactics.


    The ignorant in me had a hard time understanding exactly everything, but it certainly seemed that the forces of light were slowly driving the forces of the demon out.


    ¡°Support for Unit 3. Elios ising.¡±


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    ¡°Elune Knights, stand at the front line. Priests and wizards, assist the Elune Knights.¡±


    ¡®Very good.¡¯


    ¡°Unit 4 does not climb the walls. Wait. Wait.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s it, Jihye. That¡¯s right.¡¯


    ¡°The wizards under the 7th unit attack the top of the wall, and the Varian priests who do not resist will be protected by the warriors who climbed the wall.¡±


    ¡®Yolo!¡¯


    Gradually, I could see that the walls were getting colored with friendly colors. The outer side of the wall had been destroyed by the spirits after a long time.


    The dwarves with shields that pushed in seemed difficult to be dealt with even from the enemy¡¯s point of view.


    They seemed to understand and used the characteristics of the conflict itself. The enemy didn¡¯t respond properly, and the prepared coalition was very organic.


    ¡®It¡¯s a magnificent view.¡¯


    The other Operations Department members, who were watching the situation in the control room together, were also quite surprised.


    It seemed that they didn¡¯t think that things would go so smoothly.


    Of course, some had been resisting from either side.


    -Stop them! Stop them froming up! We can win by pushing them as far as possible.


    However, he also soon had an arrow stuck in his forehead.


    -Ahhhhhhhhh!


    After him came some other general soldiers.


    -Gasp. Help me. Help me¡­


    -Mother. Moth¡­er¡­


    -What are themanders doing?! What are the priests¡­ Gasp!


    -Help me. Help¡­


    -Support! Support! Priests! Where are the priests¡­ Cough.


    Most of them died in confusion.


    Of course, they had to be. There was an absence of amander.


    Of course, after Yev Karina, someone must¡¯ve taken over immediately, but the confusion remained unchanged.


    Since the priests woke up, there must be a problem with the retention power itself. Among the it was probably psychological that was the most problematic for them.


    With doubts in their minds, it was, in itself, absurd to hold the sword whilst thinking about whether they were being yed by a demon¡¯s tricks.


    Most of them would simply wield a sword to survive.


    This meant that no one was as easy to deal with as an army fighting with the devil in the brain.


    ¡°An army, with justification, is strong.¡±


    The sight of the forces of light striking the forces of the demon was definitely pleasing to see.

 Chapter 383: Holy War (3)

    <h4>Chapter 383: Holy War (3)</h4>


    Most humans had fragile states, especially those in situations that soon became a war.


    There was no way ordinary humans could endure prolonged situations where they had to kill and watch each other die.


    ¡®That¡¯s why it¡¯s important.¡¯


    The cause and justification of the war became more and more paramount.


    Fight for God.


    Fight for the country.


    Fight for the family.


    That was why they had taken it upon themselves to educate their minds on matters of war. The same was true about the ¡°we are right¡± justification.


    There was a distinctive difference between fighting to defend and fighting to invade. In their case, however, the cause had been lost.


    The centralmanders screamed their hearts out with their sense of duty, but there was no possibility for such a cry to get into the ears of ordinary soldiers.


    They had doubted the purpose of the war from the beginning.


    They pondered whether the demon summoner was simply deceiving them, in which case it would have been like having the devil live in their brains. It was better to shoot arrows in fear. Some screamed as they attempted to get out of the situation- people who weren¡¯t as bad as the others.


    Many of them had given up on fighting.


    The more they went on the defensive, the worse the situation got. That was how powerful the visible effects and facts became.


    The scene reflected by the Goddess¡¯s Mirror perhaps was enough to confuse them even more.


    -Die!


    -¡­


    -Die, traitor!


    -¡­


    -Dieee!!!


    The scene where Yev Karina beat the Bishop, revered by the people of the Republic, with of the main focuses of the propaganda.


    Even though allied troops were already invading, the soldiers of the Republic continued to stare at the sky nkly.


    The prior footage had been deleted, causing most humans to focus on the scene rather than the context.


    Why did Yev Karina, the demon servant, kill the Bishop?


    Rather than asking such a question, they chose to focus on the situation in which she smacked his head.


    Some people would think humans weren¡¯t that stupid, but based on the extreme articles, news, tabloids, and modern people who got caught making a fuss, I felt like that wasn¡¯t the case at all.


    Moreover, the people of the Republic were not familiar with tabloids. It wasn¡¯t worth mentioning that the effect was bound to be even greater.


    That was a battlefield with never-ending screams and howls.


    Leaving Lee Jihye behind as she constantly gave out orders, I looked around quietly until I saw the Blue Guild members working hard.


    Watching them move efficiently and working together smoothly, I felt proud.


    Among them, Park Deokgu stood out a little, not because he was active. Rather, it was the opposite. It felt like his movements weren¡¯t the same as before.


    He raised a shield and climbed on top of the wall, but it was noticeable that he was disying subpar performance. He sometimes looked around with widened eyes, unable to concentrate on the battle itself.


    Yoo Ahyoung showed better performance, so there was no need for other expressions.


    -Deokgu. Front! Front!


    -I-I know!


    -Help¡­ help me¡­


    -¡­ ¡­


    -You have to move. Deokgu! Deokgu! You¡¯re not in bad condition, are you?


    -It¡¯s not that, but¡­


    -The order has been given. Unit 4 has started toe up.


    -Can we move now?


    -Y¡­ yes. I think¡­ that would be better¡­


    He was definitely hesitating. He was unable to adapt to the horrors of war.


    He couldn¡¯t take his eyes off the enemy soldiers crying out for help or crying out for their mother.


    ¡®Sigh¡­ This bastard.¡¯


    I bit my lips tightly. I never thought he would show such ridiculous behavior.


    I didn¡¯t expect him to get used to itpletely, but I felt like a fool who had said he would at least adapt to it a bit.


    I thought about whether I should make him return right now. If he wandered around like that, he could be hit by a stray arrow.


    After raising him like he was the apple of my eyes withoutpensation, I felt like I was watching my own son get stuck in the corner of a room.


    Just as I kept muttering to myself about his confusion, I suddenly realized that I hadn¡¯t been paying attention to him at all.


    ¡®This bastard¡­ Did he even gain any experience?¡¯


    I slowly searched through my memory.


    However, no matter how many memories I recalled, none of them were scenes where he gained battle experience.


    He must have seen a lot indirectly. However, he had never used his fists in an actual battle.


    When I first started sparring with Yoo Seok-woo, he had his eyes closed tightly, and whenever something simr happened, he quietly avoided watching it.


    It wasn¡¯t that he had never collided with humans. It was just that he had never finished them directly.


    ¡®I don¡¯t think he¡¯s ever done that.¡¯


    Honestly, I was a little disconcerted. As long as someone had entered the continent, anyone would experience it at least once.


    If they were lucky, they would see it in the tutorial. If not, they might see it after entering the continent. Even if it wasn¡¯t against another human, it could be against humanoid monsters and criminals or thieves.


    However, in my memory, Park Deokgu had never had any simr experience before.


    I felt stupid. How could I not notice that about the soft-hearted man earlier?


    He stood out, looking hesitant despite being able to push a little further forward. It was evident that he was going easy on them. Watching him, I began to get worried.


    I knew how weak that pig¡¯s mentality was despite his strong facade.


    -Deokgu! Deogku!


    -I-I said I¡¯m going now.


    -It¡¯s the support!


    -O¡­ okay.


    In the middle of that hectic battlefield, watching him stupidly turn his gaze to the other side made me feel frustrated.


    Left without any other option, I had to point it out to Jihye.


    ¡°Park Deokgu and Yoo Ahyoung are¡­ ¡±


    Before I could even finish speaking, Lee Jihye nodded and immediately gave a new order.


    ¡°Unit 7, focus on protecting the surrenderers and the priests. This is your top priority. Unit 7, focus on protecting those who surrendered from the frontlines and the priests.¡±


    ¡°Order received.¡±


    I continued to watch Park Deokgu and Yoo Ahyoung as they confirmed their new orders.


    -Park Deokgu!


    -Yes?


    -A new order has been given. The content is different from the previous one. They want us to protect those who surrendered from the battlefield and the priests. It¡¯s a top priority.


    -Ah. I see. Q-quickly¡­


    -Yes. The location is being transferred. Shall I take the lead?


    -No. I think it would be nice for me to take the lead.


    -Then do it.


    -Careful!


    -Oh, thank you. Park Deok-gu.


    I was sure I wasn¡¯t hallucinating when I saw his face brighten up a little. However, the slightly brightened expression soon began to turn into an anxious one.


    He noticed why that kind ofmand suddenly came.


    The original purpose of Unit 7, including Park Deokgu and Yoo Ahyoung, was not to protect the priests. A different unit was definitely in charge of their new mission, which had been announced through a prior briefing.


    The purpose of Unit 7 was to support other units in ascending the walls.


    I said that I would give orders ording to the situation through the Goddess¡¯ Mirror, so he might be thinking that I must have seen his unsightly appearance.


    ¡®It was fortunate we could afford it.¡¯


    If the war were running tight, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to pull him out. I could only do what I did because the tide of the battle was on our side.


    Even though not much time had passed, the demon was already gradually losing its power.


    ¡®That¡¯s why the priests are so important on the battlefield, everyone.¡¯


    I began to wonder if this war had been going in our favor too much.


    ¡®Is it obvious?¡¯


    In the first ce, I already thought that the troops and walls blocking the Eberian front were all looks with no substance.


    It was unreasonable for their tactic to be viewed as nothing but their way to buy time. Their strategy focused on endurance, and it didn¡¯t seem to be hoping for victory.


    That was why there was no support from the other side. No, I didn¡¯t even have to find a reason.


    The same was true for the masked trash in a situation where there were nowhere forrge numbers of floating troops could be ced.


    ¡®These bastards can¡¯t afford it either.¡¯


    The most important thing at the moment from their point of view was to attack Castle Rock.


    I didn¡¯t know if the masked trash abandoned the Eberian front or not.


    One thing was for certain: the Castle Rock front was more important than the Eberian front. If he didn¡¯t protect it, he could be put into a situation where he couldn¡¯t remove his troops in the first ce. Well, it didn¡¯t matter either way.


    If the enemymander and priest line were solid, we might have had to wait and see if the enemies would attack Castle Rock.


    However, the result was the opposite. The Eberian front was copsing.


    The enemymander was shouting for a retreat, and those who were withdrawing were starting to stand out. Some could be seen surrendering and throwing their weapons. Priests who risked their lives and didn¡¯t even participate in the fight were a bonus.


    It¡¯s only been eight hours since the battle started.


    The battle was gradually reaching a conclusion.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll be going to the frontlines, Jihye-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Do that, Honorary Cardinal. I¡¯ll finish the job in the control room¡­¡±


    ¡°Thank you for fighting with us until the end.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    She didn¡¯t announce our victory.


    However, I heard a shout that made my ears ring. Themand post wasn¡¯t the only one that was aware of our situation.


    The ordinary soldiers were also aware that victory was on the way.


    It seemed that there were many more upied areas than unupied areas.


    Afterward, we would have to recheck the troops, but it seemed that the damage was small enough for us to consider this a significant victory.


    ¡®How did they climb up on this?¡¯


    As soon as I reached the frontlines, I was greeted by arge wall.


    It was definitely taller than I thought. I didn¡¯t think I could even dare to climb it after seeing it up close.


    As I kept walking, taking care of the soldiers around me, I reached the ce where Deokgu was. The guy with the prisoners and priests in tow slowly approached my side, but I saw his head bend down when I looked at him.


    He was visibly depressed.


    I wanted to talk to him, but the most important thing right now wasn¡¯t him.


    Giving him advice or scolding him could be done afterward. My top priority was to check if she¡¯s alive or dead.


    Initially, that was the Bishop¡¯s role, but I had no choice but to appoint an agent after his death.


    Although the crackling sound and sensation were unpleasant, I had to smile upon seeing Kim Chang-ryul.


    ¡°Is she alive?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Vice Guild Master. She is alive.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fortunate. How is her condition?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s still out of it. We¡¯ve already applied First Aid, so there¡¯s no longer any harm to her life, and she¡¯ll be able to wake up after she calms down.¡±


    ¡°Very good. Oh. Let me see her now. Is she in the room?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Kim Chang-ryul guided me to the room. No matter the circumstances, his skills were a blessing.


    I wanted to apud him for his first aid. I liked the part that he cared for details I didn¡¯t bother thinking about.


    Upon entering the door, I could see the dead Bishop with his head broken. There was also Yev Karina lying down on the bed.


    As I touched her cheek with my finger, I could see her unfocused pupils looking at me.


    ¡°Jin¡­ Qing¡­?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but I am the Honorary Cardinal, Yev Karina. Hahaha.¡±

 Chapter 384: The Winner Doesn’t Pay the Price (1)

    <h4>Chapter 384: The Winner Doesn¡¯t Pay the Price (1)</h4>


    ¡°Jin¡­ Qing¡­?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but I am the Honorary Cardinal, Yev Karina. Hahaha.¡±


    Her colorful expression was quite interesting.


    She looked unfocused, still, and was struggling withprehension. However, as she regained consciousness, she realized that I wasn¡¯t Jin Qing.


    Her startled face was quite amusing.


    ¡®Do we really look alike?¡¯


    Our appearance was different, but our body shape was simr, so it was also understandable.


    Since it hadn¡¯t been that long after she got up, she should¡¯ve still been dizzy, and considering that Kim Hyunsung almost misunderstood me as the masked trash, our silhouettes must¡¯ve looked alike.


    The distorted expression she had on her face was only natural.


    Instead of looking at the Jin Qing that she wanted to see, she saw me smirking. It was quite satisfying to watch the look on her face change.


    It had been a while since I had seen such a face since I entered the continent.


    In Elena¡¯s case, although she had nausea, there was still an unknown admiration, along with respect, on one side of her face.


    However, Yev Karina¡¯s face waspletely different.


    Friendly feelings were out of the question. Her eyes were full of hostility regardless of the perspective I looked at it from.


    Yev Karina looked like she was staring up at a piece of trash she didn¡¯t want to deal with or as if I was a pile of dog sh*t she identally stepped on.


    It hurt a little, but I wasn¡¯t offended at all.


    If I had been in the loser¡¯s position, I would have been quite upset as well, but we won, and winners would always have time and patience to be understanding and tolerant.


    ¡®Yes. I am generous. Absolutely.¡¯


    ¡°Hahaha. That¡¯s a funny face. I don¡¯t think I¡¯vemitted a crime like that. I¡¯m the one who saved your life, you know. You could be a little thankful. Of course, you should thank Chang-ryul here first.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Why are you looking at me as if you want to kill me? Am I not a lifesaver? I helped you befortable. Unlike other prisoners, we¡¯re giving you special treatment. I mean it.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it polite to answer when someone talks to you, Karina? Am I wrong, Chang-ryul?¡±


    ¡°No. The Vice Guild Master is right.¡±


    ¡°Well, he said it¡¯s only proper to talk to me. Say something. Or perhaps you¡¯re still not feeling well? Do you need a potion?¡±


    Naturally, I smiled and smirked, but she still refused to respond. She just continued to look at me as vigntly as possible. It felt impossible to get closer to her.


    ¡°I think we could be good friends¡­¡±


    ¡°Ptooey!¡±


    Something sticky hit my face.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Kim Chang-ryul immediately tried to reach out to her, but I gestured him to stop. Slowly, I wiped the saliva off my face.


    ¡°Dirty human.¡±


    ¡°Haha. Among Korean proverbs, there¡¯s a saying that says you cannot spit on a smiling face. Well, I guess that¡¯s notmon in Russia. Of course, the story on Earth is useless, but I am a bit disconcerted as I was born in a country where mutual respect is one of our foundations. Where else would anyone treat prisoners so humanely? I¡¯m going to feel a little sad if saliva is your payment for my gentle treatment, Yev Karina.¡±


    ¡°Trashy bastard.¡±


    ¡°So. How is Jin Qing, our demon summoner? I haven¡¯t seen him since Laios. In fact, because of him, I have been through some hard times. I can¡¯t exin in detail, but that¡¯s why I was in the Kingdom of Eberia. I stopped the demon enough to break my body- Oh, I think Chang-ryul may go out now.¡±


    ¡°Will you be okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Don¡¯t allow anyone to enter this ce until the situation has been cleared up.¡±


    ¡°I will preach as it is, Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Chang-ryul.¡±


    He looked a little worried, but in the end, he decided it was safe based on her condition.


    I sent out Kim Chang-ryul because of the same reason.


    As I nodded, Kim Chang-ryul opened the door. Cheers from outside soon filled the room.


    -It is the victory of light!


    ¡°Woahhhhhhhhhh!!¡±


    -This victory was only possible because of everyone¡¯s cooperation. It is the first step toward coexistence and a leap toward the future. With the guidance of the Goddesses Benignore and Elune, the interracial union has emerged victorious!


    ¡°Woahhhhhhhhh!!¡±


    She seemed to be working on propaganda activities outside. The voice that I heard continuously unmistakably belonged to Lee Jihye¡¯s.


    In the meantime, the battle must have beenpletelypleted.


    A face mixed with various emotions was a spectacle.


    I don¡¯t ever want to be in that position myself, but when other¡¯s make it, it is a pleasant look every time.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s how the battle ended. The priest of the Republic. Oh, it would have been a little harder if it weren¡¯t for the priest lying there with his head crushed. Come to think of it, I forgot to say thank you to the martyr of God. It¡¯s such a pity.¡±


    ¡°Who would have known that a religious statue would strike him in the head?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°If a person asks a question, it is polite to answer it, Yev Karina. Oh! Just in case, you¡¯d better not think about doing your stupid skills again. Haha.¡±


    ¡°Kill me.¡±


    ¡°Why are you asking me to kill? A priest chosen by God can¡¯t do things like murder easily. No matter how evil they are, a life is a life. Goddess Benignore is generous to those who repent.¡±


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m gonna open my mouth?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m interested in the cheap information you know, of course, but that¡¯s not what I really want. Yes. What do you think, Yev Karina? How did you see this war?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to talk, you can just listen. It would have been better if we could exchange stories. Of course, you don¡¯t have to worry, I won¡¯t use this for my propaganda work.¡±


    ¡°You scammers. You think I¡¯m gonna believe you?¡±


    ¡°I am not a liar. Of course, I understand the confusion, but if I were a real crook, would Elune and Benignore have chosen me to be their representative? How can you call a person who doesn¡¯t even remember thest time he lied a fraud? I didn¡¯t think you would be scared of a bee. Oh, but, If you were afraid of bees, you wouldn¡¯t be under the Devil Summoner in the first ce. Mhh.¡±


    ¡°I know you made this up¡ªdirty bastard. Now I know what kind of person you are. You¡¯re hopeless trash. Trusting you even a little bit was my biggest mistake. Are you having fun? Do you feel good when you fool people and y with them as you please? You¡¯re nothing but a scumbag piece of trash. Disgusting, you¡¯re looking down at me like this now, but someday you will pay for your lies. Remember that.¡±


    ¡°Yev Karina thinks of me like that, so I¡¯m just giving you an example that¡¯s easy to understand. Is there good or bad in this kind of war in the first ce? The bad guy and the good guy, they¡¯re just two sides with different ideologies and different interests. Don¡¯t you know that? The Republic started this war in the first ce.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense.¡±


    ¡°It is the same for you. You¡¯re like this even though you know that your side started propaganda activities first. If I¡¯m a crook, you¡¯re a crook, too. Of course, I¡¯m a little bit worse off, but basically, we¡¯re of the same kind.¡±


    ¡°This is crap, crazy bastard!¡±

 Chapter 385: The winner Doesn’t Pay The Price (2)

    <h4>Chapter 385: The winner Doesn¡¯t Pay The Price (2)</h4>


    Yev Karina looked dumbfounded.


    That was something that she already knew wasing. Even the Senior Bishop lying over there knew the story. All I did was give her a reminder.


    The winner wasn¡¯t the one to pay any price. That was a universal truth.


    It was a simplew. Nothing could be clearer than it.


    It meant that even if we tried to cover the didactic morality with all sorts of words, our lives were destined to lead to that point regardless. Yev Karina also seemed to agree with my words.


    She merely bit her lips as she looked at me, but that reaction was all I needed to see to know she agreed with me.


    Looking back at her, I smiled once more. I knew I had to continue the conversation.


    ¡°Am I wrong?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you have any intention to answer. Well, I¡¯ll just ept your silence as affirmation. Haven¡¯t I told you that already? People like you and I are the same. If Yev Karina had won this battle, it would have been me to pay the price. If you thought that way, you should be feeling a little disappointed right now. Pfff.¡±


    ¡°I am different from you. You¡­ You are trash.¡±


    ¡°Why is your hatred directed towards your own kind?¡±


    ¡°I am not trash like you! Mean swindler bastard!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not thrilled to say that I¡¯m a scammer, but it¡¯s undeniable that I¡¯m a messenger chosen by God, Karina. The divine power doesn¡¯t lie. Haha. Jin Qing is also a demon summoner. I¡¯m not sure what the difference is between your lie and my lie that makes you heat up like this. Aren¡¯t you the same? Have you not sympathized with agitation and fabrication to promote morale and eventually bring people who don¡¯t know anything into war?¡±


    I paused for a moment, then continued again. ¡°In a way, you and the heads of the Republic are even worse. You can say it¡¯s an excuse to defend my own morality, but you don¡¯t even have the means to rationalize yourself. The one who picks a fight first will always be the one who¡¯s prepared for war, and the one who dered war was you. Who¡¯s the trash and the scammer now?¡±


    ¡°Stop with the bullsh*t, trash human! I am not talking about the process. I-I¡¯m talking about your means to an end. After all, youck even the most minimal sense of ethics. Continentalws and war regtions were not created just to be ignored. Senior B-Bishop is not someone who would¡­¡±


    ¡°You are referring to the Bishop, whose head was broken by a brilliantly dull technique. Gosh. In case you misunderstood the circumstances, I would like to say I did not act in any way that vited thews of war. I just gave a bottle of fine wine as a gift.¡±


    ¡°You know that¡¯s not what I mean!¡±


    ¡°You also know what I¡¯m talking about, Yev Karina. I¡¯ve never vited any form of war regtion. You know that even if I controlled the Senior Bishop from behind, it wouldn¡¯t be against thew. It is you who are irrational. Because you think I¡¯m a piece of sh*t, you feel like it¡¯ll improve your situation a little if you try to console yourself with belittling me. That¡¯s why you¡¯re condemning me.¡±


    ¡°Ptooey!¡±


    ¡°I think that¡¯s how you cheer yourself up. In the first ce, if you weren¡¯t really like me, you wouldn¡¯t even be in this war. You would be stuck deep in the woods, devoting yourself to studying ethics. In the end, you and I are the same.¡±


    ¡°I did it for Jin Qing and the Republic soldiers!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Aha. After all, that¡¯s what it was. Hahaha.¡±


    ¡°What? What did you¡­?¡±


    ¡°I had my doubts, but I guess that¡¯s really it. What you just said is not a lie. Right?¡±


    ¡°What are you doing now¡­?¡±


    ¡°Well, all I just said was a joke. You don¡¯t have to get all worked up, you know. I guarantee you we¡¯re definitely different kinds of humans. I have to admit that much. You aren¡¯t moving for your ownfort.¡±


    Karina had a weird expression on her face that seemed to wonder what bullsh*t I was talking about.


    Yev Karina was apletely different kind of humanpared to Lee Jihye and me.


    While her unique characteristic and disposition didn¡¯t always tell the right answer, she and I were still far from being the same.


    ¡®You are a friend with a strong sense of responsibility.¡¯


    Her face distorted at my sudden change in attitude. Seeing that she was reacting nervously, she seemed to realize that she had just made a mistake.


    For example, the sophistry just before was just to make her feel worked up.


    The entire conversation had been manipted from the beginning to capture her weaknesses. I needed to find ways to deal with her.


    ¡°You¡¯re amazing. Great. Hmm. It certainly might be. I think I know now why demon summoner Jin Qing appointed you here. If the war didn¡¯t go down like this, it would have been quite annoying. You must have endured with minimal damage to have some form of benefit. Your purpose isn¡¯t to win the battlefield. I think I know now.¡±


    ¡°What, what?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if you know, but in the first ce, the demon summoner didn¡¯t expect you to win. Jin Qing only wanted for you to hold on and hold the elves. I¡¯m not sure, but I think he tends to avoid battles. It seems to me that he only wanted to maintain and hold on to this front until the end of the Castle Rock siege.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You havepletely ruined that mission. Well, I can understand why. You probably didn¡¯t know that I was staying in the Kingdom of Eberia, but from the standpoint of the demon summoner, it must have been a shame. Huh? Why are you making such a surprised face? You must have noticed that the demon didn¡¯t expect much from you. That¡¯s why no reinforcements came.¡±


    There were moreplex reasons, of course. Perhaps Yev Karina knew that, too, but¡­


    ¡°That¡¯s not it. The current front¡­¡±


    ¡°I know that there is no room on the frontline. I also know that there¡¯s a reason why you had toe to this ce. I guess that person doesn¡¯t think of you as much as you think of him. That¡¯s sad. There is nothing more heartbreaking than one-sided love.¡±


    ¡°No matter what you tell me, I¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. Of course, you won¡¯t betray him. Hahaha. You seem to have mistaken something, Yev Karina. I¡¯m not trying to drive a wedge between the two of you right now. Just think of it as a joke with my bad personality. It¡¯s undeniable that you and this force have been abandoned. It¡¯s true to a certain point! I don¡¯t use low-level tricks that shake people¡¯s mentality. It¡¯s not an appropriate behavior as an envoy chosen by the light. Yes. Absolutely.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°There is a slightly more rational way for me to do things, but why would I go through the trouble to do that? And since it already came out, there was something that Senior Bishop lying down there should¡¯ve done. I even arranged a seat in advance. It¡¯s an essential one. Since someone smashed the precious priest¡¯s head, the reserved seat became vacant. I understand you¡¯re sad about being abandoned, but you still have to work, right?¡±


    ¡°Kill me.¡±


    ¡°Will you not even listen to what I have to say?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to know or even wonder about whatever bullsh*t you¡¯re talking about. Just kill me.¡±


    ¡°Why do you keep telling me to kill you? You just have to listen to it and decide.¡±


    ¡°Kill me! Just kill me!¡±


    ¡°There are quite a few prisoners, Yev Karina. There are quite a few people who surrendered. The same goes for the Varian priests who are with us.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°Gosh. This is a problem. The fact that there are many prisoners is not necessarily pleasant to our side. It¡¯s enough to be a force capable of backstabbing us in case of emergency, and it is also hard to deliver supplies that will be responsible for many prisoners. I would rather not have them. I ended up not thinking like a priest. I¡¯m not particrly knowledgeable, but in Chinese history, I think it was the Jangpyeong War? I mean the case in which 300,000 surrendered troops were buried alive. Our demon summoner must know about that better.¡±


    ¡°Son of a bitch¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m not sh*tty enough to do that, but I don¡¯t know how things will change. If something goes wrong, there may be a situation where I will hold my tears and make a decision.¡±


    ¡°Son of a bitch! And you call yourself human?!¡±


    ¡°I was just talking about the possibilities. Yev Karina knows that I¡¯m not going to do such crazy things. There will be a lot to lose politically.¡±


    ¡°Son of a bitch! Piece of sh*t! ¡°


    ¡°Even though I¡¯m the one chosen by God, forsaking those who try to repent¡­ It must be heartbreaking. If I did that, they wouldn¡¯t appreciate me inter history books. Above all, my conscience won¡¯t simply hold up. Still, Yev Karina, I don¡¯t yield.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I never yield. Avoiding it is something any other person would¡¯ve done, but not me. I¡¯ve made a decision, so it¡¯s up to you to yield. Look into my eyes.¡±


    I could see that she was avoiding my gaze. Her expression that was used to be filled with disgust turned into fear very slowly.


    ¡°Do you think I can¡¯t do that?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I have told you clearly, Yev Karina. If you reject my offer, I will abandon half of the prisoners. You will be executed as a demon¡¯s servant, and I will make the same offer once more after I find the right person. Of course, if the sessor refuses, I will throw away the remaining prisoners.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ Someone like you¡­?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t they forcibly brought, Yev Karina? You have tough and send them back to their hometown. They were brought to the battlefield by ident, but they are all dear children of other people¡¯s homes.¡±


    She had no choice. Her pupils were trembling as I stared at her. She looked as if she was thinking about her options silently.


    ¡®I don¡¯t think I need to exin separately¡­¡¯


    She must have already anticipated what her role would be.


    ¡°Should I make the choice a little easier? First of all, I think you should try to determine if there is a demon¡¯s minion among the prisoners. One-third of them are highly likely to be contaminated by the demon. These people have to go through cleansing quickly. Yes. Absolutely.¡±


    ¡°W-Wait a second.¡±


    ¡°Have you made a decision?¡±


    She couldn¡¯t answer. However, I knew she was already half-determined.

 Chapter 386: The Winner Doesn’t Pay The Price (3)

    <h4>Chapter 386: The Winner Doesn¡¯t Pay The Price (3)</h4>


    ¡°It¡¯s definitely tricky.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Jin Qing. It is even more so because the walls themselves are extremely specialized in magic defense. The barrier of the shaman of the State is also¡­¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t be that easy to attack.¡±


    ¡°Yes. There is no other answer except for an all-out siege. The story would be different if we could deal a strong physical shock to it, but it¡¯ll be difficult to destroy the wall itself unless something like a dragon arrives. If the supply situation inside Castle Rock wasn¡¯t eptable, then it might take more time.¡±


    ¡°It would have taken far too long. How¡¯s the state of our troops?¡±


    ¡°The damage is less for a few knocks on the gate. They, too, are saving arrows as much as possible¡­¡±


    ¡°Castle Rock is important.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°But not important enough for us to use everything on it. The Eastern Front isn¡¯t the only road to Lindel or the capital. The Celia front had also beenpletely pushed back yesterday. The same goes for Dawan.¡±


    Castle Rock was vital, but it wasn¡¯t valuable enough for them to pour out everything they had on it. In other words, the Castle Rock Front was a pie that everyone could drool over.


    I was deeply impressed when I thought of the time I had umted to turn this significant and essential front into the perfect bait. It had been designed so that not only enemies but also even allies wouldn¡¯t notice the grand scheme at y. Therge painting made me refreshed my memory about how brilliant Jin Qing was.


    Anyone who observed the troops¡¯ movements or the current front on arge map would¡¯ve assumed that the Republic was aiming for Castle Rock.


    Even during the numerous wars in the past, Castle Rock had always been a formidable wall against the Republic and an imprable fortress for the State.


    Even when all other eastern fronts were attacked, it was never possible to obtain Castle Rock, and historically, Castle Rock became a symbol of sorts.


    ¡®If we pierce¡­¡¯


    On the contrary¡­


    ¡®If they don¡¯t go through¡­¡¯


    That was the kind of situation that always revolved around Castle Rock. Of course, I couldn¡¯t dismiss it as a simple symbol.


    Still, Castle Rock was one of the crucial strongholds between the State and the Republic, and the benefits of obtaining the ce were beyond words. That was why the named ones settled to protect Castle Rock when troops had been pushed into the Eastern Front.


    Three out of the Eight Seats of the State always stood to protect the small castle.


    That wasn¡¯t all. The main troops the State was proud of alsoid coiled within Castle Rock. Naturally, the quality and quantity of the forces invested in other regions gave rtively more investment than focusing all of them on one side.


    Castle Rock had be harder, but less critical areas had indeed be softer as a result.


    The way he saw them wasn¡¯t big but rtively invisible. We had cut off supplies to Castle Rock and reinforcementsing from other regions.


    Other than the eastern front, we scored points and even gave out some of the areas.


    One could be seen as a small amount, but collectively, it was by no means a negligible number. It was clear that the opposite side would think the same thing, but I felt I had no choice but to follow the Republic¡¯s intentions.


    They knew that when Castle Rock became open to them, Lindel would be next, and then the capital. I knew that this condition would persist unless there were other


    ¡®Right. Unless there were other


    However, when I had recently recalled the state of Eberia, I had no choice but to bite my lips tightly. It was because no letter came after the full-scale battle had begun.


    There was no news, so our main unit also sent a separate reconnaissance team.


    Of course, I knew that this was an overreaction.


    It was hard tomunicate with each situation in a ce where themunication system hasn¡¯t been properly developed yet. There were only reports on each area¡¯s overall condition, but I thought it couldn¡¯t be helped because of the distance.


    ¡®The correspondents may have been caught. Or maybe it¡¯s because I really couldn¡¯t afford it. Regardless, there won¡¯t be anything special.¡¯


    I hoped there was nothing special about it. My anxiety still rose, though.


    As I shook my head once more and looked next to me, I could see a man with the same expression as myself.


    Upon seeing the man, I immediately noticed the unknown emotions that were smeared all over his face. I knew I had tofort him.


    ¡°Y-You don¡¯t need to worry, sir. Even if he is on the Eberian front, nothing will change.¡±


    I had been telling myself the same thing.


    ¡°I¡¯m not worried, Katya.¡±


    ¡°You have such a dark expression, Jin Qing. The Operations Department believes that the Eberian front will not be easily pierced. I think the same. Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung is just a scammer. He¡¯s someone who can¡¯t do anything but deceive and agitate, wasn¡¯t that what you said? Of course, I expect that it could be a little more but my sister will never fall out of the way.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I know. I try to think so.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m also¡­ worried. If I say I¡¯m not, it would be a lie. In fact, that¡¯s why I tried to stop her. Still, maybe! Maybe! She must have known your will as well. She also understood because she decided on her own. Trust her and wait for the results. She will surely give you good news.¡±


    ¡°Of course she would. Katya, are you okay?¡±


    ¡°I am okay. I believe she¡¯ll be able to get through this.¡±


    Honestly, uneasiness had started to arise from within me.


    However¡­


    ¡®She will be able to persevere.¡¯


    I knew her better than anyone else.


    It was difficult to say that the walls would be prated in a short period of time due to the structure of the military. The ratio of priests was high, and it was the wall where the Senior Bishop was located.


    She was soft-hearted and couldn¡¯t work hard, but considering that sister was also a better person than anyone else, and it was absurd to think that she would get defeated that easily.


    At that point, I felt agitated.


    Even at that time, battles continued to be waged on several fronts.


    The Eberian front shouldn¡¯t be treated as if it was special. Everyone was struggling just as much. I thought I had to watch the situation as calmly and objectively as possible.


    ¡®The role of the Eberian front is only to save time. Right now, it¡¯s better to focus a little more on the Eastern Front.¡¯


    The western front had requested more wizards, and the northern front also needed more priests.


    Although the supply unit had been running smoothly, it was still difficult to control all fronts. Every day, countless numbers of troops were dying.


    The Eberian front, which had been quiet so far, had only just joined the battle.


    Just as I wasing into an agreement with myself, the door suddenly opened, and a member of the Operations Department entered.


    ¡°General.¡±


    ¡°You can talk.¡±


    ¡°E-Eberia¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°The Eberian front copsed. T-The exact amount of damage has not beenpiled at this time, but the news is that most of the troops appear to have been held captive, and the enemy is currently preparing to advance towards Castle Rock.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°W-What?¡±


    ¡°I-It¡¯s exactly as I said, Katya.¡±


    ¡°H-how? But not much time has passed?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know the details. All of the retreating troops also seem to be tied up¡­ R-really¡­¡±


    ¡°Nonsense. No way! Something must have gone wrong!¡±


    Instantly, negative thoughts filled my head.


    From the enemy¡¯s point of view, this was a siege. Although the wall had been built with magic in a short period, it still wouldn¡¯t copse easily.


    If I considered our troops¡¯ size and quality, there was no way they could¡¯ve proceeded like roasting beans in a lightning fire.


    ¡°The battle concluded that quick? No way. There has to be some form of error. Where are the people who brought the news? Where are the reconnaissance units that have returned?¡±


    ¡°Now¡­¡±


    ¡°Tell them toe- no, I¡¯ll go to them directly. I¡¯ll check for myself what exactly they¡¯ve seen to make theme up with that nonsense.¡±


    ¡°Katya!¡±


    I pushed past in a hurry. I could see the faces of the startled soldiers, but I couldn¡¯t find it in me to care.


    As I moved to the ce where the reconnaissance team was waiting, I noticed arge crowd had formed around it.


    ¡°Where are the rangers? I have to listen to it myself.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯te closer, Katya.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?!¡±


    ¡°We are currently investigating an item sent from the Eberian front. You have to wait. It could be dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Step aside! Right Now!¡±


    ¡°It could be an artifact with a curse. For now¡­¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll check it myself.¡±


    Everything felt hectic. Negative thoughts kept entering my head. My hands were shaking, and I couldn¡¯t seem to make rational judgments.


    It was then that someone quietly came next to me. As I turned my head, I saw Jin Qing, who had been in the room a while ago. I began to hear a familiar voice, effectively calming me down a little.


    ¡°If it¡¯s an artifact, I¡¯ll check it. That¡¯s an order. Please step back.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°I said it was an order.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Okay.¡±


    Rangers and wizards who could dismantle the trap retreated in an instant. What came into sight was a letter in an envelope and an unknown device in a long stick shape.


    ¡°General, this is¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not the kind of artifact that can cause harm. It¡¯s probably the Goddess¡¯s Mirror, a magic hologram device, and it has a structure that seems to discard itself automatically once its use has been executed. I see no other traps or magical effects to it. You can rest assured.¡±


    ¡°I see. If that¡¯s a magic hologram, wouldn¡¯t it be possible for us to use it?¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s impossible because there is no control tower to transmit video. All we can do is ept one-sided information. Are you sure this is from the Eberian front?¡±


    ¡°Yes. To be precise, it was attached to the leg of our carrying pigeon. Judging by the circumstances, it¡¯s probably a letter from Eberia¡­¡±


    ¡°Probably a message. If you put in a little magic power and immediately¡­¡±


    That was when the general slowly put magic power into the device.


    A translucent membrane began to rise above the bar. The image of Yev Karina, my sister, sitting on a bed could be seen.


    Soon, an unfamiliar voice began to echo from it.


    -Ahhh. Can you see it? I¡¯m going to start now.¡±


    It was a spectacle to see him sit down while slowly moving to the side. With her head down, the guy tapped on her shoulder jokingly.


    -I hope it arrives safely. Ah¡­ First of all, I think it¡¯s only right for you to introduce yourself. Right? Could you briefly introduce yourself?


    -33 years old¡­ Yev¡­ This is Karina.


    Her head had begun to turn pale.

 Chapter 387: The Winner Doesn’t Pay The Price (4)

    <h4>Chapter 387: The Winner Doesn¡¯t Pay The Price (4)</h4>


    No other expression came to mind. I felt like my mind was turning nk.


    I couldn¡¯t even breathe properly. I couldn¡¯t believe what I was seeing through the magic hologram.


    The person on the screen was definitely my sister.


    Not only was she bowing her head, but she was also trembling. Seeing her shedding tears was unexinable. Naturally, I didn¡¯t understand what was going on.


    Less than a day had passed, and yet the Eberian front had already beenpletely ruined. And that damn son of a bitch was patting my sister¡¯s shoulder.


    It would be natural for some questions to arise.


    ¡®This is a maniption.¡¯


    It was all manipted content, but perhaps I only thought of it that way because I didn¡¯t want to face reality.


    However, I couldn¡¯t think of anything else in a situation where I couldn¡¯t understand anything. I had to believe that the scene I was witnessing right now was a lie and that it had all been fabricated.


    A quiet voice then began to erupt from the screen.


    -Thank you for introducing yourself, Yev Karina. Still, it seems to be a little insufficient. It would be nice if there were a way to prove that you are really who you say you are a bit more clearly. Let me ask you some questions. What do you usually do in your spare time?


    -I¡­ read.


    -That¡¯s a little unexpected. How long have you been here?


    -7 years.


    -What is your favorite food?


    -Stew.


    -Hmm. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s enough, but at this level, they¡¯ll at least know this isn¡¯t being manipted. I would like to have more time like this for those who still have doubts, but unfortunately, we don¡¯t have time, so I think it would be better to finish as quickly as possible. Oh, my name is Lee Kiyoung, 26 years old. I am the messenger of God. My hobby is studying theology, and my specialty is to pray. Everyone probably knows my face, right? Yev Karina?


    -Yes. That¡¯s right.


    -Ooh. I don¡¯t know how many people are watching this. From now on, the scenes you will see through the Goddess¡¯ Mirror might be a little provocative. If you¡¯re not ready, it¡¯s better not to look at it. This is a message to demon summoner Jin Qing, not to others. And I¡¯m just saying this, but it would be better if you don¡¯t try to duplicate or export the footage illegally. You know that permission is needed to transmit from our control tower anyway. Trying to y a joke on the magic hologram would be meaningless. This artifact is for single-use as well. Now, I¡¯m counting to 10, after which I¡¯ll go straight to the point. As I just said, the scenes you¡¯ll see from now on might be too provocative. Now! Yev Karina should get up and get ready.


    In an instant, negative thoughts began to pass by in my mind. Before I could say anything, the voice of General Jin Qing was heard.


    -Ten! Nine! Eight! Seven!


    ¡°I want others to leave. This is also an order.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°I have to check it myself, sir. No, I have to¡­ see it with my own eyes. Please. Please let me stay. Please.¡±


    ¡°Will you be okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    I felt nervous, but I had no choice but to witness what¡¯s about toe. It was something I had to watch and endure.


    -One. Now! Let¡¯s talk in earnest.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    -Yev Karina, please sit again. Haha. Were you startled just now? Hey. I don¡¯t know if you thought I was about to do something weird to Yev Karina, but if you really thought so, you¡¯ve been fooled. Even if I look otherwise, I am someone who was chosen by God. I¡¯m avoiding immorality as much as possible. There will be no harm done to Yev Karina. Yes. Absolutely.


    -¡­


    -However, I hope that only Jin Qing is watching this magical hologram. It wouldn¡¯t be beneficial for anyone if many people were to see it. That¡¯s like finding multiple people reading a secret love letter of yours. Well, it doesn¡¯t matter at all if you watch it with your friends in the Republic, but I rmend that you watch it alone if possible. You¡¯ll understand what I¡¯m talking about soon enough. Yes. It¡¯s precisely what you¡¯re thinking. It¡¯s just a little, but it¡¯s true that I¡¯m bluffing.


    -¡­


    -I hate getting caught in useless gossips, so I put on my own safety device. I¡¯d like to point out that even if this video spreads all over the continent, I won¡¯t lose much.


    ¡°Crazy bastard¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    It made me angry, but he was still right.


    Even if the video were to spread all over the continent, it wouldn¡¯t be able to shake the entire public opinion about what was currently going on.


    -Now, then. Why did I suddenly take a video like this and send it to our demon summoner? There are two main reasons. If I dig into the details, there will be a little more, but first, I¡¯ll talk about those two. The first is because I want to tell you that Yev Karina is in my hands. Isn¡¯t it?


    -Yes.


    -I¡¯m so grateful. Yev Karina has decided to join our Holy Allied Forces. She decided to repent for her past as the demon¡¯s servant and is now fighting for the light, didn¡¯t you?


    -Yes.


    -Yev Karina seems to have been taking care of you for quite a while. While having a good time with me, things like Jin Qing seem to have been erased from her mind, but apart from that, I am also worried that I have stolen the General¡¯s girlfriend. Of course, this is a joke. Don¡¯t take it too seriously. The important thing is that she currently got on board with me, so I hope you know that. Now. Yev Karina, please let them know about your future aspirations as well.


    -¡­


    -What are you doing? You have to reveal your future aspirations.


    -I, I¡­


    -Yes, yes?


    -I repented for my past mistakes of living as a servant of t-thest demon, and I¡­ was reborn¡­ with the heavenly blessing of the Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung. N-Now I will never stand on the dark side again and will do my best to take the lead of the light side and drive out the power of the demon.


    -A little more firmly!


    -I-I have been reborn as a light. I will now take the lead in saving the Republic¡¯s evil forces, taking Goddess Benignore¡¯s side!


    She didn¡¯t mean it. I could notice that much just by listening to her voice.


    When I turned my head carefully, I could see Jin Qing nodding as if he was thinking the same.


    -You did very well, our Yev Karina. Very well. It may be difficult to understand, but it has be like this. I¡¯m sure you¡¯lle to terms with what I¡¯m saying. Now with the first subject done, time to proceed to the next. In fact, the reason I mentioned it earlier is to match the assortment. Personally, I also wanted to show off my skills. When sending this kind of message, doesn¡¯t it seem a little too strange if there¡¯s only one reason? So I was forced to make this feature, as well as to drive you nuts.


    -¡­


    -Of course, the real reason is that this is a deration of war. The Republic also dered war on the State, so I think it¡¯s only right to answer that. However, it¡¯s more of a warning. Our allied forces will be targetting the heart of the Republic from now on. Together with the other races currently here, I will advance directly to the Republic¡¯s capital.


    ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous¡­¡±


    -You might think it¡¯s ridiculous. I think so, too. But what can I do? For me, it is you who can end the war the fastest. I want to exclude useless sacrifices as much as possible. All of them are workers who have worked for God and for the State, so isn¡¯t it a waste to think about losing their lives this way? Hence, after working hard, I had to make that decision. But it¡¯s not impossible at all. It won¡¯t take any more than 20 days for our army to stab the heart of the Republic. Yes. It¡¯s exactly 20 days. In the meantime, inevitable sacrifices will have to be made in Castle Rock, but if we think of it as a sacrifice for a more significant cause, then it can¡¯t be helped.


    The State couldn¡¯t possibly abandon Castle Rock. That was an issue that anyone who had studied military strategy must have already realized.


    -It¡¯s only natural for you not to believe me. You may be thinking it¡¯s a crazy idea and a ridiculous attempt, but I will repeat it one more time. I intend to go into the heart of the Republic. From here on out, I¡¯ll be turning the army to cross the eastern front right away. Perhaps, by the time you¡¯re done watching this video, we¡¯ll be ready to go.


    ¡°It¡¯s bluff.¡±


    -It¡¯s not a bluff.


    ¡°This is just deceit and bullsh*t. I know you, Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    -It¡¯s not deception. It¡¯s not bullsh*t.


    ¡°You are scared now. That¡¯s why you¡¯re talking about useless things. You know you¡¯re at a disadvantage like the chess game we yed at that time, so you bark like a frightened dog. Because you know that if you act with the standard tactics, you¡¯ll be pushed back. Do you think this childish psychological warfare can stop me? Does this war feel like a joke to you? This is not rock-paper-scissors. No one is shaken by the fact that you put out your rock, you scammer.¡±


    -I am not a scammer. Of course, you think it¡¯s hard to believe, demon summoner. But I will not bed. I do not yield. When we bump into each other, it should be you, not me, who have to step aside. I have told you that I am going to the capital of the Republic. You wille here. You will send troops to stop me. You will have no choice but to pull back the forces holding down Castle Rock.


    ¡°You will be the one to step aside.¡±


    -It¡¯s your job to step aside.


    ¡°I am not moving.¡±


    -I will not move.


    ¡°I know this is bullsh*t.¡±


    -I know you¡¯re nervous because you¡¯ve been beaten.


    ¡°It¡¯s because I didn¡¯t know you were a damn scammer!¡±


    -Just because you¡¯re smart doesn¡¯t mean you can¡¯t get backstabbed. The smarter you are, the more delicious your back is. I know it well because I have done it a lot.


    ¡°Lee Kiyoung, this motherfucker! Don¡¯t mess around! This filthy scammer trash!¡±


    -Just like this situation.


    ¡°What?¡±


    -I¡¯ve said everything I wanted to say. It would be better to stay away. In exactly 5 seconds, this little thing is going to explode. Did you think you could lower your guard just because you can use detection magic? You should know by now that some magic doesn¡¯t get caught by detection magic.


    ¡°Jin Qing!¡±


    ¡°Damn!¡±


    -Five!


    ¡°Right now!¡±


    -Four!


    ¡°I will cast defense magic!¡±


    -Three!


    ¡°¡­ ¡­!!!¡±


    -Two!


    ¡°Come this way!¡±


    -One!


    ¡°Katya!¡±


    -Baaaaaaaaannnggg!!! Oh, my! Oh, my! I saw everything. You just flinched. Jin Qing! Oops. Our Jin Qing is too naive! Puhahaha! You¡¯ve been tricked again. Puhhahahahaha!


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    -You¡¯ve been tricked again! Puhhahahahaha! Where in the world would there be magic that doesn¡¯t get caught by detection magic? Are you really a wizard? Pfff. Hahaha!


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    -And how much firepower would it have if it only had such a small catalyst? At best, it would break with a cracking sound. Puhahaha. I shouldn¡¯t do this, but Iughed when I thought of Jin Qing¡¯s face while flinching.


    ¡°This¡­! This bastard!¡±


    -Bye then! See you in the capital, General.


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you¡­ I¡¯ll kill you¡­ Son of a bitch.¡±


    -I pray that everything you want wille true. Well then. Oh! One more thing. Hmm¡­ You have been deceived again, Jin Qing.


    Baaaaannnngg!

 Chapter 388: Cheap Psychological Warfare (1)

    <h4>Chapter 388: Cheap Psychological Warfare (1)</h4>


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Cough! Cough! Cough! General! Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I haven¡¯t been damaged. It¡¯s just a simple trick. There is no damage. What about you?¡±


    ¡°Cough. Yes. I-I¡¯m fine, too.¡±


    The smoke caused us to cough nonstop until it had all dissipated.


    After the smoke had cleared up, the first thing that caught my eye was the soldier¡¯s distorted face. I kept staring at him unknowingly because of the look he had on him. I¡¯ve never seen him make such a face before.


    However, I had the feeling as he did.


    My hands shook uncontrobly. Of course, not all of my emotions were due to my wrath towards him.


    The reason for my anxietyid in my sister¡¯s current condition.


    ¡®Is she okay? She will be okay, right? No, she looked to be okay. She must be okay.¡¯


    She wouldn¡¯t possibly be hurt.


    Although she was showing herself to be very nervous, she seemed safe in the magic hologram.


    She was not being treated as a legitimate prisoner of war, but she didn¡¯t look like she was being tortured, at least.


    I was nervous, but it was also relieved. I just had to keep thinking that she was alive for now.


    A voice began to enter my ears as if someone had spotted my worried face.


    ¡°Yev Karina will be fine.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°He considers Yev Karina to be necessary, and he thinks that he will benefit from keeping her alive. He won¡¯t kill or harm her right away. I don¡¯t know why Yev Karina is working with him, but¡­¡±


    ¡°My sister is not that kind of person. I¡¯m sure he¡¯s got something on her.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I also trust Karina. I¡¯m sure of it.¡±


    As we talked, I could see people walking around the door while trying to scout the situation.


    I wanted to talk a little more about my sister, but we had to brief the Operation Department members first. I knew what the best thing to do here was. However, I couldn¡¯t help but feel a little sad.


    There was nothing about Yev Karina in the briefing of Jin Qing.


    The only emotion visible in my eyes was the anger I had against Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung. It wasn¡¯t unreasonable for me to be angry, but that was the first time I saw him so worked up and distraught.


    I couldn¡¯t find his usually calm and calcted appearance.


    He seemed to be maintaining hisposure on the outside, but it showed in his bodynguage. His breathing was subtle.


    It was a tiny difference, but it told me all I had to know. He was furious. Still, he was never the type to reveal his true feelings.


    Perhaps the emotion that he was feeling was more akin to betrayal.


    When he first heard the news about the State¡¯s Honorary Cardinal, the General looked as if he sympathized with him. His pride must have been seriously hurt as he realized his true identity and was confronted inappropriately.


    Of course, the same was true for the magic power hologram.


    It was strange not to get angry even if I were to think of it as a joke and deception from start to finish.


    The briefing continued despite the heavy atmosphere. They were only given short information, but they could already deduce a lot of details from it.


    He sighed again as the others nodded to show that they understood.


    ¡°Then¡­ if it¡¯s just as he said, Eberian troops are now heading to the capital of the Republic?¡±


    ¡°No. We can¡¯t be sure about anything just yet. We can¡¯t overlook the probability that the words a while ago are all deceptive. Personally, I think it¡¯s all a lie. Honorary Cardinal is just like a stray bullet. He¡¯s the one who intes and excites himself. If he¡¯s really heading to the capital of the Republic, he won¡¯t let us know in advance.¡±


    However, nothing changed. Everyone was still on edge. I was forced to listen to the General again.


    ¡®He has a point.¡¯


    Heading to the capital of the Republic was indeed a ridiculous remark no matter what one was to think. If I had been a member of the State¡¯s camp, I would have done my best to stop his n.


    It was impossible to advance to the capital before deciding whether to proceed or not.


    The forces of the Eberian Kingdom had not even crossed the front line yet.


    ¡®It¡¯s crazy.¡¯


    Even if they forcefully push and break through the frontlines, they would still lose too many troops.


    There was no way such an extreme decision was possible.


    ¡°Well, then, General. What did the video mean, then?¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s to cause confusion. It¡¯s all lies and deception. It¡¯s all just a maniptive performance, so to speak, like a clown in front of a camera.¡±


    ¡°A performance¡­¡±


    * * *


    ¡°So, it¡¯s all a show.¡±


    ¡°I am not sure what you¡¯re talking about, Yev Karina.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all acting, what you captured on the camera. None of those were the real you.¡±


    ¡°Do you even know me well enough to determine who the real me is? Nothing is as upsetting as pretending to know a stranger, Karina. Oh. Now I¡¯m pretty close to you to be a stranger. Hmm. Well, let¡¯s say you make sense, too.¡±


    ¡°The exaggerated expressions, gestures, and provocative expressions are all false. You exaggerate that you¡¯re going to throw a bold move and make him think you¡¯re actually going to act on that idea. Did you really need to do that?¡±


    ¡°Ooh. I know what you¡¯re talking about. Each animal has its own different way to survive. There aren¡¯t many beasts on Earth that growrger when scared. Humans always learn from nature.¡±


    ¡°It will all be revealed soon. No, there is no way the he will not notice.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that predators are fooled because they are stupid. It¡¯s not because they¡¯re stupid, Yev Karina. What appears to be obvious can work better than you think. It¡¯s a bit different, but if you ask people to choose between a beggar and someone with a nice suit to go out on a date with, a hundred out of a hundred will choose thetter. This is only natural. Animals often y with obvious tricks. Humans are also animals. Appearance and disguises are effective. Oh, and to put in a deal with such a disgusting expression. I¡¯m bald-faced, so the deal definitely won¡¯t happen. It¡¯s just your face that will be frowned upon.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I could see him smirking while stroking my hair. Momentarily, my whole body had goosebumps, but it was pretty hard to say anything else.


    The current situation was dark as there was nothing I could do except quietly bow my head.


    ¡®This person is not a stupid person.¡¯


    The more I thought about it, the more the idea felt genius in my mind.


    He was, by no means, a stupid person. Perhaps Jin Qing, who was watching the video, knew it better than me.


    Since he knew other people¡¯s minds better than anyone else, he was indeed well-informed. It was difficult to say that the magic hologram was just psychological warfare, no matter what.


    Every portion of the hologram had a part to y.


    From the beginning of the video, it was provocative and forced the watchers to concentrate.


    Treating me like an object, acting like a third-ss boss, all of his remarks were indeed a performance. Deceiving others with a light lie and making them aware that he could fool them at any time.


    He showed off his abilities and confused their minds with useless sophistry. The same was true for the exploding nk bullets and the tomfoolery before that.


    All the actions, speeches, and provocations that took ce were all for show.


    It was orchestrated to convey the words that he would go to the Republic¡¯s capital. It felt so strange that it made it seem like there was no room for thought.


    ¡®He¡¯s like a nk bomb.¡¯


    I thought that there couldn¡¯t be any better expression than that since it felt like an understatement topare him to a mere nk bullet.


    No, he was the kind of person to hide actual bullets among false ones.


    ¡®Jin Qing must know. He must be thinking that way.¡¯


    ¡°What are you going to do?¡±


    ¡°Well, I think you know the answer already. Honestly, I haven¡¯t decided yet. The purpose was to confuse rather than convey my intentions. In fact, you know the situation better than me, Yev Karina. I bet you know what I¡¯m thinking.¡±


    ¡°No. I¡­¡±


    ¡°You remember what I said, Yev Karina. I don¡¯t yield, and that¡¯s not a lie. I have already decided to go in and have notified them. All that¡¯s left is for them to decide how to respond.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I do not yield. It doesn¡¯t matter what they choose to do.¡±


    * * *


    ¡°Don¡¯t be shaken. He is not like a soldier or a policeman. He is a scammer, a copycat, and someone who knows nothing but deceiving others.¡±


    I thought he wasn¡¯t such a disparaging opponent. However, looking at the frowning Jin Qing, there was a bad taste left in my mouth.


    ¡®He doesn¡¯t want to admit it.¡¯


    I had to think that my spection was correct.


    I, of course, didn¡¯t think he was off guard or underestimated him. He wasn¡¯t that kind of person.


    ¡°Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung knows better than anyone that his situation isn¡¯t advantageous to him. I don¡¯t know if he¡¯s familiar with Castle Rock¡¯s current situation, but the whole context exins it. Sending me that magical hologram would also be an act to hide his anxiety.¡±


    ¡°In that case, Lee Kiyoung, what he¡¯s aiming for is probably¡­¡±


    ¡°The division of forces. Confusion on themand group. What he wants most is for us to take back the forces currently preparing to attack Castle Rock. He will be waiting for us to take action in any way.¡±


    ¡°But, General, it is not necessarily impossible for them to head to the capital of the Republic. Perhaps he¡¯s drawing a picture of going to the Republic through Laios¡­¡±


    ¡°It must have been said with that in mind. This is amon technique. If he didn¡¯t have a way to head to our capital, he wouldn¡¯t have sent a video like that. It would be correct to think that he said it because it¡¯s actually possible. I understand that this is a remark that was made with the Mercenary Queen staying at Laios in mind.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°He cannot possibly abandon Castle Rock.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°He must have thought so. No, he will abandon Castle Rock and will eventuallye this way.¡±


    ¡°General, that means¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­ If it had been the previous me, I would have thought that it¡¯s a simple, deceptive tactic and that his words aren¡¯t worth listening to.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung will be heading to the capital. I¡¯m sure of it.¡±


    * * *


    ¡°Then¡­¡±


    ¡°You already know the answer, Yev Karina. Why do you keep asking? We are going to the capital. I will abandon Castle Rock.¡±


    ¡°Are you¡­ Serious?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ am I? Am I lying?¡±

 Chapter 389: Cheap Psychological Warfare (2)

    <h4>Chapter 389: Cheap Psychological Warfare (2)</h4>


    ¡°Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung will head to the capital. I¡¯m sure of it.¡±


    ¡°Do you think that¡¯s possible?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a scammer, but he is also quite bold. It¡¯ll be easy to understand if I were to say that he is someone who knows when to roll the dice. He will probably cross the Dawan Front and join the Red Mercenary staying in Laios. If he¡¯s lucky, he¡¯s nning to enter the heart of the Republic with the Mercenary Queen. Considering the supplies remaining in Laios, he may have calcted that they can reach the capital. It will be touch-and-go, though.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s certainly not impossible at all, but it¡¯s hard for us to understand that he¡¯s telling us his n ahead of time.¡±


    ¡°I think he probably knows about it.¡±


    ¡°What¡­?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s aware that we¡¯re benefitting from other fronts while using Castle Rock as bait. That¡¯s why he wants us to remove the troops from Castle Rock. The purpose of his performance that seemed meaningless is to give Castle Rock room to breathe even a little. I think we can be happy about this. It¡¯s like telling us that Castle Rock is in such a bad condition that he needs to do something useless.


    ¡°Then, Jin Qing¡­¡±


    ¡°The main forces will remain at Castle Rock. Rather than letting the enemies move as they want, we have to tie them up so tight they wouldn¡¯t be able to breathe. Of course, after dying the enemy¡¯s advance by organizing a minimum number of troops, we will make them use up supplies as much as possible, and we will defeat their troops with no retreat. It¡¯s going to take some time, but there will be plenty.¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s a standard procedure.¡¯


    That was a textbook tactic, keeping the pressure on Castle Rock and going straight into the battle.


    Enemy troops would head to the capital, but if some of the capital¡¯s forces could be detached, it would be possible to dy the advance.


    The bogged down enemies would consume supplies and would slowly be isted and dry out. It was reasonable enough to give it some more consideration.


    However, the n was not without risk at all.


    ¡®What if the enemies don¡¯t head to the capital?¡¯


    If Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung and his troops didn¡¯t head to the capital, the Castle Rock Front¡¯s position might be a bit embarrassing.


    We hadn¡¯t talked about how we would divide our forces, but investing even just 1/5- no, even only 1/7 elsewhere could already pose some risks.


    We might just get fooled by the cheap psychological warfare they were employing upon us.


    However, Jin Qing¡¯s face remained unchanged. He was confident in his own judgment of the situation. He really thought that Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung was going to head to the capital.


    I had to speak, even if it was only to ease the anxiety in my mind.


    ¡°Jin Qing.¡±


    ¡°You may talk.¡±


    ¡°How many troops do you have in mind to send to the capital?¡±


    ¡°About 1/6 of the total force.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°They will also be supported with a considerable amount of supplies. The fight that will ur in the capital will be more prolonged than the fight that will ur within Castle Rock.¡±


    ¡°Er¡­ I don¡¯t doubt you, but if they don¡¯t head to the capital¡­¡±


    ¡°Even if they don¡¯t, we can still attack Castle Rock. If they head to the capital, we¡¯ll still be able to afford to do it. If we consider the power that is currently gathered in Castle Rock, it¡¯s possible.¡±


    ¡°How¡­¡±


    ¡®Can you be so sure?¡¯


    I had significant doubts about this, but I couldn¡¯t seem to voice them out.


    ¡°You are wondering how I can be so sure.¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, Jin Qing.¡±


    ¡°The answer is very simple.¡±


    ¡°And that is¡­?¡±


    ¡°I got a message. A very thankful message.¡±


    * * *


    ¡°You already know the answer, Yev Karina. Why do you keep asking? We are going to the capital. I will abandon Castle Rock.¡±


    ¡°Are you¡­ Serious?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ am I? Am I lying?¡±


    I could see a teasing expression on his face. Until now, I have never thought of myself as hot-tempered.


    I thought I was someone who could maintain myposure, but that was before I met Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung. There was something about him that could easily provoke my anger. Perhaps he was aware of that.


    As I turned my head and looked elsewhere, I could see him pulling his face even more.


    ¡°Hmm. The answer hasn¡¯t actually been decided on yet, Karina.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°To be precise, I couldn¡¯t find an answer until the video came out. It was literally just cheap psychological warfare, and I said that just in case. It is difficult to say that our current army is weak, but I want to conserve their power and win. Of course, we should avoid any meaningless casualties. Isn¡¯t everyone a worker who has stood up for us?¡±


    ¡°Are you saying that the video was just for that?¡±


    ¡°To be precise, yes. I wanted to see a reaction.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°I just wanted to see a reaction.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a stupid idea. Acting after seeing the reaction¡­¡±


    ¡°I know. I know. It¡¯s stupid to move our troops after the Republic on the Castle Rock front moves first. It¡¯s not about moving small squadrons, but rather about movingrge battalions of troops. It¡¯s silly to move two or three steps behind your opponent. That¡¯s not what I meant.¡±


    ¡°Is there any chance that in the artifact¡­?¡±


    ¡°There is no such thing as a wiretapping device. The good rtionship between the two of us would¡¯ve beenpletely discarded from that point onwards. If I had been able to peek from one ce to another in the first ce, I wouldn¡¯t have gone through this hassle. Hmm. I would like very much to have such a device.¡±


    ¡°If so¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re setting some expectations, but Yev Karina. What I want to try is not the reaction of the demon summoner. Yes. It was your reaction.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s hard for me to be sure. Smart people stay alert even if they are caught in a tiger¡¯s den, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I thought you would definitely try to send some message. And I was right. Now, let¡¯s watch the video. It would be better to rey the video you and I took. Finger. And your pupils.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Your finger. And your pupils and your legs.¡±


    -33 years old¡­ I¡¯m Yev¡­ Karina.


    ¡°Your finger here.¡±


    -It¡¯s a little unexpected. How long have you been here?


    -7 years.


    ¡°The little finger here, too.¡±


    -First, I want to tell you that Yev Karina is in my hand. Isn¡¯t it?


    ¡°The pupils here. Honestly, I don¡¯t know in detail. It¡¯s not like the Morse code, and I don¡¯t know what this code is¡­ well, that wouldn¡¯t matter. It¡¯s like a code and a signal only used by the Republic anyway. Or perhaps it¡¯s a demonic conversation that only works between demon summoners. For me, chosen by the light, I don¡¯t know what those signify. One thing is for certain. You are trying to send a message to the demon summoner.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a ridiculous delusion. If you¡¯re thinking about trying me out¡­ you made a mistake. I didn¡¯t send any messages.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. It might feel like that. Certainly, there is no difference from your usual behavior, and if I just let it go, one would think it to be normal. But, Yev Karina, my eyes are good. It¡¯s a little bit better than others, and I think my observational power is a bit better. I can see Yev Karina attempting to deliver messages to the demon. It looks like you still haven¡¯t been purified.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s a matter of checking whether it makes sense or not. Of course, it will take some time to interpret the codes you sent, but honestly, it feels like there¡¯s no need to interpret them. Oh! I think I know this part for sure. Fast forward a bit here.¡±


    -I am not a scammer. Of course, you think it¡¯s hard to believe, demon summoner. But I will not bend. I do not yield. When we bump into each other, it should be you, not me, who have to step aside. I have told you that I am going to the capital of the Republic. You wille here. You will send troops to stop me. You will have no choice but to pull back the forces holding down Castle Rock.


    ¡°A finger here, too. Shall we look back again?¡±


    -But I will not bend. I do not yield.


    ¡°You seem to be flinching a little, Yev Karina. Let¡¯s see look at it again.¡±


    -I do not yield.


    ¡°That¡¯s something I heard a lot. I remember saying the exact same thing to you. Actually, this sentence is part of the values ??that made me into who I am now. Didn¡¯t I tell you about it once or five times?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Getting someone to think of someone as someone else is harder than you think, Yev Karina. I had to do a useless show. I also had to show the appropriate behavior. Now, let¡¯s ask a question here, Yev Karina. What kind of person do you think I am? Hopefully, you think I¡¯m someone who doesn¡¯t yield just like what I instilled in your head¡ª Cough! Oh, excuse me. I¡¯ll repeat the video again.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Even though I have repeatedly shown you who I am, if the current message sent to the demon summoner is negative, wouldn¡¯t I feel a little sad?¡±


    -I do not yield.


    ¡°The finger movement you see here means that it could be possible. Or there is room to think about it. Or, Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung will head to the capital. Or, Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung is a person who does not yield. How is my delusion? Isn¡¯t it quite usible?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s wrong. Your thoughts are wrong. You¡¯re barking up the wrong tree.¡±


    ¡°No. I can¡¯t be wrong. I¡¯m not good at interpretations, but I¡¯m sure I¡¯m right. Even Jin Qing trash, who¡¯s so focused on the meeting, believes that I will head to the capital thanks to your message. Phew. Comradeship is good, right?¡±


    ¡°Believe whatever you want to believe, Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung. You are nitpicking over something useless now. To think that the main unit in Castle Rock is shaking just because I barely moved my finger is stupid. I didn¡¯t send a message to them, and¡­ it would be bad for you to move your troops based on nonsensical guesses. It¡¯s gambling.¡±


    ¡°Whew. I appreciate it, but I do not believe only in you, Yev Karina. I also believe in the demon summoner Jin Qing. I believe he would have caught the signal you sent in that short video and fully trust it. Undyingradeship! I also believe in that. Whew¡­¡±


    ¡°This is such ridiculous bullsh*t¡­¡±


    ¡°Only I can judge whether it¡¯s bullsh*t or not, Yev Karina. Now, then I¡¯ll ask you one more thing. Until now, I have repeatedly appealed and appealed to Yev Karina that I am the one who does not yield. Do you have any guesses on how I will move in this case? Will I advance to the capital without yielding, or am I going to do the opposite?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Am I a man of God who keeps my words, or am I a son of a bitch who turns his words and beliefs around and changes his attitude? ¡°


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°The answer is¡­ It¡¯s thetter. Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung is a fucking dog who habitually changes his attitude. I yield too, Yev Karina. Woof! Woof, woof! Woof! Puhahaha! Let¡¯s go! To Castle Rock!¡±


    ¡°¡­ ¡°


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to Castle Rock!! Woof! Woof! Woof!¡±


    ¡°Fucking¡­ dog.¡±


    ¡°Do you think that I am doing this because I want to do this? Humans are supposed to be forced to give up their faith sometimes, Yev Karina.¡±

 Chapter 390: The Power of Friendship, Love, and Faith (1)

    <h4>Chapter 390: The Power of Friendship, Love, and Faith (1)</h4>


    ¡°So, is the journey a littlefortable?¡±


    ¡°Fucking dog¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m offended by you condemning me like that. From my position, I have Are the prisoners still intact despite being betrayed? If I were really a psychopathic trash, I would have buried all the prisoners currently being held by allies alive. I wouldn¡¯t be dragging them to the battlefield like this.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell us that you will y a great role on the side of the light as well? Naturally, this isn¡¯t where your role ends. You made up your mind to work for the light, but you should do much, much more for us. You will continue to work hard in the future, so be sure to make up your mind firmly.¡±


    ¡°If you think that Jin Qing will be shaken from this, it is a mistake.¡±


    ¡°Is there any reason not to be shaken? He is a human, not God. Moreover, the gods can also be backstabbed. What makes you think he can endure it? Even smart people often make wrong judgments. Like you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to know.¡±


    ¡°It often happens when you trust others. A sessful businessman goes bankrupt after being backstabbed by a close friend or goes out of business due to a bad guarantee. That¡¯s usually the case when people who are unlikely to ever suffer from fraud sometimes copse. They believe in others too much. Neither socially sessful people nor people with special talents that are different from others are backstabbed for being stupid.¡±


    ¡°Jin Qing is¡­¡±


    ¡°It may be hard to believe, but there are about three people who absolutely believe in me. No, there are four. I look stupid, but I don¡¯t think that can be helped. I can affirm that if I¡¯m in Jin Qing¡¯s position and the ones I trust are taken prisoner; I¡¯ll still trust them. Of course, there will be several reasonable doubts, but even taking those into consideration¡­ I will want to believe.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s you, not me, that Jin Qing trusts, Yev Karina. Of course, he¡¯ll think of several ways of ??how I¡¯m going to move, but what he believes in is you. In that sense, this operation will be a significantly fun time. If¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°How do you think the Republic will judge this situation if we head to Castle Rock instead of heading to the capital? Will they simply think that he was backstabbed by the son of a bitch who can¡¯t keep his word? Or will he think that Yev Karina, who he believed in, was enlightened with light and was on board with me? Aren¡¯t you curious? If he believes in the hints you gave, he¡¯ll be truly shocked. He probably won¡¯t be able to tolerate it. Perhaps you¡¯ll be revered as the greatest backstabber in the history of the Republic. Yes. Absolutely.¡±


    ¡°¡­ ¡­¡±


    ¡°I know. Those with great character in the Republic can never me Yev Karina. Who would dare me someone like Yev Karina? I just keep talking because I am anxious and worried. Well, time will tell the results. Now! Let¡¯s go! The organization seems to have been finished to some extent, and now all that remains is moving.¡±


    ¡°Piece of sh*t¡­¡±


    ¡°It will be fun. Isn¡¯t it a prevalent clich¨¦ that light wins through the power of friendship and faith? Pfff!¡±


    * * *


    ¡®I received a message. A very thankful message.¡¯


    ¡®You mean a code? That¡¯s¡­¡¯


    ¡®This is a message from Yev Karina. Katya, you were right.¡¯


    ¡®W-when did my sister¡­¡¯


    ¡®Throughout the whole time the magic power hologram was in progress.¡¯


    ¡®I-I see. She did. It was like that.¡¯


    ¡®Yes. She is still fighting with us.¡¯


    When I recalled what I had just heard, I couldn¡¯t help but clench my fists. It was natural for me to be worried.


    Considering the current situation my sister was in, it wasn¡¯t enough to worry a hundred times.


    The Eberian front had copsed entirely, and Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung captured my sister.


    That just gave me more reason not to give up.


    ¡®She hasn¡¯t given up yet.¡¯


    Even in the worst possible circumstances, she was constantly looking for a way to fight.


    Even at that moment, when I remembered her sending the message and Jin Qin catching it, I couldn¡¯t help but nod. It was difficult to say that the contents of the interpreted message itself had a lot of information.


    All I heard was the size of the overall troops.


    The current situation on the Eberian front and the fact that Lee Kiyoung was more likely to go to the capital were all delivered. Since there was a limit to the amount of knowledge that could be conveyed in simple signnguage, the only information she could provide was at that level.


    Of course, this was a remarkable achievement considering that they had no information before that. The number of troops to be sent to the capital was also decided because of her message.


    The troops to detach and to remain were organized based on the Eberian front forces.


    It wasn¡¯t like Jin Qing to leave Castle Rock, the only troop that could respond if anything happened.


    Units reorganizing in the blink of an eye was enough to leave anyone jaw dropped. Even some of the Republic troops currently maintaining the eastern front had been borrowed, so there was no need to exin the extent of their capabilities.


    In summary, he arranged units that could respond immediately to the Eberian army while maintaining a force to guard against enemy attacks.


    Of course, there were risks involved in their formation.


    The troops maintaining the front and the prestigious Castle Rock had to be reduced little by little. We had to gamble on sending significant forces to the capital.


    Nevertheless, there was only one reason they were able to proceed with such a n.


    ¡®Because it¡¯s Jin Qing¡¯s judgment.¡¯


    Everyone trusted him that much. Jin Qing judged that they could survive with the troops that he left.


    If that was his decision, then all we had to do was follow. Until now, the Republic had been moving that way, and in fact, it had produced excellent results.


    All themanders believed in his judgment.


    Of course, there was no doubt about his skills, and in reality, the formation itself had turned out to be perfect.


    There was no noise either, but it wasn¡¯t due to distrust towards him, but rather towards others.


    ¡°The formation itself is so good that we cannot say anything. I was worried about the high proportion of summoners in the enemy troops, but I¡¯m sure enough you will keep their feet tied. The supplies we brought seems perfect. Hmm, I thought that the Dawan front side might lose a little power, but¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d then.¡±


    ¡°Of course, it doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t have any worries.¡±


    ¡°Is there anything I missed?¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯m not saying you missed something¡­ Hmm. Even though I am notfortable with saying this, but it should be worth thinking about this thought of mine at least once.¡±


    ¡°You can talk.¡±


    ¡°What¡­ I want to say is that¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I would like you to think that this is advice from an elder. The¡­ The Eberian Front copsed too easily, no matter how much I thought about it. I just can¡¯t understand how it happened. Considering the size of the Eberian troops delivered by Yev Karina, it makes no sense.¡±


    ¡°What do you want to say, Riot-nim?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I know that it is not polite to say this in the presence of Katya-nim, but I wonder if Yev Karina¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­ ¡­¡±


    ¡°I think you should also think about the possibility that Yev Karina is having other thoughts.¡±


    ¡°Riot-nim, are you saying that my sister betrayed us?!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mean that. But I think we shouldn¡¯t ignore the possibility itself. Considering the number of priests on the Eberian front, the size of the troops, and the walls¡¯ size, does it make sense that they were defeated in one day? Yev Karina said herself she would now stand on the side of the State¡­ I-I didn¡¯t see the magic hologram, but she seemed too well to be a simple prisoner.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s as if you wanted my sis, no, Yev Karina to have suffered.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean that, but we need to consider that as a factor. If we assume that the Eberian front was attacked with Yev Karina¡¯s influence, it exins why it was dominated so quickly. I wonder if she had wrong thoughts with the continuous propaganda of his enemies, which resulted in her making an extreme choice.¡±


    ¡°That is a ridiculous calumny. Jin Qing, that¡¯s not even worth hearing.¡±


    ¡°But you have to think about it at least once, sir. I hate to think of the situation this way, too, but you should also think about the possibility that she has turned her back on us.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ Do you really think my sister left me and passed over to the State?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to raise your voice, Katya! I was just talking about the situation as it is. Strictly speaking, the responsibility for the defeat rests with Yev Karina, the generalmander of the Eberian front. No matter how you think about it, you shouldn¡¯t think about it emotionally.¡±


    ¡°Say that again.¡±


    ¡°Stop.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Suddenly, the room grew silent.


    I had to bite my lips tightly at the remarks of the old man in front of me. It might be my imagination, but it was difficult to judge that there was no political intention in that statement.


    ¡®This old man is as sly as a fox.¡¯


    Everyone here knew that my sister was spending the most time with Jin Qing.


    Saying that she would turn her back on the Republic was absurd. She would rather die. There was no way she could do that.


    It was ridiculous even to say that the information provided by her code was false.


    Moreover, the suspicion that she had been betraying us due to the Eberian front¡¯s time must have been made with the post-war situation in mind.


    ¡®He dares talk about betrayal even though I am there?¡¯


    It was then that the Jin Qing¡¯s voice solemnly rang out.


    ¡°Katya and Riot are both right. It¡¯s worth thinking about it.¡±


    Unable to control myself, I identally raised my voice.


    ¡°Sir!¡±


    ¡°If there is a possibility, it¡¯s obvious that we should think about it. And I¡¯ll keep the possibility of Yev Karina¡¯s defection in mind. We are also making preparations if anything like happens. However, it is unlikely. Not because I have been with her for a long time. It is improbable that she would have turned her back on us even if we were to look at it rationally.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°She has no contact with the State. She would have neither motive nor time to betray the Republic. It is not yet known why the Eberian Front fell so quickly, but I can bet the reason is not because of her defection.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry, Riot. I also have all the possibilities open.¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry for saying something useless.¡±


    ¡°No. It was something worth considering.¡±


    He finished quietly, and there was no saying if he believed her unconditionally, but as I turned my head, I could see Jin Qing¡¯s face, all full of conviction.


    ¡®He trusts her.¡¯


    As he said before, he must have thought about several oues already. But basically, there was no change in the fact that he believed in my sister.


    The face he was showing told me everything I needed to know. I smiled.


    ¡®He believes.¡¯


    Perhaps my sister would repay that belief. Just as I was thinking about such thoughts, we received another report.


    ¡°Sir, the enemy forces are moving.¡±


    ¡°Where?¡±


    ¡°I think they r-really n to head to the capital.¡±


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    ¡°We will move right away.¡±

 Chapter 391: The Power of Friendship, Love, and Faith (2)

    <h4>Chapter 391: The Power of Friendship, Love, and Faith (2)</h4>


    ¡°We will move right away.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°The organized troops will leave as soon as possible. Perhaps we¡¯ll be able to arrive on time. The Siege of Castle Rock will also take ce exactly two hours after.¡±


    ¡°That means¡­¡±


    ¡°We will capture Castle Rock in three days.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°There is no need to be anxious. Even if there are them. I understand that this is a hard and exhausting time for everyone. Some of you must be having a headache and doubts about okay. We are strong. We won¡¯t be dragged down or forced to copse.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Arise. It¡¯s time to fight.¡±


    I was not the only one who felt that the atmosphere had changed a little.


    Unknown trust arose from Jin Qing¡¯s face as he talked. He was not saying anything significant.


    However, his face and attitude could cause a person to feel uplifted. I thought that it was probably because of the trust contained in his eyes.


    ¡®He¡¯s pretty trusting.¡¯


    Not only me, but all themanders present, and the troops who moved together, all felt their morale rising.


    It was okay to call it a form of confidence.


    It was the confidence in himself who had raised such an army and the confidence in the people he had chosen.


    In unison, the people started moving to follow Jin Qing, who got up first. I wanted to join the Siege of Castle Rock, but I was assigned on a different mission.


    ¡°Katya.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°If you see a bad situation, you should return to Castle Rock right away.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Okay, sir.¡±


    ¡°You should always think about all the possibilities.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°I believe you will do well. After the Castle Rock attack is over, I will return.¡±


    He tapped my shoulder, then immediately moved on.


    I have had many thoughts, but I didn¡¯t have time to think too deeply because there was not much time left before our departure.


    As soon as I got outside the meeting room, the voice that came right away was a bonus. We were already in a hurry to prepare for leaving.


    ¡°We will move right now. Move fast! Pack supplies, too! Are you ready yet?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°We have to get to the destination before the sun sets.¡±


    ¡°Are we ready to go?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I-it¡¯s almost finished. After thest check, we can leave right away.¡±


    As I nodded, I saw the army raising the g.


    As I stepped forward and got on the prepared horse, I heard a loud shout from where the other side¡¯s troops had been gathered.


    It must be the force entering the Siege of Castle Rock.


    ¡®We can win.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know how long the siege would take, but I could undoubtedly say Castle Rock itself was already at its limit.


    The supplies inside were running out.


    The same could be said about the magic power built into the wall and the soldiers¡¯ strength inside.


    Looking at the evident variables, it wasn¡¯t bullsh*t to consider it possible to attack within the day. Although we took a portion of the troops, the power left at Castle Rock proved to be more than enough.


    The infrastructure we had built up so far proved that.


    Regardless of whether it was the State or the Republic, one side would suffer significant damage from this battle.


    Perhaps it was a situation where we could see the end of the war. It was far too evident in terms of power that our forces had the advantage.


    However, it was inevitable for my steps to be sober.


    ¡®We have to win.¡¯


    It was a fight that we couldn¡¯t lose.


    We couldn¡¯t lose the battle at Castle Rock and fail to stop the Eberian army from advancing to the capital. We¡¯ve already expected many allies to lose their lives.


    ¡°Let¡¯s attack!¡±


    * * *


    ¡°I¡¯m curious if there¡¯s even a need to do this. If it goes wrong, not only Castle Rock but Dawan as well will be in danger.¡±


    ¡°Do you have to keepining like that? It¡¯s already spilled milk.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying this for nothing, Wi-ran. Castle Rock is definitely at its limit. It was only because Yuno Kasugano, me, and Park Yeon-joo were here that the castle made it through so much. It was the bnce that three out of Eight Seats of the State were keeping together. I admit that Lee Kiyoung is an outstanding person, but this a huge gamble. These women can¡¯t afford to hold anymore. They won¡¯t be able to keep the barrier up another day, no, two days. The same goes for the Dawan Front. But because you were there, it was pushed only that much¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop babbling. It¡¯s embarrassing for a man to keep doing that. Do you think we don¡¯t know it¡¯s a gamble? I¡¯m doing this because it is the only thing that can reverse the current situation. The Dawan Front had already copsed anyway. I know best since I was there. It felt like a waste to invest troops¡­ Sons of bitches¡­¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, but? I regret getting on board with you whenever you¡¯re babbling like this.¡±


    ¡°Same here.¡±


    ¡°Honestly, you also doubt the ability of the Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°The results are telling us otherwise. Things are moving the way Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung wants, plus the fact that he took you out of Castle Rock. It¡¯s also true that we are currently entering Laios. It was because of something like a pheromone potion he gave that made Mercenary Queen calm down. Even if we are also part of the State¡¯s Eight Seats, it¡¯s 100 times better to think and move like them than to work our asses off running away and enduring. More than anything¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Who knew the Republic¡¯s troops would move, too? Have you ever imagined something like this?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m feeling nervous.¡±


    ¡°Well. I don¡¯t know what happened, but the Republic¡¯s priests seem to be loyal to the Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung. It¡¯s understandable for the priests to be scared as the opponent is said to be a demon summoner.¡±


    ¡°Is he?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry too much. We only have to do what we are ordered to do. You have enough magic power left, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fortunate. I was worried that you might have run out of it in Castle Rock. I guess you saved some power for the final resistance? You¡¯re still the same.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take that as apliment.¡±


    I had to nod quietly. Wi-ran was indeed right.


    It was Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung, one of the Eight Seats of the State, who had found the way out when we were all driven to a corner.


    If he had not appeared, we would not have been able to wage war on equal grounds.


    ¡®Competent bastard.¡¯


    He was the kind of person I would hate to have as an enemy.


    I had felt that way since I first saw him, but the more I knew about him, the more I felt like that about him.


    It was not because of his character but because of his meticulousness and boldness.


    He dominated the Eberian front in a day, and his power to turn the Republic¡¯s priests into allies was disconcerting. It was unbelievable that it only took him a few words to change the flow of the war.


    ¡®It¡¯s understandable that Cha Hee-ra is so hung up on him.¡¯


    When I heard rumors that the Mercenary Queen had begun hanging out with a neer who had just entered the ce, I also thought it was bullsh*t.


    I thought she had simply found a new toy.


    I naturally forgot about it. After some time, I had forgotten entirely about the Mercenary Queen¡¯s Gigolo.


    Not long after that, he got a position in the State¡¯s Eight Seats.


    ¡®He¡¯s not ordinary.¡¯


    I knew that a dragon chose him. I knew that he was an excellent alchemist.


    Other than that, everything was ordinary. It would have felt credible if the wizard, who was with him, had been in the same Eight Seats.


    His body¡¯s strength was indeed the weakest.


    He had strong fellows around him, but he was far from being powerful no matter how I thought about it.


    I thought that the Vatican and the emperor had some sort of influence, so of course, I questioned the decision and actually opposed it.


    However, after opening the lid, my jaw dropped. His achievements were beyond words.


    I couldn¡¯t even list everything that he had done.


    He had quickly turned the Empire into a State and became the Honorary Cardinal of the State.


    Afterward, he epted the half-circumvented the foreigners into themunity called State and came up with a policy for the foreigners.


    In other words, all the politics andw for privileges were all just for himself.


    It was around that time that my anxiety about him arose. It didn¡¯t mean I had be hostile or disliked him. What sprang up had been a touch of uneasiness.


    I came to realize that he was an outstanding person.


    ¡®He¡¯s not like an apostle of God.¡¯


    He was not as holy or divine as he was propagating in the State. Instead, it was the opposite. He moved thoroughly for his own gain and for those around him. He did everything he could to take advantage of all the circumstances in front of him and survive.


    I evaluated Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung to be evil.


    Of course, I felt dubious, but I was even more convinced after I left Castle Rock.


    There was an exit small enough for only one person to pass. It was the only entrance to the nowpletely copsed ck market.


    It was a secret passage known only to officials. That was the reason why I was able to get out of Castle Rock.


    Thinking about it again, it was a funny situation.


    The fact that he knew such a secret doorway was no different than the fact that the Honorary Cardinal of the State, who had been admired by everyone, was the owner of the ck market.


    As I moved slowly, a familiar face slowly came into sight.


    ¡°Commander of the Eberian front. Have we ever met before? Oh,e to think of it, I heard about you from the Honorary Cardinal. Is it Yev Karina? I guess that was you.¡±


    ¡°And you¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you know me?¡±


    ¡°N¡­ Now I see what he meant. I see it now. W-why are you here? You should be at Castle Rock at this point¡­ No, you have to be in Castle Rock.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I ask you first if you know me?¡±


    ¡°Damn¡­ F-Fucking dog¡­ fucking dog! He said that he definitely wouldn¡¯t¡¯ touch the prisoners!¡±


    ¡°I will ask you again. Didn¡¯t I ask if you know me?¡±


    ¡°One of the Eight Seats of the State¡­ Mist Summoner Cheon Gwan-wi.¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡±


    ¡°What¡­ What are you trying to do?¡±


    ¡°Well. I just obey orders. I don¡¯t feel good about doing this. I just want you to know that it couldn¡¯t be helped because this is a war.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    After being bitten by a dog, there¡¯s nothing one can do, even if I think about it.

 Chapter 392: The Power of Friendship, Love, and Faith (3)

    <h4>Chapter 392: The Power of Friendship, Love, and Faith (3)</h4>


    ¡°There¡¯s too much fog.¡±


    ¡°How about taking a break before moving again, Katya? This area is extremely foggy at dawn, so there is a possibility that enemies will ambush us, even more so if we can¡¯t see anything. Moreover, the soldiers are also exhausted¡­¡±


    ¡°No. We will continue to march. However, we will slow down a little. It¡¯s already gettingte. Has it been confirmed in which direction the Eberian forces moved?¡±


    ¡°The reconnaissance unit is checking, but it¡¯s still in the air. There have been reports ofrge troops passing through Laios, but after the fog entered¡­¡±


    ¡°So, they¡¯re really heading towards the Republic.¡±


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°What about the Castle Rock front?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t received any letters yet.¡±


    ¡°We have to wait for good news toe. How about the other units?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the same. Currently, the retreat route and supply routes are being cut off due to the fact that the enemy¡¯s military force and exact location are not known. There is also information about dragon sightings.¡±


    ¡°A dragon¡­¡±


    I adjusted the sword on my waist.


    ¡®It¡¯s too quiet.¡¯


    The whole situation felt like it was being designed just as how I wanted it to be.


    Although the ground we had to cover was wide, we managed to surround the enemy troops, and it seemed that they were actually feeling the pressure. Not only was their supply line cut, but the reinforcement forces also had no holes to enter from.


    Troops deployed little by little from all over the eastern front strangled the enemy and kept their surroundings in check, so it was impossible for them to breathe.


    The only thing the enemy could do was to move forward.


    ¡®Because their retreat is blocked.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t because of the fog.


    However, it had been so quiet that this forest, entirely covered with silence, was enough to make me feel strange anxiety.


    It was convincing enough that the troops were roaming this area. No, it was obvious that it was to get rid of the soldiers that were pursuing them as much as possible.


    With few traces left behind andbined with the fog, this ce was the best ce for them to hide.


    However, that was all. It was only about buying some time when I thought about their inability to break through the tight siege.


    I had the possibility of guerri warfare in mind, but I couldn¡¯t even find any signs of attempting to fight or reconnaissance.


    ¡®Strange.¡¯


    If I were to think about the hand that the enemy had, the fact that they moved like that was unfounded.


    ¡°Let¡¯s stop for a moment.¡±


    At that moment, a negative thought passed through my mind.


    ¡®No. The enemy is here.¡¯


    Information was constantlying in that traces of small forces had been discovered.


    ¡°Is there anything bothering you?¡±


    ¡°Where is the closest ally?¡±


    ¡°It is confirmed that there is a troop led by Choon-wi in the vicinity. I know they areing from the southwest, but¡­¡±


    ¡°I think it would be nice if they join together with us. No, we better wait for them here. We will set up a camp. Let the soldiers rest. It¡¯s just five hours.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I ry your orders.¡±


    ¡°Send reconnaissance troops around. If they see any unusual signs of activities, they are to report it right away.¡±


    ¡°I knew it. You¡¯re being bothered by something¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. I am. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s my imagination, but it seems that the concentration of magic here is a little too high. Is this area always infested with such a thick fog?¡±


    ¡°Yes, this is normal. Not as much as today, but you can think of it as normal.¡±


    ¡®Strange.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t just my imagination¡ªthe feeling of something prickling all over my body. When I took a deep breath, thick air woulde in, causing me to feel dizzy.


    Unpleasantness from no apparent reason flowed. It was not because of the damp ground or air.


    Looking around, I noticed the others were in a simr situation.


    I thought it was just because of the tension, but my body kept sending out signals that it was ufortable.


    ¡®Damn.¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s annoying.¡±


    My voice had protruded without even knowing it. I felt even more surprised after I spat it out of my mouth.


    That was when a noisy sound started toe from behind. However, I didn¡¯t really care. I was used to such a fuss now.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°It looks like a monster has appeared.¡±


    ¡°Is it the eighth already?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I know that the monsters in this area are rtively docile¡­ Handle- no, I¡¯ll take a look at it myself.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to.¡±


    ¡°No. I want to check it with my own eyes.¡±


    I moved swiftly towards themotion.


    After reaching the rear ranks, I immediately saw people surrounding the monster.


    Of course, what stood out more than the group was the intermediate, fairlyrge-sized monster.


    Its red eyes looked to be drowning in rage. Although it repeatedly screamed and resisted, it couldn¡¯t fight arge number of humans.


    It was up against no ordinary humans, after all. It was fighting a squad of elites.


    It was only natural for a monster to sumb when faced with such powerful forces. Just as I was about to take out my sword, I heard a voice addressing me.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to do that. I will take care of it myself.¡±


    I turned to follow the sound and saw the lieutenant approaching themotion.


    However, more crimson-colored eyes came into view. It was not just them. Little by little, everyone¡¯s eyes were bing bloodshot.


    ¡®Something¡¯s wrong.¡¯


    I could feel it.


    Until now, I hadn¡¯t been able to detect it properly, but the more I looked around, the more I saw strange urrences. Lost in my own thoughts, the monster screamed.


    ¡°Lieutenant.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°Investigate the monster you¡¯ve caught. Afterward, if you see other monsters, capture them immediately as well. Investigate what kind of magic or curse they¡¯re being affected by. Check if any soldiers are experiencing physical or mental problems. Check all the water and food supplies that we have.¡±


    ¡°There are no signs of magic or curse. Both water and food supplies are normal as well¡­¡±


    ¡°Alchemy. Does your unit have any wizard with alchemy knowledge? It doesn¡¯t matter who they are. Make them analyze the monster as quickly as possible.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir. I¡¯ll let them know immediately.¡±


    ¡®Something¡¯s not right.¡¯


    There had been some subtle body changes on the troops.


    Of course, they hadn¡¯t been greatly affected yet, but whatever it was, it wasn¡¯t the kind that could beughed off.


    The moment I realized that Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung had an in-depth knowledge of alchemy, my anxiety began to amplify. I felt like we¡¯ve walked into a trap.


    It could easily be if I assumed that the enemy forces set up a trap aiming at squads that woulde from the main unit. However, I couldn¡¯t think entirely like that.


    ¡®Is he throwing Castle Rock away to get us?¡¯


    Currently, it was safe to say that the enemies were all moving in a hurry.


    The Siege of Castle Rock had already begun a long time ago, and they already knew that the main unit would head to the capital after the siege.


    It was the perfect time to fight.


    To keep the grounds equal, they had to deliver a blow against the Republic. It wasn¡¯t the enemy¡¯s main force, but it was our task to stall for time with the iing troops.


    They knew better than anyone else that the more time it took, the more disadvantageous their situation became.


    The enemy¡¯s actions in the forest seemed to wish for us to remain in it. It felt more like they were trying to hold down the Republic¡¯s troops.


    ¡®There are a lot of numbers to call it a bait force.¡¯


    It was quiterge in scale as well.


    I would only be exaggerating a little bit if I said it had the scale to affect the entire main unit.


    It was even more probable to be a bait force if I were to think about the selection¡¯s splendor.


    Although the exact number had not yet been determined, it merely wasn¡¯t profitable for their side to use such forcesrge enough to be used in siege warfare, to tie up several squads¡¯ feet.


    ¡®What the hell is your intention? Why¡­¡¯


    ¡°Er¡­ Katya.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    Just as the wizard was about to continue talking, a hole was pierced into her forehead.


    ¡°Er¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Prepare to fight!¡±


    ¡°Prepare for battle!¡±


    An arrow had been impaled into her head. A loud voice echoed across the vicinity before she could even fall to the ground.


    ¡°Prepare for battle! Prepare for battle!!!¡±


    ¡°Where did the arrowse from?!¡±


    ¡°From the northeast. Northeast!¡±


    ¡°Arm yourselves. We will check the exact location of enemy troops, where they set up the camps, and where their troops are.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    As I was giving outmands, a volley of arrows had flown into our location again, striking ally soldiers down.


    ¡°Damn. Let¡¯s move quickly. Pull back the troops for now to the other side. Spread as much as possible to avoid being mass-massacred by the arrows, and don¡¯t stop moving!¡±


    ¡°Retreat! Retreat!¡±


    ¡°Cast shield magic. Prepare for the second attack¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahhh!¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°D-Die! These filthy demon minions!¡±


    ¡°The motherfuckers!¡±


    ¡°I will cleanse you! Dirty demons! Unclean demons!¡±


    ¡®Sh*t.¡¯


    Screams kepting from our sides.


    I couldn¡¯t see if the enemy hade, but I felt that our formation was gradually copsing.


    ¡®Not good.¡¯


    Nomander would ever wish to be with the enemy forces in a fog so dense we couldn¡¯t even see an inch in front of us.


    Even if with the numerical advantage, no army would ever want to be stuck in such a situation.


    ¡°Keep the line! Keep the ranks! Keep in line, and don¡¯t let yourself get separated! Form a line with shields! Focus!¡±


    ¡°Gather!¡±


    ¡°Gather quickly!¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!¡±


    More screams echoed from the sides, followed by what sounded like bodies hitting the ground.


    As I pulled out my sword, I saw the face of a man protruding from the fog surrounding me.


    He sported bloody eyes, and saliva drooled from his mouth. His bizarrely distorted face looked like it came out of a horror movie.


    Their appearancebined with their charge while holding daggers had involuntarily evoked a primitive fear.


    ¡°Dirty demons! Hiiiiic! Die! Die!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You guys, hihihihi! You think they¡¯ll leave you alone!? These dirty guys! G-God will not forgive you!¡±


    ¡°C-Crazy¡­¡±


    ¡°Diieeeeeee!¡±


    ¡°Son of a bitch!¡±


    Naturally, I had begun to wield my sword, effectively beheading the zombie-like creature.


    ¡°What¡­ what. What¡­ is this¡­?¡±


    The noises and screams that continued to reverberate all over the fog-covered battlefield slowly became exceptionally louder.


    ¡°What¡­ is this?¡±


    However, what stood out more than that was the appearance of a doll. It had a separated neck and body.


    ¡°Varian¡¯s believer¡­¡±


    The clothing it adorned was what the priests of the Republic wore.

 Chapter 393: The Power of Friendship, Love, and Faith (4)

    <h4>Chapter 393: The Power of Friendship, Love, and Faith (4)</h4>


    ¡®What the hell is going on?¡¯


    The person¡¯s appearance naturally surprised me.


    I couldn¡¯t fathom why the Republic priest was running with his mouth evidently foaming.


    I looked around in hopes of making sense of our situation, but I couldn¡¯t see anything because of the thick fog. Nothing changed, even after applying the maximum magic power to my eyes.


    My brain was gathering up lots of questions.


    I had a lot of questions.


    ¡°Trap! It¡¯s a trap! Stick together as much as possible!¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll respond to the threat once we¡¯ve regrouped! Don¡¯t get separated!¡±


    ¡®Where?¡¯


    We could hear a loud voice, but I couldn¡¯t seem to figure out where to gather. Our sights had been limited far too much. Allies and enemies were now mixed together inside our smokey cage.


    I also realized that the fog surrounding the current troops seemed a little different from usual.


    ¡®The magic power is highly concentrated.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t feel any traces of magic power until now, but the fog surrounding us seemed to have been artificially created. I felt like I was in a dungeon.


    ¡®Magic¡­ Is it magic?¡¯


    Someone came to mind.


    However, he wasn¡¯t supposed to be where we were.


    The thought that there was a mist summoner here who should be participating in the Castle Rock battle was ridiculous. It was unreasonable to pull a significant person away from their defensive line when it¡¯s already being beset from all sides.


    No, I couldn¡¯t even understand how that person could havee out in the first ce. I was confident that our troops had the entirety of Castle Rock busy.


    If she and some of the troops escaped Castle Rock, they should¡¯ve gotten caught on our radar.


    I felt like I was losing my breath, and my mind was being overloaded.


    I knew that I must analyze the situation calmly, but it wasn¡¯t easy to make practical judgments about what was happening. In fact, I didn¡¯t even have time to think that much.


    The most important thing at that point was to ovee the situation. However, my already burdened mind wouldn¡¯t allow me to focus on it.


    ¡°This dirty demon! Eeeeeekkk! Dirty demooon!¡±


    Those who wielded weapons indiscriminately were hard to be seen as sane. I stepped back and swung my sword, causing blood to dye my face red.


    Intestines spilled out as screams continued to echo across the battlefield.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!¡±


    Even with one armpletely blown away, the crazed being continued to run after me in a way that reminded me of maniacs and zombies.


    I bit my lips tightly and cut its throat again, finally causing it to lose its life. Another figure ran towards me that looked to be the same as thest one.


    With a sh from my swing, the puppet copsed as well. Another figure approached me from behind through the fog at the very same moment.


    I oscited my sword when I heard a voice, but as I stopped myself just as I was about to cut its throat.


    ¡°It¡¯s me! It¡¯s me, Katya!¡±


    ¡°Mi¡­ Mythica!¡±


    ¡°You were here.¡±


    ¡°And others¡­ No, can you tell me how the situation is right now?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m s-sorry. In fact, I can¡¯t figure it out. I only got here by ident. For now, we need to prepare something to cover our mouth and nose. I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve noticed, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you talking about the fog?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s probably Cheon Gwan-wi¡¯s doing. No one else can spray fog all over such a wide area. How she got out of Castle Rock is unknown, but this is definitely her work. I think she covered her magic power by using a catalyst in the existing fog, but unlike before, the concentration of magic power is very explicit. And not only that.¡±


    ¡°Did you find out anything else?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m uncertain about this one.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether you are or you¡¯re not. Just tell me.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­ i-it¡¯s just a guess, but this fog probably contains magic or some kind of weird drug. It might be a curse as well. I don¡¯t know in detail either, but¡­ seeing that the priests¡¯ purification magic doesn¡¯t work, it¡¯s highly likely that other means had been used.¡±


    ¡°Go to hell!! Hehehehehehe!¡±


    ¡°Careful!¡±


    ¡°T-Thank you, Katya.¡±


    ¡°Keep talking. I will open the way.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by other means?¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s a kind of alchemy potion. I haven¡¯t figured out how exactly it works, but it¡¯s probably a stimnt of some kind that induces hallucinations. One thing is certain: the more exposed you are to this fog, the stronger the effects. The monsters that attacked the troops earlier were probably also affected by this fog. Of course, as I said, these are all my personal guesses. If magic or the priest¡¯s purifying spells don¡¯t work, there¡¯s nothing else I can think of. I¡¯m sorry I can¡¯t be much help.¡±


    ¡°No. The insight is helpful enough. It¡¯s probably something really close to Mythica¡¯s spection. I also thought that my body was sending some signals, little by little. It¡¯s a bit different from mental magic. If it were such magic, the effect wouldn¡¯t havested until now. The lower the resistance, the faster it¡¯ll take effect. The longer the time it stays in effect as well.¡±


    ¡°Yes. You¡¯re right. The lower the magic power or HP is, the more lethal I think it is. Perhaps the probability that Lee Kiyoung made the potion and Chun Gwan-wi turned it into the fog is also¡­¡±


    ¡°We can think so, too.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all I can guess. K-Katya. What will you do from now on¡­¡±


    ¡°First, I¡¯ll rearrange our troops. Find sorcerers and drive out the fog in any way. There is no other workaround.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°We will move a little faster. Mythica, stick to me and follow.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    In fact, it wasn¡¯t a significant achievement altogether.


    But at least, they made sense of how things were going and how matters were going on.


    The biggest question now would be how to deal with this absurd situation.


    ¡°Die! Die! Die! God Varian will not forgive you!¡±


    ¡°L-Let go of me!¡±


    ¡°Motherfuckers! Motherfuckers! Die! Lunatic bastards! ¡°


    ¡°You¡¯ll be the ones who¡¯ll die, cursed children of the demon!¡±


    The more I made my way out of the fog, the more I saw spectacr sights.


    I saw armed people surrounding and beating a single soldier. I also saw someone crushing another person¡¯s face with its bare hands.


    I wanted to go and save them, but the problem was I couldn¡¯t tell the ally and enemy apart.


    There weren¡¯t just those who were wearing Varian¡¯s uniform. There were also those wearing the Republic military uniforms and those wearing their insignia.


    Even those who appeared to be civilians were mixed in the fray. It would be a waste of time to distinguish them apart.


    It went without saying that the situation was rapidly escting more and more as time passed by.


    ¡°Dieeee!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m an ally! An ally! Don¡¯t swing!¡±


    ¡°Die! Fuck off! Don¡¯te close! No one. No onees close! Motherfuckers!¡±


    ¡°This crazy bastard!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯te close!¡±


    ¡°Unite! Unite!¡±


    ¡°Form a dense formation! Defend with dense formation!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯te closer, you crazy bastards! Ahhhhhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°God will punish you!¡±


    ¡°Dirty demon bastards! Disappear! Die!! Goddess Benignore and God you. These punished bastards!¡±


    ¡°Kill them! Kill them all!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m an ally. Don¡¯t swing. Ahhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m an ally! Ally! Gab! It¡¯s me! Me!¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!¡±


    ¡®Sh*t¡­¡¯


    ¡°Damn¡­¡±


    ¡®Sh*t!¡¯


    ¡°Katya-nim.¡±


    ¡°Please stay close. The rear troops are probably in formation around the wizard.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Yes.¡±


    No word could better describe the scene than the word hell.


    Blood continued to stter as a foul smell rose from the sticky floor. My body was damp due to the blood, and my hair was drenched in sweat. Screams and shouts pierced into my ears nonstop, and voices asking for help kept ringing in my head.


    The more I breathed in, the dizzier I got. At that point, I knew the drug was working.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t just me that was getting affected.


    Everyone around me was under its effects. Anyone who approached anyone was treated like an enemy.


    People continued to wield their swords in fear, cutting their own allies as they got surrounded by actual foes. More and more individuals got brutally murdered while the fog continued to force madness into their minds.


    It no longer even looked like a battlefield.


    ¡®What are we fighting against? What¡­¡¯


    ¡°Die!!!¡±


    ¡°Help. Help me¡­ Save me!! I am not¡­ I am not! Gasp.¡±


    ¡°You guys think you will take over the Republic¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t do this. Don¡¯te closer! It¡¯s my fault. I did everything wrong, so don¡¯te any closer. Please don¡¯t do this. I¡­¡±


    ¡°Help me. Please. Mother¡­¡±


    ¡°Kill them! Kill¡­ Eeeekkk!¡±


    ¡°Dieeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!


    ¡®Help me.¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Help me. Katya¡­ Please help me. Please¡­ save me.¡¯


    ¡°Sister¡­¡±


    It wasn¡¯t because of the fog. My vision was bing more and more distorted.


    I saw and heart hallucinations. As I continued to swing my sword, those who fell with blood on their faces began to look more like demons.


    ¡®I¡¯m just hallucinating.¡¯


    Everything was just hallucinations. My mind was getting blurrier and blurrier.


    It was like magic. No, it felt like a curse.


    ¡°Mythica¡­ are you following me properly?¡±


    I looked back, but the sses-wearing man was nowhere within my view. I bit my lips tightly, but nothing changed. It would be impossible to find him in this state.


    ¡°Katya!¡±


    The moment I turned to the voiceing from the side, I saw a giant monster.


    ¡°N-Now.¡±


    ¡°Die¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Die¡­ just die! This monster bastard!¡±


    ¡°What are¡­ gasp.¡±


    The monster¡¯s neck was shed apart instantly. However, when I cleared my eyes, the head of an unknown soldier was the one rolling on the ground.


    It had be increasingly difficult to breathe, and my face had be distorted with an unknown fear.


    It felt like all I could see was red as the world spun around me. Tears started to fill up my eyes when I tried to make sense of such an unintelligible situation.


    I bit my lips tightly, but I felt like the iprehensible reality kept putting my mind into a corner.


    ¡®Save me¡­ Katya.¡¯


    ¡°You must be purified! You have to be purified.¡±


    ¡®Katya.¡¯


    ¡°I will deliver salvation. The salvation of light! The army of light will drive you out!¡±


    ¡®Save me, Katya!¡¯


    ¡°Salvation of light!¡±


    ¡°Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!¡±

 Chapter 394: The power of friendship, love, and faith (5)

    <h4>Chapter 394: The power of friendship, love, and faith (5)</h4>


    -I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m using this thing right. It¡¯s my first time using such a device. But send a report anyway. The situation is reaching its end. The enemy¡¯s main unit has been thrown into confusion, and about the capture of the central figure¡­ hmm. I can¡¯t say for sure that it¡¯s possible, but I¡¯ll try my best for now. As soon as they are ready, they will be sent to Castle Rock. I don¡¯t know if they¡¯ll make it on time, but that¡¯s their responsibility, not mine. The battle there will take a long time, so it probably won¡¯t be a problem.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s going well. It would be nice to prepare some footage or something. You¡¯re also very inflexible. You just say what you want to say.¡±


    -Just in case they¡¯re curious. Let¡¯s send the whole situation.


    ¡°Ah, I think it¡¯s going to be sent.¡±


    -You will receive the salvation of the light! Who dare! Who dare! Say something about demons!


    -Gasp¡­ Ahhhhhhhhh!


    -aaarrghh¡­


    -Shut up! You dirty informants of the State!


    -I¡¯m an ally! Don¡¯t attack! Ally! Stop! Ahhhhhhhhh!


    -Dirty demon minions! Be cursed, demons! Even if you fall into the inferno and die, you will suffer forever!


    - You pagan cult crazy bitch! Die! Die!!


    -The apostle of God¡­ Die¡­ I¡­ will fight even if I die¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s worse than I thought.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    -That¡¯s all for my report. As you ordered, this is going to be discarded immediately after it¡¯s sent. Oh, also, she said she had something to say. I disagreed, but you know her better than me, so I hope you understand this much.


    -O-Oppa. H-How are you? I¡­ I¡¯m doing well. And so is Sora. It¡¯s been two days since I haven¡¯t seen you. Two¡­ days. I-I miss you. Hic. I miss you so much. I¡¯m so worried about how you¡¯re doing¡­ are you feeling better? Make sure you eat every meal and get treatment every day. Definitely! I¡¯ll finish things up as soon as possible ande back. Please wait! Smack! Smack! Smack!


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -I love you. Hihi.


    ¡°rgh. I wish I didn¡¯t see it.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t react like that. It¡¯s just cute. What¡¯s the big deal?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s indeed cute, but it doesn¡¯t look like that from the same woman¡¯s perspective. Do you think I don¡¯t do that because I can¡¯t? Do you want me to show a decent aegyo?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ I don¡¯t think it will suit you.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t I cuter in appearance? I¡¯m a little smaller and cuter than Jung Hayan, right? It¡¯s too hard to say that she¡¯s cute because shees out and goes in. Wherever I look, I have to take that concept, and it just interferes with Hayan¡¯s face. Hey, why do you keep picking your ears when someone is talking? You¡¯re not ignoring me, are you?¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s not that. My ears are itchy for some reason.¡±


    ¡°I guess someone is cursing you. You deserve it. It wouldn¡¯t even be weird.¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯re being too harsh, Nuna.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m didn¡¯t say anything wrong. Pfff! You know that this time was particrly vicious, right? You have to be sure that the people involved in your operation will keep their mouths shut. Even if it is known, I will announce that I helped, but the image shouldn¡¯t be damaged for no reason. It¡¯s a holy army after all, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Right. It¡¯s holy. Absolutely. Well, actually, you don¡¯t have to worry about it. What happened there will always be treated as an unfortunate ident. Isn¡¯t it ridiculous to question ethics in a war where killing and dying is amon urrence?¡±


    ¡°Curse and magic that shake your mind are strictly taboo even within continentalw. The same goes for ck magic.¡±


    ¡°Since I don¡¯t use magic or curse, I¡¯m safe. The State will not use ck magic, so it¡¯s safe.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re good at getting away.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take that as apliment.¡±


    I could see Lee Jihye¡¯s face giving exaggerated apuse.


    She was expressing admiration for my personality, but it was like pot calling the kettle ck.


    It was ridiculous to see that the hidden contributor who actively agreed with the n and paid attention to the details was now showing to be conscious.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t her true feelings. She was half teasing, and above all, she seemed to be in a good mood.


    She kept humming while watching the footage over and over again.


    The enemy fell into the trap.


    As amander, it certainly felt good.


    The result was extraordinarily excellent considering there was no damage to the allies, and there weren¡¯t going to be any useless prisoners.


    But¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s a bit too much to be humming.¡¯


    ¡°Hmmmm.¡±


    She¡¯s even moving her head up and down, feeling the rhythm.


    I always thought I was trash, but when I saw Lee Jihye, I feltforted knowing I was less of a piece of trash than her.


    ¡°It really is good to have you, you know? You made me realize that I am a little less vicious than others. You¡¯re ruthless beyond belief. When the demon is summoned, it will probably think you¡¯re its brother. Oh, has it already done that before?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Apparently, she was thinking the same thing. Although I felt a sense of shame, I did not bother to show it.


    I felt the need to change the topic before I was hurt any further.


    When I opened up a serious conversation, I felt grateful to hear Lee Jihye answer sincerely.


    ¡°When will it arrive?¡±


    ¡°Anytime soon. By now, the news that our troops are approaching has probably been heard by the enemy force, too. I wanted to move a little bit more secretive, but as expected, our demon summoner doesn¡¯t neglect to send out scouts even in the middle of a siege.¡±


    ¡°I wanted to surprise him. It¡¯s a shame.¡±


    ¡°He will be surprised. The reconnaissance team keeps catching their scouts, so the enemy won¡¯t even know its exact size. At best, they¡¯d think of it as an assortment of support units. They all know that our troops went into the Republic. They must be thinking we gathered the remaining troops from here and there. Of course, there is no possibility that all of them had been detected-¡±


    ¡°Detection?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a guess. But it¡¯s also an issue to be prepared for. If you¡¯re in a position to lead a big force like this, you have to think about every possibility. Overall, the situation is fine. No, it¡¯s a problem because it¡¯s too fine.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°First of all, the movement of the troops. I can¡¯t exactly figure it out, but I¡¯m worried that there are too many troops out there. For example, think of a force that won¡¯t matter regardless of whether it exists or it doesn¡¯t. It would be right to say that it¡¯s a surviving force that can interfere with maintaining the battlefield. It¡¯s not always good to have many people in a fight. You have to think about the supply, and you have to consider the percentage of melees that can be protected with shield magic. Although the squad was separated from the main unit, it wouldn¡¯t matter if such a small force is left out.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why we haven¡¯t heard good news from the other fronts yet. I was out of breath on the other fronts. It takes a blow with a little more power to make up for the previous losses.¡±


    ¡°What about the other circumstances?¡±


    ¡°I have it under control.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Almost the entire eastern front has been dominated. We could celebrate the fact that the enemy didn¡¯t notice our movement towards Lindel, but that¡¯s like saying that we don¡¯t know how things outside of the Eastern Front are going. Both sides are paying as much attention as they can to each other¡¯s movements. Our enemies are not fools. It¡¯s quite problematic that the positions of the troops located where the mist summoner is are unknown. Some have been trapped nicely, but where are the others? It would be nice if they were wandering in the forest of fog, but what if they¡¯re not?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°In the strategy simtion data that you passed before, I thought that the demon summoner had a strong tendency to tighten and bite opponents, but the actual situation and the game are different. Rather, a single surprise attack can across more effectively if you have this kind of tendency.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re right¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. That means the soldiers currently in the forest may have been thrown away as well. It may look like they¡¯ve gone too far, but in the first ce, Yev Karina may not have even cared about it.¡±


    ¡°¡­ ¡­¡±


    ¡°Loosen your face up. It¡¯s not necessarily bad. Just being able to bring some of the enemy troops into the forest of fog is a great achievement already. I wanted all of them to be trapped inside the fog, but that would be hoping for too much.¡±


    ¡°What would you do if you were Jin Qing?¡±


    ¡°Well. Aren¡¯t I the same as you? What will you do?¡±


    ¡°Using the capital as an excuse and sending good bait to the forest of fog¡­¡±


    ¡°Attacking the main unit the moment they let down their guard. The same thing we¡¯re doing now.¡±


    ¡®This trash.¡¯


    I felt like I was cursing myself for some reason, but I couldn¡¯t ignore the possibility.


    Lee Jihye¡¯s words were convincing exnations.


    It was currently impossible to precisely determine how many troops entered where the mist summoner, Cheon Gwan-wi, was.


    It was worth suspecting that not all of the squads had gone into the forest of fog.


    There¡¯s also the impossibility to rule out the chance that some troops were sent to the forest of fog as the rest turned back.


    I focused on the map that Lee Jihye was closely looking at as she pointed to a spot with her finger.


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡±


    ¡°If our spection is right, there is a high probability that we will bump into each other right here before entering Castle Rock. To be precise, there¡¯s a possibility that we might get attacked. The terrain is disadvantageous for us and good for the enemy. The central unit in Castle Rock can also help. Of course, he may be distracted for a while in the siege, but anyone would be mad after encountering the one who screwed them up. And no offense, but when you provoke people, you have an insolent look on your face. I bet even the Buddha would feel pissed upon looking at you.¡±


    ¡°That hurt a little¡­ Anyway, if you¡¯ve read this far¡­ I take it you¡¯ve prepared countermeasures as well?¡±


    ¡°First, we pray that the enemy did not dig a trap. If they did, the only answer is to pierce through it. From there on, it¡¯s a battle of tactics.¡±


    ¡®Tactics.¡¯


    It was easy to say.


    However, she admitted that the demon summoner was excellent when it came to such factors.


    Even in a strategy simtion game based on the database obtained before, Lee Jihye had never beaten the demon summoner.


    She even admitted it herself that she couldn¡¯t win.


    We didn¡¯t know how much she had sharpened her skills since then, but the demon summoner was undoubtedly powerful.


    With anxious thoughts, the soldiers continued to march.


    Bang!


    In that instant, a loud roar emerged from the road.


    I thought it would unfold like that for some reason, but I felt even dirtier.


    ¡°Fuck¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­ ¡­¡±


    ¡°Do we have countermeasures prepared?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Although she nodded her head confidently, I knew she couldn¡¯t help but feel anxious.


    ¡°I was hurt a lot, too, and I have to show that the game and the actual situation are different.¡±


    I had no other option but to nod at what I heard afterward.


    ¡°You mean there are tactics in ce?¡±


    ¡°I already have them in motion.¡±


    ¡°So what is that¡­¡±


    ¡°Tactic Kim Hyunsung.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°The tactic Kim Hyunsung. That¡¯s the tactic I prepared.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°You know better than me. That¡¯s why I kept hiding it.¡±


    ¡°Puhahahaha. Ah. Yes¡­ Phew. I forgot that! I forgot our Hyunsung!¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure if it should be called a tactic, but its destructive power alone could be regarded as such.


    Iughed, but not because I was suffering from mania.


    He¡¯s a monster of expenditure created to house the gods.


    He¡¯s a real messenger who had been returned by Altanus and was favored by the Goddess Benignore.


    His mythic-grade armament and the stats he had were already more than enough to call him a monster.


    There was no need forplicated tactics.


    Tactic Kim Hyunsung itself was all the strategy we needed.


    ¡°Initiate the tactic ¡®Kim Hyunsung¡¯!!¡±


    ¡°Roger that.¡±

 Chapter 395: Regressor Instruction Manual (1)

    <h4>Chapter 395: Regressor Instruction Manual (1)</h4>


    The war they were experiencing and modern warfare was distinctly different.


    I had mentioned it several times already, but that wasn¡¯t even enough to overemphasize it.


    Whenever I thought about the impact that a single individual could have on a war on this continent, that answer always came swiftly into my mind.


    For example, the power Jung Hayan showed at Laios and the mist summoner, Cheon Gwan-wi¡¯s actions at the forest of fog.


    The same went for one of the Five General Tigers, who yed a significant role in pushing Dawan and Celia out.


    How about Cha Hee-ra, who possessed a power that exceeded the mythic grade?


    A single entity paralyzed the entirety of Laios, influencing the war significantly.


    Of course, in Cha Hee-ra¡¯s case, various factors were intertwined, but it¡¯s an appropriate example of how great of an impact an individual could have.


    To put it simply, they were tactical hacks. While most people were warriors, there were those who were more like tanks.


    If an enemy force suddenly pushed in with a tank on a battlefield of swords and bows, everyone would have no choice but to be surprised.


    If the enemy had strategic weapons, we needed our own to counter them.


    If they had a warrior with enough endurance to prevent themselves from being pierced with ordinary arrows and swords, we would need an archer that could impale through them.


    The continent¡¯s war history developed in such a way, though a few changes urred after foreigners fell in.


    The results themselves did not change. The only thing that changed was the process.


    How many tutorial dungeons one hadpleted became an indicator of a country¡¯s national power.


    As such, the appearance of foreigners was also shocking to them.


    In that rtionship that had been tightly held together, new and powerful people began to enter.


    They naturally weren¡¯t invincible.


    If a swordsman¡¯s defense were hit with an attack more robust than it was, it would break. If a wizard was in its ce, then even more so.


    It was even more riveting when taking into consideration the possibility of descending to the lower world due to a blind arrow that flew in while they were off-guard.


    Even a swordsman with seemingly bottomless stamina would start to feel exhausted at some point, and even a wizard who had tremendous firepower would eventually run out of magic power.


    If an enemy could keep such ridiculous beings in check, it could reduce the scope of my movement.


    Then what about Kim Hyunsung?


    What if there was no enemy tactical weapon that couldn¡¯t be kept in check on our side?


    He¡¯s a human chosen by God.


    He had so much talent that ordinary people couldn¡¯t even dare to surpass it, yet his hard work never stopped.


    The status window visible through the Mind¡¯s Eyes was far too exquisite for words to capture it.


    The Mercenary Queen had a strength that could exceed the mythic grade, but that guy was well-rounded in all aspects.


    All his figures except Intelligence were 90 or higher.


    He had legendary-grade attributes.


    He¡¯s like the main character in a novel or a cartoon.


    I could confidently bet that the current Kim Hyunsung was the strongest in the human world.


    At least, among the humans I had seen, there was no human beyond Kim Hyunsung.


    Kim Hyunsung hid in a position away from the noisy troops, a calm look dominating his face.


    In the returner¡¯s arms, it seemed possible to even sleep in the middle of the battlefield.


    He exhaled deeply as he did some light stretches to loosen his body.


    The priests¡¯ buffs poured out, and the wizards¡¯ secondary magic started to focus on him.


    From anyone¡¯s perspective, it seemed that the main factor of the battlefield was that bastard.


    Even the troops that were suddenly attacked felt flustered.


    They were prepared for battle, but it was still natural to be surprised when met with an unexpected assault.


    I could still hear the explosion.


    Lee Jihye and I watched the situation from a rtively safe distance, preventing any shock from reaching us, but it was difficult to say that there were no damages outside.


    Baaaannnggg!!!


    Boooom¡­


    Boom¡­


    ¡°That force wasn¡¯t deployed to attack allies. Its main purpose is to slow the march or to make the allies umte damage.¡±


    ¡°Really? Anyone who looks at it would think they simply want to attack.¡±


    ¡°I think they¡¯re that desperate. I wanted to preserve and move our troops properly, but it can¡¯t be done without any damage. First of all, the terrain is disadvantageous. I wanted to avoid it, but I think this is a fight that we have to face. Maybe it¡¯s a good thing that we¡¯re confronting them here.¡±


    ¡°When are you going to use the Kim Hyunsung tactic?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not something to be deployed recklessly. We need to use it as effectively as possible to live up to its name. Where the name is used is important, but the most important is how it¡¯s used. Let¡¯s see¡­ We need to open up a path. It¡¯s my job to deliver the bombs as risk-free as possible.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ Well, okay. Can I leave it to you?¡±


    ¡°Yes. At least, for now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go outside for a second and review the situation.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get hit by a random arrow for no reason. Just take it ande in.¡±


    Lee Jihye wasn¡¯t saying something useless. As soon as I stepped out, I started hearing all sorts of roaring sounds.


    The temperature was different as well.


    It¡¯s not that I haven¡¯t been through that kind of situation, but the scale was different, so it felt more real.


    From the skies fell all sorts of offensive magic, and allies gathered around to cast defensive spells.


    Baaaaaaannng!!


    Craaassshhh!!!


    ¡°Wizard Support Unit! Shield casting! Shield casting!¡±


    ¡°Collect maximum magic power! Move fast! Faster! Out of bombing range! What are you doing?!¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°Priests! Priests!¡±


    ¡°This is an order to prepare the response magic! This is our top priority.¡±


    ¡°Cast after confirming the magic circle.¡±


    ¡°Ready to cast!¡±


    ¡°Launch!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    It¡¯s evidence that the unit was well trained. I wasn¡¯t the one who taught them, but I couldn¡¯t help but feel proud.


    With the control tower, they responded well to unexpected situations.


    However, it looked like their magic couldn¡¯t reach the enemy located on a rtively higher slope than us.


    The situation was no different from an uphill battle.


    I could confirm that the demon summoner prepared quite a bit.


    ¡°The warriors are to keep their formation as they move forward. You all are to avoid damage to the rear as much as possible. Consider it your top priority.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°Gather around the ones with defense artifacts! Push back in!¡±


    ¡°Sh*t! Don¡¯t let theme up!¡±


    Lee Jihye continued to give orders in themand room, and the troops followed her orders in real-time.


    Of course, overall, all we were doing was decreasing our distance from the enemy, but giving instructions down to the smallest details was different from just approaching and charging in.


    The problem was that the wizards¡¯ magic powers and the priests¡¯ divine powers were being rapidly consumed.


    Even if they were to prate the enemy ranks sessfully, the question was whether they would have enough stamina to continue the next war.


    Of course, the enemy could easily remove its troops.


    It¡¯s already beneficial for them to undercut our physical strength, and if they could cause a lot of damage to our forces, then they¡¯ve done their job quite excellently.


    In many ways, the situation was unfavorable for us and advantageous for the enemy.


    I had to be curious about the timing of when the tactic Kim Hyunsung would be dispatched.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°Medical Corp! Medical Corp!¡±


    ¡°5th toon, direct fire magic! It looks like the shield is broken.¡±


    Our troops were taking damage.


    I wondered if something had happened, but I thought that wasn¡¯t the case.


    She¡¯d also know when the right time hade.


    As I was contemting whether to ask for more details in themand room, something caught my attention.


    I saw ice flying over our heads.


    To be more urate, it was ice in the shape of a spear.


    It didn¡¯t seem to be visible to other people¡¯s eyes.


    It felt like time was passing by slower than usual. I was wondering why I couldn¡¯t notice it until it came so close.


    The spear flew our way and broke through our defensive magic. It made me feel a chill crawl down my spine.


    Although I was the one who cast it, the dragon shield still emerged slower than the flying speed of the spear.


    It wasn¡¯t just an attack that ended with minor injuries.


    It¡¯s no wonder that I felt annoyed by my dull body that wouldn¡¯t move.


    I tried to avoid fatal injuries by twisting my body away from it as much as possible, but the damn thing that flew right in front of me was enough to make me think of all kinds of things.


    There¡¯s someone specialized in assassination or shooting among them.


    Being able to throw a spear that couldn¡¯t be seen from such a long distance was difficult to execute if it wasn¡¯t someone named.


    I leaned away as much as I could.


    Clink!


    I heard the sound of a ss breaking.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    Kim Hyunsung stood next to me.


    I remembered him getting ready to charge.


    We¡¯re located far away from the main unit.


    I didn¡¯t know when he noticed the spear flying towards me, but it¡¯s a mystery how he got to where I was in no time.


    Actually, what was a little more surprising was his appearance.


    Half-holding me, hepletely broke the invisible spear with his other arm.


    Regardless of whether it was made of ss or ice, he turned it into powder, causing it to sprinkle down onto the ground.


    It felt like I was looking at a filtered picture even though he was just standing still.


    Even the sun shone just at the right time to make me feel like he¡¯s in a photoshoot or a movie.


    Kim Hyunsung began to speak first just as I was about to with a strangely ambiguous pose.


    ¡°I think it would be better to go inside, Kiyoung-ssi. It¡¯s dangerous outside. At least just until we get rid of the snipers¡­ since everyone will be aiming at you.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡­ was careless. I didn¡¯t know protection magic could be pierced so easily.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s probably magic that focuses on pration. An attribute may have influenced it. It¡¯s threatening, but it probably won¡¯t reach into the control room. Quickly go inside.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes. Okay. Thank you, Hyunsung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°It was only natural for me to do that.¡±


    ¡°Okay. More importantly¡­ can you stay here like¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a littlete, but it¡¯s fine. I just received an order. Then¡­ I wille back.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Catch youter.¡±


    ¡°Oh! And I keep telling you, but you need to be as careful as possible, Kiyoung-ssi. Please tell that to themand and control room.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes. Okay.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡±


    I was left speechless after seeing him disappear in an instant.


    I hurriedly entered the control room, not wanting anything aimed at me toe again.


    Kim Hyunsung was reflected in the magic hologram as he ran.


    It¡¯s almost obvious where he was charging towards.


    I watched him go to the position of the sniper that tried to aim for my life.


    ¡°How is he so fast?¡±


    My eyes felt strained just watching him move.


    Shortly after that, screams began to echo from all directions.


    ¡°Nuke is falling!¡±

 Chapter 396: Regressor Instruction Manual (2)

    <h4>Chapter 396: Regressor Instruction Manual (2)</h4>


    ¡°What was that just now? What kind of man gets hugged like a princess?¡±


    ¡°You saw that?¡±


    ¡°Of course I saw it. Why did you even go out and snoop like that? I didn¡¯t think I had to tell you this, but your face is like a living provocation totem. And refrain from looking at him with bright eyes. That¡¯s why those types of novels are sold even during times of war. Did you know that the percentage of female soldiersing back alive is really high in the State? I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s a joke, but they said they couldn¡¯t die because they had to wait for the next book. It¡¯s helpful, but you know better than anyone that getting caught up in useless talk is bad¡­¡±


    ¡°What novel?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°I know, but what does that have to do with this¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, no. It¡¯s nothing. You can be so slow sometimes.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about it. Anyway, did you get hurt?¡±


    ¡°No. Thanks to someone, I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°Take care of yourself. If it wasn¡¯t for Hyunsung¡­ sigh. Nevermind, just look at the screen. We have to keep showing the GPS. It would be better for you to do this. You understand Hyunsung better than me.¡±


    ¡°What screen is this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a magic hologram for tactic Kim Hyunsung. It¡¯s in first-person because it¡¯s difficult to follow the movements with a normal camera. The basic route is decided¡­ all you have to do is show the GPS, take coordinates, and set targets. You can help in other small areas if you think it¡¯s possible considering Hyunsung¡¯s abilities. You know this. I wanted to do it, but I think you can do it better. I have to look at other branches as well.¡±


    ¡°You surely are prepared.¡±


    ¡°To use a tallboy, you have to prepare for it. Obviously, he still has limitations in physical strength and magic power. It¡¯s better not to make him overdo it. I¡¯ll also focus on that because the enemy doesn¡¯t seem too easy.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not being pushed back, right?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not, but¡­ It¡¯s not that there are no anxiety factors at all. Right now, focus.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡®She¡¯s definitely a sessful bitch.¡¯


    It was enough to think about it.


    I knew she was smart, but I never thought she would use that method.


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s first-person view. Considering that my instructions were being delivered, I thought it was like ying a game.


    A game where I felt like I was botting.


    I didn¡¯t have to control it. Our tactic weapon, Kim Hyunsung, automatically took care of the enemy.


    ¡®I think this is okay¡­ No, it¡¯s awesome.¡¯


    Of course, Kim Hyunsung¡¯s judgment on the battlefield could be trusted.


    He was dozens of times more experienced in battle than I was. It was clear that he knew how to fight and how to eliminate the target.


    But the story was different when it came to war asrge as the one we were waging.


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s vision was limited.


    Unless they¡¯re looking down from above, nobody would know for sure how the overall war was going.


    He could get isted from getting agitated alone, or he might not be able to see where he needed support from.


    It was my role to assist him.


    Kim Hyunsung was wearing onerge-view camera and one personal camera.


    I could bet no role suited me better than that.


    It was even more so when I recalled that I might know more about his body than Kim Hyunsung himself.


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    -I¡¯ll get through right away.


    ¡°Yes, Hyunsung-ssi.¡±


    Kim Hyunsung, who started running in earnest, couldn¡¯t be judged by amoner¡¯s gaze.


    Lee Jihye was right.


    If it weren¡¯t for his personal camera, I wouldn¡¯t have even noticed how he was moving.


    ¡®Is he really human?¡¯


    The surrounding scenery passed by very quickly.


    Fast was an understatement to his speed.


    He looked faster than a bullet train.


    He unsheathed his sword in an instant, and the enemy¡¯s limbs in front of him were blown away.


    Before the parts of the enemy¡¯s body fell to the ground, Kim Hyunsung was already elsewhere, his sword still in hand.


    As soon as he swung, the enemies¡¯ weapons and limbs flew in all directions. Of course, before they coulde down from the sky, Kim Hyunsung had already reached his next destination.


    -Tap, tap, tap, whoosh!


    The reactions the enemies showed were different.


    -Ahhhhhhhhh!


    -What! What? What¡­ what is this?!


    -Stop him! Don¡¯t let hime up! Block him as much as possible!


    -Just now! Ahhhhhhhhh!


    -Sh*t! Medic! Medic! Priests!!!


    -What crazy situation is this?! Fuck!


    He had an insane speed.


    Rather, my reaction to guiding him felt slower.


    It was hard to convey information to Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡®He¡¯s too fast.¡¯


    A101 at 11 o¡¯clock.


    -Done.


    Then B21 at 9 o¡¯clock.


    -Done.


    Change the route.


    Southwest.


    After arriving, kill the enemy wizard.


    Immediately head to E point.


    -Done.


    He and his sword danced.


    He had already reached the destination and eliminated the target before I could even say anything.


    ¡°Jihye, Lee Jihye.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Jihye!¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Yes? What? I¡¯m busy right now.¡±


    ¡°Send me a few more of the Goddess¡¯s Mirrors. One for each point. Quickly.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t check on him because he moves too fast. Quickly. I have to look a little wider.¡±


    ¡°W-Wait a second.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Lee Jihye immediately sent me mirrors that showed each point as if she had checked the situation over there.


    Naturally, I moved my hands and eyes rapidly since it was being sent in real-time.


    Since Kim Hyunsung moved faster than the speed at which I could roll my eyes, I had no choice but to do that.


    It¡¯s ridiculous enough to make me clear my throat.


    I could bet that I could react that much because I was an eye user. If it were Lee Jihye, she would have had to give up midway.


    I specified the coordinates and kept them disyed.


    I set targets and figured out in real-time what battlefields needed our tactical nuclear weapon most.


    ¡®It¡¯s not enough. It¡¯s fucking not enough. I¡¯m not enough.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t follow Kim Hyunsung¡¯s movement.


    I had to deliver information constantly, but I couldn¡¯t do that. I felt frustrated to death.


    It felt like I picked up a Lamborghini as my first car without knowing how to drive.


    I felt miserable not being able to fully utilize the lovely returner¡¯s potential.


    But there was no way I would give up.


    As I moved my fingers, I constantly changed the battlefield¡¯s position. I also ensured the personal screen that Kim Hyunsung was wearing didn¡¯t stop moving.


    I couldn¡¯t give time for Kim Hyunsung to space out.


    He would be suspicious of the orders I gave him if the guide who led him was clumsy.


    ¡®My head hurts.¡¯


    I wasn¡¯t a genius or even smart, for that matter.


    By the time I felt that my brain wasn¡¯t receiving the information I was receiving with my eyes, it started to get wet under my nose.


    The scent of blood continued around my mouth.


    It¡¯s hard, but I felt like I wanted to praise myself just being able to follow Kim Hyunsung¡¯s moves little by little.


    I wanted to pat my head, but I didn¡¯t have time for that.


    Enemies were also sending out troops to respond to the tactical nuke.


    But it was different.


    -This motherfucker! Dieee!


    The pig that appeared with pride was immediately put to rest when his throat was sliced open.


    -Keep the shield magic up! Shield magic! Buy a little more time!


    The guy who shouted and chanted had his wrist cut off and died right there.


    I didn¡¯t know how to distinguish between the one who killed and the one who didn¡¯t get killed, but Kim Hyunsung seemed to have an exact feel for it.


    Personally, I thought it would be nice to kill them all, but there was an advantage that came from leaving some simply wounded.


    ¡°The wizard casting in the 213.41 area has been confirmed. The target is assumed to be from the main unit.¡±


    -Noted. I¡¯ll finish this and deal with it.


    ¡°Next.¡±


    -Done.


    ¡°Next.¡±


    -Done.


    ¡°Next.¡±


    -Done.


    It¡¯s quite a long distance, but I believed he would arrive on time.


    As soon as he took out a dagger and threw it, the enemy¡¯s shield magic was broken, and the small weapon impaled into the caster¡¯s forehead.


    -Done.


    ¡®Fucking fast.¡¯


    However, that action just now consumed some magic power.


    Of course, it didn¡¯t show any effects yet, but it was efficient to save magic power if I thought about the future.


    ¡°You can slow down a little. Save your strength.¡±


    -Okay.


    ¡®Is that guy for real?¡¯


    What I was witnessing was the scenery our lovely returner was in front of.


    I could see soldiers and some named faces with the monster that they cannot deal with.


    Although I was simply looking through the screen, their breathing, Kim Hyunsung¡¯s breath, and the sense of urgency of the scene were clearly conveyed.


    It didn¡¯t mean that there¡¯s no danger, however.


    Hundreds of arrows flew in at once, and toons and magics organized to deal with Kim Hyunsung continued to intercept him.


    Even though I wondered if he would have stepped back, It¡¯s a spectacr sight to see him let their attacks slip by or get stopped.


    I had never witnessed such a degree of godhood.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t he too strong? Isn¡¯t that a breach of bnce?¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that he was a masterpiece created by the gods.


    The pure awe of how a human could be so strong began to rise.


    Avoid or cut.


    Block or cut.


    It¡¯s incredible to see such a simple process repeated hundreds of times.


    ¡®Right. That¡¯s the exact expression.¡¯


    Most soldiers had their arms cut off without even being able to move a muscle, and even those who had reached a certain level couldn¡¯t withstand the maximum ten moves.


    It¡¯s probably obvious what the enemymander was thinking by now.


    They must¡¯ve thought that a moving nuke fell right in the middle of their troops.


    It was natural to feel that way.


    Even I couldn¡¯t believe what I was witnessing with my own eyes.


    It was then that I felt that the movement of the enemy troops changed a little.


    ¡®They are starting to put some pressure.¡¯


    I could see that some of the visible troops, in general, were concentrated on Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡°Jihye.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Jihye!¡±


    ¡°¡­ ¡­¡±


    ¡°Honey! Honey!! Wife!!!¡±


    ¡°Yes? Yes? What?¡±


    ¡°Send one more priest and one more wizard. Only send named ones with a long maximum range. No, just create a list of local priests and wizards and send them to me.¡±


    ¡°A-are you okay?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You have a nosebleed.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Send the list. Quickly.¡±


    ¡°O-okay. I-I guess you¡¯re using it more than me¡­¡±


    ¡°Just show me the Goddess¡¯s Mirror. Quickly.¡±


    The Goddess¡¯s Mirror that filled my vision- no, the magic hologram, was spectacr in its own way.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if we should create an instruction manual for this,¡±


    I muttered to myself, but somehow I felt like that was really needed.


    ¡°That would be fun. What would be the title?¡±


    I didn¡¯t answer, but I repeated the right title to myself.


    ¡®Regressor Instruction Manual.¡¯


    ¡®That¡¯s it! Hyunsung! I love you!! Fuck!!¡¯

 Chapter 397: Regressor Instruction Manual (3)

    <h4>Chapter 397: Regressor Instruction Manual (3)</h4>


    ¡®Is this possible? Something like this¡­ is it really possible?¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t help but question it.


    It¡¯s true that when I first heard it, it left a bad taste in my mouth.


    In the middle of the battlefield, moving under orders was virtually impossible.


    We didn¡¯t know when or where something could happen that would cause a battle to take ce.


    Not only did the situation change every minute, but there were also factors outside of themander¡¯s range of predictions that frequently urred.


    A, which was the destination, the location might have to be moved, and the possibility of a stray arrow or magic falling on the point marked with the coordinates couldn¡¯t be ruled out either.


    It¡¯s understandable to build a camp inrge-scale battles while moving troops into units, but I had never seen or heard of giving such a situation to individuals.


    That¡¯s why I wasn¡¯t happy.


    Even if the Goddess¡¯s Mirror could be used to see the battlefield with a wide field-of-view, the responsibility to respond to fell on me.


    After entering the first operation, it was still sluggish, and I didn¡¯t like it.


    However, after a short period, I had to admit that it was beyond my imagination when I opened the box.


    ¡®This doesn¡¯t make sense.¡¯


    I thought I could do it alone by merely marking the coordinates of a route or ce, which would allow them to ce weapons wherever I needed them.


    However, setting targets and paying attention to details was another problem.


    There was a limit to human brains¡¯ capacity, which meant there was a limit to the number of information humans could visually ept and judge.


    Not only were they unable to see everything clearly, but there wasn¡¯t enough time to organize the information as well.


    If my movements were slow, I would be able to ept them, but to respond to his speed was close to impossible for normal humans.


    ¡®I have special eyes, Hyunsung-ssi.¡¯


    Maybe this was what he meant by saying that.


    What he was doing was not something an ordinary human could do. No gamesman or military officer I knew of could pull off what he was doing.


    My internal evaluation continued to pile up.


    When I first met him, I just thought he was just quite useful.


    The same person who left a mediocre impression on me was now an indispensable friend and a brother who led me.


    I wondered where the hell that genius was hiding in the first round.


    Saving him by wielding my sword in the tutorial dungeon was the best thing I did in the first and this round.


    ¡®Enemy!¡¯


    I could see archers pulling arrows in front of me, but I didn¡¯t really need to move.


    The coordinates would be taken right away anyway.


    As expected, I could see the signaling in right away.


    -C point is 321.12.


    ¡°Noted.¡±


    Although the barrier was thick, he still charged on.


    ¡®I can get through.¡¯


    A big man with a huge shield and ax swung his weapon at me.


    As I swung my sword, I felt the familiar unpleasant tenderness of the human body. Blood soon spurted out of the man.


    I kept moving my feet and gave him no time to rest.


    In the meantime,mands continued toe.


    My body naturally responded to the voice.


    His constantmands gave me the feeling of him being right next to me.


    A colleague who protected one¡¯s back couldn¡¯t be any more reliable than him.


    Moreover, it wasn¡¯t only hismands.


    ¡®The buff is running out.¡¯


    -C points 321.69


    ¡°Done.¡±


    As soon as I arrived at the ce, divine power began pouring into my body.


    The priest who gave me divine power also had his jaw dropped as if he found it absurd.


    The onlymand that the priest received was to pour divine power at the exact point.


    Maybe he couldn¡¯t even properly check my movements.


    ¡®I can understand.¡¯


    I could understand how that priest felt.


    The feelings I felt now were the same as those of my allies.


    It¡¯s too absurd.


    I never imagined that that kind of thing would be possible. It was like a stage made for me.


    There was nothing to think about besides cutting my enemies and getting to the destination I was assigned to.


    I didn¡¯t even have to worry about magic and arrows falling from the sky.


    Why?


    Allied protection magic always protected me at that point anyway.


    Baaaannggg!!!


    With that loud sound, a curtain spread out over the sky and blocked the enemy¡¯s magic.


    The ally wizard, who cast the defense magic, was looking at me perplexed from a distance.


    It was all due to him witnessing the result of a ridiculousmand to cast shield magic where the enemy definitely was a few minutes ago.


    ¡®This¡­ he¡¯s reading the battlefield.¡¯


    There was no better way to exin the situation.


    Wounds that I inevitably received were immediately healed while I moved.


    Buffs on my body never ended as if there was no time limit.


    Just by moving to a specified point, a nearby allied priest added divine power to me as if he was already waiting.


    If there¡¯s a ce where I felt was too far, or if I were uncertain if I could pierce through the enemy lines, magic would fall to open the path for me.


    The same was true for the warriors who were pushing troops out together.


    They pushed away the enemies in such a way that opened enough space for me to find the enemy¡¯s face.


    ¡®No way.¡¯


    I could feel pleasure in my heart.


    I didn¡¯t enjoy fighting very much. My pleasure came from the fact that I couldn¡¯t help but feel like we¡¯ve be one singr unit.


    ¡°Die! This monster bastard! Gasp!¡±


    I heard an ally¡¯s voice ovepping with the scream of a fallen enemy.


    ¡°Hyunsung, behind you!¡±


    I heard him shouting, but I didn¡¯t care.


    I wasn¡¯t told to be careful, just as expected.


    A loud shriek soon came from behind me.


    When I looked back, I saw the enemy¡¯s face falling backward with an arrow on his forehead.


    The ally archer who shot the arrow showed the same expression that others had shown so far.


    Perhaps we were all feeling the same emotion.


    Even if there seemed to be nows, we were all organically connected like a spider web.


    -Move to the next location.


    ¡°Done.¡±


    -Next.


    ¡°Done.¡±


    -You can slow down. Pay attention to your stamina.


    ¡°Done.¡±


    ¡®This person is a genius.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t unreasonable to think of him like that.


    ¡°Gasp!¡±


    ¡°This crazy monster! Die! Stop him! Don¡¯t let hime up!¡±


    ¡°Do not spare magic and arrows! You only need to get one shot. Just one shot!¡±


    ¡°But!¡±


    ¡°Shut up and pull the string! Don¡¯t let him¡­ gasp!¡±


    -Thank you.


    ¡°No problem.¡±


    While I took a short breath, divine power was poured over me again, replenishing the buff.


    The sight I saw after looking back was absurd, even if I thought about it.


    Although my current growth level could never bebeled as slow, I couldn¡¯t remember having such a satisfactory battle even during the first round when growth was almost over.


    It couldn¡¯t even be seen as a war.


    If I said that I ran with a rough off-road in the past, now it felt like driving a very luxurious sedan on a paved road.


    I had simr magic power and discement, but the condition of the road was different.


    I clenched my fists.


    ¡®I think I can fight all day.¡¯


    Of course, it was an exaggeration.


    However, if the battlefield continued to be in that state, it wouldn¡¯t be impossible.


    -Caution. 12 o¡¯clock position.


    ¡°Noted.¡±


    When I looked away for a moment, I responded to the voice and saw the spear.


    The spear that came out in an instant was the magic that was aimed at Kiyoung awhile ago.


    When I lifted my sword and cut it with a crackling sound, I saw a shard of ss exploding.


    -I will take the exact coordinates. I think they set Hyunsung as the target.


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m checking.¡±


    -Going.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    The moment I tried to charge forward, the spear came again.


    It was natural for me to move to the next coordinates immediately.


    Bang! Some of the enemy troops were hit by the spear, causing it to crumble.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!¡±


    Seeing that there was no answer to whether they¡¯re blocking or avoiding,


    It seemed like the decision was left to individual discretion.


    I wanted to look around for a second, but I didn¡¯t have time to do that.


    The next attack was alreadying at me.


    ¡®Block it.¡¯


    As I swung my sword upward, I heard a clinck again.


    ¡®Block.¡¯


    Clinck!


    ¡®Avoid it.¡¯


    Craakk!!


    ¡®Block it.¡¯


    Clinck!!


    It wasn¡¯t easy to move in a ce where a massive quantity of troops was concentrated.


    However, ally troops continued to open the way for me.


    Themand and control room transmitted coordinates, which allowed me to move safely to the location within the shortest amount of time.


    Until now, it was impossible to urately determine the person who threw the spear.


    However, the enemy¡¯s position had finally been located by themand room.


    Another ss spear passed by my shoulder, grazing it.


    ¡®It¡¯s fine.¡¯


    That attack damaged me, but it wasn¡¯t deep.


    ¡®Focus.¡¯


    Another spear surged towards me again, which I destroyed immediately.


    Clinck! Clk! Craaakkkk! Baaaanngg!


    Naturally, I put more strength into my attacks, causing the surroundings to turn into a mess.


    Since the opponent was powerful, it wasn¡¯t unreasonable for such a situation to unfold.


    But I was getting closer and closer to my destination.


    I continued to cover the distance between me and my goal, leaving havoc in my wake.


    The enemy was also probably aware that I was getting closer.


    -Speed up a little.


    ¡°Noted.¡±


    I had an inkling why he suddenly asked me to speed up. Maybe the other one¡¯s moving.


    The spears that continued to be thrown at me were less frequent.


    As the number of variables increased, my destination changed ordingly, but I could still follow the opponent.


    If the fight had progressed normally, the possibility that it would have been difficult to chase after them couldn¡¯t have been ruled out.


    It would¡¯ve taken a long time to get to where I was.


    I would have been physically exhausted and might not have been able to handle the troopsing at me from all sides.


    But that was already far from being possible with him at the helm.


    He¡¯s already checking where the spear wasing from and estimating where it would fall.


    I didn¡¯t even have to worry about other attacks.


    ¡°Tie him up! Tie him up as much as possible! Up until you widen the distance¡­ Ahhhhhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s c-crazy! Genia!¡±


    ¡°Tie him as much as¡­ gasp!¡±


    Once again, I injected magic power into my feet and hit the ground as much as possible.


    The surroundingndscape changed in an instant.


    A frightened man threw a spear right in front of me.


    ¡°Son of a bitch! Die!¡±


    -You do not need to avoid thest attack.


    ¡°Noted.¡±


    If I twisted my body, he¡¯d be able to widen the distance again.


    I had to take my chance before he hid in the crowd.


    I was a little nervous, but I bit my lips tightly.


    As I swung my sword without avoiding the spear, I could see him greatly startled.


    ¡°Mad bastard!¡±


    It was then that the body shone with a sound.


    There was no damage despite being attacked.


    When I instinctively nced sideways while swinging my sword, I could see Park Deokgu taking damage instead of me.


    He must have triggered the attribute to receive damage from others instead.


    I had goosebumps on my back.

 Chapter 398: Regressor Instruction Manual (4)

    <h4>Chapter 398: Regressor Instruction Manual (4)</h4>


    ¡®No way.¡¯


    ¡°C-point 321.12.¡±


    -Done.


    ¡°C-point 321.69.¡±


    -Done.


    ¡®Is that guy for real?¡¯


    I had no choice but to open my mouth while the battle was going on.


    Even though my irises were already moving as fast as they could, it was still difficult to follow.


    I had already reached my limit.


    I wanted to praise myself for what I had done so far, but I couldn¡¯t.


    The war situation was continuously changing, and the information I received continued to change with it.


    It¡¯s too ridiculous.


    It was disconcerting to see him carry out orders easily that would¡¯ve already been difficult to achieve for others.


    He was so fast that I had to modify the route in real-time.


    ¡®Damn.¡¯


    The problem was that I thought whenever I felt like I had adjusted to it, I made mistakes that made things worse.


    I shouldn¡¯t have put in the wizard or the priest.


    I knew he could move a little faster, but assisting Kim Hyunsung going with the flow was not easy on its own.


    There was a limit to continuously injecting him into an allied position and recing buffs.


    I was somehow able to block the falling magic or ced warriors in advance to clear the way.


    I felt like my ability wasn¡¯t enough to be of adequate help.


    ¡®The details part is unreasonable.¡¯


    A situation in which other support types other than receable buff, magic, or divine power was made avable for him was unreasonably unlikely.


    I thought he would have moved much morefortably than now if he had support from unique characteristics with heroic-grade or legendary-grade attributes.


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s output could still be improved.


    I was worried that I was restricting his movements.


    I liked the idea that I could help him out, but drawbacks inevitably urred while Kim Hyunsung received my orders.


    ¡°You can slow down. Take care of your stamina.¡±


    -Okay.


    ¡®Okay, let¡¯s take a break¡­¡¯


    -Gasp!


    -This crazy monster! Die! Stop it! Don¡¯t let hime up!


    -Don¡¯t spare magic and arrows. You only need to get one shot. Just one shot!


    ¡®I told you to slow down, this bastard¡­¡¯


    -Shut up and pull the string! Don¡¯t¡¯let hime up¡­ Gasp!!!


    -Ahhhhhhhhh!


    -The enemy is one! The enemy is one!


    ¡°Slowly down, this mean motherfucker!¡±


    -What are the warriors doing¡­


    -Magic! Stop it with magic! With magic! Ahhhhhhhhh!


    ¡°Thank you, Hyunsung.¡±


    -No problem.


    ¡®I told you to slow down. You got excited, fuck.¡¯


    It felt like my head would burst open just by assisting Kim Hyunsung while he was moving with excitement.


    My eyes continued to receive information, but my brain that deciphered it couldn¡¯t withstand it.


    The faster Kim Hyunsung moved, the more pressure would be put on my shoulders.


    Not only did I keep all the magic holograms within my vision, but I had to organize the information that was received. It was natural for my average mind to be overwhelmed.


    ¡®This¡­ am I receiving intelligence correction?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know to what extent I could receive the information.


    I had never used my head that hard when I was on Earth in the first ce.


    However, I personally determined I should be able to withstand that level of strain because I had a high intellectual stat.


    If it had been me during the tutorial time, I knew I couldn¡¯t have sustained that state for more than 15 seconds.


    Five seconds might¡¯ve been my limit.


    Before my brain overloaded, I thought that the nose bleeding due to it was only possible in cartoons and movies, but after it, I felt like a fool.


    There were times when Iughed loudly, treating it as a lie for dramatic production, but now I understood that feeling better than anyone else.


    My head continued to ache as if it would break, but I had no choice but to keep receiving information from my eyes.


    I didn¡¯t even have time to wipe the blood from my nose. Even at that moment, Kim Hyunsung was waiting for the signal from themand and control room.


    ¡°Why is this bastard making me work so hard?¡±


    If he moved a little slower, it wouldn¡¯t cause any problems, but it¡¯s a spectacle to watch him move eagerly as if trying to make me surpass my limits.


    Even though he still had a little time to spare, I could see him flying right away.


    When that happened, I had no choice but to follow him.


    As I bit down on my lips tightly, the spear that flew from afar passed by Kim Hyunsung¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    -It¡¯s fine.


    ¡®Sh*t¡­¡¯


    Seeing a wound on one side of his shoulder hurt me.


    Of course, it just passed, but if my reaction had been a little faster, there would have been no such wounds.


    ¡®I missed it.¡¯


    No wonder I bit my lips tightly. My pride felt damaged.


    I wanted to find the guy who threw the spear towards Kim Hyunsung as fast as I could.


    Kim Hyunsung must have been set as the target as well.


    ¡®You shouldn¡¯t get hurt, Hyunsung.¡¯


    The enemy was slower to set Kim Hyunsung as the target than I thought.


    It was an error on his part, thinking that I would be supporting the other part of the war.


    He must¡¯ve been prepared to end the fight in an extremely damaged state.


    He must¡¯ve known well that he would be in a fight and suffer.


    ¡®This is a tricky type.¡¯


    Rather than being arrogant, it¡¯s annoying to those who learned of their limitations the same way I did.


    He seemed to put his own safety first as he had already secured an escape route.


    Once again, he created and threw a spear towards Hyunsung, causing it to soar with incredible speed.


    It¡¯s natural to figure out what¡¯s around.


    It was also challenging to move the troops with Park Deokgu and Yoo Ahyoung, continue transmitting coordinates to use magic to nearby wizards, and move my left and right hands in different directions.


    I was worried that my hands might get twisted, but that wouldn¡¯t happen.


    Kim Hyunsung continued to move as efficiently as possible as I watched him from the hologram.


    It¡¯s more fun than I thought.


    He never got ruffled. Avoiding or cutting spears that made me feel intimidated just by looking at them, he moved to where I told him to go.


    I was feeling some form of pleasure.


    It felt like pieces of a puzzle were falling into ce perfectly. It¡¯s enough to give me a strange emotion.


    Just by giving the right support at the right ce and timing, the returner would soon sweep the enemies with ease.


    ¡®This returner will annihte everyone soon!¡¯


    Even though the ss spears were flying in all directions, it was spectacr to see him continually avoid them or strike them with his hands.


    The culprit wouldn¡¯t even understand what was happening.


    I received the information about the named enemy while delivering coordinates to Kim Hyunsung nonstop.


    His reaction was so quick that it almost felt like he was moving without mymands.


    He followed the exact destination and route I gave him.


    He was up against a tricky opponent who kept striking in from a blind spot.


    He was more of a sniper than a spearman.


    If he could narrow down the distance, the game of tag would have immediately ended, but the opponent was also getting help from their unit.


    The wizards, the priests, and the warriors were always moving together.


    After the number of spears he had thrown, I could see through the Goddess¡¯s Mirror that he was beginning to pull himself away as if he thought it was no longer possible to defeat his target.


    To my eyes, however, just the thought of his spears made me feel daunted.


    ¡®It hurts my head.¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s physical strength needed to be preserved as much as possible.


    However, it was beneficial to deal with those who were strong like that.


    ¡°Unit 7 will enter the ce where the coordinates were taken.¡±


    -Noted.


    Allies and enemies continued to umte damage.


    Kim Hyunsung was blocking attacks as much as possible, but he couldn¡¯t stop all the ss spears that kept on targetting him.


    ¡°Jihye, please open the road.¡±


    ¡°Yes? Where?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to send Unit 7 into the location where the coordinates were marked. You just have to pay attention to them so that they can go up in the shortest time possible. I¡¯ve already put them as close as possible.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t afford to do that, but uh¡­¡±


    ¡°First priority. Quickly. We¡¯re going to catch the named enemy, so focus a little bit more on this side.¡±


    ¡°Oh, the spearman! I¡¯ll try then. I just have to open the road, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, as quickly as you can. I¡¯ll do the rest from there on out.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Okay.¡±


    The troops could be seen moving, causing a route that had been blocked off to open up.


    As if such routes were visible to Kim Hyunsung, the ce where he was headed was in perfect sync with the course I thought of.


    It was evident why Kim Hyunsung, who couldn¡¯t look back on the situation as a whole, could move like that.


    ¡®Sense.¡¯


    It¡¯s not about moving by looking or by judging.


    That was probably the sense he developed as a result of spending countless hours on the battlefield.


    I didn¡¯t know if he¡¯s aware of it, but he¡¯s probably a great asset that could stand out even more if he studied tactics.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to avoid thest attack.¡±


    -Noted.


    It was an instant that the 7th unit broke through the road and moved to Kim Hyunsung.


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s face, while he swung his sword, was visible.


    I thought it was advantageous to avoid useless fights, so I said he didn¡¯t have to avoid it, but I wondered how that might¡¯ve sounded.


    If he doubted me, even by a little, he would not be able to act efficiently.


    But, of course, Kim Hyunsung did not avoid the spear flying to him.


    ¡®Yes, fuck! He¡¯s going by faith. Hyunsung!¡¯


    I could see the distorted opponent¡¯s face.


    The spear almost touched Kim Hyunsung¡¯s body before it shattered with a clinking sound.


    Kim Hyunsung swung his sword at the surprised opponent.


    Just as he was about to get hit, the opponent screamed.


    -Aegis!


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Arge shield was created on his left arm.


    ¡®What the!¡¯


    He once again created a spear of ss on his right arm and reached out to Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡®Is it dangerous? Isn¡¯t that dangerous?¡¯


    Seeing the unidentified shield confirmed with the Mind¡¯s Eyes, I became inevitably worried.


    Unit 7 was heading toward the team surrounding him, but Kim Hyunsung was already exposed to the enemy.


    It was a decisive mistake not to call the wizard in advance, thinking it would end already.


    Park Deokgu, who gave him his unique abilities, couldn¡¯t afford two activate it another time.


    but there was no breakthrough.


    ¡°Av¡­¡±


    Before even yelling to avoid it, the body of the lovely returner became hazy.


    It¡¯s unfathomable how he suddenly stood behind the enemy¡¯s back and had already swung his sword at such a speed that left the enemy unable to react.


    The guy holding the spear looked flustered.


    Kim Hyunsung was clearly rushing in front of him.


    However, it wasn¡¯t unreasonable for him to make such a face. He had been pinned from behind, after all.


    Not only did he blow up his entire arm holding the shield, but the limbs of the enemy soldiers around him soared into the air in the blink of an eye as well.


    Perhaps it wasn¡¯t even visible to ordinary people.


    Had it not been for the eyes I had, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to understand what just transpired.


    When the enemy triggered the artifact, Hyunsung moved to the center of the enemy force, and the arm with the shield had already been cut off before the enemy realized that Kim Hyunsung had disappeared.


    -Ahhhhhhhhh!


    -Stop him! S-stop him!


    -Gasp!


    ¡°Great¡­¡±


    I felt ridiculous for worrying about him a little bit.


    ¡®This bastard¡­ I can¡¯t tell the end with him.¡¯

 Chapter 399: If he were an enemy (1)

    <h4>Chapter 399: If he were an enemy (1)</h4>


    ¡°There really is no way to exin this. It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve ever seen him fight properly, but what¡¯s this¡­ how can this person¡­ how can a person be so strong?¡±


    Lee Jihye muttered to herself with a nk expression.


    Looking at how she stared at the screen with shocked eyes, it seemed like she couldn¡¯t make sense of the scene no matter what she was thinking.


    How about those who are in the middle of that crazy battlefield?


    They would¡¯ve felt his presence more than us, who could only look at a map.


    ¡®Tactic Kim Hyunsung. Tactic Kim Hyunsung.¡¯


    From Lee Jihye¡¯s point of view, it could be a phrase thrown around as a joke.


    However, there were traces of Kim Hyunsung all over the map reflected in the magic hologram.


    Their enemies weren¡¯t beaten to death randomly, either.


    Most of them were made unable to battle rather than killed.


    It was perfectly normal to be dazed by the scene. Everyone knew that keeping them alive was much more difficult than killing them mercilessly.


    Of course, I had simr feelings.


    I knew that he was strong, but it was hard to ept that one person alone could affect the battlefield that much.


    I knew that the named ones could turn the tide of war.


    However, what Kim Hyunsung was showing was at a different level among the non-standard beings.


    but the guy who steadily fulfilled his orders seemed a little unfamiliar.


    As I looked at the armed figure standing on the screen, goosebumps began to rise all over my body.


    The feeling that all of my vellus hair seemed to have stood clearly showed how awed I felt.


    He looked like the warrior in stories, ready to save the day at a moment¡¯s notice.


    ¡®Right. Hyunsung, you are the best. Whew.¡¯


    Perhaps Lee Jihye would feel it more than me.


    Unlike me, who had closely observed his performance, it was her first time to witness Kim Hyunsung¡¯s actual ability.


    She hadn¡¯t even looked into his stats, so the shock she felt wasn¡¯t the only one.


    It was quite the sight, watching her with her jaw dropped.


    I wondered if I had such an expression after giving themand in themanding unit.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t he great? Did you see him swing his sword in the end? No, what about when he caught the wizard before that?¡±


    ¡°How would I see something like that? And can you sort it out by saying that that¡¯s great? I thought that all the named ones I¡¯ve seen so far were monsters, but he¡¯s even beyond monstrosity. I thought he was special since I first met him, but¡­ no matter how much I think about it, I can¡¯t understand him. I doubt that he¡¯s even human, and you just say he¡¯s amazing. Is Hyunsung really human?¡±


    ¡°Then what would he be?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t know how to describe him, but one thing I know is that he¡¯s special. If you think about it, it¡¯s the same in the tutorial. How is someone¡­ of course, memories of the past can¡¯t bepared to the feelings I¡¯m feeling right now, but he seemed weird since then.¡±


    ¡°Pfff. Really?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I know that you influenced this work¡­ no, you do look the same in my eyes. Just a little less. Still, it¡¯s undeniable that he¡¯s an iprehensible person. The world really is unfair. I can roughly understand why you hang on to Hyunsung, making every effort. Yes. Really¡­ you¡¯re not dreaming right now, are you?¡±


    ¡°No. Actually, even I didn¡¯t know he would be this powerful. I just roughly expected something out of him, and he went beyond that. Do you understand the reaction of our guild members?¡±


    ¡°I can tell not just by looking at your guild members, but by looking at the soldiers around. How ridiculous is what I¡¯m seeing right now? If someone like him decides to rush to kill one, I¡¯m sure no one can stop him. No one.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but¡­ don¡¯t think too deeply, Jihye. That kind can be regarded as a different race from us anyway. And what about the unit?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. They were taken over by anothermander now. The crisis period has passed, and the named enemy has also been captured, so we can be a tiny bit at ease. Of course, it¡¯s we¡¯re not in a situation where we can rest assured yet. First, we need to finish the battle as quickly and safely as possible. And then reorganize the unit and head to Castle Rock. What the demon summoner wants the most is for us to take our time here.¡±


    Naturally, I nodded at Lee Jihye¡¯s voice.


    We only caught the enemymander, but the battle was still going on.


    Of course, judging from the current situation alone, the winner and the loser had already been determined.


    However, even a mouse driven into a corner could still sometimes bite the cat.


    No matter how optimistic our situation was, we couldn¡¯t be rxed.


    The Siege War and the Defense War were probably still in progress at Castle Rock.


    If that battle¡¯s purpose were to dy the main force¡¯s entry, it would have been half a sess for Jin Qing.


    ¡®Although I think we can sort things out faster than I¡­¡¯


    ¡°But it¡¯s still slow.¡±


    Considering the post-processing and the troops¡¯ condition after the battle was over, it was a victory, but it couldn¡¯t be regarded as wless.


    Although the enemy had been significantly damaged, our own casualties and damages weren¡¯t low.


    It¡¯s not fatal, but if I were asked if we could continue with the next battle with no problems, I¡¯d shake my head.


    I was d that at least Kim Hyunsung was here.


    If it weren¡¯t for the lovely returner¡¯s performance, the situation would have been more tangled now.


    Anyway, there were two options to choose from based on our situation.


    To push our troops a little more to reach Castle Rock as fast as possible or recuperate from our losses to remain in good condition though it would slow us down.


    ¡®The answer has already been decided, but¡­¡¯


    I had no choice but to worry.


    Turning my head to look at Lee Jihye, I wondered if she was of the same mind.


    Anyone could tell she was worried about something just by watching her tapping the table and rocking her thighs.


    But she probably already knew which one was the wiser choice.


    ¡°You can return, Hyunsung-ssi.¡±


    ¡®It can¡¯t be helped.¡¯


    -The battle is not over yet. Will it be okay?


    ¡°I think it would be better to return, for now. This isn¡¯t the end of the war.¡±


    -Okay. Noted. I will return with the captured enemy.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    It¡¯s not bad to face the enemy who would be in the siege of Castle Rock.


    However, considering that I didn¡¯t know what could happen in the future, it would be wise to maintain our power as much as possible.


    In particr, managing the physical strength of the named ones was one of the essential elements.


    If the returner were met with an ident in the middle of the war, our situation would be severe.


    As I opened my mouth, Lee Jihye also looked at the Goddess¡¯s Mirror to give out instructions.


    However, there was still an unknown worry on her face.


    ¡®What¡¯s up with her?¡¯


    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. I just have something in my mind right now.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s correct to go with this now, right?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes. You¡¯re worried about the troop¡¯s condition. I¡¯m nervous, too, but I think it can¡¯t be helped. Castle Rock doesn¡¯t seem to have copsed yet, and I know they¡¯re in danger, but we have to hope they can hold out a little longer. If we take a wrong step and we get tremendous losses, the war will end over there. It¡¯s probably the situation the enemy wants the most.¡±


    ¡°If Castle Rock falls into Jin Qing¡¯s hand¡­¡±


    ¡°Then things will getplicated once again. If we evere close to that time, I wonder if we¡¯ll have to ignore the continentalw and the internationalmunity and use biochemical weapons. Otherwise, the damage on us could be huge.¡±


    As she said, things would get tooplicated. It¡¯s not something that ended with losing a foothold.


    Either side could suffer irreparable damage from that single battle.


    It would not be too much because there were many investments from both sides, enough to end the war.


    The troops and supplies consumed by the State couldn¡¯t be counted.


    Of course, the Republic also consumed that same amount of resources to level the ying field.


    It could be hypothesized that the war would end in the next fight, but it couldn¡¯t be helped that the war¡¯s flow would heavily tilt to one side even if it didn¡¯t.


    That was the current situation.


    The demon summoner also gathered all the troops from the eastern front, and the State wasn¡¯t going to allow defeat without a fight.


    Except for the minimum army needed for defense, all interracial alliance members were brought into the war.


    He was also aware of such a situation.


    Since he thought that what was needed was a base, he must be focusing on it.


    As I looked into the Goddess¡¯s Mirror, I could see Kim Hyunsung, who was still on the battlefield helping the allies fight against the remaining enemy troops.


    Even though I told him to return, it seemed like he couldn¡¯t pass through easily.


    But seeing that he kept heading towards us, he was just helping with one hand.


    ¡®Right. Right. Please don¡¯t overdo it, Hyunsung. You have to take a good rest.¡¯


    The enemies persistently fought back against the allies in retaliation.


    I didn¡¯t know if it consisted of only loyal guys, but it¡¯s annoying to see them struggling to the end.


    ¡°Should I just wipe them out¡­¡±


    Naturally, I was a little nervous about being held back.


    It would be strange not to have those kinds of thoughts, considering our enemies kept screaming about iming Castle Rock for themselves no matter the cost.


    ¡®Would it be better to send Dialugia first?¡¯


    Or.


    ¡®Is it necessary to open the way right now?¡¯


    It was risky to send those who had enough physical strength left first, but it was a necessary gamble considering we¡¯re in a hurry.


    I needed to consult the idea with others.


    When I slightly turned my head, I could see Lee Jihye still tapping on the table with a stern expression.


    Her serious face seemed to hold all the worries of the world.


    I had only ever seen her like that thrice.


    Remembering that she usually didn¡¯t think about anything else when doing her duty, she looked quite different then.


    Her face was too dark to say that it was the expression of someone that had won the battle, so I also became anxious.


    ¡®Fuck. Did something happen with her?¡¯


    Maybe I was just reading too much on it.


    ¡°Jihye, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡±


    ¡°Is there any problem?¡±


    ¡°No. Not really. Our situation isn¡¯t that bad either. I just had a delusion by myself.¡±


    ¡°What delusion?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a thought anyone can have.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°For example.¡±


    ¡°For example?¡±


    ¡°What if he were an enemy? This kind of thought.¡±


    Naturally, I looked up straight at Lee Jihye. I could see the face of a small woman staring right back at me.


    ¡°What do you think? If Kim Hyunsung were our enemy. Do you think we could handle him?¡±


    ¡®Would you look at her¡­¡¯


    Her expression and ambiance were far too serious to pass her thought off as a joke.

 Chapter 400: If he were an enemy (2)

    <h4>Chapter 400: If he were an enemy (2)</h4>


    ¡°What do you think? If Kim Hyunsung were our enemy, do you think we could handle him?¡±


    She didn¡¯t ask the question as a joke. It urred to me that that was what she had been thinking about all those times. I could roughly understand what Lee Jihye was thinking, considering the scene she just witnessed probably felt too much of a shock to her.


    Looking at her, I could see her anxiety disyed on her face. Her eyes were shaking, and her skin had a bluish tint to it.


    ¡®So that¡¯s what she¡¯s worried about.¡¯


    She must have thought there was a high probability of Kim Hyunsung bing an enemy. Honestly, it was an idea that one would typically think about at least once. I had also thought about it. It was even more impactful due to Hyunsung¡¯s performance. Any influential person who saw him would be reacting the same way as Lee Jihye. What he showed was phenomenal and game-changing.


    He was the epitome of how far a human could climb. In my case, since I was with light, I looked less different from the others, but theplete dominance he disyed on the battlefield was enough for him to be warranted to be kept in check.


    For her, who had many useless worries, it wasn¡¯t unusual to seriously think about what it would be like if Kim Hyunsung became an enemy.


    ¡°Could we handle him?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I told you not to look at me strangely. I asked that with confidence. Honestly, I never thought he would be that powerful. Imagining Kim Hyunsung as an enemy, I suddenly got an anxiety attack. If I had to fight him, I would straightaway just say ¡®GG.¡¯ Even if I were to assume that I would be with you, I don¡¯t know how we could be a match for him. It¡¯s impossible to fight someone like that with just us alone.¡±


    I thought so, too. If he suddenly flew in and swung his sword, there was no way I could avoid it.


    ¡°We live in a world where today¡¯s friend can easily be the enemy of tomorrow¡­ It won¡¯t happen, but if Hyunsung tried to push you down, there¡¯s nothing you can do, right? Of course, I know that he is stupidly kind, but that doesn¡¯t mean that he¡¯s a pushover or would do something that would put him at a disadvantage. Just think about the tutorial. I understand that you trust him, but considering that human greed can change anytime, it¡¯s not like there¡¯s not even the slightest chance that you two can be torn apart.¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think we¡¯re going to be torn apart¡­ and why are you talking about this while we¡¯re in a dire situation?¡±


    ¡°I am telling you this because of the current situation. Just be prepared for it. If you prepare for it after it happens, it¡¯ll be toote. I¡¯m sorry for saying something so senseless, but I just suddenly thought about it. It¡¯s something to be insanely anxious about. I understand now why the clich¨¦ about purging a group of warriors that finished an adventure was born. A dagger too sharp is dangerous to its owner, right?¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t happen.¡±


    ¡°Can you be sure? You¡¯re someone who has a lot of doubts.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying this because of my greed. It¡¯s based on heartfelt worry. I¡¯ve never said anything about beating a rival because I want to see my man be the number one. It¡¯s true that I¡¯m a little bit greedy, but I¡¯m not that psychotic. I just want to hear your answer. If you can be torn apart and meet him as an enemy, can you handle him? If there is a means to control him, what is it?¡±


    Naturally, I started to think.


    ¡®You don¡¯t have greed, my ass¡­¡¯


    To be honest, I couldn¡¯t believe that even 1% of Lee Jihye¡¯s greed did not go into it, even more so when I thought of Lee Jihye¡¯s disposition. She wouldn¡¯t really like that there¡¯s someone with the power to keep me in check or put a brake on me. After the war was over, the continent would be on the path of peace. Of course, I didn¡¯t know if there would be quests remaining, but it would surely look like that in her eyes, who had no way of knowing about the first round.


    When the fight was over, there¡¯s only one thing to do: share what we got.


    Considering that, Kim Hyunsung¡¯s position was ambiguous. Until now, he was just the Blue Guild Master. The power he had was limited, but no one would believe that it would continue that way after the war. Even then, the achievements in that battle deserved points. The public had already learned how strong Kim Hyunsung was.


    I¡¯ve heard that great power came with great responsibility, but I had a thought that was a little different.


    Great power came with authoritative power.


    The power Kim Hyunsung had would inevitably bring authoritative power.


    Even if it¡¯s not in the State, he had a high probability of getting a position somewhere. Externally, he would be known as the Guild Master of the guild to which the Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung belonged, so he was already set to receive a suitable position. There, Lee Jihye¡¯s worries were bound to appear on the surface.


    She felt unpleasant about someone who had a transcendental force beyond control getting authoritative power. Considering her personality, it would be weirder if she stood still seeing someone who could keep us in check and cut our throats at any time, growing.


    Of course, she was worried about me. I had thought about that a few times, too. It was no wonder that I recalled Kim Hyunsung¡¯s face. However, no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn¡¯t imagine him pointing his sword at me. There was a chance that he would misunderstand me as the trash of the first round, but I had many insurances for my life in that case, so I had the confidence to get away with it.


    ¡®If I can just finish this, things might go well¡­¡¯


    It¡¯s also ridiculous that he would abandon me because of his greed. At least, the Kim Hyunsung that I had seen so far was far from being that type of individual. Of course, we never really knew when or how human rtionships would change until it¡¯s already right in front of us.


    ¡®There¡¯s no way he would do it.¡¯


    Organizing my thoughts quickly, I spoke slowly, and Lee Jihye looked at me as if she was still suspicious.


    ¡°There¡¯s no way we¡¯ll be torn apart.¡±


    ¡°Is that true?¡±


    ¡°Yes. There¡¯s no way we¡¯ll split up, so you don¡¯t have to worry about it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡±


    ¡°You know that if you¡¯re too greedy, you¡¯ll get burned, right?¡±


    ¡°W-What did I say? I know that. It¡¯s something that I can fully say, seeing how you¡¯ve acted so far.¡±


    ¡°As you said, I¡¯m not without ambition, but I¡¯m well aware of my ce and limitations. Even if Hyunsung wanted us to be enemies, I wouldn¡¯t want that. Think a little differently. What can our enemies do to me if that kind of thing is on my side?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°That person is on our side¡­ I bet there won¡¯t just be one or two individuals who¡¯d tremble just by having my fingertip move. I¡¯m the one with the nuke button, after all.¡±


    ¡°How can you be so sure? Even if you think that way, there is no guarantee he won¡¯t suddenly change his mind about being allied with us. And I¡¯m not telling you to be greedy. I¡¯m just telling you not to take away what we already have.¡±


    ¡°Jihye.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m the kind who losses what I have?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Do I really look that way?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then the conversation ends here. There¡¯s no problem. Don¡¯t talk about that in the future. Whether in front of me or front of others. Never say anything about what¡¯s right or wrong about this. If that situation everes, I¡¯ll take care of it. I believe you know better that we can¡¯t cause trouble in the current situation. I think my head will explode just thinking about being the demon summoner.¡±


    ¡°Okay. So don¡¯t look at me like that. I was really worried. If you don¡¯t have a problem with it, then I¡¯ll trust you. Yes. I have to trust you.¡±


    ¡°If you have time to think about senseless things, finish the battle ahead, Jihye. The same goes for organizing troops to go to Castle Rock.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. Okay. I got it.¡±


    The conversation ended with that. Lee Jihye nodded as if she got it by closing her mouth tightly, but her lips pouted as if she were still somewhat dissatisfied. She understood it deep down, but it felt like she was still unhappy about something. I wondered if she¡¯d do something useless without my awareness, but she wasn¡¯t stupid enough to do that.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do anything dumb, Jihye.¡±


    ¡°I said I got it, so stop. I won¡¯t do anything. Instead, don¡¯t regret it if you get backstabbed.¡±


    It was then when I heard a knock on the door.


    ¡°Speaking of the devil.¡±


    Who knocked on the door was obvious. Lee Jihye slowly opened the door, and I could see Kim Hyunsung quietly waiting outside.


    ¡°Oh! Hyunsung!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry toe here so suddenly.¡±


    ¡°No. Thank you for your hard work. You were really amazing.¡±


    Looking at Lee Jihye smiling brightly after changing her face in an instant was a bit scary.


    ¡®There is no fox like her.¡¯


    She changed her behavior so much I couldn¡¯t even find any traces of her worries about not being able to handle him. If I had to pick a faster converter than me, I could assure anyone that Lee Jihye would be at the top of the list.


    ¡°You must be busy¡­¡±


    ¡°No. Not at all. The battle ising to a close. But why did youe¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no exact reason¡­ I¡¯m just curious how things are going.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes. Yes. Sit. Want me to prepare some tea?¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s fine, Jihye-ssi.¡±


    While having a brief conversation with Lee Jihye, Kim Hyun-sung, who entered the room, nced at me. He must be curious about themand and control room quite a bit. I didn¡¯t know why, but he seemed a little excited. It felt like seeing a child in an amusement park. In particr, it was a bit funny to see him snoop at the seat where I sit.


    ¡°So, this is your battle station.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your hard work, Hyunsung.¡±


    ¡°No. Kiyoung was¡­ greater than me. Were you controlling of all of this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too much to say I was in control. I think it¡¯s more urate to say I was just analyzing the situation and delivering information¡­¡±


    ¡°Why are you saying like that? Kiyoung-ssi. You even had a nosebleed. I¡¯ve never seen anything like that. You were staring at the magic hologram throughout the entire battle without stopping your hands and eyes. Hyunsung should have seen it¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    It was disconcerting to see her performing as if she thought that was the chance. I was a little embarrassed, but it was a nice assist because I suddenly saw Kim Hyunsung looking at me with worry.


    ¡°I see. Are you feeling better?¡±


    ¡°Yes. There¡¯s no problem. I overdid it for a moment, but it doesn¡¯t seem like there¡¯s anything wrong with me. It¡¯s because¡­ Jihye helped a lot.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d then¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey. Still, all the decisive things were done by Kiyoung. All I did was focus on some annoying chores. Oh. What¡¯s in your arms?¡±


    ¡°Oh. I forgot. Actually, I came because I wanted to deliver this.¡±


    When I looked at Lee Jihye as if I was telling her to look at it, she nodded as if she understood. There¡¯s a small shield in Kim Hyunsung¡¯s hand. It was the legendary armor that the named enemy had.


    ¡®Don¡¯t worry, Jihye. That won¡¯t ever happen.¡¯


    Naturally, I smiled.


    ¡®I¡¯ve never doubted you, Hyunsung.¡¯

 Chapter 401: If he were an enemy (3)

    <h4>Chapter 401: If he were an enemy (3)</h4>


    [Iplete Shield of Aegis (Legendary)]


    [A shield that the God of Heaven gave to the Goddess of War. Unlike before, it had been split into several pieces. The shield did not lose its power despite being torn apart, perhaps thanks to the magic power contained in it. It dramatically increases basic magic resistance and allows the user to summon parts of the Aegis Shield for a limited period of time in exchange for a huge amount of magic power. Summoned Aegis Shield unconditionally prevents any form of life-threatening attacks.]


    ¡®Whew. It¡¯s a luxury product. A luxury.¡¯


    I checked through the Goddess¡¯s Mirror first, but it was definitely an understatement to call it a luxury. The fact that it unconditionally prevented any lethal attack alone told us about how valuable the item was. In fact, giving me something well-suited for tanks was just an indicator of how much he thought of me.


    ¡°Ah¡­ This¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s something I got.¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯m fine, Hyunsung. It doesn¡¯t suit me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s better for you to have it. I¡¯ve thought about it deeply. It¡¯s something Kiyoung should have. There is no guarantee that the same incident with the spear won¡¯t happen again.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s before¡­¡±


    I certainly remembered. I went outside to check out the situation but almost died due to a spear flying towards me. I hadpletely erased it from my mind. I never imagined he would be bothered by it.


    ¡®Whew¡­ Look, Jihye. This is our Hyunsung. Don¡¯t ever dare to talk about backstabbing in front of Hyunsung!¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s something I don¡¯t need. I¡¯m not the type to fight while blocking in the first ce¡­ It would be better for Kiyoung to carry it for insurance. I was already thinking about attaching an escort¡­ I think I¡¯ll feel a little relieved if you ept this.¡±


    ¡°Still¡­¡±


    ¡°You must take it.¡±


    ¡°If¡­ you insist¡­ yes. I will take it gratefully.¡±


    Although I wanted to ept it immediately, rejecting it initially was a virtue of Koreans. Even if I waved my hand in rejection, Kim Hyunsung would¡¯ve put the shield on my left wrist regardless. epting, pretending to give in, and equipping the item all happened in a matter of moments. It feltfortable, the way it wrapped around my arm with a pleasing ¡®clunk¡¯ sound. It didn¡¯t suit me, but it still felt assuring to have gained a way to protect my body.


    Above all, I liked that it¡¯sfortable to move with it. It¡¯s better to carry around because it¡¯s not an ignorantlyrge and heavy shield.


    ¡®Fuck. Am I a little stronger now? It looks like I¡¯m a little stronger now!¡¯


    It¡¯s not fundamental, but it had its own attack power. I thought that if I had that type of armor, I would also be able to deal with some of the melee positions. Of course, it¡¯s only my personal imagination. Considering that Kim Hyunsung crushed the named enemy even with the shield, it was impossible to say that arms were everything. I looked at him with genuine gratitude. In return, I saw boundless trust in his eyes.


    ¡°Er¡­ but.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°If you could keep this a secret from Deokgu¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°In my opinion, it suits Kiyoung rather than Deokgu. Of course, that¡¯s based on my personal judgment¡­ that¡¯s why I¡¯m worried that Deokgu would be disappointed.¡±


    ¡°Haha. Yes. Okay. It would be better to keep it a secret from Deokgu.¡±


    ¡°And from other guild members¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. I will keep it a secret to other guild members.¡±


    ¡®Why is this bastard so cute?¡¯


    It made me want to bite his worried expression somehow. Looking at Lee Jihye, the way she stared at me with a suspicious look on her face was quite ufortable. Her doubts about Kim Hyunsung seemed to have faded, but I felt like she had a different doubt in her mind. I even felt an unidentified nervousness on her face.


    ¡°Hyunsung-ssi should take a little rest. The next fight will be more taxing. The enemy forces are already retreating little by little anyway¡­¡±


    ¡°You mean we¡¯re holding them all back?¡±


    ¡°Well, they also have to prepare for the next fight.¡±


    ¡°In¡­ fact, I have something to say about it.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I told you once before, but¡­ I still feel that something¡¯s not right¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ yes¡­ tell me please.¡±


    ¡®This bastard is starting again. Again.¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s back, which was stabbed several times, seemed to be showing signs of PTSD once again. Of course, it was less than the first time, but it seemed like he had various thoughts with thest fighting.


    ¡°I can¡¯t get rid of the feeling that it¡¯s a trap. Should I say it¡¯s too easy¡­¡±


    ¡°A trap?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Lee Jihye, who saw Kim Hyunsung¡¯s back phenomenon for the first time, naturally reacted as if asking, ¡®What is he saying?¡¯ Since he was so serious about it, she became flustered. Lee Jihye looked at me as if asking, ¡®what¡¯s up with him now?¡¯ She didn¡¯t seem to be taking the trap talk seriously. In the meantime, she nodded and reacted in a way that made her look surprised as she epted what he was saying. Lee Jihye¡¯s face asking to get rid of the strange uncle quickly was superb in many ways.


    ¡®What¡¯s up with this guy?¡¯


    Lee Jihye had that expression.


    ¡°We need to be careful.¡±


    Kim Hyunsung continued toin about the pain in his back. In fact, it was an incident that I couldugh and pass over, but I was worried about what Lee Jihye said earlier.


    ¡®Although the Demon Summoner is doing well¡­¡¯


    The problem was that he wasn¡¯t doing something like masked trash. He had to be more vicious and meticulous. The standard method itself was destructive enough, but it was too honest to call him that title. The masked trash that appeared in Kim Hyunsung¡¯s memory was truly the incarnation of the devil. It¡¯s safe to say that he was the ultimate version of human trash. He was the lowest of lowest that did all kinds of disgusting and perverted things.


    On the current battlefield, the dirty stuff Kim Hyunsung talked about had never appeared in any of the battles or skirmishes. It would be nice if he could let it slip safely, but if there was some suspicion in his mind, I might really have to make an alternative n, as Lee Jihye said.


    ¡®How troublesome¡­¡¯


    It felt like the situation was also very dangerous. The fact that the three of us were in such a small space suddenly made me worry like crazy.


    ¡®Come to think of it, she was also a masked trash¡­ he won¡¯t notice, right?¡¯


    He might¡¯ve misunderstood Lee Jihye and me as a couple of masked trash from the first round, causing me to take a step away from her instinctively. Of course, the mask seemed to have various spells, including voice modtion processing, but I wanted to avoid getting strange misunderstandings.


    ¡°The things Hyunsung said.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°Honestly, I can¡¯t say that there¡¯s a possibility of realization. Of course, those are called taboos in the Continental War Act. Some of them are even so cruel that they don¡¯t even appear in warws. It¡¯s too absurd from my point of view. If anyone does such a trap, I would call him trash, not human. No, the word human trash is not enough. They¡¯d be dirt that cannot be collected separately. Dirt.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s someone who can do that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it from different perspectives, Hyunsung. It¡¯s right to look before we leap¡­¡±


    Although Lee Jihye¡¯s words had a point, I was forced to speak up.


    ¡°Even if there are things prepared¡­ it will probably be hard to use it openly.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡±


    ¡°Considering the current Republic¡¯s internal situation and the situation on the battlefield, the use of such inhumane tactics will feel like poison to Demon Summoner Jin Qing. He still denies that he is the one who caused the Laios crisis. The cause and morale of the soldiers will inevitably be affected. His position in the Republic will also be damaged. More importantly, he cares about the internationalmunity¡¯s gaze.¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­ I see.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not going to make a stupid choice that could turn even bystanders into enemies. Lst time I couldn¡¯t tell you, but I think you can rest assured in that part, Hyunsung.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°If he gets in a tight spot that he can¡¯t afford to consider other circumstances¡­ perhaps¡­¡±


    I clenched my fists when I felt like we could let that slip by. Lee Jihye then voiced out her thoughts.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be said that there is no possibility. I think this war is also because Demon Summoner Jin Qing couldn¡¯t let go of what he had. If that kind of person is put in a tight spot¡­ well. Do you understand what I¡¯m talking about? Because humans, who have nothing to lose, be cruel.¡±


    ¡®This masked trash Lee Jihye.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t think she would blur the board like Park Deok-gu here. It¡¯s a sight to see Kim Hyunsung nodding and clenching his fist. There were anxiety and worries on his face, but there was no guarantee that the Demon Summoner would do it like the masked trash.


    ¡®Should I have to prepare?¡¯


    There were some things I had thought about as insurance, but I had to worry about whether I should actually implement it. But there was no choice. The battle there was ending, and we would be at Castle Rock. Lee Jihye, who was talking to him, looked at the Goddess¡¯s Mirror.


    ¡°Don¡¯t chase those who retreat. Reorganize the troops as quickly as possible and move straight to Castle Rock. A new formation is sent to each unit, and the advance squad must move immediately.¡±


    -Noted.


    ¡°Transmit this to the entire unit. If there is an unknown phenomenon or anything suspicious, please report it to themand and control room immediately. Report all the small things. Lastly, organize a separate reconnaissance squad consisting of rangers and wizards, and form a separate task force to be prepared if anything happens.¡±


    -Yeah. Checked.


    ¡°Please let all the troops know that this will be thest fight.¡±


    -Yes.


    Seeing him nodding his head, Kim Hyunsung seemed to be quite satisfied with Lee Jihye¡¯s message. I didn¡¯t think he had been relieved of his anxiety, but he seemed to be able to understand the situation at least.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll be getting ready with the lieutenants here. Kiyoung and Hyunsung should go outside and get some air.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not really telling you to get some air. The whole unit is exhausted. Perhaps if you two are with them, their morale would increase. I also ask of you to supply a fatigue recovery potion.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Okay.¡±


    ¡°Oh. One more thing. Please stop by the side where female soldiers are concentrated. That would be helpful.¡±


    ¡®How would that be helpful?¡¯


    I found it weird, but for now, I was forced to nod.

 Chapter 402: Morale improvement (1)

    <h4>Chapter 402: Morale improvement (1)</h4>


    ¡°I think they¡¯re feeling better than we thought.¡±


    ¡°But the fatigue that built up in their body will be inevitable. It¡¯s not the worst, but it doesn¡¯t seem very optimistic. I¡¯d like for them to rx a little bit¡­ but we¡¯re not in a situation where we can.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡±


    I saw Kim Hyunsung nodding. Even though Lee Jihye said she would care as much as she could, he seemed nervous.


    I once again worried that he wouldin about his tingling back, but fortunately, he didn¡¯t raise it up.


    If it were a ce where there were only two of us, it would seem that he would speak his mind immediately, but now that we were moving together among the troops, he couldn¡¯t do something like that. She wasn¡¯t dissing Kim Hyunsung, but I could certainly understand his thoughts.


    ¡®Yes, that¡¯s right, Hyunsung.¡¯


    ¡°We will probably get there in a few hours. And they know we¡¯re heading there right now.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps¡­¡±


    ¡°No. Of course, there is no guarantee that the same battle from before will ur again, but the terrain from here to our destination isn¡¯t suitable for ambushes. The enemy troops we¡¯ve just faced were just surplus troops picked up from each front. Their only goal was to buy some time. Additionally, sending other troops to us separately would be a difficult decision for the Republic. They¡¯ve got everything they want from the battle we just had.¡±


    ¡°For example, what?¡±


    ¡°You can think of it as information, time, and physical condition.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, the burden on our side has piled up, but they also can¡¯t rx. The Republic is probably feeling a lot of pressure mentally. Even if they¡¯re pushing the western and northern fronts, they¡¯ll want to recover a lot of their investment in the Castle Rock side. If we¡¯re lucky¡­¡±


    ¡°This could be thest battle.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Even if the war continues, it won¡¯t go the way it is now.¡±


    ¡®He is meticulous, though.¡¯


    The more I thought about it, the more I realized that we were not the only ones who were betting on the next battle.


    Sending surplus troops to this side could mean that they would try to hold us back, but it was also to grasp our exact power. It¡¯s safe to think that it was deployed simply to check what cards we had.


    It meant that our side was already rushing with all the cards that could be used. Tactic Kim Hyunsung was the most prominent example.


    I wanted to hide it, but¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s not something that I can just hide easily.¡¯


    If Kim Hyunsung had not been put in, there was a high possibility that we would still be fighting there. It was evident that he knew we were getting nervous. I knew that the demon summoner was trying to get information from our side by putting Castle Rock as bait, but I had no choice but to reveal some of our cards.


    Hiding his cards as much as possible and checking our cards. The way he got under someone¡¯s skin, controlling the details, in a way, felt like he¡¯s a perv.


    Of course, this worked just as well. The fact that we didn¡¯t have a good grasp of Castle Rock¡¯s forces was also an extension of that. If I self-evaluated the overall situation, the one who was buying time was the Republic; hence we¡¯re the one who¡¯s pressuring them.


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ yes.¡±


    ¡®Fuck¡­this is embarrassing.¡¯


    I almost fell forward whileplex thoughts. I didn¡¯t because Kim Hyunsung caught me. If I had rolled on the ground, I would be humiliated in front of the troops.


    ¡°Right, you said you overdid it. Perhaps¡­¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s not that. I simply fell¡­¡±


    ¡°You may have umted fatigue without your knowledge. It¡¯s good to work hard, but above all else, you have to take care of your body. There¡¯s a possibility that the influence of the Twisted Pond still remains.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I will keep that in mind.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not alone. It¡¯s okay to take care of yourself a little more.¡±


    Naturally, I realized that he wasn¡¯t just saying those words. He looked sincerely worried. The atmosphere got warm.


    Patting my back after he raised my body was like the main character of a romanceic. The same was true of the immediateughing and talking.


    I felt like I could see why Kim Hyunsung¡¯s harem was so crazy about him.


    It was just then that I felt some stinging gaze behind my back. There was even an unidentified exmation.


    As I looked back, I could see the troops staring at Kim Hyunsung and me. Most of them were made up of female soldiers. Some elves were even mixed in with them. Their reaction was strangely fascinating, with their ears moving.


    ¡®It¡¯s like Elena¡­¡¯


    In fact, it was hard to say that the soldiers were in good condition. The battle had just ended, but they already had to go straight to marching without proper rearrangement. But seeing their twinkling eyes, it seemed that they understood how important the war was.


    ¡®That¡¯s why the justification is important. Yes, absolutely. It was a good thing to have educated them.¡¯


    When I first joined the march, the situation was actually worse than it was then. Lee Jihye¡¯s prediction that Kim Hyunsung and my troop patrol would be effective was right.


    The response was better than I thought, so I even felt puzzled. All we did was distribute the fatigue recovery potion and held small talks, but not only the surroundings but also the rtively distant units were well affected.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t that the reaction didn¡¯t make sense. It would be embarrassing for me to say it, but officially I was a messenger of the gods chosen by the Goddess Benignore and Elune. Of course, it had a good influence on the State¡¯s soldiers, and it was even more in the case of elves with excellent faith.


    What about Kim Hyunsung?


    Although he was a little less than that of a man named Lee Kiyoung, he deserved respect. What Kim Hyunsung showed in the previous battle made a strong impression on humans and the other races. Although their viewpoints were slightly different, humans were not the only ones who were in awe of powerful beings. It was the same for the elves, including the Elune Knight and the Dwarves.


    If I were in the position of learning swordsmanship, I would have looked at Kim Hyunsung with envy. No one would be upset by the fact that the objects of respect were marching and walking together. If a divisionmander suddenly visited the unit, they usually would be nervous, but the case was different from that case.


    The important thing was that just watching Kim Hyunsung and I had a good effect on the unit. That¡¯s why we continued to march and spent time with the troops. Looking at the female elves reacting to each of Kim Hyunsung¡¯s actions, it seemed that one of the reasons was that he was handsome.


    Every time he took action, I heard small quips, so I felt bitter about the fact that looksists were prevalent in the continent. Even now. He simplyughed, but there was another exmation that made the surrounding troops agitated.


    ¡°Stop, you bastard. No, why is her nose bleeding?¡±


    Some were even looking at me, covering their nose. It wouldn¡¯t be too much for me to be embarrassed.


    Whether he knew about it or not, he was busy telling umted stories. Unlike his first nervousness, his constant conversation seemed to have eased him up to some extent. It looked like Kim Hyunsung missed that kind of conversation, seeing him talking about things that had nothing to do with the war. The subject was also quite diverse.


    ¡°Do you have any intention of learning swordsmanship?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡±


    ¡°Because you seem to have better eyes than I think. If you can see the attack, we can react too.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ I am not very talented physically¡­¡±


    That kind of conversation.


    ¡°I want to return to the guild house quickly.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I wish I had a good night¡¯s sleep for about three days.¡±


    ¡°Doing nothing else?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I just want to sleep.¡±


    ¡°It will increase the amount of work you have to deal with.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a joke. Manager Kim Miyoung is doing a good job, so you will probably be able to enjoy enough break time soon.¡±


    That kind of useless talk. However, all conversations had something inmon: assumptions about what they¡¯d do after the war was over. No one would argue if anyone said that was the most enjoyable conversation that could be held in the current situation.


    ¡®This bastard is also human.¡¯


    He must have had thought that he just wanted to take a moment to rx rather than to erase the anxiety about even minor events. It was undoubtedly a little fun and interesting. There were parts in my head that did not match the image of Kim Hyunsung. Talking with excitement for a long time, he once again spoke to me.


    ¡°Oh. Come to think of it, Kiyoung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Have you talked to Deokgu?¡±


    ¡°Ah. No. In fact, right after we left Eberia, I was so busy and had no time to care for people properly. Is there any problem?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not really a problem, but¡­ Still, it would be better to go to him. He seems to be having a hard time in many ways.¡±


    ¡®Well¡­¡¯


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t seem to be able to ept war itself well. It¡¯s the first time he had hit humans with a sword¡­ He¡¯s too soft-hearted.¡±


    ¡®His softness is bing a problem.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t think it would happen if he wasn¡¯t strong. Instead of fearing that he might die, he was caught up in fear that he might kill. Since he was someone who couldn¡¯t get hurt with a sword or arrow, he must have had time to think of useless thoughts on the battlefield.


    Of course, it should be the most significant reason he was naturally gentle, but if it were the Park Deokgu before receiving the buff, he would have swung his sword to survive.


    ¡®The next battle will be the same¡­¡¯


    Until now, Lee Jihye and I had been taking minimal care, but I couldn¡¯t guarantee that I would be able to afford to do that in thest battle. I felt that it might be more helpful if he didn¡¯t participate.


    Rather.


    ¡®Shall I take him out of the formation?¡¯


    I thought it would be easy to do it if the mission was to shut down the rearmand and control room. I hadn¡¯t thought about it too deeply, but there was room for other guild members to pay more attention to.


    ¡°How is the guild¡¯s condition?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not bad overall. Everyone is adapting better than I thought¡­ even¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. In Hyejin¡¯s case, she has be really famous. It seems that the elves are very impressed by the way she stirs the battlefield on an extremely rare unicorn. Pure Spear. No matter how I think, it seems to be a suitable nickname for Hyejin.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Yes.¡±


    ¡®Maybe she would hate it, but¡­¡¯


    The expression of simply hating was insufficient.


    ¡°What do you think, Kiyoung? Should we go where the guild members are¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. I think it would be nice to do that. I think I have to talk to Deokgu.¡±


    ¡°It will probably be of great help. Oh! And.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I know you haven¡¯t taken the fatigue recovery potion yet. It would be better to have a bottle.¡±


    ¡®I appreciate the thought. Bastard. ¡°


    ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­¡±


    I already secretly emptied two bottles. If I took any more, I felt like I¡¯d be full. The moment I was about to reject the potion, I saw the galleries looking at the situation.


    ¡®What¡­¡¯


    It felt like the whole unit was walking with Kim Hyunsung, and they were telling me to take the potion. I wasn¡¯t mistaken. I began to feel that the unit¡¯s morale would be significantly reduced if I didn¡¯t receive the potion there. When I slightly removed my hand, I heard the expression of great disappointment and an unknown sigh.


    ¡®What is this. Fuck¡­¡¯


    There was no choice. Eventually, when I reached out and epted the potion, small cheering sounds came out apanied by ps.


    ¡®What is this¡­¡¯


    My steps toward Park Deokgu began to feel heavier for some reason.

 Chapter 403: Morale improvement (2)

    <h4>Chapter 403: Morale improvement (2)</h4>


    I hadn¡¯t seen the guild members¡¯ faces in a long time, but they didn¡¯t look bad.


    Since Jung Hayan and Han Sora were in the fog forest, I didn¡¯t know how they were.


    When I recalled what I saw in their most recentmunication with us, they seemed to be adjusting surprisingly well.


    Han Sora seemed to be under the stress of having to stick with Jung Hayan, but I thought it couldn¡¯t be helped since she had no choice.


    ¡®I feel sorry for her, but¡­¡¯


    Her efficiency went up when she¡¯s with Jung Hayan. Not to mention theirbination was amazing.


    Although she felt very ufortable, they had good chemistry, so it was impossible to separate them from the director¡¯s perspective.


    I was hoping that she would be put far away from Jung Hayan after the war was over, but honestly, it wasn¡¯t easy to do that.


    Yoo Ahyoung and Kim Chang-ryul, who came with Han Sora, also seemed to have adapted very well.


    Yoo Ahyoung, who had a legendary talent in her stamina stats, specialized in long-term battles, and Kim Chang-ryul always fulfilled his role even if he wasn¡¯t always in the spotlight.


    I wasn¡¯t on the battlefield together with them, but their appearance in the magic hologram was quite impressive.


    Kim Ye-ri and Cho Hyejin, who only looked at Kim Hyunsung, didn¡¯t need any other morale boost, which was the same for Sun Heeyoung as well.


    It wouldn¡¯t be strange if those three became masters of other small and medium ns.


    ¡®It¡¯s a bit uncertain, but the same goes for Ahn Ki-mo.¡¯


    If I dared to rank them¡­


    Kim Yeri, Cho Hyejin, Sun Hee-young.


    Those three were the Blue¡¯s tier 1 in name and reality.


    Ahn Ki-mo, originally from the Red Mercenary, and the woman of Park Deokgu, Hwang Jeong-yeon, a mage schr, were tier 1.5 to 2.


    I could say that three of his chicks, including Sora, were on tier 2 to 3.


    Of course, that wasn¡¯t limited to Blue.


    That was when the entire continent was ssified into about seven levels.


    I didn¡¯t include those who were part of the Eight seats of the Continent or the Five General Tigers of the Republic.


    It didn¡¯t make much sense to ssify their strength level under the same numbers for those outside the norm.


    ¡®Park Deokgu is¡­¡¯


    To be precise, about 1.5.


    If I was feeling kind, he¡¯s tier 1, and if I wasn¡¯t, he¡¯s tier 2.


    Unlike those with transcendental talents such as Sun Hee-young, Cho Hyejin, and Kim Ye-ri, he was made through pure effort.


    Hisck of attack power was wed, but it was safe to say that he was outside of usual standards as a simple meat shield.


    Of course, if I were asked if he showed a worthy performance in the war, I would have no choice but to shake my head.


    Even if he had almost no attack power, people with rtively low rank wouldn¡¯t be able to prevent Park Deokgu¡¯s attack.


    Unlike Cho Hyejin and Kim Ye-ri, who at least pretended to be hurt when hit by a sword, that pig wouldn¡¯t even blink an eye when attacked.


    If he only wanted to, he could be a tyrant on the battlefield.


    Nevertheless, it was a sight to see him taking a step back.


    Of course, I understood.


    Considering his nature, there was no way he could endure that kind of environment.


    At first, it was a little annoying and frustrating, but.


    ¡®I have to ept it. What can I do?¡¯


    No matter what I said, if he didn¡¯t make up his mind, he¡¯d only be forced.


    I could nod to it in the previous battle, but the next match had a high probability of having an ident.


    Rather.


    ¡®You should just stay at home.¡¯


    Someday, the day mighte when I would have to push his back, but today wasn¡¯t that day.


    Excluding Park Deokgu alone would not cause the front line to copse, and even if the enemy attacked themand, he would be able to serve as a shield, so it¡¯s a reasonable choice.


    ¡°So¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Deokgu. You don¡¯t have to go out in this battle. I will form a separate squad, and you will go to the rear unit where we can prepare for the enemy¡¯s surprise attack. The same goes for Ahyoung and Chang-ryul.¡±


    ¡°Can we do that?¡±


    Not really.


    ¡®What¡¯s the advantage of having authority?¡¯


    With my current position, I could make the impossible possible.


    Of course, I knew it¡¯s wrong considering the situation, but I wasn¡¯t the type that cared about that in the first ce, and it wasn¡¯t difficult to set aside a few of our guild members.


    Yoo Ahyoung and Kim Chang-ryul could die, so they had to be excluded.


    Kim Ye-ri and Cho Hyejin also nodded as if it seemed to be a rational choice.


    There was no need to mention Ahn Ki-mo, the newbies head who was secretly worried about them.


    He smiled at me after what I said.


    ¡°That¡¯s good. I was getting a little worried about them. It should be alright to leave them to Deokgu¡­ Yes. It seems to have worked out well in many ways. Perhaps the battles that will take ceter will be a little different from what we¡¯ve been through.¡±


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s right. And this is Hyunsung¡¯s judgment?¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s themand¡¯s judgment. I assumed that there could be a situation where the rearmand and control room would be exposed to danger, and this will serve as a useful countermeasure.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. I see.¡±


    ¡°Yes. So, that¡¯s how it is. Oh! Ye-ri or Hyejin will probably move with Hyunsung first. You may fall apart afterward, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Hee-young as usual¡­¡±


    ¡°I just have to stay with Elena-nim?¡±


    ¡°Yes. You will probably be safe.¡±


    The safety of the high priest was the responsibility of the entire army.


    Sun Hee-young probably wouldn¡¯t be in danger.


    As I looked around, I noticed Park Deokgu¡¯s gloomy face.


    He seemed to think that he was the reason for the rear formation.


    His eyes were filled with shame.


    But he didn¡¯t specifically refute my words.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ W-well. Is there anything else to do?¡±


    ¡°Not really. The progression of the war won¡¯t change because you are out.¡±


    ¡°T-then¡­ If it is themand¡¯s decision, it cannot be helped¡­¡±


    ¡®It feels like he doesn¡¯t really want to be left out.¡¯


    He bit his lips tightly and nodded without adding any other word.


    If it were because he was scared or something, I would have been a little annoyed, but I was forced to nod because it was so like him.


    ¡°Er¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no big deal, Deokgu. You just have to make sure to do what you were tasked to do.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. And¡­ I-I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to be sorry. I¡¯m more relieved to have you by my side.¡±


    ¡°If you mean that, then leave it to me. I¡¯m not going to let anyone touch the tip of your hair. Hmm. I will definitely do it.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Thank you.¡±


    He looked cute when he nodded his head.


    He seemed to be relieved too.


    He thought I would me him.


    But the result was the opposite.


    As if I was cheering him up, I saw a faint smile on his lips as I patted his shoulder.


    Since then, it was the continuation of what I had previously talked about with Kim Hyunsung.


    I couldn¡¯t even talk to the guild members, so when I found the right material and threw a topic, I had to watch them talk all over the ce.


    Sun Hee-young quietly took ce next to me, and Park Deokgu joked around as if he had been a little energized.


    The little kid pretended not to be interested, but it felt as if she was trying to listen more than anyone else to the story that was being told.


    I thought we looked like a family.


    ¡°When the war ends¡­ how about going for a pic?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like that. But where?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I heard the Mirror Lake in Nabot¡¯s estate is famous. It wouldn¡¯t be bad to go boating. What do you think, Vice Guild Master?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a bad idea, Jeong-yeon.¡±


    ¡°I have been in the State for a long time, but I¡¯ve never gone there. It must be stunning, right? It should be quite romantic as well.¡±


    All of the topics had amon ground.


    Many kinds of stories came and went, but the premises were the same.


    ¡®When the war is over.¡¯


    We talked about what we were going to do after the war was over.


    The war hadn¡¯t been going on for that long, but everyone there probably felt like it¡¯s been going on for years.


    It wasn¡¯t limited to the Blue Guild members either. I thought the entire army felt that way.


    The regr soldiers marched while talking to each other, the noisy little dwarves, and even the elves.


    I thought everyone was having simr conversations.


    It wasn¡¯t surprising to find myself continually thinking about it.


    Catching myself smiling, I realized I was missing that kind of talk.


    I also realized that it had been a long time since I talked about anything other than serious conversations.


    ¡®I¡¯m d I came to meet them.¡¯


    It¡¯s not that there were some achievements.


    Sessfully encouraging guild members could be called an achievement, but it wasn¡¯t the type that was visible.


    I thought it would be a waste of time, but I felt as if it was right to listen to Kim Hyunsung.


    My tired head felt a little clearer.


    I managed to refresh my mind, which was full ofplex thoughts.


    I thought that the guild members were also feeling simr emotions as I was.


    I participated in the conversations until the sun began to set slowly.


    There was some calming tension in the whole unit.


    ¡®It looks like we¡¯re almost there.¡¯


    We must be reaching our destination.


    Themand and control room gave each unit¡¯s fieldmanders the signal that the battle would soon begin.


    I heard the sound of soldiers bustling everywhere as they maintained the lines or checked the supplies and equipment.


    Those who were praying could be easily noticed.


    Blue Guild members were also in a simr position.


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be going. Everyone, don¡¯t get hurt.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Heeyoung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be going too, Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°Good luck.¡±


    Sun Hee-young and Hwang Jeong-yeon, who were included in the rear support group, Cho Hyejin, Kim Ye-ri, and Ahn Ki-mo, who were located in the front, began to move forward.


    They also hugged each other tightly or shook hands, and surprisingly, I managed to confirm that the rtionship between Sun Hee-young and Cho Hyejin was close.


    I began to move as well.


    The more solemn the silence of the troops, the louder the sounds from afar began to be heard.


    I was too familiar with the magical explosions, the shouts produced by humans, and the terrain itself.


    It¡¯s a little different, but it¡¯s definitely a ce I had seen before.


    We were approaching Castle Rock.


    ¡°Prepare for battle!¡±


    ¡°Prepare for battle! Each unit, prepare for battle!!¡±


    Themand didn¡¯t take the time to give a speech.


    I had to know what the current situation was like, but seeing Lee Jihye¡¯s judgment, who ordered to prepare for battle, I could already deduce that it was dire.


    As I walked to the other side of the soldiers, I felt a little tension and uplifting feeling on everyone¡¯s faces.


    All I did was pat their shoulders.


    ¡°Prepare for battle! Raise the g! Each unit, prepare to advance to the enemy unit immediately!!¡±


    I hadn¡¯t been concerned thus far, but I could feel the heavy pressure they were carrying.


    They adjusted their helmets, raised the g, and pointed their spears forward.


    of buffs were poured out as I felt the wizards raise their magic power.


    The unit was ready to advance.


    By now, it¡¯s obvious what orders were issued from themand and control room.


    Without my knowledge, I gave an order.


    ¡°All forces advance.¡±


    A loud shout began to be heard.


    ¡°All forces! Charge!!!¡±


    The voice made my ears ring.

 Chapter 404: Last Battle (1)

    <h4>Chapter 404: Last Battle (1)</h4>


    What I witnessed in front of me turned out to be a magnificent scene.


    I had even begun thinking that I wanted to charge into the battle with them.


    Seeing the people running through the ins with their spears pointed forward as they screamed at the top of their lungs made me feel excited.


    ¡°Charge!!¡±


    ¡°Chaargeee!!¡±


    ¡°Wahhhhhhhhh!!!¡±


    ¡°For Goddess Benignore!¡±


    Divine power continued to fall over our cavalry unit.


    The ground trembled before their might as a strange heat began to rise from our camp.


    I felt stunned by the scene so much I forgot to head to themand and control room. Soon after, magic began to bombard us from the enemy camp, to which we answered back with defense magic that protected our troops and wrapped around our allies.


    Our magical prowess was on par with the enemy.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t know if the enemy had been hiding their true power, but at least it felt like it would be easy for our troops to reach the enemy.


    As if they thought they couldn¡¯t handle our entire army in meleebat, magic spells continued to drop across the fields, causing loud explosions to reverberate and damaging our forces. However, that amount of casualties turned out to be insignificant.


    As I watched the enemy troops prepare to greet us with shields and weapons unwaveringly, it was made clear to me that they had been waiting for us all along.


    A device to prevent the rushing cavalry rose above the ground, causing some of the horsemen to roll over the floor upon being unable to withstand its strength.


    I couldn¡¯t discern the life and death of any of the soldiers who had fallen, even though sacred power immediately rained down within the area.


    ¡®We¡¯re not doing terrible so far.¡¯


    I looked around and tried to make sense of the transpiring events, not because I doubted Lee Jihye¡¯s judgment, but rather because I thought I should be aware of the overall situation.


    Watching the enemy who had already set up camp, they were definitely expecting us to arrive.


    Castle Rock had been nothing but a bait.


    What I wanted was a huge battle. That in was the stage that he himself had created.


    It was safe to say that it was designed to get the information he wanted and to initiate the battles he desired at the right time.


    As for the quality and quantity of the troops, I couldn¡¯t determine which one was superior.


    Looking at the siege itself, I could say that my judgment was correct from all the perspectives I could think of. If they were attacking the castle instead, I could be more rxed.


    I could¡¯ve reorganized formations, set up camps, built frontlines, and waited for reinforcements.


    Of course, it was still fortunate that the castle hadn¡¯t been dominated yet, but it was inconvenient that it was all part of the n of the guy who had designed that very situation.


    Either he had hidden moves¡­ or he had some form of insurance.


    Other than that, there was nothing that could exin the current situation. If he wanted to see the warst a little longer, he should¡¯ve focused on blocking the road a little longer.


    It would¡¯ve been proper to n the battle in such a way that would prevent the main unit from arriving at Castle Rock to drag us back.


    I didn¡¯t know what conclusions hade from the Demon Summoner¡¯smand, but they didn¡¯t want to prolong that war either.


    In a way, I could see that our interests matched.


    The difference was the amount of information avable. That in itself could be a problem.


    ¡°Hyung-nim, are you not going in? It¡¯s dangerous to stand around in the open.¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯ll go right in.¡±


    At this, I nodded and went into the simple control room.


    I could see Lee Jihye, who was still busy controlling the troops by holding the mana hologram.


    As soon as she looked at me from the side of her eyes, she spoke to me, her voice carrying a hint of irritation.


    ¡°You sure took your time. What were you nking out there for? You should¡¯vee quickly to help me out.¡±


    ¡°I thought you would be doing well on your own. Never mind that. How is the situation?¡±


    ¡°Neither bad nor good. We seeded in pushing our main unit to the enemy forces¡­ Oh! I like the fact that we didn¡¯t take that much damage.¡±


    ¡°Then what¡¯s the problem?¡±


    ¡°The problem is that there is no problem. This is all making me anxious. They certainly made a lot of preparations on their side. Can you see the named ones on the screen?¡±


    I nced at the Goddess¡¯s Mirror. I could definitely see the faces of those who could bebeled as named.


    The Russian versions of Park Deokgu, Shaolin, and Jin Qing were not visible, but those in the same league were all waiting for the right time to join the battle.


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen some of those guys in Laios, but there are faces I¡¯m not familiar with¡­¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t figured out everything yet. Seeing how they were brought here from each region like that, we can assume that they are betting everything they¡¯ve got on this battle. Thanks to that, it¡¯ll be easier in other areas, but it¡¯s not we can¡¯t celebrate that now. Anyway, it¡¯s good that we caught the spear-thrower from before. I think it would be more inconvenient for us if he joined that lineup.¡±


    ¡°It would be hard to ask for support from Castle Rock, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Castle Rock isn¡¯t in battle right now, but they¡¯re trapped. They¡¯re like a princess captured by the Devil. I know this is dangerous, but I can¡¯t help it. I want to abandon the princess, but I can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an appropriate analogy.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. And this again¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh. Tactical consultant Kim Hyunsung.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t use it yet. You stay on standby as well, for now. If the path opens up or the situation bes unfavorable, then I will put you in. Until then, I think you can take charge of Unit 6 and 7. I¡¯ll send the coordinates now.¡±


    ¡°Noted, Jihye.¡±


    The battle was just beginning.


    The Goddess¡¯s Mirror reflected the troops hitting each other with swords and spears in order to push their opponents away.


    When I looked at it from a distance, each unit looked to be maintaining their camps closely. However, from a closer point of view, they were starting to mix with each other slowly.


    ¡®It¡¯s not that bad.¡¯


    -These filthy demon minions! God will not forgive you!


    -Crazy bastards, you all are the demons!


    -Stop the dwarves from entering! The midgets!


    -Who are you calling midgets? You, humans, sold your souls to the Devil!


    Unlike the guys who already had ranks, what that side should aim for was to smash them.


    In that sense, the dwarves who broke through the ranked ones deserved an appreciative nod.


    That troop had both small and solid bodies fully armed with good quality armor, allowing them to be advantageous in such a battle regardless of the situation.


    My mouth fell wide open as I watched them wield arge ax to break through the shield-equipped enemy lines.


    There were battles that could be dominated due to their small statures.


    That was how humans dealt with medium orrge monsters.


    They had made the opponent run out of stamina by pushing up from the bottom, causing them to lose bnce, or by persistently attacking the lower body. They could be called specialists in that area.


    I could see our troops pushing their way through the path that started to open little by little.


    ¡®Nice!¡¯


    On the other side, great summoners continued to conjure spirit magic.


    They couldn¡¯t deal gigantic blows, but they constantly scratched enemies¡¯ nerves, somethingmendable in such a war.


    I liked the feeling like the troops themselves were popping up like popcorn.


    Since one summoner kept at least two to three enemies at bay, their number was enough to add sufficient power to the frontline.


    Naturally, some ces were forced to be pushed back. However, it was better to focus on areas they had pierced through than on areas that were on a stalemate.


    Connecting to the screen dedicated to Kim Hyunsung as if I was the driver of a Lamborghini, I finally noticed that the guy had been waiting for mymand.


    -Should I go in?


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll give you the coordinates.¡±


    -Okay.


    ¡°Don¡¯t overdo it. We¡¯re just beginning. All you have to do is add firepower to the forces that have begun to be mixed together.¡±


    -Yes. Noted.


    As I had already done it before, it felt a little easier to do it again.


    First, the goal was to ce allied troops, including Kim Hyunsung, at strategic points.


    It didn¡¯t feel as hectic as before because he wasn¡¯t alone. The troops were constantly opening the way.


    I didn¡¯t know if it was because of that, but I kept feeling as if something was missing. I thought it couldn¡¯t be helped.


    My head already remembered Kim Hyunsung¡¯s movements.


    Myck of frustration when Imanded him kept making me hold my breath.


    ¡®Still.¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung was, after all, Kim Hyunsung.


    Of course, the synergy was good with them, including Kim Ye-ri and Cho Hyejin, who had gone together.


    Since it wasposed only of high-quality troops, it was understandable, but what they were currently showing was also a series of surprises.


    -Requesting support! Requesting reinforcement! Please send reinforcement as soon as possible!


    -Priests!


    -Support¡­ gasp!


    I knew better than anyone else that people shouldn¡¯t get their feet tied in that kind of situation.


    We continuously moved troops and smashed the opponents from within.


    Pushing their way to the center along with Kim Hyunsung certainly seemed to have no sense of incongruity to be called the army of God.


    ¡®I think it¡¯s okay to take him out now.¡¯


    The distance from the opponent¡¯s wizard and priest squads was a bit uncertain. It was difficult to judge whether Kim Hyunsung could be sent out separately.


    ¡®You can escape even if I calcte the risks wrong, right?¡¯


    It would be possible if I kept providing the coordinates.


    I knew that the idea of ??wanting to benefit a little more was dangerous, but I genuinely believed in Kim Hyunsung¡¯s ability. After entrusting the troops to the nearest dwarven unit, I gave orders to the lovely returner separately.


    Dozens of magic holograms now lined up in front of me.


    Before I could even start, my head was already aching, but I wanted to experience that strange feeling once again, so I started moving my fingers.


    Shortly after that, my nose bled again, but I couldn¡¯t afford to worry about that.


    ¡°I¡¯ll send you the coordinates. It is a standalone action. It won¡¯t be far away, Hyunsung.¡±


    -Noted.


    I couldn¡¯t confirm if it was just my imagination, but Kim Hyunsung¡¯s voice also sounded a bit excited.


    After I confirmed that Kim Hyunsung was running into the enemy forces immediately, I focused on the hologram. It was like being sucked into the screen in front of my eyes.


    Despite being the second time, I was still amazed.


    ¡°Goals have been set. Start with the enemy wizard squad.¡±


    -Noted.


    It was harder to find a pathpared to thest battle.


    The enemy¡¯s formation had been properly deployed, making it more difficult to make a path.


    However, under the influence of the surrounding forces, I pushed Kim Hyunsung into the path that began to appear little by little.


    The ability to produce results as soon as he was deployed was impressive.


    As expected, the way he wielded his sword was iprehensible. He stabbed, twisted around, then advanced.


    Perhaps none of the named ones in the enemy¡¯s possession could move that much.


    The difference from the previous battle was that Kim Hyunsung wasn¡¯t going easy on them.


    ¡®He couldn¡¯t afford to.¡¯


    It was something I couldn¡¯t be happy with.


    Magic poured out from all sides, and swords and spears were swung and thrown. He was moving forward somehow, but I thought he was probably focusing several times more than usual.


    Weapons and limbs continued to soar into the air as screams echoed across the battlefield, but the orthodox swordsman didn¡¯t stop moving towards his destination.


    He seemed to be getting farther and farther away from the main unit.


    It was natural to wait for progress after urgently putting one squad inward.


    Kim Hyunsung was nearing the front of the enemy¡¯s wizard squad.


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    Craaaakkkk!


    Along with a thunderous sound, an unknown magic power swept through that side.


    ¡°Jihye, just now¡­¡±


    ¡°Damn¡­ Damn! What happened to the Goddess¡¯s Mirrors?¡±


    ¡®Fuck.¡¯


    The magic holograms in front of Lee Jihye began to turn off one by one. My mouth moved seconds faster than it took for my mind to grasp the situation fully.


    ¡°Hyunsung! Retreat!¡±


    Ziiing!


    Along with a sound, the magic hologram in front of me also went dark.


    ¡°That son of a bitch¡­¡±


    Only then did I realize what the Demon Summoner bastard was aiming for.

 Chapter 405: Last Battle (2)

    <h4>Chapter 405: Last Battle (2)</h4>


    ¡°That son of a bitch¡­¡±


    Only then could I realize what the Demon Summoner bastard was aiming for.


    He was aiming for themand system.


    In a way, it certainly seemed like a checkmate. It was hard to imagine the degree of confusion that the fieldmanders and the troops on the battlefield would feel.


    The means ofmunication, which had been maintained all throughout the war, had been effectively disabled.


    There was nothing that could express how dire the situation was. It would be strange if the allies didn¡¯t feel confused.


    ¡®I relied too much on the mirrors.¡¯


    It was a method to move the entire army like one body organically. However, it was also a one-sided method.


    One control tower had control over numerous troops. I never thought that its advantage could be turned into a weakness.


    We had lost that advantage in an instant.


    It seemed that he already knew that our side was controlling the troops through the Goddess¡¯s Mirror. It was natural to find out about it, buting up with a countermeasure against it that quickly was extraordinary.


    I realized that thest battle¡¯s strategic move and the one before were aiming for that situation.


    The question that remained was how hepletely paralyzed the control tower.


    ¡®How did he do it?¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t fathom what the exact method was, except that it was magic.


    Perhaps they had the means of negating the artifacts made by magic engineering, or perhaps the organically connected magic power had been cut off.


    Demon Summoner Jin Qing himself was a wizard who had reached a high level.


    It was by no means unlikely that he had directly inspected thest battle. Thoughts and spections flew into my head, but I couldn¡¯t find a definite answer. What mattered was the result, not the process.


    It was more important to find a way to retaliate rather than determine how he could screw us up so hard.


    However, I couldn¡¯t help but swear in such an urgent situation.


    ¡°Fuck¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to panic. Even without the magic hologram, we can maintain themand system. It won¡¯t be like before, but¡­ the basic will be possible. Yes. It¡¯s possible.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t it be repaired?¡±


    ¡°The magic holograms are already under your jurisdiction. You should¡¯ve brought your son. Well¡­ Even if he hade, it wouldn¡¯t change much. I don¡¯t know when it will work again, but that¡¯s not that important now. First, we need to get the troops back. I was just getting used to it, too. This is inconvenient. Really¡­ It feels like I¡¯ve been backstabbed.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be honest, oppa.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no guarantee that we will win. The othermander seems to be five steps ahead of me. I could have leveled the ying field somehow with the Goddess¡¯s Mirror, but it¡¯s impossible from this point on. I will endure as much as possible, but¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s bad news.¡±


    ¡°I want to say with confidence that we can win, but I am telling you this in case our ranks copse. We have to think about the worst-case scenario. We also have to think about the possibility of suffering extreme casualties.¡±


    Lee Jihye, though filled with anxiety, left themand and control room immediately.


    Fortunately, we had a different kind ofmand system in ce for such a situation, but that was a far-fetched idea.


    Not only was it less efficient, but we also weren¡¯t familiar with it.


    The masked trash had an obvious advantage in the current situation.


    She couldn¡¯t easily guarantee what would happen from now on, based on what she just said.


    I thought that saying he was five moves ahead was too much of an overestimation, but Lee Jihye knew him better than me, so I couldn¡¯t tell if she was entirely inurate.


    Contrary to me, who only had asional encounters with him, she simted hundreds of different types of games with a program made up of Jin Qing¡¯s data. Without the Goddess¡¯s Mirror, the game of chess had be extremely unfavorable for her.


    I went out with Lee Jihye, who was biting her fingernails. Her face disyed her stress, letting me know immediately of the general situation.


    ¡®Sh*t.¡¯


    Of course, the enemy¡¯s movement was suspicious.


    They seemed to be opening their arms to embrace our entire army as if that was their chance.


    Even I, who didn¡¯t know a lot about tactics, could realize that the allied forces were in danger.


    The named ones who were waiting had also joined the battlefield. Massive explosions started to be heard continuously.


    The enemy forces engulfed the allies as they pushed against us, not wanting to miss the opportunity.


    ¡°I¡¯ll fix it now.¡±


    I controlled the troops with hand signals or gs, but even that didn¡¯t feel easy because of the enemy troops constantly wing and biting at our ranks.


    The troops were important, but I couldn¡¯t help but worry about Kim Hyunsung, who was left isted in the middle of the enemy camp.


    I focused my magic as much as possible on my eyes, but I still couldn¡¯t see him.


    I didn¡¯t think he would get hit easily, but it was unrealistic to believe that he wasn¡¯t in danger.


    The surrounding troops¡¯ quality wasn¡¯t excellent, but if I assumed that other named beings helped them, his situation could be even more life-threatening.


    Thinking of the returner waiting patiently for me, I couldn¡¯t just stand still there.


    ¡®If Kim Hyunsung dies¡­ ¡¯


    The story would end there.


    Whoever won or lost the war was important, but what followed after that would still be a problem. If the transcendental being were to die, the continent¡¯s future afterward was obvious.


    ¡®I can¡¯t let that happen.¡¯


    My n to enjoy rich movies and other benefits at the side of the returner would be ruined in an instant.


    ¡®He can¡¯t die.¡¯


    There was no choice but to do something about it.


    I was the one who pushed him into such a dangerous situation in the first ce.


    ¡®Fuck¡­ Kim Hyunsung.¡¯


    I organized my thoughts in an instant.


    Looking at Lee Jihye¡¯s distressed face, I spoke with conviction.


    ¡°Nuna.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going down.¡±


    ¡°Yes, good- What? Are you crazy?¡±


    ¡°Prepare the reserve. I¡¯m leaving right now.¡±


    ¡°What¡­?¡±


    ¡°We have no other options left anyway, right? You can control the troops alone. I have nothing to do. This is the best move we can do right now. It would be efficient if there were at least onemander from the inside who could give general orders.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not the problem here. Can¡¯t you see the situation right now? I¡¯m trying to fix it as much as possible, but getting through is also a problem. You¡¯ll die if you crawl in there yourself. You will definitely die.¡±


    ¡°My fate will be the same if we lose this war, anyway.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much, because I¡¯m enough to protect myself, nuna. I have to live for a long time like a parasite. If I die after I¡¯ve achieved everything, that would just be unfair. I won¡¯t be able to close my eyes properly.¡±


    ¡°I know that, but¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I know. Damn. Don¡¯t be dumb. If you die, I won¡¯t be able to do anything about it.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t die.¡±


    That¡¯s right.


    If I had died there, it would be so unfair that I wouldn¡¯t be able to close my eyes properly.


    I bit my lips and moved swiftly.


    Afterpletely leaving themand and control area, Iid my eyes upon the unit protecting the rear.


    The current situation seemed to be just as pessimistic in their eyes, judging by how they looked.


    The disruptedmand system¡¯s effect must¡¯ve been a lot stronger on them than on us in themand and control room.


    Contrary to us, who were at least a little aware of the situation, it would have been nothing but pure confusion for them. Since even I came out, they looked as if their worries had been confirmed.


    ncing sideways, I saw someone running towards me in a hurry.


    It was Park Deokgu, who had been assigned to the rear unit.


    ¡®Right, this bastard was here.¡¯


    ¡°H-Hyung-nim!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°What is it? Are there any problems?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you more about itter. Something¡¯s happened, Deokgu. Get the troops ready. I will be going into the frontlines right now.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Hyunsung is being isted. The same goes for Hyejin and Ye-ri. They should still be fine, but they will soon be swept away by the enemy.¡±


    ¡°What kind of problem happened¡­?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a long story. We have more pressing matters right now.¡±


    ¡°C-Can I go with you?¡±


    ¡®This pig bastard¡­¡¯


    Naturally, I looked at him quietly.


    Honestly, I expected that he would ask to go with us, but I didn¡¯t think he would bring it up without hesitation.


    He was pretending to be fine, but he seemed to be sorry to stay here.


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know if I will be helpful, but I want toe with you. Anything can happen to you, and it would be more reassuring for me to be by your side than others. Didn¡¯t I say I wouldn¡¯t let them get anywhere near you?¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ Thank you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing to be grateful for. It¡¯s part of my duty. Let¡¯s go save our guild members.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s our top objective, but that¡¯s not the only reason why we¡¯re going out there.¡±


    ¡®We need someone to fix the situation on the battlefield.¡¯


    There were many things I could do in rtion to that.


    But our top priority was to go into the frontlines and settle our foothold.


    ¡°I-I got it. Then the troops¡­¡±


    ¡°Perhaps Jihye will prepare them for us. Leave the minimum number of troops in the backline. It doesn¡¯t have to berge, just enough to break through and help the isted units.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Then, quickly.¡±


    ¡®She is quick.¡¯


    Just as Park Deokgu seemed to feel lost, a unit had already been formed and sent our way.


    It all happened in an instant to help me repair what had been damaged.


    My heart trembled when I looked at the battlefield where the roaring sound wasing, but it was better to try all of our options than waste time waiting around for a miracle.


    Looking back, I stared at the faces of those who nodded.


    ¡°We¡¯re going.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s so sudden¡­ Are you really okay with this?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°There is no problem then. Well, I just suddenly got nervous. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s my imagination, but I feel like it¡¯s been such a long time since Ist stood by your side in a fight like this.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not your imagination. It has been a long time.¡±


    ¡°Standing next to you like this makes me remember about the tutorial¡­ well, that¡¯s it.¡±


    ¡°Save the small talk forter. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    I saw Park Deokgu pounding on his shield.


    As if they took it as a signal, the allied troops also struck their shields with their swords.


    Cold sweat flowed down my face for being among the soldiers who had ferocious looks on their faces.


    I seriously thought about whether I was doing something useless, but at least it would be more helpful than staying still.


    It didn¡¯t really sink in that I was among the troops that were charging faster and faster.


    I didn¡¯t scream, but I suddenly understood the feelings of those who cried and charged on the battlefield.


    Arrows and magic kept falling from the sky. The sounds of our footsteps trampling on the ground made my heart beat faster.


    I couldn¡¯t even remember when I started to walk.


    ¡®Damn.¡¯


    The closer we got to the enemy, the more I felt pressured.


    When allies and enemies finally collided, it felt as if the entire unit¡¯s impact was rushing to this side.


    Craaaaassshhhh.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°Motherfuckers! Die!¡±


    ¡°For Goddess Benignore!¡±


    Noise and hostility were constantly piercing my ears.


    Finally, we were on the battlefield.


    ¡®Sh*t!¡¯

 Chapter 406: Last Battle (3)

    <h4>Chapter 406: Last Battle (3)</h4>


    It wasn¡¯t my first time joining the frontlines.


    Although I had been away from the scene for so long, I had already faced all sorts of dangers just following Kim Hyunsung from the early days of Blue. In fact, I used to participate in melee battles frequently.


    However, those were only small scale skirmishes or dungeons.


    It was the first time that I had fought in arge-scale battle between humans.


    I had to admit that the feeling was different from when I looked at the situation through screens.


    The heat of the battle. The noises and screams that reverberated across the field, and the thick smell of blood and sweat.


    I wasn¡¯t flustered, but I couldn¡¯t help but frown at the unfamiliar environment I was in.


    ¡®I guess I shouldn¡¯t havee down.¡¯


    It was ufortable to be in the middle of the battlefield after leaving the safe rear seat, but that train had already departed.


    I hade too far to regret it now.


    It looked as if the shock felt by the frontlines was felt all the way to the backlines. I could see the warriors up at the first row beginning to mix up among the enemy soldiers.


    Bang!


    Crash!


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°Sh*t!¡±


    ¡°Gather up! Gather up!¡±


    ¡°Son of a bitch!¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!¡±


    Crack!


    Even my eyes now failed to see the events properly.


    All I could witness were the backs of our allied forces struggling to push back the enemies, their armors and shields constantly banging against each other.


    I wouldn¡¯t have been able to understand the situation properly if I hadn¡¯t been an eye user.


    Unlike my confused mind, my eyes continued to receive information around me.


    Even walking felt difficult due to the bodies of those who had already fallen.


    It was amazing as to how our allies keep breaking through the enemy forces.


    Looking at the situation carefully again, I could see Park Deokgu wielding his shield with a crumpled face.


    Watching him stick by my side as he pushed the opponents away with a shield constantly reminded me of the tutorial.


    The guy blocked, and I stabbed in return.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t do that at the moment, but I was reminded about how reliable he was in battle. It was a method that usually only worked for tutorial monsters, but it would be quite efficient in a ce with limited space to move.


    Soldiers behind the frontal force continued to thrust their spears beyond the shield wall in my stead.


    ¡°Hyung-nim, are you following me properly?¡±


    ¡°Keep looking ahead. Don¡¯t mind me.¡±


    ¡°I-I said I got it. Which way are we going?¡±


    ¡°West. Joining the nearest unit should be our goal for now.¡±


    ¡°Got it. Can you follow without any problems? I have no idea what¡¯s happening, but I¡¯ll definitely take you there.¡±


    ¡°Okay, focus, Deokgu.¡±


    ¡°You are the one who should follow me properly!¡±


    We pushed our way through as quickly as possible, but our movement was naturally slow.


    I wanted to throw a Dragon Breath potion.


    However, I couldn¡¯t use such weapons to my heart¡¯s content without damaging our allies.


    The same went for alchemy summons.


    Above all else, it could give away my position. Troops hurried from the reserves.


    They were capable of breaking through enemy forces but not strong enough to withstand an intensive offensive. If they discovered that I was currently mixed with our force, the enemy wizards would rain down spells into our location.


    Joining the main unit behind the enemy lines was the top priority for now.


    The reserve team was also aware of that. That was why they were moving so desperately.


    ¡°Pierce through!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be pushed! Don¡¯t be pushed! We have to connect with the main unit at all costs!¡±


    ¡°Gasp!¡±


    Their task was to send me to the main unit.


    I could see warriors falling one by one, but there was nothing I could do other than sending a brief divine power.


    I wanted to hold their hands and drag them away, but if I paid attention to those who had been forcefully retired, I would end up isted.


    No matter how unconscionable I was, it was hard to watch those who were risking their lives for me and pretend like it was nothing.


    ¡®Sh*t. Sh*t.¡¯


    Crash!


    Craaaackk!


    ¡°Block! Block!¡±


    ¡°Block ahead! Lift up your shields! Magic is raining down on us! I said, lift up your shields! What are you doing!?¡±


    ¡°Arrows iing! What are the ally wizards doing!?¡±


    ¡°Priests! We need a priest over here!¡±


    An arrow struck clear and true into the soldier¡¯s chest, looking for a priest right next to me.


    One man managed to push into our ranks with a spear, but arge shield immediately blocked his advance.


    The allied soldiers swiftly filled the gaps again.


    As I looked down, I saw the soldier with an arrow in his chest gasping for breath. A friendlybat priest hastily checked his condition, but there was no hope.


    Naturally, he didn¡¯t try to extend his life by sending divine power into his body as much as possible.


    This was because he already knew how stupid it was to expend resources on the hopeless.


    ¡®That¡¯s why they say a lot about war. Fuck¡­¡¯


    Individual deaths were a tragedy, but many deaths remained statistics, some had said.


    I couldn¡¯t help but think exactly that way.


    There wasn¡¯t even time to mourn the death of our allies.


    It was impossible to determine who died, and who was alive.


    Each of the people who died might have had their own stories, but they were just another casualty, another corpse in the context of the war.


    No one remembered those who were dying.


    ¡°I will remember.¡±


    ¡°C-Cough. Thank¡­ you.¡±


    The sight of the soldier throwing up blood and closing his eyes quietly made me grieve.


    Of course, I wouldn¡¯t remember, either.


    However, saying those words to give him peace of mind was the least I could do. I nodded, looking at the soldier with his eyes closed rtivelyfortably, but I had a bitter taste in my mouth.


    Leaving the deceased soldiers behind, we continued to move forward.


    As time passed, I gradually got used to the noise of the battlefield.


    I even became numb to the sight of death.


    ¡°Die!¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°Motherfuckers! Motherfuckers! Motherfuckers!¡±


    ¡°Stay strong! Bastards! Just a little more! Don¡¯t lose! We just need to break a little more!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t let them put even a single finger inside our ranks!¡±


    ¡°Arrows iing! Lift your shields now! Priests and wizards, protection! We need protection!¡±


    Volleys upon volleys of arrows rained down upon us.


    Arge shield then obscured the view.


    Some of the arrows pierced through it, making me think that there was an archer among the enemy that could use tremendous magic power.


    However, the damage wasn¡¯t significant enough to cause the tide of battle to sway to their side.


    Allies, including Park Deokgu, once again took up the shield and moved forward by ying or cutting those around them.


    It felt like the hignds weren¡¯t too far.


    It was then that a roar and a scream came from our side.


    ¡®Sh*t.¡¯


    Allied troops were flung into the air, bouncing and skidding away from the frontlines. I didn¡¯t know the exact details, but what happened was obvious.


    ¡®A named enemy?¡¯


    Craaashhhh!


    Craaaaakkkkk!


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°Block! Blo¡­ ck. Don¡¯t¡­ gasp!¡±


    ¡®Who¡¯s the bastard?¡¯


    The face of the motherfucker running from afar was quite familiar. It was the Russian who was as big as Park Deokgu.


    Valentin Alexandro.


    One of the Five General Tigers of the Republic, Ronaf¡¯s yer, Ronaf¡¯s Brawler.


    The motherfucker saved the Demon Summoner Jin Qing while injuring his right arm by Jung Hayan¡¯s magic during the Laios crisis.


    I bit down on my lips harshly upon seeing him charge through our allies like a battering ram.


    ¡®Have they discovered my location?¡¯


    Perhaps it wasn¡¯t that.


    Magic bombardment hadn¡¯t fallen onto our position yet.


    The most rational cause I could think of was that the enemy refused to allow our reserve team to join the main unit; hence they put him in our way.


    The person blew away heavily armored warriors with ease, showing exactly why people who had that level of power like him were called out of line.


    The roaring sound of the guy covered in blood sounded the same as a huge monster¡¯s.


    ¡®Is there no support for allies?¡¯


    Lee Jihye would¡¯ve already noticed.


    However, there was a high probability that they wouldn¡¯t be able to send support in time, considering the allies¡¯ situation who werepletely surrounded by the enemy forces.


    A little farther from that ce, there must¡¯ve been a friendly force breaking through as well.


    I managed to decipher that knowledge based on the four-nation alliance¡¯s g that I constantly looked out for with my eyes.


    However¡­


    ¡®Will they arrive in time?¡¯


    It would be nice if they coulde in time, but they would still be in a pinch even if they did.


    Having to stop that crazy gori was a huge burden to carry.


    ¡®No. We can stop it.¡¯


    It could be possible with the current troops.


    It was possible to buy some time with alchemy summons and Dragon Breath potions. I also had the Bomb of Light potion just in case, so maybe we could be a match to that ignorant bastard, even if it was just for a while.


    I also had a shield that was stronger than anyone else next to me.


    The problem was that they might be able to confirm my position after that. The reserve would be constantly kept in check by the enemy forces before we could even join the main unit.


    However¡­


    There was no choice.


    We were in a situation where I could not expect support right away.


    ¡®Block as quickly as possible and join the troops who came out to meet us as soon as possible.¡¯


    I was anxious, but that was the most reasonable option. I then barked an order immediately.


    Park Deokgu looked at me.


    ¡°Deokgu, prepare for battle.¡±


    ¡°Can we win?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s possible. Get ready. We have to go out of our way to meet that thing.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Hyung-nim.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I am not a fool either.¡±


    ¡°What bullsh*t is this all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°I know how things are going, I mean. I know we¡¯re in a dangerous situation right now, and I know that you shouldn¡¯t be here. No, the enemy shouldn¡¯t know that you¡¯re here¡­ Well, that or this is the same, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut up and get ready, pig bastard. This is a highly urgent matter. I don¡¯t have time to take on a joke.¡±


    ¡°You go first. I will be in charge of here.¡±


    ¡°Stop bullsh*tting me. Do you think this is an anime movie? Don¡¯t overdo it just to create an impressive scene. Shut up and prepare for battle. I¡¯m not kidding anymore.¡±


    ¡°I told you to go first. I¡¯ll take charge here. The remaining troops will take you to the main unit.¡±


    ¡°What bullsh*t¡­¡±


    In an instant, Park Deokgu grabbed my shoulder.


    He had such a big body that I had to look up.


    Strangely, what I saw before continued to ovep with what was happening in the present.


    The memory of the first round I saw through Yuno Kasugano.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I look so shameful. Now I can see why you were able to stand on the battlefield so calmly. Thank you for your consideration, thank you for being with me, thank you, and¡­ Thank you. Of course, I know it sounds stupid. I know that you don¡¯t trust me much¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t do anything stupid!¡±


    ¡°If you can¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop with the bullsh*t, crazy pig who doesn¡¯t even know his ce!¡±


    ¡°I can do better.¡±


    He pushed me away.


    I was pushed back against my will, and the allies caught me.


    Once again, troops involved in the war were mixed between Park Deokgu and me.


    In an instant, the brawler came in rushing with hisrge body.


    I could see the pig grabbing his arm with arge shield on his back.


    Baaaaaannngggg!


    Thest scene I could see was the scene of two hands grappling against each other with a loud crash sound.


    ¡°That stupid pig bastard!!¡± I had to scream.

 Chapter 407: Dialugia, Juliana (1)

    <h4>Chapter 407: Dialugia, Juliana (1)</h4>


    ¡°Let go of me, you motherfuckers!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous!¡±


    ¡°I told you to let go of me, motherfuckers!¡±


    ¡°You must not do this, Honorary Cardinal. Please, please be patient.¡±


    ¡°Sh*t. Sh*t!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Honorary Cardinal. But¡­¡±


    ¡°Sh*t! Fucking stupid pig bastard! Stupid bastard! Does he think he¡¯s worth something?! That stupid pig bastard!¡±


    Naturally, I couldn¡¯t hold back the anger from bursting out of my mouth. I saw the startled soldiers.


    Those who looked at me with disbelief reacted as if they were witnessing something incredibly wrong.


    It was so clear that they were thinking about whether the person they were looking at was really the Honorary Cardinal.


    ¡®Sh*t.¡¯


    ¡°Damn¡­¡±


    Thanks to the momentary anger that had gotten the best of me, itpletely destroyed my image.


    It was the first time I had shown that side of mine in front of others.


    It wasn¡¯t unreasonable for them to feel bewildered, considering the image they had of me never raised my voice, much less curse, and remained respectful when dealing with people.


    I instantly realized the weight of the mistake I made.


    I would¡¯ve made a fuss about it like usual, but I couldn¡¯t even care about it at that moment.


    As I breathed in slowly and exhaled, I could feel my frustrated heart calming down a little.


    I was still angry, but I knew getting agitated in a situation like that wouldn¡¯t help. Thankfully, the soldiers¡¯ face helped me to regain reason.


    ¡®I have to be cold.¡¯


    I had to be calm and cold.


    Anger didn¡¯t help.


    Anger¡­ didn¡¯t help.


    Useless agitation was poison.


    In particr, it would only make the current situation worse.


    ¡®That pig bastard¡­ pig bastard! That stupid pig bastard!¡¯


    My anger wouldn¡¯t subside, nheless. I felt like Park Deokgu couldn¡¯t defeat Valentin no matter the circumstances.


    I admitted that he had grown considerably. I also knew that his endurance stat was almost beyond regrity.


    However, simply being strong was a different story in battles. It wouldn¡¯t have mattered if the opponent was just an idiot, but Ronaf¡¯s brawler was one of the five said to be the strongest in the Republic.


    It would be weird not to worry. No, there was no chance of winning in the first ce.


    No matter how hard I thought, I couldn¡¯t think of any situation where Park Deokgu could beat him.


    What remained was how long he could endure.


    He was a strong man, and he wouldn¡¯t die easily, but it didn¡¯t mean that there was no chance of dying.


    Even if he yed out the situation as defensively as possible, the fact that every moment was dangerous wouldn¡¯t change.


    It wasn¡¯t just for him.


    The allied troops being held back around them were also weaker. This was no different from taking a step into a dangerous situation.


    The rider of ally troops must have had already sent hand signals to Lee Jihye, but the key was whether Park Deokgu could endure it until the support unit arrived.


    I should¡¯ve known it from the time he kept spouting out bullsh*t.


    ¡®He thinks he¡¯s the main character of a movie.¡¯


    It was already toote to return.


    It would be a more reasonable choice to go back after joining the main unit and forming a support force. I felt like I wanted to run right now, but it would be foolish for me to go back to where we came from.


    ¡®Yes, this is reasonable judgment.¡¯


    ¡°Reasonable judgment, reasonable judgment¡­ Sh*t. Okay. That¡¯s a reasonable judgment.¡±


    It was correct no matter how I thought about it.


    I had to move forward soon as possible.


    ¡°As soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Er¡­ Honorary Cardinal?¡±


    ¡°As soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Honorary Cardinal.¡±


    ¡°Ah yes.¡±


    ¡°Er. I-I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Rather¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I showed an ugly side of mine.¡±


    ¡°No. I-It doesn¡¯t even make sense. To say it¡¯s an ugly side¡­ we can fully understand.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Thank you. We have to join the main unit as fast as possible.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Okay.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll direct our movement.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps¡­¡±


    ¡°No. I won¡¯t go back there. It would be better to breakthrough after joining the main unit. Themand team probably got the information. They¡¯ll do something about it.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Okay.¡±


    I saw the unknown soldier slowly nodding.


    I was worried about whether he was thinking of something bad about me, but I felt he got even more loyal.


    I didn¡¯t know why, but I had to think that it was fortunate that there weren¡¯t any additional problems arising. Naturally, I nodded and started to move again.


    The battle was still progressing.


    We were slowly getting closer to the main unit, but I felt that the troops were moving as a whole, so I thought I had to find the right path.


    The masked trash and Lee Jihye were probably having a battle of wits from above.


    The change in the real-time situation would also be its effect.


    ¡®This is indeed fortunate.¡¯


    The main unit had not beenpletely dominated yet.


    It was clear that they were constantly looking for an exit or exposing the enemy¡¯s weak spot, and the soldiers inside were busy fighting, but if I could see this scene from above, I knew I would find a rather interesting view.


    ¡®It¡¯s good for the pig.¡¯


    He wouldn¡¯t have to keep being isted there, so if he was lucky, he would be able to join another unit.


    As I visually confirmed that the allies were getting closer, I became increasingly impatient.


    The troops in front of us were also starting to head over to us as if they had seen us. The enemy forces¡¯ resistance was strong, but it was weak enough for us to be able to prate through it sufficiently.


    However, the troops that were supposed to bring me to the main unit were also gradually decreasing.


    It was more urate to say that they kept being murdered, though.


    ¡°Magic! It¡¯s magic! Cast defense magic!¡±


    ¡°Protection! Protection!¡±


    At that moment, a huge fireball fell over us once again.


    Craaaasshh!!


    Several soldiers were engulfed in mes despite their shields.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!¡±


    That was just the beginning.


    The fireball that was falling in earnest was causing damage to both sides absurdly.


    This meant that something was wrong, or someone had lost control.


    Or perhaps that was his aim all along. Regardless, the magic that fell from the sky continued to wreak havoc.


    Of course, what I had to do didn¡¯t change at all.


    I had to pass through the ranks of allies and enemies alike. I had to keep moving forward nonstop.


    It was then that, once again, another great shock came to the ally forces. This wasn¡¯t an attack.


    The enemy and the reserve team, who were fighting with the nearest unit, collided with each other.


    It would have been like a jackpot from the enemy¡¯s point of view, but the allies fought harder with the unexpected support.


    ¡°Push a little more! Bastards! Push them out! It¡¯s support! Support troops!¡±


    ¡®Although there aren¡¯t really that many of them to be called support troops.¡¯


    Still, it was good the battlefield, which had been in a tense standoff.


    It was natural that I also helped without knowing. Even though it was just a little bit of damage with an alchemy spell, it was still better than nothing.


    Of course, I knew we had to save my magic power. At this point, however, we really couldn¡¯t afford it. We were constantly being dyed.


    The battlefield engulfed in madness approached each individual, bringing them great confusion.


    When I looked around a bit, I could see that the enemy troops were heading our way.


    The situation was so annoying that I barely managed to hold back another series of curses.


    It looked like the masked trash had sent in more reinforcements.


    I frowned at the sight. Due to the nature of the guy who liked to take advantage of the smallest details, he didn¡¯t leave the detached squad and reserve squad unattended.


    The idea of ??dominating the troops with the reserves was so explicit, but I thought that was inevitable.


    No, to be precise, it could be avoided. It would be okay to change routes after leaving the squad as it was, but.


    ¡®That¡¯s not allowed.¡¯


    It was irrational to find a new path once again. It would be faster to join the allies in front of us and break through the enemy¡¯s ranks together.


    The direction the troops were moving and how the war was going continued to fill my head.


    ¡®How far is the main unit?¡¯


    If we went through them quickly, we could get to the main unit right within the expected time.


    ¡°Prepare for battle.¡±


    ¡°Prepare for battle!! Prepare for battle!!¡±


    We were already ready for battle, however. We were in the middle of the battlefield, after all.


    I said those words simply to prepare them for meeting the new faces running towards us.


    ¡®It might be difficult, but¡­¡¯


    There was no other choice.


    Taking a short breath and swallowing my saliva, I heard screams and shouts covering the battlefield.


    It wasn¡¯t very pleasant to be in the middle of a battlefield where blood sttered, and limbs often flew from all directions.


    I had no choice but to close my lips tightly and sigh in frustration. The sounds of the soldiers hitting each other kept entering my ears.


    The existing units among the troops that had just begun to be mixed also joined the reserves.


    I couldn¡¯t remember the name, but the face of the person in charge of the enemy forces was quite familiar.


    This was a face that died and came back alive.


    Troops continued to be detached from the main unit. Rather than being detached, it would be more appropriate to say that the enemies were cutting them off and isting them.


    He was umting damage by cutting the troops to obtain minor aplishments.


    After hunting the fallen troops, he often scraped their surface again.


    It was a creepy, meticulous, and perverted tactic. It was exactly the same as what he showed in the game we yed before.


    ¡®We¡¯re being pushed back.¡¯


    I felt like Lee Jihye was going through a lot.


    If things were going well, we shouldn¡¯t have been hunted down after our allies who joined us had fallen. It didn¡¯t seem like we were being beaten one-sidedly, but it didn¡¯t change the fact that we were suffering.


    ¡®The situation isn¡¯t good.¡¯


    Park Deokgu was facing Valentin, and since Kim Hyunsung was isted, his location could not be determined.


    The same was true for the unit where Kim Ye-ri and Cho Hyejin belonged. Even the main unit continued to umte damage.


    It might seem okay right now, but the power difference would be noticeable after a few hours.


    It was no wonder that I felt that the current situation had to be reversed somehow.


    Even a very small hole was fine. If there was a hole, we could somehow squeeze into it.


    ¡®Should I use the Bomb of Light potion?¡¯


    Of course not.


    Although the range was wide, it was limited. I didn¡¯t bring it to use for only that many troops.


    ¡®Or perhaps should I create some distraction.¡¯


    That wasn¡¯t bad at all.


    I thought it would help to create some form of distraction. I organized my thoughts instantaneously.


    When I tried to give orders to the unit colliding with the enemy, I could see the enemy¡¯s face squeezing through the spaces in between our ranks.


    ¡®An assassin?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t understand how they kept passing through the big guys.


    Of course, the priority action was not to understand the situation but to get out of danger.


    I pulled my body back and raised my hand, but it was faster for the enemy¡¯s dagger to reach my throat than for me to execute an alchemical summon.


    The warrior next to me also had a spear in his hand, but he wouldn¡¯t have reached us if he were the kind to be hit by a spear that easily.


    ¡®Sh*t!¡¯


    I bit down on my lower lip in desperation, but that feeling didn¡¯tst long. A sword fell down from the sky, prating the top of the assassin¡¯s head.


    ¡°Juli¡­ Juliana?¡±


    Naturally, I looked up at the sky in a hurry. I couldn¡¯t stop myself from cheering at what I saw.


    ¡°Grooooooaaaaaarrr!¡±


    My wife, who I hadn¡¯t seen in a long time, had finally arrived.

 Chapter 408: Dialugia, Juliana (2)

    <h4>Chapter 408: Dialugia, Juliana (2)</h4>


    Crack! Craaasshhh!


    The sight of her stepping on the enemy like they were ants was indeed ridiculous to behold.


    The dragon with a giant horn made anyone on the battlefield feel both fear and awe.


    Actually, that was the reaction of the enemy forces.


    Some raised their heads as if they couldn¡¯t believe it, others had their mouths wide open, and a few even rubbed their eyes. They might have heard about the fact that there was a dragon through a briefing beforehand, but there was a distinctive difference between hearing a story and actually seeing it.


    It was even more surprising for the original inhabitants of the continent.


    Having a surprised look on their faces was only natural. She was so huge that anyone had to look up to see her in her entirety.


    She had enormous eyes, huge fangs and ws that awakened anyone¡¯s primal fear, and a glossy ck and white outer shell that looked harder than most armors.


    And it probably was.


    She ignored any attacking from themon soldiers. Her basic magic resistance was also beyond imagination.


    For some reason, I was proud. Of course, to be easily targeted was a weakness. However, in that kind of battlefield, there was no ally as reliable as her.


    ¡°My¡­¡±


    ¡°Attack! Attack! Rain down magic upon her!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a dragon! A dragon!¡±


    ¡°Attack the wings! Wings! If we follow the briefing, we can catch it!¡±


    ¡°Check the location of the unit responsible for the dragon! Do it now!¡±


    Although the surroundings had already be noisy, it seemed that our proud Dragon General couldn¡¯t hear the cry of the people, including humanpanions.


    With a single swipe of her tail, the enemy soldiers were blown away into the sky simultaneously.


    It was quite spectacr to watch her tail scratch the ground and sweep entire ranks of troops equipped with shields.


    Craaaasshhh!


    ¡°Huuuh?¡±


    ¡°Get out of the way!¡±


    Baaaaannnggg!


    It even looked as if magic had fallen. Of course, nobody could just end the battle with that.


    After inhaling deeply, she exhaled her Breath at the enemy¡¯s side, causing arge beam of light to crash onto the opponents¡¯ ranks in an instantaneous manner.


    Naturally, her body began to be pushed back by its sheer recoil.


    A huge defensive magic circle wrapped around the ce where the Breath fell, but it didn¡¯t take long for it to start producing crackling sounds. The Breath poured through the cracked protective magic, increasing the fatalities of their opponents.


    The power of the Breath spewed out of her mouth as if vomiting her resentment towards her hardworking parenting.


    I didn¡¯t know how much damage she did, but it was enough to say it was a pleasant scene for us.


    ¡®I love you, wife!¡¯


    I expressed my passionate support unconsciously. I wanted to dance, and it felt unfair that I couldn¡¯t do just that.


    Had it not been for the surrounding eyes, I would have already stuck to Dialugia¡¯s leg and kissed her passionately.


    She continued breaking the heads of the nearby enemy forces. Although it was moving a little different from her, Juliana was also active.


    The self-moving ego sword prated through the narrow and densely popted battlefield and pierced the ordinary soldiers¡¯ necks without hesitation.


    Of course, it didn¡¯t work with those at a certain level, but there were a lot of soldiers who couldn¡¯t handle Juliana.


    The sword flew around the battlefield like a mosquito, moving vertically and horizontally without a wielder fascinatingly.


    ¡®That¡¯s why they always talk a lot about ego swords! An Ego sword! Haha!¡¯


    Typically, some humans were strong to the weak and weak to those who were strong.


    I couldn¡¯t deny that I was such a human, but even I couldn¡¯t imagine that my fighting abilities would also follow that personality.


    ¡®The Seal-Clubber!¡¯


    It was a nickname that was a bit unpleasant for me to give myself. However, there was no word that better expressed mybat ability than that title.


    I smiled widely.


    It was then that a voice echoed in my head.


    -Did I get here toote?


    -Gedric! My Gedric!


    -Aren¡¯t I asking if I¡¯mte, husband?!


    -My Gedric! Where have you been? Why have you¡­


    -It¡¯s been a while. Where on earth were you, and what were you doing¡­ Aren¡¯t you curious about how Max and Luria are doing? It¡¯s really hard to see your face. So, have you fully recovered? You must have been really sick. Yes. Really!


    -Gedric, Gedric!


    -Are you listening to me? If you are listening, answer!


    -Gedriic!!


    There was a momentary head-shaking noise, but I was still in a good mood.


    This was the first time where the unpleasant nagging and cries for Gedric felt so adorable. It seemed that they couldn¡¯t hear each other.


    They were pouring out only what they wanted to say. Although my head had been rumbled a little, I was ready to listen to any annoyances or craziness.


    First, Dialugia.


    ¡®No. You arrived at just the right time, Dialugia. So, is Tol To-ri doing well?¡¯


    -She¡¯s not. You don¡¯t know how hard it was to stop her from following you when she heard the news that you were sick. Yes. It was really hard.


    ¡®It would have been nice if you said that it was enough to be worried.¡¯


    -Then, what should I say as the reason why her father doesn¡¯te to see her? Of course, I understand that you have your own life and work, but¡­ please do not neglect your family because of this useless war. Max is also very upset. Please make sure to spend a lot of time with Luria after this war ends.


    ¡®Of course. Of course, I will. Definitely.¡¯


    -Why do humans waste time doing these useless things every time¡­?


    ¡®As you know, it¡¯s not a war we started. They started it. From my perspective, I believe you¡¯ll take it into consideration since it is to protect the precious ce of life, Dialugia. If we let them be, they would push their troops back to Lindel, where the precious nest is located. What would be worse than that? While you¡¯re protecting our home from within, you can think of me doing the same from the outside.¡¯


    -¡­


    ¡®Ahem. Ahem.¡¯


    -You¡¯re never out of rebuttals as always. A human like you¡­ sigh¡­


    ¡®Well, it¡¯s all true, so what can I do?¡¯


    The irritation on Dialugia¡¯s face was highly evident.


    However, it didn¡¯t look like she could refute it, so she was soothing her anger by swaying her tail.


    ¡®More importantly, now¡­¡¯


    -You don¡¯t have to worry about the human Park Deokgu. I left someone there on the way who could help him, too.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    -The human with red hair. Cha Hee-ra, that person.


    ¡®Yo, Yolo¡­¡¯


    -What is Yolo?


    I had been expecting it, but when I thought that Cha Hee-ra had gone to Park Deokgu, I felt like a heavy burden had been removed from my shoulders.


    My already wide smile had gotten even wider.


    I feltpletely reassured that the Russian Pak Deokgu¡¯s head would bepletely shattered.


    ¡®It¡¯s nothing. First, prepare to move. It would be dangerous to stay here. You can go up to the sky and keep them in check. No¡­ I think it would be better for us to go to the main unit together.¡¯


    -Okay.


    It was formal and rough for a conversation between a husband and wife that had met after a long time apart, but I thought that much was okay.


    We were in a situation where we had to keep moving, so I couldn¡¯t focus on the conversation properly.


    Juliana¡¯s voice echoing in my head didn¡¯t help, either.


    Even at that moment, the voice calling out to Gedric made my head ache. I had to change the channel as quickly as I could. It was already screaming.


    -Gedric! My voice! Can¡¯t you hear my voice? Gedric! Gedric! Gedriiiiic! Gedriiiiiic!


    I immediately held my breath and began to let my mind talk. I wasn¡¯t ready yet to meet Juliana, but I already saved the story in my mind.


    ¡®Ohh. My Juliana, why are you here?¡¯


    -Gedric! My voice has reached you. Gedric! My everything. My love. My all! Where have you been? Gedric! My Gedric!


    ¡®It is because of them that I haven¡¯t met you. This bunch of filthy demons locked me up, tortured me, and threatened me all this time. You don¡¯t know how much I¡¯ve missed you, my Juliana!¡¯


    -Ah¡­


    ¡®Those demons are trying to turn the continent into the new hell!¡¯


    In fact, I only avoided her because of the memory of her sucking my magic power, but it felt convincible.


    Not perfect, but it was still a good excuse.


    Of course, a little more supplementary exnation was needed. I thought it would be nice to whisper sweet nothings, but I didn¡¯t think she needed any prior exnations when I looked at her condition.


    -These¡­ dirty guys. These dirty! These dirty guys dare to!!!


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -I¡­ I will tear you all to death. I¡¯ll tear you down!


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    -These trash bastards. You dare, dare!


    ck energy began to surround Juliana.


    I had an ominous feeling about it. The ck haze of smoke clumped together and began to form some strange shape.


    ¡®This crazy¡­¡¯


    [Due to her out-of-control anger, the legendary-grade weapon, ¡®Cursed Juliana,¡¯ has been forcibly awakened.]


    ¡°So, what does this mean¡­?¡±


    [Juliana¡¯s seal is temporarily released, and materialization is in progress. -Duration 60 minutes]


    ¡°What?¡±


    -You guys, you guys. You guys! Daare! Dare! To try to disturb Gedric and me? You guys, daareeee!


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®This is crazy.¡¯


    My jaws dropped open in shock.


    I looked at Juliana in doubt with the system¡¯s message, but the materialization was really in progress.


    It was just like what I saw at the Cursed Shrine before.


    She had messy hair and blind eyes.


    A grotesque dark madwoman was standing with a sword.


    She didn¡¯t seem to have realized that she had a body. She randomly swung her sword and screamed, and no matter how I tried, it was impossible to control her.


    She even felt stronger than when I met her at the Cursed Shrine.


    Just looking at her already told me she was legendary-grade.


    -You daaare! Dare! My Gedric¡­ confine my Gedric! And, and! Threaten¡­ vite him? You guys? You guys!?


    I never said that I had been vited.


    -Those who don¡¯t even know their ces! Curse, the curse will fall. Curse! Will fall!! All you guys will be cursed!! You will suffer even after you die. Forever! Even your remains will suffer forever!


    Its grotesque appearance, fully revealed, caused awakened instinctive fear.


    Of course, the soldiers were more bewildered than I was.


    In addition to spraying a curse, ck tentacles were being conjured from all sides to tear down the surrounding enemies.


    With the continuous screaming, she looked like a madman who sold her soul to the Devil.


    ¡®I have to pretend I don¡¯t know that thing.¡¯


    That was the best I could do in that situation.

 Chapter 409: Dialugia, Juliana (3)

    <h4>Chapter 409: Dialugia, Juliana (3)</h4>


    I thought I had to pretend I didn¡¯t know her desperately.


    ¡®I thought she was crazy, but¡­¡¯


    As the battle progressed, I realized that she was more out of her mind than I could fathom.


    Of course, it made sense for her to get that enraged.


    The reunion with her better half, whom she had never ceased to love,sted for only a few moments.


    She thought her lover was in a situation wherein he was kidnapped and imprisoned by an unknown demonic force. Considering that the two of them had a tragic ending before, it wouldn¡¯t be unreasonable for her to get so angry.


    I had a lump in my throat due to the story that would¡¯ve brought tears to anyone who heard it, but it didn¡¯t change my decision to get out of there.


    She was simply that grotesque.


    -The curse! The curse will fall upon you! The curse! I will drag your carcasses and travel around all kinds of continents. I will give you the most miserable death so that you will continue to suffer even in the afterlife! These trash bastards! These dirty bastards! I will trample on your corpses and make everyone associated with you suffer eternally in the fires of hell!


    The ck smoke swiftly enveloped the enemy forces. Although purification spells were constantly procured, Juliana¡¯s curse was impossible to be exorcised with divine power.


    It wasn¡¯t the kind of ability that showed its effects in a short period of time, but it was enough to affect the troops standing in the middle of the battlefield.


    ¡°Don¡¯te here! Don¡¯te any closer! Sh*t! Don¡¯te any closer!¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°Block! Don¡¯t let here! Mother, mother!¡±


    ¡°S-Save¡­ Run! Run! We¡¯ll all die! We¡¯ll all die!¡±


    Our enemies continued to scream in fear, not even the unexpectedly good son was left in peace. Juliana looked more like a maniac than a swordswoman as she wielded her sword and with her torn mouth wide open.


    ¡°Don¡¯te here!¡±


    -You deserve this pain! Kyahihahahaha! Humans like bugs! Ugly humans! You deserve all the curses! Die! Die! Die! Diiiiieee!


    The tentacles, extending from her in all directions, pierced through the enemy soldiers¡¯ armors too easily.


    Those who were stung by tentacles weren¡¯t given a swift death. Those who were shouting all kinds of things were already under the influence of the curse.


    She dragged around the body of a soldier who had already died several times. She was also seen hitting his head over and over again with the handle of her sword.


    As the battle progressed, the enemy soldiers affected by the curse continued to shout in confusion. It was only natural for normal human beings to be scared of the situation.


    Even I didn¡¯t want to be in that ce. Therefore, I moved away from it in a hurry.


    This was because even the ally troops were staring at Juliana as if they were tired of her, and I felt my consciousness grow heavier. I had no choice but to say something.


    ¡°It¡¯s dangerous. I-it looks like the seal I had put on her has been released.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    Of course, that was bullsh*t, but for now, I had to insist on that like it was the truth.


    I didn¡¯t even know who I was talking to.


    However, seeing the soldiers nodding hard, I was a bit relieved.


    ¡®That¡¯s why it¡¯s important to leave a good impression.¡¯


    ¡°I-I see. Honorary Cardinal, then that¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°It would be nice for you to join the main unit along the way.¡±


    ¡°And the Honorary Cardinal¡­¡±


    ¡°I will go first.¡±


    ¡°How¡­ Oh, I see. Okay.¡±


    The soldier nodded with his eyes widened. It seemed like he agreed only after looking at Dialugia.


    I, too, started moving right away.


    The soldiers around me were protecting me, trembling with fear that there might be any problems, but I was certain that the ce surrounding me was definitely safe.


    Juliana was drawing all kinds of gazes, after all.


    I wanted to fight with her since she was struggling alone, but I couldn¡¯t do it. It was not because I didn¡¯t want to be in the same space as Juliana.


    There was something I had to do. It was close to Force majeure.


    ¡®Right. This is Force majeure.¡¯


    -Gedric! Gedriiiiic!


    As if she had noticed I was moving away; a creepy sound came from behind me.


    The voice made me shake. It felt like it could scratch windows. She seemed to want to chase after me, but she was blocked by the enemies that rushed to surround her.


    It was the beginning of their ¡®Juliana Raid¡¯.


    -Gedric! How dare! You bastards! You bastards! My Gedric! Can¡¯t you get out of my way right now?! You, humans, are less than insects!


    ¡°Surround her!¡±


    ¡°Be careful not to be affected by the curse. Frontline, guard ahead!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get cut by the sword! Keep a distance away from her as much as possible and drag her into a long-range battle. Never stop the purification magic!¡±


    The battle that transpired in the middle of the war field was magnificent.


    -Get out of my way! I said, get out of my way!


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°Sh*t!¡±


    -The curse will fall upon you! The curse! Anyone who interferes with Gedric and I will be cursed and shall die miserably!


    ¡°Gasp!¡±


    -Aah! Gedric! No need to worry! My Gedric! Please wait for a bit! Your little baby bird will go to you soon!


    No matter how I looked at her, I couldn¡¯t think of her like a baby bird. I had cold sweats, but I did my best to turn my head away.


    I tried my best to get away from the unidentified creature, even if for just a little. That was when I saw Dialugia bowing her head to me to make it easier for me to climb over.


    -I thought it would help, but it must have been a mistake to bring it.


    ¡°No. It¡¯s helpful enough. Just¡­ no, it¡¯s nothing. I will go up.¡±


    -I don¡¯t want to pick you up, but¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -Okay. Yes. I got it.


    I boarded onto her swiftly. She slowly lifted her body as I grabbed onto her horn tightly.


    The reserve team that had been with me began to look smaller.


    Everyone seemed to be impressed.


    I didn¡¯t know if it¡¯s an appropriate expression, but they were looking up at me as if I was the main character in a fairytale.


    I subtly nodded at them.


    I felt like I was departing as a hero like in the history books.


    Just being with a dragon was already enough to win public envy. Moreover, a messenger, chosen by God, had been riding that dragon.


    Although the blind belief that I could solve everything felt burdensome, I couldn¡¯t help but reassure them from where I was.


    I thought it was now the time to ept the familiar gazes humbly.


    ¡°Please, Honorary Cardinal.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, everyone.¡±


    After a short greeting, Dialugia fully rose in the middle of the battlefield. Arrows and magic instantly targeted her.


    After I pretended to be cool, I tapped on her horns. Image management was important.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Dialugia.¡±


    -I¡¯m not familiar with the sky.


    ¡°It would be better than being on the ground. A unit specifically made to deal with you will be here shortly. There¡¯s no reason not to take advantage of this. Oh, and before flying, please p your wings once as strong as you can. I also ask for you to roar as loud as you can. I want everyone to look at us.¡±


    -I¡¯m not a spectacle. Even in this kind of situation¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m not telling you to pretend to be a clown. I have no intention of making a show. It¡¯s all to boost morale. Have you not seen how symbolic your existence is during the Sacred Democracy Revolution? Think of it as showing off your beautiful figure to them, and take a nice pose.¡±


    -I¡¯m not feeling like it.


    ¡°This fight will be recorded in history. Maybe you and I will also appear in the stories people share, like the human chosen by a dragon. It¡¯ll appear in the history book that our Dialuria will learn. The Alchemist of Light and his wife against the demon¡¯s army! Shouldn¡¯t you, too, keep the bnce as a dragon that¡¯s just a few on the continent?¡±


    -Are they really the demon¡¯s army?


    ¡°Yes. Absolutely. And if I say it¡¯s not an army of demons, what does it matter? History is written by the victors anyway. Oh, that doesn¡¯t mean they deny that they are the army of darkness. The one who summoned the Demon Lord to Laios was certainly the head of the enemy. Demon Summoner Jin Qing. He is the one who caused all of this.¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you the truth. Now, let¡¯s quickly be parents Tol To-ri can be proud of. Humans will also respect our Dialuria. I¡¯m sure of it.¡±


    -¡­


    I didn¡¯t hear an answer, but I already knew the choice she was going to make. She raised her head mightily and delivered a thunderous roar that shook the ground.


    Everyone looked at Dialugia and me, both allies and enemies.


    After she took to the spells began to ascend, all aimed at her.


    Of course, Dialugia wasn¡¯t slow enough to be hit by such forceless attacks.


    She had deadlier abilities than such spells, but avoiding their attacks in the sky felt like watching a well-crafted aerialbat scene.


    Of course, I was on top of her, so it¡¯s okay to assume that I was experiencing the 4DX sensation.


    The wind sting against my face made it very difficult to breathe properly.


    It wasn¡¯t easy to open my mouth, and as I talked into her, I heard her voice once again.


    ¡®You should avoid the blue ones. It¡¯s probably magic made to stop you. It looks like a kind of bondage magic, and if you get caught, you might fall.¡¯


    -I don¡¯t know, but considering the density of magic power, I guess it is.


    ¡®The basic hold magic¡­¡¯


    -Maybe I can resist. It would be better to hold onto me tightly so that you don¡¯t fall off.


    Arge blue magic rope flew toward Dialugia from all directions.


    When I took out the Dragon Breath potion and threw it, the blue magic rope burst into pieces with a loud sound.


    However, some attacks proved to be difficult for her to avoid.


    Dialugia seemed to have the same thought as me.


    She seemed to think that the magic sent by high-level wizards was dangerous and was offsetting the inevitable ones.


    She kept avoiding their assaults, and her actions were optimal to get into the enemymand¡¯s nerves. Although it couldn¡¯t be seen as direct damage, it was undeniable that the damage being dealt against the enemies was umting.


    It wasn¡¯t surprising that a dedicated unit and specialized magic had been created specifically for Dialugia.


    ¡®Where is our Hyunsung?¡¯


    I had been looking for him, but it was too hard to see anything.


    It was normal that I couldn¡¯t easily find him.


    I was on the back of Dialugia, avoiding the magic soaring towards us at tremendous speeds.


    Whenever we entered a lull, I looked around as much as possible, but it wasn¡¯t easy to check everything because the range was too wide.


    One thing that made me feel relief was that the wizard units assigned as his targets beforemunication was cut off were no longer visible. I was starting to feel like my concern was nothing but a groundless one.


    ¡®He will be okay, right?¡¯


    If he was looking at us, he must¡¯ve moved the moment he saw it.


    Now that the allies had finally gained some breathing space, it became more usible for him to get out.


    That was when I felt a huge flow of magic power from above us. To be precise, it was not a flow of magic power, but a strong pressure.


    ¡®What¡¯s that?¡¯


    A meteorite was falling from the sky.


    ¡°That¡¯s nuts¡­¡±


    Arge meteorite was falling toward the densely gathered main unit.


    ¡°It¡¯s awesome. Really. Jin Qing, you trash bastard¡­¡±

 Chapter 410: I’m Glad. Light Kiyoung has descended (1)

    <h4>Chapter 410: I¡¯m d. Light Kiyoung has descended (1)</h4>


    This was a malevolent trap.


    I didn¡¯t know how much he had been trying to dominate Castle Rock, but I had no choice but toe out swearing.


    Of course, it was difficult for the enemy to see that as an optimal situation. It was obvious that they were in a hurry, too.


    He probably wanted to drop the magic he prepared after pushing his troops in as much as possible. However, it was clear that the operation had been twisted due to that appeared out of nowhere.


    If I were Jin Qing, I would have activated that magic after reducing the enemy wizards¡¯ stamina a little more.


    However, the current timing couldn¡¯t be considered as regrettable, either.


    Enemy forces still surrounded the main unit, and it was undeniable that that magic would inflict enormous damage to our side.


    If it really fell, then the war would be over. I wasn¡¯t the only one who knew about such an obvious fact.


    A loud voice could be heard from below. After a few moments had passed, I began to feel great magic power trembling from within.


    I was certain that it¡¯s caused by someone forming a defensive magic circle that could respond to the enemy¡¯s magic. However, it wasn¡¯t certain whether the improvised defense magic would be able to stop the meteorite.


    I was able to realize why the enemy allowed themselves to be stuck at Castle Rock.


    ¡®Were they preparing that all this time?¡¯


    I wasn¡¯t sure. However, the odds were high. It didn¡¯t just end with Castle Rock as bait.


    Considering that it took time and manpower to unleash that kind of magic, I thought they could have been preparing since the beginning of the war, or maybe even after I had sent the message.


    Perhaps there was a device on themand side that could materialize and maintain that magic.


    It was more systematic than the magic that fell at Laios, assuming that the range was limited to prevent their allies from being damage. It even seemed to have urate coordinates and even calctions of possible errors.


    I knew that there were many talented wizards in the Republic, but I thought the one who gave them help to create such powerful magic¡­


    ¡®The Magic Kingdom.¡¯


    That much was obvious.


    Perhaps that was both a message and their means of vengeance.


    It could be interpreted as a blow of tenacity as part of Jin Qing trash¡¯s will to return what happened in Laios. I looked up at the sky with my Mind¡¯s Eyes.


    [Semi-mythic grade magic]


    [Meteor]


    The level of the manifested magic was a whopping semi-mythic grade.


    ¡®Can I stop it?¡¯


    I had the Bomb of Light potion, but no matter how I looked at it, it was unlikely that I could stop it with one shot.


    After peeling off the magic power as much as possible, we could burst free at it. Maybe we¡¯d have a chance.


    Of course, that didn¡¯t mean we¡¯d seed, but¡­


    -That¡­


    ¡°First, get as close as possible.¡±


    Still, I had no choice but to try.


    If that fell, I would lose everything I had ever achieved and everything I¡¯d get in the future.


    While Dialugia hesitated for a moment, a huge defensive magic circle began to cover our allies.


    Finally.


    Baaaaaaannnngggg!


    A huge crashing sound started to reverberate into my ears.


    The defense magic created by the main unit was blocking the meteorite.


    I became hopeful for a second, but all it did was slow that thing down. It looked somewhat unnatural to watch it continue falling, gathering clouds and air in the sky.


    Shortly afterward, a shattering sound exploded as the huge shield gotpletely smashed.


    ¡°Breath! Breath!¡±


    -I don¡¯t know if it¡¯ll work.


    ¡°But it would be better to try it first.¡±


    I thought I had to try everything at that point.


    I could see a huge light umting in Dialugia¡¯s mouth, taking a deep breath as permand. The draconic figure shot out her Breath towards the meteorite, exerting so much force that my body was pushed back even though I was tightly holding onto her. It was a mythical scene, but it wasn¡¯t as pleasing when it was happening right before my eyes.


    ¡°Sh*t. It¡¯s still not enough¡­¡±


    -I think it¡¯s better to avoid it. The closer I get, the higher the chance that I¡¯ll get swept away.


    ¡°No. Let¡¯s go up. I can stop it.¡±


    -Are you serious?


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯ll work, but I¡¯ve got a n.¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°Just go up. Gosh! You have no faith! No faith.¡±


    -Because you¡¯re not very trustworthy. I didn¡¯t have faith from the beginning. And I don¡¯t think there will be any in the future.


    Contrary to her words, Dialugia continued to approach the meteorite.


    The allies cast defensive magic once again, causing the meteorite to hit the translucent membrane in return.


    I had hopes for the spell, but the second barrier broke down faster than the first. Of course, it wasn¡¯t meaningless to continue to cut down the magic power built into the magic itself, but no matter what I thought, it wasn¡¯t enough to block it.


    As I looked at my right arm momentarily, I gazed at the small shield Kim Hyunsung gifted to me.


    [Iplete Shield of Aegis (Legendary)]


    [A shield that the God of Heaven gave to the Goddess of War. Unlike before, it had been split into several pieces. The shield did not lose its power despite being torn apart, perhaps thanks to the magic power contained in it. It dramatically increased basic magic resistance and allowed the user to summon parts of the Aegis Shield for a limited period of time in exchange for a huge amount of magic power. Summoned Aegis Shield unconditionally prevented any form of life-threatening attacks.]


    ¡®Would this work against that?¡¯


    Part of its details was that it could prevent lethal attacks unconditionally, but that was likely to only react to things below the legendary grade.


    It was out of standard in the first ce since it¡¯s semi-mythic. When I thought about the meteorite, I wondered if that little shield could block such great magic.


    ¡®I still have to try.¡¯


    ¡°Breath. Once again.¡±


    -This is thest time.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. First, stop that thing. Since it¡¯s thest time you¡¯re shooting it, use all the magic power you have.¡±


    -I was going to do that even if you didn¡¯t say it.


    She sted another Breath of the Dragon out again.


    Another defense magic circle had been created as well.


    It was unknown exactly what sound came from the bottom, but it¡¯s probably the ally wizards screaming.


    Perhaps they were vomiting blood, like Jung Hayan at Laios.


    It would be the same to the enemy who manifested such magic, but after that, both wizards would be unable to use magic for the time being.


    ¡®They¡¯re probably at their limits now.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t afford to look around the battlefield, but it was already obvious, even if I couldn¡¯t see them.


    -Is it really going to be okay? Really? What can you do?


    ¡°Aegis!¡±


    Leaving the anxious Dialugia behind, I immediately shouted the activation word after the third defensive magic was smashed.


    As light emanated from the small shield, a huge barrier began to form in front of me.


    The effect looked gorgeous, but I didn¡¯t know how much it could endure. The shield continued to be maintained above Dialugia¡¯s head, but it didn¡¯t take long for it to crack and shatter.


    ¡°Aegis! Aegis! Aegis!¡±


    ¡®Unconditionally blocks a fatal attack, my ass!¡¯


    If I paid for it, I would have asked for a refund unconditionally.


    I already expended a lot of magic power.


    -I don¡¯t think it can take anymore¡­


    ¡°Okay, so go back! Go back! Go back! Quickly now!¡±


    Craaash! Craaaack!


    Whenever the barrier broke, my body felt like it was burning in the heat.


    I was probably the only one who had witnessed the huge meteorite falling right in front of me.


    I worried about whether or not I would die like that.


    At the same time, a fourth shield blocked the path of the meteorite. It was stopped for a moment, but it continued getting closer to the ground soon after.


    ¡®Would it be better to reduce its core a little more?¡¯


    I thought it would be better to reduce the intrinsic magic power a little more, but there was no way I could do that. All I could do was throw two potions towards it.


    ¡°This disgusting bastard! Taste the power of light, motherfucker!¡±


    It would be nice if that could block it, but it was unclear whether that would happen. However¡­


    Whoooosh!


    Along with the sound of a huge light shing, the surroundings were illuminated.


    A blinding light.


    The huge light began to devour some chunks of the falling meteorite.


    ¡®Right. That¡¯s it! Fuck! That¡¯s it! Keep iting! Fuck! Let¡¯s go! Bastard!¡¯


    Whooooooosh!


    The sight of some parts of the meteorite beingpletely engulfed by streaks of light seemed to suggest that the potion I had was working.


    What it touched gradually became light with a resounding roar. I wanted to get up and dance, but it felt difficult to move my body properly.


    Still, I had to cheer for the fact that my n worked. It was then that the falling meteorite showed an unusual reaction.


    ¡°Uh?¡±


    The meteorite was split in half.


    Baaaaaaaannnnnggggg!


    One waspletely swept away by the light, while the other remained intact. The other half continued to fall toward the ally troops.


    ¡°Dialugia! Breath! Breath! Breath!! Breath!!¡±


    -I-I can¡¯t¡­ more importantly, the bnce! I¡¯m falling! I¡¯m falling!


    ¡°Damn! Damn!!¡±


    When my face momentarily crumpled, I witnessed the half that fell off was cut neatly once again.


    It became obvious as to who did it.


    I could tell without having to look at it. There was no one else who could cut that.


    ¡®Hyunsung! Fuck! I believed in you!¡¯


    Of course, I wasn¡¯t in a situation where I could see that right now.


    After the Bomb of Light potionpletely swallowed the meteorite, Dialugia turned to face the ground at the impact of the explosion. I held onto her horn as tightly as possible, but it felt like I was going to bounce right off.


    ¡°Damn!!¡±


    -Hold on tight¡­


    Baaanngg!!


    ¡°Cough! Cough! Cough! Dialugia! Dialugia, are you okay?¡±


    -I can¡­ endure it. And you¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m fine too.¡±


    ¡®What happened to the meteorite?¡¯


    Strangely, our vicinity had gone quiet. Rather, the entire battlefield became quiet.


    I saw the troops looking at Dialugia and me as if they couldn¡¯t believe it.


    Perhaps that silence was the aftershock of witnessing such an incredible scene.


    Of course, it was.


    Even I still couldn¡¯t believe I just stopped it.


    At Laios, the scene was made up, but I seeded in preventing something simr. The powder of light falling from the sky enveloped the entire army.


    If I were a devout believer, I would¡¯ve knelt and shouted Hallelujah on the spot.


    ¡°The Second Coming of Benignore¡­ Benignore¡¯s Second Coming¡­¡±


    ¡°It is the Second Coming of Goddess Benignore!¡±


    ¡®This is a nice atmosphere.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t even have that effect in mind, but the reaction was much better than I thought.


    ¡®It deserves to have a good effect.¡¯


    The meteorite powder falling from the sky created the perfect glowing nket. It was truly befitting to call it the Curtain of Light.


    The image of a man riding a dragon was in its middle. In my eyes, it was perfect.


    Thanks to the use of excessive magic power, my legs were trembling, but I instinctively thought I had to say something.


    I applied the voice amplification magic to my words as I spoke.


    -Please! Stop fighting, dear Republics!


    Adrenaline coursed through my veins.


    -Throw away your weapons!


    As expected, I enjoyed talking more than I enjoyed standing on a battlefield.

 Chapter 411: I’m glad. Light Kiyoung has descended. (2)

    <h4>Chapter 411: I¡¯m d. Light Kiyoung has descended. (2)</h4>


    It was the perfect moment for me to deliver a speech.


    Although the meteorite crisis had passed, the fact that our allies were outnumbered hadn¡¯t changed.


    The remaining magic power of the wizards wouldn¡¯tst long, and Dialugia could no longer afford to deal with them.


    It was only natural to feel tired as she used her Breath until she reached her limit in order to reduce the meteorite¡¯s magic power, which was surrounded by semi-mythic grade magic.


    Kim Hyunsung probably wasn¡¯t in peak condition as well.


    No matter how much of a Superman he was like, there was no way he could be fine considering he dealt with that tremendous magic and consumed his stamina behind enemy lines.


    If he were normal, it would be almost impossible even to move.


    Even though that wasn¡¯t the case, it was undeniable that it would have an adverse effect on him.


    ¡®I also have a bottle of Bomb of Light left¡­¡¯


    Enemies still surrounded our allies.


    I couldn¡¯t consider that we¡¯re at a total disadvantage since the enemy¡¯s wizards had reached their limits, but it didn¡¯t change the fact that the overall situation didn¡¯t look good.


    I didn¡¯t know whether that method could work, but there was no harm in trying.


    The battlefield had entered a lull, after all. I had to make the best use of that opportunity.


    ¡®Even the picture is good.¡¯


    God¡¯s messenger amid a crowd of falling lights.


    I watched them falling from the sky, not distinguishing friend from foe.


    Once again, I spoke. Although it was temporary, the faces of those looking at me were reflected in my view.


    -I¡¯ll say it again! Everyone! Please stop fighting! Dear Republics! Throw away your weapons!


    ¡°It is the seconding of Benignore.¡±


    ¡°It is the seconding of the Goddess Benignore.¡±


    ¡°Honorary Cardinal¡­¡±


    ¡°Honorary Cardinal! It¡¯s dangerous!¡±


    The anxious voices of our allies echoed across the battlefield.


    But what¡¯s more important to me was the reaction of the Republic.


    Naturally, I quickly tried to read their faces.


    Some reacted as if I was talking bullsh*t, but others hesitated.


    It felt like there were more of the former, however.


    Since they had been educated in advance, I immediately understood that they¡¯re trying not to listen to me.


    Nevertheless, since we had entered a lull, my voice clearly reverberated across the fields.


    -Please throw down your weapons. Any further battles with each other are useless. Would you really rather we keep hurting one another in this war that¡¯s not yours to fight? This war didn¡¯t happen with you or your family in mind. What are you holding your sword for? What are you standing there for?


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -You are not here to protect your country. This war of madness did not happen for the Republic. The leaders of the Republic know better than anyone else that the State never invaded your country! As the chosen messenger of Benignoreand Elune, I request for both Goddesses to punish me if there¡¯s deception in my words! If I¡¯m lying, Goddess Benignore won¡¯t ever forgive me. The State wasn¡¯t the first one to attack. What you know is by no means true. Open your eyes. Open your eyes and confirm the truth yourself!


    There was no response.


    -The people we need to fight together areughing at this situation from their high horses. Jin Qing, the Demon Summoner who caused this war, is hiding in the Republic¡¯s shield and is manipting you to fight his battles for him! He promotes conflict between our two countries for his own security and the continent¡¯s confusion. That¡¯s what the evil forces rooted in the continent are aiming for! Our enemies aren¡¯t each other, but rather those who are threatening the peace of ournds! We must join forces to defeat the predator that will one daye for us!


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -It would be impossible to fight off the iing threat unless the entirety of humanity joins their powers together! Throw away your weapons,dies, and gentlemen. It¡¯s time for us to stop this war. There is nothing left to gain from this war that¡¯s caused by someone¡¯s conspiracy and agitation!


    I thought I could understand why there was no response.


    They might be thinking that they¡¯ll feel like they¡¯re losing as soon as they reacted to what I¡¯m saying.


    But it¡¯s not just for that reason.


    It wasn¡¯t because my words did not shake the soldiers of the Republic.


    The priests who used divine power seemed to feel like they needed to listen a little more, but that didn¡¯t matter.


    They had been swinging swords at each other¡¯s throats until recently.


    There was no way that their wrath would go away just because I suddenly said something like that.


    If we had the Goddess¡¯s Mirror, it would have been possible to incite what I wanted to incite faster. Talking without showing facts just wasn¡¯t that convincing.


    If that continued, I was certain that the war¡¯s tiny embers would be sprayed with oil once more.


    The Demon Summoner didn¡¯t even feel the need to respond to my words.


    But I had no choice but to keep talking.


    -For something more pressing than our nations and our values, we must lower our swords and hold hands. As an ally of the Republic, the State will never pierce our swords into your ranks first. The history of conflict will disappear after this war! We have to try to gain peace. Please throw down your swords. What happened here today is just the first step, but it would be a gigantic leap if we can end the history of endless wars! Stop fighting!


    The question was what that oil was.


    -We can go hand in hand toward greater value. Throw away your weapons!


    As I was talking, an arrow flew towards me.


    ¡®That bastard.¡¯


    In that instant, I could feel how high its magic power was.


    I didn¡¯t know where it came from, but it was quite powerful.


    I flicked my finger and hurriedly built a wall, but my body was pushed back by the explosion.


    I didn¡¯t roll on the ground pathetically, but it¡¯s probably enough to spark the new mes of war.


    Just in time, once again, an explosion started to be heard from the enemy camp.


    I didn¡¯t know whether it was made up or not, but agitated voices began to be heard once more due to it.


    ¡°Sh*t!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t stop! It¡¯s a trap!¡±


    ¡°Honorary Cardinal! These dirty bastards!¡±


    ¡°What are the wizards doing?!¡±


    ¡°Raise your weapons! Gather up! Prepare for battle! Each unit, prepare for battle!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be pushed! Hold on! Hold on!¡±


    ¡°Protect the Honorary Cardinal! Quickly use the remaining magic power to create protection magic!¡±


    My speech was long, but madness fell again without paying heed to my words.


    The enemy kept pushing through the crowded soldiers while our allies endured and prevented themselves from getting pushed back.


    ¡®This isn¡¯t good¡­¡¯


    It definitely wasn¡¯t an ideal situation.


    If the battle continued like that, both sides would still sustain great damage regardless of the victor.


    However, it was also undeniable that the allies were at a disadvantage.


    Even if we won, it was a victory that would leave us with deep wounds.


    Only our neighboring countries would be cheering.


    Of course, what I wanted wasn¡¯t the honor to leave the battlefield with only wounds to show.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°These dirty demon¡¯s minions!¡±


    ¡°Motherfuckers! Don¡¯t go easy on them! Bring down the arrows! Arrows!¡±


    -Stop fighting! This is all unnecessary. Dear Republics! You are being deceived. We must no longer be puppets to the evil forces! I know it will be tough, but stop fighting! You have to put away hatred and anger and get rid of your bloodlust. We must unite hand in hand together!


    ¡°Kill!!! Sh*t!!¡±


    -Stop fighting! Everyone! There is no reason to spill blood meaninglessly!


    ¡°Don¡¯t let them push us back!¡±


    -Stop fighting! Everyone! Please stop fighting!!


    ¡°You dogs of the dirty Republic!¡±


    ¡°Puppets of the State! Don¡¯t go easy on them!¡±


    I shouted my lungs off, but it¡¯s hard for my voice to be heard on the battlefield when madness had already swept away the hearts of thebatants.


    Intentionally ced moles spoke louder and louder, bringing confusion to the battlefield.


    There were people hiding within the skirmishes, heating up the atmosphere, but there¡¯s no way we could catch them all.


    ¡®They¡¯re smart. Fuck.¡¯


    I would probably have deployed a simr tactic if I were in their shoes.


    As I was in an advantageous situation, I felt that it would be better to block the conversation channelpletely.


    It¡¯s unfortunate, though.


    If the atmosphere of the battlefield had subsided a little more, the continuation of the war would have been avoided.


    However, it was illogical for me to try to fix the current situation.


    ¡®Sh*t. This won¡¯t work out well¡­¡¯


    I was starting to feel more and more anxious.


    Perhaps the dirty Demon Summoner had the same thought.


    ¡®It¡¯s over.¡¯


    Or something like:


    ¡®We just have to keep going like this.¡¯


    Or something like:


    ¡®All we need to do now is deliver the final blow.¡¯


    The ace in the hole he¡¯s been hiding had been reduced to nothing, but he must¡¯ve thought he had benefited enough.


    ¡®That must be what¡¯s on his mind. That¡¯s for sure.¡¯


    It¡¯s a little bit early, but I thought there was a possibility that he was already holding a toast of victory.


    If it were before he received the gift I prepared, it would be fully understandable to act like that.


    -Stop fighting!!


    With my head aching, it became difficult to bear theughter at Lee Jihye¡¯s signal from a distance.


    It was earlier than I expected, but it¡¯s a pleasant situation.


    I wanted tough out loud.


    But it didn¡¯t need to be said that the inability to do so felt like asting regret.


    I shouldn¡¯t know what¡¯s happening out there right now.


    I shouldn¡¯t know at all, but the masked trash Jin Qing should know.


    Some people had already started to turn blue. Perhaps the lovely returner was also biting his lips.


    ¡°These dirty bastards!¡±


    ¡°These demon-like bastards of the Republic! How can you guys wear human masks and do this¡­¡±


    ¡°Those dirty bastards! Motherfuckers!¡±


    ¡°That Demon Summoner¡­¡±


    ¡°What bullsh¡­¡±


    -Damn! Prepare for battle! Prepare for battle!!


    It was natural for the enemies to be speechless by my sudden change of heart.


    But if one were to look back, they¡¯d notice why I suddenly issued such an order.


    What was visible from afar was an unknown battalion.


    Reinforcements specially brought in from the forest of fog.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t me who called for them.


    Oh! Technically, I was unofficially the one who brought them, but officially, it would be the reinforcement force brought by the Demon Summoner Jin Qing trash.


    ¡°The u-undead¡­¡±


    ¡°Undead?¡±


    They were Undead wearing the armor of the Republic and holding the g of the Republic.


    -You finally revealed your true colors! That dirty Demon Summoner!!


    Jin Qing was staged to have sacrificed his troops in the fog forest and turned them into undead beings.


    -God will not forgive you, dirty demon!


    He¡¯s the masked trash that hadmitted an act so unforgiving it couldn¡¯t be forgiven even in the name of God.


    Demon Summoner Jin Qing.


    Thebatants were visibly confused by the unexpected appearance of an Undead legion.

 Chapter 412: I’m glad. Light Kiyoung has descended (3)

    <h4>Chapter 412: I¡¯m d. Light Kiyoung has descended (3)</h4>


    What I witnessed couldn¡¯t be expressed in words.


    It would be strange not to be surprised upon seeing the number of undead.


    It looked the same as before.


    The allies¡¯ mouths dropped open as they watched the absurdity of the scene, while the enemy remained confused as to what to do in the situation they couldn¡¯t even understand.


    It was impossible to determine if they were friendly or not.


    My urgent voice made them realize that the Demon Summoner Jin Qing sent the undead army, but the Republic didn¡¯t seem fully convinced yet.


    ¡°Damn¡­¡±


    ¡°Prepare for battle! Prepare for battle! They¡¯re undead with a minimum grade of heroic or higher!¡±


    It was just as the random soldier said.


    The undead created by Han Sora and Jung Hayan with great care was different from those ofmon or rare grades.


    They were at least higher than heroic. There were even liches among their ranks.


    Honestly, I didn¡¯t expect they would be able to do that much.


    Jung Hayan always did the unthinkable, but that time it felt like she really did create an army of demons.


    It¡¯s a different kind of achievement, but it¡¯s never going to fall behind whenpared to the meteor that fell right before.


    ¡®She even summoned Belial. That shouldn¡¯t have been hard for her.¡¯


    Of course,pared to the demon lord being summoned, the quality was a bit inferior, but the sight of the undead surrounded by ck fog was still threatening.


    Rather, it was rather effective in some aspects.


    Unlike Belial, who was alone, they put pressure onto the battlefield just through their sheer numbers alone.


    It was obvious what Kim Hyunsung was thinking right then.


    They were a little weaker than necessary, but it¡¯s more than enough to satisfy his cautiousness.


    I even wondered if there were other ways that were less vicious. I tried to think hard about it, but that was the most humane solution I could think of.


    I couldn¡¯t make any more ns due to my conscience, so there was no choice but to shrink back.


    At that moment, I was physically exhausted.


    Compared to Jin Qing from the first round, the insanity of the masked trash that turned the Republic soldiers into undead beings was enough.


    It was all for the victory of the war.


    He became the demon who abandoned everything to wreak havoc in thatnd.


    That was the true identity of Jin Qing trash.


    ¡°Grooooaaarr¡­¡±


    ¡°Groooooll!!¡±


    There were also many types of undead beings in their ranks.


    To make as many of them as possible, they had to create low-level skeletons that mingled among the undead who maintained the same abilities as they had when they were alive. There were also dark knights and liches who possessed even more power than that.


    Still suffering as pawns even in the afterlife, the undead showed their resentment towards the Demon Summoner in their own way.


    I began to speak once more.


    I knew better than anyone else that timing as good as that seldom came.


    -Everyone! That is the true identity and purpose of the Demon Summoner!


    ¡®Yes, absolutely.¡¯


    -Look at those restless soldiers. Look at the fallen beings holding the gs of the Republic. This war has never been for the State and the Republic. This war has been nned and executed by a degenerate demon! Open your eyes! Join hands with us!


    ¡®Join us! We will wee you with open arms!¡¯


    -Do not lift your swords against each other. The continent¡¯s existence is at stake. We must not allow those fallen beings to take our home. They¡¯re aiming for the State right now, but their next goal would be the Republic. Lift your swords together! Please join forces for the sake of all the races living on thisnd!


    ¡®Let¡¯s unite!¡¯


    -The ce where the Republic¡¯s leadership is located has already be a yground for the Devil. Stand with God! I sincerely ask you to be with the Divine. Everyone! Join the Army of Light!


    ¡°Quicky, you bastards! This is urgent!¡¯


    It¡¯s like a politician going to an election.


    I thought I spoke with tenacity, but the atmosphere seemed a little weakened.


    I tried to convince them as much as possible, but the Republic soldiers weren¡¯t reacting properly.


    But my voice was definitely reaching them.


    I could tell that just by the fact that they had stopped attacking our allies.


    Neither the enemy fieldmanders who used to issue aggressive orders nor the soldiers who lost theirpanions in that war of madness showed any signs of violence.


    When amon enemy emerged, the only thing they could do was swallow hard.


    The situation was different from the previous one.


    Unlike before, my words were backed up by evidence.


    Internal confusion was tantamount to the pre-determined procedure.


    ¡°W-what is this¡­¡±


    ¡°Is that really a support force?¡±


    ¡°Oh God¡­¡±


    especially affected.


    The religious priests of the Republic had closed their eyes and began to look for their God.


    -Believers of Varian God! Please, be with us! Fight for God! Please!!


    None of them wanted to take the first step, but it was working.


    Unlike before, he was trying to react to my shouts desperately.


    At best, I thought there would be a spokesperson, but that was certainly the voice of the Demon Summoner.


    He pretended to be as calm as possible, but I could feel that he was a little agitated.


    Maybe it¡¯s a natural reaction.


    It wasn¡¯t unreasonable to get agitated about it, considering he¡¯s about to umte more achievements as a Demon Summoner once again following thest Laios crisis.


    He must have already burned up at the thought of being praised by the demon officials.


    ¡®Trash bastard.¡¯


    -It¡¯s all manipted. Those undeads have nothing to do with the Republic. They are nothing more than Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung¡¯s self-made y to cause confusion. Just like at the Laios crisis, he is a demon who deceives everyone with ck magic.


    -I am the messenger of light chosen by Benignore and Elune. You should be ashamed, Demon Summoner! The light given to me is the light to judge demons. It is a light to judge you, who tricked the innocent soldiers into shedding meaningless blood! You, who caused wars to incite chaos in the continent. If I had anything to do with those dark forces, then let all the gods on the continent punish me. This divine power is the proof and the greatest power to deny your lies!


    -Shut up, you filthy scamming bastard. It is you who are putting the continent in confusion. Don¡¯t think that hiding behind God¡¯s name will hide the dirty things you¡¯ve done! The truth will always be revealed. Do you think I don¡¯t know the dirty things you¡¯ve done in the State? I know that you used democracy as a shield to cause chaos in the Empire and to create a ck market.


    -Your lies have no power against me, dirty demon. Aren¡¯t your words right now an incitement and maniption to hide the truth? Republicans! Everything that demon summoner says is a lie. Like the current situation both of our nations are facing, every word thates out of that mouth is a whisper of the demon. It is all false that the State has invaded the Republic, and that the Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung caused the Empire¡¯s chaos, and that he has a ck market. Don¡¯t believe what you hear. Trust what you see! Open your eyes to the truth! Do not let yourself be blinded by agitation and hoaxes!


    -The truth will be revealed! You are a dirty scamming bastard!!


    -The light is the truth, Demon Summoner Jin Qing!


    -What you have is not divinity. Even if the light were real, the God who gave you such power could not be normal. It can¡¯t be normal!!


    -To deny the divine power of God is to deny God! The sky is angry, demon! Your image in the Goddess¡¯s Mirror is true, and my divine power is true. The blood flowing on the battlefield, the sight of everyone suffering, and every human being swallowed by darkness are true! How dare you say that you are the truth! Don¡¯t think your dirty words will fool everyone!


    -This crazy bastard! Why would the Republic bring the undead now¡­


    -Fight back, everyone! Please join me!


    What seemed a bit ambiguous to answer, I answered with a sincere and divine voice.


    -Why would we¡­


    -Please be with us! Be with the light!


    In fact, there was no need to argue.


    The undead troops, who had already gone crazy, were running around as foam formted around their mouths.


    Thankfully, the undead army could distinguish the State and the Republic.


    They were leaving the Republic¡¯s soldiers alone and only aimed their swords at the State¡¯s soldiers, spreading ck magic and performing all sorts of disgusting acts.


    Even if he kept denying it, the reality unfolding before our eyes could never be disputed.


    ¡°Grooolllll!


    ¡°Divine power! We need more divine power!¡±


    ¡°Grooooaarr!¡±


    ¡°Block them! Sh*t! Dirty Demon Summoner bastard! Are you not afraid of God! You demons!¡±


    ¡°Raise your sword for the continent! Don¡¯t stand with the darkness!¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!!¡±


    The power of light that began to be pushed by the undead made my heart pound.


    If it weren¡¯t for the crowd of lights that were constantly falling, it wouldn¡¯t be strange for casualties to increase rapidly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t lose!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t fall down! We are Eberian knights fighting under the name of Elune! Let them know that there is still light on the continent!¡±


    ¡°Priests! We need the priests!¡±


    ¡°Pull the injured away from them! Form a line! Gather together and block the undead!¡±


    The elves who liked to get serious were resisting the darkness, began to cry.


    The same was true for the Dwarves and the State¡¯s Knights, who quivered at the face of the undead.


    There were no casualties yet, but it would only be natural for soldiers to die.


    They wouldn¡¯t have been able to withstand that long if they hadn¡¯t formed a durable formation.


    -It is light that illuminates the darkness. We are small candles, but one by one, together, we can make even the abyss glow! Every drop of strength is necessary. Please realize the meaning of the current situation!


    After shouting a phrase that sounded like a famous song¡¯s lyrics, I, too, began to move.


    -We have to attack the State¡¯s scammers right now! All of these are just part of their maniptive tactics! The undeads have nothing to do with the Republic, and if we strike the State now, the real truth will be revealed. Raise your sword again and fight!


    -We shouldn¡¯t fight each other! Humanity¡¯s true enemy is already right in front of us! Keep your eyes wide open. The light will show you the truth!


    -Republic soldiers, raise your swords right now! Raise your swords!


    -I have an order for the State soldiers! I will not allow you to aim your swords at the Republic soldiers! They are not enemies! They¡¯re not the ones you should fight!


    -This c¡­ crazy bastard! Who do you think will be fooled by that scam?!


    -Everyone¡­ please unite your strength! The light will be with you! Don¡¯t listen to the Demon Summoner! Please remember what happened at Laios! He is the creator of this undead legion!


    -Don¡¯t respond to his craziness. The entire army¡­!!


    -The light will be with you! I will be with you! Don¡¯t be afraid! Never be afraid!


    -Lee Kiyoung!


    -We can stand united in front of this great threat!


    That holy war would unite humankind.


    It was still too early for a toast.


    However, epic background music began to y in my mind.

 Chapter 413: I’m glad. Light Kiyoung has descended (4)

    <h4>Chapter 413: I¡¯m d. Light Kiyoung has descended (4)</h4>


    -The light will be with you! I will be with you! Don¡¯t be afraid! Never be afraid! We can stand united in front of this great threat!!


    -Republicans, listen to me! You must never believe the lies of the State!


    -Believe what you see!


    ¡°It¡¯s a pity that we can¡¯t record this¡­¡±


    It truly felt regrettable.


    It was unfortunate that I wouldn¡¯t be able to rey the situation.


    I never would¡¯ve imagined that I would be able to see such a sight at the end of that war, after all.


    I had been informed of it to an extent, but the actual sight was more than what I imagined.


    ¡°I have to keep this stuff¡­¡±


    ¡°Lee Jihye, what did you just¡­¡±


    ¡°No. it¡¯s nothing.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Okay.¡±


    ¡°More importantly, is the Goddess¡¯s Mirror recovery still not done?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Actually, there is still no progress, but it looks like we¡¯ll find a way soon. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s due to the influence of the magic that fell before, but it seems that the magic power blocking themunication system has weakened. Maybe it¡¯ll recover naturally¡­¡±


    ¡°Please make its recovery our top priority.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I will try my best.¡±


    ¡°Trying isn¡¯t enough. Make it work as soon as possible. Please.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    ¡®I knew it. He really is really trash¡­¡¯


    The scene unfolding in front of me gave me goosebumps.


    There was no scam asrge-scaled as that one.


    A horde of undead was exuding a terrifying sense of intimidation, even from a distance.


    As they attacked our allies, they looked like an army of demons that had risen from hell to end the humans of the continent.


    It was rare to find an undead legion asrge as the one before us.


    The forces of light continued to collide against them to stop their advance.


    It was sublime to watch ally troops surrounded by falling orbs of light gathering together to block the waves of darkness.


    The moment was so great that it moved even me despite already knowing that it¡¯s a hoax.


    The series of situations that unfolded as if following a well-written script had a huge impact on the Republic.


    Of course, it would.


    With the situation bing direr every second, it began to showcase which side¡¯s holy and which side¡¯s evil.


    They¡¯re probably just not showing it, but their minds must¡¯ve been falling apart already.


    The reason they still couldn¡¯t move was that there was no decisive factor.


    It was clear that everyone had already realized what action they had to take.


    That was why the timing was very important.


    Before the Republic¡¯s troops were affected by the Demon Summoner¡¯s theory of rapture, I had to remind them of their faith as much as possible.


    ¡®This is a historical scene.¡¯


    Everyone would remember it even after the continent¡¯s history had passed 1,000 or 10,000 years.


    That story, which continued from the Laios crisis to the present time, would forever remain and remembered as the heroic story of Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung.


    ¡®And¡­¡¯


    My body trembled just by the thought of it.


    As I watched the battlefield with a serious expression, I heard a voice talk to me again.


    ¡°Lee Jihye, the troops¡­¡±


    ¡°No. I don¡¯t think it matters now. There would be no more meaning to anything else that I have to say. I did everything I could. It now boils down to whether or not they¡¯ll be able to ovee their fears. For now, leave the minimum number of personnel needed in themand. Everyone else, including the rear unit, should head straight into the battlefield to support our allies.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Please.¡±


    Even the lieutenant in front of me seemed to think that they should also help as much as possible.


    He must¡¯ve been heavily burdened due to the current situation.


    On his face, his sense of responsibility was clearly disyed.


    ¡®It¡¯s fortunate that there are many sublime humans on our side.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t want to join that party either, but the most important thing at that point was to make the Goddess¡¯s Mirror work properly.


    The fact that the undead was there meant that Jung Hayan had returned. Maybe she was heading to our location.


    ¡®Then¡­¡¯


    The Goddess¡¯s Mirror would be able to work normally.


    -Cardinal Lee Kiyoung of the State is a scammer and a deceiver. Do not be shaken by his words! Stop the State¡¯s troops! Don¡¯t let yourselves be manipted!


    ¡®He talks too much.¡¯


    It was then that the malfunctioning system returned.


    ¡°L-Lee Jihye.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m also watching now.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any more magic power left to keep it blocked.¡±


    ¡®Good news.¡¯


    ¡°Please strategically position it right away. We should capture as many of the struggling people in the Goddess¡¯s Mirror as possible. Some may not have grasped the details yet. It¡¯s not a fight that can be ovee by the Republic¡¯s troops or the State¡¯s troops alone. The undead can only be defeated if the two factions work together. Please do it immediately.¡±


    ¡°Noted.¡±


    If the undead did not distinguish between the forces of the State and the forces of the Republic, the situation could have been a little easier, but in order to properly trap the Demon Summoner Jin Qing, it was more effective to set our forces as the undead legion¡¯s sole target.


    It must be that she was picturing for them to move on their own ord, rather than pushing them to move around.


    It was undeniable that the picture changed depending on how one directed and edited existing facts.


    Of course, I knew what picture he wanted most at that moment.


    I immediately put my hands on the control unit.


    Soon after, the Goddess¡¯s Mirrors began to appear everywhere.


    Largely positioned as propaganda in the rear camp, the main hologram showed the struggles of an ally.


    It didn¡¯t show heroes such as Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung or Kim Hyunsung.


    The scenes captured by the camera were only about ordinary soldiers. It was the image of small citizens who could evoke empathy and were in the same situation as the majority of thebatants.


    ¡®This is the right thing to do.¡¯


    -Block them! James! James! Divine power!! Don¡¯t let them in! We must protect the Honorary Cardinal!


    -Oh, God. Oh, God!


    -We can hold on. If we keep holding on, reinforcements wille.


    -Take the injured back! Retreat!


    -Isn¡¯t there enough divine power?


    -These dirty bastards¡­ Did you think you would be forgiven after doing this?


    -Raise your shields! Don¡¯t lower your spears! The continent¡¯s survival is at stake. Don¡¯t let them push us back! Our families are just right behind us. If you get pushed here, everything would be over!


    -Maria!


    It had all been nned, but it was the reality for some.


    The image of themon soldiers resisting the invading darkness rather than fighting for personal selfishness and profits was heartbreaking.


    Some were bleeding and crying out for priests, while others risked their lives to defend theirpanions.


    Heavily wounded soldiers and the priests who vomited blood as they tended to their wounds were visible.


    Everyone was struggling in their own way, surrounded by a shroud of light.


    ¡®This can work.¡¯


    It is not an image of someone far away.


    The scenes that are currently showing in the Goddess¡¯ Mirror are none other than their own.


    Who they really should be aiming the sword.


    Who is right and wrong.


    Scenes projecting their image continue to pass.


    Naturally, I thought it would work. It should be enough to move the hesitating Republican forces.


    ¡®Move.¡¯


    The idea that those who had faced each other as enemies would fight together felt too farfetched.


    I thought whether it would be more appropriate to remove the distinction between allies and enemies, but¡­


    ¡®Move!!¡¯


    His judgment couldn¡¯t have been wrong.


    That scene was orchestrated for opposing sides to join hands and be one.


    ¡®Move!!¡¯


    -Block them! Sh*t!! Hold on as much as possible!


    -Divine power¡­


    -Respond while enduring as much as possible. Themand post will probably send reinforcements soon¡­


    -Raise your shield. Don¡¯t give up¡­ Raise your shield!!


    -We can be one. Fight with us! Together! Fight with us!


    -These dirty corpses!!


    His judgment couldn¡¯t be wrong.


    ¡®Move!!¡¯


    ¡°Move! You stupid Republicans! You still don¡¯t know who the real enemy is? Do you think it will end when the State has been wiped out? Why won¡¯t you all realize that their next target would be your stupid Republic! Fight with us! Dumb bastards! What the hell are you all still standing around for after witnessing what those corpses are doing? Raise your sword! Protect yourself and leave your name in history! You little puppet bastards!¡±


    I screamed my frustrations loudly and struck the table in front of me.


    As I vented out my frustrations, I finally managed to witness the reaction we had been waiting for.


    Due to my sudden outburst, the surrounding lieutenants looked at me with their eyes wide open, but I didn¡¯t have the luxury to defend myself.


    Checking what was currently happening as disyed by the Goddess¡¯s Mirror, anyone would¡¯ve reacted as I did.


    -Sh*t¡­


    -Damn. The sword¡­ raise your swords! We¡¯ll start by driving out the undead!


    -Help the State!


    -That¡¯s¡­


    -It¡¯s for


    -We must support them with divine power! I hope that all of Varian¡¯s believers who can afford it will follow me. We can save the fight against the State forter. holy knights, begin from the left! Move out!


    -Shove them on the floor! Now!


    -Damn¡­ I also¡­


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s it. That¡¯s it!¡±


    I clenched my fists.


    The small help spread out from the Varian believers and the holy knights were quickly transmitted to the rear¡¯srge mirror.


    It was still a small picture.


    Alone, it wasn¡¯t that valuable.


    However, it was still necessary and important.


    It would help those who didn¡¯t know what to do in deciding.


    Nothing could move such arge group as efficient as crowd psychology.


    As if the North and South Koreas had be one, the wave of harmony slowly crashed onto the battlefield.


    The video continued to promote that beautiful scene, encouraging unity between enemies and allies.


    The undead also aimed at the Republic soldiers as if they had been waiting for that incredible timing. The war between humans and undead, dark and light, began.


    It was an overused clich¨¦ that had been appearing since the old cartoon movies.


    But it was also that effective.


    ¡°Would clich¨¦s be clich¨¦s for nothing?¡±


    In fact, I didn¡¯t even need to watch anymore.


    The only question remaining was how toplete the big picture.


    A picture that showed an easy end wasn¡¯t good.


    That role was no longer mine to uphold, but I could at least roughly predict what kind of picture Kiyoung was painting.


    There was always something that followed those who were in crisis.


    The content to be written in the history books that the future generations would study might be a bit groundless.

 Chapter 414: I’m glad. Light Kiyoung has descended (5)

    <h4>Chapter 414: I¡¯m d. Light Kiyoung has descended (5)</h4>


    I nodded pleasantly at the moment unfolding before me.


    In fact, I was a little nervous at first.


    But as a result, a beautiful situation was being produced.


    It was probably the most disgusting oue for the Demon Summoner.


    Honestly, if I were in his position, I would have thought about how I could reverse the situation.


    ¡®He will have no answer.¡¯


    I finally put him on a checkmate.


    It was like encountering the detectives while holding a weapon at the scene of a murder case.


    It wasn¡¯t that different from Laios.


    All the evidence and circumstances pointed to him as the Demon Summoner, and the escape hole waspletely blocked.


    Of course, that wasn¡¯t the end of the gift I prepared for him.


    ¡®I admit it.¡¯


    Of course, I had to admit it.


    He was an excellent militarymander.


    During the war, he was backstabbed several times, yet he remained vicious and dangerous.


    executed. Most of them were spotted and debunked. He ended up having to walk into his trap with his own two feet.


    If I had been in his position, I would have ripped off my hair again and again.


    It was possible to say that he was in trouble to that extent.


    Still, I could be sure.


    He couldn¡¯t reverse the situation.


    The situation that was taking ce then had nothing to do with the war.


    It was illogical to think that he could use the numerous knowledge and strategies stored in his head in his situation.


    The entire state of affairs was no longer under his control.


    Waves of dialogue and consensus continued to transpire as everyone united. Humanity joined hands against the undead to drive them out of existence.


    In that situation, they no longer cared about who¡¯s inmand and whose camp they were in.


    There were only two options.


    To look at the situation nkly. Or, likest time, do his best to run away.


    Of course, he could only do thetter if he had the means to escape.


    There was no need for voice amplification anymore.


    There was no need to respond to his voice, nor did I need to heat up in anger. The only mission I had left was to be faithful to that situation and stick to my public role.


    ¡®I have to finish it well.¡¯


    As we reached the climax, finalizing the picture was more important than anything else.


    I could watch the situation safely from behind, but I didn¡¯t want to do that.


    To show that I was fighting harder than anyone else, I needed to hold up a spear.


    I had to be a showy asshole, like what politicians often became right before elections.


    It didn¡¯t seem like much, but it certainly worked.


    ¡°For the continent!!!¡±


    ¡°For the light! For Goddess Benignore, Elune,


    ¡°Raise the g! Let¡¯s prove that the light is still alive on the continent! Benignore¡¯s sons and daughters!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t stop with the arrows!¡±


    It could certainly be called a crisis.


    However, the image of humanity constantly resisting was enough to give a hopeful message.


    Perhaps I wasn¡¯t the only one thinking of a bright future.


    As I stood on the front line with the spear, I saw the hideous undead that I desperately didn¡¯t want to face.


    They seemed to have flinched when they looked at me, but they continued to fulfill their role faithfully.


    Themon soldiers struggling to stop the advance of the undead were worthy of being painted.


    As time passed, my face became covered with sweat and dirt.


    The picture was good enough.


    Oh! Of course, scenes that made the surrounding people worry shouldn¡¯t be left out.


    ¡°Honorary Cardinal! You have to go inside. It¡¯s dangerous!¡±


    ¡°Sigh. Sigh. I can¡¯t just look. I am okay.¡±


    ¡°Honorary Cardinal!¡±


    ¡°Everyone is fighting together- even the soldiers of the Republic. If I hide, many people will me me. Phew. I have to y the role I have been given. I can also fight the undead.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°I will not listen anymore. We¡¯re in an urgent situation. I hope you understand.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes¡­¡±


    ¡°I can add even at least a little power. Everyone, stay strong!¡±


    There were huge nuisances with me standing in the frontlines. Even if I said I was fine, those around me still worried.


    They had no choice but to continue to move forward with me, to protect me, which limited their actions.


    However, we couldn¡¯t miss out on the free propaganda clips.


    The Goddess¡¯s Mirror was shining on our side as if it was ying along with me.


    It hurt her to be unable to show a more dramatic look.


    However, the way I continued to exude divine power was enough for me to be considered a messenger of God.


    ¡°The Honorary Cardinal is with you!¡±


    ¡°The Honorary Cardinal is with us! Raise your swords!¡±


    My presence alone was enough to raise the morale of our troops effectively.


    It¡¯s upsetting that I had to be among the disgusting undead legion, but I could endure it.


    When I thought I needed a new spark, a huge corpse started running over towards me.


    I knew he couldn¡¯t hurt me, but it still gave me chills.


    ¡®I can y with this bastard a little¡­¡¯


    Although I smiled too widely at the thought of creating an emotional situation that would take all tears and make them have a runny nose, I could see the ally troops surrounding him instantly.


    It looked like they didn¡¯t want to see me in danger.


    Without Kim Ye-ri, Ahn Ki-mo, and Park Deokgu, I realized again how hard it was to stage an emotional moment.


    ¡®Maniption is not easy.¡¯


    I had to approach it a little more realistically.


    If it were finished in a halfhearted way, it would leave a bad taste in my mouth.


    Kim Hyunsung could be convinced by giving him the impression that not only the ally troops but all of humanity were in danger.


    Looking at the Goddess¡¯s Mirror, I could see the lovely returner¡¯s face stiffening.


    Taking an even closer look, he seemed quite tired.


    ¡®It¡¯s understandable.¡¯


    I knew that he was safe, but his whole body was covered in scars. He also seemed to have run out of magic power. I felt sad.


    He could even rest a little, but I can still see his nervousness.


    It seems to me that he¡¯s still anxious since it¡¯s a situation he already expected.


    ¡®I wonder if it¡¯s simr to what happened.¡¯


    Of course, I had to think that I did well at causing the undead chaos.


    These undead were gifts for Jin Qing, but also Kim Hyunsung.


    It was to help dispel his doubts that the masked garbage was going to fall too easily.


    The question was if our lovely returner would be satisfied with that.


    In the Demon Summoner¡¯s case, it seemed to have been satisfactory enough, but Kim Hyunsung, who was still anxious, seemed to feel that there was more toe.


    ¡®Is this not enough?¡¯


    I thought that it would be enough like how it was for the masked trash, but I thought that the wicked tricks that turned allies into undead were just a warm-up.


    I really wanted to prepare something else, but I had neither ideas nor time.


    ¡®Fuck.¡¯


    What I could do right then was to create a more dramatic situation.


    Doing something more might cause side effects.


    It could leave a bad taste in my mouth, but once the war was over, I could cover it up enough if I just glossed over it. No, I could erase the suspicion with the heavy blow I had prepared.


    Naturally, I once again raised my spear.


    The picture that I wanted was to resist the undead with as many troops as possible.


    But there wasn¡¯t enough sense of danger.


    ¡®I think it will be more realistic if some of the dead here could rise¡­¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know if she understood it, but as if it was waiting for my signal, the soldiers of the Republic began to rise.


    Although they were all low-ranking undead, it would be enough to burden the exhausting troops.


    ¡°The enemy¡­¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re all low-level undead! Don¡¯t dismantle the frontline! Hold on as much you can!¡±


    ¡°Weary soldiers, go to the rear! Those who still have enough stamina to fight should take the lead!¡±


    ¡°Oh, Goddess Benignore!¡±


    The undead who had received more and more momentum screamed and shrieked as they upied as muchnd as they could.


    As if they epted the meaning of the need for support a little differently, Jung Hayan and Han Sora began to put their efforts in earnest.


    It felt like a legendary-grade undead had popped out from somewhere.


    As time passed, it wasn¡¯t easy to get rid of the feeling that the frontline itself was being pushed back.


    ¡®Fuck, is this one too strong? I guess it¡¯ll be really hard to hold on¡­¡¯


    The formation was slowly copsing.


    The line maintained by physically exhausted soldiers began to show gaps, allowing the undead to squeeze into the ranks.


    ¡°Support! Support them with divine power!¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Fortify the side that is falling apart. Republic troops, help the State as much as possible.¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t lose! Hold on!!¡±


    It felt like the ranks were copsing faster than I thought.


    I thought they would hold on a little longer, but it seemed that all of the troops couldn¡¯t physically do that.


    ¡®That much should¡¯ve been obvious.¡¯


    The undead legion came while the State and the Republic were fighting earnestly against each other.


    It was the same with Kim Hyunsung, but it was clear that the named people in each region were also feeling a tremendous burden.


    Needless to say, themon soldiers were having an even tougher time.


    It¡¯s already a crisis, but I wasn¡¯t sure if it¡¯s the threat Kim Hyunsung was imagining.


    The burden left on the troops was already too much for me to even think about adding more.


    ¡®It¡¯s getting more dramatic¡­¡¯


    ¡°Damn it! Hold on!¡±


    ¡°Unit 13 copsed! Support Unit 13! Priests!¡±


    ¡°The Republican troops¡­ are by the undead unit.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re still alive. Build a unit right now and save them.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t afford to do that.¡±


    ¡°Damn! Oh, God!¡±


    ¡°Goddess Benignore! Will you really abandon us? Goddess Benignore!¡±


    ¡®When it gets even more dramatic¡­¡¯


    ¡°Elune! Grant us the power to protect the continent!¡±


    ¡®A little more, a little more¡­¡¯


    ¡°Oh, Elune!¡±


    The troops¡¯ lines that made up the surrounding camps began to be broken through.


    The undead who pushed through the narrow gap was starting to attack the priests and wizards.


    Even some of the Republic¡¯s troops werepletely swept away by the lifeless foes.


    It wasn¡¯t strange to keep looking for God.


    The moment I looked up to see the situation a little more, I saw Park Deokgu struggling through the Goddess¡¯s Mirror.


    The moment I saw the guy crushing the undead attacking the Republic¡¯s soldiers with a shield, I naturally raised what was in my arms.


    I could no longer withstand my heavy conscience.


    voicesing from all over the ce seemed to be swallowed for a moment.


    The light spread all over me in an instant.


    Whoooosshhh!


    The world brightened.


    The gazes focused on its source.


    However, perhaps because of my heavy conscience, I couldn¡¯t properly look into the soldiers¡¯ eyes staring at me.


    Short but impactful phrases echoed across the fields the moment I closed my eyes to avoid their vision as much as possible.


    ¡°It is a hierophany¡­ a hierophany.¡±


    ¡°Goddess Benignore¡­hase.¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s this, right?!¡¯


    It was just as I calcted.


    The second card, which I made just in case, was definitely fulfilling its role.


    ¡®Benignore¡¯s descent cosy.¡¯


    It was the effect that came with the Bomb of Light potion.


    ¡®I am Benignore itself, bastards!¡±


    [Rare-grade forced quest is activated.]


    [You¡­ really, this bastard. Let go of me! Let go of me! Don¡¯t stop me! Elune, you bastard, won¡¯t you let go of me? Motherfuckers! That bastard has done it! I can¡¯t stand it anymore! (0/1)]


    [Due to an unknown reason, the rare-grade forced quest was canceled.]


    A hopeless battle.


    The dark forces were pushing the forces of light. The most divine brilliance appeared just as the darkness was about to devour thest glimmer of holiness.


    ¡®The Goddess¡¯s Descent.¡¯


    Of course, it¡¯s nothing more than a simple bluff.


    However, it was effective enough that I could feel my body being surrounded by the light.

 Chapter 415: I’m Glad. Light Kiyoung Has Descended (6)

    <h4>Chapter 415: I¡¯m d. Light Kiyoung Has Descended (6)</h4>


    The Dragon Breath potion was a potion that one could not drink.


    It had been concocted in a ss bottle, simr to the organ that conjured the Breath, which used Dialugia¡¯s magic power and blood as its catalyst.


    Rather than considering it as alchemy¡¯s essence, it was more appropriate to think of it as a bomb that used severalplex techniques.


    It was made to burst, so, naturally, one shouldn¡¯t drink it. In the first ce, nobody should drink blood. Even as an enhancement serum, drinking blood itself carried a multitude of risks.


    However, the new potion didn¡¯t have such risks.


    That potion, which had been handed down as a gift from the respectable Goddess Benignore and trashy Elune, could clearly distinguish between enemies and allies.


    [Bomb of Light Potion (Semi-mythic)]


    [Alchemist-of-Light-exclusive consumption item: Daily usage limit (3/3)]


    [This is a unique potion created by Goddess Benignore¡¯s consideration and Elena¡¯s sacrifice. It could only be activated by the semi-mythic ss, Alchemist of Light. It triggers a massive explosion of light that reacts to the user¡¯s enemies and allies immediately after instilling the user¡¯s divine power. Allies are immediately healed of serious injuries, while enemies remain exposed to the effects of the explosion. It can be used three times a day. P.S. Trash bastard. This is really thest time. This is my limit.]


    It could cause a huge and brilliant explosion.


    What if I drank it?


    There was no way I wouldn¡¯t be curious about the possibilities.


    Of course, I came up with an answer immediately. I didn¡¯t even have to make various assumptions. There was a guy who had taken it before me.


    ¡®St did.¡¯


    To be precise, he didn¡¯t drink it, but he took it into his body.


    He struggled in pain, but the light that burst out of his body at that time reached even the ally expedition, proving its effectiveness.


    Even if I drank it, the effect wouldn¡¯t change. It would cause damage to enemies and recovery to allies.


    It had limited range, simple ability, simple functionality.


    There was no need toplicate it. Taking it didn¡¯t give one transcendental power, nor did it cause any dramatic changes.


    Of course, it didn¡¯t cause God to descend, or greatly increase the user¡¯s divine power, either.


    The function remained the same.


    Yes, it was the same, but the appearance of the user changed a little.


    As my eyes followed the voicesing from all directions, the light spreading out from me instantly filled my view. I felt like I could hear a whooshing sound resonating from inside my body.


    There was a feeling that my stomach was bubbling up, but nothing was wrong. Rather, I felt a little better.


    Not only did it heal all the wounds, but even the fatigue had also been blown away.


    It was truly spectacr to watch the light that illuminated me continue to wrap around the troops.


    Those who had fallen stood up, and those who had been hit by arrows or magic also got healed in the end.


    All of them had their mouths wide open, both the Republic and the State, as they witnessed the great miracle created by both Elune and Benignore.


    ¡®I can barely see¡­ Fuck.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t help but feel proud as I watched the light slowly nket our troops.


    Perhaps it was also due to the brilliance of the light that had evoked a sense of paralysis within the battlefield.


    This marked the third time that I had used it.


    For an instant, silence dominated the battlefield because even the undead were under the influence of the light.


    ¡°She has descended. Goddess Benignore has descended.¡±


    My ass.


    She didn¡¯t descend, but, naturally, I was d they thought of it that way.


    As I turned my head and looked into the Goddess¡¯s Mirror, I could see Light Kiyoung, who had be the light itself.


    Not only was the bright light shining throughout my body, but it also continued to revolve around me. Even the rays of light pouring out of my eyes looked divine.


    My body slowly began to rise into the air as I muttered the floating magic with my remaining divine power.


    The way they looked at me with their mouths open proved to be very much amusing.


    ¡°Goddess Benignore¡­ Goddess Benignore!¡±


    -I¡­


    ¡°Sniff.¡±


    ¡®Stop crying. Bastards. Let me talk. Stop crying.¡¯


    -I heard your voices.


    The ce became quiet as soon as I started to speak.


    Jin Qing¡¯s voice, which had never stopped talking in the first ce, could no longer be heard.


    The undead stopped moving as well, and it was not because they were being disturbed by some transcendental power.


    It was simply Jung Hayan controlling their creations, but the undead legion was doing their best to show off their acting skills. They began to mime, as if there was a wall in front of them.


    I couldn¡¯t understand what they were doing, even when I saw it with my own eyes.


    Thousands of people bore witness to the scene, with shock enveloping their faces.


    When I opened my mouth satisfactorily, I stared right into the eyes of those looking at me.


    -There will be a lot you want to know. Why am I, Benignore, here? Why did Ie out like this, when I had never been here for thousands of years? But¡­ All will be revealed in due time. I cannot exin my motives right now. All I can tell you is that the current continent is in danger.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -What you are looking at is just the beginning. The forces that threaten this world are yet to show themselves. The countless cursed beings you see now, and the demon¡¯s servant hiding¡­ This threat is just the beginning. All the hardships you are going through now will feel like tiny thingspared to the adversities that will soone.


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    No matter how much of a scammer I was, this level of trickery made even me tremble.


    I felt anxious about saying something wrong, but I continued speaking smoothly and with a holy air, contrary to my worries.


    -Sons and Daughters of Elune and Varian, and everyone that lives on this continent. The reason I borrowed this divine, pure, and clean human body today is to deliver this message to you again.


    I looked around slowly.


    -Those who threaten the safety of the continent exist.


    I held my breath for a second.


    -Even at this moment, they are constantly trying to taint the continents with their colors. It may be difficult for the human body to handle. However, you can ovee it. Please, unite under one banner. If everyone in this worldes together, we can survive this threat. You will surely be able to ovee it. You will be able to ovee all hardships and adversities by bing one in front of the name of the light.


    Once again, I finished my speech with a strong tone.


    -Please decide firmly.


    I could have made a directment on Demon Summoner Jin Qing, but I didn¡¯t need to keep referring to him. Saying ¡®demon¡¯s servant¡¯ was enough. I knew our priests would be able to notice how things had worked out.


    ¡°Ohh. Goddess Benignore¡­¡±


    ¡°Goddess Benignore. Goddess Benignore!¡±


    I responded with a calm and serene smile to those who eagerly called out the name of the Goddess Benignore.


    My role was now over.


    As I slowly raised my hand and reached out to the cursed undead, I could see the reanimated bodies already suffering.


    ¡°Grooowwllll!


    ¡°Gruuunnttt. Gruuunntt.¡±


    -You will be saved.


    As I slowly shook my hand, the undead around me began to fall apart.


    ¡°A miracle¡­¡±


    ¡°Goddess¡­¡±


    ¡°Grooooowwlll!¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°Grruunnt.¡±


    Whooooooosshhh!!


    As I drew a circle with the other hand, more of the undead returned to the afterlife.


    Of course, they were not influenced by even a drop of divine power. The light was advancing as a trick, but in truth, it wasn¡¯t great enough to kill the higher undead.


    It could probably only tickle them.


    The reason why the undead was falling like dominoes was naturally due to Jung Hayan. It ended when she reached out her hand, terminating her technique.


    This was indeed a well-designed grand scam, but since we managed to reach that point, the result didn¡¯t look so bad.


    Of course, even my teardrops shone brightly after drinking the Bomb of Light potion.


    It seemed sacred even to me to see the undead, who had once filled the battlefield, returning to nothing en masse.


    It looked to be a little exaggerated, but it had to be at least at that level to be worth calling it a miracle. Watching all the priests praying, I could roughly predict how the atmosphere would change.


    -All who have suffered will be blessed.


    At that point, it was a little hard even to move my hand. However, I kept smirking.


    ¡®It¡¯s over.¡¯


    This was as good as done. No, it was definitely over.


    There could be no excuses or words for what I was witnessing.


    I could only be proven to be fake if the real Benignore actually came down and told them otherwise. Those who now looked at me had reverence in their expressions, both the State and the me as if waiting for me again, and the elves who worshiped Elune also showed their respects.


    -I will entrust the future work to you, the owners of thisnd. There is not much time left¡­ I borrowed this body without even permission. Please, take care of this divine-human. I won¡¯t be able toe down for a while after this, but always remember.


    ¡°Goddess Benignore¡­¡±


    -We are always listening to your prayers and watching your actions. Please keep that in your hearts.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -You are not alone.


    After saying thosest words, the light that had been well-timed began to disappear. Of course, my body floating in the sky plunged to the ground.


    However, I did not feel flustered or scared.


    I knew someone would catch me anyway.


    It was not Kim Hyunsung or Park Deokgu who made sure my body was safe. It turned out to be the ordinary soldiers.


    As if catching a singer who jumped to the audience, they stretched out their hand.


    The only difference was that I felt they were quite reverent.


    I simply closed my eyes as I listened to their cries and the sounds of weapons being dropped to the ground.


    ¡°Sniff¡­¡±


    ¡°Mother¡­¡±


    The war was over.


    Nobody said it first, but I knew everyone was feeling it.


    When I slowly opened my eyes, I could see the clouds that covered the sky passing by and the light pouring out.


    The war was over.


    ¡°It¡¯s over.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Honorary Cardinal¡­ it¡¯s over.¡±


    Iughed cheerfully, then continued to ask the warrior a couple of questions.


    ¡°What happened¡­ here?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you remember?¡±


    ¡°No. I remember being surrounded by light, but no, even after that¡­ I remember, but¡­ Did it really happen? My mind is hazy.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps you will understand soon.¡±


    The moment I raised my head aftering down to the floor, the soldiers of both the State and the Republic greeted me.


    They looked at me with a nk expression. I felt like they couldn¡¯t figure out what to do.


    Perhaps everyone was waiting for me to tell them.


    Eventually, I had to speak with the most soothing voice I could muster.


    ¡°The war¡­ The war is over.¡±


    At my words, powerful cheers soon reverberated across thends.

 Chapter 416: A Good Place to Live (1)

    <h4>Chapter 416: A Good ce to Live (1)</h4>


    -The war¡­ The war is over. Yes. The war is indeed over. There is no longer any reason to aim the tips of your swords at each other¡¯s throats. There have been many misunderstandings, and the period of hostility against each other proved to be long. It stretches longer than this day and farther than this ce. However, the history of our war against each other is now over. Throw away your hatred, your desire for vengeance, and your anger. I know how hard it is. Everyone has lost a loved one.


    -¡­


    -The State and the Republic both have lost a fair share of friends and families. Some have lost their loved ones, some their preciousrades, and others their families, but everyone has to ovee that pain. This is all that I can ask for from everyone. I know how difficult it is for enemies to hold each other¡¯s hand, but we have to keep advancing. We need to go one step further for the grander cause. We have to be a little more mature. We must ovee our agony and proceed with peace in our hearts.


    -¡­


    -Republicans, raise your heads. This is not your fault. All of you from the State, please reach out to them. This is not their fault. We know better than anyone how little we are in front of a great current. Learn to forgive one another. Only then can we move on. There is no need to shed tears or to copse. Let¡¯s move forward together. Let¡¯s all work side by side to put an end to this cycle of hatred. The values ??we pursue may differ, but we have a great task ahead. Those who threaten this continent are real. They are still hiding all over thends as they plot to conquer this very home the gods gave us. That is the message that Goddess Benignore left to us today. If we be one, we will be able to push through the hardships and adversities that wille. Raise your head! It may be difficult to heal today¡¯s wounds, but you¡¯ll soon have new flesh. When the dark clouds are cleared, and sunlight pours down¡­ A new era will open. Flowers can still bloom on this blood-stainednd.


    -¡­ ¡­


    -Let¡¯s unite our forces. Under God¡¯s will, we can be one.


    As expected, everyone went strangely quiet.


    It was natural to be a little solemn.


    Usually, I would hear the sound of sses clinking in a noisy but cheerful atmosphere, but after seeing the footage through the Goddess¡¯s Mirror, the atmosphere had be more serious.


    It was just as expected.


    Nick, who was right next to me, began to speak to me. It was a voice that I didn¡¯t want to hear, but just this once, I felt like I could put up with him.


    A week had already passed since the war.


    Since he was a guy who knew a from him.


    ¡°He¡¯s really¡­ a great person.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t get tired of watching that many times every day through the goddess mirror.¡±


    ¡°Absolutely amazing. He¡¯s beyond normal. Maybe that won¡¯t be easy either. He was also the one who suffered the most damage in that war. In fact, during the Laios crisis, he almost died. Didn¡¯t they say that he was in the Eberian Kingdom to heal? In a way, it¡¯s like he¡¯s the one who had gone through tough times the most. In fact, in that situation, do you think it¡¯s easy to shake hands with the Republic soldiers without any conditions? It showed how generous he is.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Absolutely. I was there too, and it was amazing. Tears poured out without my knowledge. In fact, the Republic soldiers cried too, but they probably did more than me in their case. I also saw the descent of the Goddess Benignore on the body of Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely! It¡¯s not evenparable with watching through the Goddess¡¯s Mirror. With his hand! He just gestured, and the undead guys just fell apart all at once! When he swung his left hand one more time, everything waspletely surrounded by the light, and bang, bang, bang! Before the descent of the Goddess Benignore, he ran right into the battlefield with a spear. Can you believe that?¡±


    ¡°Whoa¡­¡±


    ¡°Few people have the guts to do that. That Demon Summoner bastard hid until the end, but was dragged out. Tsk. It¡¯s terrible to say what would have happened without him. We would be battling with the soldiers of the Republic even now and eventually¡­¡±


    ¡°I would be d if it ended like that, but we wouldn¡¯t havee back alive from that battlefield. Anyway, does anyone know what the Honorary Cardinal is doing now?¡±


    I focused my gaze on Nick.


    As if he knew, he drank the water from the ss and began to talk slowly.


    ¡°This is a bit hard to say¡­¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just tell me? This meal is on me today.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps you will soon be able to receive official information through the Goddess¡¯s Mirror. No, this is not something that can be delivered through the Goddess¡¯s Mirror¡­¡±


    ¡°I believe you didn¡¯t forget how long we¡¯ve been friends, Nick.¡±


    ¡°Ahem. This is really hard to say¡­ If you say you¡¯re going to keep your mouth shut, I¡¯ll tell you. It¡¯s a promise that you really need to keep. It was a special instruction from manager Kim Miyoung from the Blue Guild, so I also struggled to obtain the information.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Absolutely. I will keep my mouth shut. So, just¡­¡±


    As I filled the empty ss with beer, the guy began to spill information while reading our faces.


    ¡°The fact is¡­ He doesn¡¯t seem to be in good health.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Shh.¡± 3333


    ¡°Quiet. Michael! Sh*t.¡±


    ¡°Oh. I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s so sudden¡­¡±


    ¡°If you think about it, it¡¯s not sudden at all. Do you think it¡¯s easy to receive God with a human body? Even if he is a vessel to hold the Goddess Benignore, it must¡¯ve still been too much to handle. It wasn¡¯t even long since he got up from the sickbed, and his physical condition wasn¡¯t as usual. His condition is improving rapidly, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Is that true?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely true. Like thest time in Laios, he seemed to be worried that many people were guarding the castle¡­ He¡¯s sacrificed so much, but he still continues to care about people like us.¡±


    ¡°Whoa¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, there are other external reasons.¡±


    ¡°External reasons?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t he like a symbol of peace now? He actually yed the most decisive role in bringing the war to an end, and how would he feel hearing the news that he¡¯s not well? He must be worried that the whole thing being discussed will be overturned.¡±


    ¡°You mean about the tutorial dungeons beingpletely integrated and operated as one educational center?¡±


    ¡°Not only that. The issue of alliance with the Republic, the Deration of End-of-Continental War, the Continental Peace Agreement, and the initiation of a new anti-discriminationw. There are a lot of things that are politically, economically, and even militarily entangled. Of course, I don¡¯t know all of them, but they¡¯re all sensitive issues¡­ Rumors has it that this is the reason why he dragged out his ill body and continued to be active. Well, it¡¯s heartbreaking. The aides are helping him as much as possible, but he has to solve everything by himself to feel better. Manager Kim Miyoung is also worried. It seems like they¡¯re discouraging him from working too much, but can anyone break his passion? They said that it was because of Kim Hyunsung¡¯s request that they got him to take a short break recently¡­¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a war hero.¡±


    ¡°Come to think of it. He was amazing too. It¡¯s a blessing that there is not just one such person but rather two in the State. Goddess Benignore has indeed blessed us.¡±


    ¡°Changing the topic¡­ is there any new information about Jin Qing?¡±


    ¡°Well, that motherfucker. It¡¯s the same every time. Cutting that motherfucker¡¯s throat wouldn¡¯t be enough. I don¡¯t understand why they¡¯re putting a guy like that on trial. He¡¯s still crying out that he¡¯s not the Demon Summoner. Oh, it¡¯sing out now. Look at the Goddess¡¯s Mirror.¡±


    -As the trial of the Demon Summoner Jin Qing approaches after he caused great confusion in the Republic, everyone is starting to be more attentive. Reporter Kim Seong-gyeong of Lindel Broadcasting System will be bringing you this news. Reporter Kim Seong-gyeong?


    -This is Kim Seong-gyeong of Lindel Broadcasting. Helena, the Director of Inquisition from the State, who received Jin Qing, the Demon Summoner, from the Republic on the 2nd, finally arrived in the capital along with Senator Marlin. There¡¯s more tension here than ever, as he caused an event that got much attention from the whole continent. The Holy Knights, which is the pride of the State, Pope¡¯s Holiness, and Oscar herself are here.


    -I am not a demon summoner. I am not a demon summoner. Gasp. Lee Kiyoung, you motherfucker. Lee Kiyoung!! Lee Kiyoooouuung! I am not a demon summoner! Cough! You guys are being fooled! The real demon is that bastard! That bastard is the real demon!


    -Cover his mouth!


    -I am not a demon summoner! I have never summoned an undead or a demon¡­ I am not!! Cough! Cough!!


    -Some argue that immediate execution isn¡¯t ideal for the continent¡¯s safety. The Director of Inquisition may be possible to grasp the exact truth of the incident and obtain information on the dark forces rooted in the continent. Given the seriousness of the situation, the investigation will be conducted by agencies. With the Republic¡¯s pledge to fully support Demon Summoner Jin Qing¡¯s investigation, all attention from the continent will be drawn. Once again, I am reporter Kim Seong-gyeong.


    -Yes. Next news. This is news for those who might have been feeling down with this serious information. The best-seller, Genius swordsman and Alchemist¡­


    ¡°That¡­ Demon Summoner!¡±


    ¡°He deserves to be beaten up! Ptooey!¡±


    Before the next news came out, swear words began to be heard from all over the ce.


    Of course, we weren¡¯t much different either.


    Everyone was probably feeling the same way. They found it ridiculous to see him lying with a straight face.


    ¡°That trashy bastard. What the hell is there to investigate? They have to put him on the guillotine right away.¡±


    ¡°Tsk. Have you seen the face reflected in the Goddess¡¯s Mirror? His eyes were so red. It was like he wanted to beat someone to death! He was like that when he was first caught. When he came with the soldiers of the Republic grabbing him, he screamed so much that, I¡¯m telling you, it gave me goosebumps.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s more problematic that it¡¯s not just him. Didn¡¯t they say that dark forces are hiding across the continent? If I could, I¡¯d help with the execution right away, but considering the possibility that he knows kinds of information, they can¡¯t do that. It is also in the best interest of the State to follow due process. It was the same during the sacred democracy revolution. Even with that bastard being trash, Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung wants to give him a fair trial. He knows that, yet he¡¯s going crazy like that¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a reason why he¡¯s a demon summoner. Anyway, tomorrow, everyone¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m thinking of going hunting after a long time. Monster hunting should not be neglected. Due to the prolonged war, the monster poption has increased a little.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you too unhealthy right now to go hunting? Saul? The wounds¡­¡±


    At this, he slowly nodded.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s true. Actually, if a guy like me tried hard, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be much help¡­ Still, wouldn¡¯t I be useful someday? I want to rest a little more, but I have to step forward like the Goddess Benignore, and Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung said. Honorary Cardinal never rests, so why should I? Then I¡¯ll be going first. Thanks for the good story, Nick.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t overdo it, Saul.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I won¡¯t.¡±


    As he slowly opened the pub¡¯s door, I saw a scene that felt both familiar and unfamiliar.


    Less than a month had passed since the war, but things had already changed so much.


    I still wasn¡¯t used to the sight of elves and dwarves walking in the streets. The same could be said for atmosphere.


    ¡®New world.¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s a good world to live in.¡±


    I smiled quietly.


    * * *


    ¡°It¡¯s a good world to live in.¡±


    ¡°I-it is, right?¡±


    ¡°This meat softly melts in my mouth.¡±


    ¡°S-s-s-softly melts. Yes, it does. Hehehehehe.¡±

 Chapter 417: A Good Place to Live (2)

    <h4>Chapter 417: A Good ce to Live (2)</h4>


    ¡°Oh, I told you not to gather those, but why are you gathering them again? Gosh.¡±


    I spoke a little bluntly, but I wasn¡¯t particrly upset.


    As I sat on a chair made of the finest leather, I watched the people praying eagerly.


    The endless crowd could be said to be simr to or more than that of Laios.


    If only the conditions were provided, it would be more than enough to fill the entirety of Lindel.


    It wasn¡¯t just Lindel in the first ce.


    It would be more than enough to fill a lot more than that, considering the unimaginable crowds of elves and dwarves in Castle Rock, Dawan, Celia, and Eberia. Even in the unrted United Kingdom, a simr situation was being produced.


    Even though I hadn¡¯t swayed the public opinion, it already had that much of an effect just because they had seen me suffer from a life-threatening danger like at Laios.


    That meant that their impression of me was good. It certainly didn¡¯t make me ufortable.


    ¡®It was definitely a good one.¡¯


    The climax of the war was still being broadcast in the Goddess¡¯s Mirror.


    It was a miracle that tens of thousands of undeads were put to rest simultaneously when a person embraced by the light simply swung his arm. No, he was a miracle in himself.


    Since then, the image of Goddess Benignore, who had given the message to go forward as one, was said to be so divine that humans dared not judge it.


    The image was enough to make me worry that even I would be blinded.


    Of course, there was no need to say how the State¡¯s people, full of faith in God, would ept this certain phenomenon.


    If a human who saw thatbeled it as fraud, I wouldn¡¯t have anything to say to them even if they would get stoned to death in the streets.


    ¡®Absolutely.¡¯


    That became even more likely upon recalling what I had gained through that miracle.


    The war had left a huge scar on the continent. Many died and suffered, and due to the Demon Summoner¡¯s evil tricks, some people were unable to close their eyes peacefully even after death.


    The mental shock that the cursed undead gave to the entire continent proved to be beyond words.


    There was a lot of human and material damage. Some areas were considered impossible to recover.


    The power of the State and the Republic had been reduced severely. There were ces where the production facilities had been totally damaged, or where the terrain itself hadpletely changed.


    Prestigious restoration wizards and renowned experts judged that even on that magic continent, it could take several decades to return to the pre-war era. Above all else, the number of human casualties was also hard to ignore.


    Of course, because of a couple of turn of events, the continent had begun to move toward one goal.


    They had brought their power together, and had agreed to throw away all their history of war and conflict to prepare for the iing threats.


    issues to be discussed, the official announcement or deration was postponed, but it seemed like it would only be a matter of time before the continent¡¯s leaders gathered in one ce.


    The miracle that happened in that war turned the entire continent upside down.


    If I were to think about it from a certain perspective, the current Light Kiyoung was no different from being the continent¡¯s center.


    The Goddess¡¯s descent was also important, but I had devoted my whole body to prevent the war, and the post-war settlement had also been done pretty well.


    It was the right choice to forgive all the Republic soldiers and to dere peace with everyone.


    This was the seconding of Goddess Benignore. Because of this, I was now known as the Son of the Goddess Benignore, and the Deputy of Goddess Benignore.


    There were rumors that the Goddess Benignore had even descended to save the continent.


    I thought it was a bit exaggerated to phrase it in this way, but I also thought the same thing when I saw the demons being swept away with a simple hand gesture.


    In fact, it was true that I was receiving protection from the Goddess Benignore, and it was also true that I had beenmunicating with her.


    It meant that about half of the adjectives like the Second Coming, the Son, the Incarnation, and the Deputy were true. Though the titles could be exined through that, I still could no longer measure my true worth because of how highly the people now regarded me.


    Indeed, the word vertical ascent wasn¡¯t enough.


    Although the Kiyoung Coin¡¯s market value was originally high, the unit price became higher due to that incident.


    Naturally, those who couldn¡¯t invest in that coin would currently be punching the ground in regret. Everyone who had been hostile to me, even by a little, had begun to spoil me with presents.


    As I hummed silently to myself, I heard a knock on the door.


    Turning to face the entrance, I saw a fairly familiar face.


    My personal secretary stood in the doorway, lifting her sses with one hand. Of course, it was difficult to say that her exact position was secretary, but it was the role she had been recently ying, so it didn¡¯t really matter.


    ¡°Manager Kim Miyoung.¡±


    ¡°Oh! You were eating. Sorry.¡±


    ¡°No. No. It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m almost finished, and it¡¯s my fault for not getting ready. As you can see, sitting here, I have nothing to do but lie down and look outside. Anyway, you came at the right time. I was getting a little bored. Do you have any new news? No, the next schedule¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You can tell me right away.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Vice Guild Master. First, the good news¡­ ahem. I¡¯ll tell you everything. This is a list of gifts from the nobles of the continent, including the members of the Republic. All of them are currently being stored in the guild house storage. Special features include catalysts and ancient alchemy books stored in the Republic. In addition, the Eastern Congressional Union and the President of the Republic also personally sent a gift with a message of hope for recovery.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    This was why power was so good.


    ¡°They also asked to meet you personally, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡­ I don¡¯t really feel like it. It¡¯s hard to move at the moment, and it is ufortable to act because of others¡¯ gazes. Please tell them that I will contact them separately for personal meetings.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I will ry your message to them.¡±


    ¡°Please tell them that politely.¡±


    ¡°Noted.¡±


    ¡°One more thing, Oscar wants toe to visit you herself¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Please tell Oscar that she doesn¡¯t have toe. She¡¯s probably busy. Even if she¡¯s not, I¡¯ll soon stop by the Capital, so please tell her so. Come to think of it. I should see Pope Basel as well. There are many things he may be curious about¡­ Oh! More importantly, how¡¯re the guild members? I mean, Deokgu and Hyunsung.¡±


    ¡°Park Deokgu-nim is in his sickbed. His treatment seems to be working quite well, meaning he should recover within a few days, but he remains unconscious until now.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. That Valentin Alexandro, is that son of a bitch still in jail?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Please tell Helena, the Director of Inquisition, that I¡¯m asking for a special favor¡ªno, it would be better for me to contact her separately. Well, I¡¯m d that he will recoverpletely within a few days. And¡­¡±


    ¡°In Guild Master¡¯s case¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I think he has a lot to think about recently. I keep noticing him looking out the window or worrying about something¡­ He hasn¡¯t said anything special, but he¡¯s definitely different than usual. Of course, I¡¯m not worried about it, but I think it would be wise for you to talk to him.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    ¡®That bastard.¡¯


    Due to the report about the lovely returner, I had no choice but to tap the armrests.


    ¡°And¡­¡±


    That was because worries had begun springing up in my mind.


    ¡®It¡¯s all over, but what¡¯s wrong with him?¡¯


    When he came to me for a visit, he gave off some strange vibes, but it seemed like he was still the same at the guild house.


    I thought he might be bothered, but I didn¡¯t think he would be still spacing out.


    Kim Hyunsung was not thinking badly about that war.


    Rather, it was the opposite.


    I didn¡¯t know anything else, but he looked very satisfied with the results. I didn¡¯t know how bad the first round was, but each continent¡¯s force could¡¯ve been fighting up to that point based on his reaction.


    I didn¡¯t want to think they would have done such a stupid thing, but¡­ It was also possible that they were fighting even after the unknown threat had erupted.


    They would not only fight for one small bowl, but they would be dragging each other into a hollow.


    ¡®If that¡¯s the case, the first round must have been hell.¡¯


    Compared to the first round, which ended due to the masked trash¡¯s activity, it was safe to think that they had all turned over a new leaf.


    There were some damages, but if Ipared the current situation with the first round, this was simply a drop in the bucket.


    The continent had, so to speak, fully preserved its physical strength for theing threats.


    I didn¡¯t know why he was acting weird, but¡­


    ¡®Is he thinking that Jin Qing is not the masked trash?¡¯


    Although it was quite difficult by my standards, he could¡¯ve felt that Jin Qing was dull.


    The masked trash that had harassed him so much in the past kept screaming that he was not a demon summoner. Because of this, it was difficult to judge what kind of emotion Kim Hyunsung might have felt.


    I, who had a little respect for him, after seeing that, felt pretty turned off.


    Instead of the charismatic masked trash, there was simply one loser who was held in evil.


    What would Kim Hyunsung have felt at that moment? Emptiness, or satisfaction?


    It wasn¡¯t easy to judge for me, who had no means of knowing what was going on in his mind.


    I didn¡¯t know why, but he even seemed depressed.


    I thought that I would have to refine his mental condition someday, but now that the work had piled up, there wasn¡¯t enough time for it.


    ¡®I¡¯m d he¡¯s doing his job at least.¡¯


    If it weren¡¯t for that, the entire Blue Guild members would have been having a hard time.


    Manager Kim Miyoung was waiting for me as she saw me tapping the armrest, suddenly lost in thought.


    As I shook out of my reverie and hurried to speak, I saw her quietly smiling.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah. I¡¯m sorry, Manager Kim Miyoung.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Can I continue with what I was saying¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yes. You can do that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an extension of what you said about meeting Pope Basel.¡±


    ¡°Yes. It doesn¡¯t matter if you schedule it as soon as possible. Perhaps¡­ I¡¯ll have time next week.¡±


    ¡°Actually, there¡¯s a reason why Pope Basel is looking for you in a hurry.¡±


    ¡°What? Did anything happen with Jin Qing? Or the trial schedule¡­¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s not because of that¡­ Er¡­ I don¡¯t know how to say it, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°The Benignore statue is shedding tears of blood¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    I steeled myself. What bad news in such a good era!


    ¡®What happened?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know why, but something seemed wrong up there.


    ¡®Ah, what¡¯s up with her again?¡¯


    Suddenly, my head started to hurt.

 Chapter 418: A Problem From Above (1)

    <h4>Chapter 418: A Problem From Above (1)</h4>


    My head started to hurt.


    ¡®Fuck. That can¡¯t be good.¡¯


    Unfamiliar situations like these were unwee.


    When I opened my mouth, tapping my thigh out of sheer nervousness, Kim Miyoung began answering right away.


    ¡°You say it is shedding tears of blood?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I heard that the Holy See is currently investigating the exact reason and cause. It¡¯s also something that has not been announced externally. Considering the confusion of the State¡¯s people, that much is obvious, but¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not the right time to announce publicly. No, they wouldn¡¯t be able to say anything like that.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I know he is ailing, but Pope Basel wanted you toe to the capital as soon as possible. If possible, within the day¡­¡±


    ¡°Grunt.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to, I will tell him¡­¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s not because of that. It¡¯s not. I am not reluctant.¡±


    ¡®I have to go regardless.¡¯


    It was a request from none other than Pope Basel. This was also a matter rted directly to the Benignore Church. It would be strange if I didn¡¯t go.


    Even if I was sick, I had to attend those events unconditionally.


    Other things could be lightly ignored, but considering that most of the power I had came from there, I couldn¡¯t afford to ignore them as well.


    The problem was that the situation felt too serious for it to be treated simply as a mysterious phenomenon, especially in the State.


    ¡®Why are you suddenly shedding tears of blood? Fuck.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t even know that such anomalies could ur to the Goddess statue. It wasmentable as to why she hadn¡¯t used those means so far.


    I felt like it was an ominous sign.


    The reason why the Holy sector wasn¡¯t reacting in any other way was to prevent confusion among the people, no more, no less. If that were wrongly spread outside, the confusion would be iparable to the previous one.


    ¡®It must be hell inside.¡¯


    Considering Pope Basel¡¯s character, who originally had a hot temper, the atmosphere would probably be quite stressful. In addition to this, I knew what would happen when our Pope Basel, who was kind only to me, was now mad, so I had to swallow hard.


    In fact, I had initially thought there would be basically no problem.


    Originally, the race of gods was a little bit cheap and sometimes did strange things.


    Like the trashy Elune, for example.


    However, I had to be a little cautious as I recently caused a pretty big event using their names.


    It was a situation simr to the saying, ¡®guilty conscience needs no user.¡¯


    Of course, I was not guilty. However¡­


    ¡®There is a one in a million chance.¡¯


    It wouldn¡¯t happen, but what if. What if¡­ it was revealed that the Goddess descent was a lie?


    ¡®Everything will be ruined.¡¯


    Everything that I had built up so far could copse.


    It was a little over the top to think like this, but I also thought that the Holy side might first notice and would want to start investigating me.


    Saying that the Goddess statue was shedding tears was enough of a reason to interrogate me.


    Of course, that wasn¡¯t a serious issue because I could prove my purity and sacredness again through Benignore.


    If that was the case, it would do more than just make me feel annoyed.


    ¡®Benignore wouldn¡¯t be preparing to backstab me, right?¡¯


    Benignore might just want to do that in earnest.


    To think that of the numerous priests in the Holy side, no one would think that Benignore¡¯s voice was unreasonable.


    One of them must have heard her voice, and there was a possibility that she was nning some nonsense to screw me up through the statue¡¯s tears of blood.


    It was even more so when I thought about the fact that I had a little, very little, dust-like influence on the continent in the first round.


    There was stability on the continent at that moment, and the sons and daughters of God didn¡¯t have anyone ready to step up to the task yet.


    It was not at all strange timing to catch and torture me, who they thought had been a risk factor.


    Naturally, I remembered the old saying, ¡®Kill the dog after hunting is over.¡¯


    The ones from above might be making a move to remove me from taking the chance to be careless.


    ¡®Am I reading too much into it?¡¯


    However, it wasn¡¯t entirely impossible.


    ¡®Still, I did so much for them. They shouldn¡¯te out like this. Fuck, dirty bastards¡­¡¯


    I had saved the world many times, helped the lovely returner both materially and emotionally, and helped unite humanity.


    I had epted the daughter that the trashy Elune threw away and handled the sh*t that And what I did wasn¡¯t anymon achievement, either.


    If it were someone else, they wouldn¡¯t have tried to mess with it.


    I had instilled stronger faith in the worshippers of the Goddess Benignore and gave a great deal of effort to create the strongest Church. With the sacred democracy, I raised her name and established God¡¯s dignity by dealing with the evil undead.


    It didn¡¯t even end there.


    In the name of the light, I even punished the demon and saved the people of Laios from the crisis. I re-sealed the ancient god in the museum and reduced its risk to the future by proactively handling all sorts of threats against the continent.


    I was the best they could ever hope for. I could affirm that there would be no one else like me.


    ¡®You want toe and attack me like that now? Nonsense. If that is the case, then it doesn¡¯t make sense. There¡¯s no way you can do that wearing a god mask.¡¯


    Even Belial, the 72nd Demon King, wouldn¡¯t treat me like that.


    They should be giving me gifts instead. This kind of treatment was ridiculous. It wouldn¡¯t be enough even if I made a formal protest. No, if they really thought of doing that, I was ready to make them regret their decision right there and then.


    ¡®Can you hear me? Are you really going to attack me like this? Fucking bastards? Can you hear me? If you turn your back on me, you and I will all be doomed. Do you understand?¡¯


    We really would.


    ¡®Do you think Kim Hyunsung will be on your side?¡¯


    However, there was no voiceing from the sky.


    I didn¡¯t feel nervous, but I suddenly started to get upset. I wondered if Kim Hyunsung was lost in thoughts because he had heard the news about me.


    ¡®Fucking demon bastards. So, they wille out this way, huh.¡¯


    I thought they might have stopped monitoring me for a second, but seeing that a forced quest wasn¡¯t created even after a few minutes, it seemed that something happened.


    Earlier, it was a simple doubt, but I began to get more suspicious.


    I kept tapping the table as I waited for the quest toe down from the sky, but nothing happened.


    There were two possibilities.


    - There was something wrong going on up there.


    - They were really preparing to get rid of me as I thought.


    If it were the former, it would end with a light incident, but if they really chose thetter, I would show them how bad of a choice that was.


    I stood up.


    Manager Kim Miyoung looked at me with a slightly startled expression as she called out to me.


    ¡°Vice Guild Master?¡±


    ¡°I think it would be better to go to the Capital right away.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I will prepare it. How do you want me to prepare the schedule¡­?¡±


    ¡°I want to leave this evening, please. I¡¯m moving in a rush since it¡¯s an urgent issue. I think there really is a problem in the Church.¡±


    ¡°Who do you want as the entourage¡­?¡±


    ¡°Jung Hayan and Park Deokgu¡­ no, I will take Cho Hyejin. In addition, please contact Yuno Kasugano and Heera, manager. And¡­ Dialugia and¡­¡±


    ¡°Should I contact Miss Elena too?¡±


    ¡°Is she in Lindel now?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Yesterday I fixed the Blue Guild enrollment form, and as of today, she¡¯s an official Blue Guild member. Her position has not been decided yet, however¡­¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    ¡°Is everyone going to the Capital together?¡±


    ¡°Yes. For now, that¡¯s the n. And um¡­ Send what I¡¯m writing now as letters to all the guilds in Lindel, including the ck Swan Guild. Please wait a moment. It will be over soon. And¡­ I would like you to send this one to the elves and dwarves. You can give this one separately to Han Sora.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°And after arriving at the Capital, if an incident breaks out, spread the letter I am writing now throughout the continent through the Goddess¡¯s Mirror, manager.¡±


    ¡°Vice Guild Master, I¡¯m sorry, but when you say incident¡­¡±


    ¡°If anything really happens, you will naturally know. If nothing happens, I think you can immediately destroy what you received¡­ It¡¯s just a precautionary measure, so you don¡¯t have to worry too much. And put the items I¡¯m writing down in Dialugia¡¯s nest. The more secretly, the better. Of course, what I¡¯m talking about right now is security. When you go outside, don¡¯t say anything to anyone, manager.¡±


    ¡°O-Of course, Vice Guild Master. B-but¡­ is this er¡­ perhaps¡­¡±


    ¡°I can see what you¡¯re imagining¡­ haha. You don¡¯t have to worry about it. I just want to be prepared for any scenario. Yes. This is just a backup n.¡±


    ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll make it happen right away, Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much, manager Kim Miyoung.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    As I nodded my head and looked at her back that¡¯s heading out of the room, I felt relieved.


    ¡®It¡¯s good to have people with great talent and skills underneath me.¡¯


    I was honestly sure that she was several times smarter than me.


    When she first came in, I thought things didn¡¯t go well for her because she was unlucky. Or maybe she was a little less selfish.


    If it weren¡¯t for her, my life in Blue would¡¯ve been several times harder. I cleared up my thoughts once again.


    ¡®Would it be better to inform Jihye in advance?¡¯


    If my rtionship with the false god Benignore was broken, she was one of those who could y a pivotal role at the beginning of the mess.


    ¡®And Hyunsung too¡­¡¯


    Lee Jihye was important, but it was also urgent to sweet-talk the lovely returner.


    That one was a bit difficult to deal with, but I could make hime over to my side enough based on the trust I had built up with him so far.


    It was a bit hard to take them together to the Church at that time.


    ¡®That¡¯s because continuous management and care are needed.¡¯


    Of course, all of those might¡¯ve just been my delusions, but if I considered the chances of it happening, it was not unreasonable to be prepared a thousand, no, a billion times.


    Being used, discarded, and abandoned, did not exist in the Light Kiyoung dictionary.


    I had to be prepared to fight against the fallen Goddess Benignore and the trash gang following her with the Mace of Light at any time.


    [Common-grade forced quest is activated.]


    [No. No. This is a misunderstanding¡­ so, I mean. I can exin every¡­ thing¡­ it¡¯s a misunderstanding! Benignore! Say something!! You can¡¯t!!! It¡¯s a misunderstanding¡­ (0/1)]


    [Due to an unknown reason, themon-grade forced quest has been canceled.]


    [Quest creation has stopped.]


    ¡°For a fallen god, a Mace of Light.¡±


    I could surely throw this weapon her way should the need arise.

 Chapter 419: A Problem From Above (2)

    <h4>Chapter 419: A Problem From Above (2)</h4>


    A new message seemed to have popped up, but I couldn¡¯t seem to afford to pay attention to it.


    Not only was the seed of doubt already in my mind, but a flower bud had already formed as well.


    Even though I was trying to block my thoughts as hard as possible, the situation wouldn¡¯t even let me stop it.


    If I was feeling kind, I could probably take out a little bit of suspicion, but the truth was that I wasn¡¯t kind enough to cancel what I was preparing.


    ¡®Do you think I would be that stupid?¡¯


    Naturally, I couldn¡¯t believe anything until I could check it with my own eyes. That message was one-sided. I didn¡¯t even know whom it hade from. They had stopped creating quests for unknown reasons.


    It was only proper for their credibility to decrease.


    [Quest creation has been temporarily suspended due to an unknown reason.]


    ¡®Unknown reason, my ass¡­¡¯


    Perhaps, after getting their problem solved, they were now thinking about stabbing my back.


    I didn¡¯t know about Benignore, but I wouldn¡¯t put it past Elune.


    The probability of Benignore, who believed in herself and lived for herself, abandoned me didn¡¯t feel low after I¡¯ve witnessed Elena being abandoned.


    They¡¯re like peas in a pod.


    From the very beginning, these fallen gods had no recognition and loyalty. They were just mischievous parents, ready to backstab their sons and daughters for their own greed and gain.


    ¡®I¡¯ll let you gofortably on your way.¡¯


    I hated the wrong custom of Goryeojang (an ancient burial practice whereby a dying elderly was left to die in an open tomb). Still, at that time, I had no choice but to decide to go up the mountain with Benignore loaded on a carrier.


    Of course, doing so required very careful nning.


    I hadn¡¯t pressed the y button yet, but I was already nervous about the safety device I prepared if the worst came.


    Considering that the opponent was a fallen god, it still didn¡¯t feel enough.


    I wrote a separate manual for Lee Jihye and checked my belongings in an instant. First, I had to be able to protect myself.


    I had Juliana, who had be quiet due to the aftereffects of being forced awake and due to potions and, of course, the legendary shield Aegis. I began to check my weapons¡¯ condition in preparation against the worst.


    It looked like I was leaving for an expedition.


    I exaggerated my preparations a bit even though I was just visiting the capital, but doing so relieved me a little.


    I felt like I had be a local. As I was looking at myself quietly, once again, I started to hear a knock on the door.


    It was obvious as to who it was. As I opened the door with a wide smile, I saw a familiar face.


    ¡°Hayan?¡±


    ¡°Oppa, did you call me?¡±


    ¡°Oh. Please wait for a second. I¡¯ll be out soon. Have you heard the news already?¡±


    ¡°Yes. That w-we¡¯re going to the capital. That something urgent has happened¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. Other people will also go with us. That¡¯s fine, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. O-Of course.¡±


    ¡°Hee-ra is going too, as well as Elena and Hyejin.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    At this, Hayan¡¯s expression dimmed.


    She must have already heard about the selection, but it looked like it upset her when she heard it again directly from me.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let it bother you too much. It¡¯s because of work.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s my favorite person?¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    As I opened my arms widely, she went closer and quietly hugged me. Although it was cringing to say those kinds of lines, the recipient at least enjoyed them.


    It was important to fill the cor with the taste of the customer.


    Jung Hayan was also one of those who could be ssified to have an important role, just like Kim Hyunsung.


    Jung Hayan, a wizard with overwhelming and irreceable talent, was the kind of human coveted not only by humans, but also by the gods. I had taken good care of her, and in that situation, I thought it was only mandatory tofort her.


    She was doing a good job at taking charge, and she had alleviated her anger control using the marriage as a stabilizer.


    Her self-esteem that hit bottom recently was also rising to the point of breaking through the sky.


    The new Jung Hayan, who had be tremendously strong, and had changed by receiving a proposal, grew to the point where she could finally stand talking with others.


    It was a bit sad to think that the result obtained from risking my life would be barely enough, but nobody knew how much I missed that mental stability.


    Although the prologue was long, the important thing was that Jung Hayan¡¯s current mental state was very stable.


    ¡°But what happened? It would be nice if you had a little more rest. You weren¡¯t lying down the past couple of days¡­¡±


    ¡°There seems to be a problem at the Church. It doesn¡¯t seem like a big deal, but I don¡¯t know what would happen. Didn¡¯t Elenae with you?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s getting ready to leave outside with Hyejin. Because you said we would be there for a week, the guild employees are also packing the luggage. S-so, oppa. If we go to the capital, will we sleep in the Church?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Probably so. Or maybe we could rent a separate building. It will depend on the situation. Shall we go out?¡±


    I didn¡¯t know why the ce I slept in was an important factor, but she didn¡¯t seem very happy about the idea of sleeping at the Church.


    That kind of behavior felt ominous, and I felt like an animal upon sensing it.


    I looked at Jung Hayan, who held one of my arms tightly, as I expected. I felt a bit embarrassed since I felt that she would never let my hand go, but I was still forced to move silently.


    Even if I hinted at it, she would never let go, anyway.


    In time, the guild¡¯s griffon take-off area came into view. I could see two other people already there.


    There was Cho Hyejin, taking the griffons out of the feedlot, and Elena, looking at them from a few steps away.


    The elf smiled and waved at me upon seeing me, but her expression stiffened when she saw Jung Hayan clinging onto my side. Cho Hyejin simply bowed as usual.


    ¡®Gosh¡­¡¯


    I could see Elena¡¯s face looking emotional. I was afraid that if she bit down on her lips too tightly, she would explode.


    I didn¡¯t think Elena, who¡¯s weak-minded, would show any behavior like (old) Jung Hayan, but I thought she might have a side that I didn¡¯t know about.


    The proof was that she was there even though the Eberian Kingdom opposed the notion. In fact, she was someone that could be called my colleague.


    Sheughed as if she felt carefree, but in reality, she was someone abandoned by the fallen gods. She was like a missile pad that was all ready tounch a ballistic called resentment towards the sky.


    Since then, since she could showcase a big performance in swaying public opinion, she required special management and treatment.


    As I smiled slightly and waved, she greeted me with a gloomy smile. Seeing this reminded me of the time Elune had abandoned her, and my hostility to the sky¡¯s existence rose again.


    ¡®To such delicate elf¡­¡¯


    No wonder my lips remained tightly closed.


    Whether she knew what I was thinking or not, Elena began to greet me hesitantly.


    ¡°Should I call you Vice¡­ Guild Master?¡±


    ¡°No, Elena. You don¡¯t have to call me so stiffly. Haha.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re indeed a member of the guild, but with Elena-nim¡¯s status, it¡¯s difficult to treat you as amon guild member¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to give me special treatment. Please¡­¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s not special treatment. Blue is not that rigid, and¡­ We are personally acquainted. I¡¯m also trying not to be stiff with the other members and Hyunsung. You can also act as usual. Anyway, it¡¯s a bitte, but wee to the Blue Guild, Elena. Take good care of us.¡±


    ¡°No. I should be the one saying that. Take good care of me, Lee Kiyoung. And¡­ Jung Hayan too.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes¡­ Please¡­ Take good care of me. A-A-And wee to Blue.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Are we ready to go, Hyejin?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Vice Guild Master. When Cha Heera arrives, I think we can leave immediately. Dialugia decided to jointer, and Yuno Kasugano will meet you at the capital¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see. Thank you for your hard work.¡±


    ¡°I just did what I had to.¡±


    It was nice to get things done quickly.


    The news that Hee-ra was also going was something to be cheerful about.


    Just as I was thinking about her, I saw a doll with red hairing towards us. She was definitely her usual self with some of the Red Mercenary¡¯s attendants.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, honey. No, I can¡¯t say it¡¯s been a while since we met a few days ago.¡±


    After the war, I talked with her right away, but somehow it felt like I hadn¡¯t conversed with her in a while.


    Her hair, which was rough like her, was not tidy, reminding me of a red lion¡¯s mane.


    What was a little different was that there were dark circles under her eyes.


    ¡°Are you sick?¡±


    ¡°Stressed out due to frustration.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t let it bother you. As you already know, I¡¯ve gone crazy for quite a while. You can think of this as the aftereffect of that. It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve been out of my mind for so long, and recently, it feels like it¡¯s getting worse. Still, I can¡¯t adjust to it. Sh*t. It¡¯s ten times more painful than having a hangover. I shouldn¡¯t have worn that.¡±


    ¡°The Berserker Set?¡±


    ¡°Did you see?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t see it in person. I only heard about it. You were apparently wearing armor and had a weapon. Is that a legendary-grade item?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I want to see that at least once.¡±


    ¡°Do you really want to see it?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good call. I don¡¯t want to show that much, either. More importantly¡­ Why did you even gather us all? You¡¯re too heavily armed for a pic. Did you find a dungeon in the capital?¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s nothing like that. Just think of it as thorough preparation.¡±


    ¡°Well, I trust your judgment. but hmm¡­ I want to take a rxing break this time around. Can we do that, honey?¡±


    The way she looked at me with an innocent smile somehow felt terrifying.


    She wasn¡¯t openly threatening me, but I felt like a herbivore in front of a carnivore.


    No, it¡¯s not my imagination.


    The way she looked at me from head to toe was like a wild beast looking at prey.


    It was then that Jung Hayan grabbed my cor tightly.


    ¡®You guys¡­ don¡¯t do that again.¡¯


    I knew better than anyone else what would happen if those two confronted each other.


    It somehow ended wellst time, but there was no guarantee that it would end so well if it were to be repeated. In the end, I had to be careful with my answer.


    ¡°It¡¯s important to take a break. Oh, it¡¯s already thiste. Let¡¯s get on the griffon. I think it would be better for you to ride with Hayan and Elena, and I will go with Hyejin. Right, Hyejin?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Now then. Come up quickly, Hyejin.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Quickly.¡±


    ¡°This feels quite ufortable, Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the same for me, so just get on.¡±


    Immediately taking a seat, I held on to Cho Hyejin¡¯s back.


    The three women were showing a little flustered expression, but fortunately, they didn¡¯t show any jealousy.


    When I saw them riding on the griffon together, I thought it was only proper that I wasn¡¯t there.


    ¡°Don¡¯t hold on too tightly, Vice Guild Master. It feels really ufortable.¡±


    Of course, taken in a different context, I felt hurt upon hearing this.

 Chapter 420: A Problem From Above (3)

    <h4>Chapter 420: A Problem From Above (3)</h4>


    Even eye-catching sceneries became boring after being viewed too much and too frequently. Such was the case with the scenery upon traveling to the Capital.


    I was fed up with seeing the mountains and cities, mountains and viges, mountains and rivers, and the endlessndscape. I no longer found it as beautiful as when I had first seen it.


    When I arrived at the capital, the sight I saw felt warmer.


    ¡°Honorary Cardinal!¡±


    ¡°Goddess¡¯s representative!¡±


    ¡°Blessed by the Goddess Benignore!¡±


    Naturally, I waved to the State people that were cheering for me from afar. I wanted to get off at the entrance to hold each person¡¯s hand. It was a little disappointing that I couldn¡¯t do that. The current situation, in which we had no choice but to move in a hurry, made me feel frustrated.


    ¡°Hold on tight. We¡¯re arriving soon.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Hyejin.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ufortable if you hold on too tightly, though. Please avoid excessive physical contact.¡±


    ¡®What does she want me to do, then?¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Regrettably, the ce where the Griffonnded was where the former Emperor, and now the leader of the State, currently lived.


    I could see the faces of those who were already waiting for me. They were Senators Catherine and Elise. These were my dear allies, including Marlin and Oscar.


    I didn¡¯t know if my feelings were correct, but this pretty much felt like Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung¡¯s return to the social world.


    I saw Yuno Kasugano arriving from Celia one step ahead, as well as other important connections that had been established in the past.


    ¡°Honorary Cardinal.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Oscar. You don¡¯t have toe out to meet me like this¡­¡±


    ¡°No. Of course, I have to. You are the hero who saved the continent. Are you feeling any better?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say that I¡¯ve fully recovered, but it¡¯s not enough to make me immobile. I¡¯m sorry I came to see you sote.¡±


    ¡°No. If you say it like that, it makes me sorry instead. I would like to serve you with tea first, but¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll pass by after I¡¯m done with my work.¡±


    The face of the former maid Alice, now named Oscar, noticeably brightened. It seemed as if my words sounded sweet to her.


    ¡®She is still the same.¡¯


    Her hair, which used to be short like a man¡¯s cut, was now a little longer and became bob cut.


    I smiled because I knew her saying she wanted to serve tea wasn¡¯t just a hospitalityment.


    If something happened, it was important to give a good impression in advance, as the pce should take the initiative as well.


    ¡®In fact, you don¡¯t even have to do that¡­¡¯


    That was why Oscar and I were close.


    Considering that I was the one who had put her in that ce, to begin with, it was only natural.


    Of course, she wasn¡¯t the only one who had a good rtionship with me.


    ¡°Senator Catherine. And¡­ Senator Elise! It¡¯s been a while, Marlin Young-ae.¡±


    ¡°It seems to be getting harder and harder to see your face as time passes, Honorary Cardinal.¡±


    ¡°Haha. It looks like there are true feelings in that joke, Senator Catherine. I¡¯m sorry for noting to see you often. As you know, I haven¡¯t had the time, recently¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no problem here. We know better than anyone else that the Honorary Cardinal is doing a great job for the State. I hope you can think of it as an affirmation in my longing mind. I wanted to see you that much.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how much I missed tea time with the three of you. You don¡¯t know how much I thought of it while lying in bed.¡±


    ¡°Is that true, Honorary Cardinal?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Marlin Young-ae. It¡¯s absolutely true.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps that¡¯s the same for Senator Marlin, Honorary Cardinal. Every time we met, she talked about you so much my ears start hurting.¡±


    ¡°Is that true?¡±


    ¡°S-Senator Catherine!¡±


    ¡°Can you see her blushing right now?¡±


    ¡°Haha.¡±


    Marlin Young-ae was still showing the actions of characters from old loveedies.


    Also, Senators Catherine and Elise, who responded with all their might, were still the same.


    If there was something different from before, the aristocracy¡¯s etiquette was almost omitted.


    Seeing that they¡¯re properly adapting to the changing times, I felt quite proud.


    After that, I turned to greet the Celia people, including Yuno Kasugano.


    ¡°So, we meet again.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Mast- no, I mean- Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung. How have you been?¡±


    In addition, I concluded the formal greeting with the other characters.


    Doing small talks like patting them on the shoulder or giving words of blessing was an extension of socialworking.


    Cha Hee-ra, who had alsoe with us, also greeted the happy faces that surrounded her.


    Simultaneously, Jung Hayan looked at Yuno Kasugano quietly, as if she seemed to be recalling an incident that urred a long time ago.


    Although I swallowed hard, looking at Jung Hayan that raised her nose confidently, I was able to breathe out a sigh of relief.


    ¡°By the way, Honorary Cardinal, why did youe to the capital suddenly¡­¡±


    ¡°Haha. I came because I had some business at the Church.¡±


    ¡°You mean that Church?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s hard to tell the exact reason, but¡­¡±


    ¡°It looks like something happened.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s something trivial, Oscar. You don¡¯t have to worry about it yet.¡±


    ¡°Recently, I felt that the Holy See was a little unsettled¡­ I couldn¡¯t really interfere with it since it was something going on inside the Church, but the atmosphere didn¡¯t seem very good. His Holiness Pope Basel has shown a very worried face recently¡­ Can you please tell him that he can tell me anytime if he needs any help?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Pope Basel will surely be happy to ept it. Perhaps there will be an official announcement within today.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡®Is he keeping it a secret from her too?¡¯


    It made sense, to some extent. The State almostpletely separated the concepts of politics and religion anyway.


    ¡®She must have a lot of worries on her te, too.¡¯


    My partner, who was moving with me, was suddenly stamping her feet. That already told me how she was feeling.


    She was pretending to be calm, but I knew that must be burning deep inside.


    It wasn¡¯t something I had to worry about yet, so I put it aside, but I could see that she was feeling leery.


    As I was walking slowly, I noticed some personnel approaching from a distance. I already knew who they were.


    It was Pope Basel, surrounded by the Holy Knights.


    ¡®There¡¯s quite a lot of them.¡¯


    Of course, this was a normal escort force. However, at that point, I looked at the Holy Knights with suspicion as well.


    It wasn¡¯t a big deal, but because of my mentality that always assumed the worst situation, many useless worries aggravated me.


    Of course, there was no reason to feel nervous right away. Even if something were to happen¡­


    ¡®I have enough power.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t have to look nervous; otherwise, it could open a can of worms. In this situation, it was more advantageous for me to look the same as usual at that moment.


    I smiled at Pope Basel, who smiled in return.


    I didn¡¯t know whether his response was false or not, but the seeds of doubt faded a little.


    Unless Pope Basel was acting, there would be no movements of the Church trying to get rid of me.


    ¡°Pope Basel!¡±


    ¡°Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung!¡±


    It was in that instant that a surprisingly loud voice popped out.


    It was like a baby bird¡¯s cry of bitterness as it waited for the mother bird.


    Romeo¡¯s voice as he looked at Juliet¡¯s death would not be that passionate.


    What apanied the voice was relief and longing. Since it¡¯s been a while since the Pope had seen me like everyone else there, it¡¯s understandable, but I was able to take a breath because of his reaction being better than expected.


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    As he came striding, the footsteps of the Holy Knights with him also began to elerate.


    Looking at him a little closer, I noticed Cardinal Basel¡¯s face clearly looked visibly thinner.


    As usual, he still looked neat, but he had lost a lot of weight. Perhaps he couldn¡¯t sleep and eat well.


    I saw him when we moved Jin Qing to the capital just a week ago, but he was far different from that time. Tears were even umting in my eyes.


    It showed me how much of a hard time he had been through.


    When I saw that old grandfather¡¯s weakened appearance, I held his hand more tightly.


    It was a spectacle to see him greeting Oscar and the otherwmakers while holding my hand.


    Of course, it didn¡¯t suit formality.


    It was a mistake that Pope Basel would not make, but I felt sad as it seemed to be a point to tell us how much of a hard time he was having.


    ¡°You really did a great job, Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung. You don¡¯t know how much I worried that I couldn¡¯t visit you in Lindel¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not enough for you to worry, Pope Basel. I¡¯m much better than what is known. Rather, it would have made me feel more ufortable if you really came to Lindel.¡±


    ¡°Is it¡­ Yes. Right. You must have thought so. YYou did really welling here, Honorary Cardinal.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a matter about the Church. It¡¯s something rted to me too. I couldn¡¯t just stand around doing nothing. You must be very upset.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ Honorary Cardinal, have you ever heard any voices from Goddess Benignore recently?¡±


    ¡°Not recently¡­ but I have never even dreamed of this happening. I think it¡¯s better to see the condition quickly, Pope Basel.¡±


    ¡°Right. We don¡¯t have time to mingle around here. Let¡¯s move quickly.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    After the short answer, I moved hurriedly, of course, with my dearest escort army.


    Pope Basel¡¯s reaction gave me a little relief, but it was still much better to move with them.


    Seeing that the Holy Knights weren¡¯t holding us back, it seemed that they were allowing my people to go in together.


    ¡®That means he trusts me that much. It¡¯s not bad.¡¯


    ¡°Pope Basel, can you tell me exactly when the anomaly urred?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I know it was around 2:00 am, two days ago. It was first discovered by amon priest praying to the Goddess statue. After 10 minutes, I witnessed Benignore crying too. It¡¯s embarrassing, but we still haven¡¯t figured out exactly what caused it. Heretic inquisitors and bishop or higher priests are doing their best, but¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°We haven¡¯t made much progress. ess to the main hall with the statue is currently restricted to bishop-level priests, and we¡¯re trying to be as careful as we can to contain the spread of the rumor, but we can¡¯t cover the sky with a palm.¡±


    ¡®Of course, it¡¯s like that.¡¯


    The Church suddenly restricted ess to the main chapel, and the priests¡¯ faces above the bishop¡¯s ss were bluish.


    It was amazing that stories were noting out from the priests below that level.


    While we were moving, I could see the priests with stiff facial expressions.


    The atmosphere got darker as we entered the main hall, making me break out in cold sweat.


    I slowly opened the main hall door with Pope Basel in the lead, and what greeted me was a spectacle.


    ¡®Why did she cry, gosh.¡¯


    I had no choice but to harbor such thoughts in the face of such a phenomenon.


    ¡®But, can that be used as a catalyst¡­?¡¯


    The same was true for the information that came into the Mind¡¯s Eyes.

 Chapter 421: A Problem From Above (4)

    <h4>Chapter 421: A Problem From Above (4)</h4>


    [Benignore Statue¡¯s Tears of Blood (Semi-mythic)]


    [This is the tears of the Goddess Beginore, which is ssified as a semi-mythic grade catalyst.]


    ¡®It seems like I can use that.¡¯


    There was no information on how to use it, so it was impossible to make an urate judgment about that aspect, but it did state that it could be used.


    I was hoping that it would be a mythic-grade, but this was pretty eptable as well, although I couldn¡¯t help but think of them as petty all the same.


    ¡®It means that, to get the mythic grade, I have to torture Benignore.¡¯


    It was a bit disappointing, but I was still lucky to have found such a thing in that ce. Naturally, I wanted to collect the catalysts that were still flowing down its cheeks.


    If Pope Basel and the others weren¡¯t with me, I would¡¯ve stuck to that statue like hot glue.


    ¡°Oh, God¡­¡±


    As soon as I looked at the statue again, I heard Pope Basel¡¯s sigh.


    Even though he had already seen it multiple times, it sounded as if it was still heartbreaking to see for him. Of course, I could understand.


    Pope Basel was one of the strongest believers in the Church, and he held the purest faith.


    It was normal that he had been battles, but he couldn¡¯t have reached such a high position without the will to hold on to his faith constantly.


    It was certainly sorrowful to see the statue¡¯s appearance in this manner.


    Perhaps, if she had looked a little less as if she had been treated unfairly, she wouldn¡¯t be looking sad like that.


    As a whole, though, the statue of Benignore looked beautiful.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t know if the image of that Goddess matched the actual appearance of Benignore in the sky.


    If there was anything unusual, she had a somewhat unjust-looking face. She was certainly beautiful, but there was resentment all over her expression.


    It wasn¡¯t unreasonable to think the Goddess looked like she was down, considering she was indeed pouring out tears of blood from her eyes.


    ¡°Sniff. Goddess¡­¡±


    It wasn¡¯t just Pope Basel. Priests belonging to levels equal or higher than the Bishop gathered in that ce, sighing in such a mncholic manner.


    I pretended to pray as I secretly investigated the room. I was worried that something else would happen to the statue.


    ¡®Goddess Benignore, are we still on good terms? You¡¯re not aiming for my back, are you?¡¯


    There was still no answer.


    I tried to read the people¡¯s faces, but I didn¡¯t feel like they were about to do something.


    They didn¡¯t bring me here to catch me, and they didn¡¯t get a pledge from the Goddess Benignore.


    It seemed that I could also judge that they didn¡¯t know what the cause of this abnormal phenomenon was. It was still too early toe to a conclusion, but at least it seemed okay to let go of the delusion that Benignore had indeed fallen and gone crazy.


    It was a little disappointing, but it wasn¡¯t bad, either.


    ¡°S-So, did you hear it, Honorary Cardinal? The Goddess¡¯ voice¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡®What should I tell them?¡¯


    I wanted to hold a lying party confidently while nodding, but I opted for the opposite response instead. However, if I told him that I had realized something, I would be able to see the Church¡¯s reaction.


    ¡®I also need some time to organize my thoughts¡­¡¯


    I had to bite my lips and shake my head to make it even more believable.


    Maintaining an expression made me look like I had just lost a country was too easy for Light Kiyoung. When I opened my mouth, I felt all the gazes focused on him.


    ¡°I can¡¯t hear it. I can¡¯t hear¡­ Goddess Benignore¡¯s voice.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    ¡°A-Actually¡­ I can partly predict why Goddess Benignore is looking like that. However, it still feels too early for me to open my mouth¡­¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?!¡±


    ¡®He sure did rush to answer immediately.¡¯


    He had the face of a traveler, who had been wandering the desert for dozens of days before finally finding an oasis.


    ¡®That¡¯s not acting.¡¯


    I had been thinking about it for a while, but when I saw Pope Basel¡¯s expression, which seemed to be telling me to tell him quickly, I was somewhat convinced.


    Benignore had not yet fallen.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Pope Basel.¡±


    ¡°Tell me quickly, Honorary Cardinal.¡±


    ¡°¡­ If it¡¯s okay, would you please leave for a moment? I want to be with the Goddess alone¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. I-I will. Absolutely! What are you all doing? Get out, quickly! Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung said he is looking at the Goddess¡¯s condition. Everyone, leave the main hall! F-For how long do you want us to be away, Honorary Cardinal?¡±


    ¡°It might take a little while. Please don¡¯t worry too much and waitfortably, Pope Basel. I will bet my all to reveal what the Goddess truly wants.¡±


    ¡°Please, Honor Cardinal. Thank you.¡±


    ¡®I got it, so let go of my hand. It hurts¡­¡¯


    ¡°If you ever need anything, just tell me, whatever it is!¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I will make sure to do that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really d the Honorary Cardinal came. Really¡­¡±


    ¡°No, Pope Basel.¡±


    ¡®I got it, so get out quickly. My head¡¯s starting to hurt too.¡¯


    ¡°Please, take care of it. Please!¡±


    ¡®Just get out¡­¡¯


    It was quite a sight to see him holding both of my hands tightly and pleading repeatedly.


    In the end, it took a long time before the people began to go outside.


    My insurances, including Jung Hayan and Cha Hee-ra, started looking at me as if asking if I was going to be alright.


    I felt a little anxious, but I still nodded to reassure them. I watched them walk out with the Pope. I was still curious how those women would spend their time separately.


    However, there were more pressing matters to handle than them.


    ¡®I should do my job.¡¯


    Though my thoughts wereplicated, I still had to fulfill my duty. After taking out the alchemy kit I always carried, I set it in a position where the tears of blood were likely to fall.


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    The empty ss bottle that I used to catch the dripping blood tears felt very lovely. If I waited for an hour or two, I knew that it would eventually be filled to the brim.


    ¡°She wouldn¡¯t be crying out of the blue for a gift¡­ What¡¯s wrong with her?¡±


    No matter how I thought about it, there was no reason for her to have such problems.


    ¡®She¡¯s not even at war against the demon¡­¡¯


    ¡°She mustn¡¯t be confined somewhere.¡±


    Assuming that all the achievements I¡¯d made had be the merits of Goddess Benignore, it was only proper for her to scream out of pure bliss instead.


    Perhaps those were tears of joy, not tears of sadness.


    She must¡¯ve been shedding tears of joy because she united humanity and took the continent out of a crisis. It wasn¡¯t strange to think so.


    It was only a joke, but the reason I couldn¡¯t hear her voice might be because she was too busy having a party.


    ¡®It¡¯s a dereliction of duty and negligence.¡¯


    Of course, the probability of the assumptions I made being right was indeed quite low.


    However, without hearing her voice and without an exnation for the blood tears, I couldn¡¯te up with an excuse. Since I hadn¡¯t been able to determine the cause, I had no choice but to grasp and use the results of my will.


    First, there was the excuse to calm the high ranks of the Church, including Pope Basel.


    ¡®I think I can use the demon one more time¡­¡¯


    It was an old-fashioned idea, but nothing was as good as that.


    I needed an oracle to quickly deal with demon minions hiding across the continent. Since the demon¡¯s minions were damaging the continent¡¯s vital forces, it wouldn¡¯t be hard to believe that there was a problem in the sky.


    I was about to deal with a couple of bastards besides Demon Summoner Jin Qing, anyway.


    Those who were uncooperative to me¡­


    ¡°Because all of them are involved with the demon. It can¡¯t be helped since it¡¯s for the future of the continent¡­¡±


    It went without saying for the State, the Magic Kingdom, and the Republic. The same went for motherfuckers who had only been looking after the war began.


    Like the saying, ¡®Neutrality is the best idiocy,¡¯ they also needed to take responsibility for not choosing any side. Of course, that didn¡¯t mean I nned to make everyone my enemy.


    When wars broke out, all the things I¡¯d done before it became meaningless, so I thought I could pick a few key people.


    I chose the elder wizard of the magic kingdom, Medilive.


    The wizard¡¯s tower where that motherfucker, who talked about the bnce of the world, lived was actually¡­


    ¡°It was the demon¡¯s spire¡­ we almost got in trouble. I almost got tricked by the demon.¡±


    I also chose the high warlord of the Republic, who took the lead in causing the war.


    ¡°The Demon 72 Corpsmander¡¯s servant, the 72 Corpsmander¡¯s shelter. I can¡¯t give him a chance.¡±


    Even within the kingdoms where nothing had been involved, many people had to be removed from existence.


    The manager of the Demon¡¯s Canyon. The lord of General Strait, who was a demon minion contributing to polluting the sea. Many people had to be tackled, not as an individual but as a group.


    Of course, it was heartbreaking for the fightable troops had to disappear, but those guys weren¡¯t helpful, anyway.


    They were also those who could stab my back anytime, and they could be threats to the world if left alone. There was a justification. There was also a reason.


    It wouldn¡¯t be bad to wipe them off all at once using that opportunity.


    I agreed with myself. Personally, I thought it wasn¡¯t a bad excuse.


    Dealing with all the demonic officials spread across the continent couldn¡¯t bepleted instantaneously. I had to provide sufficient time to execute my n.


    I also had to think of other reasons to justify the cause. If it was Pope Basel, he would be able to agree with my opinion.


    From then on, I organized the list of all the demonic officials in my head one by one.


    ¡®I can just say that I got the information from Jin Qing.¡¯


    If I told the people that he had snitched out all the demonic officials, I would be able to create a usible story.


    ¡®It¡¯s good. It¡¯s good.¡¯


    There might be a problem in the sky, but there was no problem on earth.


    Rather, it was working so well that it made me happy.


    Feeling grateful, I ced my hand on the statue¡¯s shoulder without thinking.


    ¡°She has a face that makes her look as if she¡¯s been treated unjustly.¡±


    [Please. Sniff. Please¡­ Lord¡­ please¡­ ]


    ¡°What?¡±


    [Can you hear me? Can you hear me? Lee Kiyoung, son of a bitch! Waaahhhh¡­ ]


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    [Can you hear my voice?]


    ¡°I can¡­¡±


    [I¡¯m d¡­ I¡¯m d. That¡¯s a relief. Really¡­ I¡¯m really relieved. Thank you. Thank you very much. Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung. O-Our lovely Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung! I didn¡¯t betray you. I never thought of that. I would never do that. It¡¯s all because of circumstances. I¡¯ll exin everything slowly. Don¡¯t do anything useless. Don¡¯t do anything weird. Let¡¯s take things leisurely, just like this. Don¡¯t do anything useless. Never do such things!]


    ¡®What is this¡­?¡¯


    As soon as I took my hand off the statue, I couldn¡¯t hear the voice anymore.


    I had no choice but to wonder why she was contacting me that way.


    When I put my hand on it again, the voice started toe back.


    [I like you. I¡¯ve never thought of betraying you. I never thought of you as trash or a mean bastard¡­ We have a good rtionship. So let¡¯s not do anything that can harm each other. It¡¯s wrong to call me Benignore, the fallen god. I have never fallen and have never turned the continent into an enemy. Can you think that over?]


    I nodded slowly, not wanting to stop the words that poured down like a waterfall.


    Shortly after Benignore talked about the depraved new n, she told me something that both confused and surprised me.


    [I¡­ I went bankrupt.]

 Chapter 422: A Problem From Above (5)

    <h4>Chapter 422: A Problem From Above (5)</h4>


    [Thetest free chapter is what a lot of you guys have been waiting for¡­ anyways, thanks for the support!]


    [I¡­ I went bankrupt.]


    ¡®What do you mean, bankrupt?¡¯


    [I¡­ I have nothing¡­ It¡¯s because I¡¯m broke¡­ that I keep¡­ crying¡­ and stuff. I haven¡¯t fallen. It¡¯s absolutely nothing like that. Sniff. So please don¡¯t do that.]


    I didn¡¯t know if her reply could be called useful information. However, I couldn¡¯t help but admit that I did feel a little happy.


    My hypothesis was very slightly right.


    The demon performed with contracts and the gods with faith.


    When she said she went bankrupt, it didn¡¯t mean she had lost all the money she had, but she probably meant that she had lost her divinity.


    [You¡¯re right.]


    ¡®How could you lose all the divinity you¡¯ve collected so far? I don¡¯t understand. Are you extravagant?¡¯


    [What? This son of a bitch. Trash bastard! You dare say that to me?!]


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    [No. No. I shouldn¡¯t have said that¡­ my bad. I¡¯m really sorry¡­ Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung, you know that my most cherished believer is Cardinal Lee Kiyoung, right? I haven¡¯t fallen. So you can¡¯t do that.]


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    What a double-personality psycho.


    However, it didn¡¯t seem like she waspletely out of herself. I was mostly curious about why she had to contact me that way.


    I already thought that divinity was necessary to create quests, but I couldn¡¯t imagine she wouldn¡¯t be able even to do that.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    [¡­]


    In fact, I didn¡¯t even have to think.


    Wasn¡¯t she the one who could easily give me an answer?


    ¡°Our Goddess Benignore, do you know what this lowly believer is wondering about?¡±


    [Basic quests have already been set by the system. For example, the system manages the quests you can receive when entering a dungeon or fulfilling ss-change quests¡­ It¡¯s different in the case of forced quests or quests sent to individuals. We use our divinity directly. Of course, unimaginable divinity is consumed. Gods cannot intervene in human affairs. Originally, that¡¯s the principle. Forced quests are against that principle. Of course, the amount of divinity used varies greatly depending on the content and difficulty, but anyway. The same applies to the rewards paid afterpletion.]


    ¡®Good to know.¡¯


    [I ran out of all the divinity I had, and I¡¯ve also run out of the divinities I borrowed. All for¡­ my proud believer¡­ sniff¡­ Lee Kiyoung¡­ Sniff¡­ Honorary Cardinal.]


    ¡°So, it seems to me that our Goddess Benignore is saying that it was me that caused her bankruptcy.¡±


    [No, of course¡­ it¡¯s all my fault. All¡­ A-Anyway, that¡¯s why I could only contact you this way. I can¡¯t create a forced quest¡­ I could only do this.]


    ¡°There isn¡¯t only one deity, right? There is also Elune trash¡­ you could have contacted me through other means as well¡­ although it would onlyst for a while. I wonder how you even lost your divinity.¡±


    [I-I can exin! The same goes for the others and all the other gods are bankrupt. It¡¯s because I borrowed a lot of divinity here and there¡­ there were so many unavoidable situations¡­ yeah¡­ even externally¡­things¡­ got a little bad. I got caught by bad guys¡­]


    ¡®Were you managing the continent with your feet?¡¯


    [It¡¯s not that. My¡­ My proud Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung. And those words are sphemy.]


    She had denied that this wasn¡¯t the case, but I thought otherwise.


    How on Earth did they manage to instantly ruin the continent that had been doing well for so long?


    I could understand the bankruptcy of Benignore alone, but the news that everyone who was in control of the continent was copsing rmed me.


    I wasn¡¯t exactly sure if the example was appropriate, but the continent was like a workshop to the sky¡¯s beings.


    They gained divinity through the continent and managed it with that divinity. Of course, there were many things to use it on. They also had to keep demons in check and solve natural phenomena.


    I could also assume that some of the divine powers used by priests used their divinity.


    Besides, the continent already had an adequate amount of poption. It didn¡¯t increase easily anymore. Many divinities could be epted in such a continent, but they would be limited.


    Although knowing that, they used it like a parvenu. Such a miserable end could be seen as expected.


    She was seriously crying there, but in the end, it turned out to be entirely their fault.


    ¡®I can see how it went.¡¯


    I wasn¡¯t sure if such concepts existed above there, but based on human systems, I thought Benignore borrowed some sort of divinity from that was not enough, she borrowed from the gods of the surrounding kingdoms too.


    The gods of the continent eventually needed to use a collective guarantee. Thanks to that, Benignore got her hands on divinity from external parties.


    She would¡¯ve been happy for a while. She must¡¯ve been enjoying a good life with abundant divine nature. However, that happinesssted for only a second.


    After a certain duration, the divinitying from the outside became a problem. It was no different than calling it the IMF exploding in the sky.


    I was able to understand to some extent why Benignore was so friendly.


    ¡®She¡¯s worried about being doomed. Phew¡­ That¡¯s amazing. Amazing.¡¯


    Even now, the divinity must be fixedly entering.


    It was natural that the number of believers would decrease as soon as the story that the fallen god Benignore had be evil-polluted and crazy.


    A mob might evene in to smash the statue of Benignore, who was being driven by evil spirits. Of course, that was only if Operation Benignore worked well, but even if it were only half-sessful, it would be threatening enough for Benignore, who was struggling because she couldn¡¯t afford to send a quest.


    I didn¡¯t know what the consequences would be when all the gods¡¯ divinities had been depleted, but no matter how I thought about it, it wasn¡¯t a good situation.


    They could disappear or fall to the ground.


    ¡°Am I right?¡±


    [¡­]


    ¡°Well, well¡­ Our Goddess Benignore seems to be having a lot of trouble right now.¡±


    [That¡¯s why you¡¯re a quick-witted dog¡­]


    ¡°I beg your pardon?¡±


    [No¡­ That¡¯s not right. Believer Lee Kiyoung. Most of them are correct, but I¡¯ve always been friendly to you.]


    ¡°At first, you weren¡¯t. Goddess Benignore.¡±


    [T-T-That¡¯s Elune. Elune was in charge of you. Halfway through, the person in charge has changed. It¡¯s something I didn¡¯t know well, and I couldn¡¯t help it. Think about it, Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung, my lovely son, all the things I did for you. There¡¯s the Bomb of Light potion! There¡¯s also the semi-mythic grade ss! In addition to that, I helped you a lot. Why would I hate you? You increased the number of my believers and did your best for the Benignore Church. We are a team. At first, Elune was the one in charge. Really! Elune, that bastard was in charge!]


    ¡°That bastard really is an irreparable piece of trash.¡±


    [I¡­ I think so sometimes. She also sold her daughter off. I never abandon my sons and daughters. In particr, I never neglect the people like you. When did I ever disappoint you? We are a team. One team.]


    I thought it would be unlikely that Elune trash was the one in charge, but it would be understandable if it were her trash power.


    [The rumors about Elune aren¡¯t that good anyway. There¡¯s nothing good about being close to him, and more than that, Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung. I have something to say¡­]


    ¡°No, no, I¡¯ll talk first.¡±


    [Okay¡­ Do that. My proud son¡­]


    ¡°I had something I wanted to ask if ever I got an opportunity like this. It was one-sided up until now, but finally, I got a window where I can have a two-sided conversation. I have a lot to ask, so I¡¯ll put the prologue away and talk. First, the thing I¡¯m curious about. Where are you now? Are you here in this statue?¡±


    [Yes and no. To be more precise, no. My body is still above¡­ it is difficult to exin with human concepts.]


    ¡°Really?¡±


    [Where are you touching, you bastard!]


    ¡°You said you weren¡¯t here.¡±


    [Only a part is hidden. Only a part¡­ a part¡­ is hidden. Because of the bastards urging me to pay my debts¡­ motherf- no, my lovely Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung.]


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say that right away. And are you overreacting with me barely stroking the statue? You won¡¯t even feel it anyway. But do you really look like this?¡±


    [Simr¡­ It was made from the memories of a sculptor who saw me in a dream. So this is the second question?]


    ¡°No. I just asked because I was curious. You¡¯re prettier than I thought. Honestly, you¡¯re my type.¡±


    [I-I hear that a lot¡­ Well, you can¡¯t say that, though. It¡¯s sphemy.]


    ¡°Well¡­ Anyway, the second question. What happens when humans die?¡±


    [What?]


    ¡°Like I said, what happens when humans die? Honestly, it¡¯s something I¡¯ve always been curious about. Imagine you¡¯ve met a transcendental being. Naturally, you¡¯d want to ask.¡±


    [¡­]


    ¡°¡­¡±


    [Listen, and please don¡¯t misunderstand me, Honorary Cardinal. I swear in Benignore¡¯s name¡­ Even I don¡¯t know that.]


    ¡°What?¡±


    [I don¡¯t know what exactly happens. That¡¯s not under my jurisdiction. There are parts that we can say, and parts that we cannot say. There are problems with security issues and problems with other aspects. But that¡­ that question can¡¯t be answered. We don¡¯t really know about what happens after not only human death but the death of any living being. I don¡¯t know what happens when we are destroyed. I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ll believe it, but I hope you do.]


    ¡°Well¡­ I believe you.¡±


    [Really?]


    ¡°Really. I didn¡¯t even expect to hear an actual answer anyway. I thought you wouldn¡¯t know for some reason. So, do you mean that you can reveal information that has security embedded in them?¡±


    [That¡¯s impossible too. Of course, it would be nice if I could, but I¡¯m not allowed to tell anyone about it. Even if I tell you, you won¡¯t hear anything.]


    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying you can only tell me bullsh*t?¡±


    [That depends on the question. What are you curious about?]


    ¡°¡­¡±


    [¡­]


    ¡°Why did you bring us here?¡±


    [¡­]


    ¡°I¡¯m not ming you or anything. I am very satisfied with this life now. I¡¯m just curious about this too.¡±


    [This has no security, but it¡¯s also something I can¡¯t talk about in detail. To be precise, we didn¡¯t bring you. They left you over here, and we epted you.]


    ¡°What are you talking about? The Earth left us here?¡±


    [I can¡¯t tell you the exact details. But it is true. Of course, I know it¡¯s hard to ept. It must be harsh for foreigners. The tutorial dungeon is designed like that because we had no choice. We cannot ept all of the humans whoe in. Of course, we also recognize that the method was violent, but that wasn¡¯t our decision either. I swear by my name, it was inevitable. Sorry¡­ that¡¯s all I can tell you. I can¡¯t tell you¡­ about why or how things work.]


    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying there¡¯s security in those details.¡±


    [It¡¯s really unfortunate.]


    ¡°What?¡±


    [Being abandoned in a dimension¡­ It¡¯s really unfortunate.]


    I didn¡¯t know why, but her voice seemed to pity me.

 Chapter 423: A Problem From Above (6)

    <h4>Chapter 423: A Problem From Above (6)</h4>


    ¡°What about it?¡±


    [Even though you¡¯re this kind of tras-no, human, you didn¡¯t deserve that¡­]


    ¡®What the hell are you saying? I¡¯m fine.¡¯


    Honestly, I really was.


    I could understand that something had happened on Earth, causing the people who managed it to give us over, but it was a little difficult from my point of view to think of it as sad and unfortunate.


    To put it bluntly, I didn¡¯t feel anything.


    If she were to say something about being abandoned by my parents, it would be worth crying about, but I was abandoned by the Earth, not by my parents.


    The scale was so great that it was difficult to say from where to mourn.


    ¡®God is a god, after all.¡¯


    Their perspective was different from humans. Compared to the beginning, when she was going crazy, she now seemed very quiet.


    Noticing that she was answering my question seriously, the statue in front of me began to look slightly different. As I was lost in thoughts, I heard Benignore¡¯s voice again.


    [I¡¯m d if you think you¡¯re fine¡­ Anyway, that¡¯s what happened. I-it¡¯s a bit sad from our point of view.]


    ¡°It can be seen that you epted refugee. Well¡­ Should I be grateful?¡±


    [You don¡¯t have to. It was an unavoidable choice for us as well.]


    ¡°Hmm¡­ So you mean something is wrong with Earth right now?¡±


    [There has always been a problem there. The same is true for this world, but¡­ If you are asking if there is something different from usual, the answer is yes. But I can¡¯t tell you the details. That ce is out of my jurisdiction, to begin with. Besides, they want to hide themselves over there¡­]


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    [Hmm¡­ Wait a minute. If you¡¯re worried about your sister, you can rest assured. Rather¡­]


    Yulha had a personality that would keep her alive even if left alone in Antarctica, so I wasn¡¯t really that worried.


    ¡°No. I¡¯m actually okay about Yulha.¡±


    [So the questions end here?]


    ¡°I have one more.¡±


    [What?]


    ¡°Kim Hyunsung. Does this also have security?¡±


    [Partly. There are parts I don¡¯t know. But there is something I can tell you. What exactly are you curious about? The first round?]


    ¡°The reason he returned. And what on Earth is Altanus who brought Kim Hyunsung back?¡±


    I could say that was the main question, and it was the one I was most curious about.


    Seeing how she became quiet for a while, it also seemed to be hard to answer.


    As I slowly patted the statue on the shoulder, I heard her voice again.


    [The reason he returned was that Altanus wanted it.]


    ¡°¡­¡±


    [Altanus is a god and a manager like us. And she was also in charge of Kim Hyunsung.]


    ¡°As expected. Where is Altanus? Can I meet her?¡±


    [No. It¡¯s impossible.]


    ¡°Why?¡±


    [Altanus no longer exists.]


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    [She is dead. No, to say that she has disappeared would be more appropriate. She paid the price for turning back time. But we are taking over that will.]


    ¡®Is that so?¡¯


    Thinking about it for a bit, it was only natural.


    Creating forced quests and giving down sses also required divinity. I couldn¡¯t even imagine how much divinity it would take for a god to perform a nonsensical and ridiculous miracle like time regression.


    It wasn¡¯t just that it affected the sky, but itpletely turned back time.


    Perhaps Altanus was likely a higher god than Benignore. If she weremon, that wouldn¡¯t have been possible. I never imagined that Benignore, who had been hiding part of herself in the statue, could turn back time.


    ¡®Tsk.¡¯


    [Altanus loved the man. And¡­ She also sympathized with his life. After a lot of thought, she sacrificed herself to turn everything back. Of course, I tried to stop her back then, but¡­ I respected her. No god can probably make that choice. That feeling is amon value among us.]


    ¡°Can you tell me what the first round was like?¡±


    [You already have a rough understanding about it due to the special human named Yuno Kasugano. I don¡¯t know in detail, either.]


    ¡°You can¡¯t remember the first round either?¡±


    [Yes, and no. I can¡¯t remember everything, but I do remember Altanus¡¯s will.]


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what Altanus¡¯ will is. It¡¯s not something I can ept. You can¡¯t see the ck world that Yuno Kasugano can see?¡±


    [Don¡¯t make fun of human possibilities. She is special. The same goes for the human named Jung Hayan and Cha Hee-ra. Human possibilities are endless. Right now, you alone with the Mind¡¯s Eyes¡­ no, actually, it¡¯s nothing. Of course, some of us can see the ck world you¡¯re talking about, but there are limitations too. Managing dimensions is a lot moreplicated and difficult than you think. If we really could have solved everything, Altanus wouldn¡¯t have brought Kim Hyunsung back.]


    ¡°Possibilities?¡±


    [Yes, possibilities. Altanus must have seen it too.]


    ¡°You guys aren¡¯t perfect either, huh?¡±


    [Right. We¡¯re not perfect. Remember that well, my proud Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung. We¡¯re not perfect either. We¡¯re imperfect. It¡¯s just the ce where we stand that¡¯s different from those on the continent, but we¡¯re not very different either. Never forget that we¡¯re not perfect.]


    ¡°There is no need to emphasize that much. I think I can already tell that just by looking at you. Rather, you seem to have vaguely avoided the question. Goddess Benignore, what I¡¯m curious about is the reason that Kim Hyunsung returned. Saying it¡¯s Altanus¡¯ will isn¡¯t what I want to hear. Tell me exactly what threat there was and what made him return. In short, the reason for failure.¡±


    [That doesn¡¯t have security, but I still can¡¯t tell you the answer. It would be better to listen to or watch Yuno Kasugano or Kim Hyunsung. One thing I can tell you is that you are right.]


    ¡°What?¡±


    [There is a threat. What Kim Hyunsung is preparing for is for that threat. And I- I hate to admit it, but you, you have been¡­ d-doing well¡­]


    ¡°Hmm. As expected. For that, I¡¯ll ept thepliment gratefully. By the way¡­ I feel like I didn¡¯t hear much more than I thought¡­¡±


    [I-I can¡¯t help it. I really can¡¯t help it¡­ Do you think I don¡¯t want to tell you? I want to getfortable too!]


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll ask one more question.¡±


    [Ugh. You have a lot of questions. Now I, too¡ª]


    ¡°That¡¯s obvious. I was dragged in without knowing anything, and I got caught up in something without knowing anything. Wouldn¡¯t you be the same? Anyway, the question. Can we¡­ hmm¡­ go back to Earth?¡±


    [You want to go back?]


    ¡°No, not really. I¡¯m just curious about it.¡±


    [Impossible. You are the residents of this ce now. You can¡¯t go anywhere else.]


    ¡°I¡¯m a little disappointed now that I heard it.¡±


    Of course, my disappointment wasn¡¯t that deep. If anyone asked if I had no attachments, I¡¯d be lying if I said I didn¡¯t.


    But what could I do with something that had already happened?


    I couldn¡¯t even openlyin that I couldn¡¯t return to Earth. I couldn¡¯t believe itpletely, but it seemed that Earth itself had thrown us out, and Benignore and the others epted us.


    As I looked up at the statue, I could see Benignore still shedding tears of blood.


    [T-This is inevitable. It¡¯s like a sign. I already stopped crying.]


    ¡°What sign? A sign that the continent¡¯s base is falling apart?¡±


    [Kind¡­ of.]


    ¡®Fuck.¡¯


    ¡°Anyway, if you restore your divinity, everything will return to normal, right?¡±


    [Basically, you¡¯re right. Oh, anyway, this time I want to say¡­]


    ¡°Out with it. I don¡¯t know what it is, but¡­ is it serious?¡±


    [It¡¯s a bit serious.]


    ¡®What the hell is it?¡¯


    The way she talked showed that she was indeed worried about something. However, after a while, her voice began to be heard again.


    [M-maybe. Quest creation has stopped for unknown reasons. Haven¡¯t you¡­ heard about it?]


    ¡°What? I think I did.¡±


    [It¡¯s something rted to that.]


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be obvious that the creation stopped since you¡¯re like this? That¡¯s¡­ no¡­ fuck¡­¡±


    [I-I¡¯m sorry. My¡­]


    ¡°S-Stop bullsh*tting. Fuck.¡±


    I bit down on my lips that instant.


    It was so ridiculous thatughter popped out of me. it was something that could be deduced by even an elementary student.


    She couldn¡¯t create quests because she was now out of divinity.


    I could understand that. It was something I was already expecting anyway. The problem was that Benignore wasn¡¯t the only one suffering from that condition.


    Well, in the case of others, they were in a better situation than her, but it wasn¡¯t much different.


    We were all one family aboard a sinking ship.


    When I started feeling anxious, I heard Benignore¡¯s voice once again.


    [The minimal system such as ss or tutorial dungeon will be maintained, but¡­ legendary-grade dungeons and some heroic-grade dungeons¡­ will be blocked. A-and all the raid monsters that were sleeping will be s-sealed¡­]


    ¡°Why block that? Why will you block that¡­ Why block¡­¡±


    [That¡¯s because some dungeons are dangerous. Think about the museum. S-So, that kind of dungeon¡­ To use your words, they need to be monitored by gods. We have turned some ces into dungeons, but many dungeons were created naturally or because of cracks. Not only will the humans who enter them be in danger, but if the raid fails or if a problem arises, it will be impossible to fix it. We don¡¯t want to block them either, but this is something that we have to do¡­]


    ¡®Fuck¡­¡®


    The problem had be a little more serious.


    It became even worse when I looked at the current situation. I wanted to apud very, very much that humanity had united as one.


    However, if that was the end of it, the worst oue would remain a possibility.


    They would be stronger as they fought.


    There was no room for denial.


    Humans were able to grow stronger in the first round because they had time to fight among themselves. I wasn¡¯tplimenting stupidity back in the days when they cut open each other¡¯s throats.


    Rather, it had gone to show that through conflict, it was possible to improve.


    The threat Kim Hyunsung was preparing for existed. I was expecting it, but it was time I heard it from Benignore.


    ¡®Is there no other choice but to block the dungeon?¡¯


    It was no different than blocking the growth road.


    Heroic-grade and legendary-grade dungeons were the ces special personnel went to. The confusion when such ces became inessible would be indescribable.


    If they blocked even raid monsters, the situation would be even more serious.


    All processing factories that worked based on monster corpses would be closed, and the dormant workforce would be forced to roam the streets. It was safe to say that the armed forces and the economy would end up getting heavily damaged.


    Supplies were sold because of dungeons.


    Because people were entering dungeons, merchants could make money.


    That system had already been established too deeply.


    To exaggerate a little, it wasparable to a situation in which petroleum had disappeared from modern civilizations.


    ¡®It¡¯s going to be aplete mess¡­¡¯


    Of course, the sales volume of Made by Lee Kiyoung potion would also drop.


    ¡®Kiyoung Coin decreases in value.¡¯


    ¡°Sh*t¡­¡±


    ¡®The value of the Kiyoung Coin shuts down!!¡¯


    ¡°Damn.¡±


    ¡®Let¡¯s go with Mirror Lake!!!¡¯


    This was admittedly an exaggerated reaction, but it was only natural for the situation to remind me of a situation I didn¡¯t want to imagine.


    Whether or not she knew about my confusion, I had no choice but to shout at Benignore, who was getting on my nerves again.


    [A-And¡­ for the time being, the creation of quests on all continents will be stopped. I-I don¡¯t know when it will resume¡­]


    ¡°¡­¡±


    [¡­]


    ¡°Hey, you crazy troll!¡±


    My voice was filled with sincerity.

 Chapter 424: A Problem From Above (7)

    <h4>Chapter 424: A Problem From Above (7)</h4>


    Silence then dominated the entire room.


    It took a long time before I heard Benignore¡¯s voice again. I thought she would respond to me by screaming, but it was rather the opposite.


    The way she talked in such a small tone of voice, not even ants could¡¯ve heard her. It felt oddly shamefully dirty.


    [¡­]


    ¡°¡­¡±


    [This is all because of¡­]


    ¡°What?¡±


    [Do you think I wanted this to happen¡­?]


    ¡°What?¡±


    [I-It¡¯s nothing.]


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I honestly had nothing to say to her broken replies, either.


    The reason behind the ipetent goddess Benignore¡¯s bankruptcy was that the divinity she had associated with me must¡¯ve had some sort of effect on her.


    ¡®No, no. Actually, it¡¯s not even that. In my case, I was just rewarded for my actions¡­ And that is apletely different situation from this.¡¯


    If I was generous, I could say I had greatly contributed to her bankruptcy¡­


    ¡®It doesn¡¯t make sense, right?¡¯


    Soon, the order of the continent would copse.


    What Benignore had said was probably just a small part of it. If that happened, the quests and dungeons would not function properly, and this in turn, would have countless side effects. It seemed like the ones who had been managing the continent the entire time had ended up abandoning it in the end.


    With these thoughts in mind, I felt as if the room¡¯s temperature was rapidly rising.


    I didn¡¯t know if she knew what I was currently feeling or not, but Benignore kept making more excuses as the seconds continued to tick by. I couldn¡¯t give her a suitable answer, so I could only respond by sighing.


    [¡­]


    ¡°¡­¡±


    [I-I¡¯m sorry¡­]


    ¡°¡­¡±


    [I-I¡¯m sorry, my proud Honorary Cardinal. You know how much I care for Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung, right? T-This is not your fault, so you don¡¯t have to worry too much. Forget what I just said. Can you do that?]


    ¡°Gosh¡­ I know that much. Did I do anything wrong? This is your mess. You¡¯re really funny, you know that? Even after giving you divinity from down here, are your capabilities so low? There are limits to being ipetent¡­ Honestly, I¡¯m not in charge of you, so I can¡¯t say anything about this, but I still think you have to reflect on this. It would be bad for you to get insulted by me, a human, but this is my advice as a true believer who serves you.¡±


    [Uuugghhhh.]


    ¡°Or did you get distracted somewhere else?¡±


    [Uuugghhh.]


    My desire to scold her was strong. However, this would¡¯ve been an extremely unproductive behavior. What mattered at that moment was not the cause, but how I could solve the situation. If everything I heard from here on was true¡­


    ¡®I can think of it as another threat.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t a problem that could simply be solved instantaneously or easily.


    If it were simply a problem like defeating a raid boss, it would¡¯ve needed a much simpler approach. This was a bit moreplicated than that.


    This was a social problem, and it was a


    ¡°Do you have any solutions in mind?¡±


    [No. Such a thing¡­ It happened so suddenly that we had no way of doing anything. In an instant, like a bubble that burst¡­]


    ¡®Damn¡­¡¯


    [A-Anyway, that¡¯s it. The basic system will still work. It may be a little unstable, but¡­]


    ¡°It¡¯s unstable? How exactly is it unstable?¡±


    [I-I don¡¯t know for sure yet.]


    ¡®What on earth is she talking about?¡¯


    ¡°So¡­ Why are you suddenly telling me this? Does this mean you want me to clean up your mess?¡±


    [You¡¯re right¡­ it¡¯s partly that. I-It¡¯s not an area where you can do anything, but at least I was hoping you could control the chaos that will happen on the continent¡­]


    ¡°You¡¯re asking me to manage the continent?¡±


    [No. That¡¯s not possible. I mean that. If so many things change suddenly, our sons and daughters living on the continent will get extremely confused. I think it would be nice¡­ If you could fix it¡­ Our Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung is good at that.]


    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying you do want me to clean up your mess. Just because we prevent people¡¯s confusion doesn¡¯t mean the problem will end there. Do you know how far the ripple wille the moment the system bes paralyzed? There will be tremendous social chaos, and some countries will go bankrupt like you. Themoners will be driven to live on the streets. Of course, I¡¯m sure you already know that without me telling you. It doesn¡¯t end there either. It¡¯s temporary, but losing our means to level up will also be something to worry about. Do you know how important that is? Just because you think you¡¯ll be able to fix it, it doesn¡¯t mean you can. We¡¯ll just end up holding on.¡±


    [¡­]


    ¡°Exactly when will you be able to fix everything?¡±


    [At least three years¡­ Actually, I don¡¯t know the details. If I can pay off my debt quicker, I think I can fix it faster. Of course, heroic-grade dungeons and legendary-grade dungeons will open up faster than that.]


    ¡®This is a real problem¡­¡¯


    Looking at her casually exining, I couldn¡¯t help swallowing hard.


    It would take three years at the earliest.


    I thought that Benignore backstabbing me was the worst case, but our problem was just as bad.


    It was hard to determine the superiority and inferiority of the former or thetter.


    I replied to her after a while.


    ¡°Do you have anything else to say? Anything at all. Perhaps there¡¯s something I should know.¡±


    [No¡­ That¡¯s all.]


    ¡°¡­¡±


    [I¡¯m embarrassed now¡­]


    ¡°It¡¯s not me you should be embarrassed about. You should be embarrassed about yourself. Anyway, okay. I want to think about it separately.¡±


    [Think what? What? What? Separately?]


    ¡°What did I just say? I¡¯ll think about it separately.¡±


    [Y-You don¡¯t have any other thing in mind, right?]


    ¡°What another thing?¡±


    [That¡­ That¡­ I¡¯ve heard of something like a n to backstab the fallen God Benignore¡­]


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing like that. I won¡¯t do that, of course. I¡¯m thinking about something else. I¡¯ll do it on my own to get things done, so don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯m going to use your name a bit. You should know that.¡±


    [Oh, really? Of course, you should. If that¡¯s what Honorary Cardinal needs to do, then that¡¯s what you should do! By the way¡­ You really didn¡¯t have any other ns, right, Honorary Cardinal? Y-you know how much I care about you, right? Y-you¡¯re not going to do anything weird¡­ We are a team, okay?]


    ¡°I said I wouldn¡¯t. What are you nervous about? I¡¯m not the kind of person who just stabs the back of others. I don¡¯t want to be on bad terms with you. I just need some time to think about it. Wouldn¡¯t you be disconcerted if you were in my ce?¡±


    [T-That¡¯s fortunate then, but¡­]


    ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m going. People outside have been waiting for far too long. As for the reason you are crying, I will look around a bit.¡±


    [Okay.]


    ¡°And prepare a reward. A really good one. If I solve this properly, you better have it ready.¡±


    [¡­]


    The loud voice immediately disappeared when I lifted my hand away from the statue without waiting for her answer. As I looked up at the statue, I saw that the tears of blood were still flowing.


    I touched it once again just in case, but I could no longer hear her voice. She, too, had finished her business there.


    As I looked at the statue from a little farther away, I felt even more absurd. It was weird that we conversations, and one of them included unloading a huge problem of me.


    ¡®It¡¯s too unexpected¡­¡¯


    Of course, I thought there would have been a problem, but I didn¡¯t expect it to be such a major ident.


    I couldn¡¯t help butugh due to how ridiculous it was. I didn¡¯t even know where to begin to fix it.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t that I didn¡¯t have anything in mind. When I thought about it in simple terms, there was indeed a primal solution to the problem.


    ¡®The first step should be to increase the people¡¯s faith.¡¯


    It was only proper to make sure that Benignore and the others could regain their ce as soon as possible. Thanks to the impression that had been umting over the years, people¡¯s faith in God had been firmly established in the continent.


    The most important task was to gather divinity, give it to Benignore, and then return the unstable continent to its original state.


    Within two years, no, a year, all the gods on the continent had to be revived. I had to be a life-rehabilitation consultant who could bring the gods into the people¡¯s lives a little faster.


    The second was¡­


    ¡®To provide alternative resources for this problem.¡¯


    The first step might force to speed up the timing, but in fact, the second part was the hardest.


    It was unreasonable to think that there were alternatives to quests and dungeons. In other words, there was no such thing as creating jobs. This was a ce where anyone could grow, get rewards, and even collect gold. This was something that could give jobs to foreigners who wandered the streets.


    If I couldn¡¯t fix that, the problem would get worse.


    High-level foreigners who¡¯d have nothing to do would enter rare-grade dungeons andmon-grade dungeons in order to survive, and beginners who needed to grow would naturally have their feet tied.


    Fights could also happen frequently.


    Assuming the worst-case¡­ It would be something like the growth of humanitypletely growing stagnant due to the three years wherein Benignore messed up.


    There was a possibility of regression, let alone a standstill. Of course, I had the option to simply ignore it, thinking that had nothing to do with me, but¡­


    ¡®How could I?¡¯


    There was no way I could do that.


    In many ways, I had fallen into a dilemma. The problem was that, no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn¡¯t really think of a solution. It was at that time that the words I spitted out were all stuck in my chest.


    ¡°I can¡¯t even make a dungeon, fuck.¡±


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡°I already have it.¡±


    At the same time, something I hadn¡¯t been able to care about because of my busy schedule had already started toe to mind.


    When I hurriedly activated my Mind¡¯s Eyes, I could see the title that remained in one corner.


    [Crack Museum Level 4 Manager]


    I thought it was worth thinking about.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this also blocked?¡¯


    It still had to be checked, but the Crack Museum was still likely to work.


    That was under my jurisdiction, not the jurisdiction of the gods. In the first ce, the Crack Museum was a dungeon judged to be unrated and was actually nearly being opened.


    Closed beta services were often implemented, but it didn¡¯t reach open-beta due tock of time.


    The ink on the business n had not yet dried up. If anyone asked if it could be used by legendary-grade and heroic-grade foreigners, it was indeed worth a nod.


    There were quite a number of monsters still remaining in it, and there were many chimeras made by Max.


    Now that entry to dungeons waspletely impossible, the value of the Crack Museum was beyond words.


    ¡®Because I can sell potions there. No, do I only have potions to sell?¡¯


    Potion business, dining business, amodation business¡­ If I could develop it a little further, I may be able to do something like a souvenir business or a casino business.


    Gold was supposed to go around.


    I didn¡¯t know anything else, but I felt like I could certainly turn around the economy.


    ¡°Crack Land¡­¡±


    It would be a magical ce to revitalize the economy of a stagnant continent. At this, I couldn¡¯t help but smile due to the usible solution.

 Chapter 425: Winner And Loser (1)

    <h4>Chapter 425: Winner And Loser (1)</h4>


    I had to revise the details, but it didn¡¯t matter much if I would decide to go with the basic framework.


    There were also other parts to be considered, but the rough foundation was already in ce.


    Lee Jihye and my lovely son, the museum manager, Max, hadst checked out a few months ago, so it should be ready to open before Benignore¡¯s stupidity could affect the continent.


    I couldn¡¯t help but move joyfully.


    As I slowly opened the door, I felt the gazes of those pacing back and forth with anxious faces gathered instantly.


    The first face I could see was Pope Basel¡¯s.


    Archbishop Jaina and the Director of Inquisition Helena were together, and the way they both came running and held my hands made me step back unconsciously.


    Of course, I was feeling good at the same time. I could ept this situation to some extent.


    ¡°Honorary Cardinal! Did you hear¡­ Benignore¡¯s voice?¡±


    ¡®Yes, I heard. That stupid bitch has decided to ruin everything here. Don¡¯t believe in Benignore, Pope.¡¯


    I wanted to say that, but I couldn¡¯t. It didn¡¯t matter if I told the Church the general story.


    ¡°Yes. I definitely heard it. Actually, I don¡¯t remember it well, but¡­ I remember faintlymunicating with her.¡±


    ¡°Is that true?¡±


    ¡°Yes. In fact¡­ That¡¯s the first time I have ever received trust in this way, and I am sorry to have kept you waiting, Pope Basel.¡±


    ¡°No, no. You were spending time with the Goddess, weren¡¯t you? More importantly¡­ What did she say? Is she okay?¡±


    ¡°In fact¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, it must be bad news.¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s definitely not good news.¡±


    ¡°Ho¡­ Ho¡­ Something happened to the Goddess, that¡¯s what you mean?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not enough to worry about. The Goddess is still safe. But she warned us of possible anomalies all over the continent, starting with this.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I heard that Benignore and the other continental gods are in a very weak state right now. As Pope Basel already knows, the reason behind it is that the power of demons rooted in the continent is already harming the continent¡¯s vital force. The demonic minions, which have not yet disappeared, are taking their ce across the continent and threatening this sacrednd.¡±


    ¡°Those¡­ those¡­ those damn bastards¡­¡±


    Watching Pope Basel tremble made me feel like he would lead the Holy Knights immediately and rush to exterminate the evil forces.


    ¡®I guess it¡¯s not all that bad.¡¯


    I knew Pope Basel trusted me, but I didn¡¯t think it would be to this extent.


    Perhaps the previous Goddess descent incident was a decisive factor towards that trust of his.


    ¡®It¡¯s not strange, though.¡¯


    I had proven that the Goddess Benignore had entered my body andmunicated through Light Kiyoung. It would be strange for him not to believe I had a few conversations with her.


    ¡®I can use this, too.¡¯


    Thinking about it, I realized there was no need to rush the museum.


    Although most dungeons had been blocked, there were many heroic-grade and legendary-grade dungeons on the continent. The dungeons were where all the demon officials were hiding.


    It was a ce that had not been judged by the dungeon system, but what about it? Even if people killed humans, no, demons, their experience would still increase.


    Rewards, experience, items, and fame, the Demon¡¯s Spire, where the demon official Medilive resided, could still be considered a legendary-grade dungeon.


    The number of people who could enter them was limited, and it was a ce that must be raided with a party, not an army.


    The same was true of the dungeon where many other demonic officials resided. Dozens, no, hundreds of dungeons per day could be created in the current continent.


    All the gangsters that hindered humanity from bing one were the ones called demons. This was a continuous holy war where each individual could fight for the gods they worshipped. I¡¯d be able to get more divinity that way.


    I thought that, at that level, Benignore and the other gods would also be able to restfortably.


    ¡®Whew¡­ it¡¯s perfect. Perfect. Benignore, this is how you manage things.¡¯


    There were certainly some vague aspects, but the detailed parts could be dealt withter.


    As I was looking at Pope Basel, I began to hear his voice once again.


    ¡°Do you know where they took root, Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t heard about that yet¡­ But I¡¯ll do my best to locate it, Pope Basel.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s reassuring¡­ Yes, it¡¯s reassuring. Indeed, it¡¯s Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung, after all. Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung is truly a messenger of the Goddess Benignore. What¡¯s the reason why you can stand even though you went on so many battlefields and fought against countless threats? If it were not for you, the Church wouldn¡¯t have grown as vigorous as it does now. I am truly grateful to the Honorary Cardinal. I am very fortunate that someone like you is by the Goddess¡¯s side. Indeed¡­¡±


    ¡°No, Pope Basel. Rather, Goddess Benignore¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Goddess Benignore is always watching you. She asked me to tell you that she¡¯s grateful.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    This was a bonus for the fool who only thought about Benignore. I said it as if it wasn¡¯t a big deal, but I could feel my hand being held even more tightly.


    How he looked after that was even more amusing.


    ¡°I-Is that true?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Tears had begun piling up in his eyes. It was certainly rare to see the old man in tears.


    Even though this had been a lie, seeing him like that made me think that I did well in providing that kind of service.


    ¡°Goddess¡­ Thank you. Thank you, Goddess Benignore.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°My past years of serving only Goddess Benignore have never been wrong.¡±


    ¡°Yes. She must have been watching all this time. She¡¯s always with us, after all.¡±


    Of course, I didn¡¯t know if she was actually watching over us, but if Pope Basel was happy, that was enough for me. The people watched in the back as they nodded at his warm appearance.


    Perhaps the high ranks of the Church were happier than I was.


    It must¡¯ve been difficult for them to deal with Pope Basel¡¯s anger throughout all those years.


    There had even been a guy who even gave me a grateful look for putting him in a good mood.


    ¡°I-I¡¯ll go in first, Honorary Cardinal. I wanted to spend time with you, but today I have to pray to the Goddess all day long.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a very good decision, Pope.¡±


    ¡°And, as soon as you identify the whereabouts of those dirty demon minions rooted in the continent, please let the Church know. I will send the Holy Knights in myself.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Do they dare to harm the Goddess, Director of Inquisition Helena?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You are going to start interrogating other informants spread across the continent from Demon Summoner Jin Qing today. I can¡¯t stay still for even one moment.¡±


    ¡°Yes, your Holiness.¡±


    ¡®Ah. Jin Qing bastard¡­ You¡¯re going to have a hard time.¡¯


    I hadn¡¯t expected Jin Qing to suffer.


    The trial wasing soon, and it was a rtively rxing time, but I had to remain silent for the guy who would soon be subjected to unexpected and harsh torture.


    As far as I was concerned, it was convenient for the demons¡¯ whereabouts toe out of Jin Qing¡¯s mouth.


    I thought it wouldn¡¯t be that bad to try to meet with him once. There should be a rtively cumbersome negotiation process, but it didn¡¯t matter.


    Who was strong and who was weak had already been decided. If I offered something, the other side had no choice but to ept it.


    ¡®They say it¡¯s better to strike while the iron is hot.¡¯


    It didn¡¯t sound much like an irrational n.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go there myself, Pope Basel.¡±


    ¡°Will you do that?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I, too, can¡¯t stand it because I¡¯m worried about Goddess Benignore. I don¡¯t know if it will help, but let me convince him.¡±


    ¡°If the Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung ising, then that¡¯s reassuring. Yes!¡±


    ¡°I just do my best for the Goddess.¡±


    ¡°I trust only in you.¡±


    ¡®Okay. I¡¯ll also trust only you.¡¯


    When I saw Pope Basel moving away after a hug, I began to smile. When I realized that finally, the work was over, Jung Hayan, who had been walking around at a reasonable distance, rushed in.


    Cho Hyejin and Yuno Kasugano slowly approached us as they talked, and Elena was still watching out for others.


    The people I brought in to be prepared if anything happened had be surplus power. Of course, it would be better to think of it as a form of vacation, but the problem was that I could cut the tension with a knife.


    I thought Hee-ra would alsoe towards me quickly, but she seemed curious about something else.


    ¡°Honey.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡±


    ¡°Benignore¡¯s voice¡­ Did you really hear it?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t believe me?¡±


    ¡°Since you lie around a lot¡­ Well, it¡¯s your karma.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true, Hee-ra. Honestly, I didn¡¯t think I could hear it, but things worked out well. Maybe I had answered all the questions in my mind that you would be curious about¡­ I¡¯ll tell you more about itter. There are more important issues than that. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be surprised to hear it.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Quest creation will stop for a while across the entire continent. Of course, there will be differences in each region, but there are no other quests except ss-rted or tutorial dungeons.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re kidding, right?¡±


    ¡°ess to dungeons above the legendary-grade level will be restricted. It seems it was true that something happened up there.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ not good news. But that¡¯s quite amazing¡­ Honey, are you reallymuning with the gods?¡±


    ¡°I only just got lucky.¡±


    ¡°Anyway¡­ it will get quite noisy¡­ Can you fix this? No, how long will that even take?¡±


    ¡°Three years. Of course, if we try to reduce it, we can probably lessen it. I¡¯m thinking about how to do it in my mind. That¡¯s why I¡¯ll visit Jin Qing. I didn¡¯t really want to see his face, but I have no choice.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t like him very much.¡±


    ¡°Me too, Hayan. But what can I do? I need to. Oh, and you don¡¯t have to follow me from here on out. I think everyone should just rest in a suitable ce. Let¡¯s eat dinner together after work.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Well, I had something to do in the capital anyway.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    ¡°Will you be okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m only going to have a quick conversation with the Demon Summoner.¡±


    Jung Hayan had appealed with her eyes, as if asking me to take her too, but if I were to take one, I would¡¯ve needed to take all of them.


    Since it wouldn¡¯t take much time, it wouldn¡¯t be bad if I went back and forth alone.


    ¡®Is he doing well¡­?¡¯


    Actually, that was a littlete.


    Since he was put in jail, I couldn¡¯t even see his nose.


    ¡°That bastard¡¯s life span is way too long.¡±


    As I moved to the underground interrogation room located within the Church, the dark and damp interior greeted me immediately.


    The entire ce didn¡¯t fit someone as holy as Light Kiyoung.

 Chapter 426: Winner And Loser (2)

    <h4>Chapter 426: Winner And Loser (2)</h4>


    ¡®Is it my first timeing here?¡¯


    As far as I could remember, it was. ces like interrogation rooms ran by heretic inquisitors honestly didn¡¯t exactly suit people like me. It felt like going into a dungeon.


    Of course, there would be no idents, but I was slowly bing mentally nervous. It was only normal that I would feel that way.


    Screams and groans were echoing all over the ce. There was even a guy begging to be killed, forcing me to flinch unconsciously. I was a coward, after all.


    I didn¡¯t know what the hell was going on to make him plead for death toe, but I could picture what had happened to him without having to be there.


    ¡®What are they doing to the prisoners?¡¯


    The Benignore Church had always operated a heresy interrogation room.


    But I couldn¡¯t confidently say that it wasn¡¯t operated in the way I thought of.


    Pope Basel¡¯s rise had led to a rise in the heretic interrogators¡¯ positions in the church, and that situation had coincided with the great revival.


    All religions had heretic interrogators and demon hunters, but the units of the Benignore Church had grown in size beyond my imagination.


    That was why I had to be curious.


    I had to know whether the factory that extracted those negative feelings contributed to the bankruptcy of Benignore.


    ¡®It¡¯s theoretically possible.¡¯


    Its chances of happening couldn¡¯t possibly be ruled out.


    As a devout Benignore believer and a true ally of Pope Basel, I was a bit reluctant to say this, but the ce truly only suited demons.


    Although there was light behind the darkness, it was far from being a facility that should be operated in the name of light. If such a ce was devouring Benignore¡¯s divinity, it made sense that she would go bankrupt.


    Although she earned a lot, she was also being taxed highly at the same time.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be hard for the ones above.¡±


    ¡°What did you say, Honorary Cardinal?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, Director of Inquisition Helena.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Er, Honorary Cardinal. If you feel ufortable in this ce, I can call the Demon Summoner to meet with you somewhere else instead¡­¡±


    ¡°No. Helena. Honestly, it doesn¡¯t feel pleasant, but I know to some extent that a ce like this is needed. It¡¯s more important than how it¡¯s making me feel. It¡¯s something that no one wants to take charge of. You can be proud of yourself. This is not something dirty. It¡¯s more sacred than anything else.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Benignore would definitely be delighted to see this sight. Haha.¡±


    Of course, Goddess Benignore would have frowned and cried for us to stop this nonsense. However, I couldn¡¯t just say that.


    It could be bad news for Benignore, but this kind of ce was a necessary evil.


    I, too, wanted to reduce the size in order to increase the amount of divinity that went to Benignore, but it simply wasn¡¯t possible.


    Even if Benignore had gotten contaminated and her body was rotting, this ce must continue to operate.


    At this, I saw Helena¡¯s face slowly loosening up as if she liked my opinion. Honestly, it was a bit scary to be alone with her, but she seemed to be in a good mood after hearing that the gods were indeed watching over her.


    She quietly bowed and spoke to me.


    ¡°Honorary Cardinal.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Helena.¡±


    ¡°Er¡­ I was thinking of holding a prayer meeting with Archbishop Jaina¡­¡±


    ¡°If you invite me, of course, I¡¯ll go. It may be a little difficult right now, but a prayer meeting with the Director of Inquisition Helena and Archbishop Jaina would be a great joy for me. I¡¯d love to participate.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I think¡­ I can go in alone from here.¡±


    ¡°Will you really be okay?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°If you say so. If anything happens¡­¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    As I looked at her slowing moving away after bowing, it really seemed that she was in a good mood. I had met her a lot since then, but this was the first time we had talked this much.


    Although her personality was the opposite of Archbishop Jaina, the two had such great chemistry. Regardless, her role ended there.


    Mine was just about to start.


    ¡°Is it around here?¡±


    I mumbled and took a seat at the door. I didn¡¯t even have to ask, myself.


    It looked like he was receiving special carepared to the other prisoners. Seeing how there were barriers made out of divine power blocking my way, I felt like I had gotten in the right way.


    When I quietly injected my divine power, the barriers cleared away.


    After performing a simr action a few times, I finally opened therge iron gate and entered the door. The interior came into my view instantaneously.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I said¡­ I am not a demon summoner.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®So pitiful.¡¯


    Watching him unable even raise his head was quite spectacr.


    His whole body was wounded, and his feet and hands were bound by chains made of legendary-grade metal.


    As if that was not enough, he was hung on something like a cross, and there were a lot of tools on one side of the cell. I didn¡¯t know how those were used, but I couldn¡¯t bear to look at them due to their bizarre shapes.


    It felt horrendous, just thinking about it. Surprisingly, he had the mental strength to maintain his sanity despite going through such harsh torture.


    If it were me, the moment the chains were attached to my arm, I would¡¯ve said anything to be freed again.


    The mental power was deserving of the masked trash that turned an entire era into hell.


    Even Kim Hyunsung suffered from the guy in the past.


    ¡°I am not a demon summoner. I am Jin Qing of the Republic¡­¡±


    I couldn¡¯t begin to imagine how wrongly used he must be feeling for him to continue murmuring while half unconscious. It looked like he had mistaken me for a heretic interrogator.


    I didn¡¯t know how I¡¯d say hello.


    After checking his body¡¯s condition with my Mind¡¯s Eyes, I was able to release the hanging guy while nodding confidently. I thought he would stand firmly, but he weakly copsed to the floor with a thudding sound.


    ¡®He can¡¯t even talk?¡¯


    If he couldn¡¯t, my visit would be a whole lot more annoying. However, as soon I began to speak, I could see that he was looking at me.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ definitely been a long time.¡±


    I used a friendly tone, as if I was meeting a nostalgic lover. Although I did my best to negotiate somehow, the masked trash hadn¡¯t abandoned his old personality. The wrath in his expression was unmistakable.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°Never in my wildest dreams would have I thought I would meet you again in this way. Why don¡¯t you sit down first? You probably haven¡¯t eaten yet, so I brought water and some food to fill your stomach. It¡¯s very difficult to smuggle these in here without the knowledge of the heretic inquisitors. Hahaha.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°If you look at me like that, I¡¯ll get ufortable.¡±


    ¡°You. You! Lee Kiyoooouuuunng!¡±


    ¡°What, what! Come on!¡±


    That¡¯s why they said ¡®never to bite the hand that fed you.¡¯


    Looking at him running towards me, hitting all the food I¡¯ve prepared with all my heart in the process, he looked like the starving demon from the tutorial dungeon.


    It was the face of a criminal who knew no grace.


    ¡°Son of a bitch! I will kill you!!!¡±


    I didn¡¯t know how he still had so much strength, but it was a spectacle to watch him standing up firmly with both legs as he threw punches at me.


    Of course, there¡¯s no way a guy who, not only in appearance but also in stats, had degenerated down to an anglerfish could hurt me.


    I wanted to treat him like a gentleman, but the potential violence inherent in such a sudden attack was revealed.


    Iunched a body blow on his left side after avoiding his right hook, which he swung slowly like a turtle. Although magic was not activated as my courtesy for the weak, Jin Qing¡¯s body shook tremendously.


    ¡°Gasp!¡±


    I felt like I had be trash, but I couldn¡¯t help but feel the power I hadn¡¯t felt in a long time.


    Inded a kick like a gust of wind as he swung his left hand again.


    Although there was no force, the way Jin Qing immediately hit the wall was terrible.


    ¡®Am I¡­ surprisingly good at fighting?¡¯


    I clenched my fists for no reason.


    However, when I looked at him sitting on the floor and vomiting blood, I realized that it wasn¡¯t a well-earned victory.


    Unable to get rid of his anger, he continued to rush at me with a loud voice. This time, however, he didn¡¯te swinging his fist like before.


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you¡­ I¡¯ll kill yooouu! Cough.¡±


    ¡°Hey. Why do you keep saying that you¡¯ll kill me, Jin Qing?¡±


    ¡°Lee Kiyoung, son of a bitch! Lee Kiyoung, you son of a biiitch¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here to have a conversation with you, Jin. I didn¡¯te to provoke you. The fight just now was a force majeure. I don¡¯t have a hobby of beating up people who can¡¯t walk properly, so please understand my side using a broad mind. And¡­ you seem to have hurt your intestines a little. I will use divine power on you enough tomunicate properly and for it not to be painful. If I heal you too much, you will charge at me again. I don¡¯t like violence, so let¡¯s talk it out.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ you!¡±


    ¡°It makes me feel worse to see how resentful you are, Jin Qing. Of course, I understand why, but weren¡¯t we in a situation where we had no other choice? In the first ce, it was you and the Republic that started the war. We simply took the victory in response. Right now, we can continue hurting each other, but since the winners and losers have already been decided, the losers should just apud the winners.¡±


    ¡°This motherfucker¡­ How dare you say that? I will surely kill you. If not in this life, then in the next. Even if I die, I¡¯ll curse you¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the use of cursing me after you die? I came here to have a conversation in the first ce. Why don¡¯t you sit down? I didn¡¯te to talk about something useless. It could be something useful for you, too.¡±


    ¡°The conversation¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. I mean, it would be fun to do things like talking about the old days after so long. Isn¡¯t talking about past fights a way to get acquainted? Honestly, dealing with you was really hard. There were times when I wanted to run away. I don¡¯t know what you might be thinking, but it was a great match.¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡±


    ¡°It was a bit vague¡­ to say that it was a match. I hope you won¡¯t do anything as stupid as saying you won¡¯t talk to a scammer. I have made you a demon summoner, but haven¡¯t you made me a trash bastard who started the war? If I had been defeated, I would have been tortured here as a war criminal. Let¡¯s just try to understand each other.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it funny that you¡¯re feeling wronged? Please calm down a little. Only then can we have a proper conversation.¡±


    I was right. If Jin Qing had defeated me, I would be looking just like him.


    The war criminal Lee Kiyoung, who had confused the continent and threw it into chaos, should¡¯ve had his head chopped off in a guillotine.


    I didn¡¯t know if he agreed with what I said, but the Demon Summoner Masked Trash Jin Qing quietly began to look at me.


    It felt like he had organized his thoughts to some extent. After a moment, he stirred.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°What do you want?¡±


    He seemed to have calmed down. He didn¡¯t look as disgraceful as he was a couple of moments ago.


    He looked confident, disying the same highest viinous mentality from the first round.


    ¡°I want you to testify.¡±

 Chapter 427: Winner And Loser (3)

    <h4>Chapter 427: Winner And Loser (3)</h4>


    ¡°I want you to testify.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°As I said, I want you to testify. After all, I like that you are very straightforward. Usually, when you negotiate like this¡­¡±


    I got pretty annoyed.


    Nevertheless, the bastard looked at me quietly, not saying anything useless. He looked like he wanted to listen to what I had to say before judging my idea.


    Seeing how he wasn¡¯t worried about being stabbed in the back, not caring about trifle things. I could roughly predict where that mentality came from.


    ¡®He has nothing to lose.¡¯


    Even if he got backstabbed, at this point, he had nothing valuable left to lose.


    It seemed to me that he had let go of himself, causing me to nod unconsciously.


    At that time, he was aware that he was currently in a weak position, so it was easy to talk to him.


    It seemed like a good situation, but I still felt a bit alert in case anything happened. After preparing myself for any sudden events, Jin Qing suddenly began to speak.


    ¡°No. I will ask questions first. You said you wanted to talk. You should be able to tolerate this much.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°How is the situation out there right now?¡±


    Any human would¡¯ve been curious. It was natural to ask that, as the information that could be essed after being locked up in prison was limited. He wouldn¡¯t be able to make use of the information he would get, anyway.


    I also wanted to show off the results of my victory, and¡­ above all else, I was secretly having fun with the conversation.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Well, it¡¯s going very well. As you might expect, the war is over. Humanity has be one and is building a new system against the iing evil threat. Because of you alone, all of humanity has been united, so I think I can thank you for that. I have to thank the Republic too. It was pretty fascinating to see them shut up as if they didn¡¯t start the war.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you feel that you had a lot of trash to clean up? Some people in the Republic are very openly proiming that you are the one who caused the war. They say they¡¯re innocent, and all of it was done by Demon Summoner Jin Qing¡¯s evil tricks. Of course, all the kingdoms on the continent, including the State, believed their story. There were some uncertain parts, but basically, the State forgave the Republic. I received some thingster on, but I seeded inpleting the picture where everybody wins.¡±


    ¡°Motherfuckers¡­¡±


    ¡°They got rid of you. Whew¡­ and not only that. The Republic is using the children who haven¡¯t heard of you as propaganda. When they learn of you and start throwing stones while trembling, they say it¡¯s all because of you. I¡¯m a sh*tty person, too, but there is plenty of garbage over there as well.¡±


    ¡°What are you trying to achieve with all this sweet-talk?¡±


    ¡°This is not sweet-talk. I¡¯m just telling you the truth. The powerful people of the Republic have abandoned you, and even those who followed you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, there are still other people suffering. Your underlings are awaiting trial with you. The loyalty of those people surprised me a little too. No one is dead yet. You don¡¯t have to worry about that as the Church is keeping them locked up.¡±


    ¡°Are they safe?¡±


    ¡°Yes, they¡¯re safe. I don¡¯t know what will happen after the trial is over, but they say they¡¯re ready to die. It¡¯s hard to talk to them. They always shook their heads, saying that they would never betray you even after trying to conciliate with them. It seems you chose your lieutenants quite well.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    He looked icky, I presumed from several things. I couldn¡¯t tell if he was in a good or a bad mood. Of course¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s understandable.¡¯


    From his perspective, it was indeed understandable to think like that. I would¡¯ve been like that too, if I were in his ce.


    No matter how anyone heard that those who followed them were suffering, it wouldn¡¯t sound good.


    ¡°Do you have any more questions? No, more importantly, have you calmed down a bit? Your reaction is quite different from before¡­¡±


    ¡°Bullsh*t. If I could, I would beat you to death. But¡­¡±


    ¡°I understand that, Jin Qing.¡±


    ¡°I mean that I agree with you, you swindler¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°What will happen to them?¡±


    ¡°The bad people, or the good?¡±


    ¡°My people.¡±


    ¡°They will die with you after the trial is over. Even though you¡¯re the demon summoner and they¡¯re your servants, which have harmed the continent, there is no need to use uselessly cruel methods in this new era where everyone coexists. It will be quick and painless. I¡¯m also considering using my potion. Perhaps it¡¯ll be less painful. It would be as if they¡¯re falling asleep in a dream, drifting away from a painful ce. Who knows? Will they be able to return to Earth when they die? I can be sure they¡¯d be morefortable dying like that than being here.¡±


    ¡°Is that your offer? If that¡¯s really all, you¡¯d better go out right now. I have already suffered a lot while I was here. If you think I¡¯ll be tempted with those words¡­¡±


    ¡°No, of course not. That¡¯s not everything. Oh, first of all, I have to give you an offer. Take a look at this.¡±


    As I handed what was in my arms, I saw him looking at it. I thought I needed to exin the rest, but looking at the expression on his face, I felt that there was no need to do that.


    The masked trash already knew very well what I wanted from him.


    ¡°Political opponents?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s simr. It also includes a list of people from the Republic who sold you out. All of the people in that list¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re thinking of dealing with them. That sounds a lot like you. It¡¯s an idea befitting trash.¡±


    ¡°Yes. They are all demonic minions. It won¡¯t be a problem if I reveal them, but wouldn¡¯t the picture look better if you¡¯re the one who reveals it? You will be able to take revenge against those who betrayed you. Some of them are not necessary, but I put them in as a bonus. The continent¡¯s situation is a little¡­ Well, the more experience one has, the better the situation would be for them. Oh! If you ept it, I would be particrly grateful if you could tell the people about the Devil¡¯s Spire with more emphasis.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you united the continent?¡±


    ¡°Their existence is useless. It¡¯s obvious that they¡¯re in the way.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°They are also people with different values. I would like to embrace them all, but¡­ this is all the will of the Goddess, so I can¡¯t help it.¡±


    ¡°Are you¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Are you really a messenger chosen by the Goddess?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a lie. I am reallymunicating with the Goddess. As you might expect, the Goddess of this world is not fair. At least the one I¡¯m rted with isn¡¯t. It is no lie that God has chosen me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous. Crazy bastards. Sh*t. Crazy¡­ bastards¡­ why¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why, but what you¡¯re saying is¡­ sphemous. How dare a human try to understand the will of the Goddess? Still, this mightfort you a bit. The reason I could scam you is because God has chosen me. You are superior and smarter than me. I can feel the spirit of the continental people.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me funny, motherfucker.¡±


    I could see a face very despondent to my murmur. It was as if he denied everything in the world.


    Jin Qing didn¡¯t seem to want to ask why I did so much sh*t to him.


    I couldn¡¯t help but agree with his generous way of thinking. What I told him had indeed affected him.


    ¡°Now, it¡¯s time for you to choose. That¡¯s the end of my offer, and that¡¯s the end of what you will get in benefit. Whether you ept it or not is entirely up to you.¡±


    ¡°Do I have a choice? No matter how I think about it, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s an option where you can save me¡­¡±


    ¡°Surprisingly, that¡¯s also an option. I think you won¡¯t ept that option, but¡­ ahem. Anyway, if you listen intently, you might like it. It¡¯s the first option if you ept my offer.¡±


    ¡°Tell me.¡±


    ¡°You can save your life. You will live miserably, but you will save your life anyway. Officially you will be executed, and everyone will think you are dead. It¡¯s like going into an underground prison and staying there. It¡¯s a ce where you can eat and sleep, and it¡¯sfortable in its own way. Think of it as something roughly simr to being exiled.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°And the second option is¡­ as you might expect, it¡¯s the guillotine for you. You will die swiftly and painlessly. The trial will proceed smoothly, then the announcement of this list will also be announced to the public, and in its own way, it would be your goodbye to this continent.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll let you take off your stigma instead. I¡¯ll say that an unknown force actually brainwashed Demon Summoner Jin Qing, and his sacrifice allowed the continent to be one. Or maybe we can assume that the people on this list were controlling you from behind. Rather than being executed¡­ I don¡¯t think it¡¯s bad for you to show that you couldn¡¯t endure what you have done, causing you to end your life after you regained sanity, or that your opponents killed you. There are so many options to choose from. I¡¯ll look at the details a little more, but¡­ essentially you will be going out with honor. Oh! Instead, please understand that this other option can take a while.¡±


    ¡°Ha¡­¡±


    ¡°You will survive to the end while being cursed by the entire continent, or you will take care of the enemies of the Republic and keep the least honor. Two options. I think those are reasonable.¡±


    ¡°How can I trust you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s your freedom. Honestly, you are already out of my reach. I once respected you a little, but now I don¡¯t have that feeling, and to be honest, I don¡¯t care much about it. My head is about to explode due offering this because it would make it easier to solveplex situations. Of course, there is no option tobine the first and second options. I am not worried about what happens after either. If you refuse, then that¡¯s it. You will die as a demon summoner, leaving nothing behind. You will die as the worst trash that sold the continent to the demon.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Now, what do you think? Isn¡¯t it quite appealing? Life or honor. If I were to choose, I¡¯d choose the former¡­¡±


    ¡°One more thing.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but there would be no negotiation.¡±


    ¡°I want you to be considerate of those who are here. They are innocent. Let this end only between us.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Please.¡±


    ¡°Well. I will think about it. It¡¯s an easy thing to do. Anyway, I would like you to answer quickly. I¡¯m quitete for dinner. Is it life or honor? Or will you not ept such a deal with a son of a bitch like me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    A short time had passed by.


    It probably wasn¡¯t an easy decision, but I thought I could see what choice he would make.


    The answer was so easy. I didn¡¯t think I even needed to ask.


    ¡°Honor.¡±


    That was what he wanted.


    ¡®He¡¯s quite a difficult person to understand.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t just him.


    The Second Princess Charlotte was of the same mind.


    Our Princess and the Republic¡¯s Jin were the ones who had chosen thetter of the two options. From my point of view, it was bound to feel strange.


    In Charlotte¡¯s case, of course, she couldn¡¯t die like him, but if she too were in a position to choose, she would certainly have chosen thetter.


    ¡®What¡¯s the use of honor when you die?¡¯


    People could always throw away honor or personal value in the trash in the face of death.


    If I had been in his situation, I would¡¯ve held onto his pants and convinced him to keep me alive.


    However, he seemed to want to choose an honorable death more than to continue to live somehow.


    As I stood up, I saw the Demon Summoner looking at me. His eyes, which seemed to have already given up on everything, made me feel a tad ufortable.


    ¡®That¡¯s the difference between you and me.¡¯


    It was better a living coward than a dead hero.


    ¡°It looks like the conversation is over¡­ well, I¡¯ll be going.¡±


    ¡°Keep your promise.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m not trashy enough to lie, even in this situation. It won¡¯t be dealt with right away, but history won¡¯t record you as a demon summoner. You can rest assured that I am making this an oath under the name of the Goddess.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Of course, things like oaths under the name of the Goddess had nothing to do with me.


    However, I could see that the suspicion in his eyes was gradually fading away.


    ¡°I believe that you have already memorized the list I gave. I will discard it. And I¡¯m telling you just in case, but it¡¯s better not to do anything stupid. You won¡¯t be able to do it right, but you know better about what happens to people who uselessly spread rumors.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°Well, then.¡±


    ¡°There wille a time when the things you¡¯ve done will eat you off.¡±


    ¡°No way. If there really is anything like that, would I be here now? Winners take no risk.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Then, this is really goodbye.¡±


    If I came to his trial, I might be able to see his face, but I knew this had to be the end.


    I might need to look at his face through an official event or the Goddess¡¯s Mirror. There were still many issues that had to be dealt with involving him, after all. However, Jin Qing, which once stood at the center of the Republic, ended there.


    From that point onwards, he had already given up on his life.


    As I went outside and looked back, I could see him quietly closing his eyes. I didn¡¯t know what he was thinking.


    ¡°Asshole.¡±


    I would never understand what he was thinking.

 Chapter 428: She’s Still The Scariest (1)

    <h4>Chapter 428: She¡¯s Still The Scariest (1)</h4>


    Jin Qing was a kind of insurance for me.


    It wasn¡¯t easy to create a story where he was brainwashed, even though I would be the one making it. There were many things to be concerned and worried about.


    No matter how much I were to think about this, there were many too many issues happening for me to deal with it.


    Nevertheless, the reason why I had to put the keyword brainwashing or exploitation on him was quite obvious.


    ¡®It¡¯s because it¡¯ll help me.¡¯


    That was what I had thought.


    It could be a beautiful story for him, but that was likely to be a beautiful story for me as well.


    Kim Hyunsung, who had been thinking a lot recently, was certainly the cause.


    Personally, I thought the suspicion of the masked trash on me had beenpletely peeled off, but honestly, he didn¡¯t seem to have been suspecting me from the beginning. Still, nobody would know what could happen.


    Considering that the lovely returner might misunderstand me one day, that kind of insurance didn¡¯tck importance, no matter how much of it I did.


    ¡®If¡­¡¯


    I could use it as an excuse if Kim Hyunsung misunderstood me as the viin in the story.


    ¡®I think it would be great if I could make them think about the possibility of being brainwashed¡­¡¯


    The masked trash of the first round did notmit such vile acts by his own will.


    Rather, the unlucky character who had constantly fought against inner evil suited him more.


    Every night, he suffered from what he had done. He was nothing but a lonely and hurt man who covered his body in self-inflicted wounds.


    My mind came up with a two-and-two morbid setting, wherein the mask was also a means to cover his crying eyes, but such a thought seemed so cringe that I decided to set it aside.


    Still¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s not bad.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t impossible to pull off.


    Even if it wasn¡¯t perfect, moving with those frames in mind could be a way to get out of the worst situation.


    Someone wouldugh at me for thinking about such useless details when it was already over, but even if I was to be careful a hundred times over, all it would take was a single mistake for everything to crash.


    Since I didn¡¯t know when an ident would happen, it was only right to create as many fail-safe ns as possible. What was a little surprising was that Jin Qing had taken the job so easily.


    ¡®Is it natural?¡¯


    Regardless, he wouldn¡¯t have had any reason to live any longer except for revenge.


    He could be thinking that he shouldn¡¯t look more disgraceful since he didn¡¯t have the means or opportunity to take revenge in the first ce. The way I saw him was shocking. He was pretty broken up.


    Even though his pride was huge, I thought that all the circumstances surrounding him were making him suffer.


    ¡®Anyway, it will be solved properly¡­¡¯


    The process wasn¡¯t short, but the strand had been caught.


    Quests and dungeons being blocked would be solved through the uing Crack Land and the dungeons where demon officials resided.


    In the former case, Max was handling it on his own, and in thetter case, if I left the matter up to Lee Jihye, I would be able to get the job done quickly.


    Of course, I had to direct the Crack Museum creation directly to establish a billing system. It was also true that my heart sank for a second in such a ridiculous situation. The appearance of a customized solution that fit perfectly was enough to make me feel ecstatic.


    A moment of thought during an ufortable meal was enough to make me feel good. Cha Hee-ra had begun speaking.


    ¡°You seem to be in a good mood, honey. Do you like the food?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Hee-ra. This is delicious. It melts gently in my mouth.¡±


    ¡°Although we¡¯re already at the capital, I have to leave immediately. I lost interest. I was hoping that I¡¯d be able to stay for quite a while. There¡¯s a lot to change here due to the revolution, so there¡¯s a lot to see, honey.¡±


    ¡°I also want to go around a little, but¡­ something urgent happened. I told you. For the time being, quest creation and dungeon creation will all be blocked. It¡¯s not a situation where I can stand still. Honestly, I was going to eat dinner at the guild¡­ It¡¯s such a waste to havee this far without doing anything, so I stopped by here.¡±


    ¡°Did you finish the Jin Qing job properly?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s not that bad.¡±


    It was Elena, the Elf Princess, who spoke next.


    ¡°Er¡­ Lee Kiyoung, sorry to ask again, but is that really true?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes. Elena, this is the message I received directly from Benignore, so I¡¯m sure of it. Maybe Elena canmunicate with Elune.¡±


    ¡°Come to think of it. A long time has passed¡­ I can¡¯t feel him.¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s because you¡¯ve been abandoned, but¡­¡±


    I couldn¡¯t just say that.


    ¡°Goddess Benignore said that something big happened up there. She said that the influence of the demon rooted in the continent is affecting their location as well.¡±


    ¡°T-Then how¡­¡±


    ¡°I can solve it without difficulty. Blessings will fall upon everyone, including those from Benignore and Elune, if we drive the demons that have rooted here away. Through the power of the light, we can once again prove our strong faith in them.¡±


    ¡°You have to work hard.¡±


    ¡°Yes. There is also a lot to worry about. Even the dungeons that the Goddesses manage themselves for the foreigners have beenpletely suspended. There will be great social confusion. To minimize that confusion, we have to do what we can. Monster subjugation quests are now too deeply embedded in our society. The eastern part of Castle Rock, where the monster forest is located, is fine, but Celia, which has a rtively small forest, will inevitably have a more serious problem. Yuno Kasugano, have you¡­¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t think of anything else, Honorary Cardinal. Please provide us with a guideline, and we will then follow it.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Okay.¡±


    ¡°It makes sense to deal with the confusion that foreigners will feel. I agree with your sentiments. There is something wrong with the system that maintains and bnces this continent. Perhaps in time, all the foreigners will realize. We have to make an official presentation, and we have to be prepared for those who would dare threaten the Honorary Cardinal.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    I saw Yuno Kasugano smiling faintly. The problem was that she wasn¡¯t the only one sending me a smile.


    Cha Hee-ra and Jung Hayan were seated on either side of me, and Yuno Kasugano and Elena were next to them.


    Also, Cho Hyejin was sitting next to them. I didn¡¯t regret bringing them all for safety, but I had to regret it to some extent when this kind of situation came instead. No incident urred, but I still regretted having brought all of them together.


    ¡®I¡¯m sitting on a bed of anxiety andying down on a bed of thorns. Fuck¡­¡¯


    Sitting alone felt tiring.


    They weren¡¯t fighting and yelling at each other, but no one looked at each other. With their gaze fixed only on me, they muttered their own story.


    The way they acted like the others weren¡¯t there was spectacr. If there was anyone who didn¡¯t notice what was happening in that situation, I would definitely apud him.


    When one person asked a question or talked, someone else would talk at the end of that first person¡¯s sentiments.


    As soon as the conversation with that person was over, I was swept into a talk with the next person.


    Even for me, who liked to talk, it was hard to withstand it.


    It waspletely inappropriate, but it felt like I was a human cake getting eaten piece by piece by the people there. It was like they were taking turns, or it was as if I were in a high-pressure interview.


    One of the anxiety factors was Jung Hayan being depressed because many talks were about work-rted things, and she couldn¡¯tpete with it. At this point, I couldn¡¯t predict when she was going to start behaving unexpectedly.


    However, it was Cho Hyejin who quietly threw a stone in that situation.


    ¡°Come to think of it¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Hayan has something on that I¡¯ve never seen her wear before. I thought it was an artifact¡­ it doesn¡¯t seem like that¡­ have you received a gift?¡±


    ¡®Fuck¡­¡¯


    It was a violent herbal medicine that was more bitter than the backstabs that was set up by Jin Qing and Charlotte.


    ¡®Why is she wearing that again?¡¯


    In an instant, everyone¡¯s eyes converged on the ring finger of Jung Hayan¡¯s left hand. Everyone was aware of it, but it was the first time that someone mentioned it directly.


    Jung Hayan, who hadn¡¯t been in a good mood ever since sitting at that table, began to show a delicate act of covering her precious wedding ring with her hand.


    It was akin to Gollum, which was an inappropriate example, however, even a child would know that she wasn¡¯t in any way trying to hide the ring.


    She covered the ring with her hand, but she intended to show it off with that very action.


    She raised her chin up, her confident eyes telling them exactly what she wanted to say.


    ¡°Ah¡­ T-This is nothing.¡±


    ¡®Damn.¡¯


    What awkward acting.


    Jung Hayan¡¯s face thatughed at the other women there seemed annoying, even to me.


    It was a skill to have such a cute face depict such a saucy expression.


    The others¡¯ faces were no different.


    I could see everyone flinching as if they had seen the ¡®one ring that would rule over them all¡¯.


    The problem that had been buried under the water had now risen above the surface.


    It was quite the sight to see her taking the ring away, as if what couldn¡¯t be caught was caught.


    Yuno Kasugano and Elena, who had already known about the ring in advance, looked at it bitterly.


    ¡°What ring is it?¡±


    ¡°N-Nothing. It was just a gift from oppa.¡±


    ¡°So, what is it?¡±


    ¡°I-It¡¯s a secret. A secret between the t-two of us. Hehe.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Since it¡¯s a secret. I should never say it.¡±


    The way Jung Hayan smiled and answered Cha Hee-ra was overwhelming. So far, Jung Hayan¡¯s words felt more powerful than the provocations I had done to my enemies.


    It was childish and ridiculous, but that kind of provocation was extremely effective when used in the right situation.


    However¡­


    Surprisingly, Cha Hee-ra possessed a rather gentle mien. I knew she would not fall into provocation.


    ¡®As expected of our Hee-ra!¡¯


    Yuno Kasugano and Elena seemed a little bit envious, however.


    ¡®I¡¯ve already told them¡­¡¯


    I don¡¯t remember when exactly, but I remember talking about an important person to me and wanting to be together and stuff.


    They probably recalled that memory clearly. I mean, they were certainly jealous, but I felt that they were deeplyforting themselves, saying it was okay.


    ¡®I-I guess it¡¯s okay¡­¡¯


    The result wasn¡¯t too bad, considering that Cho Hyejin had just dropped a bomb.


    Nothing happened throughout the entire duration of the meal, and the situation seemed to be over.


    ¡°Then¡­ shall we go?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Are you going straight to Lindel?¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯m going to go to Celia, Elena.¡±


    ¡°Okay. It was nice to meet you, Yuno Kasugano. Please go carefully.¡±


    ¡°Honey. And second. Come quickly. You said you didn¡¯t have time.¡±


    Until I witnessed that one side of the table where Cha Heera was sitting was torn like a sheet of paper, folded and discarded¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s made of iron¡­ that table. Fuck¡­¡¯


    I quickly realized that theughing Cha Heera wasn¡¯t reallyughing.

 Chapter 429: She’s Still The Scariest (2)

    <h4>Chapter 429: She¡¯s Still The Scariest (2)</h4>


    It was a table made of metal.


    It wasn¡¯t a legendary-grade metal like Orichalcum or Mithril, but iron was still iron.


    At the minimum, the raw material should be around heroic-grade or higher in terms of quality. It could certainly be used to create weapons. It was absurd to have made a table with this kind of material, but as I had seen the strength that crushed it barehanded, feelings of disconcerting and fear were intersecting.


    ¡®Oh, that¡¯s right. She¡¯s that kind of person.¡¯


    Many people could easily cut metal or transform its shape using magic, but I could confirm that there were fewer than five people who could do it using simple force, even if I searched for them in the entire continent.


    I couldn¡¯t even sense any magic being generated. It meant that she had achieved such a feat purely with her fingers.


    I looked at the scene with a disconcerted face for a moment, and upon being called by her familiar voice, I couldn¡¯t be helped but be wary of her.


    ¡°What are you doing? Come quickly. It¡¯s time to go home. Huh?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°What are you doing, honey?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, nothing. I¡¯ming.¡±


    There were no major changes in her expression. However, her subtly distorted face seemed to borate how bad Cha Hee-ra¡¯s mood was.


    The reason she didn¡¯t explode was that she knew how embarrassing it would¡¯ve been to get mad at something like that. Someone in her position should be able to cope with Jung Hayan¡¯s childlike provocation.


    If I thought about it, I had never seen Cha Hee-ra getting genuinely angry.


    At best, she only gave out warnings when people, including Jung Hayan, bared their fangs at her.


    In the end, she let those situations smoothly slip with a smile. After that, there would never be any topics raised about the incident.


    She was forgiving and didn¡¯t fret over the little details. She was the greatest human.


    ¡®That probably means she¡¯s holding a grudge¡­¡¯


    If she felt dissatisfied, she should¡¯ve just said it out loud, and if she got upset, she should¡¯ve just expressed it right away.


    It wasn¡¯t only me. Everyone else considered Cha Hee-ra to be such a person.


    It suddenly started to amplify my anxiety to find out that she had something hidden inside.


    Whether she knew of it or not, Jung Hayan was passing by the side of the redhead proudly with her victorious smile.


    My back trembled, thinking that the angered beast might suddenly raise her hand to smash the insane wizard¡¯s head. Truly, it was a catastrophe.


    What was even scarier was that that might not be the worst ending.


    ¡®I have to take care of this right away.¡¯


    She must be trying to deceive the others through her transparent guile, but it was only proper for me to take care of it.


    After, I started to worry about Cha Hee-ra, even as I said goodbye to Lee Kiyoung¡¯s personal corps, including Oscar, Marlin, and Catherine.


    When Cho Hyejin climbed onto the griffon and gestured for me to climb behind her, I carefully chose my next words.


    ¡°I will ride with Cha Heera.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Vice Guild Master.¡±


    It would be nice if she were a little disappointed, but Cho Hyejin started to nod with a bright face.


    Rather, it was Jung Hayan who looked as if she was about to cry.


    She looked at me with anxiety in her eyes as if she was telling me to think over my choice and that it wasn¡¯t right, but I had no choice.


    I had to drink the beverage the way it was brewed. This bnce of power had to be maintained.


    As soon as it tipped to one side, my body¡¯s bnce might also copse.


    It had to be perfectly bnced between right and left.


    ¡°Then, Master, I will visit Lindel immediately for the museum case.¡±


    ¡°Do that, Yuno.¡±


    ¡°I shall.¡±


    After having a conversation away from prying ears, I sent Yuno Kasugano to Celia immediately.


    Of course, I immediately moved towards the red-haired gal.


    Her face was somewhat cold as she looked at me. She seemed to want to hit me, at least even once.


    Of course, such an ident should not happen. If such a moment urred, my head would burst open like tofu.


    ¡°What? Why should you go with the second option, huh?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s just. I have something to tell you¡­¡±


    ¡°Tell me what?¡±


    ¡°Well, rather than having something specific to say, it¡¯s just that I can¡¯t remember thest time I spent time with you. I don¡¯t think it would be troublesome to enjoy a conversation on the griffon¡­ So¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Get on.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Naturally, I became even more careful. This situation was indeed dangerous.


    Although I was worried about Jung Hayan¡¯s future moves, it was only important to douse the ce where the mes were burning first.


    Just after the griffon carrying Jung Hayan, our Elf Princess, and Cho Hyejin soared into the sky, the griffon that we were riding began to slowly rise.


    I smiled at the fan club whilst waving passionately from below, but it didn¡¯t take long for the smile to disappear from my face.


    ¡®Okay. It¡¯s time to take care of this one too.¡¯


    Cha Hee-ra was Cha Hee-ra, and the Red Mercenaries are the Red Mercenaries.


    She was still in the middle of the power structure and had a significant position within Lindel.


    Even if I had be a bigger figure, she was not someone I could handle as I pleased.


    Thinking about her loyalty to me since I first came in, I couldn¡¯t just abandon her coldly.


    No, if I tried to leave her in the first ce, there was a strong possibility that my head would fall first.


    Honestly, I couldn¡¯t even imagine that Cha Hee-ra would react in this way.


    ¡®She has an unexpectedly cute side.¡¯


    When I thought about her usual self, it was strange to see her moping around. Of course, I had to put such thoughts aside for the moment.


    I had to think about how to lighten her up first.


    ¡®What do I do?¡¯


    ¡®Think, Light Kiyoung.¡¯


    ¡®Don¡¯t think about your pride.¡¯


    I recalled what Jung Hayan did when I showed that attitude. I had found the answer.


    I wasn¡¯t sure if it would work. No, I wasn¡¯t sure if I could do it, but I just had to man up and do it with thick skin.


    ¡°You know I like you a lot, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m grateful too¡­ Honestly, it¡¯s thanks to you that I came this far. You believed in me a lot when we first met.¡±


    Aegyo.


    Somehow, it felt like I had be the girlfriend trying to cheer up her boyfriend, but it seemed that that method was effective when employed on Cha Hee-ra.


    That was because what she wanted wasn¡¯t someone to lead her.


    If she had been hoping for that in the first ce, she wouldn¡¯t have approached me. My voice was full of cuteness, which tickled her gently.


    I rubbed my head on her back and moved my hand, holding her waist tightly around her stomach, locking my fingers, and gently stimted her.


    It didn¡¯t suit me, but I did my best to be flirtatious in hopes of stimting her senses.


    If she were Cho Hyejin, she would have pushed me out of the griffon. Instead, her body kept flinching as if it had gotten affected by my unique characteristic.


    ¡®Whoa. I bet I can even work at a host bar. I¡¯m the best.¡¯


    Perhaps I did have a little talent. Somehow, she had begun to y along.


    Was this how Diao Chan felt when he yed with Lu Bu and Dong Zhou? Was this how Yang Guifei and Cleopatra felt when they yed with the world?


    It was disgusting even for me to do cosy as if I had be such a guy, but her reaction was good, so I inevitably got excited.


    ¡®The sex symbol, Lee Kiyoung!¡¯


    I was disgusted with myself.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be mad, Hee-ra.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It was inevitable. And it was a simple gift I gave to cheer up Hayan because she was going through something difficult. You know that I like you a lot, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I like your red lips and red hair. I like your confidence. You¡¯re not really angry, right? I¡¯m the one who¡¯s exaggerating, right?¡±


    ¡®Why is she so quiet? Is she really that angry?¡¯


    ¡°You know I can¡¯t help it. I, of course, think that you are the first, but¡­¡±


    ¡®Is she really mad?¡¯


    I could only see her back, so I didn¡¯t know how she was reacting.


    However, even after a long time, she was still in the same position, so my special move didn¡¯t seem to work. In the end, I had no choice but to put my hand in the bag that Hyunsung bought.


    ¡®Do I have a good ring?¡¯


    I had put various bribes in my bag in case Jung Hayan exploded, but I couldn¡¯t get anything worth using.


    As soon as I leaned in out of anxiety, I found a red ring with the same symbol as her that began to stand out.


    After taking out her ring, I gently patted one of her arms.


    She didn¡¯t look back yet. But watching how she gently flipped one of her arms over to me, she didn¡¯t seem to hate that kind of touch.


    Of course, what I did from there on out was what truly mattered.


    I felt like she couldn¡¯t even imagine that I would put a ring on her.


    I could see her body flinching a bit as if she felt the cold metal sliding down her finger. After putting it on her, she slowly pulled her arm back and looked at her hand, emitting some form of unknown excitement.


    ¡®It¡¯s time to deliver the final blow.¡¯


    I embraced her warmly.


    ¡°Cha Hee-ra, I love you. I really love you.¡±


    I muttered words that were only half true.


    Something unexpected happened right after that.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    The griffon, which was flying properly, suddenly deviated from the path.


    The advance team, that was going first, didn¡¯t notice it, but the griffon that had deviated from the route was falling at full speed.


    ¡®What. What is this?¡¯


    I was nervous about whether or not I touched a nerve. However, I didn¡¯t feel any hostility.


    ¡°H-Hee-ra?¡±


    She didn¡¯t answer. However, what I heard was the sound of breathing that continued to grow rougher.


    ¡®Son of a¡­¡¯


    If there were a Griffon Race, this was a performance that would catch a trophy.


    The griffon, which came down to the ground swiftly, entered a ce I wasn¡¯t aware of and started to fly continuously through a strange cave.


    ¡®Where are we¡­?¡¯


    Perhaps we were in an abandoned dungeon.


    I¡¯m not sure if Cha Hee-ra even knew where we were going. All I could do then was to hold onto her tightly and endure the wind resistance.


    When the griffon finally arrived at our unknown destination, I opened my tightly closed eyes and took a look around.


    ¡°Where are we?¡±


    It was so dark that I couldn¡¯t see anything.


    ¡°Light¡­¡±


    As I carefully made light, I saw a really small dungeon-like space.


    However, what stood out more than that was a beast staring right at me with red eyes.


    She red at me with bloodshot eyes.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to do this. But¡­ you seduced me first.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I said that you seduced me first.¡±


    ¡°Huuh?¡±


    I felt pressureparable to encountering the Ancient God from the Crack Museum.


    My body was stiff, and I couldn¡¯t move properly. All I could do was watch her slowly approach me.


    I suddenly remembered Jin Qing¡¯sst line.


    ¡®There wille a time when the things you¡¯ve done will eat you off.¡¯


    That bastard couldn¡¯t have meant what was currently happening.

 Chapter 430: She’s Still The Scariest (3)

    <h4>Chapter 430: She¡¯s Still The Scariest (3)</h4>


    ¡®I¡¯m alive, Fuck. I survived. I did it. I survived.¡¯


    Those were my first thoughts as I slowly opened my eyes. There wouldn¡¯t be another day where I¡¯d be as thankful for being alive.


    I tried to spit out words of victory to myself, but I couldn¡¯t even hear my own voice. It was as if my throat had already dried out.


    For some reason, it was also difficult to breathe, so I stretched out my hand to open a potion, but I couldn¡¯t open it either due to my trembling hands. I felt no energy course through my body.


    I was nervous about missing the golden time if I missed the opportunity now.


    The potion bottle miraculously opened when I felt the mes of my life gradually disappearing.


    With a slurping sound, I drank the fluids in it.


    Of course, I couldn¡¯t consider I¡¯ve already recoveredpletely, but at least I managed to apply first aid. I felt the pleasure of drinking a sports drink after going to the sauna.


    ¡°I almost died.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a joke. I had almost really died.


    In fact, I didn¡¯t really remember what happened yesterday.


    I had to think back immediately about what happened after the first few hours. I woke up halfway through, but all I remembered was red hair swaying and red eyes looking at me from above.


    I couldn¡¯t help but force augh out because it was too ridiculous. Of course, it was a happy moment.


    I could even feel a little excitement in the strangely upside-down situation¡­ but that was both the beginning and the end of what I could remember.


    It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that my body was experiencing its worst condition ever since I came to the continent.


    It felt like all of my energy had been sucked out of me.


    I didn¡¯t weigh myself, but¡­ I could confirm that I had lost more than about 5 kilograms. My body¡¯s condition was far from normal.


    ¡®What should I do?¡¯


    What worried me in this embarrassing situation was Jung Hayan.


    Perhaps in the middle of their journey, she realized that Cha Hee-ra and I had deviated from the path and disappeared from sight.


    Although I was worried that she would cry and make a fuss, it was also interesting that she didn¡¯te to where I was.


    No, maybe it wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯te, but that she couldn¡¯t. That was more probable.


    For some reason, she lost my coordinates or couldn¡¯t enter the ce where Cha Hee-ra and I were.


    ¡®Is this a dungeon?¡¯


    A dungeon that only allowed two people? Or was it a ce out of the reach of detection magic?


    Either way, it didn¡¯t matter what it was. When I thought of what would happen once I¡¯ve gone back, my head hurt once again.


    I was naturally afraid of what was going on at Lindel without me.


    It was then that a voice came next to me.


    ¡°Did you wake up, honey?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ yes.¡±


    ¡°Sorry. I was too much, right?¡±


    ¡°No. It was good for me, too.¡±


    The problem was that I felt like my life was being threatened.


    ¡°I¡¯m d then.¡±


    Cha Hee-ra¡¯s face looked to be in a really good mood when I saw her up close.


    Her crumbly hair and skin seemed to have gained new life, and the dark circles around her eyes had perfectly disappeared.


    Her face, which had changed enough to distinguish between before and after, made me exim too. She looked as if she¡¯d lost all her worries and stress in the world. It was as if she had been given nutritional supplements.


    The Cha Hee-ra beside me was truly in her best condition.


    ¡°Wait. Let¡¯s have some breakfast and leave.¡±


    ¡°Until morning?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not something extraordinary. I was just in the mood. Or should we leave after having breakfast and some light exercise, honey?¡±


    She had the look of Bear Grils aiming for innocent animals. I quickly realized that I had to hurry and get out of there before bing a valuable source of protein.


    ¡°No. I told you I¡¯m busy. There are many things to do, though¡­ anyway, you look really good.¡±


    My voice felt like it was trembling.


    ¡°I told you I was frustrated, right? It felt like a dark cloud was in my head yesterday, but now it feels perfectly clear. It¡¯s perfect. Really.¡±


    However, she had traded it off with my physical exhaustion and pain.


    Still, I thought it was fortunate that I was with Cha Hee-ra in this situation. If I had been with Jung Hayan in a ce like that, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to rx as I did with Hee-ra.


    I would¡¯ve been worried about whether she would trap me here.


    At least, Cha Hee-ra didn¡¯t seem to have such strange thoughts.


    ¡®But why does she look like that. Don¡¯t think about weird things. Please don¡¯t lock me up. Fuck. Don¡¯t lock me in¡­¡¯


    After thinking, Cha Hee-ra stood up.


    She kept looking at the ce as if she was disappointed, but she had no choice but to move due to my request to hurry out.


    ¡°I contacted Blue.¡±


    ¡°When?¡±


    ¡°About 5 in the morning. They didn¡¯t have to worry about useless things while you were passed out, but problems might arise anyway. And honey.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°This ring is a proposal ring, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ simr.¡±


    Of course, I wanted to say it wasn¡¯t, however, I had an ominous feeling that I might just get locked away, so I had to nod with all my might.


    I didn¡¯t know if she knew what I was thinking, but Cha Hee-ra was constantly looking at the ring attached to her left ring finger with a delighted expression.


    I thought that yesterday¡¯s incident wasn¡¯t the only reason why her steps seemed particrly light today.


    ¡°But where are we?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. It looks like a dungeon. There were also a few monsters, although not anymore. Oh, and¡­ when you say you¡¯re busy, is it about the Crack Land?¡±


    ¡°Right. I have to take care of that right now. The dungeon itself seems capable of opening without difficulty, but its sub-contents arecking. I should go and handle the business. I¡¯ve got a rough n in my head, but properly executing it is another story.¡±


    ¡°Like what?¡±


    ¡°Are there many things to sell besides the dungeon? If we do business in front of it, it¡¯ll be a big hit, Hee-ra. If I can name it as the Bulgogi museum or the Baeksuk museum, I can get double, no, triple the original profits. Not to mention dungeon supplies such as battle rations and potions¡­ I can also create special dungeon zones, tourist zones, special economic zones, and other bullsh*t to increase its value. There is no substitute. It¡¯s a jackpot. I¡¯m sure of it.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you exploiting it too much?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll just get paid a fair fee. It¡¯ll be the only monster dungeon in a world where dungeons have disappeared. What¡¯s wrong with making a profit? Moreover, it would be in a situation where there is only me who can manage the dungeon. Rather, I think I¡¯m being generous. I¡¯m sure I¡¯m being generous.¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯re thinking of something big¡­ It will cost some initial investment.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a little difficult to do with the funds stored in Blue alone, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Take what you need from the Red Mercenaries and use it.¡±


    ¡°What? Really?¡±


    ¡°You can think of it as an investment. I had never lost money when I listened to you, and your money is my money, and my money is your money anyway. Don¡¯t feel burdened. Take as much as you need. Don¡¯t worry about anything else. I¡¯ll take care of the workforce, so don¡¯t worry. Just tell me if you need anything, honey.¡±


    ¡®Whew. The give and take circumstances in here are good. Okay! Let¡¯s get married, Hee-ra! Let¡¯s go with the marriage!¡¯


    Of course, that was just an idea.


    However, Cha Hee-ra¡¯sment made it worth thinking about seriously.


    ¡®A woman must have the ability.¡¯


    I originally felt that she was generous and cool, but she could also be warm and gentle.


    From the time we got on the griffon until we arrived at Lindel, Cha Hee-ra¡¯s gentleness continued.


    However, her happiness circuit was running fiercely, but thatsted only for a moment. As I got closer and closer to Lindel, I was forced to think of other worries.


    I remembered the bomb I had just abandoned.


    Jung Hayan recently had be a little quiet, but still, Jung Hayan was Jung Hayan. I had to have a look at her. No one could predict when her embers would rise again.


    However¡­


    ¡®It should be fine, right?¡¯


    She wouldn¡¯t have gone openly crazy again. Even so, after continuing repetitive learning, she should be aware that I hated such behavior.


    It was natural that the longer the flight time, the more anxious I felt.


    It was just as expected.


    I began to see someone sitting in the distance. I couldn¡¯t even hear Cha Hee-ra¡¯s warm voice at this point anymore.


    On one side of thending pad, the person waiting for us with her knees together was, without a doubt, Jung Hayan. I didn¡¯t know why, but I felt pity for some reason when I saw her running towards us as if she had seen the griffon from afar.


    ¡®Right¡­ you didn¡¯t do anything wrong. I¡¯mplete trash. But this time, please let it go quietly.¡¯


    When the griffon finallynded at Lindel, Jung Hayan ran to me and hugged me.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    It¡¯s somehow cute that she tried to be held in my arms without saying anything.


    However, the look she directed at Cha Hee-ra with her face on my chest wasn¡¯t cute.


    Her gaze looked like she was about to turn into a lunatic. She didn¡¯t put up a killing aura as if she remembered the warning, but I still got chills.


    ¡°You¡¯ve heard, right? I forgot to do something, so I went into a dungeon with honey. You should go there too.¡±


    I would never enter that ce with Jung Hayan. There was a high probability that an article about the Honorary Cardinal¡¯s disappearance would appear in the headline after that.


    Anyway, Cha Hee-ra hugged me and even patted on Jung Hayan¡¯s shoulder. However, she did it with her ringed hand. It was a little gesture, but her hurt pride was restored.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll go first, honey.¡±


    Of course, the other side¡¯s pride had gotten hurt.


    She was biting her lips somehow to stop the tears that were umting out of pure resentment, but the tears still dropped down.


    ¡®What do I do with her?¡¯


    What was even more heartbreaking was that the war of nerves that was taking ce was gentle. It wasn¡¯t even close to a fight. It was hard to imagine what would happen when the mad women surrounding me would begin to fight with all their might.


    Even without Jung Hayan and Cha Hee-ra, it would cause unimaginable destruction.


    Yuno Kasugano followed me blindly, but Lee Jihye, who dered to be the final winner, was also another kind of monster.


    ¡®No. Rather, Lee Jihye is the best.¡¯


    She had the most sense of reality. Even though she stayed quiet, it felt like our elf princess was also hiding a heart disease.


    ¡°Nothing happened. It¡¯s because she really had something to do, Hayan. I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t tell you in advance. Shall we go to see a y after work today? I¡¯lle right after finishing my work at the Crack Land. It probably won¡¯t take more than a few hours.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop crying. You understand, right?¡±


    Nod.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t been out here since yesterday, right? Come in quickly and take a nap, Hayan. You must be tired. I will take you to the room.¡±


    She nodded.


    ¡°You¡¯re a good girl, right?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°O-Oppa¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°W-w-when¡­ When are we getting married? You¡­ you said we were getting married, right?¡±


    She was indeed still the scariest.


    ¡°Gasp. You said we were getting married¡­ Sniff.¡±


    I slowly realized that the medicine¡¯s effect had been decreasing, little by little.

 Chapter 431: Life Threat (1)

    <h4>Chapter 431: Life Threat (1)</h4>


    The fact that the medicine¡¯s effect had already run out was utterly ridiculous.


    I bet an improvised marriage would almost prove to be a mythic-grade potion made just to appease Jung Hayan. It would even be more satisfying than brewing up an elixir.


    If I were to exaggerate this a little bit, there would be no shortage in expressing it as the supreme elixir that could calm any anger.


    ¡®Is it too loose?¡¯


    I had to regret what had previously happened a little. I had said I was busy, but it only made me feel like I had neglected to manage her.


    Of course, I couldn¡¯t help it when I had been in Salit¡¯s stomach with Elena.


    ¡®No, that¡¯s not it. If I think about it, it wasn¡¯t necessarily like that.¡¯


    I started to reflect on myself, but considering what I had done so far, I realized that I hadn¡¯t really neglected her that much.


    As I knew how terrifying Jung Hayan could be when she was out of her mind, I had to devote my time to her to a certain extent, even during the busiest times. For example, I could take her out on a short date.


    Even if my schedule proved to be hectic, I always made sure to hug her during breaks, and I even took a piece of my time to give her peace of mind by executing physical contact. I had done my best to take care of her.


    Had it been her usual self, that would¡¯ve been enough to satisfy her.


    I thought that the reason reality came so quickly could be because she had raised her overall expectations. Had she been her usual self, she could have been satisfied with just having spending time with me like that, but the medicine called marriage had now raised the bars higher.


    It was like bing more and more resistant to a drug the more one took it into their body. This reminded me of the saying, ¡®Do someone a favor, and it bes your job,¡¯ she also considered the favors I did for her as her natural right.


    ¡®I¡¯m a bride-to-be, so it¡¯s only natural.¡¯


    ¡®I¡¯m a bride-to-be, so you have to do this much.¡¯


    It had been normalized at this point. I didn¡¯t exactly know what Jung Hayan was thinking, but I knew she was thinking those kinds of thoughts.


    ¡®I should have controlled my progress with her better.¡¯


    Looking at her madness-stained face, I realized that I made a terrible mistake.


    The medicine I administered in Laios was certainly used too prematurely.


    I thought about taking back her ¡®natural right,¡¯ but when I saw Jung Hayan¡¯s face, such an option had automatically been removed.


    I didn¡¯t just rule out my thoughts because I knew that giving and taking it back was the worst I could possibly do. If I were to take away the rights she could deservedly enjoy, it could lead to a headache.


    ¡°You said we were going to get married¡­ Sniff.¡±


    Even though she had been thinking of a scene I didn¡¯t even want to imagine, watching Jung Hayan cry indeed felt painful.


    Her face disyed resentment against Cha Hee-ra, as well as her distrust of me. It was hard to see her like that.


    She didn¡¯t openly reveal hostility, but she did express her dissatisfaction with me.


    ¡°I said I¡¯m busy right now¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡­ said we were getting married. Sniff. When are we going to¡­ When? W-When!?¡±


    ¡®Look at her raising her voice. Did she go nuts¡­?¡¯


    ¡°Raising your voice like that won¡¯t solve¡­¡±


    ¡°Sniff. I hate Cha Hee-ra¡­ I hate her so much. Soooo much!¡±


    ¡®You provoked her first.¡¯


    Even the way she started talking to herself was quite spectacr to watch.


    Her voice was too quiet to be heard, but she was definitely talking to herself. It was unimaginable to see the usual Jung Hayan screaming at me.


    I realized how extreme her anger had be at that moment.


    ¡®Should I shout as well?¡¯


    Power should be dominated over through even greater power.


    I wanted to shout ¡®how dare you raise your voice at me!¡¯ like the eighth leader of the Yangban family, born in the Joseon Dynasty, but her eyes, looking at me, were not shaken like the loyalists who didn¡¯t sumb to harsh torture.


    ¡®Fucking scary.¡¯


    She was like a bomb that was about to explode.


    ¡°Who told you to raise your voice like that?¡±


    Amid my own confusion, a loud sound began toe out of my mouth unconsciously.


    ¡°Sniiiiffff.¡±


    When she bit her lips tightly as her arms trembled, I started thinking that it wasn¡¯t going to work.


    She couldn¡¯t hear my voice at that moment. It was natural that I even thought about bringing Kim Hyunsung in to utterly defeat her.


    I wanted to pull my body back a little, but her hands holding onto my cor didn¡¯t want me to move.


    If we were secluded or in a closed room, I would¡¯ve peed my pants.


    ¡®What should I do?¡¯


    It was impossible to administer stronger medicine in the current situation. If I raised the bar one step further, I might find myselfter on in a situation I could no longer handle.


    Looking at Jung Hayan staring at me with her ring eyes sharply raised, apologetic feelings welled up, however¡­


    I had to think about something that could ovee the current situation first.


    ¡®Should I gently soothe her as I did with Hee-ra yesterday? No. That¡¯s not right. I could be doomed.¡¯


    It was only natural to worry about whether the same thing would happen again.


    I recalled the memory of enjoying the temptation that entered through my whole body and into my mind. However¡­


    ¡®I only have this.¡¯


    Unlike the previous situation where there were only two on the griffon, I was in the middle of Lindel.


    As I saw in the unicorn case, Jung Hayan wanted to keep a pure position more than anyone else. I could guarantee that she wouldn¡¯t blindly attack me like Cha Hee-ra would.


    ¡®The effect has already been proven.¡¯


    The method might be slightly different, but it should appease Jung Hayan, who was currently getting even angrier.


    As I slowly peeled her off since she had buried her face in my chest, I could see her teary eyes more clearly.


    I gave her the most alluring smile I could muster, looked at her, closed in on her face, then kissed her eyes.


    ¡°Don¡¯t cry, Hayan.¡±


    ¡°Sniff¡­¡±


    After stroking her hair with my fingers, I began to touch her ears gently.


    ¡°I told you that the situation is a little unfavorable right now. I told you many times to understand if it¡¯s something rted to work¡­ If you whine because of this kind of stuff, it¡¯ll be a little hard for me, too.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡±


    It¡¯s wasn¡¯t much, but it was a touch that stimted the five senses for some reason.


    As expected, she began to tremble and blush. I was worried that her legs would soon turn rubbery and sit down on the floor.


    ¡°Aaaahh.¡±


    Her reaction proved to be more intense than I expected.


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I want to get married to you immediately? I have to be patient because of the situation. Just thinking of you every day¡­ makes my heart burst. Look. Like this¡­¡±


    My heart was pounding because of fear, but I whispered sweet words in her ear and did my best to alleviate her anger in my own way.


    In fact, it was not that I didn¡¯t have any physical contact until that moment, but it would be more impactful this way.


    I was in a situation where I was trying to sprinkle pheromones as much as possible, after all.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhh.¡±


    Something felt off.


    ¡°Sigh. Sigh. Sigh.¡±


    Not only did her breathing be harsher, but the way she was looking at me had also changed.


    Her eyes, which seemed to have lost their morals, were now changing bizarrely. For some reason, Jung Hayan was blushing, and she had started twisting her body. I didn¡¯t know if she was crying orughing.


    ¡®This fucking¡­¡¯


    My consciousness had now begun to blur.


    ¡®Huh? What¡¯s going on¡­ What?¡¯


    I was starting to feel sleepy, and my legs felt like they were slowly losing strength. I tried my best to keep my increasingly heavier eyelids open, but I found that I couldn¡¯t stop it.


    ¡®Is this your doing, Jung Hayan?¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t even feel her magic power rising, let alone the spell. I didn¡¯t know if it was an aftereffect from Cha Hee-ra finally hitting me, or if it was Jung Hayan who was the perpetrator, but I slowly began to tilt my body forward.


    I then heard a voice in my ear.


    ¡°A-A-Are you tired?¡±


    Her voice didn¡¯t seem worried at all. In fact, she sounded pleased. Though she tried her best to look worried, I knew her all too well. Her desires were practically glistening.


    ¡°I-I¡¯ll take you there. T-T-To your room. You should take a good rest today. Hehehehe¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes. Suddenly my body is so¡­ p-potion, please¡­¡±


    ¡°I-I will feed you. First, lean over h-here. Here.¡±


    ¡°Right now¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, okay¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Wake¡­ up.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Oppa, wake up. You said you had a meeting. What are you doing? What¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°Lee Jihye¡­?¡±


    I slowly opened my eyes.


    I didn¡¯t know what time it was, but since I could still see the brightness of the day, it didn¡¯t seem like it had been a long time since I lost consciousness.


    I thought I was with Jung Hayan, but Lee Jihye turned out to be the one sitting next to me. She had a flustered and worried look on her.


    Meanwhile, I was having difficulty understanding what had just happened.


    ¡®Where is Jung Hayan, and why is she here?¡¯


    ¡°Huh? You really woke up.¡±


    ¡°What, what? Have I been sleeping for a long time?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been asleep for three days.¡±


    ¡°What!?¡±


    ¡°You were sleeping for exactly three days, you must not be feeling well.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°There was a Temr who came from the Holy sector¡­¡±


    ¡°What? Why did a Temr suddenlye?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on as well¡­ They said there were signs that your life might be in danger. After checking your condition and saying it seemed okay, he went back, but¡­ It¡¯s a mess around here because of that. The Elf Princess also took a look at your health condition¡­ Is she a woman we can actually trust? Does it make sense for a person like you to suddenly have his life endangered? I think this is all suspicious.¡±


    ¡®What is happening now?¡¯


    ¡°Why Elena, of all people? No, what is Elena doing now?¡±


    ¡°The treatment must have just ended. She must be resting now. Doesn¡¯t it smell like the scent of a forest right now?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ Anyway, wasn¡¯t Hayan here?¡±


    ¡°I said you¡¯ve been asleep for three days. Half a day had passed since she brought you here. Seeing that you weren¡¯t waking up, it seemed like the Elf Princess went into your room to see your condition. About three hours after that, the Temr came immediately. I¡¯ve never seen a Temre out. It was really amazing.¡±


    After I had be the Honorary Cardinal, that was the first time a Temr had been mobilized out of the shadows.


    I couldn¡¯t figure out what had happened while I was sleeping. However, something troubled me above all else.


    ¡®Elena?¡¯


    Why did her name pop up again?


    One thing was for sure. I almost went to Benignore¡¯s side with great disgrace.


    If I had really lost my life, there would have been no betteredy than that. It was no wonder that I felt bitter.


    As I looked at Lee Jihye¡¯s face without knowing it, I could see her face closing in on me.


    ¡°By the way, oppa, you look so sexy today. You usually already do. But your appeal is just way stronger right now¡­¡±


    ¡®Not you too, fuck¡­¡¯

 Chapter 432: Re: Life in that World, Starting From Zero (1)

    <h4>Chapter 432: Re: Life in that World, Starting From Zero (1)</h4>


    I thought I knew what it was like to die of weakness by then. I couldn¡¯t even believe that I had been sleeping for three days.


    When I thought about the fact that a Temr came to visit me, a member of a group that never showed their face even in times of great crisis, I could at least understand that what I went through shouldn¡¯t be seen as somethingedic.


    I definitely managed to endure Cha Hee-ra, but after that, Elena¡¯s guilt-ridden theft hadpletely shattered Light Kiyoung¡¯s body.


    Lee Jihye, who was humming and adjusting her clothes, danced to a rhythm as if she was in a good mood. Her flushed and sweaty face felt strangely sexy.


    Of course, I couldn¡¯t afford to start another rambunctious round. Could a body cursed by the demon even do that?


    I had a hard time moving my body even, though I had already taken several potions. It felt as if I had been beaten with at least a semi-mythic grade debilitating curse without wearing any artifacts, and I wasn¡¯t joking, either.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been asleep for three days?¡±


    ¡°Yes. They said it was because your body was exhausted¡­ The experts also said that there¡¯s nothing wrong with you. She¡¯s giving you potions in sap, so it¡¯s understandable. In addition to the potion you made, you¡¯re also taking something from the World Tree, so she must have taken care of your health properly.¡±


    ¡®I hope so, Jihye.¡¯


    ¡°After the Temr took a look at you, he began to mumble and went outside, saying that there was simply a misunderstanding. Even after that, it was a little weird that you only fell asleep. But you were really tired, right? And it¡¯s also been hard for you mentally. Why are you making that face, though? Are you not feeling well? Shall I bring in a priest?¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯m still tired. This is driving me crazy¡­ Did I really take something from the World Tree? All I did was sleep, but why am I so tired? Is my body really fucked up? No one has put an energy drain spell on me, right?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just getting older. Well, looking at you today, it looks like you¡¯re still alive and kicking. Or was I that attractive?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°We have good chemistry, right?¡±


    I nodded roughly at Lee Jihye¡¯s useless words and groped around the desk next to the bed with my weak hands, causing something to fall.


    [Visitor list]


    [Lee Jihye] 08:43 AM - 09:50 AM


    [Cha Heera] 11:00 AM - 12:14 AM


    [Jung Hayan] 15:03 PM - 15:10 PM


    [Elena] 18:05 PM - 20:02 PM


    [Cha Heera] 22:23 PM - 23:03 PM


    [Cha Heera] 05:02 AM - 06:04 AM


    [Lee Jihye] 08:23 AM - 09:10 AM


    [Jung Hayan] 09:21 AM - 09:29 AM


    [Jung Hayan] 10:55 AM - 11:05 AM


    [Jung Hayan] 12:11 PM- 12:22 PM


    [Jung Hayan] 15:42 PM - 15:52 PM


    [Elena] 18:05 PM - 20:02 PM


    [# # # # # #]


    ¡®What¡¯s this?¡¯


    It all felt so ridiculous that I almostughed. At the same time, I couldn¡¯t help but feel really grateful for theming regrly.


    ¡®Thinking of me so much would make me cry.¡¯


    Still, it was also noticeable that they gave me a break in the middle of the visits, as if they thought I needed personal time and time to rest.


    Jung Hayan only stayed for ten minutes every time she came, as if she tried her best to finish her business with me very quickly. Cha Hee-ra stayed for about an hour. I didn¡¯t see Elena¡¯s name much on the list, but as she was well-regted, she visited me twice on the same time frame, filled in two hours, and then left.


    Even Lee Jihye was a regr. It seemed that organically adjusting the time anding by seemed to express her personality well.


    As I looked at her quietly, I saw her clearing her throat.


    Although other people wereing by, most of the visitors for the past three days were those four. Since I didn¡¯t know how much they thought of me up until now, I couldn¡¯t help but shed tears of gratitude.


    I wondered if they had done something to me¡­


    ¡®No. There¡¯s no way they would.¡¯


    No matter how weird those people were, they wouldn¡¯t have behaved impulsively around me as a patient.


    I shook my head.


    After I cleared my mind, I began to gulp the contents of a potion silently. Once again, I felt something like the water of life going down my throat.


    ¡®Did I choose to be an alchemist for this? I¡¯m dying in shame.¡¯


    ¡°You¡¯re drinking a lot of potions.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s like a pick-me-up. It¡¯s a rejuvenating drink too. I really feel like my body has weakened.¡±


    ¡°You did a lot. Honestly, it¡¯s time to take a little break. It would be strange if you didn¡¯t feel anything. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s anything serious, though.¡±


    ¡°If so, that¡¯s good.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯ll be told not to overdo it for a few days. Do you think you¡¯re alone? In those three days, the country, no, the continent was in chaos¡­ Oh, is this something you already know?¡±


    ¡°That the quests are gone? And that the dungeons disappeared too? I was the first one to hear about it.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Pope Basel was right. It seemed like you should have announced it, but as you know, you couldn¡¯t do that because you were lying in a sickbed. Pope Basel himself preached that meaning to the continent.¡±


    ¡°Good job. What was the public¡¯s reaction?¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    ¡°It was a tremendous uproar. Well, it would¡¯ve been weirder if they didn¡¯t react that way. The system that has maintained the continent has been overturned all at once. Fortunately, the foreigners had work to do. As you know, the Demon Summoner Jin Qing testified about the spread of demonic officials on the continent. Thanks to that, the Adventurers Guild is preparing to go on an expedition to the scattered evil dungeons. And¡­ there is also the Crack Land.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s still¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about to open, oppa.¡±


    ¡°What? It¡¯s beenpleted?¡±


    ¡°The day you passed out, Cha Hee-ra personally came and told me that I¡¯d have to proceed with it immediately. I could tell what you would be picturing, so I just proceeded with that, but that¡¯s a good thing, right? Manager Kim Miyoung helped me a lot. Oh, that person¡¯s ability is very good.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a valuable talent. I think I need to raise her sry.¡±


    ¡°Please do that. Please give her a generous bonus, too. Currently, the funds areing 30% from the Blue and 60% from the Red Mercenary. About 5% came from the ck Swan and 5% from Yuno Kasugano¡­ Those are all after I limited all the small things. I used the dwarves, Max, Lindel¡¯s wizards, and other human resources to set up a distributionwork using a minimum workforce. In fact, it¡¯s embarrassing to call it amercial district because I didn¡¯t have time to make it better. It would be better if you go and experience it yourself.¡±


    ¡°I thought it would be good if things progressed swiftly, but this is going way too fast.¡±


    ¡°Oh, this is just the framework. From the beginning, Max was the one who was constantly preparing. There are a lot of things to refine externally, but there¡¯s nothing wrong with the internal affairs of the museum.¡±


    ¡®Of course, there isn¡¯t.¡¯


    She had finally revealed her true nature, but that didn¡¯t happen in just a couple of days. I simply nodded in reply.


    ¡®Okay¡­ you really are good quality. After all, we are soulmates.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know how she could always tackle the issues I needed to focus on the most. In my eyes, she had be even lovelier.


    It was then that Lee Jihye spoke once more.


    ¡°You look satisfied.¡±


    ¡°I actually am. Thanks, nuna.¡±


    ¡°Then I can also get one now, right?¡±


    ¡°Uh?¡±


    ¡°The Infinity Stone¡­ no, the ring on Cha Hee-ra¡¯s and Jung Hayan¡¯s finger. Could you give me one too? It isn¡¯t very pleasant to be the third, and I think I deserve one too. I¡¯ll wear it all the time, so don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Yeah¡­¡±


    It would¡¯ve beenplicated even if I were to say I couldn¡¯t.


    ¡®And there is no reason not to give her one as well.¡¯


    Considering what Lee Jihye had done so far in the first ce, she was more than deserving of it. It wouldn¡¯t look cool since I was lying on the sickbed, but I took out the ring with arge yellow jewel and started to put it on her finger.


    Lee Jihye seemed expressionless as I did so, but once I had finally slipped it into her finger, sheughed as if she was in a good mood.


    ¡°If you can get up, let¡¯s go for a meal.¡±


    ¡°I can get up. By the way, were you always here?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because I was busy preparing Crack Land for its grand opening, I was always busy. It¡¯s been quite a while since Ist returned to our guild. Anyone would think I¡¯m from the Blue Guild.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    As I nodded and stood up, it was surprising to see that my body was well-functioning. I felt like I was getting healthier as I started walking around.


    As I stepped outside, the people who we passed by looked at me and greeted me.


    Most of them sported a surprised expression and gave me different gifts or thoughts, but, of course, Elena was the one that stood out among them.


    She couldn¡¯te to me easily. Rather, she hesitated at a distance. Interestingly, there was terrible guilt written all over her face.


    ¡®What did she really do to look like that?¡¯


    She looked a little different from her usual self. She was lowering her head as her ears reddened.


    I tried to talk about my current physical condition, but it was regrettable that I couldn¡¯t do it since the moment I approached her, she ran away from me.


    That wasn¡¯t the only thing that I found strange.


    ¡®Where are the other people?¡¯


    ¡°Where are all the Blue Guild members?¡±


    ¡°Where do you think? They¡¯re at the museum. I told you we¡¯re finishing the final touches. Deokgu also woke up two days ago and joined them right away. There are probably many Red Mercenary members there too. Actually, you should¡¯ve been there this morning. What a shame.¡±


    ¡°Are you promoting it?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I always am. It has no choice but to work as it¡¯s a substitute for other dungeons anyway. Well, you know this better, but¡­¡±


    When we arrived at the restaurant, she ordered a simple dish.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t much since it¡¯s just the drawing of the design, but I think you can take a look at it¡­¡±


    After taking a spoonful of food into my mouth, I, too, began to see the Crack Land¡¯s exact appearance.


    ¡®It¡¯s not all that bad.¡¯


    If this was a coboration between manager Kim Miyoung and Lee Jihye, it would surely feel reliable enough.


    I had to experience the details myself, but I thought they basically had the right idea.


    I couldn¡¯t predict how the current market would ept it, but the basicposition deserved apuse.


    ¡®It¡¯s what I exactly had in mind.¡¯


    They had devised a structure that typically exploited themoners.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I need to see it¡­¡±


    ¡°No. You have to see it. Because it¡¯s not reflecting your opinion, I think it would be better to experience it yourself.¡±


    ¡°Is there a way?¡±


    ¡°What kind of stupid question is that? Aren¡¯t you the one managing that ce? It won¡¯t look good if you just enter it normally. You should wear a disguise and experience it from the perspective of amoner. It should be a great change of pace. It¡¯s divided into beginner, intermediate, and advanced courses, and the ranks are rare, heroic, and legendary.¡±


    ¡°Would that be good enough¡­?¡±


    I was actually feelingzy, and it wasn¡¯t really a busy time.


    Aftering to Lindel, I expected to have a crazy time, but my focus had been almost entirely on Crack Land due to my duty to the people.


    Above all, I wanted to get out of the current situation a little.


    ¡®It would be less dangerous to enter the dungeon.¡¯


    I thought something simr as I pushed the fatigue recovery potion back into my throat.


    ¡°It would be better to do that.¡±


    ¡°Are you serious?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°I know I suggested it, but it¡¯s still strange that you epted it. Then¡­ Should I set up a separate party?¡±


    ¡°No. You don¡¯t have to. There are a lot of parties in the square. I¡¯ll go get one myself.¡±


    Only through the eyes of themon people could I feel exactly how much Crack Land could exploit them.

 Chapter 433: Re: Life in that World, Starting From Zero (2)

    <h4>Chapter 433: Re: Life in that World, Starting From Zero (2)</h4>


    I started moving around after having my body checked.


    If I went to the square a littleter, there was a possibility that I wasn¡¯t going to be able to find a suitable party.


    Lee Jihye¡¯s expression as she watched me checking the luggage seemed a little disconcerted. She didn¡¯t think I would really go through with it at all.


    ¡°You¡¯re actually going? What made you decide that? Why don¡¯t you just rest here?¡±


    ¡°No. I was going to look around anyway. I¡¯m just as nervous as you were while you hurried to open it before sending in the testers¡­ I¡¯ll have to figure out what the problems with it are.¡±


    ¡°Since when have you been so passionate?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how important it is to me.¡±


    That was not the only reason why I suddenly wanted to leave for an expedition, but it wasn¡¯t wrong, either.


    ¡®It¡¯s really important.¡¯


    Of course, I thought Lee Jihye and manager Kim Miyoung had done a good job.


    However, what they were capable of and the degree ofpletion the dungeon attained were twopletely different stories.


    If they were museum managers, I could have entrusted it to them with confidence, but unfortunately, Max and I were the only museum managers on the continent.


    He was level 5, and I was level 4.


    It meant that I was the general manager of the museum that was going to open that day.


    It would be strange for the CEO not to show up even though he was running that big business. It would be like the greedy man felt that he didn¡¯t want to proceed in vain, considering the continent¡¯s fate was at stake.


    I had to see if it exploited the people in a bnced way. It shouldn¡¯t exploit too hard, yet not too softly.


    It was, after all, still important to keep instilling hope and while umting damage.


    The yers¡¯ growth was also a market that I had to pay attention to. It had to make them desperate. That was the significance of the Crack Land - to make the foreigners desperate.


    Additionally, it had to bring tremendous financial gains to Blue.


    It was easy to say, but it was inevitably delicate in many ways. It wasn¡¯t particrly strange for me to want to experience it the waymoners did.


    ¡°You¡¯re pretty famous¡­ what are you going to do with that? It would be unreasonable to try to do something with magic¡­¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t I just go out in disguise? I have a surprisinglymon face.¡±


    ¡°To be honest, your face isn¡¯tmon at all. It¡¯s not like there¡¯s no peculiarity. Even so, I think you¡¯re going to look a little different if you just change your hairstyle and the equipment you usually wear. You have a standard image of being the Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung, so if you deviate from that image, it might be okay¡­?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°No, it won¡¯t work. First, your face stands out too much.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to do that.¡±


    ¡°But you still have to do things right. What about wearing a mask? Although that would look a little suspicious¡­¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t even think about it! Jihye! Are you crazy?¡¯


    ¡°That, I refuse to acknowledge.¡±


    ¡°Well. You don¡¯t have to cause useless cautiousness. You¡¯re not going to enter the rare-grade, right? Heroic-grade?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then magic is also rejected. They¡¯ll notice everything. Oh! Wait. It doesn¡¯t mean there¡¯s no way. Wait here. I¡¯ll be back soon.¡±


    She nodded as if she just had the brightest idea, and then she went away. She had that certain expression wherein she looked like she came running out of the bath and shouted Eureka.


    After all, she always had sharp means around problems.


    I didn¡¯t expect much, but after a while, I couldn¡¯t help but be shocked because of what Lee Jihye had brought.


    ¡°Is this okay?¡±


    ¡°What? Where did these guyse from?¡±


    ¡°When Hyejin brought the unicorn, she hid and brought them. It¡¯s fine, right?¡±


    ¡°I-I think it will be okay, but this is¡­¡±


    ¡°You said that the effectsts a few days anyway. I think it will be just right. Go with this.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t be bad.¡±


    * * *


    ¡°Cheol-woo oppa?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Cheol-woo oppa!¡±


    ¡°Oh, Minji.¡±


    ¡°So? Is there anyone useful?¡±


    ¡°No. I don¡¯t think so¡­ I can¡¯t find anyone. I knew it would be difficult to find a backline at Lindel, but it¡¯s really hard to find one since they¡¯ll feel like they¡¯re starting from scratch. The good ones I found already had a party¡­ In fact, our front line isn¡¯t that strong either. The wizards we want won¡¯t be satisfied with it. If I knew it would be like this, I would have brought more wizards into the n even if it was unreasonable.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s easy to say, but hard tomit to. If they don¡¯t grow after you bring them in for no reason, it¡¯ll just be a waste for all parties involved. Having many wizards can also be a problem¡­ Someone like Jung Hayan from the Blue Guild could pop out. I would be really nice to that person¡­¡±


    ¡°Jung Hayan is a very unusual case. Even a wizard who is active in a medium-sized guild would not be enough. That¡¯s why the wizard pool is small.¡±


    ¡°Instead¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°How about applying to the Demon¡¯s Spire since we¡¯re in a stalemate anyway? I heard that it gives many supplies, and if we enter a raid, won¡¯t it be easier to organize a party than now? If you get acquainted with the wizards who entered the same raid, you can sneak a suggestion to join the n¡­ Isn¡¯t it the Magic Kingdom, after all? They have good wizards¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not allowed.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still dangerous. It¡¯s not a ce we can just barge into with our level.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I heard that the Tree Next Door n is also heading to the Demon¡¯s Spire¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a dungeon that should be at least heroic-grade or higher in terms of rating. We have many people who have just entered the heroic-grade, so it¡¯s hard for us. Of course, it doesn¡¯t mean that there is no possibility at all, but I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a need to move in a hurry. It won¡¯t be toote, even after gaining experience at the Crack Museum.¡±


    I was arguing against the idea, but in fact, it wasn¡¯t that I didn¡¯t think about going to the Magic Kingdom.


    Unlike the Crack Museum, where people had to organize their own parties, the Demon¡¯s Spire, which required a rtivelyrge number of people, was a lot friendlier towards people like us. Considering that I had some connections and that the supply support won¡¯t be small, the rewards could be greater.


    Of course, that was only true if I ended with some supplies left, but it was still worth considering in many ways. However¡­


    ¡®Not yet.¡¯


    All the n¡¯s squads could only do heroic-grade.


    There was a high probability that a dangerous ident would ur if we went beyond the intermediate level.


    The reason the n could continue running was because we were careful. Although the world had changed, the act of unreasonably trying to gain an advantage always triggered idents.


    ¡°I thought you would say that.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for understanding.¡±


    ¡°No. Even Daegun said that you would definitely oppose it. I just thought I should try to convince you anyway. I wasn¡¯t even expecting anything.¡±


    ¡°Daegun, too?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Who would say you¡¯ve not been friends since childhood? You two really fit each other. Sometimes, I feel really jealous.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯tugh. I¡¯m not kidding. There really are n members who feel alienated because the n Master and the Vice n Master are too close.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to have made them feel that way¡­ should I apologize to the n members? By the way, where is Daegun now?¡±


    ¡°He was looking for a party at the bar. I don¡¯t know if the wizards, who have been drinking since morning, will be helpful in the expedition, but we¡¯ve been in such a hurry. It¡¯s time to leave soon¡­ Ugh. There really aren¡¯t many people. Why does this happen at such timing? Those demonic officials¡­ I want to catch them and put them all into firewood. And even¡­¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. In fact, it doesn¡¯t look as bad as people might think.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Even if heroic-grade dungeons are continuously released, there¡¯s no guarantee that we will either bid or find that dungeon. In a little while, the tutorial dungeon will open¡­ This time, the whole continent is united, so they said they would run an education center. Maybe manyrge guilds will be paying attention to dungeon auctions. They have to raise beginners who will join the guild. In that sense, with the funds our n has¡­ It means that winning a heroic-grade dungeon is close to impossible. And I can¡¯t rely on luck.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    ¡°Although the pool is a little narrow¡­ Still, it¡¯s great that we can still go to a dungeon. If the dungeon is directly managed by the Goddess, it would surely be friendly to foreigners. Also, it was announced thatrge guilds would be supporting small and medium-sized ns. We have to see this as an opportunity no matter what.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡±


    ¡°If we don¡¯t get nervous, someone will definitelye while we¡¯re waiting. There will be one or two people who would be thinking the same thing as us.¡±


    ¡°After three hours, if no onees up¡­¡±


    ¡°Then, it would be better to leave. There will be a wizard who¡¯d fallen behind in front of the museum.¡±


    ¡°I wish there would be.¡±


    It was just a simple wish.


    Finding a wizard seeking a party in front of a dungeon was nearly impossible, no matter how I thought about it. However, I didn¡¯t want to just stand still.


    As a new opportunity came, I had to move desperately.


    It was only natural that I wanted to wait a little stronger.


    ¡°We¡¯re looking for a wizard who wants to join our party. We¡¯re a n with a strong frontline and priests. The destination is the Crack Museum heroic-grade dungeon. We are looking for people who will happily hunt with us in a family-like atmosphere. You only have to share some part of your stats and your ss. If you are interested, we will do our best to amodate you. If youe, we will leave right away. We are the Friendship n!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re looking for a wizard to hunt with, and is kindhearted! Our n Master oppa really likes people! Pleasee join us!¡±


    It was just as expected.


    I could see Kook Minji speaking right next to me.


    However, our voices couldn¡¯t be heard since all the parties that filled the square were shouting as well. I raised the sign I was holding a little higher, but it didn¡¯t seem that easy to find a party member.


    It was then¡­


    In the distance, we could see someone with a staff approaching.


    ¡®Uh?¡¯


    She had a face that could be said to be overall beautiful.


    Her torn eyes, pure white skin, and blood-red lips stood out.


    Her entire body was covered with a robe, and her gait looked strangely awkward. I wasn¡¯t sure if her foot was injured, but she certainly had a staggering posture.


    What stood out more than her posture was her face.


    ¡®How can someone have that kind of look¡­?¡¯


    Sexy was an understatement. Was she a subus? Her torn eyes were enough to awaken anyone¡¯s lust.


    It would be more appropriate to say that she looked erotic.


    People didn¡¯t usually say that when evaluating a person¡¯s appearance, but that was the most urate description of her.


    I had met many people so far, but that was my first time looking at someone like her. I didn¡¯t even need to mention that just looking at her made me feel like I was blushing.


    Staring nkly at her for a moment, I watched the woman with a foreign charm stand in front of me as she parted her dangerous lips.


    ¡°I am¡­ a wizard, but a different kind of wizard. If it¡¯s okay, can I join the party? I heard that you were leaving for the Crack Museum.¡±


    Her voice made my lower body tense beyond my control.


    ¡°I guess I have to introduce myself first. Nice to meet you, Friendship n. I¡¯m Lee Kiyeon, the Summoner Wizard.¡±

 Chapter 434: Re: Life in that World Starting From Zero (3)

    <h4>Chapter 434: Re: Life in that World Starting From Zero (3)</h4>


    ¡®This is so ufortable¡­¡¯


    I had epted Lee Jihye¡¯s suggestion because I thought it would be okay, but it proved to be too excruciating.


    The look I wore was indeed unbearable, despite not wearing a skirt. Even waking felt awkward because I felt like my skeletal system had changed.


    Although I was familiar with gazes settling upon me, it was essentially different from the gazes I received as Lee Kiyoung. These ones bothered me more.


    Even those who were drunk in broad daylight gave me onceovers.


    As long as they didn¡¯t see me like a slut it didn¡¯t matter that much, but it was still undeniable that it felt unpleasant.


    ¡®Men¡­¡¯


    They were all the same, myself included.


    When I looked to the side, I saw my reflection on the window. I couldn¡¯t say that I looked beautiful, but I indeed had an attractive face.


    ¡®Okay¡­ I¡¯m satisfied with this, at least.¡¯


    It was enough to arouse interest.


    I had a face that wouldn¡¯t get rejected for a party job offer.


    In fact, when looking for a party, one¡¯s look yed an important role as well. It was for the same reason thatpanies hade to value the appearance of the interviewee.


    If one were a well-known adventurer, they could get out of that restriction, but expeditions made people picky. Not only did they spend a few days with someone they had never seen before, but they also had to trust others, even in situations where they wouldn¡¯t be able to see one step ahead.


    Impressions were just as important if one were to assume that all kinds of problems could ur. People didn¡¯t want to go on expeditions with someone who looked like a scammer or a murderer.


    In that aspect, Lee Kiyeon was enough to fit into the cut line.


    Nodding as I walked, I noticed the people entering the square.


    ¡®Who should I pick¡­?¡¯


    It was also important to test the waters. Since I had never gone through that kind of trouble, it was easy to admit that I felt lost.


    ¡®It won¡¯t be easy to find a job¡­¡¯


    Of course, I quickly realized how wrong I was.


    ¡°We¡¯re looking for frontlinebatants to go hunting together!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re looking for an archer to go on an expedition to the nearby Goblin Vige! We prefer those who have a good sense of direction. We¡¯ll leave as soon as you join!¡±


    There weren¡¯t only parties looking for members.


    ¡°My ss is a rare-grade assassin. If you let me join, I can go anywhere. I have a lot of experience, and my damage output is pretty good. I¡¯m different from other bandits. Please let me join! I don¡¯t even need someone to heal! I¡¯ll just bandage it up!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a heroic-grade hunter! I will chase anyone you want me to! I¡¯m looking for a party to join! Please!¡±


    Even the number of individuals seeking a party couldn¡¯t be ignored. No, to be precise, there were more individuals than there were groups.


    Most of them were thieves who constantly screamed to promote themselves.


    ¡®Looking at them, they¡¯ve turned out to be low-ss people. However, I already knew that.¡¯


    They were those located at the bottom of the pyramid. Priests, wizards, and usable tanks were all ranked at the top.


    In particr, there was only a small pool of wizards.


    The Blue Guild never had to worry about getting wizards, so I was a little puzzled at first, but giving it a little thought, I knew that I could easily exin the phenomenon.


    If the world were a game, it wouldn¡¯t happen.


    Unlike in games where magic could be used at the push of a button, that world¡¯s magic was clearly treated as a schrly subject.


    The title of wizard could only be obtained through desperate efforts apart from simply being smart. Even rare-grade wizards were considered precious in the continent.


    Most of the wizards who had reached heroic-grade were members ofrge guilds or were treated as high-level personnel that were allowed to travel


    Some were like government officials stuck as researchers, while a few wizards had never gone on a hunt because they feared the outdoors.


    Of course, even such people had no problem making a living.


    Given the circumstances, it was obvious how a skilled wizard would be treated. As the number of thieves and assassins increased, the gap in their status and those ssified as high-ranking upations becamerger.


    Of course, that was in the wild. It waspletely different from the ecosystem ofrge guilds that already had good wizards in their ranks.


    Perhaps half of the gazes directed at me contained that reasoning.


    I was holding a wizardly staff, after all.


    ¡°Hey, wizard, if you are above heroic-grade, how about the demon¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m not at that level yet.¡±


    ¡°How about going out to the field?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hunt rare-grade raid monsters¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Raid monsters are a little¡­¡±


    ¡°If you have time, we can have a cup of tea somewhere quiet.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Lee Kiyeon, the summoning wizard.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®What¡¯s up with this motherfucker?¡¯


    ¡°Excuse me? Can you hear me?¡±


    ¡°Oh! I¡¯m sorry. S-so¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Lee Kiyeon, the summoning wizard.¡±


    ¡°Right! Yes. It¡¯s nice to meet you, Lee Kiyeon.¡±


    ¡®Gosh, a clumsy one?¡¯


    Watching him bing flustered proved to be quite entertaining.


    He shouldn¡¯t be looking like a beginner if he was really a heroic-grade. I got anxious because of his behavior. I thought that maybe I had approached the wrong group, but the abilities seen with my Mind¡¯s Eyes didn¡¯t lie.


    I watched Lee Cheol-woo look at me after coughing, almost as if he was clearing up his mind.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I was¡­¡±


    ¡°No. No. I can understand. More importantly¡­ Can I join your party?¡±


    ¡°Before that¡­ Can you please exin what kind of job the summoning wizard is?¡±


    ¡®He¡¯s not clumsy, after all.¡¯


    ¡°Oh. I got ahead of myself. Of course. I don¡¯t know how to exin it at best, but¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Think of it as being in the middle of a summoner and a wizard. It¡¯ll be easier to understand that way. I can usemon-grade magic, but doing more than that is a bit difficult. If I overdo it, even rare-grade magic is possible. Although my specialty is summoning magic, it¡¯s impossible to keep a summoned around for a long time. It¡¯s quick, but it¡¯s still possible to strike with it.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°Is it a little vague?¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s not. However, it¡¯s an issue that requires the consent of the party members¡­ Of course, I must thank you for approaching our party, but since you¡¯re not an ordinary wizard¡­¡±


    ¡®Ha¡­ fuck¡­ No to special job discrimination, you punk. ¡®


    ¡°It¡¯s a heroic-grade ss, and it hasn¡¯t been long since I changed sses. My stats also fit heroic-grade.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡®This is why regr parties are annoying.¡¯


    Looking at his disposition and quirks, he seemed to have his personality in a rut.


    It looked like he was wondering about it, even though I didn¡¯t think it was a big deal.


    Of course, as a party leader, it was not that I didn¡¯t understand his sentiments, but having to wait was annoying. The people in the square gradually decreased while he was wasting my time.


    ¡®Are you going to ept me or not?¡¯


    I wanted to turn back after telling him to screw off, but I had no other choice. I realized what kind of treatment people with special sses often got.


    Even if I went to a different party, I probably would be in the same situation.


    ¡®Since I am neither a wizard nor a summoner, I look too widespread.¡¯


    It was indeed a vague ss if I were to think about it.


    ¡°Oh, can¡¯t I join? I think I have to go today¡­ Ha. What should I do.¡±


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s possible.¡±


    I had finally gotten some good news.


    However, the voice came from behind me.


    When I turned my head naturally, I saw a warrior wearing a shield and blunt weapon.


    ¡®Kim Daegun?¡¯


    He was a typical frontline warrior with high durability and stamina. Just before I could greet him, Lee Cheol-woo greeted him first. They then started to have a conversation without me.


    ¡°Daegun.¡±


    ¡°There is also a saying that the system doesn¡¯t lie. It¡¯s a heroic-grade ss, and she¡¯s saying she¡¯s matched the stats too. Why are you still wondering about her? It¡¯s better to go out there and do something than to stay here. You can listen to the details as you head to the destination. If you don¡¯t like her, you can just reward her.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I probably won¡¯t be disappointed. I¡¯m sure of it.¡±


    ¡°If so¡­¡±


    Sess was right before my eyes. When I nodded with a satisfactory expression, Kook Minji¡¯s face next to him became noticeably unpleasant.


    The lines she voiced out after that was surprising.


    ¡°I vote against it.¡±


    ¡®Gosh, what¡¯s up with her now?¡¯


    ¡°I understand what you guys are thinking, but I am a little¡­ I don¡¯t feel good about this.¡±


    It was truly hard to make a living in Lindel.


    ¡®You¡¯re a woman too, dammit. Can we live with some cooperation?¡¯

 Chapter 435: Re: Life in that World Starting From Zero (4)

    <h4>Chapter 435: Re: Life in that World Starting From Zero (4)</h4>


    ¡°Can¡¯t¡­ we?¡±


    ¡°What is it, Minji?¡±


    ¡®Right. What is it? Did do I do anything wrong? Why can¡¯t I just go hunting? Huh? Can¡¯t I go out to the dungeon?¡¯


    ¡°Just by looking at her, I can tell she doesn¡¯t have that much experience. Am I right?¡±


    ¡®What bullsh*t are you talking about? Who else has as much experience as I do?¡¯


    My experiences were a little different from other people¡¯s, though.


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t have muscles in her legs and her arms. Her hands are too fine, and her nails don¡¯t have one scratch¡­ No matter how I look at her, her body doesn¡¯t seem like it has gone on many expeditions. I don¡¯t know where you are putting your personal supplies, but¡­ That bag is a Chanelia Hermes, right? Luxury brand. It looks pretty, but it¡¯s not practical.¡±


    ¡®What bullsh*t are you talking about? This is a gift from our Hyunsung, bitch. It¡¯s an infinite bag. It¡¯s not trash! It¡¯s a bag you can¡¯t buy in your entire lifetime.¡¯


    ¡°Who carries a luxury bag like that when going to an expedition? It¡¯s only good to look at, but its utility is horrible. You¡¯re not going to the dungeon to flirt around, are you? You should have prepared the minimum. Even if you¡¯re a wizard, you should have your own personal supplies. We can help with things like tents and camps, but it¡¯s only proper to have the basics ready before requesting to join a party, Lee Kiyeon. Cheol-woo and Daegun aren¡¯t just random nobodies. You even put on full makeup¡­ I don¡¯t know if you want to look good for someone, but that seems a bit off for me. Who goes on an expedition wearing makeup? Will you wake up in the dungeon and put makeup in there, too?¡±


    ¡®What¡¯s up with her? She¡¯s going really crazy. What are you doing? Why are you so angry?¡¯


    She sounded right, though. However, I couldn¡¯t just say that and nod.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m not wearing makeup. Not even a bit.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯te after putting on makeup. If you look closely, you¡¯ll understand.¡±


    ¡°Then those lips and skin¡­ That mascara on your eyshes¡­¡±


    ¡°Take a closer look.¡±


    And about the infinite bag¡­


    ¡®I shouldn¡¯t tell them about it.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about the bag. It¡¯s been a long time since Ist left theb. This bag is the only one I had. Before I left theb, I disposed of everything that seemed useless. I had no idea that this would happen¡­ a-and there are some circumstances that I cannot talk about.¡±


    ¡°Even so¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have much experience in expeditions, but I¡¯ll work hard. No, if you trust me, I¡¯ll do my best. At the very least, I won¡¯t be a nuisance. Please.¡±


    ¡°How are you so sure?¡±


    Even Light Kiyoung had a bit of muscle. However, Lee Kiyeon was truly thin.


    It was irrational in many ways to say that I had cleared not only heroic-grade dungeons, but also legendary-grade dungeons with that body.


    Even if I told her, she wouldn¡¯t even believe it anyway.


    It was better to create a story enough to make them agree with my request.


    ¡°Two or three rare-grade dungeons? I¡¯ve been out on the field more than that.¡±


    ¡°Lies. I don¡¯t think such a body¡­¡±


    ¡®This girl! are you interrogating me?¡¯


    ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, then I have nothing left to say, but¡­ it¡¯s true. Although it happened some time ago.¡±


    It felt like she was really doing an interrogation.


    When it came to that point, one side would usually give up to some degree. I couldn¡¯t figure out why the hell she was attacking me that much.


    If she was doing that from the start, it was no different than telling me not to join.


    She was ruining the atmosphere even before leaving. Who would want to proceed with the expedition with a party like that?


    Had both sides not been desperate, we would have already gotten angry and pulling each other¡¯s hair.


    ¡®Okay, fuck. I¡¯ll try to understand.¡¯


    If I were her, I wouldn¡¯t want to ept myself as a party member either.


    Lindel¡¯s ants were living more fiercely than I thought. Thinking that this was a life-threatening problem, I nodded.


    To be honest¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s my mistake.¡¯


    There was a useless misunderstanding in the makeup part, but it was a mistake to go on an expedition without a backpack.


    ¡®You lived without knowing too much. You grew up too cherished. Kiyeon, this girl.¡¯


    I hadn¡¯t worn any bag since after the first expedition.


    Initially, all the basic tools I needed were in Chanelia Hermes. Other than that, Park Deokgu carried the bags, and the guild staff organized the items.


    It meant that I couldn¡¯t even remember my newbie days anymore. Besides, my newbie days and their newbie days wouldn¡¯t be the same.


    They had been thrown out with nothing, and in my case, I had started with a high sry.


    Even if I was a veteran with quite a few years of experience under my belt, it was not surprising that I couldn¡¯t understand their customs.


    ¡®Ha¡­ Did I make a mistake? I guess I did.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t make any more excuses.


    I had no choice but to entrust Kiyeon to them.


    Even at that moment, I wanted to join a different party, but the job market was already closing down. I looked at Kook Minji with a sad expression, but her expression remained cold.


    ¡®This one is firm.¡¯


    She wasn¡¯t giving up. I guess this meant that I had to target someone else.


    I stared at Lee Cheol-woo quietly. As soon as I shot my gaze, he came to my rescue.


    ¡®This one was friendly from the start. Niiiiiice. Cheers, our Kiyeon!¡¯


    ¡°Don¡¯t push her so hard, Minji. I¡¯m sorry, Lee Kiyeon. I will apologize on her behalf.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s nice, but sometimes she tends to lose her cool. I¡¯m a little puzzled that you didn¡¯t bring the basic supplies, but¡­ I believe there must be some circumstances at stake.¡±


    ¡®Whew. That¡¯s it.¡¯


    ¡°Then¡­¡±


    ¡°I think it would be okay if youe with us. Daegun, what do you think?¡±


    ¡°I was in favor of it from the beginning. Minji, don¡¯t go pouting like that. I understand what you¡¯re worried about, but¡­ We¡¯ve got nothing else to lose. If you think about how easy the expedition will be because we have a wizard, we should be thankful.


    ¡°Yes, but¡­¡±


    ¡°You have to apologize first.¡±


    The two men started to look at the spoiled girl with silent eyes. In the end, it was her that raised her white g.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I was being rude.¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s okay. I know my circumstances can be quite a source of misunderstandings, so I understand. We won¡¯t be together for long, but I look forward to working with you.¡±


    ¡°We really appreciate it, Kiyeon. What are you doing, Cheol-woo? Give her the temporary party contract.¡±


    ¡°You have a contract, too?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the formal procedure.¡±


    ¡®There seems to be all sorts of things.¡¯


    When I looked at the contract issued by the priest after carefully pulling it out, several provisions came into my eyes.


    It was notplicated, and it was also very concise.


    It was truly a formal contract. It was about the provisions for escape or troll behaviors,pensation, and distribution.


    Perhaps it didn¡¯t have a great legal effect.


    Nobody could tell what would happen in a dungeon unless they turned the Goddess¡¯s Mirrorpletely on for 24 hours.


    It seemed to me that it was simply meant to instill alertness.


    It was a little messy, but I seeded in getting a party anyway. At that point, I began to ask about their personal information and details.


    ¡°It¡¯s not only the fours of us, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. We have three more colleagues.¡±


    That seemed like the right number.


    ¡°Maybe they are preparing to leave from the amodation.¡±


    ¡°I see. Where is the n house? Western region?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ embarrassing, but there¡¯s still no ce we can call a n house. I thought that buying equipment was more important¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°This is embarrassing.¡±


    ¡°No. That was a great choice. You¡¯re trying to improve a little more. There aren¡¯t many people who invest in equipment in the beginning. You¡¯ve judged well. So that¡¯s why your equipment is shining like that. Isn¡¯t that robe also heroic-grade? The quality looks really good¡­¡±


    ¡°No. It is a rare-grade.¡±


    ¡°I guess it looked like that because the user carried it well.¡±


    ¡°B-B-B-By the way, how long has Kiyeon been here?¡±


    ¡°Not long. Has it been two years now? It will be three years soon. Cheol-woo and Daegun¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve been here for four years.¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s not that long. Not bad.¡¯


    Entering heroic-grade in their fourth year meant their growth proved to be extremely fast.


    On average, it took about six or seven years to get those stats.


    Their n didn¡¯t seem to be the type to act based on impulse. I thought of them as people who had a clear vision and were climbing up from the bottom. I couldn¡¯t help but admit that I had chosen the right party to join in.


    I didn¡¯t usually think of it, but I felt like I could see them along the top after a little more time.


    I quickly realized that it would be wise to memorize their faces.


    Since we decided to go on an expedition together, it was only proper.


    I watched two of the membersugh at the basic sweet-talk I gave them.


    I still didn¡¯t know why Kook Minji was so dissatisfied, but it seemed that she had made up her mind.


    ¡°We¡¯ll lend you some basic supplies.¡±


    ¡°Will that be okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Our n is generous. It won¡¯t be a problem to prepare another bag.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for doing that. I feel like I¡¯m already indebted to you. I¡¯m so sorry.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. We¡¯re a team.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so cool¡­ You¡¯re so reliable. I feel relieved.¡±


    Buttering them up would never be a bad move. As I put on a pleasing smile, I saw him slightly smiling.


    That was the moment I knew my sweet talks that melted even Pope Basel had paid off.


    Moving a little quicker, I saw their amodations. It seemed like they lived with their luggage there as if it was true that there was no n house yet.


    After Lee Cheol-woo went inside, asking me to wait, I watched three women taking the vacant seats.


    ¡®One archer, one swordswoman, and one fighter.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know if it was just my imagination, but they didn¡¯t seem to like me that much for some reason.


    I greeted them with a smile with my unique friendliness, but they only formally nodded, and there was no other reaction. Only when Kim Daegun introduced me did I really feel like they were saying hello.


    ¡°Let¡¯s introduce you. This is Kiyeon. She will go on the expedition with us. She¡¯s a summoner, and she¡¯s reached the heroic-grade in her third year.¡±


    ¡°Special ss?¡±


    ¡®Why are you surveying me?¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to working with you, Kiyeon.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Me too.¡±


    ¡°Reaching heroic-grade in your third year is amazing.¡±


    ¡°I just got lucky¡­¡±


    Everyone seemed to have the same expression as Kook Minji.


    They looked as if they were looking down on me. Contempt rather than looking down was more urate.


    ¡®What do newbies know? I¡¯ll show youter, girls, what it¡¯s like to be semi-mythical.¡¯


    I knew that, the moment they would see it, I could already envision them changing their opinion of me. However, it didn¡¯t take long for that pledge to copse. It was a mistake to ignore the potential of those who came up from the bottom.


    ¡®Fuck¡­ Couldn¡¯t we just go in a carriage? Why are we walking? Why are we walking when there is a carriage? Do you have no money to pay for that?¡¯


    ¡°Ugh. Sigh¡­¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s heavy. Fuck. It¡¯s fucking heavy. I don¡¯t think I can carry this¡­ my shoulder¡­ I think I¡¯m going to die. Deokgu, fuck, please take my luggage. Where are you, Deokgu? I miss you, Park Deokgu!¡¯


    ¡°Sigh. Sigh. Ugh.¡±


    Inevitably, a groan started to pop out.


    Even when I tried to stop it, it still came out.


    ¡®Why aren¡¯t we taking a break? Please, let¡¯s take a break. Let¡¯s drink water and eat food, bastards.¡¯


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    ¡®My waist. My shoulder! Lee Kiyeon will die, you bastards!¡¯


    ¡°Sigh, ah¡­ ah!!¡±


    ¡°Do you need help?¡±


    The contemptuous gazes of the female n members were more evident than ever now.

 Chapter 436: Re: Life in that World Starting From Zero (5)

    <h4>Chapter 436: Re: Life in that World Starting From Zero (5)</h4>


    ¡°Ah. Sigh.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Sigh. Sigh. Ugh.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Siiiigh.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Ha¡­¡¯


    The soundsing from Lee Kiyeon made even me blush upon hearing them.


    I tried to say a word because it was so ridiculous, but after hearing Cheol-woo¡¯s warning to act politely, I couldn¡¯t easily say something.


    Due to that, I had to swallow the curses that were fighting to flow out of my lips.


    ¡®What an eyesore. Is she crazy? She¡¯s doing that on purpose, right?¡¯


    She was tant enough to make me 100% sure.


    It was true that I didn¡¯t like her when I first saw her. What I was thinking was just as expected.


    I was certain of this right after seeing her with full makeup on and a luxury bag in her possession. She had even reasoned out that she wasn¡¯t wearing makeup.


    ¡®She definitely is.¡¯


    She should be.


    ¡®How dare you lie to my face?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know how she looked in men¡¯s eyes, but she couldn¡¯t fool women.


    She seemed to value looking good for the opposite sex more than actually preparing for the expedition. I would actually prefer it if she was that kind of person.


    I would have been able to stand it if she simply acted like a fox or did something naughty.


    I knew very well what type of person she was.


    It was notmon, but I found more women of that kind in Lindel than I thought I would.


    ¡®Cheap-like bitch. Ugh, she really is cheap.¡¯


    There was no need to describe her further.


    ¡®Did you really reach heroic-grade in your third year? Does that make sense? Do you think you¡¯re Blue Guild Jung Hayan¡¯s sessor? Why is she not receiving offers when she has such a talent?¡¯


    She probably didn¡¯t do anything stupid enough to cheat her stats, so it was clear that she had gotten into heroic-grade, at least.


    The question, however, was how she entered the heroic-grade.


    Her legs and hands had no signs of battle. Her scar-less body told me very well how she had lived thus far. She didn¡¯t even have the most basic knowledge.


    It looked as if it was the first time she saw a temporary party contract. She didn¡¯t even know what wizards should do.


    ¡®It must be a problem because you¡¯ve never fought.¡¯


    At that point, the answer was obvious.


    She only had one reason why a woman with no talent or connection could receive that much push.


    ¡®She has a sponsor. And it looks like the sponsor is arge guild executive.¡¯


    I was 100 percent sure at this point.


    Not only was she provided with various conveniences in life in exchange for her body, but he must have taken her on small and medium-sized expeditions and fed her with experience to gain her current abilities.


    If I thought of it that way, all the questionable actions she exhibited could be exined.


    ¡®The summoning wizard, my ass.¡¯


    Although she had chosen wizard as her primary job, she couldn¡¯t adapt because of herck of intelligence. Her affinity with pets was poor as well, causing her to feel lost.


    Her experience was boosted, so she had to change her ss, and she couldn¡¯t make the right choice in the system in the end.


    Although the name sounded good, I could bet that there would be very few skills unique to the ss.


    ¡®It¡¯s too obvious.¡¯


    I even rationalized the reason why she came so far.


    ¡®She must have been abandoned.¡¯


    She must¡¯ve eventually gotten abandoned by her sponsor and was driven to the streets.


    I didn¡¯t know exactly what happened between the sponsor and that woman, but it was despicable to see her trying to carry a luxury bag.


    It was quite funny that she chose to go on an expedition instead of entering the entertainment district. From the beginning, she wasn¡¯t interested in the expeditions at all.


    What she was interested in was getting a good guy in order to settle down.


    She must be trying to get either Cheol-woo or Daegun. Observing her attitude, I couldn¡¯t help but feel like that was the case.


    ¡°Do you need help?¡±


    Dummy.


    ¡°Sigh. Huh. Yes? Yes? Can I ask for your help? I feel like I¡¯m being too much of a nuisance¡­¡±


    ¡°I was worried about this march because you didn¡¯t seem used to it. You can give your luggage to me. You don¡¯t have to refuse. It¡¯s natural for the party members to help each other.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ I¡¯m really sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Kiyeon.¡±


    ¡°No, you really don¡¯t have to do this, Cheol-woo. I feel like I¡¯m shameless¡­¡±


    ¡®You say ¡®you don¡¯t have to do this,¡¯ but you¡¯re smiling?¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s better to do this than to have you pass out in the middle of the attack. Kiyeon, please take care of your physical strength.¡±


    ¡°If you say so¡­ Thank you, Cheol-woo. I will take this favor gratefully.¡±


    ¡°And¡­ you don¡¯t have to be sorry. Everyone knows that wizards struggle physically.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Thank you so much for your consideration.¡±


    In the end, it was Cheol-woo and Daegun who carried the bags. Meanwhile, Lee Kiyeon stretched as if she was relieved.


    Watching her hold onto her Chanelia Hermes tightly was really irritating. It was as if something was boiling inside me.


    Perhaps it was not just me who felt that way. The three people living together in the guild were no different.


    ¡°That woman¡­¡±


    ¡°Have you seen her before, Minji?¡±


    ¡°No. At least I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen her near our dorms¡­ but, well, isn¡¯t it obvious just looking at her?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s obvious. Gosh¡­ People just can¡¯t seem to change. Isn¡¯t she embarrassed? She seems to think that the strength she gained is her own. She¡¯s someone who doesn¡¯t even know the basics¡­¡±


    ¡°I know, right? I don¡¯t know why she came with us all of a sudden and do that sh*t. Maybe she was thrown away by her sponsor.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t she trying to get a suitable man to act like a madam? These days, they do that a lot to clear up their history. Although I don¡¯t know where the rumors started, the stock price of Lee Cheol-woo and Kim Daegun from the Friendship n is also rising these days. Honestly, they are pretty good. One is a frontline warrior, and the other is a priest. They are people who didn¡¯t join arge guild not because they couldn¡¯t, but because they didn¡¯t want to. Their future is promising, and she was like a gold digger on the prowl. It was better if she didn¡¯te. She smiles gently and says something like, ¡®you¡¯re so cool and reliable.¡¯ while innocent Cheol-woo justughs at it. He¡¯s just too nice. I haven¡¯t been able to fully understand what kind of person would fall for such a woman, but seeing Cheol-woo makes me slowly understand it.¡±


    ¡°You sound as if you hate her. Have you talked to him about it?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I told them before leaving¡­ They said she doesn¡¯t look like that type of person. I was even scolded not to be rude to her.¡±


    ¡°Gosh. Unbelievable. It¡¯s so obvious. You just have to look at her, and you¡¯ll immediately see that she¡¯s a gold digger, yet they don¡¯t think she looks cheap? Among the people working at night, those who look like that are widely spread. Listen to her deliberate moaning. You can see her intentions clearly. Does she think that still works these days¡­ so vulgar¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you know what¡¯s even funnier?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°If this expedition goes well, I think she¡¯s thinking about getting epted as a member of the n. It makes no sense. Really. Just thinking about living face-to-face with someone like that makes me want to hurl.¡±


    ¡°Gosh. Really? That can¡¯t happen. Hey.¡±


    ¡°I know. It doesn¡¯t really make sense.¡±


    ¡°How about you go and talk to her?¡±


    ¡°I beg your pardon?¡±


    ¡°You can just go ckmail her. The choice is yours, but it wouldn¡¯t be bad to give her a warning. If that woman was sponsored and it was by a big one, she would be scared to proceed with the expedition. She would tremble¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. Well, but what if the expedition is canceled because of that? Cheol-woo is really looking forward to this expedition¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I can keep tolerating her. Because of people like her, other women are insulted. If you¡¯re going on an expedition, you have to act as an adventurer, you know, instead of bing a burden. Women are not subject to protection in this continent, right? Look at people like Cha Heera. Instead of having her as a role model, some people use their femininity to exploit others. That¡¯s a problem.¡±


    ¡°I know, right? It¡¯s annoying.¡±


    We heard a voice speak while we were quietly talking about her.


    ¡°We will take a break here.¡±


    ¡°Already?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Just a short one. I¡¯m a bit tired. I¡¯m sorry. Sorry, Daegun.¡±


    ¡°No. I was just about to take a break too. It seems like it¡¯s too much to set up a camp, so let¡¯s just find a ce and have a meal. If there¡¯s anything like a snack, we could¡­¡±


    ¡®Really¡­ you¡¯re too nice.¡¯


    Everyone knew that the reason why they were taking a break wasn¡¯t because of Cheol-woo.


    It was probably in consideration of Lee Kiyeon.


    The way he imed to be tired to help her just showed that he was indeed an innocently good man. As I quietly looked at Cheol-woo, I saw him getting water and handing it to the woman.


    ¡®You¡¯re a real fool.¡¯


    The way Lee Kiyeon took the water as she smiled at him caught my eyes.


    She even seemed to have rubbed her hand with his when she took it from him.


    When I saw Cheol-woo¡¯s very red face, I thought it was almost certain.


    ¡®Ha!¡¯


    The next look of her was a spectacle.


    ¡°Oh my God¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    Why did that cup of water spill on her chest?


    ¡°It seems like I keep showing my clumsy side. Actually, I was a little tiredst night¡­ I¡¯m not like this usually¡­ I¡¯m really sorry.¡±


    Hah. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if she was tired every night.


    ¡°If you have something like a handkerchief, could you lend it to me for a second?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Oh, okay.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll wash this and return it when I have time. Is it okay to wipe off my sweat too?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, it¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡®Ha.¡¯


    It felt like fire was spewing out of my eyes.


    ¡°Wait a minute¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go over there, unnie.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Control yourself.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t trying to threaten her or anything of the sort, but I couldn¡¯t stand it without saying a word.


    As I walked toward the ce where the party members and Lee Kibitch was, I could see her looking at me with a wide smile.


    ¡°Minji, how can I help you?¡±


    ¡°I want to ask you something.¡±


    ¡°Sure, if I have the answer¡­¡±


    ¡°Who was it?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°The ck Swan? Blue? Red Mercenary? Or is it from the other side? I thought it was arge guild¡­ It¡¯s above medium in size, at least, right? Do they still do that? There are a lot of trashy guys here.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about¡­¡±


    ¡°You know everything. You don¡¯t have to pretend like you didn¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°So what are you saying¡­¡±


    ¡°Who was your sponsor?¡±


    That felt good.

 Chapter 437: Re: Life in that World Starting From Zero (6)

    <h4>Chapter 437: Re: Life in that World Starting From Zero (6)</h4>


    ¡°The ck Swan? Blue? Red Mercenary? Or is it the other side? I thought it was from arge guild unconditionally. It¡¯srger than medium-size, right?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about¡­¡±


    ¡°You know everything. You don¡¯t have to pretend like you don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°So what are you saying¡­?¡±


    ¡°Who was your sponsor?¡±


    ¡®What bullsh*t is she talking about?¡¯


    It was so absurd.


    Naturally, Cha Hee-ra¡¯s name, the leader of the Red Mercenary, came to mind instantly. It was true that Lee Kiyoung grew by being sponsored by Cha Heera.


    But, not Lee Kiyeon.


    ¡®Was there anything weird about me?¡¯


    Naturally, I had to wonder why she was suddenly talking about sponsorship. I couldn¡¯t remember doing anything that would make others suspicious.


    At least during that expedition, I was very cautious about not being caught as Lee Kiyoung, and I never even brought up anything aboutrge guilds.


    I was acting carefully to avoid them finding a connection between the Blue, Red Mercenary, ck Swan, and me.


    ¡®Is it because I left my bag with him? Am I being interrogated right now because I took advantage of others? No, fuck, I couldn¡¯t do anything back then! I felt like I was dying!¡¯


    If I could, I would¡¯ve endured it.


    However, I really thought my shoulders would fall out. That kind of manualbor wasn¡¯t necessary for the high-grade body of Kiyeon.


    If my spections were true, I had to apud Lindel¡¯smoners once again.


    ¡®If you don¡¯t like outsiders, you should go with someone you know¡­ why are you throwing bullsh*t at me after taking me in¡­? It seems the dungeon culture around here is extremely toxic. Are you moss or what?¡¯


    I heard that sometimes, that kind of problem popped up.


    ording to that information, after epting someone into the party due to member insufficiency, they just ended up forgetting about that person.


    The non-manner y was a tactic where acquaintances united and disregarded one person during the entire expedition. The distribution itself was designed to be advantageous to them as well.


    Although that wasn¡¯t illegal under the State¡¯sw, it was an act that was rejected by the public.


    Thinking that the woman before me might be of that kind, my head started to hurt.


    ¡®No. The boys are too cooperative to say that¡­¡¯


    It was then that I thought I didn¡¯t know much about the world.


    Although she didn¡¯t directly mention it, it might have looked like a wizard sponsored by arge guild went out on an expedition as a joke.


    When the contract first popped out, I showed a puzzled expression, and above all, reaching heroic-grade in the third year was difficult to achieve unless it was done with a sponsor.


    If the talented wizard didn¡¯t receive an offer from arge guild or medium n, the answer would be obvious.


    ¡®There¡¯s must be a sponsor.¡¯


    Honestly, the question itself was not pleasing.


    Lee Kiyeon wasn¡¯t sponsored by arge guild and had to join the party. Lee Kiyeon was simply struggling to make a living.


    How should I make my excuses?


    As I was organizing my thoughts for a while, a voice came from the front again.


    ¡°Ha. Look at you, pretending not to know. Why do you pretend to be so naive? It¡¯s already obvious. It¡¯s all written on your face, Kiyeon.¡±


    ¡®Let me try to gather some info first.¡¯


    ¡°I don¡¯t really know¡­ What you¡¯re talking about. Why are you talking about sponsorship all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°Sponsorship? Right. I guess that¡¯s also a sponsorship. It¡¯s sponsorship you received in exchange for selling your body. That¡¯s the real sponsorship, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡®What bullsh*t is this again?¡¯


    ¡°No, what the hell are you talking¡­?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m also a bitch that knows about things. I also struggled on the streets of Lindel. After four years in, I know how this ce works and how you got your heroic-grade in the third year. How can you wear such luxury goods when you have nothing? Why don¡¯t you havemon knowledge about basic expeditions? Above all else, your behavior is too obvious. They say that old habits don¡¯t die, but to think you want to do it that way even in this expedition?


    ¡®What¡¯s up with her? I did what? What did I do?¡¯


    ¡°I think I know what you¡¯re thinking. If you¡¯re struggling to find a new life from now on, don¡¯t live that way anymore. Is it fun to live as a people-pleaser as you shake your ass gently? You must be ashamed of yourself.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to charm these innocent guys. You must¡¯ve heard that the Friendship n is promising, right? That¡¯s your intention, right? It would be really creepy if that¡¯s the reason why you approached us.¡±


    ¡®What bullsh*t are you talking about, bitch. Friendship n, Love n, or whatever, I haven¡¯t heard of it. Your thoughts are even creepier.¡¯


    ¡°Because of people like you, real adventurers like us are being insulted. Is it Cheol-woo, or is it Daegun? Put away the thoughts of getting them and clearing your identity. Someone like Cheol-woo might not be interested in your dirty body anyway, but¡­ I¡¯m telling you all this because it¡¯s ufortable for me to see it. You shouldn¡¯t be doing this during the expedition. Hey, Kiyeon. This is a warning.¡±


    ¡°A warning?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Warning. Since it¡¯s already like this, we will move together until the end of the expedition, but this will be a warning for you to do anything that stands out. If you¡¯ve decided to clear your identity, show it with your skills. Don¡¯t let the atmosphere blur as you moan, pushing your chest out. Or I¡¯ll mobilize all of my contacts and bury youpletely in this area. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡®What, mobilize all your personal connections?¡¯


    ¡°You¡¯re not even pretty¡­ it¡¯s always the ones who have an ambiguous look.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®But I¡¯m still prettier than you. You look like a pumpkin¡­¡¯


    ¡°Let¡¯s not focus on useless things, but focus on strategy. And remove your makeup.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t put¡­¡±


    ¡°For god¡¯s sake!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    For god¡¯s sake! What should I do with her?


    It would have been a little less unfair if I had actually done something bad.


    I didn¡¯t even allure them or shake my hips. It was hard to understand the bullsh*t she was spouting out.


    My clothes were fairly modest, and although I was carrying Chanelia Hermes, my equipment level was just average.


    ¡®I¡¯m extremely modest!¡¯


    I had the ssic look of a conservative wife and the queen of modesty. However, even though I put in such effort, the public¡¯s evaluation was cold. It would be strange not to be flustered.


    However, saying anything to the injustice, Kook Minji spat out one more line and began to disappear from my view.


    ¡°Don¡¯t live like a prostitute.¡±


    She walked away triumphantly as if she said a famous line¡­


    ¡®Aren¡¯t your clothes worse than mine?¡¯


    At least I covered my whole body with a robe. That woman was a thief and was wearing tights that stick against her body.


    I didn¡¯t know why the hell it had a deep neckline, but I could see so much of her cleavage.


    I still couldn¡¯t imagine that there would be dumbasses that thought that body exposure would be a defense. In simple terms, all of her curves were revealed.


    I didn¡¯t know who she was calling a prostitute, but no matter who saw us, the modest one was Lee Kiyeon, and the one who used her body carelessly was Kook Minji.


    Looking at the mirror for no reason, once again, my whole face was reflected by it.


    No matter how I looked at it, this was one modest face.


    What was wrong with her?


    ¡®Jealousy? Or was she trying to look strong?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know the reason, but naturally, I thought about whether to exact justice. The situation would be cleared up quickly.


    After revealing that I was Lee Kiyoung, I would just immediately hit her head continuously.


    Small ns, such as Friendship ns, could bepletely erased from the continent if I wanted to. It wasn¡¯t only that.


    It might be a little bit too much of a consequence for a mistake, but I couldbel them as the demon¡¯s henchmen.


    The problem was that I couldn¡¯t undo the spell myself in the current situation.


    Of course, believing it or not was their freedom, but considering the possibility that I could get caught up in other rumors for nothing, I thought that it might be too much to do something there.


    ¡®I don¡¯t feel like it.¡¯


    Actually, this was a little annoying.


    Not much time had passed since I left for an expedition after getting a party, and if I were to ruin things so quickly, I¡¯d feel a little better, but I would have to get a new party and go through the same process again.


    If I shouted that I was the country¡¯s Honorary Cardinal, I would be d if I wasn¡¯t treated like a crazy bitch.


    ¡®Nothing will happen.¡¯


    If I were in my Light Kiyoung form, I wouldn¡¯t hold back against her. All the same, I had to control myself.


    ¡®You should stay quiet until the end of this job, Kiyeon.¡¯


    After checking what I had, I could deliver punishment slowly.


    Since there was something that I wanted from that party, once I got it, everything would work out naturally. As I grabbed the strings of reason and moved forward, I could see the party members waiting for me.


    The four gloating women stood out more than the men looking at me with silly faces.


    Kook Minji must¡¯ve told the saga to the rest of the scum.


    ¡®She¡¯s all excited because she got a blow in.¡¯


    Her expression made it obvious.


    ¡®Okay, keepughing. Smile a lot. It won¡¯tst long, bitches.¡¯


    Not only was Lee Kiyeon quiet and pure, but she would still be considered shy even when going back to the Joseon Dynasty. I didn¡¯t know why they considered such a woman as a bitch, but what happened earlier seemed like a pleasant thing for them.


    Their facial expressions changed a little after Lee Cheol-woo, and Kim Daegun approached me.


    ¡°Can we leave?¡±


    ¡°Ah. I guess I made you wait. I¡¯m sorry, Cheol-woo.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t. We were just getting up from our seats.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your consideration in many ways.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only natural.¡±


    ¡°You just have toe with usfortably, Kiyeon. The atmosphere itself would have been ufortable to you since we are all acquainted here¡­ It is only proper for us to be as considerate as possible. Isn¡¯t that right, Cheol-woo?¡±


    ¡°Right. You are right.¡±


    ¡°If you need help, you can speak to us without burden. If you have trouble walking, you can climb up on my back and go. Haha. It¡¯s a joke.¡±


    ¡°The n atmosphere is nice.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t have a ce you belong to, you could sign up¡­ this is also a joke.¡±


    ¡°Daegun, you¡¯re being silly¡­¡±


    When I thought about it, it could be said that the atmosphere that had been formed was warm.


    While talking to the two men, I saw the females¡¯ faces bing more and more rotten. I felt like I could finally understand why they attacked me.


    ¡®Aha¡­¡¯


    It¡¯s so obvious that it¡¯s hard to notice.


    ¡®Whew. Are you really jealous?¡¯


    It was clear that they were jealous because of those two men, who were the n¡¯s center,ing to lick my feet.


    My modest charm made me a queen bee even if I didn¡¯t make a move.


    ¡®The queen bee herself!¡¯


    They must¡¯ve thought that I had stolen the men.


    As if she was extremely bothered about Cheol-woo, Kook Minji¡¯s face was especially a spectacle. She had the same expression as Jung Hayan.


    The other women were no different.


    Their delighted faces had already disappeared. It would be okay to assume that their bluish faces were getting worse. I couldn¡¯t help but think of what I had to do.


    But I thought I¡¯d retreat for the day. As soon as I took a step back, expressions of relief stood out.


    ¡®I¡¯m not interested in dicks either, bitches. How about we get along well, hmm?¡¯


    Keeping a certain distance for smooth progress was only proper for me to do.


    However, those crazy guys approached me all day long as if they had gone nuts, trying to indulge in small talk.


    It kept happening from that point on until the moment we arrived at Crack Land.


    ¡®What. Fuck. What¡¯s wrong with these bastards? Why are you so clingy?¡¯

 Chapter 438: Welcome to Crack Land (1)

    <h4>Chapter 438: Wee to Crack Land (1)</h4>


    ¡®Ha, these bastards¡¯ dispositions and characteristics are extremely average.¡¯


    In the end, I had decided to choose the most ordinary group of all. This was because I knew they were the ones who would be the least affected by my special characteristic.


    The same went for the female members.


    They didn¡¯t have a perfect personality like Kim Hyunsung or Elena of the past, but at least they weren¡¯t people who sported a distorted disposition. Still, they were the types who refused to let me engage in serious conversation with them.


    The rest, however, seemed to do their best to talk to me every chance they got. They even seemed to be trying to gain my favor as well.


    I understood their motives quite well because I was also a man. Not only did they act as if they would give me everything they had, but it also seemed to me like they were willing to even lick the spaces between my toes.


    They werepletely far from my type, but I couldn¡¯t help but realize that Lee Kiyeon was far more attractive than I thought. Due to that, the four female members of the Friendship n were ring even harder at me. I wanted to push them away too, but nothing ever worked.


    I was receiving kindness beyond what a party member actually deserved.


    They hadn¡¯t done anything nonsensical, as if they didn¡¯t have the guts, but I couldn¡¯t help but feel like they were bing more and more annoying.


    ¡®At least we arrived.¡¯


    I had a hard time enduring the men¡¯s desperate actions and the women¡¯s contemptuous gazes, but in the end, I seeded ining there without any further troubles.


    ¡®I guess I will do a massage with a potionter. Fuck¡­ My legs are hurting like hell.¡¯


    Although I didn¡¯t achieve anything great, I considered the march itself to be a challenge. I couldn¡¯t remember walking that much, except during the tutorial dungeon.


    At the time, I didn¡¯t notice it because I was moving desperately, but now that I always had a full belly and a roof over my head, it already felt ridiculous having to traverse such a distance manually.


    However, I wasn¡¯t annoyed when I finally arrived.


    ¡®She did better than I thought.¡¯


    Contrary to Lee Jihye¡¯s statement about the subpar quality due tock of time, the quality seemed really high. The roads had been properly paved, and while there were many ces under construction, some ces already resembled what looked like a proper shopping mall.


    The size of the construction was almost certainly as big as a major city.


    That wasn¡¯t enough, considering humans from all over the continent would be visiting.


    ¡®It¡¯ll definitely be better after a week or so.¡¯


    This proved to be my first impression of Crack Land.


    ¡°We¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°I think there are more people than I thought. Haha.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s definitely more than we expected.¡±


    ¡°Absolutely. I don¡¯t know if we¡¯ll be able to get in today.¡±


    ¡°We probably will. I heard that it could support arge number of people in the first ce. I think it would be better to register first. Even if it¡¯s a littleter than intended, won¡¯t we be able to go in tomorrow?¡±


    ¡®We¡¯re a littlete.¡¯


    Overall, however, I didn¡¯t think it was all that bad.


    Anyway, the party had to recover from the march, and I had to look around the ce a little more. I needed to know exactly how things were going.


    ¡®It¡¯s quite good so far.¡¯


    ¡°It would be better to find amodation first. We can¡¯t just keep moving around in this state.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Naturally, the n Master nodded and moved on.


    While we walked, I saw many kinds of adventurers. High-ranking ones stood out, as if they had known about it before others.


    The races were also diverse. Since there were also ck and white people, it seemed that some of them hade to the ce while flying on a griffon.


    The ce where the party had gone to was a big bar. It was also a lodging business.


    As soon as I went inside, I heard people greeting us from all over the ce.


    ¡°Wee to the Crack Inn, Adventurers! By any chance, are you new to our inn?¡±


    ¡®The service here is pretty good.¡¯


    ¡°Yes. We just arrived. Do you have any room left?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Of course, dear adventurers! Currently, there are only 20 rooms left for each room type! There are four types of rooms serviced by our inn, consisting of Common, Rare, Heroic, and Legendary grades. If you look at the catalog, you¡¯ll find a detailed exnation about each type, so please refer to it. The Common-grade is one gold per day, the Rare-grade is five gold, the Heroic-grade is twenty gold, and the Legendary-grade is fifty gold. This is per person and does not include service charges.¡±


    ¡®Wow¡­¡¯


    The rooms here cost 100,000 won, 500,000 won, 2 million won, 5 million won a day, and the service cost wasn¡¯t even included!


    ¡®Jihye, fuck, you call yourself human? What¡¯s up with these prices, fuck¡­ are you serious? If you¡¯re going to exploit them, do it moderately.¡¯


    However, I couldn¡¯t help but smile all the same.


    The price was like a kid¡¯s joke for me, but it was definitely a burden for adventurers who had just begun to grow.


    As expected, the expressions of the Friendship n members turned sour in no time. I could see them thinking that they might end up spending more money than they would be making.


    The n Master began to think about it, and the Vice n Master turned over the catalog.


    ¡°n Master, isn¡¯t it too expensive?¡±


    ¡°But we have no choice¡­¡±


    Naturally, I also opened the catalog silently. When I saw the legendary-grade room, I nodded.


    ¡®Phew. It looks better than my room.¡¯


    It was no different from being a grand pce.


    The things that came as free items were no joke, either. A priest who could chant the fatigue recovery spell was on standby for 24 hours.


    Not only was the ¡®Made by Lee Kiyoung¡¯ potion provided as a standard, but the meals that were served were of the same high quality as a high-end restaurant¡¯s dishes.


    In addition to providing conveniences for long-term customers, there was also a training hall that could only be used by customers who availed the Legendary-grade room.


    It was definitely possible to live here without suffering through any problems.


    ¡®I want to live here¡­¡¯


    The Heroic-grade room wasn¡¯t that bad, either. It felt like looking at my room from the past.


    Overall, it looked luxurious, and the quality of free stuff was lower than that of a Legendary-grade room, but it could be fully ounted for.


    Of course, the story was a little different from the rare-grade. It felt more like a studio.


    Everything a person needed was there, but honestly, I wouldn¡¯t be able to sleepfortably if I slept in such a ce.


    The Common grade for me was¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s like a pigpen.¡¯


    ¡°We should get the Common-grade, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Here¡­ For the Common-grade¡­¡±


    It was enough to make me, unknowingly, talk to myself.


    ¡°Nonsense. How do you sleep in such a ce¡­? Ugh.¡±


    Their gazes focused on me instantly. Everyone was now ring at me.


    I could feel the women members looking at me in contempt. I realized I made a mistake, but there was no shame in making that statement.


    ¡®Stop looking. It came out without my knowledge. And honestly, you don¡¯t like sleeping here too. Fuck¡­ The bathroom is also shared. Can you imagine how dirty it will be?¡¯


    Being honest was not a sin.


    I didn¡¯t know if my face wasn¡¯t looking good, but they went silent at my sudden word. In the end, it was the big guy who opened his mouth first.


    ¡°I think we can afford a better room for at least a day. Cheol-woo, we have enough budget. It¡¯s not that we don¡¯t have the money.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have much left since we got new equipment. We do have the money we¡¯ve saved for the n house, but¡­ That¡¯s money we really shouldn¡¯t touch, so maybe¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it would be bad to take afortable rest for a day.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow, we will enter the dungeon, but until then, I think it is important to take a good rest. I think that a Common-grade room would rather ruin our condition. Wasn¡¯t it you who said we should always be at our peak before an expedition? Let¡¯s spend it with no worries at least once. In the end, it doesn¡¯t matter for you and me, but our female n members¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡±


    ¡°We slept a lot in the streets, anyway.¡±


    ¡®I¡¯m not okay, bitches. Don¡¯t pretend to be nice.¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    My expression had be gloomy at once.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t Kiyeon not feeling well too?¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s not that. Just my legs¡­ don¡¯t mind me. I¡¯ll be fine after I get enough sleep.¡±


    ¡°Look, Cheol-woo. We won¡¯t get a decent sleep in that room. I¡¯ll really feel that I rested if we stay at least at the Rare-grade¡­¡±


    ¡®Good job, big guy.¡¯


    ¡°After weplete the dungeon attack, we¡¯ll be getting a lot of profits anyway. Just let it slip this time. Let¡¯s spend a little more just this once with the thought of regaining it back. It¡¯s embarrassing to keep this scuffle going like this.¡±


    ¡°The possibility of failure¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll work hard. Please, Cheol-woo.¡±


    ¡°If you say it like that¡­ it would be better to do that.¡±


    ¡®Right. That¡¯s right.¡¯


    We availed the Rare-grade room. I wasn¡¯t entirely satisfied, but I smiled pleasantly.


    ¡°We will take a Rare-grade room.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an excellent choice, adventurer. For those of you who have visited a Rare-grade room to attack the dungeon, we are offering a rare-grade health potion made by the Blue Guild as an opening promotion.¡±


    ¡°I-I see. Thank you.¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s the bottom line of garbage. I won¡¯t have it even if it¡¯s for free.¡¯


    However, I could see the faces of the Friendship n people brightening up. Getting 500,000 won per night and giving a low-grade garbage potion. It was a typical Seller-People¡¯s description.


    The staff were just giving these in order to please the people.


    I wasn¡¯t sure if she knew what I was thinking or not, but the receptionist once again started preparing to exploit the adventurers with a friendly expression. Every single one of them would be a merit system. What was going to happen next would be important.


    ¡°You¡¯re adventurers who will attack the museum, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Which one¡­¡±


    ¡°We have just arrived and haven¡¯t applied yet. If an application is needed, we will do it right now ande back.¡±


    ¡°No, adventurers! You don¡¯t have to. Our Crack Inn can help with that part. What grade would you like the dungeon to be?¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s adventurer-friendly. I like this.¡¯


    ¡°A heroic-grade.¡±


    ¡°A heroic-grade dungeon will be a total of 500 gold. But you can use it for 300 gold as an opening promotion!¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°I have registered a total of six people. Departure seems to be possible only tomorrow afternoon. Just follow our guide immediately after checking out. And if you need expedition insurance¡­¡±


    ¡°What is expedition insurance?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a failsafe n in case your expedition fails. Our precious adventurers only have one life. Skilled people belonging to Crack Land are prepared for special situations such as expedition failures 24 hours a day. The insurance also includes a high priest to increase the survival rate. High-ranking people can help with hunting sometimes. The price is the same as the amodation. They are divided into Common, Rare, Heroic, and Legendary.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°For those with insufficient funds¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°We also provide loan services.¡±


    ¡®Wow¡­ Lee Jihye, aren¡¯t you being too trashy?! That doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t love this!¡¯


    In thest line, even I had to reply.


    ¡°Loan services?¡±


    At this, a demonic exnation ensued.

 Chapter 439: Welcome to Crack Land (2)

    <h4>Chapter 439: Wee to Crack Land (2)</h4>


    A loan? What kind of loan was this?


    The glowing eyes of the innkeeper reminded me of Lee Jihye.


    ¡®And you call yourself human, Jihye? You¡¯re really not.¡¯


    I had many ideas, but I had never thought about a loan system. It was a secret weapon that could maximize the profits of Crack Land.


    ¡®You¡¯re really vicious. Lee Jihye, there¡¯s definitely a reason why you¡¯ve been such a sh*tty person the first round, too.¡¯


    I, too, often felt like I was trash. Of course, it was only on asions, but I had been troubled by the sudden sense of shame.


    Looking at Lee Jihye¡¯s work, it felt like all of my worries had promptly been resolved.


    No matter how great Lee Kiyoung was, he was still a firefly in front of a nuclear power nt, and a children¡¯s pool in front of an invading tsunami whenever he was faced with that woman.


    I couldn¡¯t help but apud at Lee Jihye¡¯s viciousness. She was indeed trying to make all the adventurers in Crack Land indebted.


    I could definitely see the picture. Adventurers who came there and spent money would definitely end up entering the dungeon in a dazed state.


    Unexpected spending was bound to umte, and eventually, they would use up more money than they originally nned for. If the attack was sessful after entering the dungeon, people could recover the things that had been blown up, but if it went wrong just once, their ount bnce would automatically stay at a negative.


    There was no way those people could easily leave Crack Land.


    There was nothing more miserable than an expedition that put the adventures into a deficit. That in itself would serve as a catalyst for the adventurers to challenge themselves with a swollen dream. It could also be the reason why they¡¯d enter the dungeon again after careful analysis and research.


    They would be forced to spend money to prepare for the dungeon raid once again.


    They would need to pay for amodation fees, supplies, equipment, dungeon entry fees, insurance fees, meals, etc. It was clear that even if good results were achieved the second time around, it would be difficult topensate for what they had already expended.


    ¡®Ha¡­¡¯


    In the end, there was nothing that could be done except to be sucked into the pit of hell Lee Jihye had dug up.


    Before leaving Crack Land, they had would already be in debt.


    Even if they earned for a lifetime, they would only be able to pay the interest while they wandered around the continent¡¯s hunting grounds. Some might think that this was a bit heartbreaking, but this was still the reality.


    Although they would lose everything, the experience would make them stronger and put them in a position to live better.


    It meant that they would reflect on themselves in the past and be active all day long.


    There was no such thing as an injection that didn¡¯t hurt. The big picture would make Elune trash, and Benignore shed tears of emotion.


    ¡®Whew¡­¡¯


    Even while I was lost in my thoughts, the inn employee still looked at our party like a hawk looking for its next prey.


    ¡®Right. It¡¯s understandable.¡¯


    Anything that the inn employee sold to us would be an achievement for her. No one could endure the eyes that tempted consumption.


    ¡°There are also loans¡­¡±


    ¡°Crack Land is prepared with the adventurers¡¯ convenience in mind. It is our motto at Crack Land to put our customer¡¯sfort first.¡±


    ¡®Look at her lying without even stuttering.¡¯


    ¡°There are a lot of inconveniences for adventures, but we canbat it with many different kinds of services that would allow the adventurers to focus only on their expeditions. Some of those services are the expedition insurance and loan deals.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t want the loan¡­ How exactly does the expedition insurance work?¡±


    ¡°It works exactly as I said earlier. In fact, in the case of expedition insurance,mon adventurers often avoid it, but¡­ statistically speaking, considering that the dungeon survival rate of a heroic-grade party isn¡¯t high, it¡¯s rmended to be availed. In the case of an ident, no one would bepensating for it. Of course, in the case of an experienced adventurer, they would already bepletely familiar with the procedure in the case of failure. However, if it¡¯s a recently created party, or if you¡¯re working together for the first time, it¡¯s better to go in after employing the expedition insurance. The Blue Guild, the ck Swan Guild, and the Red Mercenary Guild also emphasize the importance of expedition insurance in many ways.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ a recently created party¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. There are many cases like that. In addition to idents that ur during hunting, we also help in mediation to make sure the adventurers won¡¯t have to worry about conflicts or distribution issues with party members.¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t get hooked, you morons.¡¯


    However, I felt like they were already caught.


    ¡°I think¡­ it would be better to consider it. Isn¡¯t that right, oppa? It would be fine if only the old members areing, but we have an outsider this time. We haven¡¯t yet confirmed if we¡¯ll be able to work together properly¡­¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t look at me, bitches.¡¯


    Of course, the inn¡¯s receptionist swooped in at this opportunity.


    ¡°Oh! This wizard must be a new party member. You must be anxious. Of course, I¡¯m not looking down on our beautiful wizard. However, there aren¡¯t many cases where a newly created party can move as one unit immediately. With a few dozen golds per person, preventing idents in advance is certainly considered a merit option. Of course, the choice is up to you.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°No, Daegun. I think it would be better to try it. We don¡¯t know what kind of ident can happen, as she said. We would like themon-grade insurance.¡±


    ¡°Excellent. Please read the contract carefully and sign on the indicated parts. Oh, and one more thing.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡±


    ¡°Did you know that the Dungeon of the Crack Museum is randomly conducted in all manners, unlike other dungeons?¡±


    ¡°What does that¡­?¡±


    ¡°Three kinds of boss monsters and three kinds of reward items will alle out randomly, sir. Some people return from hunting without difficulty, but many people suffer from encountering an unexpected monster. For example, many people encounter poisonous monsters or monsters that use curses. Did you bring an antidote or items for curses?¡±


    ¡°N-No.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry too much, our dear adventurers. Prepared for such a case, our Crack Land sells special-monster-response packages. These are the 11 types of potions created by Lee Kiyoung, the Alchemist of Light, included in the package. The price is also very reasonable.¡±


    ¡®Knock it off, you guys. You¡¯re all demons.¡¯


    ¡°Of course, we also sell the lower version of the package, but I personally rmend all 11 kinds of potions. Unlike low-level potions with an expiration date, the potions made by the Alchemist of Light Lee Kiyoung do not expire, even after a long time. In the case of the temperature maintenance potion that maintains body temperature, it is very effective because there is no need to prepare separate measures against cold or heat dissipation. It¡¯s perfect for fire and ice monsters! The prices are also much lower than those sold on the market.¡±


    ¡°That looks fine.¡±


    ¡°I think we¡¯re spending way more money than we first nned¡­¡±


    ¡°No, think about it carefully, Cheol-woo. It¡¯s good to have this one. Even if we don¡¯t use it for this expedition, we can continue to use it afterward. It would be nice to have at least one package.¡±


    ¡°Think about it and decide. It is a product that can be purchased directly from the Blue Guild.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t we need this? You aren¡¯t very confident in detoxifying spells either. If a heroic-grade poisonous monster suddenly pops out¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no rush. Think about it thoroughly.¡±


    The way the inn employee was smiling was spectacr.


    ¡®Who is this?¡¯


    I was naturally curious about her.


    ¡®Why was such a capable person in a ce like this?¡¯


    Such a capable person should be treated properly. Like a professional infomercial host, she had a voice that aroused the desire to purchase, and her presentation was close to perfection.


    Listening to her exin things was pleasing to hear, making it harder for anyone to resist.


    Even I wanted to buy my own products.


    ¡°If you buy it on-site, we will give you a set of 3 high-quality health potions as a gift.¡±


    ¡°We will buy it.¡±


    ¡°Excellent choice, sir.¡±


    It hadn¡¯t been long since we entered the Crack Land. In a few hours, the amount of money our party had spent was already unimaginable.


    ¡®Wow, she¡¯s really ripping them off.¡¯


    As I looked around, other parties were also caught by the employees.


    The way the party members were all holding the special-monster-response packages delighted my eyes. Even rare-grade parties were holding the packages like precious treasures.


    ¡®However, a rare-grade party wouldn¡¯t be able to afford that.¡¯


    There was a 100% probability that they had availed a loan.


    It was possible due to a loan. I was sure of it.


    Considering that my potion was made to counter heroic-grade or higher monsters, it was like trying to buy a sledgehammer while trying to crack a walnut.


    Additionally, the parties were also being ripped off in other ways.


    There was a guy who was looking at the list of equipment that Yoo Ahyoung made.


    ¡®That¡¯s also a loan.¡¯


    There were also people purchasing useless consumption items. I wasn¡¯t sure if they were there for a rest, or simply to go shopping.


    ¡®I really like this so far.¡¯


    The fact that the quality of convenience was high was the part I really wanted to praise. All the systems were organically connected, removing the need to go to multiple ces.


    As soon as a person entered the inn, they could apply for dungeon entry and find out about expedition insurance, and they could even borrow money or purchase weapons.


    That meant they didn¡¯t have to bother about going around and could focus on the expedition itself.


    Of course, there were shopping malls for those who wanted to explore the ce, but anyone could do everything there without having to go out. I hadn¡¯t looked at the back of the catalog, but the book listed all the Crack Land services.


    It had the strength to control the entire operation of Crack Land with only onemand tower.


    ¡®Convenience.¡¯


    Of course, there might be some side effects such as price-fixing or lowballers, but¡­


    If I asked if it could protect the continent, it was indeed a very trivial matter.


    ¡®Can you see it, Metel Manager? How so many people love your museum.¡¯


    Max¡¯s mother, who was in heaven, must be smiling.


    The part that was a little problematic was whether it was ripping people off too much.


    I did think that people could be ufortable with a little explicit salesmanship. However, that thought soon dissipated.


    I nodded unknowingly at the scene at the restaurant.


    ¡°Phew. You mean you came in this morning and got this?! A legendary-grade item! The Queen of Truth¡¯s ne! Crack Museum! It¡¯s very generous!¡±


    It was Pak Sergei, the foreigner from Russia.


    ¡°You guys go in quickly, too! This is too generous!¡±


    ¡®Why are you here?¡¯


    Next to him were Ahn Ki-mo and Kim Ye-ri.


    ¡®Don¡¯t go acting around without my knowledge.¡¯


    ¡°The Crack Museum! It all looks so generous?¡±


    Somehow, the strong voice made me feel like I was a beneficiary of the Crack Museum, too.

 Chapter 440: Welcome to Crack Land (3)

    <h4>Chapter 440: Wee to Crack Land (3)</h4>


    ¡°You don¡¯t look so good, Kiyeon¡­¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    Usually, adventurers were supposed to spend the rest of their time socializing after finding a party. Beyond simple meetings, there were cases of drinking parties and unitypetitions in big expeditions.


    It could be considered as evidence that the chemistry and closeness of party members were important.


    Of course, some groups didn¡¯t allow getting close to each other in private, but at least the foreigners from Korea who lived in Lindel enjoyed those events.


    As for me, I just wanted to rest.


    However, the members of the party I joined seemed to think they needed that kind of time.


    With the whole innkeeper matter done, we unpacked our luggage and started drinking rum, paired with a big dinner at a bar located under the Crack Inn.


    I didn¡¯t like the food that they had ordered, but since I finally could enjoy a civilian¡¯s life after such a long time, I at least enjoyed the calm atmosphere.


    I mean, until I saw Pak Sergei and Argirmo, who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.


    ¡°Phew. You mean you came in this morning and got this?! It¡¯s a legendary-grade item! The Queen of Truth¡¯s ne! The Crack Museum is very generous! Everyone,e quickly! You¡¯ll lose money if you don¡¯t go! This is a blessing from the Goddess Benignore!¡±


    ¡®This moron¡­¡¯


    ¡°Thank you, Crack Museum! It¡¯s not just this! There are also a lot of advanced catalysts! I can sleep in a legendary-room tonight!¡±


    Although they looked like white people on the outside, they certainly looked like Park Deokgu and Ahn Ki-mo in my Mind¡¯s Eyes.


    At the same time, the way Yetni Kova was acting like a Russian proved to be entertaining.


    ¡®And you said you don¡¯t like acting¡­¡¯


    Honestly, Kim Ye-ri didn¡¯t look like a kid. Her skills could already be nominated for Best Actress.


    Pak Sergei bent over his body and waved his ne as he spoke. I wasn¡¯t sure if he knew I was watching them or not.


    ¡°Everyone¡¯s drinks are on me tonight!!¡±


    ¡°Stop, you bastard. Don¡¯t do that.¡¯


    I had to believe that he would pay with his money.


    ¡®What are you going to do if you get caught¡­?¡¯


    Of course, there was no possibility of that ever happening. None of the people who came to that ce could ever detect that kind of magic.


    Therge tavern wasn¡¯t of bad quality, but the lower sses of society frequented it.


    Even a legendary-grade individual wouldn¡¯t easily detect it, and it was improbable for them toe to such a bar in the first ce.


    ¡®All of them are in a private room or drinking in a ce with premium goods.¡¯


    If I hade with Lee Kiyoung¡¯s body, not Lee Kiyeon, I wouldn¡¯t have set foot in such a ce either, unless if it was to encourage our workers.


    Perhaps he saw me ncing at the other side over and over again, but the big man in front of me had begun to talk to me.


    ¡°Do you know them?¡±


    ¡°No. I just thought they¡¯re noisy¡­ It¡¯s my first time seeing them.¡±


    ¡°People like them are everywhere. It¡¯s better if you just ignore them. I recently heard rumors that new people are emerging from the Republic side¡­ It¡¯s probably them. That big one, Pak Sergei¡­ even though he is a muscle-filled man, he¡¯s ssified as a wizard. The magical properties he uses are uniquely called physical properties.¡±


    ¡®Where did you hear such information that even I didn¡¯t know? Theirmunity is pretty active¡­ and, you stupid bastard. Physical property magic doesn¡¯t exist in this world.¡¯


    ¡°The warrior next to him is Argirmo. They call him Berserker. They say that once he tastes blood, he doesn¡¯t stop until the other side copses. Thousands fell by his weapon¡­¡±


    ¡®He¡¯s a priest¡­ although he¡¯s abat priest¡­ he can¡¯t even taste blood.¡¯


    ¡°And that woman is the n Master Yetni Kova. She¡¯s their leader. She is said to have an unusual ss called dancer. I heard that she has an attribute that captivates both men and women with her fatal dance.¡±


    ¡®Fatal temptation skill, my ass¡­ Ye-ri, don¡¯t put your wishes into acting. So shameless, even though you¡¯re just a kid¡­ Hyunsung will weep at the guild office. Don¡¯t do those kinds of setups. Please don¡¯t.¡¯


    I had to pick at several things there. Usually, for that kind of acting, the details to be put in were important.


    I couldn¡¯t help but think that the acting group had already lost its soul because director Light Kiyoung was missing. However, there were also parts that I wanted to praise.


    ¡®That kind of thing is fine¡­¡¯


    Letting everyone know that you got a good item was definitely something to avoid, but if the purpose was to promote the Crack Museum, then it was a whole different story.


    In fact, the most reassuring part was that he was in good health.


    Although I already heard from Lee Jihye and knew that Park Deokgu hadpletely recovered, he looked healthier than usual when I actually saw him face to face. He looked like he didn¡¯t even get hurt from the beginning.


    ¡®Pig bastard¡­¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t help but appreciate the fact that he looked the same as ever.


    I was worried that they might find me, but they didn¡¯t seem to be interested elsewhere. They were focusing on somethingpletely different.


    ¡®If that¡¯s the case, I don¡¯t have to worry.¡¯


    It was currently more important to focus on the conversations happening near them rather than the conversations far from them.


    That was their purpose in the first ce.


    ¡°Yetni Kova, Pak Sergei¡­ it seems they¡¯ll go up one more step. I can¡¯t see what item it is, but I¡¯m jealous that it¡¯s a legendary item. On the other hand, I¡¯m also happy because there¡¯s a chance for us to get something like that. It seems that the probability of that happening isn¡¯t as bad as I thought.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. We¡¯ll only know once we go, but¡­ that¡¯s why there is a lot of content prepared at the Crack Museum, oppa. He¡¯s not the only one I saw. Quite a few people were bragging about items here and there. Honestly, I was a little worried because I thought we had invested too much gold¡­ I wish that such items woulde out to our n¡­¡±


    ¡°We have to make it happen, Minji. As you said, we spent more money than I thought. Only when heroic-grade items at the minimume out will we be able to recover from our expenses. They said there were a total of three chances, so our odds are good enough. And if we fail, we can think of it as a great learning experience¡­¡±


    ¡°I think buying the potions was a good choice. I wanted to use the potion that the Alchemist of Light sells. Of course, it would be better if nothing happens during our raids so we won¡¯t have to use them immediately.¡±


    ¡°I was right. Buying that package is a long-term advantage. We¡¯re not going to stop our adventurer life after this expedition, right? Since we can continue using it, it¡¯s definitely a profit for us. By the way, Kiyeon, does the food here¡­ suit your taste?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Honestly, it didn¡¯t suit my taste. The awkward smile seemed to be an unspoken answer.


    I could see them embarrassed.


    The stupid guys who became almost like my servants were agitated, and the female members were, once again, staring at me with contempt.


    ¡®Ah, I made a mistake again.¡¯


    I had done something I¡¯d be hated for.


    ¡°No. No. It¡¯s delicious. I¡¯m just not feeling well. We should celebrate, so shall we make a toast?¡±


    ¡°That sounds good.¡±


    ¡°Cheers to the expedition to the Crack Museum!¡±


    ¡°Cheers!¡±


    ¡°Cheers for a sessful expedition!!¡±


    When we clinked the sses together, I nced towards Kook Minji, but her atmosphere was still cold.


    I guess she really hated my guts. I had no choice but to realize again that being too modest had inevitably resulted in antagonism.


    ¡®Well, it¡¯s your loss.¡¯


    Even after my efforts, if she built a wall, I couldn¡¯t do anything about it. Naturally, I emptied my ss without any regrets.


    ¡°Whew¡­¡±


    The refreshing sensation of drinking after a long time made me make a pleasant sound unknowingly.


    ¡®Everything is bad, but this one is quite good.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know who made it, but this particr dish was really delicious. The sauce on the outside was especially excellent.


    I wanted to eat it all at once, but it was impossible.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ mhmm.¡±


    I first caught the sauce that was about to fall off.


    After that, I chomped down on it. When it was ready to some extent, I took a big bite.


    ¡°This is really good. Hmm.¡±


    The two men were blushing. The four women looked at me with contempt again.


    That was when I saw a group approaching our way. They were four men withrge builds.


    ¡®What do you want?¡¯


    Naturally, I had to be bothered by their stare.


    Although I had a hunch that a scene from old martial arts novels was about to pop out, I couldn¡¯t even imagine that it woulde true.


    ¡°How about having a drink with us? What¡¯s your name,dy?¡±


    ¡°y with us instead of ying with such poor guys.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your name? I think it¡¯s my first time seeing you. Are you from Lindel?¡±


    What happened to those guys who always couldn¡¯t get out of the same pattern?


    These two guys, who werepletely ignoring the guys from our party, didn¡¯t seem nice.


    Meanwhile, the big guy from our side, Daegun, started to frown with the situation turning sour.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t act so full of bravado, Daegun. I think he¡¯s stronger than you¡­¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t possible to judge all fights with the status window, but I could still see that the drunken dogs in front of us were more powerful than our party.


    If a fight began, it would be a tie in terms of numerical superiority, but honestly, there was no reason to fight. I refused to cause a fuss.


    Lee Cheol-woo, who was next to me, was trying to mediate between them as much as possible as if he thought the same way, but it was simply impossible.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not do this here. Let¡¯s go outside and talk.¡±


    ¡°Cheol-woo, talking won¡¯t work with them. There will always be trashy people like them in this society.¡±


    ¡°No. What did we do to be called trash? Is it such a sin to ask her to y with us?¡±


    ¡°If my party member is offended, it¡¯s a sin. Isn¡¯t it wrong for you to talk to someone for no specific reason? I don¡¯t want us to touch each other.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve spoken to thatdy out of pity, but I guess she¡¯s reacted too sensitively.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°How will she stay still when it¡¯s obvious that she¡¯ll have a hard time with guys like you?¡±


    ¡°These motherfuckers, what?¡±


    ¡°Daegun! Stop!¡±


    ¡°You want to try me? Then try me.¡±


    ¡°Come outside, motherfucker!¡±


    This was indeed a vtile situation. The atmosphere was rapidly getting more serious.


    Rare-grade parties were getting out of the way, and the people¡¯s attention was focused on the sudden turmoil.


    ¡®Ha¡­ I¡¯m really tired.¡¯


    I was naturally annoyed by the trouble I was in. I wouldn¡¯t have to get caught up in it if I was Light Kiyoung.


    Still, I had to think that I had to solve the situation somehow before the guard arrived.


    ¡®I need to appease and send them back, then put a separateintter.¡¯


    I was just about to open my mouth when I heard someone speak.


    ¡°Physical magic.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Backdrop.¡±


    I could see the bully in the middle being thrown to the floor.


    ¡®Park Deokgu, you moron!¡¯


    An unexpected hero had appeared.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we all just enjoy our drinks?¡±

 Chapter 441: Welcome to Crack Land (4)

    <h4>Chapter 441: Wee to Crack Land (4)</h4>


    ¡®It¡¯s not physical magic. He just grabbed and turned him over¡­¡¯


    I found this all ridiculous. However, I also personally thought that the name wasn¡¯t all that bad.


    The one who received the physical magic ¡®backdrop¡¯ was already on the verge of crossing the Rainbow Bridge, all because of Park Deokgu.


    ¡®Watching him now, he¡¯s pretty strong.¡¯


    I already knew that Park Deokgu was much stronger than the first round. However, when I looked up at him from below, I was able to realize once again how strong he really was.


    Those sacrificialmbs looked like such small insects in front of him, but they were actually powerful adventurers who had risen to the heroic-grade.


    It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that they had been above Park Deokgu during the first round.


    My jaw unknowingly dropped when he threw those people on the ground with one cast.


    I also realized how well-positioned Blue was.


    Park Deokgu¡¯s position in the Blue, which was filled with monsters, was a meat shield.


    He could be useful enough in party y, but he was weak enough to be called a superpower in interpersonal battles.


    He was far behindpared to other rivals, including Cho Hyejin, who had gotten a unicorn and became a monster, and Kim Ye-ri, who had immeasurable talent, but¡­


    His ridiculous endurance stats fit perfectly to be a civilian killer.


    Park Deokgu, no, Pak Sergei, was a man that was easily strong against the weak.


    ¡°There are always people like this.¡±


    Meanwhile, my party members were all watching with their mouths wide open.


    At that point, I thought it was time for the bullies to run away, but the guys with higher specifications didn¡¯t remain still.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Physical magic. Iron skin.¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh! My hand!¡±


    ¡°Physical magic. Iron Strong Arm.¡±


    ¡®This bastard!¡¯


    With the majesty of his ¡°physical magic,¡± which also seemed capable of deflecting magic, the bullies were getting embarrassed, one by one.


    Eventually, one of them tried to pull the sword from his waist.


    He wanted to swing it, but the party members next to Pak Sergei didn¡¯t let him do that.


    In the end, he wasn¡¯t able to pull it out.


    Why?


    The Berserker was now crazy for blood. In less than a second, Argirmo was holding the handle of his weapon.


    ¡°I¡¯m warning you. If you pull it out¡­ you¡¯ll die.¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t get carried away¡­¡¯


    He looked like an idiot, but the expression of being cool fit him perfectly.


    ¡°These sh*tty asses! Who do you think we are?!¡±


    Again, a loud voice had boomed out.


    It was then that the n Master Yetni Kova appeared.


    ¡°Dance of fascination.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what kind of fascinating dance that was, but the way she twirled around was elegant.


    ¡°Everyone! If you don¡¯t want to be fascinated, you better look away.¡±


    The finish was just a normal kick.


    I was worried that she would end up breaking his neck, but watching his body heave, I confirmed that he was alive¡­ for now.


    Knowing the effects of the dance of fascination, all the adventurers there turned their heads. Still, knowing that the enchantment and the temptation were all bullsh*t, I was able to see firsthand that the ordinary kick hit him exactly on his temples.


    Although she was making the sexiest pose as possible, the appearance of Kim Ye-ri, seen through Mind¡¯s Eyes, was ridiculous, and it made meugh.


    ¡®Ye-ri¡­ what do you want to be when you grow up¡­? This uncle is crying.¡¯


    It seemed that she indeed harbored a secret fantasy of bing a Femme Fatale.


    With their efforts, the ce was reorganized easily.


    The bar became quiet since the trash was cleaned up before the Crack Inn guards could evene. Everyone looked surprised.


    They must have already known that those trash bullies had a certain level of ability since they were at the level where they could roughly estimate how strong their opponents were.


    It was only natural to look like that, as they had confirmed the three newly emerged people in the Republic with their own eyes.


    Some of the strongest were watching Pak Sergei.


    They probably thought it was likely to meet that day or the day after.


    ¡®It¡¯s fun to see how things work here like this.¡¯


    It was especially impressive that small ns united with each other and split or fight fiercely.


    I could see some people who looked like scouts whispering or blocking their conversations with magic. They clearly didn¡¯t want their words to leak out.


    They were surely talking about the new people of the Republic.


    I didn¡¯t know which direction Yetni Kova, who had be the center of the storm, would lead the n in the future, but honestly, it was not something I cared about.


    Rather than that, we had to solve the situation first. Pak Sergei opened his mouth just in time.


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m sorry for unexpectedly causing a fuss.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Thanks for your help.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m worried that I intervened needlessly¡­¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t. I wanted to avoid such friction as much as possible¡­¡±


    ¡°Aha! You are about to go on an expedition.¡±


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. We don¡¯t know what will happen if we get caught in an ident like this before an expedition. If you ever get hurt, it¡¯s ruined. It could affect, perhaps, the next day¡¯s schedule. I was worried whether I really disturbed, but that¡¯s fortunate. So, where are you from?¡±


    ¡®Why does this bastard keep talking to us?¡¯


    It would be better if he just quietly returned to his seat as soon as possible, but instead, he kept talking.


    I already knew that Park Deokgu liked to chat, but I didn¡¯t expect him to talk to a party he met for the first time. The Friendship n also didn¡¯t seem to think badly about his personality.


    Eventually, the n Master opened his mouth.


    ¡°From Lindel. I guess you are the Republic¡¯s¡­ No, no, how about joining us for a while, what do you think? I¡¯d like to pay you with a meal.¡±


    ¡®This kid is smart.¡¯


    Lee Cheol-woo, Master of Friendship n. He was reasonable in his own way. No, it was more appropriate to say that he wasn¡¯t one to miss opportunities.


    It was true that the Friendship n was a n that could be ssified as a heroic-grade, but in their case, they were more like a newbie that had juste up. The new people of the Republic, including Yetni Kova, had appeared to be in a n with a legendary-grade at hand, and it wouldn¡¯t be bad because of theworking.


    ¡®He probably wants to hear information about the Crack Museum.¡¯


    Of course, this wasn¡¯t a good situation for me.


    However, I was anxious that they would grow suspicious of me.


    Luckily enough, Yetni Kova and others didn¡¯t care much about me.


    ¡°Ah¡­ you don¡¯t have to.¡±


    ¡°Since you said everyone¡¯s drinks were on you, I¡¯d like to serve you some snacks.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ well, if you talk like that, I can¡¯t say no.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°First, introductions. I¡¯m Pak Sergei. This is Argirmo. And, this is our n Master, Yetni Kova.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Ahn Ki-mo nodded briefly, and Kim Ye-ri nodded without responding.


    It might seem a little embarrassing, but Lee Cheol-woo continued to talk after nodding.


    ¡°I¡¯m the n Master Lee Cheolwoo of the Friendship n from Lindel.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°This is our n¡¯s Vice n Master Kim Daegun. This is the assassin Kook Minji. And here¡­¡±


    The eyes of the guy who was introducing the party members stayed on me at some point.


    He didn¡¯t know how to introduce me. At this point, it was probably better for me to introduce myself.


    ¡°I am Lee Kiyeon, who joined the Friendship n Party on this expedition.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    In an instant, their eyes focused on me.


    In particr, the gaze of Park Deokgu, who was staring at me, was quite suspicious.


    Ahn Ki-mo was also intently looking at my face.


    It didn¡¯t matter if I got caught, but Park Deokgu¡¯s voice echoed when I thought that it would be nice if they pretended not to know.


    ¡°Have we seen each other before?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it seems I¡¯ve seen you somewhere¡­ Hmm. I¡¯ve definitely seen you¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡­ must have mistaken me. I¡¯ve never been outside Lindel.¡±


    ¡°Sniff, sniff.¡±


    ¡®What? What¡¯s he doing?¡¯


    ¡°You smell familiar¡­ Have we really never seen each other?¡±


    ¡®Are you a dog?¡¯


    His actions made the atmosphere quite strange. At this, the Friendship n members had begun to grow weary of him.


    However, realizing that his actions were a mistake, he quietly picked up the sausage in front of him and began to eat it.


    Of course, he still kept ncing at me. He continued doing so while the rest asked information about the Crack Museum.


    ¡®This bastard is strangely fast to notice my disguise.¡¯


    Fortunately, there hadn¡¯t been an incident in which the Gangwon-do love doctor tried to pull a trick on me, but this definitely wasn¡¯t a pleasant situation.


    ¡°So¡­ What¡¯s the Crack Museum like?¡±


    ¡°It will probably be okay. We got a rare-grade sword. One heroic-grade armor came out, but I honestly thought that even if it were this much, it would¡¯ve been already worth it. But a legendary-grade ne¡­ Honestly, I¡¯m not saying I couldn¡¯t even imagine.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s okay, can you tell me about the difficulty level?¡±


    ¡°Oh,e to think of it, you must have applied for heroic-grade. Am I right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s right. We¡¯re still in the beginning, but I thought this was the best ce to gain experience.¡±


    ¡°The difficulty level won¡¯t be too hard. It was a little insufficient for us. In fact, we also wanted to enter the legendary-grade, but¡­ we don¡¯t have the level to go to the legendary grade¡­ Still, we will probably be able to enter next time. I will be able to be stronger based on this item I got today.¡±


    His role was definitely a decoy.


    The way he said he could get stronger while shaking the ne without context was proof of that. Perhaps he had received a mission from Lee Jihye to show off the legendary items.


    Although it was just a show-off, the Friendship n members looked envious. The fact that a legendary ne appeared in a heroic-grade dungeon¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s ridiculous.¡¯


    They had already heard about it through publicity, but they had actually confirmed it with their own eyes.


    I had a semi-mythical-grade item a while ago, and I was fed up with the name ¡®legendary-grade,¡¯ but legendary-grades were by no means negligible.


    There were not so many legendary-grade items in the Blue Guild.


    People like Ahn Ki-mo and Sun Hee-young weren¡¯t legendary item holders.


    It was a supreme treasure that was too valuable to have a proper mary value; it was a cheat that could help anyone be a powerful individual, just by equipping it.


    It wasn¡¯t just those on Earth who were enthusiastic about lottos.


    ¡°There are probably thousands of items in the Crack Museum. I don¡¯t know why it keeps them, but one thing I can be sure of is that the quantity of items is fixed.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Want to know what it means to have a limited number? The owners of legendary-grade items stored in the Crack Museum are the ones that had gone first and took them. Of course, the odds are low, but it¡¯s gambling that¡¯s well worth it. Usually, adventurers get stuck in front of a heroic-grade wall where they feel like they can no longer grow. These items are helpful in those situations.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°There is an opportunity for ordinary adventurers like us to step up. That alone makes the Crack Museum worth it.¡±


    ¡®This is convincing. You bastard, you¡¯re so good at talking.¡¯


    ¡°And¡­ all the expenses paid here are military funds for the future.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Everything we consume now¡­ in fact, they are funds to fight for the continent.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°You have probably heard of it - the threat that¡¯s looming on the horizon.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve certainly heard of it, but that¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not rumor or bullsh*t. The thing that threatens the continent exists.¡±


    Park Deokgu said this with a heavy voice that didn¡¯t seem to have a single hint of falsehood. He also had an expression that looked like he was carrying a very big burden.


    At this, I suddenly remembered that Park Deokgu was practically someone who had been given three lifetimes to go through.


    ¡®How many times has it been for this pig bastard?¡¯

 Chapter 442: Modest Image (1)

    <h4>Chapter 442: Modest Image (1)</h4>


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. This is what our hyung- no- the Blue Vice Guild Master and Honorary Cardinal of the State, Lee Kiyoung, has said. There is indeed a threat looming over the horizon.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Ignorant guys like us didn¡¯t know. I also don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on in this ce where peace hase after the war¡­ Given the current situation of the continent, that¡¯s not necessarily an absurd lie. Some quests were jammed out of nowhere, and the dungeons began to restrict us from entering. The State and the Republic, the United Kingdom, and even the Interracial Union are uniting for amon goal.¡±


    ¡°That¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not force ourselves to create an atmosphere in our attempts to calm the chaotic continent. Let¡¯s not pressure ourselves with the sudden news, either. Manyrge guilds and nations are already training to prepare against these threats. Because of that, lots of confidential conversations are already being held. More information will probably be released as more time passes, right?¡±


    ¡°Are the demonic dungeons¡¯ rise the aftereffect of the Demon Summoner Jin Qing¡¯s capture?¡±


    ¡°I think we can put it that way. That being said, the current status is that our n, who had been dormant so far, also appeared this time because we couldn¡¯t ignore the continent¡¯s crisis. It¡¯s our home anyway. We should try to save it much as we can.¡±


    ¡°It feels like I¡¯ve heard a very serious story. I feel ashamed. Our n only thought about making a living to survive¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s what everyone does, don¡¯t they? That just makes Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung even more amazing. He doesn¡¯t care about himself.¡±


    ¡°You seem to know him well.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do. That isn¡¯t everything, even. Crack Land is also in the business of losing money. Rumors say that he is starting this with a debt to the Republic¡­ How tight would it be to collect military funds there? Think about it.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°Imagine if the friendship n Master is in the position of the Blue Guild, ck Swan, Red Mercenary, or anotherrge guild. Would you open the Crack Museum to civilians?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Some would have made that choice, but I can assure you that not most will. If you can get items from it with only the parties that belong to severalrge guilds right now, why would you lend the dungeon filled with honey? Which madman would give others a chance to be stronger on the continent? I mean, it¡¯s pretty obvious as to why he did that. He thought that the bnced growth of the continent is the top priority. Our Honorary Cardinal must have thought so!¡±


    ¡°Bnced growth¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! This is bnced growth. Experiences and items that can be obtained in dungeons. In any case, this is a business that the dungeon where the officials would be at a deficit. That¡¯s why we are here. What can we do? We can be stronger and provide help to the threat that will ariseter. That¡¯s why our n came to the Crack Museum. That¡¯s probably why everyone did. Am I right, everyone?!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re good at talking, Pak Sergei! Although you¡¯re a Republican, you¡¯re saying great things!¡±


    ¡°Of course, I do! Absolutely! Come here and get a drink!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! You are absolutely right!¡±


    The guy¡¯s voice made the entire bar buzz again as he asked for their opinions.


    Most adventurers nodded at Pak Sergei¡¯s remarks. There were even parties that apuded and cheered at his words.


    He seemed to be exhibiting drunken behaviors with a red face, but people like him usually ended up helping a lot in such a ce. I was worried that this would break my reputation, but I had soon be confident that that would never happen.


    ¡®This pig bastard really¡­¡¯


    ¡®Are you really not a regressor?¡¯


    I thought about it without even realizing it. I had joked about it, but somehow, I also felt suspicious of what happened. The power of that pig, which proved to be insanely useful when it wasn¡¯t needed, was indeed outstanding.


    Of course, he usually trolled about things, but he always came through for me without fail during the moments when I really needed him.


    That role was also included having to advertise the Crack Museum, and it didn¡¯t seem like that was the end.


    I didn¡¯t know what Lee Jihye ordered him to do, but I felt like he was doing more than the minimum.


    After about 40 minutes of socializing, he began to address the party. It had given off the hint to wrap up the conversation.


    ¡°Ahem. I¡¯ve stayed for too long. It would be better for me to go.¡±


    His manner of farewell was a bit too unpredictable, but I couldn¡¯t say I was surprised. He knew that our party was going on an expedition tomorrow, so this must be out of consideration.


    He understood that it would be hard for the Friendship n to end the conversation.


    ¡®Look at his kindness¡­¡¯


    It was what made people respect him. There was gratitude in Lee Cheol-woo¡¯s eyes, as if realizing the favor he did.


    ¡°We have to prepare for tomorrow too¡­ Thank you so much for your good words today and for your help, Pak Sergei.¡±


    ¡°Adventurers should help each other, after all.¡±


    It was quite a heartwarming scene.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Kiyeon.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Cheol-woo.¡±


    Seniors and juniors greeted each other and bid their farewells.


    Personally, it was a bit of an ufortable meeting, but at least it was helpful for the Friendship n. Not only did they get a lot of information, but they were also able to get the right thoughts and mindsets.


    ¡®Right. Absolutely. Opportunities like this are umon.¡¯


    I also waved at them, joining the group in saying goodbye. Pak Sergei looked at me with a strange expression before nodding.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you againter.¡±


    It felt like I had passed the crisis safely. However, I quickly realized that it was just a personal wish.


    Knock, knock-


    Soon, I heard someone knocking on my door.


    When I opened the door, I saw Ahn Ki-mo and Park Deokgu shaking a filled bottle.


    In particr, Park Deokgu was looking at me with a dog-like expression.


    ¡°Come in.¡±


    He had a big smile.


    ¡°Long time no see, hyung-nim.¡±


    It did feel like it had been a long time.


    * * *


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t Ye-rie?¡±


    ¡°She didn¡¯te because of the fascination dance. She¡¯s probably mortified of it by now. Anyway, why is your room so small? Can you move to a bigger ce?¡±


    ¡°No. This is enough. It¡¯s ufortable, but¡­ it would be funny to change rooms now. I¡¯ve already unpacked all my luggage here.¡±


    ¡°Well, okay then. By the way¡­ ording to what you said, are you here as Lee Kiyeon for inspection or something?¡±


    Hmm. Yeah. Actually, I was just trying to do a simple disguise, but I think it¡¯s hard to remain incognito with that. This body isn¡¯t as ufortable as I thought it would be.¡±


    ¡°Somehow, you have a face that feels familiar. No, the face is subtly different, but the smell is simr.¡±


    ¡°What smell?¡±


    ¡°Well, your smell. The faint smell of medicine, as well as the smell of a mixture of this and that¡­¡±


    ¡°You noticed me only with that?¡±


    ¡°There is actually something else! The bag! Seeing that bag you carry every day, I thought of you immediately. And the name is too simr! Honestly, I didn¡¯t know at all at first, but when I thought it might be you, everything just strangely fitted perfectly! You can fool a ghost, but you can¡¯t fool Park Deokgu¡¯s eyes!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Can I call you nuna from now on?¡±


    ¡°Nuna, my ass. Just call me as usual. Ahn Ki-mo, make yourselffortable. It¡¯s been a long time since we drank together.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Vice Guild Master. By the way, I was really surprised. I didn¡¯t even imagine that you would turn out to be so beautiful. If you hadn¡¯t really given a hint with your bag, we wouldn¡¯t even realize it was you.¡±


    ¡°I will take that as apliment. How¡¯s the guild?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the same. Since this project takes a lot of work, we¡¯re extremely busy maintaining and repairing it. There are more things to do than I expected. The same goes for the Guild Master. He¡¯s still very busy. Oh! I haven¡¯t contacted the Guild Master yet. Should I call him here? Or even Hayan¡­¡±


    ¡°No. You don¡¯t have to do that. They¡¯re busy, and I don¡¯t want to bother them. I hope you keep this matter between you two, and Ye-ri.¡±


    ¡®Never let Jung Hayan know¡­¡¯


    ¡°I thought so. I already told Ye-ri that in advance.¡±


    ¡®Thank you, Ki-mo.¡¯


    ¡°My lips are sealed. Trust me.¡±


    ¡®I don¡¯t believe you. Bastard.¡¯


    He took an oath as he pounded his chest, but I was scared that he would run in and report it to Jung Hayan.


    Of course, I could tell that Park Deokgu wasn¡¯t a tattletale, but it was also undeniable that he was extremely talkative when he was around Jung Hayan.


    I had no choice but to change the topic in a hurry before it could be further discussed.


    ¡°But why did you pick up that kind of disguise? Physical Wizard¡­ and what¡¯s up with the blood-mad Berserker, Ki-mo?¡±


    ¡°Ahem. I¡¯m feeling ashamed. It¡¯s a role I¡¯ve always wanted to y¡­ Still, I amforting myself by saying that it seems a little better than the dance of fascination.¡±


    ¡°Certainly, that¡­ was a little too much. Ye-ri, that little kid is so shameless. I will have to conduct a sex education ss at the Blue Guild soon.¡±


    Ahn Ki-mo, who had taken this as a joke, spat the drink out.


    The overall atmosphere turned out to be pretty good, the three of us sitting in a small room and chit-chatting. It certainly felt like it had been a long time since I had spent time like that.


    In particr, I couldn¡¯t even remember when I had a drink with Park Deokgu. The way he kept talking nonstop was enough to make me bored, but not that time since we


    ¡°Is your wound okay?¡±


    ¡°Well, since my body is healthy and strong, then I¡¯m fine. More importantly, are you okay? I heard that even a Temr hade¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m physically fine. I was a little tired, but it seemed to be because of that¡­¡±


    We asked each other¡¯s regards.


    ¡°Vice Guild Master, when will you finish this?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just going to go in and out of the dungeon. It won¡¯t take long.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ I see. For some reason, it¡¯s too bad to end this meeting like this. What do you think about having another drink with us after you¡¯re done with all your work?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m definitely up for it.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    We continued talking about useless things.


    I, too, didn¡¯t want to end the good time after a long time. As I looked outside, I realized that it was already dawn.


    After realizing that I would sleep only for a few hours now, I was stunned for a second, but I could still sleep for about four to five hours.


    ¡®I can take the fatigue recovery potion.¡¯


    Ahn Ki-mo started to open his mouth when he noticed I was sleepy. He seemed to have realized now that it was better to leave.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Deokgu. He is going to the dungeon tomorrow, and it seems that we have taken much time off the Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°Ahem. Ah, it¡¯s too bad to end this like this¡­ hyung-nim, let¡¯s just stay for another hour.¡±


    ¡°We can do this after Ie back. I also want to be with you, but I¡¯m so tired I can¡¯t stand it.¡±


    ¡°Then, it can¡¯t be helped, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Get out, you bastard. Let me sleep.¡±


    When I pushed him away, he reluctantly stood up.


    ¡°Then, Vice Guild Master, see you soon.¡±


    ¡°Well, call me if you need anything. I wille running.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    As I was about to open the door and see them off, I heard a voice.


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    As I turned my head naturally, I saw a woman from the Friendship n.


    I didn¡¯t know why she was out at a time like that, but I could see her looking at Argirmo and me with a shocked look.


    As soon as she checked out Pak Sergei popping out of the room, deep disgust began to permeate her face. It was as if she was looking at an insect, or like she was looking at human trash that couldn¡¯t be cleaned up.


    The moment I realized the misunderstanding, I swallowed hard.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You seem to be misunderstanding something¡­¡±


    The crazy bitch who had joined them had now dragged two men into a room a day before the expedition.


    That was the moment when my image was solidified from Light Kiyeon to Bitch Kiyeon.


    I saw her closing the door in a hurry as if she saw something she shouldn¡¯t have.


    ¡®My modest image is over, fuck.¡¯


    I heard the sound of the modest behavior that I had built up so far copsing from a single mistake.

 Chapter 443: Crack Museum Remodeling (1)

    <h4>Chapter 443: Crack Museum Remodeling (1)</h4>


    [You have entered the unrated dungeon Crack Museum.]


    [No poption limit had been detected.]


    [Unrated forced quest is activated.]


    [Quest: Museum Tour (0/1)]


    Honestly, that was all my hard work down the drain.


    ¡®Fuck¡­ pig bastard. You ran away without fixing this situation at all.¡¯


    Actually, I didn¡¯t have the time to worry about him. As soon as I got up in the morning, I had to run wildly into the museum.


    The contemptuous gazes of the four women were enough to make me feel daunted.


    I wanted to clear up the misunderstanding from yesterday, but I couldn¡¯t even do that. It was because I felt them consciously avoiding me as if they saw me like a dirty insect.


    I didn¡¯t know if Lee Cheol-woo and Kim Daegun had heard the news, but when I saw them approaching casually, it felt like they either didn¡¯t believe it or they didn¡¯t hear about it.


    They might have also thought it didn¡¯t really matter, but from my perspective, it felt like they didn¡¯t know about it yet.


    The more they treated me kindly, the more contemptuous their gazes became. I wanted to start things in a good mood, but I didn¡¯t think it would go so smoothly.


    ¡®That¡¯s not what happened¡­ I¡¯m Light Kiyeon, not Bitch Kiyeon¡­¡¯


    I kept muttering this inside, but it felt like an empty echo. In that sense, entering the museum was a good breakthrough. Everyone belonging to the party had been distracted by the new environment.


    It was a familiar status window and a familiar background. However, it felt subtly different.


    That was only natural. The Crack Museum, an unrated dungeon, had been reborn as a new ce in such a way that it had bepletely familiar tomoners.


    One of the first things I noticed was that it finally had a truly museum-like appearance, unlike before when it had looked dull.


    The second was that the poption limit had been removed. It felt like there were more than hundreds of parties gathered in therge space.


    Considering our party started in another room, I thought more people were in the museum. It was also true that I thought we would start the battle immediately.


    However, Max, who felt proud of the Crack Museum, didn¡¯t stick to that format. Since it was his hobby to show off how great the collection inside was, the battle only began after that disy.


    It was just as I heard from Pak Sergei and Argirmo.


    The parties without prior information about it looked startled, but most seemed familiar as if they knew it. Rumors had already been spread about the inside of therge cave.


    Lee Cheol-woo spoke to me as soon as I started to appreciate the sight.


    ¡°This is amazing. It¡¯s definitely¡­ really great.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I feel that way too. Honestly, I didn¡¯t think I would see such a sight.¡±


    ¡®I did put in a lot of effort.¡¯


    Items and monsters were all disyed in the stylish exhibition hall. In a ce where people gathered, the exhibition was decorated so exquisitely that it could be called the main attraction.


    The four members, including Kook Minji, were also busy exploring the museum feverously.


    For a moment, it seemed that yesterday¡¯s events had all been forgotten.


    It was then that the eyes of all the party members who were observing the museum focused on one ce.


    -Wee to the Crack Museum, adventurers. I¡¯m Max, the dungeon manager.


    The voice came from somewhere not far away. As I turned my head naturally, I finally saw my son after a long time.


    [Checking the information of the dungeon manager Max.]


    [The legendary-grade attribute, the Mind¡¯s Eyes, is reading the dungeon manager¡¯s hologram.]


    [Manager Max¡¯s hologram]


    [It is an agglomerate of magic power created by manager Max. Since it is a virtual image without a substance, the status window and information window can¡¯t be checked. Limited ess to information in the museum.]


    ¡®This is also the same.¡¯


    This was but a dummy, but it was still nice to see him.


    I remembered him crying with Tol To-ri, not wanting me to leave. He looked so stern, so in a way, it felt very cute.


    -I see that many adventurers came to visit us today as well. Here are a few things you should be aware of, along with some precautions before your museum exploration begins. The exploration you so desire takes ce after a tour of the museum with this general knowledge. After viewing the exhibits, you will be scattered per party to experience the museum yourself, so please be aware of losing party members whilst looking around.


    -Ah! As a reference, I will tell you in advance, but you will get a penalty if you touch the exhibition hall carelessly. For some items, we are taking tough measures such as exit measures, so please be careful.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    What a good host. Although he was a museum manager, he looked like the perfect guide.


    Unlike the former Max, who was forced to pretend to be stern, he had a little cuteness with him.


    -Before giving a full exnation, we need to find out about our museum¡¯s history, right? The Crack Museum is an even older ce than you can imagine. It is a ce created by the Crack Guardians to seal the crack and to remember it. For a long, innumerable time, the Crack Guardians have locked themselves in this ce and focused solely on sealing it. All items or creatures managed by the Crack Museum havee through the crack. Of course, some things hade in since then, items made by the museum and chimeras, but the Crack Museum¡¯s basic characteristics were this.


    ¡°It¡¯s uncanny.¡±


    -The Crack Guardians have dedicated their all to sealing the crack. However, they have always worried about the bnce or invisible threats ever since. That¡¯s why they said that we should always be alert about cracks and why they created this museum. That¡¯s also why most of the rewards of exploring the museum are made up of weapons called treasures.


    Everyone was looking around, amazed. They probably couldn¡¯t help but look like that.


    Most of the people who lived on the continent wouldn¡¯t even know what a crack was. The fact that the Crack Guardians protected the continent far longer than I could count without releasing anything into the world was quite a feat.


    To them, everything here would be amazing.


    Of course, since I hade there more than once, I, a level 4 manager of the Crack Museum, knew about it all. I wasn¡¯t that surprised.


    However, when a new structure appeared, my jaw naturally dropped open.


    -Could you look to your left for a moment? Museum explorers, I¡¯m a bit embarrassed, but I want you all to meet my mother and father, who gave me my existence.


    ¡®Why am I there?¡¯


    Metel the Crack Guardian and I were close to each other, crossing our arms together. And even¡­


    ¡®Why is the Guardian Metel pregnant?¡¯


    My jaw dropped.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the Honorary Cardinal?¡±


    ¡°It must be someone who looks like him. He said that that happened at a time longer than they could count¡­ The outfit and style arepletely different.¡±


    ¡°Is it?¡±


    ¡°He said it was a Crack Guardian. He must be a person who resembles him.¡±


    -Although they don¡¯t exist now.


    ¡®Do not kill me at your leisure, son.¡¯


    -They are alive in my heart.


    -Guardian Metel, my mother and father did their best to develop and manage the Crack Museum. If it weren¡¯t for them, the Crack Museum and I wouldn¡¯t exist. Of course, even the current continent would¡¯ve ceased to exist.


    I felt so disconcerted that I couldn¡¯t help butugh.


    In particr, the pregnant Guardian Metel was the best. The statue in my shape began to move slowly and then began to stroke her belly. He even kissed it.


    Bringing his ears to the belly made him look extremely devoted to Metel.


    ¡®It¡¯s a golem.¡¯


    The way those sculptures exchanged lovely eyes with each other made me feel like there was real affection between them.


    ¡®Max¡­ who told you to make something like this. Who¡­ asked for a soul wedding¡­ Max! Dad is a person too! A person!¡¯


    Even if I had never touched her hand, I had somehow made Metel pregnant.


    All I ever did was look at her face once.


    If Jung Hayan were looking at that, she would chant a spell out of the blue to destroy the statue.


    Although I felt disconcerted, I also felt somehow bitter. It was because I could understand why my son made it.


    ¡®I¡¯ll have to hug him after this is over.¡¯


    I pledged to have some more father and son time with him.


    Looking at Max¡¯s dummy, he looked embarrassed due to his blush. I thought he would be actually ashamed too.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry that I¡¯ve been a horrible father¡­¡¯


    -Well, shall we move on? The items next to you are legendary-grade items. There is a lot of time, so please take a look slowly. Once again, for caution¡¯s sake, all items on disy are protected by the system. Please be mindful of your own actions so as not to engage in dishonest behavior.


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    ¡°Look at this. This¡­ Cheol-woo!¡±


    ¡°Kiyeon,e here. There are staffs like this too.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes.¡±


    ¡®I¡¯ve already seen everything, Cheol-woo. So, deal with the guys talking to you.¡¯


    ¡°It is a legendary-grade staff. It really has a legendary-grade item. It¡¯s also listed in the museum catalog.¡±


    -Legendary-grade items have a very low probability of being looted in heroic-grade dungeons and a low probability in legendary-grade dungeons. Heroic-grade items can be looted with a low probability in rare-grade dungeons and with normal probability in dungeons of the same grade. Additionally, there are also mass-produced heroic-grade items sold on the market, so please keep that in mind.


    ¡°Look at this! It¡¯s a mythic-grade hammer. Daegun, isn¡¯t this something that can¡¯t be priced?¡±


    ¡°Kiyeon, take a look at these robes here. It¡¯s an item that appears in Heroic-grade difficulty, but it seems to have a pretty good chance of dropping.¡±


    ¡®The same goes for you. Kim Daegun, you bastard.¡¯


    -These are legendary-grade monsters. We also have three mythic-grade creatures, but please understand that except for the mythic-grade monster you are seeing, it is difficult to find the two species as they currently require extreme attention.


    ¡®It¡¯s been a while since I saw this one too¡­¡¯


    Even though I saw it before, I couldn¡¯t get used to it.


    It was a monster with green skin sitting in a chair made of weapons. It had huge horns, a huge tail, and seven weapons floating around.


    It was exactly the way I saw itst time.


    The humans surrounding it were all swallowing hard. They must be thinking the same thing I did when I first saw it.


    ¡®How do we beat that¡­?¡¯


    It was an overwhelming existence. This was a monster that ordinary humanmon sense couldn¡¯t seem to understand.


    That monster wasn¡¯t even genuine, but a well-made counterfeit.


    Max smiled as if he had got in a better mood when he saw them murmuring.


    -You probably can¡¯t deal with mythic-grade creatures. Ahem. There was a little identst time¡­ Originally, mythic-grade should also be included in your expedition, but um¡­ thank you for your understanding.


    With the authority of the museum¡¯s level 4 manager, I hadpletely sealed them. Those kinds of creatures shouldn¡¯t appear in the world.


    Come to think of it, when I camest time, I couldn¡¯t see that green monster with my Mind¡¯s Eyes.


    ¡®Didn¡¯t it say it didn¡¯t have the level to do that? I think it will work now¡­¡¯


    My Mind¡¯s Eyes had grown, and my ss had already been rated as a semi-mythic.


    In some ways, we were on simr levels.


    As I was trying to activate my Mind¡¯s Eyes, there was a pain in my shoulder.


    Even my body was pushed forward. As I turned my head reflexively, I could see Kook Minji¡¯s gang. Far from apologetic, they pretended not to notice how they had just pushed me and chattered with each other.


    ¡®Don¡¯t let my personalitye out¡­ bitches.¡¯


    Little by little, I was about to cut off my patience.

 Chapter 444: The First To Cry Will Survive (1)

    <h4>Chapter 444: The First To Cry Will Survive (1)</h4>


    To think that they would go so far as to bully me¡­


    Perhaps the eventst night turned out to be the decisive factor for them. It had ruined my entire image, after all.


    Honestly, even I would have taken the same action. From their perspective, the expedition would be a big event that could determine the n¡¯s future direction.


    Instead of having a good rest and saving energy, the new member hade to seduce two bigshots. Such an act would undoubtedly deserve criticism.


    If they had made such an issue a little bigger, it would be enough for me to be expelled from the party immediately, and even be material for public discussion of other groups. I wouldn¡¯t have anything to defend myself with.


    If I had been a Friendship n member, I would have been fired, or had received an appropriate penalty.


    It seemed that there had been some misunderstanding, but even considering that wouldn¡¯t be enough tobel me as clueless.


    ¡®Fuck¡­¡¯


    However, it was unexpected that they would reveal hostility in such an outright manner. Even the expressions on their faces mocked me. I didn¡¯t know what they were nning, but they seemed happy with the thought of screwing me up.


    Honestly, I didn¡¯t like that face. I wasn¡¯t used to being messed with.


    ¡°Pff.¡±


    ¡°Pfff.¡±


    ¡°Kukuku.¡±


    My ears rang with their obnoxiously mockingughter.


    ¡°Phew.¡±


    I didn¡¯t want to y along with their joke, but my annoyance was now rapidly rising.


    ¡®These bitches¡­¡¯


    As I looked ahead, I could see the people already chatting away from a distance. In the meantime, Max continued to give details about the museum.


    He couldn¡¯t even imagine that his father would be getting a blow in the shoulder there.


    ¡®It¡¯s enough for everyone to notice¡­¡¯


    Perhaps, if he slowly looked at the members one by one, he would be able to notice that I was Lee Kiyoung.


    Considering that he had discovered that Kim Hyunsung was unusual and that I had special eyes, I thought he would indeed notice. However, as he was trying to take care of a huge number of people at once, he had no time to actually take a look.


    Anyone could see that the situation was hectic, so it was understandable as a whole.


    ¡®He seems a little bit excited too¡­¡¯


    He looked thrilled since he had said all he wanted to say, and the museum explorers were responding well. There was even someone taking notes of what Max said as if he was studying. There was also a guy who was sketching the monsters and items in the museum¡¯s exhibits.


    They probably intended to acquire as much information as they could about this ce, seeing as they woulde back more times in the future.


    Of course, there weren¡¯t only people who were studying like them.


    A fairly high percentage of individuals leaned forward from ce to ce, acting as if they were really in a museum.


    No dungeon revealed the rewards in advance. Depending on the dungeon¡¯s naming and rank, we could only predict what kind of items woulde out, but there was no ce to disy them openly, like the Crack Museum.


    It was natural for adventurers who were interested in the rewards to look around excitingly.


    ¡°Look over there.¡±


    ¡°It would be hard to get something like this¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s if it¡¯s a continent-style weapon, but I want to try it out. I¡¯m also curious about what it has as special abilities¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we could sell it¡­ Let¡¯s see if there¡¯s anything else we can aim for.¡±


    Everyone had a serious look on their faces.


    Max smiled heartily. The museum had instantly boomed. The reaction of the visitors inspired him. The way his voice became even more cheerful and determined during the speech was interesting to watch.


    In short, this was our usual Max.


    ¡°Are the items disyed all that can be looted?¡±


    -Of course, the items here are not all that you can find. Our Crack Museum continues to collect items that can be said to have high historical value. For example, relic-grade items spread across the continent. Most of the things worth preserving are kept in the museum. Of course, such items are also included in the reward list. There are probably things you¡¯d be surprised to find.


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    -There¡¯s no need to worry. Items specially made by our museum also covers the issue of item insufficiency. Do you have any other questions?


    ¡°What about the exact probability¡­?¡±


    -It¡¯s difficult to give you a definite answer. Those are the things that the Crack Guardians have designated themselves¡­ However, I can tell you that everything is done randomly, and we will be giving you additional opportunities if you wish. Oh! It¡¯s about time to start exploring the museum. I wish I could stay all day with all of you, but if we wait a little more, the people who wille in will be put on hold¡­ All explorers present must move in ordance with the Golem¡¯s orders. Please be careful not to lose or mix party members. If you don¡¯t follow the orders, you might be forced to leave.


    ¡°Kiyeon, this way.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Cheol-woo.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s move as quickly as we can.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t block the way! The legendary-grade dungeon parties will go first.¡±


    As if thement about being forced to leave left asting impression, the people moved quickly.


    They wouldn¡¯t want to be kicked out since it was an expensive dungeon.


    I would never get used to witnessing the adventurers stand in an orderly manner under the guidance of the magic golem. The party members looking around the exhibition hall had now gathered together and were guided to their seats.


    Of course, our party was no exception.


    Kim Daegun, who was looking at the warrior items from a distance, and the four female members, who seemed to have something nned, also approached Lee Cheol-woo.


    ¡°Minji, have you already organized the list of items?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I checked all the things I thought were useful, but not all since we didn¡¯t have time. But it doesn¡¯t seem like it would cause any significant result. The items disyed in the main exhibition hall probably can¡¯t be easily looted. The same goes for monsters. I was worried about what to do if a legendary-grade monster or a mythic-grade monster appeared, but it looks like there¡¯s no probability of that happening, or if there is, it would be slim.


    ¡°Okay. Good work.¡±


    ¡°No, no, it¡¯s only my job.¡±


    ¡°It looks like we should wait for now. ording to what I heard yesterday, we might have some spare time. It would be better to prepare for battle from now on. We should prepare some light snacks as well. Before entering, check your equipment in advance. Even though we¡¯ve already checked everything in the morning.¡±


    ¡°There may be people who haven¡¯t checked because they didn¡¯t have time. I think it¡¯s good to have such free time like this. Right, Kiyeon?¡±


    Since she looked at me while she said that, it sounded like she was attacking me. No, since she had called my name in the first ce, I was certain that she was indeed trying to hit me.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t have time indeed.¡¯


    However, I was curious about her intention to say it while we were waiting for our turn to enter the museum in earnest.


    ¡®Fuck¡­ perhaps¡­¡¯


    Kim Daegun and Lee Cheol-woo still didn¡¯t feel anything strange.


    However, when I saw the four people holding back theirughter as much as possible, I already knew what they were thinking.


    ¡®Satan is an angelpared to you guys¡­ you¡¯re all trying to kick me out.¡¯


    I was sure they nned to push me out right before entering.


    ¡®Don¡¯t you need a wizard?¡¯


    To be precise, they might have thought that, at this point, they didn¡¯t need me. From their point of view, Light Kiyeon was nothing but a freeloader.


    Hearing the story from Pak Sergei yesterday, they might have decided that the attack was possible with six people, or at least trusted the adventure insurance. There was that or they might have found another wizard, but my conclusion was that they thought they would be able to adapt even if things went south.


    This all felt so ridiculous to me. It was because I could see what their intention was for testing me out.


    ¡®So, they want me to suffer.¡¯


    That was the reason why the female members didn¡¯t talk to Lee Cheol-woo and Kim Daegun about it. They would¡¯ve wanted to screw me up in a more decisive moment.


    If they were professionals at it, that was definitely something they would¡¯ve at least considered. This was no big deal, but obviously, it didn¡¯t feel very pleasant.


    ¡®Are you even humans?¡¯


    Good adventurers shouldn¡¯t be treated the way they were treating me. Once again, Kook Minji opened her mouth when I was about to speak.


    ¡°But boys¡­ aren¡¯t you smelling rotten seafood?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I think something smells rotten. It¡¯s like a strange fishy smell¡­ It smells a little bit worse than that, actually. It¡¯s like a rotten squid¡­ ugh¡­ It¡¯s really dirty and disgusting. Am I the only one who can smell it?¡±


    ¡°I can smell it, too.¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡±


    ¡°Bleargh. Ugh¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Kim Daegun and Lee Cheol-woo seemed worried that they had eaten something wrong, but they would soon find out what that was all about.


    ¡°Boys.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Just say it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. You¡¯d better ask her. I think the strange smelles from that one.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Minji, watch your tongue. How many times do I have to tell you not to speak that way?!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying that for no reason, Cheol-woo. I have a basis for my ims. She is neither an adventurer nor anything valuable in the first ce. She¡¯s a gold digger trying to get a free ride in life. Does she really need to enter with us? No. We wasted time in getting her. It would be much more helpful to have her kicked out¡­¡±


    ¡°Minji!¡±


    ¡°From the beginning, Lee Kiyeon wasn¡¯t taking this expedition seriously. Her only purpose is to somehow flirt with you guys to clear her identity. It would only be harder for us if we enter the dungeon with a person who¡¯s selling their body and soul.¡±


    ¡°Apologize right now.¡±


    ¡°No. I don¡¯t want to apologize. Ask her about what happened yesterday.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Because Mijeong saw her at dawn yesterday.¡±


    ¡°What in the world did she see?¡±


    ¡°Pak Sergei and Argirmo. They came out of that woman¡¯s room.¡±


    ¡°Is that true?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I saw it with my own eyes, Cheol-woo, Daegun. I even made eye contact with her.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Er, I mean, that¡¯s a misunderstanding¡­¡±


    ¡°What would members of the opposite sex be doing during the night? Were you even aware that we were on the verge of an expedition, Kiyeon? Or maybe it just didn¡¯t matter? You¡¯re really healthy, I guess. When we were marching, you didn¡¯t stop whining, yet you suddenly had the strength to y with two men. How much did they pay you? How much did you get for doing that? No, how did you get a secret rendezvous in the first ce? Is there amunity of body sellers? I also tried to tolerate you as much as I could. The atmosphere was good, and I didn¡¯t want to spoil it like this, but that was too much. I¡¯m saying it because I can¡¯t stand it anymore. Dungeons like this are for adventurers, not for people like you.¡±


    ¡°Listen¡­¡±


    ¡°What would you like to do? Would you like to go out yourself, or should I drag you out myself?¡±


    ¡®Fuck.¡¯


    Naturally, I took a look around.


    The first step was to figure out what the public¡¯s opinion was like.


    I first checked the two men who would be my strength.


    However, Lee Cheol-woo and Kim Daegun both harbored strange faces.


    I didn¡¯t know about Kook Minji, but it seemed that the woman called Mijeong wasn¡¯t someone who lied.


    They looked at me as if they were waiting for an exnation.


    Twenty-seven years of political life. I didn¡¯t even imagine I¡¯d be put in a corner politically in a ce like that.


    Of course, there was a way out.


    However, before I could even organize my thoughts, my eyes were already prepared to execute my n.


    I did it almost unconsciously.


    ¡°Sniff. Sniff.¡±


    I heard a different type of crying from me.


    ¡®The one who cries first will survive for sure¡­¡¯


    Within half a second, the crocodile tears began to pour.


    ¡°Sniff¡­¡±

 Chapter 445: The First To Cry Survives (2)

    <h4>Chapter 445: The First To Cry Survives (2)</h4>


    That wasn¡¯t the only option.


    However, before I could even begin to formte a judgment, the liquiding out of my eyes told me that this would be the closest answer. I couldn¡¯t make another choice by then.


    As thick crocodile tears poured down, I looked at the agitated faces of Lee Cheol-woo and Kim Daegun. They looked as if they were confused about what to do.


    ¡°I mean¡­¡±


    ¡°Ha¡­¡±


    I also noticed the darkening faces of the four female members.


    They looked as if they were asking what the hell I was doing. They had obviously didn¡¯t expect me to do this - the first to cry is always the one who survives, wasn¡¯t it?


    They seemed to be reading the atmosphere and maintaining their ground.


    ¡®If you¡¯re not sure, don¡¯t bet on your victory, bitches.¡¯


    I was sure that this wasn¡¯t what they had been picturing.


    They would have thought that everything would go smoothly after such a big humiliation. After receiving the support of Lee Cheol-woo and Kim Daegun, she would¡¯ve suggested officially kicking me out from the party, and if that weren¡¯t possible, she might havee out somewhat stubborn.


    It was about time I made all of their ns copse in one blow.


    My cry, which sounded so sorrowful, filled the quiet hall.


    ¡®It even sounds sad to my own ears.¡¯


    ¡°Sniff.¡±


    Of course, what they chose to go for was a hard line of policy as expected.


    A sharp voice echoed again.


    ¡°Wow, really¡­ unbelievable. What makes you think you deserve to cry?¡±


    ¡°Sniff¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you think anything will change? It¡¯s really ridiculous.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t she apletely crazy bitch? That one.¡±


    ¡°I really¡­ phew.¡±


    However, there was no way their tactics would work.


    Lee Cheol-woo and Kim Daegun were already under the influence of my skill.


    The way they were blocking me from them, stronger than the Berlin Wall and Castle Rock¡¯s Wall, felt like I could troll any way I wanted, and they would still protect me until the end.


    Even though public opinion was already moving in favor of me, I was still grateful that she also chose to harshly shout at me.


    At that moment, I realized that the tactic to disguise myself as a victim thoroughly was much more effective using the body of Light Kiyeon, rather than the body of Light Kiyoung.


    ¡°What do you think you guys are doing?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve already told you. She¡¯s not the kind of person you think she is. It was weird from the beginning. She applied for a party without bringing anything. Are you telling me to go to the dungeon with a woman like that? It¡¯s dangerous as it is. She won¡¯t be any help.¡±


    ¡°How many times have I not told you not to mess around, Minji?¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m not. I¡¯m doing this because I think it¡¯ll help the party. You are just being fooled.¡±


    ¡°Kiyeon, are you okay? Calm down¡­¡±


    ¡°Sniiff.¡±


    I listened to them talking loudly as I ensured that my tears wouldn¡¯t stop pouring.


    Lee Cheol-wooforted me as Kim Daegun confronted the rest of the party. The old proverb that said whoever cried first never lost had once again stuck itself into my heart.


    ¡°Wow, this is really absurd. Really.¡±


    ¡°Are you really going to go down this path?¡±


    ¡°Kook Minji.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not our fault! You¡¯ve heard the story before, right?¡±


    ¡°You must have misunderstood something. Kiyeon is not that kind of person.¡±


    ¡®How can you say I¡¯m not that kind of person if you don¡¯t know me, Cheol-woo? Still, thank you. I won¡¯t forget this. But you can¡¯t trust people too easily.¡¯


    ¡°Misunderstanding, my ass. Mijeong has confirmed it with her own eyes. Hey, Kiyeon. Am I wrong? Didn¡¯t you run into her this morning?¡±


    That was where my words would matter.


    Of course, this was a little far-fetched, but the appropriate excuses were already prepared.


    ¡°I-I just received an offer¡­sniff¡­ to join the n. I was also surprised¡­ what you¡¯re thinking¡­ sniff¡­ didn¡¯t happen. It didn¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡®It wasn¡¯t me that was obscene, but the dirty thoughts in your head.¡¯


    ¡°A n recruitment offer at dawn? Who would believe such an excuse¡­¡±


    ¡®You¡¯re asking who? Your boys would.¡¯


    ¡°He said we would leave early in the morning¡­ sniff!¡±


    ¡°Can you please speak in a way we can understand?¡±


    ¡°Sorry. Sniff. I-I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s not something you should be sorry for.¡±


    ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m¡­ sorry¡­¡±


    I was actually developing a sore throat. Nobody who witnessed the scene could say that I was acting.


    It was unfair that the sounds of me crying were blocking every word I said.


    Of course, I knew I also looked silly. It must¡¯ve felt frustrating how I couldn¡¯t speak properly because I couldn¡¯t control my feelings.


    Lee Cheol-woo and Kim Daegun were busy trying to appease Light Kiyeon, as if something really did go wrong.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me.¡±


    ¡°How can you believe her? Do you really think they came to make a recruitment offer at dawn? Why weren¡¯t the n Master with them if they¡¯re recruiting new n members? You can¡¯t expect us to believe that, right? Do you know how ridiculous that sounds?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Sniff. I¡­ I was wrong.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not Kiyeon¡¯s fault. You don¡¯t have to apologize.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ I was wrong¡­¡±


    ¡®I deserve justice.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    ¡®This is Light Kiyeon!¡¯


    ¡°So, you¡¯re ying as a victim to the end? To the end?!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sor¡­¡±


    Lee Cheol-woo¡¯s arms held onto me as if I couldn¡¯t stand it anymore.


    The innocent guy seemed startled for a moment, but he started patting my shoulder as if he wasn¡¯t an idiot.


    ¡®If you can¡¯t even do that, you¡¯re an idiot.¡¯


    I hadn¡¯t seen his face, but it was probably very red by now. Of course, I didn¡¯t intend to end it there. I had prepared the mockingughter for a better blow.


    This was because the more agitated they were, the more advantageous my position became.


    I naturally turned my head slightly while being held in Lee Cheolwoo¡¯s arms.


    My eyes met exactly with Kook Minji¡¯s eyes.


    I didn¡¯t know if it was good luck or bad luck, but the other three women were talking to Kim Daegun at the time.


    I kept making the crying sound, but I began to smile. Perhaps, to Kook Minji¡¯s eyes, I would look like a vulpine woman.


    At this point, her face was shaking.


    I felt like I wanted topliment her because she was holding up her anger well. Since she had been evaluated as a moving taunt totem, it was a little surprising.


    Even many demon officials could never hold back their anger against my mockingughter.


    However, it onlysted for a moment.


    As I started to act cute with my head on Lee Cheol-woo¡¯s wide chest, a thunder-like voice resonated throughout the hall.


    ¡°You vulpine woman! Stay away from him!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Watch your tongue. Kook Minji!¡±


    ¡°This fucking slut bitch! Didn¡¯t you see it? She justughed at me. Fuck! Sheughed at me!¡±


    ¡°Kook Minji!¡±


    ¡°You!!¡±


    ¡®You look too ugly, Minji.¡¯


    She came running at me. Anyone could see she was out of her mind.


    Although Lee Cheol-woo blocked to protect me, he couldn¡¯t stop the agile thief with the body of a weak priest.


    Eventually, she hit me on my arm.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!¡±


    She just wanted to push me out, but I didn¡¯t want just that.


    It had been a long time since Ist showed off my Hollywood-worthy acting. I fell to the ground, and Lee Cheol-woo stood out as he hurriedly helped me.


    Kook Minji, with a bold face, was stunned as if she just realized the mistake that she made.


    The expressions of the other three women also didn¡¯t look that good. In any case, she touched my body, and in the end, I had gotten hurt.


    Even if I did something wrong, in the end, they were the ones to me.


    The perpetrator and the victim were obvious at that point. it was not unreasonable that my human Berlin Walls were agitated.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°What the hell do you think you¡¯re doing?¡±


    There was great anger in his voice.


    ¡°O-Oppa¡­¡±


    ¡°The expedition is not over yet¡­ you really have toe out in this way?!¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you aware of how you look right now? Knock it off, Kook Minji. Knock it off! Why the hell are you doing this? It¡¯s just for a while¡­ and you can¡¯t even stand that? I didn¡¯t know you were like this.¡±


    ¡®That was an excellent line. Whew. Were you always like this, Cheol-woo?! I can recruit you as an actor! That drama line was awesome!¡¯


    ¡°Oppa, listen, that woman¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear it. Minji, I don¡¯t even want to see your face right now.¡±


    ¡°O-Oppa.¡±


    Minji¡¯s eyes began to tear up, and pity bloomed in my heart for her. She looked as if her parents had betrayed her, which meant that Minji probably saw Lee Cheol-woo as someone important.


    However, Cheol-woo replied to her coldly, anyway.


    ¡°Apologize.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­?¡±


    ¡°Apologize to Kiyeon right now.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t disappoint me even more, Minji. I¡¯m being as nice as possible right now. Apologize.¡±


    This was no different than telling her to let go of her pride.


    Of course, it wouldn¡¯t be easy, but Kook Minji slowly began to approach me in the end.


    I was worried about her throwing a dagger at me, but seeing her head bowing with her mouth closed, it dawned on me that she wasn¡¯t that crazy.


    This had happened because she could not stand a moment¡¯s anger.


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m sorry. Gruunt.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry. Gruuunt. I¡­ was wrong.¡±


    ¡®Right. Knowing that you¡¯re wrong is enough, Minji. Don¡¯t mess with me recklessly. This is social life. You shouldn¡¯t cryst but rather cry first. The first cry always has an absolute advantage.¡¯


    In fact, I really wanted to push her into a corner a little bit more.


    However, if Kook Minji did that much, I should also show some softness. It wouldn¡¯t make sense to make her even angrier. We had to go on expeditions afterward. If the misunderstanding deepens, we can¡¯t trust each other¡¯s backs going forward.


    ¡°No¡­ I am more¡­ sorry. I think I made you misunderstand because¡­ I¡¯m not good enough.¡±


    At that point, the little war had ended.


    The other three women also bowed their heads.


    ¡°I think I misunderstood something. I¡¯m sorry, Ms. Kiyeon.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s really okay, so you don¡¯t have to lower your head like that. It¡¯s partly because I didn¡¯t behave properly.¡±


    ¡®You¡¯ve be too nice, Kiyeon.¡¯


    Had it been my usual self, I would havepletely destroyed those rude bitches. I deserved a sincere apology and a thank-you just for ending things so lightly.


    ¡°She also has a heart of gold.¡±


    The small murmuring voice of Kim Daegun entered my ear.


    He was correct, no matter how I was to think about it.

 Chapter 446: Friendship Clan’s Friendship-Breaking Sound (1)

    <h4>Chapter 446: Friendship n¡¯s Friendship-Breaking Sound (1)</h4>


    ¡®Will we be able to do well in this state?¡¯


    Lee Cheol-woo¡¯s face best expressed our situation.


    No matter how I thought about it, it was almost irrational to do something at that moment.


    The atmosphere as a whole had already darkened. It was only natural since the party members had just gone through a great conflict.


    Although blindfolded apologies were exchanged and we were forced to create a warm atmosphere, just a few words didn¡¯t mean that the past¡¯s baggage would disappear.


    Although it had improved a lot from before, Kook Minji¡¯s face still wasn¡¯t very friendly.


    I had no choice but to be patient. With this, I felt as if I had to stay quiet for the rest of the expedition¡¯s duration.


    She wasn¡¯t picking a fight, but her face itself was hostile enough. If I were the n Master of the Friendship n, I would definitely have left the party behind.


    It was unreasonable to continue the expedition and think it would end smoothly in the current situation. However, giving up apparently wasn¡¯t one of the Friendship n¡¯s options.


    When I considered the cost of entering the heroic-grade dungeon, the rare-grade room price, insurance cost, and other misceneous expenses, it became even more unviable.


    To retreat meant they¡¯d be drowning in debt.


    ¡®I think my head is starting to hurt¡­¡¯


    For the sake of safety, we had to rearrange the party once more.


    It was an option that everyone knew, but the n wasn¡¯t strong enough to bear such a heavy loss. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if I made too much of a mess.


    I was lucky that I had insurance.


    If I didn¡¯t even have insurance, I would have gotten out of the dungeon if the risk of heavy losses became too high. Nothing was more precious than life, after all.


    Kook Minji and her group caused the situation, but I naturally felt sorry since I was partly responsible for it too. In this case, I had to speak up.


    ¡°Do not worry too much. I¡¯ll try harder.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine, Kiyeon. Please don¡¯t overdo it. Just follow the instructions carefully. If there¡¯s any problem, we will take care of it.¡±


    ¡®This guy is¡­¡¯


    His eyes didn¡¯t expect anything big.


    I understood why he had such a face, but I felt disappointed for some reason.


    ¡®Okay. Think as you please, because I will take care of everything anyway.¡¯


    The people around me were all monsters, but I wasn¡¯t that weak either.


    At least, I could be a match against a heroic-grade.


    No, I could be a little morepetent.


    The Dragon Alchemist¡¯s ability to create wings and tails using Dialugia¡¯s catalyst was a bit difficult to use in there. However, the ability of the unique heroic-grade Living Alchemy Summoner, which was my previous ss, still proved to be in good shape.


    It wasn¡¯t bad to have confidence in my abilities, considering that, unlike before, I had abundant legendary catalysts in my bag.


    Light Kiyeon wasn¡¯t feeble. No, she even deserved to be called the supreme ruler.


    As I agreed with myself, Kim Daegun was busy trying to keep the party members distracted.


    ¡®Right. You have to do that.¡¯


    While calling Kook Minji separately and talking to her, he started taking care of the other three women¡¯s mentalities.


    Although the effect seemed to be insignificant, it was better than ignoring it.


    Kook Minji and the four members¡¯ expressions certainly loosened up to some extent, and it seemed their patience grew stronger as well. It should be enough tost until the end of the expedition.


    Two women in Kook Minji¡¯s gang no longer seemed to like the party anymore, but since they had invested, they would still work hard until it had finished.


    This was just my theory, but it felt like the Friendship n¡¯s progress wouldn¡¯t be bright after the expedition.


    Kook Minji, who admired Lee Cheol-woo, was likely to remain in the n, but I wasn¡¯t certain about the rest. Because of today¡¯s incident, I wondered if the friendship of the Friendship n would be disbanded after the expedition.


    Lee Cheol-woo and Kim Daegun, whom I saw as the n centers, also felt the atmosphere, I was sure they would criticize themselves as well.


    How would the expedition end?


    It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that the fate of the n was at stake.


    That was why the faces of the main members were filled with deep fierceness.


    -Friendship n party will enter in 1 minute.


    ¡°Everyone, stand up. Although we just got out of a bad situation, I hope you don¡¯t think about it anymore once we enter, Minji.¡±


    ¡°I will try, oppa. And I¡¯m sorry once again.¡±


    ¡°No. I should be the one saying that. I¡¯m sorry, Minji.¡±


    -Please enter the heroic-grade museum battle room. All monsters will appear three times, and there is a high probability that a named monster of heroic-grade will appear. Rewards will also be given three times, and the probability is random. Please take note that the battle will begin as soon as you spin the wheel on the right side of the battle room.


    ¡®The spinning wheel is still the same.¡¯


    ¡°What a unique system.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ it looks like a kid¡¯s joke, but the danger is real. Is everyone ready¡­?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡±


    ¡°Me too, oppa.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll start right away.¡±


    [The wheel is spinning.]


    Everyone watched at the spinning wheel nervously.


    If a tricky monster were toe out, there would be problems inter battles, so everyone hoped for an easy one toe out.


    Everyone was probably waiting for a rare-grade monster toe out. That was the most profitable oue for them.


    Of course, things weren¡¯t that easy.


    [The spinning wheel has stopped.]


    [The lower-level named monster of heroic-grade, the spirit of the fallen tree, Ambrosia, has been selected.]


    It was not all that bad, though.


    If it was a monster from the tree element, it was easy to deal with. Undeads that pushed priests to the limit or poisonous monsters were far more difficult to deal with in the first ce.


    It was a hundred times better than a fire attribute that would drain our stamina if we got close.


    There might be a reason why the fire attribute artifact was the most umon, but it wasn¡¯t that hard.


    ¡°Not bad.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It seems that we got a good one to start with. First, prepare for battle. Let¡¯s start with figuring out the pattern. Daegun, please.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Please refrain from using magic or other attacks until he attracts the monster¡¯s attentionpletely. Kiyeon, I will give you a separate signal.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Please do.¡±


    ¡°Prepare for battle. Go.¡±


    With a nking sound, the rotten tree bastard revealed itself.


    Lee Cheol-woo, a priest, gave all kinds of buffs to Kim Daegun, who immediately charged ahead. Meanwhile, Kook Minji focused on Kim Daegun¡¯s movements as she had to be prepared for any unexpected developments.


    They were not as bad as I had thought.


    Their abilities were enough for me to appreciate, and it was hard to find any ws. However, that was my mistake.


    ¡®What¡­ what are they doing now?¡±


    It was quite a sight to watch him bravely rushing in and grappling with the big monster.


    Kim Daegun, who ran in with a confident expression, was having a one-on-one battle against it.


    I understood that he wanted to show the world his bravery, but we weren¡¯t in a solo hunt.


    It was so clumsy that it was impossible not topare him with Park Deokgu, who at least provided space for other party members to enter.


    ¡®I guess Deokgu is really talented after all.¡¯


    It wouldn¡¯t be unreasonable to agree with Park Deokgu¡¯s potential talent. In fact, Lee Cheol-woo was the same.


    He was qualitatively different from Sun Hee-young, who could be considered as the Head Priest of the Blue.


    A lot of idiots thought that a priest simply healed and gave buffs, but actually, a priest was a ss where the user¡¯s qualities were extremely important.


    Depending on how much divine power they had, it was also important to properly time casting spells. What was even more ridiculous was that those two weren¡¯t even the worst.


    Kook Minji jumped around meaninglessly, distracting the tanker.


    The ranger fired arrows needlessly.


    I didn¡¯t even know what the hell the woman who was given the role of a sub-tank and melee damage dealer was doing.


    If I had topare her position in the Blue, although it was very simr to Cho Hyejin¡¯s position, it seemed like she didn¡¯t really understand what she was supposed to do.


    The worst was the woman with a sword. She was the one who was ying Kim Hyunsung¡¯s role.


    ¡®She isplete trash. Is¡­ she even a person?¡¯


    Comparing them to our party was a bit unfair in the first ce.


    I was even sorry about daring to mention them, looking at their personal abilities. However, they didn¡¯t act like that even when Blue was at heroic-grade.


    They had low individual specs, sure, but their teamwork was something I could admire.


    ¡®They just don¡¯t know how to hunt.¡¯


    They didn¡¯t seem to have a mentor.


    The way they started was different from our party, in which the lovely returner had trained us rigorously since the days we were newbies.


    I didn¡¯t know if they knew what I was thinking. Their pride began to appear on their smiles.


    ¡°It¡¯s a good start.¡±


    Lee Cheol-woo¡¯s face seemed to say, ¡®This is the Friendship n.¡¯ Kook Minji grinned mockingly despite not actually doing anything useful. They were entertaining to watch, at least.


    I could see the great pride they had in their abilities.


    ¡°I think we can really start with the damage now!¡±


    ¡®What were you doing so far¡­ bastards? ¡®


    ¡°Kiyeon, please do the casting right away.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to overdo it. Save your magic power and be as efficient as possible¡­ we can take care of it.¡±


    ¡®How can you be so sure?¡¯


    ¡°Noted.¡±


    This was both annoying and boring.


    I tried not to do too much, but I thought I had to make them realize the power of a semi-mythic.


    As soon as I reached for the infinite bag, I got the catalyst that I thought I would never use in my life.


    [Fire Giant¡¯s Refined Magic Powder (Legendary)]


    It was too expensive to be used only to defeat a heroic-grade monster.


    It didn¡¯t make sense to use legendary-grade catalysts in a heroic-grade dungeon in the first ce. Of course, that wasn¡¯t the case for Light Kiyeon, who had more than enough money.


    As I snapped my finger, a big fist of fire started to fall from the air.


    ¡°Daegun, wait.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Perhaps he wasn¡¯t that slow, but it was noticeable that he moved quickly when the magic fell.


    When I flicked my finger once again, arge hand protruded from the floor and grabbed the monster.


    ¡®Why isn¡¯t this bastard dying?¡¯


    Even though I had used a legendary-grade catalyst, my chronic problem of having weak attack power wasn¡¯t solved.


    It was definitely hard to say that it had been efficient.


    Dialugia¡¯s catalyst would have been a little better, but I was currently only using unique heroic-grade alchemy magic.


    Of course, it didn¡¯t mean that it did no damage at all.


    It was a shame that the monster wasn¡¯t exterminated immediately, but anyone could see that the fallen tree¡¯s spirit was taking damage. When I flicked my finger, a big fist fell again.


    As soon as I flicked my finger again, the monster¡¯s upper body burst into mes.


    It looked quite mismatched when the big guy punched the rtively small tree spirit.


    The fallen tree¡¯s spirit screamed in pain, but the fire giant didn¡¯t stop.


    Craashh!


    Baaaannnggg!!


    Craaackkkkk!


    Baaaannnngggg!!!


    Craaaashhhh!


    Baaaaaannnnnnggggg!!!


    The total price of the catalyst I used so far proved to be astronomical.


    However, all of the Friendship n members who weren¡¯t aware of such facts had their mouths wide open.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t¡­ make sense¡­¡±


    ¡®It does!¡¯

 Chapter 447: Friendship Clan’s Friendship-Breaking Sound (2)

    <h4>Chapter 447: Friendship n¡¯s Friendship-Breaking Sound (2)</h4>


    Not only did the fallen tree be aplete mess, but there was no part of him left unscathed in the end.


    As if to show that he had been beaten properly by the fire element, his whole body was scorched. He couldn¡¯t even maintain his proper shape.


    Since he had been beaten for a long time by an overwhelming mass, he could no longer keep his actual form. Rather, he was pretty lucky to receive only that much damage.


    Personally, however, I was a bit bitter.


    The result itself deserved to be acknowledged, but my absoluteck of damage hurt.


    Regardless of my sentiments, it wasn¡¯t unreasonable for them to be surprised.


    It was clear that Lee Cheol-woo, Kim Daegun, Kook Minji, and the rest of the party weren¡¯t expecting much from me. They thought it would be fine enough to have me just do my role, but they were so surprised that their jaws ultimately dropped upon seeing my performance.


    The four members tried to read each other¡¯s faces.


    To that extent, Light Kiyeon¡¯s achievements were great. It was like I caught the heroic-grade monster with a few magic shots.


    Perhaps, in their eyes, I probably looked like Jung Hayan, a genius wizard.


    At least, looking at the gazes they had on me, it seemed that it would be okay to think so.


    Lee Cheol-woo and Kim Daegun were rubbing their eyes, and the Kook Minji and her gals turned pale.


    ¡®Now you trust me, right? Huh?¡¯


    It was clear that they were trying to solve the puzzle of why Pak Sergei and Argirmo came to me and made the offer, even though they knew it was rude.


    They might have doubted me before, but now the puzzle pieces fit very easily.


    Why?


    The answer was too obvious.


    ¡®They offered recruitment because I¡¯m skilled, bitches. That¡¯s how far apart our leagues are. I¡¯m in an entirely different dimension. You misunderstood because you have never gotten that kind of recruitment proposal.¡¯


    Even after the battle waspletely over, everyone remained silent for about a minute.


    At this point, I wondered what kind of attitude I had to maintain. That was because there were too many things I wanted to say.


    However, I quickly realized that I didn¡¯t have to decide what to do.


    I could hear the voices pouring out before I could even say anything.


    ¡°You¡¯re amazing¡­ er, you¡¯re really amazing.¡±


    ¡°How did you do that, Kiyeon?¡±


    ¡°Yes? Just as usual¡­ isn¡¯t it something that any wizard can do?¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯m telling you, average wizards won¡¯t be able to produce that kind of firepower. Your casting speed is fast, and the power of your magic is too high to say it belongs in the heroic-grade.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s obvious. I used a legendary-grade catalyst, so you can¡¯tpare it to the heroic-grade.¡¯


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡®Okay. What are you sorry about?¡¯


    ¡°No. There is no need to be so sorry.¡±


    ¡°We seem to have misunderstood¡­¡±


    ¡°I have received a lot of such misunderstandings. I¡¯m used to it. You really don¡¯t have to worry about it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, unnie. I said some stupid crap.¡±


    ¡®When did I be your unnie?¡¯


    ¡°No, it can happen.¡±


    ¡®The speed at which these girls changed their attitude isn¡¯t a joke.¡¯


    ¡°Please talkfortably. Can I call you Kiyeon unnie?¡±


    ¡®Amazing. If it were me, I wouldn¡¯t be able to do that because it¡¯s too shameful.¡¯


    ¡°Yes, of course.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t seem to have high magic power, but you¡¯re really amazing!¡±


    Even Kook Minji, who I thought wouldn¡¯t be doing this, was now buttering me up a bit.


    ¡®Ability is something great in the end.¡¯


    Honestly, what I was doing at that moment was just amusing myself. It wasn¡¯t a bad feeling to receive such recognition.


    I felt like I could see why the old novels¡¯ dragons ran around pretending to be human for so many days. It was hard to exin, but there was a sense of pleasure that tickled my whole body.


    ¡®Right. Since I¡¯m already doing this, I¡¯ll give you some bonus.¡¯


    ¡°Oh! And while hunting earlier¡­ there was something that bothered me a bit, can I tell you?¡±


    ¡°Yes. You can tell me, Kiyeon.¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ I¡¯ve actually been in the Red Mercenary Named Monster Response Team before I came here. It¡¯s up to you if you want to ept it, but I keep seeing things that stand out.¡±


    ¡°You mean the Red Mercenary?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It was only for a while.¡±


    ¡°Is that true? Huh. You can go ahead and tell me.¡±


    ¡°I want you to listen without getting offended.¡±


    ¡°Why would I?¡±


    ¡°First, Daegun tends to be a little self-centered. Of course, he has the burden of facing the monster face-to-face on his shoulders, but it would be better if he trusted the priest in the team and gave a wider space. Since there is even a sub-tank.¡±


    I could see the guy blushing.


    I wondered if I shouldn¡¯t have said that, but these were all constructivements, after all.


    That time, I addressed the sub-tanker included in the Kook Minji squad.


    ¡°Also, you know that the role of the sub-tank in the party doesn¡¯t end when the main tank falls back, in which case you¡¯ll have to enter, right? I don¡¯t know if you two have troublemunicating, but it feels like there is no swap process. The main tank at the front can also be a little more rxed if the sub-tanker gives the main tank a little more trust.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ okay.¡±


    ¡°The two of you have to y your role so that the close-up damage dealer can also have a wider array of actions. Also, there aren¡¯t many party members who wish for the assassin ss, Minji. It¡¯s good to keep moving, but your movements distract us¡­ it would be better to provide long-distance support in general. You know how to handle crossbows, right? If the monster¡¯s attention has gotten a little lighter, it wouldn¡¯t be bad to fight as melee, but that doesn¡¯t happen.¡±


    ¡®You¡¯re not even close to Kim Ye-ri, so you shouldn¡¯t move like that.¡¯


    ¡°The most uncertain position is the close-up damage dealer in the party¡­ no matter how low your endurance stats or stamina stats, I wonder if you¡¯re spreading yourself too much. I understand if you are concerned about getting injured, but it can¡¯t be helped if you are in the assassin ss. When an attackes, you must either avoid it or lift your dagger with the belief that the tanks will block it. It may sound a little cruel, but you have to be prepared to be seriously injured. The same goes for the long-distance damage. You know that firing arrows until the monster¡¯s attention is totally taken puts a lot of stress on tanks, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Also, it seems that Cheol-woo is wasting his divine power. In the case of the monster that just came out, Daegun would have survived even without the buff. After the first buff, it would be better to focus on the team¡¯s close-up damage dealer. Please consider the timing of your healing spell. Casting must be done right before the big attack falls. That way, the divine spell can take effect right after it hits.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Everyone¡¯s ability seems to be good, but it feels like you¡¯re not in sync¡­ If you understand the positions of the party members, the results will be much better.¡±


    I was worried about whether I was too direct. However, I didn¡¯t see any hostility in their eyes.


    The power that I showed them before certainly helped in making them take my criticisms properly. In fact, Goddess Kiyeon¡¯s speech must have yed a huge role.


    I said something about the main tank and about the priest, then pointed out something about the sub-tank, mentioning the close-up damage dealer by the end. In that way, the responsibility was transferred to each other.


    If only an individual were pointed out, they would just end up feeling bad, but if I pointed out that there was a problem in the group as a whole, the results might be slightly different.


    ¡®It¡¯s great. Very good. You¡¯re too nice, Kiyeon.¡¯


    It was enough to make me ponder whether or not I had provided too many services for a party that I would only stay in briefly. As expected, I could see them nodding and conceding.


    What was a little sudden was that the party members in that ce were showing anxious expressions. It was as if they were trying to create a good impression in the eyes of arge guild¡¯s scout.


    ¡®Okay. I like that attitude. That enthusiasm is important. Your qualities aren¡¯t bad. You can get enough offers.¡¯


    Blue wouldn¡¯t recruit them.


    However, if they were lucky, arge guild might recruit their party.


    ¡°Let¡¯s take the reward first¡­ and then, would you like to make the next named move as I said? I will be prepared for a sudden situation.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Kiyeon. It seems like we¡¯re only getting help.¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯m d I can help you like this. Well, let¡¯s start with thepensation wheel.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Yes.¡±


    [The wheel is spinning.]


    [The spinning wheel has stopped.]


    [Rare-grade item Warrior¡¯s Horn was selected.]


    ¡°Ugh. It¡¯s a rare-grade item¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be too disappointed, Daegun, because there are still two more opportunities left.¡±


    ¡°Okay. We can¡¯t help it anyway. Then, would you like, Minji, to spin the next monster?¡±


    ¡°Okay. Oppa.¡±


    [The spinning wheel is spinning.]


    [The spinning wheel has stopped.]


    [Heroic-grade lower-ranked monster Hell Gatekeeper Kasarak has been selected.]


    ¡®Well. This is okay too.¡¯


    ¡°We will prepare for battle right away.¡±


    Everyone was nodding. Of course, there was a grim expression on their faces.


    It started just like before.


    Lee Cheol-woo¡¯s buff poured onto Kim Daegun, and Kim Daegun entered the monster¡¯s range, and the battle begins.


    ¡®It¡¯ll be better than before, right?¡¯


    It was natural to think that.


    Unlike before, when there was no foundation at all, the minimum foundation had been built. However, it also seemed to be just my illusion.


    ¡°Swap! Swap!!¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t get too close, close-up damage dealer!¡±


    ¡°Daegun! You have to turn your head!!¡±


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t there any buffsing! Buff¡±


    ¡®Fuck. This is a mess.¡¯


    ¡°Minji! The arrows! Don¡¯t shoot! Don¡¯t shoot! Stop the damage! Stop the damage!!¡±


    I was wrong.


    The positions weren¡¯t perfectly defined.


    Even if you said it was five minutes before the end of the game, there was nothing to say.


    If they¡¯d fought like before, they could have caught it even if it took time, but what they were showing now was enough to say that they were on the verge of annihtion.


    The sub-tank and main-tank swap processes were bizarre. They couldn¡¯t even execute it properly.


    As if she took my word that she should be prepared to be seriously injured, the close-up damage dealer was getting too close and turning the attack into a mess.


    Whether Kook Minji wasn¡¯t familiar with a crossbow, she gave the monster a gift of berserk by hitting the crossbow in Kasarak¡¯s left eyeball, and I didn¡¯t know what the long-distance damage dealer was doing at that moment.


    Lee Cheol-woo was better, but he gave the buff to the close-up damage dealer sooner than necessary.


    Kim Daegun, who was struggling with tanking due to the berserk gift, wasn¡¯t seen to.


    ¡®What are they doing? Really.¡¯


    If it continued like that, there was a high probability of them crossing the Jordan River. No, I was certain that they would.


    In the end, I was forced to take action.


    The situation was dealt with when a fire giant climbed up and hit the Hell Gatekeeper Kasarak¡¯s head. With this, the party could finally take a deep breath.


    I was worried that they would turn that ugly attack into my responsibility, but they wouldn¡¯t do that if they had a conscience.


    To say that it was my fault wasn¡¯t right, but¡­


    What they chose to do was worse than that.


    ¡°Cheol-woo, I trusted you, but no buff came.¡±


    They were now ming each other.


    I could hear the Friendship n¡¯s friendship beginning to break.


    ¡®That¡¯s not it, bastards. That wasn¡¯t my intention. I wasn¡¯t trying to ruin your rtionships.¡¯

 Chapter 448: Friendship Clan’s Friendship-Breaking Sound (3)

    <h4>Chapter 448: Friendship n¡¯s Friendship-Breaking Sound (3)</h4>


    ¡°Cheol-woo, I trusted you, but no buff came.¡±


    Although it was a trivial line, all problems had begun to start with that small mistake.


    Many already knew this, if they were an adventurer from Korea, they would¡¯ve already known the meaning of those words.


    In fact, I knew he didn¡¯t mean what he had said. He just said it out of frustration.


    It became difficult to judge whether or not it was possible to evade responsibility when I saw him muttering like a grunt. The reason behind his regretful remark was certainly clear to me.


    ¡®He must feel embarrassed.¡¯


    He had just been talking to excuse his poor performance.


    Even at that moment, Kim Daegun, who was blushing, seemed to think that the way he presented himself was unbing of him.


    Thinking about his disgraceful behavior, I couldn¡¯t help but blush, considering the fact that he couldn¡¯t even face the monster moving clumsily. This was not a heroic-grade warrior¡¯s behavior.


    It was worse than the trolling Park Deokgu from the first round did in the dungeon.


    I didn¡¯t even have to think about how ashamed he, who had been making a living through his sword for years, would be. He would want to sink through the floor.


    As he nced at me even after he finished talking, it seemed that it partly was because he wanted to look good in front of me.


    ¡®It¡¯s not his fault, huh? These kinds of guys are usually the ones who harbor the fault.¡¯


    Lee Cheol-woo also seemed confused. He was obviously not expecting this, either.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I decided to invest a little more in the close-up damage assassin¡­ Kiyeon also said that¡­¡±


    Lee Cheol-woo¡¯s gaze turned to where the assassin was located.


    He said he was sorry, but his skill in avoiding responsibility was as good as a politician.


    ¡°Eun-hye got too close to the monster. It became difficult to get its attention.¡±


    ¡°I just did¡­ as Kiyeon unnie said. I moved, risking my life. I was prepared to be seriously injured. Wording it like that makes me feel bad.¡±


    ¡°You have to do all that while looking at the situation. It¡¯s not just getting close, right?¡±


    ¡°No, the problems came when an arrow pierced Kasarak¡¯s eye. It got twisted from there.¡±


    ¡®It was twisted from the beginning. Bastards. ¡®


    However, some of them seemed to agree with that opinion.


    In fact, if I had to pick the best scene, the attack that ravaged the monster deserved to be in the best three.


    Kook Minji was in the lead to be med.


    It was quite interesting to watch the responsibility for the poor battle results be passed around as if it were a bomb. Kook Minji also flexibly escaped the situation after realizing she was about to bebeled the weakest link.


    ¡°The arrow hit him because the rotation speed made it move. I couldn¡¯t help it.¡±


    In that case, Kim Daegun and the sub-tank had be the primary focus of the conversation.


    They couldn¡¯t deny the existence of a problem in the rotation.


    Any one of them could¡¯ve beenbeled as the troll in that fight, and it wouldn¡¯t feel doubtful.


    They passed the me around, making me feel like I was watching the Crack Museum¡¯s spinning wheel.


    ¡°You can¡¯t say that, Minji. Ha¡­ it¡¯s so burdensome swapping without a backup¡­¡±


    So far, everyone¡¯s attitude had been lukewarm and very passive.


    Of course, they had to be. From the first time I saw them, they seemed to have a pretty good rtionship with one another to the point where they couldn¡¯t openly criticize the members.


    An answer could be formted just by looking at Lee Cheol-woo, who justughed at the four members¡¯ finger-pointing, including Kook Minji, several times.


    Of course, it didn¡¯t mean that no friction had been created from this event. Perhaps I was the catalyst for this, after all. I had created a crack in their rtionship.


    In the hearts of the female party members, there was a lot of disappointment towards male party members.


    Even at that moment, the faces of those looking at Lee Cheol-woo seemed to be looking for trouble. Lee Cheol-woo¡¯s admirer, Kook Minji, remained favorable towards him, but the others were clearly dissatisfied.


    The problem was that they weren¡¯t the only people who were dissatisfied with the n Master.


    There was no way he wouldn¡¯t notice the subtle emotions in Kim Daegun¡¯s eyes, looking at his best friend.


    ¡®This bastard is jealous.¡¯


    It was obvious envy.


    He wasn¡¯t revealing his inner self like Jung Hayan looking at Cha Hee-ra, but he certainly had jealousy in his gaze. Perhaps I was the cause of that as well.


    The first reason was from when I acted cute in Lee Cheol-woo¡¯s arms. The second reason was that I had put more devotion to the n Master.


    ¡®Did I talk in a way that made it sound like he was doing well during the briefing?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t remember it well, but I remembered saying things carefully to prevent the n Master from losing face.


    If I had walked over him in front of the n members, his authority could get damaged.


    Perhaps this had stimted Kim Daegun.


    He looked as if he didn¡¯t like the fact that Lee Cheol-woo was considered a morepetent and capable man than him. Additionally, his embarrassment must¡¯ve doubled due to the scene he made and the scene of him screwing up as a tank.


    In such a case, those who had a position akin to a supporter were definitely advantageous.


    The attention of everyone wasn¡¯t as focused on them when in battle.


    Regardless, it was safe to assume that the cause of the current conflict was male jealousy.


    For the Friendship n members, whose voices became louder and louder, the action I had to take was simple.


    I had to end the fight and save Kim Daegun¡¯s spirit, who thought he had been defeated.


    ¡°Then why?! Are you telling me you didn¡¯t even know the monster went into a frenzy? This is not your first fight.¡±


    ¡°I already told you that I had to focus on other things. I know what you mean, but it seems a little vague to say that it¡¯s entirely my fault.¡±


    ¡°Right. You always do that.¡±


    I had to intervene at that moment. ¡°No. No. Everyone did well. I think I gave criticisms and suggestions that were too hard from the get-go. Different parties have different ways of hunting, but I think I said too casually. I think it would be better to do it your way.¡±


    ¡®You damn hopeless morons. The future of the continent is dark. What should I do with you?¡¯


    ¡°No. Kiyeon. We¡¯ve always known what you said. Our skill level is definitely insufficient.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not. It had a smooth flow during our first battle. It seems that the confusion was only aggravated because of me. Fighting as a group isn¡¯t something you can master within a couple of days. You don¡¯t have to be so stressed, Daegun.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°We already know that Daegun is a talented warrior. We can see how much experience you have just by looking at your breathing and how you distance yourself against monsters.¡±


    ¡®And now you¡¯re grinning from ear to ear, you bastard. There were only two things worth seeing in your performance.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just embarrassed¡­ for showing such a disgraceful behavior.¡±


    ¡°No. You showed us everything you could show as a tank. It¡¯s not your fault, so don¡¯t me yourself. It isn¡¯t easy for other tanks to be able to stand up against a named monster in a frenzied state for a long duration without any buffs.¡±


    I finished this with a refreshing smile.


    Only then did he visibly calm down a bit. ¡°Kiyeon is right. If I had a buff, I would have been able to deal with him better.¡±


    ¡®Why did you have to say that now, you asshole?¡¯


    Naturally, I looked at Lee Cheol-woo momentarily due to what Kim Daegun resentfully said.


    I felt his eyebrows wriggling, which was out-of-character for such a quiet guy as himself. It was clear that he was getting agitated. His face was slowly reddening.


    ¡°As I said, that wasn¡¯t possible, Daegun.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything else. I just said it was regrettable¡­ I was talking to myself, so you don¡¯t have to feel bothered, Cheol-woo.¡±


    ¡°How can I not be bothered? I also have to manage the divine power. If you didn¡¯t charge so ignorantly in the first ce¡­¡±


    ¡°What? Doesn¡¯t that mean that yourck of divine power was due to me running to protect the party members?¡±


    ¡°Ha¡­ That¡¯s not what I meant.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what you mean, my ass. That¡¯s the only meaning your words have.¡±


    ¡®Stop. You bastards. ¡®


    At that rate, Lee Cheol-woo was likely to be forced to take the me.


    Even his best friend turned his back on him, and he was generally disliked due to the stance he took during the prior predicament where I was involved.


    It was just as expected. All the females but Kook Minji had now started to criticize him one by one.


    They weren¡¯t openly dissing. Rather, they were executing proper, subtle maneuvers. I thought they had an edge in that kind of fight, considering the speed at which they switched sides wasn¡¯t a joke, but the way they were biting at him reminded me of a pack of wolves on a hunt.


    At that rate, they would be reaching a conclusion in less than ten minutes.


    ¡®I have to stop it.¡¯


    In fact, it didn¡¯t matter what happened, but I still couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of responsibility. The situation became worse because of my goodwill, after all.


    I pulled them away from each other¡¯s throats. I could at least sprinkle some antiseptic on the sore wound, right?


    ¡°Everyone did a good job. It¡¯s not really anyone¡¯s fault. You don¡¯t have to be heated up. I¡¯m so sorry for this. I guess I shouldn¡¯t have done that¡­ Everyone, loosen up. Adventurers go through this often.¡±


    ¡®Yes, it¡¯s not really anyone¡¯s fault. All of you are the problem.¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°We should continue with the expedition, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. We do.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s do that.¡±


    ¡°Come to think of it. We haven¡¯t even checked thepensation.¡±


    The party was already suffering from a big wound.


    ¡®There is still room for a reversal.¡¯


    If an item above the heroic-grade came out, it could still lighten up the party members¡¯ mood.


    They looked like their hearts were pounding as if they had huge expectations for the contents of a treasure chest.


    ¡°It would be better to do that.¡±


    ¡°It would be better to continue, boys.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    ¡°We got a rare-grade before this. I think it would be okay if we get a heroic-grade. No, it has to be a heroic-grade. It¡¯s uncertain if the second monster can be used as a catalyst¡­¡±


    ¡°Ugh. It must be limited.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see once we spin it. Let¡¯s begin.¡±


    ¡°Then I will spin it.¡±


    ¡°Benignore, please¡­¡±


    I could see the women praying. The museum had an unexpected effect that increased the divinity of Benignore.


    ¡®I think this is going to work.¡¯


    Although not intended, I thought the museum would greatly help the gods, including Benignore.


    Anyway, after a short prayer meeting, the woman boldly spun the wheel.


    [The wheel is spinning.]


    ¡®Let¡¯s go!¡¯


    ¡°Purple! Purple!!¡±


    [The wheel is spinning.]


    ¡°Heroic-grade! Heroic! Or legendary!¡±


    [The wheel is spinning.]


    ¡°Please! Please!¡±


    [The spinning wheel has stopped.]


    ¡°Heroic-grade! Come out, heroic-grade!¡±


    ¡°Please¡­¡±


    ¡®Let¡¯s go! With the power of Benignore!¡¯


    Tinkle!


    [Common-grade item, the manuscript of ¡®The Love of a Genius Swordsman and an Alchemist¡¯ (Uncut version: rated R) was selected.]


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°¡­ ¡°


    Kim Daegun cursed and threw down his shield.


    ¡°Fuck!¡±


    This expedition was obviously over.

 Chapter 449: Our Hyunsung (1)

    <h4>Chapter 449: Our Hyunsung (1)</h4>


    I didn¡¯t mean this in any figurative way whatsoever. The expedition was really over.


    Of course, we didn¡¯t abandon ourst chance. Sure, we all felt upset, but we still had to maximize our profits. Besides, there was still hope that a legendary-grade item mighte out next time.


    However, the results were miserable. We had gained yet another rare-grade item.


    It was a very shabby resultpared to the horrors they faced due to thest named monster hunt. This had obviously been a huge loss.


    The adventure, in which they risked almost all of their fortune, ended miserably with two rare-grade items and a manuscript.


    In short, this expedition left nothing on the party but a scar. There was no need to mention that the atmosphere sucked.


    I wasn¡¯t expecting this at all. Whether the Friendship n¡¯s members were out of luck, or whether the museum¡¯s reality was too terrible, we were yet to figure out, but at least the hardships they faced were real.


    ¡®Looking at it from the perspective of a businessman, it was profitable, but¡­¡¯


    It was hard to look at the expressions on their face.


    Although it wasn¡¯t enough for everyone toe together to resolve the crisis, the previous minor quarrels were still pushing them back to a situation that was akin to the Cold War era.


    ¡®Friendship n slumps.¡¯


    I wondered if they still had the strength to continue running the n. Even I couldn¡¯t guarantee that it would remain stable.


    Seeing how all the female members but Kook Minji had terrible expressions, they seemed to have made up their minds. They looked like they were looking for the right timing to cut ties, as if they hadn¡¯t forgotten the maxim, ¡®A slump means to cut ties.¡¯


    The innocent Lee Cheol-woo seemed not to notice it yet, but I could already smell the end of the party. Even a blind man would know that the end of the Friendship n wasing soon.


    ¡®This is their end.¡¯


    I was certain of this fact.


    The Friendship n would be done for within a week. No, it might disband at that very moment.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®I should cut ties with them quickly too.¡¯


    Although I felt a little sense of responsibility, it disappeared with a shake of my head.


    It was because I thought that I had done all that I had to do. Although there had been some small idents, I could confidently say that my contribution exceeded 70% in the process of dealing with the named monsters.


    ¡°Er¡­ what are you going to do now, boys?¡± Kook Minji broke the silence.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. First, I have to go to the dorm and think about it. We still have money to stay for a few days. It would be better to dispose of the items here. We either get a loan ande back here, or we find another route. Although we suffered a lot of damage¡­ We can¡¯t just stand still like this.¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t get a loan.¡¯


    ¡°Something must¡¯ve gone wrong. I don¡¯t know why there is such a book in the museum in the first ce¡­¡±


    ¡°You heard it. They also have items from the continent that they think are worth holding. If it is a manuscript from a best-seller, so they would have determined that it was worth exhibiting in the museum. I can¡¯t understand it either, but the price will be fairly good. I don¡¯t know how much we can get if we sell it to collectors, but¡­ we have to try to sell where we can get the best price. Damn.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be difficult.¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s not easy to ce such an item in an auction.¡¯


    It might be sold at a slightly higher price if someone wanted it for sure, but that all just na?ve hope. No matter how much it would be, it would certainly be insufficient to make up for the party¡¯s loss.


    Considering that auction fees were enormous, there might not be much they could actually get.


    ¡®Okay, I will handle the fee.¡¯


    ¡°I can handle that much.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I have some connections with the auction house. If you leave it to me, I will sell it and send you the payment. You can write a separate transfer contract. Since the fee is too high¡­ if I talk to them, they will understand.¡±


    ¡°No. No. There¡¯s no need to write a separate contract. If you have connections, I think it¡¯s better to ask them. More importantly, what are you¡­ going to do now?¡±


    ¡®What do you mean? I have to go do my job.¡¯


    This was the right time to cut off ties with them now.


    ¡°I do not know¡­¡±


    ¡°First, let¡¯s go have a meal. Although it was a failed expedition, I still have a few things I want to say¡­¡±


    ¡®I hope it¡¯s not a recruitment offer, you bastard. How can you think of holding me in this situation? You have no shame. You can¡¯t do that.¡¯


    Just as I was about to express my rejection, the three women took the timing first.


    ¡°Oppa, we have something to tell you.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°We really don¡¯t want to say it right now, but¡­ it seems that we¡¯re done here.¡±


    ¡°What? What is it all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve been thinking about it for some time, but I think right now is the best timing to tell you. I think it¡¯s better for us to go our separate ways at this point. We don¡¯t have any reason for it, but¡­ there wasn¡¯t really any contract term, anyway. ¡°


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think this is too sudden?¡±


    Kim Daegun, who could be said to be one of the n¡¯s central figures, also felt surprised.


    He tried to keep calm, but his face told me he was certainly having a hard time doing that.


    The n was at a crossroads between survival and disbandment, and three members suddenly left the six-member n. It wasn¡¯t unreasonable to have such an expression.


    However, there was no way to criticize their actions.


    Internal affairs were also the responsibility of the n Master and the Vice n Master. They neglected that responsibility when they became crazy at the sudden arrival of a vulpine woman.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have to get a payment. It will be hard for you in many ways. However, we¡¯ll take a rare-grade item. Is that okay?¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter, but no, I mean. How about talking a little more? If you leave without any precautions like this¡­ I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll look good for you either. I think it would be good to think about it after you decide what you¡¯ll do first.¡±


    ¡°No. We understand you, but I don¡¯t think we¡¯repatible with the Friendship n. We felt that in today¡¯s hunting. Also, the overall atmosphere isn¡¯t the same as before. We have nothing to say except we¡¯re really sorry.¡±


    ¡°Girls, how can you do this out of nowhere?¡±


    ¡°Minji, you should think about whether this is really amunity worth working on. Anyway, we¡¯ll go first. If we cross paths again, don¡¯t ignore us, boys. We can meet asionally and do something like hunting. Minji, we must keep in touch¡­ Kiyeon unnie, we will also keep in touch with you.¡±


    It was all quick and cruel.


    The women of the former Friendship n disappeared without saying another word. I felt shameful again, since I felt like I was the one who put a dagger into the heart of the Friendship n.


    Kim Daegun and Lee Cheol-woo looked deste.


    Of course, Light Kiyeon wasn¡¯t the owner of a personality that could think about their situation.


    I had to cut ties with them quickly. It hurt my pride that the kids stole the first move.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I have work to do, too.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ the expedition was fun, Cheol-woo, Daegun. Minji and I had a little misunderstanding, but I still enjoyed it.¡±


    ¡°How can you¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think this is where I¡¯m supposed to be. In fact, I feel ufortable about belonging somewhere¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Kiyeon, let¡¯s talk for a second.¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t be clingy.¡¯


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Kiyeon, how can you¡­¡±


    ¡®What, man. We weren¡¯t that close for you to be saying that.¡¯


    ¡°Kiyeon, if you were ufortable with our n¡¯s expedition, I will formally apologize. I hope you think about it again.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Please, even if it¡¯s for my sake.¡±


    ¡®Why the hell would your sake matter?¡¯


    Cheol-woo¡¯s sake never mattered.


    ¡°In fact, I shouldn¡¯t be saying this, but in the next expedition, if possible, I hope we can move together as a n. Of course, we know we are not good enough, but I hope you think about this positively.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a bit¡­ I want to go with you too, but¡­ I really have something to do.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we go to the dorms and have a meal together? We received a lot of help from you this time, and we would at least like to say thank you.¡±


    I bet, the moment I went to the dorms and had a meal with them, I would be caught in a swamp that I wouldn¡¯t be able to escape from. I was sure they¡¯d try to hold onto me somehow.


    If they gained the resource called Light Kiyeon, they would gain enormous profits that would cover all the damages.


    They had already confirmed with their own eyes how powerful I was, after all.


    ¡°Y-Yes, unnie¡­ let¡¯s go together. I¡¯m sorry about what happened before.¡±


    Even Kook Minji had started to say weird things.


    The thief¡¯s psychology of recruiting someone who deserved to belong to arge guild made me clear my throat.


    ¡°Kiyeon.¡±


    ¡®Enough, you bastard.¡¯


    It was quite a sight to see him holding my hand. His face looked very serious for some reason.


    ¡°Er¡­ Did I do something wrong?¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s nothing like that.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m mistaken, but I thought Kiyeon and I were sharing the same feelings in the dungeon¡­¡±


    ¡®What feelings?¡¯


    There was always that one person that was confused about a girl¡¯s actions.


    I was only nice to them for a while, but they stuck to me as if we were exchanging great feelings.


    The innocent-looking guy spat out strange lines with a beet-red face, but such means could barely shake the impregnable heart of Light Kiyeon.


    Rather, it made me feel even more annoyed. It was rather creepy to see a man suddenly looking at me with a serious face.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. This is making me ufortable. Can you please let go of my hand?¡±


    ¡°Kiyeon.¡±


    ¡°Let go of that hand, Cheol-woo.¡±


    Even the big guy hade into the mess. Love and war ran rampant in the middle of the city, after all.


    Kim Daegun, that bastard, also suddenly appeared and stood between Lee Cheol-woo and me. It was hard to see him confront Lee Cheol-woo. He probably felt like a knight defending the princess by grabbing my other hand.


    I felt even more embarrassed due to the gazes that were now focusing on us.


    ¡°Would you both let go of me?¡±


    ¡°Kiyeon, please think about it one more time¡­ I want to talk to you.¡±


    At that moment, a familiar voice came from behind right before I tried to use a rather tough measure to escape.


    ¡°Please, let her go.¡±


    The moment I looked back naturally, I saw someone who was of a different level from these ugly people. In fact, he looked like a Greek God inparison to them.


    He had a sword sheathed against its waist.


    The armament was modest, but the symbol embedded in his chest revealed the identity of the person who suddenly appeared. I couldn¡¯t continue with further description of his appearance since it would make me look pitiful.


    ¡®What the hell, you bastard. Why are you so handsome?¡¯


    The Blue Guild Master.


    The lovely returner.


    It was Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡°I¡¯ll warn you onest time. Let go of her.¡±

 Chapter 450: Our Hyunsung (2)

    <h4>Chapter 450: Our Hyunsung (2)</h4>


    ¡°Blue Guild Master?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    The two men standing beside me looked dumbfounded.


    He didn¡¯t say anything else, but he seemed to be asking why I was there. I had the same question.


    I couldn¡¯t even imagine meeting that guy while he was walking in the middle of the city alone.


    ¡®Whew. You righteous bastard.¡¯


    There was a high probability that he couldn¡¯t put up with seeing two strong young men harassing a woman. After all, it happened in front of him.


    ¡°I¡¯ll introduce myself first, Blue Guild Master. But this is not what the Blue Guild Master thinks. There seems to be some misunderstanding. We are the Friendship n of Lindel¡­¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the woman not liking it? I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, but I think you¡¯d better stop here.¡±


    ¡°Kiyeon. Say something¡­¡±


    He was looking for help, but the timing of cutting ties had already passed a long time ago.


    When my wrist was free, I hurriedly moved to the ce where Kim Hyunsung was.


    I looked like trash, but I thought I had finally got rid of them.


    ¡°Thank you for your help, Blue Guild Master.¡±


    I switched sides as if it had all been nned.


    ¡°Kiyeon!¡±


    ¡°Cheol-woo, the expedition was fun, but I think that¡¯s it. I hope you can think of how rude what you just did was. I will ensure that the obtained item will be sent immediately upon disposal. I think it would be better for me to contact you after you¡¯ve cooled off.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡±


    ¡°I hope to meet you with a smile the next time we meet.¡±


    As I finished speaking, I saw their faces turning pale.


    Lee Cheol-woo, who was about to cry, looked a little pitiful, but my business with them was over.


    I checked everything that could be checked, and overall, I was able to figure out the level of the adventurers and what kind of life they were living. There was no reason to go with them anymore.


    Cutting ties had always been a grim endeavor.


    Lee Cheol-woo, who nced at me, soon realized that Kim Hyunsung was quietly looking at him and politely bowed his head.


    ¡°¡­ I¡¯m sorry, Kiyeon. I didn¡¯t mean to hurt you¡­ As you said, it would be nice to cool our heads a bit before meeting again. I really enjoyed this expedition together, and I hope we can meet again. I will wait at the dorms we stayed yesterday, so you can send the auction money there. Then¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. Goodbye. I will not send you off.¡±


    He looked like he had just lost a country.


    Kim Daegun, who was at a loss for words, also bowed to me and followed Lee Cheol-woo. Kook Minji did the same.


    After the very brief amusement, I looked at Kim Hyunsung, but he didn¡¯t seem to be looking at me.


    ¡®He didn¡¯t notice?¡¯


    Although there were options to hurriedly leave or reveal that I was Lee Kiyoung, meeting like that also wasn¡¯t bad.


    I wondered what Kim Hyunsung was thinking about recently and where and what the hell he was doing. I also thought about the possibility of being caught in the middle, but¡­


    ¡®He¡¯s really slow, isn¡¯t he?¡¯


    It was unlikely that he would notice my disguise unless I openly gave a hint. Even at that moment, he wasn¡¯t suspicious of me. It was the exact opposite of Park Deokgu.


    Hyunsung looked at me without ulterior motive, nodded, and started going his own path.


    ¡®What. You¡¯re already going?¡¯


    Absurdly enough, it was me who felt the urgency to call out to him.


    ¡°Blue Guild Master!¡±


    Fortunately, he looked back.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Thank you for just now. It was getting a little difficult.¡±


    ¡°I just did what I had to do.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me!¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I would like to treat you with a tea as a thank you¡­ Are you free?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to.¡±


    ¡®This damn slow bastard!¡¯


    I thought I could finally understand why the female group surrounding him made sh*tty faces every day. He was beyond slow.


    Park Yeon-joo, Cho Hyejin, Charlotte, and Kim Ye-ri were going to suffer forever.


    I could roughly predict how hard they were suffering. I could guarantee that he wouldn¡¯t notice, even if I gave hints with my whole body.


    There was no reason to hold onto him. As I smiled at him, he began to look at my face in earnest.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    ¡°You look simr.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Come to think of it, it seems like this is also fate, so let¡¯s have a little tea, no, a meal.¡±


    My heart sank at that moment. I couldn¡¯t help but be ted by his voice.


    ¡®He knows we¡¯re simr. My heart almost fell.¡¯


    My strange resemnce with Light Kiyoung must¡¯ve earned his favor.


    Usually, Kim Hyunsung wasn¡¯t someone who would initiate having a meal or tea with others.


    On the contrary, if it was a stranger, he avoided or became wary of them.


    After so long, his shields eased up a lot, but he wasn¡¯t like that at all when he just popped out of the tutorial.


    The reality was that he didn¡¯t even attend meals. I was bound to rejoice a little due to his growth. He had be slightly more amiable.


    If he wasing up with such a suggestion simply because someone resembled Light Kiyoung, it meant he still had enough liking for me. That put aside some of my worries.


    ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s do that. I¡¯m more than grateful to have dinner with the Blue Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I could see his face slightly blush. I wanted to make fun of him for some reason.


    ¡°Is this a date request?¡±


    ¡°N-No. It¡¯s nothing like that. Such a thing¡­¡±


    He obviously looked hesitant.


    It was a little fun because it felt like usual.


    However, thissted only for a second. He calmed his breathing and looked at me quietly.


    ¡°I¡¯m not usually like this. I¡¯m not the type to suggest having meals with others or ask for time, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I think I want to do that today.¡±


    ¡®Hyunsung, aren¡¯t you a yer?¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t that big deal of a line. However, it was easy enough for a handsome guy like him to prick women¡¯s hearts.


    If it weren¡¯t me who was in front of him, I could almost certainly have joined Kim Hyunsung¡¯s harem.


    ¡°What a coincidence. The same goes for me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s really a coincidence. Then, let¡¯s get going.¡±


    ¡°By the way¡­ Did youe alone?¡±


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°The other guild members¡­¡±


    ¡°They are still working. I¡¯ve onlye out to get some fresh air.¡±


    ¡°You must have been frustrated.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s usually the reason. When you¡¯re feeling frustrated while working, youe out to get some air, right? That was what I meant. Looking at the expression on your face, you seem to be really frustrated about something¡­ Did I hit the nail right on the head? Huhu.¡±


    ¡°There¡­ might be something making me frustrated. You must be used to reading faces.¡±


    ¡°Not really. However, it seems that the Blue Guild Master is the type to show his emotion on his sleeves¡­¡±


    ¡°You mean me?¡±


    ¡°Yes. At a nce, you seem to be expressionless, but I think I understand in a way for some reason.¡±


    ¡°This is the first time I have ever heard of such a thing.¡±


    ¡°Really? It¡¯s a little surprising. It seems to me that you¡¯ve heard it a lot from people around you¡­¡±


    ¡°Haha.¡±


    I could see him smiling warmly, and I was also certain that he had started walking much faster.


    However, as I watched him slowing down to keep the same pace I had, I realized that he wasn¡¯t even that boring.


    Manners were well established in him, considering he was damn slow. Perhaps it was what women who liked him felt.


    ¡®Hyunsung, fuck. Aren¡¯t you too cool? Knock it off, or else I will fall for you. Bastard. ¡®


    I also liked that the conversation was going smoother than I thought. He seemed to have improved on his socialization skills as well.


    It was like a sudden blind date, but there was no sense of ipatibility. As I felt like I was having a normal conversation, I was able to speak without having to calcte anything.


    Maybe that¡¯s the same with him.


    Even after entering the restaurant, he acted differently. It wasn¡¯t like him to pull out the chair for others.


    ¡°Please, sit down.¡±


    ¡°These manners are burdensome¡­ I guess you are familiar to be with women.¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s not like that. I¡¯m not.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to hide it. It would be even weirder if someone like the Blue Guild Master didn¡¯t have women around him. If not, can I take this as a sign that you want to look good in front of me?¡±


    ¡°Um.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m joking, I¡¯m joking. I know that you¡¯re not that type of person.¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re famous. Oh! Can I order some wine too?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Of course. I invited you to have a meal, after all.¡±


    ¡°Then I won¡¯t hold myself back.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    I wanted to eat expensive food anyway. All I had eatentely were things that were hard to say that was good except for those sausages.


    ¡®The atmosphere is good.¡¯


    From there on, how I nned the direction of the conversation was important.


    It would matter how he thought of me. I had to make myself likable enough to get him to open up to me.


    Our lovely returner¡¯s mouth wasn¡¯t talkative enough to tell those to a woman he¡¯d seen for the first time. Rather, considering that it was the opposite, there was a high possibility that he was already drawing a line between us.


    ¡®Should I openly seduce him?¡¯


    That one was dismissed.


    It was unlikely that a guy who daily enjoyed the harem life with numerous beauties would react.


    It might be advantageous to keep some distance. There were some cases where one could say things that they couldn¡¯t say to the person closest to them, but they could to the ones that had maintained some sense of distance.


    Considering the likelihood of that happening, that was possible.


    First, I would have to talk about my worries. Then, I¡¯d listen to his worries.


    It would be best to take that route.


    I wanted to get to the main point out immediately, but I didn¡¯t want to make him wary by moving so straightforwardly right from the beginning.


    The first step was to enjoy the atmosphere in moderation. The second was to test the waters.


    ¡°Were you at the museum?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It was a really nice ce. Most of all, I like the Adventurer Insurance. It helps people avoid the worst possible scenario. Of course, I know there will always be risks, but everyone hasbat anxiety.¡±


    At this, I started with the mostmon topic. ¡°In fact, I have seen you from a distance before. I thought you were handsome back then too. You¡¯re really tall. You hear that a lot, right?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t hear it much. I do hear it asionally.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see.¡±


    I didn¡¯t forget to make some light jokes.


    We talked for hours without knowing how much time had passed.


    I was worried that he would be bored, but there was no sign of that. Rather, seeing that he was blushing, he looked immersed in the atmosphere.


    As the distance between the chairs gradually became closer, the vignce of his mind seemed to be breaking down.


    The problem was¡­


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this too fucking close?¡¯


    I thought I needed to adjust the distance between us a little.


    LMFAO Hyunsung POV:


    3cb31bf9995ed27a42938c6a7ca27908.jpg

 Chapter 451: Our Hyunsung (3)

    <h4>Chapter 451: Our Hyunsung (3)</h4>


    ¡®I should adjust the distance between us.¡¯


    Getting any closer had to be avoided.


    Lee Kiyeon¡¯s objective wasn¡¯t to have a strong rtionship with Kim Hyunsung. Rather, it was the opposite.


    I had no intention of ying with fire overnight. This was just a one-time thing.


    I only aimed for a simple rtionship where we would meet by chance, identally had deep conversations, then went on each other¡¯s ways without regrets.


    If we got too close, I might need to keep in touch with him regrly.


    Naturally, I leaned back.


    I didn¡¯t know if this was a good thing, but Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t take my signal as a sign that I wanted to distance myself from him.


    He thought I was just moving over.


    He wasn¡¯t the kind to react to those actions in the first ce, but as this was an important asion, I had to be cautious about my movements.


    ¡®I guess it¡¯s a good thing.¡¯


    Of course, the conversation continued.


    It went back and forth between light talk and a bit of personal talk.


    What was a little surprising was that Kim Hyunsung had begun to talk about himself little by little.


    At best, everything he said was all that everyone knew. However, it was important that I was making him talk.


    ¡°I see. I feel like I¡¯m seeing you in a new light. I guess being in the position of a Guild Master representing Lindel isn¡¯t all about convenience.¡±


    ¡°Yes. There are a lot of politically intertwined stories. It¡¯s not a position where I can just do as I please. I need to think about the Vatican¡¯s side, and I need to consider the surrounding cities¡¯ position. I said it like I was good at it, but in fact, I¡¯m all thumbs when ites to this¡­¡±


    ¡°But the Blue Guild is doing well, right? You¡¯re doing good, not only with the military force. but with the political issues, too¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because of my close friend.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t long after that the lovely returner mentioned me.


    ¡°Close friend¡­ Oh, the Honorary Cardinal.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡®Whew. Hyunsung mentioned me as a friend¡­ I¡¯m going to cry. Hyunsung, you know how much I cherish you.¡¯


    ¡°So, you seem to have a close rtionship, just like the rumors said.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. At least I feel that way. It hasn¡¯t even been long since we¡¯ve known each other¡­ it¡¯s a bit weird. Sometimes I wonder if it would feel like this if I had a brother. At first, I didn¡¯t think of him that way¡­ he has such a strange charm.¡±


    ¡®Hyunsung, I know how you feel. I feel the same way.¡¯


    ¡°The Honorary Cardinal is probably thinking the same way. I don¡¯t know much about you two, but I¡¯ve heard a lot about you.¡±


    ¡°People talk about us?¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh. Everyone already knows how loyal the Honorary Cardinal is to the Blue Guild Master. Actually, the word loyalty doesn¡¯t even seem to fit¡­¡±


    ¡°Haha. Yes. It would be far from something like loyalty. Rather, it is a little embarrassing. Loyalty¡­¡±


    ¡°It would be easier to call its friendship. Yes. Friendship. Actually, I¡¯m a little bit envious.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°You found such a valuable rtionship here.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not easy to find someone you can trust. At any time, you can be backstabbed¡­ It¡¯s not easy to trust people with no worries.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure, but the timing, I thought, was just right.


    He was already drunk, and the atmosphere was heightened enough. If I dragged more time now, there was a possibility that he would be fuzzy, so I had to make up my mind.


    I could feel Kim Hyunsung¡¯s gaze at me as I slowly talked with emotion.


    ¡°In fact¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I also had such a person. A person like the Honorary Cardinal to the Blue Guild Master. A person who felt like a real sister.¡±


    ¡°That means¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. She¡¯s not here now. There was an ident, and eventually, she died. And it was all because of me.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s amon story. I didn¡¯t trust her.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°She believed in me. And I didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why I¡¯m talking about this with someone I¡¯ve met for the first time.¡±


    I knew it was more effective to bring up the story with teary eyes.


    As I nced at Kim Hyunsung¡¯s face, I noticed that he had gotten embarrassed. It seemed like he didn¡¯t think that the conversation would suddenly be a human documentary.


    However, in his perspective, he must¡¯ve felt like this was now the right time tofort me.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say.¡±


    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have told you that. A crying woman is not attractive¡­¡±


    ¡°No. That¡¯s not it. Rather, it¡¯s more¡­¡±


    ¡°You have a unique taste.¡±


    ¡°Ahem. I don¡¯t get it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Your reaction is so cute that I keep joking around unknowingly. Well¡­ anyway, that¡¯s it. It¡¯s not all that great. It¡¯s something thatmonly happens across the continent. A lot of time has already passed, and I have ovee it to some extent¡­ You don¡¯t have tofort me with that face, Hyunsung.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Then, should we have another drink?¡±


    ¡°Once again, I¡¯m really sorry.¡±


    ¡°Will you keep making me depressed? Let¡¯s toast quickly. Clink. Uh¡­ This wine is strong.¡±


    I could see himughing slightly and drinking it.


    However, his smile wasn¡¯t natural. I felt like he was thinking of something different.


    ¡®Did it work?¡¯


    Just looking at his face, I thought it worked.


    I felt worried at first because it was a bit outright, but it seemed he didn¡¯t think there would be any other meaning.


    I felt a little happy, but in other ways, I also felt bitter. This meant that Kim Hyunsung had felt a bit suspicious of me.


    ¡®Hyunsung, fuck. It really hurts. What did I do for you to be suspicious of me? I¡¯m not the masked trash. I don¡¯t have any skeletons in my cupboard.¡¯


    However, I had to take in this fact humbly.


    There were several problematic scenes in the process of desperately trying to protect the continent. Perhaps, from Kim Hyunsung¡¯s point of view, even if he didn¡¯t want to, there must¡¯ve been some things that were bothering him.


    Considering that, I could understand his reasonable doubts.


    Didn¡¯t he say we were brothers? Brothers usually grew up fighting.


    Naturally, I slowly spoke up once more.


    Since I had already told my story, it was time to listen to his story. Of course, I had to do it carefully. I had to approach the situation cautiously.


    ¡°You¡¯re wearing that face again.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wearing a frustrated expression. Do you want to get some air?¡±


    ¡°You really are used to reading other people¡¯s faces.¡±


    ¡°I told you it¡¯s just on your face. It seems I shouldn¡¯t have told you that¡­¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s not that. I just had something to think about. It¡¯s about trust.¡±


    ¡°Do you mean the Honorary Cardinal?¡±


    Kim Hyunsung sent a bitter smile. Perhaps it meant something positive.


    ¡°Is there something wrong?¡±


    ¡°No. There is nothing wrong with him. Rather, the problem lies with me.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a matter of my humanity.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not frustration. It¡¯s only a sense of shame.¡±


    ¡°Yes. If I have to express it, I think that word would suit me better. It¡¯s a sense of shame.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, can I hear what it¡¯s about?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if this will help, but¡­¡±


    ¡®Ha¡­ is he backing out?¡¯


    When I was about to get a bit disappointed, he began to continue talking again.


    ¡°The suspicion never leaves my mind.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Just like what I said, the suspicion never leaves my mind. It¡¯s not that other people have a problem. Really¡­ it¡¯s just a personal matter.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°It hurts me not being able to repay his trust. I know it¡¯s not true, but I still kept creating useless thoughts in my mind, and eventually, I came to the point where I couldn¡¯t face him properly anymore. I don¡¯t know when or how this happened, but my humanity was ruined. I shouldn¡¯t do this¡­¡±


    ¡®This stupid bastard. Hyunsung¡­ Why are you being so nice?¡¯


    I felt anxious, but I also felt happy because I had now discovered what kind of state he was in.


    I didn¡¯t know how the hell it happened, but Kim Hyunsung definitely doubted me. The problem was that he was taking it as if it was his fault.


    Perhaps because he had been backstabbed in the first round, Hyunsung was convinced that he had PTSD, which meant he couldn¡¯t face people properly. It seemed he was also very distressed.


    I could finally see why he had been avoiding me despite him saying we were like brothers.


    ¡®It¡¯s understandable since he¡¯s been betrayed so many times¡­ I understand, Hyunsung.¡¯


    In fact, not all the faults belonged to Kim Hyunsung.


    Some events or circumstances could be reasonably suspected. He simply didn¡¯t connect the pieces one by one. Instead, he only stored them in his mind, so he unconsciously hid the puzzle.


    He refrained from having any thoughts whenever something happened.


    It meant that even when I didn¡¯t do anything, he would take a step first then restrain himself.


    ¡®Kiyoung is not that kind of person. I can¡¯t doubt him.¡¯


    He was in a situation where the negative energy in his heart kept insisting to doubt the innocent me.


    ¡°Every time I catch myself thinking like this, I feel that my humanity¡­ is getting worn out.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly what kind of situation you are in, but I feel that you¡¯re not a person with worn-out humanity. I¡¯m not saying this tofort you. Hyunsung is a good person. It¡¯s been only a few hours, but I truly feel that way. ¡°


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m right.¡±


    ¡°I guess I¡¯m drunk too. I don¡¯t usually talk about this.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because I spoke about it first. I don¡¯t know if this will help, but¡­ as a senior who had a simr experience, I would say¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°It would be better to talk to him about it.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Honestly, talk about everything you have kept to yourself until now. It will definitely help. It¡¯s not good to keep procrastinating. You said he was like a brother.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°If Honorary Cardinal feels the same, he will be able to understand you.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡®Right, you bastard. We have to get it off of each other¡¯s chests.¡¯


    I saw him quietly nodding.


    ¡°Shall we have another drink?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡®This wasn¡¯t bad overall.¡¯


    I had acted naturally enough.


    It felt a bit heartbreaking to backstab him in such a way, but it felt like an inevitable choice since it was only to get rid of the negative energy inside the lovely returner.


    Naturally, I felt good about the result since it was better than I thought.


    I vowed to be careful, but it had been a while since I had a drink with him, and I ended up drinking a little too much. At this point, I felt like I was getting a little tipsy.


    As if I looked drunk even to Kim Hyunsung¡¯s eyes, he began to worry.


    ¡°You look very drunk.¡±


    ¡°No. Ugh.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s better to get going. I will take you to your dorm.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m not that weak enough for you to worry. Let¡¯s drink a little more.¡±


    ¡°No. I think I¡¯ll feel better if I take you to your dorm now.¡±


    ¡®Do not take me there, asshole.¡¯


    This atmosphere was definitely getting weird.

 Chapter 452: Our Hyunsung (4)

    <h4>Chapter 452: Our Hyunsung (4)</h4>


    ¡°No. I think I¡¯ll feel better if I take you back to your dorm now.¡±


    ¡®Sh*t.¡¯


    Upon hearing this, my gaze naturally fell onto him. Of course, there were no other emotions visible on his handsome face.


    I had begun to get worried about him having strange thoughts, but I didn¡¯t have to worry.


    He must be thinking about whether I¡¯d be caught up in anything that might happen on my way back. It was unreasonable to think the herbivorous man that had been certified by the unicorn would think about anything else.


    I also thought about whether it was okay to ept his goodwill, but it seemed too beautiful to finish our meeting like that.


    ¡®No. This bastard is also a man.¡¯


    It wouldn¡¯t be weird if anything had happened.


    It was something I just realized, but the atmosphere had be quite strangepared to before.


    A man and a woman met by chance, showcased unusual behavior, got drunk, and even felt strange bonds with each other.


    If it were a normal rtionship between a man and a woman, it wouldn¡¯t be strange for them to rush to the Crack Motel right away. Of course, we had no intentions of doing just that.


    ¡®How long do I have left?¡¯


    What was more problematic was that the magic effect ced by the fairy was about to end.


    Although there were differences depending on the magician and the target, the fairy¡¯s prank duration was only limited to three days.


    Considering that this was already the third day, I had to be careful not to get found out.


    The moment I was caught, the seeds of doubt in Kim Hyunsung would grow rapidly.


    ¡®The effect shouldst a little longer.¡¯


    Light Kiyoung had weak magic resistance. However, since I couldn¡¯t guarantee anything, I shouldn¡¯t waste any more time.


    ¡°It¡¯s really okay.¡±


    I had to keep my mind upright, but I sounded tipsier than I had initially imagined.


    No matter how I listened to it, it still sounded like the voice of a woman who waspletely smashed. Kim Hyunsung looked worried again.


    As I nced to the side, I could see a lot of empty bottles. I didn¡¯t know when I drank all of that.


    Honestly speaking, however, I knew it was not strange for me to easily get so drunk. I had juste back from an expedition, after all.


    I didn¡¯t put much effort into it, but my whole body was feeling tired because I had moved my body too much for nearly three days. In such a situation, it wouldn¡¯t be unreasonable for me to feel like I would fall the moment I stood up since I had drunk more than usual.


    His face was already overwhelmed with worry. It was as if he knew how bad my condition was even though he was slow.


    As I faced an unexpected crisis, I pushed my bag further into the robe and looked at him once more.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s better to get going. Where¡¯s your dorm¡­?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not staying in any dorm. I just ran into Hyunsung before looking for one¡­ There are probably many rooms at the Crack Inn, so it¡¯s better to go there.¡±


    ¡°If you haven¡¯t got one yet¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t youe to the Blue Guild branch? I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ll like it, but it¡¯s probably morefortable than a room at the Crack Inn.¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t be so absurdly kind, you bastard.¡¯


    ¡°No. That¡¯s a bit¡­ I¡¯ve already bothered you in many ways, so I can¡¯t do that anymore. I also got a good meal like this, please don¡¯t make me feel too embarrassed, Hyunsung.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°This is a little too much.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really okay, too.¡±


    ¡®Why is this bastard so firm?¡¯


    The anxiety that had once disappeared began to rise again. I wanted to run away immediately, but I found that I couldn¡¯t.


    No, in the first ce¡­


    ¡®Even if I say no¡­ Will he stay still?¡¯


    Probably, even if it meant following me, he¡¯d try to make sure I got in the Crack Inn.


    He was simply that kind of person.


    It would be better to ask him to take me there quickly. It was risky, but it felt like it was the most usible of all the options I had.


    I stood up without saying anything, and yet I almost copsed in an instant. My head was spinning, but I managed to keep the bnce by holding onto the table.


    I managed to react on time because I saw him flinching momentarily.


    ¡°I think you¡¯ve had too much. Really.¡±


    ¡°If¡­ that¡¯s the case, please, just take me somewhere close to the Inn.¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯tugh, Hyunsung. I will get too attached.¡¯


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    It was already dark when I walked slowly out of the restaurant. Stars embroidering the sky were enough to make people exim in delight.


    I was a little flustered due to the situation, which had now created a romantic atmosphere, but I slowly kept walking.


    ¡°It looks like there are a lot of stars today.¡±


    ¡°There really are. Sigh¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Except for being a little dizzy, there¡¯s nothing wrong with me. I¡¯m so sorry. It seems like I¡¯ll be bothering you until the end.¡±


    ¡°You really don¡¯t have to worry about it. You can think of it as a return for relieving my frustrated feelings¡­¡±


    ¡°What did I do? I just said things that anyone could say. Even if you asked the people around you, everyone would have said the same thing. It wasn¡¯t a great help, but it¡¯s a little embarrassing to tout it like that.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I kept a slightly coy look on my face. Thanks to the lights on the street, his face seemed red.


    ¡®It¡¯s too hard to walk¡­ I went way over the top. Fuck¡­ Kiyeon, why did you do that? Why did you have fun losing your mind?¡¯


    Of course, this was a mistake I wouldn¡¯t usually make.


    I had drunk without thinking due to the feeling of having fun with my little brother after a long time.


    Since it was hard to even walk, it was right to ept Kim Hyunsung¡¯s suggestion.


    I was walking as quickly as possible, but the scenery didn¡¯t change. I could even feel myself staggering.


    No matter how good Crack Land¡¯s security was, it wasn¡¯t appropriate for a woman to go around alone at night like that. This was still a ce full of monsters that could cut the throat of an adventurer with a single swing.


    That case became even more evident when I thought about the fact that many people were met with trouble while walking alone.


    I could understand Kim Hyunsung¡¯s perspective on this.


    While walking and talking slowly, worries appeared on Kim Hyunsung¡¯s face. However, he couldn¡¯t figure out how to act.


    It was clear that he wasn¡¯t able to decide whether to lend his shoulder or carry me. He must be wondering if it would make me ufortable if he touched me.


    ¡®He¡¯s too naive.¡¯


    I understood that he kept his distance to be careful of unintended physical contact, but that was just being an idiot.


    If I were a real woman, I would have been annoyed by his kindness.


    ¡®Hold hands confidently! Put your hand around her shoulder! Sneakily! You have to do it, man!¡¯


    Of course, I wasn¡¯t hoping for that.


    Rather, I thought it was fortunate that he didn¡¯t make unnecessary physical contact, but I still couldn¡¯t help but think that his behavior was pathetic.


    He was keeping a proper distance, but his steps were in line with mine. Although he seemed to be prepared if ever I fell, it also made him look like he had no dating experience, but rather just had great manners.


    With the situation like that, our pace was bing even slower.


    It would take a while, even though we¡¯re heading towards the Crack Inn.


    That was when my body sent an abnormal signal.


    ¡®Why is it so hot?¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t figure out why, but it felt like my body suddenly became hot.


    My breathing became rougher, and my weary body was bing even more fatigued. No wonder I was getting flustered by the sudden abnormal phenomenon.


    Although I didn¡¯t show it, I started having cold sweat.


    ¡®Magic.¡¯


    The magic cast on me might be slowly dissipating. No, it felt like it was going to disappear in a little while. I was certain of it.


    Little by little, I could feel the magic power in my body burning. It wasn¡¯t the magic power I had.


    It was the magic power from an external source. The moment I lowered my guard, it began to spill out.


    ¡®Sh*t.¡¯


    My breathing became even rougher without knowing it.


    Although I had been walking with confidence, nothing had changed.


    The Crack Inn was still far away, and Kim Hyunsung was looking after me like an escort.


    He nced towards me when the harsh breathing came out without my knowledge, but his kindness wasn¡¯t weed at all.


    ¡°Sigh¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t afford to answer. I had to focus my mind on holding onto the magic power that was about to leave my body.


    If the magic were to be released here, everything would really be over for me.


    I wasn¡¯t sure if Kim Hyunsung knew what I was thinking or not, but he refused to yield.


    ¡®Go away quickly, Hyunsung.¡¯


    ¡°I think this is enough. From here on¡­ ugh. I can go alone.¡±


    ¡°What? But¡­¡±


    ¡°We already passed through the dark alley and¡­ it¡¯s a big road now¡­¡±


    I sounded like I wanted to pee. Even when I listened to myself, it didn¡¯t sound good.


    ¡°There isn¡¯t much left to go, so I want to take you all the way there. It¡¯s dangerous during nights like this. Even if it¡¯s a big road¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really okay¡­¡±


    ¡®Wrong. This bastard doesn¡¯t want to listen.¡¯


    He certainly could be single-minded sometimes. I swallowed hard due to his stubbornness.


    As I kept holding on to the magic power that was about to flow out like a fountain, I was quickly bing more and more exhausted.


    I was talking, walking, maintaining magic, and feeling dizzy, all at the same time. To top it all off, more tasks were being added slowly.


    If I lost focus, I was certain everything would flow down like a dyke with a hole.


    ¡®Kim Hyunsung¡­ you fucking¡­¡¯


    It was then that a bad idea came up.


    Although it might be a pretty big swing, that was the most obvious way to immediately get rid of him.


    It would definitely work. Considering Kim Hyunsung¡¯s personality, I was certain of it.


    I had dozens of thoughts.


    However, before I could even organize my thoughts, words popped out of my lips.


    I began to tell a story that would drive out our innocent Hyunsung.


    ¡°I can really go alone, Hyunsung. Really. I understand what you are worried about, but I¡¯m starting to feel ufortable.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°If I told you this much¡­ I seem to have clearly expressed my intentions¡­ please go back.¡±


    ¡°I will go with you a little more.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s really okay.¡±


    I slightly showed that I was getting annoyed, but as expected, he was slow to notice. I scuffled with him, but he didn¡¯t give much of a thought about it.


    As I slightly stumbled as if to fall, I could see him grabbing my shoulder like a gesture of a butterfly rushing toward the spider¡¯s web.


    The eyes of the innocent returner were looking at me with relief.


    However, it didn¡¯t take long for those eyes to turn into embarrassment.


    Why?


    He would have seen a very ufortable Bitch Kiyeon¡¯s face with his own eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorr¡­¡±


    Before he could apologize, I cut him and opened my mouth immediately.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not that kind of woman, Blue Guild Master.¡±


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry, Hyunsung¡­¡¯


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡®I¡¯m really sorry¡­¡¯


    ¡°As I said, I¡¯m not that kind of woman. Haven¡¯t you been too explicitpared to when we were having dinner?¡±


    The remorse in my conscience began to awaken after a long time of unresponsiveness. Kim Hyunsung looked at me as if he didn¡¯t know what in the world was going on.


    It felt like my heart was being torn.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry¡­¡¯

 Chapter 453: Our Hyunsung (5)

    <h4>Chapter 453: Our Hyunsung (5)</h4>


    I felt heartbroken, thinking that I had hurt the lovely returner¡¯s feelings.


    If he asked what kind of situation we were in at the moment, my remorse would go away, but the innocent bastard was currently thinking about what he did wrong.


    Whether or not he knew that the situation itself was a bit forced, I could see something simr to guilt on one side of his face.


    ¡®It¡¯s pretty understandable.¡¯


    In fact, there was plenty of room for misunderstandings to ur.


    Even though I repeatedly refused his offer of taking me back to the dorm, he kept clinging to me, so rather than looking like a knight guarding the princess, he just looked like a horny delinquent.


    If it were a woman who had gone through all sorts of things, she would¡¯ve just let him do that, but from the standpoint of the cautious Light Kiyeon, it was not unreasonable for her to judge that he was harboring some evil intentions. This was even more so when I considered that we even had physical contact at the end.


    ¡®He grasped and held my shoulder. Didn¡¯t he even touch my belly? This wily bastard¡­¡¯


    Of course, our Hyunsung would¡¯ve only done such actions to save me from falling, but since he touched her whole virgin body, he should take responsibility for it.


    I had to stand my ground more firmly.


    When I thought about it, a guy who had advanced magic power management knowledge could¡¯ve held me without having to use his hand. I didn¡¯t know if he had forgotten about it for a moment, but it was an unexpected mistake in a sudden situation.


    He was probably aware of his mistake, too.


    Of course, in spite of all those circumstances, his modest eptance of my words made mement.


    ¡®He still couldn¡¯t wake up even though he was backstabbed in the first round. This bastard.¡¯


    I even thought it was fortunate that he met me first. If a gold digger-like woman had stuck to him, it was natural to think that a big ident could happen.


    There was nothing more terrible than an article with a title like ¡®the Blue Guild Master¡¯s alleged molestation crime¡¯ running around at Lindel.


    Of course, I had no intention of letting such an article go out. No, I couldn¡¯t imagine he would be in that situation with other bitches in the first ce.


    However¡­


    ¡®Think of it as learning social studies, Hyunsung.¡¯


    We didn¡¯t know what could happen in life. I couldn¡¯t be certain that it absolutely wouldn¡¯t happen. Pain was but a blessing for the youth.


    ¡®Yes. Pain is a blessing for the youth.¡¯


    I was sure he¡¯d face a simr situation a few times in his life anyway.


    It was better to experience pain that Light Kiyoung had arranged for him to grow than to go through a lot of painter on.


    ¡®I¡¯m going easy on you.¡¯


    I nodded unconsciously at the rationalization. At that time, Kim Hyunsung seemed to be thinking about what to say.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®I have to talk first.¡¯


    ¡°Even though I clearly expressed my intention to refuse, you kept insisting, so I can only think that you¡¯re treating me as a cheap woman.¡±


    ¡°There seems to be some misunderstanding. I¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll admit that the atmosphere was good today, Blue Guild Master. I had fun¡­ and I don¡¯t think it¡¯s unreasonable to have that feeling. But not like this. I¡¯m sorry if I¡¯ve given you any room for misunderstanding. I never meant to. I am very grateful that you saved me and served me with a good meal, but if this were the price, it would have been better not to have helped me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that.¡±


    The atmosphere had now be colder.


    ¡°If you need a woman to spend the night with, find one elsewhere.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°I guess you usually do it this way? They say no one in the world is trustworthy¡­ Were you nning to do this from the beginning?¡±


    ¡°No. Absolutely not, so¡­¡±


    Naturally, I began to show off that I felt offended.


    Hyunsung seemed puzzled about how to fix the situation. He probably felt like he had to exin somehow that this was a misunderstanding, but he was forced to keep silent while my words rushed in like wildfire.


    He must have been thinking about whether he was rude or not. Of course, he wasn¡¯t.


    It was irrational to overreact the way I did to his action after he proposed to take me home.


    The physical contact was to prevent me from falling, and the persistence of staying by my side was to protect me from danger.


    In fact, rather than calling Kim Hyunsung a rude person, it was more appropriate to view Bitch Kiyeon as a sensitive person.


    No, she was more like a crazy bitch.


    However, Hyunsung looked like he had still been caught in the act.


    Of course, what could be said to be the number one contributor to his reaction was my extreme acting ability. Not only did I bite my lips tightly, but I also had a few tears in my eyes.


    Along with the expression of disappointment, I showedplex emotions engulfed in shame.


    Did I have the look of a female protagonist who was betrayed by someone she believed in?


    I couldn¡¯t check my current expression with a mirror, but just by looking at Kim Hyunsung¡¯s face, I was certain that my acting skills were good enough.


    I didn¡¯t even need to drag it too long. In truth, prolonging this would only put me at a disadvantage. It was better for me to hit and run.


    ¡°If I knew you were like this¡­¡±


    ¡°T-This is a misunderstanding. It wasn¡¯t really intended in that way. I¡¯m sorry if you¡¯re already hurt, but¡­ I hope you can believe me.¡±


    ¡°Are you really sure that you didn¡¯t have anything else in mind?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®You can¡¯t stop there, you bastard. Even if you had, moron, you have to pretend you hadn¡¯t.¡¯


    ¡°I won¡¯t deny that I was a bit interested.¡±


    ¡®Hyunsung, you¡¯re also a man, after all.¡¯


    It seemed like it was an interest the size of an ant¡¯s nail, but he wasn¡¯t lying. Even the way he lowered his head told the truth.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I sincerely apologize if I made you ufortable.¡±


    ¡®No. Make some excuses. You shouldn¡¯t be apologizing right away, Hyunsung. If you apologize in this situation, you will lose¡­¡¯


    The sincere apology made me feel even guiltier. After all, it took two to tango.


    The other side needed to be moderately agitated or making excuses for me to keep arguing back. Even though it was unfair, he still chose a sincere apology instead of a petty excuse.


    If I went a little further from there, the odd one would be Light Kiyeon.


    In the end, I also had to give up one step. I didn¡¯t even have time to y around like that in the first ce.


    ¡°Sigh¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I got it. So, please raise your head.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°No. Looking at you, it feels like I also misunderstood you. It seems that I had a shameful thought¡­ even though you¡¯re not like that. But¡­ I hope you go back today.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m indeed a little drunk, but I¡¯m not a three-year-old child. I¡¯m undoubtedly a heroic-grade adventurer, and¡­ how many times have I told you that I can go back to the dorm alone? I understand you¡¯re worried, but I hope you know that too much kindness can be misleading. No, honestly, I¡¯m still upset. Whatever your intentions were, I might find it insulting enough for me to ept them. I believe you know what I mean by that.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I know.¡±


    ¡°We had a good start. I want to finish it well. I am saying that I want us to leave a good impression on each other.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to call it a day. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°No. Rather, I¡¯m even sorrier. I apologize again.¡±


    ¡®I¡¯m telling you not to apologize¡­¡¯


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡®I was being so careful. Fuck.¡¯


    I felt proud of myself for a moment, and thinking that I had solved a difficult mission, I nodded.


    Kim Hyunsung had also be fully aware that stubbornness could be irrational. Although I was worried about whether he was following me or not, I knew that he wouldn¡¯t do anything of the sort since he admitted that he made a mistake.


    Perhaps looking from a distance was all he could do.


    All that remained for me was to go back to the Crack Inn. My head was spinning, but I started to walk as quickly as possible.


    There was no more time to dy.


    Of course, I did my best to avoid falling or stumbling.


    The moment I showed that I wasn¡¯t fine even for a bit, he mighte out and meddle with my affairs again.


    My body and mind were already at their limits. The moment I loosened my guard, it felt like the effect would disappear like a popped bubble.


    I bit my lips tightly. Every step I took was full of tension.


    It felt like I was striding ahead, but I was worried about how I was looking from behind. As I went down the big stairs on the big road quickly, I worried that I would fall.


    ¡®Fuuuck¡­ I think I¡¯m doomed¡­¡¯


    My body stumbled momentarily.


    I was able to hold onto the railing and miraculously endure the ugly appearance, but absurdly enough, one of my shoes hade off.


    ¡®I¡¯m not even Cindere, fuck!¡¯


    ¡°Kiyeon! Your shoes¡­¡±


    I heard the voice calling me from behind, but I was sure I shouldn¡¯t react to it.


    ¡®He¡¯s still watching. This stalker bastard. Please go home!¡¯


    There was too little time to go back.


    At that moment, I had no choice but to hope that he wouldn¡¯t do anything useless like passing me the shoes. I didn¡¯t know if this was unfortunate or fortunate, but it seemed like he was not thinking about doing that.


    Although I felt something in the back, I moved quickly without looking back.


    ¡®Please¡­¡¯


    The Crack Inn, which felt so far away, was now getting closer.


    It felt like I was soon going to lose my focus, so I hurried up as much as possible.


    ¡®Please!¡¯


    I opened the door.


    ¡°Good night. Wee to the Crack Inn!¡±


    ¡°Legendary-grade. Room. Quickly, please.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need change.¡±


    After throwing a bunch of gold coins, I went straight up.


    ¡°Check-in¡­¡±


    ¡°I will go up right now.¡±


    ¡°Certainly.¡±


    ¡°Room number?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll guide¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need it. Just please say it q-quickly.¡±


    ¡°O-Okay.¡±


    ¡®If he¡¯s sane, he won¡¯t follow me to the inn.¡¯


    However, I couldn¡¯t rx until I actually entered the room.


    I couldn¡¯t really figure out what happened. It felt like my head was bing nk, and I also felt like I wanted to pee.


    After I said I didn¡¯t need a guide, I immediately entered the room, and before long, I was able to reach the safe space with a bang.


    ¡°Safe¡­¡±


    That was when all the magic power in my body was drained.


    As I turned my head and checked the mirror, a familiar man was reflected right in front of me.


    In fact, the appearance of Light Kiyeon also didn¡¯t look bad, but I certainly liked my true appearance more.


    I sighed deeply.


    My bare feet bothered me, but I started to smile, thinking I had aplished my mission brilliantly.


    ¡®Everything has been perfect.¡¯


    It would¡¯ve been a more perfect expedition if Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t make the fuss about finding the shoe owner.

 Chapter 454: Results and Evaluation (1)

    <h4>Chapter 454: Results and Evaluation (1)</h4>


    This little game was finally over.


    I wanted to sleep right away, but I knew I couldn¡¯t do that. There were many things to deal with and to think about.


    However, I first had to burn the evidence. I thought it would be better to make it look like Lee Kiyeon moved to another continent than make it look like there hadn¡¯t been any Lee Kiyeon from the beginning.


    Acting swiftly, all the items that had been used were discarded.


    I decided that the situation was over to some extent after contacting Lee Jihye for administrative processing. Tomorrow at dawn, the woman named Lee Kiyeon would probably be treated as a being in the far-off United Kingdom.


    ¡®Is there even a need to do this?¡¯


    I thought of something like that, but at this point, it was better to be careful. It was not like I was going to lose money if I did things a little more meticulously.


    ¡®Furthermore¡­¡¯


    It didn¡¯t matter if Kim Hyunsung threw away the shoes that Bitch-ere had left behind, but I couldn¡¯t imagine witnessing such a scene.


    Since he confessed that he was a bit interested, it was better to think that he would be more likely toe in the morning. Of course, he would realize by then that he was toote after hearing the news that I had left.


    I wondered if it would be better to leave a letter, but it would be more helpful to help him cut ties with Light Kiyeon rather than to give him false hope.


    ¡®You should leave it as a good memory. Yes. Absolutely.¡¯


    If he clung to me too persistently, it would feel like it would not be bad to deal with it like she died in a dungeon. Regardless, I thought it would be nice to erase the event from my memory.


    It was because there were too many things to catch up to for me than to dwell in the past.


    Since the fairy magic that confused Jung Hayan¡¯s detection magic had been released, she probably already felt where I was.


    Since it waste, she must be in her dreand already, but she¡¯de right over when the morning came. I thought it was a reasonable choice to get up a little early and go straight to the Blue Guild branch.


    ¡°I should just sort things out a bit and go to bed quickly. Ugh¡­¡±


    Organizing matters after finishing big jobs seemed to have be one of my habits.


    Since I wasn¡¯t intelligent, I had to do it once in a while before deciding on a course of action.


    ¡®First¡­¡¯


    The Crack Museum.


    ¡®It wasn¡¯t bad.¡¯


    It was definitely aposition that had helped the adventurers¡¯ growth.


    The response was better than I thought, and I quickly felt that the system itself was well established.


    The price was just right, too. It felt a bit expensive, but it made it up for that through inclusions.


    If I were to rate it, it would be about 4 out of 5 stars.


    There was no need to remove or add anything to it. Depending on the drop rate or risingints, services must be released, but it was still enough to fill the Goddess¡¯s vacant seats urgently.


    The problem was on the other side.


    I was worried about the Friendship n.


    To be precise, I could say that I was worried about the adventurers currently struggling in Lindel.


    In fact, I had to check their status, but the Friendship n, as they said, was one of the influential ns that had just started making a name. A sigh escaped past me at this.


    Of course, the Friendship n wasn¡¯t connected to the Blue Guild in any way, but if I thought that we had to fight together in the future, it would be natural for me to worry.


    ¡®Their level is too low. No, it¡¯s not even a level issue.¡¯


    As I recalled the unsightly behaviors they disyed, my anxiety started to grow more and more.


    The Crack Museum could fill in the grades and specs, but I was confident that it wouldn¡¯t work in other areas.


    While thinking about the first round¡¯s situation, an answer dawned on me, one that answered why I was seriously thinking about such an issue.


    I didn¡¯t know exactly how the first round was going, but if my predictions were correct, it was likely in a warring period at that moment. Regardless of whether it was a war between nations or between foreigners and continent people, it would have resulted in endless fighting.


    It was clear that Lee Cheol-woo and Kim Daegun of the Friendship n would be in the middle of the battlefield. Even if they didn¡¯t try to umte experience, I was confident that they would have umted it along the way.


    Not only would they have to fight all day, but they would have had to stand up from the death of a colleague.


    If I thought about it in simple terms, of course, the second round was better than the first round.


    At least, I had reduced my useless losses and gathered up my strength.


    However, if I thought about it from a slightly different perspective, it was also hard to say that the current situation was excellent.


    The first round environment reduced the number of people who could fight, but it also gave a big hand in weeding out the weak. I bet the people who survived various incidents and fought until the end with Kim Hyunsung were experienced enough to be called veterans.


    What about the adventurers of the present day?


    They showed pathetic behavior in fighting heroic-grade named monsters. Considering that our lovely returner failed in the first round even with such warriors, we couldn¡¯t seed with guys like the Friendship n members, even if we had lots of troops.


    ¡°This is a problem¡­¡±


    It would be strange not to take it seriously.


    It was necessary to find out when and where the threat would erupt but considering Kim Hyunsung¡¯s reaction; it was difficult to say that it would erupt soon.


    He didn¡¯t look that busy.


    The problem was that there were no events prepared until then. There was no conflict and no war. No quarrels and no growth.


    With events such as the Crack Museum or the Demon Dungeons, they could match the specs, but not the mental aspect.


    There would be no one like a chosen warrioring out of the crisis and no one like a hero awakening from the death of hispanions.


    Why?


    Everything was peaceful.


    Turbulence created heroes and made armies stronger. It sounded like bullsh*t, but that was an undeniable fact. I felt like I had to create a conflict since none existed.


    ¡®Should I wear a mask?¡¯


    I thought about such nonsense, but even an artificial conflict would be good for the current continent. It meant that it needed to face a little more crisis. The question was how to spread the crisis.


    ¡®Should I release the mythic-grade monsters from the museum?¡¯


    That was dismissed.


    It was undeniable that if the tentacle-like Ancient God or the one with horns on the head were released, it would be impossible to fix the crisis.


    ¡®Should I start a war?¡¯


    That was worth thinking about.


    It didn¡¯t feel right to tear open a recently closed wound. However, that option was also rejected.


    There was no guideline on which ones to use as a sacrifice, and adding salt to the wound should be avoided.


    The continent had just be one. It was impossible to blow away the patients healed with my own hands to spread a conflict.


    Or¡­


    ¡®Is it hard to get Belial?¡¯


    He was a demon, and I felt like he would cooperate for some reason.


    However, remembering that he backstabbed me, my doubts began to grow. In the end, my head began to hurt.


    I couldn¡¯te up with a particrly good idea even while lying down on the bed. No, it wasn¡¯t something I could decide on my own in the first ce.


    ¡°I need Hyunsung.¡±


    I naturally thought that establishingmunication with Kim Hyunsung was urgent.


    I had to find out exactly how things were going, what he thought about the current situation, and his reasoning if he thought it was okay. I also had to know if there were any directions for improvement.


    At the moment, he seemed to be focusing on developing his own power, but he must have a n. I felt like I wanted to spend the rest of my life only trusting Kim Hyunsung, but there was no way I could trust a guy who didn¡¯t have good guts in that aspect.


    ¡°Believing too much isn¡¯t good.¡±


    An answer came to me when I thought about the actions Kim Hyunsung had shown so far.


    Rather, I was worried that he might think everything was perfect and simply nodded. It would be better if he were to stay anxious.


    Regardless, that could also be called a problem. My information was limited. The best thing in the current situation was to reveal that Kim Hyunsung was a returner, but I could understand why that couldn¡¯t happen since I knew how difficult it was to make such a choice.


    Even his doubts about me didn¡¯t disappear. It was better if he opened up first.


    ¡®If only he confessed¡­¡¯


    If only he could confess that he was a returner, and I could hear ahead of time what would happen in the future¡­


    There was no need to mention how easy things would be in such a reality.


    ¡®It¡¯s like a dream. Fuck¡­¡¯


    Hope for the future was like a vague story. It felt like it wouldn¡¯t matter if I first revealed that I had the Mind¡¯s Eyes, but no matter how I thought about it, it was irrational at that point.


    Somehow, I had to get information out of the conversation with Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡®We will talk soon, anyway.¡¯


    I had Yuno Kasugano, and I felt that it would be better to decide the direction based on the future information.


    In a situation where there was no answer, I wandered around the room for no reason, took a brief shower with hot water, and thenid my body in bed again.


    I felt like I only closed my eyes for a moment, but it was already morning when I opened them.


    ¡®Fuck¡­ I must have overdone it.¡¯


    I had terrible pains all over my body, as if I had been moving too hard recently.


    I felt fundamentally tired, but I was d I didn¡¯t have a hangover. It was still early in the morning. It seemed to me that I dreamed about Jung Hayan being with me after a while, but I couldn¡¯t remember it properly.


    What I was a little embarrassed about was that the content was pretty erotic.


    Despite not being frustrated, that dream seemed to be a side effect of returning to the man¡¯s body after a long time.


    ¡°Achoo! Ugh¡­¡±


    It felt like I even had a cold mood. I looked at the side, and the window was open. I didn¡¯t remember things well, but after opening it for a while yesterday, I seemed to have fallen asleep without closing it.


    ¡°It was toocent. Fuck¡­ what would you do if an assassin came in¡­? Lee Kiyoung, you stupid bastard.¡±


    Of course, there was no problem since nothing had happened.


    After lightly wiping my face, I drank a cup of tea and looked out the window.


    I felt like I was slowly rejuvenating as I basked in the pouring sunlight. My mind became a little calmer when I felt rxed.


    As I was spacing out for a moment, I suddenly remembered the dream I hadst night, and I had to blush.


    ¡®That¡¯s because I came clean today. C-Clean.¡¯


    The blurry memories of yesterday¡¯s dream had begun to grow more vivid in my mind. Was this an effect of the fairy¡¯s magic? I found it strange.


    That was when I heard a knock on the door and a voice outside.


    ¡°O-Oppa¡­¡±


    ¡°Is it Hayan?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes.¡±


    ¡°Are you here alone?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    As I slowly opened the door, I finally saw Jung Hayan after such a long time.


    I was a little reluctant when I saw her chuckling as if she was in a good mood, but I couldn¡¯t help but smile at her while she ran towards me and hugged me.


    What was a little different from usual was that I kept feeling as if something was strange.


    ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯


    I bet it was an emotion I couldn¡¯t feel until that moment.


    ¡®Why¡­ does she look so sexy?¡¯


    No, this wasn¡¯t just any emotion. I felt like I had been tamed by something. I couldn¡¯t understand it with my head, but my body was now intensely reacting to Jung Hayan.


    ¡®This has never happened before¡­¡¯

 Chapter 455: Results and Evaluation (2)

    <h4>Chapter 455: Results and Evaluation (2)</h4>


    Objectively, Jung Hayan was attractive enough.


    I didn¡¯t darepare her with Hee-ra, of course, who has been ssified as the best dignity, had a sufficiently voluminous body, and her small body size and big eyes were certainly cute.


    I wasn¡¯t sure if magic power affected her appearance, but she was definitely prettier than when I first met her.


    Compared to her former days, when she was a little numb, she had be more interested in her appearance, and her skin recently became whiter, and her lips became even pinker to the extent that it was worth appearing in animations.


    I thought she was attractive enough, putting it all together, but I felt like I was still looking at a cute little sister to the end.


    It wasn¡¯t enough to have such a reaction.


    Of course, as I was a man, it was undeniable that my heart sometimes beat for Jung Hayan, who was always throwing herself at me.


    ¡®Come on¡­¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know how to exin it, but this was definitely different from usual.


    The faint smell of sweat and skin kept stimting my olfactory system as if she ran excitedly that morning.


    I shook my head to clear it, feeling as if I had drunk a stimnt. It was hard to say that the situation was pleasurable since my body kept flinching despite nothing being wrong with it.


    Not only did my heart keep beating violently, but my breathing had strangely be rough.


    It was only natural to feel familiar with Jung Hayan¡¯s body holding me tight, but this time in particr felt more familiar than usual.


    I couldn¡¯t help but pull my body back due to the physical reaction that came up.


    Jung Hayan didn¡¯t let me do that, however, since this was the first time we saw each other in such a long time.


    I was curious about her intentions behind sticking to my body like a leech while also trying to get as close to my lower body as possible. Seeing her grinning from ear to ear, it seemed that she realized that I was conscious of her.


    Her entric behavior itself was also a problem. Her chest tightly came in close contact, and her lower body pushed forward against me as much as it could.


    Jung Hayan¡¯s temptation, which was so awkward that I wouldn¡¯t even be able tough if I was in my normal mindset, felt stimting enough to evoke the illusion that she might¡¯ve be a subus. It even felt like she had cast some magic on me.


    ¡®She probably didn¡¯t chant a fascination magic after going crazy, right?¡¯


    The likelihood was low.


    If it had been fascination magic, it would have been impossible for me to think. Considering that Jung Hayan had a little mastery over alchemy, I suspected that she had sprinkled on some kind of aphrodisiac. However, there was no way I wouldn¡¯t be able to recognize that kind of item.


    I began to suspect my emotions as the side effect of fairy magic. As I felt that something wasn¡¯t right, I had no choice but to push Jung Hayan away. She had a slightly disappointed face for a moment.


    Gently putting my lips on her forehead and patting her back, she started smiling widely again.


    ¡®I like her because she¡¯s simple.¡¯


    ¡°How have you been?¡±


    ¡°Good! I¡¯ve been doing well. We¡¯ve made a lot of adjustments here and there. I kept moving with S-Sora. Thest few days have been really too busy¡­ I didn¡¯t have time to do anything else. There was more work to be done with magic than I thought. Even all of the construction was done with magic, too¡­¡±


    ¡°Han Sora?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Sora.¡±


    ¡®It must have been painful for her.¡¯


    She was a Blue newbie who was still traumatized by Jung Hayan.


    It felt highly embarrassing to call her a newbie at that moment since she had already grown, but I personally thought she would be drawing a hopeful future for that line of work.


    Since a branch of the Blue Guild had been created in the Crack Land, she must have great hope of wanting to move out there.


    ¡®Of course, she would¡¯ve worked harder than anyone else¡­¡¯


    It hurt me that I couldn¡¯t listen to her wishes.


    ¡®I have to raise her sry.¡¯


    She might not be interested in such things, but I wanted her to realize that I cared for her.


    Of course, she would like to avoid the favors I gave as much as possible, but I couldn¡¯t help but spare her, considering that Han Sora was the only ck wizard resource on the continent.


    Not only did she do a great job in the war against the Republic, but I thought that perhaps there could be some room to use her for the continental peace n I was thinking about.


    However, it was also undeniable that I was a little nervous.


    In a situation where Kim Hyunsung was in the middle of a misunderstanding, her existence was no different from a bomb. No, actually, that was the same for Jung Hayan, who was currently sticking right next to me.


    Although she was a trustworthy ally, I certainly had to acknowledge that she knew too much.


    If Jung Hayan opened her mouth unknowingly, Light Kiyoung¡¯s happy life would end.


    Of course, she wasn¡¯t going to do anything that would damage me, but I had no choice but to treat her as special as I didn¡¯t know where she would bounce to due to her nature.


    It was not unreasonable for me to feel that I should be kinder.


    I originally treated her with a smile, but I started opening my mouth with a smile like I was dying from her cuteness. I could feel that just looking at my smiling face put her in a better mood.


    ¡°It must have been hard for you. You couldn¡¯t even rest¡­¡±


    ¡°I-it was a little hard. Still, it¡¯s something I have to do.¡±


    ¡®Whew. I¡¯m so proud of her. I¡¯m so happy to hear Hayan said it that even tears areing out¡­¡¯


    ¡°Still¡­ weren¡¯t you lonely?¡±


    ¡°A-A little? In fact, I was very lonely.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ shall we go after having breakfast together? Let¡¯s take a look around here too. I haven¡¯t gotten around a lot, but still¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes! Yes! Yes! Of course, I like that!¡±


    I had to go back a little, but I thought it would be okay to enjoy a date rather than running straight to work right away.


    Come to think of it, wasn¡¯t Jung Hayan being very patient?


    She recently almost exploded once with marriage problems, but she hadn¡¯t caused any problems other than that.


    She didn¡¯t put me in an awkward position by crying or making a fuss about being separated for a few days.


    It seemed that the education I applied to her so far was finally paying off, but above all else, the fact that she was being patient was amazing. I wanted to apud her for being able to endure that much even though she wasn¡¯t getting a special reward.


    Therefore, it was not hard for me to take some time off with her.


    After packing up, I immediately went outside with Jung Hayan. I flinched again because of her posture, with arms folded and pushing her chest as close as possible, but there was no problem.


    With the gazes focused on us since we were ssified as celebrities, Jung Hayan straightened her body as she walked through the streets as if to show off.


    It looked like she was marking her territory.


    I listened to her chattering without rest during the unexpected date.


    ¡°I made that, that, and that one, too.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°T-That one too. I also made the bridge over there. Sora helped, but I did it almost alone!¡±


    She boasted of her feats the same way fathers muttered that they had made the Han River Bridge.


    ¡°S-So¡­ At that time, people just came, and I was a little surprised, but it was okay. Some people talked to me, but I didn¡¯t answer them. I didn¡¯t even make eye contact with other men.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to do that¡­¡±


    She even argued about how much of a modern-day virtuous woman she was. It basically wasn¡¯t an important conversation, but it did help restore my tired mind.


    It would be most appropriate to say that it felt like walking with a dog.


    ¡®The weather is good too.¡¯


    Overall, we had a peaceful atmosphere.


    I wasn¡¯t the only one enjoying the peace.


    There were also smiles on other people¡¯s faces, and there were people who were spending time together in their own ways.


    There were people who hade to the terrace to eat, chat around the fountain, and shop at general stores and weapon stores were also quite noticeable.


    It was enough for me to approve of the atmosphere, but I felt ufortable because of yesterday¡¯s thoughts. This was even more so because I thought that the people I saw at that time were the people who were supposed to risk their lives.


    It was hard to say that there were particrly impressive people even if I looked around with my Mind¡¯s Eyes. The State, the Republic, and the interracial union were in a slightly better condition.


    It looked as if the gentiles who were taking a neutral position or the United Kingdom who didn¡¯t even participate in thest war came out on a pic.


    They looked like that even though it had been announced that there was a threat. Still, the peaceful atmosphere itself was not all that bad.


    ¡°It¡¯s too peaceful¡­¡± I identally said it out loud.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ It¡¯s nothing. I was just talking to myself.¡±


    ¡°D-Do you have any concerns?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not enough to bebeled as a concern¡­ I¡¯ll tell youter when my thoughts are organized. Let¡¯s go back to the guild house. Did you also make the branch?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Hayan?¡±


    ¡°Yes? Ah¡­ yes. I only made the framework. A-All the interior was done by manager Kim Mi-young. The furniture was also custom-made by Lindel and brought¡­ Ah! The first floor of the guildhall is used as a shopping street. To the potion shop and Ahyoung¡¯s cksmith, it¡¯s a guildhall used by party members from the second floor and is bigger than the one in Lindel. The training center is big, the alchemy workshop is big, and the room is big.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s understandable. Lindel¡¯s building has been there for a long time. If you simply put it in width, this side is also wider¡­ I guess a lot of other ns will alsoe in.¡±


    ¡°Some of the influential ns are already considering buyingnd. The ck Swan and the Red Mercenary members are already in.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re smart.¡±


    After having a few useless conversations, the familiar emblems started to stand out as I continued walking the street.


    At that moment, I realized that I had arrived at the branch of the Blue Guild that Jung Hayan was talking about. It was definitely gigantic - it was much bigger and more sophisticated than the Blue Guild house.


    Arms made by Yoo Ahyoung were on disy in the shopping street on the first floor, and the adventurers around me had already gathered in the potion shop next to it.


    It looked like people would have to go through another entrance to enter the guild house.


    As I slowly turned my head toward the entrance, I saw someone with a familiar face.


    ¡°Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°Ah, Hyejin.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯d told us you wereing, I would have gone to meet you¡­ Did you just arrive today?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I looked around for a while. By the way¡­¡±


    The one waiting for me in front of therge building was Kim Hyunsung¡¯s deputy and my only friend.


    She seemed anxious as she wandered around in front of therge building with a ponytail, which was unusual.


    ¡°Is anything going on?¡±


    ¡°No. Not exactly.¡±


    ¡°But why are you outside¡­?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m waiting for the Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°Hyunsung?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t go out together?¡±


    ¡°That¡­ I haven¡¯t heard of it in detail, but he said he¡¯s looking for someone¡­ He said he would be going alone.¡±


    ¡®I was right.¡¯


    Of course, I knew where he would have gone.


    I didn¡¯t even have to try to know. The answer was obvious.


    For some reason, Cho Hyejin¡¯s face, so full of anxiety, was entertaining to me. I couldn¡¯t stop myself from coughing when she continued.


    ¡°Um, Vice Guild Master. I¡¯m sorry for being so sudden, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°By any chance¡­ did you know?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°The Guild Master seems to be in a r-rtionship.¡±

 Chapter 456: Cho Hyejin’s Instruction Manual (1)

    <h4>Chapter 456: Cho Hyejin¡¯s Instruction Manual (1)</h4>


    ¡°Cough! Cough! Cough!¡±


    ¡°O-O-Oppa, are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    ¡°O-Oppa.¡±


    ¡°Cough! Cough!¡±


    Due to Cho Hyejin¡¯s words, my saliva had down the wrong pipe. My chest started hurting due to the constant coughing.


    I had no choice but to stop Jung Hayan from calling a priest by urgently raising my hand since she was anxious if there was anything wrong with my health.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. It just went down the wrong pipe. Ahem! Hmm! Ahem!¡±


    ¡°Should I bring some w-w-water?¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯m going to go in anyway, well¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really okay, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s not enough to worry about. It really just went down the wrong pipe.¡±


    ¡°S-Still¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    After coughing for a long time, I still couldn¡¯t figure out the exact situation.


    ¡®What is that nonsense now?¡¯


    It was clear that Cho Hyejin was mistaking something.


    She must have imagined what she wanted based on the trivial circumstances. It was no wonder my heart fluttered. Her misconception of this was too ridiculous.


    I wanted to brush it aside, saying that was nonsense, but Cho Hyejin¡¯s dested face remained.


    Meanwhile, she kept pacing around outside. I had a rough idea of ??how things were going.


    Kim Hyunsung would have said he was going to the Crack Inn alone, and Cho Hyejin, who felt anxiety rising inside, would¡¯ve paced around in front of the guild with her anxious mind.


    Waiting for him in the room would have been impossible because of her personality.


    ¡®If you¡¯re so anxious, then go follow him. Or you should have insisted on going with him. This stupid woman.¡¯


    Of course, Kim Hyunsung would notice her following, but it was better than doing nothing and being anxious.


    Kim Hyunsung was frustrating to watch, and she was no different. I could see why there was no progress between the two of them.


    I scolded her in my mind for being a stupid woman before talking carefully. I had to hear what happened.


    ¡°First, let¡¯s go inside.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Some people may have weird thoughts, and pacing around here won¡¯t change anything. I want to listen to the story inside.¡±


    ¡°That means¡­ even you haven¡¯t heard about it?¡±


    ¡°Yes. This is the first time I¡¯m going to hear this. Honestly, I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about¡­ is it that certain information? As far as I know, the one Hyunsung is meeting¡­ is Yeon-joo from the ck Swan. I can¡¯t really say that they¡¯re dating.¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know¡­ Actually, I¡¯m not sure, but Deokgu¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Said that it¡¯s almost certain¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡®What did Park Deokgu say now?¡¯


    I now felt a little worried. He was a guy who helped in weird situations but also trolled in weird ways. That time seemed to be thetter.


    Unsurprisingly, a loud voice began toe from behind.


    ¡°Huh? Is that Hyung-nim?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Hyung-nim!¡±


    The old saying about speaking of the devil and he shall appear wasn¡¯t wrong.


    As I turned my head to locate the voice source, I saw the giant Park Deokgu. It hadn¡¯t been that long since Ist saw that pig, and I wasn¡¯t happy to see him either. Rather, I started to worry about the situation more and more.


    That was because I was curious what he had heard to make him go around saying to change the status of Kim Hyunsung to ¡®in a rtionship.¡¯


    ¡®That pig, really¡­¡¯


    For some reason, his joyful and uplifting face started to make the anxiety rise in my heart. The anxiety didn¡¯t go away even when he hugged me tightly.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while¡­ It¡¯s so nice to see you. Anyway, brother, did you hear the news?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you mean the fact that hyung-ssi enjoyed ate-night date with a young woman? It wasst night!¡±


    He said it like that, but he must¡¯ve read too much into it and spread useless rumors.


    ¡°There are only a few witnesses since it was reallyte at night, but I¡¯m certain. I was startled too. Honestly, I thought hyung-ssi wasn¡¯t interested in women. I guess he is still a man after all.¡±


    ¡°Exin it slowly. What exactly do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Ahem. Oh, have you not heard of it yet? You would hear itter anyway, but I¡¯ll tell you in advance, so listen well. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, but hyung-ssi created a very intimate atmosphere with a beautiful woman at a restaurant nearby. They drank wine while staying close to each other, and with that alone, we can say that it¡¯s true. I think it¡¯s a bit strange considering his personality. Think about it. Is he the kind to clink sses of wine and to make out with another womante at night?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t an intimate atmosphere. We didn¡¯t make out, either.


    ¡°They say it¡¯s always the quiet ones, but who would have known that he would be involved in a scandal first? This is just a feeling, but¡­ I think that she¡¯s no ordinary woman too. I don¡¯t know what kind of vulpine woman she is, but her experience must not be ordinary. On the one hand, I¡¯m a little worried about him. I even thought about him being fooled by some gold digger.¡±


    ¡®She¡¯s me, you pig bastard.¡¯


    It seemed that he hadn¡¯t even noticed that Cho Hyejin¡¯s face next to him was bing darker and darker. It was certainly worth saying that he was a genius of agitation, considering how determined he was to say what he wanted to say.


    If I let him keep talking like that, it felt like the rumor would reach a point where the young woman would be carrying the Blue Guild Master¡¯s child in her belly in less than a few months.


    Since I was paying attention to Kim Hyunsung and others, I hadn¡¯t calcted that the pig before me would be interested in these kinds of baits. His face was even flushed with excitement.


    Fortunately, it seemed that he hadn¡¯t investigated the woman, but if Park Deokgu decided to dig into it, the identity would be revealed soon.


    ¡°As expected¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still too early to confirm it, Hyejin. Maybe it¡¯s someone he met for business. Since it¡¯s the early days of the Crack Land, he¡¯ll have a lot of people to meet, from merchants to n Masters of influential ns.¡±


    ¡°You think so?¡±


    ¡°I thought so at first, but I¡¯m saying it didn¡¯t seem like that. To say that two people meeting for work had an intimate atmosphere¡­ Isn¡¯t that weird? Well, people said they looked like a couple who met after several years apart. Considering how shy he was with strangers, it would be weird for him to create such an atmosphere with someone he met for the first time. And this is just my guess, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I think he¡¯s been hiding this for at least one year already¡­ There¡¯s a good chance that he¡¯s been in a secret rtionship that we haven¡¯t known until now.¡±


    ¡®Shut up, you pig moron.¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s not something to fuss about. It¡¯s ridiculous in the first ce, and it¡¯s weird to talk about other people¡¯s love affairs like this.¡±


    ¡°It is, but¡­ isn¡¯t it something worth thinking about? If he gets married and even gets children, we will also have a sister-inw and a sessor¡­ Of course, we have to find out more about what happened. Something was weird about the two of them wandering aroundte at night¡­ he even left the guild house this morning and hasn¡¯te back yet. Considering all of that, I¡¯m 100% sure. Yes. I¡¯m absolutely certain of this.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Something is going on with them. He would definitely feel too embarrassed to tell the guild members, and Hyunsung is now a celebrity, so he has to pay attention to the media. Seeing that he showed up with her this time, I think he may be thinking about publicizing it. In other words, he¡¯s testing the waters.¡±


    ¡®How are you so convincing?¡¯


    It definitely didn¡¯t make sense.


    No matter how I thought, the bullsh*t that Kim Hyunsung had been meeting a woman for a year didn¡¯t make sense. In other words, it was a story where the puzzle pieces didn¡¯t fit together.


    However, the pig bastard had seeded in sewing such a ridiculous story together.


    He drew sympathy to simple false rumors with his appealing voice and forced bullsh*t to be believable.


    It felt like Cho Hyejin was already sending a substantial amount of trust to Park Deokgu¡¯s guess.


    I had to admit that she had been properly caught in the trap that Park Deokgu had dug.


    ¡°No matter how I think about it, it¡¯s ridiculous to say that he¡¯s been dating for a year¡­ I think it would be more proper to say that they had met for business. And he wouldn¡¯t want it to go public right now. The timing is weird, and the situation itself is not natural. This time, Deokgu, it seems you¡¯ve got it wrong.¡±


    ¡°Honestly, what you said makes sense too, but I smell something.¡±


    ¡°What smell?¡±


    ¡°The smell that he and the woman must have known each other for a long time. I don¡¯t know how to exin it, but sometimes I get this feeling. In my experience, it¡¯s almost 100% certain.¡±


    ¡®You demon.¡¯


    At least it was correct that we had known each other for a long time. His sharpness was enough to make me swallow hard.


    ¡°And¡­ even if you think about it a little differently, the answeres out easily. He didn¡¯t n to go public right now.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean¡­?¡±


    ¡°What if they¡¯re in a situation where he had to go public? For example, she got pregnant or something.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s bullsh*t, you bastard.¡¯


    ¡°It can be roughly exined. He suddenly brought his girlfriend, which he had been hiding until now, out in the world. When I think about it in terms of time, it seems to be roughly correct¡­ there was a reason why he didn¡¯t look good these days. I would be disturbed too. It¡¯s peaceful now, but even thinking of raising a child on the continent makes me dizzy, sigh¡­¡±


    ¡®Your thoughts are even more dizzying.¡¯


    ¡°No wonder I heard that he¡¯s been taking a lot of time for walks alone.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s very irrational¡­¡±


    ¡°There is another situation. Think about it, hyung-nim, Hyejin. Honestly, how many times has he disappeared without telling us? There were times we couldn¡¯t even contact him for a week or two. He doesn¡¯t even tell us where he¡¯s been¡­ He would havee and gone to do something, but he must have spent a few days meeting her. Now, I think my questions have been answered.¡±


    ¡®How can this bastard connect all of it like this?¡¯


    He could even be called the master of storytelling. This even made me feel like I was learning from Park Deokgu. I knew I had to defend Kim Hyunsung, but it was not easy to make excuses after being pressured by the strange momentum.


    We just had dinner together. The pig bastard turned it into a story about a pregnant girlfriend that Kim Hyunsung had been dating for a year.


    It wasn¡¯t strange that I had nothing to say. However, I couldn¡¯t just watch it.


    ¡°You¡¯re too hasty, Deokgu. If it were really such a big deal, Hyunsung would have told us. And I know most of the schedule when the Guild Master was out. He wouldn¡¯t have time to spare to meet a woman.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry too much, Hyejin. Deokgu seems to be mistaken.¡±


    ¡°A-Actually¡­ the atmosphere was unusual. I think he was writing some kind of letterst night.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t hear the details, but he was stuck in the library writing a letter¡­¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that to propose?¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s not, you bastard.¡¯


    It was probably a letter of apology.


    The answer came when I thought about Kim Hyunsung¡¯s disposition. He wasn¡¯t satisfied withst night¡¯s apology. He was probably nning to return my shoes and give me the apologetic letter.


    I didn¡¯t expect that he would get stuck in the library right away, but I thought there wouldn¡¯t be much in the letter.


    Naturally, I was worried that if I let Park Deokgu talk a little more, Hyunsung would be rumored to have a secret child.


    As if to watch out for listening ears, I put my finger in my mouth, causing them to quiet down.


    ¡°¡­ What should we do, Vice Guild Master?¡±


    ¡®Why are you asking me?¡¯


    Cho Hyejin was currently wearing an expression that wasn¡¯t like her at all.

 Chapter 457: Cho Hyejin’s Instruction Manual (2)

    <h4>Chapter 457: Cho Hyejin¡¯s Instruction Manual (2)</h4>


    It wasn¡¯t just Cho Hyejin.


    The bullsh*t made by Park Deokgu would sound too sudden to those in Kim Hyunsung¡¯s harem. I didn¡¯t know exactly how things were going over there, but honestly, it was hard to think that it would be going smoothly.


    I could see that much without looking too closely.


    The most active of them were Park Yeon-joo of the ck Swan and Kim Ye-ri, our kiddo.


    Kim Ye-ri, who was busy practicing the fascinating dance in the corner, was still a kid, so she could be considered irrelevant, but Park Yeon-joo was not.


    Even from a few kilometers away, she looked like a charming woman.


    However, the ice prince Kim Hyunsung always looked at her as if he was looking at a rock.


    I didn¡¯t know if he was insensitive or really just an idiot, but it was undeniable that his wall was solid. Even someone as attractive as Park Yeon-joo was treated the same way, so it was obvious what others were like to him.


    Cho Hyejin was the perfect virgin, officially chosen by the unicorn. Kim Ye-ri was the master of the fascinating dance that didn¡¯t even make me snort.


    I didn¡¯t know what Charlotte was doing, but she would be simr to the two of them. Anyway, the four women maintained a tight bnce.


    There was a huge perceptual change in that situation, and it was the appearance of a new character suspected of being Kim Hyunsung¡¯s girlfriend.


    At that moment, I realized that it wasn¡¯t just the continent that was drunk in peace.


    They were intoxicated with the peace of familiarity, and although they would have stamped a peace treaty to get along in moderation and maintain the current situation, they were unable toe to their senses on how to respond to the sudden invasion.


    ¡®Tsk. You should have prepared it in advance.¡¯


    If they had always been inbat in the first ce, the sad result wouldn¡¯t havee out.


    Cho Hyejin looked at me with a dested look. She seemed unable toe to her senses. She didn¡¯t know how she should react to the shocking news.


    I naturally spoke first. She couldn¡¯t keep pacing outside, after all.


    ¡°What do you mean what should we do? It won¡¯t be a big deal, so let¡¯s go in. It¡¯s not good to pace around like this outside. Deokgu¡¯s story is almost nothing but a theory, so you don¡¯t have to worry about it. Nothing is certain yet. To say that he¡¯s dating is absurd.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s true that he had an intimate time with an unknown woman.¡±


    ¡°The rumors that are transmitted from mouth to mouth are always inted. Actually, it wouldn¡¯t have been anything like being intimate. People always like provocative news. And what if Hyunsung had a date? He doesn¡¯t even have a girlfriend. This isn¡¯t something you have to worry about, okay?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I-I am just worried. There is no particr reason, but I¡¯m worried about the Guild Master¡­¡±


    ¡°What are you worried about?¡±


    ¡°She could be a woman of poor quality. As the Guild Master¡¯s lieutenant, I consider it a genuine concern. In addition to the direction of the guild¡¯s operation, it can be risky to introduce an outsider suddenly. It¡¯s natural for me to worry.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m taking care of most of the internal affairs, so you don¡¯t have to worry too much, Hyejin. It hasn¡¯t been decided that she will get in the guild in the first ce, and if she has anything different in mind, I can take care of her on my own.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about what Deokgu said. And Deokgu, you should refrain from saying those kinds of things. It¡¯s not a topic that you can bring out with a smile. As much as we get attention from the public, we should block all the bad rumors as much as possible.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°The Blue Guild is no different from apany. And the party members are the faces of thatpany. I don¡¯t even have to say anything about the Guild Master. Can you understand what I¡¯m talking about?¡±


    ¡°Er¡­ I guess I know what you mean. I-I knew about it too. I also only talked about this with the guild staff ¡­ I have never talked about it to an outsider.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m only saying that we should be a little more careful.¡±


    As I had reacted in such an edgy manner, he began to feel down.


    ¡®This bastard¡­¡¯


    I patted him on the shoulder to let him know not to be bothered when he was about to feel guilty, causing his smile to return.


    ¡°I waspletely unaware¡­ anyway, thanks for telling me.¡±


    ¡°Ahem¡­ Well, of course. You can leave this kind of news to me. I can bring information that doesn¡¯t even exist.¡±


    ¡®You can¡¯t bring information that doesn¡¯t exist.¡¯


    ¡°Okay. Still, it¡¯s better to keep it a secret about this one. And ask the guild members not to speak about this¡­ In particr, tell Ye-ri to stop paying attention to this until the exact resultes out. Please tell manager Kim Mi-young to make sure that the guild employees won¡¯t talk about this. I will take care of everything from here.¡±


    ¡°Leave it to me.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t easy to react casually. I was pretending to be honorable, clearing things up, and having the world¡¯s highest level, but honestly, my feelings were no different from Cho Hyejin.


    ¡®Fuck¡­¡¯


    Misbehavior eventually caught up with one. It was natural that I thought, ¡®I¡¯m d Kim Hyunsung¡¯s mouth is sealed.¡¯


    If I hadn¡¯t told Park Deokgu, Ahn Ki-mo, and Kim Ye-ri to hide information about Lee Kiyeon, things would have been firmly twisted.


    Perhaps even at that moment, Kim Hyunsung was walking around the Crack Inn to give the apology letter and the shoes to the young woman. I couldn¡¯t help but feel a little flustered at the thought that things could go wrong with a single slip.


    ¡®I should have wrapped it up more tightly.¡¯


    It was clear that he would still feel sorry.


    When I thought of Kim Hyunsung, my head hurt. I knew he would be obsessed with the situation until he made a proper apology.


    ¡®This is bad¡­¡¯


    It was terrible to imagine him returning the shoes to Bitch-ere by going directly to the United Kingdom. I felt like I should ask Lee Jihye to do some more administrative processing.


    There was a need to go a little further away and take good care of Ahn Ki-mo and Park Deokgu¡¯s mouths. I could just cover Kim Ye-ri¡¯s mouth using the dance of fascination.


    If the lovely returner¡¯s attention on Bitch-ere diminished a little, things would go back to normal, and if Bitch-ere remained as nothing but a good memory, I could say that everything would be perfect.


    The problem was his single-minded personality.


    If I had some bait that could make Kim Hyunsung¡¯s interest go elsewhere, I could solve the problem a little more easily.


    ¡®It¡¯s not easy¡­¡¯


    No, before that, I wondered if now was the right time to be at ease like what I was doing.


    If I had a huge mission like saving the world, it wouldn¡¯t be unreasonable to think about whether I should move a little harder.


    When I tried to me him while thinking ording to the flow of my consciousness, I realized my thoughts were crazy about the current state of Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡®No. This is bad too. If I think like this, it¡¯s dangerous.¡¯


    I was spouting nonsense in my head in such a bad situation, but when I recalled Kim Hyunsung¡¯s schedule, I shook my head.


    He had done nothing all day but train.


    He would receive reports about work every now and then, but he¡¯d train again after dealing with it. That was his typical daily routine.


    Not only did he go around outside alone to prepare for the future of the first round, but there were dozens of tasks he took alone.


    Considering that there were many times I was worried when seeing him swinging his sword like crazy, what he needed at that moment wasn¡¯t urgency, but rest. Since Kim Hyunsung couldn¡¯t enjoy even a moment of peace, I should avoid ming him as much as possible.


    He spent decades in the first round and several years in the second round without taking care of himself.


    Perhaps the Bitch-ere incident was an obsession created by the unconscious desire to rest.


    Why wouldn¡¯t he want to have a sweet date?


    He would want to y, to rest, and to enjoy life.


    As a young man in his twenties, he was brought to a ce he didn¡¯t know anything about. He was forced to go through hardships. Even in his second life, he was living with a great sense of responsibility.


    I could safely say that he had reached his limit, both mentally and physically.


    When I remembered the guy whoughed happilyst night, honestly, I started to feel a little pitiful.


    ¡®Rest. Right. He needs to rest.¡¯


    I could find evidence of mental weariness in his behavior.


    It could be said that the current situation where he was suspicious of his best friend and brother was evidence. I didn¡¯t know if he was aware of it, but such negative energy was proof that he had been driven into a corner.


    If I had been the psychiatrist of the lovely returner, I would have rmended a break.


    It was a sudden thought, but I started to agree with it more and more without my knowledge.


    If he was more rxed, he could look at the situation with a broad perspective, and before I even took any action, the negative energy would also disappear.


    ¡°Hyejin.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Were there any recent changes to the Guild Master¡¯s schedule?¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s been the same. Hebines training and work. Other than that, there¡¯s nothing special.¡±


    ¡®Right¡­ of course.¡¯


    It was as expected. I also thought thatst night might be an incident that could be called a deviation for him.


    Didn¡¯t I also take enough rest that time?


    There was now saying that he shouldn¡¯t take a break. No, it was mandatory for him to do so.


    The question was how I could make him do that.


    I wanted to rmend him to enjoy a date with Bitch-ere, but he shouldn¡¯t enjoy a date with someone that didn¡¯t exist at all in the first ce.


    It was a shame, but I felt like I should look for a substitute for that.


    There must be other options than dating, though.


    ¡®I think it would be effective to cover women¡¯s problems with a woman¡­¡¯


    This was also the simplest way.


    If I had a vague approach, he would be crazy about training and work again, and he would only drive himself even more fatigued.


    As I nced at my right side, Cho Hyejin caught my eyes as she walked in strides.


    ¡°Hyejin.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Please, put your hair down for a second.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying¡­?¡±


    ¡°I have something to check. Just leave put hair down for me.¡±


    ¡°If you say it like that¡­¡±


    Cho Hyejin frowned at my sudden suggestion. However, she meekly undid her hairstyle.


    Her long hair ran down her neck and shoulders as she removed the stic band that held her ponytail.


    Come to think of it. I once went with her to the ck market before.


    ¡®She looked pretty good in dresses too¡­¡¯


    She was beautiful enough as well, although she didn¡¯t look like it because she usually dresses like a man.


    ¡°It looks pretty.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s unpleasant, Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°No, Hayan. Of course our Hayan is prettier.¡±


    ¡®I almost fucked up.¡¯


    ¡°Are you making fun of me right now?¡±


    ¡°No, Hyejin. I¡¯m not.¡±


    ¡®Fuck.¡¯


    I shook my head and desperately fixed the brief crisis that suddenly came, but Cho Hyejin¡¯s face was crumpled as if she stepped on poop.


    Of course, Hayan was subtly smiling.


    I understood the reason behind her expression. I told her that she was uglier than my girlfriend even though she let her hair down because I asked her to.


    It was something that would upset even Cho Hyejin, who wasn¡¯t interested in those kinds of things. However, she looked at me with a sour face only for a moment.


    She was startled by my next words.


    ¡°Hyejin.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°What do you think of Hyunsung?¡±

 Chapter 458: Cho Hyejin’s Instruction Manual (3)

    <h4>Chapter 458: Cho Hyejin¡¯s Instruction Manual (3)</h4>


    Cho Hyejin was evidently bewildered.


    However, that was only for a second, she looked calm and carefully opened her mouth.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m not sure what your intentions are regarding that question¡­ Guild Master is a wonderful person. He is constantly striving toward his goals. Looking at him from the sidelines, I feel that he is someone who has a lot of respectable elements. It¡¯s funny to say this from the perspective of a modern woman, but he is worth following.¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t want a formal answer.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m asking what you think of him as a man.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Yes, as a man.¡±


    ¡°What are you¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you like the Guild Master?¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m curious why you¡¯d ask that question, Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m asking because I have my reasons. Please be honest. It¡¯s important.¡±


    ¡°Why is this important? If you¡¯re trying to make fun of me now¡­ I will formally protest. Please refrain from rude jokes.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not making fun of you. I¡¯m asking you this out of curiosity as a friend. Honestly, I can see everything on your face, but why are you evading like this? You like Hyunsung.¡±


    ¡°Why would I¡­ I haven¡¯t even thought about it. I don¡¯t know what made you say that, but you seem to have mistaken my respect for the Guild Master as something else. I¡¯ve never had such imprudent feelings, and I think I shouldn¡¯t. As the Guild Master¡¯s lieutenant¡­¡±


    ¡°No. Don¡¯t say that. Be honest. You like him.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°You like him.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°No, you like him!¡±


    ¡°I-I said I don¡¯t! I don¡¯t!¡±


    She screamed as if she felt flustered.


    I could see her straightening her voice embarrassingly. Of course, I was also flustered.


    That was because her reaction was a little passionate. I had expected she would initially deny it, but I felt like her defiance was even stronger than I thought.


    Even Jung Hayan was slightly shocked by the unexpected question, but based on her reaction, it seemed like she hadn¡¯t realized that Cho Hyejin liked Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡®She¡¯s really not usually interested in others.¡¯


    Perhaps she didn¡¯t even care what Kim Hyunsung and Cho Hye-jin often did. However, witnessing how the way she looked at her became softer, I thought she liked the fact that nothing would happen between Cho Hyejin and me.


    She really was a simple person, wasn¡¯t she?


    ¡°Whew. Whew¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Whew. Ahem. I¡¯m sorry for screaming all of a sudden. It¡¯s really not what you think. You seem to have misunderstood because of what happened before, but I only said that because I was worried about the Guild Master and the Blue Guild. I never talked about it because of personal feelings.¡±


    ¡°No, what¡¯s weird about it? When a man and a woman hang around together, that kind of feeling can arise.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m saying that it¡¯s not that¡­¡±


    ¡°Honestly, denying it now seems stranger. We¡¯re not kids anymore, and I¡¯m not making fun of you. Isn¡¯t that why the unicorn was so happy with you? And how old are you to be blushing about something like this?¡±


    ¡°That is also a misunderstanding. You don¡¯t know how I was on Earth¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll just tell you this. Everyone knew about Wooshin Girls¡¯ High School technician.¡±


    ¡®You sound like Park Deokgu, the love doctor in Gangwon-do, again.¡¯


    Even though she opened her mouth, her face had reddened. Anyway, this had nothing to do with the matter at hand,


    What was important was what Cho Hyejin thought of Kim Hyunsung.


    In fact, the answer was fixed. She was just ashamed of telling me, but perhaps she knew best.


    Everyone in the guild knew that Cho Hyejin secretly had a crush on Kim Hyunsung.


    Her face was strangely red whenever they were together, and she secretly defended her ce next to him, using the position of lieutenant as an excuse. She thought she had been hiding it well, but only Kim Hyunsung wasn¡¯t aware of her feelings.


    ¡®Shall I push another one?¡¯


    As someone who was picturing several scenarios, it would be better to start with the ck Swan¡¯s Park Yeon-joo, but for some reason, the more I looked at her, the sadder I got.


    ¡®Our Hyejin has indeed suffered a lot¡­¡¯


    She had faced a miserable end to the masked trash in the first round, and yet she still expressed her feelings after death.


    I personally thought of her as a close friend, so if I had to push someone, I think it would better if it were her. Perhaps she could have a positive effect on Kim Hyunsung¡¯s mental health.


    Most of all, she cared for him, so it was undeniable that she would be able to help him in many ways. She even threw her own life like it was worthless, so I couldn¡¯t help but think that she would never be a bad partner of Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡°I¡¯m not interested if you are Wooshin Girls¡¯ High School¡¯s technician. Honestly, I asked because I wanted to help. No, it feels like it¡¯s more of a necessity rather than charity.¡±


    ¡°What is a necessity?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s rted to Hyunsung.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Hyunsung is mentally drained. Have you ever thought about that while watching him from the side?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°I know about it too. You don¡¯t have to hide it. You have never seen him rest, right?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wrong. The Guild Master always has a proper rest¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not talking about resting his body between training sessions. I¡¯m not asking about having a quick meal or drinking tea in the middle of work. I¡¯m literally asking about the rest of someone normal, like lying down without doing anything, enjoying cultural life or hobbies. If that¡¯s not the case, it doesn¡¯t matter if for as long as it¡¯s his personal leisure time. You should have seen something since you¡¯re always close to him. I asked if you¡¯ve ever seen something like that.¡±


    ¡°I-I haven¡¯t.¡±


    ¡®I thought so.¡¯


    I already knew.


    I asked because I hadn¡¯t been around him recently, but it seemed like he hadn¡¯t changed much apart from his own social skills.


    As I slightly turned my head, I could see Cho Hyejin¡¯s serious face. She must¡¯ve realized that there was something strange by then.


    ¡°He was like that even before Hyejin came to the guild. Right now, he¡¯s a little better. It¡¯s natural that you¡¯ve never seen it. Honestly, I don¡¯t know what he eats except when eating with the guild members, but isn¡¯t he only eating simple battle food?¡±


    ¡°That seems to be the case.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to turn a blind eye to it so far, but the more I think about it, the more serious the situation bes. Even after a few years, he still hasn¡¯t changed, and maybe he doesn¡¯t even realize it. I understand that he feels unsafe, but his case is a bit severe. He¡¯s constantly worried, constantly prepared, and constantly moving. Does that sound like something that people would usually do? Machines wouldn¡¯t live like that.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Speaking of¡­ honestly, I would like tomend Hyunsung for meeting with a womanst night. Personally, I wonder if it helped relieve his stress.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­!¡±


    ¡°Of course, I know what Hyejin is worried about. It¡¯s suspicious that a woman we don¡¯t even know the name of suddenly came out of the blue, and there¡¯s something wrong with the situation. I think the same way. So, I want to create a ce where our Guild Master can rest. And I thought of Hyejin as the candidate.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t make it just by efforts. Human emotions are fickle. And even if I had feelings for the Guild Master, the Guild Master¡­¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know that. It may sound ridiculous for me to say this, but honestly, I can¡¯t go wrong with Hyejin. You¡¯ve spent a lot of time with Hyunsung, and you¡¯ll be more advantageous than anyone else.¡±


    ¡®You understand him well, after all.¡¯


    ¡°I can roughly understand what you are talking about, but¡­ I¡¯m not sure why you¡¯re helping me. The offer is too sudden. Of course, it doesn¡¯t mean that I have feelings for the Guild Master. I am just curious.¡±


    Actually, since the Bitch-ere happened only recently, this was a very difficult situation.


    I was anxious that Hyunsung would continue to do things like flirting, so I hoped that she¡¯d give it a try. I needed her to help with Hyeonsung¡¯s psychological health. He was evidently struggling. He would be able to rest if someone was next to him.


    I wanted to say that, but I couldn¡¯t. In the end, I had to put the right excuses in my mouth.


    ¡°You know that I¡¯m greedy. It¡¯s a little strange that an outsider suddenlyes to the Blue, and honestly, almost everything Deokgu said is nonsense, but it doesn¡¯t mean it can¡¯t happen. If Hyunsung finds a mate, it would be better if it¡¯s someone he knows¡­ actually, this is the biggest reason. Personally, I was already cheering for Hyejin, and I think right now¡¯s the right timing to strike. So will you do it or not?¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t an area where you can help. I don¡¯t even need that kind of help. In the first ce, I¡­¡±


    Her words sounded determined, but her face showed mixed emotions.


    Unlike what she said, she seemed to want to ask someone for help.


    Even though she spouted bullsh*t about being blown by the bitch, and that she was a technician at Wooshin Girls¡¯ High School, everyone knew that Cho Hyejin had never dated anyone.


    It¡¯s likely that she was confused about what to do, how to get close to him, and even how to start it.


    There were so many beautiful and capable women around, and an unknown pregnant woman even appeared. She seemed to have already lost herself a few minutes ago. She was looking mournfully at me, asking what to do.


    ¡°Sorry, but I can¡¯t help it.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I have to contact ck Swan¡¯s Yeon-joo.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s a little weird to help with that in the first ce. If it¡¯s an inappropriate way, I¡¯ll block it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a very inappropriate way. I¡¯m just giving you reasonable advice. And this is for the Guild Master. Who will be responsible if the innocent Hyunsung is caught in a scandal due to the sudden appearance of the vulpine woman? He¡¯s like the father of our guild, and I don¡¯t want to see him go through something like that. Honestly, you think the same way. You might be ashamed, but you don¡¯t have to deny it. What is a good friend? Even if I look like this, I¡¯ve eaten with Hyunsung. We even went to the sauna, and everything¡­ I guarantee I can push you in the right direction.¡±


    Some silence subsided in the ce.


    Turning my head to look at her, I was met with her puzzled look. Somehow, she was showing a positive reaction to my words.


    Eventually, after a long time, Cho Hyejin carefully opened her mouth.


    ¡®As expected of you.¡¯


    ¡°H-How can you help me?¡±


    ¡°Change your style, makeup, correct your behavior¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Most importantly, you only need to listen to me. Let¡¯s think of it as moving like my doll or avatar for a few days.¡±

 Chapter 459: Cho Hyejin’s Instruction Manual (4)

    <h4>Chapter 459: Cho Hyejin¡¯s Instruction Manual (4)</h4>


    Very little time had passed since then.


    The wizards, including Jung Hayan and Han Sora, were forced into a brutal schedule. However, as a result, Crack Land began to look as nned.


    There were at that time more buildings afterpletion than buildings beforepletion. It was possible to see how much power the workers, including the wizards, used.


    Of course, they weren¡¯t the only busy ones.


    Naturally, I didn¡¯t have time to breathe properly either, since I had to continue with the administrative processes.


    Manager Kim Mi-young, Lee Jihye, and Park Deokgu¡¯s woman, the mage schr Hwang Jeong-yeon, and even Sun Hee-young, were invited to stay up all night.


    The Blue¡¯s neer Elena took charge of the elves and the different races who found the Crack Land, and Yoo Ahyoung, the only cksmith in the guild, never stopped hammering all day.


    That was because she had to give the Crack Museum items that could be used as a reward.


    At that moment, Yoo Ahyoung, who was brought as a cksmith and sub-tanker, shined. The armor made of Salit¡¯s bones and Dialugia¡¯s scales were high-quality enough to be ssified as high-end items. Those who reached the legendary-grade and the heroic-grade showed great interest in Yoo Ahyoung¡¯s collection.


    Along with the potion business, a new business made out of one of the Blue¡¯s pirs was being born.


    Due to her explosive growth, I became even busier.


    When recruiting a usable cksmith as guild staff, there was no choice but to establish a new factory system like what was done for the alchemy workshop.


    Sub-equipments that Yoo Ahyoung didn¡¯t make herself also took the emblem and exported them to her collection.


    The target was rare adventurers.


    Profits from high-end equipment were substantial, but the profits from sub-items were also sufficient. No, at some point, it was rather higher than the former.


    In fact, it was low-cost equipment, but with the Blue emblem, it seeded in opening the wallets of lower adventurers.


    The initial investment cost of entering the Crack Land was recovered with the Yoo Ahyoung Collection.


    Of course, she wasn¡¯t the only one who benefited from the new market. Originally, the potion collection, which had been sold like fire, was also heavily established and made great profits.


    Having to put the guild staff and the party members into work was exhausting but joyful. The guilds operating the Crack Land with Blue were no different.


    I didn¡¯t even see Cha Hee-ra¡¯s face except during her asional night visits, and I couldn¡¯t figure out where and what Park Yeon-joo was doing.


    ording to Lee Jihye, who could be thought of as her lieutenant, she seemed to be looking for the pregnant woman who suddenly appeared, but she hadn¡¯t yet found a clue due to the false information Lee Jihye had dropped.


    I had always been grateful to Lee Jihye, but I appreciated her even more due to her help with the recent incident.


    She was the one who confused the police dra of the ck Swan that could be ssified as an information guild.


    The visible things were working out so well that I was dumbfounded.


    However, the problems of the continent were still atrge.


    Adventurers were immersed in the sudden peace, and the gathering of divinity seemed to be slow to progress.


    Although Pope Basel offeredrger worship services than before, Benignore, the icon of ipetence, hadn¡¯t recovered her divinity yet.


    Personally, I thought it could simply be because of the quality of prayer.


    Unlike in the past, when people prayed desperately because they were in a situation where their lives were at risk, I felt that they now only prayed formally since their bellies were full and had a rooftop over their heads.


    ¡®You have to put your sincerity in your prayers, sincerity!¡¯


    Still¡­


    ¡®Everything¡¯s going to be fixed someday.¡¯


    It couldn¡¯t be treated as the top priority to be addressed.


    The Demon Dungeon Series and the Crack Museum Series couldn¡¯t rece everything we had lost due to theck of divinity, but they still covered the basics.


    It meant that we could withstand a little more time.


    Against such a situation, there were only two tasks that should be prioritized. The first was to think of a way to roll the pigs being cooked in peace a little more passionately. The other was to solve internal matters that weren¡¯t going well.


    I thought about the former from time to time, but there was no solution for it yet.


    Hence, I thought it would be better to solve the immediate second problem right.


    Of course, it was quite obvious what the problem was.


    ¡®Hyunsung¡­¡¯


    It was rted to the lovely returner.


    Of course, we hadn¡¯t fallen out or anything. In fact, the reunion was quite touching, and as usual, I was able to receive numerous gifts and attention.


    Was that how a pushover would look like, bringing a gift to his sponsored woman?


    He kept asking how I was still the same. He also continued to participate in meetings such as meals and drinking parties, as well as gathering of all guild members.


    However, that was it.


    I couldn¡¯t get the truthful stories he had in mind or the information I would require afterward.


    It wasn¡¯t as if a wall had been built, that there was a slight sense of distance.


    Of course, I might just be overthinking things.


    Actually, Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t act much different from before. It seemed that I had cleared up some of the doubts I had, and it was worth saying that our rtionship had be stronger.


    However, my desire to develop our bond far enough for us to be able to open up all of our thoughts hadn¡¯t made progress yet.


    For example, a rtionship that was strong enough to reveal the facts of regression casually.


    It meant that we hadn¡¯t yet reached that level.


    I wasn¡¯t sure if he knew that I was anxious, but it didn¡¯t matter. He was busy finding the owner of the shoes that bitch-ere dropped.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t even imagine he wouldn¡¯t tell me about this either.¡¯


    From my perspective, I thought he would at least ask me to find a person. It felt a bit disappointing.


    I already knew he was reluctant to make personal requests, but the means to use my hand had disappearedpletely. I felt like he couldn¡¯t be at ease and that he couldn¡¯t rest his mind properly.


    In order to get closer to Kim Hyunsung and move on to the next step, he had to solve his chronic problem first.


    And so, I chose Cho Hyejin.


    Although that was a way to inject nutritional supplements into Kim Hyunsung¡¯s worn-out mind as well as stripping off his curiosity for bitch-ere, I knew it would benefit her as well.


    I could say I caught both rabbits, so I was naturally satisfied.


    The story itself was very sessful.


    I first analyzed the rtionship between Cho Hyejin and Kim Hyunsung and what Kim Hyunsung thought of Cho Hyejin.


    ¡®She is someone you can trust. She is also someone I trust.¡¯


    It was the inner feelings of the guy who asked me quietly.


    Anyone could tell that Hyunsung didn¡¯t have romantic feelings for Cho Hyejin. She was the one who spent the most time with the lovely returner.


    I had to be separated from Kim Hyunsung because of the different tasks that need to be handled. However, they were almost always together since they took care of the same matters.


    They trained together, they worked together, they rested together, and they even ate together.


    It wasn¡¯t unreasonable to say that she was in a position that can give him the best support.


    If they were normal, it would¡¯ve been stranger not having feelings for each other.


    It wouldn¡¯t be strange to say that they secretly coveted each other¡¯s bodies during their spare time.


    ¡®They are coveting each other¡¯s bodies.¡¯


    They were sparring every day.


    Cho Hyejin should¡¯ve aplished more even without my help. Her position was more than enough for her to do it.


    There wasn¡¯t much age difference like Kim Ye-ri, and she wasn¡¯t in the same position as Park Yeon-joo.


    Nevertheless, it seemed to be right to think that it wasn¡¯t because of Kim Hyunsung but Cho Hyejin that nothing had happened.


    She had no intention of looking like a woman first. She held the position of apetent subordinate, reliable friend, and trustworthy colleague, so it¡¯s no wonder that the dull guy couldn¡¯t have such indecent desires toward Cho Hyejin.


    I could even say that they had created an unknownradeship, so the situation itself wasn¡¯t that great.


    What I was able to realize from the Bitch-ere Incident was that our lovely returner wasn¡¯t a eunuch. Even after going through the first round, he was no different from other young men in their twenties.


    So¡­


    ¡°I think the most important task is to make him look at you as a woman.¡±


    At this, Cho Hyejin¡¯s face darkened.


    We had gone through a few meetings like it, but she still had doubts in her head. It was natural to look like that since the results were still yet to be revealed.


    ¡°As a woman?¡±


    ¡°Yes. As a woman. Our top priority is to make Hyunsung recognize Hyejin as a woman. He probably had only ever thought of you as a coworker, friend, subordinate, or junior at work. That¡¯s because whenever he looks at you, he sees a warrior, not a woman.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Yes. It doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re not charming. The problem is that you put yourself in that position first. To put it extremely, I even think it¡¯s better to stay away if it keeps going like this.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be too surprised because I¡¯m talking about extreme directions. Still, in the case of the shared schedule, it seems that management is necessary.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what kind of management is needed¡­¡±


    ¡°The training time is out.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s exactly as I said. After giving an excuse, like you¡¯re not feeling well, take away your training time together.¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s-¡°


    ¡°And also reduce the outdoor work a bit. No, take that all out. For the time being, I think it would be better to deal with only administrative work together. And even that ugly armor is banned for the time being.¡±


    ¡°To say it¡¯s ugly¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you ever take off that armor?¡±


    ¡°What an absurd question. Of course, I do when I sleep. Asking me to take off the armor is a ridiculous suggestion. You know what I do, yet you still say that¡­¡±


    ¡°I told you. For the time being, exclude all training, outdoor work, and missions. Additionally, you won¡¯t have to wear that armor. Hyunsung will surely like you if you wear the same armor 365 days a year.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t the same armor 365 days a year. I also use an extra armor properly.¡±


    ¡®This woman¡­¡¯


    That was why he couldn¡¯t see Cho Hyejin as a member of the opposite sex.


    I realized that the situation was a little more serious when I thought he had never seen her femininity, even during the first round.


    A little more powerful prescription was needed.


    ¡°Haven¡¯t we agreed on listening to me?¡±


    ¡°Unless it is a logical request, I will not ept it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a fairly logical request. It doesn¡¯t matter anyway. Just don¡¯t wear armor from now on. For the time being, you will wear casual clothes. It¡¯s embarrassing to say, but frankly, Hyejin is pretty and attractive enough. It¡¯ll get much better just by taking off that armor that reminds me of Bonobono. Take it off from this moment on.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Now, give me the armor.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s much better with that taken off.¡±


    ¡°What should I wear?¡±


    ¡°I will prepare that from now. I have a bright friend in that regard. Let¡¯s change everything from makeup to dress.¡±


    ¡°I feel like it¡¯s getting too real¡­ I¡¯m getting nervous.¡±


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s real. The young woman can¡¯t take the precious Hyunsung from you. Aren¡¯t you doing this with me right now because you don¡¯t want that either? This is also for the guild.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay, then. Jihye, you cane in.¡±


    I saw hering through the door right after I said that.


    Cho Hyejin looked startled.


    She probably never thought she would be where we were. Even though she knew she was close to me, she probably didn¡¯t know it was that much.


    ¡°Why did you make me wait for so long?¡±


    She was a specialist in that certain industry. I could see Lee Jihye with a lot of luggage.


    At this, unwanted facts began to rain in the sky.

 Chapter 460: Cho Hyejin’s Instruction Manual (5)

    <h4>Chapter 460: Cho Hyejin¡¯s Instruction Manual (5)</h4>


    The reason for bringing Lee Jihye in was obvious.


    She was the one I could describe as the most feminine by my standards.


    If I were to think about the people around me when it came to that regard, she was the first toe to mind.


    Cha Hee-ra pursued afortable style in the first ce, and Elena wore looks that didn¡¯t require makeup. Meanwhile, Yuno Kasugano adhered to the olden style. It was unbelievable that she hade from the modern age.


    Jung Hayan seemed to be working very hard, but I felt like it wasn¡¯t enough. It felt like she was a college student who was just starting to dress-up.


    If I had to categorize her, Dialugia would be simr to Elena.


    They weren¡¯t humans to start with, so it wasn¡¯t appropriate toment about them in the same standard.


    Sun Hee-young was also one of the most ideal candidates.


    Her effortless style was enough to capture many men¡¯s hearts, but¡­


    ¡®It doesn¡¯t suit this asion.¡¯


    That was the problem.


    Since I had Bitch-ere¡¯s mother, Lee Jihye, I didn¡¯t have to call in Sun Hee-young.


    Lee Jihye was a master of transformation, almost a master of disguise.


    I wasn¡¯t in a position to evaluate someone else¡¯s appearance, but if I were, I would say Lee Jihye was a fairlymon person.


    Unlike the many monsters around me, she was cute. She wasn¡¯t as sensual as Cha Hee-ra, and she wasn¡¯t as beautiful as Yuno Kasugano. I couldn¡¯t evenpare her with Dialugia and Elena.


    If Elena was was a peacock, Lee Jihye was a baby sparrow.


    Still, there wasn¡¯t that big of a difference when she was close to them. It meant that Lee Jihye was beautiful and attractive enough.


    She wasn¡¯t born with colorful, beautiful feathers like some, but the baby bird knew better than anyone how to bring her colorful feathers and inte her body.


    I didn¡¯t know if I felt that way because of Lee Jihye¡¯s personality or because she was my soul mate, but she was like that, at least in my eyes.


    She undeniably had a great ability.


    Even during the tutorial, she looked rtively fine. That meant she was always taking care of herself, even in a ce where there was no washroom.


    As I recalled the past, I felt chills running down my spine.


    ¡®What is it, really?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know if everyone was like that in the first ce, but at least Lee Jihye never stopped taking care of and managing herself.


    She was someone who understood better than anyone else that one¡¯s appearance and personality attracted people. There was no way she would stay still after seeing Cho Hyejin, who had been in an unkempt state for years.


    Her words, which popped out from the bottom of her heart, were enough to hurt Cho Hyejin¡¯s ambiguous feelings.


    ¡°Are you really a woman?¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re asking that biologically, that¡¯s right. I¡¯m a¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean. Well, honestly, it¡¯s not something to condemn¡­ every person has a different lifestyle. There are people like you, and there are people different from you. Still, I¡¯m more surprised to see that it seems you live a very different life from me. Oh! I don¡¯t think you¡¯re not interested at all. I see you also take care of your nails.¡±


    ¡°This is an obstacle to training¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°A-anyway, you¡¯re a total mess. I came here because Kiyoung asked me¡­ Still, since you¡¯re already pretty, you¡¯ll look much better than before with just a little touch. Of course, please keep this a secret from Yeon-joo. I don¡¯t feelfortable because it seems that I¡¯m helping her rival. Do you usually not wear any makeup?¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t it get erased if I sweat, anyway?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no such thing as a waterproof product here, but you shouldn¡¯t ignore magic. Even with simple coating magic, that much can be secured. I think you just weren¡¯t interested. There are makeup shops all over Lindel, and you haven¡¯t been to any of them? ck Swan alsounched a lot of fashion-rted shops¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t have much time for that.¡±


    ¡°Saying that you don¡¯t have time is just an excuse. You can wake up one hour early every day and sleep 30 minutester. Next time, I¡¯ll have to take you to the shop. There are many things that don¡¯t exist here, but most of them can be reced. Then¡­ let¡¯s see. I think it would be better to apply a little matte on the lips¡­ and what¡¯s the bluish armor over there? Do you usually wear things like that? Even though this is just an armor, you should pay attention to it a little¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think the color is pretty?¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s not pretty. It looks like the color of a constipated Bonobono¡¯s face.¡±


    ¡°This is the armor that Ye-ri chose with me.¡±


    ¡®Whew¡­ Kim Ye-ri! Satan is an angelpared to that trash.¡¯


    I had been saying that the old-fashioned armor was bothering me.


    I didn¡¯t expect that Kim Ye-ri had chosen it with her, but I could be sure that she was trying to y a trick on Cho Hyejin.


    If not, she must¡¯ve been born with desperate luck, too.


    That aside, the situation wasn¡¯t bad.


    I didn¡¯t know what kind of diagnosis Lee Jihye was making, but it seemed to be working.


    The way she threw a powerful fact as soon as she came in was enough to make memend her.


    Lee Jihye¡¯s way of talking with confidence also seemed to have the effect of meeting an expert.


    In reality, Lee Jihye was an expert, so I thought it wasn¡¯t unreasonable for Cho Hyejin to show that attitude.


    ¡°Is there any other schedule today?¡±


    ¡°I have my afternoon training. After that, I have a few tasks to deal with.¡±


    ¡°Afternoon training, it would be better to remove that.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I told you that it would be better to remove that. Just follow my instructions for now. I will tell give you a step-by-step guide, starting from how to take a bath properly. I need to see what kind of products you¡¯re using that¡¯s managed to put your hair in this condition. Oppa, wait here for a moment.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    It didn¡¯t take long for Lee Jihye to take her to the bathroom, holding tightly to her hand.


    The problem was that I could keep hearing their voices.


    ¡°You need to change your underwear as well. This kind of design is a bit¡­ to your age. Anyone who sees this will be frightened and run away. I would really hate it if I were a man.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°And there seems to be a lot of things for me to handle. Stand still.¡±


    ¡°W-Where are you touching?¡±


    ¡°Be still.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch it! Don¡¯t touch it! I don¡¯t want to be still anymore.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not doing this because I like it, alright?! I¡¯m trying to help, so stay quiet.¡±


    ¡°Ouch!¡±


    I could hear the screams of someone in the throes of death and her weeping.


    I didn¡¯t know what was going on, but Cho Hyejin¡¯s screaming and Lee Jihye¡¯s voice reminded me of some kind of hentai.


    A little bit of time had before they returned. Lee Jihye¡¯s face was filled with a sense of aplishment, while Cho Hyejin looked like she was in pain.


    The expert sat Cho Hyejin behind the dressing table began to speak again, all while showing off her skills.


    It might be a little exaggerated, but it was visible that she was changing in real-time.


    ¡°I only brought the products I use, for now. There are several expensive ones mixed with them. I can¡¯t help you every time, so it¡¯s better to learn to do it yourself. Oh, I should start with your hair first. I won¡¯t cut much. I¡¯ll only give you a trim. Make some waves.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll also clean up your eyebrows. I¡¯ll leave the line, so you can look carefully and draw while following.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay.¡±


    ¡°Open your mouth slightly. Right¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°I think something natural would be better than putting anything too much. I¡¯m envious of people that already look pretty without having to do anything. Your skin is also really nice. There¡¯s sticity, maybe because you exercise a lot? And above all, your body is really awesome. I also take care of mine by working out, but¡­ yours is just on a whole other level. The proportions are good, and if you were on Earth, you could¡¯ve been a model. I¡¯m not kidding.¡±


    ¡°T-Thank you for your words.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be shy. Instead, you have to be confident. Pretty people need to show that they are pretty. You¡¯ll face some difficulties, but your life will be morefortable if you use it well. Lookism is the same, regardless of gender or ce. It would be really easy to flirt with a man with your face.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I couldn¡¯t understand what on earth she was talking about.


    She kept using unknown terms in her exnation. It wasn¡¯t easy to understand her from my point of view.


    One thing was for certain. Lee Jihye was doing really well.


    Witnessing Cho Hyejin change dramatically was enough for my jaw to drop open.


    ¡®I understand why Yulha watched makeup YouTubers.¡¯


    It was fun to watch their transformations.


    Since Lee Jihye constantly talked, there weren¡¯t any awkward silence.


    The way she looked as if she was drawing a picture made me recall Bob Ross.


    ¡®If she turns to a real YouTuber, she would seed.¡¯


    Of course, Cho Hyejin¡¯s appearance that kept changing was interesting enough to watch.


    After very little time, the guild staff began toe into the room with lots of clothes.


    It was the first time I had ever seen dozens ofrge hangers.


    It didn¡¯t fit with Cho Hyejin¡¯s room, which had only one closet.


    Therge room was full of clothes. There were so many that it was enough to divide into two sides.


    Actually, I couldn¡¯t even see their faces anymore.


    It was only possible to know that the preparations were about to end with their voices.


    ¡°Stand up. Try on some clothes. Do you have any clothes you like?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly¡­ if I had to pick one, how about t-that blue dress?¡±


    ¡°Why do you like blue so much? You also have to start choosing casual clothes besides dresses. Isn¡¯t it weird to work wearing a dress? You should wear clothes that suit the asion. Let¡¯s think about that. Let¡¯s go simple rather than exaggerated. It¡¯ll look much cleaner. It¡¯s my personal taste, but honestly, I don¡¯t like excessive things. Some people do things like weird decorations on their hairs, but that¡¯spletely out. They¡¯re not even cosying¡­ you can top off the look with only the most basic essories or bags. Stand up for a second and raise your arms. Take off all the clothes you¡¯re wearing.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°He can¡¯t see you from that side anyway. I¡¯ll try a few on you. Right. Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    ¡°This fits you pretty well. It¡¯s pretty enough. It¡¯s quite enough for me to be jealous.¡±


    ¡°Is that true?¡±


    ¡°Why would I lie? It¡¯ll definitely work.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s take a look. Oppa, it¡¯s all done. Come and see.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    As I moved through the piles of numerous clothes, Cho Hyejin¡¯s face slowly came into view.


    There was no way to express what I thought.


    One thing was for sure. She looked really beautiful.


    She had slightly wavy hair and had a blouse and a skirt on. It was a simpleposition with no shiness, but my jaw still dropped. Even her simple ne went very well with her clothes.


    ¡®How does her face look?¡¯


    There was already a feeling of her being pretty, but the transformation with magic made it hard to believe that she was the same person.


    Lee Jihye nodded proudly next to her as if to say she¡¯s satisfied with the output.


    Her expression was almost like she cleared a heroic-grade quest.


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s beautiful.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re trying to make fun of¡­¡±


    ¡°No. You look really beautiful. Haven¡¯t you seen yourself in the mirror yet?¡±


    ¡°Not in detail¡­¡±


    ¡°Then take a look. You¡¯ll know if I¡¯m joking or not.¡±


    I could bet she would be the one most surprised.


    ¡®You can see Hyunsung now, hey.¡¯

 Chapter 461: Cho Hyejin’s Instruction Manual (6)

    <h4>Chapter 461: Cho Hyejin¡¯s Instruction Manual (6)</h4>


    ¡®Cho Hyejin¡¯s makeover is sessful.¡¯


    She carefully checked herself out as if as if she couldn¡¯t believe it. The dumbfounded expression on her face was only natural.


    Because even I, who had watched her transformation in real-time, couldn¡¯t believe it either.


    Watching her looking at the mirror and touching her own face was quite delightful.


    She didn¡¯t say a cringey line like, ¡®Is this¡­ me?¡¯, but I could tell what she was thinking of.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t make sense¡­¡±


    ¡°It makes so much sense. I¡¯ve put so much effort into it, so it¡¯s only natural that you look like that. I don¡¯t even do my makeup with that much boration.¡±


    ¡°T-This is amazing. How can I change this much¡­¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t change as much as you think you did. It feels a bit unfair, but you already looked pretty. You look pretty even to my eyes. Damn it. All pretty things have to die.¡±


    ¡°Still, I couldn¡¯t even imagine I could change this much¡­¡±


    Even I couldn¡¯t have imagined it. I expected that she would be different, but I didn¡¯t know it would be by that much.


    The usual Cho Hyejin, who looked like a sharp spear, was no longer anywhere to be found.


    With an appearance that attracted every man, her confidence that she could seduce Kim Hyunsung with her fingers had begun to spring up.


    I couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    I judged the situation as something that would take some time to be fixed. Since that period had been reduced, I even wanted to dance.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s the next mission?¡±


    ¡°She has to go in earnest. Thank you, Jihye. Now. Get the equipment first, Hyejin.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? What equipment do I need?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you? You will move like an avatar. Anemone¡¯s Eye will always follow you, and¡­ here, this is a receiver. You can put it inside your ear.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Do we have to go that far?¡±


    ¡°We have to. Without this, you would be just wielding a spear. If it were the modern-day, I could give you advice by text, but that¡¯s no longer our reality. You¡¯ll have to talk face to face¡­ honestly, I can¡¯t even trust Hyejin. I¡¯m telling you this just in case, but you must follow the mission. Just be aware that the moment you feel ashamed or reject anything, the mood will get awkward. I¡¯m trying to push you in earnest, so you just need to y along.¡±


    ¡°But-¡±


    ¡°You must promise me. It¡¯s a top priority. Please promise me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Please promise me.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s not an unreasonable request¡­¡±


    ¡°You promise, then.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ I will.¡±


    ¡®I think it¡¯ll be okay.¡¯


    She said she would do it voluntarily, so I thought she would probably follow what I say. After all, Cho Hyejin was a strict human being to herself.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go out.¡±


    ¡°Where are we going?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, where? We¡¯re going to our Hyunsung¡¯s office. You said you have work left.¡±


    ¡°Am I going out in this state?¡±


    ¡°Did you want to go wearing that armor? That¡¯s a casual outfit anyway. You can walk aroundfortably within the guild. Aren¡¯t you tired of wearing armor every time? Anyway, let¡¯s move as quickly as we can.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ O-Okay.¡±


    Her face looked ridiculously reluctant.


    The way she moved hesitantly, as if asking if she really had to go out, was enough to make me feel angry.


    However, I could roughly understand how she was feeling. In the past few years, Cho Hyejin had never taken off her armor.


    It was obvious outside the guildhall, but it was the same inside it. Of course, there were a few exceptions, but even that event would only happen once every few months.


    Considering that her mission was to be an escort, it was understandable, but no one had ever ordered Cho Hyejin to wear armor all day long.


    I didn¡¯t know why she had stuck to that style, but it must be because the heavy armor feltfortable. That made my request to suddenly go around the guild with full makeup and outfit on a high request.


    ¡®This one¡¯s also¡­¡¯


    ¡°Be confident. You looked in the mirror, didn¡¯t you? Why is someone who stabs monsters without even blinking so scared?¡±


    ¡°I am not scared. It¡¯s just something feels awkward¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re getting too awkward. Stop hesitating and open the door quickly. You look more nervous than when entering a dungeon.¡±


    ¡°I got it, so you can stop rushing me. Whew.¡±


    ¡°Gosh, just go out quickly.¡±


    ¡°I-I said I got it.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Get out!¡±


    ¡°I-I got it!¡±


    She kept stopping. I didn¡¯t want to keep talking, but I had to add unnecessaryments in the end¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Ha. We said that you really look pretty.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Anyone can see you look attractive. To be honest, I think you¡¯re so beautiful that it hurts my pride to say it. There¡¯s no need to worry. Think of it as going hunting as usual. Or you can think of something like doing your job. It would be much easier if you think of doing something like spying. You don¡¯t have to be ufortable, so let¡¯s get going.¡±


    ¡°O¡­ kay.¡±


    When I pushed Cho Hyejin¡¯s back, I could see that she had been pushed out, not like her.


    There was an embarrassment on her face, but she seemed to have decided to go through the closed door.


    With her ready, I also naturally had to prepare.


    I smiled and went straight to one side of the room and set up the control room, creating a rather usible shape.


    There were five magic hologram monitors all in all. Although it seemed to be a little exaggerated, it was rather insufficient as it was a task where I had to catch even the little emotions immediately.


    At that time, close coverage was desperately needed.


    Lee Jihye, who had worked the hardest that day, also cautiously helped set up the room. She didn¡¯t look bad for someone that had just been dragged into pennilessbor and suffering.


    Rather, she looked she liked the work.


    ¡°Thank you, Jihye.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. It¡¯s all necessary. The more I think about it, the more I can see how sly you are.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to pretend. I think I know what you¡¯re thinking.¡±


    ¡®What am I thinking¡­?¡¯


    I usually could tell what Lee Jihye thought, but I didn¡¯t know what she was thinking that time.


    As I looked at her as if asking what she was talking about, Lee Jihye began to exin while tidying up the table.


    ¡°You are trying to put one of your people on Hyungsung¡¯s side, right? It¡¯s definitely time to think about it.¡±


    ¡®What is she talking about now?¡¯


    ¡°If I look at how you think of him, it doesn¡¯t seem like there will be a big problem, but there¡¯s nothing bad about getting some insurance like this. I think it¡¯s going to be fun because it¡¯s like making a queen. Honestly, I couldn¡¯t even think of this, but you¡¯re much more detailed than I thought. You should be. That¡¯s why you¡¯re my Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡®What is she talking about?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know if it was because I found it stupid, but unfortunately, I had never thought about it in that way.


    Contrary to Lee Jihye¡¯s thoughts, my purpose was to catch him. However, as she had said, I also thought that I could aim for such an additional effect.


    That was even more the case when I looked at the future a little further.


    I¡¯d stick with Kim Hyunsung forever no matter what happened, but assuming that the power we had continued to grow, there would be manyplications.


    There might be new factions that didn¡¯t exist presently, and there might be times when political battles would have to be fought even within the Blue.


    Of course, it was pretty hard to establish the premise that some people would fall for me, who already had overwhelming power, but the picture of putting Cho Hyejin in didn¡¯t look bad since I didn¡¯t know what could happen afterward.


    If I had to make an example, I was in the position of a great leader putting the king¡¯s wife in the imperial pce.


    She said it was ufortable, but considering that there was a strange bond between Cho Hyejin and me, it could be considered a possible story.


    ¡®It¡¯s not bad.¡¯


    Of course, it was a project that would only take effect far into the future, but it was still worth the investment.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not necessarily because of that¡­ but alright, think as you please. Please clear that side too. I think it would be better to put another hologram.¡±


    ¡°Well, sure, you aren¡¯t. Is it okay for me to do this too?¡±


    ¡°I called you because I thought it would befortable in the first ce. Are you done with your job?¡±


    ¡°Yes. There is a little left, but not enough to worry about. After roughly setting up, sit down quickly. I¡¯m going crazy with curiosity. In fact, personally, I feel a little negative about this, but¡­ I¡¯m also curious about what¡¯s going to happen. Honestly, I thought Hyunsung was a eunuch. Or I thought about the possibility of being homo or something. He didn¡¯t react to our Yeon-joo, even when I include the tutorial dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s embarrassing to say this with my mouth, but I¡¯m not that bad, right? Honestly, it really hurt my pride when I saw that he didn¡¯t even nce at me.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you know how surprised I was to hear that he had dinner with you? He¡¯s improved a lot now, but honestly, he¡¯s not someone who eats with strangers.¡±


    ¡°I was also surprised. Oh, connect with magic power over there.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Hmm. At this point, I think we can watch efficiently with this much¡­ Do you need anything else?¡±


    ¡°No, not really.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll start.¡±


    ¡°Yes, please.¡±


    As soon as Lee Jihye got ready, the magic holograms, which had been turned on, began to ry the situation one by one from different angles.


    One showed the front view of Cho Hyejin.


    Another had a close perspective of her face.


    There was even a hologram showing her entire body.


    That was because I thought that gestures were important enough.


    There were alsomunication methods that one could do with their body. Of course, I didn¡¯t mean that sexually.


    The first thing I could see was Cho Hyejin¡¯s nervous face.


    She had the face of an outsider in the middle of the night club. She looked like a misfit who was buried among the celebrities. I was impressed with the awkward and dull-looking movements that were different from her usual proud steps.


    ¡®What is that?¡¯


    I thought I had to go straight to correction. I spoke to her, causing her to get startled.


    ¡°Microphone test. Ah. What, did youmit a crime? Don¡¯t flinch. Walk confidently. Boldly. But don¡¯t walk too hard. Walk a little cautiously. Straighten your waist and straighten your chest. You got all dressed up, so let¡¯s show it off. Oh, can you hear me? If you do, stroke your lips once.¡±


    She promptly did as instructed.


    ¡°Good job. Your posture looks good now. Don¡¯t go anywhere but straight in. Remember, you¡¯re going to work. Don¡¯t be nervous. Just go about it the way you usually do. We can¡¯t expect perfection from the get-go. Sometimes it can happen, but let¡¯s think that it won¡¯t.¡±


    -I¡¯m not hoping for that. To thest¡­


    ¡°What did I say? Also, avoid talking to the air if you can. Now, don¡¯t worry about anything. Just open the door. Open it calmly and close it the same way.¡±


    Cho Hyejin, who slightly blushed, took a deep breath, grabbed the door, and opened it. She was very cautious, but I thought it was natural for her to be like that.


    That was because she was going into the office where Kim Hyunsung was.


    Naturally, Kim Hyunsung was now reflected on the magical hologram, although I thought that he would be working hard, it was different from what I expected.


    ¡®Moron, why are you looking at the shoes?¡¯

 Chapter 462: Cho Hyejin’s Instruction Manual (7)

    <h4>Chapter 462: Cho Hyejin¡¯s Instruction Manual (7)</h4>


    ¡®This isn¡¯t Cindere¡­¡¯


    I already knew that Kim Hyunsung was looking for Bitch-ere.


    No one told me about this, but it was already obvious, just by looking at his schedule.


    In addition to training and work, other things had suddenly appeared, so it was natural for me to notice. However, that wouldn¡¯t be happening anymore.


    After receiving information that Bitch-ere had been living nomadically after leaving for the far-away United Kingdom, he no longer went out much. He had begun to ept the simple breakup.


    Of course, I was delighted to hear that theplex incident surrounding me had now blurred.


    Cho Hyejin was preparing for the final blow. I didn¡¯t even know that he was still obsessed with those shoes.


    ¡®He¡¯s such a single-minded man.¡¯


    I wasn¡¯t sure about this, but I had a guess as to why he was so obsessed with this situation.


    It felt right to judge that his behavior was simply the result of his regret due to his mistake, rather than the result of his affection.


    It was clear that he had broken a good rtionship with a momentary mistake, and he felt the need to apologize and take responsibility for it. I didn¡¯t know if it was because of the unique characteristic that the returner had, but it was undeniable that he tended to correct his mistakes somehow.


    ¡®He shouldn¡¯t be under stress in strict conditions¡­¡¯


    At that time, I was already concerned about his mental health. I naturally didn¡¯t want to stress him with other problems during such an important period.


    Putting in Cho Hyejin in this situation was quite good timing, but he was so lost in thoughts that he didn¡¯t even notice that Hyejin¡¯s presence.


    ¡®Fuck.¡¯


    At that point, Cho Hyejin had be a little embarrassed. She had done so much for this, and yet he didn¡¯t even take any curiosity in her.


    ¡®She¡¯s going to get hurt.¡¯


    She was aware that she had changed her appearance, but she still felt small due to an unknown burden. She didn¡¯t say it directly, but when she opened the door, it was clear that she had expectations on how Kim Hyunsung would react.


    Even though she dressed like a man, she was still a woman.


    Not only were all the delusions in her mind quickly blown away, but I couldn¡¯t rule out the possibility that she had gained an even bigger wound in her already low self-esteem.


    ¡°This is not a good start.¡±


    I had to agree with Lee Jihye¡¯s words. However, we couldn¡¯t just give up here.


    ¡°Hyejin. Clear your throat lightly and start by greeting him as usual.¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°Hyejin, can you hear me?¡±


    -¡­


    ¡®Fuck! Damn avatar malfunction!¡¯


    I thought it was bound to happen, but I never thought it would have a malfunction right from the very first order.


    ¡®Sh*t!¡¯


    This was the worst thing to ever happen.


    However, seeing Cho Hyejin gradually losing her confidence made me feel quite uneasy.


    ¡°He looks like that because he¡¯s thinking about something else. He hasn¡¯t even seen your face yet, so get back to your senses, and let¡¯s try again. Try clearing your throat. He will react immediately. I said, try clearing your throat. Are you just going to stand still? At least greet him. Please.¡±


    -G-Guild Master.


    -¡­


    The first attempt had resulted in failure.


    -Guild Master?


    -Oh, Hyejin?


    Fortunately, the second try was a sess.


    As if he was surprised, he hurriedly shoved the shoes into the drawer.


    It was a very natural motion.


    At this, Kim Hyunsung began to look at the documents on his desks. I wasn¡¯t sure if he was embarrassed, but he didn¡¯t mention Cho Hyejin¡¯s appearance, which was not what I had been expecting.


    His lieutenant, who always wore armor, suddenly wore casual clothes and appeared with full makeup and outfit.


    If you were a normal person, the normal thing would be to say something about the person¡¯s change.


    Saying that ¡®you look pretty¡¯ or ¡®you look beautiful¡¯ might be too much, but one had to at least say ¡®you are dressed a little differently from usual¡¯ to be rewarded for this effort.


    Since he looked and acted like nothing was out of the ordinary, Jihye felt dumbfounded too. For some reason, she looked like she had been wronged.


    Of course, Cho Hyejin had the same expression.


    ¡°First, sit down.¡±


    -First, sit down.


    -I already am¡­


    ¡®What the¡­¡±


    ¡°You weren¡¯t supposed to say that. Fuck. I¡¯m telling you to sit down, Hyejin.¡±


    -Oh¡­ Oh! Okay.


    -Yes?


    ¡°Stop talking, you stupid woman. Are you nning to screw me up?¡±


    -It¡¯s¡­ nothing, Guild Master.


    -You¡­


    -Yes?


    -You certainly¡­


    -Yes.


    ¡®Did he notice?¡¯


    -Seem to be not feeling well. I was worried that you didn¡¯te to the afternoon training¡­ are you okay? Maybe you have a little fever¡­ I think it would be better to go back and rest today. I can deal with the work on my own.


    Certainly, Kim Hyunsung¡¯s way of speaking and his tone truly showed that he cared about Cho Hyejin.


    Even I would also think like Kim Hyunsung. The woman, who was usually on the ball, wasn¡¯t just talking to herself but was also showingpletely different behavior.


    It wouldn¡¯t be illogical to think that something was wrong with her, or that she had gotten sick.


    Cho Hyejin looked bewildered for being kicked out unexpectedly. I bit my lips tightly when I saw her looking straight at the camera as if asking what to do.


    ¡°Tell him that it¡¯s nothing. And don¡¯t make such a heavy expression. For now, sit down and act as usual. Don¡¯t do anything else. I won¡¯t give you a mission. Think of it as literally just working.¡±


    -¡­


    Fortunately, my message was delivered exactly that time.


    -No. Indeed, I¡¯m not feeling well, but it¡¯s not enough to stop me from doing basic work.


    -But-


    -I¡¯m really okay. Rather, I apologize. To suddenly¡­


    -No. It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s not that I can do anything about it if you¡¯re not feeling well¡­ and you also need a break. Are you going out somewhere?


    ¡®Now.¡¯


    ¡°Say that you are.¡±


    -Yes.


    -Your outfit looks a bit different from what you usually wear¡­ I¡¯m sorry if I¡¯m meddling impertinently.


    -N-No. You¡¯re not.


    -You look good. I was surprised by the unexpected change.


    -Thank you.


    ¡®Right. That¡¯s right. If you really hadn¡¯t mentioned anything, I would have been disappointed, Hyunsung.¡¯


    Lee Jihye also looked as if she had been relieved of a heavy burden. Cho Hyejin¡¯s reaction was as obvious as seeing fire. She was blushing with her head bent slightly, looking really happy.


    Anyone would¡¯ve thought that she had just gotten engaged to Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡°Don¡¯t show any joyful reaction to that kind of thing. His reaction is frankly obvious.¡±


    Kim Hyunsung wasn¡¯t stupid. If he hadn¡¯t really mentioned anything, I would have thought he was no different than a psychopath when it came to love.


    Even though I told her not to react, her face had already brightened up.


    I thought about warning her again, but I thought it wasn¡¯t all that bad.


    That was because a smiling face was a hundred times better than an expressionless face.


    It seemed that smiling like that changed not only her appearance, but also the atmosphere.


    I had to clench my fists when I saw her sitting in her own seat and starting to work as she regained her confidence.


    ¡®This is favorable.¡¯


    What was happening at that moment wasn¡¯t bad.


    Of course, she hadn¡¯t really achieved anything. However, except for the worst first meeting, the start was good.


    I had also seeded in raising Cho Hyejin¡¯s self-esteem and incorporating her changed image into Kim Hyunsung.


    I didn¡¯t know what he was thinking, but it was undeniable that a positive evaluation came out.


    Just looking at Cho Hyejin¡¯s reaction, I could see that he didn¡¯t usually give her such ament. It was still too early to celebrate, but a good start was half the battle.


    Cho Hyejin and Kim Hyunsung were focused on their work. The only sounds I could hear were pen scribbling on papers. They didn¡¯t talk at all.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be conscious of him and act normal, Hyejin. I¡¯m doing this to see his reaction. I¡¯m trying to figure out a little bit about whether he¡¯ll have other actions towards your changed appearance and what Hyunsung is thinking. It may be hard, but treat him like he¡¯s not even there.¡±


    However, nothing changed.


    ¡°Talk to him, and chat as usual. You don¡¯t have to be shy now.¡±


    -This is what I usually do.


    She didn¡¯t say that. However, I could see what she wrote between the papers she was organizing.


    ¡°Are you saying you don¡¯t talk to each other during office hours?¡±


    -It¡¯s more efficient this way.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    This was worse than I thought.


    As if Cho Hyejin wasn¡¯t lying, the way they continued to focus on work was quite annoying.


    Sometimes, however, they did exchange words.


    ¡®Would you like coffee?¡¯


    ¡°Please pass me some documents.¡±


    There weren¡¯t any actual conversations. I had expected Cho Hyejin hadn¡¯t aplished much alone, but the situation was more serious than expected.


    I wondered if I was giving an unreasonable order to a child who couldn¡¯t even walk yet.


    If the situation persisted, I wouldn¡¯t get to see a reaction.


    ¡®She can¡¯t even say ¡®you work very hard.¡±


    I was starting to get nervous, for I could only hear the sound of papers flipping.


    In the meantime, that stupid woman was making a happy face as if the current situation alone was good enough.


    I couldn¡¯t help but feel an unknown sense of crisis. It was a situation where I had no choice but to look in a different direction. I gave her another order, and Cho Hyejin reacted immediately.


    ¡®She needs to be more active.¡¯


    ¡°Remember you just told Hyunsung that you had an appointment? If you do, nod briefly.¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°Go out for a while and thene back in 10 minutester. If you look in your pocket, there will be two tickets to the theater. Say it¡¯s a y that you were supposed to go to with a friend from ck Swan, but something suddenly happened to ck Swan, and she canceled. Suggest going together since there are two tickets, but you have nobody to go with. You can¡¯t reject this. You must say it as instructed no matter what.¡±


    -How can I say that?


    ¡°It¡¯s not like you¡¯re asking to go out on a date. Don¡¯t mistake it for something like that. You haven¡¯t reached that far. It¡¯s just that the appointment has been canceled, so you need someone to go with you instead. Don¡¯t feel overwhelmed and speak as naturally as possible. It would be nice if you can act like you¡¯re a bit embarrassed.¡±


    -Okay.


    It was now time to use the arrangements I prepared faster than expected.


    I was worried about Cho Hyejin¡¯s poor acting skills, but this should be easy to deliver. It was a scene where she would only say the truth without the need for emotions, after all.


    However, it seemed that my worries were unnecessary.


    I wanted to even apud her for being more natural than expected.


    Rather, the problem urred on the other side.


    -So¡­ There is one seat left, but w-would you like to watch it together?


    -You mean the y?


    -Yes, Guild Master. It¡¯s a y that¡¯s been poprtely. The title is Sleeping Forest Alchemist¡­ I heard that it¡¯s popr. There¡¯s a theaterpanying from the Crack Theater.


    -Oh¡­ that y.


    -Do you know which one I¡¯m talking about?


    Right. Come on.


    -Yes. I have heard of it. I think Kiyoung said it would be fun before, but I still have a bit of work left¡­ if you¡¯re okay, how about going with Kiyoung?


    ¡®This, this, this¡­ Thank you for thinking of me more than anyone else!¡¯


    My mixed feelings had now shed together.

 Chapter 463: Cho Hyejin’s Instruction Manual (8)

    <h4>Chapter 463: Cho Hyejin¡¯s Instruction Manual (8)</h4>


    It was something I had once mentioned when I once had a moment together with him. I personally couldn¡¯t even remember when it was during a casual meal or a work-rted dinner.


    I had said it simply to find a topic for the conversation, so I didn¡¯t care for it much.


    Who would remember everything someone said because they wanted to find a topic?


    People normally listened and then forgot about it.


    ¡®Oh, it seems that the y is popr these days. When I have time, I should go watch it.¡¯


    That was all I said.


    Of course, I wasn¡¯t interested in that y, and I didn¡¯t intend to watch it. I hadn¡¯t even thought of reaching the cultural industry yet.


    In fact, I would¡¯ve forgotten all about it if Kim Hyunsung hadn¡¯t mentioned it.


    ¡®I mean¡­ I¡¯m grateful, but¡­ This is not cool, Hyunsung.¡¯


    It wouldn¡¯t be unreasonable to be disconcerted.


    It was an unexpected moment from my perspective since I was supposed to tie up Cho Hyejin and Kim Hyunsung somehow. I had now confirmed how Kim Hyunsung thought about me, but it didn¡¯t change the fact that he had rejected Cho Hyejin¡¯s invitation.


    What he just said sounded like he wasn¡¯t interested in Cho Hyejin, so it had be undeniable that there was a small problem with the mission.


    ¡®He really doesn¡¯t have any thoughts about her.¡¯


    Just a few minutes ago, I thought he might have a little interest in her. No, even if he wasn¡¯t interested, I hoped he would be aware of her as a woman at least.


    Although the awakened Cho Hyejin, who earned five stars, was very beautiful, the non-awakened Cho Hyejin was also a woman with her own charm. Above all else, she had been showing interest in Kim Hyunsung.


    No man could cold-heartedly reject a woman that liked him. She was a beauty, after all.


    Even her ability was no joke.


    She didn¡¯t express her feelings, but even from the perspective of someone who didn¡¯t know much about dating, there were some suspicious circumstances.


    It was like he was wary of women getting closer to him.


    Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t know that, either.


    He wasn¡¯t aware that Cho Hyejin was conscious of him or that the invitation was her way of implicitly asking him out. I didn¡¯t know what I could say about the mean bastard.


    -¡­


    Cho Hyejin stiffened in response to the unexpected answer.


    However, I shouldn¡¯t remain stunned.


    ¡°It would be better to say that I have already watched it with Hayan. Say that I rmended the y. And also that I got you the tickets. Action.¡±


    -The Vice Guild Master has already watched it with Hayan¡­ and also, he directly got me the tickets.


    ¡°Since there¡¯s very little work left. Say that you can just finish it quickly and go. That sometimes a break is needed.¡±


    - We don¡¯t have much work left, so why don¡¯t we finish it quickly and go? It seems that the Guild Master is overdoing it these days¡­ no one would condemn you if it¡¯s notpletely finished. It seems that you have been living only for work and training for a long time.


    She was doing better than I had previously thought.


    I didn¡¯t know if the hurdle would be a little high, but I thought I could give her one more order.


    ¡°Say that since you¡¯re already going that you would like to go with the Guild Master.¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°Quickly.¡±


    -And since I¡¯m already going to watch it, I want to go with the Guild Master.


    -¡­


    -¡­


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    There was a brief silence.


    I had no choice but to take a simple fist-clenching ceremony at Kim Hyunsung¡¯s voice.


    -If you say it like that¡­ Can you tell me what time the ticket begins?


    -8:30.


    -I should get ready right now. Could you wait a minute?


    -Yes. O-Of course, Guild Master.


    ¡®Let¡¯s go!¡¯


    The first gateway had now been broken.


    Cho Hyejin¡¯s face, which depicted that she was as happy as I was, was reflected in the hologram.


    It was a small step, but it was also essential.


    For Cho Hyejin, it could be said that it was no different from the leap of humanity.


    It was still too early to celebrate, but it was definitely an achievement. It didn¡¯t feel like they were going on a date, but that no longer mattered. It seemed the same to me, anyway.


    Once the wall had been pierced, he would be less vignt next time.


    ¡°Whoa, I¡¯m proud that you¡¯re doing better than I thought. Keep going just like that.¡±


    I saw Cho Hyejin subtly nodding through the hologram.


    ¡°Perhaps Hyunsung is also a bit bewildered because you¡¯re showing a much more different side than usual. Both your look and what you¡¯re saying¡­ Although he is expressionless, he must have been surprised too.¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°Ahem. It seems like the top priority is to make him look at you as a woman. I¡¯m not criticizing you, but I don¡¯t think Hyunsung sees you as a member of the opposite sex. It seems that he thinks of you as his deputy, a knight, or a co-worker first before he thinks of you as a woman. You can keep the rejection that just happened out of your heart. You weren¡¯t asking to go on a date or anything, anyway.¡±


    -Okay.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a mission to give besides watching the y¡­ Solving the problem I mentioned earlier seems to be the top priority. You need to be recognized as a woman, so then you can do things like kissing or holding hands.


    -¡­


    ¡°Let¡¯s think that there¡¯s a switch. I think we can start by distinguishing between today¡¯s Hyejin and the usual Hyejin. In fact, I think it¡¯s good enough to keep going at this pace.¡±


    -Hmm¡­


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be on the lookout or bring weapons as you usually do. Walk right next to him in that outfit. Let¡¯s not start with the big things, but rather with the small ones one by one. There is no need to worry about being his escort. We are guarding the perimeter. There will be no other risk factors.¡±


    -¡­


    She seemed to be wondering if she could really ignore her job as his escort, but before long, she slightly nodded.


    She must be anxious, but it seemed that I gained her trust with my loud boastfulness.


    While we were talking, Kim Hyunsung had gotten himself ready. He had changed into a fairlyfortable outfit.


    I was worried that he might havee equipped with basic armament, but it urred to me that he wasn¡¯t that senseless. He seemed to think that he should wear clothes that fit the ce.


    -Let¡¯s go.


    -Yes, Guild Master.


    ¡®Ah, you look so fresh. Whew.¡¯


    Before long, the two were slowly strolling side by side.


    ¡®It¡¯s not bad.¡¯


    Based on their appearance alone, it wasn¡¯t too much to say that they looked like a couple.


    Cho Hyejin was doing her mission better than I thought.


    I was worried that she would walk on the street, ring in all directions as usual.


    After all, I had never seen Cho Hyejin let down her guard when she was with Kim Hyunsung.


    Kim Hyunsung wasn¡¯t someone who needed an escort in the first ce. He also said that she didn¡¯t have to do it, but by saying she was ready to respond to any idents, she dismissed his remarks.


    She was intently focused on Kim Hyunsung, excluding the dangers around him.


    Not only were they walking at the same pace, but they also talked about various things. To exaggerate this situation a little, it was like I didn¡¯t even need to coach her.


    It was a shame they kept talking about work, but I thought that would be their style.


    However, I intervened appropriately and cut off only when they were going too far, and when the conversation ended, I immediately proposed a new topic.


    Of course, it was all things about Kim Hyunsung liked.


    ¡®First, about equipment.¡¯


    ¡°Come to think of it. I heard that an interesting item came out in the Crack Museum. You just need to say that much, Hyejin.¡±


    -Guild Master,e to think of it, I heard that an interesting item came out in the Crack Museum.


    -Oh, I heard about it too. It¡¯s said that a party that¡¯s rising in the Republic these days got it¡­ Interestingly enough, they said that was the second time. I think it was Pak Sergei. The first was a ne, and the next is a sword¡­ I heard that they¡¯re using the ne and put the sword on auction, but I¡¯m not sure what function it has because it isn¡¯t clearly posted, but maybe¡­


    -I heard that it would be sold at a high price. It might even get the highest price in the auction house.


    -They did say something about the auction house¡¯s highest price recorded being renewed recently.


    -Is it due to that weapon?


    -No. I heard it¡¯s a limited edition book. I¡¯m not really sure what it is because I¡¯m not very interested. Rather, about that sword¡­


    As expected, they both felt excited about this topic.


    ¡®Our Hyunsung really goes nuts when ites to equipment.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t use another sword just because he¡¯s already holding a mythic-grade sword at the moment.


    It seemed like he thought that it was ridiculous that he had a mythic-grade sword all for himself.


    He thought that perhaps, when the peaceful times came, he would collect all the swords he wanted.


    I didn¡¯t know if this was because the world actually felt more familiar than Earth, but he indeed cherished his equipment like it was a lover.


    ¡®The second is¡­ about cars.¡¯


    I meant the running cars.


    By the continent¡¯s standards, it should be called griffons, not cars, but that was also one of the things Kim Hyunsung was interested in.


    I felt it when I first presented him with a nice ck griffon. He was surprisingly interested in that field.


    Of course, he didn¡¯t show it off that much. He regrly changed the saddle, washed the car, no, bathed it himself. He would just arrange the feathers sometimes, but considering Kim Hyunsung¡¯s daily life, that was also unusual enough.


    Recently, my griffon White Paul and his griffon had been paired with each other. White Paul was even hatching an egg.


    I could still visualize how Kim Hyunsung reacted. He was subtly delighted when he found out about that fact. His reaction was one that was filled with emotions by my standards.


    Even though normal mating was almost impossible due to the nature of griffons, somehow, they seeded.


    It was like a miracle, so it was worthwhile for him to be happy about it, but the face that I saw on that day was definitely from someone crazy about it.


    He was crazy enough that he even liked to dig up information about it. I found it useful to talk about griffons when looking for a conversation topic.


    Actually, there weren¡¯t many things he liked, but those were the few materials that amused him. Cho Hyejin probably knew about this, too.


    When talking about something he was interested in, he would get a little talkative.


    -When I was in Lindel before, so, before you came.


    Sometimes he went back in time like that.


    ¡®She must be really grateful.¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s keywords were a secret that I didn¡¯t tell anyone.


    Since then, we had made some substantial progress. I couldn¡¯t see it as a moment with sexual tension, but the conversation remained uninterrupted.


    Lee Jihye, who chattered next to me, coached her with the reaction lecture, so it felt like it covered Cho Hyejin¡¯s awkward expression.


    I didn¡¯t know exactly how Kim Hyunsung felt, but at least he might be thinking something along the lines of, ¡®I didn¡¯t know Cho Hyejin also had this side.¡¯


    He probably wouldn¡¯t have seen it in the first round. There wouldn¡¯t have been time for such an event back then in the first ce.


    At the moment, I thought that was enough to call it a sess.


    The atmosphere was good even when they watched the strange art y that I couldn¡¯t remember what it was about, and when I seeded in dragging them to a wine bar with desperate persuasion, I felt delighted.


    The subject of conversation was, of course, the y they watched.


    The more memories the two shared, the easier the conversation had be.


    It was a in and simple conversation that no one got excited about, but the situation wasn¡¯t bad overall. When they had gotten around to drinking, I felt even more expectant.


    ¡®Oppa, I think I¡¯m a little drunk.¡¯


    Of course, I wasn¡¯t hoping for such immediate results.


    I only wanted to instill the image that Cho Hyejin might be a woman who should be protected.


    Everything seemed to go as expected. But at that point, the unexpected reaction forced me to swallow hard.


    When Cho Hyejin¡¯s face turned red, Kim Hyunsung immediately contacted the guild.


    -I¡¯ll bring in some female staff. You seem to be a little drunk.


    Despite his excuse, his expression looked tough.


    ¡®Fuck¡­ Don¡¯t be like that, you bastard. That¡¯s not what you should do.¡¯


    At this moment, I realized that Lee Kiyeon really had hit him harder than I had expected.

 Chapter 464: Cho Hyejin’s Instruction Manual (9)

    <h4>Chapter 464: Cho Hyejin¡¯s Instruction Manual (9)</h4>


    It turns out our first attempt had ended miserably.


    Cho Hyejin said she was okay, that she could walk alone, and refused to contact the guild, but she couldn¡¯t stop the firm-minded Kim Hyunsung.


    Shortly after some time passed, the guild¡¯s guards arrived andfortably took Cho Hyejin back, who had been drunk.


    In the meantime, Kim Hyunsung was walking a few steps away from Cho Hyejin, and he seemed to be worried about any unintended physical contact.


    I was sure it was the aftereffect of being backstabbed by the unidentified bitch.


    ¡®What kind of bitch is¡­¡¯


    One of the most powerful means I had was gone.


    Subtle physical contact helped bring rtionships closer between a man and a woman.


    Of course, there was a high possibility that physical contact without consent would drive him to be a simple molester. Still, Kim Hyunsung and Cho Hyejin didn¡¯t feel psychological disgust toward each other that much.


    ¡®They¡¯re not even strangers to each other.¡¯


    The smallest events, such as a slight rubbing of the shoulders while walking together and the back of the hands brushing against each other added unexpectedly tight sexual tension. It didn¡¯t even need to be something as clich¨¦ as holding hands in the movies.


    I meant that there should be some spark between men and women. In fact, at that age, we often made mistakes after drinking together, and we became a little closer because we were in the mood of ¡®first, a mistake and then, a couple.¡¯ After kissing, the rtionship often developed quickly.


    It wasn¡¯t a big deal, but small physical contact events, which allowed people to recognize each other as members of the opposite sexes, was one of the scenes that I thought was necessary to attack Kim Hyunsung.


    However, that possibility waspletely blocked.


    ¡®My arsenal has been reduced.¡¯


    Whenever they came close to conducting physical contact, Kim Hyunsung would do his best to negate it.


    ¡®This is bad.¡¯


    It definitely was.


    Of course, it didn¡¯t mean that that kind of meeting didn¡¯t exist at all after that. Having made all sorts of excuses, we had seeded in bringing Kim Hyunsung to the field, and in fact, the two had a good time.


    At the moment, Kim Hyunsung wouldn¡¯t dare invade Cho Hyejin¡¯s personal space.


    Of course, he also refused to allow her to enter his personal space. Naturally, he pulled his body back, and he didn¡¯t evene close to her at all. He even went as far as to use his magic power in order to avoid such a situation.


    However, Cho Hyejin didn¡¯t seem to care much about the situation.


    She would¡¯ve had the motto in her head, ¡®physical contact only after getting in a rtionship,¡¯ so this was to be expected.


    Even if a miracle happened and the two worked out well, for some reason, she would still keep things like premarital purity.


    In fact, even in the event ofck of physical contact, all of that was an achievement that Cho Hyejin couldn¡¯t afford to ignore.


    It was unusual for her to spend time untilte at night after watching a y with him.


    They even had met regrly after that, so she would have wanted to scream. She even personally thanked me.


    However, it was never a situation I could look at pleasantly.


    ¡®Hyunsung, that¡­ I thought she could seduce him with just one finger¡­¡¯


    Obviously, that was the case with Bitch Kiyeon.


    If I exaggerated it a bit, I thought she could seduce him with her toes. However, Kim Hyunsung¡¯s walls appeared to have gone even higher than before.


    On the outside, it looked like it was going very well, but there was no substance.


    Lee Jihye tried to move the avatar herself, but the result was even worse.


    Unlike Cho Hyejin, who smiled nonstop, the atmosphere at the headquarters was gradually subduing.


    I felt sorry for Cho Hyejin. Although she felt happy, I could tell that she had no hope.


    I, of course, chose not to rush anything.


    The purpose of the event, after all, was for Kim Hyunsung to take a break in the first ce.


    Actually, he was having a pretty good break.


    ¡®The problem is that he is not interested in Cho Hyejin.¡¯


    The deterrence room created by Cho Hyejin drove Kim out of the training center and office and seeded in making him rx, although it¡¯s a bit awkward to say it was forced.


    They had gone to a cafe together to kill time, watched a y again, went to an auction house, and even went to a casino and lost the money they had umted.


    I was worried that all of those might feel stressful to him, but fortunately, his face became brighter and brighter because his nature was, after all, that of an extrovert.


    He didn¡¯t evenin about the shoes.


    There were times when I, not Cho Hyejin, went up to check the exact condition.


    Of course, whenever I was with Kim Hyunsung, I praised Cho Hyejin all day long and even said she was beautiful to prepare the ground for her.


    It seemed that there was still negative energy in his head, but I thought it would have some influence because he trusted me.


    I didn¡¯t know if it worked or not, but¡­


    I finally had a good time with him after such a long time. he was getting used to getting more and more rest.


    ¡®Right. Take a good rest. All you have to do is rest. Take a good rest, Hyunsung.¡¯


    It was bound to be busier in the future. There might no longer be a chance to supply oxygen to his worn-out mind.


    I even opened an artificial festival for him for the sake of the mission. I held the Continental Griffon Festival, and he went with Cho Hyejin.


    Kim Hyunsung seemed to want to go with me, also an owner of a griffon, but there was no time to waste with me.


    At the fairlyrge festival, griffon saddles, essories, and griffon-rted items were exhibited. There were also various types ofpetitions where the participantsughed and cried.


    I held an event for Kim Hyunsung with no budget, but luckily, there was a surplus of funds since the continent¡¯s response was better than expected.


    Of course, this had a greater impact on Kim Hyunsung.


    I didn¡¯t know if the griffonpetition was the catalyst, but Kim Hyunsung started to take a break voluntarily. The reins had considerably loosened.


    It still didn¡¯t meet my standards, but he had changed enough for me to feel at least slightly satisfied with it.


    Seeing that it was an opportunity, I had suggested that all the Blue members, including Cho Hyejin, should take a break. Whenever I had time together with him, I also talked about the importance of resting.


    I made more time to be together on purpose, and the frequency of sending Cho Hyejin increased more and more.


    Kim Hyunsung, who was very anxious at first, became more active in ying as time passed, and the more he realized that I was right. He was at ease and wasn¡¯t impatient at all.


    It was a great change. He had probably be more aware of how important it was to rest.


    This was a natural result.


    A good sword wasn¡¯t made by ignorant hammering. One needed to soak it in water and sometimes cooled it down first.


    Kim Hyunsung, who hadn¡¯t stopped working untiltely, needed that process more than anyone else. This was all just personal hardship, but it felt like he might¡¯ve eventually broken down if I hadn¡¯t taken the initiative to do this.


    The answer was to lower the tempo by one step rather than move with the candles burning at both ends.


    ¡®But why am I¡­¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®But why am I¡­ fuck¡­¡¯


    Strangely, I myself had gotten busier. Many things had to ways.


    I talked about the importance of rest, but it didn¡¯t mean that I could enjoy it with him.


    I was working while taking short breaks since that was a great bnce, but it was undeniable that we were drifting apart.


    Making a schedule for Kim Hyunsung alone was already a difficult task.


    Honestly, opening the Continental Griffon Festival was a tremendous job.


    Although I left the extra work to an outsourcingpany, it was still natural that I had to stay up all night because I had to deal with the heavy work.


    I would feel even more fatigued every time I woke up, seemingly telling me that my body was seriously damaged.


    Strangely, Jung Hayan seemed to be livelier.


    Thanks to that, I lived with a fatigue remedy for several days.


    In the meantime, I had to control an avatar named Cho Hyejin and prepare her for her future.


    It would be strange if I didn¡¯t get tired.


    As usual, I met with Pope Basel of the Holy See and our maid Alice - no, things with Senator Catherine.


    Whenever I had spare time, I met up with Jung Hayan and Cha Hee-rapetitively, and I had to take care of Elena, who had now started to adapt to the Blue.


    I had to spend time with our Tol To-ri, including Dialugia, and Max, the museum manager.


    In some ways, meeting people could be considered a break, but it never felt like one to me.


    ¡®Try ying with Tol To-ri and see if that feels like a break.¡¯


    Tol To-ri, who had been quiet recently, was showing a strange ambition by wagging her tail again, and maintaining a bnce between Jung Hayan and Cha Hee-ra was no easy feat.


    In addition, it was a little hard to listen to Dialugia¡¯s constant nagging.


    However, despite me being stretched thin, the continent itself was moving one step further.


    Although it seemed insufficient as an alternative to the weakened power, the Continental Total Joint Training was now taking effect, and a date had been set.


    The preparation for the new recruits was also perfect.


    More and more people were signing the entire continent, causing the number of troops avable to increase. Not all of the anxiety factors had been resolved, but it felt like the framework itself had been established.


    Of course, I had to hear what Kim Hyunsung thought of, as well as his evaluations of all those achievements.


    I felt so frustrated about this that I visited Yuno Kasugano, but I couldn¡¯t get anything relevant.


    I did witness many things, though. I mainly tormented her to the point that her face turned red to her.


    It was a tour of the ck world without any nutritional value.


    Come to think of it. I still gained something valuable. It was useless, sure, but it was still knowledge.


    I was able to get a closer look at Sun Hee-young and the brigade¡­


    I was feeling like all ships were cruising smoothly except for a few things. However, there was also a ship that was sinking.


    ¡®Our ship Cho Hyejin.¡¯


    Hyejin was in a slump.


    ¡°Vice Guild Master. Er¡­ I was thinking about taking this one step further.¡±


    That was such ridiculous bullsh*t.


    ¡®There aren¡¯t any losers who haven¡¯t cut ties with Cho Hyejin yet, right?¡¯


    ¡°I think it would be nice to confess.¡±

 Chapter 465: Cho Hyejin’s Instruction Manual (10)

    <h4>Chapter 465: Cho Hyejin¡¯s Instruction Manual (10)</h4>


    ¡®What¡¯s gotten into her?¡¯


    This was the first thought that had entered my mind.


    That was because I couldn¡¯t even imagine that Cho Hyejin would say something like that in the first ce.


    I did recently feel that she was bing a bit proactive, however. That seemed to be the case, considering how she used to be very passive in that regard.


    Of course, it didn¡¯t mean I wasn¡¯tpletely convinced.


    Although she was dressed like a man, she was still a woman in the end, and I knew she wasn¡¯t resistant to such emotions. One way or another, Kim Hyunsung was the person that stupid woman liked, and recently, she had even enjoyed constantly going out with him. Unfortunately, the man did not think of it as a date.


    At least it wasn¡¯t ording to my standards, but it must¡¯ve been a dreamy time for her.


    It wasn¡¯t surprising for her to wonder if she could move one more step further. Perhaps it was hard for her to hide her feelings.


    She liked him enough to make me certain that she would¡¯ve found it difficult to do that. That was how it usually was to like someone.


    I might not understand the cool people who were good at dating and living in happiness. However, there was at least a high possibility for someone like Cho Hyejin to be struggling internally.


    If she didn¡¯t say it, she¡¯d feel frustrated, and she¡¯d keep wanting to tell her feelings. If Hyejin were to lie down on her bed, she¡¯d have trouble sleeping because she¡¯d see Hyunsung¡¯s face, and she¡¯d even lose her appetite.


    She was the kind of human who thought that she would feel better if she told him her feelings outright to vent out her frustrations. However, that could result in her being ced in a dangerous situation.


    That was Cho Hyejin¡¯s personality in a nutshell.


    ¡®Confession isn¡¯t the problem. Reciprocation is, Hyejin.¡¯


    The rejection rate of those who confessed while struggling alone was over 70%.


    A confession was the process of confirming the feelings of the other person, who had mutually implicit consent. No, honestly¡­


    ¡®She¡¯s not even a teenager anymore¡­¡¯


    I didn¡¯t get tied up with Jung Hayan, Cha Heera, Elena, and Lee Jihye by saying, ¡®Do you want to go out with me? Today is day one!¡¯


    When one became older, those processes were usually skipped. It might be a little early for her to skip that, but that was how it should be done in Cho Hyejin¡¯s case.


    She simply had to meet him and naturally hold hands, kiss, and do everything else. That would result in them saying they liked each other, and in that way, their rtionship would be able to solidify naturally.


    The more uncertain the rtionship was, the more people should avoid doing that.


    I tried to say that it was a bad idea, but Cho Hyejin seemed to have no intention of backing down.


    ¡®Aren¡¯t they drifting away from each other?¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t illogical for that thought to starting to my mind.


    Although I had pushed Cho Hyejin into the battlefield while confidently saying that I could help, that confidence had slightly diminished.


    There was no hope for them.


    The truth was, Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t see Cho Hyejin as a woman. I didn¡¯t know what could happenter, but at least he didn¡¯t at that moment.


    I had no choice but to reject her idea. I didn¡¯t want her to get hurt.


    It wasn¡¯t intentional, but it seemed that I used an innocent person to let Kim Hyunsung take a break. That burdened my mind.


    ¡°W-Why did you suddenly think of that? Honestly, I think it¡¯s a little too early¡­¡±


    ¡°I just¡­ thought the time hase.¡±


    ¡®What do you mean the time hase? You¡¯re just frustrated.¡¯


    ¡°What do you mean? You haven¡¯t even started anything yet. It¡¯s a bit awkward to say this, but I think we should wait and observe a little longer. Things are a little crazy right now, and it¡¯s better to maintain your rtionship and stick to him rather than confessing out of the blue. If you two keep meeting, he¡¯ll soon get attached, and everything will work out.¡±


    ¡°Still¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait a bit longer. Don¡¯t do anything useless. In the first ce¡­¡±


    ¡°No. I think it¡¯s better if I tell him now. I think that will help the Guild Master and me. Whatever the oue¡­ I won¡¯t regret my action. I¡¯m telling you this not to ask for permission but to serve as notification. Thank you for your help so far, but from here on out, I want to do it myself.¡±


    ¡®What¡¯s wrong with you?¡¯


    It seemed that she could no longer wait to see the results. I was sure she knew that it would soon be so busy nobody would get a break.


    Either way, it might be that she just wanted to see the results so she could focus on her work¡­


    Honestly, I wasn¡¯t sure what on earth she was thinking.


    One thing was for certain. She had changed her mind.


    At first, she denied it, but she finally epted it naturally. It seemed like she realized that it was time to admit it, even though she kept suppressing herself.


    Cho Hyejin of the first round probably had been keeping her frustration inside. She wasn¡¯t in a situation where she could do something after all.


    Kim Hyunsung might¡¯ve had a girlfriend at the time, and she probably didn¡¯t have time to y around in an environment where survival was the top priority.


    It wasn¡¯t until she was on the verge of dying that she would¡¯ve realized what she was thinking.


    On the other hand, the current Cho Hyejin proved to be a little different.


    She had many thoughts in her mind since she wasn¡¯t meeting Kim Hyunsung as her boss, but as a member of the opposite sex.


    She might¡¯ve realized that he had no feelings for her, so she might have thought it would be better to end it quickly. At first, I judged that she was saying something ridiculous, but when I thought about it, that was indeed like Cho Hyejin.


    She was stupid, inflexible, and honest to the dot.


    Even though she knew it would be disadvantageous to her and would cause damage, her personality made her try to walk the thorny path.


    ¡®Trying to stop her would be useless¡­¡¯


    I eventually gave her my reply.


    ¡°Do whatever you want. However, it¡¯s a shame to lose progress when I already helped so much¡­ If you wait longer, it will be possible. No, now that I thought about it, I can¡¯t guarantee that the challenge will fail. If it goes well, I will congratte you.¡±


    ¡°Yes. If that happens, I wille to tell you.¡±


    ¡°Well, please do.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡®Right. There is no guarantee that she will fail.¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung had surprisingly soft parts.


    Looking at Cho Hyejin, who anyone could see as an attractive woman, I thought that rejecting her was crazy. Our new world epted both polygamy and monogamy in the first ce.


    ¡®Okay. Well, Hyejin, fighting!¡¯


    ¡°When are you going to do it?¡±


    ¡°Now.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m asking you just in case, is there any change in your mind?¡±


    ¡°A bit. It¡¯s a little bit hard to tell you in detail since it¡¯s embarrassing, and¡­ I haven¡¯t organized my thoughts yet¡­ Honestly, thanks to the Vice Guild Master, I have enjoyed it very much. However, I also felt that it was a little nasty¡­ Most of all, I think I have to tell him. I can¡¯t keep going like this.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±


    ¡°There will be joint training soon. I¡¯m sure it would be busy soon. I think this is the best way, but still, I am grateful for your help. Thank you.¡±


    ¡®Thank you for what? Don¡¯t say that. I¡¯m going to start feeling sorry. Hey.¡¯


    ¡°You have nothing to thank me for. I only did it tofort myself.¡±


    ¡°No. Of course, it wasn¡¯t intentional, but if it weren¡¯t for Kiyoung, I probably wouldn¡¯t have said it until I died.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s right. Fuck¡­ Still, it¡¯s too sudden, hey.¡¯


    ¡°Then¡­¡±


    ¡°You have my blessing, Hyejin.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    At this, Cho Hyejin left.


    I thought I shouldn¡¯t follow her, but it seemed like she was heading to the indoor garden behind the gym when I sneakily checked her.


    Perhaps that was the ce of the decisive battle.


    Based on her outward appearance, it felt like she had made a firm decision. She put on more makeup and dressed well.


    I didn¡¯t help, and Lee Jihye didn¡¯t help, either. It was applied by herself.


    ¡®She is indeed pretty.¡¯


    She sighed loudly in front of the indoor garden.


    As soon as she opened the door, I just turned off the magic hologram. Honestly, I felt my conscience bing heavier.


    For some reason, I wasn¡¯t used to looking at such a desperate confession. The main reason was that it felt rude.


    I thought I shouldn¡¯t see it.


    ¡®I wonder if she was sessful.¡¯


    Honestly, I thought the probability was low. I couldn¡¯t help but still wish that it went well since that was the best oue.


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s condition had improved, but if she¡¯s next to him, I could tell he¡¯d be even better, and more than anything else, they looked good together.


    They had simr personalities. I was starting to get all nervous.


    ¡®It has to work out¡­ ¡¯


    Otherwise, I¡¯d feel too sorry¡­


    It would seem like I had made someone who was living in peace excited for nothing.


    Of course, she was the one who made the final decision, ignoring my advice, but¡­ strictly speaking, it started with my mouth.


    ¡®You could just listen to me.¡¯


    She was definitely the opposite of me. She was someone who didn¡¯t move as I intended and sometimes made me ufortable. However, I didn¡¯t hate her for some reason.


    She didn¡¯t have anything to do with me, but didn¡¯t the ck world¡¯s masked trash say the same thing?


    ¡®Actually, I didn¡¯t dislike you.¡¯


    Honestly, it was funny to worry about her with my personality.


    It would be more proper to say that it wasn¡¯t just her whom I became attached to, but rather to all of the guys here.


    The more I waited, the more I became restless.


    I didn¡¯t even know how much time had passed. However, around that time, I roughly expected what the oue would have been, so I started to walk slowly.


    In an instant, I reached the indoor garden with a curse that didn¡¯t fit with Light Kiyoung.


    It¡¯s obvious, but when I opened the door, I saw Cho Hyejin.


    Kim Hyunsung wasn¡¯t there.


    Contrary to when she suddenly appeared, dering that she should confess, there were tears that didn¡¯t fit her eyes.


    ¡®Don¡¯t cry¡­ hey.¡¯


    To be precise, she wasn¡¯t crying yet.


    ¡°D-Don¡¯t cry. Please¡­¡±


    However, they did say that when people wereforted, they¡¯d want to cry even more.


    After I slowly opened my mouth, she really began to cry.


    As I approached her slowly and patted her on the shoulder, she surprisingly hugged me. She wasn¡¯t crying loudly, but a continuous sound came out through her tightly closed mouth.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t cry. Fuck¡­ I¡¯ll fix you with Hyunsung no matter what. Little strokes fell great oaks. Hey.¡¯


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    ¡®Hyunsung, you cold-hearted bastard¡­ you could¡¯ve epted her.¡¯


    I thought of that, but I had no choice but to respect it if that was his choice.


    It wasn¡¯t something that I could do anything about. I got embarrassed, so I kept patting Cho Hyejin¡¯s shoulder, and she only fell out of my arms after crying for a long time.


    It was about 3 minutester when I opened my mouth, embarrassed.


    ¡°Do you regret it?¡±


    ¡°No. Sniff¡­ It¡¯s a bitter-sweet feeling.¡±


    ¡°I told you to wait a bit longer.¡±


    ¡°I know what you¡¯re talking about, but I just wanted to tell him on my own. I thought that was the right thing to do. It¡¯s all over now.¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s not over yet. Just you wait, Hyejin.¡¯


    ¡°Anyway¡­ let¡¯s just go back. Thank you for yourfort.¡±


    ¡®I¡¯ll really fix you with him. Fuck¡­ I¡¯ll even risk my life¡­¡¯


    ¡°What do you think of drinking rum with me?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m down for it. I think I need a drink today.¡±


    It¡¯s a simple delusion, but I thought I knew why she suddenly took that stance.


    It was Cho Hyejin, who had been loosened up quite a while. She spent more time wearing pretty clothes than the armor, and her hand, which used to hold a spear, was carrying a small bag.


    Her hair that used to be in a ponytail was let down and wavy.


    As she walked, I saw her tying her hair.


    It wasn¡¯t a hairstyle that matched her current outfit, but it was still the hairstyle that perfectly went with Cho Hyejin.


    Perhaps she felt it was time to quit.


    She thought she¡¯d getzy or be different if she kept going like that, and although she enjoyed the short break, she had to go back to her position.


    It was obvious that she was trying to finish her break in her own way, and she wanted to do that through confession.


    As I looked at her, going back to her old self, I had no choice but to nod.


    For some reason, it felt like it also applied to me.


    ¡°It¡¯s over.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m just talking to myself.¡±


    The vacation was over.


    Everyone who could fight had now begun to gather.

 Chapter 466: Continental Joint Training (1)

    <h4>Chapter 466: Continental Joint Training (1)</h4>


    ¡°Then¡­ are all troops in the continent gathering?¡±


    ¡°It would be quite difficult to do that. It will only be therge ns and guilds. So, in terms of the State, it would be the three guilds of Lindel, the eight seats of the State, Yozora, led by Yuno Kasugano in Celia, and a guild run jointly by the Mist Summoner Cheon Gwan-wi and the long-range sniper Wi-Ran in Dawan. The Republic, the United Kingdom, and other small and medium-sized countries will also send in some of their own powerful people.¡±


    ¡°I think this is actually bigger than I thought.¡±


    ¡°Deokgu, it will be much bigger than you think.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    ¡°If therge guilds try to take everything for themselves, it can cause a bacsh. Even if they are not at the top level, we should also go with somerge-sized ns and guilds. We also have to pay attention to the armed groups handled by the province.¡±


    ¡°So, that¡¯s the reason we¡¯ve been so busytely.¡±


    In fact, although the other reasons also ounted for a significant portion, the total proportion of the joint continental training couldn¡¯t be considered small.


    It wasn¡¯t that easy to select people.


    Originally, it was a matter that had to be decided by the State members, including Oscar, but it was hard for someone with my influence, which maintained a close rtionship with the powerful people of the current State, not to be involved.


    All the list of medium-sized ns that the State could use and those with pro-Blue tendencies were selected. Although it made our conscience heavy to make others use their skills, I honestly thought that this situation was unavoidable.


    If people with simr abilities and simr size hade up as candidates, we would prefer the one that was easier to handle.


    That meeting, which took too much time to say that it was just a training session, was actually an opportunity to gain a great advantage just by participating in it.


    It was to dispel theint that only the ns friendly to the three guilds were selected. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that all of them were Lee Kiyoung¡¯s people except for one n with no connection.


    ¡®We should go about thisfortably.¡¯


    As I looked outward, I saw Cho Hyejin escorting a carriage while riding a unicorn.


    She was talking with Kim Hyunsung, who had been riding a griffon next to her.


    I was a bit relieved that they didn¡¯t look as awkward as I thought.


    I was worried that the bad end would have affected her mentality, but she already looked like she¡¯s back to her normal self.


    It wasn¡¯t only Cho Hyejin, after all. Kim Hyunsung also looked the same, but it seemed like they had an unspoken agreement to pretend that nothing happened.


    ¡®I like it because they don¡¯t hold a grudge.¡¯


    In fact, I liked it even more when I recalled that I had often seen the two go together after I saw Cho Hyejin in a slump.


    After all, the biggest achievement was that she had abandoned her blue armor after that incident.


    I was worried about seeing her return to the old days as if she had regressed after being dumped, but this didn¡¯t seem to be the case at all.


    ¡®It¡¯s all fine.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t the best result, but it wasn¡¯t the worst, either. I was able to gain achievements worth appreciating. I also made Kim Hyunsung take a break, which was my purpose in the first ce.


    After he got the enlightenment or something that came out in chivalrous novels, he seemed to be more focused on putting his mind to rest than before.


    Park Deokgu, who stood next to me, spoke as I nodded with a satisfactory face.


    ¡°Hyungnim, aren¡¯t Hyejin and our hyung-ssi acting strange these days?¡±


    ¡®You demon.¡¯


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say, but it feels like something big happened between them. I don¡¯t know why. It¡¯s just my guts. Just when the two were going out often¡­ my sense of smell didn¡¯t trigger, but the atmosphere has been strange since the day that you and Hyejin came in after drinking.¡±


    ¡®Fuck¡­ shouldn¡¯t I have given him this task in the first ce?¡¯


    It was enough to make me think it was possible to tie them up if I had instinctively left it to him.


    I didn¡¯t have a sense of trust in him because he muttered nonsense as if he was the love doctor in Gangwon-do, but I think he could do anything, seeing him smell well like this.


    Actually, he was the one who had fixed me with Jung Hayan in the first ce. I felt like I wanted to attach this guy to Cho Hyejin in that instant, but¡­


    ¡®It isn¡¯t the time to be doing this.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t want to mess up Kim Hyunsung and Cho Hyejin once more. Both of them were still trying to find stability.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think of anything useless and focus on training, Deokgu. I think you know better than anyone that you have improved a lot more than before, but it¡¯s still not enough.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t make that face.¡¯


    Even though I had only nced at him for a moment, he looked like a dog abandoned by its owner. In the end, there was no choice but to make him feel better.


    ¡°So. How is it going these days?¡±


    ¡°Ahem. Er¡­ well, I¡¯m always, ahem. Always working hard, but¡­¡±


    ¡°But?¡±


    ¡°I feel like I¡¯m stuck on a wall recently. Whatever I do, my ability doesn¡¯t seem to change very much¡­ I¡¯ve asked people for advice, but I don¡¯t feel like I¡¯ve been growing.¡±


    ¡°How is your knowledge of advanced magic power management? I think you can still afford to grow a little more there.¡±


    ¡°That one is really hard to practice¡­ Even when I ask Hyejin or Ye-ri, they only said iprehensible things, and it¡¯s a little bit hard to say this, but it seems that Ick the sense for dealing with magic. Still, I¡¯ve been working hard.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s obvious.¡¯


    Unlike Kim Hyunsung and Kim Ye-ri, he had already almost fully filled his growth.


    Even at that moment, he was good enough as a legendary-grade tank, but I thought it would be difficult to show more dramatic growth from thereon.


    Since his magic power level was low, there was a limit to handling the advanced magic power management knowledge. The limit of that ability was enough to say that it was the limit of an advanced adventurer.


    In Park Deokgu¡¯s case, I felt that it was better tobine items or other things than his own abilities.


    It was a little disappointing, but it wasn¡¯t all that bad.


    Since he had established himself as a legendary-grade tank, he deserved admiration. I didn¡¯t hope for a role like Kim Hyunsung or Kim Ye-ri from him.


    ¡°Recently, our hyung-ssi has changed a lot. So I asked how he could do that, but it was just things that I couldn¡¯t understand. It¡¯s really uncanny. We¡¯re in the same position where we swing swords, but our attitude toward the sword is different. In my case, there is no sense of understanding. But he was different.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°He has a strong feeling that he understands his own sword. It would best suit the example that he made the knowledge he gained when he changed sses or acquired an attribute his own.¡±


    ¡°I understand what you¡¯re saying.¡±


    It seemed to be the same difference between Jung Hayan and me.


    It was the difference between using magic as if using it as a skill and properly understanding and using it.


    ¡®This is the realm of talent.¡¯


    What did modern people know about swords or magic?


    Cases like Jung Hayan and Kim Hyunsung were unusual.


    However, I felt curious. What if Jung Hayan also had enlightenment?


    ¡°How about you, Hayan?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes?¡±


    I spoke to Jung Hayan, who stuck to me without hesitation.


    ¡°Did you ever feel like you jumped a stair?¡±


    ¡°Oh! Yes¡­ yes. O-Of course. It¡¯s definitely difficult to exin exactly what it feels like¡­ It felt like it was tickling in the bottom and then popping up to the top of the head. Poof! Poof! Puffer! My mind went nk, and my hands and toes trembled¡­ my pupils seemed to keep going up too¡­ and momentarily, no, for hours I felt like I became a fool¡­ since then, I have grasped the magic power and increased it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s interesting.¡±


    Perhaps that was something that I would never feel. Something like that couldn¡¯t possibly be attained in the realm ofmoners.


    ¡°And Elena¡­¡±


    ¡°In my case, it seems a little different from Hayan. It was only after meeting God that I felt like I had climbed a stair. After the thrilling feeling of being hit by lightning, I could immediately see the gods. It was a feeling that put a loving divine power directly within me.¡±


    ¡®Even though I actually met Benignore, I didn¡¯t have any enlightenment or whatever. No, I indeed received divine power¡­¡¯


    I was able to realize that the ss called Alchemist was called nobatant for a reason.


    An alchemist was a production worker in the first ce.


    Unlike Yoo Ahyoung, the Blue¡¯s cksmith who could wield a hammer, there was really nothing that could be produced.


    The alchemy summoning magic wasn¡¯t magic that didn¡¯t require the great word of enlightenment but rather was a technique gained with gold. The effects of the series of potions that made my living weren¡¯t affected if I increased my magic power.


    ¡®I¡¯m d that at least my ss is a semi-mythic-grade¡­¡¯


    Or perhaps I would only be making potions among those monsters.


    Just as I was looking at Elena and Jung Hayan sitting in the carriage while lost in thoughts, the wagon that was heading in the right direction suddenly stopped.


    Han Sora and Sun Hee-young, who were spending time on one side, also quietly looked at us.


    ¡®It¡¯s not the time to arrive yet.¡¯


    ¡°Deokgu, look at what¡¯s going on¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Even Park Deokgu, who had been in the wagon with us to protect the rear, stepped outside to grasp the situation, and Sun Hee-young carefully opened her mouth.


    ¡®Why is she getting so pretty?¡¯


    The memory of the ck world suddenly came to mind, and I blushed.


    ¡°Is there any problem?¡±


    ¡°No. I don¡¯t really think so¡­ there must¡¯ve been an ident in front of us.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better to chant a protection spell?¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary.¡±


    It was then that Park Deokgu, who had gone outside, knocked on the inside of the carriage again.


    ¡°Hyung-nim.¡±


    ¡°Did any monsters appear?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not that. It seems that traffic isn¡¯t being organized because of the people that came from other countries and cities. They can¡¯te in all at once because the entrance is narrow. It seems that wagons from arge guild in the United Kingdom and arge guild in the north collided against each other.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°If we wait a bit, it will probably be solved.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, wait?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to wait.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡±


    ¡°Just raise a g and just push it out.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not possible because the entrance is clogged up right now¡­¡±


    ¡°Forget it. I will go out myself. Let¡¯s go outside. I think it would be better to get off the carriage from here.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, oppa.¡±


    ¡°I will do that, Vice Guild Master.¡±


    It was getting suffocating to be in the carriage anyway. Our surroundings were definitely getting noisier.


    The soldiers tried to check the front to see what was going on, and Kim Hyunsung and Cho Hyejin were chatting.


    Putting Kim Hyunsung aside, I couldn¡¯t have imagined that even Cho Hyejin would be a member of the Eastern Branch of Courtesy, where they lived with the virtue of concession.


    ¡°Deokgu, raise the g.¡±


    At this point, eyes had begun to gather from all sides.

 Chapter 467: Continental Joint Training (2)

    <h4>Chapter 467: Continental Joint Training (2)</h4>


    ¡®We¡¯re not the kind of people who should be kept waiting.¡¯


    The fact that we were the leading guild in the State should be enough for us to earn the right to stand in the front. Our adventurers¡¯ levels were the highest because the power that we had as a single nation was the greatest, after all.


    It was said that the United Kingdom was a union that was created to keep therge Republic and State in check.


    Of course, since the Republic had its power reduced, there was no need to calcte which side was the apex predator. Due to a few recent incidents, the Blue Guild¡¯s stock price had gone through the roof.


    With its influence on external forces, its line of funds, and its business capabilities, the Blue Guild was no different from argepany. It was enough to say that the entire continent¡¯s adventurers would be affected if the Blue potion factory were to ever go out of business.


    That wasn¡¯t even where it ended. There was also themoners¡¯ belief that if Blue went down, Lindel would also go down. Based on that, I could quickly see how far the Blue hade.


    It felt a little exaggerated, but it wasn¡¯t wrong if I looked at it in detail. Of course, to say that the entirety of Lindel would go down was a bit too much¡­


    Rather, the biggest influence we had on the attention towards us was the power of a single unit, the Blue Guild Master, which was the one that was considered to have the most important value in the present continent.


    Although there were restrictions, there was no more need to describe Kim Hyunsung, who held a mythic-grade sword, in detail. The absurdity he showed in the war against the Republic was enough to showcase his true worth.


    The busybodies, who liked to rank people, had obviously evaluated him as an SSS-level being simr or higher than the Mercenary Queen Cha Hee-ra. Perhaps it was because of the advantage of being able to maintain a well-bnced mind, but there was also an overall atmosphere that considered Kim Hyunsung higher than Cha Hee-ra.


    Kim Hyunsung and Cha Hee-ra didn¡¯t seem to be obsessed with such a reputation, but for me, Kim Hyunsung was either on par with, or stronger than the redhead.


    The same went for the rest of the guild members. In an environment where tankers were said to be valuable, Park Deokgu was often referred to as the best tank despite his weak attack power, and the stock prices of Cho Hyejin and Kim Ye-ri were soaring as well.


    Hayan and Sora, on the other hand, showed signs of decline with regards to their worth, but they were in overall good shape as Laios¡¯ hero.


    Elena, who buffed and maintained the entire troops, was also known as an SS-level priest. I had no choice but to believe that Ahn Ki-mo and Park Deokgu¡¯s girl, Hwang Jeong-yeon, were being treated and evaluated ordingly for their special power that filled whatever else the Blue squadcked.


    ¡®Sun Hee-young has also be quite famous¡­¡¯


    Above all, Kim Chang-ryul and Yoo Ahyoung also grew to the point where they could no longer be ignored. Our size was no different from a small and medium n, but each member was strong and unique enough to take on an entire n or guild, so it was no wonder they had be famous.


    Even from the standpoint of the busybodies, we would¡¯ve had more stories to talk about than therge-sized guilds that focused on quantity rather than practicality.


    Given that background, it was natural that nobody would fail to recognize the Blue emblem. Likewise, it was normal that everyone¡¯s attention was focused on us.


    Park Deokgu raised the g with a face that wondered if he could do that. Knowing what that signal was, I slowly headed towards Kim Hyunsung.


    Chonobono and Kim Hyunsung, who wanted to preach to people around the world about how polite we were, were also starting to form a line-up as if they knew about the signal as well. Of course, Kim Hyunsung, who was in charge of the visual, took the lead.


    I, who had a heavy mission to promote a close rtionship with our Hyunsung, remained behind his right side, and Cho Hyejin¡¯s position was right behind his left.


    The Blue Guild, which was in line with Park Deokgu raising the guild¡¯s g, gathered in an instant. The griffon on which Kim Hyunsung was riding stepped forward. The personnel who were blocking the road noticed it, causing them to move away.


    ¡®Whew¡­¡¯


    This all felt a bit dramatic, but that gave me chills.


    The people in the front row went off the street, causing the people blocking their way to get pushed back as well. Even those upfront felt something strange and were watching out for us.


    The beginning was just mob mentality, but before they knew it, those who were in the way split up like the Red Sea and were watching the Blue Guild pass by.


    ¡°The Blue¡­¡±


    ¡°Is Kim Hyunsung the one taking the lead?¡±


    ¡°Cho Hyejin must be the one riding on the unicorn¡­¡±


    ¡°That elf¡­ is Elena. Was it true that she joined the Blue? I thought it was just a rumor¡­¡±


    ¡°Look at that. It¡¯s Sun Hee-young. It¡¯s really Sun Hee-young.¡±


    All around me, people had begun to mutter.


    ¡®They must be curious. It will be their first time to see us in real life.¡¯


    ¡°Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°The Alchemist of Light, Hero of the Continent.¡±


    ¡°The number two in the Blue. No matter how we look, he¡¯s not someone who¡¯s below others¡­ that¡¯s quite interesting.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what was interesting, but some guys spoke lines like extras in a movie. It felt cringy, but there was a catharsis akin to it that I couldn¡¯t exin.


    It felt like I was being rewarded for all the hard times I suffered.


    Some of the guys who were always yful were looking straight ahead with a very stiff face as if they thought they had to be serious at that moment, and at a nce, pride began to appear on the faces of the guild employees following the party members.


    Even Park Deokgu had a stiff expression. It looked a bit funny, but I knew that I wasn¡¯t in a situation to make fun of anyone since I also had an unsuitable expression.


    ¡®Pretending to be a big shot, to be a great guy.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t easy to do.


    The faces of all the people looking at us were all different. Some had eyes of admiration, some looked jealous, but it was interesting to see them all with a mixture of emotions.


    ¡°Kim Hyunsung¡­ is more of a monster than I thought¡­¡±


    ¡®There is one guy who knows how to look at people.¡¯


    ¡°Did they grow even more?¡±


    ¡°This is ridiculous. That¡¯s an adventurer who has been here for less than five years?¡±


    ¡°The rumors and the magic hologram weren¡¯t exaggerating. Sh*t.¡±


    Of course, even in the midst of that, I was moving my Mind¡¯s Eyes constantly. That was because I had to figure out the level of the strong people of other countries I had never encountered.


    ¡®Neither high, nor low.¡¯


    In a way, it wasn¡¯t enough to be ranked at the average level and the Eight Seats of the State. It seemed that those who had Anh Ki-mo¡¯s level were the executives of a n or guild.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t that considered a bit low?¡¯


    Ahn Ki-mo was used as a standard because of hisbat ability, wit, and melee priest role, not because of his talent or stats.


    At that moment, a voice came out of nowhere.


    ¡°Nice to meet you. Blue Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the Guild Master of the Manhattan Guild. Kylie Yale. It is a great honor to meet you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®She somehow has a familiar face.¡¯


    Kylie Yale was a tall woman. She had a slim body, blonde hair, blue eyes, and a face that could bebeled as beautiful. She seemed confident and had obviously put a lot of effort into her appearance.


    As I checked her overall stats with the Mind¡¯s Eyes, I immediately realized she could disy such a mighty expression.


    ¡®She deserves to be proud.¡¯


    She was a wizard with the level capable of belonging in the upper half of the State¡¯s Eight Seats. Her disposition was an Ambitious and Passionate Person. She had a good attribute, and I felt that she had grown well overall.


    Based on the specs she had, she seemed more usable than the Mist Summoner. Of course, he had special abilities, so they couldn¡¯t really bepared.


    ¡®Interesting.¡¯


    It really was.


    ¡®I think this one also yed an important role during the first round.¡¯


    I nced at Kim Hyunsung quietly, but I refrained from any other actions.


    It was hard to tell whether she was an ally or an enemy, but it seemed that he had heard her name, and since he didn¡¯t respond the same way when he met the swordsman Jung Jinho, it seemed that she didn¡¯t do crappy things like the masked trash and his gang. Of course, the probability was low, but¡­


    ¡®He may be hiding his emotions well.¡¯


    Our Hyunsung had grown quite a bit too. Well, honestly, it didn¡¯t matter either way. The enemies of the past didn¡¯t necessarily have to be enemies again¡­


    Above all, in order to end the war between nationspletely, even the first round viins couldn¡¯t be treated as viins anymore. Kim Hyunsung understood that better than anyone else.


    In fact, what felt more important than that was why she suddenly approached him in a friendly way.


    I wondered if I was reading too much into her simple greeting, but no one acted without reason. Moreover, I was bothered with hering at such timing. I even wanted to apud her.


    It wasn¡¯t easy to talk to someone suddenly in an atmosphere where it didn¡¯t look like you could speak to him carelessly.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re Kylie Yale.¡±


    ¡°Have you ever heard of me?¡±


    ¡°In fact, I haven¡¯t heard the details because of my short knowledge, but I¡¯ve heard of a renowned wizard in the West, and that she was a very famous person on Earth.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you would recognize that¡­ It¡¯s an honor, Blue Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°No. Rather, I am more honored.¡±


    ¡®Oh.¡¯


    I knew it was a familiar face.


    ¡®She was an actress.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know the name, but I realized that I had seen her a few times on the screen. I was never interested in those things, so I was slow to notice, but some Blue Guild members looked at her face and looked startled.


    They hadn¡¯t shown much of a reaction seeing a few people in Lindel who used to be artists, but I guess they were amazed to see her face to face.


    ¡°And¡­ this must be Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Nice to meet you too. I¡¯ve heard a lot about you. You¡¯re even more beautiful in person.¡±


    ¡°It is an honor, Honorary Cardinal.¡±


    When I hinted that I didn¡¯t want to talk now, I could see her pulling back. It seemed she set Kim Hyunsung as a target again, and the way she snuck in next to him and headed together was something I could call an outstanding move.


    ¡®She¡¯s smart.¡¯


    She¡¯s strong-willed and knew how to seize an opportunity. She also seemed to be moderately greedy¡­


    ¡®I mean¡­ that¡¯s probably why she could survive until now.¡¯


    This was not the case for everyone, but celebrities usually didn¡¯t have a good end, especially women.


    That woman¡¯s sess was pretty phenomenal, as I recalled that most of the women got burned in the tutorial. Perhaps the driving force behind her sess was the same behavior she was disying at that moment.


    She knew how to take moderate advantage of her poprity, fit in, and gamble. She was someone who could raise a hand and make a presentation when no one wanted to.


    Although the gazes were a bit focused, that woman took the opportunity to go inside first by talking with Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡®It means something.¡¯


    It was obvious what other powerful people who were watching that scene were thinking.


    ¡®It will be awkward to greet him now, interrupting them¡­¡¯


    She was smiling brightly as if it was unexpected that the former actress could fit in so easily.


    She was a fox on the back of a tiger. That expression was appropriate for the situation.


    ¡®Interesting.¡¯


    asions where all sorts of humans gathered, were certainly fun.


    ¡°O-Oppa. D-Do you know who that woman is?¡±


    However, the voiceing from right behind me wasn¡¯t that much fun.

 Chapter 468: Continental Joint Training (3)

    <h4>Chapter 468: Continental Joint Training (3)</h4>


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me she¡¯s going crazy again.¡¯


    I got a bit scared for a second, but fortunately, it wasn¡¯t enough to worry about. I could tell that Hayan just felt a little upset.


    That was enough for me to feel reassured.


    She would pout when her anger had reached an intermediate level. She often stuttered more than four times as herplexion turned pale once it had reached higher levels.


    Compared to the maxim anger, where she would talk to herself, it was enough to pass byughing. She probably must have gotten upset to see an attractive woman. Kylie even came in and had be friendly.


    She had already kept all the ordinary women in check, and she was even stricter with beautiful women. If that wizard named Kylie Yale stuck to me rather than Kim Hyunsung, she would have definitely reached intermediate anger.


    Fortunately, she didn¡¯t care much about me. It meant that both she and I could live another day.


    ¡®I¡¯m an expert now. An expert.¡¯


    As I had been walking with the lump called Jung Hayan for a few years already, I had be more aware of her, and I wanted to apud myself for that.


    At that moment, I could feel proud since I knew her well enough to write a book entitled, ¡®Jung Hayan¡¯s Instruction Manual.¡¯


    I naturally opened my mouth as if I wasn¡¯t interested in her at all.


    ¡°I think she was a famous actress back on Earth¡­ I don¡¯t know her name well. I really wasn¡¯t interested in that kind of thing.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ I see. I¡¯ve seen her. That person¡­ I-I don¡¯t remember well¡­ I didn¡¯t watch a lot of movies¡­¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes. B-By the way¡­ When you were on Earth, did you have any favorite¡­ celebrity?¡±


    It was a sudden question, but I knew better than anyone that it was a resonance trap. If I nodded like an idiot, the celebrity, as well as those who resembled her, would disappear from existence.


    ¡°No. I was busy living, so I didn¡¯t know who was who.¡±


    ¡°Ohh¡­ I see.¡±


    ¡°Yes. And you?¡±


    ¡°I- I was the same. There was¡­ no such things as a TV, and I didn¡¯t have anyone¡­ to go with.¡±


    ¡®Whew¡­ It¡¯s getting sad again.¡¯


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    I already knew that she had been abandoned by her parents and her two older sisters, but I still felt sorrowful when I saw her face.


    What was even sadder was how casually she had said this. It no longer mattered to me, but those who listened to it would be affected.


    ¡®Was it Jung Hayeon and Jung Haeun?¡¯


    Her first sister was named Jung Hayeon, and her second sister was Jung Haeun.


    I thought it was a bit vague when they lost contact, so I looked for them to see if they were summoned to the continent, but there was no result.


    Jung Hayan hated mentioning her two older sisters and her mother, and considering that I couldn¡¯t actually find them in the summoned registry, it seemed they had really cut ties.


    When I considered that the reason why that sad wizard was obsessed with me was caused by anxiety that she would be abandoned, I felt my heart break even more.


    ¡®Azmodan would also send a standing ovation to those bitches¡­ If I ever meet them, I¡¯ll backstab them properly.¡¯


    As I stroked her hair, she started to smile.


    I took off my hand in a hurry because I felt that things would get weird if I kept doing it.


    In the meantime, the State soldiers and the Blue Guild staff stepped into a huge building and, under Cho Hyejin¡¯s control, began to move toward their assigned locations.


    Of course, all the guild members headed to the shelter except the executive.


    Light Kiyoung, an important figure in the State, and Kim Hyunsung, the Guild Master of the Blue, really needed to participate in the meeting.


    Sun Hee-young was known as the senior who could take responsibility for the guild members, while Cho Hyejin handled other things.


    I talked to both of them before I left.


    ¡°Hee-young, take the guild members and wait at the assigned location.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°You can train¡­ you can look around, but you only need to refrain from conversing with troops from other countries. Actually, it doesn¡¯t matter, but we don¡¯t have to cause useless trouble. Some countries are politically sensitive¡­ You can have a meal, but I think it would be better to eat with themon soldiers.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Okay, Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s not something to be grateful for. It¡¯s natural. See youter.¡±


    She was the kind to go a little bit crazy too, but seeing herughing and talking like that made me feel all the morefortable.


    Honestly, at that point, Sun Hee-young looked like a normal person. This was the effect of having rtively insane women around us.


    ¡°And Hayan too¡­¡±


    ¡°W-Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°Conference. I think Hyunsung and Elena will being with me. I guess it will take a little while¡­¡±


    ¡°W-Why the elf?¡±


    ¡°Counselor qualification of the interracial coalition.¡±


    ¡°Ohh¡­ I¡­ see. Will C-Cha Hee-ra go, too?¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡±


    ¡®Herees the intermediate anger.¡¯


    She started to pout. The color of her face was vanishing as well.


    ¡®She was about to enter a higher level of anger.¡¯


    If I let her keep having those thoughts, her anger would naturally rise.


    The moment she did, she¡¯d reached maximum anger in an instant, so I prevented it by lightly kissing her forehead. I thought she grew enough to bear being apart now, but she wasn¡¯t in a good mood as I said that only Elena and Cha Hee-ra could go with me.


    She probably didn¡¯t like that I would be in the same space as Cha Hee-ra.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back. I won¡¯t be toote.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    At this, she got a bit sullen.


    I wanted to take Jung Hayan, but I couldn¡¯t do that.


    That was because the conference hall was sure to be a market floor if all the executives gathered at the meeting took even the deputy.


    She nodded, pouting as if she understood that there was nothing she could do about it, but when I stroked her hair, I could see that she gave in a little bit.


    In the meantime, the elf clung closely to me as if she was happy.


    Jung Hayan, who still thought I had to get her treatment, didn¡¯t stop Elena, but she still wasn¡¯t happy.


    It would have been a little bit better if Kim Hyunsung was between us two, but the slow-to-notice guy headed to the conference room first with that woman.


    For some reason, I started to feel a gaze directed at me from behind.


    ¡®I hope it¡¯s not a big deal.¡¯


    I went to the conference room in an instant, all while trying to suppress my anxiety.


    In fact, it was toorge to be called a conference room.


    Since so many people gathered, it seemed they had prepared such a ce because of it.


    It was a ce where the masters of powerful and highly influential guilds from all continents were gathered. It would be appropriate to say that it looked like a parliament building.


    There was arge magic hologram in the center, and a tform on which the chairperson who conducted the meeting would stand, and in the center was arge round desk and luxurious chairs.


    The State even had a seat at the top of the center.


    As I moved slowly, I could see some of the more familiar faces.


    I exchanged a brief greeting with the eighth seats of the State, Cheon Gwan-wi and Wi-Ran, and exchanged regards with Yuno Kasugano through eye contact.


    Meanwhile, Cha Hee-ra had not arrived yet.


    The masters of the middle guilds were also there, but their expressions were all stiff.


    Of course, they would be nervous.


    Unlike the rest who were used to such a ce, this was their first time.


    That was even more so when I recalled that the conference was the first step in determining the continent¡¯s fate.


    As time passed, people started to muzzle. Most people greeted each other or talked about important things that only they knew about before the meeting had even begun.


    Some people hauled ass to try to make awork somehow, and there were people who talked in secrecy as if thework they had built up were quite big already.


    In fact, it was the same for me.


    I spent some time chatting with people from the Laios, the Republic, and the interracial coalition and even approached those who seemed to be worthwhile to greet.


    It was only natural to pretend to be close to those who came to me first.


    In the case of a mid-sized n, they were snooping around and looking at what they could gain. The same went for Kim Hyunsung.


    He shook hands with those who hade to him, but anxiety continued to linger on his face.


    ¡®Gosh¡­¡¯


    Most of them were too snobbish, considering that they were there to stop the crisis on the continent.


    Only a few people probably sincerely felt the seriousness of the situation.


    Even in the Republic, Laios, the State, and the interracial coalition, some people saw the future threats, as if it wasn¡¯t going toe soon.


    ¡®Someday, a meteorite will fall on the continent!¡¯


    It meant that there might be personnel who had simply taken this as an empty story.


    It could be said that the cause was that Benignore, who hade to the body of Light Kiyoung herself in the war with the Republic, spoke too vaguely.


    All that she said was that a ¡®threat exists.¡¯


    Even if she had talked honestly, it wouldn¡¯t have changed that much. Originally, the human race was designed to move only when the crisis was right before their eyes.


    ¡®It¡¯s not easy to truly move before it happens.¡¯


    As if Kim Hyunsung was also thinking simrly, he wasn¡¯t wearing a good expression.


    ¡®He must be feeling it now as well.¡¯


    I thought it would show even more when we started the training in earnest. He must¡¯ve been sure that all the events that took ce in the first round had been prevented. All we had to do was gather our strength, but¡­


    ¡®Seeing the situation, it looks like it¡¯ll be a mess.¡¯


    There would be things he could feel even if he couldn¡¯t see them with the Mind¡¯s Eyes.


    There was a pig unbelievably huge to be a warrior, upying a seat firmly.


    It didn¡¯t feel like Park Deokgu.


    Instead of muscle mass, more than 90% of the bodyponents of that pig¡¯s body were fat mass.


    Honestly, he seemed to breathe with difficulties.


    It wasn¡¯t just him.


    There were men dressed in all sorts of luxury, and I could see a few who even seemedpletely unknowledgeable when it came to fighting.


    There was a huge truck of people I doubted could head the group that would determine the continent¡¯s fate.


    I didn¡¯t even need to mention what Kim Hyunsung would have thought just by looking at them.


    It was clear that the scenes that he hadn¡¯t seen because he was stuck in Lindel, which seemed to be in a bit better situation, were constantlying into his eyes.


    ¡®It¡¯s impossible.¡¯


    ¡®It was impossible to face the threat with these people.¡¯ This was just my delusion, but I certainly felt like he was thinking in that manner.


    I could see that his face, initially full of hope, was slowly sinking into despair.


    That was how the first meeting began.


    Despite the seriousness of the situation, the meeting ended in just two hours, and that day, each continent¡¯s Heads had a luxurious dinner for over four hours, all vying for connections for personal gain.


    ¡®It was a mess. A big mess!¡¯


    It felt like seeing a miniature version of a certain country.

 Chapter 469: Continental Joint Training (4)

    <h4>Chapter 469: Continental Joint Training (4)</h4>


    Honestly, I couldn¡¯t even remember what the meeting had been about.


    I could vaguely remember people thanking each other, talking about the justification and purpose of the training, as well as other strategic discussions. Other than that, we simply had to rify the training empty talks.


    After that, the only thing I could remember was a drinking party that was luxurious, even by my standards.


    ¡®It was fun, though.¡¯


    It felt like the stress of the past few days hadpletely gone away.


    ¡®As expected, South American people know how to have fun.¡¯


    They surely knew how to paint the town red. The way they properly polished the apple was also at a pro-level, and the women¡­


    I felt a bit sorry for themon soldiers who had survived by having small rations as meals, but that was what was called corruption.


    Our group¡¯s professionals who stood at the center didn¡¯t seem to care about such things at all.


    If they did, there was no way they could¡¯ve had a drinking party with the taxpayer¡¯s money.


    Of course, it was a valuable time for them. They must be thinking thatst night was worth the money they had spent.


    In fact, I focused on looking very satisfied. Some of the guys who seeded in getting acquainted with mest night were probably screaming with happiness.


    Most people knew how advantageous it was to be in close ties with the person who held the continent¡¯s potion business.


    The people in there were the ones who had a taste of power somewhere else, and they were professionals as well, so I naturally thought I was right.


    Power was bound to get stagnant, and what was stagnant would rot.


    Meanwhile, the majority of small and medium ns had ascended with blood and sweat. Though I found this funny, I didn¡¯t find it weird at all.


    It was rather strange that guilds or ns that coulde to that ce didn¡¯t have a couple of dirty cases. When I saw the controversies about thergepanies somewhere, the answer was revealed.


    Considering that the ck Swan, as well as the Blue Guild, had been walking on a tightrope between legal and illegal, it felt more convincing.


    ¡®These guys have gone too far¡­ we at least have a conscience. Really, Blue is nicepared to them.¡¯


    Of course, normal guilds and ns also existed. There were representative guilds that had a sense of belongingness and represented a city like the Red Mercenary.


    Those guys were usually different, starting right from their Guild Master.


    Unlike the fat guys, they were proud of their battles, and they never stopped training.


    The problem was that those guys were also of low level. They reminded me of the Friendship n members.


    Among them, there proved to be some outstanding talents, but there were also about 20 people who could be said to be at the level of the eight seats of the State.


    Honestly, I could consider it a miracle to have about twenty such people.


    If I were to grade the average level of our people, they would have to be at a frozen C. I knew it would be impossible to aim for the level S, but even training our citizens to a level A would be enough to fight the uing threats.


    I personally thought Kim Hyunsung had more thoughts than me.


    He must be thinking that something was wrong. There was also a strong possibility that he was reflecting on himself about what went wrong in the previous round, and where it got twisted.


    While looking at the second round result, which was made ridiculously fast, he opened the snack bag with his heart pounding, but nitrogen ended up upying more than 90% of the bag.


    In that bewildering situation, Kim Hyunsung seemed to have started panicking.


    ¡®He¡¯ll be wondering where to start fixing it.¡¯


    I had to worry about that, too. Honestly, I couldn¡¯te up with the right answer.


    As I looked ahead, I could see the soldiers gathered on one side, breathing raggedly. The simtion battles of other countries that started a few minutes ago had just ended.


    ¡°Hahaha. After all, the power of the Iron Blood Knights wasn¡¯t in vain. Even though it was a mock battle, I knew it would be easy to prate.¡±


    ¡°If it were a real war, we wouldn¡¯t have been able to attack that way. It was a mock battle where half of the magic that the United Kingdom has couldn¡¯t be used¡­ the terrain shape wasn¡¯t easy too. Rather, it¡¯s embarrassing to have lost this much of the troops. If you had been able to use the right magic, it would¡¯ve been our defeat. It¡¯s, indeed, the magic army led by Gerhan of Hellfire.¡±


    ¡°It seems that the skills of the Iron Blood weren¡¯t false rumors, either.¡±


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡°But we¡¯re not as skilled as Gerhan. Hahaha.¡±


    ¡®What a load of bullsh*t. Really.¡¯


    The face of the heads of the two groupsplementing each other was entertaining. Kim Hyunsung¡¯s face, looking at them, was even more so.


    ¡®Right. I understand what you feel.¡¯


    What he was thinking was quite obvious. The contents of the mock battle itself were ridiculous.


    Nevertheless, what was Kim Hyunsung thinking when he could see those who were busy ttering each other? I wanted to get into his head and read his mind.


    In the meantime, they came over and started to open their mouths.


    ¡°What do you think, Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung?¡±


    ¡°It was amazing. I was particrly impressed with the magic army, led by Gerhan of Hellfire.¡±


    ¡®Hellfire¡¯s Gerhan, my ass.¡¯


    Compared to Jung Hayan, he was just a bonfire.


    ¡°It¡¯s an honor. Even though I was defeated in the mock battle, I couldn¡¯t even imagine that you would¡¯ve thought that.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because the terrain itself was not suitable for a castle defense battle. It was a terrain that was unfavorable to the army from the beginning. I know best than anyone how hard it was to block the knights while the front isn¡¯t firm.¡±


    ¡®In fact, I wanted to see how the magic army with the rtively weak front line would respond in that situation.¡¯


    There was no way that could be.


    ¡°Of course, I think it couldn¡¯t be helped because the Iron Blood Knights¡¯ breakthrough power was that strong¡­ It was a good time to see how much the troops you two carry had grown.¡±


    ¡°Haha. This is embarrassing. Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung is overplimenting me.¡±


    ¡°I just said what I felt, Gerhan.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. Oh¡­ By the way, the next mock battle¡­ Oh. It¡¯s between the north and the west. Northern adventurers are famous for their pride¡­ I think it can¡¯t be helped to get a little rough, but¡­ I hope there are no major idents.¡±


    The northern people seemed to have great pride, but no skills.


    Excited northern adventurers walked into the clearly visible traps and ended up rushing suicide squads into the west people. I could see disassembled northerners, but I thought it might be more helpful that way. Still, they at least had the willingness to win.


    It was enough to say that the childish joke from the Iron-blood and Gerhan was truly pathetic.


    ¡®Those kinds of guys are the ones that screw up. Fuck.¡¯


    It was people like these that made the team lose.


    Since he was worried about his troops¡¯ condition, he didn¡¯t push them hard. Since they were the troops who had to run their jobs immediately after the training was over, they might be worried about that, but the level of restraints on them was too much.


    Of course, I could understand. People were properties on the continent.


    Although there were potions or divine magic to help alleviate ailments, fatigue would still umte, and umted fatigue would affect the schedule afterward.


    Even if I were in the manager¡¯s position, I wouldn¡¯t have exhausted my yers. It was a problem that was directly connected to everything, including profits.


    Of course, that was not the only reason those bastards were trolling.


    ¡®Why are you hiding your power? These guys¡­ The people who have nothing to show are the worst.¡¯


    There was also the fact that they were in a mock battle while hiding their power.


    Kim Hyunsung wouldn¡¯t be satisfied, but it was undeniable that if they fought with everything they had, it would eventually get better than that.


    Even with low levels, they were adventurers who had grown up fighting. It was natural that there was a hidden card considering how much their lives were at stake.


    There were a few things that were immediately visible with the Mind¡¯s Eyes.


    It was obvious why those guys were fighting in moderation.


    They didn¡¯t want to show all their strength to other countries, other ns, other guilds, other alliances, and other regions.


    ¡®Do they think they¡¯re the main characters or something?¡¯


    They were the ones that made it harder to watch the mock battles that were already hard to watch.


    I was tired of reacting to them.


    No, honestly, I wanted to wear a mask and smash them. Even if it was not exactly that, I wanted to give those that were not fighting with sincerity a blow.


    ¡®Still, I should be patient.¡¯


    If I didn¡¯t have anything in mind, I would never have been like that. There was only one reason why I was so perturbed.


    If that kept going, it seemed that our Hyunsung would eventually explode. However, I thought it wouldn¡¯t cause such a bad situation of he did.


    Even though Light Kiyoung was chosen by Benignore, he wasn¡¯t a returner, so it was also funny to say that he had to step up first and prepare for future threats.


    Kim Hyunsung would¡¯ve hoped for me to go forward with everyone, cheering them up, but rather, it felt that it was more effective to show my usual self.


    The usual Lee Kiyoungughed while working hard to manage thework, making the most of the given situation and moderately humoring others¡¯ moods.


    I still didn¡¯t know if it would work out as I predicted, but it was unlikely that there was no possibility at all. Perhaps after a few days, Kim Hyunsung might think, ¡®Although Kiyoung is aware of the uing threat¡­¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®He doesn¡¯t know how dangerous the threat is.¡¯


    The goal was to make him think that I waspletely unaware. Perhaps that would get him to open up to me.


    I would like to hear exactly what the threat was, how dangerous it was, and, if possible, the fact that he was a returner.


    ¡®Shouldn¡¯t I know what exactly I have to prepare for, Hyunsung?¡¯


    That was driving me nuts, but at that moment, I had no choice but to be patient.


    ¡®Eventually, he wille to find me.¡¯


    I was certain that Kim Hyunsung¡¯s patience wouldn¡¯t prove to be that long.

 Chapter 470: Driving a Wedge (1)

    <h4>Chapter 470: Driving a Wedge (1)</h4>


    ¡°Cheers!¡±


    ¡°Cheers!¡±


    ¡®They¡¯ve gone nuts, haven¡¯t they?¡¯


    It was already the fifth meeting by now, and considering that only five days had passed since we came there, it was disconcerting that we already had five dinner parties.


    ¡®They¡¯re amazing. Amazing.¡¯


    I was having fun, eating, chewing, biting, and enjoying, but I was also getting sick of having that much fun.


    I had been waiting for Kim Hyunsung to open his mouth, but I was even starting to wonder whether I should start to move first at that point.


    Almost all the continent¡¯s powers had been gathered, meaning it had already been five days since we had started this useless training.


    I felt worried at first, but when I noticed that Kim Hyunsung wasn¡¯t rushing over to me right away, I realized that we still had some more time.


    It seemed that he decided that it would be better to do something by himself rather than talking about a sensitive subject.


    ¡®Do as you want. Then see if it¡¯ll work as you thought.¡¯


    In fact, I could¡¯ve sneakily talked about Benignore and heard about the uing threat, but I didn¡¯t want to bring it up first.


    That was because I thought it was a bit more natural if he came to me first. There were also a lot of advantages in many ways to that. I didn¡¯t want to give up the advantage that I could ask questions first, not him.


    While I was lost in thoughts for a moment, I started to hear a loud voice around me.


    ¡°After all, the beer you drink after sweating seems to have a special taste, doesn¡¯t it, Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It does. Haha. It seems that I¡¯m in a better mood being with such good people. Gosh¡­ I never thought that a day like this woulde. Who would have known that the entire continent could have been so united?¡±


    ¡°Tell me about it. I would like to send even a greeting of thanks to those who helped the continent to be one.¡±


    ¡®Wait, what?¡¯


    ¡°Your ss is empty. Get another drink, Honorary Cardinal.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. Jami.¡±


    ¡°I only heard about you through rumors¡­ I really wanted to meet you. You¡¯re so far away that it wasn¡¯t easy for me to visit, and the diplomatic rtions between the State and our kingdom had been cut off. Really, it¡¯s an honor to meet you like this.¡±


    ¡°The honor is mine. In fact, if I had known there was a beautiful woman like Jami, I would have visited first.¡±


    ¡°I know you¡¯re just being polite, but thank you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not empty words. I¡¯m just telling you how I truly feel.¡±


    ¡°I see some strange tension between you. I wonder if you two will disappear somewhere tonight.¡±


    ¡°Gerhan too¡­ you¡¯re so naughty.¡±


    As I looked around in the pleasant atmosphere, I could see all the people who were in a hurry to waste time again.


    ¡®Kim Hyunsung is the one who should¡¯ve had seen this.¡¯


    Most of them were in charge of each kingdom¡¯s leading guilds, but their peculiarityy in the fact that none of them was normal.


    Hellfire¡¯s something and Iron-Blood something, their nicknames or ss names were huge, but just a few of them lived up to their names. Most were just ordinary trash, especially the behavior of the woman named Jami sitting next to me.


    She said he had been acting naughty, but it seemed she wasn¡¯t being serious about it. The way she looked as if she was ready at any time was a bit ufortable.


    Her dress that showed her breasts openly and how she talked like she was seducing me made it hard to tell whether she was a leader, or a showgirl representing a n. She was obviously interested in something other than training.


    Of course, from my point of view, I couldn¡¯t wee her approach.


    When I thought of Jung Hayan, who had recently been able to maintain her intermediate anger state, I was honestly starting to feel more and more ufortable asions simr to what I was in at that moment. No, in fact, more than anything else¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s very hard to imitate deep-rooted evil.¡¯


    It was also very hard to pretend to be the cancer of society, and to humor them. It was not easy to do things one didn¡¯t even like, and behaviors that weren¡¯t natural to them.


    I felt like I was wearing someone else¡¯s clothes that didn¡¯t fit well, so I didn¡¯t need to say anything else. Of course, I enjoyed it very asionally, but no matter how I thought about it, that deep-rooted evil festival didn¡¯t fit with the human named Lee Kiyoung at all.


    ¡®Sigh, it¡¯s really hard to act.¡¯


    ¡°Gerhan. I will pour you a drink.¡±


    ¡°This is such an honor, Honorary Cardinal.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to feel honored about everything. You don¡¯t have to react so stiffly, either. We¡¯re not even in the middle of training. Aren¡¯t we at a get-together to promote friendship? The training was also done with our best, so we should do our best to promote friendship.¡±


    ¡°As expected of the Honorary Cardinal.¡±


    ¡°Jami, please take another drink.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course.¡±


    ¡°It looks like Jami has had too much. I want to lend her at least my shoulder.¡±


    ¡°The shoulder of the Honorary Cardinal would be better than yours.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha. You two really look suspicious.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that, Gerhan.¡±


    ¡°This is¡­ so embarrassing.¡±


    ¡°Then how could I not say this. You two look so natural being that close to each other¡­?¡±


    It really did feel so hard trying to stay friendly.


    ¡°The Honorary Cardinal also seems to be in a good mood. It seems to be the brightest expression from him that I have seen recently.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s natural to be when I¡¯m with such good people.¡±


    ¡°Please have some snacks here, Honorary Cardinal. Can I put it in your mouth? Say ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Jam¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop. Say ah¡­¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help it, but after all, the role didn¡¯t suit me.


    ¡°By the way, Honorary Cardinal.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Gerhan?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to say this suddenly¡­ but about the recent mock battle¡­¡±


    ¡°Which mock battle are you talking about¡­?¡±


    ¡°Between the Lindel Union of Large Cities and the Southern Kingdom Confederate¡­¡±


    ¡°Oooohhh. I remember. Yes. There was indeed a mock battle.¡±


    ¡°Ahem. Actually, there was a lot of concern¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes? Did that have anything to worry about?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because there is public opinion that the Lindel Union is conducting a mock battle more harshly than necessary. Of course, I understand how the n Masters of the Lindel Union feel passionate about training, but I think it was a bit harsh. In fact, some adventurers on the Confederate had been injured.¡±


    ¡°I think I know what you mean.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m not ming the Lindel Union. I¡¯m speaking with my personal thoughtspletely excluded. However, I am also worried that bad rumors would spread about the Lindel Union, where Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung resides.¡±


    ¡°Ohh¡­ I fully understood what Gerhan is saying. Sure, there were quite a lot of injured people. They said they healed them with potions, but the umted fatigue cannot be healed so properly. Even when I saw that, I thought it was a bit too much. It¡¯s good to work hard, but I wondered if there was a need to do that much.¡±


    Although there were many injured, it was still in the eptable category.


    There were no deaths, and it was a perfect fit for the mock battle Kim Hyunsung was thinking.


    However, it seemed that the politicians, who were one of the pirs of deep-rooted evil, now felt a little burdened by Lindel Union¡¯s fighting spirit.


    I could understand them. One side was training a bit moderately, while the other was training with everything they had.


    The temperament difference between the two troops was too severe. Although it was a mock battle that showed Kim Hyunsung¡¯s desperateness, it seemed to me that our deep-rooted evils did not ept his fighting spirit.


    ¡®He was expecting too much of a movie-like situation.¡¯


    I had to think that it was too simple-minded.


    It was a mistake to think that if one side had rushed with passion, the other would also take it passionately, so Kim Hyunsung¡¯s hidden card to push new vitality to the Continental Union was rushing in a strange direction from the beginning.


    Of course, that was not a bad situation for me.


    The fact that Kim Hyunsung¡¯s n was failing was no different than saying that it was going one step closer to my n. I hoped that Kim Hyunsung came running, shouting Kiyoung-nim as soon as possible.


    ¡°Oh. The Honorary Cardinal was thinking the same way.¡±


    ¡°Actually, our Guild Master is a little bit enthusiastic about this training¡­ I will talk to him about this. I don¡¯t know how much it will help, but¡­ i¡¯ll try to tell him to avoid unnecessary injuries, at least when they train with the magic troops.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your consideration.¡±


    ¡°Do not have big hopes, though. As for me, I¡¯ll just be talking¡­ I hope it helps a little more, but¡­ what power do I have?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°It is even more so because I have agreed with the Guild Master. I¡¯m not participating in this training due to some personal reasons.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°You can just think that I have been assigned to a different job. As you all know, there are many things as important as training. The management of troops is originally the Guild Master¡¯s unique authority¡­ Lindel¡¯s three major guilds are practically moving together, so it¡¯s hard to provide adequate help in this particr part.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ I see.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re still the Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung. You¡¯re the first person to be granted the State¡¯s position and gained the trust of the leader of the country¡­ Standing in the position of a third party, I am not in a position to say something, but in my personal opinion¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°It feels like the Blue Guild Master is holding Lee Kiyoung in check.¡±


    ¡®What are these bastards talking about¡­?¡¯


    ¡°Haha. It¡¯s not that. It seems that a little misunderstanding has¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahem¡­ Actually, the Blue Guild wasn¡¯t raised by the Blue Guild Master alone, right? If it weren¡¯t for Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung, it would have been reduced to a third-ss guild. Nevertheless, to bepletely excluded from this training¡­¡±


    ¡®What do you mean, excluded? I said I didn¡¯t want to¡­¡¯


    ¡°Kill the dog after the hunting is over. There is a simr proverb in our country. I wish my worries are useless, however¡­¡±


    ¡®Yes, those are useless worries.¡¯


    ¡°I am worried that the Blue Guild Master may be having different thoughts.¡±


    ¡®You¡¯re just talking trash, you bastard.¡¯


    If one weren¡¯t a fool, they would realize what¡¯s going on. He had been silent until then, but I felt ufortable to see him starting to move, thinking that was his chance.


    I didn¡¯t know what his purpose was, but at least I thought I knew what Gerhan wanted.


    ¡®To drive a wedge.¡¯


    I felt sorry for Kim Hyunsung, who had to garner results with such guys.


    ¡®Trash-talk all you want, you bastards. See if Hyunsung and I can be torn apart.¡¯

 Chapter 471: Driving a Wedge (2)

    <h4>Chapter 471: Driving a Wedge (2)</h4>


    Usually, such a case would be expressed by using clever means. It was simr to what people did when scamming a fool.


    I still couldn¡¯t urately determine if those bastards were really worried about me, or if they had something else in mind, but I obviously thought it was likely thetter.


    Even though they were the people who gathered to prevent the crisis that woulde on the continent, all the people gathered there were basically strangers. Anyone knew that just because we were getting along at that moment didn¡¯t mean that we¡¯d end up in a good rtionship until the very end, even more so when I thought about the groups that were keeping each other in check.


    In Blue¡¯s case, this was already a given.


    The strongest in name and reality, with dozens of businesses and superiorbat power, made the fact that there were only a small number of people meaningless. Blue was exerting enormous influence in various areas.


    This wasn¡¯t only limited to Lindel.


    Since such a small guild was influencing the entire continent, it was only natural that many guilds had decided to reduce our influence a little.


    They might be busy buttering me up in front of me, but it was not strange for them to have different thoughts behind my back. There would be some whose ie in the potion business had been cut and some that had their illegal business wholly blocked.


    ¡®This bastard and the other one.¡¯


    I felt it was expected for people to try to keep us in check, but I didn¡¯t think they would be from those who were trying to get benefits from me.


    That was probably nned before the joint training, the investigation into the Blue Guild must¡¯ve been conducted internally, and they must¡¯ve taken measures to keep the Blue Guild in check.


    They must¡¯ve judged that the influence could be greatly reduced if they could break the rtionship between Kim Hyunsung and Lee Kiyoung¡­ and they must¡¯ve decided that it wouldn¡¯t be bad to try it out.


    ¡®It¡¯s not a bad method.¡¯


    I would¡¯vee up with a simr method.


    Externally, the Blue¡¯s power structure was extremely deformed.


    Kim Hyunsung had given me an unimaginable authority as a Vice Guild Master. Based on that authority, I wielded great influence everywhere.


    It was unclear who had authority over the party, and even externally, the human status as Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung was higher. Since there were two very influential figures within the same Guild, people would naturally think that this would be a big source of conflict.


    If the news about Kim Hyunsung and I being torn apart spread across the continent, I could assure that more than one truck of powerful people would create a party.


    ¡®For thest five days¡­¡¯


    I was going to be furtively used in their ns. As I gently leaned back and looked back at the people looking at me, I began to feel sad.


    ¡®I thought we were friends¡­ Mean bastards.¡¯


    Even Jami, who was sticking to me like Jung Hayan¡­


    ¡®What a bad bitch.¡¯


    Of course, it was still too early to have doubts. In fact, the people from the deep-rooted evil festival and I had a good time together.


    ¡®Yes. I shouldn¡¯t be suspicious of people so easily.¡¯


    I wanted to test the waters. I wanted to make sure if I was really being used. At this, I quietly opened my mouth.


    ¡°Hahaha¡­ It¡¯s not like that. Our Guild Master isn¡¯t such a person. If he wanted to get rid of me, he would already have done it.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°Honorary Cardinal¡­ I¡¯m really sorry to say this, but a person is bound to change. The Blue Guild isn¡¯t the same as the past. There must¡¯ve been a time when the members acted passionately, but now you¡¯re not that kind of guild anymore, are you? It¡¯s also the guild that the entire continent pays attention to every time you move¡­ At first, he may have thought that you should be on the same boat, but he may be worried about the growing power of the Honorary Cardinal.¡±


    ¡®Our Hyunsung is not that kind of guy, you bastards. ¡®


    ¡°Gerhan is right, Honorary Cardinal. I¡¯m not saying that the Blue Guild Master is such a person, but that you must be prepared if anything happens.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    ¡®They¡¯re acting like hyenas.¡¯


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing bad about being careful, right? Haha¡­ If you prepare insurance, you¡¯ll feel morefortable. It will be helpful enough to brace yourself rather than to take any action. I¡¯m telling you this because we have a lot of simr things going on in our kingdom.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Maybe there are a lot more cases if we look at the whole continent. No one just stands still looking at the increasing influence of non-Guild Masters within the group. He may be smiling externally, but he¡¯s probably worrying about the Honorary Cardinal.¡±


    ¡°The symbolism of being chosen by the Goddess Benignore¡­ The ability to use the power of light at will¡­ In fact, isn¡¯t the Honorary Cardinal more famous in the Lindel and the State?¡±


    ¡°Everyone in the continent knows that you two trust each other a lot, but¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Why are you guys doing that? Our Honorary Cardinal is ufortable¡­ Should we really talk about that on such a good asion?¡±


    It was Jami that eventually responded when the silence descended upon us.


    She pretended to intervene and sent nces to all of them, including Gerhan. Their exchange of gazessted only for an instant that I wouldn¡¯t have noticed if it wasn¡¯t for the Mind¡¯s Eyes.


    ¡®I guess she¡¯s telling them not to be too obvious.¡¯


    I could only sigh in response.


    ¡®So, all of them were in cahoots with each other. These bastards.¡¯


    Certainly, they seemed too impatient in my eyes. It felt like they didn¡¯t have the talent for it as they rushed like hyenas whenever they saw a small chance. If I were them, I would have acted more carefully.


    After taking one month as a preliminary work period, not five days, I would have created the same situation after leaking a few bad rumors. Those bastards must¡¯ve also had such a situation in mind, but it looked like they couldn¡¯t control themselves while looking at the delicious bait. When I thought about the flow of the conversation, it was understandable that they tried.


    ¡®Whew. There is no one to trust in the world except for Hyunsung.¡¯


    I felt betrayed. It was as if the enjoyable times of thest five days had beenpletely blown away. That was when I realized that I shouldn¡¯t get attached to such greedy, deep-rooted evil guys.


    ¡®Why do you bastards need to do that? Is it because of the potion business? Or is Lindel overwhelming because it seemed too big? Is it because we extended even to the arms business? Or did the free trade agreement seem unfair?¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t really one or two that bothered me.


    ¡°It looks like Gerhan has drunk too much. Now, forget about this quickly and get another drink, Honorary Cardinal. The others probably didn¡¯t mean anything bad. Everyone must have said that for caution¡¯s sake since they were worried about the Honorary Cardinal, so don¡¯t be too concerned.¡±


    ¡°Oh my¡­ I¡¯m really sorry. Honorary Cardinal. I think I shouldn¡¯t have said that¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry as well. I shouldn¡¯t have said those so easily¡­¡±


    ¡°Loosen up, Honorary Cardinal, for my sake, yeah?¡±


    ¡°Ahem¡­ I¡¯m not like this because of you guys. I had a different thought for a moment¡­¡±


    ¡°Good to know. If we made you feel ufortable, I would like to apologize again, Honorary Cardinal.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha¡­ it¡¯s fine. Didn¡¯t all of you say that because you are worried about me? Rather, it¡¯s right for me to say thank you. Actually, I didn¡¯t think about this aspect¡­ it seems premature to take it too seriously, but it would be okay to consider it at least once.¡±


    ¡°I am really grateful that you think so.¡±


    ¡°If your worries deepen, you can always talk to me, Honorary Cardinal.¡±


    ¡°Yes, if that timees, I will definitely talk to you, Jami.¡±


    ¡°Shall we say cheers, then?¡±


    ¡®They have such good chemistry. These bastards.¡¯


    If Gerhan and the deep-rooted evils were attacking swiftly, then Jami next to me was taking it slow.


    I didn¡¯t know if they¡¯d known each other from prior to that situation or if they had hurriedly formed a party for a collective objective, but I wanted to praise their good synchronization. If Jami and I became closer, it would be easier to drive a wedge between Kim Hyunsung and me.


    It was indeed hard to find methods that were more effective than bedside proceedings.


    ¡®I¡¯m done with you, bitch.¡¯


    I had no intention of doing that from the beginning, but I had to be even firmer.


    In fact, the situation itself was fun. It was unimaginable that someone would try to scam me even while I was in the State.


    It was even more unimaginable for the ones to be doing it were the people who knew the kind of human being Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung was.


    ¡®Did I look like a pushover?¡¯


    They might feel like that without information. Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung¡¯s external image was an image of a saint who sacrificed and burned his body for the continent.


    That was what everyone felt except for the Blue¡¯s media, the people of the State, and a small handful of people.


    ¡°In fact¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing.¡±


    As I tested them by looking like I was about to say something, the faces of the deep-rooted evil with their excited faces were spectacr to see.


    ¡°Is there anything that¡¯s bothering you?¡±


    ¡°Rather than being bothered¡­ I just thought that my rtionship with the Guild Master seems to have been estranged recently¡­¡±


    ¡®How many of you are there? Who else is going to be involved?¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to tell, but¡­ you can speakfortably. This will only stay between the Honorary Cardinal and us.¡±


    They wouldn¡¯t be sticking just to me, after all.


    I had no choice but to wonder who the humans that were leeching off of Kim Hyunsung were. Just because they scammed one, that didn¡¯t mean that the wedge wasplete.


    This was just a guess, but maybe it was the woman who spoke to Kim Hyunsung when we first arrived.


    ¡®Kylie Yale?¡¯


    Even after the first time, I still saw her with Kim Hyunsung on several asions.


    ¡®I¡¯m almost certain.¡¯


    * * *


    ¡°Are you alone today, Blue Guild Master?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Kylie.¡±


    ¡°You must be tired of working.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m used to it. By the way, why did youe again today¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you have eaten yet, so I¡¯m thinking about having a meal together. You eatte in the evening, right? If you do not mind¡­ Can we eat together at the restaurant in Blue? If you don¡¯t want to, I¡¯ll just go back¡­¡±


    ¡°No. I had something to tell you too¡­ you cane. Let¡¯s go right now. I will guide you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Blue Guild Master.¡±

 Chapter 472: Driving a Wedge (3)

    <h4>Chapter 472: Driving a Wedge (3)</h4>


    Kim Hyunsung.


    The Blue Guild Master. His ss was unknown. It was highly likely to be a ss closely rted to Swordsman. He possessed a legendary-grade or higher armor, and his ss was also estimated to be legendary-grade.


    It was judged that his agility stat had exceeded at least 90, and he had a high magic power level that was very much unlikely for melee sses.


    There wasn¡¯t much information avable about him, so it was difficult to understand his personality.


    It was known that he spent most of his time training and working and had little leisure time. He was a typical schoolboy type, characterized by being away from alcohol and women.


    Lee Kiyoung.


    Blue Vice Guild Master, Hero of Laios, Honorary Cardinal of the State. The one who a dragon had chosen.


    Including the Guild Master Kim Hyunsung of the Blue, he attacked the tutorial dungeon with the wizard Jung Hayan and the tank Park Deokgu.


    He was presumed to be at least a legendary-grade alchemist, but his exact ss name was unknown. His physical abilities were weak, but it was estimated that he possessed at least 95 divine power.


    He was an avid believer of Benignore, and he loved meeting people and talking.


    Regardless of the State¡¯s people and adventurers, he didn¡¯t stop volunteering in and a sacrificial personality. It was such a peculiarity that he liked to hang out with people. When I recalled the report I had read before, I started to smile.


    ¡®Gosh¡­ I don¡¯t know how these people could rise here.¡¯


    One was a dweeb who could only do training and work, and the other was a priest with a strong spirit of sacrifice.


    I wondered how those people survived in our field and grew up to that point.


    The duo that had the power to dominate the entire continent was rather disappointing and ordinary. Of course, in a world where force was important, Kim Hyunsung¡¯s force would have helped raise their reputation.


    But was our world such a ce where only force worked?


    I didn¡¯t know about the State¡¯s situation in detail, but I thought that all the ces would be the same wherever people lived.


    It was natural to wonder why they were able to grow to the point of being called one of Lindel¡¯s three great guilds. In fact, the intelligence department focused on that part and achieved satisfactory results in its own way.


    Of course, when I heard the reason, I experienced a bit of a disappointment, but at least I was a little ted.


    ¡®The Red Mercenary and the ck Swan.¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung was closely rted to ck Swan¡¯s Guild Master Park Yeon-joo, and Lee Kiyoung was closely rted to Mercenary Queen Cha Hee-ra.


    There was still little information about the rtionship between Kim Hyunsung and Park Yeon-joo. On the other hand, in Lee Kiyoung¡¯s case, I received information that he had a deep rtionship with the Mercenary Queen since they had been on Earth.


    After the Blue Guild started to be active in Lindel in earnest, I understood the situation in which the ck Swan and Red Mercenary, who kept each other in check, suddenly began to be in a united front.


    ¡®It¡¯s not even funny. Really.¡¯


    That was absurd and perplexing. But that¡¯s why I thought there was room to prate there.


    Lindel¡¯s centerpiece was the Blue duo.


    If the two were torn apart, it was clear that Blue wouldn¡¯t be able to protect even half of its strength. The possibility of returning the rtionship between the ck Swan and the Red Mercenary to what it was before was also high.


    Lindel¡¯s three great guilds, which had the strongest influence on the continent, would be destroyed.


    Other countries, cities, and guilds would be able to cheer at such news.


    ¡®Until when do I have to see all those guilds take everything for themselves?¡¯


    Anyone in power who had a group had no choice but to have such thoughts.


    ¡®I¡¯m a little sorry, but what can I do? Only when you guys are torn, we¡¯ll have a hole to breathe into¡­¡¯


    Althoughughter almost burst out for no reason, I had to hold it back for the moment.


    It was time to work, after all.


    ¡°As expected, the Blue Guild is amazing.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not, Kylie Yale.¡±


    ¡°No, it is. Even though only five days have passed, it¡¯s already reached this size¡­ Did you bring all the things from Lindel?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I wanted to simplify it as much as possible, but Kiyoung doesn¡¯t like the guild employees suffering¡­¡±


    ¡®Sure, he doesn¡¯t.¡¯


    ¡°All of them were used in Crack Land. It¡¯s all mass-produced as a prefab so that it can be made with simple magic. You¡¯ll have to use a simple tent right now, but maybe sooner orter, we¡¯ll be paying these buildings to Kylie Yale and other guilds.¡±


    ¡°What? Is that true?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°T-Then¡­ about the cost¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about the cost. The Blue Guild has already agreed to bear all of it.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ can we do that?¡±


    ¡°Right now, seeing results in the Continental Joint Training is our top priority. Our guild is the same, but I hope that others don¡¯t care about anything other than training. Just getting a good night¡¯s sleep and eating good food will improve your efficiency in many areas.¡±


    ¡®They sure have a lot of money.¡¯


    I wasn¡¯t sure how many assets they had.


    ¡®They are giving all of it for free?¡¯


    I spoke without my knowledge.


    It was incrediblyrge and luxurious to say that it was built easily. It felt like it was bigger than the Manhattan Guild house in the kingdom.


    No, it would actually be bigger, and that was not all.


    It was designed to be mass-produced in a prefabricated manner, but the wall¡¯s material seemed far from cheap.


    ¡®Is it magic? Or some kind of alchemy?¡¯


    It didn¡¯t matter what it was. The important thing was that it would soon fall into our hands.


    ¡®How much of a pushover are they?¡¯


    They were too nice.


    Lee Kiyoung built a dorm because he didn¡¯t want to trouble the useless guild employees, and Kim Hyunsung would pay all of those for smooth training¡­


    In fact, I was suspicious of them being nothing but idiots.


    ¡®That¡¯s why you¡¯re being scammed like this.¡¯


    Although the results hadn¡¯t yete out¡­ what would happen was obvious.


    The n was already in progress, after all. The information on Kim Hyunsung was disappointingly little.


    However, the information about Lee Kiyoung wasn¡¯t.


    I was able to figure out the approximate tendency, and in fact, he was slowly being influenced.


    ¡®Who knew it would be so easy?¡¯


    The cleaner people were, the more easily they fell, so Lee Kiyoung was a suitable object to corrupt. I didn¡¯t know if evangelism was his purpose, but his innate personality enjoyed getting along with others.


    In fact, he seemed to have a tendency to be swayed by others¡¯ words.


    Benignore¡¯s doctrines and other people around him couldn¡¯t be easily rejected as long as they didn¡¯t harm them. It meant that the Statewmakers liked him for a reason.


    ¡®The Honorary Cardinal is easy to use.¡¯


    Perhaps this was why he was called as the one in charge of events.


    It was surprising that a person who was so easy to swing still maintained their purity.


    ¡®Integrity and innocence?¡¯


    Integrity, innocence, my ass¡­


    ¡®Where is there such a person in the world?¡¯


    Whether it was alcohol, women, or drugs, he just hasn¡¯t been exposed to such things properly.


    I felt confident that I could provide a fun time that couldn¡¯t bepared to drinking tea with the State¡¯s nobles, and the idea fitted ridiculously well.


    On the first and second days, I was somewhat passive. However, after that, he decided to hang out with the trash even if I didn¡¯t call him.


    If the State¡¯s people saw the ce where the Honorary Cardinal was, it would be clear that they wouldn¡¯t be able to believe it.


    The way he got drunk, made physical contact with a woman, andughed awkwardly at all kinds of dirty sounds would be contrary to his image. Only five days passed, but the pure white drawing paper named Lee Kiyoung was gradually turning ck.


    ¡®If I¡¯m lucky, I could turn himpletely into a puppet¡­¡¯


    The n was easy to execute. There was also the method of putting drugs in his drink and treat him as a woman.


    Of course, that would be after the two had beenpletely torn, but that wouldn¡¯t take long.


    Kim Hyunsung would continue to hear bad stories about Lee Kiyoung, and he would be disappointed about his friend.


    Having talked and looked around with him, we arrived at the restaurant.


    There was no choice but to quietly sigh at a distinctly different appearance from the restaurant used by ordinary soldiers. I could see some other people eating.


    There was a woman with white skin and a man with arge body.


    Someone with his hair up was seen, and someone who still looked like a student.


    It¡¯s obvious as to who those people were.


    ¡®The Blue elite.¡¯


    They were Jung Hayan, Park Deokgu, and the other Blue party members.


    They were showing monstrous results every time in the mock battle.


    It seemed they had just finished eating and I could see them quietly greeting him. I flinched for a moment, but I thought it didn¡¯t matter. I didn¡¯te to do something bad.


    ¡°You can sit. The meal should be ready soon.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your consideration, Blue Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°No. Thank you, Kylie Yale. I wanted to thank you separately since it seems like you are helping me with the training every time¡­¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s nothingpared to what Lindel¡¯s three guilds do. The things our guild is doing are very trivial¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re just being serious about training¡­¡±


    ¡°It is natural. I know it¡¯s hard to host the training¡­ you have to make do with what you get. The atmosphere is a bit chaotic, but everyone will get used to it soon.¡±


    ¡°I hope so, but¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m helping you like this, right?¡±


    ¡°I am sincerely grateful for the Manhattan Guild. Oh, and please eat, Kylie.¡±


    ¡°Are you always eating around this time?¡±


    ¡°Actually, I eat a littleter. I finish workte. Recently, I have been barely eating. If Kylie hadn¡¯te, I would have only had a simple meal.¡±


    ¡°You must always eat¡­ you¡¯re not working alone¡­ there is also the Honorary Cardinal.¡±


    ¡°Kiyoung is¡­¡±


    ¡°Come to think of it. I can¡¯t see him. Did he fall asleep early?¡±


    ¡°No. Maybe he¡¯s with other people right now. Recently, socializing with other local people has be more frequent¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ so the rumors were true.¡±


    ¡°Rumors?¡±


    ¡°Have you never heard of it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you¡¯re talking about¡­¡±


    ¡®Blocking the voice leaking with magic power. I can quietly talk about it.¡¯


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can say this, but¡­ Recently, the Honorary Cardinal seems to be hanging out with people of poor quality.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    The rumor was that the more one lied about it, the better it was.


    ¡°Not only good people like the Blue Guild Master are participating in this joint training. They are from our city¡­ I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve heard of Gerhan.¡±


    ¡°I think¡­ I have.¡±


    ¡°Actually, he is a troublemaker in our area as well. His skills are good, but¡­ his personality is a bit¡­ Recently, Lee Kiyoung seems to be hanging out with them. He doesn¡¯t even participate properly in training¡­ This is a really unfounded rumor, but there are even rumors of bringing women to the dorm¡­ Of course, I don¡¯t think Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung will do that, but¡­ hasn¡¯t hee into the guild dorm recently?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    At this point, Kim Hyunsung¡¯s faces was slowly getting darker.


    It was then that my body trembled momentarily.


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    In my ears, I began to hear an unknown voice.


    It was not the voice of Kim Hyunsung in front of me. The voice that seemed to be ringing in my brain was too creepy.


    -That¡­ r-r-rumor¡­ who¡­ told you about that?

 Chapter 473: Driving A Wedge (4)

    <h4>Chapter 473: Driving A Wedge (4)</h4>


    ¡®What the- How¡­ did she do that? How is this even possible?¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung, who was in front of me, was eating as if he hadn¡¯t heard anything, and above all, it was because I couldn¡¯t properly understand what was happening.


    ¡®What the hell is this?¡¯


    It was a question that hinted that she had been listening to the conversation so far.


    -I asked where you heard the r-r-rumor. Oh¡­ I-I guess you can¡¯t answer right now. I-I made a mistake. It would be quicker to meet up and ask.


    ¡®How could she hear that? No, more importantly¡­ is she using magic?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know all the details; I couldn¡¯t even tell what kind of magic it was. It felt even more disconcerting because I couldn¡¯t find any traces of magic power. This was even more so when I could sense that my wall of magic power being used to block out voices leaking out was still there.


    I didn¡¯t even notice that someone had intervened against the blocking magic, and in reality, the magic wall was working just fine.


    Theoretically, no one should be able to hear what we were talking about.


    I thought it could be a unique ability or some other kind of skill, but it was quite difficult to eavesdrop on our conversation even with those kinds of abilities.


    It naturally nagged me.


    The voice that I kept hearing was not only a bit strange, but it was also giving me goosebumps.


    ¡®Who is it?¡¯


    I slowly looked around, curious about who was conveying her thoughts to me.


    However, only a few of the party members and Kim Hyunsung were still among the remaining people.


    ¡°Kylie, is there anything making you ufortable?¡±


    ¡°No. Blue Guild Master¡­ it¡¯s that just now¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I- It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    ¡®Damn. What is it, really?¡¯


    ¡°I want to hear more about what you were saying earlier¡­ The fact that a person named Gerhan of Hellfire and Kiyoung are hanging out¡­¡±


    ¡°As I said, he¡¯s someone of very poor quality. I thought it was a simple misunderstanding, but it doesn¡¯t seem like that when looking at your face. Do you have any concerns?¡±


    ¡°No. I don¡¯t have any particr concerns. Of course, I am a little worried about him in another way¡­ he¡¯s beening back drunk more frequently. I feel like he¡¯s been drinking more than usual. Still, he kepting to the mock battles or joint training¡­¡±


    ¡°Then the rumors¡­¡±


    ¡°No. It can¡¯t be. Kiyoung likes to meet people, but he is well put together, so perhaps it¡¯s not what you¡¯re thinking.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Of course, I¡¯m just saying this out of concern. I was worried that the Honorary Cardinal might get caught up in a bad scandal¡­ Still, he¡¯s like a pir of the State. These rumors could hurt his image, right? It could be someone¡¯s malicious rumors. Of course, it¡¯ll also be a bit of a drag to call it a simple misunderstanding¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s better to wait and see a bit more right now and talk to him if you get worried. It¡¯s important to solve these problems through conversation.¡±


    -C-C-Come to the bathroom. You¡¯ll be in trouble if you don¡¯te. Y-You have toe, okay? If you don¡¯te, I will go after you. Come, quickly.


    ¡®What the hell is this?¡¯


    The moment I tried to continue talking, I heard the voice once again. However, I still couldn¡¯t find its owner.


    I thought it wouldn¡¯t really matter if I ignore it, but for some reason¡­


    ¡®I have a bad feeling about this.¡¯


    I thought it would be better to go there.


    My consciousness was telling me, of course, not to go. It was saying that I would be safe if I ignored the words in my head, but on the other hand, I wanted to check what the voice really was. It all felt like some sort of horror movie in my head.


    ¡®I wonder if this dweeb knows something.¡¯


    However, I didn¡¯t want toplicate things.


    -I-I-I just want to ask a few questions.


    It could be an enemy¡¯s trap, or it could be that the Blue, who had now noticed the n, was nning something in return.


    If not, it might be the forces of other guilds.


    Since the ce wasn¡¯t the guildhall of the Manhattan Guild, I couldn¡¯t bepletely at ease, but it was absurd to think that the Blue would get rid of me right in the guildhall.


    Even if the voice was from an enemy, I was sure that it would not harm my body.


    -M-move q-quickly¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®I¡¯ll follow my guts.¡¯


    Eventually, I stood up.


    What the owner of the voice wanted was just a conversation, after all.


    ¡°Just a second¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh. Okay.¡±


    I walked towards the bathroom, all whilst swallowing hard.


    I would hate to leave the impression that I had been away for a long time during a meal, but it would be no exaggeration to say that I had already achieved some goals with Kim Hyunsung.


    It wasn¡¯t something great, however.


    ¡®Since I only did the basics.¡¯


    The rest could be done both gradually and slowly.


    There was still plenty of time and plenty of opportunities. The unidentified voice had toe before that.


    As I continued to walk, I finally arrived at the destination. As soon as I slowly breathed in and opened the door, I saw a familiar face. In fact, it was hard to say that it was familiar. It was my first time to be with her in person.


    ¡®Jung Hayan.¡¯


    This was the Blue¡¯s promising archmage.


    Although Lee Kiyoung and Kim Hyunsung rtively shadowed her, she was also one of the characters that all the guilds were paying attention to.


    Although it was a bit much to say that she was on the same level of the State¡¯s eight seats, she could be fully called a wizard whopeted for the top of the continent.


    When I carefully went in front of the sink, I heard a voice right next to me.


    ¡°Y-you came. Thank God.¡±


    ¡°It was you.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ yes. I-I¡¯m sorry to be so s-sudden. I mean. I was too curious¡­¡±


    ¡°How was it possible to hear our voices through the barrier blocked by magic power? And was it just my thoughts that you conveyed your voice in my head? Or is it kind of magic like a unique ability or an attribute? Or was it a spell¡­ no, more importantly¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s h-hard ¡­ to exin it¡­ I-I¡¯ll let you knowter. First¡­ my questiones first. Right? I a-asked you first, didn¡¯t I? Right?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ yes. So the question is¡­¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ I asked where you heard the rumor.¡±


    ¡°What rumor¡­¡±


    ¡°The one that says that oppa is hanging out with bad people.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You said that every night, he hangs out with bad women and that he gets drunk, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I can¡¯t remember where I heard it exactly¡­¡±


    ¡®She¡¯s a bit weird. Is she an idiot?¡¯


    She really did seem a little weird in the head.


    ¡®They said she was a genius¡­¡¯


    The opposite seemed more convincing.


    Her body was trembling as if she had the flu, and her eyes were red. Her skin was strangely white, and her lips were shaking.


    The way she kept stuttering seemed to be suffering from some sort of schizophrenia.


    From the very first time I saw her, I felt something strange, but when I looked at her right in front of me, I could clearly see she wasn¡¯t normal.


    ¡°It could be a l-lie. It must be a rumor.¡±


    ¡®Fools are easy to use¡­ Could I use her?¡¯


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s unconvincing, considering he¡¯s not evening to the guild dorm¡­e to think of it, what kind of rtionship do you have with the Honorary Cardinal¡­¡±


    ¡°We l-l-l-love e-each other¡­¡±


    ¡°I heard he¡¯s dating the Mercenary Queen¡­¡±


    ¡°D-Don¡¯t even talk about her. I¡­ really hate C-Cha Hee-ra. Before that¡­ where exactly did you hear the rumor? Who saw it? W-Who heard it?¡±


    ¡°I only heard it, so I don¡¯t know the details¡­ I think it¡¯s almost certain, though. The people whom the Honorary Cardinal has been hanging out with recently aren¡¯t that high in quality¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not lying¡­ a-are you?¡±


    ¡°Why would I lie?¡±


    ¡°Do you know what kind of women they are? Where are they from? Are they all dirty women? They must be, right? They must be all dirty women.¡±


    ¡°No. I don¡¯t know exactly¡­¡±


    ¡°W-w-why is there so many things you don¡¯t know? A-a-aren¡¯t you lying? I really hate lies. I especially hate these kinds of lies¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not lying¡­¡±


    Just as I said uttered those words, my eyes locked in with hers.


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t understand it, but the inside of the bathroom momentarily became dark, and it felt as if my arm had been blown to one side.


    I tried to scream, but my voice refused toe out.


    My stomach opened, my guts poured out, and the des of the winding from all sides began to cut at my whole body.


    There were no preemptive measures taken before it all happened.


    ¡®Ah-aaaaaahhhh!¡¯


    My muscles were torn, and my skin was slowly getting sliced apart.


    It felt like I had been minced until I became mushy, and it also seemed that I was bing more and more a chunk of meat.


    ¡®Kill¡­ kill me. Kill me.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t unreasonable to beg for death.


    What was happening was something I couldn¡¯t even imagine- something I couldn¡¯t properly express in words.


    I tried to move somehow, but my body wouldn¡¯t listen. The madwoman began to scream iprehensively and stabbed with a dagger all over my body.


    ¡®Please stop¡­ please. I. Am sorry¡­ I¡­¡¯


    After about a minute or so, I started to vomit like I was waking up from a dream.


    ¡°aarrghhh!¡±


    Instead of the ck scenery, I saw the bathroom.


    Unlike earlier, when it was covered with blood, the tile floor was clearly visible.


    ¡®I survived¡­ I-I survived.¡¯


    I touch my body and my limbs.


    I just started to grope my body desperately, holding back the vomit and thinking what had happened to my body, if everything was normal.


    ¡®What did I see? What the hell had I just seen?¡¯


    A series of phenomena that I couldn¡¯t understand since earlier had just transpired.


    I didn¡¯t know if this was because of the aftereffect, but my legs were bing rubbery.


    Without knowing it, I sat down on the vomited floor, and tears wereing out of my eyes like rain.


    It felt like she had gone mad. I was trembling so much that I couldn¡¯t even speak.


    Of course, I couldn¡¯t figure out the current situation properly, but I understood who caused the phenomenon.


    ¡°Tell me seriously now. That¡¯s not a lie, right?¡±


    It had been a long time since I realized that something was wrong.


    The advantage that Lee Kiyoung, Kim Hyunsung, and Lindel¡¯s three great guilds, or the Blue, had.


    I couldn¡¯t think of anything about the n in my head.


    No, in order to live, I shouldn¡¯t think. I couldn¡¯t think of anything else.


    The most important thing was to turn the false rumors shed somewhat like a joke into facts.


    That way, the same phenomenon could be prevented from happening.


    ¡°M-Maybe.¡±


    I was feeling as if I was falling into a pit that I couldn¡¯t escape.


    I had no choice but to hope that the State¡¯s Honorary Cardinal, a symbol of integrity and innocence, would eventually corrupt himself.

 Chapter 474: Driving A Wedge (5)

    <h4>Chapter 474: Driving A Wedge (5)</h4>


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think they¡¯ve been a bit obvious recently?¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, who? Their group.¡±


    ¡°Ohh. Them. Well, you don¡¯t have to worry too much about them.¡±


    ¡°Will it be okay?¡±


    ¡°Seeing what they¡¯re doing these days is pretty cute. Not to mention, they can¡¯t act to the extreme. They must be more cautious than us. If they get caught, they¡¯re the ones that¡¯ll be screwed.¡±


    ¡°So what, can I assume that we¡¯re doing fine, Kim Hyunsung, except for him?¡±


    ¡°H-Hyunsung is fine, too.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, fine? Honestly, you agree, right? It won¡¯t change much if you throw alms this way. No matter how much money the Blue Guild has, I don¡¯t really understand how they could willingly build shelters for free. You probably can¡¯t even imagine how I had to stop Yeon-joo when she said she wanted to help. The ck Swan is not as generous as Blue, and there are many businesses that we opened recently¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re aiming for a popr image¡­ Honestly, in the Blue Guild¡¯s case, there are no more images left to be piled up. If you really think that this kind of welfare can improve training quality, I want you to know that you thought wrong. It¡¯s obvious that some groups would be celebrating that they caught a pushover. There is no need to say anything else.¡±


    ¡°Still, there are some guys who are actually being pretty nice. It doesn¡¯t mean that it doesn¡¯t work at all. Of course, it¡¯s not perfect.¡±


    ¡°Did you know you¡¯re being really funny by protecting them? Even so, it¡¯s already been a few days since time has passed without meaning¡­ Can you really be doing this?¡±


    ¡®No¡­ I don¡¯t think I should be doing this, Jihye.¡¯


    Although I had taken Kim Hyunsung¡¯s side, I had no choice but to agree with her.


    I didn¡¯t know how much time we had left for him trying to fix it in that way, but it was not unreasonable to feel frustrated.


    In the meantime, Kim Hyunsung continued with his own struggle.


    He used his head in his own way to lighten up the mood of the stagnant joint training.


    In addition to building a dorm with the remaining mass-produced materials used in Crack Land, the workforce to build it and supplies were also supported under the guild¡¯s name.


    Although I felt his willingness to make them not pay attention to anything other than training, it was obvious that this wouldn¡¯t be effective.


    It might help those who were willing to do it in the first ce, but those who werezy were actively rejecting Kim Hyunsung¡¯s solution.


    He naively thought that something would change if he worked hard.


    Actually, Kim Hyunsung¡¯s daily routine had be a lot busier.


    In the tight schedule of both training and work, teaching swordsmanship to other guilds and ns had now been added, and it continued on untilte in the night.


    When I checked his eyes with my own, he seemed a little sad.


    However, this wasn¡¯t without results.


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s swordsmanship ss, which had started with a small number of people, began to increase more and more, and their enthusiasm also seemed to overflow.


    It would be strange if there were no achievements as it was training with people who now wanted to learn.


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s teachings had also been passed around by word of mouth¡­


    Of course, he couldn¡¯t get more results than that.


    Some of the influential people doubted whether or not Kim Hyunsung was trying to steal the talented adventurers, and as a result, more guilds deliberately refused to send their members to the training center.


    The guild units had even blocked even free training, creating quite theedic situation.


    The only thing that remained was a few really enthusiastic members and a few guilds who asked to be taught with the risk of getting embarrassed.


    As time went on, they generally becamezier andzier, and some groups even showed behavior as if they were in reserve forces training. I didn¡¯t know about how Kim Hyunsung felt, but at least it was natural for me to feel that I couldn¡¯t just sit and watch.


    ¡®Tsk¡­¡¯


    A small number of people had been positively affected, but there were still more who were negatively affected.


    I was sure that the utopia, which had blown a new breeze with passion, will, and effort, would nevere. Perhaps he gradually realized that it wasn¡¯t looking good.


    ¡®It will be frustrating.¡¯


    Some didn¡¯t even move, even with people pulling them from the front and pushing them from behind.


    When there was a mock battle with the Lindel Union or the Blue, they would often pull their party back, saying they weren¡¯t feeling well. They boycotted it because they knew their party members would get hurt.


    When the situation was already looking bad, even Cha Hee-ra said, ¡®I won¡¯t do it either. The same goes for our members. It¡¯s not fun¡¯ and lowered the tension, and Elena and the other races also changed the line with the feeling that they were only participating in the training formally.


    I could tell that the overall atmosphere suddenly subsided without having to participate in training.


    ¡°In the meantime, the deep-rooted evils are still trying to drive a wedge. Compared to you, they don¡¯t even feel like deep-rooted evils. They must look cute in your eyes.¡±


    ¡®You¡¯re too mean, Jihye.¡¯


    ¡°Are you still just ying along with them?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because there must be something that I can use out of it. For now, I¡¯m just testing the waters. Well, I still haven¡¯t figured out exactly how many people have joined them. Hyunsung doesn¡¯t seem to know yet¡­ If he¡¯s not saying anything, it means that he trusts me that much.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a great kind of trust. You¡¯re doing it almost every day¡­ honestly, your life is almost¡­ trashy these days.¡±


    ¡°I might have been acting like trash, but it wasn¡¯t useless. He might wonder if I¡¯m nning something again.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ oppa.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Can I solve this?¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s still a secret for now. Honestly, I¡¯m not sure, but I don¡¯t think there is any other way to do it. You just have to act as usual. No, go have fun with them more actively.¡±


    ¡®It doesn¡¯t sound like a bum deal¡­¡¯


    I had to think that if it was Lee Jihye, it was almost certain, especially when she stepped forward like that.


    First, it felt like it wouldn¡¯t be bad to agree. I was a little puzzled as to exactly how she would do it, but¡­


    When I saw Park Deokgu, who came to me less than a few hours ago, I felt convinced.


    ¡®She¡¯s a real demon.¡¯


    ¡°Hyung-nim¡­ is it true that you might leave the Blue Guild?¡±


    ¡®It was this.¡¯


    I started to smile.


    ¡°Just tell me if it¡¯s true or not.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a rumor. Who told you that?¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know where the rumors came from, but¡­ well, that¡¯s what¡¯s going around.¡±


    Why couldn¡¯t I think of that?


    I felt a bit stupid. If one couldn¡¯t pull, then push. The solution proved to be much easier than I had initially thought.


    So far, I hadn¡¯t spoken with Kim Hyunsung on that matter.


    I was hoping for him to get exhausted, and that it was best to wait. It should have worked overtime, but it was undeniable that I now felt a bit frustrated.


    Lee Jihye¡¯s solution to it was very simple.


    ¡®It means that I need to respond actively the way the deep-rooted evils want.¡¯


    Simply put, it ended with pretending to be caught in the wedge.


    She was leaking the rumors that Lee Kiyoung was having bad ideas about the Blue and Kim Hyunsung.


    Of course, it seemed that Kim Hyunsung hadn¡¯t yet noticed that there was a third force trying to tear the Blue apart, but if I made it obvious, he would have no choice but to feel it.


    It was clear that he would have time to rethink about the deep-rooted evils I had been meeting with.


    In fact, I felt a bit anxious from my perspective, but at least I couldn¡¯t deny that it was something worth trying.


    To some of the people who were clouding the atmosphere, our Hyunsung had to be disillusioned. As a result, he would feel that there must be some other solution.


    It turned out that the group that was supporting us both materially and emotionally was trying to tear us apart.


    I was, in fact, affected by the trick.


    It meant it was a situation where even Buddha could explode.


    ¡®Even if Hyunsung is an excessively good-natured person, if he just stays still to this, he¡¯s a pushover.¡¯


    At least at that point, I could be sure that there was no effective mean as that.


    Although we were a bit far, Kim Hyunseong still cared about me more than anyone else¡­


    Even if he didn¡¯t, he would have to take some action as I upied arge portion of the Blue.


    It was only proper for me to talk about it as if it was nothing.


    ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous.¡±


    ¡°Is it true?¡±


    I answered vaguely.


    ¡°There is still a contract term left, and there is nowhere for me to go, even if I left Blue right now. I don¡¯t know from where or how you heard that, but you don¡¯t have to worry about it, Deokgu. Don¡¯t worry about anything else and focus on training.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    ¡°What exactly did you hear?¡±


    ¡°Well, no big deal. Rumors have it that you are hanging out with bad people these days¡­ that you might leave Lindel because of that¡­ that you¡¯re now disillusioned with the Blue so that you can move to the Union. Hyung-nim, did you have a fight with hyung-ssi?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re past the age to be fighting.¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t mean that. I¡¯m asking if there is a conflict of opinion or something like that.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing like that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d then¡­¡±


    ¡®She¡¯s leaked quite a lot.¡¯


    Whenever I heard about an unknown rumor from Park Deokgu, I had tomend her work.


    Considering the rumors Lee Jihye leaked, it would be safe to assume that she was picturing the same thing as I was.


    The thing that was bothering me was that Park Deokgu knew too much.


    ¡®Is this normal? What the hell is with this bastard?¡¯


    Usually, when spreading those kinds of rumors, it was inevitable to release information little by little. Otherwise, the spreader would get exposed.


    Of course, Lee Jihye couldn¡¯t make such a rudimentary mistake.


    She would¡¯ve intended to spread it slowly from all directions, and it was obvious that at least a few days had to pass before the rumor settled.


    ¡®How does this bastard know about it in detail? It¡¯s as if he heard it himself.¡¯


    I knew he was sensitive to gossip, but¡­


    ¡®Does he even have an attribute rted to this?¡¯


    Just in case, I tried to activate the Mind¡¯s Eyes quietly, but nothing had changed.


    I guessed it could be called an innate ability. It hadn¡¯t even been a few hours since Jihye started with her n!


    ¡®Isn¡¯t he hiding an Information Specialist Guild?¡¯


    It was just a joke, but looking at the past, it felt usible.


    ¡°I sometimes have to suspect if that bastard has regressed, too.¡±

 Chapter 475: Driving A Wedge (6)

    <h4>Chapter 475: Driving A Wedge (6)</h4>


    Unlike Park Deokgu, who absorbed rumors by floating in the air like a sponge, it took time for the rumors from Lee Jihye to settle.


    It was slow as she had intended, but it gradually started to spread throughout.


    Of course, blocking Park Deokgu¡¯s mouth was a necessity, not an option. If other impurities intervened, the problem would getplicated.


    Rumors of unknown origin were passed by mouth at the training grounds and dorms. Shortly afterward, they began to enter the ears of executive adventurers.


    Naturally, even those who dismissed it as a simple tabloid went into investigation.


    I was sure it wouldn¡¯t take a few days to reach Kim Hyunsung¡¯s ears, who wasn¡¯t all that sensitive to information or tabloid.


    ¡®What is Park Deokgu, really?¡¯


    After hearing those rumors settling with my eyes, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder about Park Deokgu¡¯s ability again. He only took a few hours to gather the information that needed days to be gained and connected.


    I seriously considered getting him to work in the intelligence department in Blue.


    ¡®He strangely has good guts ¡­¡¯


    He seemed to be able to work as much as two people did. Regardless, everything was running smoothly.


    As for me, I was able to find out that the deep-rooted evil group at the joint training ground had a toast without me having to go there. There were dozens of guests in and out of my office every day.


    Of course, the reason why was obvious.


    ¡°It would be nice toe here once this training is over. Although there was something between the Magic Kingdom and the State, isn¡¯t it all in the past? The support system is so well established that it wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that it¡¯s been both a blessing for professions based on magic. If you see it for yourself, you will surely be surprised.¡±


    ¡°The President of the Republic sent a letter in person, Honorary Cardinal. The details are sealed. Hence, I couldn¡¯t check it myself, but if you tell him what you want, he told me to say that he would listen to it as actively as possible. And this¡­ he said it was a personal gift. It¡¯s apparently a treasure that has long been handed down to the Republic¡­¡±


    ¡°The northern area is a little cold, but¡­ it still has its own beauty. I will tell you this in advance. If you are thinking about a transfer, please keep the North in mind. You can write the terms of the contract as you wish.¡±


    These were only some of the words that came out of people¡¯s mouths.


    ¡®It has a greater ripple effect than I thought¡­¡¯


    It wouldn¡¯t be too much to feel that way.


    Even though I hadn¡¯t directly announced my official position on the transfer issue, numerous powerful people lit up at the opportunity.


    Since therge guilds, that I only had heard the name of, made country-level proposals, the proposals that came with them all proved to be surprising.


    Although I secretly said that I wasn¡¯t thinking of transferring yet, most people seemed to believe otherwise. I felt like they thought that the transfer had already been confirmed.


    I thought my value would be fine and popr, but I honestly didn¡¯t expect it to be that much.


    The President of the Republic, the Union of Commonwealth Leaders, and even the United Kingdom¡¯s royal family were pushing their best cards at me so I¡¯d be their son-ofw.


    ¡®Light Kiyoung¡¯s status is surely big.¡¯


    It was convincing, but it was undeniable that I felt good when I recalled the past of having sacrificed myself for the continent.


    ¡®I guess the rumor is well established.¡¯


    The information was that clear.


    My behavior itself would have given believability to the information.


    Lately, I had been reducing my time in the guildhall altogether except for seeing Jung Hayan or preparing for training. I hadn¡¯t even met Kim Hyunsung.


    It was also unexined how the discord between the Blue Guild Master Kim Hyunsung and Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung had spread out in all directions, almost as if it had wings.


    At that point, he also realized something strange.


    Most of the guild members were covering it up, but the guild¡¯s atmosphere seemed to be in a bad spot recently. Those in assassin positions like Kim Ye-ri and Kim Chang-ryul couldn¡¯t even be seen in the guild house, so maybe¡­


    ¡®They must be prying for information.¡¯


    He had only begun to move in earnest.


    ¡®Too slow¡­¡¯


    I was almost in charge of the information department management of the Blue Guild, so it¡¯s understandable, but it was such a shame that he was too slow.


    Regardless, since the situation was like that, I heard the news that Kim Hyunsung was noticeably nervous. It was a little pleasurable to hear news about him after the day¡¯s work.


    I wanted him to suffer as much as I had been struggling, and it was something that I wanted to enjoy. It was a chance to preupy the strong position in the rtionship with him after such a long time.


    Of course, it didn¡¯t take long for him toe to me.


    The problem was that I was taking a slightly ambiguous attitude there.


    ¡°Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Can Ie in?¡±


    ¡°Oh. Come in, Hyunsung.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ excuse me for a moment.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s definitely working.¡¯


    Seeing himing agitated, I felt like he was reflecting on himself.


    It was understandable.


    He had gotten better recently since he was more at ease, but he suffered from an unknown PTSD and distanced himself from me until then. He confessed to Bitch-ere that he was the problem, but he never talked to me directly about it.


    From the standpoint of Lee Kiyoung, who didn¡¯t know anything, it wasn¡¯t unreasonable to think, ¡®Why did Kim Hyunsung suddenly be strangely distant?¡¯


    Of course, he expressed his but considering the old days, he still seemed like he was a few feet away from me.


    Although he was friendly enough, he would feel a strange sense of distance himself. There was a saying that one should value others when the person was around.


    ¡®That¡¯s right.¡¯


    Nothing had been decided yet, but Kim Hyunsung seemed to know that feeling better than anyone else.


    Before the Crack Museum, it was me who was in an urgent situation. Kim Hyunsung must be having simr thoughts as I was from that time.


    ¡°I¡¯m just about to finish my dyed work. It feels like it¡¯s been a while since we¡¯re both busy.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Since we¡¯re both busy¡­ Are you going out today too?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Probably so. There are people I haven¡¯t even met yet. Gerhan of the Federation said that he would introduce me to other people. Actually, I¡¯m a little tired, but¡­ It¡¯s an opportunity to make good connections. I mean, Gerhan is¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°It seemed that the Federation is quite generous. They have a widework of connections and many rted businesses, so I think I can get lots of help from them.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    He had a somewhat gloomy expression.


    ¡®How much did you know?¡¯


    I felt a little curious.


    ¡®He¡¯d already noticed that a rumor is going around.¡¯


    That was because it was too easy.


    I would¡¯ve been disappointed with Kim Hyunsung if he didn¡¯t notice even that much, considering the influential people from all continents constantly entered and exited my office.


    ¡®Did you even notice that there¡¯s been a third party?¡¯


    If it were Kim Ye-ri or Kim Chang-ryul, they would have known that by then.


    There was a possibility that Kim Hyunsung came to me because of that.


    I thought that would be the case when I thought about the speed at which he was doing things.


    I couldn¡¯t rule out the possibility that he was a little slower without me, but Ye-ri and Chang-ryul weren¡¯t ipetent in their own ways. As I slowly looked at Kim Hyunsung, I noticed that he had the same expression as a dog wanting to defecate.


    He was such a poor conversationalist, so it was likely that he was wondering how to talk first.


    Was it true that I was thinking of leaving the Blue?


    What did I hear from the man named Gerhan?


    Why had I avoided him recently? Did I have any dissatisfaction with the Blue? Did I know anything about the third party trying to tear the Blue apart?


    ¡°Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Um¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Recently¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I mean¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­?¡±


    ¡®Fuck. So frustrating.¡¯


    Waiting for him felt utterly frustrating. Should I speak first?


    As soon as I was about to speak out, Kim Hyunsung opened his mouth.


    ¡°I heard a strange rumor¡­recently.¡±


    ¡°Hmm? What rumor?¡±


    ¡°By any chance¡­ do you have any disappointment with the Blue¡­ or with me?¡±


    ¡®You¡¯re asking this first, huh.¡¯


    It felt like it was difficult for him to open his mouth.


    It seemed that he still thought it was too premature to talk about Kylie Yale, Gerhan, or Jami.


    ¡®He has a firm belief, but there is no obvious physical evidence.¡¯


    If he had certain information, he would have talked a little more radically. Still, his personality was too nice.


    Even if guys were driving a wedge beside him, he didn¡¯t think he would find the primary problem in himself. It was no wonder that my heart frowned upon the dog-like face that looked like he was on the verge of being abandoned.


    Even though I knew I shouldn¡¯t do it, I started to soften up.


    ¡°No. There is nothing that¡¯s particrly a problem. I am fully grateful to Blue and Hyunsung. In a way, I can say that I was able toe this far only because of Hyunsung. I wouldn¡¯t be here if Hyunsung didn¡¯t save me in the tutorial dungeon that day.¡±


    ¡®Good line.¡¯


    The way I said it seemed like I was preparing myself for a farewell.


    Anxiety began to overwhelm his face.


    ¡°N-No. I¡¯m just grateful to Kiyoung¡­ if you say it like that, I feel rather embarrassed.¡±


    ¡°There are other things that happened. Thank you for rmending me to be an alchemist. And¡­ thank you so much for reaping me without talent and trusting me to the end.¡±


    ¡®Look at his face. Hyunsung¡­¡¯


    I hadn¡¯t given any definite answers yet, but I continued to give implications.


    Even though he must¡¯ve already felt depressed, he immediately replied in quite an urgent manner.


    ¡°I have heard that you are preparing for a transfer. I know you¡¯ve been in and out with several guild masterstely.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not something to be worried about, though.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°It was rumored, after all. It¡¯s a bit¡­¡±


    ¡°No. In fact¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°In fact, it¡¯s hard to call itpletely a rumor. Of course, there is still a hard part to say that it¡¯s something, but there has indeed been a change in mind recently¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I am at the stage of serious consideration.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡®Why is he making a face like that?¡¯


    He looked as if the sky had copsed.

 Chapter 476: You Didn’t Do It, Did You? (1)

    <h4>Chapter 476: You Didn¡¯t Do It, Did You? (1)</h4>


    ¡®I¡¯ve never seen him make such a face.¡¯


    When I thought of how he usually acted, I simply thought it was shocking. Although it was momentary, it seemed he couldn¡¯t hide all of his feelings.


    I couldn¡¯t find an appropriate word to express how he looked with his mouth open. If I had to, the most appropriate would be that he looked as if the sky had fallen.


    He looked like he had lost a country, causing me to feel surprised as well. He seemed both startled and sorrowful.


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s face, filled with all kinds of emotions, quickly returned to its original state, but it still remained flustered. It must be clear that he couldn¡¯t have imagined that things would turn like that.


    ¡®Right. It¡¯s understandable.¡¯


    He had heard the rumors, but he had thought that there would be no way I would do that.


    He would have thought there was that much of a bond between us. In fact, considering the attachments I had to Lindel and the Blue, it was natural to judge that such an oue would not be possible.


    Even if he heard rumors that I might suddenly transfer, he wouldn¡¯t have felt it was real.


    Amid the changing surroundings, he would have regarded them as rumors, and he was probably hoping that was the case.


    However, the rumors ended up bing true.


    It was enough to say that he looked like a husband who did nothing but work hard but still receiving a sudden divorce notice from his wife, who was tired and lonely.


    ¡®You should have followed the famous saying, ¡®the strength of a nation derives from the integrity of the home,¡¯ Hyunsung.¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung, who looked at me while pretending to be calm, continued to talk.


    ¡°What do you mean you¡¯re in a stage of serious consideration¡­?¡±


    ¡°It is as I said. Actually, I didn¡¯t want to tell you about it this way. I haven¡¯te to a definite decision yet. I meant to tell you when I was a bit more resolute with my decision, but since you brought it up first¡­ I thought it would be better to tell you now. Come to think of it. It was better to say this first. You¡¯ll have to decide on a sessor and go through the handover process¡­ I think this is just the right timing.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°T-That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°I do apologize for having to tell you this out of nowhere.¡±


    ¡°Is that¡­ true?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Actually, I¡¯ve been thinking about it for a few months now.¡±


    ¡®Exactly from the day you started avoiding me, Hyunsung.¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I think it wouldn¡¯t be bad to start anew in a different environment. There have been many things that have happened in the meantime, and I am a little embarrassed to say this, but I think that the Blue Guild now would remain strong and powerful even without me, so I thought it would be nice to move¡­ where I¡¯m needed more.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not. The Blue Guild is still growing, and there are piles of things that have not yet beenpleted¡­ It¡¯s absolutely not.¡±


    Our Hyunsung felt very embarrassed as he said this. I could see that he had a lot on his mind.


    He wanted to stop me, but he didn¡¯t seem to know how to say it. He was originally a man who had almost no conversation skills, after all.


    I didn¡¯t know if he was aware of it, but he was stuttering like Jung Hayan, and his fingers were constantly moving. His eyes were also running around all over the ce¡­ I wasn¡¯t used to such behavioring from him. It made me feel like his expressions were unfamiliar.


    ¡°Still, it seems a bit premature yet. Of course, I can understand Kiyoung¡¯s thoughts to some extent¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I-If there¡¯s anything you¡¯re upset about me¡­¡±


    Still, I knew he was not that slow.


    It seemed that he was entering an internal investigation into the cause of my sudden thought.


    ¡®He must have a guilty conscience.¡¯


    His behavior wherein he had been avoiding me must being to his mind. Of course, I couldn¡¯t say anything about the reason.


    Wasn¡¯t I doing this to get a bit better treatment in the first ce?


    ¡°There is nothing like that. As I said earlier, I¡¯m just grateful to Hyunsung¡­¡±


    ¡°Still¡­ if anything is bothering you, I would like to hear from you immediately. Whatever you are ufortable with, we will try to amodate it as much as possible- no, we¡¯ll amodate you unconditionally. Please.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t really decided on anything yet. I know what I said, but there is a high possibility that I will still remain in the Blue.¡±


    ¡®I guess he could still tell that I already had one foot out of the door.¡¯


    I was already acting like that.


    ¡°Still¡­ if you have any concerns¡­ we will meet your conditions as much as possible. It seems that you are getting paid much less than how much you work¡­ and I don¡¯t think you¡¯ve been able to enjoy a proper vacation so far. The guild, no, I will set up everything you need.¡±


    ¡°No. You don¡¯t have to.¡±


    ¡°The Blue still needs you. No, actually, I need you more than the Blue does.¡±


    ¡®Please refrain from making misleadingments, Hyunsung.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m sitting in the Guild Master¡¯s seat, but I have never thought that I made the guild grow alone. I always thought of Kiyoung as the owner of the Blue too¡­ If you tell me you¡¯re transferring so suddenly, I honestly wouldn¡¯t know how to react.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry.¡±


    ¡°But-¡±


    ¡°I will still help with the potion business, and the Crack Museum operated by the Blue will keep going on. There probably will be no problems with ie. In addition to that, I will try to teach what I¡¯ve done so far so you can maintain what I have left behind. You won¡¯t have problems without me. The same goes for the Blue members. It will be a bit hard to convince them, but I¡¯m taking some measures to ensure that either Hayan or Elena remains at the Blue¡­¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not saying this because I¡¯m worried about that. It¡¯s not because of that¡­¡±


    ¡®This is fun. I should have done this earlier.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m not really worried about that¡­ Actually, it doesn¡¯t matter if the business we¡¯re doing in the Blue is maintained or not. That¡¯s not where my concern lies.¡±


    ¡®Why didn¡¯t I do this earlier? Fuck¡­¡¯


    ¡°Oh! I-If you¡¯re transferring, can I ask which one you¡¯re thinking of going to?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure yet, but the federal side¡­¡±


    ¡®The answer is too obvious.¡¯


    ¡°If it¡¯s the Federation¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m considering transferring to Gerhan and Jami¡¯s Federation. Exactly which guild or n I will enter is still under discussion, but the region will certainly be on the federal side. They said that the view of the sea is very beautiful.¡±


    At this, his face became ambiguous.


    He looked as if he was saying that he knew it all along. The puzzle was being put together in his head right at that moment.


    Since he already had a firm belief, he could finally make a proper judgment at that moment.


    He found the answer to, ¡®Why did Lee Kiyoung, who loved the State and Lindel, think about moving to the Federation?¡¯


    He tried to find the problem on himself, but when things didn¡¯t go well, it seemed safe to assume that he started looking for problemsing from external forces. Even if I didn¡¯t say it, he must have thought of Gerhan of Hellfire and Jami when the word Federation came out¡­


    One of the Blue¡¯s pirs had suddenly revealed his intention to transfer. His expression had now be colder.


    I had to be a little curious about how he woulde out.


    ¡°Contrary to popr rumors, they are good people. It seems they are very thoughtful¡­ Honestly, their level doesn¡¯t seem to be very high, but it felt like they have potential. In particr, it seemed that their guild is going through a lot of difficulties, so they asked for my help.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ see.¡±


    ¡°Come to think of it, isn¡¯t Kylie Yale, who has been recently hanging out with you, a member of the Federation?¡±


    ¡®What a coincidence, Hyunsung, right?¡¯


    ¡°Yes. Probably so. She hasn¡¯t beening to the guild recently, saying she was busy¡­¡±


    ¡®Since she thought she had achieved her purpose, it¡¯s natural for her to stoping.¡¯


    ¡°Then you must have heard a lot about them. In fact, from the perspective of the State, the least known ce is the Federation¡­ It seemed there were a lot of amazing things there, and a lot of things I could gain. It was especially interesting that many dungeons have not been attacked yet. Of course, the legendary-grade and heroic-grade dungeons are currently being blocked, but¡­ anyway, it was nice to have a conversation after such a long time, Hyunsung. Excuse me, but I have to go¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ yes. I¡¯m sorry. I took too much of your time¡­¡±


    ¡°No. You didn¡¯t. It was also a fun time for me. Ah! I¡¯m saying this just in case, but I hope you keep this a secret from guild members or any external forces until it bes clearer. We have some important training ahead, and I am worried that they will be confused in this situation. As you know well, they are shaken very easily.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I hope you don¡¯t tell anyone, especially Deokgu or Hayan.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ I¡¯ll be heading out first.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Then¡­¡±


    ¡®Hyunsung. It hurts a bit, but this is all for you. I think you know better how to do it.¡¯


    I finished this by showing a sweet-bitter face quietly.


    I depicted that I confessed everything I was worried about.


    My facial expression acting deserved to be called perfect. I passed by Kim Hyunsung as if I were saying goodbye, but all he did was look at me with aplicated expression.


    I was sure he¡¯d move to get to the bottom of the matter after I leave. He had such a desperate face, after all.


    Obviously, he would continue to investigate the federal side, which he was already doing, as well as ponder what he could do to keep me. I was also curious about how he woulde out when it had been confirmed that a third party was involved.


    I was worried that he would tell me to leave without regrets, but I thought I wouldn¡¯t have to worry about it when I saw his desperate expression. This meant that Kim Hyunsung never intended to let me go.


    It felt like he was going to try to keep me at any cost.


    I was curious as to what cards woulde after the sry negotiation card and the vacation card, and it became a little fun overall.


    All I needed to do then was sit quietly and wait happily since I had already prepared the ground and threw the bait.


    What was different from before was that the waiting wouldn¡¯t be as long.


    He¡¯de up with an answer that day if he was quick or tomorrow if he was slow.


    Since he was in a very desperate situation, he would solve the problem using any means possible.


    The probability was low, but there was also the possibility of appealing to the fact that he was a returner which was why he¡¯s me to remain. I knew it sounded too much, but with the cards he had, he¡¯d have a usible justification.


    The situation wasn¡¯t all that bad.


    Until I heard his news exactly 28 hourster, I had to think everything was perfect.


    ¡°Vice Guild Master¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°The Federation¡­ The Federation¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°The Federation has copsed. We¡¯re trying to figure out exactly what happened, and the rumors are¡­ that one-fifth of the northwest area ispletely ruined. The damage continues to umte right now¡­ they said that their function as a nation could no longer be restored.¡±


    That waspletely unexpected bullsh*t.


    ¡®Hyunsung¡­ fuck¡­ you didn¡¯t do this, did you?¡¯

 Chapter 477: You Didn’t Do it, Did You? (2)

    <h4>Chapter 477: You Didn¡¯t Do it, Did You? (2)</h4>


    When I heard the knock on the door in the middle of the night, I felt secretly happy.


    3 a.m. was the time when people were full of sensitivity.


    It was because I thought that Kim Hyunsung woulde to the sacrament of confession. After all, he had already reached the limitations of ying hard to get for a long period.


    I couldn¡¯t help myself from having expectations since I was told that he was so devastated that he couldn¡¯t even do his job properly. Kim Hyunsung¡¯s ssroom was also closed down, and he was unable to attend the mock battles.


    If that wasn¡¯t enough, they said thatst night, he fell asleep alcoholically wasted. It wasn¡¯t unusual to think that he woulde in the end, unable to stand it.


    ¡®Sigh. It¡¯ll be ufortable if hees drunk, though¡­¡¯


    However, contrary to my thoughts, I smiled.


    I opened the closed door dly, but it wasn¡¯t Kim Hyunsung.


    I never thought that I would hear absurd news instead of a sincere confession.


    ¡°Vice Guild Master¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°The Federation¡­ The Federation¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°The Federation has copsed. We¡¯re trying to figure out exactly what happened, and the rumors are¡­ that one-fifth of the northwest area ispletely ruined. The damage continues to umte right now¡­ they said that their function as a nation could no longer be restored.¡±


    ¡®What kind of bullsh*t is that now?¡¯


    Why, all of a sudden¡­


    The first person I thought of was Kim Hyunsung, of course.


    I got a bit of chill, but I thought there was no way he would do that. I shook my head.


    ¡®It doesn¡¯t make sense.¡¯


    The timing was a bit strange, but it¡¯s impossible to think of Kim Hyunsung as the culprit of that incident.


    At that moment, I thought that the situation surrounding me would change. It certainly had changed.


    The problem was that it was in a direction I didn¡¯t expect. Chonobono opened her mouth again as if she saw any disbelief on my face.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to believe, but it¡¯s true. We should go, for now.¡±


    ¡®Is this a prank?¡¯


    I even wondered if Kim Hyunsung prepared a party to keep me.


    There was no time to think about what was going on. I turned the happiness circuit, saying that it was a prank, but after seeing some faces with heavy expressions, the happiness circuit was burned out.


    When I entered the conference room, I could see the leaderships¡¯ sour faces.


    ¡®This is serious¡­¡¯


    Soldiers and secretaries were now going around in a hectic manner.


    There were embarrassment and anxiety on the faces of those sitting with heavy expressions.


    It was training to prepare for a threat, but it seemed that they did not think the actual situation woulde.


    In particr, the federal leaders responded more dramatically than those from other regions.


    ¡°Honorary Cardinal.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ Gerhan.¡±


    ¡°What in the world is going on¡­ do you know anything about it?¡±


    ¡®Why ask me about that? It happened in your area, you bastard. ¡®


    ¡°I have just heard the news. Hasn¡¯t the Federation said anything?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not urate, but I believe we lost contact around 2:00. I-I also heard it from the aide.¡±


    ¡°Were there no briefings?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The official briefing hasn¡¯t¡­ perhaps it will start soon. F-first¡­¡±


    Just as he was about to continue his thoughts, the door of the conference room opened, revealing a familiar face.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°Blue Guild Master. It¡¯s been a long time.¡±


    Gerhan tried to pretend to be nice, but Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t pay him any attention.


    Even if he had be a little emotional, it was natural that I felt like Kim Hyunsung wasn¡¯t behaving normally. I thought he would at least greet him with a nod, but he waspletely ignoring him.


    ¡®What¡¯s up with him?¡¯


    He usually kept hisposure in any extreme situation.


    I was a little puzzled, but it didn¡¯t take long before I realized why.


    ¡®He¡¯s reeking of alcohol.¡¯


    The smell of alcohol hit my nose.


    ¡®How much did he drink?¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t easy for someone with as much magic power as Kim Hyunsung to get drunk like that.


    Seeing him at that moment, he looked terrible.


    He was the type always to keep a neat appearance, but he looked overly haggard. It was a bit unfair to look handsome even with messy hair and an untidy look. Regardless, I sat him down.


    I didn¡¯t think he was the one who did it, but I was worried that he would go insane and unsheathe his sword.


    ¡®It must be hard for him.¡¯


    He was already having a hard time psychologically. Considering the big incident happening at such a time, he must be very frustrated.


    Considering that the Crack Museum and the joint training didn¡¯t work out the way he thought it would, there¡¯s a high possibility that he had reached his psychological limit.


    Luckily, he had had enough breaks in the middle. It would have been hard for him to maintain a normal state otherwise.


    After gently patting Gerhan¡¯s back, who seemed a little upset, I sat down with Kim Hyunsung, and a federal official immediately began to conduct a briefing. I thought that maybe it was Kim Hyunsung who was the threat Benignore talked about, but¡­


    ¡®It wouldn¡¯t be like that.¡¯


    That was even more so when I thought about what had happened so far.


    ¡®I can¡¯t tell what he¡¯s thinking.¡¯


    It was obvious that he was worried about the case, but¡­


    I thought I should take a little more time to see what Kim Hyunsung thought about the situation. The first thing to do was to listen to the briefing right now.


    ¡°I would like to express my gratitude and apology to those who gathered this early in the morning.¡±


    Starting with such words, it looked the same in any country.


    The briefing had now begun in earnest.


    ¡°That being said, we received the first report at 12:34. It was reported that the Federation¡¯s chief wizard detected a huge flow of magic power around 11 o¡¯clock, and after the earth trembled, it wentpletely dark. The ident took ce in the metropolitan Amera. The federal citizens of that area started evacuation around 11:43 and escaped at around 2:32, except for some citizens and adventurers.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°People who weren¡¯t able to leave the area are presumed to be isted in shelters provided underground, and we are currently investigating what exactly happened. It is currently understood that there are reports of a huge explosion and continuous destructive sounds.¡±


    ¡®There are too few fucking leads.¡¯


    Metropolis Amera.


    The center of the Federation.


    It was the tutorial dungeon site where the Americans were summoned, and it wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that it was at the center of the federal economy.


    As it was a rtively small country, there were many important facilities, including production factories. There was no need to exin how important Amera was within the Federation.


    ¡®The response is too slow for that.¡¯


    It was great to know that the citizens were evacuated quickly, at least. However, it was a bit disconcerting that they received the report at 12:34 when it happened around 11 o¡¯clock. There were a whopping 1 hour and 34 minutes dy. It was natural to wonder what the people like Kylie Yale and Gerhan were doing. I didn¡¯t know what the sorcerer woman was doing, but I was convinced that Gerhan was probably doing something useless.


    ¡°Currently, the investigation team entering Amera is unable to return, and it is hard to see what is going on inside, even with griffon or through other means. While the earthen trembling continues, it is confirmed that evacuation operations are in progress in other cities around it. However, the monsters in the forest are agitated, making it even harder for them to properly execute the ns.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    ¡°The Federation¡¯s chief wizard continues to grasp clues, but the magic waves near Amera have been scattered¡­ It¡¯s a situation that requires the support of high-level wizards. That¡¯s all the information we¡¯ve received so far, and we¡¯re working on getting in touch organically.¡±


    ¡®You¡¯ve covered it well.¡¯


    There were too few clues to make an inference.


    The possibility that the federal side was reluctant to reveal it couldn¡¯t be ruled out at all, so I had to be cautious at first. Weren¡¯t they the ones who were trying to tear Kim Hyunsung and me apart just a few moments ago?


    It wouldn¡¯t be strange even if they were aiming for something else.


    Even if an explosion urred suddenly and the citypletely copsed, it was impossible to know what was going on in there.


    Continental Union.


    In particr, it could be thought of as a n to backstab the State. No, it was almost certain.


    ¡®Look at how sneaky they are¡­ okay, is there someone helping you?¡¯


    I noticed Kylie Yale¡¯s hair had turned white.


    ¡®The phenomenon of magic power exhaustion.¡¯


    She was pretending to be okay, but I could see that she was having a hard time.


    She tried to cover her hair color with high-level magic, but her white hair was clearly visible in my Mind¡¯s Eyes. I couldn¡¯t find a proper connection yet, but her white hair and Amera suddenly being isted were too suspicious.


    ¡®You¡¯re really making a scene by yourselves, aren¡¯t you?¡¯


    ¡°To rescue the isted citizens by immediately forming troops is¡­¡±


    ¡°No. The first thing is to check what¡¯s going on.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t waste such time like this. Shouldn¡¯t we rescue at least the federal people in other cities first?¡±


    ¡°We have to move carefully. We¡¯re still not sure who our enemies are or what their intentions are. I want to hear what others think.¡±


    ¡°How about observing a little more¡­¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t we gather exactly for a time like this?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s start by getting ready to respond right away to whatever it is. I think it would be nice to prepare to be able to go out anytime.¡±


    ¡°I agree.¡±


    ¡°Same here.¡±


    ¡®This is just to make a favorable impression¡­¡¯


    It was funny, the way things were going.


    The Federation¡¯s non-affiliates looked like they were washing their hands off before the situation got worse. The victim, the Federation, was shouting that they should send reinforcements as soon as possible.


    It was so ridiculous that the gathering became meaningless.


    I could understand the trash that felt relieved that it wasn¡¯t their problem, but it seemed they were also convinced that what was going on in the Federation at that moment wouldn¡¯t happen in the areas they managed. They needed to tell the others to send reinforcements right then, but there was no way they would say so.


    Once I found out that Kylie Yale was involved, I thought it would be okay to take our time watching the situation a little more slowly.


    Even if there were isted citizens, it wasn¡¯t my business.


    There was no way to rule out the probability that it was false.


    ¡®Would three days be enough?¡¯


    That should be enough for me to n a favorable situation after digging up information about Kylie Yale. There were a lot to consider, but it was quite possible.


    However¡­


    After a while, I bit my lips tightly.


    I could see that Jung Hayan and even Han Sora¡¯s hair were both dyed white.


    ¡®What did you do now, fuck¡­¡¯

 Chapter 478: Faithful Servant (1)

    <h4>Chapter 478: Faithful Servant (1)</h4>


    All the Blue Guild members gathered by the sudden call felt dumbfounded. Our members also thought the situation was unrealistic. Even I felt confused.


    After confirming Jung Hayan and Han Sora¡¯s appearances, there was no other choice but to take the current situation a little more seriously. The incident that I was looking at as if it were a distant country¡¯s story had now be my country¡¯s story.


    When I heard the news that there was a fire next door, I ran hurriedly and found out that it was our house fire.


    ¡®What the hell did you do?¡¯


    It was quite the spectacle to see them all sitting with white hair.


    In Jung Hayan¡¯s case, her face was slightly better, but Han Sora was pale as if she had food poisoning. Anyone could see that they were suffering from the magic exhaustion phenomenon.


    Seeing how not only were their hairs white, but even their skin was being peeled off, it seemed that extracting the magic power to the limit was insufficient, and so they poured out their vitality.


    If others could see their faces, they probably would rmend them to take a break.


    No, it was obvious that they wouldn¡¯t evene out like that.


    They looked like they were likely to fall unconscious, vomiting blood.


    Even though Jung Hayan wasn¡¯t looking good, she didn¡¯t seem to have suffered as much damage since her magic power recovery speed was unusually fast. This was probably due to her legendary-grade attribute, the Effect of the Archmage¡¯s Heart.


    ¡®They didn¡¯t just drop magic.¡¯


    I thought the ident wasn¡¯t something that could be done with single magic from the briefing time, but seeing how even Han Sora suffered from magic power exhaustion¡­ It wasn¡¯t just meteorites that the party threw at the Federation.


    ¡®Undead?¡¯


    In severe cases, the possibility that she had summoned a demon couldn¡¯t be ruled out.


    As Amera waspletely obliterated, it seemed that there was a high probability that one of the 72 Demon Lords was summoned.


    They were also with Kylie Yale, who had more than 90 magic power. If she had joined Jung Hayan¡¯s party, she would probably have had a lot of help.


    I didn¡¯t know if it was Belial or someone else, but it felt like they worked with the momentum to remove the Federation from the map.


    ¡®Why are you doing that, really¡­?¡¯


    There were more bothering things than I thought.


    I was suspicious that Jung Hayan heard me muttering, ¡°It¡¯s too peaceful.¡± before¡­ It might also be because I had fun with Jami every night, using the work-rted dinner as an excuse.


    We didn¡¯t have any more physical contact than what was necessary, but honestly, it could be ssified as trash behavior. Of course, there was a greater reason. At the same time, however, it didn¡¯t change the fact that I was like trash that threw away his fianc¨¦ to go out and have fun.


    ¡®Or did she overhear yesterday¡¯s conversation?¡¯


    The talk I had with Kim Hyunsungst night was also worthy of suspicions.


    I didn¡¯t know the means, but it was usible to think that Jung Hayan overheard that I was moving to the Federation, causing her to go crazy and start working. There was still a lot of ambiguity about why she was connected with Kylie Yale and why she entered the state of maximum anger quickly¡­


    I thought I would find the detailed puzzleter.


    ¡®I knew it was a little weird, Fuck.¡¯


    When I confirmed that the magic used to enchant Kylie Yale wasn¡¯t normal, I felt strange.


    I knew something was happening behind the scenes, but I didn¡¯t ever dream that it would be Jung Hayan¡¯s doing.


    Of course, it hadn¡¯t yet been confirmed that Jung Hayan was the culprit of that incident, but she was the most likely suspect based on her experience. At least, it was much more convincing than saying that Kim Hyunsung did that alone out of anger.


    ¡®I really need to take this opportunity to get a firm grip on her.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know if that was possible, though, but¡­


    I had to do it before she could do anything bigger. The situation was fine at the moment, but I honestly had no confidence in fixing it if Jung Hayan was added to the threats.


    Regardless, the most important thing to address was to figure out what happened inside.


    And¡­


    To cover the fact that three members of our guild might have something to do with it.


    ¡®If this didn¡¯t happen, everything would¡¯ve gone right. Fuck¡­ If only.¡¯


    However, when I looked at the brighter side, there weren¡¯t only bad things.


    At first nce, it might seem like a dead-end, but the incident changed the atmosphere of the loosened continental coalition.


    ¡®I was about to get rid of the federal guys after this anyway.¡¯


    The thought of the leaders who ruled the continent was, ¡®No way that something can happen.¡¯


    It would be strange not to feel a sense of crisis since something actually exploded. If it weren¡¯t for Jung Hayan¡¯s group, I would¡¯ve blown something up myself. If I thought about it generously, she had done my job for me.


    The problem was that that button wasn¡¯t the button I pressed. I didn¡¯t know how neat the work was, but it¡¯s hard to think that her group finished the job perfectly without leaving a single clue.


    That felt even more probable if Jung Hayan had led this catastrophe.


    Considering that the Federation¡¯s Kylie Yale had joined that unknown party, there was a small expectation that they would have done the job very finely. Still, if there were evidence that our side had something to do with it, it would quickly rise like a woven sausage.


    It would stem from the fact that the magic on Laios was Jung Hayan¡¯s doing and that Han Sora was a ck Wizard.


    Even the fact that the Honorary Cardinal of the State covered it would be revealed. It would be strange if I weren¡¯t feeling a sense of urgency.


    At least I had to get a step ahead of the others, see how they did it, and check if there was any evidence.


    In the worst case, I wondered if putting all the me on Kylie Yale would be beautiful.


    That was also possible, considering what I was aware of about the situation.


    ¡®I have to check if there is evidence¡­ and clean it up myself.¡¯


    It all felt a bit chaotic, but Kim Hyunsung had just finished the briefing.


    Once again, when Cho Hyejin was delivering additional details to the party members, I had no choice but to talk to him.


    ¡°Hyunsung.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°¡­ May I ask you how the Blue will respond to this?¡±


    ¡°In fact, we haven¡¯t made a definite decision yet. If I think about the isted federal people, I think we should send a rescue team right away, but for now, it was themand¡¯s judgment that I should send a reconnaissance team. There is too little information to enter blindly¡­ We can¡¯t create any more victims in vain.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit of a cruel idea, but¡­ honestly, I feel the same way as the currentmand. The Federation¡¯s situation has gotten worse, but we don¡¯t have to make it harder on our part. Until we gather the right information ande up with a perfect countermeasure¡­ we will remain on standby and observe the situation a little more.¡±


    It was a reasonable judgment.


    ¡°I think what we can do right now is to wait for the information to be gathered and to help the federal people in other cities, which are still out there, evacuate. There is a high probability that the content of the meeting will flow like that.¡±


    Even if it were me, I would have thought the same thing. Since it wasn¡¯t known what exactly happened to the Federation, gathering information would be the top priority.


    It might be possible to help the federal people with minimal humanitarian action, but it was impossible to get into the center of the case.


    It was a logical decision no matter how I thought about it¡­


    ¡®I don¡¯t think this bastard just doesn¡¯t want to go, right?¡¯


    It was only a guess, but it seemed like he was hoping that the Federation would be destroyed.


    The Federation was the hostile force that tried to disintegrate the Blue in the first ce¡­ if I thought about it from Kim Hyunsung¡¯s perspective, it wouldn¡¯t be impossible for him to think that way.


    His problem would take care of itself, considering that increased the likelihood that my trip to the Federation would bepletely destroyed.


    ¡®Hasn¡¯t this helped, too?¡¯


    It was true that the motive itself was felt enough. It was suspicious for some reason, but at that moment, there was nothing I could do other than to sigh.


    I had a clear grasp of the guy¡¯s position on the current situation, after all. Besides, Kim Hyunsung was passive about that job.


    Our stand was simply to observe.


    I was worried that he would watch until the Federation was erased, but it was hundreds of thousands of times better to rush in a tightly packed state than to suffer devastating damage by being overwhelmed by useless heroic psychology.


    ¡®I¡¯m not particrly against it either.¡¯


    There was no way I would let people know that Jung Hayan and Han Sora did that.


    ¡°The organization of refugee support troops is our top priority.¡±


    ¡°I know that some guilds and ns in the Federation have already left. I also epted the support request. The Blue is going to wait here, and Kiyoung¡­¡±


    ¡°I will take a look around ande. Something is bothering me.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ then, I wille with you.¡±


    ¡°No. You don¡¯t have to. I¡¯m thinking of only looking around. I¡¯m going with Hayan, so you won¡¯t have to worry too much.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t say you¡¯reing.¡¯


    I thought it would be better to stop him before he could say it.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have toe with me. Even in Blue, a field conductor is absolutely necessary. It won¡¯t take long.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°There are many problems I have to deal with. I think you know it best, but¡­ you¡¯re the one who should remain on the field, considering I was just watching the training. You don¡¯t have to worry. I will be back very soon.¡±


    ¡°If you insist¡­ I understand. Okay.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know why, but I felt like he¡¯s depressed for some reason.


    Listening to me insist on stopping him froming, he might be wondering if Lee Kiyoung really lost his feelings for Blue.


    Well, it didn¡¯t matter what he was thinking at that moment. I looked at Jung Hayan whilst shaking off useless thoughts.


    The main culprit of the tremendous ident and the hero who hadpletely solved the current Continental Union¡¯s problems seemed to be enjoying my attention.


    She flinched for a moment, but before long, her face brightened.


    I felt like she couldn¡¯t even dream that I was suspicious of her. The thought of simply going out got her in a good mood.


    ¡®Right¡­ I thought it was time for the medicine effect to be reduced.¡¯


    I¡¯m grateful that she had endured well so far.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Hayan.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll just take a ride on the griffon and look around. We should be able to see it through the magic hologram. Are you fine with that?¡±


    ¡°O-Of course. Oppa. Hehe.¡±


    ¡°Then I will go, Hyunsung.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Okay.¡±


    Would it be better to ask and pressure her openly?


    Or maybe it¡¯s better to let her realize her fault in a slightly different way.


    I thought about it, but I was yet toe up with an answer. Of course, I still had a hunch.


    It was a sure way to solve Jung Hayan¡¯s problem and Kim Hyunsung¡¯s problem all at once. It was a bit difficult, sure, but if I had a few conditions, I could easily solve the problem.


    There were only two prerequisites.


    That what Han Sora and Jung Hayan threw at the Union was a demon.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    And the demon had to be Belial, the lord of lies and agitation.

 Chapter 479: Faithful servant (2)

    <h4>Chapter 479: Faithful servant (2)</h4>


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I go with you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m not going too far. I¡¯m just going to check it out personally. There seems to be something strange about this.¡±


    ¡°Ugh. I don¡¯t know, but¡­ anyway, please have a safe trip.¡±


    ¡°Please be careful at all times, Honorary Cardinal. May Elune¡¯s protection be with you¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry, Elena.¡±


    As I said my farewell to Sun Hee-young, Park Deokgu, Elena, and other guild members one by one, time got dyed further.


    ¡®It¡¯s not a big deal. There¡¯s something a bit weird, so I¡¯ll just find out what I need to know ande back right away.¡¯


    I imed that, but everyone seemed anxious because of theck of information.


    Of course, it wouldn¡¯t be bad to go as a guild, but¡­ for the uing big event, it was better to go with Jung Hayan only.


    In fact, there was no guarantee that Belial had been summoned. I still didn¡¯t know if Jung Hayan and Han Sora summoned the demon, but even if they seeded in summoning the 72nd Lord, it was unlikely that it would be Belial.


    However¡­


    ¡®It feels strangely familiar¡­¡¯


    Looking at the northwest¡¯s friendly magic power, I thought I could assume that I was right to some extent. I was the contractor who had signed a temporary contract with Belial once¡­ and I had never been wrong with that kind of feeling. My ears kept ringing.


    It seemed like he wanted to keepmunicating with me, but it felt like there was a continuous disturbance. Perhaps the ipetent, bankrupt Benignore and heartless Elune trash were cutting off our connection.


    As I got on White Paul, patting him as I hadn¡¯t seen him in a long time, Jung Hayan hugged me tightly.


    ¡®Fuck. I can¡¯t breathe. Is this a Heimlich Maneuver or what?¡¯


    I coughed for a second, but she didn¡¯t have any intention of releasing me. I felt like she was thinking about never letting me go, so I could tell her obsessive symptoms had gone through a rpse.


    Of course, she usually stuck to me in the same way, but this was because I knew she wasn¡¯t good at controlling her strength at times like that. She had a really refreshing face, which was quite in contrast to those around us.


    It even made me nce carefully at them.


    Of course, I could understand her. No one could be upset, considering that the Federation was being smashed even at that moment.


    If I assumed that Jung Hayan was overhearing what Kim Hyunsung and I talked about¡­


    ¡®She would be even happier.¡¯


    It onlysted for a second, but I had to organize the information in my head.


    Considering that Kylie Yale from Federation had stuck to Kim Hyunsung for a while, I thought there was a conversation that happened.


    Step 1 was when Kylie Yale muttered the story of my recent conduct to Kim Hyunsung or Jung Hayan.


    She would probably have said something about women, and our Hayan would have reacted when she heard it.


    ¡®I guess Kylie Yale is hooked up there.¡¯


    Since continuing education had been effective, she had put up with it very well.


    In fact, she deserved to beplemented with the patience she had, given that the federal gangs had been scamming. While she was in a state of extreme anger that kept her awake all night in tears and wallowing in anxiety alone, Hayan must have heard what Kim Hyunsung and I talked about, and she judged that she would eventually get abandoned.


    What happened next was that she led Sora and Yale to destroy the Federation.


    Of course, many things about this bothered me.


    First, the distance from that training ground to the Federation was quite long. It didn¡¯t mean that 28 hours was not enough, but it was pretty tight.


    Moreover, if I calcted the time to and magic circles, they would have needed even more time.


    ¡®Fuck¡­ Park Deokgu wouldn¡¯t have told her in advance, right?¡¯


    The way he acted so far was too clear to rule out the possibility itself.


    If I assumed that he said something like ¡®hyung-nim hooked up with a woman, and that¡¯s why he¡¯s going to the Federation. I don¡¯t know what kind of gold digger she is, but he¡¯s seducing hyung-nim and h h h.¡¯ The situation all but fit too well.


    It seemed that there must¡¯ve been continuous support from him until the Hayan-like n of destroying the Union in a hurry and catching and killing the unknown gold digger waspleted.


    ¡®No matter how I think about it, it seems so¡­¡¯


    Having always moved around with her, I could finally get a rough idea of ??her behavior patterns.


    Assuming that was true, a chill ran down my spine.


    This was because I definitely felt that it was a different way of thinking than normal people. It was certainly not a normal mindset for her to go for a Federation breakdown just because she heard the news that I might be moving to the Union.


    Even if she tried to persuade me not to go, it didn¡¯t ruin my transfer ce altogether.


    Until then, it was just an assumption, but I was convinced with the voice I heard that I was right.


    ¡°D-D-D-Did you hear the news?¡±


    ¡°About what?¡±


    ¡°T-T-They said that the seashore that can be seen from Amera¡­ i-it¡¯s beenpletely ruined. T-T-They said that now they can¡¯t even go to the beach there.¡±


    ¡®Where did you hear the news that even I didn¡¯t hear?¡¯


    The memories of telling Kim Hyunsung bloomed.


    ¡°Because it¡¯s a beautiful f-famous ce¡­ I really wanted to go with y-you, but there are still many beaches in the State. There are also ones near Laios. W-we don¡¯t have to go only to the Federation¡­ right?¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡±


    ¡°A-And it was said that it has poorer quality than the rumors. All adventurers¡­ they¡¯re all bad people, and Federation women are also all bad. They said they try to do something with people from outside.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡±


    ¡°So, I was told that we should never believe people from the Federation. And they said there are many dirty women, so they are bad people.¡±


    ¡°Who said that?¡±


    ¡°Ah? Uh? I-I just heard it somewhere.¡±


    I hoped she didn¡¯t hear that from Park Deokgu.


    I was scared to imagine what the hell he would¡¯ve been talking about. Regardless, Jung Hayan continued to mutter nonsense behind me.


    The nder against the Federation that started over and over again was enough to make me feel embarrassed. It started at, ¡®the food is not good.¡¯ Listening to her constantly talking for hours, I felt that she was getting desperate.


    It was to instill bad perceptions in case anything happened in the already-ended Federation.


    ¡®She¡¯s a calcting person in her own way.¡¯


    It was enough to make me curious as to what her next n would be.


    Perhaps what Jung Hayan was nning was theplete destruction of the Federation. She might be picturing to be neatly devastated as if it didn¡¯t exist from the beginning.


    Assuming that one of the 72 demon lords was in Amera, it would take 7 to 10 days to get the Federation off the map. Of course, if I were to assume the contract was better than thest time¡­


    It could be faster.


    ¡°Now we can¡¯t go to the Federation even if we wanted to, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    I wanted to threaten her that I would never see her again, but I already knew from a lot of experience that that effect wouldn¡¯tst long.


    Personally, I was grateful that she was doing that, but¡­


    ¡®She needed to learn her lesson.¡¯


    She had to know that if she did things herself without my judgment, the consequences could end in tragedy. Just as Jung Hayan never touched me after going through the regression incident, she needed to learn her lesson that time again.


    However, it was obvious that being kind to her was more effective.


    As I responded with kindness in my own way, her tone of voice gradually rose as if she was also excited. It had already been several hours since I had been staring at the sky on the griffon.


    After spending a long time with Jung Hayan and having a friendly and enjoyable conversation, I realized that I was close to my destination.


    I put the magic power in my Mind¡¯s Eyes in no time, allowing me to see the whole scene.


    After that, I naturally realized why no further information could be obtained.


    ¡®I can¡¯t see anything.¡¯


    Everything had gone dark. I couldn¡¯t even see Amera¡¯s condition.


    It was beyond my vision, even though I was looking at it with my Mind¡¯s Eyes.


    At that point, the sky, which was in broad daylight, could no longer be seen. It was enough to make me suspect that it wasn¡¯t a demon, but a type of ck magic instead.


    Jung Hayan put up quite an entertaining disy as her voice eximed her words.


    ¡°They sure are in b-b-big trouble. It looks almost impossible to¡­ recover. What could they do now?¡±


    ¡®You could stop smiling when you talk. And what do you mean impossible to recover when we can¡¯t see anything¡­¡¯


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know from where they should start. Shall we put it in the magic hologram first?¡±


    ¡°Okay. It would be better to do that.¡±


    ¡°Still¡­ I-I wanted to go in at least once¡­ I can see some lights over there. It¡¯s small, but¡­¡±


    Some refugees were still evacuating from the outskirts of the city.


    Of course, that area was also dark. However, the light emitted by the priests seemed to be barely effective.


    When I conjured my divine power, the effect wasn¡¯t perfect, but my view began to open. Only then did I feel that the griffon was relieved. Below us, we could see the federal soldiers dealing with an agitated monster, but because the Continental Union¡¯s reinforcement forces hadn¡¯t been formed yet, they emerged inferior against it.


    Some people who came down for reconnaissance pushed the monsters away as if they couldn¡¯t stand them.


    Nevertheless, overall, I felt they were having a hard time.


    ¡®It¡¯s a mess. A mess.¡¯


    The surroundings began to light up as they slowly went down to the ce where the residents were evacuated and where divine power was spread around it.


    As if they noticed the fact that the Honorary Cardinal of the State hade, I heard the voices of people chanting my name, but honestly, my concern wasn¡¯t their rescue.


    I just wanted to confirm the hypothesis I had in my head. I was sure that the vibration that kept ringing in my head was a signal from the intelligent Belial.


    ¡°O-Oppa. S-staying here might be a little dangerous¡­¡±


    ¡°We have to save the people.¡±


    ¡°S-Still¡­ we said we were going to check for a second and go back. L-Let¡¯s go back first.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t pretend I didn¡¯t see them. Let¡¯s look around a little more first.¡±


    ¡°B-But¡­¡±


    I could perfectly pretend that I hadn¡¯t seen it, but it was important to stay there at that moment.


    I could see some dark hairs on her as if she was finally a bit better than before, but I felt she was anxious because she hadn¡¯t recovered from all the magical exhaustion.


    What we saw were monsters ofmon-grade, rare-grade, and heroic-grade at best. There was no reason for Jung Hayan to be anxious.


    There was no magic explosion, and ck magic couldn¡¯t be found.


    Nevertheless, seeing her like that¡­


    ¡®I was right.¡¯


    I could think of her having released the devil on the Federation¡¯s territory.


    It was a demon at a level that even the contractor couldn¡¯t control. There was no need to confirm the facts anymore.


    The more it got used to that ce, the more the hum became clearer. It was then that the perfect voice was heard.


    I wasn¡¯t certain until the point when I realized the familiar energy belonged to the person I admired most.


    [It¡¯s been a long time. Long time no see, disgusting human! Fuhahaha. That disgusting soul is still the same!]


    Belial, the Lord of lies and agitation, had once again been summoned in our world.


    ¡®The faithful servant sees the true ruler of all evil! Long live Belial! Hurray! Hurray! Long live!¡¯

 Chapter 480: You Should Be Punished (1)

    <h4>Chapter 480: You Should Be Punished (1)</h4>


    The voice of Belial, which I finally heard despite the waves of disturbances from the heartless Elune trash and the ipetent Benignore, felt like it was cleansing my mind and body.


    In fact, I was dubious about the entire thing.


    Even though Jung Hayan, Kylie, Yale, Han Sora, and all of the unidentified helpers, whom I believed to have helped a lot, had dropped a demon on Amera, it was unlikely that it would be Belial.


    That was even more so when I considered that the reason Belial was summoned in the first ce was the influence of my magic power. It was just an assumption, but it was valid to think that Jung Hayan might have used something to create the same environment.


    She might have borrowed my magic power, or brought the corresponding catalyst.


    I didn¡¯t know what it was, but what was important at that point was the fact that Belial, the overlord of all evils, hade down to our world.


    He hadn¡¯t shown his rigorous appearance yet, but it seemed like he knew where I was. That was to say, everything that had beenpletely engulfed in darkness was the realm of the Supreme Belial.


    ¡®He¡¯s seriously amazing.¡¯


    I had felt the power of a mythic-grade creature before, but I still felt awed by it.


    Looking at half of the Federationpletely covered in the darkness made me swallow hard.


    He hadn¡¯t evenpletely manifested in the present world, yet his power was already that intense.


    The undead cleaning that Benignore showed when he came down was also worth apuding¡­


    ¡®After all, Belial¡¯s power ispletely beyond the assumptions of this foolish mortal. I admire and appreciate the power of the ruler of all evil.¡®


    [Don¡¯t I always say to keep your ttering words to yourself? It¡¯s been a while¡­ Long time no see.]


    ¡®I have missed you so much, Belial.¡¯


    [I¡¯ve missed you too, disgusting human. Missing someone doesn¡¯t suit beings like us, but your disgusting soul reminds me of feelings I¡¯ve long forgotten. I don¡¯t know what to use as an example, though¡­]


    ¡®The fact that the graceful Belial missed thiscking servant brings glory to me.¡¯


    [I said, stop with the ttering¡­]


    ¡®Where are you, Belial? This dark energy that covers all the world makes me realize how helpless and shabby this mortal is and how supreme Belial truly is, but it only hurts me so much that I cannot see Belial¡¯s great figure.¡¯


    [Stop¡­]


    ¡®A deep voice like the deep sea makes this mortal¡¯s heart beats whenever I hear it. I melt in Belial¡¯s voice. I melt gently!¡¯


    [¡­ I always think about you this way, but you¡¯re a really disgusting human being. I can¡¯t even feel a lie in your voice, and that even makes me feel more nauseous. Again, stop with the ttering. There¡¯s no need for such unnecessary words between you and me. Don¡¯t you have something you need?]


    ¡®I would never do that. Of course, it doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t have anything I need at all, but¡­ you don¡¯t seem to be able to understand my true feelings. You¡¯re breaking my heart.¡¯


    [I have never heard ttering as disgusting like yours in hell before while thinking about using me somehow in your head¡­]


    ¡®It¡¯s a misunderstanding, Belial. Why would I¡­¡¯


    [Enough. If I work with you, it will benefit me too anyway¡­ Especially for thest job, it would be right to say thank you.]


    ¡®What do you mean?¡¯


    [You don¡¯t need to know the details.]


    He said that, but I felt like I knew somehow.


    Perhaps I must¡¯ve helped extract negative emotions such as fear or anxiety from the people of the continent. Just as the gods on the other side fed on their faith, so did the demon lords.


    Since the contract also raised the results, it could¡¯ve been used to upgrade the ranks and powers that he had.


    Belial, the supreme ruler of all evil, was able to produce a little more power than thest time. Even though the summoners¡¯ efforts prepared the summoning a little more carefully, I could feel that the power of his body itself had risen.


    [That is correct, you quick-witted human. Then you can see what I want.]


    ¡®I think it¡¯s probably the contract and the unexpected things that result from it. I think I can say that what I want is in line with what Belial wants. I¡¯m so happy that Belial and I have a lot of interests inmon again. By the way, the contract¡­¡¯


    [I did not sign a contract. That wizard human talent is quite excellent, but it is difficult to make a temporary contract without you¡­ it would be proper to say that I only agreed with what she wanted. Thanks to that, the time I have in this world is shortened¡­ but I don¡¯t have any regrets.]


    ¡®That¡¯s because it¡¯s not good to stay in this world for a long time.¡¯


    [Of course, it¡¯s fun, but this is like a ce for me to work. I can¡¯t be happy staying here for too long. Now, enough with the useless talk. Say what you want.]


    ¡®Ahem¡­ ahem¡­ I¡¯m sorry to bring it up out of nowhere, but you told me to say what I want with your great voice. I shall do that without worry.¡¯


    [I hope it¡¯s something fun.]


    ¡®In fact, it is the same asst time.¡¯


    [What?]


    ¡®To be clear, it¡¯s not an individual that needs to be deceived this time, but the entire continent. I am cautious about affirming whether Belial will be satisfied, but personally, I think that you will feel the same pleasure asst time.¡¯


    [Is it¡­]


    ¡®There¡¯s still not enough to tell you everything, but¡­¡¯


    [I wonder what kind of trash you¡¯re thinking about. I¡¯m really curious.]


    ¡®You can probably get enough of the results you want. Does the contract have to go through the ck wizard likest time¡­¡¯


    [That isn¡¯t necessary. A direct contract is impossible, but it seems like a temporary contract can be made. It looks like that stupid Benignore and the other gods couldn¡¯t properly manage the continent. If hardliners had emerged on the continent, your position as humans would have been very excruciating.]


    ¡®By hardliners, you mean¡­¡¯


    [Although you may have heard it roughly through Benignore, this continent is like a business site for beings like us.]


    ¡®Business ce¡­¡¯


    [I have found a suitable example in human expression. Us demons and the gods don¡¯t describe this ce as a ce for business. However, what we do isn¡¯t very different. They gain divinity through faith and manage the continent, and we get energy through emotions and contracts. In other words, we are all just sharing a business site. The demons that we call hardliners are the ones whose wish is to put this business site on the path of destruction.]


    ¡®I-I see.¡¯


    [I can¡¯t really say it¡¯s not a stupid idea. In easier terms, this continent is a chicken thatys golden eggs. Hardliners are those who try to break the chicken¡¯s belly¡­]


    ¡®T-They are fools, then¡­¡¯


    It was a bit of a disrespectful thought, but it¡¯s natural to think that those beings were no different from humans. Of course, there was a higher-level problem.


    Our world was defined as a chicken thatid golden eggs or a business site, making it easy for me to understand. However, in the end, I had to think that the meaning was the same.


    ¡®It will be a little stressful for them as well.¡¯


    It could be said that it was a situation where a business partner was throwing poop into the business. I didn¡¯t know what the hardliners and moderates were exactly aiming for among the demons, but if I thought about it in simple terms, an answer came to my mind right away.


    It was the management of the continent.


    Whether it was caring for the continent or for humans, what was important to some of the moderate demons, including Belial, was to keep improving their performance.


    They wouldn¡¯t want the continent¡¯s ruin. As he said, our ce was a workce for gods and demons.


    ¡®It means that the continental bankruptcy case is not necessarily a weing situation for the demons.¡¯


    It might be a little different for hardliners.


    As I pondered and recalled numerous memories, a voice entered my ears. It wasn¡¯t Belial¡¯s voice. What I heard was Jung Hayan¡¯s voice, which sounded anxious for some reason.


    It was interesting to see her look around as if she felt anxious for some reason.


    That was the moment when what I¡¯d assumed became clearer.


    She realized that she couldn¡¯t control Belial after summoning him to the world, causing him to think it was dangerous.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back, oppa.¡±


    ¡®Why should I go back? If you want to go back, go alone, Hayan.¡¯


    ¡°S-Something doesn¡¯t feel good¡­ Let¡¯s head back quickly.¡±


    She was pulling on my clothes while looking a little nervous. I could see her biting her lips tightly.


    I thought it was understandable. Perhaps Jung Hayan knew that the ce we were at was more dangerous than anywhere else.


    I was thinking of looking around and leaving, but I, who didn¡¯t know anything, wanted to go into the tiger¡¯s den. In fact, since I was constantly walking through dangerous ces voluntarily, it wasn¡¯t unreasonable to be frustrated.


    As I looked at her, I could see her slowly looking around.


    ¡®Okay¡­ so, you won¡¯t confess, right?¡¯


    ¡°The o-others will also be worried. Then, let¡¯s go back. T-t-the rescue team wille soon anyway.¡±


    ¡°Still.¡±


    ¡°L-Let¡¯s go quickly.¡±


    ¡®How dare you re at me?¡¯


    ¡°Wait a minute¡­¡±


    ¡°We have to go quickly!!¡±


    ¡®Hey, you don¡¯t like me, right?¡¯


    [Didn¡¯t I say that I do?]


    ¡®I wasn¡¯t thinking about B-Belial.¡¯


    [I know that much. It¡¯s just a joke, so you don¡¯t have to be so nervous. Then, I would like to share some constructive stories at this point¡­]


    ¡®Me too, Belial.¡¯


    [I think I know what I roughly want, but is it really okay to proceed like that? I don¡¯t care, but I¡¯m worried that the stupid Benignore¡¯s power will be dull.]


    ¡®You don¡¯t have to worry about the business of great beings copsing. It¡¯s pretty hard to give a definite answer, but this opportunity may bring the continent back to its original state if I¡¯m lucky. Being humans by nature means that the more desperate you are, the more you will seek God. Belial only needs to show his supreme power to foolish humans. It would be better to use me, the symbol of Benignore¡¯s Second Coming¡­ That will be a convenient way¡­¡¯


    [That means¡­]


    ¡®The first requestes to the ruler of all evil, from thiscking servant. First, please kidnap me from here.¡¯


    [Fu¡­ Fuhuhu¡­ You¡¯re a really disgusting human. Am I not suspicious? I might hurt you¡­]


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this a contract between Belial and I?¡¯


    [Right! You¡¯re right. It¡¯s between you and me. It must be a possible request. Fu¡­ huhu¡­ okay. I¡¯ll y along with you once more.]


    ¡®I will give overwhelming gratitude. Thank you. I send you overwhelming thanks! Thank you so much. Long live Belial!¡¯


    [Prepare.]


    That was it.


    I began to feel the pressure that made me difficult to breathe.


    ¡®What is this? Fuck¡­¡¯


    Of course, Jung Hayan felt more flustered than me. Not only did her face be bluish, but her whole body was moist with sweat.


    ¡°L-L-Let¡¯s run away.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Q¡­ Quickly.¡±


    ¡°What the hell¡­ what¡­¡±


    ¡°R¡­ Run away!!! Quickly!!! Run as quickly as you can!!!¡±


    The situation had begun to be tense.


    It could be a bit of a cruel time for Jung Hayan, but it was definitely necessary.

 Chapter 481: You Should Be Punished (2)

    <h4>Chapter 481: You Should Be Punished (2)</h4>


    ¡®Run away, my ass. I don¡¯t even have enough strength to crawl in with my knees.¡¯


    Contrary to me, who was smiling, Jung Hayan¡¯s face was wrinkled. She was clearly aware that the current situation was more dangerous than any other situation. It was hard for me to imagine how much anxiety she felt because even my skin was pounding.


    It seemed that my safety was the most important part of the world didn¡¯t change, even though it was in a mess. I was very grateful for a moment, but I knew it was a trap better than anyone else.


    ¡®You must not get soft, Kiyoung¡­¡®


    I pledged to solidify my fortitude at that time.


    I wasn¡¯t hoping that Jung Hayan would change dramatically, but I couldn¡¯t be fixing that kind of a big ident over and over again. I was able to ignore it with a smile if it was a small-scaled, but no matter how I thought about it, our current predicament had already exceeded that level.


    As a result, it could be said that she did something helpful to me, but the difference between whether it went through my jurisdiction or not was huge.


    I had no choice but to think that the time hade for me to teach her a lesson again before she caused a bigger ident. I wasn¡¯t sure if she knew my thoughts, but Jung Hayan kept looking around her with an anxious expression.


    ¡°I-it¡¯s toote.¡±


    A murmuring voice fell into my ear.


    ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get separated¡­¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about now?¡±


    ¡°I-I-I¡¯ll exinter. So. Stay close. Stay close.¡±


    Her eyes were naturally filled with unknown anxiety.


    It was then that ugly demons emerged through the darkness that couldn¡¯t be seen before.


    Perhaps she realized that it wouldn¡¯t be helpful to exin the situation anymore. Jung Hayan instead continued to chant spells and mutter.


    Finally, when unimaginable hostility overturned my whole body, a doll emerged among the ugly demons.


    The high-ranking demons split left and right like the Red Sea.


    Unlike what I expected, what appeared differently was a woman that was so beautiful that my jaw dropped. Her appearance was different from normal females, but she was certainly beautiful.


    -Hmm¡­


    She slowly looked at both sides, and then I looked at her, stroking the head of a giant Fel Hound.


    No other action was taken, but her existence itself emitted pressure.


    She had pure white skin and purple eyes. Instead of clothes covering her body, it was a wriggling tentacle. Even her hair was wriggling like snakes.


    Her face itself deserved to be called the supreme beauty, but the grotesque tentacles aroused an instinctive sense of rejection.


    ¡®Whoa, that¡¯s disgusting.¡¯


    Of course, her status as an enemy aroused even more rejection than her appearance.


    ¡®Fuck¡­ Are you a Belial official?¡¯


    [Checking the status window of the semi-mythic grade named monster Limur.]


    [Name: Limur]


    [Title: 27th Legion¡¯s General, Ranked 1,692 Demon Lord, Belial¡¯s Loyal Apostle]


    [Age: 666]


    [Disposition: Loyal Egoist]


    [Category: Devil]


    [Stats]


    [A limit has been enforced. Hence, the target¡¯s stats cannot be checked. The stats have slightly decreased due to the penalty of being summoned in this world.]


    I couldn¡¯t check things like stats and characteristics, but I felt like I didn¡¯t even need to see those.


    She was a named monster that could be ssified as semi-mythic grade. That alone could measure how much power she had.


    -Nice to meet you. I¡¯m ¡®Limur,¡¯ a universal leader of the 27th Legion.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -I thought I smelled an ugly, disgustingly holy smell somewhere¡­ Today is a lucky day. Who would¡¯ve thought that I would see the human chosen by Benignore? Even in my dreams, I couldn¡¯t imagine that I would face such a pleasant situation immediately after my advent into this world.


    The way she was looking and staring at me was quite spectacr. I was momentarily startled, but I was forced to nod after confirming her mysterious yet friendly nce.


    ¡®Whew¡­ her acting skills are no joke.¡¯


    It deserved to be put on the same level as Belial¡¯s acting skills.


    For some reason, she looked amused. Of course, what was more surprising than that was the fact that a demon of that degree came down to our world. Perhaps that¡­


    ¡®It must not have been summoned by Jung Hayan and Han Sora.¡¯


    It was very likely that Belial, who came to the present world, had brought her in.


    Considering that it wasn¡¯t easy for demons to be summoned to that world, it wouldn¡¯t have been easy to call in that kind of demon, even for Belial.


    I had to think that it was against the system itself.


    ¡®Since there was a crack in the system¡­ can I consider it as possible?¡¯


    I assumed that the system had a small hole, and they were constantly flowing through it.


    ¡®We almost got in big trouble.¡¯


    It¡¯s safe to think that Belial, who could be ssified as a moderate demon, was managing the hole.


    If the summoned being was a hardliner¡­ No, that assumption itself was meaningless in the first ce. No human could ever match up with the Demon Overlord.


    While lost in my own thoughts, Jung Hayan continued to re at the devil named Limur.


    Just as I had conversations with Belial inside my mind, it was obvious that Jung Hayan and Limur were also having simr conversations.


    Since Jung Hayan made that situation, she might have thought there was room for negotiation.


    She couldn¡¯t proceed with the contract, but she could be said to be their summoner.


    ¡®You did grow, Hayan.¡¯


    I wanted topliment her since she learned not to waste her skills willy-nilly. However, I knew the negotiations wouldn¡¯t go all that well.


    Considering that the devil¡¯s purpose was to kidnap me in the first ce, the conversation itself was already meaningless.


    From Limur¡¯s point of view, she was probably dealing with her a bit.


    As if my prediction was correct, Jung Hayan¡¯s face was bing sourer as time passed. She was gasping her breath as if agitated, and her eyes became increasingly bloodshot.


    I didn¡¯t know what she heard, but she slowly started to look like she was losing her temper.


    -I might have agreed with you if it was usual, but I want that guy now. I¡¯m sorry,dy wizard. There is no room for negotiation other than that.


    ¡°Hayan? You¡­¡±


    After all, negotiations broke down. Even Limur spat it out.


    Naturally, I made an expression that seemed to ask for an exnation of what was happening.


    Jung Hayan¡¯s face was once again filled with anxiety. She seemed to be looking for excuses for the current situation, but she couldn¡¯t afford to think that way.


    I felt the demon, who had disappeared from my sight, holding onto my shoulder and Jung Hayan¡¯s.


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    ¡®She¡¯s pretty fast.¡¯


    I felt goosebumps cover my body in an instant.


    Surprised, Jung Hayan cast a spell, but she was soon buried in the corner with a popping sound.


    I couldn¡¯t check if there was damage or not, but she must¡¯ve broken a few bones from the sound of impact.


    ¡°Be soft.¡±


    -I won¡¯t kill her. I¡¯m also thinking of returning you safely. Without that woman in the first ce, you have no means of bringing us here¡­ Why would I do such a stupid thing? You don¡¯t have to worry too much, as this is something that Belial asked me to do.


    ¡°Thank you, beautiful Limur.¡±


    -You have a sweet mouth, as I heard. I really want to thank you. It¡¯s been a long time since I came to this world¡­ It¡¯s not easy to find a disgusting human like you these days.


    ¡°Thank¡­ you for thepliment.¡±


    After the short conversation shared through hushed voices, I looked forward again.


    What Jung Hayan, who raised her body while coughing, was witnessing must be Limur grabbing my shoulder. I didn¡¯t even need to exin that sparks sttered from her eyes instantly.


    -Go back, dumb human. Since I owe you, I won¡¯t take your life. Still, I would like to say thank you. It¡¯s been a long time since I have found a human like this¡­


    ¡®Ohh¡­ You were talking about that then.¡¯


    I understood why Jung Hayan was angry.


    ¡°That¡­ remove your hand from him. Cough¡­¡±


    -Didn¡¯t I tell you? I became interested¡­ Personally, I like to corrupt people like her¡­ I think you weren¡¯t lucky.


    ¡°R-Remove your hand¡­¡±


    -I told you to go back the way you came from if you don¡¯t want to die. That is the most amount of consideration I can give.


    ¡°I said¡­ remove your hand.¡±


    -I must have told you I don¡¯t want to.


    ¡®Why are you so provocative?¡¯


    It seemed to me that I wanted her to create a more dramatic moment, but I had to be a little anxious from my point of view.


    Even the tentacles on her began to wrap around my body. Limur¡¯s face looked like she was having fun. Her unidentified tentacles wrapped around me. It even reached the inside of my clothes and wandered everywhere.


    ¡®F¡­ Fuck, what is this? Stop. Hey, why are you doing this?¡¯


    -He¡¯s a cuter guy than I thought.


    ¡®Hey¡­ stop. Huh¡­ Huh¡­ ugh.¡¯


    Since I was even bent over, there was no need for a different expression.


    Of course, in Jung Hayan¡¯s case, it looked like there was more happening. It was hard to honestly imagine what she felt while witnessing her man get taken away from her eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m 29 years old¡­ my hobby is¡­¡¯


    There was a possibility that she was feeling the same unidentified situation.


    ¡°H-Hayan. Run¡­ run away.¡±


    ¡°Take. That. Hand. Away.¡±


    -Don¡¯t want to¡­


    ¡°B-b-b¡­ before I kill you¡­ take that hand¡­ away¡­ quiiick¡­ lyy¡­ take it awaaay!¡±


    She even shed tears for how unfair it was, but I, who was roughly anticipating what would begin after those tears, was bound to be anxious.


    ¡°Stop now¡­ you can do it in moderation, Limur.¡±


    -Didn¡¯t you want to fix her bad habit?


    ¡°But I¡¯ll do it gradually and then send her back.¡±


    ¡®I¡¯m anxious.¡¯


    -Hmm¡­ I thought it would be a little pleasant, but I guess you want to get out of this situation quickly?


    ¡°I feel good in a different sense, but¡­ honestly, I¡¯m feeling nervous about this.¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s pretty dangerous.¡¯


    Limur wasn¡¯t in danger. However, Jung Hayan looked unusual.


    Not only was she constantly talking to herself, but the way she muttered her words further amplified my anxiety.


    The conditions of intermediate and extreme anger had already passed long ago. I could tell that much by looking into her eyes and without having to look closely at the behavior.


    It was the first time since the cursed Shrine and the Laios crisis that I had seen a state simr to her maximum anger. I was worried that it would evolve in a new direction that I had never seen before.


    ¡®Fuck¡­¡¯


    My anxious foresight had never been wrong.


    It was indescribably terrifying to see her biting her nails and opening her mouth with her messy hair waving.


    Her behavior was contrary to what usually happened even when she reached maximum anger since she always was careful in front of me.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m going to kill¡­ I-I will kill.¡±


    -This is pretty fun.


    ¡°Take¡­ away that hand¡­ you¡­ you dirty c-cheap¡­ b-bitch¡­ take away that hand!!! Don¡¯t touch oppa with those dirty hands. I-I¡¯ll kill you!!! Kill!!! Cough! I will kill you!!! I¡¯ll tear you up and kill you!! Cough! Cough!!! I will kill you!!!¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Dieeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!¡±


    It was hard to tell who the real demon here was.

 Chapter 482: You Should Be Punished (3)

    <h4>Chapter 482: You Should Be Punished (3)</h4>


    I couldn¡¯t even confirm that I had already signed up. The energy that instantaneously exploded from my body was a kind of magic that I had never seen before.


    There was no need to exin how much the magic amount was because the power was so pressurized that the unidentified tentacles surrounding my body became filled with power.


    Limur was the leader of the 27th Legion and was ranked in the top 1,000 in the rank of demons, and yet, I was also forced to think that she was tense too.


    As I turned my head and checked her expression, I could see her smiling widely.


    ¡®Can you stop this?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know why she wasughing, but she seemed to be enjoying the current situation. Of course, her emotion was the exact opposite of what the other side was feeling.


    It wasn¡¯t intentional, but it was natural that I felt anxious about the monstrous confrontation that was about to start.


    The moment I saw hundreds of spheres of light embroidering the sky, I swallowed hard.


    It was an assembly of magic power that moved as if each of them had a will.


    ¡®F-Fuck¡­ Are you trying to kill me too?¡¯


    When I was looking at the atmosphere, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if she was on her mind. The continuous muttering with her messy hair reminded me of the former Juliana.


    She now looked like the type of human being who could not think properly.


    ¡°Dieeeeeeeeeeeeee!¡±


    Her emerging magic powers spread in all directions instantaneously.


    Craaaaashhh!


    Cruuuuuuusssssshhhh!


    Baaaaannnngggg!!!


    Part of them flew to the demons surrounding Limur, and part of them to her.


    Suddenly, I felt the tentacles that were holding my body became loose.


    Perhaps she thought it was burdensome to fight with dozens of strands on me.


    Hayan¡¯s current magic must have been threatening to her as well. As soon as she pulled her tentacles out of my body, huge tentacles stood in front of me, stackingyers and blocking the magic.


    -This is pretty fun.


    She said that, but I could see her biting her lips.


    In fact, her tentacles were constantly losing their power against the mass of magic power. I didn¡¯t know what to say, but the magic continued to swallow her tentacles. It¡¯s like she was disassembling her strength.


    ¡®Fuck¡­ when elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers. Please think about me too!¡¯


    ¡°Gruuuunnttt!¡±


    Craaaaaasssshhh!


    ¡°Groooooaarrr!¡±


    Baaaaanaaannnnnggg!


    In fact, I could hear the sound of the demons melting down along with explosions here and there.


    ¡®What is this¡­?¡¯


    ¡°Die!!! Die!!! Diiiiiieeeee!¡±


    Thorns of magic power that protruded from some spheres pierced the heads of dozens of demons.


    Even if that wasn¡¯t enough, they even exploded as well. It wasn¡¯t possible to confirm the exact nature of magic, but I hypothesized that it was the type that exploded by moving magic power from within.


    It seemed as if I was witnessing a miracle. In fact, I felt that there wasn¡¯t much difference between the figure she was showing and the figure of Benignore, who hade to my body.


    The way therge army was wiped out made me feel iprehensible catharsis.


    ¡®What¡­ is this¡­ fuck¡­¡®


    ¡°Gruuuuunnnntt!!!¡±


    Crraaaaakkk! Baaaannnngggg!


    ¡®Is this real¡­?¡¯


    In fact, I had a lot of thoughts while I dragged Jung Hayan all the way there. Because of our long time together, I subconsciously thought I had to drag her with me.


    ¡®Fuuuck¡­¡¯


    However, at that level, there was no need to worry. The value she had was much greater than her losing that fight. It was one of the most necessary puzzle pieces for the uing war.


    The way she surpassed the magic limits that humans showed was enough to make me think of her as nothing less than simply amazing.


    The vast majority of demons that were filling the space had all gotten annihted.


    Although they were simple sidekicks, each of those demons couldn¡¯t be regarded as weak individuals. To ssify by the continent¡¯s standard, they were at least ranked within the heroic-grade. Such demons became rags in one magic blow.


    At that moment, I understood why Kim Hyunsung kept Jung Hayan like that.


    ¡°Sigh¡­ Sigh¡­ Sigh¡­¡±


    ¡®Wasn¡¯t this her maximum growth?¡¯


    ¡°I will kill you. Tear to shreds¡­ I-I will kill you.¡±


    -I had some friends I loved within those you killed. That¡¯s a little sad.


    ¡°S-Shut up!! Shut up!!!¡±


    With no time to breathe, great magic was conjured once again.


    ¡®Really¡­ What is this¡­?¡¯


    Even in the midst of that, the monstrous confrontation became serious enough that there was no room for me to close my jaw.


    After blocking the first attack, I thought it was Limur¡¯s turn, but Jung Hayan refused to let her turn finish. I witnessed her arrows, made of her magic power, poured out, all pointing at her.


    In the meantime, she was trying to distinguish who was an enemy and who was an ally.


    ¡°Craaaaaackkkk!!!¡±


    Chains started to break through the grounds. There was also a me that seemed to burn all that it touched.


    The wind became so clearly substantiated and refined enough to be visible for our eyes.


    Anemone¡¯s dark red sphere I saw in Laios that consumed space was also present. Other than that, there was also ridiculous magic that I had never seen or heard. Explosions reverberated all over the ce.


    It didn¡¯t look right, but it even seemed as if the terrain was constantly changing.


    Dozens of tentacles poured out towards her, but Jung Hayan stood her ground as she grabbed her tentacles with her magical power. Limur tried to approach her with the same speed as before, but the frenzied wizard didn¡¯t allow it.


    Through her magic power, she ced traps everywhere that could change direction or counteract movement itself.


    A fight between those who tried to narrow the distance and those who wanted to get separated apart transpired. I didn¡¯t think this was going to end easily.


    She never lost her constant smile, but her face was bing more distorted.


    She must¡¯ve felt that the battle wasn¡¯t going the way she thought it would go.


    It seemed that she couldn¡¯t move properly because she had to protect me, but I knew that it would have been a difficult fight even without that handicap.


    Besides¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s the same with Hayan, she is also holding a penalty.¡¯


    -Is your power just this much?


    ¡°Craaaaassshhh!!! Die!!! Please die!!!¡±


    -You can¡¯t save him¡­ He will be stolen today¡­ I¡¯m sorry about this, so what should I do¡­


    ¡°Shut up! Shut up!! Shut up!!!¡±


    -I have the confidence to make him feel like he cannot live without me¡­ Even with only a week, he would no longer look at a human girl like you. You will lose. You¡¯ll get stuck on the floor and get squeezed.


    ¡°Hic¡­ s-shut up¡­¡±


    -After, it would be better to erase his memories. I think it would be nice to make his whole day so bad that he can¡¯t even think of anything else but slowly be disgusted of humans. Yes, I better do that. Haha¡­


    ¡°Shut¡­ Shut up¡­ Shut up¡­ Shut up!!! Waaaaahhh¡­ die!! Dieeeeee!!!


    The battle could almost bebeled as a tie. However, as time passed, the situation changed more and more.


    ¡®The vibe that¡¯sing out right now is definitely different.¡¯


    The experience wasn¡¯t really important. Jung Hayan seemed to fall for Limur¡¯s light provocation, causing her to increase her magic output.


    The Demon Lord was also aware of the fact. Hence, she kept talking. My expression showed feelings of irritation and anxiety as it was stained by madness.


    In the first ce, her physical condition was no longer normal. It was evident that Jung Hayan had already been suffering from magic exhaustion beforeing to where we were, and there wasn¡¯t much magical power left in her body.


    Even though she recovered some magic power due to the great wizard¡¯s heart, it was too much to think that she was in the same condition as before.


    It wasn¡¯t unreasonable for her limit to be reached soon, considering she was using up more magic power than necessary due to her anger towards the opponent. Still, I couldn¡¯t be certain of her victory even if she carefully controlled her magic.


    As time passed, her magic reserves became an empty river, allowing Limur to have a little more space. Above all else, her situation could be identified without having to examine it.


    ¡°Hic¡­ waaaahhhh¡­ get out!! I said, get out!! Get out!!!¡±


    Even though she continued to chant spells, magic no longer appeared.


    -What should I do? I¡¯m sad your magic has beenpletely depleted.


    ¡°Waaaahh!! Waaaahh!¡±


    She pulled out her dagger and rushed in as if she couldn¡¯t give up there, but she fell to the floor with a bang.


    As she lifted Jung Hayan¡¯s hair and smacked her hard on the cheek, she once again trembled on the floor.


    ¡®You¡¯ll kill her. Fuck. Stop.¡¯


    When she noticed Hayan¡¯s expression, Limur nodded her head as if she knew that she was too harsh.


    With just two blows, Jung Hayanpletely copsed. She was ced in a situation where she couldn¡¯t spread her shield despite its low magic requirement.


    Hayan¡¯s body was too fragile to resist Limur.


    ¡°Sniff¡­ cough¡­ could¡­ Oppa¡­ Oppa¡­¡±


    ¡®Ahhh¡­ My heart hurts¡­¡¯


    ¡°Oppa¡­ Hic¡­Blaaarh¡­ O-O-oppa¡­¡±


    My body no longer moved properly. As soon as I entered the method acting again, bound by tentacles, thick tears continued to fall from her eyes.


    I stood up and ran, but I couldn¡¯t take a few steps. Instead, I copsed.


    ¡°Oppa¡­ Don¡¯t go¡­ do not go¡­ Hic¡­ waaahhhh¡­¡±


    ¡®Do not do that¡­ you¡¯re hurting the both of us¡­¡¯


    ¡°Don¡¯t take him¡­ d-don¡¯t¡­ take him away¡­ cough¡­ cough¡­ don¡¯t take him.¡±


    -I want to, though.


    ¡°Hic¡­ waaaahhh¡­ hic!¡±


    ¡°Hayan.¡±


    ¡°Oppa¡­ oppaaa¡­¡±


    I stood up once again, and I slowly moved, but again that time, I fell without taking a few steps.


    Blood kept popping out of my mouth, and my whole body had already be rags.


    Although it was heartbreaking, that drama had to be properly finished.


    If the only purpose were to cure her habit, I would have ended moderately, but I was picturing something bigger.


    ¡°I¡­ I will go with you. Please let her go.¡±


    ¡®Nice line.¡¯


    ¡°Waaahhhh¡­ don¡¯t do that¡­ Don¡¯t¡­ Hic¡­¡±


    -If she keeps looking like that, I would want to harass her a little more¡­ But anyway, I was thinking of keeping that girl alive, and it¡¯s weing if the price is you.


    ¡°Thank¡­ you.¡±


    ¡°Oppa¡­ Hic¡­ Oppaaaa!! Cough!!! Cough!! Waaahh¡­ oppa¡­¡±


    My body slowly rose to the sky regardless of my will. The startled Jung Hayan tried to run again, but she was caught on a stone and fell.


    I could see her crying with a runny nose, reaching out, as well as trying to hold onto me, even crawling.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Hic¡­ I was wrong¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ Hic. Hic!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Waaahhh¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m¡­ sorry.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Please¡­ please¡­ please¡­ Hic¡­ Hic. Give me one more chance. God. Please¡­ please¡­ only once¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Hic¡­ Hic¡­ Oppa¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You have to be safe.¡±


    I gave a bitter smile for a beautiful ending. My heart was a bit broken by the scene of Hayan continually shouting out for me.


    ¡®This is what one would call a real drama.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t help but appreciate the results.

 Chapter 483: Superstar L (1)

    <h4>Chapter 483: Superstar L (1)</h4>


    I could see the scenery before me changing quickly.


    It seemed to be moving very fast; however, it was a veryfortable ride, unlike the speed. Naturally, I didn¡¯t think the demons would ride in a carriage-like vehicle.


    I wondered if it had been prepared for me, but the tentacle woman¡¯s behavior sitting next to me was quite natural.


    Regardless, I started to feel sorry for Jung Hayan because I was moving and stuck.


    ¡®I wonder if she got back safely.¡¯


    I had no choice but to feel a little worried. No matter how much it was part of curing her habit, she looked quite miserable thest time I saw her.


    She looked like a seven-year-old kid shouting at the mart asking for sweets, but the way she was shedding thick tears and crying out telling me not to go made me feel bad.


    ¡®I think she¡¯s going to feel guiltier¡­¡¯


    It was indeed right that I had created that situation for her to reflect and me herself. It couldn¡¯t be helped that some part of me was bothered. I got to understand how Hayan felt when she said she was sorry at the end¡­


    She didn¡¯t think the little embers she had thrown woulde back so big.


    Of course, as I was still alive, the ¡®event¡¯ from the first round wasn¡¯t bound to happen. However, I was sure she would be overwhelmed by the great guilting since she would take the me.


    Personally, I felt sorry for her, but¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s the perfect time for her to reflect.¡¯


    It was necessary for her to feel that way. Of course, I didn¡¯t think that would make her changepletely. I was also worried that it might cause other trauma¡­


    However, I felt satisfied since I taught her about karma.


    That was the simple reasoning wherein what one had done woulde back to them someday.


    It didn¡¯t apply to me, but just by making her realize it, I would be able to reduce her radius of impulsive actions a little more. I looked at the tentacle woman.


    Unlike when I was with Jung Hayan, she looked quite polite, so I guessed she had received something from Belial. She seemedpletely different from before when she harassed me with her mysterious tentacles.


    It felt like she was treating me like a VIP member.


    As if she felt my gaze, she talked to me, passing me over an unknown drink carefully.


    ¡®Whoa, fuck. It tastes awful. What is this?¡¯


    -Is there anything making you ufortable?


    ¡°No. What would be ufortable? I¡¯m just curious about if Hayan went back properly¡­¡±


    -Hmm.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -Please wait. I¡¯m checking it now. Currently¡­ it has been confirmed that she has arrived at a ce where several humans have gathered. Although she¡¯s unconscious, I¡¯ve sent a message from our side. The other humans should be taking care of her by now.


    ¡®I guess she got back safely.¡¯


    I was worried that she might make a fuss about finding me, but she didn¡¯t seem to be doing that.


    She must¡¯ve thought I needed help. However, what was more of a concern was the state of the joint training.


    ¡®It must be a mess. It must be a real mess.¡¯


    I found the news that he was doing what I had pictured quite amazing. He seemed to understand very well how things should work in the future.


    Indeed, it was not unreasonable to think of Belial.


    -And you don¡¯t have to worry about that crazy woman.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    -As I said earlier, that woman is someone whom Belial cares about too¡­ I might have looked a little rough, but after a little time, she¡¯ll wake up. It was also because she used more magic power than the damage I gave in the first ce. Rather than a boring talk like this¡­ hmm¡­ what do you think? It will take a little longer before we arrive.


    ¡°Yes? What are you talking about¡­?¡±


    -What did you think about what I said? I can¡¯t say what I said when there was friction with the crazy woman, but if you want, I can make it so that you won¡¯t ever think of a human female body¡­


    ¡°N-No. I¡¯m fine.¡±


    For some reason, I was scared that those words would indeed be a reality. Although her face itself was beautiful, it was true that something felt off about her.


    Just thinking that I¡¯d be ¡®wooed¡¯ by her wriggling tentacles was enough to make me shake my head.


    Of course, Limur took this sullenly. She didn¡¯t think she was going to be rejected.


    -That¡¯s too bad. I am willing to make some adjustments if my appearance does not satisfy you.


    ¡°No. No. Thank you for your words, but¡­¡±


    -I¡¯m quite popr among other demons¡­ even with the ones a bit younger or even older.


    ¡°No. It¡¯s really not for that reason. I¡¯m very grateful, but I¡¯m worried that this foolish mortal will truly fall in love with the beautiful Limur¡­¡±


    -Even if you¡¯re just saying it, I can¡¯t help but be happy. However, you don¡¯t have to say that. I¡¯m not so great a demon that you have to speak up. And even if I¡¯m not Belial, I¡¯m friendly enough to you. It would be better to say that you¡¯re our taste. Not only me but probably only a few of the demons will hate you. It¡¯s natural to say you¡¯re different from other humans.


    ¡®Is that supposed to be apliment?¡¯


    -It¡¯s the first time in my life that I have seen a man with divine powers have such a disgusting soul. I can definitely feel the divine spirit, but your soul feels so dirty¡­


    ¡°Are¡­ you not ufortable? I know that the divine power is deadly to the demons¡­¡±


    -Not really. It feels a bit weird, but in your case, the disgusting soul is much bigger than the light inside¡­ I don¡¯t know if this would be urate but think of it as a fermented food like cheese, for example. It smells nasty, but it tastes very good, right?


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes¡­¡±


    -You¡¯re a special cheese that¡¯s rotten enough to make people think that you¡¯ve been fermented for tens of thousands of years. Who would hate it? Naturally, everyone would want to taste it at least once. The same goes for me.


    ¡®Is she cursing me?¡¯


    I wondered if she was actually making fun of me. However, Limur¡¯s eyes showed her sincerity.


    I thought the demon¡¯snguage expression and her gaze that looked at me like I was some sort of food was quite strange. She looked like she was having an ufortable time suppressing her desires.


    ¡®Don¡¯t be like this¡­¡¯


    -If you change your mind at any time, let me know. The offer will stay on the table.


    ¡°Ahem¡­ Hmm hmm. Thank you very much for your words, but maybe¡­ ahem. If possible, I would like to proceed with the contract in small doses.¡±


    That¡¯s when her attitude suddenly changed. In an instant, her expressionless face brightened.


    She had a face like an insurance salesman who seeded in selling.


    ¡®It seems like this is definitely going to work.¡¯


    I showed my approval a little. I couldn¡¯t help but feel like the demon had means up her sleeves to make me tempted.


    Since I had expectations, I couldn¡¯t help but feel happy once I confirmed that.


    -Is that true?


    ¡°Yes. As we¡¯re not going along the same path, it may be difficult for a direct contract, but we can proceed as far as necessary if it is a temporary contract. I had my doubts, but seeing how you liked it like this, I¡¯m more grateful. Haha. You must be able to make contracts with other humans as much as you want¡­¡±


    -I¡¯m telling you that you seem to know how our side works, but simply signing a contract doesn¡¯t mean that your performance will increase significantly. Who you sign the contract with, what the contract is, and how much performance you make with the contract is also an important factor. You can tell it seeing that Belial¡¯s ranking has risen by 41 ces due to thest contract.


    ¡°What?¡±


    -Originally, Belial was ranked 68th among the 72 Demon Lords. He was in a rtively low rank. It¡¯s unusual that he suddenly rose 41 ces, even more so when you think that it wasn¡¯t through a direct contract but a temporary contract. It must have been the right choice to instill your rotten soul and the dignity of Belial throughout the continent. Many reviews stated it was weird for us to proceed with the contract at this scale.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    -Think about it. I signed a contract with you, who is called Benignore¡¯s Second Coming. How could I not umte results?


    ¡®She¡¯s right.¡¯


    -If we really assume that Lee Kiyoung made a temporary contract with me, it will likely open up the possibility of swiftly entering the top 1,000. Rising over 600 ces¡­


    ¡®That¡¯s awesome.¡¯


    Honestly, I had expected that to some extent. I knew that Belial was overly friendly and that his own strength had grown greatly.


    It was more than I imagined. Due to thest Laios incident, he had risen 41 ces in a single contract. Even the tentacle woman, Limur, had dreamed of going up 600 ranks through one temporary contract¡­


    If I made a simple temporary contract with the demons under Belial¡¯smand, the game of power in hell could change.


    Of course, that was when it would be possible.


    -A-are you really doing it?


    ¡®I guess I shouldn¡¯t have said I would.¡¯


    ¡°Yes, of course. I¡¯ve had enough help before. I think it would be better to tell you the details of the contractter. You probably have a lot of things to do.¡±


    -Yes. I roughly know what you¡¯re thinking of. Again, he said that you¡¯d deceive all humans on the continent¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but that¡¯s what we¡¯ve roughly been nning.¡±


    -Um, Lee Kiyoung.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    -I¡¯m very sorry to say this directly, but¡­


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    -If we make a temporary contract in the future¡­


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    -If you can assign me to a role with a little weight¡­ I would be very grateful. I will definitely pay you back.


    ¡®What the¡­ when did this rumor spread like this?¡¯


    Seeing how big her expectations were, she was definitely an apostle of Belial. At that moment, I realized just where I was.


    To put it into perspective, they were the actors that wanted a role.


    I was the general manager in charge of the stage. The casting director, if you will.


    I smiled, feeling proud.


    ¡®Your life just turned around due to this, Kiyoung. Let¡¯s just walk the path of light!¡¯

 Chapter 484: Superstar L (2)

    <h4>Chapter 484: Superstar L (2)</h4>


    -We¡¯ll be arriving soon.


    ¡°We¡¯re closer than I thought. Is this the ce where Belial was first summoned?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°It looks like he hasn¡¯t moved elsewhere.¡±


    -Yes. Unlike us, who can move rtively freely, Belial, who has a higher rank, has limitations in his current activities. It wouldn¡¯t be wrong to say that he can¡¯t even escape that castle.


    ¡®Is that a good thing?¡¯


    It seemed that the system surrounding the continent had not yetpletely copsed.


    ¡®It means that¡¯s the difference between the semi-mythic-grade and the mythic-grade. It looks like there¡¯s something akin to a restraint.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t tell what kind of situation he was in, in detail. However, if I thought about it a little, I could deduce an answer.


    It was based on whether or not a demon could have a devastating effect on one dimension. It would¡¯ve been even stranger if a mythic-grade creature could roam the continent like amoner.


    There should be that much restraint.


    In particr, I thought that when summoned, the restraint would strengthen even more. In the same sense, a slight increase in stats must¡¯ve been a kind of restraint.


    Of course, it didn¡¯t matter much whether or not he could move to a creature that had the power of Belial. However, that didn¡¯t mean that it was better than letting them roam around?


    ¡®The system surely works amazingly well.¡¯


    Although it was obvious, I realized that the continent hadn¡¯t been designed shallowly.


    If it weren¡¯t for it, I could be sure that the trollers in charge of the continent would¡¯ve ruined the continent thousands of years ago already.


    Right at that moment, just considering Benignore and the trashy Elune, I came up with an answer. ¡°Are you and Belial all the demons summoned in this world?¡±


    -No. Although not everyone has been summoned, other colleagues ranked in the top 1,000 have also responded to Belial¡¯s call. You will probably see them soon. First, you would have to see Belial.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, so I¡¯m feeling a little nervous.¡±


    -There¡¯s no need to be nervous. Our 27th Legion is always friendly to Lee Kiyoung. And I¡¯m saying this just to be sure, but the promise we made earlier¡­


    ¡°Oh, yes. You can rest assured that I will make the temporary contract I promised.¡±


    -Thank you, Lee Kiyoung.


    ¡°But I can¡¯t confirm your role yet.¡±


    -I see. It¡¯s as expected.


    ¡°As you know, this is a very important part. But you won¡¯t be disappointed. Limur has already done a very important job, and you have left a strong impression. Wasn¡¯t Limur that Belial sent to me?¡±


    -Yes. I was, but¡­


    ¡°Perhaps Belial cares about Limur a lot. You were on a heavy mission to kidnap the hero of the continent, Benignore¡¯s Second Coming. When thinking about the next course of action, I can¡¯t help but give you a role with a certain quality¡­ In fact, aren¡¯t we in a situation where the entire script hasn¡¯t been released yet? If I could give you a definite answer about giving you a good role, I would¡¯ve told you upfront. I hope you understand that it¡¯s difficult to make promises because anything can happen.¡±


    -If that¡¯s your reason, then I wholeheartedly wee it, Kiyoung Lee.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t a matter that I can decide on my own, so I will contact you after having an in-depth conversation with Belial.¡±


    The actress¡¯s nervous face was entertaining to watch. I was a little worried because it was a ce crowded with semi-mythic creatures.


    However, after checking Limur¡¯s face, I had to smile again. I bet the other demons were in a simr situation as her.


    Limur had stolen a moment for her role because she was concerned that I would change my mind when I saw another demon.


    -I¡¯ll stop bothering you.


    ¡°I understand your position. You can rest assured that I will never forget what Limur did for me today.¡±


    -I feel a little relieved after hearing that. Thank you very much. Anyway, let¡¯s go in. Belial must be waiting for you.


    ¡°Yes, Limur.¡±


    After arriving at the castle, I walked down the street while having a short conversation. Soon enough, I arrived at the front of a big audience chamber.


    I felt a sense of unknown pressure for some reason, but it wasn¡¯t hostility.


    Perhaps the reason was the presence of a mythic-grade creature. I wanted to prepare myself first, but Limur, who was unaware of how I felt, quickly opened the door.


    Contrary to what I expected, wherein it would be difficult to breathe, I felt like my mind was rather rxed.


    When I looked up carefully, I noticed the interior was far from the human taste.


    ¡®It looks disgusting.¡¯


    Not only were there unidentified flesh attached all over the ce, but the skulls of unknown demons were hung everywhere. It didn¡¯t look tidy, but it felt tidy, at least.


    Antique-style ornaments harmonized in the middle, creating a strangely creepy atmosphere.


    -It¡¯s been a long time, disgusting human.


    However, it didn¡¯t feel any more bizarre than that.


    ¡°This humble mortal greets the ruler of all evils.¡±


    Limur even seemed to be somewhat humanoid.


    On the contrary, Belial¡¯s appearance, which had an inexplicable appearance, instinctively aroused a sense of fear within me. I didn¡¯t know which one of them lookedmon.


    However, if someone asked which one was more suited to be called a demon, it was obviously Belial.


    It was a demon-like appearance, ranked 27th among 72 evil lords.


    ¡®It seemed like a transformation could be possible¡­¡¯


    In fact, Limur said that he could change his appearance.


    However, it didn¡¯t make sense to think that one of the 72nd Lords changed his appearance simply because he didn¡¯t like it.


    Since even thoughts could be read, it was important to avoid thinking of useless things.


    I nodded and heard his terrible voice once again.


    -Fuhuhu¡­ Didn¡¯t I say that you don¡¯t need to tter me like that?


    ¡°It¡¯s not ttering. All of these wordse from my heart. I really missed you, Belial. Last time, after sending you like that, I regretted not being able to treat you a little more properly¡­¡±


    -Don¡¯t you already know that you don¡¯t have toe out with such a submissive attitude? After all, it¡¯s you, not me, who stamps the contract. And the same goes for the treatment. It¡¯s not about how you treat me, but how I treat you. Perhaps you heard it from Limur. You should have benefited in your own way, but it was me who really benefited from thest contract. It will probably be the same this time.


    ¡°I always do this for Belial¡­¡±


    -Enough with the empty words. Let¡¯s cut the formalities and sit down. There are many things I have prepared for you.


    ¡®That is why a person must have abilities.¡¯


    It didn¡¯t seem like a pretense to want to of foods and alcohol were on the table on one side.


    I didn¡¯t know if it was something they ate in hell, but there were foods I had never seen before.


    -Some things might be unfamiliar to you, but the taste isn¡¯t that bad. I prepared things that humans can eat. I hope you like it. It would be insufficientpared to what you did for me.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    -I wanted to give down a part of my power at least, but it¡¯s difficult to aplish right now, so let¡¯s leave it as an amusement forter.


    ¡°By that, you mean¡­¡±


    -Won¡¯t youe to uster? I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re aware of it, but with your level, you¡¯re probably able to throw away your temporal body. Of course, it may seem premature right now, and your talent and body are so terrible that I¡¯ll have a lot to prepare. If you look at it in the long run, 2,000 years should be enough.


    ¡®I¡¯m already treated as a demon¡­¡¯


    It¡¯s the first time I didn¡¯t feel good being scouted.


    It was only then that I began to understand why Limur was strangely favorable to me.


    Perhaps, even if there were no mention of Belial or the role, she would have been polite to me.


    It would have been attractive enough for her to connect with a man trusted by one of the 72 Demon Lords and her future co-worker.


    ¡°Why are these bastards so sure of this?¡±


    Didn¡¯t that mean that if I had the possibility of throwing away the mortal body and going higher, I could be scouted by Benignore or Elune?


    It was hard to understand why he was convinced I would move my camp towards the demonic side. I even had divine power.


    If Belial thought as much, Benignore and Elune were probably also struggling to bring me to the new world.


    -It takes a little divine power, but it won¡¯t be a problem. There are cases like Lucifer. Well, that¡¯s a story for another time. It would be more important to sessfullyplete the work in front of us now rather than prepare for the future.


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡±


    At this, I nced at Belial.


    -Come to think of it, you met Limur. What do you think of her?


    ¡°She¡¯s a woman full of grace. I can also tell that Belial trusts her. Seeing that you chose Limur to start this work, I can already feel it. I wonder if she¡¯s the one you¡¯re pushing into the Corps. Her acting skills seemed to be significant, and there was no corner that I didn¡¯t like her.¡±


    ¡®That tentacle, too.¡¯


    -I have been helped by Limur in many ways, but I haven¡¯t been able topensate her for it. I wanted to do so at that opportunity, and I sent her, so I hope you don¡¯t get upset.


    ¡°Why would I? Rather, I¡¯m grateful. Isn¡¯t the first impact important in this case? Limur has done her part excellently. She should take an important job in the future. I¡¯m certain of this.¡±


    -No, no. Still, I¡¯ll givepensation to you for this. Originally, it would be right for me to take care of her myself, but as you know, being in this ce, I have a lot in my hands. In particr, our 27th Corps is in a state of sudden growth, so there are many internal problems. It would be nice if I could solve all the problems, but how can I lead the group without even noticing the ones below?


    ¡°It¡¯s very unjust of you to say that.¡±


    -Even if there are some that I personally like, it is difficult to act with favoritism thoughtlessly, and just because there are people I personally dislike, I can¡¯t get rid of them at will.


    ¡®This bastard¡­¡¯


    -It¡¯s really a problem, isn¡¯t it?


    ¡®Whew, you¡¯re one evil bastard.¡¯


    I felt like I could see what Belial wanted from that event.


    Those he didn¡¯t like were knocked out, and those he trusted were put up. It was not just a simple contract or pulling out negative emotions.


    He was aiming for the reorganization of the 27th Legion. I felt like he was thinking of purging some demons.


    ¡®My people can also level up.¡¯


    In a way, this was a win-win.


    ¡®Be well prepared, kids. If you¡¯re lucky, you might get some experience.¡¯

 Chapter 485: Blue’s Circumstances (1)

    <h4>Chapter 485: Blue¡¯s Circumstances (1)</h4>


    ¡°Manager Kim Mi-young.¡±


    ¡°Oh, manager Park Joong-ki¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I couldn¡¯t even say hello because I had a lot to do. Have all the goods arrived?¡±


    ¡°Yes. All of the supplies you mentioned have been processed and put in the warehouse. Some were loaded in a wagon so that they could go straight to the field. After confirmation, I will go to the Guild Master to get payment. If you¡¯re busy, I¡¯ll take care of your part too.¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s crazy, but I¡¯m sure I can do everything I¡¯m doing. That is also important. Did the reinforcements arrive together?¡±


    ¡°The reinforcements might take a little time. It was so sudden¡­ It is said that the State is recruiting all personnel avable from the Holy Knights and Archbishops, including the Temrs. Since the matter is important, I think it will move all armed groups run by the Holy See. The same goes for other big cities. Pope Basel has said that he is heading directly to the Federation without going through the joint-training grounds. It seems like there¡¯s been a lot of internal talks.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°I tried to tell him otherwise, but because he is so fiery¡­ Had it not been for Oscar and the other members of the Congress, he would have advanced directly to the Federation.¡±


    ¡°Lindel¡¯s atmosphere must be unsettled.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not just Lindel. The whole country is feeling insecure. Whileing this way, I checked all other small and medium-sized cities, but overall, the residents¡¯ faces were dark. Most of them are only praying. It seems like the country itself has been paralyzed. How about here?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s like a funeral. Of course, it¡¯s understandable, but¡­ in particr, Park Deokgu isn¡¯t feeling well. As soon as Elena got the news, she fainted. Sun Hee-young and Cho Hyejin are not looking good, either.¡±


    ¡°And Jung Hayan is¡­¡±


    ¡°I bring her meals every day, but she¡¯s not eating it. I hear her only crying all the time, but I can¡¯t imagine how hurt she is. It was like losing the Vice Guild Master right in front of her¡­ It hurts more because she seems to think it¡¯s all her fault. Immediately after arriving, she was gibberish and mumbled about it being her fault. I thought she was out of her mind, so I rmended her to take a break for now¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not meeting with Park Deokgu, as well as the Guild Master and other people, and her wounds hadn¡¯t recovered. She¡¯s refusing to have the priests heal her even if they enter. The Guild Master told me to keep an eye on her because there¡¯s a possibility that she might harm herself.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Gosh¡­ sometimes, even being a good person is a problem. I heard that she got caught up in a job trying to save the fleeing federal people¡­ There¡¯s good news, though. From what I heard from Dialugia, she¡¯s sure he¡¯s still alive. In this situation, guild staff like us should be more alert. Party members will have a hard time paying attention to other parts.¡±


    ¡°Yes. We should.¡±


    Manager Kim Mi-young¡¯s face darkened.


    ¡®It seems like she¡¯s overdoing it¡­¡¯


    She pretended to be as casual as possible, but I was able to predict what kind of feelings she would be feeling at that moment, as the time I spent together with her as a guild employee of the Blue was long.


    ¡®Why wouldn¡¯t she be having a hard time?¡¯


    It was manager Kim Mi-young who acted as the hands and feet of Vice Guild Master for a long time. She was told that the demon had kidnapped the benefactor who saved her from a hellish life. Therefore, it would not be strange at all for her to react the same way as the others. She would want to shed tears and to sit back.


    Nevertheless, seeing that she focused on her work, as usual, I knew that she was a person who deserved the trust of the Vice Guild Master. He probably saw her being like that from the beginning. Hence, he had used an insignificant person as the center of the Blue administration.


    She knew that the priority was to get things done in a hurry rather than to be sad.


    ¡°Are you sure that the consultations with other countries are going well?¡±


    ¡°For now, the operation to recapture the Federation has been officially approved. The operation is also scheduled to be implemented in exactly a week, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I am not a military expert, and I am not sure, but in many ways, I felt that it was not prepared properly. The passive attitude of some countries andrge guilds also affected it, and they are still confused about theposition of the troops entering each region. Even the Federation members, such as Gerhan of Hellfire and Jami, seemed unwilling to move. It was like they have decided to abandon all the facilities in the Federation. It makes me bitter. They were so close to the Vice Guild Master¡­ and as soon as the news was cut off, they cut contacts.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re trash humans. Well, such humans¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if they don¡¯t want to admit that it might be the turn of the other kingdoms after the Federation, or they¡¯re just fools. In the worst case, the Guild Master seems to be thinking about the case of recapture operations only with the alliance and the Republic.¡±


    ¡°The Republic must be feeling enthusiastic about this.¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s a fortune out of misfortunes. They seem to be trying to recover somehow the image that was hit by thest war. Perhaps one of the reasons is that the current President of the Republic has been against the demon. If you think about being backstabbed by the Demon Summoner Jin Qing, it¡¯spletely understandable.¡±


    ¡°But in many ways¡­¡±


    ¡°There are many unknown factors. It is our job to reduce them as much as possible. In the absence of the Vice Guild Master, I think I will probably be in charge of all other tasks, but it would be better for manager Park Joong-ki to prepare well.¡±


    ¡°I am worried that things will go wrong.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    A brief silence sank in the room. Manager Kim Mi-young probably had a simr thought.


    The administration team of Blue was said to be much morepetent than the administration team of other guilds.


    However, it was undeniable that the touch of the Vice Guild Master and Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung entered there. It wasn¡¯t unreasonable to worry about how far we could do it without a manager who held fine details.


    That was even more of a case, especially for something big like what was happening. Perhaps her silence meant that. I wondered if we could really do it properly.


    As we keep walking in a moment of silence, I could see the Guild Master¡¯s office.


    After taking a deep breath, I knocked on the door, and a voice resounded, saying, ¡®You cane in.¡¯


    Manager Kim Mi-young nodded and slowly began to open the door of the office.


    ¡®The shock must be great.¡¯


    Since the rtionship between the Guild Master and the Vice Guild Master was so special, it was natural to think that he was shocked to some extent.


    In fact, I was a little worried.


    It seemed like he¡¯s pretending to be okay, but witnessing how he looked a little emaciated, he certainly looked affected by what unfolded.


    I felt like he wasn¡¯t properly tidy, and there were dark circles under his eyes as if he couldn¡¯t sleep properly.


    His eyes were bloodshot, and his bodynguage showed overall anxiety and nervousness.


    ¡°We can omit the greeting. Show me the receipts to be paid immediately and go out immediately¡­ No, please wait a minute.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡®The atmosphere¡­¡¯


    It was far different from usual. It felt like ice. It was so cold that I trembled a little without my knowledge.


    ¡®Was he always like this?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know what to say. In the absence of the Vice Guild Master, the principle was to receive payment from the Guild Master.


    It wasn¡¯t the first time I had seen him up close, but I remembered that the usual Guild Master was very different from how he acted at the time.


    He was subtly smiling, and yet he still remained expressionless. Even if he had to pretend, he would¡¯ve shown kindness regardless. I had doubts if he really was Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡°Is this the end of supplies?¡±


    ¡°Yes. First, as much as we can get¡­ Since the war is not over, the overall quantity is insufficient. There are some items that we have more than enough of, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Please prepare the same quantity one more time within three days.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Prepare it. It doesn¡¯t matter what method you use. You just need to have it ready.¡±


    ¡°If you say it doesn¡¯t matter¡­¡±


    ¡°Should I exin it some more?¡±


    ¡°N-No.¡±


    ¡°Just adjust the quantity by yourself.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡®Sh*t¡­¡¯


    ¡°As you know, Kiyoung is absent. The Tactical Support Team, the Strategic Dissemination Support Team, and other administrative teams that have not been mentioned will be handled by two people, Kim Mi-young and Park Joong-ki. On behalf of Kiyoung, we will participate in the joint conference with Hyejin and the official conference of the Blue. I thought you should know that in advance so you can prepare for it.¡±


    ¡®I knew it.¡¯


    ¡°I think you already have a gist about the current situation.¡±


    ¡°I do¡­¡±


    ¡°And manager Kim Mi-young¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, Guild Master?¡±


    ¡°Please make a list of people who are considered to be obstacles or risk factors in the federal recapture operation and bring it to me. Of course, the contents of the list are confidential.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you two days. The faster, the better. You can get help from Lee Jihye from the ck Swan.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best.¡±


    ¡°Since you are both capable people, I believe you will do well.¡±


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    For some reason, I felt ominous about the situation.


    My ominous premonitions had never been wrong. Our heavy shoulders were getting heavier, and I knew it was no illusion.


    I understood what he was thinking about.


    However, his appearance was very different from usual to the point that it made him feel unfamiliar. No matter how much I thought about his order, it only sounded like he was making a hit list.


    He even ordered us to bring in supplies and to use any means necessary.


    ¡®Is he nning to rob a small town?¡¯


    In fact, it was almost impossible to prepare the same quantity within three days without doing so.


    Considering that he was willing for the image of Blue to be damaged to prepare the supplies, it meant that many situations bothered him in many ways.


    There was no disagreement over the fact that there wasn¡¯t enough room to prepare, but I had to question why he chose such an extreme method.


    I bit my lips hard.


    ¡°Meet the Guild Master¡­¡±


    The door quickly opened, and a familiar face was revealed.


    ¡°Just tell me what it is.¡±


    ¡°A message has arrived.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°While the wizards are still going through the verification process, the message from the federal side appears to be a magical hologram¡­ It is confirmed that it contains the appearance of the Vice Guild Master. Whether there are other traps¡­¡±


    Just after the messenger spoke, I started to feel so much pressure I couldn¡¯t even breathe.


    ¡®W-what is this?¡¯


    The body of manager Kim Mi-young next to me was also trembling visibly.


    ¡®I can¡¯t breathe¡­¡¯

 Chapter 486: Blue’s Circumstances (2)

    <h4>Chapter 486: Blue¡¯s Circumstances (2)</h4>


    I felt like I wanted to sit down because my legs became rubbery. It was almost as if they weren¡¯t mine, to begin with.


    I instinctively held onto my trembling body without realizing it.


    It was because I thought I shouldn¡¯t be looking like that.


    Although I stopped at the rare-grade, I was also an adventurer who once made a living out of battles.


    I couldn¡¯t allow myself to fall while manager Kim Mi-young was holding herself up despite trembling and looking pale right next to me. I was forced to bite my lips and hold on as well.


    ¡®Damn¡­¡¯


    As I slowly looked ahead, I could see the Guild Master staring at the messenger with no expression. I couldn¡¯t express what seemed to be suppressing myself despite my best efforts.


    The image I had seen just before the incident was blunt, but the image he showed at that moment was even more so.


    It became difficult to breathe due to the murderous aura his body was emitting, even though he already looked like he was suppressing his anger as much as possible.


    It was quiet only for a few seconds, but it felt like a few hours had already passed.


    I couldn¡¯t hold it anymore, but I saw the Guild Master¡¯s mouth slowly opening when I was about to vomit.


    ¡°Please bring it straight to the conference room.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ b-but not all traps have been confirmed yet¡­¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t say it twice. And¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. Yep.¡±


    ¡°For other party members¡­ No, gather the party members as well, all except for Hayan. We¡¯ll have a meeting in exactly three minutes.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Okay, Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The breath that I had been holding so far began to exhume as he immediately went out the door.


    ¡°Sigh, sigh¡­¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    Manager Kim Mi-young bent down, seemingly suffering from nausea.


    However, she began to get up almost immediately.


    ¡°Manager Kim Mi-young. D-Do we have to go as well? He didn¡¯t say anything else.¡±


    ¡°I think it would be nice if we participate. I think he couldn¡¯t properly talk because he¡¯s so agitated, but he just told us to join the Blue Official Conference. Regardless, it will help organize the ns in the future to check what the current status of the Vice Guild Master is.¡±


    ¡°I think so as well¡­¡±


    ¡°Other clues or hints maye out. Perhaps it is for simr reasons that all other party members will be brought together. I think he didn¡¯t call Jung Hayan because she might be shocked. Sigh¡­¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go. It¡¯s better to get there early and wait¡­¡±


    ¡°I agree.¡±


    After a short walk, we reached the front of the simple conference room.


    As I couldn¡¯t hear anyone inside, I felt like the other party members weren¡¯t in there yet.


    They probably got the message by then, so I thought it was time for them to arrive.


    I was worried about being kicked out, but when I checked the face of the Guild Master, who remained silent, I was convinced that Kim Mi-young was right.


    As I turned my head toward where I heard peopleing, I saw Yoo Ahyoung, the cksmith, and Kim Chang-ryul, the assassin.


    I bowed my head, and they greeted me with a nod. It was clear that they realized that the atmosphere wasn¡¯t right for such loud greetings.


    Most of all, they didn¡¯t look ready to talk.


    They were rtively new to Blue, but their faces were not much different from the Guild Master.


    In particr, Yoo Ahyoung had received a lot of help from the Vice Guild Master from recruitment to adaptation.


    Among the colleagues that came together, she would¡¯ve been the most shocked.


    The same went for Cho Hyejin, the chief of the guild¡¯s secretary sitting next to her. She still had her cold aura, but I could feel that it was different from its usual chill.


    As I took the seat at the very end, the door opened again, and several people entered the room.


    They were Park Deokgu, whose eyes were red, the mage schr Hwang Jeong-yeon, and Han Sora, whoseplexion was paler than normal. Sun Hee-young seemed to be nking out, and Elena had apparently just woken up after fainting.


    Kim Ye-ri and Ahn Ki-mo also showed up after a while, but they weren¡¯t any different. The room¡¯s ambiance proved to be heavy.


    There was a moment of silence. Unusually, it was Sun Hee-young who opened her mouth first.


    I felt like she had an edge to her voice that contrasted her usual smile.


    ¡®Is she even the same person?¡¯


    Her face was bizarrely twisted. She looked more like an alien than the saint of the abandoned.


    ¡°It seems like we¡¯ve all gathered except for that stupid woman. Is she still crying? Ipetent trash.¡±


    ¡°Hey, stop now, Hee-young. I understand you¡¯re upset, but Hayan is sadder than anyone else here. It¡¯s a bit too much to use abusivenguage at people who just came back alive. It isn¡¯t like you at all.¡±


    ¡°How can I not? I would¡¯ve preferred it if she was the one that got caught. She¡¯s surely having a good time not even attending the meeting. While because of her, someone¡­¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t it an unavoidable ident? I¡¯m sad too, but Hayan did nothing wrong enough to be used.¡±


    ¡°Well, I beg to disagree. Did the Honorary Cardinal take that stupid woman for nothing? We wouldn¡¯t be in this position if she were a little more aware of her job. She obviously was so excited to be together with him to the point where shepletely forgot what her own mission was. I think everyone agrees to some extent. Lee Kiyoung needed a more proper escort. She¡¯s too stupid.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t call Hayan on purpose, Hee-young. She¡¯s still mentally unstable, so I just decided she needed a break. You can stop now.¡±


    ¡°But.¡±


    ¡°I know what Hee-young wants to say. After everything¡¯s over, I will definitely impose repercussions. It would be better to calm down a bit. That attitude will not help us in future operations.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Sigh¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°If I made anyone ufortable, I apologize. As the Guild Master said, I think I was a little agitated. I¡¯ve also worsened the atmosphere.¡±


    ¡°Hey. Don¡¯t apologize. I understand where the sharpness in your voice ising from. Will the expedition get elerated by gathering like this?¡±


    ¡°No. The remation of the Federation will begin after a week as scheduled. Depending on the case, it may start a littleter.¡±


    ¡°Why are we procrastinating so much?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a lot less time than originally scheduled. It¡¯s too ridiculous to say that they need to spend nine days on preliminary research alone.¡±


    ¡°If it really went on like that, I would have headed to the Federation alone, Ki-mo.¡±


    ¡°We are pressing other countries to mobilize earlier as much as we can. You only need to focus on uing battles and operations. And the reason why I brought you together today is that a message came from the Federation. It looks like a magic hologram that contains Kiyoung¡¯s appearance¡­ I initially didn¡¯t want to show it to anyone, but then I thought it would be good to share it with you. I was wondering if Kiyoung had hidden a message in it as well.¡±


    ¡°Is that true?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is.¡±


    ¡°Ah. I-If it¡¯s hyung-nim, then he must have hidden something. It is said that even if you enter the tiger¡¯s den, you can continue living for as long as you are alert. Isn¡¯t he always alert? He must havee up with something.¡±


    ¡°I think so too.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure that the demons sent it? Maybe it¡¯s a message from him to this side. It may be his way of asking for help in a ce that nobody can find because he sessfully escaped. Regardless, let¡¯s watch the magic hologram.¡±


    I knew how ridiculous it was.


    However, with hopeful thoughts, the atmosphere began to dissolve.


    Still, it wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to think that the situation was too good if the Vice Guild Master really did hide a secret message in it.


    As soon as the magic hologram was turned on, the silence embraced the room.


    ¡°Ah¡­ ahh¡­¡±


    Its content was so shocking that Elena, who struggled to keep her consciousness, fainted again.


    Everyone seemed to have lost their ability to speak. What the magic hologram was showing was quite simple.


    [¡­]


    It was just an unknown chunk of meat sitting on a chair.


    ¡°W-what¡¯s¡­ That?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    There was no way I could exin anything.


    Everyone was silent, but we all probably shared the same thoughts.


    I could see his chest moving strangely, allowing me to be certain that his life hadn¡¯t ended yet.


    However, he had an appearance that could never be considered alive. He seemed to be in a situation where it wouldn¡¯t be strange if he just stopped breathing immediately.


    ¡°S-S-Something seems wrong.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Can anyone say something? Is that person sitting in the middle of the hologram hyung-nim?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°T-That¡¯s our hyung-nim? I-Is that really him?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be. Definitely¡­ it¡¯s definitely not him. Those dirty demons must have manipted it.¡±


    [¡­]


    [Nice to meet you, everyone. I¡¯m Ronove, one of the 27th corps leaders and a faithful apostle of Belial.]


    ¡°¡­¡±


    [I think you must have been surprised. I couldn¡¯t even imagine that I would say hello in this way¡­ In fact, the reason I am here is that Belial, the great ruler of all evils, has a message he wants to convey to you.]


    ¡°¡­¡±


    [He also wants to show how this human being chosen by the trash Benignore is looking like right now. It would be appropriate for you all to think that he wants to show you how insignificant and ipetent the gods you believe in are. He wants to show you how foolish it is to be close to the gods and how useless it is to stand in the way of the great Belial.]


    [U-ugh¡­]


    [I¡¯m sure you all are witnessing the state of this stupid man right now. He, considered to be Benignore¡¯s Second Coming, rejected the hand Belial extended. His current situation is the result of that.]


    [Aaaaahh¡­ ugh.]


    [Look at the one that is suffering for not letting go of the gods until the end. Look into his eyes and see how much pain he¡¯s in. Watch him struggle against death and how he refuses to fall to the end. Haha.]


    [Ah, ugh¡­ ah¡­]


    [Struggle, suffer, and die, you foolish, dirty, and ipetent humans.]


    ¡°¡­¡±


    [I want you all to watch as the light of this continent slowly disappears.]


    [Realize firsthand how helpless you are.]


    [Such trashy humans living on the continent, we are your fear.]


    [Your enemy.]


    [Your nightmare.]


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    [That is all.]

 Chapter 487: Cliché (1)

    <h4>Chapter 487: Clich¨¦ (1)</h4>


    ¡°Thank you for your hard work, Ronove. I can confidently say that it was amazing acting. ¡°We are your fear, your enemy, and your nightmare.¡± Whew. I give it 110 out of 100.¡±


    -T-That¡¯s embarrassing. It wasn¡¯t hard work. It¡¯s all thanks to the picture that you made. I simply yed along. You wrote all the scripts.


    ¡°Of course I did. Hahaha. But it was due to Ronove¡¯s ability that it yed out properly. I want to open my heart so I can show you how honored I am to work together with you.¡±


    -No. Rather, thank you for giving such a big role to a demon like me. Huhu. Take one more drink. Have some snacks too. Say ¡®aah~.¡¯


    ¡°Haha. You don¡¯t have to take care of me like that since I¡¯m eating quite well, Ronove.¡±


    -A-Am I making you ufortable?


    ¡°It¡¯s not that, but I am embarrassed in many ways because you keep saying thank you. Of course, I did give you the role, but I just thought that it would suit you best. I didn¡¯t have any other intentions. When you said trashy Benignore, it was so gratifying. I almost got up from my seat.¡±


    -I¡¯m just grateful to you for giving me the opportunity to insult Benignore in front of the continental people. As you know, I don¡¯t look like a demon, so I almost have no recognition at my current level, but I¡¯m happy since this will make my name known. It was thrilling to pretend to torture Lee Kiyoung, who is called Benignore¡¯s Second Coming. My name must have been engraved in the minds of the continent¡¯s maggot humans.


    ¡°Hahaha. Even if it weren¡¯t for me, Ronove would¡¯ve one day be a great demon who instills fear in the continent. You¡¯ve just had few opportunities so far. Recently, there have been fewer disgusting talents that can summon demons. Once this work is over, I will do my best to create an institution that professionally trains ck wizards.¡±


    -You don¡¯t have to do that. Of course, we would be thankful, but I know Lee Kiyoung¡¯s ce here, so I can¡¯t ask for an unreasonable request. Huhu. Thinking of it again makes me so happy.


    ¡°Me too. No matter how I look at it, the picture looks perfect.¡±


    -Lee Kiyoung¡¯s acting ability, suffering behind me, was outstanding. After all, Belial said you had a disgusting soul that is admirable. More importantly, when will you transcend?


    ¡°I-I have no ns yet. Belial said that he would provide that I had to wait about 2,000 years even if he hastened it. That¡¯s a bit¡­¡±


    -It¡¯s nothing.


    -It seems that Ronove is interested in the Honorary Cardinal.


    ¡°Ballitos. You went too far with your joke that amander in the 27th Corps is interested in this mere insignificant mortal. I¡¯m grateful, but I¡¯m worried that Ronove might be ufortable.¡±


    -Hahaha. How can you call yourself a mere mortal? You¡¯re wearing that miserable body right now, but aren¡¯t you a colleague who will act with us after all anyway? Maybe the day wille when I will serve you. With the achievements that you have umted on the continent so far, you will surely reach the top 500 soon. If you build up a little more, you may be in the top 100.


    ¡®Why do you keep treating me as a colleague? You¡­¡¯


    ¡°Ahem.¡±


    -If you rise through the rankster, I hope you will never forget the name Ballitos¡­


    ¡°Oh, how could I forget Ballitos¡¯ name?¡±


    -This is a small gift. I hope you can think of it as my feelings and ept them.


    ¡°Why did you¡­¡±


    -I don¡¯t know if it suits your taste but do check it out properly. You probably won¡¯t be disappointed.


    -I, too, prepared a small present.


    ¡°Oh, Limur. I¡¯ll feel sheepish if even you are giving me a gift.¡±


    -Please ept it. I¡¯m giving it to you because I¡¯m very grateful.


    ¡°I feel like I only keep receiving, so it¡¯s a bit overwhelming. It would be a little nice if I could give you something in return. Unfortunately, all the basics of your life are in a different ce¡­¡±


    -Don¡¯t bother too much. It¡¯s already a great gift to have Lee Kiyoung working with our 27th Corps.


    -Limur is right. Hahaha.


    ¡°I really don¡¯t know what to say in return for your high praises. Hahahahaha.¡±


    ¡®This is heaven. This is heaven.¡¯


    I felt bad for the busy Blue members, but I was definitely in heaven.


    There were food and drinks that I had never heard of or seen piled up like a mountain in front of me. I thought that it might be a sumptuous feast.


    It looked a little ugly, but the chair I was sitting on was also very fluffy, and the skills of the maids massaging my shoulders and legs evoked the illusion of being taken care of by professional masseuses.


    I had already expected to be treated well, but I was being treated much better than I imagined.


    Since he was in a good mood due to receiving a decent role, I even enjoyed the luxury of Ronove feeding me.


    Behind me were gifts containing rare and priceless treasures which couldn¡¯t be found on the continent.


    ¡®This is what I can call rewards I can take with meter¡­¡¯


    I even thought it wouldn¡¯t be too bad even if I went to hell upon death.


    I didn¡¯t know what Benignore and Elune would offer, but it would be much better to enjoy the spectacr life of demons than to live a boring, ascetic life.


    Benignore had given me nothing but responsibilities, but Belial gave me sweet liquor, gold, silver, and treasures. There was no need to point out which side was more attractive.


    The thought of going up was thrilling.


    However, Benignore could pledge to live her life like a servant, taking me as her husband.


    No, even if that were the case, I thought it would be more beneficial to go to Belial¡¯s camp.


    ¡®Think about the future now won¡¯t solve anything.¡¯


    It would be more efficient to solve the immediate problem first.


    At the dinner party held for executing the first intro video beautifully, Limur¡¯s face bothered me a bit.


    She was staring at Ronove, who was sticking right next to me, with a disapproving expression. Somehow, she seemed a little jealous of Ronove¡¯s role.


    No, she must¡¯ve felt worried that she would be left out.


    I could understand her thinking that way because not all of the roles had yete out.


    ¡®Since you¡¯re Belial¡¯s pick, you can trust me, Limur. Why won¡¯t you believe me after I said that?¡¯


    Basically, they showed warmth towards me, but they were equipped with distrust and doubt.


    It was like watching actresses fight in real-time.


    Ronove continued to feed me with the delicious food while Limur filled my empty ss.


    It wasn¡¯t just those two women.


    The men¡¯s behaviors weren¡¯t that different, either. It was a little different from the two of them, but as the size of bribery in the form of gifts was growing, I could see how much they thought of that opportunity as golden.


    ¡®In fact, I¡¯ve already roughly decided.¡¯


    I had already ssified those who were going to go up and those who would be left out. Essentially, I determined the ones to live and the ones to die. There was a bit of Belial¡¯s touch, but I didn¡¯t think it was all that bad, either.


    It was an operation to remove the rotten eggs of the 27th Corps, which could be ssified to be of average level.


    ¡®Belial¡¯s decision is certainly reasonable.¡¯


    There was the side that raised the chicken thaty golden eggs and the side that disemboweled it. It was obvious as to which of the two was more beneficial.


    No matter how I thought about it, the hard-lined group was caught up on the get-rich-quick fever.


    As for myself, who had to manage the continent, I had a better rtionship with the former than thetter.


    ¡®Those who can help more are better.¡¯


    It was only a few minutes ago that I promised to think about the futureter, but who knew if I¡¯d be working with Belial in 2,000 years?


    It wasn¡¯t bad to look good in advance.


    As I nced at the other end, I started to see a guy sipping alcohol alone with a face that looked as if he didn¡¯t like everything that was happening. He wasn¡¯t a suitable guy for the 27th Legion, no matter who looked at him.


    He had a big body covered with muscles. Sixrge horns grew above his head, equipped with four eyes.


    Having arge ax next to him like a lover, he looked more like a military officer.


    Ronove had a thin fluttering tail and small wings over her head.


    Limur was a tentacle woman who had a face as beautiful as a goddess.


    Their aura was different from demons like Ballitos, who looked more virtuous.


    ¡®Donovan, 1,256th in the rank of the demons.¡¯


    He would be a source of experience for precious Blue party members.


    ¡®Although he¡¯s a semi-mythic-grade being¡­¡¯


    The possibility of using him that way wasn¡¯t entirely absent.


    Rather, it would be a little more difficult to deal with the ones like Limur and Ronove.


    Naturally, those who could think properly were trickier to handle than those that ignorantly pushed through with brute force.


    If Jung Hayan, Kim Hyunsung, Cha Hee-ra, and Elena teamed up and attacked all at the same time, I predicted that they could ovee him, even though it would prove to be quite hard.


    ¡®After all, I¡¯m the only one that thinks of you guys.¡¯


    I sometimes broke their hearts, but in the end, it was all for the sake of the bigger picture of the guild. However, everything was going just as I had expected.


    ¡®It will take a week for the operation to retake the Federation to start.¡¯


    I thought it would be shortened by two days because they would be worried sick after seeing the magic hologram. However, it could take another week due to the people of the Federation.


    Unless extreme means were chosen, no, even if extreme means were chosen, it would almost be impossible to shorten that period.


    As I looked around, I cleared up my throat, and the gazes became focused on me. They must have noticed that the words they have been waiting for would soon be delivered.


    ¡°Ahem, ahem¡­¡±


    -Do you have anything else you want to say?


    ¡°I have something to convey rather than something to say¡­ Maybe from tomorrow, a simple individual interview will take ce.¡±


    -Ah¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s time to start allotting roles in earnest¡­ It should indeed go a little faster, but Belial said he wants to give everyone an equal opportunity. We are sorry that this took a long time to prepare.¡±


    ¡®Belial has to buy me a meal at least once. Really.¡¯


    ¡°Each role has a different weight, but I would like you to know that all roles are important.¡±


    -Of course. Is there even a role that doesn¡¯t matter? S-so can you tell us what roles we can apply for?


    ¡°It a littleplicated to tell you everything here. If I have to reveal the most important positions right now, I think it would be the Four Guardian Kings. Think of them as heavy roles that would support Belial, like the Four Demon Generals.¡±


    -Four Demon Generals¡­


    -F-Four Demon Generals¡­


    ¡®I guess these guys like these things.¡¯


    It¡¯s a bit ssic, but how could the Four Demon Generals be left out of the advent of the Demon King?


    There was a reason that clich¨¦s worked well.


    ¡°Oh, before that, Ronove, let¡¯s take another video today. This time, I¡¯ll ask you to be a bit more dreadful. Hahaha!¡±


    -It would be my honor!


    Of course, the clich¨¦ where the princess kidnapped by the Demon King was saved was also one of the most notable ssics.

 Chapter 488: Cliché (2)

    <h4>Chapter 488: Clich¨¦ (2)</h4>


    ¡®The royal road never copses.¡¯


    It was the reason why I chose that clich¨¦ among various scenarios. The royal road would never copse.


    It was safer to go with the scenarios that had already been verified than toplicate the situation. The same would be true for the 27th Corps, but our job was very important to me.


    Since the event was huge, I couldn¡¯t help but worry about it.


    Even if I organized it tepidly, there were many things that my project could solve at once.


    It was even more so just looking at Benigonre¡¯s bankruptcy, one of the most pressing things in the current situation.


    ¡®This is already working. I¡¯m not wrong after all.¡¯


    It was an unprecedented situation in which a part of the demon army would be summoned on the continent. The video I sent a few times had already spread all over the continent. As if responding to it, several articles had already begun to be distributed all over the continent.


    [That is the full story of the Honorary Cardinal kidnapping case. Pope Basel, we need your prayers more than ever. -Reporter Kim Seong-gyeong, The Lindel Daily.


    [Prayer meeting held in the square, Pope Basel in tears.-News from the Holy See]


    [State leader Oscar will work hard to make the continent¡¯s demons disappear.- The State Daily]


    [Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung¡¯s golden time is estimated to be at most ten days. Blue¡¯s Guild Master, Kim Hyunsung, gave a passionate pledge to save him.-Continental Newspaper]


    [Here¡¯s a review of Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung¡¯s past life. He is known to have been kidnapped after going down to help the federal people.- Celia Weekly Daily]


    [The result was desired by the continent¡¯s two enemies, the Demon Worshipper Ito Souta and the Demon Summoner Jin Qing. -The State Newspaper]


    [Archbishop Jaina believes Benignore will help. Prayer meetings are scheduled to be held across the continent until the end of the operation.-The State Newspaper]


    It was hot news.


    In fact, although prayer meetings were held every day in the State, the quality before the invasion and after the invasion wasn¡¯t the same.


    I had no choice but to believe that the people of the State and the priests would pray from the bottom of their hearts. Naturally, Benignore would be affected.


    Prayer meetings started all over the continent all at once. It would be strange not to have effects. It wasn¡¯t possible to know exactly how much divinity would be needed until she was out of bankruptcy.


    However, at least until my current project ended, the situation could be viewed as enough for her to recover. It wasn¡¯t just that, even.


    The fact that I could put a cor around Jung Hayan¡¯s neck felt rather trivial.


    Not only would Kim Hyunsungpletely remove his doubts, but after work, I might hear his confession of being a regressor. I wasn¡¯t sure, but he probably thought that what was happening was because of him.


    ¡®If I had revealed that I was a regressor¡­ this wouldn¡¯t have happened¡­¡¯


    It was clear that he was feeling passionately worried.


    I naturally became excited at the thought that I could do all the things that were left undone.


    ¡®Leveling up the members is also a bonus¡­¡¯


    It was possible to maintain a stable bnce by clearing the enemy and removing the corps¡¯ hardliners. It wasn¡¯t unreasonable to bet life and death on the situation.


    Although it was a slightly different reason than mine, themanders in the 27th Corps were desperate, anyway, so they had no choice but to have synergy.


    ¡®They surely like the Four Demon Generals¡­¡¯


    Some thought they should stick to me even if it meant risking their lives.


    I remembered themanders with an unknown determination on their facesst night, causing me to almost burst intoughter.


    They were full of eagerness to be one of the Four Guardian Kings.


    Except for the stupid Donovan guy, of course. In fact, it didn¡¯t seem like he wasn¡¯t greedy at all, but he seemed hostile towards the idea of ying along with a human.


    ¡®So stupid¡­¡¯


    I felt like I was seeing the end of a boomer who couldn¡¯t get on the flow of the times.


    Considering that he had to face the end as one of the Four Demon Generals, his uncooperative attitude bothered me, but¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s easy to egg the stupid demon with only muscles in his skull.¡¯


    Considering Belial¡¯s help, it wasn¡¯t right tobel it as work.


    While I was looking at his profile with a smile, the door slowly opened, and someone familiar began to appear.


    The role-decision game had begun.


    Unlike how I normally presented myself, I used a serious voice. As it was the first step of an important project, it was natural to show a resolute attitude.


    ¡°Contestant number 1.¡±


    -Yes. I¡¯m contestant number 1, Limur.


    The tentacle woman showed up, looking a little anxious.


    I was worried that she would not be able to show off her skills since she looked too tense. However, she nodded when I tried to soothe her.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so nervous, Limur. As I said, it¡¯s just a formal procedure.¡±


    -But¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s really just a formal procedure. You can befortable. Oh. Before that, I would appreciate it if you could fill out a questionnaire here.¡±


    -Okay.


    I already knew everything about her disposition, but I still had to go through the verification process.


    When I saw Limur writing the correct answers on the well-made questionnaire, I got a smile on my lips.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see. As expected, you applied to the Four Guardian Kings. And¡­¡±


    -I don¡¯t know if I can y it well, but I will do my best.


    ¡°Thinking about the impact of your first appearance, I think you can fully y other roles. However, this role needs a little more acting ability than other roles. Limur is too beautiful to assume this role¡­¡±


    -Thank you for the praise, Lee Kiyoung. I¡¯m so happy.


    ¡°If you applied for a different role, you would¡¯ve been able to pass through it easily. Are you really okay with this?¡±


    -Of course.


    ¡°Now, then, show me what you¡¯ve got.¡±


    Limur could be ssified as Belial¡¯s pick.


    Just because the lord of lies and agitation trusted her didn¡¯t mean I could already trust her.


    However, that didn¡¯t mean she couldn¡¯t get an important role. As I said earlier, it was most important to get the job done sessfully.


    ¡®If I don¡¯t have a choice, I¡¯m going to put her in a role with less weight rather than one of the Four Demon Generals. What can I do?¡¯


    There must be a controversy over preferential treatment, but she was still Belial¡¯s rmendation. Like the idol debut program aired on a certain station, there was no choice but to be forced to some degree.


    Honestly, I didn¡¯t have great expectations.


    However, I had to be dumbfounded by the atmosphere that suddenly changed. Her ability to focus could bepared to Kim Ye-ri and Ahn Ki-mo, who were bing professional actors.


    Whenever a real actor started acting, the air itself was said to change. I had to think that that was the case, based on her eyes.


    ¡®She surely draws attention. Great actress. Very good. Very, very good. Whew. Where was this kind of treasure hiding all along?¡¯


    It felt like I was being sucked into her eyes. What emanated from her body wasn¡¯t magic power but a strange aura.


    -F-For me¡­ to be copsing like this. For me to be copsing like this!!!


    ¡®Good breathing, good vocalization.¡¯


    -Don¡¯t think of this as the end, insect humans! Our 27th Corps will be back again. Someday, we wille back to this continent and make all of you savage humans struggle in pain and torment. You will be beings that can neither die nor live, and you will be struggling in the fire forever! Don¡¯t forget my words, worthless humans. We wille back for revenge.


    ¡®Whoa, look at her gaze. Why are you so frightening?¡¯


    -We wille back!


    ¡®Her voice makes me waver.¡¯


    -Limur of the 27th Corps will never give up until we step on and kill all of you!!! I will tear you up and every single member of your family!!! I will torture you without letting you die swiftly!


    She looked like a hedgehog with thorns erecting with her tentacles.


    Blood flowed out of her eyes, and her whole body trembled with anger. With her lips bitten, blood oozed out of her mouth. It looked familiar for some reason. She looked like¡­


    ¡®Jung Hayan.¡¯


    It felt as if I was watching Jung Hayan suffering from maximum anger.


    Having bumped into her before certainly helped.


    I wasn¡¯t sure, but it felt like she was benchmarking Jung Hayan¡¯s look. I thought that the appearance of Limur would be unreasonable as it was a role that had to convey fear to the expedition.


    However, she hadpletely overturned my prediction.


    Not only did I stand up unknowingly, but my hands moved by themselves to apud her.


    ¡°I-it was perfect. Wow¡­ Even though you didn¡¯t emit a murderous aura and used magic power, you gave off such a powerful effect. Honestly, I thought it would be a little difficult with your appearance, but it was so perfect that I can¡¯t say anything¡­¡±


    -Is that¡­ true?


    ¡°Yes. Why would I lie? Now I think I know why Belial trusts Limur so much. Hahaha. Based on what I¡¯ve seen, you¡¯re definitely a treasure of the 27th Corps.¡±


    -T-That¡¯s embarrassing, Lee Kiyoung. In fact, I only got a little hint from the crazy woman I saw then.


    ¡°That¡¯s not important. The important thing is Limur¡¯s acting ability. I don¡¯t think I need to say anything about it. I don¡¯t think you need to wait.¡±


    -What?


    ¡°Hahaha. It might be a little early, but this role seems to be a role made for you. In fact, I have to conduct interviews with other people, but it seems that I don¡¯t need to anymore¡­ Yes. I¡¯ll be casting you. Let¡¯s get on the same boat.¡±


    -Oh! Thank you!


    Watching her scream in an unusual way, I couldn¡¯t help but feel ted as well.


    The project, which was starting to have a little bit of groundwork, made me harbor a heartwarming thought, but it was only for a moment.


    ¡®Sigh¡­¡¯


    -W-w-w-what?


    The leading actors¡¯ acting skills weren¡¯t bad, but they couldn¡¯t shine without supporting roles.


    I wanted to bring Ahn Ki-mo, Kim Ye-ri, and even Park Deokgu, too, out of pure frustration and desperation.


    ¡°Contestant number 34.¡±


    ¡®Landmine!¡¯


    ¡°Contestant number 49.¡±


    ¡®You¡¯re terrible.¡¯


    In the end, the situation forced me to consider even reducing the weight of the remaining Four Guardian Kings.


    In the meantime, Donovan, one of the Four Guardian Kings nominees, slowly entered the room.


    Of course, his unpleasant face was remarkable. The guy who was reputed to be heavy couldn¡¯t wee something like a childish prank.


    ¡®Let¡¯s see¡­¡¯


    ¡°Contestant number 56. Ah¡­ Donovan. Come on in. Donovan. It is an infinite honor and for you to be participating in this way again today.¡±


    -Stop. You better stop teasing me before I tear your dirty mouth apart, you worthless human.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -I don¡¯t intend to fit into your childish joke. I just came in because Belial told me to conduct a personal interview with you. I have no intention of doing idiotic things like interviews or auditions, and I have no intention of acting as you wish.


    ¡®This¡­ son of a bitch.¡¯


    I had expected it, but he proved to be more uncooperative than I thought. My fists were clenched, but I had to pretend that I was in a good mood and smile for now.

 Chapter 489: A Demon Must Act Like A Demon To Be A Demon (1)

    <h4>Chapter 489: A Demon Must Act Like A Demon To Be A Demon (1)</h4>


    -Disgusting bastard.


    Donovan was a mass of cancer of the 27th Corps. He was a typical military officer and a warrior who didn¡¯t know how topromise.


    He was an early member of the Belial Corps, now called the 27th Corps. Personally, he was the type I hated the most.


    Unlike those like Limur, Ronove, and Ballitos, his disposition itself was the opposite of Belial.


    Perhaps, if I had seen him without knowing anything, I would have doubted that he was a member of the 27th Corps. He was far from the ideals of the group. However¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s all karma from the past. It¡¯s past karma.¡¯


    Thinking that Belial was the Head of the 72nd Corps before he was the Head of the 27th Corps, I had easily found an answer. He probably did more before he joined the 27th Corps.


    It was clear that it had grown in size by recruiting individuals who didn¡¯t fit his disposition.


    It must¡¯ve been the reason why the Corps was still cluttered.


    ¡®This is why he¡¯s trash¡­¡¯


    I naturally realized that Belial¡¯s personality was at the level ofplete waste.


    ¡®Now that the size is big enough, he can¡¯t do anything about it.¡¯


    Since he escaped from the relegation zone and flew all the way to the 27th Corps, he began to focus on quality rather than quantity.


    It wasn¡¯t unreasonable that he wanted to color his army with his color from that point on. Still, it seemed too despicable to just abandon the subordinates who suffered for him so far.


    There must¡¯ve been a reason, but even his nature was trying to use me because he judged that it was a little dangerous to abandon them on his own. I had no choice but to smile and nod at the thought that I was still far from being the worst.


    The world was wide, and there was a lot of trash. I also realized that Light Kiyoung hadn¡¯t beenpletely engulfed in darkness yet.


    ¡®Well, as for myself, I¡¯m having this cake and eating it. Honestly, I felt a little sorry for him, but now I don¡¯t.¡¯


    There was nothing to regret since he had already taken everything he needed.


    The most important thing at the moment was to quickly resolve the formal procedure and move on to the next step. When I was ready to talk, I looked at Donovan¡¯s annoyed expression.


    ¡®It seems easy, but I have to do it slowly.¡¯


    The leading actor, Donovan, would have to y the most important role in the audition.


    -I¡¯m just going to kill some time here and leave, so don¡¯t even move that dirty mouth in front of me, human.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -Honestly, I¡¯m notfortable having trash like you next to Belial. If I could, I would twist that soft neck off right now.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I tried to respond with a smile on my lips as much as possible, but watching him show that much hostility was irritating. I felt like my smile was done in vain.


    I honestly wanted to leave the room due to the murderous aura he was emitting. The solution was already in ce.


    As I kept talking with a smile, I could see him making a face thinking that it was unexpected.


    ¡°You have to fill out the questionnaire, Donovan. I need to have proof to show Belial that you were here. I knew right away that you would not wee this project in the first ce.¡±


    -It looks like you think I¡¯m a joke. I¡¯m pretty sure I told you not to move that dirty mouth!


    ¡°You passed.¡±


    -What?


    ¡°I said you passed, Donovan.¡±


    -It seems that you really can¡¯t figure out your ce. Believing in Belial is a mistake, human.


    ¡°No. No. Donovan. I always engrave the words of the greatmanders in my heart. I know my ce very well. It wasn¡¯t me who passed you, but Belial¡¯s will. So please don¡¯t be angry with me.¡±


    -That¡­ What are you talking about?


    ¡°What do you think of the current 27th Corps?¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s too easy to coax a fool.¡¯


    -Didn¡¯t I just ask what bullsh*t you¡¯re talking about?


    ¡°There is an answer to the question I asked. Donovan, don¡¯t get agitated, and just for a moment, I hope you will respond to this mortal¡¯s request for a conversation. I will ask you again. What does themander Donovan think about the current 27th Corps?¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°You probably know the right answer. The current 27th Corps¡­¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s weak.¡±


    -It is not weak. How dare you! Do you evaluate the strength of the 27th Corps ording to your standards?


    ¡°I am not talking about force. What I told you about is the mental part. Long ago, when Belial was just ascending to the left of the 72nd Corps, the 27th Corps would certainly not have been this way. Fighting with brave and courageous warriors and endless blood and ughter, the 27th Corps of the past, despite being smallerpared to what it is now, was strong and tough. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    -What are you talking about? A trashy human like you¡­


    ¡°But young demons these days aren¡¯t like that. They have turned into salespeople who focus solely on contracts and performance rather than glorious and bloody wars. It can¡¯t be helped because the trend is always changing. They just realized what the easier and safer way is. As a result, they naturally don¡¯t satisfy the real warriors like Donovan, the living protagonist of past glory.¡±


    -So what do you want to say?


    ¡°I¡¯ll be frank with you. Belial is asking you to take the road in the middle.¡±


    -What?


    ¡°The harmony of hardliners and moderates. He¡¯s trying to walk a path that¡¯s never easy.¡±


    -¡­!


    ¡°I¡¯m saying that Belial hasn¡¯t forgotten about those days, too, Donovan.¡±


    I sneakily checked the guy¡¯s face.


    I could see his eyes getting wetter, which wasn¡¯t normal for a demon. I didn¡¯t know what h was feeling in detail, but I thought something was overwhelming him.


    ¡®So, demons also have tears.¡¯


    It was a little bit painful because I couldn¡¯t use the famous line, ¡®Cry and prove your innocence!¡¯, but I had to clench my fists in the flowing conversation.


    ¡°The current 27th Corps is moving in a direction where the moderates dominate. Belial pitied the demons whose physical abilities were weak and took them in and raised them, but he had no choice but to admit that the results weren¡¯t as good. Those young demons became the leading force in the current 27th Corps. In the end, he seems to have a lot of worries about the Corps losing its glory and honor due to them. Of course, I understand Donovan¡¯s recent feelings as well.¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°I think you were dissatisfied with many things. When he reached the peak, he had no choice but to listen to multiple voices. No wonder the 27th Corps is heading towards its present direction. Don¡¯t resent him too much.¡±


    -I have never resented Belial.


    ¡°It is for that reason that Belial made Donovan the heart of this n and that he told me tomunicate with you about this secretly.¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°He wants to empower Donovan and other hardliners in the Corps to bnce demons like Limur, Ronove, and Ballitos. Belial wants to have Donovan as the Four Demon Generals to assist him in the future, and he believes this n is the beginning of the midway path. If you think I¡¯m lying, you can ask Belial directly, Donovan.¡±


    -I don¡¯t even need to check. I know that Belial is like this. Middle way¡­ it¡¯s the middle way.


    ¡°This is a very small step for an individual, but it will be a significant leap for the 27th Corps. Donovan. After epting my offer, please let him be aware that Donovan is one with the 27th Corps. Donovan is the heart of this operation, after all.¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°This is Belial¡¯s will, Donovan.¡±


    I could see him looking at me.


    ¡®Did he catch on?¡¯


    I thought for a second, but it¡¯s hard for the situation to flow like that.


    Since I had used Belial¡¯s name, it would be natural for him not to doubt.


    -You.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    -You¡¯re not as rotten of a human as I thought.


    ¡°Thank you for thinking of me in such a good light.¡±


    -Do you think the same?


    ¡°Would I even have a meaning? I¡¯m a mortal who simply does what Belial asks me to do¡­¡±


    -I asked if you think the same thing, human.


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°The midway path that Belial is trying to walk will never be easy. However, if the 27th Corps establishes itself as a midway corps, not only will it only grow much more than what it is right now, but it¡¯ll also breathe new energy and wind into the stagnant Hell. Hardliners, moderates, and the middle way. You will be able to split the two divisions of Hell into three equal parts. That¡¯s our n.¡±


    -A n of dividing it¡­ into three equal parts¡­


    ¡°The 27th Corps will soon be at the center of Hell. Leave Donovan¡¯s sword to me.¡±


    ¡®Kiyoung¡¯s value is shooting up!¡¯


    As the situation went by, it seemed that his internal evaluation was going up out of hand.


    I saw his eyes bing infinitely soft.


    It was scarier to see him say something hesitantly rather than cute. It was then that he suddenly reached out his fist.


    ¡®This crazy son of a bitch.¡¯


    I was very surprised for a moment.


    However, when I saw that fist approaching very slowly, I felt a little puzzled.


    In addition, he controlled his strength while sweating.


    I didn¡¯t know if this was the correct expression, but it seemed like he was trying to touch an ant without killing it, simply by pressing it with his hand.


    I didn¡¯t know what to do, so I carefully lifted my arm and felt a little shock.


    ¡®What are you trying to do now? This crazy bastard.¡¯


    It was then that an embarrassed tone of voice came out.


    -We be friends when we share our fists.


    ¡®Ah¡­ that¡¯s why you¡¯re being left out¡­¡¯


    ¡°It is an honor.¡±


    -2,000 years. It¡¯s longer than I thought, but I¡¯ll be waiting for the day when we can fight together, human- no, my friend.


    I felt sorry, but I was sure that the day would nevere.


    The bastard would die in an unfortunate ident in the uing war.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry, Donovan, for being a mean friend.¡¯


    Topensate, I would ensure that he would go out in a very cool way.


    I took that pledge to heart.

 Chapter 490: A Demon Must Act Like A Demon To Be A Demon (2)

    <h4>Chapter 490: A Demon Must Act Like A Demon To Be A Demon (2)</h4>


    The Four Demon Generals had been decided to be Limur, Donovan, Ballitos, and finally Carpediac.


    Although it was disappointing that Ronove was not enlisted, I had to think that it was for the best.


    ¡®She¡¯s hade out a lot¡­ the image consumption is too much.¡¯


    To be someone already known was good, but I thought it was better to recruit someone new.


    I was worried that the pervert would have all the anger concentrated on me by provoking that much. I knew that I had to make an appropriate judgment.


    Although it looked ordinary in many ways, it was valid that the performance of the demon named Carpediac had an impact.


    Besides that, I put a lot of effort into deciding the big and small roles. The demon corps summoned into our world wasrgely divided into four because I felt the need for supporting actors in every corner.


    For a thrilling battle, allbat power gauges, supply officers, squadrons, and even supportpanies had to be put into roles.


    Although it was a little annoying to assign detailed roles, it was necessary since those details would promotepleteness.


    The Mise En Scene couldn¡¯t be seen too vaguely. In a way, it could be said to be the most important. Was it possible for the Four Demon Generals of Belial, who led the 27th Corps, to fight in a flower garden?


    Everyone knew that they needed to set a background that suited the atmosphere they had.


    That was even more so if we were to assume that we would film a video that would soon spread across the continent.


    It would begin at the ce where they would first meet humans and reach all the way to the location where the climax would ur. Each of the Four Demon Generals had different stories and strategies, so I was worried about them.


    It was enough to make me quite nervous.


    Still, it was unavoidable because I was the head of a big event, but my attitude, which had be a little skittish, made all of themanders confused.


    It was the same that day.


    ¡°Oh, you have to pay more attention here. How many times have I told you? This is where Ballitos will fight. I came here just in case. Ah¡­ really¡­


    Ah¡­¡±


    -Well, what don¡¯t you like that much?


    ¡°Where is the ce where Ballitos and worm humans have to fight?¡±


    -F-Food storage¡­


    ¡°Do you think I have assigned a food warehouse carelessly? You know how important the atmosphere is, right? If you had an understanding of your character, you wouldn¡¯t close this ce this way. It¡¯s a bit hard to say this, but Ballitos is a trash demon that enjoys human meat.¡±


    -H-human meat has no taste¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying you have to eat it. I¡¯m also a human. I won¡¯t give such an order. Just hang a few unidentified chunks of meat around the location. Didn¡¯t we bring in a lot of beast meat? Even those whoe here will think that it¡¯s human meat. Add in a variety of cooking utensils and cauldrons.¡±


    -We¡¯ll do as you say¡­


    ¡°If you¡¯re running out of physical strength, swallow the meat here so you can recover your strength, and that is the gimmick that Ballitos has been given. I¡¯ve told you this so many times already. Wouldn¡¯t it instill fear in humans a little longer if you were into eating them?¡±


    -I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m sorry, Lee Kiyoung.


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying this for no reason at all. I know it¡¯s unpleasant to listen to the words of a worm human, but this is sincerely all for Ballitos.¡±


    -How could I doubt Lee Kiyoung¡¯s will? I, Ballitos, know very well that you are working hard for the 27th Corps more than anyone else. I¡¯m also aware that you¡¯re doing this for me.


    ¡°Sigh. It¡¯s not yet time to rx, Ballitos. I think you probably know, but Ulkarox recently¡­¡±


    -T-That¡¯s¡­


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t mean your worries are done just because you got a role. You already know all of that. Sigh. I will only tell you this much.¡±


    -I¡¯ll make sure to do my best.


    ¡°I wille back in three hours. If it hasn¡¯t been done properly until then, Belial would be disappointed.¡±


    -Yes.


    ¡°And before I came here, the entrance had been too neat, so please dirty it a bit. It makes the tension disappear. I understand your personality that likes neat things, but please stick to the role a little bit. Humans wouldn¡¯t be afraid of a demon that likes cleaning.¡±


    -I¡¯ll keep that deeply embedded in my mind.


    That was the situation all over the project.


    ¡®Sigh, it seems like it¡¯s not long before our members wille in. This one really isn¡¯t ready.¡¯


    I thought it would take about ten days, but looking at the situation, I realized that something was happening.


    ¡®What kind of drugs did you take¡­?¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t check the details inside, but some things could be seen from the outside.


    The speed at which the troops were gathering was unimaginable.


    It was calcted that the federal organizations would push through the middle, and it felt like they were in good harmony with the existing troops. It was as if Gerhan of Hellfire and the bitch Jam had decided to take the lead.


    The Republic¡¯s eyes were probably shining at this point.


    Recently, a fairly high-level reconnaissance team had been gathering information about major areas in the Federation. The Corps side leaked some information for smooth progress, but the scouting team that picked it up made me doubt that it was the Continental Alliance that I knew.


    It wouldn¡¯t be wrong to believe that I was able to see them moving organically and simultaneously.


    Of course, it was nice that humanity would be one sooner than expected, but on the other hand, it was worrisome.


    Anything in a hurry would have side effects.


    At that point, we had to discuss how to fight together and gather our strength, but there was no doubt out in the process.


    Considering that the rtionships could be shaky after the battle was over, it bothered me a bit. Of course, what was more unpleasant than that thought was my current situation.


    ¡®But there is still some time left.¡¯


    Basically, all of the Federation¡¯s metropolitan cities that Belial used as his territory were in darkness, so they had no choice but to light it up with divine power.


    It was still too early to reach Amera, considering that they had to target all the ces they thought were the middle bases. It could be said that that was the reason I put managers and bosses in the middle.


    The basic framework of the federal recapture strategy was to reveal the map step by step.


    It was a gimmick where the 27th Corps¡¯s basic stats would decrease in ces other than Belial¡¯s territory would also beid in advance.


    Unless the Continental Alliance¡¯s strategy team were made up of idiots, they would proceed by following the phases.


    ¡®You have to prepare perfectly.¡¯


    Nevertheless, as more time passed by, the situation became something I was bing nervous about.


    It wasn¡¯t like me, but I couldn¡¯t help but be pressured because there were so many things at stake. As I walked, I continued to think about


    It was certainly a little relieving to see Limur.


    She was one of the Four Demon Generals who would be managing the Amera area.


    Without abandoning her tentacles, her understanding of her character was perfect.


    Everything was wlessly expressed.


    -What do you think¡­?


    ¡°Limur has nothing to be concerned of. You¡¯re great at this. I never imagined for the location itself to be covered with tentacles¡­ It looks moderately grotesque and moderately cruel¡­ If a human with a weak heart were toe here, they would probably copse from the moment they entered this ce.¡±


    -No. It still isn¡¯t enough, because I couldn¡¯t properly handle the details¡­ Could you please tell me how much time we have left?


    ¡°If we think about it a little loosely, you can think that you have about four days left. However, it could happen as early as two days. The whole rehearsal will start the day before. Out of curiosity, can you tell me again what Limur¡¯s role is?¡±


    -Of course, I¡¯m familiar with it, Lee Kiyoung. By setting, is it correct that I am extracting the magic power that can sustain all the demons summoned from the Legion from the humans in Amera and Lee Kiyoung¡¯s body?


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s the right answer. It seems that I was worried for nothing.¡±


    -It¡¯s natural to be worried, considering the situation going on right now. Most of all, I liked the character setup that Lee Kiyoung made. It¡¯s a gimmick that goes well with my lovely tentacles, so I can¡¯t help but genuinely like it. Thank you for making this new setting, Lee Kiyoung.


    ¡°It¡¯s my job to y a good role for a capable actor. You don¡¯t have to be so thankful. Haha, this is always something I say. Limur¡¯s role is more important than anything else in this n. If the warehouse where the humans are gathered is robbed, the summoning itself will not be established. In fact, this is where the n begins and ends.¡±


    -I am aware of the heavy responsibility apanying my role. I can only appreciate this opportunity. If this goes well, I¡¯m going to create a power that absorbs magic power with tentacles. I don¡¯t know if I can achieve that much performance, however.


    ¡°Hahaha. That power would go well with you.¡±


    -Oh, more importantly, Lee Kiyoung. Come to think of it, Donovan seems to be doing nothing. Is he uncooperative? If he is¡­


    ¡°Ah. Don¡¯t worry. In fact, I didn¡¯t allocate an area to Donovan.¡±


    -What? Why¡­


    ¡°Donovan¡¯s role isn¡¯t defensive, so there is no need to prepare separately here. Well, you¡¯re going to be the first one to hear about this, but Donovan is going to directly hit the main army of humans gathered at the joint training center.¡±


    -Ah


    ¡°There is no one which suits the role of giving us the maximum time and impact in the first battle as Donovan, after all.¡±


    -Although it definitely suits him, I am a little worried. He¡¯s not bad, but basically, the disposition itself is very different. Honestly, letting him join this job felt strange. He¡¯s not someone who enjoys this kind of thing.


    ¡°Hahaha. I thought of it that way as well, but Belial decided that it would be okay to trust Donovan at least once. He¡¯s been working hard for the Corps.¡±


    -Are the other areas ready?


    ¡°It¡¯s still not enough, but I think I¡¯ve finished it all somehow. I even finished the whole picture. However, there are still many parts to deal with¡­¡±


    -If there is anything I can do to help¡­


    ¡°No. You only need to focus on your role. You don¡¯t have to worry about anything else. You¡¯re the protagonist of this project¡­¡±


    -That makes me feel ttered.


    ¡°It¡¯s a position that Limur has earned. You can be a little more confident. If you work hard on the ground prepared by the managers, you will, of course, be recognized. Limur is someone familiar with what must be done.¡±


    tion naturally entered into my anxious mind little by little. It was exactly three hourster that my happiness had taken a hit.


    -Lee Kiyoung.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    -Um¡­ An army of humans is approaching Belial¡¯s territory. W-What should we do?


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡®How are they so fast? Fuck.¡¯


    This was far earlier than the expected deadline.


    ¡®How did they suddenly be quicker?¡¯

 Chapter 491: A Demon Has To Act Like A Demon To Be A Demon (3)

    <h4>Chapter 491: A Demon Has To Act Like A Demon To Be A Demon (3)</h4>


    The situation was pressed down on by a sense of urgency.


    ¡®Did they really take drugs?¡¯


    Considering that the Continental Union had grown one step forward, it was a pleasant situation, but it wasn¡¯t beneficial to me at the time. It felt as if the housewarming guests came in even though the house hadn¡¯t been cleaned up yet after moving.


    Even so, it should take a little longer to reach Amera, but honestly, I felt like the candle was burning fast on both ends. Originally, the procedure required to attack a dungeon wasn¡¯t ignoring everything and rushing in.


    ¡®They¡¯re seriously crazy¡­¡¯


    No matter how much information our side had leaked, it was almost irrational to execute the attack operation itself with the information that was currently possessed by the Continental Alliance.


    At best, the information gathered by those guys must be the location of each base or the Four Guardian Kings¡¯ presence. The existence of Donovan and Carpediac hadn¡¯t even been leaked because we wanted to be a little careful.


    Limur¡¯s material that extracted the magic needed to maintain the summons from the food warehouse of the cannibal demon Ballitos, and the center of Amera.


    Other than that and a few other tricky bits of knowledge, those were all the information they had.


    ¡®Are they thinking of collecting information while proceeding from the outskirts? No matter how fast they prepare, there must be a limit. Did you even prepare everything properly?¡¯


    It was difficult to know what the enemymand was thinking.


    At least, it was a troop operation that couldn¡¯t be seen as Kim Hyunsung¡¯s style.


    When attacking, the first thing he went by the rule of safety first and safety second.


    It wouldn¡¯t be wrong to think that they would be moving with Cha Heera¡¯s Red Mercenary on the lead.


    It was possible that Pope Basel, who was known to have a fiery temper, had an ident, but the one I wanted to give a little more points was the Red Mercenary Guild¡¯s initiative.


    Of course, it might simply be a n to pressure us to get a reaction.


    However, I couldn¡¯t help but remain silent for a moment at the next words I heard.


    -Base 43 has copsed.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡®Why did the base 43 suddenly copse when they were just gathering?¡¯


    -It is believed that a battle is in progress at base 41. There seems to be no damage yet, and it is confirmed that Belial¡¯s area is gradually decreasing due to the light emitted by some priests. Perhaps it¡¯s because of the disgusting Benignore¡¯s divine power, but it¡¯s helpless to stop them with intermediate-level demons.


    ¡®Those guys must have really taken some drugs.¡¯


    -The same goes for base 41. Insect humans seemed to have been angered. I¡¯m starting to feel a lot of fun.


    ¡®It¡¯s not funny at all, you bastard.¡¯


    Even though I felt a little embarrassed, the demons around me started to look at me. I could see them enjoying themselves, as if the boring time was finally over.


    They didn¡¯t seem even to think that things were going the wrong way.


    The candle was really burning on both ends.


    Contrary to what I thought, things had been going wrong from the very beginning.


    ¡®Ah, maybe I shouldn¡¯t have stepped up. I shouldn¡¯t have said that I would do it¡­¡¯


    In the ongoing project, I was the director, general manager, and project manager. If it went well, I would be praised and respected by everyone.


    However, the moment I failed, I would have to take full responsibility. Right at that moment, Belial was both congratting and apuding me, but since the n had been ruined, it was hard to look at me favorably.


    Considering that he was a trash demon who got rid of the loyalists who had assisted him for thousands of years, I couldn¡¯t help but be worried.


    Of course, things hadn¡¯t gone dangerously awry yet.


    -This is the beginning. Hahaha. I¡¯m really looking forward to this, Lee Kiyoung.


    ¡°Ha-haha.¡±


    -Is this one of the scenarios you were nning in your mind? Did you expect humans to attack before you fill up your troops? Will it¡­


    ¡°Well, I guess it would be okay to say that.¡±


    -But it was too easy to break down. I think it would be okay to invest a little more troops in the base. It¡¯s toote to send reinforcements now, and if it¡¯s like this, then to give up three bases without any results is a bit¡­


    -Hahahaha. What are you so worried about? Lee Kiyoung probably already has different ideas.


    ¡®I don¡¯t, you bastard. ¡®


    However, my mouth started to open up on its own. It was almost as if it acted on instinct.


    ¡°Haha. The despair that they will face afterward will be even greater when they have hope. The thought of giving pain to the humans drunk on the thoughts of today¡¯s victory already makes my heart pound. Is it just me?¡±


    -No, the same goes for me. Hahahaha. So, you¡¯re saying bases 41 to 43 being destroyed was part of the n all along. They werepletely fooled, Lee Kiyoung. You¡¯re amazing! Really amazing!


    Of course, that wasn¡¯t right. Those bases weren¡¯t something that could be passed by so easily.


    Honestly, I couldn¡¯t help but feel that it was a shame.


    In fact, I could predict what the Continental Alliance was thinking. Bases 41, 42, and 43, which could be called strategic points, had been attacked first.


    After that, the intention to use those three bases as forward bases became too clear.


    To secure a stable supply route, the need for a forward base was high. Naturally, information gathering would gain momentum.


    If I took the State-Republic war as an example, the three bases could be considered a ce like Castle Rock.


    They were bases that should be given up anyway from the demons¡¯ standpoint since they only had to show themselves moderately and return to hell.


    However, it was a waste to think about the fact that we were able to increase our performance through fierce battles. From a simple perspective, it wouldn¡¯t be strange even if Lee Kiyoung came out.


    ¡®This might be the sinking of boat Lee Kiyoung. It¡¯s going to cause a chronic problem in defending the Four Demon Generals.¡¯


    I suddenly thought of an article criticizing a ser coach of an unknown country.


    ¡°They are probably thinking of building arge wall with magic and using the bases they attacked as forward bases. It¡¯s in a terrain that¡¯s advantageous in terms of trying to reach the Federation. They still have insufficient information, so they might think that collecting information is a bonus.¡±


    -If so¡­


    ¡°Of course, you should send Donovan.¡±


    -Ah¡­


    ¡°The humans who were united will be scattered in an instant.¡±


    -I see.


    ¡®I guess he believes me.¡¯


    I nodded slowly. It was then that the demons around me suddenly knelt.


    Instantly I thought, ¡®What is this?¡¯, but my body started to react.


    The knee, trained by frequent social life, met the floor very easily because I thought someone from high rank had appeared. After taking the same posture, what I heard was a very familiar voice.


    -How is it going?


    ¡®Belial. Fuck¡­¡¯


    For some reason, it felt like I was meeting the ruler of the 27th Corps after a long time.


    ¡®Why did this bastard suddenlye here?¡¯


    -I bow before you, Belial.


    -I bow before you, Belial, the ruler of all evils.


    ¡°I bow before Belial, Overlord of Hell, the Supreme Being respected by all mortals in the world.¡±


    -Enough with the ttering. I didn¡¯te here to hear that. I heard the news, disgusting human.


    ¡°What?¡±


    -Bases 41, 42, and 43 were lost without results.


    ¡®Fuck¡­¡¯


    ¡°Those bases were nned to be lost in the first ce. Things are going well, so don¡¯t worry. Belial.¡±


    -You don¡¯t have to be nervous because I didn¡¯t say that to me you. Rather, I can even say the exact opposite. Isn¡¯t this a scenario that went into your disgusting mind anyway? I¡¯m not shallow enough to fuss about such small developments. Haven¡¯t you worked hard in the meantime? I just want tomend it. It¡¯s a little earlier than I thought, but it¡¯s the first step of the 27th Corps.


    ¡®Why are you treating me like a colleague?¡¯


    ¡°That means¡­¡±


    -Don¡¯t say anything and follow me.


    ¡®Sh*t. I wish things could stop getting bigger. Stop making things bigger, please.¡¯


    The more matters became more serious, the more I was worried about the situation if I were to fail.


    I was walking as calmly as possible, but my heart still felt restless. The increased burden suddenly made me want to run out of the ce.


    Belial had an unusual smile on his face. He even looked a little uplifted. When I thought about that feeling turning into anger, my lips began to dry out.


    -Congrattions, Lee Kiyoung.


    -It seems that Belial really cares about you.


    As if to demonstrate that they were unaware of how I felt, the demons next to me cheered. I didn¡¯t want to answer, so I followed Belial with my eyes fixed on him, and what I saw was the 27th Corps lined up.


    -Whoooooooaaaaaa!!!


    ¡®I knew it would be something like this. Fuck¡­¡¯


    It was a sight to behold, considering themander himself was among them.


    It was magnificent and deserved to be called a superb view, but it only looked troublesome to me.


    Revering and apuding me, they stood in front of me with faces that seemed to congratte our project¡¯s sincere start.


    It wasn¡¯t only Limur and Ronove. Even Donovan smiled and apuded me genuinely.


    ¡®Stop, you bastard! You don¡¯t have to do this much.¡¯


    It seemed that they were already preparing for battle. Without their casual outfits, everyone was ready to fight.


    Donovan covered his whole body with armor, and Ronove was wielding a spear and shield. The other demons proved to be no different.


    The shouts that told me everyone had been united as one made my ears and heart tingle.


    Belial¡¯s face, looking at me as if telling me to be proud of the scene, was filled with joy.


    It was the first time that I felt afraid of the hand that led me up on the podium as if telling me to deliver a speech. I wasn¡¯t afraid of such a stage, but I also felt reluctant to say something in the current situation.


    ¡°I am okay, Belial. It is the campaign of the 27th Corps. Belial¡¯s own words will motivate them more than mine.¡±


    -No, disgusting human. Actually, it would be better to call you Lee Kiyoung now. All these things are not prepared by me, but by you. No matter what I say, my face is not thick enough to take the credits.


    ¡®But you can.¡¯


    -Can you see it? It is the view of the corpsmander who controls the 27th Corps.


    ¡®Whatever, fuck¡­¡¯


    -Thendscape you are looking at is only a very small part of our might.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes.¡±


    -Maybe someday you¡¯ll be the head of all of this. So, do you like it?


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to say this, but it¡¯s a bit overwhelming. Belial caring for me alone is an honor for this foolish mortal.¡±


    -I know you¡¯re not being serious.


    ¡®I¡¯m serious. I¡¯m serious.¡¯


    -Go up and let the Corps hear your voice and know who you are.


    ¡®Sh*t.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t do anything. Once again, loud shouts popped out as Belial held onto my shoulder like a politician taking a picture before signing an agreement.


    The slow bastard smiled like a mother and slowly pushed my back, causing my body to climb onto the tform naturally. Instantly, silence enveloped the ce.


    My eyes were closed tightly, but I had no choice but to say something. In the end, I was forced to deliver a speech.


    -It is a great honor to meet you like this, dear colleagues!


    I felt as if I had just been mortgaged.

 Chapter 492: A Demon Must Act Like A Demon To Be A Demon (4)

    <h4>Chapter 492: A Demon Must Act Like A Demon To Be A Demon (4)</h4>


    Honestly, I didn¡¯t want to say anything.


    On that day, thest line of masked trash Jin Qing had strongly been stuck in my mind. However, there was no way for me to escape the situation.


    Since I had already gone up, I had to do something about it. This was a situation that Belial had made with consideration. It was only proper to show a passionate and glorious expression.


    The demon of lies and agitation couldn¡¯t have set me on the podium for no reason. Clearly¡­


    ¡®Of course, he wants something out of this.¡¯


    It was also important to greet the demon legions and raise their morale. However, at that moment, I was more inclined to scrape the area where Belial would itch most.


    Once again, I spoke, choosing my words carefully, and they replied with a loud shout.


    -Hello. I¡¯ll introduce myself again. I am your eternal ally, your eternal friend, Lee Kiyoung, who had be this project¡¯s general manager. It¡¯s only for a short time, but I took on the external advisor position of the 27th Corps. I would like to express my gratitude to all of you who have filled the roles I needed to be filled even though I¡¯m an outsider.


    -Whoooooaaaaaa!!!


    Fortunately, the atmosphere wasn¡¯t all that bad.


    -We have a big task ahead of us. Yes, it¡¯s a gigantic and glorious job. It¡¯s a turning point where the 27th Corps will be able to grow further and will be able to utilize the great opportunity to leap forward. There are probably many people who have doubts about this.


    -Why should you go so far? Why should you put your life and on the line for this project while doing annoying tasks? Many are wondering why we are so focused on this work, even though it can feel like a joke.


    -Whhooooaaaaaaaa!!!


    Most of the guys shouted this, all without thinking, but there were also guys showing positive gazes.


    If Belial hadn¡¯t been looking at me happily, he would have nodded and responded to what I said. Even Donovan was apuding me, but his face still remained expressionless.


    To him, all of this looked like a kid¡¯s joke, and that was the only correct way to react.


    -There must be a reason behind our actions. Only when there is a justification for why we act like this can we work with a little more passion. Of course, it¡¯s stupid for such a foolish mortal to give an exnation to the demons who exalt hell, but I think that because I¡¯m a human, there¡¯s a view that only I can see. Sometimes, the view from below can also be valuable, everyone.


    -Right! That¡¯s right!


    -Recently, the 27th Corps has suffered a lot. It climbed through 45 ranks and was able to get the 27th position from the 72nd. As everyone already knows, our time today is more important than ever. Depending on what the 27th Corps bes here, it may develop or deteriorate further. The Supreme Master Belial, the ruler of all evils, has entrusted this unworthy mortal with a task. Therefore, there is one thing I want to say at this meeting! A demon is a demon¡­ Only when he acts like a demon.


    -A demon¡­ must act like a demon to be a demon.


    -Yes. That¡¯s right. A demon must act like a demon to be a demon. How do you ept that you are a demon? Have you ever thought about what a demon is?


    -¡­


    -At least I think of it like this: demons don¡¯t only massacre humans and ughter them like pigs. Demons don¡¯t only cause great natural disasters and give pain. If they are simply using destruction and violence, then how can we find the difference between a demon and a monster?


    -¡­


    -The things I just said are the type that even monsters without intelligence could do! Even ipetent humans can cause simple destruction, violence, and massacre! It is the way of beasts that can¡¯t think or speak to terrorize them in such a way, not the way our glorious demons should aim. If so, what should we do? How can we, as mature demons, take a step further? How can we differentiate ourselves from primitive beings?


    No one could answer. Their lips were twitching, but they probably couldn¡¯t open their mouth.


    It wasn¡¯t a question I asked because I wanted an answer in the first ce.


    -The answer is obvious. We have to manage them. We have to be careful not to drive them to extinction, but rather we have to watch them develop. We can¡¯t treat them without sincerity.


    -¡­


    -There is a saying on the continent. If you want to help a bum, giving gold coins is not the right way. You must teach them how to earn gold coins. This stupid mortal can guarantee that our situation will not be much different. Instead of giving them fear, you should teach them how to feel fear.


    -¡­


    -That¡¯s the only way you can take the 27th Corps a step further into this turbulent human society. Don¡¯t try too hard to engrave fear on them! Make them realize the greatness of the 27th Corps, all for themselves! Rather than eradicating humans, you should allow your myths and stories to be passed on to newer generations through word of mouth.


    -¡­


    -The horror of death is only for a moment, but the horror conveyed as a story will thrive for years toe. The people on the continent who had been struck by injustice and desire personal revenge will do their best to summon you, remembering your myths! Little children will be afraid of you and will lose sleep at the thought of you! Those who survive the battle will live in nightmares for a lifetime, and everyone will remember you, not just humans!


    -Ooh¡­


    -Manage their fear. Don¡¯t you dare belittle yourselves. Let them know that you stand above them. We need to keep the bnce and apud their progress. You have to look from above andugh at the human race¡¯s image that they will create. We need to make them realize and practice that we are beings of a higher order and that we are better than them!


    -Whooooaaaaaaa!!


    -After this project, you will be the unhealing wounds of the continent! You will be remembered as an eternal nightmare!


    -Whoooooaaaaaaaaa!!!


    -This continent, and all the intelligent creatures living here, even the stupid Benignore and the heartless Elune trash, will remember you. A demon must act like a demon to be a demon! You are not monsters. You¡¯re also different from some of the stupid hardliner demons in hell. A demon is someone who deceives humans with lies and agitation and maniptes them! A demon must act like a demon to be a demon!!


    - A demon must act like a demon to be a demon!


    - A demon must act like a demon to be a demon!!


    ¡®Wow. Why is the atmosphere so good?¡¯


    I knew I would eventually get the support of moderates, but honestly, this felt a little boring.


    It wasn¡¯t a formal atmosphere like the first time. Everyone cheered from the bottom of their hearts. The only exceptions were the demons that were going to be thrown away, anyway.


    ¡®Whew¡­¡¯


    In the heat simr to that when standing at the State¡¯s pulpit and shouting Benignore¡¯s name, It was enough for me to be dumbfounded.


    Even some of the demons who were ssified as hardliners nodded in agreement.


    The same went for Belial. I smiled, looking at him apuding as if he was very satisfied.


    ¡®Whew. I guess he¡¯ll overlook this mistake.¡¯


    I was responsible for the great task of uniting the 27th Corps. It was tiny, but I took one step closer to aplishing it.


    Just a few minutes ago, I wanted to get out of the ce quickly, but I started to get more and more energetic at that point.


    -Lee Kiyoung is the wind of transformation that has blown the 27th Corps!


    -For Lee Kiyoung!


    -Look at that disgusting soul!! How can that be a human soul!!!


    -We will be waiting for the day youe to hell, external advisor!


    I couldn¡¯t help but feel rejuvenated due to the atmosphere that enveloped the entire hall.


    Once again, I cleared my throat, and this caused the entire ce to quiet down.


    -You all know about this already. Just a few hours ago, stupid humans set foot in Belial¡¯s realm. Insect humans that upied bases 41, 42, and 43 will try to attack Amera by building a barrier in Belial¡¯s territory and using it as a forward base. They¡¯re approaching with that filthy Benignore¡¯s light. Yes. This is where it all begins.


    -¡­


    -From the time I started preparing for this project until now, I have never seen you take a break or do anything unnecessary.


    -¡­


    -The sound of the wind and the soft rain used to always hit my office before the storm came. Some of the demons watching the current situation in hellughed at this project, saying it was useless.


    -¡­


    -The results will be the ones to tell who¡¯s right and who¡¯s wrong.


    -¡­


    -The results will show who¡¯ll dominate!


    -¡­


    -Let¡¯s show them. Let us prove for ourselves that the past wasn¡¯t spent in vain, my dearpatriots.


    -Whooooaaaaaaa!!!


    -To war, my brothers and sisters!


    A thunderous shout echoed, making me feel like it my tears were going to be torn apart.


    I could see the Corps moving slowly even though I didn¡¯t say anything.


    Donovan was also smiling. He was aware that it was his turn.


    He already knew without me having to say it. When I nced at Belial, he began speaking to the Corps.


    -Donovan, one of the Four Guardian Kings, lead your troops right now ande back after showing those puny humans what true fear truly feels like!


    -As youmand, my liege.


    It was satisfying to watch him move confidently.


    As I nodded unknowingly, and Belial patted my shoulder as if he felt happy about the oue.


    ¡®Not bad. The situation is really favorable.¡¯


    It felt like the first phase that was inserted incorrectly had somehow been fixed.


    If Donovan moderately attracted their attention and boosted his performance, then pulled out at the right time, then that would be the best situation.


    Since he was a very tough demon, there might be some casualties, but the useless federal guys were the targets of the operation anyway¡­


    ¡®I don¡¯t have to worry about this too much.¡¯


    It would be over the moment our lovely regressor would deliver thest blow against the weary guy.


    I made a fair amount of time. Belial liked it, I liked it, my sister liked it, and my brother-inw liked it. I smiled happily at this beautiful situation.


    It was exactly eight hourster that I thought things became a bitplicated.


    ¡®Why are you over there with Hyunsung? Why aren¡¯t you going after Donovan?¡¯


    After Donovan hit the Continental Union base with the 27th Corps, the 4th alliance, including Blue, escaped the bases.


    They passed by Donovan with near perfection.


    ¡®Kim Hyunsung, you¡¯re not acting like yourself.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t figure out exactly what was going on, but the situation was like this:


    It looked like Kim Hyunsung had abandoned the Federation.


    ¡®You¡¯re not like this¡­¡¯


    He had thrown Gerhan of Hellfire and Jami as bait and immediately began to advance to Amera.

 Chapter 493: The Twist Of The Twist Of The Twist (1)

    <h4>Chapter 493: The Twist Of The Twist Of The Twist (1)</h4>


    ¡®How the hell did this happen?¡¯


    I still couldn¡¯t believe my eyes. No matter what I thought, I couldn¡¯t help but feel embarrassed.


    The situation Belial prepared proved to be suspicious, even though I had seen the war going onward with my eyes.


    I yed the magic hologram once again, but nothing changed.


    Donovan rushed in like a mad dog with rabies. I could see him running toward the great wall with intense anger. Even though he was being penalized, a mythic-grade was still a mythic-grade.


    The humans inside the wall spread magic and arrows in terror, and the siege began.


    I had no doubts, believing that humanity would join forces and push Donovan out.


    Before the federal soldiers¡¯ damage umted, I knew that the assistance of the four-nation alliance and the Republic would arrive.


    Donovan¡¯s throat being cut off by Kim Hyunsung was the most beautiful death for Donovan, who would be tired after dealing against huge force, and I was 100% confident that it would bepleted in a while. However¡­


    I couldn¡¯t find Kim Hyunsung in the magic hologram even after rubbing my eyes.


    Rather, what stood out was the State¡¯s main force abandoning their base and moving further inside. While Donovan had been running wild at base 41, they broke out through the siege of base 43.


    At first, I wondered if they had been driven out from behind, but I quickly realized that wasn¡¯t the case.


    Indeed, Kim Hyunsung had abandoned the Federation.


    ¡®Why is this bastard doing that all of a sudden?¡¯


    Although I had thought about dozens of cases, I naturally didn¡¯t imagine him using the Federation as a sacrifice.


    That was because I judged that he would never leave suffering people behind because of his personality. No matter how uninterested he was in politics, he knew how much his actions would be criticized internationally.


    Of course, the resulting conflict was also predictable.


    I didn¡¯t really think that the regressor who had achieved the task of bringing humanity together would cause conflict on his own.


    ¡®Are you not thinking about the end-game? What will you do if youe in like this and get surrounded by Donovan¡¯s forces?¡¯


    He was really moving forward without looking behind him.


    They aimed to arrive in time even if it meant disregarding other factors. Theposition of the troops and the camp itself was perfect. The troops, constructed only for the purpose of breaking through, felt deformed in some way.


    ¡®There really is no escape¡­¡¯


    At that moment, I had realized that the n I was imagining had be a piece of tissue.


    The Continental Union- no, Kim Hyunsung had no intention of defending the base after taking it over.


    He had no intention of getting stuck in a base and gathering information, and he had no intention of engaging in guerri warfare using the forward base, either.


    What he was nning from the beginning was charging forward nonstop.


    They minimized their supplies and lightened their weight as much as possible to arrive at Amera in the shortest time possible.


    It couldn¡¯t be viewed as a strategy. He was only pushing the troops further into enemy territory while putting everything at risk.


    He didn¡¯t even think about the situation of being caught after all the supplies ran out. I couldn¡¯t understand how Lee Jihye could agree to such a crazy n.


    When I thought he was running crazy because one of his colleagues was suffering, a smile appeared on my lips for a moment. However, I couldn¡¯t help getting anxious all the same.


    ¡®How should I deal with this?¡¯


    There was no way they could really eat those who were rushing and asking to be eaten.


    If it were a real war, I would call people from all over the world and make a shield to block them, and then iste them to dry them to death.


    Even in the preliminary exnations, I talked about those who should never be killed. Hence, the demons were bound to be passive in stopping them.


    ¡®Is it possible to increase our performance with this?¡¯


    Even though gift boxes had been scattered all over the ce, they had ridden a burning bus instead and rushed to the Blue House. It might be that the Republic and other heroes from other countries were attending the event prepared by me, blocking the way to the main base, but there was no way I could be satisfied.


    ¡®What will I do with Donovan¡­?¡¯


    -Dirty insect humans.


    -Ahhhhhhhhh! R-Run away¡­ Run awaaay!


    -The State has betrayed us. The Continental Union has abandoned us. Sh*t¡­ sh*t!


    -You motherfuckers of the Republic! Heaven will not forgive you!!


    - Do not back down, and don¡¯t let theme up! Don¡¯t give up until the end! Resist to the end!! It¡¯s a castle defense battle! It¡¯s still in our favor!!


    -You guys will not be forgiven by God!!


    -Shoot! Shoot!!!


    -R-Retreat¡­


    The spectacr and superb view was already running wild.


    As if they knew how to y their role properly, they were beating up the Federation troops. I didn¡¯t know if this was a mere coincidence, but just in time, I got to see him tearing up Gerhan of Hellfire.


    -This kind of me is called hellfire?


    -Ahhhhhhhhh!!! S-Save me¡­ Save¡­


    -This maggot human who has never tasted hellfire calls himself Hellfire. You are worthless!


    On one side, I could see Jami suffering as well.


    -Please, please save me. Please. Please¡­


    I nned for them to die, but I couldn¡¯t help but feel a little sad since we used to be so close.


    I wanted to torment them before they died, but it seemed that I couldn¡¯t even do that.


    Still, the guys who were at the top of heroic-grade and bottom of the legendary-grade must¡¯ve felt terrible.


    ¡®It¡¯ll be impossible for the Federation to recover. It has to be.¡¯


    It wouldn¡¯t be wrong to say that there was already a big wound on the continent.


    ¡®It can¡¯t finish with just this.¡¯


    That would practically be no different than a failure.


    Donovan was mainly making some results without the need to act, but that was no different from being a hardliner. Was there no sense of achievement in breaking humans¡¯ heads without making them feel true fear?


    ¡®This crazy bastard¡­ that¡¯s why I told him to do it in moderation. Sh*t.¡¯


    Fortunately, he had been driving humans into Belial¡¯s territory, which meant he hadn¡¯t forgotten his mission, but the number was fewer than what I expected.


    The seats prepared on the Blue Dragon Train were about fifty seats, but only twenty people entered.


    ¡®What do I do now?¡¯


    The demon who had to leave for heaven was trolling in the front line, and even Kim Hyunsung, whom I believed in, didn¡¯t respond.


    ¡®How do I kill Donovan, and how do I stop those guys?¡®


    No matter how much I thought about it, it wasn¡¯t a situation where an answer would be formted within minutes.


    ¡®Should I change my attitude?¡¯


    Even at that moment, I thought that I should stand on the side of humanity and break the heads of dirty demons, but that couldn¡¯t happen in the first ce. I didn¡¯t know much about Benignore, but my guts weren¡¯t strong enough to backstab Belial.


    Considering that the demons were my insurance that I could use after 2,000 years, I had to maintain a good rtionship. It took guts to cut ties swiftly just because things weren¡¯t going well.


    ¡®I have to go all out with this one.¡¯


    In a way, it was no different from us being meant to be.


    Perhaps it was because I kept a sour face for so long, a devil who was looking at the magic hologram in the control room talked to me.


    -Are you okay, Lee Kiyoung? You don¡¯t look good.


    ¡°Ah. I¡¯m fine. I was just a little nauseous because of something I ate yesterday. It all seems to be going ording to n. This is not a bad situation.¡±


    -As expected¡­


    ¡°If it continues like this, the project will gain great results. Oh, if anything out of the ordinary happens, you can tell me right away.¡±


    -Ah. There is something.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    -The enemy¡¯s main team that escaped from base 43 is casting a spell. They¡¯ve been at it for a while now¡­


    ¡®Why is this bastard only telling me that now?¡¯


    ¡°T-Turn on the screen.¡±


    -Yes, sir.


    The State¡¯s main force, which was running like a crazy wild horse, stopped at some point.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you get a little closer?¡±


    -There is someone really sensitive there¡­ she¡¯ll probably notice if I send the spirit any closer. This distance is the limit.


    ¡°Please zoom it a little bit.¡±


    -Zooming in now.


    Of course, Jung Hayan was the one chanting the incantation. I didn¡¯t know what kind of magic it was, but the magic¡¯s pulse felt unusual.


    I was worried that she was going to start by firing a gigantic spell.


    ¡®I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the case, though.¡¯


    Since I was in Amera, there¡¯s no way she could drop something like a Meteor.


    Even if they were aiming for victory with suchrge magic in the first ce, they wouldn¡¯t be able to attain it easily.


    There was already a defense prepared against Jung Hayan¡¯s semi-mythic-grade magic. Hence, I knew it would be fine.


    I thought perhaps she was just using magic at random. However, the reactions of others were a little bit weird for me to believe that notion.


    I watched the faces of precious party members that I hadn¡¯t seen in quite a long time. The spirit couldn¡¯t get close. Hence, I couldn¡¯t see them in detail, but I could see their emaciated faces.


    For some reason, Sun Hee-young wore the same ferocious face she had in the first round, and Park Deokgu sported swollen eyes.


    Cha Hee-ra, Yuno Kasugano, and Elena were also visible. They, too, were no different.


    In particr, Cha Hee-ra¡¯s face had been damaged a lot, and I couldn¡¯t imagine that she would be the one to be damaged like that of all people. However, the one that stood out more than anyone else was Kim Hyunsung, the lovely regressor.


    ¡®Gosh, your face has be so thin.¡¯


    Seeing him so dejected felt a tad spectacr. Honestly, I didn¡¯t know how to react.


    He looked to be in so much pain and regret. He even seemed to be shocked enough to resemble Jung Hayan, who was chanting magic at the moment.


    If I did my work properly, he probably would make the confession of a lifetime.


    Of course, that¡¯s not the only emotion in his face.


    ¡®You guys¡­what are you trying to do? Why are you guys doing this?¡¯


    They had determined eyes as if each one of them was prepared toy down their lives.


    Considering that he had been operating a force that was no different from a suicide squad, I could understand why they looked like that.


    They were talking to each other, sporting determined expressions like people who wanted to die at that very instant.


    It wasn¡¯t difficult to guess that the reason for that was the magic they wanted to cast. I wondered what the magic that Jung Hayan was currently chanting for them to make such expressions.


    Even Jung Hayan also looked very nervous. She seemed to be behaving quite unusually.


    ¡®I think I have to stop that.¡¯


    However, it was already toote to send in some more troops.


    Her face, which was full of tension, was rapidly bing darker and darker.


    Priests like Elena and Sun Hee-young were putting their hands together, and even Park Deokgu was bracing himself.


    Kim Hyunsung nodded adamantly.


    Atst, thepleted spell popped out of Jung Hayan¡¯s mouth. Right as I was about to send a message to watch out for meteorites that would fall¡­


    -They disappeared.


    ¡®I also have eyes. I saw it, bastard. ¡®


    The troops viewed through the magic hologram disappeared from view.


    All that remained in the ce where the troops were united was the magic circle on the ground.


    ¡®Okay, seriously, what the hell just fucking happened? Why are you doing this?¡¯


    I panicked for a second, but the voice that opened the door from the outside allowed me to realize exactly what spell she had chanted.


    -Lee Kiyoung. The enemy¡¯s main army has entered the Limur¡¯s nest, One of the main battlefields.


    ¡®Teleportation magic.¡¯


    It was a spell that used to only be possible in theory.

 Chapter 494: The Twist Of The Twist Of The Twist (2)

    <h4>Chapter 494: The Twist Of The Twist Of The Twist (2)</h4>


    ¡®Sh*t¡­¡¯


    My face had now be wrinkled. This proved to be a very unexpected situation.


    ¡®Sh*t. Sh*t. Sh*t!¡¯


    However, I couldn¡¯t reveal what I was feeling. I had to pretend to be as calm as possible, after all. I nodded at the sudden news slowly, but I was already burning inside. It was hard to understand what the hell was going on.


    One thing was for sure. Jung Hayan had just shown off new magic, and it struck with a good hit.


    However, when I remembered the new magic, it was so ridiculous that I keptughing internally.


    ¡®Teleportation?¡¯


    I had seen all kinds of magic on the continent, but I had never seen that kind of magic.


    In the first ce, it made no sense to jump out of space and move to another ce.


    Even in the modern era, where all kinds of science and technology could do a wide array of miracles, it was a distant future story, and the continent was no different.


    If I had to express it, it was a dream that one couldn¡¯t reach yet. As I also had a wizard-rted ss, it wouldn¡¯t be unreasonable to be dumbfounded.


    If I had to take my ss as an example, it was likepleting the Philosopher¡¯s Stone.


    ¡®I know she¡¯s a genius, but¡­¡¯


    It turned out she was a genius of another level. I felt the Jung Hayan Coin, which had slowly been decreasing in value, soaring once more.


    ¡®It was good of me to have endured for so long¡­¡¯


    Of course, the unknown magic wasn¡¯t without limits.


    I didn¡¯t know what happened after that, but at least it wasn¡¯t perfect yet. There were two circumstances. The first was that even though they had that magic, they had stille to the vicinity of Amera before activating the magic.


    ¡®It seems that there is still a distance limit.¡¯


    It was also bothersome that the entire unit had a face as if risking their lives. That was the second one.


    ¡®Is there a penalty of getting lost or being torn apart if she fails? It can be assumed that what was possible only in theory was used immediately without going through the testing phase.¡¯


    If things had gone wrong, they could have died.


    Of course, Kim Hyunsung might¡¯ve known that she could use that kind of magic since he knew a lot about Jung Hayan.


    However, from the perspective of the rest of the party, it was no different than volunteering to beb rats for an experiment. Considering the amount of magic power needed in order to activate the magic, it wasn¡¯t in a level that could be used multiple times for practice.


    It seemed that her limit was that she could only activate it once with the energy she umted during the time I was held captive. Of course¡­


    ¡®There will be no magic power to use to return.¡¯


    Only then did I begin to see the whole war situation.


    Some of the troops except the main unit invading Limur¡¯s nest were bait. And some of the troops were¡­


    ¡®Securing a retreat.¡¯


    Except for bases 41, 42, and 43 that Donovan smashed, the bases the rest of the troops were attacking would serve as emergency retreat routes.


    Even more so, considering that it would be possible for them to keep the Donovan troops who would returnter in check.


    It seemed like it had been random, but the borately woven tactics like a spider¡¯s web were in a position to arouse admiration. It looked bold and extreme, but they used the troops in a way that secured several steps ahead.


    ¡®It must be Jihye¡¯s work.¡¯


    In fact, if it were Lee Jihye, she would have thought of a safer method, but there was a high probability that Cha Hee-ra¡¯s touch had influenced the n a lot.


    When I thought of those using their potentials to the fullest, I felt more afraid than surprised.


    Of course, I had to be grateful upon finding out that they valued me that much.


    However, considering my current situation, I didn¡¯t feel very happy at all.


    Even in the control room, cold silence had begun to flow.


    I couldn¡¯t stand the eyes of the demons looking at me as if asking me what the hell was happening.


    -This¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s not perfect, but it¡¯s all in the calctions.¡±


    -Is that true?


    ¡°Everyone. If you are agitated, you won¡¯t be able to get the whole picture of the situation. I thought it was unlikely, in the calction. We can cope with it. Of course, I also have a solution.¡±


    -I see. As expected, Lee Kiyoung is an external advisor. Really, the human race always seems to startle us. I thought there was something special as she is the human who summoned Belial here but to see teleportation magic¡­ I¡¯ve heard that some humans from other dimensions use it, but I didn¡¯t really think that I would see it with my own eyes.


    -They are great, but the outside advisor is greater. Do you mean you already had these calcted?


    ¡®Of course not, you bastard.¡¯


    Even the most visionary genius of the century wouldn¡¯t expect such a situation. I would predict if I had some sign or double track.


    It was hard for me, who belonged to the rtively ordinary side, to be able to predict such a crazy situation. I didn¡¯t think Kim Hyunsung would run into the stage in that way and that he would abandon the Federation.


    I couldn¡¯t even imagine that Jung Hayan would seed with the trial teleportation magic.


    I hoped they ended up being dropped in the wrong ce because of an error in the coordinates, but they were perfectly inside the nest where our members were located.


    It felt painful to have our intentionally leaked information used to set goals.


    -What should we do?


    ¡®Don¡¯t ask me, you bastard. I don¡¯t know.¡¯


    -You must have subtle means. Aren¡¯t you the external advisor? Haha.


    ¡®There is nothing like that. No. Fuck.¡¯


    At that moment, I could only think of basic actions.


    ¡°I think it would be better to call the troops and dy the march as much as possible. There is a little distance before they reach Limur, so please call the troops nearby first. And. The one who is the closest¡­¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s Ballitos.¡¯


    ¡°I think you can tell him toe to the nest, too. Please tell him that we will use the food warehouse afterward.¡±


    -Yes. I will do as directed.


    ¡°Can we increase the number of spirits a bit?¡±


    -Yes. It¡¯ll probably be possible.


    ¡°Then please do that.¡±


    -Will do that.


    The expedition was just starting to understand the situation. I could see them sending the rangers as the standard troops and doing simple maintenance.


    Of course, everyone was biting their lips whilst sporting a determined expression. What was a little more noticeable was that nobody looked good.


    There were even people who looked nauseous.


    As it was magic that wasn¡¯t perfect yet, it was normal to have bad aftereffects. Of course, Jung Hayan stood out the most.


    Once again, her hair had turned white, and she seemed to have difficulties walking properly.


    ¡®Gosh¡­¡¯


    I was a bit heartbroken to see her looking like that.


    That emotion only heightened when I saw Park Deokgu patting Jung Hayan¡¯s shoulder.


    It was the first time I had seen her looking so sorrowful while clenching her fists and nodding her sess.


    All of them approached her and gave her briefments of encouragement, but I noticed Sun Hee-young didn¡¯t approach Jung Hayan.


    In the meantime, the expedition had already started preparing to enter. I didn¡¯t even think it would take a long time for them to do that.


    ¡®That¡¯s not surprising at all.¡¯


    -We¡¯re going straight into it right away.


    -You mean right away?


    -Yes. Although we have arrived, we¡¯re not in a situation where we can rx and set up camp. By now, our enemies have likely noticed that we havee this way. After rescuing those who are being used to maintain the summons and Vice Guild Master Lee Kiyoung, who should be somewhere around here, we will leave this ce right away.


    -Is it impossible to know their exact location? No, before that, would Lee Kiyoung really be here¡­


    -Of course, it isn¡¯t possible to know exactly from the information the rangers have brought. Sigh¡­ the owner of this nest might know better. I think he¡¯ll be in the back or the bottom of the room where the demon named Limur stays, but he may be in apletely different ce, so some troops have to set up a search team and start investigating the vicinity. Meanwhile, the main force must focus on attacking the nest. We¡¯ll move as I briefed you before.


    -Yes, sir.


    -ording to the briefing, it is.


    -Roger that.


    After the short conversation, the troops rushed inside in no time.


    ¡®Fuck. What should I do? Can Limur survive? Is this really possible?¡¯


    To be honest, I couldn¡¯t make a decision. Overall, the main force was exhausted, and Limur wasn¡¯t the only one in Limur¡¯s nest.


    When analyzing the power objectively, of course, I thought that the power at the nest was higher.


    ¡®It¡¯s because Jung Hayan can no longer fight.¡¯


    If I thought about it that way, there was still a chance to win.


    It was far from the original n, but modifying it was inevitable anyway.


    The Battle of Limur¡¯s Nest had to be remembered as humanity¡¯s dire victory.


    That was the ce where the Continental Union, which had grown slowly through all kinds of hardships and trials, had to arrive after a fierce battle with numerous wounds. Originally, the Continental Union would barely be able to the nest, but there was no way that phase could still be enforced.


    If the event ended with the nest being attacked and finished ording to their original n¡­


    ¡®Everything will be totally ruined.¡¯


    It was like investing an astronomical amount of money on a movie and failing to earn 500,000 when the amount needed to break-even was 10 million.


    It meant that it wouldn¡¯t be able to fill half of the expected volume of the Continental Union¡¯s negative feelings, such as the great feelings of despair and fear of demons. At the moment, the event in which the main unit would fail and be forced to escape after attacking the nest was the most ideal.


    ter could be solved after putting out the immediate fire.


    ¡®It can¡¯t end like this.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that Donovan was taking care of 500,000 audiences.


    If the project were to copse, the worst-case scenario would be the public opinion of hardliners being strengthened in the 27th Corps. Even from Belial¡¯s point of view, there would be an inevitable situation where Lee Kiyoung would have to assume responsibility.


    From the continent¡¯s perspective, a more nightmarish situation than that would not be easy to find.


    ¡®For now, I have to believe.¡¯


    To some extent, my thoughts were organized. I was in an environment where I had been driven to a corner, but recovery was possible. Turning the happiness circuit like that,


    After informing Limur of the rough situation, I looked at the situation while stroking my chin.


    -Sh*t! Damn. How dare you hurt me? My hair that he praised!


    -Where are you?


    -Ahhhhhhhhh! Die!!! Dieeee!!!


    First Blood, Double Kill, Penta Kill, and Kim Hyunsung, who didn¡¯t stop at just being the ruler of the battlefield, was beating up Limur. I couldn¡¯t help but run out of the control room.


    ¡®Did you do any doping? If she dies, I die too, motherfuckers.¡¯


    That was my circumstances.


    I couldn¡¯t just stand still anymore. I had to struggle with the situation that was getting worse and worse.


    ¡®Sh*t. What do I do? Fuck¡­¡¯


    Even though I felt my breath rising to the end of my chin, I kept thinking of a solution in my mind. At that moment, the only answer I had was to make the main force retreat.


    I didn¡¯t think I could go and do anything, but at least I might be able to withstand it until Ballitos, and the other troops eventually came back.


    ¡®What about hostage y? Can I use this?¡¯


    It was then that a fairly appropriate method passed through my head.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    It was an idea good enough to stop me from running wildly.


    ¡°Puhhehehhahaha.¡±


    It felt a bit forced, but I felt like we had prepared enough for the n.


    ¡°Whew. Why didn¡¯t I think of this? I should¡¯ve gone with this from the beginning.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t understand why I had only thought about bing a victim.


    I was anxious because it seemed to be amon clich¨¦, but the royal road was still the royal road.


    The movie¡¯s story would have to be revised drastically, but no clich¨¦ worked better than what I had in mind.


    ¡®That¡¯s right¡­¡¯


    It felt a little sudden, however¡­


    The protagonist¡¯s rivals and friends¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡°They always degenerate or have a change of heart at least once.¡±


    I had to utilize that to my advantage.

 Chapter 495: It’s Darkening! (1)

    <h4>Chapter 495: It¡¯s Darkening! (1)</h4>


    It felt a bit painful, enough for me to wonder while running if it would be right.


    This was a situation where they had risked their lives to enter the heart of the enemy territory at a golden time. They may have hopes of a possibility with the Limur Raid, which started after entering the nest.


    I remembered the faces of the guys who seemed desperate, though. More or less, I was worried about whether they couldn¡¯t recover from the shock of this incident.


    ¡®It mustn¡¯t be that much, well¡­¡¯


    In particr, I was a little worried about Jung Hayan, but I had no choice but to believe that Kim Hyunsung would help her psychologically.


    ¡®Park Deokgu will be the same¡­ ¡¯


    At this point, I was simply hypnotizing myself, saying it would be okay in many ways.


    However, knowing what the feeling of despair would be when the hope that I had seen for a moment disappeared in an instant, I had to check the darkening n once again.


    ¡®But what can I do? This is the only way.¡¯


    There was no guarantee that this n would work out in the first ce. There was no guarantee that I would be able to earn time just because I was going right now, and the great task of holding on until Ballitos arrived may be near impossible against the angry Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡®It¡¯s not just Kim Hyunsung over there¡­¡¯


    There was also Cha Hee-ra from the Red Mercenary Guild, and Yuno Kasugano from Celia.


    Fortunately, Park Yeon-joo was missing, but there were also many other powerful yers.


    There were famous priests in the Holy See and Sun Hee-young and Elena who used saintly-grade divine power. Some were widespread people who were said to have made their name in the State even a little.


    They showed an overwhelming fight against Limur and her servants, which could be said to be the main force of the 27th Legion, so it was not unreasonable that candles at both ends had been busy burning.


    Of course, if Limur were to die, I would have to go out at that point.


    I didn¡¯t know about Donovan, but Belial¡¯s fixed first pick couldn¡¯t possibly be retired here. The thought of Limur getting attacked was enough for me to quicken my pace.


    ¡®It¡¯s ridiculous that the precious first pick of Belial, the great ruler of all evils, will die. Yes, absolutely.¡¯


    [Right.]


    Fuck.


    [It looks like things have gottenplicated.]


    Sh*t.


    ¡®It didn¡¯t. Belial. These are all part of the n, so you can watch relieved.¡¯


    [Enough with the disgusting and vile lie. I already have a rough idea of ??how things are going. Do you know how important this is?]


    ¡®Of course, I do. That¡¯s why I¡¯m running crazy like this. Belial doesn¡¯t have toe out. I will take care of everything on my own.¡¯


    [I don¡¯t think it¡¯s bad, but how can I just stay still and watch them get ruined? That¡¯s what it means to have lost trust.]


    ¡®That means¡­¡¯


    [There is no need to worry. I¡¯m not going to do the same unexpected thingst time, disgusting human. I am not trying to ruin what you have aplished in this world. I have no intention of harming the humans you care about. I have no intention of harming you. As I said before, I care for you, and I¡¯m waiting for the day you will work with me. I just thought it needed some degree of intervention. Isn¡¯t that right?]


    ¡®Then¡­ what kind of help¡­?¡¯


    [A contract.]


    ¡®What?¡¯


    [This is a contract.]


    ¡®What kind of contract you are talking about, this stupid mortal doesn¡¯t know¡­ Isn¡¯t it impossible for me to sign a contract in the first ce?¡¯


    [I looked for a way, and it¡¯s not necessarily. It would have been impossible if the continent¡¯s gods, including Benignore, had not been away, but now there seems to be room for some intervention. It is a direct contract, not a temporary contract like thest time.]


    ¡®That¡¯s¡­¡¯


    [It doesn¡¯t mean you should throw away what you received from Benignore. However¡­]


    ¡®Yes?¡¯


    [Let¡¯s share.]


    ¡®¡­;


    [Of course, this is only if Benignore and the other continental chiefs allow sharing you, but there is no problem with the contract process.]


    ¡®Would you look at this guy?¡¯


    I had to be silent for a moment at the voice I heard. For some reason, I wondered if Belial also wanted this to happen.


    I didn¡¯t know if he had gone quiet, waiting for this timing, or if he really figured out how to sign a contract with me directly.


    It was probably both.


    If not, he wouldn¡¯t have talked about anything like this at a time like this. The ss I had gotten from Benignore as an Alchemist of Light was a different kind, but it was part of the contract.


    Giving me a ss, she urged me to fight on the side of the light, and I epted it.


    Not thinking about the possibility of signing a double contract with Belial was, in a way, quite natural. This was even more so when I was to think about the conflict between ck magic and divine power.


    One suspicious thing was why it was a double contract. From Belial¡¯s point of view¡­


    ¡®Isn¡¯t it more advantageous to just beat Benignore and sign a contract?¡¯


    [Impossible.]


    ¡®¡­ ¡­¡¯


    [You said the way you thought was impossible. You might be wondering why I talk so nicely. Now, if you think that your situation is not so good, you will feel that way even more. However, a contract that threatens or forces someone is an unfair contract on our side as well, and there is a high probability that future problems will arise. It seems like I¡¯d like to sign a contract against you with this as a pretext, but I can¡¯t do that in the first ce.]


    If this was true, it meant that the contracting process in Hell was much better than in the present world.


    [You are free to believe it or not. However, if you think about why the demons summoned in this world even ept contracts from humans who say useless wishes such as gold coins and sacrifices, you will find the answer quickly. Contracts are negotiations, not coercion. Of course, there is indeed some trickery in the process, but at least this contract is not that kind of contract. Didn¡¯t I say it before?]


    ¡®Then.¡¯


    [Besides, it means you can¡¯t do that because of the prohibition she put on you in the first ce. She already had eyes on you. The ipetent bitch is amazing at biting a man. It¡¯s funny that I thought I wouldn¡¯t touch it.]


    ¡®¡­ ¡­¡¯


    [Anyway, my condition is this. I¡¯m not someone that yields by nature, so I want you to know that I¡¯m yielding quite a big thing. The sess of the disgusting n you¡¯vee up with will bring me great benefits. What, do you need another exnation? If you¡¯re in doubt¡­ ]


    ¡®No. No. Belial. For a moment, this lowly servant was suspicious of Belial¡¯s strong will.¡¯


    It was just when I quietly nodded.


    [A new special ss was created with Belial¡¯s intervention.]


    [The Alchemist of Light ss remains the same due to external intervention.]


    [You have obtained a semi-mythic-grade ss, guelord of Darkness, as a subss.]


    [The mythic grade ss given by external intervention has been removed from the Dark guelord¡­ ]


    [Because of Belial¡¯s intervention, the ss guelord of the Darkness is not removed.]


    [You cannot have both sses at the same time.]


    [As a result of Belial¡¯s intervention, a semi-mythic-grade ss trait ss conversion is generated.]


    [Switched Alchemist of Light to a subss.]


    [Converted the guelord of Darkness to the main ss.]


    ¡®Huh? Huh?¡¯


    [Are you satisfied?]


    ¡®The light has now betrayed me!¡¯


    [You must be satisfied.]


    ¡®Gosh¡­ I will give Belial infinite glory. Long live Belial!¡¯


    [I should know that, since I have invested a lot.]


    Of course, there was no need to mention it twice.


    I didn¡¯t know how much of Belial¡¯s performance had been inserted in me, but it could only be said that he had invested quite a bit if it was enough to intervene in an external system to get things done.


    For a moment, I felt ashamed of being suspicious of him.


    Belial, the ruler of the great all evils, did not engage in nasty tricks such as Benignore or Elune.


    He was a reliable colleague for projects such as these. The warm feeling spreading through my chest felt good.


    ¡®I will risk my life and make it sessful.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t think of any other way than to seed unconditionally. Immediately casting the Shining Ship and running out, even I could feel the unidentified heartlessness.


    This was a near-impossible mission to stop the home army of the State invading Belial¡¯s sanctuary. Had I had to stop them as Alchemist of Light, I might have copsed so ridiculously easily.


    However, Doom Kiyoung, who had gotten reborn in Belial¡¯sst name, waspletely different.


    I was worried about theck of magic power, but the potential wasn¡¯t too bad to grasp.


    The feeling that my whole body was full of power made me feel that I could do 100 push-ups without a break.


    I needed to find out a little more about what special abilities it had, but at least there was no shortage of power. Once I reached the ce where Limur was fighting a fierce battle, I slowly started walking.


    From the outside, I could hear a huge roar emanating from the battlefield. When I pulled out the mirror and looked, it certainly didn¡¯t look bad at all.


    ¡®Wow, it looks like I got really corrupt.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know whether it was a special effect of the guelord of Darkness, but a pale face that looked like a corpse had begun to stand out.


    The color of my eyes had also been changed to a creepy, transparent blue. My white hair was also obvious, almost as if I had suffered a magic power exhaustion phenomenon. There were also bluish streaks, just like the color of my eyes.


    Personally, I didn¡¯t like it, but it was the perfect look that would satisfy theck of mid-second sensibility. At a nce, it seemed to show that I had fallen.


    ¡®I think it would be perfect if there were a half mask.¡¯


    [You have acquired the legendary-grade item ¡®The Fallen Prince¡¯s Half Mask¡¯.]


    ¡®Whoa¡­ Thank you. Thaaanks!¡¯


    This indeed looked symbolic. It was also a device that could remind Kim Hyunsung of masked trash.


    Kim Hyunsung was aiming his sword at Limur just as I entered the arena.


    ¡®It¡¯s been a long time. Hyunsung¡­ Oh, nice to see you¡­¡¯


    However, when I looked at Limur, who harbored a resentful expression with several tentacles cut off, the candles at both ends began to burn again.


    ¡®Fuck¡­ I guess I¡¯ve taken too much time.¡¯


    I raised my hand because I thought I had to intervene before he gave the final blow, but I immediately realized that I didn¡¯t have to.


    My eyes met with the guy who slowly started looking ahead. The first wee expression slowly wrinkled, and then soon began to change into a face that looked like the sky was copsing.


    Even the way he dropped the sword in his hand without force was a spectacle.


    Tears were filling his eyes, and I could see a defenseless figure that seemed to be full of cracks even to my own eyes. I couldn¡¯t even think he was in battle.


    ¡®What is this¡­ what. Is it that much shocking?¡¯


    I thought he would be shocked to some extent, but what was reflected in my sight was the face of Kim Hyunsung, who seemed to have lost the will to fight.


    He was slowly opening his mouth, but I couldn¡¯t hear exactly what he was saying.


    ¡°W¡­ why¡­¡±


    ¡®What. Come on¡­ Why is this so easy?¡¯


    ¡°Whhhyyyy?!!!¡±


    At the same time, Kim Hyunsung fell out of sight by the tentacles that Limur had just swung.

 Chapter 496: It’s Darkening! (2)

    <h4>Chapter 496: It¡¯s Darkening! (2)</h4>


    The effect was indeed awesome.


    Although it was a clich¨¦d expression, there would be no words that better express the current situation than this.


    Since I didn¡¯t know if they would show a different reaction, I had entered with determination, but they were showing the expected reaction to the point that I felt like I had prepared myself in vain.


    Limur was also looking at me with her eyes wide open, as if she didn¡¯t understand what the hell was going on. However, as soon as she noticed, I could see her face brightening immediately.


    I realized why I was here looking like this.


    ¡®I don¡¯t think she was told in advance¡­¡¯


    The troops of both sides, who have been struggling in the nest for a long time, also faced a brief state of a lull. The first thing I could see were the people looking at me.


    ¡°Hyung-nim, is that you?¡±


    ¡°O-O-Oppa. Waaaahhh. Oppaaa¡­ ¡±


    ¡°Honey?¡±


    ¡°Lee Kiyoung¡­¡±


    In this order, the people who had spoken were Park Deok-gu, Jung Hayan, Cha Hee-ra, and Elena.


    Although they were looking at me as if they couldn¡¯t believe it, most of the reactions showed that they didn¡¯t know how to react to the current situation.


    Elena, Cha Hee-ra, and Yuno Kasugano, who seemed to have grasped the situation to some extent, were showing desperate faces as if the sky had copsed just like Kim Hyunsung.


    However, Park Deokgu, who was slow to grasp the situation, was shouting toward me.


    His face looked absurdly happy.


    ¡°You were alive. Our hyung-nim was alive. I knew you would! Hyung-nim. Hurry up and run this way. No, wait there now. I will go get you directly. I am going directly!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I knew nothing would¡¯ve happened to you. It¡¯s you, after all. I knew you would endure and endure. If you wait a bit there, I¡¯ll get you soon.¡±


    ¡®Park Deokgu, this motherfucker, why are you so slow?¡¯


    I don¡¯t know if he is denying the reality or whether he really didn¡¯t notice, but he was already shedding tears, all whilst shouting.


    ¡°Hyung-nim, I¡¯m here. The friend you love the most hase! Can you hear me? Gosh. Look at our hyung-nim¡¯s paleplexion. Why is your hair ¡­ What is everyone doing? We need to get rid of these demon bastards quickly and save him. No, what is everyone doing?! Really!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you under any magic? You have to pick up your weapon! I¡¯m asking you what you¡¯re doing?! Is Hyunsung okay? Wizards quickly chant spells, and warriors, lift your shields! I said, lift your shields! Hyung-nim is right in front of us! He¡¯s right under our nose! What is everyone doing?!¡±


    ¡°Oh, this motherfucker is making me sad. Really. And I¡¯m not that close to be under your nose.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s toote.¡±


    ¡°What iste? Enough with the bullsh*t, and get ready to fight, bastards!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Get ready for battle! Get ready for battle, you idiots!¡±


    The sound of Park Deokgu¡¯s loud voice in the hall, as if a silent spell had silenced it, was all we could hear.


    He looked around and shouted that they had to save me quickly, but there was no voice that responded. Everyone had noticed that something weird was going on, all except for that guy.


    Even a sobbing sound can be heard. It was obvious who it was.


    ¡°Waaahhhhh. Oppa¡­ waaaaaaahh¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t look at her because I knew I would get soft, but Jung Hayan¡¯s voice sounded so sad that I had to steel myself. I couldn¡¯t change the n now.


    As I moved slowly, it was natural that all eyes were focused on me.


    Looking around my whole body as if I had just gained a new power, looking at the ceiling, and feeling fulfilled, was the best improvisation I could do as a supporting actor in this drama.


    Of course, it didn¡¯t take long before the faces of those who were still holding onto the string of hope were now stained with despair.


    This was because Limur was slowly approaching this way.


    ¡°Hyung-nim! Get away! Sh*t! What are you doing! Let go! Let go of me!¡±


    ¡°Calm down!¡±


    ¡°Will you just leave it like that? We don¡¯t know what that monster will do to him! Let go of me quickly!!!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you to calm down!¡±


    ¡°Hyung-nim! Can you hear my voice? Get away quickly! Get away! Sh*t! Get away!! I said, get away, you stupid motherfucker! ¡°


    His voice, which seemed to be worried about me sincerely, only got louder as she approached me.


    However, as if he noticed that Limur didn¡¯t show much hostility to me, his face became the same face as the guys with their mouths shut too.


    His expression even started to look terrifying after seeing that she even snuggled up on me. The look on Deokgu¡¯s face didn¡¯t look like him at all.


    As if they were curious about what was going toe out of my mouth, I heard the sound of everyone swallowing hard together.


    At this point, I began to speak, my cold voice echoed throughout the entire arena.


    ¡°So noisy.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°W-what are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so noisy. I was feeling so refreshed¡­ now I¡¯m not veryfortable.¡±


    ¡°Are you on your mind? Hyung-nim! If you are, take a look at me. It¡¯s me, Park Deokgu. Your friend, Park Deokgu.¡±


    ¡°Oppa¡­ oppa!!¡±


    ¡°Honorary Cardinal. Can you hear me? C-Can you hear me?¡±


    ¡°What are they talking about. Limur?¡±


    -You don¡¯t need to worry about it, my husband.


    ¡®Who are you calling your husband?¡¯


    I was speechless with the sudden setup. However, the reaction it spouted out didn¡¯t look all that bad.


    The original n was to look as if I was being manipted by Limur, but I thought that looking as part of the 27th Corps could be more dramatic.


    I even darkened, but the appearance of working under others definitely did not look cool.


    The tentacle woman¡¯s tentacles entangled in a sticky feel felt a bit ufortable, but the picture itself did not look all that bad. This was enough to unravel the world of everyone I had ever known.


    ¡®It¡¯s because it works.¡¯


    ¡°Oppa¡­ waaaaaahh. Oppa¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­ ¡­¡±


    ¡°Oppa¡­hic. Hic!¡±


    ¡°¡­ ¡­¡±


    ¡°Oppa¡­¡±


    Jung Hayan kept crying and calling me. I wasn¡¯t familiar with the ss that changed yet, but¡­


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I just say that you¡¯re being too noisy?¡±


    The dark energy that began to unite in my hand was shot at Jung Hayan in an instant.


    ¡®What the¡­¡¯


    It was only to scare her, but because of Belial¡¯s perks, pretty threatening energy began to emerge.


    It was Cho Hyejin who blocked the attack for her. Jung Hayan looked shocked, as if she hadn¡¯t been expecting me to do something like that at all.


    Cho Hyejin, who blocked it, also looked sad.


    ¡°Stay back. Hayan. It¡¯s dangerous.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°This is a lie. Hic!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Waaaahhhhh. Hic. Oppa¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut your mouth, stupid human.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®You obey well, Hayan.¡¯


    -You don¡¯t need to be angry. My husband. Those inferior things that hurt my husband¡¯s head will soon be gone.


    ¡°What did you do to the Vice Guild Master?¡±


    ¡®Hyejin, thank you for being so angry.¡¯


    -Do I need to exin? It is exactly what it looks like. He just decided to be with us. The transparent human you know is not here right now. What you see now is not the ugly Benignore dog, but the Vice-Captain of the 27th Corps, who has won the favor from Belial. He is also my husband who pleases me every night.


    ¡®I wonder if there is a need to put in such useless things. This one is really deserving of being Belial¡¯s first pick.¡¯


    Certainly, her quickness to catch onto the situation was amazing.


    -You¡¯re already toote. Pfff. It¡¯s so funny that you came running in a hurry, not knowing anything. I think you¡¯ve enjoyed it for a while, but how is it? Have you enjoyed it? It was really worth seeing that you were struggling to hope it would not be toote, but things have changed a little now.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -Yes. I like that face. It fits perfectly with inferior humans like you.


    It was impossible to know as to whether this was simply acting, or real that her body was indeed shaking.


    One thing was for sure, her face looked really depressed.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know if the results are umting right now.¡¯


    I thought it was probably building up quite a bit. Most of the humans had faces that seemed to have no more hope. It seemed that even a 3-year-old child could tell that the feeling of despair they were feeling was enormous. Even¡­


    ¡®Gosh, Hyunsung.¡¯


    The expression that he wore, a crazed, despairing look, seemed appropriate.


    Originally, I already knew that Kim Hyunsung¡¯s mentality was weak as it was, but with the surprise that had sprung onto his face, it felt like seeing a walking corpse.


    ¡®Are you even alive?¡¯


    I wondered if he¡¯d fainted with my eyes awakened by Limur¡¯s blow. It was only possible to infer that she was alive through continued murmurs.


    Since he said that it was important to whom you signed the contract with, it would also be important to whom you draw negative emotions for.


    I thought that the achievements currently being umted by Kim Hyunsung and the State¡¯s main force might have already exceeded the break-even point that Belial has invested so far.


    As if I wasn¡¯t interested, I looked around slowly again, and there were no humans who thought they had to resist. Most of the humans had already begun to give up.


    Elena and Yuno Kasugano were also staggering as if the soul had escaped, and I didn¡¯t need to mention about Hayan.


    The State¡¯s Blue guild members and priests are also calling only Benignore¡¯s name as if they could not believe it.


    ¡®They need to escape¡­ what should I do with this?¡¯


    As it is now, there was no way they could escape. Surprisingly, the one who was keeping her cool was¡­


    Cha Hee-ra.


    I thought she would go crazy right away because of her personality, but she looked around like she was indeed an adventurer with a full experience.


    The fact that he was gradually maintaining the line of battle was impressive.


    It was even more amazing when I thought about the bleedinging out of her lips and tears in her eyes.


    ¡°Retreat.¡±


    ¡®She¡¯s given the right judgment.¡¯


    Most of them weren¡¯t even in any condition to fight.


    As Kim Hyunsung, who could be said to be the team¡¯s main damage dealer in the first ce, was in that shape, it would be irrational to have an all-out battle again.


    And, if I just yed along with that, this would all end. When I opened my mouth, sporting cold eyes, a loud noise began to erupt from the ce.


    ¡°Kill them all.¡±


    -I will do as youmand.


    ¡®That was so fucking cool of me. Damn.¡¯

 Chapter 497: It’s Darkening! (3)

    <h4>Chapter 497: It¡¯s Darkening! (3)</h4>


    ¡®I¡¯m d that the fight will now be easier.¡¯


    It was true that I was worried


    This was because I had not been able to grasp the information on the newly acquired ss properly.


    As a ss given by Belial, a privilege at semi-mythic grade, I understood that it had the power to exceed that of the Alchemist of Light, but it was still difficult to do anything because of my low skill level.


    Honestly, I hadn¡¯t been able to check everything of what kind of spells I could chant.


    In this state, it could be said that there was a certain risk to face the State¡¯s main unit. However, the reaction of the people I was targeting eased my anxiety.


    Jung Hayan was in a situation where she had lost herbat ability due to her previous teleportation magic, and Kim Hyunsung, who had lost all his will to fight, was being forcibly dragged by Cho Hyejin.


    ¡®I could really wipe out¡­¡¯


    If this wasn¡¯t a staged y, they would have all gotten wiped out.


    ¡®If Cha Hee-ra hadn¡¯t been alert, it would have been a real trouble.¡¯


    As I looked forward, it was visible that the main unit¡¯s front lines were blocking the road with shields.


    ¡®Exactly ording to the manual.¡¯


    It was the standard for a retreat manual to evacuate first the priests and wizards in the rear.


    The buffs of priests and wizards were falling intensively on solid avant-garde.


    The vanguards who temporarily showed their power to surpass their limits were enough to withstand the corps bombing. Park Deokgu also maintained the line with his lips tightly closed, making a ce for others to escape.


    His mouth and legs were shaking, showing just how tense he was.


    He was trying to shield the demons that were rushing and somehow try to get melee damage dealers inside the main unit, but that couldn¡¯t work out as well as he thought.


    ¡°H-Hold on! Quickly go inside, go inside. Follow the manual! Follow the manual!¡±


    -Grrrrrrr!


    ¡°Divine power! Give us more divine power!¡±


    -Grrooooooaaarr!


    ¡°Be careful not to be buried within the troops. Be careful not to get swept away! Follow the Rangers of the ck Swan! Pay special attention to the named monsters and quickly escape starting from the rear! Protect the priests first!¡±


    Of course, not everyone could retreat.


    Some of the missed melee damage dealers and tanks, as well as some careless rear units were already nned to be swept away by the demons.


    If they were the Federation guys, they would have destroyed their heads, but since the opponent was the State¡¯s main unit, they could not be killed at will.


    Soldiers watched in horror as the other troops got sucked in by the different types of monsters.


    They were desperate to retreat after abandoning friends and colleagues.


    ¡®I can hear the sound of umting performance.¡¯


    ¡°Yejin! Yejin!¡±


    ¡°Help me! Help me! Help me!! Ahhhhh! Oppa! Help me! Ahhhhhh!¡±


    ¡®You won¡¯t die, so just stop. It¡¯s done after pulling out some magic power. You can get hurt unintentionally, but you¡¯ll never die, guys.¡¯


    ¡°Guild Master. Thank you¡­ for everything. Please send my news to my wife and children.¡±


    ¡°Sh*t! Hyunwoo¡­ Hyunwoo!¡±


    ¡®So, all I¡¯m saying is you¡¯re not dying.¡¯


    ¡°These motherfuckers! These demon bastards! Sniff.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to die like this. Jason¡­ like this¡­¡±


    ¡°Katrina¡­¡±


    If there are people who were allowed to leave, there are people who had to remain. Of course, I had to stop focusing on that unnecessary aspect.


    Of course, if I were to think about the achievements I would umte, it would be right to dance, but I couldn¡¯t end this after sucking the magic power only once.


    After retreating, it was correct to n something so that they coulde back to me.


    ¡®It¡¯s because this is something they simply can¡¯t misunderstand.¡¯


    If they thought I waspletely depraved, it would be big trouble if I were to get to the public. However, I had showed them that I was notpletely turned yet, that it appeared as if Light Kiyoung was sleeping within my subconscious.


    After nodding, I went straight to work.


    Sure. I harbored insignificant magic power, but I started to show a pretty convincible expression.


    ¡®It¡¯s still not enough¡­¡¯


    At the familiar voice that echoed in my head however, I couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    [Let me help in this part.]


    ¡®Oh my, thank you. Belial.¡¯


    [There is no need toe out so submissively like that. Didn¡¯t I give you the privilege to give this kind of help?]


    ¡®Still, there will be endless glory. Thank you. I will give you overwhelming gratitude.¡¯


    [Haha. I say it every time, but you don¡¯t have to thank me. Rather, it is correct that I should express my gratitude to you. Can you believe it? Several corpsmanders who watched the situation in hell are giving a standing ovation. Those 72nd Corpsmanders who don¡¯t know they¡¯re high in the sky. Even Satan shook his head and kicked his tongue. Aren¡¯t you feeling even guilty? Are you really a disgusting human?]


    ¡®¡­¡®


    [It¡¯s apliment. I¡¯ve seen so many trash humans so far, but this is the first time I¡¯ve seen such a disgusting human like you. You¡¯re truly my contractor.]


    ¡®He seems a little excited¡­¡¯


    His voice had taken on an unusual high-tone.


    I didn¡¯t know if it was because of our performance or simply because the current situation looked pleasant, but I felt that it was thetter.


    Among the demons, Belial now seemed like a top-ranker.


    Still, unlike me, who felt a bit remorse at the party members¡¯ crumpled faces, it seemed that he was enjoying it very excitedly. I reflected on my humanity for a moment, but it was also the moment when I realized that I hadn¡¯t fallen that far.


    Anyway, thanks to Belial¡¯s excitement, the magic power spreading through the air had be more and more powerful. This was the same amount of magic power that felt simr to when Jung Hayan chanted the massive attack magic.


    Of course, most of them were just bluffs, and there were too many for me to control, but I didn¡¯t intend toplete the spell with this, anyway. I only meant to scare them a little bit.


    ¡°Chant defense magic. Defense magic!¡±


    ¡°Respond to the falling magic by activating all the artifacts.¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know what kind it is. It is the first ck magic that I have seen¡­ And it¡¯s the H-Honorary Cardinal chanting the spell¡­ that¡¯s what¡¯s been confirmed.¡±


    ¡°Chant response spells! Response spells¡­¡±


    As expected, voices were bursting here and there. However, it was hard for them to find the way out.


    ¡°Oh, God¡­¡±


    ¡°Nonsense.¡±


    ¡°Oh, God¡­ please¡­¡±


    As the unpleasant and dark magic power increased, the faces of some of them now plunged into a hollow of despair. Some who initially thought they could respond were watching the magic power now gathered in this direction as if they had given up.


    Basically, as much as the unpleasant magic power was overflowing, it was likely that they were feeling the popping effect.


    ¡®If it falls, you die.¡¯ Everyone was thinking the same thing.


    In fact, even those who tried to shoot the magic to keep me in check stood out.


    I could see Jung Hayan sting a dagger, going mad crazy after seeing it, but¡­


    ¡®Hey, it¡¯s the worst, it¡¯s the worst. Hayan. Why are you doing this, Hayan¡­ Shush! You can¡¯t swing a dagger, right? Oh my¡­ you were able to stab one of them.¡¯


    There was no way the magic sent to keep me in check could reach me.


    ¡°Insects¡­ human bastards.¡±


    The voices came from here and there as I stretched my hand upwards with one closing line.


    ¡°It¡¯s over¡­ It¡¯s over, everything.¡±


    ¡°Sh*t.¡±


    ¡°Benignore, Benignore. Miracle. A miracle¡­ ¡±


    It was then that everyone¡¯s faces were stained with despair, and the moment I tried to lower my hands as if in return for that despair, I grabbed my head with a painful face.


    ¡°Die. Insect hum¡­ ouch¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°W-What the¡­ Why¡­¡±


    Since some feel doubts, the appearance of suffering should not be left out.


    ¡°Ugh¡­ Ahhhhhhhh! Ahhhhhhh!¡±


    I had to give my all in the desperate acting, looking as if my soul was rejecting the body. This was the most important scene, after all.


    ¡°Run¡­ away¡­ cough. Go¡­ quickly¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Q¡­ Quickly¡­ there¡¯s no more time¡­¡±


    With all the tears in my eyes, I look forward with eyes as if telling them to quickly get out of this ce. Those in the nest looked dumbfounded when the huge magic power that was likely to burst immediately disappeared.


    Those who had started to have hope for a bitter battle between Light Kiyoung and Doom Kiyoung, who were fighting inside, stood out.


    ¡°Damn¡­ daaamn!! Ahhhhhhhhhhhh! Ugh¡­¡±


    Even Limur, who had kidnapped a man who was full of magic power on the front line, began to examine my condition once I had gone crazy again.


    All of the major demon executives were now gathering to check my condition.


    -This is Limur. You have to wake up.


    ¡°Get¡­ out of my face¡­ I¡­ am¡­¡±


    -My husband. This is Limur. Can¡¯t you remember?


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    -You seem a little tired, so go in and take a rest.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -If you stay quiet, the pain will disappear. Take it easy. It won¡¯t bother you anymore. It won¡¯t hurt anymore. That¡¯s how you blow away theplex memories in your head. Slowly¡­ slowly¡­ It won¡¯t be painful anymore. Yes, you just need to be in my arms like that.


    ¡®Wow. I really want to recruit this one.¡¯


    Her ability to improvise was indeed amazing.


    I got chills on my whole body when I thought about how I would look in the main unit¡¯s eyes.


    The scene where Light Kiyoung, who has just begun to wake up, was now once again wrapped in unpleasant tentacles.


    ¡®Belial was right in choosing her.¡¯


    She was bound to be an actress loved by the director. I also had to admit that I liked the disgusting tentacles.


    I nodded satisfactorily and nced at the main unit, and I could see them quickly getting away as if they thought that this was their chance. However, there were people like Park Deokgu, who they had to forcibly drag, for they had seen an opportunity in which I coulde back.


    ¡°I will definitelye to pick you up.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Look carefully in my eyes. Hyung-nim. I¡¯ll definitelye to pick you up, so just hold on until then. I will save you no matter what, with whatever means I use. I¡¯ll get your mind back¡­ I will. Ugh¡­¡±


    It didn¡¯t take long before he was also dragged into the troops.


    ¡°I will definitely save you! Hold on a little more. Be sure to wait¡­ Be sure to wait!!¡±


    The voice of despair grew farther and farther away, and the door closed.


    Bang.


    Soon, I couldn¡¯t see anyone familiar anymore.


    Among the demons pping their hands, I had to clench my fists.


    ¡®And we¡¯ve just achieved 10 million viewers for this show, fuck!¡¯

 Chapter 498: The Cliché: Growing, Soon After Collapsing (1)

    <h4>Chapter 498: The Clich¨¦: Growing, Soon After Copsing (1)</h4>


    Of course, not all situations were cleared up.


    I seeded in getting them out of the nest with the retreat operation, which had also been forced to have some sacrifices.


    However, considering that Jung Hayan¡¯s magic power had not yet recovered, it was impossible for her to use teleportation magic.


    It was correct to think that they were moving through the retreat Park Yeon-joo had secured in advance.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know where they¡¯re heading yet, though¡­¡¯


    Anyway, I would figure it out soon.


    In the area under Belial¡¯s control, there were spirits everywhere. The ce that I judged to be highly likely was the 17 bases that the Republic was attempting to attack.


    Considering that it wasn¡¯t too far from this ce, it seemed clear that the front line was fixed first, and the direction had been decidedter, whether it was to continue the attack, join other troops to reconcile the overall situation, or give up everything and lock it.


    In fact, it didn¡¯t matter which one it was. I could say that the current situation was almost perfect. I had managed to fix such aplicated situation.


    The demons around me were the best evidence of the current situation.


    There were loud shouts and apuse. It reminded me of the staff¡¯s appearance pping their hands at the actors who finished filming thest episode of a drama.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t it the result of everyone being united?¡¯


    Despite speaking a very proficientnguage, the demon Robert was consistent in his crying. Commander Marouane had done his best, even though he only had a small role.


    Also, the crisis response team and the situation room staff worked hard for this edition.


    I recognized that feeling proud in the current situation was too trashy, but I couldn¡¯t help but keep smiling.


    There were even guys who hung an unknown flower ne around my neck.


    ¡®That¡¯s why it¡¯s good to be the director.¡¯


    I don¡¯t know exactly how much performance I had umted, but seeing that everyone¡¯s mouths were torn to the ears, it seemed unimaginable.


    -It was great acting, external advisor!


    -Whew! It was really great. Really!


    -What did I say? Didn¡¯t I say everything would be sessful?


    -Lee Kiyoung, external advisor to hell!!


    -To hell Lee Kiyoung!!


    -To hell Lee Kiyoung!!!


    ¡°Hahahaha. Thank you all. Thank you. Hahaha. There is no need to do this. You don¡¯t have to pop the champagne for me.¡±


    -Thank you very much for your hard work. I was a little worried until the middle of it. Was this all in your head? If you had told me in advance, I would have been able to prepare more perfectly¡­


    ¡°What do you regret when you¡¯ve done well? Limur. I was a little embarrassed by the sudden set of being your husband, but it was amazing just to have followed me without panicking. Even though I didn¡¯t tell you in advance, I couldn¡¯t have imagined you would have yed along like this. I was really surprised.¡±


    -That improvise¡­ I would like you to think that there is a bit of personal interest.


    ¡®Don¡¯t keep appealing. It¡¯s getting burdensome.¡¯


    -I was also surprised. Lee Kiyoung. I thought it would be over just like this, but you came running right away. It seemed out of the blue, but you seem more attractive when I see you like this. Right now, with Belial¡­


    ¡°Yes. I made a direct contract with him. Originally, I thought it was impossible, but because the current continental conditions are a little unstable, I could get this royal favor. Hahaha. Better than that¡­ Have we umted many results?¡±


    -Yeah. Of course. More than I thought. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s because the scene went out in major cities on the continent, but¡­ no, in fact, just being here is enough to make up for all the damage so far. You¡¯ll just know exactly how much you need to go up when you get there, but if this condition persists, I think you can be in the top 1,000.


    ¡°In the top 1,000. If we do this a little more, I think you can take on a separate corps.¡±


    -If such a day reallyes, I definitely want to work with Lee Kiyoung. Of course, it¡¯s still distant, but¡­


    ¡°I would rather appreciate it if Limur gave me such a thankful proposal.¡±


    -This outside advisor seems to see no one other than Limur. Hahaha.


    ¡°Of course not. How could I say only Limur and I made this? I could have even lifted a spoon because you prepared the table like this. I want to give back to all the demons here in the future.¡±


    -Never forget your words, now.


    ¡°Of course. Now, we shouldn¡¯t be like this, let¡¯s clean this all up.¡±


    -Yes.


    ¡°It finished well, but it¡¯s just a fix for the wrong first button. There were also variables that were surprising to me. Just because things have worked out right now doesn¡¯t mean that it will work out until the end. It¡¯s also important to toast your first victory, but more importantly, focus a little more on what will happen. I understand you think you¡¯ve done a lot, but it¡¯s just the beginning.¡±


    -Indeed¡­


    ¡°First, the humans captured as prisoners, it would be better to take them to the power room and extract their magic power. The power rooms are, in total¡­¡±


    -There are five.


    ¡°I see. It would be a good idea to change ces where humans stay periodically. It¡¯s simply moving rooms, but continuing to instill the fear of going to a food warehouse or a dangerous ce will increase your results. Humans who have drained their magic are moved to the recovery room, but you should never reveal that it is a healing process.¡±


    -Probably, the humans gathered are quite terrified. It is clear that they must think about whether or not they will get disposed of. You¡¯re indeed¡­ the external advisor. After all, it seems to deserve the evaluation of looking like a demon more than a demon.


    ¡®That, I don¡¯t want, you bastard.¡¯


    ¡°Ahem, you can do that anyway. Also, I would like you to refrain from touching their body as much as possible, except in the great rebellion cases. You may know, but I¡­¡±


    -Of course. Absolutely.


    ¡°I am grateful for your understanding. Before starting the conference, I want to see what the situation on each continent is¡­¡±


    -We will prepare for it immediately.


    ¡°Then please, let us head to the control room.¡±


    -Okay.


    This was all necessary. This was the job of a director, after all. Whatever it was, market research was always important.


    Once again, after returning to the inner control room, I sat down like a victor.


    When I put my legs on my desk and picked up my favorite wine bottle, I felt like I was in heaven.


    As I flicked my finger, I could see the whole situation at a nce. After all, the most striking thing is the State.


    ¡®It¡¯s too obvious here, well.¡¯


    Most of them are gathering in the square and praying as expected. I could see those crying, as if the king of their country had just died.


    Everyone¡¯s faces were stained with anxiety and fear.


    -It¡¯s all lies. Everyone. What you just saw in front of you was not the Goddess¡¯ Mirror. This means that this is just a device for the demon to deceive us. Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung cannot really be corrupted. There is no way that our Honorary Cardinal will really be drawn to the demon.


    -Raise your head, State people. Goddess Benignore will surely give us the strength to ovee this ordeal. The Goddess will take care of the Honorary Cardinal. Don¡¯t be afraid. Don¡¯t be afraid!


    The speaker was screaming that the Honorary Cardinal would never get corrupted, but he also seemed to be unsure of what he had just said. I could also see some soldiers constantly moving, as well as those who were busy gatheringbat supplies.


    ¡®The return from the bankruptcy will be faster.¡¯


    Enthusiastic prayers were bing more and more enthusiastic.


    No, the expression of simply being enthusiastic did not suit the current situation.


    ¡®The bnce of power must be maintained.¡¯


    If one were to give the urgency to this side, it will be received pleasantly from the other side.


    I felt curious as to why Benignore and Belial hadn¡¯t united so far. If they had teamed up from the beginning and worked together, wouldn¡¯t the earnings grow like bank interest in the 90s, even while standing still?


    ¡®They don¡¯t know what mutual help is.¡¯


    As I clicked my tongue and turned my head, what I saw this time were those leaving for refuge.


    ¡°It looks like it¡¯s near the Federation.¡±


    It seemed to be evacuating the kingdom¡¯s people, judging that it was dangerous to endure in the kingdoms around the Federation.


    Seeing a woman holding on tightly to her son with minimal baggage saddened me a little, though the others around them were no different.


    Among them, the scene where an exhausted old man fell while walking on a long road was the best of all. There was even a priest and a woman in a fancy dress that fed potions to an old man.


    -How much is left to the nearest city, High Commissioner Beryl?


    -Maybe we¡¯ll have to walk for a while, My Queen. Fortunately, there are no other monsters around, but will the people of the kingdom be able to endure the long march¡­


    -They will. Our kingdom people¡­ they will never give up.


    -Our ancestors must have said too. More importantly, will it be okay? The kingdom¡­


    -I¡¯m ashamed to see my father, but he probably made the same choice. Rather, is that true? The Honorary Cardinal of the State¡­


    -I can¡¯t say it yet. It is unprecedented that a person with such a divine power has fallen. However, if what we saw is true, it would not be strange to say that the current continent faces an unprecedented crisis.


    -That¡¯s¡­


    -You will have to brace yourself, Queen.


    It wasn¡¯t just this side. There were so many people here and there that had abandoned their homes.


    The appearance of refugees taking a long road with exhausted bodies to move away from Belial¡¯s territory even a little more seemed to represent the current situation indirectly.


    Even ces that were far away were no exception. Some regions were experiencing unidentified riots, and countries that ceased functioning due to paralysis of production facilities were also evident. Cries of despair ran everywhere.


    The entire continent was surrounded by both despair and fear.


    The biggest problem to me was that the copsed continent wasn¡¯t even thinking about standing up.


    ¡®What the, why are these guys like this¡­¡¯


    Even though it was now the time for the human counterattack to begin in the scenario, the knocked-down guys weren¡¯t thinking of standing up at all.


    ¡®You have to stand up, you bastards. ¡®


    Even in some countries, public opinion is rising to surrender without resisting any more.


    I had already predicted that there would be a big wound on the continent, but it seemed that I had cut a much bigger wound than I thought.


    The main unit that left the nest was no exception.


    ¡®You shouldn¡¯t fall groggy like this, guys. Fuck, you have to stand up with hope. Stand up, motherfuckers. You can¡¯t let go of hope. Fuck¡­¡¯


    There was no choice for me but to watch thest hopes of humanity carefully.

 Chapter 499: The Cliché: Growing Soon After Collapsing (2)

    <h4>Chapter 499: The Clich¨¦: Growing Soon After Copsing (2)</h4>


    The appearance of a nation losing its entire fighting spirit was evident.


    Of course, the Continental Union¡¯s main unit, which was forced to explore the nest, was no exception. Those who were injured enough to be unable to move their bodies properly could not be counted.


    This was a situation where divine power could not be used carelessly because our location might be discovered, so the only thing to do was to take first aid with a potion.


    Everyone seemed to be sensitive, perhaps because of the extremely sharp sensations.


    Only intermittent groaning voices were ringing here and there, but no voice was heard restraining that. In the first ce¡­


    ¡®This is not a situation that can be controlled.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t think this needed to be said, but the wounds on the heart were even bigger than the wounds we had on our bodies.


    When I recalled those we had to leave behind back in Limur¡¯s nest, my chest tightened.


    Cries wereing from here and there, and loud voices were shouting for everyone to escape, only to get buried within the demons.


    Having escaped from that hell, it was not unreasonable that the entire army was depressed.


    It was not just that. The fact that the Vice Guild Master, which was called the symbol of the religion, had been brainwashed by demons¡­


    Only that was enough to give a great trauma.


    Some Republic soldiers, names of the kingdom coalition, dwarves, and other ethnic groups, who were organized to bnce the raid, didn¡¯t seem to be that shocked, but the faces of the State soldiers and elves told me how desperate they were right now.


    The symbol of Benignore and Elune. Isn¡¯t it the Vice Guild Master who was evaluated to be their child? The one who took the lead in humanity¡¯s side and showed an iprehensible miracle, a symbol of peace that brings humanity together, as well as heals the wounds of a divided continent¡­ A person who is like a mother and a spiritual supporter of the Blue guild members.


    The situation was heading towards the worst one we could ever imagine.


    ¡°Jeong-yeon.¡±


    ¡°Yeri.¡±


    When I turned my head, it was Kim Ye-ri, the youngest member of the guild. The first thing I could see were the bandages around her legs and arms due to the previous battle.


    ¡°How about your legs and arms? Have you gotten a little better?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any problem with moving.¡±


    ¡°Even if it is healed on the outside, it does not restore the fatigue inside. Be careful not to move too much. Furthermore, it may be more ufortable because it was not treated with divine power. Take care of yourself today, and when we arrive at the 17th base, let¡¯s talk to Elena or Hee-young to take a closer look.¡±


    ¡°Okay. If the demonse back¡­¡±


    ¡°It seems that the confusion magic worked¡­ so it won¡¯t be a problem right now. Don¡¯t think about it and take a rest now. It¡¯s also important to replenish your stamina when you can rest. You have to think about the next.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    It was hard to notice, but I clearly saw her reddened eyes.


    It seemed that she didn¡¯t feelfortable since she had a good rtionship with the Vice Guild Master, even though they fought every time.


    In particr, she would be traumatized by this situation seeing as she had a bad past.


    Kim Ye-ri was the better one of the bunch, however. I began to sigh naturally as I recalled other people who couldn¡¯t calm themselves.


    Elena wouldn¡¯t stop crying, and Hee-young could not eat her meals properly.


    Ahyoung, who was soft as it was, Ahn Ki-mo, and Chang-ryul, were also unable to raise their heads with dark expressions.


    However, among the guild members, the most shocked were the three members who could be called the early members.


    In particr, Hayan had more time passed out than awake.


    Even after she would awake, she talked to herself, pulled her nails and hair, screamed, fainted, and even attempted to self-harm.


    If Sora hadn¡¯t been there, it could lead to a big ident. Of course, the situation wasn¡¯t different for her, either¡­ She did seem to be the most alert.


    And¡­


    ¡°How is the Guild Master?¡±


    ¡°He is¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯s fine yet. Earlier, he used a lot of magic power in the fight against the demon, especially by the end, and he seemed to have hurt his head¡­ Elena even said that he seems to have a big trauma, and he seems to think that this is all his fault. And it¡¯s not necessarily¡­¡±


    ¡°It will be very hard for him now. If you think about their rtionship¡­¡±


    ¡°But the physical trauma is not big. It will take some time to recover his magic power, though. I think the problem is something else than that¡­ He doesn¡¯t even answer when I talk to him. She said it would be better to leave him alone for now¡­ still¡­ i-it will be okay, right?¡±


    ¡°He will be fine. The Guild Master is a strong person.¡±


    ¡°No. Not him, uncle Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Of course, he will be fine. Remember? The magic cast by the Vice Guild Master at the end.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I think he¡¯s got his mind back for a moment. I think other people saw it besides Deokgu. Maybe because of that, the spell was canceled. I don¡¯t know the details, but there is a good chance that he¡¯s fighting deep inside.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°It is not clear exactly how the demons were able to make the Vice Guild Master that way, but there are certainly a lot of wonders to be called ordinary brainwashing magic. Before that, with constant torture, the Vice Guild Master was pressed, and the tentacle d-demon¡­ tentacle demon¡­ t-tentacle¡­ tentacle¡­ No, I can¡¯t say this. S-Sorry.¡±


    ¡°I know everything.¡±


    ¡°A-Anyway, all of those processes were part of the work to destroy the spirit of the Vice Guild Master. If the usual brainwashing magic had worked, they wouldn¡¯t have used that method, but I think they couldn¡¯t afford it, either.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s not for certain¡­¡±


    ¡°No, you are probably right.¡±


    Somehow, turning my head to a familiar voice, I saw a woman with big horns over her head.


    I felt a little surprised, but I was forced to breathe a sigh of relief. The fact that she was here now meant that the attack on the bases had beenpleted.


    ¡°Dialugia.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not disconnected yet.¡±


    ¡°That means¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. Your guess is correct. It seems to be getting thinner and thinner, but that man is still resisting Belial¡¯s power. I don¡¯t know exactly how much time is left, but¡­ his mental power is not terrible, so maybe he can withstand it to some degree.¡±


    ¡°Good thing.¡±


    ¡°Are these all the troops heading to base 17?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I would be grateful if you tell them that it would be better to speed up the movement a little. Faintly, it looks like an enemy army is nearby. I need to look at the situation a little more. The enemy troops must be checked so that they do not get closer¡­¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to thank me. I, too¡­ that person should not die¡­ and I have a lot to own the Blue Guild. About Luria¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then please.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Shall I go with you?¡±


    ¡°No. Ye-ri is resting here. It will be quick, anyway.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    After Dialugia disappeared into the crowd, I started walking a little faster. I had to catch up with the Mercenary Queen Cha Hee-ra.


    However, I eventually felt somebody shoving my shoulders.


    ¡°Hee-young?¡±


    The person who pushed my shoulder was Sun Hee-young, another early member of the guild.


    I saw her crumpled face passing by, and I felt that something bad was going to happen.


    Not surprisingly, a loud voice began to be heard.


    ¡°Turn the troops right now.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t do this.¡±


    ¡°I told you to turn your troops right now!¡±


    ¡°I told you not to do this. I understand what you¡¯re feeling, but first, we should understand the situation a little¡­¡±


    ¡°Let go of me. Let go of me! Don¡¯t touch my body. Don¡¯t touch my body! I told you to turn the troops around. You bitch. Can¡¯t you hear me?¡±


    ¡°What are you doing now?! In this situation?!¡±


    ¡°Turn the troops. Turn your troops around!¡±


    ¡°Grab her! Don¡¯t let her move!¡±


    ¡°Let¡­ go of me!¡±


    ¡°If you make any more fuss, I will punish you for disobedience. Sun Hee-young. I understand what you feel, but everyone is feeling the same. Please calm down¡­¡±


    ¡°Punishment? Who¡¯s the one who has to die¡­ who¡¯s punishing who? Cha Hee-ra, is that bitch saying that? Put in all the rebels? Where there are no tigers, foxes are king. She used our Vice Guild Master like that and used him as she pleased, but since a critical situation arises, she¡¯ll pull back to survive.¡±


    ¡°There was no other way in that situation. It couldn¡¯t be helped¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think you should at least tried to save him? Humans are trash. You are all trashy humans, each and every single one of you all. You always mumble like a parrot, Honorary Cardinal, Honorary Cardinal, and act as if you are going to do everything for him, but now you¡¯re pulling back. Maniptive bitches, ipetent and maniptive bastards¡­¡±


    ¡°Cha Hee-ra is also having a hard time. Don¡¯t keep doing this here, and once you return to the camp, I¡¯ll deliver the contentter¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you know who is really having a hard time?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I asked you who is really having a hard time.¡±


    ¡°So¡­¡±


    ¡°Have you ever imagined how painful it would be and how hard it would be? He is a person who has lived a lifetime for others. He was the one who had gotten arrested while trying to throw away his own safety and help the federal people to evacuate. He didn¡¯t care what would happen to his body, just to save all the humans here¡­ Ugh, he was a person who suffered from aftereffects every day. He sacrificed his body while destroying his body enough to live with divine spells and drugs. Is this the price he gets? Ugh.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Is this the result? Have you ever imagined how sad he would be? Can you imagine how miserable he would have thought when he saw with his own eyes an allied force, who thought he hade to rescue him, now turned and ran away?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You are all useless humans. You don¡¯t deserve to live on this continent.¡±


    ¡°I can understand enough. Sun Hee-young. However¡­¡±


    ¡°If you understand, then turn your troops around!¡±


    Her scream had now begun to sound like a shriek.

 Chapter 500: The Cliché: Growing Soon After Collapsing (3)

    <h4>Chapter 500: The Clich¨¦: Growing Soon After Copsing (3)</h4>


    ¡®Wow. Thank you, Hee-young.¡¯


    No other words were necessary; even saying that had caused me to feel tearful.


    She herself was already crying, with a passion so fierce it made me doubt that this truly was the Sun Hee-young I knew. She might have had a strange side, but I had always known her to behave with great self-discipline. Because of this, I found myself unsure of how to respond to such an emotional outburst.


    ¡®The personality from the first round is still out there. Still, I¡¯m not disappointed, so you can stop crying. If you keep going like that, Hee-ra will explode.¡¯


    And rightly so. Rationally speaking, Cha Hee-ra was absolutely right - if they had deployed troops who were driven by emotion, it would only have led to annihtion. And even though they were pulling back, for now, the best and most reasonable option - and the one I wanted - was to n for the future.


    And so, I pressed the button and called Cha Hee-ra. Neither of us here were able to judge the mistakes that had been made.


    Cha Hee-ra had that rare kind of personality that put emotion before reason. That she chose the rational option this time made me think that she was also getting desperate.


    Of course, oveing the guilt inside her is another matter.


    ¡°Despicable bitches! Despicable bitch! Ptooey!¡±


    I was dragged out of my thoughts by the sound of Sun Hee-young swearing, fear gripping me as I turned to see her trapped by the guild members of the Red Mercenary, struggling against them hard enough to cause a spectacle.


    ¡±¡®It¡¯s the worst, the worst!¡± She cried.


    The hall we were in only calmed down once Cha Hee-ra herself came out, easily recognizable with her red hair, but still looking very emaciated. She approached Sun Hee-young with a gloomy expression that I had never seen on her face before.


    ¡®Why do they all look like this¡­?¡¯ I wondered to myself. Not a single person in that hall looked okay.


    The second she saw Cha Hee-ra¡¯s face, Sun Hee-young raised her hand and pped her across the cheek, hard enough to turn Cha Hee-ra¡¯s head with the force of it. Silence rang out around them.


    If Cha Hee-ra raised her fist now, I thought, Sun Hee-young will die on the spot. Indeed, I wondered if Cha Hee-ra would explode in anger, like a beast that had just been smacked, but she surprised me by simply taking the blow and facing Sun Hee-young calmly. Seeing that, I began to feel that perhaps Cha Hee-ra wouldn¡¯t do any harm at all.


    Still, it was strange and surprising that she hadn¡¯t exploded.


    It was then that Cha Hee-ra spoke, her voice giving the impression of someone who hadn¡¯t slept in days. Admittedly, I couldn¡¯t hear very well because the spirit was at a distance, looking up, but I could understand enough.


    ¡°Are you satisfied now?¡± she asked.


    Sun Hee-young said nothing in response.


    ¡°I asked if you are satisfied now.¡±


    This time there was a groan, but nothing more.


    ¡°What will you do if the troops turn back right now?¡±


    Sun Hee-young finally found her voice but could muster nothing beyond, ¡°You, you¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s suicidal just to go back to those wizards, who are too low to chant even basic spells, and your Guild Master, who has be an idiot. I don¡¯t mean to die so ridiculously, and I have no intention of giving up on my honey in that way. If you want to take your anger out on somebody, go do it somewhere else. Otherwise, go it alone and die, or shut up and follow your orders.¡±


    ¡°Do you think that makes sen-¡°


    Cha Hee-ra interrupted her, asking, ¡°Turning the troops right now, do you think he¡¯ll like that? I don¡¯t like making coldly rational decisions, but that¡¯s what we need more than anything in the current situation. To put it inly, our best chance is to reorganize the troops rather than just sending them out right now. Can you understand that?¡±


    Furious, Sun Hee-young stammered out, ¡°W-W-Who doesn¡¯t know that? You think I¡¯m doing this because I don¡¯t know that?¡± She sniffed, incredulous. ¡°You think I don¡¯t know that?!¡± Once again, she raised her hand and pped Cha Hee-ra¡¯s cheek.


    And, once again, Cha Hee-ra simply stood and took it.


    Materializing from somewhere, Hwang Jeong-yeon stepped in to try to hold Sun Hee-young back as much as possible, but she proved to be weak inparison, and couldn¡¯t do much to stop her.


    Instead, it was Sun Hee-young¡¯s tiredness that caused her to stop, and it was her palms that were covered in blood, rather than Cha Hee-ra¡¯s cheeks.


    ¡°If you¡¯re done,¡± Cha Hee-ra told her, ¡°go back and recover your body. That would be more helpful to you than making a fuss like this.¡±


    Turning to the neer, she added. ¡°And you are?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Hwang Jeong-yeon of the Blue Guild. There is a message from Dialugia, saying that the attack on the 17 bases seems to have beenpleted¡­ and she said that we should get there as fast as possible. I-I came here to tell you that, but I am also very sorry about-¡° She gestured towards Sun Hee-young.


    ¡°I understand,¡± the redhead replied, ¡°and there is nothing to be sorry for.¡±


    ¡°No, I mean, I am sorry for the controversy¡­¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Cha Hee-ra repeated.


    Sun Hee-young, sighing in agitation, interrupted them. ¡°You¡­ if anything happens to Lee Kiyoung, I¡¯ll kill you. I¡¯m really going to kill you.¡±


    ¡°Hee-young!¡± Hwang Jeong-yeon snapped. ¡°Now, stop now. I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m truly sorry. She¡¯s not normally like this.¡±


    ¡°Do whatever you want,¡± Sun Hee-young continued, ignoring the admonishment. ¡°I don¡¯t want to live long anyway if this is going to happen. You heard it, right? Don¡¯t disturb the march, get out of here right now and I won¡¯t punish you.¡±


    ¡°L-Let¡¯s get out of here, Hee-young. Don¡¯t do this.¡±


    Sun Hee-young would not be stopped, though, continuing to spit out threats. ¡°I really meant it when I said I¡¯m going to kill you. I¡¯ll kill you at all costs. I¡¯ll tear you up and murder you. Remember my words clearly and pray that Lee Kiyoung is alive. You¡¯d better pray!¡±


    Silence greeted her, but it was only after Kim Changryul came that they had enough strength to pull Sun Hee-young out of the hall.


    In the aftermath, I thought about turning the spirit back to the Blue side, but I found I couldn¡¯t turn the screen when I saw Cha Hee-ra staring at the ground, surrounded by members of the Red Mercenary. I don¡¯t know if she wasughing or crying, but for some reason, I felt sad at the sight of her shoulders shaking intermittently.


    The Mercenary members who had been surrounding her to prevent the fuss from leaking out were now increasingly blocking her from going outside. There was no way they could allow the weak figure of theirmander to be seen right now. Indeed, they were even turning their own backs, almost as if they themselves could not bear to see it either.


    ¡°Will you exact punishment for what just happened?¡± Someone asked.


    ¡°What would be the benefit of disciplining a priest at the saint level?¡± Cha Hee-ra replied. ¡°She¡¯s one of those who will be most needed in battle afterward. Just make sure that the rumors don¡¯t get out. The atmosphere will be blurred as it is, anyway.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    There was silence for a moment, and then, ¡°He will be fine.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Cha Hee-ra, who had stopped for a moment, started to walk away. Her face was still full of anxiety and worries, and I thought about how difficult this must be for her, having to deal with the current situation on her own, shouldering the burden. Her mind must have been full of imaginings and questions, wondering whether her choice was really the right one or not.


    To be honest, I was surprised that she hadn¡¯t copsed yet. It would have been nice if she¡¯d at least had someone to ease her burden but, considering the state of everyone around her, perhaps it was better that she did not.


    This was what I felt when I looked around the guild.


    Jung Hayan, always self-harming, fainting, screaming.


    Elena, who had be the pitiful heroine, was not doing her job properly because of the constant tears filling her eyes.


    I didn¡¯t know where Yuno Kasugano was, or what she was doing.


    Only Park Deokgu and Cha Hee-ra were taking care of their mental health, and even that felt a bit unstable.


    What had me most worried, though, was Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡®I really have to see him too,¡¯ I muttered to myself. I wanted to run and check on him right now, but it was difficult to get near to him.


    I recalled the conversation between Hwang Jeong-yeon and Kim Ye-ri, in which it seemed that he was still out of it, but it was a natural instinct to want to check what condition humanity¡¯sst hope is in.


    ¡®If he stays how he is now, there is no real dream or hope.¡¯


    The n had been, if anything, too sessful.


    I had thought there would be some aftereffects, but I couldn¡¯t have imagined things would copse this much. The troops were on the verge of dying, and the atmosphere was a chaotic mess.


    I didn¡¯t even have to look far for the effects, I could see it by looking at the incident that had just taken ce. It had only bubbled to the surface that one time but, looking at it with the benefit of hindsight, a lot of things were starting to bother me.


    There were already some showing signs of aftereffects¡­


    ¡®Would it be better to see him even if it¡¯s a little unreasonable?¡¯ I wondered.


    It was at this point that I missed Anemone¡¯s Eyes, that Jung Hayan could use, since I now - regrettably - had to speak to a colleague in the control room.


    ¡°Um¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°About the 17 bases.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes. External advisor.¡±


    ¡°Are there any spirits there? With a few more stealthy guys¡­?¡±


    ¡°Of course there are.¡±


    ¡°Good. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I didn¡¯t realize you would focus on the work right away.¡± Laughter followed the statement.


    ¡°That¡¯s because it¡¯s not the end yet, you bastard,¡± I snarled. ¡°It¡¯s important that, from now on¡­¡±


    Perhaps due to Dialugia¡¯s performance, it was only a few hourster that the main unit entered the 17 bases. The magic hologram sent by the spirits who were waiting in advance was now reflected in the field of view.


    Meanwhile, the army of the Republic, which had upied the 17 bases in advance, now joined Cha Hee-ra and discussed various stories. New issues had arisen, including the war in its entirety, but the most important thing now was the lovely regressor¡¯s state.


    ¡®Thest hope of mankind!¡¯


    The tform of revolution.


    ¡®The key character in the main story.¡¯


    A perfect actor, missing nothing.


    ¡®The protagonist of this game, and the finalist who will be responsible for ending this scenario.¡¯


    I was looking for Kim Hyunsung in 17 bases, looking in but I eventually found him in a small room. The moment I saw the face of the guying in, supported by Cho Hyejin, I had no choice but to swallow hard.


    ¡®What is that¡­?¡¯ I wondered.


    ¡°Then, Guild Master, I¡­ I¡¯ll be going,¡± said Cho Hyejin.


    ¡®Why is his face like that?¡¯


    His expression looked as if it had no soul was no different from the first time I saw it. I recalled that the nature of the tentacles of Limur had had a strong impact on his brain. That was what had caused his soulless appearance.


    ¡®T-T-Thest hope of mankind¡­¡¯


    Thest hope was currently staring into space with unfocused eyes, not seeing a single spirit in that small room.


    As I watched, a continuous murmuring voice invaded my ears, and I realized that perhaps I had gone too far.


    ¡°Now¡­ I¡¯m done,¡± Hyunsung said.


    ¡®What¡¯s done, you bastard? What¡¯s going on with you, Hyunsung? Really¡­¡¯


    ¡°Now¡­ I¡¯m tired¡­¡±


    ¡®D¡­ Don¡¯t get tired, you bastard. This will all be over if you¡¯re tired.¡¯


    He looked way worse than I had expected.


    ¡®Don¡¯t get tired¡­ fuck¡­¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung looked like he had chosen to give up and let go of everything.

 Chapter 501: The Cliché: Growing Soon After Collapsing (4)

    <h4>Chapter 501: The Clich¨¦: Growing Soon After Copsing (4)</h4>


    I roughly expected a meltdown.


    Since Kim Hyunsung had gotten hit against the wall by Limur, he no longer looked sane.


    When they pulled out the troops and retreated, his eyes were out of focus, and he was in a strange state throughout their journey to base 17.


    I was worried that he might have really hurt his head. However, he had no visible trauma.


    ¡®Fuck.¡¯


    As such, the candle burned on both ends even more.


    One of the biggest benefits of my n was walking on a sessful path with the lovely regressor.


    While I pictured a happy future where the two of us walked hand in hand, reality often disappointed. What was being shown on the screen was Kim Hyunsung, who had be apletely ruined person.


    It wasn¡¯t unreasonable to feel anxious in various ways. He was breathing, but he didn¡¯t look alive at all. Those dead eyes were evident.


    ¡°Now¡­ I¡¯m tired¡­¡±


    Nobody was talking to him, or asking him anything.


    However, his murmurs continued, making him seem like a desperate patient.


    If I looked at him closely, it wasn¡¯t that he had ceased to stop thinking and talking. It was akin closer to his soul beingpletely lost.


    It would be most appropriate to say that he muttered without even being aware of it.


    I had heard stories of people being so shocked that they suffered from aphasia or something like autism. However, I never thought I would actually see such a thing myself. In the first ce¡­


    ¡®Was that such a shock?¡¯


    I thought about it. Of course, I understood.


    I didn¡¯t know what Kim Hyunsung exactly thought of me, but what was clear was that he had already given me the best rating possible.


    Although Kim Hyunsung was awkward in expressing himself, I could decipher that much.


    It was undeniable that he cared more about me than those included in his first timeline, such as Kim Ye-ri, Cho Hyejin, and Park Yeon-joo.


    Bringing me luxury bags like the Chanelia Hermes that I carried and all kinds of goods was already a famous story within Lindel. They even created such bullsh*t rumors that more than half of the Blue Guild Master¡¯s sry was used to give the Vice Guild Master gifts.


    There was a time when he had sent me a legendary-grade skin beauty slime gel, and there was a time when he had obtained everything for me, from a healthy elixir to an unidentified wild ginseng root that was good for men.


    He had also gotten me items that could be used as catalysts, as well as special grades that were difficult to find even in the ck market.


    In short, I had seen more gifts from Kim Hyunsung than his own face.


    Of course, at first, I suspected that it might have been a result of a desire to capture talent.


    However, I couldn¡¯t suspect him anymore after checking with my own eyes that the guy changed as time passed. I didn¡¯t know exactly how much, but if I were to exaggerate a little, he might have felt like my brother.


    ¡®That¡¯s a good word. Brother.¡¯


    Since our rtionship hadn¡¯t been built carelessly, I smiled and felt even more satisfied.


    There had been many incidents and many things we had gone through together.


    I had saved him from a crisis, and he had saved me in return.


    When we were drinking or talking together, we took off the serious masks we were always wearing, and it was natural to think about each other with respect.


    I thought about the lovely regressor¡¯s heavy load that others couldn¡¯t seem to understand.


    Some things came to mind when I heard him saying he was tired.


    For several decades, in the first round and the second round, he had been carrying a massive burden alone for several years. It was only natural to feel mentally damaged in some way.


    Why wouldn¡¯t he be scared, lonely, and having a hard time just because it¡¯s him? Of course, he would¡¯ve wanted to run away.


    The duty to save the continent was too heavy to be imposed on just a single individual.


    To him, he probably thought a colleague who carried the heavy load with him might have been Light Kiyoung.


    It was different from Kim Hyunsung¡¯s method, but I was certainly sharing the burden imposed on him.


    Externally, I was a messenger chosen by the Goddess, but to him, I would have been seen as someone who only thought about the future threats he was aware of and tried to prepare for.


    Regardless of the reason and the result, Light Kiyoung was certainly a friend who carried the same burden as Kim Hyunsung.


    Kiyoung was his friend, brother, colleague. That same person who wanted to protect others by throwing his life, someone who could not be reced with anyone, suddenly became corrupted and wore a mask.


    He probably thought that everything was all his fault.


    For Kim Hyunsung, it wouldn¡¯t be unreasonable to have a meltdown.


    I wasn¡¯t sure, but he might have been shocked enough to think that that mask might be from the first round¡­


    He might have wanted to run away from all that was happening.


    ¡®Or maybe he¡¯s scared.¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung might think that he could lose Lee Kiyoung in that fight because he had the trauma of being backstabbed several times by masked trash and losing the people he cared about.


    Even in the first round, everything he valued copsed and disappeared. It wouldn¡¯t be farfetched if he thought the current situation could lead to the same results.


    There were a lot of things to guess about, considering I wasn¡¯t sure exactly what the guy was thinking.


    Was he having a meltdown because he thought that I might be the masked trash?


    Was he not able to withstand the heavy burdens imposed on him and eventually copsed?


    Or was he just really scared to lose me?


    He wouldn¡¯t prioritize me over the world. I wasn¡¯t convinced that he would simply hide like a coward because he was afraid that he might lose me.


    Honestly, I wasn¡¯t sure what the answer was, either. Perhaps it was even all three.


    One important thing was that the incident made his mind hide in a turtle shell.


    It didn¡¯t even seem like he had noticed that I came to my mind for a second.


    ¡®Fuck. I know that our goal is important, but it¡¯s also important to raise this bastard up.¡¯


    He shouldn¡¯t be copsed like that for the sake of my ns and the future.


    ¡®Fuck. How do I do this?¡¯


    No matter how hard I tried to think of a way to execute my ns without him, nothing came to mind.


    I wished he could break through this himself, but it was difficult to expect that in the current situation. Something had toe from outside to stimte him.


    ¡®I don¡¯t actually have to deal with it myself, but¡­¡¯


    There were many people around Kim Hyunsung anyway.


    Wasn¡¯t it the heroine that helped break that kind of egg in the usual clich¨¦s?


    ¡®Park Yeon-joo, Cho Hyejin, Kim Ye-ri.¡¯


    Kim Ye-ri was a little bit too weird to consider her a heroine, but she was the one that he believed in and cared about.


    Meanwhile, Park Yeon-joo and Cho Hyejin were openlypeting for the position of his advisor and wife. Of course, Cho Hyejin had been dumped once, but she was still close to him.


    Perhaps it would be better to let him rest that day. After spending a day at base 17, he might do something.


    As expected, starting the next morning, I began to see people starting to move.


    Almost as if they thought they had to help him toe back to his senses slowly, they came into his room and slowly talked to him.


    -Guild Master.


    -¡­


    -About dinner¡­


    -¡­


    -I¡¯ll just leave it here.


    Cho Hyejin was the first to lose.


    -Oppa¡­


    -¡­


    -Are you okay? You are, right?


    -¡­


    Kim Ye-ri was the next.


    -Blue Guild Master, do you feel better today?


    -¡­


    -The fact that things are going a little bad¡­ I understand, but please, hold on. It won¡¯t be easy, but we can save him.


    -¡­


    -It¡¯s not your fault. I hope you don¡¯t me yourself for what happened this time.


    Park Yeon-joo lost as well.


    -The Vice Guild Master will be safe. Clearly, at the end¡­


    -¡­


    -It¡¯s not your fault. Yes, it¡¯s not your fault. The Vice Guild Master probably wouldn¡¯t want you to look like that. At least¡­


    -¡­


    -¡­


    -¡­


    -Sigh, I¡¯lle to visit you again.


    Cho Hyejin was defeated once more.


    -You have to take revenge. Will you be still like this, oppa? Are you really going to stay still like this?!


    -¡­


    -Wake up. Please¡­ pleasee to your senses¡­ I-I am so scared. Sniff, really, hic, I¡¯m so scared.


    -¡­ I¡¯m tired.


    -Sniff, please, wake up¡­ please¡­


    -¡­ I¡¯m done now¡­


    Kim Ye-ri was the fifth loss. Again, Cho Hyejin was the sixth, and Park Yeon-joo was the seventh.


    ¡®Fuck, this is a huge problem.¡¯


    More days continued to pass. The three women only continued to lose.


    Even though I heard some lines that could make me sad, Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t even flinch. He continued to skip meals, staying only in his room.


    At that point, it wouldn¡¯t be strange to think he had locked himself in the subconscious.


    I didn¡¯t have any psychiatric skills, so I didn¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, but what could I do?


    I wondered if he was wandering in the unconscious like the protagonists in old shonen. I was indeed aiming for that in the beginning, but I didn¡¯t think it would have that much of an effect.


    I thought he would stand up on his own at the right moment, but it had reached beyond that level. Hepletely hid in the closet.


    ¡®It¡¯s ruined. Fuck, it¡¯s ruined¡­¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s world might have stopped, but of course, the real world didn¡¯t.

 Chapter 502: The Cliché: Growing Soon After Collapsing (5)

    <h4>Chapter 502: The Clich¨¦: Growing Soon After Copsing (5)</h4>


    ¡®Well, what are you going to do, you bastard?¡¯


    I appreciated the thought, but Park Deokgu alone wouldn¡¯t be enough.


    It was a bit of a sad fact, but even if Park Deokgu could suddenly awaken, there was a high probability that the situation wouldn¡¯t change.


    There was no way he could do anything against a mythical monster supported by a guy in the lower or middle rank among the legendary grades.


    If I was being generous, I could say he should be able to serve as a specialized shield, but his limit was too clear to do anything more than that.


    ¡®Don¡¯t do anything, Deokgu. In this situation, the answer is not to do anything.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t just Park Deokgu. In fact, considering the current situation, it was unreasonable for any of those at base 17 to confront Donovan¡¯s army.


    If Donovan was the only demon of the semi-mythic grade, then Cha Hee-ra and a few others might be able to stop him.


    However, besides him, high-level hardliner demons were fighting in the frontlines as well.


    Even though I nted some of the moderate guys, I had no choice but to feel that their force was insufficient.


    The most obvious answer right at that moment was¡­


    ¡­To abandon base 17 and take the troops back again.


    However, the problem was that those who entered that base were not thinking about retreating.


    It had already been exposed to the information that one of the Four Guardian King Donovan was approaching and was busy preparing for the siege.


    ¡®I really thought it would be like this.¡¯


    They must have been determined that they shouldn¡¯t be pushed back any further.


    Base 17 was a line. As a strategic point, it was no different from the Maginot Line before. Its advantages definitely proved to be enormous.


    If it was abandoned, not only would they have to go back a long way, but they would not be able to promise the second federation recapture operation.


    Perhaps Lee Jihye was making the same judgment.


    If one were to look at the distant future of the war and base their n on that, they would be able to throw the base away, but if they looked at the war¡¯s current situation, they wouldn¡¯t, of course, be able to abandon it.


    I thought she could have chosen a slower method if it were to be her original personality, but Cha Hee-ra wouldn¡¯t want to just pull her troops further back, not when the Golden Time wasing.


    ¡®They just need to block the opponents¡­¡¯


    If they seeded, it could bring them many benefits in many ways.


    The biggest part was that it could elevate the atmosphere that was sinking to the floor.


    However, no matter how much I thought about it, it was hard to think that it would turn out as I hoped. Jung Hayan wasn¡¯t sane, and Kim Hyunsung wasn¡¯t in the best condition either. The atmosphere of the troops was worse than worst.


    The situation was marked differently from when the Continental Union met Donovan at bases 41, 42, and 43.


    Even the other demons around him were advancing to the base, turning it into a situation dire enough to make me bite my nails.


    ¡®Why do things keep gettingplicated¡­ Fuck.¡¯


    I thought I was running toward the end, but the unchanging truth that sweet fruits couldn¡¯t be easily eaten remained unchanged.


    It wasn¡¯t unreasonable to have such a crisis if one were to recall that there weren¡¯t just one or two things at stake, but most humans preferred to befortable rather than putting them under stress.


    At first, I sighed and thought I had no choice but to raise my heavy body.


    ¡°I have to head towards the base 17.¡±


    -Are you going to lead the troops?


    ¡°No. Not exactly¡­ I just want to be prepared in case anything happens. Please tell Donovan to slow down the march. No, to turn the army back here¡­¡±


    -He¡¯s already been warned about actions that are not in the scenario, but he still chose to enter recklessly. He seems to havepletely turned off themunication channel, and he asked me to tell you that he will bring home some results¡­


    ¡®This troller bastard.¡¯


    Donovan¡¯s troops headed to the base at a faster pace than it would take me to reach it.


    The difference would be in about a few hours, but who knew whether the pig bastard, Kim Hyunsung, and Jung Hayan would be injured during those hours?


    We talked about people who should never be killed, but it was unclear whether that stupid bastard had embedded the words in his head.


    ¡®Kim Hyunsung, what are you really doing? You stupid guy! Really¡­¡¯


    Still, I couldn¡¯t guarantee what would happen if he were to stand up and lift his sword again.


    There was not much time left.


    I even thought that it would be possible to sneak in there as Bitch Kiyeon and throw a fixing punch at him, but there was no way to call in any fairy, and there were no openings to infiltrate the base.


    No matter how much I thought about it, I could only think of it as physically impossible.


    It was natural that I opened my mouth again in a hurry. As if he knew that things were going wrong, a demon in the control room nervously talked to me.


    ¡°I¡¯m going now. I would be grateful if you could prepare a wagon and move the control room here as it is. If a person who is good at maneuvering a spirit could just follow me¡­¡±


    -I¡¯ll do it myself, external advisor. Besides, the escort¡­


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I need one, but¡­¡±


    -If so, how about going with Ronove?


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a bad idea. Please do that.¡±


    -Yes. I will do my best to do what you have entrusted me with.


    Considering that the control room staff mentioned Ronove, it seemed that he had received something from her. He might have received a message that he would definitely get something in return, or¡­


    ¡®Is that guy from Ronove¡¯s group?¡¯


    He might also be part of a corps that was being managed by Ronove.


    However, that had nothing to do with the current situation. What was most important at that moment was to reach base 17 as soon as possible.


    It didn¡¯t take a long time for a carriage like the one I ordered toe into view.


    As if Ronove thought we were going on a trip, she smiled wide and pped her wings. However, she soon began to take on a worried expression.


    -Lee Kiyoung!


    ¡°Ah! Ronove. Thank you so much for responding to such a sudden request. Let¡¯s get on.¡±


    -A-Are you okay? You look very tired. I¡¯ve heard that you¡¯ve been stuck in the control room all this time. Still, I didn¡¯t expect your face to be this thin.


    ¡°That¡¯s just because I couldn¡¯t sleep properly, so you don¡¯t have to worry about me.¡±


    -Is heading to base 17 now rted to this incident?


    ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve heard of it, but um, Do¡­¡±


    -Donovan. I knew he was going to cause trouble, but who knew he would do that again? Belial too, how long is he nning to keep such an ignorant person?


    ¡°Ha¡­ haha. It seems that his personality is a little bit more ambitious than others.¡±


    -It¡¯s not at a level that we can let it slip. You can feel free to talk to me. If Donovan just keeps pushing them ignorantly, Belial will think he¡¯s doing your favor. He doesn¡¯t even know that the times have changed. A demon must act like a demon to be a demon, just like what Lee Kiyoung said.


    ¡®You are right. Yes, you are most definitely right.¡¯


    If I could, I would have responded by pping my hands, but I couldn¡¯t. At this point, the wagon had now begun to move.


    It seemed to be moving faster than I thought, but my lips went dry as I knew that Donovan would enter base 17 in a few hours.


    I wanted him to go in after making a camp in front of the base and doing maintenance, but there was no way that ignorant guy would do just that.


    I could be sure that he would rush right away to bring home victory as soon as possible.


    worries, I still found time to look into Kim Hyunsung¡¯s condition. Of course, he was still the same.


    ¡®Sh*t.¡¯


    Kim Ye-ri, Park Yeon-joo, Cho Hyejin, and even Elena and the other Blue Guild members visited him and told him a couple of heartbreaking lines, and yet he remained in his vegetated state.


    It wouldn¡¯t be irrational to get annoyed.


    In the end, they didn¡¯t even look for him when the battle neared as if they had decided to defend without Kim Hyunsung.


    It was clear that they would be more effective if they were to leave him alone for the time being.


    The guild members¡¯ faces, who all looked as frustrated as mine, were now draped in an unknown depth, and the terrible atmosphere was spreading throughout the main unit.


    I noticed that Cha Hee-ra had gathered the army and gave a powerful speech, but it only managed to elevate the heavy atmosphere slightly.


    She was trying her best to get ready for battle, but some guys seemed to have lost their will to fight.


    ¡®Fuck.¡¯


    At that moment,plex thoughts naturally became stuck in my head. After visually checking Donovan¡¯s troops approaching base 17, I had no choice but to ept that the battle was inevitable.


    ¡®What on earth can I do when I get there?¡¯


    I had been thinking a lot about how to turn things over, but nothing ever entered my head.


    I thought the top priority would be to stop Donovan, but how could I stop those ignorant bastards with my own fragile body?


    Even if it were possible to stop him, it would look like an extremely unbelievable scene for the main unit.


    I mean, it would be a ridiculous situation in which the Honorary Cardinal of the State, who had just fallen, suddenly joined the team and fought for their side.


    I couldn¡¯t choose such a method because Doom Kiyoung, who I designed myself, would be a waste.


    ¡®Benignore, what the hell are you doing? Have you not recovered yet?¡¯


    At that point, would it be better to intervene with Kim Hyunsung and give him a quest, or at least, show some miracle?


    I thought that they would¡¯ve umted enough divinity already, but it seemed that she was still unable to escape the status of a fugitive. I couldn¡¯t help but curse at this handicap.


    Rather, I felt that it was more efficient for me to take charge of the continent.


    After the project was over or a little more time passed, I thought she would definitely recover, but even if she recovered by then, it would be like locking the stable after the horse had been stolen.


    ¡®Really, fuck. She¡¯s not helpful at all. Should I join Belial instead?¡¯


    If I wasn¡¯t satisfied with the negotiating table that would happen after all was over, I was ready to throw away the unnecessary divinity. What the Alchemist of Light was disappointed with was before he got the Dark guelord.


    While looking at the hologram with a sour face, Ronove, who was watching the situation next to me, spoke.


    -A-Are you okay?


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine, Ronove.¡±


    -You don¡¯t look so well¡­ instead, you seem a little tired, so why don¡¯t you sleep for a while?


    ¡°We¡¯re not in a situation where I can sleep, and I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to sleep even if I wanted.¡±


    -Come on. If you work while stressed, things that would work well will not. Don¡¯t do that and just take a nap. If you just close your eyes, you¡¯ll fall asleep soon. Have you already forgotten what kind of race I am?


    ¡°Well, dem¡­ Ah!!!¡±


    -Not just any demon. I¡¯m also called a subus. What kind of dream do you want to have? I have the confidence to make you have a dream more pleasant than you can ever imagine. If you wake up after having a time so delightful you can¡¯t even begin to think of having it in reality, you will feel refreshed as if you have slept for three days. Of course, you can rest assured that your energy will not be lost! I would be grateful if you gave it to me, though¡­


    ¡°Ronove!¡±


    -Ah? Oh! Yes? If you suddenly hold onto me like that¡­ If you want to take a break in a different way, I¡¯ll get ready¡­


    ¡°Ah. No. It¡¯s not that. It¡¯s not that.¡±


    Cha Hee-ra¡¯s speech, announcing the beginning of the battle, was heard through the magical hologram.


    -We will win today. We¡¯ll kill all the demons and bring back the symbol of the continent! This battle will be remembered, for it will be a battle that will prove that we haven¡¯t lost the light yet.


    -Insect humans talk too much. You dare stand against Belial¡¯s loyal apostle, Donovan, one of the Four Demon Generals? I will tear you all up into pieces. I¡¯ll do it to every single one of you carefully; and then I¡¯ll bring you all back as a gift to my friend.


    -It will be scary. It will be terrifying. I don¡¯t want to me those who want to hide and fear this threat. I never intend to me those who are scared. But think! Carefully consider inside your head what is right. Think about whether you will live your entire life in hiding or die gloriously. Think about which one is more honorable! Humanity¡­ humanity will win here today!


    -Grrrrr! Grooooooaaarrr!!!


    -We will win!!!


    Still, it was more important to ask Ronove what I was feeling curious about.


    ¡°Is it possible to get me into the dream of someone who is a bit far away? Or the unconscious?¡±


    Ronove slowly nodded.


    I hugged her in joy, and before long, I left her shivering her body behind, and after going through some procedures, I fell into a deep sleep.


    ¡®Hyunsung, fuck, I¡¯m going!¡¯


    Breaking the Berlin Wall, where many had no choice but to return, was a friend who shared sincerity rather than a heroine who had to be saved.


    I couldn¡¯t check if the ce I was in were his unconscious, but I could see him crouching after I felt like I was sucked into something. As soon as I approached him slowly, I noticed him raising his head.


    ¡°Kiyoung¡­ ssi?¡±


    The moment he looked at me as if he couldn¡¯t believe it, his tears started to pour immediately, so I had no choice but to clench his fist.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me. Ha¡­ ha¡­¡±


    ¡®Yes, fuck¡­ hyung is here. Bastard. ¡®

 Chapter 503: What He Wants (1)

    <h4>Chapter 503: What He Wants (1)</h4>


    ¡®I¡¯m not sure whether it will work or not. It would have been easy to enter the unconscious of an ordinary human. However, the human whose mind Lee Kiyoung wants to enter isn¡¯t ordinary. He has the same character as I do, and even if we do enter sessfully, there is a high possibility that you¡¯ll get kicked out. It might even be dangerous. An hour in the present life is usually a day in dreams.¡¯


    ¡®Is one hour in this world a day in a dream?¡¯


    ¡®It¡¯s up to the adjustment¡­ but for now, I can tell you that the maximum time you can get is about three days. There are no specific precautions, but I can¡¯t confidently tell you that because I¡¯m not really sure. Of course, considering that human¡¯s condition, it looks like it¡¯s possible, but it¡¯s not easy to break through him since his mind is of a higher level than normal humans¡­¡¯


    ¡®I think it would be better to try it. He seems to be a little more confused than I thought.¡¯


    ¡®It¡¯ll be hard¡­¡¯


    ¡®Let¡¯s try it anyway.¡¯


    I naturally remembered the image of Ronove muttering alone, and my worries only begun to grow.


    I thought Kim Hyunsung would be more broken than Ronove judged, but I didn¡¯t think she would be able to enter his mind that easily. Rather than rejecting trespassers, his unconsciousness opened like an automatic door, seemingly trying to rush anyone in by shouting ¡®wee.¡¯


    That said, the process proved to be smooth. Even Pervert Ronove thought it was unbelievable.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know if it should be considered good.¡¯


    It was definitely great to have entered without any problems, but it was also true that it seemed to exin that Kim Hyunsung¡¯s spirit was shaken.


    As I looked around the surrounding scenario, which exined his unconsciousness, my worry only grew even more. What filled the ruined space was nothing but pitch-ck darkness. It was even darker than that of Belial.


    The moment I saw the guy sitting amid all of it, I started to feel strangely sorrowful.


    The way he looked at me with tears, which was not like the usual Kim Hyunsung, was a rare sight to behold.


    Even in such a worst situation, I felt annoyed with him for not forgetting to be handsome. Still, the happiness I felt outweighed the annoyance.


    He was also looking up to me as if he couldn¡¯t believe it. A feeling that was difficult to describe was evident in his face.


    ¡®Has he, at least,e to his senses?¡¯


    It might be because it was the unconscious, but he seemed toe to his senses faster than I thought.


    Like the heroines who had repeatedly lost in a row, I thought I could also lose. However, when someone who could be said to be the cause of the problem appeared, he began to wake up in a bit.


    I thought it would make things even easier. One hour over in the real world was equal to one to three days in the realm of dreams.


    That was because it was considered enough time to take care of the lovely regressor¡¯s mentality.


    When I talked to Hyunsung, who was still busy rubbing at his eyes, I noticed that he couldn¡¯t say anything. In fact, he looked hesitant to talk.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ uh¡­ sniff¡­¡±


    ¡®Does this bastard have aphasia? Why are you doing this? Seriously¡­¡¯


    ¡°Ha, haha¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Ugh¡­ Ugh¡­¡±


    It felt like he was trying to say something. However, he kept choking, looking unable to spit out the words inside him. I could hear him sobbing and swallowing hard, which made me feel embarrassed.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    He looked sad, but at the same time, also happy.


    I was hoping that he would be able to create an emotional scene by hugging me tightly like Park Deokgu, but he seemed to be suppressing himself for some reason.


    He looked embarrassed to show tears, and although he would¡¯ve normally turned away, his eyes remained fixed on me in case I disappeared.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®I guess I just have to leave him until he calms down.¡¯


    He was currently not in the right state tomunicate with emotions.


    ¡®I am grateful¡­ I didn¡¯t know you think about me that much, bastard. You should have expressed it. I didn¡¯t know it would be this much, really.¡¯


    ¡°Do you feel a bit better now?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    It was hard to say that he was stillpletely calm, but he was in better condition than before.


    As I took a step forward and stretched out my hand, I saw tears forming in his eyes again.


    I was a bit embarrassed, but he soon caught his breath and grabbed my stretched hand, and I lifted him.


    ¡°Sorry¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡®Sh*t, don¡¯t cry again.¡¯


    ¡°I-I¡¯m¡­ sorry.¡±


    ¡®You¡¯re not a crybaby.¡¯


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to say sorry at all. It¡¯s not your fault.¡±


    ¡°B- But, but¡­¡±


    ¡°First, stand up. You can¡¯t keep staying here forever.¡±


    His expression soon turned into one of ambiguity.


    ¡®You have to get out of this state you¡¯re in, as quickly as possible.¡¯


    I actually meant that. However, it seemed that he didn¡¯t hear it. It was only for a second, but I had to think about what the right choice was at that instance.


    ¡®How should I do this?¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t determine if it was better to urge him to ask what the hell was he doing, to soothe him, or if it was better to shout at him to save me.


    I naturally became careful in that situation, as I judged that his mentality was still a mess.


    If he was really scared of fighting and avoiding it, pressuring him would be counterproductive.


    If he was afraid that I had gone dark, yelling for help could also backfire.


    That would be the case, even if he was assuming a situation where he was killing me due to his own mistake.


    Although he hade to his mind for a moment, it remained in a precarious state as if it would break anytime soon. Instead of sending a powerful blow to try to fix him instantly, I worried about his tears instead.


    ¡®There is a lot of time left, anyway.¡¯


    For the time being, watching the situation for a few more hours didn¡¯t seem like a bad decision.


    Kim Hyunsung was looking around whilst wearing a faint smile. I wasn¡¯t sure if he was aware of myplicated thoughts or not.


    The Blue Guild Master looked more like he was wondering where he was and what he was seeing.


    ¡°How did¡­ I see. That¡¯s how it happened.¡±


    ¡®What did happen?¡¯


    He questioned for a moment, but it seemed I could see what he was talking about as we walked together.


    ¡®This bastard¡­ He can¡¯t tell.¡¯


    He was unable to tell whether what he was looking at was real or not.


    ¡°It¡¯s all over. It¡¯s all¡­¡±


    He thought the whole situation had ended, causing him to lose his mind.


    I wondered how he could think that way, but I found the answer when I looked around again.


    The pitch-ck darkness, apletely ruined city, it¡¯s not clear, but where Kim Hyunsung and I were at the moment was¡­


    ¡°Lindel¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, I think it¡¯s Lindel. In the end¡­ again¡­ m-more importantly, what happened to you? Why¡­ Is your mind back? The demons, no¡­ they ended up¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s all over, and to ask this¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Fuck, what should I say?¡¯


    First, the answer was being shut down.


    I wanted to respond, but after seeing Lindel, which had beenpletely ruined, my mind becameplicated too.


    It was the scenery of the first round, the continent after destruction.


    The memory of the first round created by Kim Hyunsung¡¯s unconscious was evidently disyed in his unconscious.


    I had seen it through Yuno Kasugano, but it was the first time I had seen it again in such a long time.


    I didn¡¯t know how he survived there, what happened after that, and what caused it.


    Still, I had to feel sorry for him.


    Even unconsciously, seeing that scenario indicated that he was still hanging on to the first round. He managed to hold on, even in apletely copsed situation.


    ¡®This bastard is making me want to be fucking serious.¡¯


    What made me feel even bitter was that he looked a littlefortable. He didn¡¯t look happy, but he had on an expression that looked as if he hadid down a heavy load. He was looking veryfortable.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if there¡¯s anything there, but let¡¯s go in.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Blue Guild Hall.¡¯


    It was a scenario I was unfamiliar with. In this world, everything had copsed, making it impossible for me to check it properly. Kim Hyunsung hadn¡¯t even seemed to notice yet.


    The guy who entered the kitchen with a little excitement went back to me to bring something.


    ¡°This one¡¯s unbroken. I was lucky.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ll like it. Given this situation, it seems that there isn¡¯t much left¡­ Maybe there¡¯s more in the Red Mercenary or the ck Swan. It¡¯s a bitte today, so it would be better to sleep here and move slowly from tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Somewhere to sleep¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry, Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡®Hyunsung, it¡¯s been a long time.¡¯


    As soon as I said that, He immediately went somewhere and brought back a bed.


    As if he was just as strong in the unconscious realm, he hit the mattress with his hands.


    He looked pretty adorable when he coughed, due to the big dust cloud that spattered out as he did so. He didn¡¯t even seem to notice the fact that there was dirt on his face.


    Before long, the ce that used to be a ruin turned into a usible space instantly.


    Since there was no magic, I couldn¡¯t use cleaning magic, but I wandered around with agile movements. Every time he moved, the ce became a little bitfier. Due to that, I felt that it would really be okay to spend a few days there.


    ced on the sitting table was canned food that could be eaten over time and cheap wine that hadn¡¯t been broken.


    After he sat next to me with a little childish face, and when I saw the wine pouring out, Iughed, not because it was fun.


    It was because I felt that his behavior was unnatural.


    ¡°What kind of pleasant thoughts are you having?¡±


    ¡°No, nothing, but¡­ the situation felt a little fun. I think I¡¯m too at ease in this situation¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯re probably no survivors. If you wander from ce to ce, you won¡¯t find anything.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡®There¡¯s no way he couldn¡¯t notice.¡¯


    Yes, it was him, after all. There was no way that Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t notice.


    There was no way he couldn¡¯t notice the Blue Guild¡¯s traces that were created as memories of the first round.


    There were pictures of unknown people lying on the floor. The interior had been subtly changed.


    whose owners couldn¡¯t be named.


    Those were the traces of the first round that I wasn¡¯t aware of, but he did. No matter how ruined it was, it made no sense that Kim Hyunsung could miss that.


    ¡®He knows.¡¯


    The bastard already realized that the environment surrounding him wasn¡¯t real.


    ¡®You¡­ you have no intention of leaving here.¡¯


    ¡°That¡¯s why he¡¯s in denial.¡±


    I could see him looking at me, smiling as if he didn¡¯t know anything.

 Chapter 504: What He Wants (2)

    <h4>Chapter 504: What He Wants (2)</h4>


    ¡°That¡¯s why you¡¯re in denial.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not. You may not know it yet, but¡­ no human being is truly alive. If you go out tomorrow, you¡¯ll probably see it with your own eyes. This is happening not only in Lindel, but also in Celia, the Republic, and the United Kingdom¡­ You probably won¡¯t even be able to find the other races.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re telling me that¡­?¡±


    ¡°I understand that you had juste to your senses, so there are many parts that are difficult to understand in many ways, but¡­ I can exin everything. Actually, it¡¯s something I had to exin a long time ago, but¡­ for now¡­ yes, I will be able to tell you everything step by step, but also as fast as possible. Let¡¯s take a little rest for now.¡±


    ¡°So¡­¡±


    ¡°It may be difficult, but for the moment, be at ease¡­¡±


    ¡®Be at ease, my ass, you master of escape from reality.¡¯


    It was in that instant that I realized that whatever I said wouldn¡¯t work.


    I felt like he had decided to ept the current situation as it was. It was so ridiculous that I couldn¡¯t help butugh.


    It felt embarrassing to think about living sincerely on a perished continent where there were just the two of us. It seemed that he was not even concerned with the current situation.


    He thought that those ruins were better than what he was going to face.


    ¡®What is he so scared of, this bastard¡­?¡¯


    It didn¡¯t make sense for him to try to deceive himself while doing that. To be honest, it was a little creepy.


    If Hyunsung were aware that the space we were in was the unconscious he created, it would¡¯ve had a high probability that he was aware that he created me as well. He seemed to think that this was a one-man show.


    I thought he might have known that I had infiltrated, but ording to Ronove, it would be hard to notice.


    Had he known that I wasn¡¯t an illusion he made in that ce, but that I was really Lee Kiyoung, he wouldn¡¯t have tried to confine himself in such a form and in such a way that turned himself away from the truth.


    ¡®Do you have to go this far, Hyunsung¡¯?


    I thought I had given him enough time to rest, but it seemed he still wanted to rest some more.


    No, at that moment, he was currently leaving everything to fate. I knew his situation was serious, but not to this extent.


    I even thought if it would be right to swing a fist right at that moment.


    However, it was still unpredictable how he would react because of his unstable mental state.


    One thing was certain. I had to remind him once again that what he was seeing was not real.


    It didn¡¯t matter if he knew about it or not. Once more, I had to convey it through someone else¡¯s mouth.


    ¡®How much time do I have left?¡¯


    Three days in that realm was an hour in reality.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t intend to use up all three days. I was anxious about what kind of sh*t an agitated Park Deokgu had been nning to do.


    For the time being, it wouldn¡¯t be bad to y along with him.


    I didn¡¯t know if he actually could taste the drink, but when he drank a ss without saying anything, the way he talked was unlike him. Most of them were useless and empty stories.


    It was all about his past. However, it was also fun to listen to.


    ¡°Do you remember¡­ when we first met?¡±


    ¡°Yes. In fact, when I think about that time, I don¡¯t think of the present Hyunsung. I thought you were a bit colder¡­ Honestly, until a few years ago, I never thought I would see you smile.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s embarrassing.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think I could change this much, so it¡¯s probably not too much to feel that way. If I hadn¡¯t met you, I wouldn¡¯t have changed like this. Basically, I was a little clumsy whenmunicating¡­¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t feel that way.¡±


    ¡°Is that true?¡±


    ¡®No, it was awfully awkward, you bastard.¡¯


    ¡°Yes. However, if Hyunsung were really feeling that way, I would not have been the only one who had an influence. All of the Blue Guild members¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, right. You¡¯re right.¡±


    The story of the first time we met¡­


    ¡°I was surprised when I received a griffon as a gift.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it was when I just got back from the capital. I was worried if you would like it, honestly. At that time, I didn¡¯t know that Hyunsung would like griffons that much. I never thought you would enjoy rted goods or festivals. I honestly thought it was fortunate. At that time, because of Hyejin, I was a bit¡­¡±


    ¡°Hahaha. Is that true?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know how absurd it was when you said that she was suddenly appointed as the secretary¡¯s office.¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry for that.¡±


    We talked about the story of the griffon as a gift, the story of Cho Hyejin, the dinner party after the expedition, and all the other big events.


    There were many subjects. It was stories that both Hyunsung and I couldugh at.


    It wasn¡¯t that long, but we had a great time together. Surprisingly, there were many things we agreed on.


    As I was conversing to find out his approximate condition, morning soon came, and the following day soon began.


    Probably, around that time, I also started watching him in a state of half-surrender.


    To be precise, it would be appropriate to say that I just nodded half-heartedly.


    ¡®Okay, just do what you want then, you bastard.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t clear if there were fishes, but we went fishing together and wandered around the ruined Lindel in the name of finding a survivor.


    Of course, there could be no survivors because that was the unconscious world he created. I, too, took a closer look at Lindel¡¯s end, but I noticed the ces that were certainly disastrously copsed.


    It was the world of the first round.


    A world where Jung Hayan hanged herself, Yuno Kasugano died, and almost all living things that existed on the continent, including Sun Hee-young and Cha Heera, had disappeared.


    It would be strange if one¡¯s curiosity did not arise.


    After walking for a long time, looking around everywhere, we came up to the ce where I could see all of Lindel from above.


    Kim Hyunsung began talking to me as soon as I went out of breath.


    ¡°Is your body okay?¡±


    ¡°I think¡­ I¡¯m¡­ a bit tired¡­¡±


    Even in the unconscious, theck of stamina grabbed at my ankle. Fuck.


    ¡°Oh, then it would be better to take a break here. Or, we can just call it a day for now. We have a lot of time anyway. Maybe there are some wild animals on the forest side. If we¡¯re lucky, we might even find a griffon. How about going there tomorrow?¡±


    ¡®Wild animals, my ass.¡¯


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Rather, I want to look around this ce more¡­ or the Laios side¡­¡±


    ¡°I think that ce is in a direr situation. Here, have some water.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Do you feel better?¡±


    ¡°Yes, thanks. By the way, there really is nothing here. I can¡¯t hear a thing¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s pretty quiet.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°It seems very strange to be human.¡±


    ¡®Why did you suddenly say that?¡¯


    ¡°Everything is ruined, but it looks a bit pretty. It also looks mysterious. The red sunset¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re definitely lucky. I thought it waspletely dark, but to think there¡¯s actually a sun¡­¡±


    ¡°It has never appeared. In fact, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen anything that can be called a light. But every now and then, it seemed like I could see a red glow like that. Oh, and you can see stars outside of a certain area. I didn¡¯t see it yesterday, so it wouldn¡¯t be bad timing to go see it today. You have to walk for about three days, but it will be difficult right now, so if you are tired, we can go to see it next time. We have a lot of time anyway.¡±


    ¡°You seem to know more than I thought. How long have you been alone here?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s been that long.¡±


    ¡®You¡¯re lying.¡¯


    When I looked at him with my Mind¡¯s Eyes, there were things I could see.


    Traces made rtively recently were reflected everywhere. These traces had probably and unconsciously being done by him.


    It was obvious why such traces had been made.


    Kim Hyunsung had been left alone in that world.


    I didn¡¯t exactly know whether he was on the verge of regressing or if he was left there for a long time, and yet Kim Hyunsung was certainly there.


    I didn¡¯t know how many days or decades it had been, but he was certainly looking at that red sunset from that ce, again and again.


    He would have been looking at it every day. The only change in the world that could be seen in that dark ce would have been that phenomenon.


    Almost all of humanity was gone? How did Hyunsung survive?


    The most likely hypothesis was that Altanus protected him. Was what I had seen at that moment really before Kim Hyunsung¡¯s regression?


    It wasn¡¯t certain, but the probability was looking high.


    There were so many different kinds of information in my head.


    Honestly, it would be correct to say that he wasn¡¯t ready to ept it yet.


    There was a lot of work right in front of me, and the most important thing right at that moment was not the first round. I didn¡¯t know if it was just my imagination, but it felt as if the emotions he felt at the time were pouring out all at once.


    ¡®It may be dangerous as Ronove¡­¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know for sure. However, tears were pouring out of my eyes, regardless of my will.


    After looking at the red sunset for a long time, the guy looked at me and began to talk slowly.


    ¡°K- Kiyoung. Are you okay? Why¡­ why all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    ¡°But now¡­¡±


    ¡®Sh*t! It¡¯s nothing!¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m too¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to be bothered¡­ because it¡¯s nothing. Really.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I said I had something to say yesterday¡­ so I want to apologize¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I said you don¡¯t have to.¡±


    ¡°What does that¡­?¡±


    ¡®I didn¡¯t mean to say it like that, damn it.¡¯


    I saw the guy¡¯s face with a tight bite on his lips.


    Of course, I thought I knew what he¡¯s trying to say.


    He must be trying to say that he had regressed. He was thinking of finishing the ending like that.


    It was clear that he was trying to get rid of the baggage that was carried on to the second round.


    It was true that I had been thinking about it since back then. What Kim Hyunsung wanted was to avoid everything.


    He had avoided responsibility, ran away from failure, away from the truth, and avoided situations in which he might lose a colleague, a friend, or a lover. He wasn¡¯t confident anymore, so he let go of it, and he was trying to let go of thest baggage because of my appearance.


    I couldn¡¯t say anything right because my head was sore, but I couldn¡¯t ept that ridiculous apology.


    ¡®I raised you, and you want to run away? You should do the carry and then go.¡¯


    I tried to think if the world would avoid bing a repetition of the first round without him, but there was no way that I¡¯d let him run away so easily.


    ¡°You¡¯re not getting out of here?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    ¡°You know what I¡¯m talking about. Will you stay here like this? Are you really going to end it like this? You moron! What are you so scared of that you¡¯re doing this here? You know the truth.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°The scenery you see right now is all fake.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    At that moment¡­


    My body had been pushed against the wall with a bang.


    When I stumbled in shock for a while, what I saw was Kim Hyunsung¡¯s eyes staring at me.


    ¡®This bastard¡­¡¯

 Chapter 505: What He Wants (3)

    <h4>Chapter 505: What He Wants (3)</h4>


    I wasn¡¯t scared at all. Hyunsung¡¯s face was bing darker, but he hadn¡¯t been trying to threaten or harm me.


    Rather, with an expression that seemed even a little sad, I looked straight into his eyes. I wasn¡¯t very pleased being pushed against the wall, though.


    It was then that the guy who was staring at my face lowered his head slowly.


    His shoulders intermittently shaking seemed to represent his true feelings. He didn¡¯t deny or affirm what I had said, but it seemed that he didn¡¯t want to ept it just by looking at the atmosphere.


    As I frowned as if it was painful, he slowly stepped back with a startled face, but the reaction itself was as if he still didn¡¯t know what to say.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know, my ass¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s stop here for today.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean stop, you bastard? Look straight into my eyes. Are you really going to end it all here?¡±


    ¡°It seems like you haven¡¯tpletely returned to your mind yet.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s you, not me, who¡¯s gone nuts.¡±


    Watching him take care of his luggage calmly while turning his back silently, I began to get angry. It was because I could understand him a bit.


    ¡°You seem to be very tired.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t change the subject.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Why are you saying that?¡±


    ¡°You know why better than I do, Kim Hyunsung.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m tired now. I don¡¯t want to do it anymore. I don¡¯t want to talk about this either. Please stop.¡±


    ¡°You are not exhausted. You are running away. Do you really want to rot here forever?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s none of your business.¡±


    ¡°What will the people who are following you do?¡±


    ¡°Stop¡­ now.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to let them die?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to see them die. I don¡¯t want that to happen.¡±


    ¡°They will die in a ce where you won¡¯t see them. That will turn into reality if you don¡¯t wake up, you dumbass.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am someone who has already failed once. If I leave this ce, nothing will change. Eventually, the situation as it is now wille. Kiyoung won¡¯t be there too. I¡¯ll watch everyone die again. I don¡¯t care if you me me. But I am not confident to handle it. So please stop now.¡±


    ¡°A lot has already changed.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ because of you.¡±


    ¡°It changed because you saved me. You idiot, no one ever told you to hold a heavy burden alone, and no one ever asked you to watch them die. Don¡¯t talk like it¡¯s all over because you slipped once. Don¡¯t even think of finishing it like this.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to stop now?¡±


    ¡°Stop, my ass! You crazy bastard.¡±


    ¡°Sh*t! What do you know! What do you know!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Damn, damn it! Don¡¯t imitate him. Don¡¯t imitate him. Sh*t! Don¡¯t appear that way and force me to take responsibility. Don¡¯t show up like this and force me to take responsibility. I never said I wanted to start over. I never asked anybody to do it again! So leave me alone. Please stop! Leave me alone! Don¡¯t force me to take responsibility anymore! You motherfuckers! Fuck, don¡¯t force me to take responsibility, fuck¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t make me think about it¡­ please¡­ Please don¡¯t make me do that. Don¡¯t think about it¡­ I¡¯m so sick of it now. Please don¡¯t think about it. Don¡¯t think of anything.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Please stop¡­ please¡­ Please don¡¯t force me to take responsibility by looking like that.¡±


    Not only did his face be crumpled, but he seemedpletely out of his mind, which made his behavior hard to describe.


    I was surprised by him screaming, but I thought he wasn¡¯t screaming at me.


    Since he probably didn¡¯t know that the real Lee Kiyoung was in front of him, it wouldn¡¯t be wrong to judge that he felt angry with the unconscious inside himself.


    He thought that the burden on the unconscious that he had to carry deep inside came through Lee Kiyoung¡¯s image, which was one that he had created.


    The way he said not to impose that responsibility and to stop the conversation right in that instant was, in fact, no different from crying out to himself.


    If he didn¡¯t think about responsibility¡­


    ¡®Does he think I¡¯ll start talking about else?¡¯


    There were several hypotheses, but that was the most probable one. When I saw him bing quiet for a moment, ncing at me, I had to admit that I was half right.


    However, I couldn¡¯t y along with that motherfucker¡¯s behavior. It was up to him to judge, but I looked at him again.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never forced you to take responsibility.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°But you have to pick up the water you spilled, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°What? Did you think you created me too?¡±


    That was when his face changed. He looked as if he had just realized something.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Aah¡­ ah¡­¡±


    ¡®I don¡¯t know if it worked, fuck.¡¯


    In fact, this was also a gamble.


    I wanted to y along with him a little more, but if I didn¡¯t finish it at some point, I felt like he would keep dragging me with him.


    The reason I got annoyed was because of all the emotions that came into my mind. Above all, I thought there would be no better timing than that moment to mark a period. It was also true that I was a little anxious.


    Exining how I was able to reach him was also bothering me, and I started to remember all the things I said without thinking.


    From Kim Hyunsung¡¯s point of view, there were many things he could feel a little strange when I thought about it. He just hadn¡¯t noticed them yet.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Sni¡­ ff¡­¡±


    ¡®Ah, this bastard is crying again.¡¯


    Rather than being suspicious, it seemed like he felt relieved. I wasn¡¯t sure, but it felt like that.


    It seemed that he felt more at ease because I was safe and that I hade to him.


    ¡®Fuck¡­ you shouldn¡¯t have let go of your mind.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t think he¡¯d ever see mee to my senses for a second.


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s heroine trio¡¯s efforts weren¡¯t ignored. They really simply couldn¡¯t be heard.


    Once again, I was in a situation where I had to express my condolences to Cho Hyejin, but I had no choice but to give a quiet smile.


    I couldn¡¯t help but realize that the atmosphere was different from before.


    Kim Hyunsung was surely aware. He was surely aware that that ce wasn¡¯t where he should be.


    ¡°T-There¡­ was some parts that are left of you. There¡­ were still some parts of you¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You came to find me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because I thought you would be like this.¡±


    ¡°Somewhat¡­ It looks like I hadn¡¯t been reliable.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that.¡±


    ¡°Are you okay now?¡±


    ¡°In fact, it would be right to see it as a little dangerous situation. Coming here was like gambling.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve shown such disgraceful behavior.¡±


    ¡°I can understand.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be sorry about.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°No one ever told you to take responsibility. No one¡¯s ever said that. It¡¯s understandable that you feel pressured to have someone expecting things from you, that you have to deal with a lot, and that you don¡¯t seem to be able to withstand it. You don¡¯t have to be stressed in istion. We can hold the burden together.¡±


    ¡®Whew¡­ great line.¡¯


    My emotions started to rise more and more. It felt weird, but what did that matter?


    It just had to work anyway.


    I didn¡¯t know why Kim Hyunsung valued me so much, but I had no choice but to take advantage of it at this moment.


    ¡°I will take the responsibility.¡±


    I didn¡¯t force him to take responsibility. At least, I only made it sound like that.


    I could see a smile drawn on Kim Hyunsung¡¯s face.


    He grabbed my hand and raised himself.


    ¡®Ronove, it¡¯s now. I think now is the timing! I have to do it now. I said it¡¯s now! Fuck!¡¯


    It was no longer the red sunset that illuminated Kim Hyunsung and me.


    ¡°It may be difficult to understand, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I only thought that the scenery I was looking at so far was the setting of the sun. Of course, there was no such thing as the sun here. I just kept¡­thinking so.¡±


    ¡®Our Hyunsung is bing sentimental.¡¯


    ¡°But¡­ It looks like it wasn¡¯t.¡±


    The sunset urs both when the sun goes down and when the sun rises. Although the direction in which it arose was different¡­ There was no doubt that such aw would apply to a world that had already been ruined.


    Anyway, Kim Hyunsung, in the first round, seemed to have never expected that phenomenon to ur when the sun rose.


    I could understand. Who would see that and think the sun is rising? Perhaps it was the red light of the curse.


    ¡®In fact, in the first round, the sun might not havee to his mind in the first ce.¡¯


    Looking at the light shining on his sentimental face was satisfactory, but somehow I started to feel a little sorry.


    It was because I knew that the phenomenon was nothing more or less than the masterpiece Ronove made.


    ¡®The truth doesn¡¯t matter.¡¯


    It didn¡¯t matter what happened. The important thing now was how he felt.


    As I frowned at the bursting light, the buildings that had been ruined began to be torn down one by one. The light that spread out with the momentum topletely destroy the burden in Kim Hyunsung¡¯s heart had already begun to remove the traces of the first round that remained in him.


    Of course, that was also fake, but honestly, it was spectacr to watch.


    Maybe I really did think that Kim Hyunsung had gotten rid of the burden in his heart.


    I could see him slowly starting to walk.


    I watched as he struggled to move to a ce that was getting brighter and brighter.


    I could feel his hand as I guided him through the ce where the influence of the light had not yet reached. Kim Hyunsung silently walked and was going into the artificial light.


    I thought it would be finished, and when I gently shook off his hand, I saw him looking at me with a puzzled face.


    ¡°I can¡¯t go out here.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Other people are waiting for you besides me.¡±


    ¡®Come on, motherfucker. Why are you hesitating? Go out quickly.¡¯


    ¡°B-But¡­¡±


    ¡®This son of a bitch. Fuck, won¡¯t you leave? Get out, quickly.¡¯


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡®Quickly, you bastard.¡¯


    I pretended to be bitter, but we were running out of time.


    I could see that Ronove also created some people as if she thought it wasn¡¯t going anywhere.


    The production in which the Blue Guild members, including Park Deokgu and Jung Hayan, reached out to him was an amazing sight.


    ¡®This is too much, Director Ronove¡­ sigh¡­ It¡¯s too childish. This is an oldies clich¨¦.¡¯ It all felt so awkward that I felt like I wanted to die.


    ¡°Hyunsung, o-o-oppa¡­e on, quickly.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure if it¡¯s because of impatience, but Jung Hayan¡¯s face looked unnatural.


    It wasn¡¯t just them. All those with familiar faces were waiting for him.


    ¡°Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°Oppa.¡±


    ¡°Hyunsung.¡±


    Three defeated heroines with 38 losses.


    Ahn Ki-mo, Sun Hee-young, Hwang Jeong-yeon, and the newbies were also there.


    All of the characters who had built up rtionships with him in one way or another were present. Even the figures of the State to the figures of the Republic could be seen.


    And even¡­


    ¡®Why is she here?¡¯


    Even Lee Kiyeon, whose face I hadn¡¯t seen in a long time, was smiling at him.


    Even I had to be a little nervous because it told me how desperate Ronove was.


    ¡®Would something like this work?¡¯


    A wet nket situation.


    It would be natural to think that Kim Hyunsung, who intuited something strange, might even notice it.


    ¡°H-Hyunsung is not¡­ not¡­ alone.¡±


    In the end, even my lines had be twisted because I thought I had to participate in that cheap scene.


    However, Kim Hyunsung, who became even more sentimental, didn¡¯t seem to have noticed that all those situations were fake.


    As much as he was involved in the case, his hands and feet seemed safe. Even the way he shouted lines like a protagonist, I had no choice but to bite my lips tightly.


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m not alone¡­now.¡±


    ¡®Fuck¡­ It¡¯s a miracle.¡¯


    The sight I was seeing was not a miracle. Rather, Kim Hyunsung being convinced by that cheap scene itself was the miracle.


    With a sigh of relief, I hit my chest with a fist.


    ¡°We will be able to meet again. And¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I believe in you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, surely, surely.¡±


    The way he threw himself into the light with a pretty bright face looked the most rxed I had seen so far.


    I was left alone and had to clench my fists. There were some ws in the end. Still, it was okay to think of it as an awakening clich¨¦ close to perfection.


    ¡°Fu¡­ ha¡­ fuhhehehehaha!¡±


    Laughter burst out of my lips without my knowledge. I had no choice but to have a pleasant imagination.


    ¡°To the goldennd, El Dorado!!!¡±

 Chapter 506: Kim Hyunsung’s Awakening (1)

    <h4>Chapter 506: Kim Hyunsung¡¯s Awakening (1)</h4>


    -External advisor.


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    -External advisor.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go¡­ to the Goldennd¡­ to El Dorado¡­¡±


    -External advisor!


    ¡°Let¡¯s¡­ go!!¡±


    -External advisor!!


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    My closed eyes had already begun to open to the voice calling for me. It was unpleasant to wake up from the feeling that I had been having a quality sleep.


    However, when I recalled what had happened inside, I couldn¡¯t help but clench my fist.


    ¡®Was it sessful?¡¯


    It definitely felt different from before.


    This type of unconsciousness was quite realistic, but it didn¡¯t have the same atmosphere that reality had. As I was squeezing my fists, I came to the realization of where I was.


    It was the interior of the carriage where I fell asleep a few moments ago.


    ¡®It¡¯s a sess.¡¯


    Although I was a little worried about the future, the thought that I seeded without difficulty fitted the result perfectly.


    I wanted to get drunk on that feeling a little more, but there was no way I could find the time to feel the afterglow. I had to figure out how the current situation was going on, after all.


    I wasn¡¯t feeling all that anxious as it must have been less than an hour, but I thought that my best course of action was to look outside in a hurry.


    When I looked out and forgot that there was a magic hologram, what greeted me was a mess.


    The grounds had been turned into a chaotic battlefield by the fight that started a while ago.


    -Grooooaaaaaaarr!


    ¡°Hold on! Hold on!!¡±


    ¡°Fire! Fire! Wizards, prepare your magic. Bombard them until you¡¯re exhausted. Don¡¯t back down. Don¡¯t back off! Sh*t!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t lose!!! Do not back down! Never forget that Goddess Benignore is still with you!! Fight until your body is broken!!! The light of the continent cannot be taken away by dirty demons!!¡±


    Craaashh!!


    Baaaaanngg!!!


    ¡°Don¡¯t let theme up!! Don¡¯t let them cross the wall!!! Never!¡±


    -Grrrrrrr! Dirty humans!! How dare you?!


    ¡®Whoa¡­ they¡¯re holding on better than I thought.¡¯


    Only then could I get rid of my anxious mind a little. I still felt hazy about whether I was in a dream or reality, but when I witnessed the sight in front of me, I started to feel like my mind was awakening.


    As I looked next to me with a sigh of relief, I saw Ronove covering her nose.


    ¡°Ronove?¡±


    -Oh, er, I-I¡¯m sorry, external advisor. I think I saw something too stimting.


    ¡®What is she talking about?¡¯


    When I nced at Ronove once again, I thought I knew why she was covering her nose.


    It¡¯s quite entertaining to see her blocking her nosebleed as much as possible.


    She was even blushing, and she constantly shuddered, making me suspect what she was doing.


    ¡®That¡¯s why she produced all of it like a dog.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t want to say anything right away. Regardless, the work was executed sessfully, and in a consequential view, I could have received her help as well.


    As I shook my head, recalling her productions from a little while ago, she looked at me with an anxious expression and spoke to me again.


    -Do¡­ you think what I did wascking?


    ¡®What bullsh*t are you talking about? Lacking? Yes, fuck, the production was missing something.¡¯


    ¡°No. It¡¯s nothing. More importantly¡­ Please brief me on the current situation.¡±


    -Ah¡­ yes, yes¡­ So, about 40 minutes have passed since the battle started. As you can see, they¡¯re not being pushed that much. It seems that the humans are resisting better than I thought, so I decided to observe the situation for now.


    ¡°Hyunsung hasn¡¯t shown up yet?¡±


    -Yes, it¡¯s probably going to take a little longer for him to do so.


    ¡°How much?¡±


    -It won¡¯t take much time. Unlike you, he had been in the unconscious for a very long time. But don¡¯t worry too much. He¡¯ll most likely wake up in probably an hour or so. It could be faster. It usually takes about a day, but he is a high-ranking human¡­


    ¡®One hour¡­¡¯


    Could they hold on until then?


    I believed that they would be able to withstand the onught, considering the current atmosphere. Of course, I wasn¡¯t certain of this, but it was very impressive to see the troops pushing little by little, based on the basic defense battle.


    I could definitely feel the collective will of humanity to no longer back down.


    Although everyone had been fighting as one, the one that definitely stood out was Park Deokgu.


    ¡®Pig bastard. That¡¯s pretty good.¡¯


    -We¡¯re going to hold on as much as we can! As much as we can, you hear?! In a little while, support wille from a nearby base!


    It was difficult to give an exact exnation, but it felt like the atmosphere had changed.


    No, it was true that it had actually changed. I could see that an unknown buff that affected the entire troops was spewing out from around him. I wasn¡¯t expecting much, but it seemed that he had achieved nominal growth.


    Hisbat power itself didn¡¯t increase significantly.


    However, standing at the troops¡¯ center, encouraging the weary soldiers, and stopping the demons seemed like a scene out of a holy war. Actually, after giving it some more consideration, it was indeed a holy war. The current battle was between the continent and the demons trying to conquer it, after all.


    Cha Hee-ra was fighting on equal grounds against one of the hard-liners, and the others weren¡¯t all that different.


    When I saw that the Blue Guild had been in charge of one axis in the frontlines, I naturally felt proud.


    Some of the guild members, who evidently looked confused until an hour ago, were fighting as if they had received new vitality, causing me to appreciate them. Rather, I was more worried that the situation was going too smoothly.


    ¡®There needs to be a crisis.¡¯


    ¡°So it would be a little more dramatic¡­¡±


    I thought that they would be able to defend the iing waves even if Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t appear in that state. However, it seemed that it was just an illusion.


    As time passed, I could see them gradually being pushed back.


    To be precise, their downfall started when Donovan eventually joined.


    To be honest, I was a bit sick of him wandering the battlefield without hesitation, all for the sake of being called a named being from the 27th Corps.


    With each swing of his fist, dozens of people were swept away. It wasn¡¯t farfetched to think that his every movement affected the battlefield immensely.


    From the standpoint of those defending the base, he must be a nuisance.


    I thought perhaps there would be a special lease soon, but as if he thought they couldn¡¯t afford to pull back the troops, Park Deokgu kept him in check.


    He wasn¡¯t fighting to win. He was simply trying to hold on.


    He was like David standing in front of Goliath, holding a big shield and blocking him to the best of his ability.


    Even Park Deokgu¡¯s body seemed small next to the demon, making it hard to imagine how much pressure he was under.


    Donovan swung his fist, and Park Deokgu continued to block it.


    Since he was focusing on defense so much, he didn¡¯t even unsheathe his sword. Yet it still seemed like he could barely block him, causing me to flinch, but he felt as if he was holding on properly.


    -This is fun, human! Fun! You trash human!


    -Sigh¡­ Sigh¡­


    Of course, there was no way his body would be fine.


    Even though Elena and Sun Hee-young¡¯s divine powers were constantly pouring over him, even though all kinds of buffs were coursing through his body, the gap in power was too huge.


    His whole body was being crushed and bloodied. Watching Park Deokgu holding down Donovan made me want to cry.


    When the divine power no longer supported him, he endured while drinking a potion and avoided attacks that seemed unstoppable, even if he had to roll away.


    He stuck so hard to him that it wouldn¡¯t be wrong to say that he was persistent without falling over.


    -Cough! Cough!


    His internal organs seemed damaged as if he couldn¡¯t hold on against the demon¡¯s pressure, causing him to bleed constantly, but he didn¡¯t wipe the blood away. Instead, Deokgu concentrated on blocking his opponent even more.


    After isting Donovan with Park Deokgu, I knew I would benefit from it, but I couldn¡¯t help but feel that it was too harsh for him. He had to stand up over and over again, swallowing the pain away.


    I wasn¡¯t certain of it, but there was a high probability that he volunteered to do it. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to withstand the onught for that long.


    ¡®I have to get rid of that bastard Donovan as soon as possible.¡¯


    I wondered what Kim Hyunsung was doing.


    I looked at Ronove, thinking that he might have entered the unconscious once again, but the pervert next to me shook her head and didn¡¯t say anything else.


    Even in other parts of the battlefield, the flow of war began to switch towards the side it favored.


    Cha Hee-ra was gradually lowering her intelligence to match the level of one of the generals, and Elena¡¯s divine power, who was supporting the entire army, was also near depletion.


    Even when the frontline was being pushed back little by little, Park Deokgu stayed faithful to fulfilling his role, but the situation still approached the worst possible oue, making me want to call for a time-out.


    I couldn¡¯t wait any longer.


    ¡®Fuck, he should appear right about now.¡¯


    It was then that I felt that the situation became different from before once more.


    I could hear one of the many magic holograms in front of me crackling.


    ¡®Huh¡­¡¯


    I noticed that there was a problem with the spirit ced to watch the interior of Kim Hyunsung¡¯s room.


    The demon in the control room felt flustered, but of course, I couldn¡¯t stop myself from smiling.


    The fact that there was a problem with the spirit looking at him meant that he had woken up.


    ¡®He came back! He came back!¡¯


    ¡°Please let me take a look at the overall view.¡±


    -Okay.


    It couldn¡¯t be more dramatic than that. Just as I thought, a gigantic light burst out of Kim Hyunsung¡¯s room, and both sides, who had indulged themselves in madness, turned their heads and looked at the sky.


    ¡®Whew¡­¡¯


    -He is back¡­


    Park Deokgu, who had been lying on the floor covered in blood, muttered quietly, and Donovan also looked at the sky as if he couldn¡¯t understand what had been going on.


    -Guild Master¡­


    The same was true for Cho Hyejin.


    Kim Ye-ri started crying with her head down likemon heroines, and even Park Yeon-joo was smiling despite the blood all over her body.


    The Blue Guild members, who already lost hope, began reorganizing their ranks once again with a loud shout. They gained the strength to take a step forward, even though most of the other guilds¡¯ troops didn¡¯t know what exactly was going on.


    The atmosphere was changing. If it were ording to clich¨¦s, it would be at that point when we¡¯d all hear hopeful music ying in the background.


    ¡®El Dorado!¡¯


    -What¡­ what¡¯s going on?


    ¡®That¡¯s a reallymon line!¡¯


    -What is happening? What is¡­ what¡¯s happening?!


    ¡®Very good. That kind of line fits very well, actor Donovan.¡¯


    Donovan, who uttered a typical viin phrase, stretched out a big hand toward Park Deokgu in confusion.


    -Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!


    His outstretched limb quickly began to soar into the air.


    -My aaarm!!!!!


    Even the line he screamed was typical.


    After seeing that, Park Deokgu began to speak with a faint smile.


    -You¡¯rete, Hyung-ssi¡­


    The guy, who nodded, had begun to reply calmly.


    -I¡¯m sorry.


    Standing in front of Donovan was the regressor who hadpletely awakened. It was a perfect clich¨¦ scenario.


    He looked like a typical shounen¡¯s main character, causing me to unconsciously speak to myself internally.


    ¡°Fucking, fucking cool¡­ Fuck¡­¡±


    I felt like I was witnessing a 20 million audience breakthrough.

 Chapter 507: Kim Hyunsung’s Awakening (2)

    <h4>Chapter 507: Kim Hyunsung¡¯s Awakening (2)</h4>


    ¡®I¡¯m so proud, so proud.¡¯


    Artists were often most excited when their work eventually came out to the world. Of course, director Doom Kiyoung, who was in charge of the y, was no exception. Goosebumps had already sprung up all over my body. Currently, Kim Hyunsung looked like a shounen protagonist standing in front of the viin going after the allies of justice, gaining a newfound power.


    ¡®What has changed? Did he get a new ss? How did you get awakened? Did you really awaken?¡¯


    It had to be checked thoroughly, but it seemed that his ss had evolved to the mythic grade.


    It wouldn¡¯t be wrong to think that he broke the egg by himself and came out without the help of Benignore or Elune. Considering the light that continued to emanate from the sword held in his right hand, it seemed that some of his mythic-grade abilities had been released.


    Who would have known that the sword given by the museum would be so helpful?


    ¡®Awakening! Awakening! Awakening! Kim Hyunsung¡¯s awakening!¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s face, as he looked at Donovan, looked as if he had finally let go of the heavy burden in his heart. It was the norm that the guy who fought in a rxed state was stronger than the hero who fought with the burdened mind.


    The protagonist, who had a conviction so firm it couldn¡¯t be shaken, was seldom defeated.


    When I monitored Kim Hyunsung, who quietly exhaled, I started to feel as if I was being maized by him.


    Definitely¡­


    ¡®I chose the right actor.¡¯


    He was good-looking and had the power to draw attention.


    Of course, he wasn¡¯t the only star on that stage. After all, a good movie could only bepleted when a good viin appeared.


    It was slightly different from the original n, but I picked the right being to get beaten.


    Donovan¡¯s appearance as a typical viin was a masterpiece. Of course, it wasn¡¯t acting for him, but I had to smile at ease in a situation where he fit tightly like a puzzle.


    -How dare you? How?! A mere human! A mere human!


    ¡®Wow, I was starting to wonder why that line didn¡¯te out.¡¯


    -How dare you! My arm!


    ¡®This one is also good. If he hadn¡¯te up with a line like that, I would be really disappointed.¡¯


    -Sigh¡­


    He jumped in and swung his fist widely.


    As if the fight with Park Deokgu was a hoax, the fist packed with enough energy to sunder mountains was avoided too easily by the lovely returner.


    The surroundingspletely copsed due to the wind pressure alone. Along with the booming sound of the shockwave, Kim Hyunsung was reading his opponent¡¯s attacks calmly without blinking.


    -¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s beautiful.¡¯


    He tried to approach her, but Kim Hyunsung kept his distance.


    It was clear that if they fought head-on, his body wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand it. He was wielding his arm like a mad and rabid dog, but it was impossible for the fist of the Four Demon Generals¡¯ weakest link to eventually reach the main character.


    The results had not yete out, but it had already been a long time since I had sent my worries to the moon.


    Kim Hyunsung could never lose in that fight. The sight of him wielding his sword while avoiding Donovan¡¯s knuckles was quite an amazing scene to behold.


    Watching skilled swordsmen and warriors fight always felt exhrating, but his movements were too efficient and quick that it would¡¯ve been hard to understand for themoners¡¯ eyes.


    ¡®You¡¯ve be too strong.¡¯


    Allowing Donovan to attack was dangerous, but Kim Hyunsung seemed to be trying to test his newly acquired strength. Naturally, Donovan, who was well aware of that fact, grew even more violent.


    -How dare you deceive me?! Are you deceiving me!? How dare this mere dirty human! In front of Donovan, themander of the 27th Corps!! I¡¯ll tear you up and kill you. I¡¯ll make sure to torment you before you die!!


    -¡­


    -The same goes for the other humans here. Insect humans! Insect humans!!! Die¡­ Ahhhhhhhhh!!


    -¡­


    The moment he looked away, Hyunsung deeply cut off his legs.


    I wanted to express my gratitude to Donovan, who remained faithful to his role all the way to the end. He was even pouring out all kinds of curses.


    ¡®Goodbye, Donovan. Thank you.¡¯


    -This is a living sacrifice to my friend, cough!


    -¡­


    -Damn it, I¡­ I-!


    -¡­


    -I¡­ I can¡¯t be beaten¡­ by a mere human! I can¡¯t be beaten. I can¡¯t break my promise to my friend¡­


    ¡®Gosh, Donovan.¡¯


    I almost teared up, witnessing this scene. What he chose instead of reverse summoning was to use all of his remaining power.


    It wasn¡¯t as much as Belial¡¯s appearance in Laios, but the huge guy began to assume a new look. Even Ronove, who was watching the situation next to me, began to look at him as if he was pathetic.


    -Stupid¡­ It¡¯s a shame to say that he¡¯s a member of our kind.


    It looked as if his limits had been broken.


    Originally, when demons were summoned to this world, they came in with a certain penalty.


    It would be safe to assume that the guy¡¯s current appearance was enough to make the others deliver all the mythic grade power he¡¯s got.


    It made me a little sad because I felt his willingness toplete his mission even if it meant resisting the system, but the Four Demon Generals¡¯ weakest link had always been fated to exit the fastest.


    -My friend!


    -He is not your friend.


    -What?


    -He is not your friend.


    ¡®Yes, Hyunsung. Fuck¡­ That¡¯s it.¡¯


    -You don¡¯t know anything about him to be saying that. You are nothing but a useless mortal! You don¡¯t know anything!


    -Motherfuckers!


    And thus, the conversation ended with that. However, Kim Hyunsung¡¯s face was clearly different.


    -I¡¯ll kill you all! Every single one of you!


    Donovan began to gather enormous magical power that caught even me by surprise. It didn¡¯t take long for arge fist to fall from the sky.


    To put it in an exaggerated manner, it felt like a reproduction of a Laios nightmare. However, Kim Hyunsung moved slowly and without fear.


    ¡®Will you use your special move? Will you?¡¯


    I could already tell by looking at the atmosphere. That would be thest attacks they would ever exchange with each other.


    A fist the size of a house fell, and Kim Hyunsung¡¯s sword radiated so much light that it was impossible to look at it directly. The brilliance reminded me of the red sunset that I saw before parting with him. It spread out in all directions and began to drive away all the surrounding darkness.


    It was so beautiful that it was hard to describe properly.


    ¡®Wow¡­¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know if it was just my imagination, but as if he were inspired by what he had seen in his unconsciousness, it was irrevocably simr. After biting his lips tightly and concentrating all the magic power and strength within him, he wielded his sword of promised friendship. The scene was worthy of bing a historical painting.


    The huge light emanating from the sword illuminated the darkness andpletely split apart Donovan¡¯s body.


    -Hah!


    -Shiiiiiit!


    What happened after Hyunsungpletely broke through Donovan¡¯s magic power didn¡¯t need to be exined.


    -I-I¡­ to a¡­ mere human¡­


    -Sigh, sigh, sigh¡­


    -I¡¯m¡­ sorry. My friend¡­ I¡¯m¡­ sorry. Belial¡­


    -Sigh, sigh¡­


    It was Donovan¡¯s shocking end, a symbol of the 27th Corps.


    I started to think that I should retreat as fast as possible since I was in the same ce as they were.


    Act 1 was over, and Act 2 was about to begin. Since I had stepped in between those two acts, I needed to check the end of the final chapter.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Ronove.¡±


    -What? Right now?


    ¡°No. Shouldn¡¯t I go there to show my face for a moment? I have to tell them what the next mission is.¡±


    -What is the next mission?


    ¡°Well. It¡¯s time for the continent to carry itsst beacon of hope on its back, one by one¡­ It would be good for them to step back and prepare for the final battle. It will also give them a break. They need time to take all of their inner thoughts out.¡±


    -Ah¡­


    ¡°Since they have secured base 17, they will think that they¡¯ll have another chance.¡±


    They just needed to prepare for the final battle against the troopsing in. Of course, it had been tentatively confirmed that the next fight would be a lot worse than thatst fight.


    The clich¨¦, which could soon be called the royal road in the current situation, would be a desperate battle that couldn¡¯t end without the tears of the fallen guelord of Darkness and his friend, the genius swordsman.


    However, that would only happen if I could deal with Kim Hyunsung.


    I was expecting a little bit, but I started to lose more confidence due to what I recently saw.


    I thought he would¡¯ve awakened, but he became more monstrous than I thought. He wasn¡¯t a genius for no reason. He was strong enough to split the demonmander in half.


    ¡®Should I bulk up my body¡­?¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Should I do some push-ups?¡¯


    My specs were too low to even be considered a good match against him. I could try toe up with another method, but I thought it would be beautiful to confront each other even if that meant having to use the help of Belial, the ruler of all evils.


    Swinging swords at each other whilst shouting lines like ¡®Come back! Kiyoung! You have toe to your senses!¡¯ was something I wanted to hear from a fallen standpoint.


    ¡®There must be some other way.¡¯


    The first thing I had to do was show my face from a distance.


    Ronove felt a little nervous about finally showing herself after a long time, but for the moment, I patted her shoulder and began to show myself from far away.


    Of course, Doom Kiyoung continued to wear his mask from the old days.


    As I slowly raised my hand toward the battlefield whosebatants were still fighting, I noticed the demons exiting the base like an ebb tide.


    Ronove, too, with an alluring smile as if she was nervous, stuck to me. Everyone probably felt relieved.


    The battle was over. The battle had ended with the first victory of humanity.


    However, I was certain that there weren¡¯t that many humans who could cheer at what they were witnessing at that moment.


    The demon they faced was only the weakest among the Four Guardian Kings. The dirty humans still had to deal with Doom Kiyoung, who Belial chose.


    ¡®Yes, guys. That¡¯s how you be stronger. Pain is a blessing to the youth.¡¯


    I was pretty far away. However, I could see the gazes that had begun focusing on me.


    I wasn¡¯t interested, but I pretended to be, and I pretended to be curious about how the humans could ovee Donovan.


    When I looked at Kim Hyunsung with the final boss¡¯s look as if the other guy had just let his guard down, I noticed that he was also looking straight into my eyes.


    As if he had pledged something, his fists were clenched, and his hands were put on his chest. He was showing his determination to rescue me at all costs.


    It was an expression of his willingness to save me, even if it meant giving up his own life.


    He even opened his mouth slightly, as if it wasn¡¯t enough to tap on his chest once again, which he did in his unconscious. Before long, he began to recite the words I had conveyed to him in his unconscious mind.


    He probably thought I might not hear him since we were far away, but he spoke anyway.


    ¡°I believe.¡±


    ¡®Ah, time to act like I have a headache.¡¯


    I pulled on my hair as if my mind was being torn for a moment. I then returned to my original form shortly afterward.


    For a moment, I could see Kim Hyunsung¡¯s face, seemingly expecting something to happen.


    I fluttered my silver hair in response to that reaction, sending only a fishy smile as if I was having fun.


    ¡®That was so cool.¡¯


    ¡°He was the weakest among the Four Guardian Kings, but who would have thought that a human would get rid of Donovan.¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back, Ronove. It looks like something interesting has happened.¡±


    -Yes, Lee Kiyoung.


    ¡®I¡¯ve been immersed until the end.¡¯


    We were getting close to the perfect finish.

 Chapter 508: A short break (1)

    <h4>Chapter 508: A short break (1)</h4>


    -Let¡¯s go back, Ronove. It looks like something interesting has happened.


    -Yes, Lee Kiyoung.


    ¡®Whew, let me see it one more time.¡¯


    -Let¡¯s go back, Ronove. It looks like something interesting has happened.


    -Yes, Lee Kiyoung.


    ¡®It¡¯s really good.¡¯


    I wasn¡¯t the type to reminisce about something that had already passed, but I wanted to keep repeating that scene for some unfathomable reason.


    The sight of two people staring at each other from a distance whilst having different thoughts proved to be the best scene among them. It was the same as the way Doom Kiyoung turned his back and left without regret.


    ¡°Whew, this is a great scene. It¡¯s amazing.¡±


    I actually thought that it might be a bit cringeworthy, but at that point, it was enough for me to think that I fulfilled my role gracefully.


    I had removed the idea that my overflowing teenager sensibility might not be much different from Ronove¡¯s in my mind, and as I drank the wine, I felt as if I hade to heaven.


    I liked the small but definite happiness that I was feeling. I had spent some time alone while congratting myself on the feats I achieved that day. No one could hate such an ambiance.


    ¡®I think I can work harder because I have times like this.¡¯


    In fact, it would be best to take a rest every now and then.


    As I drank my wine again with my legs stretched over the desk to feel a little morefortable¡­


    Knocking sounds came from behind the door of the control room. Like a teenager who was disrupted while watching a private video, I tried to turn the video off in a hurry, but I made a mistake and pressed rewind instead.


    I thought it was fortunate that my embarrassing voice did note out, but the scene that came out was none other than Donovan¡¯s video.


    ¡®Gosh¡­¡¯


    -I-I can¡¯t be beaten¡­ by a mere human¡­


    -Sigh, sigh, sigh¡­


    -I¡¯m¡­ sorry. My friend¡­ I¡¯m¡­ sorry. Belial¡­


    ¡®Fuck. I didn¡¯t want to see this.¡¯


    I felt a little embarrassed, but I couldn¡¯t express it at all. As I looked carefully next to me, I could see Limur¡¯s face watching me anxiously.


    -I¡¯m s-sorry, external advisor. It seems that I came in too abruptly¡­


    ¡°N-No.¡±


    She had an expression that seemed to have misunderstood something.


    -It is not your fault.


    ¡°What? Ah¡­ yes.¡±


    It didn¡¯t take long for me to grasp the situation.


    -You don¡¯t have to worry too much about it. It wasn¡¯t your fault. Donovan, that stupid guy¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -Lee Kiyoung¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I never thought that this kind of ident would ur, but Donovan¡¯s sad death¡­ it¡¯s all because of my carelessness. How disappointed others must be feeling right now¡­¡±


    -No, you don¡¯t have to think about it in this manner. This is not something that you should see or think of so deeply. It was an unexpected situation. It was a ridiculous and stupid ident.


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    -It is his fault that he ran to base 17 while ignoring the scenario in the first ce. He even had a chance to reverse summon, but he tried to make a full descent instead. It¡¯s not enough to just say it¡¯s stupid. There is no need for Lee Kiyoung to suffer because of such a dumb guy.


    ¡®I know, Limur. I didn¡¯t do anything wrong. I¡¯m not wrong. This is all Donovan¡¯s fault. Yes, it is.¡¯


    In fact, apart from my reaction, the demons weren¡¯t feeling very concerned about Donovan¡¯s death. If one were to ask how they felt, they¡¯d say they were rather embarrassed by the stupid guy. It would be a story that could be seen for granted from the position of the 27th Corps¡¯s other generals.


    He was in a situation that was no different from certain death because he had immersed himself too much in his role in the y. While ignoring the scenario, he took actions of his own ord and died after being split in half by a human being.


    He had the option to choose the method called reverse summoning, but I thought he was even more stupid when I remembered his eventual fall.


    His death was far from noble or honorable.


    The end of Donovan, a warrior who had been defending the corps before the 27 Corps joined the 72 Corps, felt so terrible thatughter came out. It was too embarrassing that the high-ranking demons belonging to Donovan¡¯smand wouldn¡¯t even mourn his death.


    Not to mention, the moderates in the legion had gained a lot more power.


    It was pitiful since the guy thought about me as his friend until the end, but he put himself in a circumstance where there was no way for any of my sympathy to arise.


    His end could be ced in the top ranks if I picked the most foolish death in the entire history of demons.


    He made his name known ording to his wishes, so in a way, I made his wishe true.


    The method had to be a little different, but wasn¡¯t Donovan too satisfied with the underworld?


    While I kept feeling proud, crocodile tears began to flow from my face.


    ¡°Sigh, Donovan was a good soul¡­¡±


    -Yes¡­


    ¡°He told me that he wanted to create a new hell and that he would make a ce where everyone could be satisfied. He said that he would die for the 27th Corps.¡±


    -External advisor¡­


    ¡°Sorry, Limur. Can I be alone for a moment?¡±


    -Yes, of course.


    ¡°Oh, but why did youe here¡­?¡±


    -No, it¡¯s not urgent. However, I was curious about how you would handle the future for personal reasons. Rather, don¡¯t be too bothered. I¡¯m saying this sincerely. No one hasined about this. Really.


    ¡°Yes, thank you so much for saying so. And I will try to contact you as soon as possible for future schedules.¡±


    -Ah, yes. Sorry to bother you.


    ¡°No. Rather, I should be the one to apologize¡­¡±


    Limur bowed her head for a moment and kissed me lightly on my cheek. I lowered my head a little in response. Perhaps it was her own way of trying to console me.


    It didn¡¯t matter what it was. All that mattered was that I was fortunate to be able to spend time alone again. I also needed some time to have fun and to organize everything personally.


    It was okay to assume that Limur came in at the right time.


    ¡®In fact, I¡¯m not in a position where I can do anything¡­¡¯


    Based on the overall picture of the situation, the human faction had the right to dominate.


    Since they were lighting up the embers of a counterattack, it was undeniable that they woulde in sooner orter.


    Maybe they had a lot of ns in their mind to finish the final chapter beautifully.


    Of course, they¡¯d also need time to revive the atmosphere, which should consume at least a day.


    When I turned the screen whilst sipping the wine that Limur poured, I captured the image of the main unit of the Continental Union that was being surrounded by a good atmosphere.


    -Cheers! Cheers! Sing the song of victory. Let¡¯s go out, my friends andrades. There were sacrifices, but their sacrifices will never be forgotten by our hearts. Cheers! Cheers! For our victory!


    From the dwarves singing the song of victory¡­


    -Raise your ss. Let¡¯s toast to our triumph and in honor of the victims. Let¡¯s be grateful for our small but important win.


    ¡­To the humans who celebrated in a respectful manner.


    I didn¡¯t think the atmosphere was too rxed. They were celebrating their win in moderation. Rather, it felt as if it had given vitality to the heavy atmosphere.


    In any case, that kind of time was absolutely necessary.


    Humanity¡¯s wounds were still too big tounch an attack of their own, after all. The entire army was exhausted both physically and psychologically.


    If I were itsmander, I would think that holding a banquet was an unavoidable choice.


    I definitely would have done something like that.


    It was a w that I wouldn¡¯t be able to see up close, but I felt excited, even from a little far away. Of course, the most striking among them were those who praised Kim Hyunsung.


    -Thank you. Really¡­ Thank you.


    ¡®Right, you should be grateful.¡¯


    -For the new hero of humanity. For all future battles.


    ¡®It has a nice atmosphere. Really.¡¯


    -For the sword of light! For the sword of light!!


    ¡®I like the nickname. Whew, you¡¯re the sword of light, the sword of light! It suits you perfectly¡­ Hyunsung, can you hear me?¡¯


    -Sing a song for the hope of sunset¡¯s light!


    ¡®The hope of sunset¡¯s light. His special moves were intense, though. Yes¡­¡¯


    -For the swordsman of sunset¡¯s light!


    ¡®Gosh. Good.¡¯


    It was the first victory of humanity, which almostpletely copsed.


    When they thought that all themps of hope were out, the hero of humanity appeared and defeated one of the Four Demon Generals alone.


    Naturally, the human faction had delighted reactions and created expectations.


    ¡®That kind of event deserves to appear at least once.¡¯


    In fact, Kim Hyunsung¡¯s impact had been weak during that time.


    Of course, he raised awareness little by little through various incidents, but it was undeniable that there was no strong blow. People even wondered why I was under Kim Hyunsung.


    Considering that they even said that Kim Hyunsung was only the figurehead, and the actual owner of the Blue was Lee Kiyoung, I naturally supported the current situation.


    The more difficult the present became, the more heroes were desired, after all.


    Kim Hyunsung perfectly met the conditions needed to be a hero and yed a huge role as the medium that brought humanity back together. I didn¡¯t like that he was struggling as the hope of humanity, but I could at least be sure that Kim Hyunsung hade in at the right time.


    I left half of my luggage to Kim Hyunsung, but ironically, Kim Hyunsung¡¯s face on the screen seemed to have abandoned the luggage.


    Of course, I couldn¡¯t see everything in detail, but I felt like he no longer felt nervous.


    His face that had be even more rxed, seemed to exin his current state of mind.


    I was allied with the demons for the moment, so he might not befortable with it, but the reason he could make that face was probably¡­


    ¡®I believe.¡¯


    He believed that I would be able to withstand the corruption well. The others¡¯ faces weren¡¯t all that much different.


    I didn¡¯t hear what Kim Hyunsung was saying, but looking at the crowd¡¯s faces, I could predict his words. Of course, Park Deokgu¡¯s loud voice was the most helpful.


    -So, y-you mean, hyung-nim is still fighting, right?


    Perhaps he had been telling the story of when I came to visit him.


    -You mean hyung-nim came to see you?


    He even told them what happened during that time in detail.


    -He tapped his chest and said he believes you?!


    Hyunsung also seemed to be talking about some very embarrassing parts.


    -No, wait, hold up. The two of you watched the sunset together?


    He didn¡¯t let even the smallest detail remain untold.


    -Then the technique you used to fight the demon was his gift?


    He was shouting so loud that the whole unit could hear it.


    ¡®This bastard, really¡­¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know why, but I could see female adventurers flocking around him. It even felt like their morale had risen to a strange extent.


    The desire to rescue Cardinal Lee Kiyoung at any cost began to spread in all directions, and it came from that group.

 Chapter 509: A Short Break (2)

    <h4>Chapter 509: A Short Break (2)</h4>


    -External advisor, we havepleted the withdrawal of base 4.


    ¡°Oh, thank you so much for your hard work.¡±


    -Base 7 has also been withdrawn. Hahaha.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been working really hard so far.¡±


    -It¡¯s not hard work at all. Isn¡¯t it all thanks to external advisor Lee Kiyoung? In fact, we were treated like low-rankings because we were not recognized on the continent. However, this opportunity not only left a strong impression of us on humans, but we were also able to obtain good results. I even think that I¡¯ve gained more achievements this time around than I had umted over my entire life. It¡¯s really fortunate to be able to work for you before returning to hell.


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡±


    -It was you who helped us in so many aspects.


    ¡°You tter me too much.¡±


    -It¡¯s pretty small, but this is¡­


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    -I hope you can think of it as my gratitude and ept it.


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t need to do this¡­¡±


    -No, this is a token of my appreciation. Haha. Just take it.


    ¡°You can¡¯t do this. Ah, I didn¡¯t do my job to get something like this¡­¡±


    -Seriously, just take it.


    ¡°If you insist¡­ ahem, I will have no choice but to do so. Thank you.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t do anything but smile. The umted goods were also great, but in fact, I thought the situation itself felt even more enjoyable.


    The news about continued victories also continued to make me smile.


    As of that day, bases 4 and 7 seeded in withdrawing ording to the scenario.


    Yesterday, bases 13 and 19 retreated without issues, and at that point, I kept hearing that the project¡¯s phases were sessfully beingpleted one after another. At this point, I even wanted to dance.


    ¡®There¡¯s nothing wrong with the old saying that the biggest enemy is indeed a stupid ally deep inside¡­¡¯


    After Donovan¡¯s death and the hardliners¡¯ downfall, the project itself began to work out with great sess. I was surprised to see the corps¡¯ rush of sess. It was like watching an eight-ton truck speed through with a broken steering handle.


    The current project was definitely running toward one goal.


    Although its duration was only that of a short time, I could no longer count how many crises had passed through the world. Some of the demons that stood out to me showed amazing acting skills, and the signature line ¡®The 27th Corps wille back again!¡¯ was also bing increasingly entrenched in human memories.


    It might have been felt like a sessful battle for humanity, but there were no huge deaths for the demon faction after Donovan.


    In fact, there should¡¯ve been no way for demons to die permanently. It was very unlikely that they would die if they exited ording to the script or chose to reverse-summon.


    If the demons simply followed the script, which only aimed to leave a huge impression that would threaten humanity, then it would¡¯ve been safe for them. That meant that they wouldn¡¯t have to die. Rather, they would just have a good time while raising their degree of recognition.


    From humanity¡¯s perspective, victory was right in front of them, but there were indeed many unstable factors for them.


    They would be able to live on, but they would always remember that the demons who had driven them into aplete corner were still alive and waiting for the right time to return.


    The weak-minded people just might have the worst aftereffects of the war.


    It was not just thergest main unit. Numerous troops were moving simultaneously across therge territory of the Federation.


    In addition, humanity was watching the current situation through magic holograms.


    It was only natural for achievements to umte as they repeatedly felt despair and hope every day. As the recognition of the 27th Corps as a whole increased explosively, the demons in themand rejoiced at the present situation.


    Once again, the demons opened their mouths with smiles forming on their lips.


    -It feels so good to see humans being happy and anxious. It¡¯s during times like this that I recall why I wanted to follow Belial, external advisor.


    ¡°Hahaha, I was worried if you would be satisfied, so I really am d that you¡¯re feeling that way.¡±


    -Aren¡¯t our achievements enough proof? If you go back to hell and get the payment you deserve, you would fully deserve to be called the 20th Corps-no, the 19th Corps instead of the 27th Corps.


    ¡°That much¡­¡±


    -It¡¯s difficult to imagine how tremendous the repercussions Lee Kiyoung caused would be. The demons of the other legions in hell are even promoting this as a moderate example¡­ It is said that the low-ranking demons and intermediate demons who haven¡¯t found a ce yet want to go under Lee Kiyoung after 2,000 years. Even the corpsmanders in the top 10 are sending out messages that they want to work together with you.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    -Since Belial cares about you¡­ you probably haven¡¯t heard of it, yourself.


    ¡°Hahahaha. I would be grateful if you tell him that there¡¯s no need to worry. Well, I¡¯m already a member of the 27th Corps, right? I¡¯m grateful for the proposals from other legions in hell, but I would have chosen to work with the 27th Corps no matter what they offered.¡±


    -As expected from you¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to find such fun and pleasant people that are easy to work with.¡±


    -Thank you for thinking so. Oh, what about base 3?


    ¡°I think they will withdraw safely inside today.¡±


    -In a little while, this will soon be thest one.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be too disappointed. There will surely be a chance to meet again.¡±


    -External advisor¡­ if I could, I would stay here.


    ¡°I would be very grateful if you all stayed, but you also have to go back to hell. It is good to umte results, but isn¡¯t this a workce? You have to take the good news to your families who will be waiting in Hell.¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°If you focus too much on work, it would only be less efficient. Since you worked hard, you have to rest for a few hundred years. There are also other levels of work. I will make sure to take action so that I can summon you once again before 2,000 years is gone.¡±


    -We won¡¯t forget you, external advisor.


    ¡°Me too. Haha¡­¡±


    -And um¡­ can I ask a small request¡­


    ¡°Anything you want.¡±


    -It¡¯s embarrassing, but I want to get an autograph. Is that okay?


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how my autograph will help, but if it¡¯s a request from our Lily Mirian, I will, of course, abide by it. Haha.¡±


    -If so, then please do it here.


    Looking ahead, I saw an old-fashioned novel that seemed to be well-made.


    ¡®I see¡­¡¯


    After things had gotten back on track to some extent, I saw some guys spending their personal time intermittently.


    Of course, the most striking ones were those who were reading that big book. In fact, I initially never thought I would see demons reading, but I went through that situation a couple of times.


    Considering that they were basically no different from humans, it wasn¡¯t strange to say that there would be bestsellers in their realm.


    ¡®Considering it¡¯s a bestseller from hell¡­ I¡¯m kind of curious.¡¯


    As I slowly turned my gaze downward, the title of the book began to catch my eyes.


    I only started learning the demonnguage recently. Hence, I couldn¡¯t read it properly, but the visible title was¡­


    [How the guelord of Darkness and Genius Swordsman Love]


    It was a familiar title somehow.


    ¡®Are ¡®how to love¡¯ books popr these days?¡¯


    The continent and hell really had simr trends.


    In the case of a genius swordsman, it was a ssic material that could be found anywhere¡­


    It was funny to see the demons carrying a book about how to love, but that love was most likely not the love I thought it referred to. It was also quite interesting that my ss name, guelord, was in it, but the only ones who knew my ss name in the first ce were Ronove, Limur, and some other generals¡­


    A bestseller couldn¡¯t bepleted in such a short period of time, right?


    I had no other choice but to take out my pen as we agreed on, thinking it was a reasonable coincidence.


    ¡°Hahaha. I have seen a book with a simr title in this world. Of course, I haven¡¯t read it, but the title is simr, so it¡¯s a little strange.¡±


    -Oh, that¡­


    ¡°Yes? You know it?¡±


    -Are you referring to H.G.S.A.L?


    ¡°H.G.S.A.L?¡±


    -How a Genius Swordsman And Alchemist Love.


    ¡®What, why is she so serious all of a sudden?¡¯


    She looked like she didn¡¯t like it, and although I couldn¡¯t know for sure, it felt like I said something I shouldn¡¯t have.


    -Like every book written by humans, you can see that its quality is low. I felt bored with a ssic coupling that didn¡¯t even know how to twist a clich¨¦. The author¡¯s writing skills are the worst, and it was cringy to see it express useless feelings. Overall, I had a strong feeling of being too bored. And the scene was so powerless.


    ¡®What scene?¡¯


    -I understand that the genius swordsman cares for the alchemist, but works thatck violence and sadism are basically not popr. Simply put, it isn¡¯t stimting to read. That book is trash.


    ¡®Is she a critic?¡¯


    -It¡¯s too slow to pass chapters while only sprinkling baits on it. Even that isn¡¯t interesting. I can assure you that justparing this book and H.G.S.A.L written by humans is extremely rude to the author.


    ¡°Oh, sorry. I¡­ I¡¯m really sorry.¡±


    -I recently heard that the author has been trying to trante this book because he wants to spread the story to humans in this world. It will probably be a good study for stupid humans. Through this amazing novel, they will surely realize how bad they are at writing. I would dly desire to be summoned back to this world to see their reactions¡­ Oh, I¡¯ve been talking too much. I got a little excited. I¡¯m sorry, external advisor.


    ¡°No. It¡¯s fine. Isn¡¯t it a good thing to be able to focus on and be passionate about something else? Then the autograph¡­¡±


    -Oh, I think you can do it right under the title. If you could write ¡®to my beloved Lily Marian¡¯¡­


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    -It¡¯s a gift for my daughter¡­ Thank you very much, Lee Kiyoung.


    ¡°It was nothing at all. Hahaha. It¡¯s not a big request. Then thank you for the hard work, Lily Mirian.¡±


    -I will never forget this grace, external advisor. Then I¡¯ll be going.


    ¡°Yes. I look forward to seeing you again.¡±


    -Me too. I will definitely apany you in hell. I wish you a sessful and well-rounded finish.


    With a wide smile, the figure of the demon slowly being summoned back to hell came into sight.


    Although I was a little distracted by the criticisms that emerged out of nowhere, thest line was surely stuck in my heart.


    ¡®I have to finish it sessfully¡­ right.¡¯


    No matter how good the intermediary process was, if one couldn¡¯t properly tie it together in the end, it would end in failure.


    I couldn¡¯t get a proper evaluation because I didn¡¯t read either of the books, but the winning side would probably be the one who finished the story properly.


    Of course, that was the same as the situation I was in. No matter how much I performed and received good reviews from the demons, the possibility that many would lose interest if the end were vague and powerless¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s too high.¡¯


    Suddenly, the heavy sense of responsibility to draw pictures that both continent and hell would be interested in crushed my whole body.


    In fact, the ending where I would confront Kim Hyunsung had been temporarily given up.


    However, it was difficult to find an ending that was better than that, no matter how much I thought about it.


    The scene where the fallen Doom Kiyoung and Light Hyunsung collided was necessary for the work¡¯spleteness.


    ¡®Damn it. I have to find a way.¡¯


    Even if I could borrow the power of Belial, the guelord was still not suited for the frontlines.


    I thought I needed someone who could use their body as a shield, but there was another big difference between fighting entirely alone and fighting 2v1 with the demon.


    That could never be seen as a very cool scene. I even thought of using a summoned minion, but I didn¡¯t like that, either.


    As I was constantly thinking hard, I became crazy about the summon I had forgotten for a while.


    I organized my thoughts instantly. I didn¡¯t know if I could make contact right now, but for the time being, I had no choice but to open amunication channel right away.


    ¡®Excuse me?¡¯


    [Huh? Huh? you¡­ Where the hell are you right now¡­ Do you feel a bit better?]


    ¡®I think it would be better to meet and talk, Dialugia.¡¯


    This time, the ck Dragon, Dialugia, was absolutely necessary.

 Chapter 510: At Lindel (1)

    <h4>Chapter 510: At Lindel (1)</h4>


    ¡°You are really¡­ really¡­ trashy!¡±


    The delighted face she had when we met onlysted for a moment.


    Upon grasping the overall situation, Dialugia¡¯s face became filled with tremendous rage.


    I wavered a little due to her serious face, but I had to think that I needed to be a little more confident.


    Weren¡¯t I also deciding in tears in order to maintain the bnce of the continent?


    ¡°Come on! Why are you this even though you¡¯re wise and knowledgeable? You should know best which one would be the right answer! Although all of this has been done for me, it¡¯s absolutely undeniable that it¡¯s also for the continent.¡±


    ¡°Even so, releasing demons on the continent is too much. Besides, even helping them¡­ are you out of your mind right now?¡±


    ¡°It is not a matter to be so angry about, Dialugia. So what do I do? I wasn¡¯t the one who summoned the demon, and I¡¯ve never asked him to stay here. No, think about where the demons were pouring out in the first ce.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to rationalize with sophistry. Now I¡¯m tired of it.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not really doing anything like rationalization. If the gods of the continent, including Benignore and Elune, were sane in the first ce, would I have been doing this here? The reason the demons started pouring out like this is because of those ipetent gods if you think about it¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It seems you never thought that I was helping Benignore, who is now a fugitive. The earnest prayers saved by thest event would have already paid off one-third of Benignore¡¯s debts. That¡¯s not all. Who do you think is the reason that the demons are going easy on you? Really¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re in a situation in which the continent could truly be destroyed. It is Belial who is currently blocking other hardliner demons from squeezing through the narrow hole, and he is the one who reduced the power of hardliners in the legion.¡±


    ¡°Even so¡­¡±


    ¡°Humanity could have beenpletely wrecked here. They would¡¯ve died out of nowhere, and the demons could have swallowed the continent whole because the ipetent gods were away.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Sell me as trash knowing who is giving the results to the moderate demons, the power to the ipetent gods, and safety and the chance to be strong to humanity¡­ you have to recognize that what I do is for the continent, Dialugia.¡±


    ¡°No matter the case, it cannot be forgiven. Doing this¡­ this is not right.¡±


    ¡°Then what can I do? Do you think it¡¯s the right choice to get out from the filthy demons right now and then resist with humanity? Then let¡¯s go out together right now. Let¡¯s try to resist.¡±


    ¡°No. I didn¡¯t mean it that way.¡±


    ¡°Gosh¡­ Who even has to maintain the bnce of the continent in the first ce? Rather, it can be viewed as a situation where I am doing what Dialugia and other dragons have to do. How much did you do to be putting pressure on me like this after this incident broke out? Honestly, I don¡¯t think there is any way that¡¯s more reasonable than this. Well, if there is, please tell me now. If I think it¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll ept it right away.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that because there was a specific way. However, I was just giving my opinion from aprehensive perspective¡­ I can definitely thank you for what you¡¯ve done, but no matter how much I think about it, it doesn¡¯t make sense¡­¡±


    ¡°If you try to protect the bnce of the world, you will be constantly shaken by ethical aspects and other perspectives. But is that more important than keeping the continent¡¯s bnce? Even if the process isn¡¯t that clean, isn¡¯t the result itself the top priority? The continent will be peaceful. The world in which Tol To-ri will live will be just, equal, and even¡­ ahem, so don¡¯t worry about things too much and don¡¯t ruin the atmosphere on the set.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Start with the idea of ??fighting with yourself, okay?¡±


    ¡°Still¡­ a gue Dragon¡­ that¡¯s a bit¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you saying that your image is more important than the continent? Were you just that much of a dragon?¡±


    ¡°No, no. That¡¯s¡­ not it.¡±


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s start putting our spirits up again. Since I put Tol To-ri to sleep, she will never see it.¡±


    ¡°But won¡¯t the videos be left out there?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°O-Okay. I¡­ I will make sure to shoot properly.¡±


    ¡°You have to look as desperate as you can be.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    Dialugia seemed dested. The situation was easy to be confused about, but I expected that much. Still, it felt like she understood more naturally than I had previously thought.


    That was probably because she couldn¡¯t find anything to refute.


    Although it looked a little bad, no one would disagree that the actions I was taking were the most efficient way to ensure the continent¡¯s safety.


    ¡®I was doing quite well.¡¯


    I was controlling the demons, and I was making the continent stronger.


    I even managed to increase Benignore¡¯s divine power. Hence, it didn¡¯t matter what anyone thought. Logically speaking, the best situation had been achieved.


    There should have been a chance to overturn it in the beginning, but it had reached a point where even Dialugia couldn¡¯t do anything about it at the moment.


    Maybe she knew that too, and all she could do was tremble with pain in that hard spot. She stuttered a little, but the acting itself felt like it wasn¡¯t bad. It was good enough to be aired across the continent.


    -I-I¡­ will resist. I will never let you do what you want¡­ never¡­


    -This is quite a spectacr sight. To think you still speak of such words when you¡¯re already falling¡­ Aren¡¯t you the existence that must keep the continent¡¯s bnce? Now you will live as an enemy of the continent, stupid dragon.


    -Be mindful, human¡­ c-chosen by me. Don¡¯t let them fool you. Your friends, those who care for you and those you care for, are waiting for you. Dialugia is waiting for you. Don¡¯t lose to them. I know better than anyone else that you are still fighting inside. Please¡­


    -You¡¯re still noisy. The human you know who has been chosen by the gods is already dead. It¡¯s not him who is here right now. You have chosen him, but this time, I will choose you, Dialugia. From today onwards¡­ you will be reborn into my family.


    -I believe in you.


    -¡­


    -I still believe there is a handful of purity left in your soul.


    -That¡¯s funny.


    -I can see it by looking at your eyes. When I first met you¡­ I saw that¡­ you are still fighting¡­ I¡¯m certain of it¡­


    -Stop. I don¡¯t want to hear it anymore.


    As I slowly raised my hand, huge dark energy from above began to swallow Dialugia.


    Of course, it was a simple presentation. However, the effect was quite remarkable. The ck scales that had been shining with luster began to turn dull and rotten, and the eyes full of mes lost their light.


    What about the huge pair of horns that were called her symbol?


    Not only did they change like rusted iron, but they also contained disgusting energy that seemed like it would cause anything it touched to rot. There were even dark green bodily fluids dripping from her mouth.


    It wouldn¡¯t be wrong to say that she had an appearance that was fitting for a gue dragon. It was visually shocking enough to make me apud unconsciously.


    -Grrooooaaarrr!!!


    ¡°Cut. Whew¡­ Dialugia, you seem to have an incredible talent for this. Hahaha. I couldn¡¯t even imagine that you would be this good.¡±


    -Is¡­ is this enough?


    ¡°Yes. If you want to do more, I don¡¯t mind. In fact, I was satisfied enough, but who knows if a better scene wille out next time.¡±


    -No. I-if you are satisfied, I think it would be better to finish like this.


    When she instantaneously returned to her human form, she looked a little bleak.


    She didn¡¯t seem to be dissatisfied with the result, but she seemed to be feeling a sense of self-embarrassment.


    I didn¡¯t know about anyone else, but it was understandable for her. In the first ce, she wasn¡¯t someone who would do something like that.


    She seemed worried that her people, who I wasn¡¯t even sure whether they were alive or dead, would see her. I couldn¡¯t help but swallow hard when I saw her face that seemed to say she had lost something precious.


    ¡®If you keep looking like that, how will I use it¡­¡¯


    In fact, it was a figure that matched the appearance of the gue Dragon, but the atmosphere was bad, considering that she would have to bump into Kim Hyunsung after a few days.


    Only when the front line was strong that the rear side could showcase its full potential.


    ¡°Then, please tell Belial to reap the energy in the kingdom of Eberia. If it gets any closer, it is very likely that the world tree will once again be in danger. As you said, I can¡¯t just wait and see when I¡¯m supposed to be the one who has to keep the continent bnced.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ That side is a bit¡­¡±


    ¡°What, is there some great reason behind that?¡±


    ¡°No. Well, it doesn¡¯t mean that there is a reason. Isn¡¯t it natural to be turning over and over? No matter how hard humanity is running with themp of hope lit, only 18 bases have been conquered recently. It¡¯s necessary to focus our troops there to make them feel that something is wrong.¡±


    ¡°That means¡­¡±


    ¡°The ce where the demons are aiming is Eberia, and of elves with the world tree. As a result, the quality of the troops on the federal side has been rtively weakened. We have to set that up. That way, even the demons who have lost their base and have withdrawn will be able to gain face.¡±


    ¡°Is it really for that reason?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why we have high stakes. Primarily, it¡¯s a way to keep the tension going. Who would be afraid of the demons if they were beaten? Even though they¡¯re going to leave anyway, shouldn¡¯t they leave behind a big scar on the continent first?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ So you really mean to harm the world tree?¡±


    ¡°No matter how trash I am, that¡¯s kinda¡­ are you thinking of me as Satan? You¡¯re having a terrible opinion of me, really.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°The ce that should get hurt is Lindel.¡±


    ¡°Lindel¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. Lee Jihye would probably roughly expect it. Of course, there is little information, so it¡¯s not a reliable situation, but if we look at the bases that had withdrawn¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what¡¯s going on.¡±


    ¡°Look carefully again. The base is maintained by the main unit of the continent right now. So, suppose the 27th Corps takes base 19, base 21, and finally base 32 again¡­¡±


    ¡°The road to Lindel will open.¡±


    ¡°It is difficult for humanity to maintain all of its current bases. I know the 27th Corps is approaching Eberia. The troops holding the frontline will inevitably be pulled back¡­ meanwhile¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re thinking of securing a base and going straight into Lindel.¡±


    ¡°Yes. The final chapter will be finished on that side.¡±


    ¡°When?¡±


    ¡°It will start now. After excluding a handful of troops, the entire 27th Corps will head to Lindel.¡±

 Chapter 511: At Lindel (2)

    <h4>Chapter 511: At Lindel (2)</h4>


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ Lindel. No matter how I think about it, I can only conclude that way.¡±


    ¡°But Lee Jihye, it would be too risky to pull back our troops right now¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an unavoidable choice. I also don¡¯t want to throw out all the points we¡¯ve earned so far, but I have no choice but to respond because they¡¯re showing their intention in that way. In any case, there¡¯s one thing that remains unrefutable. This situation, where he seems to have been forced to precipitate, definitely deserves to bebeled as the work of the Blue Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I am withdrawing the troops. I¡¯m sorry, but I refuse to ept any other opinions. I would like you to ry my orders to themanders of each base right now. In addition, it would be a good idea to give full evacuation orders to Lindel and all the small towns around it. Please take the proper measures to clear the city. I don¡¯t want to see even an ant remaining behind. I want that to happen within the day¡­ or five hours in Lindel¡¯s case.¡±


    ¡°But maybe we should listen to other people¡¯s opinions¡­ The fieldmanders currently on the frontline might have different thoughts. Maybe Eberia is¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m worried that the atmosphere I¡¯ve created so far will be disregarded.¡±


    ¡°I understand your thoughts, too, but the situation is too urgent to spend time with empty talk. As for the troops stationed in Eberia, losing the bases they have gained so far wouldn¡¯t be easy, but what they need right now isn¡¯t a base to maintain the frontline. It would be fair to see that their decision to head to Lindel was inevitable for them as well.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that¡­?¡±


    ¡°If you think about how they are currently getting the magic power they need to maintain the summons, you¡¯ll find your answer.¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    ¡°Yes. You can judge that the humans necessary to maintain the summons have be insufficient. The World Tree in Eberia is probably just a means to hide the attack on Lindel¡­ The purpose of the demons is to stay in this world longer. If they can take the State in the center of the continent and Lindel in its center as a bridgehead, they will think that they canpletely capture the continent.¡±


    ¡°If so¡­¡±


    ¡°Perhaps this will be thest battle. Winning or losing this fight will decide the fate of the continent. If you understood that, then we need to get back together in exactly an hour. Until then, please forward the message to themand and strategy teams of each base, and we will meet again and have a meeting about the Battle of Lindel that will beginter.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lee Jihye.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be a long meeting. Thank you, everyone.¡±


    ¡°This is what we want to say.¡±


    ¡°Sigh¡­¡±


    With a thumping sound, I saw the strategy headquarters¡¯ team members leaving like a low tide.


    As I quietly turned my head and looked out the window, I was met by the dull darkness.


    It was a few days ago that I thought of all kinds of things while seeing that anomaly. However, after I figured out how things were going, I had to rx a little.


    No, even at that moment, an unknown heat was rising within me. In the early days of the incident, if I thought of being flustered and bursting into tears, anyone would have no choice but to get angry.


    ¡®This trash human.¡¯


    Actually, I doubted that.


    I didn¡¯t understand how that trash man was kidnapped by demons while helping the federal people evacuate.


    It was also bothering me that a cockroach-like guy who took care of himself more than anyone else wandered around there with his own feet. Obviously, I thought there were circumstances I didn¡¯t know about, but humans were the only animals that could think rationally.


    In my heart, the anxiety began to thump, and I tried hard to erase the anxiety, and I endured desperately, even skipping sleep.


    I started to feel that something was strange, right after Kim Hyunsung, the Blue Guild Master, awakened. To be more precise, it was after Kim Hyunsung talked about his dream.


    ¡®Really, is there any other trash like this?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know what the reason was. It was still unclear as to why Lee Kiyoung, the trash human, had gone along with the demons.


    However, one thing was certain. Doom Kiyoung wasn¡¯t aiming for the destruction of humanity.


    Wasn¡¯t there so much he could gain from that work?


    There was the growth of humanity, which was the hottest topic before the incident, and the faith to return the continent to normal. There was even the awakening of Kim Hyunsung. The fact that most humans didn¡¯t know was that there was nothing that could be said to be damaging to him if I took a closer look at it one by one.


    ¡®Rather, he would have benefitted from it.¡¯


    Maybe he¡¯s on the demon¡¯s side and drinking wine with excitement. Why didn¡¯t I see the situation a little more coldly¡­? I felt like I wanted to ask myself back.


    ¡®Aren¡¯t you, at least, able to contact me?¡¯


    Of course, the most annoying thing among them was that he kept all of that a secret even from me. When I heard that he appeared in Kim Hyunsung¡¯s dream, I was so disconcerted that my jaw dropped.


    Perhaps Cha Hee-ra, Elena, and Yuno Kasugan also felt the same way.


    Kim Hyunsung was the first person he went to meet, leaving so many women behind.


    It was only proper to feel anger beyond perplexity. Still, it was a little better than appearing in other bitch¡¯s dreams, but seeing Kim Hyunsung¡¯s reaction, I didn¡¯t like the situation itself.


    ¡®Maybe¡­ he is still fighting. He said¡­ that he would believe and hold on, too.¡¯


    ¡°Fuck.¡±


    ¡®Ah¡­ you mean that technique. I don¡¯t remember exactly how I realized it, but I think it¡¯s a gift from Kiyoung. No, it must be a gift from Kiyoung. He must have been thinking that what I could do wasn¡¯t enough back then.¡¯


    ¡°Lee Kiyoung, you bastard.¡±


    ¡®I don¡¯t know¡­ how it was actually. I¡¯m not sure how he came to me. I think he¡¯s probably noticed that I was breaking down. If Kiyoung hadn¡¯t actuallye¡­ I would still be wandering through that unconscious world. He¡­ definitely noticed. Even while he is fighting¡­ I mean.¡¯


    ¡°He didn¡¯t notice that I felt sad. Lee Kiyoung, that trash.¡±


    Of course, there was no problem. The main unit just asked what exactly happened, and Kim Hyunsung only answered it.


    In fact, I didn¡¯t even need to be annoyed, considering he was solving everything so inly.


    However, by nature, humans were bound to feel useless emotions.


    His quiet smile seemed to beughing at me for some reason. His voice also felt as if he was provoking me. Therefore, I couldn¡¯t help but feel angry.


    To be precise, it was resentment against that trash.


    When I heard the rtionship worries of a friend about her boyfriend that valued ??his friend more than herself, Iughed. However, it was so absurd for it to actually happen to me.


    ¡®He doesn¡¯t appear in my dreams¡­¡¯


    Everyone was probably thinking the same thing. I knew that jealousy could make a person ugly, but I still couldn¡¯t help but feel bothered. However, when I recalled his corrupted face, my head spun.


    ¡®His taste is¡­ the same as a teenager.¡¯


    ¡°He¡¯s really sexy¡­¡±


    He had silver eyes and silver hair.


    I wasn¡¯t too into masks, but even that looked hot on him. I even thought that it would be nice not to abandon that appearance.


    As he had never been in trouble, the unburned white skin turned a little pale, and the viin¡¯s acting, who tried not to forget his identity, was also excellent. I even personally owned a video of him looking down on humanity with a vile smile when they were just about to have hope.


    How about the recent Dialugia corruption video?


    The scene of dealing with a dumb dragon with his eyes and attitude that seemed to be looking at an insignificant animal made me feel a sense of pleasure that made my whole body tremble.


    I knew it was childish. Silver hair and being fallen were such old clich¨¦s.


    There was no scene as tragic as when he entered the stage, looking as if he had no choice but to get cursed when he was captured. Even though I knew all of that, it was no wonder that he could move women¡¯s minds with his visuals.


    ¡®It¡¯s perfect for my man.¡¯


    I liked his personality too, but his appearancepletely suited my taste. Sometimes, even if he annoyed me, remembering his appearance was enough for me to forgive him.


    ¡®I have to suffer again¡­ well, what can I do?¡¯


    While I was tapping the table and looking back at the situation, I heard a knock on the door again. I realized that less than an hour had passed.


    Before I even said e in,¡¯ what I saw through the wide-open door was the face of a messenger that seemed a little confused.


    ¡°Lee Jihye.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡®I can guess what the situation is¡­¡®


    ¡°The number of demons in the main bases upied by the 27th Corps¡­ has been reported to be decreasing. Themanders at each base can attack right away¡­¡±


    ¡®I knew it.¡¯


    ¡°I think I told you that it is impossible to attack¡­ Go back and tell them. You tell them to give up attacking the base. Have you ever noticed the movement of the enemy¡¯s main unit?¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t confirm exactly, but I was told that the demons were escaping Amera.¡±


    ¡®I¡¯m sure of it.¡¯


    Nothing was as thrilling as when what I had predicted would turn out to be true. I was feeling a little anxious, but as expected, my man chose Lindel as the final stage.


    It was the center of the continent and the ce and symbol where adventurers began to take their first steps.


    Perhaps he had chosen Lindel as thest ce because he was considering other aspects besides the strategic purpose.


    It wasn¡¯t a bad stage for a conclusion, even more so when I thought how obsessed he was with directing. No ce was as suitable for making a scene beautiful as that location.


    The fallen Doom Kiyoung would be waiting, and the Blue Guild members would be crying out to him toe back to his mind.


    Drunk by the power of the demon, he would show off his power beyond his limits, and the sword of light would stand against him. Considering he recruited Dialugia, it would be alright to assume that what he wanted was a one-on-one confrontation with Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡°Gosh¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing.¡±


    I was ready to show him what real directing was like.


    He couldpletely forget thest direction that felt a littlecking. Enthusiasm was arising to show him properly what a perfectly set stage was.


    I didn¡¯t know what was happening, but since he didn¡¯t put me in an event like that meant that he was ignoring me.


    ¡®I have to take this opportunity to make him look back at me again.¡¯


    I was a capable woman, and I looked attractive wherever I went, after all. Even if it felt a bit forced, the ce and scene itself were important for Doom Kiyoung and Kim Hyunsung to meet, and another device was also needed to make the situation more dramatic.


    As I thought about the troops¡¯ formation in my mind, I started to think of Doom Kiyoung and the stage for the light swordsman.


    I didn¡¯t want to push it up that far when I recalled his face that felt like he was provoking me for some reason, but there would be no better picture than that to build a conclusion.


    Just like that, the day ended. There was news that the forces that were pressing Eberia were leaving. And, finally¡­


    Information beganing in that the 27th Corps seemed to be heading for Lindel.


    ¡®I have to retaliate properly.¡¯


    As much as that version of Lee Kiyoung might remain until the end, I was struck by a useless thought - one that said I should secure as much data as possible. Just like that, a war began to loom over Lindel.

 Chapter 512: At Lindel (3)

    <h4>Chapter 512: At Lindel (3)</h4>


    ¡°You didn¡¯t leave, after all, Pope Basel¡­¡±


    ¡°You say that, Sir Oscar, but aren¡¯t you also holding your post?¡±


    ¡°The Continental Union is holding its ce despite its fears. In this world, is there a leader who will flee only to save himself? Even if I die, I will die with my country. I will die with those who are here. That¡¯s the least that I can do as a powerless leader.¡±


    When Oscar looked sideways, he noticed Pope Basel was quietly nodding in agreement.


    Was that a face full of concern? Even traces of his fiery personality, so infamous among even the Roman Curia, could no longer be found.


    Pope Basel¡¯s face, which had aged considerably in thest couple of years, seemed to reflect his state of mind. It probably wasn¡¯t just because of the demon attacks.


    Since the incident, Pope Basel was no longer able to have a decent night of sleep.


    From the moment Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung had been captured by the demon, he didn¡¯t leave the prayer room except to participate in external public affairs. As if to reflect his agony, tears of blood gushed out from the goddess¡¯s statue, making Pope Basel deliver more sincere prayers.


    He was desperate enough to ruin his health.


    ¡°It is the same for me too. I¡¯m too old to even remember a holy spell. It is already dreadful that I can¡¯t stand on the front line; how can I leave my country to survive alone? We will definitely¡­ definitely ovee this.¡±


    ¡°You have not given up.¡±


    ¡°Ha, actually, a couple of days ago¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I got in contact with the Blue Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°By Guild Master, you mean¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. The sword-master of light. He asked me to believe and pray.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°He told me that Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung was still fighting the demons. He heard it directly from the Cardinal and has asked me to never give up and send prayers that could give him strength.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°I was embarrassed, Sir Oscar.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, Pope Basel?¡±


    ¡°It felt as if he saw through me. The young hero noticed my wavering, despondent heart that was about to give up. It felt as if he saw my resentment towards goddess Benignore for not saving me.¡±


    ¡°Cardinal Lee Kiyoung will definitely, most definitely persevere.¡±


    ¡°I agree. Without a doubt, he will. Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung will surely persevere. Goddess Benignore will never abandon her faithful servant. However, before that¡­¡±


    ¡°We must address our imminent threats.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I believe in our goddess, our future, our soldiers fighting for our empire, and Cardinal Lee Kiyoung, who is battling his internal turmoil harder than anyone else.¡±


    ¡°I also¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I also share that sentiment.¡±


    He swallowed back his bitter smile and stared at the view in front of him.


    There were those who weren¡¯t running away even if they could have surely done it. There were those who sped their hands together to pray at the capital¡¯s square even as the darkness loomed over Lindel.


    ¡°This fight will determine the fate of our empire.¡±


    As Pope Basel had said, the iing battle would make or break the fate of the continent. They were the ones on the battlefield, but they weren¡¯t the only ones fighting.


    The people, who were waiting for the start of thest sh, also understood. That was why they were standing there.


    A woman looked at the sky while holding her child. Young priests prayed ceaselessly as the soldiers red at the iing darkness. The elderly couple held each other¡¯s hands as a young man served them. They were each fulfilling their role in their ce.


    ¡®Let us believe that the empire will be able to ovee this threat; that this time won¡¯t be different.¡¯


    He knew that he shouldn¡¯t disy any signs of weakness. However, he couldn¡¯t keep his eyes from watering.


    ¡®You have to be safe, Honorary Cardinal.¡¯


    He sped his hands in devotion.


    ¡®Please¡­ Please, I beg of you, Goddess Benignore.¡¯


    ¡®For the empire¡¯s survival and peace¡­¡¯


    ¡®Give him the strength to endure this ordeal¡­¡¯


    ¡®For him to hear his voice calling her Lady Aris again someday.¡¯


    And¡­


    ¡®For the holy army that is preparing for the battle at Lindel to ovee this great ordeal.¡¯


    There was no other option left but to give such a prayer.


    * * *


    ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous, soldiers. Goddess Benignore will be with us. The Sword-master of Sunset will also be with us. We will not fall by any means. Until the moment we bring peace to this empire, we will not give up the light we have lost.¡±


    ¡°Huff¡­Huff¡­¡±


    Thud. Thud.


    ¡°Huff¡­¡±


    Thud. Thud.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am a-alright.¡±


    ¡°You must be a volunteer.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am.¡±


    ¡°You look a bit old¡­ no, besides that¡­ it must have been a while since you left the field.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it has been some time since I retired. It¡¯s because as I go higher, I start to feel my limit¡­¡±


    ¡°Ha, is there a reason why you are here of all ces? I don¡¯t recall if there was conscription has been mandated. But wait, isn¡¯t your body unable to fight? That shoulder¡­ aren¡¯t you even feeling any aftereffects?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I am from Raios.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    He felt a bit relieved after observing the nodding soldier.


    For the time being, he could understand the reason why that soldier, who was awkwardly holding his spear, would head to a ce like that.


    He thought that although everyone had a reason to be there, that man probably had a different reason than everybody else.


    It was because he was from Raios. As expected, the man with the spear started to open his mouth slowly.


    It was a story that he didn¡¯t ask for, but he had no choice to listen.


    In fact, he was also nervous. Was there anyone who could maintain theirposure in front of an army of demons in the first ce? The sound of their footsteps was beating along with the hearts of the Allied Forces in Lindel as the looming darkness instinctively drove them into fear.


    Perhaps, he was trying to find reassurance from that army of broken soldiers.


    This was because the story that the man would tell him would give strength to him, who couldn¡¯t even move due to the way his legs trembled.


    Slowly, he could hear the voice of the soldier, telling him his story. It was a story that he expected the contents of.


    ¡°The Honorary Cardinal saved my wife and daughter.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°The Honorary Cardinal will probably not remember it. No, he probably won¡¯t even know of my existence. To him¡­ I¡¯m just one of the countless number of people who owe him their lives. But I can never forget the Cardinal from that day. I can¡¯t forget the sight of him forcing his body into ruins and drawing out his holy power to defeat the 72nd Lord to protect us.¡±


    ¡°That is a good enough reason to hold your weapon again. But aren¡¯t you¡­ afraid?¡±


    It was a question that he was asking himself.


    ¡°I am afraid. Who wouldn¡¯t be afraid? But¡­ I don¡¯t regret being in this ce.¡±


    ¡°You are brave.¡±


    ¡°Rather than bravery, it¡¯s probably guilt. If Honorary Cardinal hadn¡¯t exerted himself to save Raios that day, maybe this wouldn¡¯t have happened.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to me yourself for something that has already passed. Isn¡¯t that why you are here?¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not only you. Everyone probably has the same thought. Who hasn¡¯t received a favor from the Cardinal in this empire? Of course, there are people who have great tales like yours, but the number of people who were indirectly helped by him is endless.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°The three major guilds, citizens of Lindel, and even the believers, who follow goddess Benignore. They are all gathering to save him. The Cardinal is also fighting¡­ Haven¡¯t you heard that Sword-Master of Sunset had a dream that he was gifted a great power that can save the empire? I have also heard that voice.¡±


    ¡°Yes, me too. I definitely¡­ heard that voice before.¡±


    ¡°He must also be waiting anxiously, believing in everyone here, thinking that another problem won¡¯t arise. He must also be observing the war with us. How can we lose? We must trust in those who are here and believe those who are fighting with us.¡±


    He tapped the soldier¡¯s shoulder tofort him, and the soldier nodded his head to show that he understood. As he hadn¡¯t continued the conversation to merely console the soldier, his mind began to feel more at ease.


    ¡°Your feelings will definitely reach him.¡±


    ¡°I truly think it will.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Surely, surely it will reach him. So, there¡¯s no need to be worried.¡±


    He turned his head toward a voice,ing from somewhere, and saw a very familiar-looking silhouette. He had a huge shield that looked like it was made to cover that immense body, and the shield looked too heavy to even be held.


    However, like nothing was wrong, he held that shield and slowly stepped closer.


    He felt a tap on his shoulder, lifted his head, and saw a face with a faint smile.


    ¡°Th-th-thank you so much for that time.¡±


    It was the volunteer who was murmuring to himself.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t me. It was my older brother. I was there by luck. Anyways, thank you foring here. My older brother will be happy, most definitely. Your voice will definitely reach him.¡±


    The huge body turned to gaze outside of the castle¡¯s walls.


    As expected, they heard the sound of a huge horn, and monsters of different types appeared from the horizon with a screech. His face naturally crumpled.


    Tremors came from the previously quiet grounds, and ear-splitting shouting continued. However, he couldn¡¯t do anything other than biting his lips tightly.


    He knew how important that fight was to humanity.


    Like that volunteer who was howling while holding his spear in fear, everyone probably felt it to their bones. Protecting the base meant protecting the empire¡¯s light. However¡­


    ¡°Can we win?¡±


    Could humanity withstand against all of those monsters?


    As the guardian of the country, the Holy Dragon roamed around the dark sky with her diseased body, and Benignore¡¯s symbol red down at its past site of refuge while wearing a corrupted mask.


    Could they ovee that ordeal without the empire¡¯s light?


    As the enemies approached closer, unnecessary thoughts crowded his head. Faith that felt firm crumbled and became uprooted with fear and anxiety.


    Legs began to tremble, and bodies became soaked in sweat.


    In the end, no sound could be heard, and without knowing, he let out a scream.


    Crassssssssssh!!! Crasssssssssssh!!! Crasssssssssh!!!


    The sounds of explosions began to erupt. They didn¡¯t get hit by a magical explosion. The sound came from a nearby ce.


    ¡°Prepare for battle! Prepare for battle!!!


    With a bit of an awkward expression, they pounded on their shields with their fists and shouted until their throats became raw.


    ¡°Prepare for battle! Prepare for battle!!!


    It wasn¡¯t unreasonable to think that they raised the atmosphere by force. The sight of them raising their voice to ready themselves looked desperate.


    As they did so, the grips on their weapons weakened bit by bit.


    The heroic shouting elevated his emotions to such a high degree that it became strange.


    [You have been affected by an ally¡¯s Legendary-grade Combat Morale Shout. All stats will temporarily increase significantly.]


    ¡°Ha, ha, ha, ha¡­¡±


    He couldn¡¯t understand the serene feeling inside his body. As if he couldn¡¯t believe it, he murmured quietly, ¡°We can win.¡±


    Just like that¡­


    Thest battle for the survival of humanity began.

 Chapter 513: At Lindel (4)

    <h4>Chapter 513: At Lindel (4)</h4>


    ¡®Did Ie too soon?¡¯


    ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t matter either way.¡±


    I had anticipated that Lee Jihye would prompt herself to act faster, but it really wasn¡¯t that big of a deal. Despite ourck of preparation, it wouldn¡¯t be so bad to meet her because the current situation was at least somewhat within my control.


    Since the army was aplex unit with multiple segments to think about, it was harder to control than a group of people who merely had to defend.


    Just as my one-to-one formation with Kim Hyunsung was not easily made, the army had to go through a long and detailed process. Of course, I had to avoid causing too much damage to the human race.


    The n¡¯s crux was for Kim Hyunsung to use up his stamina at the beginning of the battle and then for us to meet again at our promised spot for a touching reunion.


    That was easy to say, yet hard to do.


    As there were many unstable factors, I had to be extremely cautious. Even for me, I was worried that some parts of the n were a bit of a reach.


    However, as soon as I got closer and closer to Lindel, I became more and more reassured. The army¡¯sposition, form, and cement were all meticulously nned.


    With my mind¡¯s eyes, all of those had be even more obvious to me.


    ¡®Wow, as expected of Jihye.¡±


    She matched the army perfectly towards the center of my direction.


    ¡°She knew what we were going to do. Really, it¡¯s making me shiver.¡±


    That level of foresight was expected from someone who maintained equal grounds with the top viin, which was the first masked trash. Jihye¡¯s personality was highly simr to mine. We had created many ¡°masterpieces¡± together, so her foresight was not surprising to me.


    However, I was surprised that not all of our thoughts were the same. As she knew what I wanted, I also knew what she wanted.


    We both dispatched and gathered people we thought were fit to die and made multiple ns to minimize our allies¡¯ damage.


    ces that needed to be met with strong forces were strengthened; ces that needed to be passed through were left open as if they were free-passing doors. She even set up traps for demons that needed to be killed by us. It was basically a full-course feast as if to say:


    ¡®I didn¡¯t know what you wanted, so I just prepared everything.¡¯


    It was a type of situation in which she just handed a pair of chopsticks for me to go down on a mouth-watering meal. I could not stop smiling.


    I was equally delighted with Kim Hyunsung¡¯s position.


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s position was probably decided on with much more deliberation.


    It was obvious to me that Lee Jihye must have positioned Hyunsung there so that she could personally utilize him. However, without the Mind¡¯s Eye, his effectiveness was pretty much useless, and there were probably a lot of restrictions to hermands.


    It made me almost want to cry out in pleasure just to see how she thought Kim Hyunsung could lead her to where I was. It was at that moment I knew I didn¡¯t have to worry.


    ¡®All formations should be designed like this.¡¯


    Even I was surprised by the quality of her ns. It really made me anticipate her production.


    My aching mind immediately began to feel at ease. Even though I only smiled for a fraction of a second, my new assistant Ronove still seemed to have noticed it, considering she immediately appeared in my view.


    -External advisor.


    ¡°Yes, Ms. Ronove?¡±


    -What are you nning to do? If you n to maintain this front, will it not be better for you to speak up? If it is for a campaign¡­


    ¡°Ah, thank you, but that won¡¯t be necessary. If it were like usual, I would have presented multiple negotiation cards, but we are dealing with beings that can not be persuaded with words.¡±


    -As I thought¡­ you would like to see it quickly.


    ¡®Duh, I want to see it. You don¡¯t know how much effort I put into it.¡¯


    ¡°Yes, it is because this is such a momentous event. I also feel pressured to resolve a conflict that I worked so hard on properly. How could I ever dare to disappoint demons such as you, Ms. Ronove? It is my responsibility to produce favorable results so that all of you can go back to hell with an easy heart.¡±


    -We are already very satisfied. External advisor, if I think about all the things you already did for us¡­


    -¡°Ha. Ha, ha. Even if that is true, won¡¯t it be better if I produce more favorable results? Please send my message to the other demons. I only have three requests: not to let an event such as the one with Mr. Donovan repeat itself, to pay attention to the summons and reverse-summons, and to fulfill the requests I made before.


    -Ah, yes, I understand.


    ¡®Woah, this is making me nervous¡­¡¯


    There were many things that I was happy about in my current situation, but I could not help but feel a little tense. I thought it must be the same feeling as when a gamepany released their new game and one watched the reception from their SNS ount.


    My heart was pounding.


    The thought of having to ¡°produce¡± the majority of the battle with Kim Hyunsung was making me breathless. We all had different reasons, but I was sure everyone involved shared the same emotions.


    Likewise, the actors of the 27th Corps were nervous.


    Even though we had already produced a sufficient number of results, it was a universal feeling to want a proper resolution.


    It all felt like looking at the faces of actors that were anxiously waiting for their most important shoot.


    ¡®Well, I guess they have it a bit better.¡¯


    The humans who would have to meet the 27th Corps directly would be filled with not only fear but total confusion.


    I even noticed that some humans were turning blue with fear and shivering from head to toe. Some of them were clutching their swords with unfathomable determination, but I could also see that they were also feeling scared for their lives.


    Just as I wondered when the battle would even begin, I heard a thundering voice from a distance.


    ¡°Prepare for Battle! Prepare for Battle!!!¡±


    It was our very own Park Deokgu who was screaming his head off, with an awkward expression and with his hands banging on the shield.


    ¡°Prepare for Battle!!! Prepare for Battleeeee!!!¡±


    [You have been affected by the Legendary-grade Combat Morale Shout. All stats will temporarily decrease significantly.]


    ¡®Damn, that Park Deokgu!¡¯


    No older brother would possibly feel unhappy about a younger brother¡¯s progress. I could not stop myself from smiling.


    ¡®In that short time, you grew up a lot. I¡¯m so proud of you, Park Deokgu, you pig bastard.¡¯


    Not only did he increase the morale of an army that was paralyzed by fear, but he also even gave them extra buffs.


    It was not only Kim Hyunsung who had significantly grown. Park Deokgu, whose only usefulness came from being a meat shield, progressed to a state where he could even lead a group of top adventurers.


    Furthermore, it was the same for the others. With my Mind¡¯s Eye, I could see humanity itself improved significantly as a whole. The Blue Guild had obviously progressed a lot, but the same could be said for nameless mid-ss ns and the empire¡¯s soldiers.


    Moreover, there was probably a lot of progress in their mental states as well.


    Jung Hayan no longer caused so muchmotion in the union, and Elena, who had been soft-hearted from the very beginning, became firmer and hard-hearted.


    Cha Hee-ra, whom I thought only knew how to cause havoc, learned how to think more rationally. Yuno Kasugano, who was overly dependent, started to show glimmers of independence.


    Even though theycked aspectspared to the end of their 1st timeline, the current humanity was strong enough to defend against the 27th Demon Corps properly.


    With a cunning smile, I raised my hands. It was at that moment that the army which was receiving the Combat Morale Shout became quiet.


    The demon troops began moving.


    In their way, they raised their soldiers¡¯ morale as they began to approach Lindel quickly. The sound of their exploding cries began to be heard as they neared their destination.


    ¡°Insect-like bastards.¡±


    The sound of their deafening cries collided with the walls in front of them.


    -Fighttttttttttttttt!!!!


    -Crashhhhh!!


    ¡®Hmmm, I wonder how long they canst.¡¯.¡¯


    The walls of Lindel were weak. It was not like Castle Rock. It was situated in the middle of the empire, and Lindel¡¯s native monsters also weren¡¯t that big.


    With the tutorial dungeon¡¯s implementation, Lindel had long since expanded to create space for many adventurers and citizens. Still, it did so by sacrificing some of its¡¯ defensive capabilities.


    With the Union¡¯s help pouring its¡¯ magic on the walls, it mightst for a bit, but Lindel was not suitable for battle in the first ce.


    -Put more magic on the walls! We have tost as long as possible! It must not be broken!


    -Those insect-like humans sure are getting cocky. No hero can withstand the blows of my mighty ax. Hah! I, the great Ballitos, will turn all of you into mincemeat!


    -Send troops to the west side quickly! We must not let our walls break!


    -Ahhhhhhhhh!


    -Crashhhhhhhhh!!


    -Goddess Benignore will be fighting with us. The Light Swordsman is with us.


    ¡®They are working so hard right from the beginning¡­ Wow¡­¡¯


    The Union themselves probably thought they wouldn¡¯t be able to maintain the walls until the end of the battle. No leader in the world could possibly be able to achieve that feat.


    The Union would probably give up on the walls at a suitable time or break it when it became advantageous for them. In short, everyone was trying to gain an advantage.


    It was an unrelenting, massive battle for power. That was why the ongoing battle was so important.


    Before the main finale began, it was a fight to see how much they could decrease the opponent¡¯s army.


    The battle was not important enough to sacrifice everything, but it was important enough to fight with relentless determination.


    As if to show that resolve, the battlefield was inplete disarray.


    There was endless pushing, endless desperation to tear apart one another. It was as if I was in hell. And, as that went on¡­


    ¡®Woah, over there¡­ They¡¯re working so hard it¡¯s making me shiver.¡¯


    Even from a distance, I could see that the female demons and adventurers were fighting harder than anyone else.


    -Goddess Benignore, let these dirty demons be obliterated!!!


    -Humans that don¡¯t know their ce! The knowledge you have is not everything there is to know about the world. You are merely foolish creatures!!


    -Die, demons! It¡¯s so shameful for us to even share the same sky! We will never forgive you! We will always keep in mind that light and justice still exist, and we have to show that to these demons!! Goddess Elune! Please give us the strength to erase their existence!!!


    -The ones who should be extinguished from thisnd are you bitches! Don¡¯t be pushed back!! Army of Darkness!!


    -DIE! DIE!


    -AHHHHHHHHHH!!!


    -Fire your magic! Quickly! Use as much holy magic to burn them alive!! Treat light injuries with potions!!


    ¡®Ladies, you should at least treat your injuries¡­¡¯


    -Give up on reverse-summons, Troops of Darkness!!! Even if your body crumbles, fight as if this is yourst!!!


    ¡®If you don¡¯t reverse-summon, you¡¯re gonna die¡­¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know why they were fighting so hard; that wasn¡¯t even within my ns. However, with the way things were going on, they were good enough to be the main part of the battle.


    It seemed as if there was a priestess who even had a unique ss since every time she said obliterate, a bright light shed from her.


    I was curious about what kind of ss it was, but I was more preupied with finding the high demons¡¯ locations on the battlefield.


    Ballitos, Limur, and some other top figures were causing havoc across the war grounds. The magicians were desperately fighting off Limur¡¯s massive attacks.


    Ballitos, who loved human meat, was wielding his massive cleaver, and the othermanders were likewise using their high-level skills to cause immense damage on the battlefield.


    At that point, it was obvious who was going to make his entrance.


    A lone swordsman walked towards the fray, carrying his sword.


    ¡®Hyunsung¡­¡¯


    There was Kim Hyunsung, who must have worked his body to the limits.


    ¡®I must make sure he uses up a lot of stamina first.¡¯


    I needed to make sure he used up at least half of his stamina and magic so that, even with the weak body of mine, I would be able to stand up to him.


    ¡®Wow, you are working really hard. Go Hyunsung! Go! Yeah, you can do it! Just like that!¡¯

 Chapter 514: The Plague Dragon Cries Out (1)

    <h4>Chapter 514: The gue Dragon Cries Out (1)</h4>


    ording to the great ruler of Hell, Belial, it was basically impossible for my body to use the powers he gave me fully.


    He could potentially force mana into my body, but I knew I still would have a problem releasing it. For a set time, I would be able to obtain enormous power, but I would only be able to retain this state for about 1 minute. Even then, I would not be able to contain all of that enormous power.


    Indeed, I would get much stronger but not enough to fight with Kim Hyunsung directly.


    ¡®Damn it¡­¡¯


    [Dark gue Warlord-Semi Myth Grade]


    [This is a special ss given by Belial, from the leader of the 27-demon troop.


    You would be able to use ck magic that ordinary holy powers will not be able to oppose. This ss contained multiple high-level skills, but they could only be opened after more training.


    Intelligence increases by +7


    Mana increases by +10


    Knowledge about poison and que increases.


    Due to yer Lee Kiyoung¡¯s ss change, in the case Dark gue Warlord is activated, semi myth grade-level Light of Alchemist will be deactivated.]


    It was a conventional rear-guard and de-buffer position, yet some aspects could take thebat position. In addition to this, if I fulfilled the right conditions, the attack power could be enormous. Personally, I was extremely satisfied with this.


    As the Dark gue Warlord name implied, I could use basic ck magic and freely control gues; in the case of chemical warfare, this ss significantly held more merit.


    However, as expected, I could not yet create gues that could instantly kill people with contact. The gues that I could currently use were making people undead after a certain incubation time and slowly rotting the skin of those within contact.


    It was also true that, if I factored in people¡¯s mana and holy powers, the efficacy of these powers might go lower. However, if I were to utilize the mana I received from Bell with this ss, the situation wouldpletely change.


    I could easily surpass ordinary magicians and face even higher rankers.


    Of course, all of this was not applicable to Kim Hyunsung.


    Kim Hyunsung was freely moving around on the battlefield.


    Ordinary magic and attacks could not even get through the basic mana that covered his body.


    People mightugh that Kim Hyunsung was always lightly protected by his body with mana, but that mana easily defended normal tankers. In addition to this, it used up very little magic.


    ¡®High-level Magic Operational Knowledge.¡¯


    It was a basic passive skill that all high-level adventurers possessed. However, Kim Hyunsung¡¯s mana abilities already far surpassed a human¡¯s ability.


    Not only could Kim Hyunsung¡¯s mana shield protect him from direct attacks, but it also protected him from indirect magic and de-buff attacks.


    The efficacy of his mana shield didn¡¯t even need to be exined. He had a habit of always covering himself with his mana shield, and he also had the ability to maintain this shield.


    ¡®This bastard, is this a type of PTSD?¡¯


    Did our cute hero get done in by the gue trash also in the first timeline?


    ¡®Well, I can understand.¡¯


    If Kim Hyunsung¡¯s magic abilities were to that extent, it was basically impossible for me to cause damage to him even after borrowing Bell¡¯s power.


    I could try getting help to break his mana shield, but it was not a type of shield that would break easily. Looking only at his abilities, it would not be an exaggeration to say Kim Hyunsung was the main counter of this battle.


    ¡°Woah, why is this dude so fast?¡¯


    His speed was unmatched. He was moving left and right as if he was Robin Hood (Hong-gil-dong), and this was his greatest attribute.


    Even though he was most known for his speed, he was also a swordsman who had an immensely gifted physique and bnce sense.


    ¡®That was how fast he was.¡¯


    A low-level adventurer wouldn¡¯t even be able to see Kim Hyunsung.


    Because of his speed and swordsmanship, demons had to be summoned continuously. No matter how much I tried to discourage Kim Hyunsung, he preserved.


    It was hard to describe this moment. Since his appearance, he was sending arge number of ¡°actors¡± into Hell.


    If Kim Hyunsung was a dungeon boss at a raid, and I was the dungeon¡¯s strategy team leader, I probably would have thought it would be impossible to beat him.


    That was how unbelievable he was.


    ¡°Dialugia. Please don¡¯t stand there. Maybe you can try blowing out some gue breath.¡±


    -No, please don¡¯t call it such a stingy name.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it about time you got used to it?¡±


    -gue Breath¡­ please stop saying that, I beg of you.


    However, as she seemed to listen to my request, and I saw her take a deep breath in.


    She let out a short breath straight through the center, but it missed him and swept the floor. I couldn¡¯t help but mutter that he was a monster.


    ¡®That guy. He is the creation of the first timeline¡¯s gue Trash.¡¯


    I wondered how I could corner a guy like Kim Hungsung.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t it obvious? Considering that bastard?¡¯ The only way you could defeat him was to kidnap someone who Kim Hyingsung treasured or ruin his mind through some kind of dirty method.


    There was no other way to handle the swordsmaster.


    ¡®After all, Light Kiyoung is also a hostage¡­¡¯


    If I didn¡¯t use a method like this, it would be impossible to fight someone like Kim Hyunsung. That was why the battle that was happening at this moment was so important.


    And that was when I thought things were falling apart, bit by bit. It wasn¡¯t the problem with Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡®Ah, Jihye Nuna is struggling.¡¯


    It was likely that this was her problem.


    ¡®That is not how you use someone like Kim Hyunsung¡­¡±


    It was obvious that she was having trouble using a tactical tool like Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡®Yes, I could see why.¡¯


    I could see that the information delivery to him was slow, and there was a certain choppiness to his movements.


    It was as if Jihye¡¯s mind was unable to match KimHyunsung¡¯s inhumanly fast movements.


    He was taking abrupt stops and then suddenly changing directions. Overall, his general movements sucked.


    She probably was frustrated too because Kim Hyunsung wasn¡¯t moving ording to her wishes. The only reason why I could control Kim Hyunsung was that I didn¡¯t use my mind, but my eyes.


    There was a limit to how fast a brain could process while just looking, but Mind¡¯s Eye allowed me to surpass this limit. Lee Jihye had better instincts than me, but she couldn¡¯t see multiple pieces of information all at once.


    This could be covered to a certain extent, but there was still a stark difference between the ways she and I controlled.


    I could see Kim Hyunsung¡¯s discontent from where I was standing, even as he made progress. He probably was thinking something like, ¡®This is not it¡­¡¯


    Even if a car had excellent specs, it would drive differently depending on who the driver was.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t want to criticize her for this.


    This was because her inability to proficiently control Kim Hyunsungrgely profited me. Since she could not process the ever-changing information on the battlefield properly, all the different tasks she had to do took longer.


    Information about the enemy they have to take out will be sent, but the situation would havepletely changed at the moment of delivery.


    As this situation kept on urring, Kim Hyunsunghad to go through brute training without his will.


    There were instances in which he would be given the order to finish off a high demon in a central ce, but once he reached there, the high demon would have already been reverse-summoned.


    Other times, he would be ordered to block a special force, but other tankers would have already secured the ce once he ran there.


    Even though all of the orders were not merely manualbor, there were so many conflicting orders that his stamina was quickly depleting.


    He looked as if he should rest for 8 hours, which was happening only after 3 hours had passed.


    ¡®How sad¡­¡¯


    Even though he could not be used well, his power was so great that they had to keep utilizing him.


    If Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t exist, Lindel¡¯s walls would have fallen a long time ago.


    To think back, I might have exaggerated a bit about his powers, but that was how much the sight of him was impressive on this battlefield.


    -Huff¡­huff¡­huff¡­


    With heavy preparation falling from his hair and neck, he was heavily panting. There was no time even to wipe the blood smeared on his face.


    He maintained the bnce of the battlefield while running around, and as time passed on, he grew more and more out of breath.


    -Huff¡­huff¡­


    As a bit more time passed, he had to take off his mana shield to conserve his mana, and the injuries on his body started to increase.


    Of course, he didn¡¯t get hurt enough to be worried. However, it probably felt bothersome as he moved. It could also be easily healed with holy power, but this would probably take more of his stamina.


    ¡°Dialugia, please shoot some of your gue breath. Not the scattering-type but the prating type.¡±


    -I told you not to call it gue breath. Sigh¡­


    Boooooom!!!


    ¡°Wait, how could you actually aim it towards him!¡±


    -Y-you are the one who told me to shoot.


    ¡°But what if he actually gets hurt. It was just to decrease his stamina¡­if he takes it head-on¡­¡±


    -I didn¡¯t want to shoot either. You are the one who told me to shoot. Something like the gue¡¯s breath¡­I never want to use it. Ah¡­thankfully, it seems like he is not hurt. He evaded the attack and seemed to have cut it out. It would burden his body slightly, but it won¡¯t cause a huge strain in his movement.


    ¡°Dialugia, please shoot so it will keep slightly avoiding him.¡±


    -I¡¯m also trying my best.


    As stamina decreased, concentration also couldn¡¯t help but also decrease. I could see that Kim Hyunsung¡¯s senses were slowly dulling.


    ¡®He needs to recover at this rate.¡¯


    He seemed out of breath, and his body looked tired. In a normal situation, he would have been given some rest.


    Recover, Attack, Recover, Attack. This was much more effective when using him. However, currently, Kim Hyunsung¡¯s presence was too vital.


    I prepared my mask and costume as the edges of one side of the wall in Lindel began to crumble.


    ¡®That side of the wall looks like it is begging me toe through.¡¯


    This was probably a strategy to gather the enemy troops towards the crumbling side of the wall.


    For us who had the Dark gue Dragon, the walls were pointless from the first ce. Probably, the weakest part of the wall was on the opposite side of the wreckage.


    ¡°You have to act like you really got the gue. Don¡¯t forget to cry out as you fall and say something like Craaahhhh!!¡±


    -Please¡­


    ¡°Okay. Then let¡¯s get rid of Craaaahhhh! It¡¯s regretful, but please let out a stronger howl than usual.¡±


    -Thank you for changing it. I¡¯m really thankful. I¡¯m really, really thankful.


    I looked over the battle. The current stage was not bad. 4 hours had passed since the battle began.


    It seemed a bit early, but everyone looked tired, and Lindel¡¯s forces were being pushed to a corner. The Blue Guild¡¯s aces, as well as Cha Hee-ra were upied by the high demons.


    The perfect moment to strike was right now when the troop¡¯s northwest side was at its¡¯ weakest point.


    As soon as I finished assessing the situation, I immediately put on my mask.


    I couldn¡¯t show the audience my pitiful figure as I crawled on top of Dialugia. Dialugia put her head down with a disgruntled expression, and I slowly climbed on top of her.


    -Roarrrrrrrrr!!!


    It seemed as if she really didn¡¯t want to do it because her howling was stronger than usual. When it seemed as if all the attention was on us, Dialugia swooped down towards the army and cut through the troops of Lindel.


    I could see dread and hopelessness reflected in the human¡¯s faces. There were many of those who looked as if they could not believe what they were seeing.


    Many of them probably saw a dragon for the first time.


    Boooooom!!! And, with this sound, wended upon the site that had never experienced foreign invasion.


    The dragon that was contaminated by the gue crushed the Blue Guild¡¯s house with her sharp ws and devastated the battle site with her gigantic tail.


    With her enormous ws, she climbed on top of the watchtower and cried out towards the faces of humanity.


    -Crahhhhhhhhhh!!!!


    ¡®Wait, I thought you told me we weren¡¯t going to do that?¡¯

 Chapter 515: Encounter (1)

    <h4>Chapter 515: Encounter (1)</h4>


    I was bewildered, but I didn¡¯t show it. I wondered if Dialugia had the same temperament as Kim Ye-ri, but my face only revealed feelings of embarrassment.


    Things that I wasn¡¯t even conscious of wanted toe out of my mouth.


    I could only remain silent, simr to when I identally called my teacher ¡®mom.¡¯ I would have normally provoked her with each word, but I couldn¡¯t afford to do that when I needed her help.


    It was more important to support her without saying anything.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -So, this is¡­


    ¡°No, I won¡¯t say anything, so get ready.¡±


    -What?


    ¡°I mean- get ready right away because they will probablye soon.¡±


    -That means¡­


    ¡°Organize your surroundings.¡±


    -Ah, yes.


    ¡°With your actions, please, rather than your words.¡±


    Dialugia, who knew about the situation to a certain degree, began to inspect her surroundings for any more signs of the gue. The tall, very tall buildings crumbled as if Lindel itself was being erased from existence.


    Craaaasssssh!


    Crasssssssssssssssssssh!


    ¡°Damn, that restaurant had really good food¡­¡±


    ces filled with precious memories copsed.


    ¡°I remember that caf¨¦ and bar being pretty good too. Damn, what a waste¡­¡±


    Of course, we took down Lindel¡¯s symbol too.


    ¡®Well, I never liked that statue much anyway.¡¯


    Buildings that were quite old also crumbled into ruins.


    ¡®That will¡­ take a while to rebuild.¡¯


    Maybe I was exaggerating a bit, but 1/6 of Lindel fell into ruins in the blink of an eye.


    I could understand the faces of those who looked like they had lost their country.


    From the venue to the Guild Hall, the sight of everything bing wiped out must have looked unrealistic to the people from Lindel. Who could keep theirposure as their homes were turned into debris overnight?


    It was self-evident as to why they would be filled with anger and grief. Some more sensible people could be seen biting their lips and watching the battle before them.


    I felt a bit sorry for them, but I also needed to do that. After all, I wasn¡¯t there to fix the huge wound on Lindel.


    To be precise, it was dangerous to allow Kim Hyunsung to use his surrounding terrain.


    If that squirrel-like guy had a ce to hide, the fight wouldn¡¯t be able to take ce properly. Still, if I used my Mind¡¯s Eyes, I would be able to catch where that guy woulde out of.


    ¡®Good. Very Good.¡¯


    If I used a catalyst for my alchemy magic, I could secure a ce to escape to. Just at the right time, I gained arge number of catalysts from the demons.


    I felt a bit nervous because I knew that humanity still hadn¡¯t lost hope despite the hopeless situation. Not to mention the fact that I still felt anxious that Jihye might have conspired with them.


    Nevertheless, external forces were upied with the masses of invading demons.


    There wasn¡¯t a figure who could take control over the ce where I was when even all the support groups were tied up by their own predicaments.


    It was unreasonable to think that the Supply unit or surplus troops could fight off the gue Dragon, Dialugia, and the fallen Doom Kiyoung.


    If they had a surplus troop like that, they wouldn¡¯t have allowed Dialugia¡¯s signature gue Breath to destroy their city in the first ce.


    The fact that they were letting enemies loiter around freely showed that the coalition also had something to believe in. That something was so obvious that it wasughable.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    -To where?


    ¡°The insides of the castle, the southeast to be precise. Just breathe in and don¡¯t breathe out.¡±


    -Are you telling me to st the humans in there?


    ¡°That ce is where we had gathered everyone, who wouldn¡¯t matter if they died. Come on. When did you start liking humans so much? And did you not understand me? I didn¡¯t tell you to really shoot them. I told you to just breathe in.¡±


    -Yes, so¡­ what do you mean by that¡­


    ¡®Below six o¡¯clock, shoot out radially!¡±


    -Damn, if it was something like that, you should¡¯ve said so sooner!


    ¡°Don¡¯t reply from now on. Don¡¯t think and don¡¯t decide unless I tell you to do so. Only follow my words.¡±


    Booooooooom!!!


    As if she was abiding by my orders, the expression on Dialugia¡¯s face became a bit anxious as she turned her head and breathed out. Although she probably couldn¡¯t see it, she definitely knew why I said those words.


    Even dragons had a blind spot, after all.


    If a figure was approaching them at such a fast speed from a hidden spot, there was no way that they would notice it. Unless she had the Eye, she definitely wouldn¡¯t have caught it.


    As expected, a male figure burst through the explosions and fogs and appeared into view.


    ¡®Good to see you. Sh*t. Hyunsung!¡¯


    He was biting his lips. Of course, his face was shrouded with determination.


    Unfortunately, there weren¡¯t any signs of fatigue. Hyunsung seemed like he was only moving with the resolution that he had to save me.


    His face showed such a firm determination that I began to feel sorry for him. However, even that pity was cut short.


    Even I began to feel a bit anxious, seeing him rush towards me while looking like he had not been injured in the slightest.


    Like a habit, I tapped on my thighs with my fingers and imagined what the future and present would hold. As I was not a Prating type that could concentrate a great amount of power into a single point, it seemed that I couldn¡¯t peel off Hyunsung¡¯s magical armor, but the attack was enough to exhaust his stamina.


    Still¡­


    ¡®It won¡¯t do much.¡¯


    -How¡­


    ¡®Don¡¯t ask questions. I can¡¯t afford to answer them. I am going to send you my body soon. If you move to the biggest building at the square, I will mark some coordinates, and you can draw a line through them.¡¯


    -Yes.


    ¡®It¡¯s a fight that we can handle. We can absolutely handle it.¡±


    If I could write a Regressor¡¯s Instruction Manual, there was no reason that I couldn¡¯t write an instruction manual for Dialugia.


    Like a flying squirrel thrusting its body between trees, Dialugia maneuvered her body across the city. Of course, the way she moved didn¡¯t look as cute as a flying squirrel¡¯s movements.


    Swiiiiiiiiiiiiiish.


    With that sound, the clock tower became demolished; and of course, the wind pressure flung the debris in all directions.


    And on top of that, to hinder Kim Hyunsung¡¯s movements, she even breathed out the gue.


    -Rooooooooar!!


    It was obvious where Kim Hyunsung would move.


    As my hand flicked away, I moved with Dialugia, the catalyst that I scattered around began to emerge. To be precise, it was aposite made from a dragon¡¯s and a demon¡¯s bones.


    Its main purpose was to block Kim Hyunsung¡¯s course, but it was also to keep him in one ce.


    Craaaaash!


    ¡®The visual is good.¡¯


    It waspletely different from the time he was able to use his power in a limited range.


    I had to admit that the scene of bones filling the ruined areas was a spectacr sight.


    Huge bones that were difficult to discern if they were a demon¡¯s or a dragon¡¯s, blocked Kim Hyunsung¡¯s path, and I did my best to keep him there by all means.


    Since I also ced some low-level skeletons in the area, it was almost as if I had created a dungeon in just a couple of seconds.


    Craaaaaaaaash!


    Boooooooooom!!


    However¡­


    The bone¡¯s palms fell apart and swiveled in the air before hitting Lindel¡¯s floor.


    Likewise, the low-level skeletons, which had been flinging around their swords awkwardly, also fell apart easily.


    ¡°Fuck¡­Sh*t¡­¡¯


    It was quite a sight to see.


    To be honest, it was astonishing to see a human escape while surrounded by bones that were as big as a building. That was even more so if one were to consider that there were hundreds of more bones like that surrounding him.


    It was like he was surfing through overwhelming waves of skeletal systems.


    It was a mouth-dropping scene.


    He blocked things that he couldn¡¯t normally be avoided, and destroyed the things he couldn¡¯t block.


    In the first ce, I expected those objects to crumble in front of Kim Hyunsung¡¯s power, but they were breaking far easier than I thought.


    I was hoping to gain more time, but the sight of everything bing destroyed so fast caused my expression to crumple. I then chanted, causing the fog to begin to envelop our surroundings.


    The gue, shaped like a ghost, slowly emerged in our area as well.


    The situation was slow,ckluster, and hard to notice.


    ¡®It won¡¯t work like this. This has no meaning anymore¡­¡±


    ording to my ns, it was only proper to have ced Hyunsung into that wave of bones.


    It would¡¯ve given him significant damage. However, because the first phase copsed so fast, my ns had been ruined.


    ¡®We might be in trouble¡­¡¯


    ¡°I don¡¯t care if you have to use Breath or anything else but make sure he doesn¡¯te all the way here. Let¡¯s try to maintain a distance of at least 100m. You¡¯re forbidden to swing your ws at him or hit him with your forehead. Always keep a long-distance, and in the worst-case scenario, let¡¯s wag our tails.¡±


    -I understand what you mean. But¡­ is it even possible to fight something like that? I thought that you had also evolved, but that guy is¡­


    ¡°I am thinking right now. We bombed our first attempt. His legs are the problem no matter how much I think about it. Those legs¡­ If I could just hinder those legs a little bit¡­¡±


    ¡®If I could do that, I coulde up with a much more beautiful and climactic picture.¡¯


    How could the audience be moved by a battle that they couldn¡¯t even see or that no camera could capture?


    The way that things were progressing, the audience might see an ending where Kim Hyunsung woulde out of nowhere and m my head down.


    If that happened, rather than being moved, the audience would feel empty. It was at that moment did he be filled with worry.


    ¡°Kiyoung-ssi!¡±


    He screamed in a hurry.


    ¡®Ah¡­ This¡­¡¯


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!¡±


    At the sight of him holding onto his head in pain, Dialugia suspected that he had another mental illness, but Kim Hyunsung¡¯s response was different.


    ¡°I¡­I am Hyunsung. My voice! Can you hear my voice?!¡±


    ¡®Ah, his voice is so desperate, his voice¡­ah.¡¯


    ¡°Kiyoung-ssi! Kiyoung-ssi! Are you still there?! Kiyoung-ssi! Please! Please!¡±


    ¡®Urgh.¡¯


    It was the most desperate voice I had heard in a while.


    He added magic to his voice, which was already filled with desperation, to make it more audible.


    ¡°I will¡­I will save you right now!¡±


    He was looking directly at me.


    ¡®This guy¡­he doesn¡¯t realize it. This is why you keep getting robbed, man.¡¯


    ¡°Please wait there for a bit. Just a little¡­ I will be there soon.¡±


    However, Hyunsung didn¡¯t look like he was off-guard. Tensions increased, and as he began to think that it couldn¡¯t go on like that, he howled.


    Even in his tired state¡­ His eyes remained focused.


    I had expected that an ident would happen.


    With his innate abilities, he escaped out of the waves of bones, but he seemed to have forgotten the ghost that he had let go of just a moment ago.


    After a while¡­


    The ghost was able to prate through his armor sessfully.


    ¡®I think I¡¯ve be really strong¡­ How did I be so strong?¡¯


    I went from being a kid who couldn¡¯t even handle a monster in the tutorial to being able to inflict a wound onto an awakened person¡¯s leg.


    Rather than remorse, I felt an immense sense of pride.

 Chapter 516: Please Kill Me (1)

    <h4>Chapter 516: Please Kill Me (1)</h4>


    ¡®Will it be alright?¡¯


    He was biting his lips hard.


    He must have realized that he made a mistake because his expression had grown darker. However, his mouth continued to move.


    It wasn¡¯t even a choice that he had to make.


    In his perspective, it was the best thing to do. It was because we had been responding to him.


    He continued to call on to me so desperately that my heart ached.


    ¡°Kiyoung-ssi, it¡¯s me.¡±


    ¡®I know, you little sh*t.¡¯


    ¡°Please open your eyes.¡±


    ¡®My eyes are already open.¡¯


    ¡°Can you hear my voice?¡±


    ¡®I can hear it well. Really well.¡¯


    Rather than flinging his sword around, he must have thought that it was more important to send his thoughts to Light Kiyoung. He must have judged that it was more important to bring back my sanity, so he continued to cry and shout desperately for my attention.


    He wailed so sorrowfully that I became afraid of grabbing my head even a little bit.


    I thought I could influence him a bit, but it affected him more than I thought it would.


    ¡®You idiot, this is why the first timeline went downhill.¡¯


    His behavior showed that no matter how hard one tried, humans couldn¡¯t change their essence. It wasn¡¯t a proverb that I liked, but seeing him, I began to empathize with those who quoted it.


    It seemed like he didn¡¯t even care about himself. Seeing how he was trying everything he could to help me, I could guess how the first timeline went.


    It was easy to predict, considering he was still taking care of others in such a situation.


    It seemed like he was more concerned about my head than his leg since as he blocked attacks from the gigantic bones and Dialugia, he didn¡¯t turn his eyes away from me.


    I hesitated to even touch my head like I had a headache because of how he screamed.


    When I reached out one of my hands and grabbed my head with the other, the effect was astounding.


    As I scrunched up my face, as if the masked side of my face was in pain, I made sure that Kim Hyunsung woulde my way.


    He was rushing in recklessly, but Dialugia seemed to show much more restraint.


    ¡®Ah, he is pretty strong.¡¯


    It was foolish of me to forget that, even among the legendary yers, Kim Hyunsung was one of the best.


    Of course, the way that Hyunsung continued to swim in the waves of bones made it easier to forget. He could not ignore the power that Dialugia¡¯s gue Breath held, either.


    ¡°There¡­¡±


    His movements had been limited because of the ghosts hiding in the crevices between the waves of bones. He probably felt annoyed by the fact that they were scattered all around.


    ¡®I have to stretch him to the limit.¡¯


    My battle with him had to progress like that. One couldn¡¯t say that he was in his best condition.


    It seemed like Lee Jihye¡¯s improper operation had exhausted him. Not to mention, little wounds were piling up on his body, one-by-one.


    It would be strange if he weren¡¯t exhausted after spending so many hours on the battlefield. Soon enough¡­


    ¡®His legs will probably be fine, right?¡¯


    His legs could no longer move.


    Affected by the ghost, his legs had hardened so much that it wouldn¡¯t listen to Kim Hyunsung¡¯s will.


    He was suppressing it with his magic, but it would only take a little while until he would no longer be able to use it.


    His movements gradually became more limited.


    The times when he swung his sword rather than using mana to protect his body increased. He must have judged that there were more attacks that he couldn¡¯t avoid than ones that he could.


    Boooooooom!!!!


    Craaaaaaaaaash!!!!


    Every time he swung his sword, the waves of bones divided, and Dialugia¡¯s breath was split apart.


    From the impact, the city in ruins shifted like a desert changing itsndscape. I couldn¡¯t do anything but bite my lips tightly due to the situation.


    Pooooop!!


    Along with that sound, a mountain made out of bones erupted upwards.


    The arms of a gigantic monster sprouted horizontally across thend. It was a lot of work to fill the amount of energy spent.


    If it wasn¡¯t for Belial¡¯s magic, I must have used enough energy to retire more than ten times. Still, that amount of energy was creating quite the worthy scene.


    I could guess the thoughts of the viewers who were watching the fight.


    Some seemed to have forgotten that they were also in the midst of a battle. They stood, almost motionlessly, as they watched.


    ¡°No way¡­ no way¡­¡±


    ¡°Is that a human fighting¡­is he really¡­ a human¡­?¡±


    ¡°Is that¡­¡±


    I could also empathize with them. It didn¡¯t make sense that a city could be turned into ruins by one man¡¯s conflict.


    They watched a swordmaster defend and fight in a city corrupted by waves of bones that had been summoned by Doom Kiyoung while riding on a fallen dragon.


    The two contrasted even more because of the light surrounding him.


    ¡®Ah, that¡¯s great. You are doing well!¡¯


    The audience¡¯s attention had be even more focused. This entire time, I continued to ce my hands on the masked side of my face as if I was still protesting.


    The point was to look like I could devour Kim Hyunsung in one gulp if it weren¡¯t for the guy resisting inside me.


    I flicked my fingers once more and the tentacles, using Limuria¡¯s crystals, reached out to him. I looked at him, pressuring him like I was just warming up.


    ¡°This is fun. Really fun. Hahahahaha!¡±


    It was a cringy line, but I thought the audience wouldn¡¯t be pleased unless I said a line like that.


    Having experienced Limuria¡¯s tentacles before, his face looked a bit curious; but those tentacles were nothing more than the weaker forms of the original.


    There were simply many of them. Still, they did look like the real ones. Moreover¡­


    ¡®The scale is unbeatable.¡¯


    Each tentacle was as big as a house. There wasn¡¯t a lot of magic in each one, but its mass was lethal. Even for the empire¡¯s citizens, who already had the power that surpassed normal humans, such a scene was unbelievable.


    Craaaaaaash!


    Boooooooooom!!


    ¡°Crazy¡­¡±


    -Rooooooooooooooar!!


    Crasssssssh!!


    ¡°Hahahahaha!¡±


    ¡°That is¡­¡±


    ¡°Is this a dream¡­ am I just dreaming?¡±


    ¡°Oh, God¡­¡±


    ¡°Benignore¡­¡±


    Craaaaaaaash!!!


    As if he was answering them, Kim Hyunsung added more vigor to his movements.


    Of course, his lips didn¡¯t rest at all. To him, what he had to say was probably more important than anything else.


    ¡°Can you hear me, Kiyoung-ssi? Please¡­ If you can hear me¡­ answer me. I beg you.¡±


    Of course, I wouldn¡¯t answer back even though I could hear him.


    ¡°Kiyoung-ssi, I beg of you¡­ please answer me.¡±


    ¡®Ha, this bastard, this¡­¡¯


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you will wait¡­ didn¡¯t you tell me that? Please open your eyes. I believe that you can defeat it. I believe that you won¡¯t lose and that you are still in there¡­ I truly believe that.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell me that you will wait and believe? I¡¯vee for you. Please¡­ Please, just open your eyes and look at me. Please, I beg of you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°As much as you believed in me, I also believe in you. I believe that you won¡¯t lose and will continue to fight. That is not the ce where you should be, Kiyoung-ssi.¡±


    ¡®Why this little sh*t, stimting people¡¯s emotions like this.¡¯


    ¡°Please¡­please¡­ don¡¯t give up.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I will never give up on you. So please never¡­ ever surrender. Didn¡¯t you show me that I wasn¡¯t alone? Kiyoung-ssi, it¡¯s the same for you too. Everyone is fighting for you.¡±


    ¡°Hyung-nim, hyung-nim! Please open your eyes. Please open your eyes!¡±


    ¡®Park Deokgu, you bastard¡­¡¯


    ¡°When you said that since you could do it, I could do it better- I know you said that because¡­ it really is true. Hyung-nim¡­ urgh¡­ hyung-nim, because you went ahead, I could follow you. It¡¯s because you set the path for me first that I could go ahead.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Lee Kiyoung, you little sh*t. You sh*t. Wake up, you bastard. Do you want to really disappear from here?¡±


    ¡®Hee-ra, why you too¡­?¡¯


    ¡°You are the one who said, ¡®let¡¯s eat well and live well.¡¯ If really are a fucking man, get over this and wake up, bastard.¡±


    ¡®Whoah, that was a bit¡­ but it wasn¡¯t bad.¡¯


    Amused, I observed my surroundings. Like I was enjoying it, I looked at them as if I was encouraging them to continue.


    Elena and Hee-young, who were already exhausted, and the other blue guild-members continued to raise their voices. Everyone who had even the tiniest connection with that situation began to shout out. In return, I disyed a scene where I looked to be in pain, writhing around with my hands to my head.


    ¡°Jeez! Damn it!¡±


    I thought it was a chance, but Kim Hyunsung also started to call on my name desperately.


    ¡°Everyone¡­ is waiting. Everyone is waiting.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know when he got there, but he was staring at me with a smile on his face. The bones and tentacles that had sucked the city into chaos suddenly subsided into silence.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hold my hand? This time, it¡¯s my turn. Please¡­ open our eyes¡­ I beg of you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°There are still a lot of things I haven¡¯t told you. I have so many stories that I want to tell you. Even that pic that we promised our guild members to go to¡­ or the mirror fountain that Hayan-ssi wanted to go¡­ don¡¯t we have to go this time?¡±


    Kim Hyunsung reached out as if all of that was over and smiled at me with his battered body.


    His expression told me he fully believed that I could hear his voice. However, seeing my look, his eyes began to be filled with dread.


    Tears trailed down from the unmasked side of my face.


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    I could finally deliver the line that I had always wanted to say.


    ¡°Please¡­ Kill¡­ Me¡­¡±


    Kim Hyungsung looked like he was at a loss for words.


    ¡®This is liiiiiiiiit!¡¯

 Chapter 517: Please Kill Me (2)

    <h4>Chapter 517: Please Kill Me (2)</h4>


    ¡°Please¡­ Kill¡­ Me¡­¡±


    I pretended to be in arduous pain as I let my stream of crocodile tears fall.


    With watery eyes, I looked at Kim Hyunsung as if I wanted everything to be over since I could no longer go on. Seeing my pained face, Hyunsung looked deeply troubled.


    I almost wanted to let out a joyful cry at my perfect stunt, but I couldn¡¯t show such emotions.


    I needed to look as pitiful and sorrowful as possible. While controlling my emotions, I acted as if I had given up on life. This all felt embarrassing enough to make me want to disappear, but I forged through since that was the most important scene.


    ¡®I¡¯m showing the epitome of self-sacrifice. Yes, everyone is looking.¡¯


    For the peace of the empire, I was willing to give up my life. Thinking of everyone who was watching me from above, adrenaline promptly coursed through me.


    I could imagine their feelings as they watched fallen Light Kiyoung in pain, telling the swordmaster to kill him. It was not only Kim Hyunsung.


    Park Deokgu, Cha Hee-ra, and even the cheering audience had been silenced as they watched with serious expressions. I could see that Kim Hyunsung was trying to find the right words to say, but not being able to, he clenched his fists.


    ¡°Before it¡¯s toote¡­please¡­¡±


    ¡°K-Kiyoung-ssi¡­¡±


    ¡°You have to do it, Hyunsung¡­please. I can no longer go on¡­¡±


    ¡°Have youe back to your senses?¡±


    ¡°Argh!!¡±


    ¡°Kiyoung-ssi!¡±


    ¡°Aghhhhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°Please quickly¡­ aghhhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°Kiyoung-ssi!!!¡±


    Hyunsung seemed to have realized something was wrong because he quickly began moving closer to me.


    However, as he came towards me, he was met with not the warm embrace of Light Kiyoung, but Dialugia¡¯s enormous ws.


    With a sharp crash, I saw his figure smash into a wall far away.


    -I-I think it was a critical hit¡­


    ¡®He will be able to endure it. We have a lot more audience than I thought¡­If we both be covered head to toe in wounds, won¡¯t the scene be more touching and beautiful?¡¯


    -H-how did I be entangled with this human¡­ Just now¡­ how could you say those words with your own mouth¡­ that kind of trashy line¡­ Do you not have any sense of morals?


    It was not like morals could feed me, could they?


    ¡°Dirty human¡­ please¡­ aghhhhh! No, I¡¯m still here! Argh!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Hyunsung-ssi¡­ Hyunsung-ssi, please! This¡­ agh¡­ huff, huff.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Aghhhhhhhhhhhh! Huff, huff, I beg of you¡­¡±


    That was probably my hardest acting job yet. Even Kim Ye-ri wouldn¡¯t have been able to act as well as I did. The internal battle between Light Kiyoung and Doom Kiyoung was one of the most brutal battles ever, and I made sure to put it on full disy.


    I tightly held onto my chest, gasped as if I wanted to vomit, and my body and face twisted in pain.


    With a pained smile, I continued to let out a stream of crocodile tears. My breathing grew more and more strained as if it was getting harder to resist the evil forces within me.


    If it was a TV show, I thought it would be enough to get the highest rating. I was confident that the whole empire was watching and praying earnestly for me.


    ¡°Please let Holy Cardinal Kiyoung win the battle over his fallen self.¡±


    ¡°Please give the vessel of Benignore the power to resist Belial.¡±


    ¡°Please let him fight as his usual self, full of light and holiness.¡±


    I was sure they were all praying like that. Weren¡¯t shows there to betray the audience¡¯s expectations?


    Just when Light Kiyoung let out hisst words, Doom Kiyoung took over.


    ¡°Huff, huff, huff.¡±


    I wiped my tears and fixed my mask again. At this, I let out the most despicable smile I could and gave out a cry that showed everyone that Doom Kiyoung won the fight.


    ¡°Hahahahahaha!¡±


    It was such a childishugh, but that made the scene instill even more despair into the hearts of all those watching.


    Continuing my facade, I began walking towards Kim Hyunsung. He had on an unreadable expression and was standingpletely still.


    Then he made an expression as if he finally made his decision. That made me kind of worried¡­


    ¡®I hope this bastard doesn¡¯t go crazy and kill me for real.¡¯


    No, that was impossible. Didn¡¯t our lovely hero not say the following words just a moment ago:


    ¡®I will never, ever give up on you.¡¯


    He was not the type of person to go back on his words, and he would probably not easily give up on me. At most, he would probably try to get me back by beating me up until I was senseless.


    I hoped that was what that determined expression was. It made me worry a bit more when his expression deepened even more.


    ¡®No, that can¡¯t be, Hyunsung. We are friends, right?¡¯


    I was kind of worried he might say something like, ¡®Kiyoung-ssi, I¡¯m sorry. If this is what you want¡­¡¯


    However, he didn¡¯t say that. Instead, he looked towards me with a murderous re and said, ¡°Return his body. You dirty bastard, that¡¯s not your body.¡±


    ¡°He is me, and I am he. You don¡¯t know your ce, human. You don¡¯t know anything. You are no more than a fool!¡±


    ¡°No, you are not him.¡±


    ¡°Nothing is going to change no matter what you think. People¡¯s innate natures do not change.¡±


    ¡°Return him, you bastard.¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t I already told you?¡±


    ¡°Return him¡­¡±


    ¡°You are just like a parrot.¡±


    ¡°Return him! Return his body!!! Fuck you, you fucking bastard!!


    ¡®Man, why are you swearing¡­ Hyunsung¡­¡¯


    ¡°You stupid-¡±


    ¡°Bastard!!!!¡±


    He then charged towards me.


    ¡®What¡¯s up with this dude? Fuck, he¡¯s out of his mind. Fuck! Hey, what¡¯s up with you?!¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know what was going on exactly, but his eyes looked crazy. As he gripped his sword, blood came out of his hands, and he looked like he had given up on defending himself.


    It was like watching Cha Hee-ra while she was on a rampage.


    It was the first time I saw him so overwhelmed by wrath. Even from afar, I could feel his murderous rage. It felt as if I was a mouse in front of a cat. No, a mouse in front of a tiger. I could feel my body shrinking back by instinct.


    I almost peed myself. My survival radar was going off like crazy, and I wanted to give up at that moment, but¡­


    ¡°Hahahahahaha! How fun! This is really fun!!¡±


    I knew I was in too deep.


    ¡®Fuck, what should I do?! Please Dialugia¡­Sh*t!!¡¯


    -I don¡¯t know either. I guess I should try to block him as much as I can¡­


    ¡°You bastard!!!!¡±


    ¡®Send out your Breath attack! Sh*t! Fire up your Breath!¡¯


    -I know!


    ¡®Quickly!¡¯


    -Don¡¯t rush me!


    Crashhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!


    ¡°What the hell was that¡­?¡±


    With a single swish, Hyunsung easily cut through the dragon¡¯s Breath.


    Dialugia also seemed surprised about how easily he could shorten the distance between us as she swung her front leg without thought.


    It seemed as if he was determined to finish the event, considering how he poured out mana from his body, but I wasn¡¯t sure if that was a good decision. Right at that moment, I knew we had to retreat.


    Dialugia also seemed to realize her mistake and quickly unfolded her wings, but it seemed unlikely that we would be able to escape in time.


    Because of Hyunsung¡¯s attack, I could do nothing but watch as Dialugia rolling on the ground.


    Crashhhhh!


    It was hard to exin the sight of Dialugia¡¯s cries and the pathetic way she fell. Likewise, I tried to keep my bnce, but I couldn¡¯t help falling in the direction she fell.


    Before I knew it, Hyunsung was right in front of us. He was clenching his teeth and clutching his fists.


    ¡®Man, why is he clenching his teeth so hard¡­?¡¯


    I could see the hesitation in his eyes, but very soon, determination entered his eyes. When I saw that, I desperately called out to Belial for help.


    ¡®Lord Belial! I¡¯m dying¡­ I¡¯m going to die!¡¯


    As soon as I uttered those words, an enormous amount of mana that I wouldn¡¯t have been able to control came out of me.


    And that mana changed into a figure of a demon and shielded me.


    It was as if I saw Belial¡¯s natural form. The difference was that his figure was created from visible mana.


    It was the first time I saw mana being used that way.


    ¡®This bastard is really gonna hit me!¡¯


    With that amount of mana, I thought I could survive getting hit at least one time.


    ¡®Huhhhh?!¡¯


    Crashhhhhhh!


    I got hit with a force that shook my entire body.


    ¡®Aghhhhhhhhhh!!!!¡¯


    By instinct, I clenched my lips, however¡­


    I didn¡¯t know where my body had gone. I couldn¡¯t figure out exactly where the position of my body was.


    The force that attacked me was so great that I even thought I was dead for a second. After passing through multiple sceneries, I saw that I was in a ce I couldn¡¯t identify.


    Rumbllllllle!!!


    ¡°Cough! Cough!¡±


    I couldn¡¯t stop coughing.


    ¡®Fuck, I¡¯m alive, right?¡¯


    Belial¡¯s protection had covered most of the attack, but I was still left in tatters. My legs were shaking, but I couldn¡¯t stop my act.


    ¡°How fun! How fun this is!¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s so fucking not fun. I want to go home¡­ I want everything to stop¡­ fuck¡­¡¯


    However, contrary to how I felt, the mana from Belial lifted my body and attacked Kim Hyunsung with his fist.


    Bam!


    With that sound, Kim Hyunsung began rolling on the floor again, but he was already right in front of me and swinging his sword around at a moment¡¯s notice.


    ¡®At this point, if I beg him to spare my life, I would look too uncool, right?¡¯


    With another hit, my whole body shook again.


    Belial¡¯s manapletely absorbed Hyunsung¡¯s swing, but it didn¡¯t protect me from feeling the force of his attack.


    Even Belial probably couldn¡¯t do anything about it.


    Hyunsung¡¯s fervent attacks looked desperate. With his whole body covered in blood and constantly swinging his sword, I could not help feeling a bit touched.


    ¡®Poor Hyunsung¡­¡¯


    ¡°Damn it!!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Damn itttt!!!¡±


    ¡°Ha¡­ hahahahahhah!¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhh!!!¡±


    Watching him scrape out all of his remaining strength, I realized that he was not like his usual self. With his battered legs that he could barely move, he dragged himself to the center.


    As time passed on, Belial¡¯s mana decreased, and the injuries on his body increased.


    They were both reaching their limits after fighting for hours. The battle was already reaching a stalemate, and everyone was watching that desperate fight for survival.


    ¡°Huff, huff, for a trash¡­ you are pretty good.¡±


    ¡°I can save him.¡±


    ¡°What¡­?¡±


    ¡°I can save him. I can definitely save him¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°This time, I will save him. I will definitely¡­save him.¡±


    Based on his tearful face, Hyunsung¡¯s mental state was at its limit. He looked so pitiful that even I began to feel a tiny bit of guilt.


    ¡°I can save you, Kiyoung-ssi. Definitely¡­ without fail¡­ so please believe in me and endure a little bit more. Please trust in me and continue to endure.¡±


    On top of a devastated Lindel, I could see Kim Hyunsung desperately trying to rein in his tears.

 Chapter 518: Rising Light (1)

    <h4>Chapter 518: Rising Light (1)</h4>


    How could I describe the battle between the Swordsman of Light and the Fallen Saint?


    -We can save you. So¡­ Please endure for a bit longer.


    -¡­


    -Just endure it for a bit. You will definitely be able to endure it.


    If a personter asked me about the ongoing fight, I would probably answer them with the following:


    ¡®The fight between them was like a scene from mythical tales.¡¯


    ¡®It was so unrealistic that nobody could wrap their minds around it, but I could absolutely sympathize with it.¡¯


    ¡®Because I knew the sufferings they went through, I could understand their pain.¡¯


    These were all shallow descriptions, but I had no other choice but to describe it in such a way. Everyone that witnessed it probably had the same thought as I did.


    I couldn¡¯t do anything but stare above at the fierce battle happening in the sky.


    ¡°They are not humans¡­¡±


    No, they were indeed humans. Like us, they were the humble creations of God.


    ¡°Monsters¡­¡±


    No, they weren¡¯t monsters. Their powers wereparable to gods, but they were definitely not monsters. Actually, they were more human-like than most humans. Yes, I was sure of their humanity.


    In front of that indescribable scene, I unknowingly murmured Benignore¡¯s name and raised my head again.


    Although I was still an apprentice priest who couldn¡¯t stand on the same stage, I had to watch and remember that battle for the sake of future generations as a follower of God.


    As the Fallen Saint¡¯s magic shrouded the swordsman¡¯s arms, the devastated city overturned again.


    With an explosive sound, the swordsman¡¯s body flew away, but he was able to rise again.


    Even a normal person, who knew little about the battle, would be able to realize that the swordsman¡¯s body was at his limit, that he should be no longer be able to move his body, and if he continued like that, it could be fatal to him, so he should stop rising back up.


    -Surely, this time¡­


    However, the swordsman rose again. With his legs that he couldn¡¯t move well and with his bloody, battered body, he rose again like nothing was wrong with him.


    As if spitting out all that amount of blood was nothing to him, he raised his sword again.


    -Surely¡­ this time¡­


    It was hard to describe how desperate he looked.


    He looked sadder than anyone else, and he looked like he was struggling as if he was carrying a load of baggage. As he grabbed onto his shaking legs, he swung his sword again.


    The quiet room fell into an even deeper silence once again.


    Everyone, including those who delivered prayers, cried of the world¡¯s end and cursed the demons, maintained their silence.


    They all just stared at the sky above them, unable to do anything.


    The soldiers amid battle did the same. Even their enemies kept a distance as they continued to watch the battle.


    Everyone probably had the same thought.


    The Swordsman of Light swung his sword again. The Fallen Saint¡¯s body bounced off to a logically unexinable distance, and the swordsman moved his immobile legs once again.


    Debris scattered, and a thunderous roar could be heard every time his sword shed with magic. The terrain around them changed shape with every single move of theirs.


    How could I fully understand a battle that I couldn¡¯t even see properly?


    However¡­


    I clenched my fist tighter as time passed. They were soon reaching their limits. I couldn¡¯t tell if minutes or a couple of hours passed.


    Regardless, their battle continued. As the swordsman¡¯s body became more battered, even the magic surrounding him began to lose power.


    -We can save him.


    -Stop!


    -Please wait.


    -Stop talking, you piece of trash!


    -I will believe.


    -¡­


    -As much as you believe, I also believe.


    Tears fell out from one side of the Fallen Saint¡¯s face as the swordsman imbued magic into his arm that was losing strength. From the arm that was holding the sword, blood kept dripping. Despite his damaged limbs, he kept swinging.


    Could a holy war be more beautiful than that? Which hero could appear like him?


    Asking the swordsman to kill him, the Fallen Saint cried out that he didn¡¯t want to be in that form any longer and asked his old friend to end it.


    And it was at the moment that I saw them praying beside me.


    ¡°Priest-nim.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung-nim¡­¡±


    I couldn¡¯t be sure, but¡­


    ¡°He will surely ovee this. I¡¯m certain of it.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but talk optimistically. It was my responsibility to reassure them, after all.


    ¡°The Swordsman of Light will surely lead him to the right path. He will guide the Honorary Cardinal on where the right path is and where he should go. That is why they are battling.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°That is not the ce where you should be, Honorary Cardinal. A ce full of darkness, pain, evil, and nightmares do not suit you. Haven¡¯t you always, always led us to the right path before? You have always given guidance to the citizens of this empire where they must go and which path they had to take.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I only think that you¡¯re lost momentarily. In your pursuit of a higher ce and values, you lost your way for only a moment.¡±


    ¡°Can he return?¡±


    ¡°Yes, surely, he will. Because¡­¡±


    ¡°Sunset¡­¡±


    Yes, it was definitely possible.


    That was because the sunset was already enveloping the darkening sky.


    ¡°Yes. The Light will lead him back here.¡±


    * * *


    ¡°Why did the demons¡­?¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­ how would I know? Maybe they want to watch too since they find pleasure in experimenting and teasing humans.¡±


    ¡°You mean¡­¡±


    ¡°They probably want to watch this fight. They probably want to show that their power is stronger than the Light we believe in¡­¡±


    ¡°What a distasteful hobby.¡±


    As I watched from the top of the castle, I also had a strange, soothing feeling. The battle was already beyond us. If we tried to reach out to help, the battle would surelymence again.


    No, before that¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s mostly because my body still couldn¡¯t move.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t have the energy to move my body, and it wasn¡¯t only me. It was the same for all the others. From a distance away, the Red Mercenary leader was breathing hard while leaning against the wall.


    The Guild Masters of ck Swan, Park Yeon-Joo, was doing the same. She was watching from afar while healing her wounded leg. The famous Blue Guild members had also gathered in a corner, watching.


    It was obvious what normal soldiers would be doing when the empire¡¯s strongest members were in a state like that.


    They had already spent more than half of their army for that battle. They had to use that moment as an opportunity to catch their breaths. Themand unit had probably issued an order with that in mind.


    The demons had already taken at least half of the castle. It wasughable how they couldn¡¯t do anything but ce all their hopes on the battle before them.


    ¡®How funny.¡¯


    It was like I was no different from a trainee since we were all spectating the battle between the Swordsman of Light and the Fallen Saint.


    ¡®How can they move?¡±


    I was also an experienced adventurer just like them. I understood that they were in a deeper state where they shouldn¡¯t be move than everyone else.


    I made a bitter smile, seeing how they continued to fight in their worst conditions. Perhaps, someone had the same thought as me, and I heard a familiar voice from a distance away.


    ¡°Is he really human like us? That¡¯s unbelievable. How could they turn the city into ruins with just their battle¡­ and still fight on like that¡­?¡±


    ¡°Why won¡¯t they be tired? They probably feel like they want to faint even now.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s probably true¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure I wouldn¡¯t be able to stand if I was in the same state as him. I¡¯m already like this after using a bit of my stamina after running out of magic¡­ you¡¯re probably the same.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Just because he is out of our league doesn¡¯t mean he isn¡¯t tired. He is probably enduring it.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t he have a reason why he can¡¯t fall? He probably has a greater reason than a fool like me, who can only think of myself. It is the same for Benignore¡¯s symbol that he¡¯s fighting against.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Sacrificing your life to save another individual isn¡¯t as easy as you think. With that in mind, should we make a bet?¡±


    ¡°I was wondering when you would ask, you stupid,pulsive gambler.¡±


    I turned around to see a familiar face.


    ¡®You survived.¡¯


    It was my colleagues, who I went to the pubs with. One guy was Lindel¡¯s yboy, Cannon, and the other one was a third-rate gambler, George. Happy to see them, I raised my hand, but they didn¡¯t seem to pay any attention.


    ¡°Do you have to be like this even until the end?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t I have to enjoy it even more at a time like this? This may be thest gamble of my life. But that doesn¡¯t mean that I will bet on the losing side. I will bet on the Swordsman of Light.¡±


    ¡°Do you have a special reason for that?¡±


    ¡°What other reason will a third-rate gambler like me have? I just have this instinctual feeling.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say something so idiotic, George. Everyone here knows that your instincts are terrible.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see. I think I¡¯ll be right this time. And¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this a bet that I will win no matter who I bet on? How can I lose in a game where I will win no matter who won between them?¡±


    ¡°Bullshi*t¡­¡±


    However, my anxiety seemed to lessen with his words. He was a stupid fellow, but he sometimes said something wise like that.


    I felt a bit relieved. If everything happened ording to what he said, I would take him to the pub and give him all the alcohol he wanted.


    With those useless thoughts, I continued to watch. I had to see for myself if he would win that bet.


    His instincts were really terrible, though¡­


    ¡°Haha¡­¡±


    Still, for some reason, I thought he was right.


    ¡°Man, his timing is perfect. Doesn¡¯t it look like someone had prepared this stage for him?¡±


    The sunset had already begun to rise with a blinding, red light. I couldn¡¯t stop my lip¡¯s corners from turning upwards.

 Chapter 519: Rising Light (2)

    <h4>Chapter 519: Rising Light (2)</h4>


    Loud ringing caused my ears to ache while the ground split unevenly. The city¡¯s ruins flew around in all directions, and my body ended up being thrown around without my control.


    Under the magic¡¯s pressure, I couldn¡¯t even breathe properly- no, I couldn¡¯t afford to take a breath.


    I had no opening to take my eyes away from my opponent. I couldn¡¯t even glimpse away for a moment as attacks filled with magic continued toe my way.


    Crash! Craaaaash!


    Even listening to the sounds was exhausting.


    It had been a long time since the city became a mass of ruins, and although it might be a bit of an exaggeration, Lindel looked worse than it did from the first timeline.


    It had been impacted on such arge scale that it was difficult to believe that such a catastrophe happened because of a fight between only two people. It even became hard to differentiate where the Red Mercenary¡¯s Guild House was or where the squares that Lindel¡¯s adventurers loved so much were among the ruins.


    Except for the castle, which the army guarded, there was no other ce to protect. And, on top of that castle, people were watching the unbelievable battle before them.


    They must have realized that the battle would bring the entire war to a close.


    The cluttered areas seemed to have been organized to a certain extent. Even the people that were cheering a while ago had gonepletely silent.


    ¡®How much time has passed?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t have the means to keep track of it. I was too upied. After entering the final phase, it was hard to tell how things had reached such a point.


    It was probably the same for Kim Hyunsung.


    He must have judged that he had to make his opponent unable to fight as he poured magic into his body. Truthfully, that sight was a bit touching. That was how desperate he seemed.


    My condition wasn¡¯t that great either, but it wasn¡¯t as bad as Kim Hyunsung¡¯s.


    ¡®Ah, this bastard, seriously¡­¡¯


    His body had be so ragged. It contrasted his usual clean and sharp self. I wanted to end it too, but things had only dragged onto that point because I couldn¡¯t find the right timing.


    The only thing that reassured me was that his eyes were still filled with faith.


    I wouldn¡¯t have med him if he gave up, but his determination was still the same.


    ¡®Man, I¡¯m starting to feel sorry.¡¯


    At that point, even without having a conscience, he had begun to stir my heart.


    While continuing to murmur that he had to save me, he stood up again with eyes full of determination.


    I saw himing my way again. He was fast as usual, but his movementscked sharpness. He swallowed the blood pouring out of his mouth back, and likewise, I was also getting exhausted.


    The one fighting was Belial, but it was straining my body more than I could believe was possible.


    My state wasn¡¯tparable to Kim Hyunsung¡¯s because he had been breathing heavily since a while ago, but it didn¡¯t mean that I wasn¡¯t tired as well.


    My legs usually hurt after walking only five hours. Considering that I had been shing against him with all that I had, I began to think of giving up.


    Craaaaaaaash!!


    Kim Hyunsung hade my way again, and I thrust him away again. That exhausting pattern continued to repeat.


    The battle had be so simple since we each had one goal in mind. Furthermore, as our movements slowed, I was sure we must¡¯ve looked even more desperate to the outsiders.


    With a crashing sound, his sword shed against my magic. The impact was so strong that I felt my body bounce backward.


    I didn¡¯t get up immediately. Kim Hyunsung was also thrown back.


    ¡®Ah, I don¡¯t want to get up.¡¯


    At the corner of my eye, I looked to the top of the tower to see a couple of wounded soldiers watching us. Even the Blue Guild members didn¡¯t move a finger.


    Anyone else worth mentioning could be seen healing their wounds while watching.


    Those whose sses were rted to the Swordsman couldn¡¯t take their eyes off Kim Hyunsung.


    Since it was a sight that even I, who didn¡¯t know the first thing about swordsmanship, thought was interesting, they were probably even more engrossed in it than I was.


    Some were praying or conversing with one another. They all had one thing simr: they all couldn¡¯t gaze away from the fight.


    However, even in that situation, something else came to my mind¡­


    ¡®Where is Hayan?¡¯


    I hadn¡¯t spotted Hayan since the start of the battle.


    I understood that she was still recovering from her mental wounds, but I had begun to feel a bit nervous.


    Even if she was in a panic, how could she be so quiet?


    ¡®Yeah, it is good that she is not doing anything here right now.¡¯


    That was right. I hoped that she would stay like that until the end of our battle. Then, the situation could continue without any problems.


    Well, regardless, that matter wasn¡¯t as important as what was in front of me. I slowly pushed my body up.


    Kim Hyunsung also got up. As he breathed heavily, his eyes were focused on me.


    ¡°Huff, huff.¡±


    He raised his sword again.


    I showed him that I was losing myposure and continuously ced my hand on the side of my masked face. It was too tiring like that. I wanted to rest a bit, so I initiated a conversation.


    ¡°I never thought you¡¯d push so far¡­ I will admit this much¡­¡±


    ¡°Huff, huff.¡±


    ¡°Among all the humans I had seen, you are the strongest. I didn¡¯t think you could lengthen such a boring battle for this long. Cough!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°But aren¡¯t you at your limit? Objectively, your body is at your limit. It¡¯s probably already too much for you to even stay standing.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Say something, Hyunsung. Let¡¯s take a quick break.¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s because I¡¯m not fighting by myself.¡±


    ¡®Cancel it, sh*t, cancel it. Don¡¯t say lines like that, Hyunsung, please¡­ That¡¯s so embarrassing. Really¡­¡±


    He said lines that would make me blush unconditionally.


    The words, ¡®please kill me¡¯ was on par with it, but both of those lines made my face red.


    Of course, it was different from his perspective. His line merely showcased how invested he was in the y. He probably thought my gimmick of touching my head in pain proved Light Kiyoung was still fighting.


    It wasn¡¯t very pleasant, but I knew that it did make a worthy view.


    ¡°The reason why I can keep standing¡­¡±


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡°Is that Kiyoung-ssi is still fighting. I can continue to fight because of him.¡±


    ¡°Urgh¡­¡±


    In fear that he might catch my embarrassed face, I quickly bowed my head.


    ¡°I also won¡¯t give up. So¡­ Kiyoung-ssi, please don¡¯t give up.¡±


    ¡®Ah, well, the emotions are good.¡¯


    However, it was my responsibility to handle all of it. The conversation ended, and as our break time came to a halt, he began to move towards me again.


    I also slowly started to raise my arm. With a crash, both of our bodies bounced away, and we got up again.


    That was the limit.


    That was what I had been thinking for hours by then. My magic had run out, and my bones seemed like they had been broken.


    My stamina had hit its bottom since page 2, and I had received enough damage to have died a couple of times.


    ¡°Huff, huff.¡±


    ¡°Ha¡­¡±


    The magic sparks surrounding his sword began to disappear. It was the same for me. There was still some of Belial¡¯s power left, but I couldn¡¯t withstand conjuring more power.


    I had already used too much of Belial¡¯s strength.


    After going through multiple nerfs toe to that world and to summon various demons, if I didn¡¯t start using my umted experience¡­


    ¡®It will be too much.¡¯


    That would probably be myst. Any more and Kim Hyunsung¡¯s body wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand it, either.


    Surrounded by my magic, his armor had already been torn away, and it looked like he didn¡¯t have much magic left in his sword.


    He reminded me of a candle that was about to be blown out.


    ¡°Sigh¡­¡±


    It was at that moment that he fixed his stance again.


    ¡®Yes, I should stop at this point.¡¯


    While clutching onto my mask, I took out Juliana from my sheath. I was sure of my decision when a red light that Kim Hyunsung had seen in his dream began to rise.


    ¡®I have to end things here.¡¯


    There wasn¡¯t another background that was more fitting to be the end of that chapter. It was a view so unbelievable and too beautiful to see.


    As if it was cheering us on, the sunset was even more beautiful than usual. The colorful sky painted the ruins with its faint light.


    ¡®It makes a pretty picture.¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung clutched at his sword again. With the gift from a friend, who was more like his older brother, he raised his sword again to save the Fallen Saint.


    As a standard viin, that was the right time to say something.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think that I will be the same as stupid Donovan, you insect.¡±


    Of course, Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t reply. He just stared in my direction while holding his sword. As he moved, I was surprised to see how much magic gathered around his sword.


    ¡°Die while regretting your inability and foolishness.¡±


    ¡°Fuuu.¡±


    Although he took a long time to prepare, his swing was sharp. When lightspletely covered the ruins, Kim Hyunsung¡¯s sword also shone.


    The red light shone so brightly that it was hard to see with my bare eyes.


    ¡®Yeaaaaah!!!¡¯


    I had to look like I was resisting.


    ¡°Die, you insect!¡±


    As two powerful forces shed, Lindel turned white.


    I already expected that there would be a powerful impact since two pr-opposite forces shed, but that was more than I expected. I couldn¡¯t simply describe it as beautiful. Other viewers probably had the same thought.


    At first, only swords shed, but our distance grew. The ground split due to the impact of our magic. A circle had long since formed around us in the center and pushed Lindel¡¯s remnants outside of the castle.


    Craaaaaaaaaaaaaaash!!!


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhh!¡±


    Again, it was an unfitting scream. It was a scream dedicated to evil, having been burst out through his unconsciousness. He probably thought he couldn¡¯t endure it if he didn¡¯t do that much.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!¡±


    He had the appearance of an ideal hero.


    Who could point fingers at a man who was fighting with all he had against evil? It was a clich¨¦ expression, but it couldn¡¯t feel any more unordinary than this.


    I watched Kim Hyunsung with a smirk on my face and caught him staring at me. With unwavering eyes, he bit his lips tightly and let out a beam of light.


    ¡®You have done enough. Let¡¯s stop now, Hyunsung¡­¡¯


    It would be too much to make him struggle even more than that. However, I couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit unsatisfied.


    Everyone would¡¯ve thought it was a satisfying ending, but creators tended never to be satisfied with their work.


    I became more anxious as I heard my mask cracking. It was at that moment¡­


    ¡®That¡­ that crazy bitch.¡¯


    I was shocked to see Jung Hayan appear from a close distance away.


    ¡®Damn it!¡¯


    I was worried that she might pour some of her magic into Kim Hyunsung.


    There was a time when she stabbed a magician¡¯s stomach with a dagger for casting a spell on me, after all.


    I looked at Kim Hyunsung anxiously again, but he didn¡¯t notice Jung Hayan behind him.


    ¡®He could really die.¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung was already at his limit. If Jung Hayan intervened¡­his body might shatter if she attacked him with her magic.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    I was thinking of the worst-case scenario.


    ¡°Huh? You are¡­?¡±


    I turned around to see the pale-faced Jung Hayan, her arms trembling.


    ¡°S-S-Sorry. I am sorry¡­ waah¡­¡±


    ¡®Sh¡­sh*t.¡¯


    ¡°¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ sniff¡­¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s great, Jung Hayan! Yes, sh*t! This was it! This was what was missing.¡¯


    I felt great joy.


    ¡°You insect!!! How dare you!!!¡±


    ¡°Please¡­e back¡­ sniff¡­ Pleasee back to your senses¡­ sob¡­¡±


    ¡®Hyunsung! The time hase! Do it noooooow!!! Now!! Nooooooow!!!!¡¯


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!¡±


    Kim Hyunsung must have also been aware of the ¡®right now¡¯ clich¨¦ because he clenched onto his sword for thest time.


    Finally¡­


    Crack!


    My mask fell apart. As I felt light surrounding me, I quickly changed my ss and felt my appearance changing.


    That was really my limit, and since I couldn¡¯t feel any sensations from my body. I was worried that I might die like that.


    As the shining light flickered away¡­


    In front of the rising sun¡­


    And watching him reach his hand out to me¡­


    I couldn¡¯t help but make a weak smile.


    ¡°You withstood¡­ thank you for withstanding¡­thank you so much.¡±


    At this, Kim Hyunsung cried just like a young child.

 Chapter 520: Rising Light (3)

    <h4>Chapter 520: Rising Light (3)</h4>


    ¡°You¡¯ve really¡­ suffered a lot.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what else to say. Kim Hyunsung was as emotional as a 15-year-old middle schooler right then, and I felt embarrassed for him.


    I wondered what should be my very first line after waking up.


    Should I act as if I remember everything that had happened, or should I act as if I didn¡¯t remember anything? If I went with the first scenario, I would have to act out an intense crying scene, as if I was filled with intense guilt.


    Of course, I was an attention seeker, and the crying scene was necessary, but I didn¡¯t necessarily have to act so emotionally right at that moment.


    ¡®I guess I will do that scene 3 dayster, whatever.¡¯


    Right then, I had to act as if I could not fully understand my present situation.


    ¡®Yes, this is right. This is how I should do it.¡¯


    Before I took full advantage of the situation, I should let them taste some semnce of victory.


    When I looked at the sky, it was already slowly darkening.


    I already saw the light beam out from Kim Hyunsung, but I wasn¡¯t able to see the clear, blue sky. It was probably the result of Kim Hyunsung and Belial¡¯s fighting. I looked at the beauty of the sky in awe.


    And what about the twinkling lights slowly falling from the sky? It looked as if it was a gift of celebration from the heavens.


    In addition to this, in the center of it, Kim Hyunsung stood with tear-filled eyes.


    He looked as if he would burst into tears at any moment, and hundreds of emotions were visible in his eyes. Even before I opened my mouth, I felt a prick of guilt.


    He stood still with his hand outstretched as if everything was over, as if there was no longer any need for me to wander in the darkness.


    He probably didn¡¯t know how his blood-covered face would be reflected in other people¡¯s eyes.


    Even his handsome face couldn¡¯t cover how wretched he looked. It made him look even more wretched inparison. Half of his face was covered in blood from injuries, and he couldn¡¯t even open one eye.


    The same could be said for his body. There was not an inch that remained unscathed.


    As I got closer to him, I could see just how bad his state was.


    I wasn¡¯t in good shape either. However, due to Belial¡¯s mana protection, my appearance was on the decent-looking side. Despite all of that, Hyunsung only worried about me. It felt as if my hard work paid off.


    ¡®This bastard should quickly get treated¡­¡¯


    ¡°Is your b-body all-right?¡±


    ¡°Am I¡­what¡­?¡±


    ¡°Do you know who I am?¡±


    ¡°What¡­ is happening¡­?¡±


    ¡°We should make sure you aren¡¯t hurt anywhere¡­¡±


    ¡®Dude, take care of your body first.¡¯


    ¡°Are you able to stand up?¡±


    I slowly nodded, and he helped me get back on my feet. After scanning my body carefully to see if I was hurt, he let out a sigh of relief.


    It was great timing to share a hug of friendship, but it seemed as if he was concerned about the blood and filth on his clothes.


    However, the hand he reached out revealed his intense emotion.


    ¡®Man, I¡¯m so proud of myself. It should be like this.¡¯


    I was proud of myself, especially after looking at the state of Kim Hyunsung. I hit the jackpot and chose the right person.


    ¡°O-Oppa, Oppa¡­¡±


    ¡®Yes, you too, Hayan. You worked hard too. You look especially pretty today¡­¡¯


    I almost wanted to squeeze her cheeks.


    It was strange to say that considering how she threw a fireball, but it was more important to make a decisive, rational decision.


    When she suddenly came out, I was worried that she might immediately stab Kim Hyunsung. Instead, she had chosen to trust in his decision.


    Throwing a fireball at a person¡¯s face was a small step for others, but it was an enormous leap for her.


    I could see that her hands were still shaking like crazy, but seeing me, she pushed Kim Hyunsung away and gently held me in her embrace.


    ¡°Sor¡­ sniff¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I was wrong¡­ sob¡­ sniff¡­¡±


    ¡°Hanyan, first¡­¡±


    ¡°I was wrong¡­ sniff¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    I pulled back my hair to separate myself from Hayan, but Hayan and Kim Hyunsung¡¯s faces immediately became worried with that movement.


    Due to that, I couldn¡¯t even pull my hair without getting them worried, but I was still enjoying that moment.


    Everything was finally over. But it looked as if everything was not over for Kim Hyunsung. He opened his mouth again.


    ¡°I think we have to take Kiyoung-ssi to where the walls are quick. Hayan-ssi, please take him there.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Why¡­¡±


    ¡°Our enemies will probably continue their attacks. Our battle is not over yet¡­¡±


    ¡®Man, how are you going to fight with that body? Don¡¯t move around so much and just shut yourself in a room.¡¯


    At that point, I was kind of getting tired of him clinging onto his sword with his trembling body.


    ¡®Well, I understand. I¡¯m proud of this dude, really.¡¯


    ¡°Ah, right now, argh¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to remember everything. It¡¯s much more important for you to escape right now. With your current condition¡­¡±


    ¡°You look more hurt than me¡­¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡®This man is so determined.¡¯


    He looked as if he was ready to die, but maybe unfortunately for him, the battle would not continue after that. ording to my ns, at about that time¡­


    shhhhhhhhhh!!!


    Benignore, who had been waiting for her moment, soon took action.


    She must have known that appearing right at that moment wasn¡¯t meaningless.


    Before I really did anything, arge light began to surround us. The sky divided into two, and light poured out.


    ¡°Benignore.¡±


    Even after bing bankrupt, Benignore pretended to look holy upon appearance. It was thanks to me that she could have an entrance as glorious as that.


    She clearly looked like her statue. The way she was surrounded by light made her even more noticeable. She seemed to be enveloped with a holy power that I began to be in awe of even while knowing her true self, which was stupid and foolish.


    -I call upon Belial¡¯s 27th Demon Corps.


    Her voice sounded elegant. She must have known how important one¡¯s image was. I couldn¡¯t help but nod at her masterful performance.


    -Go back to where you came from. This is not where you all should be.


    [It must be time for us to separate.]


    ¡®Ah, Belial-nim. Thank you so much.¡¯


    [I wanted to linger here a bit longer to enjoy the situation, but it seems like that is no longer an option. This stupid bitch must be fulfilling her role as a goddess and trying to fix the situation.]


    ¡®Man, I was sorry to hear that. Perhaps, the system can¡­¡¯


    [It¡¯s probably right for the outside counsel to handle this. Isn¡¯t this also what you expected? Since the system is operating normally, it takes a considerable amount of price and magic to stay in this world. After everything is over, you wouldn¡¯t be able to maintain the 27th Demon Corps. Besides, weren¡¯t you worried that I would suddenly betray you?]


    ¡®Ah, ah! Belial-nim. How could I dare have such a wicked thought? I already know that you can see through a lowly human like me. I never had such a disgusting thought before.¡¯


    [Hahahaha! Don¡¯t worry about that, you disgusting human. Isn¡¯t that your charm? I look forward to seeing what you¡¯ll be in the future. I can¡¯t wait to continue to be with such a disgusting human like you. Even right now, my corpsmanders are giving a standing ovation at what you had done. I¡¯m impressed at the fact that you are such a trashy human¡­]


    [Cut that out! Belial!]


    [Long time no see. But isn¡¯t it toote now, ipetent Benignore? You are doing well maintaining your appearance in front of these insect-like humans.]


    [H-Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung will never join the demons.]


    [I had already imnted my seed into him. Aren¡¯t you aware of that already? Rather than being by your side, it is more fitting for him with me.]


    [Your dirty devil! H-How dare you do this to my faithful and lovely Saint Lee Kiyoung¡­!]


    What were those guys doing?


    I could understand Belial, but Benignore, who had suddenly intervened in the conversation, surprised me with her response.


    I thought she would describe me as trash, but she was praising me with all kinds ofpliments, saying that I was a faithful servant and a lovely believer.


    ¡®She must be afraid of losing me.¡¯


    She must have wanted to keep me at her side rather than watching me join the opposing faction. Since her appearance, I saw her taking glimpses at me.


    I didn¡¯t know everything, but I was sure that the situation was very advantageous for me.


    Both sides wanted me.


    ¡®It¡¯s tiring to be so popr.¡¯


    Both sides were appealing, but I couldn¡¯t make up my mind before I conversed with them.


    Since the system had been normalized, Belial and Benignore couldn¡¯t possibly stay in our world for too long. As expected, they used me tomunicate with each other. They were bing more desperate.


    [We don¡¯t have time to discuss this, Benignore.]


    [What? How dare you!]


    [Ipetent Benignore, don¡¯t you have a more pressing matter than discussing about your lovely believer, the disgusting human, who I have my eyes on?]


    [That is¡­]


    [What can you do for me?]


    [What are you talking about? You also can¡¯t stay here for too long. Why are you saying that as if you are doing us a favor by retreating?]


    [I¡¯m saying that I can retreat peacefully. Didn¡¯t you also directly intervene because you wanted to avoid further damage? If I really wanted to, I could easily cause great damage to this empire again. Don¡¯t you know that best?]


    [It would also be cumbersome for you if you destroy our workce¡­ didn¡¯t you already do a lot?]


    [I have my honor as themander of the 72nd Corps. If I don¡¯t reap a lot when I specificallye down to this world, I would be dishonored. I will make it so that it will be beneficial for both of us. Let¡¯s end this now. You also know that we don¡¯t have much time. I will give you 10 seconds.]


    [We will never make apromise with you, Belial.]


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry for intervening in the middle of your conversation, but may I offer some advice?¡¯


    [¡­]


    [¡­]


    [Okay, I will at least hear it, external advisor.]


    [My lovely and precious servant, Lee Kiyoung! If it is your request, I will do so dly!]

 Chapter 521: Rising Light (4)

    <h4>Chapter 521: Rising Light (4)</h4>


    ¡®Goddess Benignore, it¡¯s about time for everything to return to normal. I can understand why you wouldn¡¯t want to make apromise with Commander Belial, but sometimes we have to sacrifice our principles for the greater good.¡¯


    [¡­]


    [¡­]


    ¡®If Commander Belial decides to create another hole in the empire, many demons from that space will not be like him. Goddess Benignore, I know you wouldn¡¯t want that to happen. Aren¡¯t you healing your holy powers right now? You used up a lot of powers toe down here, and if you try to fix what¡¯s going to happen after this, we will be in a worse situation.¡¯


    [My lovely follower¡­ However¡­]


    ¡®Aren¡¯t you also with your troops,mander Belial? I was actually going to finish up everything, but Goddess Benignore decided toe at this moment¡­¡¯


    [Are you saying that I was in the wrong, my precious Holy Cardinal Lee Kiyoung?]


    ¡®Of course not. I just wanted to say that Belial¡¯s situation had be a little more difficult after you appeared. If the demons disappeared after receiving your light, Belial might lose face in front of his troops. There might be rumors that he ran away from Benignore with his tails between his legs.¡¯


    [This disgusting human¡¯s words are right, stupid Benignore. It¡¯s not only about my Corps. You should consider the number of demons that are watching the empire right now. Almost all of themanders of the 72 Corps are bearing witness to this situation. I will lose face if I retreat right now.]


    The conversation was going as I wanted. It had just the right amount of tension.


    ¡®I¡¯m just a lowly human being, so I don¡¯t know what the situation is exactly from up above, but I¡¯m sure a lot of higher beings are watching us from up there as well. Goddess Benignore, if you refuse topromise due to your principles, others might disapprove of you.¡¯


    [T-Then what is it that you want?]


    [I want toe back to this empire again.]


    [What? Do you think I will approve of that? That¡¯s impossible!]


    [I will notpromise anymore, stupid Benignore.]


    [I should have known it was impossible to have a proper conversation with demons. Do you think I will not be able to see through your dirty intentions?!]


    ¡®Goddess Benignore, that is not a badpromise.¡¯


    [What? My servant Lee Kiyoung! Are you saying that for real?]


    ¡®The 27th Corps is already tightly intertwined with the empire. Even if you try to stop it, demons will always be summoned. If Belial tries toe back again, won¡¯t it be better that he will be the one you¡¯ll be expecting?¡¯


    [That will¡­]


    ¡®This is your chance, goddess Benignore. Do you want to keep running away again? You should take this chance while you can.¡¯


    [¡­]


    ¡®Imagine your followers being able to see you use your awesome power to defeat Belial. Not only will you recover your energy froming down here, but everyone will also sing praises for your name. Aren¡¯t you in an unstable state right now? If you happen to make a mistake, you might fall back to the bottom again. Take this chance to make your return.¡¯


    [What this disgusting human says is right. Shouldn¡¯t you also get something after using so much power toe down here? This might sound ironic, but I also care about the people who live in this empire. I don¡¯t want to cause any more damage, but¡­]


    ¡®If I retreat at this moment, other demons will definitelye to attack.¡¯


    [I will lose standing, and if my ability to control shrinks¡­]


    ¡®Many strong and vicious demons woulde here in even greater numbers. Goddess Benignore, if that happens, even I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll be able to stop them.¡¯


    [Benignore, don¡¯t you also know that I¡¯m the most reasonable among the demons? You know best how much devastation will be caused if crazy demons like Lilith and trash demons like Mammone here.]


    ¡®It¡¯s very rare to see a demon as rational as Belial. I hope you keep this in mind.¡¯


    [But¡­ b-but¡­]


    ¡®I will act as the witness. Let¡¯s write a contract.¡¯


    [W¡­ What?!]


    ¡®Goddess Benignore, this is the right way to do it.¡¯


    [Hmmm, that is not a bad thought. It¡¯s unnecessary to write a contract, but won¡¯t you feel more secure if we write one?]


    ¡®But of course, Commander Belial, you should make it more favorable for Goddess Benignore.¡¯


    That was probably the first time a contract would be written between a god and a demon.


    I bet Belial probably didn¡¯t care so much about the contract¡¯s content as long as he could write one. This was because he knew how easily the contract could be annulled.


    However, Benignore still seemed hesitant.


    To be honest, it wasn¡¯t that bad of a deal for Benignore.


    Belial always tried his best for his clients, so once the contract was written, he would probably do his best to make Benignore¡¯s miracle look as awe-inspiring as possible. It was much more effective to act out a dramatic scene and gain humanity¡¯s faith than fight with Belial and use up all her powers again.


    [If we are going to write a contract, I want to add a few conditions. Belial, this is not only for my safety but the effectiveness of my performance.]


    [If it is reasonable, I will add it.]


    [T-Then don¡¯t bother my lovely servant Lee Kiyoung again¡­]


    [Rejected. You¡¯re asking me to give up my entire merchandise. You are shrewder than I thought.]


    [If you add in the contract that you will not interact with Lee Kiyoung again, I will let you influence the empire five times in the next 2000 years. You can also recover the guelord of Darkness ss that you passed over to him. With these conditions, won¡¯t even you be satisfied?]


    [You are asking for too much! Evil bitch! I thought you were useless, but you are more cunning than I thought.]


    [Then there is no contract.]


    [Then eye for an eye, worthless Benignore. I will have you keep running away again.]


    [My lovely servant will also fight by my side.]


    [No, this disgusting human is going to fight by my side.]


    [My lovely servant Lee Kiyoung, you are going to follow me, right? Right? I will treat you right¡­ I¡¯ll be really good to you¡­soe here and let¡¯s defeat all those demons.]


    [You filthy human, I trust that you know where your heart lies. Let¡¯s show these heavenly bastards what happens to those who refuse to have a rational conversation.]


    Why were those guys acting like that? I wanted them to stop. I had to quickly stop the situation from bing an epic war between gods and demons.


    I prevented myself from biting my lips due to the sudden turn of events.


    I thought I could finally rest easy, but it seemed I had to do everything to avoid being pulled to the battlefield again. Everything was worrisome. If their arguments continued, humanity and Hyunsung would not be able to recover.


    ¡®T-Then why don¡¯t we do it like this? Since both of you have such a keen interest in my future, after I die¡­¡¯


    [I¡¯m looking at about after 2000 years. I don¡¯t know about Benignore¡¯s side, but it seems she wants you on her side¡­I don¡¯t know if she thinks she can reform your filthy soul, but that isughable.]


    More than that, I thought he wanted me on his side. He probably couldn¡¯t understand why the heavens wanted me. He probably thought that the best course of action at this point was to take me in.


    Benignore probably felt pressured to do the same. However, that wasn¡¯t the most important issue. It was more important to resolve our present dilemma.


    I didn¡¯t know if the solution I had would satisfy them, but I spoke anyway.


    ¡®I thought that I could at least give Goddess Benignore a chance to recruit me.¡¯


    [¡­]


    [¡­]


    [That¡¯s not so bad¡­]


    [C-Chance to recruit?]


    ¡®Yes, I will at least give you the chance to recruit me.¡¯


    [A-Are you thinking about not actually joining our faction, my lovely¡­]


    ¡®Of course, I want to be on your side, but don¡¯t you think I should be extra cautious about the ce I¡¯m going to reside in for the rest of my life? I have to check the conditions as well¡­there are many things I have to think about. But goddess Benignore, please be rest assured. If the conditions are met, I will think of going to your side most favorably. That¡¯s why, as a mediator, I offered this choice. Don¡¯t you also have to talk it over with the other heavenly beings that you work with?¡¯


    [As expected, your senses are keen.]


    ¡®I thought you would be pressured. Then¡­ how should we negotiate our contract?¡¯


    [Well, the content of the initial contract was not so bad, but¡­]


    ¡®Yes?¡¯


    [Wait, just give me more time to think about it¡­]


    ¡®I understand.¡¯


    As a holy being of the heavenly faction, it must have been hard for her to make a contract with a demon. She had to sacrifice her principles, and there was a lot to think about.


    Signing the contract itself was not a big deal, but that was probably one of the most difficult decisions she ever had to make.


    In a second, I saw them both going to an imaginary space, and I saw Belial holding a contract.


    Benignore was sitting on a desk with tearful eyes. She looked as if she was wondering if there was really no other choice.


    Looking at them made me realize that they were supreme beings, considering they could make an imaginary space in a split-second.


    However, Benignore¡¯s tearful face was unbing of a transcendental being like her. She looked at the contract as if it was a ve contract and kept stealing furtive nces towards me.


    ¡®Goddess Benignore, please believe me. Weren¡¯t you able to recover from being almost bankrupt because of me? You have a lot to gain from this.¡¯


    [There¡¯s not a lot of time. Quickly make your decision.]


    [Follower Lee Kiyoung¡­ h.]


    ¡®Please write down your signature.¡¯


    [If you don¡¯t want to, I¡¯m going to take it back.]


    ¡®There¡¯s never going to be a chance as good as this.¡¯


    [This disgusting human is right.]


    ¡®Please sign.¡¯


    [H¡­ sniff¡­]


    Her hands were trembling. It might have been rude of me to touch a supreme being, but I held her hands down, and she stopped shaking.


    ¡®Please trust in me and sign.¡¯


    [I guess you don¡¯t want to sign the contract.]


    ¡®No, she just needs to prepare herself. Please just wait a bit longer.¡¯


    [H¡­]


    ¡®There, quickly.¡¯


    [The contract¡­]


    ¡®Quickly sign, Goddess Benignore!¡¯


    [I¡­ I don¡¯t think I can¡­]


    ¡®Don¡¯t say such weak words. Quickly sign your name!¡¯


    [Sigh¡­]


    ¡®In the count of three, let¡¯s sign. One.¡¯


    [Two.]


    ¡®Three!¡¯


    Benignore¡¯s hands started shaking again as she began writing on the contract. With thatst sight, a shing light soon blinded my eyes.

 Chapter 522: Rising Light (5)

    <h4>Chapter 522: Rising Light (5)</h4>


    ¡°Are you awake?¡±


    ¡°Urgh¡­¡±


    ¡°Kiyoung-ssi, can you hear me?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    I opened my eyes slowly, and I could see multiple faces staring at me.


    After being sucked into the unconscious world, it seemed that I had lost consciousness for a moment in the real world. Hearing Kim Hyunsung, I could tell that he had given up the ridiculous thought to fight the demons by himself.


    In other words¡­


    ¡®It seems the contract has been resolved.¡¯


    There was no way I would be with all my guild members, otherwise. I looked around my surrounding as if I didn¡¯t know anything and saw some weing faces.


    The fierce battle had already happened on top of the tower. As expected, I heard Park Deokgu¡¯s voice from afar.


    ¡°Hyung-nim? Are you alright? Are you really alright?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Hyung-nim, can you hear me? Hyung-ssi, please answer me! Can you recognize who I am?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Deokgu. So, no¡­ I¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think of anything right now. H-He needs some space, Elena-nim! Hyung-nim woke up. Hyung-nim! Pleasee here and assess the situation quickly! Quickly!¡±


    ¡°Lee Kiyoung-nim!¡± The voice I heard was from Park Deokgu calling out to Elena, but the person I saw was Sun Hee-young.


    ¡®What, why is she like that? That isn¡¯t like her usual self.¡¯


    She always expressed herself subtly. Hence, it was unusual for her to stick to me like that overtly. Always observing from a step behind, it was unimaginable for her to push all the guild members to the side to hug me.


    That showed how worried she was about me, but it still surprised me.


    It wasn¡¯t like her. Her shoulders moved up and down as her head was buried into my chest. She looked so sorrowful that I began to feel a bit embarrassed.


    Her face was ruined as tears and snot fell from her face filled with concern and anxiety.


    ¡°Waaaaa¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Waaaaaaaaa¡­¡±


    Of course, other people were the same.


    Yoo Ahyoung, Kim Chang-ryul, Ahn Ki-mo, Kim Ye-ri.


    My friend, Cho Hyejin, and Park Deokgu¡¯s lover, Hwang Jeong-yeon, Yuno Kasugano, and even Elena, were visible as well. They all made me feel proud.


    There were also, of course, Kim Hyunsung, Jung Hayan, and Park Deokgu.


    Jung Hayan¡¯s expression still appeared uneasy from a distance away, and Park Deokgu¡¯s eyes were swollen and red because he had cried so much.


    However, he had a smile on his face at that moment.


    Not everything had been settled, but they were at least reassured that their blue Vice Guild Master hade back.


    ¡°Thank goodness, thank¡­ thank you, god. Oh god¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Hyung-nim, are you alright? Kiyoung-nim. Hyung-nim¡­¡±


    ¡°I-it seems that there is nothing seriously wrong with your body. Your head doesn¡¯t seem seriously injured either. You seem to have periodic amnesia, but after resting a bit, you will recover in no time.¡±


    ¡°Elena-nim, could you check¡­¡±


    ¡°Fortunately, I can¡¯t feel their energy anymore, but we will have to observe for a bit longer¡­ I can¡¯t make an urate judgment yet.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about? Amnesia? And right now, this ce¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The Blue Guild members stared at me in silence.


    I could see that they didn¡¯t know how to exin the situation to me. I probably would have responded in the same way if I was in their position.


    They couldn¡¯t say something like, ¡®Ah¡­ so, Vice Guild Master became possessed by a demon¡¯s spirit, and in your corrupt state, Lindel became like this. It¡¯s never experienced a demon like you. Do you see the wounds on yourself? You could be proud of that.¡¯


    Within a moment, many kinds of expressions passed the guild member¡¯s faces.


    They looked at each other and avoided making eye-contact with me. And from behind, Park Deokgu and Kim Hyunsung discussed among themselves privately.


    ¡°What should we do? Should we tell him¡­?¡±


    ¡°It will be hard for him to ept.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s something he will learn eventually anyway. It will be better to exin the situation to him and get the matter over with. Considering our Hyung-nim¡¯s personality, if he realizes the truth by himself in the future, he might make a rash decision.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡®I can hear everything, Deokgu.¡¯


    It took some effort to pretend that my mind was still hazy and that I couldn¡¯t hear anything.


    ¡°And think about what will happen. It¡¯s not likely, but what if this nation and other guilds use our Hyung-nim against us. If that happens¡­¡±


    ¡°Rest assured, I won¡¯t just sit around and watch.¡±


    ¡°What if the worst-case scenario happens?¡±


    ¡°I will have to leave my nation.¡±


    That was very unlikely to happen. Pope Basel going against me sounded as unconvincing as saying that Kim Ye-ri disliked acting.


    It was cute as to how they were thinking of so many scenarios.


    As the two discussed, the other guild members bought time with fruitless conversations.


    I was assured that I had done the right thing when I saw all of their faces, fearful that I would find out everything. And around the time when Kim Hyunsung¡¯s and Park Deokgu¡¯s small meeting was over, everyone looked at Kim Hyunsung as if he would take all the responsibility.


    Nervously, Kim Hyunsung opened his mouth.


    ¡°I can understand how your mind is a mess, Kiyoung-ssi. But recovering is most important. Afterward, I will exin everything. So¡­¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Please do as I say this time.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes.¡±


    He was probably worried about my mental state, but my mentality was much stronger than he thought. It was a good choice to avoid the situation for the time being, but he was the one who was going to suffer the longer he hid the truth from me.


    I should n to regain my memories as fast as possible for the lovely regressor¡¯s mental health.


    I nodded to show that I understood with a warm smile, and all the party members¡¯ expressions brightened.


    ¡°Ah, I almost forgot, but Benignore-nim¡­¡±


    ¡°I will also exin that to youter.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    There was no denying that the situation definitely needed exnation. From a distance, I could see monsters shing.


    Wasn¡¯t it too much to ask me not to question anything?


    -The light will burn you.


    -Do it if you can, you dirty bitch!


    Belial¡¯s immense figure appeared into view, and Benignore was busy blocking his attacks. Colorful lights and absolute darkness continued to sh.


    Even amid the battle, Benignore was shielding the humans with her power.


    Voices of prayer and gratitude rang everywhere. The sight of her tearing up for the empire¡¯s wounded citizens looked undeniably sacred and holy.


    And what of Belial?


    He had swung a giant sword and had a more fearsome appearance than he did at Raios.


    ¡®Wow¡­ Those guys, really¡­¡¯


    If I were clueless, I would¡¯ve thought that they were fighting as hard as they could.


    ¡®Wow, it looks really real¡­her and him, they are all trash, seriously.¡¯


    Belial, who talked as if he was going to destroy the empire, worked his hardest for his client.


    Benignore, who had tears in her eyes while stamping the contract, was at work too. It was so ridiculous that my mouth dropped.


    However, even that didn¡¯tst for long. Belial had to go to Hell, and Benignore couldn¡¯t stay in our world any longer than necessary.


    Soon after, Benignore pierced her holy spear into Belial¡¯s chest.


    -Ah, ah, I can¡¯t believe it¡­ I got done in¡­


    -Go back, Belial. I won¡¯t let you do as you wish here.


    -Remember, you dirty, light whore and those who serve her. I wille back. Today¡¯s victory is not yours forever.


    -I will protect this empire.


    -Remember, you insects! I am darkness and fear, your greatest nightmare¡­


    ¡®Kyaah, as expected, Belial¡¯s acting is another level¡­ how could he be so immersed while saying such lines?¡¯


    [I¡¯m d you think that.]


    ¡®Ah, Belial-nim.¡¯


    [I said my farewells earlier, but the time hase for us to part again. Many regret that they couldn¡¯t say their goodbyes. I will arrange for another method to contact you.]


    ¡®Please do as you wish.¡¯


    [It was enjoyable to watch you, disgusting human- no, my 27th Corps¡¯ external adviser. I will wait for the day that we can meet again.]


    ¡®I will also be waiting.¡¯


    [Get lost, Belial.]


    [Aren¡¯t your words too harsh, Benignore? I thought we were partners now.]


    [Why would I partner up with the likes of you!]


    [Whatever you think, it doesn¡¯t change what already happened. It was fun, Benignore.]


    [Don¡¯t evere back.]


    The darkness faded, and all of the monsters went back to their original ces as well.


    Light burst out again, and as if she couldn¡¯t stand it any longer, Benignore also eventually disappeared from view while saying the following words:


    -You are all strong. Please don¡¯t give up. Today¡¯s pain will be your strength in the future. Use it to be even more resilient.


    It was all over. Everyone embraced and cheered like they were drunk with the light¡¯s victory.


    Some still rubbed their eyes as if they couldn¡¯t believe what was happening in front of them. There were also some that sat, all looking dejected on the ground.


    I also wanted to smile, but I put on a dumbfounded expression to the public to maintain the setting that I had periodic amnesia.


    I wondered how I should go on. Should I act like I had stumbled upon the truth and take more out of the situation?


    ¡®Is this ce¡­ Lindel¡­ how¡­ I¡­¡¯


    The thought of wailing and crying while saying such a trashy line filled my heart with joy. I had many ns, but I decided to sleep for the time being. I was already tired from staying awake all night.


    ¡°Hyung-nim, hyung-nim! Come¡­e back to your senses!¡±


    ¡°Kiyoung-ssi, are you alright¡­¡±


    ¡°Oppa¡­ waah¡­Oppa!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The voices became fainter. After a while, I opened my eyes.


    I then found myself in a room without a single window.

 Chapter 523: Partial Confinement (1)

    <h4>Chapter 523: Partial Confinement (1)</h4>


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡®Where am I?¡¯


    When I opened my eyes, I found myself in an unfamiliar ce.


    The luxurious interior reminded me of my past room, but it didn¡¯t seem as weing for some reason.


    Actually, the room felt almost the same as my room.


    The alchemy kit that I always used was in the corner, and there was the ssical and elegant furniture which looked like they had been inherited from people with ¡®Old Money.¡¯ There was also my luxury collection on the other side. Besides the Chanelia Hermes that I already had, there were also luxury items that had quite interesting functions.


    I didn¡¯t know where I had gotten those items. Looking at them, it was likely that Kim Hyunsung might have brought them.


    No, that guy definitely brought them. Seeing how the bags were set so nicely, it was definitely him.


    The way I looked so happy after receiving the Infinity Bag must have never left his mind. I was not too fond of the new items, but then I realized how big my room had be.


    ¡®What¡­¡¯


    It looked as if they had erged my room. At that moment, it looked big enough for me to run and jump around. And that wasn¡¯t even all. The potted nts receiving luminescent light were enough to make me envision a small garden.


    On top of arge desk, there was a chess set that seemed to have been crafted by a master, and the bookshelves were filled to the brim with appealing books.


    It seemed like they were there to make sure that I didn¡¯t be bored.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    I carefully lifted my body. My legs lost strength for a moment, but thankfully, it seemed that I hadn¡¯t forgotten how to walk.


    After observing my surrounding, I sneaked towards the door and reached for its handles. I felt entirely out of ce.


    ¡®Where are the windows?¡¯


    I wanted to see what was happening in the outside world. However, there wasn¡¯t a single window in the room. I might not have felt so out of ce if the room wasn¡¯t so big.


    It was an immenselyrge room. The designer wouldn¡¯t have made a room like that unless they were out of their mind. Or, unless they wanted a challenge.


    I wasn¡¯t sure, but there was only one possibility that I coulde up with.


    ¡®Fuck, am I confined?¡¯


    I immediately thought of Jung Hayan¡¯s cursed shrine. It was the first thing that came to mind when I thought of kidnapping and confinement.


    However, I thought of how Jung Hayan had acted thest time I saw her and shook my head.


    After all that fussing, she wouldn¡¯t have kidnapped me. Of course, thinking that I was confined was simply my guess. Before anything, I just wanted to talk to somebody.


    There were a lot of things that I needed to fix and set after everything was over. I had to give a public apology and wander around to get more from the situation.


    There was also the problem of restoring and clearing the fallen Federation. Since thend¡¯s owner was gone, we had to decide where all of it was going.


    I needed to quickly resolve the public opinion and the joint training that had been affected by it¡­


    ¡®We also need to reorganize.¡¯


    If Lee Jihye was in charge, I could leave it in her hands, but I couldn¡¯t possibly make her do everything.


    We had to be united to ovee the great wounds and pain, and the three main guilds had to be at the center kept me upied, I wanted to rest peacefully for a bit, but it wasn¡¯t the time to be idle.


    Like a habit, I tapped on my bed.


    The door then slowly opened. I looked to the ce where the sound came from. In front of the door, there was Sun Hee-young.


    Shocked, she dropped the pot she was holding. She must¡¯ve been the one taking care of the small garden at the corner of the room.


    I wasn¡¯t sure how I should react. For the time being, I thought I should smile slightly.


    ¡°Lee¡­ Lee Kiyoung-nim.¡±


    With a surprised look on her face, she ran towards me.


    Her already-teary eyes filled up with water and began to drip down on her cheeks. Then, she turned around and hugged me.


    Her reaction was like that of a lover, who had found her vegetative partner awake. I wasn¡¯t all that certain, but she must have taken care of me while I was asleep.


    ¡°Lee Kiyoung-nim. Lee Kiyoung-nim¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ yes, I am here.¡±


    ¡°Waaah¡­ Lee Kiyoung-nim¡­¡±


    She still didn¡¯t let go of me. It wasn¡¯t an unpleasant situation, but I still couldn¡¯t breathe. After I tapped her shoulder, she seemed to have realized what she was doing and let go of me.


    ¡°Ah! Ah! I¡¯m so sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to be sorry, Hee-young-ssi. Besides, where am I¡­?¡±


    ¡°There must be a lot of things you are curious about. I will contact the Guild Master right now. Everyone else has been waiting for you to wake up. Thank goodness. S+Sniff¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°May I first check your body¡¯s condition? It seems like you just woke up¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true.¡±


    As I nodded, she took a look at my physique with teary eyes.


    I felt like she checked ces that she didn¡¯t really need to check, but she seemed very earnest in her inspection. I didn¡¯t think there was anything wrong with me, but I felt more assured after seeing her.


    ¡®The health inspection is done.¡¯


    Nobody could inspect better than that. After a brief pause, I looked at her again, and she sighed.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like there is anything concerning. Your physical health is really good too. I always checked before, but I¡¯m relieved that nothing has changed after you woke up.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but Hee-young-ssi¡­¡±


    ¡°Before that, aren¡¯t you hungry? Why don¡¯t you drink some water first and then try eating some porridge? After all, it has been a long time since youst ate. Or it might be better for you to drink some potion right away.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®It seems like she¡¯s trying to change the conversation.¡¯


    And that wasn¡¯t the only time it happened. Whenever I tried to ask a question, she directed the conversation elsewhere.


    She must¡¯ve known what I was going to ask her.


    Anybody would have thought it was strange that she kept trying to avoid answering the question. And because of her poor acting, things looked even more awkward.


    ¡®I see, you don¡¯t want to talk. I guess that¡¯s it, after all.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t Sun Hee-young or Jung Hayan who brought me there. Well, they were part of it, including all the other Blue Guild Members, but it was under his orders.


    ¡®Kim Hyunsung, you bastard.¡±


    As I was thinking, more people started to appear. I didn¡¯t know where they wereing from, but everyone was armed.


    That included Jung Hayan and Park Deokgu. Still, everyone threw their bodies at me as they teared up. Jung Hayan was especially moved, considering both tears and snot ran down her face.


    ¡°You woke up¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Hyejin-ssi.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been a very long time. Blue Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°Nice to see you, Ahn Ki-mo-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Blue guild-master¡­¡±


    ¡®Yoo Ahyoung, Kim Chang-ryul, and even our newbies¡­¡¯


    Han Sora was also there. The elves must have gone on some business trip, seeing that Elena was missing. After slightly stroking Jung Hayan¡¯s head while I was hugging her, I was surprised to see an unfamiliar face.


    ¡®What, they¡¯re¡­¡¯


    They even had the Blue Guild¡¯s emblem on their chest.


    ¡®What? Did they hire new guild members?¡¯


    Seeing their stats and how armed they were, they didn¡¯t look like ordinary guild members.


    ¡®Did they pick out new party members?¡¯


    As I looked at them with curiosity, I felt Kim Hyunsung squeezing my hand. His face was filled with emotions.


    I swore that I just saw him a couple of days ago, but he acted like he hadn¡¯t seen me in ten months. As expected, his eyes were also teary.


    ¡®Stop crying, seriously.¡¯


    ¡°Um, could you perhaps¡­no, Hyunsung-ssi, could you tell me what happened¡­ Can you exin everything to me?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about it. Everything has been resolved and done with.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­?¡±


    ¡°Demons came, and the empire¡¯s army engaged in battle with them- that is all. And in the process, we were able to save you. Andstly, Benignore-nim¡­¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s all? What bullsh*t¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­ With her help, we were able to guarantee victory. That was how we were able to s-save you while you were with the others.¡±


    And that was how I realized why they confined me there. Everyone was in it. I couldn¡¯t even nod at Kim Hyunsung¡¯s unbelievable storytelling.


    It was like they had all nted a hidden camera to make one person look stupid.


    ¡®Wow, look at all of them, lying in a group¡­ seriously?¡¯


    I could see right through them. They wanted to help me regain my memories without confusing me too much.


    They probably knew that the truth might be revealedter, but it was still too early.


    ¡®I wonder if I should just say that I remember everything.¡¯


    That might be a better option than dragging it on for too long. I thought that they would be careful, but they were more careful than I expected.


    It was spectacr to see everyone supporting Kim Hyunsung¡¯s words.


    At least Kim Ye-ri and Ahn Ki-mo showed some convincing acting, but Kim Hyunsung, who should¡¯ve been the main character of the y, was stiff. It was as if he was reading a textbook.


    ¡°Some time passed, but dark magic is still floating outside.¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t lie, you little sh*t. What do you mean dark magic is floating around¡­¡¯


    ¡°ording to experts, this magic is especially fatal to you.¡±


    ¡®This storyline is so bad.¡¯


    ¡°So, for now¡­ I think it will be better for you to stay here.¡±


    As he finished his lines, I realized the story was made to force me into confinement. Although I felt a bit nervous about it, I didn¡¯t think it wouldst that long.


    I already thought that there was no way that they would really keep me in there for long.


    ¡®Well, they will probably let me go outside if I say that I want to take a walk. What could happen?¡¯


    And just like that, two more weeks passed by.

 Chapter 524: Partial Confinement (2)

    <h4>Chapter 524: Partial Confinement (2)</h4>


    Truthfully, the past two weeks hadn¡¯t been that painful.


    It wasn¡¯t like my hair had been cut off without my notice, or I only got fried dumplings for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The quality of the meals was fantastic without question, and life inside the room was likewise excellent.


    I was treated beyond what I thought possible and lived a luxurious and decadent lifestyle. I couldn¡¯t even deny that the treatment made me feel good.


    I didn¡¯t even have to raise my finger.


    I didn¡¯t have to do anything or even move my body, for that matter. If I was hungry, I could order food, and if I needed something, I could call someone. I didn¡¯t try, but they probably would¡¯ve fed me if I asked to be spoon-fed.


    It was a bit suffocating, but there were some pleasurable aspects. I mean, who could dislike spending time resting in bed?


    I honestly didn¡¯t dislike that I could simply lie down and read a book¡­


    Of course, there was the suffocating feeling that I couldn¡¯t satisfy. It all felt ufortable that I was confined to an area, regardless of how big the ce was.


    And the fact that I didn¡¯t choose to stay in the room made all the difference.


    For the first week, I thought it was good for me to follow what they said and didn¡¯t do anything, but after that, I began to feel a bit ufortable.


    Yeah, I did y chess with Cho Hyejin! And ate food! And went to the sauna! Yeah! And swam! And yed a lot, but it wasn¡¯t easy staying in one ce for two weeks.


    The problem was that the partial confinement seemed never-ending. To be honest, I didn¡¯t really care if I yed for some weeks, but I was anxious about what was happening outside without my knowledge.


    ¡®Shiitt¡­¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know if having been confined and tortured by a demon had be a trauma, but I couldn¡¯t stand it. I didn¡¯t know what was happening outside since I was stuck in my room, but I felt anxious from the change that I noticed from the surface.


    The most obvious, visible change was definitely the Lee Kiyoung bodyguards.


    Yes, that was right. They were called Lee Kiyoung bodyguards. They even made a group like that.


    ¡®They are only bodyguards by name, sh*t.¡¯


    Even right at that moment, they were busy guarding the door. They wore the Blue Guild¡¯s insignia and called themselves Lee Kiyoung¡¯s bodyguard.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t pick them out, nor had I ever appointed them as my bodyguards.


    They were simply Kim Hyunsung¡¯s creations.


    They were made up of two men, two women, all top adventurers, and leaders with 15 members underneath them.


    I didn¡¯t know where Kim Hyunsung found them. To sum it up, Lee Kiyoung¡¯s bodyguards were made up of 4 leaders and 60 subordinates.


    And if one considered the number of people employing them, it was thergest group in the Blue Guild.


    I was frustrated that they gave high sries to top adventures to uselessly guard me when they could have made great profit by sending them to dungeons.


    Kim Hyunsung might have felt proud for what he had done, but it felt more like a waste ofbor to me.


    At that point, I wondered if I had done too much. Who knew that I would get a confinement protection card on top of a group of bodyguards?


    Just in case, I tried to open the door but only heard the sound of locks. It was at the moment, the door opened from the opposite side.


    ¡®Why isn¡¯t she asleep?¡¯


    I saw my bodyguard¡¯s number two, who was Kim Ye-ri¡¯s peer and a swordsman with twin des. Of course, she wasn¡¯t up to Kim Hyunsung¡¯s level, but she had a high base and was the bnced type¡­ her name was¡­


    ¡®Park Li-ahn.¡¯


    There was a long scar on one side of her face, but she was a ssic beauty. She gave off a cold expression, but her stats wereparable to Kim Ye-ri.


    Unfitting for her young age, she had an aura strong enough to intimidate others.


    And she had a strong presence that made people take a step back. Even her voice made people feel small, and she had a demeanor of a king.


    I didn¡¯t know how strong she was exactly, but I think she would have been definitely significant in the first timeline. I guessed that¡¯s why Kim Hyunsung brought her in.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Vice Guild Master?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­Li-ahn-ssi.¡±


    ¡°You can speak to me freely, Vice Guild Master. As I always tell you, we are your hands and feet. We are ready to follow any of your orders.¡±


    ¡®Then just let me get out of here, please.¡¯


    ¡°Is there anything you need?¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not it¡­ I just feel a bit suffocated. I want to go out a bit¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I just want to go around here a bit. If youe with me, I¡¯m sure I won¡¯t get into any big troubles.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Right now, the Guild Master is absent. When I contact the Guild Master, I will make sure to schedule a walk right away. Please just wait a moment.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t believe I had to be scheduled for a walk. I already heard that many times, but I couldn¡¯t helpughing in amazement.


    ¡°Okay, but other than scheduling for a walk¡­ What about Lindel¡­¡±


    ¡°Lindel is not even letting ordinary people enter. Right now, Miss Hayan and a group of magicians are trying to restore the site. ording to the Guild Master, with your current condition, it will be hard for you to withstand the mana outside.¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯m healthy enough¡­¡±


    ¡°Both Miss Elena and Sun Hee-Young also rmended for you not to go outside. If you wait a bit more, you will be able to move around as you used to freely. But right now, please don¡¯t think about anything else but your recovery.¡±


    ¡°But I¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Vice Guild Master. I can ept any other orders, though¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°The guild master was very firm about this. If it was your order, he even said to attack him, but he also said that your health should be our first priority.¡±


    ¡®But I¡¯m already healthy.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if this willfort you, but I received news that the Guild Master ising back soon. I will be able to schedule your walk soon, so please wait a bit more¡­¡±


    ¡®Scheduling a walk. Fuck¡­¡¯


    Saying that I wanted some fresh air also didn¡¯t work. I felt foolish that I thought I could argue my way out of my predicament.


    ¡°I can understand how tough this must be for you, but I hope you understand that it is the Guild Master¡¯s most sincere wish to protect you.¡±


    ¡®You¡¯re protecting me a little too much.¡¯


    I could understand his thought process, but I couldn¡¯tpletely understand the situation.


    Kim Hyunsung simply felt worried that I would get hurt again, and he probably wanted to protect me from the information outside. However, I couldn¡¯t understand why he was going so far. In my opinion, I thought the ¡®please¡­kill¡­me¡¯ was too effective.


    On the other hand, Hyunsung looked much more relievedtely.


    I didn¡¯t know if he would fully recover mentally, but it seemed as if his heart was much lighter now. It was aplete contrast from when he was burdened with the thought of killing me.


    Of course, his recovery came with a side-effect.


    And¡­


    ¡®This was the side-effect¡­¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know if he realized it, but his trust in me deepened after that event.


    To Hyunsung, I was someone who could share his burdens like a brother or close friend. And that was the reason why he was so earnest about my protection.


    If a person like Lee Kiyoung disappeared or got hurt, then he would have to shoulder all the responsibility again. I bet he was scared about that.


    ¡®But even then¡­ This is too much, fuck.¡¯


    Just as I was thinking in earnest, Kim Hyunsung made his entrance. Seeing that Hayan was next to him, I could predict that my walk was scheduled with her.


    Hyunsung was the one who opened the door, but the one who threw her body towards me was Hayan.


    ¡®This girl is so happy these days.¡¯


    ¡°Oppa.¡±


    ¡°You came?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, because y-you said you wanted to go on a w-walk¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, staying here the whole time is too ufortable.¡±


    ¡°Even if it is ufortable, we c-can¡¯t help it. It¡¯s still dangerous outside. You shouldn¡¯t go outside, especially for your health¡­¡±


    ¡®Hayan seems so pleased¡­¡¯


    ¡°Hayan-ssi is right, Kiyoung-ssi.¡±


    ¡®You also seem pleased.¡¯


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°I also want to let you move around, but right now is not a good time. You suffered a lot, so you should take a break. Is there anything you need? Recently, I saw that a new Chanelia Hermes series came out in the market. I¡¯m not sure if you will be happy, but we already purchased it with the guild funds.¡±


    ¡®I don¡¯t even like bags that much.¡¯


    Of course, it was nice to have them.


    ¡°I was a little bothered that there was some empty space in the decoration area, so I¡¯m d we can cover that now.¡±


    ¡®Dude, stop looking so pleased with yourself.¡¯


    There was no worry or trouble in his smile. It seemed as if he was really pleased that I was safely locked in that room.


    ¡°I spoke for too long, didn¡¯t I? You must have waited for a long time¡­ Hayan-ssi, could you cast your magic?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Hayan began casting her magic.


    I put the location identifier magic ne by habit, and Hyunsung nodded with joy. It was a rule that I had to put on the magic ne when I went outside for a walk.


    When Hayan finished casting her magic, the whole scenery changed in an instant.


    I entered an enormous forest, a location prepared for me by the guild. I could not spot a single human in a 50km radius.


    ording to Kim Hyunsung¡¯s fictional story, the only ce that the demon¡¯s mana couldn¡¯t enter was the deepest area of the elves¡¯ forest.


    And that was the reason why I could only go to that area for a walk, but since I knew that ck mana was not floating around and waiting to hurt me, I just shook my head.


    ¡®Did they really have to go this far¡­?¡¯


    Kiyoung¡¯s private army was responsible for guarding that forest. They were not showing their appearance, but I was sure that they kept reporting to Hyunsung while I was taking a walk.


    Whenever I went outside for even a little bit, Hyunsung was in constant fighting mode.


    Even though he tried not to show it, his hands were always on his waist, next to his sword. On one side, Hayan walked closely next to me as if we were on a date, and Kim Hyunsung stood to watch my other side.


    The cool wind was refreshing, but I felt suffocated.


    I finally decided to open my mouth.


    ¡°Hyunsung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    I swallowed, then spoke with confidence.


    ¡°As you probably had heard from Park Li-ahn, I think I¡¯m ready to start working.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I rested for as long as two weeks. I¡¯m curious about Lindel, and I¡¯m especially curious about what is going on outside. I know you are worried about mana, but I¡¯m sure a lot of ces need me right now, especially if the situation is dire.¡±


    ¡°No, you can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°How¡­ how can you think that in this situation? Do you not remember how much you suffered from them?¡±


    ¡°I mean¡­¡±


    ¡°Kiyoung-ssi, you need to act more selfishly. I hope you start thinking more about yourself rather than other people. Please leave the hard and difficult work to me and rest easy. I will do everything.¡±


    ¡°But even then¡­ I¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not possible.¡±


    ¡°This bastard, is he for real¡­¡¯


    ¡°I cannot let you go out right now.¡±

 Chapter 525: Partial Confinement (3)

    <h4>Chapter 525: Partial Confinement (3)</h4>


    ¡®Then, when is it possible¡­?¡¯


    I had expected that he would be firm, but he proved to be firmer than I even imagined. It was not like Kim Hyunsung to cut off my words to discontinue the conversation.


    It didn¡¯t feel bad that he was earnest about my protection, but it was getting too much.


    ¡®Should I just say I remember?¡¯


    At that moment, it felt better to say that I remembered, but¡­


    ¡®Saying that will also cause some problems.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t imagine what would happen if I told him I remembered everything with great mental shock.


    He might actually try to protect me even more and implement more security measures, such as by shouting at people that the Holy Cardinal Lee Kiyoung had to be examined and observed again.


    Of course, there weren¡¯t many who would do that, but I couldn¡¯t really say there was none, either. Even if I was the vessel of Benignore, it didn¡¯t change the fact that a demon had once tainted me.


    The empire at least wouldn¡¯t say such crap, but outside forces definitely might. That seemed to be even more of the case, considering many people were getting wearier about the empire¡¯s increasing prestige due to Kim Hyunsung.


    Even if they were on the same branch, it would be a political battle to scuffle amongst each other constantly. Even if the entire humanity had gathered together to fight against demons, it was only human nature for different countries and associations to move ording to their advantage.


    ¡®That¡¯s only human.¡¯


    Holy Cardinal Lee Kiyoung was the easiest target they could aim for in the Blue Guild right now. I thought that might contribute to why Kim Hyunsung was trying to protect me so fiercely.


    When outside forces showed their dissent, he must have concluded that it wasn¡¯t a good time for me to go out.


    ¡®Are more people thinking like this than I thought?¡¯


    No, that wasn¡¯t possible. If they had even the smallest sense of principle, no one could criticize me directly. There might be some stifles, but I was sure that it would be a very small fraction¡­


    ¡®I¡¯m so curious I¡¯m going crazy.¡¯


    I became more anxious by thinking about what people were saying about me, how the recovery process was going on, and what the state of the unified training proved to be.


    With Benignore¡¯s entrance included, I was sure that the empire¡¯s entire system had been returned pretty much to normal¡­


    Dungeons that were once closed would have been opened by that time, monsters would¡¯ve started causing trouble again, and I was almostpletely sure that there were many other small changes.


    In addition to this, we were able to collect a lot of holy power, so I was sure that new dungeons and contents could be obtained. While Benignore¡¯s 2.0 edition might have alreadyunched, I didn¡¯t particrly appreciate waiting while sucking my thumb.


    I felt that way even more since I was used to swimming around in new information, but all information had been blocked recently.


    This was why I looked forward to my meeting with my only ally, Lee Jihye.


    ¡°You should have shown some restraint. The saying that ¡®you reap what you sow¡¯ has turned out to bepletely right. If you just restrained yourself a little bit more, it would not have been to this extent¡­ You worked too hard on your scenario, directing, and acting¡­ That¡¯s why they¡¯re all acting like this. Really, how could you not even call us once while that was happening?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you coulde out in my dream?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Nuna. I¡¯ve been reflecting on it.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯tin to hear you apologize. I¡¯m not jealous either. I¡¯m not sure if you would believe it, but I also felt a little bit sad because of you. But I soonughed when I found out what was really going on. So haha, what is it that you are curious about?¡±


    ¡°I just want to know what¡¯s going on outside. The more specific, the better¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s unfortunate, but I can¡¯t tell you the situation¡­¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Just as I said. A restriction has been set.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Look at my tongue right now. If I want to even meet you, all external visitors need to be stamped with this. There are no exemptions. I was able to get a looser restriction because we know each other, but the people who don¡¯t know you have to go through more rigorous examinations. Even if you ask me questions, I still can¡¯t answer.¡±


    ¡°Why are they going so far?¡±


    ¡°They want to prevent any possible scenarios. People are just humans, and they can make mistakes when they talk. It¡¯s just an extra precaution. Of course, I also think it is a bit extreme.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I wanted to organize the information into a document, but they told me that they were also going to check my belongings. The twin-des user, Park Li-ahn, that bitch, seemed way too excited to search through all my possessions and me.¡±


    ¡°So what is the exact restriction?¡±


    ¡°No saying specific words. No writing. No bringing any dangerous items or items that could trigger your memories. The only thing I can tell you is that the new edition of ¡®How The Genius Swordsman and the Alchemists Love Each Other¡¯ has been released, and they are being sold like crazy. But you know¡­¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Honestly, I can understand them somewhat.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Just think about it. How can you let someone who was half dead go just after two weeks? I bet they thought you should rest for at least half a year even if you don¡¯t want to. And they are doing this so they can also protect your mental state.¡±


    ¡°But, even if that¡¯s the case¡­¡±


    ¡°If you add the extra trauma, it¡¯s only natural that you¡¯re being locked up. It¡¯s pretty reasonable that they feel nervous when you¡¯re not in front of them, even more so the Guild Master who cares for you so much¡­ How pitiful.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Really, who is he to care about your mentality? It¡¯s rare for someone to be as trashy as you¡­¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s not for you to say.¡¯


    ¡°I always have thoughts like that, but I¡¯mforted every time I see you. Ifort myself thinking¡­ at least I¡¯m not as rotten as you yet. I especially feelforted this time¡­ anyways, there¡¯s just one thing I can tell you.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what exactly you are thinking, but all your guesses are probably right. We are doing a good job coping with our situation. I want to give you specific information about it, but there¡¯s a lot of restriction on this subject. Anyways, it¡¯s been a while but let¡¯s have se-! Ah, Hayan must have put a restriction¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It seems she put a restriction on all 18+ words. This was not in the contract. She¡¯s changed, hasn¡¯t she?¡±


    ¡°I mean, she did change, especially if I consider what she was like before. Still, I think it¡¯s only the little things because people can¡¯t change in a day.¡±


    ¡°Regardless, she¡¯s more of a problem than the Blue Guild Master. She¡¯s probably enjoying this situation the most.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but agree with this, but everyone was pretty much the same.


    All the guild members and Cha Hee-ra, who visited me recently, also seemed to agree with me getting locked up.


    It was unfortunate that I couldn¡¯t see Lindel¡¯s recovery, but maybe I thought it would be better to get out after all the dissent about me was gone. I thought that was better, especially when I considered that there was no way for me to get out.


    Even my ¡®you don¡¯t know why I¡¯m mad?¡¯ didn¡¯t work against Kim Hyunsung. He probably strengthened his mental guard to the maximum.


    ¡®Fuck¡­¡¯


    Even Lee Jihye, who I thought would be a reliable source of information, couldn¡¯t really help me that much. Of course, I heard that my conjectures were probably correct, but there was a lot of gap between educated guesses and reality.


    Lee Jihye didn¡¯t seem fazed, even though her ¡°soulmate¡± was confined.


    ¡°But at least you seem like a bird in a cage. Is it kind of se¡­ah¡­really? Even that¡¯s censored?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Man, I can¡¯t say anything. Damn it, let¡¯s just eat. I¡¯m getting hungry.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to eat today.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m nning on starving myself. I¡¯m enduring by saying that I have no appetite. I think that in a few days, I might get some response.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a cliche. How long have you been doing this?¡±


    ¡°About 20 days?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty long¡­ Why not think about the positive side? You can take a walk, eat tasty food, and look at all the luxury goods over there. Don¡¯t you remember something that went viral around the inte? It was something about being locked up for one year doing nothing and getting one million in return. Just think of it like that. There¡¯s a lot of stuff here to enjoy¡­ You should learn how to rx a bit.¡±


    ¡®Rx, my ass¡­¡¯


    ¡°I would like it if you just confined me like this, especially if it was in your other form.¡±


    ¡°Nuna, don¡¯t say what you don¡¯t even mean.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m talking for real. Wait, that was not censored. Hayan censored random stuff but not important things like this. I guess she thought it didn¡¯t need to be censored since I have a close rtionship with you, and I won¡¯t mention it. This is great!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Can you turn into your other form right now?¡±


    ¡°I can.¡±


    ¡°Really? Can you show me?¡±


    She seemed a lot more excited than usual.


    I wondered a bit about what to do, but then I thought it wouldn¡¯t matter if I showed her my other form. As I changed my ss, I felt my body change.


    ¡°Sh*t. That¡¯s crazy. Do you have a mask? Did it get brokenst time?¡±


    ¡°It recovered. It doesn¡¯t have many options, but it recovers automatically¡­ it¡¯s a myth-level item that I can summon and reverse summon. As an extra option, it can¡¯t be taken off by another person no matter how much they try.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about the item options. Just quickly put on the mask, quickly.¡±


    ¡°Why so suddenly¡­¡±


    ¡°Wow, your whole atmosphere changed. It¡¯s amazing how it¡¯spletely different¡­ it¡¯s so se¡­hah. I should have brought my camera, but I wasn¡¯t even allowed to bring that¡­ does the Blue guild members know this?¡±


    ¡°Of course, they don¡¯t know. Nuna, how could I tell them?¡±


    ¡°Can you use any attack abilities?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I can, but not likest time. Belial himself came downst time. But I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll be that bad. I can¡¯t do a huge amount, but I can receive some mana. I was bored for thest two weeks, so I make ghosts and some basic ck magic. I probably won¡¯t use it much, but isn¡¯t it better than nothing?¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you use it? You have to use it. Just create some basic scenarios and use them in your private life. This is just my personal wish, but I would like it better for you to be in that form when you are with me. Anyways, you want to get out, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Then can you leave it up to me?¡±


    ¡°Hmmm?¡±


    If she could fix it, it was only right that I should leave it up to her. At this, I nodded in fierce agreement.


    Lee Jihye then suddenly pinched my thighs really hard, to such an extent that my mana shield was released.


    ¡°Aghhhhhh!¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but cry out in pain. Then it was with a sharp crash that Kim Hyunsung immediately made his entrance.


    ¡®This is¡­ crazy¡­¡¯


    I quickly turned towards him.


    For a second, I thought that the crazy bitch wanted to kill me for noting out in her dreams, but I didn¡¯t think that was something she¡¯d do.


    However, upon realizing that Lee Jihye was putting on her acting face, I finally caught up to what her n was.


    ¡®This girl is really trash. To someone who just recovered¡­¡¯


    However, I decided to follow alongside her n.


    I could see that Kim Hyunsung was already bing pale, and there was confusion in his eyes.


    ¡°Hyunsung-ssi. I¡­ I think I feel a bit strange.¡±

 Chapter 526: Doom Kiyoung (1)

    <h4>Chapter 526: Doom Kiyoung (1)</h4>


    ¡®I didn¡¯t expect for him to pop out so fast¡­¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung appeared so instantly that he even managed to arrive at my room before the bodyguards.


    ¡®Why did he give me bodyguards if he was just going to do that? He should really just make them raid dungeons.¡¯


    He was breathing so heavily, signaling that he hade here as fast as he could. Before I could make a sound, he had already arrived.


    It made me think that some kind of signal must have gone off as soon as I felt some kind of physical shock. Kim Hyunsung wore an expression as serious as a farmer who had a bad harvest. His crumpled face was admittedly a bit scary.


    I thought he would approach me, so I quickly spoke before he could, causing him to look surprised. He was probably reassured that I still had my senses.


    He might have realized it before I even spoke. I did have my mask on, and my appearance had changed. However, he probably saw that the expression on my face wasn¡¯t the same as before.


    Instead of wearing Doom Kiyoung¡¯s trademark mask of a slight smile and clownish eyes, I had a confused expression on my face with trembling lips. In addition to that, my eyes were round like I didn¡¯t know anything, just like a rabbit¡¯s.


    People often told me that I looked like a fox or a snake, but it didn¡¯t mean that I couldn¡¯t make my eyes innocent-looking, just like a rabbit¡¯s.


    I showed a na?ve facade like I couldn¡¯t understand what was going on around me.


    ¡°Kiyoung-ssi? Are you Kiyoung-ssi?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    He still didn¡¯t look like he believed me. He looked a bit relieved, but he still seemed disturbed.


    ¡°Are you really, really Kiyoung-ssi?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is me.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s your head?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I am both confused and a bit scared. I don¡¯t know why I became like this. I-I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t use your magic for now. Don¡¯t do anything and stay in that spot.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°That mask¡­¡±


    ¡°I also don¡¯t know. I suddenly couldn¡¯t see anything¡­I tried to take it off, but it won¡¯t get off¡­¡±


    ¡®He must be feeling astonished.¡¯


    Right in front of him was Doom Kiyoung, but I maintained my senses after hearing a scream.


    It was only natural that he couldn¡¯t wrap his head around it.


    He probably wanted to know why I had suddenly changed, how I was maintaining my sense, and why my head was hurting.


    He approached me and quickly ced his hands on my shoulders. He reached out to take the mask off my face, but when I made a pained expression, he stopped and looked like he didn¡¯t know what to do.


    However, that was only for a moment. With a loud voice, he yelled at Lee Jihye, who was trembling.


    ¡°What in the world happened?!¡±


    Like a normal Korean teenager at a PC Bang, he must have learned the special skill to me others.


    ¡°I¡­ I also don¡¯t know. Mid conversation, he suddenly grabbed his head¡­¡±


    ¡°Jihye-ssi is not at fault. Hyunsung-ssi, I also don¡¯t know why I¡­¡±


    ¡°Damn it¡­¡±


    As if he didn¡¯t believe what was happening, he bit his lips and looked at me with a sad expression.


    ¡°Take control of our surroundings right now, and don¡¯t let anyone into this room. Call Hee-young and Elena right away. And Jihye-ssi, I want to have a moment with you.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Tell me everything that happened up to this point and everything that has been said.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, I understand. I also had something in my mind¡­¡±


    ¡°Damn it, Damn it¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not Jihye¡¯s fault. So, please don¡¯t me her too much. Jihye-ssi is probably really surprised too. I suddenly¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. Yes. Please stay on the bed. Please, I beg you.¡±


    ¡®Ah, I really didn¡¯t want to do this.¡¯


    As expected, he seemed to be anxious, and although he wasn¡¯t actually jumping around to show it, I could still see how nervous he looked.


    He was biting his lips and not letting any of his hands stay in ce. When Sun Hee-young, Elena, and even Jung Hayan came inside the room, the room fell into a frenzy once again.


    Kim Hyunsung left me in Elena¡¯s custody for a moment and went outside to talk to Lee Jihye. I was concerned about what they had been talking about.


    I couldn¡¯t hear it in detail, but I could infer that it was something like the following:


    ¡®Kiyoung-ssi is in a lot of pain. He feels very frustrated, and it seems like he is suspicious. When he said that he suspected that the whole guild was tricking him, he suddenly grabbed onto his head. The mask appeared on one side of his face by itself, and his hair color changed. I thought it was Doom Kiyoung at first, but I became shocked that he maintained his senses. And at that moment, you came.¡¯


    It probably was something like that. Perhaps she had added some other things like:


    -I might have changed because of a lot of negative emotions erupting or seeing that I still had my senses. Nothing seemed different from me.


    I was sure that Lee Jihye had been handling the situation well. After all, Elena and Sun Hee-young had no way of knowing what had happened.


    From a distance away, Jung Hayan looked at me nervously. I thought it would be good to gesture to her, asking her if she was alright while I was in pain.


    Everyone was in a frenzy. They became even more shocked when I spoke to them.


    ¡°Elena-nim, do you perhaps know what happened?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be okay. You don¡¯t have to be so shocked. It¡¯s not your fault. For now, can I inspect your body- let me check if you still have some holy power left in you¡­¡±


    Holy power, my ass. I didn¡¯t have any left. Elena probably could only feel dark and dull magic.


    Sun Hee-young tried to find a way to fix me, but none existed.


    ¡°F-For now, let¡¯s be calm. There¡¯s no need to be nervous.¡±


    Elena looked the most nervous as she was saying that. ¡°Oh my god, why all of a sudden¡­¡±


    Tears erupted from her eyes. She tried to see if she could change my state by transferring holy magic into me, but of course, nothing happened.


    Unless I changed my ss, I wouldn¡¯t be able to recover the holy power I had as the Alchemist of Light.


    So instead, I writhed my body as if I was in great pain and released my grasp.


    And the other one inspecting me, Sun Hee-young, let out a breath in relief, seeing that there wasn¡¯t any issue with my health. However, her face remained as dark as the others.


    During that time, Kim Hyunsung and Lee Jihye came back.


    Seeing how Kim Hyunsung¡¯s expression had be darker, it seemed like he had already finished his conversation with Lee Jihye. I didn¡¯t know what they talked about, but his pale face made me feel a bit sorry for him.


    ¡°So, what happened, Elena-nim?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ also don¡¯t know. This is my first time witnessing something like this¡­ He¡¯s showing a negative response to holy power but can maintain his senses¡­ For now, we should see how he does.¡±


    ¡°Hyunsung-ssi, did something go wrong?¡±


    ¡°No, Kiyoung-ssi. Nothing went wrong. So, raise your head.¡±


    ¡®You are still not Doom Kiyoung.¡¯


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to be confused. Whatever happens, I¡¯ll fix it for you.¡±


    It was impressive how reassuring he sounded, but how could he fix that situation? He couldn¡¯t do anything. When I thought it was time to end it, I looked at Lee Jihye, but it seemed that she didn¡¯t want to end things just yet.


    ¡°I think we should go to the Vatican together.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡±


    ¡°We can probably find out more there.¡±


    ¡°In this state?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have any other option. That¡¯s probably better than just talking about it here. Considering that pope Basel is friendly with Kiyoung-ssi and Kiyoung-ssi is loved by the goddess, Benignore might help us. And in the worst-case scenario¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°The ck Swans will give us support.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. T-Then, Hayan must, at this moment¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not possible, Guild Master. That¡¯s a dangerous decision. Personally, I don¡¯t want to rmend a method that will require him to endure a great amount of magic that can physically and mentally harm him. I think moving by carriage will be the best method.¡±


    Sun Hee-young said what Lee Jihye wanted to say.


    Everyone in that party nodded in unison. They all agreed to observe the situation more at the Vatican.


    I wondered if it was too much, considering we were doing all of it just to get out of my room¡­ but I didn¡¯t care as long as its result was satisfying. I liked the setting wherein Doom Kiyoung was still inside me, and that Light Kiyoung couldn¡¯t do anything about it.


    After giving an order to my bodyguards, Hyunsung joined us again.


    I could walk by myself, but I decided to let them handle me. Wasn¡¯t it better to move leisurely? Showing that they were already done with the preparations, a carriage was waiting for us surrounded by bodyguards.


    It seemed that they had all been warned not to look at me. Hence, nobody could watch except Park Li-Ahn and another bodyguard. Then, one of them suddenly approached Kim Hyunsung.


    I heard what he said as Jung Hayan tried to force me inside the carriage.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ever say that again.¡±


    When I nced behind me, Kim Hyunsung had a crumpled look on his face. I didn¡¯t know the situation, but it seemed that some clueless leader had suggested to immobilize me while they moved.


    It was a reasonable judgment. Since if I suddenly lost my senses, a huge catastrophe could start.


    However, Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t want to tie me up since although I had my mask on, I still had my senses.


    ¡®Even though he locked me in a room¡­¡¯


    It seemed that tying me up wasn¡¯t allowed despite confinement being fine.


    ¡°Are you al-alright, O-Oppa?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine. You don¡¯t have to do this much, Hayan. Even though my holy power has long since disappeared, there is nothing wrong with me.


    Since it was a chaotic situation, she seemed very confused. It was the same for Kim Hyunsung. However, as he settled everything, he came inside the carriage and pretended to seem fine. ¡°You can rest assured. This is nothing.¡±


    He gave me a smile that was obviously forced, and this was all for the sake of reassuring me.

 Chapter 527: Doom Kiyoung (2)

    <h4>Chapter 527: Doom Kiyoung (2)</h4>


    ¡®Other people were joining me, right?¡¯


    They weren¡¯t with me inside the carriage, but it was likely they were just following behind. It was because the trip was so abrupt.


    It might take a bit longer for them to get to where we were since the Blue Guild Master was on a mission, but they all probably agreed to meet at the capital.


    With the worst-case scenario in mind, they probably thought that all their forces had toe with them. Of course, it was unlikely that such a scenario would happen, but Kim Hyunsung would probably have prepared for it.


    Considering that, the reason why he didn¡¯t ride in the carriage with me was¡­


    ¡®He probably didn¡¯t want to make me think that this is such a big issue.¡¯


    It was ridiculous how he tried to act calm after fussing so much a moment before. Like nothing was wrong, and like he was only going out to fix a minor issue, he acted like there was nothing to worry about. However, he couldn¡¯t hide his shaking eyes.


    It was hard to act as if I didn¡¯t know anything.


    Whenever Elena teared up, she turned around to wipe her eye in secret, and Jung Hayan disyed her anxiety from head to toe. She kept scratching her head and pursing her lips.


    And as if Kim Hyunsung had ordered them to do so, they sat by my side and chattered about bright topics that even they didn¡¯t seem focused on.


    Amongst the people who got into the carriage with me, Sun Hee-young was the one who had been hiding her emotions best. While maintaining her position, she fulfilled her role and appeared more mature than everybody else.


    It was something that I already knew¡­ Perhaps, the Heavens had helped me, but I started to get a fever as the carriage began to move.


    ¡®Wow, the human body is really intriguing.¡¯


    ¡®It hurt. It hurt. It hurt.¡¯


    ¡®It¡¯s tiring. It¡¯s tiring. It¡¯s tiring.¡¯


    I repeated those words inside my head and began to actually feel some pain.


    It wasn¡¯t like sweat had been pouring out of my mouth, or that I had begun to heave, but my face became pale like I had a faint headache.


    It was a headache that could quickly be fixed with holy power, but Elena couldn¡¯t do that since she thought the cause of the headache was her holy powers.


    They could only stare at me pitifully.


    After having a serious conversation with Elena and Lee Jihye, Kim Hyunsung appeared again. Besides the time I slept, Hyunsung stayed by my side all day.


    ¡®Well, in his perspective, it is understandable¡­¡¯


    He probably thought he was the only one who could fix the situation if Doom Kiyoung would evere out again.


    In that awkward and silent atmosphere, I could only act as weak as I could. I had to act like a tragic heroine.


    ¡°How¡¯s your condition?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m a bit dizzy¡­ If something goes wrong¡­¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not a serious situation. We will arrive at the city after a bit, so just endure for a little while longer. There¡¯s no need to be worried or concerned. It¡¯s not such a big thing. It¡¯s just a simple curse.¡±


    ¡°But, a moment ago¡­¡±


    ¡°I was just a bit surprised. That¡¯s the only reason, so please sleep for a bit. In just ten minutes¡­¡±


    ¡®This bastard, he shouldn¡¯t look at me with a sad expression on his face. Hyung-nim is starting to feel a bit sad. Seriously.¡¯


    Unknowingly, crocodile tears had started to gather in my eyes, and the guy held on to my hand as if to tell me to endure for a bit more.


    ¡°It¡¯s not going to be a big deal. Yes, it will definitely not be a big deal. Your worries won¡¯t happen.¡±


    ¡®You can¡¯t make such a bitter smile as if you¡¯re trying to reassure others. He doesn¡¯t have the basics down. Seriously, even the basics¡­¡¯


    Sensing that the situation was too awkward, Sun Hee-young smoothed out the organized nkets again. The guy definitely didn¡¯t have a talent for lying. No matter how much he pretended, sadness remained visible on his face.


    Like an abandoned puppy unable to hide his worry and anxiety, it seemed that he was having a mixture of all kinds of negative emotions.


    I could tell what he was thinking.


    It was quite spectacr watching how he tried to cover the carriage so that I couldn¡¯t see what¡¯s outside.


    ¡®This will be a serious headache¡­¡¯


    He must have heard the cause of what happened from Lee Jihye.


    ording to her, I had be Doom Kiyoung because of my negative emotions, and I might be ming myself for it. However, he still could not reveal everything in that situation.


    He didn¡¯t want to show an innocentmb like me the city that had be a ruin only to tell me, ¡®Actually, the truth is¡­ this is your doing.¡¯ Only psychopathic demon summoner Jin Qing or demon worshipper Ito Souta could do such a thing.


    Even at that moment, he chose to hide the past.


    I was worried that his mental state would crash likest time, but I still spoke anyway. With an expression telling him that I had no idea what was going on, I opened my mouth. To conclude this matter, this was the right timing.


    With the saddest appearance I could muster, I looked toward the windows covered in ck curtains. He then asked me in a shaky voice.


    ¡°You must tell me if there is anything that is diforting you.¡±


    ¡°Um¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Could you remove the curtains? I want some light¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    At a loss for words, Kim Hyunsung hung his head low.


    He couldn¡¯t show me the view beyond the carriage¡¯s windows. That was the worst-case scenario, and he looked so pitiful being put in such a difficult situation.


    ¡®This is why you can¡¯t lie, you little sh*t.¡¯


    Small lies would eventually be big lies, and big lies became bigger lies. One couldn¡¯t cover the sky with their hands nor turn their head away from the truth.


    It was only for a moment, but I could see how conflicted he looked.


    ¡°As I expected¡­ you are hiding something.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you hiding¡­¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not it. It¡¯s just that, right now¡­ it¡¯s a little difficult to show you, as I told you¡­¡±


    I made a bitter smile.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to give more excuses, Hyunsung-ssi. Is this situation, perhaps, rted to my current appearance?¡±


    His lips mped shut. Unable to say anything, he hung his head.


    ¡°Did I¡­ did I do something wrong?¡±


    ¡°No, definitely¡­ definitely not. You didn¡¯t do anything wrong. I could say that for sure.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a bit¡­ hard for one person to swallow. That is all¡­¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t remember what¡¯s happened.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t, but there¡¯s something that I can remember faintly. It¡¯s something I saw from a dream. I thought I wouldn¡¯t get captured¡­ Demons were crawling over ruined buildings and castles, debris and ruins. There were Dialugia and roaring devils¡­¡±


    ¡°You had a nightmare. Don¡¯t try to think of it right now. I beg you, please.¡±


    ¡°You must have confined me¡­ because I was dangerous.¡±


    ¡°No, that is definitely not it.¡±


    ¡°So that I wouldn¡¯t hurt other people¡­¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not it. It¡¯s actually the opposite.¡±


    ¡°You can tell me the truth.¡±


    ¡°I already told you the truth. I didn¡¯t mean it in that way. I can understand why you¡¯re confused, Kiyoung-ssi. For now¡­ please, don¡¯t think about it¡­¡±


    ¡°How could I not think about it?¡±


    Even I became surprised about how tearful my voice sounded. He already had a face as if he thought that everything was over.


    ¡®I think things are going to end really easily at this point.¡¯


    Rather than giving him some mental turmoil, I thought it was better to express my sadness.


    I liked that I could soon see what was happening outside. It was hard to start things because it seemed that everything had to settle down first.


    It was only right for me to voice my thoughts again.


    ¡°Please open the window¡­¡±


    At that point, Kim Hyunsung could no longer continue hiding the truth.


    Many emotions passed over his face as he bit down on his lower lip.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    The city was inplete ruins. It almost made me feel sorry, witnessing how devastated it all looked.


    I thought restoration would¡¯ve been finished by that time, but it seemed that it wouldn¡¯t be that easy.


    The impact caused by the sh between Belial¡¯s magic and Kim Hyunsung¡¯s magic made the restoration time-consuming.


    Everything had crumbled. The tall clock tower and the capital¡¯s square where people used to gather weren¡¯t any different.


    Even Lindel¡¯s adventurers couldn¡¯t be seen. It was almost as if it was an abandoned city¡­


    Nature wasn¡¯t exempted, either. A dark and sticky material enveloped the once bright and beautiful forest, and the fountain which had once shone with blue light had be dull¡­


    Even the blue sky looked different. Lindel had undoubtedly gone through unimaginable damage.


    Kim Hyunsung stared at me with a shaky gaze, and others did the same. I continued to stare at the window silently.


    I stared at the window nkly as if I didn¡¯t want to miss a single moment of the scenery.


    ¡°It is not Kiyoung-ssi¡¯s¡­ fault.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Tears streamed down my cheeks in an innocent and transparent disy of guilt. I didn¡¯t answer.


    I wanted to maintain my emotional act.


    My shoulders shook.


    Not much time passed before my silent cries filled the carriage.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±

 Chapter 528: Doom Kiyoung (3)

    <h4>Chapter 528: Doom Kiyoung (3)</h4>


    ¡°Ki¡­ Kiyoung-ssi, if you¡¯re feeling better, what don¡¯t you eat a little bit¡­¡±


    ¡°No, I have no appetite.¡±


    ¡°You should eat a bit Mr. Kiyoung. You barely ate anything yesterday.¡±


    ¡°O-Oppa, l-let¡¯s eat together.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m okay.¡±


    ¡°B-b-but¡­¡±


    ¡°If you leave it, I will eat it by myself. Just leave it by the door.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    The atmospherepletely changed. I had to agree that Lee Jihye¡¯s trashy n worked.


    Kim Hyunsung was going through some mental strain again.


    A secret that he kept desperately hiding from me had just gotten revealed in the worst way possible.


    I didn¡¯t know what exactly he was thinking, but I was sure he was being troubled by all sorts of things.


    He probably thought he made a mistake, but I bet he was worried about my mental health the most. In his perspective, I dedicated my life to helping other people, but without my will, I had soon be a viin that caused huge damage to the empire.


    He was probably worried that I might make a rash decision or reconsider ¡°my¡± disposition. He might¡¯ve also thought it wouldn¡¯t be weird for me to hurt myself, or for my mind to crumble.


    I said I wanted to be by myself, but I kind of felt guilty that Kim Hyunsung had been checking up on me every 3 minutes.


    I felt like he thought I was some fragile ss right at that moment, and that wasn¡¯t the only issue.


    ¡®If you want to lie, Hyunsung, you shouldn¡¯t get found out.¡¯


    I bet he was feeling guilty that he tricked me and was worried about how I thought of him.


    Even if I would return to normal, and it would not change the fact that he tried to trick me.


    In a deep part of his brain, I was almost certain he was thinking, ¡®what if Kiyoung-ssi is disappointed in me and the Blue Guild?¡¯ and then thought of how he could regain my trust.


    I was a bit sorry that my guild members were suffering mentally, but I was d I aplished what I wanted.


    It was a good escape n, and if someone asked me if I wanted to go back, I would say no without hesitation. And so¡­


    ¡°Hyunsung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Yes? Yes, Kiyoung-ssi, I will be there in a moment. Is¡­is there anything you need?¡±


    ¡°I think¡­ I should go back.¡±


    ¡°Why do¡­¡±


    ¡°Please, can you turn the carriage back?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®What the fuck. What¡¯s up with his expression? Is he really going to turn back the carriage?¡¯


    ¡°Please¡­¡±


    I let down a stream of crocodile tears, and it was only then that I got the response I wanted.


    ¡°I know what you¡¯re worried about, Kiyoung-ssi.¡±


    ¡®Yes, this is how it should be.¡¯


    ¡°But what you¡¯re worried about will never happen. No, even if it happens, I will do everything to stop it, so don¡¯t be worried. You are not dangerous. This is what I fervently believe.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Please trust me. I hope you trust yourself as much as you trust me.¡±


    Yeah, that was the situation. Which crazy bastard was going to lock up someone willing to lock themselves up because they didn¡¯t trust the dark being inside of them?


    I bet he thought that if he really locked me up, my mentality would worsen even more.


    He also learned that, when negative thoughts consumed me, I went back to Doom Kiyoung, so he would probably do his best to prevent me from locking myself up.


    ¡®This is the moment when he¡¯ll probably make his move.¡¯


    That was just my guess, but I was sure his confession wouldn¡¯t be far off.


    The first twenty days were to protect my mental strength, but the current situation was different.


    Wasn¡¯t it the main character¡¯s responsibility to console a character in a dilemma with words about how they should continue living? Perhaps it would be something as to how we need to save the empire, or something about him needing my strength.


    I already heard some of those thoughts from his subconsciousness. Hence, I knew that sooner orter, he would probably say such lines to me.


    ¡®It¡¯s just about how long it will take.¡¯


    It wouldn¡¯t probably take too long. No matter what happened, I was going to make him confess that he was a regressor.


    ¡®The matter with Doom Kiyoung too¡­¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t believe I couldn¡¯t think of such an obvious clich¨¦ as having to fight the internal darkness in my soul.


    After I went back to the Vatican and resolved the current dilemma somewhat, I had to show them that I could control my dark powers to a certain extent.


    If Benignore acted as my witness, this would be even better.


    Of course, other people would be wary about me using my Doom Kiyoung power, but I could drop subtle hints that my new power now carried a huge penalty.


    Perhaps something like if I used it even once, I could never use my right arm again, or if I continued using it, I would bepletely swallowed by the darkness.


    Wouldn¡¯t those kinds of details make it sound more realistic? And more people would also be worried about me¡­


    Even though this went all ording to Lee Jihye¡¯s n, I didn¡¯t care for as long as it brought good results. Instead, I weed it.


    While I was happily thinking of all that, Kim Hyunsung carefully chose his words as he spoke again.


    ¡°We are going to reach the Vatican soon. I don¡¯t know why you can¡¯t return to normal, but I¡¯m sure they can help. So please¡­ don¡¯t me yourself anymore¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°And I also want to apologize for¡­ making rash decisions by myself.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not something you should apologize for. If I were in your position, I would do the same. No, it was the right decision to do so.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not like that¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not ming you, so you don¡¯t have to make that kind of expression. I know that was the only way you could¡­ Regardless, Ipletely understand.¡±


    I wanted to really make sure he didn¡¯t lock me up again, so I gave him another burden to carry.


    At that moment, I felt the carriage slowing down.


    We reached the capital of the city. I looked at the empire with a sad expression, but there wasn¡¯t much damage in that area as I thought there would be.


    Actually, there hadn¡¯t been much damage to the whole empire. To be specific, the only ce that waspletely destroyed was Lindel and the Union.


    In the case of the capital, not only did the demons not invade it, a single fight didn¡¯t even ur there.


    Since Lindel was still recovering, the ce before us was probably the best ce to reside in the empire. As I predicted, I began adventurers.


    It was as if Lindel¡¯s poprity had been directly moved to the capital.


    Most of the adventurers had begun to stare at the sudden arrival of a carriage from the Blue Guild, but I didn¡¯t bother to close the curtain. The windows were tinted anyways.


    But it seemed to bother Hyunsung. He asked for permission before closing the curtain.


    ¡®Is he going to stop the carriage right in front of the Vatican? No, he¡¯s definitely going to drop me right in front.¡¯


    It was not a good decision to show everyone my Doom Kiyoung form.


    I bet most of the adventurers and the residents of the capital would be startled by our entrance.


    Even though the Blue Guild was supposed to be upied with fixing Lindel, they brought most of our forces to the capital. I was sure they were wondering why we came all the way there.


    I was also certain that they guesses in the carriage and if the Blue Guild would move their entire base to the capital.


    And they might¡¯ve even thought that Holy Cardinal Lee Kiyoung was riding the carriage.


    ¡®I really am curious, though.¡¯


    I wondered what the extent of my poprity was. I was so curious about how they would react if I appeared before them. Would I get cheered on or admired? I wanted to see with my own eyes.


    But the carriage kept moving. When the carriage finally stopped, everyone except for me went outside.


    I bet Pope Basel was exining various things to them.


    When I slightly opened the window, I saw Pope Basel and a bunch of other priests.


    Pope Basel looked as if he aged 30 more years.


    As I expected, the Pope nodded very seriously and began walking towards me.


    Some of the guards tried to stop him, but Pope Basel yelled and pushed them away.


    ¡®Our Pope¡¯s fiery personality is still very much alive.¡¯


    I could hear his loud voice.


    ¡°Let me go, you dull guards!¡±


    ¡°If what the Light Swordsman is saying is true¡­ it might be dangerous for you.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s dangerous here is your rotten thoughts. Despicable fools! Did you not hear me when I said let go!¡±


    ¡°Pope Basel!¡±


    ¡°Disappear from my sight right now! Get out! You useless guards¡­¡±


    ¡°At least¡­¡±


    Hearing a thud, I predicted that one of the guards fell.


    It was kind of funny that a Vatican¡¯s holy knight with such high stats was having a hard time with an older man, but that just showed how emotional the Pope was.


    As the Pope came closer to me, I saw how strained his face was.


    ¡®I hope he doesn¡¯t die from a heart attack¡­ This is making me nervous.¡¯


    I was worried that he might grab his heart from shock, but he actually had a calm expression. He looked at me as if nothing was wrong and that everything was fine.


    ¡°Pope Basel.¡±


    ¡°You suffered a lot. You¡­ really suffered a lot.¡±


    ¡°I apologize foring like this¡­¡±


    ¡°Hahaha. No matter how you look, it will never cover the shining light inside of you. In my eyes, I can see that Holy Cardinal Lee Kiyoung still has not lost the light in his heart.¡±


    ¡°Pope Basel¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about anything. The goddess will be taking good care of you. She definitely will. Here, can you get up?¡±


    He tried to help me get up with his own hands. The holy knight behind him muttered Benignore¡¯s name and tried to stop the Pope in vain.


    In truth, however, I was actually me who tried to avoid the Pope.


    As if my body was dirty and cursed, as if I might dare cause harm to the Pope, I moved my body backward awkwardly. However, Pope Basel took a step forward and was trying to help me get up again.


    ¡°H-H-Holy Cardinal Lee Kiyoung¡­ we will be the one to escort you. Pope, please take a step back.¡±


    ¡°I think that¡¯s what the Holy Cardinal¡­ wants too.¡±


    Even with the Holy Knights¡¯ words, Pope Basel did not move a single step.


    ¡°No, I will be the one who escorts him directly to the goddess.¡±


    ¡°But, with this appearance¡­ I¡¯m worried he might cause harm to the goddess.¡±


    ¡°For the Holy Cardinal¡¯s safety too¡­ I think we should think more carefully¡­¡±


    ¡°You useless fools!!! Be careful with your words!!! You rotten knights! Your minds are only upied with those cursed demons! That is what the demons want! How stupid can you be!! Do you not see the shining light inside of Holy Cardinal Lee Kiyoung!! Do you not know why the Holy Cardinal has changed like this¡­? Do you not know why the demon imnted their powers inside his body! Do you really not know?! You fools!!!!¡±


    ¡°B-But¡­¡±


    ¡°Your minds arepletely filled with thoughts of filthy demons!! Bring me my weapon right away! I¡¯m going to crack you numb-skulls with my own two hands!!¡±

 Chapter 529: I Pardon Your Sins (1)

    <h4>Chapter 529: I Pardon Your Sins (1)</h4>


    ¡°Did you not hear me? Bring me my weapon!¡±


    ¡®Woah¡­¡¯


    ¡°You worthless fools! The demons have tempted you! How dare you! How dare you spout such nonsense to Holy Cardinal Lee Kiyoung! How dare youuuu!!¡±


    ¡®Man, why is he going so crazy?¡¯


    ¡°No! Just bring me the demon examiner Helena!! I¡¯m going to make her examine you fools!! I¡¯m going to make sure that there are really no demons in those empty brains of yours.¡±


    ¡®Pope Basel, you don¡¯t have to go to this extent. I think you can stop now.¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, Pope Basel. You don¡¯t have to get so mad. I-I can¡­understand their feelings.¡±


    ¡°Holy Cardinal¡­¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re only saying that out of their consideration of the goddess and you. I also don¡¯t feelfortable going like this¡­ right in front of the goddess¡¯s altar.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying, Holy Cardinal Lee Kiyoung? There¡¯s no way the goddess would ever abandon you.¡±


    Of course, Benignore would never abandon me. It would be me who would abandon her if the need ever arose.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that and just go. You don¡¯t have to listen to those dumb knights who can only judge people ording to their appearance.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that. They have their reasonings¡­cough.¡±


    ¡°O-Oppa.¡±


    ¡°The holy knights are just trying to do their job. Please¡­calm down. And¡­I want them to be the ones to escort me. I¡¯m so grateful that you believe in me, but¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just scared that I might cause you some harm.¡±


    At that point, I stared at the holy knights, and they began walking towards me. They looked as if they were super touched and as if they were reflecting on themselves.


    One of the holy knights even bit her lips and tried to stop her tears from falling. Why wouldn¡¯t they be sad?


    From their perspective, the same person lighting the empire with his brilliance was struggling against a demon¡¯s curse.


    Even though they had to do their job, I was sure they all felt the same as Pope Basel.


    ¡°Pope, if you let us, we will do our best to support Holy Cardinal Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what you should do. If Holy Cardinal Lee Kiyoung gets hurt even a little bit, I will never forgive you.¡±


    ¡°We will surely engrave that in our hearts.¡±


    They then came towards me and whispered. ¡°We are really¡­ really sorry¡­ and also grateful.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be sorry or thankful, Holy Knight L.¡±


    She looked really surprised by the fact that I remembered her name. Of course, I didn¡¯t even bother to remember her name. I just read the one that came out in her description box, but she began to tear up.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯m not bothered about it at all.¡±


    The holy knights looked troubled by their mistake to doubt the Holy Cardinal for even a fraction of a second. In their faces, I noticed they began to look determined and more reassured about me.


    Was there a scene that was sadder than that?


    Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t let his guard down, and Sun Hee-young and Elena both clutched their chests and sighed. They didn¡¯t show it, but they were trying to maintain a reasonable distance from me.


    ¡°When did this begin?¡±


    ¡°It didn¡¯t begin that long ago, Pope Basel. My eyes suddenly began to darken¡­ and honestly, I don¡¯t really remember all that well. It¡¯s probably not so different from what you heard from the Light Swordsman.¡±


    ¡°Is that so¡­?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I troubled you.¡±


    ¡°No, don¡¯t say that. All of these happened because I wascking, so who should I me? I¡¯m the one who should apologize. Don¡¯t give up, and don¡¯t feel sad. The goddess deeply cares about you¡­¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not just that¡­ it¡¯s about¡­what I did¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You heard.¡±


    ¡°I still don¡¯t know what precisely happened.¡±


    ¡°Doom Kiyoung is not your true self. The Lee Kiyoung I know is more self-sacrificial and warm than anyone else in the world. Don¡¯t give in to the darkness.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°In my eyes, I can still see the light in you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for still thinking of me in that way¡­ I¡¯m infinitely grateful.¡±


    After talking to him about various rted things, we reached the goddess¡¯s altar briefly.


    Even though there were usually many more protocols than that, Pope Basel greatly sped up the process. He probably thought the goddess would be able to fix me.


    If Pope Basel had even the smallest doubt that the light inside of me faded, he wouldn¡¯t be able to do that. I was sure that he would get into a lot of trouble if I showed that everything I had done so far had been an act, and that I changed back to Doom Kiyoung in order to attack the goddess.


    He would¡¯ve had to get down from the position of Pope and be faced with intense criticism from the other priests.


    So then, how could I not be grateful to him?


    ¡°How could I appear like this in front of the goddess¡­?¡±


    ¡°The goddess will forgive everything about you and take you under her wing.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty hard for me to muster up my courage.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go in together.¡±


    ¡®Duh, we should go together.¡¯


    With a stiff face, Kim Hyunsung began moving. Likewise, Jung Hayan and Elena did the same.


    ¡®You guys¡­¡¯


    Swiftly, I felt the change in atmosphere.


    ¡®Wow, even I¡¯m really touched by this.¡¯


    They were biting their lips firmly and, with a dark face, entered the altar.


    I was certain they probably thought that the goddess might think of me as an enemy.


    I could see from their eyes that despite their desire to see Benignore solve the dilemma, they would be willing to point their weapons against her if she showed any hostility to me.


    ¡®Wow, our Hyunsung is willing to even make an enemy out of Benignore. That¡¯s seriously amazing.¡¯


    ¡®Well, I expected this from Hayan. But still, I¡¯m thankful for real.¡¯


    ¡®I guess since it¡¯s not even just Elune, Elena would also be willing.¡¯


    ¡®Hee-young, I¡¯m so happy to have you by my side too. Let¡¯s go together.¡¯


    Even though the altar proved to be the holiest ce in the empire, to the Blue guild members who were with me, it felt as if it was their toughest dungeon yet.


    I was sure it would feel the same for my other guild members too.


    They were already on guard to protect me in case Benignore marked me as an enemy. Parts of the Red Mercenary and the ck Swan were also currently on guard in the Vatican.


    Even though Benignore couldn¡¯t afford to make me her enemy, she had a lot to lose if she really did so.


    ¡®But why is she taking so long? Man, is she busy right now?¡¯


    It was probably hectic for her.


    I didn¡¯t know what exactly was going on above, but Benignore was probably really busyunching and organizing her contract to pay attention to matters down in our world.


    I bet that, if she were monitoring me, she would have probably sent a quest as soon as I changed my ss.


    ¡®But no matter how busy she was, she could probably hear the voices from here.¡¯


    I looked at the statue of Benignore I had once seen before.


    Pope Basel and the holy knights were beginning to pray and sing hymns of the goddess. Warm light poured through the stained ss, and an awe-inspiring holy scene began to appear in front of me.


    ¡®Goddess Benignore, your faithful servant, Lee Kiyoung, hase to meet you.¡¯


    I shouted those words in my mind as loud as I could, but no voice could be heard.


    Pope Basel was also shouting Benignore¡¯s name with a loud voice.


    ¡°Great and merciful goddess, your lowly servants havee to see you. Please give us an answer to our current situation.¡±


    ¡°Please grace your pitiful servants with your lovely voice.¡±


    Despite their cries, the woman wouldn¡¯t even answer.


    ¡®Man, isn¡¯t she cking off in her job?¡¯


    My situation might actually be a bit serious if Benignore didn¡¯t answer. At that point, I wanted to break off her statue.


    ¡®Goddess, Fuck¡­goddess!¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t believe she was ignoring me when I had just saved the empire. When I was just starting to wonder if all she had wanted to do was to gather some holy power, her voice echoed in my head.


    [My lovely follower Lee Kiyoung! I¡¯m here! I¡¯m here!]


    Light began to pour out from the statue.


    Pope Basel and the holy knights let out a stream of tears, but since I was talking to the goddess directly, I had no time to pay attention to them.


    ¡®Why were you sote, goddess?¡¯


    [I¡¯ve be a bit busytely¡­ there¡¯re a lot of things to fix, and you know, it¡¯s the most tiring to finish up everything. I didn¡¯t mean to ignore or disrespect you at all¡­ so don¡¯t misunderstand¡­a-and why don¡¯t you change your appearance if you can¡­]


    ¡®I also have my own reasons, goddess Benignore.¡¯


    [Sorry, I¡¯m sure you have your reasons¡­ I hope I didn¡¯t offend you. I hope you feel better¡­ Will you ept my apology?]


    ¡®Don¡¯t worry about it. But it¡¯s not like my hurt feelings would go anywhere. I tried to find you as soon as I woke up.¡¯


    [I¡¯m so sorry, my lovely follower, Lee Kiyoung. I was really busy. I had to be absent for a bit because of that. As you know, there is also the matter with the contract¡­]


    ¡®Do you think those are legitimate excuses?¡¯


    [Sorry, b-but there is a reason why you came all the way here, right? I will try my best to help you. I will even express my thankfulness to you here as a plus¡­ what do you need? I will help you as much as I can¡­]


    ¡®Actually, there is no particr reason. I just want to¡­¡¯


    [Yes?]


    ¡®¡­ gain your forgiveness.¡¯


    [What?]


    ¡®It was for the empire¡¯s peace, but it doesn¡¯t change the fact that I caused a lot of damage to Lindel. I¡¯m also wearing the mask right now. So, I want to be forgiven for this.¡¯


    [Uh¡­]


    ¡®Please forgive me.¡¯


    [I¡­ I forgive your¡­ sins.]


    ¡®No, not like that. Put a lot of miracles into it.¡¯


    [What? This crazy bastard! What are you saying to my¡­unnie! Unnie, are you really going just to endure this? Why do you have to show forgiveness for the Union getting destroyed?! Do you not know how much mynd suffered¡­?]


    [Loren! Just stay quiet! Do you not know how important this is?! I-I apologize, my follower Lee Kiyoung. Were you surprised? Don¡¯t mind it¡­]


    ¡®Is the Union¡¯s guardian, goddess Loren, also with you?¡¯


    [Huh?]


    ¡®If possible, I also want goddess Loren to forgive me.¡¯


    [¡­]


    [¡­]


    [This¡­ this crazy bastard!!]


    An even brighter light had begun to fill the space.

 Chapter 530: I Pardon Your Sins (2)

    <h4>Chapter 530: I Pardon Your Sins (2)</h4>


    I flinched at the loud voice that rang inside my head, but didn¡¯t necessarily respond.


    I thought Benignore would shield me from what Loren or Garren or whatever-her-name god would do to me.


    It was obvious what would happen if they smacked the head of somebody who was called the ¡®Last Hope¡¯ and the ¡®Beacon of Light.¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung included, it was natural that the deities would gain the wrath and me of all the heroes; in addition to that, our heroes could start to antagonize their heavenly neighbors.


    I could be sure of it just by looking at Kim Hyunsung, who had warily been gazing at the iing light.


    Moreover, harming me would be suicidal for them, who strived for the empire¡¯s continued survival.


    It was even more so if one thought of my recruitment offers. Ipetent gods like Benignore feared that I would join Belial¡¯s side and go to Hell with him.


    Hearing Benignore say that someone from a high position greatly wanted me, what could a low-ranking goddess like Loren do to harm me? Unless there was something wrong with her head, I thought she wouldn¡¯t do anything to me.


    [You imbecile! You human with a disgustingly foul soul!! How dare you!! Make a fool of a goddess? Don¡¯t you fear divine punishment?!]


    With a gigantic light, a huge sound rang in my head. It was such a big sound that I began to shield my head like a turtle.


    When I nced at Kim Hyunsung, he was touching his sword while biting his lips. If I received any more shock than that, he might destroy the holy statue.


    ¡®We can¡¯t do that¡­ endure for a bit more, Hyunsung¡­¡¯


    It was more worrisome to grow any ill feelings with the Vatican than with a goddess.


    The bursting light was too bright to say that the goddess had forsaken me¡­


    Moreover, I didn¡¯t want to make a scene where the higher beings didn¡¯t ept me. However, that didn¡¯t mean that I would just obey that deity¡¯s orders quietly and do everything she asked me to do.


    As usual, I had no intention of yielding. Yielding was what people around me did.


    Even as I bit my lips, Loren continued to spit out her nonsense, and the light became stronger. She was way too furious. Hence, at that moment¡­


    ¡®Ok, sh*t¡­ I¡¯m going to Hell.¡¯


    [Huh?]


    ¡®Alright! I will go just to Hell if you want me to do that so much. I¡¯m going to go to Hell.¡¯


    [Huh-uh¡­?]


    ¡®I don¡¯t need forgiveness. I will just go to Hell, seriously. Belial-nim! Where are you? Belial-nim!¡¯


    [Uh¡­ Uh?]


    ¡®Okay, just let me fall as low as I can. And I have nothing more I want to say to you. Do everything else on your own. It¡¯s prohibited toy your hands on this empire¡¯s creature, so I don¡¯t know where your confidencees from. Are you sure that you will be able to recover your divine power if you do anything to me? Maybe you¡¯re trying to lose everything again, but don¡¯t you know what will happen if you lose all your support?¡¯


    [Believer Lee Kiyoung, that¡¯s not what I meant¡­ You misunderstand me.]


    ¡®Benignore-nim is the same. Who would expect that she just stood by, watching while calling me her lovely, lovely believer? Seriously, why can¡¯t you just ept my sins when I¡¯m trying to gain forgiveness on something that I had no choice but to do to save the empire? I guess it was a lie that if I repent, all sins will be forgiven and that I can go to Heaven and so on.¡¯


    [¡­]


    ¡®Will I even be able to go to Heaven, scared like this? What if someone finds fault with what I did here since my sins won¡¯t even be fully cleansed? You really are too much. In this case, I think demons are at least better. Loren-nim, you can be at peace.¡¯


    [Do you think my believers won¡¯t do anything?!]


    ¡®So, what are they going to do if they were to do anything? Are they going to cause miracles? Please tell me. Let¡¯s see who will win. Your reputation on my side is already terrible anyways. Let¡¯s test which is better at shifting public opinions. I will make it the fact that goddess Loren sold the Union to the demons in a month. You can look forward to it.¡¯


    [No one will believe it, you fool!]


    ¡®Will they not believe me? I think you have too much faith in your believers.¡¯


    [Lovely believer, Lee Kiyoung! I think you are too overwhelmed¡­ let¡¯s talk for a moment¡­ I will give you all the heroes you want. Um, you know, in truth, it¡¯s not even something you have to get pardoned for. You actually did all that for us. What Loren said isn¡¯t what she meant¡­ We were just taken back that you were trying to get forgiveness for something that didn¡¯t even need to be forgiven.]


    ¡®Ah, Benignore-nim. It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll just go to Hell rather than ask for forgiveness.¡¯


    [Believer Lee Kiyoung! Believer Lee Kiyoung!]


    [Don¡¯t act so pathetically, Unni! It¡¯s because you keep acting that way that the cockroach doesn¡¯t realize its low worth and has no fear for the upper beings. It¡¯s time for us to fix his terrible tendencies.]


    [Loren, stay still!! Stop, right at this moment¡­]


    [How long are you going to be led by this disgusting human?! This is all for you, Unni! At this point!!]


    [Loreeeeeeen!!]


    Then, I heard a loud crash. I didn¡¯t know for sure, but it seemed that Benignore had overpowered Loren. It felt like I also lost connection because I couldn¡¯t hear anything. I didn¡¯t know what was happening.


    Apparently, the ipetent Benignore had much more power than Loren, and she had tried to stop the worst-case scenario in a hurry.


    I didn¡¯t really mean everything I said, but it also didn¡¯t mean that they were impossible.


    It might be a bit difficult, but there was a high chance that I could turn Loren into a corrupt, fallen god. The Union¡¯s religion would easily crack, and the support for the temple would alsopletely get lost.


    What temple and statues could remain after demons raided it?


    Considering that many had shed tears while calling out Loren¡¯s name amid the incident, who wouldn¡¯t hold some ill feelings toward the goddess?


    Through just a couple of words, I could turn her into a fallen entity who had sided with Belial.


    It was easy to create false rumors, but she would have to prepare countless pieces of evidence and documents to disprove those rumors. And in that situation, there was no evidence or document that Loren could bring forth to dispel such misinformation.


    All she could do was emit light and give some people quests. In the first ce, it was a winning game for me.


    Benignore must have learned social skills properly to be able to realize that.


    ¡®I raised that goddess properly.¡¯


    Perhaps, because she had interacted with me multiple times, she could read the situation well.


    That must be the feeling of seeing a newbie bing more and more ustomed to theirpany life.


    After a while, I could hear voices that made me realize that Benignore must have enforced the rules of the wild.


    [Unni¡­]


    [What are you sobbing for? I don¡¯t have a younger sister like you. Apologize to lovely follower Lee Kiyoung this instant.]


    [*sob*]


    ¡®Yes, that¡¯s right.¡¯


    [Hurry up!!]


    [Unni¡­]


    [I am sorry believer Lee Kiyoung¡­ You must have been really surprised. This kid still doesn¡¯t really know anything yet¡­ I hope believer Lee Kiyoung will be able to forgive her with your big heart since I will do everything you ask of me anyway. Come on, do it.]


    [S-Sorry. I identally made a big mistake. *sob*¡­ please, I will appreciate it if you could forgive me.]


    [Do you feel a bit better, believer Lee Kiyoung?]


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    [Can¡¯t you let this one pass for me? We worked so well before. Lovely Lee Kiyoung, won¡¯t you want this too, and this may make things a bit awkward even though we may have to work together in the future.]


    ¡®Well¡­ that is true. To be honest, it isn¡¯t really appealing for me to do that, but for you, I will ept this apology. In return, you must forgive my sins. It has to be tic-for-tac. Like I said before, I hope Loren-nim will pardon my sins personally as well.¡¯


    [Loren¡¯s divine power is stillcking¡­I can¡¯t really afford to do it either. I can¡¯t do it personally, but I think we can make the shape with light. Will that be alright?]


    ¡°It just has to be something you or Loren-nim can verify. Please do it quickly when you are ready. People are waiting.¡¯


    [Of course, I will do it right now since you are the one asking! Of course, I have to forgive believer Lee Kiyoung¡¯s sins before anybody else. Yes! That¡¯s right, but¡­]


    ¡®You can rest assured about the aftermath. I will make sure that there¡¯s something in it for you to the best of my abilities.¡¯


    [As expected of believer Lee Kiyoung. I am always thankful¡­]


    ¡®It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s not only for me. It¡¯s for the empire. For the empire, Benignore-nim should also¡­¡¯


    [Alright! T-Then, let¡¯s start!]


    In Benignore¡¯s perspective, she probably didn¡¯t even want to mention her contract with Belial ever again.


    The light started to disappear as she changed the direction of the conversation.


    All the Blue Guild members, including Kim Hyunsung, bit their lips.


    It seemed that they had imagined the worst, but their expressions brightened when they saw the light shining again. Not only did light shine, but it even started taking the shape of Benignore herself.


    The colorful brilliance in the shape of Benignore didn¡¯t look as lively as the time she appeared with Belial, but somehow, it looked more holy.


    It was so astonishing that I could hear joyous voices from everywhere.


    ¡°Holy Benignore¡­¡±


    Tears fell from pope Basel¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Even Loren-nim¡­¡±


    The holy knights became surprised at even the Union¡¯s guardian, Loren, appearing.


    Ahhhhhhhhhh!


    I could almost hear the sound.


    I maintained my weak expression that looked like I was going to cry at any moment. While emitting their brilliant radiance from their positions, Benignore and Loren spoke loud enough for everyone to hear.


    [I pardon your sins.]


    [Uh¡­ urgh¡­ I pardon your sins.]


    It felt as if all the light in the room shrouded me, and I slowly changed my ss and appearance.


    ¡®Who can me me, really?¡¯


    I did sin, but I felt as if all my little sins had been washed away with their pardon.


    That moment made me realize why a lot of religions emphasized repentance.


    There was no greater indulgence than receiving words of blessing from a god after confessing to a sin.


    [I pardon believer Lee Kiyoung¡¯s sins.]


    My body and mind had begun to feelplete at this point.

 Chapter 531: Mirror Lake (1)

    <h4>Chapter 531: Mirror Lake (1)</h4>


    [I need your help.]


    ¡°Goddess Benignore¡­¡±


    [Loren and I had ced the darkness back in, but this is only short-term. There is still some darkness lingering in his heart. Please, let him be cared for by those who he believes in the most. It is a small request, but this is something that could determine the survival of this empire. Please always support him and help him from behind.]


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll always keep that in mind.¡±


    [Pope Basel, thank you for always believing in me and never holding doubts in such acking goddess.]


    ¡°How¡­ could I ever doubt you, goddess Benignore¡­?¡±


    [Believing in him means also believing in me. He who has found the light even in the darkness fits to be in the closest position as me. I hope you will continue to work in the future.]


    ¡°Oh my¡­¡±


    [Light Swordsman, I have big expectations for you.]


    ¡°¡­¡±


    [I beg of you. Please ensure that he doesn¡¯t go on the wrong path.]


    ¡°I don¡¯t intend to be a guide. I just¡­¡±


    [I understand what you mean¡­]


    ¡°It¡¯s fine as long as you stay by his side.¡±


    [¡­]


    ¡°¡­¡±


    [If that is what you wish.]


    ¡°¡­¡±


    With a bright light, Benignore disappeared. The situation ended with bright particles falling bit by bit. The scene was very satisfying.


    A smile erupted out of my face. I felt like all my sins had been washed away with light.


    I checked for any errors or anything that was off through the hologram that Lee Jihye had captured, but I couldn¡¯t find anything wrong after checking two or three more times.


    I actually wanted to apud the entire event that seemed more like a miracle. That had been such a sess since not only did I be free from my confinement, I also added alternative exnations for Doom Kiyoung.


    In thest three days, the state began praying day and night.


    After pope Basel received some kind words from Benignore, they became busy spreading the word about the miracle. I didn¡¯t even have to mention that they had asked me to stay in the Vatican after saying that they must take care of me.


    I thought I should help restore Lindel, but there were too many things that I still had to consider before going.


    ¡®I have to read about the situation.¡¯


    What could I do even if I went to the ruined city that didn¡¯t have anything?


    It was more important to know how the public opinion had shifted after the demons had left and what the empire¡¯s citizens and adventurers felt.


    I was excited to read news and articles, the ones I couldn¡¯t look into before. Since I lived in an Age of Information, gathering information itself was enjoyable.


    ¡®Let me read the news that hade out right after the battle¡­¡¯


    [The Miracle that Benignore had Created, After Oveing this Nightmare, the Sun Sets Again. -Lindel Times Reporter Kim Sung-Kyoung]


    ¡°Hm¡­ hm¡­¡±


    [Comparable to a Miracle, Besides some Casualties, Confirmed to Be Few Deaths¡­ Michael, correspondent of the National Press.]


    ¡®It really was close to a miracle.¡¯


    [Professionals in the Union Miraculous Saved. The Country Disappeared, but People are Alive- Kim Sung-Kyung, a reporter for the Lindel Daily.]


    [Guardian of the Nation, Dialugia. Temporarily staying in Celia to Recover- Celia Press Reporter Kyosuke]


    [It¡¯s already been 20 days since the Honorary Cardinal has fallen asleep. Pope Basel appears at the capital to lead a prayer meeting. ¡°At times like this, all believers must join forces.¡±- Michael, correspondent of the National Press.]


    [Difficulty in restoring Lindel. Expectations say that the restoration will take three months. The Red Mercenary Guild will issue their stance on temporary residence and welfare for adventurers¡­ Kim Sung-Kyung, a reporter for the Lindel Daily.]


    [Citizens furious that there is no news about the Honorary Cardinal for 34 days. ¡°Concerns that authorities are hiding something¡­¡± Kom-Pany, correspondent of the National Press]


    [Besides the announcement of the Blue Guild¡¯s spokesman, Kim Mi-young, there is no other news. It has been rumored they might be hiding Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung¡¯s death. - Kim Sung-Kyung, a reporter for the Lindel Daily.]


    [National candlelight protest. Will pleas to reveal the truth be answered? - Kim Sung-Kyung, a reporter for the Lindel Daily.]


    [Cardinal Lee Kiyoung opened his eyes earlier this morning, putting the entire nation in a festive mood. However, some people are raising their concerns¡­ Kim Sung-Kyung, a reporter for the Lindel Daily.]


    I could tell what had happened while I was confined.


    Dialugia was resting, and besides the slow restoration of Lindel, everything had been wrapped up nicely. The only thing that took me off guard was the fact that the Blue Guild had not announced that I had woken up.


    ¡®They must have only announced that I was unconscious¡­ jeez, why¡­¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know what they were thinking, but even on the days that I was awake, it was written that I had been unconscious. They probably would have kept hiding the matter if the candlelight protest or something else like that hadn¡¯t happened.


    There were probably some politics involved, but this all felt a bit creepy. They told everyone that I was still in bed when I was totally fine and confined.


    ¡®Well, everything is over now.¡¯


    I continued to search and saw more interesting articles.


    [What did the Knight of Light see in his unconscious state? The Blue Guild Master himself tells the vivid tale. The sunset sword is the Cardinal¡¯s gift. Hot news that you can¡¯t listen to without tears -Kim Sung-Kyung, a reporter for the Lindel Daily.]


    ¡®Hyunsung must have wanted to boast. Yes, that¡¯s a good story to tell. You can spread those kinds of things everywhere.¡¯


    [New book of How a Genius Swordsman and Alchemist Fell in Love. Exclusive interview of the mysterious author. ¡°I want my writing to cheer people up.¡±- Jung Yumi, a reporter for Lindel¡¯s Cultural Center]


    ¡°These are good stuff. They are helpful.¡±


    I could only nod in appreciation. There was nothing more strengthening in hard times than cultural life.


    [The filmization of the book, How a Genius Swordsman and Alchemist Fell in Love, expects that there will be fiercepetition among investors. Fans praise the news, but some worry that it will not live up to the original¡­]


    It could be a good idea for the Blue Guild to support that officially.


    As a tform that provided services for creators, investing was easy. Furthermore, I expected that that business would expand. I didn¡¯t think the returns would be that highpared to other businesses, but it was better than nothing.


    And I could include a theatre while I was at it. I became excited just at the thought of expanding my business even a little bit.


    My freedom felt precious to me after having lost it for a long time. There were so many things I had to read.


    In the goddess¡¯s mirror, they had said that Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung had recovered after meeting the goddess. The whole nation was praying for me once again.


    I was now swimming in a sea of information. I could just follow the algorithm and read the next news.


    Perhaps it wouldn¡¯t be bad for me to go out for a while too. I could help with the restoration work by doing some manual work with my worn-out body or holding each of the citizen¡¯s hands while shedding tears.


    There were many things that I could do. Hence, I thought for a bit.


    Then, I saw Oscar- no,dy Alice, approach me with Chrysanthemum tea.


    ¡°Oscar-nim¡­¡±


    ¡°Please call medy Alice, Lee Kiyoung-nim. You called me that a moment before too¡­ if you keep doing that, I will be sad.¡±


    ¡°I still can¡¯t get used to it.¡±


    ¡°Is your body alright?¡±


    ¡°Yes, as you can see, I¡¯m healthy. I can walk around without difort too.¡±


    ¡°But still, don¡¯t overexert yourself. Everyone else is worried too¡­ Honorary Cardinal-nim¡¯s body is not only yours, after all.¡±


    Was it only me who thought thest line was kind of scary?


    ¡°I can understand how you want to run to Lindel this instant, but please wait for a bit. You already have such a big burden to hold, and I hope that you can rest even for a moment.¡±


    ¡°That is true, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you want to drink first?¡±


    ¡°I will dly take it.¡±


    ¡°I really like how we can be by ourselves right now. Ah, how was yesterday?¡±


    ¡°By yesterday¡­¡±


    ¡°I heard that the medics, Catherine, Elise, and Merlin all stopped by.¡±


    ¡°Ah, of course, it was a pleasant time. I was a bit overwhelmed about how concerned they were for me, but I hadn¡¯t seen them in a long time.¡±


    ¡°I hope you¡¯re not too tired.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for worrying about it. I am fine,dy Alice.¡±


    ¡®This is also an important thing¡­¡¯


    I had to manage my connections andwork properly. Even though I was in a high position, I couldn¡¯t getzy.


    ¡®It was time to take care of that too.¡¯


    It was important to maintain myworks with the top members of Congress, such as Senator Katk and Senator Merlin, as well as Archbishop Jaina and Inquisitor Helena.


    Other than them, there were influential merchants, civic representatives, eight other diplomatic nations, etc. They had all visited me at the hospital.


    It was a bit bothersome to keep in contact with them, but there were some enjoyable aspects, too. I could gossip with aristocratic wives, and it wasn¡¯t bad that I could gain a lot of information from them.


    It was a rare chance for me to hear about an event from many perspectives. Everyone¡¯s opinion was different, and I had to organize the story sometimes.


    One drawback was that I couldn¡¯t see Kim Hyunsung and my Blue Guild members because of the endless visits, but I had temporarily grown sick of seeing them in my confinement.


    As such, I talked to Alice about different topics such as life and politics.


    Then, the door suddenly opened, and hearing the footsteps¡¯ sound, I knew who wasing. Hearing his heavy breathing as he ran towards me while causing the ground to shake, I knew it was definitely him.


    ¡°Hyung-nim! Oh! Oscar-nim is also here!¡±


    ¡°Ah, hello.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your work. But that¡¯s not the point. Hyung-nim.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s time for us to ride the boat to see the mirrorke!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°We decided to go to the mirrorke that you always sang about!¡±


    ¡®When did I¡­ when did I say that I wanted to go there, you pig bastard?¡¯

 Chapter 532: Mirror Lake (2)

    <h4>Chapter 532: Mirror Lake (2)</h4>


    ¡°Why are we suddenly going there? Don¡¯t we have something else to do? We should begin our continent-wide training again.¡±


    ¡°Restoration of the city is already progressing nicely, and the united training still needs some more time. I mean, a battle just ended, and people need to fix and organize some matters due to that. You can think of this as a short break. If you start working, it won¡¯t be the same¡­ it will be good for you to rest a bit. Yeah! That¡¯s right!¡±


    ¡°Still, maybe I can go to a dungeon at the very least¡­¡±


    ¡°I already went once while you were asleep! Please don¡¯t say that you will go to a dungeon while you are still recovering. Even Hyunsung said that we would go back to Lindel right away.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­¡±


    ¡°People in this empire don¡¯t want to hear that you are overworking your body and mind. They want to hear that you are resting well while eating good food. The atmosphere is already pretty tense because of your side-effect, so you should let everyone know how much you are resting. Hyung-nim, at least by now, you should know what you mean to this empire¡­¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°I have been there before, so I am looking forward to it. Even if you search all over the empire, it will be hard for you to find a ce more beautiful.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve gone there before?¡±


    ¡°Ah, a long time ago¡­ well, I stopped by while exploring. By the way, is Oscar-nim going to join us? Everyone will be d if you join us.¡±


    ¡°No, since I¡­ since there needs to be somebody who can protect the empire, I have to stay. I am also busy with various other things¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe there are some things that I can help you with.¡±


    ¡°No, but I think it will be good for the Honorary Cardinal to go. Haven¡¯t you been working the whole time? I think you need to take a breather. It seems just a day ago since we went on a pic with the guild members¡­ isn¡¯t it the first time for all of you to go together?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s probably right.¡±


    ¡°Then, don¡¯t worry about other things and go. Although I amcking, I will protect this country in ce of Honorary Cardinal.¡±


    ¡°Ah, then, there should be no problem! Hyunsung will also be d! Hyunsung is actually too shy to bring up a suggestion like this first. He¡¯s probably d that I brought up something that he has been thinking about for a while now. Hayan also! It¡¯s time for hyung-nim to go farther with Hayan, so this is very important. I, Park Deokgu, will support you from behind so you can throw all your worries away.¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not it¡­¡±


    ¡°I know that you care for Hayan a lot, but she is a full-grown adult now. The idea for you to protect her and care for her is too old-fashioned. It¡¯s best to express your heart with your body. That¡¯s the solution from the Romance expert, Park Deokgu.¡±


    ¡°But wouldn¡¯t it be too much if you guys became close so fast. Honorary Cardinal, Hayan may be overwhelmed, so I think it¡¯s best if you approach her slowly. A girl knows a girl¡¯s heart better¡­¡±


    ¡°No. Believe in the instincts of a Romance expert like me. Hayan must be waiting for you to approach her first. She might have run through all kinds of things in her head. I¡¯m sure of it. Hm, hm!¡±


    ¡®Why is this little sh*t so sure?¡¯


    When Park Deokgu received the Moralizing Shout ability in the past battle, did it affect him in such a way too? He looked sure of what he had just said¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s a pic this time?¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung might have thought that in his head.


    Even if we had promised each other to go to the mirrorke in our unconscious state, it was probably something that he didn¡¯t really remember.


    Due to the situation, it was difficult for him to leave everything behind to go on a peaceful trip.


    Hyunsung probably didn¡¯t understand, but he must have feltpelled to support the guild¡¯s trip to go to the mirrorke for some reason.


    He had a good reason to reject the decision, but he most likely¡­


    ¡®Was thinking of me.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t as if my heart could bepletely at ease even after receiving the goddess¡¯s pardon, after all. I had met many people in the past couple of days, but I often made a bitter expression and stared out the window.


    I acted like that just to show that I still wasn¡¯t free from my guilt, and the guy must have thought a leisurely trip could prove to be helpful.


    Thinking about Doom Kiyoung, he couldn¡¯t help but reach such a conclusion. From Kim Hyunsung¡¯s perspective, it was his priority to take care of my mental health.


    In that perspective, the trip was a good option- not only for me but also for the other guild members.


    They didn¡¯t say it out loud, but those guys must have been mentally and emotionally exhausted too. They might have felt satisfied by confining me, but it probably didn¡¯tpletely relieve them of all mental strain.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t think it would be this bad¡­¡¯


    If I could only ignore the pig, Park Deokgu¡¯s ominous voice, I would have epted the offer right away.


    I thought of many other options but decided to agree in the end.


    ¡®What could go wrong?¡¯


    I did want to make time for me to talk to Kim Hyunsung privately. If I went outside, I could probably arrange something like that easily.


    ¡°So, are you going or not? To be honest, I just want you to go. No, I¡¯m going to drag you there! I won¡¯t ept no for an answer.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to go to such lengths, Deokgu. Yes¡­ I had been saying that I wanted to go there many times now. I don¡¯t think it will be bad for me to finally visit it.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Yess! Yesss!¡±


    ¡®Why is this guy extremely happy?¡¯


    It was as if he was hiding a big surprise for me.


    He lifted me. Knowing that my body had fully recovered by then, he swung me around like an airne.


    ¡°Are we really going?!¡±


    ¡°Yes, I told you that we¡¯re going.¡±


    ¡°I was so nervous that you will refuse to go again, but I knew you would agree this time.¡±


    ¡°Did I really seem like I didn¡¯t want to go there before?¡±


    ¡°I think I asked you like seven or eight times to go there already. Whenever I asked you, you always said that you were busy¡­ Oscar-nim, are you really not going?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am fine. Really.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s understandable in this situation. But I am feeling a bit sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to feel that way. We have enough time after this anyway.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m d you think that¡­¡±


    ¡°So, when are we leaving? To prepare, I have to¡­¡±


    ¡°Right now!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°We have to go right now. The preparation is done.¡±


    ¡®This bastard, the way he just drives through¡­¡¯


    He just charged into things without thinking for even a single moment. What would he have done if I had told him that I couldn¡¯t go?


    ¡°You already have your clothes on, and that¡¯s all you need. We have a big carriage prepared for you, and everything you need is in there. You can just be at ease and follow me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Only guild members areing, right?¡±


    ¡°We did ask the Mercenary Queen and the shaman to join us, but they said that they were too busy. Since you know, it really is a trip mostly for the guild members¡­ and the city won¡¯t run if the Mercenary Queen leaves the city. That¡¯s probably the reason why. Anyway, this is not the time to talk about that. We have to go quickly. Oscar-nim, I am going to buy you a present on my way back, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    For sure, it seemed that it was a trip for the entire guild. If the Blue Guild were leaving, it would have put the city into chaos if the Red Mercenary also left.


    After saying my farewells tody Aris, I wandered into the building with Deokgu, allowing people to greet me.


    I responded to their greetings and looked outside to see Jung Hayan talking to Cha Hee-ra.


    ¡°Huh¡­?¡±


    I rubbed my eyes again and made sure that I had seen them clearly. Both of their expressions were dark while they conversed.


    It seemed like they were asking how things were going.


    I couldn¡¯t believe what I was seeing, but it was better than watching them fight. Maybe that was also¡­


    ¡®Is it because of what happened?¡¯


    It seemed that after Cha Hee-ra saved me from an older man, whose name I can¡¯t even remember at the time, while he was trying to terrorize the city, Jung Hayan must have decided to tolerate her existence.


    She probably had a simr train of thought right now.


    When she was put in a situation where she couldn¡¯t handle the events and was about to fall into ruin, Cha Hee-ra always made the cold, logical judgments.


    Even when Kim Hyunsung and Jung Hayan had a mental breakdown, she showed an outstanding performance by handling a demon monarch.


    Kim Hyunsung might have ended it and Jung Hayan assisted, but the battle couldn¡¯t have been won without her assistance.


    ¡®Although she wasn¡¯t the team¡¯s main yer¡­¡¯


    It was enough for me to apud her.


    Since Jung Hayan hadn¡¯t really done anything that time, she must¡¯ve reached a moment where she had to look around her surroundings again.


    As I continued to walk past the garden, I kept seeing my guild members. Park Deokgu screamed with his loud voice, and Cha Hee-ra also began to speak to me.


    ¡°Is your body alright, honey?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it did be better¡­ but are you really noting?¡±


    ¡°I do want to join and y with you, but¡­ how can I stop you from hanging out with your colleagues? I thought about¡­ just brashly joining you, but your Guild Master gave me some looks. Ha¡­ it was so ridiculous that I told him that I wouldn¡¯t go with you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a shame. Was Yuno Kasaguno the same?¡±


    ¡°Well, she¡¯s actually really busy. The fight for the Federation was a bit too strong this time, but she told me to give you a letter. I brought that too.¡±


    ¡°Ah, thank you.¡±


    ¡®Hee-ra is so good at making friends¡­¡¯


    I knew that she stayed close to Yuno Kasaguno, but I didn¡¯t think they were that close. When I thought about it, I thought I had seen them talking together before.


    I wasn¡¯t sure, but it was probably at a caf¨¦.


    I didn¡¯t know why exactly, but it was good to see her getting along well with other guild members.


    I felt her grab my arm harder than usual. Then, I heard her whisper in my ears.


    ¡°Get me a present on your way back. And when youe back from your trip this time, your next three days and nights are mine.¡±


    ¡®Hee-ra Nuna, that¡¯s a bit¡­¡¯


    ¡°Of course, be safe and don¡¯t get hurt, and¡­¡±


    ¡®I want to do that too.¡¯


    ¡°Also, I just want to put this out there, but don¡¯t put on your mask no matter what happens, do you understand? Stick to Jung Hayan¡¯s side as much as possible.¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t happen. With all these guild members, nothing dangerous will ur¡­¡±


    ¡°Just take it as a precaution. You know that, honey. Even though it¡¯s different from your power, I also have something simr. The risk is iparable, but power like that ought to have its consequences. Don¡¯t let yourself think that you can fully control it¡­ this is not something I meant to say in a ce like this, but¡­ ah, my nagging had gone on for too long. Anyway, let¡¯s continue this conversation when our three days and nights together havee. Love you, honey.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    ¡°I said I love you.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ also love you, Nuna.¡±


    I felt like I was half-forced into saying it, but it wasn¡¯t so bad. I could confirm that Doom Kiyoung¡¯s storyline had already been secured into ce, after all.

 Chapter 533: Mirror Lake (3)

    <h4>Chapter 533: Mirror Lake (3)</h4>


    As I wished, what Benignore had said about the darkness and other things had already been deeply instilled inside the minds of the empire¡¯s party members and the public citizens.


    Of course, the public wasn¡¯t aware that I could freely change to Doom Kiyoung if I wanted, but the party members seemed to have noticed. However, to be precise, I was the one who hinted at it so they could know.


    I wasn¡¯t as direct as saying, ¡®I can change to Doom Kiyoung. I will change to Doom Kiyoung now¡¯ then summoning my mask.


    With a lot of insecurity, I revealed the possibility that I might be able to change to my other form while maintaining my mind. As I said that, Kim Hyunsung and the other guild member¡¯s faces darkened.


    After that, I didn¡¯t necessarily have to lead them to fill in the rest of the nks. Considering that I wasn¡¯t even sure about the situation, they made a couple of spections amongst themselves.


    If I summarized the spections, they were basically the following:


    1. Lee Kiyoung could change from mythic-grade ss ¡®Light Alchemist¡¯ to the same mythic-grade ss ¡®guelord of Darkness.¡¯


    1. The condition for that change was his mind being impacted negatively to the point that it would cause a great strain on his mind. In such a state, he would transform.


    1. It was possible to change from ¡®Light Alchemist¡¯ to ¡®guelord of Darkness,¡¯ but to revert, help from the goddess was needed.


    2. If he used too much power as the guelord of Darkness or used his power for too long, there was a strong chance that his mind might bepletely dominated by the darkness likest time.


    3. At the moment, there was no proper cure for the curse. The only solution was to take care of Lee Kiyoung¡¯s mental health.


    That was about it.


    It was what I exactly wanted, and the condition and solutions were perfect clich¨¦s.


    My character¡¯splexity increased due to the detail that my mind got a bit tainted the more I used my powers. That also restrained Jung Hayan and other troublemakers from acting recklessly.


    The more I felt negative thoughts, the more I lost my sanity.


    I was sure that they were starting to n various events to care for my mental health. I bet the pic was also an event to evoke positive emotions in me.


    It also perfectly aligned with Kim Hyunsung¡¯s desire to give the other guild members a bit of rest, but I didn¡¯t think it would be that helpful for me.


    When I looked back, I saw an enormous ship.


    A ship.


    It wasn¡¯t just a boat. It was a ridiculous sight to see arge ship being pulled by a carriage.


    I thought I might get used to such a ridiculous sight after a while, but I still couldn¡¯t get used to it even after some time passed.


    Looking at my shocked expression, Park Deokgu spoke proudly to tell me the same story he already told me so many times before.


    ¡°We made it in our spare time. Do you remember when we once made a boat next to one of the tutorial dungeons?¡±


    ¡°I remember, but¡­ wasn¡¯t it much smaller? You can¡¯t even say that ¡¯that¡¯ is a boat.¡±


    ¡°Well, I did boat-making as a hobby, and now I reached this level. I borrowed a big workshop in Lindel, and as I kept making this, the scale got bigger and bigger. And Ah-young also came at the right time and was a big help.¡±


    ¡°But still¡­¡±


    ¡°You will never imagine how much money I poured into that one boat, hyung-nim.¡±


    ¡®Of course, I wouldn¡¯t know, you bastard.¡¯


    ¡°Jeong-yeon-ssi has helped us in various ways and did thest remaining details on the boat, so you will probably be surprised by the number of hidden options it has.¡±


    ¡® Sh*t, it sure looks like it.¡¯


    The empire¡¯s best cksmith, best craftsman, Yoo Ah-Young, and the empire¡¯s most knowledgeable magic schr Hwang Jung-Yeon all worked on that ¡°boat.¡±


    Moreover, boat master Park Deokgu poured his passion and sweat into it, so it would have been basically impossible for the boat not to be a masterpiece.


    [Checking information on Mythic-level item ¡®Nice Boat¡¯]


    [Nice Boat - Mythic Grade]


    [The Nice Boat is a masterpiece made by the master cksmith, magic schr, craftsman, and shield of belief.


    The enormous boat couldn¡¯t be merely described as a transportation vessel but a valuable art piece made from magical monsters¡¯ bones, skulls, leather, and light magic.


    Every single part of the boat had strong magic instilled in it, and it was able to withstand any waves or wind.


    It could even withstand a dragon¡¯s breath while all of its passengers received continuous buff and energy from it.


    It also has the option to go underwater for a certain amount of time, and¡­]


    I didn¡¯t need to keep reading. The most important thing was that Park Deokgu had just made a very scary item.


    Even from just a nce, I could see that it was made from monsters and extremely rare items. My jaw dropped at the puzzling scene. How could I not be shocked while looking at that?


    All the boat creators seemed really pleased with themselves, seeing as they couldn¡¯t stop talking about it.


    ¡°After Lindel got destroyed, I thought our work might have also been destroyed, but thankfully, it¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡®Ah-young, f**k, it says on the description box that it can withstand a dragon¡¯s breath. Also, it¡¯s covered head to toe with magical monsters¡¯ skin and was stored deep in our basement; of course, it¡¯s going to be fine.¡¯


    ¡°During that untimely event, we didn¡¯t get to work the boat, so it didn¡¯t get verified as an item yet. After you woke up, Park Deokgu used up all his spare time to finish it, saying that he wanted it finished before we were to go off to the Mirror Lake.¡±


    ¡°Actually, I didn¡¯t do much. No matter how I look at it, we were able to finish thanks to Jeong-yeon-ssi. If she didn¡¯t establish the foundation with her magic in the beginning, we wouldn¡¯t even be able to make the boat this big.¡±


    ¡°But we were able to finish thanks to you, Deokgu-ssi. While you were sweating so much, you finished it up inch by inch. Vice Guild Master, you don¡¯t know how much care he put to each nail.¡±


    ¡®I know, so stop bragging about your boyfriend.¡¯


    ¡°Wow¡­ that¡¯s amazing.¡±


    ¡°With this boat, we can rest assured in anyke or ocean. In the first ce¡­¡±


    ¡®In the first ce, that¡¯s not an item you simply use on ake.¡¯


    ¡°I thought the scale might have been too big for just a hobby of mine, but now that it has been finished, I feel very pleased. At first, I just wanted to bring you and Hayan on board, but somehow it turned out like this.¡±


    Park Deokgu¡¯s friend and partner, Ahn Ki-mo, also joined in.


    ¡°I bet we¡¯re the only ones in the empire to possess this kind of boat. I also heard that even empires that are known for shipbuilding don¡¯t have a boat anywhere near its quality. From what I know, shipbuilders and ship-building-rted magazines are requesting information on this boat¡­ Am I right?


    ¡°I did get some requests, but I¡¯m not going to let out information about our guild¡¯s private property carelessly. I even turned away requests from art magazines that wanted to talk about the designs on the boat. There are even people telling me to sell the boat, but this boat is like a kid to me.¡±


    ¡°If you do sell it, you will be very rich¡­¡±


    ¡°You are right, Ye-ri-ssi. But it¡¯s a priceless item to me, so selling it would¡­¡±


    ¡°Humph! There¡¯s a lot of different reasons. However, the main reason is that I already decided on who¡¯s going to be the boat¡¯s master.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°In the first ce, I built this boat for Kiyoung-hyung and Hayan-nunim. From the design and structure, I nned to use this as a gift.¡±


    Jung Hayan, who clung tightly to my arm like a cicada, reacted for the first time because of that statement She opened her eyes wide, and her delighted face began to make me nervous.


    ¡°Actually, I didn¡¯t¡­ hmph¡­ want to make it known like this, but since everyone is here, I will say it. Lee Kiyoung-nim, here. Take the master key.¡±


    ¡°Ah, ugh¡­ okay, thanks.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t in my n for everyone to use it during the first time it¡¯ll embark, but I hope you and Hayan-nunim use it to travel around different ces.¡±


    Jung Hayan looked more eager than I was as she nodded her vigorously, and she began to whisper in my ear.


    ¡°W-with this, w-we can go on our honeymoon. Somewhere far, far away.¡±


    ¡®But you can teleport¡­¡¯


    ¡°Okay, now, everyone p! p!¡±


    ¡°Congrattions, Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°C-Congrattions, Miss Jung Hayan.¡±


    ¡°Congrattions, Kiyoung-ssi.¡±


    The assassin Kim Chang-Ryul, ck magician Han Sora, and even Kim Hyunsung sent their congrattions due to the following order.


    Everyone¡¯s reactions were pretty much the same. It seemed as if many people were surprised by the generosity of Park Deokgu¡¯s gift. Kim Hyunsung had on an expression as if he was determined not to lose, but he did seem happy for me overall.


    Thest time I was in that kind of lively atmosphere felt so long ago.


    I couldn¡¯t remember how long it had been since all the guild members gathered together like that,ughing and talking with each other.


    In the past, we used to at least spend time in the same way after going through a dungeon. We would set up a huge campfire and drunk just until we felt giddy.


    As our guild got bigger and busier, we lost the ability to do things like that. Since it had been so long, no person wore a dark expression.


    Elena and Sun Hee-young yed chess inside the carriage, and Kim Changryul was reading a book in the corner as usual.


    Han Sora was sitting as far apart as she possibly could from Jung Hayan and ying a board game with Kim Ye-ri.


    Kim Hyunsung and Cho Hyejin sipped wine,ughed, and chatted at the mini-bar.


    It had certainly been a while since we all rxed together. Not even considering the ¡®Nice Boat¡¯ I just got, I couldn¡¯t help feeling happy. It felt like we were just a normal group of friends having fun, doing different things, in a local pub.


    ¡®So peaceful.¡¯


    I thought it might be a ¡®calm before the storm¡¯ situation, but I couldn¡¯t help but enjoy the moment.


    The view outside was beautiful and watching my guild members rx and have fun made me feel that way even more.


    The carriage was not fast, but the Mirror Lake wasn¡¯t far off either. Everyone was beginning to look excited since we were going to reach our destination soon.


    It wasn¡¯t only Park Deokgu and Jung Hayan who were singing eagerly for Mirror Lake.


    At the time when we were almost at our destination¡­


    While we were talking about various topics such as past stories of our journey and then finally going back to talking about the Nice Boat in the back, Ahn Ki-mo, who usually talked a lot, spoke.


    ¡°Hmmm, if we had the chance, it will be nice to go to the ocean.¡±


    Deokgu replied, ¡°I¡¯m also a bit regretful, but the Mirror Lake won¡¯t be so different. It¡¯s so big that some people usually mistake it as an ocean.¡±


    ¡°But you know, I had an image of fighting against the ocean wind and going through the harsh currents. It¡¯s been my dream since I was a kid to imagine myself in a pirate boat or fight as a shipping crew. Most of the ces here have already been discovered, though, so I doubt we can go on a proper shipping adventure¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmmm¡­¡±


    ¡°If it was up to me, I want to use this ship to go to a dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Is that possible?¡±


    ¡°Yes, for high-level dungeons, the map of their location canpletely change. The horror garden recorded in the Blue diary was actually something like that. A dungeon found a few years ago was discovered to be on top of the water.¡±


    ¡°Wow, it must have been a dilemma.¡±


    ¡°Yes, they had to make a lot of sacrifices, andpleting the dungeon took about half a year, but with this kind of item, it won¡¯t be a pipe dream for us toplete dungeons like that. We might even find simr dungeons in Mirror Lake.


    ¡°Well, that would be great, but that¡¯s not the purpose of our trip. It doesn¡¯t make sense that a tourist spot like Mirror Lake would have that kind of dungeon. Even if you don¡¯t say that, I¡¯m sure Kiyoung-nim would take this item out to the ocean anyway.¡±


    ¡°Hahahaha. I guess I just spouted out some meaningless wishes. Then we will be in your care, Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡®Wow, it¡¯s been a while since the plush bastard made a sound argument.¡¯


    How could he say such a sound argument? It was not like him to speak so seriously too.


    ¡®Ahn Ki-mo, you¡¯re too imaginative.¡¯


    Pirates and sea adventures were so out of fashion¡­


    Kim Ye-ri kind of looked excited due to those words, but most of the adults couldn¡¯t understand her imaginative wishes. A dungeon hidden inside of Mirror Lake¡­ It made me chuckle that he had such a cute thought with that stern face of his. However¡­


    It did not take long for my thought to change in a couple of seconds.


    ¡°Kiyoung-nim, I think we¡¯ve just entered a dungeon¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Even Kim Hyunsung lookedpletely lost.

 Chapter 534: Hidden Piece (1)

    <h4>Chapter 534: Hidden Piece (1)</h4>


    The incident had started several hours ago. Before arriving at Mirror Lake, I had been busy with many things. The guild members¡¯ moods were better than usual for finally getting a vacation after so long. The atmosphere had also be livelier.


    After arriving back in the city, I unloaded my luggage and ate a proper meal to recover from the long ride.


    I spent a very satisfying meal, eating the city¡¯s delicacy, mirror salmon. It was so tasty that I, as picky as I was, had eaten two tes by myself.


    Park Deokgu and Ahn Ki-mo started the meal with tes stacked up in front of them, and Elena also couldn¡¯t hide her surprise while eating the food.


    ¡®Well, it was that tasty.¡¯


    We didn¡¯te there with something special in mind, so it felt more like a trip to me. That was how excited I was about Mirror Lake.


    ¡°I¡¯m really looking forward to it. A-Are you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I thought I would be able to see theke as soon as I arrived here, but I guess that¡¯s not the case.


    ¡°To heighten your expectations, we reserved a restaurant that was far away from theke. It will probably be even more satisfying that way, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you will really like it, Vice Master. It¡¯s hard for me to say for myself, but the ce is really romantic.¡±


    ¡°¡­?¡±


    ¡°Hyung-nim, what are you looking so surprised for? I told you that we came here with Jeong-yeon-ssi before. Anyway, if you are done eating, we should get up now. It¡¯s the prettiest around this time.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s actually another entrance besides this, but the boat that Deokgu-ssi brought is too big for us to go through that one. The carriage is probably waiting for us, so we should go there slowly. Get up now. Guild-master, you too.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ yes, alright.¡±


    I saw Kim Hyunsung get up. I couldn¡¯t help but smile at how he looked like a young man on a package trip. It felt like he was finally acting his age. His friend next to him, Cho Hyejin, probably had the same thought.


    ¡°You must be enjoying yourself.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say such nonsense. Vice Master.¡± He responded to me sharply. However, he and all the rest of the guild members moved with a very pleased look on his face.


    So far, we were all satisfied with Park Deokgu¡¯s package trip. Things looked prettier on a trip where our stomachs had been satisfied.


    Like a famous tourist destination, the tracking course was decorated very nicely, and the atmosphere was almost perfect. At this, we moved a bit, and I couldn¡¯t help but scream at the sight in front of me.


    As if to deny my fears of ¡°what if it¡¯s a little disappointing?¡±, the Mirror Lake showed off its majesty and why it was a representative tourist destination in the country.


    Theke was as wide as an ocean- no, the sight made me feel sorry to say it was ake. Although it was such a clich¨¦ expression, as if jewels had been embedded into the ce, it sparkled, causing my jaw to drop as I witnessed the scene.


    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful.¡± Kim Ye-ri, who wasn¡¯t good at expressing her emotion, spoke.


    ¡°I feel like I am bing purified¡­ as if my sins and fears are disappearing.¡±


    Han Sora¡¯s tears never dried. Yes, she needed some healing time.


    ¡°After falling here, I thought I saw all kinds of things, but this is the most fantastic view I¡¯ve ever seen.¡±


    Yoo Ah-young couldn¡¯t hide her surprise. ¡°How could it also be so tasty?¡±


    There was also Kim Chang-ryul, who asked a rather strange question. ¡°That hadn¡¯t been revealed yet, Kim Chang-Ryul-ssi.¡±


    The one who answered him was Deokgu¡¯s girl, Hwang Jeong-yeon. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just what I said. They are still trying to find answers like why theke reflects the sky like a mirror or what the group of lights is. However, they can¡¯t find any answers. Scientists are still studying them, but I don¡¯t know. To be honest, I don¡¯t want them to find the answer. Isn¡¯t it more romantic to watch without knowing?¡±


    ¡°I also want to know how theke¡¯s salmon can live here when there isn¡¯t a farm nearby.¡±


    ¡°What are you wondering that for? Isn¡¯t it enough that it¡¯s so pretty to look at? Isn¡¯t that right, nunim?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ yes, yes, that is true.¡± Jung Hayan nodded vigorously as if the view still shook her.


    And before I realized it, she was in my arms. Elena also kept taking nces at me.


    They must have expected a romantic scene, but it wasn¡¯t very easy to show something like that in front of everyone.


    ¡°It¡¯s too early to be surprised. It¡¯s more of a speckling if you go inside.¡±


    ¡°You mean spectacle.¡±


    ¡°Well, those have simr meanings. Even in an atmosphere like this, why are you correcting me¡­ let¡¯s board quickly. Hurry up, everyone. We are going to see it anyway, so we should see it on a nice boat. Come on, Hyung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Kim Hyunsung got on the boat as if he was a tourist boarding the tourist bus. Once we were inside, although the boat¡¯s interior was a bit rough, I could see how much effort went into it. It wasn¡¯t only the appearance. There were many luxurious elements spread around.


    The big boat began to move towards theke, and I could hear Kim Ye-ri shrieking. Ahn Ki-mo looked satisfied as well. The view definitely looked different up close than far away. It felt as if I was flying in the sky on that boat.


    I felt like the view could rival with the World Tree in the Elf Kingdom, and in reality, there wasn¡¯t that much of a difference between them. We still couldn¡¯t see theke¡¯s end. The gigantic boat made waves inside the water, and the sky shook with the wavering lights.


    I didn¡¯t know where she had learned it from, but Jung Hayan stretched out her arms and looked at theke in front of us.


    ¡°O-Oppa¡­ please hold me from behind.¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t do things like that¡­ Hayan.¡¯


    Of course, I knew better than to break the mood in a situation like that.


    In the end, I grabbed Jung Hayan¡¯s waist slightly and heard her chuckling. Sun Hee-young and Elena watched us with satisfaction while they waited their turn. That also included Kim Hyunsung.


    Seeing Cho Hyejin¡¯s face, it seemed like she really wanted to do that too. However, her senseless partner probably wouldn¡¯t even notice it.


    I heard cheers from behind and heard praises about the scenery, and Park Deokgu looked prouder of himself as they continued.


    After a while, when I felt the boat start to sink slowly, I looked at Deokgu, but he nodded at me with a reassuring look. The boatpletely submerged into the waters.


    ¡®Wow, sh*t, it can even go below the surface¡­¡¯


    The view was enough to purify a low-level demon in an instant.


    I didn¡¯t think that theke¡¯s interior would be that interesting to look at and had thought its beauty was only on its mirror-like surface. It wasn¡¯t something anyone could exin using Earth¡¯s logic.


    Seeing a light pass by her, Cho Hyejin reached out her hand unconsciously.


    I didn¡¯t know if it was divine power or magic, but I thought I could use it as my next material for some reason.


    ¡°When did you make something like this?¡±


    ¡°I called some magicians. This is the first time we did it, but it seems that everything ended well.¡±


    ¡°It really did¡­ This is the best way to look at the view.¡±


    ¡°Do you feel like your soul is cleansed?¡±


    ¡®Well, not to that degree¡­¡¯


    ¡°I mean, do you feel like the darkness in your heart is fading away?¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Deokgu.¡±


    ¡°I wanted to hear that, but it hits differently to actually hear it. Look at that school of salmons moving.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful.¡±


    ¡°I definitely made the right decision to bring you all here. Nunim also seems happy about it.¡±


    ¡°I feel like I am inside a blue and white universe.¡±


    ¡°Ahh, that expression¡­ it¡¯s poetic. Let¡¯s follow the salmons to see where they¡¯re going.¡±


    ¡°There won¡¯t be any problems, right?¡±


    ¡°If a problem were going to arise, it would¡¯ve already happened. What are you so worried about? We have Hayan Nunim here. Hyung-nim, don¡¯t worry about anything and just enjoy the view. You can look forward to tomorrow and the day after that. Let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡®This little sh*t is too excited.¡¯


    I began to feel a bit nervous because whenever Park Deokgu acted like that, an ident would follow. However, the scenery made me quickly forget. It was so beautiful that even Han Sora was shedding tears.


    It wasn¡¯t weird to cry at the scenery, but she looked as if she was getting saved.


    ¡®Well, she did help me support a demon.¡¯


    Unlike Jung Hayan, she must¡¯ve been swimming in an ocean full of guilt. As the audience began to feel more satisfied, Park Deokgu gestured widely.


    With growing confidence, he steered the boat and made meugh. Everyone enjoyed it in their own way, but I was sure that the person enjoying it the most was Kim Hyunsung.


    As I became more and more delighted by it, his expression became brighter.


    Truthfully, I was kind of getting tired of the scenery after twenty minutes, but for Kim Hyungsung, who had worked so hard, I showed all kinds of reactions.


    ¡®I should do some lip service.¡¯


    Since their goal was to restore my mental state, I wanted to make them feel like they had fullypleted their goals.


    He looked satisfied to see my fake expressions. It was as if he would ask me if everything was alright since everything was finally all over and if I was fully satisfied with everything.


    ¡°Wow!¡±


    ¡®Ah, he is dying of happiness again.¡¯


    ¡°Whoah!¡±


    ¡®Hyunsung, this is also a very tiring thing to do.¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s amazing.¡±


    ¡®Ha, people are going to think that I made thiske with this kind of reaction.¡¯


    ¡°I think it¡¯s better because¡­ it¡¯s so big and wide.¡±


    ¡®Ok, it¡¯s enough that you like it, Hyunsung.¡¯


    ¡°Ok, then, let¡¯s wrap this up and resurface now. Grab onto something and hold on tight!¡±


    It was over. I thought about what my reaction would be when we were on top of theke.


    ¡®What¡­this?¡¯


    As the boat got back out, we saw apletely different scenery than we had seen.


    ¡°Sh*t¡­ What is this?¡±


    The mouth of a huge wormhole greeted us.


    ¡°Open sail! Open sail! Open saiiiiiiiil!!!!¡±

 Chapter 535: Hidden Piece (2)

    <h4>Chapter 535: Hidden Piece (2)</h4>


    I couldn¡¯t understand the situation fully yet. Our surroundingspletely changed as if they had been reversed like a mirror. As soon as I saw the unrealistic scenery before me, I only thought of surviving.


    At that very moment, huge waves flooded in from all sides and covered us.


    ¡°Magic! Magic!¡±


    Jung Hayan quickly chanted a spell at my voice, but she couldn¡¯t block the waves that were alreadying toward us.


    The impact rocked the huge boat, and guild members on it were also shaken. Some were able to hold onto a railing or a giant pir to avoid being swept away by the waves, but my frail body couldn¡¯t withstand the shock.


    My hand¡¯s grip on the railing loosened, and my vision became a blur. In the blink of an eye, my body was floating in the sky.


    ¡®Damn it.¡¯


    I wanted to do some alchemy magic with my fingers quickly, but my body didn¡¯t listen to my rational head. Instead, it floundered in the air.


    The passing waves hit my arm continuously, making it hard to maintain bnce.


    ¡°Oppa!¡±


    With Jung Hayan¡¯s scream, I felt somebody grab my hand. Turning my head, I saw Kim Hyunsung holding my hands tightly.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°Hyunsung-ssi?¡±


    I was in his warm embrace, and although it was only for a moment, it was a bitforting. However¡­


    ¡®What about the others?¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t as bad as it could be.


    Kim Chang-ryul had luckily caught Han Sora and Elena after they almost fell off, and Park Deokgu held on to Hwang Jeong-yeon.


    Seeing that people like Yoo Ah-Young, Kim Ye-ri, and Cho Hye-jin were all right, it seemed that it was a shock that most people could handle.


    However, it wasn¡¯t the same for the less skilled people.


    I looked around for any rearguards left and saw Sun Hee-young soaring into the air.


    I thought I could save her, but before I could, a giant wave came in and swallowed her up.


    I heard screams everywhere. I quickly used my Mind¡¯s Eye and saw Sun Hee-Young struggling under the waves.


    She was half-hugged by Kim Hyunsung as she flicked her fingers and a dragon¡¯s tail came out of a magic circle.


    I thought it would break apart from the waves, but Hwang Jeong-yeon and Elena strengthened the tail with their spells. Even at that moment, Sun Hee-young was getting farther and farther away from the boat.


    ¡®Reach it. Sh*t, Reach it!¡¯


    Seeing her going farther and farther away, Kim Ye-ri tried to run across the summoned tail. But Hee-young went farther faster than a small kid like her could run.


    Even Kim Ye-ri looked like she was in danger as she struggled to keep herself up while sticking her sword into the tail. While thinking of the worst-case scenario, it was by pure luck that I was able to save her.


    The waves from the opposite side had pushed her back and saved Sun Hee-young.


    ¡®Nice! Nice!¡¯


    I could see Sun Hee-young grabbing on the tail with her tiny fist. When I thought everything was over, I saw another giant wave cover the boat again.


    ¡°Block it! Block it!¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhh!¡±


    Jung Hayan had finished her spell. She used thepression spell that she had used in Raios before.


    Craaaash!


    With the sound of an explosion, the waves sitting at our sides disappeared in an instant.


    ¡°Nice Jung Hayan! Nice!¡±


    I was surprised for only a moment. With the sound of Han Sora¡¯s spell, I saw a dark chain surround me. It wasn¡¯t to restrict me, but to ensure that I didn¡¯t bounce off.


    Sure enough, I felt my body be heavier. It stuck to my body like a ma, and I couldn¡¯t help but be impressed by magic¡¯s greatness again.


    Meanwhile, Sun Hee-young safely arrived back to the boat. As if she had drunk a lot of water, her body was bing colder and colder.


    Elena ran to her side to see if she could help heal her, but it wasn¡¯t an easy situation for her to move in. What was happening was something that couldn¡¯t be fixed with divine power.


    ¡°Ye-ri, grab onto Hee-young tightly. Hyunsung-ssi, please be prepared for the iing wave. This will be enough.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Hurry up.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, I understand.¡±


    Perhaps, there was no other way but to pass through the warm-hole. I could only think that we had two options: to linger in that dangerous spot or move the boat the other way.


    ¡®At least I have this boat.¡¯


    If the boat were still the same as what Park Deokgu made before (Mark 1), all the guild members would¡¯ve been scattered already.


    My body kept moving around while I thought of all kinds of things. I didn¡¯t want to do it without her permission, but I had no choice but to keeppressing her chest.


    I didn¡¯t know if I was doing it right, but it seemed correct from what I recalled. Although my body continued to shake, I no longer bounced off.


    After giving a prayer, I put my lips onto hers and breathed in and out.


    With anxious eyes, Sun Hee-young and Kim Ye-ri held onto each other¡¯s hands. I began to feel her move bit by bit.


    With a gasp, water poured out of Sun Hee-young¡¯s mouth, but it seemed that she was still unconscious. I repeated it again. I ced my lips onto hers again and again, and more water came out. After this, I ended it by pouring some divine power.


    Sun Hee-young could receive medical aid after she woke up, so it was fine for the time being.


    I began to worry that Jung Hayan might throw herself into the waves after seeing us, but it thankfully didn¡¯t happen.


    It seemed that she didn¡¯t even see what actually happened.


    Perhaps, the gods were helping because although it had been a moment before, the boat began to move again, and I couldn¡¯t keep my eyes off the situation.


    ¡®Nature is¡­ sh*t¡­ really great.¡¯


    No wonder magic was in the form of nature. It was unbelievable seeing the situation our guild was in.


    It was like we were trapped in Mythic-grade magic. If waves such as those were to hit our empire, everything would be destroyed.


    The waves would sweep all people and animals beyond recovery. It would be like witnessing a god smite down judgment on their people and nation.


    I didn¡¯t know how Noah felt when the whole world became covered in water, but what I was feeling must¡¯ve been close.


    Kim Hyunsung divided the waves, but he couldn¡¯t keep doing that by himself.


    ¡°Park Deokgu, grab the handles!¡±


    ¡°What? What?!¡±


    ¡°Hold the steering wheel! Handle!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ah! I got it!¡±


    Park Deokgu hastily grabbed the wheel. He avoided the iing giant wave and rode along with the wind blowing from behind.


    Our top priority was to get through the vortex first.


    ¡°Ahn Ki-mo-ssi! Sails! Open the sails! Sails!¡±


    ¡°Urggggggh!¡± And there, vomit came.


    ¡®Sh*t¡­ what a pirate.¡¯


    ¡°Sail! Sail!¡±


    ¡°Urggggggh! Yes¡­ I will-! Urgggh! Wait¡­Urgggh!¡±


    ¡®Ocean adventure, my ass.¡¯


    ¡°I will do it.¡±


    ¡®Yes, sh*t, you should do it.¡¯


    As if he found it frustrating to watch, he got to the sails himself and opened it. The huge vessel was ready to ovee the great waves. I didn¡¯t know what it had been influenced by, but the giant boat began to speed forward in an instant.


    Park Deokgu controlled the boat hurriedly, and he moved the handle in such a way that avoided the giant waves.


    Truthfully, I didn¡¯t know where the boat was going. Seeing how I was a bit nted, it seemed that I was riding the waves at a right angle.


    ¡®Where am I?¡¯


    After things had settled, I finally had time to observe my surroundings. It was an unbelievable sight where the front, back, and sides were packed into space.


    I didn¡¯t know why even the wave on top of the ceiling didn¡¯t fall.


    The boat was going sideways and up to escape the waves, but strangely, it wasn¡¯t at odds with its surroundings.


    The ce ignored all of the real world¡¯s rules andws. It reminded me of a movie called In-something-ception that I had watched before.


    I worried that we might be wandering around in a dimension¡¯s lost cracks or something.


    ¡°Hold tight! Hold tight!!¡±


    Crash!


    With a sound of a crash, my body shook. It couldn¡¯t have possibly been avoided. Park Deokgu probably wasn¡¯t even aware of how he was moving the boat.


    It seemed that he was only focusing on not getting swept away by the waves or the wormhole. However, he must¡¯ve at least learned a trick or two from somewhere because he momentarily showed some excellent control.


    We weren¡¯t in a situation where we could easily lose focus.


    Jung Hayan, Kim Hyunsung, and Cho Hyejin were blocking iing waves from the sides to the best of their abilities. Simultaneously, the magicians continued to cast magic spells. Elena ceaselessly spread her divine power as well.


    Then, an even more unrealistic sight appeared.


    -Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh¡­


    Shoooooooooooot!!


    With a huge noise, a colossal whale pierced out of the waves.


    ¡°What is that¡­¡±


    ¡°Crazy¡­¡±


    I couldn¡¯t check it with my Mind¡¯s Eye. It appeared too suddenly for me to react.


    It was at least ten times bigger than Dialugia and was passing our boat without interest in us.


    Booooooooooom!!


    With its force, an enormous amount of water fell into our boat.


    We covered ourselves with a protective shield, but we couldn¡¯t prevent the boat from sinking because of the weight.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    When the boat went inside the waters, everyone was shocked at what they had just seen.


    ¡°Ah, did you see?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I did.¡±


    Kim Ye-ri looked up to see the strange ce, and when the Nice Boat, which Park Deokgu had created, pierced out of the wormhole¡¯s waves, I heard the system¡¯s voice.


    [You have entered a Mythic-level dungeon.]


    Our situation couldn¡¯t have been worse.


    ¡°Sh*t¡­¡±

 Chapter 536: Hidden Piece (3)

    <h4>Chapter 536: Hidden Piece (3)</h4>


    At that moment, after we escaped out of the waves¡¯ wormhole, a heavy silence began to fill the ship. It was hard to get used to the silence as the waves also grew still.


    It felt like what happened was a dream.


    After passing the giant waves, which had looked like they could have swallowed a whole city, we were at a vast ocean without a single cloud. I didn¡¯t even know where to start.


    At this, Park Deokgu carefully opened his mouth.


    ¡°Hyung-nim, it seems that we have entered a dungeon¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®I know that, you bastard.¡¯


    The question was what we should do from there. Kim Hyunsung also looked like he didn¡¯t know what to do.


    A regressor didn¡¯t know everything, and this was even a dungeon at the Mythic level.


    I thought he could¡¯ve known about it since he had some rough memories about multiple topics. However, Kim Hyunsung lookedpletely clueless.


    Even in the first timeline that Kim Hyunsung had been in, a dungeon like that had never been discovered. Not only by Kim Hyunsung but by anybody else.


    No matter how hard one tried to hide something like it, they wouldn¡¯t be able to.


    ¡®No, even if it had been discovered¡­¡¯


    It was more than 90% likely that the discoverer died. We probably wouldn¡¯t have been able toe all the way here without the Nice Boat Park Deokgu had made.


    ¡®Wow, it had been so fitting. This bastard¡­¡¯


    We came to the dungeon because of Park Deokgu¡¯s fault, but we also arrived safely thanks to him. I nced at him because of how things yed out so perfectly, but Deokgu only had a face full of guilt.


    He looked like he felt sorry from the bottom of his heart. It told me he never meant for anything like that to happen. He was even holding in some tears.


    Unbing of his giant build, his jaw was shaking as he tried to hold it in, but he couldn¡¯t stop the little teardrops.


    He must have definitely been sorry for many things, especially because our long-awaited pleasant break had suddenly changed into a survival game.


    Truthfully, it was not the guy¡¯s fault, but due to his personality¡­ there was a high chance that it was actually his fault¡­


    I checked his status window and saw that Park Deokgu¡¯s luck was lower than normal.


    ¡®Sh*t, how could your luck be even lower?¡¯


    One could say that we had stumbled into a dungeon by coincidence, but at that point, it was inevitable. It began to feel more appropriate to think that Benignore, Elune, or Loren had interfered into that matter somehow.


    I couldn¡¯t even contact those ipetent gods in the situation.


    I thought they might have sent me to the dungeon after thinking that they couldn¡¯t stand me anymore, but it didn¡¯t make sense that they would also send Kim Hyunsung to where we were.


    At this point, Park Deokgu spoke up.


    ¡°S-Sor¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Deokgu. It¡¯s not your fault.¡±


    That was better than him getting discouraged.


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make me say it twice. It¡¯s not your fault. It¡¯s not as if things will change if we discuss whose fault it is. We have to figure out the situation first.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Do we have any food?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all inside the boat.¡±


    ¡°What about water?¡±


    ¡°That is¡­ also in the boat¡­ there¡¯s basically everything inside it.¡±


    ¡®Huh, so he did prepare well. Was he nning for us to stay in the Mirror Lake for a couple of months?¡¯


    ¡°If there is anyone who seems suspicious, let¡¯s bring that up first.¡±


    It became quieter with that one line. People began to nce at Hwang Jeong-yeon.


    That was because, in that situation, that person¡¯s knowledge and photographic memory would be useful.


    ¡°Although it isn¡¯t definite.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I think we may be in the reflection of a mirror.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s simply a hypothesis, so don¡¯t just ept it. If I think about how this world is the world reflected by Mirror Lake, everything fits perfectly. I think this is something like a hidden feature thates out in games a lot.¡±


    ¡°Hidden feature?¡±


    ¡°You can think of it as a bonus piece. When someone designed this continent, they intentionally created this ce. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s a coincidence or not that this ce hasn¡¯t been discovered so far, but I think it¡¯s reasonable to say that someone might have led us here. The timing is too perfect for it to just be a coincidence.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe it¡¯s Benignore, maybe it¡¯s the god or the devil that manages this continent, or maybe it¡¯s someone even higher than that. It may sound ridiculous, but I think I now understand why salmons live in theke. Maybe the Mirror Lake is not actually ake, but a river. It¡¯s a river that connects where we are and the world we came from, and maybe the salmons travel through the flowing river. It looked just like a stagnantke to us, but¡­ It might not have looked like that to them. Maybe that¡¯s why they were extra delicious¡­¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound ridiculous and sounds like a reasonable exnation. A river that connects two worlds¡­¡±


    ¡°And also, those waves¡¯ are probably like a wormhole. Everyone saw that, right?¡±


    Everyone nodded. They all looked a little like they were in disbelief. It was a hard situation to ept and believe in.


    Unlike me, who originally knew how the empire ran or worked, it was hard for normal people to ept something so seemingly far-fetched.


    Besides Jung Hayan, who looked like she didn¡¯t care about the truth of the world or anything like that and wasughing by my side,pletelymon people like Han Sora and Ahn Ki-mo looked like they had their mentality crushed.


    The object we saw through the waves¡¯ wormhole¡­


    ¡°Space.¡±


    It was a big universe, just like I had said.


    The beautifully shinings, the people who lived in them, floating groups of light, and the enormous creatures were indescribable. I couldn¡¯t exin how I could see all those things, but our Blue Guild members had done just that.


    Among thoses and dimensions, I was sure that Earth existed.


    Hwang Jeong-yeon seemed to have had the same thought as I did and added onto the story with simr stories, and I nodded at everything to show my agreement.


    I was done exining it from a scientist¡¯s perspective. Kim Hyunsung was the next one to open his mouth. It was like him to be interested in that kind of story.


    ¡°We probably saw people who lived in that space. Or the creatures that drifted through space- each of us probably saw something different since we were in different positions. If all of you don¡¯t mind, please say what you saw aloud one by one.¡±


    Kim Ye-ri was the first one to speak.


    ¡°I saw a person like Hayan-unni.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I saw a person who looked like Hayan-unni. I don¡¯t remember in detail, but that image instantly came to me. I think her hair was a bit longer, and her age is different too¡­ I have a headache just trying to remember it.¡±


    It was Park Deokgu who spoke next.


    ¡°I-I think I saw the monster who was holding the sword that I saw at the Ancient Museum.¡±


    ¡°An ancient god?¡±


    ¡°No, not an ancient god but a monster like it. The green monster with horns on his head and lots of weapons. It didn¡¯t look like it was dead like that time. It looked alive¡­ I got goosebumps¡­¡±


    ¡°What is that?¡±


    ¡°I hope I misunderstood, but I think I made eye-contact with it.¡±


    ¡®Ah, this sh*t, saying nonsense again.¡¯


    ¡°Really, it¡¯s true. I really made eye-contact with it¡­ and I think it was for only a moment, but I think it turned its heads toward Hyunsung-hyung and Kiyoung-nim too. It was smiling like it thought that it would be fun. It seriously gave me the creeps.¡±


    More people continued to say what they had seen, but it didn¡¯t seem like many of them had seen something special.


    ¡°I saw¡­ a ce like Earth¡­ I think I saw someone who looked like the Vice Guild Master. She was a young-looking woman¡­ a bit strange¡­¡±


    ¡°I do have a younger sister. It would be interesting if Hyejin-ssi had really seen her. What was she doing?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Sh*t, what was she doing?¡¯


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine¡­ even if you don¡¯t tell us anyway.¡±


    ¡°She was pping someone¡¯s cheeks.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ I don¡¯t know what to say, but she was pping the cheek of an older-looking man with a load of cash. After that, she stepped on his head with her heels many times. Sheughed like crazy while the man begged on the floor¡­¡±


    ¡°I think you can stop now. That¡­ probably is someone we don¡¯t know.¡±


    She must be Lee Yulha.


    ¡®That crazy bitch, this¡­¡¯


    I wasn¡¯t sure, but it seemed pretty certain. It was best for me to silence her quickly. What was important was that she was well. It seemed that she was living well without me.


    Thankfully, the guild members soon lost interest in Lee Yulha.


    It seemed that Cho Hyejin was sure that she must have been my sister, while others couldn¡¯t think that a person who seemed so different from me could be my family.


    Rather than my family, they seemed to be focused on something else. Sure enough, Han Sora hesitantly opened her mouth.


    ¡°Earth¡­?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not certain, but that¡¯s what I felt¡­ it was a like Earth in many ways, but¡­¡±


    ¡°If¡­if Cho Hyejin had really seen Earth¡­ then can we go back¡­to that Earth? If that wormhole really was a river that connected different worlds, wouldn¡¯t there be a way to go back to Earth?¡±


    No, Benignore had said that it was impossible. People who were summoned to the continent from Earth meant they had gotten abandoned.


    We probably couldn¡¯t go back using a normal method. The one who answered Han Sora¡¯s question immediately was Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡°It will be impossible.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true that we¡¯ve seen things we can¡¯t believe, but that doesn¡¯t mean we can go all the way back there. In the first ce, it¡¯s absurd to think that you can break through the sea of dimensionality. Our bodies, as well as this ship, wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand it. We don¡¯t know if we¡¯ll actually reach our destination, how far it is, or if we can even get in even if we can touch it. I can¡¯t say it withplete confidence, but¡­¡±


    ¡®He is telling us to give up on thinking that we can go back.¡¯


    It was better to give up useless dreams even if it meant crushing some hope. It was better to quit at the right time rather than struggling uselessly.


    Like that, as everyone finished their story, Sun Hee-young came to her senses and spoke. At this point, everyone focused on what she had to say.


    It was a wonder what she saw because she was the only one who had gone inside the wormhole and returned.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°God.¡±


    ¡°I saw a god a bit different from our empire¡¯s gods¡­ yes, a bit different¡­¡±


    Kim Hyunsung began to mutter anxiously. ¡°¡­Outer God.¡±

 Chapter 537: Hidden Piece (4)

    <h4>Chapter 537: Hidden Piece (4)</h4>


    ¡°Outer God.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°The gods you probably saw were gods from a different realm.¡±


    ¡°How do you know¡­?¡±


    ¡°I read it a very long time ago, in an ancient record. I don¡¯t know exactly¡­but this word naturally appeared inside my mind. Were you able to see their form?¡±


    ¡°No. I couldn¡¯t see them well¡­it was hard even to say that their forms were human. I don¡¯t really understand what I saw. The only thing I¡¯m certain about is that what I saw was bigger than I could possibly imagine.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Fuck, what even is an outer god?¡¯


    At this, I tapped my leg in irritation. Gods from a different realm¡­ I felt taken back that such a piece of significant information came out of nowhere.


    ¡®What the heck? So what the hell is it?¡¯ was the only thought I had.


    It was already surprising that we were inside of a wormhole. At that moment, an outer god also popped out of nowhere. Everyone looked shocked at what just happened.


    As expected, the most talkative fat pig was eager to speak up.


    ¡°I thought gods were like the head figures of the empire. What the hell do outer gods mean¡­? If they¡¯re different from gods like Goddess Benignore and Goddess Elune, then what did Hee-young-nunim see?¡±


    ¡°As I told you, I didn¡¯t have a clear view of it.¡±


    ¡°It feels as if too much information is being thrown at us, so I can¡¯t understand what just happened at all. Does that mean there are gods outside the ordinary realm we know?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I think that is a strong possibility. From the ancient record I read, it said that outer gods are deities that weren¡¯t included in any other records.¡±


    ¡°Not included in any other records?¡±


    ¡°One thing that I can be certain of is that¡­ they are probably not friendly towards us.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Guild Master. I don¡¯t know why exactly, but they don¡¯t seem to want to establish diplomatic rtions with us. To be more precise, they seem uninterested in us, but I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯s even the right way to describe it.¡±


    ¡®Not included in any other records¡­¡¯


    There was a high possibility that even Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t know about them either.


    The information given to Kim Hyunsung by Benignore and Altanus was restricted as much as possible. Hence, he probably didn¡¯t know much about the matters regarding the upper realm.


    Even if the outer god knew something¡­


    ¡®They most likely won¡¯t say something in this kind of atmosphere.¡¯


    But since I knew how the empire was running, there were some suspicious circumstances.


    If the outer gods had never been recorded in other scriptures, the most rational conclusion was¡­


    ¡®Is it a god who hasn¡¯t been assigned to a dimension or in this realm?¡¯


    It was a logical hypothesis, but it didn¡¯t exin why a wormhole was there to control dimensions and why the empire was floating around.


    I was sure the dimension wasn¡¯t made in vain. I didn¡¯t know how exactly the wormhole was made, but everything was being driven by an enormous system.


    The so-called gods were basically sry-workers working for a department that supervised reviving and developing their dimension, and they earned based on their performance.


    There were also many rules that proved to be invisible to us. Causing any influence on the empire consumed divine power. Miracles, quests, and divinemands also consumedrge amounts of divinity. If the gods of the empire directly interfered with human affairs, there was a huge penalty on them. Or they couldn¡¯t even get involved. It was also almost impossible to cause direct harm to humans. Divine power could be obtained through human beings except in very special circumstances.


    Although the gods of the empire were considered as sacred beings who managed humans, they also depended on us for their own survival.


    They wouldn¡¯t be able to exist without humans, and without the empire and dimensions, they wouldn¡¯t even be able to continue living. If outer gods meant exactly as their name implied, it could mean that they were not bound to some of the rules listed above. They might be able to influence humans directly. No, that was definitely possible.


    As if he also realized this, Kim Hyunsung¡¯s face turned serious.


    ¡°Then are they like demons then?¡±


    ¡®No, they¡¯re probably different from demons.¡¯


    Even though their situations were slightly different from the gods, the demons were also restricted by an enormous system.


    If demons directly came down, they also received a penalty, and if they performed actions that were not allowed by the system, they had to face huge consequences.


    They were able to cause direct harm to humans, but if it was outside of a contract, they still had a lot of restrictions.


    I hypothesized that there was a high possibility that outer gods weren¡¯t simr at all. Beings thatpletely deviated from the set system¡­


    ¡®Where do they get their divine power? If they don¡¯t have divine power, can you even describe them as gods?¡¯


    There were about two possibilities that I could think of. First, they collected so many points that they didn¡¯t even need to pay attention to divine power, or second, they appeared in a world controlled by other gods and messed it all up.


    If I considered the present circumstances, it seemed as if thetter had an overwhelmingly higher probability.


    ¡®It was because of those bastards¡¯.


    It was because of them that Kim Hyunsung had been reincarnated, and why Benignore said even they weren¡¯t perfect beings.


    ¡®Right. We¡¯re not perfect. Remember that well, my proud Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung. We¡¯re not perfect either. We¡¯re imperfect. It¡¯s just the ce where we stand that¡¯s different from those on the continent, but we¡¯re not very different either. Never forget that we¡¯re not perfect.¡¯


    The words she uttered to me after she went bankrupt kept revolving around my head. I finally learned why she kept repeating the words that they weren¡¯t so perfect either.


    At that time, I thought it was to rationalize how much she had caused harm to the empire. However, it might have been to hint that the enemy Kim Hyunsung and humanity had to face were mythological beings.


    It might have just been my delusion, but it felt as if the puzzle pieces were finally being connected one by one.


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s nervous expression gave more support to my possibly useless guesses.


    ¡®Then what about the masked trash?¡¯


    If the 1st timeline also went on like that, then why did the masked trash behave like that?


    ¡®Did Kim Hyunsung also work under the outer gods?¡¯


    As far as I knew, after joining the brigade and making a contract with the demon, the masked trash caused enormous damage to the empire. Since then, a lot of things would make sense if the masked trash began working with the outer gods after that. But there were still things that remained beyond my understanding.


    First of all, there was a strong possibility that the demon who signed a contract with the 1st Timeline masked trash was Belial.


    Belial was one of the representative demons that could be ssified as moderates. It was hard to imagine that a moderate like Belial would join forces with the outer gods with the goal of destroying humanity.


    Of course, there was a possibility that they might have just held hands together for their benefits and signed a contract¡­


    ¡®No, it¡¯s hard to say that Belial wouldn¡¯t join forces with the outer gods. There¡¯s nothing strange about making an agreement with an outer god for your advantage.¡¯


    That type of rtionship moved ording to each other¡¯s interests. Belial would have the best understanding of what would be in his best interest.


    ¡®And, of course, the contracted demon might not even be Belial.¡¯


    There were still many thoughts hovering inside my head, but I thought I first had to fix some of the problems in front of me. Although most of my thoughts were guesswork, I knew it wouldn¡¯t be a bad decision to conclude them as highly probable except for a few errors.


    But what was even more surprising was that other than me, there was another bastard who thought of the same thing.


    ¡°I¡¯m probably wrong, but¡­ and it might sound a little ridiculous, but¡­ I just had a feeling that¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°If you promise not tough, I will say it out loud.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I won¡¯tugh, so tell me about it.¡±


    ¡°Well, do you think it¡¯s possible¡­ that this is the threat that Goddess Benignore mentioned after our war with the Republic?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®This fat bastard has some good instincts.¡¯


    Park Deokgu¡¯s face looked a little taken back. Even though he thought everyone wouldugh at him, the guild¡¯s whole atmosphere was deathly serious.


    In particr, Kim Hyunsung looked at him with surprise, as if he could not believe that Park Deokgu could think that far.


    ¡°That is¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just from my instincts. I don¡¯t know what is happening, but¡­ well, didn¡¯t Lee Kiyoung hyung-nim say that there¡¯s a reason for everything? I just thought that there was a good reason why we ended up here.¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s because of you, you punk.¡¯


    ¡°Don¡¯t you also find it strange? It can¡¯t be a coincidence that the first time we brought our boat out, we ended up in this particr dungeon at this exact moment. Didn¡¯t Jeong-yeon-ssi also say that some transcendent beings might have led to use here?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe, it¡¯s to show us what types of enemies we would have to fight against in the future. To tell us that the power we have right now is not enough, and we have to ovee more ordeals to power up! Well, maybe it¡¯s something like that¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m almost getting goosebumps thinking that someone might be watching us from up there.¡±


    I got goosebumps for real. It was the same type of shiver that I would get if I woke up one day, and Park Deokgu introduced himself as Park Deoksip. (*Gu is 9 in Korean; sip is 10 in Korean.)


    He just randomly stumbled upon the answer, and his guess was probably right.


    It also seemed correct as it was hard to contact Benignore and Elune right at that moment. The ¡®higher up¡¯ that Benignore mentioned might have exerted their influence upon them.


    A transcendent being who remembered everything from the 1st timeline might have intervened.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t sound like a wild guess. Of course, it¡¯s hard to say for sure, but I think it¡¯s a good idea to keep Deokgu-ssi¡¯s words in mind.¡±


    ¡°Then what should we do?¡±


    ¡°Whatever it is, I think we should firstplete this dungeon. I don¡¯t see any other way out of here. Teleportation doesn¡¯t seem to¡­¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes¡­ it¡¯s i-impossible here.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯ve looked into a lot of dungeons, but it¡¯s the first time for me to hear about a¡­ Mythic-level dungeon. I hope you keep in mind that the level of difficulty to clear this dungeon would probably be nothing like we faced before.¡±


    ¡®I don¡¯t even want to imagine. Fuck¡­¡¯


    ¡°Even if we are faced with the worst circumstances, Kiyoung-ssi, you should remain safe¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Okay, I understand.¡±


    ¡°Even though danger and dungeons go hand to hand, I just want to say to them we might really die here¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, we are prepared, Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°It has always been hard, but the Blue Guild was able to ovee all of our ordeals. I¡¯m sure we will be able to ovee this too. Don¡¯t worry about us too much and just take care of Kiyoung hyung-nim.¡±


    ¡°Park Deokgu ahjussi (middle-aged man) is right. You don¡¯t have to worry about us¡­ We are all prepared.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Of course, it¡¯s not going to be easy.¡¯


    This was a Mythic-level dungeon, for goodness¡¯s sake. It probably didn¡¯t exist in the empire and would probably never appear again.


    The previous dungeons were at least controble by Kim Hyunsung, but not the one we were currently in. People could get seriously hurt or die.


    The guild members said they were okay, but I was sure Kim Hyunsung was still extremely worried.


    Even though everyone was nodding, his eyes began wavering.


    Everyone was silent due to the unexinable tension surrounding all of us.


    [Wee to the abandoned sea of mythical dungeons. Get random items in the sea of dimensions to your heart¡¯s content. Only one item can be taken with you, but it doesn¡¯t matter what the grade is. Return from Fishing (0/1)]


    ¡°Ah?¡±


    I wasn¡¯t the only one to hear it.


    Everyone began looking at each other.


    ¡®This¡­¡¯


    ¡°Awesome¡­¡±


    ¡°Hah¡­¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it¡­¡±


    Ordeal my ass, this was basically spoon-feeding.

 Chapter 538: Hidden Piece (5)

    <h4>Chapter 538: Hidden Piece (5)</h4>


    ¡®What is that?¡¯


    The situation was so ridiculous that I had simply been left speechless.


    I expected to fight against an unimaginable being or solve an impossible puzzle, but I began to lose steam due to such an easy mission.


    Still, the guild members generally looked pretty happy.


    Especially Han Sora, who was sensitive to dangerous situations, let out a big breath of relief and smiled.


    Who didn¡¯t like free things? There might be a sense of pleasure that one could gain by receiving the rightpensation for their work, but there was nothing sweeter than receiving prizes for something they didn¡¯t even do.


    ¡®This is definitely sweet.¡¯


    It was a situation that I liked better than anything else.


    ¡°That is¡­ good to hear.¡±


    It seemed that our lovely regressor didn¡¯t expect that at all. Kim Hyunsung¡¯s face filled with surprise as well as a bit of suspicion.


    Of course, I understood how he felt. Who could believe that they could get items without any strings attached?


    He probably thought there was a trap somewhere. However, the system never lied.


    If the system told someone to go out with a prize, all they had to do was do that without questioning it.


    ¡®We really can think of this as a hidden piece.¡¯


    It was right to say that some transcendent beings had arranged a few secrets ces for the continent and that the Blue Guild reached one of them.


    I began to feel some doubt that the first timeline regressor hadn¡¯t found the Mirror Lake¡¯s hidden piece just yet.


    ¡°So, we can just fish now? And that will really be the end of it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, until something else happens, I think we can continue the quest. We can take turns guarding or protecting the ce from unforeseen circumstances. If we do that¡­¡±


    ¡°The system never lies.¡±


    ¡°Even if that¡¯s the case¡­¡±


    ¡°There are a lot of things that make me nervous about just fishing here. Hyunsung has a point. Anyways, let¡¯s move. I don¡¯t know how much time we have left, but it would be advantageous to catch as many items as possible.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°As Deokgu said, if the god Hee-young saw outside this realm proves to be a threat to the continent, then all the more reason to do that. Of course, nothing is certain yet, but there¡¯s nothing to lose if we prepare for unforeseen circumstances in advance.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure why, but that¡¯s just what I feel. No matter how much I think about it, it¡¯s just a coincidence that we are here.¡±


    ¡®You are the most suspicious, you bastard.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know how we got to where we currently were, but I knew what had to be done.


    ¡®I have to get the most valuable item there is.¡¯


    While I was at it, it would only be logical to get the best item I could possibly get.


    Items of Semi-Mythic grade or Legendary grade weren¡¯t what I had in mind. Rather, I thought of choosing the most useful item after catching as many mythic-grade items as possible.


    Except for growth-type items and all items that had ambiguous uses, we could already think about choosing what we should get and who to give it to.


    It was a bit heartbreaking to say but choosing a mythical armor or shield for Park Deokgu was the dumbest choice that one could make.


    It would be like putting a pearl ne on a pig; it was best to maximize the items¡¯ use by giving them to the right people.


    The only ones who were fit to have at least a semi-mythical item were someone like Jung Hayan and Kim Hyunsung.


    I could even think about Cha Hee-ra, who wasn¡¯t with us at that moment. If there was a kind of armor that could strengthen her by invalidating her penalty, I should take it right away.


    Giving an item to Elena, who was very versatile, wasn¡¯t a bad option either. There wasn¡¯t another person who had more influence over our battles than her.


    ¡®I wonder if buff-type items are okay too¡­?¡¯


    However, it was a bit disappointing that there seemed to be none for me. Items that sses like the guelord of Darkness or Alchemist of Light could use were very limited.


    I probably couldn¡¯t even take a rock in peace.


    When a battle erupted, the roles that I could fulfill were very limited. I thought of many possible, happy scenarios as I looked around my surroundings, noticing that everyone seemed eager to start fishing.


    There were many fishing rods in the boat, allowing everyone to get one each.


    ¡°These are fishing rods that I brought for salmon fishing. They could be used like this! You know, I used to be called the fishing king of Gangwon-do, Park Deokgu. I don¡¯t know what wille out from these waters but trust me. I¡¯m going to catch an item that I¡¯ve never seen before.¡±


    ¡®That bastard isn¡¯t even sorry anymore.¡¯


    He was actually in high spirits already.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll be able to do it properly since it¡¯s my first time, but¡­ will the item bite onto the strings or something?


    ¡°They will probably do something like that. Cho Hyejin, why are you curious about something like that?¡¯


    ¡°Should I at least prepare the meals or something? Now that I think about it, I think we didn¡¯t eat anything after the mirror salmon¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll stand on guard, Vice Guild Master.¡±


    It was as I expected of Chang-ryul. He was definitely one I could trust. The slightly depressed and quiet atmosphere changed in a moment. Even our predicament seemed like a part of the vacation by then.


    Park Deokgu handed arge fishing rod to me, and I handed it to Kim Hyunsung. Kim Hyunsung epted the equipment with an awkward look on his face.


    I couldn¡¯t help myself from asking him.


    ¡°Have you ever fished before?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s my first time. Truthfully, I don¡¯t really know how¡­maybe it will just be better for me to be in support.¡±


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to do that. Chang-ryul is already watching from the top. And well, you don¡¯t really need the experience to fish here. You¡¯ll catch something if you throw the rod.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s probably a lot of stuff floating underneath this abandoned sea of dimensions. You just have to pray that something will get caught in your needle by chance, so you don¡¯t have to grind or beat the bait. You don¡¯t have to feel so pressured. Just think that you¡¯re out to y and enjoy.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡±


    With a flicking sound, I heard a ssh in the waters.


    Kim Hyunsung couldn¡¯t look more awkward with such a serious look on his face. It was so different when he held a sword.


    He seemed to nce at the fishing king, Park Deokgu, for guidance, thinking that he had to follow Deokgu¡¯s posture, but it wasn¡¯t like that would help.


    In the meantime, Ahn Ki-mo still had seasickness and continued to vomit.


    Jung Hayan was still happy to be by my side, and it was at that moment when everything started to feel more enjoyable.


    ¡°I got a bite!¡±


    I heard a loud sound from the back.


    ¡°I got a bite! It looks like a tough guy came! Something huge! Huge! I am sure it¡¯s something huge!¡±


    Park Deokgu was fighting to get an item with an over-the-top reaction. With his screams loud enough to blow away a whole vige, he looked like he was really enjoying the situation.


    He was only retrieving an item, but he was versing his strength as if he was really fighting a fish.


    ¡°I¡¯m really not doing this on purpose. The other side seems to be really using some strength. Ah, it¡¯s a really tough guy.¡±


    ¡°Ah, Ah, it seems like the item doesn¡¯t want toe up.¡±


    Jung Hayan smiled at the unfunny joke and craned forward. She leaned so much that Kim Hyunsung had to block her from falling into the water.


    ¡®What is that sh*t?¡¯


    I realized that Park Deokgu wasn¡¯t overreacting soon enough.


    After straightening my rod, I bent my back as much as possible as my hands began to tremble due to the vibrations I felt.


    ¡®What? What is it?¡¯


    ¡°Something must havee up for you too, hyung-nim! Urgh¡­¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t talk, you little sh*t. I don¡¯t have time to talk.¡¯


    I was pulling the item while even pouring magic onto me, but it didn¡¯t get up as if it was really resisting.


    It soon began to feel as if it was actually struggling. It was almost enjoyable, and I couldn¡¯t wait to see what woulde up.


    The vibrations on my hand seemed to tell me that it was at least a Semi-Mythic grade item.


    ¡®I can see why people fish now¡­ Wow.¡¯


    It was exactly as I had said.


    I kept turning the handles, but the item didn¡¯t seem like it was nning to get out. In the meantime, Park Deokgu seemed to have caught something quite good because he shouted.


    ¡°It¡¯s a Semi-Mythic grade! Hyung-nim! This is a Semi-Myth grade!¡±


    I wanted to take a look at it, but I couldn¡¯t. I had to fight whatever I was fighting.


    I didn¡¯t know how much time passed. In what felt like 15 minutes that passed by, I heard countless, ¡®I got a bite!¡¯ from others around me, but I couldn¡¯t focus on them.


    Elena and Sun Hee-young alternated between giving me a buff, and even Jung Hayan cast a light muscle strengthening magic. And, just as I thought of releasing the rod and giving up¡­


    The handles that had been vibrating like mad became calm again, and I no longer felt my guy resisting.


    I quicklyy on my back and turned the handles, allowing me to observe an ominous red light.


    [Spear of Longinus - Mythic Grade]


    [It is a mythical level spear said to have pierced a god¡¯s sides.]


    It wasn¡¯t known exactly where the item hade from, and only the blurry traces stored in the description told me what kind of weapon the spear was.


    [This spear can¡¯t be blocked. There is no special function besides that.]


    ¡®Shiiiit¡­¡¯


    ¡°Oppa! Oppa!! Oppaa!!! Mythic-level! Mythic-level!!¡±


    ¡°Kiyoung-ssi! Kiyoung-ssi!¡±


    Kim Hyunsung and Jung Hayan jumped up and down beside me.


    ¡°What! What is that?! Hyung-nim, how did you?!!¡±


    ¡®This is my catch.¡¯


    I was a bit proud of myself. I felt like I had be even snobbier.


    ¡°This is not what we should be doing. Let¡¯s take a proof shot. Wow¡­I could only catch a Semi-Mythic grade shield, but you got a Mythic Grade item on your first bite. Wow! As expected of hyung-nim!


    I was a bit taken back, but my smile grew bigger as I read the description box.


    ¡®This spear can¡¯t be blocked.¡¯


    That was enough. No other functions of exnation were needed. Shield or even special barrier fields or magic circles couldn¡¯t block the spear.


    It could be used to fight an Outer god if the situation called for it.


    ¡®Yes, sh*t! It should be like this!¡¯


    Was there any other function that could be better than that?


    ¡°Wow¡­ what an item¡­ Can¡¯t you just take this? It says that no defense can stop it. How crazy is that? Even if you just use this¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, this is just the beginning. Let me work this out a bit more.¡±


    ¡®And how I could I take this? The only person who uses a spear here is Cho Hyejin.¡¯


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t bad for Cho Hyejin to use a Mythic grade spear, but it was too much considering her skills.


    It was a good option to take one more item, but not if I could only take one item.


    ¡®But if nothing betteres up, I guess I will take this¡­¡¯


    I could only think that the next items would also be good since the beginning was that good.


    Of course, I began to hear cheers from everywhere.


    Not only did a Mythic grade item appear, but Semi-Mythic level items began to be pulled out mechanically.


    It had reached a point where people began to throw back Legendary items. It was a hard sight to get used to since it was like they were letting a tiny fish go.


    ¡°Ah, Legendary again. I also want to catch something huge.¡±


    Kim Ye-ri, who had screamed in delight at her first catch, seemed to have gotten used to it already. She threw her catch back into the water.


    The atmosphere had been extremely heightened.


    ¡°Wow¡­ It was an unbelievable feeling in my hand! My hand was shaking like crazy!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fun. I think it¡¯s more fun than fishing for fishes.¡±


    ¡°Another one came! I-it came for mine! Oppa!¡±


    Everyone was noisy Everyone was also happy except for the silent Kim Hyunsung, who hadn¡¯t caught a single item.


    It had been six hours since our guest had started, and the rod of our lovely regressor had never shaken once.


    ¡°A¡­¡±


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s eyes, which had once looked peaceful, now started to look a bit nervous.


    ¡®Hyunsung¡­¡¯

 Chapter 539: Kim Hyunsung vs Park Deokgu (1)

    <h4>Chapter 539: Kim Hyunsung vs Park Deokgu (1)</h4>


    At a nce, it was a pitiful expression. It seemed to say, ¡®Why am I the only one¡­?¡¯


    He might have really thought that. Even Elena and Han Sora had their hands in fishing after finishing their meals and cleaning up.


    Even Kim Chang-ryul, who came down to rest for 10 minutes and fished, had caught something before he went back up.


    ¡°I think this is pretty fun.¡±


    When Kim Chang-ryul said those words before he went back up, I saw Kim Hyunsung¡¯s eyes start to shake.


    He seemed to wonder why he was the only one who couldn¡¯t get anything. The current atmosphere and surroundings, including Park Deokgu, must have also contributed to his bitterness.


    ¡°Wow, the feeling on your hand is amazing! I had fished plenty of times before, but I had never felt anything like this. It feels as if a fish had really bitten the bait!¡±


    Park Deokgu¡¯s words must¡¯ve especially hurt him.


    ¡°Everyone probably felt it, but I¡¯m not lying!¡±


    Heartbreakingly, Kim Hyunsung had not felt it yet.


    ¡°Oh my god, I think another one bit! It came! It¡¯s a catch! A catch!¡±


    Yet another one took the bait.


    ¡°This is why we fish!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s more fun than I thought it would be.¡±


    ¡°I think another one came for you too, Hee-young-nunim! Try lifting it!¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    ¡°It came for me too!¡±


    ¡°It feels sweet. I think it¡¯s something huge again!¡±


    ¡®Stop it, you bastard¡­¡¯


    I could understand how he was having fun, but he couldn¡¯t read the atmosphere. It was almost cute how the usually perfect Kim Hyunsung was silent at that moment.


    I couldn¡¯t help but be bothered that only he was quiet while everyone was having fun.


    Only Cho Hyejin seemed sympathetic to him and tried to support him with several things, but there was still no progress.


    After hours of silence, it seemed that Kim Hyunsung¡¯s mind was getting eaten away.


    Then, I saw him slowly move from his spot as if he thought he wasn¡¯t catching anything because of his location.


    He threw the fishing rod again, but the situation was the same.


    ¡°Only Hyunsung-nim seemed to have not caught anything.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be too impatient. Some people naturally don¡¯t have fishing luck. That¡¯s probably the case.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°You never know. Maybe you will be able to catch a big fish¡­ But today¡¯s winner will be King Deokgu, the fishing king. I think I can catch one more Myth-grade item¡­ There you go! Here we go again!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Kim Hyunsung now started to look resentful, and I felt surprised to see that side of him.


    It was surprising to see him obediently follow our tour guide, Park Deokgu, and his trip, but that was also another surprising side to him that I was seeing.


    He continued to look at the people who kept catching items and pondered what the problem was. He seemed to have been too stubborn and prideful to ask Park Deokgu for some tips.


    ¡®I still can¡¯t tell what his personality is.¡¯


    I thought he was verypetitive, but seeing him like that, maybe that wasn¡¯t it.


    About an hour after Kim Hyunsung¡¯s eyes had be soft, he looked around his surroundings hastily.


    ¡°Kiyoung-ssi!¡±


    I didn¡¯t know why he called me, but his urgent voice seemed to ask me to do something.


    ¡°Just try lifting it!¡±


    He looked so happy at that moment. His rod curved like it was going to break, but he was holding it still without moving.


    I knew he was feeling the vibrations on his hand like Park Deokgu had talked about.


    Although he pretended not to be interested, he had nced at the people fishing around him and knew what to do. In the first ce, he was skilled in anything that was physical.


    Unlike me, who had struggled with one item for a long time, he lifted out the rod almost instantly.


    ¡®That was way too easy¡­¡¯


    I worried that he might have gotten a legendary or a hero-level item.


    All the guild-members were focused on him at that moment.


    And when he finally pulled out his catch, he had a crumpled look on his face.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it too small considering your efforts?¡±


    I heard Park Deokgu say those words, but I saw him smile widely from ear to ear after seeing the item¡¯s abilities.


    A small ring was attached to the end of the hook.


    I worried thatpared to items like the Spear of Longinus, it looked insignificant, but after realizing that it was a Mythic level ring, Hyunsung looked as happy as he had gotten the whole world.


    He grasped onto his item like he was very satisfied, and I began to feel a bit excited for it too.


    ¡®It must be a quite useful item.¡¯


    There was a high chance that it had a useful function if Kim Hyunsung, who had gone through the first timeline, was satisfied with it.


    ¡°I made my decision. This is what I am going to take. The user of this item is decided too.¡±


    He even made such a deration. He looked as if the event was over for him. With my curiosity raised, I checked out the ring¡¯s description.


    [Breech¡¯s Purification Ring.]


    [The ancient goddess Breech had used her own heart to make this ring for her lover.


    Purifies Myth-grade debuffs and curses upon wearing. While wearing the ring, the user also bes immune to Mythic-grade debuffs and curses. Its abilities are attributed to the first person who wears it.]


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s good, but¡­¡¯


    It was something hard to say. Rather than an item like that, arge and beautiful item like Longinus was much more appealing.


    However, I had to ept it if Kim Hyunsung had decided on it.


    ¡®Maybe the Outer God or whatever utilized debuffs or curses¡­¡¯


    If that was really the case, I could only give a thumbs-up for his decision since we would need items like that. But as I saw him approach me with the ring in his hands, I realized what he was thinking.


    ¡®Wow¡­ this crazy bastard¡­¡¯


    ¡°It can probably purify the curse in your body instantly.¡±


    ¡®Kim Hyunsung, you sh*t, you still haven¡¯te to your senses. Seriously, you¡¯re not in your right mind.¡¯


    No matter many Mythic-grade martial arts items or Durendal he owned, there wouldn¡¯t be another event where he could gain another Myth-grade item. It was huge merit.


    For a moment, I thought the Outer God might actually be a specialist in debuffs, but that wasn¡¯t it. He really just wanted to free me from Belial¡¯s curse.


    ¡®Kim Hyunsung, you bastard¡­¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know how to respond when Belial¡¯s curse had already be established with goddess Benignore¡¯s appearance.


    ¡®What can I really say, seriously?¡¯


    I was happy to see that he was really concerned for me, but I couldn¡¯t deny that if I didn¡¯t stop the guy who ruined the first timeline, everyone would be screwed.


    I wanted to ask him if he¡¯s really sure of that decision but couldn¡¯t.


    I knew that Kim Hyunsung was really strong, but there was still a lot of room for progress. If Belial threatened him, he would still prove to becking. Because of this, it was only right to pick an item that focused on strengthening his power rather than a ring that could only be used for a specific situation.


    But with the guy¡¯s deration, the mood became different. Sun Hee-young and Elena, our resident medics, were delighted while Jung Hayan jumped up and down in happiness.


    They already thought it was worthy of keeping due to the fact that it could purify Belial¡¯s curse. However, I had to find some way to keep him from choosing this particr item.


    ¡°O-One worry will definitely disappear.¡±


    ¡°Yes, definitely¡­ although things may have calmed down now, it will be a good idea to fix the situation before something happens again.¡±


    ¡®No, it¡¯s not like that.¡¯


    Of course, I had to speak up.


    ¡°No, I am fine. If you can only take one item, a different one will be better. I basically don¡¯t have the curse anymore anyway.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°It will be fine since we have Benignore-nim with us. I told you this before, but I think I can probably control this power¡­¡±


    ¡°No, you must not try to control that power, Kiyoung-ssi. You might think it can be helpful to you, but that kind of power only eats you away. It will only put your body in danger. So, please take this item.¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t bullsh*t, you sh*t¡­¡¯


    Depending on the item one took, the more difficult it was to take it.


    However, I couldn¡¯t find a way to get out of that situation. I observed my surroundings like a mouse caught in a poison trap, but everyone seemed like they wanted me to take the item.


    I actually had to look away after meeting Park Deokgu¡¯s eyes quickly. If that guy became crazy and stirred up an incitement, I might have to return home while wearing the ring.


    I really wanted to say something as Hyunsung released his jaw to start speaking again. But then, somebody else talked.


    ¡°Hyung-nim could be right.¡±


    ¡®What?¡¯


    ¡°Of course, I know everyone is worried about Hyung-nim. I¡¯m worried about him too. I also want Kiyoung-hyung to receive the ring, and like Hyunsung-hyung and Nunim, I want to be reassured that everything will be alright now. But I think there¡¯s room for more thought. As you said, I think it would be alright because of goddess Benignore¡­ and most of all, Hyung-nim is saying that he¡¯s okay¡­¡±


    ¡®You sh*t¡­¡¯


    ¡°If Hyung-nim says that he can do it, he can. He can withstand it if he says he can. Hyung-nim knows his body¡¯s state better than anybody else. If he really thought he was in danger, Hyung-nim would¡¯ve been the first one to ask for the ring.¡±


    ¡®Deokgu, sh*t¡­Deokgu¡­¡¯


    Practice made perfect. He must have read the signal I had just sent him through my eyes.


    He had never been so trustworthy. As he winked at me, I almost wanted to apud him.


    ¡°It¡¯s my personal opinion, but rather than a ring, I think it will be better to take the Doomginus or whatever-its-name-is spear!¡±


    ¡°No, Sh*t, that¡¯s not it.¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s a spear! Definitely the spear!¡±


    My face naturally crumpled.


    ¡®Just shut up, you sh*t¡­¡¯

 Chapter 540: Kim Hyunsung vs Park Deokgu (2)

    <h4>Chapter 540: Kim Hyunsung vs Park Deokgu (2)</h4>


    He still had his bad habits. I couldn¡¯t help butugh as I thought about it.


    I knew that when he was fixated on something, he insisted on it, but because I hadn¡¯t seen him do that for a while, I forgot about it. It was like he had just snuck an attack like an assassin.


    ¡®This bastard¡­¡¯


    Of course, I couldn¡¯t choose the spear just because of some incitement.


    It had enough attack power, but Kim Hyunsung had Durendal that could surpass the Spear of Longinus. It was one of those items that could instantly give him a sense of power.


    In addition to this, there was no more room for growth for Durendal since Kim Hyunsung had said that he couldn¡¯t draw out all the power that his sword had. We didn¡¯t have to take a spear that we couldn¡¯t even use.


    ¡®Then, who is going to use it?¡¯


    If we looked all over the empire, perhaps we could find its owner, but they wouldn¡¯t certainly be anyone connected to us. It was also true that it would be regrettable if we picked Cho Hyejin since her polearm skills were a bitcking.


    I didn¡¯t want to disregard her, but I didn¡¯t think that she could use a Myth-grade item freely.


    It wouldn¡¯t be a bad choice if Kim Hyunsung could use the item, but there was no reason why he would pick a spear when he already had the Durendal.


    ¡°No, for now, the Purification Ring is more¡­¡±


    ¡°No! It definitely has to be the spear! I don¡¯t know why but I really have this feeling.¡±


    ¡°I understand what you¡¯re saying, but it is only right to relieve Kiyoung-ssi some of the burdens as fast as we can. We can do that using this Breech¡¯s Purification Ring!¡±


    ¡°Why can¡¯t you trust Hyung-nim¡¯s words? It definitely has to be the spear! In the first ce, it doesn¡¯t even make sense to leave a spear that can pierce through anything.¡±


    ¡°If conditions are right, it is possible to have a simr effect. Of course, that spear is not bad, but logically speaking, the purification ring is better.¡±


    ¡°I believe in Hyung-nim. There won¡¯t be another incident like that. The spear!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t believe in Kiyoung-ssi. I just think we should close a problem like this. We should go for the ring.¡±


    ¡°The spear!¡±


    ¡°The ring!¡±


    ¡°Spear!¡±


    ¡°Ring!¡±


    ¡°Speeeeeeeaar!!¡±


    ¡°Ring!!¡±


    ¡°Speeeeeeeaaaaar!!!¡±


    ¡°Ri-!¡±


    ¡°-SPEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!!!¡±


    ¡®Park Deokgu, you bastard.¡¯


    It was as if the scuffle that I saw in the tutorial dungeon was continuing.


    I remembered how I had screamed at that moment to use dark magic, making me think that the spear was a bad choice more and more.


    If we used dark magic, we could¡¯ve gotten a pretty good result but nothing like what we currently had.


    Having listened to Kim Hyunsung¡¯s rmendation to be an alchemist was a stroke of genius and was the best choice that I could¡¯ve ever made.


    ¡®Even though it was a bit hard¡­¡¯


    We had definitely seeded in improving the quality of the entire army on the continent. Of course, I had also personally seeded as the individual, Light Kiyoung.


    ¡®No, actually, Kim Hyunsung had told me to be an archer.¡¯


    Now that I thought more about it, I became confused. I couldn¡¯t tell if his intuition was good or not. Nevertheless, the best decision was to ignore their fights and focus on the quest we had toplete.


    [The quest will end in an hour. Please choose the item you want.]


    ¡®Sh*t.¡¯


    I canceled the idea I had and grabbed the item that I could most quickly get.


    Maybe I was the only one who saw that message because people started to participate in the debate.


    The spear might have been a better choice, but it was only a better option than the worst one.


    I nced at the items on the ground, but there wasn¡¯t anything that I particrly liked. There were Mythic-grade items, sure, but they seemed hard to use. I still couldn¡¯t see an item that I could immediately utilize.


    At that point, I just wanted it to be an opportunity for Jung Hayan to get a magic staff and Kim Hyunsung to get something that could protect his body.


    Perhaps, something like armor. Or maybe boots that could increase speed or a cloak with high dark magic. Wasn¡¯t there something like that?


    I thought that perhaps it would be better to get a Semi-Mythic grade item. Although itcked inparison, it was much easier to use.


    ¡®Darn.¡¯


    However, it would be such a waste.


    I had no choice but to talk in a hurry. I thought I was quite stern, but there wasn¡¯t time to waste. I didn¡¯t want to hurt Hyunsung¡¯s feelings, but Kim Hyunsung at that moment was not our Hyunsung but was about to be someone¡¯s perverted Hyunsung.


    It was only proper for me to be firm. I opened my mouth with a stiff face, and he became surprised at what I had to say.


    ¡°I am not going to take the Breech¡¯s ring.¡±


    ¡°No, you must take it.¡±


    ¡®Kim Hyunsung, you little sh*t.¡¯


    ¡°It is not an item that I need at the moment. And it won¡¯t benefit the guild or empire if I take the item right now.¡±


    ¡°But¡­!¡±


    We didn¡¯t have time to argue. I had no choice but to bring my greatest weapon. I filled my eyes with a look of contempt. I didn¡¯t want to re at him like that, but I had to make a firm decision, as I said before.


    ¡°I am upset.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think that you wouldck so much trust in me, ha¡­¡±


    With a look of disappointment, he looked at me as if he would never see me again.


    ¡°I told you, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be fine. Deokgu is right. If I really thought it was dangerous, I would have epted the Breech¡¯s ring, but I told you several times that it wasn¡¯t, Hyunsung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    ¡°I now understand how you think of me. But no matter what you say, I will never get that ring, Kim Hyunsung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Uhhhh¡­¡±


    I also didn¡¯t forget to mutter just audibly¡­


    ¡°I know why you locked me up now¡­¡±


    ¡®Kya, it worked. It definitely went through him.¡¯


    It bothered me that I had managed to call his name so coldly, including hisst name, but I had to resolve the situation quickly.


    Still, I thought he overreacted when he stumbled a bit at my cold response, but I had no time to care for him.


    ¡°I definitely thought you would have the same thought as me. Then, the spear!¡±


    ¡°No, not that either. I think it will be best to catch another item as soon as possible. Actually, there¡¯s no good item except the Spear of Longinus. I¡¯m sure all of you have heard the message, but there¡¯s only an hour left, so let¡¯s go back to our location and try to increase our options as much as possible. I think it would be better to pick at least three more Myth-grade items.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we understand, Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°B-But! Hyung-nim! If you think about a bit more¡­¡±


    ¡°Deokgu, listen well.¡±


    ¡®I¡¯m so fucking charismatic, fuck.¡¯


    I spoke to him with a cold voice, and I could tell that he got discouraged. Other guild members who had a better mentality scattered around to do what I had told them to do.


    Sun Hee-young and Elena continued to look at the ring, and with his slumped shoulders, Kim Hyunsung started to move with Cho Hyejin.


    Even Jung Hayan approached me to talk to me.


    ¡°I-I-I believe in you, Oppa. Yes¡­¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t lie. You wanted to take the ring too.¡¯


    Hayan definitely had an evil side. She acted like a crafty fox that looked cute, but there was no time to just think about how cute Jung Hayan was in the current situation.


    We had to catch at least three more Mythic-grade items. I wanted to avoid choosing the spear-like Park Deokgu had suggested.


    As more time passed, my lips eventually dried.


    We needed to allot at least five minutes before the end of the quest, but even that didn¡¯t seem easy. I started to resent the fishing rod that didn¡¯t move.


    The other guild members were at least picking out items, but most of them were legendary items.


    No, to be exact, it wasn¡¯t like Myth-grade items didn¡¯te out anymore. It was just that they were all useless.


    ¡°O-Oppa, please look at this. This seems like a good item. It¡¯s an earring for two, but you canbine it into one if youbine the right and left sides. Your skill also increases. Even the grade is Myth level¡­ but it seems that after itbining it once, it will never go back to bing a pair¡­¡±


    ¡®Was there a need for that¡­what was it to be one? Don¡¯t think of weird things, Hayan. I didn¡¯t n on bing Blue Eyes Twin-headed White Kiyoung.¡¯


    ¡°Vice Guild Master. This is a love potion, and it¡¯s Mythic-grade at that. It can only be used once, but it¡¯s absolutely effective. Of course, the effect is also semi-permanent.¡±


    That was apletely useless Myth-grade potion. With my standard, such items should be a lower grade.


    [The quest will end in 30 minutes. Please choose the item you wish to take.]


    ¡®No¡­¡¯


    Sh*t, we couldn¡¯t end it like that.


    ¡®Damn¡­¡¯


    Park Deokgu, who thought we would just end up taking the spear if we didn¡¯t get anything else, didn¡¯t look nervous.


    He actually looked relieved to see the items that wereing up.


    They were objectively worse than the spear, after all.


    ¡°Time is passing¡­ I think it is time to decide.¡±


    ¡®Not yet, you little sh*t.¡¯


    [The quest will end in 15 minutes. Please choose the item you wish to take.]


    ¡°Hyung-nim.¡±


    ¡°Keep at it until there¡¯s only 5 minutes left, Deokgu. Let¡¯s think after we finish everything.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°As you wish, Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡®Kim Hyunsung, you little sh*t, you have to fish too. What are you just staring at nkly, you bastard?¡±


    [The quest will end in 10 minutes. Please choose the item you wish to take.]


    We really didn¡¯t have time. Anxiously, I looked around me, and only a few guild members were collecting items. At that point, it seemed to have been confirmed that we would have to take the spear which Park Deokgu had insisted on.


    Nothing changed from biting my lips. But at that moment, I felt myself being pulled forward.


    ¡®This is thest. Sh*t, myst¡­¡¯


    A miracle atst.


    It was thest possible catch. I grabbed onto it tightly and tried to pull it out as fast as possible and saw the item start to show itself slowly.


    [The quest will end in 5 minutes. Please choose the item you wish to take.]


    It didn¡¯t take me long to check the information of the item that I was pulling out; I objectivelypared it with the Spear of Longinus. The characteristics of each were clear.


    [The quest will end in 1 minute. Please choose the item you wish to take.]


    I caught the sprawled-out item, and at the moment that I caught it, the huge ship began to be swept away by a huge wormhole made out of waves, as it had done when we arrived at that ce.


    ¡°Open sail! Sail!! Sail!¡±


    We returned to Mirror Lake with a smile on my face.


    ¡°We¡¯re here!!!¡±

 Chapter 541: Sincerest Apologies (1)

    <h4>Chapter 541: Sincerest Apologies (1)</h4>


    Craaaaaaaash!!


    With an ear-piercing sound, I felt the boat float back up to the surface. It sounded like an explosion, but it didn¡¯t feel all that unpleasant.


    It was almost reassuring. The water that had sshed up with the boat began to fall from the sky while the guild members, who held onto the railing tightly, breathed a sigh of relief.


    Aftering from a space that they couldn¡¯t understand for so many hours, their response was natural.


    Before we could settle the situation, the only one among the guild members who wanted to be a pirate, Ahn Ki-mo, vomited.


    ¡°Baaarrrrrf!¡±


    ¡®Ah, we really can¡¯t use him¡­¡¯


    ¡°Baaaarrrrf!¡±


    It was such an awful sound. I thought he would make a mess on the boat, but he at least ended up throwing up his wastes in the cleanke. It looked like he was in great pain, but I couldn¡¯t help but be happy that even he was safe.


    ¡®Everything proved to be too unexpected.¡¯


    Truthfully, besides Sun Hee-young¡¯s incident, there wasn¡¯t anything that could be considered dangerous, and I wanted to celebrate everyone¡¯s return.


    After all, we had just cleared a Mythic-level dungeon.


    ¡®But when I think about it, reaching that ce was the Myth-grade quest itself.¡¯


    If it wasn¡¯t thanks to the boat that Park Deokgu had brought in by coincidence, we would¡¯ve fallen into the wormhole and could have drifted down into the bottom of the sea forever.


    The fact that we hade back from such a space was already a Myth-level achievement.


    I looked around slowly and observed my surroundings.


    ¡°It seems that we¡¯ve arrived back safely.¡±


    The one who spoke up was Unicorn Cho Hyejin, who could be considered one of the guild¡¯s three most influential members. She looked at me like she was worried.


    ¡°Are you alright, Vice Guild Master?¡±


    ¡°Yes, well, I¡¯m fine. I¡¯d like for you to check the conditions of our other guild members just in case. If any guild members have abnormalities, please talk to them separately. Especially Hee-young-ssi, please tell her to take a rest and have someone to take care of her¡­ I¡¯d also appreciate it if you check if there are any other errors.¡±


    ¡°Yes, he probably¡­¡±


    ¡°There may be some side-effects. He keeps staring nkly too¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take action, Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®It seemed like she had something to say.¡¯


    I could tell what she was going to say just by the way she hesitated. When I thought about it, it had been a while since we had shared a drink.


    However, since we had been friends for so long, I could instinctively tell what she was nning to say.


    ¡°Why? Are you going to buy me a drink?¡±


    ¡°No, not that, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Then, what?¡±


    ¡°I would like to speak with Guild Master¡­I think he¡¯s in more shock than I thought.¡±


    ¡®No, he definitely can be in a bit of a shock.¡¯


    I shifted my eyes a bit and saw Kim Hyunsung, still looking taken aback.


    His shoulders were slumping, and without even looking in my direction, he was ordering the guild members.


    He looked like an abandoned puppy, but what could I do? He had to reap what he sowed and resolve his own problems.


    ¡®He probably thinks our bond has been broken.¡¯


    It was something I just spitted out, but it probably pierced into his heart. That could even be more of the case, considering the lovely regressor and I were bound by an unexinable trust.


    Of course, it¡¯s not like we had dered our trust in each other, but somethings didn¡¯t need to be said to be known.


    I also hadn¡¯t said much about Kim Hyunsung¡¯s behavior since I wanted to show that I believed in him, and that emotion was strengthened after our unconscious dream.


    I wondered why I hadn¡¯t used that card before.


    ¡®Why can¡¯t you trust me?¡¯


    It was almost a magical card. It was a bit different from ¡®You don¡¯t know why I¡¯m angry,¡± but the things it enforced proved to be simr. The kind of thoughts he was harboring was indeed quite obvious.


    He probably thought that he had to fix the misunderstanding that I had muttered, ¡®I know why you have locked me up now,¡¯ which had given him great critical damage.


    He would probably try to make a situation where he could talk to me sooner orter. Like Cho Hyejin had said, there was no need for me to make him feel better.


    In fights like that, the one who approached the other first was bound to be the loser.


    It already felt like Kim Hyunsung had lost, but I had to act like I was still upset to make my victory more certain.


    ¡®My bag collection will increase again.¡¯


    Like Kim Hyunsung had said, I had been bothered by an empty space in my room¡¯s decorative space, but I could finally fill it.


    ¡°What are you thinking about when someone is talking to you?¡±


    ¡°Ah, no, just a couple of things¡­ I will take care of the problem between Hyunsung-ssi and I, so you don¡¯t have to be so concerned.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to go that far¡­ Besides, are you satisfied with the item you have brought?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes. It isn¡¯t too bad. Actually, I¡¯m notpletely satisfied, but while it isn¡¯t the best, it¡¯s not the worst either. You know, I guess I¡¯m a bit sorry.¡±


    ¡°Why are you speaking to me so informally all of a sudden? Well, you don¡¯t have to worry about that. Even if we were to have picked the Longinus¡¯ spear, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to handle it properly anyway. To tell you the truth, I was a little upset too. Seeing how you so obviously thought that I wouldn¡¯t be able to use such an item, I realized that my judgment was a bit twisted¡­ but I thought I leveled up a lot¡­But as expected, you don¡¯t seem satisfied.¡±


    ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t to that degree.¡±


    ¡°How can you say that? I could see that you obviously thought that such an item would be too good for me to use. Of course, you don¡¯t have to worry that I will keep this in mind. Once again, I would have only disappointed everyone if we brought that anyway.¡±


    ¡°Are you upset?¡±


    ¡°Upset? Who is up¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, you are.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not upset. I¡¯m not the type of person who will get upset by things like this¡­ Isn¡¯t it natural to think of the guild¡¯s interests first? That much is just the basics of the basics.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ It seems to me that you¡¯re indeed angry.¡±


    ¡°I told you already, I¡¯m not.¡±


    ¡°But you really are upset, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°No! I am not upset! What is up with you?!¡±


    ¡°You are up- ¡°


    ¡°-No, I am really not upset!¡±


    Cho Hyejin shouted so loudly that all attention went to her. Everyone seemed surprised to see me tease Cho Hyejin whileughing and talking so outspokenly to her. Now that I thought about it¡­


    ¡®Do they not know that I am close to her?¡¯


    The only one who knew her well in the guild was Jung Hayan, who was half-wary of her. However, we had spent some time together and met each other for business.


    We ate food! Yeah! And drank! yed games! Yeah! We went to the Sauna! And went to other ces¡­


    ¡®But we really didn¡¯t look like a match.¡¯


    Even from a normal blue guild member¡¯s perspective, I probably would¡¯ve thought that we left together strictly for business things.


    We were both the types to perform our personal and business works together. We also spoke to each other formally unless the mood called for it too.


    Cho Hyejin recognized that her voice had been a bit loud and looked around her surroundings.


    Ahn Ki-mo and Yoo Ahyoung were watching with their eyes wide open. Other people were the same. And Kim Hyunsung. He looked half surprised with a mix of annoyance and disturbance.


    ¡®Hyunsung, sh*t¡­ also gets jealous. Hyejin, there may be hope for you.¡¯


    After showing how close we were, Cho Hyejin looked like she had an ufortable feeling.


    She stared at me for guidance, and I couldn¡¯t help but mutter quietly.


    ¡°Hyejin. I don¡¯t usually encourage like this, but I think you have a chance.¡±


    ¡°What are you suddenly talking about?¡±


    ¡°Even recently, I didn¡¯t think it was possible, but I think the proverb that ¡®no tree can¡¯t be turned over after ten strikes¡¯ is true. Have you perhaps done anything that could¡¯ve changed his mind¡­?¡±


    ¡°There wasn¡¯t anything like that. I was half giving up, and after that, I hadn¡¯t talked to him in private.¡±


    ¡°That dream you threw away¡­ Let¡¯s bring it back just in case.¡±


    ¡°No thanks.¡±


    ¡°I think he¡¯s somehow jealous¡­¡±


    ¡°Who¡­?¡±


    ¡°Hyunsung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m certain.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ It doesn¡¯t really concern me anymore.¡±


    ¡°You say that, but I think you are secretly excited.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°No, let¡¯s be a bit more honest. You were honestly excited, right?¡±


    ¡°I told you I¡¯m not.¡±


    ¡°You were excited.¡±


    ¡°No, seriously. I said no!¡±


    I tapped on her shoulder jokingly, and she began to shake in anger. It was really funny how she was holding in her anger.


    ¡°Whether you¡¯re excited or not, it¡¯s undeniable that you¡¯ve taken a step forward. I¡¯m really good at reading people. Oh, we should¡¯ve used some jealous tactics that time.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t say stuff like that¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t think that you¡¯ve given up in the first ce¡­even if you¡¯re focused on what you¡¯re doing right now, isn¡¯t it good to still have some hope?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I started to see hope in her face, and when she saw Kim Ye-ri approach her, Cho Hyejin brightened even more.


    ¡°Hyejin Unni.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Hyunsung Oppa wants to see you. He has something he wants to say.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ Really?¡±


    ¡®What did I say, Hyejin? Look at her running¡­ She even tried to lie that she was no longer interested.¡¯


    ¡°Also, Ahjussi.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Oppa asks you to leave some time for him. He wants to talk to you


    ¡°What things?¡±


    ¡°Important things.¡±


    ¡°What important things?¡±


    ¡°I also don¡¯t know. I think it¡¯s some business¡­ um, I think that¡¯s why he called.¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­¡±


    ¡°Since I ryed that message, I am going back to help clean up.¡±


    ¡°Okay, then please take care.¡±


    ¡°You too.¡±


    I nced at the front like I wasn¡¯t interested and saw the back of Kim Hyunsung and Cho Hyejin conversing.


    I didn¡¯t know what he had suddenly called her for, but it was obvious. He might have wanted to apologize for the things that had happened at the dungeon or slowly reveal that he was actually a Regressor.


    He probably thought that since we saw the Outer God, he couldn¡¯t drag his secret any longer¡­ Regardless, the edge of my lips naturally curved upwards, seeing Cho Hyejin smile.


    ¡®Hyejin, sh*t. Those two can finally be happy.¡¯

 Chapter 542: Sincerest Apologies (2)

    <h4>Chapter 542: Sincerest Apologies (2)</h4>


    ¡°O-O-Oppa. Where are you going today?¡±


    ¡°Ah, I think I have some work to do with Hyunsung-ssi. Why?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Just¡­¡±


    ¡°It seems like an urgent matter¡­ I also want to spend some time with you, Hayan, but the timing just isn¡¯t right.¡±


    ¡°R-Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Since we came back from Mirror Lake, I wanted us to go on a date like Deokgu said since we have a lot to talk about, and it¡¯s been a while since we spent time together. It¡¯s a shame. Sorry. Still, let¡¯s go around when Ie back.¡±


    ¡°Oh, not today. I also¡­ don¡¯t have time¡­ Hyunsung Oppa ordered me to do a lot of things. All the guild members have to write a report on the Mirror Lake incident and search for nearby dungeons. I think you¡¯re the only one not on the list¡­ I just asked because I was curious.¡±


    ¡°Nearby dungeons?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he told us that there might be other dungeons¡­ We have to make sure if there are new monsters just in case. I¡¯m not entirely certain, but there¡¯re a lot of little things to do as well¡­¡±


    ¡®Kim Hyunsung, this bastard. You¡¯ve made up your mind¡­¡¯


    It seemed like he really didn¡¯t want to be bothered. It had reached the point where he made all the guild members do some useless chores.


    It was so tant. He gave the guild members such tasks even though we had an investigation team who could handle those. Even if dungeon-searching was a high-priority job, it was inefficient to make all the guild members do it simultaneously.


    Considering how we were supposed to be taking a break, it was even more evident.


    It even interrupted my date with Jung Hayan, one that she had been looking forward to.


    Maybe it didn¡¯t exin everything but seeing that she wasn¡¯t concerned about other significant things, it seemed that the kidnapping incident had a huge effect on her.


    ¡®She must be really discouraged.¡¯


    She was already on the shy side, but at that moment, she seemed even shyer. She had be even more careful too¡­


    It seemed like she wanted to be stronger because she immersed herself in magic again, but her feelings of guilt were still imminent.


    It was obvious when she visited my room justst night while crying that she had a nightmare.


    ¡®I couldn¡¯t even sleep well thanks to that, sh*t.¡¯


    I woke up in the middle of my sleep, and I didn¡¯t feel refreshed in the morning. My face was a mess too¡­


    I looked in the mirror and saw a rather emaciated face. It wasn¡¯t that I didn¡¯t like it that much, but¡­


    ¡®It was okay.¡¯


    It could show that my mind went through a lot, at least.


    ¡®I¡¯ll just do the minimum.¡¯


    I purposefully ignored Jung Hayan, who was staring at me intently while slowly changing my clothes. The guild members seemed like they would only start moving after Kim Hyunsung and I left.


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to take your bag?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t think we will get into a fight¡­ There are only alchemy tools in my bag anyway.¡±


    ¡°W-When will youe back?¡±


    ¡°I think maybe today¡­ I¡¯m not too sure. We can go on a date as soon as Ie back, so just endure it for a bit.¡±


    ¡°I-I also want to go¡­¡±


    ¡°No, Hayan. Today is an important day.¡±


    Because regardless of whether it was or it wasn¡¯t, humanity would still take a step forward depending on it.


    ¡°We can go next time. When are you leaving, Hayan?¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m going to leave after lying here a bit.¡±


    ¡°Okay, then, do that.¡±


    We hugged for thest time. I motioned that it was time for us to separate, but she clung to me with all her strength, which only embarrassed me further.


    In the end, I could only leave after a couple of minutes. In fear that she would tell me to go out a bitter, I hurriedly went to the lobby. I saw Kim Hyunsung, who looked at me with an awkward expression.


    He wasn¡¯t armored and only had his sword hanging around his waist. Overall, he was wearing casual attire, but it didn¡¯t look sloppy, considering he seemed to have secretly paid some attention to his outerwear. But overall, he looked very stiff.


    ¡®What¡¯s wrong with him¡­?¡¯


    I could sort of guess the reason, but couldn¡¯t understand why he was acting so rigid.


    Like a rock stationed onto a specific spot, he looked pitifully immobile. I thought of maybe loosening him up, but I changed my mind. I could let him talk, but it was important to have a slightly tense atmosphere in the beginning.


    It was also important not to greet him first.


    I saw Kim Hyunsung raise his hand awkwardly, but I curved my back very slightly and didn¡¯t do anything else.


    ¡°Kiyoung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°It seems that I¡¯m a bitte.¡±


    ¡°No, you came just on time.¡±


    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s not something really important, but I wanted to confide in you about several things¡­ and also apologize¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you busy with something, perhaps?¡±


    ¡°No, not really, but¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Ah¡­this guy, he looks so stuffy and pitiful.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t want to use the following expression, but the way he hesitated so much made it seem like he hadmunication problems. His pupils shook, and his face was full of anxiety.


    I wanted to continue to look cold in front of him but decided that it was enough.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s get out of here first.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes, that seems like a good idea. I brought a Griffin¡­¡±


    ¡°Where are we going that requires us to ride a Griffin¡­?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that far, but it will be faster than a carriage.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±


    ¡®Yes, you bastard, let¡¯s see where you¡¯ll take me.¡¯


    In ce of White Paul that was currently nurturing, it was the ck Griffin that I had gotten as a present.


    He had ced a saddle so that we could ride side by side rather than back and front, so it felt like we were going on a drive.


    When the Griffin saw Kim Hyunsung, it bounced its feet towards us. We could only sit after Kim Hyunsung patted the creature. I could definitely tell that he liked them. Riding it was definitely was one of his hobbies.


    Like a high-quality sofa, the saddle was fluffy and soft and even had a belt.


    His maneuvering skills on the Griffin were also excellent. After tapping a bit, I could see him shoot up to the sky.


    The giant trees, buildings, and fountains instantly became smaller, and after a moment, we arrived at our destination. We seemed to be moving toward Lindel or our empire, so I thought we would be going to either one of them, but the ce we arrived at was a small city between Lindel and the empire.


    ¡®Heren?¡¯


    It was a small city right in the middle of Lindel and the empire. I didn¡¯t know about Kim Hyunsung, but I didn¡¯te there often.


    Its location was good. Hence, it acted as the center between the two ces, but to be exact¡­


    ¡®We couldn¡¯t even say it was a midpoint.¡¯


    This was because, to arrive at Heren, we had to deter a bit in the middle.


    It was a bothersome ce to visit.


    The city was often used for mid-sized parties or big guilds to export or import goods.


    It had a sizable market, but many people didn¡¯t bother going there because one had to turn around at least once.


    Among Lindel¡¯s three major guilds, only the ck Swan guild, who hadparably more female members, used the city.


    ¡®He must have contacted Park Yeon-joo.¡¯


    A close connection must¡¯ve been maintained with Kim Hyunsung.


    Perhaps he thought it was burdensome for us to meet in a big city where there were too many people and wanted to go to a smaller one.


    ¡®Yeah, the capital city can be too much.¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s Heren.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ as Lindel¡¯s recovery began to slow down, we decided to increase the size of Heren a little bit. We were working on it while¡­ you were resting in your room¡­because the guild members are busy¡­ I¡¯ve done a little bit of work, but as expected, the city business is a little unstable, so I¡¯d like to get some advice. I mean¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah. You can leave this work to me. Did you get some help from Kim Miyoung?¡±


    ¡°No. She¡¯s working on another matter¡­¡±


    ¡°I understand what you¡¯re trying to say. It¡¯s fine. I want to see it first.¡±


    ¡®It was a good excuse. Yeah.¡¯


    Even he must have thought it was a good excuse.


    It wasn¡¯t as if he had gone on a break trip while abandoning the city business. It was more reasonable to say that such businesses were undergoing preparations. The city already looked chaotic¡­


    At this, Hyunsung handed me the documents he brought.


    As I looked through the documents about Heren, there was absolutely nothing wrong (not even 1mm was off).


    ¡°For now, it seems that the residential areas are a problem.¡±


    ¡°Yes, the capital city is holding Lindel¡¯srge poption, and it¡¯splicated because of how saturated the ce is. There¡¯s not much resentment yet, but I heard the capital¡¯s residents areining about the inconvenience.¡±


    ¡°I think it would be good to have a residence in the area you selected. I also like the idea of expanding the square more. But as expected¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, some say that the distance from the hunting ground is too far away for the adventurers, so the guild has decided to run a carriage service. And since it¡¯s already a ce for rxation, carriagese and go there often, so we don¡¯t have to build new facilities for it too. I think it¡¯ll be fine to use the ce like a rest area¡­ and the Blue Guild can use it as a supply store separately. Also, potions¡­¡±


    ¡®Yes, he knows that I like money. I apologize for being so money-hungry, but I am proud of you, bastard.¡¯


    ¡°I think potion stores are going to be the biggest after Crd. With some conditions, I think we can even connect it to Celia. We are already talking with other guilds and investors.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like a good idea.¡±


    I didn¡¯t just say that. It really seemed like such a good idea that I could feel myself smiling.


    I liked the idea of making the entirety of a small city into a huge resting ce. It would give Heren an identity. If people didn¡¯t want toe there because it was a bother to go around the city, we could make it a ce where people would want toe to rest.


    Everything about the city¡¯s business sounded perfect. Seeing my response, Kim Hyunsung breathed a sigh of relief.


    He seemed to have realized that he scored some points, causing his confidence to grow.


    ¡°How is it? Then, why don¡¯t we talk about it over dinner?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes. That sounds good.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a ce I have reserved. Let¡¯s go there.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    It was at that moment that I stopped looking at the documents and looked around my surroundings.


    ¡®What¡­ What is everyone doing?¡¯


    For some reason¡­


    Everyone was staring at us.

 Chapter 543: Sincerest Apologies (3)

    <h4>Chapter 543: Sincerest Apologies (3)</h4>


    This really was a situation that could draw some attention. To be fair, it was the first time that the Blue Guild Master and the Vice Guild Master were seen in Heren together.


    That was even more so considering how famous Kim Hyunsung and I were, even in the empire.


    Even if we hade alone, we would¡¯ve caught a lot of attention. It almost felt like we were monkeys in a zoo. Even if they tried not to, they couldn¡¯t stop themselves from taking nces at us.


    ¡®I¡¯m kind of used to it now¡­¡¯


    In addition to this, it also seemed like they were trying to amodate us.


    They must have heard that all the Blue Guild members were on a break right at that moment and thought we were in the city to rest.


    Normally, they would¡¯ve approached us to shake hands, but that day, they only stared at us from afar.


    ¡®This is pretty nice. I like the town people here¡­¡¯


    ¡°Didn¡¯t they say that they were on a break? Why did they suddenly visit Heren?¡±


    ¡°Where are the other guild members? I guess it¡¯s just them. Isn¡¯t that a first?¡±


    ¡°Be quiet.¡±


    I could hear their voices, but they quickly grew quiet.


    I didn¡¯t know if Kim Hyunsung was aware or not, but as if he had gotten confidence again, he started to walk forward. It didn¡¯t take us long to arrive at the restaurant.


    ¡°Huh? Oh! Wee.¡±


    ¡°I reserved a table under Kim Hyunsung.¡±


    ¡°Ah! Ah! Yes, I¡¯ll take you inside. I-It¡¯s for two, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°What would you like to order?¡±


    ¡°What would you rmend?¡±


    ¡°Our restaurant¡¯s best-sellers are¡­¡±


    ¡®Ah, you little sh*t. You even got us a spot at the terrace.¡¯


    It seemed like the restaurant employee hadn¡¯t expected that Kim Hyunsung would be that Kim Hyunsung. It was evident on his flushed face.


    I was about to ask our waiter to just make the order for us, but Kim Hyunsung went into a lengthy conversation about the menu¡¯s choices with the employee. He asked what was fine or the tastiest dish and talked for a couple of minutes like he was debating. He almost looked like a businessman about to sign an important contract.


    Of course, I was only concerned about our surroundings.


    ¡°Did they fight?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think the atmosphere is a bit cold? It was like that since a while ago. I¡¯m sure something¡¯s going on.¡±


    ¡®There¡¯s nothing,dies. Ah, since we are sitting here, we can¡¯t even act like bystanders.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t want rumors about a feud between The Blue Guild Master and Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung on tomorrow¡¯s gossip news.


    I didn¡¯t think that Kim Hyunsung was aiming for it, but I had to rx my expression much more than before. I could block the press, but I had to be careful of rumors.


    ¡°I will get this¡­ Kiyoung-ssi¡­¡±


    ¡°Then, I will take the same thing.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes. Then, we will get that for you. Would you also like some wine¡­?¡±


    ¡°I think I asked for the restaurant to prepare a specific one in advance. Did you not receive my message?¡±


    ¡°Ah! No. Let me check¡­ ah, yes. We¡¯ve prepared the wine. I-I apologize. We¡¯ll bring it soon. Please have a good time until then.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°You already prepared the wine?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Have you perhaps heard of Grave grapes before?¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s the first time I heard of it¡­¡±


    ¡°There is a small cave not far from here. Interestingly, I heard that there are grapes that only grow there, and this restaurant is the only one that sells them. The cave was discovered 150 years ago, and I heard that I could get a bottle of wine that was fermented since it was found, so I asked for it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s interesting. I wonder if there¡¯s a dungeon inside there.¡±


    ¡°Many investigation teams had been sent there, but nothing was found. It must be a bit different case than Mirror Lake.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ That aside, Kiyoung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I want to express my feelings of gratitude first.¡±


    ¡°Sorry?¡±


    ¡°The item you got me at the sea of dimensions¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, you don¡¯t have to worry about that. No one could use that but you anyway. To be exact, I didn¡¯t even give it to you¡­¡±


    ¡°Still, I will take proper care of the pendant you gave me.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t really have to thank me.¡±


    ¡°And¡­ Ah¡­ What happened at the sea of dimensions¡­ I want to apologize formally¡­ You must have felt ufortable and thought it was sudden, but the reason why I wanted to give you a ring¡­¡±


    ¡®This bastard, sh*t, what is he getting so serious for?¡¯


    Everyone was staring at us. It seemed Hyunsung was so nervous that he had forgotten to cancel sounds.


    I quickly covered it with magic¡­ but if someone had been eavesdropping, they probably heard everything he had said. I could already see people who were whispering to each other.


    ¡®Seriously. I felt it during the time as Lee Kiyeon, but¡­¡¯


    He really didn¡¯t know how to set the timing or read the atmosphere. It was a wonder how he was able to maintain people¡¯s rtionships in the first timeline.


    Rumors could spread about a conflict among the guild members due to the distribution of an item we found in a dungeon.


    His voice probably hadn¡¯t spread outside, but people there were probably making up their own stories.


    ¡®The atmosphere here is like that.¡¯


    Just because I had the ability to cancel the noise didn¡¯t mean I could do the same for the atmosphere.


    Everyone who was in the restaurant that was ncing at us must all have noticed it.


    I also wanted to take his apology and slowly bring up the mood, but at that moment, I had to say something quickly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to discuss this here.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ I understand.¡±


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s first trial failed, but I had to recover from the situation first.


    ¡°But¡­ that¡¯s right. I was a little hasty. I apologize.¡±


    ¡®Man, don¡¯t look so dejected. People are whispering, you sh*t.¡¯


    ¡°Let¡¯s eat first. I think you¡¯ll like the wine, so I¡¯m looking forward to it. It tastes great.¡±


    ¡°Is that right?¡±


    ¡®Yeah, like that, keep putting up a bright expression.¡¯


    ¡°Yes, I think it¡¯s the best drink I¡¯ve had recently. Actually, I couldn¡¯t drink that much because I wasn¡¯t feeling well, but I think it¡¯s great, even with that considered. It¡¯s definitely delicious.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±


    ¡°By the way, are we going to leave after looking around a bit?¡±


    ¡°No, we still have a lot of ces to visit¡­ We have to take a look at the market¡­¡±


    ¡°Did somethinge in¡­ from what I know, the marketce here¡­Ah!¡±


    ¡°Yes, because of the current state of affairs, the auction house here will bring in the highest quality items. I can tell you first, but because I want to pay you back for what you gave me¡­ Anyway, you can look forward to it.¡±


    ¡®He must¡¯ve found another Chanelia Hermes series again.¡¯


    It seemed like he wanted me to be really excited, but I really wasn¡¯t.


    The ones that had been found recently didn¡¯t have special functions, and one was just like the other, and the designs weren¡¯t all that different.


    Even the infinity bag that Kim Hyunsung had first given me was overflowing in the exhibition hall.


    Well, there were still some spaces to fill in the exhibition hall. I pretended to be a bit excited, at least.


    The people around us were cheerful. Because I thought we shouldn¡¯t continue wallowing in such a strange atmosphere, I tried to maintain my brightest expression, and even though I didn¡¯t really try, a smile naturally formed on my lips.


    I didn¡¯t know if the restaurant¡¯s chef had put everything into those dishes, but the food and wine were perfect. The service was great too.


    It felt like I was in the greatest restaurant like in Lindel or the empire.


    The atmosphere naturally became better. We began to have a normal conversation again- about business and the guild.


    We spent around an hour conversing about things I usually talked about with Kim Hyunsung. After finishing our meals, we headed straight to the auction, and to my surprise, there were some good collections.


    [Chanelia Hermes¡¯ Upgrading Bag- Legendary ss]


    [This bag had been made a century ago. It is called a masterpiece even among the bag series that the Legendary hunter and master leather craftsman, Chanelia Hermes, had made.


    Finished by the said craftsman himself using unidentified leather, it exudesfort but has the same durability as armors. By default, it has the ability to extend spaces.


    After a certain period, the items stored in this bag will be upgraded without penalty. If it cannot raise the level, it will increase the effect of the item. There is an additional function that raises the magic stat by 3.]


    ¡®Sh*t¡­¡¯


    It didn¡¯t erge like the infinity bag, but it upgraded the items stored inside it.


    ¡®What could¡¯ve happened if I didn¡¯t see this?¡¯


    Of course, it wouldn¡¯t make a Semi-Mythic grade potion into a Mythic grade, but it was something.


    Even if it only upgraded the effect of a dragon breath¡¯s potion even a little, it was worth a lot. It was the same for other legendary level potions. Its use was endless.


    ¡®Even among the legendary items¡­¡¯


    It could be called an ultimate item. I was obsessed with it.


    ¡®It was a good bag for other professionals.¡¯


    Archers could store their arrows, assassins could store their poison, and it was equally beneficial to everyone whose upation involved creating products.


    If Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t do it, I would have bought the item even if I had to empty my wallet.


    ¡®Sh*t, my bag, why didn¡¯t I bring it?¡±


    All my cash was in there. I hoped that Kim Hyunsung had brought enough money to purchase that item.


    As if he had perceived my thoughts, the host officially began the auction. People obviously showed interest in the item.


    After taking a more careful look, I saw the archer from the empire¡¯s eight seats, and everyone who had money to spare was in the building as well.


    They seemed nervous to see Kim Hyunsung and me, but most of them were passionately lifting their signs and increasing the item¡¯s price. Seeing how the price continued to increase, Kim Hyunsung started to look nervous.


    The price probably far exceeded his expectations, and perhaps he thought the amount of cash he had brought wouldn¡¯t be enough.


    It was because we could only purchase with the money that we had brought to the auction ce.


    Kim Hyunsung continued to lift his sign, and the price of the bag increased like crazy, exceeding 5 billion Hanwha.


    ¡®Sneaky bastards, sh*t.¡¯


    I could see some people who seemed to be a part of the auction were purposefully increasing the price.


    ¡°50,000 gold. Anyone else?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, participant 23. 60,000 gold.¡±


    ¡®Hyunsung, sh*t you must carry around a couple of big loads.¡¯


    ¡°Participant 11 is 300,000 gold¡­¡±


    ¡®It increased too much¡­ Ha¡­¡¯


    As if he saw my anxious face, Kim Hyunsung lifted his sign firmly.


    ¡°Ah¡­yes, participant 23¡­ 1,000,000 gold¡­ if there¡¯s no one else, we will proceed with the bidding.¡±


    At this, the hall became quiet.


    Even if it was a great item, the price was not realistic.


    ¡®Kim Hyunsung¡­ you sh*t¡­¡¯


    The small burden in my heart seemed to melt away. I couldn¡¯t help but realize that apologies filled with heartfelt sincerity always worked.

 Chapter 544: Confession (1)

    <h4>Chapter 544: Confession (1)</h4>


    ¡®Wooooow¡­¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. This is too¡­¡±


    ¡°Please take it. It¡¯s my way of apologizing to you, and I¡¯m sure it will be useful to you in the future.¡±


    ¡®Hah, does this dude think physical possessions will shake me? Haha, I¡¯m not like that at all¡­¡¯


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°You will need itter on. This is my payment for the pendant, so I hope you don¡¯t mind it too much. It¡¯ll probably be very helpful to you.¡±


    ¡®Well, if you say it like that, I guess I have no choice but to ept it, ahem.¡¯


    It was not like Icked money, but receiving gifts made me feel good whenever I got one.


    I wanted to sing in happiness. It was the same feeling when I first received the Infinity Bag. For me, at least, the Upgrading Bag was much more valuable than those items.


    ¡®My precious¡­¡¯


    The item was basically made for me.


    I bet Kim Hyunsung had also noticed that I was excited.


    I could tell how much he wanted to give it to me by immediately retrieving the item after he purchased it from the auction.


    ¡®I was sure the auction housekeepers must have also been a bit taken aback too.¡¯


    After the auction, it was a normal custom to wait for an item to be delivered, but Kim Hyunsung couldn¡¯t wait to give it to me.


    ¡®This is why he told me toe here.¡¯


    He looked at me with a desperate expression, begging for me to ept his gift. As a Korean, I had to be virtuous and reject him three times before epting the gift.


    ¡°Well, if you so insist¡­¡±


    ¡°Thank you so much.¡±


    ¡®Why are you thankful? I¡¯m the one who should be thankful¡­¡¯


    It was a weird situation in which the person who was giving the gift was more thankful than the person epting it.


    Since I didn¡¯t bring my Infinity Bag with me, my hands and hips that had felt empty that day finally feltplete.


    The bag¡¯s design was also elegant and stylish, perhaps because Chanelia Hermes himself was supposed to have made it after releasing the Infinity Bag.


    I felt my heart expand in joy as I tapped my fingers on the newly acquired product. I thought it might have much less storage space than the Infinity Bag, but it was wide enough for me to put my entire alchemist kit in.


    ¡®I can even upgrade my alchemist kit now.¡¯


    I tried to hide my feelings desperately, but it was hard to do so.


    Hearing my barely repressedughter, Kim Hyunsung made an expression as if he had seeded in his endeavor.


    I thought he wasn¡¯t the type to think that he could buy people¡¯s hearts with money and gifts. He must have changed after living through such a harsh world.


    An overly greedy appearance didn¡¯t fit Light Kiyoung¡¯s image, but what was I to do when I got such an awesome gift?


    After that, I was sure he would say something along the lines of how the gift¡¯s price didn¡¯t matter, and he just felt d that he was able to express how he felt through it.


    It probably wouldn¡¯t happen, but I walked down the streets with the bag tightly clutched in my arms so that no one could steal it from me.


    Even though the sky was already getting dark, Kim Hyunsung looked as if he had no intention of going back. Whatever it was, it felt as if he was trying to resolve something atst, so I could not help but feel anticipation welling up in me.


    ¡®I¡¯m definitely sure, fuck. Hyunsung¡¯s going to share his secret with me.¡¯


    How long had I been waiting for that moment? The timing of Kim Hyunsung¡¯s confession had been dyed so much that I thought it would be better for me to hint towards it and make him confess.


    After I decided that I needed to hear his secret directly from him, I began to approach the topic as carefully as an old man would cut wood, with many twists and turns. Like a soap drama, there were a dozen moments when the times or the situations got mixed up.


    Due to Park Deokgu¡¯s continuous appearance, the problems he caused, and Kim Hyunsung¡¯s own problems and PTSD, his confession was much overdue.


    ¡®In situations like this, the one with greater patience wins.¡¯


    If I moved too fast in such a delicate situation, I could potentially ruin everything.


    Even though Kim Hyunsung tried to look as if he was calm, it was hard to imagine how nervous he actually was. He didn¡¯t get easily drunk, but he must have thought it was necessary to borrow some of the power of alcohol.


    That was why the regressor suggested we move to a hotel¡­


    The previous event was all just a build-up, and what was going to happen from then on was the real deal.


    From a nce, he looked nervous. Even when we conversed, he was not able to concentrate, and his eyes began to shake. I could imagine what he was thinking. Actually, maybe, he was in a more difficult situation than I could even imagine.


    I bet he was thinking of something like: ¡®What if he doesn¡¯t ept what I¡¯m going to say?¡¯


    It was natural for him to think like that, and I could bet he thought that even if I believed him, I might begin to doubt his behavior.


    It was hard for him to gain the courage to confess, thinking that I might begin to grow suspicious of him. Honestly, I could understand. How could one easily confess that they were a regressor? That it was their second time living?


    Even across the continent, where all sorts of ridiculous things happened, it was a hard story to believe.


    Usually, if someone said such a thing, everyone would throw stones at them and call them insane.


    Of course, I was already ready to ept his whole story, but Kim Hyunsung, who didn¡¯t know that, must¡¯ve been under intense pressure.


    ¡®I guess I should help you a bit.¡¯


    With mana blocking all the sounds in our perimeter, I spoke.


    ¡°Is there anything you want to say?¡±


    ¡°What? No. No, I mean, not necessarily, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Perhaps I misunderstood, but I feel like you¡¯re having trouble focusing. I am sorry if I am wrong.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not like that. I mean, I¡­ do have something I want to say. Yes. First, I think it¡¯s only proper to tell you something that I wasn¡¯t able to finish in the restaurant.¡±


    ¡®Not that, you sh*t head.¡¯


    His avoidance ability was as high as his agility.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re thinking, but it was never my intention. It was something I didn¡¯t even realize. I never thought that you would see my attitude in that way, Kiyoung-ssi.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that I couldn¡¯t trust you, Kiyoung-ssi. Out of all the people I know, I believe in you the most. This might sound like an excuse, but I was so worried about your condition that I made a wrong decision.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t lock you up because I couldn¡¯t trust you. I can understand why you misunderstood, but I swear that it¡¯s not what you think. It was to protect you from external forces, not to protect the others from you.¡±


    ¡®Thest word touched my heart. I¡¯m a little touched, kid.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry that you put so much trust in me, but I can¡¯t return the same faith in you.¡±


    ¡®Yeah, you should be like that.¡¯


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I can be forgiven like this, but I hope you ept my apology, anyway.¡±


    Although he hesitated a lot and took a long time to talk, his apology wasn¡¯t that bad. The Upgrading Bag in my hand also made me go easier on Kim Hyunsung.


    After his apology, Kim Hyunsung looked at me as if he wondered if his apology went through to me. He was like a suspect waiting for his sentence.


    ¡®I guess I should answer.¡¯


    ¡°No, I¡¯m also sorry.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°I can also totally understand why you might have felt that way. It makes me feel even sorrier to hear you say those words.¡±


    ¡°No, it was entirely my fault.¡±


    ¡°No, I think I was a little too sensitive.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I also had this feeling before¡­ I¡¯m only telling you this now, but¡­ Right after the war with the Republic ended¡­ you kept your distance from me.¡±


    ¡®Yeah, you sh*t head, you were like that. That¡¯s why I was like fuck, should I go to the Federation or not?¡¯


    ¡°That was¡­¡±


    Of course, it was hard to say that it really was Kim Hyunsung¡¯s fault. Even though Kim Hyunsung had acted distantly, it was because he was still struggling with his PTSD.


    However, I was sure he felt guilty. It was kind of interesting to see how his expression changed every couple of minutes.


    ¡°W-Wait, there was a time I was like that, but now¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course, you are not like that at all anymore, but¡­ I was a little sad at that time. I even considered transferring to the Federation.¡±


    ¡®Lol. Hyunsung, rx your face.¡¯


    ¡°I think that¡¯s why I was more sensitive than usual in the ocean of dimensions. Rather, I feel like I should be the one to apologize. Now that I think about it, it wasn¡¯t right for me to have been angry at you.¡±


    ¡°No, this is my fault¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    To say I was way more at fault to a guy that was apologizing so fervently to me¡­ I couldn¡¯t imagine what he must have been feeling at that moment.


    I felt a bit sad seeing Kim Hyunsung¡¯s troubled expression, but I wanted to maintain my position at least until he confessed to me that he was a regressor.


    ¡°If you¡­ If you apologize to me like that, what will be of my position? During that time, the reason why¡­ I kept my distance was because¡­ it was¡­ it¡­ was actually¡­ As I said before, I believe in you more than anyone else. I don¡¯t know what to say, but¡­¡±


    ¡®Then confess.¡¯


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to say that. I¡¯m a little embarrassed that I brought up old stories¡­¡±


    ¡°No! No, I¡¯m not saying we shouldn¡¯t bring up old stories. I¡¯m just regretting that these things happened in the past¡­ and I regret it even now. While you were away, I kept feeling remorseful about how stupid and foolish I was.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°As I have said many times, I trust and believe in you. As much as you trust me, I also trust you, Kiyoung-ssi. I don¡¯t even know what I¡¯m saying right now, but one thing I¡¯m sure of is that I trust you more than I trust anybody else.¡±


    I wanted to give him a standing ovation for his great mindset.


    I didn¡¯t think I would be able to bring up his emotions so fast. Maybe, he was thinking of the time when he saw me in his unconscious state.


    The appearance that Light Kiyoung showed was basically a textbook standard of faith.


    I began to understand what I had to say to end that long tug-of-war roughly.


    It was the same as before. If Kim Hyunsung was thinking of the time when I appeared in his unconsciousness, I guess I had to show that appearance again.


    I disyed the exact same expression I showed as we separated. I said the same lines too.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re saying this¡­ but you don¡¯t have to carry all the burden by yourself.¡±


    ¡®Yeah, dude, you look super nervous.¡¯


    ¡°And¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I trust you too.¡±

 Chapter 545: Confession (2)

    <h4>Chapter 545: Confession (2)</h4>


    ¡®Okay, now this is it. I did it.¡¯


    I clenched my fist, seeing his nervous yet determined face.


    Kim Hyunsung looked so touched that the insecurity on his face began to fade away.


    I didn¡¯t know what exactly he was thinking, but after seeing his expression change, I disguised my excitement by sipping on my wine. Based on his perspective, I had no memory of what happened in his subconsciousness. That was because, unfortunately, I suffered from aftereffects.


    It must¡¯ve been a dramatic development for me to repeat the same words that had touched him so much before with an expression as if I was saying it for the first time.


    I bet he was floundering in a sea of emotions. Although I didn¡¯t remember anything, he probably believed that I would feel the same way and think that I definitely believed in him. I was sure that his guilt would have shaken his mentality, too, urging him on even further to have the following thoughts:


    ¡®I have to say it. I have to confess.¡¯


    ¡®If I hide any more secrets, it would be betraying Kiyoung-ssi. I have to confess today, right now.¡¯


    Even I thought I might¡¯ve been a bit evil towards him. How could I not rejoice in harvesting a fruit I had taken so long to care for? I was sure that Kim Hyunsung¡¯s mental state was currently like an 8-ton truck with a broken handle or like a bitcoin at the peak of its¡¯ sess.


    He had nothing to stop him now. At that point, I was sure that he was having a hard time keeping his secret to himself.


    ¡®Reveal it. Reveal it.¡¯


    ¡°Yes¡­ it was like that. Kiyoung-ssi, you are¡­ always¡­ yes.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing. Nothing at all¡­¡±


    ¡®Yes, Hyunsung. Fuck, that¡¯s how you¡¯re going to reveal it.¡¯


    ¡°Wait¡­ there¡¯s a ce I would like for you toe with me.¡±


    ¡®The time hase. The time hase!¡¯


    ¡°Where¡­¡±


    ¡°I know it¡¯s a little sudden, but there¡¯s a ce I want you toe with me. I also have something I want to say to you there.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    There was no turning back at that point, but he looked nervous. His voice was trembling a little.


    I got up with an expression as if I didn¡¯t know anything, and likewise, he got up after paying for the bill. We walked slowly outside, and soon after, we saw how dark it had gotten.


    A few night lights lit up the streets, but the streets were much darkerpared to Lindel.


    Thanks to that, I was able to see the stars much more clearly in the night sky. The atmosphere was nice, and I began to wish that calm music would y as background music.


    ¡°Where are we headed?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not far from here.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Did this punk live in this area before?¡¯


    He was moving outside of the city, but it didn¡¯t seem like he was moving towards Lindel.


    I thought we were moving towards a ce that held the most memories, but it seemed as if he prepared other ces as well.


    ¡®Is this bastard ying around to buy time?¡¯


    No, I didn¡¯t think so. His footsteps began to slow down, but it seemed as if he had already made up his mind. Sure enough, I could see that he was slowly building up for his big reveal, and he began to speak with an uneasy expression.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you weren¡¯t aware, but there is actually another thing I need to apologize to you. It¡¯s for a different reason than the one I told you before.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you¡¯re talking about¡­ But you don¡¯t have to apologize.¡±


    ¡°You probably won¡¯t believe me. Or you might be surprised. You might be disappointed in me. But with everything I have, I promise you that the reason why I hid this from you is not that I had some ulterior motives, or I didn¡¯t trust you.¡±


    ¡®Yeah, yeah. I understand everything, Hyunsung. If I don¡¯t understand you, who will? And you punk, your hyung-nim will believe everything you say. I will believe it.¡¯


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. It¡¯s all so sudden¡­what do you mean by hiding it¡­? You don¡¯t have to talk about it if you don¡¯t want to. You don¡¯t have to share everything with me. Even if you hide your personal problems, I won¡¯t be disappointed or have any other thoughts about it. I also have a few things that are hard to tell you¡­¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not such a simple matter. If only it were that mundane¡­ However, it¡¯s different from¡­ the things that you said were difficult to bring up.¡±


    ¡®If you heard everything I was hiding from you, you would probably faint¡­¡¯


    ¡°Please don¡¯t be too surprised, and I hope you¡¯ll listen to my story as calmly as possible.¡±


    ¡®I will, so please tell me your story quickly.¡¯


    And finally, the ce we arrived at was a small house. The house was so small that it looked like it could barely fit a family inside.


    I couldn¡¯t understand why Kim Hyunsung had brought me to a house a bit far away from a small vige in Heren.


    ¡®He was here.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know exactly when, but Kim Hyunsung had stayed in that ce before.


    ¡®Did he live in hiding?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t even have to guess because I knew I was going to hear everything soon.


    With a bit of a stiff expression, Kim Hyunsung opened the door. The room was rtively clean, considering that a person hadn¡¯t lived there for a long time.


    Without saying anything, he took a seat on a chair. His hands, face, and lips shook.


    Then, he suddenly got up and began to prepare tea. He was acting strangely. He lit up the firece and the candles around the house.


    I could see him moving distractingly.


    I thought he might give up on telling me everything even though we hade all the way there, but it seemed like he didn¡¯t need my help.


    ¡°It is a fine house. This ce¡­¡±


    ¡°I used to live here.¡±


    ¡°Sorry?¡±


    ¡°For a couple of months. I can¡¯t remember exactly, but it was about that long¡­ ording to what I remember.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I made a questioning expression. It was because Kim Hyunsung and I had never separated since we arrived in that world.


    Of course, we got separated sometimes toplete necessary works or missions, but it had never been that long.


    I naturally disyed a facade of shock and surprise. I was about to ask what he meant, but his expression told me not to say anything.


    ¡®I should just keep listening.¡¯


    I wasn¡¯t foolish enough to shut him off when the story was about to be unfolded.


    As if Kim Hyunsung had been relieved to see my response, he breathed a sigh of relief and continued. He couldn¡¯t suddenly say that he was a Regressor. Considering him, it was surprising that he brought up the tutorial dungeon first.


    ¡°I was a bad person.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°E-Even at the tutorial dungeon¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t fight¡­ I was too busy escaping from the monsters. It was too much for me to handle at the time. I watched from the side while many people died. I ignored their pleas for help and escaped.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about¡­?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t even remember the faces of those whom I¡¯ve left behind¡­ No, I¡¯ve watched other people die because my head was only filled with thoughts of surviving. I can¡¯t recall how many times I¡¯ve breathed a sigh of relief as I heard people scream beyond the walls because I¡¯ve survived either.¡±


    ¡®This was unexpected.¡¯


    Very unexpected.


    ¡®That was still left in his mind?¡¯


    I wasn¡¯t certain. However, there was a possibility.


    Kim Hyunsung was a good person, but he wasn¡¯t excessively so. He wasn¡¯t the type to give out a helping hand unconditionally either¡­


    It would¡¯ve been reasonable if his humanity and goodness had worn out after surviving the hellish 1rst timeline. In fact, our lovely Regressor¡¯s emotions had been quite worn out before Light Kiyoung had shone his brilliance on him.


    He didn¡¯t hesitate to kill people if necessary, and he ced benefits for himself and the party above moral standards.


    ¡®I couldn¡¯t understand it at first.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t fathom why Kim Hyunsung had gathered useless people in the 2nd timeline to y a survival camp, or why he had gone around to save the survivors.


    It became dangerous to find Jung Hayan or the murderer Jung Jinho, but the first timeline must¡¯ve influenced him.


    ¡®He didn¡¯t gather around people and investigate the dungeons before.¡¯


    He only ran away over and over again. It was a natural response for a twenty-something-year-old who had suddenly dropped into a different world without knowing anything.


    It was more convincing than saying that he ughtered monsters as soon as he wielded a sword while saying, ¡®hey, this is my hidden power.¡¯


    ¡®This is interesting.¡¯


    Very interesting, indeed.


    Who knew that Park Deokgu and I were among the people whose death Kim Hyunsung had ignored in the first timeline¡¯s dungeon tutorial?


    ¡°I survived by luck, but I remember it being very hard.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry¡­ I understand what you are saying. Hyunsung, you¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, I had participated as the investigation team in the tutorial dungeon, but I didn¡¯t do that before.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you perhaps, d-d-disappointed?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t understand everything¡­ but you only showed a natural response.¡±


    ¡®I would¡¯ve thought differently if I was the victim, though.¡¯


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±


    He seemed a bit relieved. That must¡¯ve been one of the things he worried about.


    ¡®Ah, he wanted to look kind in front of his hyung? A.¡¯


    ¡°But¡­ when you say before, what time¡­ do you mean? Have you gone through the tutorial dungeon twice?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t say that. Indeed, I had technically experienced it twice, but not in the way that you think. I mean¡­ I mean¡­ I¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already experienced this world before I met you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I am a Regressor.¡±


    I clenched my fist without realizing it. Of course, I didn¡¯t forget to act out a delicate facial expression. I looked at him like he just said somethingpletely out of the norm.


    His pupils didn¡¯t shake. His eyes told me to believe in his words.


    It seemed like his past wasing back to him bit by bit. In truth, from a normal person¡¯s perspective, I had thought that he would also know the future.


    I reacted like I couldn¡¯t believe it, and Kim Hyunsung seemed to show that he had no reason to lie.


    Seeing my changing expression¡­


    Our Regressor¡¯s hands shook.


    ¡°I-I am a Regressor.¡±

 Chapter 546: Confession (3)

    <h4>Chapter 546: Confession (3)</h4>


    ¡°I am¡­ I am a Regressor.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Why are his hands shaking so much? I don¡¯t remember him having a tremor.¡¯


    I kept thinking he had a nervous face, almost like a guilty person waiting for his sentence. It looked like he was agonizing about whether or not he made the right choice to tell me.


    He might¡¯ve wanted to turn back time. After hearing his words, I remained silent for about 10 minutes. I showed him that I was deeply thinking about things which made Kim Hyunsung even more nervous.


    I was already prepared to ept his confession, but it wasn¡¯t bad to give it a little more time while I was at it.


    ¡®I am a Regressor.¡¯


    Wow.


    It felt nice to finally hear that phrase. I wondered how much he had struggled to say those words.


    That was my small revenge to our lovely Regressor.


    Of course, I remained silent right after hearing his confession, mostly because I thought it was better to spend time pretending to think, but I also wanted to exact a little vengeance. I began to worry that I had developed a strange, new hobby of torturing innocent people. I felt better the worse his expression eventually got.


    He probably didn¡¯t expect me to respond like, ¡®Ah, I see. You¡¯re a regressor. No wonder there were many strange things about you, hahaha. Then, everything will be fine from now on. That¡¯s amazing. Great. As expected of you, Hyunsung.¡¯ But I was probably showing him the worst reaction that he could¡¯ve imagined.


    Sure enough, I saw him get up and approach me. He probably thought that he had to resolve the situation somehow quickly. Perhaps he was wondering if he should just say, ¡®Actually, it was a joke.¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung approached me slowly and lightly grabbed onto my shoulders.


    I thought it was good to y with him a bit and pped his hands away from my shoulders. In response, I heard a short sigh. I nced at Kim Hyunsung to see his reaction and saw an unexinable expression.


    ¡®Sh*t¡­ I don¡¯t think I should continue to tease him.¡¯


    He looked like he had lost everything, and his expression was worse than it was in the unconscious world. I saw his pupils lose their colors for a moment. To exin it in an extreme way, he looked like he was about to hang himself.


    ¡®I can¡¯t even make a joke.¡¯


    I worried that he might suddenly enter the unconscious world. Before he could escape through the back door, I spoke quickly.


    ¡°Ah, sorry. I was just a bit surprised.¡±


    ¡°No. I-I¡­ I am¡­ I¡­ I am¡­ the one¡­¡±


    His way of talking had suddenly changed to Jung Hayan¡¯s, and his voice was growing softer while his face was being filled with fear.


    He probably didn¡¯t even know what he was saying. He opened his mouth out of instinct, but his soul looked like it was already gone. However, Kim Hyunsung seemed to have recollected his mind in the next moment. Knowing he couldn¡¯t end things like that, he strengthened his mental state and hurriedly spoke.


    ¡°I can understand it if you can¡¯t believe it. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re really surprised and shocked. But I swear with all that I have that I never intended to deceive you at all. I always thought that I should tell you, but I thought it would be hard for you to ept. I¡¯m really sorry if I offended you in any way.¡±


    ¡®No, Hyunsung. Why would I be offended? I am happy. Rx.¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really¡­ really true.¡±


    ¡°I just have one thing that I want to ask¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, Yes. I will answer everything. Everything.¡±


    ¡°If you had really experienced living in this world before¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Did you and I also work together back then?¡±


    ¡°No. We did not. In the first timeline, you were¡­¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ perhaps, was the reason why¡­ you approached me at the tutorial dungeon¡­¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    It was a voice loud enough to surprise me. It was the strongest sound that Kim Hyunsung had ever made in his lifetime. He himself also seemed shocked by his own voice, but it felt like he wanted to make excuses first.


    He knew what I was worried about.


    ¡°Absolutely not. I did not approach you for any specific reasons. It was all a coincidence.¡±


    ¡®Yes, that¡¯s right. That time, you were looking for Hayan.¡¯


    ¡°We really met by coincidence. In the previous timeline, we had never met each other. It was my first time meeting you. I swear it on my life.¡±


    I almostughed at how he tried to exin everything in 2 seconds, but I was able to maintain a serious face while looking at him.


    Like how I wanted to hide that I had purposefully approached Kim Hyunsung, he also probably didn¡¯t want me to have simr thoughts.


    Even if we made contact in the first timeline, it wouldn¡¯t have been pleasing to hear that one person purposefully approached the other, even more so since we trusted each other.


    I nodded as if a question that had really been on my mind had been answered. But Kim Hyunsung still looked nervous.


    ¡°I will believe you.¡±


    ¡°Sorry?¡±


    ¡°I believe you.¡±


    ¡°Really¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know you won¡¯t say things like this just for the sake of it. If you¡¯ve been hiding this for so long until now, you must have had your own reasons. Of course, I was a little surprised- no, I showed you a disappointing reaction. But I¡¯m serious. I trust you, Hyunsung.¡±


    ¡®Ah, our Hyunsung is touched. Hyunsung, why are you so touched?¡¯


    ¡°How could you¡­ so easily¡­ ept this?¡±


    ¡®It wasn¡¯t easy, Hyunsung. But the cool-time was too long.¡¯


    ¡°Do you not have a reason to lie about this? Most of all, I always told you that I believed in you. Anyway, I feel like some of the questions I had are finally getting answered now. Even when I first saw you, I thought you were an unusual person. I guess there¡¯s a reason for everything. It exins some of your hard-to-understand behaviors. Like how you suddenly brought Ye-ri or tried to recruit Hyejin.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I had been with Hyejin before. The same can be said for Ye-ri.¡±


    ¡°It must have been a coincidence that we met at the tutorial.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I was actually looking for Hayan, but¡­ I didn¡¯t expect you or Deokgu to be there at all. Especially because I had never seen you both before.¡±


    ¡°We were¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly. You guys could¡¯ve failed to clear the tutorial dungeon before or been working in a different area. Maybe you died in the dungeon, or¡­ Maybe, you were one of the people I abandoned.¡±


    ¡°That could be.¡±


    ¡°Sorry?¡±


    ¡°When the monsters at the tutorial dungeon attacked us.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you save my life?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°If it weren¡¯t for you, there was a high chance that Deokgu and I would¡¯ve both died there. As you said before, if you ran away from the tutorial dungeon, I wouldn¡¯t have been saved. I¡¯ve always been thankful, but I think I became a little more grateful. My life¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°You saved my life.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡®This guy is really touched¡­ If I pushed a little more, I¡¯d probably make him cry.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t such a big line, but Hyunsung, who had been thinking long and hard, probably took it differently.


    ¡°It might be ridiculous to say this now, but I want to thank you again.¡±


    ¡°No, no. I am the one who has to thank you. I-I hope you don¡¯t think that way. Like I said before, I¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to feel guilty. Even if you left me alone and ran away in the first timeline, it wouldn¡¯t have been your fault. I also turned a blind eye to the people who were getting eaten by monsters and ran away alone to survive. It¡¯s not something you should be med for.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re still concerned about that¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°It might be funny to say this¡­ but I will forgive you for leaving me the first time then.¡±


    ¡®I pardon your sins.¡¯


    ¡°Kiyoung¡­¡±


    ¡®I think he might really cry.¡¯


    Who would¡¯ve thought he was so ice-cold in the beginning? He looked like he would melt away into a mess at that moment. He seemed speechless. Hence, before he became unable to swim away from the sea of emotions, I quickly got to the point.


    ¡°So, why did you think that you had to finally tell me this now?¡±


    ¡°It kept¡­ upying my mind. Of course, it¡¯s not like I didn¡¯t have a reason, but I wanted you to hear it. It was a big burden on me, and I feel like I had let it down now.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I thought it¡¯s also a long story¡­ Long enough to keep you awake all night.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a story that I can finish in a day. Whenever I have time, little by little¡­ I¡¯ll try to tell you all about it. We have a lot of time now. I¡¯ll answer whatever question you have and tell you what I want you to know.¡±


    ¡®Yes, it¡¯s a story of a couple of decades to tell¡­how could you finish in a day? You can do whatever you want, Hyunsung.¡¯


    ¡°For now, let me finish the story I was telling you. Maybe while we are drinking tea.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Like that, he slowly continued his story. It was about the first timeline, not in the way I saw it but in his perspective.


    He sometimes made a calm face, but other times, he looked like he was about to cry.


    It seemed that he had gone through more things than I had imagined, and I wanted him to just focus on the key points.


    However, he poured out everything.


    Even stories that could¡¯ve brought disgrace onto himself.


    Everything.


    I calmly listened to his words. The time wasn¡¯t right for me to ask questions or cut him off.


    Sometimes, his jaws would shake, or he would choke up and not say anything.


    The general conversation wasn¡¯t all that different from before or what I already knew. However, I began to be more engrossed in his stories.


    He told me how he had no choice but to flee from the tutorial dungeon and leave people there, what he did as an adventurer, and how he got into the Blue Guild.


    It was all intriguing.

 Chapter 547: The Tutorial Will Begin (1)

    <h4>Chapter 547: The Tutorial Will Begin (1)</h4>


    [The Tutorial will begin shortly.]


    ¡°Uh¡­ Huh?¡±


    I slowly looked around my surroundings.


    ¡°Uh? Where am I¡­what?¡±


    I was in apletely unfamiliar ce and only saw the interior of a dark structure. Grotesque patterns and letters that I couldn¡¯t understand filled the space, and I couldn¡¯t see anyone else but those who hade with me.


    ¡°W-Where is this ce?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask me. I-I also don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Is there other people here too? Where is this ce¡­ and why are there swords and weapons here?¡±


    ¡°If we knew that, why would we be here? It seems like everyone is in the same situation as us. Is there anything you remember?¡±


    ¡°Hey! Is anyone here? Hello?¡±


    I wasn¡¯t the only one who couldn¡¯t ept the situation.


    All of the people who filled the area were feeling fear from being in such an unfamiliar space.


    What was even more iprehensible was the strange voice I heard. My head seemed to ring, causing me to instinctively grab onto it, but my actions didn¡¯t change anything.


    I didn¡¯t know if I was kidnapped or if I was being forced into some kind of test, but I knew for sure that I had to survive here. The unfamiliar voice stated that I had to survive wherever I was, and I could only live if I beat the tutorial dungeon.


    There were water and food, necessary items, weapons, sses, monsters, and even a status window.


    It was like I was in an online game. Perhaps¡­


    ¡®I¡¯m dreaming.¡¯


    It was such an unbelievable situation that I could only think of it that way. Maybe I was in a very realistic dream.


    ¡°Help me!¡±


    ¡°P-Please let me out. Please¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop joking and open the door! I am going to sue you all! Open the door right now!¡±


    ¡°*sob*¡­*sob*¡­ Please let me live. Please¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to call the police!¡±


    ¡°Take the weapons! Don¡¯t you hear the noise outside? Lift your weapons!¡±


    ¡°You lift them! At least take the shields, hurry!¡±


    ¡°What are you doing? Hurry up and stop this stupid prank now!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a joke! Didn¡¯t you all see your status windows? Quickly raise your weapons! Hey, old man! Do you think this is a joke?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Everyone, if you deny the situation right now, nothing will change. Shouldn¡¯t we first try to solve the situation in front of us? We can hear beasts crying outside. Regardless of whether it¡¯s reality, a prank, or a dream, we have to do something. Everyone, take your weapons out. We have to fight back.¡±


    ¡°Quit this stupid joke!¡±


    ¡°This is not a joke. I wouldn¡¯t want to joke about something like this, and I actually want this to be fake. Let us all take a weapon for you. If this isn¡¯t true, then let¡¯s figure things outter on.¡±


    It felt too real to be a dream. The sensation I got when my back hit the wall or people¡¯s voices¡­ no, it already didn¡¯t matter if it was a dream or not.


    The man, who had spoken so logically, led people and gave out orders.


    ¡°No matter what the current situation is, we have to wield our weapons first. We need to have something to protect us.¡±


    I was scrambling a bit when I saw a weapon fly from somewhere. It was a huge wooden shield. I also heard another voice.


    ¡°Ah, you, the handsome gentleman. Take this. A shield will be useful.¡±


    ¡°T-thank you. I¡­ I mean, hyung.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to thank me. It¡¯s not even mine, and youdy over there. Take this shield too. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s really a prank or not, but we should prepare to fight for now.¡±


    ¡®He¡¯s a kind person.¡¯


    The man, holding a spear, talked to a man with a big build.


    ¡®I might be able to survive somehow¡­ I think I can do it.¡¯


    I continued to hear a frightening sound of beasts outside, and adult men and women were preparing and arming themselves to fight them off.


    If we all gathered our strength, we might just be able to fight off the beasts.


    ¡°Everyone holding shields, pleasee forward. The people with spears will attack from behind. We can probably defeat them easily.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think about other things, and focus on the current situation instead. Please stand in the front. You, over there, go to the front now or give your shield to someone else.¡±


    ¡°No, the shield¡­¡±


    ¡°If you aren¡¯t going to use it, why do you have it? Please go to the front. That applies to you as well. Stand up quickly.


    Everyone who had shields went to the front but did so unwillingly.


    They might¡¯ve gotten something to protect them, but who wanted to go to the front in ce of someone else?


    It was the same for me too. If someone hadn¡¯t pushed me from behind, I would¡¯ve been hanging around the crowd.


    [The starting point will open shortly. 5¡­ 4¡­ 3¡­ 2¡­ 1.]


    [Opening the starting point. Good luck.]


    The moment the stone gate opened, noises and loud screams burst out. It all happened in an instant.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhh!¡±


    Unexinable monsters with bizarre skeletons on top of them rushed towards us humans.


    ¡°Wait¡­ Uh¡­ Huh?¡±


    With a crunchy sound, blood sshed onto my face. It was impossible to make a rational decision.


    My legs lost strength, and I fell to the ground. All I could do was gasp.


    Inferno and Hell.


    It was the only way to describe the situation where people were eaten alive by unidentified monstrosities. It swiftly became a mess, and the people, who had encouraged everyone to fight were abandoning their weapons, running away, or were being surrounded by monsters.


    ¡®I¡¯m going to die¡­ We¡¯re all going to die. Mom¡­ mom¡­¡¯


    ¡°Save me! Please help me! Please!!¡±


    ¡°Run!¡±


    ¡°What? What? What?¡±


    ¡°You damn pig bastard! Run! Can¡¯t you hear me?!¡±


    ¡°Kyaaaaaaah!¡±


    ¡°Save me, save me!!¡±


    ¡°Run! Damn it¡­ Run!!¡±


    ¡®I have to escape from here.¡¯


    That was the only way I could live. I lifted my body senselessly and noticed a bag with water and food.


    ¡°Hyung, hyung! Where?!¡±


    ¡°Take the water!¡±


    As the voice that I could hear from far away ordered, I grabbed the bag without hesitation, and I saw him grab a bag too.


    A sight of a girl crying made me hesitate for a moment, but as we were helping each other, the girl fell to the ground.


    ¡°S-Sorry¡­¡±


    Before she could finish her apology, a monster bit her head off.


    ¡°Ah¡­ ah, ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Save¡­ save me¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhh!!! Ah¡­ s-sorry. I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    I felt nauseous, but my body moved based on my primal desire to survive.


    I thought I had to follow the people running away to the big exit, but my feet couldn¡¯t move. I bit my lips and shook my shield to push the crowd away, allowing me to find space.


    ¡®I have to get¡­ get out of here. I don¡¯t want to die here.¡¯


    When I saw a man fall towards me with a monster on top of him, I screamed and flung my shield around.


    ¡°Don¡¯te this way! Don¡¯te! Go away!!!¡¯


    ¡®Don¡¯te this way! Please¡­ please don¡¯te here!!¡¯


    With a loud thud, it seemed the man and the monster fell and got separated, but I couldn¡¯t even afford to nce their way. I could still hear the man¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Wah¡­ I almost died, sh*t.¡±


    I was out of breath, but I couldn¡¯t stop.


    I ran forward with all I had without looking around my surroundings much, but the exit was still so far away. I then felt someone grab onto my ankles.


    ¡°Help¡­¡±


    ¡°Let go! You¡­ let go!!¡±


    ¡°Please¡­¡±


    ¡°Let go!!!¡±


    I pped the hand that grabbed onto my ankles and moved again.


    I heard screams everywhere, and with the monster¡¯s voices, I heard cries for help.


    ¡®Please¡­ please¡­¡¯


    I was right in front of the exit. I shoved my body among the people trying to get out.


    I saw some people tripping as they were shoved out, but I couldn¡¯t afford to turn back. I had to survive first. A monster stuck onto the shield I was holding, forcing me to let it go. Soon after that, my pupils dted from the sight before me.


    It was dark, but I could see roads.


    As I ran senselessly, I saw the hands of people crying out not to leave them. People were pleading to save them.


    ¡°Save¡­ me.¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m s-sorry.¡±


    ¡°Come back! Come back! You bastards!¡±


    ¡°S-Sorry. *sob*¡­ Sorry, I am so sorry.¡±


    Tears kept dripping down my cheeks. My breaths slowed, and my head became dizzy. I wasn¡¯t sure if it was the liquid on my body, but I could constantly smell blood.


    ¡°Huff¡­ huff¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t know where I was running. I only thought of running away as far as possible. I didn¡¯t know where I was or where I was going, but I couldn¡¯t rest until I found a safe spot.


    My lungs were about to explode, but I heard another scream.


    ¡®I have to go farther.¡¯


    I had to go as far away as possible from that ce.


    ¡®I have to go to a ce without monsters.¡¯


    That was the only way I could survive. I didn¡¯t know how long I ran, but I saw a small gap. It was a gap just big enough to fit a couple of people inside.


    I ced my body between the small gap and blocked the entrance with junks and big rocks.


    Then, I finally sat down and caught my dream.


    ¡®It¡¯s not a dream¡­a dream¡­¡¯


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    It was as if all the wounds on my body were telling me that what I was experiencing was real.


    After recognizing that I wasn¡¯t dead, many thoughts rushed into my head.


    The girl who lost her bag and fell, the man that grabbed onto my ankles, the dying people, and the rest who called out for help¡­


    ¡°Bleeeeergh!¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­ Urghhhh! *sob*¡­ugh¡­¡±


    ¡°Mom¡­ mom¡­*sob*¡­ugh¡­¡±


    ¡°I am sorry, sorry. I am so sorry¡­sorry. *sob* Mom, mom. Ah, please, somebody help me. Please take me out of here¡­¡±


    Of course, no one answered me.

 Chapter 548: The Tutorial Will Begin (2)

    <h4>Chapter 548: The Tutorial Will Begin (2)</h4>


    I couldn¡¯t be certain since I didn¡¯t have a clock, but I thought that about three days had passed at this point.


    I wasn¡¯t sure, of course. I only based my calction on how I felt. I slept about three times, so that seemed right.


    ¡®I¡¯m hungry. Is it time to eat? How much time has passed since Ist ate?¡¯


    I thought at least 8 hours had passed since then. I opened my bag and saw water and food inside it. I didn¡¯t know if I should say that I was fortunate to have these.


    However, seeing that there was still a lot left, I nodded my head.


    If I saved it, I could eat for ten days or more. If I ate the bread once a day a little bit by bit, maybe, I could evenst 30 days.


    Didn¡¯t ite out on TV or the inte? Some people survived for days with just water. Since I still had a lot of food, perhaps my situation was better than those people.


    Of course, for them, they¡­


    ¡®There wouldn¡¯t be such things as monsters.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t only monsters that posed a danger to my life. My situation forced people to act like monsters. People killed each other for food, and when driven into a corner, they lost their humanity andmitted murder and crimes while lingering around the dungeon.


    I heard people fighting just yesterday at dinner time.


    More than that¡­


    I was also a monster. I also couldn¡¯t call myself normal after ignoring so many pleas for help to escape from that Hell. As I was overwhelmed with guilt, my stomach kept grumbling.


    It was at that moment when I heard voices from outside.


    ¡°I-I-Is¡­ there a-a-anyone there?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°P-please let me in. I am so hungry and tired. Please¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Please, I beg you. Please¡­¡±


    I covered my ears to ignore the pleading.


    ¡°I-I think¡­ there are some monsters around here. I beg you. Help me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I knew that I had to help. I thought I had to help and shouldn¡¯t ignore her, but I became cold-hearted in front of survival.


    ¡®My hiding spot isn¡¯t big enough for two people to stay in. There isn¡¯t much food left, and the person might be bad. They might try to take my food away¡­ they will definitely do that.¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I could no longer hear the woman¡¯s voice that was crying for help. She had probably given up. Or maybe she thought a person wasn¡¯t inside in the first ce.


    Maybe she had been talking to herself. She could¡¯ve been talking to herself because she was so tired. I looked up while taking a small piece of my bread and ate it little by little.


    ¡®I can¡¯t help it.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t help it. I wasn¡¯t sure when the Hell I was in would end, and I had to endure and survive for as long as possible. I had to be cold and even colder to survive. I could¡¯ve only survived from that ce because I was cold-hearted.


    I pushed away cries for help into a deeper ce in my heart and silenced my breathing once again. And just like that, another day went by.


    I didn¡¯t just stay still. I sat still and thought because I felt like I would go mad if I didn¡¯t think. I tried opening up my status window or tried to guess what the voice I had heard was.


    Of course, I couldn¡¯t find out. It just made me realize that what I was experiencing was real again.


    The voice had said that it was a tutorial dungeon.


    I didn¡¯t know what would happen afterward, but it seemed unlikely that I could go back home.


    I thought if that was the case, I should do something like level up, but how could I go back to that Hell?


    I thought multiple times a day to get out, but courage didn¡¯t form. My mind was still fixed on the image of corpses rolling in a pit of blood while people screamed for help.


    It was too much for me, who had never fought before, to engage in a battle with monsters. Maybe I could have gained more courage if I had a weapon, but there were no weapons with me.


    I even threw away my shield. I couldn¡¯t think of fighting with my bare body. I was in the same ce again. I ate the bread pieces in my bag and hoped that I would be at home when I woke up again.


    I thought another day had passed by. I could hear the voices of people who were escaping from monsters.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t move. There was no guarantee that monsters couldn¡¯te to where I was even if I already blocked the small entrance.


    ¡°It was self-justification.¡±


    I recognized that I was self-justifying myself, and I couldn¡¯t help but slump my head down again. It was at that moment that I heard a strange voice.


    ¡°I think someone is in here.¡±


    ¡°What is that sound?¡±


    ¡°Stay quiet for a bit.¡±


    ¡°O-Okay¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I immediately covered my mouth. I worried that they would hear that.


    I didn¡¯t know why but the voices didn¡¯t sound weing. Maybe they werepanions of the guy named Jung Jinho, who I had heard aboutst time. If they found out that I had food, they would definitely cause me harm.


    About 30 minutes seemed to pass after that. I couldn¡¯t hear anything outside. They probably thought that they misheard it. That was definitely it.


    Like that girl fromst time, they thought that too. I let out my breath that I had been withholding.


    ¡°See. Someone is inside.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It looks like they went through a hole down here¡­ That¡¯s lucky. It looks like they¡¯ve blocked it from the inside, and seeing that they¡¯ve been holding it in there, they probably have some food. I don¡¯t know where this person started from, but I guess they identally escaped and stayed stuck in there.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°We all know you are in there, so there¡¯s no need for you to stay silent like a mouse¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I told you that I know you¡¯re inside. I guess you¡¯re trying to stay there until the end. Let¡¯s see if you or I will win. I don¡¯t know how long you¡¯ve been hiding, but we call the monsters out here Starving Demons. They smell rotten flesh really well, and you see, rotting bodies are all over the ce. Let¡¯s see if you will continue to stay there if I push a rotten body inside your mouse hole. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll notice it as those demons approach you¡­ If I hear a scream, I¡¯ll know that a person is in there, and if I don¡¯t hear anything, then that means that there¡¯s no one.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I guess they¡¯lle here looking to bite on a rotting flesh but feast on a living person instead. I think you tried to block your ce crudely, but how long do you think it¡¯llst? With just a few Starving Demons, they¡¯ll blow through the entrance. Don¡¯t think the demons won¡¯t be able to get into the gap from underneath.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It seems like there isn¡¯t even an exit. Okay, enjoy your time with the Starving Demons in there. We will leave the area for you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t regret it. This is your choice, after all.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay, it¡¯s going in.¡±


    ¡°W-Wait¡­Wait. I am inside. I-I am inside.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡°Please spare me. Please¡­spare me¡­ don¡¯t hurt me. Let me just stay here¡­¡±


    ¡°Nobody asked what your situation is. Honestly, I¡¯m not even interested. I only want to ask you something more constructive. You have food, right?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ no.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a bad liar. Okay, let¡¯s do this. I will believe you that you don¡¯t have anything. This hyung has a big heart. But you¡¯re going to have to push something from the hole to this side. Whether it¡¯s food or drinking water, if you have anything, you have to push it this way. Do you understand me?¡±


    ¡°I r-really don¡¯t have anything. Really¡­ nothing. I don¡¯t have weapons. I lost my bag and shield¡­I really don¡¯t have anything. I am hungry too. I¡¯m telling you the truth.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t push anything out, a Starving Demon will go in. Don¡¯t test my nerve, brother. My mouth hurts because I talked too much. Let me tell you one more thing, brother. I won¡¯t yield.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°I will give you exactly 5 seconds. Five.¡±


    ¡®What should I do?¡¯


    ¡°Four.¡±


    ¡®Do I really have to give it to him? Really?¡¯


    ¡°Three.¡±


    ¡®If I don¡¯t have this¡­ how?¡¯


    ¡°Two.¡±


    I didn¡¯t have a choice. I took out 2/3 of the food I had from the bag and pushed out the bag. The person replied like I made the right choice.


    ¡°Good job. You made the right choice.¡±


    The sobbing continued.


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°The portion seems too small¡­¡±


    ¡®T-this¡­ bastard¡­¡¯


    ¡°I think I heard you rummaging through some things. You must have thought that I wouldn¡¯t notice.¡±


    ¡°I-I also don¡¯t have much. That¡¯s all I have. With what I have, I won¡¯t even be able tost three days.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s your problem. And if you save three days¡¯ worth of food, you¡¯ll be able to survive ten days. You¡¯re stuck in there anyway, right? We need calories because we¡¯re moving around and beating up the Starving Demons. You don¡¯t need them, don¡¯t you? Push out a little bit more. It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t have a conscience. If you give us some more, I¡¯ll put a weapon in there. A sword, how does that sound?¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t need that.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t lose anything by having that. Anyway, if you have anything, push it out again. If I¡¯m not satisfied again this time, the deal is over. Think about who¡¯s going to lose. I assure you, starving to death will be less painful than getting eaten by those bastards.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    1/3 again- no, because of what he said, I became afraid and added another half-piece of bread.


    ¡°Umm¡­¡±


    ¡®Please¡­¡¯


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s enough to say you¡¯ve passed the cut line. You¡¯ll crawl outside if you¡¯re hungry anyway. I¡¯ll throw you a weapon, brother. It¡¯s a little weird to say this, but if it¡¯s really hard, you can kill yourself. There are a lot of people who had done that.¡±


    The weapon that the man had pushed in was a bit longer than a dagger.


    Iughed in disbelief.


    ¡®You dirty bastard.¡¯


    ¡°It was a satisfying deal, customer.¡±


    ¡°T-Then, will you just leave now?¡±


    ¡°Yes, then, did you think we will kill you after receiving everything? Goodbye.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°What? What does age matter here? Shut up. There was even a young guy who hung around a murderer. Are you going to talk about age to them too?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what was happening, but it seemed like the man was arguing with hispanion.


    With an irritated voice, a sword and half-piece of bread rolled back into the small hole.


    ¡°You¡¯re lucky.¡±


    ¡°Sorry?¡±


    ¡°Mypanion says that it¡¯s heartbreaking that you¡¯re stuck in there. Stay there in moderation ande out. If possible, don¡¯t move north, and if you y a few demons, you¡¯ll get a ss and get used to things a bit. There are almost no Starving Demons around here. Mypanion also wants to take you with us. But we¡¯re not in a good situation right now either, and you¡¯re so young¡­¡±


    ¡°I am not a kid¡­¡±


    ¡°How old are you, then?¡±


    ¡°Twenty-two.¡±


    ¡°Name?¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s Kim¡­ Kim Hyunsung.¡±

 Chapter 549: The Tutorial Will Begin (3)

    <h4>Chapter 549: The Tutorial Will Begin (3)</h4>


    ¡°It¡¯s a good name.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Anyway, we better move west. I heard that there are some survivors over there. I don¡¯t know if they will ept you or not since the atmosphere there is hard to grasp, but it¡¯s probably better than being stuck in there. You¡¯re going to run out of food at that rate.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not going to take him. It¡¯s already tough enough to feed the two of us alone. And I can¡¯t afford to care for another person besides you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s useless. Why should we bring in someone who only knows how to run away?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Sigh¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Hyunsung.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Do you want to go with us?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I could only bite my lips. It was because I didn¡¯t expect such an offer.


    ¡®What should I do?¡¯


    The first thought that entered my head was if I could really believe in those voices from beyond my hiding spot. I thought the person in front of me was fundamentally bad, but he didn¡¯t seem pure evil.


    ¡®If I want to get out, this is my only chance.¡¯


    If I got the courage, I could get out with just one step. However, I couldn¡¯t believe them. They were the people who took my food.


    They could take everything from me after dragging me out of my shelter.


    It could¡¯ve been their strategy to make me feel reassured by giving back my bread and giving me a sword. They knew that I still had food. It was definitely possible.


    They also said that they fought monsters. They probably didn¡¯t hesitate to wield their sword and kill people, but¡­


    ¡®What if they¡¯re good people?¡¯


    Even though they took away my food, didn¡¯t they give me a sword? They didn¡¯t even take away all of my food. Perhaps the guy was a unique person rather than a bad one. And even hispanion seemed friendly with me somehow¡­


    ¡®I would just ask them a couple of things.¡¯


    If I thought that they were safe after asking a couple of questions, I would definitely get out.


    ¡°After arriving here¡­ have you killed¡­ any people?¡±


    ¡°Why do you suddenly ask that?¡±


    ¡°J-Just¡­¡±


    ¡°So, if I already killed someone else, you¡¯re going to remain holed up in there? In the first ce, what do you think I would do if I intended to harm you? Do you think I¡¯ll tell you I¡¯ve killed before? Or do you think I¡¯ll tell you that I have never killed anyone before?¡±


    ¡°B-But¡­ it¡¯s still an important matter.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t intentional, but I think I killed like three¡­ It was my first time¡­ But it seems that will really bother you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± ¡°You are the same, you bastard, Hyunsung. Have you heard of thew of the good Samaritan? I saw some corpses that looked pretty new on my way here. Their screams, why don¡¯t you tell me that you didn¡¯t hear them? Is there any room for excuses?¡±


    ¡°That¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard them¡­ But you probably covered your ears and eyes and turned away from them. You ignored the screams of dying people and quietly turned a blind eye to their cries for help. That¡¯s how you survived. Do you think you¡¯re different from the people around here? Personally, I think you¡¯re trashier. You¡¯re like one of those self-justifying bastards, the ones who run away and can¡¯t choose to do anything. You¡¯re the meanest and most cowardly of them all¡­ Do you understand me?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant¡­ that¡­ I didn¡¯t mean it like that¡­¡±


    ¡°I just feel like sh*t now. Damn it. We¡¯re going, motherfucker. Stay there for a million years. But before I go, I¡¯ll give you some advice, brother.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°If you really don¡¯t want to die, jump out of there and beat the monsters. We don¡¯t know what wille after the tutorial dungeon. Don¡¯t think there will be a rest area that you can hide in the next dungeon or the next ce. You have to swing around your weapon to survive. That¡¯s thew here. You should hunt when a beginner¡¯s hunting ground is open. Well, then¡­ I guess we¡¯ll see you next time if we can. I don¡¯t think that¡¯s going to happen, though. I will eat what you¡¯ve given me, you little sh*t.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Ah!¡­ Wait, Hyung! Hyung!¡±


    I called for him toote. I couldn¡¯t do anything but bang my palms uselessly onto the floor.


    ¡®Damn it, damn it¡­¡¯


    That was my only chance of getting out of my own grave. Of course, I didn¡¯t know if those people were really kindhearted or not, but that was my only chance.


    No, it still wasn¡¯t toote. If I went out right at that moment, I could maybe follow them.


    I tried to get up from the small space hurriedly, but my body strangely didn¡¯t move.


    It was scary. Even I couldn¡¯t exin it any other way. How could I trust anyone else when I couldn¡¯t even believe in myself?


    Even the useless question I asked¡­ Maybe I just needed a reason not to get out. That was why I raised such a weird question. That person was right.


    I was the same as him. I just didn¡¯t kill anyone with my own hands. I was also a monster. I ignored the people in danger. I heard the voices of people dying while hiding and self-justified my actions when I ignored the pleading woman.


    Perhaps, the reason why I had only that amount of food left was that it was the consequence of my actions. Because I only thought of myself, god was punishing me.


    If I had known my food would disappear like that¡­ I should¡¯ve shared some with other people.


    There was the imminent sound of sobbing. ¡°¡­Mom¡­¡±


    How did I end up like that? I couldn¡¯t understand how I was stuck in that ce. If I had saved the man who had grabbed onto my ankles, would something have changed?


    No, perhaps if I had offered the bag to the girl who grabbed onto it at the same time as me, something could¡¯ve been different.


    Maybe if I had stayed there and fought till the end, things would¡¯ve been different.


    I wouldn¡¯t have felt so guilty if I ran out to those who cried out for help.


    ¡°Sorry. Sorry¡­¡± The sobbing continued.


    ¡®I¡¯ll throw you a weapon, brother. It¡¯s a little weird to say this, but if it¡¯s really hard, you can kill yourself. There are a lot of people who have already done that.¡¯


    I remembered those words again when I saw the dagger next to me. I couldn¡¯t really see properly due to the darkness, but my expression reflected on the dagger probably looked strange.


    Like that man had said, perhaps things would be easier if I just died. At least, I wouldn¡¯t have to live with the guilt.


    I ced the sharp dagger onto my neck, and with slight pain, a stream of blood trailed down my neck. My hands trembled, and my breathing became more uneven. I thought I could end things if I just put in more strength, but it wasn¡¯t easy to push the dagger in.


    The sobbing was still imminent. ¡°Mom¡­¡±


    It was scary to just die like that. I was afraid to end my own life in such a terrible ce. In the end, I dropped my dagger onto the ground and slumped my head down.


    ¡®You stupid bastard. You can¡¯t even kill himself. You still want to live somehow, scumbag. Trash bastard, idiot, maggot,plete human trash.¡¯


    ¡°Urgh¡­¡±


    At that moment, I heard a noise from the other side.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Hyung? Hyung? You are Hyung, right?¡±


    ¡°Ack¡­¡±


    ¡°Hyung! I-I wille out. I wille out and join you. I¡¯m sorry for what I didst time, so please take me with you. I want to go with you.¡±


    ¡°Kiehhhhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhhh! S-Save me. Please, somebody, save me¡­¡±


    ¡°Kiehh!¡±


    ¡°Save me¡­ please save me. Please, someone¡­¡±


    I could feel the rocks at the entrance shaking. I didn¡¯t know how the person had found my spot, but I thought I could hear the voice fromst time again.


    ¡®Well, then¡­ see you next time if we can. I don¡¯t think that¡¯s going to happen, though.¡¯


    That person could¡¯ve put a corpse in front of the entrance. I didn¡¯t know the reason, but he could¡¯ve caused the situation I was in.


    I tried to block the entrance to prevent them from getting in as much as possible, but I couldn¡¯t even do that much because I had be so weak.


    ¡°Please spare me. Spare me¡­ Hyung, I am sorry. Please let me live. I will give the rest of my food, please¡­ Hyung! Hyung!¡±


    Who was asking who for help? Nobody helped in that ce. I, myself, didn¡¯t help anyone. Why would anyone help me in return? Eventually, the barrier in front of the entrance cracked open with a crashing sound, and I saw a monster crawl in from the open hole.


    I quickly nced at the sword I got in exchange for food.


    ¡®I have to kill it.¡¯


    ¡°Kieeeeeeeeeeeeeh!¡±


    ¡°Die! D-Die!¡±


    In the end, a battle didn¡¯t ur. I simply stabbed the Staving Demons¡¯ heads as they squeezed in through the small hole.


    I could feel a sickening sensation as my sword went through its flesh. But I couldn¡¯t stop myself from stabbing into them. I couldn¡¯t even afford to check if it was dead or alive. That was already too much.


    ¡°Urgh¡­ Die! Diie! Monster bastard. Monster bastard!!¡±


    ¡°Ehhhh¡­¡±


    ¡°Huff¡­ huff¡­ haaaa.¡±


    After the head had beenpletely broken into pieces, I could finally breathe out a sigh of relief. I didn¡¯t have a choice. I had to get out of my hiding spot.


    If one had found my hiding spot, another one could do the same.


    If the guy who had spoken to me had really shoved in a Starving Demon to such a tight space, then my location was more dangerous than it was safe. Before I could think about how I killed a creature for the first time, Iid my body t and squeezed out of the narrow space.


    The stench of the monsters¡¯ wastes flowed around my noise.


    In fear that they might move again, I gripped my sword tightly.


    ¡°I have to survive with my own power.¡±


    ¡®I can¡¯t trust in anyone else.¡¯


    ¡°I am not selfish. That is how¡­ everyone lives. That¡¯s how I can survive, and that¡¯s what everyone who had survived this far had done¡­ that¡¯s the only way. Hyung- no, even that person¡­ could¡¯ve only survived like that.¡±


    Even if I had cried out for help, nobody woulde. It was the same for me. There was no favor without strings attached.


    What would¡¯ve happened if I had followed that guy? Perhaps, I could¡¯ve died on the spot. That would¡¯ve definitely happened.


    He was the kind of guy who would¡¯ve pushed a monster into my hiding spot and more.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t me him. I was just stupid to be tricked by him.


    ¡°Huff¡­ huff¡­¡±


    Those words were right. However, after getting out of the tight space, I couldn¡¯t withhold my tears when I saw the red arrows in front of me.


    - Let¡¯s try to meet each other alive. Join us if you want to.


    Those were words written next to the arrows. Next to those words, there was a half-piece of bread just thrown into a corner.


    I couldn¡¯t do anything but just stare at it as I held onto my sword even harder.


    ¡°I have to survive.¡±

 Chapter 550: Tutorial Will Begin (4)

    <h4>Chapter 550: Tutorial Will Begin (4)</h4>


    ¡°Status Window.¡±


    [Name: Kim Hyunsung]


    [Title: None. You are going to have to work a bit harder than that.]


    [Age: 22]


    [Temperament: Timid Dreamer]


    [Job: Common-Grade Warrior]


    [Abilities]


    [Strength: 11]


    [Agility: 25]


    [Health: 13]


    [Intellect: 10]


    [Durability: 19]


    [Luck: 15]


    [Magic: 03]


    [Inventory]


    [A cheap steel sword nobody would use even for free - Common-Grade]


    [A cheap dagger nobody would use even for free - Common-Grade]


    ¡°I have changed my job. It was really true.¡±


    After hanging my dagger to my waist and leaning my shoulder against a sword, I finally felt like my fatigue had been swept away. Of course, I was still physically tired. I felt like I was standing on the tip of a de. I was annoyed by all the sweat and lethargy I felt.


    I nced at my surroundings. I did manage to finish off one monster, but there might be other monsters near me. After making sure that there was no other abnormality, my lips curved to a smile.


    ¡®How many do I have to fight to change my job again?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know for sure because I had so little information. However, it probably wouldn¡¯t be too much for me to handle to hunt some down. Hadn¡¯t I been doing that all along?


    Since it was a path that many, including Hyung and hispanion, had passed, I could handle it.


    Even the monsters around the vicinity were just the ones that had fallen away from the herd. It was natural that I could safely move along that path.


    Of course, it still wasn¡¯t easy to fight those monsters head-on. Even though I learned that they weren¡¯t as strong as I thought, it didn¡¯t mean that fear had disappeared from my heart.


    I had battled many times by that point, but it was still scary to confront monsters while wielding my sword. It was hard to handle them when their fangs and ws were sharp and when their numbers gradually increased.


    If I got attacked first, I was immediately out. I grabbed onto my throbbing left arm, but the wound there didn¡¯t disappear.


    ¡®If it weren¡¯t for the dagger, I would¡¯ve been done for.¡¯


    I had lost my grip on my sword when a monster suddenly attacked me. I only survived because of my secondary weapon. The status window said that it was a worthless weapon, but it was a treasure for me, who had nothing.


    I didn¡¯t know how many weapons Hyung and hispanions had taken, but since I couldn¡¯t go back to the starting point, it was a treasure that I traded food for.


    I thought my food had been stolen back then, but the more I fought, the more I felt like I got a good deal. They were considerate of me, after all.


    ¡®It couldn¡¯t be helped that I am hungry¡­¡¯


    Who could eat until they were full in such a ce? I could endure hunger, but I wouldn¡¯t survive without a weapon or if I didn¡¯t prepare for the future. ording to what Hyung said, if there was something after the dungeon we were in, I had to increase my level as much as I could. That was the only way I could survive.


    I wiped my sword from the monster¡¯s blood for about 20 minutes.


    I thought I had to move again. I lifted my body, but I didn¡¯t know for sure where I had to go. It was around that part that I could no longer find an arrow on the wall.


    It seemed that something had happened.


    I wasn¡¯t sure, but there were signs of battle.


    I didn¡¯t know if they fought with a monster or a conflict urred between them, but they must¡¯ve be unable to give me directions. There was also a chance that they just forgot.


    ¡®Should I try looking around my surroundings again?¡¯


    It would probably be more helpful to simply hunt. I continued moving.


    ¡°Kieeeeeeeeh¡­¡±


    I heard a monster¡¯s cry. Sweat burst out of my forehead, and my breathing became rough.


    Even though I already knew how to fight, it was hard to move right at that moment. I was resentful of how my body had be so stiff, but to survive, I needed to swing my sword around.


    That was what Hyung told me as well. I could only survive if I raised my weapon and fought back.


    I couldn¡¯t be certain if there were more of them, but I could hear noise from only one. Muffing my footsteps, I walked towards the source slowly and saw one crawling on the floor.


    I gulped my saliva back in and slowly raised my sword.


    I didn¡¯t know if I should run or wait for them toe my way. If I had a choice, I wanted to kill the monster safely. It was too much to fight the monster head-on. After clinging onto the wall, I waited for the monster toe to me. I held onto my breath and waited for it to pass me so that I could pierce its head with my sword from its blindspot.


    I knew that I could imagine the method a hundred times, but it was different in real-life. Still, I couldn¡¯t help but rey many simtions inside my mind.


    I suddenly felt a dull shock on my waist.


    ¡°Ahh!¡±


    ¡°Kieeeeeeeeeh!¡±


    With a scream, I rolled on the ground.


    ¡°Damn it!¡±


    It wasn¡¯t the one I was waiting for. Another one had appeared. I fixed my position after rolling once while the one that had been waiting for me charged as it drooled.


    ¡®I was lucky.¡¯


    It didn¡¯t aim for my neck first and just started with a whole-body bump. It could probably only do that, seeing the way it struggled to walk. Another monster rushing in from behind wasn¡¯t normal either.


    ¡®I need to think. Think.¡¯


    I tried to formte a n in my head. After leaving one twisted, I tried to finish the one with the injured leg. In the time the monster in front of me would take to fix its position, I could finish off the other one.


    The monster wouldn¡¯t be able to regain its bnce in time, so I could finish it off by stabbing my sword into it. In those few seconds, all kinds of thoughts rushed into my head, and I tried to carry them out ordingly.


    When one of the monsters jumped, I turned my body around and avoided it.


    ¡°Kieeeeeeeeh!¡±


    I stabbed my sword through the monster that was running towards me.


    Push.


    The de pierced exactly into its head. I whispered ¡®Yes!¡¯ in my mind and turned my head to see a monster running towards me.


    ¡®I have to hit him down with a sword.¡¯


    I tried to take my sword out of the beast¡¯s head.


    ¡°Uh?!¡±


    The sword felt like it was stuck.


    ¡°Uh¡­ uh!¡±


    I put more strength into my pulls, but the result was the same. The monster continued to run towards me. In that moment of surprise, the monster aimed for my left leg, and I felt great pain swiftly afterward.


    ¡°Ahhhhhh!¡±


    While screaming, I tried to shove my dagger into the monster¡¯s head, but because it kept moving its neck around, it wasn¡¯t easy.


    I tried stabbing the dagger onto its shoulders, but that didn¡¯t stop its assault either.


    My actions seemed to only infuriate it more. It shook its head harder as my leg hurt as if it would fall off. Tears poured out of my eyes, and all kinds of thoughts rushed into my head, but I extended my hand out again.


    In the end, I wielded my dagger and thrust it exactly into its head, causing the monster to finally fall silent.


    ¡°Huff¡­ huff¡­ huff¡­¡±


    ¡®I almost died.¡¯


    Every fight was dangerous, but I had almost died this time. If I had stayed shocked, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to do anything and died.


    I felt like all the confidence that I gained recently just crumbled a bit. My breathing continued to grow rougher.


    ¡°Urgh¡­ Urggggggh¡­¡±


    I slowly opened the mouth of the monster that I had killed with my own hands, causing unknown substances to pour out. My legs, which I thought had been ripped off, actually looked okay.


    Perhaps it was because I had stabbed a dagger into its shoulders, or maybe its teeth had been damaged from chewing on humans for too long.


    After tying my leg up, I forced myself to move again. Someone mighte to that area after hearing my scream.


    It was dangerous whether a monster or a person came. I had to be as careful as I possibly could.


    ¡®Let¡¯s think logically. Be cold.¡¯


    I tried to convince myself by saying the same words inside my head, but my body continued to shake. It was impossible not to be scared. I was able to get through everything just by luck. Unexpected things could always happen, and not everything yed out as I had expected.


    ¡®I almost died. Seriously¡­ I could¡¯ve really died this time.¡¯


    Fear crawled up the length of my spine. When I recalled the chaotic situation, my body began to tremble again.


    ¡®My¡­ sword. My sword¡­¡¯


    I approached the monster that had injured its legs and couldn¡¯t maintain bnce. After I hit its head, I was finally able to pull out my sword.


    Where did ite from?


    ¡®And how did it injure its legs?¡¯


    Monsters didn¡¯t attack each other. A human probably hurt it. The monster wasn¡¯t also the type to run away or back off, so the person must have ended their hunt, or the monster might have lost the human.


    ¡®Where did ite from?¡¯


    The path I had walked on was almost all clean. It wouldn¡¯t be strange for someone to be at the ce that the monster hade out of. The wound on its legs indicated that a sword or a spear had injured it. Perhaps¡­


    ¡°It could be Hyung and hispanion.¡±


    The beast must¡¯ve fallen behind the herd.


    ¡°There were signs that a battle had taken ce.¡±


    When I thought that they must¡¯ve fought the monsters who had been separated from the rest of their kind, things made sense.


    ¡®The arrows also stopped here, too.¡¯


    Other monsters must¡¯ve followed Hyung and hispanions while that one fell behind because of its injured leg.


    ¡®I have to help.¡¯


    I had to repay them. After I tied my leg with a cloth, I was able to walk a bit while limping. It was hard to run, but it wasn¡¯t like I couldn¡¯t move. I had thought Hyung and hispanions would definitely need a helping hand if monsters were chasing them.


    Hyung would probably be wary of me since he wouldn¡¯t be able to recognize me right away, but if I exined that I was Kim Hyunsung, he would feel reassured. I squinched up my face in pain, but when I thought about how I could meet hyung again, a smile spread on my face.


    I might¡¯ve had a chance to save hyung.


    I didn¡¯t know the exact way to trail someone, but I followed the dents on the walls and the traces of footprints on the ground. Then, in a wider space, I was able to see corpses of monsters as if another battle had taken ce.


    I wasn¡¯t sure, but it seemed like not many hours had passed since they died, and they still had some heat left in them. It was hard to walk, but I began to move faster.


    Before I knew it, I was running until I was out of breath.


    I wanted to say thank you.


    I wanted to thank him for the dagger and the steel sword and say that I managed to get out of hiding due to him.


    I didn¡¯t even know his name, nor had I seen thepanion he was with. I also wanted to apologize for saying that he was a bad person.


    ¡°Hyung¡­ Hyung!¡±


    However, due to the sight I saw¡­


    I couldn¡¯t help but cover my mouth with my hands, blocking my voice froming out.

 Chapter 551: The Tutorial Will Begin (5)

    <h4>Chapter 551: The Tutorial Will Begin (5)</h4>


    ¡°Hang on! Hang on! If we keep hanging on, we can get rid of all of them. Everyone,e back to your senses. You can do it if we continue to hold on. We are at an advantage!¡±


    ¡°Kieeeeeeeh!¡±


    ¡°Damn it! Fuck off! Fuck off! You bastards!¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhh!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t back down! It¡¯ll be your end if you show your back. Don¡¯t break the formation! Don¡¯t be sacred, you bastards, stab at them! You can do it! It¡¯s easy! Easy!¡±


    ¡°Kieeeeeeeeh!¡±


    ¡°Raise your shields! Pig sh*t! Raise your shield!¡±


    Pierce!


    ¡°My arm! My arm! Ahhhhhh! Help me! Help¡­Ahhhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t go to save him. Don¡¯t leave your positions! Sh*t! I told you dumb fuckers to not break the formation!! We will only die if we get separated!¡±


    Monsterspletely surrounded the party in a small space. The ce wasn¡¯t that far, but I couldn¡¯t see anyone else. I could only bite my lips upon witnessing the sheer number of monsters surrounding them.


    It looked like they were resisting as much as they could, but the fact stood that theycked the numbers. Monsters fell out, but the monsters called Starving Demons didn¡¯t seem like their numbers were going to decrease any time soon.


    ¡°You fucking¡­ frustrating bastards! Listen to me! You bastards! Ah, you, frustrating bastards!¡±


    I had to raise my sword. I thought I had to charge from my ground, but my legs didn¡¯t move. It was as if they had been frozen into ce.


    ¡°Ah¡­ ah¡­¡±


    ¡®I will die.¡¯


    That meant, if I showed myself, I would die. If I screamed or the monsters noticed my presence, I would get killed.


    I had almost died from just trying to fight two monsters. They were able to at least resist a bit because of their numbers, but I was alone on my end.


    I didn¡¯t have a shield to block attacks, and my body wasn¡¯t in the best condition.


    One of my legs was still limping because of the wound, and my left arm didn¡¯t listen to me. I didn¡¯t even have any strength left. If I fought in that state, it wouldn¡¯t be that much different from suicide.


    Even if the monsters in the back that were waiting for their turn ran to me, they still probably wouldn¡¯t survive. I wouldn¡¯t be of much help when my body would be ripped into pieces immediately upon joining thebat.


    My breathing soon became rough, and my arms shook. I wanted to run out at that moment to help them. I needed to help. If I was human, it was the right thing for me to do.


    ¡®I have to save them.¡¯


    I got help from them. I was only able to survive thanks to hyung. I had to help him. It was only thanks to him that I was able to escape from that hole. I had to save him too.


    However¡­


    ¡®I-It might not even be hyung.¡¯


    I personally thought the voice was a bit different. No, I couldn¡¯t even remember how his voice sounded. In the first ce, his voice was hoarse and impossible to tell.


    It seemed his way of talking was simr, but there was a chance that the party fighting over there wasn¡¯t hyung or hispanions. I couldn¡¯t even hear his voice properly because of the monsters¡¯ shrieking.


    My heart began to move toward them. I thought that I should stop self-justifying, that all I was doing was making excuses for myself, and even if he wasn¡¯t hyung, it was only right for me to help them. But my feet didn¡¯t move.


    At that moment, one of the men, who was surrounded by monsters, met my eyes. I didn¡¯t see his face clearly, but his eyes definitely met mine. It seemed like he was assured- like it would be alright at that moment.


    ¡®I have to help.¡¯


    ¡°He¡­Help¡­¡±


    ¡®I can fight with them.¡¯


    ¡°I-I¡­¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s the right thing to do. It was thanks to him that I coulde all the way here.¡¯


    ¡°I can also¡­ fight¡­¡±


    ¡®Fight with them, you stupid bastard!¡¯


    ¡°Let¡¯s fight¡­ together.¡±


    My body betrayed my mind.


    My legs, which I had thought couldn¡¯t move because of my injuries, moved faster than usual to run away from the ce.


    I thought I couldn¡¯t fight because I was so tired, but I was already far away from that Hell before I knew it.


    ¡°Huff, huff, uh¡­ stupid bastard¡­¡±


    My breathing became rough, and blood sprouted out of the cloth wrapped around my leg, but my legs still didn¡¯t stop.


    ¡°Kim Hyunsung, you stupid bastard! Coward, coward sh*t¡­urgh, you should just die. You should die, you bastard.¡±


    The tears blurred my vision.


    I didn¡¯t know if it was from guilt or the relief that I survived, but tears continued to pour out of my eyes.


    I was a foolish bastard. Coward bastard. I didn¡¯t deserve to live. Even if I survived right then, I wouldn¡¯t be able to move forward like that.


    I turned away from the one person who helped me. Like the time I had hidden inside a cave, I betrayed my and other people¡¯s expectations yet again. However, another part of myself said that it was fine then, and thanks to my actions, I was in a safe ce.


    It told me to go even further to survive, and if I survived one more time, I could continue that game. I didn¡¯t stop. I was already far away, but I continued to move my feet forward.


    I didn¡¯t know the reason. But I couldn¡¯t endure staying still.


    It was at that moment when I saw a faint arrow drawn on the wall.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    There was the arrow that I couldn¡¯t find.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    It was the same arrow that I saw when I got out of the cave.


    It turned out that they didn¡¯t forget him.


    ¡®They¡¯re waiting for me.¡¯


    They must have definitely thought I would get out of my cave and follow them.


    Tears welled up in my eyes again. I bit my lips and clenched my sword again and couldn¡¯t think of anything else. Before I realized it, I was heading back to Hell.


    ¡°Huff¡­ huff¡­¡±


    ¡®Please still be alive.¡¯


    ¡°Huff¡­ huff¡­ huff¡­¡±


    ¡®They¡¯re probably still hanging on. Definitely. Please¡­ please be alive.¡¯


    ¡®Please be alive. Please¡­ please, I beg you.¡¯


    ¡®Please be alive. Please, I even turned back. I can fight with you guys now.¡¯


    Yes, that¡¯s what I had to do.


    ¡®You¡­ you bastards! Bastards!!!¡±


    I just flung around my sword.


    ¡®Think.¡¯


    ¡®Don¡¯t stab. Put some strength into your swings and slice the head off.¡¯


    ¡®I have to think.¡¯


    ¡°Ahhhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°Kieeeeeeeh!¡±


    I couldn¡¯t stop my sword. I had to slice them in one go because the sword could get blocked or stuck. I shouldn¡¯t worry about other matters. I just had to avoid and slice. It was an easy thing. I could see everything.


    ¡°You bastards! Bastards!! Hyung! Hyung!! I came. Just endure¡­ endure for a bit!!!¡±


    ¡°Kieeeeh!¡±


    All the monsters that wereing toward me, I could avoid them by moving a bit.


    ¡®I can do this.¡¯


    I was faster and stronger.


    ¡®It was all in my head. I knew how to swing, avoid, and block.¡¯


    It was easy to execute. I already knew, and I just had to transfer it to action. I just had to think it was a game. I should think of it as using a skill. Instead of moving my fingers, I was simply moving my body.


    If a monster wasing from my left, I sliced its neck off with my sword. If one crawled toward me and aimed for my leg, I could take a step backward and avoid it. I kept moving so that my back wouldn¡¯t get captured.


    It wasn¡¯t that hard. My reach was much longer, and whenever one came into my reach, I pierced the monster with my sword.


    Blood sshed to my face, but I didn¡¯t have time to wipe it off. My breathing became rough, but I continued to move. It was hard. I thought my heart was going to explode. Still, I forcefully screamed and endured the pain.


    ¡°Urghhhhh! You bastards! Come on! Come on! You bastards! You bastards! Hey! Hey! I¡¯m here! Kim Hyunsung! Kim Hyunsung! Kim Hyunsung is here! Kim Hyunsung! 22 years old Kim Hyunsung is here! I can help you! I¡¯ll help you!¡±


    Sometimes, it didn¡¯t happen like I thought it would. My grip wasn¡¯t strong enough at times and stopped mid-air. With the legs I couldn¡¯t move, I pushed the monster away and made a circle with my sword.


    ¡®I can just stand here.¡¯


    ¡°I am faster.¡±


    ¡°I am faster.¡±


    ¡°I am faster!!¡±


    ¡®I think I can move even faster.¡¯


    ¡°A bit faster! I am faster!¡±


    ¡®If I did that, I won¡¯t be able to think.¡¯


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡±


    I didn¡¯t have to think. I swung my sword faster and faster. I didn¡¯t even have to see what was happening.


    [Agility increased by 1.]


    I didn¡¯t have to differentiate between things I could or couldn¡¯t slice. Regardless if it was an arm or feet, I immediately sliced it if it was within my reach. I was faster anyway.


    [Agility increased by 1.]


    ¡®Let¡¯s not decide the order. Avoid it, move the sword down, and don¡¯t think about it. Let¡¯s not think about how to swing. It¡¯s already all in my head. If I think about it, I¡¯ll be toote.¡¯


    I wanted someone to tell me where I should swing my sword, but it didn¡¯t matter. All my attacks reached them anyway.


    [Agility increased by 1.]


    ¡°You bastards! You bastards!!!¡±


    [You acquired a new job.]


    ¡°Hyung! Hyung! Hyung!¡±


    [Transfer from Common-Grade Warrior to Swordsmanplete.]


    ¡°I am faster. I am faster!¡±


    New information filled my head. My sword became sharper, and my movements became more precise.


    My arms and feet were heavy. I couldn¡¯t move them properly, but I moved my body again. I already felt more energized seeing the monsters decrease little by little.


    The people who were fighting inside probably had the same feeling. They probably felt hope that the monsters¡¯ numbers were decreasing. The only ones left were about ten monsters gathered in the center. Because they had been distracted there, I was able to move around more easily.


    I felt like my lungs woulde out of my mouth, but I swung my sword again. After Ipletely sliced the few that were left, I ran toward the center.


    ¡°Hyung! Hyung!! It¡¯s me. I came to save you.¡±


    It was tiresome to remove the monsters surrounding the monsters¡¯ corpses.


    ¡°Hyung!¡±


    But I didn¡¯t hear a reply.


    ¡°Hyung¡­hyung!¡±


    They were buried under the monsters¡¯ bodies, and I saw corpses that were so ruined that I couldn¡¯t even recognize them.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡­ ahhhh¡­ ahhh¡­¡±


    They were abandoned and thrown away as if they were asking why I had left them and escaped alone.


    The sobbing could be heard.


    Why did I run away?


    ¡°I am sorry¡­ Sorry¡­ I am sorry¡­¡±


    Why didn¡¯t I have more courage?


    The sobbing only continued.


    Why did I even try to avoid it?


    Tears kept dripping down my cheeks. I couldn¡¯t recognize who was who, and who I was crying for. They all had be pieces of meat. I thought that they could perhaps be someone else, but¡­


    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡±


    I burst out in tears upon finding the corpse of a man holding onto the bag that I had thrown out.


    ¡°Ughhhhh¡­¡±


    -Let¡¯s try to meet each other alive.


    ¡°Ughhhhh¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ Sorry. I¡¯m so sorry¡­¡±


    -Join us if you want to.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh! Ahhhhhhhhh!!!! *sob*¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t hear any other voices.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhh!¡±

 s 522: Revenge Companion (1)

    <h4>Chapters 522: Revenge Companion (1)</h4>


    ¡°So¡­ What happened after that?¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t really remember. It happened so long ago, but I¡¯m starting to remember some details while we¡¯re talking. After that¡­ I wandered around that area for a while and was found by the Blue¡¯s guild members. At that time, by the attacking team¡­ I mean¡­¡±


    ¡°Was there an attack team back then as well?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t know if you remember, but it was led by a man named Jung Jinho¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, you mean that lunatic killer?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it seemed as if a few people, including Lee Kichul and Jung Jinho, formed a special group toplete the tutorial dungeon. Of course, it wasn¡¯t through a standard method. It was revealedter that they took some of the people hiding and used them as scapegoats. This is not going to happen anymore, but¡­ In fact, Jung Jinho never got into any guild after that but started to work independently. As the leader of a notoriously murderous brigade, he caused a lot of negative impacts on the empire. However, I remember that he met a miserable end.¡±


    ¡°So¡­¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s why when I went down to the basement of the tutorial dungeon, I thought I had to finish him. That¡¯s why I was happy to go down there with him. As a result, you were hurt by Yoo Seokwoo. However, if we hadn¡¯t finished off Jung Jinho in the dungeon, he would have caused a lot more damage. Because he was basically born to be a psychopath.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a little curious about how that kind of person would have died. So, what happened in the 1st Timeline?¡±


    ¡°He was betrayed.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°He was betrayed by his colleagues, driven into a trap, and died a miserable death. It was Lindel¡¯s guild that killed him, but it was probably the masked man and woman who orchestrated the situation. To add more to that, the devil summoner Jin Qing¡­ was also a member of the murderous brigade. I don¡¯t know what exactly happened, but it¡¯s probably because of a power struggle inside the group. I guess even a notorious criminal like Jung Jinho was also merely a puppet for the demon summoner.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to understand because I¡¯m listening to so many stories at once. Jin Qing, he is¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, he is also one of the worst humans in the world¡­ No, I think it will be better to talk about himter. Because Jin Qing only began to reveal himself after Jung Jinho¡¯s miserable death¡­anyways, serial killer Jung Jinho died after being hit by hundreds of arrows. He screamed, cried out tears of blood, smiled at the sky, and then finally died. It was a horror to look at it.¡±


    ¡®Damn, this punk suddenly starts talking about himself and then quickly changes to talking about Jin Qing, even though he said himself that Jin Qinges out wayter in the story.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m not good at talking, so I feel like I¡¯m going all over the ce.¡±


    ¡°No, I have no problem understanding it at all.¡±


    In fact, it was an interesting story.


    Although I knew that there had been a deep connection between demon summoner Jin Qing and the lunatic psychopath Jung Jinho through Yuno Kasugano, I didn¡¯t know that it was Jin Qing who backstabbed Jinho in the end.


    He really did seem like the viin who drove humanity to damnation in the 1st Timeline.


    Who else could be the cold-blooded trash that trusted no one and would sacrifice hisrades in a heartbeat?


    ¡®Good thing I dealt with him early on.¡¯


    I felt good for quickly eliminating the two viins that would bring so much destruction to the empire early on in my journey. If they were still alive, I wouldn¡¯t be able to rx like that.


    ¡®Let¡¯s stop thinking about them, whatever.¡¯


    I had to keep hearing about themter anyway. What was more interesting was hearing Kim Hyunsung¡¯s experiences during the First Timeline.


    ¡®He is definitely talented.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know if he was bragging, but being able to cut through dozens of monsters in the first and second position could only be exined by talent.


    Even if knowledge came through his head, who would be able to fight like that? Perhaps, the danger and death of that hyung helped Kim Hyunsung evolve into who he was at the moment.


    I was d to whoever he was that heroically died there. He had been very useful for increasing Kim Hyunsung¡¯s experience points.


    The one thing that I found strange was why Kim Hyunsung wasn¡¯t looking for that person¡­ If not¡­


    ¡®He already looked for him¡­¡¯


    However, he was not able to find him.


    In the first ce, there was so little information. He never saw that hyung and only knew him by his voice. And even that memory of his voice might not be urate.


    Even if Kim Hyunsung wanted to find him, he probably couldn¡¯t. Perhaps he couldn¡¯t even think that it was a possibility in such an unexpected situation¡­


    If not, he might have forgotten about him altogether.


    ¡°Then he¡­ That hyung person is¡­¡±


    ¡°I tried to find him while continuing the tutorial, but as expected, it wasn¡¯t easy. I was also running around like crazy and was stuck in a cave. Hence, I couldn¡¯t remember well either.¡±


    ¡®I guess he did look for him.¡¯


    ¡°I think he¡¯s probably alive. I¡¯m sure he¡¯s alive somewhere. I¡¯m not certain, but I think he¡¯s not a person that would die easily. Moreover, we¡¯ve reduced the number of monsters greatlypared to the First Timeline.¡±


    ¡°So, there was a reason why you went out alone.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but that wasn¡¯t the only reason why I went around the dungeons every time. That aside, after I got out of the dungeon, I joined the Blue Guild. I was rtively less noticed because I wasn¡¯t able to get into the assault team, but¡­¡±


    ¡®Well, there is a saying that sharp fangs are bound to pierce through pockets. [Note: *means hidden talents cannot go unnoticed]


    I was sure that while he was training at the training center, people realized he was a hidden gem.


    ¡°I got an offer from Cha Hee-ra and Park Yeon-joo, but I chose the Blue Guild for many reasons. The biggest reason was that I couldn¡¯t afford topare the different offers. I received a lot of help from Lee Sang-hee, who is now the guild advisor. As you probably expected, during that time, the Blue Guild¡¯s finances were in a bad situation, so we went through some hard times. The situation got even worse when Lee Seolho brought in the demon worshipper, Ito Souta. That was the first war.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡®Man, what a mess it was.¡¯


    ¡°The battle between the cities of Celia and Lindel was my first war. Of course, the war didn¡¯tst too long, but¡­ I thought the church would mediate somewhat, but they didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s understandable.¡¯


    At that time, the devil worshipper Ito Souta had a tight grip on the church.


    Considering that Ito Souta was influential not only in politics but also in the Vatican, he would have tried to minimize the church¡¯s involvement.


    From the church and the empire¡¯s perspective, it made no sense to just watch a conflict between two cities with strong forces ur.


    However, considering that reducing the entrance of adventurers could be solved without their involvement, it wasn¡¯t a bad choice for the church to just watch. However, because of this, I was not sure if emperor Sharlia, with his thick head, could have calcted so far ahead¡­


    As a result, that choice brought on the war against the Republic, like a butterfly effect.


    For the Republic and Jin Qing¡¯smanders, that trash, how would they miss such a perfect opportunity to attack the empire?


    Considering the overall flow, the 1st Timeline was basically hell, with never-ending wars urring one after another.


    Civil wars between cities against Celia, the emergence of a murderous brigade, the war against the Republic, and it was probably around that time that the mask trash would have begun to make his entrance.


    I could bet that the next story would probably be about Kim Hyunsung making aeback as a regressor.


    I was a bit curious about when Park Deokgu died, but based on the flow of the story, I think it might¡¯ve been between the civil wars and the emergence of the murderous brigade. Since I didn¡¯t want to miss any details, I wanted to hear Kim Hyunsung continue his story a little longer, but contrary to what I wanted, the morning sun was beginning to appear.


    ¡®We stayed up all night.¡¯


    ¡°The only thing I am really sure of is that a lot has changed since you joined the Blue Guild.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°The civil war with Celia didn¡¯t ur, and there was no power struggle between the Vatican and the Empire. We were able to defeat the demon worshipper Ito Souta quickly, and as mentioned before, we were able to finish Jin Qing. We were also able to get different countries to unify and join forces much faster. If it were the First Timeline, we would be in the midst of a war with the Republic now.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that, but I guess it turned out like this.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know how thankful I am to you.¡±


    ¡°Then after the war with Celia¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, I took over the Blue Guild.¡±


    ¡®I guess that¡¯s when it all started.¡¯


    That was when Kim Hyunsung¡¯s administration began.


    ¡°I¡¯ll exin a little bit more about the war between Celia and Lindel, but I¡¯ve been the Guild Master of the Blue Guild since then. Many guild members died, and many deaths urred on both Lindel and Celia. The empire tried to mediate the situation, but it was after too much damage had already been sustained. The war would have probablysted longer if Ito Souta didn¡¯t die. More people would have shed their blood.¡±


    ¡°Ito Souta.¡±


    ¡°I killed him myself. I could have been beaten, but¡­ I was lucky.¡±


    ¡®Ah, I want to listen to this part in detail.¡¯


    I wanted to hear the specifics of what the end of the devil worshipper was like.


    ¡®This punk is pretty amazing too.¡¯


    Even the war could have led to his rapid growth, and he probably wasn¡¯t stronger than Ito Souta during that time.


    Back then, Ito Souta¡¯s agility stat was 99. Even considering how fast Kim Hyunsung grew in the war, he probably wouldn¡¯t have exceeded 80 by then.


    I was more surprised since I saw Ito Souta¡¯s stats with my own in the judgment room.


    By saying that he was lucky, Kim Hyunsung was probably not exaggerating. Of course, his luck was only possible because of his strong foundation.


    The more I listened to his story, the more curious I got about what the situation was like, how that battle went, and how Kim Hyunsun strengthened the Blue Guild and turned it into one of the top 3 guilds.


    My prediction was that Kim Hyunsung was able to gain a reputation after the war and was probably able to get a lot of support and investment. On the other hand, Kim Hyunsung was an icon of ipetence in terms of guild management.


    Lee Sang-hee, who was the Vice Guild Master at the time, was likewise ipetent¡­ However, after thinking a little bit more, I couldn¡¯t help but nod. I didn¡¯t know how long the war went on, but if the timing was right¡­


    ¡®Cho Hyejin must havee into the Blue Guild.¡¯


    Cho Hyejin, who must¡¯ve failed to stop Castle Rock¡¯s internal strife between the guild and n, would have entered the Blue Guild during that time.


    It would¡¯ve taken some time because there would¡¯ve been nopetent administrative managers like manager Kim Mi-young. However, Cho Hyejin and Kim Hyunsung would¡¯ve slowly raised the guild to a position simr to the Three Big Guilds.


    ¡®Well, emerging victorious in a hero¡¯s dungeon even once also guaranteed sess.¡¯


    Because it would¡¯ve easily gained attention, as I expected, Kim Hyunsung began to mention Cho Hyejin.


    ¡°Of course, I had a lot of difficulties, but just in time, Miss Hyejin came into our guild, and we were able to grow thanks to her.¡±


    ¡°I see. That¡¯s why you appointed Hyejin as an advisor as soon as she came into the guild¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m s-sorry for what happened then.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°It was to relieve your burden, but it was also because she was a trustworthy person.¡±


    ¡°Then was when Ye-ri and Hayan joined the Blue Guild as well?¡±


    ¡°No, Miss Hayan wasn¡¯t in the Blue Guild. At that time, she was in the Magic Guild¡­ and during the war, she was tricked by the demon summoner Jin Qing. She killed herself¡­¡±


    I saw that Kim Hyunsung was gauging my reaction while he continued to talk. I was sure he saw my shocked expression.


    ¡°That scumbag.¡±


    Again, I noticed Kim Hyunsung bing restless as if he didn¡¯t know what to do.

 Chapter 553: Revenge Companion (2)

    <h4>Chapter 553: Revenge Companion (2)</h4>


    He looked as if he didn¡¯t mean to speak about Hayan¡¯s death out loud. Since he had been busy providing me the tutorial story, more information had popped out without him realizing it.


    I was sure he was ming himself for hisck of consideration. On the surface, Jung Hayan and I were supposed to be a couple.


    It would be like saying, ¡®Ah, you know, your girlfriend got tricked by some trashy guy in the First Timeline. So, she killed herself. It was so terrible¡­I even saw some signs of abuse¡¯.


    We were forced to maintain a long silence, even though things were different since the First Timeline.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why. She was¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°When I first met Jin Qing, I saw him express his interest toward Hayan. He even sent her a private note. At that time, I thought he was just interested in her magical talent¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, if Miss Hayan hadn¡¯t have met you, she might have gotten tricked again by him. It was his specialty to charm people like that.¡±


    ¡°What did she look like when you found her¡­?¡±


    ¡°We¡­ We found her dead in her room after drinking poison. There was no other damage. Some say she might not have taken her own life, but that she was a-assassinated¡­¡±


    ¡®Oh my¡­ Hyunsung, do you want to be this considerate of me?¡¯


    ¡°The letter we found in that room detailed what happened to her.¡±


    It was written that she had hung herself and died. He changed the story a bit in consideration for me. I could see that he was very careful about his words. He even made sure not to mention that there were signs of trauma on her body. ¡®At this point, I can definitely say that the misunderstanding has been cleared.¡¯


    The First Timeline¡¯s Lee Kiyoung had apparently died in the tutorial dungeon.


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s suspicion that I might be the masked trash waspletely gone. He probably lost his suspicion after the demons kidnapped me, but it felt nice to see his trusting expression, which didn¡¯t have a single sign of suspicion, with my own eyes.


    ¡°Jin Qing, he¡­¡±


    ¡°I can never understand him. As I told you, he was the greatest enemy of mankind.¡±


    ¡°Then what happened to Hee-ra nuna?¡±


    ¡°The Mercenary Queen went missing during the war. Of course, that was what the Red Mercenaries announced, but I think she probably died during the war. Yes. She probably fell by Jin Qing¡¯s¡­ own¡­ hands. Miss Hyejin too¡­ And many of our otherrades¡­ They all died, all because of that man¡­¡±


    ¡°Sigh¡­ I feel strange. Even though it didn¡¯t happen in this Timeline¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I identally made the atmosphere too heavy.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m thankful that you told me. It¡¯s a heavy topic in the first ce. And¡­ I can at least endure this much. Of course, I¡¯d be lying if I said I¡¯m not feeling ufortable. However, in this Timeline, all of that didn¡¯t happen. Hayan and Hee-ra nuna and everyone too¡­ Yes, when I go back, I want to hug all of them. Still, why did the demon summoner¡­¡±


    ¡°I think his purpose was to fulfill his revenge on humanity.¡±


    ¡°Revenge?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but one thing I can say for sure is that he was the enemy of humanity and a person who proved to be an enormous threat in the 1st Timeline. He spread infectious diseases in one city, and during the war, he infected his allies to spread diseases to his opponents.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°He treated the empire as his ything. Just as he abandoned the murderer, Jung Jinho, he used and abandoned both allies and enemies ording to his advantage. I tried to find his motivation or reason, but I couldn¡¯t find any.¡±


    ¡®You tried to find it? That too? So that¡¯s why you¡­ did that?¡¯


    Suddenly feeling nervous, I spoke hurriedly.


    ¡°Maybe there was no motive. Ordinary people like us probably can¡¯t understand how people like them think. People like you especially won¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s probably something inherently broken about him. He¡¯s of the same type as the psychopathic killer Jung Jinho. No, he is an even more vicious and worse kind of human. He probably enjoyed the pain and fear of others the same way an addict enjoyed drugs.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that could¡­ be. But I thought there might have been a reason¡­¡±


    ¡°No, there are people out there that we¡¯ll never understand. Everything he did was probably an act. He yed the character he wanted and wore a mask in front of everyone. He just yed a character that was filled with hatred and revenge for humanity. I also looked into this a bit¡­¡±


    ¡°What did you¡­?¡±


    ¡°I tried to look into the reason why his Republic began the war and why he summoned the devil of Laios, but I wasn¡¯t able to find anything. I also thought it wasn¡¯t possible at first. I didn¡¯t think that a human being would drive those who were living peacefully into the battlefield just for their own enjoyment and entertainment.¡±


    ¡®He was just a piece of trash. Nothing more.¡¯


    ¡°But I was wrong. I couldn¡¯t find any reason or¡­ motivation.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s that type of human. Yes, he was just that type of person.¡±


    ¡°For just that¡­ for a reason like that¡­¡±


    I noticed Kim Hyunsung biting his lips tightly. His lips and arms began to shake visibly.


    I could understand why he was reacting like that. All of his sufferings, everything that he went through were all because a trashy person wanted to have some fun. I couldn¡¯t imagine how furious and shocked he must¡¯ve been feeling.


    A lot of events happened because of Jin Qing. Multiple battles and iprehensible situations happened every single day. All the pain that Hyunsung, his colleagues, and mankind had to suffer from¡­


    ¡°For a reason like that¡­ For such a worthless desire¡­¡±


    He had to make so many sacrifices and die painfully. Kim Hyunsung, who had been wondering about Jin Qing¡¯s motive, must¡¯ve felt both despondent and enraged. I couldn¡¯t help but sympathize with Kim Hyunsung¡¯s feelings. If I were in the same position as him, I probably would¡¯ve made the same face.


    There was only one thing I wondered about regarding his involvement.


    It was whether or not Kim Hyunsung and the Blue Guild really didn¡¯t get involved in the death of Park Deokgu. At that time, Park Deokgu died to protect the masked trash.


    And that was the starting point for the masked trash¡¯s revenge on the continent. I was sure that the masked trash was also aiming for the Blue Guild and Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡®Was there a misunderstanding?¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t be certain until I heard the whole story.


    ¡®Well, I guess I will hear itter.¡¯


    I was feeling hungry, but above that, sleepy. I tried to endure with a potion, but I felt as if I was going to fall asleep at any moment.


    Before I headed to bed, I knew I had to calm Kim Hyunsung down, who remained immersed in his anger. I was going to listen to what I was most curious about before I could enter my slumber.


    Since I couldn¡¯t mention the final viin directly, I didn¡¯t think it was a bad idea to slowly build-up towards the topic.


    I had to grab the big strands first. I¡¯ll have the chance to hear the little detailster, I guess.


    I tapped Kim Hyunsung¡¯s shoulder, his face still looking ufortable.


    ¡°You can calm down. None of those events happened this time around.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right¡­¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s already dead, and he paid for his sins. Of course, I don¡¯t know the exact details since I don¡¯t remember the 1st Timeline as you do, but what you¡¯re worrying about will no longer happen. It¡¯s all over.¡±


    ¡®This is good enough.¡¯


    He nodded happily at my words and then began to look serious again.


    ¡°No, actually¡­ everything isn¡¯t over yet. Even though murderers Jung Jinho, Lee Seolho, Ito Souta, and Jin Qing are dead, not all threats have disappeared. I told you I¡¯m a regressor not only because I wanted to share my burden with you but also prepare us for the uing threats together.¡±


    ¡®Yep, that¡¯s what I¡¯ve been waiting for. Let¡¯s finally do all of this and be happy.¡¯


    ¡°Yes, now that I think about it, Goddess Benignore has¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, there are imminent threats.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°A fragment of the outer god.¡±


    ¡°A fragment of the outer god?¡±


    ¡°It might shock you, but what I¡¯m saying right now is the truth. I don¡¯t know exactly why Sun Hee-young saw a part of the outer god in the wormhole and why it came into the empire. I don¡¯t know the purpose behind it either.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°The outer god hated humans, but he tried to keep the continent under his control. I think the right expression is that he was trying to maintain the objects. ording to Jin Qing in the 1st Timeline, he told me¡­¡±


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    While Kim Hyunsung was talking, one question came into my mind.


    Humanity¡­


    ¡®Wasn¡¯t humanity wiped out?¡¯


    In the subconscious world, Kim Hyunsung remained alone just before he regressed and looked down at the destroyed continent. As expected, there were no survivors, and I thought he already epted that.


    I couldn¡¯t help but question Kim Hyunsung¡¯s words that the outer god wanted to limit the human poption under his control.


    ¡®What is this?¡¯


    Two possibilities came into my mind: first, the outer god¡¯s real purpose was to destroy the continent.


    ¡®He isn¡¯t perfect.¡¯


    Even the gods weren¡¯t perfect. Benignore always made sure to emphasize that fact to me.


    Even the outer god might not beplete either. That was why they had to gather believers and increase their divinity.


    Kim Hyunsung said that it was only a fragment of the outer god, so they must not have had enough power to destroy the entire empire on their own. Then, they must have made their own group and drove humanity to fight amongst each other.


    After gathering enough divinity, the outer god could¡¯ve just left and repeated the same process in another empire.


    The second possibility was that the outer god¡¯s real purpose was to manage humanity.


    ¡®That¡¯s also possible.¡¯


    If I were a god of the outside world, I would¡¯ve had some desire to manage the continent, especially if I was interested in humans. Since they wouldn¡¯t have anything, they might have wanted to take control of a random empire and y god.


    The question there was why the continent had reached that point. The chances were small¡­ But maybe¡­


    ¡®Did the masked trash betray even the outer god?¡¯


    In the first ce, it was hard to imagine that the masked trash, who hated humanity and wanted vengeance, would obediently follow the words of an outer god. Also, when the masked trash first joined the brigade, he joined with the promise that he would seek revenge against all rotten people¡­


    Judging by his actions and atmosphere, it didn¡¯t seem like he hadpletely abandoned that vengeance.


    The outer god was thinking about management and maintenance, but what the masked trash thought was the destruction of mankind. Perhaps he pretended to lick the outer god¡¯s foot but then went behind his back and fucked the empire.


    There was the possibility that he might have led things to go that way.


    If the second hypothesis was correct¡­


    ¡®That bastard, he¡¯s the real deal.¡¯


    At that point, he should¡¯ve been given the title of backstabbing master.

 Chapter 554: Preparation (1)

    <h4>Chapter 554: Preparation (1)</h4>


    ¡°Of course, it might not be urate that the fragment of the outer god had been trying to maintain the human poption. I¡¯m a bit embarrassed to say this, but the information I could ess at that time was limited¡­ Above all, considering that I was the only one left at thest moment, there is also the possibility that Jin Qing simply lied to me. Or maybe the outer god was simply fed up with managing the continent.¡±


    ¡°When you mean thest moment¡­?¡±


    ¡°There was a time when I was left alone on an empty continent.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°As expected¡­ You don¡¯t remember.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that¡­?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    Kim Hyunsung looked at me with a slightly disappointed look.


    He looked as if he to tell me he wished I would remember what happened in the subconscious world. Well, it didn¡¯t matter whether I remembered or not, anyway.


    It was better to leave it as a memory for Kim Hyunsung. If I told him I remembered it, I would have even more things to exin.


    While continuously organizing the situation in my head, new questions and interesting parts kept popping out. It was mostly about Kim Hyunsung when he was left alone on the continent, as well as the fragment of the outer god and the mask trash¡¯s rtionship.


    There were quite a few things that even Kim Hyunsung couldn¡¯t fully understand, so even more questions were left unanswered.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s better for us to get up for now. You must¡¯ve had a hard time listening to me all night. If you¡¯re too tired, you should go to bed for now¡­¡±


    ¡°No, the other guild members must be waiting for us. Rather than that, I would like you to tell me more about the fragment of the outer god. Why don¡¯t we go out to town and have a meal?¡±


    ¡°Oh! That sounds good.¡±


    ¡®Information.¡¯


    ¡°Any information about the outer god is okay even if it¡¯s trivial. I really want you to tell me more about it.¡±


    ¡°Of course. It¡¯s me who would like to ask you to keep listening to me.¡±


    True to his words, he looked as if he was very happy and relieved about telling me all of it. He must¡¯ve thought that he could no longer handle it just by himself and asked me for help. Right at that moment, he looked as relieved as to how he looked in the subconscious world.


    He knew what was going to happen in the future, but he had no idea how to correct it, or even where to start.


    I was sure that the limit of our lovely regressor¡¯s thoughts was: ¡®We need to grow and increase our strength. We need to be even more powerful to protect everyone.¡¯ Even though he must¡¯ve drawn some conclusions of how big the threat was and how he should prepare for what was toe, it wasn¡¯t his expertise to think of strategy and ns to counter it.


    His face looked so relieved that even I felt happy for him.


    ¡°First, to exin what the outer god looks like, I think it¡¯s appropriate to say they look foreign.¡±


    ¡°Foreign?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s indescribably alien. Rather than the elves and other ethnic groups that are different from us, the outer god gave us a feeling of awe that we couldn¡¯t exin. He¡¯s more like the gods who came down to the world. Of course, the outer god feels different from the other gods. If Benignore and the other gods are more like a human being, I think it would be appropriate to call the outer god a creature from a higher dimension.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ Other than Jin Qing, were there other followers of the-¡±


    ¡°Yes, there were. Some abandoned humanity and followed and believed in him. They called themselves apostles of god and exerted influence on the continent ording to the will of the outer god. Of course, Jin Qing stood at the pinnacle of all that. Just as you now represent the Goddess Beningore¡¯s Church, he was also a symbol of the outer god¡¯s church.¡±


    ¡®Did Jin Qing help collect divinity for the outer god?¡¯


    It wouldn¡¯t be a stretch to think of that.


    ¡®That bastard really was a chameleon.¡¯


    After the brigade and the church, that masked trash would¡¯ve definitely survived even if he was dropped in the middle of the desert. Anyway, from that, I was able to learn that the outer god also needed divinity. In the first ce, divinity was power, money, and everything else to the gods.


    Whether his real purpose was the management of the continent or the destruction of the continent, it didn¡¯t change that he needed divinity.


    ¡®Hmmm¡­¡¯


    Based on my prediction, it probably wasn¡¯t that difficult to gather divinity through the use of followers.


    As Kim Hyunsung described earlier, he was a god who gave a great sense of awe. Even Benignore made others feel an indescribable sense of awe when they saw her in person.


    Since even Kim Hyunsung felt that way, I was sure that the fragment of the outer god or whatever it was must¡¯ve been a truly awesome sight.


    The outer god¡¯s mere appearance was enough to make most humans have indescribable emotions.


    For example, if one were to shout ¡°do you believe?¡± with a special appearance like a cult, those who were na?ve would be swayed away easily. On top of that, it was also the trashy Jin Qing¡¯s specialty to incite and fabricate, so he probably didn¡¯t need to work hard to deceive a mass of people.


    ¡®It must¡¯ve been so easy.¡¯


    It was hard to even understand that only a part of the human race had be followers.


    ¡°The outer god also didn¡¯te down alone. There were also those who followed the outer god, and I remember their appearances were that of angels.¡±


    He even had an army of gods. The situation was nowpletely in the outer god¡¯s favor.


    Kim Hyunsung began to tell me everything he knew. If I summed up the information roughly, the situation was basically like the following:


    1. The outer god¡¯s exact purpose was still unknown. On the surface, their purpose was to manage and limit the human poption, and this was usible considering that outer gods have not been assigned to manage a continent.


    2. His appearance was basically like a god with divinity. But it was more foreign than other gods, including Beningore, and made humans feel a deep sense of awe.


    3. Even Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t know the exact size of his strength. I expected the outer god to be stronger than Belial summoned to the present world, and attacks ssified below the Semi-Myth level wouldn¡¯t probably work against it. In other words, the number of people who could participate in attacking the outer god was limited.


    4. The outer god had followers, and humanity called them angels. They were the outer god¡¯s assistants, and their strength was estimated to be at least simr to demons such as Donovan and Limur.


    5. There was a strong likelihood that he was summoned in the north first. The first light came from the north, and that¡¯s when they had begun working.


    There were many other factors, but those were the main points. There was room for more detail, but I wanted to take my time listening to the topic first and respond to itter.


    The first thing I could do was build a forward base at the northernmost point.


    ¡®The location might not be urate, but it¡¯s much better than nothing.¡¯


    To know the location where the outer god had been summoned was an indescribable advantage.


    ¡®I guess being a regressor really is great.¡¯


    Of course, not all situations might go as they did in the First Timeline, so there was a limit to how much I could do. Even a small action could cause arge impact and start a butterfly effect. That was why even Kim Hyunsung was confused in many ways during the 2nd Timeline.


    However, it was certain that the outer god would be summoned. The outer god was, after all, an enemy of the continent, and he and his army would appear in it.


    There was no room for any butterfly effect there. Even if millions of butterflies pped their wings in very distant countries, it was inevitable that the fragment of the outer god woulde as a threat to our dimension.


    ¡®This might actually be easy.¡¯


    I knew in advance and could prepare ordingly. I could train troops to fight the outer god and build a wall to greet it. I could to counter the outer god and continue to restrict the god¡¯s ess to the continent.


    Even the most difficult trash, Jin Qing, was already out. We were definitely in an advantageous situation, especially whenpared to the 1st Timeline.


    As I pondered in my fatigued state, Kim Hyunsung looked at me with worry.


    ¡°Kiyoung-ssi, you look very tired¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes. I¡¯m a bit tired, but it¡¯s endurable. Since I¡¯ve been awake for a long time, I¡¯m kind of hungry now. We should order¡­¡±


    ¡°I already finished ordering as soon as we entered the restaurant. If it¡¯s okay with you, I ordered a simple bread and stew for us to eat.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s fine with me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve seen you eat that sometimes for breakfast. You looked so deep in thought; I didn¡¯t want to bother you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all right. I would have ordered the same thing anyway¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief. Why don¡¯t you put your thoughts aside for now and start eating? I think you¡¯ve been overdoing it even though your body hasn¡¯t fully recovered yet. I¡¯m worried that I might have pressured you too much.¡±


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to worry about me so much.¡±


    I was tired, but my physical strength was still higher than that of the general public. I didn¡¯t think there would be a problem if I just stayed up all night for one day. I had secretly drank a fatigue recovery potion too¡­


    However, since Kim Hyunsung saw a lot of things in the past months, he was very concerned about me, almost as if I could faint anytime.


    It was funny, almost as if he didn¡¯t remember that he was the one who had kept me awake all night, telling me stories. We couldn¡¯t even continue our conversation as everyone was staring at us inside the restaurant.


    Even if Kim Hyunsung cast muting magic around us, we couldn¡¯t handle all the staresing our way.


    ¡®Why are there so many people this early? Our country people are so hardworking.¡¯


    I spotted smiles on people who were lifting heavy loads. I worried that they were breaking their work time since it was so early in the morning.


    Heren definitely seemed full of energy even in the morning.


    I saw a herd of people trying to gather a party and adventurers who ate breakfast to start their day. While staring at them nkly, a simple stew and bread were served, and we began to eat.


    Kim Hyunsung kept talking to me, but what he said didn¡¯t really harbor much depth. I wanted to think about something else, but my mind was only thinking of the 1st Timeline.


    ¡®What is the point?¡¯


    ¡®For now, the most important thing is¡­¡¯


    I wasn¡¯t sure of it yet, but it was a good story to keep in mind.


    ¡®The divine.¡¯


    The masked trash no longer existed in our current Timeline, but there were still some who served him.


    Those who believed in Benignore wouldn¡¯t get swayed, but¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s only right to prepare for this.¡¯


    Regardless of whether the outer god did or didn¡¯t have enough divine power, I had to prepare for it.


    Even if I couldn¡¯t exin to everyone the whole situation, I could tell them that something like the outer god wasing.


    If I didn¡¯t properly educate and exin the masses, some people could be tricked and give the god divine power. There were many things I had to do, but I should solve the problems procedurally.


    As I smiled while nodding my head, and Kim Hyunsung, who didn¡¯t know the reason for my expression, also smiled.


    And, after exactly three days, the Continental press and other media across the empire released an article with the same headline.


    [Goddess Benignore has descended into Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung again. ¡°An ancient devil with the mask of gods and angels will burn the whole continent and make all living creatures on this realm cry.¡± How should we prepare? -Kim Sung-kyung, a reporter for the Continental Press.]

 Chapter 555: Preparation (2)

    <h4>Chapter 555: Preparation (2)</h4>


    -Let¡¯s start today¡¯s presentation. I sincerely thank you all foring to this conference today. As stated in the schedule, we will start with a short briefing. On the 24th at 12 p.m., after the Blue Guild returned from vacation, Goddess Benignore once again descended onto Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung¡¯s body. We were unable to prepare much because there was no foreshadowing. Still, we received the message of Benignore¡¯s descent- no, Benignore¡¯s prophecy from the Blue Guild. In ordance with that, we would like to make an official announcement.¡±


    -¡­


    - An ancient devil, wearing a mask of gods and angels, will burn the whole continent and make all living creatures in this realm cry. There are those who areing out of unseen darkness to threaten our ce of haven. I also can¡¯t tell you much, but this threat will be a great disaster for humankind and the continent, and everyone must unite their minds and will into one. A lot has happened that caused us to experience countless dangers and conflicts.


    -¡­


    -I¡¯ve watched over you all as you lived on this continent for an unmeasurable amount of time. Many lives have been lost, and many lives were born in return. Some have caused others great pain, and there are those who are filled with malice. However, my belief has never wavered. I believe that humans like the honorary cardinal, whose body I had borrowed, are born good and will eventually do what¡¯s righteous and just.


    -¡­


    -Ahead of you is a great trial, one that¡¯s deep and tremendous enough to dictate the fate of this continent. But I still believe. I do not doubt that you all will eventually regain your peace as you have shown me thus far. I know you will all emerge victoriously. Please ovee this great ordeal. Let the darkness trying to step onto this sacrednd realize how strong the light within you is.


    -¡­


    -That is all. We¡¯d like to form an organization to fight against the ancient darkness in cooperation with the Benignore Church and other denominations across the continent. Many churches are currently waiting for the other deities¡¯ voices. Additionally, it has also been confirmed that even Elune-nim has conveyed her will through Elena. Deep darkness that we¡¯ve never seen before is finally revealing itself. Therefore, the Churches, the Republic, the alliance of the kingdoms, and the neutral countries consider this an international crisis. Thus, the Continental Protection and Management Committee ns to protect and manage the entire continent under them.


    -What?


    -Is that true?!


    -Please say that again, Oscar-nim.


    -Yes, soon, the Continental Protection and Management Committee will be in charge of the entire continent, and we will be able to talk about the appointment as soon as it has been decided. Currently, all states and denominations are discussing possible candidates for the positions in themittee from the military and the big guilds, and we are doing our best to ensure that all states are satisfied. Until then, the government will unify and manage the continent.


    -As soon as themittee is formed, the media, publishing, rallies, and associations will all start moving under themittee¡¯s authority. Considering the specifications of the situation, we will exercise minimal authority over organizations while making decisions. Still, I thought it had to be announced here, so I told you all ahead of time. That¡¯s all we prepared from the central government. Afterward, I will ry more information as decisions are made. I¡¯ll now be taking questions.


    -I¡¯m reporter Kim Sung-kyung from Continental Press, Oscar-nim.


    -Yes, reporter Kim Sung-kyung-nim.


    - All countries are somewhat aware of the threating to the continent, but I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve considered the impact it will have on state agencies. In short, it seems like you have indirectly expressed the possible damnation of this continent¡­ Is there a reason why you¡¯ve made such an official announcement, despite all the great concerns and confusion it will cause?


    -We also had a lot of concerns about whether or not we should present this message. As reporter Kim Sung-kyung said, I think it will be hard for most citizens to ept this situation. Perhaps, if this story gets out through the goddess¡¯s mirror, it will cause great confusion throughout the continent.


    -But then again¡­


    -We are strong. We¡¯ve been through a lot, and despite all the risks, I¡¯m standing here. Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung feels that this is a matter for the government and everyone living on this continent to know. Therefore, we had also decided to ept his wishes. The continent can ovee the chaos and fear this will bring. As Goddess Benignore said, I believe in human possibilities. That is all.


    -I¡¯m Jacob from Raios.


    -Yes?


    -You quoted goddess Benignore, saying, ¡°An ancient devil, wearing a mask of gods and angels, will burn the whole continent and make all living creatures in this realm cry.¡±


    -Indeed.


    -I¡¯m curious about the expression ¡°wearing a mask of god and angels¡±- has there been anything that¡¯s been specifically revealed about it?


    -There¡¯s nothing I can say for certain. Several denominations are currently interpreting Benignore¡¯s prophecy but aren¡¯t making enough progress to make an urate, official conclusion. However, wearing a mask of God and an angel may not just mean the appearance but the use of divine power. We will also announce an update as soon as the interpretation ispleted.


    -Thank you.


    -I am Sergeyski, from the Republic column.


    -Please, continue on.


    -I¡¯m curious about the intention of putting the entire continent under the Continental Protection and Management Committee¡¯s jurisdiction. Can you go further into that?


    -I¡¯m sure you all know that the darkness on this continent hasn¡¯t beenpletely lifted yet. Remember Ito Souta, the devil worshiper of the kingdom and the Republic¡¯s demon summoner, Jin Qing, as some of the many darknesses hidden in this continent¡­ A national emergency and a continental crisis havee. I hope you understand that it is an inevitable choice that our national leaders have to make.


    -I want to ask some more questions.


    -Of course, go ahead.


    -Why didn¡¯t you reveal Benignore¡¯s descent through the goddess¡¯s mirror? The Continental Protection and Management Committee¡¯s restriction on citizens¡¯ free rights seems no different from dering martialw. There are concerns about whether it is a self-made y to raise Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung to the post, but¡­


    -What?


    -What is that bastard saying?! Pull him out immediately!


    -I actually have doubts about Goddess Benignore¡¯s descent. As there are still suspicions that Jin Qing was falsely used of summoning the undead to take the me for thest war, I hope that the deration of martialw and the Goddess¡¯s descent will be made more transparent!


    -Shut your mouth right now, demon summoner¡¯s spy! What are you calling martialw?!


    -Jin Qing-nim is not a demon summoner. Check this information and circumstances! Jin Qing is also a victim¡­


    -Who let that bastard in?! Pull him out immediately!


    -Jin Qing is not a demon summoner! Ah! Ah¡­Argh!


    -You devil¡¯s pawn! What do you think you¡¯re doing?!


    -Argh! No! Noooo! Urgh¡­


    -Bring in inquisitor Ethan right now!


    -Noooo! Lee Kiyoung, are you even human?! Are you human?! There¡¯s no way that ourmander could¡¯ve done that! There¡¯s no way!


    -Shut his mouth!


    -The demon wearing a god¡¯s mask is actually you! Lee Kiyoung! It¡¯s you!!!


    -Damn it! Drag him out!!


    -¡­


    -¡­


    -¡­


    -This is the reason. As you can see, there are still people like that on the continent. I understand that it will be inconvenient in many ways and that there may be many voices of concern. But this is not for the personal benefit of the powerful. Rather, it is for the continent. In addition, Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung has repeatedly refused to sit in ourmittee, but¡­


    -I¡¯m reporter Kim Sung-kyung for the Continental Press. Is that because of Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung¡¯s health¡­?


    -No.


    -I understand that Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung had suffered a lot the other day when Goddess Benignore borrowed his body. I¡¯d like to ask you a new question. Are you sure there¡¯s nothing wrong with Honorary Cardinal¡¯s body? It is the most important issue for our people. I really want you to answer.


    -That is¡­


    -¡­


    -¡­


    ¡°He is really healthy.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s so bothersome to see you lie down and eat snacks like this. People over there will probably flip out if they see you right now, Oppa.¡±


    ¡°Then, what can I do? Benignore didn¡¯t evene inside my body.¡±


    ¡°It would have been more effective if you had shown everything for real¡­ you¡¯re not going to reveal a video this time?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t reveal it this time. I can just say we didn¡¯t take a video, and it¡¯s not like a lot of rumors have been spreading.


    Truthfully, I wanted to reveal it publicly, but I couldn¡¯t do that.


    To just go with the story that I had suddenly received a message from Goddess Benignore¡­ My focus had been on Kim Hyunsung too much.


    It was better to make him understand that than suddenly turning into gold and making things look far-fetched. There wasn¡¯t really a problem when we had already agreed that presenting something like that to the public was good enough.


    It was saddening that I had to manipte the press that should be transparent, but it was all for the continent. There was nothing more important than unity at that point.


    In fact, I wanted to dere war immediately, but¡­


    ¡®Rather than that, this is better.¡¯


    -Since there could be room for manyints.


    Of course, we could cut downints immediately, but it was more beneficial to have administrative influence over the continent.


    How easy was it to manage the entire continent? As I was lost in thought, Lee Jihye, who was next to me, spoke to me again.


    ¡°Did you see that?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a special case. He is no different from the guy who got a whole broadcast cast for a bug in my ear. How many people do you think actually cares about that? Even his fellow journalists around him are holding him back. I don¡¯t have time to care about every single crazy person who looks like they are the devil¡¯s spawn or suffering from paranoia.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, is that true? Where did you get that information, and what is the extent of this issue?¡±


    ¡°I also don¡¯t know for sure. But I didn¡¯t just make up a story that doesn¡¯t exist.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I thought you were trying to eat the whole continent earnestly. Like I thought you were trying to shake up the press, dere martialw, sit in a high position, wield your power, and enjoy dictatorship for more than 100 years. And while bbering that ¡®the risk is real. It exists.¡¯ I thought you were going to enjoy your position for a long time.¡±


    ¡°I am not that trashy¡­ In the first ce, our people don¡¯t really have a good perception of martialws because of the country¡¯s history, but at this moment, I¡¯m not just saying this. It¡¯s really a national emergency. I¡¯m not lying. Even if only one person makes a small mistake, it might ruin everything. I don¡¯t even want to dere something like this. This is simply inevitable.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re actually serious.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am really serious.¡±


    ¡°Then, are you really not going to do that? You¡¯re really not joining themittee?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m joining. Why won¡¯t I join?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just not going to go with my own feet. I¡¯m going to wait until they call for me.¡±


    I nced at the slightly crumpled newspaper and saw many titles.


    [Who is qualified to be the leader? Several candidates have been nominated, but there¡¯s still no conclusion. -Kim Sungkyung, a reporter for the Continental Press.]


    [Only if Lee Kiyoung, Honorary Cardinal, makes the big decision¡­- News from the Vatican News.]


    [¡®Genius Swordsman and Alchemist of Light,¡¯ published after just a month. All fans cheer in unity for the shortest time ever to publish a new book. -Kang Yu-mi, a reporter for Lindel Culture Department.]


    [Republican Party¡¯s Lien Xiao was nominated, but could he lead with the support of all leaders and continents? -Republic Channel]


    [A situation where the clearest judgment has to be made. Lee Kiyoung, the Honorary Cardinal, what are you thinking? - Kim Sung-kyung, a reporter for the Continental Press.]


    Nobody would¡¯ve argued against me that this was a pathway to promised victory.

 Chapter 556: Preparation (3)

    <h4>Chapter 556: Preparation (3)</h4>


    It had been a while since I came back to Lindel. In its own way, the Blue Guild¡¯s vacation had ended sessfully. After Heren, we had gone back to Mirror Lake and enjoyed a real vacation-like time, touring the surrounding areas.


    Of course, Kim Hyunsung and I weren¡¯t as carefree. We discussed our ns from time to time, but overall, the general atmosphere wasn¡¯t that heavy. And Kim Hyunsung, since he was able to relieve some of the burdens he had been holding onto alone for so long, seemed filled with excitement.


    Of course, he managed to let many of his burdens go in the unconscious world, but that was another matter. It had been pressuring for him to know the future and prepare for it only by himself.


    It looked like he enjoyed nning our work while talking about serious matters so much that he couldn¡¯t contain his expression.


    Of course, he maintained a stiff, serious expression most of the time, but in break-time and other times, his expression was much brighter, and he even made some unfunny jokes. Like really unfunny jokes.


    ¡®Did you know that they found a new job where they ask for a drink whenever they meet someone?¡¯


    ¡®Sorry?¡¯


    ¡®It¡¯s a magician.¡¯ (*Ma-Sul-Sa means magician in Korean; Ma- Could be a filled word; Sul: alcohol/drink; Sa-buy)


    The only one whoughed at his joke was Cho Hyejin. She seemed tough so sincerely that I felt shocked.


    Even Kim Ye-ri seemed like she was forcefully making herselfugh. I naturally thought to myself that I had to do something about him. I even wanted to ask how he got such humor in the first timeline.


    I thought those unfunny jokes could heartbreakingly represent his devasted mind, but it seemed that he was simply trying to improve the atmosphere.


    Regardless, the Blue Guild hade back to Lindel and started to speed things up again.


    Jung Hayan, Elena, and Sun Hee-young enjoyed sailing together and, as nned, also spent some time with Cha Heera. Some had used that duration to recharge themselves, but for some, it was rather tiring.


    Because it happened after Benignore descended, I had to show my suffering; I benefitted from that in some way, but it wasn¡¯t pleasant to act to be asleep all day.


    I felt more fatigued each time I woke up.


    By that time, Benignore¡¯s prophecy began to spread all over the empire, and many people took an interest in it.


    The empire¡¯s states and guilds that had rxed for a moment tensed up to maximum again. Just like that, many voices of concern began to rise. I expected there to be a bit of chaos, but some ended up panicking beyond what I could have imagined.


    Due to the provocative prophecy, there were some who were talking about an apocalypse, and although it wasn¡¯t very noticeable, the crime rate also increased significantly.


    The Church, the Republic, Laios, and the Continental Union had control over themselves, but in impoverished areas and marginalized states devastated by the 27th Corps and Belial, it was apparently an extremely dire problem.


    [When is the end day?]


    [Irresponsible Benignore and the empire gods have abandoned us.]


    [Why do we have to bear all of this pain?]


    Click-bait memes poured out. Whenever I heard that crazy people were shouting at the square about the apocalypse, I felt a bit upset.


    I could understand the federal people who faced demons, but the things that were happening in the rest of the small states just made me sigh. Spreading a story across a part of the empire was different from spreading it to the entire continent.


    ¡°You know one rotten apple in the box will make the whole box rotten, right, Oppa? If it¡¯s not going to help much, it might be a better choice to push them out. They¡¯re running around screaming, ¡®Everyone¡¯s going to die!¡¯ How¡¯s that going to help? I assure you, if you just leave it be, other ces will start to rot.¡±


    Like the masked girl from the 1st Timeline, Lee Jihye said a trashy line. I couldn¡¯t tell if it was a joke or not. Unlike her, I thought it was better to embrace them if it meant saving one more extra bullet.


    Those people were so weak that I wondered if they would lean to the outer god if it came, but they still had their uses before that happened.


    As long as I could maintain Doom Kiyoung mode, the power of the 27th corps increased, and it was a situation worthy of apuse. It made me think that I could solve the problem sometime shortly.


    Even if I had to make time for it, I should visit some of them. I was nning to go north anyway, so it wasn¡¯t a bad idea to tour around smaller states.


    Of course, I would do that after taking on the position that I desired.


    As expected, there was still confusion in the selection of the leadership position for the Continental Protection and Management Committee.


    Candidates were constantly getting nominated, but many argued about whether they were really qualified. The main argument against all of them was that they wouldn¡¯t be able to make a logical decision if a battle erupted.


    They weren¡¯t wrong, but Cha He-era seemed hurt by those words.


    Every time the media talked about suitable candidates, conflicts inevitably arose between states and adventurers. It was because it wasn¡¯t just a normal seat- it was a position that had the power to control the entire continent. It was natural that they would react so sensitively like that.


    Leaders of smaller states looked like they were observing from behind, but they were also interested.


    The one to be elected would have enormous authority over the continent. As many things would change depending on who took the role, many paid attention. They wanted to avoid having someone who only thought for themselves.


    With all of those in mind, smaller states, powerful countries, the Church, and the Republic began to y the biggest hot potato game on who would get the position.


    They had to gather their strengths for amon enemy, but they all had different thoughts. Some sought to increase their national power through that opportunity, while others sought to raise their guild¡¯s power.


    Some were trying to gain political advantage by using those who preached about the apocalypse, and others doubted that the apocalypse would reallye.


    Everyone¡¯s opinion was different, but they all wanted the same thing.


    ¡®Bnce.¡¯


    It was bnce. They needed a transparent individual who could make up for the difference in power between a powerful and a weak state and maintain that bnce.


    They needed someone that could prevent another nation from taking advantage of the situation.


    Someone who wasn¡¯t swayed by greed or personal feelings and only moved for the safety and prosperity of the empire.


    A transparent and spotlessly clean individual.


    That person also had to have intelligence and force, honed from many kinds of experiences. Wasn¡¯t it obvious who such a person could be?


    The era wanted Light Kiyoung.


    ¡®They want me¡­¡¯


    Of course, it was not easy to create such a situation.


    Above all, there were pros and cons in appointing someone who had been corrupted by demons to executive positions.


    There was even a column that stated the following: [If asked, is Lee Kiyoung suitable for the role, I will confidently shout ¡°NO.¡± -Republican newspapers/I¡¯m never willing to kill myself.]


    They weren¡¯t all that wrong, of course.


    There were also many voices of concern about my health conditions. Public opinion that the Honorary Cardinal should no longer be overworked was growing more popr. Some people doubted whether it was okay to leave such a duty to Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung¡¯s hands¡­


    They thought what Lee Kiyoung had shown was certainly impressive, but managing the entire continent was a whole separate issue.


    However, public opinion for the need to have Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung on the post was gradually growing stronger. Those in central government, the military, guild leaders, and everyone else couldn¡¯t give up such a position to someone with power. What they wanted was not a leader but a ¡°mediator.¡±


    Since they couldn¡¯t trust each other, they needed to find the cleanest-looking guy. And most of all, the support I had from ordinary citizens was great.


    - Of course, it has to be Lee Kiyoung. Other national leaders can¡¯t be trusted. Only Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung will be able to maintain bnce in the continent.


    - What do those rotten bastards from the central government know? What the hell do you know?


    - It¡¯s so pitiful. I wish the Honorary Cardinal could take the role at least once. Even if it¡¯s only for the first five years¡­


    -My mother said no to Lee Kiyoung, but I will continue to support him strongly. We want you, Honorary Cardinal.


    It had be amon urrence for the central government people to visit Lindel.


    ¡°Do¡­ do you still have no thought of doing it?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not sure. I think there will be someone more suitable for the role than me, but¡­ I¡¯m afraid of who it will be. But to be exact, I¡¯m someone who doesn¡¯t fit such a position.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not true. Who would doubt the qualities of Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung? Oscar has dissuaded you, but most of the other national leaders want you. Religious leaders and masters ofrge guilds feel the same way. We need a central leader who can unify countries and adventurers, religious and state leaders, and the underprivileged and privileged. If it isn¡¯t you, it can¡¯t be anyone else.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Please reconsider. A lot of people want you to take the role. I can¡¯t find anyone more suitable to lead this continent than you.¡±


    ¡°Please give some time to think.¡±


    ¡°Of course, we will. Of course.¡±


    They were doing all they could to persuade the most eligible candidate. Of course, I just wanted to say something like, ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± but it didn¡¯t fit the kind of scene that I was nning to portray.


    It was just for show, but the public responded to those kinds of things. As people got more anxious, my value went up more and more.


    I could say that everything was perfect. Everything that I had nned was running smoothly.


    After being elected as the Management Committee chairperson, I could manage the entire continent, prepare a systematic education system, and build a forward base in the north.


    It was an almost perfect n, but¡­


    ¡°Please leave. I remember telling you that Kiyoung-ssi would not take this position.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll guide you out.¡±


    The problem was him pushing the brakes.


    ¡®You bastard¡­¡±


    Voices of opposition had begun to emerge inside the guild. Kim Hyunsung had been the first to shout opposition. The reason for that was obvious.


    ¡®That¡¯s because I will have to leave the Blue Guild.¡¯


    It meant that I would have to leave my current position and roles.


    The position as Honorary Cardinal could be overlooked, but to ensure that there was no favoritism going around, I had to make that choice.


    Naturally, I wouldn¡¯t be able to get protected by my guild, and Lee Kiyoung¡¯s Self-Defense Forces would be disassembled.


    I thought a separate security unit would be made for me, but Kim Hyunsung was probably anxious to leave my safety to a security unit that he hadn¡¯t picked.


    The bastard was acting like that despite knowing how necessary the work was. It was almost like he was throwing a mini-tantrum.


    And it wasn¡¯t the only internal dispute.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®She didn¡¯t¡­ mature at all.¡¯


    Jung Hayan¡¯s growth had be stagnant.

 Chapter 557: Our Hayan Has Changed (1)

    <h4>Chapter 557: Our Hayan Has Changed (1)</h4>


    ¡°Hayan.¡±


    ¡°Yes? Yes?¡±


    ¡°How are things going these days?¡±


    ¡°I-I am working hard. Yes¡­There are a lot of books in the Magic guild. There are also a lot of fun things¡­ yes.¡±


    ¡°Well, are there any problems?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing that could particrly be a problem¡­ it¡¯s the same every day. Everyone is nice to me¡­ Moreover, even after Lindel turned into ruins, they preserved the books very well¡­¡±


    ¡°Um¡­¡±


    ¡°W-Why?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing. Shall we go out together today?¡±


    ¡°What? What? Really?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I was curious about how you were doing these days. Since we¡¯ve been busy, we didn¡¯t have a lot of time to see each other. Aftering back from break, how are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I-I¡¯m doing well. I¡¯m doing well.¡±


    ¡®I think you should check this again.¡¯


    Including Kim Hyunsung, I knew the guild members¡¯ opposition would have to die down eventually. Our regressor knew what needed to happen, and he knew he had to make such a choice in the end.


    He had to know better than anyone else that he had to ce someone he trusted in the position that could control the entire continent.


    He could only oppose for a little while. In a month, probably, he would change his mind. However, I was surprised at Jung Hayan¡¯s problem.


    ¡®Why¡¯d her growth stop?¡¯


    So far, there had never been a time when Jung Hayan¡¯s growth remained stagnant. I had doubted if she was really human because she kept showing me monstrous growth.


    After the next day and the day after that, I checked her status window and saw that everything was the same. She had the same stats, magic, and same unique ability.


    Only Jung Hayan¡¯s growth was stagnant. Even talentless Park Deokgu¡¯s stat increased by 1 in a useless area.


    ¡®What is the Magic Guild doing? Is there a problem withmunication? Is there even a person who can help?¡¯


    I began to think it was a mistake to send her to the Magic guild.


    ¡®This isn¡¯t supposed to happen.¡¯


    Of course, I didn¡¯t have to feel anxious yet. There was still time left, and I could say that Jung Hayan was still among the strongest yers.


    But it was hard to watch her stagnate when she still had a lot of room for growth.


    ¡­ Especially after hearing the extent of her power in the 1st Timeline from Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡®She was a wizard strong enough to be called the incarnation of magic itself. Maybe if it weren¡¯t for her, the long war wouldn¡¯t have ended like that. Her power was overwhelming enough to think that if she had been a regressor, the problem could¡¯ve been solved more easily.¡¯


    It was an evaluation that didn¡¯t need more sophistication. Jung Hayan was the first one Kim Hyunsung had sought out as soon as he woke up again, and she didn¡¯t fail his expectations by having grown so steadily up until recently.


    She was the only magician who was able to teleport and prate through Semi-Mythic Grade magic.


    ¡®Of course, I remember her being much stronger than she is right now. She must still be growing, so I think it won¡¯t be bad to send her to the Magic Guild to train.¡¯


    I saw her continuing to smile as if she was so happy to go out with me.


    It was our first time spending time together like this after the boat incident.


    Of course, we were hanging out as part of work, and we didn¡¯t have another schedule, but she still looked delighted.


    After getting out of the Guild Hall, I bore witness to Lindel¡¯s reconstruction again. In contrast to the time where there had been few people, it seemed full of energy at that moment.


    The Heren business, which I went with Kim Hyunsung to do, turned out to be aplete sess. The city had suddenly turned into a representative tourist destination, so I thought most people would have gathered there. However, it seemed like Lindel hadn¡¯t lost its ce as the hometown of adventurers.


    Even if the ce was in ruins, there were still a lot of people.


    Adventurers with architectural skills were currently taking part in the restoration work.


    Considering that the other part of the continent was spreading the news about an apocalypse, the difference in atmosphere was stark.


    ¡®They¡¯ve definitely gone through a lot.¡¯


    If they were going to falter just at that, they would¡¯ve be ruined a long time ago. They probably had memories of pain in their hearts from the events when they fought the 27th Corps, but they most likely became stronger through that incident.


    Their mentality had hardened, and they must¡¯ve felt proud that they could protect theirnd.


    ¡°We are looking for people to hunt with us.¡±


    ¡°The Natural Guild decided to move to Heren. We have a lot of items on sale, so please take a look.¡±


    ¡°Travel package to Mirror Lake and Heren is open for application. There¡¯s space avable because of a sudden cancetion. Apply now!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re searching for party members to go to a Rare-grade dungeon. We prefer someone who can lead us.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re disposing of a potion made by the Blue Guild. Due to urgent financial reasons, we¡¯re selling it for a much lower price than what is on the market.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re selling Hero-grade food ingredients. We also have regr ingredients, so take a look around.¡±


    ¡°How a Genius Swordsman and Alchemists Loves, revised versions¡­ Oh! Please don¡¯t push others! Don¡¯t push. We only have enough copies for three.¡±


    The square and the marketce hadn¡¯t been fully restored yet. It was operating like a pre-market with tents, but it didn¡¯t look all that bad. It looked a bit nostalgic, and most of all, everyone looked happy.


    As I walked along the street with Jung Hayan, I saw people bowing to greet me.


    Some told me that they supported the Continental Protection and Management Committee, and others told me to cheer up. It felt like I was a celebrity. It indeed seemed that the friendly image I had built up so far was helpful.


    The empire, as a whole, looked peaceful.


    Besides discussing the Goddess¡¯s prophecy or showing interest in themittee¡¯s candidates, they all went on with their daily lives. In a way, I thought that there was still ack of a sense of crisis, but considering that they were all living for the next day, I was very satisfied with the current atmosphere.


    Humans fought to protect what they had and what they had to do. In ces where many people gathered, such as bars and squares, the most popr topic was obviously about themittee.


    ¡®Overall, standards have gone up¡­¡¯


    It was noticeable that people¡¯s average stats had risen iparably from the time before the 27th Corps desecrated the Federation.


    Of course, it couldn¡¯tpare to when they were in the First Timeline, where they were going through war after war, but I could guarantee at that moment that there was certainly nothing like the mess of a guild that I had seen during my ¡®bitch¡¯ Kiyoung time.


    Even Lee Cheol-woo and Kim Daegun from the Friendship n, who I didn¡¯t even remember well, had achieved tremendous growth. One could tell by the fire in their eyes. They wore the faces of adventurers who had endured hellish training to survive.


    It was a pity that Hayan¡¯s growth of all people had been put on hold.


    Sun Hee-young, Elena, Kim Ye-ri, Cho Hyejin, Kim Chang-ryul, Yoo Ahyoung, Ahn Ki-mo, and the rest of the guild members had been focusing on training since they returned from vacation.


    Even Han Sora was slowly regaining her previous senses and was achieving the biggest growth in the guild. Her face had brightened ordingly¡­ and it felt as if she hadpletely freed herself from her fear of Jung Hayan.


    How could I not be worried that a person was stuck in ce while everyone else was moving forward? And it wasn¡¯t as if the person was just anyone. It was Jung Hayan.


    ¡°Oh. O-Over there. I recently had lunch over there with the Magic Guild.¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh¡­¡±


    ¡°I-It was really good. I wanted toe with you, Oppa. I guess we can g-go today.¡±


    ¡°Was it that good?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Ah¡­ the tower has changed a lot. I thought the restoration waspleted extremely quick, and there were many interesting items.¡±


    ¡°How do you usually train and study?¡±


    ¡°They gave me the very top floor of the guild. I tried to refuse it¡­ but they insisted. I- I heard that there was the most magic there. I usually stay there and read magic books. O-Oppa told me to read books, after all¡­¡±


    ¡°Good job. Did you read a lot?¡±


    ¡°The books there¡­ Um¡­ a-about half.¡±


    ¡°Were you able to understand them?¡±


    ¡°Yes, there were some basic information and some difficult parts¡­¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    ¡°I-Is there a problem?¡±


    ¡°No, nothing.¡±


    She looked a bit anxious. It seemed like she started to think she did something wrong since I kept asking about the training.


    However, I couldn¡¯t just tell her, ¡®I think you¡¯re not making any progress these days, so I¡¯m asking you what¡¯s going on.¡¯


    If she was going through something like a slump, such words could have a negative impact.


    ¡®Maybe she¡¯s just ying hooky.¡¯


    That was most likely. Since Hayan had reached a certain level and no one wasparable to her, she must¡¯ve been getting a bitzy.


    ¡®That was the most likely reason.¡¯


    However, after I entered the magical tower and talked to the grandpas there, I had no choice but to admit that I was wrong.


    ¡°You mean Jung Hayan?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Excluding mealtime, she shuts herself in the tower. Even when shees out to eat, she has an ancient magic book under her arms. There are many times when she just skips the meals altogether, so I don¡¯t know how I should say this¡­ but I¡¯m a little worried about her. Hehehehe.¡±


    ¡°She really is this empire¡¯s blessing. Even if all the Magic Guild magicians are geniuses, no one canpare to Jung Hayan-nim.¡±


    ¡°And although she¡¯s given us a hint to the form for the famous teleportation magic, we haven¡¯t made any progress in our research yet¡­ Seeing that she created such magic, it¡¯s not enough to call her magic¡¯s incarnation.¡±


    The army of old grandpas in the Magic Guild was looking at Jung Hayan as if she was their only granddaughter.


    Just in case, I kept my eyes on Jung Hayan, but she continued to stay in her room and kept reading books.


    I wondered if she was pretending to study like a student whose parents were attending ss, but that didn¡¯t seem like the case. Of course, I felt that way to some extent, but the appearance of her messy,rge room, which wasn¡¯t properly organized, seemed to show how hard she had worked so far.


    ¡°We thought about calling someone to organize the room, but in the end, we decided to leave it alone. It looks like a mess, but Jung Hayan-nim seems to have her own well-established system. There was a time when a new guild member tried to clean up her room without knowing anything and was severely scolded by her. Heheheh, She was so stressed that she threw items at the guild member while telling him to get out. Not only is her talent impressive, but her passion for magic is also the best. She is the GOAT! Kids these days are dope! The dopest!¡±


    I could understand a grandfather¡¯s desire to get close to Jung Hayan by using ng terms that only young people used, but no one even used those ngs anymore. It was embarrassing all in all.


    She certainly did look like a genius as she sat on the sofa, reading books or writing magic operations. When I snuck inside the room and looked around, I strangely felt a very familiar feeling.


    ¡®So, you shut yourself in a room like this even in the First Timeline, huh?¡¯


    Although she nced at me from time to time, Jung Hayan seemed to concentrate on her studies from the start to the end. Hayan probably thought that she could gain some points from me if she showed how concentrated she was.


    As the grandfathers had said, there were many books randomly scattered around the floor.


    [Understanding Magic Fundamentals]


    [What is Advanced Magic?]


    [Deep Processes in Magic]


    [Stories That I Understood in Practice, But Not in Theory]


    [1,023 Things About This Continent¡¯s Magic Laws]


    [The Magical Secret That Even The Great Wizard Didn¡¯t Know]


    From basic books published in the continent to ancient books found in dungeons, there were books that I couldn¡¯t fully understand. But at the same time, some items stood out.


    [Oppa 1. avi]


    [Oppa 2. avi]


    I didn¡¯t know what they were, but I pretended like I didn¡¯t see them. They were also in the corner of the room as if she wanted to hide them.


    ¡®It isn¡¯t because of that, right?¡¯


    I felt like a parent caring about their children¡¯s education.

 Chapter 558: Our Hayan Has Changed (2)

    <h4>Chapter 558: Our Hayan Has Changed (2)</h4>


    ¡®Is she paying attention to useless things?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t think that I had to point it out necessarily. One needed to relieve their stress sometimes while studying. The method she was using to relieve hers was a little worrisome, but I didn¡¯t want to make a fuss since it was natural.


    Of course, it would be a problem if it was too much, but looking around the room, it didn¡¯t seem like it.


    ¡®It¡¯s not like I can keep checking whether or not she¡¯s studying¡­¡¯


    I had already checked a few times, but I still wanted to check it once more.


    I walked toward the army of grandfathers, who were wandering around the door as if Jung Hayan¡¯s room was a sanctuary, and asked them a question.


    ¡°Is she usually like this?¡±


    ¡°Yes, she usually spends a lot of time training. In extreme times, there are days when she doesn¡¯t even go to sleep. Hahaha.¡±


    ¡°Um¡­¡±


    ¡°She has a great passion for magic, but¡­ Is there anything bothering you?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m just worried if she¡¯s doing well¡­ As you know, it¡¯s our first time sending her to train in a ce like the magic tower. Of course, considering that it¡¯s a ce where you store and manage vast knowledge, I think sending her here is the right answer, but¡­ I wonder if she¡¯s getting used to the new environment¡­¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s getting very well-adjusted here, so you have nothing to worry about. I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll go back to the guild with great results soon. Apart from the Blue Guild¡¯s investments in the Magic Guild, the Magic Guild will provide as much material and physical support we can to Jung Hayan-nim. So, please trust us a little bit.¡±


    ¡®Trust? I do trust you guys. How could I not trust this ce?¡¯


    Although the Magic Guild couldn¡¯t be called a gigantic guild, it was a group made up of geniuses in magic.


    Additionally, many magicians had raised their thumbs at the Magic Guild¡¯s infrastructure and curriculum. Even the ck Swan and the Red Mercenaries were in partnership with the guild regarding the development of magicians.


    It wasn¡¯t even only those two ces. As they began to form solidarity with many countries, other nations and groups also requested partnerships with the guild.


    Of course, it was the same for the Blue Guild.


    ¡®The Magic Guild doesn¡¯t have the world¡¯s best magician under them, but no one could deny that they have the most knowledge about magic in the continent.¡¯


    Of course, one could ask, ¡®who can teach and guide Jung Hayan then?¡¯ but what she needed wasn¡¯t a teacher but an excellent facility and stable support.


    Truthfully, we didn¡¯t have to look so far, but the Magic Tower was also the institution that had fostered Jung Hayan in the First Timeline.


    ¡°I think I was a little rude. But it isn¡¯t because I didn¡¯t trust the Magic Tower. Who would have any doubts about this ce?¡±


    ¡°Haha, fret not. It would actually be weird not to worry. Although we feel like she¡¯s getting used to this¡­ Well, if the Blue Vice Guild Master feels that way, I think we should put more thought into this matter. Besides, it feels like fate that you hade to our tower. How about it? I¡¯m looking forward to seeing if I can hear a little bit about alchemy today. If you don¡¯t mind, do you want to talk over a cup of tea¡­?¡±


    ¡®Yeah, there are people like this.¡¯


    Nobody could control such kinds of people with money.


    Of course, perhaps giving a bit more money could help, but the Magic Tower was made up of passionate schrs and magicians, all of them crazy about magic.


    I nodded slowly. However, I regretted that decision exactly four hourster.


    That was because I didn¡¯t realize what drinking a cup of tea meant in there.


    ¡°Are you telling me that you don¡¯t necessarily have to find a form? But theory is also an important part. So far, the academia has¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t we have our strongest evidence here? Jung Hayan-nim is not bound by any forms. She must be studying a form of magic that has never been done before because of her unconventional way of thinking. It¡¯s not just at the Magic Tower. Currently, all magicians are relying on thefort of the system¡¯s knowledge. If this continues, we won¡¯t be able to reach higher ground. It¡¯s obvious that we won¡¯t be able to develop farther than that. Instead, we¡¯ll regress.¡±


    ¡°In addition to gathering knowledge about the underlying principles of magic, we are constantly researching and developing. What¡¯s the point of cing Jung Hayan-nim in the same category as ordinary people in the first ce¡­?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean that we shouldpletely abandon our way of things right now. What I mean is¡­ Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s necessary to also look in a different direction¡­?¡±


    The grandfathers¡¯ unending debate had gone on.


    I didn¡¯t know how a discussion about alchemy had turned into such a debate. As the discussion began to heat up, the grandpas eventually raised their voices about things that had nothing to do with the original topic.


    After debating about the source of magic and the direction of increasing the output of elemental magic, they began to debate the need for nonbat magic and had finally reached the current topic. The theme of the current debate was whether or not an established form was meaningful or even necessary.


    Perhaps the topic was debatable because of Jung Hayan.


    Unlike other magicians, she was the type to make forms and spells after manifesting magic. It was like answering a math problem before solving it, then establishing the form after that¡­


    Her existence and iprehensible method shook the foundation of magic, so it was expected that such an argument would arise.


    As they raised their voices until spit came out of their mouths, I wanted to run out of the ce. However, watching Jung Hayan open her mouth little by little, I was forced to sit still.


    However, even that much was enough to make all the grandmas and grandpas pay attention to what she had to say and take notes not to miss anything. Not only were they arguing with each other, but they were also arguing with Jung Hayan.


    One thing inmon between all the magicians in the tower was that they were all looking at her like she was their real granddaughter.


    Even the middle-aged magicians also looked at Jung Hayan as if she was their own daughter.


    ¡®She seems used to this.¡¯


    It didn¡¯t seem like much, but it was also interesting.


    I didn¡¯t know in detail what Jung Hayan was like in the First Timeline, but after witnessing the current atmosphere, I could roughly guess how she had been treated in the Magic Tower. She must¡¯ve had conversations like that every day and lived among people who really cared about her.


    Of course, she probably had her natural timidity, but the time she spent confined in the tower wouldn¡¯t have been that miserable.


    ¡®They¡¯re not bad people.¡¯


    In the first ce, they were people who didn¡¯t seem to be interested in anything other than magic. I couldn¡¯t say it definitively, but it was at that moment that I realized that Jung Hayan¡¯s stagnant growth wasn¡¯t due to her environment.


    ¡°It¡¯s already dinner time?¡±


    ¡°Ughh¡­ I see.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯d better start with a meal. We have guests and¡­ Lee Kiyoung-nim, if you don¡¯t mind, please stay with us for dinner and go home¡­¡±


    ¡®I don¡¯t want to, you bastards.¡¯


    ¡°No, thank you. I appreciate the offer, but I¡¯d like to have a small dinner with a Jung Hayan.¡±


    ¡°Haha, I guess Icked some tact.¡±


    ¡®Youcked it since a while ago.¡¯


    ¡°Haha¡­¡±


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll send you a meal separately.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    I went back to the top of the tower.


    ¡°H-How was it?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    ¡°The g-grandfathers were a little talkative, right? Grandfather Park and Grandfather Jang must¡¯ve been happy because Oppa came. They seemed to talk more than usual.¡±


    ¡°Everyone seemed nice.¡±


    ¡°R-Right?¡±


    ¡°The atmosphere is good¡­ Honestly, I think the conditions for training are better than the ones at the Blue Guild. I like how you can really focus on studying here.¡±


    That made me even more confused. Why did her growth suddenly be stagnant? She seemed to be trying her best, and the atmosphere was indeed nice. I could nod my head to the environment, and magic was overflowing in there.


    It was a situation where her power should¡¯ve grown explosively- not stagnant.


    ¡®Let me throw in some bait.¡¯


    Perhaps she had lost her purpose.


    Perhaps, the silent promise of, ¡®If you show results, you¡¯ll get a reward,¡¯ had be a little faded out. It could be because we had naturally be much touchier than before.


    And she was proud of the ring she wore on her left ring finger.


    Most of all, after the kidnapping incident, it became an opportunity for her to get physically closer to me at any chance.


    Even at that moment, she had her arms around mine and was sticking close to my side.


    Riding the magic elevator installed in the tower, we reached the top of the tower instantly. Even while entering the room and eating the food that the tower¡¯s staff had given me, I couldn¡¯t stop thinking.


    ¡®Do I have to wait a bit longer to see? But wouldn¡¯t it be better to do something right now?¡¯


    Seeing her current environment, it seemed that she would grow at least slightly, but I couldn¡¯t brush away the uncertainty.


    When I looked at her, she smiled a little. I felt nervous about the strange atmosphere that had suddenly formed.


    I even saw her hands flinch on the desk.


    It felt like her gaze was focused on my neck while we were having a pointless conversation. To be exact, she seemed to be looking at my corbone that had been revealed after I took off my coat, but the way she stared at it without blinking even once was a little freaky.


    ¡°I¡¯m happy you seem to be working hard.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I-I¡¯m working hard. Really hard. S-Seriously hard.¡±


    ¡°I like you like this.¡±


    ¡°Ah? Haa¡­ Ah!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s attractive.¡±


    ¡°Ah! Mmf!¡±


    ¡°It also feels a little sexy.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ ugnh!¡±


    ¡®Hey, why are you making such weird noises?¡¯


    I lifted my hand slightly on the back of Jung Hayan¡¯s hand and tickled her, which caused her whole body to shake.


    It felt like her eyes were getting scarier. The slightly open door naturally closed. It was clear that someone had controlled the door because there was no wind, and it was too obvious as to who that someone was.


    I had slight anxiety that an incident like what had happened with Cha Hee-ra might happen, but Jung Hayan didn¡¯t act as rashly.


    She was different from Cha Hee-ra, who acted as she pleased.


    She probably wanted to maintain her half-hearted innocence, which had been certified by a unicorn, and wouldn¡¯t make the first move.


    The most she did was grab my hand. Because of the pain, my face crumpled a bit, but I maintained my expression.


    I thought the gesture could be interpreted as ¡®I¡¯m very sexually attracted to you right now.¡¯


    Jung Hayan¡¯s expression seemed to also be expecting that day to be the day.


    However, it didn¡¯t take long before those expectations were shattered.


    ¡°Still¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes? Yes! Yes!¡±


    ¡°You should concentrate on studying.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ ah¡­ ahh¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to influence you in any way negatively.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ T-t-that, n-n-n-n-no, no¡­ I don¡¯t think ¡­ There would be an influence¡­ n-none at all¡­¡±


    ¡°I just want you to keep showing me what you¡¯re doing right now. Do you understand what I am saying?¡±


    At this, she bit down on her lower lip.

 Chapter 559: Our Hayan Has Changed (3)

    <h4>Chapter 559: Our Hayan Has Changed (3)</h4>


    It definitely wasn¡¯t a bad turn of events. Jung Hayan began to concentrate like crazy again. She even refused to go back to the guild together.


    One of the small changes that happened was that she began to show me how hard she was studying magic or tried to make the sexiest expression she could while flipping pages.


    I couldn¡¯t really understand if it really was a sexy expression, but she seemed very satisfied with it. it was only a little, but it seemed like she had regained some of her confidence back¡­


    I was sure that she thought she must¡¯ve found a way to ovee herplexity. Honestly, rather than sexy, she looked cute while looking so hard to read a book as hot as she could.


    However, I had no choice but to make her believe that I wanted to support her growth.


    ¡®Let¡¯s increase your stats. Grow, grow, grow!¡¯


    I would do anything to remove Jung Hayan¡¯s stagnation. It was only right for me to employ all means possible to restart her development.


    Despite how busy I was, I made a promise with Jung Hayan to go out with her at least once a week. It was good for her to stay inside and study. However, it was also good to take a breath of fresh air once in a while.


    When she was struggling, I could support her, and when she was losing motivation, I could inspire her.


    After I promised to go out with her once a week, I could still remember how happy and how triumphant she looked. I thought she was thinking that I was falling for her intellectual charm, so after that, she began to carry her books with her everywhere¡­


    There was no immediate growth, but I was sure that she would jump many stages like usual.


    ¡®Let¡¯s be a bit more patient.¡¯


    Even a little growth was helpful for Jung Hayan right then. Of course, it wasn¡¯t only Jung Hayan¡¯s growth I was focused on.


    ¡°How¡¯s your training?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. It seems to be changing little by little¡­ Still, my stats are increasing slowly. Hyunsung-hyung is taking good care of me. You don¡¯t have to worry too much.¡±


    ¡°You can do better, Deokgu.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m your little brother. I¡¯m going to do well.¡±


    I also focused on increasing the strength of Park Deokgu and all the other Blue Guild members, as well as the joint training. Amongst them, the joint continental training was performing better than expected, and I thought the shock therapy was extremely effective.


    Most of the senior members who made up the training were warriors who fought in the war against the 27th Demon Corps, so there was an earnest atmosphereing from them. I felt good that the training was going very well without much interference from me.


    Of course, Kim Hyunsung was the one most excited about all of that.


    He helped adventurers in other countries by reducing his own training hours and used that time to take care of those he saw potential in.


    ¡®Communication is definitely important.¡¯


    All of that was only able to happen because Kim Hyunsung and I began to share our opinions honestly and had open conversations. To be honest, it wasn¡¯t that difficult before, but we are definitely more productive now.


    It was only natural that efficiency would be lower if I didn¡¯t know what the other person was doing. I would¡¯ve had to give extra thought each time I wanted to help or manage certain parts and wondered if I was doing the right thing while implementing my ns.


    I used to hide what I knew and feigned ignorance, but at that moment, I didn¡¯t have to do that anymore.


    Kim Hyunsung could express what he needed, and all I needed to do was organize and send the things he needed. Of course, Kim Hyunsung seemed to feel sorry whenever he asked for something, but from my point of view, I felt that my job was much easier and more stable than before.


    Above all, the biggest advantage was that I could do more things now.


    The time I spent on Kim Hyunsung could be distributed to other areas. I opened a letter addressed to me.


    [A problem urred¡­ Please check the overall training situation. If you¡¯re busy, you can say ¡®it¡¯s okay or ¡®it¡¯s a bit disappointing.¡¯ And would you be able toment on the mentality training you¡¯ve mentioned before? Finally, in the Continental Protection and Management Committee case, could you add in your own thoughts¡­I don¡¯t think Mister Kiyoung has to take any responsibility. Of course, I know the advantages are great, but there¡¯s a lot tied to this¡­]


    ¡°I still have to do it. What can I do?¡±


    ¡°I think I will have to check out the training myself¡­ Well, they seem to be doing well, so I don¡¯t think that will be much of a problem.¡¯


    After reading the letter, I quickly folded it and put it back on the desk.


    Although there were means other than letters, they were still the most prominent method formunication. I guessed the technology we had developed in the 2nd Timeline still wasn¡¯t being widely used, but that wasn¡¯t an important detail.


    Knocks soon echoed from the door. I told the person toe in, and the opened door revealed a face I recently saw more than Jung Hayan and Hyunsung.


    ¡°Team Leader Kim Mi-young.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Vice Guild Master. I should¡¯vee earlier¡­¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. You alwayse to work at a normal time. I just woke up earlier than normal and came early, so you have nothing to be sorry about. You were workingte yesterday, too.¡±


    ¡®Everything is so much easier thanks to her.¡¯


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t thatte, but¡­¡±


    ¡°If 2 in the morning is notte, when is itte? Extra payment is a given¡­ but It still wouldn¡¯t feel fair to you even if I gave you a bonus on top of a bonus.¡±


    ¡°Considering what the Vice Guild Master has done for me so far, this is a given. Thank you for your consideration, but you don¡¯t have to take care of me like that. For me, you are like my benefactor.¡±


    ¡°Compared to you, I didn¡¯t do much. I just scouted someone like you who was so capable. Come to think of it¡­ How are the kids doing these days?¡±


    ¡°Mh¡­ they both recently said that they wanted to be adventurers¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, that is a bit worrisome.¡±


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s good to have enough power to protect yourself¡­ I¡¯m just a little worried as a mother¡­¡±


    ¡°I might sound a bit cold, but on a continent like this, a person with a knife may be safer than a person with a pen. If the children are determined, it wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to let them participate in the Blue Guild youth program. It would be much better than starting at a regr dungeon without anything. I¡¯ll tell the person in charge in advance, so feel free to let me know if you make that decision.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be thankful and sorry every time. Then, first of all¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t have any other schedule for you because you are going out with Miss Jung Hayan today. Other things for you to check are these documents about the Northern Forward Base Construction n and¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, okay. Let me check them first.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Completion will take four years¡­¡±


    ¡°I tried to shorten the time as much as I could, but considering the size and quality that you wanted, this was the minimum. If we shorten the period more, there is a high possibility of drawbacks¡­ But most of all, there are not enough mana crystals for the northern forward base. We¡¯re mining as fast as we can, but we¡¯re still struggling because it¡¯s not a material whose volume can be easily increased. Thepletion of a typical wall could be done a little earlier, but in the case of imnting towers everywhere¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course, I know that constructing towers at a fast pace isn¡¯t optimal, but I still want you to speed the process up a little bit. If the problem is securing enough mana crystals, we could try borrowing the northern countries¡¯bor force. I think the tools for mining could also be improved, and it would be a good idea to get Miss Ahyoung to help us with that.¡±


    ¡°We are already in the process of working with the northern countries about the workforce, but most of them are having difficulties.¡±


    ¡°Hmmmmm¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try toe up with a solution.¡±


    ¡°I think it would be a good idea for me to think of one as well. It¡¯s going to be difficult, but I would be grateful if you couldplete that project in 3 years. Anyway, thank you for your hard work. I¡¯ll check all the ns tomorrow and give you more detailedments.¡±


    ¡°Duly noted.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­ What¡¯s next?¡±


    ¡°I was thinking about setting up a meeting with the managementmittee¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, that sounds good. It was about time to do that. Please take care of it on your own. I would appreciate it if you paid particr attention to the media.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to do as you asked.¡±


    After that, Kim Mi-young asked more questions and gave me a set of different reports.


    For sure, she was fantastic at her job.


    Even though it was not her area of expertise, she sessfully managed all the projects assigned to her. I definitely picked the right person. Of course, she worked on non-sensitive tasks with her team, but was there anyone more passionate than her in terms of the guild¡¯s administrative processing?


    Considering her other skills, she was basically a cheat character.


    ¡°And this is the conclusion of my reports. It looks like Miss Jung Hayan is waiting for you outside¡­ Should I tell her toe inside your office?¡±


    ¡°No, thank you. Let¡¯s go outside together. I think that would be better¡­ Oh, and you did a great job today.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    I saw that she slightly raised her sses with her fingers.


    I began to wonder if the intellectual image that Jung Hayan wanted to portray was the image Kim Mi-Young had.


    An intelligent career woman. I suddenly became worried that Hayan might explode after seeing using out together. But I thought it was unlikely since, after the troops, Jung Hayan was super cautious about her actions.


    As expected, she was quietly sitting down. And I didn¡¯t know how she met Han Sora, but they were chatting with each other. It was kind of a strange sight, but it also looked natural at the same time.


    Han Sora was brightly smiling at Hayan. I could say with full confidence that Han Sora was the one who benefited the most from Hayan calming down.


    It was the first time I saw her smile so brightly after joining the Blue Guild.


    It didn¡¯t take long for her to see us, causing her to naturally wave her hand at us. Sure enough, there was an old book in her right hand, and she was even wearing red sses that day.


    She looked kind of cute, so I almostughed, but I thought she might feel bad, so I just greeted her like usual.


    At that moment, team leader Kim Mi-young suddenly fell forward.


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    There was no other reason. She just lost her footing. My arm just naturally went out to support her to make sure she didn¡¯t fall down.


    ¡°Thank you, Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°As expected, you seem a little tired. Team leader Kim Mi-young, please don¡¯t do anything else today and take a good rest.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t just say that.¡±


    ¡°Yes, as you say¡­¡±


    I immediately realized the situation she and I were in.


    Noticing that I was basically hugging Kim Mi-Young, I quickly took my hands off of her. Jung Hayan was watching us. She might react badly to the fact that I was close to a woman who had the image that she wanted.


    No matter how calm Jung Hayan had be, I was very worried about how she would act.


    Sure enough, I began to hear voicesing towards us.


    ¡°Team leader, a-ar-are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes, thank you.¡±


    ¡®What¡¯s this?¡¯


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡±


    ¡®What¡¯s wrong with you? Fuck. You¡¯re scaring me.¡¯


    ¡°You should have been more careful¡­¡±


    ¡®Why are you suddenly acting like that¡­Hayan, fuck. Don¡¯t be like that. You¡¯re even scarier now.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t even know if it was sincere or not, but she definitely looked worried. She paired her kind words with a concerned face.


    I was surprised, but Han Sora continued smiling quietly. And still, Jung Hayan¡¯s growth was stagnant.

 Chapter 560: Our Hayan Has Changed (4)

    <h4>Chapter 560: Our Hayan Has Changed (4)</h4>


    ¡°Are you talking about Miss Hayan?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°She has been very quiettely. She¡¯s also be very kind. She takes care of me every time I meet her, but it was a little bit scary because of her past. There¡¯s no sign of her past behaviors these days, though. You know¡­ When her eyes used to give off a strange light. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s because she became more patient or if she realized something.¡±


    ¡°She certainly seemed to have quieted down, but¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I wanted to tell you¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh! Yes, please continue.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I¡¯m being rude, but¡­ I don¡¯t think you have to transfer me anymore. It¡¯sfortable for me to stay here¡­ And I would like to stay in Lindel for now.¡±


    ¡°I understand what you are saying, Miss Sora.¡±


    ¡®I wasn¡¯t going to transfer you in the first ce anyway¡­¡¯


    I was d that she said that on her own. Of course, the main point of the conversation wasn¡¯t her transfer issue.


    ¡®If even Sora says this, Hayan really must have changed¡­¡¯


    I talked to Sora in order to gauge Hayan¡¯s current condition.


    Establishing a forward base in the North and establishing a Continental Protection and Management Committee to prepare for the entire war were important issues, but checking up on the growth of special human weapons like Hayan was also important.


    I didn¡¯t know what Han Sora thought of Jung Hayan, but I was sure that Hayan considered Sora her friend. Every time an incident rted to Hayan broke out, I used Sora. Since Hayan had limited human rtions, it was inevitable that Hayan would¡¯ve developed friendly feelings for Sora.


    I was certain that Han Sora was probably one of the people Hayan trusted the most.


    Of course, Han Sora was afraid of Jung Hayan due to the events that happened between them in the past. However, based on her action that day, things seemed to have changed.


    ¡®Their rtionship has changed for sure.¡¯


    That was proof that Jung Hayan had matured.


    ¡®It¡¯s weird to think about it.¡¯


    I thought she had grown up since the kidnapping incident, but that was weird no matter how hard I thought about it.


    I couldn¡¯t judge whether I hadn¡¯t noticed or pretended not to know, but I had to admit that Jung Hayan had changed 180 degrees from before¡­


    ¡®Even the problem with the Magic Tower ended easily.¡¯


    Even though I strongly rmended it, if it were the usual Hayan, she would¡¯ve never obediently listened to my words. The tower wasn¡¯t that far, but normally, shutting herself in a tower would¡¯ve been unbearable for her.


    We went out together once a week, but that couldn¡¯t have been enough for her.


    Of course, there were many times where she seemed like she was holding it in, but it was still difficult to understand. Even when she met Hee-ra, whom she hated the most, Jung Hayan didn¡¯t throw a tantrum.


    I just saw her bite her lips tightly while her hands shook, but she didn¡¯t do anything else besides that. When I went out to work, she didn¡¯t beg me to let her follow me like before and just watched as I talked to other women.


    Even her response to the Continental Management Committee was the same. The news about me leaving the guild temporarily and heading north¡­ From Jung Hayan¡¯s point of view, there should¡¯ve been nothing worse than that.


    I couldn¡¯t simply say that her patience had grown because it didn¡¯t seem like she was going to explode any time soon.


    ¡®Maybe she feels like she can¡¯t explode anymore¡­¡¯


    She might¡¯ve realized that when she did something, it could have a negative impact. There might¡¯ve been many otherplex reasons, but there wasn¡¯t a need to find the cause.


    The only thing that mattered was that the kidnapping incident was limiting her behavior.


    In the first ce, I was aiming for a situation like that. What was a more attractive option than having Jung Hayan, who didn¡¯t act out of the blue?


    However, thinking that the previous self-produced drama was limiting not only Jung Hayan¡¯s actions but also her mind, I grasped onto my head tightly once again.


    ¡°Is everything all right, Vice Guild Master?¡±


    ¡°Yes, everything¡¯s fine¡­ Well, is there anything unusual about her these days¡­?¡±


    ¡°No, there isn¡¯t anything like that. She doesn¡¯t seem to be under any kind of stress since it would¡¯ve prevented her from studying otherwise¡­ and it doesn¡¯t look like there are any other problems. She was holding a book even on her way to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°And¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if this is the right expression, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°She seems to be having a bit of a hard time.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°No, I think it¡¯s more urate to say that she¡¯s not having fun rather than saying she¡¯s having a hard time.¡±


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t like it? Is the tower¡¯s standard that low?¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I meant. She doesn¡¯t seem to be that interested in magic itself. It just feels like she¡¯s forced to study¡­ In fact, I don¡¯t think there are that many people who study magic and enjoy it¡­ However,tely, she seems even more uninterested. No matter how much I look at her, she looks like she has been forced to sit on a chair and study.¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but¡­ That¡¯s my gut feeling.¡±


    ¡°I see. First of all, thank you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Jung Hayan doesn¡¯t find magic interesting?¡¯


    ¡°Well, Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I know you¡¯re busy, but¡­ I hope you¡¯ll visit Jung Hayan more often¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, I understand what you¡¯re saying.¡±


    ¡°W-Well, then, I¡¯ll get going.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll call you again in a few days, so please refrain from going far away as much as possible.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡±


    ¡°Why would she find magic boring? She loves to study¡­¡¯


    Even after Han Sora had gone outside, I couldn¡¯t get off my chair.


    ¡®I can¡¯t be. Is that what it really is?¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t like I had kept watching Jung Hayan¡¯s appearance in the 1st Timeline, but it sounded absurd that Jung Hayan didn¡¯t feel interested in magic.


    Magic was her purpose in life, her breakthrough, and cure. She relieved her stress by reading magic books and relied on magic when she was bored or lonely.


    It was her friend who talked to her,forted her, andughed with her when she was having a hard time. In extreme terms, magic and mana were her only friends. She was that type of person¡­


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡®This is¡­¡¯


    As I pondered quietly, I realized something.


    ¡®This isn¡¯t the First Timeline.¡¯


    Jung Hayan was neither lonely nor felt like magic was her only friend in this timeline.


    ¡®Rather¡­¡¯


    She probably thought of it as a scheme. In the First Timeline, Jung Hayan was confined at the top of the Magic Tower as soon as the tutorial was over.


    She spent her time on the top of the tower without going outside. The old magicians there probably adored her, but she probably felt lonely.


    That created a situation that not only developed her original talent in magic but also increased her passion for it.


    However¡­


    ¡®Things arepletely different now.¡¯


    My existence itself could be a problem.


    If her purpose in the 1st Timeline was magic, her purpose in the 2nd timeline was Lee Kiyoung.


    In the First Timeline, when Jung Hayan found herself in a situation that she couldn¡¯t handle, she fled to magic. In the 2nd Timeline, she looked for me.


    Unlike the First Timeline, it wasn¡¯t too much for her to feel that magic was indeed boring. Her means and her purpose had changed so clearly, after all.


    ¡®So is it inevitable for her to be weaker than she was in the First Timeline?¡¯


    Not necessarily. Considering what Jung Hayan had achieved at that moment, she was still loved by magic and mana.


    ¡®The problem is that the love is one-sided¡­¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t stop myself from sighing. It seemed like I had reached a conclusion to some extent. The current method couldn¡¯t bring Jung Hayan to her maximum potential. Even if I kept shouting at her to grow, she wouldn¡¯t.


    I had to make a new keyword and act like before. Of course, it wasn¡¯t difficult to find an answer.


    Just by thinking about how Jung Hayan had grown so far, I quickly realized what I had to do. The main factor that made Jung Hayan grow in the Second Timeline wasn¡¯t training, but anger, jealousy, and negative emotions.


    Anger towards Cha Hee-ra, the mask trash, Jin Qing, The Federation, and the demons¡­ At each point, she had grown and be unimaginably strong.


    Simply put, every time I had an ident, she jumped up several steps at once. Of course, that was why she couldn¡¯t grow. Since Jung Hayan, who was discouraged by the kidnapping incident, began restraining her negative emotions, her growth couldn¡¯t proceed smoothly.


    ¡®Man, why did it discourage her?¡¯


    I had tried so hard to put a leash around Jung Hayan, and when I eventually seeded in putting it on, Jung Hayan became a pet dog, not a hunting dog.


    ¡®Sh*t, what should I do?¡¯


    ¡°Damn it¡­¡±


    ¡®Is it right to untie the leash again?¡¯


    ¡°But I put a lot of effort into tying her down¡­¡±


    ¡°Can I win a battle whilepletely excluding Jung Hayan? What the hell am I going to do?¡¯


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡®This could be better for Hayan, too¡­¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t just a matter of personal greed. Jung Hayan was clearly bing gentle.


    She was always socializing and gradually bing calmer even around Han Sora.


    It might be expecting too much right at that moment, but it might be herst chance to regain some of the humanity that she had worn out since she was summoned. That was exactly what I wanted¡­


    In the first ce, I always felt a little guilty putting her in the wrong direction. Only a little bit, though. It was inevitable that it would take a lot of things to drop another bomb once again.


    Did I have to choose?


    ¡®A weaker but more stable Jung Hayan? Or a mad crazy one?¡¯


    Exactly a monthter, I had no choice but to tell her my decision carefully in the end.


    ¡°Let¡¯s stay apart for a bit.¡±


    ¡°What? What?¡±


    ¡°I think I need some personal time¡­¡±


    I could guarantee that my words must¡¯ve sounded like thunderboltsing down from the sky.


    Of course, to Han Sora too.

 Chapter 561: Spreading Seeds (1)

    <h4>Chapter 561: Spreading Seeds (1)</h4>


    ¡°S-so suddenly. W-Wh-Why?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s hard for me to say this too, but I think it¡¯s time for you to focus some more on your studies¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You know why I¡¯m being like this, right?¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes. O-of course¡­ Of course, I know. I know for sure.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been busy so far, but it¡¯ll be even busier in the future. We can¡¯t repeat what happened with the 27th Corps.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ F-For sure¡­we can¡¯t let that happen.¡±


    ¡°I also really want to be next to you every day, but I think it will be more helpful not to see each other until you¡¯ve made some progress. We have to be prepared and move again. If we don¡¯t do that, it¡¯ll only get harder. It¡¯s going to be difficult for the both of us¡­ but you understand, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Her body was visibly shaking.


    I also grew nervous. It felt like it had been such a long time since she entered her half-crazed state. I had already made a diagnosis of Jung Hayan, but she could always act unpredictably.


    However, perhaps, if it was the current Jung Hayan¡­


    ¡°I-I, I understand¡­ Yes. I¡¯ll try to under¡­stand.¡±


    I looked at Hayan again, and she looked as if she was trying to stop her tears from falling desperately. She was putting as much strength as she could in her eyes to stop her tears while clutching her fists tightly. She trembled as if she was a phone buzzing as well.


    She seemed as if she was trying to keep calm, but her flinches kept making me feel nervous.


    ¡®Saying that I¡¯m getting a 7-year itch won¡¯t be such a bad idea either¡­¡¯


    However, I didn¡¯t want to give her too much damage right at the beginning. Just saying that ¡®it might be hard for us to meet each other¡¯ was enough to cause a huge effect on her.


    Although it was a necessary emotion for Jung Hayan¡¯s growth, it made me nervous about the possibility that, if I gave her such big damage like a breakup, she might start causing havoc.


    I didn¡¯t think it would be likely, but I was worried that she might make the same choice as she did in the First Timeline in the tower¡­


    Even saying ¡®let¡¯s not meet for a while¡¯ was enough to set her off.


    It was much safer to loosen the leash slowly than to release it all at once. If I mentioned that I was having a burnout or a 7-year itch, I couldn¡¯t imagine what would happen¡­


    Everything could be ruined.


    I had to make sure that all of Hayan¡¯s anger would be directed towards the demons and the enemies against humanity.


    ¡°B-Bu-But¡­¡±


    ¡°I think I might head north as early as this week.¡±


    ¡°What? This week?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t tell you in advance. It was decided so suddenly, and I didn¡¯t know either¡­The construction of the forward base is going to begin tomorrow. I have a n, but I think I should at least take a look around the country. Many people are confused there, and I have to be the one to reassure them. I might be helpful.¡±


    ¡°I can study there, too¡­ I can even teleport. It could be m-more¡­ morefortable for you.¡±


    ¡°But you have work to do here.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I-I have w-work to do here. But¡­ C-can I see you sometimes? Even for just a moment¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, for now, I would like for you to stay in Lindel until I contact you.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ That¡¯s too¡­¡±


    ¡®Yes, it¡¯s cruel.¡¯


    Even I thought it was pretty harsh.


    Of course, it didn¡¯t seem like a big deal in ordinary circumstances, but considering the things that happened to Jung Hayan, I felt a bit sorry for her. I didn¡¯t think that Hayan would be nervous about being abandoned by me anymore, but I was sure that she was still very anxious about it.


    Sure enough, tears were falling, and she looked very pitiful.


    Jung Hayan rushed in and hugged me very tightly when I opened my arms. She held onto me so hard I could feel my bones crunch, but I continued to gently stroke her hair.


    She cried so intensely that it felt as if I was going to the military or going abroad to study instead of doing my work.


    ¡®The timing¡¯s good.¡¯


    I was going to move north anyway, and it wasn¡¯t like I could just bring her along.


    Of course, it would be convenient to take her with me, but other than the transportation, everything else was inconvenient.


    It was helpful for both her and me to nt the seeds and just wait for her to grow. I tried to push Hayan away gently, but as expected, she didn¡¯t budge.


    ¡°Everyone is working hard, so cheer up, Hayan.¡±


    ¡®At least we saw each other once a week.¡¯


    ¡°Sniff¡­ yes.¡±


    ¡°If you need anything, make sure to ask team leader Kim Mi-young, and I will send you letters or videos. Don¡¯t be so upset.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­ Ugh¡­ Ugh¡­ *sob*¡­ Okay¡­¡±


    ¡°I also don¡¯t want to move away, Hayan. But I have no choice.¡±


    ¡°*Sob*¡­ I know¡­ Then, w-when can I see you?¡±


    ¡°When I¡¯m roughly done with all my work¡­¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°When your training is over.¡±


    ¡°W-When will my training be over?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll be able to judge for yourself. You know that too, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Yes¡­ *sob*.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to escort me. I have to go to the tower quickly.¡±


    ¡°Still¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll take you there.¡±


    ¡°Ughhh¡­¡±


    ¡®But you¡¯re holding it in. That¡¯s amazing. Really amazing.¡¯


    Even if I didn¡¯t point it out, I was certain she was also feeling worried about her growth. She didn¡¯t seem nervous, but she must¡¯ve also realized that she had stagnatedtely.


    The exact cause was unknown, but she might have also thought that changes in the environment were necessary. I hoped she thought all of that was because of the outer god or something. That way, Jung Hayan would be extremely motivated to hasten her growth.


    ¡®Maybe¡­¡¯


    The first step was for her to be obsessed with the idea of growing until she thought I was satisfied. The second was for her to concentrate all her efforts on studying. If that ignited Jung Hayan¡¯s growth¡­


    ¡®It would be great, but¡­¡¯


    I didn¡¯t think that she would grow with just a few words like that when I tried so hard to tempt her before. I bet she felt as frustrated for being blocked by a big wall.


    I was certain that she thought, ¡®since I studied this before, I might be able to finish my studies and grow my stats after a bit, and then I¡¯ll be able to see Kiyoung faster¡­¡¯


    A month or two would then pass without much progress. Wouldn¡¯t anyone be nervous in a situation like that?


    I knew her pent-up irritation would begin toe up, and she would try to find the cause for her stagnant growth externally. And in the meantime, she might begin to grow angrier and more frustrated at how she couldn¡¯t see me and think she had to think of new solutions just like every other time.


    ¡®I¡¯m a little nervous about finishing it like this¡­¡¯


    I would¡¯ve liked to check and care for Jung Hayan¡¯s growth personally, but unfortunately, I would be too busy to do that.


    ¡°I-I will k-keep in touch.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Go back in, Hayan.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Okay¡­¡±


    ¡°Send videos periodically.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will. I will definitely, for sure¡­ I w-will d-definitely send them.¡± And from there, she bit back a sob.


    It wasn¡¯t only Jung Hayan that needed her personal time.


    It was a struggle to break away from Jung Hayan, who refused to let me go. I could only go back to pack my luggage after half-forcing her into the tower. It was hard to move away because I kept hearing her sobbing voice, but it was entirely necessary.


    When I returned to the guild, the Blue Guild weed me. It felt empty. No, it really was empty. Kim Hyunsung and Cho Hyejin had been dispatched due to the joint continental training.


    Since there weren¡¯t many people in the first ce in the Blue Guild, it became obvious when people were missing. When I was about toe into the entrance, I saw Park Deokgu and Ahn Ki-moing out.


    They came out with huge luggage as if they were going on an expedition. I was about to ask them what was up with all that, but Park Deokgu spoke first.


    ¡°Oh, hyung-nim, are we going north now?¡±


    ¡°Are you going to follow me?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not like that.¡±


    ¡°Then what?¡±


    ¡°I just feel like I¡¯m stuck.¡±


    ¡°Are you going out on an expedition? I don¡¯t think a dungeon was reported¡­ You¡¯re just going with Ki-mo? Did you apply for support from the top three guilds? Are the Red Mercenary and ck Swans able to afford it?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not like that¡­ It¡¯s not like an expedition. I¡¯m just going to travel around the world.¡±


    ¡®What the hell are you saying? Do you know how critical the situation right now is?¡¯


    ¡°I know what you¡¯re worried about, but I¡¯m not going out to y, so don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m going out to travel around the world because I¡¯m starting to see my limit here. I think I feel too safe here. As you said earlier¡­ I can feel that I just lived in a safe bubble under you and Hayan-nunim, so¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I know it might soundughable to you, but to put it grandiosely, I¡¯m traveling to go one step higher. Hyunsung-nim has been paying attention to the joint training, Hayan-nunim is at the tower, and you¡¯re leaving for the North soon¡­ If I think of it like that¡­ I think this is the perfect time for me to do so as well¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not the same useless younger brother back in the day. Please don¡¯t worry about me too much.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not worried. Well, I don¡¯t know nearly enough toment on your problems¡­ First of all, well, have a safe trip. Don¡¯t forget even if I do.¡±


    ¡°I can do better. No, it¡¯s been engraved in my heart for a long time. You don¡¯t need to continue.¡±


    ¡°Well, Ki-mo, have a safe trip too.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, yes, Vice Guild Master. I¡¯lle back as soon as I¡¯ve achieved some results. Let¡¯s go, Deokgu.¡±


    ¡®Everyone is working so hard.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t have to spoon-feed them anymore. They all knew how to improve themselves, but of course, I couldn¡¯t help but be worried about them.


    But that was¡­


    ¡®Not bad either.¡¯


    It was good to let him go. In Park Deokgu¡¯s case, there wasn¡¯t much I could do to help him improve anyway. It was better to let him make the best decision for himself.


    However, I did feel a little disheartened that everyone was scattering apart.

 Chapter 562: Spreading Seeds (2)

    <h4>Chapter 562: Spreading Seeds (2)</h4>


    ¡®Is this rted to my withdrawal from the Blue Guild?¡¯


    I thought it couldn¡¯t be, but I was still feeling a little worried. Right after Park Deokgu, Elena also dered her decision to leave the Blue Guild for a while.


    Events like that weremon in small and medium-sized guilds or parties. Even if there was no particr conflict or discord, some groups naturally dismantled after some time.


    In some cases, when a key member of the guild withdrew from the guild or each of the members¡¯ goals differed, even close rtionships grew steadily farther apart, lost contact, and broke up. Of course, that didn¡¯t happen as often as it had before, consideringmunication systems had been developed. Still, I started to worry whether the Blue Guild was heading toward a simr path.


    What Lee Kiyoung meant to the Blue Guild was obvious.


    Technically speaking, it wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that my significance in the guild was higher than Kim Hyunsung¡¯s.


    It wasn¡¯t only Jung Hayan, but Park Deokgu, Sun Hee-young, Elena, cksmith Yoo Ah-young, and Ahn Ki-mo were all recruited by me, not by Kim Hyunsung. I didn¡¯t know about Yoo Ah-young and Ahn Kim-mo, but it wouldn¡¯t be too much to say either that the first four people I just mentioned would follow me if I left the Blue Guild.


    Hence, I wasn¡¯t so pleased about Elena¡¯s sudden decision.


    Of course, I agreed after hearing her reason.


    ¡°I think I¡¯ll have to go back to the kingdom for a while.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I have to tell my father something about the World Tree and the troop dispatch. Above all, I think it will be more helpful for me to be there¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right. There¡¯s a big difference between being near the world tree for sure¡­¡±


    ¡°Even Elune-nim has indirectly hinted that she wouldn¡¯t be able to ovee the iing threat. If you have stayed in the Blue Guild, I would have forced myself to stay, but since you¡¯re leaving the guild to manage the continent, I have decided that it would be better for me to stay near the World Tree and build my strength. That will also help gather extra support for the kingdom¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, Elena-nim. You are right.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not leaving the guild because I know you wille back someday. Still, it¡¯s hard to go even though I¡¯m not going to leave right now¡­ I don¡¯t know why I¡¯m tearing up when it¡¯s not like I¡¯m never going to see you again.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Lee Kiyoung-nim. For your kindness.¡±


    ¡°When exactly are you leaving?¡±


    ¡°Soon, most likely. With Ah-young-ssi too.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, she thought it would be helpful for her to go to the Dwarf workshop. Since we are going in the same direction¡­¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s not entirely a bad choice.¡¯


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to move so early, but I think it will be sad for me to stay in the Blue Guild without you¡­ I¡¯ll make sure to go to the top when everything is over.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll be waiting.¡±


    ¡®I was going to send Yoo Ah-young to the Dwarves, anyway.¡¯


    She must¡¯ve thought hard about it and concluded that that was the best decision. She didn¡¯t even need to exin whether staying there or going to the Elven world was more efficient¡­


    Although she had been abandoned, Elena was still the daughter of Elune, so it was more effective to increase her divine power there. And it was an obvious choice for Yoo Ahyoung, who handled minerals, to join the dwarves and hammer materials with them.


    Since we had to supply high-quality weapons throughout the continent, we neededrger-scale factories than the ones we had at the moment. No matter how much money we had poured over Yoo Ah-young¡¯s workshop in the Blue Guild, it was iparable to the infrastructure that the Dwarves had spent an immeasurable time on.


    For Yoo Ah-young to grow and spread her wings as fast as possible, she had to go there.


    Although it was a little surprising because they were leaving after Park Deok-gu and Ahn Kim-had left the guild, Elena and Yoo Ahyoung were also right in their choices to join unions of minority groups to increase their strengths.


    ¡®Certainly¡­¡¯


    ¡°The guild feels much emptier. Even Deokgu and Ki-mo just left the guild¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry about this. I should have kept my seat at least¡­¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s alright. Team leader Kim Mi-young is taking care of all the internal affairs anyway. In the joint training¡¯s case, Hyejin is working hard on it, so I think it¡¯s better for you to go back to your kingdom. I know you¡¯ll feel bad about it, but¡­ that¡¯s better for you.¡±


    ¡°If you had asked me toe with you to the North, I would have followed you¡­ That¡¯s too bad.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s because it¡¯s an important job.¡±


    ¡°Ha. Don¡¯t worry. I know.¡±


    Elena slightly rose the heels of her feet off the ground. After I felt a soft touch on my lips, she smiled.


    That was in stark contrast to Jung Hayan, who cried at our farewell. However, even she couldn¡¯t hold back her tears and wiped her eyes with her fingers in a hurry.


    ¡°W-Well, I¡¯ll go in first. You don¡¯t have to see me off. No, I don¡¯t want you to do that at all. I really don¡¯t think I can leave this ce if I see you do that¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, Elena-nim, I¡¯ll try to contact you from time to time.¡±


    ¡°Me, too¡­ I¡¯ll try to contact you.¡±


    Like that, both Elena and Yoo Ahyoung left the Blue Guild for a brief period.


    ¡®This is getting a little bit ufortable. No¡­ so chaotic.¡¯


    When Kim Hyunsung and Cho Hyejin left the Blue Guild for the joint continental training, I didn¡¯t think it was that big of a deal altogether.


    In fact, I didn¡¯t even feel a big vacancy. After all, Kim Hyunsung had been sending me letters every day. Even Cho Hyejin, who seemed to have felt an urgent need for training and be obsessed with it, sent me news from time to time.


    Perhaps¡­


    ¡®Maybe I just didn¡¯t notice it before¡­¡¯


    I had also been busy with multiple matters. I hadn¡¯t been taking notice of my surroundings. However, the moment I sat down and stopped for a while, I realized how empty the seats around me were. I kept having thoughts like¡­


    ¡®The guild is so quiet.¡¯


    And¡­


    ¡®I haven¡¯t even seen them that much these days.¡¯


    Of course, Park Deokgu¡¯s departure was a major reason why the guild had grown so quiet¡­


    ¡®And Jung Hayan¡¯s now in the Magic Tower¡­¡¯


    Even Cha Heera, an outsider that went in and out of the guild like it was her own, had locked herself in a cave, saying that she had to do some enclosed training.


    That was like her, but I was surprised when I heard the news.


    ¡®So, who¡¯s left in the guild?¡¯


    Since Kim Ye-ri and Kim Chang-ryul were always outside, the only person I could think of was Sun Hee-young. However, even she was¡­


    ¡®Busy doing her own job, too.¡¯


    To be honest, I didn¡¯t think I would be worried about it. No matter where I went, I wasn¡¯t the type to feel a great sense of belongingness orpanionship to something.


    However, the moment I was left in that situation, I realized how great my sense of belongingness in the Blue Guild was. Before worrying about the guild¡¯s power decreasing, I worried that its members would be permanently separated.


    ¡®This is weird.¡¯


    Perhaps it was because we had risked our lives together and survived.


    I thought about that, but maybe it was also because I had be quite attached to the members. I had also spent a long time with them¡­


    If I were to act based on my emotions more, maybe I would have tried to prevent the dispersal of the Blue Guild members as much as possible.


    However, it was necessary.


    The ces that each person could grow in were different.


    As I recalled earlier, the guild members weren¡¯t stupid.


    Park Deokgu judged that it would no longer be helpful for him to continue spending time in the arms of the Blue Guild, and Ahn Ki-Mo thought that it would be best for him to follow Park Deokgu.


    Although he was a priest, since he was the safe-guarding type, he would have something to learn from Park Deokgu.


    Elena would¡¯ve wanted to build her strength under the protection of the World Tree, while Yoo Ah-young would have thought that she needed to spend some time with the dwarves. It was the same for Jung Hayan. Right at that moment, she wasn¡¯t able to decide by herself, but before, she would have definitely gone to the Magic Tower.


    They all must¡¯ve been aware of that and thought that the timing was right to make such a choice.


    It wasn¡¯t as if they could¡¯ve provided extra help to what was happening on the continent, such as the joint continental training, construction of the northern forward base, or the Continental Protection and Management Committee.


    Elena must¡¯ve made her decision to return to the kingdom given that political reasoning.


    ¡®I should be happy.¡¯


    I had to feel good. Such urrences were also part of growing and starting new beginnings. After sending Elena away, I also began to prepare for departure.


    I wanted to focus on my work before my head became filled with more thoughts.


    Before leaving, I spent some time with Sun Hee-young and Hwang Jeong-yeon. The people who left with me to head north were Lee Kiyoung¡¯s personal guard, Park Li-ahn, and a few other people.


    Of course, everyone who was going to the North together with me had also withdrawn from the Blue Guild.


    I thought it would be better to just go alone, but of course, the guild refused to allow it.


    Kim Hyunsung forced some people out, including Park Li-ahn, the twin-des user, and I had no choice but to ept them. I thought it was fine since I didn¡¯t know what would happen, and it was good to have them with me for extra insurance.


    Just as I went out, I saw an unexpected face.


    ¡°Are you going north?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m getting ready in advance. I thought you said you were too busy, Nuna. Whenever I tried to visit, you pretended not to know me¡­ I thought you didn¡¯t even have time to eat because of the inauguration of themittee?¡±


    ¡°Still, shouldn¡¯t I at least see your face once before you leave?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like you won¡¯t see me again. Aren¡¯t youing to the north anyway?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll probably take me three months. Maybe even longer¡­ There should be someone in charge here too. Kim Mi-young is here, but she¡¯s also busy with other things these days.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s true.¡±


    ¡°Things are progressing faster than I expected. Is it because of Hayan?¡±


    ¡°No, no, no. That¡¯s a different matter. Still, I don¡¯t have a good feeling about it.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you had a lot of time?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I think for now.¡±


    ¡°Well, the sooner you prepare, the better it will be. By the way, you must be lonely. Arge guild like the ck Swan won¡¯t notice a difference if some people went missing, but even if only a few people had left the Blue Guild, the guild would still lookpletely empty¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, everyone is just a bit far away. I can contact them anytime I want.¡±


    ¡°Reading letters or seeing you in videos won¡¯t be like seeing you in real life. I guess I¡¯m taking up too much of your time. You can go now.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°But before that, this is my gift. You¡¯ll probably have the Warmth Spell on you at all times anyway, but I heard that it¡¯s cold in the north. See youter, partner.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, partner.¡±


    ¡®I felt a little weird.¡¯


    I felt exactly like that. I couldn¡¯t figure out the right words to express it.


    ¡®This feels really weird.¡¯


    I must¡¯ve grown attached to them.


    ¡®Will Hayan be all right?¡¯


    Just like that, a year passed.

 Chapter 563: The Continent After 1 Year (1)

    <h4>Chapter 563: The Continent After 1 Year (1)</h4>


    [Restoration of the North Base Going Smoothly. ¡°We will try to speed up the process as much as possible,¡± says Kim Mi-young, manager of the Blue Guild. -Kim Sung-Kyung, reporter of Continental Press]


    [Is Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung really turning a blind eye to the continent? The Continental Protection and Management Committee has been established, but the chairmanship seat is still vacant. -Kim Sung-Kyung, a reporter of Continental Press]


    [Continued Chaos in the North, Soaring Crime Rates. Is the Solution Faith? Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung¡¯s Small Miracle. ¡°Goddess Benignore is always looking out for us.¡± -The Vatican News.]


    [Scattered Blue Guild. Are steps being taken to dismantle it? If the Blue Guild were to disband, where would the guild members go next? ¡®The Great Magician,¡¯ Jung Hayan will go to the Magic Tower, ¡®The Shield of Faith¡¯ Park Deokgu will join the Red Mercenary with Ahn Kim-mo. Other guild members are already getting offers from several guilds. -Guild Column]


    [Everyone cheered due to the new appearance of the Goddess¡¯s Mirror from the Blue Guild. Are smartphonesing into the world? Its Official Name is the Goddess¡¯s Hand Mirror. It will soon be released throughout the continent. Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung says, ¡°I think it will be nice to have a tool that allows a more directmunication.¡± -Kim Sung-Kyung, a reporter of Continental Press]


    [Blue Guild-Master Kim Hyunsung, ¡°The Blue Guild is still strong. We¡¯re just far away from each other for various reasons.¡± Considering legal action in continuing rumors. -Kim Sung-Kyung, a reporter of Continental Press]


    [Great Magic Sensed in the Woods Near Lindel. New Hunting Ground Blocked Due to Mass Death of Monsters. An investigation is underway at the Magic Tower, but the cause is still unknown. The sight of countless monsters, torn to pieces brutally, doesn¡¯t look normal no matter how much anyone looks at it¡­ - Guild column.]


    [Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung resigns from the Blue Guild. Discord about Blue Guild Master Kim Hyunsung and Vice Guild Master Lee Kiyoung rekindled. There are testimonies that the two argued with their voices raised in Heren. -Kang Yu-mi.]


    [¡°I¡¯m maintaining a good rtionship with Hyunsung.¡± Why did Lee Kiyoung leave the Blue Guild? -Kim Sung-Kyung, a reporter of Continental Press]


    [The Vacant Position Finally Greets Its Owner. Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung as Chairman of the Continental Protection and Management Committee. ¡°Starting with a humble mind and spirit.¡± What are Chairman Lee Kiyoung¡¯s intentions after epting the position after no longer being able to resist the people¡¯s will? -Kim Sung-Kyung, a reporter of Continental Press]


    * * *


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°How did thingse to this point? And there¡¯s no sign of things wrapping up still. Man¡­ If the weather wasn¡¯t such a problem, I think things would¡¯ve sped up a little bit¡­¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, it can¡¯t be helped. It would have been a little better if we had ess to more magic, but it¡¯s notmon for magicians to process magic crystals. Hence, I think this is the extent of it. But we¡¯ve made some progress, haven¡¯t we?


    ¡°It looks the same in my eyes, but¡­ What do you think?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡±


    ¡°The news of the recent discord in the Blue Guild. It¡¯s not like it will matter to us lowlives if such rumors surround a guild like that, but I can¡¯t help but be interested as an adventurer. I¡¯ve been doing the same job for a while now, so I can¡¯t help but pay attention to nonsensical news here and there for no reason¡­ And isn¡¯t this a topic to discuss over a drink?¡±


    ¡°The Blue Guild will be fine. Probably, anyway.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s even news about the Guild Master and Vice Guild Master fighting¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s probably just a spective story. Like the press says, they seem to stay in touch with each other.¡±


    ¡°I think that¡¯s just a show for the press¡­¡±


    ¡°Hahahaha.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s weird. There¡¯s a crisis on the continent, yet those in power are fighting each other for their own sake. Actually, I don¡¯t think this construction will make any difference¡­ I¡¯m d I have work to do, but¡­¡±


    ¡°I understand your anxiety. But I¡¯m sure the Chairman has an idea.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I say that I don¡¯t trust him, Mr. Ahn? I¡¯m keeping my eyes on him since I think he¡¯s a smart guy¡­ but he has the look of a sly devil. Like he will sell his own country.¡±


    ¡®This man is really annoying.¡¯


    I saw Mr. Choi and Mr. Ahn converse in a corner that wasn¡¯t that far away from me. I was about tough because of how ridiculous Mr. Choi sounded. In addition to this, wasn¡¯t the news of the Blue Guild¡¯s disbandment already half-disproven?


    I couldn¡¯t help but feel ufortable whenever somebody brought up that story.


    ¡®In the first ce, can the conditions be better than this?¡¯


    Wasn¡¯t it already amazing that they were sustaining Warmth Magic for simpleborers?


    Of course, it mustn¡¯t have been easy to find a magician who could maintain a warm temperature in such freezing temperatures.


    It was ridiculous that such a person would volunteer to act as a construction supervisor despite the harsh environment¡­ It could only be exined that they cared for theborers.


    ¡®He¡¯ll onlye back to his senses after going out to hunt and bing food for monsters.¡¯


    He would surely realize howfortable he had it with us after living in a harsher environment than the one we were currently in. I slipped my hand into my pockets and checked my hand mirror, which showed the time and date on a familiar screen.


    ¡®It¡¯s already been a year.¡¯


    It had been that long since we heard about the opening of the project. I came to the North after quitting my scheduled quest for a rare dungeon, but I didn¡¯t regret it in the end.


    My stats had risen a lot, and above all, wages were high. I recently lost quite a bit because I bought the goddess¡¯s hand mirror, but I had no regrets, either.


    ¡®I thought it woulde out.¡¯


    Right after leaving the tutorial dungeon, the first idea that came to me was the smartphone. I thought it would be released when I first saw the Goddess¡¯s Mirror, but I didn¡¯t expect it to bemercialized that fast.


    Of course, it was still difficult to say that it would be distributed across the entire continent, but I thought everyone would have at least one Goddess¡¯s Hand Mirror in their possession within a year. After turning on the screen, I logged onto Benignore Net and wrote a post. There were replies immediately.


    [Title: There¡¯s a strange, old man in our workshop, and he¡¯s really annoying.]


    [Every day, he does nothing butin, and whenever the name of the Chairmanes up, he says weird things with all that he has. Today, he bbered about the Blue Guild¡¯s discord and even insulted that the Chairman had the face of a man who would sell his country.]


    [Dirt Poor: Oh lol, What¡¯s the reward for reporting to the heresy interrogator?]


    [No ID: He¡¯s not wrong. It¡¯s not to the point of looking like he will sell the country¡­ but he does look a little wicked.]


    [Nature Lover: What do you mean wicked? He looks handsome and sexy no matter how you stare at him. And the rumors about the Blue Guild¡¯s discord are such old news. I can¡¯t believe there are still people talking about it. Isn¡¯t there a rumor that the Goddess¡¯s Hand Mirror was made to help him keep in touch with the guild members?]


    [No ID: That¡¯s not a fact but a delusion. I work for the Blue Guild¡­ but that had nothing to do with releasing the Goddess¡¯s Hand Mirror. The construction is costing money, so they released the mirror as a way to secure some taxes¡­ It¡¯s not as good as it used to be, but the Blue Guild is still gigantic. Do you think a guild like that would make a mirror for such ame reason? Lee Kiyoung is not a person who has nothing to do¡­ And isn¡¯t the rumor about the Blue Guild¡¯s discord a known fact to everyone in this industry?]


    [Nature Lover: Bullsh*t. I¡¯m a Blue Guild employee. Who are you?]


    [No ID: Why would I prove that here? Stop your bs. You¡¯re a Blue Guild member, but you don¡¯t know about the discord? Kim Hyunsung and Lee Kiyoung have been fighting for power for a long time now. It just isn¡¯t visible. Lee Kiyoung kept holding back until he finally left the Blue Guild¡­ Why would Elena be in the kingdom? And why would Jung Hayan be in the Magic Tower? And we don¡¯t even know the whereabouts of Park Deokgu and Ahn Ki-mo¡­ Don¡¯t you know that all these people were members who Lee Kiyoung had brought?]


    [Nature saver: That¡¯s ridiculous. hahahaha I don¡¯t know what to reply because that¡¯s so ridiculous.]


    [No ID: Look who¡¯sughing because they can¡¯t handle the truth. You¡¯re not a Blue Guild member, are you?]


    [Nature Lover: You think I¡¯m a loser like you? I¡¯m working now, so I¡¯ll prove it in an hour, so watch carefully. ^^]


    [No ID: Look at you run with just your underwear on. I¡¯ll bet everything you won¡¯te back with proof.]


    [Lindel Vige Resident: Where is the workshop? I think the monsters are moving North. Be careful if you are in a workshop near the middle. Monsters near Lindel are not only disappearing but evacuating. It seems the world is really going to end.]


    [Dirt Poor: What is it then?]


    [Lindel Vige Resident: I don¡¯t really know either. But I feel nauseous seeing the monsters torn apart like that. Even the Magic Tower said they haven¡¯t found out the cause yet¡­ It¡¯s almost reached the point where I feel sorry for the monsters. It¡¯s even impacting the ecosystem. Anyway, be careful. Since the intermediate workshops hadn¡¯t raised the castle walls yet.]


    ¡®Who the hell is No ID?¡¯


    I was dumbfounded because I didn¡¯t expect my post to be so popr. As I hurriedly returned my hand mirror into my pocket, I heard voicesing from afar.


    ¡°Hey, Miss Kim! We¡¯re going to eat. Do you want toe with us? We should have a drink again!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going.¡±


    ¡°You must not have had a hard time today.¡±


    ¡°Do you know how high my stats are in strength and durability? It¡¯s higher than yours, so don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°Um, um¡­ and don¡¯t get too into the Goddess¡¯s Hand Mirror or something.¡±


    ¡°You sound like a parent from Earth.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like you write weird things there, do you?¡±


    I felt a pang of guilt but decided to keep my mouth shut.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°You should never write anything weird there.¡±


    ¡°It has nothing to do with you.¡±


    ¡°Even if it looks convenient and fun, people from above are all monitoring your posts and thements you write on them. Don¡¯t you know that a young man in the neighborhood has disappeared after posting something weird? Be careful before you get dragged off to the Protection Committee.¡±


    ¡°All of that is just a conspiracy theory. Who would believe that? I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re saying that they distribute out the Hand Mirror to inspect people. Even the argument that they¡¯re trying to secure taxes is more convincing than that. How can I check all the countless posts and articles that are posted here? And if people get arrested for posting something like that, you should¡¯ve been captured a long time ago.¡±


    ¡°Hm, hm¡­¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that right, Mr. Ahn?


    ¡°Ha¡­ haha, yes. Maybe.¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s Mr. Park?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll probably be here soon. It seems that the work in his assigned group is running behind¡­¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ then, let¡¯s wait here. He¡¯ll be a bit disappointed if we go first. By the way, mister.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°How did you guyse all the way here?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a little embarrassed to say it, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that and tell me. We need to kill time anyway. Didn¡¯t you say that you were traveling?¡±


    ¡°Yes, something simr. You can think of it as a short stay here because of a sudden drop in funds on my way to the northernmost point.¡±


    ¡°Based on your strength and durability, you guys don¡¯t look like ordinary people¡­ Especially, Mr. Park. He looks like a beast. Won¡¯t you be able to prepare enough for a trip if you kill monsters? Ah, there are no monsters around here¡­¡±


    ¡°Precisely.¡±


    ¡°You must have no one to borrow money from.¡±


    ¡°Not really, but¡­ He said he¡¯s too embarrassed to do that.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°He said it¡¯s too embarrassing to ask people for money. Since I was also curious if the construction was going along smoothly, I thought I didn¡¯t have to move in such a hurry. Oh, there hees. Let¡¯s get up now.¡±


    ¡°What have you guys been talking about?¡±


    He had a loud voice as usual. I turned around and saw a man with arge body.


    With his thick beard, which covered most of his face, he looked like a mountain bandit; but he still had a likable impression, and I thought that was because of his personality.


    ¡®Why isn¡¯t he wearing a top, again?¡¯


    When one saw a body full of bursting muscles, they normally couldn¡¯t help but automatically blush. It was hard to determine if he was aware of that or not.


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t the work hard today?¡±


    ¡°Ah, a l-little.¡±


    ¡°Well, take care of yourself. Anyway, let¡¯s go in.¡±


    I could only think that those people were a bit strange.

 Chapter 564: The Continent After 1 Year (2)

    <h4>Chapter 564: The Continent After 1 Year (2)</h4>


    ¡°Yup, this makes my life worth living. This drink tastes amazing.¡±


    ¡°I understand, but please get dressed. Why do you have to stay bare-chested?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I still had nothing on? You should¡¯ve told me.¡±


    ¡°I told you when you came in.¡±


    ¡°Well, does it matter? Here, drink another cup. Oh, it¡¯s so delicious. Wouldn¡¯t this drink make us want to stay here longer?¡±


    ¡°I think this drink is famous in this area. I¡¯d like to take this with me too.¡±


    ¡°Buy a bottle before you leave. Or you can ask the supervisors around here for one. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll give you some for free because both of your performances are so good.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Can I?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course. You guys do so much work in a day. Let¡¯s say cheers one more time and wrap it up. Any more, and we won¡¯t be able to work properly tomorrow.¡±


    After finishing off another cup quickly, they got ready to go back to their lodgings. All the other guys seemed like they wanted to stay longer, but¡­


    ¡®They must still think they¡¯re in their 20s.¡¯


    I watched them walking shoulder-to-shoulder. Because I was bored, I took out the Goddess¡¯s Hand Mirror and checked out the post I posted earlier. I remembered the person who had said that they woulde back with evidence after an hour.


    ¡°Huh, Nature Lover¡­ was really a Blue Guild employee.¡±


    Their Blue Guild Insignia and Employee ID were clearly certified.


    All thements written by No ID were deleted, and people were postingments and treating my post as a holy ce.


    [Dirt Poor: Wow, lol. It was real. Receiving good energy from here.]


    [JeremWhoCantHeal: Tell me how you got a job at the Blue Guild. I haven¡¯t seen a public recruitment posttely¡­]


    [Tresha: No ID, you¡¯ve been talking nonsense and ran off. LOL. Look at how many dislikes he has.]


    [Lindel Vige Resident: The poster is safe, right? I¡¯m d nothing much happened, but¡­ I¡¯m nervous because there are no morements.]


    [Dirt Poor: Must have slipped out in the middle. Lolol, how could the monsters have gone all the way to that area? The middle area is famous for not having monsters¡­ They probably settled in a nearby forest. More than that, the badge doesn¡¯t look like a regr guild employee¡­ I think you must at least be a team leader level.]


    Thements were making meugh, and I heard a faint sounde from a distance.


    ¡®What¡¯s that noise?¡¯


    The night was so dark I couldn¡¯t see anything properly, but when I looked forward with a crumpled face, I saw strange shapes that seemed to be moving from afar.


    ¡®What¡¯s that?¡¯


    It was a scene that I hadn¡¯t seen for nearly a year.


    ¡°Mr. Choi, what is that? Isn¡¯t that a monster?¡±


    ¡°Why would there be monsters in this area¡­? Why would they suddenly show themselves here? You must be very drunk.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not drunk, but¡­¡±


    ¡®Where is the workshop? I think the monsters are moving North. Be careful if you are in a workshop near the middle. Monsters near Lindel are not only disappearing but evacuating. It seems the world is really going to end.¡¯


    I thought of thement I read on Benignore Net. It was then that a loud siren sounded.


    ¡°Prepare for battle! Prepare for battle!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a monster wave. Monster Wave!


    ¡°What¡­ What is this? Mr. Choi, is this okay?¡±


    ¡°I, I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    ¡°The castle walls hadn¡¯t even gone up yet. Wouldn¡¯t we get trampled? We don¡¯t even have troops here. There aren¡¯t that many magicians either¡­ How could so many monsterse at once like this?¡±


    ¡°I think everyone who knows how to fight has to volunteer¡­¡±


    Sure enough, voices began to resonate everywhere.


    ¡°Support ising soon. Let¡¯s just hang in there until supportes. Soldiers and those who can fight, take up arms and position yourselves near the walls!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just hang in there until supportes. Set your position on the wall. All in position! All in position!


    ¡®What does he mean by the wall? That¡¯s more like a fence¡­ How can we stop them with this?¡¯


    The wall was made out of magic stones so that it wouldn¡¯t copse, but it was short enough for even small monsters to jump over. It had the height of a fence. Hence, it was too much to call it a Defensive Wall. I didn¡¯t want to fight.


    But¡­


    ¡®I¡¯m going to die even if I run away.¡¯


    It would be meaningless to turn around and start running away at that point.


    Still, as I had once dreamed of being an adventurer, I could at least y some rare-level monsters. I then ran to a soldier who was supplying weapons from the other side and asked for a weapon.


    ¡°The bow, please.¡±


    ¡°Here.¡±


    ¡°I was an adventurer before I came here. I want a dagger, too.¡±


    ¡®Where are the other men?¡¯


    Mr. Ahn, Mr. Park, and Mr. Choi seemed to have fled for some reason, but it wasn¡¯t easy to find them near the chaotic wall.


    ¡®Mr. Park and Mr. Ahn wouldn¡¯t have run away.¡¯


    They looked like they would have some fight in them.


    ¡®Mr. Choi said he was an adventurer in his prime¡­¡¯


    However, had he backed off already?


    ¡®Reinforcements will be here soon. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ve been contacted before the monsters got here. And we have a magician. We don¡¯t have to hang on for too long.¡¯


    I thought it was fortunate that I remembered the instruction manual in case of an emergency. I quickly climbed to high ground and nocked an arrow onto my bow.


    So far, I was just aiming because I was still outside the monsters¡¯ range, but without realizing it, my body shook. It was because it was my first time to be in such arge-scale battle.


    I thought I had to practice for times like that. Hence, with a swish, I shot an arrow through a monster¡¯s skin.


    ¡°Fire! Fire!¡±


    The dark area brightened due to arge me spell.


    Boom!!!!!!!!!!!


    The magicians had poured out their magic.


    It seemed that they could no longer maintain the Warmth Magic, causing my breaths and body to be cold, but I couldn¡¯t stop my fingers. Normally, a bunch of monsters would have been immobilized by such an attack. However, for some reason, they rushed towards us while foaming in their mouths.


    A good clump of them got swept away by another magic st, but they continued to approach the walls.


    I could only sigh in relief upon noticing soldiers with shields move forward with the fighters behind them, but such a few numbers couldn¡¯t defend an entire wall.


    Eventually, a giant monster rushed toward the fence with its huge mouth open.


    ¡®You have to avoid it.¡¯


    That line of thought raced in my mind, but my body did the opposite.


    I was anxious about what could happen after that, but I could only feel pain in my body after a few seconds. I slowly opened my eyes and saw the back of a man holding a monster¡¯s fang in his arms.


    ¡°Huh, huh?¡±


    Before I could say anything, I saw another huge monster on the ground, totally tattered up.


    ¡°Mr. Park?¡±


    I didn¡¯t hear an answer, but¡­


    ¡°Attack! Attack! Follow me quickly!¡±


    [You have been affected by the Legendary-grade Combat Morale Shout. All stats will be temporarily increased significantly.]


    ¡®What¡¯s this?¡¯


    As if I had received the best buff, my whole body felt as if it was overflowing with energy. It was hard to understand how Mr. Park had gone under the fence and caught the monster so easily.


    The same went for Mr. Ahn, who was next to him.


    I didn¡¯t know how to describe the sight of them hitting monsters with blunt weapons and shields.


    They had holy power greater than most holy knights, and I thought that they could be priests, carrying a blunt weapon and shield; but as I continued to watch them, I realized that, without a doubt, they were warriors.


    However, Mr. Park showed something more absurd.


    ¡®Who¡¯s that?¡¯


    I already knew that he wasn¡¯t an ordinary person, but what I had seen waspletely out of the normal standards.


    I couldn¡¯t believe my eyes when I watched monsters falling off of him whenever he moved the shield on his arm. They created arge space wherever those two passed by.


    There wasn¡¯t even a need to call in reinforcements.


    ¡®That¡¯s¡­ What the hell¡­¡¯


    I wondered how humans could even be that strong. I heard that some strong adventurers could affect an entire battlefield single-handedly, but I never thought it could be true.


    For a moment, I forgot that I was in battle. I did nothing but stare at the scene in a daze.


    No, it wasn¡¯t appropriate to say that we were in a battle. It was too much in our favor by that point. I took out the Goddess¡¯s Hand Mirror and began to capture the two men.


    I titled the room ¡°Carnage in the Northern Base¡± and watched as people flooded into it.


    [Lindel Vige Resident has joined.]


    [Dirt Poor has joined.]


    [Nature Lover has joined.]


    [¡­ has logged on.]


    [¡­]


    [¡­]


    [Lindel Vige Resident: What did I say? I told you monsters were heading over there. Wow, but there wasn¡¯t a need to worry about it. You guys are pushing them away way better than I expected¡­ But isn¡¯t there nothing over there- like not even a single troop to fight? How is the battle so much in your favor? Isn¡¯t that at the wall?]


    [Too Serious: What¡¯s the guy capturing this video doing anyway? People are fighting to death¡­ He¡¯s hopeless.]


    [Lindel Vige Resident: Never mind that, keep this on air. Can¡¯t you see that sides had turned upside down? And it looks like the person capturing this is just a junior worker¡­ If you didn¡¯t apply as a soldier but a worker, there¡¯s no need to fight. You can just be protected. By the way, the two men in front of you are crazy good at fighting. Even at a nce, I can tell that they should at least be in the Continent¡¯s eighth ss.]


    [No ID: I hate guys who just say people are in the eighth ss even if they¡¯re just a little bit strong. They must think the title is just a children¡¯s joke or something. lol.]


    [Dirt Poor: He¡¯s here again.]


    [Lindel Vige Resident: No, I¡¯m not just saying that. I think they are in the country¡¯s eighth ss. Look at how they¡¯re swinging their shields in a mix of hero-ss monsters. I think they¡¯re just tanking all the attacks with their bodies. Their durability must at least exceed 100. Maybe they have a lot of buffs from their equipment.]


    [No ID: As if someone with a durability stat over 100 would be over there. lolol]


    [Lindel Vige Resident: If you keep your mouth shut, you won¡¯t at least be humiliated. Whoever they are, I think it¡¯s right to think that both of them are at least in the Legendary-grade. I think they¡¯re Koreans¡­ I¡¯ve never heard of them¡­ I know most of the top adventurers, but I¡¯ve never seen anyone like them. Who is that?]


    [No ID: Koreans are at it again. They think every adventurer who looks a little strong is Korean. And acting like they know all of the top adventurers. If you know all of the top adventurers, I¡¯m Lee Kiyoung¡¯s friend. Kkkkkkk]


    [Dirt Poor: Don¡¯t feed the troll.]


    [Lindel Vige Resident: I was already ignoring it. Anyways, does anyone know who that is?]


    [Nature Lover: Park Deokgu, Ahn Ki-mo.]


    [Lindel Vige Resident: Huh?]


    [Nature Lover: Found them.]


    [Nature Lover has left the room.]


    ¡°What¡­?¡±

 Chapter 565: The Continent After 1 Year (3)

    <h4>Chapter 565: The Continent After 1 Year (3)</h4>


    ¡°Are you sure you found them?¡±


    -Yes, it is confirmed that Park Deokgu and Ahn Ki-mo had been sighted, facing monster waves at the 53rd construction site. Of course, we don¡¯t know the specifics yet, but one of the area¡¯s workers broadcasted the situation there. If you want it, I¡¯ll send you the video right away.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes. Please send it to me right away. I want to check it¡­ But besides that, why are they there in the first ce?¡±


    -Nothing has been confirmed yet as to why. I¡¯ll check the facts as soon as possible and let you know.


    ¡°The construction site manager over there is¡­¡±


    -We can confirm that information with the Kingdom Union¡­ The one in charge is Michael Wayne from the Western City Guild, for details¡­


    ¡°Oh, now I remember. He¡¯s¡­ Please tell the construction site manager right away that I¡¯m looking for them. No, please give them a Goddess¡¯s Hand Mirror to use. I don¡¯t know where they will go off again¡­so I think it will be better for me to contact them in person¡­ Yes, that¡¯s the best option.¡±


    -Understood. We¡¯ll make sure to follow those orders.


    ¡°And make sure to give some kind of incentive to the employee who found them. Who was it?¡±


    -Well¡­ they¡¯re anonymous.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped, then. We couldn¡¯t find them for so long, but they must being this way.¡±


    -Yes, Vice¡­ No, chairman.


    ¡°You can call me Vice Guild Master if you want to, team Leader Kim Mi-young. Besides that¡­ How is the situation over there?¡±


    -Nothing, in particr, has happened. Sun Hee-young and Hwang Jeong-yeon are leading the guild so well¡­ Even though it must be unfamiliar work for them. Ah! Lee Sang-hee-nim is also helping with sharing the work burden. I think she¡¯s thinking about going to the frontline.


    ¡°Ah, Lee Sang-hee-nim¡­ that¡¯s a little surprising.¡±


    -She told us that she wouldn¡¯t im any shares or ownership of the Blue Guild. It seems she is worried that you both would take her return in the wrong way. She has repeatedly said that she thinks Guild Master and Vice Guild Master should have control over the ownership and operation of Blue Guild together. I¡¯ve epted it that way, too¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -If you are ufortable with the situation, I will take care of the matter separately.


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to. We do need a little help, so there¡¯s no reason to refuse it. And she¡¯s not the type to be that greedy. Since she has operated a guild for a while, she¡¯ll be very helpful to us. Anyway, I have another question to ask. Have you heard anything from Hyunsung-ssi?¡±


    -I think he¡¯s still there. He hadn¡¯t contacted me separately. I think they¡¯re progressing slower than expected. Cho Hyejin said that they would spend a little more time ande back. Also, Elena and Yoo Ah-young areing North from the kingdom as scheduled¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since we¡¯vest seen each other.¡±


    -Yes, Dialugia-nim also asked you to stop by their since it¡¯s time for her to wake up¡­


    ¡°She can call me directly¡­¡±


    -She says that the device is hard to use. Like her hands don¡¯t fit them¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -Anyway, I¡¯ll take care of everything, including what you had told me before.


    ¡°Yes, then please, Team Leader Kim Mi-young. And please send me the channel instead of the video. I want to log in and watch it myself.¡±


    -Understood. I¡¯ll put you through right away.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    -¡­


    ¡®Why is that bastard there?¡¯


    I tapped on the armrest of the chair I was sitting on. While waiting for the video that Kim Mi-young connected me to load, I saw a mirror sitting on the corner of my desk¡­


    What I saw was a face that was simr from a year ago. The only difference was that I had a Protection and Management Committee badge attached to me instead of the Blue Guild insignia.


    No, actually, I thought I lost a little weight. I skipped quite a few meals that year.


    I thought I looked better before when I had some fat on my face. I also couldn¡¯t help but notice the dark circles under my eyes.


    It had been a year. One, simple year.


    It was enough time for an individual to change. Seeing how much the world had changed in just a year, it didn¡¯t feel like a short duration.


    There had been so many changes in just one year.


    The Goddess¡¯s Hand Mirror, which was the world¡¯s smartphone, wasmercialized, and adventurers from Earth became used to the new technology as if they had been waiting for it all their lives.


    The people across the continent were a little bit confused, but they also adapted to it quickly.


    When the Goddess¡¯s Hand Mirror was just released, users wrote politely and respected each other whilementing on each other¡¯s posts, but after a while, trolls and insults against each other people¡¯s families emerged.


    [Castle Rock¡¯s Coral Beads: No ID, Let¡¯s not talk like that. This is a sacred ce.]


    The user, who had written like that, wrote exactly a yearter:


    [Castle Rock¡¯s Coral Beads: You think you¡¯re something sprouting bs like that? How¡¯s your mother doing these days?]


    It was a slightly exaggerated example, but it showed how the continent¡¯s people had perfectly adapted to a space of anonymity.


    I was worried if I should try to create a healthier Benignore Net culture, but then, I thought that there was no need to control it from my side. Since it was a space where anonymity was guaranteed, I actually wanted to embrace it.


    Although it would be hard to ssify and organize it, there was no greater base to withdraw information and data from than a tform like that.


    Of course, that wasn¡¯t the only thing that had changed.


    The Continental Protection and Management Committee had been firmly established, and the much-anticipated construction of the Northern Forward Base was also progressing steadily. The walls and towers located in the front were almost finished, and other areas were also following along.


    The farther out we went, the slower construction became, but we received an evaluation that it was still going faster than usual.


    After leaving the Blue Guild and with the world having changed so much, I became curious about my guild members.


    ¡®How much have they changed?¡¯


    Although there were people I kept in touch with, Park Deokgu and Ahn Ki-mo were among those I hadpletely lost contact with. Even when I had released the Goddess¡¯s Hand Mirror for them to keep in contact with me, they still wandered around and disguised themselves so that they wouldn¡¯t get caught.


    I didn¡¯t know if they had gone to a dungeon exploration, met someone rich and famous, or died somewhere.


    I thought it would be okay since the two of them went together, but after five months and nine months after that, I became more anxious. Who knew that they would be ying at the construction site at the North Forward Base?


    ¡®No, why would they be working there?¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t understand it no matter what. They had always been strange, but they seemed even more strange.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t think they would¡¯ve run out of travel expenses and needed to make money on their way up to the northernmost point¡­¡¯


    I didn¡¯t think so.


    ¡®There¡¯s no way that they couldn¡¯t find monsters and were just too embarrassed to contact other people for money, so they¡¯re working there for wages.¡¯


    No matter how stupid that pig was, he couldn¡¯t be that stupid.


    I didn¡¯t know what he was thinking, but perhaps, he went there because he wanted to experience the work himself.


    He always moved in a way that I couldn¡¯t understand, so it was a usible reason. Soon afterward, the broadcast that Kim Mi-young had sent me began to y.


    [No ID: How is that Park Deokgu and Ahn Ki-mo? lololol]


    [Dirt Poor: I don¡¯t think so either¡­ Why would those two be here right now?]


    [No ID: Nature Lover must have just thrown something and gone out after realizing they were wrong. Certification my ass¡­ Now that I check it, the certification post was deleted too. Nature Lover must have something they¡¯re feeling guilty about. hahahah]


    [Lindel_Vige_Resident: The insignia was real. Something must have happened internally. The Blue Guild is sensitive about things like that. And those people are really Park Deokgu and Ahn Ki-mo. I see it now. I¡¯ve seen him from a distance before, and I think he looked like that.]


    [No ID: Here¡¯s another delusionalmenter.]


    [Lindel Vige Resident: What the hell is your problem?]


    ¡®It was heartwarming.¡¯


    That day, Benignore Net was lively as usual.


    Someone dropped a lead, and the chat window argued about what was right or wrong.


    I didn¡¯t know why they were arguing about it, but everyone participating in the debate was very serious. Some wereing up with some evidence about why those people were not Park Deokgu and Ahn Ki-mo, while some were fighting in opposition.


    Many postings were cursing the broadcaster of the show andments that went against them.


    The Benignore Net that I hadn¡¯t logged onto for a long time reminded me of human groups¡¯ various natures.


    Of course, the result of their debates didn¡¯t really matter. It was only up to me to judge who those two men, fighting monsters on the battlefield, were.


    I didn¡¯t even have to open my eyes widely to check.


    ¡®It really is them.¡¯


    Even from a distance, I was sure that those two were Park Deokgu and Ahn Ki-mo.


    As I had spent a long time with them, I could tell who they were even by their small movements.


    Looking at their size and height, they were both definitely Park Deokgu and Ahn Ki-mo.


    ¡®Park Deokgu, did that bastard take some kind of growth promoter? I think he grew even taller.¡¯


    He was slightly taller and a bit wider in the side. He even had a beard on his face, but Ahn Ki-mo wasn¡¯t that different from before. Also, I felt that their moves had grown sharper.


    They weren¡¯t bad from the first time, but at that moment, their sophisticated and sharp movements were iparably better than before.


    ¡®I would believe it if they told that they¡¯re top-ss warriors¡­¡¯


    And Park Deokgu?


    ¡®He has really grown.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know what his exact stats were since I couldn¡¯t check it directly with my eyes, but some of hiscking stats seemed to have risen little by little.


    He used his firmness to move efficiently.


    They were both fighting moderately and effortlessly, and I wondered how intimidating they would be if they were to really fight.


    ¡®They would beparable to the eight seats in the continent.¡¯


    Because the guild was overflowing with monsters that went beyond standards, like Kim Hyunsung, Jung Hayan, and Cha Heera, it got demeaned, but the eight seats weren¡¯t weak.


    If they got together, they could easily break through a Semi-Mythic grade.


    Ahn Ki-mo and Park Deokgu had reached that level, and I couldn¡¯t help but apud their achievements.


    ¡®Park Deokgu, how did he level up so much?¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t really determine how much his physical ability had increased. Rather than feeling that his stats had increased dramatically, I felt like he had grown a little more ferocious.


    Since he knew about advanced magic operations, he must¡¯ve learned to handle magic delicately and control his body.


    He had eliminated unnecessary movements while making the right ones more concise.


    It looked like he knew when to put in strength and when to stop it.


    I wondered how a person could change so much in just a year. He even looked so different with that beard covering his face¡­


    [Lindel Vige Resident: I think he really is Park Deokgu. I don¡¯t remember him being that strong¡­ He¡¯s no joke. I expected that much from Ahn Ki-mo since he¡¯s from the Red Mercenary, but¡­ Park Deokgu is really surprising.]


    [No ID: The Blue Guild only has talented people in the first ce. Kim Hyunsung gathered only those kinds of people¡­ If you just think about how hard it is to join the guild as a party member, it¡¯s obvious. If that¡¯s really Park Deokgu, it¡¯s obvious that he hasn¡¯t been trying that hard.]


    [Lindel Vige Resident: What are you talking about? Park Deokgu is famous within Lindel for being a training addict. His daily routine was to get up early in the morning, swing a sword, and train himself. If you¡¯re going to say nonsense, just keep your mouth shut. Ms. Kim, can¡¯t you block him?]


    As the number of monsters decreased, the chat window became more active.


    Even I thought it looked pretty cool, so those people must¡¯ve thought it was really exciting.


    Eventually, the troops at the construction site of District 53 seeded in driving out the horde of monsters. Truthfully, I kind of knew how those monsters hade to that part of the continent. However, I decided to bury that inside my mind at the moment.


    While the surrounding troops were greeting and giving their courtesy to Park Deokgu and Ahn Kimo, my hand mirror started to shake a little.


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    It proved to be Jung Hayan.

 Chapter 566: The Continent After 1 Year (4)

    <h4>Chapter 566: The Continent After 1 Year (4)</h4>


    ¡®Should I not take it?¡¯


    I was hesitant because I knew I would be stuck on the call once I received it, but the Goddess¡¯s Hand Mirror grew still.


    Of course, from experience, I knew things wouldn¡¯t end like that.


    As expected, new messages popped up in a row. In a way, it felt a little scary.


    [Jung Hayan: You¡¯re not answering my call. Is everything all right?]


    [Jung Hayan: It¡¯s a busy time, so I shouldn¡¯t have called you. I don¡¯t think you¡¯re reading this¡­]


    [Jung Hayan: Is there anything going on? I just wanted to hear your voice after a long time.]


    [Jung Hayan: You¡¯re not with another girl right now, are you?]


    [Jung Hayan: I sent the text above wrong. Don¡¯t misunderstand me.]


    [Jung Hayan: Why aren¡¯t you answering?]


    [Jung Hayan: I miss you. I want to see you very much.]


    [Jung Hayan: Give me a call.]


    [Jung Hayan: It¡¯s over now, right? Can I go there? Can I go now?]


    [Jung Hayan: No. I¡¯ll wait here.]


    [Jung Hayan: It¡¯s so hard. Can I call you for a second?]


    [Jung Hayan: What are you doing right now? What are you doing? You must be working.]


    [Jung Hayan: Hello.]


    [Jung Hayan: I miss you¡­ I miss you so much.]


    Dozens of messages were constantly going up. To be honest, I felt like I had no choice but to answer. It seemed like she had caught a sickness again.


    Even Han Sora began sending me messages, and she seemed even more desperate than Jung Hayan. It was clear that those two were in the same ce.


    [Han Sora: Please answer the phone. Please, Vice Guild Master, please¡­ please answer Jung Hayan¡¯s call, please answer the phone. Please, please. Or at least reply. Are you reading this? You¡¯re reading this, right?]


    [Han Sora: Please ept the call just once. I¡¯m so scared.]


    ¡®It seems really hard for her.¡¯


    The least I could do was to give a lot of rewards.


    In fact, the amount of money I had sent to Han Sora as life insurance over the past year was considerably high.


    Han Sora¡¯s life insurance was enough to make her feel nothing if she won the lottery.


    Of course, she always told me that she didn¡¯t need those things and I didn¡¯t need to do it. She even asked me to just do something about the situation. But it was hard to imagine Han Sora¡¯s absence next to an angry Jung Hayan.


    If it weren¡¯t for her, there could¡¯ve been several idents.


    There were a lot of times when situations came close to causing an incident. Han Sora was needed to act as a mediator in the middle.


    ¡°It seemed just yesterday when she called me and cried for me toe and see her¡­¡±


    ¡®Pleasee here. Please, please. I think you need toe quickly. Ugh, please¡­ You have toe now. I think I¡¯ll be in big trouble. You have toe quickly. Please do it for me. Just this once. Please, please, please, Vice Guild Master. Just once¡­ Please save me. Please save me. Just save me once. Ugh¡­ Please save me. Please, please, please, please¡­ Please¡­ you fucking piece of sh*t!¡¯


    I was shocked when I had received the message.


    Han Sora¡¯s face was dripping with tears and snot as she cried out for me. That made me realize the seriousness of the situation.


    She made the right decision to call me before she entered the state of maximum anger.


    If I was a littleter, an incident simr to what happened during the 27th Corps could¡¯ve been repeated. In short, the n to not see her face for a year had failed.


    However, the n was also a sess in the way that Jung Hayan had grown significantly.


    Her growth wasn¡¯t as iprehensible as it had been in the past, but it was significant that she had gone up another step.


    ¡®It¡¯s only natural for her to grow, I guess.¡¯


    Although I considered my n a failure, I only met Jung Hayan twice during that year. I would¡¯ve been d if she managed to endure for just a month. What more could I say about six months?


    Because of my personal greed, I wanted to create a situation where I didn¡¯t even see her face or contact her, but I realized that such a scenario could lead to an extremely dire situation in no time.


    It was necessary to know what her state was, even if it¡¯s just through a video message.


    I opened an old video and saw a brighter-faced Jung Hayan from 1 year ago.


    -Oppa, A-are you doing w-well? I¡¯m doing fine here. I¡¯m sorry for calling you all of a sudden. I studied really hard today. I read a lot of books in the tower, and I¡¯ve created a lot of new magic. It¡¯s a little difficult, but I can endure it. Yes, I have to put up with this. B-b-because it can¡¯t be helped. So, don¡¯t worry too much. I¡¯m working hard, too¡­


    -¡­


    -All the grandfathers at the Magic Tower were really s-s-surprised, saying that they¡¯ve never seen this kind of magic. You¡¯re doing well, right? I really, really miss you so much¡­ I¡¯ll end the call now. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re busy.


    I thought she would be able to hold on back then.


    -How are you? I-I¡¯m sorry I called you all of a sudden. I have something to show you. Do you remember what I told you three days ago? I¡¯ll show it to you right now. We¡¯re having a demonstration¡­ Many people gathered because a-a-all the other guild people also wanted to see it. Actually, I don¡¯t know¡­ The g-grandfathers told me that I had grown a lot. They said that I improved so much since a week ago. In fact, they told me that it would be meaningless for me to continue studying here. I¡¯m not lying. T-they really told me that, r-right?


    -Yes, Jung Hayan is right. Hohoho Truthfully, it¡¯s a bit disappointingpared to the magic you¡¯ve created before, but it¡¯s worth calling the method groundbreaking.


    -W-Why would say it like that! How dare you!!!


    -Ah¡­ I-I¡¯m sorry¡­


    -Anyway, Let me show you. You¡¯ll be surprised.


    -¡­


    -¡­


    -¡­


    -Did you see that? I-I wonder what you think. Please send me your reaction in a video instead of a letter. Please. I really miss you. I-I think I¡¯m missing you even more because I used to see you every day and s-suddenly, I no longer can. I¡¯m sorry if I bothered you. I¡¯ll call you again next time.


    It was still fine up to that point. Although the Magic Tower¡¯s grandfathers seemed to have looked a bit surprised at her reaction, it was still eptable. The problem started after that, however.


    After sending me dozens of videos like that to show her growth, she became more and more desperate.


    Jung Hayan always smiled brightly in the video letters, but her background, which showed a portion of her room, was beyond description.


    It wasn¡¯t the room that I knew. Books were torn to pieces, and the walls were covered with nail marks. The most noticeable part was Han Sora, who was looking at the screen with anxious eyes in the corner of the room.


    Her face was akin to a mouse in front of a cat. Her hair was all over the ce.


    -T-T-Today, I also¡­ w-want to send you¡­ a video¡­I m-m-miss you so much, Oppa. So much. I miss you so much¡­ *sob*¡­ But I¡¯m still working hard. I¡¯m working hard, so I want to see you at least once¡­ I hate this. I hate this so much because I want to stay with you¡­ Sora also feels the same, right?


    -Y-yes, that¡¯s right, Jung Hayan-nim¡­ You¡¯re right. Vice Guild Master. I think it¡¯s time for you toe back now. Jung Hayan-nim has grown a lot. I know you¡¯re busy, but still¡­ Please drop by the guild once.


    -S-S-See? S-Sora feels the same way. P-P-Pleasee quickly.


    -Yes, yes! Vice Guild Master. I¡¯d like you toe. Please¡­ And y-you know what I asked you separatelyst time¡­ Could you¡­do something about that somehow¡­ again¡­


    -W-W-What did you ask him separately?


    -No. Jung Hayan-nim¡­ That is¡­


    -W-What? What did you say?


    -Business, it was a business thing¡­*sob*¡­ It was a business thing. Ughhh¡­ugh¡­ugh. It¡¯s really true.


    -Toot.


    The way her condition worsened was bing more visible.


    And that was one of the better examples. Jung Hayan¡¯s video message had turned into something else after she didn¡¯t send me one in a long time.


    -I just¡­


    -Die¡­


    -¡­


    -You¡­ Look¡­ D-Don¡¯t¡­ Can¡¯t. Ah, that¡­ Yes, that would be good¡­ Ah¡­ Die¡­


    She was muttering to herself while staring at the screen, so I couldn¡¯t just sit still.


    It was only normal for her to explode at that point, but it wasn¡¯t the time, so I immediately packed my things and went to the Magic Tower to enjoy my afterlife with Jung Hayan.


    And it took me three days to get away from her again because she wouldn¡¯t get off me while crying.


    And four months after that, I had to see her again. In total, it had only been two months since I received a call from Han Sora.


    ¡®It¡¯s getting shorter¡­ Is it time to call her over?¡¯


    With her explosive cycles getting shorter and shorter, I was d that she seemed to be growing as much, but even I was a bit worried.


    I thought it was better to keep dying the time until she exploded at the time I wanted, but recently, I felt like I was walking on thin ice every day.


    The hundreds of text bombs every day and Han Sora¡¯s crying voice bothered me.


    It was a pleasure to see Jung Hayan showing growth every time she went through a difficult period, but¡­


    ¡®This is making me feel so anxious.¡¯


    I was certainly worried that an ident could ur at any time. Didn¡¯t she make a monster wave just recently? Of course, she probably didn¡¯t mean to do that, but it would cause problems if I were to leave her in such a state.


    I also found Park Deokgu¡¯s whereabouts, so I thought it was the right time to call her back.


    Since some people from the Joint Continental Training Center were also holding their ce¡­


    ¡®I better do that.¡¯


    Video clips of Jung Hayan that automatically yed in a row stopped, and a call was connected in an instant. In less than a second, Jung Hayan¡¯s face was immediately disyed in the mirror.


    -O¡­ O-Oppa! What¡¯s going on?


    ¡®What do you mean what¡¯s going on? You called me.¡¯


    -you saw the t-t-text. Did¡­ Did I send you too many? I¡¯m afraid it got in the way of your w-work¡­


    ¡®They did get in the way. How couldn¡¯t it?¡¯


    ¡°No, I was just resting. How¡¯s your studying going?¡±


    Yes, I-I was practicing j-j-just a m-moment before. With Sora.


    ¡®You were texting me just a moment ago.¡¯


    ¡°Then, maybe I shouldn¡¯t have called you. I¡¯m feeling sorry all of a sudden¡­¡±


    -N-No. That¡¯s not true. Yes. I was just about to take a break too. Yes¡­ I was a-a-about to¡­


    ¡°Hayan¡­ really hasn¡¯t changed.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t only her actions but her appearance too, except for her hair that had grown a little longer.


    Not to mention, she looked better than I expected. When she sent me the message-bombs, I remembered her eyes looking blood-shot and always stuttering strange words with hair all over the ce.


    Seeing her neat appearance, I thought it would be okay to give her a little more time.


    -Sora is also resting with me. H-H-Here.


    However, after seeing Han Sora¡¯s condition, I realized that Hayan¡¯s appearance had been fixed hurriedly. Blood seemed to have been drained from her face. Her eyes looked like they contained all the fears of the world as well.


    She looked like a victim trapped in an enclosed space with a serial killer or in a ghost movie.


    Perhaps the atmosphere had been intense before the phone call came.


    -Hell¡­o, Jung Hayan has been studying magic as you asked her to do. Vice Guild Master, when will we be¡­ able to see you?


    She seemed careful not to let the same mistake happen twice. However, her eyes continued to send me SOS signals.


    She definitely had the face of a person that was asking for help.


    -R-R-R-Right?


    Jung Hayan¡¯s eyes, which were reflected on the screen, were scary, to be honest.


    ¡°I think you should move over here in a month¡­¡±


    -What?


    ¡°I think I have some more time now. Of course, if you want to, you can stay there a bit longer.¡±


    -No, no. It¡¯s n-n-not like that. I¡¯ll go. Q-q-quickly. Quickly¡­


    ¡°Yes, but you have to concentrate on your studies as much as you can until then. If nothing changes after this call, I¡¯ll feel like I interrupted your studies. Do you understand what I¡¯m saying?¡±


    ¡®Let¡¯s work hard¡­ Until the end.¡¯


    -Yes, yes, I -I understand. Ugh¡­ I understand. *sob*, I survived. *sob*, it¡¯s finally over. Ughhhh¡­ ugh, finally¡­ Ugh, I¡¯m alive. I-I¡¯ll work hard and go there r-right away. I¡¯ll run there. Ugh. I love you. I love you.


    Jung Hayan burst into tears. And next to her, there was another person who burst into tears.


    -God¡­ugh, God, thank you. Thank you, God.


    Tears also poured out of Han Sora¡¯s eyes.


    ¡®I¡¯ll give you a lot of money, Sora. Seriously¡­¡¯


    Guilt blossomed from within me.

 Chapter 567: The Continent After 1 Year (5)

    <h4>Chapter 567: The Continent After 1 Year (5)</h4>


    Even if I felt guilty, it wasn¡¯t a situation that I couldn¡¯t fix.


    Han Sora and Jung Hayan became closer than I thought, and Sora proved to be useful in keeping Hayan stable.


    When Hayan exploded like a bomb, she was one of the few people who could control her. No, she was a key figure in preventing that type of explosion from Hayan. Han Sora was very careful about stabilizing Hayan¡¯s moods, not for the sake of the empire but for her own safety. that sort of reminded me of how I acted in the past.


    It was so impressive how she desperately tried to persuade Hayan to calm down or shift her attention towards something else. Currently, she was like the people that took care of a friend who became a crazy dog after drinks.


    What more could I say when Hayan, who was only close to me, Park Deokgu, and Kim Hyunsung, opened her innermost thoughts to her?


    In fact, I thought that Han Sora¡¯s safety wasn¡¯t really threatened.


    Of course, unexpected idents could happen, but I didn¡¯t think it woulde to a point where her life would be threatened¡­


    ¡®I don¡¯t think that will happen. Well, we could give her life benefits to make up for it.¡¯


    Including allowances, her annual sry ranking within the guild was close to the top.


    Excluding me, it would be fair to say that she was currently the highest-paid person in Lindel.


    While I was considering all those factors, my guilt began to disappear like a turtle going back into its shell. I was certain that she thought she only needed to endure a month more, and Hayan would be motivated even more than her.


    ¡®Will she grow a lot in a month?¡¯


    I was kind of worried that the same thing would happen again, but I was sure that she would work harder than ever.


    I wondered how much she could grow in such a short period. Considering her growth rate so far¡­


    ¡®I think she can climb at least one more step further¡­¡¯


    It was a little disappointing to think that a genius like Hayan could only go up one step, but I was just too greedy. Considering that most magicians took decades to climb one stage higher, it was already abnormal how fast she progressed.


    Still, I kind of hoped she would grow like an esctor or elevator, but I knew that it was more secure for her to progress step by step.


    I decided to stop thinking about Jung Hayan for the time being.


    After one month, she was going toe to me even if I didn¡¯t call for her, so around that time, I guessed I could enjoy the beach with her and Park Deokgu.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know how everyone¡¯s doing.¡¯


    I contacted Elena and Yoo Ah-young once, and I evenmunicated with Kim Chang-ryul, who I wasn¡¯t close to. I met with Sun Hee-young, Hwang Jeong-yeon, and Kim Mi-young for administration work, and Imunicated with the remaining Blue Guild members regrly.


    As mentioned earlier, I called Jung Hayan and Han Sora twice, and I met up with Cho Hyejin, who was in charge of training the joint army for Kim Hyunsung.


    The only ones I had lost contact with were Park Deokgu, Kim Hyunsung, and, even though she wasn¡¯t a guild member, Cha Heera.


    In particr, thest time I contacted Kim Hyunsung was nine months ago.


    ¡®It¡¯s almost vicious how determined he is.¡¯


    Was it even necessary to cut off all contact and lock himself in?


    I was shocked when he told me out of the blue that to focus on his trainingpletely, he would no longer contact me.


    It was even more shocking because I had just been appointed Chairman of the managementmittee at that time.


    It was only from Cho Hyejin that I sometimes heard about whether he was dead or alive.


    I didn¡¯t expect him to just hone his sword for nine months.


    I told him to put off his burden of saving the world by himself, but it seemed as if he was carrying a new load on his shoulders.


    His mentality was unexpectedly weak. If his growth slowed down or things didn¡¯t go well as he thought, he might start to bury himself in a hole and be overwhelmed with his own worries and insecurities.


    I quickly organized my thoughts and got up to contact Park Deokgu and Ahn Ki-mo, who were in District 53.


    ¡°Oh, this is Chairman Lee. I mean¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is my h-honor. I¡¯m Michael Wayne from the 53rd Construction District. Chairman Lee Kiyoung, I didn¡¯t expect you to contact me¡­ it¡¯s such an honor.¡±


    ¡°No, you think too highly of me. We met each other when the development n was announced. I was thinking of contacting you some time ago¡­ Unfortunately, I¡¯m too busy to visit you properly. How is it going in your area?¡±


    -We were a little taken back by the sudden appearance of monsters, but fortunately, Park Deokgu and Ahn Ki-mo helped us drive them out. Not only were the walls barely damaged, but there were also few casualties. Our progress might have slowed down, but we will do everything we can to finish it as soon as possible¡­ We will put all of our efforts¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that. Anyway, other than that, I also heard that team leader Kim Mi-young contacted you. Is Deokgu next to you by any chance?¡±


    -Yes, she did, b-but right now¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -After paying for the monsters we hunted, she left immediately. As Team Leader Kim Mi-young told us to, we gave him the Goddess¡¯ Hand Mirror and asked if he wanted to stay, but¡­ he said he didn¡¯t need it¡­


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    -I-I didn¡¯t know what to do¡­ I¡¯m so sorry.


    ¡°Sigh¡­¡±


    -I¡¯m sorry. He left so suddenly that I couldn¡¯t do anything to stop him¡­


    ¡°No, sigh, that¡¯s alright. Well, I understand your position. Don¡¯t worry about it and focus on your work.¡±


    -Yes, I¡¯ll make sure to keep that in mind.


    ¡°Did he mention where he would be going?¡±


    -He said he¡¯d go to the northernmost point. Maybe it¡¯s where the Chairman is¡­


    ¡°Yes, that seems like a possibility. Anyway, thank you for all your hard work. Themittee will be sending you support soon. I¡¯ll end the conversation now.¡±


    -Thank you, Chairman. It¡¯s been an honor.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    [Call ended]


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m nervous for some reason. Is that fat fuck for real¡­¡±


    He would probably reach the northernmost part at some point. But in the meantime, I was anxious about where he would go.


    Since Deokgu said he would leave immediately, I didn¡¯t think that he would enjoy any luxuries. However, since he was a nosy person, he might make a lot of detours to help a random shopkeeper or a vige chief.


    He was the kind to take useless types of quests like helping a vige from a bear or bringing firewood to a struggling vige.


    ¡°It¡¯s so hard just to see one person.¡±


    ¡®I have to start working too.¡¯


    I sighed and went out. There wasn¡¯t much meaning in going out. I just didn¡¯t feel like staying inside when I couldn¡¯t focus on work.


    ¡®Ah, my coat.¡¯


    The moment I went outside wearing my thick coat with cold resistance, themittee members greeted me.


    The security forces led by Park Li-ahn began to follow me immediately.


    As soon as I stepped outside, I saw a huge wall. Technicians were glued to it, and they were in the midst of finishing their work. I really couldn¡¯t see an inch ahead.


    The walls were that high. The towers built into the walls were even higher.


    It wasn¡¯tplete yet, but the walls piled up with magic stones looked high and solid.


    Thinking that we only had a year to make it, I apuded our achievement. Of course, that was only to be expected.


    ¡®This is the first line of defense.¡¯


    In fact, it was the most important ce.


    ¡®Park Deokgu, you punk, if you wanted to help build a wall, you should have helped me out here.¡¯


    The ce was still working in full swing. To be honest, I didn¡¯t expect that we would make so much progress that fast.


    Other areas were much slower in their progress, but it was only because most of the resources and supplies were concentrated in our area. Of course, no one would disagree that the biggest reason behind our smooth construction was welfare benefits.


    The daily wage was high, and there was insurance. Temperature magic was always present to deal against the cold environment, and most of all, technicians and workers were treated with respect. Due to all of those factors, the speed wasn¡¯t slow.


    I thought that giving a treat would be more useful than whipping, but it was nice to see that the situation was better than I expected.


    ¡®It should bepleted in about six months from now.¡¯


    After that point, we would finally have a solid foundation.


    ¡®I¡¯m a little nervous about everything going as nned¡­¡¯


    There was no reason for a huge event to happen, but it made me nervous that everything was going so smoothly. At that moment, Lee Jihye¡¯s voice came from behind me.


    ¡°Why do you look so worried?¡±


    ¡°Just¡­ Well, there¡¯s nothing else to do today, right? Are you ready?¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re talking about bringing people in from the training camp, we¡¯re almost done. We¡¯ve got housing and amenities. I think the transfer will go smoothly. We¡¯ll have some troops soon.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s going to look more like a city when the soldierse in. Right now, it¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of workers and technicians. There¡¯s also a lot of manpower involved in managing them all. Well, I think it¡¯s right to think that we are already urbanized somewhat. If you add up the nearby area, it¡¯ll be like a kingdom. We¡¯ve already established a market, and we¡¯vee to the point where we need to pay attention to security.¡±


    ¡°Well, we seem to be holding on well so far, but it¡¯s a little confusing. There¡¯s something that I¡¯m a little worried about, but¡­¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°There are a couple of things. Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s the case with the workers¡¯ strike problem right now?¡±


    ¡°Well, a strike is a natural thing that happens. There haven¡¯t been any big incidents so far.¡±


    ¡°No, no. I¡¯m just worried that we might have gone too easy on the workers. You know that these technicians are being treated better than most adventurers, right? But when I heard that they might be nning a strike, I thought their mental states must be rotten. They¡¯re telling each other that they should create a union and things like that. Since there¡¯s a lot of investment being made towards this construction, I think they want to get the most money. The slow progress of work zone 6 is because the workers there did a slowdown strike.¡±


    ¡°Who the heck is managing them? Did you check the Benignore Net chat log for the strike union?¡±


    ¡°The chat log is clean. At first, I thought someone was intentionally shaking the workers, but that¡¯s not the case at all. Still, that¡¯s a possibility. No one is directly showing their resistance against themittee, but it¡¯s hard to see everything that is happening, especially from the top.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°The situation at the scene may be different from what you¡¯ve been briefed through reports and documents.¡±


    ¡°I get what you mean.¡±


    ¡°Each district construction manager desperately wants to cover-up if there¡¯s a slowdown, a strike, or any incident. If they get on your bad side, their whole life could get messed up, after all. ording to their words, their area is always safe, and they pretend as if there is no problem. I think a perfect exnation allegory would be topare them to the high-ranking military officials in our country (*South Korea). No matter what happens, they only try to solve it within their unit. Isn¡¯t it so simr to how it was like in our world?


    I nodded at Lee Jihye¡¯s words to show myplete agreement.


    Even Wayne, who had reported verbally about his 53rd work zone, said there were no problems in his construction site.


    I didn¡¯t know if that was true, but it was difficult to believe his words when a monster wave just hit them.


    Since Park Deokgu and Ahn Kimo were there, it was probably true that the construction wasn¡¯t ruined much, but from the manager¡¯s point of view, he would be afraid that even the smallest mistakes would be a blemish on his career.


    ¡®There¡¯s a reason why past kings have be fools.¡¯


    If it weren¡¯t for Lee Jihye, my eyes and ears could¡¯ve been closed.


    ¡®A strike, huh? Hmmm, a slowdown strike¡­¡¯

 Chapter 568: The Continent After 1 Year (6)

    <h4>Chapter 568: The Continent After 1 Year (6)</h4>


    The first strike in history took ce in Egypt. It was a strike against the pharaohs, who were considered the kings and gods of their country. When their wages weren¡¯t properly paid, the engineers and workers who built the pyramids stood up against the government.


    There were movements in the form of protests, and some people even stayed inside the pyramids.


    It was a demonstration that took ce before the basic rights of human beings were properly established. A few decades ago, or a few years ago, there was a violent crackdown in Korea on the practice of spraying tear gas and squirting water cannons, so it must¡¯ve been far worse than that.


    There was no doubt that the pharaoh¡¯s fury would have rained like fire on the pyramid protesters.


    The pharaoh would¡¯ve desperately wanted toplete the pyramid before he died. However, surprisingly, the workers were victorious.


    Of course, there must¡¯ve been manyplex reasons, but the managers and upper-level officials must¡¯ve thought that the construction could not be dyed. It was to the extent that workers received wages and weren¡¯t punished even after making sphemous remarks such as ¡°if wages are not paid properly, we will rob the pharaoh¡¯s tomb.¡±


    ¡°That really was very impressive.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure if workers were considered important back then or if theycked skilled workers, but I had to apud the workers¡¯ efforts.


    ¡®To use their tactics would be too much, but¡­¡¯


    I thought the story was simr to my current situation. I also had toplete the forward base at all costs. Whatever it took, it needed to bepleted.


    If I were a manager who didn¡¯t pay my workers on time, I needed to do everything to give them the money to continue their work.


    ¡®But fuck, why are these bastards like this?¡¯


    No matter how endless human greed was and how people repeated their mistakes, weren¡¯t each district¡¯s treatments too good for them to have a strike demanding better treatment and higher wages?


    They had vacations, and if they worked overtime, they werepensated ordingly.


    It was no exaggeration to call it a dream job, and most workers were very satisfied with the conditions. Moreover, there were even priests on standby.


    If it weren¡¯t for the Goddess¡¯s Hand Mirror, we might not have even been able to afford the project¡¯s expenses.


    ¡®Are they out of their minds?¡¯


    ¡°Or did I make them feel toofortable? I feel bitter because I think I might have started this in the wrong way.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s definitely more efficient this way. Strangely, they won¡¯te out even with a bonus. If we haven¡¯t had this type of environment in the first ce, no matter how much we beat them, we wouldn¡¯t be able to make as much progress as we did. Look at how much development we made in one year. Think about it. We did all of this in a single year.¡±


    ¡°You mean¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s even stranger to have no side effects at the pace we are progressing. From the time the three-year n was announced, I thought I had no choice but to ount for some side effects. And I guess these are the side effects. The first problem was that you pressured the managers in the beginning too much. One person was even beat up and expelled, so it¡¯s natural for all of them to be frightened. It¡¯s not that long, but a year is enough time for people to gather and organize, right? I think it¡¯s only natural that there¡¯s a loophole in the reporting system.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm¡­¡±


    ¡°If you used only your own people, this wouldn¡¯t have happened in the first ce¡­¡±


    ¡°I have no choice. Even for me, it¡¯s too much to fill all the personnel lines with my people. Even if the managementmittee is overall under my control, I have to pretend like we are all in equal standing, at least externally. Do you think I left the Blue Guild for no reason?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I understand.¡±


    ¡°The Church and Lindel have the biggest stakes in this as they made the most investments, but since you have to paint a picture as if the whole continent is bing one, you have to give the impression that all of you are moving towards the same task together. Republic, Federation, ethnic minorities, coalition, and that¡¯s not all. We also need to give each denomination a small share¡­ Even if I try to use only my own people as much as possible, I can¡¯t help it if there are holes here and there. To be honest, this is partly because I was in such a hurry. I admit that.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you were in a big hurry as if you were possessed. I said I¡¯d try my best¡­ but it¡¯s too much to manage arge area like this perfectly in such a short period. The same goes for themittee management. It¡¯s not an ideal situation, but what can I do? There are always side effects to rapid growth.¡±


    They were totally different situations, but somehow thest line reminded me of Jung Hayan.


    ¡®That line is somehow ominous. We should stop talking about this.¡¯


    At this, I looked at Lee Jihye with bitterness. I saw her every day, allowing me to swiftly notice that her face was a bit sulky that day.


    Short bob hair, short height- because she had been with me for the first three months, I didn¡¯t see any differences in her appearance.


    She was the same as before, but it seemed that she was under a lot of stress recently, and I knew for a fact that she actually slept less than I did.


    It was because she had her hands in so many different areas.


    I wanted to let her rest a little, but I couldn¡¯t do it because I felt like half of the business would be paralyzed if Lee Jihye took a break. She was acting as my eyes, ears, as well as my hands and feet. I couldn¡¯t just let her rest.


    ¡°So, has there been a response to the situation?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still thinking about it. I thought about just firing everyone and pushing the project forward, but I don¡¯t even know what¡¯s going on right now. I had sent an inspection team to site 5, but I¡¯m still not sure it¡¯ll be that effective. That being said, I¡¯m certain something is going on over there. Maybe you should take a closer look. Site 5 could be an indicator of what side effects our ns could have.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying a simr phenomenon could happen on other sites?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s another reason why my observations slowed down.¡±


    ¡°I understand observing the situation, but¡­Even if there¡¯s something we¡¯ve missed, how do we improve our treatment from here? No matter how hard I try to understand, I just can¡¯t seem to.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the same for me, too. It¡¯s hard to understand from a management¡¯s perspective thatints coulde out in such ideal conditions. In the first ce, we could¡¯ve done mandatory conscription. If theyined about things no matter what, wouldn¡¯t it be better to save some money at least? They have to roll around in a dog poop field to think that the ce they are in is heaven. Should I take out the warm-up magic first?¡±


    ¡°No, I want to avoid anything that can slow down the speed of our work as much as possible¡­ And if you force the conscription, the bacsh would be too severe. Especially with our image¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather have a problem with upper management. I still want to believe in humans, seriously.¡±


    ¡®I don¡¯t think that shoulde out of your mouth¡­¡¯


    However, I still agreed with Lee Jihye to some extent.


    ¡°Anyway, there are three possibilities.¡±


    ¡°Go on.¡±


    ¡°First, there might be something wrong with the person in charge¡­ No, there is a problem for sure since the reports are also a problem.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying that there¡¯s a possibility that someone is self-profiting from this work.¡±


    ¡°Yes, indeed, the workers might really be under unfair treatment.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, we should get rid of everyone involved in corruption cases.¡±


    ¡°I agree. The second possibility is that our workers are just greedy. I really hope that¡¯s not the case. Please let that not be the case.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°And if that¡¯s not the case¡­ there could be opposing forces out there.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that there¡¯s no possibility of opposing forces? You said that there weren¡¯t any chat logs left.¡±


    ¡°I just haven¡¯t found it yet; I didn¡¯t abandon the possibility. Even if we don¡¯t have any logs left at Benignore Net, there are still some ways to stay in touch with each other. It¡¯s not like we have no enemies at all¡­ It¡¯s a little too early to abandon the possibility of opposing forces.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the alternative?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just wait for the inspectors. I¡¯m going to look at and think about this matter moreprehensively. I keep saying this, but¡­ I would hate it if the workers there are the problem. It¡¯s going to make me hate humans.¡±


    ¡®You shouldn¡¯t be the one to say that of all people, Nuna.¡¯


    ¡°I thought I was still a long away from bing like you, but there are a lot of people around us who are beyond our imagination¡­¡±


    ¡°Who is in charge of District 5?¡±


    ¡°Mikhail.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡®Mikhail.¡¯


    He was one of the people recruited because we needed someone from the coalition.


    He was a well-known moderate within the Union and was also a symbol of integrity, an idealist, and a renowned schr.


    We had put a lot of effort into Mikhail¡¯s recruitment.


    From the 1st to the 10th bases, we paid a lot more attention to them because those areas faced the enemies outside. The leaders at the most important bases 1 through 10 had been hand-picked by me.


    However, we had no choice but to bring outsiders to fill rtively less important bases like the 4th, 5th, and 9th sites.


    Since it was a situation where we had to fill a seat from the Republic and another one from the Union, we needed someone who could work efficiently and properly by themselves, and Mikhail was one of those who had met such conditions perfectly.


    How reassuring it had been when he said that he would ept the post reluctantly.


    ¡®I don¡¯t think he¡¯s the problem¡­¡¯


    He wasn¡¯t the type of person who stole money to use it for self-interest. I even checked his tendencies and temperament with the Mind¡¯s Eye and found nothing rming.


    ¡°He¡¯s famous for his integrity in the Union. And hadn¡¯t we already run thorough background checks on him?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a person who doesn¡¯t have any dirt on him.¡±


    ¡°What should we do? Should we dig deeper?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t try too hard. He refused to work with everyone who tried to recruit him. Let¡¯s first talk about whether there are opposing forces in the first ce. Ah, no, I think it will be better to just try to meet him.¡±


    ¡°Who? Mikhail?¡±


    ¡°Yes, call him toe to us. And in the meantime, send some people to the scene.¡±


    ¡°That sounds alright.¡±


    ¡°It seems like I¡¯ll be meeting this guy before the guild members.¡±


    ¡°Should I send him a Griffin right now?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I think that would be a good idea. Please don¡¯t make it seem like you are interrogating him. There¡¯s a possibility that he¡¯lle prepared.¡±


    ¡°I know. I¡¯ll just tell him I want to meet for a cup of tea.''¡±


    ¡°Good. Is that the end of your report?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s have dinner together, Nuna.¡±


    ¡°I was nning to do this hastily because I was busy¡­ But this changes the story. Is that a date request, Oppa?¡±


    ¡°Feel free to think of it like that.¡±


    I wondered how he was managing the ce that was suffering from a strike.


    ¡°District 5¡­¡±


    ¡°Is it still on your mind?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get too stressed, Oppa. It¡¯s within a boundary that we can solve. It probably won¡¯t be as big of a deal as we think it is.¡±


    I also prayed for that to be true. I truly hoped that it wouldn¡¯t be a big deal.

 Chapter 569: Mikhail (1)

    <h4>Chapter 569: Mikhail (1)</h4>


    ¡°What does it say, Mikhail-nim?¡±


    ¡°It says that she wants to have a cup of tea with me. I don¡¯t think she would ask me to drink tea just for leisure. It seems you guys are right.¡±


    ¡°Yes, thank you for your decision.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to feel grateful. I only realized a little faster than everyone else what was better for the Republic and the Continent.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m afraid that your reputation will be tainted. I feel guilty just by even mentioning this.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all useless after the passing of death. It¡¯s been a while since I stopped obsessing over things like honor and glory, unlike my friend. It seems that you guys are the same too.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°My friend gave up everything to protect his honor. He was the type who would¡¯ve given up his life for such a thing, and I couldn¡¯t understand him until the end. Haha, he¡¯ll probablyugh at me if he sees me right now.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I¡¯m sure¡­¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m sure he¡¯llugh at me, asking me if what I was doing was important enough to destroy the reputation I¡¯ve so carefully built up so far from the ground.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I have lived on this continent for a very long time. I¡¯ve been here before you guys, called adventurers, were even summoned here. There was no ce in this vastnd that I didn¡¯t love. I called it my hometown. When you first entered the continent, I firmly believed that you would develop it. Truthfully, you guys did develop this ce rapidly. It¡¯s the same for my friend too. However, there were some good influences as well as bad ones.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Like that friend¡­ I thought Chairman Lee Kiyoung would be able to cure the continent.¡±


    ¡°That means¡­¡±


    ¡°However, that man doesn¡¯t know how to share.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°When Lee Kiyoung- that man- asked me if I could manage this ce, I became certain when I saw his eyes. He could be a cure if used well, but poison if misused¡­ He¡¯s that kind of person. However, he¡¯s too greedy for him to be a cure to this continent. Look at this stupid little hand mirror. You said that these kinds of things had existed in your world. But can you believe it?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Can you believe¡­ how this little thing can control the entire continent? Regardless of age or gender, even people who were initially amazed or scared of the item now possess this small hand mirror to the point that people can¡¯t live their daily lives without it. I¡¯m sure most people wouldn¡¯t realize it, but there¡¯s a huge amount of data umted in this small but infinite space, and Lee Kiyoung can look into it. My point is that the entire continent is under surveince by just one person.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t say that this is freedom.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t say you¡¯re actually alive when one person controls the whole continent.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Once, my friend had exined an interesting novel to me. It was a novel written by a famous writer named George Orwell. The ce where we are living now is no different from the ce in the novel. An individual shouldn¡¯t be allowed to control everything. Even media that criticize him are inspected before releasing materials. The same goes for the media that praise him.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what he¡¯s doing this for, but no one has the right to control individual freedom. At least that¡¯s what I think.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°No, you guys probably can¡¯t rte. My friend probably won¡¯t be able to rte either. We all have such different values. Like how my friend died because of honor, and like how I¡¯ll die because of my stubbornness.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t die. Death is our role, not yours.¡±


    ¡°Even if all of this ends sessfully, I¡¯ll just die. The continent refuses to leave me alone¡­ For now, I¡¯ll have to leave first thing in the morning tomorrow, so please let me be by myself. I¡¯lle back with the news you want.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do as you say.¡±


    At this, I took a step back, and Mikhail started reading a book quietly.


    I knew that was a necessary thing to do, but my mouth had soon be dry. I couldn¡¯t make up my mind whether or not I had involved the right person.


    ¡®No, if I was going to think about things like this, I shouldn¡¯t have suggested this in the first ce.¡¯


    Didn¡¯t I approach him with death already in my mind?


    If Mikhail had shaken his head at us when we asked him to join us, we would¡¯ve been dead already. In such a situation, I couldn¡¯t believe that I was suddenly sympathizing with the man and worrying about him¡­


    ¡®Matters rting to humans have always been unexpected.¡¯


    Perhaps it was because he had joined us so willingly, or maybe it was because I felt like his thoughts were more valuable than I initially thought.


    I didn¡¯t know the exact answer. All I could do was grab onto my hair because of an iing headache.


    ¡®This is all soplicated.¡¯


    ¡°Let¡¯s not think about it too deeply. We should just do what we have to do.¡±


    ¡°My belief isn¡¯t wavering. Actually, I think I gained more confidence from this. I now have another reason besides personal feelings for fighting against him. It¡¯s all thanks to Mikhail. Of course, it won¡¯t be easy¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. That¡¯s not the only reason why we have to fight.¡±


    ¡°I know. At this rate, there will be no future for the continent. There¡¯s no ce beyond his reach, and I can¡¯t even figure out what¡¯s true and what¡¯s a lie now. Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung- no, how many people on this continent know the chairman¡¯s true face? Probably¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure everyone here is oblivious to it. That¡¯s what you should think. Considering his public image, most people don¡¯t believe or understand all the things he had done. Looking at the media-generated images of him, who would be aware that he¡¯s like a cockroach, causing harm to this continent? Who would even dare imagine that he¡¯s someone who¡¯s been deceiving the entire continent, summoning demons, and impersonating God?¡±


    ¡°Why do they trust and follow a man like that¡­?¡±


    ¡°Rather than ming how gullible people are, we should point at his wickedness.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the best option.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what exactly his purpose is, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t the results telling us? I think this construction itself might be meaningless. He wants to make the continent controble, and creating a crisis and making a fake enemy from the outside does exactly that. If you think about the release of the hand mirrors, that will make sense even more. He must have left the Blue Guild and positioned himself into themittee for the same reason. Look, with just a few words, he has be the leader and the center of this continent. Even those in power have to be careful of him, and those that oppose him disappear without a trace.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°The public¡¯s voice and free will are all controlled by him. All kinds of media are in his grasps, and he can show and hide information to his advantage. He can also easily ess information about what the continent is talking about. I can¡¯t deny that Lee Kiyoung is capable, but he is the wrong leader. I was once one of those who supported him, but I think the meeting with you and Mikhail has opened my eyes. Maybe if it weren¡¯t for you two, I would have¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not motivated by a nice-sounding cause like that, Rafael. Your colleagues may be like that, but not me. It¡¯s revenge that motivates me, not some form of morals or values. I havee all the way here somehow, but not by what you think.¡±


    He might have been like that in the beginning, but that was no longer the case.


    As they spent a long time together and came closer and closer to the truth of the continent, he realized how much things had changed.


    The purpose hadn¡¯t changed, but what was in their hearts differed.


    Back then, they moved simply for revenge. Currently, he moved out of a sense of responsibility and servitude.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that. I know you feel responsible. The same goes for everyone else, and¡­ Even if you¡¯re simply motivated by shallow vengeance, the results wouldn¡¯t be any different. Whatever the reason, we¡¯re doing the right thing. I¡¯m sure what we¡¯re trying to do will be remembered by the continent for a long time.¡±


    ¡°No, even if we seed, we will just be thought of as terrorists.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s harsh, being known as a terrorist. But we are people, fighting with justice in our minds¡­¡±


    ¡°Haha. You¡¯re probably the only one who thinks that Rafael.¡±


    ¡°So, what happens next? If things fail, what are you nning to do?¡±


    ¡°Nothing will change. I will just move on and wait for another opportunity. But something like that won¡¯t happen.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll definitely do what we want him to do.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, as you said, Lee Kiyoung is an actor and a crook. His safe ce is not a battlefield or an office. It¡¯s a stage. He won¡¯t just sit still, and that¡¯s the nature of Lee Kiyoung. He will probably use this as a means to gain positive publicity for him. I¡¯m sure he will feel that there¡¯s more to gain than lose in this situation.¡±


    ¡°Then after that¡­¡±


    ¡°I will fight for my life. That¡¯s all I can do. I think it¡¯s safe to say that without this opportunity, it will be impossible. Even if he left the Blue Guild, his influence in the guild remains the same. If we try to recruit more members one by one and set up troops in the joint training camp, we¡¯ll be caught. I have no choice but to make the most out of this opportunity as much as possible. There isn¡¯t much time left.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Is there any other way?¡±


    ¡°No. Things won¡¯t turn around until his life ends.¡±


    ¡°But there might be something else we can do. We can create and distribute magazines¡­ That would help us gather the right people. If we continue to speak up about the truth, someday the continent¡¯s people will definitely¡­ recognize it. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll realize it. Look at all the people in this group. Maybe there isn¡¯t a need to solve the problem in such an extreme way¡­¡±


    ¡°No, more than this is too dangerous. We¡¯ve gotten too big in a year. You must know better than me that it¡¯s a miracle that he hasn¡¯t noticed us yet. We¡¯re in no position to move anymore. If we raise ourselves just a little bit more, I¡¯m sure the army will rat us out right away. For now, it¡¯s better to follow through with what we¡¯ve already nned. An inspection team will probablye here while Mikhail goes to greet him. Let¡¯s talk about this more than anything else, Raphael.¡±


    ¡°But!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve no other options. Mikhail is already in the same boat as us. If we back out now¡­ Ugh¡­¡±


    ¡°C-Captain, are you all right?¡±


    ¡°Haa¡­ Haaa¡­ Yeah, I¡¯m fine. You don¡¯t have to worry.¡±


    At this, I saw the captain clutch onto his heart in pain. I felt bitter that there was nothing I could do except give a pat on his shoulder.


    Our ultimate goal was to free the continent from Chairman Lee Kiyoung. We were all fighting for the right reasons, but we were still nothing more than an anti-government force.


    ¡®People will realize and recognize us one day.¡¯


    Everyone across the continent would surely remember our sacrifice.


    I had no choice but to think of such thoughts while grabbing onto my beating heart.

 Chapter 570: Mikhail (2)

    <h4>Chapter 570: Mikhail (2)</h4>


    ¡°May Ie in?¡±


    ¡°Yes,e on in. Long time no see, Mikhail-nim. I apologize for not contacting you for so long. I¡¯ve been quite busy with my work and¡­¡±


    ¡°No, I should have sought you out first¡­ I¡¯m so sorry.¡±


    ¡°Please take a seat.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°What would you like for tea? There¡¯s not a type we are missing, so you can ask for whatever you¡¯d like.¡±


    ¡°Anything is fine. Well, since I have the chance to, I¡¯d prefer the one the chairman would rmend.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ Oh, this will be great. It¡¯s a tea made from strawberry that grows only in the North. It¡¯s sweet, but not to the point that it¡¯s too much. You may have tried it already, but¡­ if you really want my rmendation, I¡¯d like to choose this one since I¡¯m into it these days¡­ I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll like it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll thankfully drink whatever you give me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s embarrassing if you thank me too much. So, how is it going? How have you been these days?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the same every day. It¡¯s probably not much different from yours. I wake up in the morning, drink tea or coffee to start my day, and read the newspapers or books when I have free time. Of course, that¡¯s the only time to rx because the site¡¯s scale is sorge¡­ It feels like I¡¯m running a city. Even the number of workers we have exceeds the poption of most small cities¡­ It¡¯s very impressive to see how quickly the ce has be full of life and markets.¡±


    ¡°The same goes for other sites, Mikhail-nim. The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd sites can even be called big cities at this point. And dare I say that the ces where our technicians and workers go to enjoy, eat, and y are better than most ces in small towns. I didn¡¯t mean to build a city, but I feel great that they seemed to have formed naturally. If workers¡¯ wages have been tight, it would have been harder than it is now. Isn¡¯t that how the economy works? You make money, spend it, pay taxes, and do other things with that tax.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is just as you say.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m actually ignorant in Economics like I am in many different topics. But I knew that a market would form. Isn¡¯t it natural for people to gather where the money is? That¡¯s why I¡¯ve given control to people who I could really trust.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°If I had simply wanted a construction manager, I wouldn¡¯t have contacted you. This might sound like a discriminatory statement, but I would¡¯ve just left the management to the Dwarves if that were the case. That¡¯s why I had given the responsibility for the sites not to the architects but the administrators.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I understand what you¡¯re saying.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be just briefed on the progress of the construction. I want to know everything about what¡¯s going on there and how much ising in and out. I want to know even the tiniest details. That¡¯s why I called you.¡±


    ¡°Is that so¡­?¡±


    ¡°Because I thought, what if Mikhail-nim misunderstands?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I know what you do and what you can do. If I had doubted your ability, I wouldn¡¯t have put you in such an important position. I left it up to you because I thought you would do the work I entrusted to you properly by yourself.¡±


    ¡°I have no excuses.¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t mean to scold or pressure you in any way. You can listen to my words like it¡¯s a passing story. I think I got a bit carried away and feel embarrassed about it now. Well, do you have anything else you want to say concerning this?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m not sure exactly what you want to hear. The work at our site is indeed being dyed, but it¡¯s still fast enough. Of course, it¡¯s not like there are no internal problems at all, but I just didn¡¯t report it because I thought I could handle it easily enough.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Observing his face, I noticed an unusual expression.


    ¡®Can I say that he¡¯s being honest with me?¡¯


    It felt like he was telling me to wait because he could solve it by himself. Of course, it didn¡¯t seem like there was a problem with Mikhail.


    ¡®That¡¯s true, though.¡¯


    Rather than specting that he had not reported in worry that his power would be taken away, other exnations seemed more convincing.


    Even among the administrators in the continent, he was the best.


    If there was a small problem, he should be able to solve it, and if a protest had actually broken out and a kind of scandal broke out, it would have been right to report it, but didn¡¯t it just happen?


    I seemed to have over-reacted and began to regret that I had brought him for no reason.


    It made me blush a little, considering that I looked like a boss, telling his subordinates to tell him everything from one to ten because he couldn¡¯t trust them. He wasn¡¯t one of my people, but he had been my pick¡­ I should have shown as much faith in him as I had trusted him.


    ¡®It was just a strike.¡¯


    Of course, I hadn¡¯tpletely erased the possibility.


    But it seemed that I could back off for the time being.


    And besides, I knew that Lee Jihye would bring the result no matter what happened.


    If I just kept going on and on there, it would just look weird.


    That would especially be the case if Mikhail weren¡¯t the cause of the problem.


    ¡°Jihye-Nuna would hate this.¡±


    If there was really a problem with workers, it was better to take care of Mikhail.


    I stared at his face.


    He had the same face when we first met: a cool-looking, grown beard, unwavering, straight eyes, and a somewhat tough demeanor. He looked like an intellectual, and that made people believe in him more.


    ¡®Yeah, let¡¯s stop here.¡¯


    It was better to save the discussion about the information missing in his report for ater time.


    ¡°I might have worried over nothing.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It seems out of order, but I think you should have a meal before you go. I¡¯m sorry to keep you busy, but¡­ I really want to treat you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I would like that.¡±


    ¡°How do you like the work? It has been a year, so I think you must have gotten a little used to it¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m actually still adjusting. I¡¯m a little embarrassed to say this, but it certainly isn¡¯t easy. I think I¡¯ve encountered a lot of situations that I didn¡¯t know what to do with because it didn¡¯t follow the usual formation of a city.¡±


    ¡°But haven¡¯t you been a great leader so far?¡±


    ¡°I stillck in many ways. It¡¯s not like there are no problems.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not going to go into detail because you said that you could handle it alone, but it¡¯s not easy to deal with people. Even while working for the same goal, everyone can have different ideas. I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re thinking about when leading your site¡­ but I think that¡¯s an important aspect of it.¡±


    ¡°Sorry? But what¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m saying that it¡¯s important to make sure you and I think the same way.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ I see.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the nature of human beings. Humans want to be included in the majority. I think it¡¯s the same even for humans who think they¡¯re the minority and that they¡¯re different from the others. Humans only feel secure when they are included in the majority, especially when ites to problems they face or situations they can¡¯t control. For example, in such an extreme situation like this, I think there won¡¯t be a person who would want to be in the minority.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s a human tendency. If the internal problem at your site doesn¡¯t get solved properly, It wouldn¡¯t be bad to keep this in mind.¡±


    ¡°I shall do my best to remember that.¡±


    ¡°Well, I know you¡¯ll be able to handle it yourself. I feel embarrassed since I feel like I¡¯m repeating myself, but I¡¯m not saying this because I don¡¯t trust you. I¡¯m just the type of person who gets a little stressed¡­ If I don¡¯t solve the problem myself¡­ I keep telling myself to fix this part of myself over and over again, but it doesn¡¯t seem to get fixed properly.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s have a meal first. I want to talk about things other than work.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    After sitting down at the table, we started to eat right away.


    If I were alone, I would have finished the meal in an instant, but because I wanted to show that I was treating him, I put a little bit more effort than that.


    It was also a way to apologize for a useless misunderstanding, but he probably didn¡¯t notice that- since he probably didn¡¯t know what I was thinking.


    ¡°How¡¯s your wife doing?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s¡­ doing just fine.¡±


    ¡°I wondered if she was feeling ufortable with her life there, but it sounds like she¡¯s doing better than I thought.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Why isn¡¯t he responding?¡¯


    His face looked slightly ufortable, and I began to ascertain that something bad had recently happened to his family members. It wasn¡¯t good to keep mentioning topics that he disliked. Hence, I tried to lead the conversation elsewhere, but I soon ran out of content.


    Maybe because he had many thoughts in his head, he was serious and unfunny. Whenever I made a joke, the most he would do was smirk¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s hard to get friendly with him¡­¡¯


    However, he was also the type of person I wanted.


    ¡°When are the people from the joint training camping?¡±


    ¡°In about a month, the troops will begin to deploy.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°I know I look crazy. A normal person wouldn¡¯t suddenly go north of the continent and build a forward base with huge funds. It¡¯s natural to think that there must be something else.¡±


    ¡°That is not true, sir.¡±


    ¡°Haha, it¡¯s alright. Although it is Benignore¡¯s prophecy, it must not have touched the people living on this continent yet. I think you probably feel the same way.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to deny it. Even if you understand it in words, you¡¯ll still have doubts in the back of your mind. If I were you, I would have felt the same way. The same will be true of the workers who are at the sites now. It¡¯s still a threat so far away¡­ I¡¯m sure most of them think of it like that. It¡¯s not easy to prepare against an enemy who you can¡¯t even see.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°The threat exists. I¡¯ll put my life on the line to tell you¡­ This is the truth.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Everything you¡¯re doing right now will not be in vain. So please cheer up a little more. When it¡¯s really over, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be treated well.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    We talked about everything, but there was still a bit of awkwardness left.


    I kept trying to find something to do or talk about since he hade all the way to where I was, but it was still definitely awkward. I wondered if I had called him over too recklessly.


    We were in a situation where it was difficult to say, ¡®since you¡¯re done eating, you should leave.¡¯ The meal and the conversation were over, but time was passing by so slowly¡­


    I thought Mikhail was thinking the same thing. The atmosphere was hard to understand. It seemed like he didn¡¯t like it either since he tried to do something to change it.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, can we spend some time ying chess?¡±


    ¡®People who yed games with me never had good endings¡­¡¯


    However, his suggestion seemed pretty good.

 Chapter 571: Mikhail (3)

    <h4>Chapter 571: Mikhail (3)</h4>


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m not saying that this isn¡¯t right. Making a good deal could mean that I¡¯m in a higher position than others. But I think we are ignoring the foundation too much. The pawn is the foundation and center. It looks insignificant and almost as if you can just throw it away, but it also serves as a focal point, as you can see. Maybe if you pay about 20 percent more attention, you¡¯ll be able to y much easier than you are ying right now.¡±


    ¡°That is some helpful advice. For sure¡­ Yes, I understand what the problem is. It was the Queen who ended the game, but by the middle¡­ Yes, that¡¯s too bad. Then¡­ how about it? Do you want to y one more time? Ah, is it getting toote?¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯ll stay up all night if I y a few more times¡­ I also want to spend more time with the chairman, but as you know, I can¡¯t be away for long because of internal problems¡­¡±


    ¡®Ah, this bastard is running away after beating me.¡¯


    I wanted to scream harshly, ¡®You can¡¯t get out of here until I win!¡¯ However, considering that we both had work to do tomorrow, it was right to close the game there.


    Even one round took a very long time, so if we yed a few more times as he said, we¡¯d be up all night. I was behind in my work, and Mikhail also had a lot of problems to solve¡­


    ¡®Yeah, let¡¯s fold.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯ll invite you again when the internal problems in your area have been resolved, Mr. Mikhail.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I look forward to seeing you again.¡±


    ¡°Please say hello to your workers¡­ Please invite your wife as well next time, haha.¡±


    ¡°Yes, thank¡­ you. I will do that.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t see you off separately, but get home safely. And I also prepared a gift for you.¡±


    ¡°You really didn¡¯t have to¡­¡±


    ¡°Please ept it. Ites from my heart. Of course, I know you¡¯re not used to things like this, but please think of my effort¡­¡±


    ¡°Thank you¡­ I¡¯ll take it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s been a while since I had a good time. I look forward to hearing goods news from you.¡±


    ¡°I hope to deliver some soon. Then, goodbye¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, and we prepared your transportation so that you can go backfortably.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Thank you.¡±


    Perhaps, the gift was too much of a pressure for him. As he left, he looked slightly anxious. Except for a few things, it was a more enjoyable time than I expected.


    Above all¡­


    ¡°Chess was fun.¡¯


    He was as exactly as I had thought. He also seemed willing to solve the problem, so how could I be in a bad mood? While I was fiddling with the chessboard, Cho Hyejin called me.


    ¡®It¡¯s been a while.¡¯


    I answered the call right away. She appeared in front of me. I hadn¡¯t seen her face in a long time.


    Her hair was tied up as usual, and she gave off a sharp and neat appearance.


    Of course, she looked a bit more fatigued than usual, but I was curious about why she suddenly called.


    I wondered if she had a message from Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡°Let¡¯s keep in touch more often. Not only when you have to send me reports.¡±


    -It¡¯s because I¡¯m so busy, Vice Guild Master.


    ¡°So¡­ What¡¯s going on? Did Hyunsung¡­?¡±


    -No, Guild Master just wanted to greet you. Also, there¡¯s something I¡¯d like to report to you regarding leading the joint troops. Actually, it¡¯s a simple report that doesn¡¯t need to be on the phone¡­ Um¡­ Were you just ying chess?¡±


    ¡°Yes, since it¡¯s been a while since I had a visitor.¡±


    -You lost horribly.


    ¡°How did you know I lost?¡±


    -Well, considering your skills, it¡¯s no wonder you lost. I can roughly see how you lost. You tried to shake up your opponent, but they didn¡¯t take the bait.¡±


    ¡°Miss Hyejin, you don¡¯t deserve to say that.¡±


    -What?


    ¡°It¡¯s because you are basing your knowledge on thest chess game we yed together. I didn¡¯t know anything, so I lostpletely.¡±


    -248 wins and 246 losses. If I¡¯m to be honest¡­


    ¡°Man, why do you remember stuff like that? You should just remember the most recent rounds. I wonder who was the one that lost three rounds in a row and became disheartened?¡±


    -Then I wonder who the one that ran away after winning a few rounds at the end was? I guess you don¡¯t remember that part.


    ¡°It was because I didn¡¯t want to continue ying with someone who was too low-level. I didn¡¯t run away. I was giving you the chance to improve your skills a little bit more ande back. Isn¡¯t it natural to not want to y with a beginner? Pffff¡­ Pffhhhhhhhh.¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°Pfffhhhhhhh.¡±


    -This¡­ This b¡­


    ¡°Hahahahaha. Our cute Hyejin, have you been improving your skillstely?¡±


    -S-Stopughing like that. It makes me want to punch you.


    ¡°If you are going to punch me, you should do it with chess, not violence. That¡¯s why your skills don¡¯t improve. How can a person who uses her fists first rather than her words have a chance to beat me?¡±


    -Let¡¯s y again. Okay, it¡¯s on. What kind of person goes on like this for something that happened one year ago¡­?


    ¡°Hahhahhahhah¡­ PFfffff.¡±


    -I¡¯ll y with you during this lead. Wait and see.


    ¡°Hmph, I don¡¯t y with beginners.¡±


    -This b¡­bastard¡­you sh*tty bastard, you are so dead¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, what did you say?¡±


    -Wait and see this sh*t¡­ You¡¯ll see. I¡¯ll step on you so hard, you won¡¯t be able to say a word.


    ¡°Okay, beginner. Thank you, next.¡±


    -*m*


    I wanted to forget my pain of losing to Mikhail through Cho Hyejin, and yet she hung up the phone for her own mental health.


    ¡®Wait, didn¡¯t she have something to report?¡¯


    However, I wasn¡¯t too worried because I was sure that that information woulde through Lee Jihye. Sure enough, I heard someone knocking on the door.

 Chapter 572: Mikhail (4)

    <h4>Chapter 572: Mikhail (4)</h4>


    [Mikhail]


    ¡®How much does he know? Why did he call me here?¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t stop thinking of bad situations.


    ¡®He¡¯s like the devil. No, even saying that he is the devil incarnate is being too soft.¡¯


    He had eyes that seemed to see through everything, smiles that seemed to know everything and words that seemed to have hidden meanings.


    Reflecting on what had just happened, my body naturally began to shiver. Thanks to the resistance group, I knew what kind of personality he had and his effects on the continent.


    No, in fact, I might have known the truth even before I met the resistance group. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t have contacted me. As much as the resistance group risked their lives, I also risked my life.


    I thought the work would be difficult, and I also knew that if I acted against him, only criticism and insults would follow me. However¡­


    ¡°Sigh¡­¡±


    Everything was worse than I imagined. He had said, ¡®Please say hello to your workers¡­ Please invite your wife as well next time, haha.¡¯


    It was a threat. I didn¡¯t know what the chairman knew, but it was definitely a threat.


    ¡®I know what you¡¯re doing and what you can do. If I had doubted your ability, I wouldn¡¯t have put you in such an important position. I left it up to you because I thought you would do the work I entrusted to you properly by yourself.¡¯


    However, I doubted that the resistance group knew exactly what to do, as well as what they could do. ording to them, ever since the Blue Guild got scattered, they were never caught even once, yet I doubted that since the Blue Guild¡¯s influence had already spanned across the entire continent.


    ¡®No, the existence of the resistance group couldn¡¯t have possibly been found out just yet.¡¯


    As closely as Lee Kiyoung and his people were keeping an eye on the current situation, no traces of our organization could possibly be found. However, if not, I didn¡¯t understand why they said those things.


    If Lee Kiyoung, the chairman of themittee, was unaware of the resistance group¡¯s existence and purpose, his words might have been entirely directed towards himself.


    It was a warning to the workers that the site wasn¡¯t being properly managed, and it was a threat for them to deal with the current situation as quickly as possible.


    I thought he was saying that he would give us another chance. Maybe it was thest chance. No, in the first ce¡­


    ¡®Will he even give us a chance?¡¯


    Considering that those who opposed him all somehow disappeared, maybe he was waiting for something like that to happen to us.


    Sending me back was to mock us, and it might have been for his little enjoyment. Maybe, he wanted to see the person whom he would kill with his own hands soon. I wasn¡¯t certain, but I couldn¡¯tpletely erase that possibility. After all, I could tell what type of person Lee Kiyoung was from his past actions.


    Ex-Blue Guild executives, the emperor and queen of the empire, the swordsman and the Republic¡¯s army that were called devil worshippers, the demon summoners in Raios, the undead incident in the Republic, the 27th Demon Corps incident, and many other unidentified deaths.


    He never yielded or showed mercy to his enemies.


    ¡®I¡¯m not afraid of losing my life.¡¯


    I wasn¡¯t afraid to die. I didn¡¯t have any fears about death, but¡­


    ¡®But what about my wife?¡¯


    How could I put my lovely wife, who put so much trust and faith in me, in danger?


    I had never regretted my decision, but at that moment, I began to doubt whether what I was doing was really the right decision. It had been hours since my mind began to be flooded with all sorts of thoughts while sitting in a small office.


    I desperately tried to think of a solution, but I didn¡¯t know how to act or if I had to give up my principle to protect my wife.


    ¡®If I abandon the resistance group¡­¡¯


    If I was lucky, I could go back to his side. However, was that the right choice then? How would it be right to betray those who were risking their lives for the empire?


    ¡°Oh god¡­ Oh god¡­¡¯


    I muttered to myself without realizing it.


    Creak¡­


    The door began to open slowly.


    For a moment, I thought it might be an assassin, so I quickly picked up a dagger from the drawer. However, instead, I saw an unexpected person.


    ¡°Honey.¡±


    It was Natalie, my lovely wife, who showed up. She spoke to me with a worried look.


    ¡°I think you¡¯ve been here for too long today¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I know I might be bothering your work, but I¡¯m worried about you. Are you alright? I heard you came to see Chairman Lee Kiyoung today. By any chance¡­¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing. You don¡¯t have to be concerned. We just had to deal with a problem that urred today¡­ That¡¯s why¡­ I¡¯m sorry, I probably made you worry a lot. Go back home first. I¡¯lle home soon¡­¡±


    ¡°But¡­ these days¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you, honey, that it¡¯s not a big deal. You really don¡¯t have to be worried.¡±


    ¡°But you look so tired. I was thinking you¡¯ve been overdoing ittely¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you really not going to tell me?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Really¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Sigh, I think you do really need a break.¡±


    ¡°No, this is¡­¡±


    ¡°To unwind¡­ How about a ss of wine? Just like before¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really feel like doing that right now¡­¡±


    ¡°Just in time, Chairman Lee Kiyoung sent us a special wine with other presents.¡±


    ¡°Wait, don¡¯t¡­ don¡¯t touch that, Natalie. Don¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°I thought you might be bottling up your worries by yourself, so¡­¡±


    ¡°Damn it!¡±


    Thud.


    Crash!


    ¡°I told you not to touch it. Damn it! You didn¡¯t drink from it, did you? Tell me you didn¡¯t. Please¡­ god. God, god, I shouldn¡¯t have left it there¡­ Please, god, I beg of you. Damn, damn it, please, god.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Hurry up and say something¡­ You didn¡¯t really drink it, did you?¡±


    ¡°As expected¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You¡­ must¡¯ve thought I was oblivious to everything.¡±


    ¡°What? Just now¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not stupid. I know what you¡¯re doing. I know what¡¯s bothering you and why you¡¯re hesitating. I can¡¯t always be with you, but I¡¯m the closest person to you¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I love you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I love you because you are always upright and act ording to what you think is right. I know what¡¯s bothering you and what¡¯s blocking your way. If what¡¯s on my mind is right, please don¡¯t feel burdened. Move along with what you believe is right.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be a burden to you. I chose to be next to you so that we can walk the same path together. You don¡¯t have to send me away or hide me. You don¡¯t have to ask the people who share the same meaning with you to protect me. I want to support you and stand by your side. After all, I know that if I¡¯m in the same situation as you are in, you will do the same for me too. Didn¡¯t we promise each other that we¡¯ll always walk the same path together no matter what happens?


    ¡°Natalie¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to head back in. I meant what I said, honey. Don¡¯t worry about me and move on with what you think is right. That¡¯s what the Mikhail I know would do.¡±


    Thud.


    I looked down, and there were pieces of broken ss and spilled wine.


    I looked down at it with a nk expression, but still, I couldn¡¯t think of any solution.


    After all, there was no solution to my dilemma.


    I still couldn¡¯t figure out what was right, but I had no choice but to make a decision. I didn¡¯t know if I would regret it or not. I wouldn¡¯t be able to know until the very end.


    ¡°Conviction.¡±


    Yes, that was conviction. I had to do what I believed was right.


    * * *


    ¡°Will conviction feed you? Or will it make money? I hate people who cling to such things. I¡¯m so annoyed.¡±


    Lee Jihye poured out a series ofints towards me.


    In fact, I didn¡¯t expect much, but it wasn¡¯t good to hear that the situation might happen again.


    I looked at her face, and it seemed as if she also didn¡¯t expect much.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t Kim Hyunsung the same type, though?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll exclude Hyunsung. And he knows how topromise. He¡¯s basically a master of it. So¡­ what you¡¯re saying is that those old farts are being stubborn after all? Anyway, you have to acknowledge the obstinance of those old dwarves. What nonsense are they talking about magic not being helpful? You can save so much time with magic.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re arguing that problems with quality can arise, so it¡¯s kind of difficult for me to push only my opinion. In the first ce, it¡¯s made up of mana stones, so¡­ Regardless, those old dwarves might have a point¡­ They say we can make it in time¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°What can we do when they argue that they have never magically built a building in their entire history? They¡¯re telling us that if we force them to use magic, we should just work with elves instead. I think it¡¯s right for us to make a slight concession¡­ Don¡¯t we just need to meet our time goals?¡±


    ¡°But even so¡­¡±


    ¡°And they actually do work fast¡­ Above all, I think it would be more effective to work with their craftsmanship. Also, I¡¯m tired of dealing with those old farts. You should try to persuade them.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. My style doesn¡¯t really fit with the Dwarves, you know.¡±


    ¡°But they seem to like you¡­ Well, then I guess we can¡¯t help it.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s think about thatter. I¡¯ll try to send Deokgu there soon.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I feel like he¡¯s going to fit well there. That aside, you have to hear the next report. This is the main one.¡±


    ¡®Finally, the main course.¡¯


    ¡°How did it go for you?¡±


    I wanted to say that it went okay, but it had gone better than I expected.


    Mikhail confidently told me he would solve the internal problems in his area. After he received some gifts from me, we concluded our conversation on good terms.


    I thought it was only proper to say that we became much closer. We even said to see each other again next time.


    ¡®I mean, we even yed chess together.¡¯


    ¡°Well, I think it went pretty well¡­ My opinion doesn¡¯t matter much anyway. How was it for you?¡±


    ¡°Well, how do you think it went?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Nothing was really discovered.¡±


    ¡°Well, I expected that¡­¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m going to search again.¡±


    ¡°¡­?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a little weird because not even a small trace was found. I¡¯m sure they¡¯re hiding something¡­ It¡¯s a little frustrating because it doesn¡¯t show up on the surface. I can¡¯t say what exactly, but something is definitely going on. Actually, it wasn¡¯t a full-on strike yet, but there was a slowdown strike going on¡­¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°The treatment of workers there was different from other regions.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I can only say one thing for certain. There¡¯s a problem with Mikhail, that guy. I don¡¯t know about anything else, but I¡¯m sure about that.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®I loved you, Mikhail, Fuck¡­¡¯


    The chessboard, which we had shared a short friendship over, was quickly trampled on in my eyes, as well as the warm and deep conversations we had.


    ¡®That son of a pig.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m sure if we search more thoroughly, we¡¯d definitely be able to find some dirt on him. No, I¡¯m sure that something would definitely erupt from his area first.¡±

 Chapter 573: Protest (1)

    <h4>Chapter 573: Protest (1)</h4>


    ¡°From the inside?¡±


    ¡°It means the situation is likely to continue getting worse. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯ll be such a big problem, but they¡¯re not getting the welfare the workers deserve. The sabotage will grow stronger, and it might lead to a dramatic protest.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that we had to look for a little more? Are we really on a stage that you can be sure of?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m certain. Anyway, it¡¯s undeniable that the management is a mess¡­ It has also been confirmed that Mikhail has a problem due to the circumstances. What weck is evidence.¡±


    ¡°Evidence¡­¡±


    ¡°There is circumstantial evidence, but there is no solid evidence. If the pie for technicians and workers suddenly disappears, a trail would be left behind following where the pie had gone. But there¡¯s no such thing at all. It¡¯s obvious who swallowed the pie¡­ but does it make sense we can¡¯t find him? It was cleared up so naturally that I almost missed it.¡±


    ¡°If you feel that way, then that means he¡¯s certainly skillful.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know anything else, but the ability to hide slush funds is amazing. I¡¯m tracking down the money as much as possible, but¡­ I can¡¯t figure out how well theundering was done. I thought he could open a dry cleaner business with his skills.¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t seem to be someone greedy, so it¡¯s a little surprising.¡±


    It was even more embarrassing because his unique characteristic and disposition were perfectly normal. I didn¡¯t just blindly believe in the disposition shown in the status window, but some parts definitely matched.


    I had overlooked the fact that even good people couldmit crimes. Depending on the situation, humans could make mistakes at any time.


    He probably was in an unavoidable predicament. Perhaps he had gotten an offer that couldn¡¯t be rejected, or maybe he had an urgent need for money.


    ¡®Should I say that he¡¯s skillful or stupid?¡¯


    If he had taken it out little by little, he wouldn¡¯t even get caught. Hepletely covered up evidence after stealing funds that could have a direct blow to the big scene.


    Although the time he had was short, it wouldn¡¯t be a mistake to assume that there were almost no loopholes if even Jihye said that.


    ¡®I¡¯ve always known that he¡¯s pretty skillful.¡¯


    On the one hand, I was proud that I had recognized that he was such a capable person. Of course, the problem was that he was using that ability in something futile.


    ¡°I guess I didn¡¯t pay much attention. I thought I had taken care of all the rats.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not a god or anything, so how could you manage the entire continent? I don¡¯t think the problem is with you. Rather, the problem lies in the system we¡¯ve created. It¡¯s a side effect of forming a Continental Protection Management Committee in a hurry and throwing funds into the project. Mikhail dug well through that loophole. In fact, I didn¡¯t expect this to happen either. I think it¡¯s not just a problem for you alone.¡±


    ¡°Still¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to me yourself. It was out of our reach, and who would have known about this? Anyway, personally, I¡¯m so curious that I can¡¯t stand it. I¡¯m curious about why, and I¡¯m even more curious about where the money has leaked. Even if I look at his history, I can¡¯t find any trails, which makes it even more surprising. Of course, I haven¡¯t dug into it properly yet¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you think the results we need would eventuallye out?¡±


    ¡°If it doesn¡¯te out on its own, I have to force it. The best thing is to figure out the movement, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s bad to have a backup n either. We don¡¯t have to measure things with a headache if we did that. If we run and cause his head to explode, everything will be solved. Of course, if that¡¯s the case, there¡¯s a high possibility that he¡¯s also preparing for the prosecution summons or the continental state audit. It¡¯s best to do it formally if you don¡¯t want any rumors toe out¡­ What would you like to do? Would it be better to take the time to respond? Or should I just blow it up?¡±


    ¡°Look a little further into this first. If youy a trap, like catching a mouse, the evidence is bound toe out. I don¡¯t know where or how heundered the money, but he expanded the range to the area where that bastard was active before¡­ Did you investigate his family?¡±


    ¡°Only superficially. Let¡¯s see¡­ He has no children. His wife¡¯s name is Natalie, a friend he grew up with in his hometown. I¡¯m not very curious about their love rtionship, but, interestingly, his wife is infertile. Still, the fact that he hasn¡¯t yet had a second wife is also piquing my curiosity. It wouldn¡¯t have been easy in this social environment¡­ He¡¯s definitely different from someone I know.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°The woman is amoner. She¡¯s the type that only waits for her husband in the house, doing housewife things. A typical old type, you know? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to find anything, but¡­ I¡¯ll still look into it.¡±


    ¡°Do that. Usually, if there¡¯s no problem with those at the top, the people around them are more likely to do the dirty stuff. Maybe that¡¯s the case.¡±


    ¡°What if that¡¯s the case?¡±


    ¡°You already know the answer to that. Do I really need to say it? How long will it take to finish investigating it?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s difficult to determine an exact time. However, I¡¯ll dig into this as quickly as possible.¡±


    ¡°No, should I do it myself? How about I go around like I¡¯m patrolling?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to. It¡¯s more appropriate for you to step in when it matters rather than to go back and forth for no reason, right? The conflict is likely to intensify anyway.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you think he smelled something too¡­ I wonder if he¡¯ll be more careful¡­ Most of all, I don¡¯t like things getting bigger will be¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm, you mean you want to handle this quietly?¡±


    ¡°I want to avoid actions that can interfere with the site as much as possible. It doesn¡¯t really matter if it explodes, though.¡±


    ¡°You mean you want the best possible oue rather than resorting to a backup n, right? I¡¯ll try to gather evidence and prosecution¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s better.¡±


    In fact, it wasn¡¯t such a bad choice to force it to blow up.


    It meant that I could exert a little more influence on the continent, and there was a possibility that warning messages would be sent to others as well. However, at that point, having a massive strike or a protest was a bit¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s not the most pleasant situation.¡¯


    Although it meant taking one step back to move two steps forward, I didn¡¯t like that one step at the moment. Since the warning had been issued at the right time, I knew Mikhail would try his best to fix the problem.


    I could solve it by gathering evidence and getting ready to prosecute him while he was fixing the problem at the scene. He wouldn¡¯t be able to do many things at once, causing him to have a hard time responding.


    On the contrary, Lee Jihye would be more mobile, so wouldn¡¯t it be easier to gather evidence to prosecute?


    ¡®It did seem like it hurt her pride too¡­¡¯


    She said that I didn¡¯t need to worry about it, that it¡¯s a problem with the system, but Jihye¡¯s personality wouldn¡¯t allow letting such issues slip with a smile. She seemed hurt about the fact that her investigations had led to nothing.


    ¡°Don¡¯t give me anything else to do for the time being. I just want to focus on this.¡±


    ¡°Okay, do whatever you want.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that now all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll start now. I want to handle this alone. You don¡¯t have to help me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I also can¡¯t just pay attention to this. When I see things like this, I feel like I need to hire more people.¡±


    ¡°How about bringing manager Kim Mi-young?¡±


    ¡°She is also busy managing the Blue administration.¡±


    ¡°Such a waste. It would¡¯ve been much easier, you know.¡±


    That couldn¡¯t be denied, but I was already leaving some of the work to her little by little.


    Lee Sang-hee, Sun Hee-young, and Hwang Jeong-yeon were struggling, but I couldn¡¯t imagine the administration team of the Blue Guild without manager Kim Mi-young.


    If I dragged her to the North out of greed, it would cause noises either internally or externally.


    I was greedy, but I thought that couldn¡¯t be helped.


    At this, Lee Jihye immediately left the office. She pretended she was fine, but she certainly seemed to have been partly wounded. She didn¡¯t even kiss me before going out¡­


    There would probably be no other problems. If Jihye became persistent, just like how she was at that moment, wouldn¡¯t it be natural for a source toe out?


    However¡­


    ¡°I¡¯ll wait for a little longer.¡±


    After a day¡­


    ¡°Fuck. Son of a bitch, so annoying. This bastard¡­¡±


    Three more days passed¡­


    ¡°Wow, where did he hide it? Is he nuts? It has to be somewhere. It¡¯s definitely leaking out somewhere.¡±


    The problem was that there were no results even after a few days.


    ording to Lee Jihye¡¯s words, she said that when she thought she had found it, he escaped by cutting off the traces. It was only reasonable to feel annoyed at this point.


    She certainly kept finding treasure maps, but every time she dug at the X mark with excitement, nothing ever came out, so how couldn¡¯t she have a mental breakdown?


    As time passed, she got more annoyed, and the frequency of swearing began to increase.


    Meanwhile, Mikhail continued to stabilize the ce.


    Lee Jihye¡¯s movement would inevitably be limited if the site entered the sphere of stability.


    As such, the mes in her eyes grew stronger as she started scouring theundry, and it was only after exactly two weeks that I finally saw herughing with satisfaction.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go ahead and formally prosecute and summon him.¡±


    ¡°You found it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a bitte, but I found it. I took on a different perspective and looked again. There was something I missed. It was Natalie.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I thought she was stupid because she seemed quiet¡­ Mikhail is skillful, but that girl is also quite good.¡±


    ¡°How exactly did the money get out?¡±


    ¡°If you check the details in the document, it¡¯s all there. They made it soplicated that even exining it one by one is tiring. It seems that Natalie had a connection with some of the oldies from the Union. I don¡¯t know if she had acted under Mikhail¡¯s direction or if it was an independent act, but no, perhaps this was all Mikhail¡¯s joke. Anyway, it¡¯s solid enough to call it evidence. When I converted all the funds so far, there was quite a big amount. It seems he¡¯s braver than I thought. Actually, something is bothering me, so I wanted to spend more time on it, but¡­ For now, it seems to be quicker to summon and arrest him. By that time, I think I will be able to search for all of the funds, not part of them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s sweet. What¡¯s bothering you?¡±


    ¡°Should I say that the flow I followed was smootherpared to the initial hard work? Maybe it has a different purpose¡­ I¡¯m worried about that. It¡¯s not something to be concerned about, but I think I¡¯ll be able to urately figure it out if this gets a little bigger.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°Anyway, the hard work is over for now. I¡¯ll rest today too. Right now, move the press and publish the article and officially¡­¡±


    Knock, knock.


    It was then that I heard the sound.


    Naturally, I exchanged a little puzzled face with Lee Jihye. That was because I told them not to enter when we were together unless it was really urgent.


    If they knocked on the door like that even though they knew Lee Jihye was with me, it meant that something has happened at the moment.


    ¡°Come in.¡±


    ¡°I apologize foring during the meeting.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ there¡¯s been a strike protest in District 5.¡±


    ¡®What? I thought it¡¯s stabilizing?¡¯


    ¡°Currently, those in charge of the 5th site are dispersing the protesters with forced suppression¡­¡±


    ¡®What, why is that happening so suddenly?¡¯


    ¡°Workers and technicians are fighting back without backing down.¡±


    ¡®Fuck, this is¡­¡¯


    I couldn¡¯te to my senses momentarily due to such a sudden situation. Before long, after watching the video brought by the messenger, my face became wrinkled without my knowledge.


    -We will get the appropriate rights for the workers at this ce right now! We¡¯ll prove that we are not ves! Awaken Mikhail! Awake!


    That was because I saw the democratic fighter, no, Park Deokgu, which had at that moment be the center of thebor movement.


    ¡®That bastard thinks he¡¯s an activist or something¡­¡¯

 Chapter 574: Protest (2)

    <h4>Chapter 574: Protest (2)</h4>


    ¡°What? That bastard¡­¡¯


    I thought he certainly would be doing something useless somewhere. It soon proved to quietlye up, with his nosy nature, at my ce was irrational of me to think.


    ¡®Fuck¡­¡¯


    However, it was true that I thought he might be doing a quest like an errand given by a vige chief at best.


    Who knew that he would be the center of such a dire situation in the mainstream?


    It was spectacr to see that he captivated the crowd with a red band around his head.


    I didn¡¯t know where he got a wizard.


    I didn¡¯t know if it was Democratic Fighter Park Deokgu or Pak Sergei of physical magic, but one thing was certain: a shaggy beard covered his face.


    His upper body was covered with bursting muscles that seemed to have been made out of hard work. Even if others could see him from 300m away, he would look like a native who had been working for a long time at the 5th site.


    How about Argirmo next to him?


    He was also confronted by an army of corrupt authority, yet he seemed unlikely to copse due to his stern face.


    ¡®Why is Kim Ye-ri there too? I mean, fuck. Why are all of them having a get-together over there? Did they meet up over there at a certain point in time?¡¯


    There was the master of the dance of fascination, Yetni Kova.


    I thought she would be at the joint training center with Cho Hyejin and Kim Hyunsung, but it turned out she was right there.


    ¡®You just have to let them not gather. They¡¯re too excited.¡¯


    However, they were already teaming up. It wasn¡¯t clear yet, but I began to understand why what had taken the form of sabotage suddenly turned into a protest like that.


    The 5th site that had swelled up as if it were going to burst met a central point where they could unite, so they stood up with it.


    How embarrassed that Mikhail bastard must¡¯ve been. He tried to figure it out somehow in order to survive, but since things had be absurd, I wondered if he was trembling with anxiety by then.


    Of course, he wasn¡¯t the only one with unpleasant feelings about the situation.


    ¡®Sigh, fuck¡­¡¯


    The scenario where we¡¯d be able to deal with the situation quietly had been ruined. I thought nodding at it was enough, but naturally, Lee Jihye¡¯s face, who had worked so hard for the ideal oue, was demoralized.


    Of course, not all of what she did would be useless, but if we were going to solve it in that way, she didn¡¯t have to gather and prosecution, trial, and his summoning¡­


    ¡®I guess it didn¡¯t matter.¡¯


    Her cheeks trembled as if she remembered the hard work she went through. The past few days for Lee Jihye, who ran around to solve the issue as quietly as possible, were brought to naught.


    I never felt that Lee Jihye was scary, but the present Lee Jihye made me feel fear a little.


    As if the messenger, who hade to deliver the news, felt that the atmosphere had be heavy, he quietly left the office.


    ¡°Fuck!! Fuck!!!¡±


    Crash!


    With that sound, Lee Jihye threw the ss cup against the floor.


    Whether she thought she showed me what she shouldn¡¯t, she nced at me for a moment, but I had already witnessed it all. She was the one who usually cared about her reputation. It was unexpected to see her like that.


    ¡°It slipped out of my hand.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah.¡±


    ¡®She has a hidden temper.¡¯


    I forgot about it, but it¡¯s not like the masked woman from the first round would go anywhere.


    She probably would¡¯ve smashed everything in the room if she was alone.


    ¡°Ahem¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you, it really slipped. Try not to think about it. You better forget what you just saw, Oppa.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go to the bathroom for a minute. Keep watching the video.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    In an attempt to hide that she was older than me, Lee Jihye kept calling me Oppa. She must¡¯ve been flustered for the small tantrum she disyed.


    There was no way to confirm whether she went to the bathroom to cool down her head or she went there to vent out her anger, but I fixed my gaze on the video. I had to focus.


    The Workers and field guards were in conflict.


    Those who shouted loud chants stared forward with determined faces that they would never back down.


    -We are not ves!


    -We are not ves!


    -We have to ask for fair rights! Awaken Mikhail! Awaken!


    -Awaken! Awaken!


    -Wages and welfare subsidies are leaking elsewhere. Why can¡¯t we be granted the basic welfare they get in other areas? Field managers need to be transparent about how the funds have been spent right now!


    -Make it public! Make it public!


    -Mikhail needs to be punished!


    -Punish him! Punish him!


    -You have to listen to the voices of the workers right now!


    -Awaken! Awaken!


    -We are not ves!


    -We are not ves!


    ¡®Fuck, I think this is more serious than I thought¡­¡¯


    The atmosphere had already heated up. The level of solidarity was unbelievable, considering that it was supposedly just the early days of the protests.


    Angered workers kept yelling, and, of course, the work was stopped. The field guards yelling at them to quickly return to their position were also extremely flustered.


    However, there was no way for the workers who had been sabotaged to retreat silently. Since it took a long time for them to stand there, the protesters wouldn¡¯t back down either.


    -Please disperse the illegal protest right now and return to your designated locations.


    -We won¡¯t go back!


    -I¡¯ll say it again. All the workers in the protest, please stop the illegal protests and return to your designated positions right now. We believe that further protests are against the Continental Protection and Management Committee, and we are allowed to take action to disperse it.


    ¡®What, fuck¡­ bastard, that has nothing to do with me¡­ don¡¯t use the Committee as an excuse, you bastard. ¡®


    -Quickly disperse it!


    -We can¡¯t back off! Our rights are something we have to win for ourselves!


    -Disperse it right now! Disperse it!


    -The field manager must show up immediately and make the details public transparently!


    -The protest you are doing is an unreported illegal protest. Following the Continental Protection Act, we will forcibly disperse illegal protests from now on. I warn you again. The gathering that is taking ce at present will be judged as an illegal protest and will be dispersed by force.


    -You are blocking the reports in the first ce, so how can this be an illegal protest? Don¡¯t be ridiculous and call the person in charge quickly!


    -Gather up! Gather up!!!


    -What are the wizards doing?! Start quickly!


    -Don¡¯t back down! Let¡¯s show our will!


    Who would have thought that I would see such a scene again?


    The water cannons fired by the wizards hitting the protesters head-on were scenes I had seen a lot somewhere. The protesters were caught by the water cannons instantly, and the guards blocked them withrge wagons.


    The protesters had begun to shake arge wagon even while being hit by the water cannon, and the guards with shields looked ahead as if thinking that it was a mess.


    -Shoot! Shoot!


    I came and went through numerous siege battles, but the siege that was taking ce in that field right at that moment was no joke.


    No, rather, it was more dramatic. If I were only in a position to see it, I would have watched it as if it weren¡¯t rted to me, but it was impossible to see the current situation that way.


    ¡®What should I do if they suppress it in that way?¡¯


    Considering the cause was out there in the first ce, that kind of suppression wasn¡¯t ideal.


    It went without saying that it would turn into hell as soon as a casualty urred.


    It was quite interesting to see them dispersing the protesters using the Continental Conservation Management Committee or the Continental Conservation Law as an excuse.


    It was starting to look that the stupid situation happened because of me.


    Of course, the protesters were targeting Mikhail, but it was undeniable that I could indirectly suffer damage. In addition to this, that stupid pig couldn¡¯t have caused the protest with that in mind.


    It was more likely that since he saw a problem, he thought of helping me by solving it himself.


    ¡®This is not the time to be staying still.¡¯


    If that kind of behavior were broadcast, the public opinion of Benignore Net would decline.


    It would be natural for the workers around them to be affected as well.


    ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Lee Jihye, who came back just in time, asked this.


    ¡°I have no choice. I need to fix this. Well, what can I do? I don¡¯t think such a situation is that bad, though¡­ you must be a bit annoyed, though.¡±


    ¡°No. Not really¡­ Well, everything I prepared had been wasted, but it isn¡¯tpletely ruined. It¡¯s something you can use right away, and it doesn¡¯t matter in the first ce. I¡¯m not the kind of person who gets mad at things like this.¡±


    ¡®You were pretty mad earlier.¡¯


    ¡°This is actually pretty good. I can take this opportunity and focus more on you¡­ I can show them that you went ahead and took care of it. It¡¯s a shame that they stopped the work, but I think it¡¯s a step back required to take two steps forward. As soon as we take care of the case, we¡¯ll put those bastards in jail, and after payingpensation to the workers, we can put in a more suitable manager. It¡¯ll be a warning to other fields¡­ and since you can show off your pretty face, the approval rating will rise. It will go well. Yes, I think it¡¯ll go well.¡±


    ¡®I think she¡¯s still angry¡­¡¯


    ¡°Get ready to head straight out. The sooner the feedback, the better.¡±


    ¡°Yes, well¡­ Let¡¯s do that. Give me a minute to dress up.¡±


    ¡°Okay. For now, I¡¯ll tell them to stop the current protest behavior. I don¡¯t know if they will understand me, but¡­ maybe the Mikhail division has smelled that the chairman will be on this soon, and he must be thinking if he should wait and see it through or not. There are less than a few hours left in the countdown, so I hope he doesn¡¯t run away.¡±


    ¡°If he does, where would he go?¡±


    ¡°I will also prepare the troops just in case that happens.¡±


    ¡°Good to know. Have you checked the public opinion?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no way that it¡¯s beneficial to us. A lot is still discussing Mikhail, but I guess we have to take some of the responsibility for this. Still, I think it¡¯ll be fine because there are a lot of people who defend us. Let¡¯s go there quickly. I asked for reinforcements in the 4th and 5th sites¡­ If you go with a griffon, you¡¯ll be able to arrive faster.¡±


    The distance was actually quite long, but it¡¯s a short distance away if I rode a griffon.


    The problem was that not all of the reinforcements would be able to ride a griffon, but there wasn¡¯t much of a safety problem as all of my main bodyguards could go.


    Lee Jihye, who was heated up, also got on the griffon, and not long after we left, we arrived at the messy 5th site.


    ¡°Go deal with the protesters. Please calm them down as much as possible and do your best in conversing with them.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do that. Are you going to organize the internal aspect?¡±


    ¡°I have to.¡±


    The field guards watched the griffons lowering from the sky for a moment, and as soon as they checked the g, they guided them to thending site.


    The workers who had been protesting for a long time also began cheering.


    They felt that the current situation would finally be cleared up.


    ¡°Whooaaaaa!!!¡±


    ¡°The Chairman is here!¡±


    ¡°The Chairman came to hear us!¡±


    It was a bit cringy, but¡­


    Of course, this was only a natural reaction.

 Chapter 575: Reactionary (1)

    <h4>Chapter 575: Reactionary (1)</h4>


    ¡°I apologize for m-making youe¡­ all the way here¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for apologies. We¡¯ll take care of the protesters, so stop the order of forced suppression. The rest of the personnel shall remain on standby, leaving only the minimum number of troops needed in the area.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°And I would like you to deploy the priests and heal the injured immediately. Remove the wagons that are piled up like a wall as well. Sigh¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°No. You don¡¯t have to be sorry. All you did was listen to the orders and handle the situation ording to the manual. I¡¯ll checkter to see if there¡¯s anything you really have to be sorry for¡­ More importantly, where is Mikhail?¡±


    ¡°When you arrived, I sent a message. He will probablye out soon.¡±


    ¡®That son of a bitch.¡¯


    Leaving the crowd¡¯s cheers behind, when I came down to the government building¡¯snding area, the captain of the guard greeted me right away. The way he trembled was indeed entertaining, but it was understandable as things had suddenly spiraled out of control.


    Illegal protests took ce, and he had to suppress them since he was the person in charge.


    The suppression order issued from above caused it to be even more hectic.


    Even if it were me, I would¡¯ve had half of a mental breakdown.


    He looked quite down to earth, being cautious, thinking that he might be punished or scolded.


    I¡¯d have to investigate if he really was rted to it, but personally, it didn¡¯t seem like there was a big connection with that guy.


    ¡°I heard that a lot happened here recently.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I know that the protests also happened because of that.¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know much about the details¡­ I just followed orders.¡±


    ¡°I really hope so. For now, follow my instructions.¡±


    ¡°I will do my best, Chairman!¡±


    In fact, the most important wasn¡¯t the guard, but Mikhail, the traitor.


    ¡®That son of a bitch won¡¯t even greet me?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know what to think about the fact that he didn¡¯te out even though he was informed.


    As I looked far away, I could see the protesters gathered together in one ce, following the orders of the troops. Public opinion seemed to have formed around waiting quietly since the high-ranking officials¡¯ conversation would probably begin.


    Of course, Pak Sergei, Argirmo, and Yetni Kova would¡¯ve seen me. It was probably the result of their doing.


    I wanted to meet Park Deokgu right away and hit him in the back of his head, but it wasn¡¯t easy to approach him and be friendly since he was the protesters¡¯ center.


    Perhaps he woulde to me first once things had been roughly settled.


    After waiting for about three minutes, someone entered my sights. It was a young-looking woman. That was my first time seeing her, but I could quickly identify her.


    ¡®Natalie¡­¡¯


    ¡°Nice to meet you, Chairman. And¡­ I¡¯m really sorry to make youe all the way here. I¡¯m Mikhail¡¯s wife.¡±


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s no need to introduce yourself. More importantly¡­ Where¡¯s Mikhail?¡±


    ¡°Mikhail is preparing to meet you right now. He didn¡¯t know you¡¯d being so urgently¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to hearing what excuses he has.¡±


    ¡°I have nothing to say to that.¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t have to prepare anything, but let¡¯s listen to what he has to say anyway. I¡¯m also curious¡­ I will rather be disappointed if he doesn¡¯t make any excuses even with this mess. Take the lead.¡±


    ¡°I will take you there myself.¡±


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to. Stop there. If youe closer, I will cut you.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t the one who answered her when she said that she would take me there herself. It was my trustworthy bodyguard sticking next to me, Park Li-ahn, the twin des user.


    ¡®She works hard¡­ She really does.¡¯


    Mikhail and Natalie had nobat capabilities. Considering that the other people in that building didn¡¯t possess higherbat capabilities than Park Li-ahn either, I thought there was no need to do that.


    However, since the purpose was important, it seemed that the minimum security measures were at least necessary. I wanted to say that she didn¡¯t need to do that, but I thought it wasn¡¯t bad to hold such a position just in case.


    Wasn¡¯t it toomon a clich¨¦ to end up at the risk of death after shouting that it was safe?


    Of course, I didn¡¯t intend to fall victim to that kind of clich¨¦.


    ¡®Safer is better¡­¡¯


    Park Li-ahn probably had the same thought.


    It was only after she gave the signal not to get close to me more than a few meters that she looked relieved. Although a rather strange situation was created thanks to her actions, there was no great difficultymunicating with each other.


    One of the guards was Hyung-guk, quietly following Natalie¡­ Maybe¡­


    ¡®It must be a threat.¡¯


    They must be showing that they would take immediate action if she did anything unnecessary.


    Contrary to me, who nodded satisfactorily, Natalie¡¯s face was stiff.


    ¡°You can take the lead.¡±


    ¡°Yes, then, I will take you there in peace.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve always thought I needed to meet you at least once, but I think I only had the chance to do so now. It would have been nice if we met in a better situation.¡±


    ¡°We can exin everything you know and what you are expecting.¡±


    ¡°You mean Mikhail or you? Gosh¡­ It was fun. What happened here in a few days is so embarrassing that I can¡¯t stand it. Even though I have clearly told him, things spiraled down up to this point¡­ I wonder if he made it happen¡­ Of course, there were variables that couldn¡¯t be controlled, but if things had been properly fixed, we wouldn¡¯t have been ced in this situation.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t forgive you for diverting the funding, but what¡¯s more unforgivable than that is your ipetence.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you think that if the forward bases spread across the northern area are brushed off, there will be no dust? Where in the world is there a person with no dust? The center knows everything about that too. How can all humans be clean? No matter how much I manage things, I can¡¯t stop all those who gained power from corruption. However, you guys went too far, and the fixing process was terrible. You were busier covering what you did. How nice would it have been if you had used that power elsewhere? Due to your actions, I was forced to think of useless situations like what if everything you did is on purpose to make mee here.¡±


    ¡°You seem to be misunderstanding something, Chairman Lee Kiyoung. First, listen to what he has to say¡­¡±


    ¡°When did I say I wouldn¡¯t listen? I came all the way here to listen to him¡­ Ms. Park Li-ahn.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Vice Guild Mas¡­ I mean, Chairman.¡±


    ¡°Please tell them to mobilize troops from areas 4 and 6 to subdue all personnel in the building. I don¡¯t like things getting too noisy, so you can work on it after I¡¯m gone.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°Oh, and¡­ pick two people, and bring Mikhail to the conference room. I don¡¯t think he¡¯sing out, so I think I¡¯ll have to bring him myself¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to express your gratitude, Chairman.¡±


    ¡®I wonder what he¡¯s going to say¡­ I¡¯m really curious.¡¯


    Looking at her pale, stiff face, I thought I¡¯d burst out withughter.


    ¡®That¡¯s why people shouldn¡¯tmit crimes¡­¡¯


    Anyone that had something that they felt guilty about would always give them that expression.


    As if only she understood what was going on, she had cold sweat flowing down.


    ¡®This woman also has a good disposition and a unique characteristic.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t figure out how she got involved in such a mess. Regardless, I continued to move deeper into the government building.


    The Goddess¡¯ Hand Mirror rang, and I checked if it was Lee Jihye, but I ignored it because I saw Cho Hyejin¡¯s name on it.


    Since thest call ended with a provocation, I knew it would just be something useless.


    Atst, I entered arge conference room with Natalie. Mikhail stood out with a very tense face.


    It didn¡¯t take long, so I thought we would arrive first, but it seemed as if I thought wrong.


    Seeing the guy looking at me with a pale face, the memories we sharede to mind.


    ¡®Fuck¡­ we had a good time.¡¯


    The thought that a person I considered a friend eventually betrayed me suddenly came up in my mind.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Chairman. I¡¯m sorry for the inconvenience. I am deeply ashamed of myself.¡±


    ¡°Everyone is saying that. It seems that you have been stuck in the central government for too long. Gosh¡­ Didn¡¯t I tell you, Mikhail? The return of trust in this way is heartbreaking.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ p-prepare some tea¡­¡±


    ¡°Do not move.¡±


    ¡°No, no, it¡¯s okay. You don¡¯t have to block her, Ms. Park Li-ahn. I wanted to have something to drink anyway¡­ that would be good.¡±


    When I nced at Natalie as she left the conference room with an anxious face, I could see that one of the guards followed her. In addition to this, Mikhail¡¯s face, looking at her back nervously, also caught my eyes.


    As I turned around and made eye contact for a moment, he bowed his head in a hurry.


    ¡°I did a lot of research. Of course, it wasn¡¯t that I couldn¡¯t believe you, but it¡¯s an inevitable part of the procedure. It was fun. It was also interesting. Funds for support were constantly leaking toward the Union¡­ It¡¯s not my business if you¡¯re in debt or if you wanted to take it when you had the chance. However, it¡¯s my business that you took quite a big amount.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Thanks to you, I had a lot of trouble. I thought that you also had some skills to take this amount of money andunder it. Damn it. I¡¯m telling you that what all the people in the world are saying are lies. I don¡¯t know if it makes sense to have the adjective of integrity and innocence attached to a person who is a symbol of corruption.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I understand that you have nothing to say. Still, I heard you have something prepared, so let¡¯s listen to it. The result won¡¯t change, but I want to see how you will try to get yourself out of this¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a misunderstanding.¡±


    ¡°Are there any systematic excuses other than those words? If not, let me ask a question. Where did all that money go?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I know that it leaked toward the Union, but no matter how much I think about it, there were a lot of strange things¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Mikhail was just beating around the bush.


    Creak.


    The door then opened.


    Mikhail¡¯s wife, who came with a teacup and refreshment, handed over the teacup with a trembling hand.


    I thought she didn¡¯t have time to do any tricks because one of the guards was still there, but I habitually turned on my Mind¡¯s Eyes and checked the contents inside.


    ¡®Sigh¡­ fuck.¡¯


    ¡°Oh, now I understand a bit.¡±


    [Colorless, Odorless and Poisonous Tea (Legendary)]


    [Elder Arachne¡¯s poisonous tea, which is indistinguishable in ordinary ways.]


    ¡°These reactionary bastards.¡±


    The sidewall bursting out with a ¡®bang!¡¯ sound was now reflected in my view.

 Chapter 576: Reactionary (2)

    <h4>Chapter 576: Reactionary (2)</h4>


    The sidewall burst out with a booming sound.


    As expected, an assassin had been sent to attack me. Considering that he rushed in as soon as I opened my mouth, it seemed that he was watching the situation of the room I was in.


    ¡®These bastards are unbelievable¡­¡¯


    It was so ridiculous thatughter popped. It was because I recognized that I had been perfectly backstabbed.


    ¡®I knew something was a little weird.¡¯


    The source of the use of the lost funds wasn¡¯t precise.


    It wasn¡¯t until after everything blew out that I started to understand what happened.


    It felt like the puzzle was well put together.


    I thought that what Lee Jihye said, that if I dug a little more, evidence would inevitablye out, could be applied to the current situation.


    If she were looking at the current situation, she would probably say that it was as she had guessed while bursting anger. Mikhail¡¯s wife, whose actions were contrary to her disposition and unique characteristic, did her role amazingly.


    In the first ce, there would have been no intention of handling the protests. What the reactionaries wanted would have been to bring me to such a ce.


    ¡®And they seeded.¡¯


    It was an attack operation that had been gathering power ever since a long time ago.


    As Lee Jihye said, their n was aimed at the loopholes of our system.


    I might have noticed it if I had a little more time to pay attention to our surroundings, but there was no point in reflecting on it at the moment. It was undeniable that my back was tingly, and I was a guest who came to the ce they wanted on my own.


    I wasn¡¯t too disconcerted, but it was still unpleasant.


    ¡°Mikhail, you son of a bitch ¡­ I thought you¡¯re ipetent, but you¡¯re a fuckingpetent bastard.¡¯


    Although I thought that if it weren¡¯t for Park Deokgu, I wouldn¡¯t evene in person¡­


    ¡®No, this might be good.¡¯


    Wasn¡¯t it significant that the timing of their trap to blow up was right at that moment?


    Being able to get rid of the evil group right then was a good thing.


    Had the reactionaries attacked after the other guy came back, they would havee out in a much more threatening manner than they currently did.


    The three siblings were waiting for me outside, and if they realized that something had happened, they would immediately rush in, but in fact, I didn¡¯t even need them.


    ¡°I will take you out.¡±


    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s go.¡±


    At the same time with the explosion, high-quality protective magic enveloped me.


    Our cute guards, assembled in a dense formation, immediately prepared for battle and any potential threat. As expected, a group with weapons jumped out of the ce where the explosion had urred. Each of them confronted the guards.


    It was hard to tell who was saying what because voices popped out from all sides.


    ¡°Kill them!¡±


    ¡°Kill them!¡±


    ¡°Prioritize the protection of Natalie and Mikhail.¡±


    ¡°We have secured their safety.¡±


    ¡®Right, you bastards. What you reactionary bastards were hiding were these guys.¡¯


    I already expected one more surprise to pop out. However, when I saw the familiar face with my eyes, I had no choice but to smile.


    In the meantime, I watched as the blood of the people who fell spilled.


    It seemed that I was too cold even when I thought about it, but it was natural to react like that.


    Since the 27th Corps kidnapped me, it was my safety that the lovely returner had been most concerned about.


    The private guards, including Park Li-ahn, weren¡¯t protecting me for no reason.


    Their average age wasn¡¯t very high, but they could make a name for themselves immediately if they all went out to the continent.


    In particr, Park Li-ahn had enough power to aim for the top ranks even in the Blue Guild.


    Would I even blink just because some puppies rushed in while I was among tigers?


    Wasn¡¯t the protection magic around me still maintained?


    I got up, and when I started to move, I could see that a busily moving bodyguard surrounded me. Park Li-ahn, the twin-des user, divided the giant sword in front of me in half and showed the sword skill she learned from Kim Hyunsung.


    Others were also showing the best possible actions in their respective domains.


    ¡®Gang Eun-hye stands out a bit.¡¯


    I frowned a little when I saw the reactionary bastards¡¯ heads being cut in half in real-time, but not even a drop of blood could reach beyond the protective shield.


    ¡®I already knew it, but¡­¡¯


    ¡°Not bad.¡±


    Certainly, the ride felt different when I tried it myself.


    Their perfect movements and synergy made me realize how much training they endured in the past.


    Of course, it was only natural that I also helped in the right ce. Every time I flicked my finger, a giant dragon¡¯s arm rose, crushing them or opening the path for me.


    ¡°Don¡¯t miss them! Don¡¯t let them go outside!¡±


    ¡°Kill them! It¡¯s a fight for the future of the continent. You can¡¯t let them escape!¡±


    ¡°Stop! Stop them!¡±


    ¡®Fight for the continent, my ass¡­ where did all these guyse from?¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°No. You don¡¯t have to think like that. I didn¡¯t even notice it beforehand. How long will it take before we get outside?¡±


    ¡°We will¡­ definitely try to open the road as quickly as possible.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Dirty motherfucker! You¡¯re a mass of cancer on this continent! This will be your grave. We will never forgive you.¡±


    ¡®This bullsh*t again¡­¡¯


    If I could, I would say obscenities, but I knew I also had to take care of my reputation. I could use the situation to my advantage too. Of course, I had to vent out a little bit of my anger. I was human, after all.


    ¡°Anyone would think I¡¯m the evil one. It¡¯s obvious who¡¯s disturbing the order of the continent. You can stop pretending to fight for an ideal and to be noble, remnants of the Republic. Who would have thought that the mercy and forgiveness once given would return in this way? It¡¯s not an appropriate expression, but it must be because of this that they say not to have strangers in our house.¡±


    ¡°Sh¡­ Shut up! You bastard!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m too soft¡­ But I still want to apud how united you are. Why did youe back again? I think I know why, but his death was beyond my control.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t use that rotten mouth of yours to speak of his name! Dirty motherfucker!!¡±


    ¡°I gave you a chance because I knew the demon summoner brainwashed you. I¡¯ll tell you again. Think about who the evil one is again, who the real demon is. You still can be saved, unlike Jin Qing.¡±


    ¡°You bastard!!!¡±


    I didn¡¯t know who I was talking to, but the voice of the man answering me kepting to my ears.


    Looking at the agitation at the insignificant provocation, it seemed that the short conversation was sessful, but I felt that the offensive was intensifying.


    ¡®Everyone wants the same. They have one will.¡¯


    ¡°For Jin Qing! For the peace and security of the continent! Strike that dictator in the neck!¡±


    ¡°You must leave¡­¡±


    Baaaaang!!


    The roaring sound rang before Park Li-ann could finish saying.


    ¡®Sigh¡­ these assholes.¡¯


    It was a suicidemand. They rushed in with explosive magic.


    ¡°Cast protection magic! There shouldn¡¯t be even a single wound on the body of the Vice Guild Master!¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s right.¡¯


    Not because I didn¡¯t want to feel the pain, but I really shouldn¡¯t have other wounds on my body.


    ¡®It¡¯ll be trouble, bastards ¡­¡¯


    Anxiety, which I hadn¡¯t had before, suddenly emerged.


    Who would have known that he woulde by throwing his own life and throwing away the safety of other colleagues around him?


    ¡®Ah, fuck, isn¡¯t this getting too dangerous?¡¯


    I bit my lips tightly, and I sweated coldly.


    Baaaaaannnnggg!!


    ¡°Please, take care of the rest,rades of the Order. Please remember me!¡±


    Baaaaaaaaannnggg!!


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget our objective. Remember me!¡±


    As the roar continued to erupt, damage began to umte even in the protective magic surrounding us.


    Due to the sound of explosions and the rising smoke, it became difficult to get a good view.


    It didn¡¯t matter to me, but I began to see the guards¡¯ confusion who were still in their positions.


    ¡°There is no need to panic. It won¡¯t be able to reach us yet. Let¡¯s keep moving. I think it would be better to go up.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir. With the Vice Guild Master, we¡¯ll go upwards.¡±


    A roar burst out while I threw Dragon Breath potions and used alchemy summon magic continuously.


    When I noticed the protection magic beginning to shake, I summoned the dragon¡¯s arm and tail and blocked the bodyguards.


    I didn¡¯t know how long I would be able to withstand it, but at least I could make it until the three siblings arrived. No¡­


    ¡®I can¡¯t wait for outside help.¡¯


    The interior was already chaotic, but the situation inside might not be seen from the outside.


    If they weren¡¯t slow, they would notice ande, but I should also think about the possibility that no reinforcements would join us.


    ¡®Did they really have to go this far? These bastards ¡­ Why does it feel like their numbers aren¡¯t decreasing?¡¯


    We kept pushing them, but I couldn¡¯t feel them losing their quantity.


    The twin-des user Park Li-ahn also looked like she felt the same.


    It was then that a familiar voice erupted in the hall where I couldn¡¯t even see one inch in front of me because of the smoke.


    ¡°It¡¯s a high-rank undead.¡±


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    It seemed that they had brought all the means that they had into the battle.


    Their determination toplete the purpose until the end, even if it meant using the corpses of their fallenrades, was a tad creepy. Even those caught in the explosion and turned into pieces were crawling towards and reaching out for me.


    They were the enemy, but I even thought of wanting to praise them. It felt even more surprising as it seemed that they still had more hidden cards up their sleeves.


    ¡®They¡¯ve prepared a lot¡­¡¯


    At that point, there was no longer any justification. I could sense their evil intention to kill me at any cost. I spoke immediately.


    ¡°Even the dirty ck wizards¡­ I thought that the ck wizards from the Republic were wiped out, but I guess this evil group remained in hiding. Is this your method? Are you really determined to walk the path of evil, too?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you just like the demon summoner?¡±


    ¡°He is not a demon summoner, you filthy bastard!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t listen to the enemy! Don¡¯t get agitated and proceed as nned.¡±


    ¡°If the one who turns his subordinates into undead and uses them as meat shields is not a demon summoner, who would it be? Look at you. You¡¯re no different from him. You cannot walk the same path as that ruthless and cruel man did¡­ You can still change. Open your eyes!¡±


    Even while I was saying those lines, I made sure my expression was as insolent as possible. The reaction I expected came right away.


    ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ Don¡¯t utter his name with your dirty mouth!¡±


    ¡°Keep yourposure! It¡¯s a trap! A trap!! Don¡¯t get caught in the provocation¡­ My Queen!! Sh*t! Keep your positions! Don¡¯t move!¡±


    ¡®I guess I only caught one.¡¯


    Some woman rushed through the space covered with explosions with red eyes and a long sword, but Park Li-ahn blocked her. She blocked the sword with the left sword¡¯s handle and then pushed her other sword into her opponent¡¯s throat.


    Pugh!


    Blood sttered out. One of the people who seemed to have quite a formidable fighting power retired there.


    ¡®It¡¯s not enough for me to be damaged¡­¡¯


    However, when I smiled, thinking that I had made a small gain, I could see the woman with the de in her neck pulling out the sword and rushing in again.


    ¡®Fuck, what is that?¡¯


    She wasn¡¯t undead.


    Red eyes, different skin. She had an aura that I couldn¡¯t think of as human. I could say it was a dangerous situation. After I saw her exact condition, I was able to find an answer right away.


    ¡®These dirty demon contractors¡­¡¯


    ¡°You even sold your soul¡­¡±

 Chapter 577: Demon Contractor (1)

    <h4>Chapter 577: Demon Contractor (1)</h4>


    ¡®It is a contract.¡¯


    I was almost certain of it. I didn¡¯t hope for an answer, but someone answered almost immediately. The face of the person grinding his teeth, holding onto the magical shield, looked even scarier.


    ¡°Yes, to kill you, we even sold our souls.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°We sold everything. Our souls, our pride, even our lives¡­ just to kill you.¡±


    I could hear the sound of teeth grinding as they breathed with anger.


    ¡°Why do you still not know that light always triumphs? Do you know that your actions will be more disadvantageous for Jin Qing? Didn¡¯t you want to reim his honor?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll understand. Don¡¯t utter his name with that dirty mouth of yours¡­¡±


    ¡°Jin Qing was a demon summoner, but he was a man who valued his pride more than anything else. There¡¯s no way you don¡¯t know that¡­ you probably never understood him.¡±


    ¡°Stop speaking of his name with your foul voice!¡±


    ¡°Why does it matter whose name I call?¡±


    ¡°You trashy dictator bastard!¡±


    ¡®I was worried about what to do afterward anyway, but I¡¯m so grateful that they prepared the ground for me on their own.¡¯


    ¡°Dieee!¡±


    Some of the guards stabbed him all over his body, but he didn¡¯t show any reaction.


    Instead, he looked straight at me and knocked on the protective shield, raising my curiosity about which demon they had made the contract with.


    ¡®Should I consider their contractor as a major corps?¡¯


    Of course, I naturally thought it wasn¡¯t Belial. I didn¡¯t feel the peculiar energy of the 27th Corps.


    Considering the power they gained seemed to transcend death, it was probably¡­


    ¡®It isn¡¯t someone ranked higher than Belial, is it?¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t clear at that moment which demon and what kind of contract it was, but factually speaking, it was a reasonable option for them. There was no way they wouldn¡¯t know that attacking me with nothing was no different than trying to break a rock with an egg.


    They would¡¯ve thought they needed a way to fill the power gap between our side and theirs, and it seemed that they had chosen to go down that path. The option they had chosen was a little surprising, but I guess they couldn¡¯t find any other way.


    There was nothing better than that when one¡¯s in dire need of great power in an instant, after all.


    Their n must¡¯ve been to ensure Lee Kiyoung¡¯s death in the government building. They would¡¯ve thought they didn¡¯t have to tell the continent¡¯s people about what was happening in there¡­


    Still, they probably didn¡¯t care that much either whether they found out or not.


    It was already decided that those bastards would die regardless of the n ending in sess or failure anyway. Hence, there was a high probability that what their reputation would be after the incident no longer mattered to them.


    It wasn¡¯t a lie that they betted their lives and souls on their current scheme.


    A contract always came with a price. The same went for the summoning itself. My case was a little special, but it didn¡¯t mean that others would get the same kind of preferential treatment.


    Considering that it was impossible to summon a Major Corps-level without Jung Hayan¡¯s magic, something must¡¯ve been sacrificed in the summoning ceremony.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know who or what it is, but that demon must¡¯ve filled up with achievements.¡¯


    They put their own lives and souls as payment, and what they gained in return was a body that wouldn¡¯t sumb to death under normal circumstancesbined with a tremendous ability that could exceed that of high-ranking adventurers.


    ¡®Not all of the members of the Order have signed the contract¡­¡¯


    Only those at the executive level and those who could handle that kind of power probably epted the deal.


    ¡®This is getting quiteplicated¡­¡¯


    I pretended to be fine externally, but in truth, my anxiety had begun to rise.


    The guys whom I thought to be puppies turned out to be wolves, maybe even tigers. I was no longer certain whether I could safely leave the ce with the power I currently had.


    Park Li-ahn and my other guards were indeedpetent, but they couldn¡¯t do anything beyond their own abilities.


    The twin-des user Park Li-ahn, who always remained expressionless, started looking a bit anxious since she was probably nervous about what to do if she couldn¡¯t execute the mission sessfully.


    As if she thought it was impossible to continue confronting them, she continued to move, leading the guards and me, but she couldn¡¯t stop her own wounds from umting.


    The shield, which looked like it could be maintained for a long duration, was also reaching its limit due to the suicide bombing event, and it started to feel like we were being led to where they wanted us to go, rather than evading based on our decisions.


    ¡°I think we¡¯re being driven.¡±


    ¡°I feel the same way, but it looks like there¡¯s no other way for us to go. I think it would be better to buy as much time as possible¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Um¡­ Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Since there seems to be no other way out of here, at least the Vice Guild Master¡­¡±


    ¡°No. You don¡¯t have to do that. What I¡¯m worried about isn¡¯t being trapped and dying here. Nobody shall die here. Don¡¯t think about or say anything reckless. It¡¯s risky, but I have a n. As I said, let¡¯s dy as much as we can. Are your wounds and stamina okay?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that good.¡±


    ¡°I like that you¡¯re honest.¡±


    As soon as I took the Bomb of Light potion, a brilliant radiance began to spread in all directions with a ¡®whooooosh¡¯ sound.


    Not only did the explosions cleared, but the undead blocking us were immediately exorcised and disappeared.


    ¡®It¡¯s dazzling¡­ So dazzling.¡¯


    Whooooooooooshhh!


    Since the range of effect was wide, the rays of light constantly extended along the passage.


    With the wounds and stamina of the guards forced to stand their ground recovered in an instant, the item I used certainly had an impact worthy of its grade. I hoped that I would be able to wipe out even the demon contractors, but a dark, pitch-ck aura began to envelop them soon enough.


    I thought they¡¯d resist, but it didn¡¯t affect them as much as I thought.


    ¡®They must¡¯ve contracted with a high-ranking demon.¡¯


    The moderates wouldn¡¯t be hostile to me, so it was probably someone with a radical inclination.


    I thought I would have a moment to spare, but reinforcements immediately came and filled the holes in their formation. The calction that they would back down a bit was a miss, and they knew that there were restrictions on the use of Bomb of Light potions.


    Noticing the confidence in their eyes that they could do it, it seemed that they thought I used the potion earlier than expected.


    ¡®Did I use it too early?¡¯


    However, it was better than being unable to use it after saving for too long.


    ¡®This isn¡¯t good.¡¯


    It felt like this had been turning out just the way they pictured. The executive-level demon contractors were definitely wary of the Bombs of Light.


    What they nned might be toe in after all the Light Bomb potions had been used¡­


    No, regardless of what I thought, it wouldn¡¯t be wrong to judge that the purpose behind their actions was that. Until they arrived at the ce which they nned to be the final stage¡­


    ¡°They¡¯ll make me use all of my potions.¡±


    ¡°What did you just¡­?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Can you contact the people outside the building by any chance?¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t establish a connection.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re most likely using the disturbance propagation used by the Demon Summoner in ourst battle with the Republic.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m trying to find out exactly where the radio waves are spreading from¡­¡±


    ¡®It wouldn¡¯t make sense for us toe and change our formation now. This is annoying¡­¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Keep pushing! Make them use their stamina as much as possible! Don¡¯t let them rest!¡±


    ¡°Support troops! Support troops!¡±


    ¡°Block the front¡­ Block- ahhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°This dirty bastard! Useless bastard! Continent¡¯s cancer!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t back down. Don¡¯t be scared! Think about Jin Qing. Think of the one who died screaming desperately!¡±


    ¡°The Order dies here today. But we won¡¯t die alone. We will close our eyes with that dictator. Move!¡±


    ¡°The traitors who made a contract with the demon are talking too much. You can¡¯t even tell who¡¯s just and who¡¯s evil or which side is light and which side is dark. You need to be enlightened. I can¡¯t say you¡¯re sane right now, demon contractors.¡±


    ¡®There isn¡¯t much of a reaction.¡¯


    The leaders had be a bit colder.


    ¡®It¡¯s not that good¡­¡¯


    Once again, I was stuck, and I couldn¡¯t tell exactly how much time had passed, but I hoped the cooldown to use the Bomb of Light potion once again had ended.


    ¡®I shouldn¡¯t have used it earlier. Sigh¡­¡¯


    Whooooooshhh!


    Radiance spread across the halls once more. It affected their troops immediately, but like before, humans and powerful undeads filled up the vacancy.


    I thought I was constantly being chased with no way to resist.


    There were still another Bomb of Light potion and my shield, and yet we were outnumbered and couldn¡¯t cope with the enemy troops in that atmosphere.


    ¡°A little bit more!¡±


    ¡°Push! Just keep pushing them!¡±


    We were running like crazy, but we had no choice but to go where those motherfuckers were dragging us.


    One of the factors that yed to our disadvantage was that the structure of the government building was unfamiliar to us. The second was that we couldn¡¯t withstand their number.


    Even though I knew we were being led to the tiger¡¯s mouth, we had no choice but to go into it.


    Eventually, we arrived at the ce where they wanted us to go.


    ¡®Fuck¡­¡¯


    I watched the demon contractors surrounding me in therge room. The way they were wearingrge cloaks like teenagers looked stupid. All the motherfuckers who started our problem were in that ce.


    ¡®Except for Mikhail and Natalie.¡¯


    ¡°Finally¡­¡±


    The guards began to get closer and closer to me, but they only swallowed hard as if they couldn¡¯t find any way out of it.


    Contrary to my expectation that they would attack immediately, they spoke as if they were enjoying the moment. ¡°You¡¯re finally here, you filthy scammer.¡±


    ¡°I guess you haven¡¯t seen the light that just burst out. It¡¯s a bit painful to be called a scammer¡­ I¡¯m a divine messenger chosen by God. Didn¡¯t you witness the brilliant rays of light directly with your eyes? The scammers are you, whose actions don¡¯t match with what you say, not me.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how you can use the power of light, but everyone here knows that you¡¯re a trash scammer.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s why you even signed a contract with the demon.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an unavoidable choice needed to achieve a great cause. We borrowed power from him to kill you, not for any other reason.¡±


    ¡°Every criminal and every wicked person has a good story. But you know what? No matter how moving the story is, criminals are still criminals in the end. It was the same for Jin Qing, who you believe and follow. Regardless of his reason, he¡¯s a war criminal, and he paid the fair price for the crime he¡¯smitted.¡±


    ¡°You dirty scammer! Do you think you really deserve to say that¡­?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t I making it clear already? Light and darkness, good and evil. Even from a 1-kilometer distance, you still wouldn¡¯t look normal. Your eyes are red, your body is twisted, and you¡¯re surrounded by pitch-ck darkness. Who would think of you as members of a groupmitted to the continent? I¡¯ll give you a chance to repent. Whatever you do, I won¡¯t die anyway.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make meugh! We know you¡¯re diabolic inside. You are the real demon! That deceitful tongue you use to deceive the people is the real demon. You¡¯re wearing a mask of light, but you really thought we wouldn¡¯t know about your dirty ns? The other people in the continent might not be aware, but we¡­ we¡¯re facing reality properly. This continent is not your stage. Those who live on this continent are also not chess pieces for you to y with.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you¡¯re talking about, but¡­ I¡¯m not here to rule the continent. I don¡¯t know why you don¡¯t recognize that I¡¯m here to protect it.¡±


    ¡°Human trash! I will pull that dirty tongue out and make sure you can¡¯t use it anymore.¡±


    ¡°As a person who ims to be the protector of the continent, it seems that I can no longer tolerate the rage of the evil groups who have made a contract with the demon. Oh, Great Benignore. Please forgive me for my choice.¡±


    ¡®I have no other option¡­¡¯


    As I slowly looked ahead, I could that the faces of those surrounding me changed little by little.


    They were looking at me with their lips tightly bitten. It was also noticeable that they felt as if their thoughts were correct and that they were the ones who were right.


    ¡°Vice Guild Master¡­ That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°I know. Three hours.¡±


    [A Semi-Mythic-grade ss conversion has been generated.]


    [Alchemist of Light has been switched to subss.]


    [The guelord of Darkness has been assumed as the main ss.]


    No other words were needed.


    ¡°Bone Grave.¡±


    When I chanted the spell, thorns made out of gigantic bones began to emerge from all over.

 Chapter 578: Demon Contractor (2)

    <h4>Chapter 578: Demon Contractor (2)</h4>


    ¡°Do¡­ Dodge it!¡±


    Craaaackkk!


    Cruuuussshhhh!


    The bone-made thorns filled the ce, spreading out without any form or pattern whatsoever.


    Several roaring sounds scraped against the walls and charged forward to prate everything in sight. Everyone present bore witness to its colossal size.


    The demon contractors scattered around to escape with their faces crumpled, but one couldn¡¯t escape and was swept away.


    ¡°Cough¡­ Cough¡­¡±


    I naturally frowned while looking at him. He survived even though he continued to spit blood.


    However, it seemed that he couldn¡¯t move anymore.


    How could he still be alive when there were quite a few big holes in his arms, legs, and torso?


    No other thought came in except that he was too perseverant.


    ¡®I guess I can¡¯t use themon-grade gue¡­ Can I even ssify them as humans?¡¯


    As I thought it would be better to prepare an attack that melted their bodies, and as I hurried to cast the spell, faintly visible ghosts began to cover my surroundings. I could only use the Doom state about three hours a day, but itsbat power wasn¡¯t bad. I thought it was only proper to use it at such a crucial point.


    Of course, it didn¡¯t mean there were no penalties about this at all.


    ¡®Are they only kible by high-purity divine power?¡¯


    That was why they were extremely wary of the Bomb of Light potions, and I couldn¡¯t kill them using normal methods. Given the atmosphere, wouldn¡¯t it be possible for them to move their bodies even without their heads?


    ¡®I have no choice but to ensure fighting would be impossible for them.¡¯


    Just giving them wounds didn¡¯t have much of an effect.


    ¡®Their number is around forty, maybe more¡­¡¯


    That didn¡¯t include those who were pushed to consume the Bomb of Light and those who couldn¡¯t get in where we were. In short, there were about forty people that made a contract with the demon.


    No, about fifty people¡­ It seemed that all of those that temporarily acquired the legendary grade¡¯s power were from the upper level as well.


    ¡®More than three people among them¡­¡¯


    They could be ssified as leaders.


    ¡®It¡¯s unfavorable to us in terms of power.¡¯


    I had one Bomb of Light potion remaining, and my guards could be ssified as high-ranking on the continent, but our opponents were monsters that knew nothing of death. Even if we could overwhelm them with ourbat experience, there was no guarantee that nothing would go wrong.


    The trickiest part about this was the fact that we were outnumbered.


    Considering their ability to transform the troops outside and even their own bodies into high-ranking undead, we would be the ones to feel the physical burden first.


    ¡®This is a mud fight.¡¯


    We had to get out of the besieged situation somehow.


    They were analyzing power just like I did in the premises, which was briefly lulled into bing a bone tomb, and when they saw the mask slowly covering my face, I saw them biting their lips.


    ¡°You finally revealed your true color, you filthy swindler!¡±


    ¡°Shut up, demon contractors! The Vice Guild Master is different from those of you who have chosen to make a deal with the demon yourselves!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not strong enough¡­ I¡¯m sorry, Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡®It seems like she¡¯s defending me too passionately¡­¡¯


    The guards, including Park Li-ahn, already knew about my Doom Kiyoung state.


    And they knew the penalties that the change would bring. Looking at the atmosphere¡­


    ¡®They seem to think it¡¯s because of them.¡¯


    They probably thought that the reason why I changed my ss right at that moment was because of them. I was a bit puzzled, but I could understand why they thought so.


    We were actually in danger, and if they dragged time usingmon methods, there was a possibility that casualties would ur even within them.


    I wasn¡¯t really aiming for it, but I had to take the necessary countermeasures. I staggered while slightly grasping my mask that automatically covered my face. Upon seeing this, Park Li-ahn immediately worried about me.


    ¡°Vice¡­ Vice Guild Master!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I just had a headache for a moment.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°For now, let¡¯s just think about getting out of this ce. You don¡¯t have to think about anything else. We¡¯re leaving this ce without a single person left behind.¡±


    ¡°I will risk my life to protect you.¡±


    ¡®I¡¯m telling you there¡¯s no need to do that.¡¯


    However, I liked that motivation. Even the tears in her eyes were true.


    I thought there was no way she would show her emotions, but it seemed that she had more sensibility deep inside than I thought.


    If she reacted like that just with that, in the first Doom Kiyoung incident¡­


    ¡®She must have wept aloud¡­¡¯


    Looking at her at that moment, I could see her suffering. Even the other members were also quite agitated.


    ¡®I¡¯m d I always take care of my reputation.¡¯


    There was also someone spouting unnecessary words. It was unusual enough, considering that she didn¡¯t usually talk much.


    ¡®Kang Eun-hye?¡¯


    She was born on the continent just like Kim Ye-ri, and after she lost her parents in the war against the Republic, she was selected as a bodyguard. She had so much talent and achievement that she made the current Blue Youth Program happen.


    So to speak, it wouldn¡¯t be wrong to say that she thought of Kim Hyunsung and me as her parents. If it weren¡¯t for the Blue Guild, she probably would¡¯ve been sold to a ve market.


    Eun-hye was very loyal because she knew it best, and she was the one I didn¡¯t remove during the process of reducing the number of my bodyguards.


    Still, she didn¡¯t talk much after joining the guards.


    Honestly, that was my first time seeing her utilizing such a loud voice.


    ¡°You guys are also being deceived. Wake up and take a closer look at him. I mean, open your eyes and see if that¡¯s really what you¡¯re trying to protect.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, you dirty bastards¡­¡±


    ¡°You were brainwashed. He¡¯s just keeping you close because he thinks you guys are easy to tame.¡±


    ¡°You guys are the ones that have been brainwashed by the demon summoner, you traitors. Lee Kiyoung is the savior of the continent and a great man who will lead the new era. He is the benefactor who epted and nurtured us that had nowhere to go. He will never be treated the same as you guys. Look at him still torturing himself to protect the continent. How can you say that even while witnessing all this? All you have to do is open your eyes, you reactionaries! These reactionary bastards¡­ I will kill you all. I¡¯ll kill you all!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°We apologize for not being strong enough, Vice Guild Master¡­¡±


    Since the guards¡¯ average age was young, they seemed to be easily agitated by this situation.


    I felt a bit guilty, and I had no choice but to fiddle with the mask.


    ¡°This is yourst warning, poor beings¡­ If you throw away your weapon and leave right now, we¡¯ll spare you.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, you maggots! We¡¯ll end up dying together here with the Vice Guild Master!¡±


    ¡®I don¡¯t intend to die. I really don¡¯t.¡¯


    ¡°Kill them! Cut that filthy scammer¡¯s head off! The time hase for the continent¡¯s safety and the revenge of the soldiers to be gained! The desire of the Order must be quenched!¡±


    ¡°Vice Guild Master!¡±


    ¡°There is no need to panic. And there is no need to be agitated. Just think about getting out of this ce while maintaining the shield firmly. The possibility of us seeding is still high enough. Don¡¯t force yourself outside the barrier and keep the shield up even when you see a chance to counterattack. Even if the enemy made a contract with a demon to obtain cursed power, they¡¯re not used to it yet.¡±


    ¡°As you wish!¡±


    ¡°I believe in you all.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°Protect the Chairman!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make even one of the enemies¡¯ fingers touch him! Remember what our job is!¡±


    ¡°Come! Demon contractors!¡±


    ¡°Die! Motherfuckers!¡±


    ¡°Protect him! Protect him!¡±


    ¡°Break the shield! Unleash everything you¡¯ve got! Destroy all of those stupid bones!¡±


    Craaashh!


    Baaaaaaaanng!


    ¡®This is even tougher than I thought.¡¯


    There was a limit to the shield and the bones that blocked the magic power attacking from all directions. In the meantime, a gue ghost began to hug one of Jin Qing¡¯s remnants.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!¡±


    Along with that sound, I saw the guy melting in an instant.


    I thought that the effect was pretty good, but how could he still shoot arrow steadily in the midst of that?


    They moved a little more carefully as if they were aware of the invisible ghost, but nothing changed that much. I had summoned a giant tentacle to wrap around one, but support came in quickly, and the tentacle failed to gain favorable results.


    Of course, the gue hidden in it prated his respiratory system, but¡­


    ¡®It¡¯ll take some time before that one dies¡­ Fuck, there¡¯s definitely a difference in firepower from when Belial was with me.¡¯


    I thought I had reduced the power difference a lot over the past time, but it still wasn¡¯t enough.


    Due to us being outnumbered, the guards also gradually stepped back, and that reaction forced me to look after them more and more. I raised my hand and sent support with bones and tentacles a couple of times, and since I was keeping the general defense up, they didn¡¯t copse, but¡­


    ¡®This is dangerous.¡¯


    No one with me would disagree that it was a situation that could be fatal with a small mistake. It would be nice if the three ¡®siblings¡¯ Park, Ki, and Lee, whom I hadn¡¯t seen in a year, woulde out like the clich¨¦s in ordinary movies.


    However, such a movie-like event most likely wouldn¡¯t happen, and as I looked toward the exit without knowing, I saw someone popping out.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡®And that imagination became reali-¡®


    It turned out to be Cho Hyejin holding a spear.


    ¡®Why are you here?¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t help but look at her swinging her spear in a motion that I couldn¡¯t even understand properly.


    She looked like a general from the Three Kingdoms. Despite being surrounded by enemies, she wielded her spear in a way that secured space and stabbed at her foes urately.


    Arrows and swords were trying to put an end to her, but she dodged and deflected them all using her long weapon. The enemy¡¯s attack with a spear from behind was dodged by using the spear as leverage. She then evaded the attack that was sent upward by momentarily twisting her body.


    ¡®I thought that Park, Ki, and Lee would only do thebor movement and revolution¡­¡¯


    She wasn¡¯t fast like Kim Hyunsung or had tremendous muscle strength like Cha Hee-ra.


    She showed the ultimate skill that the ordinary premier, who failed to be a genius, could disy and talent that couldn¡¯t be exined with her stats. She made me feel as if I was watching a martial arts movie.


    After one jump, she immediatelynded in front of me. After that, she spoke with a voice with a different atmosphere from usual.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Hyejin¡­ Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°I asked first, Vice Guild Master. Are you really okay?¡±


    ¡®Alright¡­ thanks for worrying. Hyejin, you¡¯re the best.¡¯


    ¡°Sigh¡­ Yes¡­ I-I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you look fine. We should get out of here as fast as possible. Ms. Park Li-ahn.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Chief.¡±


    ¡°Just take care of the safety of the Vice Guild Master. I will open a path.¡±


    ¡°Copy that.¡±


    She even caught an arrow that hade flying with her bare hand.


    ¡®Nuna, really¡­ why are you so cool?¡¯


    She reminded me of Kim Hyunsung, whom I couldn¡¯t see anywhere.


    ¡®You¡¯re making my heart beat, Hyejin.¡¯

 Chapter 579: Demon Contractor (3)

    <h4>Chapter 579: Demon Contractor (3)</h4>


    ¡°Please, follow me.¡±


    ¡®Sure, sure. Of course, I¡¯ll follow you. I will follow you until the very end.¡¯


    I looked at Cho Hyejin with a warm smile. Had I ever looked at someone with such a warm face in my life?


    ¡®I can¡¯t express it in words.¡¯


    It felt like we thought the same.


    I didn¡¯t know why she was in that ce, but she must have instinctively noticed her friend was in danger. Wasn¡¯t that evidence that she cared for me deep inside, even though we argued a lot?


    It was like a warm breeze suddenly blew through the chaotic scene.


    ¡®I guess it¡¯s better to thank her¡­¡¯


    No matter how close people were, At that moment, I thought that there was nothing better than expressing things in words.


    ¡°Um¡­¡±


    Cho Hyejin spoke before I could. I thought that my feelings were conveyed enough, but her tone was quite surprising, and honestly, it was a line that made me want to smack her.


    ¡°Are you okay? You have a dirty look on your face¡­ If¡­ your headache gets worse, you must tell me.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, dirty look¡­¡±


    ¡°No¡­ for a moment¡­ you looked like a demon¡­ I mean, I¡¯m sorry. Inexplicable goosebumps came up on my back¡­ It was my mistake. Still, if something goes wrong, you should tell me immediately.¡±


    ¡®There¡¯s nothing that she can¡¯t say.¡¯


    ¡°Yes, I will.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t stay like this. I think it¡¯s better to change your form right now. Although there is a time limit, that power will surely devour your spirit.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. I can still afford to use this. I¡¯m a little bit relieved since you came, but I want to get out with everyone here.¡±


    ¡°Ch-Chairman¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about us, Chairman.¡±


    ¡°For your safety, we will sacrifice our own safety with no concern. Please consider our original role and cherish your body more than ours.¡±


    ¡°Even if we have to throw our lives¡­¡±


    ¡®I¡¯m saying you don¡¯t have to throw your life away¡­ What¡¯s up with you all? You¡¯re very important volunteers.¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Sigh¡­ The time limit is two and a half hours. I promise. If it still remains, I will take action myself.¡±


    ¡°Yes, please.¡±


    If it were Kim Hyunsung, he would get irritated, saying that it was nonsense.


    I even made a useless setup to reassure the guild members, but Kim Hyunsung would jump up even while sleeping if he heard about my Doom state.


    On the contrary, Jung Hayan, the root of the incident that gave me the new ss, seemed to like it secretly. Still, our lovely returner had be very sensitive to my new appearance to the extent that it went beyond trauma and turned into a characteristic.


    No, if Kim Hyunsung were with us in the first ce, it wouldn¡¯t have been necessary to maintain my corrupted state. Although Cho Hyejin was strong, her capacity was still limited to that of humans.


    Those reactionary punks, who were still using all the firepower they had, were likely to have their limbs split if it was Kim Hyunsung they were fighting against. Objectively speaking, it was impossible to deal with all the demon contractors with Cho Hyejin alone.


    She knew that too, and perhaps that was why she temporarily agreed with Doom Kiyoung.


    If I were alone, she could have seeded in rescuing me, but we were way outnumbered.


    ¡®No, still, is it really impossible?¡¯


    Considering how she was opening the way for us, it seemed to be possible. In fact, in the Blue, she was one of the strongest five.


    Except for the first and second ce in the armed forces¡¯ rank, Kim Hyunsung and Jung Hayan, who were already difficult to ssify as human beings, there was no problem to say that she was the strongest in the Blue.


    Even if I searched all over the continent, no one was as skilled in spear-wielding as she was.


    Our Hyunsung did choose her for a reason, and a good one as well.


    ¡®Wow, she fights really well. Really, really well.¡¯


    Although I felt that her movements wererger than Kim Hyunsung, who always handles things concisely, it evoked the illusion that made her look gorgeous.


    How could she dodge the magic spells bombarding us from all over?


    There were many scenes that I didn¡¯t understand earlier, and there were even more that I couldn¡¯t understand at that point. As if the reactionary bastards who initially focused their firepower on Cho Hyejin also thought that there was no hope if it continued like that, it had been a long time since they converted magic into a range type.


    Magic spells thatcked any prative power since they couldn¡¯t concentrate in one ce couldn¡¯t do great damage to my allies.


    ¡®This is enough to keep us protected.¡¯


    Baaanng! Craaaash!


    Although it made a loud noise, the armor of bones that covered the entire allied camp wasn¡¯t easily broken. I thought it might be difficult to get out of there, but it was surprisingly progressing very smoothly.


    In the meantime, gue ghosts were flying around and inflicting damage to my enemies.


    ¡®Hold on, guys. Oops! Yes, good job. Good job.¡¯


    Changes were happening to the faction that rushed to their deaths together.


    ¡®They¡¯re aiming for a long-term battle.¡¯


    It seemed obvious that they chose to use the troops in a hurry to keep us inside as soon as they saw a chance.


    ¡°Don¡¯t rush in. The advantage is on our side. Try to attack the weak part of their formation and exhaust them as much as possible. Ignore the spearwoman.¡±


    ¡°Ignore the spearwoman and aim for the rear. However, the avant-garde must focus on stopping the spearwoman and refrain from making a direct attack. Just think about limiting their movement as much as possible! Ovep the curses or debuffs. Tie them up where they¡¯re standing!¡±


    ¡®Yes, I have toe out dirty.¡¯


    ¡°Please remove the curse that falls on Hyejin with a purification spell. You only need to remove the curse. It¡¯s better to save your divine power as much as possible¡­¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry¡­ Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s not something you guys should be sorry for.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s why the Mind¡¯s Eyes is a great asset.¡¯


    I could see what kinds of curses were applied to Cho Hyejin.


    ¡®Removing the reduction in movement speed. I think I can wait a little more about the muscle strength loss¡­ removing the curse of neutralization too. Removing all the ones rted to the mind. No, since she has a strong mentality, would it be better to save a little more divine power?¡¯


    She would be able to withstand that kind of battle anyway.


    ¡®Multiple dark spells are aimed toward the rear. I can block those while Park Li-ahn marks the troopsing from the left side, and those who are chanting powerful spells in the corner need to be kept in control with arrows and long-range attacks. I think I can deal with that too.¡¯


    Troops trained to follow orders were also one of the factors that enabled them to deal with the current situation well. They moved by faith, never questioning my words.


    They didn¡¯t judge for themselves why there was a long-distance check over there or why they needed to give more power to the left.


    Theypletely left their fate to me.


    ¡®This is right.¡¯


    No matter how I thought about it, wasn¡¯t that the most rational way?


    It wasn¡¯t easy to see the war objectively in such a chaotic situation, but the information provided by the Mind¡¯s Eyes made it possible. It was even visible that their performance was improving soon after some time had passed.


    ¡®About 13 opponents have been defeated¡­¡¯


    From fifty, to about thirty. None of my bodyguards had been killed yet.


    Although they weren¡¯t used to their newly-gained power, if I considered that we were outnumbered by the enemy forces, it was only proper to call it a great victory. It was obvious as to who would be the winner if it went on like that.


    ¡®Let¡¯s keep going with this flow¡­ Come on¡­¡¯


    ¡°Don¡¯t give up! Comrades of the Order, never falter!. We have to make that dirty scammer aware of what resentment we have and what we think of him!¡±


    ¡°Move! Let¡¯s move! It¡¯s okay to die while casting magic, so just keep conjuring spells! Don¡¯t stop! Don¡¯t let your hands rest. Keep moving and pressure them!¡±


    ¡°Damn it! Why¡­ Why can¡¯t it reach them? Why? Why?!¡±


    ¡°Even if we all die here, we will definitely take you with us. We won¡¯t have it any other way!¡±


    I had to say something back at them.


    ¡°The continent¡¯s light will never go out. No matter how much you try to exterminate the light, it will always shine.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ talk so well with that appearance¡­ Ugh.¡±


    ¡®Tentacle, thank you.¡¯


    The barrier was getting rtively thin, as if they were getting anxious, and the demon contractors gradually lost their reason.


    At that point, they had to make another choice. And as expected, they visibly deployed the high-ranking undead that they had been saving.


    ¡®I guess this is all they can do.¡¯


    Of course, that was a trick.


    The only logical exnation behind sending the undead at that moment was that it had a different purpose other than dragging time, after all. As expected, the magic power of contractors who thought they could no longer fight began to rise explosively.


    ¡®This firepower¡­ It must be different from before.¡¯


    However, there was no need to take it head-on. I didn¡¯t know if it was possible until the time of the explosion, but¡­ it was a gamble worth trying.


    While the retired members¡¯ corpses prepared for a meaningless bombing, the remaining personnel escaped from there. As I pointed to the inevitable danger, I realized Cho Hyejin was already clearing the way.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. We can get out now.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Park Li-ahn, help Cho Hyejin clear the path. Wizards, please focus on defensive magic that can minimize explosion damage.¡±


    ¡°This is our opportunity to get out! The Chairman said this is the right time! Do not stop! Run!¡±


    ¡°Push them! Push them!¡±


    ¡°Aaaaahhh!¡±


    ¡®Idiots.¡¯


    ¡°Sh*t! Stop that! Stop that right now!¡±


    ¡°Even we will end up getting caught up in the explosion. It¡¯s toote¡­¡±


    ¡°Sh*t! They¡¯re escaping! The dirty scammer¡¯s group is escaping! Stop them right now!¡±


    Craaaasshhhhh.


    Baaaaaaaannnnnnnnngg!!


    ¡°Run! Run! Run! Run! Hyejin, run! Run! Nuna! Run!¡±


    Craaack! Baaaangg!


    ¡®Ovep, ovep, ovep.¡¯


    Craaaashhh!! Booom! Boooom!


    I continued to chant spells whilst running.


    Of course, Cho Hyejin was practically carrying me since I was pretty slowpared to the others. It was quite humiliating, but it was efficient.


    The bone shield, which was made to prevent the explosion¡¯s effects froming out toward the exit, was smashed so easily that its existence became futile, but new shields continued to fill its ce.


    The protagonist and his party barely escaped from the explosion. How far had Iughed at Hollywood movies containing such absurd clich¨¦s?


    The only thing I thought of was that I was fortunate enough for it to happen to me.


    As I barely escaped, the area turned upside down with the explosion and smoke. The smell of the outside air, as if it had been a long time ago, pierced my nose.


    I heard someone speak before I could even look around. It wasn¡¯t part of their ns since they wanted to put an end to it inside the building, but it was also the best option they had.


    ¡°Loo¡­ Loo¡­Look! Look at this, people of the continent! This is the true identity of the Honorary Cardinal, said to be the devotion of light and the Second Coming of the Goddess Benignore. He has signed a contract with the demon to deceive the continent! That is why our Order is risking everything for ournd where we all live. We are here, risking our lives for a truly free, just, and equal society.¡±


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡°I know it¡¯s hard to believe! But what we are talking about is the truth and darkness that was never revealed on the continent. Chairman Lee Kiyoung is the continental dictator, a scammer, and a deceiver who deceives everyone. Yes, he is a deceiver! Open your eyes and look straight ahead. The way he wears this mask is what he really looks like!¡±


    There were people there who tried to persuade any charm or persuasive abilities.


    ¡®You seem too drunk on your role. Wake up, uncle, seriously.¡¯


    From the moment they left the government building, those bastards were nothing more or less than demon contractors. In fact, I didn¡¯t even have to go ahead and make excuses.


    It was regrettable that I couldn¡¯t switch sses in advance, but I still believed in them, our beloved continent.


    ¡®Our people will judge which one of us is the real evil.¡¯


    The appearance of the Order hiding all the dark energy came into my eyes.


    As an extra measure, I began to cough out some blood.

 Chapter 580: Demon Contractor (4)

    <h4>Chapter 580: Demon Contractor (4)</h4>


    ¡°Cough.¡±


    ¡°Chairman.¡±


    ¡°Vice Guild Master, are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m fine.¡±


    When I looked around, I could see them looking at me with dumbfounded expressions.


    The crowd below was confused about what the hell was going on.


    They seemed to be looking for an answer as to why there was a sudden explosion in the government building, what the hell the suicide squad was doing, wearingrge cloaks, and why Chairman Lee Kiyoung had changed in such a way. And soon, they would find the answer.


    The workers that participated in the protests outside the half-copsed government building cheered for me until that moment.


    In fact, the situation could be solved if I went out of the Doom state right at that moment, but there was no need to rush the work. It wouldn¡¯t be bad to choose a slightly different route as gossips coulde outter in any direction.


    It was somethingpletely different, but I was curious about how the continent¡¯s current people would ept my present state¡­


    To be honest, I also wanted to test to what extent Lee Kiyoung was embedded in continental people¡¯s hearts.


    ¡®Did they really not know there was a battle going on inside?¡¯


    It meant that the noise and magic power generated in the government building waspletely blocked, indicating that Mikhail took care of that task properly.


    Even though a problem in their ns urred, half of that building remained in its original form.


    It was a huge explosion created by the suicidemand of thirteen people, estimated to be at least Legendary-grade or higher.


    If it had been a building made ofmon materials, the site itself would¡¯ve been blown to bits.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know if I should be happy about it or annoyed.¡¯


    When I quickly turned my gaze, I noticed the three revolutionary brothers and sisters with their faces paling out. Considering that they were in a hurry to fall back, I wondered if they would join after revealing their identity.


    ¡®This is all over.¡¯


    The situation was already cleared up when I recalled that we were somehow able to tie with them even with our current power. It was obvious as to how the battle would proceed after the First Army of Blue joins us. No, before that, those guys¡­


    ¡®They¡¯repletely ruined.¡¯


    I wanted to do it as quietly as possible, but everyone on the continent was already watching the current situation.


    They didn¡¯t assume that it was going to fail in the first ce.


    That could be easily deduced just by seeing their willingness to fight until they died or exterminated the light of the continent. In a fight that no one had paid attention to, a fight that would never be revealed, a fight where they had to sink, taking everything with them just like the main character of some old movie¡­ In the end, it became aedy that everyone was watching.


    Some time had passed since some people put on a sour expression as if they felt that things weren¡¯t looking good.


    They said that Jin Qing would understand it, but there¡¯s no way they wouldn¡¯t mind him.


    I thought that shout was just a desperate act.


    ¡®It¡¯s a desperate act indeed.¡¯


    The ones standing at the edge of the cliff screamed to recognize them, to plead to know that their cause was legitimate. It was a cry to see that the cause lied with them, that they were fighting for the people.


    Seeing that the veins on their neck stuck out, it seemed that they didn¡¯t sell their emotions to the demon.


    They might have pledged that they were ready to throw everything away, but on the other hand, it seemed that they wanted them to be on their side.


    ¡®Why do you want to have everything like that? If you choose one, you have to give up the other, right?¡¯


    Why didn¡¯t they know that there were only a few chosen people who could have both?


    ¡°Look at the dictator, Lee Kiyoung, being used by the demon. You are being deceived. What we know about him¡­ is nothing more or less than a role he created. His real purpose is to put the continent in his own hands¡­ he has spilled a lot of unknown and invisible blood¡­ for that.¡±


    ¡®Okay, talk as much as you want.¡¯


    ¡°The person involved in the magic and demon summons, called the Nightmare of Laios, is also Chairman Lee Kiyoung, not someone from the Republic. It was Lee Kiyoung who concealed all the scenes that existed at the time, and it was also him who threw the sin to Jin Qing of the Republic. In the war with the Republic, the demon who didn¡¯t attack allied enemies using the undead is also his! He is the one who wants to control the entire continent like an object on the palm of his hand!¡±


    ¡®Keep talking.¡¯


    ¡°Open your eyes. I won¡¯t tell you to raise your sword together with us. But¡­ But! At least, I hope that many of you will be aware that he is a dirty trickster made of lies and fabrication. The author is a demon. The real enemy is Lee Kiyoung. He is the enemy and the real threat on the continent! We have justice¡­ and we are fighting for it!¡±


    ¡®Say that as much as you want. And see if that works.¡¯


    Didn¡¯t they choose the wrong route in the first ce? I didn¡¯t know the meaning behind screaming those words a thousand times.


    Even if they exined it like that, there must be tons of people who didn¡¯t understand it¡­


    There was a lot to say, but they decided not to say anything else because the bnce seemed to copse already.


    Instead, I pushed through one line.


    ¡°Run¡­ Cough¡­ Run away! Everyone in this ce¡­ You must leave!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s dangerous. Cough¡­ It¡¯s¡­ dangerous.¡±


    ¡°What¡­ the hell are you doing?¡±


    ¡°They signed a contract with the demon¡­ they¡¯re a group that has already given up on being human. Run. Hurry and leave this ce¡­ and go as far away as you can¡­ All personnel currently in District 5¡­ get everyone out right now!¡±


    ¡°You¡­ you!¡±


    ¡°Cough! Cough!¡±


    ¡°Vice Guild¡­ Vice Guild Master! Are you okay?!¡±


    ¡°Chairman! Chairman!¡±


    ¡°Change yourself right now. Vice Guild Master. It will be dangerous any more than that. No matter how I look¡­ you don¡¯t look normal¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay now, Chairman¡­ we¡¯re fine, so please rip away that cursed power.¡±


    ¡°Vice Guild Master¡­ we¡¯re okay now. So¡­¡±


    ¡°No. At least until they get out of here¡­ there is still a little more time left.¡±


    My acting made even Cho Hyejin look anxious.


    The adage that said, ¡®if you want to deceive the enemy, you have to deceive allies first,¡¯ never betrayed my expectations. Didn¡¯t moments in which emotions came alive felt more like a famous scene?


    ¡°Protect the Chairman right now! I said now!¡±


    I could even hear Lee Jihye¡¯s voice. The security, who didn¡¯t know about the situation, also began to approach with their spears.


    ¡°Chairman! Chairman!¡±


    ¡°Sh*t¡­ Damn demons¡­ Please wait, Chairman. I will be with you soon.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯te up! Do not climb up and turn your back and leave this ce. It¡¯s dangerous. They¡­ cough¡­ Through the contract with the demon, the power that ordinary people cannot reach¡­¡±


    ¡°Lee Kiyoung, you dirty scammer! Do you think you deserve to look like that and say something like that!¡±


    ¡®I have qualifications, so why wouldn¡¯t I?¡¯


    ¡°To Goddess Benignore¡­ You already know that we must ask for forgiveness. But¡­ I¡¯m¡­ Each and every person living here is more precious. You won¡¯t understand. Someone like you¡­ that sold their souls will never understand this feeling¡­ You will never understand¡­¡±


    ¡°You are being deceived. The real continental demon is Lee Kiyoung, not us! Lee Kiyoung is¡­ the real threat!¡±


    I was shouting so hard that my throat was bursting, but how could I change the trend that was considered mainstream?


    While enduring the power of the cursed demon with everything they¡¯ve got, the light that tried to separate us from the civic groups was shining brighter than any other color.


    The way I continued to breathe rapidly and reached out regrly was so sublime that even the Nobel Peace Prize winners hit their foreheads. Tears kept popping out of my eyes, perhaps because of my superb acting.


    ¡®Protect him.¡¯


    We must protect him.


    ¡®We have to protect the continent from the hands of those demonic contractors.¡¯


    It had been a long time since I made something up, but I finally could do it once again.


    ¡°Sigh, sigh. Even if I die here today¡­ I won¡¯t let them touch you with even a single finger.¡±


    I thought that I went too far with that line. However, my sincere voice and eyes were different.


    Wasn¡¯t it more impactful to show in action sometimes than when simply talking with words?


    I had no wounds, but my appearance made me look wounded. Above all else, I showed an expression that told people I had reached my limit in terms of mental and physical strength. I also showcased body movement that depicted I was about to copse at any moment.


    Would that kind of voicee out from the enemy?


    ¡°There is no need to exin anymore, Gavenne. Whether the crowd believes it or not, we only have to do what we need to do. This is something I didn¡¯t even want from the beginning. I understand what you¡¯re feeling well enough, but we have to get the job done today. That¡¯s what you and yourrades sacrificed for us want.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ But¡­ leader!¡±


    ¡°In this ce, we are the wicked ones. I didn¡¯t even expect anyone to understand. Everyone is ready for battle again, and Lee Kiyoung is exhausted. He seems to be having difficulties standing right now¡­¡±


    ¡®No, not really.¡¯


    ¡°Listen carefully, my brothers, sisters, andrades. Do not be shaken by the enemy¡¯s words! Don¡¯t be shaken by the crowd¡¯s reaction! Didn¡¯t you expect that we would be remembered as wicked people? It is only natural for us to go down in history as ck-hearted. Our will is not weak enough to copse just because we are not weed with open arms. Am I wrong?!¡±


    ¡°Leader¡­¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if they say that this is personal vengeance. But everyone knows that the demon in that mask is the one that needs to perish. One person¡­ If even one person remembers our sacrifices and associations, that alone is enough reason for us to raise our sword. Let¡¯s fight for the continent. Comrades of the Order! Let¡¯s pour out our long-hidden wishes, our anger, and the justice we believe in without regret!¡±


    ¡°Yes, leader.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ leader!¡±


    ¡°There will be someone who will recognize us, leader.¡±


    ¡°When you first proposed, I thought you were crazy, but honestly, I think I¡¯m d I¡¯m here with you right now. Thank you, leader.¡±


    ¡°I was a criminal who had nowhere to go anyway. I was fooled into the Order to fight for justice once, but¡­ In the end, it seems that I will be remembered as a wicked person. But I don¡¯t resent it. It was a short time, but therades of the Order together here¡­ Never¡­ even in death, I will never forget anyone.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s be the wicked one, leader. Isn¡¯t that just right for us?¡±


    ¡°After all, this is my grave. Look at me now just because I met the wrong man.¡±


    ¡°Leader¡­ we will always trust and follow you. I will never regret today¡¯s choice. We will surely be remembered!. Definitely¡­¡±


    ¡°How are you guys going to heaven, you demon contractor bastards?¡±


    ¡°Everyone¡­ Everyone¡­ Thank you.¡±


    ¡®Ah¡­ They¡¯re too emotional¡­¡¯


    Wasn¡¯t even I almost deceived momentarily? It felt ufortable to see them gathering energy like the warriors of justice preparing for the final battle.


    I also hated watching them believe that justice really was with them.


    However, when I saw the demon contractors¡¯ group gradually revealing their true colors, I internally apuded.


    Amazed screams began to be heard from all over, and the crowd was cheering.


    ¡°Protect the Chairman! You can¡¯t let go of the continent¡¯s hope!¡±


    ¡°Protect the light of the continent!¡±


    ¡°Chairman! I believe you will ovee this!¡±


    If I had been able to use Genki Dama [Spirit Bomb], everyone¡¯s powers would¡¯vee together as one.


    My body staggered as if it had already reached its limit. However, the cheering of the crowd made me stand up.


    After all, the continent¡¯s light would never go out under any circumstances.

 Chapter 581: Supreme Sacrifice (1)

    <h4>Chapter 581: Supreme Sacrifice (1)</h4>


    ¡°At least, you survived, Raphael.¡±


    ¡°Leader¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not looking down on you. I¡¯m not ming you either. Strictly speaking, it¡¯s not because of you, it¡¯s all because of my personal opinion. I¡­ I am scared. I¡¯m scared, Raphael.¡±


    ¡°Leader.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m scared that¡­ no one will remember our true self. I¡¯m scared that¡­ they¡¯ll think we¡¯re just dirty contractors who sold our souls to a demon. I fear that not one person, not even one, will ever understand us. That¡¯s why I want you to live. I want you to survive and watch our end. It will be difficult, but I hope you can take on that role.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not, sir. You don¡¯t have to think about it like that. We can¡¯t expect all of them to understand, but there must be someone somewhere who does. There will surely be some who will remember and honor what we¡¯re doing. There will definitely be people who understand the noble meaning behind the Order¡¯s actions.¡±


    ¡°No, we will be remembered as evil. Regardless of whether this seeds or fails, the world will treat us as evil and curse us. That will never change. But Raphael, even one person is fine. If even one person remembers us¡­ yes, I¡¯m sure this meaningless constion will mean a lot to the Order members.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°I hope you can bear witness to our end. I want you to keep it in your heart and mind until the end. I want you to tell our story. We started this simply for vengeance, but still¡­ Still¡­ I hope they remember that some fought for ournd and the justice of the continent. Please.¡±


    ¡°I will fight with you, sir. The deaths of ourrades¡­ your death¡­ I can¡¯t just watch.¡±


    ¡°This is myst request. Myst request.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Leader¡­¡±


    I had no choice but to quietly watch the fierce battlemence. My sole duty was to keep watching such noble people sacrifice their lives for a cause.


    Our starting points were different, and the beginning wasn¡¯t good, but in the end, how could I describe the way the Order made its way toward the right goal? Perhaps no expression could represent our actions. No fine word would be able to showcase our feelings.


    I felt cursed for being forced to witness the situation helplessly. My hands trembled, and I was sweating coldly.


    My emotions were shaken, causing me to bite my lips tightly, but tears continued to pop out of my eyes uncontrobly. I wanted to turn my head every time there was a huge explosion. I didn¡¯t have the confidence to look at that fierce battle until the end, but¡­


    It was my responsibility to keep my eyes open and look at everyone¡¯s end. It was thest mission I could do as a member of the Order.


    ¡°Don¡¯t step back! Don¡¯t step back! A little bit more¡­ little bit more¡­ if you reach out a little more, you can definitely grasp it. Think of the past days. Keep moving! Let¡¯s think about what we¡¯re here for!¡±


    ¡®I should have been there too¡­¡¯


    He might seem hot-tempered, but Gavenne was actually more warm-hearted than anyone else.


    Luci joinedte but was always the centerpiece as the wizard of the Order.


    Jean Valjang from the Republic was branded as a criminal for stealing bread, but actually had to feed her little siblings to survive.


    Priest Sirvi quietly supported us from behind.


    I could see all of them charge in. They had already gone beyond their limit. Some time had passed since their bodies began copsing. The output that could be produced was overtaken a long time ago.


    It was going to be painful. None of them spoke, but they were all surely in unbearable pain.


    Moving their legs, swinging their swords, binding the prisoner, and even shouting out loud would cause tremendous agony. I could see that even though I wasn¡¯t with them.


    While evidently showing the feeling of being burned by hellfire through their frowning faces, they still constantly moved. Who could look at such a scene and think they¡¯re simply people that signed a contract with a demon?


    Who would dare rebuke them for being filthy after watching them trying to resist absolute evil even at the expense of their own lives?


    Perhaps no one would be able to deny how sublime they were. Definitely¡­ People would definitely recognize their sacrifice. Everyone looking at the scene of that fierce battle would eventually understand the Order¡¯s motives.


    It was then that a voice came from right next to me.


    ¡°Those fucking bastards!¡±


    ¡°Because of those dirty demon contractors, the Chairman¡­the Chairman Lee Kiyoung¡­ sniff¡­¡±


    ¡°Chairman, hold on. Please, hold on!¡±


    ¡°Hold on, Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung. Hold on!¡±


    ¡°I will pray. I pray for the Honorary Cardinal to get rid of this ordeal. Everyone, let¡¯s pray. Let¡¯s pray for Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung, who is resisting against them for people as insignificant as us.¡±


    My hands were now shaking. This was because I could feel an unknown hostility in the voicesing from all over the ce.


    ¡°Those fucking demon-contracting bastards!! The continent is not yours! The light will never lose! Never!¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s not him. The one you should support isn¡¯t that scammer¡­¡¯


    ¡°Look at those disgusting beings that sold their souls voluntarily. I¡¯d be scared to see them even in my dreams. Where did those bastardse from¡­ It¡¯s the end of the world, the end of the world! Since the demons still greatly influence people, our Chairman is naturally working hard on this project. Isn¡¯t all this what the Chairman predicted? Those filthy demons destroyed part of our building!¡±


    ¡®He¡¯s not the onemitted to the continent. It¡¯s us¡­ Our Order¡­ that truly serves the continent¡­¡¯


    ¡°Hold on, Cho Hyejin! Smash their heads!¡±


    ¡°Please protect the Honorary Cardinal, Cho Hyejin. Please.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t just watch like this. Anyone who can fight, let¡¯s take up our arms. We can¡¯t just stand around while the Chairman is in pain. We can¡¯t watch any further. How long do we have to hide behind the Chairman? We too¡­ let¡¯s prove here that adding even a small amount of strength can cause arge difference, everyone.¡±


    ¡®Your swords shouldn¡¯t be aimed at the members of the Order. That bastard is a scammer¡­¡¯


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s a weak force, but we can fight too. Even if we die here, we want to help the Continent and the Honorary Cardinal. I will fight. Let¡¯s go. Let¡¯s start doing something for a change.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s not right. That¡¯s¡­ That¡¯s not right.¡¯


    ¡°We¡¯reing, Chairman!¡±


    ¡°You will just get in their way if you go. Look at that right now¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°He can¡¯t properly focus¡­ because we might get hurt. Watching and praying from a distance is all we can do. If you try to add some half-assed strength to it¡­ you¡¯ll create a chance for the demon contractors. Why¡­ think about why the Honorary Cardinal is not letting go of that fallen power.¡±


    ¡®The leader is not a demon contractor.¡¯


    ¡°W-What should we do?¡±


    ¡°Pray. As always, isn¡¯t the Goddess looking at the Honorary Cardinal? Pray.¡±


    I could see my teammates vomiting blood as they fought restlessly to the end.


    It was too different. The scenery that I was thinking and that of others were far apart. Even I was confused about which justice was real.


    I couldn¡¯t understand those who called the Order members cursed bastards, damn demon bastards, and even went as far as using abusivenguage aimed at them.


    They didn¡¯t know anything about the leader and the members of the Order. They knew nothing about the secrets and truths of the Honorary Cardinal.


    ¡®You know nothing.¡¯


    Was it really worth giving away their lives for those people? To protect the continent¡­ for such close-minded people¡­


    ¡°Why have we been fighting¡­?¡±


    I could see them falling one by one. Whenever one fell, cheers popped out from all sides.


    ¡°For these people¡­ Why did we have to go through a lot of suffering?¡±


    ¡°Good job!¡±


    ¡°I always believed!¡±


    ¡°Eliminate all those dirty demon contractors!¡±


    ¡°Look out!¡±


    I wondered what the members were thinking at that moment. What were they thinking while listening to those voices?


    ¡®Hold on, leader.¡¯


    Would my voice even reach him?


    ¡®Don¡¯t lose to such a dirty scammer. Don¡¯t lose.¡¯


    ¡°Hold¡­ Hold on.¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t fall.¡¯


    ¡°Hold on! Don¡¯t fall! Hold on! We¡¯re cheering for you. Hold on!¡±


    I stood in the middle of the crowd and shouted, but there was no way I could reach him.


    ¡°Those fucking bastards are standing up again. Those vile demon contractors are getting up!¡±


    ¡°Dirty bastards¡­ how can they move even though their heart has been pierced¡­ they¡¯re real monsters¡­¡±


    ¡°Look at them spitting dark red saliva. I¡¯m afraid that the Honorary Cardinal will be exposed to that energy.¡±


    ¡°Watch¡­ watch those demons rise again. All those who have fallen are standing up.¡±


    Did I reach them? Did my voice really reach them? I wasn¡¯t sure if it really was my voice that caused the members to move again.


    It was probably an illusion. How could the members distinguish my voice lost within the crowd?


    However, there was nothing I could do other than shouting. The only option left for me was to give my support and trust that it would reach them.


    ¡®A miracle¡­¡¯


    If God truly did exist, I hoped he¡¯d make a miracle happen for those poor people.


    For those who were hurt and abandoned by the world, even a tiny miracle¡­


    ¡®Please reach them.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t a difficult request.


    ¡®Please reach them.¡¯


    I wanted Him to give them the power to move even for just a little more.


    ¡®Please reach them!¡¯


    The power to resist the absolute evil of the continent.


    ¡°Hold¡­ hold on. Hold on!¡±


    ¡°Hold on! Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung!¡±


    ¡°Hold on. Ugh¡­ hold¡­ hold on. Ugh¡­ hold on!¡±


    ¡°Good job! Cho Hyejin! Good job!¡±


    ¡°Sniff¡­ Hold on. Hold¡­ hold on.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s pray. Let¡¯s all pray for the Honorary Cardinal, the Chairman.¡±


    ¡°Sniff¡­ stand up. Ugh¡­ Oh, God¡­ please¡­ please, a miracle¡­¡±


    ¡°The Chairman is standing up again. Let¡¯s cheer for him a little more!¡±


    ¡°Hold on!¡±


    And immediately after that¡­


    As I slowly turned my head, I could see that the leader found me mingled in the crowd.


    I couldn¡¯t see him properly due to the tears covering my eyes, but I saw that he was definitely smiling. I could see that his face was saying, ¡®thank you for sending your support, I surely heard your voice, and it¡¯s okay now.¡¯


    ¡®I reached them.¡¯


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡®I reached them.¡¯


    ¡°Sniff¡­ Thank you¡­¡±


    The leader stood up again, his sword tightly grasped, and the members held each other¡¯s hands, sharing theirst remaining power.


    ¡°Win. By all means¡­ win.¡±


    That was the end of our long journey. I kept my eyes open and watched all the way, never turning my head in cowardice. I had to bear witness to their end.


    ¡°You¡­ have to win.¡±

 Chapter 582: Supreme Sacrifice (2)

    <h4>Chapter 582: Supreme Sacrifice (2)</h4>


    I didn¡¯t know exactly how to exin it, but I felt like I had be the viin for some reason.


    ¡®I don¡¯t like the way these bastards are looking at me.¡¯


    They really believed that they were the ones who were just, causing me to be a little more reluctant. I didn¡¯t know the reason behind their behavior, but if I were to make a guess¡­


    I thought it might be because what they were showing was the royal road of clich¨¦. Wasn¡¯t it beautiful to see that they had been neglected by the world but insisted on acting that they believed to be just and righteous until the end?


    The way they relied on each other along with their strongpanionship was worth a round of apuse. In the end, it seemed that they wanted to show their motives through a beautiful end, but unfortunately, I had no intention of bing a victim of such a clich¨¦.


    If the situation got worse, I was prepared to pull back at any time¡­ and more than anything else¡­


    ¡®There¡¯s no way we¡¯ll lose.¡¯


    The light on the continent would never fade.


    ¡®I need to make an effort too. Their acting is amazing. I¡¯m still far from it.¡¯


    Weren¡¯t they really thinking their justice was right? It was almost funny when I thought about it.


    Those that looked like disgusting and dirty devils were showing such passionate expressions.


    Although I felt that they were spitting on my face, it was difficult to gain public sympathy even if they shouted for others to recognize them when they looked like that.


    There were many visual differences from Doom Kiyoung¡¯s silver-haired appearance.


    Rushing in with blood-dyed saliva flowing from their mouth and with reddened eyes, they looked more like descendants of a demon rather than warriors of justice. In some aspects, they didn¡¯t even look like humans.


    I smiled as I watched them fall miserably during the tedious battle, but I continued to exhale harsh breaths to maintain the bnce.


    ¡°Hold on¡­ Don¡¯t give up!¡±


    ¡°Hold on, Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung!¡±


    ¡°Keep going! Ugh¡­ hold on¡­ Ugh¡­ Keep fighting!¡±


    ¡°Good job, Cho Hyejin! Good job!¡±


    ¡°Sniff¡­ Hold on. Hold¡­ on.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s pray. Let¡¯s all pray for the Honorary Cardinal, for the Chairman.¡±


    ¡°Sniff¡­ Stand up. Ugh¡­ Oh, god¡­ please¡­ please give them a tiny miracle¡­¡±


    ¡°The Chairman is standing up again. Let¡¯s root for him harder!¡±


    ¡°Hold on!¡±


    The sounds of cheersing from all over the ce naturally made me feel very good.


    I felt like I wanted to give them a handshake, but I couldn¡¯t. That was because the enemy faction¡¯s atmosphere had changed.


    ¡°Did everyone hear it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, leader.¡±


    ¡°We can do it.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t let everything end here.¡±


    ¡°We can definitely seed. Remember that we lived only for this day.¡±


    ¡°Haha, sir¡­ I think I¡¯m done for. Leader, please¡­ pleasee up slowly.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for everything, Sirvi.¡±


    ¡°My power is weak, but I want you to use it¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t carry it on your back.¡±


    ¡°Please ept my strength.¡±


    ¡°Be at ease. Don¡¯t let it burden you down.¡±


    ¡°Leader¡­ Was my life¡­ meaningful?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Thank¡­ you.¡±


    The dy was quite long every time one of them fell. Besides, it felt like they were doing something that resembled an awakening. Their magic power was visibly and gradually being amplified.


    Even when I checked with my Mind¡¯s Eyes, I could see that the Head of the Order was getting stronger. His body seemed to have already reached its limit. However, his energy itself was expanding so much that even I couldn¡¯t believe it.


    Perhaps he was feeling it the most.


    That a miracle was happening, that they would be able to do it, that they could seed in their mission. They gained more power to move a little more, and it was all due to his colleagues and all of those that supported them.


    It was a small miracle created by faith and trust, fellowship and justice, and it¡¯s clear that he instinctively felt that way. But wasn¡¯t that impossible?


    Obviously, that kind of awakening existed. There were cases like Park Deokgu.


    Stats could rise due to internal growth such as enlightenment, and they even grew explosively in dangerous situations.


    The systematic thesis on awakening was popping up frequently. However, the case with those demon contractors waspletely different.


    If the awakening were as easy as the awakening that those guys showed with theirpanionship, no one would die on an expedition. An interesting story soon came out in a rted paper, stating that awakening also required some conditions.


    I also remembered that I scouted the thesis author of Blue because it was something that I also agreed with. The most important thing was that mental growth had to be the foundation.


    It meant that the mind had to be prepared in advance proportionate to the body that needed to grow quickly.


    Of course, they couldn¡¯t have such a mentality. No, in the first ce, there was no such thing as normal growth, mentality included. Individuals that had signed a contract with a demon and crossed their limits in the past, even assuming that they grew in the usual way, couldn¡¯t obtain the same strength as they had right at that moment.


    ¡®And they¡¯re going to evolve once more here? That¡¯s bullsh*t. Bullsh*t.¡¯


    ¡°Vice Guild Master¡­ That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡®Hyejin, you shouldn¡¯t be agitated.¡¯


    ¡°Cough, perhaps¡­ it seems they¡¯re amplifying the power of the demon they contracted with.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Demons use negative energy to act. The negative emotions that humans have are their power and their source of energy. Anger against the world and feelings like vengeance and inferiority¡­ are most likely amplifying the power of that leader¡­¡±


    ¡®Yes, I¡¯m saying this for you Order members to hear. Motherfuckers, you don¡¯t really want to say that you¡¯re here with a noble feeling to protect the continent, do you?¡¯


    ¡°They may also be pitiful people.¡±


    ¡°For someone like you¡­ to be thinking of that¡­¡±


    ¡®Hyejin,e on. I¡¯m a warm person once you get to know me.¡¯


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to think of it like this either, but¡­ they¡¯re pitiful. Weren¡¯t they brainwashed by the demon summoner Jin Qing? Look at those ugly chunks of emotion mixed up in different ways. And the way they changed due to those feelings¡­¡±


    ¡°Chairman, you don¡¯t have to feelpassion for them.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t feelpassion. Cough¡­ Ms. Li-ahn. What I feel is regret. If I had met them a little faster¡­ maybe I could have led them on the right path. I might have prevented them from turning into someone full of vengeance, inferiority, and anger.¡±


    ¡°Chairman¡­¡±


    ¡®You reactionary bastards. You don¡¯t have to look like that. I didn¡¯t say anything wrong. Do you really think he¡¯s been awakened because of yourpanionship? That¡¯s never going to happen. Those who have already signed a contract with the demon get new powers because of their sense of mission? That¡¯s bullsh*t. Open your ears and listen carefully, because I¡¯m saying all of this for your sake.¡¯


    ¡°Chairman, are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m fine, Ms. Li-ahn. I am¡­ fine.¡±


    The light was standing amid the ruins of the site. It wouldn¡¯t be strange to shed tears unknowingly. I was worried that Cho Hyejin would notice it was crocodile tears, but all she did was turn her head slightly.


    She probably didn¡¯t have the time to nibble over the little details.


    As she recently started to like me to some extent, and the misunderstanding about me had been cleared, I thought she would have yed along if she had seen through my tears.


    Perhaps she thought I was sympathizing with them. Hyejin knew I had been in a simr situation, after all. Rather, it was the reactionary bastards, the demon contractors, that reacted to the crocodile tears.


    ¡°That¡­ despicable¡­ abominable, vile bastard¡­¡±


    ¡®You¡¯re the vile ones. I¡¯m not the only one shedding crocodile tears, you damn demon contractors.¡¯


    ¡°Look at him, eating away at the power of his colleagues. The very samerades he had been working with are treated indifferently by him¡­ How¡­ how did he be like that¡­¡±


    It was a trashyment that disparaged the scene that could¡¯ve caused tears to fall if it were a normal situation. I noticed the guy shivering. His eyes were getting redder, and the saliva flowing from his mouth was bing more and more abundant.


    ¡®Ugh. That must feel sticky.¡¯


    ¡°Despicable bastard¡­ I will kill you. I will surely kill at least you. I¡¯ll make sure to tear you limb from limb. I willfort the spirits of Jin Qing and my fallenrades.¡±


    ¡°Think carefully about whether it is their anger or your own anger that you really want tofort¡­ Cough¡­ The demon is manipting you. You are being deceived¡­ by Jin Qing and your contractor. I know you feel great hatred against the world, and I understand that you felt like you had no choice but to go down the dark path because of that, but¡­ but it may not be toote. I can see the purity that is suppressed¡­ in your eyes.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Close your eyes and ask yourself. What are you really fighting for?¡±


    ¡®Is it true that what you really want is for the continent? Is that really why you even signed a contract with a demon?¡¯


    ¡°Look carefully to see if your mind is deluding you¡­ Cough¡­¡±


    ¡®It can¡¯t be that. In my opinion, you¡¯re not as noble as you think.¡¯


    ¡°Think about what it is¡­ that you truly want¡­¡±


    ¡®You just want vengeance and spite, motherfucker. Or maybe you¡¯re feeling inferior. It¡¯s honestly not my business, but I know this.¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®You¡¯re not an ally of justice, and you¡¯re not a victim of a clich¨¦ where you¡¯re misunderstood by the people.¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®You¡¯re just¡­ an ugly monster.¡¯


    Dropping tears as clear as the morning dew, I put a smirk on my lips for him to see.


    It wouldn¡¯t be visible to the crowd, but it would be clearly visible to him.


    Truthfully, I was provoking him. I wasughing at them because that was what they really looked like, nothing more. I didn¡¯t know if my expression, which Lee Jihye called a lively provocative totem, worked, but he eventually lost his temper regardless.


    ¡°It¡¯s not anyone else¡­ but you¡­ we¡¯re not depraved enough for you to have the right to say that. Words that insult the members of the Order are absolutely, absolutely unforgivable, you bastard.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you. I will surely kill you, again and again. I will see to it that your life ends even if I have to throw everything away, you dirty scammer¡­¡±


    ¡®Yes, that¡¯s right. That¡¯s your guys¡¯ position.¡¯


    ¡°No, I will make sure your death isn¡¯t swift. I¡¯ll cut off your limbs and throw you into the pig pens to live with the livestock. After pulling out your tongue, your eyes that witnessed our end will also burn with fear, you disgusting, deceitful man. I¡¯ll destroy you, you continent-deceiving demon bastard! I¡¯ll surely¡­ kill you!¡±


    ¡®The reaction is good.¡¯


    If there was a problem, it was that the response was better than I thought. The guy who started sucking up the magic of hispanions had his human skin peeled off, revealing the flesh inside.


    The swarthy purple flesh gradually expanded and began to prate out of the surface of his body. He was growingrger, transforming into an indescribable monster.


    His appearance had given me nausea just by looking at it, and his body soon made me lose my appetite due to the dirty mucus that was dripping from it.


    I could affirm that he was apletely lost cause by then. Not only was he eaten by a demon, but he also became a fool who couldn¡¯t think of anything else. He had be an abomination that acted based on nothing but instincts.


    -Kill¡­ I will kill you. I must¡­ kill you¡­ Revenge¡­


    ¡®Why did he change like that? No, his appearance doesn¡¯t matter, but¡­ Why did he be so strong?¡¯


    Who on earth was the demon that signed a contract with that bastard? What kind of being was he? Could others deliver that much power even with the summoning door closed?


    ¡®I¡¯m getting lost in thought¡­¡¯


    The guy took a big breath. Great energy gathered in his mouth, which soon sted forth in the form of a beam.


    I habitually raised my hand to make a shield of bones, and yet-


    Craack!


    The bones were destroyed almost immediately. I soon realized that I didn¡¯t have to take countermeasures due to the entity¡¯s appearance blocking the front.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. I will be your shield.¡±


    It was a line I had heard a lot before.


    ¡°What should I say?¡±


    The voice was familiar.


    Park Deokgu and Ahn Ki-mo.


    With a loud sound, the attack the monster made was deflected with ease by hisrge shield.


    ¡®You have grown. You really grew. How did you grow so much?¡¯


    He reminded me of a fortress.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, hyung-nim. I missed you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s been a while.¡±


    ¡®You pig bastard.¡¯


    At this, I smiled unknowingly.

 Chapter 583: Supreme Sacrifice (3)

    <h4>Chapter 583: Supreme Sacrifice (3)</h4>


    I wanted to smack him when I met him. However, when I actually looked at his face, I felt happy.


    His face didn¡¯t change that much. It was still the same as the giant pig I saw before. Rather, it was his body that had changed. I had already seen his appearance before through the hand mirror, but he was even bigger in person.


    When I saw him standing in front of me, I noticed the difference.


    ¡®It seems¡­ that your body got bigger. Did you grow taller too?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t say it out loud, but he seemed to have noticed it quickly anyway, considering the words he uttered.


    ¡°I think I¡¯ve been getting tallertely. Oh, let¡¯s catch upter. We¡¯re in a prettyplicated situation right now. The answer¡¯s obvious, but¡­ are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m still¡­ fine.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it looks like I shouldn¡¯t have asked that. You can¡¯t possibly be okay¡­ I think it would be better to finish this as soon as possible and go to the temple. Anyway, I didn¡¯t think we¡¯d reunited this way, but it is a little dramatic, so I¡¯m satisfied with this. I¡¯ve been thinking a lot about seeing you after so long. In fact, I thought I¡¯d hug you as soon as I met you. It¡¯s a shame, but I¡¯m really d to be able to help you right away.¡±


    ¡°I feel the same way.¡±


    ¡°It would be better to step back a little more. We¡¯re pretending it¡¯s okay, but in fact, our situation¡¯s pretty messed up.¡±


    Frankly, the way he defended against continuous attacks with his huge shield was pretty cool.


    ¡®Ah, he can even look awesome now.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t possible to see in detail what was going on ahead because the energy the demon was exhaling was explosive.


    ¡®Between the Legendary grade and the Semi-Mythic grade? No¡­ it¡¯s even stronger than the average. Is it around the top of the Semi-Mythic grade?¡¯


    Even if I thought of the continent as a standard, the viin had strong enough firepower not to be pushed back. Although Park Deokgu was a specialist in blocking, I thought it couldn¡¯t be easy for him.


    ¡®Although it looks like he¡¯s deflecting it so easily¡­¡¯


    I thought it wasn¡¯t strange that he could stop the attacks since even during the invasion of the 27th Corps, there was a time when he fought alone against Donovan, but it was still surprising.


    In fact, Donovan, the Corps traitor, who was killed by the lovely returner, never fought the pig seriously.


    It was the established theory of the academia that he yed with him rather than attacking with the intent to kill. The very thoughts that Donovan had and the viin before us were having were different.


    Considering the attacks he was receiving were filled with the desire to kill me at all costs, it was correct to assume that the pig wasplete in almost all areas.


    Ahn Ki-mo was applying a buff on Park Deokgu as if he intuited that he would be a folding screen.


    At the same time, he poured divine power out toward those who were injured. That alone showed me his training resulted in great oues. Especially as a buffer, he had grown a few steps further.


    At first, I felt that he changed his growth direction because he thought he couldn¡¯t beat Elena and Sun Hee-young with pure divine power, but the real strength of Ahn Ki-mo wasn¡¯t his ability as a buffer.


    He had defense and attack power that wouldn¡¯t be left behind even whenpared to the top-tier avant-garde. As if he wanted to prove that he also changed, I saw him running ahead alongside Cho Hyejin.


    Once a long-range attack came in, a powerful screaming sound had begun to echo again.


    -I¡­ will kill¡­ you all¡­


    Park Deokgu prepared for the iing attack by attaching the shield to his body. With Park Deokgu and Ahn Ki-mo¡¯s presence, the guards¡¯ positioning became a little vague, but soon after seeing the reactionary bastard attacking, I had no choice but to understand.


    -You¡­ I will¡­ kill¡­ you at least¡­


    Monsters began to detach and fall from the body of the giant beast.


    Surrounded by slime and moving bizarrely, they managed to preserve its human form, but that was it. It just kept walking on two feet, and it couldn¡¯t be seen as a being who could think for himself.


    Some of them had disgusting tentacles and iprehensible body parts, bowing down to him.


    After falling from the enormous demon¡¯s body, the small bridles poured out towards the guards with a gasping sound. Reorganizing their ranks, the guards prepared to meet them.


    -I¡¯ll kill you¡­ Even if it¡¯s just you!


    ¡°Protect him!¡±


    -I can¡¯t¡­ forgive you¡­ for Jin Qing¡­


    ¡°Reorganize the line. Don¡¯t let himy a finger on the Chairman!¡±


    -I¡¯ll¡­ get my¡­ revenge¡­


    Baaang! Craaaashh!


    Crack!


    Whooooooosh!


    The situation had already before a dire and fierce battle, but I couldn¡¯t find it in me to feel the tension. Rather, the situation was easy enough for me to worry about how to end it.


    If it had been before they grew, he would have been a threatening enemy that would require our lives to be risked for him to be defeated, but at the moment, he didn¡¯t feel as powerful.


    Park Deokgu was the main tank, Cho Hyejinn the main damage dealer, and Ahn Ki-mo, the healer and sub-tank. At the rear was the guelord Lee Kiyoung. I could fully say that ourposition was perfect.


    Despite the fact that it had been a long time since we fought together, our movements were still in sync like the flow of water. Wherever Park Deokgu looked, Cho Hyejin would position herself there, and Ahn Ki-mo always rushed into the battlefield with my positioning in mind.


    It was my role to control ourck of firepower and the overall situation. Every time I flicked my finger, our team¡¯s attack pattern was reversed.


    Wasn¡¯t that the most necessary virtue when hunting with a party and the part that Blue was most confident about?


    When a party¡¯s attack pattern was fixed, it wouldn¡¯t only be the monsters that would be exhausted. The party itself would feel fatigued as well. Even in battles between humans, discarding fixed patterns was one of the important factors.


    Seeing those people moving organically without dys, I realized that they hadn¡¯t forgotten what they learned before. In particr, it didn¡¯t seem like Park Deokgu had forgotten, causing me to smile with satisfaction.


    ¡°Switch, switch.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°Then I guess we¡¯ll be going in.¡±


    ¡°Hyung-nim, you prepare too.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    As time passed, the monster was left without any troops.


    -I must¡­ kill¡­ you¡­


    He swung his arms and emitted ominous magic with his massive body, but that was all he could do.


    -Bloody vengeance¡­


    We couldn¡¯t finish it due to the current situation since no one could deliver a decisive blow like Kim Hyunsung or Jung Hayan, but it was already over.


    Of course, it didn¡¯t mean that there was nothing to think about.


    ¡®Is it right to just finish this like this?¡¯


    I started to worry about it. I didn¡¯t want to make a scene. Just¡­


    ¡®I think I have to dig into it¡­¡¯


    Such a thought suddenly passed through my head. Was there a demon who could deliver the continent¡¯s achievements to that extent? The possibility was low, but did Lee Gye-shin intervened?


    Would Mikhail and Natalie know more about the internal affairs of the Order? If they didn¡¯t have the right information, then the bastard before us might be thest one to have it.


    my mind.


    It seemed a little difficult, but I thought I could capture it¡­


    ¡®Has his reason beenpletely eaten?¡¯


    It looked like that based on his outward appearance, but I thought I had to check in detail.


    Park Deokgu spoke as if he thought I was continuing to stumble.


    ¡°Hyung-nim.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s apletely different situation from your case. They are the ones who chose to corrupt themselves. There is no need to be shaken. You know that, right?¡±


    ¡®No, it¡¯s not because of that¡­¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault¡­¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s really not because of that, you bastard.¡¯


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to be mindful of that¡­¡±


    ¡®I¡¯m saying that¡¯s not it, you pig. ¡®


    No matter how I were to think about it, I was standing at a crossroads where I couldn¡¯t help but worry.


    No wonder I pretended to be struggling and grabbed my head because I wanted to drag time.


    Although I could see them agitated for a moment, I was at ease.


    ¡®I should continue with this.¡¯


    If the only option left were to kill him, I would have pushed on, but it seemed that it wouldn¡¯t be bad to have a conversation once he had been overpowered. In the meantime, he rushed as if he was agitated, making a strange sound, but as expected, it was impossible to prate the Blue avant-garde.


    What sttered toward me was, at best, his blood and sticky slime. I wanted to wipe it off right away, but I thought keeping it up would paint a more desperate picture.


    Rather, it was better if I were to get hit by such fluids.


    It was unpleasant, but it wasn¡¯t enough to wound me.


    ¡®Right. Please ssh me a little more with your blood while you¡¯re at it, man. That¡¯s good for people to look at. I was worried because there hasn¡¯t been such a scene recently.¡¯


    He seemed to be working hard, almost as if in hopes of meeting my expectations.


    ¡®Make it a little messier. Asshole.¡¯


    He was definitely going crazy.


    That was when I thought about finishing our work in earnest. I felt as if the atmosphere in the hall had changed rapidly. No, it had definitely changed.


    Those who were constantly moving stood still as if they were affected by something.


    Park Deokgu and Ahn Ki-mo looked at me with an anxious expression.


    The same went for Cho Hyejin, too. What I felt behind it was a huge flow of magical power, and my body shook by itself.


    My legs fluttered, and an unknown fear soared up, causing my hair to stand up. Even the monster bastard, who was busy talking bullsh*t, began to mutter about the existence in front of him in a quiet voice.


    -De¡­ Demon¡­


    ¡®No. She¡¯s not a demon.¡¯


    -Demon¡­ It¡¯s the demon.


    ¡°She¡¯s not a demon, bastard ¡­fuck¡­ I understand that you think she¡¯s a demon, but she¡¯s not.¡¯


    What kind of face was she doing to be called a demon? It was afraid to look back. Her voice burst while I was hesitating.


    ¡°Die.¡±


    At this, I could see enormous magic falling over the bastard¡¯s head.


    Baaaaaannnnggggg!!!

 Chapter 584: Reunion after a Long Time, And… (1)

    <h4>Chapter 584: Reunion after a Long Time, And¡­ (1)</h4>


    It was an aggregate of magic power made up of pure energy itself.


    ¡®Huh¡­ huh¡­¡¯


    Craaaash!


    Baaaaannnngg!!!


    I was no longer interested in his status. It was unreasonable to wish him to survive after being hit by such a massive attack in the first ce. The air was trembling. The walls were vibrating with a whistling sound.


    It was difficult to keep my eyes open properly because of the wind pressure. The people cheering from a distance away screamed as if they witnessed a natural disaster and fled to the outskirts as fast as they could.


    I realized that if they were caught up in the magic sent by Jung Hayan, they would have died.


    It wasn¡¯t an appropriate expression, but they looked like wild animals taking refuge before the earthquake hit.


    They showed a more fearful reaction than when the viin awakened. It was almost as if Jung Hayan was the real viin.


    ¡®No¡­ fuck¡­ don¡¯t copse¡­ don¡¯t copse. You can withstand it. You can hold on, right?¡¯


    My main concern in the current situation was the wall of site 5, which I wanted to see until the end. No, the forward base itself was at risk.


    Thud! The demon then blocked the conglomerate of magic power with that sound, but it looked like a human that had been trying to lift the Earth.


    The floor that was supporting him was hollowed out with a loud noise.


    ¡®Stop, fuck, Hayan¡­ stop¡­ Our wall is flying away. The forward base too. This isn¡¯t the proper countermeasure. Fuck¡­¡¯


    As I looked back in a hurry, I saw Jung Hayan hovering in the air. My body soon levitated as well. Blood was flowing out of her lips because she was biting down on it too hard, and her reddening eyes were staring at the motherfucker that had barely endured her attack.


    I finally understood why the Order¡¯s leader was muttering that she was a demon when he saw her. She indeed looked like one.


    ¡°Die¡­ die¡­ I will kill you. I will kill you.¡±


    I naturally realized she wasn¡¯t in a normal state because of her self-talk. Still, I spoke because I thought she would hear what I was saying, but my mind was blurred.


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t because my stamina was exhausted. Jung Hayan had applied something to my state.


    ¡®What, you¡­ why all of a sudden¡­¡¯


    Only then did I realize what my appearance was like.


    She probably thought it could affect my psyche if I continued staying in that condition. That was why she cast some sort of sleep magic on me.


    I wished that was the case and that she didn¡¯t have a different purpose.


    I hoped not to be cursed by the mad wizard once I opened my eyes. I tried to awaken my blurry mind as much as possible, but there couldn¡¯t be any other way.


    I admired the leader of the Order for standing in the midst of that.


    ¡®Yes, you asshole. You can ovee it¡­ You even sold your soul¡­to the demon¡­ so you have to endure¡­ this kind of attack. Fuck, I mean it. You have to push that attack away before you die.¡¯


    Craaackllee!


    He was gradually sinking into the ground. Naturally, the agglomeration of magic power hit the wall.


    Craaaaaaaassshhhhh!


    ¡®No!!!¡¯


    I was on the verge of losing my mind.


    It was possible to see her magic as a natural disasterpletely destroying one side of the wall.


    ¡®Hayan¡­ you¡¯ve grown so much. Fuck¡­¡¯


    Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnggggggg!!!


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    * * *


    ¡°Fuck!¡±


    The moment I woke up, I was in the hospital room as usual. I didn¡¯t know how many days I slept, but my body was quite stiff.


    ¡°Y-You¡¯re up, Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    As I turned my head at the voice, I could see Elena looking at me with a reddish expression.


    Her breathing was rough as if she ran. It was almost like she was surprised. I didn¡¯t know why she was taking the lead, but she seemed very embarrassed.


    Even her sweat-soaked hair looked oddly alluring.


    I realized that it had been a long time since Ist saw her with apletely different look than her usual appearance. I had already contacted her in advance through the Goddess¡¯s Hand Mirror, but seeing her in person was much better.


    One could say not much could¡¯ve changed that much in a year, but she had grown more mature than before.


    ¡°Ah¡­ long time no see, Elena. When did you arrive?¡±


    If I had been alone, I would have cursed a lot. The scene I saw before I went unconscious was still vivid. However, when I heard about the situation through Elena, my anger toward Jung Hayan disappeared.


    ¡°Jung Hayan¡­ picked me up. She said that you fainted¡­ and urgently told me toe with her. That¡¯s how I arrived faster than expected. Hee-young and Jeong-yeon from the guild also came. Also, Sora¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Okay, Hayan¡­ you didn¡¯t do anything wrong.¡¯


    She must¡¯ve been the most surprised.


    She was the one who stillcked the ability to maintain judgment in unexpected situations, so I couldn¡¯t really me her. She wouldn¡¯t have had the time to think of anything other than the thought of killing the enemy and saving me.


    I didn¡¯t know if it¡¯s because I hadn¡¯t heard the exact size of the damage yet¡­ But for the time being, I was forced to agree with a bad taste in my mouth.


    ¡°Ah¡­ I see.¡±


    ¡°Yes, at first, she talked gibberish, and I couldn¡¯t understand her properly, but¡­ thanks to her, I was able to get here on time.¡±


    ¡®She must have cried a lot too.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t have known since I was unconscious, but I could deduce what kind of state she was in.


    ¡°More importantly, Lee Kiyoung, can I examine you to check if there is anything wrong? You¡¯ve been in your silver-haired state for three days¡­ of course, there seems to be nothing wrong only by looking at you, but I think it might be a little different inside.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Fortunately, after the priests of the Benignore Church came, you came back to your original form, but¡­¡±


    ¡®Ah¡­ fuck. I didn¡¯t change my ss and passed out.¡¯


    ¡°Yes, of course. However, it doesn¡¯t seem like there is anything wrong with my mind or body. Perhaps¡­ How long have I been asleep?¡±


    ¡°Four days.¡±


    ¡®It seems that I stay in bed for more than three days once I pass out. There seems to be no reason for me to remain unconscious for so long¡­ Does my Doom state consume more stamina than I thought?¡¯


    I thought it might be because Jung Hayan¡¯s magic was too strong as well. My physical strength was so weak that I wanted to increase the possibility of the former rather than thetter.


    No matter how much Belial looked for my convenience and supported me, it wasn¡¯t easy to ept the power of a devil with a human body. The Order¡¯s appearance was a very good indicator of what it was really like to be intoxicated by a demon.


    ¡®It would be better not to use it as a habit.¡¯


    Even while lost in thoughts, Elena was checking my body with a serious face.


    However, since Benignore had already switched my ss, it would be impossible to find other side effects. After a few minutes, she nodded reassuringly.


    ¡°Fortunately, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything wrong. However, it seems that your physical strength has fallen a lot, so it would be better to take a supplement for the time being. Of course, don¡¯t skip meals. I would like you to refrain from staying up all night and doing hard tasks.¡±


    ¡°If possible, I will. Only after this job is done properly.¡±


    ¡°If you say this job¡­¡±


    ¡°What happened to District 5? And securing the identity of Mikhail or Natalie¡­ I¡¯m curious about what happened to the post-processing of the incident. If there is anything you know, I would like you to tell me everything.¡±


    ¡°Sigh¡­ It would be better to hear it from other people than from me. They¡¯re all outside right now, but they¡¯ll probably gather soon after contacting them. They went out only for a second¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Before that, it was so sudden that I couldn¡¯t tell you, but¡­ I-I¡¯m really happy to see you after such a long time.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m happy too.¡±


    I could feel her warmth as she hugged me tightly for a moment.


    As if she was ashamed, she went outside with a reddish face. Certainly, a person who was innocent a year ago was still innocent a yearter. That aside, there was only silence in the hospital room after Elena left.


    ¡®Everyone must be here.¡¯


    Perhaps it wasn¡¯t just Elena.


    ¡®Sun Hee-young and Hwang Jeong-yeon should be here too¡­¡¯


    Yoo Ah-young, who hade with Elena, must¡¯ve arrived as well. Park, Ki, Lee, the revolutionary three, Cho Hyejin and Jung Hayan, were together before I passed out. They wouldn¡¯t have gone elsewhere. Maybe the news reached Kim Chang-ryul as well.


    Even Jung Hayan¡¯s best friend, Han Sora, must¡¯ve been around by that time.


    And¡­


    ¡®Kim Hyunsung, that bastard must be here too, right?¡¯


    He probably was.


    Even though he never called or answered me during his closed training, there was no way he wouldn¡¯te since I was lying in the hospital room.


    ¡®I did so much for him¡­ if he doesn¡¯te, then he¡¯s really trashy.¡¯


    If they had reached him, he woulde running right away, right? Looking at the list next to me, I saw the names of the people who visited me.


    The people who went in and out as a habit likest time were most noticeable.


    Among them, it was Jung Hayan that had the most overwhelming share. Surprisingly, seeing that I didn¡¯t see Lee Jihye¡¯s name very much, I deduced that the post-work was harder than expected.


    ¡®Huh? Hee-ra also came.¡¯


    Yuno Kasugano¡¯s name was also written on it. Guild members also stopped by as a group¡­ It was noteworthy that the representatives from the State also came.


    However, no matter how much I looked, Kim Hyunsung¡¯s name wasn¡¯t there. I was about to feel a bit disappointed at that point. On the third day after I was released from the Doom state, I saw his name.


    [Visitor List]


    [10/24]


    [Kim Hyunsung] 08:43 AM - 5:50 PM


    It seemed that he had been stuck with me all day long before the Benignore Church sent the priesthood to resolve my Doom state issue.


    He didn¡¯t spend just a few hours. Rather, he spent all day in the room, making me think that he was indeed extremely worried. Didn¡¯t he actually arrive before I was released from the Doom state?


    ¡®Would it have been okay?¡¯


    It was also worth noting that the person who forced me to be stuck in my other ss had been visiting for a long time.


    In any case, it was clear that she exceeded her authority, but it seemed to have been tolerated to some extent by others. I naturally formed a satisfying smile. It was because I thought she had been supporting me day and night.


    The efforts I made aftering to the North were not in vain. With that alone, a warm feeling bloomed in my heart.


    Just as I was to feel pleasantly rxed, an anxiety-inducing thought stirred in my head.


    ¡®Ah¡­ it¡¯s going to be annoying again.¡¯


    The problem was that my movement was restricted, as in thest confinement case. I thought that the post-work after the end of the incident was more important than the job itself.


    In particr, since many issues had to be dealt with in absolutely necessary. I had to know who was the demon contracted by the Order and how they were able to get into the 5th District.


    Most of all, I had to prevent the lovely regressor from essing the evidence as much as possible, as the Order and Mikhail might have faked some information about me.


    ¡®Rather, you shouldn¡¯t havee.¡¯


    It was a sudden change of stance, but I couldn¡¯t help it.


    I had to be concerned about my safety to a certain extent, but it was obvious that it would be bothersome in to me. Just as I sighed and put the list of visitors back to its original position¡­


    ¡°Kiyoung! Kiyoung!¡±


    With that voice, the lovely regressor kicked the door open and popped out.


    ¡®Hyunsung, fuck¡­ I was just passed out.¡¯


    I hadn¡¯t seen him in nine whole months.

 Chapter 585: Reunion After A Long Time, And… (2)

    <h4>Chapter 585: Reunion After A Long Time, And¡­ (2)</h4>


    The first thing that came into my sight was his sweaty face. Seeing that he had arrived earlier than Jung Hayan, it seemed like I could assume that he came running as soon as he was contacted.


    There was nothing different from nine months ago.


    His hair, which he had always kept the same length, wasn¡¯t properly arranged, making him look like he had stuck himself in a cave since he spared no effort in training.


    Using my Mind¡¯s Eyes, I immediately saw that his stats had definitely grown. His eyes had urgency in them, and as soon as he entered, I heard a loud voice.


    ¡°Kiyoung, do you recognize me?¡±


    ¡®Of course, I do, you bastard. Why would you even ask that? Do you think I forgot?¡¯


    Doom Kiyoung¡¯s appearance was maintained for so long it must¡¯ve made him worried about me.


    Regardless, Kim Hyunsung looked the same as usual.


    ¡®He¡¯s still too good-looking.¡¯


    His actor-worthy face was still visible, but his guilt stood out. Of course, I quickly realized where that guilt came from.


    ¡®If you don¡¯t feel guilty, you¡¯re not human, really.¡¯


    I got news about him through Cho Hyejin and even received the gifts he sent through her, but it was no different from ghosting on me for nine months.


    During that period of absence, the incident broke out, and in the end, Light Kiyoung had been greatly injured. Not only was I damaged by the dirty demon contractors, but I also transformed into my Doom state. It must¡¯ve looked like I had gone through all kinds of hardships.


    As a result, I had passed out for four days.


    Wasn¡¯t it something that wouldn¡¯t have happened if only Kim Hyunsung was with me in the first ce?


    He probably knew that better than me. I understood that he entered the closed training after solidifying his decision, thinking there would be no more threats for the time being, but the incident had already erupted, and it was toote.


    Light Kiyoung had been wounded and hurt.


    Even though I was genuinely happy, I had no choice but to suppress my emotion.


    That was because I was wondering what kind of route I had to take to make the bastard increase the distance between us. I wondered if it would be better to send him back to the closed training after giving him a good talk, but¡­


    That didn¡¯t suit me well.


    ¡®You have to drag rather than get dragged.¡¯


    I felt like it would be better to draw a line right at that moment rather than leading a warm atmosphere. I was sorry, but my top priority was to handle the post-work. I spoke after taking a deep breath.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been such a long time that I can¡¯t seem to remember you.¡±


    ¡°Um¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a joke.¡±


    However, it was embedded with thorns. Hyunsung had a shocked and gloomy expression, sighing as if he felt dested upon my reply.


    When I fired a gaze at him, saying, ¡°Don¡¯t pretend to care now,¡± his pupils shook.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡­ was¡­¡±


    ¡°No. There is no need to be sorry at all. I already knew that you were busy¡­ I know that training is more important than anything else. You don¡¯t have to be here. You didn¡¯t even have time to contact me¡­ Isn¡¯t it time to go to training again? Don¡¯t mind me and go. I¡¯m fine, Hyunsung.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ I mean¡­¡±


    ¡°I know there are three more months left before the scheduled time¡­¡±


    ¡°No. That¡­ Based on my development¡­ It should be fine¡­ now.¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯m really okay, so go back to practice.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t just saying that. I really meant it. I used a provocative voice, unlike usual. I could be certain that Kim Hyunsung would be shocked.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry, Hyunsung, but¡­ Don¡¯t even insist on doing the post-work together with me here. Just go ahead and do what you have to do. That¡¯s the right option. I have my own schedule and matters to be resolved, and if you keep doing this here, I¡¯ll get very ufortable.¡¯


    ¡°The¡­ training is already over.¡±


    ¡®The training is over my ass, you bastard. Don¡¯t give me that.¡¯


    ¡°No. I¡¯m actually okay. My body¡¯s back to normal, and everything has been resolved. Thank you for your concern, but¡­ you have to get stronger. Now, go train.¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s toote to be worried now. Stop worrying about me and do what you have to do.¡¯


    ¡°No. The training really is over. From now on¡­ yes, I can stay here now that all of the troops at the joint training center have to be moved to the base. So¡­ So¡­ Are you reallypletely healed now?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I think there isn¡¯t anything wrong with me. Actually, the wound wasn¡¯t that big in the first ce, and I¡¯ve been asleep for a long time¡­ due to a decrease in my stamina. I wasn¡¯t injured or mentally damaged as much as you thought. Weren¡¯t you with Hyejin?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ yes, she¡¯ll probably arrive soon.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what they were doing, but it seemed that he had abandoned Cho Hyejin and came running. Not surprisingly, Cho Hyejin entered the room before long.


    She carefully closed the open door and came in. When she saw me awake, she nodded.


    ¡°You¡¯re up.¡±


    ¡°Ah! Please sit here, Hyejin!¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ okay.¡±


    ¡®Look who¡¯s here. The pride of our Blue Guild, the hope of the Blue Guild, our Hyejin is here!¡¯


    I looked at her with a proud expression, but she looked back at me as if to say, ¡®What¡¯s wrong with you? Why are you suddenly acting like that?¡¯


    ¡°Come here.¡±


    I momentarily put a business smile on my face and called her over with a sweet voice, but her reaction wasn¡¯t that nice. Still, didn¡¯t she deserve to receive such treatment?


    ¡®Whew¡­ our hero is here. The top contributor who saved the light of the continent hase.¡¯


    The guild member came to save me alone while the revolutionary three participated in the revolution outside the building. She was the warrior who responded to the threat when the regressor was keen on his training.


    There was no way I could forget her beautiful and cool appearance that reminded me of Zhao Yun.


    I didn¡¯t know about anyone else, but I only knew that I had to treat her well.


    She looked at me with a face that told me I was acting creepy when I patted her back with a warm smile, but I wanted to praise her a hundred times more.


    ¡°Please have some tea here, Hyejin.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ good.¡±


    She seemed to suspect if it was poisonous or not. However, when she looked quietly toward Kim Hyunsung, I could see that she was taking the tea.


    ¡®Our Hyejin has be very clever.¡¯


    Cho Hyejin, who was very slow, was now realizing it. That when she gets along with other men, Kim Hyunsung would get slightly jealous.


    That was the only reason why she seemed to ept this overly kind favor.


    Usually, she would say, ¡®What are you doing now? Please stop making that annoying face.¡¯


    She not only sat down, but she took a sip of the tea as well, just as I instructed.


    ¡®At this point, she won¡¯t even need a coach.¡¯


    I wondered how the fool who didn¡¯t know anything had grown so much. It was clear that all of the advice I gave while ying chess with her became her bones and flesh.


    Kim Hyunsung looked slightly ufortable. He looked like he was nervous, but I didn¡¯t really need to give any otherments towards him. Rather, I thought that he was the one being careful.


    ¡°Um, I mean¡­¡±


    It felt like there would be one more bag in the house within a few days. The guild members began toe in just as I was wondering if it would be better to take care of him a little bit, seeing him looking like an abandoned puppy.


    Jung Hayan came running in a hurry.


    ¡°O-Oppa¡­ Ugh¡­ Oppa¡­¡±


    It was a month earlier than the promise, but I couldn¡¯t tell her to go back at that moment.


    Although what happened at District 5, which was in ruins, bothered me, it was only proper to hold her tightly.


    ¡°Waaaahh¡­ I missed you. I missed you.¡±


    ¡®Yes. You endured well, Hayan. You¡¯ve done so much. Even though the walls were smashed, your firepower was amazing. You¡¯re beyond extraordinary.¡¯


    Another person nodded more satisfactorily than anyone else.


    ¡®Sora¡­ yes. You also worked hard.¡¯


    I gestured for her toe closer to hug me with a pure heart, but she didn¡¯te to me as if she felt threatened. It was Sun Hee-young who took that ce, wiping her tears.


    ¡°I missed you.¡±


    Since she said that, I finished with a quiet pat on her back.


    Ahn Ki-mo embraced me afterward, and I also patted Kim Chang-ryul¡¯s back, who hugged me as well.


    Since there were many guild members, it was tiring to greet them all. I had already hugged Elena earlier, so I skipped her, and the next one was Yoo Ahyoung.


    ¡°Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°Did you grow a lot?¡±


    ¡°Yes, thanks to you.¡±


    Looking at her with my Mind¡¯s Eyes, it was clear that her ss had changed.


    ¡®Yes, yes, our precious cksmith. During that time, you¡¯ve been working hard as a unit among the dwarves.¡¯


    Even Park Deokgu¡¯s girl, Hwang Jeong-yeon, had grown.


    ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard in the guild.¡±


    ¡°Are you giving me a bonus?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Although Kim Ye-ri¡¯s face told me she didn¡¯t want to hug me, she still did. Right then, I felt arge pig hugging my body tightly.


    Although I was worried about my bones breaking, it seemed that he was controlling his strength.


    Hearing him sniffling, I guessed tears were probably popping out of his eyes. I thought he would be like that because he had always been a warm-hearted guy, but I didn¡¯t know how to react.


    ¡°You worked hard too.¡±


    ¡°You worked the hardest. I didn¡¯t do anything. I¡¯ll do everything from now on, so you just lie in bed.¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t say that kind of thing.¡¯


    The only one left after exchanging greetings with the guild members was Kim Hyunsung, who had maintained an awkward posture.


    I wanted to pretend I didn¡¯t notice that, but it wouldn¡¯t be a very good scene for other guild members to see. As I quietly nced, I could see the guy slowly approaching.


    I was ufortable because I was sitting in bed, but we decided to wrap up the short greeting by patting each other¡¯s backs.


    ¡°Er¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m so¡­ sorry.¡±


    ¡®Say those words when they¡¯re not around. What would they think?¡¯


    ¡°No, as I said earlier, it¡¯s okay.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    ¡®So let¡¯s take a little break. It won¡¯t take long. I¡¯ll take care of all this and have a drink with you.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know if he got what I was thinking, but one thing was certain. Kim Hyunsung¡¯s face was stained with regret. I kept speaking with the nuance of keeping a short distance, after all. He probably wouldn¡¯t be able to mark me closely.


    As for the others¡¯ expressions, I thought it would be best to ask Cho Hyejin or Jung Hayan and Hee-ra if they had time.


    ¡®Ah¡­ It¡¯s been a long time since we met and the atmosphere became a little warm¡­ If I talk about work right now, will I sound too cold?¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t stand it because I was curious about whether there were any other remnants left like Mikhail and Natalie, and if so, whether they were properly captured.


    ¡®I think it would be better to bring in Jihye¡­¡¯


    That would definitely be the best course of action to take.

 Chapter 586: Reunion after a Long Time, and… (3)

    <h4>Chapter 586: Reunion after a Long Time, and¡­ (3)</h4>


    We had finally reunited after one year. Everyone was busyughing and talking to each other.


    During the four days I was unconscious, they couldn¡¯t stop talking as if they didn¡¯t have a chance to get together before.


    ¡®No, looking closely, it doesn¡¯t look like that.¡¯


    Some seemed to have already met and had a meal together.


    ¡®But they wouldn¡¯t have met that frequently.¡¯


    Wasn¡¯t that only natural? Even if the guild members were scattered for a year, it didn¡¯t mean that they had left their duties or responsibilities.


    Hwang Jeong-yeon and Sun Hee-young were still in charge of the Blue Guild, and Kim Hyunsung and Cho Hyejin couldn¡¯t leave the joint training center.


    Even in Kim Chang-ryul and Kim Ye-ri¡¯s case, it was not easy. Since they had professional characteristics, they were forced to take on several and various tasks.


    Considering that even Elena was dealing with matters rted to different races, the only ones who felt at ease were Jung Hayan and Park Deokgu.


    In fact, I didn¡¯t want those trollers to do anything else, but my stomach had already begun to hurt for some unfathomable reason.


    I naturally couldn¡¯t entrust them with an espionage mission, but they didn¡¯t have any administrative capabilities, either.


    Jung Hayan looked like she didn¡¯t train separately aftering to the North.


    Should I have taught her how to manage the guild before? I thought about it, but I couldn¡¯t leave anything to them. Perhaps the other guild members knew that as well, so they left the two alone.


    ¡®I don¡¯t think it¡¯d be bad to teach a little bit of guild work to Hayan, but¡­¡¯


    If she knew how things worked around the Blue, I wondered if she would think about me more each time she had an ident, but I rejected it.


    Perhaps she would be anxious, preventing her from staying still. As I thought about Jung Hayan, the 5th district, which had copsed due to her, lingered in my mind.


    Naturally, I became curious about what happened after I passed out. I wanted to meet Lee Jihye quickly and ask her what happened to the post-work.


    Shouldn¡¯t everyone have other things to do? There had to be other works left. I had hope, but I stopped myself even if it meant I had to force the work behind me.


    ¡®Yes, let¡¯s just hang out today.¡¯


    I wanted to drive the guild members away by pretending to be sick, but the situation was more likely to worsen. It was more beneficial to get up and appeal that there was nothing wrong with me.


    As I slowly stood up, my eyes focused immediately. Several people, including Kim Hyunsung, ran to support me, but the first one that got to me was Jung Hayan.


    The appearance of her running and taking a seat next to me reminded me of unknown insanity.


    The pig, who saw it, satisfyingly spoke.


    ¡°The only one who should take care of hyung-nim is Hayan, after all. Is it okay for you to be moving, though?¡±


    ¡°Of course, there¡¯s no problem except for a little loss of physical strength¡­ Isn¡¯t that right, Elena?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ definitely¡­ it is, but¡­¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t try to add any more details. That¡¯s enough. Don¡¯t say anything useless, and let¡¯s eat instead.¡¯


    ¡°I think I want to eat something.¡±


    While saying that, I stared at Kim Hyunsung. In fact, it didn¡¯t matter what my rmendation was. Kim Hyunsung was the Blue Guild Master, not me.


    Most of all, I wasn¡¯t currently part of the Blue Guild, so it was only proper for him to rmend, decide, and control even a small part. As expected, I saw him nodding and addressing the members.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while since we¡¯ve gathered like this, so it would be nice to have a simple meal with everyone.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for you to say that. So, are we all having a drink together today?¡±


    ¡°I think it would be better to drink only enough to not interfere with work tomorrow. It¡¯s just dinner. We shouldn¡¯t be here like this. Let¡¯s move on.¡±


    ¡°I know. Hyung-nim, if you¡¯re feeling okay¡­ Would you like to have a drink too?¡±


    ¡°No, Kiyoung¡­¡±


    ¡°I think one drink should be fine.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    At that moment, everyone¡¯s gaze was fixed on Elena.


    The Elf Princess ever so slowly nodded as if she was reluctant.


    I was sorry, but it would be like torture if I couldn¡¯t get along with them on a day like that. Park Deokgu was singing a strange song, showcasing that he was in a very good mood.


    I didn¡¯t know why she was excited, but Jung Hayan also seemed to be highly energized.


    ¡®I like this too.¡¯


    As we had finally gathered after such a long time, I felt genuinely d to see the guild members. It was also nice to feel Jung Hayan stick to me like a cicada sticking to a tree and hearing the voice of Park Deokgu, who had always been loud right from the very first day.


    The same went for Ahn Ki-mo¡¯s silly jokes and Yoo Ahyoung¡¯s reactions that responded appropriately to the mood. Although I wasining in my mind, there was no way I wouldn¡¯t like spending time with the guild members.


    We left immediately. I wondered if I should change my clothes, but I just decided to go out in my usual clothes.


    I settled with just a white shirt and jeans. The restaurant wasn¡¯t that far away, after all. We managed to get a seat easily, and of course, the conversations never stopped.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve been wondering. Why was Hyejin only the one that came? No, how did you know we¡¯re in trouble?¡±


    ¡°Actually¡­ I went to y chess.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡®We didn¡¯t have a spiritual connection like I thought.¡¯


    ¡°I came here first, but the people said you went to another district. I went straight with a Griffon and headed to District 5¡¯s office building. Of course, I couldn¡¯t even dream about what was happening inside. Although I did feel something strange¡­¡±


    ¡°Hyejin is right. I was outside then. Well, I couldn¡¯t even imagine that something like that would happen. I just thought you were in negotiations or doing other talks. The government building suddenly copsing scared the hell out of me. When I saw hyung-nim¡¯s appearance at that time, my heart almost fell right out, right, Ki-mo?¡±


    ¡°I think I was lucky that Ye-ri and Deokgu were there¡­¡±


    ¡°This is all fate. Doesn¡¯t it give you goosebumps when you consider that everything fitted perfectly like a puzzle? Goddess Benignore led us there.¡±


    ¡®He doesn¡¯t even pray¡­¡¯


    ¡°What was Ye-ri doing?¡±


    As I looked at Kim Ye-ri, who came with Kim Hyunsung, she spoke in a low voice.


    ¡°Uncle Deokgu said that we should catch them.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°He said there might be people who had run away¡­ he asked to look around the government building.¡±


    ¡®Whew¡­ that¡¯s why they say that practice makes perfect.¡¯


    Park Deokgu¡¯s growth made me feel proud.


    ¡°So, did you catch them?¡±


    There was no verbal answer. However, seeing that she did a small V with her hand, they seemed to have achieved something. I had no choice but to shout ¡°Nice, Kim Ye-ri!¡± deep inside.


    It was impossible for Mikhail and Natalie to escape. They might have captured the two reactionaries as well as the remaining members of the Order.


    ¡°Mikhail and Natalie¡­¡±


    Again, no answer was heard. Instead, Kim Ye-ri¡¯s raised a V finger once more.


    ¡®Oh, you¡¯re great¡­ Deokgu, you did a good job too. Really, you did amazingly well this time.¡¯


    ¡°By the way, how have you been?¡±


    ¡°It was the same every day. Working¡­ sometimes having a ss of wine by myself¡­ and working again¡­ what did you do?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been wandering here and there. Before I left, I thought a year would pass by quickly, but it was much longer than I thought. I can¡¯t even exin what happened to Ki-mo and me. There were times when just the two of us went into a dungeon and almost died.¡±


    ¡°There was that too, but we almost went through big trouble because of theck of food. Funds also ran out in the middle of the trip. There were times when I wanted to get help from the guild, but¡­ it was a little embarrassing¡­ I stopped by and worked from time to time, but the treatment was better than I thought.¡±


    ¡°I saw it on Benignore Net. There were a lot ofments.¡±


    It was Hwang Jeong-yeon who suddenly intervened in the conversation.


    ¡®Yes, I thought you would do that a lot.¡¯


    I wonder if she spent her days as if she lived at Benignore Net.


    ¡°Actually, it was something I should have done in Lindel¡­ I thought I was going to settle in the nearby forest. I couldn¡¯t even imagine pushing to go north as it was. Thanks to Deokgu and Ki-mo, there wasn¡¯t much damage, and I was very relieved. Oh, you mean what happened to Lindel? To tell you that, we¡¯ll need to go back exactly eight months ago. The fact is¡­¡±


    For some reason, it felt like the story would be lengthy. Whenever Hwang Jeong-yeon looked like that, it was always better to stay as far away as possible.


    As I turned my gaze from Park Deokgu and Ahn Ki-mo, who couldn¡¯t escape, I heard Yoo Ahyoung and Kim Chang-ryul talking.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It was a bit rough, but he has certainly taught me a lot. At first, I was dissatisfied with learning from the basics¡­ I think I got something other than the knowledge the system provides¡­¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Would you like to see it?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The story of Yoo Ahyoung, who had been with the Dwarves for some time, was in full swing there. Cho Hyejin, who was walking not very far from me until we took a seat, was having a conversation with Sun Hee-young, which seemed to be about work.


    ¡®The two of them can¡¯t give up work even here.¡¯


    The atmosphere was extremely warm. I watched them talk to each other about of topics and catch up. I also felt like I was smiling sincerely after so long.


    It was the same after the food was served.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this a mirror salmon?¡±


    ¡®Ah, that was really good.¡¯


    The foodforted both my tongue and stomach.


    I had no time to worry about meals the past few months, so I hadpletely forgotten it. I became even more grateful that I met them again. I didn¡¯t know why I was with them, all I know was that I was in a good mood.


    The ss of white wine was perfect for setting the mood¡­ We seemed to be drinking as if we were in a real drinking party.


    Soon after, the voices began to get louder little by little, and finally, I heard chattering voices.


    ¡°So, I¡¯m saying that¡¯s what I said at that time! Hey! Let go of that hand!¡±


    Some guys were unraveling their own adventures, and some were spitting and debating.


    ¡°Just have one more drink. O-O-Oppa.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Well. I don¡¯t think it would be a problem.¡±


    ¡°A little more. L-Let me serve you.¡±


    ¡°No. There is still a bit left. It¡¯s been a while since we¡¯ve done it, so shall we have a toast?


    ¡°Yes, yes, yes.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t have a hard time, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ it was¡­ a bit hard, but¡­¡±


    Just looking at Han Sora¡¯s face, I could see how hard it was for Jung Hayan. Those faces that silently looked at me seemed to contain all kinds of hardships and trials that urred in the past year.


    We were having so much fun that no words could exin how I was feeling. When I saw Kim Hyunsung, who couldn¡¯t speak to me easily, I realized that my small n was sessful.


    Maybe, for the time being, he would linger a few steps away from me.


    Although it felt like it wasn¡¯t enough, we ended our get-together at about 2 a.m.


    There were many silly stories, but no one would¡¯ve had any disagreement over the fact that it was a time well spent.


    The next morning, Lee Jihye came to me in good timing.


    ¡°Did you have funst night?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ Yes, somehow.¡±


    ¡°There was a bag and a letter at the door¡­ I don¡¯t know who sent it, but I put it inside. Here is the list of documents that were processed when you were sleeping¡­ Benignore Net¡¯s reaction is here¡­ The size of the damage and the current situation is on the back page. Unfortunately, it doesn¡¯t contain any information that came from Mikhail¡¯s mouth. Even though he¡¯s about to die soon, he said he wants to talk to you.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    ¡°What are you doing? It¡¯s time to work. How much liquor did this man drink? Get up quickly. You have been taking a good rest so far.¡±


    ¡®Yes, I¡¯m getting up, Jihye.¡¯


    I had also been waiting for that moment anyway.

 Chapter 587: Reunion after a Long Time, And… (4)

    <h4>Chapter 587: Reunion after a Long Time, And¡­ (4)</h4>


    It was hard to get up due to the feeling that my fatigue was constantly umting, but I had no choice.


    Immediately after noticing Lee Jihye¡¯s expression, which was slightly worse than mine, I had to force my body up slowly.


    While I was away, she had clearly struggled to take care of every matter. I felt like there was irritation in her voice even when she was just speaking about ordinary topics.


    Considering that her way of speaking was different from usual, it seemed that her stress had piled up due to the heavy workload.


    ¡°I¡¯m saying that there are people who cause idents and people who fix them. Jung Hayan¡¯s really annoying. She¡¯s the only one having fun in this situation. Of course, thanks to her, we sent the demon contractors to hell, but¡­ She¡¯s still annoying.¡±


    ¡°I guess the damage has been bigger than I thought.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you, I don¡¯t think District 5 will be alright. It didn¡¯t just crack. Itpletely copsed. Although some parts are still intact, I think we¡¯ll still have to repair everything. If you actually see it, you¡¯ll probably be shocked as well.¡±


    ¡°I saw how big the explosion was before I fainted. I didn¡¯t know how much the damage was going to be, but¡­ Have you started the recovery process?¡±


    ¡°No. There¡¯s no way I can start. The district has beenpletely designated as off-limits. I wanted to start it right away, but who would¡¯ve thought things that shouldn¡¯t be found would be found? Unless I get permission, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to touch the repair work. You never know, right? What they found was fabricated information, but if it gets into the hands of the workers, they¡¯ll start spreading rumors¡­¡±


    ¡®You¡¯re pretty good at handling things, Jihye.¡¯


    ¡°No matter how much control you have over Benignore Net, you can¡¯t stop word of mouth. You have to prevent it before it can even start.¡±


    ¡°What about the personnel organizing this?¡±


    ¡°They are all trustworthy people. You can rest assured. Just take a look. I don¡¯t know how systematically they worked, but their fabrication skills are out of this world.¡±


    ¡°Maybe they would have just kept preparing for it. Wouldn¡¯t it be obvious?¡±


    At this, Lee Jihye handed me a document with a smile.


    ¡®This one is also really thick-skinned.¡¯


    Although I responded just for her to not be embarrassed, it was surprising that she could say those words so casually. As I took the documents with a smile of my own, I realized that the reactionary bastards were struggling.


    ¡®They tried, at least.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know how they conducted background research about me, but I found some very detailed information.


    Some of the paragraphs were missing, almost as if they got lost in the midst of it. However, none caused me significant difficulty in understanding the contents.


    In a sense, the information came from the tutorial to the present, and they had a terrifying amount of details. It was even filled with knowledge about what kind of person others around me were. I felt an unidentified tenacity and anger beyond malice and hostility.


    The scariest thing about it was that I didn¡¯t know they were collecting such kind of information.


    ¡®I guess I¡¯ve be a lot softer too.¡¯


    I thought I was behaving carefully in my own way, but I guess it hadn¡¯t been enough.


    The potion that was released during Ito Souta¡¯s incident, the Laios demon summoning incident, the undead summoning that erupted during the war with the Republic, the 27th Corps raid, other major events, and small incidents were all listed in detail.


    ¡°Each part has hundreds of subdocuments. The important ones have even more than that. Most of them are just theories, and they don¡¯t have enough evidence to support the situation. Still, even though some parts were forcibly put together, it¡¯s undeniable that the reactionary bastards were thorough with it.¡±


    ¡°I think so, too.¡±


    ¡°The Goddess¡¯s Mirror to the Goddess¡¯s Hand Mirror, media maniption and incitement, Crack Museum, and unfair trade or market price maniption rted to the distribution of potions. Even the ck market. I was a little surprised by it. Even yourwork was written into a few books¡­ Their evaluation of me is also impressive. They made me more trashy than you are. What did I do to deserve that¡­ Of course, it doesn¡¯t mean it bothers me, but their evaluation is too harsh. Since they¡¯re stupid, they probably made a mistake.¡±


    ¡®What the hell is she talking about?¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s already the 5th day, but more are still being discovered. If only the government building hadn¡¯t copsed, it wouldn¡¯t have been necessary to suffer like this¡­¡±


    ¡°It already happened. There¡¯s nothing we can do about it.¡±


    ¡°So, how about this one? I want to hear your thoughts on this.¡±


    ¡°Certainly, as you said, their fabrication skills are extraordinary. That¡¯s it, though. Who¡¯d even believe this?¡±


    They wouldn¡¯t have been able to use their fabricated information regardless.


    If it was used at Benignore Net, it was obvious that they would be caught. Even if they used the media, there was no one brave enough to go so far as to take such documents out to the world.


    All they could¡¯ve done would have been to use it for education to give legitimacy to their actions.


    It seemed that I could tell how the reactionaries and the group with them were so perfectly brainwashed. Seeing that their recruitment was done in a restricted ce, how could one prevent being brainwashed?


    ¡®I have to pay attention around District 5.¡¯


    There was no gue as worse as their brainwashing methods. Considering that their movements were limited, the gue might not have spread that far, but the possibility of it infiltrating other ces couldn¡¯t bepletely ruled out.


    99 out of 100 wouldn¡¯t be shaken, but it was better topletely eradicate the possibility to prevent even thest one from being turned into an enemy.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Mikhail?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s right downstairs. Are you heading there right now?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I think it would be better to do that¡­ I¡¯ll get ready for a second¡­ still, I have to dress properly. You didn¡¯t do anything to him, right?¡±


    ¡°I vented out a little bit of anger. Actually, the work hasn¡¯t been done yet. The Blue Guild wanted to interrogate him, but they remained silent because I used your name against them. Anyway, prepare quickly. I¡¯ll go ahead.¡±


    ¡°Wait. Just in case, please contact Hyejin and Park Li-ahn.¡±


    ¡°Do you need an escort?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just that I need to show them what¡¯s about to happen. Oh, and¡­ Have you found a magic circle or evidence that they might have used to summon demons in District 5?¡±


    ¡°Not yet. I think we¡¯ll find one soon. They were probably living in an underground cave like rats¡­ That ce was alsopletely buried until yesterday. You know what I mean, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I understand the gist of it.¡±


    In other words, it seemed that there weren¡¯t enough people to work on it.


    If it were simply demolition, it might have been possible to finish the job within five days, but District 5 was a big piece of evidence itself.


    Of course, people had to dig around it with care. Hence, it naturally took longer.


    That was the reason themittee was holding on to the scene and keeping it off-limits, reasoning out using some bullsh*t that the demon¡¯s magical power was still mixed in the atmosphere.


    ¡®I was a little worried, but it looks like they¡¯ve got it under control.¡¯


    The tasks wouldn¡¯t have been easy to do since I was out ofmission.


    Anyway, after washing my face, I put on an outfit and went outside. Lee Jihye immediately urged me to make haste.


    She had been waiting for me with Cho Hyejin outside as if she had contacted her in advance.


    Cho Hyejin, who had many things to do as it was, seemed to have a reluctant expression, but she was most likely be aware of the necessity of escorting me.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t the Guild Master say that you wouldn¡¯t need an escort?¡± Why are you taking me? It seemed like you¡¯ve been expecting me, too.¡±


    ¡°The reason is not important. It¡¯ll be good for you too.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­¡±


    ¡°After that, let¡¯s y chess. We can put off today¡¯s work¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not the only one that¡¯s busy.¡±


    ¡°I get that you two are close, but we have to move quickly. We have a lot to do today.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean we¡¯re close?¡±


    ¡®No, what am I to you then if you deny that? I¡¯ll feel hurt.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know if it was a joke or she was being serious. Regardless, I saw her quietly speaking to Lee Jihye. Thinking about it, I realized that that was the first time I had seen Lee Jihye and Cho Hyejin together.


    I didn¡¯t know how Cho Hyejin, who had the same stubbornness as Castle Rock¡¯s walls, would treat her, but for some reason, it felt like they could never get closer to each other.


    It felt as if the awkward air around them was strangling me as they looked at each other in an unfriendly manner. I wanted to say, ¡®I hope you two be closer,¡¯ but I didn¡¯t want to take the lead and stress myself out, considering they wouldn¡¯t be bumping into each other that frequently anyway.


    ¡°The Guild Master told me to pay attention to your safety¡­ What about calling Hayan?¡±


    ¡°Are you serious?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    I looked at Cho Hyejin, who had suddenly be quiet. Of course, if the ce I was going to were really dangerous, I would have taken Jung Hayan, but there was no need.


    I wasn¡¯t meeting the demon contractors. I was about to meet Mikhail, who was no different from an ordinary person. Even I couldn¡¯t understand why I needed to be careful of a guy who couldn¡¯t move properly because his whole body was bound.


    I even felt like I wanted to leave Cho Hyejin behind.


    As I continued to walk while lost in thoughts, my vision became darker and darker.


    I entered the prison, which was directly managed and supervised by the Protection Management Committee. It had been a while since Ist visited the ce. The environment I passed that looked rtively neat began to change as I entered the room.


    I heard screams intermittently, and the smell became increasingly disgusting. Cho Hyejin slightly frowned, but she didn¡¯t say anything.


    Eventually, after passing fiverge doors, the face I wanted to see finally came into my eyes.


    ¡®You traitorous bastard.¡¯


    He wasmonly known as ¡°helper¡± Mikhail.


    He was a war criminal who backed the demon contractors and tried to poison the light of the continent. Right before me was the great chatan that supported the continent¡¯s enemies with the blood of the continent¡¯s people.


    Hemitted all sorts of illegal activities and led the workers to the edge of the cliff. All the things he¡¯d done were enough for him to win the title of human trash.


    Nobody could deny that he was a criminal.


    ¡®The bastard looks surprisingly good. ¡°


    I realized that he was sleeping when I saw his head tilting while tied to a chair, but he soon looked at me quietly when he noticed my presence. Mikhail looked like he had given up, but he didn¡¯t look guilty even when he was about to die.


    He still seemed to think that his choice wasn¡¯t wrong.


    ¡°Well¡­ Long time no see.¡±


    ¡°Long time¡­ no see, Chairman.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say tofort you¡­ It¡¯s a shame that the situation is like this, isn¡¯t it? You know why I¡¯m here. Well, let me ask this at least once before we get to the main point.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Why did you betray us?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Why did you turn your back on the continent? Why did you throw the opportunity to have a good life with your own hands? It¡¯s a bit embarrassing to say this myself, but I trusted you in my own way. That¡¯s why I put you on the executive board and gave you a chance. Yet you betrayed my trust and expectations.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Even so, my heart is soft. You don¡¯t even know how hurt I was when a poisoned tea was served to me. So tell me. What did you betray us for?¡±


    ¡°Belief.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s for belief.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Have you ever heard of something like this?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Have you heard that there is nothing scarier than a person who doesn¡¯t know anything else but their belief?¡±

 Chapter 588: Unknown Future (1)

    <h4>Chapter 588: Unknown Future (1)</h4>


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing more frightening than stupid people having faith¡­ Thinking about it, I realized that it¡¯s referring to individuals like you. You don¡¯t know how this continent works, what¡¯s here, what¡¯s going to happen. How nice would it have been if you were as still as the rest? Belief, my ass¡­ How can you still say that even after you witnessed the scene caused by the demon contractors?¡±


    ¡°I think¡­ what you just told me¡­ answers the question.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Every intelligent creature living here deserves to live with their own thoughts and self-judgment. They must have their own convictions and act freely ording to their own will. That¡¯s what it means to be a human¡­ gasp¡­ that¡¯s how humans should live.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Thank you for making me realize it once again¡­ about what you think about the people¡­ and how you look at and treat them. I¡¯m grateful to you for proving that my choice wasn¡¯t wrong.¡±


    He kept breathing heavily as if it was hard for him to talk.


    ¡®That¡¯s just bullsh*t.¡¯


    It was so ridiculous that I was on the verge ofughing.


    ¡®Intellectual creatures? Judge by themselves? That his choice wasn¡¯t wrong?¡¯


    The thought that he had watched too many anime shows that supposedly weren¡¯t avable on the continent came to me.


    ¡°You must have watched too many cartoon movies. I can¡¯t understand what you¡¯re talking about at all¡­ Who else loves the people as much as I do?¡±


    ¡°They are not stupid. They aren¡¯t stupid and can stand up on their own. I ¡­ I just think that your way isn¡¯t right. You might have thought of yourself as the continent¡¯s medicine, but you¡¯re not. You are the continent¡¯s cancer. You¡¯re nothing but a dictator who deceives the people and standardizes their ideas. You¡¯re the one who¡¯s making them ignorant. You¡¯re the one who¡¯s making a fool out of them.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°The continent is decaying. Your greed¡­ is destroying the entirety of it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re good with words, Mikhail. I used to like that about you. Are you done?¡±


    ¡°Although this job ended in failure, I¡¯ll never regret that I rebelled against you. I thought I did what I had to do¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what I did so wrong for you to be driving me into the corner like this.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t pretend like you really don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Even though there were a few things that bothered me, all I did was for the continent. While you may feel that I have deprived them of their rights, the result of my contribution to the continent does not change. Turn your head and see how far the continent has developed. Let¡¯s go over the State first. You must have forgotten the fact that the State used to be called an empire.¡±


    ¡°Nothing has changed. It just changed from emperor and empress to Oscar and the Chairman, from nobility to council. The revolution was not a victory for the people. It was for you. Although it has been pleasinglybeled as divine democracy, the current State cannot be seen as a country that aims for democracy. It is just a means of securing power by selling the name of God. More than half of the council is made up of your people, and you hold power over all the media and administrative agencies. It isn¡¯t democracy. It¡¯s simply a power shift. Rather, to a more vicious leadership.¡±


    ¡°Haha, the democratic fighters who participated in the imperial revolution would be very disappointed to hear that. Who was the one who ripped the hierarchy system out of the old State?¡±


    ¡°It no longer makes a distinction betweenmoners and nobles, but it cannot be said that the stratum has disappeared¡­ The State is still part of that system. It was you who made that stratum.¡±


    ¡°There is no denying that the quality of life has improved as a result.¡±


    ¡°The gap between the rich and the poor has not narrowed.¡±


    ¡°You think so much about the people like that but wanted to ignore the pain of workers.¡±


    ¡°I feel sorry for them, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Their sacrifice was for a great cause. Whew¡­ You¡¯re amazing and fun. It depends on how you look at it. Gosh¡­ The sin youmitted was a sacrifice for a great cause¡­ I don¡¯t know why you don¡¯t think that¡¯s what I did.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I saw Mikhail shutting his mouth for a moment. He didn¡¯t look embarrassed. Even when I thought about it, it sounded like sophistry.


    ¡°Well, I will not deny your words.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°But let¡¯s go over this. I respect humans. It¡¯s not like you think that I¡¯m denying or looking at humans as stupid. Where in the world is there a person who denies individual possibilities? I¡¯m not trying to control their enlightenment because I think of humans as fools. Rather, the problem is that the bastards are too smart.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°If only one is smart, there is no problem, but it is a different story if said intellectual individuals unite and fight together.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t have paid much attention if it wasn¡¯t umon. It doesn¡¯t matter what happens, who fights with whom, and if they do some bullsh*t that I¡¯m not aware of. I only need to eat well and live well¡­ but you know what? The situation I¡¯m in right now isn¡¯t a situation where I can just look at such bullsh*t, Mikhail. Is it true that you said that you believe in humans and that I should believe in them as well?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Look at the results of that. Why would someone reliable do this? Try to remember and look at what happened when the public was left to make a choice. You don¡¯t even have to look for it that hard. Start from what happened recently, then look at them in turn. No, before I came in, what was the state of the continent a few years ago? How peaceful it was that would make you miss the old days. I didn¡¯t know how happy it was to shout for freedom of the people and try to make them benefit widely.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I think the fertility rate and the economic growth rate have soared. It must have been peaceful. There were no quarrels, and you must have been having a great time. I guess it¡¯s wrong for me to join the continent. It seems a lot different from what I knew, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t like that, you know. The war never ceased, and many people had been dying of famine. The continent was in a situation where there were more bad events than good ones, and everyone roared at each other and encouraged everyone to dive into crimes. I know that for a fact. My memory is not bad.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying that you¡¯re right?¡±


    ¡°Right now, just look at the Republic. Those from the Order are also really stupid individuals. They shouldn¡¯t have lived in the past. Jin Qing, didn¡¯t you know that he wasn¡¯t a clean person in the first ce? He is a war criminal. The Republic was the one that caused the war, and it was the State and the Blue Guild that was in the victim¡¯s position. Where did the Republic start it? Every time skirmishes took ce within the battlefields, dozens of people were killed. What about the different races? Tens of thousands of interracial ves suffered and were discriminated against by the humans that you love. The battles with the different races were never-ending, and the strong trampled the weak, and the weak trampled those even weaker. They quarreled due to petty reasons and pointed their swords at each other. What do you think, Mikhail? I¡¯m not bragging about me, but what would it have been like without me? Do you think humanity would have united as one and made a decisive step toward a new future?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Why couldn¡¯t humanity move toward a better reality during the thousands and tens of thousands of years of the continent¡¯s history? Even though you believed that humans enjoyed free and inconspicuous lives without any control, why couldn¡¯t they make any progress toward development? Aren¡¯t you curious? I can¡¯t answer that, so if you can, please let me know, Mikhail.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just self-rationalization. You are rationalizing dictatorship.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s to say that¡¯s true?¡±


    ¡°What are you saying¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m doing this sh*t here because of the baggage I¡¯m holding. There is no such thing as a grand n or goal as you thought. To exaggerate a little, I¡¯m doing this to take care of my people. I¡¯m not saving face, but let¡¯s look at the results. Hey, who do you think is the reason that the war on the continent ceased entirely?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Who do you think it is that made the people who¡¯d been struggling for tens of thousands of years without meaning shut their mouths for a moment and work toward a collective goal? Let¡¯s assume from now on that I leave the judgment to the individuals and release all control.¡±


    ¡°Your way¡­¡±


    ¡°As I was saying, I disagree with your opinion. Nevertheless, suppose you, the Order, and the reactionaries created the world they wanted. Maybe there will be a day when you are as happy as you say you would be, and everyone would be able tough. I think that for an instant, all human beings may realize the love of humanity, shed tears ofment, and hold hands. But I have a lot of doubts about that scenario. I don¡¯t have any reason to make that choice when I¡¯m under stress due to being ced in a situation I know nothing about.¡±


    ¡°Your methods are wrong.¡±


    ¡°Where cubs appear, water would eventually be dirtied, tes would be smashed, and all the paintings you¡¯ve drawn would be destroyed. Will you let them keep running around wildly? Considering such a big risk, can you still preach about being free or removing control? I did what I have to do to achieve the best oue. I learned from the history of humanity so far, rather than from the buzz of idealists chasing clouds, Mikhail.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Humans such as you are the viins in boys¡¯ic books. I don¡¯t want to save the continent while leaving all of the threats unattended. Did you think that aprehensive human like me is just wasting millions of gold coins into the walls we¡¯re building without any reason?¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡­¡±


    ¡°Jihye.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Please bring Yuno Kasugano here.¡±


    ¡°I shall do that.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even need to show the facts. But just because I know my words wouldn¡¯t make any difference otherwise, I¡¯ll show them to you.¡±


    Lee Jihye left the room. Mikhail looked as if he¡¯s trying to thinking about something.


    There was soundproofing magic applied, disallowing Cho Hyejin from hearing the conversation we were having, but she seemed to be roughly predicting the flow of it.


    Contrary to my worries that I would have to wait for a long time for them to get back, Yuno Kasugano slowly began to enter my sight.


    She wasn¡¯t one of the people I hadn¡¯t seen in a long time. After taking the Chairman position, I sometimes had to meet with Kasugano.


    She nodded, quietly greeting me. I wanted to have a simple conversation since the situation didn¡¯t even require long words.


    As I gestured slightly toward Yuno Kasugano, I watched her slowly approaching Mikhail.


    ¡°What are you trying to do now¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut up and look straight into her eyes.¡±


    ¡°ording to your will¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be delusional. Look at her eyes.¡±


    The moment Mikhail¡¯s eyes met hers, he slumped down as if he lost his consciousness.


    I, too, immediately started to feel the sensation of being sucked into a different ce.

 Chapter 589: Unknown Future (2)

    <h4>Chapter 589: Unknown Future (2)</h4>


    I wasn¡¯t in the ck world that I had always seen with Yuno Kasugano. What I was seeing was what would happen in the near future.


    There were human forces surrounded by dove-like angels, and it fell without resistance when a spear was thrown. I could see a destroyed city, heard continuous screaming, watching a river made of blood as corpses piled up towards the dark red sky.


    ¡®Help¡­ help me.¡¯


    ¡®Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!¡¯


    ¡®Oh, God¡­ Have you really abandoned us?¡¯


    I had also witnessed those who in the midst ofbat.


    The angelic forces poured over the walls. The united humanity that was blocking them looked desperate.


    The battlefield was filled with indescribable misery.


    I had also seen a warrior who had lost one arm continuing to swing his sword while screaming and a soldier, with his two legs cut, enduring the pain and pulling the bowstring. I had been through a lot of wars, but there hadn¡¯t been one that made me frown so much.


    ¡®Mother¡­ mother.¡¯


    ¡®Don¡¯t give up. This is for the continent. Remember that we have families, lights of the continent!¡¯


    ¡®We can¡¯t pass over the continent to monsters wearing angel masks!¡¯


    The walls made of magical stones copsed easily, and those who looked like soldiers of gods overwhelmed the united front. The people of the continent, struck by fear, screamed in pain as I saw the faces of those who knelt and prayed for salvation.


    A mother, who intercepted an angel to protect her child, was pierced by its spear. The father charged in out of anger, causing his neck to be sliced in half.


    Hell seemed to have been transferred into our world.


    The scene made me bite my lips in many ways.


    I wasn¡¯t angry at the heartbreaking scene of civilians.


    The problem was that District 5, where there were many recent incidents, had copsed walls, which meant it couldn¡¯t be properly repaired in time.


    ¡®I guess we can see things like this now.¡¯


    I quickly realized that Yuno Kasugano¡¯s abilities had also grown explosively.


    If my memory was correct, I didn¡¯t see such a scenest time. No, it was the same period, but the results were different. While I remembered it was definitely a little bit tenser, the new future had the forward base copse and losing ground badly.


    Despite the various thoughts in my head, the future that I saw before my eyes continued to progress.


    The Blue Guild members and Kim Hyunsung were fighting desperately. Angels surrounded Dialugia, and I was throwing Bomb of Light potions. Jung Hayan and the eight seats of the State were reducing the enemy¡¯s troops by utilizing long-standing explosive magic.


    Cha Hee-ra was tearing off the wings of angels while covered in blood.


    The situation on the battlefield, which quickly turned into chaos, was very different from what I had pictured. I wanted to show Mikhail the future, but many of the scenes would be helpful to me as well.


    ¡®This¡­ is a bad ending.¡¯


    I hadn¡¯t seen it to the end, but the war itself seemed to be irreversible.


    Even if it were going smoothly, it would only be a matter of time before humanity was killed one by one by the angels. The members of the Blue Guild, including Park Deokgu, weren¡¯t safe, either.


    I tried to concentrate a little more as it might have more information, but Yuno Kasugano¡¯s ability ended when a beautiful angel threw a spear toward someone nearby.


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    Poof.


    It felt like it was saying that it was all we could see.


    ¡®It ends every time around here.¡¯


    It was a shame.


    I wondered if there were some more useful information¡­ but, if Kasugano had seen something new, she would havee without me calling her. It wouldn¡¯t be wrong to assume there hadn¡¯t been much progress.


    Naturally, I tapped my thighs with my fingers for a moment and became alert.


    It was then that an unpleasant sound came from nearby.


    ¡°aarrghhh¡­¡±


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡°aaaaaaaaaaarghh¡­¡±


    The guy who was in front of me had begun to puke.


    ¡°Pant¡­ pant¡­ pant¡­ argh¡­aaarrgh! aaarrghh¡­¡±


    ¡°Did you see it?¡±


    ¡®It doesn¡¯t look like he can speak.¡¯


    I meant it literally. His face had already been distorted for quite some time.


    I didn¡¯t know if he was crying because of the inner pain or the shock of what he just saw, but it was a spectacle to see him covered with tears and a runny nose.


    Even though it had been a while, the way he was constantly vomiting looked really disgusting.


    ¡°rgh¡­ aargh¡­ pant¡­ pant¡­ pant¡­ ¡±


    ¡°I have been expecting it, but it seems that you¡¯re more shocked than I thought. I¡¯m curious about your impressions about your glimpse into the future. How was it?¡±


    ¡°rgh¡­ pant¡­ pant¡­¡±


    ¡°How was it?¡±


    ¡°Pant¡­ pant¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m asking how it was.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°W¡­ What did I just¡­ ugh¡­ I just¡­ ugh¡­ saw¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to ask you to trust me, Mikhail. Believing it or not is up to you¡­ I don¡¯t want to have to exin everything. You are the fourth person to see this. You can be a little happier. There is no need to cry.¡±


    ¡°What¡­ did I just see¡­?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t possible to confirm exactly when it¡¯s going to happen, but you can think of it as the future that will happen soon. Personally, I think that we have a little more time left¡­ It might start in one year, two years, or five years. But the clothes and appearance trends hadn¡¯t changed much, so I think we have a maximum of 10 years. The minimum is one year.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t¡­ believe it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m telling you that believing it or not is up to you. I¡¯ve shown you everything I can, Mikhail. It was announced that a threat wasing to the continent, and I continued to alert the entire continent about that matter. To the idiots who were drunk on conspiracy theories, it would appear as a n full of malicious intent to dominate the continent, but how could I have been able to take care of each of those bastards? I¡¯ve done everything I can. Benignore¡¯s advent seems to have been erased from their memory. You didn¡¯t seem to believe it, so I showed you more objective evidence, but it seems like you still don¡¯t believe it.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Mikhail, did you think that I really had no goals when I thought of using so much gold to raise the wall and build a forward base? Did you think I invested that amount of money in the Continental Joint Training Center to train an army to go one step further into dictatorship? Nobody¡¯s that crazy in this world.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ uughh.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already told you all of that. You can¡¯t even listen to me properly¡­ And there are many people like you. How can I act like a child¡¯s cartoon hero who leaves all the choices to the people? Do you understand what it means to watch everyone dying if I don¡¯t do anything? Do you understand what it means not to want to gamble on any other thing besides this?¡±


    ¡°Even so¡­ no matter how¡­ even so¡­¡±


    ¡°I know it¡¯s ethically wrong. But what can I do? Sometimes you have topromise with the world. Have you ever heard of a trolley experiment? I am the one who pulls the lever to save five people by sacrificing one. In our case, we don¡¯t have to sacrifice that one person. We¡¯re not in such a petty little situation. That is the result of the freedom you cried out so much about.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s better to stay alive even if you live in struggle. It¡¯s better to be a little bit hical than let everyone die together, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Another way¡­ there must have been another way. You¡­ are smart¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not. Had I been really smart, I would have found the way you shouted for so much. For reference, put the bullsh*t back in your throat about trusting the people of the continent once more. I¡¯ve already tried it, and I saw something that was more hellish than what you just saw.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Why¡­ Why did you show me that?¡±


    ¡°Why do you think I did, Mikhail?¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m not sure.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t just say that. Think carefully. Why do you think I showed you something like that?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You already know the answer.¡±


    ¡°You need my help.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s probably because you need my help. I don¡¯t know exactly what you want, but¡­ you need¡­ my help to stop them¡­ right? That is why¡­ you showed me those scenes. To persuade me, because there is something you need to leave to this poor person¡­ that¡¯s why¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the answer I¡¯ve been waiting for.¡±


    ¡°Can I ask¡­what you¡¯re going to entrust me with? I¡¯m still¡­ I¡¯m still confused, and I don¡¯t understand it properly. I don¡¯t know why you came and tried to convince me, what on earth I can do in such a situation, what is really right¡­ I don¡¯t know what choices I should make. In my heart, I still deny you, but my reason is telling me to follow you. It is telling me to do my best to defend the continent. If¡­ If what I¡¯ve seen is really going to happen in the near future¡­¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s not the right answer.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It was the answer I¡¯ve been waiting for, but it wasn¡¯t correct either.¡±


    ¡°What¡­ are¡­ you talking about¡­¡±


    ¡°Pff¡­ Fuhaha.¡±


    ¡°Why are youughing?¡±


    ¡°Puhhaheheheha. Is there any other reason tough other than there¡¯s something funny? Do you think that I showed you all this to ask for help? Did you really think so? Unfortunately, that¡¯s the wrong answer, Mikhail. What would be the reason?¡±


    ¡°Now¡­ what¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really nothing. I just wanted to prove you were wrong.¡±


    ¡°What¡­ What?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to let you know that you were wrong, fu¡­ fuhahahaha. That¡¯s why I showed you. Did you think there was a big reason? I was just venting out my anger¡­ Pfff, I mean, I wanted to show a little bit of reality to a dreamy idealist who cried out about his convictions. Puhahaha. That way, I would feel less wronged. Do you know how unpleasant your gaze was?¡±


    ¡°Wow¡­ I knew¡­ but, you¡­ you¡¯re a real bastard¡­ trash.¡±


    ¡®Jihye, it¡¯s not that.¡¯


    ¡°Why would I use you one more time? If it were the world of your dreams, it would go to the flow of ¡®I fought once, so I¡¯m a friend.¡¯ Could something like that happen here? I never believe anyone who already betrayed me. A bastard who backstabs once is bound to do it one more time. Puhahaha, what? Entrust you? Do you want to join up with me now to save the continent? You want toe and fight with the light now? You can¡¯t do that, demon helper bastard. ¡°


    ¡°A¡­ Asshole¡­¡±


    ¡°Screw you and spit out the information, because that¡¯s the only way you can contribute to the continent.¡±

 Chapter 590: Key Player (1)

    <h4>Chapter 590: Key yer (1)</h4>


    ¡°I guess he doesn¡¯t have as much valuable information as I thought.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s necessarily bad, though¡­ Actually, I didn¡¯t expect much. The amount of knowledge he possesses is within my expectations.¡±


    ¡°Should I pressure him a bit more?¡±


    ¡°Is there anyone else that can do it?¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better to let the Holy sector handle this? It would be easy to hand Natalie over to the heretic interrogators. The Director of The Inquisition recently called me, saying that they wanted to interrogate the prisoners themselves. I didn¡¯t answer because I thought you wouldn¡¯t like that¡­ However, since this matter is important, they should be eagerly waiting.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ what should we do? Since it¡¯s annoying, should we just pass them over?


    ¡°I already told you everything I know. So¡­¡±


    ¡°Gosh. Up until now, you¡¯ve been busy holding onto your pride. You just ruined it in just a few hours. That¡¯s why people who have something to keep shouldn¡¯t do anything like this. You¡¯re a little soft, after all. If it were me, I wouldn¡¯t have finished the situation in this way. I guarantee that both of you would¡¯ve had your mouths wide open with only your heads left. I could¡¯ve made you feel like you¡¯re not even alive. You must be thankful that I have mercy, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Just pass them over.¡±


    ¡°Actually, I¡¯m not interested in what¡¯s going to happen anymore¡­ but I guess they should stay alive. Public executions wouldn¡¯t be bad, either¡­ It¡¯s also been a while since we showed something like that. No, I think it would be better to let them breathe.¡±


    ¡°If you need time to think, I¡¯ll keep them here until you decide. It seems that they¡¯re going to continue to contact us, though. Can you tell them to stop?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t think I have any more business here. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°But, oppa-¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Why did you say it that way at the end?¡±


    ¡°What did I say?¡±


    ¡°If you had created an atmosphere and said something like, ¡®for the continent.¡¯ You could have made a legitimate ck hole between ethical and hical. It¡¯s such a waste that you threw away your reputation just because you wanted to make fun of his mistakes.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t see him anymore anyway, so my reputation won¡¯t matter. He was annoying me. It¡¯s funny how criminal bastards think they¡¯re right to the end. Those who haven¡¯t done anything on the continent until nowe and say, ¡®You should do this. You should do that.¡¯ And him trying to lecture me is just in ridiculous. Hmm¡­ Hey, Mikhail. What would you have done if you were in my position?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe you wouldn¡¯t have evene this far. You wouldn¡¯t be able to choose anything in the middle and would have died early on¡­ Anyway, talking any more than this hurts my mouth¡­ Keep it up, Mikhail. I¡¯ll send you special meals sometimes, so don¡¯t lose courage. Live with it instead. Study hard, Mikhail. That¡¯s the way to go! Pff¡­ puhaha.¡±


    ¡°I know it¡¯s exciting, but stop teasing him. Try to be serious.¡±


    Wouldn¡¯t it be better to let the rain pour on my chest that¡¯s suffering from drought rather than caring for my reputation?


    When I nodded, Lee Jihye sighed weakly.


    She said that, but she looked delighted as well. Looking at her humming, it was clear that she thought the amount of information we got wasn¡¯t too bad, either.


    ¡®Well, we got a clue at least.¡¯


    However, I still felt like it wasn¡¯t enough. There was too little information about the demon, which was the most important part of this entire situation.


    Strictly speaking, Mikhail wasn¡¯t a member of the Order. Hence, he wouldn¡¯t have known¡­


    I already expected that he would have very little information.


    ¡®Those demon contractor bastards.¡¯


    However, the number of options turned out to be less than I predicted. I thought Mikhail would know the contracted demon¡¯s name at the very least. It was certainly problematic that even that was kept hidden under a veil.


    Perhaps Benignore knew this. If not, there might¡¯ve been some clues left in District 5.


    Having confirmed that there was a hideout in the basement, I considered that the top priority was to investigate it no matter what.


    ¡®I think it¡¯s better to go with Kasugano.¡¯


    There was also the possibility of getting a glimpse of what happened in the demon contractors¡¯ hideout how everything transpired. Wasn¡¯t it a huge advantage just to hear how they summoned the devil, who they signed the contract with, and what the terms of the contract were?


    If the demon really were ranked higher than Belial¡­


    ¡®I think I can benefit from it¡­¡¯


    There could be something to be gained. While I was walking slowly, I started deciding in my mind the person who would be put in the team to explore the Demon¡¯s Den.


    First, Kim Hyunsung would be left out of it.


    Regardless of us telling each other our secrets, it was irrational to ask him toe since he had an antipathy towards demons. If it were a simple sweep of the remnants, I would dly offer him to join the team, but¡­


    ¡®The purpose of the expedition itself is different.¡¯


    I even pushed him away with my acting for it.


    ¡®I guess I¡¯ll have to take Han Sora.¡¯


    I was a bit nervous about taking her, but it was more beneficial to let Jung Hayane as well.


    Since both of them were well versed in ck magic, it wouldn¡¯t be wrong to assume that they had considerable knowledge about it. In particr, I thought being in the Order¡¯s hideout would be more helpful to Han Sora than anyone else.


    The evil Order had endured to achieve their wishes andpiled the results of their research.


    The impressive suicide bombings, the secrets that prevented them from being killed even if their limbs had been torn apart, and the source of their power.


    It would most likely seem like a terrible ce to third parties, but it would feel like a treasure trove to her. The hideout might¡¯ve even contained catalysts or experimental results that the guelord of Darkness could use.


    It would be a win-win for both of us. The ce was heaven, especially for her since she overwhelminglycked information on ck magic.


    ¡®Those bastards indeed did it for the continent. They¡¯re even trying to hand over these things to us. As it turned out, they weren¡¯t the viins but the heroes. It¡¯s even giving me goosebumps.¡¯


    Kasugano, Jung Hayan and Han Sora, and I. That would be the rearguard.


    I wondered if I would even need an avant-garde, but it would be better to take them with me just in the event that there were still remnants in there making a fuss.


    Park Deokgu and Cho Hyejin alone felt a little insufficient, but those two were the only ones that I could take among the guild¡¯s vanguard.


    As I was walking and thinking, ¡®I can take some of the guards,¡® I saw Yuno Kasugano staring at me. Thinking about it then, I realized I forgot to thank her since she didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°Thank you for your hard work.¡±


    ¡°I just did what I had to do. Mast¡­ airman.¡±


    ¡®What is a mastairman?¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m going to go to District 5 and take a look at the ce we just discovered. Do you want toe with us?¡±


    ¡°Yes, rather, I wanted to ask if I could.¡±


    ¡°And¡­ maybe the story after that¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. S-So far, nothing has changed. The story of the ck world, the story of the future¡­ I apologize.¡±


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to be sorry. It can¡¯t be helped. Even small changes are crucial from here on out, so if there is even the slightest detail that¡¯s different from before, I would like you to tell me immediately. As you may have known, big changes seem to have an immediate effect on the future¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Just like what we just saw. Obviously, when I first saw the new future, I remembered that the wall over at District 5 wasn¡¯t supposed to copse like that¡­ the variable in the scene we just saw¡­ is it okay to think that it happened because of the recent incident?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I think the Chairman is probably right. Still, we should also consider the possibility of other factors since there¡¯s a chance that that¡¯s not the case. We haven¡¯t done any restoration work for District 5 yet, but I know that the Master thinks that repairing that area is an essential task.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s right.¡¯


    ¡°There is a possibility that the future would change again just by deciding not to take any action. If you think about it, doing recovery work in District 5 is already a fixed future. Nevertheless, if things don¡¯t go as the Master thought, it¡¯s likely that something else might have intervened.¡±


    ¡°Sudden variable¡­¡±


    ¡®This is gettingplicated.¡¯


    I could roughly understand what Kasugano meant.


    ¡®She¡¯s right.¡¯


    Even if there was no recovery work in progress in District 5, it didn¡¯t mean that District 5 would always remain in that state.


    Lee Jihye and I had already made up our mind to repair the ce by putting all the personnel to work as quickly as possible. We also already had a n at hand. Nevertheless, if the forward base couldn¡¯t y its proper role in the future, it was better to look for problems outside rather than inside.


    ¡®What is going to happen?¡¯


    Could an outer gode in before we could finish the repairs? It was unlikely. It couldn¡¯t have possibly arrived that fast.


    Or were there followers of the outer god arising from ces I wasn¡¯t aware of? Was there a problem with the recovery operation itself?


    Or did the recent event itself cause a butterfly effect?


    Question after question wasing into my mind.


    I pretended to be okay, but I was thinking as hard as I could as I analyzed Kasugano¡¯s foreseen future seriously. We couldn¡¯t stop even those angels, so how could we assume that we were prepared for a fierce battle against an outer god?


    If the situation persisted, I thought it wouldn¡¯t cause anything to worsen if I were to lead the Blue Guild and some acquaintances and get closer to the enemy.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much. The future is bound to change, even if it¡¯s only minuscule. You probably think it doesn¡¯t suit me to say this, but it isn¡¯t a good option to dwell on the visible future. You¡¯ll surely be able to get what you want.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ thank you.¡±


    ¡°Sorry if I¡¯m being cocky.¡±


    ¡°No. I sincerely appreciate it. I apologize for not being able to pay attention to you as much as you deserve¡­¡±


    ¡°If you say that¡­¡±


    ¡°I think it would be nice to spend some time together in the future.¡±


    ¡°Really? Really?! Are you going to follow through that?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    She looked very happy upon receiving the news, which made me feel a little proud.


    Regardless, I was still nervous about not being able to see anything new regarding our inevitable future. It wasn¡¯t easy to look into the future or the ck world continuously either.


    Although there was a convenient rey function that allowed us to watch the scene we once saw with others, the cooldown required in between looking into the future was still in effect.


    The more she grew, however, the shorter the cooldown became.


    Most of all, she was desperate to spend time with me, so she had no choice but to think that sooner orter, her effort would pay off.


    ¡®I feel really sorry for her¡­ she lives only for the debt.¡¯


    Even though I knew how she turned out like that, I was forced to turn my gaze away.


    Anyway, we headed up again after we finished the business in the dungeon.


    She might¡¯ve been curious about what exactly happened inside and how the conversation went on. However, I wanted topliment Cho Hyejin, who didn¡¯t ask about anything rted to it.


    She thought that all she had to do that day was escort me, and I liked the part that she didn¡¯t care about what I was doing. Shortly after we came up, she told Lee Jihye about the message, and she immediately started preparing for the expedition.


    ¡®Since its size is quiterge, there must be a lot to loot.¡¯


    It wouldn¡¯t even take that long.


    Two days and one night or three days and two nights? It would take about three nights and four days at the maximum to look into details if we were to take a little longer.


    As I was stuffing my belongings into the bag, a voice called for my attention.


    ¡°Do you have a moment?¡±


    At this, I turned to see Kim Hyunsung looking at me cautiously.

 Chapter 591: Key Player (2)

    <h4>Chapter 591: Key yer (2)</h4>


    ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I couldn¡¯t seem to find an excuse. That was because I thought that if I said I was going to the field, he would say he would follow me.


    I felt like the way he looked at me silently packing my luggage was strange, but I had no choice but to continue what I was doing for the time being.


    It was a good idea to store some clothes and personal supplies in the storage bag and a simple alchemy kit as well, as I might¡¯ve had to do some research work there.


    I might¡¯ve had some time off as well, so I took a chess set with me. It seemed like I was carrying many things, but the storage space of the infinite bag that Kim Hyunsung gave me as a gift was very wide.


    In the meantime, Kim Hyunsung continued watching me anxiously.


    He was so bad at human rtionships that he seemed confused about what he should do at that moment. I felt as if he was judging whether he should leave or continue staring, but there was no way I would say something.


    Despite having already finished preparing for the expedition, the subtle confrontation was unlikely to end.


    ¡®It would be better to just speak to him¡­¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t keep him standing like that. As soon as I moved my lips, his voice began to be heard again.


    ¡°Er¡­ so¡­ where are you going?¡±


    ¡®I should just tell him.¡¯


    I spoke confidently, and if I felt like he would want to follow, I¡¯d just say no.


    ¡°I think I have to go to the field for a while.¡±


    ¡°Are you talking about District 5?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I think I need to see how the recovery work of the ruined district is progressing. It seems that the damage was bigger than I thought¡­ I¡¯ll be taking Deokgu and Hayan with me, so you don¡¯t have to worry about me.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ I know that you just got up. Wouldn¡¯t it be better to rest a little more¡­?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m healthy. There is nothing wrong with my head and with my health.¡±


    ¡®This motherfucker, when did he start worrying about my health? Go and do some training.¡¯


    ¡°Still¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s something I have to do. Just like you spent nine months training to grow a little more.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ I¡¯m¡­ sorry.¡±


    ¡®No, why are you apologizing? That wasn¡¯t a mistake.¡¯


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not something for you to apologize. I understand why you had to do it. Wasn¡¯t it important?¡±


    ¡®You know that it¡¯s as important as my job, right? So, let¡¯s just end this conversation here.¡¯


    ¡°Um¡­¡±


    ¡°Me too. There is nothing more important than making sure the district recovers from the current situation. It was my mistake, and it was my job, so I want to take responsibility until the end.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡­ understand. When are youing back?¡±


    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t predict exactly how long it will take, but¡­ it shouldn¡¯t be that long.¡±


    ¡®He¡¯s not asking toe with us.¡¯


    The preparations I did earlier seemed to work. I felt like he had a lot of things to say, but he probably just kept it to himself. It was definitely a good oue for me.


    There couldn¡¯t have been any noise about safety and health after all the incidents had already taken ce.


    I said that I would take Park Deokgu and Jung Hayan, so my minimum safety was at least guaranteed¡­ above all, Wasn¡¯t it meaningful, my desire to push to oversee the repairs?


    Since he was ghosting on me to do what he needed, it was natural that I could do that too.


    When I spoke up, conveying as much as possible for him not to intervene, I saw Kim Hyunsung¡¯s expression bing convinced.


    ¡°And¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you there is nothing to be sorry for.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°By the way¡­ why did youe all the way here?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡®I don¡¯t think it¡¯s because he was unsatisfied¡­¡¯


    However, that was exactly what his face said.


    It was definitely a different expression than usual. Then he nodded as if he remembered his business.


    As expected, I didn¡¯t think it was good news. The anxious look that I saw at the very beginning continued to linger in my head.


    ¡®I wonder if something else broke out. What could happen in the current situation?¡¯


    It might not have been much. However, Kim Hyunsung¡¯s seriousness, which wasn¡¯t normal for him, made me nervous.


    ¡°Come in and sit down.¡±


    At this, Kim Hyunsung nodded and stepped into the room.


    * * *


    ¡°What would you like for tea? Or are you okay with coffee?¡±


    ¡°Anything is fine. More importantly¡­ I think the story might take too much of your time¡­¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. We¡¯ll be a littlete, but¡­ don¡¯t rush it. It¡¯s something important, anyway.¡±


    ¡®So, out with it. I¡¯m curious to death, bastard.¡¯


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to start, but¡­ do you remember what I¡¯ve said before? About the key yer¡­¡±


    ¡®I¡¯ve never forgotten.¡¯


    It would be weird not to remember. It was important as it was the threat of the first round.


    Of course, the two lifetimes¡¯ flow was clearly different, but the humans with talents or special powers didn¡¯t change.


    Just as Jung Hayan still possessed her overwhelming talent for magic, others also possessed the same talents as the previous timeline. Additionally, even if I didn¡¯t approach them, they often revealed themselves, anyway.


    Of course, their importance was tremendous.


    Most of the named ones were strong enough to influence an entire battlefield directly.


    They had the power to change the tides of warfare and lead their allies out of danger.


    If themon troops were simple pawns, the named ones were knights and bishops that could swiftly confuse and destroy enemy troops.


    It meant that they could remold the shape of the situation if they were used properly.


    Therefore, Kim Hyunsung and I had no choice but to be sensitive to the named people of the first round. I didn¡¯t go to the Blue Guild, but I made a list of the first-round heroes, and those I thought had potential.


    By the time their growth stopped, I had already maximized their potential, even if that meant using extreme methods.


    In a joint training center, in a small vige with an unknown name, in Lindel, in thebor field, or a dungeon, I helped each of them in a way that suited them and even sponsored them without them noticing it. I waited for them to grow.


    Among them, some people had bumped into Kim Hyunsung in the past or cooperated with him as co-workers. However, some were still forced to point their swords at us, had no connection with us but heard rumors, and there were even geniuses that couldn¡¯t see the light because of their absurd death.


    ¡®But why them?¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Aren¡¯t they alright?¡¯


    As far as I remembered, that was the case. Rather, they were growing very satisfactorily, and ideological verification had also beenpleted. Since their loyalty to the light was evenparable to the church¡¯s priests, what more would be needed?


    ¡°I think there is a little problem.¡±


    ¡°A problem?¡±


    ¡°The warrior that was chosen by the holy sword.¡±


    Come to think of it¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s already about time.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡®Yes, that guy is also one of the people I¡¯ve been waiting for.¡¯


    The individual was one of the real authentic heroes who had the SSS-level importance among key yers. He was powerful enough to be evaluated as belonging to the same league as Kim Hyunsung, Jung Hayan, and Cha Hee-ra.


    Based on that alone, I could already deduce that he was another cheat character under the holy sword¡¯s selection that had a force to be reckoned with.


    Although in the previous round, the holy sword lost its light and died as a maniac due to the evil tricks of Jin Qing, the masked trash, but the chosen warrior described by Kim Hyunsung was one of those considered to be a necessity for our n to seed.


    Kim Hyunsung had said that it would be better to entrust the whole northwest region to him, which made me wonder how strong he was.


    I forgot for a moment, but¡­


    ¡°Is the tutorial dungeon already open?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Good. I wanted to see his face, though. I was always curious about how strong he would be for you to say such things about him. I was wondering what kind of weapon it was to be called a holy sword. Perhaps the shortest time clear record for the tutorial we set might have been bested. ording to you, he would have left the tutorial dungeon with a holy sword¡­ instead of being still like this, shouldn¡¯t we get in touch with him quickly? It¡¯s not wrong to manage things from afar as we do with others, but considering how crucial he is to our ns, we¡­¡±


    ¡°He wasn¡¯t there.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already looked it up, but I couldn¡¯t find that person¡¯s name in the tutorial dungeon¡¯s resurrection list.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡®What? Fuck, what¡¯s going on?¡¯


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you mistaken¡­ maybe in the next round¡­?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡®Yeah, it couldn¡¯t be.¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung in the first round must¡¯ve heard of him as well. He wouldn¡¯t forget that.


    ¡®Because it would have been shocking.¡¯


    Even if he didn¡¯t want to know, the rumor would have spread, and in the end, it would have eventually reached Kim Hyunsung¡¯s ears.


    Even our lovely regressor said that the person who came to his mind right after the return was the chosen warrior and Jung Hayan, so unless Kim Hyunsung was an idiot, there was no way he was mistaken.


    ¡®But, fuck, why wasn¡¯t he there?¡¯


    Perhaps Kim Hyunsung wanted to ask me the same question.


    ¡®This is getting so fuckingplicated.¡¯


    I wondered if that was the reason behind the messy future I saw with Yuno Kasugano.


    As if to make matters worse, he came without notice right on time as the recovery project in District 5 turned into a mess. I might¡¯ve had to change the ns I had made so far from head to toe.


    The situation was that dire. Like a battle without Jung Hayan, a battle without him was also inconceivable.


    I felt more convinced that he ran into a dungeon immediately after the tutorial dungeon and died alone. In the beginning, the tutorial dungeon wasn¡¯t a ce where external butterfly effects could intervene at all.


    That made things a little more confusing.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t there be a mistake?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    ¡°Sigh¡­ I don¡¯t know what to say about this¡­ For now, it would be better to revise the n. He may appearter, so ask someone to check the neighborhood. I¡¯ll also look into what exactly happened personally.¡±


    Perhaps Benignore knew about the warrior chosen by the gods and the holy sword. It was obvious that Benignore¡¯s influence was involved in some way.


    ¡®Ah, this is getting ominous for some reason.¡¯


    It was only natural to feel that way.


    The ipetent Goddess had never had a beneficial effect on the continent even once.


    ¡®What happened? No, in the first ce, you did send a holy sword, right? Why is the warrior not popping out, then?¡¯


    [Common-grade forced quest has been activated.]


    [I¡¯m sorry, my lovely believer Lee Kiyoung. (0/1)]


    ¡®Fuck¡­ What are you sorry about?¡¯


    [Common-grade forced quest has been activated.]


    [The n for fostering the warrior chosen by the Holy Sword¡­ was totally canceled due tock of budget. (0/1)]


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    Of course, it was caused by the butterfly effect of Benignore¡¯s holy bankruptcy.

 Chapter 592: Key player (3)

    <h4>Chapter 592: Key yer (3)</h4>


    ¡®What bullsh*t are you talking about? Did you just cancel the n altogether, you crazy bastards? What the fuck.¡¯


    [A Common-grade forced quest has been activated.]


    [I¡¯m sorry, belie¡­believer Lee Kiyoung. But we couldn¡¯t help it, either. We¡¯ve updated the new dungeon, and there are many sacred things to do¡­ as I¡¯m sure you already know¡­ it didn¡¯t take long after we recovered from bankruptcy that we had to use our divinity. I couldn¡¯t afford it in many ways. Do you know howrge the divinity that goes into influencing the continent is? (0/1)]


    ¡®Yes, I know that. But if you had ns to do that right from the beginning, shouldn¡¯t you have talked to me first? Did you do this sh*t even though you know I¡¯m waiting for him?¡¯


    [No. I-It¡¯s not like that, my lovely believer Lee Kiyoung. I really didn¡¯t know. I kept thinking that I had to tell you, but I couldn¡¯t find the timing¡­ I¡¯ve been busy trying to fix other you know. The hole made by the 27th Corps hadn¡¯t beenpletely filled yet¡­ and all of our divinity is being concentrated there¡­ (0/1)]


    ¡®Is that your excuse, Goddess Benignore? I don¡¯t know how much divinity is necessary to create a warrior¡­ but you can¡¯t cancel it just like that. What the hell is going on above in the first ce? You should take care of things using a different method. Suppose there is money to invest, first you have to pick which business to invest in. Then you¡¯ll have to calcte how much money is left. What about the long-term n? Shouldn¡¯t you know how to deal with the aftereffects? No, shouldn¡¯t the first thing to think about exactly where to invest? Do you think that spending divinity to cause changes is enough?¡¯


    [That¡¯s¡­ (0/1)]


    ¡®Do you even conduct meetings? I think little kids in the neighborhood can manage the continent better than you do. Fuck, fuck, fuck! Invest in the right ce. If you¡¯re uncertain, fucking ask me. Sh*t¡­ Damn it. I know you¡¯re tired too, but that¡¯s exactly why you can¡¯t keep doing things like that. I remember that I earned quite a bit of divinity as well. Isn¡¯t it impossible to get results as bad as this unless you go somewhere nice with the corporate card? Benignore, let me ask you this. You¡¯re not making me earn for you just so you can spend it all on something useless, right?¡¯


    [Of course not! That¡¯s absolutely not the case, believer Lee Kiyoung. That¡¯s absolutely not¡­ a-and don¡¯t say anything scary like getting bored¡­ I-it makes me nervous. You know how much I love and care for Lee Kiyoung, right? You also know that I only have you¡­ So don¡¯t think about anything weird¡­ we should calmly¡­ (0/1)]


    ¡®If Benignore were in my situation right now, would you be able to sitfortably? I¡¯d rather call Belial again.¡¯


    [A Common-grade forced quest has been activated.]


    [But we really couldn¡¯t help it¡­ L-Lee Kiyoung is more influential in the present world, and what we do really consumes a tremendous amount of power¡­ Why wouldn¡¯t we have a long-term n? I¡¯m not ming you, but changing you into the Alchemist of Light¡­ made¡­ me¡­ unable to afford it, and because of the various events that had transpired, there our long-term ns to copse¡­ All of our divine powers had been depleted¡­ (0/1)]


    ¡®So it¡¯s my fault now? Belial gave me the Semi-Myth-grade ss as a gift, like you.¡¯


    [Belial and I are very¡­ different. Because of the hole in the continent¡­ (0/1)]


    ¡®Yes, keep talking like that, and I¡¯ll stop working with you. I¡¯m serious.¡¯


    [¡­ (0/1)]


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    [A-Actually¡­ I didn¡¯t want to say this, but¡­ (0/1)]


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    [A Common-grade forced quest has been activated.]


    [E-Elune made a big mistake. That also caused us to derail from our ns. I really didn¡¯t want to say anything¡­ sigh¡­ (0/1)]


    [A Rare-grade forced quest has been activated.]


    [Benigno¡­ what the hell¡­ what? (0/1)]


    [For unknown reasons, the rare-grade forced quest has been canceled.]


    [A Common-grade forced quest has been activated.]


    [Since it¡¯s you, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll understand that we¡¯re not perfect either¡­ I know you¡¯re well aware of that. Elune causes a lot of idents, which results in a lot of problems. In fact, this time, the n for training warriors waspletely canceled¡­ because Elune¡¯s personal project wasn¡¯t going well¡­ and in an attempt to fix it¡­ there was no choice but to have a setback. (0/1)]


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    [We know, of course, that the training n is important¡­ However, the continental bnce would be in danger of copsing if we didn¡¯t fix what Elune did right away. We had no choice¡­ I can¡¯t just look at it from the perspective of the one in charge. You also have experience governing humans from the peak, so¡­ I¡¯m sure you understand. (0/1)]


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    [Although I have already finished talking internally to impose appropriate discipline on Elune¡­ it wouldn¡¯t be enough for you, right? You know that Elune is a bit¡­ (0/1)]


    ¡®Elune trash¡­¡¯


    [Yes¡­ Elune trash. Wouldn¡¯t it be hard for me? Still, he¡¯s my junior¡­ I can¡¯t just ignore it at all¡­ he¡¯s just a bit of a handful, but that doesn¡¯t mean he doesn¡¯t invest in the continent¡¯s future at all. Thanks to him, the elven faction had been stabilized¡­ (0/1)]


    ¡®So¡­¡¯


    [I want to kick him out, but¡­ that would be too much¡­ and I can¡¯t actually do that¡­ Of course, if my beloved Lee Kiyoung wishes, I could punish him with the worst, but I think that would just cause the chaos to be bigger. He¡¯s also a personally cherished junior¡­ I know I shouldn¡¯t do this, though¡­ (0/1)]


    ¡®Sigh¡­¡¯


    [All I can say is¡­ that I¡¯m sorry. Ugh¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m really sorry, believer Lee Kiyoung. (0/1)]


    I couldn¡¯t help myself from grabbing my head tightly. In fact, I had already predicted that Elune would cause trouble someday.


    As the saying went, if five humans gathered together, there had to be one trash. That must¡¯ve also beenmon above, and Elune was that trash.


    ¡®Yes, there¡¯s no way she could manage things like this.¡¯


    Even though Benignore was ipetent, there was no way she could be that useless.


    Above, she was a god who was in a rather senior position and a Goddess trusted by juniors. Considering I had a say on the matters, even though Benignore took the lead whenever something happened, it would be unreasonable to say that the incident took ce due to her mere ipetence.


    She couldn¡¯t have thrown everything I had earned for her without thinking. Benignore, whom I trusted in my own way¡­ fuck, couldn¡¯t be so ipetent.


    ¡®Yeah, she can¡¯t be.¡¯


    Perhaps it was an unexpected event from her perspective. Just as I had taken care of the idents caused by Jung Hayan and the revolutionary three siblings, Benignore might¡¯ve been struggling to fix Elune¡¯s ident.


    It wasn¡¯t strange that, for some reason, I could rte to her.


    ¡®I can¡¯t help, but¡­ you shouldn¡¯t be too shaken. You can¡¯t, Benignore.¡¯


    [Are you¡­ trying toprehend me, my lovely believer Lee Kiyoung? (0/1)]


    ¡®Don¡¯t be led by affection, and be a little firmer. If you are going to carry such a penalty, you must at least have an advantage that corresponds to that penalty. The way I see it, Elune trash doesn¡¯t have that advantage. His only leverage is that he is fixedly receiving divine power from the elves. There¡¯s just that.¡¯


    [Yes¡­ I know very well what you¡¯re talking about, Lee Kiyoung. I¡¯ll take it to heart. (0/1)]


    ¡®You need to be firm. From now on, if possible, exclude Elune trash from all tasks. Everything else doesn¡¯t matter¡­ As you know, the current situation can take a turn for the worst if there¡¯s even just one don¡¯t want to see Elune trash rushing to do something and making a mess out of it. Never leave anything to him. Do you understand?¡¯


    [Yes¡­ I will definitely do that from now on. Since it¡¯s your advice, of course, it would be wise to follow it. It¡¯s all constructive, after all. (0/1)]


    ¡®I want you to focus on maintaining the status quo the most. That¡¯s it. Ah¡­ Elune, that bastard¡­ really.¡¯


    [A Common-grade forced quest has been activated.]


    [Elune is also deeply reflecting on it¡­ yes¡­ (0/1)]


    ¡®Still, from now on,pletely exclude him from work.¡¯


    [B-but t-that¡¯s too much¡­ (0/1)]


    ¡®If people who can¡¯t work are snooping around, it makes them want to do something. Should I be a little more direct? Take away Elune¡¯s desk. If I catch that trash doing anything, I¡¯ll cut ties with you and take everyone to hell.¡¯


    [I¡­ I¡¯ll do that. (0/1)]


    ¡®In addition, think about what you have to do next. I¡¯ll check if there¡¯s another way around this as much as I can.¡¯


    [A Common-grade forced quest has been activated.]


    [Yes¡­ we¡¯re already having meetings day and night about which direction to go for so that we can tell you some good news sooner orter¡­ We¡¯ll try our best as well. T-Thank you for believing in me, my lovely light, the only hope of the continent, believer Lee Kiyoung. (0/1)]


    ¡®Sigh¡­ fuck.¡®


    Silence ensued. I continue to grab my head.


    She said that she would try toe up with some good news, but the best news I could¡¯ve gotten was, in fact, the news that the hero was found in the tutorial dungeon.


    It¡¯s been a long time since all of my happiness circuits had been burned out. I couldn¡¯t get a sense of how the hell I should cover up his vacancy.


    ¡®Sh*t.¡¯


    There was no way, just like how there was no substitute for Jung Hayan or Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡®Then the warrior¡­¡¯


    I wasn¡¯t certain, but he must¡¯ve died in the tutorial dungeon.


    ¡®That bastard is also pitiful.¡¯


    A talent with a guaranteed future died in the tutorial dungeon without receiving the holy sword due to Elune trash¡¯s mistake. I didn¡¯t know how he died, but I wasn¡¯t really interested in it either.


    Regardless of whether he encountered some murders or died surrounded by monsters while traveling, it didn¡¯t change the fact that he was already dead.


    ¡°Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Are you okay? S-Suddenly¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m fine. I was thinking about something¡­ You have nothing to worry about. Where were we?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re trying to find out if there is a way¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you really okay?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, we are. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Um, Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps¡­ um¡­ perhaps¡­¡±


    ¡°You can talk.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ It¡¯s nothing¡­ it¡¯s nothing.¡±


    He was biting down on his lips tightly as his arms intermittently trembled, but above all, his face was filled with anger.


    ¡®Yes, Hyunsung. Why wouldn¡¯t you be angry? Ipletely understand you.¡¯


    Even the kind-hearted Kim Hyunsung felt outraged by the iprehensible situation.

 Chapter 593: Key Player (4)

    <h4>Chapter 593: Key yer (4)</h4>


    It was only for a short time, but as he normally couldn¡¯t express his emotions well, I could tell this right away.


    When I looked at him with a slightly puzzled look, I saw him trying to smile as if he was even more surprised. It was forced, but it seemed to attempt to reassure me.


    At that moment, I realized that he probably felt a bit embarrassed.


    It seemed like a mistake, but I didn¡¯t think it was my fault. How could he act honorably in that situation? Elune hadpletely ruined what he was picturing.


    ¡®What should I do about this?¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t find any other way. If I let Kim Hyunsung know what was going on above, I knew my options would increase, but there was no way I could just do that.


    For the time being, I thought observing the situation and making time to think about it had to be my top priority.


    It was the most urgent matter, but I had to start with what was right in front of me.


    The northwest region that was supposed to be entrusted to the warrior was an issue, but District 5 wasn¡¯t without its own problems, either.


    I was certain I didn¡¯t do anything wrong, yet somehow everything had still be a mess. I was getting a headache from it.


    ¡°First, I think you should head towards the tutorial dungeon. I¡¯ll just take care of the problems here, and I¡¯ll join you right away. Please go on ahead, but don¡¯t forget to check the trainees once in a while as well.¡±


    ¡°Kiyoung, I¡¯ve been thinking about it. I think it would be better to move together¡­¡±


    ¡®Come on, what¡¯s up with that?¡¯


    ¡°I want to, but we¡¯re running out of time. You have to attend to your responsibilities. I understand what you¡¯re worried about, but you don¡¯t have to apany me. I have already decided. If it were anything else, I would agree with you, but this time, I need you to trust me.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s get moving. Staying here won¡¯t do us any good. It would be better to discuss what direction to take after finishing our respective jobs. It¡¯s not a matter that can be easily solved, anyway. Now that we¡¯re certain that the warrior doesn¡¯t exist in this timeline, it seems like the only option we have right now is to strengthen the northwest region¡¯s defense. I¡¯ll take care of fortifying that area¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°There is nothing else we can do except scout out the tutorial dungeon more intensively. I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Hmm¡­ Is that okay? Will he be able to do it properly?¡¯


    ¡°I wanted to go with you, but¡­ Since you don¡¯t want to, I¡¯ll take care of everything as much as I can until youe back, so I hope you don¡¯t overdo it.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t believe in you, but¡­ you can do this, right?¡¯


    There was no way I could leave the responsibility to him without worries.


    It wasn¡¯t an appropriate example, but it was like a noble who had never done any housework before suddenly suggesting to leave the family to him and to go outside to y instead.


    There was no way I could feel relieved. Rather, it would be stranger not to worry that he would create an even bigger mess. However, I couldn¡¯t tell him my honest thoughts. I felt that asking for his help and then telling him openly not to do it was too disrespectful.


    Above all, if I refused even his desire to help, I knew it wouldn¡¯t look good.


    ¡®No, it will be too weird.¡¯


    If that could help Kim Hyunsung be at ease, then¡­


    ¡®Okay. If that¡¯s what it would take to make you feel better.¡¯


    It was the most rational way.


    ¡°I would grateful if you did that. Manager Kim Mi-young knows that area well, so it would be better to contact her and form a team with her.¡±


    ¡°I see. I¡¯ll do that.¡±


    ¡®With her, I will at least feel less concerned.¡¯


    Manager Kim Mi-young would stick to Kim Hyunsung and take care of the work.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for making you help me with this work.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just doing what I have to do. More importantly¡­ um¡­ Kiyoung, I¡¯m really sorry for asking you this so many times, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Are you sure there¡¯s really nothing wrong with your body?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, as I said multiple times already, I am very healthy. You don¡¯t have anything to worry about. I¡¯ll get going then.¡±


    I stood up and smiled as if nothing really happened, but his face still looked bitter.


    ¡®What¡¯s with you? What is it? What¡¯s happening?¡¯


    I thought it was just my imagination that he looked even sadder, but I swiftly realized that the bastard misunderstood something. That was because I saw Cho Hyejin¡¯s face looking at me with the same expression as Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡®Hyunsung, fuck¡­ What the hell did you tell her?¡¯


    I could guarantee that I had never seen Cho Hyejin looking at me with such an expression.


    At least in my memory, Cho Hyejin had never stared at me so warmly.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m a littlete.¡±


    ¡®You¡­ You came back after being called by him.¡¯


    It was too obvious.


    She said she was going to the bathroom just before we left, but her brightened face told me she recently received a call from Kim Hyunsung.


    It wasn¡¯t easy to pretend to be fooled by such things. I didn¡¯t know what she heard, but she waspletely different from earlier when she was checking equipment indifferently.


    Anyone could tell that she was worried about me.


    ¡°Stop looking at me. Others will misunderstand.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that. Anyway¡­ Forgive me for beingte.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for forgiveness. There are times when you have to do something even though you¡¯re in a hurry. I¡¯m the type of person that if I don¡¯t go to the bathroom before an expedition, I would feel kind of ufortable. I know that we don¡¯t have that many simrities, but we have these things inmon. By the way, it seems this is the first time I¡¯ll be moving with hyung-nim after so long¡­ It¡¯s a little ttering. Isn¡¯t that right, Hyejin?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. I f-feel the same way.¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡¯re not going to somewhere stress-free¡­ Still, that doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s incredibly hazardous either. This is strangely making me reminisce about the old days.¡±


    ¡°Dangerous events can still transpire, so don¡¯t be totally at ease. Our role is to escort the Vice Guild Master and the rest of the rearguard. I understand the excitement, but we don¡¯t know what might happen.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know. Such a thing is natural. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll protect him even in death. Everyone can rest assured. Don¡¯t you worry about it either, hyung-nim. I won¡¯t let anything bad happen to you again.¡±


    ¡°In fact, it won¡¯t be a big deal.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Of course, there is a high probability that nothing will happen. Deokgu, the reason why you and Hyejin were asked to join us was simply for precaution. It¡¯s not because I¡¯m certain dangers are lurking in there. That doesn¡¯t mean there¡¯s no possibility that there are remnants, though. Well, actually, it would¡¯ve been enough to bring just Hayan or Sora and Yuno Kasugano¡­ Anyway, let¡¯s proceed. Hayan, the spell.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes. Yes. I¡¯ll c-chant it now, so please stand inside the magic circle.¡±


    ¡®It sure isfortable.¡¯


    I thought of going on expeditions while chatting in the wagon like before, but the method we were using was faster and more efficient.


    At Jung Hayan¡¯s words, the peopleposing the expedition team had begun to move quietly.


    It was a small party made up of Park Deokgu, Cho Hyejin, Jung Hayan, Han Sora, Yuno Kasugano, and some of my personal guards, but it was by no means a weak party.


    We essentially boasted power unnecessary for going through ruins and handling post-work, but our expedition¡¯s importance was indescribable.


    ¡®That ce was full of treasures, after all.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know if she knew it would be a great gift for her, but Han Sora just looked scared that she had to go underground with a particr person. She was biting her fingernails as if she was getting even more anxious the more she saw Jung Hayan, who seemed to be in a good mood. She surely deserved to be called a Jung Hayan expert.


    ¡°¡­!¡±


    As I was lost in thoughts for a moment, my body was surrounded by bright light, and my vision began to reverse.


    Whooosh! With that feeling, my body was in apletely different ce.


    ¡®This is really amazing.¡¯


    The moment I had to admire Jung Hayan¡¯s magic was far too short. That was because District 5, which had copsed entirely, came into view in no time at all.


    Even though I received a report about the damages, it seemed more ruined than I expected.


    It particrly hit me that there was apletely destroyed part of the District. It might¡¯ve been faster to build a wall from scratch.


    The terrible scene made me feel down.


    ¡°Sigh¡­¡±


    ¡®It will take more than a year.¡¯


    The construction of District 5 itself hadn¡¯t even beenplete yet when the incident urred.


    Of course, it was nearpletion, but the managementmittee judged that it would have taken at least three more months, or even more than six months, considering that there was a lot to worry about with processing or repairs.


    I was afraid that it hade to the point where we had to start from the beginning. It was regrettable in many ways since I wanted to deploy our troops in the districts as soon as they were finished.


    Oblivious to what I was thinking, Jung Hayan was busy sending me a smile. Even though I already realized that I shouldn¡¯t me her, I wanted to shake her arm off of me out of spite.


    ¡°I heard that you wereing, Chairman.¡±


    ¡°You are¡­¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s Jihye¡¯s personnel.¡¯


    ¡°I was worried if I would make it on time, but fortunately, you arrived after I found the hideout¡¯s entrance. I shall guide you there.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°As you predicted, I was able to find the entrance to the basement within the government building. You said that there was magic, so I expected it to take some time, but it seemed that it disappeared when the structure copsed.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ Is that so?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it wasn¡¯t easy to find the right way. There were many puzzles and traps besides magic, causing us to struggle a bit. It was hidden with tricks simple enough like putting the door behind a cupboard, but the structure itself was encrypted enough that only them could verify it. I feel like the designer really thought it through. It was like a dungeon. A very well-designed dungeon.¡±


    ¡°That might just be an urate description. It¡¯s no different from a dungeon since it¡¯s the ce that the demon contractors used.¡±


    ¡®It definitely is¡­¡¯


    It was worth calling it that, at least.


    What was different was that humans artificially made it and that there was no need to attack it.


    Essentially, it was a dungeon that had already been cleared and waiting to give out the reward.


    ¡®It makes me feel better thinking of it like that.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know what and how much I could get, but I hoped to gain more than what I lost.


    No, I had to get even just one thing.


    The moment the warrior project, chosen by Benignore, hadpletely copsed, that was the only ce I could lean on.


    I exchanged a few words with the guide and walked for a considerable amount of time. Before long, a wide cavern-like area had begun to unfold before us.


    ¡°From here on out, we¡¯ll be entering uncharted territory. We wanted to go ahead and check if it¡¯s safe or not, but¡­ Lee Jihye¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know what you mean. First¡­ I want to thank you for your hard work.¡±


    ¡°I just did my duty.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that. I will never, ever forget your hard work. I will tell Jihye about it as well.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    He then left with his head bowed down.


    ¡®Jihye is still Jihye.¡¯


    Even at a nce, he looked loyal.


    There were so many things to do that she couldn¡¯t even rest properly, making me wonder how she even found the time to find her own personnel.


    My Mind¡¯s Eyes told me his level wasn¡¯t low by any means. That alone told me how valuable he could be.


    ¡®Well, that¡¯s not important right now.¡¯


    As I looked around, I saw the party members¡¯ faces seem a little tense and nervous. In particr, Park Deokgu and Cho Hyejin felt a little more sensitive. I also noticed Han Sora ncing at me.


    ¡®I guess she¡¯s feeling it.¡¯


    If I wasn¡¯t the guelord, wouldn¡¯t I have felt the same thing she felt?


    The quick-witted Jung Hayan stared at her when she saw Han Sora sending me signals, but there were no problems other than that.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go in.¡±


    Park Deokgu nodded, taking the lead.


    After a while, my jaw dropped due to the scenery that promptly greeted us.

 Chapter 594: Eraser in my Head (1)

    <h4>Chapter 594: Eraser in my Head (1)</h4>


    It was a bit dark, but the interior was still neatly organized. Rather than a dungeon, it would be more appropriate to say it looked like aboratory.


    Just turning my gaze slightly and looking around was enough to make me feel admiration.


    ¡®There must be more to take here than I thought.¡¯


    I thought it would have almost nothing. I was relieved since it didn¡¯t seem like that was the case.


    The size was also bigger than I expected. I needed to take a closer look, but I could already see a couple of useful things through the Mind¡¯s Eyes.


    There were items that could be used as catalysts, and research logs were all over the ce.


    ck-magic-based artifacts were all over the ce, and there were even traces of biological experiments using monsters. The ratings ssified as Hero-grade weremon. The sight encouraged me to explore even more.


    ¡®Well, I guess it¡¯s natural.¡¯


    It was impossible to summon a Corpsmander-level demon with an ordinary talent.


    Recalling that it was unusual that we managed to summon Belial, it would be impossible for those with no special talents to summon a demon of the same or even higher caliber.


    The reason they were able to release such a being was due to their researches. Of course, negative emotions such as insane obsession and feelings of inferiority and anger also contributed to the oue, but if we all could summon a demon of that magnitude using only such emotions, the continent might¡¯ve already turned into the demon¡¯s world.


    ¡®Does that mean that they¡¯re talented after all?¡¯


    Whatever the method, they had already achieved what they aimed for, so it wouldn¡¯t be unreasonable to consider them belonging to such a level.


    Most reactionsing from the expedition team revolved around surprise. In the end, Park Deokgu spoke up as if he couldn¡¯t hold it back.


    ¡°In its own way, it¡¯s amazing. I knew it wouldn¡¯t be small, but it¡¯s still bigger than I expected. One year is enough for even a country to change, but this is way more jaw-dropping.¡±


    ¡°They must¡¯ve taken at least ten years to do this.¡±


    ¡°A year or ten years, results depend on how one uses the time they have. That¡¯s not my point, so just let it slip. Gosh, hyung-nim. Honestly, I don¡¯t know much about this, so I can¡¯t say anything, but I can easily see how deep those demon contractors had nned. How does it look in your eyes?¡±


    ¡°I feel the same. It must have been a short period of time, but to do this much in a year¡­ honestly, it¡¯s incredible.¡±


    ¡°They must have been preparing for it even before we came to the North. The research was still ongoing, and I guess we can think that at some point, they moved their home base.¡±


    ¡°I think the Yuno¡¯s right¡­ I¡¯m not wrong, after all. There doesn¡¯t seem like there¡¯s something great in there based on the atmosphere. Should we still keep going?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and keep your guard up as a precautionary measure. I think it would be better to take a look at each room. Anyway, let¡¯s move. I¡¯m telling you this before any ident happens. Don¡¯t touch anything recklessly. I¡¯ll check everything myself. If you find anything interesting, please report it immediately¡­ the two rangers, please, start scouting from a distance. If you detect any danger, inform us immediately without alerting it.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°What are you doing? Let¡¯s keep moving. I want to look around all this until noon. Let¡¯s start with the room on the right. Deokgu.¡±


    He nodded and entered the room first with his shield held up. Watching the burst of light continuing to pour out from him, it seemed to me that he was preparing for any possible situation, but there was no reason to be that alert.


    Rather, it could be said that the problem was that the avant-garde didn¡¯t have much to do.


    ¡°It¡¯s clear. Feel free toe in and start working right away. There are a lot of strange things in here. I don¡¯t know anything about ck magic, so I don¡¯t know what¡¯s it used for, but it¡¯s full of things that look rare even for the untrained eye.¡±


    ¡°Sora.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°See if there¡¯s anything useful.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°If there¡¯s anything thates to your mind, Yuno Kasugano, please tell me right away.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    After briefly giving them orders, I also joined the treasure hunt in earnest. I felt a little bothered about Cho Hyejin¡¯s gaze at me, but she didn¡¯t seem to be particrly interested in the job.


    Han Sora was scanning the ce with her eyes wide open.


    I was forced to nod when she looked at me as if asking me if it was really okay.


    On the other hand, Jung Hayan didn¡¯t look to be in a good mood. The incident of the 27th Corps crisis must¡¯ve led her to resent the demons.


    ¡®I forgot about that.¡¯


    She was looking around with her lips pouting as if she was extremely dissatisfied even though she was the one that summoned a demon twice in the continent using her own volition.


    I wondered if she wanted to burn everything in the hideout with the temper she had.


    I could understand her, considering I always woke up rmed every time I thought about Limur and Ronove.


    ¡°If there is anything that bothers you while you¡¯re investigating, report it immediately.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. I-I will, so you don¡¯t have to worry.¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t discard it for no reason. These are all treasures¡­¡¯


    Of course, most of them couldn¡¯t be used right away. While some books looked a little rare, things with little value were starting to stand out.


    [Principles of Intermediate Demon Contract Executions (Rare)]


    [High-Ranking Demon Contract Notes (Rare)]


    ¡®This is useless.¡¯


    [How the guelord and a Genius Swordsman Love (Legendary)]


    ¡®Why is this here? What the hell.¡¯


    [Introduction to Dark Magic (Heroic)]


    ¡®This one is worth taking.¡¯


    [72nd Corps Manual (Legendary)]


    ¡®This is far better than the previous one.¡¯


    ¡°I think m-most of the things here are books. This room was probably like a library that was used as a conference room.¡±


    ¡°I think so too.¡±


    ¡°T-There is a lot of data. They all seem to be useless, though¡­¡±


    ¡®It won¡¯t be bad to train a ck wizard.¡¯


    I thought it wouldn¡¯t be bad to do it properly.


    ¡®It¡¯s definitely a good idea.¡¯


    It could be a good blow to the pigeons, and the ck magic¡¯s advantage of being able to grow fast in the early stages could also increase the firepower that wecked. If I told Han Sora about leaving the ce to her, who had been so eager to move out, she would nod with all her might.


    Even at the expense of her own life, she would most likely dive into her endeavor to achieve results. When I nced at Han Sora, she seemed surprised and tried her best to avoid my gaze.


    It bothered me because it seemed like she was conscious of Jung Hayan, who was next to me, but really, it just caused more nuances. Regardless, the expedition continued to progress.


    There were no special safety features, except for a chimera popping out of the biologicalboratory and starting a small battle.


    After the Rangers reported that there were no other hazards, the expedition¡¯s alert level dropped by about two levels, and the investigation naturally gained momentum. We found aboratory with data on magic circles, and there was also a physical enhancementboratory that seemed to focus on drugs and ck magic.


    There were many useful things, but what impressed me the most was the biologicalboratory.


    ¡®Chimera.¡¯


    An artificial creature that could be made through ck magic. The alchemists had even researched Homunculi.


    ¡®At the time of the attack¡­¡¯


    Since they didn¡¯t use it, it seemed that they didn¡¯t gain positive results from the study.


    ¡®Because this is apletely different matter from demon summoning.¡¯


    It seemed like they had dug about it, probably thinking that there was a possibility at first, but creating an artificial being was difficult.


    It wouldn¡¯t have been easy even for me to handle a homunculus and even a chimera, which I only heard about in stories. In the end, I could see at which point they decided to change the route.


    As the reactionaries¡¯ budget was limited, they would¡¯ve had to postpone all the research that couldn¡¯t produce results.


    ¡®I wondered where my money went, but it was all here. Fuck, thank you, bastards.¡¯


    I was no different from them either.


    Although I had conducted several experiments, Homunculus studies were nowpletely excluded, and the same could be said about chimeras.


    Researching while tending to my works in the administration and major fields was already overwhelming. There was no way I could fit in those types of researches.


    In that sense, the achievements they studied deserved a nod.


    ¡°I can use this.¡±


    ¡°W-What did you just¡­?¡±


    ¡°No, Hayan. I was talking to myself.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ yeah.¡±


    It was a littlete, but it was heartwarming news that I couldn¡¯t help but feel good about.


    They couldn¡¯t produce any results, but the data and infrastructure they had built up wouldn¡¯t go to waste.


    There were plenty of equipment and research materials that could be immediately put into experiments. Wouldn¡¯t I be able to catch a strand since I had a rted Semi-Mythic ss? That thought refused to leave my mind.


    ¡®This is sweet. No, it¡¯s safe to say that this is the real deal.¡¯


    My external appearance was serious, but I was having a hard time holding back a smile.


    The room itself was a huge achievement for me. I thought it would be better to stay there for more than six months if the conditions allowed me.


    The leaked money was heartbreaking, but if I thought about it in a way that I just bought the studies they spent years on, it was safe to say that I instead had a huge gain.


    ¡®I want to see this in more detail¡­¡¯


    I even wanted to set up living quarters in it. Had Cho Hyejin not looked at me differently than usual, I would have done a simple experiment.


    ¡®She should just do her job. Why does she keep looking at me?¡¯


    ¡°This also seems to have been cleared up. We should leave.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡®I need some time alone. I want to take a look at it a little more closely.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t stop myself. It was easy to make a good excuse anyway. And so, I spoke right before we went to the next room. My train of thought was pretty simple.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll go back to the biologicalboratory for a moment. I remembered that I didn¡¯t clear some parts. And I also left things there. I¡¯ll just follow up after I finish.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡±


    ¡°Do note along, you bastard.¡¯


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to. It¡¯s nearby anyway, and it¡¯s been cleared¡­ Hyejin and Deokgu should proceed with the rest of the staff. The guards are in the hallway, so they can respond if anything happens.¡±


    ¡°Still¡­¡±


    ¡°You confirmed for yourself that there was nothing back there. With this time, I could have gone ande back already. I¡¯lle back quickly. Hyejin, lead the party.¡±


    It was better not to hear the answer.


    I didn¡¯t say anything and immediately went into the room, and as I rummaged through the materials that I couldn¡¯t look at before because of the others, I started to have fun.


    I didn¡¯t have fun with the research itself, and I didn¡¯t think I was talented in that part, but feeling my heart pounding, I seemed to identify with it.


    I took a seat in earnest and unfolded the forbidden research results.


    ¡°When did it start?¡±


    A bitter voice came from behind.


    My body tensed up.


    ¡®Cho Hyejin? Was she following me?¡¯


    Perhaps Hyejin was suspicious of me, and the word I heard just as I was getting anxious was a spectacle.


    ¡°When did you start to lose your memory like that?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®What is this nonsense now?¡¯


    At that moment, I had no idea what direction and how far the conversation was going.

 Chapter 595: Eraser in my Head (2)

    <h4>Chapter 595: Eraser in my Head (2)</h4>


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I actually didn¡¯t understand what she was talking about.


    She appeared out of nowhere and mumbled about me losing my memory, so how could I?


    It was only natural that I couldn¡¯t control my expression. It was very brief, but when I looked at Cho Hyejin withplicated feelings and all sorts of embarrassment, she began to look even more serious.


    ¡®Why is she so serious?¡¯


    Was she ying a game without my knowledge? Or was she doing a prank?


    However, with her personality that made her hate cheap jokes, there was no way she would be kidding around like that. Most of all, I was very concerned about her face filled with sincerity.


    She wasn¡¯t acting either. How could I not notice that her ambiance that was full of worries?


    I instantly realized that something was going on without my awareness.


    When I was perplexedly speechless, she seemed to have been convinced that her suspicions were right.


    ¡°There is no need to hide it, Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    ¡®Fuck, I really don¡¯t know what you mean.¡¯


    ¡°Exactly when did the symptoms start?¡±


    ¡°I really can¡¯t understand what you¡¯re talking about¡­ You seem to be misunderstanding something¡­ It¡¯s not a big deal, so let¡¯s just move on. Isn¡¯t it funny to say that I lost my memory, that I lost my mind just because I¡¯ve was forgetful a few times? You shouldn¡¯t waste time here. Join the party and do your thing. Suddenly spouting nonsense like that¡­¡±


    ¡°Vice Guild Master. That study log, you were reading it a while ago. Were you aware?¡±


    ¡®No, I know¡­ so, what are you saying?¡¯


    ¡°No, this is because I wanted to take a look at it again.¡±


    I shook my hand and made a gesture telling her to leave, but Cho Hyejin didn¡¯t answer. Rather, she was sticking to the attitude that she would never leave the ce until I told her the truth.


    ¡®Fuck¡­ What the hell? This is because of the Doom state, isn¡¯t it?¡¯


    The longer I stayed in the Doom state, the more my mind would get burdened, and the guild members knew that. It was also expected that I would have short-term memory loss¡­


    After all, wasn¡¯t I the one that came up with it when I introduced the Doom state concept?


    It was a kind of a gimmick wherein I couldn¡¯t remember anything about the unconscious world or what happened while I was in Doom state. However, I was sure I hadn¡¯t shown that off after.


    With the concept that the penalty could be reduced as much as possible by receiving the Goddess¡¯s blessing, I appealed that the Doom state would be beneficial in the end.


    The party members didn¡¯t seem to have any great doubts about Benignore¡¯s radiant light.


    Above all, it would be natural for them to be relieved that there were no idents the past year.


    Although I recently had been in Doom state once, I couldn¡¯t remember causing anything to warrant being pressured by the feeling of being interrogated.


    Of course, I frowned and grabbed my head as if it was hurting, and I said I didn¡¯t remember the difficult situation. To be honest, I used it a little bit, but I couldn¡¯t even imagine that I would suddenly be treated as someone carrying an eraser in my head.


    ¡°I heard the gist of it from the Guild Master.¡±


    ¡®Hyunsung, what¡¯s up with you? Why are you taking this so seriously alone? No, what the hell are you having delusions about?¡¯


    I finally discovered that the reason behind her sad expression was Kim Hyunsung.


    When I nced at Cho Hyejin, she was still looking at me with her eyes wide open.


    I couldn¡¯t understand how Kim Hyunsung came to that conclusion.


    What bothered me, though, was the most recent conversation.


    ¡®Kiyoung.¡¯


    ¡®Yes?¡¯


    ¡®Are you okay? S-Suddenly¡­¡¯


    ¡®Oh, I¡¯m fine. I was thinking about something¡­ You have nothing to worry about. Where were we?¡¯


    ¡®We¡¯re trying to find out if there is a way¡­¡¯


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡®Are you really okay?¡¯


    ¡®Ah, yes, we are. I¡¯m sorry.¡¯


    We definitely had a conversation like that recently. Perhaps one of the reasons was that the time I spent in conversation with Benignore midway through my talk with Hyunsung was lengthened.


    I pretended to be okay, but in Kim Hyunsung¡¯s mind, the fact that my memory of the unconscious world had been lost must have been quite a shock.


    When I recalled my memories, the moment I said ¡°no¡± when he asked if I remembered him lingered in my mind.


    I thought it was all just my delusions, but this was still the type of reasoning that felt usible.


    Perhaps the fact that I had already forgotten one of my memories had created a Shakespearean novel about being intertwined with quirks.


    It could be said that it was my fault that I wasn¡¯t careful, but how could I have predicted that Kim Hyunsung would¡¯ve had such a strange thought?


    He wouldn¡¯t have been convinced, either. That was why he had probably issued an order for Cho Hyejin to test me. She had most likely had been talking to me in that way because she had her own form of a guilty conscience.


    She must¡¯ve been more and more convinced after recalling that I often lost my mind, my memory had declined, or that I often blinkedtely.


    I wanted to hear their conversations in person just to make sense of what was happening.


    ¡®Wow, they¡¯re writing a story of their own. Why don¡¯t you just go be a writer?¡¯


    It was as if they had seen far too many of the tragic Clich¨¦ novels. I admitted that there were many shocking events, but I really didn¡¯t suffer from memory loss.


    ¡°I¡¯ve told you many times that there is nothing wrong with me. What¡¯s up with that random nonsense? Don¡¯t make a big deal out of this. Just go do your job.¡±


    ¡°I already know everything. I thought you¡¯d been a little weirdtely, but¡­¡±


    ¡®What did I do? And what do you know?¡¯


    I wanted to resolve the misunderstanding, but they had alreadye to a conclusion without me. I wondered if it would be better to say that it was actually happening.


    ¡®Will there be an advantage to that?¡¯


    For one, she wouldn¡¯t try to protect me blindly. Since she knew that negative emotions affected the Doom state, she would care not only about my physical safety but also my mental health.


    I thought she would wrap me around so that I wouldn¡¯t have to work at all, but that also didn¡¯t feel like a problem.


    There would¡¯ve been a solution, but considering that the second Doom state was the effect of imprisonment, there was no such option.


    ¡®Should I just say that there is no more time left?¡¯


    It was a bit too much, but I thought it was going to work.


    However, I had to analyze it more since I didn¡¯t know how that would y out.


    ¡®No, she won¡¯t believe me in this situation if I just say no.¡¯


    Wouldn¡¯t it be better just to admit it?


    Regardless of what I chose, it wouldn¡¯t be the best, so I couldn¡¯t make any judgments.


    It wasn¡¯t that there was no way at all. Rather, I could create an environment in which I could move more freely than I currently could.


    I nced at Cho Hyejin, who was looking at me in front of the door.


    With a face that still didn¡¯t seem to have suspicions, she was perfectly convinced that something was going on in my head.


    ¡°Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The atmosphere was already in ce. At the silence and uneasy air wrapped around the room, Cho Hyejin, with a grumpy face, swallowed hard.


    ¡°Please believe me. At least our Blue Guild members deserve to know what¡¯s going on in the Vice Guild Master¡¯s mind.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my responsibility.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It is not your responsibility. Nothing has changed because of the recent incident.¡±


    ¡°Really¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Only you should know this.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    She looked like she realized there was something wrong after all.


    ¡°Please do not let anyone know about this. Not even Hyunsung, Hayan, Deokgu, the Blue Guild members, or my acquaintances. I don¡¯t want to tell them yet. Since our situation is dire, I don¡¯t want to cause unnecessary worries or distractions. I still have some work¡­ left to do. Yes. That is absolutely necessary.¡±


    ¡°What¡­ are you talking¡­ about?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have much time left.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s exactly what you think.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly when it started, but there are times when my mind feels a little blurry. There were times when I had short-term memory loss like just before. The reason is probably¡­ It¡¯s probably because of that. I also tried to find a way out myself, but she told me there was none.¡±


    ¡°Who¡­¡±


    ¡°Benignore.¡±


    ¡°Is that true?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I have been given a curse that I can never recover from.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ what does that¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal. I won¡¯t die. I¡¯ll just slowly lose my memory. If it¡¯s short, I¡¯ll have three years, and if it¡¯s long, about five years.¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­¡±


    ¡°Since I haven¡¯t forgotten anything yet, you don¡¯t have to look like that. I¡¯m holding on surprisingly well. A high amount of intelligence is helpful in this case. Although I often get lost in space or distracted, I haven¡¯t forgotten the past. As of yet, this has not progressed to that extent.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t tell other people. As I said before, there are many things to do. I don¡¯t know when and how things will worsen, so I want to finish everything I can. In addition to the work we need to do for District 5, there¡¯s a lot of work I need to do for our survival. It¡¯s annoying, but what can I do? I¡¯m the one the gods chose. I don¡¯t have a personality that would sacrifice a lot for anything, but for now, wouldn¡¯t I survive as well if the continent does?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I know it¡¯s a bit strange for me to do this, but I want all the people rted to me to live. That¡¯s why I don¡¯t want to cause unnecessary worries. I¡¯m quite capable, you know. There¡¯s a lot of things I can do within this given time, a whole lot more than you can imagine. I don¡¯t want to waste any second of it.¡±


    ¡°You really¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell anyone for the time being. Just keep reporting that there¡¯s nothing wrong, that I¡¯m healthy. This is my final request.¡±


    ¡®While doing it, speak to them in favor of me, huh? This is good. I think it turned out okay.¡¯


    I wondered if Cho Hyejin would follow my will, but I felt confident about it if it was her.


    I had to be stuck in such a state for the time being, so keeping quiet about it would obviously provide convenience and relief to other people¡¯s worries.


    After our work was done, I could say, ¡®Tada! But there was no such thing as absolute. All the curses are healed!¡¯, and even from the standpoint of the Blue Guild, if Cho Hyejin stuck to me, it would be beneficial since there would be no need to get another escort.


    Wasn¡¯t it too natural that the research center gave me momentum? It was a business that I wouldn¡¯t regret if I kept the gimmick up for about two years.


    I naturally smiled. It was then that I noticed Cho Hyejin¡¯s face, which seemed a bit strange.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Wait. Why are you crying?¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®No, seriously, why are you crying? What¡¯s happening all of a sudden? You¡¯re making me feel sorry. Don¡¯t cry, please.¡¯

 Chapter 596: Eraser in my Head (3)

    <h4>Chapter 596: Eraser in my Head (3)</h4>


    It was only natural to be careful.


    ¡®Why is she doing this? She¡¯s making me feel sorry¡­¡¯


    Cho Hyejin¡¯s expression was a mess.


    That was the first time she cried that hard after Kim Hyunsung dumped her at the speed of light.


    She didn¡¯t make a sound, but her lips and eyes kept trembling.


    Although she hurriedly covered her face as if she was embarrassed, through her shaky shoulders, I knew that Cho Hyejin¡¯s tear nds hadn¡¯t dried up yet.


    ¡®I mean, why are you crying? Why are you taking this that seriously? You¡¯ve never been the type to react like this.¡®


    I made up such a scenario because I thought it wouldn¡¯t have a bad effect.


    I expected Cho Hyejin to take it seriously, but I didn¡¯t think she would have that kind of response.


    Naturally, I felt a bit guilty. Who would¡¯ve known that she would burst into tears at the shallowly made-up false information I threw?


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The more time passed, the more it became embarrassing. The ce we were at had be ufortable, considering the silence around us was turning more and more solemn.


    I wouldn¡¯t have been embarrassed if it were anyone else, but as it was Cho Hyejin, I began to feel more awkward. When I broke the long silence, she replied almost immediately.


    ¡°Are you crying?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you really?¡±


    ¡°Who said I am?¡±


    ¡°You cried. You still are.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t cry. I¡¯m not crying.¡±


    ¡°It seems to me that you¡¯re crying.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t cry. Why do you keep doing that?! I really didn¡¯t cry. I didn¡¯t cry. I didn¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ okay.¡±


    ¡°And¡­ And is it really that important in this situation? How can you joke around like this? Did you really even have to ask me?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    ¡°I already knew that you were slow, but I didn¡¯t know it was this much. Do you want to joke in this situation right now? How can youugh? How can you smile? Losing your memory? Your mind eroding? How could you say nothing even knowing that? Still¡­ Still, I consider you as a friend¡­ sniff¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°How could you not say anything to me¡­ and stay still¡­ how¡­ how did you handle it on your own? Why¡­¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t make the atmosphere serious again. You¡¯re making it awkward and making me feel sorry.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know whether I should pat her shoulder or hug her. I thought about it for a moment and felt as if I should just try to avoid both options. She wouldn¡¯t like it anyway.


    For the time being, it was best to keep quiet until her emotions had subsided. It seemed that the atmosphere would get worse if I provoked her or tried to fix it in the first ce.


    As expected, just after a little while, she managed to stop the tears from flowing.


    Her nose and eyes were red, and as if she hadn¡¯t calmed down yet, she was trembling a bit, but she didn¡¯t have a problem with casual conversations anymore. She seemed to be more embarrassed than me from earlier, as if she knew that she showed a shameful reaction.


    The usual Cho Hyejin would probably cringe if she remembered what happened just then.


    It was a scene that I wasn¡¯t used to seeing.


    Well, actually, it wasn¡¯t that unpleasant.


    ¡®Whew, our Hyejin was thinking about me this much.¡¯


    I suppressed my desire to raise my thumbs at her.


    ¡®Did you get that sad? Coochy-coo. Did I make you cry?¡¯


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re thinking, but I think it¡¯s better to refrain from having unpleasant thoughts with an unpleasant face, Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to talk like that. I appreciate that you reacted like that after hearing that your friend is sick.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Sigh¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°How long has it been?¡±


    In response to her reaction that seemed more serious than expected, I wanted to take back everything I said earlier but telling her, ¡®it was actually just a joke,¡¯ but I couldn¡¯t just say that.


    My face wasn¡¯t thick enough to bring out those words, considering the atmosphere we were in.


    ¡®It would be better to make sure nobody finds out.¡¯


    Wouldn¡¯t it be true if I weren¡¯t caught? As I thought of the immutablews used everywhere, I heard her voice again, forcing me to reply carefully.


    ¡°Are you not going to answer me?¡±


    ¡°Well, I have nothing to say. It¡¯s exactly as what you heard before. I realized it when I went to visit Benignore for treatment. Of course, there wasn¡¯t anything wrong at that time. Although all of my memories of what happened before have disappeared¡­ I thought that¡­ it wasn¡¯t such a big deal. But not everything went as smoothly as I thought.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°As time passed, bit by bit, more symptoms appeared. Still, it wasn¡¯t something to worry about. It was just either I couldn¡¯t remember what just happened or where the office was located¡­ and there were times when I got lost in space for a moment. It isn¡¯t enough to interfere with my daily life so far.¡±


    ¡°Does that make sen¡­¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be stopped anyway. Even if it could, I can no longer get treatment at this point.¡±


    ¡°There must be some way. Don¡¯t give up just because Benignore said that.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t given up. Does it really seem like I¡¯ve surrendered? You know me. I just think there¡¯s something more important right now than my state. Honestly, I¡¯m not uneasy at all, but I still think about ??what to do if the knowledge in my head disappears. Objectively speaking, this ce is more important than my head at this point. However, if the iing threat can¡¯t be stopped, we¡¯ll all die either way¡­ How would I be able to lie down and restfortably with that in mind? Stop worrying about me. I¡¯ll think about what to do about my state after everything¡¯s been cleared up.


    ¡°Who said I was worried¡­?¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯ll say it again. Please keep this a secret from Hyunsung and the other guild members.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Please. You seem to have gotten a word from Hyunsung¡­ What exactly did he¡­¡±


    ¡°He said that there are a few situations in which he got suspicious. I¡¯m not certain, but he thinks you¡¯ve be worse recently¡­ He told me maybe you lost your memory or are having a mental problem.¡±


    ¡®Right, I knew it.¡¯


    ¡°I also had a few things that bothered me¡­¡±


    ¡°When you get back, please tell him that he seems to have misunderstood, that there¡¯s nothing wrong with me.¡±


    ¡°Why are you trying to hide it?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not a good thing for me to be talking about it all over the ce. It¡¯s something that I can keep to myself. I can take care of myself. I don¡¯t want anyone to be unnecessarily worried about and sympathizing with me.¡±


    ¡°It would be better for everyone to know, though. Everyone needs to know. They must, Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡®No, they don¡¯t. Only you should know this. That¡¯s the best option. If you told the entire neighborhood about this, the reason I brought this up would be nullified.¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s because I feel like I¡¯m going to be stressed out. It¡¯s something they¡¯ll find out about naturally anyway. I don¡¯t want to be burdened by things outside of work for the time being. Please keep it to yourself. Thank you very much.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®No, why are you crying again?¡¯


    She suddenly lowered her head again. Who would have known that she could be so sensitive?


    ¡®Yes, cry as much as you want, Hyejin. Cry and show your innocence to your heart¡¯s content.¡¯


    ¡°For¡­ now, I¡¯ll do that. Yes. For now, anyway. However, I do not agree with your words. You must tell them someday. I know that kind of interest wouldn¡¯t be pleasing, but¡­ you can¡¯t fool them that long. Until then, I¡­ I will help. In many ways.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be very grateful. Yes¡­ You don¡¯t need to be grateful. Rather, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be sorry for. Just move on. Oh, keep in mind that I¡¯ll be stuck here a little after the research in this area is over.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Okay. Okay¡­¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Once again, I saw Cho Hyejin crying as if her bank had been robbed.


    It was awkward watching her wipe her tears with her left hand, but I was filled with a warm thought stating that I was doing a necessary task for a smooth study. Although my conscience felt guilty, my reasoning was cheering, saying that it would be morefortable for me in the future.


    ¡®Ah, still, I¡¯ll keep feeling sorry about this.¡¯


    However, just because I was sorry, it didn¡¯t mean I could keep silent about that suspicion.


    I had to choose. Naturally, I picked the best one out of all the options.


    I didn¡¯t think they¡¯d believe me if I just said, ¡°Oh, nothing happened, so please leave me alone.¡±


    Not only Cho Hyejin, but Kim Hyunsung as well.


    Rather, it would be more believable if Cho Hyejin conveyed my thoughts to Kim Hyunsung.


    Wouldn¡¯t it be more reasonable to earn time steadily than to spend time constantly making excuses?


    ¡°Now, stop crying.¡±


    ¡®I need to create a more private space.¡¯


    I felt bad that I kept increasing the distance between us, but if Kim Hyunsung learned of the ce we were in, I didn¡¯t want to even imagine how he would react. Since it was official that there were more than a couple of things we had to get, I had to do it more professionally than before.


    No matter how much I asked the ipetent Benignore and Elune trash, no good news seemed toe outtely.


    Wasn¡¯t it natural that that was the only ce I could lean on? I wanted to bring in Belial, but many conditions had to be met in order for Belial, who made a contract with Beningore, to be summoned to our world.


    At best, the hole Benignore was blocking could be re-stretched by Belial, so that was also something I had to watch out for¡­


    Since the situation above wasplicated, I thought that down in the hideout would be inevitably moreplicated.


    When I took a seat and looked around the things I hadn¡¯t seen before in earnest, I nodded.


    ¡®This won¡¯t turn out bad if I just keep digging.¡¯


    Of course, I didn¡¯t think that the Homunculi or Chimeras would be able to fill the vacancy of the hero chosen by the Holy Sword. In particr, chimeras were only Heroic-grade, or at best, it was only possible to get up to a Legendary rating.


    Of course, it would be better than nothing, but due to its nature, there were many problems in using it actively, and there were differences in quality itself.


    ¡®There is also a problem with recognition¡­¡¯


    In the first ce, it wasn¡¯t just ck magic that had served as their roots, but their appearance itself would make it difficult for them to fight with the light.


    Basically, some things about the monster¡¯s physique bothered me¡­


    ¡®No, wouldn¡¯t it turn out okay if I change the appearance?¡¯


    It was correct to use it all if I could. I wasn¡¯t in a position to be picky about it. If I didn¡¯t have the holy sword, then I would bring a magic sword and use it¡­


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    It felt like something struck through my head like a thunderbolt.


    As if it had been waiting for a long time, a voice began toe into my mind.


    [Is that all you need?]

 Chapter 597: Eraser in my Head (4)

    <h4>Chapter 597: Eraser in my Head (4)</h4>


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    [I asked if that was the only thing you needed.]


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    [You are exactly as I¡¯ve seen, heard about, and read about. I can¡¯t say you¡¯re a particrly wicked person, but you¡¯re the first person I¡¯ve met to own a soul so disgusting. It feels really fun to have a conversation like this.]


    It was only for a moment, but I was startled by that voice. The ttering instinct toward those in power already engraved in my body made me speak without my knowledge.


    ¡®Gosh¡­ I don¡¯t know who you are, but it is an honor, nay, an overwhelming honor to be able to speak to you like this. I¡¯m ttered to hear your beautiful voice. What kind of business do you have in mind that needs this inferior mortal?¡¯


    [Inferior? It doesn¡¯t suit you at all. You¡¯re already different from ordinary insects, so how could I dismiss you as inferior like other humans? I know that you already talked to Belial, that kid¡­ Am I wrong?]


    ¡®Belial was just generous with this inferior human. How could I stand on the same line as the supreme demons?¡¯


    [I don¡¯t know. Many want to work with you besides Belial. Paimon, Vasin, Molech, and the 72nd Corps, all the demons that desire the same as me are waiting for you.]


    ¡®It¡¯s such an honor.¡¯


    Who the hell was it?


    That thought passed through my head. One thing I was convinced of was that the demon talking to me was not an ordinary demon. I expected that much the moment it gave the demon contractors a lot of power, but I couldn¡¯t think straight under the sudden situation.


    ¡°Are you okay? Vice Guild Master! Vice Guild Master!¡±


    ¡®Fuck¡­ What should I do?¡¯


    I couldn¡¯te up with anything, and Cho Hyejin was biting her lips tightly and examining my movements, making me realize that the timing to have the conversation with the demon wasn¡¯t all that good.


    Didn¡¯t that kind of suspicion arise because of my conversation with Benignore in the first ce?


    I wasn¡¯t sure how Cho Hyejin, who just gave and received stories with tears, would be able to take what was happening.


    I didn¡¯t even know why such a great and noble demon personally spoke to me at that timing.


    I wondered if it was enjoying me being in trouble. All demons had a spiteful side, after all.


    ¡°P-Please, wait for me outside for a second. I have something urgent to do¡­ it¡¯s nothing dangerous, so let me be alone for a minute. I¡¯m really fine.¡±


    ¡°Are you feeling any pain? What do I¡­ how¡­ how do I¡­ I will bring in a priest. You shouldn¡¯t stay here¡­¡±


    ¡®No, I¡¯m fine, so leave me alone, fuck. It¡¯s something important, Hyejin. It¡¯s really important.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ really fine. So¡­ just for¡­ a minute¡­ just for a minute, don¡¯t intervene¡­ and please let me be. It¡¯s not something that can be solved with divine power. And it¡¯s not that I¡¯m sick. I¡¯m just dazed¡­ You don¡¯t even have to worry at all.¡±


    The situation was gradually getting worse. How could I focus on the other conversation when Cho Hyejin, who was currently looking at me with desperation, hadn¡¯t even left the room yet?


    I bit my lips firmly at the thought that the misunderstanding might get bigger than I thought, but I couldn¡¯t miss such an opportunity.


    The demon was an executive.


    The one that came to visit wasn¡¯t the manager of my business partner but someone who was presumed to be the chairman of argepany.


    It had called Belial, who was themander of the 27th Corps among the 72 demons, a kid. No, he would have entered the top 10 by then, and yet the situation persisted. Was there really a need for more exnation?


    It was even casually calling the names of other monarchs such as Paimon, Vasin, and Molech.


    It wouldn¡¯t be strange to think that the demon was unconditionally ranked within the top 5.


    ¡°Vice Guild Master!¡±


    ¡®Please stop. Fuck. Hyejin, I¡¯m busy right now.¡¯


    [Am I disturbing you?]


    ¡®No way! How could you be a disturbance? Far from that, actually. I have more than enough time to spend for someone as transcendental as you. Please, keep speakingfortably.¡¯


    [You are definitely fun. I understand now why those kids were interested in you. I also personally have much interest in you¡­ First, I would like to apologize for using this somewhat rude method of contacting you. As you know, in our case, there are limited ways to influence the continent directly¡­ The same goes for the others, but in my case, it¡¯s a bit harsher. Therefore, I politely apologize once again for the fact that I can only greet you in this way.]


    ¡®What exactly are you talking about?¡¯


    [I¡¯m telling you that I¡¯ve given some insects some power in order to lead you in to this ce.]


    ¡®Gosh¡­ you didn¡¯t have to worry about all that. Rather, you even went to such lengths because you wanted to meet with this lowly mortal. I¡¯m more than greatly honored. I cannot thank you enough.¡¯


    [There is no need to humble yourself like that. That aside, I am still amazed by how disgusting your soul is. I thought this kind of ttery wouldn¡¯t affect me, but your words give such a strange sense of superiority¡­ It has been a long time since I felt this feeling. It¡¯s fun. Yes, this is fun.]


    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t stay still like this. I¡¯ll bring Elena. Ele¡­ Elena¡­¡±


    ¡®No, please don¡¯t do that, Deputy Cho. This chairman is saying she¡¯s having fun.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­ I¡¯m fine¡­ so just let me be alone for a minute. You know that kind of thing won¡¯t work¡­ on me¡­ don¡¯t you? Just¡­ leave me in solitude¡­ I just need a moment.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    [Is this really okay?]


    ¡®It will be okay, so don¡¯t worry and make yourself asfortable as need be. Rather, I want to apologize for this mess.¡¯


    [I would like to have a conversation face to face¡­ but it seems a little difficult right now.]


    ¡®No. It¡¯s not. You can call me right away.¡¯


    [It would only be for a moment, your physical body will pass out.]


    ¡®Gosh¡­ you don¡¯t have to worry about it. That doesn¡¯t matter at all.¡¯


    [I¡¯ll allow you a short conversation with someone who has a pure soul. If you leave this ce during the time you¡¯re passed out, I will be in trouble too¡­]


    ¡°For now, I¡¯ll take you there, Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°No. Don¡¯t go outside or tell anyone. Heed my words¡­ please. Hyejin. Keep my words in mind. You must not leave this ce. Wait a minute, just a minute¡­¡±


    [I will take you there now.]


    The scenery changed immediately.


    It felt like my mind was being sucked into somewhere, just like when I went to the negotiating table with Belial and Benignore. In an instant, I was in a room lined with ssic-style furniture, and on arge table were luxurious foods that I had never seen before.


    ¡®I hope Cho Hyejin follows my order.¡¯


    While I worried about the current affairs, I couldn¡¯t help but notice some butlersing into the room after a few minutes.


    The typical middle-aged, who had a nice mustache, didn¡¯t say anything to me and quietly poured wine into an empty ss. It wouldn¡¯t be unreasonable to feel dumbfounded.


    I felt confused if it was really the unconscious world or whether my body was actually moved.


    The moment I blinked, I found my body sitting on a chair, my hands holding a fork and a knife.


    ¡®Fuck, what the hell is this?¡¯


    Even though I harbored such sphemous thoughts in my mind for a moment, I shook my head and immediately removed them. This was because I saw a woman looking at me right in front of my eyes.


    She had long ck hair and ck eyes. It wasn¡¯t the same shade as the ck color that humans had. Would it be more urate to describe it as eyes and hair that were the epitome of pitch-ck darkness?


    It was far from the color that humans could see with the naked eye.


    It was amazing enough to make me think deeply about it unknowingly.


    I felt different from when I first saw Belial.


    There was no feeling of dominance that made me tremble without my knowledge. Rather, it felt like she made people veryfortable.


    Needless to say, her smiling expression was beautiful. She had an appearance that definitely wasn¡¯t normal for a demon.


    However, the woman in front of me was definitely a demon. Quite a high-ranking one, at that.


    She said that she was the one that gave powers to the contractors, but I also used them to get me to where I was.


    I had no choice but to admit that my previous thoughts, which had apuded the fiery will and efforts of the demon contractors, were wrong.


    If all the words of the beautiful demon before me were correct, they probably didn¡¯t summon her. The demon merely chose to be summoned.


    Of course, the method I had just stated wasn¡¯t even an option for ordinary demons.


    I hadn¡¯t seen or heard a demon that could appear just because it wanted to, even within the ranks of the 72nd Corps.


    The reason why she was able to choose that method must¡¯ve been rted to her position. I didn¡¯t know the full extent of Hell¡¯s hierarchy, but it was reasonable to think that she was at least in the fifth, no, third ce.


    If I were to suppose she was a demon who was really ranked third or higher, had set foot on the continent, even Benignore wouldn¡¯t be able to handle her alone, and I wasn¡¯t saying this because I looked down on the goddess.


    One thing I could be certain of was that those above Benignore would be sent to the continent.


    Not only that, but the continent would naturally enter a state of chaos in the process¡­


    That was probably not what the demon, who was supposed to be ssified as moderate, would want.


    -That¡¯s an interesting reasoning. Almost all of them are right. The reason why I was able to meet you only in this way and that I have a moderate tendency are both correct.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry if I was being cocky.¡¯


    -It is important to properly face and understand someone you see for the first time. So¡­ Have you found out my name?


    ¡®To be honest¡­ It¡¯s a little too difficult to tell.¡¯


    -If you think about it a little more, you¡¯ll reach an answer. As you might think, there aren¡¯t many demons who can be summoned at will and can exert influence over the continent¡­ Would you like to take a guess? It¡¯ll be good entertainment¡­


    Was she Baal, the first cer, or Agares, the one ranked second? Or perhaps it was Vassago in the third ce? There was no chance that she would be Gamygin or Marbas, considering she deserved more than the fourth or fifth rank.


    Wouldn¡¯t it be better to think she was either of the first two guesses?


    I didn¡¯t know how much power the demons ranked in the top 8 had, but she was by no means an ordinary demon.


    There was no point in thinking about it too much. Either wasn¡¯t a bad choice, anyway. The supreme demon, looking beautiful, noble, and powerful, seemed to be quite the understanding type.


    -This is fun.


    ¡®Excuse me, but are you maybe Baal¡­?¡¯


    -You¡¯re mistaken. I¡¯m not Agares, either.


    She was smiling as if the situation was pleasing to her.


    -In addition, my name isn¡¯t included in one of themanders of the 72nd Legion.


    As I looked at her nkly, I saw 12 wings of pitch-ck spreading out from behind her back.


    Their beauty was indescribable, and I found myself muttering unknowingly.


    I wasn¡¯t sure if I was right, but I couldn¡¯t help but spit out the name hanging in my throat. I thought I should.


    ¡®The Fallen Angel.¡¯


    -¡­


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    -Yes. I¡¯m one of what the mortals of several dimensions call the Seven Demons.


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    -I think it would be better to introduce myself again. I¡¯m looking forward to work with you, Lee Kiyoung. My name¡¯s Lucifer.

 Chapter 598: Lucifer (1)

    <h4>Chapter 598: Lucifer (1)</h4>


    For a brief moment, I stared at her nkly.


    ¡®The Seven Demons?¡¯


    I had never heard of the fact that there was a demon reigning over the 72nd Corps.


    Before that, neither Belial nor Benignore had mentioned it. Limur and Ronove too¡­


    Context-wise, should I have thought of it as a line simr to the higher-ups Benignore spoke of?


    That reasoning seemed to line up with why she wanted to hide the fact that she had set foot on our world and how she could summon herself of her own volition.


    Why she came to see me remained as my main question, however. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder why the chairman of argepany came looking for me.


    Of course, I could deduce a good reason. I wasn¡¯t a new employee waiting for an interview. Rather, I was someone waiting to be promoted to an executive or managerial position.


    Doom Kiyoung, the manager who would one day run his ownpany, was an innovative talent whose ideals would dictate the future and was a new wind that would bring creativity to eradicate stagnation.


    If I had to choose a position in Hell, I would¡¯ve beenpelled to serve asmander of the 72nd Legion.


    In fact, if I got that role, wouldn¡¯t it be like being in charge of an affiliatepany?


    No wonder Lucifer, who headed the group, wanted to see me at least once.


    Considering that even herpetitors were interested, I was worthy enough for her to arrange a meeting with, at the very least. Of course, it was vague to conclude that it was just for that reason, but no one would disagree that there was something at stake to an extent.


    I wondered if I could try to get closer to those ranked above Benignore as well.


    Amid many thoughts and spections, I gazed at Lucifer, who was looking at me with interest in her eyes.


    [It seems to me that you¡¯re curious.]


    ¡®To be honest, I am.¡¯


    [¡­]


    ¡®Of course, I¡¯m grateful that you visited a lowly mortal like me, even if it meant going to such lengths, but I can¡¯t help but be curious about the motives behind such actions.¡¯


    ¡®It couldn¡¯t be ordinary.¡¯


    [There¡¯s no need to overthink it. You can just think of it as me satiating my curiosity. I heard many stories from Belial and Limur that you were crucial in improving that kid¡¯s performance¡­ Not only that, but you also helped Ronove get the position of Corps Commander.]


    Did Ronove bemander of the Corps?


    How did I help her?


    [Even if I wanted to look indifferent, I can¡¯t stop myself from being interested in you. Honestly, it¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve been in this world myself. If it weren¡¯t for you, I wouldn¡¯t havee here.]


    ¡®I see. Thank you so much for saying that.¡¯


    [You don¡¯t need to be so stiff. I am your fan. We shouldn¡¯t stand like this. Please, help yourself with the food.]


    ¡®Okay.¡¯


    I felt as if she was trying to make the atmosphere asfortable as possible. However, it would¡¯ve been better if she hadn¡¯t prepared such a luxurious dinner.


    Everything came at a price. It wouldn¡¯t be wrong to think that the reason why the fallen angel was acting friendly was all because she had something she wanted.


    How could I not know the basic rule of equivalent exchange?


    It seemed like she was saying, ¡®I treated you this much, and I even have something to give to you, so you must repay me in turn.¡¯


    It was a ssic method, but it still worked.


    Of course, thinking about it, I realized I had to be delighted that she was social around me.


    However, it was better to avoid deals where I had more to lose than gain.


    [I hope the meal suits your taste. Of course, we¡¯re not actually eating it¡­ But I still wish it satisfies our Legion General Lee Kiyoung, who eats like a bird.]


    ¡®It¡¯s more delicious than anything I ate before. The same goes for wine¡­ This lowly human doesn¡¯t know what he did to be treated so amazingly.¡¯


    [I told you. I¡¯m your fan. I¡¯m a bit into that popr book¡­ No, honestly, I¡¯m really into it. Recently, I¡¯ve been having fun while watching you in secret¡­ Well, this is a side story, so let¡¯s just skip it. You won¡¯t be very interested in what I think of you, isn¡¯t that right?]


    I didn¡¯t know how the hell the fallen angel being into that book was rted to being friendly to me, but it was true that I wasn¡¯t interested in investigating further.


    [I think you¡¯re most curious about what you¡¯ll gain and what the cost is.]


    That was correct.


    [What I can give you is limited. If I could, I would solve your problems for you, but that¡¯s not possible in my current state. Of course, I can¡¯t say it¡¯s totally impossible, but if you¡¯re in my position, you¡¯ll quicklye to the awareness that there are a lot of restrictions on your movements¡­ I believe that you understand.]


    ¡®Of course, I understand. You don¡¯t have to exin at all.¡¯


    [There is no need to write a contract. You just have to listen to my request.]


    So what was it?


    for the time being, I kept quiet.


    I raised my ss before she could answer since I got thirsty.


    The fallen angel at the other end of the table raised her ss as well and smiled. I unknowingly thought she was beautiful, but it felt strange, and she seemed to have seen through my nervousness.


    Before long, uneptable bullsh*t flowed through her lips carefully.


    [I want another one of those who are with you, the high-ranked human.]


    What? That was impossible. What was up with that bullsh*t, crazy crow bitch. Why was sheughing?


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    [No. That¡¯s not what I mean. I¡¯m not telling you to hurt him. Rather, it is a proposition that may be beneficial to you.]


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    [Yes, I¡¯m talking about the human Kim Hyunsung. I want him.]


    ¡®I don¡¯t understand what you exactly mean.¡¯


    [Fret not. There is no need to show hostility. There¡¯s no malice behind my words. I¡¯m not trying to take your human away. I just thought that it would be nice if he could join us. Of course, his disposition is very different to share the will with the demons, but¡­ If you¡¯re with him, I think he¡¯ll be able to get used to it sooner orter.]


    That was what she meant?


    In fact, I was worried that she was making a ridiculous suggestion. However, after I listened to her, I thought her request was nothing but a little unexpected.


    Perhaps it wasn¡¯t possible.


    I had thought about it for a moment, but it was definitely an impossible order.


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s hostility toward the demons was beyond imagination. He would even get mad just thinking about them.


    It didn¡¯t feel particrly strange that Lucifer, the fallen angel who was once said to belong to the light, was interested in Kim Hyunsung, but¡­


    She was saying that without knowing our Hyunsung.


    Even if I said that I could get Kim Hyunsung to their side, I could still bet everything I owned that he wouldn¡¯t move cooperatively.


    Perhaps the demons were wary of Kim Hyunsung going to the opposing faction. Maybe they didn¡¯t necessarily want him, but they might not like having a talent stolen by a rivalpany. The synergy between Kim Hyunsung and the light side was pretty good, after all.


    It felt like the matters at the heavens were going a little more beneficial than I imagined.


    I knew they would be passionate about him, but I didn¡¯t think they would go that far.


    I was puzzled by the fact that he hadn¡¯t yet been contacted, but it seemed that the two camps were testing each other.


    [I¡¯m not asking you to persuade him or to use any means necessary. If you take the position of Corps Commander, he would most likely follow¡­ You just need to talk to him so he can ept the facts when the timees.]


    ¡®I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯s possible, but¡­¡¯


    [It wouldn¡¯t be a bad proposition for you either. Think about it.]


    That was true. If I really had to choose either side, wouldn¡¯t it be beneficial to take Kim Hyunsung with me?


    Even though I had both Belial and Benignore, it couldn¡¯t be better than moving with someone I could really trust.


    Perhaps Kim Hyunsung, whocked a sense of politics, would also want me to stick by his side.


    If he realized that we could ascend together, he would surely pull me towards the light.


    ¡®If that¡¯s what you really want, I¡¯ll ept it for now. But¡­ I think you already know the details of the contract between Belial and Benignore. First of all, Benignore has the right to bargain, and if a better proposales out from their side, it would only be natural for it to shake me. What¡¯s happening here right now¡­ It¡¯s practical, but it¡¯s a contract vition. It may be unpleasant, but I¡¯m taking this seriously, Lucifer. I thought maybe this would be more helpful than just agreeing to please you¡­¡¯


    [Yes, I know. I know who you are. I am d that you are taking it more seriously than I thought you would.]


    ¡®If there is something else that I can help you with, I¡¯ll do my best.¡¯


    I nodded for the time being, but the nuance of being unsure remained. Her response wasn¡¯t that bad, at least.


    ¡®Maybe she¡¯ll test me a little more? Or will she offer other conditions? The contract can¡¯t be broken¡­¡¯ I looked at the Fallen Angel in front of me while thinking that.


    She was still smiling as if she didn¡¯t know what I was feeling. The mustached butlers, standing upright, were silently pouring wine into empty sses.


    [It¡¯s a pity that I¡¯m conducting a deal where I¡¯ll lose a lot¡­ well, I don¡¯t think it really matters. You are more suited to our faction much better than theirs anyway¡­ You¡¯re aware of that as well, right?]


    ¡®To be honest, I admit that there is a high probability that I¡¯ll be going to Hell, but¡­ I don¡¯t know what the future has in store for me. Still, the fact that I didn¡¯t give a sloppy answer, even verbally, is my way of showing that I respect the Supreme Demon Lucifer. I hope this doesn¡¯t anger you.¡¯


    [Your face looks like you¡¯re worried about the future¡­]


    ¡®I won¡¯t deny it.¡¯


    The atmosphere hadn¡¯t seemed to be ruined, so I hoped she¡¯d just let it slide.


    [Well, this is better. If you answered right away, I wouldn¡¯t have liked it. So, enough about me, and let¡¯s talk about you. You seem to be struggling a lot recently¡­]


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    [I know roughly about your situation. I know that you need new power as well. I want to give you my own strength, but unfortunately, Commander Lee Kiyoung¡¯s wavelength seemed to fit better with Belial. If you force yourself, I might be able to ept it, but since the result wouldn¡¯t be that good, I can¡¯t rmend it.]


    Of course, I had no intention of receiving it.


    [I¡¯d like to give you even ten wings as a gift, but¡­]


    If there were any side effects, I would rather refuse.


    [It seems impossible with that maggot-like body. Oh, don¡¯t be mistaken. I¡¯m not criticizing you.]


    ¡®Even if you want to give me something, I¡¯m not in a position to ask for anything right now. Instead, I¡¯ll use whatever gift you have for me with great and overwhelming gratitude. I¡¯ll slice the throats of the spoiled outer god and those dirty pigeons open. I¡¯ll also work hard to dere that this continent is moving at the palms of your hands.¡¯


    [You have quite an interesting expression. I didn¡¯t feel the sincerity, though¡­ If I could, I would go to the battle myself, but I don¡¯t think I can do that. It¡¯s better to show you a few things¡­ Would you like to check them out for yourself?]


    It was now done.


    I didn¡¯t know what it exactly was, but it was done.


    When I looked at Lucifer with an expression that would¡¯ve told her I¡¯d sworn my allegiance to her the rest of my life, I heard a brief burst ofughter.

 Chapter 599: Lucifer (2)

    <h4>Chapter 599: Lucifer (2)</h4>


    [[Exercising influence on the continent takes considerable power. Not only from those who immerse themselves in the light but also from us. I don¡¯t mean to burden you, but I believe that one day there will be a reward for this.]


    ¡®You¡¯re the best, Lucifer.¡¯


    [There are a few things, so take a look.]


    As soon as I nodded, I saw the mustached butlers bringing in some stuff. They were probably what the demons called cursed swords.


    I didn¡¯t know if they were already there or if she prepared them especially for the asion, but I already knew the items were Myth-grade without having to look at them with my Mind¡¯s Eyes.


    There were some issues, however.


    ¡®It looks too much like a magic sword.¡¯


    The disgusting design was the problem.


    There was one with hundreds of eyeballs rolling on the handles, looking around as if they were alive. Another was designed like the mouth of a beast. I didn¡¯t know if it saw me, but I turned my head away from the weapon drooling with its tongue protruding ravenously.


    I didn¡¯t know why its huge and long tongue now kept pointing at me.


    [It seems that one is taking a liking to Legion General Lee Kiyoung.]


    I didn¡¯t want to be liked by it at all.


    [Among the armaments before you, some are for those with a little special taste. In that one¡¯s case, it has six tongues. I think it will be a fun partner if it just suits your taste. What do you think? Personally, I want to see Lee Kiyoung ying with that one.]


    ¡®Haha¡­ It¡¯s okay¡­ Since my physical power is low, it is difficult for me to deal with a cursed sword myself.¡¯


    [Although it is in the form of a sword, there are also cursed weapons that have a function to amplify magical power. However, there¡¯s a minor problem. It consumes the user¡¯s blood as a medium¡­]


    No, thanks. That shouldn¡¯t happen, either.


    [There¡¯s a downside that it slowly devours your soul, but there is also a cursed sword that turns the wielder into the strongest swordsman.]


    That one with an old man¡¯s ghost in the gem screaming? I would never pick it up. I thought I¡¯d be cursed the moment I did. All of the items presented looked like I would fall into hell just by looking at them.


    Wasn¡¯t it irrational to hold that kind of sword and incite it as a holy sword? It was at least proper to make it look sacred, at least on the outside.


    Only the warrior chosen by the holy sword could rece the previous owner of it.


    Was it possible to im that the ones before me were holy swords despite them looking vile and disgusting?


    In that sense, all the cursed swords that Lucifer brought were out of the question. I really wanted to me her for having only those, but that could mean my death.


    Of course, since they all were worthless, I should¡¯ve just picked any of them, but no matter how I looked at them, they didn¡¯t go with the Army of Light¡¯s identity. I wasn¡¯t sure how to even exin the matter, however.


    [It looks like you don¡¯t have anything to your liking. I thought I selected quite pretty good ones. Why don¡¯t you take the one that desperately wants you?]


    That¡¯s a bit¡­


    ¡®Lucifer, oh Supreme Devil, and ruler of all the beauty of this world. I apologize for saying this, but is there a slightly simpler sword¡­ as you might expect, because of my position in the continent¡­¡¯


    [I thought you would say that. However, most of the weapons I own have the same aspect¡­]


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    Damn.


    Did I have no choice but to pick randomly?


    I thought the old man¡¯s sword trapped in a gem and screaming out loud was the best option out of all of them. I would just have to go with the story that the warrior who saved the world centuries ago had sealed himself for future generations.


    -I¡­ I¡¯ll curse you¡­ you damn¡­ huuuuumaaaaan¡­ bastards¡­ I¡¯ll kill¡­ and kiiiill¡­ and kiiiiiill¡­ hoooow¡­ daaaaree¡­


    Fine. I didn¡¯t even want to take the old man, anyway.


    Looking at it again, I thought that the weapon filled with eyeballs would be okay, although it was a bit disgusting¡­


    -Creak! Creak! Creak! Creeeeeeaak!


    I¡¯d have to pass on that one, too.


    -Cry, Hell Zhanmadao.


    I didn¡¯t know what it meant, but that one was also a miss.


    I wondered if there was any normal sword among them. That didn¡¯t mean I could just take the tongue one. I thought the function was definitely good, but I felt like it would consume my magic power every day¡­ Above all, the appearance itself was grotesque. It had six tongues fluttering.


    I couldn¡¯t even tell them those were Benignore¡¯s tongues.


    Just thinking about it made me struggle.


    [If so, how about this one?]


    Lucifer, who was slightly smiling, showed me a sword that seemed to look normal.


    Perhaps all the swords before were just a smokescreen for her to see and enjoy my reactions.


    I thought it was in bad taste, but I shook my head when I took a closer look at it.


    [The 666th Holy Sword of the Fallen Angel (Mythic-Grade)]


    It had a brilliance that made me unknowingly drop my jaw.


    The gray sword was impressive. It had an image of a god carved in a very ssic form, making me feel divinity from it for some reason.


    Of course, the energy that wasing out made me frown, but it was suppressed to the point that it couldn¡¯t be noticed unless they had the Mind¡¯s Eyes.


    It was a sword that fitted all the conditions I required.


    I had a hard time holding back a smile.


    Of course, since it was cursed, there must¡¯ve been side effects or penalties, but it didn¡¯t matter since I wouldn¡¯t be the one using it anyway. Lucifer grinned as if she had seen the reaction wherein I couldn¡¯t hide my joy.


    ¡®Is it¡­ really okay for me to receive this priceless treasure¡­¡¯


    [Yes, I believe there will be a reward in the future.]


    ¡®Of course. I will do whatever it takes¡­ to give you something in return equivalent to this armament.¡¯


    [I look forward to it, Legion General Lee Kiyoung. If I could, I would spend more time with you, but it¡¯s time to go. Did I take too much of your time?]


    ¡®No, not at all. I wouldn¡¯t dare have such reasonable thoughts. It was a valuable and precious time for me as well. It¡¯s such a shame that we have to go now. If you have more time, how about having a ss of wine together¡­¡¯


    [I, too, want to be with you, but it seems I¡¯m running out of time. The eyes observing me are starting to bother me, and it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t have anything to do. Anyway, this is farewell, for now. Thank you for entertaining me amid my boring and lethargic routine.]


    ¡®This humble human is honored.¡¯


    [Finally, I¡¯m embarrassed to say this, but if I¡¯m not bothering you, can I ask for an autograph?]


    ¡®Of course. It would be my pleasure.¡¯


    I knew that Doom Kiyoung was popr in hell, but I couldn¡¯t even imagine that Lucifer would also ask such a request.


    She handed over books written in demonnguage that I¡¯d never seen before. Seeing that something about a gue was written on them, wouldn¡¯t their contents be a lecture?


    I didn¡¯t know where all the dozens of books came from, but the mustached butlers were busy moving the unidentified books to me.


    My arm even started to hurt.


    However, I had to do that much, at least, to repay her.


    It was a good deal anyway, considering I could gain her favor with a little bit of extra effort.


    Certainly, the lecture at that time was properly embedded in the hearts of the moderates.


    ¡®There are quite a lot of books. Do you enjoy reading?¡¯


    [They are from an event held in hell¡­ no, these are books from an exhibition. For more information¡­]


    ¡®Oh, I was being too cocky.¡¯


    Sheughed silently.


    I didn¡¯t know if Lucifer forgot she said she was in a hurry, but she was pretty calm while waiting for me to finish signing all of the scriptures.


    I knew that the time axis of the unconscious world and the world we were in was different, but it felt like a long time had passed. As I moved my arm mechanically without thinking, I became curious about how Cho Hyejin would react in that world.


    Unlike before, I began to feel a little nervous.


    I thought it would end soon, but I couldn¡¯t even see the end of the queue.


    Eventually, after a few more hours, she nodded satisfactorily.


    [It was nice to meet you.]


    ¡®No. It was my pleasure.¡¯


    [I¡¯m worried that I¡¯ve been dying too much of your time.]


    ¡®Hahaha, that¡¯s okay.¡¯


    Actually, it wasn¡¯t okay. Seeing that my current state was still being maintained, it didn¡¯t seem like I had left the 5th District, but it still wouldn¡¯t be good if I remained passed out for a long time.


    I already got what I was aiming for, and I must have done everything I had to do.


    I wanted her to send me back, but I didn¡¯t know how to end the prolonged goodbye.


    Fortunately, Lucifer also seemed to think that it was time to finish the conversation.


    [It was fun, Legion Commander Lee Kiyoung.]


    The moment she waved her lightly, my view began to shift as I felt my body falling into the abyss.


    ¡°Please¡­ please¡­¡±


    ¡®What the hell.¡¯


    The first scene I saw was Cho Hyejin¡¯s face.


    ¡®Why are you so close?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know if she was aware that she was crying on me, but her tears continued to fall on my face.


    I didn¡¯t know how long the conditionsted, but fortunately, it didn¡¯t seem that much time had passed; perhaps it was even less than 30 minutes.


    I was tired, and I felt like I wanted to take a nap, but¡­


    ¡°Sniff¡­¡±


    I moved a bit, hearing her voice.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    Of course, she expressed her concern immediately.


    ¡°A-Are¡­ Are you okay? Are you really okay?¡±


    ¡°Where am I¡­?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you remember? I¡¯m Cho¡­ Cho Hyejin¡­ and this is the 5th District. Y-You are Lee Kiyoung of the Blue Guild¡­ and we¡¯re f-friends.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask that, Hyejin. Didn¡¯t I say it was nothing?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I remember everything. So you don¡¯t have to exin it to me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to treat me like I¡¯m an old man with dementia. The curse hasn¡¯t reached that stage yet. I remember everything vividly. You were crying loudly before, and you¡¯re still crying.¡±


    ¡°Who¡­ sniff¡­ who said I¡¯m crying?¡±


    ¡°Thank you¡­ for listening to my request.¡±


    ¡°If you woke up 10 minutester, I would have already taken you to the guild. No¡­ if I could, I would¡¯ve taken you there right now.¡±


    ¡°I already told you. I¡¯m fine. Well¡­ anyway, thank you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°How much time has passed exactly?¡±


    ¡°About 15 minutes¡­¡±


    ¡°I have been lying down for quite a while.¡±


    ¡°Are you really okay? Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it happens sometimes¡­ so you can rest assured. I already told you this a few times, but you don¡¯t have to take it too seriously.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re having a hard time¡­ you can tell me.¡±


    ¡®A hard time¡­ Hyejin, not at all. We got the jackpot. A really huge one.¡¯


    I felt like I wanted to scream in joy, but¡­


    ¡®She¡¯s too solemn.¡¯


    Cho Hyejin¡¯s face, who witnessed the seriousness of the situation with her own eyes, bothered me.

 Chapter 600: Way to Overcome (1)

    <h4>Chapter 600: Way to Ovee (1)</h4>


    The atmosphere was very tense, and her intense reaction was enough to make anyone who saw her think I was indeed dead. What more did I need to say? With a runny nose and a face full of tears, it was so unlike her. I had a brief, mean thought about her overreacting, but¡­ thinking about it, it was just natural to have such a reaction.


    Yes, how surprising it must have been from her point of view. Didn¡¯t she just hear the shocking news that I had gradually been losing my memory? How embarrassed she must have been to witness this weak man pass out after repeatedly spacing out.


    Although I didn¡¯t see anything more after I fainted, it would not be strange if she had panicked to the point where she wouldn¡¯t even stop to listen to my exnation. One thing was for certain, though; she must have stamped her foot. Looking at her, my gaze fell for no reason. Probably more so because, unlike her, who was mentally traumatized, the memory of thevish dinner served by Lucifer had not disappeared from my mind.


    ¡®It was really good¡­¡¯


    It was a dinner service good enough to be at the same level as mirror salmon. Aside from the fact that I had just received a mythic-grade sword, I started to feel sorry for her.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± I reassured her.


    ¡°You keep saying you¡¯re fine, but how can I believe you? Please¡­ take care of yourself. If you are sick, you can tell me, and if you¡¯re having a hard time, you can express that too. Many people can help you, but why¡­ I think it would be better to be honest with the Guild Master¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°We have to tell everyone and find a solution together. I think there is no other way. Really¡­ what if you really forget everything? Then¡­ sniff¡­¡± She was evidently about to cry.


    ¡°That is why I am not telling them. Look at how you¡¯re reacting right now, so imagine how the others would feel. As I have said, there is an order in work. I have prioritized my life over my memory, so don¡¯t think about letting them know. Everyone has work to do and prepare. I don¡¯t have time to waste being caught in something weird.¡±


    ¡°Why is this weird? You¡¯re not wasting your time. This is¡­¡±


    ¡°If this is not wasting time, what do you think is wasting time? Struggling to figure out a cure right now is like trying to catch smoke with your hands.¡±


    ¡°Still¡­¡±


    ¡°I told you I wasn¡¯t sick. If it had been really painful, I would havee out first and made a fuss about it. You know me, so why are you doing this? Don¡¯t make the situation worse for no reason¡­ I think it would be better to join the other party members now. It¡¯s not good to be away too long¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Please act as if nothing happened. Wash your face and calm down. They will be suspicious that something has happened.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go quickly. Quickly.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± She remained silent.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Stupid bastard¡­¡±


    Her little murmurs were evidently filled with concern.


    She was cursing me under her breath, but I couldn¡¯t find it in me to be upset with her. First, I was in a mood good enough to want to dance because I had gotten the mythic-grade magic sword stored in the infinite bag. Wasn¡¯t it natural for my footsteps to be lighter without my knowledge? I had gotten something better than I thought I would get¡­


    The fact that Cho Hyejin did not inform anyone else was also enough news to deserve a thumbs-up. This one was a problem because she was not really flexible, but this time it seemed to have worked. She was showing a bit of anxiety now, but she would follow my will in the end.


    She wasn¡¯t the kind to b secrets that other people wanted to hide.


    ¡®Gosh¡­ she¡¯s even thoughtful. Our Hyejin¡­¡¯


    Although some more worries remained, what had be most important at this point was determining the owner of the holy sword given by Lucifer. If there wasn¡¯t an owner, I wouldn¡¯t mind using it, but wouldn¡¯t it be better if this kind of sword was wielded by someone who could use it properly. Wasn¡¯t there a project that was started to fill the role of the chosen warrior?


    It doesn¡¯t matter whatever path you took or what you rode on as long as you arrived at your destination. In short, whether Benignore chose a warrior or I did, there would be no problem with the oue. The questions now were if I could find the chosen warrior, whether the chosen warrior was suitable for my holy sword, and finally, would he be able to endure the sacred power of this holy sword?


    Since this was a holy sword that hade to me in an unusual way, there was no choice but for it to have side effects. That was why I wouldn¡¯t be able to pass this on to the others in the Blue Guild¡­


    Aside from that, I thought that the Blue Guild members would not be chosen by this holy sword. Wouldn¡¯t it be for the best if I were the only one who could use it?


    ¡°Um, Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°No. it¡¯s nothing¡­¡±


    I was thinking about this seriously while we were walking, and I could see Cho Hyejin open her mouth. She had probably felt worried when she saw me spacing out again.


    ¡°I¡¯m saying this once again, but I don¡¯t want to hear you say anything about telling the others.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t talking about that. It¡¯s just¡­ how do I react to the other party members¡­ and what do I tell the Guild Master¡­¡±


    ¡°Just treat me like you normally do. If you think it¡¯s a little dangerous,e out and help me once, but aside from that, you just have to act normally. If the same thing happens again, you can help me handle it. I could suddenly pass out again.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Just tell Hyunsung I¡¯m fine. I think he¡¯s been under a lot of stress recently.¡±


    ¡°He won¡¯t believe it.¡±


    ¡°No, he will. I bet it would be even more helpful if you tell him rather than me.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You would be surprised to know how much Hyunsung trusts you, much more than you think. If you just report that I seem to be fine, he won¡¯t say much about it.¡±


    ¡®I¡¯m right, Hyejin. You are Kim Hyunsung¡¯s first pick.¡¯ I thought.


    ¡°Is that true?¡± She asked worriedly.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡®So, you can¡¯t tell himter just because you want to.¡¯


    In the meantime, I could see her smiling.


    ¡°So if you don¡¯t want to lose that trust, hide this well. Actually, I don¡¯t think he¡¯s going to say much, but¡­ still, it¡¯s good to be careful. If the situation gets a little more serious, I will tell him myself. If I¡¯m lucky, I might get better before then. Benignore said it was unlikely, but who knows? A miracle might happen. That¡¯s how the world works.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s so unlike you to be hopeful.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it like that. It¡¯s just as I said. In some way, there will definitely be a solution. We can find a breakthrough in a ce like this¡­ Well¡­ Let¡¯s stop talking about this and remember to treat me normally.¡±


    ¡°Breakthrough¡­ a breakthrough¡­¡±


    Eventually, I heard Park Deokgu¡¯s voice when we had walked for a while.


    ¡°What-what took you so long?¡±


    ¡°I had something to investigate and take. I think it took longer than I thought. How are things here?¡±


    ¡°How would I know? Ask the shaman, Hayan, and Sora about that. By the way, it seems like Hyejin isn¡¯t looking so well¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Hyejin was quiet.


    ¡°Did something happen?¡±


    ¡®Look at this bastard; he¡¯s not slow.¡¯ I thought.


    I was relieved yet anxious at the same time. She was quiet for so long that I was getting worried she would suddenlye up with, ¡®Hey, he said it might be memory loss! I¡¯m telling you, he has dementia.¡¯ I could see her opening her mouth to speak.


    ¡°Of course not. It¡¯s not that. Nothing happened. I only helped out because it took longer to organize the data in the biologicalboratory than he thought it would. Yes, right, Vice Guild Master? He said yes, see? I just helped. Nothing happened, so you don¡¯t have to worry.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just go in.¡±


    Fortunately, the reaction was just as I expected. The problem was with her poor acting skills. I was grateful for the fact that she seemed to be trying hard, but anyone could see that she didn¡¯t look like her usual self. She looked very embarrassed and almost as if she was trying to force herself to do something.


    I had to take a deep breath. This was no different than her advertising that something had really happened.


    ¡®Ah¡­ This is dangerous.¡¯


    I could do nothing but sigh, seeing that her acting skills were worse than I imagined. I knew she wasn¡¯t the type that could lie, but I didn¡¯t expect it to be this bad. I actually thought she would be better off just shutting her mouth, but how could I tell her that?


    Park Deokgu also seemed to be quite bothered by Cho Hyejin¡¯s words, and I could see him staring at me with suspicious eyes.


    ¡°I mean, I was just asking¡­ Really, nothing happened?¡± He asked again.


    ¡°What could have happened here? Let¡¯s just go inside.¡± I replied.


    ¡°Well, if Hyung-nim is saying that, it must be true, but¡­ Hyejin seems a little weird¡­ I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s just my imagination or something.¡±


    ¡°She seems to have been under a lot of stress recently¡­ so it¡¯s just your imagination. Are you just going to stay there?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going, I¡¯m going. I¡¯m so hungry that I can eat a horse. If you hade a littleter, I would have gone to ask when we would be eating.¡±


    ¡°You could¡¯ve eaten first.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t we supposed to eat together? Yes¡­ absolutely¡­ we¡¯re one family, of course, we have to eat together. Aren¡¯t you also hungry?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ earlier¡­¡±


    I suddenly closed my mouth after almost answering unconsciously. It was then that Cho Hyejin, who was walking one step ahead, turned and answered for me.


    ¡°He told me he was hungry earlier, so I gave him a simple snack.¡±


    ¡°Oh, is that so?¡±


    ¡°Yes. But still, it would be better to prepare a proper meal as to consume the right nutrients.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you should. If you want to work hard, you have to eat well. You should stop eating too much junk food, and you have to eat a bit of everything to be healthy.¡±


    I had received unexpected help to cover up the previous fumble. In fact, it was just a minor situation that I couldugh and wave away, but that kind of help wasn¡¯t unwee.


    I looked at Cho Hyejin¡¯s face, and she gave me a slight nod as if telling me not to bother. She had told me that she would help but when I saw that she actually took care of me, I smiled.


    ¡®At least she won¡¯t go ahead and make things worse.¡¯


    I felt like I was walking on a narrow string, but I thought that this was already good enough.


    Park Deokgu began to run as if he was very hungry. Jung Hayan, Han Sora, and Yuno Kasugano, immersed in their field investigation, were also slowlying out. As expected, Jung Hayan smiled brightly as soon as she saw my face, and Han Sora smiled faintly.


    There was no need to prepare meals, and when the battle rations we had brought beforehand were roughly arranged, the party members each took a seat, holding their spoons.


    In the meantime, Cho Hyejin looked to be somewhat cautious. She seemed to be having all kinds of thoughts. She had definitely judged that losing my memory wasn¡¯t the only symptom. I wasn¡¯t sure, but maybe she was thinking about the possibility that it was causing delirium. Although she could dismiss it as a mistake, she could not simply let this pass as she had heard and seen something herself.


    ¡®That¡¯s understandable.¡¯


    I appreciated the help, but wouldn¡¯t it be better to rify this before things get bigger? The only symptom was memory loss, and it was not the kind that caused delirium.


    ¡°How were the things you had to do there? Oppa?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m going to go back again after. The data is so vast that it cannot be organized in an instant. What about here? Was there anything that could be seen as a result?¡±


    ¡°N-N-No. There wasn¡¯t¡­ anything that amazing. There was something a bit interesting, but¡­ almost all of the research was stopped¡­¡±


    ¡°You think that too, Sora?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Although there were research data on physical enhancement, it had fatal side effects¡­pared to the side effects that it had, the increase in stats was not that great. It didn¡¯t seem like the means used by the demon contractors¡­ Still, there were a lot of data about the summoning itself.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ I see.¡±


    ¡°And Kasugano¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, I apologize, but it didn¡¯t have anything that I could properly check.¡±


    ¡°But I think there is a l-l-lot of this kind of material. There are not many studies that were done in-depth, but the scope of research itself is very wide. Of course, most of them are useless, though¡­ and it also looks dangerous¡­¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s your standard. It¡¯s only your opinion.¡¯ I thought.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s worth investigating, though¡­ we need to know the virus to develop a vine. Looking around, it doesn¡¯t seem like they studied only ck magic¡­ Surely there are things we can use.¡±


    It was then that Cho Hyejin opened her mouth to ask with a rather serious expression.


    ¡°You mean, for example, we could treat those suffering from aftereffects or those who are mentally suffering?¡±


    I immediately became anxious at her question.


    ¡®Hyejin, don¡¯t do that¡­ don¡¯t stab me in the back.¡¯

 Chapter 601: Way to Overcome (2)

    <h4>Chapter 601: Way to Ovee (2)</h4>


    ¡°What does that mean? Are you talking about Hyung-nim?¡±


    Therge pig definitely had good timing. He asked obnoxiously as if he already knew everything and to just tell him the story.


    ¡°I am healthy. I¡¯m really fine now.¡± I insisted. I then looked at Cho Hyejin¡¯s reaction to what he said.


    ¡°That¡¯s what you think. You were passed out for four days this time, so that says something¡­ there are definitely some aftereffects. Even if you say that your body is fine, you still fainted. If that is not enough proof, what would be? I couldn¡¯t speak because I hadn¡¯t had a chance¡­ but you need to pay more attention to your health.¡±


    ¡°I have already been fainting since before¡­ and I keep saying that it has nothing to do with that power. In fact, I feel like I¡¯ve gotten a little bit healthier recently¡­ I just feel a bit tired physically. It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve felt other side effects¡­¡±


    ¡°What I¡¯m saying is that your head may feel that way, but your body may not. That¡¯s how the human body works. When I was young, I had an uncle that lived next door who was very healthy, but he suddenly came down with some kind of illness, and then three monthster he crossed the Jordan River.¡±


    ¡°¡­ ¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m saying this for everyone. It would be better to pay attention to your health in advance. Shouldn¡¯t you all live until you¡¯re pooping on the wall? And my weak Hyung-nim is the one that worries me the most¡­ I¡¯m just saying this because it came up¡­ but are you really okay?¡±


    ¡°Helena and Heeyoung said that there was nothing wrong with my body, but why do you keep-¡°


    ¡°I mean, it¡¯s just because I thought that it might be possible. What other meanings would it have? It¡¯s also weird to overreact like this¡­ Aren¡¯t you really hiding anything?¡±


    ¡®No, I¡¯m saying I¡¯m not, you bastard.¡¯ I thought crossly.


    It was quite the spectacle to see him pushing forward so hard with a far-fetched argument without any evidence. Nevertheless, was it only my imagination that I felt like I couldn¡¯t refute?


    Looking around, I noticed everyone listening to Park Deokgu¡¯s words. Jung Hayan seemed to already be having bad thoughts; I could see her holding back tears. Yuno Kasugano was also looking at me with a questioning face, and Han Sora was biting her lip hard. She must be thinking about what would happen if something were to happen to me. If it was revealed that there was something wrong with me, she would receive the most damage¡­ so, wouldn¡¯t it be just natural to have such a reaction?


    In the meantime, I could see Cho Hyejin¡¯s pupils shaking. She was deep in thought. I didn¡¯t know if she was debating whether or not to speak out from the beginning, but I felt like she was falling for the moment¡¯s temptation. Seeing her trying to ride in the atmosphere created by Park Deokgu, I was naturally getting cold sweat.


    There was no problem if Yuno Kasugano, Park Deokgu, or Han Sora would know about it, but if Jung Hayan were to hear about it, I was scared of what her reaction would be. The newbie ck wizard was already praying with both hands together, and Jung Hayan was clutching me with an impossibly strong grip.


    ¡®Hyejin¡­ do not do that.¡¯ I pleaded to her in my mind.


    Was this what Ito Souta and Jin Qing, who had entrusted their fates to me in the past, felt? I had to look at Cho Hyejin with my eyes full of sorrow. When I gave her a look that said that I could endure it alone, not to speak out and that I was causing trouble to the Blue Guild members, I noticed her avoiding my gaze.


    I started to wonder if my short dream would end like this before Cho Hyejin slowly began to speak.


    ¡°¡­ No. I didn¡¯t mean it that way.¡±


    ¡®Yes, Hyejin. I believed in you. When ites to trust, it is Cho Hyejin, and when ites to Cho Hyejin, it is trust. Let¡¯s really go with our faith.¡¯


    ¡°Of course, I am indeed concerned about the health of the Vice Guild Master, but¡­ I think the urgent fire was put out. As I heard from Helena, he is improving, and I believe that he will continue to improve. I¡¯m referring to the others who are suffering from the aftereffects of what happened after the 27th Legion crisis.¡± She continued.


    ¡°I guess there are some people who are still experiencing aftereffects¡­¡±


    ¡°The temple is supporting them, but manpower is extremely short. Priests in charge of the mental system are rare¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, really?¡±


    ¡°Does it make sense that one priest has at least 500 to 1,000 patients to deal with? It is hard enough to chant the divine power once for normal treatment. In my case, it is correct to think that I can quickly regain stability due to Helena. But other people aren¡¯t in as good an environment as me.¡± I exined.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°From those with post-traumatic stress disorder, those exposed to the energy of the demon, to those who are cursed¡­ Don¡¯t forget that it¡¯s only been a year.¡±


    ¡°Even though you appear to bepletely recovered¡­ the wound wasn¡¯t healed yet. Shaman, Celia is in a simr situation?¡±


    ¡°Celia is probably better off than the rest of the others.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The words I said to Park Deokgu were not at all made up. In fact, these problems had already been on the rise in recent years. Of course, it couldn¡¯t be denied that this was a corps that eats negative emotions. Wasn¡¯t that what the demons were aiming for in the first ce, to leave a deep scar on the continent? The situation was so bad that there were many people who started getting sick just by hearing the sound ¡®Bel¡¯ of Belial.


    The 27th Legion¡¯s recognition within the continent had already grown to the point that they dealt significant damage to the depths of the human soul. I couldn¡¯t even say that they could definitely be healed even if we brought in a priest from the mental system. It was hard to say that I needed another expression. In the end, I had no choice but to wait for the time to solve it.


    ¡°The Vice Guild Master is right. I thought maybe we could create a means to heal the people suffering in this ce¡­¡±


    ¡°Is that possible?¡±


    That was absolutely possible. It was exactly the development that I wanted to happen.


    ¡°Well¡­ honestly, I can¡¯t be sure, but¡­ I don¡¯t think it¡¯s impossible¡­ It¡¯s hard toe to a conclusion as we haven¡¯t seen this whole ce yet. I think it¡¯s going to be particrly hard in the mental part¡­ However, there may be a way to treat the victims exposed to dark energy.¡±


    ¡°One thing I can be sure of is that I can see it as an advantage.¡±


    ¡°I guess.¡±


    As I looked around at the members, I saw Han Sora nodding.


    It seemed that she was thinking she could move here if she were lucky, but I wonder if Jung Hayan would be here with her.


    ¡®Because then I¡¯ll be staying here too.¡¯


    ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯m d it¡¯s a good thing, but¡­ aren¡¯t you going to eat?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m finished,¡± I answered.


    ¡°How can you say you¡¯re finished after eating like a bird? It¡¯s not good for your health, so eat some more.¡±


    ¡°No, I can¡¯t eat anymore.¡±


    ¡°These are all good food.¡±


    ¡°Come on, eat it already.¡± Hyejin piped up.


    ¡°Hyejin is telling you to eat more, too.¡±


    ¡°Come on, eat.¡±


    ¡°No, really.¡±


    ¡°Come on, eat everything.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Okay.¡±


    I was going to skip the food, but her voice and stare were bothering me. It was true that I actually couldn¡¯t eat anymore, but my body still epted the food.


    The quick meal ended, and once again, I began to gain momentum from the stagnant work. Given that there was a reasonable goal and an excuse made by Cho Hyejin, I was able to investigate the traces left by the demon contractors step by step without having to hide anything and get bigger things than expected.


    In the meantime, Cho Hyejin called me to give advice. My mind, already filled with trust in her, nodded in approval. I once again confirmed that she would not tell anyone, but she presented me with some of her conditions. If there was no improvement after a certain period of time, or if my symptoms worsened, her intention was to intervene actively.


    Iughed at Cho Hyejin¡¯s hope that this ce might really be a breakthrough, but it was something that was not bad at all for me.


    ¡®I can concentrate on research now.¡¯


    I could stay here as an excuse to cure myself, so what else do I need? I will also have time to study the homunculus or chimera and explore ck magic in-depth with Sora and Hayan. Whether or not it can be used with full power immediately can be confirmed only by observing the research¡¯s progress, but the quality of manpower running the infrastructure is different.


    Han Sora was the best ck magic authority on the continent, and Jung Hayan was called the incarnation of magic itself. It was natural to think that even if I failed, they would find a way to do something about it.


    ¡®Oh, that¡¯s good. Good job, Hyejin, really.¡¯


    Her eyes, which were continually shining, were bothering me, but¡­ Grabbing my torn heart, I had no choice but to endure her pain.


    ¡®I¡¯ll treat youter, Hyejin. Let¡¯s really seed this time, for real.¡¯


    When I was preparing to return after my investigations, Cho Hyejin opened her mouth and asked.


    ¡°Then will you stay here from now on?¡±


    ¡°No. Actually, I still have a lot to do besides this. For now, I think it would be better to leave this ce to Sora.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°She will do well. She¡¯s much morepetent than you think, especially in this field. As soon as the former owners¡¯ research infrastructure is restored, I will join her as well¡­ Of course, I will go out to do other things in the meantime¡­ You just need to act as a bridge. Please do as much as possible so that the people around us can rest assured.¡±


    ¡®Especially Kim Hyunsung.¡¯ I added in my head.


    ¡°That won¡¯t be a problem¡­ Remember what I said clearly, Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡®Of course, there¡¯s no way I could possibly forget.¡¯


    I could just say that I was improving when the research had made some progress. Showing proof that I was all better would be too easy¡­


    ¡°Then from now on¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, I think I should also stop by the temple first,¡± I said.


    ¡°The temple?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I feel that Benignore is calling me strongly.¡±


    ¡°I hope it¡¯s good news. Please¡­ I hope it¡¯s good news.¡±


    It was nice that she hoped that something beneficial to me woulde out, but unfortunately, I felt that it would be something more important.


    I was sure that she made a decision to save humanity. The results were as expected.


    The next morning, with a great burst of light from the sky, a magic sword-no-the holy sword was stuck in the sacred ground and began to wait for its owner.


    It was looking for a noble figure, much like the legend of Excalibur.

 Chapter 602: Way to Overcome (3)

    <h4>Chapter 602: Way to Ovee (3)</h4>


    -The chosen warrior of the continent will hold a sacred sword in his hand and fight against the darkness of demons acting as false angels. On the side of the hero wielding the sword of the sunset, he will contribute to saving humanity from darkness. He will have the purest soul and be the sword against the enemies of the alchemist. He will be a huge beam of light against the fallen darkness.


    -¡­


    -This is a gift of light and your hope as a means to counter the lie. This sword will remain on the continent for a long time, to protect the continent for centuries toe and to share the continent¡¯s destiny.


    -¡­


    -Sons and daughters of light fighting under Benignore¡¯s name. This poor Goddess believes you will ovee the test given by the gray sword. I firmly believe that you will not surrender to the great trials and darkness toe.


    -I¡¯ll keep it in mind, Oh, Benignore.


    -I¡¯m always grateful to you, Pope Basel.


    -How can you say that to this stupid mortal?


    -Please, this pure soul¡­


    -Ahhhhhh¡­


    -¡­


    -¡­


    -Ah yes. I came after seeing what happened this morning. So far, no official statement has been issued by the Holy See. Do you have any news? Reporter Kim Seong-kyung?


    -Yes, this is reporter Kim Seong-kyung with Benignore currently on the scene. Unfortunately, no official statement has yet been released. With the widespread attention of many continental people, various rumors are spreading. ordingly, some Holy See officials have said that there will be a statement as soon as Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung escapes from the advent¡¯s aftereffects.


    -Is it safe to assume that the prophecy¡¯s urate interpretation of the holy sword is not finished yet?


    -Yes, there seems to be an additional discussion on how to choose the owner of this holy sword. It is said that there is a high possibility that intense debates will continue about the degree of the ordeal that the holy sword gives and whether or not there are other conditions.


    -If so, when will the discussion end¡­?


    -Yes, it is not yet known. Currently, the holy sword¡¯s location is strictly controlled by the Holy Knights of the Holy sector.


    ¡®Ah¡­ This is showing the same scene too many times.¡¯


    I still ended up staring at it nkly. Wasn¡¯t this simr on Earth? Broadcasters had nothing else to show, so it was verymon to rey some scenes again and again. When they heard the news from the Holy sector, it was obvious that they would just use and reuse that for about an hour or two. Nevertheless, I couldn¡¯t take my eyes off of it.


    A gray sword descending from the sky with a huge burst of light. Had I ever seen such a magnificent sight in my life? All the priests radiated divine power at the same time. When the gray sword finally settled on the ground, it looked even more magnificent. Everyone from the Holy sector had their mouths wide open.


    Pope Basel supporting the image of the fainted Honorary Cardinal was like a scene from a myth. There was so much attention on the Benignore Net alone that the expression ¡®Explosive¡¯ was an understatement.


    ¡®In this case, there will be more.¡¯


    There would be many people who would think that they may be the chosen warrior. As I instinctively took out the Goddess¡¯ Hand Mirror, the general forum, already on fire, shed before my eyes.


    [Title: I don¡¯t know if the Honorary Cardinal is fine. (Comments: 23)]


    [Author: H.G.S.A.L lover]


    [Title: Holy See Live Broadcasting (Comments: 5,023)]


    [Author: Resident of Lindel Vige]


    [Title: Benignore prophecy, I will try to interpret it. You can roughly infer how it will proceed in the future (Comments: 443)]


    [Author: Flower]


    [Title: My friend has amnesia. He asked me not to tell¡­ What should I do? (Comments: 122)]


    [Author: I like the B1ue color]


    Almost all of the forums were flooded with events that were happening today. In the meantime, the amnesia story that upied a spot in the best posts category bothered me, and I moved my finger like a machine.


    [Title: My friend has amnesia. He asked me not to tell¡­ What should I do? (Comments: 122)]


    [Author: I like the B1ue color]


    [My friend has amnesia. He is a co-worker and we have been at the same party since the beginning, but I heard some shocking news a few days ago. It is said to be caused by a previous injury that urred when the 27th Legion invaded the continent, and ever since I heard that, I can¡¯t stop crying, and I can¡¯t concentrate.


    I want to let the party members know and see if there is any way to solve it all together¡­ but this friend asked me not to tell because he doesn¡¯t want to be a nuisance. He says that he can handle it alone¡­ It¡¯s frustrating, but for now¡­ I said okay. However, he keeps passing out, and that bothers me.


    What would you guys do? ¡­ Omitted]


    [Anonymous: What can you do? He has dementia, and he said that he wants to die like that. In that case, the answer is just to leave him alone.]


    [H.G.S.A.L. lover: Trolls are here again. It would be easier to ignorements like that, author. First of all, I would like to tell you to cheer up. I know that more and more people suffer from that invasion¡¯s aftereffects, and it hurts very much to say that he is one of those people. I¡¯m not in a position to say something, but¡­ for now, it would be better to respect your friend¡¯s opinion. Your friend is the one who¡¯s having the hardest time¡­ Omitted]


    [Anonymous: Maybe it¡¯s a fake. Nowadays, there are a lot of people who im to be mentally ill to receive continental pensions. And H.G.S.A.L. lover is always rude, but pretends tofort people in thesements, what a phony.]


    [Lindel vige resident: If he wanted to receive the continental pension, he would have announced it publicly. Why would he hide and grumble by himself? There are simr cases around me¡­ Honestly, it¡¯s possible.]


    [Soil spoon: I think the story itself is fake¡­ Although many people are suffering from the aftereffects of the corps invasion, as far as I know, no other people developed amnesia. I think someone desperate for attention wrote a fake story just to get some likes.]


    [I like the B1ue color: I wish it were fake.]


    [Anonymous: Just take this dislike.]


    [I like the B1ue color: It¡¯s not fake. I¡¯m serious.]


    ¡®This ¡®Anonymous¡¯ guy is attracting attention here too.¡¯


    While lost in my thoughts, I absentmindedly clicked the back arrow. This heartbreaking story of an unknown adventurer was not important right now.


    [Title: It seems like I am the chosen warrior¡­ (Comments: 423)]


    [Writer: Kim Kyung-sik, editor]


    [It¡¯s just as I have written in the title. Last night, Benignore came into my dream¡­ The dream was a little peculiar. She approached me and slowly lowered the sword, and it is safe to say that I felt the spirit of bing sacred. I can¡¯t say exactly who I am or where I live, but anyway, I¡¯m in the divine line¡­ When I woke up from my dream, I noticed that my divine power stat was up a whopping 5 points. Isn¡¯t this enough proof to be recognized as the chosen warrior? I¡¯m going to pack my bags and go get my sword today. I will be posting a pilgrimage post in 3 days.]


    [Soil spoon: If this is real, it will be lit¡­ We will make a pilgrimage in advance.]


    [Red Mercenary Junsaeng: Why are there so many replies to this nonsense? Don¡¯t be ridiculous, just go get ready for a job.]


    [Anonymous: Do you really think that the gray sword will be revealed to themon people? That¡¯s what makes it even more ridiculous. Probably Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung, the high-ranking people of the Holy sector, and the high-ranking people of the Continental Protection and Management Committee will be looking for candidates. It means that someone will be chosen by them. Obviously, at the end of the meeting, they will try to sway the press while saying ¡®the warrior has been chosen.¡¯]


    [H.G.S.A.L. lover: It¡¯s ridiculous to see someone who doesn¡¯t know anything talk about his own theory here. Maybe it will be open to the public. Of course, they will do the qualification exams, but I heard that all continental people could participate.]


    [Lindel vige resident: Blue guild staff¡­ is that true?]


    [H.G.S.A.L. lover: I can¡¯t tell you the details. And don¡¯t announce that I¡¯m a Blue Guild employee. I¡¯ll get caught.]


    [Anonymous: What is a qualification exam? Doesn¡¯t that mean that they will just take it themselves?]


    [H.G.S.A.L. lover: Didn¡¯t you listen to Benignore¡¯s words? Don¡¯t you remember her saying that there¡¯s an ordeal from the gray sword? In the case of ordinary people, the moment they touch the sword, their magic power will be exhausted and their soul will leave their body.]


    [Anonymous: You¡¯re talking again as if you¡¯ve seen it yourself, hahahahaha. Trying to pretend again this time and leave?]


    [H.S.G.D.L Public Rtions Committee Chair: H.S.G.A.L lover is right. It is said that a pdin in the church reached out to it without knowing what it is and then passed out with all of his divine power drained out. There is still a lot of talk about how to find the chosen warrior because of that. If amon person touches it without knowing, it is even possible for that person to die¡­ It would be a little difficult to disclose this freely¡­]


    [Anonymous: How do you know that? I guess there aren¡¯t any people in this room who aren¡¯t capable. Well, everyone says they¡¯re right, but it¡¯s ridiculous.]


    [H.S.G.A.L. lover has blocked H.S.G.D.L. Public Rtions Committee Chair.]


    [H.S.G.D.L Public Rtions Committee Chair:??]


    [Soil spoon: You seem to have pressed the block button by mistake¡­ Your hand must have slipped while trying to block Anonymous.]


    [H.S.G.A.L lover: ^^;;]


    ¡®These people don¡¯t normally finish theirments. Every day they growl at each other unnecessarily like that¡­¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know who they were or where they lived, but at least once, I thought it would actually be nice to look at their faces, so what else did I need to say?


    I read thement of H.S.G.A.L. lover carefully. Thement was deleted immediately, but apparently, they didn¡¯t verify the Blue Guild¡¯s insignia and employee I.D. Of course, there was no confirmation that what he said was true, but I at least felt that the probability of him being right was higher than what Anonymous was saying.


    ¡®Exactly¡­¡¯


    Since Benignore actually used the expression ¡®ordeal,¡¯ it would be impossible to pick up the sword with just general determination. In fact, if a pdin touched the sword and passed out, that meant there was a high probability that it was not just a routine test.


    As expected, two sides of thement windows were arguing against each other regarding this matter. Multiple messages were flowing at the same time in an instant, and the gradual flow of the subject changing was visible. Eventually, it became a field of discussion that had nothing at all to do with the editor Kim Kyungsik who had originally posted the topic. Comments were still pouring in.


    [Anonymous: Does it make sense for someone to faint just because they touched the holy sword? ording to your logic, that is not a holy sword but a magic sword. It¡¯s like having fatal side effects¡­ Benignore wouldn¡¯t be that crazy, right? Am I right?]


    [Lindel vige resident: It doesn¡¯t make sense. Wasn¡¯t it what Benignore emphasized most in the first ce? Then should she just give that sword to the local vigers?? Since he¡¯s the one chosen by the sword to fight the devil, isn¡¯t it right that his energy could at least do it?]


    [Anonymous: That¡¯s your theory, right? If you want to refute my words, please bring in some good evidence.]


    [Lindel Vige Resident: If there really is a chosen warrior thates out, it would be okay for him to pick up the sword. I¡¯m scared, so I don¡¯t think I can take the test. If you¡¯re curious, you can verify it yourself, anonymous.]


    ¡®Shall I go there too?¡¯


    It was a little scary, but who knew? I could really be the chosen one.


    ¡®What are you thinking¡­ You¡¯re busy working on the 5th District right now.¡¯ I berated myself.


    I wondered if I would be able to ask in detail if I contacted Mr. Park-no-Park Deokgu, but I was still scared.


    I gulped and looked down at the Goddess¡¯ Mirror once again.


    -Yes, this is reporter Kim Seong-kyung. The surroundings are getting more crowded, and a spokesman for the Holy See is moving to make an official announcement. Ah¡­ Yes. Archbishop Jaina hase in person.


    Finally, the positions of the officials have been summarized.

 Chapter 603: Troubles of a Lifetime (1)

    <h4>Chapter 603: Troubles of a Lifetime (1)</h4>


    -Incorporating these ideas, the Holy sector has decided to control the location of the gray sword for the health and safety of the continent¡¯s people.


    -Are you saying that the Holy sector and the Continental Protection and Management Commission will deprive the public of the right to challenge the test?


    -Ah, I apologize, but questions will be taken after the presentation is over.


    -No. It¡¯s okay, Bishop Glenn. That is in line with what I will tell themter, so I think it would be better to answer right away. Let me tell you the exact truth about this. Our Holy See and the Continental Protection and Management Commission are not trying to deprive the continental people¡¯s right to participate. Those who wish to be examined can formally submit a request through the guild or Benignore Net in all continents. They will then be selected through a simple preliminary exam presented by the Holy See.


    -If the¡­


    -The test will be transparently disclosed, and we will make sure that everyone can attend it. Challengers of the gray sword will also be openly broadcasted through the Goddess¡¯ Mirror. If suitable candidates do not appear after a certain period, we will randomly select them.


    -¡­


    -All the costs for selecting the gray sword¡¯s owner will be paid by the Holy See. We won¡¯t even ask about your age or origin. We don¡¯t care where you are or what you are doing. We won¡¯t judge the right person by the adventurer¡¯s titles or pre-existing reputation. If you truly have a good heart for the continent, you won¡¯t need any qualifications.


    -¡­


    -Again, we promise that the Continental Protection and Management Commission and the Holy See will screen out all the chosen warriors that can be mobilized by any means and method. That is all.


    -¡­


    -Yes, so far, a spokesperson for Jaina¡¯s position has been announced. We¡¯ll be taking quick questions now. Reporters¡­


    -I am reporter Bang Joon-woo! We¡¯re curious about the current condition of Chairman Lee Kiyoung. We want to ask about the aftereffects of receiving the Goddess directly into his body and exactly what symptoms he had.


    -Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung is currently taking adequate rest. Although he is physically tired, we¡¯ve determined that there is nothing wrong with his body.


    -Please tell us how the Holy sector and other churches are interpreting Benignore¡¯s words! How did Chairman Lee Kiyoung react to it?


    -That¡¯s not an issue to be addressed here. We will try to make it public in the media in the near future.


    -The continent¡¯s interest in the gray warrior is growing. If a suitable person appears, we would like to know what kind of support and benefits he can get. Please let us know if they¡¯re going to be part of the Holy sector or the Continental Protection and Management Commission as well.


    -Nothing has been decided yet. At the moment, the Holy sector is devoted to finding an individual who can draw the gray sword. Discussions about future work are still ongoing, so I would like for all of you to wait a little longer. Regarding affiliation, we will respect his opinion as much as possible. I hope this answers your question.


    -What is the exact name of the gray sword?


    -We can¡¯t check the sword¡¯s information as of this time.


    -Is it rted to the function of the sword?


    -We decided not to disclose the information of the gray sword. We will not answer any questions rted to it.


    -Then¡­


    -The people¡¯s attention is focused on us. Please brief us on-!


    -Due to time limitations, we will be ending the Q&A portion here.


    -Just one more word!


    -Just a little more! Does this have anything to do with the demon contractors¡¯ recent appearance on the 5th District?


    -Please tell us about the demon contractor situation! Where and what was the Holy See doing?


    -Chairman Lee Kiyoung¡¯s current condition!


    -We will release more information soon.


    -Bishop Glenn! Archbishop Jaina! One more word!


    ¡®They look like a horde of zombies.¡¯


    A voice came next to me as if agreeing.


    ¡°The reporters are scary.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t help it.¡±


    That was how much attention the matter had.


    ¡°I think they¡¯re too enraged recently¡­ Shouldn¡¯t we do something about them?¡±


    ¡°No, I expected them to react like this. Rather, if there isn¡¯t that much of a reaction, I would¡¯ve been disappointed.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ that¡¯s true.¡±


    Considering the attentiveness of the entire continent, the reaction itself wasn¡¯t all that unusual.


    Wasn¡¯t it the chance to change one¡¯s life?


    The Holy sector hadn¡¯t announced ns on how to support the warrior yet, but they all must¡¯ve been imagining something simr.


    ¡®Going from rag to riches! Winning the lottery! Holy Sword Coin!¡¯


    They were thinking of the attention, honor, strength, and power that would pour out the moment one was chosen. Tutoring from high-ranked adventurers, Hero-grade items, and better.


    I could guarantee that they forgot that they¡¯d have to fight at the frontlines of the battlefield. I didn¡¯t criticize themon people for focusing on what they could obtain rather than on the responsibility they would gain. Of course, I also understood what they were feeling.


    If I hadn¡¯t been sitting in a seat like that and drinking delicious coffee, I would have thought just like them. Most of the applicants would obviously dream about challenging it themselves.


    ¡°By the way, oppa. This¡­ Is it true that you got this from¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a holy sword I got from there.¡±


    ¡°I think the procedure is going to be too cumbersome¡­ Are you sure there will be someone who can use this properly?¡±


    ¡°I think so¡­¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t your answer too unconfident?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because I really don¡¯t know. Still, wouldn¡¯t there be at least one or two suitable people on the continent? I think it will probably react to you. Would you like to try to be the chosen warrior?¡±


    ¡°What nonsense¡­¡±


    ¡°No. There is a real possibility. At least I don¡¯t think it would show any rejective behavior¡­ You¡¯ll be able to endure longer than the pdin who passed out right after barely touching it.¡±


    ¡°It should be used by someone capable. I don¡¯t have enough power. And that¡¯s not the problem. I don¡¯t know if we can really find someone like that. The range is too broad. It feels like looking for a needle in the continent. What if no one gets chosen?¡±


    ¡°They won¡¯t be as picky as you think.¡±


    An academic theory stated that Mythic-grade items were usually very picky, but I thought the sword wouldn¡¯t be that much. It wouldn¡¯t have the same personality of choosing its owner with great care like the holy sword from the first round.


    If one suited its taste, wouldn¡¯t it rush to im them right away?


    The problem was that it wasn¡¯t just that one who needed someone suitable.


    The chosen warrior was just as important for me. They wouldn¡¯t just be a one-time use, but a talent that could be utilized multiple times.


    It went without saying that it was convenient to select the right person for me. I didn¡¯t care about the disposition, but¡­ for example¡­


    ¡®Someone young and with a personality that can be easily swayed.¡¯


    I needed a talented person who was full of unnecessary responsibilities and was free to change their mind.


    ¡®Someone not interested in power or material things¡­¡¯


    If they were pure as well, then I couldn¡¯t ask for a better candidate.


    There was also a story that the Fallen Angel used the gray holy sword, so it might¡¯ve had a kind of secret that corrupted pure humans.


    Even if it didn¡¯t, I was willing to agree to some extent.


    In the end, the most important thing in the current job was the intersection of the person the sword desired and the person I wanted.


    Of course, it wouldn¡¯t be easy. Just because I found someone who fit my conditions, there was no guarantee that the sword would ept the same person easily.


    An appropriate consensus was needed, and that was why a public test had to be conducted.


    After selecting someone who best suited the qualifications I desired, I then went with quantity in letting the sword choose its user. It was a special measure that I put forward, considering if I constantly pushed candidates fitting my description to the sword, it would most likely find at least one that it desired.


    ¡®That¡¯s usible.¡¯


    ¡°I have no choice but to admit that the promotional effect is amazing.¡±


    As Lee Jihye said, it wasn¡¯t bad in terms of publicity.


    ¡°Although it makes me feel sick when I think about parting ways with this new thing again.¡±


    ¡°I would like to stay together, but¡­ actually, I can¡¯t afford it either¡­ There are really many things to prepare, so I¡¯ll be stuck in the 5th District for the time being. I¡¯ll visit you often, so don¡¯t worry too much, Jihye. I¡¯ll be in touch every day. I¡¯m going to go back and forth at almost half the time.¡±


    ¡°You have to keep that promise. I¡¯m serious. I¡¯m having a really hard time these days, not to mention the troops from the joint training center will be arriving tomorrow¡­ It¡¯s going to be tiring deploying them at each forward base. This incident also happened, so even if I had ten clones, it wouldn¡¯t be enough.¡±


    ¡°After this work, let¡¯s take a rest, go somewhere, and enjoy a vacation.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯ve been waiting for.¡±


    ¡°Or would you like to take a week off? I can ask manager Kim Miyoung for the time being¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a bit¡­ In fact, I feel anxious if I don¡¯t work. For some ridiculous reason, everything I¡¯ve piled up so far feels like it¡¯s about to be ruined, so how could I stay still? If I didn¡¯t have anything, I would have told everyone to go ahead and ruin everything, but¡­ I have so much to lose now.¡±


    ¡®This one is really¡­¡¯


    ¡°My power, my man, my money, it wasn¡¯t easy to get all of this¡­ so how could I give up on them all?¡±


    She had a way of thinking that I had to respect. I wanted tomend her.


    ¡°Well, if we¡¯re done talking, I¡¯ll be going back to work. Will youe too?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I should start as well.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure there¡¯s nothing wrong with you?¡±


    ¡°I guess.¡±


    ¡®Although there really is nothing.¡¯


    It was something that I didn¡¯t need to mention to Lee Jihye.


    Cho Hyejin didn¡¯t backstab me, nor did Jung Hayan cause any trouble. Rather, Han Sora and Jung Hayan were working hard on their research, so it could be said that I was in my best position.


    Yuno Kasugano was also looking into the future to see if there were any variables she wasn¡¯t aware of before, and Kim Hyunsung had also regained his mental stability due to the news Cho Hyejin delivered.


    It was unclear whether he hadpletely lost suspicions, but there was progress in his state.


    Perhaps his gaze was focused on the holy sword.


    Kim Chang-ryul and Kim Ye-ri were assigned to other missions, and Elena, Sun Hee-young, and Hwang Jeong-yeon were concentrating on guild work.


    At least at the time, I loved the situation.


    Heera, Dialugia, the Holy See, and the named ones spread across the continent had grown well and were doing their best in their positions.


    The problem wasn¡¯t on the continent but in heaven.


    ¡®Why can¡¯t I contact Benignore again?¡¯


    There had been no feedback from her since the Holy Sword frame-up. However¡­


    ¡®She is reliable.¡¯


    Just because I took a Bomb of Light potion and spoke of the prophecy for her, she wouldn¡¯t turn her back on me.


    Benignore and I were inseparable from each other, even if it was just because of the contract with Belial.


    I could¡¯ve also solved it myself. It wasn¡¯t convincing to say that it was impossible to give feedback due to ack of divine power since the request wasn¡¯t divine in nature in the first my head, one thought passed the frontal lobe of my cerebrum.


    ¡®Is she being scolded by a supervisor?¡¯


    There was no way I could know.


    However, I thought it wasn¡¯t improbable.


    ¡®You¡¯re detained or something, aren¡¯t you?¡¯

 Chapter 604: Troubles of a Lifetime (2)

    <h4>Chapter 604: Troubles of a Lifetime (2)</h4>


    I didn¡¯t contact Benignore in the first ce.


    If I said I would get Lucifer¡¯s sword, she would be against it. I didn¡¯t want to argue over what had already happened either. Instead, like in thest war with the Republic, after inhaling two Bomb of Light potions, I spoke of the prophecy.


    It was an arbitrary act thatpletely excluded the opinions of the ones above.


    I thought the feedback woulde soon, but I couldn¡¯t help but have doubts that they wouldn¡¯t say anything by that point, considering a long time had already passed. Quests didn¡¯te down, and there was no response from the statue.


    Perhaps she was admitting to her ipetence and trying to leave everything to me right then, but¡­


    ¡®That¡¯s ridiculous.¡¯


    Wasn¡¯t Lucifer¡¯s sword turned into a holy sword? I thought it was only proper for her to say something, whether it was something positive or negative.


    ¡®Maybe she¡¯s sorting out her position¡­¡¯


    They could have contacted the upper level because they didn¡¯t think that this was a matter for them to judge. Otherwise, she might¡¯ve been quiet because she had nothing to say.


    Although Elune trash ruined everything, the responsibility fell on Benignore¡¯s division in the end.


    If she were ashamed, she wouldn¡¯t even be able to question the current spections, the most likely scenario was that she was being scolded by a superior.


    ¡®That¡¯s the most usible reason¡­¡¯


    Even if one were the chairman or executive of argepany, they couldn¡¯t know everything and see everything. My guess was believable, considering that the superiors were managing not only the dimension Benignore was in charge of but also other dimensions.


    Even if one was a passionate chairman, would they be able to pay attention to the numerous affiliates?


    ¡®Even Lucifer said she became interested in this continent only recently¡­¡¯


    It was natural that the light faction, which had rtively more work to do than Lucifer, would be so busy that they could no longer enjoy their hobbies properly. Perhaps they had heard the news that Lucifer¡¯s sword appeared.


    Whistleblower? Or it might¡¯ve been that they had seen a shocking sight while they coincidentally came to inspect the realm.


    From Benignore¡¯s perspective, she wouldn¡¯t have had time to cope with the sudden situation, and eventually all the karma she had umted so far¡­


    ¡®Was she driven into the corner?¡¯


    I wanted to hear the whole story of how things went, but¡­ For the time being, there was nothing I could do but trust her.


    ¡°Would it be better to go to the statue one more time¡­?¡±


    Still, as we had been working together for a long time, should I ask her regarding my concern once more? It didn¡¯t feel like a bad idea to visit her before I left.


    If things above didn¡¯t go well, there was a possibility of getting backstabbed. Hence, it was better to prepare for it ahead of time¡­


    As soon as I started thinking about it, Pope Basel greeted me.


    Immediately after seeing me from a distance, I smiled without knowing when I saw him running hurriedly.


    ¡°Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung!¡±


    ¡°Pope Basel! You were here. I was about to go meet you.¡±


    ¡°Is it necessary for the Honorary Cardinal toe in person? If you had contacted me in advance, I would have visited you myself¡­ You¡¯re not feeling well yet, soe here. I¡¯ll help you.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha. That¡¯s okay, Pope Basel. I am grateful for your concern, but I am very healthy.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ If so, that¡¯s fortunate¡­ I don¡¯t feelfortable seeing you overdoing it these days.¡±


    ¡°This is all for the continent and Benignore. It¡¯s a little difficult right now, but I believe she¡¯ll recognize my efforts someday.¡±


    ¡°If Benignore isn¡¯t aware of your efforts, who will? How about having a cup of tea instead of standing like this here?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Unfortunately, I have some urgent work, so I think I have to go back to the 5th District.¡±


    ¡°You could go after a few more days¡­¡±


    ¡°I also want to be here with Benignore and Pope Basel, but¡­ as you know, the responsibilities given to me are of utmost importance¡­¡±


    ¡°I guess you came to visit Benignore¡­¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t get disappointed, Pope Basel.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯lle to visit here often. There¡¯s no need to be saddened.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right¡­ I guess you have no choice.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sorry. I have no choice but to focus solely on my work.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so sorry, Honorary Cardinal. How could I not know that the role of Chairman is also important?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll stop by exactly one weekter, Pope Basel.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you should. I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m disturbing you too much. You can go. Benignore will also be waiting for you.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Although he was a little better than before, I certainly noticed sorrow on his face. I knew it would be nice to have a cup of tea with him, but I had to avoid it because it was like wasting half the day.


    Of course, it¡¯s been a long time since I paid attention to him¡­ so I felt inclined to arrange a meeting soon. Archbishop Jaina and Director of Inquisition Helena would also be included.


    ¡®No matter how urgent my work is¡­¡¯


    I had to take time to tend to my rtions.


    If I had judged that the connection wasn¡¯t important enough to prevent gradually bing distant, I wouldn¡¯t have made it in the first ce.


    On the way to the ce where the statue was enshrined, I was eased by the small talk I had with Pope Basel. First of all, I was most relieved by the fact that the light side wasn¡¯t hostile to me yet.


    ¡®No, they wouldn¡¯t.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know about the other priests, but Pope Basel and Light Kiyoung were united in faith.


    Even if Pope Basel heard from above that the Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung was a fake, he would most likely just treat the voice as a whisper of a demon.


    Perhaps Benignore and the others had simr thoughts.


    They realized that the continent¡¯s religious system, including the Benignore Church, couldn¡¯t be established without going through the human named Lee Kiyoung.


    That was why they had no choice but to be friendly to me. Except for the scout, they realized that the continent¡¯s fate was in the hands of the light.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. This time, I went a bit too far. I need to talk to them about it.¡±


    It was not like I couldn¡¯t hear her voice because she was upset, but as much as I had done something, I had to ce equal groundwork in.


    ¡®There¡¯s no problem between us, right? No, let¡¯s start with what¡¯s happening above for now. It¡¯s frustrating because there¡¯s no feedback.¡¯


    I quietly looked at the statue and talked, but I couldn¡¯t hear her voice.


    ¡®I¡¯m sure that something has gone wrong.¡¯


    I could be sure that if she were in a troubled situation, that would give my hypothesis even more strength. In the end, I had no choice but to go back due to the situation.


    It was then that bright light emanated from the statue.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    I was a little confused.


    The shape gradually forming was far from Benignore¡¯s appearance.


    The goddess¡¯s look with braided hair on one side and hanging over her shoulders didn¡¯t match any other god¡¯s figure on the continent.


    I was dumbfounded.


    ¡®I¡¯ve never witnessed this.¡¯


    [Nice to meet you, Lee Kiyoung.]


    ¡®Ah¡­ yes.¡¯


    Although it was a bit awkward, I was more curious than embarrassed.


    I naturally wondered where all the gods like Benignore, Lauren, and had never seen in my life was in front of me, and why was she looking at me with such a friendly smile?


    ¡®At least, they didn¡¯t backstab me¡­ Is she a superior? Maybe from their higher-ups?¡¯


    [I am not the kind of superior that you think. Oh, excuse me. It seems like my introduction is toote. I didn¡¯t expect you toe to find me first like this¡­ Let me introduce myself. I am Nelia, the goddess who will be in charge of this continent in the future on behalf of Benignore.]


    ¡®What?¡¯


    [The existing gods, including Benignore, Lauren, are currently being investigated because it has been discovered that they have been involved in various events. From above, they determined that there needs to be a goddess to manage the continent in the meantime, so I took over for Benignore. It may be sudden, but I look forward to working with you.]


    ¡®I beg your pardon?¡¯


    [I think you must have been frustrated by theck ofmunication.]


    ¡®I was frustrated, but¡­ is that why you came?¡¯


    [If it¡¯s about my abilities, you don¡¯t have to worry. I¡¯m not showing off, but my achievements are among the best from above¡­]


    ¡®No, I understand that¡­ Of course, someone who¡¯s capable must havee. But what I¡¯m curious about is not Nelia¡¯s performance, how good you were at the end-of-the-month tests, or how well you studied. Why the hell is Benignore under investigation? And why did youe? I definitely came to visit Benignore¡­¡¯


    [Many matters areplicatedly interconnected, so it is difficult to speak of them all in detail¡­ They are probably being investigated for what Lee Kiyoung is thinking of. I know what you¡¯re worried about. However, it does not change the diplomatic rtions of the continent right away. For the time being, all the gods of the continent, including Benignore, will be forcibly detained, and I will take measures so that I can use the situation for the continent¡¯s betterment.]


    ¡®You¡¯re going to reform everyone¡¯s religion. Does that include all the Churches on the continent, even the Benignore Church? Midway through the continent¡¯s history, you¡¯d open an incident that would force her to change religious affairs¡­ And when the Benignore Church¡¯s name disappears from the people¡¯s memory, the Nelia Church will beunched and will absorb all the existing believers.¡¯


    [You pick up quickly. You are as I exactly heard from the superiors. If you wish, the direction of operating this continent by creating the Lee Kiyoung church yourself after 2000 years can be made possible. Of course, attached as options, and the most representative condition is Kim Hyunsung¡¯s recruitment¡­]


    What I expected became a reality.


    ¡®Wow¡­¡¯


    It was really flustering.


    It was hard to keep listening to Nelia¡¯s voice, who was talking with excitement. It was clear that everything turned out to be true, considering she talked passionately about the merits, benefits, and conditions that could be obtained in joining them.


    [This is not the only thing we can guarantee. Whatever the conditions Lucifer gave you¡­]


    Of course, she was also aware that I had met Lucifer.


    ¡®I guess she really is the best student.¡¯


    This was a reasonable proposal with a different level from Benignore, an icon of ipetence.


    She gave a presentation based on clear data, making me feel like I was listening to a top employee of argepany trying to win a contract. She had a sense of responsibility as if she properly grasped the meeting¡¯s importance.


    In fact, that goddess¡¯s proposal wasn¡¯t bad either.


    It wasn¡¯t all that impossible to naturally decline the Benignore Church and inject the Nelia Church after everything had gone well.


    It would take a little time, and it would be extremely bothersome, but in extreme cases, I could proceed in the direction of causing a religious war¡­


    Regardless, there were many means to do what had to be done.


    The question was whether to ept Nelia instead of Benignore.


    I couldn¡¯t tell what was right.


    Of course, Benignore was indeed ipetent, but she had been working hard trying to keep up with me. The goddess in front of me seemed to have power, but it felt like we didn¡¯t click in the slightest.


    Even though I couldn¡¯t confirm the information with my Mind¡¯s Eyes, I felt something just by looking at her appearance. Considering how she was talking like that right at that moment, wasn¡¯t she likely to follow the principle even if it meant her death?


    I actually thought she had nothing to be troubled about, but it felt like two options wereing to my mind.


    [A. Discard Benignore.]


    [B. Embrace Benignore.]


    ¡®Ah¡­ The situation is more troublesome than I thought.¡¯

 Chapter 605: Troubles of a Lifetime (3)

    <h4>Chapter 605: Troubles of a Lifetime (3)</h4>


    Honestly, I didn¡¯t think it would be something to be troubled about.


    Of course, there were many advantages in siding with Benignore if I carefully examined each of them.


    First of all, wasn¡¯t the greatest merit the fact that she had been working with me for a long time? She also agreed with the way to handle the continent¡¯s affairs and was moderately swayed when necessary.


    Sometimes I could even force her to move in the direction I wanted.


    We had been through lots of difficulties together so far, but whenever I thought about those events, it was so perfectly sorted out that I could say that everything went well.


    If I just focused on our closeness, it wouldn¡¯t be wrong to say that I had to raise my hand to Benignore¡¯s side unconditionally.


    But from a slightly different perspective¡­


    It wouldn¡¯t be too much to think, ¡®is it really better to work with Benignore?¡¯


    Being close didn¡¯t make it any easier to pick a side in the industry I was in. I hadn¡¯t really grasped the goddess Nelia yet, but didn¡¯t she seem capable even at a nce?


    [If you need to use more than a certain amount of divinity to influence the continent, we will inform you in advance at least. If there is anything else we can do or help, I would like to inform you ahead of time as well that we will do our best to support it. Of course, this is¡­?]


    It was heartbreaking that Benignore was in a difficult situation, too, but wasn¡¯t everything her fault?


    In the end, it was Benignore who stamped the contract with the demon, and it was also Benignore¡¯s fault that she didn¡¯t notice Lucifer¡¯s entry into the continent.


    ¡®I mean¡­ what kind of god has a contract with a demon?¡­ It¡¯s Benignore¡¯s fault.¡¯


    Would that be all?


    I couldn¡¯t list all of them, but there were dozens of rules that Benignore had broken.


    Among them, the bankruptcy case was so embarrassing that even I couldn¡¯t defend her. It was definitely her fault that she went bankrupt while borrowing divinity from another dimension.


    Although she had the advantage of being rtively flexible in thinking, how could she ovee Nelia¡¯spetence?


    ¡®Was Benignore eventually stained with darkness¡­?¡¯


    Nelia¡¯s voice echoed in my mind, answering the question to myself.


    [That¡¯s currently being checked. I can¡¯t tell you in detail, but the possibility is high¡­ that¡¯s what the upper level judged.]


    ¡®Sigh¡­¡¯


    [I understand that you are heartbroken, Lee Kiyoung. You¡¯ve been working together for a long time with her, after all. But sooner orter, you will be able to forget. No, I will do my best to make you forget.]


    ¡®Won¡¯t it take a long time to reform the religion?¡¯


    The work itself wasn¡¯t difficult.


    It was a shame, but shouldn¡¯t I prepare to say goodbye to Benignore, stained with darkness?


    It seemed like the right choice, both for Benignore and for myself.


    ¡®Believer Lee Kiyoung¡­ Believer Lee Kiyoung¡­¡¯ I felt like I could hear her voice.


    [A Common-grade forced quest has been activated.]


    [I will¡­ I will definitely repay you, Believer Lee Kiyoung. You¡­ know that I love believer Lee Kiyoung, right? Y-You know I love you, right? We were good together. You¡¯re not throwing me away, right? Right? (0/1)]


    I could actually hear it.


    ¡®What the hell?¡¯


    [What?]


    I instinctively looked around.


    I then looked at Nelia¡¯s expression. She hadn¡¯t seemed to know that Benignore had contacted me, and I didn¡¯t know how she did.


    Perhaps she was secretly calling from a ce that was simr to a detention center.


    I wasn¡¯t exactly certain what she could give me, but I wasn¡¯t strong enough to save Benignore from the darkness on my own¡­


    [A Common-grade forced quest has been activated.]


    [I-I¡¯ll give you everything¡­ everything you want. So you can¡¯t abandon me. Hic¡­ Believer Lee Kiyoung, don¡¯t throw me away. I¡¯ll prepare everything you want. (0/1)]


    Not enough¡­


    [A Common-grade forced quest has been activated.]


    [A-And if you go with this, it won¡¯t be good for you too. I-If there is a precedent, there could be a problem when youe upter¡­ (0/1)]


    ¡­That might be the case, but it would be better to go with the one that required the least amount of effort.


    We had umted memories over the years, so how could I turn my back on Benignore?


    She and I weren¡¯t simply in a rtionship between a believer and a goddess.


    We were the stakeholders who cared for each other more than anyone else. A drop of tears fell from the statue of Benignore behind Nelia.


    No wonder Nelia¡¯sfortable smile had begun to look abominable.


    [If you don¡¯t like me, I can bring someone else in my ce, Lee Kiyoung. But I¡¯m telling you under my name that I will never let you down. If you trust me and entrust me with this job, even if I be a wreck¡­]


    ¡®The only one I need is Benignore.¡¯


    [What¡­?]


    ¡®What the hell are you talking about right now? No, do you think it makes sense to do things this way in the first ce? I¡¯m only going to work with Benignore.¡¯


    [Ah¡­]


    ¡®I can understand the investigation, but does it have to be right now? I¡¯m aware that Benignore goes too far sometimes, but she made an unavoidable choice to protect the continent. Strictly speaking, isn¡¯t she the one who sacrificed for the continent until now? If you think one is contaminated by the darkness, it is natural that the first step is to purify the darkness¡­ How can you think of execution right away¡­ Is this your way of doing things?¡¯


    [No, it¡¯s not that¡­ We¡¯re only investigating first¡­?]


    I immediately noticed she seemed to think that something had gone wrong, that it wasn¡¯t the reaction she was expecting.


    Rather than being disconcerted, it would be the correct expression to say that she was thinking about how she could lead the conversation. Perhaps the line ¡®is this your way of doing things?¡¯ was conclusive.


    As much as she considered recruiting me, she would need room to think about it.


    ¡®I don¡¯t think you don¡¯t know what¡¯s happening on the continent right now. Isn¡¯t this the right time for everyone to join forces and get out of the crisis? I don¡¯t know what¡¯s exactly going on above, but I think there are some power struggles within the faction.¡¯


    I needed them to give me Benignore back.


    ¡® Benignore is the one who gave up a lot for the continent. Her pride, her faith, and everything she has done were never for herself.¡¯


    [There seems to be some misunderstanding, Lee Kiyoung. It wasn¡¯t because of fights or factions¡­ and if you take a closer look at Benignore¡¯s divinity use history, you won¡¯t find any association with the situation on this continent¡­]


    ¡®I don¡¯t want to hear any of it. Please call Benignore.¡¯


    [Think about it one more time¡­]


    ¡®There¡¯s no longer anything for me to think about. Let me talk to Benignore.¡¯


    [She is currently under investigation, so it¡¯ll be difficult to call her.]


    ¡®She hasn¡¯t even been proven guilty yet. It is unreasonable to blindly drive her as a criminal without even considering the principle of presumption of innocence. Has Benignore even officially appointed an attorney? I¡¯m worried as a believer about whether she¡¯s being pressured in the investigation¡­ Sigh¡­¡¯


    [After the investigation, we will take action for her to officially return.]


    ¡®Isn¡¯t that an investigation under detention? She isn¡¯t a sinner yet. If there is anything to be investigated, you will have to conduct it while she¡¯s doing continental work. She can, of course, appoint awyer. No matter how suspicious, such treatment¡­ To me, the way humans deal with this looks more rational.¡¯


    [There seems to be some misunderstanding, Lee Kiyoung.]


    ¡®I¡¯m already telling you that if you don¡¯t release Benignore from detention right now, I guarantee you that it will be difficult to get my cooperation. This is not a threat, Nelia. I know that the way the holy people think is different from the way we humans think. I know you can¡¯t understand what I¡¯m saying. But this is not the right way. Even in my humble eyes, the way it is now doesn¡¯t seem proper.¡¯


    I made a face showing that I had been truly disillusioned. When I remembered that Benignore was struggling, pure tears began to wet the floor unbeknownst to me.


    As soon as my tears started flowing like a waterfall, Nelia sighed and slowly nodded.


    I could then see Benignore popping out with a whooshing sound.


    [Believer Lee Kiyoung¡­ Believer Lee Kiyoung¡­]


    The way she hugged me as soon as she ran toward me could bebeled as a very touching scene. I didn¡¯t know what choices the superiors exactly made, but I was over one hump for the time being.


    [Believer Lee Kiyoung¡­ sniff¡­ Believer Lee Kiyoung¡­ I believed in you¡­ I believed. I believed that you would not abandon me¡­]


    ¡®How¡­ could I abandon Benignore?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know if I had brainwashed myself too much, but Benignore¡¯s face looked beautiful.


    As I hurried toe to my senses, I saw Nelia staring at me with bitter eyes.


    ¡®Has it all been solved?¡¯


    [No. Based on your ims, we have only nullified the detention of Benignore and other continental gods. There are against Benignore, and further investigation and treatment¡­ will be decided through a little deeper conversation and discussion.]


    ¡®Thank you for understanding, Nelia.¡¯


    [It¡¯s fine. I was just telling you what the superiors decided. Sooner orter, we will be meeting again regarding this matter. Benignore, too.]


    [¡­]


    [Until then, this is goodbye. I look forward to seeing you again, Lee Kiyoung.]


    ¡®I look forward to seeing you as well.¡¯


    With a nod, Nelia disappeared.


    Benignore kept crying. I wanted to ask something, but I couldn¡¯t figure out what to ask first.


    Rather, seeing her anxious face made me anxious too.


    I naturally wondered if I made the right choice at the intersection of my current lifetime.


    Sure¡­ Benignore¡¯s insistence that there shouldn¡¯t be a set precedent was correct.


    It didn¡¯t mean that I had nothing bothering me at all, however. We didn¡¯t know what could happen, after all.


    I thought it would be right to go to Lucifer, but there was a chance that things would get twisted, and I would end up joining the light. Assuming that I was going with Kim Hyunsung, wouldn¡¯t the goddess¡¯s side be a more likely choice?


    If that time came, it would be quite annoying to me if other factions had been bent over.


    ¡®It¡¯s better to be careful even in the current situation¡­¡¯


    If Benignore was convicted¡­


    ¡®Fuck¡­ It¡¯s getting more and moreplicated.¡¯


    I had research to do at the 5th District, find the holy sword¡¯s user, and I even had to look after Benignore.


    Unlike the first and the second, the third wasn¡¯t affected by time and space, but¡­


    ¡®I have to maintain the memory loss gimmick.¡¯


    If I kept fainting all the time, there was no way Hyejin would be still.


    A blow came in when I thought my brain would explode with all of the work I had to do for the continent. As if she noticed that I was in a bad mood, I noticed the lump of light watching me.


    [Sorry¡­ I¡¯m sorry, believer Lee Kiyoung.]


    Fuck.


    ¡°Raise your head, Benignore. You are not a sinner yet.¡±

 Chapter 606: Troubles of a Lifetime (4)

    <h4>Chapter 606: Troubles of a Lifetime (4)</h4>


    [Really?]


    ¡°Not yet. You¡¯re not a sinner yet¡­ For now, I¡¯ll have to go to the field. It seems like this has been roughly settled¡­¡±


    [D-Don¡¯t go. Believer Lee Kiyoung¡­ don¡¯t go. You have to stay here. Where the hell are you going to go? What would I do if I get investigated again?]


    ¡°What do you mean? Get rid of them by saying you can¡¯t answer until yourwyeres. And they won¡¯te back that fast. It¡¯s already been reported to your supervisor, and it will take some time until the entrance is cleared from above, so rest assured and just focus on your work. You already know that, right? You were watching it during Ito Souta¡¯s case too.¡±


    [You¡¯re not trying to throw me away, right? Right?]


    ¡°Why would I do that at this point? We¡¯re on the same boat now. Anyway, even if you¡¯re far away, we still have a way tomunicate. I spent more time here than I thought. I need to get back to work as fast as I can.¡±


    I said that, but her anxious face was still bothering me.


    This felt a little bit awkward to say, but her expression seemed to match a typical criminal¡¯s face. She had a look that could nevere out if there was nothing to feel guilty about.


    It was funny to look like that while surrounded by light, but unfortunately, I wasn¡¯t in a situation where I could justugh. Was she anxious for the silence that came to the hall for a moment? Benignore spoke once again.


    [S-Still, can you stay here for a bit? I have toe up with a countermeasure¡­ There are many things to be discussed in


    ¡°Then, let me ask you this. What the hell happened?¡±


    I asked that, but I felt my conscience getting stabbed as soon as the words came out. I already knew that Lucifer¡¯s holy sword itself was the problem.


    However¡­


    ¡®I don¡¯t think that¡¯s exactly the case, considering Nelia didn¡¯t mention the holy sword¡­¡¯


    If there were anything wrong, she would definitely have mentioned it. I wasn¡¯t certain, but the contract with the demon was the biggest problem for them.


    ¡®Right. How could you sign a contract with a demon?¡¯


    Benignore seemed a little nervous about my question.


    As I rushed her to tell the story, she finally spoke, albeit carefully.


    [A-Actually, the problem wasn¡¯t caused by the cursed sword.]


    ¡°Really?¡±


    [Yes¡­ Believer Lee Kiyoung is not on our side yet, and you¡¯re a human in the position to be active on the continent. In our case, we can¡¯t exercise our physical power over you. It¡¯s not a problem that you¡¯re close to Belial or Lucifer¡­ Of course, if you go too far, you will be judged as the Demon King, and we will send out the holy sword or a warrior¡­]


    ¡°What?¡±


    [Naturally! We wouldn¡¯t do that! Who would dare think of Lee Kiyoung as the Demon King?! In the end, everyone knows you¡¯re with us! You don¡¯t have to worry about that!]


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    [In this case, too, you fell into Lucifer¡¯s twist¡­ so the problem is¡­]


    ¡°Tell me.¡±


    [It became a problem primarily¡­ because I didn¡¯t notice¡­]


    ¡°Yeah? Is it just that?¡±


    Of course, arge secondary problem broke out in a series after that, but I couldn¡¯t help but be embarrassed that the initiation itself was just that.


    ¡°Wow, those bastards are too much.¡±


    The primary problem was just because she didn¡¯t notice the invasion of Lucifer.


    Of course, as a manager in charge of the continent, she couldn¡¯t evade her responsibilities¡­


    ¡®But it¡¯s still not enough to drive her as a criminal like this. Even they must not have noticed¡­ Can they detect someone that outstanding if they¡¯re not in the same league as Lucifer in the first ce?¡¯


    I could be 100% sure they wouldn¡¯t have noticed, even if Nelia was the one in control.


    If it were a normal demon, it would have been possible to trace it, but it was Lucifer.


    Lucifer herself expressed that she didn¡¯t want to cause a big problem and came in secretly, so it wasn¡¯t unreasonable that Benignore couldn¡¯t catch her presence with her ability alone.


    No matter how I thought about it, it wasn¡¯t something to me for her ipetence. I wasn¡¯t sure of it yet, but it felt like something was fishy with all of it.


    I could sense it.


    They only required that much for the inspection team toe in and turn the Benignore division upside down?


    ¡®It wouldn¡¯t be strange if there¡¯s actually a conflict within the faction or provocation from other factions.¡¯


    I knew that heaven wasn¡¯t much different from what humans lived in, but it seemed that it had a more odd form of power structure than I thought.


    I didn¡¯t know what kind of enemy Benignore made, but it seemed it was a considerable tycoon since it could move the inspectors like puppets to crush the continent. The situation was getting moreplicated than I expected initially, causing a sigh toe out.


    There was a probable chance for this situation to get even bigger.


    In the worst case, after turning the continent into a mess, I even thought about taking Benignore and transferring her to Lucifer.


    ¡°Who did you turn into an enemy?¡±


    [There¡­ There is no such thing as an enemy¡­ I have a good rtionship with everyone.]


    ¡®That¡¯s what you think.¡¯


    I felt like I wanted to go up there myself.


    Wouldn¡¯t it be better to talk to guys like Varian or Lauren? If she really had an enemy, their side would do something as well.


    Since it was no ordinary matter, I bit my lips and started gathering all sorts of thoughts.


    ¡°Those bastards are really too much¡­¡±


    [As expected¡­ I thought you would talk like that. You can take a little break while working¡­ right?]


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Her relieved face was bothering me for some reason.


    [The report was a littlete because I was taking a break¡­ Actually, because of that¡­ things gotplicated over here.]


    I thought, ¡®it wouldn¡¯t be that,¡® but gloomy predictions were never wrong.


    ¡®There was no contact indeed.¡¯


    From the moment I acquired Lucifer¡¯s holy sword until the moment the holy sword fell from the sky, I had never been contacted by Benignore.


    My anxiety wouldn¡¯t go away even when I tapped my thigh with my finger.


    Although it could turn the entire continent upside down, I thought it was strange that there was no feedback. At the time of the summons of the 27th Corps, she couldn¡¯t intervene because she was bankrupt, but didn¡¯t she intervene right away with the whole Belial matter?


    The same happened with the museum event.


    When there was friction or close encounters with Myth-level creatures, Benignore always spoke to me first.


    Why didn¡¯t she give feedback first that time?


    ¡®Fuck¡­ She didn¡¯t know.¡¯


    She wasn¡¯t aware of it in the first ce.


    ¡®I mean,e on. Wasn¡¯t there more than 48 hours? How can you not know? Fuck.¡¯


    Where and what the hell did Benignore do during that period?


    Where and what was Benignore doing for 40 hours?


    While the holy sword appeared on the continent, flew through the sky, and even ended their stance, where the hell was that goddess was and what the hell was she doing.


    It would¡¯ve been a rather strange situation if it didn¡¯t turn into a problem.


    ¡°So, how long were you resting?¡±


    Her voice trembled.


    Benignore kept ncing at me as if she noticed it as well.


    [I don¡¯t know¡­ this time a little longer¡­ 40 hours based on human time¡­ I think it¡¯s about that¡­]


    ¡®The faction, my ass¡­ fuck.¡¯


    It was a violent blow that came down on my neck with power like a guillotine.


    It was heavier than the attack I took from Kim Hyunsung when I was in Doom Kiyoung state, to put it a little exaggeratedly.


    ¡®Fucking sh*t¡­¡¯


    My wrath went up to the top of my head in an instant, but I didn¡¯t know what to say when I saw her expression.


    The thought that I should have worked with Nelia came in subconsciously.


    Her words didn¡¯t even make sense. Even if I considered it natural that she didn¡¯t notice Lucifer¡¯s presence when she came in¡­


    ¡®You really, fuck¡­¡¯


    [Of course, I didn¡¯t just rest. I was a little b-busy dealing with various problems. As I saidst time, I have a lot of work to do¡­ I indeed had my attention averted for a moment, but it¡¯s not what you think. just¡­ Just recently, I¡¯ve been having a lot of trouble. There were many things¡­ like the Elune thing¡­ I was worried a little and was having a hard time mentally¡­ So I guess I couldn¡¯t concentrate on work for a while.]


    ¡°Still¡­¡±


    [Anyway, the problem started there. As you expected, after that, the problems I had were publicized¡­ Of course, I can¡¯t deny that I didn¡¯t do anything wrong¡­ but it¡¯s a bit unfair¡­]


    ¡°No, you shouldn¡¯t feel that way. You made a mistake.¡±


    [Still¡­ you won¡¯t throw me away, right?]


    I felt like I wanted to sell her right away.


    [T-The demon contract was the biggest problem¡­]


    ¡®I don¡¯t know anything about it.¡¯


    [You¡¯re joking, right? Y-Y-You twisted me to sign the contract.]


    ¡®When?¡¯


    [You told me that you would be the notary. You¡¯re not really trying to end it like this, are you? You¡¯re the one that made me do it. Are you throwing me away like an old shoe? The only one I can really rely on is you. Please don¡¯t throw me away. We are in the same boat, you and I.]


    I really wanted to go away regardless of being in the same boat or not in that situation.


    But as Benignore said¡­


    ¡®We are indeed in the same boat.¡¯


    Our rtionship was no longer separable.


    Benignore¡¯s argument forced me to be the notary of the contract, and many factors had ways.


    If Benignore came out after being imprisoned for tens of thousands of years, embracing everything, all problems would be solved, but her personality wouldn¡¯t let her do that.


    Even if she went in with a rifle, there was no doubt there would be a problem in the middle.


    ¡®What can I do? This is my karma.¡¯


    Whatever the oue, I had no choice but to embrace it.


    As I started to walk without a word, Beningore grabbed my pants and started to sag.


    ¡®Why is she trying to be even uglier?¡¯


    I grumbled inside, but I spoke differently.


    [Waahhh¡­ don¡¯t go! Don¡¯t throw me away! Believer Lee Kiyoung¡­]


    ¡°I¡¯m not throwing you away. Calm down. I¡¯m really busy, so I¡¯m going to do some work. Benignore, as soon as I leave, please tell me what was being investigated, exactly what the charges are, everything. Also, please tell me all the details of your recent use of divinity. First, I have to see what sins youmitted. That way, I can prepare a countermeasure.¡±


    [Believer Lee Kiyoung¡­]


    ¡°I know you already know this, but don¡¯t think about ying around. You have to tell me the whole story without hiding anything. You must also organize and bring the divinity usage history of Elune trash, by all means necessary.¡±


    [Okay. I¡¯ll do my b-best. Really¡­ Thank you very much¡­ I¡¯m fortunate to have met Lee Kiyoung in my life¡­ I even thought it might be Altanus¡¯s arrangement¡­ If it weren¡¯t for you, I really wouldn¡¯t have been able toe this far. You know that I love and care about you a lot, right?]


    ¡°¡­¡±


    [Thank you so much. So¡­ please don¡¯t throw me away. We have to keep going together. Even after youe up here¡­ okay?]


    ¡°Just keep saving divinity. You definitely said you would ept any request.¡±


    [Huh?]


    ¡°I will hold you onto your promise.¡±


    [Ah¡­ Yes¡­ r-right. That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s right. Well, then I¡¯ll be working hard. Way to go, my lovely believer Lee Kiyoung!]


    I frowned at the unwee cheering, but for the time being, I had to bite my lips tightly.


    Having lost there, the investor¡¯s desire to make a profit elsewhere was on fire. Whether it was the holy sword or the 5th District, at least one of them had to produce a good result.


    Personally, I was betting on the possibility of the former, but unexpectedly, the first to burst was thetter.


    It hadn¡¯t been long since we started full-fledged research. I didn¡¯t know if it was thanks to the Living Alchemy Summoner that I decided to have as my second ss, but¡­


    Chimera research was starting to make strangely rapid progress.


    ¡®Won¡¯t I be able to make a homunculus in this way?¡¯


    I felt as if I was in a better mood all of a sudden.

 Chapter 607: Making an Angel (1)

    <h4>Chapter 607: Making an Angel (1)</h4>


    The search for the owner of the holy sword was evidently proceeding smoothly.


    It wasn¡¯t as fast as expected, but there was such an emotional response to the point where Benignore Net ended up being paralyzed.


    There were parts of the process that I didn¡¯t like, but it was at a level that I could justugh at.


    Those who passed the trials presented by the Holy sector began to flock from all over the ce, moving from the test benches to the location where the holy sword was situated.


    Griffons scattered throughout the continent took to the skies every day to find the chosen warrior as fast as possible.


    Of course, as promised to the continental people, the process was broadcasted all over the continent through the Goddess¡¯s Mirror.


    Needless to say, the aggregated ratings were at an all-time high. In fact, it was fun to watch, even for me.


    As if to prove that attention had been drawn from the entire continent, the tests conducted day and night became a tourist attraction in the capital. People had begun from various cities to form a strange group, perhaps dissatisfied with watching through the Goddess¡¯s Mirror or Hand Mirror.


    They then started to broadcast it live once again through the Goddess¡¯s Hand Mirror.


    It was a natural urrence for the people crowding in each broadcast to talk and exchange opinions.


    ¡®Who are the rookies we should watch out for?¡¯


    ¡®One of them is from a certain province, and he¡¯s not bad at all.¡¯


    ¡®A swordsman from the North has been showing some pretty great skillstely.¡¯


    ¡®I¡¯ve been watching a guy since the pre-tests, and I just know he¡¯s qualified to be the master of the holy sword.¡¯


    and eventually, a small fandom began to emerge.


    With the Goddess¡¯s Mirror, a special broadcast was organized, driven by that momentum. They revolved around phrases like ¡®who is the chosen warrior?¡¯ and initiated interviews and information about the rookie.


    There was even a tear-jerking one about a swordsman revealing his heartbreaking past as a former peasant.


    Everyone had their own story, and those with solid goals and convictions became very popr.


    Of course, there were those who were my favorites, and they were given more media exposure since they were receiving preferential treatment.


    After all, I was the one that benefited the most from that peculiar situation. Of course, it wasn¡¯t an economic benefit. With this, I had discovered the gemstones that were hiding all over the continent.


    Even though I was the one managing the world, there was no way I could find a gemstone that I couldn¡¯t see. Honestly, it was still far from what I expected, but the big event was empowering me in apletely different way.


    There was a girl who had been a shepherd in a mountain vige. She had a natural talent for taming, and there was a boy who showed potential for both magic and swords, like the magic swordsman Jung Jin-ho.


    Of course, Kim Hyunsung was also happy with the appearance of those gems.


    Since the talents who couldn¡¯t be found even in the first round had now shown themselves, he had to be enjoying it.


    He even expressed his intention to recruit some.


    Those individuals, unfortunately, didn¡¯t pass on the final exam, butrge guilds and countries that wouldn¡¯t have a knot in their eyes still tried to meet them, and the rookies epted the offer with a sour expression.


    They even thought that it wouldn¡¯t be bad to hold auditions every quarter.


    ¡®It¡¯s no wonder that the content from Earth is working.¡¯


    It worked because there was a reason.


    The rookies epted the contract, and the guilds didn¡¯t spare any support for the talented people. Hence, they were raisingbatants that they could use for free in the future.


    In the meantime, troops arriving from the joint training center were deployed to each site and immediately began training that revolved around siege defenses.


    It was going so well that I could immediately tell that Kim Hyunsung and Cho Hyejin did a good job.


    At that moment, I remembered that I discarded the position I had recently maintained and sent a warm smile to Kim Hyunsung after a very long time.


    After that, of course, we went our separate ways again and focused on our respective works.


    While I was still nervous about the whole Benignore situation, thanks to Cho Hyejin¡¯s coordination, the restoration work at the 5th District finally began to gain momentum.


    The same was the case with the research of the three that stayed there.


    ¡°I think I can use them¡­¡±


    Han Sora, looking at all the new creatures with their eyes closed in the test tubes, quietly opened her mouth.


    ¡°You¡¯re amazing, definitely¡­¡±


    ¡®In fact, it¡¯s not that great.¡¯


    It would certainly be surprising to Han Sora, but to me, it wasn¡¯t something out of the ordinary.


    ¡®I¡¯m not that stupid.¡¯


    [Ramus Tucker¡¯s Introduction to Alchemy - Alchemist Only (Heroic)]


    [The Great Alchemist, Ramus Tucker, was one of the most prominent alchemists of all time. He was a republican military alchemist who earned his reputation as the best in bio-synthesis and potions, but for some reason, it is said that his studies have been purged.]


    ¡®I started my alchemy career with this¡­ If they can¡¯t do even this much¡­¡¯


    It was not an exaggeration to say that I had built up the foundations of living alchemy.


    At the time, I focused a little more and invested time on the field of potion synthesis, but if the character Lee Kiyoung grew a little more bnced, it wouldn¡¯t be strange even if he had be an authority in such a field.


    Didn¡¯t he even create his own ss called Living Summoning Alchemist?


    The absence of knowledge of ck magic, which was the reason why I couldn¡¯t deal with chimeras, was alsopletely resolved with Belial¡¯s gift.


    Whenever I seeded, like putting together a puzzle or finishing a Lego figurine, I often found my jaw dropping while I was looking at my hand.


    Chimeras on the continent were based on the synthesis or rearrangement and creation of beasts.


    Broadly speaking, it involved removing and reuniting parts of the body, such as the limbs of a monster, and in detail, transnting cells, organs of evil spirits, or catalysts that could be used as cores.


    The basic task wasn¡¯t that difficult. It was no different from making a toy by removing the lion¡¯s head and putting it next to the goat¡¯s head.


    Of course, whether such a creation would be alive afterward was apletely different matter.


    Even if it was alive, it was bound to have unconditional side effects.


    Some became violent, and some ended up losing their energy.


    It could stagger and die suddenly in a few days, or control over it could be impossible.


    Alchemy alone had no way to control chimeras that were experiencing that phenomenon.


    That was also the reason living alchemy failed¡­


    ¡°Did you control it with ck magic?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s simr.¡±


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be good for your body¡­¡±


    ¡°Sora can do this too, right? As far as I know, I think you can.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course, I can¡¯t say it¡¯s impossible at all, but¡­ It¡¯s harder to control a chimera than to create it. The higher the grade, the more difficult it is to control¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s only from the point of view of a ck wizard. In my case, the opposite feels easier.¡±


    ¡°I envy your talent forbining this strong chimera in your first attempt and controlling it right away.¡±


    ¡°Actually, I want to create one that¡¯s at least legendary-grade.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, a legendary-grade should¡¯ve been produced. You probably can¡¯t even imagine how many catalysts were in it. Although the monster¡¯s quality used as the base was poor, it contained unimaginably advanced catalysts. There were already dozens of legendary ones used for it. With that being said, Ibined it without thinking too much¡­¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better to trybining monsters with some connection points? If the array is broken, the probability decreases, so I think that would work better.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°Then how many of this are you going to make?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I try to make them steadily without taking a break. However, since we¡¯ve developed some outline, I think we can see this point as the real start.¡±


    ¡°I have to ask¡­ Is this really okay?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°I mean¡­ using chimeras in your position as the Vice Guild Master¡­ I wonder if it won¡¯t stand out a bit¡­¡±


    ¡°How can you say that it looks like that type of chimera?¡±


    Even if I washed my eyes and look at it, I couldn¡¯t find anything nasty about it.


    Its foundation was the figure of an angel that we had been told about only through stories.


    The leather and skin of Salit were imnted, and more skin was once again used to cover over them.


    Eight wings from easily-found bird-type monsters were attached, so it could theoretically fly.


    Even the wing muscles were separated and had been turned white, making the angel guise even more usible no matter how one looked at it.


    Although the appearance itself was quite heterogeneous, the basilisk¡¯s optic nerve was incorporated and customized to make it look as sacred as possible.


    Should an angel be like a human? Rather, it would feel strange if it didn¡¯t look like an alien.


    The cost of drafting was quite astronomical. However, I could confidently say that it was worth it. It had eyes with paralysis, lithography, and wings to fight directly against the outer god¡¯s pigeon-like minions.


    What I liked most was that it could even emit light.


    ¡°Look at this.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°That was really hard to find.¡±


    It actually was.


    At least in my memory, no monster could emit light by itself. However, when I searched, I somehow found some.


    ¡°To the south, there are several species of fish monsters that live in the sea, and one of them attracts humans and other monsters with light. It¡¯s simr to anglerfishes. By catalyzing that organ, the transnt was sessful.¡±


    ¡®That took the longest time.¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s not a big effect, but it¡¯s still fascinating enough. Those who don¡¯t have resistance to magic might be amazed the moment they looked at the light¡­ Of course, it feels a bit artificial as a whole, but it won¡¯t cause any problems since I will supplement that part as well. I¡¯m asking again just to make sure, but¡­ Does it really look like a chimera?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ of course¡­ of course not. Yes, an angel¡­ It¡¯s an angel.¡±


    ¡°Does it look like an angel?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I n to make about six units with a little more strength. It¡¯ll be better if you make its characteristics stand out. It would be more efficient for the cksmith to control everyone than me.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°The number 666 is bothering me these days¡­ It¡¯s impossible to create that many, but I want to try toe close at least. I¡¯m going to make one more right now, so watch me. It would be nice to make it together.¡±


    ¡°What? Together?¡±


    ¡°Yes, wasn¡¯t Han Sora, the best student? You had outstanding grades in alchemy as well, so you¡¯ll get it in no time.¡±


    I was sure it would be unconditionally helpful to her. Although she was overwhelmed by Jung Hayan, she was still one of the top-tier wizards.


    She would¡¯ve had limitations if she had been a normal wizard, but the ck wizard ss had allowed her to rise.


    I was so lucky that I had told her about alchemy in advance. If it hadn¡¯t been for her, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to enjoy little hobbies, let alone exiting theb.


    She immediately became anxious, but¡­


    ¡°It won¡¯t be that hard. You don¡¯t have to worry too much.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ Will Jung Hayan be okay with this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not going to be a problem. I thought you both are close now. What are you worried about? Don¡¯t worry about anything else and workfortably. Oh, and I¡¯ll send you a list of people, so please train them.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say anything about ck magic. You just need to talk roughly about a dark hero or something. Tell them darkness is the only way to have light or that you are the dark priest from the church. Lines only those who understand it well can respond to it. We are the ones who gave up our names. Use conventional phrases rted to that. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Can we make chimeras¡­ with Jung Hayan, the three of us?¡±


    She had a desperate expression, a fearful face, and eyes that seemed to be about to burst into tears. Honestly, I thought I knew what she was afraid of, but¡­


    ¡®She has something else to do¡­¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t put three high-quality workers in the same ce.


    That was especially the case for our Archmage.


    I then heard the sound of knocking at the door.


    Instantly, Han Sora, who was surprised, screamed and put some distance between us, but Hayan wasn¡¯t interested in her.


    ¡°It¡¯s not what you think. It¡¯s not what you¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°O-O-Oppa. Today¡¯s the tamer, Alp¡¯s exam day. I think they¡¯re starting now!¡±


    Jung Hayan was also addicted to the recent broadcast.

 Chapter 608: Making an Angel (2)

    <h4>Chapter 608: Making an Angel (2)</h4>


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°I really didn¡¯t think about anything. I didn¡¯t think of that. Please believe in me. Please¡­¡±


    ¡®Just stop¡­¡¯


    ¡°I-It¡¯ll start in ten minutes. Let¡¯s go watch it quickly, quickly.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s take a break. Sora, you shoulde with us.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Ah¡­ Yes, yes¡­¡±


    That proved to be the only break for us three researchers, who had been buried in the workshop every day. I could say with certainty that the only leisurely pleasure we got was watching the broadcast while eating popcorn together.


    In fact, I didn¡¯t expect Jung Hayan to get addicted to that program.


    I didn¡¯t know if she was pretending to like it because I liked it, or if it was because she could stay with me for a rtively long time during that break, but she seemed to be interested, at least on the surface.


    Han Sora was also waiting for that time. Since all she did was work in a dark and dull ce, unable to breathe the outside air all day, that kind of rest time naturally became pleasing for her.


    After receiving an order to take a break, I immediately pped my hands and started to clean up.


    Jung Hayan was also seen running into the break room, saying she was going to prepare things.


    After I had prepared everything I needed to immediately start working again when I returned, we were ready to head out.


    Han Sora was still moving cautiously, perhaps because of the small happening before, but¡­ there was no way that something would happen.


    ¡®Hayan cares a lot about you, so stop worrying.¡¯


    If Jung Hayan had been hostile to Han So-ra, she would¡¯ve been found as a cold corpse a long time ago. From Hayan¡¯s standpoint, she would¡¯ve seen Han Sora as an uninvited visitor who was trespassing in the nest where two people lived together.


    Such a change was surprising even for me. I wouldn¡¯t have thought Sora was strongly engraved as a friend in her perception.


    Of course, whenever Sora talked to me, or we were in the same space, she used tools like Anemone¡¯s Eye to threaten her, but she had be rtively at ease all in all.


    Such was the effect of spending a lot of time together, and it was the results of the tactics that Han Sora executed. She seemed to think she was still walking on a tightrope, but¡­


    ¡°You can¡¯t¡­e too close to me¡­ Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°A few days ago, Jung Hayan asked me if I was sick¡­ please¡­ please¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Even when we¡¯re doing research together, she only makes me do dangerous things. It¡¯s like she wants me to get hurt¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    I guessed she was still walking on a tightrope. However, at least it wasn¡¯t life-threatening. There was still some progress.


    I wanted to tell her everything would be okay, but I couldn¡¯t easily just say that.


    As I silently took a seat, as if I had nothing more to say, I saw an empty seat next to Jung Hayan, causing me to sit down beside her instinctively.


    At that moment, I saw some popcorn lying in a seat a little farther from there.


    I only sat where I was sitting every day but was it because of what Han Sora said that our position looked weird that day?


    Han Sora, who was eating popcorn a bit farther from us, looked much like a pet.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Ah, I¡¯ve gone too far.¡¯


    That thought was definitely over the top.


    Jung Hayan definitely considered Han Sora as her dear friend. She would surely be thinking that.


    I felt that my head would hurt if I thought about it, so for the time being, I forced myself to shake my head and focus on the Goddess¡¯s Mirror.


    I would rather watch first, considering it was something I was really looking forward to.


    ¡®Tamer, Alps.¡¯


    A talent who was ranked within the top 100 of Lee Kiyoung¡¯s best picks.


    She was ranked 14th, so no other words were needed. The reason why her ranking was rtively low was because of her ss limitations.


    However, considering that her swordsmanship talent wasn¡¯t that bad, that didn¡¯t even make a downside. She probably would¡¯ve gone up about ten ranks if her main ss was swordman.


    There was also an additional point that the shepherd girl in the mountains hadn¡¯t realized her talent.


    She appeared with a shepherd dog in the pre-test, catching the attention of the public.


    Without knowing anything, she easily wiped out the dark energy and showed an impressive figure in the team-specific tasks that began after that.


    Above all, she was generously revealing her talent as a tamer.


    ¡®The dog¡¯s performance was awesome.¡¯


    She had brought the dog along to assist her with her poor sword skills.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t without hardship. Since she hadn¡¯t mastered the basics at all, Alps often showed many controversial features in the pre-test, and she was criticized a lot by public opinion about whether she could actually be a warrior.


    I tried to shield her as much as possible because I was personally rooting for her, but she put herself down more and more as if she was too emotionally burdened.


    What the special judge, our little Kim Ye-ri, saidpletely changed her after.


    - Alps, do you want to be a warrior?


    - Yes.


    - Then do your damn best. Put some strength to it.


    - Yeah¡­ sniff¡­ Yes.


    Just in time, the Goddess¡¯s Mirror was showing the best scene that made everyone cry again.


    I almost burst intoughter when I saw Kim Ye-ri wearing heavy makeup, even though she was only a kid.


    However, when I saw Park Deokgu, who was next to her, crying passionately, my body instinctively moved to p in approval. Despite being a scene I had already seen once, there was something about it that still made my chest tickle.


    ¡®The three siblings of the revolution seem to be so talented in that kind of thing¡­¡¯


    I thought that it wouldn¡¯t be all that bad to expose them to the media often.


    -I¡¯m¡­ so sorry¡­ and embarrassed. I came because I thought I would do well¡­ sniff¡­ you must be so disappointed.


    Even the interviews were touching.


    When I looked next to me, I saw Han Sora nodding and Jung Hayan smiling.


    The broadcast continued to show her past performances and interviews, gradually uplifting the atmosphere. It was honestly impressive, but no one wanted to see what had already happened in the past.


    Soon after, she appeared with the shepherd dog and smiled quietly.


    [Kiyoung, it¡¯s starting now.]


    As I took out the Goddess¡¯s Hand Mirror with a rumbling sound and a slight vibration, I saw that it was, as expected, a message that came from Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡°W-Who is it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Hyunsung. He sent a message saying that it¡¯s starting now.¡±


    [I am watching it right now. Have fun watching it. ^^]


    As if trying to make sure that it was really Kim Hyunsung, Jung Hayan pulled her head out like a turtle, but I couldn¡¯t show her history log listed above.


    There was a list of stories about the first round amid our conversations, after all.


    It was actually even in locked up mode.


    I sneakily flipped the angle of the hand mirror and tucked it into my pants, and Jung Hayan¡¯s expression became a little irritated, but she didn¡¯t ask much.


    That was when I heard a voice next to me.


    ¡°The Guild Master seemed to be enjoying it too.¡±


    Han Sora, who reached the peak of savoir-faire, naturally tried to go with the flow.


    As if she noticed that the atmosphere would worsen, she made ament that confirmed my Benignore Talk¡¯s recipient as Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡®Wow¡­ this one¡¯s really amazing.¡¯


    It was so natural that I eximed it unknowingly. Her words were simple, but the timing was exquisite.


    Her eyes, as if asking for me to talk after her, were also perfect. Honestly, I thought it wasn¡¯t a problem to be elucidated that much, but in the killer pass that came in perfectly, I reached out my foot without knowing it.


    Preventing it would be good for me too.


    ¡°Yes. Hyunsung was initially too busy to watch it¡­ but since everyone said they were going to, it seems like he started doing the same thing.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    Perhaps Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t know that such a show was on the air.


    After being informed about it a littlete, he would¡¯ve been curious as well.


    One thing I could be sure of was that he must¡¯ve been more interested than me. All I had to do was put them on the battlefield, but from Kim Hyunsung¡¯s point of view, the chosen one would be someone he had to fight side by side with.


    I could tell just by knowing that the guy, who couldn¡¯t handle continental cultures well, was eagerly monitoring the event.


    In fact, he even sent messages such as ¡®I wish it could be this person,¡¯ and ¡®I wish it could be this one,¡¯ which was unlike him.


    Personally, it was quite fun to see him being like that.


    In fact, it might not be, but it seemed as if he was watching the show that all of his ssmates were watching together in order not to fall behind.


    Even in the Blue group chatroom, the way he popped up to speak about something waspletely off-tempo with the ongoing conversation.


    I wasn¡¯t entirely sure if he was aware of it, but he was slowly yet surely changing.


    ¡®It¡¯s a good change.¡¯


    The academicmunity had established that he unconsciously distanced himself from fear of the shock of losing a colleague. At that point, it had been observed that he was trying to go one step further.


    ¡®Yes, you should cherish your colleagues, Hyunsung. Among them, you have to value me the most.¡¯


    People like Kim Hyungsung needed something to protect in order to be stronger.


    As I nodded satisfactorily alone and looked at the screen again, I saw Tamer Alps finishing the long interview.


    -I will do my best to repay the support of everyone who believed in me. Although she has a cold mien, Kim Ye-ri supported me until the end, and Park Deokgu often told me that I could do it in secret. Lastly, I would like to express my gratitude to Benignore, who gave me this opportunity, and the people of the continent who keeps rooting for me.


    ¡®Yes,e on. It¡¯s time to pick that one too.¡¯


    -I don¡¯t know if I would be chosen by the holy sword or not, but¡­ I will do my best to meet your expectations.


    ¡®You have to do more than doing your best.¡¯


    She said, ¡®I will try my best,¡¯ but her eyes were burning with the strong determination to pull the feat off unconditionally.


    The uplifting atmosphere and the voices of the people sending support were heard through the Goddess¡¯s Mirror.


    -Cheer up, Alps!


    -You are the only chosen warrior.


    -You are so pretty!


    When I saw her biting her lips tightly, clutching her hand, and walking boldly, I felt as if she was going to do well that day.


    The sun reflected on her just in time. Her caninepanion also barked and gave strength to the warrior candidate.


    ¡®Go, fuck¡­ let¡¯s go!¡¯


    ¡°I think she w-w-will do it. This time, for sure¡­¡±


    ¡°For some reason¡­ I have a good feeling.¡±


    ¡°Is it going to be pulled out?¡±


    Finally, Alps, closing in on the holy sword, walked heavily.


    Most of the guys were dessified at that point. They couldn¡¯t beat what Benignore prepared for the test. However. Alps had endured that. Although it was difficult, she was clearly moving one step at a time.


    -Bark! Bark!


    The moment she tried to stop, I heard the barking of a dog from somewhere. Of course, no one screamed to stop the dog¡¯s barking.


    Everyone was cheering, uniting as one. When she finally reached out to the holy sword, deafening silence began to circte in the ce.


    ¡®I think she really¡­ I think she will really do it!¡¯


    She didn¡¯t immediately bounce back. Even though she was trembling, she was certainly enduring.


    Her arms and hands were turning gray, enduring the repulsion as she evidently tried to talk with the Holy Sword.


    ¡®Go! Let¡¯s go!!¡¯


    But was my expectation too high?


    -aaargh!


    With that sound, I watched Alps retching.


    She looked like she was experiencing all the dirty things in the world at once. She, too, couldn¡¯t ovee the ordeal of the holy sword.


    ¡®Ah¡­¡¯


    Han Sora and Jung Hayan, who were cheering, soon became quiet at the same time.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Fuck.¡¯


    ¡°Let¡¯s just go make an angel.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Please tell Hee-young to prepare that one¡¯s recruitment.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes, the Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°Hayan, go do what you have to do.¡±


    ¡°Yes, o-oppa.¡±


    If I said there was no regret, it would be a lie, of course.


    However, I found that it was still okay since she was only ranked 14th. The 13th best pick still remained.


    ¡®I just have to wait for a little longer, patiently. I didn¡¯t think we would finish it quickly anyway.¡¯


    After that, the 13th and 12th ranks failed in session, and that trend continued all the way to the 5th and 8th ces. I wasn¡¯t that nervous even when everyone failed.


    This was because I knew there were still many challengers. The moment I felt nervous was the moment I lost.


    ¡®Fuck¡­ someone will be able to do it. Holy Sword Coin¡­ If you endure, you¡¯ll seed. You¡¯re going to seed one way or another¡­¡¯

 Chapter 609: Making an Angel (3)

    <h4>Chapter 609: Making an Angel (3)</h4>


    People involved with the stock market usually didn¡¯t invest everything in one stock alone.


    Wasn¡¯t that something anyone could tell even if they¡¯re not an expert in that field?


    It was basicmon sense that diversifying investments in multiple ces was an action that could reduce the risks of losing finances. What I invested, in that case, was time and money.


    In fact, it wasn¡¯t a waste to run out of goods.


    No, honestly, it was a little wasteful, but it wasn¡¯t as wasteful as running out of time.


    I had already set up a system where money coulde in, even if I stood still, and at some point, I no longer felt concerned about the money that guilds or each person had.


    However, time was different.


    I had only one body, and there were many things left to do. I even thought I had been busiertely than when the Blue Guild grew. I was even busier than when Kim Hyunsung drove all his work to me.


    Unlike back then, I was only in charge of three tasks, but the importance was sorge that I couldn¡¯t help but be stressed.


    Regardless, it was good news that at least one of the three things I invested in was going well.


    Holy Sword Coin was hanging in there, and Benigonre Coin was on the verge of bing a piece of tissue, but the Chimera Coin itself was working well.


    The question was whether the Chimera Coin could make up for the losses incurred by the Holy Sword Coin and Benignore Coin.


    ¡®It would be nice if that¡¯s going to be the case, but¡­¡¯


    There was no way things would go that well.


    Chimera Coin¡¯s stock had low risks in the first ce. The benefits of surging were also smallpared to the other two. I was d that one stock was working well, but that didn¡¯t mean I was relieved.


    ¡®If the two items plunge¡­¡¯


    The game would eventually end.


    In order to make up for the loss in both items with the chimera, wouldn¡¯t I need to create at least 6,000 angels and three homunculi?


    Obviously, that wasn¡¯t possible. The time and cost to make just 666 units right away alone were already enormous. I hadn¡¯t even found a clue about the homunculus yet.


    What I could do in that situation was to endure with faith.


    ¡®It¡¯s going to soar. It¡¯s going to soar¡­¡¯


    There was no answer except to hold on.


    Sometimes I stopped by the Holy sector, but what I could do was limited, and the Holy Sword still hadn¡¯t responded.


    ¡®It hasn¡¯t been two months yet¡­ if it keeps going like this, it¡¯s unconditionally going to soar.¡¯


    I needed to focus on making the angels manually, but unconsciously, I kept being distracted by other factors.


    ¡®Fuck, what am I going to do with more thoughts? I should concentrate on working.¡¯


    I shook my head and tried to start working on it in earnest.


    ¡°Er¡­¡±


    I then heard Han Sora¡¯s voice. I didn¡¯t know when she got to where I was, considering she even asked for a separate workroom.


    She nced at me as if she was curious about what I was doing.


    Of course, I could predict why she came here.


    ¡®Would shee here without being curious?¡¯


    Han Sora was a student who had a strong desire to learn back in her trainee days. I told her in advance that I was going to create a named entity that day.


    While working, it was clear that her passion for learning had risen.


    ¡®Since our styles are simr, she probably thinks there¡¯s more to learn from me.¡®


    She was the one with the most simr style to me in the Blue Guild.


    The only difference was that my foundation was alchemy, and hers was ck magic.


    Her understanding of alchemy was at an intermediate level, and ck magic was added to it, so how could she not be curious. I then spoke pleasantly, thinking that I should charge her a tuition fee.


    ¡°What are you curious about, trainee Han Sora?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ I was just wondering if you needed help¡­ since you said that¡­ you would create a named creature¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s in progress, but¡­ what about yours?¡±


    ¡°I am doing my best. I think it will be helpful if you take a look¡­ do you want to go?¡±


    ¡°No. There is no need. If you do what you have been instructed, there will be no problem. For now, please continue working on it. And since you¡¯re here, help me out a bit. I¡¯m afraid this is a lot of work¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course.¡±


    Since she seemed embarrassed, I took it upon myself to start a conversation.


    It was something that didn¡¯t even need to be hidden.


    ¡°I think there are a lot of difficulties since I¡¯m trying to give this some personality.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°The named creature, I mean.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ yes.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Exactly what part¡­ is difficult and hard?¡±


    ¡°The process of spraying condiments on the base body. Thinking in the way of our adventurers¡­ I think you can think of it as a process that creates attribute or unique characteristic.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°In fact, the basic creature has an attribute already. Although the exact naming has not been decided yet¡­ Hard skin, fascinating light, paralyzing eyes¡­ Well, if you have to express it in terms of grade, we can consider it as belonging to heroic grade. There are differences for each individual, but the attribute efficiency is low¡­ High-quality creatures have indeed received legendary-grade ratings, but even so, they have little effect. It would be better to think that the basic creature focuses on physical abilities and magical power.¡±


    ¡°I understand, Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°The key is to give the six creatures to be named with other attributes than those of the basic¡­ Oh! You cane a little closer and look at it. No, rather, let¡¯s make it together from now on. I just prepared everything¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, can I just ask you a question before that?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°What kind of personality are you trying to give to them¡­ and how is that possible¡­ that¡¯s what I want to ask.¡±


    Of course, I had an answer.


    ¡°First, I thought to take the dungeons I attacked myself or the raid monsters I had used as a base.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Because I thought it would be the best in many ways. I¡¯ve experienced it myself, and above all, I¡¯m used to dealing with that catalyst.¡±


    ¡°By the dungeons that you attacked, does it include rare-grade dungeons?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I am curious how you¡¯re trying to solve problems such as catalyst quality¡­ Are there any alternatives?¡±


    It felt like she really wanted to learn. There were more and more questions that eventually came.


    ¡°That¡¯s the part I¡¯m worried about, but it¡¯s not that difficult. I know it¡¯s a little bit more annoying, but I can put up with it¡­ and it¡¯smon to mix high-end and low-end catalysts. For example, these material items aren¡¯t easy to use alone.¡±


    As I pulled out the prepared alchemy material, I noticed her nodding.


    ¡°Is that a leaf of the World Tree?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Although this material is ssified as high-grade, it is an object with a fixed purpose in terms of utility. It¡¯s not easy to handle, so it¡¯s impossible to use it alone to make a chimera. In other words, if you want to use it¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying that it¡¯s an object that needs to be transformed.¡±


    ¡°Correct. The transfiguration of nature is the basis of alchemy, after all. Of course, it¡¯s not an easy problem to deal with, but¡­ what would be a good choice in correcting its ss?¡±


    The semi-mythic grade Alchemist of Light had a basic ss correction.


    Although the exact number wasn¡¯t shown, it gave an additional effect, such as a 200% probability of a jackpot. I wondered if it would be better to just show it to her rather than exining it in words, so I immediately put the material in the refiner and activated the magic circle. The alchemy kit then moved violently.


    Even Han Sora was staring at it as if she was a little surprised¡­


    She probably thought she couldn¡¯t do it even if she knew how.


    It was impossible, even if she had received the legendary-grade alchemist correction. Her ss itself wasn¡¯t within the same range to allow her to look at it.


    ¡®I guess at least she doesn¡¯t think it¡¯s useless.¡¯


    That was a good mindset. Perhaps Han Sora thought that she had her own way of grafting.


    ¡°Then, the named entity based on the leaf of the World Tree¡­¡±


    ¡°No. I told you earlier. To be precise, this is the catalyst that will be the base.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going tobine this with the leaves of the World Tree¡­ After that, I will build the finished catalyst and fit it to the core. I don¡¯t know if it was a coincidence, but the monsters in the dungeon that I first met in the continent and attacked were based on nts¡¯ appearance. Yes, a nt-type. It should bepatible with the leaves of the World Tree.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ I think I read it in the dungeon journal. Definitely¡­¡±


    Pooooooff¡­


    ¡®Ah, fuck¡­ I failed, and not in a cool way either.¡¯


    Perhaps there was a problem with the refining process. However, I wasn¡¯t too embarrassed. That was frequent.


    I turned as if nothing had happened and adjusted the proportions once again, and when I turned the kit, a bright light was emitted. The two catalysts that were unlikely to fuse like water and oil looked exquisitely beautiful.


    The magic circle constantly lit up. Han Sora looked quietly over to it as if even she knew that she had to focus a little.


    Before long, a liquified figure came into my eyes.


    ¡°Can I help¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, please help. Didn¡¯t I say that it¡¯s hard to do it alone?¡±


    The next step was the process of solidifying the liquid into cubes within a short amount of time.


    As soon as the liquid was put into the mold and all kinds of alchemy reagents were administered, a sizzling sound echoed across the room.


    Before it hadpletely hardened, the prepared magic circle was engraved on the cube pieces¡¯ surface, and magic power was imbued into it again.


    ¡®It looks good.¡¯


    We were making good progress. It was hinting towards a great quality, and there was no w.


    ¡°Vice Guild Master¡­¡±


    ¡°You just need to fit the pieces that have be the core. It seems like it¡¯ll work based on my calctions, but¡­ there may be side effects, so you have to be careful.¡±


    The core was simply a bunch of puzzle pieces gathered together to form a shape.


    The space in the middle that was visibly empty was where the piece I was holding with the tweezers would fit in. I naturally felt a little nervous.


    I didn¡¯t want the experiment to start all over because of an unprecedented error.


    ¡°Put some magic power into the prepared magic circle.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Vice Guild Master.¡±


    As she slowly approached the test tube equipped with a magic circle and inserted the piece, I saw the nucleus be one perfectly with a clicking sound.


    I thought I saw a green light for a moment. I couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    Of course, there was still a long way to go. I had to prepare a body that fitted the core, and I had to make sure there were no other errors.


    ¡°Whoooaaa¡­¡±


    Didn¡¯t even Han Sora stare at it in silence?


    It was the first named creature, the dungeon that I attacked for the first time since I entered the continent.


    I could still remember when I raided it and became close to my colleagues that apanied me on that mission.


    The Alchemist of Light had created the first named angel.


    Unit 1.


    At that moment, the version, called the Garden of Terror, was about to bepleted.


    ¡®If I keep going like this, the Holy Sword Coin is also going to soar.¡¯


    I had to keep going until I could create one more model. Even if it had to endure a little more, the Holy Sword Coin wouldn¡¯t plunge.


    ¡®I have to finish this first.¡¯

 Chapter 610: Holy Sword Coin (1)

    <h4>Chapter 610: Holy Sword Coin (1)</h4>


    The core of the Garden of Terror version turned out to be a nt-type.


    It was designed to manipte huge flowers and stems. It could also attack using dust and had the attribute of having a huge magic power capacity due to the World Tree¡¯s influence.


    It was only natural that I worked hard on its exterior as well as its interior.


    The core and most of the body were mixed with the same catalyst, and the liquefied catalyst was once again purified to create a nice outer skin.


    Due to that, I couldn¡¯t transnt Salit¡¯s skin and leather. Hence, I couldn¡¯t even apply the hard skin attribute, but I didn¡¯t care much because it was developed to be a rearguard anyway.


    I designed the body several times more delicately than building a nucleus and began grafting the Garden of Terror catalyst and the Dryad¡¯s catalyst, which wasmon in the West.


    After a little more time had passed, even Jung Hayan joined us. In fact, she was doing something more important, but as I was the one spearheading the project, I couldn¡¯t help but be a little greedy and invest a bit more in it.


    If Jung Hayan hadn¡¯t finished her daily quota, I probably wouldn¡¯t have thought of that.


    Her role was to imbue a magic circle on the core and internal organs. This was necessary for utilizing the core with strong magical power efficiently.


    In that kind of area, Jung Hayan was tens of times morepetent than I was.


    Even my hands were shaking at the work that required a lot of detail, but Jung Hayan had been doing her job silently.


    The Chimera Coin was hitting a higher price limit than I had expected, so I decided that it would be okay to invest a little more time in it. The continued absurd failure of holy warrior candidates was also one of the factors worth focusing on.


    In the meantime, Benignore was asionally updating me on her use of divinity and what was going on above.


    I wanted it to be happy news, but of course, it wasn¡¯t.


    ¡®Fuck¡­ I mean, why did so much of it was spent on other dimensions? That¡¯s nuts¡­ Wasn¡¯t she supposed to save her divinity a little more?¡¯


    The exact details of divinity use had been disclosed.


    However, even that hadn¡¯t been all sorted out, so only a part of it had been sent to me.


    From the time of recovery from bankruptcy, the amount of expenditure she had made was enough to make my jaw drop.


    [A Common-grade forced quest has been activated.]


    [T-There were many ces that needed help¡­ I¡¯m sorry, believer Lee Kiyoung¡­ (0/1)]


    ¡®Wow¡­ fuck. Really¡­ You are a fucking underprivileged neighbor, so why do you help those in need? So how much interest did you get? When can I recover all this?¡¯


    [I didn¡¯t lend it¡­ I donated it. How could I say no to them when they came in person and asked me for a little help, saying they were going through hard times? I had a lot of divinity when my juniors approached me like that, and I had to save face¡­ They also said that they would pay me back when things get better. And they are juniors I can trust. I can believe them. Surely everyone will pay me back. Yes¡­ they will definitelye back to return the favor. Definitely¡­ (0/1)]


    ¡®Fuck¡­¡¯


    [You won¡¯t abandon me, right? Right? The atmosphere above is¡­ worsening. Yesterday, inspectors came to investigate me¡­ I don¡¯t know when they¡¯ll drag me back there¡­ (0/1)]


    [A Heroic-grade forced quest has been activated.]


    [Do not throw away Benignore. Please¡­ (0/1)]


    [Reward: Goddess¡¯s Love]


    I thought she was the worst pushover ever.


    No one would be able to present a disagreement about the fact that it was the promised flow of plunge.


    Most of the other problem areas were also issues that I had no choice over.


    I started wondering whether I had to prepare for the trial seriously. That would mean I¡¯d be doing that while risking my life just to make angels. This was because I believed and knew better than anyone else that it was the only thing I could count on.


    ¡®You have to think that this one doesn¡¯t exist. Let¡¯s not think about getting help, Kiyoung. Fuck, if you don¡¯t believe, you won¡¯t be betrayed.¡¯


    The Garden of Terror version was the result of not sleeping properly and devoting myself to work.


    Of course, just because it waspleted didn¡¯t mean I could finally rest.


    I first started with the named entity Unit 2 after finishing Unit 1.


    This was the Crack Museum version. I thought it wouldn¡¯t be easy, and there would be many difficulties, but the progress was faster than expected, and so I felt satisfied by it.


    Since the dungeon itself was of high quality, it could be said that the reason for the eleration was that there were no extra processes involved.


    Unnecessary parts of the massive core holding the Crack Museum were removed and catalyzed, and the body was constructed using the materials thatprised the museum.


    In that process, my son Max helped me, and his presence allowed me to reap greater results.


    However, it didn¡¯t mean that there was no problem with this at all.


    Unlike the World Tree leaf, the Crack Museum¡¯s core was limited, and the power that was currently maintaining the Crack Museum couldn¡¯t be reduced anymore.


    I started working with the idea that once I failed, that would be the end, so I had to concentrate a lot more than I did on unit 1.


    ¡®This is the only thing I can believe in.¡¯


    The version: Crack Museum, which waspletely dark, had now begun to take form little by little.


    Unlike the Garden of Terror version, which was in charge of the rear, the Crack Museum version was an all-rounder angel.


    It was more urate to say that everything was random.


    ¡®It wasn¡¯t the intended situation from the beginning, but¡­¡¯


    When I took a part of the Crack Museum¡¯s core, that kind of gimmick was achieved. If I inputted thebat program, the dungeon core worked in the same way the Crack Museum did when an adventurer came in.


    -It looks like the spinning wheel is working, F¡­ Father.


    ¡°What are you so shy about? Now is the time to get used to it. Just call me dad¡­¡±


    -Ye-yep. As you said, we have changed the system to one that can summon one legendary item in one battle, excluding monsters. It would be great to change our museum¡¯s golems in this way as well¡­ As expected, you are amazing. You even thought of this idea. This living golem is good enough to be called a small or mobile Crack Museum.


    ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to my son. If I had been alone, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to make something like this. Metel would be so proud of you.¡±


    -Yes.


    I didn¡¯t expect it to have such an effect, but he worked even harder as if it motivated him when I spoke of Metel, who could be said to be his mother.


    The flow had to proceed smoothly in the first ce.


    Max was important, but wasn¡¯t I a fourth-level manager of the museum?


    Therefore, it was easy to change some of the dungeon core¡¯s system.


    This was only a chimera-based product. Hence, I got into only a few troubles in writing the program, but it was still being made wonderfully.


    -Would it be better to input the battle program as well?


    ¡°Of course. It has to be capable of handling a lot of weapons. I¡¯d prefer it if you input as many as you can. In addition to that, Its basic functions need to be improved as well¡­ Let¡¯s do it together.¡±


    -Okay.


    There was some difficultypressing therge dungeon core to turn it into an extremelypact one, but since two dungeon managers did it, it didn¡¯t take long to configure the core¡¯s system.


    Four remaining creatures.


    In fact, neither of those named entities wasplete.


    There were still parts to be worked on in detail from head to toe, and the prototype had to be finalized properly.


    Of course, things were better in the case of the Garden of Terror, but it was undeniable that the time we had was still too short. One of the remaining creatures was the Tutorial Dungeon version. The other was the Cursed Shrine.


    Those two had a clear concept.


    In fact, if I didn¡¯t have time, I was thinking of making only four units¡­


    ¡®No. I shouldn¡¯t be so soft. I have to push through it no matter what. Since I don¡¯t know how things will work, so I at least have to make them until the Holy Sword Coin soars.¡¯


    Seeing how things were going, I had to pull out two more creatures unconditionally apart from the Tutorial Dungeon and the Cursed Shrine versions.


    It was the version: Limur¡¯s Nest that I was thinking of as a candidate.


    I had another one in my mind as well.


    I approached the tutorial dungeon version in a way that used a little more monkfish and Salit and designed the Cursed Shrine with a little more attributes.


    Except for a brief break, all I did was work.


    ¡°Are you tired, son?¡±


    -No. I¡¯m okay¡­ It¡¯s okay, father.


    ¡°Stop. Take a little- no, it¡¯s better to take a long break. It¡¯s been a while since we took one. Shall we watch the Goddess¡¯s Mirror? I have to check it today.¡±


    I was still working even during my break.


    Since the coins that had survived by faith were falling one by one, I honestly couldn¡¯t enjoy that broadcast with ease.


    Max, Jung Hayan, and Han Sora seemed to be enjoying it, but how could I look at it without thinking about its failure?


    Looking at his face, which was full of joy at the sound of a short break, it seemed he wanted to rest too.


    -Who is the main candidate today?


    ¡°Gareth, who was active as a child soldier in the North. He is still only 17 years old¡­¡±


    He was also good at heart. He was pretty cute, and above all, he had a warm heart for Benignore.


    His swordsmanship skills were also high-leveled, and our Hyunsung left such ament about him.


    ¡®If he had learned the way of the sword correctly, he would have be scarier than he is now.¡¯


    He even expressed his desire to raise him.


    Even Kim Ye-ri, who had great talent, had also given him a standing ovation¡­


    Looking at him with the Mind¡¯s Eyes, I realized that his physical talent was close to the top.


    However, I wasn¡¯t that excited. I didn¡¯t hold any expectations since I didn¡¯t want to be disappointed.


    The sheer number of people who had vomited and were eliminated could¡¯ve made anyone as insensitive as I was.


    ¡°He¡¯s going to fail, anyway¡­¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°Well, since the show itself is fun, let¡¯s keep watching.¡±


    -Today, the atmosphere is more tense than usual for some reason.


    The public was also nervous¡­ Most of all, they had a lot of expectations for Gareth.


    He was also ranked third in Lee Kiyoung¡¯s personal pick.


    Before long, his face came into view with the editing of the format that contained his past performance.


    He was a true believer who never gave up his faith while being swept away by the storms of the world. The friendship and love that he had built up during his life as a child soldier were tear-jerking stories.


    ¡®Fuck¡­ this show is really amazing.¡¯


    Even though I wasn¡¯t interested, he appeared with magnificent music, causing my heart to pound.


    ¡®Won¡¯t this one seed?¡¯


    The vain excitement dwelled in my body for a while.


    Max focused on the screen with his legs trembling.


    When I put my hand on his little shoulder, I could immediately tell how excited the guy was.


    It was contagious, even, and soon after work, even Jung Hayan and Han Sora, who protruded into the living room, joined and watched with us.


    I noticed that Han Sora had higher expectations for the candidate as if she was a fan.


    That was when he said a short prayer to Benignore and slowly moved his arm.


    Baaaaang!


    Along with the sound, the guy holding the sword was shoved away by its repulsive force.


    As if it wasn¡¯t enough, the whole area became dismayed by the shock from the holy sword.


    ¡®What? What the¡­ what is this? Wasn¡¯t the Holy Sword Coin supposed to be soaring? Wasn¡¯t it¡­¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t figure out what the hell was going on. However, one thing was certain¡­


    ¡®Hey¡­ why are you so mad?¡¯


    The Holy Sword, standing loftily, was trembling and exhibiting rage.


    It might¡¯ve just been my imagination, but I felt like it was looking at me for some reason.

 Chapter 611: Holy Sword Coin (2)

    <h4>Chapter 611: Holy Sword Coin (2)</h4>


    [Benignore¡¯s test, temporarily suspended. Where is the owner of the Holy Sword? -Reporter Kim Seong-gyeong, the State Daily.]


    [The voice of concern is deepening. Is the interpretation of the prophecy wrong? -Reporter Park Danji, the Danji Daily.]


    [Spokesman Archbishop Jaina: the test will continue, the status of the Holy Sword is currently being investigated¡­ Every support and effort will be made to ensure that the test continues as quickly as possible¡­ omitted -The Holy See Daily]


    [Northern child soldier Gareth has no big problem with his body, but it is determined that there is something wrong mentally. What are themon symptoms that the aspiring warriors who have gone through the tests have? Why are theyining of these symptoms? -Reporter Park Danji, the Danji Daily.]


    [Pope Basel: it is clear that the problem is that the unclean ones touched the Holy Sword, and today we will summon Gareth, the child soldier, and entrust his interrogation to the heresy inquisitors. -Reporter Kim Seong-gyeong, the State Daily]


    [The child soldier, Gareth, emunicated after the cruel actions hemitted during the war were revealed. What are the two faces of Gareth, who was loved by fans for his innocent appearance? -Mercenary Guild]


    [Why did the Holy Sword deny Gareth, the child soldier, when there¡¯s a need for a strict judging process of wannabe warriors. -Reporter Kim Seong-gyeong, the State Daily]


    As I looked at the newspapers on my desk, my mouth tasted bitter.


    ¡®Fuck¡­¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Isn¡¯t that supposed to soar¡­?¡¯


    ¡°Sigh¡­¡±


    That was because even if something happened, I couldn¡¯t even imagine it would explode like that.


    The event was enough to stop all the work I was carrying out in the 5th District.


    Of course, Han Sora remained behind and mademon creatures, but it was undeniable that the work that was running like a runaway lotive was put to a halt.


    It was enough to seriously consider whether it would be a better option to cut off the Holy Sword Coin.


    ¡®I wish I would be able to do that easily.¡¯


    Of course, I could only imagine doing that. Not using the Holy Sword at all wasn¡¯t an option.


    The biggest problem was that the exam itself had paused.


    I was in a situation wherein the test itself couldn¡¯t progress due to the repulsive force that it was emanating.


    Even the media and the public were confused by the sudden signs of the Holy Sword¡¯s abnormality, making me feel flustered. From my perspective, I felt like I was being drained from every front.


    ¡®Why the hell is that doing whatever the hell it¡¯s doing? What the hell is its problem? All we¡¯re doing is trying to find its owner¡­ gosh¡­¡¯


    Most of the warrior candidates it pushed away were innocent guys, but it didn¡¯t exclude those a little twisted.


    My expectation that it wouldn¡¯t be picky was wrong.


    I prepared a buffet for each type of food to find out what the Holy Sword wanted, but it seemed to be morefortable not being touched by anybody and exerting their power into it.


    I couldn¡¯t stop myself from spitting out swear words due to the sudden plunge.


    ¡°Fuck, really¡­¡±


    ¡°Why? Don¡¯t you like it? It would be better to control the media, after all, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±


    It was Lee Jihye, the one managing the site, that answered the silent voice.


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to do that. The atmosphere¡¯s flow isn¡¯t bad, and it seems to be a self-cleaning effect. Benignore Net¡¯s reaction isn¡¯t that bad, either.¡±


    ¡°I was surprised that this broke out. It would¡¯ve been better to just drive Gareth as a scapegoat and get rid of him.¡±


    ¡°No, Jihye. If I raise him well, he will be quite useful¡­ It¡¯s a waste to throw him away. We urgently need strength¡­ Just put on air once that he is repenting for the mistakes he made on the battlefield, and let him shed a couple of tears. After he announces that he will reflect on himself, for the time being, help him return to the show¡­ If you manage thements properly, it should cool down quickly.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ that¡¯s true, but¡­ He¡¯s so unlucky. There was no one who wasn¡¯t brutal on the battlefield at the time¡­ They¡¯re being unreasonable. Rather, he seems like a poor kid who was forced to go to the battlefield¡­ To think he was suddenly called out as a heretic.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. Even if Gareth looks like that, he¡¯s a devout believer. It won¡¯t be a waste to take care of him when I can. He said that the person whom he admired the most was the Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung. It would be better to meetter, take a picture, and spread it in the media to calm public opinion. How¡¯s the situation?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s well sorted out. Honestly, it doesn¡¯t seem like something you would run to right away like this¡­ there¡¯s something wrong with that sword, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I think I should go see it myself¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. Sure, you should.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you try to be the chosen warrior?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to. I just want to get the benefits of that. Why would I put my hands on something that might have a side effect? You¡¯re just saying that, right? Do you really want me to wield that sword?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t think my words through. That sword is a weapon I brought for someone who can use it, not a hand ornament.¡±


    ¡°See? Just looking at your expression is enough for me to know you¡¯re kidding around¡­ Oh, and it looks like Pope Basel is waiting. After work, have a cup of tea with him. I know you¡¯re busy, but you should also manage your rtionships. When he camest time, you¡¯ve just left, causing the atmosphere here to be aplete mess. Knowing that the old man likes you¡­¡±


    ¡°I was already going to do that, though¡­¡±


    ¡°So be diligent about it. Do you think we focus on managing ourwork because we¡¯re not busy? It¡¯s a little annoying, but isn¡¯t this all going to benefit you anyway?¡±


    Lee Jihye¡¯s words were right a hundred times.


    ¡°I know that if you can¡¯t even afford to look around, that means you¡¯re really busy, but¡­ Well, if I keep nagging, what will change? Your work is going well, right?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not too bad. If you¡¯re asking about how I¡¯m progressing, then the process itself is pretty smooth¡­ At least things are much better than here. I have to go for now. I think my schedule is pretty tight if I want to chat with Pope Basel within the day¡­¡±


    ¡°I knew that already and prepared the meeting in advance.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Jihye.¡±


    ¡®What would I do without her?¡¯ Such thoughts came to my mind unknowingly.


    She was delicate and meticulous in taking care of every detail.


    Jihye didn¡¯te that far with a body that didn¡¯t have any abilities for no reason.


    Even if I didn¡¯t ask for it in advance, she still prepared the necessary things ahead of time.


    Even while she was doing her job, she was still concerned about me¡­ It was undeniable that her skill was enormous.


    The appearance of the surrounding scenery, which was clearly controlled, was quite amazing. Everything was destroyed by the repulsive force emitted by the Holy Sword.


    Wasn¡¯t the fact that there was no human injury enough to be grateful for? If it had been a bigger case, I would¡¯ve had to sacrifice Gareth and create a new truth.


    ¡°The damage is a little bigger than what you see on the screen, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s amazing that there were no deaths.¡±


    ¡°For some reason, this kind of ident seems to keep popping up at least once. Hence, we decided to install defensive magic here. Isn¡¯t it amazing that the child soldier didn¡¯t die? Fortunately, he fell on his back, but if he hit his head, he would¡¯ve died immediately. We were indeed lucky. Even though it¡¯s me, I didn¡¯t want to bury a child soldier that was forcibly dragged into such a trashy reality.¡±


    ¡®What was that earlier? You said we should set him up and get rid of him.¡¯


    ¡°Considering that it has defensive magic¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, it waspletely smashed. Also, I don¡¯t know why, but the sword glows periodically.¡±


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m not even sure if that¡¯s normal. It probably didn¡¯t get anything bad¡­¡±


    ¡®I think that¡¯s the case. Fuck¡­¡¯


    ¡°I feel as if there¡¯s something it doesn¡¯t like¡­ Let¡¯s find out from here on out. So¡­ are you saying it¡¯s silent right now?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it started behaving itself exactly the moment you came. Until then, it was emitting constant temper. I think it has something to say¡­ should I put the priests on standby just in case¡­¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯ll be alright¡­¡±


    ¡°If you think so, then I¡¯ll abide by your words, but¡­ I can¡¯t take responsibility if you identally get flung away and break your skull.¡±


    Although I was uneasy, the sword wouldn¡¯t cause such a big problem.


    ¡®This thing seems to be protesting.¡¯


    It was clear that there was something it wanted.


    It felt like it was acting up to screw us since it didn¡¯t like what was happening around it right at that moment. It wasn¡¯t urate, but I had to think of it as a possibility.


    When the incident happened, there was also that feeling that it was looking at me for some reason¡­


    Above all, as Lee Jihye said, it stopped acting up as soon as I arrived. I couldn¡¯t help but believe that there had to be something.


    ¡®Okay, fuck, what do you want? I¡¯ll listen to everything. Do you not like the rookies? Do you like those with a little bit of a base? Is that dissatisfaction because I have only pushed in newbies?¡¯


    It was difficult to deal with a skilled adventurer, but I was willing to agree if it responded.


    ¡®Or do you prefer those with rotten personality? That¡¯s not the case, right?¡¯


    Was it just my illusion that I thought it would prefer to corrupt ordinary people?


    It could be a little tricky to handle, but to a certain extent, I could tolerate it.


    ¡®So wake up. If your value plunges like this, it won¡¯t be great for either of us. You probably don¡¯t want to go back to Lucifer. No, even if you go back, you have to y an active part at least once. I thought you wouldn¡¯t be like this. Why are you so picky?¡¯


    Brrr.


    ¡°Is the sword trembling?¡±


    At Lee Jihye¡¯s words, I nodded. Obviously, I felt like it was shaking slightly.


    Brrrrr.


    No, it wasn¡¯t just a slight shaking. It was quaking so violently that I could see it with my own eyes.


    ¡®What? What¡¯s up with you? Fuck, please express yourself.¡¯


    Little by little, the closer I got, the more vibrations it emitted.


    For the time being, I steeled my resolve.


    At least reacting to me was an indicator that there was still room for negotiation.


    ¡®Right, right, it¡¯s been hard during that time, hasn¡¯t it? You can tell me all about it. I¡¯ll listen to whatever you have to say.¡¯


    Brrrrrrrr.


    ¡®At least give me a hint about the qualifications that are needed. Was Gareth a bit¡­?¡¯


    Brrr.


    ¡®Or do you just not like the situation itself?¡¯


    Brrrrrrr.


    ¡®I¡¯m just trying to find a good owner for you, but why? Let¡¯s not get too sensitive, my friend. I¡¯m doing this all for you, after all. It¡¯s not good to be too picky about people. Can you live by eating only meat? Sometimes you have to eat vegetables, right? And water. If there is no one you really like, then how about we make a deal? Let¡¯s do it. Let¡¯s make apromise with reality.¡¯


    It was just when I said that to myself.


    ¡°What the¡­ fuck. What¡¯s up with you?¡±


    I didn¡¯t even touch it. I could see the Holy Sword picking itself up.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯te out, you bastard. Don¡¯te out. Why are you suddenly floating?¡¯


    ¡°What¡¯s that? Is that¡­ I think it¡¯s being picked up alone right now¡­¡±


    I couldn¡¯t afford to answer Lee Jihye¡¯s voice from afar.


    I had to deal with the urgent matter right in front of me. It was no wonder that I moved my body right away.


    I had to put the sword that was trying to pop out back in again.


    ¡°Go in. Go back, you bastard. Go back in, fuck¡­¡±


    The situation was now considered highly urgent.

 Chapter 612: Plunge (1)

    <h4>Chapter 612: Plunge (1)</h4>


    Naturally, I reacted quickly.


    ¡®You¡­ you bastard. Fuck¡­¡¯


    I kept feeling an indescribable desire from the gray light.


    I wasn¡¯t sure, but did it decide that I was to be its owner?


    At least, that was more convincing than it being picked up by itself to make me feel guilty. My soul was so disgusting that demons such as Belial and Lucifer were friendly towards me, and it might¡¯ve been attracted to me in the same sense.


    ¡®Didn¡¯t you like pure souls?¡¯


    Or perhaps it thought that no matter how much it corrupted others, the result wouldn¡¯t be enough to match my soul. Whatever the case, it was undeniable that it was drooling at me.


    The one who wanted to be picked up fought against the one who didn¡¯t want to be chosen.


    ¡®Sh*t.¡¯


    I began to frown unknowingly.


    Why did I suddenly remember Cursed Shrine¡¯s Juliana?


    As if she understood what I was feeling, Lee Jihye spoke to me in a sly tone from a distance.


    ¡°Wow¡­ You are the real deal. How clean is your soul to make the holy sword react like that?¡±


    ¡®Jihye, are you being ironic?¡¯


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who started asking me if I wanted to be the owner, but¡­ the real deal would recognize the real deal, after all. It seems that my personality isn¡¯t divine enough to be chosen by the Holy Sword. The person the sword will choose is someone transparent on the inside.¡±


    ¡®You¡¯re not that different. It would¡¯ve gone to you if I hadn¡¯t been there.¡¯


    ¡°Can I record this? The chosen warrior has been born. The media will be bustling tomorrow. Cheer up. I wonder if it would be more honorable than seeing the legend of the continent with my own eyes.¡±


    ¡°Stop¡­ Jihye. I¡¯m not in a situation to joke around. If I really be the holy warrior, the Holy Sword Coin will plunge. Plunge! Where would I use a weapon that I don¡¯t know even know how to use?¡±


    ¡°Why? I think it¡¯ll do good¡­¡±


    It felt like Lee Jihye, who was in awe with her own personality, was delighted with me.


    Normally, I would¡¯ve had a heated discussion with her, but¡­ I couldn¡¯t right at that moment.


    ¡°Please don¡¯te out, asshole. I can¡¯t be your owner. There are many other swordsmen, so why are you reacting to an alchemist?¡¯


    Brrr.


    ¡®It doesn¡¯t matter?¡¯


    Brrrr.


    ¡®It does to me. Let¡¯s not do this. I¡¯ll find someone you want. The situation is a bit urgent right now, so let¡¯s put off our meeting forter. We both have a lot of time anyway. You heard it from Lucifer. If I wait for 2000 years, I¡¯ll be able to shed my mortal skin. At that point, we¡¯ll be together forever¡­¡¯


    Brrrrrr.


    ¡®You can¡¯t wait? Why can¡¯t you take it anymore? Is that what you¡¯re really saying?¡¯


    Brrrrrrrr.


    We had reached a point where its thoughts had starteding to my mind.


    It didn¡¯t sound like words, but I could tell what it was feeling.


    I even wondered if our souls were already connected. If a little more time passed, I would probably be forced to sign a contract.


    Of course, I also wanted to be the owner of that kind of item. Where in the world was there a person who didn¡¯t like such rarities?


    However¡­


    ¡®The one who should use it is someone who actually can.¡¯


    I needed someone who could properly utilize the sword¡¯s maximum efficiency.


    Although it was a mythic grade, didn¡¯t it have more power than the Durendal that Kim Hyunsung had?


    How efficient would it be if a beginner who couldn¡¯t properly handle a sword tried to wield it?


    I didn¡¯t want to put myself down, but it was like hanging a pearl around a pig¡¯s neck.


    More than anything¡­


    When dealing with the outer gods and their minions, I needed a strong person who could stand next to Kim Hyunsung. Although I had Cha Hee-ra, she was a kind of card that wasn¡¯t suitable for team ys, and no matter how much Cho Hyejin grew, she was insufficient in many ways to be worthy of being next to Kim Hyunsung.


    The same went for Park Yeon-joo of the ck Swan. Wasn¡¯t she the dagger that aimed for our backs in the first ce?


    It was somewhat unreasonable to deploy an assassin ss with Kim Hyunsung. In that sense, Kim Ye-ri was also crossed out.


    I felt sorry, but¡­ I didn¡¯t even have to mention the turtle pig bastard.


    If I instructed all of the people listed above to catch up with Kim Hyunsung, I was certain that they would suffer from unbearable hardships.


    In other words, there was currently no one who could match Kim Hyunsung.


    The northwestern region had to be defended against the pigeon-like beasts¡¯ invasion, and to battle against the outer gods, the person had to be in sync with the returner.


    He had to respond to arise at any moment, and when necessary, I needed talented people to make sacrifices.


    After I roughly quantified the power of the external forces Kim Hyunsung talked about, a holy warrior¡¯s existence became unconditionally necessary.


    I wasn¡¯t waiting for the Holy Sword Coin for no reason.


    The risk was too great for someone who couldn¡¯t properly wield a sword to try to be cool and blindly pick it up.


    And¡­


    ¡®The side effect, fucker¡­ the side effect!¡¯


    I didn¡¯t like the fact that it might consume my body.


    A little bit of pain could easily be cured, but that wasn¡¯t the kind of side effect those kinds of swords had.


    Brrrrrrrrrrrrrr!


    ¡®You¡¯re saying it won¡¯t be that bad? Don¡¯t make meugh, asshole. I want to live until I be senile. So stop drooling over me, and just grab any good guy¡­¡¯


    Brrr!


    ¡®No, even if I live for a long time, it won¡¯t feel like that if I¡¯m sick. I¡¯ll live until I be a healthily senile¡­¡¯


    Brrrrrr!


    ¡®Doing that won¡¯t be good for you either. Think carefully about it. Juliana is also rotting in the warehouse¡­ If youe with me, there is a high possibility that you are going to the warehouse or in my bag instead of in my hand¡­¡¯


    Brrrrrrrrr!!!


    That vibration made my body itself tremble.


    Of course, since I had low muscle strength, I couldn¡¯t stop it from sticking out.


    I felt like I wasn¡¯t getting through it, so as I flicked my finger, small tentacles came out from the ground, wrapping around its de.


    The appendages pulled the Holy Sword down, which was about to be pulled out, but the tentacles were cut off. It was simply that desperate to try to get out.


    Brrrrrrr!


    Only its appearance was fine, but wasn¡¯t it still simr to Benignore¡¯s six tongues that Lucifer showed before?


    If that one was going to be like that, I might¡¯ve had as well brought that other sword.


    ¡®That one, fuck, can even pull out its tongue. There¡¯s nothing you can do. In this modernization era, who would wield a sword? I took Juliana since she has an automatic attack system¡­ Even if your de is sharp, I will use it as a cane at best.¡¯


    Brrrrrrrrrrrrr!


    ¡®No, I¡¯m not criticizing you. I didn¡¯t say that for you to get angry¡­ It was just to give us space to think a little more rationally. Just put up with it for about ten years. After my work is done, I¡¯ll learn some sword skills. Everyone will end up happy.¡¯


    Drrr. Drrr.


    As they tried to seal it back, the tentacles were swiftly reaching their limits.


    They kept covering it up, but I didn¡¯t think they could stop it in the end.


    ¡®No, why are you so clingy to someone who doesn¡¯t want you? I¡¯m saying I will take care of youter. I¡¯ll talk to Lucifer as well. So¡­ just go back in. I¡¯ll find you a good owner. I will find you a really amazing owner¡­ so let¡¯s stop now.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t think I could endure anymore.


    As the sword was pulled out and the gray light illuminated the surrounding, I was about to give up halfway.


    ¡®Let¡¯s do thister! Later!¡¯


    It stopped with a loud sound.


    ¡°Sigh¡­ Sigh¡­ Sigh¡­¡±


    Perhaps it was because of the consumption of a lot of magic power and stamina in such a short time, but I was out of breath, and sweat was dripping down my jawline.


    ¡°It¡¯ll remain quiet now, right? Sigh¡­¡±


    ¡°You tell me. Are you sure you persuaded it properly? What did it say it would do? You reached an agreement, right?¡±


    The conversation didn¡¯t seem to have ended properly, but¡­


    ¡°Ah¡­ I guess so¡­¡±


    Brr.


    It emitted a short vibration, but no further thoughts were passed on.


    It seemed that it was neither agreeing nor denying it, but I indeed received its concession under the circumstances. I felt an intermittent trembling when I stroked the ornament on the grip of the sword.


    It probably wanted to express that it was angry, but it seemed like petting it that way made it feel good.


    ¡®Yes¡­ you made the right decision. It¡¯s better to settle down only after you¡¯ve met all kinds of people. Gather good experience while you¡¯re exploring the world, then we¡¯ll sign a contract that wouldst a thousand years.¡¯


    Brr.


    ¡®Of course, me too. You wouldn¡¯t like it if I use you with other swords, would you?¡¯


    Brrr.


    ¡®I¡¯ve already met some swords, some wands, and other weapons before I settled down. If youpromise too early, there¡¯s a higher chance they¡¯ll cheat on youter. You should have fun while you¡¯re still young, so you¡¯ll no longer think about doing itter on.¡¯


    Brrrr.


    ¡®One day, you may regret signing a contract so suddenly¡­ Anyway, you did the right thing.¡¯


    There were no more vibrations.


    It seemed like it was still dissatisfied with something, but what was important was that it was convinced.


    I felt like I shouldn¡¯t be in its vicinity any longer since it seemed to need some time alone.


    ¡°What? Are we leaving it like this?¡±


    ¡°For now, it¡¯ll remain quiet. Let¡¯s leave it be today¡­ Let¡¯s start over tomorrow. This time, let¡¯s expand the variety and types of candidates, and at the end, let¡¯s bring a few of the kids who haven¡¯t been able toe here because they failed the initial tests.¡±


    ¡°There were a few people who gave up halfway because they were scared anyway¡­ I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll produce bad results. Instead, you should directly convey the position of the Holy sector since you¡¯re going to meet Pope Basel anyway. Oh, and just to rify, are you sure nothing else will happen?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Honestly, I wasn¡¯t. I felt like it was behaving itself for the time being, but who knew when it would explode again.


    I was worried, but the situation was calm enough for me to reply with a nod for the time being.


    It was better than going with apletely plunging flow.


    But after exactly 35 hours, I had no choice but to grab my head.


    -Ah¡­ Ah. We will deliver the birth of the chosen warrior to the entire continent. It must be a familiar face to you. May I ask for a self-introduction?


    -First¡­ I sincerely thank the Honorary Cardinal and Pope Basel for giving me this opportunity. This situation is a bit embarrassing¡­ and too sudden, but¡­ I will do my best not to disappoint anyone.


    -¡­


    -My name is¡­ my name is Raphael.

 Chapter 613: Plunge (2)

    <h4>Chapter 613: Plunge (2)</h4>


    Having tea time with Pope Basel proved to be inevitable.


    I couldn¡¯t pull back from it anymore, and I had to exin what was happening.


    I roughly made some excuses about the Holy Sword and Gareth, the child soldier whom the heretical interrogators were currently investigating. I was able to take off his charges and return him to his daily routine.


    After spending time with the pope, I took a quick nap and started working right away. I finished the Garden of Terror version, synthesized the demon Salit¡¯s core with the monkfish¡¯s catalyst, and began working on the Tutorial Dungeon version.


    I was a little tired, but that didn¡¯t mean I could take a break. It was because fatigue remained in my mind that I made no major achievement.


    Of course, that didn¡¯t mean I gained nothing.


    The Holy Sword was once again in ce, and I became closer to the people of the Holy See.


    However¡­


    ¡®If only the incident didn¡¯t break out¡­¡¯


    I unknowingly thought of it.


    After rejecting Jung Hayan¡¯s suggestion to sleep a bit more, I kept working without breaks. In the meantime, the spokesman for the Holy sector, Jaina, then proceeded with an appropriate excuse for what happened.


    After that, the system was activated in earnest, and as a result, the test of the Holy Sword resumed, as per the interest of many people. It was a much smoother flow than I thought.


    However, unlike other people, I didn¡¯t pay much attention to the tests that were taking ce.


    I literally couldn¡¯t afford to, after all.


    Of course, when the ones I chose were about to be tested, I watched them through the Goddess¡¯s Mirror, but I didn¡¯t have to luxury to watch them all day long.


    Above all, the idea that it wouldn¡¯t choose a holy warrior immediately was already on my mind.


    That reasoning was based on the conversations I had with the Holy Sword previously. That was why I was a little disconcerted when Jung Hayan called for me out loud.


    ¡°O-Oppa! It¡¯s going out! It¡¯s about to go out! Looks like the holy warrior has appeared. I-I-I think he¡¯s pulling out the sword right now.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°C-Come quickly. The warrior appeared. The holy warrior!¡±


    I immediately left the Tutorial Dungeon version behind and rushed to the Goddess¡¯ Mirror.


    The guy on the screen was really pulling out the sword.


    Wasn¡¯t the effect different from those who had been eliminated?


    The figure of the guy standing among them wasparable to the main character in any narrative.


    I could guess that he just turned 20 years old. The warrior had a youthful face and seemed to me like it was still a boy. He struggled with a gray light in front of him.


    Was it worth mentioning that it was the way I thought it would be?


    The warrior was pulling out the sword while numerous people were watching him.


    He looked as if he had realized the weight of responsibilities that woulde with pulling out the sword as he was receiving the radiant light. The priests prayed, looking at what was happening before them, and the State people kept crying out for the name of Benignore.


    Everything was part of the scene I was picturing in my head.


    -The Holy Sword¡­ The Holy Sword is being pulled out. The Holy Sword is being pulled out.


    -He is the warrior chosen by Benignore!


    -Whoooooaaaaaaaaaa!!


    -W-who¡¯s¡­ that? Who the hell is he?


    -It¡¯s the warrior. The holy warrior¡­


    Even the voices of the public heard through the Goddess¡¯s Mirror perfectlyplimented the event.


    ¡®This is going to cause an unconditional soar. There wasn¡¯t going to be room for a plunge. It¡¯s going to skyrocket without fail!¡¯


    It was sudden, but how could I be in a bad mood?


    It was the situation I wished and longed for¡­ I also liked his young and innocent face, and I liked his appearance that didn¡¯t seem to be out of date.


    Most of all, it solved my worries regarding difficult situations.


    I was really relieved.


    ¡®Whew¡­ It made up its mind. It was a stroke of genius that I went there. It definitely was. All we had to do was talk it out. With goodmunication, our Holy Sword finally did what it had to do.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know why it changed its mind, but the fact that my persuasion worked also made me feel better.


    However, it onlysted for a moment.


    After checking his stats with my Mind¡¯s Eyes, I bit down on my lips tightly out of habit.


    [Checking Raphael¡¯s status window.]


    [Name: Raphael]


    [Title: Last Survivor of the Order.]


    ¡®Sigh¡­ Fuck¡­¡¯


    Needless to say, it was a trap card.


    It really happened in an instant¡­


    It was the plunge of the Holy Sword Coin.


    It wasn¡¯t just a plunge, but the imaginary graph before my eyes drew a vertical line going downwards.


    ¡°Really¡­ Really, fuck¡­ Why are you doing this to me?¡±


    ¡®Thest survivor of the Order?¡¯


    What was he doing there¡­?


    Of course, I remembered.


    How could I forget the dirty demon contractor who had destroyed the 5th District?


    I believed that I had done the job well, but there were still some dirty reactionaries left.


    He wasn¡¯t just a survivor. He was the chosen warrior.


    It wouldn¡¯t be unreasonable to clear my throat upon realizing the absurdity of it.


    I started to think of all kinds of things, leaving Jung Hayan, Max, and Han Sora behind at the Goddess¡¯s Mirror.


    ¡®This dirty magic sword bastard¡­ You did this on purpose, didn¡¯t you?¡¯


    The product of pitch-ck darkness, emitting ugly and disgusting magical power, was now causing trouble.


    It was clear that it wasn¡¯t silently epting my will, but was instead trying to screw me over at any cost.


    How could I not notice what kind of ego it had?


    It was correct to assume that it chose Raphael, knowing full well what would happen if it did.


    I didn¡¯t know if it¡¯s simply trying to protest in earnest, but¡­


    It was undeniable that the current situation was disadvantageous for me.


    -Ah¡­ Ah. We will deliver the birth of the chosen warrior to the entire continent. It must be a familiar face to you. May I ask for a self-introduction?


    -First¡­ I sincerely thank the Honorary Cardinal and Pope Basel for giving me this opportunity. This situation is a bit embarrassing and too sudden, but¡­ I will do my best not to disappoint anyone.


    -¡­


    -My name is¡­ Raphael. I¡¯m ignorant¡­ of sword skills, but¡­ I got used to it while taking this test¡­


    In the meantime, an interview began, and, in everyone¡¯s attention, the demon contractor seeded in getting into the heart of the Holy See.


    Watching all of it unfold in an instant, it was so ridiculous thatughter burst out of me.


    When Iughed, I noticed Jung Hayan and Han Sora Han looking at me.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Er¡­ Vice Guild Master. Are you not going to the Holy sector? I got a message asking you toe quickly¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Sigh¡­ Please inform them that I¡¯m leaving soon, but that I¡¯ll be a littlete. Hayan, get ready toe with me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes¡­ yes.¡±


    ¡°Ah, and please make sure to contact Hyunsung as well. No¡­ rather, convene all the guild members.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s ridiculous¡­ really ridiculous.¡¯


    After I rationalized the situation to some extent, I got really mad.


    The more I thought about it, the more I felt enraged.


    I didn¡¯t know if it¡¯s because the memories of the hardships I had gone through so far passed by, but I felt like I wanted to turn everything upside down.


    ¡®What should I do?¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t help but wonder about that, considering I had to open up many possibilities.


    Nothing had been decided exactly yet, hadn¡¯t it?


    First, I was most interested in the reason that the demon contractor came directly to us.


    Of course, it was obvious what his motive would be.


    He might¡¯ve hade to find a new life after repenting, but the odds were low.


    Why would someone who really wanted to turn a new leafe to our side of the world and take the test like a fool?


    No matter how I thought about it, it wouldn¡¯t be wrong to judge that it would have been because he had a solid goal.


    And that goal was¡­


    ¡®It must be revenge.¡¯


    It had to be.


    He was standing there to avenge his colleagues,plete the mission his colleagues couldn¡¯t, and fulfill their aspirations.


    In short, he hade to threaten the light.


    ¡®Is it dangerous?¡¯


    I could be certain that it wasn¡¯t dangerous right at that moment, at least.


    Although the Holy Sword chose him, he still wasn¡¯t ready to wield it.


    Perhaps he would try to target my throat when he¡¯s closest to me. He could also try to use traps and schemes.


    He might¡¯ve had a n to announce the fabricated data, or he could talk about the world needing to know the truth.


    What if I didn¡¯t learn that he was a reactionary bastard?


    ¡®It would¡¯ve been terrible¡­¡¯


    I could be sure that there would be some big scars on my back if that happened.


    Maybe I would¡¯ve even died. Raphael currently wasn¡¯t a reactionary bastard but the chosen warrior, after all.


    ¡®How do I solve this?¡¯


    Of course, the solution was simple.


    ¡®I can kill him.¡¯


    I just had to stop him from existing.


    My reputation might¡¯ve had to take a bit of a blow, and gossips would probably spread, but there¡¯s no better solution than killing him.


    Wouldn¡¯t it be a hundred times better to kill a future threat than to let him be?


    Honestly, I couldn¡¯t deny that it was an attractive option.


    I could solve the problem in one


    There were, of course, other options.


    ¡®Should I ept the Holy Sword in his ce?¡¯


    That wasn¡¯t a bad option either, but it¡¯s not that I had the right to decide that.


    Thest option was¡­


    ¡®To raise him¡­¡¯


    Rather than keeping my distance, perhaps I should be closer to him.


    All the information created by the reactionaries could be made known as fake information.


    I could make him believe that everything was just a misunderstanding, and I could just put him in the frame of being a victim who they brainwashed.


    I wouldn¡¯t be able to tell him directly, but there were enough ways to do so indirectly.


    Wouldn¡¯t he change his mind if he watched the Honorary Cardinal, who was respected and loved by everyone, up close?


    After that, I could deploy him to the frontlines and get rid of him.


    I thought about it a bit, but all three felt like a good option.


    The third one attracted me the most, though¡­


    It wasn¡¯t a matter that I could decide on right away.


    The most important matter was to determine what kind of person he exactly was.


    As soon as I finished preparations while thinking, Jung Hayan immediately began to chant a spell. As if she noticed that I wasn¡¯t in a good mood, she nced at me but didn¡¯t stop the cast. Max and Han Sora also looked anxious.


    I definitely was smiling, but it seemed that it wasn¡¯t enough to make them believe I was happy.


    Once again, tapping my thighs, I put the usual business smile on my face.


    Immediately after Jung Hayan activated the spell, my vision changed, and I spoke with a smile to the person in front of me.


    ¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m Raphael.¡±

 Chapter 614: Plunge (3)

    <h4>Chapter 614: Plunge (3)</h4>


    I noticed a person that looked a little worried. No, the person looked very worried. He wasn¡¯t showing any hostility toward me, but he seemed a little ufortable. It was difficult to put into words, but he seemed to find me difficult to approach.


    The people of the Vatican who are sitting with him took it as a natural reaction. Even I didn¡¯t think that this is awkward.


    It wasn¡¯t much different from ordinary people¡¯s reaction whenever they saw Lee Kiyoung in real life, after all.


    But¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s subtly different.¡¯


    I wasn¡¯t certain if other people felt the same way as me, but I could sense that he was hiding his feelings.


    I didn¡¯t know if the emotion behind his nervous expression was anger, awe, or doubt, but I knew that it wasn¡¯t a positive one.


    It felt frustrating, not knowing how he truly felt, but¡­


    ¡®I¡¯m in a better position than him.¡¯


    He must¡¯ve been feeling more frustrated than I was, and I couldn¡¯t deny it.


    I was the superior A, and he was the vulnerable B. Even if he proved to be the chosen warrior, I was the one holding the trigger. I was sure he was feeling nervous in more ways than one. What would he do if he got caught? How would he resolve the situation?


    The person who needed to think a lot wasn¡¯t me, but Raphael.


    ¡®He¡¯s got a lot of nerve.¡±


    I didn¡¯t think he had identallye all the way there. It would be more precise to say that he had been nning it for a long time. He most likely didn¡¯t expect him to be chosen by the Holy Sword, however. From his perspective¡­


    ¡®Do you feel like you¡¯ve won the lottery? Your life skyrocketed, you lucky bastard. Meanwhile, I¡¯m over here totally freaked out, and I have no other option but to hold on.¡¯


    I naturally approached him with a smile. It would be better to act normal. It was better to test him a little before doing a full-fledged investigation.


    ¡°I think I¡¯m a littlete, but¡­ It¡¯s nice to meet you.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s my pleasure, Honorary Cardinal. I¡¯m so thrilled to finally meet someone that I only used to see through the Goddess¡¯s Mirror.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not that big of a figure, so you don¡¯t have to be so formal. Rather, I¡¯m the one who should be thrilled and honored. Aren¡¯t you the chosen warrior who will save the continent? Of course, you¡¯ll still have to train, but it¡¯s undeniable that the Holy sword has chosen you¡­ You¡¯re undeniably a blessing on the continent. I¡¯m sure Goddess Benignore is delighted about your appearance.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯ll be able to meet Goddess Benignore¡¯s expectations¡­ which worries me. It¡¯s just¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Everything has just happened in an instant.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry too much.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Many people, including the Vatican and the Continental Protection and Management Committee, are always ready to help¡­ I will also do my best to help you adjust to your new environment.¡±


    As I took a step forward and patted his shoulder, he looked like he was suddenly on high alert.


    He had the face of a cornered rat. It was a sight to see him pull the Holy Sword into his arms, but I didn¡¯t show any reaction. He needed to know how much the Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung had sacrificed for the continent.


    Rather, I gave him a warm smile. I showed him the utmost kindness and the affection I used to show to those in power in the past. I hadn¡¯t shown such an expression to anyone except for Kim Hyunsung.


    The expression worked sessfully. No other words were needed, considering the young man looked slightly embarrassed.


    ¡®You look flustered, you bastard.¡¯


    I must¡¯ve looked so different from what he was expecting.


    Of course, he might have thought that I was just acting before, but seeing it in person made my impact a whole lot stronger.


    I didn¡¯t act as the Honorary Cardinal, but rather as a real person.


    The image I conveyed was that of a human being who was pure, kind, and warm. Someone who desired to reach out with a smile unknowingly. Essentially, I showed him Light Kiyoung. The sun even shone through the window just in time.


    ¡°Thank¡­ you.¡±


    ¡°I think we¡¯d better go somewhere else. I don¡¯t think you¡¯re familiar with the ce, so I¡¯d like to show you around¡­ Can I do that, Archbishop Jaina?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, did you have another schedule?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I think we have a short interview for media coverage. If you want, we can change our schedule.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s alright. I know that¡¯s important. I¡¯m sure the people have a lot of questions about the new warrior. What kind of steps you¡¯re going to take, how you¡¯re going to perform. Oh! Come to think of it, what¡¯s going on with the issue I mentioned before?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes. You mean the problem of supporting the underprivileged.¡±


    ¡®Yes, I told youst time, didn¡¯t I?¡¯


    ¡°We¡¯re taking care of it as requested by the Honorary Cardinal.¡±


    ¡®Good to know, Archbishop Jaina.¡¯


    ¡°There are a lot of people who are worried about surviving today and tomorrow rather than threats in the distant future. It might not be enough, but we¡¯re proceeding as fast as we can¡­¡±


    As if to prove that the story wasn¡¯t out of the blue, in-depth conversations about the stories revolving around public rtions began to pop out.


    If I didn¡¯t really intend to implement it, I would¡¯ve never said anything.


    He naturally listened in on our conversation. Picking up as much information as possible was the only option he could take at that moment. I felt like he already had a few ns in mind before he approached our territory.


    ¡°I¡¯m getting too talkative. I apologize for keeping you waiting.¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s fine, Honorary Cardinal.¡±


    ¡°We still have a little time until the schedule, so you should take a look around here. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve been to the Vatican at least once, but¡­ some parts aren¡¯t open to the public.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°For example, the garden over there. Most people aren¡¯t allowed to enter the space that the priests of the Vatican are using, and I¡¯m sure you¡¯re curious since you¡¯re a member of the church.¡±


    ¡°I am.¡±


    ¡°If you go a little further that way, you¡¯ll find a university where the probationary priests study theology. On the other side, there is a temple where only high priests are allowed to enter. The Vatican isn¡¯t a ce that you can explorepletely in a day.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Since you don¡¯t have time today, I can only take you to ces near us, but I¡¯d like to devote my time guiding you tomorrow orter.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m doing this because I want to. I¡¯m curious about you, Mr. Raphael.¡±


    I thought it would be better to smile again, so I gently raised the corners of my lips. I expressed using bodynguage that I was doing him a favor.


    His expression seemed to have loosened up. He even let his guard down a little, and even his replies were getting longer.


    In fact, all we did was hold a series of shallow conversations.


    ¡°Do you like chess?¡±


    We talked about hobbies.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, where are you from¡­?¡±


    I also conducted a brief investigation into his background.


    ¡°My parents are both dead¡­ When I didn¡¯t know what to do, good people took me in.¡±


    He was probably referring to the devil contractors.


    ¡°They¡¯ve always told me what the right path is for the continent and what this ce really is. Their influence is how I came all the way here.¡±


    Even I felt surprised by how well we couldmunicate.


    If we walked for about 20 more minutes, we woulde upon a smallke park that was beautiful even by my standards.


    ¡®What should I do?¡¯


    I thought about tossing him to the bottom of theke.


    ¡®What am I supposed to do about this¡­?¡¯


    It might¡¯ve been worthless confidence, but somehow I felt like I could use him in the long term.


    ¡®I can tell because the sword isn¡¯t flying my way.¡¯


    I thought it would be fair to say that he was a rationalist. He could¡¯ve attacked me without the fear of death at any moment since we met, but he didn¡¯t.


    Perhaps he wanted to stab my stomach and put me at the bottom of theke. We were actually within the distance that would make that possible as well.


    The fact that Jung Hayan and Park Li-ahn were following me at some distance meant he couldn¡¯t guarantee sess if he tried to assassinate me there, but¡­ it didn¡¯t seem like they were paying attention to such a situation.


    ¡®I don¡¯t want to be killed just yet.¡¯


    My death wasn¡¯t the only thing Raphael wanted.


    He desired to find out the truth, remove the false usations about the Order¡¯s members, and for Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung to receive just punishment and death.


    Perhaps he was thinking about it.


    He needed time, and I needed time as well, considering it was still hard to grasp the full extent of the situation.


    ¡®I¡¯ll wait and see.¡¯


    Hadn¡¯t the Holy Sword Coin already plummeted to the bottom? Someone had once said that perseverance solved everything. If I couldn¡¯t raise the Holy Sword Coin¡¯s value with my own hands, then all I could do was hold on until it soared again. Those thoughts began to get stuck in my head.


    When I tried to set the mood, I noticed him looking at my face as if he had a hunch that something unusual would happen.


    ¡°I think I put a big burden on you¡­ I¡¯m not veryfortable with it.¡±


    ¡°A big burden?¡±


    ¡°Ordinary people aren¡¯t prepared to face the situation you¡¯re in right now, and I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re thinking, but that¡¯s what this is about. The reason the Goddess sent down the Holy Sword is to help us face the enemies threatening the continent.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s so we can fight back. That¡¯s why you¡¯re chosen by the Holy Sword. Power isn¡¯t the only thing thates with it. Responsibility and pain will surely follow. As I¡¯ve said, it¡¯s a heavy burden.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ I see.¡±


    ¡°You might get tired or hurt in many ways. You¡¯ll have to risk your life¡­ You may have to sacrifice everything, and I mean everything.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°There will definitely be times when you¡¯d want to put your sword away. I can tell you with confidence that there will be difficulty and hardship ahead of us. Nevertheless, I¡¯d like you to keep my next words to heart.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t let go of your sword. For all who live on the continent, until the end, until the very end¡­ Please keep fighting with us. Please.¡±


    I thought it was better if I bowed down. I wore an expression fitting a tragic hero who had no choice but to sacrifice everything for the greater good. I shed tears as I slowly lowered my head.


    It must¡¯ve been awkward to watch me throw away my pride despite being called the light of the continent.


    As expected, he hesitated.


    ¡°I ask you of this favor.¡±

 Chapter 615: Negative Public Opinion (1)

    <h4>Chapter 615: Negative Public Opinion (1)</h4>


    ¡°Raise your head, please. Honorary Cardinal, you don¡¯t have to do this¡­¡±


    ¡°Please.¡±


    Once again, when I lowered my head, I saw more and more restlessness evident on his face. If necessary, I would even kneel or lie t. It wouldn¡¯t have been a problem if I had to go back and forth between his feet, but¡­


    ¡®I don¡¯t have to go that far¡­¡¯


    I already felt embarrassed enough just by bowing down. Raphael was determined, but he seemed a little confused because I actedpletely different from what he probably thought and imagined.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t think that was enough to change his mind. I wasn¡¯t certain, but I thought that was within my expectations.


    So to speak, it could be considered as part of the build-up.


    It could be seen as one of my attempts to draw a bigger picture.


    As part of the work to show that Light Kiyoung wasn¡¯t desperate for fame, power, and money and that I was a person who lived only for the continent, I became curious about the face that Raphael was making.


    I thought he wanted to unsheathe the Holy Sword and slice my neck with it.


    In a way, it was a dangerous act, but it could be seen as an act that showed that I didn¡¯t doubt him. It¡¯s obvious how he¡¯d react in that situation.


    As expected, I saw him sneak up on my shoulder.


    ¡®Nice.¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to do this. Honorary Cardinal, raise your head.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to bow to me. It¡¯s unexpected in many ways, but I¡¯m also fully prepared. I don¡¯t know why the goddess chose me, but I¡¯ll do my best to fulfill my job. So raise your head.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°On the contrary, I¡¯d rather ask you a favor. I stillck in many ways. It¡¯s not the Honorary Cardinal who needs help¡­¡±


    ¡®Yes, it¡¯s you.¡¯


    His stats were too shabby to be the owner of the Holy Sword.


    When he slightly raised his head and showed his relieved expression, I saw him biting his lips tightly. I wondered if he felt pretentious, but in fact, it didn¡¯t really matter what he thought. He¡¯d change his mind little by little, anyway.


    ¡®Can you still make that look even if the Kasugano shows you the future?¡¯


    If he saw what was about to happen, he was bound to feel something. I didn¡¯t think it was possible, but if Benignore had enough room, he coulde to the statue and she could express her thoughts on what was happening on the continent.


    As most of the Order¡¯s members thought that the miracle of Benignore was a false force, wouldn¡¯t he change his mind if he really saw a miracle?


    Although the methods were slightly different, the options themselves were endless.


    Above all, I believed that there was a reason why the gray Holy Sword chose him. No matter how hard anyone wanted to screw our side, they couldn¡¯t really rely on someone who wasn¡¯t very good at it.


    Perhaps the sword felt that Raphael¡¯s personality was simr to mine.


    A person whose route, goal, or inclination wasn¡¯t clear at all. Someone who influenced others without any distinct values.


    [Checking the unique quirk of Raphael.]


    [Will that doesn¡¯t shake easily.]


    The quirk looked like a bit of a trap, but¡­


    ¡®You¡¯re saying that he can be shaken, right?¡¯


    He wasn¡¯t an opportunist like a bat. Rather, it wouldn¡¯t be wrong to describe him as a neutralist or a cautious person.


    He was the type that took a very long time to choose between ck and white and the type that became careful when reaching out to either side.


    In that sense, Raphael had the same purpose¡­


    ¡®I can understand you a little bit.¡¯


    Most of the Order¡¯s stories were fabricated, but their stories were believable enough from a third party¡¯s perspective.


    If they incited such detailed and meticulously fabricated data, there was room for discretionaries like him to be swept away. He was still young, as well.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t judge how old he was, but there was room for problems in epting at least various values.


    Thinking about how much their surroundings influenced human beings, the term ¡°Pseudo Religion¡± came to mind.


    ¡®I wonder how much the devil contractors sugar-coated everything¡­ That¡¯s how it must have been. It¡¯s a pity¡­ Really.¡¯


    He just didn¡¯t have a proper environment.


    ¡®I¡¯ll take good care of you. Don¡¯t doubt me, okay?¡¯


    ¡°Then¡­ shall we go back? I shouldn¡¯t have¡­ I¡¯m sorry you had to listen to such a heavy story. I feel like I¡¯m putting too much pressure on you right from the beginning¡­¡±


    ¡°Today¡¯s talk was helpful, considering I already knew I couldn¡¯t just feel happy about being chosen. If you hadn¡¯t told me this, I wouldn¡¯t have seen anything really important because I¡¯m in a sweet dreand.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s right.¡¯


    ¡°You don¡¯t know how fortunate I am to have you, Honorary Cardinal. This is a whole new environment¡­ I don¡¯t have anyone else I can count on¡­ So¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d that Raphael is relying on me.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s not what I meant. I¡¯m sorry if I was arrogant.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. I think that¡¯s my role. So please don¡¯t be too hard on yourself and be a little more at ease around me. We¡¯ll be seeing each other a lot, both publicly and privately.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ if you don¡¯t mind, can I speak a little morefortably?¡±


    ¡®Look at this bastard.¡¯


    ¡°No. Just pretend you didn¡¯t hear what I said, Honorary Cardinal. I¡¯m so¡­ so happy that now I¡¯m just talking nonsense¡­¡±


    I used that timing to give him a warm smile since he expressed his desire to get close to me first. I tried to look surprised, as if I didn¡¯t expect it.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I think it¡¯s more convenient for me if you talk less formally. Thank you for understanding.¡±


    ¡®You¡¯re more aggressive than I thought. Yeah¡­ You want to get closer to me, don¡¯t you?¡¯


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll call you Hyung.¡±


    ¡®That was a smooth one, you bastard.¡¯


    He pushed in really quickly. Although he continued the warm conversation while talking about many things, it was awkward timing considering that it hadn¡¯t been that long since we met.


    Of course, his original personality wasn¡¯t likely to be what he was showing. Perhaps he wanted to build an image that approached everyone without hesitation. It was undeniable that it would create a morefortable environment for him to work in.


    At first, he would have thought I would ept him, and even if I didn¡¯t, he might¡¯ve wanted to show that his personality was open.


    Of course, I couldn¡¯t reject his proposal. I also wanted to get closer to him anyway.


    Once again, when I put a smile on my lips, I saw him clenching his fist to see if his judgment was right.


    ¡°Yes, you can call me whatever you want.¡±


    ¡°Honorary Cardinal¡­ I mean, Hyung-nim, I hope you make yourselffortable as well.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not really used to speaking informally. I¡¯ll try to let go gradually. Of course, it won¡¯t take too long. Today is a good day. I¡¯ve been looking for the warrior chosen by the Holy Sword, and I think I¡¯ve got a trustworthy brother. I feel great.¡±


    ¡®This was half-sessful.¡¯


    I said I would take it easy, but I didn¡¯t mean to. I thought the person standing in front of me felt it the most?


    ¡°Uhm¡­ Hyung-nim¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Then from now on, how can I¡­ Where and what should I do?¡±


    ¡®Yeah, I¡¯m sure that¡¯s what you¡¯re most curious about.¡¯


    He was still in a position to do something first, considering he could judge that it was a situation that would inevitably flow as the waves went. And that was true¡­ Perhaps the most important thing for him at that point was to gain even a little more initiative.


    Even if the Holy Sword chose him, what could a man with no foundation do alone? He was probably most curious about where to go and what to do.


    ¡°Well, maybe¡­ After the basic procedures are over, I think we can decide on where you¡¯ll stay. It could be the Vatican. It could be the Blue Guild or the Continental Protection and Management Committee. You should probably look at the Red Mercenary, the ck Swans, or any other national group or guild as well.¡±


    ¡®Of course, you won¡¯t do that.¡¯


    ¡°The first priority is to be tutored by the Blue Guild Master and other powerful people on the continent¡­ Other times, I will be able to teach you many things. It would be easy to understand if you think of it as a liberal arts subject. It¡¯s good to learn the basics. Do you happen to have any idea where you want to go?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Perhaps considering many things, he thought it would be the best option to act in a guild or group¡¯s arms that was based in Lindel or the capital, the Blue Guild, or the Continental Protection and Management Committee. Among them¡­


    ¡®Would the Blue Guild be a little better for him?¡¯


    I was sure that he would have a lot of burdensome situations to act in close proximity. I thought it was the best option to slowly build his base where I was.


    The Vatican might not be bad, but it wasn¡¯t appropriate because there would be limited ess to information.


    For me, the best option was to keep him close.


    Of course, there would be physical threats, but considering his real purpose, it wasn¡¯t too much of a concern. I wasn¡¯t the weak Lee Kiyoung like before, and above all, he couldn¡¯t try to take me down.


    ¡°I would like to give you a rmendation. Perhaps it would be best to serve on the Continental Protection and Management Committee.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Tutoring you is a matter of time.¡±


    ¡®I can do the chimera when he¡¯s in training¡­¡¯


    ¡°And¡­ it¡¯s not really about belonging, even if you¡¯re a member of the Blue Guild¡­ It¡¯s going to be a longer stay on-site than a stay in Lindel. I¡¯m sure you can¡¯t get tutoring from Lindel or the capital. I know it¡¯s a bit burdensome, but I think you¡¯ll probably move ording to the schedule. It may be inconvenient for you, but this is the most efficient way to grow.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°This is a bigger case when we think about the impact we have on the continent. It may be hard right now, but after learning how things work, we will be able to help those who need Raphael¡¯s help directly or indirectly. We can look at the huge forest first¡­ Above all, I can take care of you in many ways.¡±


    ¡®That makes it easier for me to observe you. And the same goes for you, right?¡¯


    I certainly didn¡¯t feel like he was taking it badly. Perhaps he was going to join the Continental Protection and Management Commission.


    I naturally nodded without realizing it, but as always, things didn¡¯t go smoothly.


    A negative public opinion had emerged among Blue Guild members, including Kim Hyunsung.

 Chapter 616: Negative Public Opinion (2)

    <h4>Chapter 616: Negative Public Opinion (2)</h4>


    ¡®Is there any moral ground to oppose?¡¯


    It was absurd that I was opposing every idea. Raphael wasn¡¯t just anybody. He was the warrior who had been chosen by the Holy Sword.


    Goddess Benignore would¡¯ve said that he was on our side by then. When I thought of the various things that had happened so far, I thought it was reasonable, but I couldn¡¯t fully understand it even if I tried to.


    Not only did he finish his interview with the media, but he also had a three-way meeting with the Pope. The official announcement was also broadcasted through the Goddess¡¯s Mirror.


    It was only that time that all the Blue Guild members gathered. Sun Hee-young and Hwang Jeong-yeon, even though they were buried in guild work, were also seen after a long time. Kim Hyunsung and Kim Chang-ryul also appeared.


    Park Deokgu, Kim Ye-ri, and Ahn Ki-mo, the three revolutionary siblings, were also able to meet inside the Vatican after the broadcast was over.


    Elena and Yoo Ah-young also made some time out of their busy schedule, and that gave them a momentous atmosphere until they were told that it would be better to keep Raphael next to me.


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    The atmosphere was getting heavy. I was dumbfounded, and the quick-witted pig was acting a bit strange.


    ¡°I¡¯m against it. Whatever you say, I¡¯m against it.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°No matter what, it¡¯s the opposite. Of course, I understand what you¡¯re thinking, but there¡¯s a situation you don¡¯t know about. It¡¯s still dangerous even if Raphael is a warrior chosen by Benignore. You should be careful because there was something that happened at the scenest time.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s bad for Raphael or Navael or whoever it is. I¡¯m not arguing that he¡¯s the one who should fight and that you¡¯re the one who¡¯s going to help him. However, what do we know about him? I think it would be a good choice to give it some time before you put him next to you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°This is all for you, Hyung-nim.¡±


    ¡°Deokgu is right. I don¡¯t think we need to get things going so quickly.¡±


    Kim Hyunsung and Park Deokgu had always been at odds over strange topics. But they joined forces that day, so what else did I need to say?


    ¡®What¡¯s wrong with Kim Hyunsung?¡¯


    He seemed to be quite wary, given that he had longed for the chosen warrior. I didn¡¯t know what he was feeling cautious about, but¡­ Perhaps he could sense the ominous energy emitted by the Holy Sword itself.


    If I had to pick another reason¡­


    ¡®Maybe he¡¯s thinking about the time with the Federation.¡¯


    It started because of the outsiders, and there were rumors about me quitting the guild.


    I wasn¡¯t certain, but he was probably wary of a situation like that repeating. Raphael was just a stranger who popped out of nowhere after all, except for the Holy Sword.


    ¡®Actually, they¡¯re not wrong¡­¡¯


    Except for the fact that the Holy sword chose him, Raphael was still unknown to us.


    I did a basic background check, but I didn¡¯t dig deep, and most of all, I had a very short time judging what kind of human being he was.


    Nevertheless, Kim Hyunsung was right to be concerned after I said I would keep him close.


    Of course, putting all those reasons together, it was undeniable that they¡¯re overreacting, especially our lovely regressor.


    Didn¡¯t he say that he would appoint Cho Hyejin as his chief of staff? I thought it was simr to my position in the past. We had be friends already, but¡­ At that time, Cho Hyejin was a stranger who suddenly rolled in out of nowhere¡­ I could¡¯ve somehow prevented her from taking the helm, but I was in a good mood at the time.


    ¡®I don¡¯t deserve to say that.¡¯


    ¡°I think you¡¯d better think about it again. I keep getting a bad feeling about this¡­ Your decision here will be important in many ways. As Deokgu said, let¡¯s take a little more time to think about it¡­¡±


    ¡°I understand you¡¯re worried, but I¡¯ll be fine. Crucially, I don¡¯t want to dy much time. He¡¯s an ordinary person who doesn¡¯t know anything. It¡¯s better if we proceed with the incubation n as soon as possible. If I can help him from the sidelines, I think we¡¯ll create a lot of synergies¡­ Not only will that help him fight, but it will also help him mentally. I¡¯m sure mental growth is as important as physical growth.¡±


    ¡°Standing next to him can be a problem. I didn¡¯t want to say this, but what if he¡¯s rted to a demon? What are you going to do if he¡¯s controlling the Holy Sword in an extraordinary way that we¡¯ve never thought of?¡±


    It had been a long time since I heard the word ¡°extraordinary¡± from Deokgu.


    ¡°It won¡¯t matter if we leave him at the Vatican or the Church for the time being, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea for you to take him with you. I just smell something fishy. You know my guts are never wrong at times like this¡­¡±


    ¡®Yeah. You really do have good intuition. So much so that it still surprises me. Sh*t, why can¡¯t you only do that when you¡¯re in a situation where you¡¯re supposed to?¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung had been withdrawing due have given his right to speak to Park Deokgu.


    Since the pig had kept saying what he wanted to say, Hyunsung seemed to have decided that he didn¡¯t have to go ahead and sit in a position where he could be hated and med, but the attack that came in all at once was definitely sharp.


    ¡°You said you¡¯re going to be tutoring him, so it would be best if he joins the Blue Guild. If Kiyoung stops by the guild from time to time, the issue will be solved.¡±


    Park Deokgu was being used as a tank for everyone. Kim Hyunsung was building deals using him.


    ¡°I disagree, too. I understand what you¡¯re saying, but I think we should take a little more time to learn about Raphael, and it¡¯s actually very exciting to be a part of the Blue Guild¡­¡± Sun Hee-young, the conservativementator who was quietly watching the situation, also spoke.


    The rest were just watching the situation quietly without saying a word¡­ Hwang Jeong-yeon and Ahn Ki-mo were also able to watch from behind, while Cho Hyejin was in the opposite position.


    He looked more enthusiastic than I thought, but I understood why she was doing that.


    Wasn¡¯t she the only one who knew that Light Kiyoung had a ¡®problem¡¯? He seemed to be judging that weaknesses could catch him or that a new person could have a reversed effect on me.


    ¡®I guess the Blue Guild is in this, too.¡¯


    Even Elena didn¡¯t want to ept any outsiders¡­ Of course, she didn¡¯t mean anything bad about it. It felt like they were naturally rejecting outsiders because they were already united with each other.


    As I said earlier, I could assure anyone that federal interference yed a part in creating the atmosphere.


    ¡®Well, you guys did a good job letting the Tamer join the guild.¡¯


    Tamer Alps was stuck in the corner and was looking at the dog while hugging it. She was trying not to be in a position that stood out.


    Come to think of it, how long had she been a guild member?


    No matter how much she wanted to avoid people, in the case of the Blue Guild, that¡¯s a little too much. Look at the Red Mercenary or the ck Swan. The active eptance of guild members every year was certainly different from the Blue.


    ¡°Hee-ra should watch too.¡¯


    I thought of other matters for a moment, but my stance on the topic at hand remained unchanged.


    ¡°Everyone seems to be a little tense¡­ Everything¡¯s going to be fine. Raphael¡¯s not an enemy to be wary of. He¡¯s a colleague. In Hyunsung¡¯s case, he¡¯ll be tutoring him¡­ It won¡¯t be very beneficial to be too worried.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, as you say, I think we should avoidpletely letting our guard down, but personally, I can assure you that this distance won¡¯t cause any problems. Don¡¯t you know it¡¯s better to ept him than push him away? There¡¯s no difference between the new member Alps or Raphael.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Hyejin is stopping by my ce every other day, and Park Li-ahn and others are always working hard to protect me. I¡¯m not a weak person either¡­ It¡¯s a little bit off¡­ to think that something is going to happen.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not saying that. It¡¯s just that I smell something fishy¡­¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t judge people like that.¡±


    ¡°Something¡¯s not right¡­ I mean, something¡¯s really not right. I¡¯m not usually suspicious of people¡­ But as soon as I saw his face, my guts already sensed danger.¡±


    Kim Hyunsung tried to fight for Park Deokgu¡¯s non-logical argument more than anyone else, but he eventually nodded.


    There was no room for negotiations. Lee Kiyoung, as always, didn¡¯t yield. If he got out of my sight, things would getplicated.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already made up my mind. There¡¯s no need for a debate since a decision has been made.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°If youe at me like that, then I have nothing else to say¡­ It¡¯s just that I¡¯m nervous¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°First of all, Raphael said he wanted to serve on the Protection and Management Committee himself. In the first ce, his choice would also benefit us just as much.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Once the Continental Protection and Management Committee is disbanded, by the time I returned to the Blue Guild, I could bring him with me¡­¡±


    ¡®Of course, that¡¯s assuming Raphael is still alive by then¡­¡¯


    ¡°We need a warm look from now on. From what I heard, I don¡¯t think he¡¯s been in a good environment¡­ He¡¯s confused and needs help more than anyone else. It wouldn¡¯t hurt to open up a little bit.¡±


    That¡¯s what I said, but I didn¡¯t think I hadpletely let my guard down either.


    ¡°Rather than just saying hello to him, I think it would be better if we invite him to dinner¡­¡±


    ¡°Having outsiders at today¡¯s guild meeting¡­ No, I don¡¯t like it.¡±


    ¡®If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯m an outsider, too. What¡¯s wrong with you, Kim Ye-ri?¡¯


    What evoked that atmosphere was, of course, Ahn Ki-mo. When I slowly turned my eyes away, I noticed him speaking up again.


    ¡°Come on, everybody better calm down. In fact, what the vice Guild Master said isn¡¯t wrong at all, is it? Raphael must have been the most flustered among everyone else. He suddenly became a chosen warrior¡­ If I were in his shoes¡­¡±


    ¡®Yeah, you¡¯re good. Sh*t, Ahn Ki-mo.¡¯


    ¡°If there¡¯s anything really bothering you, why don¡¯t you take this opportunity to find the answer while Raphael is still with us? He still needs to be around us, so I think it¡¯s a good idea to get acquainted with him. Why do you guys think the Vice Guild Master called us here?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, Ki-mo.¡±


    ¡®You¡¯re doing great.¡¯


    ¡°Even if he doesn¡¯t join the Blue Guild, it doesn¡¯t change the fact that we have to keep seeing him in the future, does it, Guild Master?¡±


    With public opinion swaying towards my decision, Kim Hyunsung couldn¡¯t do much. Kim Ye-ri clicked her tongue as she nodded reluctantly.


    ¡®Why is she so twisted?¡¯


    I even seriously thought about whether puberty had finally hit her.


    In any case, Kim Hyunsung¡¯s positive attitude led him to join the Blue Guild.


    Their side also invited Raphael, and eventually, he was able to stand with us with an awkward look on his face.


    ¡°My name is Raphael. I¡¯ve always wanted to meet the Blue Guild¡­And¡­ and¡­ And¡­ and¡­¡±


    The problem was that the atmosphere wasn¡¯t that good yet.


    ¡°Kiyoung¡­ thanks to you, I¡¯m here with such great people. Thank you so much.¡±


    The atmosphere worsened even more, when he approached me without hesitation.


    ¡°Hyung¡­ I didn¡¯t make a mistake, did I?¡± He whispered in a small voice, but many people there could easily catch what he said.


    Kim Ye-ri¡¯s expression, especially, didn¡¯t look that good. I didn¡¯t know why, but for some reason, she was making that smart expression like when she first saw Max. The faces of the guild¡¯s founding members weren¡¯t that different.


    ¡®They¡¯re really¡­¡¯


    I didn¡¯t think so, but¡­


    ¡®Well, you guys don¡¯t think that you¡¯ve lost your Vice Guild Master, do you?¡¯


    The atmosphere felt as if they thought that the mother of the party had been taken away.


    They must¡¯ve felt like their mother left home saying she had something to do and said, ¡®This is your new brother. Say hi,¡¯ when she came back home.


    Of course, there had to be a moreplex reason than that, but wouldn¡¯t it be only about 5% of how they really felt? It was a stupid idea, but somehow¡­


    It was a very reasonable guess.


    Among the ones being wary of him was our lovely regressor, Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡®Oh, my Hyunsung¡­ I think you noticed¡­¡¯


    Other than that, I couldn¡¯t quite exin the expression on his face.

 Chapter 617: Negative Public Opinion (3)

    <h4>Chapter 617: Negative Public Opinion (3)</h4>


    ¡®Raphael isn¡¯t getting caught¡­¡¯


    I didn¡¯t think he did anything sneaky. Considering the timing of his appearance, he couldn¡¯t have been caught already.


    It seemed like he cleaned up his tracks in the past too¡­ There was no evidence or trace of his activities even within the five districts.


    If he had been so stupid in the first ce, then he couldn¡¯t have done such a bold thing. I didn¡¯t know a lot about him, but I was pretty sure he had already erased his past identity.


    I could assure anyone that I wouldn¡¯t have been able to identify him instantly if it weren¡¯t for the Mind¡¯s Eye. Nevertheless, Kim Hyunsung had aplicated expression and a clear feeling of caution.


    I couldn¡¯t exactly exin it, but¡­ Perhaps that was¡­


    ¡®Is it his instincts?¡¯


    Perhaps the regressor¡¯s instincts honed experiences had been triggered.


    I wasn¡¯t certain because I¡¯d never experienced the same things, but it wouldn¡¯t be wrong to say I felt as if something dangerous was about to happen, just like Park Deokgu.


    Did the Mind¡¯s Eye grow through experience?


    Or was the light some sort of hazard sensor?


    How did I know what Kim Hyunsung was thinking just by knowing that he had some form of intuition?


    ¡®I¡¯ve never been the kind of human being like Kim Hyunsung is¡­¡¯


    There seemed to be something in me that allowed me to detect things at a certain level.


    ¡®What am I supposed to do?¡¯


    Although I had worries about it, it wasn¡¯t at all considered bad.


    Of course, we had to refrain from over-pushing and ostracizing behavior, but it was better to have a little caution than none.


    I just finished organizing the idea of recruiting Raphael to our side, but he hadn¡¯t even be my subordinate yet. I needed to exercise enough caution and selection since there was a chance that he would stab me in the back with his Holy Sword.


    Especially considering¡­


    ¡®I can¡¯t keep watching him myself.¡¯


    I naturally weed Kim Hyunsung for that role.


    What was a little surprising was that Jung Hayan didn¡¯t react.


    In one way or another, she seemed to think that it wouldn¡¯t matter even if a strange man joined the group because it was confirmed that she would still spend most of her time with me.


    Wouldn¡¯t it be better to describe it as perfect indifference?


    As some expressed hostility and others expressed indifference, Raphael seemed extremely ufortable. I didn¡¯t think he¡¯d receive a highly weing situation, but their reactions seemed more unexpected.


    He must¡¯ve been relieved that themittee had set up his destination by that time.


    ¡®I wonder what he¡¯s thinking.¡¯


    Although his expression revealed embarrassment, I wondered how he was judging the atmosphere.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, for now. I¡¯m Kim Hyunsung, the master of the Blue Guild.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ I¡¯m Park Deokgu. You¡¯re pretty good-looking.¡±


    ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Ahn Ki-mo.¡±


    ¡°Kim Ye-ri.¡±


    ¡°My name is Elena, member of the Blue Guild. It¡¯s an honor to meet you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Sun Hee-young. That¡¯s all you need to know.¡±


    ¡°N-n-n-nice to meet you. My name is Jung Hayan.¡±


    They slowly exchanged greetings.


    ¡°It¡¯s an honor. To be able to meet the people I¡¯ve always seen through the Goddess¡¯s Mirror¡­ I feel as if I¡¯m dreaming right now. When I first saw Kiyoung, I already felt flustered, but seeing all the blue guild members gathered together like this¡­ I¡¯m so thrilled that I can¡¯t put it into words.¡±


    ¡°You seem to be good with words.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I said that you seem to be good with words.¡±


    ¡°Why are you embarrassing him¡­?¡¯


    ¡°I ask for your understanding, Raphael. This is the first time that an outsider has joined a guild meeting¡­ I didn¡¯t have time to prepare for it.¡±


    It sounded like he was being questioned why he joined the guild meeting.


    ¡°No¡­ it¡¯s all right. I¡­ Do¡­ I feel like I¡¯m visiting you too suddenly? I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ve done something rude. I feel embarrassed.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be sorry. We should treat you as if you¡¯re a guest.¡±


    ¡°I apologize for only having a meal to offer you.¡±


    Perhaps they were trying to tell him to ¡®just eat and leave.¡¯


    It had been a while since I saw Kim Hyunsung¡¯s old self. He still wore that expression whenever he dealt with others, but he seemed to have a thorn in his words that day.


    It was so tant that even the most tactless person would immediately notice it.


    I thought Raphael would definitely feel that he wasn¡¯t wee unless he was a fool.


    Of course, I was looking forward to seeing how the situation would carry on, and Ahn Ki-mo was trying to fix the mood by throwing useless jokes, but the atmosphere couldn¡¯t be easily turned around.


    ¡®Kim Hyunsung really is just Kim Hyunsung. What would you do without me?¡¯


    If I were Kim Hyunsung, I wouldn¡¯t have acted that way.


    Just because he had a little doubt and was worried¡­


    ¡®It¡¯ll cause us more harm than gain.¡¯


    He showed that he was suspicious of Raphael.


    It was as if he was instilling his vignce for no reason. From my perspective, it would restrict Raphael¡¯s movements. Hence, I could guarantee that it would make it harder for him to execute his ns.


    As expected, the chosen warrior¡¯s embarrassment was all over his face.


    In other words, the n to gain the favor of the Blue Guild members andy the foundation for their activities had been shattered from the beginning.


    It wouldn¡¯t be long before he realized that I was the only ce he could go.


    As expected, he started to rely on me a lot.


    Although it wasn¡¯t an act that could be described in any particr way, he kept mentioning me or asking for my opinion when conversating.


    I felt as if he was desperately shouting:


    ¡®You don¡¯t have to be so vignt. Your Vice Guild Master, Kiyoung, and I are so close. Look at this.¡¯


    It didn¡¯t seem to be a bad move, but it didn¡¯t work that well. Rather, more attention was being paid to Tamer Alps.


    Kim Ye-ri and Park Deokgu, who used to be teachers, took care of her a lot. And since she was a new guild member, they were always interested in her.


    ¡°Well, the shepherd seems to be adjusting well. What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Woof! Woof!¡±


    ¡°Huh? What¡­¡±


    ¡°So this is how it feels to be in the Blue Guild.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ everything is amazing. I really didn¡¯t expect that I¡¯d being into the Blue Guild¡­ I didn¡¯t know I¡¯d see the Honorary Cardinal in person¡­ Above all, it¡¯s amazing that I¡¯m in the same guild as Kim Ye-ri and Park Deokgu¡­¡±


    ¡°Now you¡¯ll see us often! You don¡¯t have to be so amazed. Oh,e to think of it, Alps took the Holy Sword test, didn¡¯t she? But unfortunately, she failed¡­ I really thought that Alps would be the chosen warrior.¡±


    ¡°I thought so, too¡­¡±


    ¡°Out of curiosity, what exactly did you feel?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I can¡¯t really describe it as a feeling¡­ It¡¯s a little embarrassing to say, but it was really hard to resist nausea. It¡¯s ambiguous to call it evil. Just dirty trash or gross¡­ The¡­ maggots¡­ I felt as if I was holding something simr with my bare hands. I knew the moment I held it that I wasn¡¯t meant to be the owner of that sword¡­ I tried to hold on, but as you know, it didn¡¯t end well.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I feel guilty about the elders back home and all the people who believed in me. It was heartbreaking to think that I failed to meet the expectations of my teachers. But I¡¯m d the chosen warrior showed up. How was it for you?¡±


    ¡®She¡¯s just too nice.¡¯


    Even the newbie was feeling bad for Raphael because he was being left out.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever felt that way¡­ I was so hectic and nervous that I can¡¯t remember what went wrong. It just felt like a huge shock, and when I came to my senses, I had a sword in my hand.¡±


    ¡°It really was a sword with a fixed owner¡­¡±


    Alps also seemed to be disappointed since she had worked hard for the Holy Sword test.


    Anyway, I could see everyone nodding their heads at Raphael¡¯s remarks. They must have remembered that he pulled out the Holy Sword when no one else could.


    ¡®That achievement alone is enough to be called the holy warrior.¡¯


    The result itself was usible.


    It was then that Kim Hyunsung suddenly spoke up.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Originally, these kinds of swords lose their ck light and choose their owners again. If the sword thinks that he or she is not the person it wants, it loses power. Just because the Holy Sword chose you doesn¡¯t mean the test is over. Rather, it would be fair to say that this is where the test truly begins.¡±


    I think I heard something simr to that before.


    The dark and evil masked trash had indeed caused the Holy Sword to lose its light.


    I didn¡¯t want to think about the viciousness of pushing a warrior into a corner by using a deadly, nasty, and cowardly method.


    ¡°I¡­ I feel the same way, Blue Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°Have you read all the names and information of the Holy Sword?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    It probably wouldn¡¯t be avable even after months.


    It was already an item that Lucifer put her hands on. However, Kim Hyunsung¡¯s sudden remarks seemed to havee as a shock to Raphael.


    Usually, high-graded items¡¯ status windows didn¡¯t include a lot of details unless the users were qualified or connected with the owner¡¯s consciousness.


    If the restriction was tight, not even the Mind¡¯s Eyes could read it.


    Only the owner could check all the information and utilize it. The same was true of Durendal, which Kim Hyunsung had.


    I thought the first Holy Sword was most likely simr¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s great that you¡¯ve been chosen by it, but if you really can¡¯t see any information about the sword¡­ It¡¯s going to be hard to be fully recognized by it.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because I¡¯m stillcking in many ways¡­¡±


    I noticed that Raphael¡¯s expression had changed.


    Of course, it didn¡¯t seem to have changed much, but I thought he had be a lot more worried.


    The fact that the Holy Sword didn¡¯t tell him the truth about it and its function¡­ Regardless of whether he still wasn¡¯t qualified or there¡¯s another reason behind its behavior, it was a subject that deserved a lot of thought.


    Kim Hyunsung was indeed sharp.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry too much, Mr. Raphael. Of course, Hyunsung has a point, but aren¡¯t you chosen by the Holy Sword? Naturally, there¡¯s a lot to be unlocked. It¡¯s normal not to be fully worthy yet.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°If you study, learn, and train, you¡¯ll soon see the real name of the grey Holy Sword.¡±


    Of course, the day he would see it wouldn¡¯te even after a lifetime.


    ¡®No¡­ Is that right?¡¯


    If Raphael truly expressed his desire to be with the light, perhaps the Holy Sword would give him more information.


    ¡°If you truly follow the light, something might change. Everything is as the gods will.¡±


    The most important condition for him to use the Holy Sword was to realize the meaning of divinity.


    Raphael had to get out of the cage in his head as soon as possible.


    That was how that day¡¯s dinner ended.


    ¡°I had a great time today. We¡¯ll try to make time again soon.¡±


    It was also Kim Hyunsung who announced the end of the short meeting.

 Chapter 618: Negative Public Opinion (4)

    <h4>Chapter 618: Negative Public Opinion (4)</h4>


    ¡°I had a great time today. We¡¯ll try to make time again soon.¡±


    Even though he said what he always did, it sounded like he was rushing to send Raphael back home. At the same time. Raphael was preparing to go back because he thought it would be wasteful to be with us at that point.


    ¡®He probably thinks his day¡¯s been ruined¡­ Hmph¡­¡¯


    Beforeing in, he must¡¯ve entered the ce to befriend the Blue Guild members.


    We didn¡¯t have enough time that day. Hence, they couldn¡¯t do much to him during the time we were together.


    However, I could assure anyone that it was all in vain.


    Park Deokgu and Kim Hyunsung insisted that they didn¡¯t feel good about him, and Sun Hee-young sided with them. Meanwhile, Kim Ye-ri had no interest at all¡­


    Some people gave him a favorable look, but their intentions couldn¡¯t be properly revealed because of the Guild Master. No guild member in the Blue Guild couldn¡¯t understand the atmosphere where Kim Hyunsung tantly showed his dislike.


    ¡®Don¡¯t be so disappointed, you little bastard. People¡¯s wishes don¡¯t always go their way.¡¯


    Naturally, his expression had be darker since he heard the congrattory order and the dismissal order.


    ¡°The way to the amodation¡­¡±


    ¡°I remember, Hyung-nim. You don¡¯t have to pay that much attention to me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell someone to guide you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s alright, Blue Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d. Then I¡¯ll see you off to the door.¡±


    It made me feel bad watching him send him out as fast as he could. It was obvious why Kim Hyunsung wanted to remove Raphael from the premises quickly.


    Perhaps he had something to say to me.


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t until Raphael left the ce that Kim Hyunsung spoke up.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to talk to you a moment. Can you spare me some time?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah, well¡­¡±


    ¡°Hee-young, lead the guild members to the next room. I¡¯ll follow you in a few minutes.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Cho Hyejin peeked at me if she was worried about something, but when I signaled that I was okay, she nodded. She seemed to be mindful of the situation.


    Of course, Kim Hyunsung might¡¯ve been trying to talk about what he felt about Raphael.


    I had a rough idea of what he¡¯d say. It was clear that he would argue that my choice wasn¡¯t right, listing the possibility or suspicious circumstances that pointed towards him not being a chosen warrior.


    After having been together for so long, the repertoire had been roughly portrayed in my head.


    Of course, I wouldn¡¯t listen to him anyway. Kim Hyunsung would be even more nervous if Raphael weren¡¯t within our sights at all times.


    Rather, it was better to keep him close and lead him to light with certainty.


    Wouldn¡¯t it be better to block off his words before they could pop out of his mouth?


    My heart hurt a little, but I knew I had to say something. It was only right for the person who got embarrassed to get angry.


    It was a half-beat defense strategy.


    Normally, the winner in such situations was the person who had be enraged first.


    ¡°Why on earth did you act like that?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m talking about the way you acted in front of Raphael. The Holy Sword chose him. He¡¯s been waiting and waiting. It¡¯s not good for the Blue Guild or me for you to push him away like that. We need to get as much cooperation as we can¡­¡±


    ¡°I can exin.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s clear that no matter what reason there was, we took the wrong attitude. I brought Raphael here myself, so why did you treat him like that? Did you even consider my position? I don¡¯t even know how to apologize for what happened today.¡±


    ¡°So¡­¡±


    ¡°If the chosen warrior sees a bad image of the Blue Guild or the Continental Protection and Management Committee, things will getplicated. There might be no problems right now, but I assure you there will be problems in the future.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°He was my guest. You shouldn¡¯t have treated him like that. I can understand Deokgu and the other guild members doing that, but I don¡¯t think Hyunsung should¡¯ve jumped on the bandwagon. Really, what happened at the dinner today¡­ disappoints me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Am I being too harsh?¡¯


    I was amazed by all the words that were pouring out of me like quicksand, but I couldn¡¯t help but worry.


    ¡°Of course, I think there¡¯s a reason¡­¡±


    ¡®Oh, you punk, you look so intimidated¡­¡¯


    It bothered me that Kim Hyunsung was getting even more pitiful.


    ¡®Am I being too harsh on him?¡¯


    Since the devil contractors¡¯ attack, Kim Hyunsung had been getting worse, which reminded me of many things.


    It was no exaggeration to think that I pushed him too hard.


    It urred to me that I had forgotten for a moment that the regressor¡¯s social skills weren¡¯t that good, so I was hooked.


    ¡®Did I make him feel too bad?¡¯


    However, there was nothing I could do. It was his fault.


    ¡®But it does bother me a little¡­¡¯


    Since I knew what Kim Hyunsung thought of me, I had to pay attention to many things.


    I was the only friend he could share his feelings with, and he treated me as his own brother and as his precious colleague who carried his burdens with him.


    Wasn¡¯t that my position in his life?


    How disturbing would it be to think that he was being pushed away by his friend who truly understood him and what he had gone through in the past?


    Extroverts had lots of friends and could easily befriend others no matter where they were.


    However, Kim Hyunsung wasn¡¯t that kind of human. It was childish, but that was the rtionship we had.


    Mr. Cho, who was already 80 years old, also felt upset when he drank without me.


    Imagine sending a message to a close friend and being constantly ignored. Anyone would feel ufortable because the friend was starting to avoid them.


    The mainstreamers who lived a normal social life weren¡¯t like that¡­ But Kim Hyunsung, who had no friends, would most likely feel anxious.


    In his case, I was his first friend in decades.


    Rtionships were precious to everyone, but I could bet that our rtionship meant a lot more to him.


    Although there had been a step forward since he confessed that he was a regressor, he had since drastically drifted apart and became awkward with me.


    In addition to this, it might¡¯ve felt easier to disregard it by swinging his sword. He was a gem in solving such kinds of conflicts.


    For the time being, I thought it would be better to get angry first, so I tried to get upset, but I thought it would be better to take a step back for Kim Hyunsung¡¯s mental health afterward.


    The story that Lee Jihye told me was in my head.


    ¡°Whoo¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ but¡­¡±


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to be sorry. Rather, I should be the one to apologize. I¡¯m a little sensitive these days, and I think I got swept up by my emotions. I didn¡¯t have to say what I said¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been so busytely¡­ Since many things happened simultaneously, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve had that much time to rx. I felt like I was being cornered even though I wasn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s alright. I did do something wrong anyway¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. There must have been a reason why you reacted the way you did. Is there something bothering you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I can¡¯t say I¡¯m certain yet, but¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I think we should think about the possibility that Raphael isn¡¯t the chosen warrior. I mean, he can¡¯t even read the information on the Holy Sword¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s definitely that possibility, but it¡¯s also true that Raphael can handle the gray light. I listened to everything you said earlier. I know that I shouldn¡¯t trust people too easily. But we don¡¯t have enough time to move carefully.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know better than anyone else that we have no choice but to proceed with the development n? We need one more card besides the one we have now. In addition to blocking the northwest region, we need someone who can follow you, Hyunsung. How was the war with the Republic?¡±


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    ¡®Well, of course, you¡¯re ¡®Tactic Kim Hyunsung¡¯.¡¯


    ¡°If Raphael could do something like Hyunsung¡­ There will be more options to choose from. It would go without saying that you would be safer.¡±


    It was like chewing on sour patches, but the war itself could¡¯ve ended differently if Tactic Raphael was avable.


    It would¡¯ve been possible to reduce the regressor¡¯s physical burden and use the holy warrior long-term for as long as we trained him properly.


    Of course, Kim Hyunsung hesitated to agree with me as if he was unwilling to. He had a negative feeling about Raphael, after all.


    ¡®This is directly rted to your safety, Hyunsung.¡¯


    His physical strength wasn¡¯t infinite. As I raised my hand and tapped him on the shoulder, I saw him smiling.


    I felt like it was forced, but for the time being¡­


    ¡®You agreed, right?¡¯


    I thought it was time to put the wedge in.


    ¡°I know you¡¯re worried a lot about my safety, but as I said before, it won¡¯t be a big problem. I¡¯m sure Park Li-ahn or Hayan will always be around me. Most of all, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re aware that at the level of Raphael right now, he won¡¯t be able to do anything to me.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°The n to foster the holy warrior should proceed as quickly as possible. You can decide to keep him or abandon himter on, even if it¡¯s after you¡¯ve already started. If there¡¯s really a problem, then we¡¯ll fix it immediately.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s right.¡¯


    ¡°If Raphael proves to be as problematic as Hyunsung thinks, then I¡¯ll help you deal with him myself.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°So let¡¯s get going. Everyone else must be waiting. From here on out, it¡¯s going to be a regr Blue Guild meeting.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I see.¡±


    There was a little conflict, but when I smiled broadly as if our friendship wouldn¡¯t change, his face seemed to look a little relieved.


    He didn¡¯t say what he wanted to say properly, and the short conversation ended, but Hyunsung probably thought he had told me everything that had to be said.


    Of course, I knew what our regressor was concerned about. The main point was that they felt as if my safety would be threatened.


    It¡¯s the same as what I was concerned about.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go meet with Yuno Kasaguno and Benignore.¡±


    It would be better to show them after giving them a break rather than pushing them too quickly.


    I wondered how he would react the moment Raphael found out that everything he believed in was false.


    ¡®Will he deny it or ept it?¡¯

 Chapter 619: Untainted Truth (1)

    <h4>Chapter 619: Untainted Truth (1)</h4>


    It wasn¡¯t that long, but it felt like quite a long time had passed.


    I felt that way since I did a lot of work in a short period.


    Only two months had passed since Raphael and the Blue Guild members gathered to have a meal. Yet, it felt like six months had gone by.


    Of course, what I had achieved was also something to cheer about. All three stocks in my hand were showing signs of soaring.


    It wasn¡¯t just spinning around in circles like it used to. It was really trying to spread its wings. The stock that bore fruit first was the Chimera Coin, which had been cruising along calm waters.


    There were no unexpected plummets. I could safely say that it had achieved stability.


    The problems around me didn¡¯t leave me alone, but I couldn¡¯t forget such a specific event. After so many errors and sleepless nights, I finally gained feats that made all of my sacrifices worth it.


    ¡®Tutorial Dungeon version.¡¯


    Complete.


    ¡®Crack Museum version.¡¯


    Complete.


    ¡®The Garden of Fear version.¡¯


    Complete.


    A total of three Named Angels.


    We had finished three projects months sooner than the expected time period.


    The other three units had yet to be established, but the overall production situation gained momentum thanks to Han Sora¡¯s performance. I didn¡¯t really think I couldplete all 666 angels before, but at that rate, I thought I could pull out more than that.


    Six hundred sixty-six angels that could fight against our enemies. Just imagining it gave me the chills.


    ¡®We just have to keep going at this speed.¡¯


    Benignore¡¯s biggest concern was also being resolved in its own way. In fact, it wouldn¡¯t be wrong to say that that case had been stagnant. That was why no other conclusion had been made on the treatment of Benignore and rted issues on the continent.


    ¡®That¡¯s why they can¡¯t imprison her.¡¯


    I had no choice but to think that I was definitely different from the devil¡¯s side.


    If Benignore were Lucifer¡¯s demon, wouldn¡¯t she have already fallen apart and gone behind bars?


    ¡®Maybe she was forgiven¡­¡¯


    Either she was punished or fizzled out. The point was I could assure anyone that we would¡¯ve already reached a conclusion if that was the case.


    I didn¡¯t know what exactly the problem was, but perhaps the fact that the superiors¡¯ story didn¡¯t end was the problem they are experiencing. Of course, all those things were good for me.


    When my head was almost about to explode due to with the chance to survive even further.


    Benignore said it took as many as a thousand years to resolve thetest dispute, so it wouldn¡¯t be bad tobel the work as temporarily finished.


    From what I heard, Benignore¡¯s detained divinity had returned and that the story itself was flowing positively. Just because the Benignore Coin had only caused me pain so far, what used to provide me with a sense of security started keeping me awake at night.


    Looking at every one of them, they were merely just not falling apart, but that alone was a virtue.


    Of course, Benignore¡¯s trial preparations were steadily underway as it was unknown when it would happen again, but it was undeniable that there was more room.


    ¡®I like this.¡¯


    And the other stock¡­


    It wasn¡¯t a bad situation. If anyone asked what was happening, its value was getting higher and higher.


    Because it was the Holy Sword Coin, I thought it wouldpletely plummet, so I had no choice but to be happy when the value raised a little.


    Of course, Raphael hadn¡¯t followed mepletely.


    ¡®I¡¯m still suspicious¡­¡¯


    He said he would work hard, but the time that had passed was too short to peel off the harnesses in his headpletely. Still, it wasn¡¯t that bad.


    If it was rushed, wouldn¡¯t everyone have gotten more worried? We had to build a bond slowly as he got used to the person named Light Kiyoung.


    Based on that reasoning, it would be right to express that we had achieved enough results.


    I was so used to spending time with him that it became a habit.


    Compared to the past, it would be contrasting. Afortable daily life with light had settled in ce of the past, where he was stuck in an invisible corrugated room and had a dogfight with devil contractors.


    A bnced diet, a warm life with a bed on his back, and a constructive conversation with the Light of the Continent.


    Heughed, talked, and sweated every day.


    Humans were bound to get used to their environment.


    I didn¡¯t think the revenge that¡¯s burning in his heart would fade, but at least the current situation could make him enjoy his present life.


    Didn¡¯t others think he looked very happy just enjoying the moment?


    ¡°Then¡­ I¡¯ll finish my prayer for Benignore.¡±


    While I finished my short prayer, I heard the priests quietly calling the Goddess¡¯s name.


    Of course, Raphael¡¯s face was right in front of me. Just in time, I raised my head when the warm light of the sun came through the window, shining down on me.


    It was hard to imagine that I was a devil trying to control the continent.


    ¡®I¡¯m going to add in a spoonful of bright smiles.¡¯


    At the end of the service, which began in a reverent atmosphere, the first person to speak was, of course, Pope Basel.


    ¡°Great work, Honorary Cardinal.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just ashamed to think I might becking.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, who would think that the Honorary Cardinal¡¯s prayer is insufficient? Benignore would have been greatly pleased. Looking at the gray face of our warrior, he seems to be thinking the same thing as me¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, I feel the same way as Pope Basel. You looked so divine that I couldn¡¯t take my eyes off of you¡­ Your devotion made me feel ashamed of myself.¡±


    ¡®You¡¯re a good talker.¡¯


    ¡°That¡¯s what they say¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°What do you say, Honorary Cardinal? Since you¡¯re already here¡­ I heard that many believers are looking forward to the service led by Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung. I thought it would be okay to conduct it at least once for the sake of the believers.¡±


    ¡°How can I lead such a sacred practice with the Pope in my presence?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not true. It pains me to say this, but my health isn¡¯t the same anymore. I wonder if the time for Benignore to call me to her side ising¡­¡±


    ¡®You¡¯re getting older, but you¡¯re still doing well. Come on. I don¡¯t want to be a pope.¡¯


    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m saying¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk a little more about itter to discuss the details¡­ It¡¯s not something that can be done in a rush. But before that¡­ I hope the Honorary Cardinal will host the appointment ceremony of the holy warrior.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s a good opportunity for me.¡¯


    ¡°If Pope Basel says so¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea, Honorary Cardinal. Anyway, didn¡¯t you say you had a ce to go today?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah¡­ that¡¯s too bad.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so down. We¡¯ll have an opportunity to meet again, Pope.¡±


    ¡°Then make sure you have a cup of tea before you go.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Good work, Hyung.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I just did what I had to do. Then shall we head out?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    A slight smile could now be seen.


    I didn¡¯t know if it was real, but I thought it was right to judge it as an act at that time.


    ¡®Well, it doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s acting, but¡­¡¯


    I wasn¡¯t in an urgent situation. It was the other party that had to rush.


    Unlike our party, where everything was going as nned, the opposition was quite troubled.


    ¡®No results. There are no results.¡¯


    It would¡¯ve been a big problem for them that they hadn¡¯t achieved anything yet. Of course, he became physically stronger, but he was getting further and further away from his goals.


    We couldn¡¯t have known where to start digging and what to do first.


    Although he seemed to bemunicating with some members of the Vatican¡¯s priesthood and the Continental Protection and Management Committee, he couldn¡¯t get the information he needed.


    I was certain that it wouldn¡¯t be easy to ask such questions in the first ce.


    ¡®Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung is suspicious. If they had any strange circumstances and evidence, how would I ask them to show me?¡¯


    In general, it was heretical to ask such a thing. He had managed to enter the enemy¡¯s territory, but his arms and eyes were currently tied up.


    He was looking at me with his eyes wide open to somehow dig up information about a human being named Lee Kiyoung, but the only scene he could see¡­


    ¡°My body is dirty. I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll hurt the Honorary Cardinal¡­¡±


    ¡°No one in the world has a dirty body. You don¡¯t have to say that because you got sick, soe on.¡±


    ¡°This is wrong. This¡­ this is contagious¡­¡±


    ¡®Yeah, right, contagious! You bastard. If you could infect me, you already would¡¯ve.¡¯


    I was obviously doing my best to treat infectious diseases. Raphael, looking at me from behind, had a firm look on his face.


    Of course, I couldn¡¯t me him.


    The ce where I, him, and some priests were sitting was where I had no choice but to solidify my expression.


    The ce was full of sick people suffering from the nauseating smell of death. The ground was stained with pus and rotting flesh.


    It was a small vige where people who had been abandoned by the world lived.


    Who could think of us as bad and evil while watching us working hard in a ce like that?


    ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯ll help you, Hyung.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s all right. Raphael would be better off helping other priests.¡±


    If I could, I would¡¯ve taken care of the patients¡¯ abscesses there. It was a pity that I couldn¡¯t show them such a scene.


    ¡®It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve ever resented divinity and alchemy.¡¯


    Of course, we couldn¡¯t make such a heart-warming scene, but what we were doing was beautiful enough in its own right.


    Applying healing ointment directly and taking a closer look at each person¡¯s body couldn¡¯t be done using mental skills.


    ¡®Volunteer work is good. It¡¯s good.¡¯


    Raphael openly disyed his reaction.


    The rare human waste that had signed a contract with the devil, the dark being that manipted the continent for his own gain and tried to keep everything under his feet. That viin that had an indescribably vicious image was treating patients who were at the lowest position right in front of him.


    He was willing to offer his body for those who hadn¡¯t been cured by general divine power and was eager and enthusiastic about them.


    ¡®Those devil-contracting bastards aren¡¯t like me¡­ They can¡¯t even do this. Don¡¯t you think so?¡¯


    It was quite different from the politicians¡¯ actions that always left behind pictures or videos for publicity purposes.


    He was watching the daily life of Lee Kiyoung in person.


    It must¡¯ve been thought that all the scenes encountered through the media were for publicity.


    Of course, it was being used for publicity purposes.


    However, even if it was for publicity, it was apletely different matter if one showed that he regrly volunteered and did his best.


    I had been neglecting the ce recently, but hadn¡¯t I been making those kinds of events regrly anyway?


    I was also very familiar with what the group of priests thought of me.


    ¡®Oh¡­ he¡¯s here to take care of his image again.¡¯


    No one in that ce thought like that.


    Who could me them when they had already seen plenty of volunteer groups moving in unison as if they had worked together plenty of times before?


    Regardless of the purpose, it was undeniable that human Lee Kiyoung was working hard for the weak.


    ¡®Their mouths would¡¯ve been filled with bubbles if the reactionary bastards saw me doing this work.¡¯


    It wouldn¡¯t be strange if they said no if I asked them if they¡¯d ever done the same thing.


    ¡®Look at this. I¡¯m not a bad person. Can¡¯t they see this?¡¯


    It was enough to cause a change in the expression of the young warrior.


    Raphael seemed doubtful. However, I wasn¡¯t certain his suspicions weren¡¯t aimed towards me.


    It was aimed towards the truth he used to believe in.

 Chapter 620: Untainted Truth (2)

    <h4>Chapter 620: Untainted Truth (2)</h4>


    Raphael now doubted as to whether I was really the disgusting human he thought I was.


    Was the Honorary Cardinal really a demon trying to put the continent in his palms? That was most likely what he became suspicious of.


    Even the smallest doubts were good enough for me.


    What I needed most at that point were the little suspicions.


    Small thoughts sprouted and bloomed.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d be able to change our gray warrior¡¯s mind that fast, considering the fact that the demon contractors had brainwashed him.


    The first step in my n was the germination of small seeds.


    It was more important to cultivate those little doubts than to openly spit out the truth.


    ¡®I spent two months nting those seeds.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t think I was progressing slowly. Rather, I wanted to smile.


    That was because his face was now wrinkled after a reality check.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a question for Raphael. It was a question for the patient in front of me.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ f-fine. I¡¯m really fine now, Honorary Cardinal. I¡­ don¡¯t know how to¡­ repay you.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do this for you to thank me, so raise your head. You don¡¯t have to humble yourself that much in front of me.¡±


    ¡®Because everyone is equal in front of the Goddess. That¡¯s the doctrine of the Benignore Church.¡¯


    ¡°For people like us¡­ really¡­ really¡­ thank you again.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you, too, the beloved children of Benignore? If you continue to humble yourself, Benignore will be sad. The roles we y are different, but you and I are both her children. All I ask is that we all help each other a little more.¡±


    ¡°Honorary Cardinal¡­¡±


    The patients were crying, and the Honorary Cardinal was the cause.


    I didn¡¯t check Raphael¡¯s status again on purpose. It was pretty obvious as to what he was thinking.


    It was too true to think that it was just acting, that it was just for show. After finishing all the treatments, I had a meal with the patients without hesitation.


    ¡®The scene where I shook off the hands of the priests trying to stop me was also quite overwhelming.¡¯


    The priesthood might¡¯ve thought about what they could do if the precious Honorary Cardinal caught the gue, but if there were a chance of getting it, I would¡¯ve been the one who ran away first.


    ¡°It looks like it¡¯s been roughly cleared up, Honorary Cardinal.¡±


    ¡°Sigh¡­ That¡¯s fortunate. I will take a break and move on to the next town.¡±


    ¡°Yes, then as usual¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course. It would be better to provide basic welfare support. Please schedule and manage the Holy See¡¯s priesthood so that I can visit continuously. Also, I would appreciate it if you could provide a job for those in good condition.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, priest.¡±


    ¡°I just did what I had to do. Honorary Cardinal is the one who worked hard a lot today.¡±


    ¡°What work¡­? rather, you guys worked harder. Even though I suddenly contacted you, you came right over at a moment¡¯s notice¡­¡±


    ¡°It is an infinite honor to be able to be with the Honorary Cardinal, so please don¡¯t hesitate to call us anytime.¡±


    The faces of the priests, which was full of respect, got me all proud. When I turned to the ce where I felt someone moving, Raphael soon came into my sight.


    He seemed somewhat hesitant. Normally, I would have thought, ¡®What¡¯s up with him?¡¯


    That was proof that he was getting confused.


    Once again, when I put on the business smile, I soon noticed him approaching me.


    ¡°You worked hard today.¡±


    ¡°No, Kiyoung¡­ I didn¡¯t¡­ do anything¡­¡±


    ¡°No. You were helpful enough. The gray warrioring to see them in person alone will be a great help to them.¡±


    ¡°This¡­ I mean¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m disturbing you¡­ I know you¡¯re busy training.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not. Rather¡­¡±


    ¡°I wanted you to learn a little more and focus on your training¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°But I wanted to show you this ce at least once.¡±


    As I stepped away, showing him to sit next to me, he followed my gesture carefully.


    The view he had was the same.


    It was a vige full of misery, and it was a ce where the poor lived. If it were a different ce than before, a smile would already be blooming on their lips.


    A little boy then ran towards us with good timing. Others were trying to stop him, but I nodded to show that it was okay.


    Soon after, the little boy gave me candy with his wriggling hands.


    ¡®Ah¡­ this isn¡¯t nned, isn¡¯t it? I didn¡¯t really see thising¡­¡¯


    It was a scene that was likely to pop out of the public service advertising association, but I had to receive the sweets that the little guy offered. After epting it with a bright smile, I put it in my mouth right away.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    As I gently stroked his head, I watched him running away immediately after as if he was embarrassed.


    When I looked beside me, I saw the young warrior smiling unknowingly.


    ¡®It worked.¡¯


    I was a little nervous, but¡­


    ¡®I guess you like this kind of thing.¡¯


    Since he was young, I thought that kind of sensibility worked. Since Raphael liked that, wouldn¡¯t it be better to nt it next time?


    ¡°When you run toward one goal, there are always things you can¡¯t see. Without even being aware of it, it¡¯ll get farther away.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Looking at only the bright side surrounded by the good things, I became ignorant of the matters that were outside my realm¡­ As I was always looking at the big forest, I couldn¡¯t see the small trees, and you keep reminding me of it¡­ In the end, it seems that you are getting used to the good environment that you¡¯re living in. At least I did back then.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Raphael will continue to strive for greater value for greater work. You will meet many people, face many threats, change your values, and have many thoughts in your head. I¡¯m not criticizing it. It¡¯s natural when you consider the responsibilities given to you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°The reason I asked you toe here with me is that I don¡¯t want you to forget this scenery.¡±


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    ¡°This is what we¡¯re fighting for and what values ??we need to hold on to.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°There is a lot to protect. Here¡­¡±


    The hall had be very solemn.


    I couldn¡¯t even imagine that it would be that mncholic. Raphael was looking at me without saying anything.


    ¡®What is the truth?¡¯


    It would be worth thinking about.


    How many times had he not met me in thest two months?


    One could say it was a short time, but since he encountered the essence of the human named Lee Kiyoung, that kind of thought was something that he would¡¯ve had to have. I was sending a heartwarming smile when he thought I had a vile grin. I was helping them with the hands that he thought were only used to trample on the underprivileged.


    My only hobby was chess, I always prayed to Benignore, and I only lived for others.


    ¡®I know well what you did when you were resting.¡¯


    Didn¡¯t he binge-watch previous events and videos featuring the Honorary Cardinal?


    It was also something that couldn¡¯t be called a lie. In particr, he watched the video taken during the Laios Demon Summoning that got a 100% in the Lindel Tomato Index.


    Park Deokgu¡¯s desperate urgency that seemed to absorb the screen gave power to the video.


    He might¡¯ve wanted to find something strange, but he wouldn¡¯t be able to find anything as strange as an ant¡¯s nail.


    Books, reputation, and articles were the same.


    At least by my standards, I had never shown anything weird to the public. It wasn¡¯t enough time to turn him over to our side, but it was enough time for different thoughts to sprout.


    It seemed that it would take more time to erase the brainwashed memories, so I focused onying the groundwork perfectly.


    Shaky eyes, a troubled face, and even confused expressions were visible.


    He seemed nervous, like a sick person, and kept brooding over something.


    ¡®I guess this is enough.¡¯


    I thought it was just the right timing. It seemed like it wouldn¡¯t matter if I had more time, but it was still better to try it once rather than keep dying it.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°There is a ce we have to go together.¡±


    ¡°Where¡­¡±


    ¡°I have something to show you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I think you might be curious about why the current continent needs a chosen warrior, why the continent is in crisis, and whether the threat really exists. Of course, you were chosen by the Holy Sword, but I don¡¯t think you¡¯ve realized why. If you don¡¯t actually feel it, it won¡¯t touch you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Benignore¡¯s words are true.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°As you know, the continent is fighting an invisible enemy. We are preparing to face demons even stronger than the demons of the 72nd Legion. Wearing angelic masks, they are demons from outside our realm¡­ and they¡¯ll being to the continent soon.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°There will be many victims, and many will die. Adventurers will risk their lives to face the enemies, and all of the continent¡¯s factions will join forces to fight them.¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t that¡­¡±


    ¡®A downright lie?¡¯


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t that¡­¡±


    ¡®A means to agitate the people?¡¯


    ¡°I mean¡­¡±


    ¡®Wasn¡¯t this Chairman Kiyoung¡¯s script to devour the continent?¡¯


    Yes, but no. The real demon bastards were indeeding in.


    From that point on, he would see it. All he had to do was open his eyes and look carefully.


    No more words were needed. There was no better way to prove it than seeing it in person.


    Raphael continued to remain silent as to whether he expected something big toe.


    I also didn¡¯t really try to keep talking.


    He wouldn¡¯t hear anything I had to say anyway.


    Didn¡¯t I confidently say that I had evidence to back up my im?


    He probably hoped for a miracle in which everything that he thought was agitation and fabrication became true. One blow from Yuno Kasugano was enough to destroy that hope.


    Of course, the group of reactionaries had dug into the rtionship between Yuno Kasugano and me a lot. However, I could guarantee that it would be difficult to get rid of the scenes that would take ce in front of his eyes as if they were real.


    That was especially the case, considering he was terribly shaken as of that moment.


    ¡°I was waiting.¡±


    After taking a seat in front of Yuno Kasugano with a somewhat tense appearance, I pushed him in front of her without giving any exnation.


    Some time had passed. Like Mikhail, I saw the guy vomiting violently.


    ¡°aaaargh¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Sigh¡­ Sigh¡­ aaargh. What¡­ I¡­ now¡­¡±


    The way he looked at me as if he couldn¡¯t believe it was the first thing that I noticed, but it onlysted for a moment.


    I could see him heading outside, leaving the door open.


    ¡®Did he just have a mental breakdown?¡¯


    I wasn¡¯t sure, but it felt like he was now struggling to get away from the truth.


    I had to admit that the brainwashing of the demon contractors was stronger than I thought.


    ¡®That bastard. He really did have a mental breakdown.¡¯

 Chapter 621: Untainted Truth (3)

    <h4>Chapter 621: Untainted Truth (3)</h4>


    Baaaaaangg!!!


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Cough¡­ Cough¡­¡±


    ¡°Honey. Is this one really the warrior? He¡¯s freakishly weak, so I don¡¯t think we can use him anywhere. If he doesn¡¯t want to do it, can¡¯t you tell him to just give up?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Still, when I first met him, I thought he was okay. But looking at him up close, it seems I was wrong. I don¡¯t know what made the Holy Sword think it should choose this one. No, is it really correct that he¡¯s been chosen? Didn¡¯t the sword mistake him for somebody else? How can you say that¡¯s the warrior that¡¯s supposed to save us? Gosh, Beningore¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey, warrior. Yes, you. I¡¯m talking about you. Why? You don¡¯t even have the energy to answer? I don¡¯t know how much disgrace you¡¯re trying to get, but it¡¯ll be good for you too to get up quickly.¡±


    ¡°Sigh¡­ Sigh¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you know how busy I am? Can¡¯t you understand that the Guild Master of the Red Mercenary is here, and you¡¯re wasting her time? It¡¯s a funny story to say it myself, but an opportunity that won¡¯te even if my life just passed by¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Forget it¡­ I¡¯ll be wasting my breath. Repeat 25 sets of basic training and finish it. What could be more stupid than spending time on a student who doesn¡¯t want to do it? When you¡¯re done, you can leave on your own instead of hanging around and scratching my nerves.¡±


    Raphael¡¯s body had be rags due to intense training.


    Of course, what stood out more than that was a face that seemed unable to hide his anxiety and concern. He looked as wasted as I expected.


    ¡®Ah¡­ Looks like the young warrior really had a mental copse¡­¡¯


    It was also understandable that Cha Hee-ra, whom I had met after so long, was so annoyed.


    Didn¡¯t she especially free up her time even though she was working through a tight schedule?


    She was giving up her time as a favor, and she prepared it only for him.


    Nevertheless, he came to ss with that attitude¡­


    ¡®He¡¯s lucky she didn¡¯t smash his head.¡¯


    If it weren¡¯t for me, she would have let go of his hand right away. No matter how important he was, she had a personality that didn¡¯t do what she didn¡¯t want to.


    ¡®Was that so shocking?¡¯


    No, in that case¡­


    ¡®I think it¡¯s correct to say that she¡¯s confused¡­¡¯


    Even after a few days had passed, hadn¡¯t he been the same? It wasn¡¯t unreasonable to worry about how to judge a guy in that state.


    There were several hypotheses, but the most probable one was that he was yet to make a choice. If he had chosen between light and dark, he wouldn¡¯t have responded that way.


    It didn¡¯t matter if he wanted revenge on me or to be awakened to protect the continent. He had to choose a faction.


    Wasn¡¯t his force what both of those options needed inmon?


    Seeing that he was unable to concentrate on training like that, it wasn¡¯t wrong to judge that he was indecisive at the moment.


    ¡®You can¡¯t believe it even after seeing that.¡¯


    Of course, my predictions might¡¯ve been wrong, but it was undeniably likely.


    ¡®Whatever you choose, you should train properly.¡¯


    I came after leaving the fieldwork behind that day.


    ¡®I¡¯m wasting my time, fuck.¡¯


    My feelings weren¡¯t that very different from Cha Hee-ra.


    When I looked towards the sounds of movements, I saw the Red Mercenary queen Cha Hee-ra.


    Her messy red hair, which became her trademark, and her tough-mercenary presence, were still there. While her anger hadn¡¯t been relieved yet, she breathed in and approached me.


    As I gave a slight smile, she wiped off the sweat with a towel and sat down next to me.


    The way she gestured at me to sit next to her quickly was one of the typical features of powerful people. As I approached unknowingly and sat down, I started to feel her hands rising over my shoulders naturally.


    ¡®Hey, look at your hand habits.¡¯


    ¡°Thank you for your hard work, Hee-ra.¡±


    ¡°Well, I haven¡¯t done anything, so hard work, my ass. I¡¯m so annoyed. Where did you pick up a guy like that¡­? I think it would be better to give up if it keeps going this way.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°If it weren¡¯t for you, I would have given up already. Raphael hasn¡¯t shown any progress in the past few days¡­ That¡¯s too much. I was so angry that I almost pulled out his head in the middle of training.¡±


    ¡®You can¡¯t do that¡­¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s time I made by taking out our kids¡¯ training hours. I don¡¯t know how you¡¯re trying to use that one, but frankly, from my perspective, it¡¯s better to train one of our kids more than to waste time. At least, shouldn¡¯t we make them be able to take care of their lives on the battlefield? Of course, if he performs well, it¡¯s a good thing, but right now, it doesn¡¯t seem like that¡¯s possible.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s because he has something to worry about or think about¡­ Wouldn¡¯t he be better than how he currently is if he ovees it? How does it look to you? I mean¡­¡±


    ¡°What? Are you still curious about that even after witnessing what just happened?¡±


    ¡°No, I asked about his physical abilities or his talents. I don¡¯t know much about things like theory or how to move one¡¯s body.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°To be honest¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°The talent itself is excellent. No, it is a little higher than that. Even if there were no Holy Sword or other support, it¡¯s possible for him to climb up to about the eight seats of the State¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s different from what Hyunsung said.¡¯


    I was a little interested because it was different from what he said when I received advice from Kim Hyunsung before.


    ording to what he said, Raphael¡¯s talent was just a little better than a fool¡¯s.


    ¡®It seems difficult to say for sure if we can raise him properly. Even if I take it easy on him, it seems like he¡¯s mediocre¡­ Of course, we have to watch a little more, but for now¡­ Even if he borrows the power of the Holy Sword, he won¡¯t be able to achieve what you¡¯re thinking.¡¯


    ¡®What? Really?¡¯


    ¡®Yes, I don¡¯t see much hope at the moment¡­¡¯


    That was what he said.


    ¡®I¡¯m d I asked Hee-ra too.¡¯


    Perhaps I was acting like a parent who was happy to hear that their child was talented.


    Although Kim Hyunsung¡¯s outspokenments felt a bit suspicious, I thought it was probably something he could say.


    In the eyes of someone who had the title of genius among geniuses, there was nobody who could satisfy him. Even I couldn¡¯t deny the fact that Raphael¡¯s sword skills would also look patheticpared to him.


    However, Cha Hee-ra¡¯s case was different.


    ¡®It¡¯s a bit vague to say that Hee-ra is a genius.¡¯


    Of course, she could be seen as a kind of genius, but Cha Hee-ra¡¯s ability was closer to instinct. Her strength was created by experience, instinct, and pure power.


    Since she thought that borate and polished sword skills were useless, her opinion naturally contradicted Kim Hyunsung¡¯s.


    ¡®That means he¡¯s not bad at least.¡¯


    With Cha Hee-ra¡¯s guarantee, he would grow, but only if he could ovee his current crisis properly.


    ¡°I feel better now that you said that. I¡¯m relieved¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, what does it matter to have that talent? You saw his performance.¡±


    ¡°Maybe he¡¯ll get better soon. I¡¯ll help Raphael solve his personal problems. Don¡¯t go too hard on him until then, Hee-ra.¡±


    ¡°Honey, you¡¯re funny. I¡¯m already going easy on him. The problem is that the other side is not. If you think I¡¯m a bad cop, then there¡¯s someone even worse than I am¡­ Haven¡¯t you seen how he breaks in another training ground?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my first time attending his training¡­¡±


    ¡°Go watch itter. Well, putting that aside¡­ I don¡¯t think Raphael is the only one having personal problems¡­ When will you solve the problem I¡¯m having?¡±


    ¡°Is there any problem with the guild?¡±


    ¡°No, I mean my personal problem.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ that¡­¡±


    ¡°I tried to control it, but I can¡¯t seem to control it¡­ Recently, even if my mind goes nk and I can¡¯t see anything, I still think about you. You know what I¡¯m talking about, right?¡±


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    ¡°Whenever I lose my temper, I move ording to my instinct like a beast because there are a lot of things I have kept to myself. Various desires umte, and if they aren¡¯t properly discharged, they be a problem when it is decisive. You know the gist of what I¡¯m talking about, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You do, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡®No¡­ I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡¯


    ¡°You know, honey.¡±


    ¡°Roughly¡­ Anyway¡­ I wanted to examine your body anyway¡­¡±


    ¡°Is that a signal?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not a signal. It¡¯s exactly what I said. I¡¯m trying to figure out exactly what caused you to go crazy.¡±


    ¡°There is no need to figure it out because the answer has alreadye out. I was thinking wrongly about it until now.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t really sure how to get stronger. Training like a dweeb doesn¡¯t make much sense.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Have you ever seen a beast training? Have you ever seen them practice using their ws or their bite?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I changed my method in a way that relieves the desire that is tight in my head. I changed my way to living like an animal, that¡¯s it.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Even when I thought about blood, I no longer suppressed it. There¡¯s prey spread all over the ce, so when I go to a nearby dungeon or forest, my mind gets a bit refreshed¡­ I mean in that sense. You know what I¡¯m talking about, right?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t remember how many times I heard the phrase ¡®you know what I¡¯m talking about, right?¡¯, but I knew I had to keep nodding.


    I thought I had to nod for some reason.


    ¡®When Hee-ra said she was busy, was she busy doing things the way she wanted?¡¯


    Of course not.


    Wasn¡¯t she the Head of a group?


    Perhaps she expressed that in the midst of that, she satisfied her own desires. Honestly, I was suspicious if Cha Hee-ra¡¯s words were true, but when I looked at her with my Mind¡¯s Eyes, I confirmed it right away.


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    She had grown once, no, two more times.


    It felt absurd to be able to grow like that just by being faithful to her own needs. I thought that those who lived with words such as ¡®effort would not betray¡¯ would fall into despair if they saw what I saw.


    ¡®Does it make sense?¡¯


    What was that? Fuck.


    ¡°Anyway, that¡¯s what it is, and I wanted you to know. Oh, pass me the water.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ okay.¡±


    As I handed her a cup of water, I noticed a crunching sound and a poorly broken cup of water.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I haven¡¯t been able to control my strength yet. I¡¯ll get used to it soon, so don¡¯t bother.¡±


    Honestly, I had to be bothered.


    ¡°Let¡¯s leave him alone and go get some wine. I prepared a good one because you wereing. You¡¯ll probably like it. It¡¯s a wine made with potions. Surprisingly, it wasn¡¯t made by you. It¡¯s an item that has been around since the beginning, but it doesn¡¯t look bad.¡±


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡°I know what you¡¯re talking about. But today is a bit¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, do what you want¡­ You can stop by once a week. Is your business over there?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Excluding all other reasons, I had no choice but to be concerned with the events showing subsidence signs, rather than her problems.

 Chapter 622: Untainted Truth (4)

    <h4>Chapter 622: Untainted Truth (4)</h4>


    Cha Hee-ra¡¯s gaze from behind bothered me, but it was a point in time that I was reluctant to look back for some reason.


    I thought the first step was to approach Raphael for the time being.


    We hadn¡¯t had a proper conversation since he ran out.


    I thought it would be okay to leave him alone for a while, but I didn¡¯t want it to be prolonged.


    Of course, he was enough of a threat that I couldn¡¯t approach him recklessly. Pretending not to know that Raphael was a demon contractor informant, I had no choice but to create a character to respond to the current situation.


    Externally, Lee Kiyoung was simply worrying about Raphael.


    I judged that the future he saw through Yuno Kasugano was terrifying and shocking to him.


    ¡®A typical clich¨¦.¡¯


    I had seen many moments where the protagonist of a grand adventure became frightened by the destiny thaty before them, preventing them from proceeding.


    In fact, I didn¡¯t know what Raphael was thinking, but since I considered such details as important, I had to watch him, even if it was only from a distance.


    As his supporting role, I should¡¯ve wanted our hero to ovee it by himself.


    Of course, the reality was different.e¡­


    ¡®If Raphael thinks that way, then I don¡¯t care.¡¯


    It was important for him to realize why Cardinal Lee Kiyoung was worried about him.


    As I moved to another ce with a worrisome face, I immediately noticed his expression that seemed to tell me his soul had escaped. He couldn¡¯t evenplete the basic physical training directed by Cha Hee-ra, and the way he stared at a distance was quite a sight to behold.


    It wasn¡¯t at the same level as Kim Hyunsung¡¯s vegetated state during the Doom Kiyoung incident, but he seemed troubled.


    ¡®No, is it irrational topare this to that time?¡¯


    Thatparison itself was wed, considering the earlier incident could only be solved by going into Hyunsung¡¯s mind.


    ¡°Er¡­¡±


    I moved a bit, but he didn¡¯t seem to notice me.


    ¡°Raphael.¡±


    When I called out to him, he finally looked at me.


    ¡®What should I say?¡¯


    The only thing that was okay was that I didn¡¯t feel hostility from how he looked at me.


    However, there seemed to be some doubts in his eyes.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re not feeling well, you can rest a bit.¡±


    ¡°No. Such a thing¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to overdo it.¡±


    When I poured sacred power into his body that was turned into rags due to Cha Hee-ra¡¯s training, I noticed his reluctance.


    He might¡¯ve already known that I used divine power, but how embarrassing would it be to feel that it was actually healing him?


    It must¡¯ve been clear that what he felt wasn¡¯t ordinary divine power. It wasn¡¯t only clear, transparent, and clean, but its purity was 100% from Benignore.


    Of course, the amount was weak, but that wasn¡¯t a problem in treating such wounds.


    Naturally, he tried to keep a straight face.


    I instantly determined what kind of face I would show. It was correct to keep aplex expression.


    For example, one that seemed to be able to understand the desire to run away.


    One that didn¡¯t want to drive a young man who had just be an adult into the battlefield.


    However, I kept behaving as if I had no choice but to take responsibility. I needed a face that showed a lot ofplex emotions.


    Of course, I had to think about how to show such faces emotions.


    The moment I sincerely confronted his situation, it seemed that a simr face was naturally built up.


    For everyone who lived on thatnd, their reality was that a young man who wanted to escape frombat had to be thrown into the battlefield.


    It was pure sympathy for Raphael, who had to embrace all the burdens and fight imaginable horrors just because the Holy Sword chose him.


    ¡®Sh*t¡­¡¯


    How brutal was the reality? Tears were gathering in my eyes unknowingly. I forcefully bit down on my lips tightly, but all it did was stop the tears from flowing out.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ for not being able to tell you that you don¡¯t have to fight.¡±


    ¡°No, Kiyoung¡­¡±


    ¡°I know you¡¯re scared.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Because I know you lived a normal life until a while ago.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°These are the ones Raphael should aim at. The ones that are cruel, self-righteous, and want to put humanity at their feet. These are the ones who will be a threat to humanity. Just as exactly what you saw.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°A lot of people will die if someone doesn¡¯t act on their behalf. After the deaths of countless heroes and soldiers fighting in thest war, the ordinary people living on the continent will be next. An ordinary old man, a family dreaming about the future, children looking at the backs of adults, a young man who cannot spread his wings, everyone will die painfully at the hands of the invading demons.¡±


    When I stopped talking for a moment and looked at him, I felt as if he was thinking about what attitude to take.


    Raphael nodded as he looked at a far-off spot for a moment. It felt like he was telling me his behavior wasn¡¯t because of what I was worrying about¡­ and that he was troubled by something else.


    His face seemed like he didn¡¯t know just what kind of man Lee Kiyoung was.


    ¡®What are you thinking about? It¡¯s what it exactly looks like. Just stop thinking. Do what I tell you to do, and I will solve it for you.¡¯


    It seemed like he was really asking me what kind of human I was.


    It wouldn¡¯t be too much to want to answer.


    ¡®Rather than agitation and fabrication made out of someughable material¡­¡¯


    Shouldn¡¯t anyone trust the facts they saw with their own eyes?


    ¡®That¡¯s why incitement is scary, fuck.¡¯


    Why didn¡¯t such a quote exist?


    A word was enough to cause an incitement, but it took over hundreds of pieces of evidence to prove that it wasn¡¯t true. I couldn¡¯t help but think that that was the case.


    Hadn¡¯t I already proved that I wasn¡¯t such a bad guy many times? However, I didn¡¯t have to be nervous. It would take a little time, but I knew the truth was the way to win.


    ¡°I¡¯m not telling you to¡­ take responsibility.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not telling you to stand in front of us.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you remember what I said in the beginning?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I remember. You asked me¡­ not to let go of the sword¡­ and to fight together until the end.¡±


    ¡°It would be natural to be scared and afraid. No one in this world is not afraid of war, bloodshed, or conflict. The same is true for me. The battle ahead of us is fearsome, and I¡¯m scared for the people who will be hurt by it. I am afraid that I might harm someone with my own hands, and I am afraid that they will lose their life.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not just me. Everyone will be afraid. Even the heroes that are waiting for the iing enemies in numerous fields and those who are still training in boot camps. The responsibilities may be different, but they too will be afraid.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°There are some who fall into that fear and make mistakes¡­¡±


    ¡®For example, the demon contractors you know.¡¯


    ¡°Most of the soldiers will be looking straight ahead with this fear. They¡¯ll be getting ready to lift their sword facing the shapeless enemy with courage. They have been that way since before.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, from a long time ago. They must have been fighting that way even before I came to this continent. In many cases, people in power who are blinded by greed can be swept away by wars and be driven out regardless of their own will, but themon citizens¡­ have to lift their swords for what they want to protect.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°For our beloved family, country, and people. Each has different ideologies and values, but¡­ those who are in this ce right now are those kinds of people.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°They will go through a difficult process, but in the end, it will happen. I believe they will stand up and shout of victory, as they¡¯ve always done. That¡¯s why I¡¯m not afraid. I¡¯m not scared because I believe in those who will fight with me.¡±


    Although I talked as much as I could, there was no way I wasn¡¯t afraid to fight on the battlefield because of the soldiers fighting with conviction.


    I could stand on the battlefield because I had a firm belief that backups like Kim Hyunsung, Jung Hayan, and Cha Hee-ra wouldn¡¯t leave me alone.


    ¡®You must have this kind of faith.¡¯


    ¡°You too¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯lle to understand my words one day.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll ovee what you¡¯re going through, and I believe you¡¯ll be able to stand up with the Holy Sword in hand. I believe¡­ that there is a reason¡­ why Benignore¡¯s sword chose you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Silence embraced us for a moment.


    I had been eagerly encouraging that he could ovee it, but he wouldn¡¯t listen to me.


    Not only couldn¡¯t I solve his problem, but even though I worded it nicely, it was no different than telling him to go to the war and fight.


    Of course, we knew that we shouldn¡¯t end up talking about it.


    The character Light Kiyoung wasn¡¯t a person who sacrificed individuals for the group. He wasn¡¯t the one who acted for profit in front of his eyes. I thought I had to be as rational as I could and give up for the sake of the cause, but I was forced to be shaken by emotions¡­ I was such a tender person.


    I slowly continued quietly.


    ¡°However¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°But if you really don¡¯t want to fight¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You can go back to your normal¡­¡±


    ¡°Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°Even if you go back to your normal life¡­ it doesn¡¯t matter. Raphael deserves the life he wants to live.¡±


    ¡®If you don¡¯t want to fight, you can just go. Of course, without you, we will all die¡­ but I can¡¯t stand to see a promising kid like you suffering. You know what I¡¯m talking about, right? You know that if you just go here, the atmosphere will suddenly get worse, right?¡¯


    Of course, he wouldn¡¯t have any intention of leaving either.


    Leaving like that would be like turning his back on his life-long mission.


    However, apart from that, I wondered if the words I¡¯d been talking about were quite entangled in his mind.


    ¡®It¡¯s too weak to be a final blow.¡¯


    Considering the probability, I thought it wasn¡¯t that bad.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t forget to send a bitter smile.


    I slowly put my hands on his shoulders and looked into his eyes as he became as stiff as a statue.


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    He avoided my gaze.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know what it meant when he flinched as if my arm on his shoulder was ufortable.


    ¡®You, this bastard¡­¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®You, are you rejecting me, you bastard?¡¯


    For some reason, it felt like it scratched my pride.


    ¡®Do you dare reject the light?¡¯


    I had to think about whether I was too soft in ying that game.


    It was so ridiculous that I was trying to resist aughing out of my mouth.


    I even thought about blowing his head away. I slowly breathed out so that it wouldn¡¯t show.


    That was the first thought that came into my head, though many thoughts made my headplicated afterward.


    ¡®Let¡¯s see who wins, you demon-contracting bastards.¡¯


    I agreed to take the issue seriously.

 Chapter 623: That’s a Lie (1)

    <h4>Chapter 623: That¡¯s a Lie (1)</h4>


    ¡®Let¡¯s not get used to kindness.¡¯


    ¡°You have to be suspicious.¡±


    ¡®He¡¯s poison.¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s right to be suspicious to the end.¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t ever trust him. That¡¯s how you learned it.¡¯


    ¡°Everything is acting, and it¡¯s all calcted behavior.¡±


    ¡®There is no need to be agitated. Let¡¯s not be shaken. Don¡¯t be shaken.¡¯


    I slowly looked into the mirror and began to mutter once again, but my mind was still confused.


    It was because I couldn¡¯t make a good judgment about exactly what happened.


    The longer I spent there, the longer I faced Lee Kiyoung, the more I was forced to ponder what the truth was.


    ¡°The demons in angelic masks¡­¡±


    Benignore¡¯s prophecy that I thought was a lie.


    I thought it was just to agitate people, but I couldn¡¯t think of anything else when I saw it with my own eyes. Of course, the possibility that what I saw was not true was overflowing.


    I had heard rumors that Celia¡¯s shaman could see the future, but I couldn¡¯t prove that what I saw was indeed true. I only epted it as the truth because of the realism I felt through my skin.


    That, too, could be manipted and could just be a means to control the warrior chosen by the Holy Sword and use him as a chess piece.


    ¡°However¡­¡±


    The problem was that I couldn¡¯t find such circumstances to prove that im.


    ¡®How did it happen? Is the information I have really factual?¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t unreasonable for such a question to arise naturally. I thought that the demon¡¯s daily life trying to contain the continent in his hand would consist of days upon days of living a debauchery life surrounded by all kinds of dinners and drinking with the powerful.


    After the promotional video shown in the Goddess¡¯ Mirror was over, I thought he would enjoy the power, honor, and wealth he had built up.


    However, that wasn¡¯t the case. I hadn¡¯t passed much time there, but it wasn¡¯t, at least in my own eyes. Lee Kiyoung was the kind of person who didn¡¯t enjoy the power, fame, and wealth he had built up.


    ¡®Why¡­ Why?¡¯


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you enjoy it?¡±


    Wasn¡¯t he there to enjoy all of that?


    It wouldn¡¯t be strange to think that humans wanted those kinds of needs to enjoy them.


    However, his life was exactly the opposite. He was in the highest position and worked like he was in the lowest position.


    He spent his time hanging out with the marginalized and devoting himself to them.


    If the human Cardinal Lee Kiyoung were truly a power-driven dictator, he wouldn¡¯t do that.


    ¡®Maybe it¡¯s all for show.¡¯


    I thought so, but what kind of human would sacrifice himself just for show?


    Wasn¡¯t that the same for the Continental Protection Management Committee?


    He didn¡¯t wield his power. He just sacrificed himself.


    He used his own power only to stop the demons that wore angelic masks.


    Many of the resources he earned before he got the position was used to construct the walls and soldiers¡¯ supply.


    His power wasn¡¯t used to deprive others of their freedom and rights but to keep them safe. His honor wasn¡¯t used to elevate himself but to reassure the lowly.


    His daily life was harsher than that of any soldier or continental people. At least that¡¯s what I¡¯ve seen thus far. His daily schedule itself was hard to understand from the public¡¯s point of view.


    Didn¡¯t it seem that he was really struggling all for the sake of preventing the continent¡¯s destruction?


    ¡®There¡¯s no way he would do that.¡¯


    Was all of it scripted and nned scenes made to show to an individual named Raphael?


    ¡®Why are you trying to show me this?¡¯


    No¡­ From the reaction of the people around him, it was true that he was on a brutal schedule.


    I felt like a fool. What I knew and what was happening right in front of me waspletely contradictory.


    ¡®It was a lie? Was what the Heads and members believed really a lie?¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t admit it. That was why I couldn¡¯t let go of the doubt until the end.


    ¡®Stay alive, Raphael. At least you should.¡¯


    ¡°It can¡¯t be a lie.¡±


    ¡®If there is even one person who supports us¡­ with that alone¡­ we will¡­¡¯


    ¡°The leader couldn¡¯t have lied.¡±


    ¡®Our purpose is the liberation of the continent. Liberation of the continent he ruled.¡¯


    ¡°That was all acting? Nonsense.¡±


    ¡®You don¡¯t need to carry a sword, Raphael. It¡¯s enough for us to fight.¡¯


    ¡°It can¡¯t be acting. It obviously wasn¡¯t. The time spent with the members¡­ everything¡­¡±


    ¡®Do you not trust us either? The world you know is a world full of lies and hypocrisy, kid.¡¯


    ¡°There¡¯s no reason to fool me. There was no reason for the leader to save me.¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s a difficult time, but¡­ I think it¡¯s right to take him. I can¡¯t just watch him. It may be dangerous, but even morality cannot be abandoned.


    ¡°I¡¯m right.¡±


    ¡®I¡¯ll let you know my nameter. Nice to meet you, kid.¡¯


    ¡°All those encounters¡­ can¡¯t be a lie!¡±


    ¡®You can call me uncle. For now.¡¯


    ¡°It can¡¯t be¡­ a lie!!!¡±


    Craaack!


    Along with the sound of the ss breaking, the mirror in front of me shattered and fell.


    It was funny to see various images of myself reflected through the cracks of the split mirror. I didn¡¯t feel any pain, and perhaps it was because of the training I had been going through.


    However, it hurt. It hurt so much that I couldn¡¯t stand it.


    ¡°Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­ What is the truth? Tell me, sir. If you are watching, please tell me. Have I gone crazy? Am I being brainwashed as you told me I would? Is Lee Kiyoung really the kind of person that the leader said? Please¡­ please tell me.¡±


    I stopped talking and simply waited for an answer.


    ¡°What should I believe¡­ Please tell me. Please tell me that you weren¡¯t lying.¡±


    There was no reply.


    ¡°What you told me is the truth, right? Can¡­ can I think so?¡±


    When I wiped my tears and looked at the broken mirror, it reflected my face back at me.


    I couldn¡¯t even determine what kind of face I was making.


    However, I was forced to wipe away my tears. The time to meet him was approaching.


    As a member of the Continental Protection and Management Committee, the time hade for me to learn about the overall work, which was the only way to address my current questions.


    Once again, I cleared my mind and left the room, and what I saw was someone smiling at me.


    Just as usual.


    It was a face surrounded by kindness, warmth, and concern, always showing a bright smile.


    Wasn¡¯t it the same face as usual? I felt that it wasn¡¯t fake at all.


    He was worried about me. From the time when I couldn¡¯t concentrate on training properly, He had been sympathizing with me.


    I could say with certainty that his sympathy was for the one who lost his daily life after being chosen by the Holy Sword.


    ¡®It¡¯s not just because of that.¡¯


    I wanted to say that¡­ But I couldn¡¯t.


    Whatever the case, it was clear that the current situation was in my favor.


    If he really sympathized with me and cared about me, I should be delighted.


    Not only could I hide my own worries¡­ but gaining the trust of Chairman Lee Kiyoung was one of the major requirements I needed to promote the cause.


    ¡°How are you feeling today?¡±


    As usual, I nodded when he asked about me.


    ¡°You seemed so tired that I reduced your schedule a bit. Maybe next week or so, we will be visiting the soldiers for constion. You will also take a tour of the forward bases with me.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°This part is about finding out what the troops in the forward base need the most and which ones will help the most¡­ Of course, we know all the managers¡¯ rmendations, but what you feel in the field will be slightly different. You¡¯d realize what the troops really need.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps Raphael¡¯s visit will be a great help to them. The same goes for those in the joint training camp.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you a bit better now?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ I think I got over it a bit.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s always something I say, but you don¡¯t need to overdo it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Kiyoung. I think you are doing more¡­ than me¡­¡±


    He looked so tired that I could tell from a nce.


    He pretended to be okay but wasn¡¯t that the face of a man who was barely surviving an extremely grueling schedule?


    Taking care of me was probably also apparently affecting his health.


    Since he visited the training ground with Cha Hee-ra the other day, his health seemed to deteriorate rapidly.


    ¡®I shouldn¡¯t be bothered. It¡¯s none of my business.¡¯


    If he was physically and mentally pushed to the limit, it was right to feel delighted.


    ¡°That¡¯s fortunate.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I thought it was fortunate that you seemed to have found your usual self a little bit. It seems that you haven¡¯t even eaten properly since that day¡­ I was very worried¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because¡­ you kept¡­ taking care of me.¡±


    That was true.


    After realizing that I was confused, Chairman Lee Kiyoung forcefully took the time to join me.


    There wasn¡¯t a big reason. It was to spend a short break together.


    We simply drank tea together or chatted. My mind was still confused, but it¡¯s undeniable that I was invigorated.


    He had the ability to make people feelfortable, regardless of everything being false or true.


    I had a smile on my lips without even knowing it. That person had that kind of power. Even though I kept thinking I shouldn¡¯t get used to it, that it was poison, I ended up naturally epting it.


    I decided it was poison, but I drank it with that sweetness.


    I looked at Lee Kiyoung once again, hardening my face.


    ¡®What are you doing?¡¯


    His condition seemed strange.


    ¡®What are you doing now?¡¯


    He seemed to have a distant expression. It looked like his soul had been deprived somewhere.


    I couldn¡¯t exin exactly what, but it felt like he was lost for a moment.


    Even the way he frowned and grabbed his head didn¡¯t seem normal to anyone.


    ¡®What¡¯s up with you¡­ are you sick?¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t help but think of it that way.

 Chapter 624: That’s a lie (2)

    <h4>Chapter 624: That¡¯s a lie (2)</h4>


    ¡®I shouldn¡¯t get used to his kindness.¡¯


    ¡®You have to be suspicious.¡¯


    ¡®He¡¯s poison.¡¯


    ¡°I have to remain vignt to the end.¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t ever trust him. That¡¯s what I learned.¡¯


    ¡®Everything is acting, and it¡¯s all calcted behavior.¡¯


    asionally, there were times when Lee Kiyoung showed simr behavior.


    Either he looked at a distant ce, or he had a grim face. That was obvious, but I¡¯d never taken it seriously.


    I judged it as a habit when he was deep in thought, and he actually looked like he was.


    However, what I saw at that moment was different from what he¡¯d been doing.


    ¡®There is something there.¡¯


    What I thought not to be a big deal and that it wouldn¡¯t be much different from his habit of tapping his thighs with his long fingers had more to it than I was aware of.


    ¡®What? What the hell is it?¡¯


    The way he was still holding his head carefully as if the pain did not go away was hard to describe. He was even at that moment looking like he was out of his mind.


    I couldn¡¯t help but speak up. If I didn¡¯t talk, I felt like he would continue to stay that way.


    ¡°Kiyoung¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Kiyoung, are you okay?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Kiyoung!¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­! Yes?¡±


    ¡°Just now¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Oh¡­ Did I¡­ something¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ I¡¯m fine. You don¡¯t have to worry.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really fine. I haven¡¯t been able to sleep properlytely¡­ I just felt a bit dizzy. So you don¡¯t have to worry about it. If I take a rest, I¡¯ll get better. It asionally happens when I¡¯m busy¡­ You can think of it as a habit, a habit. I¡­ Looks like I frightened you. I¡¯m sorry, Raphael. Ha¡­ Hahaha.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s a lie.¡¯


    I wasn¡¯t certain.


    However, I could tell that he was lying.


    The human named Lee Kyoung reacted very sensitively to what I just said. He looked a bit different from the way he always looked perfect.


    His unnatural face and unnatural behavior. I didn¡¯t know what he¡¯s wary of, but I felt that he became very cautious. I hadn¡¯t spent a long time with him. However, based on my experience, I could be sure of one thing.


    The present Lee Kiyoung was taking off his mask.


    He threw away his mask, which had only wrapped himself in perfection, revealing his real weaknesses.


    What I saw in front of me right at that moment was the real Lee Kiyoung.


    The true him hidden under the mask of the Honorary Cardinal, the Chairman, the Blue Vice Guild Master, the hero who saved the continent, the one chosen by the dragon, and the incarnation of Benignore.


    ¡®This is an opportunity.¡¯


    It deserved to be an opportunity.


    The Honorary Cardinal, who seemed to have no ws, was revealing his only weakness.


    I didn¡¯t know how long I had been waiting for that day. I approached him because I thought there would be such an opportunity.


    However, my mouth felt bitter. Even I couldn¡¯t figure out why, but the thought that it wasn¡¯t a pleasant action began to wander in my head.


    ¡°Are you really okay? Just now, definitely¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine. You don¡¯t have to be bothered at all.¡±


    ¡°But Kiyoung¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about it. Really. More importantly¡­ We were talking about¡­¡±


    ¡®He¡¯s changing the subject.¡¯


    ¡°Where were we?¡±


    ¡®He¡¯s nervous.¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ Yes, I told you about that. I felt you were tired today, so I reduced your schedule a bit. And¡­ Yes, also, maybe next week, we will visit the soldiers for constion¡­ So, I think you will take a tour of the forward bases with me, so I think you should get ready.¡±


    ¡®What?¡¯


    ¡°This way, you¡¯ll be able to find out what the troops in the forward base need the most and which ones will help the most¡­ The opinions reported by those in charge will be very different from the feeling of being in the field itself. Not only can you feel what the troops really need¡­¡±


    ¡®What are you talking about?¡¯


    ¡°I¡­ can guarantee you¡­ Raphael¡¯s visit will be a great help to them.¡±


    ¡®What are you saying¡­¡¯


    I naturally fell silent on my own.


    Didn¡¯t he say something simr just a few minutes ago?


    It even had the same meaning and idea.


    It wouldn¡¯t be unreasonable to be unable to keep a straight face for a moment in that unexpected situation.


    I smiled again, but¡­ I couldn¡¯t figure out if he noticed my face.


    ¡°That¡¯s fortunate.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You seem to have a little bit of energy. It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve seen such a smile.¡±


    Who would judge that strange situation as normal?


    ¡°Then today, as scheduled¡­ yeah¡­ Would it be okay to do as I said? I think it would be okay to spend time ying chess after work is all over. As a matter of fact, you can think of it as a day off.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You must have been mentally exhausted so far, so I hope you can restfortably, at least for today. If you have a ce where you want to go, you can tell me. Just as long it doesn¡¯t interfere with training tomorrow¡­ with training¡­ interfere¡­ yes, just as long it does not interfere¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Er¡­ wait.¡±


    ¡°Kiyoung?¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ wait a minute¡­¡±


    ¡°Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°Today¡¯s¡­ all schedules¡­ yes, wait¡­ I remembered something urgent¡­¡±


    It was then that something even more strange happened.


    Lee Kiyoung, who stumbled for a moment, hurriedly turned around.


    I could see with my own eyes that he was trying to run as fast as possible.


    My body reacted before I could think.


    I was nervous about what kind of event would happen, and I was unwittingly chasing the target of my revenge. Didn¡¯t it seem like he wanted to get out of that ce somehow?


    The close walk on the wall made him look even more uneasy.


    He was gasping for breath, and with one hand, he continued to hold his head.


    He struggled to take one step after another, and he sounded as if he was nauseous.


    Eventually, he turned around the corner, bing out of sight.


    I had to move a little faster.


    It was because anyone could see that he seemed to be in a precarious situation.


    ¡®Is he okay? Isn¡¯t¡­ Isn¡¯t he sick?¡¯


    He was definitely hiding something behind everyone¡¯s backs.


    Perhaps it was his weakness that I so wanted to find.


    This was the card that would win the game for me.


    The piece of the puzzle toplete my revenge.


    However, I couldn¡¯t really think of anything. As I turned up the speed and turned around, the scene that caught my eyes was Lee Kiyoung lying alone in a long corridor.


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    ¡°Kiyoung?¡±


    ¡®What the¡­¡¯


    ¡°Kiyoung¡­ are you okay?¡±


    I naturally ran eagerly to check his condition.


    However, I had no choice but to swallow hard at the shadow that seemed to disallow anyone from approaching him.


    Standing in front of him was a short woman. It was not clear where she came from, but she was standing as if she had been at that ce from the beginning.


    Of course, I knew who it was.


    There was no way I wouldn¡¯t know the name of the existence that followed Lee Kiyoung like a shadow. The woman holding her twin words stood in front of him defensively.


    ¡°Don¡¯te any closer.¡±


    ¡°Park Li-ahn?¡±


    ¡°I will use force if necessary.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Go back the way you came quietly. Today¡¯s schedule will be delivered separatelyter.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s not the problem now. Kiyoung is¡­ for now¡­ for now¡­¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t tell you twice. Please go back quietly.¡±


    ¡°Please, step aside. I have to call a priest. I have to call someone right now.¡±


    ¡°This is none of your business. I¡¯ll take care of the Chairman so don¡¯t worry about this. Raphael just has to do what I told him to do.¡±


    ¡°Step aside¡­¡±


    ¡°Go back. I have made it clear that I am not taking any risks here.¡±


    ¡°I said¡­ step aside!¡±


    Craaash!


    I ran in without knowing, but I felt myself falling instead.


    Something cold pressed against my throat.


    I was badly crushed against the floor, and the woman named Park Li-ahn was pressing me down from above.


    She didn¡¯t even notice when it happened.


    My body turned around in the air in no time.


    I felt the cold floor in contact with my crushed face.


    I somehow tried to move my body, but there was no way I could move under such restraints.


    The sword hanging from my waist didn¡¯t respond to my words as if it were just mere decoration.


    As I turned my head and looked straight ahead, I saw Lee Kiyoung quietly lying down.


    Looking back, I still couldn¡¯t believe the scene.


    That Lee Kiyoung lost his mind and fell awfully.


    ¡®You, what are you doing?¡¯


    Why was he on the floor like that?


    ¡®You¡¯re the viin.¡¯


    Why was he lying t and gasping for breath as if he was in pain?


    ¡®You¡¯re the dictator trying to devour the continent.¡¯


    He shouldn¡¯t look like that right in front of me¡­


    ¡®Stand up. Stand up right now.¡¯


    ¡®I know you¡¯re pretending to be weak. I know you¡¯re just acting.¡¯


    ¡®So stand up.¡¯


    He looked very small.


    The one whom I was so scared and afraid, who believed without a doubt that he was the incarnation of the demon, seemed strangely too small.


    He seemed like he would break with a little push.


    He even looked like a sick bird, so what else did I need to say?


    Why hadn¡¯t I noticed? It wasn¡¯t unreasonable to wonder why I hadn¡¯t seen such a figure until that moment.


    ¡°Move¡­¡±


    ¡°If you affirm that you are going back, I will release your restraints.¡±


    ¡°I said move¡­¡±


    ¡°Please forgive me¡­¡±


    ¡°I said move!!¡±


    Baaaaaanng!!


    What popped out was a gray light.


    I could feel, with a loud noise, that the one pressing me bounced off. I immediately tried to stand up to move, but I immediately saw two swordsing in at my throat.


    ¡®She¡¯s fast.¡¯


    She was so fast that I couldn¡¯t even react.


    Unintentionally, a million thoughts raced through my head.


    ¡°Please stop it.¡±


    Then I heard that voice.


    It was familiar.


    Supporting Lee Kiyoung, whopletely lost his mind, was a woman with a long spear on her back.


    ¡°I will take care of it. Park Li-ahn, please take control of the surroundings. The same goes for Raphael. Go back to your room quietly. And¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t seen anything today.¡±


    A truth that the world would never know.


    I directly confirmed some of the secrets he wanted to hide.


    ¡°That¡¯s a lie¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a lie¡­¡±

 Chapter 625: Continent’s Real Darkness (1)

    <h4>Chapter 625: Continent¡¯s Real Darkness (1)</h4>


    ¡®That¡¯s a lie¡­¡¯


    I grabbed my head.


    Anxiety circted throughout my body. Strangely, my hands were shaking, and I felt as if I was out of breath.


    The man whom everyone called the god¡¯s incarnation was suffering from an unknown disease?


    Wasn¡¯t he said to be loved by the gods?


    Wasn¡¯t he said to have the purest soul?


    Wasn¡¯t he¡­ said¡­ to be Benignore¡¯s¡­ son¡­


    ¡®Why did such a person be sick?¡¯


    It wouldn¡¯t be easy to encounter such an ironic situation.


    Wasn¡¯t it a situation where the expression ¡°fate¡¯s joke¡± fitted?


    I couldn¡¯t get my head around the sudden reality.


    I stared at the scene in front of me.


    An urgent voice came from the other side. It wasn¡¯t one that was filled with irritation.


    It wouldn¡¯t be wrong to say that the person was also very anxious.


    Unlike usual, I felt that she couldn¡¯t control her emotions.


    Cho Hyejin.


    The third highest-ranking person in the Blue Guild. She was the person sitting in the guild secretary¡¯s office and was also the most trusted party member in Blue.


    She had a nonpromising personality and was the kind of human who valued ??her principles more important than anyone else.


    I judged that she always kept her calm no matter what happened, yet she, too, was revealing her emotion, unable to hide her concern.


    ¡°How did that happen? How did the Vice Guild Master fall¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Raphael?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Raphael.¡±


    ¡°When¡­ while having a nk look on his face, he suddenly grabbed his head. We were talking as usual when he suddenly said that it would be better to postpone today¡¯s schedule, then he ran away¡­ I thought something would happen¡­ I mean¡­ I mean¡­ I felt¡­ like he was going to fall¡­¡±


    ¡°Then how¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Just¡­ I just followed him and found him like that¡­ After that, it¡¯s exactly as you saw. Park Li-ahn¡­ blocked me¡­ I thought something was wrong with him¡­ Is he okay?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Tell me, please. He is okay, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he is in the process of calming down. He hasn¡¯te up yet, but he¡¯ll get up soon.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you call the priest?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about it.¡±


    ¡°I asked why you didn¡¯t call the priest! Shouldn¡¯t we do something?!¡±


    ¡°If it could be solved by calling the priests, I would have done it long ago. Please don¡¯t ask anything else. You just need to remember this. You saw nothing today. You didn¡¯t hear anything. Don¡¯t let what happened today leak out. Please.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what the Vice Guild Master wants.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I have to see him in person.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°If you want me to keep this a secret, I think I deserve to see him. I don¡¯t want to threaten or make a deal. But I need to know exactly how he is with my own eyes¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep this a secret. I swear to my sword.¡±


    ¡°Sigh¡­¡±


    ¡°I know¡­ roughly what to expect. Just¡­ I just need to be sure.¡±


    She had an expression of determination, but her eyes were saying that she couldn¡¯t help it. Cho Hyejin stood up.


    She just turned her back without saying anything else, but I could see that it was an affirmative gesture.


    I followed her quietly, and in front of me was a big door.


    Before long, the door opened, and I saw him lying on a bed. That was unrealistic. Somehow¡­ Somehow, it was unrealistic.


    It was no different from what I saw before.


    Although his expression looked morefortable, he still couldn¡¯t open his eyes.


    His slender wrists, a shabby-looking face, and the figure that made me think he was really dead. My hands were trembling. I had to bite my lips tightly to calm myself down.


    ¡®It can¡¯t be¡­¡®


    Once again, I was convinced.


    Such a person¡­ There was no way such a person could be a demon who was trying to devour the world.


    There was no way such a weak and tender person was a scammer who was deceiving everyone.


    Didn¡¯t it look like such acts were impossible for him to do?


    Someone with such a figure¡­


    ¡®You were wrong all along. There¡­ There was a misunderstanding.¡¯


    It was not that I couldn¡¯t believe in the leader. I didn¡¯t think he lied. However, right in front of me was something he didn¡¯t know.


    It was something he missed. One puzzle piece that was crucially missing¡­ was clearlyid before my eyes.


    ¡°The Vice Guild Master¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°He is losing his memories.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ What does that¡­¡±


    ¡°It is exactly what I said.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course¡­ Hahaha, of course, it¡¯s not that serious. It¡¯s getting better and better, and it¡¯s not as dangerous as you might think. Right now, he just doesn¡¯t remember what happened a moment ago. So, it¡¯s not a big deal. Everything that happened before¡­ he¡¯ll remember. He will. He¡­ hasn¡¯t forgotten anything, yes.¡±


    She sounded as if she was trying to hold back tears while she was forcibly connecting words.


    ¡®That¡¯s not a lie.¡¯


    I felt that the woman¡¯s sadness.


    Her voice sounded so grim that it made me feel sad too.


    She sat down silently on the bed without saying anything, holding his hand tightly and putting her other hand on his forehead.


    ¡°After holding his head andining of a headache or showing symptoms that made him look like he¡¯s out of his mind, he usually falls asleep like this. In severe cases¡­ sometimes he remains asleep for more than three days¡­¡±


    ¡°How¡­ did it happen?¡±


    ¡°The 27th Corps Summoning.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe you already know as well. I mean, the Vice Guild Master¡­ When he got abducted by the demons¡­ Yes, he said it was the aftereffects he got after that¡­¡±


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡°I don¡¯t know the details.¡±


    Something rose inside me.


    ¡°Why¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Why¡­ didn¡¯t you leave him alone¡­ knowing¡­ all of this.¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s my fault.¡¯


    ¡°Why¡­ how can you put this person on the battlefield despite knowing all of that?¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s because of me¡­¡¯


    ¡°How¡­ can you impose so much responsibility on him!¡±


    If he had side effects from exposure to the demon energy, friction with the Order would have had a negative effect on him as well.


    Perhaps the incident that happened that day became a deadly poison for him.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you leave this man alone!¡±


    Rather, it was us who hadn¡¯t left him alone.


    On our own, we freely misunderstood the very person who willingly sacrificed everything for the continent while living for the light.


    It was me who caused him pain and drove him into a corner.


    It was me who inflicted constant pain on the one who had already reached his limits.


    ¡°How can you guys¡­ think about yourselves¡­ sh*t!¡±


    My voice was crying out to me.


    It was a desperate cry¡­ to myself, who didn¡¯t believe in him from the beginning.


    ¡°Is this how you do things?! Is this¡­ Is this your way of doing things¡­ You drove one person to exhaustion willingly¡­ causing him pain¡­ that¡­ sniff¡­ Is that¡­¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s my fault.¡¯


    ¡°Sniff¡­¡±


    ¡®I¡­ I caused him pain.¡¯


    ¡°Don¡¯t be foolish.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I told you not to be foolish. Don¡¯t judge him on your own. The Vice Guild Master himself decided to continue working. There is something to be left on the continent¡­ Before all of his memories disappear¡­ he decided to do what he can for us. Everything is his choice.¡±


    ¡°Still¡­ it doesn¡¯t matter!!!¡±


    ¡°You.¡±


    It felt like someone was choking me.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t treat my friend as an idiot.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°It was his own decision. What do you know to talk like that? What do you know after being together for only a few months¡­ and talking as if¡­ you know everything like that. With some ridiculous remarks¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t pollute his pride.¡±


    ¡°Sniff¡­ sniiiff¡­ ugh¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Kiyoung¡­ sniff¡­ Kiyoung¡­¡±


    ¡°Please leave.¡±


    ¡°Sniff¡­¡±


    ¡°I told you to leave. He needs stability. If you need an argument¡­ I will make timeter. I believe you will keep the promise. And¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Do what you can. That would¡­ help him¡­¡±


    My vision was blurred. A tremendous sense of responsibility weighed on my whole body. My body lost strength, and I wanted to faint right away.


    But there was no way I could do that.


    It was that woman who wanted to cry more than anyone else. She would be the one who would want to cry the loudest due to the responsibility she was carrying.


    Cho Hyejin was right. I had no right to talk about Lee Kiyoung like that.


    Rather, it was right for me to seek forgiveness. I had to say I was sorry and wrong¡­ and get on my knees and beg.


    I struggled to walk. I carried an unbearable feeling in my heart and went just like that step by step.


    Emotions continued to fluctuate.


    However, my mind desperately recounted her words, looking at Cho Hyejin, standing in an upright position.


    ¡°Do what you can.¡±


    ¡®I have to do what I can.¡¯


    I had to correct my mistakes.


    ¡®What I can do¡­ What I can do¡­¡¯


    I had finally put all the pieces of the enigmatic puzzle together.


    Was I still suspicious of him?


    That was not it. My story had now be one about rectification.


    ¡®Now¡­ I know, Kiyoung¡­¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®I think I know now, leader. What¡­ What we were missing¡­ I think I realize it now.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t think everything the leader investigated would be wrong.


    All of the data he checked with his own eyes seemed valid, and they were detailed enough to be effective as evidence.


    There was no lie in the data investigated by the Order. Although there might¡¯ve been exaggeration and malice, the Order tried to run toward the truth.


    What the leader and members weren¡¯t expecting was that the person they were looking for wasn¡¯t Lee Kiyoung.


    There would be a person with power who could control the media and lead as a dictator.


    The one who made all that and made him suffer would surely be close to him.


    The insect human who deceived him at his nearest made him sick and drove him to the front of the Order¡­ There would definitely be such an existence.


    ¡®Who is it.¡¯


    The one closest to him.


    ¡®Who is it?¡¯


    Someone with simr powers to him.


    ¡®Think.¡¯


    The only person in that continent who could control Lee Kiyoung.


    While continuing to think of the possibility in my mind, the closest answer I could find flowed out of my lips unconsciously.


    ¡°Kim¡­¡±


    He was the real demon who was controlling the continent and Kiyoung.


    ¡°Kim Hyunsung¡­¡±


    The puzzle wasplete.

 Chapter 626: Continent’s Real Darkness (2)

    <h4>Chapter 626: Continent¡¯s Real Darkness (2)</h4>


    ¡°Vice Guild Master? Are you awake? Vice Guild¡­ Master?¡±


    ¡°Why¡­ are you holding my hand?¡±


    ¡°Who¡­ Who¡­ Who¡¯s holding your hand?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not dead¡­ Calm down.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Hyejin, are you crying right now?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re ying around¡­ Stop joking around. Why would you prank me right now?¡±


    ¡°No, who said that I was ying a prank? I¡¯m just telling you the truth.¡±


    ¡°Last time too¡­ Didn¡¯t you make fun of me like that? I didn¡¯t cry. So¡­ don¡¯t say that.¡±


    ¡®If I really decided to mess with you, I wouldn¡¯t stop here.¡¯


    I remembered what she just said to Raphael.


    ¡®What do you know?¡¯


    and¡­


    ¡®Don¡¯t tarnish his pride.¡¯


    ¡®Ahh¡­ Hyejin, sh*t¡­ Hyejin¡­ I didn¡¯t expect you to think that much about me, man.¡¯


    The scene was so great it almost made me burst into tears.


    My face even turned red while I was lying still.


    I was pretty sure that was the final blow I needed for that project. Of course, it was the biggest crisis ever¡­


    I had long thought of the idea of building a beautiful friendship with Cho Hyejin, but at that moment, our friendship wasplete.


    Of course, I felt a little sorry that I had to bring Cho Hyejin to the stage. However, it still made me smile warmly.


    The most important thing in the Holy Sword project was realism. It was no exaggeration to say that Cho Hyejin actually saved the show.


    ¡®What¡¯s Raphael going to do now?¡¯


    I thought he was a wall that would be hard to take down, but look at how easily he fell.


    When I remembered the voice of a man that burst into tears and called me Hyung, I felt like I was a fool for preparing so much.


    ¡®I shouldn¡¯t have asked you to prepare the Light Kiyoung card.¡¯


    Lee Jihye was interested in what I was doing and said that she would prepare something for it¡­


    ¡®Well, whatever. All I need is a good result.¡¯


    It was a huge sess.


    He wasn¡¯t aware of it, but he was suffering because of his own mistakes. Based on the response he showed at the end, I thought he would feel guilty for his actions sooner orter.


    Of course, he wouldn¡¯t reveal that he was a demonic contractor.


    Still, it was undeniable that I would be surrounded with tears of sympathy.


    From my perspective¡­


    ¡®It would be better not to reveal anything.¡¯


    It was a lot easier to control someone who had a lot of burden on their mind.


    Wouldn¡¯t the fact that he partially disabled me make him feel guilty for the rest of his life? I thought I didn¡¯t have to help him feel less guilty.


    If he showed signs of confessing to me, it would be better to leave the site right away. His circumstance was different from the lovely regressor¡¯s, after all.


    It wouldn¡¯t be a problem to smile if there were good results.


    ¡®Phew¡­ Phewhhh.¡¯


    I was finally done organizing things in my mind.


    I wanted to make a toast, but I didn¡¯t think my precious friend in front of me would allow it.


    ¡®It¡¯s so nice to see your face. It¡¯s so heartwarming. Thank you, Hyejin. Seriously, your part yed a big role. When you¡¯re done with your busy work¡­ I¡¯ll utilize Cho Hyejin¡¯s avatar again in your pursuit for Kim Hyunsung. It¡¯s time for you to be rewarded.¡¯


    ¡°Why are youughing so unpleasantly?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I just know I have someone to rely on now. I feel better. I¡¯m a human being, too¡­ I can be happy sometimes.¡±


    ¡°Your memories¡­ Are they okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it doesn¡¯t feel nk. I think I remember everything. Even the scene before I copsed. Has it been a week since I woke up¡­ Or something like that?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s been less than three hours. You don¡¯t have to worry.¡±


    ¡°What about Raphael¡­?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡®No, there¡¯s nothing to be sorry about. Hyejin, you are incredibly responsible¡­ Are you apologizing for breaking your promise? But there was nothing we could do about it, right?¡¯


    ¡°He knows about me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve got a definite promise that he won¡¯t say anything. Since he swore to the Holy Sword, nothing that you¡¯re worried about will happen, but¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°How long are you going to hide it?¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t we already had this conversation?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t end the conversation as you please. I made it clear. I¡¯ll report to the Guild Master as soon as anything serious happens to you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, is that so. I don¡¯t remember it very well¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t y around like that. I¡¯m serious about this.¡±


    ¡®Hyejin¡­¡¯


    ¡°Since nothing serious has happened¡­ You won¡¯t tell him, right?¡±


    ¡°No, this is serious.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not. I won¡¯t deny that I had a little headache, but I woke up right away. There¡¯s nothing wrong with my body and my head. I¡¯ve been having a hard timetely, so I¡¯m just a little tired. There¡¯s a better way to handle this. I¡¯ve been experiencing symptoms, but there¡¯s nothing wrong with me. You don¡¯t have to worry.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®I¡¯m not lying.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you. A bottle of fatigue recovery potion will solve everything!¡±


    ¡°You have a lot to say for a person that can¡¯t live without the fatigue recovery potion. Anyway, I¡¯m serious about this. This is thest time.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m letting you off just this time.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s good.¡¯


    ¡°I assure you, if this happens again next time, I will inform the guild immediately. And I¡¯m not sure if I can keep watching you, Vice Guild Master. I can¡¯t stand it because I¡¯m nervous. What would you do if you copsed in my absence? What would you have done if an enemy confronted you while you¡¯re weakened, and I wasn¡¯t around? What if¡­ what if¡­¡±


    It wouldn¡¯t happen. Cho Hyejin would¡¯ve already calcted the time she would arrive at where I was by that point, and she would¡¯ve already thought of all the possible


    I wanted to refute that everything would be okay, but I thought it would be better to listen to Cho Hyejin for the time being.


    I just had to be careful not to let that happen again.


    If the others really found out, there could be a problem. Anyway, since there was nothing wrong with Benignore either, it was best to enjoy the moment.


    ¡°No matter how close Li-ahn is¡­ This is too dangerous. If you¡¯re on Earth in the same situation, they would have dissuaded you from doing dangerous activities. What more the continent? What if this happened while you¡¯re in a situation where you¡¯re riding a griffon or in the middle of a potion experiment? Even small activities can lead to a terrible ident. I hope that you don¡¯t think being cked out is a small deal, Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°I understand. So¡­ well, stop the nagging. Didn¡¯t I tell you? I¡¯m the one who takes care of myself better than anyone else.¡±


    ¡°Whoa¡­ I know that, but¡­ How¡­ is there any improvement in the 5th District study? Are you sure it¡¯s helping you? Do you think we should continue?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s better to do so. Don¡¯t worry. Hyejin shouldn¡¯t worry about someone like me.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that. Do you think I enjoy worrying about you? Anyway¡­ I think we¡¯d better stay together for the day.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not asking me out, are you?¡±


    ¡°You crazy bastard.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t swear at me.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say anything offensive, then. I¡¯ll cancel all my schedules today. I¡¯ll call the Guild Master ande back to you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. I¡¯m just telling him that I can¡¯t make it back today.¡±


    ¡°Yes, if he¡¯s worried about useless things, please tell him I¡¯m going to see him soon.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    After Cho Hyejin nodded slowly and went out of the room, I clenched my fists and celebrated my small victory silently.


    I was a little sad that all of today¡¯s schedules were canceled, but I also needed time to rest.


    I wanted to rest a little more on a day like that as well.


    Wouldn¡¯t it be best to enjoy a party with Cho Hyejin and spend the day leisurely?


    ¡®Raphael¡¯s gonna need some personal time, after all¡­¡¯


    In other words, he seemed a little down mentally, but he didn¡¯t have to be afraid. It was almost like I was already done preparing him.


    He could act a bit tender. He could say, ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± I could give him a pat on the head and tell him to be brave, and he wouldn¡¯t have a problem returning to his daily life.


    Come to think of it. I didn¡¯t ask Cho Hyejin what he was doing.


    ¡®I wonder if he¡¯s sleeping.¡¯


    I thought it was most likely that he would be sleeping, so I nodded and picked up the Goddess¡¯s Mirror, but I couldn¡¯t see anyone.


    ¡®The personal gymnasium? Is he already feeling better? He¡¯s nning to kill the demons, isn¡¯t he? As expected, our grey light warriors are different.¡¯


    The problem was that he couldn¡¯t be found in libraries, private gardens, restaurants, or anywhere else.


    I thought it was nothing at first, but I couldn¡¯t help but feel anxious.


    He seemed okay, but wasn¡¯t everything he believed in so far proved to be wrong?


    ¡®No¡­ No matter how hard it is, that¡¯s not it.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t remember raising him as irresponsible enough not to pay for his crimes.


    Cho Hyejin entered the room at an excellent time because I thought she might have tweaked his schedule.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got permission. Since the Guild Master seemed worried, I told him that you¡¯ll see him soon. I want you to stop by at your convenience. And he told you to take care of your health.¡±


    ¡°Good. Hyejin, by the way¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s Raphael?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t tell you. the Holy Sword¡¯s owner asked me if he could do his own training. He¡¯s probably heading to Lindel by now.¡±


    ¡°Lindel¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, the Guild Master has decided to spare him some time.¡±


    ¡°Does Hyunsung have enough time?¡±


    ¡®What¡­ you¡¯re not trying to talk to Kim Hyunsung, are you?¡¯


    A strange nervousness of unknown identity began to arise. However, I shook my head immediately.


    Didn¡¯t he swear to the Holy Sword that he wouldn¡¯t reveal my secret?


    There had to be another reason.


    ¡®I¡¯m sick of lying around.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t stand it. I needed to do something.

 Chapter 627: Continent’s Real Darkness (3)

    <h4>Chapter 627: Continent¡¯s Real Darkness (3)</h4>


    Perhaps Cho Hyejin¡¯sst words were decisive.


    ¡®¡±Do what you can. That would¡­ help him¡­¡±


    He had found his own conclusion.


    Didn¡¯t a great man once say that a busy bee didn¡¯t have time to be sad? He thought that saying was just right for him.


    Perhaps he thought that training to death and growing was the only way to repay me.


    I wasn¡¯t certain, but I nodded when I saw him.


    -Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!


    -¡­


    -Damn it¡­ Damn it¡­


    -¡­


    -Ahhhhhhhhhh!


    ¡®Oh, that sounds like a bloody fight.¡¯


    I thought he might have realized something, but he must have realized this more than I expected. I didn¡¯t know how to describe it, but¡­ It was obvious that he was regretful and was trying to atone for his past choices.


    He was swinging his sword recklessly. Rather than learning, he seemed to be expressing his anger.


    It had been like that for almost three days.


    That was the whole reason why I came all the way to Lindel.


    ¡®I wonder if he can really take sses like that.¡¯


    I felt that way because I was ignorant of the way of the sword, but Kim Hyunsung looked even more disappointed. He was frowning as expected. He looked like he didn¡¯t like Raphael at all.


    However¡­


    ¡®He¡¯s taking it better than expected.¡¯


    I watched them face each other sincerely.


    I also felt that Hyunsung was dealing with him at the same level of physical ability as Raphael¡¯s¡­


    If Kim Hyunsung had been serious in the first ce, wouldn¡¯t he have already broken through Raphael without difficulties?


    Unlike Raphael, who used the Holy Sword¡¯s light, Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t even use mana.


    He was dealing with his opponent using nothing but basic skills.


    ¡®He really is a genius.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t even look like he¡¯s doing anything from my perspective.


    Kim Hyunsung deflected his opponent¡¯s sword calmly, breathing slowly while the other tried his best to give him a small scratch.


    He fought with limited movements.


    Soon enough, Raphael was drained.


    He looked exhausted, but he still didn¡¯t let go of his sword.


    ¡®At least he¡¯s determined.¡¯


    If not, he wouldn¡¯t have shown that kind of performance.


    -That¡¯s it for today.


    - Ha¡­ Ha¡­


    - It was a mess and not worth anyments. Did you lose what you¡¯ve been learning?


    - ¡­


    - Is that all you¡¯ve got?


    - Ahhhhhhhhh!!


    - ¡­


    Rafael tried to jump the gun on Kim Hyunsung while he was talking, but he was shoved away, causing him to skid on the ground with a screeching sound.


    Raphael grumbled while holding on to where he was hit.


    - I don¡¯t know if I should say you¡¯re brave or if I should call you stupid. Regardless, I told you I would finish the ss here. I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll make much progress even if we continue today. Please proceed with the final training privately and get ready to eat.


    - Ha¡­ Ha¡­


    ¡°As expected, Hyunsung is really strong.¡¯


    He probably didn¡¯t even sweat.


    Of course, knowing that Raphael was the opponent, it wasn¡¯t a big deal for him.


    However, considering that such results still came out despite simr conditions, Kim Hyunsung really was just Kim Hyunsung.


    The Goddess¡¯s Mirror reflected the image of the man entering the building at a quick pace after finishing the training. I hid the mirror in my arms, thinking that Kim Hyunsung might be looking for me. At that moment, someone knocked on my door at the right timing.


    ¡°Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you cane in.¡±


    At this, Kim Hyunsung slowly entered the room.


    ¡°I heard that you¡¯re here. It¡¯s been such a long time since youst visited the guild.¡±


    ¡®You haven¡¯t been here long either, man.¡¯


    ¡°I can¡¯t help it. As the President of the Continental Protection and Management Committee, I might seem to favor certain guilds too much¡­ Of course, everyone knows that I haven¡¯tpletely let go of the Blue Guild, but the public¡¯s eyes are on me.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ I know that.¡±


    ¡°By the way, I¡¯m surprised by the fact that this room still looks the same.¡±


    ¡°I think Hee-young took care of it so it would look just the way it was before you left. When they heard that Kiyoung wasing, Manager Kim Mi-young organized it.¡±


    Looking around, it definitely looked exactly like my previous room.


    The huge disy of bags remained the same, and the magnificently decorated interior remained the same.


    Even theck of windows wasn¡¯t any different.


    Looking at the wall, I could still vividly remember the memory of that day. The only thing that changed was that there were new bags on disy.


    Kim Hyunsung was busy sending a calm smile.


    I could feel the expression and temperature difference that he just showed to Rafael, but that seemed to be the normal Kim Hyunsung.


    He must¡¯ve been happy that I visited the guild.


    ¡®It¡¯s not bad.¡¯


    I also wanted toe again.


    Lindel was the only ce I could call home.


    Since I had one hand on the urban restoration n, I knew how Lindel roughly changed, but it was definitely different from what I actually saw. The perfectly established figure that was iparable to the past was full of vitality, and the wonderful development seemed to tell us that time had passed.


    Anyone would¡¯ve doubted their eyes if theypared Lindel to its ruined days.


    I was so surprised at how Lindel looked when I was on the griffin.


    ¡®I¡¯m d I came.¡¯


    I only stopped by because of Raphael, but I thought it was fortunate that I went over.


    Above all, Kim Hyunsung showed a good response, making me feel like I caught two rabbits at once.


    ¡°It¡¯s a good thing I came here today. It would¡¯ve been hard for me to visit at any other time¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re so busy¡­ Hyejin told me that you¡¯d been really exhaustedtely. I don¡¯t think it would be a bad idea to rx a little bit¡­¡±


    ¡®Cho Hyejin, why are you talking nonsense?¡¯


    ¡°Haha¡­ that¡¯s alight. I¡¯m taking care of myself. I took a break from work yesterday¡­ It¡¯s no different from taking a rest now, right? By the way, how¡¯s everything going?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°With Raphael.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s getting better little by little. He¡¯s not very talented, but¡­ I can see that he wants to grow stronger¡­ Usually, people like him have high expectations for growth. Unfortunately, it¡¯s undeniable that he has a limit.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°To conclude, Raphael will be strong, but¡­ I¡¯m skeptical about whether he¡¯ll be able to grow to the level that Kiyoung expects.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s a little sad¡­¡±


    ¡®Is the Tactic Raphael bound to fail?¡¯


    Of course, that was just Kim Hyunsung¡¯s personal opinion.


    However, I couldn¡¯t imagine Raphael being used as a tactic. I didn¡¯t think he¡¯d be able toplete the mission.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t have enough experience.¡±


    ¡°Yes! That¡¯s right.¡±


    I was the one that set up the big picture, but it was Kim Hyunsung who carried out detailed missions. If I ordered him to reach a certain destination, it would be his responsibility to carry it out.


    Of course, I conveyed the battlefield situation with as much detail as possible and used all the support I could, but I didn¡¯t know when pop up.


    It was all about physical ability and stats.


    If Kim Hyunsung rolled and rolled in hell in the first round, wouldn¡¯t it have been difficult to carry out that mission?


    ¡®It¡¯s wrong to give up hope too soon¡­¡¯


    ¡°I think it would be better to see what direction he should take and how much he¡¯s growing before making a decision. We¡¯re already running out of time. Let¡¯s have a meal first. You¡¯ve been waiting for a long time. I have some good food ready.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah. It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve had a meal inside the guild. It reminds me of the past. Of course, I haven¡¯t spent much time in the newly built guildhall, but I still miss being here.¡±


    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you stay a little longer? If you don¡¯t mind¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know exactly¡­ I need to check with my schedule. I¡¯d like to stay a little longer in the changed city of Lindel, but I don¡¯t know when there¡¯ll be an ident on the scene that would require my presence¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, I understand¡­¡±


    Hyunsung was undeniably feeling down.


    I also thought it would be okay to extend my stay for about a day. I had a story to tell Kim Mi-young and Sun Hee-young anyway.


    Well, it was really because Kim Hyunsung was showing that kind of reaction.


    However, I came that day not because of Kim Hyunsung but because of Raphael.


    It¡¯s for the guy who tried to forget his pain without even showing it.


    ¡®He can¡¯t stand it when he sees my face¡­ He needs another spoonful of guilt.¡¯


    I never would¡¯ve imagined that Raphael would train like a madman for three days. I heard a knocking sound.


    ¡®Raphael must be here.¡¯


    I was worried that he¡¯d avoid meeting me, but that didn¡¯t seem to be the case. A faltering voice began toe from the other side of the door.


    ¡°Come in.¡±


    He slowly opened the door. It¡¯s the first time I had seen him since I passed out, so everything felt a little awkward.


    ¡®It¡¯s not a big deal¡­¡¯


    Of course, how I felt couldn¡¯t bepared to what he was feeling. Rafael ran to Lindel in the first ce because he wasn¡¯t confident of meeting me.


    It must¡¯ve been hard to figure out how to face me, what to say when we met again, how to express his feelings, and how to apologize.


    However, the expression I actually saw wasn¡¯t what I expected.


    Raphael had a look of urgency, and most of all, he seemed worried.


    ¡®Well, this isn¡¯t bad, but¡­¡¯


    I thought he would have prepared himself beforeing in, but he probably knew why I was there.


    Raphael sighed with great relief when he saw me.


    He also thought a little bit about how to react, but the best answer for that was¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s better to smile as if nothing happened.¡¯


    It was more effective to act as usual.


    I could assure that my smile would pierce his conscience without mercy.


    ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡±


    We didn¡¯t even make eye contact.


    ¡°Well, I¡­ I mean, I mean¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, Raphael.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ yes, Hyung.¡±


    ¡°Everything¡­ is fine.¡±


    ¡°Hmmph¡­¡±


    He sounded like he was holding back his tears.


    When I approached him without a word and tapped on his shoulder, his body shook with his head lowered and facing the ground.


    His tears were falling. Although Kim Hyunsung was somewhat curious about the sudden morning drama situation¡­


    ¡®I can just make up an excuseter.¡¯


    After such a long time, he seemed to have finally managed to get over his feelings.


    What was a little strange was that he kept making a strange face. After he calmed down, he looked around the luxurious room.


    ¡®Is it because the furniture is expensive? The room is a little spacious, right? It¡¯s okay. You can tell me everything.¡¯


    He would have flinched if it were normal, but he¡¯d already fallen silent.


    He didn¡¯t have to react to everything.


    ¡°Hyung. This ce is¡­¡±


    I wished that he would speak more confidently. The shelves were bothering me, but¡­ there was nothing bad about being confident.


    ¡°It was my room.¡±


    He slowly nodded.


    It looked like he was about to cry again.

 Chapter 628: Continent’s Real Darkness (4)

    <h4>Chapter 628: Continent¡¯s Real Darkness (4)</h4>


    It was a room without a window.


    ¡°No way¡­¡¯


    It was literally a room without a window. It had no natural light flowing in.


    Like the name of a prosecutor of the sunset, the space filled with artificial light had a strangely heterogeneous atmosphere.


    A bad atmosphere, yes, a really bad one. Shady and stuffy, my whole body reacted with rejection.


    The room was so nauseating that I couldn¡¯t even breathe properly, making me feel dizzy. What more did I need to say when I was suspicious of the reality?


    Luxuries all over the room¡­ It looked like a collection of all the expensive things on the continent.


    Most of the items showed no signs of being used.


    He sat in the middle of the room and looked like a colorful artificial bird trapped in a colorful cage.


    ¡®Why¡­ why is the lock outside?¡¯


    The room was designed to be locked from beyond its interior.


    ¡®Howe¡­ there¡¯s no window?¡¯


    The answer was already set, and there was no need to specte. Hyung used to be treated like that.


    ¡®What¡¯s with that ne?¡¯


    Artifacts with location tracking? Why would he need that?


    ¡®In a ce like this¡­ Did you live in this ce before? Did you live in this ce?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know exactly how long he had been there, but if anyone stayed in a ce like that for more than two weeks, they¡¯d have mental problems.


    They wouldn¡¯t be pleased, even if they were surrounded by numerous gold and silver treasures and luxuries.


    I decided that I had to endure it and that I shouldn¡¯t look strange anymore, but I couldn¡¯t withhold the tears that came out of my eyes.


    It wasn¡¯t normal. That ce was an abnormality that had to disappear.


    My hands were shaking. I wanted to unsheathe my sword and destroy everything.


    What were the Blue Guild members doing? Cho Hyejin. Did she know about that? What the hell were the other guild members thinking?


    Wasn¡¯t it clear that he was being held in custody? He was being watched and suppressed.


    In the past, Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung had been living his life alone. It wasn¡¯t unreasonable to doubt the guild members who he used to trust and follow.


    Did Jung Hayan, who introduced herself as his fiance, know about the room? Perhaps she was a coborator.


    I wanted to trust Cho Hyejin, but the cage seemed to tell me not to trust anyone rted to the Blue.


    The most impressive thing was his reaction.


    ¡°It was a ce that the guild had provided for me. There are many inconveniences¡­ and I haven¡¯t been around here for long.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too wide for me to use¡­ Anyway, you¡¯d better go outside instead of doing this here, haha¡­¡±


    ¡®He¡¯s not conscious of it.¡¯


    It seemed that he waspletely unaware of what was wrong and what the problem was.


    ¡®He¡¯s not stupid.¡¯


    He wasn¡¯t so foolish as to not realize that.


    He didn¡¯t even take care of himself and just cared for others. The unconditional sacrifice was enough to call him a fool¡­ But he was by no means foolish.


    Lee Kiyoung should¡¯ve thought about what was wrong a long time ago. He would¡¯ve already realized what he was being treated like.


    Maybe¡­ maybe he was brainwashed by some magical means. And losing his memory was also a side effect.


    I thought of that possibility, but I had to shake my head.


    I had never heard of such perfect brainwashing magic. Not only was the probability small, but it wasn¡¯t a good method for Kim Hyunsung.


    He wanted his brother to act with free will. He wasn¡¯t trying to make a puppet.


    Slowly and naturally, Lee Kiyoung tried to paint the pure white paper with a dirty color.


    ¡®Petty little bastard. He can be chewed up and spat out.¡¯


    ¡°Are you alright, Raphael?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m alright, Hyung.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t look too good. Why don¡¯t you go in and rest?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll stay¡­ I¡¯ll stay together with you.¡±


    ¡°You can always tell me if you feel ufortable.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not ufortable at all. Not at all.¡±


    ¡®I can¡¯t leave them alone.¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Then we¡¯d better get moving, Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The Blue Guild Master¡¯s eyes, which had always been cold, were already armed with kindness, giving him a bright smile.


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s pretentious appearance, which I had never seen before, was so different that it was like he was wearing a perfect mask.


    If that demon didn¡¯t brainwash Hyung using artificial methods such as magic or drugs, maybe he had strengthened his grip on Lee Kiyoung through other methods.


    He was constantly shaking his ego¡­ Maybe he didn¡¯t allow himself to make a proper judgment.


    In the end, it seemed safe to think that they were leading Hyung to a catastrophe.


    Shameful and vile acts must¡¯ve beenmitted in the shadows, all to manipte Lee Kiyoung. If one thought about the fact that they¡¯d been together since the Tutorial Dungeon, it would make even more sense.


    In dire situations, having a strong force was enough to exert influence on others.


    Hyunsung continued to create a situation in which Hyung had no choice but to lean on him, and as a result, he gained perfect confidence.


    Everything was exactly as he intended.


    It was embarrassing to see why they hadn¡¯t noticed it, and the circumstances were overflowing.


    ¡®There are so many things I can¡¯t exin.¡¯


    Looking back on Kim Hyunsung¡¯s past track record, most of them hadn¡¯t been recorded properly.


    Even during the Revolution¡­ or during the Laos crisis¡­ or when the Devil Worshipper Ito Souta incident broke out¡­


    ¡®He wasn¡¯t there.¡¯


    He arrived at his seatte.


    What he was doing and how he was doing at that time, everything had beenpletely covered up.


    I doubted if he was really the devil who was shaking the continent, but how could I deny it while looking at the most obvious circumstances?


    ¡®What am I supposed to do?¡¯


    What should¡­


    ¡®I can save Hyung, right?¡¯


    How could I get him out of that guy¡¯s hand?


    Could I seed if I hit aimed for his neck at that moment? Could I beat him?


    I thought of many possibilities, but many things were impossible to judge. There was no way to beat that monster at the moment.


    Even if I were lucky enough for him to let his guard down, my neck would be sliced apart first before I could unsheathe my sword. Kim Hyunsung was incredibly strong.


    ¡®The way to persuade Hyung is¡­¡¯


    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to prepare this much¡­Thank you, Hyunsung.¡±


    ¡®It can¡¯t be.¡¯


    When I saw Hyung smiling so brightly, I had no choice but to think that the second method wasn¡¯t right.


    ¡®It can¡¯t be¡­¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t find any doubt¡­ It was a smile that I hadn¡¯t even seen before.


    It was highly likely that nobody would listen to me listen if I tried to expose what kind of human Kim Hyunsung was.


    Hyung would probably say that the Guild Master wasn¡¯t that kind of person.


    ¡°The guild members seemed to have put some effort into it.¡±


    How many people had been deceived by his false appearance?


    ¡°First of all, thank you. Raphael, please eat.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Hyung.¡±


    A sumptuous dinner over at arge table.


    ¡®That dirty bastard.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t Hyung but Kim Hyunsung that was living a luxurious life with numerous goods from all continents.


    It wasn¡¯t Hyung who used power and honor to control the people around him.


    ¡®If only I had the power¡­¡¯


    If I had the strength to fight¡­


    That kind of thought kepting into my head, and I was stuck around it.


    ¡®I have to¡­ build up my strength. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll get a chance if I wait. I¡¯m sure I will.¡¯


    But how long did I need to wait? Things would get worse over time.


    Hyung would fall deeper into the darkness, and Hyunsung¡¯s influence would grow.


    ¡®We have to run away. We have to get out of here.¡¯


    Currently, the extent to which one could choose was limited, but even that wasn¡¯t easy.


    ¡°So¡­ do you like it, Raphael?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ yes, Hyung.¡±


    ¡®Will he follow me? No, do I deserve to save that man? I¡¯m the biggest sinner in the world.¡¯


    ¡°You had a hard time training today, too. You must be exhausted¡­ I¡¯m d that you¡¯re enduring it well. The same goes for Hyunsung. I¡¯m saying this for no reason, but I hope you two get along well. I don¡¯t think it would be bad to have this kind of time often. I think it would be beneficial to call the blue guild members.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°More than anything else, it¡¯s very refreshing to see Raphaeling to the guild himself. I would like it if youe with me when I go back to the guild after work. Isn¡¯t that right, Hyunsung?¡±


    Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t answer. I heard a thud outside while they were having a useless conversation.


    ¡°Excuse me, Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°Come on in.¡±


    ¡°Park Yeon-joo from the ck Swan contacted me urgently and told me that she has something important to discuss.¡±


    ¡°Today I¡¯m¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but she said it was really urgent¡­¡±


    ¡°Please tell her I¡¯ll be in touch with her in a few minutes.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s alright, Hyunsung. You can tend to it.¡±


    ¡°Whoo¡­¡±


    ¡°She said it wouldn¡¯t take long. I think she just called you to confirm some business-rted matters. You should go.¡±


    ¡°If you say so¡­ Excuse me for a moment.¡±


    He reluctantly stood up from his seat.


    ¡®Is this my chance?¡¯


    Before long, my mouth opened without realizing it. It was because I thought I had to know what Hyung exactly thought of Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡°Hyung¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°What kind of person is the Blue Guild Master?¡±


    ¡°What? All of a sudden¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just curious about what you think of him since I don¡¯t know him very well¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a man of strong will, a man of greatness both in appearance and personality.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe when you be closer to him, you¡¯ll soon realize that he¡¯s not what he appears to be. He looks strong, but he is also weak. He¡¯s also a person who¡¯s under the weight of responsibility. He also likes random jokes that areme. I¡¯m very, very fortunate to have met him, and I¡¯m d I could work with him. He¡¯s a reliable person.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s my precious friend.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    It looked like it would be impossible to persuade him with words.

 Chapter 629: Continent’s Real Darkness (5)

    <h4>Chapter 629: Continent¡¯s Real Darkness (5)</h4>


    I had a lot to say, but my words wouldn¡¯t be able to do much. In fact, it wasn¡¯t natural to question what kind of person Kim Hyunsung was.


    When the Blue Guild was still developing, they had been introduced to several powerful people, but it was different.


    He asked apletely different and more implicated question than before.


    What Raphael was asking was what kind of human Kim Hyunsung was like. I thought about it for a moment, but I didn¡¯t think it was a bad answer overall.


    It might¡¯ve been because of the first round, but although he sometimes looked cold, he was actually affectionate and warm. Just listening to the first part of the story I heard from Kim Hyunsung, anyone could quickly answer what kind of person he was.


    It was reasonable to think that 22-year-old Kim Hyunsung was a real person.


    Although he had changed a lot over the years, human beings¡¯ innate nature didn¡¯t change so easily. Even though he had be strong, he was still scared, cherished human rtionships, and tried to fulfill his responsibilities for the given tasks.


    He was stupidly tactless, and he didn¡¯t hesitate to take a step toward what he believed in.


    It was also a good thing that we met. I said that Hyunsung was a trustworthy person, and it felt like he was warming up while talking.


    ¡®Oh, my Hyunsung. What would I have done without you¡­¡¯


    Just thinking about what it would have been like if I hadn¡¯t met him during the tutorial dungeon made me dizzy. I never would¡¯ve reached so far.


    It was no exaggeration to say that the best thing I did sinceing to the continent was meeting Kim Hyunsung. When I saw the luxurious dinner in front of me, I felt like I was being rewarded for the rtionship I had been raising, thinking that it was gold.


    Of course, Raphael was acting timid, but the corners of his mouth went up.


    Honestly, it was hard to hide my expression in a situation where I kept smirking.


    ¡®You don¡¯t know how hard I¡¯ve worked, really¡­¡¯


    In the past, I did everything I could to heal the frozen heart of our lovely regressor, who was backstabbed in the past.


    The efforts, years, and hard work that I put into getting a confession to dispel my doubts had finally been rewarded.


    If I had a single mistake in the middle, I could bet that I wouldn¡¯t be able to build the rtionship to what it currently was.


    ¡°As time goes by, you¡¯ll begin to understand. You definitely will.¡±


    ¡®He can be a little shy, but I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll know when you approach Hyunsung gently. To be honest, you won¡¯t be as close to him as I am. No, it¡¯s impossible, but still, you should try to get along. It will be more helpful for you. He¡¯s not the type to approach first. If you stick to him a little more actively, he¡¯ll warm up to you, and he¡¯ll realize your true worth.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what kind of person the Blue Guild Master is. I¡¯m not sure if my thoughts are right.¡±


    ¡®You must have suffered a lot from him.¡¯


    ¡°When you train, you get a little more sensitive, and you often misunderstand things. Of course, I¡¯ve done that before. But it¡¯s all for you, Raphael. I¡¯m sure Hyunsung wants you to be stronger than anyone else.¡±


    The stronger he became, the more helpful he would be in realizing the dream we had in the first round.


    No wonder he felt anxious. I was like that at first, too. It was so bad that I worried that Kim Hyunsung would slit my throat.


    ¡°Maybe¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Maybe Kim Hyunsung isn¡¯t¡­ The person you¡¯re thinking of¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°No, nothing¡­ It¡¯s nothing. Now you¡¯re feeling better, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course. It doesn¡¯t matter. I just copsed because I was tired.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already heard from Hyejin that it¡¯s not because you¡¯re tired.¡±


    ¡°Haha¡­¡±


    ¡°But are you really alright?¡±


    ¡°It happens often, so you don¡¯t have to pay much attention to it. It¡¯s not as serious as you think it is.¡±


    ¡°I never thought you would be in such a situation¡­¡±


    ¡®I don¡¯t want to talk about this right now¡­¡¯


    Since Kim Hyunsung was outside, who knew how the words would leak out?


    From the time I felt a strange sensation, I used magic to prevent our voice from leaving the room, but that alone could raise suspicions.


    ¡°If the symptoms get a little worse, it¡¯s natural to worry, but there¡¯s no reason to take it seriously at the moment. On the contrary, I¡¯m sorry. I think that must¡¯ve shocked you. I heard from Park Li-ahn that you were confused.¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Thanks to me, all of your reservations were canceled, and your appointments seemed to have been ruined. I truly apologize. I¡¯ve caused you a lot of trouble.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to say that. I¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really not a big deal. I¡¯m healthy. I¡¯d rather talk about Raphael than myself, though. Have you ovee all your worries? Not long ago, you didn¡¯t seem to be able to concentrate, but you seem different today. Hyunsung is just too strong, but you were very impressive in the recent training¡­¡±


    I already knew, but I still asked.


    He was no longer afraid of anything. Realizing that Light Kiyoung was suffering from a chronic disease, he decided and vowed to face his fate.


    Of course, I thought a positive answer woulde out.


    However, his reply was ridiculous and unexpected.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure either. I¡¯m just moving my body thinking I shouldn¡¯t be like this¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°What do you think¡­ About running away?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a little out of the blue, but you can go where nobody is and wait for this crisis to pass¡­ What do you think? Why don¡¯t you live in a ce where you¡¯d have peace?¡±


    ¡®You punk, what are you talking about? Why didn¡¯t I throw everything away and left? You¡¯re still sane, right?¡¯


    I had no choice but to cut it short. ¡°We don¡¯t have that option.¡±


    Of course, there was no such option.


    If the war was on the verge of being pushed back and the entire continent was about to copsepletely, people would most likelymit such cowardly acts, but we had to resist as much as we could first.


    Raphael looked worried as if he were thinking about something else, but like Cho Hyejin, he seemed to be worried about my memory loss. He also seemed to be thinking that the condition might get worse after some time.


    I didn¡¯t make a frightened face. Rather, I showed him my determination to resist.


    ¡°I understand. It¡¯s natural to be confused, it¡¯s natural to be afraid. I was the same as you before. I was scared. I know what Raphael, who was living normally, had in mind and how much he thought. He¡¯s confused by a lot of problems.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°But you don¡¯t have to worry too much. What you¡¯re thinking of won¡¯t happen, and the continent will get out of this crisis without a hitch. I¡¯m certain of that.¡±


    ¡°What about you? What would happen to you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the same for me. I¡¯ll be able to get back to a normal life. I¡¯lle back here and spend time with the people I love.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You must be nervous. It¡¯s okay to think about whether you¡¯ll do well, whether you¡¯ll be able to fulfill your mission, or if you¡¯ll meet an unexpected ident, but you should trust yourself a little bit more.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a strong individual. I¡¯m sure the Holy Sword would agree with me. If you weren¡¯t, then it wouldn¡¯t have chosen you.¡±


    ¡°The Holy Sword ¡­ Why did it choose¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m certain there¡¯s a reason why it chose you.¡±


    I said that with the intention of shaking everything off and getting up, and Raphael nodded in reply.


    ¡°Thank you, Hyung.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡±


    ¡°I was being too childish.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s something anyone would think of at least once.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about anything else now.¡±


    ¡®Really? You sure about that?¡¯


    ¡°I must¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I must protect you, Hyung.¡±


    ¡®He¡¯se to his senses.¡¯


    It was a little strange that the target of his protection wasn¡¯t the continent. Still, he seemed to have solved all of his problems.


    Protecting me was the same as protecting the continent. At least there was no shaking in his eyes. There was even an oddly bizarre desire in it.


    I expected the medicine to be good, but I didn¡¯t think the effect would be so dramatic.


    I unknowingly gave him a cozy smile.


    ¡°Yes, then I¡¯ll leave my back to you, Raphael.¡±


    ¡®This bastard is done.¡¯


    Everything was over. I thought it would be okay to concentrate more on the angels by that time.


    Of course, I should avoid ending it altogether, but I didn¡¯t have to treat it as a treasure. Wouldn¡¯t it be best to stop by only once a few days to adjust his condition?


    Of course, watching his growth as a yer was one of the most important aspects of my n.


    ¡®Tactic Raphael¡­¡¯


    The name I couldn¡¯t let go of, Tactic Raphael.


    Honestly, I couldn¡¯t help but feel skeptical, but if he could meet my expectations for even just a few hours, we would have a huge advantage.


    It would also reduce the burden on Kim Hyunsung and allow him time to rest.


    I couldn¡¯t deny that he was going to be strong, anyway.


    The pace of his growth so far had been disappointing but considering that it had only been three days since he returned to his senses, it wasn¡¯t enough to say that it was abnormally fast.


    It was no exaggeration to say that he was already out of the ordinary adventurers¡¯ league.


    What wascking was his experience.


    ¡®But that¡¯s not extremely necessary for Tactic Raphael¡­¡¯


    However, the fact that he needed experience was undeniable no matter how I looked at it.


    After all, if I wanted to use him, he had to have hands-on experience.


    I made a proper judgment and nodded.


    ¡°I know it¡¯s sudden, but why don¡¯t you go to a dungeon for now?¡±


    ¡°A dungeon?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re still doing great, but youck experience in the field¡­ As I said, you¡¯re doing great, so you don¡¯t have to worry too much, but I¡¯m sure that would help you.¡±


    ¡°Are youing with me?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m running out of time, but¡­¡±


    ¡®I think a few visits would be fine¡­¡¯


    Actually, it would be more helpful for me to go together with me. If I gave directions and acted as the tactician, Raphael¡¯s experience would build up faster.


    I didn¡¯t think it¡¯d be bad to see his face lighten up a little.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I can¡¯t go with you every time, but¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go, then. I want to do everything I can.¡±


    For the time being, I had no choice but to nod.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll be stronger than you are right now.¡±

 Chapter 630: Continent’s Real Darkness (6)

    <h4>Chapter 630: Continent¡¯s Real Darkness (6)</h4>


    Raphael had definitely changed.


    I was worried that his resolution would falter in three days, but his crazy concentration on training proved that I didn¡¯t make the wrong choice.


    His growth rate was unrivaled.


    ¡®Hey, isn¡¯t he getting stronger too fast?¡¯


    It was much faster than expected. Of course, Raphael was undeniably in the prime of his career, but he showed an incredible growth rate, even considering that.


    Even Cha Hee-ra couldn¡¯t help but click her tongue.


    Kim Hyunsung had high standards and still didn¡¯t seem to like him, but I thought it was inevitable. His style was far from his, after all.


    Raphael wasn¡¯t born with a talent for swordsmanship like Hyunsung.


    Of course, if other third-rate swordsmen had heard that, they would have bitten their tongues and jumped into the mirrorke, but the reality was that he was too disappointing to even be considered top-ss.


    Based on the huge mana he received from the gray-colored sword, his position could be described as a position simr to a close-range and medium-range hybrid or a knight.


    Since his abilities revolved around that mana, it was ambiguous to call him a swordsman, but it was undeniable that he had a wide range of uses. Even recently, after learning advanced mana operational knowledge, he had concluded how he could be stronger.


    To maximize his strengths, we decided to invest a little more in the knowledge of advanced magic operations.


    I was worried about the importance of growing in a bnced manner, but he seemed to be determined to take care of his shoringster and focus on bing more powerful for the time being.


    As a result, his durability stat became embarrassingly low for an avant-garde¡­


    ¡®You can use the gray light to increase your defensive capability. It should fill up yourck of physical endurance. Even though many stats arecking, I don¡¯t think this choice is wrong. We should proceed with this.¡¯


    Cha Hee-ra¡¯s thoughts about it weren¡¯t negative. The same went for Park Yeon-joo.


    ¡®I think he¡¯ll be difficult for me to deal with.¡¯


    Her most daunting opponent as an assassin were holy knights or warriors, and judging him to that extent was proof that Raphael was bing stronger.


    If he had grown at a normal pace, she wouldn¡¯t have used that expression.


    As things went on like that, I couldn¡¯t help but appreciate the Holy Sword Coin, which suddenly was skyrocketing. I even thought his growth was faster than Jung Hayan during her heyday.


    The problem was that even if I tried to let him go and focus on other things, he couldn¡¯t.


    Parents could do nothing in a situation where their child was praised as a genius because they weren¡¯t good enough to win first ce in school. Considering that many people quit their jobs and took care of their children, their behavior didn¡¯t feel that strange.


    ¡°So¡­ you want to concentrate here for a while? What about the Angels?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to abandon that projectpletely. Even right at this moment, Han Sora and Hayan are doing great work in making the rest of the Named Angels. I don¡¯t know if I can fill all the supplies, but I think I can make it somewhat work out.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that, but you¡¯re speaking so confidently. You must be so sure. You don¡¯t even need a fairy, do you, Oppa?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I need one right now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s too bad.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a shame. I was expecting that you¡¯d feel a bit different about it. There¡¯s been a lot of stresstely. Since we¡¯re so drained, don¡¯t you think it would be okay to switch roles with each other? These unique activities are the condiments that make you endure a long rtionship. Oh, I¡¯m not saying I¡¯m tired of you, so don¡¯t get me wrong. It¡¯s just that I want to try something new¡­¡±


    ¡®What¡¯s wrong with you, Noona? Your eyes look scary¡­¡¯


    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous. Once it¡¯s changed, it¡¯llst at least three days, and I don¡¯t have that luxury. There are a lot of things that mighte up.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll hold you to it for now. We¡¯ll probably do it someday.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh! Come to think of it, how¡¯s Tactic Raphael? Didn¡¯t you say you were going to try him out?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    Even though I only tried the strategy in practice situations, it wasn¡¯t that satisfactory.


    Raphael looked very surprised and excited, but the problem was that I keptparing him with Tactic Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡®How was it for you? I thought it was perfect. Was it okay?¡¯


    ¡®Yes, me too¡­ I think it was okay.¡¯


    ¡®You¡¯re amazing. You¡¯re really¡­ great.¡¯


    ¡°Raphael as well, yes¡­¡¯


    That was what I told him, but it wasn¡¯t enough. It was painful to list the differences between him and Kim Hyunsung.


    Considering that his stats were subpar, there were so many disadvantages.


    As I thought before, he couldn¡¯t make up for hisck of experience. The engine itself wasn¡¯t bad, but everything else wascking.


    The steering wheel was stiff, and the fuel consumption wasn¡¯t good. Whenever I drove over a speed bump, I would feel rattled, and I didn¡¯t like gear change speed.


    His power to push forward was the only praiseworthy factor.


    ¡®How can efficiency be achieved if we only utilize brute strength?¡¯


    If Raphael were put into Kim Hyunsung¡¯s position during the Republican War, he would¡¯ve been exhausted himself in less than 10 minutes.


    That was because Kim Hyunsung¡¯s roots were different from him. Raphael had to gather more experience and eliminate his deficiencies.


    As if she realized that my expression wasn¡¯t that bright, Lee Jihye spoke quietly.


    ¡°You don¡¯t look satisfied.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, actually, it¡¯s a little weird to be judging him at this point. The speed he processes and executes my orders is too slow. There are a lot more issues other than that, but I don¡¯t need to list them. He¡¯s developing well, but I don¡¯t know if I can use him in the way I want. I told Hyunsung about it, but I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a clear solution. I guess there¡¯s nothing I can do except to increase the intensity of his training.¡±


    ¡°Well, do you really need to be nervous already? It¡¯s not good to expect too much from someone who just recently got momentum. Isn¡¯t that why you asked me to get you a good dungeon?¡±


    ¡°If I want to use him like I use Hyunsung, he¡¯ll need experience. Have you already prepared the dungeon?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s going to work. I¡¯ve picked out some dungeons for sale. Maybe they¡¯ll satisfy you enough¡­¡±


    ¡°Well done, Noona. You¡¯ve sorted out the list for Raphael, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I sent it a few days ago, as you instructed. Are you leaving everything to him?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the best way for him to learn. We can¡¯t treat him the same way as normal rookies¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°I feel sorry for the other rookies, but they¡¯re doing a nomissioned officer¡¯s course. Raphael won¡¯t just be an officer. He¡¯s going to be an officer from a military academy, and he¡¯s responsible for the Northwest. Do you think I shouldn¡¯t have him trained that much? That¡¯s why we have to consider everything from the selection of dungeons to the target. Even if he fails, he still needs to try.¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re not wrong.¡±


    ¡°He has to figure out how to make his own party. If he puts what he learned so far in his head, he won¡¯t fail.¡±


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s true. I don¡¯t know because I¡¯ve never run around this kind of field, but he indeed has to face his own trials. We can¡¯t babysit him forever. It¡¯s certainly unusual to go into a heroic-grade dungeon from the Tutorial Dungeon, though¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll probably go well.¡±


    He would be able to raid it without a hitch.


    Based on his current specification, he would need to clear a heroic-grade dungeon first.


    It was then that the Goddess¡¯s Mirror rang. Ignoring Jung Hayan¡¯s message, which umted to about 200, I checked Raphael¡¯s message.


    [Hyung, I¡¯ve picked a new member. We¡¯re all set. I¡¯ll be right back. I¡¯ll send you more information after I get back. I roughly arranged some of it in the file below, so please check it out. I¡¯ll head off then. You have to take good care of yourself. I¡¯ll be back as soon as possible.]


    Short andpact, even fast in action.


    ¡®Huh, is he gonna be alright?¡¯


    I thought it would be a good idea to send him to a heroic-ss dungeon alone, but he was told to take care of everything. Still, when I considered that there was no guardian, I felt like I was looking at a child who was on the water¡¯s edge.


    His stats weren¡¯t bad, and I judged that his level was enough to clear the dungeon quickly¡­ But since it¡¯s a dungeon raid, nobody could know what¡¯s going to happen.


    If he didn¡¯t have a stroke of good luck, the party could be wiped out, and the child, whom I raised, could be a Dungeon orphan.


    Lee Jihye had said everything would be fine, but she still felt anxious since she invested a lot. That feeling went away exactly three dayster, however.


    As if my worries were nothing but groundless, he managed to clear a dungeon with ease.


    ¡°That¡¯s normal. I mean, Raphael is the chosen warrior.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    I even thought the video I watched wasn¡¯t that bad.


    His party members were unbelievably good, and even the way they dealt with the Dungeon Boss was perfect. Of course, it was impossible to say that there was no crisis at all, but I could tell that he was familiar with what he had to do.


    A week, two days, a month, then two months passed.


    My routine was simple, and the same went for Raphael¡¯s. He was constantly clearing dungeons as if his growth gained even more momentum, and in the meantime, he seemed to have established his ownwork.


    I thought it was time for him to find a good partner, so Kim Hyunsung and I led some of the first-round war heroes who were secretly hoping to support Raphael, and that was how the Holy Sword Party was created.


    He had grown so much that I could say that he had be a great adventurer with pride.


    It was also beneficial to me since I could concentrate on my work whenever he went to a dungeon or a front full of monsters. At that time, Raphael told me that he wanted to make an appointment, and of course, I epted his offer.


    Of course, there was opposition from Kim Hyunsung. Still, Cho Hyejin and Park Li-ahn were able to get tickets to the dungeon without difficulty on the condition that he apanied them.


    ¡®I¡¯m nervous for some reason. I don¡¯t feel good about this. I¡¯ll have to go with you too.¡¯


    Unlike Kim Hyunsung¡¯s worries, the dungeon waspleted in a very simple way.


    Although he didn¡¯t say much after a few more trips, Kim Hyunsung still seemed to feel ufortable. I thought he might not have caught something that Kim Hyunsung did, so I looked at Raphael a little more, but nothing was detected.


    The way he looked was still full of goodwill, and he had an image of an honor student who listened intently.


    Why would they doubt him, him who burst into tears in the first ce?


    When I grabbed my head for a test, he dropped tears like chicken poo and held my hand, praying sincerely to Benignore.


    All the dirty devil contractors seemed to have been removed, so there weren¡¯t any idents.


    ¡°Are you getting ready?¡±


    ¡°I already am, Hyung. Are you going with Cho Hyejin and Park Li-ahn today?¡±


    ¡°Maybe we¡¯ll go together. You don¡¯t have to worry too much. I think most of us will just be watching likest time. We won¡¯t participate in the fight itself. Of course, I want to, but¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure the Blue Guild Master wouldn¡¯t let you.¡±


    ¡°Haha¡­¡±


    ¡°But going to the dungeon with Hyung is still helpful to me. I can bear that much. Then, shall we leave?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve got a lot of spirit in you today.¡¯


    He looked more nervous than usual, but that was natural, considering the evaluation of his recent dungeon trip wasn¡¯t that good.

 Chapter 631: The Queen’s Tomb (1)

    <h4>Chapter 631: The Queen¡¯s Tomb (1)</h4>


    ¡®It definitely felt a little off.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t fail to attack the dungeon. Although the mission itself was a sess, the problem was that the process had been poor.


    There was nothing bothersome about Raphael¡¯s training video, and before the current circumstances happened, his performance was good enough to deserve at least 3.8 out of 5 points.


    Naturally, I had been rooting for Raphael as if he were my own son, who brought the school¡¯s top-grade report card with him.


    It was in the previous dungeon that he went downhill. In fact, there were already some problems before that.


    There were definitely some slipups, but the results were good overall, so there was no need for me to say anything to him.


    If one thought they weren¡¯t strong enough to do what they could ovee themselves, they would inevitably make mistakes as well. Likewise, the part that kept bothering me came up eventually.


    Simply put, I even thought about whether my child had a mental problem. It was only natural to pay attention to the person who always received the school¡¯s top grades.


    Of course, it was admittedly a difficult dungeon.


    Legendary-grade Dungeon, ck Heart Wreck.


    The ce was certainly difficult to target. It had a huge ship as the main stage, making it hard to fight against monsters like mermaids and pirate captains who served as boss monsters.


    Some of the locations in the dungeon were secretly submerged or had a scarcity of oxygen, and the flooded floor had prevented bodies from moving properly.


    Although Raphael¡¯s party members pushed and seeded in raiding it, considering that most of them were forced to retire before the boss match, it was entirely close to failing.


    Their average stats were excellent, but they were only sessful in individual battles.


    ¡®This is a mess.¡¯


    The problem was that they couldn¡¯t unify themselves due to their excellent characteristics and individuality, and above all, Raphael didn¡¯t serve as the center point.


    ¡®Their ability to cope with sudden situations is too poor¡­¡¯


    They had a lot of aspects they needed to improve on in many ways. It wasn¡¯t much, but that was the report of Lee Kiyoung¡¯s dungeon team that day.


    ¡°You¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°I look forward to your kind cooperation today.¡±


    ¡°I look forward to your kind cooperation, too.¡±


    ¡°I look forward to your kind cooperation, sir.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while since Ist saw you.¡±


    As I turned my head slightly, the faces of Raphael¡¯s party members became visible.


    Actually, they weren¡¯t unfamiliar faces. I had already entered a simple dungeon with them before, and most of all, I was secretly supporting them.


    I picked out some of the heroes from the first round that had spread across the continent and connected them to Rafael.


    Some had to be connected intentionally, while some established a rtionship with each other naturally.


    When I looked sideways, I saw a woman looking at Raphael.


    Marien was called the Miracle Priest right after the First Continental War. She was an adventurer summoned from the European side and one of those who lived far from danger as an ordinary person.


    After settling in a small vige that people couldn¡¯t easily reach, she took care of children, but she had lost everything she loved to the enemy who suddenly appeared that time.


    After that, she applied as abat priest and moved around the battlefield, but that was her story in the first round. Oh, and she died miserably due to the masked trash as well.


    In the second round, she hadn¡¯t lost the vige she settled in.


    Instead, the undead came upon her vige by ident, and her awakening happened a little earlier. Although the vige was almostpletely swept away, she sessfully awakened. Sheter met Raphael while thinking about how she could use her power.


    Wouldn¡¯t she be perfect for a warrior who was just going on an adventure and going on a trip?


    ¡®She¡¯s pretty good, too.¡¯


    I liked the second member as well.


    The hunting dog, Lee Ju-hyuk.


    As the name suggested, he was Korean.


    To categorize his role, he filled a simr position as Kim Chang-ryul of our team.


    Kim Hyunsung of the first round also had a strong sense of spite, and the anecdote where he bit his opponents¡¯ wings with his mouth during the war with angels was very famous.


    In recognition of his contribution to the battlefield, he became the Allied Forces Head, but that was also the story of his life during the first round.


    In the second round, he started not as a mercenary, but as Raphael¡¯s friend.


    I was worried that the experience he gained through the tough mercenary life would go away, but he currently showed even better potential, almost as if he had let go of his worries.


    His personality was no longer something he acquired, but something innate.


    Wouldn¡¯t it cause a positive effect if Raphael felt a strange sense of rivalry?


    Oh, he also died at the hands of the masked trash. That was how he earned his nickname. He was known to have met his end by being eaten by animals.


    Of course, there were other good people besides those two.


    The wizard of tragedy, one of the pirs of war and had promising talent, was killed by being branded as a traitor after being tempted by the masked trash.


    He was one of the most famous adventurers, but he was used of being involved in a group¡¯s live burial incidentmitted by the masked trash. The assassin next to him was also buried alive on the same day and died with numerous prisoners.


    He also lost the battle against that scum, bing a puppet, and was used to fight around the battlefield.


    ¡®He was really heartbroken.¡¯


    Didn¡¯t he say he killed his colleagues with his own hands?


    Although everyone¡¯s end wasn¡¯t that peaceful since they died while the world was ending, it was undeniable that they had once made a name for themselves.


    If the masked trash was still alive, I thought the chosen warrior¡¯s party in front of me couldn¡¯t have been created.


    They would¡¯ve been scattered or yed by his dirty tricks.


    Just thinking about what I heard from Kim Hyunsung, my hands started shaking.


    Cho Hyejin, who was with him in the current timeline, also lost her life in the hands of masked trash.


    Although it was already over, it was impossible to forget such a thing. That aside, Raphael¡¯s expression towards his party looked so warm.


    I didn¡¯t think it¡¯s been that long since they met, but it must¡¯ve been enough time to be friends.


    Since I was a well-attached person, I naturally stood out at the center.


    No wonder I was the first one to move. I was the guardian of the party, after all. Rather than taking the lead openly, I thought it would be a better choice to observe first.


    ¡®Actually, it¡¯s embarrassing to be called his guardian.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know about the other way around, but I didn¡¯t have the ability to protect Raphael.


    It would be a different story if I were Doom Kiyoung, but it was more urate to say that I was the one in a protected position in my current form. My goal was to tell how the party¡¯s position would feel under the direction of a captain who yed as a power analyst, a coach, or directly in the field.


    For example¡­


    ¡®I need to gauge their experience.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that it was the quickest way to determine the party¡¯s experience and share my experience with them.


    ¡®It¡¯s all in my head.¡¯


    I had to teach some of what I had learned into the party members¡¯ bodies and Raphael¡¯s head.


    It was not that Kim Hyunsung wasn¡¯t the one giving the order because he couldn¡¯t.


    In fact, in the early days of the Blue party, Kim Hyunsung led the party himself. Of course, he understood tactics better than anyone else, but he trusted me and admitted that I was excellent.


    Even Cha Hee-ra was the same.


    Right before going crazy, she led the Red Mercenary herself, and Yuno Kasugano wasn¡¯t that different either.


    In a way, it wasn¡¯t unreasonable to think that it was an essential virtue. The freedom of my movements relied on my knowledge and experience.


    Anyone who had taken up arms on the continent couldn¡¯t contradict that.


    The priorities of Raphael¡¯s party had to be experience, time, and knowledge.


    ¡®Hyung, you¡¯re known for these things.¡¯


    He was ready to experience a new world.


    It had been a while since I fought in the frontlines, but my Mind¡¯s Eyes wasn¡¯t going anywhere.


    When I nodded to signal that he could start, Raphael¡¯s mouth immediately opened.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Today¡¯s dungeon is a legendary-grade dungeon, the Queen¡¯s Tomb.¡±


    ¡®Yes, yes.¡¯


    ¡°Detailed information is not avable, as is the case with most legendary dungeons, but the starting point is supposed to be inside the Queen¡¯s Tomb, and there is a possibility of small orrge battles going on inside the basement. Jin-hyung¡­ I think it would be better for you to scout it out and provide us more details after the first battle. After that, we¡¯ll head onwards.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be a little more serious today.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s obvious why.¡±


    ¡°This is useless chit-chat¡­ Please control yourself.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡®They¡¯re getting along pretty well.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t to tease him, but to rx him.


    ¡®Although Raphael is the leader¡­¡¯


    He had the least experience.


    Cho Hyejin, who was with us as a personal escort, had simr thoughts about him. They didn¡¯t talk, but I could see that the party looked pretty good.


    The party itself was pretty bnced. I was a little worried about the rearguard, but it was something Raphael could help with.


    I was certain of it.


    ¡®Well done.¡¯


    I felt as if he had organized a party where he could y his part the most.


    They probably wouldn¡¯t be able to run smoothly without him. He served as the bridge connecting the front guards and the rearguard while also filling theirck of firepower.


    It¡¯s a different charm from the Blue party. They couldn¡¯tpare to our group, but they seemed like a good squad to y with for a while.


    After observing the party members¡¯ detailed steps, abilities, personal tendencies, and items, I began to appreciate them.


    Of course, I was looking at Cho Hyejin with the most difficult expression. My legs were already hurting because I had been carrying heavy loads for too long.


    She felt a little sorry, but as I gasped as if I was having a hard time, her expression changed as if to say, ¡°That punk is acting up again.¡±


    Only when I frowned as if I had a headache did Cho Hyejin started showing her concern.


    ¡°Give me what you¡¯re holding.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s okay, Hyejin. I can carry it by myself.¡±


    ¡°Stop arguing with me and just hand it over quickly. I can carry that. I won¡¯t participate in the battles anyway, so I don¡¯t mind holding a bag.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡±


    ¡°You were looking at me for help, weren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t necessarily¡­¡±


    ¡°Hurry up and hand it over.¡±


    ¡°If you say so¡­¡±


    I finally felt a little relieved. We arrived at the dungeon with good timing.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll go in right away.¡±


    [You have entered the Legendary-grade dungeon, the Queen¡¯s Tomb. Number entrants: 9/10.]


    That was the first time in a while that I had seen that.

 Chapter 632: The Queen’s Tomb (2)

    <h4>Chapter 632: The Queen¡¯s Tomb (2)</h4>


    ¡®I think we¡¯re already in the dungeon.¡¯


    After watching the surroundingndscape change instantly, I knew that I had entered it. Before my eyes were the interior of a tomb, and I registered it as the starting point.


    Seeing that there were no monsters visible, it wasn¡¯t the type where enemies would start charging at the adventurers right at the entrance.


    As one could decipher from the Queen¡¯s Tomb¡¯s name itself, the deeper I went, the more likely I would face the Guardian or monsters guarding the tomb.


    Since I was the fourth-grade manager of the Museum, I could see through the dungeon easily.


    Of course, it was still too early to make a decision, but to give a rough review¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s not too bad.¡¯


    Unlike thest shipwreck the Holy Sword Party had visited, the current dungeon seemed to be amon configuration on the continent.


    It went without saying that everyone there liked it. The main problem with dungeons was their gimmicks, which tired out people more than the battle against monsters itself.


    Using the heroic-ss dungeon and the cursed shrine would make my point easier to understand and visualize. The monsters themselves weren¡¯t that difficult, but their home¡¯s traps and tricks had been evaluated as legendary-grade.


    I could assure anyone that it wouldn¡¯t be easy for Raphel¡¯s Party to raid the cursed shrine.


    Of course, I had a feeling that the level of difficulty increased simply because of Jung Hayan¡­


    ¡®But it won¡¯t be too difficult.¡¯


    The less experienced parties were, the more likely they would be swayed by the dungeon¡¯s unique secrets.


    Although the story had been briefly engraved elsewhere, the dungeon we were at was one of the basic kinds and usually had more monsters.


    Still, no matter how basic it was, it didn¡¯t change the fact that it was a legendary-grade. Of course, I was bound to be curious about their progress.


    The first ones that moved after entering the dungeon were a duoposed of a rogue and an archer.


    If it was the Blue party, wouldn¡¯t Kim Ye-ri and Kim Chang-ryul be sort of simr to them?


    ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything wrong, warrior. I don¡¯t see any monsters around us, and I don¡¯t see any other traps. Should I look a little further?¡±


    ¡°No, I think we¡¯d better go together. Getting too far from the main party isn¡¯t a good idea. If you see no monsters in sight, then let¡¯s consider this ce as a safe zone.¡±


    What I was worried about was Raphael, who was currently looking in my direction. He nodded slightly before continuing.


    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re doing that again.¡¯


    I saw him clearly looking at me. It felt like he was asking if he was doing well.


    Despite telling him about it before, it seemed as if he had ignored it all.


    Cho Hyejin followed me from the back since she thought it would be a distraction if she were too close. But she immediately spoke when I looked back at her.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, just looking.¡±


    ¡°Are you having a hard time walking? Should I give you a piggyback ride?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not that bad. I can still handle it, but please lend me a shoulderter if I get exhausted. Oh, of course, you can give me a piggyback ride after.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not joking. I think the size of this dungeon is quite big¡­¡±


    ¡°You can see that?¡±


    ¡°It just feels that way, doesn¡¯t it? The ceiling is high, the hall is wide and big, and it¡¯s not justposed of the Queen¡¯s tomb itself but also the city where she lived. Well, it¡¯s smaller than the Crack Museum, at least. But in museums, I don¡¯t have to walk this much¡­ Hyejin, hasn¡¯t it been a while since you¡¯ve been in a dungeon?¡±


    ¡°This is actually the first time since the Mirror Lake incident, but a ce like that can¡¯t even be called a dungeon. That aside, is it okay to be chatting with me like this?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s better to leave the whole process to Raphael anyway. I don¡¯t have anything to do except walk right now, and I can only interfere when I go near them. I didn¡¯te with you to evaluate, but I felt like I was doing that anyway¡­This distance would be perfect. In the case of an important briefing, I¡¯m sure I¡¯d have already heard about it before, so I think you¡¯d better hold back when the first battle begins. In Hyejin¡¯s eyes¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a bad party at all. Considering that it hasn¡¯t been that long, the bond between the team members seems good¡­ It feels like they¡¯re running towards one purpose. Usually, parties like that tend to rise.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a generous assessment.¡±


    ¡°I just told you what I see. The party is strong. You can¡¯t call them noobs, especially Raphael¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°If he grows a little bit more, you¡¯ll be able topare him to the eight seats of the continent. Of course, that¡¯s based on the first ones to have that title. It¡¯s hard to say he¡¯s stable, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°He can be stronger through this expedition.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t overdo yourself, Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°How could I overdo myself? It¡¯s not like I¡¯m moving my body violently. Don¡¯t worry about it. Look at that. It¡¯s magnificent and pretty, isn¡¯t it? This building is amazing.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re in a dungeon.¡±


    ¡°But we can still appreciate it. Why are people being so difficult?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m working right now. Actually, it would be better to avoid chatting like this as much as possible. I¡¯m just trying to because you look bored.¡±


    ¡°We can be a little less tense. It¡¯s tiring to live with that kind of pressure. It¡¯s not something I should say, but I just like enjoying moments like this. Hyunsung isn¡¯t even here, which means nobody here will nag even if we take it a little easier upon ourselves. Hyejin won¡¯t even participate in the battle anyway¡­¡±


    ¡°At least one person should stay alert.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes.¡±


    I felt like I needed to focus more at that moment.


    That was because the surroundingndscape changed while we were chatting and walking continuously.


    ¡®That¡¯s cool.¡¯


    The road was already wide, but it was now getting even wider, and the ceiling was bing higher as well. I thought it was the queen¡¯s city, but what I saw instead was a city for giants.


    My jaw dropped at the sight of what I could onlybel as amazing.


    I thought I had seen all kinds of scenery since I entered the continent, but that was new to me. However, the problem was that walking was so hard.


    If Park Deokgu had been with us, I could have requested to be carriedfortably, and I was hooked on such thoughts.


    We marched for four hours in peace. Eventually, some of us


    ¡®Sh*t, we¡¯re so unprepared.¡¯


    I should¡¯ve packed a carriage. Raphael also asked if it was better to take a rest.


    However, if we didn¡¯t battle first before resting, we would end up spending more time in the dungeon.


    At that moment, I saw a huge door. Looking at the huge stone statues standing on both sides of the door, I could predict how things would turn out.


    - This ce is¡­


    - The Queen¡¯s tomb.


    - Those who are unworthy¡­


    - Can¡¯t enter.


    Giant statues greeted Raphael¡¯s party with shining eyes.


    ¡®Who designed this dungeon? It¡¯s so stinky.¡¯


    The odds were low as it was a legendary dungeon, but it would be quite sad if what I witnessed was the result of the Benignore Patch 2.0.


    - Go back¡­


    - Dishonest people.


    - This is a ce where the unqualified¡­


    - Can¡¯t enter.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get ready for battle.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Focus on one of them as I take out the other one quickly.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Captain.¡±


    - Death.


    ¡°Begin.¡±


    - Death!


    The battlemenced in the blink of an eye. The wizard chanted a spell, and an ice column appeared, blocking the guardian¡¯s path.


    Soon enough, the entire ce was filled with ice columns. It wasn¡¯t a bad start at all.


    There was amon way that a lot of ordinary parties dealt with such a situation.


    The stone guards in front of us were more like regr monsters than boss monsters, but the ones that were guarding the gate to the Queen¡¯s tomb couldn¡¯t be ordinary.


    In that sense¡­


    ¡®It should be fine, but¡­¡¯


    I felt a little off while watching the scene unfold.


    ¡®Did he¡­ really need to do that?¡¯


    Raphael¡¯s party was strong. They were stronger than most parties around the continent.


    However, they didn¡¯t have to proceed that way. While they were dealing with one of the guardians, the one stuck in the ice prison broke through it and jumped out.


    While the party was in battle, the wizard chanted the spell and locked the guardian up again.


    They then concentrated their firepower on the other.


    ¡®It¡¯s inefficient.¡¯


    The magic of a wizard wasn¡¯t infinite. It wasn¡¯t easy to restore their mana, either.


    Using their mana to add up to their firepower seemed to be a better tactic to me. That party had enough ability to do that, and it wasn¡¯t unreasonable to deal with the two simultaneously.


    ¡®Your party is filled with first-ss heroes, sh*t, but you still have to do that even when you already have the Holy Sword?¡¯


    ¡°Please prepare the next magic. Cast it before ites out.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Their durability is higher than I thought. Please be as careful as you can, Lee Ju-hyuk.¡±


    ¡°No need to worry.¡±


    ¡°Keep the magic buff going, and the rest should create a distraction.¡±


    I didn¡¯t want to be an old nagger, but it felt frustrating to watch them move like that even though they already had more than enough stats and abilities to fight them more efficiently. I couldn¡¯t stand still.


    ¡°Cancel your magic.¡±


    I spoke quietly, but the wizard must¡¯ve still been startled.


    ¡°Cancel the spell. It doesn¡¯t matter if you deal with both of them at once.¡±


    ¡°Sir?¡±


    ¡°Listen to me. It won¡¯t be too much at all. It¡¯s not dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Cancel your magic.¡±


    The wizard paused for a moment but immediately canceled the spell at Raphael¡¯s voice.


    It wasn¡¯t much, but didn¡¯t that show that the leader of the party was Raphael?


    ¡®He¡¯s very loyal.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯ll take the lead from here.¡±


    ¡°From now on, Hyung will tell you what to do. Please concentrate.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be careful. Don¡¯t overwork your body. Melee fighters should be prepared to get hit at least once or twice. That¡¯s the sole purpose why you¡¯re raising your durability stat. The support should cast a protective spell, and the wizard should prepare a magic spell with high firepower. Archer and rogue lure the two guardians at once, and the wizard will burst down the Guardians as much as possible. You have to aim for their back, not their front.¡±


    BAAAAAAM!!!


    ¡°If you feel like you¡¯re going to reach your limit, the support can use protective magic on you. Release the spell, wizard.¡±


    BAAAAAAAAM!!!


    ¡°If you¡¯ve got them in range, bombard them and stop them from getting away. Chant again.¡±


    BAAAAAAAAAAAAM!!!


    A part of the Guardian¡¯s body exploded, releasing a thunderous sound. Looking at the reactions of the party members, they didn¡¯t expect it to end that easily.


    They seemed to be embarrassed and unable toe to their senses.


    They all were staring at me. I had no choice but to mumble quietly.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to wrap it up? Finish them,dies and gentlemen.¡±


    At this, they allunched themselves forward with all that they could.

 Chapter 633: The Queen’s Tomb (3)

    <h4>Chapter 633: The Queen¡¯s Tomb (3)</h4>


    ¡°How was it?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say. I didn¡¯t expect it to be this easy.¡±


    The knight that wandered around the continent after being turned into an undead by the masked trash in the past timeline quietly replied. He looked extremely surprised.


    To be honest, it was ambiguous to say it was my ability, but I still felt a little proud.


    ¡®This is just a taste.¡¯


    The Holy Sword warrior¡¯s party was powerful. Perhaps if it were a normal party, things wouldn¡¯t have worked out that well.


    The wizard had enough mana to remove the guardians¡¯ magical defenses, and the priest had more than enough divine power to increase the wizard¡¯s firepower. The avant-garde had advanced mana operational knowledge without missing a single person and had the sharpness to open further the gap created by the wizards.


    If people with that level of specifications gathered, the mid-boss wouldn¡¯t be hard to deal with.


    ¡°As expected, Hyung¡­ You¡¯re great. Same as before, and this time¡­ If it weren¡¯t for you, we would¡¯ve been in danger.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that big of a deal.¡±


    ¡°No, you did great enough, Raphael. Everyone knows that it¡¯s not easy to use proper judgment in dire situations. I thought it was really dangerous when the Queen¡¯s knights came out¡­¡±


    I saw the hunting dog nodding his head at the remarks.


    ¡®Certainly¡­ they were a bit harder to deal with than the gatekeepers.¡¯


    Unlike the gatekeepers, who got easily defeated with basic spells, the battle that just took ce was quiteplicated.


    Not long after entering the tomb, the queen¡¯s soldiers came from all sides along with the eight knights who led them. Thebat that took ce in the huge city was honestly dangerous even with such a strong party.


    ¡®The soldiers are organized.¡¯


    The real army had magic soldiers and archers in formation, not just beings that rushed in without thinking.


    Even Cho Hyejin asked if they needed her help that time. I felt a little surprised, but I thought it was a great opportunity for them in a way. It was, after all, their chance for the Holy Sword party to gather more experience in one go.


    The reality was that the battle was sorge that it was simr to a war, and it was difficult to experience such scales in times of peace. Although they said they were doing alternative training, how could they cope with realbat through such methods?


    In that sense, the battle unfolding at that moment could be a pretty exciting experience.


    They looked at me as if they were waiting for me to tell them what to do. But when I kept my mouth closed, Raphael hurriedly organized the party.


    Of course, it was Tactic Raphael and the other members of the party who finished the eight knights. The battle of the Holy Sword party, which had been struggling before, was really impressive.


    I could see how determined the party members were based on their faces as they fought for hours without a break, and they continued to grow during the battle just like they did in the first timeline.


    ¡®This Coin is working! This Coin works! You can save the world, sh*t!¡¯


    Of course, they would¡¯ve thought about it that way. They had improved a lot just by changing their tactics, like a sponge absorbing water. This alone made me smile.


    They didn¡¯t require any instructions fighting thest three of the eight knights. It was short, but they realized how to engage in which position.


    ¡°When you took the initiative, I was honestly surprised. It¡¯s a cliche, but I feel like you¡¯re on apletely different level¡­ It¡¯s like the whole party was moving for me. And in such aplicated ce¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s something anyone with experience can do. Haha, I don¡¯t deserve to be praised for that. It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    ¡®Of course, anyone can do it if they have the Mind¡¯s Eyes.¡¯


    ¡°No, no one will be able to do it as you did, Hyung. No one¡­¡±


    ¡°Excuse me, if it¡¯s alright¡­ May I ask if it¡¯s possible for me as well?¡±


    ¡®Lee Ju-hyuk, the hunting dog?¡¯


    The one who spoke up was the one who felt a subtle sense of rivalry with Raphael. The sudden remarks had now begun to draw attention towards us.


    Lee Ju-hyuk thought if he could do it, then maybe he would be able to do it himself. The gentleman looked at me with anticipation, not to mention Raphael.


    ¡®So you think everyone, even dogs and cows, can just¡­¡¯


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It should be possible, but it probably won¡¯t be very efficient.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t a bad adventurer, but¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to say this, but your powers are originally intended to be used for individual battles¡­ Oh, of course, I¡¯m not disparaging Mr. Ju-hyuk. You know, your role in the team is different.¡±


    The moment to use that hound would be to hold a powerful individual with great force. He was a persistent, tough guy, and to top it off, he was a real fighter.


    I was thinking about how to tell him that, but our Miracle Priest, Marien, started to speak.


    ¡°How about Cho Hyejin?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, about half and half.¡±


    Cho Hyejin¡¯s potential was limited, but there she had more room for use. Of course, it was hard to use her in that turbulent situation.


    I didn¡¯t know how Tactic Kim Hyunsung became that powerful, but at that rate, it seemed that the local government and other people would start asking for him to be deployed in such a way.


    ¡°Your performance was definitely great. I already knew you were strong since I first met you, but¡­ I feel like I was three times stronger when I was your age.¡±


    ¡®Not that much, honestly, but I can¡¯t say that.¡¯


    ¡°Objectively, how strong can I be?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not about being strong. You can do that because you¡¯ve always been strong. There is a limit to the view that individuals can see. You can only make up for that with others.¡±


    ¡°But not only do you distance yourself, but you¡¯re also far away from everything that¡¯s happening.¡±


    ¡®I understand what she means.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m a little bit observant.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not something you can do simply because you¡¯re observant, Marien. That¡¯s an area of talent. And¡­ it¡¯s an overwhelming talent.¡±


    ¡®Thank you, Ju-hyuk. Sh*t, it¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve heard that. I¡¯ll make time for youter and watch over you.¡¯


    ¡°Genius¡­ The Honorary Cardinal¡­ is a genius, beyond the realm of ordinary people¡­¡±


    ¡®Our tragic hero, what was your name¡­ I¡¯ll make sure to make time for you too.¡¯


    Although I shook my hand as if it wasn¡¯t like that,ments that ttered me continued to pour out.


    Cho Hyejin seemed to know what I was thinking and looked at me as if to convey that she was disgusted, but she didn¡¯t say anything else. She must¡¯ve thought that it wouldn¡¯t be bad to receive suchpliments because I was in a difficult situation.


    ¡°Hahaha, I¡¯m not a genius. It would be more urate to call someone like Raphael here a genius.¡±


    ¡°What about that? Compared to the Blue Guild Master¡­¡±


    ¡®Who¡¯s more of a genius?¡¯


    I saw Marien, who couldn¡¯t seem to stop talking.


    It was a very serious question, but it seemed like a joke. A popr adventurer on the continent was treated like a celebrity or a politician.


    I had been surrounded by gossips every day¡­ Personally, that question didn¡¯t raise any gs. It was something that would often get asked during drinking parties¡­


    They were interesting topics, and I liked listening in on them. Who would win if Cha Hee-ra and Kim Hyunsung reduced their intelligence to zero and fought?


    If Lauren and Elune fought, who would win?


    Assuming there were no obstacles, which was faster, unicorns or griffins? Who would win in a battle between Jin Qing and Ito Souta?


    Who was stronger, the devil worshipper or the devil summoner?


    Those kinds of topics.


    Many critics and unemployed people were unnecessarily enthusiastic about answers regarding topics such as a fight between Jesus and Buddha.


    Even if one went into the Benignore Net, they would see many such topics. Personally, I was curious about the fight between Jin Qing and Ito Souta, devil worshipper and devil summoner.


    At that time, the public opinion of Benignore Net was overwhelmingly in favor of Jin Qing, but that was a useless story.


    My mind was trailing off for a bit, but¡­


    ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯


    I had no choice but to take the present question seriously. To be honest, it was meaningless to do so.


    ¡®Raphael?¡¯


    There was no denying that he was talented and that he was one of the geniuses, but topare human beings to Kim Hyunsung was¡­


    ¡®That¡¯s not it¡­¡¯


    I was worried about how to answer it without hurting him. All I did wasugh awkwardly.


    Marien was embarrassed when she noticed the atmosphere.


    ¡®Yeah, it could look like that on your part. But you¡¯re thinking about such useless things because you haven¡¯t seen Hyunsung yet. Whenever I watch him fight, my jaw drops. It¡¯s like he¡¯s flying around. Sh*t, you can¡¯tpare the two. His talent is irreceable. You know the genius who tries, right? Sh*t, that¡¯s him. But he even regressed. So how can youpare him to anyone? He¡¯s never going to beparable.¡¯


    ¡°Hahaha, that¡¯s a little¡­ I don¡¯t think I can answer that.¡±


    ¡°As expected, it¡¯s a little difficult¡­ I guess it was a bad question. Then what if Raphael was in a state of being directed by the Honorary Cardinal? Compared to the Blue Guild Master¡­ As expected, the possibility is¡­¡±


    ¡°No, of course, he can¡¯t win.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what he¡¯s trying to say, but I can tell you this.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I promise you that you can¡¯t win. The odds are one percent in favor of us. I don¡¯t think any of you here have seen our Guild Master fight properly, but if you look at him, you¡¯ll understand what I¡¯m saying right away. You¡¯ll never win.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not just Raphael. Even if I ce an order for the party members here, our probability of winning is about 5%. Assuming you became stronger by three times your current state, then we can probably talk a little bit.¡±


    The knight, who had been silent, opened his mouth.


    ¡°Is there really that much difference?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s the difference. I can fully see that you have be stronger in a short period of time. You have confidence and skills¡­ It¡¯s easy to think of it as the top party on the continent, especially since you have Raphael. The same goes for the other members. To be honest, I won¡¯t deny that your growth is faster than the Blue party before. I think you guys rose really, really fast.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m not talking aboutck of experience. The specs itself are different.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe the game will be over in 10 seconds. After Marien¡¯s first blow, the rest of you will retire one by one. After that, you guys won¡¯t have time to restructure. To put it a little bit strongly¡­ It¡¯s suicide.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    A remark without exaggeration. The times must have changed.


    ¡®You really don¡¯t know how strong Hyunsung is. Sh*t.¡¯


    If they had ever seen Kim Hyunsung fight with all his heart, they wouldn¡¯t have asked such a useless question.

 Chapter 634: You’re not Kim Hyunsung’s Raid Group, Are You? (1)

    <h4>Chapter 634: You¡¯re not Kim Hyunsung¡¯s Raid Group, Are You? (1)</h4>


    I wasn¡¯t just exaggerating.


    I was certain. It was impossible to deal with Kim Hyunsung with their party. It was impossible unless they signed a contract with a high-ranking devil.


    ¡®No. That can¡¯t happen with just a contract.¡¯


    It was clear that it wouldn¡¯t happen as long as the devil had taken over the continent. I wasn¡¯t underestimating their party. That was just how strong Kim Hyunsung was.


    A year ago, he split Donovan, one of the Four Heavenly Kings¡¯ strongest members, in half. It was hard to imagine how strong he was right at that moment since he had been focusing on his training.


    To be honest, I also hadn¡¯t seen Kim Hyunsung recently be sincere. Everyone knew that Kim Hyunsung¡¯s force couldn¡¯t simply be evaluated with simple statistics.


    He could be even stronger than I had told them, for all I knew.


    If he prepared for a showdown with the strong-minded monsters of the outer gods, he could produce firepower that was at least close to the mythical level.


    The problem was that most of the party members couldn¡¯t even begin to follow Kim Hyunsung¡¯s movements properly.


    In the rear position, even shadows couldn¡¯t be observed with ease.


    In the case of Marien, a priest, there was a high possibility that she would die without knowing how she died. Wouldn¡¯t it only be after her neck fell to the floor and found her body standing there that she would realize that she was dead?


    The same was true of the archers and assassins.


    The fight itself wasn¡¯t decided, and the knight in charge of the party¡¯s frontlines also had no agility and vision to protect the party members from Kim Hyunsung.


    The only two that could keep up were Raphael and the hound. However, it didn¡¯t mean that they could lead the fight because they could catch up with his movements and face his sword.


    I wanted to encourage them that there was hope, and if they worked hard, they might¡¯ve been able to do it someday. However, as of the moment, it was only right to deliver only the facts.


    However, it must¡¯ve been a big shock to them.


    ¡®The atmosphere isn¡¯t very good.¡¯


    As it was a time of high spirits, they must¡¯ve felt discouraged when they faced reality.


    ¡®But what can I do. That¡¯s the truth¡­¡¯


    Since the atmosphere switched after the break, I was a little worried, but it was easy to proceed with the attack.


    Rather, I was a little touched by the way he worked harder as if he was obsessed. It wasn¡¯tmon for me to be moved. It reminded me of Park Deokgu, who worked hard in the past.


    ¡®Yeah, guys. You have to work hard. I raised you¡­ So don¡¯t lose your mind over this. It¡¯s possible that you¡¯ll be stronger. If you work really hard for about ten years, you might be able to do it. So cheer up.¡¯


    I could also say that it was an opportunity to take care of them in earnest.


    Although it had already been calibrated once, I provided the kind of support that advised people to invest in efficient stats, advised them about their potential ability, or described items that they needed to supplement them. And although they remained in the dungeon, some reced items after battles and some trained harder during breaks.


    It was possible because the size of the dungeon was sorge. The march was long, and the rest after the battle was frequent. They were even worried about having a food shortage.


    However, as I entered the tomb¡¯s most inner part, I began to feel more and more that the Boss Monster was near.


    In fact, the archer, who was on the reconnaissance earlier, said that the end was just around the corner, and as a result, the atmosphere gradually escted.


    ¡°Hyung.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    Raphael kept talking and hesitating to see if there was anything I had to say, but he seemed to have grown one step further inside the dungeon.


    As time went by, more and more people stayed up all night. They seemed to try to create a ce for themselves, but they didn¡¯t say anything decisive.


    In the meantime, we encountered the Dungeon Boss. As I expected, it was a queen-type.


    -How dare you invade my territory!


    It was disgusting to see her threatening the expedition with her usual lines, but the people who had umted experience from the expedition showed quite a good performance without me having to order them.


    Of course, I would shake my head if someone asked me if their performance was perfect, but at least it was the best they had shown so far.


    It was well-matched and showed amazing growth. Therefore, wouldn¡¯t it be the best result of the proposal?


    BAAAAAAM!


    ¡°Please protect your backs. We need to protect the rear.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to protect the rearguard, knight. Please stay near Marien.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be embarrassed just because you¡¯re not in the frontlines. You just have to stick together as much as you can to prevent casualties. The wizard will always wait for your protection¡­ As soon as you think you¡¯re out of sight, chant the magic of protection, or you¡¯ll lose.¡±


    - You humans are not allowed here. You will be punished for disrupting my slumber.


    When the queen with the giant sword moved quickly, the priest immediately released protective magic.


    BOOOOOM!


    There was a loud noise, but it wasn¡¯t a big shock overall.


    The hound Lee Ju-hyuk continued to follow the queen from beginning to end and kept her in check while the archer and the assassin helped the hound.


    The knight never left the priest and the wizard, and Raphael coordinated the whole situation by bing a bridge between those people. I briefly wondered if they were moving too slowly, but no one would disagree that they were currently in the best position.


    Cho Hyejin was also surprised by their team y.


    They looked like they¡¯d figured out all the patterns. The party determined that that type of formation was the most appropriate.


    While targeting and experiencing the dungeon, getting new items, and training, he decided that it was right for them. It was hard to say it was perfect. It was a little ambiguous to say because, in the end, it was Raphael¡¯s decision.


    Still, it certainly wasn¡¯t a bad choice considering that it would develop further from there on out.


    Raphael himself found the best ce to fight.


    I listed simple instructions because they seemed to have quite the ability to adapt swiftly. I could definitely see them getting more and more in shape.


    ¡®This Coin is working! It¡¯ll work no matter what!¡¯


    The first timeline¡¯s heroes and warriors. It was a great pleasure to see them gradually settling down as a party.


    One strange thing caught my eye at that time.


    ¡®No way¡­¡¯


    The problem was that I could now see glimpses of Kim Hyunsung when the queen was using her sword.


    ¡®No, you bastards?¡¯


    To be a little more precise, it was the party that resembled Kim Hyunsung. I didn¡¯t know why, but it felt like they were preparing to face him.


    It felt like they were simting a battle with Kim Hyunsung while practicing against the sword-wielding queen.


    I didn¡¯t know if those pups had side effects from the useless talk we had a few days ago, but I could slowly picture them facing Kim Hyunsung in my head.


    A knight that never left the priest¡¯s side, a wizard who used offensive and protective magic, a hound that persisted in following and moving freely, the archer and assassin¡¯s agility and arrows, and Raphael, who coordinated the party and somehow attacked at the same time.


    ¡®You¡¯re not going to¡­ you¡¯re not, are you? You¡¯re not Kim Hyunsung¡¯s Raid Group, are you?¡¯


    What I said was starting to bother me at that time.


    Of course, they asked just for fun, but when I thought about it, my words probably had a lot of meaning for them.


    ¡®No, sh*t, it can¡¯t be. My precious children can¡¯t be like that.¡¯


    The atmosphere of the party, which had been very subdued, was also being reexamined.


    And the faces of the members, including Raphael, looked concerned.


    ¡®My kids can¡¯t do that.¡¯


    Doubts were already rising, but he was trying to control them. There was no clear circumstance and evidence.


    ¡®That can¡¯t be true. No way¡­ our General Raphael¡­¡¯


    Sh*t, wasn¡¯t that going to be ruined? Did I need to get rid of them all?


    ¡®Why are you trying to get rid of the kids?¡¯


    That was a problem that made me dizzy.


    That was because there was too much investment to let go of the Coin as it was.


    ¡®Yeah, it hasn¡¯t been decided yet. Well¡­ I guess I overreacted. You¡¯re not Kim Hyunsung¡¯s raid party. I don¡¯t think so. No way. No, it can¡¯t be.¡¯


    ¡°Our Raphael¡­¡¯


    The reason why I held onto the Holy Sword Coin to the end.


    I promised to raise him properly, and my heart ached. I even gave him a high-priced private tutoring program.


    The memories of when he begged Heera to tutor him personally passed by.


    ¡®No.¡¯


    Raphael¡¯s smile and tears had never been a lie. If I were going to antagonize their faction in the first ce, I would¡¯ve done so before since I had many opportunities to do that.


    ¡®What¡¯s wrong with Hyunsung? Why are they like this?¡¯


    Just in time, Raphael started hitting the Dungeon Boss.


    The eyes of the filial son seemed to say that he¡¯d grown to that extent, that he¡¯d be my filial son from then on, that we¡¯re done with my hard times.


    The moment I saw his eyes, my head nodded. The useless misunderstanding was over at that point.


    ¡°Hyung!¡±


    As I slowly walked out with a big smile to greet the person running in a good mood while calling me, but I immediately saw Raphael¡¯s face biting his lips tightly.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­¡±


    Even before he could finish his words, Park Li-ahn popped out of the dark and swung her twin swords, aiming for his neck.


    ¡°Sorry, Hyung.¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t kill him. Sh*t.¡¯


    It was worthwhile to see her using her swords as if she would kill him right after she sensed something strange.


    It seemed to show that Raphael had grown so much.


    Park Li-ahn¡¯s expression was stressed, while Raphael¡¯s expression was rxed.


    His expression was calm even though his throat was about to be slit.


    Raphael was thrown to the ground when he bumped into Park Li-ahnst time, but that time, Park Li-ahn was the one that was pinned against the floor.


    BAAAAAM!


    ¡®I told you not to use your weapons.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t even respond to Cho Hyejin¡¯s spear attack.


    Just before the spear touched his neck, Cho Hyejin looked at me, and her movement stopped.


    What she was actually looking at was Raphael, who was aiming the Holy Sword at my neck.


    He had eight grey wings wide open.


    He spoke to Cho Hyejin with a nk expression.


    ¡°I won¡¯t kill you both.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°Call in Kim Hyunsung. Exactly a weekter. Tell him if he doesn¡¯te here alone, I¡¯ll kill him.¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°After a week, alone, he has toe here. Please tell him that clearly, Ms. Cho Hyejin.¡±


    Heavy silence conquered the hall.


    ¡®Why are you¡­ Sh*t¡­ you¡¯re trying to get yourself killed, you punk¡­¡¯


    At that moment, the Holy Sword¡¯s plummet was confirmed.

 Chapter 635: You’re Not Kim Hyunsung’s Raid Party, Are You? (2)

    <h4>Chapter 635: You¡¯re Not Kim Hyunsung¡¯s Raid Party, Are You? (2)</h4>


    That must¡¯ve been how a parent felt after being betrayed by their children. I felt like the stocks that I strongly believed would go up were delisted instead.


    The hall was very confusing, but it couldn¡¯t be as confusing as how I felt inside.


    However, I had no other choice but to wait.


    ¡®I can work things out, right?¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t let go of the Coin that had beenpletely crushed. I didn¡¯t even know how long I had to hold on.


    In fact, I didn¡¯t even think that I was in a dangerous situation.


    I had a de aimed at my neck, but I knew that Raphael wasn¡¯t trying to harm me. He even said sorry to me, and I felt strangely considerate.


    He was also trying to support me in case my legs weakened, and I fell down.


    It was funny that the kidnapper was caring for the hostage, but I wasn¡¯t what he was aiming for in the first ce.


    At least Raphael wasn¡¯t hostile to me. Those times we were together, those memories, those warm days.


    ¡®Sh*t¡­¡¯


    At least it wasn¡¯t a lie.


    Kim Hyunsung was always hostile to him.


    I needed to find out more about why he was hostile to Kim Hyunsung, but it was clear that he had a strange misunderstanding. If we could resolve it, wouldn¡¯t we be able to return him to the right track? I thought we¡¯d be able to regain our precious memories again.


    ¡®My Stocks¡­ Precious memories.¡¯


    Cho Hyejin had a shocked expression that looked like a ticking time bomb that was about to explode.


    She also seemed to be no different from me.


    She was probably thinking about epting the current situation and how to solve the problem at hand.


    I had spent quite a long time with her, but I had never seen her make such a face.


    ¡®No.¡¯


    This was not exactly the first time I had seen it. She made that face when she died at the hands of the trashed mask.


    Even when she sacrificed on behalf of Kim Hyunsung, she didn¡¯t look like that.


    The situation was different from the current one and the past, but it was the same that we were firmly determined.


    She pouted as if she couldn¡¯t speak well.


    It took a while, but she finally spoke as she put her spear down on the ground slowly and raised both of her arms.


    ¡°Let go of the Vice Guild Master. If you need a hostage, I¡¯ll be good enough.¡±


    ¡®No, no matter what you do, you shouldn¡¯t drop your weapon.¡¯


    She even pushed the spear away from her.


    She tried to express the fact that she had no willingness to fight, but no one could deny that it was a foolish act.


    Of course, Raphael was trying not to exert physical force on those present, but who knew what could happen.


    ¡®How do you know he¡¯s not going to kill you and me? Why are you not suspicious.¡¯


    ¡°No, who I need is this person, not you. Cho Hyejin, you are not worthy of being a hostage. I won¡¯t say it again. Go back and convey my words to him.¡±


    ¡°If you want anything¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already told you what I want. Don¡¯t test my patience anymore.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°I told you not to test my patience.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a weing feeling to have something so cold touch my neck. One thing was certain: we had to calm the situation down somehow.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to do this¡­¡±


    However, her voice wasn¡¯t heard.


    ¡®Piece of sh*t¡­¡¯


    Maybe it was because he felt that Cho Hyejin was conscious of him, but I felt something digging into my fragile skin.


    ¡®What¡¯s wrong with you? Do you want to leave a scar on my neck?¡¯


    Park Li-ahn was still overwhelmed with her face touching the floor, and the hound dog Lee Ju-hyuk brought a sword to her neck.


    Her face showed anger, but she wasn¡¯t in a situation where she could move freely.


    Above all, Raphael had eight wings spread on his back.


    ¡®He¡¯s strong.¡¯


    Perhaps it didn¡¯t matter if anyone said the Holy Sword hadpletely chosen him. He was stronger than Cho Hyejin simply in terms of specifications.


    Of course, their differences, including experience, would hold him back, but he was strong enough to reach the semi-mythic grade.


    Assuming he was dealing with Park Li-ahn and Cho Hyejin with the party members, the odds were the party would win.


    Cho Hyejin might¡¯ve already known that. Maybe she came to the same conclusion as I did.


    ¡®I really don¡¯t mean any harm. There¡¯s something I want.¡¯


    That was what he was saying.


    Cho Hyejin¡¯s head was spinning, but Raphael was in a hurry and couldn¡¯t stand by and watch the situation.


    When I frowned a little, thinking it would be better to do something, he immediately reacted.


    ¡°H-hyung.¡±


    He looked very startled. It wasn¡¯t the face of a kidnapper. I was worried for a moment, but Raphael was also worried about me.


    ¡®Yeah, we haven¡¯t forgotten our memories, have we?¡¯


    ¡°Hyung! Are you okay? Hyung!¡±


    I rxed my body and tried my best to act it out. When I pretended that my head hurt, Cho Hyejin immediately spoke.


    ¡°We need to stabilize him.¡±


    ¡°A-ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Put the Vice Guild Master down. If he gets even more stressed out, he¡¯ll have a seizure¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh? Uh, oh¡­¡±


    ¡°Put him down¡­¡±


    ¡°Go, stay away! Damn it! Stay away!¡±


    She must have been surprised by the unexpected situation, but her eyes were shedding tears.


    I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d have a seizure at that exact timing.


    He didn¡¯t seem to be able to decide whether to put me on the floor or keep holding me tight.


    I felt like a child was hugging me as if he didn¡¯t want his toy to be taken away from him. It was doubtful whether she made a mistake because I could feel the madness in his eyes.


    ¡°We need to stabilize him right now.¡±


    Park Li-ahn and Cho Hyejin seemed nervous.


    It would¡¯ve been obvious to realize that a sudden seizure in such an extreme situation was postponed, but she didn¡¯t seem to have that much sense.


    In the meantime, she responded to Raphael¡¯s ¡°Don¡¯te near me.¡±


    ¡°Put him down quickly! He needs to breathefortably¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯te closer. Stay away from me! I can take care of him. I can handle it myself.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°Go now. Go! Hurry up and tell Kim Hyunsung what I said earlier. That¡¯s what you have to do. Just tell him what I said. I¡¯ll protect Hyung. I¡¯ll protect him.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Quick¡­ quick!¡±


    ¡®Reverse effect. Sh*t, reverse effect.¡¯


    Cho Hyejin nodded. She realized that she should no longer provoke Raphael.


    I could see her biting her lips so hard that she couldn¡¯t stop looking at my painful face.


    ¡°I¡¯ll trust you to keep your promise.¡±


    Since then, I wasn¡¯t able to see Cho Hyejin. Raphael saw her run out, but he turned me around while holding me.


    I felt my vision change in an instant, but I couldn¡¯t react.


    Once I continued to fake the pain, I heard his words in a tearful voice.


    ¡°Hyung¡­ Hyung¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Hyung, are you okay? You¡¯re alright, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    I had a feeling that I was moving somewhere at a very high speed.


    After hearing the door open several times, I began to feel a soft sensation behind my back.


    Perhaps he put me down on something like a bed.


    ¡°Are you alright? You¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯ll¡­ I can heal you.¡±


    ¡°Ah, ha, ha¡­¡±


    ¡°I can fix it for you.¡±


    As I pretended to breathe hard and feel pain, he hurriedly took off my coat.


    It was clear that he remembered Cho Hyejin¡¯s words that he should make me breathe asfortably as possible.


    Only then could I nce around the room.


    I didn¡¯t think there would be such a ce in that dungeon. It was a veryrge room, giving me a rough idea of where we were.


    It was the room used by the queen of the tomb herself.


    I didn¡¯t know if the dungeon boss had been sleeping there all the time, but it definitely felt spacious and luxurious.


    Meanwhile, Raphael stamped his feet as he continued to gasp.


    Of course, he looked pale. He didn¡¯t know what to do, and he looked like he was in a hurry.


    He didn¡¯t know how to deal with the situation properly. It was fortunate for him that the miracle priest appeared just in time.


    ¡°Hyung, Are you okay? Are you¡­ Hyung!¡±


    ¡°Let me take a look. Wait.¡±


    ¡°What should I do? How¡­ what should I do? Please hurry up and take a look at him. Hurry¡­¡±


    ¡°Just calm down for now. I¡¯ve never experienced anything like this before. They said it was a temporary seizure, so he¡¯ll probably calm down. I¡¯m sure¡­¡±


    ¡°Hauu, haaa, U-Uggha¡­¡±


    Of course, she also became worried when she couldn¡¯t find what was causing it.


    He continued to push the divine power, but that wouldn¡¯t work.


    Of course, I was worried about what would happen afterward.


    ¡®Sh*t, what should I do? I think something bad is going to happen to him. What should I do?¡¯


    If that was the case, I wanted him to take me to Lindel.


    It would be ideal to think that he couldn¡¯t help me because I was in so much pain, but the problem was that I didn¡¯t think it¡¯d be that easy. After all, it seemed like he had already made up his mind.


    Raphael had no intention of making concessions at the moment. The answer had alreadye out when he told Cho Hyejin not toe near earlier.


    I didn¡¯t know why that was happening, but didn¡¯t it look like he¡¯s trying to protect me rather than harm me?


    Of course, I could see who he¡¯s trying to protect me from.


    To infer from his previous behavior¡­


    ¡®Why the hell¡­¡¯


    It seemed right to say that he was trying to protect me from Kim Hyunsung. I didn¡¯t see where or how things got messed up, but¡­


    ¡®There¡¯s still time to clear up the misunderstanding.¡¯


    It would be exactly a week before Kim Hyunsung¡¯s arrived at our location.


    I had time to reorganize my thoughts and restore the stamina that I had spent so far, but it would be myst chance to stop them from perspective.


    More precisely, it was a chance to save them.


    Just in time, even the wizard came in.


    As I hadn¡¯t calmed down, it was clear that he was trying to apply thest resort on me: sleep magic.


    Raphael gripped my head with both arms. Marien, the miracle priest, continued to pour out her divine power, and the wizard began to chant a spell.


    As I collected my breath slowly because I really shouldn¡¯t fall asleep, I could feel the magic being canceled right away.


    He probably decided that it would be better to let me rest than for me to sleep artificially.


    What worried me was my lovely regressor.


    ¡®What should I do with him?¡¯


    Of course, Hayan also bothered me.


    Cho Hyejin¡¯s personality made it seem like the guild members would handle the matter, but Kim Hyunsung would surely arrive alone in a week. I wondered how he would react¡­ I didn¡¯t know.


    ¡®No.¡¯


    Cho Hyejin knew that Rafael wouldn¡¯t hurt me¡­ Supposing she knew that¡­


    ¡®I don¡¯t think she¡¯d be that upset, would she? Am I right?¡¯


    I tried to solve the situation as rationally as I could.


    Clearly¡­ there would be no bloodshed.

 Chapter 636: One Week (1)

    <h4>Chapter 636: One Week (1)</h4>


    ¡®He¡¯singte on purpose, isn¡¯t he?¡¯


    ¡°This is crazy. I¡¯m so busy, but he wants to take his time? Ugh¡­¡±


    When I turned my head slowly, I saw a mountain pile of documents and fatigue recovery pills.


    I was already sighing without realizing it. No matter how manypetent administrative agents there were, many issues had to be dealt with by maintaining security, so his absence was a big deal.


    The problem was sending catalysts and materials to District 5, and there were a few issues to deal with as they hid the distribution process to maintain security.


    That was not all. It seemed that the work had doubled without adding a single manager to handle the work that Lee Kiyoung had previously been in charge of.


    No, to be exact, it seemed to have increased by 2.5 times.


    ¡®I¡¯ll have to stay up all night again.¡¯


    ¡°Damn it, just wait and see. I will be rewarded. I better be rewarded no matter what.¡±


    I wanted to write down a list of what to ask for, but I didn¡¯t even have time for that at that moment.


    I heard it would take some time, but it was taking longer than I thought.


    It was then that the Goddess¡¯s Mirror suddenly rang.


    [Unnie, I think you shoulde here for a while? As soon as possible. It¡¯s urgent.]


    ¡°What is it, Yeon-soo?¡±


    [It¡¯s really urgent. I sent you the coordinates. I think you¡¯d bettere by using a griffon. Hurry, don¡¯t let anyone know. I¡¯m not kidding. You¡¯ll probably appreciate it if youe.]


    [What is it?]


    [I think you shoulde and see for yourself.]


    Ha Yeon-soo was a younger associate who had been very close to me since I worked in the ck Swan.


    Lately, the message itself didn¡¯t feel strange because we were stillmunicating every day. However, apart from that, it began to feel increasingly ufortable.


    That was what caused the unusual emergencywork to ring.


    The fact that thework of contacts rang could mean nothing else but that an incident broke out. Yet another matter happened in my busy schedule.


    The coordinates on the mirror were in the woods not far from Lindel.


    [You have toe right now. It¡¯s really urgent.]


    ¡°I got it. I got it. Damn.¡±


    [We can meet at Lindel.]


    [No, I can¡¯t get to Lindel. It¡¯s a bit awkward to tell you by message too.]


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Is she trying to do something to me?¡¯


    Doubts began to rise. I thought she was already my subordinate, but wouldn¡¯t human rtionships easily copse in the face of small profits?


    ¡®No, she¡¯s not that stupid.¡¯


    I thought a little bit about it, but the possibility itself waspletely ruled out. Yeon-soo knew the ripple effect that would cause. She couldn¡¯t do such a reckless thing.


    I was certain she¡¯d take more escorts than usual because she had a lot of doubts¡­


    ¡®I trust you, Yeon-soo. We won¡¯t end here, right?¡¯


    I had no choice but to move immediately. As I opened the door, I saw familiar faces.


    ¡°Are you going out, Unnie?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, prepare the griffon for travel. I¡¯ll be going out now.¡±


    ¡°Where are you going? If you¡¯re going to meet the Chairman, shall we prepare as usual?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not like that. I just need one thing I can put on. You don¡¯t have to prepare it for me. They¡¯re taking a break, right?


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Three useful children, the heavy-mouthed ones.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Oh, and we¡¯re going out in secret. I need one Illusion Magic wizard.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll have them ready.¡±


    While walking slowly to the takeoff,plicated thoughts continued to ur in my head.


    Of course, that was a bad habit.


    ¡®What the hell happened? I¡¯m fully determined to stay up all night today.¡¯


    However, the moment I actually reached the coordinates given by Ha Yeon-soo, I couldn¡¯t help but let out a few curse words.


    What I saw was a face I had encountered a lot recently. I didn¡¯t seem to get along with that person, so I tried to avoid contact, but I had no choice but to talk to her at that moment.


    She was the female human waste that pretended to have memory loss.


    The third-inmand of the Blue guild and a talented person who the Guild Master Kim Hyunsung trusted. I didn¡¯t know why, but she didn¡¯t look as neat as she usually did.


    Her hair was loose, and she looked like she rolled around on the street.


    Her stamina waspletely exhausted, and she seemed physically drained.


    Considering she had lost her mind, I drew out a conclusion. One of the worst things I¡¯d ever thought of had be a reality: something happened in the dungeon.


    I bit my lips tightly, but the sight in front of me remained unchanged.


    When I sighed lightly, I heard a voice address me.


    ¡°I¡¯m right, am I? You said you¡¯d thank me.¡±


    ¡°What happened? No, when did you find her? Have you tracked her trail?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I thought you¡¯d ask me, so I did, but¡­ I¡¯m not sure yet. I¡¯ve concluded that she ran away from a dungeon, however.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the Queen¡¯s Tomb, isn¡¯t it? That¡¯s quite a distance. It¡¯s not a ce anyone can just run from all the way here.¡±


    ¡°So an adventurer this big has been robbed of everything. She didn¡¯t have a contact number, a window, or a bag. I don¡¯t think she ran away. She¡¯s likely trying to let us know that her destination was Lindel. I don¡¯t think they failed in the dungeon raid, but I guess there was a problem inside. Oh, for your information, I lost my mind because I fell from the ce where I depleted my physical strength and mana. Maybe that¡¯s better for her.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Why not? If I ran all the way to Lindel, I might have died. I think I even lost my mind trying to crawl¡­ It was good luck, I guess.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the first witness?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°The first witnesses¡­ Did you just let them go into Lindel?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve got that person¡¯s mouth shut for now.¡±


    ¡°Take care of them, and wake her up.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ don¡¯t even want to tell me that I did a great job?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t let you go without thanking you. Come here, Yeon-soo. I¡¯ll give you a big hug. It¡¯s a really big deal. You saved Lindel.¡±


    ¡°You owe me one. Don¡¯t forget that.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry, I¡¯ll give you interest. Drink a fatigue recovery potion and take the rest of them with you. Yeon-soo, you¡­ No. You can stay here.¡±


    ¡°Yes, oh, I¡¯m going to get up.¡±


    I tried to approach her slowly, but there was no sign of her getting up.


    As soon as I touched her cheek, thinking she had a prettier face than I thought, I saw her opening her eyes.


    When I thought about it, my body¡¯s bnce had already copsed, and the sleeve of my left arm had been pulled.


    Of course, my body couldn¡¯t react. I could see a sharp branch that was sticking on my neck because of Ha Yeon-soo, who was next to me.


    ¡°I almost died.¡±


    ¡°That was dangerous, Unnie.¡±


    ¡°What, are you still awake?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to get up. She seemed to have acted out of reflexes and instincts, but she¡¯s what the rumor exactly describes. I¡¯ll ask you to join me for dinnerter.¡±


    ¡°Oh, uh¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey, do you remember me?¡±


    ¡°Who¡­ Are you¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Lee Jihye from the Continental Protection and Management Committee. We have the same rtionship that you and the Vice Guild Master have. We¡¯ve seen each other before, remember? We¡¯ve worked together a few times. Get some water for her, Yeon-soo.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Can you recognize me? If so, then stop pulling on me. My sleeves are going to rip off.¡±


    ¡°Vice¡­ Guild master¡­ Kidnapping, Raphael¡­¡±


    ¡®We¡¯re screwed.¡¯


    As soon as the three keywords came into my ears, I understood what happened.


    I thought it would be roughly the same situation, but¡­


    ¡®Why is he kidnapping him?¡¯


    A question arose.


    ¡°A weekter¡­ Guild master¡­ Dungeon¡­ Alone¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I have to tell him¡­¡±


    ¡®No, that¡¯s crazy¡­ This is a really crazy hostage crisis.¡¯


    Something iprehensible happened.


    My heart was pounding for a moment, but strangely, I wasn¡¯t worried.


    The Doom Kiyoung incident was also a lie. It wouldn¡¯t be that strange for him to do something simr to that.


    For a moment, I had a bitter thought in my head, but at least I didn¡¯t think my life was in danger. If it were really such a situation, I would¡¯ve gotten out of it by choosing to abandon the continent.


    Maybe that was proof that Lee Kiyoung was safe in a calm ce as if nothing was going on.


    The question was how to get through that situation.


    ¡®Raphael¡­ Raphael.¡¯


    ¡°Unnie, is she going crazy?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to make a fuss. I¡¯ll solve it as quietly as I can.¡±


    ¡°Why, are you afraid you¡¯ll get confused? If there¡¯s any indication that sir has been kidnapped¡­¡±


    ¡®No, it¡¯s not because of that.¡¯


    Of course, that was worrisome, too.


    The media would rush to report the kidnapping, and perhaps the continent would once again give a prayer meeting in grief.


    It was clear that Pope Basel would immediately shout that he would send the Holy Knights and that the leader of the country, Oscar, would also dere a national crisis.


    The gue dragon would cry out again. Just as a system that used to run smoothly had been cked out, it had already been decided that everything would stop for a moment.


    Even if I didn¡¯t see it, I could expect it. It¡¯s been like that so far.


    But what worried me the most was the reaction of the Blue Guild. Among them, I was worried about the crazy woman who had always acted insanely.


    ¡®Jung Hayan¡­ she shouldn¡¯t know about this, ever.¡¯


    If she heard that her Oppa had been kidnapped, she might do something crazy that ordinary people couldn¡¯t even imagine.


    Lee Kiyoung wouldn¡¯t want such a situation more than anyone else.


    If one looked at her colorful records, they would get a rough idea.


    ¡°I¡¯m heading to the Blue Guild right now. Ask her exactly what¡¯s going on, and text me.¡±


    ¡°Uh, what are you nning to do?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? I¡¯ll let Kim Hyunsung know.¡±


    ¡°Will it be okay?¡±


    ¡°Maybe. I must persuade him. He¡¯s more rational than I thought. First of all, they want Kim Hyunsung. We have to let the Blue Guild Master know whether it¡¯s going to be bad or good. You can think about the next countermeasure together. We can negotiate if we need to, and I think there¡¯s something he wants¡­ We¡¯ll have to talk about it.¡±


    As I walked, thinking that I was walking around a lot that day, I arrived at the Blue Guild.


    I checked what happened through the text sent by Yeon-soo and thought of words to coax Kim Hyunsung just before entering the premises.


    I felt a bit of anxiety, but I had confidence. He¡¯s different from Jung Hayan because at least he was capable ofmunicating.


    When I knocked on the door and immediately went inside, I saw a cold-looking face.


    I didn¡¯t know the details, but I thought the atmosphere was a little sour.


    When he sighed, saying that I came when he was in a bad mood, I spoke immediately of the main point.


    ¡°Long time no see, Blue Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your business?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to tell you this, but¡­ I¡¯ll get just get straight to the point. I think Kiyoung was kidnapped.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°The ck Swan found Cho Hyejin, who came out of the dungeon and headed for Lindel. Raphael¡¯s party kidnaped Kiyoung in there¡­ And¡­ and maybe he wants¡­ In a week¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t go there¡­ he said¡­ he¡¯d kill Oppa. I mean, in a week¡­ He told the Blue Guild Master¡­ toe to the dungeon¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®What¡­?


    It felt like I had be stupid. Without realizing it, my jaw was shaking, and my legs were loosening.


    I was trying to suppress the desire to sit down as hard as possible. My mind was fine, but my body wouldn¡¯t listen. I got goosebumps all over my body, and it became hard to breathe.


    ¡°Crazy, sh*t¡­ What the hell? What¡¯s this?¡¯


    Even though he was suppressing his feelings as much as possible, I could still feel the pressure he emitted even when he looked at me, who was close to the general public.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Oh, I¡¯m in trouble. I¡¯m doomed.¡¯


    There was no room for negotiations in the first ce.


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s face hardening wasn¡¯t enough. He had no choice but to ept that fact.


    It was hard to describe his intensity as he slowly exited the room.


    I wanted to ask if I should call for a meeting and discuss countermeasures, but that was already out of my hands.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to work¡­ It¡¯s their business, so they¡¯ll settle it on their own.¡±


    It¡¯s unusual to be put in a near-death situation twice in a single day.


    It¡¯s a bad day, so wouldn¡¯t it be better to go into my office and do things I hadn¡¯t finished yet?


    Anyway, by now, Lee Kiyoung¡­


    ¡®He¡¯s probably chewing on meat.¡¯


    I could be 100% sure.


    * * *


    ¡°It¡¯s melting in his mouth¡­¡±

 Chapter 637: One Week (2)

    <h4>Chapter 637: One Week (2)</h4>


    ¡®Who cooked it?¡¯


    ¡°Why is it melting so softly? Why is this so good?¡±


    I wanted to take another bite, but the problem was that my pride wouldn¡¯t let me. There was no way we could eat all of it in the first ce.


    I was hooked on the fragrant smell permeating at the tip of my nose, but getting devouring it all was no better than epting the current situation as okay. Of course, I was hungry. Even if my stomach was small, I hadn¡¯t had a proper meal since I entered the dungeon.


    Since the Queen¡¯s Tomb was also wider than expected, I could only eat grass porridge at the end of each battle.


    ¡°Where the hell did you hide this?¡±


    It could be exined that it was nned from the beginning. I expected it, but I felt more confident when they served such a luxurious dinner.


    ¡®There has to be a limit to the load capacity of the bags, but they probably have something to eat as well.¡¯


    It was rather simple to call it dinner, of course, to the point of worrying unnecessarily, but that was enough to be a virtue in a ce like that.


    It would be better to keep my mouth shut for the time being than to ask why he was doing that already.


    Wasn¡¯t making the other person nervous first a necessary leverage?


    Just in time, I felt a sign. I heard a knock on the big door. It was obvious who it would be.


    ¡°I¡¯ming in, Hyung.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Have you had a meal?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    When I put my hand on the table without saying a word and swiped my arm across the surface,pletely edible food fell to the ground with the sound of a loud bang.


    He naturally bit his lips tightly.


    I showed a hostile reaction that told him I would never touch the food he gave me.


    Looking at Raphael¡¯s face without saying anything, I didn¡¯t know he would react that coldly. I would¡¯ve thought he¡¯d loosen up over time, considering everyone knew that it was hard to solve Lee Kiyoung¡¯s aching heart.


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem to like the taste.¡±


    ¡®No, it was a good meal. It was a really good meal. Honestly, I wanted to eat everything¡­ I couldn¡¯t eat it because of my pride.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll bring more, or is there anything else you want to eat?¡±


    ¡®Mirror salmon.¡¯


    ¡°I also brought mirror salmons. How would you like it cooked?¡±


    ¡®When did you bring that? No, but I don¡¯t need it now.¡¯


    When I threw a wine ss as if I didn¡¯t want to say anything else, he stood still and got hit again.


    ¡®It was my favorite wine.¡¯


    That was a bit of a waste. I shouldn¡¯t have thrown it in the first ce.


    Raphael, covered in alcoholic fluids, looked somewhat embarrassed, but he didn¡¯t say anything. Instead, while smiling bitterly, he picked up the dishes that fell to the ground.


    ¡°You¡¯ll get hurt if you step on it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care what you think of me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°How are you feeling? Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You must have been very surprised¡­¡±


    ¡°Get out.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    There was no need for more words.


    Once again, the lonely back of the man who sighed loudly caught my ears, but I didn¡¯t give a single nce.


    I had a lot to say, but I felt it was better to keep silent for the time being.


    Wouldn¡¯t it be better to talk to him tomorrow?


    Of course, I didn¡¯t know if it would work, but it wasn¡¯t a build-up for that.


    I had to remind myself that I was in control, although I was the one being held hostage.


    Although it might¡¯ve seemed like there was nothing else to do but y pranks, the build-up was important.


    ¡®I can convince him.¡¯


    It was too early to tell him, ¡®I loved you, Raphael.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t like the situation, but how could I easily let go of the people I raised with my hands?


    If they were ordinary people, they would¡¯ve waited for Kim Hyunsung to run in and break everything, but the Holy Sword party looked like they had a pretty good chance. So were the heroes of the first round, and so was Raphael.


    To throw the eight-winged Holy Sword user into the trash can¡­ it was such a waste of invested time.


    ¡®I have plenty of opportunities left.¡¯


    It¡¯s more than enough. By all means, I had to stop those suicide hopefuls from jumping into the fire pit.


    Wasn¡¯t it the trend of a new era for everyone to walk hand in hand?


    Of course, the situation outside was as critical as persuading him. It was important how Kim Hyunsung and others were epting what happened to me.


    First of all, the best scenario was¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s best for Hyunsung to keep it to himself.¡¯


    Wouldn¡¯t there be no worse situation than the entire continent knowing about the incident?


    I didn¡¯t want to stop all the work that I¡¯d been working on so far, whether it¡¯s a prayer meeting, a rescue, or other works.


    I was naturally worried about Jung Hayan or Cha Hee-ra¡­


    And the media. The quick-witted Lee Jihye would control it, but¡­


    ¡®Don¡¯t make a big deal out of it.¡¯


    It was much better to deal with it so silently that people would question if it really happened.


    I wanted to look outside, but the Goddess¡¯s Mirror was missing. I had no kits either. Hence, I couldn¡¯t make anything.


    Of course, there was a solution. I wondered if it would be possible, but I believed it was.


    ¡®Benignore, I¡¯d like to see what¡¯s going on outside. Can you show me a little bit?¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Benignore? A lovely member of your religion, Lee Kiyoung, is greeting you. Why are your replies sote?¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Benignore.¡¯


    [Common-grade forced quest has been invoked.]


    [Lee¡­ Lee Kiyoung! My lovely Lee Kiyoung! Did you call me? (0/1)]


    ¡®I¡¯d like to take a look outside¡­ I don¡¯t have a Goddess¡¯s Mirror right now.¡¯


    [Oh, yeah¡­ I think I know what you¡¯re talking about. You¡¯re wondering what other humans are doing right now, aren¡¯t you? (0/1)]


    ¡®You catch on so quick.¡¯


    [You know, I really want to grant what believer Lee Kiyoung wants, but¡­ Things aren¡¯t that good right now¡­ Lee Kiyoung should know too. I¡¯m on probation. I¡¯m being watched up here. (0/1)]


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    [This is my way of helping my precious believer Lee Kiyoung¡­ You know, if a Goddess gets too involved in the world of mortals, there¡¯s a high chance something bad will happen to her¡­ There are some totally prohibited things¡­ (0/1)]


    ¡®I know that making a wish and praying in the first ce won¡¯t solve the problem. I also know that you should only act as an observer as much as possible. That¡¯s why I¡¯m asking you for such a small favor.¡¯


    [Well, still¡­ (0/1)]


    ¡®I didn¡¯t want to ask you to get me out of here. I¡¯m not asking you to fix this problem I¡¯m having right now¡­ It¡¯s a small favor, a very small favor.¡¯


    [I told you that if you trust the demons¡­ This is all about Lucifer¡­ (0/1)]


    ¡®So you¡¯re telling me it¡¯s my fault? Who¡¯s the reason why things got to this point in the first ce¡­¡¯


    [¡­ (0/1)]


    ¡®Oh, hurry up and show me. We don¡¯t have time. I need to see how things are going right now.¡¯


    [I can¡¯t do that. I have to lower the telescope to the mortal world to grant what the believer Lee Kiyoung wants¡­ It¡¯s illegal for humans to own heavenly items. Wouldn¡¯t it be better for me to tell you? (0/1)]


    Huh?


    [As expected, it¡¯s a little too much¡­ Still, the telescope¡­ we can¡¯t just grant it to humans¡­Of course, Lee Kiyoung isn¡¯t an ordinary person, but the samew applies to you since you maintain the body of a mortal. (0/1)]


    ¡®You¡¯re not granting me anything. You¡¯re lending it to me.¡¯


    [¡­ (0/1)]


    ¡®You call it a telescope¡­ Hahahaha, you don¡¯t have to worry too much, Benignore. You¡¯re not granting me anything but rather lending me. I¡¯m borrowing as much as I can. I¡¯ll return everything after work, so you don¡¯t have to worry. It won¡¯t take long¡­ Or is that a waste? I don¡¯t want to think that you¡¯re abandoning your precious believer, who was preparing for your trial every day, in case the situation gets worse.¡¯


    [How could I forsake Lee Kiyoung? Yeah, I¡¯ll never throw you away, but¡­ 0/1)]


    ¡®Then lend me the item. You can¡¯t even listen to such a simple request. I should be rewarded for all that I¡¯ve given you.¡¯


    [If you wait a little longer¡­ I¡¯m being careful not to get caught due to the slightest mistake¡­ (0/1)]


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    [¡­ (0/1)]


    ¡®Fine. Don¡¯t lend it to me. Oh, my Goddess, you¡¯re so cheap¡­¡¯


    [Huh? (0/1)]


    ¡®Do I really need to talk about going my own way again?¡¯


    [Huh? Huh? (0/1)]


    ¡®I¡¯ll work hard, so Benignore, please do your best¡­ Should I stop talking like this? You have a trial about a mess I¡¯m not even aware of. Do I have to say, ¡®I¡¯m not going to stand as a witness?¡¯ Oh! Then won¡¯t I be in trouble too? Why would I in trouble? There are a lot of beings who want my services. There are a lot, so I can take care of myself starting tomorrow. Wow, I made a big mistake. I asked too much of you. I guess this humble believer has made Benignore ufortable.¡¯


    [That¡­ that¡¯s not it, that¡¯s not it¡­ (0/1)]


    ¡®You can lend it to me for a little bit, and I¡¯ll give it back as soon as possible¡­ Is that so hard? I¡¯m having a hard time cleaning up heap dung, and you don¡¯t even want to let me borrow that? You told me not to throw you away, then the moment I¡¯m in a difficult situation, you¡¯re going to cut me off like this? Do you think I¡¯d want that telescope for no reason? I¡¯ve done everything you wanted. Tell me I¡¯m wrong.¡¯


    [Oh, no. (0/1)]


    ¡®I won¡¯t save the continent! I won¡¯t even try! You think I really want a telescope?¡¯


    [Just c-calm down¡­ Lee Kiyoung¡­ Calm down¡­ (0/1)]


    ¡®The continent is in danger!¡¯


    She seemed very flustered when I threw the table in front of me and shouted mentally.


    As I said before, I wasn¡¯t making unreasonable demands at all. Lee Kiyoung, a humble destructionist, also roughly knew how things were going.


    Actions that could directly impact the continent werepletely prohibited, but it would be possible to simply look at the situation. Of course, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem to rent a telescope for a while.


    There was room for controversy in many ways as she was under inspection, but I didn¡¯t want to continue living with my eyes and ears blocked.


    Still, I couldn¡¯t ignore Benignore¡¯s point of view. Clearly, the answer was fixed.


    The words I heard in my head were enough to make me smile.


    [Well, wait a minute¡­ You have to give it back, okay? If there¡¯s an unexpected inspection¡­ I¡¯m going to be in big trouble. If they know you¡¯vee in and stolen a telescope, it¡¯s going to be over¡­I believe in Lee Kiyoung. Do you believe in me, too? (0/1)]


    ¡®We¡¯re destined to help each other. If I don¡¯t trust you, who would?¡¯


    [Yes, that¡¯s right. You¡¯re not going to throw me away, are you? I¡¯ve done this for you¡­ You¡¯re not going to abandon meter, are you? (0/1)]


    ¡®I¡¯ll never abandon you. We¡¯re still preparing for trials whenever we have time. Be patient, Benignore. Always remember that hanging in there is the only way to live.¡¯


    [I¡­ I¡¯ll cheer up, Lee Kiyoung. I¡¯ll hold on for Lee Kiyoung. So, you should cheer up, too. Let¡¯s be happy together. We¡¯re¡­ we¡¯re destined for each other. (0/1)]


    ¡®Of course.¡¯


    [Elune¡¯s telescope is in the Mind¡¯s Eyes.]


    [The Mind¡¯s Eyes¡¯ level had been upgraded to mythic level.]


    I didn¡¯t know why I had gotten Elune¡¯s telescope, but¡­


    ¡®Benignore¡­ Wow, she¡¯s really hard to get through to.¡¯


    Such thoughts began to circte in my head.

 Chapter 638: One week (3)

    <h4>Chapter 638: One week (3)</h4>


    At that time, the one who must¡¯ve been most embarrassed would be Elune, not me, not Kim Hyunsung, nor Cho Hyejin.


    I thought of that for a moment, but that had nothing to do with me for the time being. It would only be proper for their group o take care of the problem over there and our group to solve the problem in front of us.


    I was worried that the telescope would be leaked and the situation would cascade even further down, but if I threw the Elune trash as a scapegoat, it would be possible to recover.


    Benignore might¡¯ve had simr thoughts to mine.


    It definitely felt like we¡¯re on the same boat by that time.


    Benignore, who was running at the end of her ipetence, also began to feel proud of the idea that she had made ¡°good judgment.¡±


    ¡®No. Let¡¯s look at the situation first.¡¯


    I was going crazy because I was curious about what was going on outside. It felt like my vision had changed sharply as I hurriedly activated my attribute. It was a rather unfamiliar sensation.


    ¡®The effect is nice.¡¯


    It felt as if two videos were turned on at the same time on one monitor.


    What my left eye could see was different from what my right eye could.


    A brief headache came, causing me to grab my head, but I quickly got used to it. Still, I felt like my eyes would burst.


    If I, the owner of the Mind¡¯s Eyes, was put in such a state, it definitely wasn¡¯t intended for ordinary people. Ordinary humans couldn¡¯t withstand the output of that ability.


    As I turned my head as if moving the camera, what spread in my field of view was the usual Lindel. My heart felt at ease at the thought that I overcame the worst situation I was most worried about.


    Lindel was peaceful. Cho Hyejin didn¡¯t talk about it all over the ce.


    The appearance of the Lindel residents, who were still energetic and living the same daily life, as usual, made meugh for no reason.


    ¡®I believed, Hyejin. I believed you would take care of it quietly.¡¯


    As I said earlier, I had ovee the worst. The same went for the capital and the fields.


    She must¡¯ve been thinking, ¡®This dungeon trip took quite a long time.¡¯


    ¡®But where is she? Is she okay? Maybe she hasn¡¯t arrived yet¡­¡¯


    Considering that Lindel was far away from the dungeon, I kept in mind the possibility that she hadn¡¯t returned to the city yet. No matter how much of a monster Cho Hyejin was, it was still impossible to run such a tremendous distance without a break.


    She might¡¯ve needed time to replenish her magic power and stamina at least once halfway through. I nodded satisfactorily only for a moment. I looked around everywhere, concerned since Cho Hyejin didn¡¯t up, but I still couldn¡¯t see her.


    I looked around Lindel just in case, but she remained out of my sight.


    She wasn¡¯t even in the Blue Guild.


    Elena and Yoo Ahyoung seemed to be out for a while, and Sun Hee-young was focusing on her work as usual.


    The only ones that remained were the three siblings, Park, Gi, and Lee, whom I judged that administrative work was impossible for. It felt so peaceful to see them having a leisurely chat while drinking tea.


    -It feels strange¡­ maybe I should go to hyung-nim¡­


    -What¡¯s wrong?


    -I think I heard a voice as if hyung-nim was asking for help¡­ sometimes when I¡¯m like this, I can feel him looking at me out of nowhere.


    -Sounds stupid.


    -What do you mean? How many times have I said that our mind is connected even when we¡¯re apart¡­


    -Nonsense.


    -Hahahaha, Deokgu seems to be a little tired.


    -I¡¯m telling you it¡¯s true. I¡¯m sure he¡¯s in danger right now. I suddenly felt like he¡¯s been in the dungeon for too long, and even now, I feel like I can still hear a voice shouting for help.


    ¡°What¡¯s up with this one? Stop it.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but turn my head momentarily. I felt like I could get caught if I looked at that pig any longer than that. Just confirming that he hadn¡¯t heard of the incident in the first ce was a huge achievement.


    Of course, I couldn¡¯t properly find Cho Hyejin, but apart from that, I was relieved.


    ¡®At least she won¡¯t be talking about it all over the ce¡­¡¯


    I looked for her in earnest, heading towards the 5th District where Jung Hayan and Han Sora resided.3


    Since I was being held hostage anyway, it wouldn¡¯t be bad to observe them a bit. I went straight to the basement, and I could see a shadow enthusiastic about the work.


    Of course, it¡¯s Han Sora moving her hands with an anxious face.


    I knew why she was making that face. It was because Jung Hayan was reflected through the Goddess¡¯ Hand Mirror nearby staring at her.


    -It¡¯s l-lte¡­


    -Certain¡­ dungeons¡­ certain dungeons have ces¡­ where magic power can¡¯t be transmitted. Definitely¡­ the Vice Guild Master is definitely also paying attention to you¡­ He must have been unable to contact you due to unavoidable circumstances¡­


    -You¡­ t-t-think so¡­


    -Yeah¡­


    -T-the priest¡­ that went together with him, from Raphael¡¯s party¡­ she¡¯s pretty¡­


    -Oh, that Miracle Priest or something? Pretty? She was just in. And she¡¯s not the Vice Guild Master¡¯s type. Last time while working¡­ he said his ideal type is Jung Hayan. He told me not to tell you since it¡¯s embarrassing¡­


    -R-Really?


    Of course, I didn¡¯t remember saying anything about that. That was simply Han Sora¡¯s way of surviving in a life-and-death situation.


    It was sad to see Han Sora trying to calm down Jung Hayan somehow, but seeing her like that made me feel that she was indispensable. Wasn¡¯t she really a living anger management robot? She could even handle Jung Hayan¡¯s wrath.


    If it were usual, she would¡¯ve already been at a high level of anger, but the current Jung Hayan was at best at medium level.


    Except for the pouting lips, she wasn¡¯t showing any change. Rather, she was smiling lightly at the pleasant news That ce was as peaceful as Lindel.


    It took my attention that she suddenly went to my room, but I didn¡¯t want to see what she went in for. Even Han Sora seemed to pretend she didn¡¯t see it.


    Once I knew that the Jung Hayan hadn¡¯t burst yet, I was relieved. Of course, she didn¡¯t even seem to know about the kidnapping.


    ¡®Hyejin, this girl, is she evening?¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t find her, but¡­


    ¡®Is it okay to think that she has arrived?¡¯


    She had only one option left unless she intended to make a loud noise.


    Perhaps she had decided that it would be better not to be seen. If she didn¡¯t n to notify the Blue Guild, it was natural that she wasn¡¯t in any ce associated with the guild.


    Maybe Kim Hyunsung took care of Cho Hyejin separately.


    Assuming she had run that far, her stamina and her magic power would¡¯ve already run out.


    ¡°It¡¯s not such a bad situation.¡±


    It had been handled in a much better way than I thought. I felt relieved just seeing that Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t contact Jung Hayan.


    If he were really agitated, he would¡¯ve used the teleportation spell to reach the dungeon¡¯s front, but Jung Hayan and Han Sora were spending their days calmly and normally.


    Like the Doom Kiyoung incident, he didn¡¯t choose the option of teleporting to Limur¡¯s nest recklessly. I judged that he was somewhere preparing for negotiation.


    He should be.


    ¡®Well, are you having a meeting with manager Kim Mi-young in a secret ce?¡¯


    The problem was that Kim Hyunsung was also nowhere to be found, although I was trying to look at the brighter side.


    I had searched all the ces he could be, but I couldn¡¯t see his shadow either.


    He wasn¡¯t in the outdoor training grounds, private training rooms, the dining room, office, or room.


    ¡®Are you with Hyejin? Are you having a meeting? I can¡¯t believe it guys, you didn¡¯t create a secret conference room without my knowledge, did you?¡¯


    I naturally became more and more nervous. As if to represent that feeling, I started to imagine things I didn¡¯t want to.


    ¡®Are you really angry? You didn¡¯t lose your temper¡­ or anything, right?¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t contact Jung Hayan.


    ¡®What should I do if he couldn¡¯t do it?¡¯


    What if I assumed that he was so angry that he couldn¡¯t even think of the teleportation spell?


    Assuming he was angry enough to make it impossible to have rational judgment¡­


    What if he lost his mind to the point where he couldn¡¯t even think of an easy way to move in front of the dungeon?


    ¡®Fuck¡­¡¯


    Honestly, I was happy. It meant that Hyunsung was worried about me that much.


    Wasn¡¯t it like a cheap clich¨¦ing to rescue the princess trapped in Demon¡¯s Castle?


    However, I didn¡¯t feel good about the fact that it was the holy warrior, not the demon king, that he had to deal with. I found some time to spare, but I started to feel the candles burning at both ends.


    When I raised my view to the top, I looked at the road connecting Lindel and the dungeon at a nce.


    There, I saw someone running at a speed that was hard to follow with my eyes alone.


    ¡®Fucking sh*t¡­¡¯


    Although I couldn¡¯t see him properly, the one I was watching was definitely Kim Hyunsung.


    I thought he would at leaste in a griffon, but I didn¡¯t think he had time to do that.


    Like a typhoon or natural disastering, nearby wild animals and monsters scattered in all directions, and innocent birds left their homes and evacuated to other ces.


    It looked like a mythic-grade raid monster had appeared.


    He was running, emanating a murderous aura to the extent that I, who was just watching, was trembling profusely. I couldn¡¯t imagine how the animals around him would feel.


    His face was distorted to the point that I thought it was the first time he had such an expression. I could bet it wasn¡¯t that much, even during the Doom Kiyoung incident. If he had a desperate determination to save me at that time, the face I was currently looking at contained the desire to kill.


    Even the lovely regressor¡¯s face seemed unfamiliar.


    ¡®Ah, sh*t. Fuck, it¡¯s ruined. It¡¯s ruined.¡¯


    I instantly realized that I couldn¡¯t save the Holy Sword party. There would be no negotiations and conversations in the first ce. There was nothing but catastrophe at the ending of the chapter. I unknowingly looked for someone to lean on for support.


    The most reliable person right at that moment, the only person who could seal the wound in the event of such an ident.


    ¡®Jihye, I only have Jihye.¡¯


    Jihye was pretty quick-witted. Since Kim Hyunsung headed to the dungeon, that information must¡¯ve been caught by herwork.


    ¡®You wouldn¡¯t like to have what you pictured to be ruined either. Remember that we clinked our wine sses when we decided to make our Holy Sword warrior party soar? You noticed how the situation is going after you saw Hyunsung leaving, right? I¡¯m sure you have something prepared, and I bet you¡¯re using your head right now to fix it.¡¯


    After all, the only person I could really lean on was my soulmate.


    ¡®No, fuck, no¡­¡¯


    However, there was one thing I had overlooked.


    ¡®No¡­¡¯


    She was more quick-witted than I thought.


    ¡®What, why is Cho Hyejin here?¡¯


    Cho Hyejin was lying in Lee Jihye¡¯s bed.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t that Ha Yeon-soo?¡¯


    Ha Yeon-soo, who was known to be close to Lee Jihye, was stretching her legs with Lee Jihye and applying a sheet mask.


    Watching her put the sheet mask on Cho Hyejin, who was asleep as if she had fainted, was a spectacle. Although it would be a sweet break time like honey obtained after their routines¡­


    -You don¡¯t look like you even take care of your skin, but it¡¯s still really soft.


    -That¡¯s normal for their kind. Her magic power itself is also pure¡­ That¡¯s all revealed in appearance. If you raise your magic power, your skin will be better than it is now. Oh, of course, it¡¯s already of good quality.


    -That¡¯s obvious. Do you know how much I spent on skincare?


    The reason I felt that the timing was bad was probably because of the message on the desk.


    [I¡¯m leaving a message because I think you can find it. I think you can see it even now. Are you looking at it? Oh, I have to say that I¡¯m sorry first.]


    ¡®No. You can¡¯t be sorry¡­ You shouldn¡¯t be sorry¡­¡¯


    [I also tried to fix it as much as possible¡­ I decided to let go of it because it seems that something beyond my ability has happened. I almost died twice today. The Blue Guild Master couldn¡¯t be stopped, but don¡¯t be too disappointed. I have an excuse. How can I stop the man from running crazy as soon as he heard the story? Maybe if I had said something about countermeasure, my throat would have blown too. I really want to help, but I can¡¯t this time around. I sold this stock, and I¡¯ve thoroughly washed my hands of this event. I¡¯ll leave the postwork to you.


    P.S. Oppa should also do it quickly. Oh, and the public shouldn¡¯t know about it. I¡¯ll keep Cho Hyejin here for a while. This is the best I can do. Don¡¯t resent me too much.]


    ¡®Jihye, fuck¡­ how could you sell it¡­¡¯


    Although the investor¡¯s wisdom was evident in the fact that she had sharply abandoned it just before the delisting¡­


    ¡®What about the one who remained¡­¡¯


    From my standpoint, where I was still holding on to the Holy Sword Coin, I was bound to feel like I had just been struck by lightning out of nowhere.

 Chapter 639: Don’t Lose (1)

    <h4>Chapter 639: Don¡¯t Lose (1)</h4>


    ¡®Lee Jihye¡­ Lee Jihye, fuck.¡¯


    I instantaneously realized that our pledge to sell and buy stocks together had been rendered obsolete. She sold her stocks below the purchase price in bulk, which was surprising.


    I was in doubt about whether it was an exploitation operation force, so what else did I need to say? It was such good timing that I would believe it if she said she worked in something rted to that.


    Although I was grateful for the note, it also felt resentful.


    ¡®Hyejin¡­ Hyejin, why are you down? You¡¯re not sick, right? You didn¡¯t run recklessly, ruining your health and ultimately resulting in you fainting, right? Did you fall in the ck Swan¡¯s territory? Is that why you three are together?¡¯


    For Cho Hyejin, who ran so much her body was left in tatters, I had mixed feelings of gratitude and concern, but I had no choice but to throw that feeling far away for the time being.


    I thought the first thing I had to do was to figure out exactly how things were going.


    Although the situation was roughly summarized on the note left by Lee Jihye, many parts were omitted. One of the things I could confirm was that she directly reported to Kim Hyunsung.


    Indeed, if Lee Jihye directly reported to Kim Hyunsung, the picture I was drawing in my head would be clear.


    Cho Hyejin had handed over her baton to Lee Jihye, and Lee Jihye directly conveyed the situation to Kim Hyunsung.


    It was also her choice that she decided to minimize confusion. I wanted to apud her good judgment but couldn¡¯t hide the bitterness that came up inside.


    Because of her inner peace brought by having let go of the stock already, and the image of her enjoying serenity kepting into my eyes.


    -Her hands are lumpy.


    -How much training would she have done? She¡¯s Cho Hyejin. She¡¯s famous as a training fanatic.


    -Hmm, I have nothing to do. Should I do her nails?


    -Can we do that?


    -She¡¯s sleeping anyway. You said she wouldn¡¯t wake up for a while. It would be better to paint it blue.


    I was jealous of how different they were acting from me, who was filled with anxiety.


    Even at that moment, I wanted to sell the stock quickly and gain peace, but since I had put in capital into it than Lee Jihye, I couldn¡¯t easily get out.


    Cho Hyejin, who was being taken care of while fainted, made me envious.


    I knew that Lee Jihye did her best, but the anxiety that came out of my mind was apletely different story.


    Once again, I turned my gaze to Kim Hyunsung, but nothing changed.


    He was still biting his lip tightly and continuing the frantic run. He couldn¡¯t even distinguish between monsters and trees anymore.


    ¡®Ah, this is fucked up. This is really fucked up.¡¯


    I was naturally worried about the ughter party that would unfold in the Queen¡¯s grave a few hourster.


    Who I was currently observing wasn¡¯t Kim Hyunsung of the 2nd round. It should be judged that it was Kim Hyunsung from the first round that was filled with malice.


    I felt that the Holy Sword party had awakened the man¡¯s evil spirits.


    ¡®I guess he wille right away.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t think he¡¯d wait a weekter or something. It was obvious that he woulde straight to the dungeon.


    As if they knew that the death reaper wasing, the Holy Sword party was in full swing.


    ¡®How many hours are left? How much time does he need to reach me?¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t urately calcte it, but it would¡¯ve been left less than three hours. Unconditionally, within 3 hours, Kim Hyunsung would enter the Queen¡¯s grave.


    No, maybe he could show up in an hour.


    I bit my lips unknowingly. I thought I had time to spare, but Hyunsung would soon arrive much faster than expected. The problem was that I still didn¡¯t have any option.


    For me, who hadn¡¯t cast ¡°I loved you, Raphael,¡± yet, the other options were meaningless.


    ¡®I have to persuade them.¡¯


    I had to do it immediately. However, my body didn¡¯t move at will. The moment I hurried up, judging that I had no more time to think, my head swirled, and my body lost bnce and copsed.


    ¡®What. What¡¯s wrong with me? What¡¯s wrong with me, fuck.¡¯


    ¡°Ah¡­ fuck.¡±


    Of course, I got suspicious of something. That was probably a side effect of using Elune¡¯s telescope for too long.


    A headache came in for a moment, and while I grabbed my head tightly, the door opened with a banging sound.


    ¡°Hyung! Hyung!!¡±


    Raphael, startled, put my body on the bed again, but that didn¡¯t mean my headache stopped.


    I wished I was pretending that I was in pain, but it really hurt. It was a short moment, but I really felt like my head was breaking.


    The continuous tingling pain stroked my frontal lobe. I wanted to say that it really hurt and ask him to save me, but even my voice didn¡¯te out properly.


    ¡°Sigh, sigh¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you okay? Are¡­¡±


    ¡®No, I¡¯m not okay. I feel like I¡¯m going to die from the pain. This headache hurts way too much. I¡¯m really sick, fuck.¡¯


    The pain was enough for me to consider the possibility that Elune had put a curse on it.


    As there was a high possibility that Kim Hyunsung would soon arrive, I thought it was urgent to tell him what the situation was outside, and when I tried to open my mouth, my voice didn¡¯te out at my will.


    ¡°Run¡­ away.¡±


    ¡®Run, you bastard. Kim Hyunsung ising. First, fuck, you have to save your life. I can only fix itter if you live. You have to live.¡¯


    ¡°What? What are you¡­ What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Run away. Go¡­ you have to leave¡­¡±


    ¡®Get out of here! Listen to what I¡¯m saying. You have to heed my instructions unconditionally right now.¡¯


    ¡°Hyung¡­? Hyung? Can you see me? Do you recognize who I am?¡±


    ¡°Kim Hyunsung¡­ ising¡­¡±


    ¡°Hyung?¡±


    ¡°Just¡­ leave me¡­ and¡­ run¡­¡±


    ¡®I¡¯ll calm Hyunsung down. So just, fuck, run away. Fuck, you don¡¯t have time. You don¡¯t have time.¡¯


    I wanted the bastard to understand me.


    I thought it might¡¯ve sounded a little different, but Ipletely conveyed what I wanted to say.


    ¡®Kim Hyunsung ising, so run away.¡¯


    ¡°You will d¡­¡±


    ¡®You will die. You¡¯re definitely dying.¡¯


    ¡°Bastar¡­¡±


    ¡®What?¡¯


    ¡°Kim Hyunsung, that bastard¡­ bastard!¡±


    ¡°What¡­?¡±


    The way he hit the ground with a burst of anger was spectacr. I wasn¡¯tpletely certain, but I felt like I could tell what he was thinking.


    ¡®No. I wasn¡¯t brainwashed. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m fighting with my second personality right now.¡¯


    There seemed to be no answer in any way when I saw his thick tears dripping while biting his lips tightly. Arguably, that bastard was on the verge of crossing a river that he couldn¡¯t return from.


    ¡®Hey, please don¡¯t cross that river.¡¯


    ¡°You will befortable soon. The motherfucker who is making your head hurt¡­ I will protect you from him.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t protect me, don¡¯t protect me, fuck.¡¯


    As I watched his back after he turned and wiped his tears with one hand, he looked more like a fire moth sprinting into the fire rather than looking cool.


    I wanted to shout not to go, but my voice didn¡¯te out. I pathetically reached out my hand, but Raphael wasn¡¯t looking at me.


    To anyone, he looked like a soldier on the verge of going out to the battlefield.


    ¡®Ah, my head hurts, fuck. The son of a bitch, where do you think you¡¯re going when I¡¯m in this much pain? Don¡¯t go. Don¡¯t cross the river where you can¡¯t return.¡¯


    However, after looking back once, he closed the big door firmly.


    Hearing a nk, it seemed he had locked the door from the outside as well.


    As I looked around while trying to grasp for breath, I saw something Raphael had dropped. It was the Goddess¡¯s Hand Mirror.


    I grabbed my pounding head and lifted it, but it provided too little information.


    I even thought it would be good to leave the room by going into my Doom Kiyoung form, but I didn¡¯t know when Kim Hyunsung would barge in.


    ¡®Gosh, fuck. This situation is really troublesome. Should I just say, ¡®I loved you, Raphael,¡¯?¡¯


    I regretted introducing the first round¡¯s heroes to each other.


    I triggered my Mind¡¯s Eyes to look at the outside situation, but the only thing I could see was the Holy Sword party gathering together and preparing for the iing threat.


    The hound Lee Joohyuk was quietly gearing up for battle. The party members, including Marien, the Miracle Priest, and the live burial duo, who were sneaking jokes, had the same face as Raphael.


    Perhaps Kim Hyunsung could choose to let them live.


    I didn¡¯t know about Raphael, but he might think that the first-timeline heroes would be wasted if they were to die so early.


    No, before thinking it was a waste, didn¡¯t all those characters have contact with Kim Hyunsung?


    They weren¡¯t close to him like I was, but they were definitely Kim Hyunsung¡¯s colleagues.


    ¡®I should save at least those guys. Raphael is already out of my reach, but I can still save the rest.¡¯


    Looking back at Kim Hyunsung, he was already running inside the dungeon.


    ¡®Come on, bastard¡­ Why did youe so quickly? Why are you already entering the dungeon?¡¯


    I was worried about his physical strength as he ran nonstop without thinking about anything else, but he didn¡¯t seem to be out of breath. Although I was anxious about his expression, that showed no other emotions other than the murderous aura¡­


    I had to trust him, who said that the hound Lee Juhyuk was a good guy with a smile.


    There was no way Kim Hyunsung would abandon his previous colleagues from the first timeline.


    As if they noticed that Kim Hyunsung broke into the dungeon, the Holy Swordparty was also on the way to the stage.


    -We can win. We will be able to win.


    -After work, let¡¯s have a drink.


    -Oh, I have a prior engagement¡­


    -¡­


    -I¡¯m thinking of proposing to my girlfriend right away after going back.


    ¡®What do you mean, proposal¡­ Don¡¯t put up death gs, fuck.¡¯


    -I¡¯m sorry, everyone.


    -You don¡¯t have to be sorry. We all agreed to this. I don¡¯t think the odds are low.


    -Um, if I die¡­ tell my friends¡­


    ¡®Don¡¯t even say that. What¡¯s up with you guys¡­ You can¡¯t keep saying that.¡¯


    -Obviously, nothing will happen.


    ¡®Something always happens to those that say those words. Just don¡¯t say anything. Just stay still.¡¯


    As if they knew they were gging death, even the way they were walking and spitting out typical lines seemed somewhat anxious.


    -He¡¯sing soon. Get ready for battle.


    A small sound resonated. Kim Hyunsung bit his lips tightly and began to fill his feet with magic.


    They came as far as they could see each other.


    Amid tensions, Kim Hyunsung was staring at the hound Lee Joo-hyuk at the forefront.


    ¡®He¡¯s thinking of killing¡­ I think he¡¯s thinking of killing them. I really think he¡¯s thinking ofmitting a massacre here¡­¡¯


    I realized that our lovely regressor would kill all the guys in front of him in no time at all.


    Unknowingly, I lifted the hand mirror and began to speak.


    ¡°Lee Joo-hyuk should be a bait. Watch out, Marien. Be careful, fuck! Keep your head down! Head down. Head down!¡±


    ¡®I told you he would aim at the priests first, bastards.¡¯


    Marien¡¯s head bowed reflexively as if my voice reached her.

 Chapter 640: Don’t Lose (2)

    <h4>Chapter 640: Don¡¯t Lose (2)</h4>


    Instantaneously, the huge distance between them narrowed. No other situation was fitting to be described by the expression, ¡®you havee so near.¡¯


    I could guarantee that none of the Holy Sword party members could catch up with Kim Hyunsung. In their eyes, Kim Hyunsung must¡¯ve disappeared within a split second.


    Imagine that a racing car that was running without brakes disappeared from sight all of a sudden. No one would be able to keep theirposure.


    I had simted it countless times in my head. Their n had gone wrong, and it was the moment that Kim Hyunsung was aiming for.


    ¡®Chill down, fuck¡­ Hyunsung, our Hyunsung.¡¯


    Heunched himself forward with magic on his feet, reappearing behind the Miracle Priest.


    When dealing with a huge group, targeting the priest was amon tactic for those who had a lot of experience fighting, but I didn¡¯t think Kim Hyunsung was aiming for her with that thought.


    Perhaps it could be seen as an instinct or memory imbued in his body rather than rational thinking.


    Naturally, the bnce of the party that was maintaining a perfect formation copsed.


    The embarrassed wizard couldn¡¯t chant his spell, and the knight who was in charge of the priest couldn¡¯t respond to Hyunsung¡¯s superior speed.


    If it weren¡¯t for my voice, Marien¡¯s head would have been rolling down on the ground already.


    I didn¡¯t know if the Miracle Priest was aware that she almost died just then.


    I had to zoom in to the Lee Joo-hyuk, who was looking at Kim Hyunsung with disbelief.


    What I saw in front of him was Raphael¡¯s face showing anger with his lips closed tight.


    The live-burial duo had cold sweat running down their skin. The party seemed to have stopped for an instant, but Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t. He probably missed since she bowed her head, but he wouldn¡¯t make the same mistakes twice.


    ¡°Protection magic, protection magic!¡±


    The wizard¡¯s shield, whose chant had already been done halfway through at the beginning of the battle, instantly covered the party.


    The moment the sword aiming for the Miracle Priest stopped, the Holy Sword party was relieved.


    ¡®Stop bullsh*tting, you bastards. Do you think that shield is enough to save your life?¡¯


    ¡°Respond right away! Respond! Respond!¡±


    The protective shield wouldn¡¯tst less than 0.5 seconds, but it wasn¡¯t intended to block attacks in the first ce. It was better to think of it as a dyer. As if he heard my voice, the knight moved to save the priest¡¯s life. The problem was that his method was wrong.


    ¡°Don¡¯t block it! Don¡¯t block it! Dodge!¡±


    As if he wished to face death with his shield in his hands, he was about to block Marien¡¯s front.


    Hearing me, he grabbed the priest¡¯s uniform with one hand and threw her behind.


    While the live-burial duo caught the thrown priest, the knight moved sideways. It seemed that he was trying to get out of Kim Hyunsung¡¯s attack range somehow, but he couldn¡¯t get away from the consequence of his hesitation when he tried to block instead.


    No matter how I thought about it, he was still within his reach.


    ¡°Magic!¡±


    What saved them when the party was in crisis was the shield that bought them a few moments.


    Bang!


    Even after the shield was smashed, causing an explosion, his sword didn¡¯t stop.


    When I thought the knight¡¯s neck would be sliced open, it was the party¡¯s hound that saved his life.


    He smashed into the knight¡¯s body and dropped him out of range.


    The knight, who managed to escape the crisis by shamelessly rolling the ground, turned his head immediately, but Kim Hyunsung was no longer there. The only scene he could see was the hound vomiting blood and falling.


    ¡°Gasp¡­¡±


    ¡°Heal him with divine power! Heal him with divine power!!¡±


    He was running out of life. He waspletely cut from his shoulders to his chest.


    Only then did the priest, who suddenly came to her senses, hurriedly prayed, but the speed at which he was losing blood was faster than the speed he recovered.


    When she bit down on her lips and reached out her hand to the sky, an angelic image appeared. Only then did the hound begin to regain stability.


    ¡®Miracle.¡¯


    Marien¡¯s unique ability, which could only be used once a week, was used shortly after the battle began.


    Kim Hyunsung swung his sword again as if he intuited that the hound would stand up again, but Raphael¡¯s Holy Sword intercepted his Durendal.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhh!¡±


    From the way he was screaming and fighting, I couldn¡¯t find the foolish figure he had from the old days. Instead, his face was filled with rage. Kim Hyunsung bit his lips tightly and counterattacked.


    ¡®He will die.¡¯


    Raphael could never react to his prowess. The first swing was fake, and the second was real.


    ¡°The first is fake.¡±


    I warned that, but Kim Hyunsung¡¯s hand was faster than my words. Once again, within 0.5 seconds, a shield blocked Raphael¡¯s front. However, one of his wings was still cut off.


    ¡°Damn!¡±


    In order to somehow buy some time, the archer shot an arrow, but without even turning his head, he caught the arrow with one hand. He didn¡¯t even look.


    ¡®Fuck, that¡¯s¡­ really cool.¡¯


    ¡°M-Monster.¡±


    As if responding to the voice of the archer, Kim Hyunsung stretched his sword toward Raphael¡¯s neck. One of the remaining seven wings blocked Raphael¡¯s front again, but Kim Hyunsung tried to push the sword in, tearing the wings with his hands as if it was annoying.


    ¡°Ahhhhhh!¡±


    The knight who hurried to the pathetic scream and the thief aiming behind Kim Hyunsung couldn¡¯t move because Kim Hyunsung¡¯s voice paralyzed them.


    ¡°Where is he?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Tell me. Where is he?¡±


    ¡®You¡¯re screwed. You¡¯re screwed. You bastards, you guys are screwed. Now it¡¯s up to you guys.¡¯


    The winner was already determined. No, there was no such thing as a fight in the first ce.


    No one could deny that most would have died right from the beginning if I hadn¡¯t given instructions to them.


    The priest, the hound. They were able to fight a bit all because I served as their eyes.


    ¡®Kim Hyunsung¡¯s attack group, my ass.¡¯


    They swallowed hard. The party¡¯s fear of Kim Hyunsung was apparent. He just stared at them with no emotions. Perhaps what was running through their heads right at that moment was¡­


    ¡®Is he even human?¡¯


    Or¡­


    ¡®Demon.¡¯


    Even to my eyes, Kim Hyunsung looked more like a lord of darkness rather than a warrior of justice. Doom Hyusung, Lord of Darkness, also looked pretty cool, but I couldn¡¯t wee it for the time being.


    I didn¡¯t know if it was because of the subtly dark lighting, but it¡¯s somehow creepy to see Raphael¡¯s wings sttering blood.


    Even I, who had seen all the sides of Hyunsung, felt that way. There were no words that could describe how the others would feel. Since Raphael¡¯s party made a living out ofbat, they would be aware of what those eyes meant.


    ¡®Everyone is going to die.¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung had no intention of letting anyone in front of him live.


    He didn¡¯t care about the memory he had with the heroes in the first round, nor the stock I invested in. Of course, even if Kim Hyunsung wasn¡¯t that close to them¡­


    ¡®Still, you said they were colleagues, Hyunsung. You should listen to them too.¡¯


    ¡°Fuck¡­¡±


    ¡®You said the Miracle Priest had helped you and that you had a drink with the live-burial duo¡­ Didn¡¯t you say that you also knew the one that loves me? They didn¡¯t do anything wrong. Raphael could have coaxed them all. Raphael could also have done it because he was heartbroken¡­ Originally, heartbroken people sometimes make weird mistakes. You can¡¯t beat people like that easily.¡¯


    ¡°You can¡¯t do that¡­¡±


    ¡®It was so hard to raise them¡­ You don¡¯t really want to kill them either.¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung also missed them. He seemed a little happy when he told me about the first-round heroes and even talked about them as if he were drowning in memories.


    Hyunsung said he had no intention of making new friends in the second round but wasn¡¯t that clear evidence that he was rooting for them?


    However, no such longing could be seen in his present state. There were no other emotions other than hate and anger.


    ¡®I guess he really wants to kill them.¡¯


    I could tell without asking. Unless I went out and stopped him, Raphael and the other warrior party would cross the Rainbow Bridge with disastrous appearances.


    I stumbled and tried to open the door, but it didn¡¯t open. In the meantime, Kim Hyunsung was aiming his sword at them.


    ¡®Regardless of the results¡­ shouldn¡¯t I save them first?¡¯


    The thought of ¡®how?¡¯ passed through my head, but at least I had to buy time until I found a way to open the door.


    I tried to send him a message because I wondered if it would be good to contact Kim Hyunsung directly, but it seemed he had left his hand mirror somewhere else.


    That was when someone knocked on the door.


    ¡®Who is it?¡¯


    ¡°Vice Guild Master?¡±


    ¡®Oh my, Li-ahn! Our Li-ahn did it!¡¯


    It seemed that she was waiting for the gaze of the Holy Sword party to stray from her. I didn¡¯t know how she got out, but I didn¡¯t care. I was happy.


    ¡°I¡¯m looking for¡­ a way to open the door. If you could wait for a little¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes.¡±


    I be able to get out of the ce soon and stop him from massacring them.


    I patted my thigh with anxiety, but there was still no sign of opening the door.


    In the meantime, Kim Hyunsung and the Holy Sword party maintained a subtle atmosphere.


    ¡®Let¡¯s save them first. Let¡¯s save them.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t think it would be easy. The odds were also low, but if I dragged time, it could be possible.


    ¡®Marien¡¯s unique ability has been used already¡­¡¯


    The wizard¡¯s protection magic, which had a total of three charges, had also been depleted.


    Of course, I could still recharge it, but it currently wasn¡¯t possible for me to chant spells.


    ¡®First, I have to apply the buff to them.¡¯


    Hyunsung could easily break his protection magic, but that was the Holy Sword party¡¯s one shot at life.


    In simple terms, I would save a total of 3 life points. It was only a means for them to hold on only for a moment, but without that moment, the party¡¯s avant-garde wouldn¡¯t be able to react to Kim Hyunsung¡¯s sword.


    If they had time, I could keep charging it, so it wasn¡¯t that bad of a situation.


    Although the Miracle Priest had broken down slightly, the hound had recovered enough to move his body, and the other party members were rtively unscathed.


    If the Miracle Priest were caught in the beginning, there would be no possibility at all, but their party wasn¡¯t that easily killed. Raphael, who could be ssified as a half pdin, was still in a situation where he could fight. He could withstand Hyunsung¡¯s attacks until I could get out of my cage-like room. If I controlled the Holy Sword party as if I were dealing with Tactic Kim Hyunsung¡­


    ¡®You can do it.¡¯


    30 minutes? Wouldn¡¯t he be able to hold on for 30 minutes? Or 10 minutes? It would be nice if I could get out within 10 minutes¡­


    Even amid variousplex thoughts, my mouth began to move naturally.


    I had to do the briefing as quickly as possible since there wasn¡¯t much time left.


    ¡°Pay attention to my voice.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t know how things in the world would work.


    ¡°From now on, I¡¯ll be takingmand of this party.¡±


    I never imagined that I would lead the Kim Hyunsung attack raid.

 Chapter 641: Don’t Lose (3)

    <h4>Chapter 641: Don¡¯t Lose (3)</h4>


    ¡®You can do it. You can do it. You can do it.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t help but say the famous line that I only ever heard from TVmercials. It was a self-brainwashing spell because I knew it was a reckless challenge, but I didn¡¯t think it was convincing anyway.


    That didn¡¯t mean I didn¡¯t believe in Raphael¡¯s party.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t rule out their abilities. Still, I thought they couldn¡¯t win all because I knew Kim Hyunsung best.


    I had information about his minor habits, his disposition and attack routes seen duringbat, his experiences against the 27th Corps, and data umted through the tactic Kim Hyunsung.


    I knew best how much power he could produce, how much magic power and stamina he had, what he could do on the battlefield, in melee battles and interpersonal battles, and what he could do in the current situation.


    Perhaps I even knew him better than he did.


    Even if our lovely regressor were a training enthusiast, he would never have analyzed himself in depth.


    I grabbed my head, which was slowly starting to throb.


    ¡®You can do it.¡¯


    Basically, Raphael¡¯s party was strong. Although they¡¯re notplete yet¡­


    ¡®I canplete it.¡¯


    It was impossible to win, but if the goal was to hold on, it was possible.


    ¡°Don¡¯t show that you can hear my voice. Just pretend nothing is happening, and, of course, you can¡¯t answer back.¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°Survival isn¡¯t possible in the short term. You have to drag it to the long-term battle. Basically, casting three protection spells is the most important. From now on, that¡¯s going to be the lifeline of the party. You should never use it unnecessarily, and you shouldn¡¯t overdo it without my permission. Even if his swordes close, if there is no instruction, you can¡¯t use it.¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°The wizard shouldn¡¯t chant any other spells other than protection spells. When the spell is in cooldown, Raphael¡¯s gray light will work as a substitute. I¡¯m sure you roughly understand what I¡¯m saying. The basic skill cycle will be the three protection spells, Raphael¡¯s gray protection, three protection spells, the gray protection, and so on. I¡¯ll also tell you the timing to chant the spell, so you can just assume that you shouldn¡¯t move without my instructions.¡±


    -Where is he?


    ¡°As soon as the battle restarts, you will gather in one ce and start receiving the priest¡¯s buff. The party members are probably familiar with the fact that your stats arecking. It¡¯s important to keep the buff constantly, and I mean constantly. Only then will you be able to respond to my instructions. Do not forget that there¡¯s no need to panic if you don¡¯t see me. I¡¯m watching, and you can think of it as having other eyes. Hyunsung is currently at 12 o¡¯clock. I know I¡¯m talking too fast, but I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll understand it all. Detailed instructions will be given as soon as the battle begins.¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°Lastly, if you make a mistake, you die. Make no mistake.¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°Archer, knock an arrow into your bow. Don¡¯t be confused like before and aim properly. Raphael, try to escape by sacrificing one wing¡­ two if it¡¯s impossible. I¡¯ll support you, so fight against him alone.¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°Begin.¡±


    At the same time as I said that, the archer immediately loaded an arrow. Kim Hyunsung reacted immediately, lifting his sword.


    ¡°Knight, go forward with your shield up. Priest, chant recovery spells for the knight before you apply buffs. Wizard, start the spell¡¯s incantation.¡±


    The heavily armed knight rushed in with his thick shield.


    I saw the priest¡¯s face questioning the sudden bullsh*t saying to chant the recovery spell, but when she saw the knight bleeding and falling, she had a dazed expression on her face.


    As soon as damage came in, the knight affected by the recovery spell was disconcerted, thinking it wasn¡¯t that bad.


    ¡®It¡¯s not that bad.¡¯


    I was worried about whether he could endure it because he wasn¡¯t a knight focusingpletely on defense power like Park Deokgu. Still, it looked like he could continue fighting by utilizing item effects and his endurance.


    Just by protecting his vital spots and preventing his party from being killed, he had fulfilled his role.


    Meanwhile, Raphael spread his wings and was struggling to get out of the range of Kim Hyunsung. However, Kim Hyunsung¡¯s face was puzzled.


    One side of his wing was cut off in the process, but he needed to sacrifice it to pass the first crisis.


    ¡°Gray light.¡±


    A huge gray dome wrapped around the whole party and pushed Kim Hyunsung out, but there¡¯s no way he would lose against that.


    Just because they had four lifelines didn¡¯t mean they would survive four times.


    It was appropriate to exin that it allowed them to pass a turn with stability.


    I didn¡¯t exin it in detail, but they should¡¯ve already realized that by then. While they were rearranging their formation and receiving the priest¡¯s buff, the wizard¡¯s spell waspleted.


    ¡®The protection magic is charged.¡¯


    The real battle would begin from there.


    ¡°Raphael will be at the center. The main fighter will be the hound.¡±


    I chose to use the hound rather than controlling Raphael directly. Raphael was more suited to the role of bncing the party in the first ce.


    Of course, Raphael¡¯s abilities were better, but if Raphael were the main fighter, the party¡¯s bnce would be broken. He also threw his sword down to the ground as if he knew his role.


    ¡®Gray Area.¡¯


    It was a skill that gave buffs to allies and debuffs to enemies.


    Of course, Kim Hyunsung couldn¡¯t be affected by that debuff, but the entire party¡¯s defense and overall stats needed to be raised.


    Obviously, parties and individuals were different. An organic team yed and bnced promised actions and urate judgments that humans could block the catastrophic monsters most people couldn¡¯t. That was what made the impossible possible.


    ¡°Lee Joo-hyuk¡¯s role is as usual, but do not judge by yourself and only move ording to my instructions.¡±


    There weren¡¯t many screens that could be seen, but I struck the telescope with magic as much as possible to examine Kim Hyunsung¡¯s body.


    I tried to analyze where his magic power entered, what muscles were used, and how he moved. Tactic Hound was less efficient, but¡­


    ¡®I just need to hold onto his ankle.¡¯


    It was impossible to hurt him in the first ce.


    ¡°Don¡¯t hold back.¡±


    He suddenly had the conviction that he would bite at least his ankle somehow since he was prepared to die.


    Of course, his speed wascking. He alsocked power and magic power.


    However, where Kim Hyunsung moved, the hound appeared one step earlier.


    From the standpoint of an individual, what was more annoying than that? Probably, to Kim Hyunsung, he would feel like a tank trying to get attention.


    ¡°Left.¡±


    -Sigh¡­


    ¡°Watch your head.¡±


    -Sigh, sigh¡­


    ¡°Gather magic power in your feet. Dodge to the left, then right.¡±


    -Sigh, sigh¡­


    ¡°Stick to him to the end. If you¡¯rete, everyone dies. Don¡¯t give him time to gather magic power in his arms. If he gets enough distance, everyone will die at once. Everyone will die the moment you give his sword time to shine, even if he swings it from afar. Just irritate his axial foot. If the sword doesn¡¯t have power, you can at least earn time to dodge it.¡±


    -Sigh, sigh, sigh¡­


    ¡®Ah, this bastard will break down soon.¡¯


    It was impossible to catch up with Kim Hyunsung with his physical strength, and Kim Hyunsung also knew that.


    ¡®He is definitely smart when fighting.¡¯


    He understood what role the hound was assigned to. That was why he would rather leave him be. He was deliberately takingrge movements and taking the line farther away.


    Despite the fact that he had a superior advantage in stats, he didn¡¯t obsess over the hunting dog. He was satisfied by making him run out of physical strength first.


    He understood that the moment he attacked the hound, the situation would be moreplicated.


    I thought that the magic power and stamina he used to get there were affecting him, but that didn¡¯t seem to be the case.


    The distance that caused Cho Hyejin to break down didn¡¯t have that much effect on Kim Hyunsung.


    Of course, it wouldn¡¯t be without any influence, but he seemed to have decided it wouldn¡¯t cause any problems in defeating Raphael¡¯s party.


    ¡®His physical strength has improved a lot.¡¯


    Perhaps our lovely regressor also had Tactic Kim Hyunsung in mind.


    At the time, he must¡¯ve realized that his physical strength was barely enough.


    It was clear that he thought that an increase in stamina was essential to maintain that state in a more stable manner and for a longer period.


    ¡®This isn¡¯t good.¡¯


    Even with the party¡¯s support, the hound was already on the verge of breaking down. Panting, he got the spells¡¯ timing right, but his reaction was slow.


    Sometimes, even if I had already told him the attack route Hyunsung would take, he still couldn¡¯t respond properly.


    ¡®Only 1 minute and 40 seconds? No, it¡¯s 2 minutes now.¡¯


    So far, he was holding on somehow, but as soon as a few more minutes were added, the bnce immediately copsed.


    Even at that moment, the protection magic that should be used for the party was increasingly being used for the hound alone.


    However, it was important to maintain that bnce.


    As soon as Raphael was put in, one of them would die.


    ¡®This is really problematic¡­¡±


    Thinking about it, I looked at the big door, but it seemed that she hadn¡¯t yet found a way to open it.


    I didn¡¯t know if she went looking for her own twin des to open the locked door.


    ¡®Hyunsung¡­ fuck, Hyunsung.¡¯


    In the meantime, what felt a little strange was that there was no other action from Kim Hyunsung.


    I started to feel more strongly that he wasn¡¯t using any other methods.


    I didn¡¯t know if I was right, but it felt like he was examining Raphael¡¯s party.


    ¡®Hyunsung, you haven¡¯t noticed it, right?¡¯


    That thought suddenly came into my mind and stuck around. It was worth pondering about, after all.


    Kim Hyunsung wasn¡¯t a fool either. He will feel puzzled since Marien avoided his attacks.


    The insects that he thought he could tear and kill immediately were resisting unexpectedly good.


    The level of the party¡¯spletion would feel much higher than what he was expecting. Maybe he imagined something that he didn¡¯t want to even think about.


    ¡®Aren¡¯t these bastards receiving instructions from Kiyoung?¡¯


    That was such a reasonable doubt.


    The way he was moving seemed to be testing that thought. It felt like he¡¯s trying to figure out how far the party could follow him and if what he thought was right.


    As much as I knew Kim Hyunsung, he knew me just as well too.


    He had experienced how I dealt with parties and individuals.


    Sure enough, I could see his face getting darker and darker.


    I wondered if my feeling that he couldn¡¯t kill them was passed to him, but I could only hope.


    ¡®Ah¡­¡¯


    On the contrary, Raphael¡¯s face was getting brighter.


    ¡®You¡­ You are not winning. You can have your throat slit at any time, and you¡¯re smiling that way, fuck.¡¯


    Maybe he judged that I finally recognized him.


    Of course, all those actions would irritate Kim Hyunsung.


    If Lee Kiyoung were really giving instructions to the party members right under his nose, he would think it would never be out of my own volition.


    Maybe he¡¯s reasoning that I was under a kind of mental pressure like brainwashing.


    He might¡¯ve also been imagining a situation where I heard lines such as ¡®I¡¯ve be someone who can¡¯t live without the chosen warrior¡¯s party,¡¯ or that I was being forced to do it.


    As Kim Hyunsung¡¯s face became darker and darker, myplexion was getting darker too, and it was then that the lovely regressor stopped standing in ce.


    -I¡¯ll kill you.


    ¡®You already wanted to kill them anyway.¡¯


    -I¡¯ll make you regret being alive¡­ trash bastards.


    ¡®No, don¡¯t do that. You can¡¯t say bad words. You¡¯re on the side of justice. You know that, right?¡¯


    ¡°Don¡¯te closer to him. Don¡¯te closer!! If you move, you die. If you move¡­¡±


    No, I thought one of them would die.


    -Ahhhhhhhhh!


    That was because I saw one of the duo¡¯s arms flying with a scream.


    ¡®You¡¯re on your own now.¡¯


    The appearance of a man rolling in the ground while screaming in pain was a spectacle.


    -Ahh! Ahhhhhh!!!


    Wasn¡¯t that the end of his n to return to his hometown and propose?


    Even if I saved his life, he most likely wouldn¡¯t be able to kneel. One leg just flew away.


    -Ahhhhhh!!


    ¡®I¡­ I loved you like a son, Raphael. Fuck.¡¯


    The moment those words popped out¡­


    The thought of being able to confirm the end of the demons who kidnapped the continent¡¯s light came down into my mind.


    ¡°Cheer up. Go ahead, Hyunsung¡­ Don¡¯t lose.¡±

 Chapter 642: Crazy Crow (1)

    <h4>Chapter 642: Crazy Crow (1)</h4>


    Elune¡¯s telescope showed me a stiff warrior on the brink of losing hisrade while the others grouped surrounding him. I shook my head unknowingly upon seeing them threatening Kim Hyunsung with the Holy Sword, no, the magic sword that had been given by Lucifer.


    I didn¡¯t know if the regressor surrounded by therger force would be able to survive that crisis or get what he really wanted, but his cold, serious face seemed to tell how serious the situation was.


    ¡®Dirty Lucifer¡¯s minions¡­¡¯


    Looking at the demons trying to threaten the peaceful continent made me scared.


    There were many disadvantages. One of those was the fact that while Kim Hyunsung¡¯s stats were high, he was alone. Thinking about the magic power and stamina he used to get to the tomb, it wouldn¡¯t be wrong to say that it was an unfavorable fight.


    At that moment, I, too, wanted to impose a judgment of light on the demon group with Kim Hyunsung. However, I could only do nothing but remain trapped in the room.


    ¡®Open.¡¯


    I knocked on the huge door, but there was still no reaction.


    ¡®I have no choice but to believe¡­ No, I believe in Hyunsung.¡¯


    ¡°You can do it.¡±


    Wasn¡¯t he the Kim Hyunsung who had been through numerous crises? I thought he would handle the one in front of him well enough. He was that kind of guy.


    Lucifer¡¯s minions began to step backward, perhaps because of the warrior who awakened after realizing that his precious friend might have been brainwashed. I could bet that it was not the behavior they perceived. Perhaps the dark magic instinctively reacted to the sudden glow of sunset.


    ¡°Hold on. Hold on. Don¡¯t lose, Hyunsung.¡±


    If my voice could only reach him¡­ if it did, if I could give him a bit of strength, it would be enough for him.


    -W-What do I do next, hyung?


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -Next¡­ what¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The darkness that remained within that moment responded by asking for others¡¯ strength. Cutting ties had always been hard.


    -Please answer me, hyung. Instructions¡­ please give me instructions.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -Hyung, you¡¯re okay, right? You didn¡¯t faint, did you?


    In the meantime, I felt that Raphael was bing increasingly nervous.


    My head was starting to throb, and I couldn¡¯t stop myself from tapping my thighs with my fingers. I had to use my head to figure out what to do afterward.


    ¡®Is it possible to say that I was brainwashed?¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung was also thinking that way, so would that be the right excuse?


    Seeing the guys being already affected by the sunset¡¯s light, he seemed to be arriving at where I was soon. When I nced at the mirror, I noticed that I didn¡¯t look all that good.


    My face was distorted because of the headache, and above all, my skinny appearance since I couldn¡¯t eat properly would¡¯ve told anyone that my health wasn¡¯t in good condition.


    I thought it would be nice if there were signs of self-harm, but I didn¡¯t want to hurt myself for the dramatic development.


    Even though I liked setting up situations, I didn¡¯t like needless pain. Even if I didn¡¯t put bruises all over my body, wouldn¡¯t Kim Hyunsung know all the pain I had suffered?


    ¡®No, it would be better to have a little.¡¯


    I also thought that the probability would rise if I added just a few.


    While I was lost in thoughts, the guy with his arm and leg cut off continued to release painful screams. As if he had already judged that he was no longer able to fight, Kim Hyunsung passed by him slowly.


    I didn¡¯t know if he was trying to watch his slow and agonizing death or if it¡¯s to create a situation that would make him regret being alive, but it seemed certain that the cold judgment of light was waiting for him.


    When I saw Raphael tightly biting his lips, I felt sorry for a bit, but the bnce had already copsed. It was impossible to restore the broken bnce no matter how much he struggled.


    More than anything¡­


    ¡®Ah, that¡¯s scary.¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s face looked extremely fearsome.


    -Hyung, hyung! Hyung!


    Before the sound ¡®hyung¡¯ even reached me, I heard a crashing sound. I could see Raphael¡¯s face being smashed against the wall. He spread his wings for a moment and pulled his body back, but there was no way he wouldn¡¯t receive any damage.


    In fact, it seemed that the mental damage was greater than the physical damage. Raphael must¡¯ve been thinking about the reason why he suddenly couldn¡¯t hear my voice.


    Or¡­


    ¡®Did he hear my voice at the receiver?¡¯


    If he heard the line ¡®Hyunsung, don¡¯t lose,¡¯ it would be understandable to have a mental breakdown. He was probably wondering if he had been cut off at the worst timing.


    Although a little bit of concern crossed my mind, I was a bit relieved by the voice I heard soon.


    The cry of the guy who was tightly biting his lips was a spectacle.


    -What did you do?! What did you do to him! To Kiyoung¡­


    -¡­


    -It can¡¯t be. No way¡­


    ¡®I¡¯m really sorry. I didn¡¯t want to do this either, but given the situation, everyone is already selling your stocks¡­ It would be a bit awkward if I were the only one holding on to it.¡¯


    -There¡¯s no way¡­ he would abandon¡­ me¡­ something is definitely wrong. Yes, you definitely¡­ did something.


    ¡®No, I¡¯m that kind of guy. Even if you don¡¯t trust me, you won¡¯t be betrayed¡­¡¯


    -There¡¯s no way he would abandon me¡­ Ahhhhhh!!


    Baaang!!


    It was just a matter of time. Soon enough, the party, which was already struggling to catch up with Kim Hyunsung, would be copsing since Raphael, who used to be the center of the party, was already being demolished.


    The only one who hadn¡¯t given up yet was the hound. It was in an instant that the guy rushed toward Kim Hyunsung with determination on his face.


    I thought he would have his throat cut right away, but he was surprisingly doing well.


    As if he squeezed out hisst strength with the rest of the party, they began to fight the same way they did earlier. Although there was no direct instruction, they seemed to have remembered how they had to move.


    -Are you just going to stand still?


    The hound, who was saying some cringe-worthy lines, was already a mess. His whole body was swiftly turning into rags.


    ¡®Stop it, guys¡­¡¯


    -Stand up. Stand up, Raphael. Don¡¯t let me down. Don¡¯t let me and us, who trusted you, down.


    Although I could understand their feelings, it¡¯s certainly impossible to hear that from one step behind.


    -It started with your own hands. You have to go all the way now. Didn¡¯t you want to fight for the people you wanted to protect, for the continent, and to pay for the sins youmitted? I remember everything, Raphael. I looked into your eyes and followed you.


    -¡­


    -Don¡¯t be shaken. You can definitely do it. Definitely¡­


    It was too much to see the hound revealing the 90s kind of feelings, but Raphael was reacting diligently.


    He was talking like that with a sword protruding from his chest, so it would be strange not to react.


    Aside from that, in fact, I was a bit worried about Kim Hyunsung. No matter howplicated things were, wasn¡¯t it a little too much to kill his first-round colleagues with his own hands?


    What was more, it remained to be questioned what he thought of the fact that his colleagues supported Raphael¡­


    -Fight for yourself. Don¡¯t lose, Raphael¡­ don¡¯t¡­ lose¡­


    He eventually fainted, bleeding from his mouth.


    Seeing him breathing weakly, he was most likely still alive, but it was undeniable that he wouldn¡¯tst long.


    -N-No, no!


    Seeing Raphael muttering, Marien, the Miracle Priest, exuded divine power.


    -Don¡¯t lose. Don¡¯t lose.


    -Ahhh¡­


    -Remember? You told me¡­ you could do it. When we first met, you clearly said that. You can do it, Raphael¡­


    -Marien. Marien!


    Even the Miracle Priest looked exhausted after using all her divine powers.


    What I witnessed afterward was him looking around and crying in disbelief. There were no more colleagues for him to fight together.


    -Give me¡­ give me strength.


    -¡­


    -Give me strength if you have a reason to have chosen me!


    -You weren¡¯t chosen in the first ce.


    -Hyung told me. There must be a reason for choosing me. Please give me strength, give me strength. Please give me the strength to protect my colleagues. Give me the strength to protect Kiyoung! This dunce head lump of scrap metal! Please¡­ please. Please¡­ I¡¯ll do whatever you want, so give it to me.


    And then, I felt somethinging. Although it was a clich¨¦ for a warrior of justice to gain power by being recognized by the Holy Sword, he wasn¡¯t a warrior.


    It was just when I was getting annoyed.


    Whoooooooosh.


    With a roar, gray light began to flow out of his body.


    ¡®What? That shouldn¡¯t happen. Why is that happening¡­¡¯


    The gray light that shone beyond reason felt splendid without exaggeration. Raphael¡¯s body, which was covered with scars, slowly recovered.


    No, it felt more like regeneration rather than recovery. The damage he received was disappearing as if he was unscathed in the first ce.


    Of course, the gray light affected even the fallen ones. The hound¡¯s breath, which was but weak gasps, gradually began to change and stabilize, and Marien¡¯s paleplexion due to exhaustion regained color.


    ¡®What the¡­¡¯


    How could that happen right after I had just sold my stocks?


    ¡®It¡¯s still avable for additional purchases, right?¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s face was also starting to be even stiffer. It wouldn¡¯t be unreasonable to show such a reaction. The visible output itself was¡­


    ¡®In an iprehensible level.¡¯


    Even though he was chosen by the magic sword, no, the Holy Sword, that amount wasn¡¯t a power that ordinary humans could have. The amount of gray light that was emanating from his body already exceeded Kim Hyunsung.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t think our lovely regressor would lose to him, but what Raphael was showing was extremely beyondmon sense.


    Of course, I understood where Raphael was receiving such power.


    ¡°Lucifer.¡±


    It was correct to think that at least a temporary contract had been stamped.


    ¡®Sigh.¡¯


    I bit my lips tightly, and I had to worry about things.


    ¡®Why?¡¯


    ¡®Why the hell.¡¯


    ¡®Why did you buy it?¡¯


    Why did she invest in that stock when everyone sold already sold theirs? What the hell did she see to put a foot on it¡­ I had no choice but to harbor some doubts.

 Chapter 643: The Crazy Crow (2)

    <h4>Chapter 643: The Crazy Crow (2)</h4>


    ¡®What¡¯s your purpose?¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Are you listening? What¡¯s your purpose?¡¯


    Of course, I didn¡¯t hear Lucifer¡¯s voice. If I had intended to inform her in the first ce, I wouldn¡¯t have had to try to connect to her so suddenly. No,e to think of it¡­


    ¡®Maybe it¡¯s not so sudden.¡¯


    It was no exaggeration to think of the possibility that everything was nned from beginning to end. At that point, I didn¡¯t know what she was aiming for, but I thought she wouldn¡¯t have done that if it wasn¡¯t nned.


    There were more than a few strange things going on.


    There were many suspicious circumstances, from the Holy Sword choosing Raphael to the current situation. Of course, it could be passed on lightly, but I doubted that Lucifer would invest time in such a stupid thing without any purpose.


    ¡®Do you invest in stocks that are going down the drain?¡¯


    It wouldn¡¯t be strange if Benignore did something like that, but Lucifer was far different.


    If there were any sign of survival, I wouldn¡¯t have had second thoughts.


    ¡®But that¡¯s not it¡­¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t like small investments were being made to prepare for any possible situations. Naturally, I was surprised when I saw Raphael widely spreading gray light.


    I was worried about Kim Hyunsung, who was fighting alone, so what else did I need to say?


    ¡®This is really ridiculous.¡¯


    Such words were inevitable in that situation. That was when Kim Hyunsung immediately charged towards Raphael.


    Although he wielded his sword as before, his mana output was different.


    Rafael used his gray light tobat the de that wasing for him with the intent to kill. In the meantime, another one of his wings was cut off, but¡­


    ¡®Immediate recovery.¡¯


    The wings were covered in gray and returned to their original form. I thought that could have been Lucifer¡¯s influence.


    Even if it was a mythic-grade sword, it was impossible to show something to that extreme. It was obvious to anyone that he was fighting with someone else¡¯s help.


    - With this power¡­ I can protect him.


    ¡®That¡¯s not your power.¡¯


    In a way, it was simr to when Belial poured mana into me.


    I was certain that it was no different from what happened then.


    At that time, I only received mana, but he borrowed power from a demon that was ranked higher than Belial through the mythic-grade weapon.


    Obviously, his output was better than mine. My poor body couldn¡¯t absorb all the mana Belial had put in me in the first ce.


    However, he was different. Raphael was a talented person.


    No, there was a possibility that he could be a genius, and he actually came to that position on his own.


    I didn¡¯t know if he was a match with Lucifer, if he had side effects, or if it was gnawing on his own body, but he looked close to perfection.


    When Raphael swung his sword, a loud ¡®BAAAAANG!¡¯ was heard, and everything around him started to break.


    It looked like he invested a lot in magic control and the high-end operational magic knowledge, and what he was disying was the oue. His rtively weak durability and physical strength were no longer a problem. At the moment, he waspletely surrounded by gray light.


    At that point, Lucifer wanted to get rid of Kim Hyunsung. That thought urred to me, but I shook my head.


    ¡®No, it¡¯s not¡­ It can¡¯t be.¡¯


    Wasn¡¯t she the one who eagerly wanted Kim Hyunsung?


    Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t know what¡¯s going, and he hadn¡¯t decided which stance to use yet.


    Lucifer had no reason to make such an unreasonable move since she could recruit a talent named Kim Hyunsung instead.


    Crucially¡­


    ¡®I don¡¯t want to be her enemy either.¡¯


    Trying to get rid of Kim Hyunsung and putting Raphael on the spot was the worst idea.


    Even if Lucifer supported the Holy Sword and was backing him up, he could never rece Kim Hyunsung.


    I started to get worried and banged on the door, but no other feedback came back from Park Li-ahn.


    Meanwhile, Kim Hyunsung and Raphael busied themselves with their battle. It took less than a few minutes for the fairlyrge hall to quickly turn into ruins. The giant gray light continued to aim for Kim Hyunsung, and Kim Hyunsung still stared at him with cold eyes as he fought back.


    Despite his wings being cut off and his wounds piling up, he continued recovering and facing Kim Hyunsung as if he was a fallen angel.


    ¡®This is going on right now, and there¡¯s no response from the top? Is that not the power of Lucifer?¡¯


    With that kind of output, it was right to think that Lucifer had set foot on the continent.


    [Amon-grade forced quest had been invoked.]


    [Believer Lee Kiyoung¡­ Believer L-Lee Kiyoung! (0/1)]


    ¡®I knew it was Lucifer. Yeah, Sh*t. I wasn¡¯t so ipetent that I couldn¡¯t notice it.¡¯


    [Amon-grade forced quest had been invoked.]


    [No, now the inspectors¡­ The inspectors are on their way. What do I do? Uh, what do I do? You¡¯re not ready for trial yet, are you? Let¡¯s start with the telescope. The telescope. (0/1)]


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    [I¡¯m in trouble, Lee Kiyoung. The telescope, hurry¡­ (0/1)]


    ¡®I¡¯m a moron for expecting more from you, Sh*t. Do you think they¡¯reing for trial and inspection? Can¡¯t you see what¡¯s going on?¡¯


    [Amon-grade forced quest had been invoked.]


    [Oh¡­ Oh! Wait, what¡¯s happening? What? (0/1)]


    ¡®Can¡¯t you see? Sh*t?¡¯


    [W-wait a minute. I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll figure it out. Wait¡­ (0/1)]


    [For unknown reasons, themon-grade forced quest has been canceled.]


    ¡®You got the right idea. Sh*t.¡¯


    Lucifer had also blocked Benignore.


    I had used the top of being stupid, but at that moment, I didn¡¯t really think so. I didn¡¯t want anything in the first ce, and that was really how sneaky Lucifer¡¯s n was.


    If the response were one step behind from the top of Benignore, it would be right to say that she nned everything in detail.


    ¡®It was nned. So that¡¯s your way of doing things¡­¡¯


    I could imagine Lucifer enjoying the situation while sitting on a chair.


    ¡®nning everything from above¡­ Ha.¡¯


    I almost gagged when I thought that Lucifer might¡¯ve been mocking andughing at me right at that moment. I didn¡¯t know what her n was, but she didn¡¯t seem to have expected that she would be hostile to the devil¡¯s camp if she did something wrong.


    Or was she confident about that investment enough to embrace it all?


    ¡®How much time do we have?¡¯


    I wouldn¡¯t be able to iste myself from the top for a million years, but if it were only the Benignore Division, there would be room for longer intervention. Still, a superior would being from Benignore¡¯s side.


    As that was Lucifer¡¯s second visit, he would¡¯ve already prepared thoroughly from the top.


    It was obvious that the unknown reason for preventing the creation of the quest would disappear soon.


    The question was when that would happen and whether it would at the right time. The idea that I had to try something came into my head, and I was hooked on it.


    ¡®I¡¯m getting really anxious¡­ What¡¯s Park Li-ahn really doing right now?¡¯


    As soon as I put that thought in my head, I saw the huge door opening with a bang.


    What I saw beyond it was Park Li-ahn¡¯s face soaked in sweat. I wanted topliment her, but I couldn¡¯t afford to do that right at that moment.


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s expression was getting darker.


    ¡°Hoo¡­ I¡¯m sorry I¡¯mte. V-Vice Guild Master¡­ Are you feeling well? Where are you hurt? You¡­ You don¡¯t look well¡­¡±


    ¡°Please help me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll get us out of here right now.¡±


    ¡°No, I have a ce to go. Before that¡­ Oh¡­¡±


    ¡®My eyes¡­ Sh*t, my head.¡¯


    ¡°Vice Guild Master, you should take a break for now¡­¡±


    ¡°No,e on. It¡¯s urgent.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,e on!¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    As soon as I took a step forward, I felt the same pain as before.


    To be honest, the pain was enough to make me want toy down on the ground, but the problem was that I had no choice but to endure it for the time being. Taking even one step was hard, but I managed to endure it because of Park Li-ahn, who was supporting my body.


    Looking ahead, I could see the battlefield still in action.


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s face was gradually seeming colder.


    Blood continued to flow from my lips that I¡¯d bitten, and blood flowed from the grasp of the sword. Whenever he swung his weapon, he damaged Raphael¡¯s body, causing parts of his body to be cut off, but he recovered quickly with the gray light.


    Although he still looked like he could manage, Kim Hyunsung¡¯s physical strength began to worry me.


    -I¡¯ll never forgive you. Never!


    ¡®Stop talking bullsh*t, you crazy bastard.¡¯


    -¡­


    -Never!!


    The fight was long and rough. Kim Hyunsung¡¯s body wasn¡¯t hurt at all, but I could definitely feel some kind of burden.


    There were nervousness and anger on his face, and little by little, his breathing started to get heavy. It would be no exaggeration to say that targeting Kim Hyunsung was part of Lucifer¡¯s n, not Raphael¡¯s.


    As such, Lucifer¡¯s provision of energy continued.


    ¡®Is there a limit to that? Is there an end?¡¯


    I knew she had a lot of power, but I wondered if it would be okay to give that much away.


    Raphael repeatedly got hurt, recovered, and somehow spilled gray light to create a gap. Kim Hyunsung was still busy swinging his sword with his eyes fixed on his opponent.


    Unlike Raphael, whose resources continued to be resupplied, Kim Hyunsung continued to consume his without earning anything back.


    I wanted to give some help, but honestly, I didn¡¯t know what I could do.


    Using Tactic Kim Hyunsung was meaningless. He was the one dominating the situation in the first ce.


    For the time being, I thought I simply had to stop the fight.


    ¡°Stop, Raphael. You¡¯re being manipted. Stop fighting. There¡¯s been a misunderstanding¡­¡±


    However, it took less than a few seconds to realize that it was the wrong choice.


    -No, you¡¯re being manipted, Hyung. Just stay there and watch. I¡¯m going to get rid of him and turn you back to normal. I¡¯m not going to give you any more trouble. No more¡­ headaches¡­


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    -Your memories¡­


    ¡®Don¡¯t do it, you madman. You said you weren¡¯t going to talk.¡¯


    -Your memories¡­


    ¡®Hey, you sh*t¡­ Don¡¯t do it! Don¡¯t do it!¡¯


    -There¡¯s nothing you can lose anymore.


    ¡®Fuck¡­¡¯


    What?


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    It felt like time had stopped.


    Perhaps I was the only one who felt that way, but the battle scene was suspended for a moment.


    The expression of Kim Hyunsung was frowning as if he heard something wrong.


    -What did you just say?


    -He won¡¯t lose his memory anymore. Don¡¯t pretend that you didn¡¯t know, you piece of sh*t, Kim Hyunsung.


    -What¡­ Did you just say¡­


    -You turned him into that. You turned him into that!!!


    There was a mixture of emotions.


    When I saw Kim Hyunsung¡¯s face, I became certain about what Lucifer really wanted and why she invested in Raphael.


    ¡®He¡¯s fallen.¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Lucifer¡­¡±


    It might¡¯ve been the Doom Hyunsung that the crazy crow was aiming for.

 Chapter 644: The Crazy Crow (3)

    <h4>Chapter 644: The Crazy Crow (3)</h4>


    It didn¡¯t take long before Kim Hyunsung¡¯s face became overshadowed by a huge shock.


    He was still fighting back, but his concentration was shaking so much that it was visible that his mind was somewhere else. Of course, I knew what he was thinking. He was reflecting on the shocking news he just heard.


    It would be nice if he could just concentrate and think of it as just nonsense, but his nk face remained. I was sure that he was slowly recalling the strange behaviors he had seen before.


    Such as me holding my head, making a nk face as if I¡¯d been to a different world for a while, or frequently not remembering what just happened.


    Wasn¡¯t it Kim Hyunsung that asked Cho Hyejin to check my condition in the first ce since there could be something wrong with my brain?


    He suspected it before anyone else did, and he noticed it first.


    ¡®Sh*t¡­ Sh*t¡­¡¯


    Perhaps he had reached a conclusion.


    He could imagine the possibility that Cho Hyejin made a false report or that she was intentionally hiding something from him.


    It didn¡¯t take long for his face to get wrinkled. Only despair was visible- endless despair.


    ¡®What¡¯s wrong with your eyes, you sh*t?¡¯


    -¡­


    ¡®Hyunsung, wake up. Hyung is fine. You need to wake up.¡¯


    ¡®That¡¯s enough. I¡¯m exhausted.¡¯


    ¡®You¡¯re not going to try again, are you? You shouldn¡¯t get tired.¡¯


    -I¡¯m going to save Hyung. I¡¯ll get him out of your dirty hands.


    ¡®You shut up.¡¯


    - You didn¡¯t know that? You¡­ You don¡¯t know anything!


    ¡®Shut up, please.¡¯


    His copsed mentality naturally affected the battle.


    In the first ce, Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t seem to be able to make a rational judgment.


    Although he was moving his body, he wasn¡¯t responding to the attacks as he usually would.


    I thought I was a little too shocked, but my memory loss that even Cho Hyejin cried about was supposed to be kept a secret.


    I was sure that Kim Hyunsung was even more upset about it.


    My dear friend, the colleague who carried my burdens with me through the first and second rounds, and the only brother I could rely on throughout my life.


    Kim Hyunsung relied on me and followed me as much as the trivial events Imitted in the arms of afortable and warm regressor did.


    ¡­ Especially after meeting in the unconscious world.


    In many ways, I couldn¡¯t help but worry.


    - No way¡­


    ¡®Right, that can¡¯t be true. That¡¯s right, Hyunsung.¡¯


    -It doesn¡¯t make sense. That can¡¯t be true.


    ¡®Yeah, that¡¯s ridiculous. Raphael¡¯s a total liar. I think it¡¯s a little weird, but I don¡¯t believe it.¡¯


    -It can¡¯t¡­ it can¡¯t happen.


    ¡®Yeah, that can¡¯t be happening. You know what? I think Lucifer is manipting him. Why would you listen to him? You know that¡¯s all lies, right?¡¯


    -Lies¡­


    ¡®Yeah, he¡¯s lying.¡¯


    However, the problem was that he didn¡¯t really think it was a lie.


    Bang!


    Sure enough, as they fought, he started closing in on the wall, showing the situation of being pushed back.


    Although I was worried that our regressor would be hurt by Raphael¡¯s willingness to win somehow, I thought Kim Hyunsung¡¯s body would probably have no major abnormalities.


    If it was true that Lucifer was aiming for Doom Hyunsung, she wouldn¡¯t just watch him get hurt.


    His mentality was what made me worried. He kept denying reality, making me think that he would enter the unconscious world once again.


    If Lucifer really aimed for Kim Hyunsung, wouldn¡¯t that be the scene she had drawn in her head?


    Raphael continued to provoke and push him. Meanwhile, Kim Hyunsung seemed to be out of his mind.


    The darker Kim Hyunsung¡¯s expression got, the more he agreed.


    ¡®That sad crow¡­ Damn it, damn it.¡¯


    There was no evidence to support me at that point. As time went by, however, it was bing increasingly clear what the purpose was.


    For the time being, wearing out their mental strength was the first task, and the n was well suited for that.


    In the first ce, Kim Hyunsung was closer to the light.


    To be exact, he was walking his own path, but he preferred the good side of things. Due to his tendency to be a well-intentioned mediator, so far, Kim Hyunsung¡¯s spirit hadn¡¯t even shown a small gap for the demons to prate.


    It would be easier to understand if I considered that the first process of breaking the walls of a powerful and clean spirit by burying dirt in it was going smoothly. It was all to set up the g of corruption.


    Didn¡¯t Kim Hyunsung¡¯s expression of confusion and the aurora popping up around his body prove that I was right?


    After that, she would tempt him to ept the new power. That was the typical method used by dirty demons to lure innocent humans. I was sure that Lucifer¡¯s voice wasing into Kim Hyunsung¡¯s head at that moment.


    Lucifer could do everything he wanted. If he needed strength, if he wanted someone¡¯s memory back, she could take care of it.


    I didn¡¯t exactly know what I was saying, but I could guarantee that my unimaginable voice was being conveyed unterally.


    Perhaps he was denying his light right at that moment.


    His mind was probably filled with the absurd fate that Lee Kiyoung was experiencing or the misfortune that came to him despite devoting himself to the gods. They would be different, and Lucifer, the fallen angel, could be saying she could solve that problem.


    If I were Lucifer, I would have used any means to deny Benignore.


    ¡®Ha, Sh*t.¡¯


    I had been thinking about the birth of Doom Hyunsung, the Dark Lord, but I didn¡¯t want to talk about it.


    ¡®It¡¯s impure.¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung could be stronger without Lucifer¡¯s power.


    ¡°The crow is impurity.¡±


    It could be a good choice in the short run, but for the long-term, it wasn¡¯t a practical option at all.


    Nobody needed any decorations on jewelry that they already cherished.


    Kim Hyunsung must¡¯ve also been well aware of that fact.


    The power one borrowed from somewhere could help them get out of the immediate crisis, but it wouldn¡¯t help them afterward.


    ¡®I¡¯m right, aren¡¯t I? You¡¯re not going to sign a contract, are you? You don¡¯t like demons.¡¯


    I knew Lucifer wouldn¡¯t appear openly like a devil, but I didn¡¯t think Kim Hyunsung, who had been through all kinds of hardships, would hold his hand out without any doubt to the savior that suddenly appeared.


    ¡®You¡¯re not going to sign the contract, are you? Your positions have changed, but you¡¯re a good-hearted mediator. Well, it¡¯s not like the world has copsed, but you¡¯re trying to hold the hands of a savior who you don¡¯t even know about.¡¯


    It was then that Kim Hyunsung bit his lips tightly.


    ¡®Hyunsung.¡¯


    His conviction was long gone.


    ¡®That crazy crow, if this doesn¡¯t stop right now, I¡¯ll¡­¡¯


    [No, this is good for you, Commander Lee Kiyoung.]


    ¡®What?¡¯


    [Of course, I didn¡¯t rule out personal greed at all, but this is the way for you.]


    ¡®I don¡¯t need that.¡¯


    [No, you¡¯ll need it. Commander Lee Kiyoung will be grateful to me, I¡¯m sure, and eventually, he¡¯ll be with you, right?]


    Afterward, no other voice was heard. There was no need to talk anymore, and that one-sidedmunication wasn¡¯t weed.


    I could understand the fact that many restrictions were at stake, but I was bound to be curious about where she really was hiding, what she knew, and where her knowledge was.


    I didn¡¯t like the whole situation since there was something I couldn¡¯t read. No one in the world wouldn¡¯t feel bad when someone controlled them from the top of their head.


    I knew that it was a bit of a thought for me to do, but I was the one in control. I would never be controlled.


    I didn¡¯t want her to aid me, even if what Lucifer wanted was really helpful to me.


    ¡®Yeah, do as you please.¡¯


    It¡¯s already been several minutes since I moved through the big dungeon with a feeling of being half-carried by Park Li-ahn.


    She looked exhausted, too, but I couldn¡¯t ask her to rest.


    ¡®A little faster.¡¯


    ¡°I know it¡¯s going to be hard, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah, oh, oh¡­¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®I¡¯ll repay you when this is over, really.¡¯


    I had no choice but to rush her because of the increasingly serious situation.


    ¡®Has Benignore done anything yet?¡¯


    Of course, there was no response. To be honest, I didn¡¯t think I could handle it already.


    ¡®Sh*t, really.¡¯


    As I turned my eyes again and paid attention to Kim Hyunsung, I felt like I was going into an even deeper trouble. That was because Raphael was upset by the iprehensible energy that suddenly began to stretch out.


    I could see him swallowing his saliva.


    The energy flowing out of Kim Hyunsung¡¯s body was rming. It had reached a point where the person who was talking became mute for a moment.


    He talked rather than finally showing his true colors, but I didn¡¯t know if he was aware that his voice was shaking.


    -Argh!


    He swung his sword with a sound, but all the gray light shone on the invisible shroud, or did it seem as if the light refused to touch Kim Hyunsung?


    -¡­


    Just around that time, when Kim Hyunsung slowly raised his head, revealing his face that was darker than before.


    His eyes, which were close to self-loathing, seemed to exin his feelings better than anything else.


    The pitch-ck darkness enveloped his body, and the wave of mana reached where I was. His hands and feet trembled, and his body was getting goosebumps.


    ¡®Sh*t, don¡¯t do it! Don¡¯t do it.¡¯


    ¡°Don¡¯t do it! Sh*t!¡±


    Immediately after, a pair of giant ck wings stretched out behind Kim Hyunsung¡¯s back.


    And another pair.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    And another pair.


    ¡°Fucking sh*t¡­¡±


    And another pair.


    The 10-piece wing visual was cool, but when I saw Kim Hyunsung turning his head, I felt my chest hurting.


    I was sure he was aware that I was running towards him, but I didn¡¯t see any pleasure in his face.


    Of course, his expression of concern lingered as if he was devastated, but he soon realized what he became and chewed his lips tightly.


    It was worth saying that he was worried about what I would think of him when I found out he signed a contract with the devil.


    ¡®You turn him back to normal, right? There¡¯s hope, right?¡¯


    However, the information that the Mind¡¯s Eyes showed me destroyed even the slightest hope.


    [Checking Kim Hyunsung¡¯s unique trait.]


    [The Sunset Sinking into the Disgusting Darkness.]


    ¡®I need to be careful.¡¯


    I had no choice but to reflect on myself. I thought it would be okay, but¡­


    Who knew that the disgusting darkness meant Lucifer?


    ¡®Damn it.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t stop myself from biting down on my lower lip.

 Chapter 645: Doom Hyunsung (1)

    <h4>Chapter 645: Doom Hyunsung (1)</h4>


    Kim Hyunsung was a long distance away from me.


    I didn¡¯t know whether to go in immediately or take a little more time since I was worried that it could have a worse effect on him.


    It was definitely awkward to see him slowly looking at his body as if he was unfamiliar with it, though. Thinking Lucifer would be pping with an insidious smile made me upset.


    ¡®You really punched me in the face. Sh*t. Just wait and see.¡¯


    For the time being, I had to solve the problem.


    ¡®Is there anything wrong with his mind? Can he make a reasonable judgment?¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s mental state was the most worrisome.


    In my case, I didn¡¯t feel any different when I signed a contract with Belial. That was because the Light of the Continent was like an iron wall, and no darkness was allowed.


    However, not everyone was with the light. Others were bound to be a little different.


    Just by looking at the devil contractors who signed with the dirty crow, one could see that it was inevitable for his soul to be contaminated. The same went for demon summoners and devil worshippers. It might¡¯ve been not because he signed a contract with the devil, but because he contracted with the devil.


    Nothing was certain about how it would affect Kim Hyunsung.


    As negative emotions continued to hover in my head, I thought he could still change, that the spirit and soul of the regressor wouldn¡¯t be so weak.


    Of course, given what was happening, I couldn¡¯t say it with certainty¡­ But I couldn¡¯t feel anything strange on the outside.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!¡±


    Raphael wielded his Holy Sword, spreading his wings wide while shouting.


    Looking down at his opponent, he jumped at Kim Hyunsung, who never liked him in the first ce.


    He even had a face confident that the attack would work, and I also thought it wasn¡¯t a bad move. Until right at thest second before Raphael came into contact, Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t seem to respond.


    However, it was Raphael who was shoved to the opposite wall and screamed painfully.


    BAAAAAAAAM!


    He didn¡¯t even swing his sword, but the chosen warrior¡¯s body clung to the wall on the other side.


    ¡®What, why are you so strong? Why are you so strong? Sh*t, what was that? Wow. Damn.¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung also kept looking down at his body because he was curious about his power.


    I immediately noticed that his stats had risen. Some were even inessible by my Mind¡¯s Eyes due to the window of conditions that were created.


    A mythical-grade profession ¡®Fallen Sword¡¯. Only the name of the profession had been clearly reflected.


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what self-helpughter meant, but it didn¡¯t seem so positive.


    ¡°Ha, ha, ha.¡±


    ¡°Fuck!¡±


    Raphael vomited blood and flew once again, but he wasn¡¯t a match for him.


    BAAAAAAAM!!


    He was tossed away once more, cleaning the floor with his body as he skidded away.


    Kim Hyunsung stepped on Raphael¡¯s back and opened his wings, tearing them off from the base itself with a bizarre sound. The way he stood in the middle of the red fluids sttering through the air was cool, but the situation itself was very grotesque.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhh!¡±


    I heard a scream, but there was no change in his expression,


    As if it was cumbersome, Raphael¡¯s body sank to the ground when he held the wings on the left and gave strength to his feet. Of course, I didn¡¯t think it was necessary to exin that the wing he held had beenpletely ripped apart.


    ¡°Ahhh!¡±


    RIIP!!!


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhh¡­ Ahhhhhhhhhh!¡±


    RIIIIIIIP!!


    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡±


    ¡®Sh*t, he¡¯s looking a little crazy. You¡¯re not insane, are you?¡¯


    The problem was that although the power of Doom Hyunsung, who turned his back on the light, was filled with a little bit of excitement, he was showing a cruel appearance that couldn¡¯t bepared to what he was showing before.


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s attempt to make him as incapacitated as possible or kill him rtively neatly was already absent.


    I was more than concerned enough to make me tap on my thighs.


    ¡®He¡¯s not going crazy. He¡¯s not going crazy.¡¯


    Wings that were moving on their own would cause hair to stand all over my body.


    It wasn¡¯t long before he was soaked in blood. To be frank, he looked even more creepy than Jung Hayan in her prime.


    Holding Raphael¡¯s neck, he lifted him and had half of his wings torn off. But he didn¡¯t seem to be thinking about killing him. Rather, he looked like he was wondering how to make him suffer more.


    ¡®This is really tough.¡¯


    Considering that Raphael still had arge amount of gray light on his body¡­ I thought it wouldn¡¯t be wrong to say that he was getting closer to the gods.


    I also felt the pressure of when I met Belial for the first time from Kim Hyunsung at that moment.


    ¡®Sh*t, is he stronger than Belial now?¡¯


    It was an exaggerated expression, but it seemed like he could easily cope with the lower ranks¡¯ military leaders.


    While I was moving continuously, I could feel Park Li-ahn¡¯s body shaking.


    She probably hadn¡¯t seen him that way before, but currently, Kim Hyunsung was right in front of him.


    Naturally, she noticed that something was wrong. Who could keep calm after seeing a ck-winged person covered in blood?


    If it were the Guild Master of the guild that one belonged to, they¡¯d feel even more curious.


    Soon, Kim Hyunsung slowly looked at us with an anxious face while still holding Raphael¡¯s neck. He might¡¯ve wanted to look as pitiful as possible, but why didn¡¯t he know that it would have a reversed effect in that situation?


    No, I didn¡¯t know how I should react to that in the first ce.


    Should I have had I denied it? Was that the proper answer?


    ¡°Kiyoung¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Kiyoung, Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡®Oh, Sh*t.¡¯


    ¡°Kiyoung¡­¡±


    Kim Hyunsung slowly began to approach me.


    With his wings slightly spread out, he looked like he was flying slowly on the ground, but it didn¡¯t take much time for him to reach me.


    The funny thing was that Park Li-ahn unsheathed her swords to protect me despite her uncontroble trembling, identifying Kim Hyunsung as her enemy. Honestly, I couldn¡¯t even me her. If I were in her shoes, I would have made a simr decision.


    ¡°R-Run away, Vice Guild Master, run away. That¡¯s not the Guild Master. That¡¯s a monster.¡±


    ¡®Does it feel that way to you? Do we have to run away?¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯ll take over from here.¡±


    ¡®No, we don¡¯t have to run away. I don¡¯t think so, even though I¡¯m a little scared as well. And in the first ce¡­¡¯


    We wouldn¡¯t be able to run away.


    Her voice and legs were shaking. I had been with Park Li-ahn for quite a long time, but it was the first time I had seen her like that.


    ¡®She¡¯s scared.¡¯


    The deste human, who wouldy down her life for thepletion of her mission, was frightened. She also seemed to be having difficulties breathing due to the pressure she was feeling.


    ¡°You did a great job, Li-ahn.¡±


    ¡°Back up from the Vice Guild Master¡­ Go away, you filthy devil¡­¡±


    ¡°Great. Yes, that¡¯s what I wanted from you. I¡¯m sorry to hear that now¡­ Anyway, thank you for your hard work.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯te near me¡­ Don¡¯te closer¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to do anything to Park Li-ahn, are you?¡±


    That probably wouldn¡¯t make a difference, but at least I saw her gently lowering her hand and putting her sword down.


    Of course, Park Li-ahn still didn¡¯t move. It was clear that she had beenpletely paralyzed.


    Her face, which flopped on the floor with an incredible expression, seemed to have witnessed the real devil.


    I didn¡¯t know if she was mentally stronger than me, but at least my body wasn¡¯t that nervous. Kim Hyunsung had no intention of harming me. There were no expressions other than worries.


    Rather, he seemed to be more afraid. It could be correct to say that he wanted to suppress his feelings of wanting to run away.


    ¡®Sh*t, thank God. I¡¯m so d about this.¡¯


    He seemed to have not awakened as a madman who couldn¡¯t distinguish between allies and enemies. He thought I would hug him right away, but he soon realized that I felt nervous about the blood on his body.


    That was¡­


    ¡®How do I react?¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t figure out what kind of action was the answer to Doom Hyunsung¡¯s first appearance.


    ¡®Should I pretend to be in pain?¡¯


    That was out of the question.


    ¡®Or¡­ should we greet each other as usual?¡¯


    Wouldn¡¯t that be strange, too? Kim Hyunsung just signed a contract with the devil, so it wouldn¡¯t make sense to greet him as if nothing happened.


    However, the only thing on his face was worry, regret, anxiety, and unidentified fear.


    ¡®You look really pale.¡¯


    The whole situation was going like hell.


    ¡®Oh, that¡¯s really annoying.¡¯


    I thought I about trying to say something, but no word came out of my lips. It¡¯s not because of Hyunsung, either.


    ¡®Rebound.¡¯


    The aftereffects of using the telescope for a long time were about to hit.


    I thought I had to show my usual self to calm it, but I could only disy awkwardly distorted expressions.


    I kept crumpling my face without realizing it. It was no ordinary feat to endure the pain that made me want to fall on the ground right away.


    ¡®Oh, Sh*t¡­ What should I do? Lucifer, Sh*t. Lucifer, sh*t.¡¯


    I heard his voice while I was frowning.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, now. Everything will be alright.¡±


    ¡®What do you mean?¡¯


    He opened his mouth and sounded like he was desperately trying not to cry.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be fine now. There won¡¯t be any more difficulties.¡±


    ¡®That doesn¡¯t make sense to me.¡¯


    ¡°I was mistaken.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about your responsibilities anymore.¡±


    ¡®No, Sh*t, is he trying to leave me?¡¯


    For some reason, I began to feel anxious. I wondered if Kim Hyunsung might be thinking of excluding the continent.


    I thought it wouldn¡¯t be, however, the sad premonition wasn¡¯t wrong.


    ¡°It was a burden that I didn¡¯t have to carry from the beginning.¡±


    ¡®No, you have to listen, you madman, you have to listen¡­¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s all over. It¡¯s all over.¡±


    ¡®No, You¡¯re not done yet, bastard¡­¡¯


    As soon as Kim Hyunsung¡¯s deration of continental destruction came to my ears, I had no choice but to stare at him with a hostile face.


    ¡®I can¡¯t throw everything away. Sh*t. If you¡¯re going to throw everything away, then leave me out of it.¡¯

 Chapter 646: Doom Hyunsung (2)

    <h4>Chapter 646: Doom Hyunsung (2)</h4>


    His face immediately hardened. Wouldn¡¯t he have taken my expression as a euphemism for rejection?


    Looking at his shocked expression, I thought I hit the mark. I was a little sorry to hit a series of hits soon after, but I had to hold my head and open my mouth.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    At the moment, I felt like my eyes were dead, but I got goosebumps, so I quickly opened my mouth.


    It was definitely a misleading statement.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m asking who you are right now.¡±


    I spoke out in a hurry, but I still saw a dark face. However, I felt like he looked a little better than before.


    Perhaps he was thinking about whether I was really losing my memory. It seemed that he understood what I meant only after listening to what I said.


    Since I used lines that I would use if I were myself, he probably thought that it was okay for Lee Kiyoung to misunderstand.


    I thought it wouldn¡¯t be bad to just push ahead with the memory loss secret, but it was regrettable that I couldn¡¯t use it for the time being.


    No, I couldn¡¯t even use the memory loss gimmick anymore. I couldn¡¯t make his mind even more confused.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Kim Hyunsung, the same person that Kiyoung knows¡­ Yes, I understand your confusion. I don¡¯t think you¡¯re used to it. You don¡¯t look veryfortable. I understand it¡¯s an abomination.¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s not that I¡¯m not used to it, but you look like a real psycho¡­¡¯


    His whole body was stained with blood. His eyes were red, and most of all, he had a lot of dirt on him.


    ¡°But if you listen to me, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll understand¡­ I didn¡¯t have to carry any burden in the first ce. They¡¯re the enemies.¡±


    ¡®Who are they?¡¯


    ¡°Those who regressed me, and those that Kiyoung is following, are unnecessary. They don¡¯t sacrifice anything. They¡¯re just forcing responsibility and deceiving people with sweet words. Of course, it¡¯s against Kiyoung¡¯s faith, but we don¡¯t have to fight for them¡­ I just realized that.¡±


    ¡®The Kim Hyunsung I knew wouldn¡¯t say that.¡¯


    I wanted to say that to him, but I felt too weak.


    ¡®Did you sell yourself to the devil?¡¯


    Asking that directly also didn¡¯t seem like a good option.


    Whenever it was ambiguous, it was best not to say anything. I pushed his wings once again, but Hyunsung was too strong.


    ¡®Come on, you sh*t.¡¯


    ¡°They¡¯re eating Kiyoung up little by little. They¡¯re bringing ordinary people to the continent, testing them, and pushing them to the edge of the cliff. Raphael is also just a means to seduce Kiyoung. They seduce people by saying that the gods have chosen them, then they give them unbearable responsibility, weighing them down. They give hope and courage, but as a result, they can¡¯t be held responsible for anything. Kiyoung doesn¡¯t have to work for the continent. All you have to do is think about yourself. We shouldn¡¯t have shared it in the first ce. From the beginning¡­ I shouldn¡¯t have shared the burden. If I knew this would happen, I wouldn¡¯t be leaning on you.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s not it.¡¯


    ¡°If I hadn¡¯t gone too far, You wouldn¡¯t have been this sick, and you would have remembered¡­ You wouldn¡¯t have lost my memory.¡±


    ¡°How¡­¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re not even responsible for their choices. Kiyoung doesn¡¯t need to help those who just push you to the brink of death endlessly. The light did not betray us. They weren¡¯t even on our side in the first ce.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I chose¡­¡±


    ¡®Is that what this is about?¡¯


    ¡°It was an inevitable choice.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®You crazy crow, get ready to get stabbed in the back of your head one day.¡¯


    To be honest, it was hard to refute what Kim Hyunsung said.


    ¡®They are a bunch of insane beings. To be honest, it¡¯s right to think they¡¯re ridiculous.¡¯


    Although it was said that it wasn¡¯t their will that we got sent to the continent, it was also undeniable that Kim Hyunsung had been pushed to the limit.


    They passed on their burdens that they didn¡¯t want to carry and left all responsibility to humans with one excuse: they couldn¡¯t interfere.


    Of course, I understood. The continent was where we lived in the first ce and thend we had to take responsibility for.


    However¡­


    ¡®If the outer god is the main viin, the story is different.¡¯


    Maybe empowering, choosing, and forcing individuals to fight because of the need to stop threats was already beyond humanity¡¯s jurisdiction.


    It was obvious, even without Kim Hyunsung¡¯s monologue. He was losing his memory while dedicating himself to the continent.


    He might¡¯ve felt that was unreasonable, a curse, and a punch. The kidnapping was also caused by the Holy Sword, which the gods issued.


    Maybe everything Kim Hyunsung said was what he had always wanted to say.


    It was inevitable that the figure of the man who cried out not to force him to take responsibility woulde back to my mind.


    ¡®In the meantime¡­¡¯


    Perhaps Kim Hyunsung¡¯s ethics and tendency to be a good-intentioned mediator were holding him back. I liked that the Doom Hyunsung incident was out of the box, but that wasn¡¯t the situation I wanted.


    ¡®So, working for Lucifer?¡¯


    It was a bad choice. It was so ridiculous I almostughed.


    ¡®Yes, it doesn¡¯t seem very important to her.¡¯


    How could I know how many continents Lucifer managed? The small continent we were at might had been just one of the dozens she had control over.


    I was grateful that she valued Kim Hyunsung and me higher than the realm itself, but it wasn¡¯t good news for me, who had something to achieve in it.


    Perhaps it was not a good situation for Belial, either.


    Nobody wouldn¡¯t want to slit open the golden goose¡¯s belly, even if Lucifer had something to get from it.


    No, I was sure. Belial wouldn¡¯t like the situation either.


    ¡°I¡¯ve aplished a lot¡­ And you want me to leave this behind?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t talk about dog sh*t. I¡¯ll never do that. You think I¡¯m going to let Lucifer take away what is mine?¡¯


    I thought that he woulde to his senses if I punched him with all I had once, but I couldn¡¯t do that because my fist would be broken.


    I tapped my thighs and bit my lips, but I couldn¡¯t think of a way out of the situation.


    I didn¡¯t know how long Benignore would be trapped in the corner. I wasn¡¯t even sure if they were aware that the regressor they entrusted was in such a dark state.


    ¡°What about other people?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s their problem.¡±


    ¡°And those who believe in me?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not our problem either. Kiyoung doesn¡¯t have to take responsibility.¡±


    ¡®Our Hyunsung, sh*t¡­ You¡¯ve fallen.¡¯


    ¡°The Blue Guild?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll save them.¡±


    ¡®I like that.¡¯


    If there was one thing I felt was okay, it was that he was doing all of that because of me.


    Even if Kim Hyunsung turned into Doom Hyunsung¡­


    ¡®Not much has changed.¡¯


    There was a big change in his appearance and eyes, but at least there was no change in the fact that he cared for Lee Kiyoung. I was nervous because I thought he had turnedpletely evil, but I was relieved by the distorted appearance like an adolescent boy for a moment.


    Of course, it wouldn¡¯t look like that to anyone else¡­


    To me, Doom Hyunsung was only a young man who was experiencing confusion during stormy times.


    It was natural to judge that he was shaken, but he couldn¡¯t hurt me. Just being sane was more than enough to get the kid back to his original state.


    Kim Hyunsung was still himself, though he became tougher than usual.


    ¡°Get out of the way.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Move.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯re going to do this¡­¡±


    ¡°I said move.¡±


    He bit his lips tightly, but with his dark eyes, he stepped out of my way. I ran inside pretending nothing was wrong, but the way Kim Hyunsung looked at me bothered me.


    He didn¡¯t want to move because he didn¡¯t want to show me all the blood and innards that had sttered across the room.


    However, the fact that he didn¡¯t stop me seemed to be trying to show that he had changed that much.


    After rushing inside, I had no choice but to check Raphael¡¯s condition immediately. I¡¯d already lost it, but if I could use it again, it would only be right to do so.


    ¡®Stay alive.¡¯


    Honestly, I didn¡¯t know if he could make aeback, but he was still breathing for the time being. I tried using divine power, but there wasn¡¯t any reaction.


    The whole body was tattered, and he was in a half-dead state, so honestly, it was a miracle that he was still breathing. The same went for the others.


    Their conditions were concerning, but at least they were still alive.


    ¡®I really don¡¯t know if I can use them.¡¯


    ¡°We were colleagues.¡±


    ¡°They were enemies, and they were trying to harm Kiyoung. I was just trying not to get buried in the first round.¡±


    ¡°It started with a minor misunderstanding. They¡¯re not guilty.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    As I turned my head slightly, Kim Hyunsung¡¯s murderous eyes were reflected in my vision.


    If I hadn¡¯t appeared, wouldn¡¯t they have stopped breathing right away? No, even at that moment, I could see that he was still thinking of killing them.


    The only reason why he couldn¡¯t move was that I was present.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about them anymore. They¡¯reing with us.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t go.¡±


    It was a little scary, but it was right to act cute for the time being. I didn¡¯t want to go to Lucifer¡¯s side in the same mood.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take you by force.¡±


    ¡®What are you going to do, you sh*t? What are you going to do?¡¯


    I shouldn¡¯t allow the initiative to be taken away. Hence, I shouldn¡¯t be scared and rather had to show a confident reaction.


    Although Doomed Hyunsung sold himself to the darkness, he was still himself.


    He wouldn¡¯t do anything to me. He used to believe that even our souls were best friends. A person who had never had a rtionship like what we had couldn¡¯t hurt me.


    Even if Lucifer controlled him, I was the boss of our rtionship.


    ¡®What are you going to do, huh? Kim Hyunsung, what are you going to do? You¡¯re making such a scary face, but can you act on your words? I know you¡¯re acting. Sh*t.¡¯


    ¡°Forcefully¡­¡±


    ¡®Are you going to hit me? Sh*t. Hit me then. Make me faint. Knock me out and drag me to Lucifer. Hit me! Kill me! Instead, just know this. If you touch me, our rtionship is over.¡¯


    ¡°Action¡­¡±


    ¡®Take me out. It¡¯s not that hard. Hit me! Let¡¯s get down to business today. I told you to hit me quickly.¡¯


    ¡°If you don¡¯t obey me, forcefully¡­ I won¡¯t warn you twice. I¡¯m serious. I¡¯m serious.¡±


    ¡®Sh*t, did you raise your hand? Did you really raise your hand? Really? Are you really going to hit me? Are you going to hit me?¡¯


    ¡°No matter how Kiyoung is¡­¡±


    ¡®Yeah, sh*t, I¡¯ve been feeding, making money, and everything for you, and this is how you repay me? You¡¯ve fallen, and you can¡¯t think properly, right? Then hit me! Kill me! Break me apart! I already beat others down while I was in Doom Kiyoung state, so why can¡¯t you beat me now?¡¯


    ¡°Don¡¯t test my patience.¡±


    ¡®I¡¯m not testing you. Destroy me until I¡¯m half-dead. You didn¡¯t put mana in your hand, did you?¡¯


    ¡°Really¡­¡±


    ¡®Yeah, I¡¯m telling you to hit me. Do it already.¡¯


    ¡°Just kill me.¡±


    ¡®Because light never gives in to darkness.¡¯


    Sh*t, that was cool.


    ¡°I can¡¯t kill you¡­¡±


    ¡®Is that so?¡¯


    ¡°Kill me.¡±


    ¡®I¡¯m going to be martyred. Sh*t. Kill me! I want me to be considered a martyr.¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s big swing of his hand reflected in my vision. I crouched just in case he really hit me, but fortunately, he hit the wall instead.


    BAAAAAANG!


    One side of the wall copsed with the sound of an explosion.


    ¡°There¡¯s no way I¡¯m going to kill you.¡±


    That was right.


    ¡°I can¡¯t kill you.¡±


    I could still turn him around.


    Such thoughts passed through my head.

 Chapter 647: Doom Hyunsung (3)

    <h4>Chapter 647: Doom Hyunsung (3)</h4>


    He was pretending to be dark, but Kim Hyunsung¡¯s essence hadn¡¯t changed. I could tell by the fact that his confused eyes were filled with tears. He was frustrated and scared right at that moment.


    It looked like he hated himself.


    It was right to think that I was in a situation where I couldn¡¯t take other measures even though I knew that the atmosphere shouldn¡¯t keep flowing like that. If I felt like it, I¡¯d want to squeeze him and hold hands on our way to hell while singing together.


    However, that choice didn¡¯t exist from the beginning.


    ¡®Why are you pretending to be strong?¡¯


    I knew he depended on me, but I didn¡¯t know it would be that much. Hence, I began to think there was room for him to turn back.


    On second thought, Doom Hyunsung was hard to let go of¡­


    ¡®Oh, sh*t. It¡¯s really hard to let go.¡¯


    However, Kim Hyunsung was nearing his limit and had to be dragged quickly. His mental health was important, too, especially in battles.


    ¡°If you can¡¯t kill me, then stay away from me.¡±


    ¡®You filthy devil! You¡¯ll hurt me so much. Should I turn him back to normal? But don¡¯t get hurt too much, Hyunsung. I have no choice¡­¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Disappointed¡­ I¡¯m disappointed.¡±


    I thought that was alright to say.


    ¡°I¡¯m disappointed.¡±


    That much would certainly shock him. I had expected how he would react without having to look back.


    When I nced at him, I could see his eyes shaking. He was biting his lips tightly and appeared to have been attacked.


    ¡®There¡¯s no turning back now.¡¯


    I thought of it like that. It was certain that he would turn his head immediately and try to hide his pain.


    ¡°Really¡­ I¡¯m disappointed in you.¡±


    ¡®Do you know what that power is? That¡¯s not even your strength. No matter how desperate you are, how can you sign a contract with the devil? Did you ever stop to consider my position? And Sh*t, Lucifer? Of all demons, you signed with Lucifer?¡¯


    ¡°It was for¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a cowardly excuse.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not an excuse. This is the only way.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you could¡¯ve found a breakthrough.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that easy to find one. Kiyoung doesn¡¯t know because you¡¯ve never experienced it. No, even if things go as well as we thought they would, I¡¯m sure¡­ I¡¯m sure Kiyoung¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d lose my memory, suffer from aftereffects, or be injured?¡±


    He naturally seemed to be considering the words that he couldn¡¯t say.


    Kim Hyunsung probably thought it was a natural course of action.


    Only him, who had experienced the first round in person, knew how dangerous our gamble was.


    Although we had been preparing steadily so far, wasn¡¯t it highly likely that things wouldn¡¯t work out in such a way that would result in the future we saw with Yuno Kasugano?


    Once again, there was a possibility that there would be a continental destruction festival or that Kim Hyunsung¡¯s values would die.


    Of course, through our heated conversation that took ce in the unconscious world, he seemed to have ovee the fear of being held responsible.


    Technically, it was hard to think that he waspletely healed since he was just in a situation where we held the burden together. That alone would be a weing situation for me, but thanks to Kim Hyunsung, I had yet another challenge to face.


    ¡®If¡­¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®If everything ends with a continental victory¡­ I wonder what will happen to Lee Kiyoung.¡¯


    Even if I overcame numerous battles, numerous deaths, and numerous pains to win the victory, in the end, I wasn¡¯t convinced that I wouldn¡¯t suffer.


    I would not only feel weak day by day, but I would also have a big wound. He would weep over the death of his colleague, suffer and me himself.


    He¡¯d be going into the dark, feeling ashamed. He would be heartbroken, and he¡¯d eventually be ruined.


    Hadn¡¯t Kim Hyunsung already experienced it once? Wouldn¡¯t he know that feeling better than anyone else?


    How could I tell him to walk along the path made of thorny roads?


    He probably thought that the fragile Lee Kiyoung wasn¡¯t as strong as he was. He could be judging that my body was already dying, and my mind was already rotting away.


    I was already losing my memory in the first ce.


    I had been feeling the limitations for a long time, and I realized that sharing my burden was no longer beneficial.


    Raphael realized what he was trying to deny. Regardless of the oue, it wasn¡¯t favorable to continue the fight. That¡¯s how I judged it.


    Kim Hyunsung knew from his experience that bound by a cursed gourd of light, I couldn¡¯t endure battles of attrition and that I would abandon him if I were forced to.


    ¡®You¡¯re so scared. You won¡¯t hurt me. Sh*t, I won¡¯t even lose my memories. My body may be a little weak. But that¡¯s all. My life expectancy is 6,000 years. I won¡¯t die.¡¯


    The problem was that I wanted to confess so honestly, but I couldn¡¯t.


    I had gone way too far to just tell him, ¡®Oh¡­ That was aplete lie. It worked pretty well¡­ People took care of me and cheered me on when I was sick. That¡¯s why I lied. But I¡¯m sure you understand. We¡¯re still friends, right?¡¯


    It was clear that he wouldn¡¯t believe me if I said that. However, shouldn¡¯t we talk about it first?


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. You don¡¯t have to worry about me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Losing memory isn¡¯t as a big deal as you might think. I just don¡¯t remember what happened a while ago. It¡¯s not as dangerous as Hyunsung thinks. You can rx.¡±


    ¡°Lies.¡±


    ¡®No, I¡¯m not lying.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m not lying.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie.¡±


    ¡®What¡¯s wrong with you? What¡¯s wrong with your eyes? It¡¯s like you¡¯re going to hit me.¡¯


    ¡°Really¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie! It¡¯s been like that every day. You¡¯re always saying that you¡¯re fine every time. You¡¯re okay? Do you think I¡¯ll believe that? You don¡¯t have to sacrifice yourself anymore, especially for people you don¡¯t even know!¡±


    ¡®Hey, I¡¯m scared. Sh*t, don¡¯t get on my nerves.¡¯


    ¡°Don¡¯t hide it like that! Damn it. If you don¡¯t tell me, I wouldn¡¯t know!¡±


    ¡®Doom Hyunsung, Sh*t. He¡¯s hot-tempered, sigh.¡¯


    It was a little scary, but it was only right to move with amon method in that situation.


    ¡°I¡¯m really okay.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really okay. I can take it.¡±


    I had to speak with conviction. Wouldn¡¯t it be the right choice to show that I could endure it and ovee it?


    He also began to bite his lips as if he felt his steady gaze toward justice. I had no choice but to think that the end was in sight. It was then that


    [A rare-ss forced quest has been invoked. (0/1)]


    [Believer Lee Kiyoung! I did it. I solved it! I solved it! (0/1)]


    ¡®Yeah? Sh*t, that¡¯s great. I¡¯m already done with my work. You can see this ce ruined, do you? Sh*t.¡¯


    [A rare-ss forced quest has been invoked. (0/1)]


    [I¡¯m sorry. You know I love you, right? You know, you know, you know¡­ Lucifer¡¯splicated settlement was soplicated that his superiors suffered a lot. And you¡¯re expressing a lot of regret about the situation. (0/1)]


    ¡®Kim Hyunsung, can he be turned back to normal?¡¯


    [Well¡­ well. I think we¡¯re going to need some time. There¡¯s a lot to identify first. It¡¯s impossible right now, but don¡¯t worry too much, Lee Kiyoung. (0/1)]


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    [I decided to give full support to Lee Kiyoung from the top. You told me to do it as fast as I can. I¡¯ll exinter. (0/1)]


    ¡®What, sh*t, the timing isn¡¯t that good. No, sh*t, in the first ce¡­¡¯


    As soon as I connected those words, a light fell from above.


    Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!


    The golden glow covered my whole body with a tremendous sound.


    ¡®Wow, you guys are so¡­¡¯


    It was ridiculous that I couldn¡¯t help butugh.


    ¡®What did you mean when you said you couldn¡¯t support me?¡¯


    It was because I could notice why the huge light poured out suddenly and why the support, which I had requested before but didn¡¯t get, suddenly got its approval.


    ¡®Wow, these bastards¡­¡¯


    That was why Kim Hyunsung was distorting his expression.


    When Lucifer gave Doom Hyunsung power, it was clear that Benignore hurriedly tried to give simr power to me.


    Even if I didn¡¯t look into it, I could see what¡¯s going on above.


    Kim Hyunsung seemed to have turned his backpletely¡­ Lucifer gave him so much strength that Benignore couldn¡¯t have stayed still up there.


    If it continued, the anxiety that both Lee Kiyoung and Kim Hyunsung might take the express train to Lucifer would have engulfed them.


    Of course, that was the situation that the gods above didn¡¯t want to happen the most. Kim Hyunsung had already locked his door with great strength with Lucifer. Hence, they couldn¡¯t take action.


    So¡­


    ¡®You must be in a hurry.¡¯


    The bold decision from the top, which seemed to be nothing but a slow movement, was embarrassing, especially when looking at the current situation.


    ¡°Fuck! fuck!¡±


    That was why Kim Hyunsung¡¯s pale face kept showing. Honestly, it was not bad for me.


    ¡®Hey, it¡¯s free! It¡¯s a free level up!¡¯


    If Lucifer had thought that far, I wanted to send her a cylindrical light stick.


    However, the sacred phenomenon that was happening to Kim Hyunsung couldn¡¯t be weed.


    ¡®Hyung, I¡¯m leveling up! I¡¯m getting a mythic-ss ss, too!¡¯


    In his eyes, it might¡¯ve seemed like they¡¯re putting a heavy fate on me that would curse me, who was dying.


    At least if I looked at his face right now, that¡¯s what I¡¯d think.


    ¡°Fuck! Don¡¯t! Don¡¯t! Don¡¯t! Don¡¯t! Leave me alone. Leave me alone!¡±


    ¡®No, you have to. Do more! Light me up! Light me up!¡¯


    ¡°Don¡¯t! Don¡¯t! Don¡¯t make me carry more burdens! No more! Kiyoung! Get out of there! Get out of there!¡±


    ¡®No, I guess this is my destiny. I guess it¡¯s my destiny to be with the light. And how would I get out? The light is locking me up. I can¡¯t get out.¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s sacred light prevented him from advancing, although he reached for his sword as much as he could.


    It felt a bit touching to watch him crawl into the light even though his arm was making a chilling sound.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do it¡­ Ugh, don¡¯t do it. What¡­ What more do you want me to do?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s alright, Hyunsung. This is my choice.¡±


    The Essence of Sacrifice, which betted everything on itself and fought for the Continent, the saint himself.


    I epted the light, even though I knew it would eventually be ruined. Honestly, it wasn¡¯t my intention, but¡­


    ¡®Oh, Kim Hyunsung, what do I do about you?¡¯


    He showed a face so desperate that showed that he couldn¡¯t enjoy the wonderful setting.

 Chapter 648: Doom Hyunsung (4)

    <h4>Chapter 648: Doom Hyunsung (4)</h4>


    My whole body was wrapped in light. I felt different from when I was turned into the Alchemist of Light.


    It felt as if my entire body was filled with divine energy. Instead of half-sacred, it was entirely sacred.


    I thought I had to show the face of a saint sacrificing himself to save the continent, but it wasn¡¯t unreasonable for me to smile.


    In the meantime, Kim Hyunsung was trying to stop the big light from covering me. By that time, others would¡¯ve realized that his resistance was useless.


    I thought it wasn¡¯t Benignore, but rather the top people that chose it.


    Although I became stronger, I still didn¡¯t have enough power to resist a predetermined fate. In the end, there was nothing else I could do but wield a sword.


    The current situation couldn¡¯t be prevented with his ten wings, which were like symbols of depravity. I tried to cut them off with my weapon, but how could I hide the stream of light that kept falling?


    ¡°Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahh.¡±


    Of course, changes slowly began to ur in my body as well.


    ¡®I¡¯m getting wings, too?¡¯


    As soon as the thought was over, the wings of light began to stretch out.


    ¡®I¡¯ll get ten, right? I want ten, too.¡¯


    I thought it would hurt, but the pure white wings seemed to be filled with divinity. At that moment, I saw Kim Hyunsung¡¯s hand suddenly prating the light.


    ¡®What, sh*t, how did you get in?¡¯


    ¡°Oh, fuck!¡±


    It was very noticeable that he was trying to pull me down somehow, but before if I went out, I wanted to finish my evolution first.


    Fortunately, the light storm blew him away, but he was still struggling to reach out somehow.


    ¡°Take my hand!¡±


    He even tried to use ck mana.


    ¡®No, just let me evolve.¡¯


    He had such a desperate face.


    ¡®Oh, this guy.¡¯


    His determination moved me. It was as if Park Deokgu was trying to protect me, but it wasn¡¯t a good situation.


    It was nice to look at it, realizing it was impossible, but it was very embarrassing to watch him trying to stop the pouring light.


    ¡®Does he really think he can stop this from happening?¡¯


    In a way, it was spectacr to see the light pouring from the sky being blocked by dark mana. It seemed that it was too much to go into the light and save me. It didn¡¯t take long before the pitch-ck waves began to hit the storm of light.


    Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!


    There was a tremendous explosion, but I remained within the divine brilliance.


    ¡®Hyunsung¡­ Sh*t,e on. Don¡¯t do that. Don¡¯t interrupt others¡¯ evolution.¡¯


    I thought that they were probably very flustered from the top as well.


    When they had to deliver light somehow, Kim Hyunsung waste, so he probably thought that Lee Kiyoung shouldn¡¯t be bothered anymore.


    However, when a sudden interrupter tried to block the falling light¡­


    ¡®Would you be flustered?¡¯


    One could bet that Benignore, the icon of failure, was afraid of failing again.


    [Lee Kiyoung, Lee Kiyoung!! (0/1)]


    Sure enough, there was already a cry of sympathy.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!¡±


    Kim Hyunsung was still doing his best to prevent the heavy burden that came down to me.


    I didn¡¯t know how the hell that happened. Sh*t.


    ¡®No, Hyunsung. You have to take responsibility for this. It¡¯s not like that. I didn¡¯t even stamp the contract, so it doesn¡¯t matter if I just eat and run. They gave this to me because they were nervous. Why are you overreacting? I understand how you feel, but¡­¡¯


    [Lee Kiyoung! Stop him, Lee Kiyoung! (0/1)]


    ¡®I want to stop him too. Sh*t. Just turn it up, for now.¡¯


    [Oh, okay. (0/1)]


    She seemed to have epted my advice, considering they provided a stronger light, but Kim Hyunsung also tried to fight back against the light with a louder sound.


    To be honest, I couldn¡¯t help but think that I had to do something. That was because I felt that epting the power right away wasn¡¯t a problem.


    As time went by, Kim Hyunsung¡¯s eyes seemed to be filled with even deeper rage.


    Just as he gave himself undesired responsibilities, he seemed to have added those responsibilities to me as well.


    Perhaps we were feeling the same way.


    ¡°You bastard¡­ Stop, you little bastard! Stop! Stop!¡±


    He was screaming his heart out.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do it, you dirty little bastards! Stop¡­ Please stop.¡±


    ¡®Our Hyunsung is cursing.¡¯


    ¡°Stop¡­ stop! Stop!¡±


    His body had been turned into rags already.


    [Believer Lee Kiyoung, how can I do this? Something bad won¡¯t happen, right? (0/1)]


    Benignore was worried, and Kim Hyunsung seemed even more desperate.


    He was spouting all kinds of curse words, and his eyes were filled with venom that seemed to disy that he could no longer remember his own identity.


    [Should we stop? Would it be better to stop¡­ (0/1)]


    I also thought it would be better to stop. I was worried that Kim Hyunsung would sincerely antagonize Benignore.


    It wasn¡¯t unreasonable to think that the option of abandoning the continent and running away could evolve into aplete Doom Hyunsung who would destroy the continent. The room for persuasion had already disappeared. He simply wanted to abandon the continent.


    After Doom Hyunsung finished the continental business, he would most likely rush to Benignore¡¯s nest with the demons.


    ¡°Oh, fuck! Stop! Stop!¡±


    For the time being, I had no choice but to say something. The priority was to calm the upset Kim Hyunsung down.


    I had to convince him that what was happening wasn¡¯t a bad event, but rather that it was beneficial for me. Hence, I continued our conversation in a calm tone.


    ¡®Whoa¡­¡¯


    I sighed loudly and immediately spoke. To be honest, I didn¡¯t know if it would work. Normally, Hyunsung would listen to me, but I couldn¡¯t guarantee it¡¯d work in his present state.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®What, can¡¯t you hear me?¡¯


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I say it was okay?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Hyunsung, are you ignoring me? It¡¯s not like that, is it?¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s not as heavy as Hyunsung thinks it is, and it¡¯s not like I¡¯m going through a hard time. It¡¯s rather pleasant. It¡¯s a happy thing for me.¡±


    ¡®Please¡­ please listen.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m happy that there¡¯s something I can do for the rest of my remaining years.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I enjoy being able to work for the people I value. Of course, I know it¡¯s going to be hard. And I know what you¡¯re thinking. I know very well why you worry about me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Oh, he¡¯s not responding.¡¯


    However, I was sure that he was listening. He was still keeping his eyes on me.


    ¡®I can¡¯t just keep going like this.¡¯


    I had to bring up a more sensitive subject. For example, the decisive reason why Kim Hyunsung turned his back on the continent.


    It would be more convincing than the setting that my head suddenly was healed.


    I was sure he¡¯d react as it¡¯s a sensitive topic. For the time being, creating a conversational situation was the way to go.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I hid it.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°But I really didn¡¯t want to make you worry¡­ I thought it was nothing.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Even if I lose my memory¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Even if I really forget everything¡­ I know you¡¯ll all be with me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s very important to me¡­ You know that, right? Our days won¡¯t be any different. It¡¯ll be the same as usual. After everything is over, Lindel¡¯s daily life will definitely remain the same.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to y chess with Hyejin and drink wine with her. Elena can go to see the world tree and spend time with the elves. I¡¯ll spend time with Ye-ri ying simple cards as well¡­ Maybe I can look into the Goddess¡¯s Mirror with Ahn Ki-mo.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Jeong-yeon and Sora will be able to study alchemy properly. Yes, I¡¯m worried about what would happen if I forget everything, but I¡¯ll learn as quickly as my body remembers. I¡¯m sure¡­ Maybe after a year or two¡­ No, maybe after about three years, we can go up to the same level as we are now. There won¡¯t be any problems with the finances of the Blue Guild. The infrastructure will stay the same¡­ Haha.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You will spend time volunteering with Hee-young. There are still many ces I haven¡¯t been to yet. Of course, Dialugia would have to spend time with Luria or Max.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahyoung, Chang-ryul, and I will talk when we have lessons¡­ As much as there will be many new and fun experiences for me, you¡¯d be able tough that much. Yes, you¡¯ll be happy. Maybe I¡¯ll even see all the videos taken about me doing stupid stuff.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It will be a lot of fun to spend time with Heera, who will visit me sometimes. I won¡¯t see your face often right after work because you¡¯ll be dragged around every day after the war is over. And it¡¯s going to be too much from the beginning, but¡­ Learn about politics from Oscar again¡­ You can talk about theology with Pope Basel as well, and Team Leader Kim Mi-young will have a lot to learn about overall guild management from Jihye. You just have to keep living your life¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ don¡¯t¡­ do it.¡±


    ¡°If I stay with Hayan, maybe I can get married. I don¡¯t know why, but I can¡¯t imagine it. Deokgu will give a speech, of course. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be happy to say he knew that would happen.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that¡­ Don¡¯t. Ugh, don¡¯t say that. Fuck, just stop it.¡±


    ¡°It will be simr to Hyunsung. Sometimes you¡¯ll be able to go out to eat, go out to ride the griffon,ugh about nothing, and have fun as usual.¡±


    ¡°Please¡­ Please don¡¯t say that. Please¡­¡±


    ¡°I want to keep this routine. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m altruistic at all. I want to keep this routine for my own satisfaction. Yes, of course, it¡¯ll be hard. I¡¯m sick, I¡¯m falling apart, I¡¯m having a painful time, and you¡¯re ming Benignore, but I¡¯m making this choice on my own¡­ I might regret it over and over again. There might be some grumbling about why you didn¡¯t stop me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯ll end up smiling. We¡¯ll all sit at a big table, talk about the memories we had before, andugh off the pain we had in the past. It¡¯s been like that until now. I¡¯ve been through this.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Nothing changes, never.¡±


    ¡°No, a lot of things¡­ A lot will change. It will never be the same, and they¡¯ll all suffer. Kiyoung will suffer, and you won¡¯t remember them. Me, too¡­ I¡¯m going to be in so much pain. I¡¯m scared. Ugh, I¡¯m scared. Damn it.¡±


    ¡°The other options will also be painful. It would be painful to abandon the continent because you will regret today¡¯s decision after seeing the continent suffering from guilt and falling. You will live with those who needed help in your heart until you die.¡±


    ¡®Honestly, I don¡¯t know about me, but you will. I know you haven¡¯tpletely thrown it away yet.¡¯


    ¡°If you¡¯re taking me by force¡­ If we survive like that, I will resent myself.¡±


    ¡®And let¡¯s be honest. I¡¯ll me you for the rest of my life, even if you just did what you thought was right. Are you confident you¡¯ll be able to endure that? Can you really break our rtionship apart?¡¯


    ¡°I think Hyunsung will be no different. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re thinking the same thing as me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m not without fear at all. I¡¯m scared of fighting. To be honest, I¡¯m scared of this situation right now and what¡¯s happening to me¡­ I¡¯m afraid of the changes that happen every day. How can I not be scared? I¡¯m a human being, too.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m more scared to lose my daily life, to lose the future we¡¯re drawing without doing anything¡­ That¡¯s a lot more frightful. It¡¯s so scary that I can¡¯tpare it to losing my memory. Maybe¡­ everyone is working together with that mindset.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I will be standing my ground to protect my daily life and my future.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t stand it. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll regret it. You won¡¯t get through it.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll be able to bear it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be in pain.¡±


    ¡°I will never suffer.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be so painful that you¡¯ll want to die¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll withstand it anyway.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll forget everything.¡±


    ¡°If you have someone to be with, that¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°Why? How can you think of it that way? How can you ept it so easily instead of letting it go without a hitch? Damn it¡­¡±


    ¡®What do you mean? Of course, I can¡¯t. We have Tactic Kim Hyunsung, after all.¡¯


    But I couldn¡¯t say it so openly. In that case, it was better to blow up the lines of memories. Of course, the setting dictated that I couldn¡¯t remember much.


    ¡°That¡¯s because¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll carry my burden with me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Honestly, I don¡¯t know if this will work.¡¯


    However, I was sure he realized something. Realizations such as ¡®I should listen to him¡¯ or ¡®I shouldn¡¯t do this.¡¯


    Wasn¡¯t our bond supposed to be mutual? Kim Hyunsung surely remembered that I carried his burden.


    ¡®It¡¯s going to work.¡¯


    I was sure Kim Hyunsung would carry my burden with me.


    ¡®Please¡­ Please¡­¡±


    He wouldn¡¯t let me go.


    ¡®Right? I¡¯m right, right? We don¡¯t have to lose our friendship, do we?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know if the timing was good, but the brilliant light from the sky stopped.


    I was a little nervous.


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s dark mana was nowhere to be found, and I couldn¡¯t predict what attitude he would take. He was looking at me with a nk face as he was slowly reflected through the scattered light.


    ¡®It¡¯s not bad. It won¡¯t be bad.¡¯


    I slowly stretched out my hands, spreading out four pairs of wings with fear¡­


    ¡°Murm, muhm¡­¡±


    Kim Hyunsung started running towards me in a hurry.


    ¡®It worked. Sh*t, it really worked.¡¯


    All that was left for me to do was wrap it up properly.

 Chapter 649: Doom Hyunsung (5)

    <h4>Chapter 649: Doom Hyunsung (5)</h4>


    It didn¡¯t look so scary to see him running with all his might.


    I didn¡¯t know if he couldn¡¯t afford to pretend to be strong anymore, but it wasn¡¯t bad for me.


    I wondered if he had given up on kidnapping me and taking me to Lucifer, but I couldn¡¯t afford to think about that for the time being.


    Wouldn¡¯t his top priority be to check whether there was anything wrong with my body and whether there were other side effects? I also finished checking to see if there was anything wrong with my body, but it didn¡¯t seem like there were any other side effects.


    ¡®That¡¯s why it took time.¡¯


    The brilliance that poured down was probably the process of letting my body ept the divinity.


    If Lucifer gave me strength the same way she gave Kim Hyunsung, wouldn¡¯t my body pop and burst?


    Benignore and her superiors had probably also taken measures to ensure that there were no other side effects. If there was a side effect, I wondered if Doom Hyunsung was picturing pulling an 8-ton truck and rushing to the Blue Guild Hall.


    No, if I hadn¡¯t talked in the middle, Tactic Kim Hyunsung, who had raised his strength in hell, would¡¯ve be even stronger. What was a bit unfortunate was that, despite that delicate process, there was a limit to the amount that could be epted.


    Doom Hyunsung also received ten wings, so she would have wanted to give me ten wings as well, but she seemed to have determined that it was physically impossible.


    It was a shame, but I wasn¡¯t upset because I could see Kim Hyunsung rushing towards me, crying.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡±


    ¡®Oh, look at our regressor¡­¡¯


    After all the fuss, of course, his body was covered with wounds, and traces of being burned by the divine power could be seen all over him.


    It seemed like he wanted to say something, but he couldn¡¯t properly say it as if he was choking, making me feel a little bit guilty. I even thought there was a problem with hisnguage function.


    ¡°Ah, um¡­¡±


    I was also curious about how I would look to Kim Hyunsung. Even if I thought about it, I wasn¡¯t familiar with my current form.


    No word seemed appropriate to describe the wings made of light that had exceeded the purity of divinity. Each feather and each piece of it was emitting a splendid brilliance.


    Overall, it was emanating light, and it looked so sacred that the advent of Benignore couldn¡¯t beat it.


    The radiant light filled the darkened grounds, iparable to the past when I took the Bomb of Light potion.


    It seemed that my existence alone could purify all the dirty things in the world. The moment my feet touched the floor, a light spread shortly around the ce I stepped on.


    ¡®The god of the new world! Light itself has descended.¡¯


    Although it was me, it was still considered scary. Perhaps, even if someone other than Kim Hyunsung saw me, they would think simrly.


    I had a brilliance so pure that it could never be polluted.


    I naturally smiled slightly.


    ¡®Lucifer, fuck, are you watching?¡¯


    I still hadn¡¯t figured out what she was aiming for, but just seeing what she had done felt like she had revenged enough.


    ¡®You¡¯ve crossed the line, okay?¡¯


    If I were to go over to the dark, I wouldn¡¯t work for her.


    The n itself was wrong in the first ce. Could a trivial incident break the rtionship between Hyunsung and me? Even under threat, I could bet that Kim Hyunsung would choose me unconditionally.


    I held back myughter, but I had no choice but to smile softly.


    ¡®We¡¯re good now, right? Right?¡¯


    Of course, he didn¡¯te back perfectly. The pitch-ck wings that were still being dragged to the ground caught my eye.


    However, it was a roughly expected situation. Even though it was Kim Hyunsung, there was no way it would be easy to let out the transcendental power that settled down in his body. It wasn¡¯t that he¡¯s holding back the power¡­


    ¡®It must be impossible.¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung had already swallowed poison. Seeing that even Benignore couldn¡¯t detoxify it meant that it wasn¡¯t an issue that could be solved right away.


    My face was about to get distorted, but Lucifer¡¯s n had been ruined, and I wondered how she would be looking at the scene right at that moment. When I saw Kim Hyunsung¡¯s face in the light, I was relieved.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m¡­ sorry.¡±


    ¡®First, an apology. Okay, that¡¯s a good flow. You¡¯re not going to get mad, right? Right?¡¯


    I thought I had seen many scenes of Kim Hyunsung cryingtely.


    I tried to pull him up because I felt like he was falling over, but he got startled and took a step away.


    He pulled himself up but seeing that he couldn¡¯t easilye closer, it seemed that he couldn¡¯t be next to me. I thought it was understandable. Hyunsung waspletely covered in blood, and, by my standards, wasn¡¯t he sporting hideous wings?


    He must¡¯ve been thinking that he was in contrast to the brilliance of the sacred blinding light.


    Well, I thought it would gradually get better over time. Lucifer¡¯s power would fade anyway.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry.¡±


    ¡®Yes, you should be sorry. I thought everything was really ruined.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry.¡±


    ¡®You tried to hit me. Fuck, that¡¯s something you should really reflect on.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for everything.¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s okay. I understand why you did it.¡¯


    ¡°Sniff, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡®Ah, fuck, he thinks it¡¯s because of him.¡¯


    It didn¡¯t seem like he was simply apologizing for epting Lucifer¡¯s power. I felt that maybe he¡¯s sorry that I was rted to him.


    He might¡¯ve been wondering that if it had been the way it was, Lee Kiyoung, who would be able to live a normal life, would think that he was involved inplicated affairs because he got rted to him.


    ¡®I think so.¡¯


    A tearful apology for saying that he was caught up in useless things, that he shouldn¡¯t have confessed that he was a returner and shouldn¡¯t have passed me the burden.


    ming everything on himself was also a feat.


    It was a better option than ming me, but being too guilty wasn¡¯t good for his mental health.


    As he still seemed a little unstable, it would be better to continue thest conversation.


    It seemed like he was finally in a state where he could talk.


    ¡®Because it¡¯s already time.¡¯


    I could see where the huge light fell. A new exit was created due to the light that entered through the dungeon. As I spread my wings slightly, I felt my body slowly rise.


    I wasn¡¯t used to it, but using a little bit of a novel sensation, I hovered on the top of the Queen¡¯s Tomb, and soon Kim Hyunsung followed suit.


    A vast continent immediately entered my eyes. It was dim, but the starlights illuminated a sparkling night view.


    ¡°It¡¯s a good sight.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a really nicendscape.¡±


    ¡®I have to do this properly. Don¡¯t let your guard down, Kiyoung. The finale is important in everything. The finish is half of the battle. You have to be alert and focus.¡¯


    I had to look as I would never forget that view, but I had to avoid looking pitiful as much as possible.


    I thought it was better to make a bittersweet face. I nodded, showing that I had epted the fate that had been given to me.


    ¡®I¡¯m not sad.¡¯


    Lee Kiyoung wasn¡¯t sorrowful. The scene I was witnessing would disappear from my memory someday, but it was andscape that I could see at any time.


    Even if he were lonely or sad, Lee Kiyoung wouldn¡¯t copse because his precious colleagues would be with him.


    Lee Kiyoung was a tragic hero. He was someone who would never abandon the continent, someone who epted all fate with his body that is so delicate that it is likely to be broken.


    Without realizing it, I caught the night view again with tears in my eyes.


    The drop of tears running down my eyes wasn¡¯t due to the anguish I felt towards my fate but due to my admiration for the beautiful sight.


    It was the reverberation of the pure soul toward the greatndscape that the liveliness and nature of the people living on the continent hadbined.


    ¡®Wow, fuck. My tears shine.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know if it¡¯s because of my evolution to the mythic grade, but the tears that fell continued to sparkle. I only expressed my surprise for a split second. Kim Hyunsung was carefully looking at me, after all.


    ¡°Is it really¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Is it really going¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Is it really going to be okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it will be fine.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Nothing will happen.¡±


    If something went wrong, we¡¯d take them and run. Then there would be no problem.


    ¡°Will you really¡­ be able to endure it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it would be impossible if I were alone, but if everyone is with me¡­¡±


    ¡°Is it really¡­ okay?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make me repeat what I said. I told you many times that it would be okay. If I lose my memory, will you throw me away¡­¡±


    ¡°No, never¡­¡±


    ¡°Then will you be negligent¡­?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then there is no problem. Of course, it doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s not unfortunate, but¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, forgetting the memories that I have built up to this day¡­ It hurts a little. A lot has happened, after all.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°But won¡¯t we all have more time together than before? We¡¯ll be able to spend more moments together with Hayan, Deokgu, and all the other guild members. Maybe a lot more fun events will happen than before. There will be more reason to smile, just like the scenery before us right now.¡±


    ¡®You won¡¯t understand what I mean.¡¯


    ¡°I don¡¯t know when it will be, but someday the day wille when I will forget thisndscape, but¡­ I will be able to capture the same scenery at any time. Thisndscape will never disappear, after all.¡±


    ¡®You still don¡¯t understand what the hell I¡¯m talking about.¡¯


    ¡°I can¡¯t understand. I can¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡®Wait, Hyunsung. You¡¯ll be able to understand it soon.¡¯


    I thought it was about the timing, but I felt resentful for the still and unchanging sky.


    When it became embarrassing to wait for a long time while looking at the sky without saying anything, change began to take ce in the wide sky.


    Of course, thest event I was preparing was a sunset show to watch with Lee Kiyoung. It was then that Kim Hyunsung looked at me and turned his head.


    In fact, I was wondering how much Kim Hyunsung would react to the sunset show that he watched with me, but it seemed that the response was better than I expected. His pupils were shaking in real-time.


    He didn¡¯t know what I was exactly talking about or what I wanted to say, but I thought he would understand with that.


    ¡°It¡¯s a greatndscape.¡±


    Externally, I didn¡¯t remember the sunset, and it didn¡¯t actually happen, but I felt the same.


    Even if I forgot what had happened before, new memories could fill that ce.


    I didn¡¯t exin anything in words, but Kim Hyunsung seemed to feel it enough.


    His shoulders were shaking. I couldn¡¯t read his expression. Honestly, I didn¡¯t know what he¡¯s thinking right at that moment. However, he didn¡¯t look like he was in a bad mood. Maybe he was thinking of something that happened before.


    ¡°If¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°If I forget what I see now¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Please bring me here to see this again.¡±


    ¡°Sniff¡­ okay.¡±


    ¡°Being able to see this again¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough for me.¡±


    ¡°Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­ Yeah¡­ Yeah.¡±


    When I saw Kim Hyunsung¡¯s face with tears bursting, I nodded.


    ¡®It worked well.¡¯


    He finally understood what I meant.


    One thing I could be sure of was that Hyunsung would be thinking¡­


    ¡®I want to keep his memories.¡¯


    Or something like:


    ¡®I want to protect this ce.¡¯¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung looked at the distance. A chapter had ended, and the regressor was once again reminded of his reason to stand up, his reason to fight for the continent.


    And that afternoon.


    Beyond the north¡­


    A huge light began to pour down. It was a foreign light that humanity had never seen.

 Chapter 650: Foreign Light (1)

    <h4>Chapter 650: Foreign Light (1)</h4>


    [Reporter Kim Sungkyung.]


    [Yes, this is Kim Sungkyung, reporter of Lindel News. After about 7 hours, 47 minutes since the foreign light fell from the northern end, the Papal Office and the Continental Protection and Management Committee still haven¡¯t made any official announcements. People¡¯s anxiety and worry are increasing. A spokesman for the Holy See, Jaina, has said that it is being investigated, but the papal office has not yet been able to make a proper judgment. External experts are also waiting for their investigation team to bring results.]


    [Is it true that Chairman Lee Kiyoung has blocked all contact with the outside world?]


    [Yes, currently, Chairman Lee Kiyoung has blocked contact with outsiders. There are rumors that he has a health problem, but in any case, whether that external light has had any adverse effects on the Chairman¡­ ]


    Beep.


    [The Continental Protection and Management Committee is strictly controlling the entire region where the foreign light has erupted. A joint investigation team of the Papal Office and the Continental Protection and Management Committee has set up a temporary camp nearby. They are working on a quick investigation, but no new news has been heard yet. The Honorary Cardinal is said to have stabilized at the moment¡­]


    Beep.


    [This is just in: a short briefing on the current situation at the State¡­]


    Beep.


    [Amid the rapid movement of the joint training center¡¯s troops toward the forward base built to prepare for the demons wearing angelic masks¡­]


    Beep.


    [Title: Did you see the news? What happened?]


    [Author: Editor Kim Kyungsik]


    [The atmosphere seems to be hinting towards wartime conditions¡­ Is it really true that demons areing in?]


    [Lindel vige resident: I don¡¯t know the details. However, it seems certain that the atmosphere has been unsettled. The guilds in Lindel are also moving to the north recklessly now, and in fact, they have almost finished their cement. Overall, it seems information is being blocked from leaking out, and there hasn¡¯t been an announcement yet. I think H.G.S.A.L probably knows about it. When this happens, the first reaction usuallyes from the Blue Guild. In fact, I don¡¯t know if he has time to watch this. The Blue Guild also looks like to be in an emergency right now¡­]


    [H.G.S.A.L: If you wait for it a little, it will probably be announced.]


    [Lindel vige resident: Please tell me.]


    [H.G.S.A.L: I would tell you if I knew something. I only know what is being shown in the media. The troops are moving just in case, and the investigation has not yet beenpleted. It is not a situation where anything can be announced recklessly.]


    [Mijung: How can a country be like this? It¡¯s been 7 hours since the incident, but no official announcement has been released. I usually don¡¯t say this, but I don¡¯t know what they¡¯re doing. What about Chairman Lee Kiyoung fainting? They have to announce something, so we¡¯d know what to do. It is a fact that the official announcement waste because the high-ranking people are preparing for evacuation. Do you agree? If they announce, ¡®Your continent is safe! I hope that everyone stays in ce and enjoys their daily lives!¡±, then I¡¯m right. They must be picturing an ending where they¡¯ll abandon us and run away.]


    [stic spoon: I know what Mijung is worried about. I don¡¯t know about anyone else, but Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung is not that kind of person. He is famous for sacrificing his own body for the underprivileged¡­ I have also received a lot of help from him¡­]


    [H.G.S.A.L: That bastard is not Mijung. stic spoon, he is not Mijung. He speaks differently, and the way he¡¯s trying to get attention is beyond the true Mijung. He¡¯ll be drawn to the stage soon. You should have prepared better.]


    [Mijung: You¡¯re sharp.]


    [Tresha: But¡­ ]


    [Lindel vige resident: Gosh, please stop, really. This is already too disturbing¡­ ]


    [stic spoon: But, for some reason, you two are perfect for each other. While squabbling.]


    [Lindel vige resident: Agreed.]


    [H.G.S.A.L: Shut up.]


    [H.P.G.S.L Public Rtions Chairman: You two, be happy.]


    Beep.


    [Title: I disappointed someone I like. (Comments: 128)]


    [Author: I like the b1ue color]


    [Title: Real status of continental destruction. The destruction of the continent after the Chairman¡¯s failure to stand up is happening? (Comments: 123)]


    [Author: Mijung]


    [Title: It would be nice if my hands and eyes were safe even if there was a war. Only then can I read H.G.S.A.L¡­ (Comments: 1221)]


    [Author: H.G.S.A.L does not stop even in emergencies.]


    ¡®Fuck, that¡¯s fortunate. It wasn¡¯t anything special, fuck.¡¯


    I had to breathe out a sigh of relief. I was relieved firstly that the scenery after a nap was something I was familiar with it, and secondly that the world hadn¡¯t yet changed.


    After thinking that everything was over, I was really surprised when the pir of light fell out of nowhere.


    I thought the world would be ruined after I woke up, but I couldn¡¯t withstand the telescope¡¯s rebound and passed out anyway.


    It wouldn¡¯t be unreasonable for me to think like that from my standpoint. I heard a voice next to me when I was looking at the mirror alone andughing.


    ¡°Why are youughing like that as soon as you wake up? It¡¯s not even a situation where you should be reacting that way.¡±


    As I turned my head, I saw Lee Jihye, who looked at me as if she was watching something fun.


    ¡°Just this and that. I just saw that the pir of light fell and passed out. I was worried that if I woke up, I would wake up to the world of Apocalypse. But it seems nothing much happened¡­ It feels good, Jihye.¡±


    ¡°It must have been really surprising.¡±


    ¡°Well, I thought everything would be ruined¡­ Fortunately, it doesn¡¯t seem like that. No, putting that aside. Jihye, what about the pledge we made¡­¡±


    ¡°I wanted to keep it, but it was really unavoidable. I thought you would say that, and you really did. Why do you keep something like that in mind? It worked out well, so that¡¯s it. Did the Blue Guild Master pay for the charter here?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I mean¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Anyway, really¡­ no, forget it. What¡¯s the point in arguing about that, right? By the way, you woke up early this time.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Once I pass out, it usuallysts at least three days¡­¡±


    Her eyes began to pour out a doubt, whether I ate something good or whether it was all acting.


    To be honest, I was forced to agree that her suspicions were rational. I also had to be a little surprised.


    Who would have known that I would wake up so quickly after experiencing a rebound from the use of Elune¡¯s telescope?


    ¡®I ate something good indeed.¡¯


    Divinity overflowed all over my body, so how could a mere rebound be a problem? I was so healthy that I felt like I could do more than 100 push-ups.


    ¡®Seeing that I¡¯m here, Hyunsung was probably able toe to his mind as well.¡¯


    I wondered if I would be in Lucifer¡¯s arms when I opened my eyes, but fortunately, that didn¡¯t happen.


    Although still being affected by her influence, at least Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t think of ??kidnapping me. It must¡¯ve been obvious that he had found the path he lost again.


    He even kept standing by my side. What more words would I need? It meant that if the continent were about to be destroyed, he would take me and run.


    To put it together in the fact that he had fixed the incident well. I also wanted to appreciate the fact that the demon bastards didn¡¯te out immediately¡­


    In fact, the question was, why did a foreign light suddenly strike down in the north?


    ¡°By the way¡­ What is the cause of all this?¡±


    ¡®Fuck, it¡¯s obvious what the cause is.¡¯


    It was just a guess, but one very reliable hypothesis lingered in my head.


    ¡®The continent has cracked.¡¯


    Of course, it was yet to be confirmed.


    Even I, who had a personality that liked to me others, thought that, so I wanted to believe that the people from above weren¡¯t so stupid.


    ¡®It¡¯s ridiculous. That can¡¯t be.¡¯


    The hypothesis to be considered was that an abnormality had urred in the continent¡¯s security system due to continued interference.


    Perhaps the crack on the continent, which was barely being blocked, was further widened by Lucifer and Benignore¡¯s superiors.


    It was a rough hypothesis, but it seemed to be so for some reason.


    Wasn¡¯t the crack one of the reasons that the gods were reluctant to engage with things of our world?


    Lucifer and the gods¡¯ superiors forcibly pushed in divinity, creating a gap as a result. It was reasonable to suspect that an outsider was tearing in between them.


    ¡®Really stupid bastards.¡¯


    It might¡¯ve been a situation where the faucet was wrapped with tape in a hurry, but how could that stop the leaking water stream?


    I wondered if it didn¡¯t matter if I judged that the foreign cloud of light currently being poured was a leaking water stream.


    Maybe Kim Hyunsung was sitting next to me, realizing that the outer god would arrive right away.


    I didn¡¯t know how long it would take, but¡­


    ¡®We may have some time.¡¯


    That news was most fortunate among the misfortunes.


    ¡°I¡¯ll check it a bit more clearly and tell youter. It¡¯s something I can¡¯t be sure of yet.¡±


    ¡°Then, how much time is left?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know that either. I have to study it a bit more. Perhaps roughly one month? I don¡¯t think we have that long, but that could be the case if we¡¯re lucky. Oh, where did Hyunsung go?¡±


    ¡°He went to a countermeasure meeting. If it weren¡¯t for that, he would have been here.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t go?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the point to having a meeting without you? I didn¡¯t even think of participating because it seemed like it would end only after discussing meaningless things anyway, and it was only a waste of time. There are also only humans who don¡¯t have much nutritional value there¡­¡±


    ¡°What about Cho Hyejin? Did she wake up? What about Raphael?¡±


    ¡°The Raphael party is now lying down and recovering, and Hyejin is also¡­¡±


    ¡°She must have gone with Hyunsung.¡±


    ¡°No. She¡¯s in her room.¡±


    ¡°Still?¡±


    ¡°Because Hyunsung said he would go alone. Oh, I was trying to ask, but did you two fight? It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen such a cold look in this world. I don¡¯t always say this, but the way that the Blue Guild Master looked at our Hyejin was like he was seeing human trash.¡±


    ¡®Since when did he look at Hyejin like that?¡¯


    ¡°I thought there was going to be bloodshed right there. I even made her look pretty, but what did he say? He told her to do her job right. He said she no longer had to report to him and not to say useless things. And in the end, he even looked at her as if he had cut ties with her, you know? And Cho Hyejin reached out her hand to him without knowing, but he shook her off. You know, they say that when someone gets really angry, they don¡¯t even get into a temper. It¡¯s not just at a level where he doesn¡¯t like her. He seemed to bepletely disgusted. Ugh, I just got chills.¡±


    ¡®Ah¡­¡¯


    ¡°I think he changed. There was a problem inside there, right?¡±


    ¡®There was a problem indeed.¡¯


    However, I couldn¡¯t even imagine he would have said that to Cho Hyejin. Of course, the reason was expected, but¡­


    ¡®Wow, he must have felt really betrayed.¡¯


    I was almost sure that he thought that Cho Hyejin backstabbed him.


    From Kim Hyunsung¡¯s point of view, it meant that she continued to report false information. It was only natural for him to get angry.


    Of course, the influence of Doom Hyunsung made him shake off her hand and say harsh words.


    He seemed to have expressed his feelings more exaggeratedly than intended, as he hadn¡¯t yet been able to escape from the ck wingspletely.


    It was true that Cho Hyejin had made a false report to Kim Hyunsung. Hence, it couldn¡¯t be helped. However, it wasn¡¯t unreasonable that a sense of responsibility made my heart shake.


    Of course, I was in a third-party position, but how could I act apathetically to my friend¡¯s crisis?


    She had also helped me a lot¡­


    ¡®I guess I have to help her a bit on this.¡¯


    I had to think so.


    Since he was in a meeting, it felt like it wasn¡¯t too bad to go. No, I had to go no matter what. I had to have a briefing on the overall situation anyway.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get ready to move, Jihye. Tell Hyejin to get ready too. I am also going to the countermeasure meeting.¡±


    ¡°Are you going now?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Lee Jihye was looking at me, almost asking if everything would be okay.

 Chapter 651: Foreign Light (2)

    <h4>Chapter 651: Foreign Light (2)</h4>


    ¡°If they know that you moved as soon as you got up, they¡¯ll make a fuss again¡­ well, I can¡¯t stop you. If you want to do that, then I¡¯ll go call Hyejin.¡±


    ¡°But why is Hyejin¡­¡±


    ¡®In your room?¡¯


    ¡°I wasforting her a bit. Is there anyone here who doesn¡¯t know that Hyejin likes your Guild Master? How could I just let her go? I had to give her some liquor. She gets drunk quite fast. Oh, you should send a message to Jung Hayan, telling her that you arrived. I sweated bullets to stop her froming here. You have to reassure her that you are well, right? She seemed to be getting more anxious as she heard various things through the media¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, I should. I guess you dealt with her well.¡±


    ¡°Of course I did. Actually, she seems to have really suffered, but¡­ the Blue Guild told her that she doesn¡¯t have to worry about it as it was all part of controlling the public opinion. She only calmed down when I said you were busy with the work to be done. Including Hyejin, Kim Hyunsung, and Park Li-ahn¡­ Just a few are probably all that know about this incident.¡±


    ¡°Oh, what about Deokgu? What is Deokgu doing?¡±


    ¡°Of course, he headed to the north quickly. Elena, Sun Hee-young, Hwang Jeong-yeon, and the rest of the Blue Guild are all located in the north¡­ The same goes for the Red Mercenary, Cha Hee-ra, and our Yeon-joo. First, Ipleted the deployment of troops as written in the existing manual. But are you going to fix this?¡±


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s all made under the assumption that you¡¯re ready, and now it¡¯s different.¡±


    ¡°I thought it would, and I roughly gave my own personal touch. I made it assuming that it isn¡¯t ready yet. I just have basic guidelines, so check them out. I pushed our political opponents in a good bnce in a high-risk area¡­ I didn¡¯t know how many of them to put so they could still hold it in moderation while slowly dying. That¡¯s your specialty, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Really¡­ you¡¯re sopetent. Why are you so cool?¡¯


    There was no need to say anything. In the meantime, when did Jihye do all that?


    It was a part of my expectations that Lee Jihye was having a busy time, yet even in the middle of calming the press and the public opinion, she created those guidelines¡­


    ¡°Jihye¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I really love you.¡±


    ¡°I love you too, especially when youugh ribaldly like just now. I always see that look, but I still think it¡¯s too sexy.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahem, anyway, there are only a few guilds left in Lindel. Come to think of it, Yuno Kasugano said she had something to say to you, so after this meeting, contact her right away¡­and as I said before, send a message to Jung Hayan now.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°I prepared a change of clothes and a bag. You can change on your own. I will be going to the griffon takeoff with Hyejin¡­ or should I help you get ready?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a child. I¡¯ll catch up, Jihye. As you said, I think I should contact Hayan first. Don¡¯t rush the preparations.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Oh! And you should raise Han Sora¡¯s sry.¡±


    While saying so, I watched her waving her hand and going out of the door.


    ¡®Yes, she honestly deserves to get a raise.¡¯


    I was reminded that the reason Jung Hayan could hold on for so long was because of Han Sora¡¯s suppression.


    ¡®There¡¯s no way she would listen to Lee Jihye.¡¯


    Perhaps Han Sora¡¯s bloody efforts calmed her.


    As I slightly lowered my head, I saw the hand mirror, which was constantly vibrating. Of course, there were over a few thousand messages piled up.


    [Are you still busy? I miss you. I really miss you.]


    [When will you finish your work? Still, you should contact me for only a moment.]


    [I miss you.]


    [I miss you.]


    [You¡¯re not meeting other people right now, right?]


    [There¡¯s no way you would do that. I really miss you. Please send me a reply. What are you doing now?]


    [Why are you in bed, not moving?]


    [You¡¯re not with someone else, right? You¡¯re working, right?]


    [What are you doing? Please contact me.]


    As expected, a lot of umted messages stood out. About 2,500¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s¡­¡¯


    Less than expected. At that moment, I also realized that Han Sora desperately stopped her.


    After writing that I woulde by soon, Jung Hayan¡¯s reply popped up immediately after pressing the send button, so I scrolled down.


    [I¡¯m sorry, Hayan. Several things suddenly happened, so I¡¯m very busy. I will sort it out as soon as possible and go to you straight away. Hang in there.]


    [Yes, yes.]


    [Come quickly.]


    [I missed you so much, really.]


    [I really miss you so much. Can you call me? I want to see your face.]


    [Are you busy?]


    ¡®She must have been looking forward to my message all day long.¡¯


    I had no choice but to doubt whether she was doing what I told her to do.


    Han Sora would have been attached to the workroom as much as possible, but Jung Hayan must¡¯ve been only staring at the hand mirror or window.


    Using the telescope, I looked toward the workroom to see if she was doing well. As expected, I could see Jung Hayan lying in bed and staring at the hand mirror.


    The small problem was that the ce where she was located was not her room, but my room.


    ¡®What the fu¡­¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t figure out the purpose of the items scattered around, but there were traces of her staying in that room while I wasn¡¯t around. It was not an appropriate expression, but it looked like a room where the puppy had turned it into a mess, getting tired of waiting for the owner.


    ¡®Why is her toothbrush over there?¡¯


    The difference was that it would be restored before I get to the room, but that part was even scarier.


    I didn¡¯t know if it was because of the promised one year or because she had gotten used to waiting, but the atmosphere that told me she was enduring well in her own way was a bit surprising.


    Of course, the torn magic books and other objects showed that she had built up stress from the recent incident. However, if it were her past self, she would¡¯vee over right away after exploding.


    ¡®Sora, thank you. Seriously.¡¯


    Han Sora opened the door and came in as soon as I thought of that.


    -Jung Hayan, it¡¯s mealtime.


    -Ah!


    Jung Hayan jumped out of bed. Han Sora wasughing, but her back was already wet with sweat.


    Wasn¡¯t that evidence that she was in a life-and-death situation during the time she couldn¡¯t contact me?


    I felt a bit bad for Han Sora, but what stood out more than her wet back was the meal she brought.


    ¡®What the, what is that? What¡­?¡¯


    A character that seemed to have made using my face as a base was on the te that Han Sora brought.


    It was a piece of work that would be a waste to eat. It was so well-made that I even wondered if Sora found a new talent while assembling the angels. Jung Hayan, too, was looking at the result with her mouth open. She then began to speak as she looked at the hand mirror as if she was showing it off.


    -Oppa texted me.


    -I-I see. That¡¯s good. That¡¯s really good. Ha-haha-haha, that¡¯s fortunate. It¡¯s just as I said. I told you that he would be in touch soon. L-Look at this. They say he is still blocking all contact with the outside¡­ but he contacted you first, right? It¡¯s really true love. Hahaha. It¡¯s true love.


    -L-Love. Right?


    -Yes, love, love. There¡¯s still a lot of work to be done, so it may take a while before he gets here. Since it¡¯s something big, he¡¯s probably busy. He wouldn¡¯t have forgotten you in the midst of this, right? It¡¯s really true love. Yes, this is true love.


    -Hehe, you think?


    -Sure. Shouldn¡¯t I start to organize the room now? Of course, he won¡¯t being soon. In a few days, I¡¯ll arrange it in its original condition. Oh, you shouldn¡¯t stand like this, you have to send a reply. And today, while you were watching the video that I prepared before going to bed¡­ Oh! I have to show you the scrapbook you made yesterday. There are things going around in Benignore Net. I took them all. How about having some amusements by watching this today?


    -I-I-I miss him.


    -Eat. I¡¯ll bring it now.


    -Bring that too.


    -Ah! You¡¯re talking about the wedding magazine I showed youst time. The one Deokgu collected, right? Then I¡¯ll bring that as well. You just keep eating.


    Seeing Han Sora leaving the room in a hurry after saying that felt honestly respectable. I wanted to give her a standing ovation.


    Come to think of it. Unidentified goods stood out all over the room. I was relieved to think that Hayan was happily living in my room, but¡­


    ¡®Is she following the training schedule?¡¯


    There were a few magic books, but they seemed to be thrown out after reading them properly.


    Honestly, I wanted to tell her that it wasn¡¯t the time to do that. Although she had achieved tremendous growth after a year of promise¡­


    ¡®It still isn¡¯t enough.¡¯


    Since the schedule was getting rushed faster than expected, our already short time became even shorter. As much as Jung Hayan was necessary for the overall flow, I had to wonder how far she hade.


    [You were working hard on training, right?]


    It was a spectacle to see her getting up abruptly and throwing the ripped book as soon as I pressed the hand mirror firmly.


    [Yes, I was!]


    The reply was, even more, a spectacle. It was too ridiculous. Maybe Hayan didn¡¯t think that it was a lie.


    Maybe she thought it¡¯s true that she was reading when I sent the message.


    I checked it just in case, but the change in her stats was indeed too little.


    ¡®Jung Hayan, is she okay as it is?¡¯


    Such a thought filled my head.


    Who knew when and at what timing the demons wearing angelic masks would pop out of that light cluster?


    It seemed that Han Sora wasn¡¯t enough to encourage her training either.


    Perhaps, didn¡¯t she have a limit since she had to put her own survival as a top priority and not go against Jung Hayan¡¯s wishes as much as possible?


    I thought it would be okay to keep the current state, but I had a bitter taste in my mouth. It was because the leaking stream of light continued to bother me.


    In fact, the only thing that satisfied me right at that moment was Kim Hyunsung. I wasn¡¯t reluctant, but as his level rose with the power of Lucifer, I wondered if he gained more power than Kim Hyunsung in the first timeline.


    Of course, other than Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t reach the first round¡¯s final specifications, wasn¡¯t it a great war thatsted for a very long time?


    No matter how much support the Continental Protection and Management Committee put in, they wouldn¡¯t be able to be a force equal to the warriors made beyondmonality.


    The masked trash had already trained even the warriors of the first round.


    the continent¡¯s overall level would be higher, but it was unreasonable to say that they had experienced a real crisis.


    Of course, Jung Hayan was also included in that category. The Jung Hayan of the second round was still less than the Jung Hayan of the first round. Since it was what Kim Hyunsung said, then that much was clear.


    In fact, if the original n had been followed, there would be no problem, but in the current situation, I thought it would be enough¡­


    ¡®¡­Of a problem.¡¯


    The preparation was still too insufficient, and if the pouring rays of light burst after one year, I would be grateful, but there was no way that would happen.


    Maybe Yuno Kasugano¡¯s future predicted that situation.


    After tapping my thigh with a finger, I had no choice but to move my finger unknowingly.


    ¡®You rested for a long time.¡¯


    I was a little sorry for the timing, but¡­ there weren¡¯t a lot of options. The situation was far too dire and far too urgent.


    [Mijin, are you training hard? I want you to know that I think you are the this matter. I rely on you a lot, and I¡¯m especially looking forward to your magic. You are the center of the n. After this work is over, we¡­]


    [¡­]


    [What?]


    [Oppa?]


    [Who is Mijin?]


    [Ah, nothing, Hayan. Do not worry about it. Looks like I sent the wrong message.]


    [¡­]


    [I guess I was hacked.]


    I was sorry for Jung Hayan, but¡­ it seemed that I should¡¯ve felt that way for Han Sora instead.


    [It¡¯s a hack.]

 Chapter 652: The Continent’s Savior and Hero (1)

    <h4>Chapter 652: The Continent¡¯s Savior and Hero (1)</h4>


    In fact, I didn¡¯t think the message I sent was such a huge deal.


    I only sent a message with the nuance that there was a mysterious woman, a wizard named Mijin, and that Lee Kiyoung trusted her very much.


    However, I could affirm that the effect would be great.


    Curiosity naturally entered Jung Hayan¡¯s face while she was staring at the Goddess¡¯s Hand Mirror.


    It was a spectacle to see her looking at it while keeping a nk expression for a while, rubbing her eyes, and it seemed that she hadn¡¯t figured out what kind of situation it was yet. She mustn¡¯t have had a good understanding of what kind of message she read right at that moment.


    If the power that moved Kim Hyunsung was the sunset and friendship, the power that made Jung Hayan move was jealousy and anger.


    Of course, she was growing steadily even without that, but wasn¡¯t it a fact that everyone knew that what we needed at that moment wasn¡¯t steady growth?


    In order to correct the indolent Jung Hayan, a certain amount of steam pack had to be administered, and that was Mijin, an unknown genius wizard.


    ¡®This will work.¡¯


    It had to work.


    Of course, I was nervous that she would burst too suddenly, but I thought I could have enough control at that time.


    Didn¡¯t she endure for a year?


    If she had Han Sora by her side, it was very likely that she wouldn¡¯t go as far as proving her innocence as before.


    Although I just did it, I couldn¡¯t help but swallow hard.


    It was then that Jung Hayan¡¯s face became pale.


    -Huh?


    Her face slowly stiffened.


    -Huh? Huh?


    I could be sure that it wouldn¡¯t be long before she realized that the ridiculous excuse of hacking was a lie. It was an absurd remark, no matter how I looked at it.


    -W-W-Who is it? Who is Mijin? Who is Mijin? Who¡­ I asked who she is.


    The first was to question.


    Before long, I could see her biting her nails. Perhaps that was the second step.


    She was urgently tapping the Goddess¡¯ Hand Mirror as if it was difficult to bear, but my hand mirror had already been on a call for a long time.


    Since Jung Hayan heard a voice saying that the customer was on a call at that moment, the telescope showed her making a strange noise instead.


    I thought I hadn¡¯t seen her like that in a long time.


    As if living up to my expectations, Jung Hayan slowly began to find her former self. As if her peaceful face had been a lie, it seemed that her changing mood had alreadye out of control.


    -Who¡­ Who is it? I asked who it is. Who, who is it? Who is Mijin? What? Mijin? Mi-Mi-Mijin?


    It sounded too obvious, but it was not like Jung Hayan didn¡¯t have pride.


    She understood better than anyone else that I had no means to substitute her.


    For the one year she lived in the magic tower, she was loved and respected by the magic tower¡¯s old men, so she knew her own greatness better than anyone else.


    The top 1 wizard of the continent was Jung Hayan, and she knew that only she possessed teleport magic and irreceable firepower.


    Perhaps she had even urately divided the line between Cha Hee-ra and herself.


    Although Cha Hee-ra was strong¡­


    As an avant-garde, there was Kim Hyunsung, who was stronger than Cha Heera. Maybe she smiled the more I stayed with Kim Hyunsung.


    If I looked directly at it and used the animal kingdom as a metaphor, it would seem like Kim Hyunsung was eating away Cha Hee-ra¡¯s position.


    She must¡¯ve been thinking that her position was very solid.


    The only wizard was Jung Hayan.


    ¡®I¡¯ve already built up my domain. I got the ring, and there¡¯s nothing rough. One year was a little difficult, but now it¡¯s the end of the hardship and the beginning of happiness.¡¯


    ¡®Oppa is busy these days, so he doesn¡¯t get along with others. It¡¯s Jung Hayan¡¯s world now.¡¯


    She might¡¯ve had thought that.


    Even if there were wizards of an iparable level, they would look like primitive people who use primitive magic to her eyes anyway. When it came to magic, she was confident that Lee Kiyoung would never abandon her because he relied on her.


    Her Oppa likedpetent people, after all.


    Of course, all of that was a judgment that came after excluding all emotions that could be shared in an ordinary rtionship. I could be sure that Jung Hayan, who was clever in her own way, was assuming that.


    In that sense, the message she just received might¡¯ve been a remark that hurt her pride.


    After scratching her head, I could see she was immediately contacting someone.


    -Oh, isn¡¯t this our Jung Hayan. To what do I owe the honor¡­ of your call, hahaha.


    -W-W-W-Who is Mijin¡­ Is Mijin there?


    -What? What¡­ are you¡­


    -I asked who Mijin is. W-Who¡­ is Mijin!


    -What are you talking about¡­ C-calm down first¡­


    -Is she there? Is she there? I¡¯m asking if she¡¯s in the magic tower, the magic tower!


    -Ah, yes. First, I¡¯ll check¡­ if there¡¯s a wizard named Mijin registered in the magic towermunity¡­


    -Mijin, Bring me M-Mijin. Bring Mijin right now!!!


    Humpf, humpf.


    Seeing that she was angry with the magic tower staff, it seemed that she had already entered the medium anger level and that she was on the verge of going into an even higher level.


    I thought that wizards named Mijin might disappear in turn in Lindel. However, Han Sora, who received an annual sry that included a living allowance, prevented her high anger level.


    -What is it? Jung Hayan? What¡­


    -Ugh, who is Mijin¡­ M-M-Mijin¡­


    Of course, a face that was paler than that of Jung Hayan stood out.


    In both her eyes, the survival instinct of herbivores telling her to live desperately was shown.


    Jung Hayan, who was smiling brightly until that moment, was suddenly crying, so how could she show amon reaction?


    I could affirm that it wouldn¡¯t be long before she understood that an incident she didn¡¯t know had erupted and that it was on the verge of taking ce at that moment.


    I could see her head spinning quickly from her eyes filled with fear.


    As I pressed the hand mirror, Sora looked back and checked the message.


    [There is no Mijin, I created a fictional rival because it seemed that Hayan needed training.]


    - This¡­ that asshole. That trash bastard.


    A small whistling sound could be heard then.


    ¡®I¡¯m listening to everything, Sora.¡¯


    Perhaps even without listening, I could already deduce what her reaction would be.


    - That¡­ That son of a bitch ¡­ really, ugh, you motherfucker, are you for real ¡­ You mean bastard¡­


    Maybe she immediately realized what I was expecting from her. Wasn¡¯t Han Sora an icon of cleverness and learning?


    -What can I do anymore¡­ anymore¡­ what am I supposed to do¡­ why keep giving me¡­ such a burden¡­


    Somehow, I heard a line that reminded me of Kim Hyunsung¡¯s words.


    Strangely, I felt like I was someone from above, but Lee Kiyoung, the light of the new world, didn¡¯t entrust that dangerous mission without anypensation.


    [If this job ends well, I¡¯ll 100% move you to another ce.]


    It was then that Han Sora bit her mouth tight.


    [Depending on the situation, even transfer is possible. In fact, transferring is hard, but moving to another ce is a certainty. You¡¯ve worked hard so far, and it¡¯s time for Sora to see the light of day. This is yourst job. Let¡¯s just do it this time and retire.]


    I could see cold sweat dripping from her forehead. She swallowed hard, her face seemingly containing all kinds of emotions. Maybe there was a tremendous internal conflict in her mind.


    -What¡­ is it?


    After seeing Jung Hayan showed her the message, wouldn¡¯t she have thought about that more?


    She would have thought that the easiest way to solve the situation was in front of her.


    It¡¯s a bit forced, but if I yed innocent as if I really was hacked was the easiest way to deal with the angry Jung Hayan.


    ¡®Ah, I think you were really hacked.¡¯


    Desperately and persuasively conveying that bullsh*t could alleviate the anger of Jung Hayan right at that moment.


    There were doubts, but depending on how Han Sora would talk, Jung Hayan would probably agree. Perhaps that pattern was the secret to Han Sora¡¯s survival.


    However, Han Sora¡¯s eyes seemed to have already made the decision.


    How many people could resist seeing the sweet fruit in front of their eyes?


    I watched as she continued to think that she couldn¡¯t keep living that way and that she couldn¡¯t be on the edge of the cliff forever.


    I couldn¡¯t help but look at her with a little tense look.


    -Mi, Mi, Mijin¡­ Do you know who Mijin is?


    It was then that Han Sora, who had swallowed hard several times, spoke up.


    -Oh, that¡­ I mean¡­ er¡­


    -Ugh, do you know who she is?


    Honestly, I felt a bit scared to see Jung Hayan quietly looking at a Sora without blinking her eyes once.


    Even from a step away, it was difficult to imagine how much pressure Han Sora was currently under.


    I wanted to send a word of support when I saw her struggling to voice out her words.


    ¡®You can do it, Sora. You are saving the world.¡¯


    -So¡­


    ¡®You can do it. You have to ovee your fear. You¡¯re close to Hayan now, right?


    -Yes, I think I¡¯ve heard of her. That¡­ Park Mijin.


    -R-R-Really?


    -Yes, um, that¡­ I don¡¯t know exactly in which area she is, but recently¡­ yes, I heard about a wizard who became famous everywhere¡­ while growing explosively. Maybe it¡¯s that person¡­ At some point, I didn¡¯t hear anything anymore¡­ and all rted materials were also deleted¡­ I was wondering where she was and what she was doing¡­ this is probably¡­ yes, that¡¯s it.


    -¡­


    -I heard that there is a talent pool being managed separately by the Continental Protection Management Committee, and it seems like it was being done so with confidentiality¡­ I think it¡¯s simr to that. Only a few people know about her, including the Vice Guild Master¡­ Yes, it¡¯s a secretly growing armed group.


    Of course, there was no such thing, but listening to Han Sora¡¯s words amazingly made me feel proud.


    Wasn¡¯t she also the same kind as Jihye and me?


    She did have a humiliating incident in the middle, and she copsed a lot, but since she was still alive and kicking, I couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    -Ugh, ugh, ugh¡­


    -You can rest assured. I mean, it seemed like I had seen her once in the past¡­ She¡¯s not the type that Vice Guild Masters would like. Look at this. The text is just cheering for her. It¡¯s different from the warm message sent to Jung Hayan. He seemed to express that he is leaning on her humanly¡­ as a wizard. I think he was hesitant to answer you because he was afraid that you would get hurt¡­ It¡¯s not a big deal, so you don¡¯t have to be bothered.


    -Ugh¡­


    -But, if he trusts her like this, she¡¯s definitely great. Even before the rumors disappeared, I heard that she uses a very high level of magic¡­ Jung Hayan¡­ Jung Hayan¡­ Jung Ha¡­


    ¡®You can do it, Sora. Don¡¯t lose. You have to fight the fear.¡¯


    -Jung¡­ Hayan¡­


    ¡®You can do it! Fuck!¡¯


    -So¡­


    ¡®Hold on, Sora!¡¯


    -Enough to hear words¡­ in the public thatpare her¡­ with you. That¡¯s probably why Lee Kiyoung¡­ trusts Park Mijin like that, right? Ha¡­ haha¡­


    Although momentary, it felt like time had stopped.


    ¡®Fuck, you really said it. You really did it, you crazy girl.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t stop myself from turning my gaze away.

 Chapter 653: The Continent’s Savior and Hero (2)

    <h4>Chapter 653: The Continent¡¯s Savior and Hero (2)</h4>


    That was how serious the atmosphere in the room was. Han Sora said that it wasn¡¯t that big of a deal, but how couldn¡¯t she be bothered about it?


    Even if I was in the same position as Jung Hayan, it was a situation where I would inevitably be ufortable.


    For example, let us assume that Kim Hyunsung was secretly raising soldiers, administrators, or alchemists, and one of the alchemists was called a genius,parable to Lee Kiyoung.


    One day, when I felt that Kim Hyunsung was avoiding me, how would I feel if I received the same message?


    [Jin Qing, I¡¯m really looking forward to this research. I want you to know that Jin Qing is the only hope for the development of the continent¡¯s alchemy.]


    [What?]


    [Oh, sorry, Kiyoung. It looks like the hand mirror was hacked¡­ Don¡¯t mind it. It really seems to have been hacked.]


    [What? Fuck, what is it? Are you kidding me right now?]


    If it were me, I could guarantee that I would¡¯ve made that bastard a demon summoner at any cost.


    Hence, of course, Jung Hayan would react like that.


    The least she could do was express her anger to the fictional wizard named Park Mijin, but I was certain that she wouldn¡¯t be satisfied without eliminating her.


    Perhaps everyone named Mijin in the continent would have their lives threatened.


    Of course, she couldn¡¯t eliminate the talent pool I was managing.


    If it were me, I would think there would be no other way than that, but Jung Hayan, who hadn¡¯t reached her limits yet, had one more option.


    ¡®Skill.¡¯


    If she showed her skills and proved herself as the better wizard, there would be no problem.


    If she weren¡¯t confident about her skills, she might lean toward the former option, but Jung Hayan was different from me.


    Although she had be a littlezy, she was by nature a genius wizard, and she had the potential to grow to be within the top five of the whole continent.


    ¡®In some cases, she¡¯s overwhelmingly the number one.¡¯


    For example,rge-scale magic¡­


    What was impossible for Kim Hyunsung to do, Jung Hayan could take over.


    Fighting the main bosses was Kim Hyunsung¡¯s role, but it was the academic belief that he couldn¡¯t reach them without Jung Hayan¡¯s abilities.


    Perhaps even Han Sora understood that sentiment. I wanted to tell her the exact mission, but the problem was that she currently wasn¡¯t in a situation where she could look at messages.


    Biting her lips tightly, she was waiting to see what kind of reaction Jung Hayan would show.


    -¡­


    -It¡¯s probably¡­ bullsh*t. We can¡¯tpare her¡­


    -¡­


    -to you, but¡­


    -Ugh, no. I really hate Park Mijin¡­ She¡¯s really, really annoying. R-R-Right? Park Mijin is annoying, right?


    -Yes, she¡­ she¡¯s annoying¡­


    ¡®I wish I could tell her a little more¡­¡¯


    That came to my mind when I saw Sora Han looking as if she didn¡¯t know how to deal with the situation.


    ¡®Ah, I might be able to do it now.¡¯


    It might¡¯ve been possible for me to do something simr to what Benignore did.


    ¡®I have wings now. I also gained divinity.¡¯


    Wouldn¡¯t it be possible to convey thoughts or give down quests?


    I slowly operated with the feeling of removing a bit of the divinity inside, and when I sent it to Han Sora, I felt that something was definitely delivered.


    It was quite usible as I said something I wanted to say in more detail.


    [Generating amon-grade forced quest.]


    [Tell her that Park Mijin is in charge of the northwest. (0/1)]


    [Delivering amon-grade forced quest to Han Sora. You have not registered any quest-clear rewards. yer Han Sora will not receive any.]


    ¡®What? It really worked.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t really think that would be possible. Of course, I thought there was some possibility, but¡­


    ¡®It really worked, fuck.¡¯


    Since I had gained a mythic-grade ss, it would be okay to call me a demigod.


    Han Sora, who I could see through the telescope, looked very startled, but she regained her shock from realizing what method I had used and opened her mouth again.


    -Well, ah, Maybe Park Mijin¡­ I think she will be in charge of the northwest region. That¡­


    -It was originally¡­


    -Yes, er¡­ It was decided that¡­ I mean, you would be in charge of it, but¡­ you have many issues to be concerned about. Maybe Vice Guild Master is taking care of your health. He may have thought that it might consume a lot of magic power. It can be physically difficult to take care of everything by yourself.


    ¡®You¡¯re doing well. You¡¯re doing really well.¡¯


    The creative skill of prescribing medicines right away when she¡¯s about to explode was astonishing even to me.


    It felt like I was witnessing her controlling a runaway lotive called Jung Hayan skillfully.


    Even if the stage was a cliff, it wouldn¡¯t be awkward to express it as a godly dribble. It¡¯s kind of like entering a zone.


    That¡¯s not thinking and talking. Those were the lines that her survival instincts spat out on their own.


    -You¡­ think so?


    -Yes, but¡­


    -Yes, ugh¡­


    -I think you need to be a bit careful. Of course¡­ it doesn¡¯t mean anything else to the Vice Guild Master, but¡­ we don¡¯t know what Mijin thinks of him. She may not be taking ordinary favors as favors¡­ and since the title of genius is attached, the Vice Guild Master might be paying a lot of attention. He takes great care of talented people, right? That wizard named Park Mijin may have caught his eye by chance.


    -Would it be better to k-k-k-kill her? If I find her¡­ If I find her and kill her, oh, she¡¯ll still be weaker than me, right? I can get rid of her.


    ¡®No, you can¡¯t kill her.¡¯


    She couldn¡¯t kill someone who didn¡¯t even exist.


    [Generating amon-grade forced quest.]


    [You have to stop her. (0/1)]


    [Delivering amon-grade forced quest to Han Sora. You have not registered any quest-clear rewards. yer Han Sora will not receive any.]


    -Let¡¯s kill her. Yes, I should. That should end it all, right? Right?


    -You¡­ can¡¯t kill her. If you kill her¡­ er¡­ the Vice Guild Master will definitely notice¡­ So, yes, please don¡¯t kill her. If you kill her, he might get mad¡­ Please, don¡¯t think like that.


    ¡®Hold on, Sora. Be strong.¡¯


    -You can just¡­ the Vice Guild Master know. Yes, you can tell him. Prove it yourself.


    -Yes, like I proved my purity before?


    -No! Not purity proof! You can¡¯t prove it like that! Not purity proof¡­ Let me rephrase that. Prove to him that he doesn¡¯t need another wizard. Make sure that he doesn¡¯t need any more talent¡­ no, you can¡¯t let him forget that.


    -Ah¡­


    -If you prove that you are strong enough and that he doesn¡¯t need Park Mijin and any other people¡¯s help, wouldn¡¯t hee back to you? Of course, it may be a little difficult as it is now, but¡­ you are Jung Hayan. You can be stronger here, right? Right?


    -Uh¡­ yes.


    -You can have a bit more self-esteem because Jung Hayan is cute enough, beautiful, and capable. The Vice Guild Master is already in love. He even sends you several messages like this. Um¡­ Even during his busy schedule, he is always thinking of you.


    -Yeah, but¡­ what if Mijin gets stronger?


    -E-Even if she does¡­ How much stronger can she be? No matter how hard she tries, she won¡¯t be able to catch up with you because Jung Hayan is a genius. You are special.


    -Y-Y-You think?


    -Yes, yes, I do. That¡¯s it.


    Han Sora¡¯s face, taking a deep breath, was pale. She was fully hit with killing aura several times, so I understood why.


    I, too, had my eyes trembling while watching a fight that made my hand sweat. The confrontation was between the one who wanted to explode and the one who tried to cut off the fuse.


    At first, it seemed that Han Sora¡¯s victory was dered, but I wondered if she knew that she couldn¡¯t let her guard down.


    She had only passed the first crisis. She might¡¯ve thought calming down an explosive Jung Hayan while studyingter was the real start of the battle.


    Even though I was anxious, I felt like I could trust her upon seeing her firm face. Even while having a hard time breathing, the way she was taking care of her was truly the real hero¡¯s appearance.


    It was enough to say that Han Sora was saving the continent.


    I really wondered if it would be nice to give her a merit award after everything was over.


    That¡¯s how much a self-sacrificing hero could show.


    ¡®You are a hero. Be strong. You are a hero.¡¯


    -I think¡­ it¡¯s better to start studying from today. I¡¯ll help you as much as I can¡­and I¡¯ll try to tell¡­the Vice Guild Master about it¡­ in a good way.


    -Ugh, thank you. Thanks, Sora.


    -Don¡¯t mention it. I am always honored to be with you¡­


    The heated conversation ended with Jung Hayan, who didn¡¯t make good physical contact with others, slightly hugging Han Sora.


    Of course, Han Sora, who was surprised, looked like a frog tied to a snake, but she looked very happy.


    It was as if she was giving thanks to someone and praying that she was safe.


    At that scene, I, too, couldn¡¯t help but apud.


    I was still nervous about it, but what was important was that Jung Hayan had gained an opportunity to grow, and in a very stable way at that.


    After waking up, I had to smile, feeling as if I had roughly sorted out one of the things that had piled up.


    ¡®There¡¯s still a lot to do. I have to solve everything as quickly and efficiently as possible.¡¯


    I had to organize the internal and external affairs.


    ¡®With that out of the way, I should take care of the Blue Guild and learn about the continent¡¯s overall situation. The first thing to do is keep an eye on Hayan and find out exactly how many days are left.¡¯


    I opened the door after sorting things out.


    [Rare-grade forced quest has been activated.]


    [B-Believer Lee Kiyoung! No, junior Lee Kiyoung! You woke up! (0/1)]


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    [I was surprised that a quest was suddenly created. As expected, our Lee Kiyoung adapts quickly. Oh, I mean¡­ You know that I love our believer Lee Kiyoung, right? (0/1)]


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    [I was really surprised that junior Lee Kiyoung adapted so quickly¡­ Who would have thought that he would use his divinity by creating a quest like that right away? Perhaps the system responded to his wishes. It isn¡¯t easy to match one¡¯s wavelength with the system immediately¡­ I wonder if the current system is also weing Lee Kiyoung because of his heart for the continent¡­ All you can do right now is create quests, but maybe you can do more when youe here. (0/1)]


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    [You¡¯ll be able to read thoughts, among other things. The people here are very satisfied with this result¡­ we¡¯re still in the same boat, right? Believer Lee Kiyoung? We are, right? We¡¯re holding the same stock, right? Selling and buying together¡­ at the same time¡­ I¡­ I want to do it too. (0/1)]


    ¡®Changing the subject¡­ Just tell me what the situation is right now. Fuck, is this really because of you?¡¯


    [¡­ (0/1)]


    ¡®This is not because of you, right?¡¯


    [¡­ (0/1)]


    ¡®I¡¯m asking if it¡¯s because of you guys, Benignore.¡¯


    [I mean, that¡¯s not correct per se. We didn¡¯t have any influence on that incident, but the crack opened, and¡­ it¡¯s still being investigated here¡­ So, we are doing our best from above. I¡¯m running around in various ways because I want to get help as much help as possible. A-Anyway, we¡¯re not the cause. It would inevitably happen anyway¡­ and, even though it¡¯s us, we can¡¯t resist the things that have already been decided¡­ So don¡¯t resent us too much¡­ (0/1)]


    ¡®How many days do we have?¡¯


    [A rare-grade forced quest has been activated.]


    [36 days¡­ (0/1)]


    ¡®Fuck¡­¡¯


    [A rare-grade quest has been activated.]


    [Believer Lee Kiyoung¡­ You can do it, right? You also received power. I know that you can do it. You¡¯re not throwing me away, right? (0/1)]


    [A legendary-grade quest has been activated.]


    [After 36 days, please protect the continent with me. Please¡­ Please protect it together with me. (0/1)]


    [Reward: Goddess¡¯ Love]


    ¡®Don¡¯t keep consuming divinity, fuck¡­ Stop creating legendary quests or things like this.¡¯

 Chapter 654: I hope You Reconcile (1)

    <h4>Chapter 654: I hope You Reconcile (1)</h4>


    [A rare-grade quest has been activated.]


    [Protect the continent after 36 days and ept Benignore¡¯s apology. (0/1)]


    [Reward: Dinner of Love Made by the Goddess]


    ¡®I don¡¯t want it, fuck.¡¯


    I could see why she had gone bankrupt.


    I didn¡¯t understand why the quest that she could create asmon-grade was sent as rare-grade. She most likely didn¡¯t establish how much she should spend when a certain divinity amount came in.


    I thought about Benignore¡¯s spending for a while, but I was forced to pay more attention to her words than to her spendthrift habits.


    ¡¯36 days¡­ 36 days¡­¡¯


    It was by no means a long time. I could only see it as a tight schedule.


    Although I had ovee Jung Hayan¡¯s awakening project safely, I couldn¡¯t help but about whether Han Sora had solved it without sparing herself. Could the 2nd round¡¯s Jung Hayan overtake the 1st round¡¯s Jung Hayan in only 36 days?


    That was a bit hard¡­ Wouldn¡¯t it be better to mobilize Han Sora as well?


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®No. It¡¯s a crazy idea.¡¯


    That¡¯s the way to make Jung Hayan explode.


    I¡¯d been doing unimaginable crazy things so far, so it¡¯s too hard for me to predict how Jung Hayan, without her inhibitor, would react.


    ¡®Han Sora has to be there no matter what.¡¯


    Jung Hayan¡¯s inhibitor had to remain in her current position.


    I tried to use my head quickly, but I didn¡¯t think that it was too bad to watch for another five to ten days. If she was going to burst, it would be more effective for her to burst a day or two before.


    That way, she¡¯d be able to release her resentment against the fictional wizard to the pigeon-like demons. I might¡¯ve had to face Jung Hayan before the angel trash if she were to explode prematurely.


    [Believer Lee Kiyoung¡­ you won¡¯t abandon me, right? Right? (0/1)]


    ¡®Fuck, please stop talking, Benignore. I¡¯m using my head.¡¯


    Aside from that, there was also a problem in the deployment of troops. Although Lee Jihye had drawn up the guidelines, it was bound to be a sensitive topic, and I was bound to increase my


    Lee Kiyoung looked like a dictator, but he wasn¡¯t in truth.


    He tended to bnce each armed group¡¯s interests, and although sometimes he was coercive, he listened to various opinions. Wasn¡¯t death the only words of a dictator who said, ¡®Do this, do that?¡¯


    ¡®It would take more than a week just to harmonize and wrestle with opinions one by one¡­¡¯


    I wished Raphael could wake up within 36 days, but even if so, I didn¡¯t know if the bastard would be able to fight properly. No matter how fast his recovery was, it would already be a miracle to wake up half-healed.


    I really wanted to bring the unidentified genius wizard Park Mijin to block the northwest region if she actually existed, and I didn¡¯t know how many angels had been made.


    It was good news to be able to give divinity mainly to the named ones, but we were still in shortage of supplies.


    Even if the quality deteriorated, regardless if it was better to fill in the gaps with numbers of quality, I had to choose one of the two.


    ¡®If there¡¯s no other choice¡­ I really need to cut off.¡¯


    I wondered if there would be more time than just a month, but based on what I learned, I couldn¡¯t help but feel that the candle was burning at both ends.


    I didn¡¯t even know how to solve the problem of Cho Hyejin and Kim Hyunsung.


    It might¡¯ve seemed like a minor conflict, but wasn¡¯t Cho Hyejin one of the few avant-gardes who could assist Kim Hyunsung?


    From my perspective, since I didn¡¯t want to tolerate even a small amount of variables, it didn¡¯t look good that Kim Hyunsung tried to push her away.


    Of course, if one wanted to ssify by priority, they could ssify that situation in the lower level¡­


    ¡®Wouldn¡¯t it be better to take care of itter when I have time? Perhaps after I¡¯ve finished all the work¡­ Yes, I think it would be better to do that.¡¯


    It didn¡¯t look so good that a third party kept getting involved in other people¡¯s love affairs and rtionships, and above all, wasn¡¯t the current situation urgent?


    It could be a painful time for Cho Hyejin, but it felt wise to put off the Kim Hyunsung x Cho Hyejin project for the time being.


    The problem was her face began to appear in sight from a distance. As expected, when I walked faster than before, I saw Cho Hyejin¡¯s pitiful expression and Lee Jihyeforting her.


    ¡°You came really fast, huh.¡±


    ¡®Sister, don¡¯t criticize me. I¡¯ve been working. I¡¯m also having a hard time in my own way.¡¯


    ¡°Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°Ah! Hyejin.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d that you woke up.¡±


    ¡°Hyejin¡­ are you feeling better?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine. Haha, I¡¯m fine.¡±


    Of course, the voice I heard didn¡¯t seem to be okay at all.


    She seemed in more pain than me, despite my head hurting as if it was about to explode and having an appearance that looked like I had all the worries of the world.


    I felt guilty for some reason. Unlike usual, I felt sorry upon looking at Cho Hyejin. Perhaps the divinity that filled my body was stimting a handful of sympathies that remained.


    It honestly wasn¡¯t my fault, but she still looked pitiful. Wasn¡¯t that the basic emotion that everyone had? She was pretending to be fine, but the atmosphere itself was too dark.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry, Hyejin. I was really trying to fix it¡­ I felt like I was running out of time¡­ Can you understand? We¡¯re friends. They say there are only 36 days left¡­ I have to solve other things first, and today¡¯s meeting might take quite a while. There¡¯s are many things to do.¡¯


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about me, Vice Guild Master. I can only boast about my strong body. Just that, haha¡­¡±


    ¡°Why are you saying it like that, Hyejin? You¡¯re tall, and your skin is so nice. You¡¯re also amazing at handling administrative affairs. The Blue Guild wouldn¡¯t work without Hyejin. You¡¯re good at chess too¡­ Yesterday, I lost a lot.¡±


    ¡®What, did you y chess with her yesterday? Hyejin, how could you leave me and y chess with Jihye¡­¡¯


    ¡°Hahaha¡­ Thank you for thepliment.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not just saying it. Don¡¯t you think so?¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t ask me, Jihye. It¡¯s a little bit awkward looking at Cho Hyejin¡¯s face right now. But her skin is nice. I admit it.¡¯


    As I mumbled at Lee Jihye¡¯s question and turned my head, I became concerned about what I could see in Cho Hyejin¡¯s pupils.


    ¡®She¡¯s dead inside¡­¡¯


    In fact, if I thought about it from Cho Hyejin¡¯s perspective, it could be considered as an extreme situation.


    Her friend not only had a memory loss but also almost died after being kidnapped, and she tried her best to keep her friend¡¯s secret, but it was eventually revealed.


    To make matters worse, she won the hostility of the guy she liked in return for keeping the secret. How could she be well in that scenario?


    Even looking at it that way, it was still difficult to understand howplex the emotions she could be feeling were. She probably didn¡¯t know that Kim Hyunsung turned into Doom Hyunsung, meaning she would¡¯ve been more shocked by his behavior.


    ¡®She¡¯s going through teenager feelings right now. You have to understand.¡¯


    I wanted to say that. However, it was Cho Hyejin who opened her mouth first.


    ¡°Sorry, Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I couldn¡¯t keep the secret¡­ as a result.¡±


    ¡®No, Hyejin. Stop that¡­ really. What are you sorry for? Don¡¯t keep making me feel sorry. It wasn¡¯t you that told him. Why are you trying to take responsibility?¡¯


    ¡°No, you didn¡¯t do anything wrong¡­¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s my fault. It was me¡­ who told Raphael in the first ce, and it was me who caused all of this to happen.¡±


    ¡°No, there¡¯s no need to apologize between friends. Strictly speaking, there are only a few people, including Hyunsung, that know it, so there¡¯s no difference from before. You don¡¯t have to me yourself like that. And, understandably, there was nothing that Hyejin could do at the time.¡±


    ¡°Still¡­¡±


    ¡®No, what¡¯s up with you? Making me feel sorry¡­ Please don¡¯t make me feel guilty. I won¡¯t be moved anyway.¡¯


    ¡°Are you feeling better?¡±


    ¡®I¡¯m fine, but¡­ you can¡¯t worry about me now.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m d that there are no other side effects.¡±


    ¡®You¡¯re stabbing at my conscience too much.¡¯


    It¡¯s certainly been a while since my conscience had been damaged in such a way.


    It didn¡¯t matter if anyone spat out a bit of resentment or acted coldly, but the way she worried about me with all her heart made my heart resonate.


    ¡®Ah, should I take this one out for about a day?¡¯


    I thought it wouldn¡¯t be a problem anyway. I wondered if I would be able to get some time to take care of Cho Hyejin¡¯s work if I gathered a bit of personal time.


    I just needed to take a break in between. If Hyejin kept up her current state, as mentioned earlier, wouldn¡¯t I be in trouble?


    ¡®Ah, I shouldn¡¯t keep rationalizing¡­ I really don¡¯t have time.¡¯


    ¡°I was really surprised. Still, seeing you in such a healthy way, I¡¯m relieved. I couldn¡¯t afford to think about anything else¡­ I sincerely apologize for not performing my mission properly. Sorry.¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t lower your head, hey¡­¡¯


    ¡°No, why are you lowering your head? It all worked out nicely. Now all you have to do is forget everything and start with a fresh mind. I¡¯m embarrassed to say that you are so worried. Hahaha¡­¡±


    ¡°But I really want to apologize¡­ I think there are so many things to apologize for¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you crying?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡®Hyejin, don¡¯t cry.¡¯


    I had to think that she was the real deal. I felt like I knew why the masked trash in the first round didn¡¯t hate her.


    I was aware that I shouldn¡¯t think of it, but I started remembering Cho Hyejin in the dungeon.


    The way she abandoned her weapons, saying to take her hostage instead, asking for the release of the Vice Guild Master, had shaken Lee Kiyoung¡¯s emotions to the point that it wasn¡¯t enough to say it was overwhelming.


    It even made me remember Park Deokgu.


    The tears in Cho Hyejin¡¯s eyes weren¡¯t crocodile tears, but tears that truly expressed her sympathy for me.


    I didn¡¯t know if she was aware that I¡¯d beenfortable, but she seemed to think that I had suffered all sorts of hardships.


    ¡®Fuck, make me feel sorrier.¡¯


    In the end, I had to nod slowly.


    ¡®I should take a day off.¡¯


    It was also a matter to be dealt with anyway.


    ¡°Er, Hyejin¡­ Rather, I heard that Hyunsung said some pretty harsh things to you this time¡­¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not something for you to be bothered. I can fully understand the Guild Master¡¯s position¡­¡±


    ¡°I am talking about that part, but it seems that there is something that Hyejin misunderstood¡­ Actually, it seems that Hyunsung was a bit sensitive. I feel like his personality has changed slightly due to various things¡­ I don¡¯t exactly know what you heard, but he probably didn¡¯t really feel that way.¡±


    ¡®He¡¯s a bit darkened right now.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m certain that the words he said to you aren¡¯t actually true.¡±


    In fact, Lee Kiyoung¡¯s theory wasn¡¯t very reliable, but Cho Hyejin¡¯s face started showing signs of brightening up. She was like a candle lighting up a dark room.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you more about itter. I¡¯ll help you two get reconciled.¡±


    ¡°No, you¡¯re busy¡­ since we¡¯re in a dangerous situation, there is no need to work on useless things for nothing, Vice Guild Master. I¡¯m okay.¡±


    She said she was fine, but she seemed to be looking forward to it. She couldn¡¯t hide her emotion.


    ¡®Hyejin, I¡¯ll let you have the ending with Kim Hyunsung, for real.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know exactly when it would be, but I thought I had to push their rtionship forward in earnest.

 Chapter 655: Conference (1)

    <h4>Chapter 655: Conference (1)</h4>


    Of course, my ns couldn¡¯t be immediately implemented because the timing was bad, but I thought it was worth doing a build-up.


    I wanted to send Cho Hyejin as an avatar right away. However, there wasn¡¯t much time left. Hence, we couldn¡¯t implement such a project.


    Wouldn¡¯t it be best to go to a ce where we could talk for the time being?


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to keep rejecting the notion. It won¡¯t be difficult at all to create time for you. I think it would be better to solve it now rather than letting you two keep feeling awkward around each other. I¡¯m sure Hyunsung also feels terribly sorry deep down. I¡¯m certain of that.¡±


    ¡°But the fact that it happened because of me¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not Hyejin¡¯s fault. It¡¯s nobody¡¯s fault. It¡¯s just that misunderstandings and mistakes umted. It naturally exploded. Don¡¯t let it burden you. I understand you¡¯re sorry, but¡­ If you keep doing this, it¡¯ll only make me feel more ufortable. I didn¡¯t go through anything hard, and I¡¯m back in good condition. I don¡¯t even have a single scratch on me. Don¡¯t be too hard on yourself.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®I might have med you if I was a little sick, but I¡¯m not. In fact, it was a great sess, Hyejin. I even have wings now. Sh*t, I got wings. Wings! You¡¯ll be surprised when you see it¡­¡¯


    ¡°Everything worked out well.¡±


    I smiled a little. I had to show that the situation wasn¡¯t as bad as Hyejin thought.


    I didn¡¯t mean it, but I thought the way she looked at me had changed.


    Lee Kiyoung¡¯s face made her feel pleased. Of course, Lee Jihye was still looking at me as if she were looking at trash, but in fact¡­


    ¡®You should be grateful. You definitely should.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t deny that some of it was Cho Hyejin¡¯s fault.


    ¡®Jihye Noona, don¡¯t look at people like that.¡¯


    ¡°Would you like to leave after all?¡±


    ¡°Oh, then we¡¯d better get going.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already contacted the conference room. We¡¯ll give you a briefing on the contents of the meeting in the carriage instead since the meeting ce is close enough to travel bynd.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s nothing to be thankful for. It¡¯s part of my job.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t mind, Vice Guild Master?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m fine. Our situation can¡¯t be solved just by sitting down and exchanging a few words of conversation, anyway, and this is the only free time we might get in a while. Once we can finally announce our official position, we¡¯ll no longer be able to dy it just to hang out leisurely¡­ Perhaps only by the time we get back will the Vatican have something to announce.¡±


    I spouted such words, but the truth was that we weren¡¯t really in a good situation.


    ¡®It was so sudden.¡¯


    As I mentioned before, the contents of the meeting were problematic.


    Of course, most personnel attending it were deeply involved with me on a personal level, but they didn¡¯t send unconditional favors to the public either.


    Rather than not knowing at all, they would follow me instead, but nobody knew when, where, and how their political position would change.


    Consider cing the main guilds of Dawan on the 7th District, for example, where the death rate could be higher than other fronts. They had a not-so-bad rtionship with fog summoners and archers, but they wouldn¡¯t agree to head straight to that site.


    The Continental Protection and Management Committee had been established to provide minimum coercion and had operational control. However, the continent wasn¡¯t a singr unified country. Rather, armed groups had gathered.


    The neutral states of Laos, the Holy sector, the Vatican, and the Elves were the only ones that provided unlimited support.


    Some of the kingdoms still kept the Holy sector and Lee Kiyoung in check, and the same went for the survivors of the Federation. The Republic, which had been roaring with the country for a long time, wasn¡¯t fully exchanging trust.


    Of course, they were one of the most prominent members of the continent.


    ¡®This is bound to be difficult.¡¯


    We had to reverse the previous manualpletely in that meeting, and I felt a little stressed even though I set up the existing n myself¡­


    ¡®It was so urgent that I couldn¡¯t even lobby around¡­¡¯


    There was also ack of time to strengthen friendships with deep-rooted evil friends. If Lee Jihye hadn¡¯t prepared anything before, wouldn¡¯t she have taken more than double the amount of time?


    ¡®Does she have time to rest?¡¯


    She had the quality of thinking about things like that. It¡¯s always been the case, but the briefing in the carriage was satisfactory.


    ¡®Well, she had time to rest. She even had a good time ying chess with Hyejin.¡¯


    Cho Hyejin could be seen behind the barrier and seemed to have built a bond with Lee Jihye.


    ¡°Some of the nobles on the kingdom have been captured. I¡¯m talking to the Republic, but there¡¯s a lot to take care of after the war. I need you to take care of me as much as I have sacrificed.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Some big guilds are asking for a reward in exchange for turning over the tutorial dungeon. I decided to put that on hold for now. Most of the groups are thinking about the post-war period., but there¡¯s nothing we can do about the damage, so we want to take what we can after it¡¯s over. The problem is that everyone feels the same way¡­ You¡¯ll have to meet them and talk to them. Of course, I¡¯ve already contacted them. We¡¯ve scheduled private meetings with them during the conference and during the break. Do check the details outter.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t even take a break. This is way too tightly scheduled. Ten minutes per person is too short of time.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re good at making people feel good and at talking. It¡¯s your specialty to make a fool out of a person. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll do well. It¡¯s up to you to decide what kind of mood you¡¯re going to end this meeting with.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh! I couldn¡¯t tell you earlier, but I had to change the supply route. I can¡¯t help it because everything I¡¯ve nned has been reduced to nothing. It¡¯s too bad. If I had a little more time, I would¡¯ve tried to build a tunnel or find another transport route¡­¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t the construction going on?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve already pulled them out. They won¡¯t be able toplete it anyway¡­ I think it would be helpful if Jung Hayan worked¡­ It would be easier to move supplies.¡±


    ¡°She can¡¯t move right now.¡±


    ¡°I thought so. What would you do with teleportation magic? It doesn¡¯t help in this way.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve checked the towers for security, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve finished the trial run, and we found no problems. I¡¯m taking care of it so you can use it right away. You can put that one off your list.¡±


    ¡®Why are you sopetent?¡¯


    I thought that it was definitely worth hanging on to the ck Swan.


    While working for the Continental Protection and Management Committee, there were still many who followed her in the guild.


    Ha Yeon-soo and even Park Yeon-joo, the guild master of the ck Swan, had been sending their love calls.


    There was a request to return Lee Jihye after the work was over, but that was hard.


    I wanted to keep her beside me. Basically, she was equipped with the ability I needed from someone, and she was constantly trying to improve herself.


    She was more obsessed with improving her abilities rather than her appearance. Wasn¡¯t that the driving force behind her being able to eat up a continent filled with viins?


    ¡®It¡¯s a good thing you¡¯re my colleague this time.¡¯


    ¡°By the way¡­ I think you should try a little harder.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I think. I expect a bacsh, but¡­¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t help it. Since we¡¯re not in a situation where you can handle various subevents, as usual, it¡¯s most reasonable to pressure those who can be pressured with power. We¡¯ll just have to deal with the side effectster.¡±


    ¡°I should have done some dictatorship.¡±


    ¡°In fact, I think it¡¯s simr to that, but let¡¯s not forget the lessons of history. We haven¡¯t fallen that far yet.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°How much time do we have left? I think your expression is worse than I thought.¡±


    ¡°36 days.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°There are only 36 days left.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    That information would¡¯ve immediately distorted anyone¡¯s face. Jihye responded exactly as I expected. She looked like she knew we had little time left but didn¡¯t know it would only be that much.


    ¡°Do you think we can do it? In Only 36 days? That¡¯s¡­ That¡¯s too fast.¡±


    ¡®I admit that too, Noona.¡¯


    ¡°We haven¡¯t finished all the troop deployments yet. It¡¯ll take 30 days to get all the troops to their positions on this big piece ofnd. Since we can¡¯t even use Jung Hayan, there¡¯s no other way to go around it. What else are you going to do with the supply? What about the fatigue of the soldiers? Is there another wizard avable for teleportation?¡±


    ¡®I would¡¯ve already used them if they existed, Noona, but they don¡¯t.¡¯


    ¡°You have to make it happen. There¡¯s no other way.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Oppa.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Do you have the manual? Shouldn¡¯t we also have an escape route?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I made it.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Wow, really¡­ really¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a lot trashier than I thought. That¡¯s the first thing you made when you heard about this, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I was going to give it to you, Noona. I¡¯m telling you in advance, but there are only a few people who can ride the Noah¡¯s Ark. List down about ten people to pick up. When it¡¯s time to escape, we have to pack up and make a run for it quickly.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m happy, but ten are too few¡­¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t help it because the more people I take, the moreplicated it¡¯ll get. If you think it¡¯s going to be ruined, I¡¯m going to drop it right away. Just watch out for the signal.¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Speed is crucial when running from something. You¡¯d better get your bags ready after the meeting.¡±


    ¡°It would be a shame if you¡¯d run away from this. You¡¯ve aplished a lot here¡­ It must feel like someone else is picking on the fruit you¡¯ve grown.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re doing our best. It¡¯s so that others don¡¯t get o take what¡¯s ours. Anyway, prepare to disembark. I think we¡¯ve just arrived.¡±


    ¡°This will be the first button on your shirt.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    She seemed to agree a hundred times that that first button was important.


    When entering an important meeting or PT, one could sometimes see a unique expression. I thought that meeting would be very important to her, too.


    It was where we were at a crossroads between eating the fruits we had grown or having them stolen away by others.


    As I moved in a hurry, I bowed my head respectfully to the people I came across with.


    It wasmon for adventurers to visit conference rooms filled with powerful people from all over the continent and those with legendary talents. There were even many types of talented people that I hadn¡¯t seen before.


    Maybe that was how important they were. I thought I¡¯d talk a lot, so I straightened my clothes before going in.


    ¡®Hyunsung must be in there.¡¯


    He must¡¯ve been sitting like a folding screen without saying anything. That¡¯s how Kim Hyunsung behaved when he entered meetings.


    Cho Hyejin participated as my escort, but she seemed a little nervous to take another step.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®What, this¡­ What¡¯s wrong with the atmosphere?¡¯


    I thought there would be a noise like a loud bang, but that wasn¡¯t what was in front of me.


    The scene that greeted me was dead and quiet, almost as if every person in the room had been assassinated.


    ¡®I think I¡¯ve seen this somewhere.¡¯


    The atmosphere seemed to be simr to when the head of the country in the north was in charge of state affairs.


    Without realizing it, we looked in the direction of Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡°Chairman Lee Kiyoung has entered.¡±


    ¡®What, no¡­ I¡¯m not that kind of chairman.¡¯

 Chapter 656: Conference (2)

    <h4>Chapter 656: Conference (2)</h4>


    I was so conscious of all of them. The ce was so quiet I could hear the sounds of their breathing properly.


    Most of them couldn¡¯t even wipe their sweat off, and I was hooked on the idea of ¡°is this ce this hot?¡± Clearly, temperature control magic was also used to maintain the ce.


    The thunderous apuse broke out right after the words, ¡®Chairman Lee Kiyoung has entered.¡¯ Even the voice of the person talking about us was shaking.


    p p p p!


    Their hands kept hitting each other almost endlessly. The desperate beating on both palms seemed as if they werepeting against each other, and they even stood up, giving me a standing ovation. I didn¡¯t know how to react.


    Considering that everyone in the room was the continent¡¯s major powers, it was a very unrealistic sight.


    All together, frightened faces stood out.


    Of course, not everyone was terrified. Those such as Oscar and Vatican officials, Kathren and Elysee, who were sitting as leaders of the country, look very satisfied.


    Their Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung was expressing his expression that he should¡¯ve been treated like that before.


    p p p p p p p!


    I didn¡¯t think the apuse would end until I sat down.


    ¡®Stop, you bastards. Stop.¡¯


    Lee Jihye also looked embarrassed, but¡­


    ¡®She¡¯s in a pretty good mood.¡¯


    Rather, I felt like she was enjoying the current situation.


    She was shivering next to me, almost as if she got goosebumps. Perhaps she thought that her decision wasn¡¯t wrong after all.


    I didn¡¯t wonder why the atmosphere was formed. I didn¡¯t even think about finding the cause. Would anyone think finding what caused the standing ovation was more important than enjoying it first?


    I thought I already knew, anyway. I could deduce who created that exact situation.


    ¡®Sh*t, what have I done?¡¯


    All the people who had a political confrontation with our faction were looking at Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡°Guests, please be seated.¡±


    When the loud apuse stopped, the conference room once again fell silent.


    I was embarrassed by the fact that no one was talking, but I could see why everyone was quiet.


    Perhaps they were waiting for me to speak up first.


    ¡°I¡¯mte for the meeting¡­¡±


    ¡°Cough, Cough.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Cough, I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry, Cough.¡±


    It felt like a scene I¡¯d seen somewhere was unfolding in front of my eyes.


    ¡®Who dare coughs? Using my Mind¡¯s Eyes, I can see that you have a wild idea in your head. Hurry up and let Tactic Kim Hyunsung handle you!¡¯


    I wanted to say that, but I wasn¡¯t in the mood to.


    I felt sorry for the person who flinched because they might¡¯ve had some sickness. He kept covering his mouth with his hands, trying to suppress the cough.


    I didn¡¯t know what the hell I had just said to create that atmosphere.


    He was even an authoritative adventurer in his own right¡­ He came up from the bottom and had his own pride, yet he looked sorry.


    Sure enough, Kim Hyunsung looked at him.


    Sitting a little far away, he turned his eyes my way when he heard unproductive coughs.


    I was worried that he was still in his corrupted state, but there was no such thing as hostility or bad feelings in the way he looked at him.


    He seemed to be d and worried. No wonder he was reacting like that.


    From Kim Hyunsung¡¯s perspective, he must¡¯ve thought that as soon as I lifted myself from bed, I immediately came to the meeting with a tired body.


    We were working for the continent once again¡­ That was what he was probably thinking about.


    I knew what bitter feelings were shown on my face.


    He looked relieved when the guy lowered his head as if everything was okay and everything was fine.


    Hyunsung nodded in return. He looked like he would take care of everything, but nothing bothered him. I actually liked the situation, too. It was less stressful to lead the meetingfortably. But the problem was¡­


    ¡®Everything¡¯s on the verge of breaking¡­¡±


    There was bound to be a difference between going a little strong, and handling things by force.


    The fall of Kim Hyunsung¡¯s image wasn¡¯t just a simple fall. I couldn¡¯t determine whether those bastards would side with him out of protest or throw dice at a third option.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t know if anyone would do such a crazy thing in that atmosphere, but there was always at least one person like that in any group.


    ¡®Hyunsung, thank you for your sympathy. Thank you.¡¯


    However, it was too much.


    ¡®Did you beat them up, or did you choke them with your scary look?¡¯


    I was certain they heard I was about to arrive. Perhaps the atmosphere changed right after that, or maybe it was already like that from the beginning¡­


    I didn¡¯t even know how to solve the awkward and heavy atmosphere. The most reasonable choice was to y as bad and good cops.


    If he picked up the whip, I thought that it was best to pick up the salve. When he gestured to the conference host while looking at him, the host spoke up.


    ¡°As Lee Kiyoung, the Chairman of the Continental Protection and Management Committee said¡­ The¡­¡±


    ¡®Why can¡¯t he talk again?¡¯


    I felt like jumping straight onto the podium in frustration.


    ¡°The¡­ presentation¡­ I mean, the presentation, or the agenda¡­ Presentation¡­ will begin¡­¡±


    His faint voice continued. When I pped and smiled, I felt like the atmosphere became a little refreshing.


    ¡°I am Lee Kiyoung from the Continental Protection and Management Committee. I sincerely apologize for not attending the meeting on time and for making you wait for a long time. I wanted to give you a briefing on the current situation that many of you are curious about and talk about several agendas and operations that will take ce afterward¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°The atmosphere is a little bit stiff, unlike usual. Of course, since the situation is pretty bad, I can imagine what you¡¯re worried about¡­ It¡¯s okay to rx a little bit. Your head won¡¯t be able to work in such a hard atmosphere¡­ Nothing has happened yet.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, the continent hasn¡¯tpletely fallen into their grasp yet.¡±


    Some of them swept their hearts as if they were relieved that I was trying to ventte the room¡¯s ambiance, but they still didn¡¯t seem to get out of the pressure.


    Of course, the atmosphere was better than the previous one.


    I could assure anyone that nobody would try to ask questions or interrupt me in the middle of my speech. That was just about the right amount of suppression they had to feel.


    Kim Hyunsung was still monitoring them, leaving them with no other options.


    ¡°But it is true that the situation isn¡¯t good.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°36 days.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°The Continental Protection and Management Committee believes exactly 36 days are left before the prophecized time arrives.¡±


    For the first time, the silence was broken. The buzzing sounds from all over the ce showed how shocked the attendees were.


    It was enough to hear exmations and sighs and enough to awaken the dead quiet ce.


    ¡®Only 36 days.¡¯


    That was all the time we had left. Who could maintain theirposure after hearing that?


    Some might¡¯ve expected that the heterogeneous light would be rted to Benignore¡¯s predictions or concluded that they were certain, but I was sure that no one would expect such a shortfall in time.


    ¡°The Continental Protection and Management Act requires the entire continent to remain prepared and on standby at this point. In ordance with that, all armed groups and countries on the entire continent will be temporarily incorporated into themittee. The organization will also govern the first operational authority, and its system shall be likewise reorganized to amodate the new personnel. As I have briefed you before, we will continue to work under one banner until the war is over and the continent stabilizes.¡±


    ¡®This is the problem.¡¯


    There was no choice but to expect a bacsh.


    Perhaps it would be along the lines of¡­


    ¡®Isn¡¯t it too sudden? I think it¡¯s too much for the Continental Protection and Management Committee to control the main operation in just 36 days. There should be sufficient training and consultation. The preparation period is too short, and it¡¯s too much to hand over the right to operate the continent even though the countries aren¡¯t ready for it. I understand the need to unify the operational headquarters, but it is more reasonable to cut themand by region and have several operational headquarters instead. The sudden introduction of new methods will only cause confusion among soldiers.¡¯


    I thought that they would get into a fight simr to that.


    Of course, there were words to take in.


    Bastian, a member of the League of Kingdoms, who was often confronted when the Continental Protection and Management Committee wasunched, was the center of conservatism.


    Actually, he was not at all a bad guy. I had bumped into him before, and he was open-minded. He even helped me before.


    Above all, he was one of the people who was very useful because he had both political and martial arts skills. He wasn¡¯t included in the list, though.


    Bastian¡¯s presence was proof that the Continental Protection and Management Committee wasn¡¯t aiming for full dictatorship, and it was an inhibitor to put the brakes on the runaway side.


    I also realized a lot because of him. As a result, we made better conclusions in the process of reaching a fairpromise¡­


    For example, he was one of the people who ssified the organization as a necessary suppression. Wouldn¡¯t it be easy to understand if Lee Jihye thought it was because of him that we prepared the rebuttal data?


    Of course, when I looked at Lee Jihye, thinking that she would say something, she also nodded and began to prepare to disy the data screen. However, the problem was that no one argued against it.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    I had been waiting for the voices to pour out soon, but no one questioned m.


    The same went for those who said that the kingdom¡¯s legitimacy couldn¡¯t be passed on to their sovereignty.


    It felt like they all promised to keep their mouths shut.


    I looked at them like I wanted them to talk¡­


    ¡®What? You can¡¯t do that. You should say something.¡¯


    I could see them looking away from my eyes.


    ¡®Why are you avoiding my eyes so much when I¡¯m talking about sovereignty and stuff. We often fight against each other, but¡­ It¡¯s not that I hate you enough to haunt you for protesting. I need someone like you¡­ I¡¯ll show you the materials you prepared when you protested. Of course, it¡¯s a little annoying to argue too much, but¡­ We¡¯re good, aren¡¯t we?¡¯


    However, they merely avoided my eyes. As if they had nothing to say, they remained silent apart from the sounds of their saliva being swallowed.


    Bastian, the only guy who was able to say no when everyone said yes, also looked nervous.


    ¡°Any other questions?¡±


    The host hurriedly checked my expression, which was embarrassing and a little suspicious.


    ¡°If you have no other opinion, vote on this agenda right away¡­¡±


    There was a sound of voting, but I couldn¡¯t hear the host¡¯s voice over the more absurd situation than I thought.


    Each of them held their heads together and pressed on the hand mirror. The results were shown in the Goddess¡¯s Mirror, revealing the decision to be unanimous.


    ¡®What, sh*t, What¡¯s this¡­¡¯


    ¡°I dere that the first agenda has been passed unanimously. From this point on, it has been decided that all armed groups and nations on the continent will be incorporated into the Continental Protection and Management Committee as we enter a state of war¡­¡±


    p p p p p p p p p p!


    My ears hurt at the sound of apuse.


    ¡®No, sh*t¡­¡¯


    Perhaps history would remember Lee Kiyoung as a dictator¡­


    I naturally started to have unnecessary worries.

 Chapter 657: Conference (3)

    <h4>Chapter 657: Conference (3)</h4>


    I wanted the meeting to proceed smoothly in afortable atmosphere, but I didn¡¯t expect it to proceed as smoothly as it did.


    No, even the expression ¡®smoothly¡¯ wasn¡¯t enough.


    ¡®From now on, all people should report to the Continental Protection and Management Committee whenever they go to the bathroom.¡¯


    Wouldn¡¯t a unanimous vote be passed even if they put forward such an agenda?


    It might¡¯ve been a little exaggerated, but everyone waspletely united. Everyone running with one mind was extremely satisfying¡­


    ¡®Sh*t¡­¡¯


    ¡°I dere a unanimous vote.¡±


    ¡®I think this is too much.¡¯


    ¡°I dere a unanimous vote.¡±


    ¡®Shouldn¡¯t at least one person be against this?¡¯


    ¡°Oh, the agenda is¡­ A vote of abstention¡­¡±


    ¡®Yeah, that¡¯s it. Abstain.¡¯


    ¡°I-I pressed the wrong one. I¡¯m sorry¡­ It¡¯s a Yes! Yes! My answer is yes.¡±


    ¡®No, why would you say that?¡¯


    ¡°Oh, then¡­ I would like to dere that it has been passed unanimously again.¡±


    ¡®I should try to pick a fight. They¡¯re not really going to say anything.¡¯


    ¡°Yes, for this matter as well¡­ I dere a unanimous vote.¡±


    The atmosphere grew more and more quaint. Lee Jihye, who enjoyed the apuse in the beginning, was also disconcerted.


    She insisted on a somewhat coercive move, but she didn¡¯t expect it to go that smoothly.


    Wouldn¡¯t they understand that it wasn¡¯t a happy situation? It had reached a point where I wasn¡¯t at all worried about the side effects it would cause.


    In fact, there was no denying that they were doing themselves a favor. Why didn¡¯t they know that it was convenient to tap and press like that?


    There was no need for other worries to push them down and make it impossible for them to shoot back up.


    However, what I¡¯d learned and seen so far kept putting on brakes. No one would¡¯ve been able to disagree that such a method would inevitably end badly.


    ¡®Am I worrying too much?¡¯


    Considering that everyone there had connections and could¡¯ve already been called the world¡¯s strongest, I felt that the bad ending would¡¯ve been avoided, but wasn¡¯t that an unrealistic way of thinking?


    We couldn¡¯t ignore the public¡¯s view that would inevitably follow. Humans were social animals, and I was one of them.


    We weren¡¯t wary of the dictator Lee Kiyoung for no reason.


    The title ¡®Chairman of the Continental Protection and Management Committee¡¯ didn¡¯t go well with Lee Kiyoung, who was surrounded by the light. Most of all, it was worrisome that different variables could ur.


    I didn¡¯t say anything to fear right at that moment, but that was not how I felt inside. I seemed to keep thinking about the worst, but how could I not be anxious?


    With only 36 days left, if there was anything that each group¡¯s leaders kept in secret¡­


    ¡®Maybe it¡¯ll copse in an instant¡­¡¯


    There might¡¯ve been human beings who were on the side of angels.


    Of course, it was hard to understand from my perspective why people would abandon humanity, but there would always be trashy individuals who took care of their own interests regardless of the situation.


    In fact, I remembered that there were forces on their side in the first round. I would never say that my view was wrong.


    ¡®Doom Hyunsung. Sh*t.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know what method he used, but the fact that Kim Hyunsung created that situation was embarrassing.


    ¡°Why are you going out so fast, you bastard?¡±


    I could see why Cho Hyejin said that back then. She had even raised her hand to hit me.


    Although she didn¡¯t touch me at the end of the day, her eyes seemed to be really determined to hit me.


    I still couldn¡¯t forget that cold look.


    Since he had be corrupted, he might¡¯ve not known that he had decided to live life on his own terms or not pay attention to the public¡¯s gaze or political things, but it couldn¡¯t be denied that Kim Hyunsung had been freed.


    ¡®Yeah. Sh*t, I¡¯m sure that you wanted to live your own life.¡¯


    That was all the more so when thinking of it as being swept around for more than decades due to political problems.


    It must¡¯ve been political problems that made him suffer as much as the masked trash.


    Hyunsung wanted to live as he wished, and he didn¡¯t have to listen to people he didn¡¯t like, and it must¡¯ve been annoying tough at his friends¡¯ silly jokes.


    Since he had realized that living like that was a stupid thing to do, he might¡¯ve thought of turning into a high school student and messing everything up.


    He judged that there was no problem in the situation where his ck energy was overflowing and causing quite a disturbance in the room¡¯s atmosphere.


    Of course, regardless of his reason¡­


    ¡®That¡¯s too much.¡¯


    That was undeniable. There was no need to pass the agenda in that way. Even if only three votes approved it, it was still approved.


    I was hooked on the idea that once the people who were usually calm had studied hard, it would be like falling into an endless path of derailment.


    Although it wasn¡¯t an appropriate example, Hyunsung decided to bet his life because he felt like he was in a scam marriage. He was sincere and innocent most of the time, but he showed a bad tendency when he was drunk.


    In his case, he was drunk on the power of darkness.


    Just in case, I looked at people who could say ¡®no¡¯ when everyone said ¡®yes,¡¯ but there was no such person who¡¯d do that.


    [Generating amon-grade forced quest.]


    [Exin your thoughts to the man chosen by the Goddess. He currently needs your advice. (0/1)]


    [Delivering amon-grade forced quest to Bastian. You have not registered any quest-clear rewards. The subject will not bepensated.]


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®What are you doing, you bastard? Hurry up and say something.¡¯


    However, he was still looking away. Although he ignored the quest, he looked like he was so full of energy that he couldn¡¯t even speak properly.


    [Generating amon-grade forced quest.]


    [Benignore¡¯s chosen believer needs help. He requires a wise and religious advisor. Please lead him towards the right path. (0/1)]


    [Delivering amon-grade forced quest to Bedriro. You have not registered any quest-clear rewards. The subject will not bepensated.]


    Since he had already given up, I aimed at a priest instead.


    They might¡¯ve thought that their voices wereing directly from their gods, and they might say something.


    Bedriro, a devout believer of Lauren, was having more than enough divine power to be called a saint. I stared at him with a slightly anticipating look, but he also tried not to make eye contact with me.


    He had no spirit for someone who had imed that he¡¯s giving himself to God.


    All of them were the same. I sent quests on some others just in case, but I couldn¡¯t find anyone that would speak up.


    I didn¡¯t know why all of them were worried that they might spark a fire. Even the aristocrats who bravely listened fought against the 27th Corps incident reacted like that.


    The red stain on the floor was also bothering me.


    ¡®No, it can¡¯t be this crazy. I guess it¡¯s just a stain, a stain.¡¯


    ¡°I dere that this agenda has also been passed unanimously.¡±


    p p p p p.


    Wouldn¡¯t we have talked a little more constructively in the absence of Kim Hyunsung?


    It was just when the break time wasing.


    After announcing that I would rest for a while, I quickly headed to the tangent spot. In a situation where the purpose from the beginning was slightly different, augh popped up.


    Who knew that the secret contact, originally made in anticipation of a situation where the meeting wouldn¡¯t work out, would be used in that way?


    As soon as I moved, I could see Lee Jihye following me from my side. She must¡¯ve also had some people she was supposed to meet.


    ¡°I¡¯m really flustered.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°I thought I had everything under control¡­ But honestly, I didn¡¯t expect this to happen.¡±


    ¡°The same goes for me. I don¡¯t know if this will turn out okay.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not a bad situation because it¡¯s going the way we want it to. It¡¯s not a good situation, but¡­ If you ask me how I felt about it, I think it¡¯s still beneficial for us. You¡¯ve got your first set of operations, haven¡¯t you? I¡¯ve solved many headache-inducing problems, put them right where they belong, and I¡¯ll soon take care of the major areas. This is the end of my misery and the beginning of my happiness.¡±


    ¡°I feel the same way, but¡­ I¡¯m notfortable because the situation¡¯s going crazy.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m worried about you. It¡¯s good to always think of the worst first, but¡­ It won¡¯t be a problem this time. He always does this when he gets out of the situation he expects. You know he¡¯s a real control freak, right? Your Guild Master is strong, too. I think it¡¯s a rough stitch applied on the wound. There are still a lot of parts that haven¡¯t been properly sewn, but now you just have to focus on those.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll rot.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re on our way to the disinfectant.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right about that. See you in a little bit, Noona.¡±


    It seemed like she was going to meet some Republicans based on how she took the side road.


    Our meetings would also arrange the cast itself. When I moved with my fingers touching my thighs, a small terrace came into view.


    ¡®He hasn¡¯t arrived yet.¡¯


    I thought he would already be waiting for me. Still, soon enough, I saw someone quietlying in. He had dark eyebrows, a thin beard from his cheek to his chin, and passionate eyes that matched his face.


    ¡°Long time no see, Daniel.¡±


    ¡°Yes, long time no see¡­ Lee Kiyoung, Chairman of themittee.¡±


    ¡°How have you been? I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t contact you often. I should have called you earlier¡­ I also apologize for meeting you in this way.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m the one¡­ who should apologize. I should have said hello¡­ But I couldn¡¯t¡­ I¡¯m so sorry.¡±


    ¡°The situation¡¯splicated. Instead of just saying sorry to each other¡­ I think we¡¯d better move on to something more constructive. I don¡¯t have much time left¡­ It¡¯s sudden, but I¡¯d like to get to the point of our meeting, but¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe I¡¯m too¡­¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t know anything, and I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You¡­ I thought you were right. So, I just voted ¡®yes.¡¯ You can rest assured that there is no other intention. Isn¡¯t this a continental crisis? Causing unnecessary disturbances should be avoided as much as possible, especially now when everyone should gather together and unify our strengths. That¡¯s all I care about. I had to do that.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I mean, I¡¯ve been arguing against your opinion until now that you¡¯re¡­ But I want you to know that it¡¯s just because I didn¡¯t think it would go the right way. It won¡¯t ever happen again. I never¡­ I never meant to antagonize you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®What¡¯s wrong with you, man?¡¯


    ¡°I think you¡¯re a little overwhelmed¡­ You don¡¯t look well¡­¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m fine, sir. Hahahaha. I¡¯m fine. I must have been a little nervous to think that I was facing the respected chairman.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I want you to tell the Blue Guild Master that this is my stance on the matter.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s go to the meeting. All myrades are with me, so you don¡¯t have to worry about the rest of the agenda. Hahaha. The continent¡­ We have to protect the continent.¡±


    There was no need for other words anymore.


    The meeting, which I thought would take more than three days, was about to end in less than half a day.


    That made me feel even more suspicious of the entire affair. Looking at the back of those trying to leave the conference room in a hurry while standing on the stage, I couldn¡¯t do anything but sigh.


    Didn¡¯t it look like a bunch of trainees struggling to escape from the chemical room?


    It was then that Kim Hyunsung, who came to the side, spoke to me.


    ¡°I¡¯m d you look healthy, Kiyoung. Have you eaten?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d the meeting ended well.¡±


    ¡®Hey, sh*t, you¡¯re just trying to avoid talking about what just happened.¡¯

 Chapter 658: Conference (4)

    <h4>Chapter 658: Conference (4)</h4>


    It seemed like he didn¡¯t want to tell me what happened before I came. I felt like he¡¯s trying to get away with something. I wanted to ask, but¡­


    ¡®I don¡¯t think I need to ask too much¡­¡¯


    That¡¯s what I thought. As Lee Jihye said, if asked whether it was good or bad, I could categorize it as good.


    Since we were going to spend about three days on the meeting anyway, we could use those three days as a time to soothe the powerful instead.


    If I sew up the wounds that weren¡¯t properly sewn again and spray disinfectant on them, it would at least seem like I had repaired them somehow.


    ¡®That¡¯s right¡­¡¯


    Regardless of what it was, the agendas were passed.


    Although thend was a little unstable, that built a framework for the time being. All I had to do was fix it tightly, spray cement, and build bricks.


    ¡°My meal¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes, I was going to eat. Hyejin and Jihye are here, so I think it¡¯s better to go together. May I say hello to the members of the diplomatic corps first?¡±


    ¡°Did you say Hyejin?¡±


    ¡°Yes, she came with me as an escort.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡®Hyunsung, you look bad. Keep your face down.¡¯


    ¡°Oh, and there¡¯s something I¡¯ve heard¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d better apologize to Hyejin.¡±


    ¡®You have to listen to me.¡¯


    He looked a little embarrassed. He didn¡¯t think I¡¯d know that, or rather, he didn¡¯t expect me to confront him about it so suddenly.


    It seemed like he thought Cho Hyejin might¡¯ve told me what happened.


    I also thought I had to keep quiet about it, but it was better to say that he had done something wrong right away.


    ¡®What type of rtionship do you have with Hyejin? You shouldn¡¯t push her away because she made a small mistake.¡¯


    ¡°Hyejin had her own reasons, and I was the one who asked her not to talk. When Raphael captured me¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°She asked him to take her as a hostage instead of me.¡±


    ¡®Do you remember anything? You must remember something.¡¯


    Of course, I believed he remembered those moments.


    He couldn¡¯t have forgotten that Cho Hyejin from the first round died on his behalf¡­ No, maybe he forgot for a moment. I noticed that Doom Hyunsung was still influencing him, seeing how he didn¡¯t really want to remember the first timeline.


    Perhaps he didn¡¯t want to recall the painful memories he had back then.


    In the meantime, his emotions were shaken greatly, and he might¡¯ve realized he did something he didn¡¯t have to do.


    Sure enough, he nodded his head.


    It¡¯s just that¡­


    ¡®Wow, am I Doom Hyunsung¡¯s suppressor?¡¯


    It was enough to make me think about that. I felt like he was taking what I just said so seriously.


    It was just a simple hypothesis, but for some reason, I felt like he only had time to be rational when I was around him. I was a little sorry topare him to a puppy, but I didn¡¯t feel at odds even if Ipared the current Kim Hyunsung with a blind dog.


    He was a dog that turned a house into a mess, ran outside and came back muddy, and threatened and bit the neighborhood¡¯s residents.


    A dog that found peace of mind and rxation only in front of its owner.


    Unlike when he did irrational things, his eyes had be more rational than anyone else. To be honest, I felt like I wasn¡¯t much different from before he became Doom Hyunsung.


    To paraphrase it, I didn¡¯t know how someone who could have been ssified as a retriever became so vicious, but at least he wasn¡¯t acting.


    ¡®I¡¯m sure of it.¡¯


    Since Kim Hyunsung couldn¡¯t act, I was certain that he was being truthfully rational.


    ¡°Everyone makes mistakes, and nobody¡¯s perfect. At least by my standards, Hyejin seems to have done her best toplete her task. She ran until she was exhausted and copsed on the way heading to Lindel.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°I fully understand Hyunsung¡¯s feelings, but Hyejin must have had a hard time, too. She¡¯s not the one to me.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡®This is easier than I thought¡­¡¯


    I was worried that I had to make another ridiculous move to reconcile, but I immediately saw that they were clearly reflecting on themselves.


    ¡®I made a mistake. I was careless.¡¯


    I thought he¡¯s thinking about something like that.


    When I looked at Kim Hyunsung with the expression that he could make a mistake at least once in his life, he nodded quietly.


    ¡°I¡­ I think I made a mistake.¡±


    ¡®Yeah, you made a mistake.¡¯


    ¡°I have to apologize.¡±


    ¡®Of course. Good boy, good boy. Hyunsung. Oh, you¡¯re so good.¡¯


    ¡°Then wait a moment, Hyunsung. I¡¯ll say hello to Oscar and join you right away.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    I felt like my mind had be a little lighter. As I moved for a while with a warm smile, Oscar and the country¡¯swmakers stood out.


    There were a lot of people waiting to say hello, but they were the main ones.


    Seeing the faces approaching me with a bright smile made me feel good for no reason.


    ¡°Mr. Chairman.¡±


    ¡°Long time no see, Mr. Oscar.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since Ist saw you, Mr. Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, yes, I don¡¯t know how many months it¡¯s been. I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t contact you often, Senator Catherine.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re sorry we couldn¡¯t contact you. I was afraid you¡¯d be busy¡­¡±


    ¡°Any message from Senator Elise will be fine. We still exchange messages with Marlin from time to time, so don¡¯t feel pressured and contact me. Oh! Come to think of it. I heard that Marlin is running for Congress recently¡­¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s a problem because she still sends too many messages.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯ll have to wait. It¡¯s hard to hold a general election in these chaotic times¡­¡±


    ¡°I see. She must be going through a lot.¡±


    ¡°Not as much as the Chairman. He works hard for the continent day and night. You can¡¯t even take care of your health¡­ Sigh¡­¡±


    ¡°Mr.Lee Kiyoung has always been like that¡­Everyone else should know that he sacrifices for the continent like this all the time¡­ But what I saw today, I¡¯m not so sure about.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Starting with the question of whether you¡¯re sick, there was a lot of talks before the meeting started about why Mr. Lee Kiyoung didn¡¯t show up in the conference room, whether he was nning to do it right, or what he was doing seven hours after the incident.¡±


    ¡°Senator Elise!¡±


    Elise, who seemed surprised by Oscar¡¯s voice, stood out.


    A face that seemed to have made a mistake at a nce, I roughly predicted what happened in the room.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be too hurt, Mr. Chairman.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry, Mr. Oscar. I¡¯m sure some others would¡¯ve thought the same. It¡¯s all because I¡¯m not good enough.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not. I know it¡¯s wrong to judge whether an individual¡¯s thoughts are right or wrong, but I can tell you for sure this time. They are wrong, not different. Yes, some of them are definitely wrong.¡±


    ¡°There must¡¯ve been a little disagreement.¡±


    ¡°There was no disagreement. Of course, there were a few voices like that at first, but everyone was convinced¡­ Oh, look at the time. I wanted to talk to you a little longer¡­ That¡¯s too bad.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to get going, sir, and¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d really like to treat you to a cup of tea soon¡­¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t reject that offer, Mr. Oscar.¡±


    For a short time, I could see them smiling broadly. I thought it would be nice to have a little more conversation.


    Since he was forced to leave the office due to chatter, I might¡¯ve been slightly resenting him inside.


    Of course, I still wanted to thank them because due to them, I could finally infer what happened before I came.


    It was clear that those who disapproved of Lee Kiyoung of the Continental Protection and Management Committee had several disputes.


    After more than seven hours of work, I thought I had a good prey. It would¡¯ve been exactly what Congresswoman Elise said.


    ¡®The Head of Continental Protection and Management Committee¡­ I can¡¯t believe he hasn¡¯t shown up until now. I really don¡¯t know if Chairman Lee Kiyoung is qualified for the position.¡¯


    Or.


    ¡®It makes me doubt whether he¡¯s really in bad health, and if there¡¯s anything wrong with his health, then can he handle such a huge responsibility? I¡¯m worried. I¡¯m worried.¡¯


    Something like that. Maybe it was something a little worse.


    ¡®It was a mistake to establish the Continental Protection and Management Committee. If you pick, you¡¯ll fall¡­ Why don¡¯t you let me pray for you?¡¯


    No, maybe even worse than that.


    ¡®He once sold his soul to the devil. Maybe¡­ maybe you could be used for something by that foreign light and turn you into something you¡¯re not. I¡¯ve heard that he still uses that power often. Of course, I¡¯m not saying Chairman Lee Kiyoung did anything wrong, but you have to be careful.¡¯


    Of course, the diplomatic service couldn¡¯t have stayed still.


    ¡®Are you done talking? Is that what you¡¯re saying to the hero who saved the continent? Are you out of your mind?¡¯


    ¡®He¡¯s also the devil who threatened the continent.¡¯


    ¡®You madman.¡¯


    ¡®This is a sacred chamber! Apologize! Apologize for that!¡¯


    If one hade to the meeting to cut down Chairman Lee Kiyoung, there was a possibility that such words would¡¯ve been said.


    The situation would have quickly be a mess, and in the end, there would have been an atmosphere that was busy trying to undermine each other.


    It was probably the situation that they wanted the most.


    They must¡¯ve thought they could blur the issue and prolong the meeting, and it must¡¯ve been effective in practice. Perhaps what they didn¡¯t expect was Kim Hyunsung¡¯s presence.


    Kim Hyunsung, who had just decided to leave, couldn¡¯t stay still when he heard that kind of dog noise. He probably slowly walked up¡­


    ¡®Blue Guild Master, what are you doing? What are you doing?¡¯


    Some of the protectors of the deep-rooted evil might¡¯ve blocked his way. Well, they must¡¯ve been legendary-grade, but they couldn¡¯t move unless they no longer wanted to live¡­


    Finally, after standing in front of the one who was shaking his mouth the most, he looked at him with a stern look and raised his hand¡­


    BAAM.


    ¡®Sh*t, you scared me.¡¯


    When I turned my head in surprise at the sound I heard right next to me, what caught my eye was Kim Hyunsung stepping on the item that someone dropped.


    ¡®Sh*t, I thought my heart was going to drop.¡¯


    Whether he realized that he surprised me, he also looked ashamed.


    ¡°I surprised you. I¡¯m sorry, Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ it¡¯s alright.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that, but¡­ Ah! As Kiyoung said, I apologized to Hyejin officially. I did something wrong¡­ Yeah, I was a little emotional at the time, so¡­ I think I made a mistake. Thank you very, very much for pointing it out and giving me good advice.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ You don¡¯t need to be grateful¡­¡±


    He apologized with an innocent face.


    ¡®Not BAAM, right?¡¯


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s go outside.¡±


    ¡®Oh, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to be a BAAM.¡¯


    ¡°You¡¯ll probably like it.¡±


    He had a very bright face after causing the ¡®BAAM.¡¯

 Chapter 659: Probability of Winning (1)

    <h4>Chapter 659: Probability of Winning (1)</h4>


    Looking at the stained floor, I wondered if Doom Hyunsung was more serious than I thought.


    ¡®It¡¯s kind of weird if it¡¯s a ¡®BAAM¡¯¡­¡¯


    Of course, I felt happy to have the enraged people, who shattered the light of the continent with meaningless instigation and fraud, scolded, but it was better to deal with them at an undisclosed ce or get rid of them without other people knowing.


    If he had been so corrupted that he didn¡¯t even know what¡¯s going on around him¡­


    Aside from everything else, it was worth considering whether Kim Hyunsung should be returned to his original self. Of course, I couldn¡¯t force such an irrational notion.


    It was also a problem whether it was possible to get Kim Hyunsung back to his original self, and if it were possible, it wouldn¡¯t have ever been a task that could be sessfully done in a short period.


    Park Deokgu¡¯s awakening situation or Doom Kiyoung¡¯s pstick directing and story were needed, but unfortunately, I couldn¡¯t afford to spend that much time and effort at the moment.


    Especially when considering that the entire continent was in danger in many ways¡­ There weren¡¯t many options.


    The people wanted Doom Hyunsung, not Kim Hyunsung.


    It bothered me that Kim Hyunsung¡¯s power wasn¡¯t his own and that it was much more powerful.


    Although it was a double-edged sword, I didn¡¯t intend to deny that it was a tempting card.


    ¡®I have to carry it with me.¡¯


    Since even Jung Hayan wasgging behind, then the only talent to look forward to was Doom Hyunsung, who had been buffed.


    I felt a little ufortable, but I had no choice but to greet him with a smile for the time being. First of all, maintaining the status quo was the best choice.


    ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it. Hyejin and Jihye¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe they¡¯ll be here soon. Oh, there they are.¡±


    It was natural to wonder if Doom Hyunsung had apologized properly.


    ¡®If he didn¡¯t do that, he¡¯s gotten a lot worse than I imagined¡­¡¯


    As I turned my eyes slightly, I could see Lee Jihye and Cho Hyejin walking slowly.


    The first thing I noticed was Cho Hyejin¡¯s expression. She had a smile on her face.


    ¡®So he did apologize¡­ he¡¯s not that crazy yet.¡¯


    She was trying not to smile as much as possible, but the smirkingughter seemed to leak out as if she couldn¡¯t easily resist it.


    Although I was sweeping down my chest, it also was a little uneasy.


    ¡®She¡¯s really, really just herself.¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Cho Hyejin, you¡¯re so pathetic. You¡¯re really pathetic.¡¯


    ¡°You¡¯re right. They areing.¡±


    ¡®Really¡­¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s a relief that Hyejin looks much better.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes, that¡¯s a relief.¡±


    ¡°I was worried that my apology might not be enough¡­¡±


    ¡®No, Hyejin. Wasn¡¯t it a great opportunity to leave Hyunsung with some burden?¡¯


    ¡°I feel like she has forgiven me¡­¡±


    ¡®If I had at least made a big face, Hyunsung would have done something about itter. I¡¯m sure he would have.¡¯


    I wasn¡¯t in a position to think about that, but I felt sorry for her when she kicked the golden opportunity with her own two feet.


    ¡®You should have reacted a little more ufortable. Sh*t, Kim Hyunsung would¡¯ve felt more sorry and gave more interest in you. If it were me, I would have been kept bringing that back up for ten more years.¡¯


    As soon as Kim Hyunsung¡¯s voice of apology came out of his mouth, I could bet that she nodded her head mercifully.


    I wasn¡¯t certain, but he must¡¯ve been thinking of what I said before.


    What I was certain of was that Kim Hyunsung realized that he made a mistake, and he¡¯s feeling sorry for it. He probably meant it when he apologized, and he was relieved of some of his burdens when Hyejin forgave him.


    Of course, I expected that he would¡¯ve acted that way, but it was still frustrating from the standpoint of an observer. I didn¡¯t know exactly how Kim Hyunsung apologized, but at least her expression seemed like she would have no regrets even if she died right at that moment.


    ¡®What¡¯s wrong with her?¡¯


    She seemed to misunderstand that she had received a confession, not an apology.


    ¡®I¡¯m really¡­¡¯


    I wanted to return to Lee Kiyeon for some time just to be able to tutor Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m probably interrupting you two eating.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. Jihye, you¡¯ve been doing a great job. I¡¯ve been getting a lot of help from you, and I¡¯ve been wanting to treat you to a meal. I think today is a good day for that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an honor. I don¡¯t know that many people who Hyunsung has invited for a meal.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t invite you earlier.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. There¡¯s been no point of contact since the tutorial dungeon. And I just did my job, didn¡¯t I? It¡¯s my job to help Kiyoung Oppa, so you don¡¯t have to do this. I¡¯m satisfied with my work right now¡­ Still, thank you for inviting me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Hyunsung.¡±


    ¡°Noona, that was nice.¡±


    ¡°By the way, today¡¯s meeting was a little weird, wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect it to end this easily¡­¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t bring that up, Noona. I think he decided to hide it.¡¯


    I decided not to think about it either. When I gave a slight look, Lee Jihye nodded her head as if she knew to shut up.


    I signaled not to dig into things anymore, so she probably wouldn¡¯t say anything else.


    ¡°Well, does the reason matter? All that matters is that it ended well. We shouldn¡¯t talk about this here. I think it¡¯s better if we go somewhere else. I made a reservation, and it wouldn¡¯t be polite for us to bete.¡±


    ¡°Yes, as Jihye said, we¡¯d better get going right away. It¡¯s a short walk away, so let¡¯s take our time. The same goes for Hyejin.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Guild Master.¡±


    We happened to sit in pairs. Come to think of it, it felt like a strangebination.


    Wasn¡¯t that the first time Cho Hyejin, Kim Hyunsung, me, and Lee Jihye had done something together?


    Nevertheless, it felt amazing that we were maintaining a warm atmosphere.


    Of course, Lee Jihye was leading the warm atmosphere. That was because Kim Hyunsung was more favorable to Lee Jihye than I thought.


    ¡®I guess his internal evaluation of her has gone up.¡¯


    It was probably his way of appreciating her for delivering important information about the kidnapping. Still, it seemed to me that he was more grateful to work with me as an assistant minister.


    I was also grateful to Noona. If Lee Jihye hadn¡¯t been with me, I would¡¯ve really been lying on my bed with some bone disease by that time.


    In the meantime, the sad thing was that Cho Hyejin was drunk with the warmth of the moment.


    To be honest, I didn¡¯t think there would be an answer to whether I could connect the two, which gave me a headache.


    We talked so uselessly and had a good time in our own way. Most of the conversations weren¡¯t very useful, but we got toy off theplicated thoughts from the previous events.


    Of course, there was no way that we could continue our daily lives under the current circumstances.


    By the time the meal was almost over, Lee Jihye had thrown in a new topic of conversation. I wanted to keep spending time uselessly, but I also had to listen to the questions Lee Jihye asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a big problem, by the way. We only have a few days left. What do you think, Hyunsung?¡±


    For Kim Hyunsung, the question was bound to be sensitive, but it didn¡¯t take long for him to answer.


    ¡°Well, I think it¡¯s right to do what we can for now. Let¡¯s clean up the inside first and prepare. I was a little surprised, but¡­ For some reason, I already knew we didn¡¯t have long.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a little¡­ surprising.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s in there¡­ I can feel it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s also surprising. So what is it?¡±


    ¡°An enemy.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°How strong?¡±


    ¡°Extremely so.¡±


    ¡°Can we deal with it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say that I¡¯m perfectly ready, but¡­ It¡¯s already happened. It¡¯s not something I can back off from.¡±


    ¡°Do you have a secret n? You seem very calm, considering you knew it beforehand¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll just do what I can. I¡¯ve been doing what I can for a long time now.¡±


    ¡°What do you think is the possibility of you winning?¡±


    ¡°Well, in my personal opinion¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s about 10 percent.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°If I¡¯m lucky, it¡¯ll be 15 percent¡­¡±


    Kim Hyunsung spoke calmly. Lee Jihye looked a little shocked.


    Maybe she knew that Kim Hyunsung was not a person who talked nonsense, so wouldn¡¯t she have taken that statement seriously?


    I was also confused because I hadn¡¯t talked about dealing with pigeons and outsiders with my current strength.


    ¡®Really?¡¯


    ¡°That¡¯s as hopeful as I can be.¡±


    ¡®No, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to be that bad. You¡¯ve been working hard.¡¯


    I nced at Lee Jihye, but she¡¯s long lost in thought. Maybe she was already on Noah¡¯s Ark.


    ¡®Oppa, let¡¯s just drop it.¡¯


    I could feel her saying that.


    ¡®I¡¯m a little shocked, though¡­¡¯


    I thought it would be at least 30%. Lee Jihye was seen standing up from her seat, wiping her lips with a napkin with a visibly cold expression.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go to the bathroom for a second.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go together, Hyejin.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go together.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go together.¡±


    ¡°Do you really need¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go together.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay.¡±


    Cho Hyejin, seemingly pushed by a strange spirit, got up from her seat, wondering if she was flustered.


    Of course, she might not have gotten up from her seat because she wanted to go to the bathroom with Cho Hyejin.


    Were they telling me to confirm if that¡¯s true right at that moment?


    She seemed to wonder if there was really only that much probability.


    After Lee Jihye and Cho Hyejin left, I immediately set up a barrier with magic. When I opened my mouth, Kim Hyunsung answered right away.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is currently impossible to deal with them with the power of the whole continent.¡±


    ¡°But the odds are very low¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just telling you the truth.¡±


    ¡®Oh, really? Sh*t, should I ride Noah¡¯s Ark now?¡¯


    It was natural to think seriously. Wouldn¡¯t it be better to throw everything away and tidy up the Ark n instead of wasting time nning the continent¡¯s defense?


    It might¡¯ve been best to leave Benignore and fly into the sky on a ship made by Park Deokgu.


    It would be nice to shout out to the continent¡¯s people who would look at us with a dumb face, ¡®Goodbye, everyone. I¡¯m abandoning all my bonds with the world and travel far away in search of my happiness.¡¯


    It was better to leave my mark as a son of a bitch in history than it was to die.


    No, I wouldn¡¯t even leave my name.


    ¡®The continent itself might be gone. History would mean nothing.¡¯


    I wondered if I was going back and forth too much, but my heart began to lean towards the ending of ¡®Goodbye, everyone.¡¯


    Ten percent was ridiculous. Kim Hyunsung looked at me anxiously, unable to manage his expression.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll do my best to protect the continent as you wish.¡±


    ¡®Wait, save that effort, just keep it in your pocket for a few days.¡¯


    His eyes looked more serious than ever.

 Chapter 660: Probability of Winning (2)

    <h4>Chapter 660: Probability of Winning (2)</h4>


    ¡®This isn¡¯t good. Sh*t¡­¡¯


    For Kim Hyunsung, it was a situation where he could fight back, but the timing wasn¡¯t good.


    At this, I tapped my thighs with my fingers. I kept thinking about whether there was really another solution, but that didn¡¯t increase the probability of Kim Hyunsung¡¯s judgment.


    As I always said, I didn¡¯t like gambling numbers. I was the type to throw dice only when the probability was over 70%, and even then, I¡¯d prefer to bet only after all the preparations had beenpleted.


    In that sense, Hyunsung¡¯s 10 percent probability was enough to shake my judgment that we should protect the continent. Of course, I¡¯d have to see how true that was first¡­


    ¡®No, you don¡¯t have to pull your tail off from the beginning. The escape guideline has been in ce anyway.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know how much I could increase the chances in 36 days¡­ The battle wouldn¡¯t end in a day, and there could be a means to increase the probability during the war.


    ¡®Oh, Lee Jihye¡­ I think she¡¯s already thinking about making a run for it¡­¡¯


    Considering that she was also the type of person who hated throwing the dice randomly, it was highly likely that she was already gathering ten people to sign the list. I could bet everything I had that she was making a list in the bathroom right at that moment.


    ¡°How do wepare to their military strength?¡±


    ¡°No, that aside, they got here too fast. At this time of the year, we haven¡¯t even figured out who they are.¡±


    ¡°How about military strength?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re ridiculouslycking. Of course, our level itself is being upgraded as we speak. For example, I would say we¡¯re in a healthier situation. We have indeed discovered new talents like the Tamer Alps. The distribution is more stable than before as well, and Kiyoung¡¯s potion is beneficial for first aid and survival. I can¡¯t ignore the saying that humans are not at odds with each other in half, but I think it¡¯s appropriate to say that there¡¯s something morecking than that.¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s not a memory correction, is it? It¡¯s still too low. A 10% chance is a ridiculously low figure. You¡¯re not Kim Hyunsung right now, are you? You have to be Doom Hyunsung.¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung could be mistaken. Compared to the warriors who fought desperately, it might¡¯ve been true that theycked, but they didn¡¯t manage the continent to such an extent that it was undervalued. Perhaps he overlooked the fact that their coborators were in the first round.


    The masked trash terrorized mankind with vicious tactics and cruel behavior. Looking back on the way we hade from so far, it was highly likely that he had thrown various gifts to the pigeons.


    His title was sage above the battlefield, and his job was a legionary wizard. In the first ce, the masked trash was a guy who ran the battlefield like a yground, bluffing the surrounding talents rather than picking and pressing the other person with his ability. His absence didn¡¯t reduce the outer god¡¯s forces, but at least it was self-evident that their tactical options had been reduced. More than anything else, Lee Kiyoung, the talent of the second timeline, survived. That difference was bound to create huge effects.


    Although I wasn¡¯t bluffing myself, the existence of the tactical genius, Light Kiyoung, who pushed out the masked trash as a tactic, could further increase the probability of humanity¡¯s victory by more than 1 percent.


    ¡°In the second round¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, he¡¯s not here¡­ I¡¯m not talking about tactics and strategies.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m talking about pure force.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Above all¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°The growth of the named ones is very slow.¡±


    ¡°You mean¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yes, to be exact, the biggest problem is that none of humanity¡¯s names can deal with the Four Angels. I remember I¡¯ve told you before¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, I remember.¡±


    Among the pigeons underneath him were the four pigeons with extraordinary powers, simr to the original Four Heavenly Kings.


    A group of powerful beings that could be ssified as a tactic in themselves¡­ They were so difficult that even in the first round, where they struggled, it was all about fighting two of them at the expense of tremendous damage and loss. I could finally understand why Kim Hyunsung thought we only had a 10% chance¡­


    ¡®Now I have a clue.¡¯


    It was a matter of strategy and tactics, dissemination, and conditions.


    Wouldn¡¯t it be simpler if I said that they had four Tactic Kim Hyunsungs? Suppose that as soon as the war began, Tactic Kim Hyunsung was deployed in four areas.


    Even if the real Kim Hyunsung could block one area, the other three areas would inevitably be taken down. If I were amander, I would¡¯ve had no choice but to stare nkly at the battlefield.


    Well, I would¡¯ve judged there was nothing I could do. Tactic Kim Hyunsung thought it was irregr and a crack that couldn¡¯t be prevented in the usual way.


    Suppose I took elementary school students and fought with Park Deokgu. Would Park Deokgu be able to break through the elementary school students with a roar and a strategy? I thought it might¡¯ve been too much of aparison, but I couldn¡¯t deny that it would be like throwing a sheep into a den of wolves.


    ¡®It¡¯s all useless crap.¡¯


    We needed toe up with something. If they had four nuclear weapons, we should also have the means to contain those missiles, or at least prevent them from being used.


    ¡°In the first timeline¡­¡±


    ¡°I marked one, and the Holy Sword user fought against another.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s why we were able to kill two of them.¡¯


    Anger at Benignore rose. The warrior was torn apart by monsters because he couldn¡¯t receive the Holy Sword in the tutorial dungeon. The gray warrior, made as a substitute for him, became a weakling and ended up as a wanderer.


    There was a slight expectation that Raphael could be revived, but honestly, I didn¡¯t think he could fight when I saw the condition of that bastard. The same went for the Holy Sword Warrior¡¯s party. The hound Lee Juhyuk and the miracle priest, who had to deal with the second line under the Four Heavenly Kings, also maintained a lifeline that was barely about to be cut off without life support.


    He supported the heroes of the first round physically, but honestly, it was hard to find a man like Lee Juhyuk.


    ¡®The continent is over. Sh*t, it¡¯s over¡­¡¯


    [A rare-grade forced quest has been activated.]


    [Help the buds of Benignore mature. (0/1)]


    [Reward: Four-leaf Clover Seeds of Hope given by the Goddess herself.]


    ¡®Go away, please¡­¡¯


    [A rare-grade forced quest has been activated.]


    [You can¡­ You can do it, Lee Kiyoung. You¡¯ve done a really great job so far. Rather than giving up now, I think it¡¯s better to think positively. Why did we give strength to Lee Kiyoung? Of-of course, I don¡¯t know how helpful it can be¡­ (0/1)]


    ¡®Alright, please stay quiet. Sh*t. I haven¡¯t thrown anything away yet.¡¯


    ¡°Then you said we have a 10 percent chance¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, assuming I¡¯ve yed the right role, that¡¯s the probability.¡±


    ¡°Then we can raise it a little bit.¡±


    ¡®You know, right? You know that I know more about you than yourself. Tactic Kim Hyunsung, if you work for it, you¡¯ll be able to double those numbers.¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®But what¡¯s wrong with his expression? You¡¯re not trying to stop here, are you, Kim Hyunsung?¡¯


    For some reason, the atmosphere felt like that.


    ¡®Wow, Sh*t¡­ Kim Hyunsung, you bastard¡­¡¯


    He didn¡¯t answer, but he didn¡¯t seem to want to put pressure on me, given his vague expression. I thought it was because I didn¡¯t put myself at a higher winning rate than I needed.


    I was happy, but I felt ufortable. He decided to lead the war without overdoing Lee Kiyoung as much as possible. No wonder I felt abandoned. Of course, I knew it was a resolution for his side, but I didn¡¯t feel good about it.


    ¡®Yeah, sh*t, you¡¯re going to the battlefield without the receiver, right? Feel free to go out, Hyunsung. You have telescopes and quests, so it doesn¡¯t matter if you take the receiver or not. Let¡¯s see if you don¡¯t y sh*tty as Tactic Kim Hyunsung.¡¯


    If I forced to send a message to him, he would ept it.


    He wouldn¡¯t reject it if there were temptations. I could bet that he would still move under my orders despite having to bite his lips.


    Considering that our efficiency was at least twice as high, the probability would increase from 10 percent to 20 percent. Assuming that the power of light was around 5 percent, it¡¯s about 25 percent.


    ¡®It¡¯s still low.¡¯


    However, it was more hopeful than what Kim Hyunsung said. The question was, could they prevent our nuclear weapons?


    ¡°What if you could stop all four angels?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be better than it is now. The probability will also increase exponentially, but¡­¡±


    ¡®I know. There¡¯s no one who can do that.¡¯


    ¡°If it¡¯s Jung Hayan, it may be possible.¡±


    ¡®I can¡¯t use Jung Hayan.¡¯


    ¡°But I¡¯m sure she has something else to do.¡±


    Exactly. I couldn¡¯t use Jung Hayan to deal with one of the Four Heavenly Kings. Considering that her role was to maintain a slightly lower bnce and that she had something to do in the early stages of the battle, I couldn¡¯t allow her to make that choice.


    ¡°And¡­ even if Jung Hayan gets some time, it won¡¯t be possible to stop one of them.¡±


    ¡°Certainly, Jung Hayan can be ssified as a rearguard.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not about the front and the rear. Jung Hayan has changed a lot from the first round. If we had a few more years, we could have grown into our previous form, but the current Jung Hayan¡­ is indeedcking a lot in multiple aspects.¡±


    ¡®Was it that bad?¡¯


    I knew she was nowhere near her previous glory, but it was new hearing that information through Kim Hyunsung¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°Of course, the offensive magic itself may be in favor of Jung Hayan in the first round. But in the first round, Jung Hayan didn¡¯t use mass destruction magic very well. However, I believe there is an iparable gap in terms ofpleteness as a wizard. Magic, application, characteristics, creativity, everything¡­ hasgged behind. That¡¯s why I set the possibility a little low.¡±


    ¡°But even now¡­¡±


    ¡°Jung Hayan moved the whole country in the first timeline.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I guess it¡¯ll be easier to get my point if I say that she¡¯s changed the map of the continent.¡±


    ¡®What¡­?¡¯


    ¡°We¡¯ve blocked most of the enemy¡¯s long-range artillery magic, and sometimes we¡¯ve reversed the war itself, and we¡¯ve moved the sea to the continent, and we¡¯ve turned ground warfare into sea warfare. As I told you before, without Hayan, that wouldn¡¯t have been possible. To be clear, she was stronger than I was before.¡±


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Changed the map of the continent?


    ¡®Turned ground warfare into sea warfare?¡¯


    Wasn¡¯t that enough to be considered a god?


    [A rare-grade forced quest has been activated.]


    [To be exact, it¡¯s not something we can do either. We can¡¯t get involved in that, so while there¡¯s a lot we are allowed to do, and there¡¯s also a lot restrained¡­ We¡¯ll have to vite the rules, which costs a lot of divinity, and most of all, it does more harm than good. A long time ago, when I was traveling the sea with a senior, I almost went bankrupt. (0/1)]


    ¡®Just stay quiet. Please.¡¯


    I wondered if I had truly underestimated Jung Hayan of the first timeline.

 Chapter 661: Probability of Winning (3)

    <h4>Chapter 661: Probability of Winning (3)</h4>


    I knew how the magic mechanism worked since I started as a wizard. Hence, I was also aware of how difficult what Kim Hyunsung said during yesterday¡¯s meal was¡­


    It was hard to say that Jung Hayan¡¯s achievements were human. Wouldn¡¯t it be right to say that Jung Hayan had entered the realm of the gods in the first timeline?


    Her prowess in the first round surprised me, leaving me no choice but to think about it. The second round was hopeful in the sense that Jung Hayan was more skilled in terms of mass destruction magic, but it couldn¡¯t be denied that she was inferior in all respects to her previous self.


    Why Kim Hyunsung hung onto Jung Hayan from the beginning of his return, and how the first human race, which seemed like it was going to stumble and copse, was able to withstand the hands of the Mask Trash¡­


    I finally understood.


    It was almost obvious why Jin Qing wanted to kill Jung Hayan. There was no other way to control Jung Hayan except to make her kill herself.


    Perhaps it was after Jung Hayan¡¯s death that mankind began to be pushed sharply.


    To be honest, I understood. I thought of magic as a means to be the first wizard on the continent. All the wizards were in awe of her. Schrs and alchemists were unable to understand her magic mechanism.


    Hobbies and likes, how much Jung Hayan was able to grow when her only friend was magic¡­ It could be said that setting limits in the first ce were a foolish act.


    If the impurities of the Masked Trash hadn¡¯t intervened, Jung Hayan might¡¯ve grown a little stronger. Since her hubby was Lee Kiyoung, her stalking magic became so difficult to detect that I had to use the Mind¡¯s Eyes to do so. Not even Kim Hyunsung could detect her magic.


    To be honest, I didn¡¯t even know if I knew all the magic of Jung Hayan.


    Nobody would say anything about it, but who knew if Jung Hayan had developed her own telescope magic and was looking at where I was?


    ¡®It¡¯s scary to think so.¡¯


    As I turned to the side with anxiety, I saw myself stuck and immersed in a narrow room.


    I hadn¡¯t even washed, and I¡¯d just use cleaning magic to wash up, just as Jung Hayan did.


    -I¡¯ll kill you¡­ I¡¯ll kill you. I¡¯m going to kill you!


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    -Park¡­ P-Park Mijin. I have to kill her. I have to. I have to kill her. She has to die.


    The constant scrawling of the pen was simr to that of a genius mathematician who had only been seen in movies. I didn¡¯t know what magic she was studying, but her growth seemed to be a foregone conclusion.


    ¡®Her magic has gone up, too.¡¯


    It was surprising that she raised her magic stat in less than a day, but there still wasn¡¯t enough time even considering that.


    I thought that we were just on the starting line.


    Lee Jihye was looking at me when she sighed. ¡°Making a run for it is the answer, right?¡±


    ¡°No, Noona, I told you that we have a 25 percent chance.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t bet with only that much probability. Of course, I¡¯ll pretend I¡¯m doing my best, but I¡¯ll always be ready to raise my hands and escape. That¡¯s why I¡¯m telling you that I¡¯ll take one more person. No matter how many times I think about it, ten people are too few.¡±


    ¡°Then do it. Honestly, I can¡¯t afford it¡­ But if it¡¯s about one person. I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be okay.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡±


    ¡°So, did you do the simtion?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes, I just did it. How much stronger does Jung Hayan need to be to fill the western Soldier Hill with seawater? How much can she fill with the current magic stats? That¡¯s what you¡¯re asking, right?¡±


    ¡°What about the results?¡±


    Lee Jihye peeked into the Goddess¡¯s Hand Mirror she was holding.


    [34.3%]


    ¡°I don¡¯t think there was any such operation¡­ I don¡¯t think you¡¯re trying to y pirates in the hills¡­ You¡¯re not trying to make Noah¡¯s Ark Unit 2 without me knowing, are you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a measure of how far Jung Hayan hase.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not enough if you want to fill it up to 100 percent. Isn¡¯t it almost impossible to raise stats more than twice?¡±


    ¡°Not more than twice. If we raise it by ten at a time, we get extra points. But we have to raise it by at least 20 to fill it all up. Even considering that the intellectual staunches are rising together¡­ I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s possible even if she reached the minimum number of stats required¡­¡±


    ¡°Is it possible?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    ¡®Honestly, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible.¡¯


    ¡°It may be better to abandon the first game. If you are waiting for growth, you have to look further. Oppa, you remember when the demons caught you, right? You also grew explosively back then, didn¡¯t you? The instantaneous movement magic also came out at that time. How about handing over half of humanity with the mindset of sacrificing in the first game and increasing the strength by being stuck inside as much as possible? Thirty-six days, no, thirty-five days now? It won¡¯t be possible within 35 days. If you stick with it as much as you can, would you still be able to pull it after several months? If Oppa gets kidnapped once in the middle of the war, I will summon even a andnd it on the head of the pigeons.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m thinking about that, too¡­ Jung Hayan isn¡¯t the only problem.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you let all your pain and anguish disappear? Let¡¯s just ride Noah¡¯s Ark.¡±


    ¡°I was already thinking of it even if Noona hadn¡¯t mentioned it. I¡¯m just trying to see how I can use these 35 days. What about the official announcement?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m slowing it down as much as I can. If there¡¯s a crisis on the continent after 36 days, it¡¯ll be confusing. It¡¯s been a long time since thest time the press has shut up¡­ The same goes for the other people in the conference room yesterday. Even if I didn¡¯t say anything, they shut their mouths on their own. That¡¯s advantageous to us, at least.¡±


    ¡°You have a schedule?¡±


    ¡°No, they all refused. They don¡¯t have toe, and they say they¡¯lle by themselves if I called them. I thought it would take some time to fix it, but the leaders of some regions seemed to have different ideas. Still, I¡¯ve made a list of the troubled people, so you¡¯d better calm them down if you need them.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°Anything else from yesterday?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve told you everything I know. After Noona went out shopping with Hyejin, I drank a ss of wine and returned home to work. Then I cleaned up the manual¡­ I only worked. To be honest, since I was a little shocked, I couldn¡¯t do anything else¡­¡±


    ¡°Some would think I left because I wanted to. I went away so that you could talk about something important. Hyejin also felt sorry. She seemed to think we had a chance.¡±


    ¡°Chance? A chance¡­ What¡­¡±


    ¡°But she¡¯s still cute, even after she knew there¡¯s no hope¡­ Did I tell you how upset I was when Hyunsung bowed down and apologized? I felt it when I saw it. So anyway¡­ How are you really going to do this?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give it a try when the whole thing has settled. It¡¯s easy to persuade Kim Hyunsung. I have a story to tell, so I¡¯m a little cranky, and it won¡¯t be a big deal if I get back to normal after work. If you put Cho Hyejin on the mound as an avatar and run sincerely, it will be over in one night.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it won¡¯t end. I¡¯ve been trying so hard to seduce him in the tutorial dungeon¡­ He¡¯s a no-go.¡±


    ¡°Shall we make a bet?¡±


    ¡°A bet if Cho Hyejin and Kim Hyunsung will work out? Let¡¯s do it. But if I win, let¡¯s y fairies. And you¡¯ll y Lee Kiyeon. I¡¯ll y Lee Jihoo. I don¡¯t care what you bet.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t regret it.¡±


    ¡°Right back at you, Oppa.¡±


    ¡®What? Why is she so confident?¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I was naturally concerned about the way she bet so boldly.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t think I would be defeated, but that useless confidence kept oning to my eyes. At a time when one couldn¡¯t take back what they¡¯ve already said, Lee Jihye wouldugh if I lost.


    ¡®Oh, why do I want to take a step back?¡¯


    I knew that I shouldn¡¯t step down for Cho Hyejin¡¯s honor, but I thought I should pass it on lukewarmly for the time being. Fortunately, Lee Jihye¡¯s voice first came to me when I looked out the window, wondering how I should turn things around.


    I thought she regretted it.


    ¡°So¡­ where are you going now?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s obvious.¡±


    She knew everything and still asked, didn¡¯t she?


    ¡°There¡¯s another problem besides Jung Hayan.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re right.¡±


    Aside from Jung Hayan, there was one more problem that I had to solve.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to bnce things out.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Honestly, I wasn¡¯t sure if it would work or not, but there¡¯s only one ce to try it.


    If we picked a candidate, Kim Hyunsung would also be put on the table. One of the people who could act as a deterrent to the tactical nuclear weapons of the opponents was the official second-inmand of the continent when Raphael was unable to move.


    She went missing in the first round, and her whereabouts were unknown. I didn¡¯t know why she disappeared without a rumor in the first round, but I thought that perhaps her personal problems were the cause, or she was caught in a trap of the Masked Trash.


    As soon as I got off the wagon with Lee Jihye, arge castle temporarily built to serve as a forward base came into view.


    ¡°Ahhh, Noona¡­¡¯


    I was told that a temporary guild house would be built at the forward base, but I didn¡¯t expect it to be thatrge. Who would look at that and think that it was a makeshift barracks? The temporary residence of the Red Mercenary looked like a royal castle in a small kingdom.


    ¡°Wee to the Red Mercenary. Long time no see, Mr. Chairman.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I know¡­ Yes, Choi Young-Ki. Long time no see. You¡¯ve changed a lot.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, after all. Lee Jihye, it¡¯s been a while.¡±


    ¡°Long time no see, Mr. Young-ki. I¡¯m sorry you have to pick us up like this when I heard you¡¯ve just been promoted.¡±


    ¡°Cha Hee-ra told me to bring you guys in person. She seems to be really pleased that the Chairman hase to visit.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re very pleased that I tagged along.¡±


    ¡°Haha, that can¡¯t be true. The Red Mercenary always wees guests. Even more, if it¡¯s people like Lee Jihye.¡±


    ¡°Is this a scouting offer?¡±


    ¡°That can¡¯t be true. I don¡¯t want to be hated by the ck Swan Guild Master. Come in, Mr. Chairman.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for guiding us.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s an honor. Being able to serve sir Lee Kiyoung is a glorious responsibility only a few people in the Red Mercenary can have.¡±


    ¡®What was that¡­¡¯


    ¡°If you have anything need or feel ufortable with during your stay, please feel free to tell me.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes. Thank you.¡±


    ¡®The Red Mercenary is amazing.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know if it¡¯s because I hadn¡¯t seen the ce in a long time, but everything felt new.


    Even if the Blue Guild had grown a lot, the stronghold of the Lindel tradition seemed to be the Red Mercenary. They differed in units and size.


    I thought it was a collection of rough mercenaries who fought against anyone regardless of gender or well-trained potentials. In addition to this, it was Noona who was at the pinnacle.


    Seeing him guide us to the rooms, and not the office, somehow reminded me of the second time we met. We went in after two mercenaries who were guarding the front greeted us.


    Mankind¡¯s second inhibitor candidate smiled at me, disheveling her red hair like a lion.


    ¡°Are you good at it?¡±


    Cha Hee-ra must have been reminded of the day when she was telling funny jokes.

 Chapter 662: Probability of Winning (4)

    <h4>Chapter 662: Probability of Winning (4)</h4>


    ¡°Maybe something¡¯s going on? You¡¯vee here in person, after all.¡±


    ¡°I came here because I missed you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a good yer. Sit there. And you can sit there, too. So¡­¡±


    ¡°My name is Lee Jihye, Queen of Mercenaries.¡±


    ¡°I know. Get some tea outside. No, would you prefer alcohol? You like drinking, don¡¯t you?¡±


    At Cha Hee-ra¡¯s voice, the door burst open, and some people brought in beverages. He wasn¡¯t as big as Park Deokgu, but one of them was a pretty big fellow. He set up the table with alcohol.


    One had no ears, and the other had a face stered with cuts. And yet despite these, they had such honorable expressions on their faces. It didn¡¯t matter much to think that they were honored, but it wasn¡¯t an easy scene to see on the continent.


    It was a sight that could only be seen in Red Mercenary. Lee Jihye was also aware of that. And considering her image, it wasn¡¯t appropriate.


    I¡¯d never seen her act like that. I was sure that she was sensing something¡¯s wrong. Of course, I could understand how Lee Jihye felt¡­


    For some reason, Cha Hee-ra¡­


    ¡®She¡¯s someone who makes me feel ufortable.¡¯


    I thought it was her experience on the continent and her strength, or it was Cha Hee-ra¡¯s personality, but I was pretty sure that it would be thetter.


    She was born to be a queen, and she was born to be above others. Although there was no queen consort, who could think of such things when anyone saw her? At least, that was what I saw.


    I couldn¡¯t imagine Cha Hee-ra kneeling, and I couldn¡¯t imagine her begging in front of someone. I couldn¡¯t imagine her losing to someone either. That¡¯s why I came to her.


    ¡®I¡¯ll be able to do it.¡¯


    The first thing that came to mind when I thought of the word ¡°strong¡± was neither Kim Hyunsung nor Jung Hayan.


    ¡®You can do it, Noona, right?¡¯


    ¡°If you want to say something, tell me, honey.¡±


    ¡°I mean, umm¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s quite tempting.¡±


    The small problem was that it was difficult to measure her exact powers. Often, the answer woulde out just by looking at her condition window using the Mind¡¯s Eyes. Despite choosing a mercenary ss that could handle arge number of weapons as an advantage, I seldom saw her holding a weapon in her hand.


    No, I had almost never seen her with one.


    Despite her advanced twin weapons knowledge acquisition, her main preference was her bare hands, which in fact alone was at the pinnacle of the continent.


    ¡®She¡¯s a crazy warrior.¡±


    Whenever Cha Hee-ra was at the front, she could paralyze the entire disputed area.


    The 27th Corps was unable to wear proper armor because it was in themanding officer¡¯s hands, but they were still strong. Honestly, wouldn¡¯t it be right to ask her a question? I was a little cautious, but I had to speak up.


    ¡°Noona, how strong are you?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Oh. Sh*t, why did I ask?¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Lee Jihye looked at me with a startled face.


    She seemed to be asking why I was asking such questions openly, saying, ¡®it doesn¡¯t matter to you, but I¡¯m the one who¡¯ll get caught up in an ufortable atmosphere.¡¯


    Naturally, the silence continued. It was about two minutes after that Cha Hee-ra opened her mouth with a smile.


    ¡°Well, perhaps I¡¯m pretty strong.¡±


    ¡°To what certain extent?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to lose to anyone¡­ Do you remember what I saidst time?¡±


    Of course, I remembered.


    ¡®I wasn¡¯t really sure how to get stronger. Training normally doesn¡¯t make much sense.¡¯


    Didn¡¯t she say something like that?


    ¡®Have you ever seen a beast training? Have you ever seen them practice using their ws or their bite? I changed my method in a way that relieves the desire that¡¯s stuck in my head. I changed my way to living like an animal, that¡¯s it.¡¯


    That¡¯s what she said.


    ¡°It paid off.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a training method, but some of her stats had been raised. It was her physical stats. It was out of the standard. It wasparatively lower, but her agility and magic stats also showed growth.


    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s not that big of an achievement. I¡¯m refreshingly relieving my desires thanks to you, and sometimes when I¡¯m not good enough, I go into the forest and smash everything. I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re asking questions about people¡¯s respect, but I think I can say this one for sure.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m strong.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°And¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I can be stronger.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I had nothing to say.


    ¡®Noona. Sh*t. Why are you so cool?¡¯


    Other than that.


    In a way, it was as good as telling me what I had been waiting for. At first, I thought there was no other option but her, but I felt as if all the doubts that I had disappeared at that moment.


    I understood why Lindel¡¯s potentials were all in the Red Mercenary.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s the reason?¡±


    ¡°I have something I want you to do.¡±


    When I peeked at Lee Jihye, she nodded and took over.


    It was not much. From the presence of the man inside that light to the Four Heavenly Kings, he said, ¡®You can¡¯t move like a Red Mercenary, so you should stand by separately.¡¯


    Cha Hee-ra was nodding at the slightly lengthy story, and I thought that it was simply an expression of her will to listen to it for the time being. The war was important to her as well, after all.


    ¡°I think we¡¯ll have one Blue Guild Master and one mercenary queen. We¡¯ll make the stage for you, so you don¡¯t have to worry about anything else. I know it¡¯s inconvenient for you, but for the remaining 35 days¡­ I¡¯d like to rmend you to serve the Continental Protection and Management Committee. I think there will be a lot of things to consider regarding the n revolving around you, so I ask for your understanding. I know that the Queen of Mercenaries is strong, I don¡¯t deny that, but I need to get urate data.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°Themand thinks we have about a 23.4 percent chance of winning. It¡¯s the result of analyzing and simting the continent¡¯s strategy and the power of the enemies. Assuming that the Mercenary Queen follows the Continental Protection and Management Committee¡¯s n, our odds will be even better. I¡¯d appreciate it if you¡¯d refer to the data I prepared and review it.¡±


    ¡®You¡¯re doing great.¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s an exact training schedule of about 35 days. I think tactical training will be more important than personal training. I¡¯ve analyzed the number of cases, and I think you¡¯ll be satisfied enough. Besides this¡­¡±


    ¡°I think you missed something.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°No, Jihye. I think we¡¯re doing something wrong.¡¯


    Little by little, I felt the atmosphere change. To be exact, the air surrounding therge room seemed to have be heavy.


    ¡®I think we forgot something. What do we do?¡¯


    Come to think of it. I was slowly getting irritated.


    I remembered what the hell I forgot. To be honest, it was only right to think a littlecent.


    Cha Hee-ra would definitely do me a favor. I thought that she would definitely join us without thinking about it. However, I realized again and again that that wasn¡¯t the case. Cha Hee-ra would do me a favor, but the Queen of Red Mercenary, called Lindel¡¯s First Guild, wouldn¡¯t.


    What did that Mercenary Queen think of those who suddenly came and said what they wanted to say right after asking if she was strong?


    It was natural to have a rather ufortable response to Lee Jihye.


    ¡®We were fools.¡¯


    Lee Jihye also looked at me to see if she wasn¡¯t the only one feeling as if the situation¡¯s getting worse.


    ¡®What¡¯s wrong with the atmosphere?¡¯


    I felt like saying that out loud.


    ¡°Keep talking. Let¡¯s see how far we can talk.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re talking aboutpensation¡­¡±


    ¡°Do I look like someone who needs it? Compensation? What can you do for me?¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡±


    ¡°What do you think we missed? And honey, what else have you forgotten?¡±


    ¡°Well, Mercenary Queen, if you need anything¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s something you should think about. I don¡¯t feel so good right now that I have to exin it one by one.¡±


    Lee Jihye desperately thought about it.


    ¡®It was your suggestion, but why I should be the one scolded, and the resentment seemed to be directed at me, but at this time, it is right to sneak away as if it doesn¡¯t matter to me.¡¯


    Later, after sending Lee Jihye away, maybe if Hee-ra and I cursed at her, she¡¯d be able to feel better. I didn¡¯t know if I felt her declining, but Lee Jihye was pressuring me with an even more desperate look.


    I then noticed the members of the Red Mercenary hanging on one side of the room.


    ¡®This is it.¡¯


    That kind of thought came right into my mind.


    The part that was too easy to catch. The Queen of Mercenaries¡¯ irritation slowly reached its limit.


    I had no choice but to open my mouth as if I were looking for a person.


    For the time being, I first had to send out the other men and talk to the Mercenary Queen, Cha Hee-ra, alone. Since she didn¡¯t decline the proposition, it seemed that she wasn¡¯t that angry.


    Rather, she seemed a little satisfied, and the Queen of Mercenaries left due to her cuteness and coquettishness, letting Cha Hee-ra take the mound.


    ¡°Noona, rx. Do you think we forgot about that?¡±


    It was the same as usual, but I had to use a sweet voice as much as possible. Lee Jihye was looking at me with a sick face, but what could I do?


    What we did wrong was undeniable. It was hard to make Hee-ra feel better when she¡¯s upset.


    ¡°I meant to tell you something else, so take it easy, Noona. The Red Mercenary should be fine. If you allow me to, I¡¯ll take the Red Mercenary into consideration. I¡¯m sure they can¡¯t imagine their Guild Master leaving.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve already passed the agenda. Actually, the Red Mercenary is participating in operations under the Continental Protection and Management Committee. That¡¯s why we couldn¡¯t say anything. It¡¯s too obvious. Does it make sense for themittee to leave the Red Mercenary alone? Noona, you didn¡¯t really think we would, did you? Huh? You did, did you?¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s right.¡±


    I was gently rubbing her shoulders.


    ¡°You¡¯re worried about the Red Mercenary without your presence, aren¡¯t you? Of course, we wouldn¡¯t have thought of that. The Red Mercenary should be given separate consideration, yes?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, how?¡±


    The atmosphere was much softer than before.


    I also expressed my curiosity about the Queen of Mercenaries. Considering how she was attracting me to her arms gradually, my honey-like voice seemed to have worked.


    Lee Jihye also looked like ¡®That¡¯s it!¡¯ The answer was so visible that she seemed to find it ridiculous for having missed it.


    If she hadn¡¯t gone shopping with Cho Hyejin yesterday, wouldn¡¯t I have had time to prepare for that case? She looked as if she was saying, ¡®that garbage is cleaning this mess up somehow.¡¯


    But right after that, I finished my offer in a way that caused Lee Jihye¡¯s expression to change slowly.


    ¡°Noona, Jihye in front of you will take over. I¡¯ll try to reduce exactly 15 percent of the damages that might be dealt against the Red Mercenary Command.¡±


    Lee Jihye¡¯s face looked like she was asking if that made sense. Cha Hee9ra looked up and down, scanning her.


    ¡®You can do it, right, Jihye? Right? You can do it, right?¡¯

 Chapter 663: Probability of Winning (5)

    <h4>Chapter 663: Probability of Winning (5)</h4>


    ¡®You¡¯re confident about that, aren¡¯t you?¡¯


    There was a sense of betrayal in her face, but I wasn¡¯t guilty. Considering what she did with the Holy Sword stock, Lee Jihye didn¡¯t deserve to make that kind of face.


    I didn¡¯t expect to have a chance to turn the tables so quickly, but seeing her confusion made me smile.


    Lee Jihye also seemed less upset after remembering the incident. First of all, she was calmly breathing in, and it might¡¯ve not been what she wanted, but since it had already happened, she would try to solve it nheless.


    First of all, she had to reduce the high cut line.


    ¡°15 percent is too much. 10 percent.¡±


    ¡°15 percent.¡±


    ¡°On many assumptions, up to 10 percent is the limit, my queen. I shouldn¡¯t even say 10 percent. I think it would be better to agree on just 10 percent. I¡¯m sure you¡¯d prefer reliable figures than meaningless bluffing.¡±


    ¡°15 percent.¡±


    ¡°I can go 12 percent.¡±


    ¡°I made it clear that it¡¯s 15 percent. You can do it if you put your mind to it. If that doesn¡¯t work, you¡¯re not doing enough.¡±


    ¡°But there may be unexpected assure you that we don¡¯t have urate data yet¡­¡±


    ¡°15 percent. I¡¯ve already made up my mind about it. You take care of the rest. Do you understand? Don¡¯t think too hard. That¡¯s the lowest I can go. Even if it¡¯s not guaranteed, everyone knows that Lee Jihye of the ck Swan is a talented person. I¡¯m confident you can guarantee me that. Am I judging you too highly?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°If so, you can go back now. You can leave like a rat.¡±


    Cha Hee-ra seemed to have already made up her mind, judging from her provocation using a rather aggressive remark.


    I felt like I threw it on a little high, but I also thought Lee Jihye could do it.


    Basically, Lee Jihye waspetent and preferred to make minimal losses if she was forced to make a loss. She believed in data and was meticulous. She had a good ability to drawrge pictures, and she was strong at drawing them in detail.


    Perhaps if we concentrated on multiple aspects, we¡¯d make it to 15 percent, albeit barely.


    The problem was that she had to be frantically divided, and she¡¯d be worried that everything could copse at once¡­ No wonder Lee Jihye¡¯s expression was crumpled¡ª she was in a state of separation.


    Furthermore, if one said something that touched another¡¯s pride¡­


    ¡®They¡¯d be upset, too.¡¯


    ¡°Once you ept it, you¡¯ll pay the price if there¡¯s even a 1% error in it, whether it¡¯s human or material. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Your answer.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I understand.¡±


    ¡°Good. It feels like the contract¡¯s been signed, and in such a neat and tidy way, no less. Well, there¡¯s nothing to organize, and I feel like I¡¯m finally done with this right now. Very good. I like it. That¡¯s how it should be.¡±


    ¡®You look happy.¡¯


    ¡°Tell all the executives out there toe back in.¡±


    Cha Hee-ra opened her mouth with a satisfied voice. It wasn¡¯t long before arge group of men came into the room in turn. Regardless of gender, their huge bodies were a little unrealistic.


    I¡¯d always seen their faces, but when they gathered in one ce, it was even more overwhelming. Even for those who worked in themand, physical training was a requirement for them.


    Some of the wizards I picked were also visible, but I couldn¡¯t find any traces of their previous appearance.


    They were wizards with a promising future, but they had also be promising in an entirely different direction. My physics colleague, wizard Bark Sergey was there as well.


    The people who came inside didn¡¯t make a single noise. I was just quietly waiting for what Cha Heera would say¡­ Cho Young-ki and everyone else was the same.


    It was then that the Mercenary Queen opened her mouth.


    ¡°From this moment on, you will serve this woman here, not me, for the time being. You¡¯ve heard of her name, haven¡¯t you? I¡¯m sure they know your face. Introduce yourself.¡±


    ¡°My name is Lee Jihye. I look forward to your kind cooperation.¡±


    ¡®You must have been very shocked.¡¯


    ¡°You guys should introduce yourselves, too, right?¡±


    It certainly wasn¡¯t a general sight. They might¡¯ve understood that the story had ended up concluding in such a way that subordinated them to Jihye.


    Looking at it again, Cha Hee-ra seemed very happy.


    ¡®That¡¯s understandable.¡¯


    She indeed had both political and martial arts skills, but it was also undeniable that she had morepetent abilities other than that.


    Furthermore, if one were in a situation where they¡¯d have to cut off the chain they tied to themselves, the fact that they¡¯d have to lead the Red Mercenary would feel like a burden in itself.


    Wouldn¡¯t it have been expected that there would be a situation where their characteristics would be inevitably exercised?


    Perhaps she was secretly hoping for a situation like that.


    They couldn¡¯t do anything but fight, and they were just full of muscles. Because of this, she understood that she was essential in future battles.


    To be honest, I didn¡¯t know if the Red Mercenary and Lee Jihye would get along, but I couldn¡¯t deny that she had the best brain.


    ¡°I would like to say hello again, Blue Vice Guild Master. My name is Choi Young-Ki.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Park Jong-Chul. I look forward to your kind cooperation, Chairman.¡±


    ¡°Yang Hana, please take good care of me, sir.¡±


    Therge people bowed their heads and greeted me. Lee Jihye, who was treated as the ck Swan representative, was also unfamiliar with such excessive reactions.


    However, she fixed her expression and slowly looked at Cha Hee-ra.


    ¡®Oh, she¡¯s pissed off.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯ve got your back, Queen Mercenary.¡±


    ¡°Really? That¡¯s a relief.¡±


    ¡°Instead, there¡¯s one thing I want to do for sure¡­¡±


    ¡°Tell me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try to make it exactly 15 percent as promised. There won¡¯t be more or less. In return, I¡¯ll takemand of the Red Mercenary for the time being.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve already agreed to that.¡±


    ¡°I told you I¡¯d take fullmand. From this point on, the words of Lee Jihye, the Guild Master¡¯s representative, will be above the Red Mercenary Cha Heera.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You hear me, right? Do what she says. From this point on, her wordse before mine.¡±


    ¡°Can I try it out? I¡¯m trying to make sure, so please don¡¯t feel too bad.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Young-Ki?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Attack Cha Hee-ra.¡±


    ¡®Jihye. Sh*t,e on. Are you out of your mind?¡¯


    Choi Young-Ki was alreadying at Cha Heera with a sword in hand as soon as such thoughts passed through my head.


    To be honest, I didn¡¯t think Choi Young-Ki would really draw his weapon.


    Although Cha Hee-ra was certain that she wouldn¡¯t get hurt by his attack, wasn¡¯t Cha Hee-ra a God that the Red Mercenary wouldn¡¯t dare look at?


    ¡®What¡¯s wrong with them? Why are they filming weird movies like this? We¡¯re not that kind of genre. It¡¯s not a noir edition.¡¯


    Of course, Cha Hee-ra didn¡¯t respond.


    She put her hands up, grabbed the sword, and threw it away.


    Bang!


    Choi Young-Ki didn¡¯t let go of the sword and immediately fell into the wall with a loud noise, causing him to faint. I didn¡¯t know anything else, but I could see that Choi Young-Ki didn¡¯t force the sword to be released. I was sure he chose to faint.


    I was embarrassed by the sudden change of atmosphere.


    I thought for a moment about handling it, but I decided to fall into Hee-ra¡¯s arms quietly and pour her a drink. I felt like I should do that for the time being.


    She didn¡¯t seem very excited. Rather, she looked interested. Her expression was simr to when she first saw me.


    Looking at that, I realized why Lee Jihye acted like that.


    ¡®It looked like she was ying with her.¡¯


    I¡¯d never been excited for a simr reason. Perhaps she was annoyed that Hee-ra wanted that edition.


    Although she treated me as a control freak, Lee Jihye was also a formidable control freak, and she hated to move as someone asked her to.


    Cha Hee-ra seemed to ignore her all the time, so she wanted to give her a shot. Of course, the biggest reason for throwing such a bunch of sh*t was because¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s fun.¡±


    Maybe it was because she was sure Cha Hee-ra wouldn¡¯t get too upset. Rather, she looked happy.


    That was how Cha Hee-ra acted. If someone sincerely climbed up to her, she would press on until they had be blood dung, but if they kept on the right line, she would feel delighted.


    ¡°I¡¯m d you enjoyed it, Mercenary Queen.¡±


    ¡°But I was a little offended. The only reason you¡¯re still standing is that you¡¯re a guest here.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I understand that I did something wrong. Don¡¯t be so angry. I simply had to be certain that I indeed got a highermand. I apologize for interrupting you, but I have something to discuss with the executives¡­ As you know, we don¡¯t have much time left. You can take your time and talk to Oppa now.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Then, goodbye.¡±


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°How much money did you ept to work for Park Yeon-joo?¡±


    ¡°I hate scout offers.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°And Oppa, I¡¯ll borrow Kim Mi-young, the team leader.¡±


    ¡°N¡­¡±


    Bang!


    I heard the door closing.


    ¡®No, sh*t¡­ Don¡¯t take Kim Mi-young.¡¯


    Regrettably, I couldn¡¯t speak out my thoughts. I thought that it was simply an act of small revenge for what transpired in the room.


    It felt like she was saying that she couldn¡¯t be broken. Hence, it seemed that Lee Jihye had sincerely decided to confront the matter head-on. She must¡¯ve thought that the presence of the deputy was essential tomand the Red Mercenary and to taking care of everything else that was originally given to her.


    ¡®But Kim Mi-young can¡¯t be the team leader¡­ It would be way too hard for me without her.¡¯


    I heard Cha Hee-ra¡¯s voice while I thought that I couldn¡¯t give up Kim Mi-young no matter what.


    ¡°She is greedier than I thought. Park Yeon-joo wouldn¡¯t have taken her in for no reason. If I knew it would be this bad, I would have brought her here earlier¡­¡±


    ¡°Jihye Noona?¡±


    ¡°I now know why you trust her so much. I honestly thought the rumor was exaggerated, but it doesn¡¯t look like it. Above all, she looks amazingly simr to you¡­¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t look that much alike.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s funny that you¡¯re interested in someone you don¡¯t like. Anyway, let¡¯s talk a little more constructive.¡±


    ¡°Well, was there anything else you wanted to do?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯ve decided to join the Continental Protection and Management Committee, so I¡¯m going to start talking about it because it¡¯s the destiny of mymunity. Well, it¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m just going to rmend someone.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say there are four angels to deal with, and the Blue Guild Master and I are all you¡¯ve got against them?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you decided on the two empty spots yet?¡±


    ¡°I have nobody else but you and Kim Hyunsung. I don¡¯t have any other person left as a candidate.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m sure there one more that¡¯s close to you.¡±


    ¡°Hayan is different¡­¡±


    ¡°No, not her. There¡¯s one more. A useful person.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t figure out who Cha Hee-ra was talking about.


    No matter how much I raked my memories, I could only think of Raphael lying down like a half-dead body.


    She might¡¯ve been talking about him since she knew about Raphael¡¯s condition.


    The words that came after a brief silence still kept the mystery unsolved. I expected a little, but in the end, I had to shake my head at Cha Hee-ra¡¯s remarks.


    * * *


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡±


    ¡°Well, Mr. Ki-mo. I¡¯m hungry all of a sudden, so let¡¯s have a meal. I can usually stand hunger, but I can¡¯t stand it right now.¡±

 Chapter 664: Probability of Winning (6)

    <h4>Chapter 664: Probability of Winning (6)</h4>


    ¡®It¡¯s more useful than I assumed.¡¯


    I thought about it for two days, but I still had to shake my head at Cha Hee-ra¡¯s opinion.


    ¡®Of course, I don¡¯t think it would be possible alone. But what about the Blue Guild? Just because Kim Hyunsung, Cho Hyejin, Jung Hayan, and I won¡¯t show up doesn¡¯t mean that the party will copse. I don¡¯t know how he will look in your eyes, but I evaluate him as quite okay¡­ Most of the guys with the title of a Tanker can¡¯t hold against even just a few punches. It¡¯s hard to find a person like him, even in the Red Mercenary. At least he won¡¯t die in one punch.¡¯


    Actually, she wasn¡¯t wrong. Park Deokgu¡¯s endurance, which I thought had stopped growing, was already considered the top among the continent.


    He might¡¯ve grained more endurance during the 27th Corps crisis while he was dragging time against Donovan. Still, just because he held off the weakest of the demon generals, would that mean he¡¯d be able to fight against one of the four angels?


    If Donovan had delivered a serious punch from the beginning, Park Deokgu would¡¯ve already been heavily injured.


    In his position, the battle with Park Deokgu would¡¯ve been nothing more than a brief entertainment. In the end, he didn¡¯t have to show half of his power. Data didn¡¯t lie. A pig that was not supported by other stats had nothing but defeat waiting for him.


    It meant that I couldn¡¯t put him on the stage just to get beaten up.


    ¡®Then, where are you going to use him? I think I can use him properly if I find the right position for him. I won¡¯t deny that he does act a little silly sometimes¡­ The center of the party is the Tanker. He has grown enough to be able to hold the center of gravity.¡¯


    However, Deokgu hadn¡¯t grown at all. Only his stats had grown even after our one year apart. He might¡¯ve had the appropriate temperament, but his experience was stillcking.


    I would be able to use him after five years, judging seriously. However, we couldn¡¯t wait that long.


    Although Cha-Hee was overestimating the Blue party, it was no exaggeration to say that the status of the Blue party came from Hyunsung Kim, Cho Hyejin, and Jung Hayan.


    It wasn¡¯t simply a matter of power. Of course, Jung Hayan was a little different, but apart from their power, Kim Hyunsung and Cho Hyejin could lead a party themselves.


    That was also because of the individual ability of the executives who were able to raise the ability of the Blue party. They seemed to have a few screws missing, but it was because of them that we could raise the status of the guild.


    Sun Hee-young had good abilities, but she wasn¡¯t enough to be a substitute for the three people above her. She had many strengths, but she wasn¡¯t a leader, and she was well aware of that fact as well.


    ¡®Aren¡¯t you anxious because they don¡¯t have time toplete the mission? I think they can do it even if I don¡¯t watch them.¡¯


    Noona just thought that way because she hadn¡¯t seen him properly. Logically speaking, how would Noona know better than me? I knew the pig best.


    Assuming that Park Deokgu was really used as a Tanker against the four great angels, at least Cho Hyejin should be included in his party.


    That was not all. Since the pig was put up as the main, a priest who could heal and buff him would be essential. Either Elena or Sun Hee-young, who could cover the entire area, had to be next to him.


    Since they didn¡¯t even know how to wield a sword, I also had to add Kim Ye-ri. Ahn Ki-mo would need to serve as an auxiliary Tanker and a reserve priest for her as well.


    Despite that setting, I couldn¡¯t predict the victory properly, so I felt like it would cause more damages to our faction than benefits.


    ¡®You¡¯re being overprotective.¡¯


    ¡°Overprotection, my ass. Let¡¯s see who¡¯s right.¡±


    I sat on a chair and slowly entered the data.


    I adjusted Donovan¡¯s stats in a simtion against a party of 5 members: Park Deokgu, Kim Yeri, Ahn Ki-mo, Elena, and Kim Chang-ryul.


    The tactical ability and the crisis response ability had to be fixed to the lowest.


    Unlike Donovan and Limur, who reacted negatively against divine power, those angels had no such weakness, so it was only appropriate to lower Elena¡¯s basic abilities.


    ¡°It¡¯s not just about the war. We should also consider around.¡±


    The battle began in the Goddess¡¯s Mirror.


    As Donovan swung his ax right away, Park Deokgu couldn¡¯t hold up¡­


    ¡°Uh¡­ He¡¯s tanking it.¡±


    I watched him taking the blows head-on.


    ¡°That¡¯s just a buff. Sh*t.¡±


    Elena instantaneously used her wits to push the buff further.


    She initially assumed that he would be able to withstand the first blow. The problem was that the endurance and the physical strength of Park Deokgu weren¡¯t insufficient, but once the supporter¡¯s magic had been depleted, their limit woulde immediately.


    Perhaps soon¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s not bad.¡¯


    Even the fake cry of Park Deokgu affected the surrounding as well.


    The friendly troops seen as data were certainly pushing the enemy troops out. I naturally thought that something was wrong with the Goddess¡¯ Mirror. Otherwise, I might¡¯ve had entered the data incorrectly.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t there an incorrect input?¡¯


    About two hours after the start of the battle, the bnce was still tight, but in the end, the virtual Donovan broke virtual Park Deokgu.


    ¡°I knew it would be like this. Sh*t.¡±


    ¡®Hested quite well for two hours?¡¯


    ¡°No, he onlysted for just two hours.¡±


    Since it was just rtive to the basic type, he could withstand such offensive well, but if he had been put against a rtively annoying beast, he wouldn¡¯t havested even 10 minutes. We hadn¡¯t been able to figure out what kind of abilities and characteristics the other pigeons would have.


    Based on the angels that Hyunsung faced in the first timeline, they weren¡¯t the type that Deokgu could face. It was out of the discussion.


    As I tapped on my thigh with one hand and entered the specs and characteristics of the guy, he couldn¡¯t hold up for less than an hour. The lowest tactical ability and the lowest crisis response ability caught the ankle of Park Deokgu¡¯s party.


    ¡®What if I change it?¡¯


    Out of curiosity, I adjusted the tactical ability and crisis response ability to the best level, and again, the simted screen came into my eyes.


    In fact, I thought there would be no difference, but it showed a different tension from the previous one. I thought it would take a little longer, so I increased the speed, but nothing changed.


    They fought for 8 hours, 9 hours, and 13 hours.


    Even¡­


    ¡®What? Sh*t. How did they win¡­¡¯


    They caught the enemy at the end of an iprehensibly bloody fight. Of course, I continued to repeat the same battle immediately. That was because I thought that the result I witnessed happened simply due to chance.


    However, the probability of them winning was higher than I expected, which was 3%. The system was predicting more than 23%.


    ¡®It¡¯s a reasonable figure.¡¯


    Since we had raised the two most insufficient numbers to the top, in fact, even if we used Tactic Park Deokgu, there were still bound to be some missing parts.


    Of course, we didn¡¯t have time to tend to Park Deokgu¡¯s party separately in that war. The entire region had to be controlled, after all.


    ¡®Let¡¯s do some training.¡¯


    For the remaining 33 days, if I refined the party with attributes and made up for the shorings, they might be able to hold on until Kim Hyunsung could go and help them.


    The current Kim Hyunsung was in a stronger state than Kim Hyunsung in the first round, so it might not take him that long¡­


    ¡®I don¡¯t know, but really. F*CK.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t easy to make a decision.


    For some reason, I didn¡¯t know if it was because it was Park Deokgu, but the only thing that came to mind was the root that the pig kept rolling. Perhaps I had been denying the reality and wondering if I was brainwashing myself.


    As soon as I got up from the seat and stepped in, a ce where arge ship was moored came into my field of view.


    ¡°I thought you wereing hours ago. Why did you just show up now?¡± A familiar voice was also heard.


    ¡°I was a little busy. Rather, isn¡¯t it fortunate that I camete? Did you finish what I told you to do?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®This bastard¡­¡¯


    There was no way, but it looked like it was real, and it seemed that it couldn¡¯t bepletely organized within the time frame. Although I was speaking fairly, Park Deokgu¡¯s face was reflected in my eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that. I¡¯m not the same Park Deokgu who was by you in the tutorial dungeon in the old days. I¡¯m not the Park Deokgu that you raised anyway. I¡¯m steadfast in progressing even when you didn¡¯t tell me.¡±


    ¡°Are you confident about that? Do you think it would be okay to check your stats, then?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s see. Still, because Hyung-nim camete, I checked several times more. By the way, how is Noona these days?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t change the topic. Take the lead, Deokgu.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not changing the topic. I¡¯m really worried. Hyung-nim is too busy these days, and Hyunsung is the same¡­ Noona doesn¡¯t even see my nosebleed at all¡­ Sora is with Noona, and Hyejin Noona isn¡¯t working these days separately. I know we don¡¯t have much time left, but the more time passes, the more we have to get together. I really wish we had a gathering before the outbreak of war¡­ Honestly, I don¡¯t want to say this, but if anyone gets seriously injured¡­¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t be like that. No one¡¯s going to die. You don¡¯t have to worry about that. Just do what you need to do or do what is right. Look, you little pig. It seems like you forgot something.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    He looked at my face, confusion visible in his eyes.


    The appearance of the guy looking through his bag while moving his body was ugly. He couldn¡¯t even take proper orders to prepare stuff for Noah¡¯s Ark, and I became more confident that the bastard wasn¡¯t the one.


    ¡°Ah, ah, ah¡­ It looks like I was a little mistaken. I seem to have forgotten one page¡­ So this¡­¡±


    ¡°Where and what is Ahn Ki-mo doing?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s doing something else¡­¡±


    ¡°Did you tell him that you¡¯re going to try it alone again?¡±


    ¡°No such thing. Ki-mo also¡­ said that he has something else to do¡­¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t entrust you with anything, really.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ not really. I really forgot¡­¡±


    ¡°I think I already told you this was important.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t even know why I entrusted this to you? Do you remember what I said?¡±


    ¡°Oh, of course, I remember it. I remember! Yes, this is anding operation using the boat. If we fail, we go straight into the enemy¡¯s heart!¡±


    ¡°By the way. What would happen if there were no necessary items on board?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°No. Don¡¯t do it, Deokgu. Just do something else. You know why I This isn¡¯t necessary. It would be better for you to stay behind.¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s why¡­ Sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need that, just go to the right ce¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Oh, that bastard¡¯s expression¡­¡¯


    ¡°Fine. This is yourst chance. What¡¯s your mission?¡±


    ¡°Participate in the battle as a center¡­¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°Keep the boat safe.¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°Thending operation.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s it.¡±


    ¡®Yes, sh*t. What can I even entrust to him? This is bullsh*t.¡¯


    Even if I thought about it a hundred times, the task that suited Park Deokgu was just to defend Noah¡¯s ark.

 Chapter 665: Over the Wall (1)

    <h4>Chapter 665: Over the Wall (1)</h4>


    ¡®Is there any other task that is as important as this?¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t a ce that was created to sit around and rest. It was easier to understand as insurance in preparation for when the continental loss n was initiated.


    Even if the ship were damaged at the end of a fierce battle, it would still be correct to prepare for it from the beginning, as there could be situations where its use would be required.


    Of course, I couldn¡¯t be honest with him.


    In the first ce, I couldn¡¯t say that I wanted to run away, and Park Deokgu wouldn¡¯t ept such a proposal. The most appropriate judgment was to tell them to prepare it as a part of the roughnding operation.


    ¡®Right.¡¯


    If the whole situation was disturbed and everything copsed, and the point came when there¡¯s no choice but to trigger Noah¡¯s Ark, I was sure that the pig would jump to the front.


    It was possible that he¡¯d make a fuss about trying to save even one more person and confuse the whole situation. It would be hard to take care of my own body, but there could be an unexpected situation where the pig would act out.


    ¡®So, this is more stable.¡¯


    If a dangerous situation arose, it would be best to immediately turn around and keep the nice boat safe until another opportunity came. I would try to carry out my mission at any cost, so it wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that it was the right role for him.


    When I nodded my head and looked up at him, I still saw a dead face in the field.


    He said that he would try to do it properly, but I guessed he still felt bad after being scolded.


    ¡°Don¡¯t pretend to be weak, Deokgu.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not pretending to be weak. I just feel a little down.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be too down.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not really down¡­¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯ve be a little sensitive because there isn¡¯t much time left. That¡¯s why you don¡¯t have to worry too much about what I said. I¡¯m not really angry because I couldn¡¯t believe you, but I wish you were a little more alert. So stop making that face.¡±


    ¡°Still¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just telling you how it is. Don¡¯t take it to heart since that wasn¡¯t my intention at all. Still, I want you to think about what you need to do when things take a turn for the worse. That¡¯s more important than anything else.¡±


    ¡°I think I know what Hyung-nim is talking about.¡±


    ¡°I always believe in you, Deokgu.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡®Yes, I believe at least half of your words.¡¯


    ¡°But you must always remember my words. I say this every time: if I can do it, you can do it better.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get nervous, and don¡¯t rush the preparations. Would I have entrusted this to you if I didn¡¯t believe in you?¡±


    ¡°That was a little unexpected.¡±


    He seemed to be feeling better and better. A ridiculously simple appearance was enough to make himugh for no reason.


    Honestly, I didn¡¯t know if that would be such a good thing, but he seemed to be very fond of the task assigned to him.


    ¡°Honestly, isn¡¯t this the first time Hyung-nim instructed me to do something else?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    ¡°No. It seems to be the first time in my memory. Of course, I did a lot of other things, but they weren¡¯t as heavy of a task.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s it.¡¯


    ¡°At best, they were the same as errands, and I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s right to say this, but most of them had no risk factors at all. Of course, I had many idents, and I knew that Hyung-nim didn¡¯t have much belief in me, but I wasn¡¯t so disappointed. Anyway, I¡¯ve always wanted to do something like this.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I wanted to do the same things as Jung Hayan, Hyejin Noona, Elena or Hee-young Noona, and Hyung-nim, and I wanted to be trusted as much as them. That¡¯s why I decided to stay alone here¡­¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t make this so serious. Stop revealing your inner thoughts¡­¡¯


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°Now¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Now I feel a little recognized.¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t say that, you little piglet.¡¯


    The pig¡¯s proud face rose, and his sense of guilt was shoved aside. The bastard wasn¡¯t even entirely aware of it.


    ¡°It feels different. Still, because you have never entrusted such a task to me, I also felt a bit of a sense of self-discipline. It seemed like Hyung-nim couldn¡¯t believe in me. Honestly, that¡¯s what I just did a little bit before. It was a long-awaited job, but again, I made a mistake and fell for it. I was angry with myself, and I was sorry to Hyung-nim. It¡¯s the first time that you entrusted me with a huge task, but right from the beginning, I think I already ruined it¡­¡±


    ¡®No. You haven¡¯t ruined it. You are doing well.¡¯


    ¡°I thought it wouldn¡¯t be very different this time, but I just knew I would be doing a water battle.¡±


    ¡®You will be able toplete it properly¡­¡¯


    ¡°Hyung-nim doesn¡¯t know how happy I was to see the manual you sent me.¡±


    ¡®Fuck¡­¡¯


    ¡°Oh, I even cried when I received it!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t season it.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s real. I swear by my life, it happened. Ki-mo was with me, so if you don¡¯t believe me, ask him. It¡¯s a little ufortable, but I was so happy my tears just flowed out. For you to trust me enough to give me this dangerous task¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°Even if my body is broken, I will be able toplete this task.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to feel so responsible. When things go south, only then will the n be executed. Until then, our strategy remains the same. In fact, it would be nice if we don¡¯t have to go through with that n. But if the situation really forces us to use it, then that means that we¡¯re pretty screwed.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°Only when you get the signal should you move. This time, you need to think about it strategically. You shouldn¡¯t forget that more than anything else, and it¡¯ll be best if you use the boat for anything else before that.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve already told me about that. Since it¡¯s in my heart, you don¡¯t have to worry too much.¡±


    ¡°If so, then that¡¯s a good thing¡­ Anyway, Have you eaten yet?¡±


    ¡°Not really.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s eat together. It¡¯s been a while.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°I have time today anyway. Ye-ri and Ahn Ki-mo are also nearby, right? It would be nice if we can all eat together.¡±


    ¡®There is no such thing as anding operation, Deokgu. There is no such thing¡­ The day you make a big sess won¡¯te¡­¡¯


    First of all, I had to speak urgently.


    It was because I was embarrassed to continue the conversation any longer when I saw the proud face of the guy who had finally been acknowledged. Even at that moment, he kept snorting about bing the assaultmander of thending operation.


    His eyes were wider than usual, and his steps were far more dignified. All of his actions pierced my conscience.


    Honestly, I understood Park Deokgu¡¯s heart as well. Why wouldn¡¯t I be aware of his heart?


    It was undeniable that Park Deokgu hadn¡¯t been given a special mission since the Blue Guild was established. In the first ce, he never would¡¯ve been used as the main attraction in that kind of operation.


    Park Deokgu¡¯s role was either a democratic fighter or a shield, and I was honestly uneasy about entrusting something so huge to him.


    I wasn¡¯t worried about his safety. No, it¡¯s okay to worry, but it¡¯s quite natural from my perspective that his odds of survival were on the slightly better side.


    There were people in the Blue who could hold the center even if it weren¡¯t for Park Deokgu, and so far, it was a natural choice because there was no party split.


    ¡®Should I really entrust him with this?¡¯


    ¡°Honestly, I didn¡¯t know I would use the boat this way.¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡±


    ¡®It isn¡¯t that bad. For just two hours¡­ If we use it¡­¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s a good thing that it can help.¡±


    ¡®What number are you going to block in the first ce? One side of the group would bepletely wiped out if you can¡¯t defend the ce properly.¡¯


    ¡°Oh, there¡¯s Ye-ri and Ki-mo.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Vice Guild Master. It¡¯s really nice to see you here.¡±


    ¡°Long time no see.¡±


    ¡°Long time no see indeed.¡±


    ¡®No. There isn¡¯t enough time.¡¯


    Even if there was a little more time, I could bet that I would¡¯ve put him in.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Look at this! If you do this, aren¡¯t we at least three times stronger?¡±


    Ki-mo stepped on his shoulder, and Yeri rode on top of the raised Ki-mo. It was a three-stagebination. A three-stagebination. It would be enough to distract the other party.


    ¡°You look like an idiot.¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯tugh as if you¡¯re happy, Ye-ri. They aren¡¯t doing this anymore because they will match you up too. It¡¯s good that you haven¡¯t lost your purity yet, but you still have to keep your image.¡¯


    ¡°At least, in terms of instilling a sense of intimidation on the monsters, there will be no room for refutation. It¡¯s possible for Ki-mo to push the divine power straight up and down, then Ye-ri will separate it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s cool.¡±


    ¡°I knew Hyung would say that.¡±


    ¡°Seriously, don¡¯t use it in practice. Sit down and eat.¡±


    ¡°If only Hyung is hung behind my back here, it will be perfect.¡±


    ¡®No, it won¡¯t.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know how the conversation fell that way, but I couldn¡¯t exin the appearance of the guys who woke up during a meal and showed a ternary unity.


    Ahn Ki-mo seemed to be a good match, but Kim Ye-ri looked really happy.


    I knew she was at an age that liked to y, but it felt like Park Deokgu and Ahn ki-mo had brainwashed her without noticing it.


    The figure of being nice and paying attention to thending while spinning a tumble was simr to Yetnikova, who mastered the fascinating dance.


    After seeing that, I felt even more uneasy about entrusting one of the frontlines to that person.


    If I could only concentrate on Park Deokgu for the next 33 days, it would¡¯ve been possible, but neither Cha Hee-ra nor Jung Hayan¡¯s affairs would be resolved if I did that.


    I left behind the three kids who were ying and talking loudly, then quickly started contacting someone.


    [Noona, Noona, Noona.]


    [What? Don¡¯t send a message about something useless. I¡¯m busy here.]


    [Can I borrow Ha Yeon-soo?]


    [No way. She hasn¡¯t been up to Tier 1 for a while. It¡¯s impossible. Don¡¯t let me clean up one dead body and fly halfway across the continent. Oh, if only Cha Hee-ra¡¯s case is solved well, we will only have 1/3 damage. So how did it go? Didn¡¯t you say you were training with Cha Hee-ra and Jung Hayan forbat? No matter how busy I am, I definitely want to see that.]


    [Proceeding.]


    [Proceed as quickly as possible. You must also allow time for recovery. The Mercenary Queen said he wanted to do it first, right?]


    [Something like that. Safety devices must be prepared first. If you get seriously injured, that¡¯ll also be a problem.]


    [It looks like he knows that he is stillcking. What are you going to do with Park Deokgu?]


    [It seems unlikely that we can use him.]


    [If your Oppa decides that way, we can¡¯t do anything about it, but I think he won¡¯t be that bad.]


    It was then that a voice came from right in front of me.


    ¡°Who are you trying to contact so badly without even finishing your meal?¡±

 Chapter 666: Over the Wall (2)

    <h4>Chapter 666: Over the Wall (2)</h4>


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s not something you need to care about.¡±


    ¡°What, is there something important?¡±


    ¡®Indeed.¡¯


    ¡°I had to talk to someone for a while because of a training problem that I got from Hee-ra Noona.¡±


    ¡°Well, anyway, is Hyunsung Hyung also busy with training?¡±


    The person who answered Pak Deokgu was Kim Ye-ri.


    At that time, she would¡¯ve responded coldly, but it looked like she was trying to appeal that she knew Kim Hyunsung best among them.


    ¡°Yes, he¡¯s very busy. He doesn¡¯t even meet people, and I don¡¯t know what he¡¯s doing¡­ He doesn¡¯t even answer much if I contact him.¡±


    ¡®Oh really? He picks up just fine when I contact him.¡¯


    It seemed that only Kim Ye-ri¡¯s attempts tomunicate with him weren¡¯t well received.


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    Park Deokgu seemed seriously worried about something. As he was quick to notice strange behaviors, I wondered if he had noticed the fact that all of thending operations were bullsh*t.


    However, he probably realized that his worries were a breezepared to mine, considering he immediately continued to speak.


    ¡°Oh, Hyung-nim.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Is it okay if I¡¯m given training or something like that?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re training separately?¡±


    ¡°No, I mean, something like special training. Looking at the rough atmosphere, it seems that everyone who¡¯s been asked to fight for the continent has a role and is preparing for it¡­ I was hoping to get special training under the observation of my Hyung as well¡­ I think it should be done¡­¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    ¡°Cha Hee-ra, Jung Hayan, and Hyunsung-nim¡­ Even Hyejin Noona is training hard. I don¡¯t know what mission they were assigned to, but actually, the mission that Hyung-nim gave me cannot be called a normal job. Compared to other people, it¡¯s far more important, but my strength isn¡¯t sufficient for it.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I think I should be stronger than now¡­¡±


    ¡®Start by wiping the food off of your mouth before talking.¡¯


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you need it. Even now, it¡¯s enough, Deokgu. Breaking the wall is not something that can be done in a short period of time. It can be strengthened by a small number of humans or in other ways. In my view, you seem to be doing well, and you should just prepare the way you see fit without being influenced by external forces. Even if others are running, don¡¯t think about it.¡±


    ¡°Hyung-nim is right, but¡­ it seems that if Hyung-nim trains me, I¡¯ll be able to be stronger.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t impossible at all, but the efficiency was low. Even if I agreed to it, the rise on his level wouldn¡¯t be high enough¡­


    I was a bit sorry for Park Deokgu, but it was no exaggeration to say that he had already reached his maximum growth limit. He specially reinforced himself and barely managed to reach his current level, but he was still an ordinary person.


    He wouldn¡¯t have had to worry about that in the first ce if he had been able to break through the wall just because he took care of it a little.


    ¡®There are only 33 days left.¡¯


    If I had to choose how to spend that time, it would be best to use it for Jung Hayan and Cha Hee-ra.


    In the current situation, if they broke through the wall once, they would be able to grow exponentially.


    ¡°You¡¯re strong enough.¡±


    ¡°The words of the Vice Guild Master are correct. Even if I have a battle with Ye-ri these days¡­¡±


    ¡°Nonsense. I am stronger. Deokgu¡¯s attack doesn¡¯t even pass.¡±


    ¡°Even so, it isn¡¯t possible to easily damage you. Even if it hits, it isn¡¯t easy to prate through your thick durability¡­pared to a year ago, you¡¯ve grown a lot.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because I learned a lot from Hyung-nim.¡±


    ¡°I learned a lot from you as well, Deokgu.¡±


    ¡®By the way, it turns out that he was originally a Red Mercenary.¡¯


    Certainly, it seemed that the strength of the two of them had grown.


    ¡°I know that there isn¡¯t much time left, but I want to try my best. If you have anything you need, let us know right away. Or would it be better to practice thending operation?¡±


    It didn¡¯t seem like it would be easy to withdraw until an order was given from there. As I nced at the guy, he expressed his desire to do something himself.


    Eventually, I began to rummage through my infinity bag. Rather than physical growth, it would be more beneficial to him to learn how to think like a tactician.


    ¡°It¡¯s not just meaningless words. It would be better to study this rather than focusing on physical growth.¡±


    ¡°Oh, this is a book I¡¯ve read.¡±


    [Basics of Party y]


    [Battle Theory: Beginner¡¯s Edition]


    [Combat Theory: Intermediate]


    [Understanding of Basic Tactics]


    ¡®It will be much more helpful to increase your understanding.¡¯


    One wouldn¡¯t know when they would be able to get out of the bottom of their tactical capabilities.


    Whatever the reason, it was almost certain that the moment for him tomand the field woulde. If not, it would still be of great help to him.


    Even if only a bit of his wasteful movements disappeared and his judgment ability became faster, he could go up to half a step further.


    His understanding of the battlefield would rise as well, and his tactical options would increase in return. The only question was whether he would ept it.


    Maybe he would only turn over a few pages and immediately close the book.


    No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn¡¯t really imagine the appearance of Park Deokgu sitting and reading a book.


    He might¡¯ve been thinking that the gift was too unnecessary. I looked at the guy¡¯s face in response, expecting that reaction, but¡­


    ¡®Uh, I like it more than I thought.¡¯


    He looked surprisingly good. Ahn Ki-mo tried to reach out his hand for the books that I had handed over.


    ¡°Yes, I have to study.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s necessary, though. If the situation breaks, everyone will be in a state of panic and will be running on instincts, so¡­¡±


    ¡®I feel sorry now that you like it so much.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t imagine whether he would show such a reaction to the wild throw.


    At that point, the pain came a little from the realm of conscience. Wasn¡¯t his face that of someone being given the responsibility of handling the continent¡¯s future?


    ¡°Of course, don¡¯t skip basic training. You have to work hard, but you must also read all four volumes within a month. I¡¯ve already read it once.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it was something Hyung-nim had read! Is there something like underlined in here?¡±


    ¡°Maybe some pages. Check it out¡­ I have to go now.¡±


    ¡°Why? Stay for a little longer.¡±


    ¡°I have work to do.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Will you have time in the next 30 days? It would be nice to get together again¡­¡±


    ¡°I will arrange a meeting when we have time.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not enough to set up a meeting. We have to get together no matter what. Okay, I¡¯ll try to promote it, so please leave your time empty for a while. It¡¯s been so long since I fell into the continent. I was so scared of some people¡¯s faces. The guild was also filled with maintenance problems¡­ Still, it¡¯s a miracle that I fell in such a strange ce and that I got together with you all. We even started quite deep rtionships. So, we should get together at least once. ording to Hyung-nim¡¯s words, it isn¡¯t the continent¡¯s greatest crisis.¡±


    ¡°I know. I¡¯ll make it happen one day.¡±


    ¡°Really? Are you not just saying that? It¡¯ll be really nice to see everyone together.¡±


    ¡°Sure. You¡¯re right. It¡¯s necessary.¡±


    I could see all of them with a telescope, but it differed from meeting them in person.


    It would be a good time to report to the guild members one at a time and share stories around right before the big battle ahead.


    After roughly arranging the piled-up things, there should be some room for everyone, and it didn¡¯t seem that bad to make time for a gathering.


    Park Deokgu¡¯s expression seemed to tell me something was missing.


    As in the past, he would like tough loudly, talk unhurriedly, drink alcohol, and spend time with others. Because the bastard basically liked people, he could be confident that he had met the most people in the Blue Guild.


    Wasn¡¯t there a decisive reason for not using him?


    If anyone got hurt, it was clear that he would think it was his fault, and if they died, his mentality would fall to the bottom.


    It was very self-evident that that would affect the battle, and I could be sure that it would eat him alive in the end.


    Even if it was not a Blue-exclusive party, could he ignore the deaths of others?


    It was a question of whether one of the four great angels would ignore it if he gave out his muzzle to other adventurers. I could affirm that Park Deokgu couldn¡¯t be ignored. I was expecting a scene where he would jump out without knowing, disrupting the battle.


    ¡®That¡¯s right. It¡¯s a bigger problem than his stats or chances of winning.¡¯


    At the center, people had to be cool, and Park Deokgu was far from cool. That bastard didn¡¯t fit in such a thing.


    I smiled and tapped his shoulder once, and then moved out. I looked back and saw the face of a boy that acted like a child who was seeing off his dad on the way to work.


    It felt like he didn¡¯t want me to leave, but I couldn¡¯t invest more time there either. As Lee Jihye said earlier, Cha Hee-ra and Jung Hayan¡¯s cases were also urgent.


    Eventually, I decided to focus the remaining time on two more people.


    Both of them were hardly able to jump over the wall, so it was natural to think that some countermeasure was necessary.


    Of course, I could roughly check with my Mind¡¯s Eyes that the growth was invisibly growing little by little. Still, if I were asked if I had obtained the specifications that I desired in the current situation where time was gradually decreasing, I wouldn¡¯t say yes.


    Since the time was short, it could be said that my purpose was to make a ce where they could soar in terms of growth.


    The first thing suggested was from Cha Hee-ra, not me. I felt the hand mirror ringing.


    [Hey, can you do it as fast as possible?]


    [Why do you think I should do it now?]


    [Well, it sounds like it should be done swiftly¡­ I feel like my head will open a little if I fight coolly. I tried entering a nearby forest¡­ I told you. It seems like it would be better to stick with someone of a simr level. But what about your mission? Did he finally decide to withhold?]


    [For now¡­ Yeah. Still, it wasn¡¯tpletely clear. Let¡¯s observe him, and if it¡¯s inevitable, we should let it go.]


    [Don¡¯t say something that you don¡¯t mean. So when is it?]


    [It won¡¯t take long, but we need to have time to prepare.]


    [Can you do it a little faster? My body is a little sulky¡­ It is a little annoying because it feels like I would jump a little higher if the time to be still is prolonged. Recently, I have practiced controlling, but¡­ it¡¯s annoying. and why is it Jung Hayan, not Kim Hyunsung?]


    [Hyunsung has something to do on his own, and above all else, Jung Hayan is having a little problem¡­]


    [She¡¯s having a hard time growing.]


    [Yeah.]


    [Since there isn¡¯t much left¡­ Isn¡¯t that a bit of a problem?]


    [Well, it¡¯s not that big. Honestly, she¡¯s still growing steadily, and I doubt whether this process is even necessary¡­ The situation¡¯s good. I¡¯m sure she¡¯s on top regarding her stats. She might be stronger than you, Noona.]


    [Do you really think so?]


    [No, Noona must win.]


    [I don¡¯t know. Isn¡¯t her strength enough to destroy the second angel? Of course, it would be shocking, but¡­ it¡¯s not the first time¡­]


    [No. Noona can¡¯t lose.]


    [What are you talking about?]


    [Hayan will fall to a wizard named Park Mijin. During mockbat training, I¡¯ll pretend like I heard rumors that Noona was broken by a new wizard named Park Mijin.]


    [¡­]


    It was a message that made them understand roughly what the situation was.


    [This will be fun.]


    ¡®No, Noona¡­ It doesn¡¯t look like it would be fun.¡¯


    That was because I had never imagined that I would be able to execute the monster sh desperately and stop it with my own hands.

 Chapter 667: Over the Wall (3)

    <h4>Chapter 667: Over the Wall (3)</h4>


    In fact, the rice cake was sprinkled after the conversation with Cha Hee-ra ended. It was right after she said that she would have to fight with someone.


    Sora was forced to talk to Jung Hayan with half-hearted feelings about gambling.


    It was because Hayan had to feel like she had hit the wall. It was simple. She had no choice but to do what she could since the mock war¡¯s results had already been decided.


    She would¡¯ve been a little better if she considered each and that would arise from different aspects, but frankly, she wasn¡¯t that free.


    Was it because I couldn¡¯t take Park Deokgu¡¯s work seriously?


    ¡®It¡¯s unfortunate.¡¯


    She would have always opposed me unconditionally, but she had no choice but to ask Han Sora to save the continent one more time.


    Cha Hee-ra was also an important person, but considering the importance of her role in thest battle, the reality was that she had no choice but to give Jung Hayan a few spaces.


    Depending on how far Jung Hayan grew, the probability would inevitably be different, so we had to make a firm decision from here on out.


    Honestly, if Han Sora wasn¡¯t there, it couldn¡¯t be done. The buildup had been built up from the beginning through her.


    It was Cha Hee-ra who informed Han Sora of the unidentified genius wizard Park Mijin that took her out without being able to resist, and it was also Han Sora who was constantly checking Jung Hayan¡¯s state.


    I was also very afraid, but I was actively leading the situation to see if I shouldn¡¯t give up my dream of strengthening her.


    Of course, the fear memorized in my body wouldn¡¯t disappear, but at least the situation was better than before.


    Didn¡¯t I say that the first time was always difficult, and the second time was easier? As long as she was already rushing towards a single goal, it seemed that she couldn¡¯t see the danger in front of her.


    ¡®Well, the wall is big¡­¡¯


    It seemed like it should be checked slowly, so I activated the telescope, and what I saw was Jung Hayan and Han Sora sharing the story.


    I told them to spill some more information while eating today, so maybe they were having a conversation rted to that order.


    Based on the atmosphere, it must¡¯ve been a while since the story was carefully told, yet Jung Hayan was still there.


    It was exactly the reason why I checked the telescope from time to time.


    For several days, her head seemed to be unclogged, and her naked body, which didn¡¯te out of the room, caught my eyes.


    Wasn¡¯t it already a hero-level quest just by asking anyone to take Jung Hayan out of the room and share the story?


    From Jung Hayan¡¯s appearance, I could see how desperately she had studied. I felt a little provoked, but there was no other way than that to reach Jung Hayan¡¯s level in the first round.


    Of course, I heard a voice right away. It was trembling, but at least it seemed to have entered a state of heavy growth.


    ¡®I should have seen it from the beginning¡­¡¯


    -H-h-how¡­ How did she win? That¡¯s¡­


    -I¡­ Well¡­ I don¡¯t know. It was a secret mock battle, so it wasn¡¯t even known to the outside world. I also gave a little bit to the team leader Kim Mi-young¡­ I only know that. I don¡¯t know how the battle progressed, but as for the story I heard, it was said that it was that woman who participated.


    -Park Mijin.


    -Yes, she seemed to be more talented than I thought. Even if it¡¯s a mock battle¡­ That red-haired woman couldn¡¯t be easily¡­ Maybe she has skills up her sleeves. No matter how strong she is, it is difficult for a wizard to win against her. You won¡¯t have time to cast. Maybe interpersonal warfare is her specialty. There are those kinds of wizards, after all. Even for Jung Hayan, I¡¯m certain that that¡¯s possible.


    -But¡­


    -It won¡¯t be too much for you. You¡¯re a genius, Jung Hayan, and I¡¯m sure the story¡¯s full of inted content¡­ It¡¯smon to exaggerate a bit. You don¡¯t have to worry about it.


    -So, am I also going to be mocking up with Cha Heera? Wh-when? when¡­


    -I don¡¯t know. Probably not soon. Since I said I would contact you, I think it will be best to prepare from now on.


    -I-I can also win, right?


    -Sure. Park¡­ There¡¯s no way you can¡¯t do what Park Mijin did. You will definitely be able to win. And¡­ It¡¯s an important mock battle. You have to try hard. You also need to be prepared. I will help you in ways.


    ¡®We¡¯re getting somewhere now.¡¯


    I felt it every time I saw her, but she certainly deserved to be a puppet master.


    From her experience of walking on a thin line every day, it seemed to me that it was ideal in some ways.


    Honestly, I didn¡¯t know if it was really right to move her out.


    Perhaps, even if she moved out, wouldn¡¯t she be transferred from the Jung Hayan anger response team to the Grand Wizard Anger Control Committee?


    If I offered her a high annual sry, I was certain that she would give out a happy scream.


    Honestly, even if I was going to another area with my nerves¡­


    ¡®It doesn¡¯t seem like Hayan will leave it as is.¡¯


    There was no meaning to move her from Jung Hayan¡¯s side.


    As much as I already saw her as her unparalleled friend, I could be sure that her role wouldn¡¯t change much from the current one, even if she did get transferred.


    ¡®Sora¡­ I wish she¡¯s happy, at least¡­ It¡¯s very pitiful.¡¯


    -Practice¡­ firmly¡­ Yes, I have to try hard.


    -It wasn¡¯t revealed externally, and it wasn¡¯t an official announcement, but this is really important¡­ The reason for promoting the mock battle with Jung Hayan immediately after the mock battle between Cha Heera and Park Mijin was carried out¡­


    -What is it? Why?


    -So¡­


    -What is the reason for it?


    -I¡¯ll tell you. I will tell you now. So¡­ A little special mission¡­ Yes, he said he was trying to entrust a special task¡­ an important job that will be done with the Vice Guild Master¡­


    -Is that so?


    -It¡¯s not certain. I am not totally sure¡­ Maybe everyone thinks that way because there will inevitably be a mission that a wizard should face in the uing high-level warfare. In order to select the line that meets the mission¡­ Of course, it can¡¯t be denied that the Vice Guild Master loves Jung Hayan, but this is work. It would be natural to consider the more powerful wizard as the better candidate.


    She kept huping, but she didn¡¯t seem to be aware of it. Didn¡¯t that show how nervous she was?


    Honestly, Han Sora¡¯s courage was also amazing. In order to achieve the dream of moving out, her appearance was the same as a warrior encountering the Demon King.


    -Will I be able to win? Cha Hee-ra¡­ I really hate her¡­ I really, really hate her¡­


    -You¡¯ll probably be able to win without difficulty. Park Mijin also did it, right? Do you have any weaknesses?


    -I really hate it because it¡¯s Cha Hee-ra, but I hate Park Mijin m-m-more than Cha Heera. Park Mijin¡­ I really hate her.


    -Me too¡­ I don¡¯t like her very much. She¡¯s around the Vice Guild Master a lot¡­ I hate rumors, but I think she has some other purpose as well¡­


    -Well, it¡¯s that, right?


    -Yes, it¡¯s too funny to say that she just popped out one day¡­ Maybe she could be the same person as the devil contractorsst time. It would be better to be a little more careful¡­ Because the Vice Guild Master trusts people too much.


    -It would be nice if it was like that¡­ If you are a bad person¡­


    -¡­


    -You can kill.


    -You can¡¯t kill. Yes, if you kill¡­


    -Will you do it together with me then?


    -¡­


    -You will, right?


    -Anyway¡­ The mock battle with Cha Heeraes first.


    -Will you do it together with me?


    -It¡¯s better to focus on work¡­


    -Let¡¯s do it together. Together.


    -Yes, of course¡­


    I didn¡¯t know how their conversation was suddenly transformed into a n to murder Park Mijin.


    Jung Hayan was tearing her hair with her nails and seemed to be a little more stressed than I thought.


    Could it be that she thought that the task of fighting Cha Hee-ra was a little unexpected and that it wouldn¡¯t be easy?


    She probably thought that it was an impossible task for herself. No, it was almost certain that she felt that way.


    Her expression was darker than before, and she looked more anxious than when the story started.


    I didn¡¯t know if it¡¯s because of the memories she had of her, but she was aware that Cha Hee-ra was a difficult opponent.


    Just like when a beast met a beast that was more ferocious than herself, Jung Hayan was terrified.


    Of course, Hayan was an important person, and Oppa loved and cherished her, but anyone could be convinced that Cha Hee-ra was the strongest. Cha Hee-ra was a difficult opponent for Jung Hayan. She must¡¯ve been a person who judged that even she wouldn¡¯t easily win, so it was natural for her to show such anxiety.


    ¡®How did she win?¡¯


    Or something like¡­


    ¡®What skills did she use? Who the hell is Park Mijin¡­ How can that be?¡¯


    Perhaps even¡­


    ¡®Can I win? Can it be done? I lostst time¡­ I think I¡¯ll lose again this time.¡¯


    They all had the same expression. It was scary to watch Hayan scratching her head so much that blood flowed out of her scalp, and I immediately saw Sora holding onto Jung Hayan¡¯s arms tightly.


    -You will be able to do it.


    ¡®That¡¯s right, Hayan. In terms of stats, you are more advantageous.¡¯


    -Please calm down, Jung Hayan. It will definitely be sessful.


    -If not¡­


    -That can¡¯t happen. Even if it doesn¡¯t work, there are other ways¡­ Also, as a result, the Vice Guild Master won¡¯t be able to leave Jung Hayan alone.


    ¡®Right. That¡¯s right.¡¯


    -Ooh¡­


    -Don¡¯t be too burdened.


    ¡®No, I have to bear it. I¡¯m really sorry, but¡­ Now I feel the weights on my shoulder.


    Originally, one had to get hurt to grow. When would Hayan go through such an ordeal again?¡¯


    -N-no¡­


    ¡®Still, I feel sorry that you¡¯re crying so sadly.¡¯


    -There aren¡¯t many days left until the two of you can live happily together, right? You just need to work harder for a little bit longer. Yes, it¡¯s okay. Just a little more, and we¡¯ll¡­


    -Huhu, Sora will be next door to me, together, right?


    ¡®That¡¯s too harsh for Sora, Hayan.¡¯


    -¡­


    -Right?


    -¡­


    -You¡¯re not leaving, are you?


    -Yeah¡­


    It was just for a moment, but I saw how Sora¡¯s face turned pale.


    Her expression said that something was wrong. What did Han Sora think as she looked at the ceiling with her eyes that seemed as empty as the void?


    -I¡¯ll do my best, Sora. Cha Hee-ra¡­ I can beat Cha Hee-ra. Park Mijin can also be killed.


    -Yes¡­ Wait¡­?


    -I¡¯ll never let go of him¡­ No, no, no.


    -¡­


    -Absolutely, never¡­ He won¡¯t be taken away from me. It will never¡­ never¡­ never¡­


    The sight of Han Sora¡¯s body shivering was reflected in my vision. Had I also been there, wouldn¡¯t I have had the same reaction?


    It really felt like it had been a long time since Ist saw her.


    [Noona,e prepared properly. You should think that you¡¯re fighting with Kim Hyunsing and prepare ordingly.]


    It was too hard to send such a message.


    * * *


    ¡°I am always preparing properly, dear.¡±

 Chapter 668: Over the Wall (4)

    <h4>Chapter 668: Over the Wall (4)</h4>


    ¡°Hayan¡¯s here? It¡¯s been a long time.¡±


    ¡°Oh, O-Oppa.¡±


    ¡°How have you been?¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes¡­ Well, I¡¯m doing well. I-it was a little difficult, but¡­ I¡¯ve been well. Did you do well, too? Yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sorry for not being able to contact you. I¡¯m so busy¡­ I¡¯m sorry, Hayan.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no. No. It¡¯s not something Oppa should be sorry for. Oppa shouldn¡¯t be sorry. Yes¡­ That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time for Sora, too.¡±


    ¡°I know, Vice Guild Master¡­¡±


    ¡°Is the work going well?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it doesn¡¯t seem too bad. In fact, I don¡¯t know if I can match all the quantities¡­ Still, it¡¯s okay for now, so you can rest assured.¡±


    ¡°Sora is w-w-working hard.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡®I can¡¯t look in her eyes properly.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t because I felt sorry for her, but because her eyes seemed so full of murderous intent.


    ¡®It¡¯s not like this all the time.¡¯


    Since that day, I had monitored her status with the telescope, and she still had those eyes.


    I thought meeting her would make a difference, so I came in a neat appearance, but she still looked far from normal. All other factors were alright, but her eyes were a problem.


    ¡®Ah, isn¡¯t this okay? Isn¡¯t this like touching the beehive?¡¯


    Since I had such a thought, what more would be needed?


    However, on the other hand, she appeared to be down.


    It wasn¡¯t known what she was exactly thinking, but I thought that one of the reasons for Jung Hayan¡¯s expression was obviously a feeling of inferiority.


    She prepared a lot and made up her mind again, but she couldn¡¯tpletely shake off her thoughts about the genius wizard Park Mijin.


    Sora put her own efforts to bring Jung Hayan back to normal, but it looked like it refused to work.


    It wasn¡¯t a suitable example, but I thought it was simr to Kim Hyunsung¡¯s feeling of despair. After the work was over, she had to bring Jung Hayan back to her former state again.


    It was no wonder that the front of her eyes was darker than normal.


    She had to reassure Jung Hayan and raise her self-esteem. After all the work was done, that is.


    ¡®At the moment, this is the best.¡¯


    I knew that Jung Hayan¡¯s jealousy and anger were based on her low self-esteem.


    I didn¡¯t know if my interpretation was correct, but she had been like that since we first met.


    She also had the trauma of being abandoned by her family, like human trash. That was why she wasn¡¯t sure of herself.


    She was basically carrying the burden that everything was because of her, and she consequently came to the idea that she could be abandoned at any time. Jung Hayan was constantly anxious, and her anxiety was the driving force behind her second timeline¡¯s growth.


    It was true that she had grown up, not simply because she was crazy, but because she desperately grabbed onto her magic.


    After I greeted her briefly, she ran to me, and then afortable smile began to spread from her lips. It looked like the bomb she carried had been given to someone else.


    It was the happiest look I¡¯d seen recently. So what else did I need to say?


    ¡®Can you be so happy? Don¡¯t show it too much.¡¯


    Wasn¡¯t the situation heavenly for her?


    ¡°Did you prepare yourself?¡±


    ¡°Yes, a-a-a little.¡±


    ¡®You¡¯re desperate. I¡¯ve seen a lot of this before.¡¯


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to overwork yourself, Hayan. As I already said, it¡¯s just a mock battle, and it doesn¡¯t mean much. I just need a lot of data. You might get hurt if you overdo yourself, so you can just think of it as a practice. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know. I know.¡±


    I was certain that she probably heard it with one ear and let it pass through the other ear.


    Because in the state she was currently in, she wasn¡¯t not listening well to others.


    My arm was starting to tingle as if someone was holding my left arm so tightly.


    I was worried that my limb would be broken by Jung Hayan¡¯s grip, which was unusually strong for a wizard.


    ¡°The mock battle will be held in this forest, and there will be no separate rules. Whatever you do, it¡¯s up to you, Hayan, so do itfortably.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that will be convenient. That should be the right thing. Cha¡­ When is Cha Heeraing?¡±


    ¡°Soon, perhaps.¡±


    ¡°Come on, honey, it¡¯s been a long time. Even Ms. Second is here. How long has it been? How have you been?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I came because I was in a hurry and didn¡¯t eat yet, but it doesn¡¯t matter.¡±


    ¡°You do what you want, Noona.¡±


    ¡°You, too. Let¡¯s eat together before starting. Blue Guild¡¯s Han Sora. You too.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t walk away.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Even Cha Hee-ra couldn¡¯t be good enough.


    Contrary to her usual appearance, she was slightly different, and she looked a little tense. From Jung Hayan¡¯s appearance, Cha Hee-ra felt like a boundary.


    It seemed that I didn¡¯t really think she would be broken.


    When I honestly saw Jung Hayan, I was worried about whether she would pressure Cha Hee-ra, but that didn¡¯t seem to be the case.


    What I was careful about was Jung Hayan. Cha Heera, as usual, was in the position of an apex predator.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s sit down and eat.¡±


    I thought it would be necessary to eat together since it didn¡¯t seem harmful.


    That was because I was confident that sitting down and talking would help their feelings.


    Wasn¡¯t it a task that helped them not kill each other but to be co-workers first?


    The huge bags she brought with her was noticeable.


    I wondered why she brought the bag, which seemed to berger than her body, but after checking it once with my Mind¡¯s Eyes, I couldn¡¯t help but think it was appropriate.


    ¡®Weapons and armor.¡¯


    It looked like Hee-ra was in the mood for drinking, but she seemed to have decided that the Jung Hayan wasn¡¯t an easy opponent, considering she prepared that much.


    ¡®Of course, she can¡¯t do anything without any weapons.¡¯


    Cha Hee-ra also understood that it was impossible to throw off the magic with her bare hands as before.


    ¡®You must win.¡¯


    In simple terms, Jung Hayan had the upper hand, but her experience itself was inferior.


    The Mercenary Queen was a person who had gained experience by crossing countless battles, and all of her experience was inherent in her body.


    Soon, we began to eat leisurely. Unlike Cha Heera, who was eating meat with excitement, Jung Hayan didn¡¯t put anything in her mouth.


    It was natural for me to feel ufortable with the continued silence. I wasn¡¯t the only one who was anxious either. Sora, a risk expert, was also losing her cool.


    I thought she had to say something.


    ¡°I talked about it before, but I think it would be better to do it in a way that they won¡¯t be too crowded with each other¡­¡±


    ¡°I know that.¡±


    ¡°Because we¡¯re not going too far away, we¡¯re waiting for the number of people to recover from the ident, and some safety devices are in ce. You don¡¯t have to be too passive.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot to keep in mind. If it isn¡¯t excessive, and if it isn¡¯t possible to be passive¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m done eating, so I have to wear some armament. By any chance, I¡¯m telling you to stay far away as possible, honey. It means don¡¯t wait here but go a little further.¡±


    ¡®Why are you saying that, Noona?¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s always annoying every time I wear it. And I¡¯m going to die because it¡¯s annoying to carry this bag, but there are no infinity bags for sale. If I knew this would happen, I would have bought some in advance.¡±


    ¡®I have a lot.¡¯


    But I didn¡¯t think I had to say that. Hee-ra looked busy wearing cool ck armor for each part of her body.


    Naturally, it was an unfamiliar scene. Cha Hee-ra was wearingpletely different clothes than what she usually wore.


    She had conveyed a sense of weight that seemed to feel like work from what she usually wore. Of course, it was not heavy for Cha Hee-ra, but it would be for anyone else, even her powerful guards.


    I was sure that they wouldn¡¯t be able to lift one part, let alone a whole set.


    She looked like a warrior from legends with arge greatsword and arge ax in hand.


    ¡®A feeling of overbearing¡­¡¯


    Wouldn¡¯t Jung Hayan feel it as well? She hadn¡¯t said much, but I could see that she was nervous.


    ¡°Are you nervous?¡±


    ¡°N-n-not really.¡±


    ¡°Relieve your tension. It¡¯s a mock battle anyway. But she was strong, Park Mijin that is.¡±


    ¡®Noona, why are you like that?¡¯


    ¡°She was really strong. My pride has been crushed a little after such a long time, too. You can do it in moderation, Ms. Second. I think the results will also be obvious. Honestly, I wouldn¡¯t have been here if it hadn¡¯t been for the Vice Guild Master. It feels like he¡¯s giving me another chance. Well, I¡¯ll just do my best.¡±


    ¡®Noona, stop. I think it would be okay to stop now.¡¯


    ¡°This is really fun. Let¡¯s start quickly?¡±


    ¡®Stop Noona, please, Sh*t.¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    It was all a little ufortable.


    Perhaps the useless remarks of Cha Hee-ra were the expressions of her willingness to fight sincerely.


    To say that it was the end of training didn¡¯t match her personality.


    Since she opened her mouth about Park Mijin, I was sure she was thinking of finishing it off with Park Mijin.


    ¡°So, annoying¡­ Annoying¡­ You¡¯re annoying¡­ Really¡­¡±


    Jung Hayan slowly began to mutter with her small voice.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Vice Guild Master. Quickly, quickly.¡±


    ¡°Oka¡­¡±


    ¡°I have to go now. now¡­ I think I should go now. We have to get out of here right now. Now¡­¡±


    ¡°No, wait a minute¡­ wai¡­¡±


    ¡°I have to get out of here now¡­¡±


    ¡°No, what is so urgent?¡±


    ¡°I have to go now! You motherfucker!¡±


    Immediately after Han Sora¡¯s voice popped out, the birds in the forest suddenly started flying into the sky.


    ¡®Sh*t, that surprised me.¡¯


    The animals started behaving as if a natural disaster was about to ur. However, that much was expected. What was a little surprising was that Han Sora sensed the natural disaster earlier than the wild animals.


    ¡®What is this child¡¯s identity?¡¯


    I thought so for a moment, but I felt it myself when I bore witness to what was right in front of my eyes.


    Cha Hee-ra was still smiling, and Jung Hayan gradually lowered her head and muttered quietly in an inaudible voice.


    I thought it would be a good idea to say that it was the start of their preparations, but it wasn¡¯t a situation where such a statement waspatible.


    Jung Hayan bit her lips tightly, and she had bloodshot eyes. Of course, red blood flowed from her mouth, but she didn¡¯t seem to care about it.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    BAAAAAAAAANG!!!


    BOOOOOOOM!


    That was when the loud sh was heard.


    I saw an unrealistic view of Cha Hee-ra¡¯s body floating a few hundred meters and being thrown to the other side.


    ¡°Let¡¯s make a run for it.¡±


    The red monster, who had already risen from her slumber, gave a big smile, and the appearance of joy was reflected. I was forced to turn right away and sit on the Griffon¡¯s saddle.


    ¡°Run!!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t leave. Don¡¯t leave me¡­ Do not leave me!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Please, please!¡±


    ¡°Run quickly!!¡±


    ¡°Hey, you son of a bitch! Don¡¯t leave me! Huh huh¡­ Please don¡¯t leave me! Ugh¡­ Don¡¯t leave me!!¡±

 Chapter 669: Over the Wall (5)

    <h4>Chapter 669: Over the Wall (5)</h4>


    Han Sora was limping and running vigorously. I felt sorry for some reason.


    It was a heartbreaking scene that could only be seen in movies where the protagonist was tripped by a rock while running as hard as they could.


    In fact, I didn¡¯t mean to leave her, but the problem was that I patted the Griffon on the back without realizing it.


    I could swear to God that I never left her because I wanted to.


    No, to be honest, before I patted him on the back, White Paul, the bastard, already tried to leave Sora and make a run for it too. I even thought he was going to leave me.


    ¡°Don¡¯t leave me. Don¡¯t leave me!¡±


    ¡®Sorry, Sora. I think it¡¯s toote. You can survive, right?¡¯


    Perhaps it was because she saw with her own eyes that the Griffon was slowly flying away, but Han Sora was asserting her right to survive with a louder voice.


    I thought I had to take Han Sora with me somehow, and I shouldn¡¯t abandon her like that, but the scared White Paul was already fleeing into the air.


    Wild animals had already fled out of the forest, after all.


    While White Paul was trained, he was still an animal, so he couldn¡¯t be med for following his instincts.


    If one missed the timing, they might¡¯ve not only messed up everything. If Hee-ra smelled an unidentified lewd smell, she could head our way.


    A pure mock battle would turn into a dog fight, and an unbearable situation would arise.


    Of course, I was certain that it would go in a different direction from the original purpose. Han Sora wasn¡¯t ipetent at all. I thought she couldst for a few hours.


    ¡°Sigh¡­Sigh¡­ Don¡¯t leave me, you son of a bitch! Huhu¡­¡±


    It was then that she reached out and chanted the spell.


    ¡®Oh, sh*t.¡¯


    White Paul, who seemed to be about to fly into the air, made a screeching sound.


    ¡®She cursed you. Wow, her personality¡­ Han Sora isn¡¯t a ck magician for no reason.¡¯


    ¡°Come quickly, Sora.¡±


    ¡°Wait, wait, wait¡­ Wait¡­ hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaa¡­¡±


    First of all, I must¡¯ve taken a motion to stretch out my hands as much as possible. I should¡¯ve appealed that we didn¡¯t intend to leave her from the beginning.


    A whileter, Han Sora¡¯s hand, which was desperately reaching out to me, was finally caught.


    The debuff while hanging on White Paul was lifted in an instant, and I could see him winging into the sky swiftly.


    Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!


    It was then that an unidentified shock wave hit White Paul with a loud noise.


    ¡°Aaaaaaaaah!¡±


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    I was out of my mind, but I knew what the situation currently was like.


    White Paul, which bounced off the shockwave in the air, was plunging to the ground.


    I didn¡¯t know what the hell I was doing, and I didn¡¯t know if a shockwave hit us, but I was stuck, thinking, ¡®what if this bastard falls to the ground like this?¡¯


    It was when the ground was just right below us that the bastard who had fallen weakly suddenly took center stage.


    ¡®What? What did you do?¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t White Paul¡¯s personal ability to neglect training and leave the hard work to Kim Hyunsung.


    What I saw was a variety of artifacts decorated in his saddle. There were arge array of safety devices designed to help and enjoy stable riding when the Griffon lost its bnce.


    It was also due to the power of the seat belt that it didn¡¯t get unbuckled after being swept away by the wave.


    ¡®That¡¯s why you wear seatbelts,dies and gentlemen.¡¯


    I used to not understand why it costed so much money to install magic belt artifacts or various auxiliary tools, but at that moment, I finally did.


    I thought it would be okay to wear those because I wasn¡¯t used to the situation.


    I nodded satisfactorily and immediately spoke to our precious guild member. A sincere concern came from my heart since I was surprised by the sudden situation.


    ¡°Are you alright, Sora?¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­ okay¡­ I¡¯m okay¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief. We better move quicker than this.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°And¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°If you go home alive today, you¡¯ll get plenty of incentives¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    I wanted to make sure how things were going, but we had to stay away from the ce where the incident took ce for the time being.


    ¡®Can she win?¡¯


    No, it was not whether she could win, but rather she had to win.


    If Cha Hee-ra lost, there was a good chance that Jung Hayan would explode in a different sense.


    After creating some distance, I slowly began to watch the situation.


    As soon as the telescope was activated, Cha Hee-ra, who was confronting Jung Hayan, came into view.


    The shockwave was a simple warm-up, but there was no sound of conversation.


    Jung Hayan, who entered a state of extreme anger with her lips wide open, and Cha Hee-ra, who looked like she was about to go crazy, was right in front of my eyes.


    ¡°We haven¡¯t really started yet. Sora, you need to get the data straight.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to keep running simtions with the data I got today.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®I didn¡¯t mean to leave you behind, Sora. For real. Don¡¯t look at me like that.¡¯


    ¡°Hmmm¡­ I¡¯m sorry earlier, but I think White Paul was surprised.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®I¡¯m not that trash, really.¡¯


    ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s get to work, Sora. Don¡¯t you want to be transferred?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go. I¡¯ll go.¡±


    ¡°Then hurry up and turn on the Goddess¡¯s Mirror. Come to think of it, who do you think will win, Sora?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ hmm¡­ honestly, I¡¯m not¡­ I¡¯ve already told you that it¡¯s hard to measure based on the reports alone¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a logical question. You can answer it roughly.¡±


    ¡°Honestly, it¡¯s hard to imagine Jung Hayan losing, yet for some reason¡­ I think she¡¯s going to lose.¡±


    ¡°Do you have any grounds for that im?¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s a mental health thing. Hayan seems a little scared, and she always thought of losing.¡±


    ¡®That makes sense.¡¯


    Of course, I agreed with her sentiment.


    The difference between a person who thought of losing in the first ce and a person who didn¡¯t think they could lose was clear.


    It didn¡¯t matter if it was just that, but it was only right to think that Jung Hayan and Cha Hee-ra were the difference between the fearful and the fearless.


    Cha Hee-ra was smiling, but Jung Hayan was crying.


    There was no need for other words. I could bet that that difference would determine the oue. Of course, Jung Hayan, who always showed her transcendent side, could be able to ovee the situation with her skills.


    It was then that Jung Hayan chanted the spell.


    -¡­!


    The number of magic spells that poured out was exactly¡­


    ¡®Eight?¡¯


    ¡°What? Wait, what¡¯s that? How do you chant eight spells at once?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t high-level magic. It was rather basic, but it was nevertheless hard to understand that eight magic spells could be chanted simultaneously.


    ¡®What¡¯s this? Isn¡¯t she stronger than we thought?¡±


    It would be natural to think so.


    Originally, the most important factor for a wizard to deal with a warrior was how many spells they could chant at once.


    It wouldn¡¯t be wrong to think that if a wizard could cast two spells, then they¡¯d have two lives, and if they could cast three at once, then they¡¯d have three.


    That was the case with the Holy Sword party¡¯s wizard, that was on the verge of delisting.


    He was able to chant three at once and seeded in earning one second each against Kim Hyunsung, with a total of three seconds.


    The difference between him and Jung Hayan was that he could chant the same spell three times.


    That was not the case. She was able to cast eight different magic spells all at once.


    Also¡­


    ¡°While invoking magic¡­ She can cast.¡±


    The high-level wizard had no choice but to realize very well what it meant to be independent of her opponent.


    Jung Hayan had no time to spare.


    The first round was stronger than that? How urate was that im?


    There was no cooldown time between casting magic number one and magic number two.


    For example, in any online games¡­


    If a wizard could use magic by simply pressing a button without dys, then I was certain that other jobs would go wild.


    At that moment, Jung Hayan¡¯s appearance looked like the destruction of bnce.


    Cha Hee-ra was forced to go on the defensive. As she said, the lengthy exnation was true.


    Baaaaaaaaaaaaang!


    Boooooooooooooooooooooooom!!!


    -Die, die, die!!!


    ¡®No, don¡¯t kill her.¡¯


    Baaaaaaaaaaaaang!


    Boooooooooooooooooooooooom!!!


    -Come on,e on! Come on! Faint! Hurry up and faint!


    Baaaaaaaaaaaaang!


    She had the force that literally personified natural disasters. Honestly, Cha Heera couldn¡¯t be seen properly through the Goddess¡¯s Mirror.


    As soon as I activated the telescope, I began to take a closer look at Cha Heera.


    It was jaw-dropping to see the explosions, roars, mes, ice, storms, and the battle itself.


    I didn¡¯t know if Jung Hayan was watching that either. Maybe she couldn¡¯t see anything.


    I wasn¡¯t certain if she¡¯s thinking of prolongedbat, but Anemone¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t seem to be working either.


    From Jung Hayan¡¯s perspective, she could probably only see a huge forest being destroyed by magic.


    ¡®How could you do that?¡¯


    The magic spells bombarding her were struck with axes and swords, and she avoided the projectiles that she could avoid.


    The magic resistance of her armor absorbed the spells that were thought to pierce through durability.


    All the high-quality magic spells that were destroying the ce were being cleaned up.


    I had seen her bounce off magic before, but it was far different from what she was currently showing.


    She crushed the huge ice cube approaching with an ax and flicked the fireball, which was capable of making a sinkhole that was several tens of meters in diameter, with arge sword.


    The shoulder deflected the wind desunched at her as she broke down the mana spheres with her gauntleted hands.


    I¡¯d always thought watching Kim Hyunsung fighting was cool, but unlike that, the scene before me could make anyone unable to take their eyes off of it.


    Cha Hee-ra¡¯s image was pure strength itself. The power not to rely on swordsmanship or techniques.


    ¡®Overwhelming strength.¡¯


    Baaaaaaaaaaaaang!


    Boooooooooooooooooooom!!!


    With the constant sound of explosions, it was Jung Hayan¡¯s spell that burst again.


    ¡°What? What is it? What¡¯s that?¡±


    The color of the sky changed, and a huge shadow was hanging in the sky.


    Clouds opened, and a meteorite that could devour everything fell, causing tremendous wind pressure.


    It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that the magic she used before was already bigger than the meteorite magic cast by normal wizards.


    No, it was bigger than a shot by Belial that almost turned Laos into a sea of fire.


    I looked at the scene that was so unrealistic nkly.


    ¡®Is she going to die?¡¯


    I naturally thought that way. It didn¡¯t make sense that humans could withstand that much magic.


    Was it right to do something? I thought I underestimated Jung Hayan and overestimated Cha Hee-ra too much.


    As I turned my head with many anxious thoughts, I saw Cha Hee-ra simply smiling at the scene.


    -Hahahahaha!


    ¡®What? she looks crazy. What¡¯s happening?¡¯


    -Ha¡­ ha ha ha ha ha ha!


    ¡®You haven¡¯t gone mad, have you, Noona?¡¯


    -Fuck! I¡¯m having fun.


    ¡®What¡¯s funny?¡¯


    -Hahahahahahaha!!!

 Chapter 670: Over the Wall (6)

    <h4>Chapter 670: Over the Wall (6)</h4>


    ¡®Is that really a fun situation?¡¯


    If I were in Cha Hee-ra¡¯s shoes, I would¡¯ve cried out that I wanted to live as I knelt before Hayan.


    I was certain that anyone would¡¯ve behaved like that. I wasn¡¯t sure if even Kim Hyunsung would¡¯ve survived that meteorite. Either way, he wouldn¡¯t haveughed that happily.


    Although he didn¡¯t have that kind of personality in the first ce, the meteorite that Jung Hayan dropped made me feel frustrated.


    ¡®She won¡¯t be able to stop that. She can¡¯t survive.¡¯


    The desperate situation made me think of such things. It looked like a lethal move that a Great Demon King would¡¯ve dropped toward the Holy Warrior party.


    It couldn¡¯t be seen as ceremonial magic. It was far beyond what other wizards on the continent could do.


    Nevertheless¡­ It was ironic that the one that attracted more attention was the red-haired monster.


    -Hahahahahaha!


    I couldn¡¯t understand, but it could certainly be enjoyable from Cha Hee-ra¡¯s point of view.


    Hadn¡¯t it been a long time since she had a proper fight?


    Although she went in and out of the monsters¡¯ forest to relieve her stress, it wasn¡¯t enough to satisfy her desire. She wanted to fight until she had lost her mind, and that was finally happening.


    The battle wasn¡¯t over yet, but she might¡¯ve felt some sense of aplishment. She could feel that that was what she wanted.


    Perhaps she felt drunk. She looked addicted to fighting.


    Her eyes were slowly getting redder, and her muscle strength that humans couldn¡¯t have in return for undermining intelligence permeated her body temporarily.


    Even so, she might not have been able to resist that meteorite, but she opened her arms wide and began to run toward the magic that was falling.


    I couldn¡¯t hear herughter anymore. I could only hear the sound of the beast.


    Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang!!!


    Cha Hee-ra¡¯s ax touched the meteorite with a loud bang.


    Boooooooooooooooooom!!!


    She then used her sword against it as well.


    She wouldn¡¯t have been able to withstand the overwhelming mass if she didn¡¯t bring anything with her. Her items made the impossible possible. I thought that she was going to get squashed. She could definitely get squashed.


    ¡®It¡¯s not going to crush you, right, Noona?¡¯


    Cha Hee-ra swung her ax once again.


    Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang!!!


    The falling meteorite shook, causing Jung Hayan to bite her lips tightly.


    A battle between forcing the meteorite to crash onto the ground and forcing it back into the skies began.


    ¡®Shouldn¡¯t we save her? If Cha Hee-ra dies, we¡¯re screwed¡­ We¡¯d have to get on Noah¡¯s Ark right away.¡¯


    Baaaaaaang!


    She swung her ax once more when her ankle touched the ground.


    ¡®Are you trying to break it down before it falls?¡¯


    Honestly, I didn¡¯t know if that was possible. At that point, I didn¡¯t think she¡¯d hold be able out against it.


    -Faint!!! You m-m-monster! Please faint!


    Right after she heard a cry calling her a monster, she did it again.


    Baaaaaaaaaaaang!


    The meteorite hadpletely worn out one of her arms defending against it, and her armor was starting to burst due to the pressure.


    I gulped as I watched the scene. When her shin hit the ground, Hee-ra swung her weapons once again.


    Baaaaaaaaaaaang!!


    ¡®I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to break. That won¡¯t break. Cha Hee-ra, you¡¯re going to die. Sh*t. No, Hee-ra Noona, you¡¯re not supposed to die.¡¯


    Even her hand, which was initially wielding her ax, ended up holding the meteorite instead.


    I thought the fight was over by then.


    It was impossible to reverse or deflect it away or possibly split it in half.


    Of course, it would also be impossible to take it head-on.


    The n was screwed, and at that moment, I thought I had to wrap it up.


    Baaaaaaaaaaaaang!


    ¡°What?¡±


    Explosive sounds echoed once again.


    Booooooooooooooooooom!!


    I heard it continue seemingly nonstop, filling the air with tremorous vibrations.


    Booooooooooooooooooom!!


    In the Goddess¡¯s Mirror, Cha Hee-ra was banging her head against the meteorite.


    ¡®What the hell is happening now?¡¯


    What was more absurd was that the huge meteorite could be heard shattering from within.


    Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang!!!


    I watched it falling apart and breaking down.


    I thought I had seen more than my fair share of unrealistic scenes, but what I saw right at that moment topped everything.


    Eventually, the meteorite¡¯s surface started blowing up. What was more worth seeing than my expression was Jung Hayan¡¯s face.


    -Please, please faint now!


    Cha Hee-ra was weing the rain of debris falling from the sky with a satisfied face.


    They were being tossed or smashed, causing various noises to emerge.


    If there was a difference from before, it was that at that moment, Hee-ra was moving forward, stepping on huge debris falling from the air as she moved toward the sky where Jung Hayan was floating.


    She wasn¡¯t as urate as Kim Hyunsung, but she was still incredibly fast.


    The speed at which the muscle strength of her legs was exuded didn¡¯t allow her to change directions, but she was effective in terms of straight movements.


    She was hit by falling meteorite debris as she went up recklessly, but she didn¡¯t care much.


    Jung Hayan¡¯s body disappeared when Cha Hee-ra came up halfway.


    Teleportation.


    ¡°Did she widen the distance?¡±


    The concept of distance was already meaningless to her, who had teleportation.


    The second most important factor in the battle between warriors and wizards was space between them, and Jung Hayan could control that.


    Although she blocked the meteorite, Cha Hee-ra lost a lot of stamina.


    Jung Hayan also used a lot of magic, but in that way, Cha Hee-ra¡¯s physical strength would definitely be depleted first.


    Or so I thought¡­ Until I saw that the destination of teleportation was behind Cha Hee-ra.


    -¡­!


    I didn¡¯t know if she intended to shoot magic at close range, but once again, Cha Heera¡¯s body charged forth with a roar.


    She also didn¡¯t expect Jung Hayan¡¯s approach.


    The sight of the wizard, who moved so fast that it couldn¡¯t be properly grasped by my telescope, cast all kinds of spells against Cha Hee-ra¡¯s body. It reminded me of the superman I had seen in oldic books.


    When I looked at the scene from a distance, I could see the light of magic shing.


    The red beast had gone up into the air with ambition, but she was being beaten.


    How could she catch a wizard who could use teleportation while avoiding falling debris caused by Jung Hayan?


    Nevertheless, Cha Hee-ra wasn¡¯t nervous. She was just showing a little irritation.


    A short spell while teleporting couldn¡¯t cause decisive damage. Jung Hayan was also very aware of the fact. That was why¡­


    ¡®You¡¯re drawing a magic circle.¡¯


    She was drawing a magic circle in the sky. Shortly after a little more time had passed since the circle waspleted, debris from the meteorite stopped for a moment and began to be seemingly maized towards Cha Hee-ra.


    ¡°She¡¯s not a human being¡­¡±


    Han Sora, who stared nkly at the scene, murmured unconsciously.


    ¡®That¡¯s why people say that she¡¯s the ultimate weapon of mankind.¡¯


    The expression ¡®transcendental¡¯ wasn¡¯t used on her for no reason. To be honest, I doubted whether they were both human beings.


    ¡°Jung Hayan is¡­ I think Jung Hayan will win. Jung Hayan¡­ Is winning. She¡¯s winning!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that.¡±


    ¡°Jung Hayan¡­ How¡­ how can a human being¡­ Of course, Cha Hee-ra is also strong, but look at Jung Hayan. Nothing can exin the fact that she can still keep casting spells under such circumstances. She doesn¡¯t just use magic. I think she knows how to fight. I don¡¯t know if I should say this, but she has great execution skills. She¡¯s a natural at this. Really¡­¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s great. Honestly, I didn¡¯t expect her to fight like that.¡±


    ¡°I underestimated her too much.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Vice Guild Master, what if Jung Hayan wins like this?¡±


    ¡°Hayan will lose.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°There isn¡¯t any ¡®but¡¯. Hayan will lose.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not trying to intervene, are you?¡±


    ¡°Who do you think I am?¡±


    ¡°How can you intervene in this situation? You¡¯ll die if you try to do that. I¡¯m just telling you what I see¡­¡±


    It seemed like she thought Jung Hayan was taking the lead, and she was saying what the hell was going on with me.


    However, some factors were invisible to her and visible only to my eyes.


    Jung Hayan had been consuming magic at a rapid rate and had yet to deliver a deadly blow.


    Of course, it was undeniable that Cha Hee-ra¡¯s physical strength fell faster, but I had to support Cha Hee-ra.


    There was really no other reason.


    ¡®Characteristics.¡¯


    There was a gradual change in her characteristics.


    [Characteristic - Bloodthirsty Madwoman -???]


    [???]


    ¡®She¡¯s going to cross over her limits,¡¯


    That was the only exnation. It wasn¡¯t wrong to say that there was a wall or that it would be crossed a littleter.


    ¡®She¡¯s really going over it, isn¡¯t she?¡¯


    She made the fight a springboard for growth and actually took it. In a way, I thought it was a mental difference.


    ¡®I¡¯m strong, and I can be stronger.¡¯


    and¡­


    ¡®Please faint.¡¯


    It boiled down to their mindset.


    Cha Hee-ra kept smiling.


    I didn¡¯t know if it was because she realized she was jumping over the wall, or whether her fight with Jung Hayan was getting more interesting, but she was bursting into a frenzy, looking as if she was having fun.


    She was buried in a rock, burned by fire, and was blown off, but she continued to swing her weapons and smile.


    When the ax touched the ground, the atmosphere shook as if an earthquake had urred, and when the sword was swung, the air was torn apart.


    It looked like she was ying in a yground.


    On the other hand, Jung Hayan¡¯s eyes were filled with tears.


    She was throwing all kinds of magic, but I could see that she was losing confidence.


    Obviously, it was the madwoman who was caught up in a magical storm, but Jung Hayan herself looked like she was in it as well.


    ¡°Jung Hayan will win. Please¡­¡±


    ¡®Hayan has to lose for the sake of her growth.¡¯


    Since we spent a lot of time together, I felt sympathetic with that desperate look.


    However, Han Sora¡¯s prayer was denied as Jung Hayan took a step in the storm of her own magic.


    She looked like a dummy staring straight at Jung Hayan with her two eyes.


    Cha Hee-ra¡¯s body began to glow faintly as she continued to gasp. Eventually, I could see the result with my own eyes.


    [Characteristic - Bloodthirsty Madwoman - Mythic ss]


    [Decreases the intellectual stat and increases the other stats except for Luck.]


    She didn¡¯t jump over the wall. She broke the barrier built in front of her.


    Her coin was rising off the charts into the sky.


    ¡°Well, that worked out¡­¡±


    I was dumbfounded.


    Cha Hee-ra had broken the door that humans couldn¡¯t reach with her own power and took another step forward.

 Chapter 671: Han Sora’s Debut (1)

    <h4>Chapter 671: Han Sora¡¯s Debut (1)</h4>


    The masked trash was¡­


    ¡®How the hell did Jin Qing manage to deal with Hee-ra Noona?¡¯


    The moment that thought came in, I was hooked. It was possible to call her the strongest human being.


    ¡®No.¡¯


    Hyunsung also admitted that Cha Hee-ra was strong, but he never described her as that powerful. It wouldn¡¯t be wrong to think that she didn¡¯t awaken during the previous timeline¡¯s ongoing war.


    There was no event like that in the first round.


    Cha Hee-ra poured everything in and didn¡¯t have time to think seriously about herself.


    ¡®No, that¡¯s not true either. She fought the Four Angels.¡¯


    I was a little worried, but I began to think that Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t know.


    I didn¡¯t know when, where, or how she went missing, but there were many factors that could hold Cha Hee-ra back.


    She considered the Red Mercenary her own child, and she didn¡¯t hesitate to step up for what she actually cared about.


    I didn¡¯t even tell her about Noah¡¯s ark because I knew she would refuse.


    Of course, we intended to take her, but we knew better than anyone else that all she would want at that point was to die alongside her guild.


    From that perspective, wouldn¡¯t he have used her loved ones to lure Cha Hee-ra and create a trap to iste her?


    I could guarantee that he would¡¯ve slowly dragged her down to the surface by employing all sorts of dirty tactics like when he faced Kim Hyunsung.


    Although everything was questionable about exactly what method he used, the clear fact was that the masked trash caused her to go missing.


    ¡®Thank the gods I sent you off so quickly, you amazing bastard.¡¯


    If he had reached out to the powers of the Republic and the outer gods, he might¡¯ve lowered the probability that the continent would win by more than 40%.


    Cha Hee-ra¡¯s appearance was so unbelievable that I had to think about useless things.


    She was walking as if there was nothing difficult happening, and of course, Jung Hayan¡¯s expression began to turn into despair.


    The game was over. They didn¡¯t have to fight anymore to know. Jung Hayan knew the truth better than anyone else.


    As Jung Hayan was also a strong person, she must¡¯ve already realized her opponent¡¯s change. Ample stats backed the magic spells that Jung Hayan fired, yet nothing worked.


    -Ugh¡­ Oh, don¡¯te! Don¡¯te closer!


    She was desperately conjuring spells, but it was no use.


    Jung Hayan¡¯s magic capacity, which was as vast as the seas, was also bottoming out, and her mental breakdown wasn¡¯t helping, either.


    I didn¡¯t know any better, but I could guarantee that her thoughts were filled with ¡®I¡¯m losing¡¯.


    How could she stop Cha Hee-ra when she was so busy trying to slow down her advance?


    In the end, she was forced to wrap herself with dense protective magic. I knew what the red-haired monster was thinking at that point.


    ¡®A tie.¡¯


    Cha Hee-ra¡¯s characteristics would end after a while. Perhaps she was just trying to hold out until they got a tie.


    I understood the urgency of not wanting to lose, but why didn¡¯t she know that she looked more miserable?


    ¡°Go down.¡±


    ¡°Gee, how can I go down now?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to drop the potion I used during the Republican War. They won¡¯t notice if we do it quietly.¡±


    -Gosh. Huhuhu¡­


    Baaaaaaaaaaaaang!!


    She wouldn¡¯tst long, considering her magic shook whenever Hee-ra hit the protective barrier with her weapon.


    -Huhuhuhuhuhuhuhu¡­


    ¡®Why are you crying so depressingly, Hayan?¡¯


    -Huhuhuhuhu¡­ No, no, huhuhuhu¡­


    She had given up the battle. Cha Hee-ra thought she was out of her mind as she quietly looked down at her. That¡¯s when she saw it.


    ¡®Are you back?¡¯


    No, she was the same as before. I didn¡¯t know why Cha Hee-ra became calm, but maybe it was because she realized that Jung Hayan had no will to fight anymore.


    Cha Hee-ra had bepletely indifferent to Jung Hayan. It almost seemed like she was no longer paying much attention.


    I didn¡¯t know if it was an illusion, but I felt as if she was looking up at where we were for some reason. I thought it would be safer to fly a little higher in the sky, but I breathed a sigh of relief when she returned to normal.


    ¡®Are you able to turn that state on and off now, Noona?¡¯


    -Huhuhuhu¡­ huhuhuhuhuhuhuhu¡­ huhuhu.


    -Whoo¡­


    -Huhuhuhu¡­huhu


    -Well done, Second.


    Cha Hee-ra turned around right away and left her alone.


    ¡°Sora, go to Hayan first.¡±


    ¡°What? Oh, yeah.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll talk to Hee-ra for a moment and join you right away.¡±


    ¡°You have to¡­e quickly.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡±


    After answering, I moved swiftly.


    As I approached Cha Hee-ra, who was already a distance away from Jung Hayan, she stared at me.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t she back to normal yet?¡¯


    I felt sorry for nothing, but there was no problem whatsoever. Perhaps she had returned to her normal state, but her excitement after the battle hadn¡¯t subsided yet.


    It was difficult to find a proper ce to step because the area waspletely destroyed. Without realizing it, I saw her running towards me and grabbing my arm.


    ¡°Did it go as nned?¡±


    ¡°How do you feel, Noona?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t stand it, but that might be because the battle just ended.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not asking what you¡¯re literally feeling. I¡¯m asking for an evaluation.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m not impressed, but it feels good that you asked if I feel good or bad. It¡¯s kind of hard right now, but I think I can control it to a certain extent¡­ Still, I expected that much. How many times have I told you that I think I can jump higher? I can be stronger.¡±


    ¡°Can you be stronger than you are now?¡±


    She didn¡¯t answer, but her smile told me all I needed to hear.


    ¡°Go ahead and tell Ms. Second that I enjoyed it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not going?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the cause provider going to do? She¡¯ll just flip out. I have my own agendas to sort out¡­ I don¡¯t want to forget this sense because I got more than I thought¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have to check your physical condition?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to do it right away. I¡¯ll just have to do it within today. Come to the guild in the evening, honey.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only natural for winners to have trophies, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡®No, Noona. I¡¯m not a trophy.¡¯


    It was as if a lion was ying with its prey.


    ¡®I guess I have to go.¡¯


    Of course, there was no other option.


    ¡°Come and get ready. Oh, and the perfume you were going to use on me? No, you know, the stinky potion that makes me horny? Bring it all.¡±


    ¡®Why?¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯ll go ahead.¡±


    ¡°Yes, congrattions, Noona.¡±


    ¡°With the obvious.¡±


    She clenched her fist tightly and looked at herself. She seemed to say that she wasn¡¯t wrong about herself.


    Her steps had be more confident. She got what she wanted, and she would¡¯ve confirmed that there were still more walls in front of her.


    After breaking the wall, Cha Hee-ra was delighted to see another wall waiting right in front of her.


    Perhaps ordinary people were in despair.


    We would have no choice but to think about how to cross that wall and when to clean up everything in front of us to capture the beautiful scenery at a nce.


    For Cha Hee-ra, however, the wall in front of her eyes was the best scenery ever.


    ¡®You don¡¯t understand.¡¯


    I thought that Jung Hayan in the first round wasn¡¯t much different from Cha Hee-ra.


    She would¡¯ve burst outughing at the walls in front of her and would have been happy that she still had more room to dig in.


    Not at the moment, of course. The wall in front of Jung Hayan was no more or less than stress.


    Sure enough, tears were dripping as she cried nonstop like a beaver whose hard-built house had copsed.


    -Huhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhu¡­


    -Jung Hayan¡­ The¡­ Well¡­


    -Huhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhu¡­huhu.


    Jung Hayan¡¯s Inhibitor, Han Sora, seemed to be thinking about which approach to take.


    She seemed to be panicking, considering she seemed to be hoping for me toe back soon.


    ¡®She¡¯s so heartbroken.¡¯


    That reaction made me think that I¡¯d let go of everything. Hayan was even beating out Han Sora¡¯s hand that was trying to console her.


    ¡®No, Hayan. Don¡¯t do that.¡¯


    -You said I could win. Ugh¡­huhuhuhuhuh¡­


    -I¡¯m sorry¡­


    -You told me I could win¡­ Sora said that.


    -I¡¯m sorry, Jung Hayan. I¡­ I didn¡¯t know¡­ I¡¯m sorry.


    -You said I could win¡­ You said I could win!!


    She was shouting at Han Sora, but she was probably angry with herself. She grabbed a handful of gravel on the ground and threw it at Han Sora is like a swarm.


    Although she seemed to have decided to me others, Han Sora was still precious to her.


    If it were someone else, I could bet that they would¡¯ve already been minced.


    Maybe that was the best thing for Jung Hayan.


    - I-I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m having a problem with my tactics. I think it¡¯s my fault¡­ I¡¯ll tell the Vice Guild Master as well. So don¡¯t be t-too disappointed, I¡¯ll tell him it¡¯s my fault.


    -It¡¯s Sora¡¯s fault. Yes, yes, it¡¯s your fault!! Huhuhuhuh¡­


    -¡­


    -Han Sora, I hate you. Huhuhu¡­ huhu¡­


    -Let¡¯s¡­


    -I-I don¡¯t want to see you! I don¡¯t want to see your face! Huhu¡­


    I could hear her voice from far away.


    I thought she saw meing since Jung Hayan pushed Han Sora and immediately fell into my arms.


    ¡°It¡¯s because of Sora.¡±


    She had a desperate look and shaky eyes.


    ¡°Well done, Hayan. You don¡¯t have to pay too much attention to the result. It was a mock battle to collect data anyway. It doesn¡¯t matter if Hayan loses or wins. It¡¯s not like I hate Hayan. It must¡¯ve been tiring. Let¡¯s go home early and rest.¡±


    Her face seemed to have felt infinite despair.


    ¡®Don¡¯t be disappointed, Hayan. You¡¯ll get over the wall. I¡¯m sure you can cross it.¡¯


    She could jump over the wall as Cha Hee-ra did.


    ¡­ As long as she was good to Han Sora.


    [Generating amon-grade forced quest.]


    [Have you ever acted, Sora? (0/1)]


    [Delivering amon-grade forced quest to Han Sora. You have not registered any quest-clear rewards. The subject will not bepensated.]


    I immediately noticed Han Sora¡¯s expression that seemed to say, ¡®please don¡¯t do this.¡¯


    ¡®You should end your trainee days and make your debut too, Sora.¡¯


    Han Sora¡¯s debut had been decided at that moment.

 Chapter 672: Han Sora’s Debut (2)

    <h4>Chapter 672: Han Sora¡¯s Debut (2)</h4>


    ¡°Lee Kiyoung, I¡¯m so d you visited after so long.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Hee-young. Meeting you always calms my mind. I haven¡¯t seen you around the guild, so I thought you were busy doing other works.¡±


    ¡°These days, Deokgu, Ye-ri, Ki-mo, Jeong-yeon, and Chang-ryul are training together right after work. The same goes for Elena. I heard you¡¯re the one who suggested doing tactical training. I don¡¯t know how that would work out¡­¡±


    ¡®That little pig¡­ You¡¯re doing useless things again.¡¯


    ¡°Ahyoung seems to be making the shield and armor that Lee Kiyoung ordered¡­ She rarely gets out of the workshop¡­ It¡¯s been a long time since Ist saw her face. What about you, Kiyoung? How have you been? You don¡¯t look as good as usual. Are you feeling alright?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I think I¡¯m okay. I¡¯ve been having a bit of a hard timetely. There¡¯s nothing wrong with my health, so you don¡¯t have to worry.¡±


    ¡°Still¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a tough situation for everyone. We only have 16 days left, so we have to work hard. The time is approaching to defend the continent, and most of the preparations are in the final stages¡­ Actually, I¡¯m more worried about Hee-young. It won¡¯t be easy for you to manage the guild whilepleting your personal training schedule¡­Hyunsung haspletely let go of his guild work, and Kim Mi-young is often away. Although Lee Sang-hee said she would help us, isn¡¯t most of our guild work being done by you?¡±


    ¡°Someone has to do it, and it¡¯s given to me now, so my answer is the same as Lee Kiyoung. I think it¡¯s right to do what I can for the rest of the time that we have left.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Most of all¡­ I know that if I don¡¯t do this, you¡¯ll have a harder time.¡±


    In the end, I felt as if her voice got a little smaller. I didn¡¯t know why, but the ending seemed evasive.


    Her long hair and priest¡¯s uniform remained the same. It was a thought I had every time I saw it, but it was definitely atmospheric.


    Since it had been a long time since Ist saw her, I couldn¡¯t remember how long I¡¯d been spending time with her.


    Especially, it had been an even longer time since I spent time with her alone. In the past, we used to do volunteer work together, but¡­


    ¡®I can¡¯t do that anymore.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t even have time for that. Hee-young was busy with guild work, and I was also busy withmittee work.


    Although we exchanged calls or messages on public matters, we didn¡¯t have time to drink tea or talk.


    Cho Hyejin used toe with us as an escort, but Sun Hee-young and I¡­


    The positions were quite ovepping.


    I felt sorry for Sun Hee-young, who had to rely on me quite a bit. If she had been in an ident or something, she would have shown her face to fix it, but Sun Hee-young was the type who was good at doing things alone.


    She was a person who could be trusted and left alone without giving any instructions. She did her job incredibly well and even handled it perfectly.


    It was no exaggeration to say that the Blue Guild was maintained through Sun Hee-young since Kim Hyunsung, Cho Hyejin, and even Kim Mi-young were out for training.


    Recently, the administrativemand seemed to be better than Cho Hyejin¡¯s. There was no need topare her with Kim Hyunsung, though.


    ¡®But it¡¯s a little bit of a hassle.¡¯


    To some extent, it was only proper to express gratitude.


    ¡°What kind of tea would you like?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°No, I want to treat you today. It¡¯s not much, but I just want you to know that I¡¯m always grateful.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ is not so.¡±


    ¡®I¡¯ll give you a service today. Just sit down, Noona. I¡¯ll take care of everything.¡¯


    ¡°You can sitfortably.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°No, I want you to feel at ease. One of the nt-type catalysts I used in the garden is a good catalyst for fatigue recovery, so I turned it into a tea. It doesn¡¯t work better than fatigue recovery magic, but it¡¯ll probably relieve a few of your hardships.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I like the scent¡­¡±


    Considering she raised the corners of her mouth slightly after she smelled its aroma, she certainly seemed to feel good.


    It might¡¯ve been because of my behavior armed with extreme kindness, but I considered it fortunate that Sun Hee-young could find some room to breathe for a while anyway.


    Of course, I liked the way she looks at me. It seemed to be the case from the beginning, but she looked a little better today.


    She deserved to feel good because she smiled kindly with a gentle face and was entertaining.


    ¡°How¡¯s Alps?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s following the training smoothly. Of course, it remains to be seen whether she should be put into personnel appointments, but she seems enthusiastic about it. I¡¯m also participating in training hosted by Deokgu.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that he follows Hee-young a lot, and I think he¡¯s thought a lot about you. You deserve to be the object of admiration for everyone¡­¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so¡­¡±


    We talked about a lot of things. Of course, She didn¡¯t miss out on theology or books. She was also a priest, and her hobbies were quite simr to mine.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t like wine or y chess well, but if anyone asked me who I preferred tomunicate with, it was definitely Sun Hee-young.


    There was Jihye, but whenever we met, she inevitably talked about her work story.


    ¡°It turns out that Pope Basel wrote¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve read it. Oh! That¡¯s why I¡¯m telling you, but he said he¡¯de¡­ Oh, I found an old book in the dungeon a few months ago. I brought this because I thought Lee Kiyoung would like it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a coincidence. I¡¯ve had a simr idea.¡±


    Of course, I didn¡¯t think of that, but when I took out the books in the infinite bag, Sun Hee-young¡¯s delighted face quickly unraveled.


    Other than that, there were many conversations. To be honest, it was such a good time that I didn¡¯t know how long it had been. Perhaps she felt the same way. It was then that Sun Hee-young seemed like she was thinking something different.


    She looked as if she was holding back what she wanted to say, and for some reason, someone¡¯s appearance ovepped hers. It was Kim Hyunsung¡¯s face when he was about to confess something.


    Sun Hee-young might suddenly confess that she was a regressor, but that couldn¡¯t happen.


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®What¡¯s wrong with the atmosphere?¡¯


    The hall was silent, but soon Sun Hee-young bowed her head again.


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to tell youter when I¡¯m done¡­¡±


    ¡°You can speakfortably.¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think this is the right time to say it¡­ I think you¡¯re going to have a headache¡­¡±


    ¡°Then we¡¯d better set up a separate meeting.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll set it up.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ by the way, look at the time.¡±


    ¡°I know you¡¯re busy. I must¡¯ve taken too much time.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m fine. Originally, I came to see how the guild is doing, but Hee-young already told me everything. And I also thought I needed a break. Thanks to Hee-young, I was able to rest well. I can¡¯t remember when I had a cup of tea and chatted with ease¡­ After work¡­ I really hope we have more time like this.¡±


    ¡®Yes, sh*t, this is how I want to spend my old age.¡¯


    ¡°Thank you for saying that¡­¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much, Hee-young.¡±


    ¡°Well,e to think of it, I have a favor to ask of you¡­ I did¡­ but I forgot.¡±


    ¡®Now it¡¯s down to earth.¡¯


    ¡°Is it because of Raphael¡¯s condition?¡±


    ¡®Honestly, it¡¯s time for us to take off his life support. He can¡¯t get up.¡¯


    I went there to find out how the guild was going, including Sun Hee-young, but there was actually a more important reason for my visit.


    ¡°If not, may I ask why you¡¯re here?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not very important, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like you to put on a debuff on me¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°On me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like one for Sora, too, please.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean¡­ I don¡¯t quite understand.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry too much. If the debuff is ufortable for you, a buff will be fine. I have something to experiment with personally. I mean¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I know you don¡¯t want to think about it, but Hee-young has been in and out of the room already. It would be easy to understand if you think it¡¯s because of that¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°You look like you¡¯re still here. No, are you perfectly seated?¡±


    ¡°Yes, as I reported, it¡¯s still in my body. It¡¯s a bit of a different kind of power than divine power, but there¡¯s something wrong with it.¡±


    ¡°Not exactly. Hee-young¡¯s condition is indeed intact, and there are indeed no other side effects. It¡¯s not really meaningful, but it¡¯s better to study it if you can. Don¡¯t think about it too much and just rx. Oh, I¡¯d like to have a potion as well, please.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I want to help.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you as soon as I get the results.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but where is Sora¡­ Doesn¡¯t she live with Hayan?¡±


    ¡°No, she¡¯s been living somewhere elsetely, so¡­ She¡¯ll probably be here soon.¡±


    A long silence fell on us.


    ¡°Is she¡­ Is she okay?¡±


    ¡®No, she doesn¡¯t look very well.¡¯


    Considering Sun Hee-young asked if Jung Hayan was okay, it seemed that I wasn¡¯t the only one who realized that Han Sora was Jung Hayan¡¯s suppressor.


    ¡®It¡¯s understandable.¡¯


    Jung Hayan, Han Sora, and Sun Hee-young stayed in Lindel but didn¡¯t stay in the guild together.


    I thought it wouldn¡¯t be difficult to notice that Jung Hayan relied on Han Sora.


    Just in time, I heard a knock on the door.


    ¡°She must be here.¡±


    When Sun Hee-young opened the door, Han Sora slowly stepped into view.


    Naturally, an anxious look was wrapped around her face. Her expression wasn¡¯t appropriate for a person who got her dream transfer.


    ¡°Long time no see, Sun Hee-young.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s been a while, Sora. First of all¡­ Have a seat. How have you been?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯ve been well.¡±


    ¡°How is Hayan?¡±


    Of course, Han Sora seemed to have no idea. The ce where I turned my head unknowingly was towards the ce where Jung Hayan lived.


    -¡­


    I heard Han Sora¡¯s reply as I saw Jung Hayan in my head.


    ¡°She¡¯s doing fine, isn¡¯t she? Yes, she should be fine.¡±


    -Huhuhu, huhuhuhuhuhu¡­


    ¡®No, I don¡¯t think she¡¯s doing well.¡¯

 Chapter 673: Han Sora’s Debut (3)

    <h4>Chapter 673: Han Sora¡¯s Debut (3)</h4>


    ¡®She can¡¯t be doing well.¡¯


    I was worried. Certainly, Jung Hayan¡¯s condition seemed unstable.


    Although she didn¡¯t enter a state of extreme anger, she was definitely affected by Han Sora¡¯s transfer. Looking nkly at the wall, she was wiping away the tears that came out of her eyes.


    ¡®Jung Hayan, I mean¡­¡¯


    ¡®I-I-I don¡¯t want to see you! I don¡¯t want to see your face! Huhu¡­ Go away.¡¯


    ¡®Then I¡¯ll go. It won¡¯t take long. I¡­ I have something to do in the managementmittee.¡¯


    ¡®It¡¯s because of Sora. It¡¯s because of Sora! Don¡¯t show up in front of me!¡¯


    ¡®I¡¯ll be back as soon as possible, so don¡¯t worry and take care.¡¯


    It was only a few days ago that they had such a conversation.


    Jung Hayan herself didn¡¯t seem to be aware of it, but Han Sora¡¯s absence started to get to her. Whether it was her decision or not, they had lived together for a year, so it must¡¯ve been strange that she wasn¡¯t around anymore.


    The feeling that Jung Hayan feared the most was abandonment.


    She clearly remembered and understood that best, considering what her family did to her. Han Sora¡¯s disappearance didn¡¯t mean that she entered a state of extreme anger, but Jung Hayan was aware of Han Sora¡¯s vacancy.


    I remembered not paying much attention to it on the first day.


    That day, she muttered to herself that she hated Han Sora and was focused on studying magic with an attitude that she never wanted to see Han Sora again.


    She got some achievements on the first day.


    On the second day, she cursed at Han Sora, who had devised the tactic for the mock battle against Cha Hee-ra.


    Of course, it was cute words that couldn¡¯t be called cursing, but she even went into Han Sora¡¯s room and vented her anger with her cute hands.


    Even on the third day, she had a lot of fun.


    Whether spending time with me all day worked, she was happy until the 5th day and reminisced on the memories of the 3rd day.


    The problem was that from the 6th day, I started to lose contact with her, and the storm that came without a sound began to bother Jung Hayan.


    She was still living a normal life.


    When it came to magic study and work, that was originally Jung Hayan¡¯s personal time.


    However, the rest of her days was the problem.


    Realizing that there was no Han Sora who always made delicious meals was a problem for her.


    ¡®Uh¡­¡¯


    I still remembered Jung Hayan¡¯s expression as she stared nkly at the table after making a noise.


    It wasn¡¯t just mealtime that mattered.


    As it was no exaggeration to say that Han Sora herself was Jung Hayan¡¯s personal secretary or nanny, it seemed that she began to think of Han Sora in everything rted to her life.


    She even threw the food cooked by the best chef on the floor because it was tastelesspared to Lee Kiyoung lunch box, made by Han Sora.


    ¡®But it was worth throwing away. The character¡¯s quality on the food was different.¡¯


    Jung Hayan asked the chefs to make it again, and they showed 55 character lunch boxes that day, but none of them surpassed Han Sora¡¯s.


    Han Sora must¡¯ve been talented.


    Likewise, on the seventh day, while she was reading or nning wedding magazines¡­


    ¡°When I marry Oppa, I will go here for our honeymoon. I think this one¡¯s better than thest one. They say it¡¯s really pretty here. I¡¯m sure Oppa will like it, too. H-h-how about this ce, Sora?¡±


    That was how she talked to herself.


    After muttering habitually, Jung Hayan¡¯s eyes looked a little nervous. She didn¡¯t try to find or peek at Han Sora, who disappeared.


    In the end, the situation came to the point where she secretly raised the Goddess¡¯s Hand Mirror.


    My heart ached when I watched her looking nkly at the wall and writing the message, ¡°Sora, I¡¯m sorry,¡± and erasing it repeatedly.


    At least she was able to hold out thanks to my increased frequency of approach.


    When she contacted her, she showed that shepletely forgot about Han Sora, but she continued sending more messages.


    When the suppressor disappeared, she began to regain her original self.


    Of course, after a little more time, she intentionally no longer replied to Jung Hayan¡¯s call.


    She said she had work to do, and as a result, Jung Hayan was having a hard time in both directions.


    I wasn¡¯t there, and neither was Sora.


    She was starting to feel it. Eventually, she even pressed the transmit button of the message, ¡°Sora, when are youing back?¡±


    It was her pride that she didn¡¯t say sorry until the end, but Han Sora couldn¡¯t reply.


    On that day, Jung Hayan threw the hand mirror and cursed at Han Sora.


    Jung Hayan often shed tears without even realizing it. It was also a matter of course that she suffered mentally, and it couldn¡¯t be easy in the first ce.


    Emotions often fluctuated several times a day between joyful and sad.


    I thought I already had a big mental problem, but I felt more worried than before.


    The funny thing was that Jung Hayan wasn¡¯t the only one who responded like that. Ironically, Han Sora¡¯s expression seemed more worried than Jung Hayan¡¯s.


    However, it was not just facial expressions. Han Sora had also been showing signs of abnormalitytely.


    Well, she hadn¡¯t changed much. She was just asking what Jung Hayan was doing and how she was doing quietly. Han Sora also didn¡¯t seem to enjoy the sudden freedom at all.


    Perhaps it was a natural reaction. Imagine holding a big bomb.


    If asked whether they¡¯d be more worried to see the detonator in front of them or not, anyone would most likely choose thetter.


    That was the situation Han Sora was in at that moment. She was out of Jung Hayan¡¯s arms, but she was still holding a bomb.


    She could¡¯ve controlled herself before, but even that was impossible now.


    I could assure anyone that I would¡¯ve been as nervous as she was without the telescope. I would¡¯ve wondered more than anyone if I was touching the detonator or taking it off.


    I didn¡¯t know if that was the reason why, but it was Han Sora¡¯s daily routine to ask about Jung Hayan¡¯s condition. It was a reaction that she could show because she knew her role.


    Han Sora continued to swallow her saliva.


    -Sun Hee-Young always seems to be calm. It¡¯s nice to see you after so long¡­


    [Generating amon-grade forced quest.]


    [That¡¯s the way she is. (0/1)]


    [Delivering amon-grade forced quest to Han Sora. You have not registered any quest-clear rewards. The subject will not bepensated.]


    -I feelfortable¡­ Thank you for taking care of everything¡­ Are you having a hard time? Oh, we were supposed to get together¡­ When would be a good time for that? Should we get together after Jung Hayan¡¯s work is done?


    ¡®You must¡¯ve been really nervous.¡¯


    The useless conversation was getting longer. In addition, I could see her whole body getting sweaty little by little.


    -Jung Hayan¡­ Did she eat today?


    [I don¡¯t think she did. Still, you don¡¯t have to worry too much because she seems to be eating properly. She looks a little unstable, but somehow, she¡¯s living her life. (0/1)]


    -I¡¯m wondering if she¡¯s washing up properly¡­


    [Jung Hayan isn¡¯t a child. She can do that on her own. (0/1)]


    -No, that¡¯s not what I meant. Sometimes she doesn¡¯t pay attention to her surroundings. Recently, she just kept studying¡­ The Vice Guild Master told me.


    [She¡¯s doing great, so you don¡¯t have to worry. (0/1)]


    -But¡­ I think I should know.


    [You don¡¯t have to worry too much. I¡¯m going to watch her from now on anyway, so why are you¡­ Anyway, you can check it with your own eyes. (0/1)]


    -¡­


    -¡­


    -It¡¯ll be alright, right?


    [Perhaps. You can move as I told you to. (0/1)]


    Han Sora¡¯s expression seemed to be asking if she was really okay and if she wouldn¡¯t be asked to take responsibility for anything. She should¡¯ve just nodded her head proudly.


    ¡®You¡¯re not going to get hurt.¡¯


    Jung Hayan did no harm to Han Sora.


    Of course, I couldn¡¯t guarantee what would happen if the situation became really serious, however, Jung Hayan had already put Han Sora into the category of her own person.


    Despite the exnation, Han Sora still looked worried.


    Han Sora, who got off the griffon, immediately moved.


    Of course, there was tension and worry on her face.


    Han Sora knocked on the door when she thought it would be better to say something more while hanging around the door for a long time.


    - Jung Hayan¡­ I¡¯m here.


    -¡­


    -Jung Hayan? I¡¯m here.


    -¡­


    -Jung Hayan!


    -S-Sora¡¯s here?


    -Yes, I¡¯m here.


    -Why? Why? Why?


    -Uhm¡­ I have something to sort out.


    -Come in.


    -Squeeeeeeek¡­


    Was it because of the atmosphere that the door sounded ominous somehow?


    Han Sora took a step forward with a frightened face. Perhaps she was worried about how Jung Hayan was doing.


    She was also scared of how she would react, but fortunately, she didn¡¯t show the worst reaction.


    Based on Jung Hayan¡¯s reaction, she seemed very relieved. I could see her expression brightening up right away. It would be right to think that she didn¡¯te out to meet her because of her small pride.


    ¡®She was externally angry.¡¯


    She had already decided to me Han Sora once, and most of all, she was angry that Han Sora ignored her messages.


    Han Sora had to apologize formally and realize the importance of Jung Hayan.


    She thought things would be different from the way she treated her, but it was simr to before.


    In their rtionship, Jung Hayan was the main focus. It was not a good expression, but Sora was more like a mother or a sister.


    Hayan would always think that Sora was a person who took care of and helped her and that she would always be there no matter what she did.


    As soon as Han Sora entered Jung Hayan¡¯s house, she began to organize Jung Hayan¡¯s mess like a habit.


    -Have¡­ Have you eaten?


    -Oh¡­ not yet.


    After such a conversation, Han sora immediately began to prepare a meal.


    As if nothing had happened, Jung Hayan, who snuck out of bed and looked around the door, seemed very relieved, showing what she was thinking.


    ¡®Now everything¡¯s back to normal.¡¯


    Or¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s finally over. Sora is back. She has to ept my apology.¡¯


    Or¡­


    ¡®I¡¯ll forgive you for ignoring my text since you¡¯re already here now.¡¯


    Something like that.


    -Y-you have to eat.


    -¡­


    There was an indescribable joy in the way she sat down without saying a word.


    She might¡¯ve still thought she should keep her cool, but it seemed that the corners of her mouth inevitably rose slightly.


    It was the same after Sora finished cooking. It felt like there was a party, considering the amount of food was enough to fill the table.


    She looked very happy, like a person who tasted her mother¡¯s food after a long time. Maybe she was going to apologize? I thought that was what she would be thinking of.


    Jung Hayan had already forgiven Han Sora. Of course, Han Soramitted a serious mistake, but it was time to forgive her.


    It was right after Han Sora opened her mouth that Jung Hayan¡¯s expression wrinkled.


    - Jung Hayan, I mean¡­


    -¡­


    -I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m here to say myst goodbye.


    As always, she couldn¡¯t really look at Jung Hayan straight into her eyes.

 Chapter 674: Han Sora’s Debut (4)

    <h4>Chapter 674: Han Sora¡¯s Debut (4)</h4>


    Her face immediately grew darker.


    She hurriedly opened her mouth because she thought the way she worded it was poor, but Jung Hayan couldn¡¯t hear anything else anymore.


    -My words were¡­a little. I mean, It¡¯s not thest time¡­ But, Yes¡­ I have something to do, too. I¡¯m working with another research team, and I think I should focus more on it. I thought it would be over soon, but it wasn¡¯t. So I have to stay there for a while¡­


    -¡­


    -Yes, that¡¯s why I¡¯m here to say goodbye¡­ And to pack my stuff.


    -¡­


    - I¡¯m d you¡¯re doing well.


    -¡­


    The silence was enough to tell me what the atmosphere was like.


    She was constantly looking at Jung Hayan, not knowing if her brain stopped for a while or if it was too unexpected, but Jung Hayan sat nkly like a fused robot.


    Wouldn¡¯t it take a while for her to ept the situation?


    She came to her senses a littleter, of course, but not in a good way. She chewed her lips tightly, and of course, she was shaking.


    -I hate it. Huhu¡­


    -¡­


    -I hate it.


    It was then that a loud voice burst out.


    -Han Sora, I hate you!


    -¡­


    -I hate you! I hate you! I told you not toe! I told you I didn¡¯t want to see your face. I told you that I didn¡¯t want to see your face, but why did youe? Get out! I¡­ Get out! Get out! Get out!


    -I¡¯m sorry¡­


    -Get out of here!!


    She shouted like that and threw the food, almost as if she were throwing gravel.


    In the meantime, her character didn¡¯t change much, but honestly, it looked more like she was acting on instinct.


    I didn¡¯t know if it was because it was not the first time she threw things, but I felt like her throwing skills had improved quite a bit.


    The curves of the chicken legs that drew parab were beautiful.


    -I¡¯m sorry.


    -It¡¯s Park Mijin, isn¡¯t it? Park¡­ Park¡­ Park Mijin! You traitor! Traitor! Traitor! Sora is a traitor! Huhu¡­ Huhuhu.


    -No, it¡¯s not like that¡­


    -Why are you here? Why are you here? Why are you here? I hate you. Really¡­ You¡¯re a fool! It¡¯s all your fault that I lost! All because of Sora! You ignored my messages. You don¡¯t evene here anymore! I don¡¯t need you either. I¡¯m never going to see you again. I don¡¯t need you. I don¡¯t need you! I told you not to show up in front of me, but why are you here? You idiot! You idiot!


    ¡®Wow¡­¡¯


    Considering that she was constantly spouting out words and using her, it seemed that she felt very betrayed.


    Although Sora didn¡¯t directly mention that she decided to work for Park Mijin, she seemed to have noticed.


    Fortunately, she was clearly aware of why things turned out that way.


    ¡®Don¡¯t you think we can go in a little more? Can¡¯t we create a little more conflict?¡¯


    I was obsessed with such an idea.


    Of course, she should go in carefully, but it was considered possible enough.


    As soon as she created the quest and sent it to Han Sora, she looked into space.


    [Generating amon-grade forced quest.]


    [Push a little more. Just a little more. (0/1)]


    [Delivering amon-grade forced quest to Han Sora. You have not registered any quest-clear rewards. The subject will not bepensated.]


    -It¡¯s not really like that¡­ Please understand.


    -¡­


    -¡­


    -O-Oppa¡­


    -¡­


    -Oppa told you to do that, didn¡¯t he? Ugh, I¡¯ll talk to him. Sora doesn¡¯t want to go either. You don¡¯t even like Park Mijin. She¡¯s weird¡­ You told me¡­ You said Park Mi-jin was suspicious. If you study with Park Mijin, it won¡¯t be fun.


    -No, it¡¯s not like that. I thought it was really necessary for me¡­


    [Generating amon-grade forced quest.]


    [Let¡¯s not go too far, but go a little further, let¡¯s take one more step forward. (0/1)]


    [Delivering amon-grade forced quest to Han Sora. You have not registered any quest-clear rewards. The subject will not bepensated.]


    Her eyes looked anxious, but she spoke up. It looked like she realized she needed Han Sora.


    -And you have to understand my position.


    -Uh¡­


    -You have to understand my position. I¡¯m trying my best¡­ Jung Hayan, please understand that it¡¯s too hard¡­ If you me me too much¡­


    ¡®You can do it, Sora. You can do it.¡¯


    -Me too¡­ It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t have anything to be upset about, but you don¡¯t have to do this. I told you it was necessary. Why do you think only of yourself, Jung Hayan?


    Her voice was shaking, but she had already gained momentum.


    She closed her eyes tightly and eventually delivered her intention with certainty. She seemed to be worried about something wrong with her body, but nothing happened.


    Did she gain confidence? Or did she want to finish her first debut well?


    I didn¡¯t know why, but Han Sora suddenly opened her eyes and looked at Jung Hayan.


    ¡®Sh*t, wow¡­ her acting is amazing.¡¯


    Han Sora¡¯s method of acting was almost better than Ahn Ki-mo¡¯s. It was so perfect that Hayan couldn¡¯t even speak out.


    It was hard to take the first step, but after taking it, it seemed that it became easier to move than she thought.


    She bit her lips tightly and told of her past sorrow. Han Sora herself felt a little feverish.


    Her actions and vocalization were perfect. She was a great actress.


    -You don¡¯t¡­ You don¡¯t even know how hard I¡¯ve been trying¡­ You didn¡¯t even say thank you¡­ And you always me me like that¡­ I¡¯m disappointed. I¡¯m a human, too. A person.


    -Uh¡­ uh¡­


    - If you just say no¡­ If you say you don¡¯t like it that much, I don¡¯t like it either.


    -Huh?


    -Jung Hayan should apologize. Of course, I have my faults, but Jung Hayan has to apologize. I¡¯ve been working hard. I really did everything for you, taking out my personal time¡­ How could you just say it¡¯s my fault? What would I be if I told the Vice Guild Master that I was to me? You never think about my position, do you?


    However, at this point, I thought she should stop already.


    -Jung Hayan is really a stranger to my pain. Who¡¯s the one who cooks for you? I am, yet you won¡¯t even let me touch the character lunch boxes. I have feelings too. I have feelings! Do you know how hurtful it is when you say it¡¯s not delicious?!


    -Uh¡­


    -I¡¯m only listening to what¡¯s good about you every day! If I tell you that the Vice Guild Master was bad, you¡¯ll tell me not to curse at Oppa! And you tell me that I don¡¯t even know Oppa very well!! You don¡¯tpliment me even if I make a scrapbook for you! There are many things you want! I drew cartoons and made dolls for you! There are so many things you want! You always did! You always did! Sigh¡­ Sigh¡­


    ¡®I think you¡¯d better stop there.¡¯


    -Uh-uh¡­ I-I¡­ Well, well¡­


    ¡®Wait, is she really going to apologize?¡¯


    I had a feeling that the surprised Jung Hayan was trying to express that she felt sorry.


    I didn¡¯t know if she felt something from listening to the story or from recognizing that Han Sora hated her, but it¡¯s probably thetter.


    She also seemed to have recognized that something wrong was going on.


    It was true that she was crushed by the spirit of Han Sora, who fired back rather than apologizing from the bottom of her heart.


    Of course, she shouldn¡¯t ept an apology there at that moment.


    [Park Mijin! Park Mijin! (0/1)]


    -Yes, it was nice to go to Park Mijin! She alwayspliments me. It¡¯s more fun to study with Park Mijin. She taught me well so that I can understand it easily. Yes! I like Park Mijin more than Jung Hayan.


    -Well, it¡¯s wrong. It¡¯s Sora¡¯s fault¡­


    -I¡¯ll go with Park Mijin!


    -It¡¯s all Sora¡¯s fault! Huhu¡­ It¡¯s Sora¡¯s fault!


    -So¡­


    -Huhu¡­ I don¡¯t need you. Huhu, I don¡¯t need you! Huhuhu, I don¡¯t need you. Get out! Traitor! Sora is a traitor. Huhuhuhu, get out! Get out! I don¡¯t need anyone like you. I don¡¯t even want to see you anymore. Get out, you idiot!


    Jung Hayan pushed Han Sora away.


    It was quite entertaining to watch her do that with her cute hands.


    Han Sora lost her bnce and fell to the ground, but Jung Hayan didn¡¯t care. When Han Sora and her bags were pushed out in an instant, Han Sora¡¯s body naturally began to move back.


    Bang!!


    Han Sora had left.


    Jung Hayan was huffing, but she was still throwing food at the closed door because she was still angry.


    However, she soon burst into tears.


    -Huhuhuhuhuhu¡­


    My heart ached when I saw her cry while holding onto the table.


    It looked like a scene where she had thrown a big birthday party, but no one came.


    Of course, that kind of conflict had to break out once. It was a matter of course for Jung Hayan¡¯s human rtionship and spiritual growth.


    She was sad and teary for the time being, but those events would make Jung Hayan more mature.


    Of course, she wouldn¡¯t be able to cross the wall. However, it was still satisfying.


    Originally, that kind of incident always had to happen before a tragic situation came.


    -I hate her. I hate her. Traitor, I¡¯m not going to talk to her anymore. huhuhu¡­


    ¡®Yes, hate her. Don¡¯t hate her too much, but hate her moderately.¡¯


    -Park Mijin¡­ I hate Park Mijin! Really¡­ huhuhu, I don¡¯t like Han Sora, I don¡¯t like Park Mijin, I don¡¯t like everything. Huhu¡­


    ¡®Yes.¡¯


    -I¡¯ll kill you. Park Mijin¡­ I have to kill her. I¡¯m going to kill her. Huhu¡­ I¡¯ll kill you, I¡¯ll kill you!


    ¡®No.¡¯


    -Kill her. Kill her. Yes, kill her. Where is she¡­ She must be somewhere. Wait and see, Han Sora. Wait and see. Well, I won¡¯t forgive you if youe back then. I won¡¯t forgive Sora after I kill Park Mijin. Huhuhu, huhu¡­


    It felt like her fever was slowly rising.


    I thought it could be a little dangerous, but it¡¯s still safe. Since Hayan wasn¡¯t talking to herself, I thought she could endure that much.


    As soon as she lifted the Goddess¡¯s Hand Mirror, she immediately found stability.


    I could see her rushing to the bell and answering the phone.


    ¡°Hayan.¡±


    -Huhu¡­


    ¡°Hayan, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    -Huhuhu¡­ huhuhuhu¡­


    She burst into tears as soon as she heard my voice. It was certain that she had a lot of trouble.


    -Sora¡­ Sora¡­ Sora¡­ huhuhuu Sora¡­


    ¡°I¡¯ll go now, Hayan.¡±


    -Huhuhu¡­ Oppa¡­ Huhuhu¡­


    Naturally, I had to change my position to listen to the lover¡¯s sorrow who fought with her friend.


    The phone was connected, but I couldn¡¯t even hear what Jung Hayan was saying.


    She said something about Sora, betrayed, hurt, and talked from her perspective, but it was hard to tell because of her crying and trembling voice. Perhaps I wouldn¡¯t have understood what had happened if I hadn¡¯t been watching the situation with my telescope.


    -Huhuhuhu¡­


    ¡®Good, good.¡¯


    I felt proud of Jung Hayan¡¯s crying and calling because of someone else.


    I wondered if she would try to stay on the line by using it as an excuse, but I hoped that wouldn¡¯t be the case.


    There was something I wanted Jung Hayan to notice.


    As soon as I stepped into the Great Wizard¡¯s residence, she hugged me.


    My face was covered with tears and a runny nose, and her actual eye circles were even more miserable than when seen through a telescope.


    ¡°Huhuhuhu, I mean¡­ I mean¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t know how tofort her, but I had to say something.


    ¡°Sora was bad.¡±


    Han Sora was the sinner here.

 Chapter 675: Han Sora’s Debut (5)

    <h4>Chapter 675: Han Sora¡¯s Debut (5)</h4>


    I was a little sorry for Han Sora, but she was the sinner in that scenario.


    That was because, for the time being, it was right to sympathize with Hayan¡¯s resentment.


    Other people would have scolded Jung Hayan for acting like that, but I wasn¡¯t trash enough to take Han Sora¡¯s side in that situation.


    In any case, Lee Kiyoung was still officially Jung Hayan¡¯s fiance.


    No matter what the situation came upon us, I couldn¡¯t push Hayan blindly, considering that being there for each other no matter what was a true spouse¡¯s attitude.


    Even if Jung Hayan was doing something wrong, I should understand and sympathize.


    Of course, it was definitely Jung Hayan¡¯s fault, but for the moment, I considered it the right choice to side with Jung Hayan.


    ¡°Sora seems to have done something wrong.¡±


    What was a little surprising was that Jung Hayan didn¡¯t nod in affirmation right away.


    ¡®That¡¯s not the case,¡¯ she seemed to think, but she couldn¡¯t resist the sweet words.


    When I opened my mouth again, she finally nodded immediately.


    There was a little bump, but¡­ As we continued to press on Han Sora, she seemed to think that it was definitely her fault.


    In the end, she burst into tears once more and began toy out the things she had been upset about.


    ¡°I lost because of Sora¡­ What happened back then was¡­¡±


    Starting with her excuse for the defeat against Cha Hee-ra¡­


    ¡°Suddenly, suddenly¡­¡±


    After that, she left the house without saying a word.


    ¡°Huhu¡­ huhu¡­¡±


    After that, she couldn¡¯t even properly speak when she talked about the ignored messages. She then shouted out of anger, especially when retelling how she betrayed her for Park Mijin.


    I thought she felt that it was unfair because she said the same things repeatedly.


    It was only after about nine repetitions that she came back to normal.


    ¡°Sora¡­ Huhuhu¡­ I hate her. I won¡¯t see her again.¡±


    ¡®You¡¯ll see her again anyway.¡¯


    ¡°Sora will definitelye to apologize after some time.¡±


    ¡°Huhu¡­ Huhuhu¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure she knows she made a mistake. Of course, Hayan should apologize too. I think Sora was disappointed a lot as well. If Hayan apologizes first, wouldn¡¯t Sora apologize, too?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I secretly suggested that she should apologize, but Jung Hayan¡¯s heart was already frozen.


    ¡°I¡¯ll never forgive her until she apologizes first. I¡¯ll never forgive her.¡±


    ¡®Yes, that¡¯s good, Hayan.¡¯


    I thought she would run to apologize, but she was being stubborn. In the end, Park Mijin¡¯sparison with Jung Hayan must¡¯ve be an ace in the hole.


    ¡®That was a little harsh, Han Sora. How could you say that?¡¯


    Considering that Jung Hayan was feeling inferior to Park Mijin, it was a remark that shouldn¡¯t have been voiced.


    Of course, Jung Hayan provided an excuse, but Han Sora¡¯s words turned Jung Hayan¡¯s tender heart into a hedgehog. It was no exaggeration that she was so disappointed.


    ¡®It was too much.¡¯


    However, it was considered a good idea to provide a good excuse as a shield to some extent.


    A mediator should do so. Lee Kiyoung wasn¡¯t the kind of person who encouraged conflict.


    ¡°She shouldn¡¯t have said that. Maybe Sora was angry and said something she didn¡¯t mean.¡±


    I thought I had to go to that extent, at least.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯lle to apologize first. I think it would be better for Hayan to apologize then.¡±


    Of course, the probability of Han Soraing to apologize first was zero, but Jung Hayan seemed to be firmly epting that Han Sora wasing to say sorry.


    ¡°You¡¯d better go out and refresh yourself today.¡±


    ¡°Re-really¡­? What about studying¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you can even get your hands on studying in this state. You can take the day off. Sometimes, you need to rest.¡±


    ¡°Th-that¡¯s a relief.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll need time to rest so that you can work hard tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, you¡¯re right.¡±


    I felt a little bit relieved that she smiled.


    I thought about whether it was really okay to do that, but I could guarantee that she wouldn¡¯t be able to grow much even if she trained that day.


    Of course, if she held on to the book with the determination to kill Park Mijin, she would have a small growth, but what Jung Hayan needed at that moment wasn¡¯t something so feeble.


    ¡®All you have to do is jump over the wall.¡¯


    Standing in front of arge wall, she only moved sideways or went half a step forward. That was the current state of Jung Hayan.


    If there was an opportunity, she could grow many times in a short period of time.


    Cha Hee-ra had already shown that it was possible.


    What Jung Hayan needed wasn¡¯t studying but an opportunity to jump over the wall.


    ¡®You don¡¯t have to be nervous. Sixteen days is enough. It¡¯s better to watch it for a long time. It would be much better to build up little by little rather than bumping it off in a rush. Let¡¯s not think in a hurry.¡¯


    If the conflict got bigger, she would regret it and me herself.


    When I slightly turned to Hayan¡¯s side, it felt like she was happy because she was going on a date.


    Although it was instantaneous, Jung Hayan seemed to havepletely forgotten about Han Sora. I felt more confident that she was thinking along the lines of¡­


    ¡®Yeah, I don¡¯t have to. I don¡¯t need Sora.¡¯


    Or.


    ¡®I won¡¯t contact her again until she apologizes first. Let¡¯s see who¡¯s more damaging.¡¯


    Or.


    ¡®Live well with Park Mijin. I don¡¯t need you anyway. I¡¯m not even going to care anymore.¡¯


    She looked like she could get through it all without Han Sora.


    If I hadn¡¯te, she would¡¯ve gone into an endless hole, but Jung Hayan didn¡¯t seem to care about her at the moment.


    It was such a happy time.


    What changed her expression was when she was holding my hand and talking.


    It wasn¡¯t because of Han Sora. To be exact, perhaps it was because of a small change in my body.


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    First, my questions.


    Second, holding hands.


    Third, tilting my head.


    ¡®She noticed.¡¯


    She must have noticed something strange.


    I didn¡¯t think that she was in a different physical condition than usual.


    Until that moment, she couldn¡¯t have noticed it properly because there wasn¡¯t anything happening, but when she had some free time, she caught it right away.


    I kept wriggling her hands as if I were measuring her pulse.


    She kept tilting her head and questioning the unfamiliar energy in her body.


    ¡®Capacity ispetence.¡¯


    Jung Hayan didn¡¯t have the Mind¡¯s Eye. I didn¡¯t really expect her to notice.


    On the contrary, it was so faint that Jung Hayan worried about what would happen if she didn¡¯t notice it.


    If Sun Hee-young had given a buff or debuff, there would¡¯ve been a possibility, but she didn¡¯t.


    Hee-young refined it several times with the help of alchemy and put some of the energy she thought was the faintest inside my body.


    Maybe Hayan felt something was wrong from the beginning.


    ¡°O-Oppa.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Are you feeling a little better these days?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine. I think I¡¯m getting healthier little by little. Why?¡±


    ¡°No, just a little bit, a little bit¡­ I think it¡¯s weird.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s a little weird¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t exin it, but¡­ Something¡¯s wrong¡­ It¡¯s weird. It¡¯s a little weird¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute, Can I check¡­ Can I?¡±


    As I nodded without a word, Jung Hayan slowly looked at me.


    I was worried that she might notice that Sun Hee-young was the origin, but I thought she wouldn¡¯t be able to.


    The energy that was flowing faintly in my body was an energy that had no effect. It wasn¡¯t a buff or a debuff, but a resource that was hovering like magic.


    Of course, Jung Hayan couldn¡¯t have considered it a simple resource.


    If it were, as usual, she would have let it go, but it was not like that anymore.


    At that moment, there was a person who used magic that couldn¡¯t be understood even by Jung Hayan.


    There was a genius that even the genius wizard Jung Hayan couldn¡¯t fathom.


    And that genius was close to me.


    The important thing was to make Jung Hayan misunderstand.


    Confidence that Lee Kiyoung was being influenced by the magic of unknown wizard Park Mijin. She had to question where Park Mijin, the mysterious wizard, came from and who she was.


    All Jung Hayan needed were those.


    Of course, Jung Hayan wouldn¡¯t be able to dig into Park Mijin.


    There was no such existence in the first ce.


    Wouldn¡¯t that part be the best expression of Jung Hayan¡¯s reasoning and regret?


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not sure. I can¡¯t put it into words.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay to tell me.¡±


    ¡°You seem to have an unfamiliar feeling in your body. Well, magic¡­ Something like that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve taken a fatigue recovery spell.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    As soon as she heard the answer, she muttered to herself, seemingly doubting whether it was really the fatigue recovery magic.


    It was very simple magic, but she had never heard or seen it before. It wasn¡¯t a fatigue recovery magic in the first ce.


    She bit her lips tightly out of annoyance. She couldn¡¯t understand it properly. She immediately sent her own magic to see if other people¡¯s magic was in my body.


    ¡®What? Sh*t, I don¡¯t feel anything.¡¯


    It feltpletely different from when Kim Hyunsung gave me a magic massage in the past. If it weren¡¯t for the Mind¡¯s Eyes, I wouldn¡¯t have noticed Jung Hayan¡¯s magicing inside.


    The vine inside the body was attacking the intruder as if it were eating the viruses, and soon the energy inside my body had quickly disappeared.


    It was ridiculously easy.


    ¡°Oh, no. I was mistaken. Oh, I was mistaken.¡±


    However, there was still a question in her expression.


    ¡®You¡¯re thinking.¡¯


    Perhaps she had recalled what Han Sora said.


    Of course, it was suspicion without any evidence.


    Even if there was an unfamiliar lingering scent in my body that she couldn¡¯t exin, she couldn¡¯t confirm that it belonged to Park Mijin.


    She couldn¡¯t even be sure it really had a negative impact.


    She couldn¡¯t judge what to do and how to move.


    If she brought it up without any evidence, she could be seen as a strange person. There was a doubt inside, but there was no evidence, and there were no clues, so there was no way to make a judgment.


    The only thing that could have been done at that point was to remove the strange energy. Even just by removing the risk factor, it seemed enough for her to feel good.


    However, wouldn¡¯t she realize it soon?


    I wasn¡¯t sure, but she probably thought there was something strange in Sora¡¯s body¡­


    Perhaps it was really a fatigue recovery magic, but there was a chance that it wasn¡¯t¡­


    Jung Hayan¡¯s eyes shook. Biting her lips tightly, she seemed to be determined.


    I was a little nervous, but¡­ She seemed to have decided not to care about it.


    She was not sure if she was right or wrong, but she was probably heading in a simr direction as my thoughts.


    Sure enough, I soon heard her reasoning out about it.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to care anymore. I¡¯m really¡­ I¡¯m not going to care¡­¡±


    She still didn¡¯t know how important Han Sora was to her.


    Of course, I was certain that Jung Hayan would regret her decision soon.

 Chapter 676: Dragon (1)

    <h4>Chapter 676: Dragon (1)</h4>


    ¡°It¡¯s done.¡±


    ¡®For now, at least.¡¯


    I had created a conflict structure andid an underplot. I had also included elements that she might regret. It was safe to say that almost everything was ready.


    The dinner table was prepared carefully and put in front of Jung Hayan. If she slowly raised the spoon, the work would proceed on its own.


    In fact, if I went a bit too far, I could forcibly lift it and move it into her mouth, but I had to stop before that point since I preferred to raise her quality even a little more.


    From that moment on, it was best to have Jung Hayan move on by herself. Exactly three days passed, but she still hadn¡¯t reacted all that much, but I wasn¡¯t too nervous all in all.


    ¡®It¡¯s rather natural.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t give her time to bite the bait, after all. She had been with me for thest three days. She wasn¡¯t stuck to me all day, but I remembered her being with me at least whenever she could think of Han Sora.


    Wouldn¡¯t it be the correct expression to say that I didn¡¯t give her a chance?


    I was devoting the time I could use to make her feel even a little less lonely.


    Not surprisingly, the Goddess¡¯ Hand Mirror rang immediately.


    [Oppa, are youing again today?]


    [You muste. I¡¯ll be studying hard.]


    [When will you being?]


    [Are youing now?]


    The one problem was that the obsession that she used to share with Han Sora had gotten worse, but epting that much was easy.


    As I picked up the hand mirror, I saw more unread messages.


    [Honey, do you have some infinity bags to spare? If you do, please bring me one. I¡¯ll reward you.]


    It was Hee-ra.


    ¡®My bags are gifts from someone else¡­ Will it be okay?¡¯


    It seemed to be irrelevant because it was mine anyway, but I felt ufortable for some reason. If he knew that a bag had disappeared from my shelf, wouldn¡¯t Doom Hyunsung react?


    [Or tell Kim Hyunsung not to bid above the bag I bid. It¡¯s annoying. Fuck, this asshole.]


    ¡®What¡­¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t understand Cha Hee-ra for a moment, but when I essed the official Benignore Net auction house, I could see what Cha Hee-ra was saying.


    [The Red Mercenary has bid 330,000 gold for Chanelia Hermes¡¯ equipment storage bag (legendary-grade).]


    [Kim Hyunsung has bid 350,000 gold for Chanelia Hermes¡¯ equipment storage bag (legendary-grade).]


    [The Red Mercenary has bid 430,000 gold for Chanelia Hermes¡¯ equipment storage bag (legendary-grade).]


    [Kim Hyunsung has bid 550,000 gold for Chanelia Hermes¡¯ equipment storage bag (legendary-grade).]


    [The Red Mercenary has bid 600,000 gold for Chanelia Hermes¡¯ equipment storage bag (legendary-grade).]


    [Kim Hyunsung bid 800,000 gold for Chanelia Hermes¡¯ equipment storage bag (legendary-grade).]


    ¡®Gosh, what are you doing¡­ Are you not training? When did you learn to use the Benignore Net auction house? And why did you write your real name as your username?¡¯


    I was a little disconcerted.


    When I looked at him through the telescope a few days ago, he was definitely training insanely.


    He seemed to be checking the auction house even while he was busy, so I wondered if that bastard was really okay¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s not bad because it¡¯s a hobby, though.¡¯


    It didn¡¯t look bad for him to have time to cool down. Since he wouldn¡¯t have much time to do any other leisure activities, he should relieve his stress with something like that, at least.


    The problem was that Cha Hee-ra was getting stressed, but I couldter lend her a suitable bag separately.


    As expected, I found a message he sent a long time ago.


    [Kiyoung, I¡¯m sorry for sending this while you¡¯re busy. How are you doing? I¡¯m worried you¡¯re forcing yourself a bit too muchtely. Of course, I understand your feelings for the continent, but I fear you¡¯ll be too tired when the main event begins. I hope you¡¯re thinking of your own health a little. And a new series appeared on the auction house. I hope that it will be a little bit of strength to you during difficult times.]


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know how to reply.


    Honestly, I wanted it just so Hee-ra could get the storage bag, but unlike Kim Hyunsung, who used guild money, Cha Hee-ra was ying only with her own sry.


    I was certain that the match would end in Kim Hyunsung¡¯s victory.


    [Oppa, check out the Benignore Net auction house now. Cha Hee-ra is losing badly. LOOOOL!]


    Lee Jihye seemed to be happy with the current situation.


    [Lee Kiyoung, did thest job go well?]


    That was Sun Hee-young.


    [Is your head okay? I know you¡¯re busy, but take care of your health. I¡¯m worried that you¡¯ll faint. Oh, and did you see the video I sent you before? Hehe]


    That one was Cho Hyejin.


    I saw messages from other people too, but I simply sent back a simple reply to them.


    What was a little peculiar was that there was no message from Park Deokgu. It seemed like he¡¯s busy doing tactical training.


    In the meantime, he changed his profile picture and wrote down famous lines like [Effort never betrays], but honestly, I didn¡¯t have any expectations.


    There wouldn¡¯t be anything to lose anyway, so it didn¡¯t matter, but I didn¡¯t know if I¡¯d use him somewhere.


    As I checked the messages umted in the hand mirror after so long, time passed without my knowledge.


    ¡®Why isn¡¯t this womaning?¡¯


    I had to kill a little more time, so the moment I turned my gaze toward Jung Hayan again, I saw someone opening the door.


    ¡°What kind of trash thoughts are you having?¡±


    Dialugia, who I hadn¡¯t seen in a long time, had entered the room. It seemed she didn¡¯t have time to organize everything after the long trip.


    ¡°Well, Dialugia doesn¡¯t have to worry too much. There are many things to prepare for. The end of the world ising, and I, the savior of the continent, can¡¯t be still. More importantly, how is it going?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Did you have some results? I mean¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Did you look for other dragons?¡±


    Expectations apanied my voice.


    ¡®Some would have responded to her, right?¡¯


    It was a race that could make up for our power, which was still a little scarce. They were the defenders and bnce keepers of the continent in the past and the ones we could lean on at present since I couldn¡¯t make all 666 angels.


    I didn¡¯t hear that the dragons acted directly in the first round, but I thought it would be slightly different in the second timeline. I had a connection called Dialugia, after all.


    ¡®There should be about 20, right? That¡¯s right.¡¯


    As she had been busy traveling all over the continent, of course, there had to be results.


    However, Dialugia¡¯s face was getting darker and darker. Not surprisingly, she spoke carefully.


    ¡°Most of them are reclusive or sleeping¡­¡±


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°Honestly, I haven¡¯t met many of them.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you keep going around after this incident?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I kept looking around, but¡­¡±


    ¡°How many responded?¡±


    ¡°T-three.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Does that make sense?¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t help it. Since they have a very closed and private tendency, I think it is fortunate that at least three answered, honestly.¡±


    ¡°There are only 13 days left, and only three responded?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, didn¡¯t you say something about protecting the world and stuff?¡±


    ¡°That is also a thing of the past. Now, the dragons are all scattered and living their lives. Some are hiding in the human world, so I think at least three can help.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that the three responded? Including those living in the human world, there should be more than three.¡±


    ¡°Only one of the three dragons has confirmed toe¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Wow, this is too much. It¡¯s really too much. Isn¡¯t this the ce where everyone lives together? They only want to save themselves¡­ Was it all fake, protecting the continent and all? You just hovered around to look cool, didn¡¯t you? A continental crisis came in, and yet¡­ They are too selfish. Is it enough for them to survive?¡±


    ¡°Once again, it¡¯s a thing of the past. It is humans who have made the situatione to this point in the first ce. If you consider that the most have antipathy, we should be thankful. On the contrary, some were pleased with what was happening. Think of the scars humans left on the continent and dragons over the long history. They are those who have already suffered enough. You have to consider their feelings too. Rather, it is a very hopeful situation to be able to get the help of the three.¡±


    ¡°How can it be a hopeful situation with only three helping us?¡±


    ¡°At least they will sincerely fight for our cause.¡±


    ¡°The sincerity of those three will be a great addition to humanity. That¡¯s great, really. It¡¯s a great race. Is there a more selfish race?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Did you properly convey that the dragons are also in danger if the avant-guard is weaker in the first ce? I¡¯m saying this because they don¡¯t seem to know the direness of the situation, and they don¡¯t distinguish between humans, dragons, and others. Well, it maye favorably at first, but the ending will remain as a catastrophe. Would you like the world you live in to be a deste ruin?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Dialugia¡­ you have to find a way. If it goes on like this, we won¡¯t be able to do anything. It wasn¡¯t that the entire race asked for help, nor are we asking them to join the Continental Protection and Management Committee¡­ No matter how different races are, I asked them to protect the foundation of the life we ??live¡­ but only three responded? This is a joke. They¡¯re teasing us.¡±


    ¡®Fuck, it¡¯s not wrong.¡¯


    Wasn¡¯t it a formal request for help?


    Even though I sent a decent envoy, I had to be disconcerted by the fact that only three wereing. And two of those weren¡¯t even certain.


    They¡¯re teasing us. It¡¯s no different from requesting to send troops to a country I thought was an ally, but they sent only three hundred people. What would be a joke if that wasn¡¯t?


    ¡®Should I use Tactic Kim Hyunsung to teach them a lesson?¡¯


    I wanted to turn the dragon race into a sea of blood.


    Dialugia also gave off a tense atmosphere, whether she noticed that my face wasn¡¯t looking well.


    I was sure she was ashamed of herself. The self-proimed defenders of the continent had be the deep-rooted evils and turned their back to the situation¡­


    She always thought of me as a sneaky human, so she wouldn¡¯t be able to raise her head anymore.


    ¡®Fuck, I was counting on it¡­¡¯


    The Jung Hayan awakening project was running smoothly, but the one I was currently tackling was disappointing. No, it was not just simply disappointing.


    In the current situation, where the odds had to be increased even a little, I needed the dragons to join us.


    As I patted my thighs, I became lost in thoughts.


    ¡°Do the dragons have very fewmunities?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s okay to assume that there is none at all. In the past, I heard that meetings and the like were held, but now they don¡¯t exist at all.¡±


    ¡°But you¡­¡±


    ¡°I just visited them based on my memories when I was younger. I keep in touch with one or two, but even that only happens every few hundred years. A bookkeeping index was never made as well.¡±


    ¡°Well, is there no interracial affection or anything like that? Is there no such thing as universal love for humanity? If there is someone in need, and if someone is in danger, isn¡¯t it normal to want to help or reach out? I understand they don¡¯t like humans. But isn¡¯t Dialugia a dragon? Even though a dragon asked for help, they respond like this? Dragons are a mean race, a mean race.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that! We dragons, too, are aware of universal values. Of course, I will not deny that it is a race with strong personal tendencies, but to help those who have not be adults¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Say it again.¡±


    ¡°I mean¡­ To help those who have not be adults, or¡­¡±


    ¡°One more time.¡±


    ¡°To help¡­¡±


    Dialugia¡¯s face turned pale. She looked like she had made a mistake. Honestly, when I saw Dialugia¡¯s face, I had no choice but to be a little disappointed.


    ¡®What are you thinking, really?¡¯


    That I¡¯d put my daughter at risk?


    No matter how rotted Lee Kiyoung was, he wasn¡¯t that trashy.

 Chapter 677: Dragon (2)

    <h4>Chapter 677: Dragon (2)</h4>


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to look so worried. Do you think I could make our Dialuria go into the battlefield?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°No, don¡¯t get me wrong. I have never really thought of that. Don¡¯t make a face like that. It seems you¡¯re going to hit me. Are you really going to hit me?¡±


    ¡°If¡­ If you touch our Luria, you will die, and I will die.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Wow, look at her.¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®You don¡¯t trust me that much?¡¯


    Dialugia¡¯s face turned hostile enough to think of that for a moment.


    I felt a little bit disappointed with the face that didn¡¯t have a bit of trust. I honestly couldn¡¯t remember doing anything deserving of such treatment.


    ¡°No, you have to rule out Luria in this matterpletely. That kid isn¡¯t ready to fight yet.¡±


    ¡°Why do you think I¡¯m already thinking that way? Who said I¡¯m driving Dialuria into the battlefield? I¡¯ve never even had such a trash idea. Rest assured. I¡¯ll give her something to do, but it¡¯s far from getting hurt.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you want her to do, but I will refuse all of them.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t affect the health of the child. Don¡¯t overreact. Honestly, I¡¯m also reluctant, but it¡¯s necessary, so what can I do? If the dragons are sensitive to children, I should use them as much as possible. How did you persuade the other dragons? Is it true that you asked for help while talking about Dialuria?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I knew it. I told you, if something goes wrong this time, everyone will die. We have to do whatever we can. We have to use those selfish dragons as a meat shield at all costs. I also don¡¯t want to harm our Tol To-ri. I don¡¯t want her to bother with this. That¡¯s what I mean.¡±


    ¡°If so¡­ If you do that¡­¡±


    ¡°But what can I do? If even a little thing goes wrong, everything will be ruined. I have to protect my family too. Even if we run away on Noah¡¯s Ark, do you have any guarantees that it will work out? I don¡¯t know what will happen afterward. The best thing is to make sure we don¡¯t have to get on the ark in the first ce. And since there¡¯s really nothing wrong with what I¡¯m about to do, just go get Dialuria now.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Quickly.¡±


    ¡°What¡­ What are you trying to do?¡±


    ¡°What do you think? I¡¯m trying to film a public service.¡±


    ¡°Public?¡±


    ¡°Well, something like that. I have something to film besides that anyway. Get her quickly. I don¡¯t have time.¡±


    ¡°Why¡­ do things like that?¡±


    ¡°First, Castle Rock Monster Wave. When cowardly and dirty humans took Dialuria hostage, why did the other dragons have remained silent? Isn¡¯t that because they didn¡¯t know? We have to shoot a goodmercial and broadcast all over the continent. If we put the Goddess¡¯s Mirror in the sky, it may be an opportunity for the dragons to realize the seriousness of the situation. The same goes for those who hide among humans. So bring her quickly. Oh, since you¡¯re going, bring Max too. I¡¯ll be recruiting other kids from different races as well. You just need to know that.¡±


    ¡°Fine¡­ I¡¯ll agree for now¡­¡±


    It seemed that she didn¡¯t understand what a public service was in the first ce. Still, Dialugia nodded when I added the exnation that it was to deliver the message efficiently.


    There was still a suspicious expression on her face, but I didn¡¯t care all that much about it. Wasn¡¯t she doubtful that the public service would really work? I wasn¡¯t sure it would work out either, but¡­


    ¡®It doesn¡¯t mean it won¡¯t work at all.¡¯


    It had to work unconditionally. Wouldn¡¯t it be even more effective since it¡¯s with dragons?


    That was true even if I only looked at public service s broadcast through various media around the Earth.


    Of course, some humans, such as Lee Yul-ha, wouldugh, saying we were casting pity appeal, but not everyone thought that way.


    Numerous non-profit organizations, volunteer organizations, and donation organizations worldwide didn¡¯t spend money on advertising for no reason. It meant that once one got to spread it, they¡¯d have more influence than investing that amount of capital.


    Continental people and other races that hadn¡¯t yet been contaminated with the media, especially dragons who had been living by building a wall to separate them from the world, could be assured that they would be affected more and more.


    ¡®Ah, I might be a littlete today. No, I might not be able to go at all.¡¯


    Since the schedule was suddenly set up, it created a minor problem. I couldn¡¯t go to Jung Hayan, but¡­


    Just because she was alone for about a day, didn¡¯t mean she wouldn¡¯t feel Han Sora¡¯s vacancy.


    When I opened the hand mirror, messages were piled up again.


    [Fuck, really. Kim Hyunsung, that asshole. Real asshole. That bastard, you need to start a public money embezzlement investigation on him in the guild. What is Kim Hyunsung¡¯s annual sry that he has so much gold? The Continental Protection and Management Committee will do it for me, right? Don¡¯t turn a blind eye just because it¡¯s your guild, and when you¡¯re done, go through with the investigation properly. He¡¯s definitely using the guild fund.]


    ¡®It seems that Hee-ra¡­ lost.¡¯


    Not surprisingly, Kim Hyunsung¡¯s message also caught my eye.


    [I have sessfully purchased the new item I mentioned earlier. I¡¯m on the way to pick it up myself. I didn¡¯t call you because I think you¡¯re busy, but I¡¯ll leave a message again because I hope it will help you amid your hardships.]


    He described it as releasing my stress, but I had a strong feeling that he was the one releasing stress. He even took pictures and sent them.


    The next picture was the appearance of the equipment storage bag on the shelf, and looking at the appearance disyed perfectly at an angle without any ws, I didn¡¯t know what to answer.


    I couldn¡¯t say, ¡®Please take that to Hee-ra,¡¯ and ask, ¡®How much did you spend?¡¯, could I?


    Seeing that he didn¡¯t talk about the price, it seemed that the money that went into it was higher than when he bought the Rising Bagst time.


    I thought it wouldn¡¯t look good to read and not reply, so I tapped on the Goddess¡¯ Hand Mirror.


    [It really cheered me up. You must be busy training, thank you.]


    [I wasn¡¯t very busy.]


    ¡®I guess he¡¯s holding the hand mirror.¡¯


    Since he answered right away, he was probably taking a break.


    [I¡¯m d to hear that it cheered you up. When do you have time?]


    [Oh, right. I was already thinking of gathering the guild members to do something. I¡¯ll set the schedule, so it¡¯ll be nice to see them all together then. Thank you again, Hyunsung.]


    [No. You don¡¯t have to be so grateful. I¡¯m more grateful.]


    [Yes, then I have work to do¡­ ^^]


    [I will contact you again.]


    [Okay.]


    [Don¡¯t overdo it, and I hope you¡¯re healthy.]


    [Thank you.]


    [Yes, I will contact you again tomorrow.]


    ¡®I really don¡¯t need the equipment storage bag, though.¡¯


    ¡°Would I use itter?¡±


    I wondered if I would, but it was unlikely.


    Cha Hee-ra, carrying a baggy bag, hovered in my mind for a moment, but it wasn¡¯t a bag that helped increasebat power, so I didn¡¯t think I needed to hand it over to her.


    To Jung Hayan, I just sent a message saying that I would be a littlete or that I would only be able to go tomorrow.


    I looked at her with the telescope just in case, but I was relieved that she didn¡¯t react in any other way than getting a bit depressed.


    [Is Jung Hayan¡­ okay? Wouldn¡¯t it be better to apologize?]


    Rather, Han Sora was the one anxious. I put their problems aside for a moment and concentrated on the immediate problem.


    [Elena, do you have a minute?]


    [Yes, can I help you with anything?]


    That one responded right away too.


    After exining the situation roughly, a text message with her agreement arrived immediately.


    It wasn¡¯t long before I heard a knock on the door, making me think that she wasn¡¯t too far away.


    ¡°Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Elena.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    She was certainly the same as before. What was a little fun was that she had been looking into my eyes since she came in.


    At first, I felt strange for a moment, but I could understand why she looked in my eyes with the voice I heard.


    ¡°You might be perplexed to hear this suddenly after meeting after a long time, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I can feel Elune from Lee Kiyoung¡¯s eyes.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Is that so?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Recently, I was very worried because I couldn¡¯t feel Elune¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It looks like she was watching me through Lee Kiyoung¡¯s eyes.¡±


    There was no need to exin that it was a face that felt very warm, just like the main believer of Elune.


    She looked like she still hadn¡¯t recognized that Elune abandoned her.


    I felt sorry seeing that, but it was hard to exin it currently.


    ¡°Is that so¡­ I don¡¯t know about that¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, she definitely does. I feel that Elune is watching me more than ever. Oh, enough about this¡­ How have you been? It didn¡¯t contact you because I thought you were too busy.¡±


    ¡°It seems that I was a little busy because the responsibility I was given was too heavy. Sorry for not paying attention to you properly. I heard that you are training with Deokgu.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you already heard of it!¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s the training?¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s going better than I thought. In fact, before I started, there was a part that was a little worrying, but Deokgu seemed to lead me better than I thought. The party members¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°The people who were recruited from other ces alsopletely trust Deokgu.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Did you not hear? Deokgu recruited sailors and mercenaries, and now training is being conducted in units.¡±


    ¡®What?¡¯


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s a little shabby to say that it¡¯s a unit, but everyone is doing well in training. The people who gathered were also a little awkward at first, but now they all seem satisfied. All of us feel responsible because the given mission is very heavy. The same goes for me. Honestly, it¡¯s a little scary, but I feel good that there¡¯s something I can do.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, I know it¡¯s best not to have a situation to use the nice boat.¡±


    ¡°What? That bastard. Why are you turning it into a huge training like this?¡¯


    Of course, I didn¡¯t say anything about forming a separate unit.


    I thought it wasn¡¯t bad, although there was a sense of anxiety about his initiative. It was enough to click my tongue.


    If there were a group of forces around Park Deokgu, that would be a good thing.


    Being able to move organically in a defense battle was a helpful thing to allies.


    ¡°Oh, and¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°As you said, I brought the kids of different races. They¡¯re resting in the drawing-room. I didn¡¯t understand what you said before, but what kind of are you going to show?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a video that will be helpful to everyone living on the continent since there¡¯s not much time left now. Some feel responsible and work hard like those who train with Deokgu, but there are others who don¡¯t¡­ I want to send a message telling them to create a world with us where all races living in this world can dream of harmony and a beautiful future for our children.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡®I see you¡¯re impressed.¡¯


    It was not only the other races, but also the dragons were expected to be affected.


    Crash!


    When such a warm atmosphere was circting in the room, I heard the sound of the big door breaking.


    ¡°Panting! Panting!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Panting¡­ Panting! Kiehek! Kieeeeek!¡±


    ¡°Tol To-ri?¡±


    What greeted me was a dragon that filled the roompletely.


    ¡®Why did you grow up like this?¡¯


    Looking at her, I had no choice but to think so.

 Chapter 678: Dragon (3)

    <h4>Chapter 678: Dragon (3)</h4>


    ¡°Kiek! Kieeeeek!¡±


    Every time she shook her tail, I heard a bang, and I felt a vibration.


    She wasn¡¯t that big when Ist saw her. As she was always in her humanoid form, the image of Tol To-ri that remained in my memory was the size of a tiger. It¡¯s surprising to see her bigger than an elephant.


    It seemed that she was very happy, based on her big and glittery eyes. She was squirming to hug me, but she couldn¡¯t control herrge body.


    How could I hug her when she¡¯s like that in the first ce?


    ¡°It seems that you were so excited that your original form came out. Dialuria, you have to focus.¡±


    ¡°Haaa! Heugh! Kieeeek! Pfew!¡±


    A tongue, bigger than my entirety, swept against my face once. I wondered if Dialuria didn¡¯t care much since she was that happy, but¡­


    ¡®Most of the time, we couldn¡¯t meet because she was sleeping.¡¯


    ¡°Dialuria? Dialuria?¡±


    Even though Elena¡¯s amazement was caught in my eyes, Dialuria was turning into a humanoid was what caught my attention.


    I immediately felt a hug.


    ¡°Dad! Dad!¡±


    ¡°Oh! Our Dialuria. How have you been?¡±


    ¡°Well, well, well!¡±


    It was like a cicada hanging onto a tree. I could see Max walking behind her slowly, holding Dialugia¡¯s hand.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t go see you right away as soon as you woke up, Luria.¡±


    ¡°No, I can understand. Mom also said you were busy every day.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been getting along well with your younger brother, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    I still remembered the head-butt when she first met him. If she did that again, I wondered if my ribs would break.


    Seeing that Max¡¯s expression, who was still holding Dialugia¡¯s hand, was normal, it seemed that she hadpletely stopped doing that.


    His characteristics seemed to be the same, but mentally, he matured. Unlike in the past, when he didn¡¯t listen to Dialugia¡¯s words, I felt that he had finally acknowledged her position.


    ¡°You¡¯re heavy to dad.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    She was still disobedient like before.


    I wanted to say ¡®no, it¡¯s okay,¡¯ but she kept hanging onto me. Slowly, I started running out of breath.


    Eventually, Dialugia reached out her hand and pulled her away.


    ¡°You¡¯ve grown a lot, our Luria.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but it takes a long time to grow as big as my mother. I hope I grow up quickly.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be soon? How are you going to school? You just started going again, right?¡±


    It was Dialugia who answered the question.


    ¡°She was sleeping for a year, and as soon as she was re-admitted to school, she quickly caught up with others. Especially for subjects such as physical education or basicbat¡­¡±


    ¡®She¡¯s a dragon¡­ Isn¡¯t that natural?¡¯


    She couldn¡¯t be seen as a top adventurer, but she would have stepped to the top based on herbat abilities.


    I could bet that our Tol To-ri would be stronger than her colleagues, as well as the teachers.


    Nevertheless, it was fun to see Dialugia being proud of her.


    ¡°Besides, you don¡¯t know how smart she is.¡±


    ¡®Of course, she¡¯s a dragon.¡¯


    ¡°Of course, Max is smarter.¡±


    ¡®Still, it doesn¡¯t seem you¡¯re discriminating him.¡¯


    There was also affection in Dialugia¡¯s eyes when she looked at Max. The same was true for him. Perhaps it was the predicted result.


    However, unlike Tol To-ri, who didn¡¯t obey her and walked her path, Max was the standard of an obedient child. I could bet that he had never done anything to upset Dialugia. Rather, he would haveforted and supported Dialugia.


    ¡°What can I do, Dad?¡±


    ¡®No, if you talk like that, you¡¯ll make me feel sorry. It makes it look that I call you only when I need you¡­¡¯


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so sorry. I know what situation the continent is in and how important dad is.¡±


    ¡®You¡¯ve grown a lot, Tol To-ri, really.¡¯


    Not only me, but Dialugia seemed to have the same thought.


    She seemed to think, ¡®when did my child¡¯s thoughts deepen like this?¡¯


    Honestly, I tried to write a script and act moderately, but it didn¡¯t seem bad to change my mind a little.


    ¡°I called you to see how you were doing. Should we go outside first? Max, youe too.¡±


    I nced at Elena slightly and immediately felt her nodding.


    ¡°What are you going to do?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? I¡¯m trying to shoot the kids ying.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°What, did you think I was going to turn her into a gue dragon?¡±


    It looked like she really did.


    Although I saw Dialugia, who regretted not being able to pass on the acting tips of someone experienced, it didn¡¯t seem she was upset altogether.


    Wasn¡¯t I spending time together with them after a long time?


    A couple of kids from different races were added there, but it was even better for Tol To-ri.


    It didn¡¯t mean that she was overly mature just because she¡¯s a dragon. Although her mental growth was fast, she was still in the form of a kid.


    As she sat with Dialugia, Elena introduced the children to her. Of course, the faces of elves and dwarves were very tense, especially the faces of dwarven children.


    Other races were no different. Their expressions had fear and awkwardness coexisting, and Dialuria began to look disgruntled.


    As if she wanted to be with me rather than her peers, she kept turning her head. She nodded as I waved my hand from a distance as if she was relieved.


    ¡®It¡¯s not bad. Honestly, it looks good.¡®


    Wasn¡¯t that a picture even if anyone just looked at it roughly? The first time that kids of different races met and exchanged greetings awkwardly with each other, and became closer, little by little, warmed my heart.


    As expected, slowly but surely, the awkwardness was dissipating.


    Of course, they instinctively felt fear of Dialuria, but the pure little kids soon became one and began to have fun and y.


    Tol To-ri had an expression saying, ¡®childish, inferior guys¡¯, but she got excited when she started running and ying with them.


    The same was true for Max. Dialuria was also like that, but I enjoyed watching Max¡¯s new appearance, who always acted like a grown-up, and I also enjoyed looking at those little kids.


    ¡°Dialuria and Max seem to get along well with the other kids whom they met for the first time. This moment is so precious.¡±


    Dialugia¡¯s evaluation wasn¡¯t bad. She seemed quite thrilled.


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°This is the world that the Honorary Cardinal wants.¡±


    I had to nod at Elena¡¯s evaluation.


    ¡°It¡¯s the world that Lee Kiyoung wants.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°A lot of time has passed, but there are still many of our elves who do not believe in humans. We wanted to go together with you to fight for the continent, but the memories of the times when we were in conflict¡­ Those wounds of the past do not disappear easily.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I understand.¡±


    ¡°Voices are constantly popping out to see if humans and other races can truly reconcile¡­ Some still look at that scenario with suspicious eyes.¡±


    ¡°I can understand that too.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s embarrassing, but me too. Of course, I know that Lee Kiyoung and the Blue Guild are good people¡­ and I realized that some humans have the right thoughts, but there are still many people with defiled souls. However¡­ all those bad thoughts seemed to have flown away the moment I started watching that scene.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°What value Lee Kiyoung really wanted, what Lee Kiyoung wanted to protect, and what future Lee Kiyoung is picturing¡­ Maybe everyone will understand.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Even Dialugia was looking at me with a different expression, so there was nothing else I could say.


    It was a sight that could purify even the rotten heart of Dialugia, who firmly regarded me as trash.


    Nothing else was as pure. Just seeing the sights of those children ying was overwhelming.


    I could bet that any trash would be better individuals upon seeing them.


    Tol To-ri was even showing off her dragon form. Honestly, I was hoping more and more for her to y with that form.


    ¡®You have to show your true side to your friends.¡¯


    Of course, the startled little ones got wary or cried, but after going through the adaptation period again, I could see them ying on Dialugia¡¯s back or tail.


    In particr, it looked fun to see them using the tail as a slide.


    The dwarf kid was sticking to his feet as if he was scared to ride the slide, but that alone seemed to prove that his alertness was broken.


    ¡°The children must be hungry. I have to prepare something.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you, Dialugia.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you too.¡±


    ¡°No. Someone must stay to watch the children.¡±


    Honestly, I didn¡¯t want to move, so I was thankful that they told me that.


    ¡®Why is your expression so warm, Dialugia?¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t get used to her warmest face since we met. Maybe she didn¡¯t think that was bad either.


    That was because Elena talked well. She might¡¯ve thought that that was the environment Tol To-ri would grow up in, looking at her having fun.


    Honestly, I also had simr thoughts. That kind of atmosphere was good to let the children live in. Maybe everyone thought the same.


    The dragons wouldn¡¯t be different either. They were originally spread across the continent, but they were no different from the elves.


    They defended the continent and helped humans but were betrayed by them in the end.


    Like someone once said, the Earth¡¯s cancer was humanity. Wouldn¡¯t the humans of the continent look like cancer in their eyes as well?


    I hoped all the dragons who thought that humans couldn¡¯t change and that they wouldn¡¯t be able to reconcile would be able to watch that scene.


    It was a transparent sincerity with no lies.


    After some time passed, among the appearances of the little kids covered in dirt, it seemed that my child had the most fun. When Dialuria came back in human form, she ran over to me. Maybe she had something to say to me.


    She was probably trying to introduce a friend or ask for something.


    I didn¡¯t know if it was because the pure mind inside me was stimted, but the light kept trying to escape from my body.


    Perhaps it was because of the children¡¯s eyes. Even if I kept trying to hold it, the wings were trying to pop out. I wasn¡¯t aiming for a good picture. No, honestly, I was aiming for that for a bit, but if I said I was going for that openly, I would look like trash¡­


    I had to pretend that it was because of my warm heart that the ten bright wings appeared.


    ¡°Woooooow!¡±


    ¡°Wow¡­¡±


    ¡°Dad! Dad¡­ It¡¯s so pretty. So pretty¡­ dad.¡±


    ¡°Wooooooooooooooooooooooooow!¡±


    I spread my wings toward the future of the continent. Did they realize that they were covered in dirt?


    They seemed to be having difficulties putting their hands on the bright wings of light. Instead, I hugged the children of different races tightly.


    ¡®For the future of the continent, I will never give up.¡¯


    And¡­


    As if living up to my expectations, the dragon meat shields that saw the began to gather one after another.

 Chapter 679: Dragon (4)

    <h4>Chapter 679: Dragon (4)</h4>


    The sight of the children running on the wide field was reflected on the screen.


    Was there a need to exin what kind of fun the kids of different races ying with nature look like?


    The childrenughed loudly with each other as they yed, and they disyed their purity in the way they talked and ate together.


    It was as if they were telling us that we should live on the continent that way. It seemed that they were saying, ¡®We children deserve this future, and you must fight for it for us.¡¯


    There were actually simr narrationsing out.


    -A continent where our children can live with ease can only be protected by our hands.


    Dialuria¡¯s face, which was in close-up, had a natural innocence that a camera couldn¡¯t capture.


    In fact, it¡¯s not even a neat look. She didn¡¯t have any makeup on when we shot the scenes.


    However, her appearance rather evoked the lost innocence of the past.


    In order to keep that kid¡¯sughter, I had to go to the battlefield. That was how it made me feel.


    -If everyone on the continent unites as one, we can protect it. Small candles can be gathered together to produce light brilliant enough to illuminate the darkness.


    but the best one was of Light Kiyoung, who embraced children of different races with warm wings of light. It looked sacred even to my eyes.


    I could bet that the scenes with Dialuria and Max in my arms and several little kids who I had forgotten the names of would be more effective than any other clip.


    -Harmony, love, and peace are values ??we must remember. Children who live in this realm need your strength. Please, lend your abilities to the Continental Protection and Management Committee. Let us take one step further towards the new future.


    ¡°And¡­¡±


    -Continental Protection and Management Committee.


    The was finished with our logoing out. I made it a bit hurriedly, so I was worried about whether it would work, but rather, I liked its looseness.


    Rather than showing off openly, it had a rather natural look.


    Dialugia, who was looking at the Goddess¡¯ Mirror next to me, spoke afterward.


    ¡°It really¡­ works.¡±


    ¡°How would it not work? Among our dragons, there remains a basic value of protecting dragons that haven¡¯t grown up yet. It¡¯s definitely effective, almost absolutely so.¡±


    ¡°I heard that it was also a thing of the past¡­ Honestly, to give a definite answer, I was a bit¡­ nervous¡­¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t thatmon to all nations regardless of race? Who in the world hates pure children? Because of our strong individualistic tendencies, it would have been inevitable for our minds to move apart from not having children. Look at our Dialuria¡¯s face. How pure is it? What would the dragons think when they see this?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°They will probably think the world has changed. The scene where the different races and dragons get along isn¡¯t amon sight to behold. There may be some supremacists, but regardless, they¡¯ll still agree. The world has changed, and the time of harmony hase. Maybe some dragons wille to check. That¡¯s an incredible sight.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°It must¡¯ve been very touching to the dragons who visited us. Despite being reclusive, they appeared on the surface and were seeping through the world. That¡¯s why you¡¯re here now. Of course, I can assure you that the most influential among them is the pure appearance of our Tol To-ri.¡±


    ¡°However¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t deny¡­ that it turned out well, but¡­ I¡¯m notfortable with this. For some reason, I feel like we used the innocence of children¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Can you protect the continent with such a mindset? Look at our Tol To-ri¡¯s face and think again. This is all for her.¡±


    ¡°I know that, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Is Dialuria in the room?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Get up. I don¡¯t want to keep the guests waiting¡­ If I knew they¡¯de this soon, I would have prepared it in advance. Who knew that five of them woulde? Besides that¡­ What was it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, there is one who can be called an Elder Dragon by my standards. When I was young, I also passed by her and saw. Of course, I thought she died in the bosom of nature¡­¡±


    ¡°She must be strong.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Wouldn¡¯t an Elder Dragon who had aged enough to return to the bosom of nature have considerable force?


    It was difficult to judge exactly how much, but it might¡¯ve been enough to fill arge area alone.


    Maybe she¡¯s strong enough to face one of the four archangels. It wasn¡¯t unreasonable that I smiled.


    I was in a situation where I thought wecked power, but it was no different from having reassuring allies joining.


    I smiled, but it was still a situation where I couldn¡¯t rx.


    There might¡¯ve been some who were suspicious of the itself or came to see what they had watched with their own eyes.


    Regardless, the meeting had to go well. Of course, I naturally had to show a good rtionship with Dialugia¡­ and basically, I should leave the impression that I was a trustworthy human.


    They had a slight hostility to our race, after all. I shouldn¡¯t be relieved that it was all over because that was where it truly began.


    ¡°They are waiting in the reception room.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, go in first.¡±


    Dialugia, with her head down slightly, went straight into the reception room.


    I, too, followed right behind her, and I immediately saw five dragons sitting on the chairs.


    There was only one elderly. The rest appeared to be simr to or slightly older than Dialugia.


    Considering that their humanoid forms were affected by their actual life span, that olddy with gray hair was probably the Elder Dragon that Dialugia talked about. I didn¡¯t know what kind of species she was, but I could get a rough deduction when I looked at her golden eyes.


    ¡°Thank you foring so far, Honorable Guardians of the Continent.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Immediately after a brief silence, a voice came ringing out.


    ¡°We are no longer the guardians of the continent. It¡¯s been too long for us to bebeled as such, so don¡¯t call us by that title anymore.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°How can I not do that? I am just a human from another dimension, but I know that your mother, and your mother¡¯s mother, have dedicated themselves to the continent. How can I pretend not to know that the reason I can tread on these grounds is because of the hard work and sacrifice of your kind?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Even if it is an expression that is slowly being forgotten, you deserve to be called the Guardians of the Continent.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s embarrassing.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Embarrassing.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what it meant when they clicked their tongues.


    ¡°Hey, human chosen by the gods of the continent, you make me feel ashamed.¡±


    ¡°That is not my intention.¡±


    ¡°What do you think, Genozirah?¡±


    ¡°Marceline, there is no lie in this divine man in front of you. I don¡¯t feel even the slightest deception in his feelings for the light.¡±


    ¡®What, did you have a lie detector?¡¯


    I wanted to activate my Mind¡¯s Eyes to check, but I didn¡¯t want to make a mess identally.


    Rather, when I looked at the dragon named Genozirah with an expression as if I didn¡¯t know anything, I could see her looking at me as if she was sorry.


    The dragon who responded somewhat poorly was Marceline. I heard her making a loud sound as if she didn¡¯t believe it.


    ¡°There¡¯s no way that can be true. Even if he¡¯s a human chosen by the gods of the continent, it cannot be. Genozirah. Even those who have appeared every few centuries, called warriors, eventually couldn¡¯t escape from their greed and interests. There can never be such a human¡­¡±


    It was just after looking into my eyes that the blue-haired dragon stopped talking.


    ¡®I can throw my everything for the continent, for thisnd, and for everyone who lives here.¡¯


    ¡°Such human¡­ can¡¯t¡­ ex¡­ ist¡­¡±


    ¡®What I want is not power, honor, or property. It¡¯s not because I want to protect myfort. I don¡¯t even know what that is in the first ce. I don¡¯t need anything else. I just want to protect the world. I just want to protect thisnd just for pure love. I am the light.¡¯


    ¡°It can¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡®Love and peace, harmony and future. That¡¯s all I want. I¡¯m not interested in anything else. It¡¯s true. Kiyoung doesn¡¯t know anything.¡¯


    ¡°It can¡¯t¡­ be.¡±


    ¡°It looks like my eyes aren¡¯t wrong, Marceline, are they? Even if you don¡¯t look inside, there are things you can see on the outside. You felt it. How was it?¡±


    ¡°I apologize.¡±


    ¡°This human is different. He is sincere for the continent and worthy of the Guardian¡¯s name more than us who hid. I didn¡¯t understand when you said you had a human husband¡­ Your choice is not wrong, Dialugia.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Genozirah.¡±


    ¡°I can also feel that this man loves you very much. You got a good mate. A very¡­ very good partner.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I want to apologize before anything else. I¡¯m sorry we didn¡¯t trust you and that we made you take a useless test¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what kind of test they did, but the light in my mind seemed to give me a free pass in any exam.


    ¡°But please¡­ understand that it was a necessary action for us because we¡¯ve been hurt far too much¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s exactly going on, but you don¡¯t have to be sorry, Genozirah.¡±


    ¡®I¡¯m not sure what happened, but thank you.¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    And it seemed that they were really sorry, considering the moment of silence that came afterward. Rather, it was visible that she was thinking about what to say first.


    I felt like the situation where I could smile hade. It was no different from starting with the other party indebted to me, allowing me to upy an advantageous position in the negotiations.


    Surprisingly, Genozirah immediately continued. I was nervous about what she would say for a moment, but what came out of her mouth was a little unexpected.


    ¡°If it¡¯s okay, can I hear your story?¡±


    ¡°Exactly what¡­¡±


    ¡°I want to hear how you two met, how you got together, and how Dialugia chose this human as a mate.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s too out of the blue.¡¯


    A gentle smile. It felt as if it really were the face of an Elder Dragon.


    It seemed that she was also interested as if she remembered seeing Dialugia when she was very young, like a grandmother wanting to hear her granddaughter¡¯s love story.


    It was a little embarrassing, but I had no choice but to abide by her request. I had to look good.


    ¡°Actually¡­¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡±


    ¡°Actually, humans in the city of Castle Rock had kidnapped Dialugia¡¯s daughter.¡±


    In an instant, the room froze. However, after slowly listening to my story, the dragons began to understand our history.


    I told them about how the Small Rock Guild threatened Dialugia by taking Dialuria hostage and that I prevented Dialugia from dying.


    Then I took care of her and finally created a rtionship with her¡­ so, not a huge story.


    As I recalled the previous events, I blushed. I didn¡¯t even imagine that at the time, I would have be Dialuria¡¯s father.


    As I kept talking and looking at Dialugia, she was also smiling a little bit awkwardly.


    ¡°In fact, I never imagined that I would be Dialuria¡¯s father. It just¡­ happened.¡±


    ¡°It looks like you got caught, hahaha. I guess she really wanted you. Am I wrong, Dialugia?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ embarrassed.¡±


    ¡°Since he was chosen as a spouse after saving her life, it would feel a bit unfair for a human who the continental gods had blessed, Genozirah.¡±


    ¡°Do you think so too, Marceline?¡±


    ¡°Yes, this is bad for the pure human, but I also envy Dialugia.¡±


    At first, I was nervous, but the atmosphere in the room was moving forward without fail toward a bright future.

 Chapter 680: Dragon (5)

    <h4>Chapter 680: Dragon (5)</h4>


    ¡°I think we should stop now, Marceline. Dialugia¡¯s face is just getting worse¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t take it too seriously, Dialugia. If the day when I have to choose a spousees, I just thought it wasn¡¯t bad to choose him as a spouse.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no, Marceline.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Marceline didn¡¯t covet your mate, so you don¡¯t have to look like that, Dialugia.¡±


    It seemed she was bothered that Dialugia kept making unpleasant faces for some reason.


    ¡®It¡¯s not because of that.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t because of Marceline¡¯s lines.


    Other dragons didn¡¯t know the reason behind Dialugia¡¯s state, but I could tell.


    Perhaps when I talked about the past, she remembered painful memories. I didn¡¯t know what she was thinking exactly, but it must¡¯ve been a memory painful enough to remain as trauma to her.


    As I held her hand, I felt her trembling body slowly calming down. Genorziah saw it, smiled slowly, and nodded. Perhaps she noticed what kind of situation it was.


    As Dialugia immediately spoke up, changing the subject, I had no choice but to realize that I was right. I thought about whether her change of posture was a little sudden, but that didn¡¯t make them ufortable. In a way, it was the most anticipated event for the ones present.


    ¡°I had to introduce Dialuria as well¡­ I¡¯ll bring her now, Genozirah.¡±


    ¡°Right. I almost forgot the purpose ofing here. A dragon that isn¡¯t even ten years old yet¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a little nervous.¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡±


    The room immediately turned noisy. I thought that only about two of the dragons hade to see Dialuria, but I realized then that all of them were interested.


    ¡®It¡¯s a really peculiar race.¡¯


    Naturally, I couldn¡¯t understand their behavior by human standards. Who would have thought that a race with a small number of individuals since they hated having children would like children so much?


    It might¡¯ve been a behavior inscribed in their genes, or it could be because the culture and mindset of dragons werepletely different from mine. It didn¡¯t matter much, but if I wrote a dissertation on the ecology of dragons, wouldn¡¯t it sell well?


    The dragons were all talking about Dialuria as if they were excited to see her.


    ¡°The future of the race¡­¡± or ¡°I don¡¯t know how long it has been.¡± The faces of those spitting out the same lines were basically equipped with excitement.


    It was then that Tol To-ri stepped into the reception room.


    ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Dialuria.¡±


    The educated greeting was very different from the usual Dialuria.


    ¡®What? Why are you so quiet?¡¯


    Of course, she was usually quiet, but that time, it seemed she thought that she should show the calmest attitude she could muster.


    Even though I didn¡¯tment or coach her, she seemed to have understood her position well.


    ¡°Ooh.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Genozirah. Nice to meet you, Dialuria.¡±


    ¡°You can call me Aunt Marceline.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you, Dialuria.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really small. You¡¯re not even ten years old yet, yet you¡¯re already clever enough to be able to change like that.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so cute.¡±


    It looked like they were desperately holding back the desire to rush and hug her. As soon as variouspliments struck, Dialugia¡¯s lips curved into a smile. She boasted about herself every day, so how d would she be for them topliment her like that?


    Even at a nce, I felt that she wanted to open her mouth and chatter with them. Eventually, she could no longer stand it. She spoke up.


    ¡°She has a good heart and is adapting well to the new environment. Even in her ss, she maintains the top ranks every time¡­ Even though she had a short sleep period, she¡¯s smart enough to keep up with their progress right away.¡±


    ¡°ss¡­?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, Dialuria lives with humans and other races, Genozirah.¡±


    ¡°It was true, then? What I saw through something called the Goddess¡¯ Mirror.¡±


    ¡°Yes, actually, it was at the rmendation of my spouse¡­¡±


    ¡°May I ask why you came to think of that?¡±


    ¡°There is no other reason. I just wanted her to hang out with kids of her age. I don¡¯t know what you think about it, but¡­ I thought it was normal. I wanted her to learn the ability to develop and build positive rtionships with smoothly.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I thought those things were important. Dare I say I thought this was what the dragons really needed.¡±


    ¡°Interesting. Even though you are chosen by the Goddess, and you are a dragon¡¯s mate, I didn¡¯t think you would tell us what we need.¡±


    It was the silver-haired dragon that had been pouting her lips from before who spoke aggressively.


    ¡®She was making an unpleasant expression from before. I knew it. ¡®


    It feels like I had caught one of those types. It seemed that she didn¡¯t like that a mere human was defining them.


    ¡®Sigh¡­¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t extreme, but it was simr to a form of racial supremacy.


    She could utter such words simply because her wings and tail hadn¡¯t been cut off by Tactic Kim Hyunsung yet, and I didn¡¯t have to make her realize her helplessness.


    For the time being, my priority was to sweet talk them.


    ¡°Of course you may be offended¡­ It isn¡¯t unreasonable for you, who are in the role of defending the continent, to feel that humans and other races are not the ones to walk with but the ones to protect. You have lived through the years and have a great power to match it. If I hadn¡¯t be a dragon¡¯s spouse, I would have thought the same thing as you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Like the gods on the continent, you might have thought that dragons are a race that deserves idolization.¡±


    ¡°Then you mean we do not?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but yes.¡±


    The hot-tempered one stood up right away, making a loud sound.


    ¡°Apart from their responsibilities and their abilities, I thought that dragons were a race that had to live in harmony andmunicate with others. I feel that you have to live on the same boat without standing on top of someone else.¡±


    ¡°You will have to take responsibility for what you say, human.¡±


    ¡®I don¡¯t have to take responsibility. If you hit me, Tactic Kim Hyunsung wille running.¡¯


    ¡°That¡¯s why I think the Goddess made you that way.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not worth hearing, Genozirah.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I might distort the will of the Goddess, but I think your ability to choose a lifelong mate, share your soul and heart with that mate, and close your eyes with that mate is for that reason.¡±


    ¡°So what do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Have you ever wondered why you could choose a spouse regardless of race?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I wonder if you have ever wondered why you can live with someone you consider inferior for a lifetime.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s nonsense¡­¡±


    ¡°What the Goddess really wants from you¡­ maybe it¡¯s living with other races. It may not be standing on top, but together. At least, I think so, and that¡¯s why I wanted to make Dialuria feel it. I want to make her feel everything about people living on the continent in different cultures, different types of life, and in different ways.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous.¡±


    ¡°Casseliana!¡±


    ¡°Genozirah¡­ this human is mocking and looking down on us.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not the case, Casseliana.¡±


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    ¡°This human is right.¡±


    Honestly, I didn¡¯t know if I was. I was just talking of things that came into my mind.


    However, no one would say anything else to Genozirah, who was already drunk in the light, even though I was the one who said that it was usible.


    Honestly, I didn¡¯t know why the one who designed the dragons on the continent thought of giving such abilities to dragons. In some cases, it was definitely something worth thinking about.


    ¡°Did the Goddess say so, spouse of Dialugia?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°I think now I know¡­ why our kind has failed.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about, Genozirah?¡±


    ¡°Our race has always been looking for causes from outside. That was the problem. After listening to Dialugia¡¯s partner, I understand now. Why did the Goddess give us such powers? Has anyone ever thought deeply like this human? No one would have seriously thought why they could choose a mate without distinction of race. It was natural to decay. Thinking we¡¯re above everyone, we naturally became forgotten¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t the spoiled everything. It was us that have been living the wrong way. We tried to stand on top of them and oppress them. When they increase their strength, we be vignt, and when humans reach out, we shook their hands off. Wasn¡¯t it simr to other races? We haven¡¯t been able to change our ways even though we have had many years to look at the way of life of many different races.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°The only thing that we did was hide in our ce, pretending that all the reasons for our suffering were the inferior ones. We didn¡¯t try to understand anything and instead let go of our responsibilities.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°This ability, which we have considered the most annoying, cumbersome, and useless, is a light that guides our kind to the right path. We have to get along and live as a unit. That¡¯s the true way the Goddess wants us to live.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°She didn¡¯t want us to protect them. She wanted us to live together with them.¡±


    ¡°However¡­¡±


    It was an unusual atmosphere. Seeing the silver-haired dragon biting her lips tightly, I felt she had to admit that she was wrong.


    I was worried about Dialuria, who got in an awkward position in a rather cold atmosphere. She must be embarrassed because strange words were popping up suddenly.


    As expected, she was reading the room, but immediately opened her mouth.


    ¡°I like having friends too.¡±


    ¡°Dialuria.¡±


    ¡°I like being together with them, and it¡¯s fun. Of course, there are times when I feel the difference in the way we think, but I still like my friends. I like living with humans, talking with elves, and the continent where I live now.¡±


    The pure words of a child came in and struck them.


    ¡°I want to live like this. Like my dad said, I want to grow up with others.¡±


    ¡°Everyone will die before you, Dialuria. Your friends won¡¯t be able to understand you.¡±


    ¡®This bastard just says what she wants.¡¯


    However, Dialuria was unstoppable.


    ¡°It¡¯s a responsibility thates with the strength I have, the strength I will have, Casseliana. Our people have a soul that can handle sorrow.¡±


    ¡®Wheeew! What a good blow. I don¡¯t know whose daughter she is, but she¡¯s good at talking.¡¯


    ¡°I know I¡¯m being shameless, but I want to ask you. At the end toe, let me be with my mother and father¡­¡±


    She even lowered her head slightly. I was worried about how to speak up, but the problem had solved itself.


    Dialuria¡¯s short lines silenced the room.


    No one could easily reply to that, but Genozirah quietly stroked Dialuria¡¯s hair, patted her head, and walked. I didn¡¯t know what to say for a moment in the sudden act, but I had to follow her.


    Eventually, Genozirah¡¯s body, after going to an empty space, shone brightly and began to change into the shape of a dragon twice the size of Dialugia.


    I didn¡¯t know if it would be appropriate to say that it was old-fashioned, but her appearance felt like a well-made statue.


    After stretching out her neck, she let out a great roar.


    ¡°Roooooooaaaaaaar!!¡±


    Immediately after that¡­


    Simr sounds began to be heard from all over the continent.


    -Groooooooarr!!


    -Groooooooarr!!!


    -Groooooooooooaaarr!!


    I didn¡¯t know what was going on exactly, but I was sure it was a good event for us.


    This was because I saw Tol To-ri was smiling in an underhanded way.


    ¡®Our daughter¡­ is great, but¡­¡¯


    She wouldn¡¯t look happy just because we got meat shields.


    ¡®Right?¡¯


    I trusted our daughter.

 Chapter 681: Get Ready (1)

    <h4>Chapter 681: Get Ready (1)</h4>


    I could still remember the huge shadows that covered the sky.


    Although it wasn¡¯t clear exactly how strong Genorziah¡¯s influence was or what the cry meant, I could confirm that the dragons decided to think seriously about that matter.


    Judging from the expression of the silver-haired dragon that I didn¡¯t like and Genorziah¡¯s words, I was probably right.


    ¡®I think it¡¯s going to be a long meeting. I will try to bring positive results. How long has it been since the Dragon Lord died? I¡¯m just thankful that you¡¯ve given us a new direction.¡¯


    It would be as she said.


    ¡®You¡¯re going to get a helpful answer, aren¡¯t you? You have to.¡¯


    As I tapped my thigh, thinking of the time left, Lee Jihye squinted and talked to me.


    Although we kept in touch with each other through the hand mirrors, it¡¯s been a long time since west saw each other in person. Her tired face stood out more than usual.


    ¡°It¡¯s already been a week.¡±


    ¡°Surely.¡±


    ¡°So¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re sure there¡¯s a strong, tasty dragon meat shielding in, right? I think our chances of winning will rise a little bit if so¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a fixed issue yet. ording to Dialugia, the situation isn¡¯t bad, but I was caught in the eye by someone who was going to make a big fuss.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to work?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have time for that. I wish Dialugia all the best.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to be looking around, are you? We can frame the silver-haired dragon for selling her soul to the devil. It¡¯s not bad. It¡¯s not that farfetched that one of the dragons had an affair with the devil. I know it¡¯s a little annoying, but it¡¯s better to be sure. You can turn dragon bones or hearts into equipment, anyway. We¡¯ll kill two birds with one stone.¡±


    ¡°If I could do that in a day, I would. There are only seven days left. How much time do we have to pay attention to that? It¡¯s possible for other dragons to listen to this. The acting Dragon Lord has faith in me, but it¡¯s hard to say he¡¯s caught public opinion. There are definitely racialws and cultures to consider. It takes time to figure that out, but if you put your feet in a lull, you¡¯ll be tied up with the meat shields you¡¯ve earned.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense.¡±


    ¡°If you want to work, it¡¯s best to fight during the war. If the number is set, you can push it as it is, and if it doesn¡¯t work, you¡¯ll have to treat it like the Little Rock guild in Castle Rock. You can build a statueter. It¡¯s what we call honorable death.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s really vicious.¡±


    ¡®I don¡¯t want to hear that from you, Noona.¡¯


    ¡°So there¡¯s a certain probability.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t exactly measured by data, but it wouldn¡¯t have that much of an impact. Still, I could bet it would be higher than before.


    Jung Hayan was still in the middle of holding things together, but since Cha Hee-ra jumped over the wall, plus if the dragons joined, wouldn¡¯t it be possible to raise the probability by about 10 percent?


    In addition, I had solved many small problems.


    The human race was already ready to fight.


    All the troops had been deployed into their designated ces, and explosiveints had subsided.


    There was also anxiety that it might have been pushed somewhat forcibly. Still, such worries certainly disappeared when I remembered the Guild Master of arge guild was questioned about his deep-rooted evil.


    It was rather absurd because it was the day before I decided to search for Robby. I suspected that Kim Hyunsung hadmitted it, but unexpectedly, the culprit was the Vice Guild Master.


    There was sad news that he had directly killed the traitor because he tried to side with the demons.


    Perhaps the real cause was a struggle within the guild. It was obvious, but I had to close my eyes for the time being. On the contrary, it was a good situation. Although the atmosphere was a little unsettled for a while, it progressed very smoothly except for those minor incidents.


    I also thought it wasn¡¯t disadvantageous that the atmosphere seemed to say, ¡°the day of prophecy ising.¡± It wasn¡¯t an official announcement, but it felt like it.


    All the troops were located in front lines and forward bases, and civilians in nearby cities were being transported to the rear.


    It would be strange not to notice that something would soon happen, considering the great light continued to fill the north. While deliberately spreading rumors that a battle would ur within a few days, even the continental dragons cried. I didn¡¯t say anything, but everyone should know.


    Although the soldiers were worried about negative public opinion, defeatism, and ¡®what if the fear of the mysterious enemy made them stick their heads,¡¯ they looked surprisingly calm.


    There was no need to question it. I could see very well what made them calm down.


    ¡®The future of our children.¡¯


    Public service s made for dragons had begun to affect humans and other races. Dragons were not the only ones that wanted to protect the pure smiles of the kids.


    Of course, the public opinion of ¡¯emotions¡¯ had crept up, but the more desperate the situation was, the more the people started hoping for the best.


    They chose to paint a hopeful future as a way of oveing fear, and the Continental Protection and Management Committee perfectly depicted the ideal future they hoped for.


    There were a lot of public opinions across the continent that we should protect ours with our hands.


    What more did we need to say besides the fact that we didn¡¯t have to force conscription? More and more people applied to the military every day, and as a result, the morale of the military was rising.


    There were even some who said the following lines:


    ¡®We must protect what is ours.¡¯


    ¡®Our future should be built with our hands.¡¯


    ¡®If we gather even a small power, we can be a beacon that will light up the darkness.¡¯


    ¡®A purpose has been given to us.¡¯


    They gathered from all over the country and prepared to sacrifice their lives for the continent.


    If I had to convert it into data¡­


    ¡®3%? No, can I judge it rose by 5%?¡¯


    Perhaps we should make a better evaluation.


    The atmosphere was hard to digitize¡­ In some cases, they exerted greater power than they normally could.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Is it that bad? Give me a quick answer.¡±


    ¡°Well, there are a lot of ambiguities to quantify, so I personally think it¡¯s risen to 45 percent.¡±


    ¡°And if Jung Hayan passes the wall¡­ What would the percentage be then?¡±


    ¡°More than 50 percent, I guess.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s definitely a big deal. Is that why you¡¯re holding on to her?¡±


    ¡°I think it would be better if she explodes when things have be dramatic. At least three days before, or one day before.¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯re making her hold on for too long, but I guess I¡¯m not the only one that¡¯s nervous. What are you going to do if it goes wrong? If you think about how many times she¡¯s done that before, then she can mess things up this time as well. To be honest, I think Jung Hayan will be able to go beyond her limits, but Im still worried. We¡¯ll have to think about it.¡±


    ¡°Regardless, if she can¡¯t cross the wall, we¡¯ll be destroyed. It¡¯s Noah¡¯s ark n once the dragons fail as well. That¡¯s why I¡¯m looking at you like that, Noona. It¡¯s better to twist things around than to waiting for her to grow stronger without doing anything. It¡¯s better to have time left to run away.¡±


    ¡®Is she that important?¡¯


    Lee Jihye already knew that Jung Hayan¡¯s worth was huge, but the current question contained a moreprehensive meaning.


    ¡°More than you can imagine. I can assure you, Noona.¡±


    ¡®Well, the situation isn¡¯t all that bad.¡¯


    ¡°Well, if you say so, Oppa. Ah. And Raphael¡¯s side¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve kept him plugged in for now¡­ He might be helpful if he wakes up. There¡¯s nothing we can do if it doesn¡¯t work out. How about you, Noona?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard. I wonder if I even have time to chat like this. Still, I¡¯m doing fairly well. The Red Mercenary is a pretty good guild, and I think I¡¯ll be able to meet Cha Heera¡¯s demands even though they still have a lot of training to do¡­ I can¡¯t just hang on to it too much, especially on days like today.¡±


    Lee Jihye slightly nodded. Soon after, the Goddess¡¯s Mirror lit up, showing a figure on the screen. It was Oscar, the leader of a country.


    Standing on the pulpit and presenting to reporters was normal for her, but she looked somewhat nervous that day. Still, soon enough, her tension slowly disappeared.


    ¡°It¡¯s a surprise. To be honest, I thought you would do the presentation, Oppa.¡±


    ¡°I thought I¡¯d better go in right before the battle instead, and most of all, Oscar¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, well, I admit, I was wondering if she had the ability of great speech, but she speaks well andmunicates well. Letting her take over this work is definitely a good idea.¡±


    Lee Jihye was right.


    To be honest, eloquent speeches didn¡¯t suit Oscar. She wasn¡¯t the type to speak coherently, but I thought she¡¯s the type to give credibility in tone and behavior.


    Even if she said the same thing, she would seem more trustworthy when she opened her mouth.


    The person who turned the Holy Empire into a republic was the right person to make an announcement.


    As expected, she continued her words without hesitation. In the beginning, she took some time, but she soon monologued without hesitation.


    There was nothing special about it. In a way, it was nothing more than a simple statement, a story that was all anticipating and hissing.


    - In the North¡­


    She spoke of the outer forces¡¯ light.


    -The gods of the continent, including Benignore, are¡­


    Remarks on the prophecy, investigations by various guilds and organizations, including the Continental Protection and Management Committee and the Vatican, and conclusions obtained through the process.


    For a long, long time, she continued to speak until the end after announcing the official position.


    -As I have told you, there is exactly a week left until the day of the prophecy.


    ¡°He said it.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°The reaction¡¯s quieter than I expected.¡±


    ¡°They would have foreseen it, but it must¡¯ve been bitter to actually hear it. Most of them probably wish it wasn¡¯t true.¡±


    -Lastly, I dare tell everyone who lives on the continent.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -Please be ready.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -Be prepared to protect thend that the Goddess has built and the son of the Goddess that raised thisnd.


    ¡°The son of the Goddess means you, Oppa, right?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    -We can get through this. With our strengths united, Humanity can do so much more than survive the iing peril. Of course, there may be great sacrifices, but this is a task that cannot be achieved without casualties and damages. I¡¯m not telling you to prepare for death. Rather, I want you to prepare for victory.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    - I¡¯ll put myself on the line, just like any other. I¡¯ll offer up everything just so we can win. I will take the lead in protecting thend that the Goddess¡¯s son has raised. I will sacrifice myself before anyone else and fight at the forefront. We will carry swords and shields to convey our desire to have a brighter future and convey our dreams for future generations.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    - Please be ready.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -Prepare for a fight and to win. We can emerge here as thest beings standing. We have faced many crises, and we overcame each and everyst one of them. It won¡¯t be different this time, either. Remember that our forefathers have protected thisnd through numerous battles. The battle of ideology, the fight against nature, the struggle between conflicts and races, the fight against power, the fight against invisible enemies, the things that are already engraved on our bodies. What our predecessors have told us is not to be defeated but to be victorious.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -Do not fear. We are here because we have won all of our past battles. As always, as our history has proven time and time again, we will im victory with our own hands.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -Please be ready.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -Fight to protect the continent.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -Fight for victory.


    ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to the headline.¡±


    I simply nodded at Lee Jihye¡¯s words.

 Chapter 682: Get Ready (2)

    <h4>Chapter 682: Get Ready (2)</h4>


    [Oscar, the leader of the Divine Church, shows his enthusiasm in his determined speech ¡®Get Ready for Victory.¡¯ - Reporter Kim Sung-kyung of the Kyo-kuk Newspaper]


    [With seven days left, the sudden announcement was made. What will the fate of the continent be? Yuno Kasugano refused to express her official position. -Celia Weekly Daily, Yonez Kenji.]


    [Pope Basel, ording to Benignore¡¯s prophecy¡­ Everyone should participate in the temple and enjoy the victory they deserve, but the warrior who fights next to the prosecutor of the sunset is silent. - Reporter Kang Yu-mi of Linspatch.]


    [At a time of continental fortunes, the Blue Guild Master is shopping for bags? Is the idle appearance an expression of confidence or a mere luxury? An anonymous report of the embezzlement of guild funds has been sent in as well¡­ - Linspatch Kang Yu-mi.]


    [Notification of Personal Safety Measures - Continental Protection and Management Committee.]


    [Anomalies all over the continent. The circumstances of the extinction are being revealed. What are the demons wearing angel masks? How aboutparing their power to that of the continent? - Reporter Kim Sung-kyung of the Kyo-kuk Newspaper.]


    [Genius swordsman and alchemist¡¯s long box office. Finally, it¡¯s the end¡­ Nothing is known about the serialization of the foreign war yet. - Kang Yu-mi, a reporter for Lindel Culture.]


    [Lee Kiyoung has not yet made public appearances and has no foreign activity other than a Continental Protection and Management Commission video. People are concerned about his health. - Reporter Kim Sung-kyung of the Kyo-kuk Newspaper]


    ¡°It¡¯s a real mess.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It is, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Hey! Miss Kim!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Miss Kim!¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir. I¡¯m here.¡±


    ¡°Are you done with your training? You¡¯re looking at the hand mirror again today. It¡¯ll make your eyesight worse.¡±


    ¡°Even if my eyesight gets worse, if you put in my magic, I¡¯ll still be able to see far enough. It won¡¯t get worse, anyway.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s the atmosphere there?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ it¡¯s not good, but it¡¯s not that bad either. Compared to the provocative article, thements are clean. Did Mr. Choi finish his work today?¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s right. All I have to do is work overtime.¡±


    ¡°I see it every day, but it¡¯s really unexpected. I didn¡¯t expect you to volunteer to stay.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re in a supportpany anyway. You¡¯re far more surprising than me. Didn¡¯t you say you¡¯d be sent to the center tomorrow? Our Kim, you really seeded.¡±


    ¡°I told you I had high stats.¡±


    ¡°No, you¡¯re not being called by Ahn or Park? Miss Kim seems like a good fit for the Blue¡­¡±


    ¡°Shhhh!¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I could be.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°No, to be honest, it¡¯s too much to join the Blue¡­ But since Mr. Park is here, I¡¯m thinking about how I can gather more connections. I heard you keep in touch with him. I might be called to the Central Support Company or transferred to the Suseong Military Force. Is it impossible to transfer troops to Suseong Military Force at the right level?¡±


    ¡°Do you have any medical history?¡±


    ¡°Nothing was written except that I had to be taken to the center. Maybe they can¡¯t tell me. I left a message because I was curious, but he said he doesn¡¯t know either. Well, maybe it¡¯s nothing. Anyway, take care. I¡¯m ashamed to say this between us, but¡­ Well, survive.¡±


    ¡°What are you so worried about? If it¡¯s dangerous, you can pull away from it. Kim, Park, and Ahn are more worried than me. I won¡¯t see you leave, but have a safe trip, and fight hard¡­¡±


    ¡°See you again tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow it is¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have toe out. We¡¯ll meet again after work. Well, Mr. Park asked me to have a beer after work.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good to me.¡±


    The image of Uncle Choi nodding and smiling was reflected in my view.


    I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d see him again there, but I felt as if we had ended up being more connected than I thought.


    At first, I didn¡¯t want to see him, but I couldn¡¯t help but feel attached as I kept looking at him.


    ¡®Is he going to survive?¡¯


    In fact, I wasn¡¯t in a position to worry about others. As Choi said, it was undeniable that I was sent to the fiercest battlefield.


    In addition to Park and Ahn, the headquarters filled with numerous strong people would be the most dangerous area.


    It was facing a huge light in terms of location, and most of all, it was known that Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung, or Chairman Lee Kiyoung, and the Blue Guild Master were stationed in that area.


    As it connected all forward bases located in the northern part of the continent, the strongest powerhouses were always on standby in there. Considering that most of the formidable forces could be ssified as vested interests, it wouldn¡¯t be wrong to assume that they would take the lead.


    Of course, public opinion in thements was great.


    The Blue Guild Master¡¯s sudden ability to fly naturally caused controversy, but who cared about it when the day of prophecy was only six days away?


    We had spent 8 to 10 billion won. The story of an anonymous informant, who allegedly embezzled guild funds, quickly died down.


    Perhaps that was the news that Nature Lovers cared about the most.


    After Choi left, I immediately opened up a room in Benignore Net.


    [Title: Day of Prophecy, only six days left.]


    [Lindel Vige Resident: I¡¯m embarrassed because it is quieter than I thought, and people seem to ept it calmly¡­ In the old days, as a joke with your friends, what would you do a week before the continent copsed? What do I do now? I thought about this a lot, but I¡¯m calm because it¡¯s so sudden. I¡¯m not sure why, but I¡¯m just continuing my daily life. The neighborhood is also quiet. Well, there are no people whomit crimes, and there are no people who pretend to be crazy and underlined their bucket lists. Is everyone okay?]


    [Poor Man: Is it because I know that the continent won¡¯t fail? I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to happen, as Oscar said¡­ If you think about it, the continent was almost destroyed before, but yesterday is not today.]


    [Poor Man: It was the same when there was a war against the Republic and when Raios and the devil summons urred. When I first opened the tutorial dungeon, I heard that the continent¡¯s residents talked a lot¡­ It might be because I¡¯m thinking about how well it will work out this time, but it¡¯ll be okay¡­ Everything will be resolved properly.]


    [Lindel Vige Resident: It¡¯s quiet, but I think it¡¯s too quiet¡­]


    [No ID: So you¡¯re just running around on fire, and you want apocalypse and crazy people to go wild? You didn¡¯t think criminals would set the temple on fire, did you?]


    [Lindel Vige Resident: Not really¡­]


    [No ID: If you think Oscar and the Continental Protection and Management Committee really learned about this just a week ago, you¡¯re too stupid.]


    [Poor man:?]


    [No ID: I¡¯m sure they were already aware of the situation at least a few months ago, and they set it up asfortable for civilians as they could. Only the official announcement came out yesterday. They already knew everything.]


    [Poor man: Yes, they did.]


    [No ID: Did he care about public opinion and security? I¡¯m sure the guys trying to do crazy things with the end of the world have been swamped without even realizing it. Don¡¯t you know one of the Guild Masters in the neighborhood is dead? Who would believe that the Guild Master took care of it himself? Just look at the forward base or the main frontlines right now. None of them are busy running around.]


    [Lindel Vige Resident: So how¡¯s the atmosphere been?]


    [No ID: I don¡¯t know because I¡¯m not on the frontlines. Still, based on their actions, they¡¯re not cramming. They¡¯ve prepared well for this. I¡¯ve already finished preparing a long time ago myself, and I¡¯m just lying on my bed and turning over the bookshelf to control my condition a few days before the exam. The deployment of troops has already been done long ago, and the supply and training have beenpleted.]


    [Lindel Vige Resident: That¡¯s a bit¡­]


    [No ID: The continent is already ready to fight the enemy. If you don¡¯t believe it, call Natural lover. You said you¡¯re a Blue employee. I¡¯m sure you know best.]


    ¡®What the hell is this?¡¯


    It was a story that made me nod without realizing it.


    I thought I wasfortable, but I suddenly felt like I was losing my grip. It was all a far-fetched part, but No ID¡¯s words weren¡¯t wrong.


    Such an atmosphere was also underlying, and more than anything else, the scene was telling. But the bad feeling was¡­


    ¡®No.¡¯


    The fact that they were all prepared for the event was definitely something to apud.


    The only problem was that the Continental Protection and Management Committee hid the timing.


    As soon as I sat on the table and put my finger on it, a new article came into view.


    [Nature Lover: Then we¡¯ll get ready, won¡¯t we? It¡¯s a prophecy that¡¯s been around for years. Don¡¯t spread a conspiracy theory.]


    [No ID: Did I say something weird? I¡¯m just saying I¡¯m ready. Why are you reacting like that? Don¡¯t you think the timing was any good? Hahahaha]


    [Nature Lover: How would someone that has never been to the field tap their hand mirror?]


    [No ID: It¡¯s stinging, so can you draw a line while using honorifics?]


    [No ID: The leader of the country, Oscar, told us to get ready, but we¡¯re already ready. So I think we can just take it as personal preparation for the rest of the period. Write a will or talk to your family on the phone. Something like that.]


    [No ID: By now, even the Blue Guild is probably having itsst get-together. You have time to tap your hand mirror. The condition of the Blue now is so-so.


    [Lindel Vige Resident: Nature Lover, are you sure? Are you sure you¡¯re all set?]


    [Nature Lover: No, there are so many details to grasp. I can¡¯t tell you the details because it¡¯s confidential, but believe me. It¡¯s reallyplicated. What do you know?]


    [Angel Public Rtions Committee Chairman: ID Mi-jung is probably right. I guarantee it.]


    [Nature Lover: What do you guarantee?]


    [Angel Public Rtions Committee Chairman: I¡¯m sure it¡¯s right.]


    [Nature Lover: Uh¡­]


    [Poor Man: Did you unblock him, Nature Lover?]


    [Nature Lover: No, I didn¡¯t¡­ Why would I?]


    [Angel Public Rtions Committee Chairman: There are still a few puzzles left, but I think it¡¯s right to say we¡¯re ready.]


    [Nature Lover has blocked Angel Public Rtions Committee Chairman.]


    [Angel Public Rtions Committee Chairman does not exist.]


    ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    [Nature Lover has blocked Angel Public Rtions Committee Chairman.]


    [Angel Public Rtions Committee Chairman does not exist.]


    ¡°What?¡±


    I could see the chat room going wild in an instant. Everyone was just typing question marks, and so was myself, who kept looking at the hand mirror without saying anything else.


    ¡®There¡¯s never been an error.¡¯


    The Benignore Net differed from the Earth¡¯s Inte from its principles. There was no such thing as a server error in the first ce¡­


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that what¡¯s known?¡±


    [Angel Public Rtions Committee Chairman: Of course, it¡¯s an unsolved problem. People who have to go over the wall are not getting over it¡­ Well, I¡¯m sure this will work out¡­]


    [Nature Lover: Is the server being weird right now? What¡¯s wrong with the Benignore Net?]


    [Angel Public Rtions Committee Chairman: It¡¯s also interesting that our poor grey child isn¡¯t waking up. It¡¯s nothing to call a substitute, but I can¡¯t help but apud the attainment of the guardians of the continent¡­ I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a problem with the Continental Protection and Management Committee, the painting that our Lee Kiyoung is drawing¡­ There are many ovee it.]


    [Lindel Vige Resident: Who said the server would be closed if a war broke out? What? What is it now?]


    [Nature Lover: I can¡¯t block him. It says his username doesn¡¯t exist.]


    [No ID: Who are you?]


    [Angel Public Rtions Committee Chairman: But the most curious thing is what kind of choice Kim Hyunsung will make. Whatever it is, it¡¯s not a bad bet for me, but it¡¯s quite surprising that Lee Kiyoung threw the dice¡­ As expected, I thought that humans are fun.]


    [Nature Lover: You, who are you? If you don¡¯t tell me¡­]


    [Angel Public Rtions Committee Chairman: Whatever it is, it will be a good story for you. We¡¯re ready for the externalities.]


    [No ID: I¡¯m searching for the ID of Angel Public Rtions Committee Chairman, and I¡¯m scared as sh*t. Who are you?]


    [Lindel Vige Resident: The posts of the Angel Public Rtions Committee Chairman are disappearing. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any membership information. How did that person sign up? I can¡¯t track it. Nothing¡¯sing up, really.]


    [Poor Man: I¡¯ll just leave. I¡¯m scared now.]


    [Angel Public Rtions Committee Chairman: Well, whatever the oue may be¡­ I have no choice but to watch in earnest.]


    ¡°¡­¡±


    [Angel Public Rtions Committee Chairman: See you next time, everyone.]


    ¡°Who is that¡­¡±


    [Angel Public Rtions Committee Chairman has left the room.]


    ¡°Who was that¡­?¡±

 Chapter 683: Get Ready (3)

    <h4>Chapter 683: Get Ready (3)</h4>


    ¡°Is Deokgu going to bete?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I think he¡¯sing after his training. From what I heard, he¡¯s making up for the shortage of people¡­ Oh, he just arrived.¡±


    ¡®That bastard arranged this event, but he¡¯s the one showing upte.¡¯


    ¡°You can go ahead and wait. What about Hayan? Are you all right?¡±


    ¡°What? Oh¡­ yes, I¡¯m fine, yes.¡±


    Jung Hayan nodded as if nothing was wrong with her.


    In fact, it was a question that didn¡¯t need to be asked. I knew Jung Hayan¡¯s condition the best.


    I diagnosed her mental state as a little unstable, but she didn¡¯t show a cornered response. Perhaps it was because of the long time she spent with me.


    Of course, her condition was better when I was together with her. Still, Han Sora, who used to be with her all day, couldn¡¯t be easily forgotten.


    Hayan pretended as if she didn¡¯t care, as if it didn¡¯t matter, and that she was done with Han Sora, But I could see that she was having a hard time trying to hold on.


    ¡®I think I¡¯ll be ufortable.¡¯


    To be honest, it was indeed a little ufortable.


    It was good for all the guild members to get together, but as you know, Jung Hayan and Han Sora were in a state of desperation.


    The two had beenpletely separated since thest big fight.


    Of course, there had been asions when Han Sora sometimes sent messages asking about Jung Hayan¡¯s condition or when Jung Hayan wrote and erased messages of apology to Han Sora. Still, on the surface, they were in a cold war.


    Imagine a situation in which two people didn¡¯t even look into each other¡¯s eyes at a ce where they sat together with their mutual group. Even I was starting to feel awkward.


    Sure enough, Jung Hayan seemed quite nervous.


    ¡°Is¡­ Is Soraing?¡±


    ¡°Of course she¡¯lle. Sora is also a guild member. Why don¡¯t we take this opportunity to have a proper conversation?¡±


    ¡°No, no, I won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I-it doesn¡¯t bother me at all. I don¡¯t care¡­ I don¡¯t know her anymore anyway. I really don¡¯t care anymore.¡±


    ¡®No, I think you do care.¡¯


    At least she seemed to be wondering how Sora was doing.


    One of Jung Hayan¡¯s main concerns was how close she got to Park Mijin. In that situation, it wouldn¡¯t be bad to explode after the guild meeting that day.


    I was about to go in with Jung Hayan with such useless thoughts.


    ¡°Vice Guild Master.¡±


    I heard a voice from somewhere. As soon as I turned my head, a doll with a slightly vague expression became visible.


    Jung Hayan also looked back together, slightly bending tilting her head.


    ¡°Team leader Kim Mi-young. It¡¯s been a while. How have you been?¡±


    ¡°Yes, thanks for asking¡­ Anyway, I¡¯d like to talk to you a little.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ if you¡¯re not busy, will it be okay after the meal is over?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an important issue¡­ I¡¯m very sorry to say this, but if you could just give me a minute¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, well, then¡­¡±


    I nced at Jung Hayan. She nodded like an adult, but I didn¡¯t feel too good about it.


    That was because I was worried about the situation if Jung Hayan and Han Sora met while I wasn¡¯t around. We had also arrived earlier than the appointment, so I was worried that Han Sora might be waiting alone in there.


    ¡°Inside¡­¡±


    ¡°The Guild Master has been waiting for us since earlier.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah, well, let¡¯s go for a second. Hayan, you go in first. I won¡¯t be long.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­ okay.¡±


    ¡°So, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not as big a problem as you think, but I think you should know¡­ I¡¯d like to say I¡¯m sorry again. It¡¯s been a while since you had a vacation¡­¡±


    ¡°No, if it¡¯s urgent, I have to do something about it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s probably not a big deal¡­ Well, wait a minute.¡±


    She looked a little nervous. I was worried if anything really happened¡­ Unexpectedly, what was visible was Benignore Net¡¯s chat log.


    I understood why she called me separately when I read the log, thinking that she had too much work to do.


    ¡®What¡¯s this?¡¯


    Rather, I thought it was natural to report. I thought everyone in the room would¡¯ve been surprised. It wasn¡¯t strange at all, even though we would be frightened and wouldunch an investigation.


    Of course, from the perspective of posting that as a report, she might be worried that she¡¯d be a fool who responded to Benignore Net¡¯s crap, but¡­


    ¡®That¡¯s why you¡¯re nervous.¡¯


    I knew she had to react sensitively to even a small variable, so she posted a report despite the anxiety.


    Perhaps the first thing that caught her eye was the word, gray child. It wasn¡¯t publicly known that Raphael managed to maintain his presence with life support.


    Even¡­


    ¡®They talked about the Guardians of the Continent.¡¯


    ¡°I wish it were a simple error, but¡­ There¡¯s something I don¡¯t understand. I checked Benignore Net directly just in case, but it says it¡¯s an ID that¡¯s not on the server, and it¡¯s not on the trackingwork. It¡¯s also clear that it broke through the server from the outside, but there was no sign of it anywhere.¡±


    ¡°Did you check it out with Max?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Who found this?¡±


    ¡°I got a tip-off anonymously. I didn¡¯t try to find it, but if you want¡­¡±


    ¡°No, well, you don¡¯t have to go that far. I don¡¯t think you have to worry about it. Please discard this report as of this time, and remove all the records on Benignore Net. Let the people in the same room and the staff who posted the report join us.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all you need to do. We only need to take care of it within tomorrow, so you¡¯d better take a rest today.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll join you after I¡¯ve done what you ordered.¡±


    ¡°Yes, if that¡¯s convenient for you. Then I¡¯ll wait.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Perhaps relieved by the news that it was nothing, team leader Kim Mi-young noticeably brightened.


    I acknowledged her with a smile as if it was okay, but I couldn¡¯t stay still from the report¡¯s perspective.


    ¡®This¡­¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®I think this is Lucifer¡­¡¯


    I wasn¡¯t sure, but I thought that was the most likely possibility.


    ¡®I¡¯m pretty sure¡­¡¯


    Of course, it was not entirely unlikely that it¡¯s someone else, but it didn¡¯t feel like the one behind this was even human.


    An ordinary person couldn¡¯t just break through Benignore Net, all the more so if they did it without Max knowing.


    First, it urred to me that humans would be one of the two camps outside the rice field, but it was certainly not like the light.


    If so, the only thing that stood on the line of dragons was the devil¡¯s side. Of course, only one devil could y such a joke that damaged the eyes of the light.


    ¡®I was wondering what you were up to.¡¯


    Was she ying in a ce like that?


    She enjoyed her hobbies, and she liked to watch things after thinking about them, so it wasn¡¯t ipatible. The same was true of absurdity.


    I couldn¡¯t figure out why he showed his presence once in that way. Of course, it could be a mere farce. Frankly, there was a high probability of that.


    It wasn¡¯t worth thinking about, and I wanted to throw a piece of rice cake at Benignore Net.


    However, thinking the being behind it was Lucifer, I started feeling weird about it.


    Did I feel like that when I yed a board game with Jin Qing?


    ¡°I don¡¯t have to put meaning to this. Sh*t. I just wanted to y.¡±


    Even the evaluation wasn¡¯t that good.


    Jung Hayan jumping over the wall was already scheduled, and there was nothing wrong with the big picture Lee Kiyoung was drawing.


    ¡®Let¡¯s not worry about it. Yeah.¡¯


    ¡°No, how can you not care? Sh*t, you¡¯ve been stabbed in the back.¡±


    If I looked at the fact that there was nothing wrong with thest log, she probably wanted to show her presence that time.


    It was unblocked, and we couldn¡¯t even find the ID. It¡¯s like shouting, ¡®Look at this.¡¯


    There were a lot of fun parts, but the part that caught my eye was the following.


    [What I¡¯m most curious about is what kind of choice Kim Hyunsung will make. Whatever it is, it¡¯s not a bad bet for me, but it¡¯s also quite surprising that Lee Kiyoung threw the dice¡­]


    I didn¡¯t know what they were talking about. What kind of choice would Kim Hyunsung make?


    Light or darkness, the continent or light Kiyoung?


    ¡°Not a bad bet for Lucifer herself, huh?¡±


    It might¡¯ve been a cliche, but she and I had never made a bet. Likewise, I¡¯d never even thrown a dice.


    ¡°Did you express that you were all in on the continent as throwing a dice or gambling that you chose to keep Hyunsung alive?¡±


    Didn¡¯t it sound like she was saying there was a bet with her, and I threw the dice?


    Just like the rtionship between Jung Hayan and Han Sora, Lucifer¡¯s friendship is running toward the Cold War.


    I haven¡¯t talked to Lucifer separately since the Doom Hyunsung incident.


    She never approached me first, and I never approached her first. I didn¡¯t know why that crazy crow was doing that all of a sudden, but I was sure there had to be something.


    ¡®Ah, sh*t. Isn¡¯t this a big deal?¡¯


    Would that be how Kim Hyunsung, who had been stabbed in the back by garbage countless times, would react? I got hit in the back of the head once, and everything suddenly felt suspicious.


    ¡®No wonder people get PTSD.¡¯


    At that point, I was starting to form suspicions about Kim Hyunsung.


    [No matter what the result is¡­]


    ¡®What result are we talking about?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t even know what she was talking about. If I thought about it as it was, it would mean the continent¡¯s fate, but I couldn¡¯t stand it because the words Kim Hyunsung and bet she threw before were bothering me.


    ¡°Sh*t.¡±


    ¡®There¡¯s a sense of ipatibility.¡¯


    The reason was unknown. However, I certainly felt at odds with myself.


    I didn¡¯t know if it had been right to give that example, but the situation felt foggy.


    I didn¡¯t think the reason why we didn¡¯t eptmon words, in general, was because we had PTSD.


    The cause was clearly with me. Apparently, Lucifer and I made a bet.


    I wasn¡¯t sure until that moment, but that made me feel like I should know.


    Should I dig a little more? Shouldn¡¯t I check what was going on?


    ¡®No, don¡¯t do it.¡¯


    What?


    ¡®Don¡¯t do it.¡¯


    It was when I was holding on to my head for a moment. I could feel someone¡¯s eyes looking at me.


    As I turned my head in a hurry, Cho Hyejin was looking at me nkly, realizing that the memory loss hadn¡¯t beenpletely solved yet.


    Cho Hyejin approached me with a sad expression when I took my hand off my head.


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡­ What is it? I¡¯m not sick right now.¡±


    ¡°Take this.¡±


    ¡°Hyejin? What¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡®What, you look so sad. You¡¯re tearing up, Sh*t.¡¯


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Why would you give this?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. You, the Vice Guild Master, delivered this to me.¡±


    ¡°When did I?¡±


    ¡°You told me not to say anything.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about? Are you high, Hyejin?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that. Really, you told me not to talk, not to tell you anything. If I see you grabbing your head or look nervous, you told me to give this to you.¡±


    ¡°No, what nonsense¡­?¡±


    Cho Hyejin gave a note.


    When I opened the note with half a doubt, I understood what happened at once.


    What I saw was familiar handwriting. There¡¯s no way that I didn¡¯t know about that. It¡¯s obvious that it was my own handwriting.


    -Don¡¯t try to remember. It¡¯s a bet to win if you keep going.


    I still didn¡¯t remember, but I could tell one thing.


    ¡°Fucking sh*t¡­¡±


    That meant that I had met Lucifer once again.


    ¡°Ha¡­¡±


    I had erased my memories myself.

 Chapter 684: I Erased My Memories (1)

    <h4>Chapter 684: I Erased My Memories (1)</h4>


    ¡®What a bunch of crap.¡¯


    There was no doubt that it was better if I just stayed still in that situation.


    Before I judged the person who sent the message to me, I became suspicious that Lucifer gave that person a hint.


    The person who made that bet was hoping that I would notice something, and I put a nail in the game because I¡¯d win if I stayed still. It was clear what I had to do.


    Didn¡¯t the crazy crow turn our Hyunsung into Doom Hyunsung?


    However, it was inevitable to feel concerned by the whole situation. How would it feel to be in the middle of a mystery thriller movie?


    I never really thought such an event would happen.


    My head was already full of problems because of the people who wereing in a few days.


    There was no room to care about other issues from the beginning, and in fact, my priority was only to take care of the guild members and my surroundings.


    ¡®I don¡¯t even have time for this.¡¯


    I slowly rummaged back, but there was nothing wrong with my head. I couldn¡¯t remember every day perfectly, but I didn¡¯t feel like there was a hole in my head.


    It was doubtful whether the time when my memory was erased started when Hyunsung turned into Doom Hyunsung.


    Although circumstantial, I and Lucifer¡¯s bet was made at the time when the light fell off from the North¡­


    ¡®It could be before that.¡¯


    Perhaps it was a long time ago. It¡¯s not memorable, so it¡¯s right to consider all the possibilities for the time being.


    I hated imagining it, but what if Lucifer and I had already met long ago?


    ¡®What am I talking about? That crow needs an acting award.¡¯


    Although the possibility was small, it was reasonable to think about the different


    It was generally hard to understand why she gave such strong hints, but I couldn¡¯t remember.


    Perhaps I just needed an opportunity or condition to remember it.


    No matter how hard I thought about it at that moment, I knew the answer would never be revealed, but I still kept holding on, anyway.


    It was said that if one held on quietly, thinking that it would work out in the end, everything would eventually be solved. However, just being swept away without knowing anything increased my anxiety.


    I guessed Lee Jihye wasn¡¯t wrong when she called me a control freak. No, honestly, Noona was right.


    ¡®Sh*t¡­ Yeah, I think I¡¯m a control freak.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t stand still, Sh*t.


    That¡¯s probably why I erased my memory and made an arrangement for Cho Hyejin.


    I was certain I knew I was going to struggle for my memory. I must¡¯ve expected that I would never stay still. Therefore, it was clear that I left a note to myself as a reminder.


    ¡®No, sh*t, I shouldn¡¯t think so easily. Shouldn¡¯t I consider the possibility that it¡¯s a trap?¡¯


    If I had expected to dig up the secret, I would¡¯ve prepared a different arrangement.


    It was obvious that Lee Kiyoung, the bastard, must¡¯ve nned some bullsh*t to happen.


    I was sure I could bet everything on the fact that I¡¯d made a few traps. It was like waiting for me to cling to the treasure map after sneaking it in as if I had hidden a really important artifact, or I might intend to use it as bait into another ce.


    In summary, it was highly likely that telling Cho Hyejin to give the note was a trap. That was definitely a trap.


    I wanted it to start with Hyejin. I wanted to start from there. I was right, weren¡¯t I?


    ¡®You¡¯re such a fucking bastard¡­ Ugh.¡¯


    It was definitely harder to dig around the trap. It felt simr to the fact that it was more difficult to exin than to instigate.


    When I bit my lips tightly, Cho Hyejin looked at me anxiously. At this point, my eyes were already full of tears.


    She looked at the person who sometimes forgot everything because he was losing his memory. There was nervousness on her face, and of course, I noticed that it was hard for her to continue talking.


    ¡°Vice Guild Master¡­¡±


    ¡°When did you get this?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you again, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°You told me not to tell you.¡±


    ¡®Yeah, I¡¯m sure.¡¯


    ¡°Hurry up and tell me¡­ No, no. You don¡¯t have to tell me. I don¡¯t think the timing¡¯s right anyway. I don¡¯t have to ask since it¡¯s pretty obvious in the first ce.¡±


    I just thought of it as from the time the memory loss appeared.


    I would¡¯ve said she could lie, anyway. I knew that I wouldn¡¯t be able to push her around like a madman.


    Pressuring Cho Hyejin by continuing to look nervous meant the re-emergence of the memory loss that had already been buried.


    She wasn¡¯t the problem, but if she informed Doomed Hyunsung, the atmosphere could suddenly take a turn for the worse¡­ It was better to be as stable as possible, almost as if nothing happened.


    Above all, I didn¡¯t like the fact that I was digging from that stance. It¡¯s no better than moving in a person¡¯s board.


    I didn¡¯t have to start from the entrance of a maze that I couldn¡¯t clear.


    It was obvious that I erased my memory myself. Hence, the answer to my question had to be hidden. It wasn¡¯t toote to go into a forest where I could get lost after I had searched everywhere.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t forgotten everything yet. There seems to be a problem only in the memory when I met with Hyejin¡­ I remember everything else. It looks like I was a little tired at that time. If I passed on such a note, it seems that I was mentally driven. Because my stress back then was so severe, it seems that there was only a problem with the memory of that day. So don¡¯t be bothered. I remember all of the contents in the note.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I was holding my head because I was thinking about something else.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Damn it. Sh*t, sh*t¡­¡¯


    Of course, she didn¡¯t seem to believe me. Rather, her suspicious look began to pressure me.


    It was unlikely that she was going to inform Kim Hyunsung, but it bothered me nheless.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go in for now.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re tired, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a bad idea to just rest today. I¡¯ll talk to the Guild Master carefully, so¡­¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about? And Hyunsung already roughly knows. I¡¯m afraid you might be worried, but we have already reached an agreement. Don¡¯t worry about Hyunsung. Oh, and spending this time with the guild members is like taking a break for me. It¡¯s my way of releasing stress. If you¡¯re worried about me, please hang out with me for a day. That might help relieve my stress¡­ Are you free in two days?¡±


    I thought I could get a small clue by then. If I couldn¡¯t get it, I could walk into the maze myself.


    ¡°Tomorrow will be better.¡±


    ¡®No, I have a lot to look into tomorrow.¡¯


    ¡°Why? Do you have any ns in two days?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you have an appointment or not. I think I need to know more about what¡¯s going on.¡±


    ¡®What, but why do you look like that?¡¯


    ¡°Do you have an appointment?¡±


    ¡°I have an appointment with Jihye¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®What? Sh*t. Why do you guys keep hanging out?¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to just hang out with her. There is a saying that there is a ce that was used as an underground auction house near one of the sites. It¡¯s supposedly being used as a shelter and bunker, so we need to check it out. I heard that there are more things to investigate than I thought¡­¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s a lie. We don¡¯t need an underground shelter.¡¯


    ¡°And I heard that a monster that was for trading in the underground auction house escaped. It¡¯s not a dangerous situation because its rating isn¡¯t that high, but I think it¡¯s better to take care of it quietly. I owe her a lot, so I feel like I¡¯m paying back this time.¡±


    ¡®Illegal trading of monsters is all crap¡­¡¯


    What underground shelters did we need when we had an ark anyway?


    ¡°It won¡¯t take long. Of course, it could be a little longer depending on the situation¡­¡±


    ¡®And sh*t¡­ Underground auction house¡­ That¡¯s our memory¡­¡¯


    ¡°I think two days from now will be good¡­ In two days¡­ How¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°How¡­ can you try?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I felt sorry for Lee Jihye, but Hyejin wasn¡¯t indifferent enough to leave a sick person behind.


    She slowly nodded as expected.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since we yed chess and talked about the backlog. I¡¯ll tell Jihye. If you have time, you can look around the bunker with me. Okay?¡±


    ¡°No, Vice Guild Master doesn¡¯t have to go there. We can go the next day. If you¡¯ve decided to cool your head before something big happens, wouldn¡¯t it be best to sit there doing nothing? I think I¡¯d better tell Jihye myself.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s true, but¡­ Anyway, it¡¯s good to be close to Jihye, but don¡¯t get too close.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to say this, but she¡¯s a little maniptive.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you the detailster. That¡¯s all you need to know. Then let¡¯s meet in two days. Let¡¯s just y chess and drink wine.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a littlete. Let¡¯s get going.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    I slowly started to move towards the meeting ce with Cho Hyejin.


    She had a slightly reluctant face, almost as if she was curious that I didn¡¯t ask her about notes or other matters.


    She thought maybe I would ask her properly in two days, but she couldn¡¯t understand my attitude.


    She probably thought that I had epted it by then, but of course¡­


    ¡®I can¡¯t ept it.¡¯


    There was nothing strange about me. I didn¡¯t even panic right away.


    Besides that, I moved because I had a lot of work to take care of, but honestly, I didn¡¯t think of anything else.


    It was a ce I expected because I thought I could find some room, but I felt like I was slowly getting sucked into the chaos.


    When I thought it would be better to think back slowly from the beginning, I heard someone calling my attention.


    ¡°Well, what were you doing, still not resting?¡±


    A big voice came from behind me. It was a familiar tone and a familiar voice. There¡¯s no way I couldn¡¯t tell who it was.


    Looking back naturally, I saw a pig with a big body.


    He was smiling as if he was happy that his idea of gathering the guild members together got epted. It was ufortable that he appearedte at the party that was his idea in the first ce.


    ¡®You bastard.¡¯


    Of course, I waste as well, but my situation was different.


    The pig and myself doing useless things.


    There was definitely a difference in my position. I was fighting for the continent, after all. I could assure anyone that he would still be in a position that made it hard for me over time.


    ¡°You¡­ you¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, I was wondering if I was a littlete¡­ I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the case. Is it just starting?¡±


    ¡°You son of a¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®What¡­? Sh*t¡­ What the hell¡­¡¯


    ¡°Vice Guild master?¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ Wait¡­ Wait¡­ Wait a minute¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Hyung-nim¡­ Are you crying?¡±

 Chapter 685: I Erased My Memories (2)

    <h4>Chapter 685: I Erased My Memories (2)</h4>


    ¡°Why all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡®I don¡¯t know. Sh*t.¡¯


    ¡°Are you alright? Do you happen to have a headache¡­?¡±


    Park Deokgu¡¯s face with a nk expression began to look blurry.


    Next to me, Cho Hyejin was making a fuss.


    Even I didn¡¯t even understand how things were going at that moment, so how much more would it be for Park Deokgu and Cho Hyejin?


    It was ridiculous.


    I didn¡¯t know how to react to the tears that were flowing from my eyes. I wanted it to stop, but I couldn¡¯t control my emotions properly.


    Not only was my view getting blurry, but their voices were slowly disappearing as well. The situation in which my body wasn¡¯t listening was beyond confusing and scary.


    ¡°What? Are you sick? What are you feeling? Do you have a headache? A disease?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll call Hee-young or Elena now. No, I¡¯m sure they¡¯re inside.¡±


    ¡®No, sh*t, don¡¯t do that. It¡¯s not because of that.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t seem to calm myself down. I was forcing myself to bite my lips so I wouldn¡¯t let out any sounds, but I still couldn¡¯t stop crying.


    While Park Deokgu hurriedly ran, grabbed my shoulder, and checked my face, the tears showed no sign of stopping.


    ¡°Wait, what¡¯s in your eyes¡­¡±


    I knew it sounded ridiculous, but he was worried enough to say that.


    ¡°What¡¯s in there? No, we need to talk about what¡¯s wrong.¡±


    ¡°Hyung-nim¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®I can do better.¡¯


    ¡°Noona, is hyung-nim okay? Why all of a sudden¡­¡±


    ¡®I¡¯m not bluffing. I¡¯m telling you.¡¯


    ¡°Is it a headache? No, why am I the only one who doesn¡¯t know about this?¡±


    ¡®I said that I¡¯d save you, hyung-nim. Do you still remember that?¡¯


    ¡°You¡¯re really sick, aren¡¯t you? What¡¯s wrong with you all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡®Do you remember how many times you saved my life, hyung-nim?¡¯


    ¡°Oh, did something happen? Something difficult¡­¡±


    ¡®I don¡¯t think so. Whatever you say, it doesn¡¯t change that you saved me. The same goes for the mental and physical parts. Thank you for being stabbed several times for me.¡¯


    ¡°Uh¡­ Woo, don¡¯t cry. Why do you keep crying? Look, I¡¯m crying now too because you are¡­¡±


    ¡®Thank you for defending me when I went to the dungeon, and thank you for choosing me. No matter how hard I look back on my memory, I feel like I¡¯ve only been saved by you. That¡¯s the only memory I have, and I owe you. So it¡¯s my turn now.¡¯


    ¡°No¡­ no, don¡¯t cry. Why do you keep¡­? Well, say something.¡±


    ¡®I told you for sure that I would save you, hyung-nim. Don¡¯t forget that.¡¯


    ¡°Calm down, please.¡±


    ¡®If you can do it¡­ I can do better.¡¯


    ¡°Calm down, calm down. It¡¯ll be alright.¡±


    ¡®What you can do¡­ I can do it as well.¡¯


    ¡°Everything¡¯s going to be fine. I mean¡­ well, I don¡¯t know what it¡¯s about¡­ But you don¡¯t have to worry about anything.¡±


    ¡®Hyung-nim, If you can¡­ I can¡­¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®I can do better¡­¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®If you can¡­¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®I can¡­ I can¡­¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Yes, I can¡­¡¯


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡°You crazy pig. You dog. You useless pig.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Saying such things out of nowhere¡­ I¡¯m a little hurt¡­¡±


    ¡°Get off of me, pig.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You smell like sweat. Get out of here, quickly.¡±


    ¡°I-I was in a hurry because I didn¡¯t have much time¡­ And¡­ and that¡¯s not what matters now. Why all of a sudden? No, what¡­¡±


    ¡°Nevermind.¡±


    ¡°How can I not care¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really not a big deal, so don¡¯t worry. And get off of me quickly.¡±


    Only then did he take a step back.


    My voice kept shaking, but I could feel myself stabilizing little by little over time. Slowly, my world began to return to its original state.


    Park Deokgu, who was dying in the first round, had now returned to his current appearance. Of course, no voice was heard from him.


    ¡®What the hell was that.¡¯


    Unknowingly, when I recalled the scene of the first episode, my head started pounding.


    Once again, when I hurriedly shook my head when I felt like I was getting tearful, Park Deokgu looked at me with a trembling face.


    ¡®That pig.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know why that bastard was doing that, but it really did feel ufortable to show tears in my eyes.


    Cho Hyejin was also looking as if she was more panicked than I was.


    Her face turned red, perhaps confused by my unexpected behavior.


    As I took a short breath and exhaled slowly, I felt that the sensation of the moment hadpletely disappeared.


    It was a little close, but there was no big problem.


    Maybe it was because another issue that suddenly came into my mind filled my head.


    ¡®What is it? Sh*t, what is it? Why did I see that all of a sudden, and why did I cry in the first ce?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t want to imagine it, but I thought I could find the answer quickly when I thought about it in a one-dimensional way.


    Of course, it was a ridiculous assumption. It was an assumption with a slim chance, and there was no evidence. I just had the interest to support my hypothesis.


    The memory of the first round.


    Maybe it¡¯s because I had recovered the memory of the ck world. Maybe it¡¯s not just the memory, but the emotions of that time poured all at once into my heart.


    ¡®What kind of bullsh*t situation is this?¡¯


    It was unclear how I recovered, but it wasn¡¯t strange to think that Lucifer helped.


    Assuming that my memory of the first round was rted to Lucifer and our bet, and that I deleted my memory to win the game, it sort of made sense.


    The puzzle wasn¡¯t perfectly set, but the picture on the puzzle continued. It was just the right timing. When I saw Park Deokgu before, he didn¡¯t react like that.


    If it happened between that day and when I met Park Deokgu and talked about thending operation, I understood.


    Of course, I could assume that I had been suppressing it because I found a clue, but the assumption that was more likely to happen was the former.


    To be honest, I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d change just because I recalled my memory of the first timeline.


    However, if the bet was rted to Kim Hyunsung¡­


    ¡®There must be a


    Unlike me, who called Kim Hyunsung a lovely regressor, Lee Kiyoung, in the first round, seemed to hate Kim Hyunsung.


    If I had epted my memory of the first round, I would have judged that it would have an adverse effect on Kim Hyunsung somehow.


    The bad effect would mean losing the bet with Lucifer.


    Maybe she didn¡¯t like the first timeline in the first ce¡­


    ¡®So is there still something left?¡¯


    Personally, I wanted that hypothesis to be right.


    There was nothing to confirm yet, but it was much more hopeful than the one-time ego of Lee Kiyoung that started to wriggle in me.


    Two consciousnesses fought each other in one body, and clich¨¦s yed, shouting at each other to ¡®get out of my body! you Masked Trash!¡¯


    It meant that I didn¡¯t want to ask myself questions such as dogsh*t philosophy about whether Kiyoung 1 and Kiyoung 2 were the same people.


    ¡®Someday, you¡¯ll pay for your lies, disgusting piece of sh*t. Remember me. I¡¯ll make sure you pay for it. ¡®


    The famous line of the Masked Trash, Jin Qing, who said so, lingered in my head, but I couldn¡¯t help but shake my head hard.


    ¡®There¡¯s room for trouble¡­¡¯


    There was confidence that the case should continue to be investigated, but I wasn¡¯t prepared to take responsibility for the consequences.


    If my hypothesis was really correct¡­ then it was already a confirmed story that everything would go wrong.


    The fact that Kim Hyunsung, a lovely regressor, suddenly started to look like a dog in the eyes of the public was tantamount to dering that we should go bankrupt together.


    I thought that I would be itching to punch him in the back of the head.


    I was certain that the spirit of the mask in my body would cry out for Kim Hyunsung¡¯s back.


    ¡°And why are you standing so nk? Do you really have a problem?¡±


    To be honest, I still felt uneasy.


    Big emotions were shaking me up.


    There was no reason that what happened when I saw Park Deokgu wouldn¡¯t happen if I saw Kim Hyunsung.


    I wasn¡¯t even sure if entering the meeting ce was a good idea at that moment.


    ¡°As expected, it would be better to just rest today. Why don¡¯t you see a doctor first? No, it¡¯s better to check what¡¯s going on, even if it¡¯s not medical. Did you know that you¡¯ve been really weird today?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°To exaggerate a little, Vice Guild Master¡­ You look crazy right now.¡±


    ¡°Well, what are you talking about? What the hell are you talking about? Why do I have so many things that I don¡¯t know? You guys have to tell me so that I can help with something.¡±


    ¡®You piece of sh*t, you staying still will be more helpful.¡¯


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to, Hyejin. And Deokgu, please be quiet. It¡¯s not a big deal. It¡¯s because I have something to think about¡­ It¡¯s not like that. Let¡¯s hurry up and go in. They¡¯re probably waiting.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s not a big deal?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really no big deal. I can bet on Benignore. Just get in there. Don¡¯t talk about the problem that just happened, and the same goes for Hyejin. I don¡¯t want to ruin the mood, so let¡¯s let them know after today instead. It¡¯s best to just bury it. What are you doing? Let¡¯s go in now.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Get in.¡±


    Only then did we sneak past the door after exchanging nces. Naturally, the interior was immediately visible.


    The gathering was fancy but not too much, considering that we were on the brink of war.


    I thought it would be in full swing, but it seemed like they were waiting for us. I opened the door curiously because I thought it was right to check it myself, but I bit my lips without realizing it.


    It was because I couldn¡¯t predict a single response.


    The first thing that came into view was Hayan.


    ¡°Over¡­ Over here, Oppa.¡±


    She exaggeratedly waved her hands and called me to her side.


    I was worried that my sorry feelings toward Jung Hayan might explode, but I didn¡¯t think there was anything wrong so far. She looked as cute as ever.


    ¡®I should enjoy this, right?¡¯


    It didn¡¯t pop out as I did with Park Deokgu.


    Next up, I saw Sun Hee-Young nodding slowly.


    I thought I would feel something different as I had been active with her, but there were no signs of that either.


    Kim Ye-ri, Ahn Ki-mo, Kim Chang-ryul, Yoo Ah-young, and Hwang Jeong-yeon had no contact point with me in the first round, so they didn¡¯t matter much. The same went for Elena.


    The new guild member Alps was naturally excluded as well. I looked back once again, but even when I looked at Cho Hyejin, I didn¡¯t react the same as when I was with Park Deokgu.


    The problem was Kim Hyunsung.


    Right after I showed up, he came out of the door and greeted me.


    ¡°Kiyoung.¡±


    I opened my mouth as if I had something to say, but I had no choice but to pass by for the time being.


    ¡°Here you are¡­¡±


    ¡°Long time no see, Chang-ryul. How long has it been?¡±


    ¡°Kiyoung¡­ I mean¡­¡±


    ¡°You seem to grow every time I see you, Chang-ryul.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®What am I going to do? I can¡¯t look into your eyes.¡¯


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    The moment I made eye contact, I felt like I wanted to hit the back of his head.


    ¡®Why am I even here? Oh, sh*t, I want to hit the back of his head so badly.¡¯

 Chapter 686: I Erased My Memories (3)

    <h4>Chapter 686: I Erased My Memories (3)</h4>


    The most confused person there was none other than Kim Chang-ryul.


    I noticed him suddenly going silent because he was unfamiliar with the spotlight pouring on him. Of course, I was in a hurry to keep my words to myself, but¡­


    ¡°Sorry for not visiting you very often, Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡®No, I¡¯m not being sarcastic. Chang-ryul,e on.¡¯


    He was making me more confused.


    He still couldn¡¯t get rid of his concept and was wearing a mask.


    I didn¡¯t think it was necessary to maintain that appearance in such a ce, but what would I do if he said he feltfortable with it?


    I could only read his facial expressions from his eyes, so it¡¯s a little tricky¡­ Although it sometimes made the atmosphere so awkward, it wasn¡¯t impossible to notice Kim Chang-ryul¡¯s loyalty to the guild.


    He wasn¡¯t doing anything from the outside, but it was natural to praise him, considering the fact that he handled a lot of things behind the scenes.


    My behavior of ignoring Kim Hyunsung would never seem strange.


    Nobody could deny that I hadn¡¯t been paying much attention to Kim Chang-ryul.


    ¡°I¡¯m a little sorry and ashamed to tell you thiste, but thank you for your hard work.¡±


    ¡°I just did what I had to do.¡±


    ¡°Of course, you may think so, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve given you the right treatment for what you do. I had the opportunity to reward you multiple times, but I couldn¡¯t do that for you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your kindness, Vice guild master.¡±


    ¡°We look forward to your continuous cooperation. Of course, the same goes for what¡¯s going to happen. I personally expect a lot from Chang-ryul.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best not to disappoint you.¡±


    He bowed his head slowly and expressed his gratitude for mypliments. When I thought that there was still no sociality over time, I could see something worrisomeing out of Kim Chang-ryul¡¯s face.


    ¡®What? What¡¯s wrong?¡¯


    It¡¯s not just Kim Chang-ryul. Jung Hayan and other guild members, who used to greet each other vigorously, were also looking at me as if I had something on my face. I was worried that tears were flowing down like before, but no liquid wasing out. However, it didn¡¯t take long before I realized what they were so bothered about.


    ¡®Oh, sh*t, this¡­¡¯


    I managed to fix it somehow, but the aftermath of the waterfall-like tears still lingered, and I might have made a face that looked like I was about to cry.


    My eyes must¡¯ve been red, and I might¡¯ve been thinking something was wrong with my breathing. I felt different from usual, a little bit strange, or something. The powerful guild members gathered in that ce couldn¡¯t be unaware of it.


    I didn¡¯t look at Kim Hyunsung¡¯s face because I wanted to hit him in the back of his head, but at that moment, I couldn¡¯t look at his face in a different sense.


    ¡°Ahh¡­ I¡¯m getting a little emotional.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a big crisis ahead, but¡­ It¡¯s just that it¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve had a job like this¡­ I think it would make anyone a little emotional. It reminds me of when we first met. After many twists and turns, I look back on the process of gathering, forming an organization, meeting new people, and getting closer to each other¡­ Something¡­ like that¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It feels good. I don¡¯t know exactly how to exin it. It¡¯s just good to be meet you again.¡±


    When I smiled a little for probation, crocodile tears began to form around my eyes, and of course, I had noticed the guild members wearingplicated faces.


    ¡°I¡¯m ater, but I think I can agree with the Vice Guild Master to some extent. I¡¯ve been feeling a little bit restless for a few days¡­ and I feel a little relieved to be at this gathering today.¡±


    ¡®Yes, Ki-mo. You always step in and toss the right words at times like this.¡¯


    ¡°Me, too. I feel the same way.¡±


    Kim Ye-ri also nodded and spoke up.


    ¡°I think I can understand what you¡¯re talking about. There was a lot going on, as the Vice Guild Master said¡­ In terms of time, we haven¡¯t been together that long, but¡­ I feel like you¡¯re all my family for some reason¡­¡±


    Yoo Ah-young, who stood still, also helped. The next person to take over the baton was Hwang Jeong-yeon, sitting next to Park Deokgu.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a shameful expression. Actually, we¡¯re like a family¡­ Don¡¯t you think so?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡±


    Tears weren¡¯t flowing down, but they were emotionally shaken. It didn¡¯t seem too bad. It was a light production, but Elena¡¯s weak heart was already filled with tears.


    There were no people there who wondered why they were suddenly talking nonsense as soon as they came in. The atmosphere was set by the Vice Guild Master, after all.


    Wouldn¡¯t Kim Hyunsung and Cho Hyejin understand why I talked about that?


    Lee Kiyoung would someday forget all the people in there.


    Therefore, I wanted to keep it in my eyes; that was why I was sad.


    ¡®Wow¡­ this is sh*t. It¡¯s sad to think about it.¡¯


    Of course, I¡¯d already decided to ept it¡­


    The fact that everyone was still together wouldn¡¯t change, but they would disappear someday in Lee Kiyoung¡¯s memory.


    I thought of an ending where I ended up not remembering people whoughed hard and really lived with me like family members. A drop of crocodile tears began to fall.


    ¡®Let¡¯s win, Kiyoung. I can get through this. The Hero¡¯s Tragic Ending. I can handle it.¡¯


    ¡°Kiyoung¡­¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s a tough job, but you¡¯ve been through this, haven¡¯t you? Don¡¯t show sad faces to the guild members. You have to ovee it, Lee Kiyoung. Tragic heroes are full of determination, so I¡¯m not going to cry. Let¡¯s not show tears.¡¯


    Unknowingly, I tried to extract the right reactions from the atmosphere¡­


    ¡®No, Sh*t. I¡¯m going to be a tragic hero.¡¯


    I had some kind of anxiety in my head. I even hypothesized that trash from the first round had infiltrated me. Still, I was satisfied that I had created that atmosphere and managed it well.


    ¡®I don¡¯t have to overdo it.¡¯


    I could still feel the way they were looking at me.


    Sure enough, I heard a voice calling out to me right away.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry too much, Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t know why, but even just hearing his voice made me want to hit the back of his head. However, I couldn¡¯t keep being in that condition. It was right to get a proper understanding of my current situation rather than sending Kim Hyunsung to his death after what happened.


    If the feelings of hatred for Kim Hyunsung remained on the inside, solving them quickly somehow was the closest answer I could get.


    When I turned my head after sighing, Kim Hyunsung¡¯s face, looking at me with a noticeably sad expression, came into view.


    ¡®Oh, you bastard.¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Sh*t, thank God. Wow, yeah, sh*t¡­ You didn¡¯t go that far. Did you fix this? You¡¯ve got it fixed up to here, right?¡¯


    I thought the feelings inside me also understood that antagonizing Kim Hyunsung could cause things to go wrong, or¡­


    ¡®Is it because it hasn¡¯te up to the surface yet?¡¯


    Anyway, it didn¡¯t matter. I could feel relieved that I didn¡¯t seem to hate Kim Hyunsung, but he looked at me with an anxious face.


    ¡®Oh, but I want to hit the back of his head.¡¯


    I thought I should take it lightly. Perhaps it would be easy to take it like ¡®Pavlov¡¯s dog.¡¯


    I had hit Kim Hyunsung¡¯s nape constantly for more than a decade, so whenever I looked at his face, my palms itched.


    I was calmer than I expected. Honestly, I didn¡¯t want a passionate response like when I saw Park Deokgu, but I thought it was right to be honest.


    Park Deokgu and Kim Hyunsung were the two figures who influenced me the most.


    ¡®Even if I had to fix it¡­ You don¡¯t care this much?¡¯


    Rather, although I felt a little bit sorry, I also felt good.


    No, it was not like that. I could feel little different emotions, and I couldn¡¯t really describe it in one word, but maybe¡­


    ¡®Kinship.¡¯


    It was a sense of kinship.


    ¡°Now¡­ are you alright?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Since earlier, I¡¯ve been wondering if you were worried about something because you looked a little nervous or if I did something wrong¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing you can do wrong. I should have apologized. It was supposed to be a good time¡­ I think I messed up the atmosphere¡­¡±


    ¡°No, Kiyoung shouldn¡¯t feel sorry. I fully understand. I understand what Kiyoung has in mind and what emotions you are handling right now. On the contrary, I¡¯m sorry. You must be in aplicated situation¡­ I shouldn¡¯t have created a ce like this¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡®Something¡¯s off¡­¡¯


    ¡°Even if Hyunsung didn¡¯t want to make it, I would have made it. It was Deokgu¡¯s idea to take the time like this, so you don¡¯t have to be sorry.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for saying that. I¡­ I¡­ Oh! Please sit down. You¡¯d better eat first.¡±


    ¡®Are you determined to maintain the status quo about Kim Hyunsung? If that¡¯s possible in the first ce, wouldn¡¯t it be possible to stay calm when I saw Park Deokgu?¡¯


    It was good that nothing had happened, but¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s too stinky.¡¯


    ¡°Oh, Oppa, over here¡­¡±


    ¡°Vice Guild Master, sit here.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s some. Superme.¡¯


    My head started to spin to the point where I wondered if I might get a mental illness.


    ¡®I hope I¡¯m not being fooled.¡¯


    Lee Kiyoung, I didn¡¯t get tricked by that son of a gun, did I?


    ¡°Wait a minute. I need to go to the bathroom¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I recalled the first episode of Park Deokgu. It¡¯s all bluffing and tricks, right?


    Maybe it was a big trick because I didn¡¯t want to get caught in the memories and deleted the bet. Maybe I wanted to be careful and moved after throwing away the fact that my memories of the first timeline were left inside.


    I would¡¯ve certainly done that.


    It was unknown to what extent the self-intention was given, but after receiving a note from Cho Hyejin, perhaps I thought, ¡®If I meet with Park Deokgu, I will tear up.¡¯ I might¡¯ve had felt that there was no otherplete trap than that. If I considered that the writing she gave me was a trigger, wouldn¡¯t it make sense?


    ¡°You crazy piece of sh*t¡­¡±


    Perhaps I ended up putting myself in a sh*tty situation just as I put Jin Qing, the Masked Trash, in a sh*tty situation.


    ¡°Let¡¯s think about facts instead of useless hypotheses. Let¡¯s just think about the facts. Let¡¯s think about what I missed.¡±


    The face in the mirror was in view. There was no doubt that he looked like he had been shot properly.


    I pondered around about what happened in thest 30 days in an attempt to find what I missed.


    Who did I meet during the boring, annoying, and difficult time? Who did I meet, and what did I do?


    I didn¡¯t have super memory like Hwang Jeong-yeon, but that¡¯s why she had room to dig. Lee Kiyoung didn¡¯t have perfect memories.


    I was nervous because I couldn¡¯t remember everything. I realized that my work wasn¡¯t perfect, and because I wasn¡¯t confident in handling it neatly, I must¡¯ve dug a trap. I¡¯d always done things like that.


    That time would certainly not be different.


    Because of this, I did something. I had prepared for the end.


    For what reason?


    Why did I keep asking myself? I took care of people who I could call my own. I helped Cha Hee-ra cross the wall, watched the conflict between Jung Hayan and Han Sora, and checked the end with Jihye. I ate with Park Deokgu, Ahn Ki-mo, and Kim Ye-ri, and I monitored everyone once in a while.


    I talked to Oscar at the Continental Conference, and we kept in touch after that. At that time, I also engaged new forces with Dialugia, Dialuria, and Elena. Then, I personally checked whether I was preparing properly, how my people were at that point. The 30th day was¡­


    Right, wasn¡¯t it?


    I grabbed my head and looked in the mirror, but nothing came to mind. I started harping on such useless advice.


    At that moment, a voice came into my head.


    It must¡¯ve been at the time when Doom Hyunsung¡¯s event ended. Lee Jihye¡­ definitely said something to me.


    [There aren¡¯t many guilds left in Lindel. Come to think of it, Yuno Kasugano¡­ said something. You can call her right after this meeting¡­]


    Was that what she said?


    Lee Jihye murmured to me as she arranged the schedule before entering a meeting.


    ¡°Fuck¡­¡±


    Let¡¯s go back a little more. Had I met her?


    Had I ever met Yuno Kasugano since the light fell?


    ¡°You¡¯re crazy, Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    It was as if I was right.


    ¡®I see¡­¡¯


    It was ridiculous. The whole memory of meeting with Yuno was gone.


    ¡®Yes, that¡¯s right. This is right¡­ I think this is right. This is¡­ I think I got it.¡¯


    The reflection of the face in the mirror showed a displeased smile.

 Chapter 687: Lee Kiyoung, You Piece of Crap (1)

    <h4>Chapter 687: Lee Kiyoung, You Piece of Crap (1)</h4>


    Of course, it was too early to jump to conclusions. I knew that best.


    Just as I realized that it was a trap, Lee Kiyoung of the past, before erasing the memory, might have assumed that I would reach that far.


    Perhaps there was no possibility of another twist.


    Of course, it was undeniable that it was the most likely guess at the moment.


    We had to rify the lines that needed to be dug in and respond needed to happen.


    ¡®Don¡¯t sway. Don¡¯t sway.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know what I¡¯d see in the middle, but it was important not to be swayed.


    In addition to that, it was clear that other burrows had been dug. Hence, it was only proper to investigate the ce I thought was the most likely first.


    Yuno Kasugano.


    I had to check on her first. Even if she were also a trap dug by Lee Kiyoung, I wouldn¡¯t find out any other way.


    If there had been a little more time, it would¡¯ve been possible to track all the hints, but there was an overwhelmingck of time to enter all the dungeons and see if the treasure would be hidden.


    I had other things to do. That¡¯s why I couldn¡¯t turn to Kasugano right then. What was more important than fighting Lee Kiyoung before I erased my memory was to prevent the end that was just around the corner.


    I wanted to run to her right after I quit my job, saying, ¡®It¡¯s the end of the world, it¡¯s the guild meeting, it¡¯s the end of the world.¡¯


    However, many things needed to be solved first. It¡¯s either to hold the guild members together or to instill their purpose.


    Kim Hyunsung, the final weapon, had to be caught once again, and Jung Hayan and Han Sora, whose disputes had yet to be resolved, had to be paid attention to. Jung Hayan hadn¡¯t even crossed the wall yet.


    ¡®What a piece of crap.¡¯


    No wonder I didn¡¯t like the look of throwing the dice excitedly and handing over the responsibility to my future self.


    Tomorrow¡¯s me! Please! It¡¯s upsetting to think that I threw poop in my own face.


    I wanted to turn it all upside down, but I didn¡¯t know who to me. I couldn¡¯t look in the mirror and p my own face.


    ¡®You son of a gun.¡¯


    Even if I cursed, I ended up spitting on myself. It was no use.


    No choice could be made in hell¡­The fact that all of that was a puzzle to protect the continent and defeat Lucifer made me feel safe¡­


    Of course, that was also disturbing because it couldn¡¯t be approved of carelessly.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Hyung-nim, are you feeling better now?¡±


    ¡°I was okay from the beginning, but I feel like I¡¯m calming down a bit. How¡¯s everything going with you?¡±


    ¡°Well, you don¡¯t have to worry.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Lee Kiyoung. Deokgu is working really hard, too.¡±


    ¡°Well, Elena is saying this, too. It¡¯s a little strange to say this all the way here¡­ Anyway, look forward to it. I¡¯m studying tactics, so I¡¯m having fun¡­ Recently, I¡¯ve been thinking if I¡¯m a genius. I learned everything that you gave me, so I can now prepare for the next step in advance. If hyung-nim can do it, I can do it too!¡±


    Of course, I didn¡¯t have faith. I could see him talking, but he looked like he was a little drunk, and Ahn Ki-mo reacted to him like a ghost.


    ¡°I was a little curious at first, but it certainly wasn¡¯t bad from the beginning. I can trust him now. The team¡¯s morale itself has risen a lot¡­¡±


    ¡°Ki-mo. If things work out in the first ce, there¡¯s no use.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. The fewer variables, the better.¡±


    Sun Hee-young had spoken out of the blue.


    ¡°Well, I know that. Not even adults gathered during the holidays¡­Hmm, I can¡¯t bring it up. You said you believed me, so I¡¯ll do my best. Oh,e to think of it, my junior Ah-young is making it¡­¡±


    She seemed to be secretly handing over the baton to Yoo Ah-young as if she knew that the continuing story itself was a loss for her.


    ¡°I think it¡¯ll be finished by tomorrow. I could have given it to you today as nned, but the finishing process is the most important. I don¡¯t know what grade I¡¯m going to get yet¡­The most important thing is whether the material was properly used. A shield for Deokgu, a dagger for Chang-ryul, and a wand for Sora¡­¡±


    ¡°You can even make wands?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Still, I feel sorry for the guild, but most of the avable materials can¡¯t be easily used.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°If my growth had been higher, I could have created mythic weapons. If you look at the materials that the Blue Guild currently has, that¡¯s possible. In a few more years, we¡¯ll be able to make good use of them, but¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be sorry about.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t regret it, considering those legendary items are also notmon items based on the continent. Few of the top adventurers have legendary items. You don¡¯t have to worry about wasting the materials. You¡¯re doing better than anyone, so you don¡¯t have to be so hard on yourself.¡±


    ¡°I keep thinking that I¡¯m forgetting my guild property¡­¡±


    Kim Hyunsung listened to the story quietly. Then he suddenly spoke up.


    ¡°Kiyoung is right.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about anything other than doing the best you can. Ah-young is doing enough to help the guild, and she certainly contributes greatly in many ways. It has been, and it will continue to be that way. Things like the value of materials and guild wealth are not really important.¡±


    ¡°Guild Master¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all you have to think about. What we¡¯re fighting for, what we¡¯re preparing for. Realize what you have to keep doing your best for as long as you can. That¡¯s enough.¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s been a while since Hyunsung said that.¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s not just you, Ah-young. It may be a heavy sound that doesn¡¯t fit the mood, but I just want you to think about it one more time. We won¡¯t have this opportunity after today. Please think again about what we should protect, even if the worstes to an end.¡±


    ¡®Now he¡¯s like a Guild Master. Hyunsung, I like your serious look.¡¯


    ¡°What to protect¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, Deokgu. That¡¯s all you need to think about now.¡±


    ¡°I think I have a rough idea of what you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea to keep going on. Let¡¯s say cheers together one more time. To what we have to protect!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°To what we have to protect.¡±


    ¡°To what we have to protect!¡±


    It was reassuring to see the guild members lifting their sses slightly.


    ¡®Their mentality itself is fine.¡¯


    Each of them might have felt a little uneasy, but I could see that they all seemed to have brushed it off.


    Hyunsung was way better than I had initially thought.


    Although his nature was darker than the first round, his passion for protecting the continent didn¡¯t seem to have fled anywhere.


    I could understand to some extent why he returned with a big burden.


    His eyes were the eyes of a hero who had a desire to protect the world at all costs. Perhaps it was the eyes of the unshakable fellow that dispelled the anxiety of the guild members.


    ¡®I don¡¯t think Hayan is in bad condition¡­¡¯


    Didn¡¯t it seem like everyone was conscious of Han Sora? Talking to other people seemed to show off that she could live well without her. Han Sora yed a role that tried to show that she didn¡¯t care about Jung Hayan¡­


    It was impressive to see that they seed inpletely avoiding each other even though the meal began and they were constantly chatting with others. Even if they ran past each other, they turned their heads and treated the other as a nonexistent being.


    ¡®We can go ahead with this as nned.¡¯


    The guild members started talking about their own stories. The topics of


    ¡°What are you going to do when you¡¯re done?¡±


    ¡°Of course, take a trip. Thest time I went to the Mirror Lake, I was caught up in a strange incident. This time, we have to go on a trip together.¡±


    ¡°I know you¡¯re busy cleaning up, but I¡¯m in favor of traveling to a romantic ce.¡±


    One of the topics was about what to do after work.


    ¡°It¡¯s been so long since I¡¯ve done volunteer work¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go together, Hee-young.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that would be great, Elena. How is Elios?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes. My brother is busy because he has a lot of things to prepare, but¡­¡±


    Talk about a character who had been forgotten for so long.


    ¡°That¡¯s when Ye-ri shouted. The dance of fascination¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you know what Ki-mo said that time? Pull it out, and you¡¯ll die.¡±


    They also talked about each other¡¯s dark history.


    ¡°Yes, do you remember Oppa before? So, uh, at our tutorial dungeon¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°He was, wasn¡¯t he? Hehe.¡±


    Things like bringing up memories together. There were many topics of conversation. We talked about things that we all did when we were drunk, and weughed so hard at useless stories that our mouths started hurting.


    Jung Hayan was also a little drunk, and so she kept talking. Sun Hee-young was the same.


    Elena and Yoo Ah-young shared stories about their races, while Park Deokgu and Hwang Jeong-yeon were deep on travel stories.


    Han Sora and Kim Chang-ryul, who were tutorial colleagues, seemed to be talking about how other party members were doing at the time as their main topic, and it was understandable that Jung Hayan suddenly brought up the tutorial story.


    Team leader Park Joong-ki, team leader Kim Mi-young and other guild executives joined together, and the atmosphere quickly became noisy.


    Meanwhile, Park Rian was also chatting with the new guild member Alps over a short period of tension.


    I didn¡¯t know who Cho Hyejin wasmunicating with, but she was seen smirking at a Goddess¡¯s Hand Mirror. Perhaps it was Lee Jihye?


    I could blow my head off at any second. But frankly, it was a fun time.


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s sneaky talk was around the time the atmosphere was ripe.


    ¡°Kiyoung, wait a minute. Why don¡¯t we get some fresh air?¡±


    Overall, it wasn¡¯t bad, but I needed a chat with my soulmate, who decided to face our huge fate with me. Honestly, it¡¯s cold outside, so I didn¡¯t want to go out, but¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Yes, I¡¯ll provide you with a service.¡¯


    He was one of the reasons I didn¡¯t run to Yuno Kasugano right away in the first ce. I nodded in response, and a cold wind blew as I swung out of the balcony.


    Not too far away, the huge light shining in the dark made it hard to tell whether it was day or night.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Sh*t, it¡¯s cold.¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you not tired?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s been a while since everyone got together, so I feel like the fatigue is leaving me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a little¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine, you¡¯re slower than I expected. Maybe you¡¯ve be better without knowing it.¡±


    ¡°I really¡­ hope so.¡±


    A sad smile. I felt guilty because I had just been told not to overdo it.


    We were finally going to get down to business. I wanted to encourage him to cheer up, that we could do it and get through it. All so his mentality would be more stable.


    It was time to start building up like that.


    ¡®What¡¯s this now?¡¯


    The image of the continent that was reflected in my eyes without any foreshadowing quickly changed.


    What¡¯s that?


    ¡®Is this an indication?¡¯


    It had now turned upside down. The world had turned upside down beyond my brain¡¯sprehension.


    The sight of the continent was somewhat familiar¡ªa dark red sky at a time when the sun couldn¡¯t shine. Of course, I remembered it. The continent that I saw in Kim Hyunsung¡¯s unconscious world.


    It was a continent that waspletely ruined.


    I could see a familiar figure in it. It wasn¡¯t Kim Hyunsung.


    I caught myself staring at the sky nkly, wearing a ck cape.


    Just as Kim Hyunsung was looking at the sunset sky every day, I was also witnessing the same sky.


    I wasn¡¯t sure if it was fabricated or actually seen through Yuno Kasugano. I had never seen what happened at the end of the first round. Hence, naturally, I was unfamiliar with what I looked like at the time.


    I reached out to where the sun was neither rising nor setting.


    Wasn¡¯t Kim Hyunsung the only one left?


    What the hell was I doing?


    ¡®No, sh*t, isn¡¯t this just a trick?¡¯


    As soon as a man looking at the sky in the middle of the ruins for a long time calmly sped my hands, I felt the world turning again as if I were flipping a coin.


    ¡°Kiyoung, Kiyoung! Kiyoung¡­ Kiyoung!


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Mr. Kiyoung¡­ Kiyoung¡­¡±


    Was that a bluff?


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -Thank you.


    Was that also a bluff? Sh*t.


    -Altanus.


    ¡®Lee Kiyoung, you piece of sh*t. Stop ying tricks.¡¯

 Chapter 688: Lee Kiyoung, You Piece of Crap (2)

    <h4>Chapter 688: Lee Kiyoung, You Piece of Crap (2)</h4>


    I felt like I was being psychotic. I really thought I might be crazy. Kim Hyunsung¡¯s voice was heard from the side, but I still didn¡¯t pay attention to it.


    As I pushed him slightly with my hand, I could see him falling about half a step.


    ¡°I think I¡¯m a little¡­drunk.¡±


    ¡°Kiyoung¡­¡±


    ¡°I have to go back to my room.¡±


    ¡®I think I¡¯m going to have a real mental illness. Seriously¡­ sh*t¡­¡¯


    ¡°Ha¡­ but¡­ Now¡­ just now¡­¡±


    ¡°I felt dizzy for a second. I¡¯m sorry, but I think I¡¯d better go in first.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°Enjoy the rest of your time and wrap up your seat, Hyunsung. Please speak well to the guild members.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry.¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    It¡¯s hard to understand what was real and what wasn¡¯t.


    It seemed to me that I had a rough idea of why people like demon summoners Jin Qing, devil worshipper Ito Souta, the devil contractors whose names I couldn¡¯t even remember, and Lee Seol-ho, were so lost.


    I felt like I was pouring soil into a pit that sent a man awaypletely.


    ¡®Lee Kiyoung, you son of a gun! You son of a gun!¡¯


    I looked back a little on myself in the past when Iughed at the viins who shouted with excitement.


    I was foolish to think that the viins, who eventually lost their reason and rushed like animals, were uncivilized embargoes who abandoned human beings.


    Didn¡¯t they get tongue-tied thinking that it might not be the price they signed with the devil?


    At first, I thought that all the calm and charismatic images shown by those viins were masks, so I was seriously worried about their human nature.


    However, when I thought about it, all of those guys had a reason to be excited. Maybe I didn¡¯t lose my temper, but I couldn¡¯t resist their anger.


    It was clear that I felt simr to the devil¡¯s servants that day. They would have looked around floundering about what was going on and wanted to dig into what the hell was true.


    Anger when they realize that in the end, everything was incited and fabricated information.


    It was clear that I was looking at the changing environment, wondering if I had a mental illness and that I had changed my own environment.


    As soon as I quickly entered the room after shaking off Kim Hyunsung, my face reflected in the window made sense of the story of the provocative totem that Lee Jihye said.


    ¡®You filthy crook.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know if it was just my feeling, but it felt like I was sending a mean expression that day. I wanted to make a scene where I reached out and broke the window like a movie, but when I imagined the ss stuck in my finger, my anger slowly began to fade.


    ¡®I can¡¯t trust me. Don¡¯t ever trust me. Sh*t. Seriously, I¡¯m an impostor.¡¯


    I started hitting the back of my head and not the others.


    The imagination of ss stuck in my fingers seemed to have worked, considering it felt like my breathing was stabilizing by that point. I thought again slowly about what it was just then.


    ¡®Bluffing, right?¡¯


    I thought it might¡¯ve been right to judge that it was a wild throw.


    ¡®What do you mean by thanking Altanus?¡¯


    However, many possibilities continued to hover. That was, for example, like a poison. I knew I shouldn¡¯t drink it, but I couldn¡¯t help but gulp it down all the same.


    It was honestly none of my business that Lee Kiyoung remained until the end of the first round. Still, if it was true that he and Altanus were involved in the seedling, there was a possibility that they had influenced Kim Hyunsung in some way.


    It wouldn¡¯t be unreasonable to draw attention to Kim Hyunsung¡¯s choice as he didn¡¯t understand what it meant.


    But¡­


    It was a trap. Lee Kiyoung was fooling me.


    Of course, it was highly likely to be a trap. It was right to think that Lee Kiyoung triggered it as he got closer to making a bet with Lucifer. Wasn¡¯t the biggest evidence of that was the fact that I was swaying like that right at that moment?


    If it were true that Altanus and I were bonded, I wouldn¡¯t show it to myself like that.


    Assuming that it was andscape shown by my unconscious mind, the situation would be a little moreplicated, but I didn¡¯t have time to consider such moment.


    ¡°Is it possible that the bet we shared with Lucifer itself was a trap?¡¯


    What if what the past Lee Kiyoung really wanted to hide was not a bet with Lucifer but a memory of the first round?


    ¡®No, I¡¯ve gone too far.¡¯


    I was showing myself the truth, almost as if it was a lie.


    ¡®That¡¯s too far. Don¡¯t fall like this. That¡¯s what the imposter wants.¡¯


    I had to keep my bnce. It was important not to be swayed, as I thought before the meeting began in earnest. Everything could get ruined if I started looking around too much.


    Furthermore, I wasn¡¯t the type to force a treasure chest out. Lee Kiyoung didn¡¯t like to lose his possessions, even though he took them out sometimes.


    There was no reason to take that out first. The bastard was never the type to show off.


    Even if I realized it, I couldn¡¯t hold the treasure chest in my own hands.


    Of course, I knew it was stupid to abandon the possibility altogether, but I thought it would be only after checking the missing memory of Kasugano.


    I started walking right away like that. I wanted to take Jung Hayan with me, but I had no choice but to prepare to head to where Kasugano was.


    She¡¯s the one who had the most important clue. She had the answer.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    What was the secret that I wanted to hide? Of course, but I was certain that it wasn¡¯t normal.


    ¡®We¡¯ve spread the scale too wide.¡¯


    Weren¡¯t there too many mysterious things to consider?


    After holding the harness of the Griffon in a hurry, all kinds of thoughts began toe into my head while heading to the sky, but no one could say that it was meaningless.


    ¡®Sh*t. Sh*t. Sh*t.¡¯


    To be honest, I wasn¡¯t even sure the answer was to meet her immediately.


    As I got closer, anxiety grew in my mind. How many times did I think about whether it¡¯s a better choice to go back?


    However, after seeing Yuno Kasugano¡¯s face as if she had been waiting for me, I had no choice but to nod unknowingly.


    She knew I was heading to her ce.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised that I haven¡¯t seen you in a long time.¡±


    Apparently, she and I had met each other recently. The idea that the memory waspletely deleted once again confused my mind.


    ¡®What the hell?¡¯


    The face staring at me quietly with closed eyes contained anxiety. I had no choice but to bite my lips in return for her unweing expression.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this the right answer?¡¯


    Would I really lose the bet if I got my memory back?


    Questions popped up but having concessions didn¡¯t suit me. It wasn¡¯t a story confined to others. It¡¯s the same for me, and there¡¯s never apromise.


    Just as I was about to speak, Yuno Kasugano opened her mouth first.


    ¡°Here you are.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve been waiting for you toe.¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s good that I don¡¯t need an exnation.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for¡­ You must know what I¡¯m here for.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡®I like this, too.¡¯


    ¡°However.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about the bets and other things you two shared. I want to tell you in advance that the answer you want to know will not be found through me.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need anything else. We just need to talk about what we¡¯ve talked about and what I¡¯m hiding.¡±


    ¡°Master¡­ You didn¡¯t want me to tell you about this even in the future.¡±


    ¡®Yeah, I guess so.¡¯


    ¡°You also knew I couldn¡¯t go against that.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s right, too.¡¯


    ¡°What I can show you is not the answer.¡±


    ¡®I¡¯ll be the judge.¡¯


    ¡°And you also told me to tell you to never to be swayed after seeing this.¡±


    ¡°Why would I be swayed?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve told me to say this to you many times.¡±


    ¡®So, what the hell is it?¡¯


    I was worried because she was indeed taking her time.


    ¡®Sh*t. Why are you taking so long when it¡¯s not the answer?¡¯


    It was when I tapped my thigh for no reason.


    Her eyes slowly began to open. Of course, I was very aware of what would happen. I had already looked at the ck world and the future with her.


    Tears were flowing out of her empty eyes, and I had no choice but to face her gaze, although it was a little scary.


    I started to feel like my body was being sucked in somewhere, and the things I wanted to hide from me wereing into my eyes in pieces.


    A big battlefield.


    ¡®Raphael?¡¯


    I could see the holy warrior himself.


    ¡®What the hell is he doing?¡¯


    A rewarding appearance for not removing the life support.


    I was a little surprised, but I didn¡¯t think it was a secret I wanted to hide. I was a little nervous, but Raphael was facing one of the angels, not Kim Hyunsung.


    After that, the ce had once again been reversed.


    ¡®Cha Hee-ra?¡¯


    Her appearance was also beginning toe into view. It was more fearful than worrisome to see her whole body in rags, constantly wielding a sword and an ax and fighting with five or six spears stuck inside her body.


    Rather than having an appearance of copsing at any moment, she seemed to be enjoying the fight itself. The scene of bursting withughter and killing angels was what I was exactly expecting from Cha Hee-ra.


    ¡®Genorziah.¡¯


    The golden dragon, who decided to be a friendly soldier, was also creating a mythological moment.


    It was satisfying because that meant the meeting went well, even though it was a scene currently without progress. The dragon¡¯s pir-like golden breath overturned an entire area.


    ¡®Jung Hayan.¡¯


    Judging from the fact that the situation was going that far, Jung Hayan seemed to have seeded in jumping over the wall.


    She was constantly chanting spells as I expected. The venom in her eyes seemed to tell her how big her resolve was.


    I couldn¡¯t see other guild members or Jihye Noona, but it was clear that she was ying her role somewhere.


    It was quite different from the 10% possibility.


    The continent was resisting the pigeons with all its might, and some were even pushing the invaders back.


    I didn¡¯t know what the hell was wrong with it. I tried to find out with all my strength what was to hide and what the problem was, but nothing came into mind. I was even happy because it turned out as I had expected.


    I was starting to think that Yuno Kasugano might have shown another scene by mistake, but I was proved wrong.


    ¡®What the¡­¡¯


    What was that?


    Before me, an unbelievable sight began to show.


    In the middle of the battlefield, slowly, I began to see myself correctly.


    ¡®What the hell is that?¡¯


    That wasn¡¯t what I was looking forward to.


    That didn¡¯t look right. I looked like aplete rag, but the worst part was¡­


    I wasn¡¯t even breathing.


    Soon after that, ck wings spread out. Kim Hyunsung was looking down at me.


    ¡°What¡­ Sh*t. I¡­ Am I dying?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Hyunsung¡­ will kill me?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Hyunsung¡­ why¡­ kill me?¡±

 Chapter 689: Lee Kiyoung, You Piece of Crap (3)

    <h4>Chapter 689: Lee Kiyoung, You Piece of Crap (3)</h4>


    ¡®Fuck¡­ Fuck¡­¡¯


    I had no choice but to remain silent in that situation.


    ¡®Hyunsung¡­ Why are you killing me¡­?¡¯


    I tried to speak unknowingly, but my voice didn¡¯te out.


    I wanted to rey the unbelievable scene until Yuno Kasugano ran out of magic, but would that change the future?


    I didn¡¯t see the scene where Kim Hyunsung mutted my body directly, but Kim Hyusung was certainly caught in the act. I could finally understand the dark face that Kasugano was showing and the urgent message.


    ¡°Fuck¡­¡±


    She must¡¯ve judged it as a very urgent situation.


    The fact was that preventing the future of the copse of the 5th District meant receiving the rewards I worked hard on so far, but it wasn¡¯t worth it if the price was my death.


    I was sorry for the many individuals on the continent who believed in Light Kiyoung, but I had no intention of making sacrifices on behalf of them.


    I suspected Yuno Kasugano might be presenting fabricated content after receiving a pledge from Lee Kiyoung, but that was impossible.


    I guaranteed that what I saw through her was the truth. She couldn¡¯t lie to me.


    As I looked at her quietly with eyes asking for an exnation, the shaman slowly spoke with her eyes closed.


    ¡°Master¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You said that everything would be perfect only if it goes the way we just saw.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s what I heard before, but it¡¯s strange no matter how many times I listen to it. What bullsh*t is that? How can it be perfect when I¡¯m dying?¡¯


    ¡°You have affirmed that only then can we achieve victory.¡±


    ¡®What are you talking about? Fuck.¡¯


    ¡°You said that it should proceed as it is without any errors towards the future we saw.¡±


    ¡®So you mean that I should fucking die?¡¯


    ¡°That¡¯s why your past self didn¡¯t want you to know the future yourself. You have been very concerned that there will be a


    ¡°Is that¡­ true¡­¡±


    ¡°I also didn¡¯t understand, but Master certainly said so. If the Master reallyes to me, you have told me to ask for it several times.¡±


    ¡®What bullsh*t is that? What the hell.¡¯


    I was naturally puzzled. However, it was understandable, albeit only by a little bit.


    ¡®It was going so well.¡¯


    It was true that the battlefield itself looked good.


    Raphael, who was currently in a vegetated state, stood up and took care of one axis of the battlefield, and Genozriah was also fighting against the enemy while giving it her all.


    Jung Hayan was in a state of having broken the wall, and there was no need to mention Cha Heera.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t just those named ones. If asked what the war was like, I could affirm that we were the ones that had the upper hand.


    If I rounded it up a bit, it could be 55 to 45. There were unavoidable sacrifices, but wasn¡¯t it aposition that was scattered simrly?


    It was no different than producing the best results with the power that mankind currently had.


    Except for the scene where I died, it was the ideal future I was picturing.


    Didn¡¯t they say that if a butterfly pped its small wings, a typhoon would ur on the other side of the earth? When I thought about the butterfly effect, I might have done something to invite my own death in the process before the continental people could take the victory.


    ¡®Did I not pay too much attention to Hyunsung? Is that it, Hyunsung?¡¯


    Perhaps I neglected Kim Hyunsung because I was paying too much attention to other people. I focused on strengthening his power and letting him jump over the wall, but I thought I was rtively abandoning him.


    It did feel like we couldn¡¯t even meettely. I read and ignored most of his Benignore Talk messages, and I didn¡¯t even answer the phone because it would take longer.


    I didn¡¯t openly ignore him, but it was undeniable that Kim Hyunsung was treated as an already caught fish.


    I was also worried that the bastard might¡¯ve had run out of the cozy and warm Lee Kiyoung fishing ground because of Lucifer¡¯s touch.


    ¡®Is this the content of the bet with Lucifer?¡¯


    The probability of making a bet on whether Kim Hyunsung would or wouldn¡¯t kill me was also by no means low. I thought Yuno Kasugano would have clues because she was the one who showed the results.


    What didn¡¯t make sense in that scenario was that my past self had seen the ending of my own death and expressed it as a victory.


    By any chance, I must¡¯ve imagined the scene where Lee Kiyoung would shout, ¡°I died, but this war is the victory of mankind!¡± but that would be unlikely.


    It could be guaranteed that the possibility that Lee Kiyoung had some kind of enlightenment and caused that while being kind of like an angel was also converging to zero percent.


    Rather, it was more persuasive that he threw the dice in the bet that Kim Hyunsung would kill me.


    It was pretty easy to organize.


    Lucifer and Lee Kiyoung made some kind of bet.


    In the future, Lee Kiyoung died by Kim Hyunsung¡¯s hands.


    Lee Kiyoung said that the ending in which he died to Kim Hyunsung was a victorious ending.


    Lee Kiyoung threw the dice betting that Kim Hyunsung would kill him.


    Kim Hyunsung had to kill Lee Kiyoung.


    If my hypothesis was correct, two conclusions could be drawn.


    6.1. There was something that Lee Kiyoung believed in.


    6.2. He talked about the light so much that he really became the light. My past really made up his mind to sacrifice everything for the continent.


    All of those hypotheses and predictions could be wrong, but those were the most probable, considering the circumstances that had emerged so far.


    If 6.1 was true, it meant that there was something that Lee Kiyoung really believed in, but¡­ there were still questions.


    I thought about sending a message to Kim Hyunsung first. I didn¡¯t think it was possible, but I had to check if he really got out of the fish tank.


    I was suspicious for a moment, but, as expected, I felt the Goddess¡¯s Hand Mirror ringing right away.


    See! The unbroken bond between the regressor and Light Kiyoung. I couldn¡¯t help but feel that way.


    If assumption 3 was true, Kim Hyunsung had to stab Lee Kiyoung. Could our lovely returner really stick his sword into Light Kiyoung¡¯s white belly?


    I had never raised Kim Hyunsung to be such a mean guy. He could even kill himself, but he¡¯s not the type of person who could betray a friend who had carried his burden with him so far. That was a clear fact that even Lee Kiyoung before he erased his memory, knew.


    It was possible that the previous bet hadn¡¯t been established without throwing the dice. Of course, the visible results told me that the bet was sessful, but what mattered was the process, not the oue.


    The scene that suddenly came to mind was Kiyoung expressing his appreciation to Altanus while reaching out his hand toward the red sky.


    ¡®Is it this?¡¯


    There was a possibility that the scene she told me waspletely useless bluffing and could be a hint. If Kim Hyunsung had to induce himself to stab me, there was no more appropriate scene than that.


    ¡®That¡¯s worth a stab.¡¯


    Honestly, it definitely was.


    He would feel betrayed. He found out that therade who was carrying his burden with him was the person who left the burden in the first ce.


    ¡®This is a bit¡­¡¯


    Imagine that the person whoforted him and dragged him to the surface was the one who drove him all the way to the bottom of hell. The masked trash, who killed his colleagues and destroyed the world with all sorts of vicious acts, was someone he considered as his brother.


    ¡®Honestly, even if I think about it, it¡¯s a bit¡­¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t unreasonable that a huge negative emotion crept upon me. Recalling that Kim Hyunsung was buried in repeating such a difficult time, there was no guarantee that he wouldn¡¯t get agitated if he learned of the false truth.


    A bad ending in which all kinds of betrayal and disgusting feelings swirled, and where Lee Kiyoung eventually turned into rags, falling into a pit of despair.


    If that was a happy ending and not a bad ending, I had to put a lie in my mouth saying that I was the masked trash.


    I had to say that the truth was that I was involved in his regression, and I had deceived him. Only then could I win the bet¡­


    ¡°I can get help from Lucifer or create conditions for Lucifer to intervene. Is that it?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Is there¡­ anything thates to mind?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m just talking to myself.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°It is still very unlikely¡­ I guess I know why I told you not to tell me this.¡±


    ¡°Can I ask for¡­ the reason?¡±


    ¡°Because if I see something like this, I would naturally be suspicious. Is my death really the shortcut to the happy ending, or is it really right to throw the dice? I would be suspicious. I still am.¡±


    ¡®Who knows if I would actually win the bet if Kim Hyunsung actually took a knife and stabbed me? Who knows if that really even is the bet?¡¯


    If the content of the bet I was thinking of werepletely out of touch with the truth, there wouldn¡¯t be such a death.


    Past Lee Kiyoung won the bet and waited for that ¡°something he believed in¡± and then died alone with a cold, cold body.


    ¡°Never¡­ The Master will never face a miserable end. I¡­ I wouldn¡¯t make it that way. Even in this life, I am ready to abandon myself for my Master.¡±


    ¡®He said there shouldn¡¯t be any errors in the future that will happen.¡¯


    ¡°No. It doesn¡¯t have to.¡±


    It was possible to run away.


    Avoiding the visible future meant losing my bet against Lucifer, but it¡¯s better than dying.


    I just had to prevent the situation where Kim Hyunsung stabbed me in the first ce.


    There was also a way to avoid the fight by popping up Noah¡¯s Ark n a little earlier, and if I thought it¡¯s unlikely to happen, I could just not provoke Kim Hyunsung.


    Kim Hyunsung wouldn¡¯t stab me, and Lee Kiyoung would survive as he always had.


    ¡®There might be a penalty if the bet doesn¡¯t happen or I lose it.¡¯


    First, the fact that I was still alive was the most important thing.


    As I was thinking and patting my thighs, Yuno Kasugano began to shed tears once again. She seemed to be that much shocked by the scene she saw.


    ¡°It¡¯s also an avoidable future, so you don¡¯t have to be so sad. It will be far from the continent¡¯s victory¡­¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s not bad to try.¡±


    I hated gambling, but I wasn¡¯t foolish enough not to throw dice in winnable games. If there was something that Lee Kiyoung believed in before erasing his memory¡­


    ¡°I think it would be right to throw.¡±


    ¡°Really¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure it¡¯s a winning game, but I think it¡¯s a game with a high probability of winning, at the very least.¡±


    After going through a few checks, it was clearly right to throw it.


    ¡°In that sense, it will be difficult, but let¡¯s see it one more time.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m in the process of finding answers, and it would be nice to check once more to see if my hypothesis is correct. Let¡¯s see if the future doesn¡¯t change if I decide to ept this bet without running away.¡±


    Yuno Kasugano slowly nodded.


    I was feeling a bit anxious, but¡­ there was no change in the future.


    Before erasing the memory, Lee Kiyoung expected that I would dig into it that far and that I wouldn¡¯t actually avoid it.


    The answer inevitably came out.


    It was unknown what the oue of Lee Kiyoung¡¯s death would be, but Lee Kiyoung had to die.


    I had to own Jin Qing¡¯s sins as mine, confess to Kim Hyunsung at the most decisive moment, and push myself into the fire, telling him that I was the masked trash and was involved in his return.


    The tragic hero was giving his life for the sake of the world. It¡¯s an old-style clich¨¦, but what could I do? Kim Hyunsung said he liked clich¨¦s like that.


    ¡®If I could save the world with my death¡­ I will throw this insignificant body for the continent.¡¯


    At this, tears of light began to flow.

 Chapter 690: Lee Kiyoung, You Piece of Crap (4)

    <h4>Chapter 690: Lee Kiyoung, You Piece of Crap (4)</h4>


    ¡®Is it possible or not?¡¯


    [Amon-grade forced quest has been activated.]


    [With the current continental situation, it would be impossible. It is forbidden to intervene in human life and death directly, and even if permission is granted, huge penalties are imposed. Especially in our case. Considering that even the smallest interventions have significant divine disturbances¡­ (0/1)]


    ¡®It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t understand.¡¯


    [Amon-grade forced quest has been activated.]


    [Thank you for understanding¡­ Ju¡­ Junior Lee Kiyoung. As expected, we¡¯re in sync. (0/1)]


    ¡®Because I know how it¡¯s also working over there.¡¯


    [Yes. Other continents also need a lot of budgets, so honestly, I don¡¯t think I can afford to invest in this ce anymore. You can think that giving you the light was thest support. At least you have wings! R-Right? (0/1)]


    ¡®But is it really impossible? If you gather and sacrifice a few guys like Elune and¡­¡¯


    [Even if I sacrifice Elune, it¡¯s impossible. It¡¯s possible with the divinities that the old ones have gathered for an immeasurable amount of time. An ordinary human could use shortcuts anyway, but as you know, you have be more expensive. (0/1)]


    ¡®That¡¯s true¡­¡¯


    [It won¡¯t happen, but if I assume that I save you, that¡¯s the same action as saving the dead god. It¡¯s no different from bringing Altanus back to life. If I could afford to consume that much divinity, I wouldn¡¯t let you die in the first ce. I always say this, but thest support was very unusual. It was passed because one of the superiors eagerly wanted to scout you and Kim Hyunsung. I wouldn¡¯t have done that otherwise. (0/1)]


    ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯


    [I¡¯m a bit sorry to say this to my lovely junior Lee Kiyoung, but as you know, you¡¯re a bit harsh¡­ no, you¡¯re a bit peculiar. There are a lot of conservative people here, so there are a lot of talks. The same goes for Kim Hyunsung¡­ How could we believe in a fallen man? (0/1)]


    ¡®What?¡¯


    [S¡­ Still, the one I mentioned earlier¡­ Rather, that¡¯s why he said that he had to scout you more, and he was focusing on why you epted it rather than epting Lucifer¡¯s power. He really wanted to see you¡­ Unfortunately, you¡¯re too busy right now. (0/1)]


    ¡®There are a lot of things bothering me, but in conclusion, it means it is possible?


    [N-No. It¡¯s impossible. It¡¯s against thews of the continent¡­ (0/1)]


    ¡®Wouldn¡¯t you say it¡¯s possible if you were prepared to face the penalty and consumed the divinity they had collected for countless time?¡¯


    [You¡¯re¡­ But¡­ Actually, it¡¯s hard to move that degree of divinity. The dimensions in which the superiors are in charge also have many problems, and if that degree of divinity is consumed, there is a possibility that the dimensional bnce itself will be broken¡­ (0/1)]


    ¡®But it means that it¡¯s possible.¡¯


    [I-It is. (0/1)]


    ¡®Then it¡¯s done.¡¯


    For the time being, it seemed that I could continue to shed tears of light.


    Of course, I decided to sacrifice all of it for the sake of holiness, but what kind of verification process wasn¡¯t necessary?


    The more I checked, the more I felt like it fit.


    If it were Lucifer, it would be possible.


    Even if Light Kiyoung really turned into light, it was possible to save me if it was Lucifer.


    She faced enormous penalties, and her track record would have blown up one way or another, but I thought she would surely be able to revive me if it were her.


    No, as I listened to Benignore, it¡¯s likely that I wouldn¡¯t even die in the first ce. In order to minimize the damage, why wouldn¡¯t she choose to intervene in the middle at all costs?


    I didn¡¯t know why I even made such an annoying bet, but I could understand if that was the contract¡¯s content.


    Demons could intervene in the world only by contract.


    A demon like Lucifer would be able to intervene without signing a contract, but it would be hard not to know that having a formal contract was a way to get less penalty.


    The undeniable fact that no matter what it was, the damages she¡¯d incur if she were defeated were enormous.


    It was only for a moment, but I started wondering what I had to pay if I was defeated. What did past Lee Kiyoung offer to get Lucifer¡¯s involvement?


    I became anxious about whether my past self signed a contract of very to work with Kim Hyunsung under her for the rest of my life.


    I, of course, thought that I didn¡¯t have to dig. I thought it wasn¡¯t Lucifer that would win the bet anyway.


    [Amon-grade forced quest has been activated.]


    [There are only two days left now. Lee, Lee Kiyoung. We can do it, right? (0/1)]


    ¡®I guess.¡¯


    [Amon-grade forced quest has been activated.]


    [I used to think of what to do if you abandon our continent, but¡­ as expected, Lee Kiyoung is Lee Kiyoung after all. I believed. Even if Elune was against it, I always believed you. W-We¡¯re going all the way together, right? (0/1)]


    ¡®No¡­¡¯


    [That thing that we buy together and sell together. I-I¡¯m doing it too! (0/1)]


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    [Because we are soul partners. Yes. I-I always believed in you. (0/1)]


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    [Even when everyone was pointing fingers and cursing you, I believed in Lee Kiyoung to the end. (0/1)]


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    [Oh! I-It¡¯s time for the meeting. Believer Lee Kiyoung should cheer up. I, too, will try to find a way to help you as much as possible. We are one. We are one! (0/1)]


    ¡°This one too¡­¡±


    There was a bit of anxiety, but it was also very hopeful.


    ¡®It seems like yesterday that she was trembling that I would abandon the continent after 36 days¡­¡¯


    I was half sure that in the end, it seemed like Lee Kiyoung decided to ept it.


    I thought it would be wise to be careful about my back until the end, but I thought I could see what Benignore¡¯s hopeful mood meant.


    With only three days left, I wondered if she thought that the preparation wasn¡¯t bad even to her.


    Benignore¡¯s endorsements were of little use, but she felt that the continent seemed to be moving step by step toward the bright atmosphere.


    ¡®That¡¯s because she also has a lot to get out of this.¡¯


    Basically, the happiest news was that she could protect her workce.


    Wasn¡¯t she turning the happiness circuit for the secondary gains?


    It was natural to get promoted and maybe even get incentives for being credited with pushing away or killing external forces.


    If I made up my mind to move toward the light, she¡¯d get definite benefits from her perspective.


    The atmosphere seemed to diverge opinions about me but no one could argue with the fact that he and I were the core of a typhoon.


    It was a confirmed story because I¡¯d been favored by one of the superiors.


    Benignore was also trying to sneak that line. I even wondered if she was actually smart.


    As I tapped my thighs, a voice began toe from the front. Come to think of it. I was ying with her.


    ¡°It¡¯s the Vice Guild Master¡¯s turn.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah. Yes. I spaced out for a moment.¡±


    ¡°You can be at ease. It¡¯s not a game that tries to distinguish the superiority and inferiority.¡±


    The one who was quietly looking at me was Cho Hyejin.


    ¡°Who said it wasn¡¯t a game to distinguish the superiority and inferiority? It actually is.¡±


    ¡°Yeah? Then, let¡¯s go with that.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Hyejin¡¯s skills have decreased a lot since west yed.¡±


    ¡°Rather than that, it seems that your skills have improved. You have some good moves.¡±


    ¡®This¡­¡¯


    ¡°Oh. Rather, try this tea.¡±


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡°It is said to be a healthy tea that clears the head¡­ They said it might work.¡±


    ¡°Where did you¡­¡±


    ¡°People on Benignore Net rmended it. You¡¯ll probably like it.¡±


    ¡®Wow¡­¡¯


    She looked very worried.


    ¡®I guess I was a bit out of myself.¡¯


    I wasn¡¯t even aware of Cho Hyejin ying an entertainment game, so what else would I need to say?


    It seemed that she somehow felt that she wasn¡¯t very nervous. The game was tilted to my advantage, but she didn¡¯t have an expression that showed it. Didn¡¯t she have a warm smile even in the situation just before the checkmate?


    I was thrilled to see other people worrying about me, but it hurt my pride a little. It didn¡¯t seem too bad to speak about it lightly. Wouldn¡¯t there be a reaction if I provoked her?


    ¡°The tea is delicious, but¡­ the game ¡­ It¡¯s not that I¡¯m skilled, but it¡¯s correct that your skills have decreased.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too easy¡­ Is there something wrong with your head? You shouldn¡¯t have made that move earlier. This is only fun when the opponent is at a simr level¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I think you should practice a little more beforeing. Well, I understand that there are two days left until the day of the final battle, but your skills have be really rotten. Hey! I will take this with delight. I¡¯m taking all the knights. It¡¯s awesome. It¡¯s awesome. Whew.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I can see the checkmate in front of me¡­ Should I take this one or not? I¡¯ll save you once. Instead, I¡¯ll take the Bishop. Gosh¡­ Oh my. It¡¯s delicious. Isn¡¯t your brain frozen?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s too easy. It feels like ying a game with Hyunsung. Really.¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯re being too harsh. I¡¯m not like the Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°It feels like ying a game with him, really. This one too. I will enjoy taking this one. Slurp.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I noticed her gaze slightly changing as she bit her lips tightly.


    Although she moved the horse with a little firmer determination, there was no way that something would change.


    The war situation was already inclined to my favor, and the only thing Cho Hyejin could do was be beaten.


    ¡°My hand slipped and took this one again.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Look. Phuhehehehaha.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Checkmate! Never ask to y chess again. Really.¡±


    ¡°One more match.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? It¡¯ste.¡±


    ¡°One more match. Just one more.¡±


    ¡°Even if we do, the results are obvious. It¡¯s no fun. First, win against Lee Jihye, no, the manager Kim Mi-young. Then I will be your opponent.¡±


    ¡°Just one more match. One more.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re begging too much. I don¡¯t want to.¡±


    ¡°No, just¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too easy.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ No, just one more game! Let¡¯s really have thest match!!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°S-Sorry for yelling.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to get so worked up with something like that. You worked hard all day today. You can scream.¡±


    ¡°Just one more.¡±


    ¡°Gosh. I really don¡¯t want to. Let¡¯s clean this up and have wine. I have something to tell¡­¡±


    ¡°What? What is it?¡±


    ¡°How about Hyunsung? Is he doing well?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Well, there doesn¡¯t seem to be anything wrong. Before I came out today, it seemed that the Guild Master was in a bit bad mood¡­ but it was as usual. Come to think of it. He asked me to check if the Vice Guild Master was fine. He said he couldn¡¯t get in touch with you. He also wanted toe here with me¡­¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t Hyunsung busy? I can¡¯t be in his way.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes. Even so¡­¡±


    ¡°Is the guild atmosphere fine?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s fine. It seems that Hayan had a little problem, but¡­¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s also going well.¡¯


    It really felt like there was only thest puzzle piece left.


    ¡°Now, really¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah. There isn¡¯t much left.¡±


    ¡°Do you think it¡¯ll be okay?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be.¡±


    ¡°You seemed nervous so far¡­¡±


    ¡°That problem was solved. We are well prepared, and I hope it works out just as I think it would. I think it¡¯s best to finish it without anyone getting hurt. I hope it will be easy.¡±


    ¡°No one will get hurt.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ Still, I really hope that¡¯s the case.¡±


    As if sensing the anxiety, Cho Hyejin was biting her lips. She looked like she was thrown with the death g. She had a face that wanted to ask what¡¯s going on. She felt something nasty was going to happen.


    She forcibly opened her mouth with her smile as if changing the subject.


    ¡°Well, what did you want to tell me?¡±


    ¡°I almost forgot the main subject.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about something serious when you have a day off, but¡­ I think I have to tell you. It¡¯s not a big deal. It is news that your mission has changed.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean¡­¡±


    ¡°You can proceed ording to the manual at the beginning of the battle.¡±


    ¡°And after that¡­¡±


    ¡°This is just in case.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Her voice was trembling.


    ¡°So. Only just in case.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°If I¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the manual that you should follow if anything happens to me.¡±


    As I gave her the prepared document, Cho Hyejin¡¯s face, biting her lips tightly, came into view.


    ¡°This¡­ this¡­ this¡­¡±


    A saint¡¯s quest to sacrifice himself for the light.


    Her head was staggering as if she couldn¡¯t stand up properly, and her hands trembled as if she couldn¡¯t believe it. Tears were filling her eyes, and her lips were constantly quivering.


    Didn¡¯t it look like she was having a panic attack? I felt embarrassed hearing the sound of her breathing as if she was going to pass out.


    I even wondered if I shouldn¡¯t have called Cho Hyejin and gave her a quest, so what else would I need to say?


    ¡®Ah¡­ Did I pick the wrong person for the job?¡¯


    ¡°Lee Kiyoung¡­ Lee Kiyoung¡­ Lee Kiyoung¡­ you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    For the time being, I had to speak with a grim face. It¡¯s right to properly prepare for it if I was going to do it anyway.


    ¡°I told you. That¡¯s just a precaution if the end hase to me.¡±

 Chapter 691: Lee Kiyoung, You Piece of Crap (5)

    <h4>Chapter 691: Lee Kiyoung, You Piece of Crap (5)</h4>


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I say that it¡¯s just a precaution? It¡¯s always like this. You don¡¯t have to overreact.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ So now that¡¯s¡­ what is this situation? Why¡­ Why are you¡­¡±


    ¡°Someone needs someone to fix things. We¡¯re not ying between children, right? The continent is in a crisis right now, and a great battle will begin in two days that can¡¯t bepared to any wars we¡¯ve fought before.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t be strange if any one of us dies. Hyejin can die, or one of the guild members can die. That¡¯s why we also have a manual if other people die. That¡¯s why this isn¡¯t something to overreact to. Think about the symbolic meaning of the name Lee Kiyoung on the continent. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m a great person, but they will likely be confused. Not only the continent¡¯s people but also the Blue Guild members. I need someone to fix it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m asking why you made something like this!¡±


    ¡®Gosh, fuck, Hyejin. Why are you so agitated? Do you want to be Doom Hyejin?¡¯


    ¡°Why do you keep making me say things twice? I already told you. It¡¯s a precaution.¡±


    ¡°A written instruction made for a specific situation? Stop with the nonsense. This¡­ this¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Are¡­ Are you nning to die?¡±


    ¡®Fuck. Did I make it too detailed?¡¯


    Surprisingly, Cho Hyejin was more angered than I expected. It felt good seeing that she thought of me that much, but it was even more disconcerting.


    ¡°Why is someone who knows my personality like this? Do you think I¡¯m going to die?¡±


    ¡°Then exin¡­ exin it.¡±


    ¡°But I have nothing to exin. It¡¯s just as it is. That¡¯s all you have to keep in mind. I mean, why are you even reacting like this?¡±


    I seriously wondered if Cho Hyejin was the wrong choice.


    ¡®You told me not to tarnish his pride. Hyejin.¡¯


    Where the hell did AKA-Y.T.N.T.H.P-Cho Hyejin go? (Note: Y.T.N.T.H.P - short for ¡®You Told me Not to Tarnish His Pride¡¯)


    Why didn¡¯t she know that acting like that at that moment tarnished Light Kiyoung¡¯s pride?


    ¡®Fuck¡­ act a little more Y.T.N.T.H.P, really.¡¯


    Her face showed that she would never back off, and it made me all anxious. From my standpoint, I decided to sacrifice everything with the light. Hence, it wouldn¡¯t be unreasonable to feel disconcerted.


    Who wasn¡¯t afraid of death in the first ce? I, too, made a lot of decisions for my loved ones, and one of those decisions was to sacrifice myself for them.


    With Cho Hyejin reacting like that, I was forced to have an extra hard time.


    ¡®Won¡¯t she tell Kim Hyunsung?¡¯


    My anxiety was definitely soaring. She was looking at me more hostile than in the first timeline.


    Tears hadn¡¯t yet flowed down, but it seemed that she was holding up her tears desperately. She probably wasn¡¯t capable of making sound judgments, considering how she was panicking.


    Her face looked like she would cause some trouble, almost like she would make an extreme choice one way or another.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bullsh*t me. I said¡­ don¡¯t bullsh*t. I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll pretend I didn¡¯t see this. So put it back in.¡±


    ¡®This is fucking mutiny. It¡¯s called disobedience.¡¯


    As a supervisor, I wondered if it would be better to give her a piece of my mind, but we weren¡¯t in an atmosphere where I could do that. Cho Hyejin¡¯s breathing became harsher as her ominous thoughts continued.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think of this again. Lee Kiyoung, you¡¯re not going to die. You will never die.¡±


    ¡®No. I have to die. Why do you keep doing this?¡¯


    ¡°Don¡¯t do anything unnecessary and read it properly.¡±


    ¡°I already said no.¡±


    ¡°I have only Hyejin. I only have you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I say¡­ that this is just a precaution?¡±


    ¡°H-How can I believe those words¡­?¡±


    ¡®Ah. She¡¯s getting emotional.¡¯


    ¡°How the hell¡­ am I¡­ supposed to believe that. Every time¡­ you open your mouth¡­ you lie.¡±


    She sounded more and more sorrowful. Intermittently, I heard sniffing sounds from her. She might not even be aware of that.


    Cho Hyejin wasn¡¯t stupid. It wasn¡¯t like her to shed tears due to excessive emotions after reading the documents I prepared.


    Maybe she was also roughly expecting it. She might¡¯ve been aware of the great trials and fears I had to face, the sacrifices that would bear all of them.


    Cho Hyejin knew a little about Lee Kiyoung. She knew that I wouldn¡¯t throw my life away for no reason, and she also understood that I wasn¡¯t the type that sacrificed myself for others.


    It was natural for her toe up with an answer. It was a little different from what I intended, but it seemed that Cho Hyejin thought that it wasn¡¯t just memory loss.


    It wasn¡¯t just the memories I had with everyone that was dying.


    It was Lee Kiyoung himself that was going to die.


    That¡¯s why I was able to ept everything, and that¡¯s why I was able to talk so calmly.


    ¡°Every time¡­ you open¡­ sniff¡­ your mouth¡­ you lie.¡±


    She was wiping away the tears with her hands as if she became aware of them btedly.


    ¡°So, take it¡­ Take it back¡­ Because I will never believe¡­ in such a lie. Saying it¡¯s okay¡­ I don¡¯t believe it.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Take it. Take it, you trash bastard. Take it!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Did you think I¡¯d like it if I received something like this? You¡­ You deceiving bastard. Was it because of this that you asked to meet today? Did you invite me to y chess to say something like this? You said we¡¯d y chess leisurely¡­ sniff¡­ did you ask me to y chess¡­ did you call me to show me something like this?¡±


    ¡°You are¡­¡±


    ¡°You mean bastard. You dirty trash bastard ¡­ now¡­ Do you feel refreshed now?!¡±


    ¡°Hyejin¡­¡±


    ¡°Answer me! If you pretend to carry everything on your own¡­ you think you could be something? Sniff¡­ Teasing people like that on top of other people¡¯s heads. Do you feel a little better now? Seeing me crying and talking. Do you feel relieved?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I thought you were better than this. You¡­ do you really want to be that guy? Are you going to give up? You said you wouldn¡¯t die. You said you would never die. That you are confident about keeping your life¡­ you said you would live until you be senile! You said that! You¡­ son of a bitch ¡­ sniff¡­ son of a bitch. You said you would live.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You could¡¯ve told me. If you had, I could have found another way. You said that you would make Hyunsung and I end up together. That too¡­ It was all a lie too. It was all lies¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°When you told me that we would have fun after work, we would y chess all night after work, that we would catch up with each other, and we would go shopping together¡­ all¡­ It was all a lie¡­ all, sniff¡­ it was all a lie.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t apologize. Don¡¯t apologize!¡±


    ¡°Am¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t apologize! Sniff¡­ Don¡¯t apologize!!! You lying bastard! Son of a bitch!!! Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­ Don¡¯t apologize¡­¡±


    ¡°Sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t apologize!!!!!¡±


    ¡°Calm down¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me to calm down. Son of a bitch. Son of a bitch. Lying bastard¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Tell me¡­¡±


    ¡°Tell you what¡­¡±


    ¡°Since when. Tell me everything. What the hell is going on, exactly where the problem is. Tell me. I deserve to hear it. I¡­ I deserve that much. Exactly how much time is left¡­ tell me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I told you to talk.¡±


    ¡°So¡­¡±


    ¡°If you lie, I will break your mouth.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Sigh¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It didn¡¯t take that long. I don¡¯t know exactly when, but it didn¡¯t take long to realize the symptoms¡­ I didn¡¯t even hide it on purpose. Does it make sense to say that it¡¯s been a while since I noticed it?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened, but¡­ this is not something that can be prevented. If there were a way, I would have found it first.¡±


    ¡°How¡­ can you judge that?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    There was no need for other words. I slowly spread the wings of light. In an instant, my whole body began to shine brightly, and a great divinity overflowed from me.


    The light that illuminated the dark room didn¡¯t look magnificent but rather mncholic.


    It reached the extent that it couldn¡¯t be expressed in words. That was how sorrowful it felt.


    ¡°Is it¡­ because of this¡­?¡±


    As I shook my head, I saw her wiping away her tears once more. There was no need to exin it in words. It wouldn¡¯t be strange even if Lee Kiyoung¡¯s body fell before.


    Wouldn¡¯t it be possible to notice it with a little thought? If she knew how much I¡¯d been working my body to the ground, I was sure she¡¯d notice.


    I crossed the huge line several times with my weak body. I had the good fortune to see the scenery that I had never seen in my life, with my colleagues beyond what I deserved.


    I had gone through a lot. It was difficult, and sometimes I shed tears, but I enjoyed the whole process. Adversity and pain made me stronger. Yes, it was such an act. I thought that would be nice.


    However, my body couldn¡¯t endure those times. There was a time when demons caught me, and my body was so ruined that it was a miracle that I was still alive, and there were times when I took medicine for side effects and endured each day.


    I didn¡¯t even notice it, but Lee Kiyoung was dying slowly.


    What maintained my dying body was a huge divinity that any normal human couldn¡¯t handle. Goddess Benignore regarded a human as pitiful and gave him time to endure a deity¡¯s power until the end of all his work.


    ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ don¡¯t lie.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­ Don¡¯t lie¡­ Please¡­ Please tell me that¡¯s a lie.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a lie.


    ¡°Please¡­ I¡¯m asking you. Tell me¡­ that¡¯s a lie, please¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not lying.¡±


    There was no lie in the eyes that wanted to protect the Light Kiyoung¡¯s continent, no, my people.


    ¡°Sniff¡­ how¡­ how¡­¡±


    Honestly, the word sacrifice didn¡¯t go well with Lee Kiyoung.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like me, but¡­¡±


    However, I also thought I wanted to do something. It wouldn¡¯t be such a bad ending if she noticed that the end had alreadye.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s think it¡¯s returning as much as I received. I didn¡¯t know I would think this way, but¡­ since I¡¯m already doing this, it has to be done properly.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Who knows? If things go well, maybe Benignore will save me as a reward. Honestly, I want to throw everything and run away, but I¡¯m scared that she¡¯ll take away the divinity that maintains my body if I made such a choice. Imagine, at best, that I used the divinity she provided to save the continent for me to escape. If I were a god, I would have punished such a disgusting human.¡±


    ¡°Sniff¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m doing this for everybody to live, so don¡¯t be bothered. I have changed a little too.¡±


    ¡°Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­¡±


    ¡°I probably wouldn¡¯t have thought of this in the past. I wouldn¡¯t care if anyone died¡­ I just suddenly thought that way. It seems that it was you who nted on me the idea of responsibility. Responsibility for the people I belong to and who are with me. Still, I¡¯m not used to it, so I don¡¯t know what to say.¡±


    ¡°Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­ Ugh.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like me, and I¡¯m embarrassed to say this, but I am proud of my actions, of my pride. I feel like I should be a little bit happy about that.¡±


    ¡°Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­¡±


    ¡°So.¡±


    ¡°Sniff¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tarnish my pride.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Lee Kiyoung¡­ you trash bastard¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Lee Kiyoung¡­ Lee Kiyoung¡­ you fucking trash scammer¡­ Sniff¡­¡±


    In the room as white as light, a sobbing sensation began to resonate.


    ¡°You¡­ hic¡­ scammer¡­ sniff¡­ bastard¡­¡±

 Chapter 692: Let’s prepare the end (1)

    <h4>Chapter 692: Let¡¯s prepare the end (1)</h4>


    [You¡¯re a real human trash.]


    [What, Jihye?]


    [You really had to disturb us like that? Was it that revolting to have fun with Hyejin and me?]


    [I¡¯m not sure what you¡¯re talking about¡­ Oh! But yesterday, Hyejin stayed until 3 am.]


    [You can¡¯t do that while breaking our promise. It was an appointment I made a long time ago. Do you know how hard it is to make a holiday just before the war starts? Yesterday was my only free day, and you reneged on me? Honestly, you could¡¯ve met her today, right? You did it on purpose to screw with me, didn¡¯t you?]


    [We took pictures together. Hahaha]


    [This Jihye is so upset, she doesn¡¯t even read my messages. Really.]


    -Lee Kiyoung has sent a picture.


    [It¡¯s a good picture, right? Hahaha]


    [Do you think I don¡¯t use the excuses of memory loss or time limit because I don¡¯t know how to use it? You just wait and see. I¡¯ll make something amazing too.]


    ¡®But she¡¯s already too upset. What are you talking about?¡¯


    It was a message that made me click my tongue.


    I thought that Lee Jihye could say such a thing because she didn¡¯t see the face Cho Hyejin made yesterday. No, with that personality, she would have forced it even if she knew that.


    [Let me buy one anesthetic potion.]


    [I¡¯ll use everything I have.]


    [You said you made a lot of them. You kept on it because you didn¡¯t want to feel any pain. Let me buy one at least.]


    [I¡¯m making it because I really need it, and you¡¯ll just use it to make a frame-up.]


    [Yours is also a frame-up.]


    [No, I might really die. It¡¯s because I truly do need it, Jihye.]


    [It¡¯s a frame-up anyway, you scammer.]


    ¡®It¡¯s not, Jihye.¡¯


    I began to have mixed feelings about how she couldn¡¯t know the will of the light that sacrificed for mankind.


    [Still, I heard that you had fun calling Yeonsu and some other people.]


    [It was a meeting. Cho Hyejin was also supposed to be there¡­]


    [It¡¯s a job. If It were you, I wouldn¡¯t say that. And what do you mean I have nothing to do today? I have to prepare my speech a littleter, and I have to finish the Hayan project. Do you think I¡¯m in the State for no reason? I have important things to do, and none of them are easily done. I have to get in the mood. Seriously, my emotional line is important for this job.]


    [I¡¯ve got a full schedule after work. I haven¡¯t gotten a reply yet, but don¡¯t disturb it either.]


    [Don¡¯t worry. If anyone hears that I did, they¡¯ll think I don¡¯t like seeing you and Hyejin being close.]


    [But that¡¯s true.]


    ¡®No, it¡¯s not.¡¯


    [Let me get into the mood, Jihye. It¡¯s really important.]


    I could feel Lee Jihye¡¯s anger through the hand mirror.


    Although she muttered control freak to me, I was sure that Lee Jihye had such a tendency as well.


    She provoked me, but she seemed very resentful that she didn¡¯t enjoy the time she wanted.


    Considering she even wanted an anesthetic potion, it seemed that she was trying to use extreme methods, but there was no way to beat Lee Kiyoung, who sacrificed himself.


    Thinking I had to leave the loved ones and burn my body for the continent, I already felt the tears of light running down my cheeks, and that feeling was real.


    ¡®I have to protect it.¡¯


    I had to protect my beautifulnd, as well as those who lived on it.


    I wasn¡¯t honestly afraid of death. Thinking that Lee Kiyoung¡¯s life was over, it was unavoidable to feel sad.


    I had many things to prepare¡­ For example, an anesthetic potion. A strong one at that¡­


    I also had something to sort out by myself. I felt like I knew why I needed time alone.


    Although I thought I¡¯d be a little drunk on my own figure, quietly praying to the Goddess and receiving the pouring light, it was undeniable that I hadplicated feelings.


    ¡®I have to prepare.¡¯


    I had to be prepared emotionally and get ready to go.


    ¡°Honorary Cardinal.¡±


    ¡°Pope Basel¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I interfered with your time with Benignore without notice.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I did because the Honorary Cardinal¡¯s back looked so sad. It¡¯s hard to put these words in my mouth, and I shouldn¡¯t do it, but¡­ it made me feel like I was looking at someone I¡¯ll never see again.¡±


    ¡°No way¡­ how could that happen?¡±


    I had to be a little more careful. I couldn¡¯t show off because precious people might be hurt.


    ¡°Right. There¡¯s no way. Benignore cherishes the Honorary Cardinal too much¡­ I shouldn¡¯t have said that¡­¡±


    ¡°I think you care about me too much, Pope Basel.¡±


    ¡°Haha. Still, the Honorary Cardinal knows what to say and what I like to hear. But I don¡¯t feel the lie like what others say. You wouldn¡¯t¡­ you wouldn¡¯t have even lied once in the first ce.¡±


    ¡°I am human too, Pope.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t unreasonable tough bitterly at Pope Basel¡¯s words.


    I had to think that he hit the nail right on the head. I was reminded again if it was really okay to deceive everyone like that.


    Was it really helpful for me tough and just say I would be fine and that there wouldn¡¯t be any problem?


    Was it a healthy ending to say goodbye to everyone and tie the knot abruptly?


    However, when I thought about the sadness they would bear, I had to shake my head. I didn¡¯t have the courage to face that.


    ¡®Lee Kiyoung¡­ you cowardly bastard.¡¯


    Imagining others mourning like Cho Hyejin, my body trembled with unfamiliar emotions.


    Lee Kiyoung alone was enough to deal with the sadness. If the guild members, which could be said to be the main force, became affected by it psychologically, there was bound to be a problem in the continent¡¯s security.


    Once again, I had to make up my mind firmly for all those who would live in that realm.


    ¡®Let¡¯s not be afraid, Kiyoung. Don¡¯t be scared. You are doing what you obviously have to do.¡¯


    ¡°What¡¯s with that face?¡±


    ¡°I was just thinking of a lot ofplicated matters.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s understandable. Won¡¯t the prophecy begin tomorrow? I am also encouraging many believers that the Goddess will not abandon us, but that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m not afraid.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s scary. It¡¯s so scary that I can¡¯t even bear it.¡±


    ¡°Goddess Benignore will always look after Pope Basel.¡±


    ¡°What can I do with the Goddess¡¯s protection when it¡¯s almost time to die? Even if she takes me, I hope she doesn¡¯t take the Honorary Cardinal as well. I can¡¯t leave the Holy See even in this war¡­ This is the first time that I¡¯m resenting my old body this much.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to me yourself. Look at them gathered in the Holy See. Are not they the people who only believe in Pope Basel? I, too, wouldn¡¯t have been able to focus properly on this matter if it hadn¡¯t been for Pope Basel. Look at them again, Pope, those who are praying. This is thest sanctuary. If all the strongholds in the north fall into the hands of the enemies, the only person they¡¯ll be able to rely on is the Pope. I¡¯m sorry if I sound presumptuous, but you have to show yourself with a little more confidence.¡±


    ¡°R-Right. That¡¯s right. I said something only the weak would say¡­ I shouldn¡¯t have done that.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go down together, Honorary Cardinal.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°What are you going to do next?¡±


    ¡°I n to spend time with my lover.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ of course you will. As expected.¡±


    ¡°This is embarrassing.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be at all. Haven¡¯t you been working only for the continent in the meantime? It would be natural to spend time with someone the Honorary Cardinal loves. Did I make a useless request?¡±


    ¡°No. In fact, it was something I had to see earlier. The State is my hometown and the ce where my soul can breathe. Encouraging war refugees is a natural duty of mine as the Honorary Cardinal of the State.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve always been such a person.¡±


    A quietly smiling face passed by.


    As we kept moving, I heard a loud noise made up of small sounds.


    It was the refugees who were making temporary evacuations at the Holy See. No matter how much support from the Holy See they got, as the number of personnel was high, they were bound to be exposed to the harsh environment.


    That¡¯s how they looked. I realized that everyone was feeling fear and terror, and it was enough to make me bite my lips tightly and make a bigmitment once again.


    ¡°Honorary Cardinal.¡±


    ¡°Please save the continent.¡±


    ¡°Honorary Cardinal¡­¡±


    ¡°Goddess Benignore. Please, the Honorary Cardinal¡­¡±


    ¡°Please, the State¡­¡±


    ¡°Please protect the State.¡±


    ¡°Honorary Cardinal.¡±


    ¡°The incarnation of Benignore.¡±


    ¡°Son of God. Please save us.¡±


    That was indeed scary.


    That sense of responsibility and the pressure that weighed on me scared me. However, wasn¡¯t I in a situation where I couldn¡¯t back off?


    The Holy Knights were also struggling with the crowd gathering.


    For some reason, I hoped that a small child woulde out after prating between the Holy Knights in such a situation. I had a memory where one popped out in a simr situation¡­ It was regrettable that he didn¡¯t appear again.


    ¡®Ah, fuck. Who created this scene? Is it Jihye? Really?¡¯


    As I bit my lips tightly for a moment, just as expected¡­


    ¡°Catch him!¡±


    A loud voice started to be heard asking them to grab someone.


    As I looked at the side where the sound was heard, I saw the confused Holy Knights and a boying out of their hands.


    He wasn¡¯t a child. He seemed to be about 16 years old. Seeing that he moved unusually, it seemed that he was used to running in the back streets of the capital.


    He was dirty, and what he had in his hand was Benignore¡¯s Rosario. That, too, was dirty.


    ¡®Gosh. This cute bastard.¡¯


    I unknowingly gave the boy who appeared in good timing a warm smile.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t like an assassin. The unknown boy simply ran over to me to deliver the Rosario in his hand.


    ¡°I apologize Honorary Cardinal. Right now¡­¡±


    ¡°No. I said it¡¯s fine. Please help hime this way.¡±


    I was grateful for the ipetent appearance of the neer of the Holy Knights. As I looked forward again, I saw the boy breathing wildly. He continued talking with a trembling voice.


    ¡°I¡­ I really want to give this to you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°I really¡­ wanted¡­ to give it to you¡­¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°I really¡­ um¡­¡±


    I had to express gratitude properly. Hence, I held his dirty hands.


    As if he didn¡¯t know I would react like that, he looked startled. The appearance of trembling as ifmitting sphemy was quite fitting for the scene.


    Brilliant light spread out. I didn¡¯t know who he was, but I wondered if he realized that my body¡¯s full of divinity.


    ¡°Huh¡­ huh¡­¡±


    Of course, it was a sight that could be understood. After I snuck out the Rosario he held in his hand, I had to wear it around my neck. No, I thought asking him to put it on me would be more effective than that.


    ¡°Will you put it on me?¡±


    When I lowered my head a little and made eye contact with the kid, I noticed his nervousness.


    Fear, joy, embarrassment, faith, and countless emotions were too vague to describe the expression in his eyes.


    The children who would lead the continent in the future, the hope of the State, the future of mankind. Lee Kiyoung would die for them. It wouldn¡¯t be meaningless death. It wouldn¡¯t be death without regret. No¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s not without regret.¡¯


    It was a pity that my eyes wouldn¡¯t be able to see that child¡¯s future and the world in which the boy would live in.


    ¡°Really¡­ thank you. You gave me great strength.¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ um¡­¡±


    Did he read the emotions in my eyes just as I read the emotions in his eyes?


    ¡°Um¡­ I¡¯m¡­ sorry. Sniff¡­ I¡¯m¡­¡±


    Should I eventually¡­ assume the saint¡¯s responsibility to carry everything on my own?


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ Sniff¡­ I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but hug the guy who couldn¡¯t say anything as I shed tears.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    I was really grateful to him.


    ¡°Cheer up. Cheer¡­ cheer up. You have to¡­ win.¡±

 Chapter 693: Let’s Prepare The End (2)

    <h4>Chapter 693: Let¡¯s Prepare The End (2)</h4>


    ¡°Cheer up¡­ cheer up, Honorary Cardinal.¡±


    ¡®I have to. But fuck, it¡¯s terrifying.¡¯


    I had already finished preparing my mind, but the premise was still scary.


    ¡®Will it hurt when I die?¡¯


    Honestly, it was not something I wanted to think about. I was expecting how things would roughly work, and I judged that the odds were high, but how could I know what would happen?


    I really wanted to pick up the dice that I threw just by thinking that I couldn¡¯t avoid the moment of dying and face the ending.


    Lee Jihye even scoffed, saying that I was getting into the mood when I wasn¡¯t really dying anyway, but if she was in my ce, I could guarantee that she would never be able to say that.


    ¡®I mean, what if I really die?¡¯


    Those thoughts came intermittently. Wouldn¡¯t it be quicker to understand if I thought about it as if I drank a poison that might kill me?


    Even though I knew that someone would give me the antidote after I passed out and someone would stop me right before I drank it, how many people could really take the poison?


    ¡®Wow, that really is my situation when I think about it.¡¯


    Lee Kiyoung decided to sacrifice himself and take the poison. He had a heart for the continent that was bigger than anyone else.


    ¡®You can¡¯t be shaken, Kiyoung. All you have to do is finish this. That¡¯s right.¡¯


    At that point, it wasn¡¯t unreasonable to nod my head to the thought that there was no sense of incongruity even if I was a real hero of the continent.


    Regardless, everything was ready except for Jung Hayan. She was yet to cross the wall, which I thought was the most important. I had many schedules to do during the day, so I wondered if it was correct to finish it at that moment.


    It wasn¡¯t bad. I was helped by a guy who came out in the middle, and I could lower the agitation of the war refugees a little.


    The face of the saint, who was responsible for throwing everything, was undoubtedly shown in the Goddess¡¯s Mirror, and at that moment, I could reconcile with my mind once more.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to see me off separately, Pope.¡±


    ¡°Haha, that¡¯s okay, Honorary Cardinal. Are you going back now?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll probablye back soon.¡±


    ¡°O-O-Oppa.¡±


    Not surprisingly, a small voice began to be heard with the flow of magic power. At first, it seemed to have called me quite vigorously, but the voice was gradually getting smaller because Pope Basel was next to me.


    ¡°I-I am here.¡±


    ¡°Then I should go and leave you two alone.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ I wish you luck, Honorary Cardinal.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Pope Basel too¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t think he had a hopeful mood. Pope Basel might also have felt the unidentified sense of responsibility in my eyes.


    The same went for Jung Hayan, who came to pick me up. As if something would soon explode, she couldn¡¯t hide the anxiety that made her look bitter.


    ¡°Shall we go then?¡±


    ¡°Yes. N-Now¡­¡±


    ¡°How have you been?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m in good condition, too. I-I think I can do it well.¡±


    ¡°If so, that¡¯s fortunate. There are a lot of things I expect from you.¡±


    ¡°R-Really?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I have a lot more expectations from you than anyone else. Are you familiar with the manual?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. O-of course. I am. B-But, I think something¡¯s wrong. I think the manual¡¯s changed¡­ It seems different from what I thought.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Ah! Ah¡­ it¡¯s nothing. T-Then I¡¯ll teleport us now.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, as always.¡±


    After a brief moment, my view changed again.


    We arrived in the center of a familiar ce. While I was checking my body for a moment, I saw Jung Hayan staring at me as if she wanted to tell me something.


    ¡®I think this one will also be telling me.¡¯


    I wanted to keep the light mood, but it was natural that I felt more awake when I looked at her face. It was because of her eyes looking at me with a bothered expression.


    She didn¡¯t feel the energy of sacrifice in my eyes. In the first ce, I hid such emotions right before I met Jung Hayan.


    Wasn¡¯t it Sora¡¯s condition that Jung Hayan doubted rather than mine?


    ¡®Ah¡­ I¡¯m nervous about this.¡¯


    I was starting to be scared of pressing the switch.


    ¡®I really need to, though.¡¯


    That was because I was worried that she would run in a direction I didn¡¯t expect. I agreed with my n, regardless.


    ¡®I¡¯m dying anyway.¡¯


    The battle itself couldn¡¯t be won if Jung Hayan couldn¡¯t cross the wall.


    That was why I expected she would cause trouble and avoided her until the day before.


    I didn¡¯t know what she¡¯d do. Hence, shouldn¡¯t I meet her only after I¡¯d done all the preparations?


    Even if Jung Hayan did something right at that moment, humanity was already prepared.


    She still looked like she wanted to ask me something but couldn¡¯t. It was when I tried to leave so I could endure until the end. Jung Hayan, who finally found the courage, slowly opened her mouth.


    ¡°Um¡­ um, Oppa.¡±


    She seemed to be inquiring about the strange thing that had happened to her recently. Naturally, the reason she currently had her doubts was Han Sora.


    [Generating amon-grade forced quest.]


    [Sora. Get ready. (0/1)]


    [Delivering amon-grade forced quest to Han Sora. You have not registered any quest-clear rewards. The subject will not bepensated.]


    ¡®No, should I¡­ just drag some more time on? If she bursts right now, I may not have time to make a speech.¡¯


    ¡°Oppa¡­¡±


    ¡®Fuck. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m ready yet¡­ Can I start now?¡¯


    ¡°So¡­¡±


    ¡®Ah¡­ fuck. I might really have to die¡­ should I think more about it?¡¯


    Naturally, many thoughts came into my head.


    I was aware that from the time I opened my mouth to Jung Hayan marked the beginning of the day of prophecy.


    If the hidden truth were revealed, there would undoubtedly be a reaction. Jung Hayan had always been like that. It wasn¡¯t my business, but I could bet that she was going to be radically reacting to what was happening to Han Sora.


    ¡°I-I mean¡­ I have something to tell you about Sora.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°L-Last time¡­ W-when I saw her at the meeting, I felt this, different energy¡­¡±


    The dice were cast.


    ¡°A different energy?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ energy that I can¡¯t e-exin. I mean, actually, when I fought with S-Sora, I felt something s-simr¡­ you know.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°At that time, it was so small that it was hard to notice¡­ s-so I wasn¡¯t sure about it, but actually, I felt it in your body¡­ too¡­ so I also erased it.¡±


    ¡°What? What are you talking about right now?¡±


    ¡°It seemed like there was something wrong with your body¡­¡±


    ¡°Can you tell me a little more?¡±


    I had to set the mood as if it was a dire situation. Jung Hayan looked a little confused, almost as if she recognized that her anxiety had be a reality.


    Maybe she realized that it wasn¡¯t going to be as small of a deal as she thought.


    She must have known that this is not the norm by looking back at things a little carefully.


    One day, the different energy suddenly came to Han Sora, and she watched a situation where a different magical power increased as the days passed.


    She promised that she would never care about the friend who betrayed her, but how could Jung Hayan not care about Han Sora?


    If she was preparing for a battle with an unknown enemy, it was correct that she should go over that matter at least once.


    If it were the way it was, it would¡¯ve been normal to ask a long time ago, but the fact that she said that to me, not Han Sora, was an excellent example of Jung Hayan¡¯sck ofmunication skills.


    Jung Hayan was currently suspicious. Until that moment, she was trying to close her eyes, but¡­


    ¡®Did she sneak up on it today?¡¯


    Jung Hayan was curious about therge mass of cancer that Han Sora was currently infused with, what the hell that was, and why it kept getting bigger.


    ¡°T-there¡¯s nothing wrong with her body¡­ It¡¯s just w-weird. Just¡­ weird¡­ I thought it was a buff. or something like that, but¡­ it kept getting weirder.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    Jung Hayan¡¯s breath noticeably became more and more coarse. She seemed to be imagining things she didn¡¯t want to imagine, and the wizard made a face just like when she first saw Doom Kiyoung.


    Her eyes were constantly shaking, and she began to bite her nails. Did my expression look that serious? Tears were filling up in her eyes.


    I, too, took a breath. I knew Jung Hayan would panic, but her reaction exceeded my expectations.


    ¡°So¡­ So¡­ t-the problem with Sora¡­ is that Park Mijin buffed her¡­ Park Mijin¡­ she did something to S-S-Sora¡­¡±


    And, the moment Jung Hayan¡¯s eyes were filled with tears, I had to stop breathing and slowly open my mouth.


    ¡°Who is¡­ Park Mijin?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Well?¡±


    ¡°Who is Park Mijin? Wasn¡¯t Sora always with you?¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­? What? P-P-Park Mijin¡­ that¡­ wizard¡­ I mean you¡­ definitely Park Mijin¡­ huh?¡±


    ¡°Who the hell is Park Mijin?¡±


    ¡°The one¡­ that also won against Cha Hee-ra¡­ and that went on the mission instead of me¡­¡±


    ¡°Why mention Cha Hee-ra again? Hayan. Didn¡¯t you get the manual? No one went on a mission instead of you. I¡­ I¡¯m not sure what you¡¯re talking about¡­ Anyway, is Sora¡­ is Sora okay?¡±


    ¡°Park Mijin¡­ huh? Huh? There was a Park Mijin¡­ definitely¡­ There was definitely someone named Park Mijin. Huh? There¡­ There was definitely¡­ It can¡¯t be¡­ No way¡­¡±


    She was visibly confused. She looked like she was wondering what the hell was going on.


    I could deduce what she was thinking. It felt like she¡¯s trying to answer the question about what went wrong from where and why the person named Park Mijin disappeared.


    Park Mijin existed. Park Mijin definitely did. Although it was a minority, some people, including me, definitely put the name Park Mijin in their mouths and spoke as if she really existed.


    Thanks to Park Mijin, she came down from the 1st-ranked wizard to the 2nd rank. Jung Hayan certainly remembered her.


    It was a story that could quickly be brought up if I simply thought about it. Not knowing that I was suffering from amnesia symptoms, there was only one conclusion that Jung Hayan could reach.


    ¡®Park Mijin¡­ erased his memory.¡¯


    And the purpose?


    ¡®To harm him.¡¯


    However, it wasn¡¯t the worst situation.


    Because Jung Hayan always protected Lee Kiyoung, when she saw the strange energy that had been nted in his body, she immediately took care of it. If so, wasn¡¯t it possible to exin the foreign element?


    ¡®Foreign being.¡¯


    It didn¡¯t take long for the puzzle pieces that were scattered in her head to gather slowly. Her body was trembling as if she became aware that she was approaching the truth herself.


    The conclusion has already been made. Jung Hayan seeded in removing the cancer lump from Lee Kiyoung¡¯s body, but¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    She couldn¡¯t remove the cancer lumps attached to Han Sora¡¯s body.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Ahh¡­ Ahhh¡­ Ugh¡­ Ahhhh¡­¡±


    Her body was trembling, and her tears were flowing ceaselessly.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Ah¡­ O ¡­ Oppa. O-Oppa¡­ Oppa¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°S-S-Sora¡­ Sora¡­¡±


    ¡°Sora¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhhh¡­ aaahhh¡­ Ahhh!¡±


    I guessed she became very affectionate with Han Sora. Unusual guilt came into the confused Jung Hayan, but at that point, I had no choice but to show that Lee Kiyoung also realized.


    The war had begun much earlier. While we were preparing and had our guard down, the alien beings were already ready to eat humanity.


    ¡®I should have acted a little more carefully.¡¯


    Lee Kiyoung was lucky to escape the misfortune, but Han Sora¡­


    Han Sora couldn¡¯t escape it.


    ¡®This¡­ dirty foreign trash¡­ these dirty motherfuckers.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t realize early on that the war had begun. I was utterly fooled without even having the chance to do something. Needless to say¡­ It was Lee Kiyoung¡¯splete defeat.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!¡±


    I had no choice but to hold tightly to Jung Hayan¡¯s hands, her who was falling apart.

 Chapter 694: Let’s Prepare The End (3)

    <h4>Chapter 694: Let¡¯s Prepare The End (3)</h4>


    I could feel her hands shaking. Her eyes were dyed with regret, and her face was only getting more and more distorted.


    Copsing and screaming was all that Jung Hayan could do. No one would be able to disagree that she was no longer in a situation where she could make sound judgments. Jung Hayan was rapidly falling apart.


    ¡®And Han Sora¡­ is Han Sora okay?¡¯


    I was also flustered, but I thought that the first step was to stabilize Jung Hayan. It was hard to maintain myposure. However, I thought that either one of us should be alert. If even I entered a condition in which I couldn¡¯t make a rational decision¡­


    ¡®That¡¯s what they want.¡¯


    The more we were shaken internally, the more they would scream happily. That was originally their purpose, after all. They had to make humanity lose the will to fight as one and to attack from the inside out.


    I didn¡¯t know why they were trying to threaten the continent that much, using that method. It also wasn¡¯t clear why Han Sora had such an unfortunate threat.


    However, it was something that I could quickly recall what they probably aimed for.


    ¡®It¡¯s me.¡¯


    It was Lee Kiyoung that they really tried to get through Park Mijin. Their real purpose wasn¡¯t Han Sora but Lee Kiyoung. In a way, no, very clearly, she was just swept along with it. All because of Lee Kiyoung¡¯s ipetence.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t grow?¡¯


    I thought I had grown. I went through so many things that I thought I had moved a little bit forward. However, I was still at a standstill in the end.


    Demon worshipper Ito Souta, demon summoner Jin Qing, and many other demonic officials.


    I was tricked by them all in the same way¡­


    Lee Kiyoung was still in the same ce. He vowed that he would protect the continent and everyone, but he was nothing more than an idiot who couldn¡¯t protect one of his own people.


    I felt tremendous guilt weighing down on me. My legs were trembling, and I wanted to copse. However, there was no way I could do that.


    I determined that I could no longer lose mypanions, bing one of those small determinations that made present Lee Kiyoung stand in that position. That much was enough. I didn¡¯t think it was terrible if it¡¯s that level of emotion.


    ¡®Hayan¡­ fuck.¡¯


    The problem wasn¡¯t me, but Hayan. She couldn¡¯t speak as if she had aphasia after screaming.


    I was worried if she could see properly with all the tears in her eyes.


    She seemed to have forgotten that she had to go to Sora as soon as possible. No, she wasn¡¯t in a state of being able to chant spells in the first ce.


    ¡®Ah¡­ Is it right to show Han Sora now?¡¯


    Jung Hayan, who had to take one step forward, had retreated about five steps instead.


    Perhaps she didn¡¯t have the courage to see Han Sora. It seemed that she was afraid, considering her whole body was trembling.


    She was afraid of what resulted from ignoring and pushing her close friend, and the worst thing that had happened due to her own mistake.


    All I could do was lower my head and look straight at her face.


    ¡®You can¡¯t copse.¡¯


    Of course, if I copsed there, everything would be a futile effort. I had to say something.


    ¡°It¡¯s not toote yet.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Hayan.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. Definitely.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you going to stay like this here?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ uh¡­¡±


    ¡°Wake up. You have to go to Sora.¡±


    ¡°Sora¡­ S-S-Sora¡­ Sora¡­¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s still alive.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ S-Sora¡­¡±


    ¡°She will¡­ she will definitely be alive.¡±


    She was indeed alive. Only then did shee to her senses and wipe her tears. She thought she should chant the spell, but it seemed that she couldn¡¯t.


    It wasn¡¯t like Jung Hayan at all. It didn¡¯t take long for me to realize that she would either soar or plunge.


    [Generating amon-grade forced quest.]


    [We¡¯re going now. We¡¯re going. She¡¯s chanting the spell, so get ready. (0/1)]


    [Delivering amon-grade forced quest to Han Sora. You have not registered any quest-clear rewards. The subject will not bepensated.]


    ¡®If this gets fucking ruined, I might just have to run away.¡¯


    I would have no choice to tell Max to set up Noah¡¯s ark.


    [Amon-grade forced quest has been activated.]


    [Oh, no¡­ no¡­ junior Lee Kiyoung. You¡¯re not serious¡­ are you? (0/1)]


    Unfortunately, I was.


    [Amon-grade forced quest has been activated.]


    [Is there anything I can do? I-I¡­ (0/1)]


    It was already out of Benignore¡¯s hand.


    ¡®Ah. Fuck. I shouldn¡¯t have left it to Han Sora.¡¯


    While I doubted if I prepared adequately, Jung Hayan was about to chant the spell.


    I started to get more and more nervous as I watched the casting continue to cancel, which usually wouldn¡¯t have taken that long. I tried to reflect on whether I should have coached the roles or lines in more detail, but all I could at that moment was believe in Han Sora.


    It was easy. If she just pretended to be dying, I would take care of everything.


    ¡®Sora. Don¡¯t let me down.¡¯


    But after Jung Hayan chanted the spell, when I saw Han Sora in front of me, I had no choice but to turn my head for a moment.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­


    ¡®What is this. Fuck. Why is this one¡¯s taste like this?¡¯


    Quality was important, so I told her to pay more attention to the Mise-en-scene, but it looked more than I imagined.


    ¡®Gosh¡­ what. Fuck. Can she do this?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know who the hell she learned that from, but I thought I could see for sure that she didn¡¯t choose to be a ck wizard for no reason.


    I also liked the teenager emotions, but the appearance of Han Sora had surpassed that level.


    ¡®Did she go nuts? I mean, what the hell did she do? I mean, with this much, won¡¯t Jung Hayan notice?¡¯


    Han Sora¡¯s room was covered with a foreign light. My n was only that much. I never ordered her to hang on to a tree of foreign light as if she was crucified.


    I was relieved that at least the quality wasn¡¯t bad.


    Her whole body was shining with mysterious energy. Hence, it felt as if she was getting eaten by the tree at first nce. The visible parts of her face and hands bulged as if the tree¡¯s branches had prated her body.


    No, it looked like that the foreign tree germinated in Han Sora in the first ce. Wouldn¡¯t it be possible to interpret that the dirty foreign informant nted a disgusting seed inside her?


    Interpreting it that way, it seemed probable.


    ¡®Ah¡­ seeing this¡­¡¯


    It looked cool. I knew what Han Sora pictured.


    ¡®Still¡­¡¯


    It was too much. No matter how much I looked at it, I could only see it as too much of a setup.


    Why wouldn¡¯t I want Doom Sora to appear? I wanted to create a scene with Doom Sora that would make anyone cry if conditions were avable, but I just had to do average acting.


    I thought it was right to show a small but fruitful content than to make a giant board for no reason. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t want something big from Han Sora. However, the problem had grown.


    ¡®Ah¡­ What? Fuck. Why did you make this so big?¡¯


    My head naturally nked out instantly at the possibility of how much this would cost. The scene¡¯s appearance deserved apuse, but the actress wasn¡¯t reliable, and I couldn¡¯t get a sense of how to drag the remaining stories afterward. In the first ce¡­


    ¡®I mean, how did she do this?¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t Han Sora¡¯s dark magic, and it wasn¡¯t the energy created by Sun Hee-young.


    I was nervous because I wondered if the foreign informant really came, but I found the answer quickly and unexpectedly.


    [Amon-grade forced quest has been activated.]


    [Junior Lee Kiyoung! Is this enough? (0/1)]


    The problem was the goddess, who always appeared to make things even moreplicated.


    ¡®Fuck. Are you kidding me? Fuck.¡¯


    That was why Han Sora¡¯s face was somewhat unnatural. She seemed to be disconcerted by what suddenly happened to her body.


    She seemed to be doing that because she was told to do it, but it must¡¯ve been scary for her. Suddenly a tree of light grew out of her body, and she was even hung on it¡­


    She had never even heard Benigonre¡¯s voice, so she was probably wondering what the hell that was¡­ Wasn¡¯t it natural to be scared if she thought I was getting rid of her without even knowing it?


    [Amon-grade forced quest has been activated.]


    [It¡¯s a bluff! Bluff! Believer Lee Kiyoung! I didn¡¯t even use much divinity¡­ (0/1)]


    I didn¡¯t know. I really didn¡¯t. I couldn¡¯t tell whether Jung Hayan, who had been involved in Park Deokgu¡¯s prank, would suspect seeing that.


    Naturally, I looked at her with a nervous face. It was then that she shed tears like waterfalls.


    ¡°S¡­ So¡­ is it really you?¡±


    She had eyes saying that she couldn¡¯t believe what she saw.


    ¡°Sora¡­ are you really Sora?¡±


    She questioned if the one with arms wide open and barely exhaling was really Han Sora, who was already being eaten by the foreign tree.


    ¡°O-Oppa¡­ she¡¯s not Sora, right? That¡­ Sora¡­ ugh¡­ It¡¯s not Sora. Sora¡­ Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Jung¡­ Ha¡­ yan.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    ¡°Jung¡­ Ha¡­¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s alive. S-she¡¯s alive! She¡¯s alive.¡±


    ¡°Yan¡­¡±


    ¡°I-I can save you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I-I-I¡¯ll save you¡­ I can save you. I¡¯ll save you. W-Wait. Wait. I-I mean¡­ Sniff¡­ I¡¯ll¡­ take you out of there now¡­ I¡¯ll take you out. T-Then everything is solved. That¡¯ll do. Thank God. O-Oppa, she¡¯s still alive. Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­ Thank God. Hic¡­ Thank God¡­ Sniff¡­ Thank you. Thank you. God.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Waaah¡­ waaaaah¡­ Sora. Wait. W-Wait¡­¡±


    ¡®This is actually working?¡¯


    [Amon-grade forced quest has been activated.]


    [My¡­ My choice wasn¡¯t wrong. (0/1)]


    ¡®This is working? Really?¡¯


    It was a sight that could only be exined as beginner¡¯s luck.


    ¡°Waaaah¡­ waaahh¡­ I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll save you now. Hic¡­¡±


    A little flushed, Jung Hayan¡¯s expression was highly evident.


    I wondered if Hayan thought she could regain a happy life if she removed Sora from that tree since she was breathing. I noticed that she thought she was one step ahead.


    Her legs seemed wobbly. She was in extreme tension and got relieved in a second. Perhaps that¡¯s why her body weakened. Nevertheless, Jung Hayan was eagerly trying to move toward Han Sora. There was even a smile on her lips at that moment.


    Of course, it was impossible for things to be solved like that. Jung Hayan stopped right after Han Sora opened her mouth again.


    ¡°Run¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Run away. If you stay here¡­ you¡¯ll be in danger too¡­¡±


    She was right. There wasn¡¯t much time left before the bomb that grew out of Han Sora¡¯s body would explode. Just as the guys used Jung Hayan¡¯s body as a material for a bomb in the first round¡­


    Wouldn¡¯t that be the perfect timing for me to say something at that point?


    Something like¡­


    ¡°We¡¯re toote.¡±

 Chapter 695: Let’s Prepare The End (4)

    <h4>Chapter 695: Let¡¯s Prepare The End (4)</h4>


    Han Sora had on a bitter smile, and Jung Hayan looked as if asking what she was talking about.


    I, too, felt terrible, but someone had to speak up.


    ¡°We¡¯re toote.¡±


    ¡°I-It¡¯s not toote.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not too lte. Sora¡¯s still alive. Sora¡­ Sora is still alive, Oppa.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not toote, right? R-Right? Huh?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I tried to repeat it, but I also found that I couldn¡¯t speak. I bit my lip at the reality I didn¡¯t want to believe. Although I had promised that I would never cry, Sora Han¡¯s appearance began to fade increasingly. I noticed what kind of resolution she made.


    Just as expected, as if she had made up her mind, I watched her slightly moving her lips.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ fine.¡±


    ¡°W-What are you talking about? What¡­ Sniff¡­ What are you talking about¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡­ have¡­ to get away¡­ as far as possible. It¡¯s hard¡­ to suppress it¡­ any longer¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say w-w-weird things. You¡¯ve always said¡­ that you believe in me, right? I-I can save you. W-wait a bit, Sora. Y-you said I was a genius, s-so, hang in there. I¡¯ll solve this. I will.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Jung Hayan is¡­ a genius. Because you are chosen.¡±


    ¡°I can save you, Sora. I can get you out of there. If you hold on a little more, I can free you. B-Because I¡¯m a genius. I¡¯m a genius.¡±


    ¡°Jung Hayan will be able to do it. You¡­ You can definitely do it.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ I can do it. I can do it.¡±


    I noticed her eyes analyzing Han Sora. If she had a motor on her head, I would probably hear a roaring sound.


    I didn¡¯t know if she was nning on starting research right there andunching a full-fledged Han Sora rescue operation, but that wasn¡¯t possible. At worst, we had 10 minutes, and at best, 20 minutes. It wasn¡¯t just that room that was going to explode, but a few parts of the continent as well. I felt proud of Han Sora, who was trying to stop the explosion with her superhuman strength.


    ¡°I can do it. Yes¡­ I can do it. It¡¯s easy. I can do it.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ You have to stop it.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll be able to stop it. Jung Hayan is a genius, after all.¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    ¡°You have to stop it.¡±


    ¡°O¡­ Oppa?¡±


    It was difficult to say it, but I had to.


    ¡°Otherwise, the whole area will bepletely blown away.¡±


    ¡°Lie¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a lie. Sniff¡­ lie¡­ That¡¯s a lie¡­ sniff¡­ sniff¡­¡±


    In fact, Jung Hayan might¡¯ve expected that in a way. Even though it was an entirely different kind of energy from magic, there was no way she couldn¡¯t notice its expansion.


    Although Benignore said it was simple bluffing, a strange light that would seemingly burst anytime soon continued to stand out. It looked like the wick of the bomb was burning.


    Had it been just to kill Han Sora, she would never have used such a cumbersome method. The unprecedented situation in front of me was the reason why foreign trash nted seeds inside Han Sora.


    ¡°You can do it, Jung Hayan.¡±


    ¡°I-I can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°You have to.¡±


    ¡°I-I can¡¯t. Sniff¡­ waaah¡­ sniff¡­ Oppa. O-Oppa, please do something. Please save S-Sora. Please save S-Sora. Waaahh¡­¡±


    I was angry, but I couldn¡¯t find another way, either. Of course, it wasn¡¯t impossible to solve, but it depended on whether Jung Hayan could do it.


    ¡°Help me. Ugh¡­ please. Please¡­¡±


    However, it was better than losing Han Sora after doing nothing.


    ¡°Seal.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It is possible if it is sealed.¡±


    ¡°S¡­ Seal?¡±


    ¡°If I can seal it, I might find a way. If we could use some kind of magic thatpletely freezes the time in this room, it would be possible to protect Sora. If we deal with what is contaminating her, there is a high probability that the foreign energy dwelling in Sora¡¯s body will also disappear.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯ll work. It¡¯s close to gambling, but it¡¯s most likely. Either way, it¡¯s better than just watching her burst like this right now. At least¡­ At least, we¡¯ll be able to spare her life.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t Jung Hayan¡¯s voice but Han Sora¡¯s.


    ¡®Ah. I guess I didn¡¯t tell her this.¡¯


    I seemed to have forgotten to exin the ending.


    [Generating amon-grade forced quest.]


    [Tear the seal ande out after the war. You¡¯ll be specially excluded from the Doomsday ¡ï (0/1)]


    [Delivering amon-grade forced quest to Han Sora. You have not registered any quest-clear rewards. The subject will not bepensated.]


    Sora¡¯s eyes looked at me as if telling me to stop saying bullsh*t, but that was the only way to save her. Anyone could see she didn¡¯t want to be sealed. Rather, she must¡¯ve been wondering if it would be better to sacrifice herself.


    She seemed worried about the significant trouble that would ur if the seal failed. At that moment, I realized that even Han Sora had changed.


    Wasn¡¯t it a position where there was no need to throw the dice for the continent and Jung Hayan?


    In the meantime, Jung Hayan slowly began to nod. I took this as her unavoidable eptance.


    Continuing to let the tears run down, Jung Hayan nodded as well as she trembled.


    ¡°Is it possible?¡±


    ¡°I-I have to do it.¡±


    She knew that that was the only way to save Han Sora.


    ¡°It won¡¯t be easy.¡±


    ¡°Still¡­ I have to.¡±


    That was the only way Han Sora could be kept from destroying parts of the continent.


    ¡°Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­¡±


    ¡°Jung¡­ Hayan?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best. Sora. I¡­ I¡¯ll try my best. Ugh¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°The¡­ The one who made Sora that way. I¡¯ll kill him. I¡­ I can kill him. Sora, I¡¯ll seal you. I don¡¯t want you to burst. I¡¯ll seal you¡­ Ugh¡­¡±


    ¡°N-Now¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry, Sora.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ Ugh¡­ I¡¯m really sorry.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to pretend not to know¡­ I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m sorry for acting selfishly¡­ Sorry for not saying t-t-thank you. I even pushed you away and expelled you by magic¡­ I¡¯m sorry for acting as I pleased. Even though it wasn¡¯t your fault, I¡¯m sorry for ming you. I¡¯m so sorry I didn¡¯t apologize first. I¡¯m sorry for ignoring you¡­ Waaahh¡­ Hic¡­ It¡¯s m-m-my fault that you¡¯re in that state¡­ It¡¯s my fault that this happened. Ugh¡­ It¡¯s m-my fault¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m very, very sorry.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ huh? Uh¡­ uh¡­ sniff¡­ No. Sniff¡­ it¡¯s not¡­ Jung Hayan¡¯s fault¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I-I-I¡¯m really sorry, Sora. Waah¡­ waaaah¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry too. I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m¡­ so sorry too. It¡¯s not a big deal, but I¡¯m so sorry for getting angry at you. I¡¯m so sorry for not being able to contact you properly and not treating you well. I¡¯m so sorry.¡±


    ¡°Waaaahh¡­ Sora. Sora.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m¡­ so sorry.¡±


    ¡°Sora didn¡¯t do anything wrong¡­ Ugh¡­ You didn¡¯t do anything wrong.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry¡­ Please forgive me¡­ Sniff¡­ you¡¯ll forgive me, right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not something you need to apologize for¡­ It was a misunderstanding. It¡¯s so fortunate that it¡¯s been resolved like this¡­ Yes. You don¡¯t have to say sorry anymore. You have already apologized enough. Please raise your head. Raise your head and show me your smile. Please smile.¡±


    ¡°He¡­ Hehe¡­ Ugh¡­ Hehehe¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. Like that.¡±


    ¡°Hehe¡­ sniff¡­ Hehehehe¡­ Ugh¡­¡±


    ¡°Please smile.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ I¡¯m smiling. I-I¡¯m smiling¡­ I¡¯ll keep smiling. I¡¯ll¡­ keep smiling.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m actually scared, Jung Hayan. I¡¯m scared¡­¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t hurt. I-I-I¡¯ll do it so that it won¡¯t hurt. When you wake up after a short sleep, everything will go back to n-n-normal. Do¡­ Do you believe me? Can you trust me?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I am a genius. I can do that. Just like that. That¡­ just like that¡­ like thaaaaaat!!!¡±


    Whoooooooosh!!


    With that sound, magical power began to spread around Jung Hayan.


    Perhaps because of the magical power¡¯s size, Jung Hayan¡¯s body began to rise into the air by itself. The mana popping out of her body was making her float. I couldn¡¯t believe it.


    I didn¡¯t know what kind of spell she was chanting, but Jung Hayan stared at Sora Han, never looking away even for a second.


    ¡°I¡¯m scared. I¡¯m scared. Sniff¡­ Jung Hayan. I¡¯m scared.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t be scary. I-I can fix it.¡±


    ¡°Sniff¡­ Sni¡­ Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!! Jung Hayan¡­ Jung Hayan!¡±


    It was then that the foreign light poured out of Han Sora¡¯s body.


    She was screaming as if she was flustered, too. Jung Hayan bit her lips. She was probably aware that things were more serious than she thought.


    She kept trying to block the bursting light with magical power, but it was impossible. The light from the god¡¯s bluff, which wasn¡¯t affected by mana, began to spread in all directions.


    ¡°Waaah¡­ Jung Hayan! Jung Hayan! I think I will explode. I-I think I really will explode. Waaah¡­¡±


    ¡®Han Sora¡¯s acting is awesome. Oh, she could definitely be Doom Sora.¡¯


    ¡°Uuugh¡­ Uuuughh! I can do it.¡±


    ¡®Right. You can do it.¡¯


    ¡°I can do it!!¡±


    ¡®Of course. Fuck.¡¯


    The only way to subdue that light was to seal the whole space.


    ¡°Ahhh! Ahhhhhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°I can do iiiiiiiiiiit!!!!¡±


    ¡®Fuck. She¡¯s really doing it. Our Hayan is really doing it.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know how to react. She took the goddess¡¯s untouchable power with magic and restored it to its original state.


    ¡®God?¡¯


    I realized that space itself was being frozen. Not only the exploding debris, but even the light that was extending out was turning colorless.


    I didn¡¯t know if it was a simple seal or if it really stopped time, but perhaps it was the former.


    ¡°Uuuugh! Ugh!¡±


    However, the problem was that the magic power Hayan was emitting was slowly disappearing. Although she made a bigmitment, the colorless and frozen space began to regain its original hues, signifying that such a feat wasn¡¯t easy to achieve even for Jung Hayan.


    She had a face full of tears and a nervous look, expressing that it wasn¡¯t going the way she thought. She might¡¯ve thought that she couldn¡¯t do it.


    She might¡¯ve been feeling that she wasn¡¯t a genius after all.


    She looked at Han Sora, confused by the unnned situation, and looked at me, who was watching the situation with a serious expression. She realized that if she couldn¡¯t stop it, Lee Kiyoung would die as well.


    ¡®Can she ovee it?¡¯


    Responsibility filled her eyes¡ªher sense of duty to protect us at all costs awakened. I wondered if I could provide any help, but the responsibility to endure that crisis was only Jung Hayan¡¯s.


    I pretended to help with action. It would be awkward just to watch it.


    Pretending to join the impossible mission to freeze time and space, I stretched out my hand with a great divinity.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!¡±


    To protect Han Sora, to defend the continent, I poured everything out once again.


    ¡°O¡­ Oppa.¡±


    ¡°You can do it, Hayan.¡±


    ¡®Because you are a genius. You will jump over the barrier in front of you.¡¯


    ¡°I believe in you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Jung Hayan¡­ Jung Hayan! I¡­ I!¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!¡±


    Whooooooooooooshhhhhh!!


    And¡­


    Immediately after, the enormous magical power swept the room.


    ¡°I did it¡­ Hehe. Ugh¡­ Sora¡­ Sora, I did it.¡±


    Looking at Han Sora, who was paralyzed and had her mouth open, Jung Hayan sent a smile while crying.


    Of course¡­


    No answer hade from her.


    ¡°I¡­ I will definitely save you. I¡¯ll¡­ take you out again.¡±


    When the battle with foreign people was about to start, a precious friend, the only ck wizard in the guild, retired.

 Chapter 696: Let’s Prepare The End (5)

    <h4>Chapter 696: Let¡¯s Prepare The End (5)</h4>


    The shock of losing a colleague before even starting was hard to get out of my head.


    The tears on Han Sora¡¯s hardened face seemed to tell how afraid she was. I thought I had to face it head-on, but I still had a hard time getting it right. What was surprising was that Jung Hayan had been staring at her quietly.


    The pain that even I couldn¡¯t tackle, she decided to ept it and face it.


    ¡®Did you cross the wall? She did, right?¡¯


    She crossed the wall perfectly that I didn¡¯t even have to ask her. It was for a moment, but Jung Hayan looked like a god, so what more could I say?


    It was not only her growth as a wizard, but her mental growth, as if it was in her grasp, made me clench my fists.


    Contrary to my expectations that she would cry and make a fuss, she put her hand on the tree as if she was firmly determined instead.


    She was crying as always, but she wasn¡¯t falling apart. Hayan had climbed a step forward.


    I was worried for a moment that she used her magic power to the limit. However, I couldn¡¯t help but click my tongue, looking at her magic power beginning to recover by itself.


    Like a power nt that generated energy on its own, Jung Hayan recovered her lost mana in real-time.


    ¡®Is this possible?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t have a clue as to which mechanism made that possible. It wasn¡¯t strange to have doubts about whether she was really human.


    ¡®With this much¡­¡¯


    I wasn¡¯t sure, but Jung Hayan might be stronger than the first round. Perhaps¡­


    ¡®Is she stronger than Hyunsung?¡¯


    There was no room for disagreement that Jung Hayan could do more than Kim Hyunsung. However, the different stocks couldn¡¯t cover the superiority and inferiority because of the difference in their roles. It was not unreasonable that I suddenly felt frightened.


    If Jung Hayan was in her current state burst, who could stop her?


    I could affirm that even Kim Hyunsung would have a hard time stopping her if she really decided to make a mess.


    Of course, the situation itself was reassuring. Jung Hayan had changed. She had jumped over the mental wall through my tearful and emotional n.


    Nevertheless, I couldn¡¯t bear it. I was worried about the way she looked up quietly. Eventually, I was forced to go next to her and nce at Jung Hayan.


    She was smiling hard, but she couldn¡¯t hide her true feelings. She had lost one of her dearest friends, so it was understandable.


    Of course, Han Sora hadn¡¯t died yet, but the way she hardened most likely gave Jung Hayan a shock simr to death. It was hard for me as well. It was tough to see a co-worker who had been with me every day getting sealed.


    ¡°S-She¡¯ll be okay. Oppa.¡±


    She held my hand tight andforted me.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why you d-don¡¯t have to cry.¡±


    I was shedding tears without even knowing it.


    ¡°I-It¡¯s not your fault.¡±


    The way she was raising her hand and wiping my eyes began to look blurry.


    ¡®You make me really proud.¡¯


    She changed too much. She showed maturity enough to immediately turn into trash my various ns made with the notion that she would cause trouble.


    Behold, who could see that and think that she was the same Jung Hayan from before?


    No matter how much I cherished Han Sora, I didn¡¯t care for her more than Jung Hayan.


    In fact, it was way more proper for me tofort her. The way she lifted her heels and wiped my tears off with her tiny little hands made me cry again.


    Our Hayan had changed.


    ¡®She changed for the better.¡¯


    ¡°I-I can solve it all.¡±


    ¡®Right. Our Hayan can solve everything. Defeating the foreign guys¡­ and getting Sora back.¡¯


    ¡°I will solve it all. I will definitely get S-Sora back.¡±


    ¡®Yes. Hayan can do it. Definitely.¡¯


    ¡°She¡¯s not dead yet. Sora is still here and with us.¡±


    ¡®Oh, did you think so far? That¡¯s great, our Hayan.¡¯


    ¡°It must be hard for Sora, but¡­ she said she could bear it.¡±


    ¡®Right. Our Hayan can bear it too, right?¡¯


    ¡°So¡­ d-don¡¯t cry. I¡­ I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll solve it¡­¡±


    ¡®Yes. Right. Right.¡¯


    ¡°Because I will k-k-kill him.¡±


    ¡®Yes¡­ you have to kill him. Right.¡¯


    ¡°Everyone who made her suffer¡­ I¡¯ll kill them all¡­ Yes. I have to kill them all. I¡¯ll bring¡­ unthinkable, terrible pain¡­ until they die¡­ and kill and kill again.¡±


    ¡®Right. Killing¡­ It¡¯s good to kill them, but¡­¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯ll give them p-p-pain that will make them regret being alive. There is no way to atone other than that. I¡­ I have d-decided.¡±


    ¡®What?¡¯


    ¡°Now¡­ you w-won¡¯t be taken away from me a-anymore¡­ I won¡¯t be just s-staring at it stupidly. Rest assured, O-Oppa, that I will protect you. I can protect you. With this power that Sora gave me¡­ I¡¯ll kill all the dirty guys in front of us.¡±


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    ¡°The idiots who try to invade our home, hehe¡­ I have to kill them all. I-If they mess with us, then that has to happen, r-right, Sora?¡±


    ¡®What?¡¯


    ¡°S-Sora wants to do it that way too.¡±


    ¡®No, fuck. What? Han Sora? You¡¯re not really inside Jung Hayan, right? Fuck. If you are, get out quickly. Fuck.¡¯


    ¡°S-Sora wants that too. She said she would help me.¡±


    ¡®So. Where is Sora?¡¯


    ¡°A-And Sora¡­ Sora¡­¡±


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡°She¡­ she asked for me to revenge her. The ones who turned her to that¡­ she asked me to find them¡­ and kill them. Yes. O-Okay. Sora. Just¡­ trust me. I-I can do everything. Sora told me that I¡¯m a genius. Yes. I-I will be able to do it.¡±


    ¡®Fuck. Get out of Hayan¡¯s body, you devil. Go away!¡¯


    I seriously considered whether Han Sora¡¯s soul, who had been unfairly sealed, had entered Jung Hayan¡¯s vessel.


    Maybe she was pouring curse on the corrupt Benignore, who was the reason why she had to be sealed. The appearance of Jung Hayan, who seemed to be talking with Han Sora, made me think about it.


    Of course, it didn¡¯t take long to realize that it was just Jung Hayan¡¯s illusion¡­


    ¡°W-When it¡¯s all over? Huh? Y-You want to live in my house? N-No¡­ I-It¡¯s my home with Oppa¡­ You want to live next door if you can¡¯t live in the next room? There won¡¯t be much difference¡­ living in the next door? T-Then, I¡¯ll ask Oppa after I¡¯m done. Maybe¡­ wouldn¡¯t he allow it too? H-He doesn¡¯t¡­ h-hate Sora either. Yes¡­ You can¡¯t change your mindter¡­ okay? It¡¯s not easy to ask that.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    It seemed that Han Sora came into the newlyweds¡¯ house. I didn¡¯t know if Han Sora really wanted that, but I could tell that she didn¡¯t.


    ¡°I have to talk to himter. How¡­ how¡­ how can I tell him now? Y-You have to get back your body quickly. So¡­ Yes¡­ So, let¡¯s think about itter. Hehehe¡­ Right? It wasn¡¯t scary, right? It didn¡¯t hurt¡­ at all, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I noticed her eyes gradually changing. I knew she would talk to herself if she lost her temper, but I couldn¡¯t even imagine that Sora¡¯s soul would be included in such a scenario.


    Naturally, I realized that the sealing n was too much.


    ¡®I mean¡­ Fuck, I got what I wanted. Hayan awakened.¡¯


    However, it was scary.


    ¡°I¡¯m smiling, Sora. Hehe¡­ I-I¡¯m smiling. Sora told me to smile¡­ So, don¡¯t be scared¡­ soon¡­ you¡¯ll be able to go back soon. Yes¡­¡±


    Were Han Sora¡¯s depraved thoughts constantly spilling out of her?


    ¡°I have to kill all of them. Sora, you can close your eyes. I-I¡¯ll do the revenge. Hihi¡­ Hehehe¡­¡±


    Fuck, what could I do?


    ¡®Is it better to just¡­ leave her as it is?¡¯


    Could she still remember the manual?


    I had to apud that she was sharpening the de of revenge against foreign trash, but I was nervous that she might do something unexpected during the battle.


    Wouldn¡¯t it be better to return Han Sora to her original state and stabilize Jung Hayan?


    ¡®Like right away?¡¯


    Of course, it would be going too far. It was more advantageous to pull that tension around for the time being. Thinking about why that event had continued to be postponed, an answer came quickly into my mind.


    From the beginning, I had assumed that Jung Hayan would be acting unexpectedly. I could see Jung Hayan muttering continuously.


    Based on her behavior pattern so far, she was probably ready to get things going right away.


    She was holding her wand tightly. Her pupils kept shaking, her lips trembling with anger, and her eyes were filled with resentment.


    ¡®She¡¯ll burst.¡¯


    That one would burst. I could try to stop Hayan, but I didn¡¯t have to do it.


    The signal had been fired anyway. It was far better for us to pull the trigger than for them to pull the trigger.


    ¡°Right, Hayan. We¡¯re¡­ getting Sora back.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ We¡¯re getting Sora back. S-Sora wants to get back to her body quickly, too. Yes. She wants me to¡­ find the bad guy who turned her into that and¡­ burn him with the horrors of hell. Forever¡­ and ever¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Can¡­ Can you wait a minute?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. I¡¯ll be¡­ with¡­ Sora. I have to prepare to kill the bad guys¡­ while getting ready.¡±


    ¡°What about the manual?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Ah¡­ W-What was it¡­ Oh! S-S-Sora said¡­ she remembers. B¡­ Bye. Oppa, you can go. I-I have to prepare¡­ here.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    When I got out of there as quickly as I could, I immediately saw some people surrounding the ce.


    The one I first noticed was manager Kim Mi-young, who was waiting for me. It seemed that she was agitated for a second as if the first thing she saw was the tears in my eyes, but she soon greeted me calmly.


    ¡°Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°Get ready, Manager.¡±


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t take long. Go to the control room and get ready to broadcast the video to the continent. They wille within a few hours.¡±


    ¡°Okay. And what happened in there¡­¡±


    ¡°Sora¡­ Sora was beaten.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°From now on, don¡¯t let people in or out. After a while, Hayan wille out. You don¡¯t have to stop her. Just let her do whatever she wants.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I will instruct them that way.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be moving from here on out.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    While walking slowly, I looked at Jung Hayan again.


    It was a bit creepy to see her muttering while staring nkly at Han Sora, who was paralyzed.


    Her own body slightly floated in the air, and I noticed her smiling while holding Sora¡¯s hand tightly.


    -You can ovee it. I-I¡¯m with you.


    Although the way Jung Hayan had her neck bent abnormally was horrifying, it was better to consider that scene as touching.


    It was easier to see it as an emotional moment when I interpreted it as Han Sora hovering beside Jung Hayan even when she was sealed and the archmage desperately trying to save her.


    It was a little scary, but it was definitely a moving scene.


    -It won¡¯t take long. Just be a bit p-p-patient¡­ Ugh¡­ Hi¡­ Hihi. You can wait, right?


    The way she continued tough with tears spreading out as if Han Sora¡¯sst words remained in her memory was heartbreaking.


    -Hihi¡­ Hehehehehe¡­


    I thought I needed to move a little faster.


    Perhaps she couldst for a few hours, but there wasn¡¯t much time left.


    After standing on the podium, I looked straight ahead. It wasn¡¯t perfectly ready, but I slowly refined my voice.


    I bowed my head as I looked through the telescope at Jung Hayan, who was still holding Han Sora¡¯s hand. With a sense of responsibility for not protecting my valued colleagues, I kept my emotions while somehow holding back my tears.


    Fear, pressure, guilt, ipetence, anger against the outer beings¡­ I suppressed all those emotions inside.


    I slowly voiced out my thoughts.


    ¡°I¡­ I lost a precious friend.¡±

 Chapter 697: Let’s Prepare The End (6)

    <h4>Chapter 697: Let¡¯s Prepare The End (6)</h4>


    ¡°I¡¯ve lost a precious friend.¡±


    Immediately, my voice spread throughout the continent. Perhaps everyone was looking up at the giant Goddess¡¯s Mirror in each area. It was predictable without having to check it with the telescope.


    The timing was a little too sudden, and the speech that started much earlier than the initially scheduled time made many people puzzled. The staff surrounding me couldn¡¯t hide their disconcerted faces.


    Light Kiyoung, who had enough divinity to make the expression holy, too little to describe him, could be seen in their eyes.


    I was worried that it might look shabby for a moment, but the light that seemed to bear all the pain in the world was showing off a visual that suited the ce without needing any other preparation.


    ¡®I guess it¡¯s better that I didn¡¯t pretend that I¡¯m sick. It¡¯s natural.¡¯


    I was feeling absolutely determined, and my eyes were saying that I would never fall.


    I thought no one wouldn¡¯t know that the day of prophecy, the day of the end, was about to begin.


    I slowly looked around with the telescope, and I saw crowds gathering. Everyone looked at the sky silently, preparing for the prophesized day.


    After hesitating a bit, I slowly continued. ¡°We¡­ We have lost our precious ones.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Perhaps many of you are like me. I think everyone living on this continent has experienced losing a loved one. I think you¡¯ve lost your precious ones to demon worshipers, demon summoners, demon legions, their servants, to war, to pain to hatred and anger.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°We survived. On the continent that ourpanions, our friends, and our lovers have kept safe, we survived thanks to the blood and sacrifice they gave. Under the trees, they have rooted in, under the skies, they have guarded.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°We are not the only ones who have developed the present continent. The heroes who lived and breathed in the painful history, the warriors we hear about in the adventurer¡¯s guild, the people who live the hard life day by day, and the many who want to fight to protect this continent are the heroes of the present continent.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Thend we stand on is our history and our hometown. There is no difference between the continental people or the foreigners or different races. Our dear ones shed blood for our future and sacrificed themselves to get us to this point. They said goodbye smiling.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It was thanks to their sacrifice. We got to this moment because they were with us. They made us one. It is the people who are not here now that have united us, the Republic and the State, the United Kingdom and the Federation, the neutral nations and the different races, who thought of each other as enemies.¡±


    I saw some who began nodding slowly. Soldiers from the Republic and the State were looking at each other. Those who called each other enemies just a few years ago patted each other on the shoulders with slightly awkward faces. That was a good thing.


    ¡°It was thanks to their sacrifice. Because of their sacrifice, we can now prepare for battle against mighty enemies for the Day of Prophecy. They made us stronger. We suffered a lot from their death and sacrifice, but as a result, they made us more powerful.¡±


    Those who had ever lost a colleague nodded. On the battlefield where only gray was visible, they began to remember their formerpanions.


    A priest who sacrificed himself for a party, a warrior who faced enemies to give his colleagues time to flee from the dungeon, or a swordsman who was hit with an arrow to protect hisrade¡¯s back¡­


    There are many stories. I didn¡¯t know all the stories they had, but they weremon on the continent.


    They simply bumped into each other¡¯s shields or swords, ory their hands on their chests, and mourned their fellows who had allowed them to stand alive at that moment. I was no different either.


    ¡®Song Jeong-wook of the Small Rock Guild.¡¯


    I suddenly remembered the guy who died for hisrades in the most avant-garde at the Castle Rock Monster Wave event. We weren¡¯t close friends, but the guy¡¯s desire to protect Castle Rock was sincere.


    ¡®Federal heroes.¡¯


    At the time of the Belial summon, some sacrificed themselves more than anyone else, like the heroes who blocked Donovan with their weak bodies to send the main unit led by Kim Hyunsung to Limur¡¯s nest.


    ¡®Han Sora.¡¯


    Would she feel the same, choosing to seal herself in order to protect the continent?


    There were probably many other unknown people besides her.


    Multiple warriors headed to the most dangerous areas in countless battles in the past, knowing that they had a high probability of dying. I couldn¡¯t help but be grateful to them. It¡¯s because of their existence that the continent could continue to prosper.


    ¡°It was thanks to their sacrifice. They were the ones who gave us the correct values ??and lighted the right path. By their sacrifices, they showed us what was right, what was wrong, and that¡¯s how I can talk about the right values with you all. The lessons and stories they gave us became amp that guided us on the right track.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, there were some who didn¡¯t. There were certainly some who made the wrong choice by selling their souls to the demon. But we learned from them too. They taught us which side to stand on, the left or the right, with light or with darkness. The history of this continent has made us strong.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°And just like that! We are standing here. We have grown and are in this position now, bypassing the pitfalls of death continuously.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°We, who had been shaken by the temptations and desires of many demons, are now standing here firmly reflecting on the beliefs and values ??we have.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°We, trembling with fear and terror, stand here with the courage and indomitable will they gave us.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I couldn¡¯t guarantee how effective my words would be. I felt as if they would still be afraid and scared. But that¡¯s why I was certain it could help.


    Those who wanted to fight had to decide once more. Those frightened had to get rid of their fears. As I looked around, I noticed that the soldiers¡¯ trembles were decreasing. People who had the belief that they could do it and ovee it had begun to emerge.


    Just as fear was easily transmitted, so were hope and courage.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t know what freedom and hope were back then, but we now have the hope to face the final fight.¡±


    Of course, each person¡¯s thoughts were different.


    It would definitely be different.


    ¡°We have to show it. We have to show our fellows, lovers, and families that we have grown this way. We have to be able to confidently say that we are able to stand here and that we are able to ovee it because of them. We must strive not to let their sacrifices, their legacy, be in vain. Stand up. Prepare for battle.¡±


    I watched the troops deployed at the forward base moving slowly. They took their weapons and lowered their raised helmet visors.


    Other ces were no different. Some adjusted their quivers, and warriors were patting on the backs ofrades that would fight together. Themanders were encouraging the members, and the priests were praying. With eyes full of conviction, they were preparing to die for the continent.


    Each person¡¯s thoughts were different. But wouldn¡¯t everyone have the same feeling to fight for the continent? I had to turn my head to see if others were ready as well.


    -This is fun.


    Cha Hee-ra was smiling. She was equipped with random armor and held her weapon tightly. She had already crossed the wall once, and she opened therge door with confidence as usual.


    There was a vast battlefield for her to fight. She muttered as she looked from the stage, which was designed entirely for her.


    -I can be stronger.


    Cha Hee-ra nodded.


    I turned my head once again, and that time I saw Lee Jihye.


    -Don¡¯t you have to tell me at least? Oppa? You should have scheduled this and tell me if there were any changes. Well, in fact, it doesn¡¯t matter whatsoever, but¡­ I think this is the beginning, so it feels fresh. It seems like we came really far, but if you think about it, we haven¡¯t, right?


    Lee Jihye was holding a ss and looking at the window. Her expression was hard to exin. Was it finally over, or was it the beginning? I couldn¡¯t figure out what kind of expression it was, but she seemed to be looking forward to it.


    -Oh. I¡¯m telling you just in case, but if Noah¡¯s ark is initiated, don¡¯t leave me. I mean, just a reminder. Really.


    Not far away was Oscar. She had been sending determination as she looked in the Goddess¡¯s Mirror and watched the countless soldiers that followed her.


    -I¡¯m Oscar. I¡­ I¡¯m Oscar.


    Park Deokgu, who always got in a mess, also looked a little nervous. Ahn Ki-mo was staring at the battlefield quietly, and Kim Ye-ri was patting Park Deokgu¡¯s back.


    -I can do it¡­


    -You can do it. Because you have done well so far, uncle.


    -Yes. Of course, you can do it well. Haven¡¯t you always said that?


    -I know. That murmur. When hyung-nim does it, it always¡­


    -I¡­ I can do better.


    -Right. That.


    Park Deokguughed. As if some of the doubts left inside him were resolved, he tapped his chest, reminiscing what someone had told him.


    Sun Hee-young didn¡¯t seem nervous. Like any other priest, she was praying silently with a face that she was just doing what she had to do.


    -Please¡­ make him ovee it.


    Elena, who was a coward, seemed to have made up her mind that time.


    -Elune¡­ Elune. Look over us. Please give me the power to protect the future of our race. I mean this continent.


    Yoo Ah-young spent time with Kim Chang-ryul while organizing the arms, and the guy whose thoughts I still couldn¡¯t read was brushing the head of a new guild member who was confused.


    There were also people who couldn¡¯t ovee it. Raphael still hadn¡¯t gotten up. Unable to move, he couldn¡¯te back from his unconsciousness.


    Cho Hyejin was quietly wiping her tears. As she looked in the mirror over and over again, she was wiping away tears that were constantly flowing. Although I was suspicious of whether she was ready to fight, she walked out with a spear lying on one side of her room.


    -I can protect it.


    I didn¡¯t know if she could get what she really wanted. Yuno Kasugano was in a simr situation. She was looking at something, shedding tears endlessly. Maybe that was the process of checking if the future had changed.


    Seeing her tears not stopping, appeared in the future she saw. Oscar said it wasn¡¯t a fight for sacrifice, but someone had to sacrifice everything anyway.


    -Please¡­ please¡­


    Jung Hayan began to walk through the darkened ce, raising her body with a smiling face after she grabbed Han Sora¡¯s hand tightly.


    -Let¡¯s go together, Sora.


    I heard her chanting the spell. Soon, she generated magic, looking at the enormous light. I thought I could tell what she was thinking.


    Maybe she was trying to pull that door that was slowly opening. Of course, there was no reason to stop her. Humanity was ready to fight, after all. It¡¯s not those demons¡¯ job that pulled the trigger, but the Army of Light¡¯s.


    When I turned my head slowly once again, I looked at the one who had the most mixed feelings at that point. In a dark room, the image of Kim Hyunsung looking at the mirror reflected outside. It was pretty hard to read what the dark-red-eyed guy was thinking.


    -Responsibility.


    I didn¡¯t know if responsibility hade backte or if he¡¯s trying to abandon us. He spread his ck wings wide and hung his sword on his waist. Kim Hyunsung went outside. I heard a bustling sound.


    -Get ready for battle! All troops, prepare for battle. Get ready for the final fight!


    Kim Hyunsung nodded at someone¡¯s voice.


    -The time hase to protect the continent! There is no vain death, for we will win. Remember what we are fighting for.


    At the voice of one of themanders, Kim Hyunsung took a step further.


    -We fight for the continent. We fight for the goddess who looks over us!


    Staring at the rising pirs of light that seemed to burst, he was trying to tie his own beginning and end.


    The soldiers prepared for death, priests prayed to the gods, heroes did their best in their respective positions, and some of the young soldiers tried to ovee their fear. Every warrior looked back and watched what they had to protect.


    As the voices continued to grow, looking at the humans who were gradually starting to mix up¡­ Kim Hyunsung began to whisper quietly.


    -Just¡­


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    -Just screw you.


    ¡®No¡­ Don¡¯t do that, you bastard. What the hell? Why are you suddenly bing Doom Hyunsung again?¡¯

 Chapter 698: Defend the Continent, Army of Holy Light (1)

    <h4>Chapter 698: Defend the Continent, Army of Holy Light (1)</h4>


    ¡®Fuck, I didn¡¯t hear that correctly, did I?¡¯


    It was only momentary, but my emotions almost got shaken. It was enough to cause a broadcast ident of standing up abruptly and unknowingly if I didn¡¯t keep thinking of sad things. I was worried that the bastard would go Doom Hyunsung.


    ¡®What the hell. It wasn¡¯t this kind of atmosphere. Fuck, it was a moving atmosphere, but why did he react like that? Fuck. What¡¯s the problem?¡¯


    I wondered if I hadn¡¯t checked on Kim Hyunsung for far too long.


    ¡®Sigh¡­ Fuck¡­ But how could I have done that? I¡¯m too busy.¡¯


    I was still too busy fighting with the Lee Kiyoung of the past, and I had a lot to pay attention to besides him.


    Of course, I did manage to keep some distance. It was meaningless to treat him tenderly and take care of him at that point.


    Kim Hyunsung had to stick a knife into Lee Kiyoung¡¯s stomach anyway¡­ It was based on the idea that there was no need to get closer to him in the current state.


    Even so, I had to think about whether I didn¡¯t give enough care. Perhaps I had ignored the signal Kim Hyunsung sent desperately.


    Maybe I pretended not to see the rescue signal he sent before causing something unexpected.


    It seemed like that when I looked at the messages piled up. Hyunsung hadn¡¯t said anything other than that, but his red eyes looked cold.


    ¡®No. Hyunsung. You can¡¯t be corrupted and go full Doom.¡¯


    Wouldn¡¯t it be better to invite him to the mental clinic with Dr. Kiyoung? Wouldn¡¯t it be better to conduct a personal ss even though we were running out of time?


    I thought everything was ready, but of course, I was missing the most crucial part.


    Kim Hyunsung looked nervous enough to seriously consider whether it would be better to dy it for a few more hours.


    He was holding his sword with a self-helping smile, but it felt like he was going to cause some trouble.


    ¡®I have to take him to the mental clinic.¡¯


    I thought about that, but I couldn¡¯t stop him either way.


    -S-Sora¡­ W-Wait. Hihi¡­ Hihi. I-I¡¯ll k-kill them all. I¡¯ll kill them all.


    ¡®Hayan. Fuck. Wait. I think something is wrong now.¡¯


    -It will open in a little while. It has to. He¡­ He¡¯ll be hiding in the door over there. The i-idiot who made Sora t-that way¡­ will be hiding¡­ It¡¯s opening. S-See? See, Sora? It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s opening! It¡¯s opening!


    There was no way to stop Jung Hayan, who was already exhaling magical power and trying to bring in the outer beings.


    ¡®Jihye. I think you have to do something, Jihye.¡¯


    -Then¡­ shall we pack our luggage? Yeon-soo. Did you check if anything was missing in your luggage?


    -Yes, unnie! But are we really running away?


    -Then are we not? Look carefully. Keep an eye on Noah¡¯s Ark. I know what he said, but if things go awry, he might leave us behind.


    ¡®Fuck, Jihye. How can you already be getting ready to run away?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t expect much from her anyway. At that moment, there was only Cha Heera. She had to fix that situation.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -Hahahahahahahaha.


    I was wrong. Fuck, she was already done for, but I still had a trustworthy card with me.


    ¡®Cho Hyejin, my friend, I¡¯m counting on you.¡¯


    -I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m never going to let them do that. I¡¯ll risk my life to stop them. I have to stop them.


    ¡®No, please don¡¯t stop them, fuck.¡¯


    That was weird. Fuck. It seemed like we had hopetely, but suddenly it felt like our position had changed to that of despair.


    It was so ridiculous that I couldn¡¯t help butugh. Park Deokgu was already looking at the boat happily. That pig bastard seemed to be just waiting for the moment to use it.


    Beep. Beep. Beep. Beeeeeee-


    ¡®What? Fuck! Hey, Raphael, what¡¯s up with you? Raphael, what is it? Hey. Raphael is dying. Fuck. Raphael is dying.¡¯


    Wasn¡¯t he supposed toe back alive from hell? It caught my eyes that the bted priests jumped on top of Raphael and gave a shock to his heart.


    -How is he?


    -I-It¡¯s toote. His heart¡­ stopped¡­


    ¡®Do not give up. Don¡¯t give up.¡¯


    -Keep adding divine power!


    -His heart has already stopped. Now¡­


    -It doesn¡¯t matter! If we can¡¯t keep him alive, we¡¯ll die too. Turn him to undead if you have to. One way or another, keep the life-support equipment alive! Just make him breathe!


    ¡®Please don¡¯t give up. Fuck¡­ Don¡¯t turn him undead! Fuck, I¡¯m listening to everything. I can hear you all.¡¯


    What was up with those guys¡¯ behaviors right before we even started? We had to wage war soon, so why were they acting like that?


    I thought that I shouldn¡¯t show my sour face in front of the public, but it kept getting wrinkled without my knowledge.


    Wouldn¡¯t it be better to run already? Fuck, was I the only one who wanted to save the continent? Was it like that? What the fuck. I couldn¡¯t just run, however, because of the bet. It wasn¡¯t fair. Fuck. Even Dialugia¡¯s side didn¡¯t look good.


    I peeked through the telescope, and all the shouting was going back and forth. I had to wonder once again if everything was ruined.


    I slowly returned my gaze at Kim Hyunsung, but nothing had changed. He just slowly looked at the Goddess¡¯s Mirror on the wall.


    Naturally, I realized that my face was reflected in the sky. That¡¯s it for silence on the victims. I had to shout out loud like politicians often did that it was time to fight, but my head suddenly started to go nk.


    ¡®What¡­ Come on, bastard ¡­Do you have any ns on fighting at all?¡¯


    That was the first time he had an expression that looked so unmotivated. It felt like he seemed to be thinking along the lines of, ¡®Well¡­ if I save the continent¡­ well¡­ it¡¯s saved, but if I don¡¯t, it can¡¯t be helped. It¡¯s not even under my jurisdiction anyway.¡¯


    One thing I was able to feel relieved about was that he was at least carrying his sword. At least it didn¡¯t seem that he would avoid the battle, but it felt like he was forced to the battlefield.


    I had to say something. I had to say anything that could inspire his feelings.


    ¡°Think again about what we have been through and what we are here for. The end hase. It is time for our hardships to bear fruition. The time hase to ovee the pain in your heart and ring the bell of victory.¡±


    ¡®Hyunsung. Fuck, you¡¯ve had a hard time. Now you have to put a period on it. It was a long journey. Think about it again.¡¯


    ¡°You may have to go through another pain, but we have learned how to ovee it. We have learned from the past how to treat and endure wounds. You don¡¯t have to be afraid. Once healed, you will be more resilient and stronger.¡±


    ¡®Think. How hard has it been? Still, we have endured well. You also healed a lot of wounds and became stronger, right?¡¯


    ¡°We must take back our sky.¡±


    ¡®Do you remember the agreement at sunset?¡¯


    ¡°We must protect the ce where we live and win what¡¯s ours.¡±


    ¡®You watched the sunset with me, right?¡¯


    I hadn¡¯t even had time to take a good look at his face.


    -Hihihihihi! Hihihi! Hihihihi! I¡¯m killing them all! All of them!


    The sky had begun to open, and Jung Hayan was helping it.


    I wished that the outer god and the angels were all a lie. In fact, if they didn¡¯te out, I could do a great job once again with the help of the angel I created and Belial.


    Weren¡¯t they really noting in? It was a situation in which I had to turn the happiness circuit hard.


    Of course, the surroundings be noisy. I tried to somehow raise the people¡¯s will to fight by delivering a motivational speech, but I saw their stiff expressions when the sky really opened up.


    The question of whether we could endure the battle with the demons in the form of angels, the fear of whether we really had to face the powerful energy seen from the outside¡­ Without having to ask, I thought they could answer them by just looking.


    I could feel it too. I began to see something huge reaching out. To make matters worse, our secret weapon was in a situation where he had no willingness to fight.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Let¡¯s run.¡¯


    I would be losing the bet, but abandonment must always be done cold-bloodedly.


    The moment one thought it was time to quit, it was right to do so right away. To prepare Noah¡¯s ark, I sent a signal to manager Kim Mi-young, and she nodded with a puzzled face.


    ¡°We will win. I will take the lead in this battle.¡±


    ¡®I¡¯m going.¡¯


    ¡°I hope you¡¯ll all be at ease and fight. I can¡¯t see anything other than victory in my eyes.¡±


    ¡®Throw off all the pain and confinement in this world.¡¯


    ¡°When there is something to protect, we have to show how strong humanity can be.¡±


    ¡®I am leaving in search of happiness!¡¯


    ¡°There is no impossible fight.¡±


    ¡®It seems like this one is.¡¯


    ¡°Put your trust in me and pick up your weapon. I will be with you. I will be charging ahead of you.¡±


    ¡®Ah, I¡¯m really sorry. I didn¡¯t know things would be like this. Ah¡­ Fuck, the pigeons are really popping out¡­ I have to run quickly now. Oh, but what about Lucifer? What was the bet again?¡¯


    I slowly stood up while I was still lost in thoughts. I had to get ready right away so that I could take the others and run.


    As I nced through the telescope, I saw a flock of pigeons. The figure was indeed foreign, and they were flying with some kind of weapon. Still, it would be like a joke to currently take an interest in that.


    ¡®They really came.¡¯


    After all, people had to give up their greed. Why did I only realize that at that moment?


    When I let go of the thing I was holding tightly, not wanting to lose in any way, I started to feel asfortable as taking Gaviscon. (Editor Note: heartburn medicine)


    ¡®Wee to life empty-handed and go back empty-handed anyway¡­¡¯


    What had I been so greedy and sacrificing my body for? I turned my headpletely because I thought I would only have regrets if I kept looking at it any longer. However, at that moment¡­


    Baaaaaaaaaaaang!!


    The whole ground began to ring with a roaring sound.


    Baaaaaaaaaaaang!!


    ¡®Hayan? Have you already started?¡¯


    It seemed that she didn¡¯t forget the manual. She was the most important person right after the battle started.


    Without Kim Hyunsung, the battle couldn¡¯t be won, but without Jung Hayan, a battle couldn¡¯t even be established. That was without exaggeration. The role given to her was the top priority for the Continental Union.


    I was proud that she was trying hard, but it was time to take Sora and leave. Her magic power would be restored anyway, but I wanted to tell her to stop using it and save it for the time being. Noah¡¯s Ark n could have been disrupted.


    -Die¡­ Everyst one of you must die!


    Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaanng!!


    -S-Sora¡­ y-you can see this, right? Are you watching?


    Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaanng!!


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    Falling over the north was an intense gravity created with an enormous density.


    -Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!!


    -Get ready for battle! Get ready for battle!!!!!!


    -Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!


    The shouts of ally troops ripped through my ears. Just as the role I gave them. We wouldn¡¯t have a siege battle with those flying in the air in the first ce. Jung Hayan had yed her role perfectly.


    Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang!!


    If there was anything different from before, her range and power were beyond imagination.


    Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang!!


    I noticed that the entire north was sinking from the exact starting point of the forward base. It was so absurd that I couldn¡¯t even speak.


    Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang!!


    The pigeons that were flying in the sky were buried on the ground like ants being stepped on.


    Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang!!!


    It was a sight that made me perplexed no matter how many times I had seen it. It wasn¡¯t in just some critical areas. From the continent¡¯s one end to the other end, every ce was bombarded without mercy. The difference was that it didn¡¯te up again.


    The magical power that contained unimaginable power made the pigeons¡¯ wingspletely useless.


    I heard stories about Jung Hayan and actually saw her in action, but it was so splendid that it made my mouth wide open.


    ¡®Is that even something humans can do?¡¯


    Was she really human? How was that possible? How could someone do that all over the continent¡­


    ¡®No¡­ way¡­¡¯


    At the majesty that Jung Hayan showed, I unknowingly shouted without knowing it.


    ¡°Defend the continent, Army of the Holy Light!¡±


    Collective roars had now begun to erupt.

 Chapter 699: Defend the Continent, Army of Holy Light (2)

    <h4>Chapter 699: Defend the Continent, Army of Holy Light (2)</h4>


    ¡®Can we do it?¡¯


    ¡°Sigh¡­ Sigh¡­¡±


    ¡®Can we even survive?¡¯


    ¡°Prepare for battle. Prepare for battle!¡±


    ¡®Can we defend it? Can we do this? Can we really win this?¡¯


    I already knew that I shouldn¡¯t have negative thoughts. I had to believe that we could win, that everything would be fine, and that humanity would undoubtedly win.


    However, how many people wouldn¡¯t be shaken while looking at the slowly opening sky?


    The doomsday, prophesized day, I had heard many stories about, and I had been ready for a long time, but I felt the walls of my heart that had been firmly built up falling apart.


    I was only a third-ss adventurer, but I was no fool. I thought that some people would probably know what was beyond that foreign light and what wasing.


    ¡°An ancient demon in the masks of gods and angels will burn the entire continent and make all living creatures in this world cry out¡­¡±


    As I slowly turned my head at the voice heard next to me, I noticed my close friend muttering with a nk face.


    They were Lindel¡¯s yboy Cannon and George, a third-rate gambler, who fought together during the Demon Legion summoning.


    ¡°Don¡¯t jinx us, Cannon.¡±


    ¡°I just spoke without knowing. From now on, what we have to fight, what the enemies of humanity are¡­ I thought I had to think about it again. What do you think? Can we survive this time?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not about if we can survive or not. We have to defend it. Don¡¯t forget that there are families and brothers behind us. And¡­ And somehow¡­ we will be able to withstand this time as well somehow. The Honorary Cardinal is with us, after all.¡±


    ¡°Saint of Light. Benignore¡¯s son. The light of humanity chosen by God.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°But he is human too, Alex.¡±


    ¡°Cannon.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like me, but there¡¯s something I feel when I see himtely. Can guys like us imagine it? To be chosen by God, to save the continental crisis¡­ could we endure that heavy pressure? If he were someone ordinary, his mind would have been ruined a long time ago. No¡­ maybe it already is. He¡¯s just holding on. Because of the responsibility¡­ yes. Because he can¡¯t let go, he¡¯s holding on¡­¡±


    Unconsciously looking up at the sky, the Honorary Cardinal¡¯s face came into my eyes.


    ¡®The pir of humanity.¡¯


    There was the only human that humanity believed in.


    ¡®Son of God.¡¯


    The human chosen by many gods, including Benignore.


    I couldn¡¯t believe that the debauchee Cannon said that, but he was right. He was also human. He, too, was at the point of not being able to move his body properly.


    What he carried on his back was different. The weight was far heavier. All I had to be responsible for was the family behind me, but he was responsible for the soldiers on the entire continent and the battlefield.


    What if it were me?


    ¡°I would have lost my mind.¡±


    I felt my body trembling while making an assumption that would never happen. The Honorary Cardinal fought with that pressure on his back.


    -Think again about what we have been through and what we are here for. The end hase. It is time for our hardships to bear fruition. The time hase to ovee the pain in your heart and ring the bell of victory.


    He looked nervous. Was it just my imagination?


    -You may have to go through another pain, but we have learned how to ovee it. We have learned from the past how to treat and endure wounds.


    Humanity had learned to treat and endure wounds. But what about him? Could he have healed his wounds?


    Could the memories of the pain engraved on the body of light living a harsh life bepletely healed?


    -You don¡¯t have to be afraid. Once healed, you will be more resilient and stronger.


    There was a sense of weight in his speech. I felt my fear slowly disappearing.


    But what about him? He cured the fear we had, but who would remove his?


    ¡°Sh*t¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t have a sentimental personality. However, harsh words began to pop out of my mouth.


    ¡°Sh*t¡­¡±


    -We will win. I will take the lead in this battle.


    How did it feel to take responsibility and take the lead?


    -I hope you¡¯ll all be at ease and fight. I can¡¯t see anything other than victory in my eyes.


    What was he betting on to reassure us?


    -When there is something to protect, we have to show how strong humanity can be.


    Wasn¡¯t that like speaking to himself? Didn¡¯t it sound like he wanted tofort himself?


    He was trying to convince himself. I wasn¡¯t sure, but I felt that way. It seemed to me that he had to be strong, that he had to protect the world and constantly brainwash himself and reflect on it.


    -Put your trust in me and pick up your weapon. I will be with you. I will charge and fall ahead of you.


    He really would. Together with the humans he loved, he would fall and sacrifice himself first.


    His eyes were of those who were ready to die. Transparent without a single point of lies¡­ It was transparent, clear.


    I didn¡¯t know why. I also knew that it¡¯s overemotional. But as I looked at his face, tears began to fill up my eyes unknowingly.


    ¡°Why¡­ this¡­¡±


    The sense of burden, pressure, sadness and fear he had were all conveyed.


    Behind that determined face, who said it was okay, was a tiny, soft, sorrowful, and fragile human.


    He stared at the horizon. Finally, the sky opened, and the demons in the masks of angels ringing the end of the continent appeared. I felt terrified. I thought I could feel how strong they were even from afar. I heard exmations from the surroundings. It was probably unconsciously made.


    The faces of those who could measure the strength of enemies in the distance had already crumpled. My hand holding my weapon trembled, and my voice didn¡¯te out correctly.


    ¡°They look strong, those summons of the Demon Legion. More than that¡­ What do you think, George? I know you can¡¯t sense these kinds of things, but¡­ what do you think will happen this time?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you decide not to ask me anything like this after we lost a lot at Crack Landst time?¡±


    ¡°This is a little different since this is about the Holy See. There¡¯s no one here who doesn¡¯t know you¡¯re called a third-rate gambler, George, but didn¡¯t you get it right at thest war? Right? In the battle between the Sunset Swordsman and the Fallen Saint¡­¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I don¡¯t know what you want to hear.¡±


    The demons in angelic masks were slowly but visibly approaching, and they were flying faster and faster.


    It was weird. It might not be an appropriate expression, but it didn¡¯t feel like they had emotions.


    What could be urately judged was the power in their bodies. It was a power far beyond humans.


    I didn¡¯t know if it was right to call it magical power, but each individual had the powerparable to that of an adventurer who had risen to the top. It wasn¡¯t like any of them could be called Named, but it was like the sky was filled with them.


    ¡®To be joking in this situation¡­¡¯


    It was understandable because they were basically silly guys. All they could do was exchange a few words for calming down.


    However, the closer we got, the more I listened to the third-rate gambler¡¯s words unknowingly.


    Cannon was right. He had got it right once during the Sunset Swordsman and the Fallen Saint¡¯s Fight. Maybe that was the first winning bet in his life.


    As I looked at him, hoping to hear what I wanted, I noticed him opening his mouth with a slightly darkened expression.


    ¡°I can tell you anything that would be pleasant to hear, but¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a good feeling about this one.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Prepare for battle. Prepare for battle! Archers, wait for the signal, and wizards, chant the spell. All forces, remain on standby! There is no need to be nervous, for always remember that the Saint of Light and the Goddess Benignore are by our side.¡±


    ¡°We can win!¡±


    ¡°We can win. We will be able to win,rades. Let¡¯s live to tell the tale.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t die, fucking assholes! Do not die!¡±


    ¡°The Honorary Cardinal willfort our souls. Let¡¯s fight with honor, knowing that we can die in the arms of the Saint of Light.¡±


    ¡°Benignore! Please give us the strength to ovee this.¡±


    ¡°For the Saint of Light! For the continent!¡±


    Voices echoed all throughout the battlefield.


    Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaanng!!!


    It was then that I heard the ground ringing.


    ¡°What¡­ what?¡±


    I saw the pigeons in the distance being smashed to the ground.


    ¡°Wow¡­ Wow¡­¡±


    It¡¯s a very unrealistic sight. The unidentified gravitational force falling from above caused the objects at the forward base¡¯s front to be smashed to the ground.


    ¡°Wow¡­ Wooooow!!!¡±


    I heard cheers burst.


    ¡°That¡¯s Benignore! It¡¯s Benignore!¡±


    No, it wasn¡¯t divine power. I could feel the massive flow of magical power not far from there. Perhaps the source was¡­


    ¡®The Archmage Jung Hayan?¡¯


    It was more unrealistic than imagined to see that every enemy in sight was buried below the ground.


    Cannon, staring at the scene, spoke to George, the third-rate gambler.


    ¡°Fuck it, George. I¡¯m an idiot for asking you¡­ Ha¡­ haha. Look at that. That¡­ look at that! Hahahahahaha!!¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ You¡¯re right.¡±


    ¡°Attack¡­ Attack! Pour out your magic! Show how strong humanity can be when we have something to protect!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Jung Hayan! It¡¯s Jung Hayan¡¯s magic! Hahahahahaha! It¡¯s Jung Hayan!¡±


    ¡°Deliver your magic! Don¡¯t leave even one of them alive!¡±


    ¡°Die! Dirty demons!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t rest your hands! Keep shooting arrows! Keep going!¡±


    Baaaang!!


    Craaaaaaaash!!!


    Craaaack!! Booooooom!!


    The frontlines quickly turned colorful. It was an unbearable sight for anyone to watch without screaming. The same went for me.


    -Defend the continent, Army of Holy Light!


    His voice, which seemed to shake my brain, began to heat me up without my knowledge.


    I felt like my whole body was engulfed in light. Humanity would win. In that war, we would surely win. I had no doubts that victory would be ours.


    ¡°We are the Army of Light! Show that darkness what it means to invade the Saint of Light¡¯s continent!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t let them get close! Let¡¯s cleanse those dirty demons!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be fooled by the appearance of your enemies! We can win! The Saint of Light is telling us to protect the continent! Don¡¯t step back and never let them rise above the city walls! Keep making them crawl! The priority is to aim at those who are trying to fly up to the sky!¡±


    Baaaaaaaaaaaaaang!!!


    ¡°Judgment of Light!!¡±


    ¡°Light to the filthy demons!¡±


    ¡°For the Saint of Light!¡±


    After splendid magic was shot out, they fell straight to the ground. They had to be under the influence of gravity, which continued to crush the north.


    It felt like the destructive power had doubled. The downside was that the magic couldn¡¯t reach the enemies in the distance, but it was certainly deadly to the enemies under the walls. No, even¡­


    ¡®How can that even reach?¡¯


    The magic and arrows shot by some of the named ones were sent far away as if they weren¡¯t affected by gravity. That¡­


    ¡®Did she open the way? Did she intend to open the way only in that space? How is that possible?¡¯


    It was strange to question that at that moment. The magic of the allied archmage itself was unbelievable, anyway.


    I looked around with a clenched fist, thinking that we could do it. Everyone was probably thinking the same as me.


    ¡°We are not demons, mortals.¡±


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    ¡°Rather, it is correct to say that I am the one who came to save you.¡±


    ¡®When¡­¡¯


    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. Don¡¯t be hostile to us. We are light, not darkness, and the real darkness is within you.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know when.


    ¡®What the hell is¡­ when did youe?¡¯


    On the wall, someone was in the middle of the soldiers.


    A man with long blue hair. An angel with enormous wings. Eyes and facial expressions that seemed to contain no emotions. And the feeling of overbearing that turned everyone there into predators.


    ¡°But if you are going to resist¡­¡±


    ¡®We¡­ we will die. All the soldiers here will die.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯ll have no choice but to do something about it.¡±


    ¡®We¡¯ll¡­ all die. All of us¡­¡¯


    The guy slowly raised his hand. A foreign blue light began to gather in his hand. Soon, it formed the shape of a giant scythe.


    I didn¡¯t know what happened since my body still couldn¡¯t move.


    ¡°My name is Cherubim. Resent me, mortals.¡±


    ¡®Is this really the end?¡¯


    His scythe swung slowly. I got terrified at the thought that my throat would soon be sliced.


    That¡¯s when I felt a vast magical power somewhere. As if the screen was moving slowly, the angel¡¯s face fell to the ground.


    I didn¡¯t know what caused it. However, an unknown figure was covering my eyes.


    Red color. The back of a warrior that looked like she had a red mane.


    ¡°It¡¯s you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It was you! Hahahahahaha! My opponent was you!! Hahahahahahahaha!¡±


    The mercenary in red armor began tough as if she had gone mad. I heard someone mutter her nickname.


    ¡°The Mercenary Queen.¡±


    No.


    It was the predecessor, not the Queen, who had descended on the battlefield.

 Chapter 700: I know (1)

    <h4>Chapter 700: I know (1)</h4>


    ¡®Hee-ra looks so cool today.¡¯


    Personally, by scoring, it was worth saying that she had more impact than the first scene of the Kim Hyunsung awakening. I was nervous about whether she would be able to arrive in time, but it onlysted for a moment.


    There was no damage to the team, and it was blocked before the dam was punctured.


    ¡®Take me, Hee-ra. Really.¡¯


    She was like a beast, breathing wildly in excitement.


    ¡®I take back what I just said.¡¯


    Her eyes began to change slowly, showing her desire to start the battle already. Anyone could see she was getting ready. I wanted to tell her to finish with them swiftly, but the problem was that I couldn¡¯t do that yet.


    The battlefield was vast. This wasn¡¯t a war that would end shortly.


    The entire northern part of the continent was a battlefield. As I lifted my head, I saw thousands of screens. It was too much to get all that amount of information even with my Mind¡¯s Eyes. Plus, I was using a telescope, making it even harder for me.


    Not all of the walls were in the battle, allowing me to breathe a little, but the battlefield itself was solid.


    Less than 50% of the areas had properly entered the battle. Some of the enemy troops were still moving or watching the situation over long distances in the north.


    They were also aware that in the current situation, it wasn¡¯t profitable to enter recklessly.


    ¡°No. 34.¡±


    -Yes¡­ yes.


    It was also hard to control Jung Hayan¡¯s magic. It wasn¡¯t really limitless, even if she gained near-infinite magic power.


    Despite gaining the ability to control magic power for a long time, Jung Hayan had to minimize its consumption, so I had to keep looking at her condition.


    The part that needed to be tightened a little more, the part that needed to be loosened, would be easy to discern if thousands of fingers were pressing on a keyboard.


    It wasn¡¯t difficult to tell them to let go of the force in their fingers a few times. Jung Hayan¡¯s ability to control it was out of the ordinary.


    I tapped on my thigh. Suspicion rose over the appearance of demons that still weren¡¯t responding correctly. I began to feel a bad taste in my mouth at the thought that it might be the worst of all the situations I could conceive.


    I was hoping for the Army of Holy Light to wipe out the filthy demons right away, but¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s not that easy.¡±


    ¡®I thought they would alle in¡­¡¯


    That was the picture I wanted the most- to wage an all-out war right from the beginning. However, the picture that unfolded before my eyes waspletely different.


    ¡®Why did the Cherubim appear alone?¡¯


    Where were the other four great angels, and what were they doing?


    It was obvious. They responded immediately to the sudden situation and sent Cherubim to observe my reaction. In other words, they were just testing the waters. They probably didn¡¯t even send Cherubim expecting him to die.


    ¡®Should I think so?¡¯


    One thing I could confirm was that they also had a control tower. It was inevitable that there was a guy who looked at the battlefield broadly and analyzed the situation.


    ¡®The masked trash isn¡¯t here.¡¯


    Unlike the first timeline, the second timeline¡¯s outer god had no brain. I wondered if Jin Qing survived and joined them, but it was unlikely.


    The masked trash was already dead. It probably was one of the four archangels who were controlling them as of that moment.


    As always, I thought the need for information would be the same for them in such a situation.


    That was why the meeting between Cha Hee-ra and Cherubim was essential. I had to know how much data I could get.


    ¡®I can¡¯t send Hyunsung yet.¡¯


    The rest of the opponents hadn¡¯t shown up yet either, after all.


    ¡®Hayan is tied up.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t remove Jung Hayan until the middle of the war.


    ¡®Did Raphael really die?¡¯


    When I nced at him, it seemed that he was breathing.


    ¡®And the other side¡­¡¯


    -Fight for the Saint of Light!


    -Let¡¯s give our lives for Benignore¡¯s son!


    -Don¡¯t let your guard down! Do not be fooled by their appearance, and do not listen to them. Keep in mind that all we have to do is believe in the Saint of Light as we fight. Don¡¯t spare your life. To the path of death, he will be with us!


    -Ahhhhhhhhh! Priest¡­ priest!


    -Surround the guy who came up! Don¡¯t let him go! Wizards, don¡¯t forget to keep the binding magic active at all times! Pour it out! Pour it out!


    -Waaah¡­ ahhhhhh!


    -Am I¡­ going to die¡­ like this?


    -The Honorary Cardinal must be watching, Marouane. Your sacrifice for the continent will never be in vain.


    On one side, a desperate battle was already in progress. Whenever I witnessed people falling at the demons¡¯ hands, I was overwhelmed.


    The inside of my head felt a little cold as I took a sip of the iced coffee. Sad things were happening, but fortunately, the war wasn¡¯t worse than expected.


    Of course, there were deaths and injured people, but the same went for the enemies. War had always been like that. I could see ces where matters could be turned over, but they didn¡¯t even take out their cards, and I couldn¡¯t take mine out first.


    There was a minor problem that there were persistent deaths, but it¡¯s better than taking the card out on arger scale.


    I naturally looked at Cha Hee-ra immediately after turning my head. I had to get what I wanted before she got mad.


    ¡°Hee-ra. You know there¡¯s no need to overdo it, right? They took the bait anyway¡­¡±


    Baaaaaaaaaang!!!


    However, the fight had already started. I had no choice but to click my tongue at the roar that rang in my ears.


    -Hahahahahahahaha!


    Craaaaaaaaaash!


    ¡®Ah¡­ Fuck¡­ ¡¯


    While she swung her giant sword and ax, the blue light shed.


    When the walls began to burst out with a loud noise, other soldiers around them were spreading the distance. They were aware that if they got caught in that fight, they would go straight to the arms of the Saint of Light.


    ¡®I knew it would be like this.¡¯


    The giant sword¡¯s movements were stopped momentarily. He was seen holding the de with one hand. Of course, that didn¡¯t stop Cha Hee-ra. After she immediately let go of the sword, she grabbed the guy¡¯s hair.


    With a swoosh sound, he fell into the opposite wall.


    She grabbed his head and swung it like a weapon.


    After releasing the ax in her left hand, she immediately threw a punch against him.


    Booooooooooom!!


    Each attack sounded like a bomb exploding.


    Booooooooooooom!!


    Heera, holding his head and swinging her fists over and over again, made me worry that she really lost her reason.


    Booooooooooooooooom!!


    ¡®Ah¡­ this¡­ really¡­ It¡¯s excellent if she wins like this¡­ If we catch him, would I have any benefit?¡¯


    He tried to escape somehow, but Cha Hee-ra didn¡¯t allow it. He tried to avoid her attacks hitting his head, but her elbow struck his chin instead.


    Craaaaack!


    ¡®Hold on. Fuck.¡¯


    She was hitting his face with her fist as if she¡¯s hammering at random. If it were ordinary people, their heads would¡¯ve burst out already.


    It was like watching a dogfight without any form or method, but the result they created was far from a dogfight. Massive debris fell from ce to ce as rumbling sounds echoed.


    The fact that they could face each other without losing focus in such a state was perplexing, but the red figure stood out more than the other guy. It was as if I saw an active volcano that was about to burst.


    A good victory. Perhaps everyone else watching that fight had a simr thought.


    However, when I saw no sign of him taking damage, I immediately dismissed that expectation.


    At first nce, it seemed as though he was being beaten at random. But he could afford it. Of course, even Cha Hee-ra didn¡¯t seem to be fighting earnestly.


    She was aware that the surroundings hadn¡¯t been properly organized. I wondered if she thought that the priority was to push him out, or evacuate the soldiers around her.


    It seemed that a full-fledged battle would begin only after arge stage was secured, considering their massive destructive capabilities. Of course, I didn¡¯t intend to let her go there.


    ¡°Hee-ra! Hee-ra!¡±


    -Don¡¯t interrupt. Do you understand me? Don¡¯t get into battle.


    Sure. I absolutely understood. Of course, I had to understand.


    ¡°Don¡¯t fight now. You can¡¯t lose your mind, Heera.¡±


    -¡­


    -Who are you talking to?


    -None of your business, blue hair.


    Booooooom!!


    -Strong.


    -What?


    -You are strong. Almost hard to believe you¡¯re human¡­


    Craaaaash!!


    -What? I can¡¯t hear you.


    -It¡¯s hard to believe¡­


    Booooooooom!!!


    -You have to say it louder.


    -That you are¡­


    Craaaaaaaaaaaaaack!!


    -What?


    -It¡¯s hard to believe you¡¯re human.


    I could see him shaking off Cha Hee-ra¡¯s arm and finally opening his mouth while standing in the air.


    He was a mess. The first thing I noticed was that his hair was so messed up it made me think he was lucky that it wasn¡¯t pulled out. His clothes had also been dirtied. The foreign light wrapped around his head caught my eyes. The messed blue hair was neatly tied.


    Hee-ra was looking at him as if her excitement was gone. However, her body seemed to be getting ready to go back into battle at any time.


    ¡®Do you care about your appearance?¡¯


    I thought maybe his feelings werepletely castrated, but that wasn¡¯t it.


    I didn¡¯t know if they were self-conscious, but they also had emotions. Of course, it was another matter to see if human standards could interpret it, but Cherubim didn¡¯t seem to wee the fact the others would see him in a mess.


    Once again, the blue light gathered into one point and began to take the form of a scythe, and Cha Hee-ra lifted her sword and ax that she unequipped.


    ¡®If I could get a little more information¡­¡¯


    Although I was aware of the basic information, there were still many things I didn¡¯t know about them. In particr, information about Cherubim was minimal.


    Cha Hee-ra¡¯s eyes were constantly changing, but I needed information.


    ¡°What is the purpose ofing here?¡±


    -Why are you here, blue hair?


    -You weren¡¯t listening, were you? To bring salvation.


    -Stop with the nonsense.


    -Red beast, even when you talk to me, you want to fight. Someone is telling you not to fight now.


    ¡°Ignore it, Hee-ra.¡±


    -¡­


    -The continent is rotten, shattered between ipetent light and darkness by an existence that¡¯s like a lump of cancer. I¡¯m not mistaken, red-haired beast. Salvation, as we speak of, is the safety and management of the continent. There is no other meaning other than that. We are the saviors. We arrived to save the continent with no other motives.


    ¡°I think you¡¯re well prepared to say that¡­ Am I hallucinating, huh? I can see the armed demons very well.¡±


    -Because I knew it was going to be like this. There is no other meaning.


    ¡°How did you know?¡±


    -Didn¡¯t I tell you? There¡¯s a mass of cancer between you guys that eats the continent.


    Cherubim began to stare in my direction, muttering an unknown sound slowly. Strangely, it felt like our eyes met.


    I hated to admit it, but maybe the worst I assumed had reallye. Those bastards¡­


    Those bastards remembered the first timeline.

 Chapter 701: I Knew It (2)

    <h4>Chapter 701: I Knew It (2)</h4>


    ¡®How do you remember that?¡¯


    Why could he remember something that even Benignore or Elune couldn¡¯t remember?


    Of course, it was undoubtedly not decided. It¡¯s just a simple assumption so far. But I¡¯m leaning towards him remembering more and more.


    All probabilities were established just by throwing a simple assumption. That including the appearance of a control tower and a fight from the beginning.


    They knew that Kim Hyunsung had returned, and they also expected that the second round of mankind would resist them.


    ¡®Do you remember itpletely?¡¯


    That part wasn¡¯t clear. Perhaps it was indirectly out of the influence of regression because it was in the arms of foreign media.


    He might¡¯ve found his lost memory in some way. Of course, it was bad news for mankind. The continent wasn¡¯t the only one aiming for the benefits of regression. They also had the advantage of being a regressor.


    Still, I didn¡¯t think the benefits were more significant than that, considering that they couldn¡¯t do anything, but if I were assuming a little bit of continental resistance¡­


    It would pose a great threat to mankind, and so would the visible oue. They were avoiding all-out war and confronted some areas since their control tower decided it was more advantageous. They had also given up fighting in some walls.


    ¡®What¡¯s your real purpose?¡¯


    No, I already knew the purpose. I had seen and heard some information regarding that.


    The foreign forces wanted to manage the continent. They had tried to reduce the human poption and stably keep the continent under their feet, but it¡¯s all just talk. They were in a superficial position.


    ¡®They¡¯re demons.¡¯


    After seducing mankind with sweet words, they sucked everything up and pressed the ¡®continental extinction switch¡¯ themselves when the continent became useless.


    Didn¡¯t our lovely regressor say that all the time? They were demons full of hypocrisy and deserved to die.


    -A lump of cancer?


    -Yes, you red beast. He¡¯s a lump of rotten cancer. Trash that is so united with hypocrisy that it disgusts the dimension itself, the invisible monster of enlightenment, the hypocrite who can only think of himself, the traitor, the swindler who deceives people with sweet words.


    -It sounds like you¡¯re talking bullsh*t to me. Aren¡¯t you in a situation where you¡¯re an intruder who suddenly barged into someone else¡¯s house and asked, ¡®what¡¯s going on here?¡¯


    -It¡¯s a different story if your guardian is wrong. We have such a responsibility in due course, which is to push the wrong guardian away and lead the continent and the creatures living under it to the right path.


    -That¡¯s your position. Who should manage who and who should lead who the right way? Cut the bullsh*t. Who gave you that responsibility in the first ce?


    -Think from a bigger perspective, you red beast.


    -What?


    -The continent is dying. Humans are killing each other¡­


    -I can see what you¡¯re talking about, but if you¡¯re going to mutter your dog poop philosophy, then I¡¯d rather you juste down, you son of a gun. This is such a waste of time.


    ¡®No, Noona. Let¡¯s listen to it a little more. Calm down.¡¯


    -He¡¯s eating himself. They¡¯ve always ruined everything. Isn¡¯t that history teaching us? They reject and destroy nature¡¯s providence and eventually devour everything. I want you to leave your body to useless desires and go higher, pretending to be able to reject instinct but ultimately can¡¯t. The same is true of the continent. Think of humans as extinct species and creatures. They are a race that is endlessly selfish and frightening to our eyes.


    -Forget about the documentary, that doesn¡¯t even sound right.


    -We don¡¯t hate humans, you red beast. I love them, actually.


    ¡°Noona, listen a little more. The atmosphere is down anyway.¡±


    -¡­


    -I admire humanity. They are faithful to their desires. They are ugly and cannot resist their instincts, but we can¡¯t help but love them. Look down at yourself now, red beast. The strength you have. The power you¡¯ve gained. That is the potential that humans have. Look at the gravity weighing on us and the gift you call magic. That is the power of man. We just want to see the light that humans have for a little longer. I hope all living things on thisnd will be more prosperous and bnced. That¡¯s how humans should live.


    - That¡¯s how we live our lives already.


    -It may seem like it, but can you assure me that it will be, even if I look at this realm hundreds, maybe decades from now? It may be too early for you, but those who manage you are also unsafe. They are also insecure and emotionally challenged. Darkness is always after you, and light cannot protect you from them. Where else could there be such a lousy guardian?


    -¡­


    -The guardian now has neither the right nor the ability to protect them. Some people think of you as a simple way to make money and can¡¯t sympathize with each individual¡¯s pain.


    -Put saliva on your mouth and stop talking nonsense. Don¡¯t you see who¡¯s picking a fight with whom?


    -We are reasonable. For the absolute majority, the sacrifice of some minorities is always an inevitable story. I can also understand that you want to me us, but how is it? Didn¡¯t humans always behave like that? It¡¯s not just that. They sacrificed many for the few and the future for the present. Isn¡¯t that less reasonable and inconsistent?


    -¡­


    -Collect your troops. Neither do we want to make meaningless victims. Our sword is to protect us, not to harm you. We are not wearing the devil¡¯s clothing. We are protectors and saviors.


    ¡®What the hell is this?¡¯


    As I continued to listen to the conversation, questions continued to arise.


    ¡®Are they serious?¡¯


    The propensity seen by the Mind¡¯s Eye was a well-meaning revolutionary.


    It was far too ordinary for a guy who came to take over the continent.


    In fact, it wasn¡¯t wrong. The continent¡¯s light was ipetent, and the darkness was aiming for it. There were even some who thought of their believers as a way to make money. Like Elune, that piece of trash.


    I could rte to what he said. What more could I say?


    From a more significant point of view, there was no loophole in his thoughts. Right at that moment, mankind was acting like one, but what about afterward? What choice would mankind make after themon enemy disappeared?


    I was confident that it wouldn¡¯t just run in a positive direction.


    ¡®Aren¡¯t we supposed to be used as a sacred farm?¡¯


    What cause did they really have?


    I had no choice but to think that.


    The aim wasn¡¯t to breed humans by controlling poptions. Rather, he had a genuine attitude as a guardian.


    He thought about the possibilities hidden behind the negative side of humans and was thinking about developing them. He wanted to provide an environment where we can push out evil guardians and grow in a stable direction. What a sweet echo it was.


    Perhaps there would be no more people starving.


    War and strife would disappear, and people could concentrate on what they wanted to do as if everyone was in heaven. They might be able to constantly explore and discover the possibilities of being asleep inside and take a step in a new direction.


    It was hard to understand why Kim Hyunsung and some countries resisted them. If what they said was true and without lies¡­


    I would have no choice but to admit that there was an error in my previous thought.


    Indeed, if they had tried to use the continent as a sacred farm, they wouldn¡¯t have tried to kill humans as much as possible.


    There would have been no constant fighting, and the continent might not have copsed. Of course, there were other perspectives.


    ¡®That¡¯s if what they¡¯re saying is all bullsh*t.¡¯


    If all those remarks were lies, and if the truth was all about the destruction of human breeding farms or continents¡­


    It didn¡¯t sound like he had been lying, but there were a lot of guys in the world who were different on the outside and inside.


    ¡®Shall I provoke him a little bit?¡¯


    It might be a bit dangerous, but I didn¡¯t think it would be a bad idea all in all.


    I didn¡¯t know why he became so talkative, but perhaps it was because he recognized Cha Hee-ra as an equal being. It wouldn¡¯t matter if we judged it to have worked as a boon to our side.


    As she spoke slowly, a question rose in Cha Hee-ra¡¯s expression. Her face was mixed with curiosity about why he knew that and why he called that to be told. In the end, I said it with my mouth.


    -You guys failed once, didn¡¯t you?


    -¡­


    -You guys failed. Isn¡¯t that so?


    -¡­


    You guys were talking about this and that, but it was for a different purpose in the end.


    -It¡¯s not us who failed.


    -What?


    -It¡¯s not us who failed. It was because of that¡­ dirty lump of cancer. I mean, it was because of that bastard.


    ¡®What? Sh*t. What¡¯s wrong with your face? Look at your expression.¡¯


    -It was a mistake to trust that disgusting bastard. We fought a fight that we didn¡¯t have to do, and we killed the people who deserved to live on the continent with our own hands. It¡¯s because of that bastard. It¡¯s because of the son of an asshole that we failed!


    ¡®What¡¯s wrong with you? Take care of your image.¡¯


    -We were deceived by his words. It¡¯s not our failure at all! Everything should have gone as nned if not for him. Everyone would¡¯ve lived painlessly, the continent would¡¯ve prospered, nature would¡¯ve run rampant, and magic would¡¯ve be abundant. Worry and anguish would¡¯ve disappeared, and all life on the continent would have enjoyed what they deserved.


    ¡®Sh*t, are you hot-tempered?¡¯


    -It was a life filled with pain and screams that took ce instead of pleasure, and it was gue and the dead that ran rampant instead of nature. Humans were constantly killing each other, and the growing conflict couldn¡¯t be sealed.


    ¡®Hey¡­ don¡¯t cry. Why are you crying? Crocodile tears, right? Tell me I¡¯m right.¡¯


    -When I tried to undo everything, I realized it was toote. My brothers and sisters died on the stage prepared by that trash, and so did their beloved humans. That cancer is on nobody¡¯s side¡ªthat disgusting piece of trash. I mean, the trash ruined everything. The continent was cast through filth with false angels, false faces, false words, and false deeds. It was by no means our failure. Thest thing like that was¡­


    -¡­


    -The past¡¯s results weren¡¯t what we wanted. By no means was it the view I wanted to see.


    -¡­


    -I still remember the deste ce with nothing left¡­


    ¡®Hey, you sound like you¡¯re on the side of justice. What¡¯s wrong with you?¡¯


    -I¡¯ll never let it happen this time. I won¡¯t let you have such an ending even if my eyes are closed. I will never let this continent fall into the hands of that cancer. I know it¡¯s painful to be sick, but¡­ We¡­ we have no choice but to fight.


    ¡®What nonsense are you throwing? Sh*t, just be honest with me.¡¯


    -For the prosperity of the continent.


    ¡®What is it? Sh*t. Are you serious about this?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t believe it, but his acting was top-notch. If what he said was true¡­ There was a possibility that what I knew about the continent wasn¡¯t true.


    ¡®Is that true?¡¯


    Did he drive a wedge between the continent and the foreign press?


    ¡®No way¡­ no way¡­¡¯


    He filled the continent with gue and the dead? Not only did he not take anyone¡¯s side, but he also caused conflict?


    ¡®This is¡­¡¯


    The red scenery that Kim Hyunsung looked at¡­ Was it him?


    I already knew he was trash. I already realized that he was a vicious viin with no way to save him, but¡­


    ¡®To what extent have you ruined everything Jin Qing?¡¯


    His evil deeds had far exceeded my expectations.

 Chapter 702: Soulmate (1)

    <h4>Chapter 702: Soulmate (1)</h4>


    ¡°If we do well, we can get away with it.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, Unnie?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like we have to fight like this.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡®What the hell is she talking about?¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be hard to sort things out, but I think it¡¯s going to work out just fine. I think Oppa has simr thoughts¡­ He¡¯s already told me that he¡¯s a devil, so after acting to drive him out, he can write an agreement and finish it well. Yeon-soo, can I have some coffee? I¡¯m going to have a drink and call right away.¡±


    ¡°Coffee isn¡¯t the problem right now. What did you just say? I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re letting them go nicely. I don¡¯t quite understand¡­¡±


    ¡°If what the Blue just said isn¡¯t a lie, we might not have to fight. It¡¯ll just be a waste of manpower. Furthermore, the people gathered here are the people who are truly fighting for the continent. They¡¯re high-level human resources that can be ssified as top adventurers. That means they¡¯re not out of their minds. They¡¯re the right people to take a big step towards a new continent. Isn¡¯t it heartbreaking what these people are sacrificing? If what they really want is continental prosperity, shouldn¡¯t we say that our interests are in sync?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ really understand how it can be concluded like that. Did we see the same thing?¡±


    ¡°Why does it matter? Am I being weird?¡±


    ¡®What the hell are you thinking, Unnie¡­¡¯


    I had begun getting little goosebumps behind my back.


    ¡®What the hell? Really? Are you sure?¡¯


    It all felt so confusing that I couldn¡¯t even find it in me tough.


    ¡®What is this?¡¯


    There was no shaking in her eyes. It wasn¡¯t augh, a joke, or a clever spin.


    She had seriously epted that bullsh*t. She seemed to ept their protection and management and agreed to keep humans on the fence.


    ¡®Are you serious?¡¯


    It wouldn¡¯t be unreasonable to think like, ¡®I thought he was a bit of a jerk, but I didn¡¯t know he was really thinking of us that much.¡¯


    ¡°Don¡¯t think about it tooplicatedly, Yeon-soo. You don¡¯t have to worry about it that much¡­ Think about it like this. What is more helpful to us, and what brings us more benefit? If you think about it like that, you¡¯lle up with an answer yourself. I¡¯m not such a bad person. I know what they¡¯re saying is idealistic.¡±


    ¡®Ideology doesn¡¯t matter anyway, though?¡¯


    ¡°I know there are a lot of ethical challenges.¡±


    ¡°So this is¡­ Are you saying it¡¯s profitable? No matter how much profit we¡¯ll gain, this is¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ I don¡¯t think this is right, Unnie.¡±


    ¡°Yeon-soo.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°How was it when you were part of the ck Swan?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Did you feel free?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what answer you want.¡±


    If she had no other intention, I could nod that I was free.


    Of course, it was undeniable that there was some control because it was an organization that could be ssified as a military group.


    ¡®In the past, you said it was especially so.¡¯


    I once heard that Jihye had been like that before she wasunched.


    Discipline was strict, and their level of punishment was high. In fact, it became natural for guild members who damaged the guild to be reported missing or disappear.


    There were many things that I couldn¡¯t express in words, and the rtionship between the two sides of the guild was thoroughly divided.


    The mood of the guild changed after the Guild Master was changed to Park Yeon-joo and, to be exact, after Lee Jihye gained the corresponding power.


    The system had indeed changed.


    The guild changed so fast that the previous guild members couldn¡¯t adapt properly.


    Many expressed concern about radical change, but the new system was perfectly established in the guild.


    Like a free atmosphere, the efficiency of work had increased, and it had shut up those who said that they wouldn¡¯t be able to keep up with the Red Mercenary and the Blue Guild.


    Yes, I was free to conclude.


    Life in the ck Swan made me feel like I had be the main character of a fantasy novel. Even the environment was perfect for such a plot.


    When she nodded slowly, Lee Jihye slowly opened her mouth.


    ¡°How was it? Was it really free?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Was the guild members of the ck Swan really free? Maybe that¡¯s how you felt?¡±


    ¡°What do you¡­ want to say to me?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just saying, let¡¯s think about it. It¡¯s an assumption that this may be the case. If you make the fence bigger, the sheep might be in it. Oh, sorry, Yeon-soo. I¡¯m not saying you¡¯re a sheep. I didn¡¯t do social experiments with the ck Swan, but it¡¯s not like they don¡¯t make any sense. Of course, there must be a difference of opinion. There must be some ethical lines that we can allow¡­ Essentially, what you need is apromise, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°The fence will turn out to be massive. The men on the fence will be invisible to us, and mankind won¡¯t even know they exist. We¡¯ll only remember the fact that we won the war. Humanity will be free. We¡¯ll enjoy prosperity and feel safe and free. The resources will never dry up with the strong support of the guardians¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous. That¡¯s nonsense. How can you say that in your right mind? I don¡¯t want to think so, but¡­ It¡¯s not like the ck Swan. Even if Unnie¡¯s system is sessful in a simple armed group, you can¡¯t do the same on the continent¡­No matter how much older you are¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s impossible on my own.¡±


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s possible with Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡®You¡­ madwoman.¡¯


    What more words did I need, considering I even cursed in my heart?


    ¡°You¡¯re in the fence, too.¡±


    ¡°No, Yeon-soo. I¡¯ll be up in the heat. Higher than the worker pigeons who built the fence. I¡¯m not the one being dragged around.¡±


    ¡®She¡¯s crazy. She¡¯s crazy. She¡¯s crazy¡­ crazy.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know why I had been following her until now. In an instant, my head began to getplicated.


    I had hoped it was a joke. I didn¡¯t know how she could reach that far after hearing only what the blue angel said in fragments, but I couldn¡¯t stand sudden nausea.


    My face that had always fought hard to look cute now naturally looked distorted. My head felt dizzy.


    It wasn¡¯t set in stone, but it was also amazing to be able to think such crazy thoughts. It felt like we¡¯re looking at humanity in the long term.


    She was clearly looking down at humans other than herself. It¡¯s no different from the angels up there.


    ¡®Do you think you¡¯re superior? You think you¡¯re above the majority of humans?¡¯


    I was sure that she had been thinking about it.


    Although she wasn¡¯t superior at all, she was a human being who could be superior.


    I didn¡¯t know why she came up with that idea, but maybe the environment she lived in on Earth made her like that.


    I only heard a little bit, but it was an environment where even I would do that, but even so¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s hard to understand.¡¯


    I had a strange sense of anxiety.


    That woman¡­


    I¡­


    What was she thinking?


    Perhaps they saw it as a long-term project. Did she really care about me?


    Were the sweet words mixed with any sincerity? I didn¡¯t even know if they¡¯re seeing me as just another human.


    My voice began to tremble. It wasn¡¯t like me, but I had no choice but to open my mouth.


    ¡°Un¡­ Unnie¡­¡±


    ¡°What do I think of you?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Were you a little disturbed?¡±


    Disturbed or not disturbed wasn¡¯t the point.


    ¡°Yeon-soo.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I want you to remember this one thing.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°The more the people are like us, the more we care about our own people.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Even if they give us just a third of the continent, I can dare choose you over that, Yeon-soo. No matter how important the cause is, can you trade it for someone you love? No matter how good the pigeons offer, they won¡¯t be like you. For example, if Yeon-soo dies, I might give up.¡±


    ¡°What¡­ What?¡±


    ¡°The ideals, dreams, and ambitions that I have.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I will avenge not only against the parties who did that but the world that made it so. You don¡¯t want that, do you?


    ¡°Oh¡­ no.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s for me, but it¡¯s also for protecting the people I care about. Of course, I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s going to be sessful, but I don¡¯t want to see people I care about get hurt. If Yeon-soo gets hurt on the battlefield, I really won¡¯t be able to stand it.¡±


    ¡®I mean, why do you feel that?¡¯


    I was scared to ask.


    I didn¡¯t know if she was talking as an equal human being. or if she was looking at me like a pet or an organ.


    No, was that even true in the first ce? Maybe it¡¯s just sweet words. She had always been a good liar.


    Slowly looking into her eyes, an unusual seriousness came into view.


    I didn¡¯t even know what¡¯s really bad or good. I was that confused.


    There was one thing I was sure of. My face was reflected in Lee Jihye¡¯s eyes. I was smiling with great pleasure.


    I was smiling as if I had the whole world.


    ¡°My arm hurts. What are you doing? Aren¡¯t you going to break me?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes.¡±


    It could be an irreversible river that I was crossing. I slowly reached out, thinking maybe I¡¯d regret holding hands with her at that moment.


    It was then that I felt a crowd near me.


    ¡®What the hell.¡¯


    ¡°How can¡­¡±


    What caught my eye was an angel with brown hair. She was breathtaking because of her beautiful appearance that wasn¡¯t like a human being.


    ¡®How¡­ did you get in?¡¯


    How did she get inside the headquarters? What were the guards doing? What about the defense system?


    Questions were asked one after another, but no answer was given. It was meaningless to think like that.


    My actions were faster than my thoughts. I pulled my weapon out right away.


    When I looked back a little, Unnie¡¯s expression of confusion was reflected in my vision. I also noticed a voice muttering with a distorted face.


    ¡°It¡¯s a breakdown of negotiations. No¡­ I think it¡¯s more of a question of whether we can live here.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll save you, Unnie.¡±


    The woman with brown braids slowly reached out with a sad look on her face. I thought I should block her, but my body wasn¡¯t moving correctly.


    ¡°You are a dangerous human being. You shouldn¡¯t exist on the continent¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an honor for you to judge me like that. What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°My name is Dominions. Please, please forgive me.¡±


    ¡°Unnie! Run! Unnie!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no escape here.¡±


    ¡°Hide behind me!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all useless, Yeon-soo. I can see it¡¯s alreadyte. No matter how ignorant I am inbat, I know it¡¯s toote now. Did you say your name is Dominions? More than that, you made a mistake. You¡¯ll probably regret it. You¡¯ll regret your current choice. If your purpose is truly continental prosperity, that is.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I told you, didn¡¯t I? The more people like us, the less likely they will die.¡±


    ¡°Unnie?¡±


    ¡°I really wanted to see the control freak go crazy, but I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to see that before I leave. Oppa is watching, right? It¡¯s embarrassing to say this between us, and it¡¯s hrious, but I really loved you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Half-loved you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°No, was it half of half?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°See you in hell, my soulmate.¡±


    Weeeeeeeeeeee!


    A massive explosion soon filled up the entire space.


    ¡°Unnie!!!¡±


    Booooooooooooooooom!!!

 Chapter 703: Soulmate (2)

    <h4>Chapter 703: Soulmate (2)</h4>


    ¡°Where should we start? Well¡­ there¡¯s nothing I didn¡¯t do when I was on Earth.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s really nothing I haven¡¯t done.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about, Noona? I won¡¯t believe you if you just start saying things like that.¡±


    ¡°Why? Can¡¯t we have a serious conversation? I¡¯m just saying it because I want to. I don¡¯t care if you believe it or not, Oppa. Just listen.¡±


    ¡°How many times have we talked about the Earth? You changed your words every time you talk about it. How can I¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not trying to prank you. You always try to avoid this kind of talk. That¡¯s a disease, too. You don¡¯t have to appeal that you have a mental problem like this, do you? Let¡¯s take some time to understand each other without making a big deal out of it¡­ You¡¯re pathetic and a coward. Don¡¯t avoid it. You don¡¯t have to try not to attach yourself to me. It¡¯s already over.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s talk about it again. There¡¯s nothing I haven¡¯t done. I don¡¯t need to say what things I¡¯ve done exactly. You won¡¯t believe it anyway. Just consider what I¡¯m saying as half a lie and listen. The past usually gets exaggerated once you talk about it, right?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your point?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t bring it up to tell you about a point. What kind of person do you think I am, Oppa?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d think that I look like a crazy girl. A psychopath? Viin?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°When we first met, you might¡¯ve thought of me as human trash and that there¡¯s no way to save the evil girl like in dramas. Maybe you thought I was a criminal in the first ce. Not ¡®like¡¯ a criminal, but an actual criminal. You must have thought so. Oh, don¡¯t look like you¡¯ve been hit with a nail in the head. Don¡¯t pretend you¡¯re sorry. That¡¯s how I see you, Oppa. And honestly, I¡¯m no more trash than you are.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°So what? I¡¯m being honest at the end of the day. It was no different on Earth. I don¡¯t know what other people think of Lee Jihye, but I wanted to go up, and I¡¯m no different now. I wanted to keep going up. I¡¯ve been up to a position where it¡¯s not bad by my standards, but I guess there¡¯s no end to my greed. If I go higher, I want to go even beyond that, and if I look at my current view, I would want to see the next one.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Unsure if I didn¡¯t feel satisfied or I was out of my mind, I had to keep good faith, but it would¡¯ve seemed like I was doing something dirty in other people¡¯s perspectives. It didn¡¯t matter what other people thought, though. I was proud of myself, after all. I thought I could go further, and I could actually see the road in front of me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been working hard, and I¡¯ve had a lot of cards. I was confident, but I guess that wasn¡¯t it.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I guess it wasn¡¯t it in the eyes of the real people up there, and I guess they thought I wasn¡¯t allowed a seat. But then I realized something. I was able to get up here because those sons of bitches allowed me to be here. Some of the guys up there permitted me to rise. Of course, I didn¡¯t mean to deny my ability, but it was the ones at the top who set the stage for me to show my ability. In the first ce¡­ It wasn¡¯t¡­ a position that was supposed to be mine in the first ce.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I was presumptuous. No matter how high I fly and how loud I scream, the noblemen above me only saw a short girl flirting in front of them. That¡¯s how I lost everything. I lost everything so ridiculously in an instant. Can you believe it? I thought that everything was mine, that it was already in my hands, and that¡¯s why I lost everything at the blink of an eye.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I struggled, grabbed the paddles I had, and waved them, but I literally only hit the rocks with eggs. As the real people up there were watching, the little girl was going crazy. Damn it. I hate to admit it, but that¡¯s the reality. I¡¯m pissed off. Fuck! Cough. Cough.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly why I don¡¯t gamble, Oppa.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve realized where I stand. People are given different things from birth. Some people get by without having to try. Some people are superior from birth. And they talk about it as if they¡¯ve really earned it themselves. They¡¯re proud of what the environment gave them. Do you know how sad it is to be looking at something like that?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I chose you, Oppa.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t choose me. I chose you. You had the conditions to go up. I wasn¡¯t showing off. I was looking at it with those special eyes, how it works here, what I can do here. How far I can go. Of course, the biggest reason was that your face was my type, but this seems to be a snobbish reason, so I¡¯ll take it out.¡±


    ¡°Usually, people think the reason for the preceding is more snobbish, Noona.¡±


    ¡°Really? I didn¡¯t know that. Cough. Cough.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Anyway, that¡¯s how Lee Jihye used to live. I don¡¯t know why, but Iughed when I first came here. I wasughing because I was in a good mood.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°When I first fell on the continent, when I entered the tutorial dungeon, and when other people were crying, Iughed for a long time in the corner.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I thought I could hold things I couldn¡¯t hold before. I thought I could see the scenery I wanted here that I didn¡¯t see on Earth. Wouldn¡¯t you have been obsessed with this if you hadn¡¯t been up there in the first ce? What do you think, Oppa? Did looking down from the top even for a moment contribute to what I am today? Wouldn¡¯t I be obsessed with this if I hadn¡¯t been up there?¡±


    ¡°No, you¡¯ve always been a power freak. You were simply born that way.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a bit harsh. Cough. Cough. Cough. You¡¯re¡­ Cough. Cough. More rubbish.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°How about you, Oppa? Don¡¯t you have anything to say?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have anything to say, Noona.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a little hard to pry¡­ A man with a lot of stories and secrets is attractive.¡±


    ¡°You know that your taste in men sucks, right?¡±


    ¡°You think it¡¯s just my taste in men that suck? Cough. Cough.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You never even asked¡­if I¡¯m alright, you piece of garbage.¡±


    ¡°Because you don¡¯t look okay. I can tell from your face.¡±


    ¡°Really? I¡­ I think I died like this.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I wanted to end it in a nice way, but now that it¡¯s time for me to die, I¡¯m talking a lot. How about you? Do you even cry?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Take off that mask you¡¯re wearing. I think you¡¯re crying right now. I think you¡¯re choking up.


    ¡°I¡¯m not crying.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s myst wish¡­ Why don¡¯t you take it off at least once?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Take it off¡­ you bastard.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I was sure you would be in there, but I was a little nervous, so I was wondering if I could influence you¡­ Will it be in the category of Lee Kiyoung¡¯s person? Cough. Cough. I was nervous, but I think it had a slight impact. Oh, you can wear the mask again. Cough. Cough. You¡¯re sexy, but it¡¯s a turn-off seeing men cry.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°The pig you care about. With that pig¡­ Who was it? Oh, that¡­ that Japanese woman¡­ The blind person¡­ Kasugano, was it? I took as much stake as they did. Or maybe it¡¯s more than that. I want more than that because I¡¯m greedy. Not as much as a pig? I¡¯m sick of it. It¡¯s been a while since the pig died. Not yet. No, it¡¯s done. I don¡¯t want to talk about that pig. It¡¯s Lee Jihye¡¯s turn for the first time in a while¡­ If I keep talking about the pig, Oppa will think about that dead pig again. Cough. Cough. Let¡¯s talk about us. We had fun, right?¡±


    ¡°It was fun, Noona. Really.¡±


    ¡°We were a killing pair. Soulmates. It was also enjoyable to be able to y this hot¡­ Cough. Cough.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It was fun. Who knew we could do this much? They wouldn¡¯t even know up there. You destroyed the Holy Empire, destroyed the Republic, and swept everything away. I gave the gods a big punch in the back of their heads. No one probably knew we could do this much. Of course, thanks to you, it was a perfect match.¡±


    ¡°No, Noona.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not because of me. It was thanks to you. I wouldn¡¯t have made it this far without you, Noona. You¡¯re a genius and deserve to be at the top. Can you believe it? Noona, who had nothing, made a fool of the sons of bitches above her. Noona thought it was thanks to me, but it¡¯s not. Rather, I owe it all to you.¡±


    ¡°At least¡­ Cough¡­ Cough¡­ I¡¯m d.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sugarcoating anything that I say¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m happy¡­ Oppa¡­¡±


    ¡°When I first came to the brigade, it was you who told me to take it, and it was you who saved my life many times. You know more than half of our n was led by you, Noona. I¡¯m not talking nonsense to make you happy because you¡¯re leaving. I truly wouldn¡¯t have made it this far without you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d, that¡¯s how¡­ I can¡¯t believe it¡­ I¡¯m happy. Cough. Cough.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I wish¡­ you¡¯d said that to me when I was alive.¡­ It would have been better, you piece of sh*t.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Let me wear a mask¡­ I want to go¡­While wearing the mask. Lee Jihye of the brigade should go like this.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, like that. I¡¯m sleepy, Kiyoung. I¡¯m sleepy. Is it really my time now? Cough¡­ Cough¡­ I guess it¡¯s over. I have¡­ no regrets. No, I really don¡¯t. Because I could¡­ show you who I am.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡­ love¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Cough. Cough. Cough. I love you, Oppa. My soulmate. In hell¡­ I¡¯ll see you in hell.¡±


    ¡°I love you, too, Noona, the perfect match for my soul.¡±


    ¡°Every time¡­ our kisses. Cough. Cough.¡±


    Snap.


    ¡°Next¡­ Next¡­ What¡¯s your next n?¡±


    ¡°Revenge. And¡­ Complete destruction.¡±


    ¡°Ha¡­ Ha¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Ha¡­ hahaha¡­ Haha.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Haha¡­ Cough. Cough. Hahahaha.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Hahahahahahahahahaha!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°As expected¡­ I¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°have a taste for ambitious men¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°My taste¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±¡±


    ¡°Noona?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Noona?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Snap.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I love you, Noona.¡±

 Chapter 704: Soulmate (3)

    <h4>Chapter 704: Soulmate (3)</h4>


    ¡°Wait a minute.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°We can start over.¡±


    ¡®What?¡¯


    ¡°We¡¯re almost there.¡±


    ¡®What did you say?¡¯


    Waaaaaaaaaaaah.


    I felt like I heard something. The sensation of waking up in an instant covered my whole passed by in front of me.


    It was hard to recognize what was going on because it happened so fast.


    One thing for sure was that tears kept flowing like when I saw Park Deokgu for thest time. It was just that it didn¡¯t stop and kept flowing.


    ¡®What is this all of a sudden?¡¯


    I could tell from the circumstances that it was the first timeline¡¯s story, but I couldn¡¯t go into the details of what I had just seen since I remembered the situation that happened before I was suddenly sucked into the ck world.


    I was listening to the conversation between Heera and Cherubim. A strange pigeon appeared where Jihye Noona was, and I looked at it with a telescope.


    ¡®I¡¯ll see you in hell, soulmate.¡¯


    Something strange appeared in earnest right after Lee Jihye¡¯s voice was heard.


    ¡®Damn it.¡¯


    It wouldn¡¯t be unreasonable to look into her again in a hurry after grasping the situation.


    No, I didn¡¯t even know where I was looking.


    I didn¡¯t know if what I was looking at was the ck world of the first round or the reality, but I had no choice but to check how Lee Jihye currently was.


    I was too busy to make a judgment on the first timeline.


    However, I couldn¡¯t see the Goddess¡¯s Mirror screen properly because of the loud explosion and the hazy dust. The same was true of my telescope.


    ¡°Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.¡±


    ¡®Is she going to die? You¡¯re not dead, are you?¡¯


    How did she get in there?


    ¡®Dominions?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t hear she had that ability.


    It was impossible to enter the ce where Lee Jihye existed unless she had the ability to move like Jung Hayan.


    No, even if she had the ability to teleport, it was never easy to prate the defense system that stretched around her situation room.


    I thought that couldn¡¯t happen, and it really couldn¡¯t happen, but I didn¡¯t find it strange considering their abilities.


    I could only think of it as careless. At least the situation room with me and Lee Jihye were confident that they would never allow enemies to invade.


    I thought maybe that ce could also be the target of a pigeon named Dominions, but I was so confused that I couldn¡¯t cope with such assumptions. How could I avoid living in that situation?


    ¡°Jihye Noona! Can you hear me? Can you hear me?¡±


    She couldn¡¯t hear me, but I was speaking loudly without realizing it.


    I felt like my hair was turning white. I thought that couldn¡¯t be the case, but my body was sending signs of increasing nervousness. If Lee Jihye died¡­ No, when I thought about what it¡¯d be like if she¡¯d already died, I shut up.


    ¡®Damn it. Fuck.¡¯


    [Generating amon-grade forced quest.]


    [Jihye Noona. (0/1)]


    [Delivering amon-grade forced quest to Lee Jihye. You have not registered any quest-clear rewards. The subject will not bepensated.]


    ¡®Fuck it¡­ Fuck it!¡¯


    [Generating amon-grade forced quest.]


    [Can you hear me, Jihye? Answer me if you can hear me. (0/1)]


    [Delivering amon-grade forced quest to Lee Jihye. You have not registered any quest-clear rewards. The subject will not bepensated.]


    ¡°Lee Jihye! Lee Jihye!¡±


    [Generating amon-grade forced quest.]


    [Answer me, you nutcase! Answer me quickly! (0/1)


    [Delivering amon-grade forced quest to Lee Jihye. You have not registered any quest-clear rewards. The subject will not bepensated.]


    ¡°Lee Jihye! I told you to answer! You idiot!¡±


    I kicked my desk nervously, but I still couldn¡¯t hear her voice.


    ¡®What should I do?¡¯


    ¡®What if¡­¡¯


    ¡°What if Jihye dies?¡±


    ¡®It would be the same as before.¡¯


    A sense of despair immediately surrounded my whole body. My head was dizzy, and my body was lethargic.


    The tears I shed earlier continued to flow down. It was quite hard to get my act together.


    Pigeonsing in from all sides were reflected on the screen. I was thinking of concentrating and giving the next order, but I could only hear my own heart.


    -Honey. What was that just now? I¡¯m waiting for the next order. What¡­ don¡¯t you have to care? Can I kill him? I don¡¯t think you¡¯re spitting out bullsh*t.


    -Vice Guild Master, what¡¯s next?


    -Honorary Cardinal, the enemies are now continuing to swarm in.


    - About the explosion that just happened¡­ Chairman of the Continental Protection and Management Committee. Chairman of the Continent Protection and Management Committee?


    ¡°Answer me!¡±


    [Generating amon-grade forced quest.]


    [Jihye Noona. Don¡¯t die. Jihye Noona. (0/1)]


    [Delivering amon-grade forced quest to Lee Jihye. You have not registered any quest-clear rewards. The subject will not bepensated.]


    ¡®What should I do? What should I do about this?¡¯


    My head got colder rather than hotter. It started to get so cold that I couldn¡¯t think of anything else. I couldn¡¯t help butugh at myself for making a stupid mistake.


    I quietly tapped my thighs and thought about my next n, but my head kept getting distracted.


    [Generating amon-grade forced quest.]


    [Lee Jihye. (0/1)]


    I felt like something huge was nowing over me from above. I was out of breath and out of my mind. Tears didn¡¯t dry up and seemed to keep flowing. I felt like I was falling into the darkness in the blink of an eye, so I had no choice but to stop doing that.


    ¡®Yeah, Sh*t. You¡¯d be satisfied with this anyway.¡¯


    Lee Jihye would have been satisfied with my reaction.


    [Generating amon-grade forced quest.]


    [I know you¡¯re lying, so just get up, Noona. It¡¯s not funny. Please don¡¯t do this.]


    [Delivering amon-grade forced quest to Lee Jihye. You have not registered any quest-clear rewards. The subject will not bepensated.]


    -¡­


    ¡®See you in hell, soulmate? Don¡¯t talk nonsense. Really.¡¯


    [Generating amon-grade forced quest.]


    [No, don¡¯t make it worse for me. It¡¯s not even 1988, so let¡¯s refrain from making weird productions. (0/1)]


    [Delivering amon-grade forced quest to Lee Jihye. You have not registered any quest-clear rewards. The subject will not bepensated.]


    I was confused by the fact that there¡¯s still no response, so Iughed in vain.


    ¡®Is Jihye just going to die here?¡¯


    It was more unconvincing than Kim Hyunsung cutting off shopping for bags or Ito Souta being Benignore¡¯s devout believer.


    I had a smile to show a calm eptance of death. It¡¯s the first round¡¯s masked trash all over again.


    Of course, even though Lee Jihye¡¯s growth direction and goal in the first and second timelines were different, the nature of the masked trash didn¡¯t change whatsoever.


    She was born as the masked trash and wasn¡¯t that stupid to die because of that. Of course¡­


    ¡®I¡¯m sure you have insurance.¡¯


    She was hiding something from me, just as I was hiding something from her. I was 100 percent certain of that.


    If Lee Jihye didn¡¯t have insurance, it wouldn¡¯t matter if she threw herself from the rooftop right then. To be honest, I wasn¡¯t even worried.


    ¡®You¡¯re not that stupid, are you?¡¯


    Funny how she thought I¡¯d get caught up in that show in the first ce. If she wanted to do it, she had to do it properly.


    Didn¡¯t the system and the shield break in the first ce? No matter how hard it was, that still happened. I didn¡¯t know what she was nning, but I wished she¡¯d hurry up ande back to life. Seriously. I hoped she didn¡¯t expect me to go to hell.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t it because of Cho Hyejin?¡¯


    That was a little too much.


    However, it was convincing. Although I remembered a bragging voice about showing Cho Hyejin something properly, she wasn¡¯t idiotic enough to deliberately poke holes in the defense system and let the enemy in. It wouldn¡¯t be a weing situation for Lee Jihye to show her wealth.


    Perhaps it was more convincing that Dominions had the ability to break through the defense system and that Lee Jihye made a scenario around that with quick judgment.


    ¡®Wow, I can¡¯t stand it. Are you writing a scenario? You¡¯re amazing, too. I¡¯m so surprised.¡¯


    ¡°No, why aren¡¯t youing out?¡±


    I didn¡¯t worry at first, but there was no other action so far.


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t lie ande out. Don¡¯t make me nervous.¡±


    I still couldn¡¯t hear anything else.


    ¡°Hey, Sh*t! Don¡¯t do that,e on! Don¡¯t do that, Noona!


    Just as my anxiety slightly shook my mind¡­


    -Oh, my¡­


    I heard a quiet voice.


    -You should¡¯ve been fooled. You¡¯re a real piece of crap, too. I¡¯ve done so much, so you could¡¯ve at least acted a little nervous.


    -Unnie?


    -Yeon-soo, I¡¯m so proud and happy that you thought you¡¯d ept it with your body. You¡¯re too heavy. Get off of me a little bit? Oh, and Oppa. I¡¯m just saying this in case you¡¯re suspecting me, but I didn¡¯t fake it. I was surprised, too. There¡¯s no reason to fake things like this, so don¡¯t doubt it. You don¡¯t think I¡¯m you, do you? Oh, by the way, there are all these amazing pigeons. I assumed our defenses could be breached, but who would¡¯ve thought I was right? I¡¯m curious how you got in, so I can listen to it step by step.


    -Unnie¡­ What is it now?


    -What do you mean? I protected Yeon-soo.


    -How can you¡­


    -People like me have a lot of secrets. That¡¯s more attractive. Can you stay away for a second? No, don¡¯t be too far away and prepare for the battle instead.


    -Huh? Huh? Unnie¡­


    It was fun being human. The n was bound to go awry. Nothing in the world was going the right way.


    Lee Jihyeughed.


    -Excuse me,dy. I don¡¯t know why you came here. You made a mistake.


    -That¡¯s what happened.


    The figure sitting arrogantly on the chair looked like a highdy from somewhere. The way she looked down at the Dominions made me smile.


    -I wasn¡¯t originally this type of person, but I thought this would happen if I lived in a harsh world. That¡¯s what a girl like me does. If you assume the worst and think about slipping, you have no choice but to keep preparing. I didn¡¯t think I could have the power, and I wasn¡¯t a good gambler, so I wasn¡¯t paying much attention to it, but I¡¯m d I had insurance prepared. It¡¯s not wrong to throw dice as you do.


    -Unnie¡­


    It was certainly the look of the woman above. She seemed to be onto her.


    It was just by a little, but I also understood how Lee Jihye felt. The moment her constant desire to climb up was unleashed, I felt the same way as her.


    She was enjoying that moment. I could bet she¡¯s obsessed with standing up like that.


    Even if she weren¡¯t a god, she would¡¯ve acted as if she had no sense ofpatibility with the trash that licked her feet underneath her. At least it looked like that in my eyes.


    As if she couldn¡¯t look at her with that expression, as if she would soon be on the ground, and as if Jihye would send me that look a few minutester, sheughed at the great being.


    ¡®I think you like losing.¡¯


    At this, masked trash of the first timeline opened her mouth.


    -You cane out, Ronove.


    I didn¡¯t know what to say, but¡­


    -As my cute little master wishes.


    There came a really trashy expression.


    -Do you want to lick my shoes? Then maybe I¡¯ll forgive you.

 Chapter 705: Soulmate (4)

    <h4>Chapter 705: Soulmate (4)</h4>


    ¡°Oi-Oi! Is it real?¡±


    -Kneel down.


    ¡°Jihye Noona, I was counting on you! Damn it!¡±


    I guessed she couldn¡¯t hear me.


    ¡°When the hell did you sign the contract with Ronove?¡±


    I didn¡¯t even know how she had signed it, but I thought it was somewhat probable. Ronove could have gone to meet Lee Jihye in her dream.


    Perhaps Benignore and Belial were in the middle of a snatch.


    The subus Ronove, formerly a member of the 27th Corps, currently proudly upied the seat of the 72nd Demon monarch.


    No matter how expedient Lee Jihye was, it was impossible to sign with Ronove at that moment. It was more convincing to think that perhaps she signed the contract before Ronove had gained the Corps captain¡¯s position.


    ¡®You must have thought about it a lot.¡¯


    Of course, Ronove was powerful enough at the time, but she probably didn¡¯t like the fact that she signed with Ronove with some penalty.


    The subus would¡¯ve persuaded Lee Jihye with a vision and, Lee Jihye threw the dice. As a result, it was a perfectly profitable contract.


    I didn¡¯t know what she saw and signed, but Ronove proved herself worthy. Lucifer favored her because she put her name in the position ofmander of the corps.


    In other words, less than a few years after buying stocks, with half a doubt, it had returned more than ten times over.


    ¡®How much did you like it?¡¯


    That was considering that Lee Jihye had a disgusting soul.


    The question was how to get the mana needed for the contract.


    I hated to imagine it, but maybe there was a ck magic factory operating in one of the corners of the continent that maintained Lee Jihye¡¯s contract.


    Actually, I didn¡¯t even want to dig in. What¡¯s important about the process? The only important thing that mattered was the fact that Lee Jihye had signed the contract and that it was so unprecedented that it broke through the ceiling.


    Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!


    Combat was already underway inside the narrow room with the sound of a shout.


    Yeon-soo looked around with a sea-turtle-like expression when she first saw, but she also understood what she had to do.


    The subus Ronove, who appeared next to Lee Jihye, smiled and swung her arms, and soon a huge ck spell overtook Dominions.


    -I¡¯m surprised you signed with the Devil, but you didn¡¯t sign it properly either. Where are the suffering people in your stead?


    -Oh, you¡¯re talking too much. Someone might misunderstand that I¡¯m being forced to run a ck wizard¡¯s factory. You don¡¯t have to worry too much. I¡¯m a boss who treats workers well. Welfare is fine, and I give them afortable life, so you don¡¯t need to worry about it¡­ We always maintain the best working environment for our employees.


    -A sickening human being.


    -You make all our employees work overtime¡­ Are you going to pay for overtime? Are you sure you¡¯re working overtime while getting paid? Think abouting over to me. I¡¯m confident I¡¯ll do better than your boss, in more ways than one.


    -I won¡¯t answer your offer. As expected, you are a human being who must disappear. How dangerous it is to bring demons to this continent¡­


    -In my eyes, pigeons and demons are the same. How do you use weapons? Oh, don¡¯t make that face. I didn¡¯t express Ronove as a weapon. I¡¯ve been obsessed for a while, but¡­ Dominions, you realize your ideas are ridiculous, right? Every human being deserves to live with their own free will.


    ¡®Look at her sudden change of pace.¡¯


    -It¡¯s an idea that¡¯s never eptable from the standpoint of justice. Hahahahaha! Human dignity! You guys are ruling it out. We are justice, and you are evil. No, I¡¯m the justice. It¡¯s justice to stand in the heat. You¡¯re here because you know that.


    -Don¡¯tpare me with a disgusting human being like you¡­


    -Everyone has different ideas, don¡¯t they?


    -I will kill you and free all suffering human beings.


    -You¡¯re right about the welfare of our employees. The real devil was here. If I die, all our employees will be unemployed. I guess we have to fight to protect each person¡¯s family.


    This was simply a battle of transcendents.


    Ha Yeon-soo, who had just entered the first tier, didn¡¯t dare intervene. Still, it was her duty to protect Lee Jihye somehow.


    Dominions was trying to kill Lee Jihye without Ronove, but it couldn¡¯t be done as she wanted.


    She was one of the 72nd Corpsmanders. However, Ronove said her specialty wasn¡¯tbat-rted but subpoenaed and had a penalty.


    It was a lower rank, but she was no different from a god in terms of grades.


    ¡®The staff are short of ability. I think it¡¯s downgraded, but¡­¡¯


    It was enough to deal with Dominions. I could see which side was dominant.


    Ronove was constantly wielding her ws or using her powers to push Dominions, who was busy defending. Stopping like a fuse was one of the factors that interfered with the battle. Her cooldown time was very short, but it seemed to tell me that Ronove was prating into her psyche.


    -I¡¯m not shaken even if I see dirty things.


    -We¡¯ll see about that, pigeon.


    -Shut that filthy mouth, you devil.


    ¡®I think they even have feelings.¡¯


    The way she fought was pretty bloody. I watched her battle fiercely, which was hard to describe in many ways. I wanted to keep looking at that sh, but I couldn¡¯t make that choice under the current circumstances.


    -I think they¡¯reing here too. You¡¯ll do well, right, Oppa?


    One situation room was utterly destroyed, and the burden on my side increased.


    ¡®It¡¯s a little twisted.¡¯


    Cha Hee-ra was once again ying with Cherubim, who was apparently unable to resist, and the match was going smoothly.


    The problem was that the troops were concentrating in the area where Dominions and Ronove were fighting.


    Pigeons seemed to be flocking to the news that humans and demons with disgusting souls had popped out.


    It was originally a geographically important base, so it couldn¡¯t be left alone. What wasforting was that Red Mercenaries were based there too. There were even several members of the Lee Jihye Division.


    ¡®I know all their faces.¡¯


    Maybe even if it wasn¡¯t me, anyone could handle the current situation enough. Just in time, the Red Mercenary Choi Young-ki began toe into view.


    ¡°Yoong-ki, can you hear me?¡±


    -Yes, I can hear you, Lee Kiyoung.


    ¡°As you know, there¡¯s a problem in your situation room. I can¡¯t get instructions from Jihye. Young-ki will have to control the battlefield for the time being. Unless there¡¯s an emergency, just follow the manual. We¡¯re getting a lot of enemy troops, so we¡¯ll send you extra support. For the time being, we¡¯re fighting a war of attrition.¡±


    -Yes, I understand. Lee Kiyoung, if you don¡¯t mind, may I ask how the queen is doing?


    It wasn¡¯t an easy enough situation to say that she was doing well.


    I didn¡¯t know how to exin how they were fighting against each other, red and blue intertwining and paralyzing the battlefield itself. Both the mass-produced pigeons and the friendly humans had long since left their posts.


    ¡°She¡¯s in battle with an angel named Cherubim, and she doesn¡¯t seem to be in bad shape. The battlefield is in a stalemate. I¡¯m observing it, so you don¡¯t have to worry.¡±


    -I look forward to your kind cooperation.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll contact me immediately if there¡¯s anything unusual. My eyes are a little busy right now.¡±


    -Yes, I hope you don¡¯t overdo it. Your health¡­


    ¡°Yes, yes.¡±


    Cha Hee-ra vs. Cherubim.


    Lee Jihye vs. Dominions.


    ¡®Did I tie up the two for now?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know if it could be described aspletely binding Dominions, which I believed to have the ability to teleport, but at least Cherubim could be determined to have been bound.


    Cha Hee-ra, who initially wanted to fight with him somehow, kept him in check, so it was currently hard to get her out. Overall, the situation was neither good nor bad.


    ¡®No, this isn¡¯t a bad thing.¡¯


    It was a weing story that an unexpected power was tying one of the four angels, but to put it bluntly, Lee Jihye shone when controlling the battlefield rather than being tied to that angel.


    One could somehow make a paddle to stop the Four Angels, but no one could rece Lee Jihye¡¯s ability tomand the war. Of course, even though Choi Young-ki of the Red Mercenary could y the role for a while, but he was only influential in his small areas.


    What I didn¡¯t like most of all was that I lost my partner for a while.


    ¡®This is big.¡¯


    Lee Jihye¡¯s absence was huge.


    Lee Kiyoung wasn¡¯t perfect. It was fundamental wisdom that two heads were better than one.


    Theck of Lee Jihye when making a decision was bound toe to me. She understood me and knew what I really wanted, after all. We had a tactical discussion and a short meeting on several big choices.


    ¡®Jihye Noona, you have to go back as fast as possible.¡¯


    We didn¡¯t tie them up. Perhaps we were the ones that had gotten bound. Such a thought suddenly passed by my head.


    ¡°The assumption that these bastards have a control tower is true.¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s also true that these bastards remember the first timeline.¡¯


    If they had really been pped in the back by the masked trash, they might have judged the duo to be the biggest stumbling block. In a way, it was natural to decide that separating them was the top priority.


    I felt like I was suffering from the karma of masked trash Jin Qing¡­


    ¡®I want to see the other person¡¯s face.¡¯


    The level of the tower¡¯s operators was high.


    I didn¡¯t know who was running that force, which frustrated me. At least if we were facing each other, we¡¯d know what both of us were thinking.


    I was looking for the enemy control tower with a telescope, but I couldn¡¯t see anything. I didn¡¯t think it would be so easy to locate, but there¡¯s no further progress than the original postte.


    In addition to that¡­


    ¡®I didn¡¯t learn anything.¡¯


    There was something I could feel whenever I looked at the operation of the battlefield.


    ¡®Where are we going to get more troops?¡¯


    Red Mercenary¡¯s front needed support. I realized that I needed to send additional troops, but it was then that I saw the movement of enemy troops on the surrounding front, entirely at my own expense.


    The intention was obvious. The moment I pushed the extra troops into the Red Mercenaries, they were going to push the extra troops through the cracks.


    It was a battle of hands, so to speak. It felt like we were going to have a childish proportion fight. It was a clean operation that reminded me of Jihye Noona.


    ¡°That¡¯s funny. You guys wouldn¡¯t need this in the first ce.¡±


    It was unexpected that foreign forces and angels were using high-quality soldiers.


    In the first ce, if they had thought that they would be affected, those bastards wouldn¡¯t even be close to the soldiers.


    The control tower of the first timeline was the masked trash duo. There was no way that I could manage that tactic by learning it superficially.


    ¡®One of the Four Angels.¡¯


    As I got up from my seat with a p on my thigh, I noticed a figure of the battlefield spread out on a huge desk.


    As I slowly moved my horse, I noticed the troops moving as well. It must¡¯ve been conveyed properly that our side was the one providingmands in real-time.


    As soon as I threw my troops, I could see the enemy¡¯s movements changing.


    ¡®You¡¯re responding fast. And¡­ ignored it?¡¯


    I felt like I knew it was a meaningless move. No, it wasn¡¯t just that.


    ¡°Ha¡­¡±


    I noticed pigeons moving in unison. The entire enemy force took a step in earnest as if the purpose was really to keep Lee Jihye apart from me.


    Our targets were 14 strongholds that the allies considered being the main strongholds. Anyone could see that those were essential locations. Still, pigeons were thrusting their spears into our weaknesses with the exclusion of all the traps everywhere.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    I had moved a few more horses, but¡­ No, it was already blocked before I could move it. The enemy control tower was moving as if it were reading my mind. It hurt my pride, but their control was higher than mine.


    ¡®It¡¯s perfect.¡¯


    If I had decided to go after that battlefield, I would have made the same choice as him. Maybe the picture I was painting was an idea.


    It wasn¡¯t a good example, but it felt like I was ying chess in a mirror.


    ¡°Who the hell is that?¡±


    From far away, a pigeon was visibly approaching. I couldn¡¯t figure out what he was trying to do, but I thought I could figure it out for some reason.


    Even if it were me, I would have made the same choice. There was nothing more appropriate than that to add battlefield.


    ¡°Tactic Kim Hyunsung?¡±


    ¡°Are you really Kim Hyunsung?¡±


    The enemy¡¯s control tower was mimicking Tactic Kim Hyunsung using the Four Angels.


    ¡°You¡¯re copying that?¡±


    It almost felt like it was working perfectly.

 Chapter 706: Soulmate (5)

    <h4>Chapter 706: Soulmate (5)</h4>


    The intention was clear.


    ¡®A one-man-army tactic.¡¯


    Unless I suddenly became an idiot, the task of creating cracks in the stuffy battlefield was currently the top priority of the pigeons.


    Their wings werepletely sealed, and they seemed as if they were being tightened because they had to conduct a siege with arge wall blocking our troopspletely.


    I was so sure they were attacking¡­


    ¡®You felt like you were being surrounded, didn¡¯t you?¡¯


    Actually, that was right.


    It was designed to embrace the northern part of the fortress.


    Before construction, it had already undergone more than a thousand simtions. Meetings were also held with different experts to make the fight in favor of our troops.


    The forward base and walls of the North were the result of that.


    Even if the first wall was breached, it had been thoroughly calcted that other forward bases would hold up behind it and that Jung Hayan¡¯s magic could have an impact.


    In addition, it wasn¡¯t unreasonable for them to feel stuffy, considering they even fell to the ground in an instant.


    battlefields was limited to the so-called heroes, who, of course, could have influence even if they were Named ones.


    If they had a name that they could use, it¡¯s natural that we had a name that could counter them.


    ¡®Even if that¡¯s not the case¡­¡¯


    It was hard to find a hero who could really shake the battlefield. Conditions were tricky. They had to have the agility to move freely through the battlefield and experience to judge for themselves.


    Overwhelming force was basically a must. Only then could they be used as a one-man-army tactic.


    They needed to have a broad vision, a brain that could make judgments quickly, a calmness that could cope face suitable to be the main character.


    Thest one might not matter much, but I thought Kim Hyunsung was the only one who met that requirement.


    ¡­ Until I saw the pigeon stirring the battlefield.


    -Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!


    -Enemy ¡®Named¡¯ appeared! I need support. Support!


    -Limit space for movement! Don¡¯t let it fly high!


    -Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!


    -Where the hell are you? Where are you?


    -Fall back and avoid it! Get out of my way!


    -Even so, it¡¯s short. The ¡®Named¡¯ will arrive shortly. Use magic to defend against it. Hold on as long as you can. Protect the priests first with tankers at the forefront. He¡¯s after the rear. Don¡¯t let him cut the power.


    -Left!


    -Damn it!


    -Priest! Here¡­ Here¡¯s the priest!


    -What¡¯s this? What the hell is this?


    -You monster! Monster, ka-ka-ka-ka-ka-k!


    -Die! D¡­


    He was fast. He was too fast for my eyes to keep up with, and I naturally judged him to be the type to shine.


    I didn¡¯t know if ordinary soldiers could catch up with him or not in the first ce, but even if they could catch him moving, they wouldn¡¯t be able to cope.


    The human vision was limited.


    All the more so in a situation where allies were concentrated. Not only would our allies be blind, but also the means to subdue him couldn¡¯t be used.


    The enemy¡¯s control tower was smart enough to use our allies as a shield and guide him step by step in the direction that bothered me the most. They couldn¡¯t shoot arrows or use magic. It was like a wolf was released between a flock of sheep.


    It wasn¡¯t surprising that the battlefield became confusing in an instant. They couldn¡¯t engage in a proper siege.


    His first purpose was to deal with the fieldmander, and he was doing his job brilliantly.


    More than 15 fieldmanders had already been killed in a short time. They were all heroes who could be ssified as Named.


    Of course, they were so low-ranking that I felt sorry topare them to Named ones, but they weren¡¯t stupid enough to be beaten without being able to fight back. They had pride in themselves and were actually recognized for their ability to climb to that position.


    ¡®I mean¡­ How could he so easily do that?¡¯


    I saw the flock on the walls confused. At that point, I was also confused about what was going on and what was wrong with it.


    When friendly troops were being cut into bundles, no fieldmander¡¯s voice could be heard, and pigeons were crawling up from below. What else could be more frightening than that?


    ¡®It¡¯s not good.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t let them make the cracks widen. It would widen exponentially like a hole in a dam.


    As I looked at him quickly, I could see a pigeon still moving with his lips tightly clenched.


    He was a male figure with silvery hair that had be a symbol of the devil. He was moving frantically, wielding a sword with aplex face.


    He wasn¡¯t as good as Kim Hyunsung, but he looked like a typical warrior in a story.


    He was fast and clever. Among his feats, the most impressive thing was that his movements looked very familiar.


    ¡®It¡¯s not the first time.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t the first time he had been used as a one-man-army tactic.


    ¡®When on earth?¡¯


    Pigeon forces were wandering the dimensions.


    ¡®First timeline?¡¯


    Maybe he experienced being a part of a one-man-army tactic in the first round. Of course, it was just an assumption, but somehow I felt like I was right.


    ¡°Thronus?¡±


    In the first round, the masked trash judged that he was an appropriate angel to use in one-man-army tactics. There was too little sense of ipatibility.


    It was a bit of an exaggeration, but I felt like he had moved hundreds or thousands of times. He fully understood the instructionsing down from the control tower and was fully aware of his role.


    I could be sure of this. He¡­


    ¡®He learned it from the first round.¡¯


    If it was Thronus, then that raised questions about the existence of a control tower.


    There was no masked trash. He was already dead, and he no longer existed in the world. Should I say that one of the angels learned from the masked trash in the first round?


    Or¡­


    ¡®Did the masked trashe back from hell?¡¯


    Whatever it was, the first priority was to stop him. Wouldn¡¯t it be better to put Kim Hyunsung on the mound immediately and overpower him? Or should I hide him a little more?


    ¡®It¡¯s going to be a waste.¡¯


    It was right to put him on the mound for the time being. When I looked at Kim Hyunsung through a telescope, I could see him settling on the wall.


    I remembered the crooked Hyunsung who suddenly shouted, ¡°I¡¯m going to screw you,¡± but his condition itself didn¡¯t look bad.


    ¡®Is this alright?¡¯


    I thought he was mentally challenged.


    ¡®You can carry out your duties properly, right?¡¯


    He seemed a little less motivated, but he looked to be at odds even if he was described as usual.


    I wanted to let him go if I thought it was utterly different from beingplicated and participating in the battle. Still, I was a little worried when I thought about Kim Hyunsung¡¯s unexpectedly weak mentality.


    What if our precious Hyunsung, who had to deal with the outside forces, got hurt ahead of the showdown?


    Normally, I would be worried so much that I wouldn¡¯t do it, but the silver-haired devil was impressive.


    It was then that Kim Hyunsung spread his wings slowly. The one looking at Thronus quietly began to move. Obviously, I remembered delivering an order to wait until there was another order.


    I finally wondered if Kim Hyunsung and I had a connection, but it didn¡¯t take much time to realize that we hadn¡¯t.


    ¡®You son of a¡­¡¯


    Perhaps he just decided to move as he wanted.


    ¡°Hyunsung?¡±


    -I¡¯ll go and stop it.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s great. Then I¡¯ll keep you posted on the instructions.¡±


    -It¡¯s okay, Kiyoung.


    ¡®I knew this was gonna happen.¡¯


    I genuinely felt nervous.


    -I¡¯ve killed him myself before.


    ¡®Oh, was that him? But I think it¡¯s a little different now¡­ He has another head on him, Hyunsung.¡¯


    -I don¡¯t want to burden Kiyoung.


    ¡®If you get hurt, I¡¯ll feel more burdened.¡¯


    -I know what you¡¯re worried about, but you don¡¯t have to worry too much. I¡¯ve be stronger, too. If you look at the other battlefields and look at me separately¡­ Yes, it¡¯s too hard for Kiyoung.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s¡­¡±


    -Didn¡¯t you say you believed I was carrying your burden? I can¡¯t put the burden on you, let alone carry your burden. Please¡­


    ¡®No, Hyunsung. I think you¡¯re going to get kicked. I mean, that¡¯s why I¡¯m nervous for some reason.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know if it¡¯s Thronus, but I was anxious about the personmanding him.


    -Let me disconnect for a second. I¡¯ll be back, Kiyoung.


    ¡°W-wait!¡±


    Beeeeeep.


    The connection was lost with that sound. Of course, I had the means to send a message to Kim Hyunsung, but his determination disconcerted me.


    ¡®What¡¯s going on? Sh*t, did you just hang up on me?¡¯


    I already knew that he was a little childish at times, but I couldn¡¯t evenugh because it was so ridiculous.


    ¡®Should I wait and see?¡¯


    Should I wait and see if Kim Hyunsung could do well alone, or not?


    ¡®No, do I need to worry? It¡¯s Kim Hyunsung, the lovely regressor. I heard he killed Thronus in the 1st round using only one skill.¡¯


    Hyunsung had gotten stronger with wings.


    ¡®Let¡¯s see.¡¯


    I then decided to observe.


    ck wings fluttered as soon as he nodded to himself. Kim Hyunsung was already used to handling wings, as opposed to me, who couldn¡¯t even fly properly. I was still like a newborn bird.


    The ck light quickly crossed the sky, and a colossal spell began to embrace him.


    It gave me goosebumps to think of him cutting off a God with a single swing. The idea of ¡®that¡¯s a real regressor¡¯ crossed my mind, but I didn¡¯t have time to properly appreciate Kim Hyunsung¡¯s appearance due to the growing cheers.


    Since our troops were cheering for Kim Hyunsung, Thronus should also know that Kim Hyunsung was heading for him.


    Just as I expected, with a sword likely to be twice as long as a regr sword, Thronus slowly began to look up at the sky.


    ¡°Does Kim Hyunsung know that he remembers the first timeline?¡±


    He wanted me to tell him that, right? No, maybe Kim Hyunsung himself already knew. It¡¯s been a while since we¡¯ve fought before, so we couldn¡¯t help but exchange a word.


    As expected, the silver-haired devil was seen opening his mouth. I thought he was a cold guy for a while, and his face crumpled in an instant at Kim Hyunsung¡¯s appearance.


    My hands were shaking, and I could see them shing head-on.


    Was he sending anger to Kim Hyunsung, a ck-haired hero who signed a contract with Lucifer? Maybe I was right about that. I was sure Kim Hyunsung in the first round was a holy man.


    However, the voice I heard was way beyond my expectations.


    -It was you.


    -¡­


    -You were the cause. Since when did you sign a deal with the Devil?


    -¡­


    -Was it before? You¡­ did you fall for her temptation, too? No, I don¡¯t even need to ask. There¡¯s no surest evidence that that. I thought something was wrong. There¡¯s no way he¡¯d make that choice. All the otherrades said we were betrayed, but I wasn¡¯t wrong either. There¡¯s no way he¡¯ll betray us. My understanding, dear friend, could not have betrayed me and killed me. I knew it.


    -What¡­?


    -Answer me! Kim Hyunsung! You dirty deceit! I asked if you had corrupted him!


    ¡®What the hell is he talking about? Who understood you, and who is your best friend?¡¯

 Chapter 707: Soulmate (6)

    <h4>Chapter 707: Soulmate (6)</h4>


    The first thing that was reflected in my view was Kim Hyunsung¡¯s face that seemed disconcerted. I noticed that he didn¡¯t understand what bullsh*t he was talking about. Even if I were Kim Hyunsung, I would have reacted the same way, saying he was being ridiculous.


    ¡®Corruption? Friend? A contract with the demon?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know what bullsh*t he had been talking about. Kim Hyunsung had never signed a contract with the demon in the first round.


    The first time he signed a contract was with Lucifer, and he wouldn¡¯t have signed it had it not been for Raphael. He had an upright soul, after all. I thought that was the case, especially in the first round.


    ¡®It seems that there¡¯s some misunderstanding.¡¯


    There was no way to know the details, but I felt like he misunderstood something firmly.


    Of course, from Kim Hyunsung¡¯s point of view, it felt like he didn¡¯t have to listen intently to his words. How was he supposed to listen to someone who was so agitated that he couldn¡¯t understand what he was talking about?


    He was an enemy in the first ce, and he didn¡¯t look normal, which made it seem like he was dealing with him as some random insane guy talking crazily.


    One thing I knew for sure was that Thronus remembered me. I began to see Kim Hyunsung¡¯s face gradually harder. He must¡¯ve realized that foreign forces remembered the first timeline. Kim Hyunsung spoke lowly.


    He wasn¡¯t likely to have a lot of conversation, but when he looked at the guy he fought against in the first timeline, multiple thoughts probably flooded his mind.


    -Do you remember, Thronus?


    Even if he tried to talk, it would only be that much.


    ¡®First, that¡¯s some charisma for someone like you.¡¯


    -If so, what are you going to do, you filthy deceit?


    -What I have to do is the same. You will die. Just like before.


    ¡®Our Hyunsung is coldblooded. Did you do that in the first timeline?¡¯


    -I remember everything. I never died, you worthless deceiver. Answer my question, Kim Hyunsung. Where is he?


    -¡­


    -I asked where he is.


    His expression was simr to when he looked at Raphael but a little different from it. He seemed to be looking at an enemy from a distant past.


    The war in the first round was extremely long. Whenever battles took ce, they, who were the centers of each camp, were drawn, and I could tell despite not being present back then that they would¡¯ve thrust their swords toward each other without mercy.


    In the end, the final winner was Kim Hyunsung, but I could bet that there must¡¯ve been so before a conclusion was drawn.


    ¡®Can I consider them as having a terrible destiny?¡¯


    -¡­


    -Don¡¯t pretend like you don¡¯t know! You are a servant of the disgusting demon, and your ck wings are proof of that. It was you. You were the main culprit all along!


    -You have be a dunce head since west met, huh.


    As Kim Hyunsung said, he really was acting like an idiot.


    -Shut up, Seraphim.


    -What?


    -Shut up, Seraphim.


    -¡­


    -We have to think about this again. Even in your eyes, this filthy deceit¡­ No, no. You¡¯re mistaken. He trusted us, so we have to trust him too. He may be in pain and in a terrible situation. You don¡¯t think he betrayed us, do you? You shouldn¡¯t do so, especially after seeing this deceitful person¡­


    -¡­


    ¡®Suddenly, a wackoes now¡­¡¯


    Watching him speaking to himself was a spectacle. When I looked into his eyes, I could tell. The bastard wasn¡¯t sane. His eyes looked the same as a drunkard.


    -How can you say that, Seraphim! It was you who said you wanted to be with him. You followed him that loyally, so how can you say that?


    Based on the situation, I deduced that he was talking to a pigeon named Seraphim¡­


    ¡®Is the one-man-army tactic conducted by Seraphim?¡¯


    Because of the increasingly harsh atmosphere, I couldn¡¯t find it in me to concentrate properly.


    -It is you, not me, that isn¡¯t sane, Seraphim. You¡¯re not facing up to what you have to face! If you speak ill of him again¡­


    ¡®What the hell? What¡¯s up with this bastard? I¡¯m scared. You¡¯ll protect me, right, Hyunsung?¡¯


    -If you don¡¯t¡­ I will get him back even if I have to do it alone!


    In an instant, the crazy pigeon flew forward and stretched out his sword towards Kim Hyunsung.


    Our regressor became a little nervous at his sudden movement. Despite that, however, he managed to pull out his sword. ck and silver swords shed against one another in the air.


    -Kim Hyunsung!


    -Thronus!


    I wanted to take a picture of the scene where their swords were grinding against each other¡¯s des as they called out their names like in a boy cartoon, but all I could do was grab my head in the sudden transition.


    Baaaaaaaaang!


    Immediately after a loud sound was heard and the light spread out, I felt dizzy.


    ¡®Again?¡¯


    Like when I witnessed Lee Jihye¡¯sst memory, the sensation of being sucked into another ce permeated my whole body. The scenery changed in the blink of an eye.


    It was just for a moment, but the phenomenon only disappeared after what felt like quite a long time. I was in a ce that felt as though the war had already ended.


    The ones sitting amid the ruins and copsed building was a masked man and Thronus, whom I had just seen.


    It was a memory of the first round.


    ¡®I mean, what more do I have to see?¡¯


    My head started to throb, but the problem was that I couldn¡¯t cut it in the middle. The panorama that had already begun screening in my brain was constantly flowing into my eyes and head.


    ¡°Why did you choose me?¡±


    ¡°Was there a choice? Just¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯m asking. What I¡¯m curious about is why you decided to use me. I don¡¯t have an overwhelming force like Seraphim or Cherubim. I¡¯m not as smart as Dominion, either. I¡¯m lucky enough toe to a powerful position. Even if my speed is high due to my wings, that would be all.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m too soft. I still don¡¯t like killing humans. The same goes for warfare. Destruction and violence don¡¯t fit with us, even though we have a big role to fill in it. Of course, I know it can¡¯t be helped, though.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I also know that it must be done. We¡¯re born that way, after all. Still, I¡­ don¡¯t feelfortable about it.¡±


    ¡°Thronus is not weak.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ I¡­¡±


    ¡°Thrones isn¡¯t weak. You might even be stronger than Cherubim, no, Seraphim.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Why do you love humans?¡±


    ¡°We should love everything¡­¡±


    ¡°What I¡¯m asking you is why you care for humans so much.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯ve never thought about it¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­ Stars.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Because humans are like stars in the night sky.¡±


    It was cringeworthy, but the alcoholic pigeon¡¯s face was serious.


    ¡®What the hell is this?¡¯


    It was incredible to be able to say that line with sincerity. When I tried to return to reality, Thronus spoke again.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Right. I think that expression suits humanity. Humans are like stars in the night sky. They shine brightly. I can¡¯t exin because I¡¯m not good with words, but they¡¯re always shining. Human possibilities are infinite, almost like the universe in which they are located. They create masterpieces in different ways. Haha. Of course, sometimes their light gets extinguished, and lights that are too bright make the other stars desire it, but that nature of them is also beautiful.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°All of their existence is amazing.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°I have never seen stars shining as bright as they do. Their character is exquisite. Some of them are big, and some are small. Regardless of their differences, they all radiate in the night sky equally. I think the ability to shine on their own is beautiful, too. It¡¯s cool how they paint great possibilities into reality. They¡¯re perfect just the way they are.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Was my answer weird?¡±


    ¡°No. I thought it was just right for Thronus. It made me chuckle.¡±


    ¡°Are you making fun of me¡­¡±


    ¡°Never. How can I make fun of you? Haven¡¯t you asked why I chose you before?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°Because you resemble humans.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I am not saying that in a bad way. It¡¯s exactly as you said. To me, Thronus seems to be one of the twinkling stars in the sky. Humans are fragile. I know very well because I am one of them.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°We worry about everything, suffering and thinking constantly. We wonder what¡¯s right and what¡¯s wrong. Thanks to that, we get to make both the right choices and the wrong ones. Still, that¡¯s why¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I think we can shine.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Because we are imperfect, we go through a lot of trial and error, we regret and suffer, and we fall into anguish every day because some want to undo our kind¡¯s development. However, there are many who don¡¯t want to repeat the same mistakes and many who constantly prepare for our next goal. That¡¯s why we can shine.¡±


    ¡°You think?¡±


    ¡°In that sense¡­ I thought you¡¯re like them. Thronus agonizes and regrets as human beings do, and you worry and fall into deep thoughts because of little things just like them as well. The very evidence of that is the question you just asked me. I always think about it every time I se you asking yourself questions like that. Thronus can shine. You can be stronger, and you can grow. You can fly higher than other angels and even higher than that. That¡¯s why I chose you. Thronus isn¡¯t weak. Rather, you are the strongest of all I have ever seen.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ That¡¯s an ovepliment. You¡¯re. embarrassing me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m simply being sincere, Thronus.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s embarrassing.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Human, Won¡¯t you take off that mask?¡±


    ¡°I have an ugly face, and I will feel ashamed if someone sees it. Didn¡¯t I tell you? I won¡¯t ever take my mask off.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    Slowly, I saw the guy reaching out to the mask, and the masked trash didn¡¯t try to avoid it. He seemed to be thinking that he would never be able to take off his mask.


    As expected, the silver-haired pigeon¡¯s hesitation was visible. In the end, Thronus put down his hand, unable to reach him fully. He stood up and started to stare at the masked man. In response, a garbage voice flowed through his mask.


    ¡°The stars in the night sky. Listening to your words, it¡¯s a really lovely view.


    ¡®That crap bastard¡­ look at him sweetening his words.¡¯


    ¡°It would be great if we could look at it together next time.¡±


    It was a repertoire that seemed to be seen a lot from somewhere.


    ¡°I sincerely hope so.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°The stars in the night sky¡­ Okay. Let¡¯s look at it together.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t remember it well, though.

 Chapter 708: Soulmate (7)

    <h4>Chapter 708: Soulmate (7)</h4>


    Loud noises began to seemingly tear through my ears.


    ¡®Fuck. What the hell is it?¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t figure out why the story of the masked trash of the first round kept being shown to me. The sensation that made my head spin was confusing as well.


    I opened my eyes and looked at Kim Hyunsung and Thronus, but it seemed like the screens had now been intermingled.


    Kim Hyunsung kept swinging his sword, and the alcoholic pigeon blocked his attacks. The surroundingndmarks were visibly losing their shape since everything was exploding in all directions.


    The problem was that I couldn¡¯t tell which timeline I was in.


    ¡®What is this? Is it the second round now?¡¯


    No.


    ¡®I think it just switched to the first round? The second round again?¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t tell the first round and the second apart. Scenes were constantly being transmitted to my brain. Should I judge the timelines to be ying the same scene? The two seemed to be having the same fight as in the first round.


    The only thing that I could distinguish between the first and the second round was the wings behind Kim Hyunsung¡¯s back. Even that was difficult to determine if it was real.


    However, their desperation was clear at the very least.


    ¡®He¡¯s strong.¡¯


    In the first round, Kim Hyunsung was strong.


    ¡®How can he be like that?¡¯


    He was showing simr movements even without epting Lucifer¡¯s power. Instead, he seemed faster, like a very well-forged sword.


    Kim Hyunsung in the first timeline deftly reminded me of that. Without cumbersome wings or dark power, he stood up against one of those called the Four Archangels.


    The alcoholic pigeon fighting against Kim Hyunsung wasn¡¯t an easy opponent either.


    ¡®You say Thronus is the weakest among the four angels?¡¯


    That wasplete and utter nonsense.


    At least it felt like that to my eyes. Thronus was strong. His swordsmanship was significant enough to beparable to Kim Hyunsung, or even more than that.


    The way he utilized his long sword made me worried that it would feel too much for Hyunsung. He certainly seemed different from ordinary angels.


    He was different from Cherubim, who was fighting Cha Hee-ra, and Dominions, who was bound with Lee Jihye. What he was using was certainly human abilities, but he had never learned from anyone. Hence, I thought he would have learned it himself.


    The angel who admired human beings learned human skills as a result and had risen to the stage. I thought the scene I witnessed of the first timeline was most likely after he developed his strength.


    Baaaaaaaaang!!!


    Craaaaash!


    Crack!!


    The two didn¡¯t talk, both in the first round and the second round. They could¡¯ve provoked each other to shake their minds, but the bastards seemed to prefer just swinging their swords in silence.


    If it were me, I would have taunted my opponent all I wanted. I couldn¡¯t decipher if the two swordsmenmunicated with their weapons, but what was certain was that their battle was undoubtedly bing longer - and Thronus had the upper hand.


    ¡®Is Hyunsung losing?¡¯


    My vision was switched entirely to the first timeline, and I immediately noticed Kim Hyunsung¡¯s face getting stiffer. This was after Thronus introduced a new swordsmanship technique.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t know what kind of skill that bastard was using or what the hell he was doing in the first ce. Nheless, I still noticed it because of the image he exhibited, which seemed like the stars were falling. I couldn¡¯t really determine if that was the case, but it felt like that.


    Though Kim Hyunsung was in a hurry to stop him, he eventually pulled away and tried to take a breather, but the alcoholic pigeon naturally didn¡¯t let him. Instead, it only caused the battlefield they used to expand.


    The terrain changed as a result of their shes. If I showed before and after photos, most people would probably respond that they couldn¡¯t believe it was real.


    With a single swing of Thronus¡¯s sword, the trees were cut into chunks, and Kim Hyunsung, who was sent flying, broke through the abandoned building several times, hitting its multiple walls before losing enough backward momentum to stop.


    Boooooooom!!


    Hit in the face, Thronus was blown away from a ruined city, and their stage changed into the nearby forest.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!¡±


    It was now getting even bloodier. The angel was red as if blood flowed in his head excessively.


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s left hand looked injured. His whole body was already in tatters. They both looked desperate, but they continued to struggle against each other.


    What was a little strange was that Thronus¡¯ body was constantly creaking. I didn¡¯t know if it was the correct expression, but it looked as if he wasgging, or glitching out.


    It wasn¡¯t noticeable since it happened in small doses, but he was changing little by little. His movements were different from when they just started in a horrible way.


    I didn¡¯t know how to exin it. However, it seemed that Thronus was forcing himself too much. Despite the favorable situation, he continued his excessive barrage.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    It was then that Kim Hyunsung¡¯s sword pierced his heart.


    The end of the great fight came without notice, and the guy copsed right away.


    This turned out to be the victory of Kim Hyunsung, the lovely regressor.


    Kim Hyunsung, whose sword had thrust into his chest, had already reached the limit, causing him to gasp for breath. There was no sense of aplishment in his eyes. What remained in his expression was a feeling of relief that the long and difficult struggle was finally over.


    ¡°Sigh¡­ Sigh¡­ Sigh¡­¡±


    Kim Hyunsung fell to his side. He got up and walked, only to fall again without being able to take even a few steps.


    It wasn¡¯t long before the masked man appeared. He was standing in front of Thronus, who was dying with a sword in his heart.


    He was nkly looking at the sky, standing next to the dying guy, giving a strange nce. It was then that a small voice was heard.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Am I¡­ going to die like this?¡±


    ¡°Thronus.¡±


    ¡°I guess this is myst battle.¡±


    ¡°Thronus¡­¡±


    ¡°This¡­ is myst. I never thought there would be an end.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I have never thought much about death. I didn¡¯t give meaning to being born and disappearing. We were born without thinking about it. Still, it¡¯s a shame.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a shame that you, no, we can¡¯t see the world we pictured together. I¡¯m sorry for not keeping my promise. It¡¯s frightening to disappear like this.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. It¡¯s not your fault that I¡¯ve been defeated and that I¡¯m dying. Your directions were straight as always. I was defeated because I failed to carry out your instructions. I thought it would be possible, but¡­ I couldn¡¯t meet your expectations¡­¡±


    ¡°Pff¡­ pfff.¡±


    ¡°There was no¡­¡±


    ¡°Fu¡­ fuhahahaha.¡±


    ¡°¡­ ¡­¡±


    ¡°Fuhhahahahahahahaheheha!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Moron. Fuhahaha! Stupid bastard. ¡°


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you caught up yet, stupid pigeon? How can you be so slow? That¡¯s why other pigeons tell you that you are dull.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°You still can¡¯t tell what¡¯s going on, pigeon bastard? You don¡¯t have to be sorry. You don¡¯t have to apologize. This is the situation I¡¯ve been hoping for in the first ce. Rather, I¡¯m grateful, Thronus. You did a great job. You got a good finish with a good role.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking¡­ about¡­¡±


    ¡°I killed you, you stupid pigeon. Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t kill you. I did.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I never wanted you to win in the first ce. You had to die here. You¡¯ve been heeding my instructions to die from the very beginning. Do you understand what I mean? I instructed you to jump into Kim Hyunsung¡¯s arms because I wanted you to be stabbed by his sword. Fuhaha!¡±


    ¡°What are you talking¡­ about¡­? cough. Cough.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re way more idiotic than expected, seeing that you can¡¯t understand it even though I exined it so well already. Thronus, I couldn¡¯t have chosen you from the beginning. Idiot. Did you really think I¡¯d leave it to a smelly pigeon?¡±


    ¡°You¡­ you¡­¡±


    ¡°My interest is why I chose you. A hero who has aplished his task brilliantly but has fallen exhausted. The one who couldn¡¯t ovee his limits. The one who sacrificed everything he had. The enlightened one. Kim Hyunsung, the hero who failed. Whew¡­ It sounds good. Does it not so? Kim Hyunsung, the failed hero! Kim Hyunsung, the hero who carries all the burdens. It¡¯s not you pigeons that will change the world. This one here will save this ce on your behalf.¡±


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    ¡°What? Did you think I woulde here to cry and do some drama? You stupid motherfucker. You idiot. Hahaha. Stupid bastard. Oh! I have to tell you this. Thank you, Thronus. Thank you for dying to Kim Hyunsung. You have be a great experience for him. You gave him confidence and encouraged him to be stronger. Today¡¯s memory will be of great strength to our Hyunsung.¡±


    ¡°Who are you¡­¡±


    ¡°What? Fuhaha.¡±


    ¡°Who¡­ is the one that¡­ made you that way.¡±


    ¡°This asshole bastard. What bullsh*t is that?¡±


    ¡°Who¡­ Whoever corrupted you that way¡­ who¡­¡±


    ¡°This is my real personality. I knew you were stupid, but¡­ More importantly, isn¡¯t it time for you to die? As expected, the pigeons must lose their lives. Ptooey.¡±


    ¡°Who made you that way¡­ I¡¯m asking¡­ Sigh¡­ Sigh¡­ Wait. A little bit¡­ If you wait, I¡¯ll¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be able to save you. I¡­ can ¡­ save¡­ you¡­ It¡¯s my¡­ mistake¡­ I should¡­ have¡­ taken care¡­¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect this situation.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­ think it would be¡­ like this¡­ Sigh¡­ Sigh¡­¡±


    ¡°You were a more idiotic pigeon than I thought.¡±


    ¡°Save¡­¡±


    ¡°You can also cry? You¡¯re not even human¡­¡±


    ¡°Just a little bit¡­ more¡­ time¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut up, Thronus. There¡¯s a problem with the scenario because of you. Sh*t. Ah. Damn. Damn¡­ Because of this stupid bastard¡­ from start to finish¡­ ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Please¡­¡±


    ¡°I told you to be quiet.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, I can do this. That¡¯s right. I think you¡¯re right, Thronus.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It looks like someone has corrupted me. Actually, I didn¡¯t intend to do this, but I think I was corrupted without my knowledge. I wanted someone to save me, but in the end, no one helped. Everyone turned away from me. It happened because all the people dear to me died, and I, too, had a mental breakdown. I¡¯m sorry, Thronus. I can¡¯t shake off this pitch-ck energy. I¡¯ve been beaten by it.¡±


    ¡°Sigh¡­ Sigh¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no way I would betray you, Thronus. We are close, and we have a mutual understanding. I still remember the night sky we saw together. It was good. The cold wind was blowing, and the stars were shining. We had a lot of fun talking, didn¡¯t we? Yes, it was fun. Honestly, it was a little boring¡­ No, I mean I had fun too, Thronus.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s like we¡¯re soulmates. So¡­ If we meet again, I really want you to save me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, I have to tell you something important.¡±


    ¡°Sigh¡­ Sigh¡­ Sigh¡­¡±


    ¡°My name.¡±


    ¡°Sigh¡­¡±


    ¡°My name is Lee Kiyoung. You have to remember it clearly. My name is Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°Sigh¡­ Sigh¡­¡±


    ¡°Lee¡­ Kiyoung¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I guess you¡¯ve run out of time. Rest well, Thronus.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The disgusting masked trash that made me unknowingly nauseous was certainly not me.

 Chapter 709: Soulmate (8)

    <h4>Chapter 709: Soulmate (8)</h4>


    ¡®I have a lot to think about.¡¯


    The first problem was that I didn¡¯t know the reason why I suddenly saw moments of the first timeline.


    Meanwhile, I began thinking that Lee Kiyoung of the past bluffed before erasing my memory, but I already knew about it.


    ¡®Kim Hyunsung stabbed Lee Kiyoung.¡¯


    I had reached conclusions once before. That was a winning puzzle. It was a bet with Lucifer, and it was the condition that allowed us to have that war.


    I roughly judged that it was finished, but there might still be something I was turning away from. It wasn¡¯t enough to dismiss all of the hypotheses that had been established before, and I thought I needed to dig a little deeper.


    I wondered for a moment that the soul of the masked trash might be prating Lee Kiyoung¡¯s soul, but¡­


    ¡®It isn¡¯t noticeable¡­¡¯


    Since it wasn¡¯t, I didn¡¯t even feel the need to stop it. It wasn¡¯t something that could be stopped just because I wanted to in the first ce¡­ and it was definitely partly helpful.


    Organizing the visions I had seen was the priority. As the hypothesis I had established so far had been blown away, I had no choice but to press the change of stance button.


    ¡®Kim Hyunsung. wasn¡¯t he an enemy?¡¯


    The most shocking thing was that the masked trash wasn¡¯t hostile to Kim Hyunsung. More than anything else, that fact was the most interesting.


    I thought that Kim Hyunsung and the masked trash in the first round were enemies.


    The central theme of the history of the first timeline was the confrontation between Kim Hyunsung and the masked trash.


    At some point, the two were hostile enough to hate each other and went through several wars. The conflict deepened, and, as a result, the situation became soplicated, reaching a point where the continent was utterly destroyed.


    Kim Hyunsung was a warrior who had to save the world, and the masked trash was his opponent. It was a typical story about a warrior and the devil. Even if they were rivals, it was a rtionship filled with hostility.


    I thought the masked trash Jin Qing was a psychopath who had no way to be rid of.


    ¡®Is it possible that it may not be?¡¯


    What the hell was it?


    ¡®My interest lies on him, a hero who has aplished his task brilliantly but has fallen exhausted. The one who couldn¡¯t ovee his limits. The one who sacrificed everything he had. The enlightened one. Kim Hyunsung, the hero who failed. Whew¡­ It sounds good. Does it not so? Kim Hyunsung, the failed hero! Kim Hyunsung, the hero who carries all the burdens. It¡¯s not you pigeons that will change the world. This one here will save this ce on your behalf.¡¯


    What the hell?


    Wasn¡¯t he talking as if he was pampering Kim Hyunsung? It was no different than saying that all actions against Kim Hyunsung so far were lies. It was no exaggeration to say that it was a lie that destroyed all the cases I assumed in the first ce.


    Of course, there was no guarantee that those words were true. Who could know the thoughts of the masked trash? He might¡¯ve just said that to deceive the alcoholic pigeon, or perhaps he was babbling without meaning. He couldn¡¯t be trusted. That¡¯s for sure.


    Masked trash¡­


    ¡°The masked trash never killed Kim Hyunsung.¡±


    I continually looked at his history, but he had never once touched Kim Hyunsung. The masked trash had never done any other harm to the regressor, even though he was in a situation where he could kill him if he chose to.


    Considering that Kim Hyunsung was still alive even after the world was destroyed, it seemed that it wouldn¡¯t be wrong to dig deeper into the current hypothesis.


    I judged that it was because of Altanus¡¯ protection, but there were other possibilities at that point, such as the case where the masked trash wanted to let Kim Hyunsung remain from the beginning.


    ¡°That¡¯s crazy. Fuck.¡±


    Many things came to mind. What if the masked trash didn¡¯t resent Kim Hyunsung from the beginning?


    Of course, it was more likely that he resented Kim Hyunsung if I thought about what he had done against him. But at some point, he might havee to understand Kim Hyunsung. He might have changed his purpose from revenge to something else entirely, or his train of thoughts itself might¡¯ve be different.


    But the fact that he continued to be hostile to Hyunsung even though that was the case¡­


    ¡®Was it because he wanted Kim Hyunsung to be stronger?¡¯


    Shaking my head and looking at Kim Hyunsung through the telescope, I saw him entangled with the alcoholic pigeon that was providing him with even more experience.


    A more intense fight was still going on than the one in the first round.


    My jaw dropped without my knowledge.


    -Kim Hyunsung.


    -¡­


    Baaaaaaaang!!


    It had been a long time since the two separated from the other battlefields and spaces.


    I could see a colossal shield spread around them. It was a minimal countermeasure to keep others from getting caught in the aftermath of their fight.


    Of course, it was meaningless to have that. The shield burst out in no time, and even the wall began to copse.


    ¡®Gosh¡­ fuck. That shouldn¡¯t have copsed.¡¯


    It was just after Kim Hyunsung swung his sword. The ck magical power in his de struck the wall instantly, and with an explosive sound, one side of it crumbled helplessly.


    It wasn¡¯t even weird. Instead, I felt that Hyunsung was controlling his power. I knew that the two fights showed simr patterns in the first round, after all.


    Above the sky, on the floor, they kept constantly moving while trading blows. I could feel their emotional agitations from a distance. Unlike the alcoholic pigeon who desperately tried to seek his friend, I thought that Kim Hyunsung had no reason to get agitated, but¡­


    ¡®Would it be weird if he weren¡¯t?¡¯


    He might have been drunk in the atmosphere, or perhaps he was drunk on himself.


    It was different from Kim Hyunsung of the past, who could barely deal with him. The current Kim Hyunsung was overwhelming him.


    His insufficient magical power increased, and the wings he didn¡¯t have appeared. He had grown several levels physically as well. Everything was definitely different from his inferior self in the first timeline.


    Although I cheered at the enemy¡¯s increasingly reddening appearance¡­ honestly, that alcoholic pigeon was tough as well.


    It was as if each other¡¯s positions had changed from the first round.


    The alcoholic pigeon was fighting like Kim Hyunsung in their first battle. Although all parts were inferior, he prolonged the fight by appropriately gauging Kim Hyunsung¡¯s power.


    Kim Hyunsung had the upper hand, but strangely, I couldn¡¯t picture him taking victory in the fight.


    It was then that they lowered their swords from a close distance.


    -¡­


    -You got weaker.


    -No, I got stronger, Thronus.


    -You got weaker.


    -Let¡¯s see if you can still say that with your throat sliced open.


    ¡®Where did Hyunsung learn such harshnguage? Fuck.¡¯


    -Have you lost your temper by being drunk with power? That power will ruin you, Kim Hyunsung.


    -I am always rational, and I just made a reasonable choice. I am always aware of what I am doing and what I should do.


    -That¡¯s disgraceful. Do you know what you look like now?


    -I know.


    ¡®No. Hyunsung, you don¡¯t look disgraceful. You don¡¯t. You look cool, so stop with that. Who would say you look disgusting upon seeing those ck wings?¡¯


    -I know that I look disgraceful¡­


    -That¡¯s the words of a man who sold himself to a dirty demon. Kim Hyunsung. Look down at yourself. Aren¡¯t you no different from them? There were times when I thought you were shining back then. Now, you no longer have even a slight glimmer. I can¡¯t call you a star. It feels ridiculous to say this, but I leaned on you a little bit. No matter. I don¡¯t have any questions about you. Your role is only to tell me where he is.


    -¡­


    -No instruction required, Seraphim, since this one can¡¯t beat me anyway. I¡¯ll get him back alone.


    -I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. You probably know that it¡¯s not convincing to talk like that with the way you look now.


    -You even became even more idiotic. You¡¯re too drunk on that power.


    -¡­


    Kim Hyunsung was biting his lips tightly. He hated to admit it, but he had no choice but to do so. The fight that stopped for a while began once again.


    Kim Hyunsung made a face that showed there was no way he could lose as Thronus slowly grasped his sword.


    It was only from that point that the direction of the battle began to change.


    ¡®That drug-addicted pigeon bastard.¡¯


    ¡°Why are you so strong? What the hell did you do?¡±


    Thronus¡¯s power was considered weaker than Cherubim and Dominions, but he was actually stronger than both. Too overwhelmingly so, even. Otherwise, his present condition couldn¡¯t be exined.


    Not long after the fight began, Kim Hyunsung became visibly nervous.


    It wasn¡¯t because of the guy¡¯s awkward psychological warfare. It was exactly the same conversation they had just before. He was messing with Kim Hyunsung as if the fight wasn¡¯t just with specs.


    It was like seeing when Kim Hyunsung fought against Donovan and won. Except that Kim Hyunsung was in the position of the strong idiot.


    -Damn.


    -Stupid human.


    -Damn!!


    ¡®He definitely has an advantage¡­¡¯


    It felt like he was losing psychologically.


    ¡®He¡¯s immature.¡¯


    At that moment, I realized again that Kim Hyunsung wasn¡¯t a perfect hero.


    ¡°He¡¯s rather unstable.¡±


    After going through the first round, others went through multiple changes, while he remained immature and unstable.


    ¡°That¡¯s why.¡±


    It felt like I had been hit by a hammer in the head.


    Everything suddenly made sense about what happened and how.


    ¡°That¡¯s what it was.¡±


    The scattered puzzles wereing together again.


    I came up with a ridiculous hypothesis, assuming that the purpose of the masked trash in the first round was to save the world.


    What if he had already realized the first round would fail and was secretly preparing for the second round?


    It sounded ridiculous, but what I had seen so far made it seem rational. Rather, there were too many parts that fit together, so much so that I wasn¡¯t even perplexed.


    Everything made sense; everything fit. The masked trash didn¡¯t want to destroy the continent. No, perhaps he wanted to protect it.


    ¡°This is right.¡±


    What if he thought that the outer gods were needed as adversaries, and that¡¯s why he chose Kim Hyunsung as the right person?


    It wasn¡¯t only the reason why the masked trash didn¡¯t really antagonize Kim Hyunsung that made it sound usible, but also the probability of the unfamiliar scene I just saw.


    ¡°Why Kim Hyunsung?¡±


    Kim Hyunsung wasn¡¯t a perfect hero, but he was thest remaining hope of humanity.


    I got goosebumps when I thought about it. It was hard to maintainposure about the truth that the masked trash wasn¡¯t a wicked person from the beginning.


    He wasn¡¯t the viin. He imed himself to be a wicked man¡­ for the continent. He took it all and prepared for a new start.


    If that hypothesis was true¡­


    How hard was it for him?


    How lonely and distressed he had he been?


    How much courage did it take to take one step further toward a path no one could choose- no one would choose- knowing that everyone would criticize and hate him, knowing that he would be the enemy of humanity?


    He wasn¡¯t the masked trash but a hero who sacrificed himself for the continent.


    I could no longer call him masked trash. I kept thinking of the scenes I had seen before.


    ¡®Thank you, Altanus.¡¯


    The one who carried everyone¡¯s suffering on his back.


    ¡®I can start over, Jihye.¡¯


    The one who imed himself to be wicked to save the continent.


    ¡®This one here will save this ce on your behalf.¡¯


    The one whose face he covered for the sake of the cause.


    The Masked Hero.


    ¡°It was me¡­¡±


    It wasn¡¯t Jin Qing.


    He couldn¡¯t do that.


    Trash like Jin Qing couldn¡¯t simply be a hero carrying a burden.


    ¡°It was me¡­¡±


    I was the masked hero of the first timeline.


    ¡°Fuck ¡­ I was the masked hero¡­¡±


    It was an unthinkable identity.


    In front of that great twist, I unknowingly spoke to myself.


    ¡°The masked hero Lee Kiyoung?¡±


    The mask would have existed to hide my sadness, not to hide my identity.

 Chapter 710: Scenario (1)

    <h4>Chapter 710: Scenario (1)</h4>


    A little bit of embarrassment had gotten into my head, but it didn¡¯t take long before shame disappeared.


    It was a heavy truth and a sad story.


    I thought the change in attitude was a bit extreme, but who would dare throw stones at me?


    When I recalled how the masked savior would have spent the days in the first round, a great solemnity settled in my head.


    ¡®That¡¯s what it was.¡¯


    I thought that the question, ¡®Would it have been necessary to ruin the continent like this?¡¯ could also be exined by that story to some extent. It must¡¯ve been painful, but wasn¡¯t it an unavoidable choice since it was the only way to start the second timeline?


    Wasn¡¯t it possible that the deaths of some humans woulde as heavy news to the gods above? I had to make them also judge that our continent was hopeless.


    It wasn¡¯t only humans who were selfish and took advantage of the situation. The gods also found the most rational way to solve the problem.


    That wasn¡¯t all. Sometimes the deities would go through a meeting about whether the event was worth their while and if the profits were significant enough for their time.


    Irreparable damage had to be dealt on the continent so that ordinary methods wouldn¡¯t be enough to spontaneously revive it.


    The first timeline¡¯s me might have judged that that was the condition for regression.


    As one could see, the masked hero did a great job. He left an irreparable wound on the continent, and he must¡¯ve been really heartbroken.


    ¡®I thought it was weird.¡¯


    In mymon sense, that level of psychopathy didn¡¯t exist, which made me more surprised when I heard from Kim Hyunsung about his evil deeds. I kept wondering whether he really did that much, but I currently felt like the puzzle had been solved.


    ¡®What? He caused an infectious disease¡­ Gosh¡­ He used humans as gue bombs? Wow¡­ There¡¯s no one crazy enough in the world to do such a crazy thing for pleasure.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t for pleasure.


    The masked hero, Lee Kiyoung of the first timeline, designed everything. Of course, he wouldn¡¯t have nned out the whole process, but I thought he helped me draw the big picture. For example¡­


    ¡°Kim Hyunsung¡¯s bag.¡±


    The heroic-grade item Kim Hyunsung discovered in the tutorial, Ramus Tucker¡¯s Introduction to Alchemy.


    ¡®This is also weird.¡¯


    There was a possibility that he really discovered it in the tutorial dungeon. Or perhaps that was an item that Kim Hyunsung had taken right before his return. Still, why did he dare bring an alchemist-exclusive object despite having lots of other possessions?


    Considering that thest thing that remained on the sunset continent was Kim Hyunsung and me, perhaps I intended for him to take the bag.


    What method was used was hidden under the veil, but considering the continent¡¯s state at the time, it was convincing.


    The system was utterly broken.


    No life was left, and the items shared the same fate. If Kim Hyunsung had a mythic-ss item, he would¡¯ve brought it instead of the bag to his return.


    ¡®The only equipment he could bring to the second timeline was that.¡¯


    Why?


    It was the item left behind by the masked savior. The 1st Kiyoung, whomitted too great a sin in the first round, wouldn¡¯t have liked it if I had chosen to be a ck wizard.


    It was a ss that hadmitted many unsolicited sins. There was no way he would want to choose that ss once again. With the Mind¡¯s Eyes, he would¡¯ve expected that I would follow Kim Hyunsung unconditionally, and I met his predictions.


    As a result, 2nd Kiyoung chose to be an alchemist. Everything would¡¯ve been ording to his calctions. In addition to that, many things must¡¯ve been a part of his ns. The thought gave me goosebumps.


    The masked hero was supporting and guiding me even after his ego was gone.


    The memories of the first round that I kept seeing were solid evidence. I now judged 1st Kiyoung and 2nd Kiyoung to be the same person.


    Of course, there might¡¯ve been circumstances that couldn¡¯t be helped, but one thing was certain: he had handed me the baton.


    He decided that I would be able to do the job well afterward. It wasn¡¯t an easy decision for people like us. Even though I was him, giving meplete faith must¡¯ve been hard. I didn¡¯t know what kind of thinking he left me the job with.


    ¡°That desire. I received it well.¡±


    Rather, I had no choice but to take that desire. I couldn¡¯t ignore his sincerity in wanting to save the continent.


    I thought I knew what to do, and I thought I could predict which scenario to use. Both the 1st and 2nd timelines had the same purpose.


    ¡®Our Hyunsung¡¯s growth.¡¯


    That was the issue. Perhaps the story where Kim Hyunsung stabbed Lee Kiyoung was also rted.


    It wasn¡¯t like a cartoon-like awakening where one gained new eyes after killing their most precious friend, but there could be a significant change inside Kim Hyunsung.


    Wasn¡¯t itmon sense that changes in the hero brought inner growth?


    Currently, Kim Hyunsung could never defeat the outer gods. He was struggling with Thronus alone right at that moment, so how could he reach more than that?


    Kim Hyunsung needed new strength.


    ¡®He¡¯s not there yet. He needs to grow more. More. He has to be stronger.¡¯


    How?


    I knew Kiyoung of the first round had already made a scenario for that exact situation. Wasn¡¯t it too obvious who I should use?


    ¡°The alcoholic pigeon.¡±


    Lee Kiyoung, in the first round, was telling me to use him. Another arrangement heid was Thronus.


    ¡®That pigeon can¡¯t kill me.¡¯


    It was true that he told him my name first and threw him at me to use.


    It was no different than someone giving me one more queen to y with in chess. My past self even kindly informed me through the first round in case I might not notice. That pigeon¡­


    He was a prerequisite for evolving the 4-star Kim Hyunsung to the 5-star Kim Hyunsung.


    I couldn¡¯t tell what the scenario would¡¯ve been before the change, but it wasn¡¯t wrong to use Thronus altogether.


    It hurt, watching Kim Hyunsung being damaged heavily.


    ¡°Fuck, stop hitting our Hyunsung, demon bastard.¡±


    What if he identally put a wound on the hero of the continent¡¯s precious body?


    Booooooooooooooom!!


    -Damn¡­


    -Didn¡¯t I tell you? You are weak.


    -It can¡¯t be.


    -¡­


    -It can¡¯t be! I can¡¯t be weak. I¡­ I got stronger.


    -¡­


    -I¡¯m stronger! For what I must protect, I chose to be stronger and so got this power. I have to be stronger. More. I have to be stronger. More. More. More. That way, I can protect it.


    -Protect what?


    -You don¡¯t need to know, Thronus. The only thing that matters is that I shouldn¡¯t be like this anymore. I must always stand. Right. I should be able to support him. I can¡¯t¡­ I can¡¯t be a burden anymore. Right. I can do it. I can do it. I can do it.


    ¡®Our Hyunsung isn¡¯t being himself.¡¯


    At that point, I could see the result without having to look at it. The one who was supposed to be colder lost the coldness. He was under pressure and obsessed.


    I couldn¡¯t tell what made him that way, but I already believed that Kim Hyunsung couldn¡¯t cross the wall called Thronus.


    ¡®Should I go out?¡¯


    Should I give him a new stimulus? Would he realize a new power if he was driven to the corner a bit more?


    I thought that maybe it was the perfect timing for Kim Hyunsung to stab me, but it was entirely different. There was no simrity to the scenery I saw. It wasn¡¯t the time to raise Hyunsung¡¯s tension once more.


    ¡®It seems that Jihye has more time too¡­¡¯


    Gradually, I could feel the battlefield stabilizing. I was a little nervous about leaving the control room for a moment, but it didn¡¯t mean much because I could look down the battlefield with the telescope and give directions through quests anyway.


    Some humans in the isted areas might be confused, but Kim Hyunsung was more important than them.


    ¡®I should go with this.¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung could climb the stairs one more time. He could get a bit stronger.


    He wasn¡¯t even that far away, so if I flew, I could fully reach him. When I left, I heard a crowd shout and an explosion.


    ¡°Honorary Cardinal! It¡¯s dangerous here. You should go back to the control¡­¡±


    ¡°How about the defense line?¡±


    ¡°The demons in angelic masks continue to flock. There is no problem in holding them, but¡­¡±


    ¡®It can be dangerous if this goes on for too long, right? I already know.¡¯


    ¡°I have a ce to visit for a moment. Keep the battlefield as still as possible.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    There was no answer due to the shock of Field Commander 1 while looking at me and my enormous wings.


    Kim Hyunsung, seen through a telescope, was still at a disadvantage. He wielded his sword as if he was struggling, but Thronus took off Kim Hyunsung¡¯s pressure too easily.


    ¡®Can I reach him in time?¡¯


    As the wings of light moved, my body tinkered forward.


    -Sh*t¡­ Sh*t!!


    -That¡¯s disgraceful.


    -Damn!


    -¡­


    -Die! Die!


    -¡­


    -I can¡¯t lose. Never.


    It hurt to see Kim Hyunsung acting so helpless.


    ¡®Is he in that much disadvantage? Does this make sense?¡¯


    Wouldn¡¯t he have been able to fight a little more properly if he hadn¡¯t epted Lucifer¡¯s power?


    I felt like I knew what Thronus was talking about.


    ¡®He¡¯s relying on that power.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t believe in himself.


    Kim Hyunsung relied more on the power he received than on his own, and I didn¡¯t know how it happened. He didn¡¯t seem confident enough to think he should¡¯ve entered the mental clinic earlier. The regressor was muttering alone that he had to win, that he couldn¡¯t lose, but he was saying those for himself.


    ¡®If only Hyunsung had half of Heera¡¯s personality¡­¡¯


    However, that couldn¡¯t be med on Kim Hyunsung. There was no choice but to admit that Teacher Kiyoung was also wrong.


    I thought it was enough if he just got stronger, never realizing that was bound to happen once that was how things went.


    Considering the growth process of Kim Hyunsung in the second timeline, it was likely that his confidence would soon disappear. Not only did he seem unmotivated from the start, but he seemed to have lost what he had to fight for.


    Although he agreed with me in the sunset, I was a bit hesitant to instill a reason for Kim Hyunsung to fight.


    On one side of Kim Hyunsung¡¯s mind, he might be hoping for Lee Kiyoung to remain intact rather than watching the sunset together.


    The hero¡¯s appearance, who was unable to believe in himself due to his continued failures, was shabbier than I thought.


    Like Jung Hayan, when things weren¡¯t going well, Kim Hyunsung kept tears in his eyes and spewed out ck magic as he pleased.


    He kept iming he couldn¡¯t be beaten and couldn¡¯t be held back, but was that really the case?


    -With this¡­ with this power¡­


    When I saw his posture, he looked like he was trying to use a sunset-colored skill, but although I could see the de gradually reddening¡­


    The hero¡¯s sunset-colored sword didn¡¯t answer his call.


    -Why¡­


    Thronus also swung his sword. Blood began to spatter from Kim Hyunsung¡¯s chest as his de seemed to rain a cluster of stars from the night sky.


    -¡­


    Kim Hyunsung was down, and Thronus swung his sword again. No, he tried to swing until he heard my voice.


    ¡°Let this man go.¡±


    I arrived on time. I exaggeratedly extended my arms and wings, blocking the gap between Kim Hyunsung and Thronus. It felt like my body was shining thanks to the wings shaped by the light.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Kill me and let him go.¡±


    It was a sacrificial line based on my judgment that the alcoholic pigeon could never kill me.

 Chapter 711: Scenario (2)

    <h4>Chapter 711: Scenario (2)</h4>


    ¡®Wait. But this bastard doesn¡¯t know my face.¡¯


    The appearance was gorgeous, and the n wasn¡¯t bad altogether.


    ¡®Should I have toe with a name tag?¡¯


    The way I dropped the feathers of light and slowly blocked the gap between the two felt too sacred even for me.


    I couldn¡¯t see myself, but I could assure anyone that no matter how I looked, the divine energy was overflowing. My fragile body, which would seemingly copse immediately if anyone hit it, was wrapped in pure white light, creating an atmosphere that others couldn¡¯t even touch.


    I had to look like a victim as much as possible, and the first step was to look unconditionally pitiful.


    No, I shouldn¡¯t just look weak. As if I could give my life for the hero of the continent, I also had to convey an intense gaze that would tell anyone that I would never regret my choice.


    I looked like the typical victim. As I said earlier, the only problem was that Thronus didn¡¯t know my face. I hoped that Kim Hyunsung would call my name.


    ¡®Kiyoung!¡¯


    I thought I could be a little relieved once he said that word.


    ¡®Should I just introduce myself shamefully at this timing?¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung, who was down, couldn¡¯t understand what was happening. It looked like he didn¡¯t expect that even I would go that far for him.


    Not only did he seem too distracted to open his mouth, but he also seemed to feel self-defeated at hispletely broken appearance. There was no other reaction. He just looked at me with a confused expression. I thought it¡¯d take a little longer before he could get his act together.


    ¡®Fuck, you¡¯re not going to kill me right away, right? You won¡¯t stab me, right? We look like the same kind. Although the types are a little different, we arepanions because you have wings, and I also have wings. Please don¡¯t kill me yet.¡¯


    If I saw him trying to lift his sword, I thought I should just unconditionally introduce myself.


    It was for a very short time, but it felt like time had stopped.


    It was then that a voice came. It wasn¡¯t Kim Hyunsung¡¯s voice calling my name. The first one that opened his mouth was Thronus, who was still looking at me.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Lee¡­ Kiyoung?¡±


    ¡®How does this bastard know?¡¯


    ¡°Lee¡­ Lee Kiyoung?¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s ridiculous. Really.¡¯


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡°You are Lee Kiyoung. You¡­ you were Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what face he was making.


    I wasn¡¯t saying I was a bottle of liquor, but he had the same face as an alcoholic looking at alcohol after such a long time. Tears were pooling in his eyes, and his voice was trembling.


    ¡°It¡¯s not disgraceful.¡±


    His body was also trembling as if he was under the effects of withdrawal. I didn¡¯t know what he was thinking, but I knew I could solve the problem without dying.


    ¡°Your face is rather noble, just like I thought it would be.¡±


    ¡®Thank you for evaluating it like that. Lee Kiyoung does benefit with a bit of light on his face.¡¯


    ¡°Even among the fallen, the light has not been lost. The essence is¡­ the essence couldn¡¯t be changed.¡±


    He looked a bit happy.


    ¡°Seraphim, are you seeing this? That¡¯s him. My story was right. Look at this human. This one has not lost the light. On the contrary, he has continued to cultivate that tender little light in his heart. Ha¡­ haha¡­ I¡¯m so happy. How could he discover his own brilliance and grow it in such a helpless situation?¡±


    Although it was the power of Benignore, my wings of light seemed to make them act friendly to me. I definitely thought it could work in my favor.


    ¡°Finally, we meet again. I keep remembering what you said. I mean, to not forget your name. I thought I¡¯d meet you someday, but¡­ I never thought it would be this soon. There are a lot of things I¡¯ve been repeating to myself, but I don¡¯t know where to start. My friend, my understanding, I am here to save you. Now, take my hand. Human- no, Lee Kiyoung. The demon behind you is your enemy. He¡¯s not worth your life. I will kill him and set you free.¡±


    ¡®No, fuck. Haven¡¯t you heard me? I told you not to kill this bastard manifest.¡¯


    I shook my head with a determined face. Since he could stab Kim Hyunsung, I prepared to block him.


    After taking a step back, I immediately began to put my body closer to Kim Hyunsung.


    I had to make it clear that he wouldn¡¯t be able to attack Kim Hyunsung without stabbing me. I also had to show him that the light would never go out and that he could never break my convictions.


    ¡®Fuck, that¡¯s cool. Really, I¡¯ll get drunk on myself.¡¯


    ¡°You don¡¯t remember me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much. It¡¯s hard, but perhaps you can find a way. Even if you don¡¯t remember me, it doesn¡¯t matter. There are more days left to be together. Seraphim, Cherubim, and Dominions are waiting for you and will wee you in the end.¡±


    ¡®This bastard is pretending to be too close to me¡­ Hyunsung, you¡¯re not listening to all of it, right?¡¯


    It was a bit weird to say that it was a relief, but he was still looking nk. Perhaps he wasn¡¯t in a condition to properly understand the current situation.


    It would¡¯ve been an unconscious act to hold my sleeve tight while gasping for breath.


    No, not that. As I watched his lips move continuously, he seemed to be aware of the fact that I was here. I didn¡¯t know what he¡¯s talking about, but if I interpreted it slowly¡­


    Run.


    ¡®I won¡¯t run away, Hyunsung.¡¯


    There was no way I would run away and leave the hero of the precious continent behind.


    ¡°Look down once again at the figure of the one you are trying to protect¡­¡±


    ¡°I already am.¡±


    ¡°It is the form of a man who sold his soul to the demon. He is a deceiver. It¡¯s dangerous to be with him.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not dangerous.¡±


    ¡°He looks dirty¡­¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not dirty. He doesn¡¯t look dirty.¡±


    ¡®Hyunsung. Fuck. Are you listening? You hear my voice, right? Are you listening?¡¯


    I spoke one more time, just in case.


    ¡°He¡¯s not dirty.¡±


    I said the same thing three times. I was kind enough to show him the shape of my mouth, so there was really no way he couldn¡¯t hear it.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why you say you know me, but¡­ you are just looking at his appearance.¡±


    ¡®Right. Fuck. Who could curse Kim Hyunsung for being disgraceful?¡¯


    He had to go through countless pains and trials and lost a countless number of precious people. He had to make an unwanted regression and endure the pain on his own.


    I couldn¡¯t even imagine how painful it would¡¯ve been for him. As much as the masked savior, both he and Kim Hyunsung must¡¯ve suffered.


    Doom Hyunsung was the result of carrying arge burden, the pressure of being unable to go against his fate, the fear of losing a dear one once more, and all kinds of negative emotions.


    In fact, the hero Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t change even though his appearance had be a little farther away from the light.


    ¡°It is you who wears the mask of a demon. I know what this person really is.¡±


    ¡®Hyunsung. Did you hear what I said? When you stab meter, don¡¯t make it painful. You have to stab me gently.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t much of a remark, but it was fucking touching. From Kim Hyunsung¡¯s point of view, I couldn¡¯t imagine how sweet that would sound.


    While he was regretting his own choices, feeling self-doubt, and suffering from his own appearance, what could be more reassuring than having someone like a brother tell him that he was okay?


    People¡¯s hearts warmed up even when they wereforted by someone they didn¡¯t know.


    If Kim Hyunsung listened to me, he would¡¯ve felt something. His face looked as I expected.


    ¡®Hey¡­ fuck, why are you crying?¡¯


    No, it was a more novel reaction than I thought.


    ¡®Why are you crying?¡¯


    Was it thatforting?


    Tears continued to flow, even as he was lying there, unable to speak properly.


    Seeing that he couldn¡¯t wipe it himself, I didn¡¯t think he was psychologically well. Since he used Lucifer¡¯s power, there was a possibility that his mind could be messed up.


    I wanted to check his physical condition, but I wasn¡¯t stupid enough to do that right at that moment.


    In the meantime, Thronus, located in front of us, had aplex expression on his face.


    ¡°You¡­ you are just mistaken. If you talk with us at least a little, you¡¯ll probably be able to agree with our stance soon.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You are being deceived by that maniptor. He¡¯s a wicked man who controls everyone. Even if that¡¯s not what he looks like, he¡¯s already a man that turned against the light. He¡¯s not someone we can trust. Get out of the way¡­ quickly¡­¡±


    ¡®No, fuck. I will never get out of the way. Kill me instead. Fucking kill me if you can. No, before that, Hyunsung will rise.¡¯


    I could feel the pressure on the sleeves he was holding onto. He didn¡¯t seem to notice, but Kim Hyunsung¡¯s body was moving little by little.


    ¡®He¡¯s trying to stand up.¡¯


    He might get rid of Lucifer¡¯s strength and regain his true power.


    I began to feel convinced that the 4-star Kim Hyunsung could evolve into a 5-star Kim Hyunsung. He must¡¯ve had a conversation with his inner self, and it was time to get up.


    Would Kim Hyunsung go back to the beginning and find his true nature?


    ¡®You can be stronger, right? Fuck, Hyunsung. Get up quickly. My knee hurts.¡¯


    His wings were wriggling. It was no wonder that the expectation of the hero¡¯s appearance oveing the pain was raised.


    I wanted to tell him to get up a little faster, but for the time being, maintaining my current position was the top priority. I had to give Kim Hyunsung courage.


    ¡°You can do it.¡±


    ¡®Hyunsung.¡¯


    ¡°I believe you will ovee it as always.¡±


    I also loaded in some tears.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t stay with you.¡±


    ¡®Can¡¯t you see I¡¯m prepared for death?¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for not keeping my promise.¡±


    ¡®Get up before I really die. You have to stand up and awaken.¡¯


    ¡°You will be able to do well. Please, take care of the others.¡±


    Thronus didn¡¯t seem to have any intention of killing me, but I had to make it look like he would anyway. I could see the pigeon¡¯s face that seemed to want to say that he wouldn¡¯t kill me, but there¡¯s no way I could hear his voice in that situation.


    Thronus bit his lips as he slowly walked. He realized that Kim Hyunsung was going to stand up.


    ¡°Forgive me.¡±


    He apologized for subduing me, who was blocking Kim Hyunsung¡¯s front.


    I thought I could buy more time for a while, but he grabbed my hand too easily and lifted me.


    It was gentle enough not to feel pain, but I pretended like it hurt and screamed.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!¡±


    ¡®Hyunsung. Now. Fuck, I¡¯m dying. Are you watching right now? This bastard is trying to kill me. Fuck. Get up quickly.¡¯


    ¡°Sniff¡­¡±


    ¡®The pigeon caught me. I¡¯m going now. I think he¡¯s really trying to kill me. I just almost broke my arm. What are you doing not getting up?¡¯


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhh!¡±


    As I looked at Kim Hyunsung with a louder scream than before, I saw congested eyes and bitten lips. His red eyes look even redder. I was certain that wasn¡¯t an illusion.


    ¡®I guess this bastard will stand up after all.¡¯


    ¡°Sniff¡­ please¡­¡±


    ¡®Stand up, fuck. Awaken. Fuck.¡¯


    ¡°¡­ Let go.¡±


    ¡®Awaken! And awaken! Awaken again!¡¯


    ¡°Let¡­ Let go of that hand!¡±


    It was our proud regressor who had raised his body that roared. I could see him punching Thronus¡¯s face immediately. His movement and magic power were markedly different from earlier.


    ¡®He has awakened¡­¡¯


    He seemed to have evolved into five stars.


    ¡®He overcame it!¡¯


    The only problem was¡­


    ¡®What the¡­ Why did horns grow on your head? Fuck¡­ I mean¡­ what? What¡¯s wrong with your skin? No¡­ No, what¡¯s wrong with your arms¡­ and¡­ your face¡­ what¡¯s wrong¡­¡¯


    His awakening had taken on apletely different direction.


    ¡®Ahhh¡­¡¯


    It didn¡¯t even look like Kim Hyunsung anymore.

 Chapter 712: Scenario (3)

    <h4>Chapter 712: Scenario (3)</h4>


    ¡®What¡¯s wrong with you¡­ what¡¯s wrong?¡¯


    It was scary to look straight at Kim Hyunsung. Even at a nce, it seemed that he hadpletely lost his human form.


    I was at the point of doubting whether he still had a sound mind. Although I was a bit hesitant, it was still necessary to check how the current Kim Hyunsung was doing. As I slowly nced at the guy from the bottom up, Kim Hyunsung¡¯s solid legs came into my eyes.


    ¡®I guess this part didn¡¯t change that much here.¡¯


    His boots covered it, so I couldn¡¯t see it properly. The only difference was the tail on his back.


    I didn¡¯t know what kind of beast should bepared to the tail shape that I saw for the first time. One thing was for certain, however. It looked extremely intimidating, and I thought it could be used as a weapon.


    Both of his arms had changed enough to be unrecognizable. Would it be appropriate to say that they were wrapped in a dull ck color?


    It looked like the arms of a beast. I even doubted if he could hold a weapon. The ck hands had no border between the fingernails, which were sharp and pointed.


    Overall, it felt like he had be a little bigger. It was very little, but I could tell for sure. It was clear that his whole body, which was already muscr, gained a little more mass and got a little bit taller. The most striking new feature was therge horns on his head, curled inward like the horns of a goat.


    ¡®That honestly looks cool.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know why they were modeled after goat¡¯s horns, but it partly matched Kim Hyunsung¡¯s reputation anyway.


    Not only that, but his messy and randomly scattered hair looked awesome as well. I wasn¡¯t certain if it was the crazy crow¡¯s taste, but his long hair that extended down to the waist caught my eyes.


    Even just by looking at it roughly, it didn¡¯t look like simple hair. Was it correct to express that the material had changed? It felt like ordinary methods couldn¡¯t cut it out.


    It was okay to just look like that since I could tolerate that much. The problem was¡­


    ¡®Where¡¯s our Hyunsung¡¯s face?¡¯


    The problem was that Kim Hyunsung¡¯s face hadpletely disappeared. It waspletely covered in ck. Instead, fangs were visible, and a long tongue was noticeably in his mouth.


    He wasn¡¯t dripping saliva while sticking his tongue out disgracefully, but if he stuck that out, it would certainly be longer than a normal human¡¯s.


    Anyone would think he was like a monster.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what kind of gaze he had. I couldn¡¯t see his eyes in the first ce.


    I couldn¡¯t hear the beast¡¯s rumbling, but above all, I wasn¡¯t sure if he still had reason in him. Had he forgotten how to speak?


    His face quietly looking down at me made me feel somewhat frightened.


    I didn¡¯t care if everything else changed, but I needed to see his face to determine what he was thinking.


    ¡®Fuck, give his face back. Fuck. What is this? Fuck, that¡¯s a monster. That¡¯s ridiculous. I mean, he still has reason, right? Our Hyunsung hasn¡¯t beenpletely corrupted, right?¡¯


    I looked up with an anxious face. As if he got stuck somewhere far away after Kim Hyunsung¡¯s punch, Thronus wasn¡¯t showing up. That was when Kim Hyunsung slowly grabbed my arm and lifted me, bringing my face closer to his.


    ¡®What the hell? Is he really out of himself? Really? Really?¡¯


    It seemed like he was checking who I was. It was fortunate that he didn¡¯t sniff and smell like an animal, but I was still strangely scared. Who knew if he would bite me with his big mouth open?


    I was also worried about whether I provoked him too much.


    ¡®Did I go too far? Was it the problem that I cried and pretended to be in pain screaming ¡®please stop¡¯?¡¯


    I shouldn¡¯t have made a fuss as if I was going to die. I wondered if Kim Hyunsung became too immersed in my acting skills.


    He must¡¯ve thought that Thronus¡¯ sharp sword would¡¯ve stabbed my throat if he had been a littleter.


    I shouldn¡¯t have made that horrified expression at the end¡­ Perhaps the problem was the remarks saying that even the appearance of the demon was okay.


    He might¡¯ve thought it¡¯s really okay since I said, ¡®It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay.¡¯ But reaching such a point where he basically turned into a beast wasn¡¯t good at all.


    In fact, it seemed that there were too many causes, so I couldn¡¯t confirm which one made him turn into such a form. The only thing that mattered was that Kim Hyunsung, in front of me, became a monster.


    ¡®Fuck, his awakening failed. Fuck¡­¡¯


    I felt strength in his hand that was holding my arm. He was startled when I frowned as if it hurt. In time, I saw him tilting his head.


    There was seemingly still a bit of him in there. I didn¡¯t expect to think that it would be fortunate that he didn¡¯t tear me apart or bite me down.


    ¡®You didn¡¯t really change, right? You¡¯re not going to stay like that forever, are you?¡¯


    That couldn¡¯t be.


    That wasn¡¯t the future I saw through Yuno Kasugano. If the future hadn¡¯t changed, Kim Hyunsung would once again restore his original form.


    Perhaps being stabbed by Kim Hyunsung in that state could be a clue to regaining his true awakening.


    Wasn¡¯t it a clich¨¦ that I had seen a lot before?


    The narrative in which a lost hero realized his fault at the death of his friend and was reborn as a true hero was no different from a ssic.


    Although the situation around me wasn¡¯t set up for that yet, that was the key. Where did I put the anesthetic potion? Fuck. Did I even bring it?


    If I got pierced by that hand, it probably wouldn¡¯t just end with a little sting. It was bound to be extremely painful. What would be more ridiculous than spouting the wrong words and getting killed for nothing?


    Raphael hadn¡¯t gotten up yet, so the timing couldn¡¯t be right yet. I wasn¡¯t trying to convince myself just because I didn¡¯t want to be stabbed by Grey Skull (N/T: In reference to Skullgreymon from Digimon) Hyunsung.


    ¡®Why isn¡¯t Thronus, that crazy pigeon bastard,ing? Shouldn¡¯t he have stopped him at this point?¡¯


    When Kim Hyunsung slowly lifted me once again, his body bounced to the other side with a bang, and I naturally fell to the floor. There, Thronus stood in front of the ck monster.


    ¡®Fuck. You came.¡¯


    At that moment, I could no longer distinguish which one was the hero.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Grey Skull Hyunsung expressed hostility to the enemy, who reappeared with his big fangs bared. He took out his sword.


    Boooooooooooom!!


    I saw a huge ck strike flying in with that sound.


    ¡®Fuck.¡¯


    Of course, he wasn¡¯t aiming and shooting at me, but I could bet that I would¡¯ve been swept away by the ck energy if Thronus hadn¡¯t hit back against that assault.


    ¡®It¡¯s ruined. Fuck. I¡¯m fucked.¡¯


    I suddenly felt an unknown sorrow rising from within me.


    ¡®You bastard, are you for real right now?¡¯


    Who would¡¯ve thought it would be a ck catastrophe that I would get in return for raising him and helping him until I vomited blood?


    I was afraid that I was the target of sending hostility with fangs in full view. He didn¡¯t even have a kind face anymore that I could defend somehow.


    At that moment, it wouldn¡¯t be strange if I pressed the abandon button, but it wasn¡¯t easy to press the prerequisite stance-change button that would damage the affection we had umted so far.


    It wasn¡¯t an appropriate example, but I felt like I could see why couples who had been together for a long time became hesitant about stamping divorce papers.


    As if to show how funny the human mind was, Thronus¡¯s back began to look more and more reliable.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°As I said before, that one is already a monster. It¡¯s only now that his true nature has been revealed.¡±


    ¡®What do I do? Fuck.¡¯


    ¡°He¡¯s already been engulfed by ck magic. That one in front of you is a monster of destruction and ughter.¡±


    ¡®What bullsh*t are you talking about? Our Hyunsung isn¡¯t a monster.¡¯


    ¡°He will not recognize anything. He will destroy everything around him until his life is over.¡±


    ¡®You know fucking nothing about how nice and gentle my kid is. Fuck, he¡¯s like that because he hung out with bad friends.¡¯


    ¡°Open your eyes and face reality, and you¡¯ll be able to see what¡¯s in front of you. You just want to pretend that you don¡¯t know when in fact, you already do. That can¡¯t be reversed.¡±


    ¡®Fuck. It can¡¯t¡­ It can¡¯t be.¡¯


    However, Kim Hyunsung, in front of us, didn¡¯t say anything. There was no feeling of wanting to protect me in his eyes.


    As per the words of Thronus, he had no other emotion than the desire to destroy everything in front of us. I slowly looked at the guy¡¯s face once again.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    The part I didn¡¯t see before came into my eyes.


    ¡®Fuck¡­ I can get him back.¡¯


    I saw a ck material covering Kim Hyunsung¡¯s face. The skin beneath that ck magic was no doubt normal. It looked like someone covered it artificially.


    It was a mask.


    ¡®I can get him back, fuck!¡¯


    He hadn¡¯t beenpletely eaten by the darkness yet. Kim Hyunsung was just wearing a mask that he couldn¡¯t take off. Behind it had to be his normal face.


    ¡®I just need to take it off.¡¯


    Wasn¡¯t it simple? If that mask was causing Kim Hyunsung to lose his reason, I just had to take it off of him. I wasn¡¯t certain if that would work, but he hade to his senses already.


    My heart suddenly began to ache when I thought about how urgent he thought the situation was to need a mask like that. He must¡¯ve felt like there was no other way.


    Thronus judged that Kim Hyunsung became a monster who lost his reason, but that couldn¡¯t be the case.


    If Kim Hyunsung had really be a viin who used destruction and ughter, I would¡¯ve already been dead. The light of Lee Kiyoung still remained in his unconscious.


    Just before wearing the dark mask, there must¡¯ve been one thought in Kim Hyunsung¡¯s mind.


    ¡®I have to kill Thronus.¡¯


    Why?


    That way, Lee Kiyoung could live.


    That was what he wanted to protect, even if it meant giving up his own reason, even if it meant abandoning himself.


    If I couldn¡¯t understand him, who could?


    The appearance of Kim Hyunsung, who made a silent cry with his big mouth open, seemed to be screaming.


    It felt like he was shouting that he was going to protect me.


    ¡®I can turn him back, right? You remember me, right?¡¯


    The problem was who could stop Kim Hyunsung, but I had already found a solution for that.


    ¡°Help.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Please¡­ Please help him.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you?¡±


    ¡°No. There is still hope left for us. He can return to his original form. I can see that his embers haven¡¯t gone out yet.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t ask again about what you want to say, how do you know me, and why you came here. But if you want to show your faith in me even a little, help me. The willingness to protect even the smallest remaining light¡­ the fact that you won¡¯t forsake even those who have already fallen¡­ you have to show it¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°If you help¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I will follow your will, whatever that might be.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t know if it was a positive or negative result, but I saw Thronus, who nodded, flying towards Kim Hyunsung.


    Of course, following him was but a pure white lie.


    ¡®Thank you, masked savior.¡¯

 Chapter 713: Scenario (4)

    <h4>Chapter 713: Scenario (4)</h4>


    At the beginning of the second round, I had no choice but to look ahead nervously.


    I knew that Thronus was strong, but I was skeptical about whether he could fight and win against Kim Hyunsung in that state.


    Even in the previous state of Doom Hyunsung, there was a clear gap in specifications. Back then, he had managed to ovee other parts in terms of skill, and they were of the same weight ss.


    However, the newly evolved Skull Gray Hyunsung and Thronus were no longer in the same ss.


    Just a little scratch would kill him. There was no way he didn¡¯t feel the pressure. Enduring the pressure that gave one trouble breathing was quite problematic. Hence, it was natural to be mentally exhausted.


    The awakening and the blow would also have left him with devastating damage. It wasn¡¯t obvious on the outside, but there was definitely damage internally.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The ck struck the silver with a deafening roar. His arms and legs had lost their form, seemingly swinging randomly, but they were much faster than before.


    Unlike a while ago, Thronus¡¯s face also lost itsposure. Among them, the most burdensome factor was¡­


    His durability and endurance had changed.


    Thronus¡¯s sword hit Kim Hyunsung¡¯s body, but it simply bounced away, unable to leave any wounds.


    The silver angel, who bit his lips tightly, wielded his weapon full of strength, but it kept being deflected due to the semi-sticity. If Thronus weren¡¯t the one fighting him, they would¡¯ve already let go of their armaments.


    It wasn¡¯t just the wall that was crumbling down. The whole ce had already been turned into aplete ruin.


    The battlefield used by Kim Hyunsung and Thronus was getting wider. When they swung their hands and feet with their mouth wide open, the shockwaves often reached quite far distances.


    Baaaaaaaang!!


    It wasn¡¯t strange anymore to see the scene of the surrounding area being devastated. I no longer even thought it was insane.


    He hade to the point where he couldn¡¯t control himself.


    Thronus attacked, and Kim Hyunsung simply blocked it using the horns on his head.


    Skull Gray Hyunsung tried to swing his hand, and the problem was that unlike when there were countless options, it had be hard to find a way to retaliate against that attack. Where was he going to avoid?


    ¡®Up? Down? Right? Left?¡¯


    Thanks to the magic that was released as he swung his ws, there was no safe ce except behind Kim Hyunsung himself.


    No, it wasn¡¯t safe behind him either. It was guarded by a sharp tail, after all. Maybe he should spill it, but he shouldn¡¯t let go of his dense magic.


    In the end, I had no choice but to send him a message.


    [Generating amon-grade forced quest.]


    [Center (0/1)]


    [Delivering amon-grade forced quest to Thronus. You have not registered any quest-clear rewards. The subject will not bepensated.]


    He should be able to understand what I¡¯m talking about.


    The angel twisted in the air with his wings wrapped around his body.


    The sword stretched out, causing a fluttering sound to echo.


    If one couldn¡¯t avoid or spill it, then they should just pierce him. If the density were light, Thronus would also be able to ovee it.


    Moving into a rtively less concentrated space allowed him to dig into his arms and smash Kim Hyunsung¡¯s mask with the handle of his sword. He used the grip and the pommel when the distance was too short to use his weapon. I didn¡¯t have to send a message that he had to move out immediately.


    Thronus also recognized that ultra-near proximity was more dangerous for him.


    ¡®At least you understand that.¡¯


    I felt like we were on the same wavelength. It certainly felt different from Raphael¡¯s. I mean, I did feel sorry for Raphael, but they were of different leagues.


    ¡®This is good.¡¯


    There was no need to dictate from beginning to end. In the first ce, it was impossible to give instructions in such battles.


    Even while sending a message, the direction of the battle would continue to change. The problem was that the two moved so fast. Hence, of course, they had to rely on their own instincts and judgment to some extent.


    Comparing him to Raphael, who only believed in power and pushed ahead, was a bit pitiful. Raphael had a manual, which had to be designated one by one.


    ¡®Move like this, move like that.¡¯ It took a lot of time to deliver such instructions, so I had to operate them defensively.


    Thronus was automated. He was able to judge for himself and understand my thoughts. It was hard topare who would be better between him and Hyunsung, considering their levels and skills were the same.


    Maybe it was personal taste that was different there.


    Thronus was longer than Kim Hyunsung.


    I wasn¡¯t talking about the sword he had. Of course, it couldn¡¯t be denied that his sword had a longer range, but Thronus can do just as well, perhaps even better, at medium range even if it wasn¡¯t.


    They had swords like falling stars and the ability to use their wings a little more freely. There weren¡¯t many, and I wasn¡¯t certain, but they seemed to have some things simr in power.


    The way he moved his body in the air was a little unreasonable. He seemed used to shooting at his own power, and constant checks became a habit.


    That was in contrast to Kim Hyunsung, who had a heavy blow.


    I didn¡¯t know how I came to make such an assessment of people, but it was fun in its own way. Just because one owned an expensive sports car didn¡¯t mean they shouldn¡¯t enjoy their second car.


    Kim Hyunsung was technically perfectly organized for taxing movements and an exhaust that sounded like a dinosaur crying.


    Thronus, quiet as a hybrid car, was a bit more considerate andfortable for the driver.


    I thought the former was better, but thetter wasn¡¯t bad either.


    ¡®Where¡¯s Raphael?¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s time to cut off the Coin of the Sacred Sword Warrior.¡±


    It was a ride that I didn¡¯t want to drive through again.


    The sight of Thronus, who continued to move his body constantly despite being immersed in a slightly different thought, came into view.


    Perhaps he was looking for space. Based on his eyes, he didn¡¯t know where to dig in. Instead, he was preparing to move the moment he received a message.


    The timing wasn¡¯t right yet, and he knew that, too.


    ¡®Big skill.¡¯


    Every time Skull Gray Hyunsung used an enormous skill, he¡¯d damaged the mask a little.


    He constantly looked for space in circles around him like an out-fighter. I watched him screaming one more time and gathering magic. Space had been filled with ck magic.


    What I had to do was simple: I needed to witness it with my own eyes.


    When Kim Hyunsung executed magic, he found a small space in the huge tsunami-like wave and delivered it to him.


    It was difficult to make a judgment at that moment, but there was no problem finding weaknesses. He looked delighted when he threw himself in the direction I instructed while wrapping his body with his wings.


    [Generating amon-grade forced quest.]


    [Response immediately after pration. (0/1)]


    [Delivering amon-grade forced quest to Thronus. You have not registered any quest-clear rewards. The subject will not bepensated.]


    ¡®You know what I¡¯m talking about, right?¡¯


    Although hidden by darkness, Kim Hyunsung was also moving his body.


    I instinctively understood that Thronus would dig into that space. A ck wolf curled up in the bushes, but Thronus was already ready to respond.


    After prating the ck magic, it changed direction in the air. If he had moved after seeing Kim Hyunsung, the timing wouldn¡¯t have been right, but he kept a certain distance based on the information he received, holding his weapon steady.


    It was apletely different way from the previous strike when he dug into his arms and hit the mask with the handle.


    It was doubtful whether he felt a small point of damage or if he critically wounded him, but it didn¡¯t matter.


    Even though I thought he could go in a little more forcefully, I had to stick to the current n. Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t look patient for the time being. There would soon be a chance to attack if he continued to look at the opportunity.


    As expected, he began to see Hyunsung sweeping around, seemingly even destroying the continent, but he could see that it was just a simple vent of anger.


    I had to send a message to fieldmanders who might still be nearby to evacuate their troops immediately.


    ¡®Who would¡¯ve thought we¡¯d use a whole zone as a battlefield¡­?¡¯


    [Generating amon grade forced quest.]


    [As you already know, I¡¯ll brief you again. You only need to enter the designated location when there is a signal. Please keep the distance farther than the sword you¡¯re holding and focus on gueri tactics. He uses his left hand more frequently than the sword in his right hand, so please be careful and never hold back. Watch out for the tail. Don¡¯t get too far. Otherwise, I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be able to approach him again. I¡¯ll keep checking the spacing, but please don¡¯t forget to be mindful of it yourself. 0/1)]


    [Delivering amon-grade forced quest to Thronus. You have not registered any quest-clear rewards. The subject will not bepensated.]


    -I got it.


    [Generating amon-grade forced quest.]


    [Please let me know if you have any powers or skills you can use. (0/1)]


    -¡­¡­


    ¡®What, do you doubt me?¡¯


    -I¡¯ll do that.


    [Generating amon-grade forced quest.]


    [I¡¯ll give you a signal using Q, W, E, R. The checker is Q, the specialty is W, the move is E, and the power is R. (0/1)]


    - Understood.


    Kim Hyunsung was seen jumping high toward Thronus. Of course, as instructed, he stepped back.


    Seeing that he was moving with his body wrapped around his wings, he also seemed to realize that it was dangerous to be attacked orthodoxly.


    It felt like he was dragging time, but it wasn¡¯t bad.


    ¡®You¡¯re giving me time to analyze your patterns.¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung wasn¡¯t a lump of programs, so there was no pattern, but he still had habits. The more he lost his reason, the more prominent his habits became.


    I hated to admit it, but it was easy to say that he was in the same state as a monster. The frequency of him using his ws immediately after one swing from his sword was high, and the frequency of lower attacks using his tail was equal to that.


    Most of the time, his arms moved sideways, and there was no separate checker. No, there was one.


    ¡®Tail.¡¯


    That was his only checker, I¡¯d say. Unlike Thronus, the distance wasn¡¯t a kind of checker, but that seemed to have its advantages.


    Protecting his back perfectly was the best option.


    Kicks were rarely used. After looking around, it seemed like he was checking who was there.


    Although the amount was a little insufficient, it was delivered immediately after organizing the umted data. I constantly delivered information, and he continued to ept it. There was one thing to be careful about.


    [Generating amon-grade forced quest.]


    [Don¡¯t take any leap of faith. (0/1)]


    It was better not to trust too much information. Things could change at any time, after all.


    I also didn¡¯t take stacked data at face value. It was always good to leave room for around a 3 percent margin of error.


    ¡®I think he can do it.¡¯


    Frankly, I couldn¡¯t even draw a winning picture. However, it was possible to take the mask off, at least.


    ¡®A little more.¡¯


    The damage continued to enter. The mask that Kim Hyunsung was wearing had already been hit several times.


    It didn¡¯t seem to be splitting up, but it was proof that Skull Gray Hyunsung was very upset. What was a bit of a problem was¡­


    ¡®You have such weak endurance.¡¯


    Thronus¡¯s endurance had be the problem.


    I couldn¡¯t me him blindly. No matter how much he covered his body with wings, even if he dug into the broadest open areas, he was bound to be wounded.


    He threw himself into the middle of Kim Hyunsung¡¯s magic, and the damage he gained remained intact. Perhaps the wings that gradually became tattered were evidence of that.


    ¡®Is this a little dangerous?¡¯


    Would his wings continue to withstand it?


    ¡®How many more times can he take a blow? Can he make wings?¡¯


    It was when I was constantly thinking from far away.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    tinum chains protruding from all sides began to wrap around Kim Hyunsung¡¯s body.


    ¡°What is that?¡±


    Before I knew it, the air was filled with tinum swords. Thronus also had a bewildered face, depicting that it wasn¡¯t his own.


    -Execution.


    Swords poured down from the sky, creating a storm of des.


    -Execution.


    The swords rained down once more.


    -Execution.


    Again.


    - Execution.


    -¡­!


    Although the swords didn¡¯t go through him, they were hurting Kim Hyunsung. He was screaming with chains all over his body.


    He wasn¡¯t angry. That was a cry of pain.


    -Execution.


    -¡­!


    ¡°What¡­ Sh*t.¡±


    -Execution.


    -¡­!


    ¡®Stop it. Fuck¡­¡¯


    -Execution.


    ¡°Stop it, you crazy hybrid pigeon!¡±


    An angel with tinum hair floated in the sky. Thronus murmured the name.


    -Stop it. Stop it, Seraphim.


    -Why should I?


    -¡­


    -Thronus he needs to die.


    -¡­


    -Tell me why I don¡¯t have to kill him. Thronus, is that your own will? Or the will of the traitor who¡¯s sending you messages?


    -¡­


    -I¡¯m going to kill that man now.


    ¡®Fuck.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t think that would happen.


    Was I going to die?


    In fact, when I saw Kim Hyunsung¡¯s face in pain, I bit my lips tightly. It wouldn¡¯t be unreasonable for an uninvited guest to feel anxious.


    He was hostile to us. I didn¡¯t know if it was really possible to kill the current Kim Hyunsung, but I didn¡¯t think it was based on the impact of his appearance.


    ¡°Fuck¡­ Fuck¡­¡±


    ¡®Can I get help from the outside?¡¯


    Cha Hee-ra?


    She was still in battle. The same went for Lee Jihye.


    ¡®What about you, Jung Hayan?¡¯


    Impossible. No, not impossible at all. She could intervene using magic bombarding throughout the North.


    ¡®Do I have to lift it?¡¯


    If Seraphim could kill the current Kim Hyunsung, I would have no choice but to lift the magic right at that moment.


    I kept sending messages to Thronus, but I felt like I was being blocked by something.


    I had no choice but to look around the whole ce with my telescope. I didn¡¯t know why, but he stood out.


    Along with Kim Hyunsung, he was a hero who was a prerequisite for protecting the continent.


    A warrior chosen by the holy sword¡­


    Raphael.


    ¡®Sh*t, wake up, warrior!¡¯


    I had to do something. My body jumped out and continued to send messages.


    ¡®Wake up, warrior! The hope of the continent!¡¯


    Once again, Seraphim swung his hand.


    ¡®Wake up, Raphael.¡¯


    The sword that filled the sky fell once more.


    ¡®Wake up, warrior!¡¯


    ¡°Wake up, sh*t head!¡±


    -Execution.


    ¡°Wake up!¡±


    A huge tinum light then began to fill the view.


    * * *


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Hyung?¡±

 Chapter 714: Scenario (5)

    <h4>Chapter 714: Scenario (5)</h4>


    It wasn¡¯t clear whether Raphael had woken up or not. No, it would be a more fitting expression to say that I couldn¡¯t confirm it.


    ¡®Is he dead? You¡¯re not dead, are you?¡¯


    The most important thing was whether Kim Hyunsung was alive or dead.


    A huge tinum light was blocking my view. His condition hadn¡¯t been appropriately identified due to the pir of light. However, after a while, a ragged doll began toe into my sight.


    I couldn¡¯t confirm whether it wasn¡¯t moving or if it stopped. Regardless, itsck of actions heightened my anxiety.


    ¡®Holy sh*t¡­¡¯


    ¡°He¡¯s probably alive.¡±


    Considering Kim Hyunsung¡¯s durability, which prevented him from taking any damage even though Thronus had continuously hit him, it wouldn¡¯t be strange for him to still be alive.


    No matter how strong the tinum pigeon was, it didn¡¯t ur to me that its attack would be able to pierce through even Kim Hyunsung¡¯s internal organs.


    Maybe it was self-reasoning. However, even with such rationalization, I wanted to believe that Kim Hyunsung was still alive.


    ¡®What are you doing, you holy sword warrior sh*t?¡¯


    Was ¡®Wake up, warrior¡¯ not enough? Should I have made a hymn entitled ¡®Raphael the Holy Warrior¡¯ to stimte him for 24 hours?


    my head, my body began to shoot toward the scattered light. I was worried that the same kind of attack might being in on our side, but no other threats came in. Perhaps Thronus was doing his best in stopping Seraphim.


    It was then that Kim Hyunsung¡¯s appearance was reflected in my vision while continuing to ovee the light still standing around him with his hands.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    He had tinum swords all over his body.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    It made him look like a hedgehog.


    ¡°U-uh¡­¡±


    My actions were faster than my thoughts. The first thing to do was rush in and pull out the swords thrust into Kim Hyunsung¡¯s body. My lips were a bit tight because of the unspeakable horror.


    His body was burning with a steady throbbing sound, showing no movements at all.


    ¡°Wake up¡­ Sh*t, get up.¡±


    It was the first time that I resented my fragile body, which gave me a hard time pulling out the swords one by one. The fact that each was deeply embedded didn¡¯t help, either.


    ¡°Sh*t¡­ Sh*t¡­¡±


    I had never imagined Kim Hyunsung dying. He seemed like he was getting a little dizzy.


    I didn¡¯t even know if he was breathing properly. No, there was no way he was breathing. There were three swords stuck in his neck alone, but I was going to take them out. I thought I should do that.


    ¡°Don¡¯t die.¡±


    I felt like my grip was going to be ripped apart. No, it was already torn. My hands were numb, but I couldn¡¯t stop.


    Even though it didn¡¯t seem to be deeply embedded in the head due to the sword, hair, and horns, there was no change in the fact that it was already a mortal wound for ordinary humans.


    ¡®He¡¯s dead. Damn it.¡¯


    He was dead. Fuck. There was no longer any regressor around.


    ¡°Sh*t¡­ Sh*t¡­¡±


    But why was I still doing such meaninglessbor?


    My hands were torn, and my shoulders were going to fall out. Why did I keep pulling out the des stuck in that stupid corpse?


    What was the point? It had be meaningless. He was dead, and what I should¡¯ve been doing was preparing for another timeline.


    ¡®If I¡¯m going to survive, pretend you¡¯re free from brainwashing, and it should all be over.¡¯


    Or I could run with the Noah¡¯s Ark n. No, before that, I had something to do. I had to get revenge.


    The stupid sh*theads touched what was mine. I had to rip them apart and put them in the trash.


    I could do as I did before. I would kill them all and start over.


    How silly of me. Idiot, I wished I had regressed from the beginning. Why did I regress Kim Hyunsung instead? Scenario. Scenario. I was talking nonsense, but why didn¡¯t I have that scenario nned?


    Or was it all part of the n to set up the 3rd timeline? It wasn¡¯t like it mattered, anyway. It was over. I had to get ready for the next round.


    ¡®Alright, let¡¯s stop this pointless nonsense and prepare for my new life.¡¯


    ¡°Fuck¡­ it¡¯s noting out.¡±


    I had to stop. That was a reasonable judgment.


    ¡°What the hell is wrong with me?¡±


    I didn¡¯t know why. Even though I knew it was meaningless, I kept reaching for the swords.


    Whenever the swords moved even by a little, ck blood sshed on my face and body, rumbling up and seemingly telling me how much pain he was in.


    I couldn¡¯t believe that this was blood from a human body. I keptughing in vain at how ridiculous it was.


    The fact that he didn¡¯t scream once until that point was admirable, though.


    What did he think while he was dying? While swords struck his body, what did he think?


    That train of thought in itself was meaningless. He probably wouldn¡¯t have thought of anything since Kim Hyunsung¡¯s current appearance was no different than a beast.


    Wouldn¡¯t he have just thought that he was sick? It would¡¯ve only urred to him that it was painful.


    If he remained conscious, he might be pleased.


    It was finally over, after all.


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s long and painful life had ended. He most likely didn¡¯t have any regrets.


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you to screw yourself.¡±


    There couldn¡¯t have been any.


    ¡°No, that couldn¡¯t be the case.¡±


    There was no way he didn¡¯t have any regrets.


    Kim Hyunsung at the end of the first timeline and Kim Hyunsung of the present were different.


    Unlike the first round, where everyone died and disappeared, many things happened to Kim Hyunsung in the second timeline. He met new people and had new experiences.


    It was different from the first time around when it was painful. He gained a hobby and something he wanted to do. He learned how to enjoy life on the continent, spend holidays leisurely, and take days off.


    He wouldn¡¯t have wanted to die, and it must¡¯ve been painful in many ways. Maybe he thought he wanted to live.


    The w marks on the ground seemed to tell that he wanted to live.


    Traces of his final struggles were all over the ce, like the wings covering him as much as possible, screaming that he didn¡¯t want to die.


    ¡°Am I right? Am I?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You wanted to live, didn¡¯t you? Fuck.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you wanted to live. Yeah, there¡¯s no way you wanted to die. ¡®I want to finish it now. I want to be morefortable.¡¯ You wouldn¡¯t have thought of that. If you had been thinking about that, you would¡¯ve died way before reaching this point.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You wanted to live. You thought the burden was heavy but not bad. Wasn¡¯t the second round more enjoyable than you thought? Get up.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Breathe.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Breathe, you dumb ass! You useless bastard! You fucking ipetent bastard!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You filthy idiot! You¡¯re aplete moron! Damn it! Why did I believe in a moron like you? Damn it! Don¡¯t be stupid! I don¡¯t know if it was fate. I don¡¯t understand why I ever chose you. Why would you go back and do this bullsh*t again¡­ Sigh¡­ Sigh¡­ Sigh¡­ Sh*t¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°What a piece of crap.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°That was terrible of me. I apologize. Breathe already. Is this really where we part? No, is it because of the sword in your neck? I¡¯ll take it out for you. It¡¯s because I haven¡¯t taken that out yet, isn¡¯t it? Or is it the one stuck in your head? Benignore. Damn it, Benignore. Are you watching? Are you watching this? God damn it. You brought this on yourself. You guys brought this on yourselves. You¡¯re all nothing but useless dogs.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Same for you, you crazy crow. I¡¯ll show you how to fight dirty. You must have seen him as dirt because he crawled on the ground. Let¡¯s see what happens if you get bitten by a crazy person in the ass. Funny, huh? I¡¯m going to sound ridiculous right now because I¡¯m dragging swords out of him like an idiot, but you¡¯ll see. You¡¯ll see. I¡¯llugh as the girl who thought Hyunsung was a toy gets stabbed in the back. I¡¯ll make you cry the same way.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I pulled out thest sword stuck in his neck and lifted it. I didn¡¯t even think about what I said. After wiping my eyes with my sleeve, I sat down.


    ¡®Next.¡¯


    I had to think about what would happen next.


    I didn¡¯t know how many minutes I had been sitting down. I could see Thronus slowly descending from the sky.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    His eyes were filled with pity. Well, that was understandable. My condition didn¡¯t look good.


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s whole body was stained with blood, and his hands were all torn. His face was probably even worse.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­¡±


    How should I bring it up? I couldn¡¯t remember much about him, so it¡¯s a little too much to say that I¡¯d recovered my memory, but shouldn¡¯t I just keep it as it was?


    I thought he would do everything for me even if I didn¡¯t bother to do something.


    ¡°The¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s¡­ with the Devil.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it. I tried to stop him with all my might, but I couldn¡¯t. I know he was precious to you, but his position to us¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say tofort you. I don¡¯t know. Why don¡¯t we go back together for now? Yeah, I think that¡¯s a good idea. You look tired. I want to give you a ce to rest.¡±


    ¡®What should I do? Do I go with him?¡¯


    ¡°No, Thronus. I disagree.¡±


    ¡°Seraphim.¡±


    ¡®Yes, it¡¯s you, tinum pigeon. It was you.¡¯


    ¡°He¡¯s the enemy, Thronus. Don¡¯t turn a blind eye to that fact. That man is not interested in our cause. Look at that face. Have you been brainwashed? Don¡¯t pull any bullsh*t on me.¡±


    ¡°He has no recollection of what happened before, Seraphim.¡±


    ¡°Then we can check.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to panic. If he¡¯s really clean, there will be no problem if he¡¯s really innocent. You¡¯re not the only one who thinks that he should join us. Cherubim and Dominions feel the same way as we do.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°But? Do you need the word ¡°but¡±? I just want to confirm his motives. With my sword, the weight of this man¡¯s sins will bring in some pain¡­ I¡¯m just investigating him. Like that dead piece of crap over there. How many times would you have sinned like that? This is a legitimate judgment and a legitimate execution.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all his fault.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the sin of Kim Hyunsung.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Now it¡¯s time to test the person in front of us, Thronus.¡±

 Chapter 715: Scenario (6)

    <h4>Chapter 715: Scenario (6)</h4>


    ¡°It¡¯s uneptable to me, Seraphim.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not asking your permission, Thronus. It must be done. You have to understand that. Why? Are you afraid he¡¯smitted a lot of crimes?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°My faith is firm, but¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re curious, too, Thronus, about how many sins this traitor must¡¯vemitted, even if you truly believe him. Aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s necessary for us to really be together. My heart aches, too, but it can¡¯t be helped. We need to make sure. This man betrayed us, after all, even if he¡¯s actually been brainwashed by demons. If he¡¯s really a good man, then what¡¯s meant to happen will happen. We need to know this so we can move together. This is what I require. Thronus, there is no morepromise.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The silver pigeon biting his lips came into view.


    I knew he would try to figure something out, but the conclusion seemed to have been made faster than I thought. When I peeked to the side, I saw Kim Hyunsung still not moving.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Swords were still piercing through his body.


    I thought that pulling out the swords stuck in his neck and head would help him breathe again, but that wasn¡¯t possible at all.


    Regardless, he didn¡¯t seem to be breathing. He had to open his eyes at the moment of crisis and help me, but he didn¡¯t move.


    The tinum swords stood out. Perhaps those were what Seraphim called ¡®the sword of judgment.¡¯


    ¡®I think I know.¡¯


    I thought I could deduce what his power was and what that tinum sword did. Of course, it was just a hypothesis based on the weapons that filled the sky.


    ¡®Did Kim Hyunsungmit a crime?¡¯


    Of course, Kim Hyunsung must¡¯vemitted a crime.


    I didn¡¯t know if it was based on his standard or the universal standards, but Kim Hyunsung clearlymitted a crime in his life.


    He was swept away by war and killed and turned away from others to survive.


    There might¡¯ve been events that he couldn¡¯t bring to tell me. However, it wasn¡¯t enough to turn him into that.


    All things considered, there were too many swords stuck in Kim Hyunsung.


    Not all of them could even strike his body. There were so many swords on the ground as well.


    ¡®No way.¡¯


    If the standard of sin was based on the pigeons, then it was roughly understandable.


    What might not be a sin by human standards could be judged as such by their standards.


    Such a sight could be possible if all the activities that unnecessarily consumed resources or disturb the continent¡¯s bnce were judged and calcted as crimes.


    However, it was just another hypothesis. I epted that he was transcendental, but he was not at all perfect.


    Neither the gods nor his proximity was perfect. It was impossible to judge whether there were sins in the life that had been lived so far.


    Building such a system was tantamount to building a one-dimensional justice.


    If he had been able to use his power to create a system that judged sins, he would¡¯ve been on Benignore and the other gods¡¯ sides.


    ¡®Kim Hyunsung¡¯s sin? You¡¯re fucking crazy.¡¯


    The first assumption that made me think of leaving behind the rubbish hypothesis was that the sword might be based on one¡¯s guilt.


    It wasn¡¯t based on Seraphim at all, but Kim Hyunsung.


    In that case, I understood the number of swords and the pain that Kim Hyunsung felt.


    Of course, there was some ambiguity in saying just that, but I considered it highly likely. Thinking that the countless swords were Kim Hyunsung¡¯s guilt, it became a little bitter, but it wasn¡¯t unbelievable.


    Kim Hyunsung must¡¯ve remembered his mistakes. He might¡¯ve also remembered the faces of the people he killed.


    He must¡¯ve had a lot of wrongdoings and regrets in his mind that he thought were unjust.


    No, those who gave way a hundred times to Kim Hyunsung might have judged so.


    However¡­


    What about crimes without victims? No, could such a system be created in the first ce?


    If the transcendent god above, the god of character, was hammering and running the Supreme Court justice system, the story might differ. Seraphim alone couldn¡¯t judge all of those things.


    Even if he was only responsible for murders and not for all theplications, he shouldn¡¯t be capable of such power.


    How could anyone who said we needed to control the poption for the continent in the first ce determine what was right and what was wrong?


    He wasn¡¯t a god. He didn¡¯t even have his own house, so he was a loser who had been wandering around in dimensions.


    ¡®Fraudulent bastard.¡¯


    I thought I knew by then. Seraphim was a swindler.


    No, he was a half-wit who hadn¡¯t even be a con man. He might¡¯ve been a fool who thought his abilities really determined whether one was guilty or not. I could tell just by looking at his face. It was full of conviction, indeed, and seemed to have concluded that his power could grasp human good and evil.


    ¡®Yeah, give it a try.¡¯


    Try it.


    I wasn¡¯t sure if my hypothesis was correct, but the dice were thrown anyway. If he was truly transcendent enough to create such a system, there was nothing I could do about it.


    How could I pick on a guy with such a ridiculous power?


    ¡®The tinum pigeon is not a god.¡¯


    He was, after all, a half-wit.


    The corners of my mouth went up faintly. I wasn¡¯t sure yet, but I thought perhaps Kim Hyunsung could survive.


    ¡°Judgement.¡±


    ¡®Bullsh*t. Don¡¯t be ridiculous. I didn¡¯t do anything wrong.¡¯


    ¡°Judgement.¡±


    ¡®I¡¯ve nevermitted a crime, you crazy pigeon. Who could be as clean as me?¡¯


    ¡°Judgement?¡±


    ¡®Maybe a little bit. But all this was a noble sacrifice for mankind.¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®I was painting a bigger picture in order for everyone to be happy. All the people I killed deserved to die, and if it were up to me to decide, I¡¯d say they contributed to what you call the control of the human poption. Let¡¯s not do this between people we know. I¡¯m right. You don¡¯t have the ability to determine what is righteous. No, even if you do, you don¡¯t have the ability toe up with such a system.¡¯


    His flustered face stood out as it crumpled.


    He seemed to be worried that there was something wrong with his ability.


    It only had a slight possibility of being correct, so I was even more d my hypothesis was correct. Oh, I¡¯d do a few things before that. I had something to handle.


    Who in their lives had nevermitted a crime?


    I would have to respond a little to his powers. That was only natural. That was what a normal human being was.


    What were some things that Lee Kiyoung might feel guilty about?


    I didn¡¯t think about it, but I thought there was at least one. In terms of the number, there were about five. No, there were six.


    When I recalled the cases that I felt guilty about, tinum swords began to emerge from the sky.


    Seraphim, who was flustered, finally looked satisfied.


    One, two, three¡­ just six of them. It was a little too much for the masked savior, but it was a realistic quantity.


    Those were events that I could allow¡­ Thronus looked a little relieved.


    ¡°Six swords¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s unrealistic. How could a human being barely¡­ Only six swords¡­¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s realistic. Seraphim, don¡¯t we all know what he¡¯s like. Ha¡­ ha. That¡¯s why we epted him. We could trust him because he was such a divine man. He was able to understand us because he was a human being like this.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure Seraphim is now satisfied. Nowe here and hold my hand.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not over yet, Thronus.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Execution.¡±


    ¡°Seraphim!¡±


    It was in an instant that six swords fell from the sky. Thronus immediately flew towards me and began to unsheathe his sword.


    He cut off the falling swords in an instant. It happened so quickly that I couldn¡¯t react properly, but I could clearly see swords flying toward me. Of course, it was inevitable.


    A terrible pain began to spread over my shoulder. It was as hot and painful as a fire. Heavy and bitter. Unknowingly, screams popped out. I wondered if I had ever felt that much pain in my life.


    I bit my lips tightly, but a painful voice came out from the inside.


    ¡®Is it this painful?¡¯


    Sh*t.


    ¡®Like this?¡¯


    How did he hold so much of it without screaming?


    It was painful, even though only one struck me in the shoulder. Regardless of my will, tears popped out, and I had a hard time breathing.


    I couldn¡¯t think of anything because my head was dizzy. I didn¡¯t know how a fallen body could stand it.


    ¡°Are you alright? Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I could see Thronus, who was restless, but his face didn¡¯te in properly. That¡¯s how painful it was. No pain could be more painful than that.


    ¡°What the hell is going on, Seraphim?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I asked you what you were doing, Seraphim!¡±


    ¡°I did what I had to do, Thronus.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Take the sword out and calm down, Thronus. I just did what I had to do. It¡¯s just one sword that hit him. Originally, he had six sins to bear. I¡¯m allowing this much only because of you.¡±


    ¡°Seraphim¡­¡±


    ¡°If he really wants to be with us, we need to clear him of his sins. With that one, that one on his shoulder, he¡¯s reborn. That¡¯s right. Thronus. You¡¯re right. We will ept him again. I don¡¯t know what Cherubim would think, but Dominions seems positive.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ you¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s time to stop being self-indulgent. Thronus, this is what you¡¯ve always wanted. He¡¯s been purified. Why don¡¯t you at least treat him first?¡±


    Only then did Thronus aim his sword in a hurry to deliver his divine power.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It must¡¯ve been painful.¡±


    ¡®Yeah, now I know how much this hurts.¡¯


    ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    ¡®Do I look alright? Are you a crazy pigeon? You think I look okay right now?¡¯


    ¡°Now rx. There will be no more persecuting you.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s get back to work when the treatment is over. Thronus, hold my hand. Human.¡±


    The wound waspletely healed. It¡¯s a bit coercive to hold and pull his hand immediately after hesitating, but there¡¯s nothing I could do at the moment.


    No, there was one thing. I didn¡¯t know if it would work or not, but I¡¯d bet on the small possibility that it would.


    I thought someone who could treat Kim Hyunsung wasing. All I had to do was send a message.


    [Generating a legendary-grade forced quest.]


    [I forgive you for your sins. Rise and shine, Altanus¡¯ regressor. (0/1)]


    [Delivering a legendary-ss forced quest to Kim Hyunsung, Altanus¡¯s regressor. Please register Quest-Clear rewards.]


    [Quest Clear Rewards - ¡­ (0/1)]


    [Please register Quest-Clear rewards.]


    [Quest-Clear Reward - Future (0/1)]


    The future.

 Chapter 716: Alps (1)

    <h4>Chapter 716: Alps (1)</h4>


    The human race was defeated.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t mean aplete defeat. Temporarily entering a truce was a more fitting expression.


    It was literally a temporary truce. It was unclear why the attack of the demons in angel masks had slowly declined, but those beyond the north remained silent and stood their ground.


    The Continental Protection and Management Committee announced externally that our persistent¡¯s resistance protected the continent for soldiers¡¯ morale, but I thought everyone would know that the announcement wasn¡¯t true.


    The Vice Guild Master went missing, and the Guild master died.


    Although I couldn¡¯t confirm the scene myself, I could infer how terrible the Guild Master¡¯sst appearance was through the reactions of other guild seniors. The guild¡¯s atmosphere was dark and overwhelmed with strange emotions that were hard to express.


    That was also a secret for some guild members. The only people who knew about it were I and Cho Hyejin, the secretary of the Guild Master. Team leader Kim Mi-young, senior Chang-ryul, senior Ahyoung, and Park Li-ahn.


    It was widely known why all guild members weren¡¯t informed of the truth.


    Questions remained about whether I was caught between those who shared that secret, but I thought it was probably due to ack of help.


    It was a short battle, but I could see at a nce that everyone was tired. No other words were needed. I wanted to borrow even the hands of new guild members who weren¡¯t reliable.


    The person in the most serious condition was Jung Hayan.


    ¡®She¡¯s gone through a lot.¡¯


    She had maintained the spell all over the north for days.


    It was said that she had infinite magic and superhuman magic recovery that couldn¡¯t be understood by themon sense of the general public. Still, she naturally suffered from exhaustion.


    I had also experienced magic exhaustion.


    It was an unimaginable sense of loss and lethargy, pain that seemed to tear the soul apart itself, and an experience that I would never want to experience again.


    Thinking about continuing to experience such a phenomenon made my body tremble without realizing it.


    ¡°Huuuu¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. You don¡¯t have to worry.¡±


    ¡°Waaaang! Waaaang!¡±


    ¡°You think we should get going? Yes, that¡¯s right. I have a lot of work to do today. Jung Hayan will be waiting.¡±


    I took steps with a trembling heart. I, a new guild member, had been given a quest. It was to check and take care of Jung Hayan, who was constantly locked in the room.


    I thought I couldn¡¯t help feeling nervous even though I had been there several times already. When I first joined the guild, she was a kind person who weed me¡­


    ¡®I don¡¯t have to be scared.¡¯


    I was, of course, mentally limited.


    When I knocked on the door with a little nervousness, I heard a voice simr to the sound of scratching nails on a ckboard.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°O-Oppa?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Yes¡­ oh, no. Jung Hayan, I¡¯m Alps.¡±


    I felt too afraid to look straight ahead.


    After a little silence, her hand came out from under the door. It was a hand that has been drained of moisture to the point where I thought it might be a mummy¡¯s hand.


    It was one of the phenomena that urred when her magic was exhausted to the limit.


    ¡°Can¡­ Can Ie in for a second?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, what do I do? Ah¡­ yes. Okay, Sora. Yeah,e in. Be careful. Come in carefully. Don¡¯t step on Sora, don¡¯t step on her.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    As I slowly opened the door and entered, the first thing I could see was Han Sora, who was hardened into a tree.


    I had already seen it before, but it was a very terrible sight.


    I couldn¡¯t really see Jung Hayan, who was sitting next to her.


    There was no way to check on her because she was wearing a hood covering her entire body.


    One thing for sure was that it didn¡¯t seem normal. Even her breathing seemed difficult. Her hair, which turned white, fell on the floor and seemed to be shorter than before. She even looked bent.


    ¡°D-Did you bring the magic recovery potion?¡±


    ¡°No, the Vice Guild Master said¡­ He said you should drink only one bottle of the magic potion a day. It¡¯s not good for your health if you take too much. You had a bottle this morning. Right now¡­ I have to tidy up the room and a few things to take care of.¡±


    ¡°D-Did he say that he¡¯lle visit?¡±


    ¡°I told him that you looked tired, that you¡¯ve been sleeping all day.¡±


    ¡°Oh, really? That¡¯s a relief.¡±


    ¡°First, Whitey, Whitey¡­ Can you take care of it, if it¡¯s okay?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The white dog silently settled next to Jung Hayan.


    ¡®It¡¯s gonna help.¡¯


    It would be helpful because I had the characteristics of being stable not only in terms of physical strength and magic but also in terms of psychology.


    I knew that the closer the distance, the more helpful it was, but Jung Hayan didn¡¯t seem to react.


    ¡®I hope she¡¯s alright.¡¯


    When Whitey wagged his tail desperately, she was seen slowly bringing her hand over Whitey¡¯s head.


    ¡°Oh, oh, what is Oppa doing?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s still very busy. He¡¯s tired from the meetings¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, yes¡­ I don¡¯t know when they¡¯re going to start a war again.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you because it¡¯s a secret. He said it was likely to start again soon. Our friend said he was thinking of another way and that they¡¯re considering a preemptive strike. First of all, it would be better for Jung Hayan to take a good rest without paying attention to other parts. That¡¯s the most important thing¡­¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ yeah. Sora also said that I need some rest.¡±


    ¡°You two have a very good rtionship.¡±


    ¡°R-Right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I can tell by the way Sora looks at Jung Hayan. It¡¯s the same now.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°What a relief. Hehe.¡±


    ¡°I also have friends like that back home.¡±


    ¡°Oh, really?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯re far apart now, but we used to be really close together. They are friends who have been like sisters to me. We fought a lot and got hurt a lot, but they¡¯re still very old friends. When I see Jung Hayan and Han Sora, I think of them too. Oh, you should eat.¡±


    ¡°Eat? I don¡¯t want to eat¡­¡±


    ¡°But you still have to eat. Han Sora says you need to eat some, too.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ Yes¡­ I need to eat something.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s it going out there?¡±


    ¡°It seems that the demons can¡¯t easily ess the fog that the summoner hasid. I haven¡¯t heard exactly what¡¯s going on yet. Shall we ask him? Oh, the Mercenary Queen woke up yesterday. I thought she¡¯d be in serious condition because of the big wound, but I heard that she could move her body with ease. I don¡¯t think Park Deokgu was hurt much in this Suseong exhibition either. It¡¯s the same as before.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±


    ¡°Yes, the damage wasn¡¯t great. There was a ce that copsed, but¡­ As a result, the demons didn¡¯t cross the line, so they believe the first battle was won. It¡¯s probably hard for the demons to approach. You can rx and focus on getting back in shape.¡±


    ¡°Uh, yeah¡­ even Sora thinks I¡¯m too tired.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve heard. Everyone is worried about your health. I hope Jung Hayan will be healthy soon.¡±


    ¡°Thank you¡­¡±


    ¡°I think the whitey wants that, too.¡±


    ¡°Waaaang!¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ yeah, thank you.¡±


    ¡®I think she¡¯s feeling a lot better.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t help but think of the past few days as a shining moment. At first, I was so cornered that maybe she couldn¡¯t even hold a conversation.


    I didn¡¯t know how hard it was to stop them from continuing to head to war. It was a great result, just being able to have such a normal conversation.


    As I constantly talked to her and watched her clean up the messy room and eat, I saw her nodding. It wasn¡¯t hard to find a topic of conversation. Even if I didn¡¯t say it first, Jung Hayan was talking to me.


    ¡°Hehe, so¡­ We decided to move in together. Oh, Oppa said it was okay.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s amazing.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ yes. I-I¡¯m sorry, but¡­ Sora is being a little stubborn¡­¡±


    ¡°If it really happens, please invite me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, invite you¡­ I¡¯ll invite you because we¡¯re in the same guild.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really d you said that.¡±


    ¡°Waaaang!¡±


    Soon, as time passed, Jung Hayan was starting to fall asleep.


    It was, after all, still the middle of the day, but it wasn¡¯t weird at all. Her body was demanding sleep to recover. Rather, it was a natural course of action.


    ¡°Would you like to sleep?¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh¡­¡±


    ¡°Should I prepare a bed for you?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡­ here¡­ I¡¯m¡­ going to bed here.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll just cover you with a nket.¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    After covering Jung Hayan¡¯s body half-lying on the tree with a nket, I began to head outside silently.


    The white dog, who had been wary, was also seen moving with me. After a slight pat on the head¡­


    ¡°Cho Hyejin.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to report this, right?¡±


    ¡°Waaang.¡±


    When I knocked on the door of an office not too far away, I heard a voice saying, ¡®Wait a minute.¡¯ Not long after, the door burst open. Seeing that the window was open, it seemed like there was a customer who came first.


    Of course, I thought it was none of my business. It wasn¡¯t a matter of my concern because that wasn¡¯t my ce.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    She was the same as usual. I could see her with the same hair tied up all the time.


    Maybe she noticed that I was nervous, so she smiled and immediately opened her mouth.


    She spoke in a serious and soft voice, a voice that seemed to be considerate of me. ¡°How is she?¡±


    ¡°I think she has recovered a lot. I don¡¯t think her magic has recovered yet, but¡­ I think she¡¯s much more stable than before¡­ To begin with, I don¡¯t think you have to worry anymore. Her magic recovery is very fast, so I think she¡¯ll recover soon¡­ She especially stable.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for all of your hard work.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s something I can do¡­¡±


    ¡°Not everyone can do this. You don¡¯t have to lower yourself like that. You¡¯re a person of great ability.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Today¡¯s schedule is¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    It was a steady posture.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡¯


    She was a spear-like human. Cho Hyejin, who had a strong and unbreakable belief, was that kind of person.


    ¡®You¡­ are you okay?¡¯


    It was amazing how calm she was. I could see her trying not to connect the pressure and emotions that weighed on her at work.


    I could understand why she was sitting in an important position in the Blue Guild, which was the center of the continent, but¡­


    For some reason, it seemed like she would copse at any moment. In extreme terms, she looked worse than Jung Hayan.


    ¡®You need help.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t figure out how to help, so I had no choice but to feel worried.


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll report back if there¡¯s anything unusual.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Even after the door of the office closed, I couldn¡¯t walk away easily.


    Not much time had passed.


    There was a steady sob from within it.


    It was close to screaming. Her voice was filled with sadness.

 Chapter 717: Alps (2)

    <h4>Chapter 717: Alps (2)</h4>


    ¡®Should I go in?¡¯


    I was afraid of being presumed as presumptuous. However, it might be better to go in and tell her that it was okay and that she¡¯d be alright.


    Still, I was reluctant to knock on the door.


    ¡®What am I¡­¡¯


    Should I have gone in andforted her? No, I wouldn¡¯t even know what to say in the first ce.


    ¡®I can understand?¡¯


    How could I understand Cho Hyejin¡¯s feelings? She had lost her most precious friend and loved one at the same time. It was obvious that she was feeling an indescribable loss.


    She was pretending to be calm and collected, but that might be her limit. If anyone else could support her, she would¡¯ve been helped already, but that wasn¡¯t the case.


    What about Lee Jihye of the Continental Protection Management Committee? Cho Hyejin used to spend a lot of time with her, but she hadn¡¯t been able to wake up for several days.


    I felt like someone had to take care of her. Although I wasn¡¯t some psychotherapist or expert, Cho Hyejin was currently in a corner. She really needed someone who could lend her a shoulder.


    ¡®I was like that before.¡¯


    There was noparison to the pain she had to be feeling, but there¡¯s a painful time for everyone. I was no exception. If Whitey hadn¡¯te to me when I was so sick and tired of living¡­


    When I looked down slightly, I could see a white dog wagging its tail.


    I felt the crying gradually disappearing, but¡­


    ¡®Okay, let¡¯s go for now.¡¯


    It was quite the cheeky act. As I knocked on the door, I heard the urgency in her voice.


    ¡°W-Wait.¡±


    However, I had to open the door right away. I knew she¡¯d definitely act as if nothing happened otherwise. She¡¯d wipe her tears and pull herself together.


    Afterward, she would greet me with her usual face and tone. She hadn¡¯t told me toe in yet, but I had no choice but to turn the knob quickly.


    And¡­


    ¡°Cho Hyejin?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Cho Hyejin.¡±


    I already expected her to look disorganized, but she was a lot worse than I had thought.


    It wasn¡¯t her face stained with tears that worried me. It was because of the blood flowing from her thigh.


    It was overall a wound that seemed suspicious, like she was bitten by an animal, not just once or twice. It wouldn¡¯t be like that even if she pierced herself on the same spot again and again.


    I could see a terrible stab wound that I couldn¡¯t even describe in words. Although I was absent-minded for a moment, I quickly realized what kind of injury that was.


    ¡°Self-harm.¡±


    She had hurt herself.


    I had no choice but to think so because of the circumstances. There was still a sense of embarrassment on her face mixed with tears, but her expression soon began to turn into anger.


    Living like she was pressured seemed to indicate that she was a top adventurer across the continent.


    The enormous malice that I had never felt before shook my mind.


    ¡°What the¡­¡±


    ¡°I-I-I¡­¡±


    ¡°What the hell is going on!?¡±


    I wanted to ask her what that was about, but the words didn¡¯te out right.


    When I saw her covering up the wound in a hurry, I couldn¡¯t even speak properly. My body was paralyzed by fear. Without even realizing it, my eyes were filled with tears, and my legs gave out, making me fall to the ground.


    My lower jaw began to tremble, and my whole body was drenched with sweat. At that moment, I felt like I could lose my mind at any moment.


    Waaaang!


    I heard an unknowing sound.


    The life and magic that mped down on my body began to disperse. It was in an instant that my trembling body calmed down. I opened my eyes a little more and looked at her.


    I didn¡¯t know what courage I gained, but I had to say one more thing that I couldn¡¯t normally say.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I should be asking, Cho Hyejin¡­ What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s¡­ What¡¯s that wound?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s none of your business.¡±


    ¡°How can I not care¡­¡±


    ¡°Get out of here right now. That¡¯s an order.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not going out.¡±


    ¡°Get out.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going out.¡±


    ¡°Fuck! Get out!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going¡­¡±


    My body was shoved back with a bang. I didn¡¯t really know what happened, but I felt pain in my back and chest.


    ¡°Are you deaf? I told you to get out.¡±


    She was putting pressure on me. Tears were in my eyes. I couldn¡¯t rte to what she was feeling. It was a face stained with sadness, anger, and self-loathing.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±


    ¡°Now¡­¡±


    ¡°Everything will be fine.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Everything will be fine.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what was going to be okay, or if things could really be better than before, or if I could ease the pain she had, but I had no choice but to speak up.


    I didn¡¯t know how tofort her, so I desperately said those words instead. Still, I expected it to be a littleforting, at least.


    I was like that too, after all. I knew it was definitely helpful for someone to hear it¡¯s okay whenever times were hard. I kept talking.


    It was going to be okay. I at least had to tell her that.


    ¡°Every¡­ everything¡­ It will be okay. I¡­ I just joined the guild and¡­ I don¡¯t know what kind of feelings Cho Hyejin is actually feeling and how painful it must be¡­ And I don¡¯t know if these are the right words for the current situation, but¡­ It will be okay. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get through this.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not okay.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Not at all¡­ it¡¯s not okay.¡±


    Tears were dripping down her face. Unknowingly, I reached out and wiped them away. After a slight lift, I held her tightly and heard a steady sob.


    ¡°It was my¡­ it was my fault.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Nothing¡­ nothing stopped¡­ I couldn¡¯t¡­ Ugh¡­ nothing¡­ I am¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°My¡­ I¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I¡­ Huhu¡­ Huhu¡­ This time again¡­ stupid¡­ A dull, stupid woman.¡±


    She seemed to be choking up and unable to talk properly.


    ¡°I¡­ I knew it. I can¡¯t¡­ stop¡­ There¡¯s¡­ there¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°My¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault.¡±


    ¡°Such an¡­ idiot¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t beat yourself up¡­ You don¡¯t have to do that. No one thinks it¡¯s Cho Hyejin¡¯s fault. Yes, I¡¯m sure¡­ I¡¯m sure of it. You don¡¯t have to me yourself.¡±


    As I opened my mouth and slowly rubbed the potion on the wound, I noticed a painful frown. It¡¯s a healing process, but it¡¯s probably tormenting.


    I didn¡¯t know if that sudden sting helped her wake up a little, but her cries were dying down.


    As I looked up slightly, and I immediately saw her sitting awkwardly and ashamed.


    It was only natural to react like that. It would be embarrassing if others found out that they hurt themselves. Anyone would be ashamed enough to push and pressure their way out through excitement.


    How embarrassing would it have been to show such a broken appearance to a new and young guild member?


    Emotionally driven, I felt I was regretting what I¡¯d done.


    ¡®You have to be shameless at times like this.¡¯


    ¡°Alone¡­ I can do it alone.¡±


    I had to be more brazen. I had to let her know there was no need to be ashamed. I had to tell her I was someone she could lean on.


    ¡°No, I can do it. I¡¯ll put a bandage on you. I¡¯m used to it because of Whitey.¡±


    ¡°Waaaaang!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡­ Mistake¡­¡±


    ¡°No, I should be the one to apologize. I¡­ I was a little rude, wasn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°But I wanted to let you know, although there isn¡¯t much I can do¡­ I¡¯m weak, and I¡¯m not good at adapting to the guild, so I¡¯m at a loss, but¡­ maybe there¡¯s something I can do to help you. I thought about it, but I couldn¡¯t think of any. I want to be your strength somehow¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°When I just joined the guild¡­ During the interview, the Guild Master once told me¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°He told me to tell someone if I was having a hard time, no matter who it was. If you have a good friend, you can talk to them, and if you have a sister or brother, you can talk to them as well. That way, you¡¯ll be less burdened. You¡¯ll be lighter and stronger, and you¡¯ll have the strength to hold on¡­ He said it would be fun to carry heavy loads. Of course, I knew that was obvious, but at the words of the Guild Master at the time, I was so sure that I nodded several times without realizing it.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I wanted to be that kind of person to someone. Someone who can share sadness and lift heavy things together with. Even though I¡¯m full of mistakes and a fool¡­ If you don¡¯t mind, I will try to ease the pain that Cho Hyejin must be feeling¡­ Can I do that?¡±


    I didn¡¯t hear any answers. I was worried if she would tell me not to be arrogant, but she nodded very slowly and finely instead.


    ¡®That¡¯s a positive expression, right? Is that a yes?¡¯


    I ended upughing without realizing it. Tears filled my eyes with relief that seemed to have helped me a little. I didn¡¯t know if I rxed, but I was losing all my strength.


    When I wiped away my tears quickly, not wanting to cry on the bandage, I heard a voice.


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a ce I¡¯d like you to go with me. Not an order, but a request.¡±


    ¡°Of course, where should we go?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°To the Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what to answer. I heard a voice again while I was silent for a while.


    ¡°The Guild Master may be alive.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if we can save him, or if that¡¯s even possible, but¡­ The Guild Master is currently being treated by someone you know very well.¡±


    It was an unexpected story. But it was also good news, even more so if the Guild Master was really alive and in treatment.


    ¡°Raphael.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Raphael.¡±


    Benignore once said, ¡®With the holy sword in his hand, the chosen warrior of the continent will fight against the darkness of demons who y false angels, and he will contribute to saving mankind from darkness on the left side of the hero that wielded the sword of sunset.¡¯


    ¡°A prediction.¡±


    A phrase I had once read now passed through my mind.

 Chapter 718: Alps (3)

    <h4>Chapter 718: Alps (3)</h4>


    A grey warrior chosen by the holy sword¡­


    ¡®Raphael.¡¯


    It was a familiar name.


    Didn¡¯t he alsopete hard to be chosen by the holy sword? I¡¯d never talked much about him, but it was a name that made me feel jealous.


    There was no other reason. It was because I still couldn¡¯t forget the sensation when I first grabbed the sword.


    Back then, I couldn¡¯t tell the difference between the enormous malice that prated my head, the darkness that covered my heart, and the sense of maggots prating my skin and digging through my guts¡­


    ¡®I don¡¯t want to feel that again.¡¯


    How could I not be interested in a warrior who endured hardships that I couldn¡¯t endure?


    Only then could I understand the window that opened just before entering the room, which I had assumed where the first guest came from.


    I didn¡¯t ask old-fashioned questions, but perhaps he went into the office first. I thought there had to be a grey warrior on the way. The road wasn¡¯t properly visible because of the fog, but the faces of the party members who seemed very nervous stood out.


    I was also nervous, but it was because I was well aware that it was a dangerous area.


    It was apletely ruined and heavily polluted ce.


    The deeper I entered the depravednd that hadn¡¯t been purified, the more I frowned because of the stench. It was a sensation simr to the one I felt when I was subjected to the test of the holy sword.


    Darkness stained with anger and regret, despair and fear, all kinds of negative emotions. I didn¡¯t know if it¡¯s an appropriate expression, but the feeling of where I was at that moment was like that.


    I knew I had to be as silent as possible, but I had no choice but to speak up.


    ¡°The Guild Master, is he really alive?¡±


    ¡°Actually¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fair to say that the function of his body haspletely shut down. He can¡¯t breathe, and his heart haspletely stopped¡­ Medically, he¡¯spletely dead.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡±


    ¡°But there¡¯s still magic in his body. As you know, in the body of a dead man¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, magic can¡¯t flow.¡±


    ¡°When we first discovered the Guild Master, he didn¡¯t have a handful of magic left, but in about three hours¡­ The magic began to flow again. He wasn¡¯t breathing, though. The contamination of thisnd now is¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because of the magic in the Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    She didn¡¯t answer, but I saw her nodding. It urred to me that she probably couldn¡¯t judge the current situation urately either.


    Although it had been said that magic was flowing in him, we had no choice but to question what the nature of the power was. We didn¡¯t know exactly how big it was, but the range almost covered a city and was decaying it.


    The environment had changed. How could I exin such a phenomenon¡­?


    I knew the Guild Master had died of evil, but¡­


    ¡°Are you sure he¡¯s alive?¡±


    Even if we could save him, would he still be his previous self? Maybe he had already be apletely different being.


    No, was it really beneficial to reach out even if there is a way for him to be saved?


    I thought I could see why that was happening secretively. If Benignore and other denominations learned about it, they wouldn¡¯t remain silent. Maybe¡­


    ¡®Maybe she¡¯s trying to revive the devil.¡¯


    Of course, such a concern might just be nonsensical. However, as soon as I captured the image of a beast in my eyes, I instinctively reflected on what I had thought before.


    He already had a form that couldn¡¯t be called human. It was no different from the appearance of the devil that I had encountered as a child.


    The huge horns were hideous and ominous, and the wings on his back were twisted in a strange direction. I couldn¡¯t find the Guild Master I¡¯d seen before even if I washed my eyes and looked for him.


    However, more noticeable than its appearance were the cuts on his body.


    The stench was so bad that I had to hold my breath because he was already rotting.


    It was visible. He looked so tattered that I doubted he could even move.


    His body was covered in ck marks, and the strangely twisted figure seemed to tell how painful his death was.


    ¡®Can he really¡­ survive?¡¯


    The surroundings were filled with hardened blood.


    I could tell without touching it. It was alreadypletely stiff. Perhaps because I witnessed a tragedy that I couldn¡¯t exin with words, I couldn¡¯t speak properly.


    Why¡­


    I felt like I knew why Cho Hyejin asked me to go with her.


    ¡®How am I¡­¡¯


    How was I supposed to see that?


    How could we face such a tragedy? How could I face that figure with my eyes open?


    When I turned my head slightly and looked up, I saw Cho Hyejin, who had an expression that was hard to describe.


    I felt like I was shaking. However, after holding hands a little bit, I calmed down a little bit.


    ¡°It was more serious when I first saw him. At least now¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. He looks much better.¡±


    When I turned to the voice that came from somewhere near, I saw someone I hadn¡¯t seen in a very long time. The first thing that caught my eye was the Holy Sword, which was established as a symbol of the warrior, and the blonde hair. The gray warrior chosen by Benignore.


    It was Raphael.


    ¡°I heard that you weren¡¯ting¡­¡±


    ¡°I changed my mind.¡±


    ¡°Well thought out, Cho Hyejin. Oh, this is¡­ I know you. You¡¯re Alps, right? Long time no see.¡±


    ¡°Yes, long time no see. Raphael, if I had known you were awake, I would have gone to say hello¡­¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m fine. As soon as I woke up, I headed here right away¡­ I heard Hyung¡¯s voice looking for me.¡±


    ¡°Hyung?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the Blue Vice Guild Master¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°I got a message out of the blue. It¡¯s a message that said, ¡®Save this man. I know you can save him.¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°What do you say, Raphael? After that¡­¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t received any other messages since. It was only once right after I woke up. I didn¡¯t get any other answers about how to move or what to do, but I think I have to do this. Of course, I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m doing the right thing now, but¡­ This is the only duty I¡¯ve got right now.¡±


    ¡°The Guild Master¡¯s condition is¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s exactly as you see. The gray sacred power is filling the scar. I¡¯m d it didn¡¯t cause a rejection like normal sacred power, but¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d that works.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m d¡­¡±


    In addition to the gray warrior, others stood out.


    I couldn¡¯t remember them well, but that person who was wary of the surroundings was probably¡­ Lee Juhyuk, the hound. The one who built the safety zone around him with his divine power¡­


    ¡®The Miracle Priest Marien.¡¯


    There were a few other familiar faces. They were the members of what was called the Holy Sword Party. Not everyone seemed to be present, but they were certainly the ones which often showed up in the guild. They weren¡¯t the only ones present. Choi Young-ki of the Red Mercenary, and¡­


    ¡®Master of the ck Swan Guild?¡¯


    She was currently talking to Cho Hyejin.


    I thought it would be good to say hello, but it didn¡¯t seem like the right timing. Everyone looked extremely nervous, after all.


    Park Yeon-joo, the Holy Sword Party, Choi Young-ki of the Red Mercenary, and other powerful people all had simr facial expressions.


    It wasn¡¯t because of the Guild Master in front of them. It was because the enemy coulde in at any time.


    ¡®How long did we walk?¡¯


    Where exactly were we?


    The fog covered us, but there was no wall around us. Made of magic and divine power, the Safety Zone wouldn¡¯t be strong enough to deter enemy attacks.


    If the demons in angel masks could reach us¡­


    ¡®It could be dangerous.¡¯


    Perhaps it was because of the tension I had never felt before, but my palms began to sweat. The fog made me feel ominous since I couldn¡¯t even see an inch ahead of me.


    ¡°Eeeiiik.¡±


    Whitey whimpered and fixed their eyes in the distance, and I followed his gaze without even realizing it.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    I could see a masked man looking our way.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    It was such a remote ce. I didn¡¯t even know if what I¡¯d seen was a human figure.


    Perhaps I had gotten it wrong. I rubbed my eyes for a moment and looked at it again, but all I could see was fog.


    ¡®Was I hallucinating?¡¯


    However, wouldn¡¯t it be better to do some research?


    A man wearing a white mask? Why was he staring our way?


    ¡°Eiiik¡­¡±


    I was about to talk to an adventurer nearby.


    ¡°Prepare forbat!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°All units ready for battle!¡±


    ¡°Waaang! Waaang!¡±


    ¡°Whitey!¡±


    I heard the sound of an explosion from somewhere.


    ¡°Wizards, release the magic you¡¯ve prepared!¡±


    ¡°Our location has been discovered. Requesting assistance! Enemy numbers can¡¯t properly be verified.¡±


    ¡°Move ording to the manual.¡±


    The air changed instantaneously. I could hear wizards chanting spells all over the ce. The surroundings themselves felt like they were getting heavier.


    I urgently pulled out the sword on my waist as I saw a demon in the image of an angel stretching his spear through the mist.


    ¡®I can avoid it.¡¯


    I was slightly stiff with tension, but it was an attack that could be avoided good enough.


    ¡°Waaang!¡±


    When I heard that sound, I felt my body gaining vitality. My movement got faster, and my force got stronger. I thrust my sword out to the enemy¡¯s heart exactly, but it was caught with the sound of a ¡®chin.¡¯


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    I felt flustered for a second when someone saved me. A spear came through the mist, its tip prating the angel¡¯s neck.


    ¡°Go to a safe ce.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ no. I can fight.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I can fight.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Then join the unit immediately.¡±


    ¡°Roger that.¡±


    I watched Cho Hyejin throw herself into the fog.


    It wasn¡¯t known where she was exactly headed, but albeit a bit blurry, I saw her stretching out her spear against the angel with long brown hair.


    Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaang!!


    ¡°Let¡¯s go Whitey!¡±


    ¡°Waang!¡±


    I knew how to fight. I had gone through a lot of training.


    The manual was also in my head. It was important to ensure that beneficial effects on party members weren¡¯t lost.


    In order to use the buffs given by Whitey, I had to move as much as possible.


    ¡®The fog is blocking the view.¡¯


    It was difficult to distinguish thend and find exact locations. The same went for our troops and for our enemy.


    ¡®Whitey can tell the difference.¡¯


    He should able to tell by the smell. It wouldn¡¯t work inrge-scale battles, but in small and medium scales, one¡¯s ability would be of great help in guerribat.


    I followed Whitey, who was quickly leading the steps.


    I had to keep remembering the surrounding terrain amid a hectic run. Any information could helpter. That was when Whitey, who was running without hesitation, stopped moving.


    ¡°Wang!¡±


    ¡°Where are we? Are¡­ Are you here?¡±


    ¡°Waang! Wang!¡±


    What I saw in front of me was a man wearing a mask.

 Chapter 719: Alps (4)

    <h4>Chapter 719: Alps (4)</h4>


    ¡®Damn it¡­¡¯


    Battles were always unpredictable.


    ¡®I knew you wereing in.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t think it would happen so suddenly.


    ¡®Is there no order to retreat?¡¯


    It wouldn¡¯t be too much to feel the same way. Of course, I knew why I wanted to defend that ce.


    ¡°The Sunset Swordsman.¡±


    It was a fight to protect a hero who had been corrupted by the devil and had been taken out ofmission.


    It was a fight to protect the body of a breathless hero. When I thought about why I had to fight again, I couldn¡¯t help butugh.


    It wasn¡¯t an area without tactical value, so even if the troops were pushed back, they could maintain the front line enough.


    Still, I couldn¡¯t find a reason to confront enemies in that ce. I thought the damage would be severe. We couldn¡¯t lose the top adventurers who were considered to be named by continental standards.


    The Sunset Swordsman¡­


    ¡°There¡¯s no guarantee he¡¯ll survive.¡±


    He was already dead. It was hard to breathe properly because of the rotten smell that had prated through the fog.


    How could I hope that the hero would be revived after seeing the horrendous sight that was him?


    Although I had always been supportive of themand, I couldn¡¯t help but doubt whether that judgment was correct. Maybe he lost his mind at themand. Could the current Head, who lost Lee Kiyoung, the Continental Protection and Management Committee chairman, make a reasonable judgment?


    I kept waiting for the order to pull out, but I still couldn¡¯t hear any. Rather, orders were issued for full-fledgedbat.


    ¡°Fuck, I can¡¯t even see because of the fog¡­¡±


    ¡°When ordered to fight, we fight.¡±


    ¡°Moving to the main force?¡±


    ¡°No, our party doesn¡¯t join the main force.¡±


    ¡°Perfect. It looks like I¡¯m going to die. I thought I could die at any time, but I didn¡¯t want to die to protect the body that can¡¯t even stand up, Captain.¡±


    ¡°We just do what we can. And you do what you aremanded to do. That¡¯s our mission. I don¡¯t need another word.¡±


    ¡°Can you trust the currentmander?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just saying this because I don¡¯t think it¡¯s reasonable. We have here the Holy Warrior, the ck Swan Guild Master, and the Blue Guild Master¡¯s Secretary. It¡¯s a ce where the strongest people of the continent are gathered¡­ They shouldn¡¯t die in a ce like this. The war is not over yet.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t understand how you feel, but I have no choice but to believe in him right now.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°The Honorary Cardinal.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°The grey warrior said he heard the voice of the Honorary Cardinal. The executives know the story.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes, so trust and fight. If you don¡¯t trust him, there¡¯s no hope for the continent anymore.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Parties are ready for battle. Coming in.¡±


    If that wasn¡¯t a lie¡­


    ¡®I have no choice but to do this.¡¯


    If those were truly the words of the Honorary Cardinal, I had no choice but to follow.


    Of course, there was a possibility that that statement was false, but I understood why the Honorary Cardinal made that judgment.


    They didn¡¯t believe in their own judgment. They believed in the voice of the saint of the continent, the son of Benignore, the guardian of light, and the Honorary Cardinal, Lee Kiyoung.


    It was when I fixed my shield.


    ¡°Prepare forbat!¡±


    I then felt something moving forward.


    ¡°Arrows!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t shoot! Don¡¯t shoot! It¡¯s our ally. It¡¯s our ally!¡±


    ¡°Stop! Damn it!¡±


    The doll that broke through the mist was a short woman. I¡¯d seen her before. It was impossible not to know.


    ¡°Alps?¡±


    She was a new guild member of the Blue Guild.


    She was an adventurer who made her name known as a candidate for the Holy Sword and was also the one who made the profession of Tamer popr. Her ss was obvious since she was always with her dog.


    I didn¡¯t know what happened, but my face was full of tears.


    No matter how the Blue Guild was, I thought there was a possibility that the recruit might¡¯ve been frightened by the sudden battle and left the battlefield. There wouldn¡¯t have been much she could do in such a thick fog.


    But it was different from that. The newbie had no fear in her expression. Rather, she had an unidentified will.


    ¡°You¡¯re¡­¡±


    ¡°Help me.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°We have to get to where the Guild Master is. Help me.¡±


    ¡°What are you¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have enough time to borate. I have to go now. Help me, please!¡±


    ¡°Captain?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Please.¡±


    ¡°Captain.¡±


    ¡°Change the mission. From now on, I will bring the new member of the Blue Guild to the point. As soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°But you can¡­ Damn it, let¡¯s go. I think we¡¯d better go. The reason is¡­¡±


    ¡°I got a message.¡±


    ¡°Enough.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure from whom or what, but the leader and other party members nodded. I was also forced to nod for the time being. That¡¯s because I was sure in my eyes.


    ¡°Moving.¡±


    It was hard to see due to the fog and the chaotic battlefield, so I had expected it to be difficult.


    ¡°I¡¯ll show you the way.¡±


    I had no choice but to nod immediately when I saw the dog running out.


    ¡®So she¡¯s from the Blue Guild?¡¯


    For a moment, I was ashamed to judge her as a loser. There was no hesitation in her movements as she ran ahead with a sword.


    It was a little embarrassing to follow the dog, but the newbie in front of me was clearly guiding me to the point.


    ¡°Two battles at most.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve checked if there is a battle.¡±


    ¡°30 seconds. It¡¯s approaching from the front.¡±


    ¡°Ready for battle! Ready for battle!¡±


    How the hell did the Blue Guild train new guild members?¡¯


    Technically, it wasn¡¯t like she¡¯s experienced, but¡­


    ¡®She¡¯s strong.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t just in terms of force. She was mentally strong and knew what she should do. It wasn¡¯t what ordinary newbies could show.


    Newbies were either excited or nervous. They often had no room to understand the situation since they wouldn¡¯t have time to look around properly due to being drunk inbat.


    Or there were many cases where they became too nervous to even be helpful. That was why current guilds liked experienced neers.


    At least ten attempts had to bepleted before they could see the surroundings and merge with the party. Meanwhile, the loser in front of me¡­


    ¡®Am I sure that¡¯s a loser?¡¯


    She was calm. She knew what she could do and knew her limitations. Not long after the battle, she had alreadypletely melted into the party.


    She wasn¡¯t just looking at the enemy. She was constantly looking around her allies. She must¡¯ve been aware of where everyone currently was and what we could do.


    As soon as she had a chance, she pulled out her sword, rushed in, and assisted others with her movement. Among them, the most powerful was¡­


    ¡°Waaaang!¡±


    She provided buffs like a priest. We became more agile and stronger.


    ¡°Careful!¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°No, Let¡¯s avoid it next time. I¡¯ll turn left.¡±


    ¡°With the Blue Neer at the center.¡±


    ¡°Confirmed, Captain.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know where the party was headed because I was constantly changing directions, but the one thing I was sure of was that we were getting closer to our goal.


    I didn¡¯t think I could move like that on a battlefield. Strangely, nothing happened to our party in the midst of roars and explosions all around us.


    ¡°Hold the shield!¡±


    ¡°Shield! Shield!¡±


    As soon as the huge light fell, they gathered to form a phnx.


    ¡°Go, go, go! Move! Move!¡±


    ¡°I got it.¡±


    ¡°There are three in front of us! Battle iing!¡±


    ¡°The second team will mark them. The first team will keep moving!¡±


    ¡°Confirmed!¡±


    ¡°Survive, you bastards!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what all the fuss is about. Have a safe trip, you bastards!¡±


    Sometimes the parties were separated. I hadn¡¯t felt out of breath since I was listed as a top adventurer, but I was getting physically exhausted.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°Go, go, go! Move! Fuck! Move! Don¡¯t stop! Just keep moving!¡±


    ¡°Captain, are you calling for backup?¡±


    ¡°The Red Mercenaries will open the way, newbie!¡±


    ¡°Wang!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s confirmed! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!¡±


    There was a faint light in the hands of the new Blue guild member, who ran right away.


    I didn¡¯t know what that light meant, but I could see one thing that they had aplished.


    In front of us was what appeared to be a fallen hero between the roads opened by the Red Mercenary Guild.


    ¡°Raise the shield! Hold on! Hold on! Hold up! Hang in there!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t back off! You bastards, hang in there!¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°Stay where you are! Stay where you are!¡±


    The eyes were fixed on the rear even as they continued to receive the falling foreign light.


    The fog was gradually clearing up, and we could see what was going on.


    We werepletely surrounded by enemies, centered on the sunset hero.


    ¡°Are we all going to die?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say such things! Hang in there. He¡¯ll get up! I¡¯m going to get him up!¡±


    ¡®Get up? I wish he would.¡¯


    It was then that the new member of the Blue Guild reached out to the sunset hero.


    ¡°Get¡­ get¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Get up! Get up! Hero of Altanus!¡±


    ¡°Put it up, you bastards! Don¡¯t mind the back and hang in there!¡±


    ¡°And I will present you with the future!¡±


    ¡°Behind you now¡­¡±


    ¡°Never mind, hang in there! Don¡¯t let them touch you! Wizards, keep the defense magic up! Keep it up, you bastards! Even if you¡¯re coughing up blood, don¡¯t let it fall!¡±


    ¡®Damn it. Are we really gonna die?¡¯


    ¡°Wake up, hero of Altanus! Then I will present you with a future!¡±


    I couldn¡¯t figure out what the new Blue Guild member was chanting all of a sudden, but one thing was for certain¡­


    If he didn¡¯t get up, we would all die. This was pure annihtion. The hope for the continent would be lost.


    ¡°Get up! Get up! Get up! Sunset Hero!¡±


    ¡°If you can hear me, wake up! Hero of Altanus! If you do that¡­ Ugh¡­ I¡¯ll present to you a future!¡±


    ¡°Wake up!¡±


    ¡°If you can hear me, wake up! Altanus¡­ Ugh¡­ Wake up if you hear his voice, hero! Hero, if you do that¡­ Then he will present you with a future!¡±


    I raised my voice without even realizing it.


    ¡°Damn it¡­ damn it!¡±


    ¡°Wake up, Hero of Altanus! Rise and take the future into your own hands! Get up!¡±


    No response, the Blue Guild¡¯s youngster continued to deliver a dim light to the sunset hero, screaming and crying, but he remained the same.


    ¡°Wake up, Hero of Altanus! Then I will present you with a future!¡±


    ¡®Is that it?¡¯


    I thought so.


    It was just then¡­


    * * *


    ¡°Bingo.¡±

 Chapter 720: I Believe (1)

    <h4>Chapter 720: I Believe (1)</h4>


    ¡°He can get up.¡±


    ¡®You have to get up.¡¯


    -Hang in there, you bastards! Keep your position!


    The situation deserved to be called the worst. Anyone would¡¯ve thought that there was no hope for mankind.


    -Wake up, Hero of Altanus! Then I will present you with a future!


    Angels were slowly narrowing down their space while having thempletely surrounded. Mankind resisted them so nobly that tears came out.


    In terms of the return of the hero, there could be no better timing than that. There was an opportunity and enough preparation. It wasn¡¯t without an element of anxiety, however.


    ¡®If you don¡¯t wake up, it will all be over.¡¯


    I wanted to continue sending quests, but even that wasn¡¯t possible. If Alps hadn¡¯te, the quest couldn¡¯t have been delivered to Kim Hyunsung.


    He was certainly responding to the voice. The ever-fluttering spell was proof. I thought it would definitely happen, but frankly, I wasn¡¯t sure. I had no choice but to watch the situation nervously.


    I wanted to shout ¡°go, go!¡±, but I felt nervous enough not to make such a joke.


    If it didn¡¯t happen at the right moment, it was over. It was thest dice I¡¯d thrown in my book.


    ¡®No, let¡¯s not assume that. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll get up.¡¯


    He¡¯d wake up. The future hadn¡¯t changed. Yuno Kasugano was still saying that the future hadn¡¯t changed.


    Since she was still looking at the same picture, that meant Kim Hyunsung would inevitably jump out of his slumber.


    Kim Hyunsung would be revived, stab Lee Kiyoung in the stomach, and eventually remain in the ending together.


    ¡®Let¡¯s go, Hyunsung. Let¡¯s go! Please. Please.¡¯


    He had to get up before it was toote. The troops were getting mixed up. The wizards were running out of magic, and there the priests no longer had any divine power left.


    The faces of the soldiers seen were dyed with despair. They looked like there was no hope anymore.


    That was thest resistance of those who already knew that that would be their final resting ce, and the situation was flowing as if that really was going to be the case.


    It was then that the embattled Alps pushed the message in and opened their mouths once again.


    ¡®That one.¡¯


    There hadn¡¯t been any miraculous impact. It wasn¡¯t like gray light fell from the sky, and it didn¡¯t have any different effects around him.


    It all went quiet.


    I felt like the battlefield, which had been noisy just before, had fallen silent. The atmosphere seemed to be sinking, and the fog centered around Kim Hyunsung was fading.


    -Oh¡­ oh¡­


    The first thing I noticed was the new guild member of Blue Guild, who was sitting next to Kim Hyunsung.


    -Oh¡­


    She had to be watching Kim Hyunsung¡¯s body wriggle.


    ¡®Stop shaking off your wings and moving your fingers.¡¯


    Like an animal awakening from a long hibernation, the ck hero moved his body carefully.


    I thought it could happen, but it seemed to me to be an unconventional sight. It looked like he could never move. I couldn¡¯t believe he was moving, even at that moment. It was so unusual to see such a sight that I felt like I was dreaming.


    ¡°Are you sure he¡¯s alive?¡±


    I believed it. Damn it.


    The allies that were screaming ¡®wake up¡¯ earlier also fell quiet.


    Those who were blocking the iing attacks with shields, the archers who were continuing to shoot arrows, and the wizards who were chanting began to look behind them one by one.


    They were all top adventurers. There was no way they didn¡¯t realize that things had changed.


    I was looking at something I¡¯d never seen before, moving slowly.


    I noticed a soldier rubbing his eyes and opening his mouth while maintaining his line.


    -Really¡­ He¡¯s really alive.


    -He¡¯s reallye back to life. Ha¡­ ha.


    -Guil¡­ Guild¡­ Master?


    -It¡¯s the sunset hero. The sunset hero has been resurrected. I was counting on you, damn it!


    ¡®Don¡¯t believe me, you bastards.¡¯


    It was embarrassing to see a man with a face that was obviously tinged with despair shouting such cliche lines.


    Still, my lips began to curve into a smile as well. I was the one who believed in Kim Hyunsung. I knew for sure he wouldn¡¯t end like that.


    -Guild Master¡­


    Kim Hyunsung looked around and gave a very small nod.


    Then he stopped, looking towards Alps. The mask hadn¡¯t been broken yet.


    Alps trembled at the sight. Her delight at the unbelievable miracle disappeared almost as soon as she felt it.


    His body trembled. It had received enormous malice, corrupted magic, and even received the energy of the Holy Warrior, after all.


    However, that, too, soon started to fade away. Kim Hyunsung wasn¡¯t sending hostility to Alps.


    -¡­


    He lifted himself up, and I looked around with a rather bewildered face at the same time. There was no expression on his face, but he seemed embarrassed.


    -Woo¡­


    Soon, he looked up at the sky and began to roar.


    ¡®Can he still think properly?¡¯


    No, he wasn¡¯tpletely irrational. Kim Hyunsung wasn¡¯t sending hostility to the people around him. At least he wasn¡¯t gone as far as we could tell.


    It wasn¡¯t known what maintained Kim Hyunsung¡¯s spirit, but he couldn¡¯t help but nod at the voice he soon heard.


    -The¡­ The future.


    I didn¡¯t even think he knew what it meant. He had slurred its pronunciation and spoke in apletely cracked voice.


    However, he definitely muttered the word.


    ¡®Okay, Hyunsung. Sh*t. That¡¯s it. The future. It¡¯s the future.¡¯


    -The future.


    ¡®Let¡¯s go to the future. We¡¯re going to the future. What are you doing, Alps? You have to help me.¡¯


    -Yes¡­ Yes, Guild Master. We can move on.


    -Future. The future.


    -Yes. It¡¯s the future.


    -Future¡­


    Kim Hyunsung began to spread hisrge wings. I had no choice but to ry an order.


    ¡°Dominions,e back. Pull back the troops.¡±


    I had to send a message to Dominions who was fighting against Cho Hyejin. From the foreign media¡¯s point of view, it was best to push back the troops. However, it was nothing but minimizing damage.


    Sure enough, Kim Hyunsung began to move. With his heavy wings spread out, he shot off in an instant.


    With one swing of his ws, the bodies of the angels surrounding mankind were torn apart.


    -¡­


    They let out grueling screams and as he continued to tear up the bodies of those with white wings.


    It was a glorious moment, and it was sublime. However, Kim Hyunsung¡¯s appearance seemed a bit miserable.


    Of course, Kim Hyunsung would be seen as a god somewhere in the eyes of those who were on the verge of death.


    Whatever the form, whatever the energy, he was a hero. Except for the subjective lens, his appearance was heroic enough.


    -That¡¯s¡­


    -I can¡¯t believe it. He wiped them all out. Yeah. Hahaha.


    -The Sunset Hero.


    -He¡¯s really¡­ He¡¯s really been resurrected. Hahahaha, he¡¯s alive! God damn it!


    -Is there still hope, after all? Benignore hasn¡¯t abandoned us yet!


    - It is the same as what the Honorary Cardinal, the Son of God, prophecized.


    Those who expressed surprise at pure force and those who felt strange anxiety cheered for Kim Hyunsung.


    I was constantly sending a voice to bless the hero who came back from the dead. The responses of officials were no different. Cho Hyejin, who suddenly lost her opponent, was looking around with trembling eyes.


    -Guild Master?


    Kim Hyunsung was moving his body in a hurry, perhaps because he felt that he had resurrected.


    After running for a long time with tears in her eyes, she soon looked at Kim Hyunsung, who was engaged in a fierce battle. She then moved once again.


    -Guild Master. Ugh¡­ Guild Master.


    ¡®Yeah, Hyejin. You¡¯ve done a lot.¡¯


    What was Cho Hyejin thinking while looking at that scene?


    She was probably d. Whatever the condition, the fact that Kim Hyunsung was still alive would help her endure the current situation.


    -Hyung, I think I did it.


    Our supporting actor, Raphael, who worked hard toplete the mission, had a mysterious expression, but it didn¡¯t seem to be negative.


    ¡®Yeah, you grew up. Really.¡¯


    He was the only one that had the divine power to restore Kim Hyunsung. The gray color that constantly regenerated Raphael¡¯s body was also effective for Kim Hyunsung¡¯s body.


    If it weren¡¯t for Raphael, he wouldn¡¯t be able to move even if he woke up. I should at least give him a bonuster.


    The same went for Park Yeon-joo and Choi Young-ki. I was just staring nkly at the enemy, who was disappearing in a daze.


    It didn¡¯t take long for the battle to end, which seemed to have gone on forever.


    The angels were pulling the troops back and the fog lifted. After so long, the light began to illuminate the entire ce.


    Nature¡¯s light reflected the most corrupted hero. It shone down on the fallen hero who climbed into a ruined space alone after the battle and babbled.


    He looked sorrowful, but the scene was so sacred that I couldn¡¯t say anything about it. Instead, it made my body tremble without realizing it.


    ¡°It¡¯s worth a look.¡±


    ¡°Are you here?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been here for a while. I moved right after I heard the return order. Why? Did Ie too early? Do you want to appreciate it a little more?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ how should I report this?¡±


    ¡°Do you have anything else to report? This is not an ident we caused, but an ident caused by Seraphim. He¡¯s the one who didn¡¯t handle the fallen hero properly, so why do we have to take responsibility? It¡¯s rather a good opportunity. I¡¯ve prepared a way to bite back. It¡¯s our position to press, not his.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ You might think so. Humans are amazing, by the way. Who would¡¯ve thought they¡¯d cheer like that? Kim Hyunsung might¡¯ve attacked them¡­ At least he was a little sane. What¡¯s the point of saying he was still in his right mind? It was more likely that anger and hostility would move him instead.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. If he moves, I¡¯ll thank you. Turn it around. Think slowly. It¡¯s quite a big achievement. Now I feel like I know a little bit about how things would work out, how the puzzle fits, and what I have to do.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? Maybe that¡¯s why you look so happy.¡±


    ¡°Who? Me?¡±


    ¡°Then who do you think it is? I guess I¡¯d be happy, too. How happy are you to see that you thought it was delisted back to the surface? I think it was just yesterday that I watched you going crazy.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°How could you? Was the continent really a bunch of crap that you were going to cut off after everything was over? You¡¯re funny, Oppa.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°How do you like it? You¡¯re d I¡¯m here, right? Would it have changed a little if I didn¡¯te?¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know that either. Why are you talking about something that didn¡¯t even happen? Tell me something else. Hyejin, do I look okay?¡±


    ¡°Well, you looked very tired. I wanted to hug you without realizing it. Just close your eyes and send a message. Or should I give it a try?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a questionable situation. How can you do that?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­ Oh¡­ I¡¯ll have to think about this over slowly. Anyway, let¡¯s go back. If it¡¯s toote, you might raise suspicion again.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°More than that, Noona¡­¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°There was something that I wanted to ask you.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s she doing?¡±


    Dominions in front of me could be seen raising the corners of her mouth.


    ¡°That¡¯s awesome.¡±


    She did so with a really trashy look on her face.

 Chapter 721: I Believe (1)

    <h4>Chapter 721: I Believe (1)</h4>


    ¡®Noona is really quite amazing.¡¯


    It was worth saying that her performance had turned out to be the most surprising. I couldn¡¯t believe it no matter how I thought about it.


    I was aware that she was somewhatpetent, but in fact, Lee Jihye wasn¡¯t all that important to me.


    At least that was what I thought when I got out of the tutorial dungeon and headed for the Blue Guild.


    Unlike me, who had the Mind¡¯s Eyes, Lee Jihye started the second round with nothing.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t know at the time.¡¯


    Lee Jihye didn¡¯t show every card she had at any given time.


    People like us always hid a few things, but in the case of Noona, she was a little worse than me.


    It was easy to infer from the fact that she didn¡¯t gamble recklessly. The reason was obvious, too. Jihye didn¡¯t reveal all her abilities because¡­


    ¡®Because she thought she couldn¡¯t handle it.¡¯


    She must¡¯ve thought it was dangerous to reveal everything she had under her sleeves without foundation. There were currently countless ways to protect her, but that wasn¡¯t always the case.


    She was the opposite of me, who kept growing and developing into betterment.


    Still, back then, she fully realized how she could contribute to saving mankind with the masked savior. No, from the beginning, the masked savior wasn¡¯t just one person, but two.


    That expression was very trashy, but¡­


    ¡®Based on what she¡¯s done so far, wouldn¡¯t it be appropriate to call her the masked hero as well?¡¯


    Without Lee Jihye, it would¡¯ve felt like my hands and feet were cut off.


    ¡°What? Why are you looking at me like that? Did you suddenly realize how important I am?¡±


    ¡°You already are an important person to me, so why would you say that? We¡¯re soulmates, and I used to only have you. You know I love you, right?¡±


    ¡°I appreciate your ttery, but it doesn¡¯t hit home. Your face looks like trash. Is there anything you need me to figure out? You¡¯re thinking too hard. Well, it¡¯s not bad, though. I feel like I¡¯m being treated the way I deserve¡­¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why you have to be capable.¡±


    ¡°By the way, Noona. Is that alright? What about Dominions? Don¡¯t you still have her?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s still some of her left, but she¡¯s almost dead. Oh, I don¡¯t mean I really killed her. She¡¯s been getting a little quiettely. I think she¡¯s starting to ept that I¡¯m in her body now, and she¡¯s bing obedient, but she snaps sometimes. She¡¯s probably asking for some attention, but it won¡¯t take long. She¡¯s kind of unexpectedly cute too.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you want to know more?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ you don¡¯t have to¡­¡±


    ¡®What the hell are you doing?¡¯


    I knew she was doing something in her dream using Ronove, but I couldn¡¯t tell what exactly she was doing, which made me feel frustrated.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t something I should be interested in. What was important was that Lee Jihye and Ronove joined hands to defeat Dominions together.


    If the two of them were pressuring Dominions, wasn¡¯t that good enough? She was even bing obedient. There was no need for anotherment.


    ¡®She¡¯s in good hands.¡¯


    As Noona said, I once thought it was over until she appeared.


    I was confident that Kim Hyunsung would wake up, but it was hard to weigh in on his conviction.


    Ronove knew that Kim Hyunsung was still alive and exchanged messages with Yuno Kasugano on my behalf since I was in a situation where it was difficult tomunicate with them.


    Most importantly, friendly forces had sprung up in the middle of the enemy¡¯s camp.


    Thronus was supporting me, but he was weak on his own.


    No, honestly, it was like there was no such thing as the ipetent bastard. It might¡¯ve been more helpful that way.


    There was no need to mention that it had be easier to work in a situation that could be called the worst, thanks to Jihye.


    For the time being, she hadn¡¯t been suspected yet after possessing Dominions¡¯ body, so her support was strong.


    ¡°So¡­ We¡¯re going on as nned, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Why?¡±


    ¡°Because I can¡¯t wait to get back to my body. I asked Yeon-soo toe, but I don¡¯t feel good if I don¡¯t do it myself. There¡¯s so much to manage¡­ If I knew this would happen, I would¡¯ve changed my nails. Do you know the really old-fashioned blue one? Damn right. The Teletubbies color. I¡¯m sure she¡¯s trying to screw me. It¡¯s so annoying.¡±


    ¡°Your real body is sleeping anyway, Noona.¡±


    ¡°Do you think Lee Jihye was created overnight? I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re born with soft skin like me, but constant care and a little attention have made Lee Jihye what she is now. It¡¯s so annoying. You know that you sound like a person who keeps talking about not gaining weight even if they eat, right? Even in busy situations, I managed my beauty every day¡­ Being unable to take care of my skin really bothers me. Really.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°When this is over, the months will be really¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve got our troops back. Let¡¯s go. I think they¡¯re almost settled.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Kim Hyunsung is¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll leave it at that.¡±


    As I changed my mind because the story seemed to be going to be longer, Lee Jihye nodded.


    She didn¡¯t seem to like it when I cut her off, but she also recognized that it was time to slowly retreat.


    When I turned my eyes slightly, I saw soldiers who had no idea what to do with Kim Hyunsung.


    The battle was over, and our regressor was looking up at the sky. While carefully staring at him, the gathered troops must¡¯ve been watching the situation a little further away as there was no hostility.


    Meanwhile, Cho Hyejin, who was stamping her feet, was also seen.


    She approached Raphael and spoke to him, and I thought I didn¡¯t have to listen to know what they were talking about.


    She asked Raphael how Hyunsung was, whether he was really healthy and whether he coulde back.


    Although she seemed a little nervous, I could feel that her joy was greater than her anxiety.


    Once revived, she must¡¯ve determined that there might be a way to return to his original form. At that moment, mankind gained a new assignment.


    Since we had seeded in saving him, the next quest was obvious.


    Return the sunset hero to the right path.


    Perhaps it was considered a top priority. I thought I could get a rough idea of how to get him back, but¡­


    ¡°There could be another way.¡±


    As things on the way to the end of the ship weren¡¯t clearly visible at that point, we had to keep as many possibilities open as possible.


    ¡°Do you feel a little bitter?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m feeling a little worried. I wonder how everyone¡¯s doing? I¡¯m sure Hyejin can handle herself, though. Even though I forgot to leave a manual, I think she¡¯s doing a good job.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea to put too much pressure on her, but I think she really likes the situation because Hyunsung seems to be waking up. I don¡¯t know if there¡¯s a chance, though.¡±


    ¡°Why won¡¯t she have a chance?¡±


    ¡°How many times have I told you? Their rtionship doesn¡¯t stand a chance. Don¡¯t forget our deal about Lee Kiyeon and Lee Jihoo. There¡¯s no way they¡¯ll fall in love.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget either, Noona. Let¡¯s see who wins.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡±


    ¡°So am I.¡±


    I had to take a step forward for the time being since I didn¡¯t want to get far enough to keep picking up useless jokes.


    As soon as I spread my wings, I felt my body rising up into the air awkwardly.


    The same went for Lee Jihye and Dominions. Watching her expression change little by little, I thought it was time to focus.


    The four angels hadn¡¯t noticed that Dominions was Lee Jihye, so it was worth catching such emotions.


    At least Lee Jihye¡¯s face, which was left behind, had disappearedpletely. She probably felt like she was walking on thin ice in an instant, but Lee Jihye wasn¡¯t nervous at all. Rather, it was hard to hold backughter at her appearance of having fun.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be there in a little while, Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Dominions.¡±


    As I continued to move to the north, a huge temple came to view. It wasn¡¯t known when it was made, but it was a new style of architecture.


    I should¡¯ve gotten used to it, but I seemingly couldn¡¯t. Objectively, it looked great, but it didn¡¯t create much emotion.


    It was a temple that was going to break, anyway.


    That building would disappear without a trace soon enough. As I moved forward a little more, I saw a familiar figure in the distance.


    It was Thronus, an ipetent pigeon looking nervously at us. Of course, I didn¡¯t like the way he nodded as if he was lucky to have returned home safely.


    ¡®He¡¯s a real asshole.¡¯


    He was one of those who voted against me going outside. Unsurprisingly, it was noticeable that he approached us in a hurry.


    Of course, he didn¡¯t speak leisurely immediately. Something much more important than that had happened, after all.


    Slowlynding on the temple, Dominions interrupted and opened her mouth before Thronus could approach me.


    ¡°Everything¡¯s fine¡­¡±


    ¡°The fallen swordsman has been resurrected.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I already told you. The fallen swordsman has been resurrected. I think we¡¯d better call a meeting, Thronus.¡±


    ¡°Dominions, that¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already said this twice, but Thronus, the fallen swordsman, has been resurrected.¡±


    ¡®Jihye and her method acting. Sh*t.¡¯


    ¡°Where is Seraphim?¡±


    ¡®Right, here¡¯s the pressure. It¡¯s his fault, isn¡¯t it?¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯ll look into it.¡±


    ¡®Meanwhile, this ipetent bastard doesn¡¯t even know where Seraphim is. What do you know, you piece of sh*t?¡¯


    ¡°Are you sure you used the judgment of sin against the fallen swordsman?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ checked it with my own eyes.¡±


    ¡°Did you check his death yourself?¡±


    ¡°That¡­¡±


    ¡°Thronus.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s something you should have checked.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You know Seraphim well, so how could you be so careless? He¡¯s overconfident of his ability. No matter how dire the situation might be, you didn¡¯t even properly confirm that the spirit of the fallen swordsman has left the body. If I hadn¡¯t gone on a patrol today, I wouldn¡¯t even know he had awakened.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°My mistake, Dominions.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not ming you. The one who caused such a problem to ur is Seraphim in the first ce. I knew Seraphim¡¯s arrogance would promote trouble.¡±


    ¡®Once again, right? It¡¯s his fault.¡¯


    ¡°Dominions, I¡¯m¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear your excuses or opinions. It already happened, and now we have to find a way to fix it.¡±


    ¡®Jihye is good. Sh*t. I¡¯m proud of you. Lee Jihye, crush the pigeons.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯ve told you many times that the war against humanity will not be easy, that it will not work out as well as I thought¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Things have changed. We need to decide whether to continue the war or find a new way. It¡¯s urgent.¡±


    I watched Thronus slowly nod in agreement. I didn¡¯t know if he was an idea or not, but as Dominions moved slightly, she talked to me next.


    ¡°So¡­ Nothing happened¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, then, Dominions.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    I needed to move without making any eye contact.


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t it¡­¡±


    As Light Kiyoung had said, ¡®Don¡¯t ever look at the ipetent.¡¯

 Chapter 722: Round Table (1)

    <h4>Chapter 722: Round Table (1)</h4>


    ¡®Well, it is well-made.¡¯


    The exterior of the huge building was mysterious, and the interior wasn¡¯t any different.


    The ceiling was tall and huge and designed in a style that I had never been seen anywhere on Earth. Therge pirs were carved with angels, and the walls stood out due to the murals that seemed to be telling mythological stories.


    The pictures that kept swaying seemed interesting, but that was where my appreciation of the ce ended.


    That was what religion was all about. Benignore¡¯s church and other denominations were no different.


    Artworks that created overwhelming sights made humans feel like small creatures.


    Such pieces silenced them and made them think again about the existence of the gods.


    That was normal. The sunlight gleaming through stained ss, the magnificent hymns, the lofty religious symbols, and the divinity that emanated from them¡­ I couldn¡¯t help but notice that everything was calcted.


    They were civilized. They had simrities and differences to humans, but angels also had civilizations.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that obvious?¡±


    Demons might¡¯ve also had civilizations¡­ I thought the people who came to save the continent had that of course.


    I expected that much, and I¡¯d already done a few confirmations, yet I still found myself being reassured again.


    They were rational. It was quite the sh*tty philosophy, but they thought that it was reasonable and that they moved for a cause.


    They truly believed that what they were doing would help the continent, hence why they were sacrificing for it. They weren¡¯t moving simply for shallow pleasure and fun.


    Of course, I couldn¡¯t confirm that there were no such people, but at least I¡¯d been judged to be doing so. To what extent?


    Externally, at least. Yeah, on the outside.


    As I slowly walked with Dominions, they nodded and greeted each other.


    I stretched my wings toward a space designed to move only when I flew, and I felt my body rising up a little awkwardly.


    When the huge door opened, a golden round table came into view.


    Not only the four Archangels but also others, who didn¡¯t seem stronger than them but were definitely important individuals, were present.


    Dominions sat down. Thronus did the same, as I settled next to Dominions.


    ¡°I heard you called a meeting, Dominions.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡®How was she so good at acting?¡¯


    If I didn¡¯t know the truth, I would¡¯ve never dreamed she was Lee Jihye.


    It was like watching a clone of Dominion¡¯s character, tone, and everything all the way down to her trivial behavior. It was so great that the others didn¡¯t feel at odds against her yet.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since you called a meeting in person.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s been that long. Rtively recently¡­¡±


    I felt someone looking at me even while she was talking. It wasn¡¯t the ipetent pigeon Thronus.


    ¡®It¡¯s Cherubim.¡¯


    He had long blue hair and was sitting quietly with a bandage wrapped around him. Cha Hee-ra seemed to have beaten him properly. Of course, I heard that Cha Hee-ra¡¯s body wasn¡¯t in good condition either, but¡­


    ¡®They¡¯re both damaged.¡¯


    I thought it was about even. The bandages on Cherubim¡¯s body were a sign that their battle was so disastrous that the wounds couldn¡¯t be fully recovered by divine power alone, so I would probably be right.


    There was no hostility in his eyes, but there was irritation. I didn¡¯t think he liked being in the same room as me very much, and he spoke up to confirm my suspicions.


    ¡°Why is he here with us?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a transcendent who¡¯s surpassed humanity itself. If you ask which side he is closer to, he is closer to us¡­ Since we decided to let him join us, we shouldn¡¯t rule him out. He¡¯s decided to stand by us, and he¡¯s respecting us.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see if that¡¯s the case. Even if he¡¯s repented for his sins and understands us, I don¡¯t think he¡¯s like us. Remember that a person who turns his back once can turn his back at any time.¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t remember anything about what happened before. And¡­ persecuting him with mere spection and suspicion isn¡¯t our kind¡¯s way of dealing with things. Please keep your dignity, Cherubim, although I understand that you don¡¯t feel very good about humans.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°He belongs to us now.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a good talker. If he really belongs to us, why control him, Dominions?¡±


    ¡°We are not controlling him. We¡¯re protecting him, Cherubim.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t allow it.¡±


    ¡®You¡¯re the type that is usually the first to allow things to happen, you prick!¡¯


    ¡°Don¡¯t speak so harshly, Cherubim.¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t pretend to protect me now, you ipetent pigeon.¡¯


    ¡°I should be the one saying that, Thronus.¡±


    ¡°No more useless talks. I already made this clear. Cherubim, we are not here to listen to your anger. We have much bigger agendas to talk about.¡±


    It was then that Seraphim, who came in through a huge door, spoke up.


    ¡°I wonder what that important story is that made you bring everyone together.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The tinum-haired angel was tapping his finger on the desk after sitting down and wearing his signature arrogant expression.


    Maybe it¡¯s a habit. It looked like Seraphim was tapping his thigh, so I felt irritated.


    Overall, he looked rxed, but it didn¡¯t take much time before his expression changed when Dominions answered.


    ¡°The fallen swordsman has been resurrected.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s exactly as I said.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like that kind of joke, Dominions.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not kidding. Seraphim, I saw with my own eyes that he¡¯s alive, and I lost a lot ofrades again.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, again. Are you sure you used the judgment of sin against him?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    He was at a loss for words.


    His expression was filled with iprehension and disapproval. He didn¡¯t seem nervous, but his face had been clearly distorted.


    I didn¡¯t know what he was thinking, but he was assuming a lot of situations.


    Seraphim might be suspicious of how Kim Hyunsung survived and suspicious of his ability, but the probability was small.


    He wasn¡¯t the only one that shut up. The ipetent trash, who had heard the story in advance, was calmly listening to Dominions. What was funny was that the faces of Cherubim and the other high-ranking angels looked serious.


    ¡°Huh¡­ how did that happen?¡±


    ¡°Is that true?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t know why and how he got up, but the fallen swordsman has been revived.¡±


    ¡°No way¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no way. Seraphim, I think you can best exin this situation¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m sure I¡¯ve judged him for his sins. Dominions, he¡¯s been executed by countless judgments. He can¡¯t be alive.¡±


    ¡°But he is.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s true, then execute him again. There¡¯s no reason to take it seriously.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what you think. Seraphim, how many divinities will you use this time, and how manyrades do you intend to sacrifice? How many of our people do you intend to sacrifice to execute the fallen swordsman once again?¡±


    ¡®You can¡¯t say anything, can you, you pigeon?¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying this to reprimand you for your mistake, but it¡¯s your responsibility, Seraphim.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t make mistakes. Dominions, I¡¯m sure we missed something. He certainly stopped breathing. Another man who sold his soul to the devil may have saved him, or he may have once again drunk the power of the devil.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, the failure to postte what¡¯s going to happen in the future¡­¡±


    ¡°Is that all you have to say?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I was careless. I apologize.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I wish my apology would be enough for you. I hope you didn¡¯t arrange this to hear me say something wrong. What do you want to say, Dominions?¡±


    ¡°I just want to tell you that things have changed.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Things have changed. Manyrades have been lost in the first battle, and humans are more hostile to us than we thought. We can continue the battle, but many lives will be lost in the process. Of course, it goes without saying that the sacrifices we have to bear are also increasing.¡±


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not good for either party to be too pushy. They¡¯ll me us. No, they¡¯re already ming us.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I have to put up with to save this ce.¡±


    ¡°You have to be aware that you¡¯re repeating the same mistakes you made before. There¡¯s nothing to gain from this war anymore but hatred and anger for each other.¡±


    ¡°In the first ce, we¡¯re trying to control the human poption. Dominions, we are not doing this to gain understanding from them. Now that I¡¯m here¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want their understanding. However, there is a need to change course. I just felt it.¡±


    After a short silence, Seraphim continued. ¡°It didn¡¯te from your head.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right.¡±


    A slight wince from Dominions was visible. No wonder her eyes naturally began to focus in my direction.


    It was expected, but it was faster than I thought.


    He probably felt that external influences had influenced her because she was talking about something strange.


    He probably thought it was because of me. I didn¡¯t know if it¡¯s eptable or not, but I had to start talking at that moment, especially since he urged me to speak quickly.


    ¡°Tell me, Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°If you want to, I¡¯ll take the liberty of telling you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°The hard work of those who love, cherish, and strive for human beings and continents¡­¡±


    ¡°Just get to the point.¡±


    ¡°Of course. However, before I begin, I would like to ask you a quick question.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Is this mission that important?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Is this task as urgent as you make it so?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fully aware of the human danger. I was a human being, too. However, do you think the bnce of the continent will be broken in 10 or 20 years?¡±


    ¡°What are you trying to say?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just saying we still have time to spare. Yes, I¡¯m talking about whether we should go ahead with half the people being heartbroken. They are different from us. Their lives are finite. Directly speaking, they have an end even if we don¡¯t have to use our hands. Why are you fighting against them and sacrificing what we have.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s to save the continent.¡±


    ¡°Which is why I¡¯m asking why you¡¯re looking for answers in the way of war, dear Seraphim.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fun, but I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s meaningful. No one here considers humans to have no end. But they are infinite in a different sense. They¡¯re constantly leaving generations behind and repeating previous mistakes.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Cherubim.¡±


    ¡°Are you ying with me right now?¡±


    ¡°No way. I¡¯m just saying there¡¯s a hint to that.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t let them leave behind future generations.¡±


    ¡°¡­?¡±


    ¡°Then the poption will be controlled on its own.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It may take a little too much divinity, but how about¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°We cut off their desires?¡±


    In an instant, silence subsided in the hall.


    ¡°Change the system. It¡¯s about solving the underlying causes.¡±


    I could see some elders looking at me with astonishment.

 Chapter 723: Round Table (2)

    <h4>Chapter 723: Round Table (2)</h4>


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Everyone was speechless. Some of them looked at me like I was crazy.


    I thought I probably deserved it. I didn¡¯t know if they really didn¡¯t think of that course of action, but¡­


    ¡®No, there¡¯s no way they haven¡¯t thought about such a method yet.¡¯


    If the purpose were to control the human poption, it wouldn¡¯t have been considered as unreasonable.


    It was a peaceful way of dealing with the problem at hand. Of course, some things weren¡¯t certain, but ultimately, we could confidently say that that was more beneficial to us than blowing up half of humanity.


    Humans naturally wouldn¡¯t know how to take the situation, but they wouldn¡¯t think it was a big deal.


    First of all, ¡®It¡¯s all bullsh*t anyway.¡¯


    Secondly, ¡®Even if it¡¯s implemented¡­¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t us who would take care of it after the work was done. It¡¯d be the people above.


    That way, we could throw the right amount of bait and wait for them to bite. It didn¡¯t matter if I asked or didn¡¯t, but there was no denying that it would be better for me to do so.


    I thought there would be some feedback. However, those who were still waiting for me to continue had heavy faces.


    ¡®What, you guys really haven¡¯t thought about it?¡¯


    Really?


    Thinking that the vicious viins hadn¡¯te up with this easy way, I felt ashamed for a moment, but I thought it was probably not due to a moral reason.


    Of course, those bastards had a better moral conscience than me, so they didn¡¯t take it into ount.


    The biggest reason was probably the difference in mindset from humans in the first ce. Being trapped in the framework of their mindset could also be cited as the cause. They had alreadyid down the rules on humans. I didn¡¯t question why human beings were acting like human beings. I had already concluded that humans were such animals, after all.


    They might¡¯ve been thinking of a beautiful firefly that lived to the end, conveyed its knowledge, constantly grew, then destroyed itself.


    The regtions probably included human needs as well.


    If I had to find another reason¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s a budget problem, I guess.¡¯


    They would¡¯ve had to dish out an unimaginable budget.


    If it was to be converted to sacred power, wouldn¡¯t it be necessary to smash three or four of their huge temples to intervene?


    It wouldn¡¯t be a simple matter to implement. I unknowingly looked around since there was no feedback yet.


    Seraphim was unlikely to speak up because he had a lot to think about. Thronus, the ipetent pigeon, seemed to want to say something, but he found it troublesome to have the right to speak first.


    The elders would decide after the four archangels¡¯ments. It was dangerous for Dominions to speak right after my suggestion.


    Perhaps the first pigeon that would speak was¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s not as easy as you say.¡±


    It was probably the blue pigeon.


    ¡°Human beings existed in countless dimensions, for a time that I dare not fathom. There is a reason why they have been so designed and evolved. Cutting off a desire is tantamount to changing the framework of a well-made building. There¡¯s the risk that you don¡¯t know what side effects you¡¯re going to evoke.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying let¡¯s change it out of the blue. I¡¯m not saying let¡¯s rush and watch the world change tomorrow morning. The change will happen very slowly, not radically. It won¡¯t make all the desires disappear at once but change little by little over generations. You can progress gradually through the ages. They will slowly change without even knowing they are changing. And you¡¯ll find a new pattern of behavior to match it. That¡¯s evolution.¡±


    ¡°What a load of bullsh*t.¡±


    ¡®It actually is a load of bullsh*t, ha.¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s not bullsh*t.¡±


    ¡°I said it might be saddled with some side effects, you stupid human.¡±


    ¡°We can handle the side effects. If they change against their intentions, they¡¯ll open up a different path again.¡±


    ¡°In the end, they may lose their desire to leave offspring and generations behind.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll just have to decide when.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s like saying let¡¯s build a rut. Humans are not beasts.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m saying. You can think of it as just an extreme example. Of course, it won¡¯t be easy. Of course, I agree with Cherubim that it¡¯s not that simple. But nothing is ever easy in the beginning anyway.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°The existing method isn¡¯t easy to execute either. There might be unexpected side effects, and it wouldn¡¯t have been easy to make such a decision. However, what do you think? We are now moving toward a united task. We took risks, made decisions, and joined hands together.¡±


    ¡°What you think is nothing short of changing the foundations.¡±


    ¡°I know that. There¡¯s no doubt that the former option is the easier way.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be a very simple thing. We canmand our troops to kill them and control the continent. If you think that you have a force beyond human beings, you will eventually achieve that task. A toast will be made on a tower made of blood and sacrifice.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s still a way of giving extreme examples every time.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s natural to always think of the worst since, in this case, it can actually happen.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Let me make this clear again. Cherubim¡¯s suggesting that the road I propose will be difficult. There¡¯ll be many things to care about, and we might find countless side effects. We might consume divinity that exceeds the budget of the temple. Still, at least we¡¯re not going to celebrate on mountains of corpses.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I do not doubt that we¡¯ll change just like the new species we¡¯ll create together. In a more positive way, that is.¡±


    I had to at least take a small open-handed action, making the powerful and persuasive voice subside in the hall like a politician in an election campaign. It didn¡¯t matter if I spoke of bullsh*t.


    No, some might¡¯ve already thought it wasn¡¯t worth considering. However, for as long as there were supporters, the bullsh*t could still be strengthened.


    With this, I snuck a peek at Thronus.


    ¡®You¡¯re going to support me, right?¡¯


    He wronged me a lot. If he wanted to be close with me again, he¡¯d have to support me.


    ¡®It¡¯s yourst chance.¡¯


    I was hoping he¡¯d give me a standing ovation. However, the ipetent brat seemed to have stiffened and unable to say anything.


    Rather, it seemed like he would vote against it, looking at it carefully.


    Dominions also began to look into the public¡¯s perception and decided that there was no response. It would be best to offer a helping hand to Thronus.


    ¡°Do you have any other ideas? Thronus is¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡®Yeah, what? Hurry up and tell me.¡¯


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡®What?¡¯


    ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t want to toast in a tower built of sacrifice and blood¡­ But if humans change like that, will they really still be the humans we loved? A lot might change. They might grow more than we thought.¡±


    ¡®You son of a gun.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t expect anything from him, anyway.


    ¡°So you want to stay on the same track as you are now?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯m trying to say. I agree with the idea that it would be better to think of something else. We¡¯ve lost too much. We can¡¯t go through a simr situation again.¡±


    ¡®This isn¡¯t good.¡¯


    Without supporters, bullsh*t was bound to remain bullsh*t.


    Dominions alone wasn¡¯t strong enough, and Cherubim and Thronus didn¡¯t respond to the notion at all.


    The elders had been having serious conversations with each other, but they hadn¡¯t offered their opinion.


    It was then that Seraphim began to speak. ¡°That¡¯s not bad.¡±


    What?


    ¡°It¡¯s not bad.¡±


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡°Dominions is right. It¡¯s not ideal, but it¡¯s not a story that¡¯s unlikely either. That method is more sensible in the long run.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about, Seraphim?¡±


    ¡°Think about it, Cherubim. We have to control humanity anyway. Isn¡¯t our long-cherished desire to bnce the continent by controlling their poption? Suppose, let¡¯s imagine the future after everything is over. They¡¯ll start to grow again. You know their needs are endless, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°The reason humans develop and shine is that they have many desires, Seraphim.¡±


    ¡°But they destroy themselves and everything around them because of that desire. Didn¡¯t I say we have to control them for that very reason?¡±


    ¡°Not in this way! Seraphim, you¡¯re out of your mind. You shouldn¡¯t be trying to change them. Agree to control and manage, not change their roots!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s already a risk in control and management. Cherubim, we¡¯ll have to make another sacrificial choice. You¡¯ll have to kill them to constantly control them, as he said. We can contribute to the birth of a new species. That may be the reason for our existence.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re crazy. You¡¯re out of your mind, Seraphim. And Dominions, are you possessed by that man¡¯s ndishments? Recall what happened before, you idiots. That man has the tongue of a snake and has a meaner and more cunning head than the devil. I mean, that scumbag really loves humans, and I¡¯m sure he¡¯s giving ridiculous opinions.¡±


    ¡°Keep a low profile, Cherubim.¡±


    ¡°You deny what sounds crazy, and you still defend him, Thronus!¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t fooled by his ndishments, Cherubim.¡±


    ¡°Shut up. Seraphim, you¡¯ve done that before.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You think that I don¡¯t know about your ugly desires¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re mistaken.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, Cherubim!¡±


    ¡®Haaa, sh*t. This is a mess.¡¯


    ¡°You¡¯d better refrain from saying anything unrted to the meeting.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re saying that now.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re very overwhelmed, Cherubim. This isn¡¯t like you.¡±


    ¡°How can we calm down in this situation? You¡¯re not like you, either. Dominions, you¡¯ve always been a reasonable judge.¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s a fucking mess, isn¡¯t it? The senior pigeons are also in the war.¡¯


    ¡°It hasn¡¯t been decided yet. I¡¯m just saying that we should at least think about it. At least we have a lot of different directions we can take now.¡±


    ¡°How can we just observe in this situation? What do you mean by changing the basis of man? Can you really call such a being a human afterward?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I can. It¡¯s called a rookie group. It¡¯s difficult, but it¡¯s possible. We might be making really great achievements with this. Not only on this continent, but on all levels, we can solve problems.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a serious matter. Hence, it¡¯s not worth considering. Simply¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m asking you to think seriously!¡±


    I watched as the beings in the room raised their voices against each other. It¡¯s so gratifying to see them split up. Frankly, I didn¡¯t think it would be that easy.


    ¡®Sh*t. This is amazing.¡¯


    It made me realize the famous words, ¡®Don¡¯t talk about politics with your family.¡¯


    I once heard that ideology was the scariest thing in the world.


    ¡®Stuuuuuuuuuuupid.¡¯


    At that moment, the first piece of the puzzle was put on the board, and the stupid cubs took the bait.

 Chapter 724: Round Table (3)

    <h4>Chapter 724: Round Table (3)</h4>


    ¡®It¡¯s a bit of a surprise.¡¯


    Thronus and Dominions had thought they would hold hands, but they were stunned by the sudden betrayal of Thronus.


    I didn¡¯t think it would be the tinum pigeon that would save me either.


    If it weren¡¯t for his support, my n would¡¯ve ended in a fizzle. It was nothing short of a business.


    The budget was limited, and the goal was set. It¡¯s a business that didn¡¯t pay off unless the n was foolproof.


    After judging its feasibility, skeptical public opinion was likely to emerge. The problem was that they didn¡¯t ept it as a business. At least Seraphim¡¯s participation turned it into an ideological war.


    Like politicians who believedmunism was the perfect theory and bet on the nation¡¯s survival, he threw dice at the side that was falling into the abyss.


    No, technically, it wasn¡¯t an ideology that fell into the abyss. It wasn¡¯t like there was no possibility at all.


    The only problem was we had to spend a huge budget.


    The shorings could be remedied. Considering that we had all the time we needed, it might really be possible to create a new species.


    However, even assuming that long years and enormous divinity had to be poured out, it was impossible to know when the turnaround woulde.


    ¡°They bit the bait.¡±


    ¡°But what¡¯s that, Noona? What are you putting on your face?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s like a habit. I don¡¯t think they need to do this because their skin is so good. Rather, it¡¯s just something I want to do. I think this is how I put my mind at ease. Actually, I want to change my hairstyle and try many things, but it¡¯s a little weird to change all of a sudden, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°A little bit¡­ I think they¡¯re going to look at you strangely.¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so. They won¡¯t even be interested. They must be busy fighting because they split up¡­ Is it a big deal that my hairstyle has changed?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about the other pigeons, but Cherubim might notice.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that pigeon could. He seems to be rather delicate. I was even more grateful to him for running his mouth so violently. If it had passed quietly, it wouldn¡¯t have been this intense¡­ Did you hear the story yesterday?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°The elders had a fight. I took a peek, and it was more brutal than I thought. They¡¯re more serious than you think. The title ¡®Pioneer of the Birth of New Humanity¡¯ seems to have touched the hearts of some pigeons, and most of all, Seraphim is joining our side. Who knew that crazy pigeon would be friendly?¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°Thronus is¡­¡±


    ¡°We haven¡¯t met him properly yet¡­ I¡¯ll have to spare some time. To be honest, I don¡¯t expect much. It¡¯s a two-to-two bnce, and it¡¯s only when it¡¯s this intense that it¡¯s fun watching a fight.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. It¡¯s so much fun to see you go around causing chaos these days. It¡¯s more fun than watching the news on Earth. It¡¯s not only about catching up and dragging our feet but also about forming factions to keep each other in check. It¡¯s good to do something fulfilling, but doing meaningless things is quite exciting.¡±


    ¡°This is just the beginning. We¡¯re all set, aren¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°Are you ready, Oppa?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s get ready then. It¡¯s time for our major shareholder toe in. Oh, why didn¡¯t I meet Oppa on Earth? We could have done things properly.¡±


    ¡°I think so, too, Noona.¡±


    I watched her get up from her seat and start preparing. I also started reviewing the data I made. While Dominions prepared snacks, I prepared refreshments.


    I thought wine would be okay, but I had to do that only after we were done. The lighting wasn¡¯t bad, and the atmosphere was good.


    Looking at Jihye¡¯s face, I could already see her expression as if she had be an expert in that field.


    ¡®Wow, sh*t, you¡¯re a natural con artist. Really.¡¯


    ¡°Look at the look on your face, Oppa. You¡¯re a natural swindler. You must¡¯ve been born a con artist.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°What about the elders?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already taken them into consideration. Didn¡¯t you hear what I said earlier? We¡¯re all set.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Useless talks are off-limits from now. It¡¯s almost time. Don¡¯t be nervous, Oppa.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s do well.¡±


    ¡°If you fail, you¡¯ll have to die.¡±


    There was no swindler¡¯s face at the table. Afterpleting the transformation into Dominions, we reviewed the data again.


    The door opened not long after. I could tell who entered without having to turn my head, but I needed to stand up immediately to give them a weing ambiance.


    Seraphim nodded when I greeted him with a smile as if I was d to see him.


    ¡°You¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Dominions must¡¯ve arrived here in advance.¡±


    ¡°I came here early for a little more review. It¡¯s not something we¡¯re going to do in vain.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Cherubim and Thronus don¡¯t seem to understand, but¡­¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think they would understand it in the first ce. Everyone knows that Cherubim can¡¯t ept new thinking. The case of Thronus was a little surprising, but it¡¯s not strange when you think about it. He is a coward.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, Dominions. Thronus is a coward.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps if there¡¯s anything that would benefit him, I think Thronus will join us. It may be difficult to persuade Cherubim, but at least I can refute the old theory he has.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to me them. They¡¯ll understand in the end. That¡¯s why this is important.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    I noticed them looking at me at this point.


    ¡°But there¡¯s a little bit of doubt. Oh, of course, my position is the same as yours, Dominions. Creating a new species and creating a new continent has always been my idea.¡±


    ¡®No, guys. That¡¯s my n. Are you really taking the credits now?¡¯


    It didn¡¯t really matter.


    ¡°The n is impressive, too.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°But there are risks, right?¡±


    ¡®I knew it.¡¯


    It was a reasonable question.


    ¡®He¡¯s not aplete idiot.¡¯


    Just because he liked the idea didn¡¯t mean he could follow it. I thought it was a conclusion that he hade to after reviewing the n.


    Although he worked with Noona to make it, the danger that existed didn¡¯t disappear.


    It wasn¡¯t a false report, and it was not a fraud.


    It would be unreasonable to call the business a safe investment, even if the masked hero duo were the ones that made it.


    ¡®I hid it as much as I could.¡¯


    He caught it well.


    ¡°Especially when you think about the current situation. I think everyone has thought about the consequences in case the work fails. Dominions, you¡¯re¡­¡±


    ¡°The same goes for me, Seraphim, but there¡¯s bound to be a risk to anything. We¡¯ve already had one failure. Of course, there were inevitable circumstances, but the cause of the failure can¡¯t bepletely separated from us.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You have to think, Seraphim, of what remains after anger and hatred. Even if we continue this war, what will remain at the end of it? Humans can only see what¡¯sing before them right now. The future they imagine is different from the future we foresee. They¡¯re going to fight back. I¡¯m not going to conform. If we fight hard, they¡¯ll retaliate even harder. It¡¯s never easy to sacrifice yourself for a long, invisible future.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not an option. Thronus and Cherubim think there are two options, but they¡¯re wrong. It¡¯s not something that we can write off as having different ideas.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a matter of ideology. It¡¯s a matter of right and wrong.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Dominion is right. This is a matter of right and wrong. Therefore, the test of this n is necessary, Seraphim.¡±


    ¡®They¡¯re taking it more seriously than I thought.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t unreasonable to think that the budget had been set too high, but that was the only way to invest. It¡¯s a lucky investment.


    It was just a note of the divinity that we needed to produce, right? We needed proper data to shake up the senior pigeons more.


    From the looks of it¡­


    ¡®I¡¯m sure they think something¡¯s a little suspicious.¡¯


    They weren¡¯t doubting Lee Kiyoung. Lee Kiyoung had already been judged guilty. What they doubted was whether that work would be sessful or not. Maybe the psychological warfare was working.


    ¡®They¡¯re more confident in what they¡¯ve done before.¡¯


    The first round was a failure, but it was also an experience. It might¡¯ve felt more stable to re-challenge a market that they had already jumped in before.


    That was a whole new road, and the same went for me. If one were to invest, it was logical to invest in areas that they were familiar with. For example¡­


    ¡®It would be like a restaurant worker entering the fashion business after failing.¡¯


    He wasn¡¯t showing it, but he was worried.


    When I looked at Dominions, I could see her nodding. Her eyes seemed to give the signal to start, so I had no choice but to open my mouth immediately.


    ¡°Of course, I understand your anxiety, Seraphim.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not nervous. However¡­¡±


    ¡°In fact, I was expecting it to some extent. I thought you wouldn¡¯t be satisfied with it. I felt that there were a lot of risks involved and needed more work to be done. There are a lot of errors. I can safely say that this n is far from perfect.¡±


    ¡°Lee Kiyoung is right. It¡¯s not perfect.¡±


    ¡°The answer would be to allow more time. That would be the way to reduce the budget. But what cannot be done is also a reality. It¡¯s about looking at the long term. We have to produce results before Cherubim starts to do something so that the elders can make a reasonable decision.¡±


    ¡°Then you need divinity?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you? Seraphim, I acknowledge your concern and myck of nning. I won¡¯t tell you to invest in dangerous ces. It would be enough for me and Dominions to build a foundation.¡±


    ¡®Yeah, that¡¯s right. We¡¯re going to do it without you.¡¯


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be offended. Seraphim, I decided after considering your situation. It may cost more than you think. It¡¯s just creating a test server for the n, but we can¡¯t predict what variables will ur halfway through. Once we¡¯ve established a foundation, you¡¯d better join us if you decide it¡¯s okay.¡±


    ¡°But you can understand that if we go public with our subsidiary¡¯s shares, less might be going to theters, right?¡±


    ¡°Dominions is right, Seraphim. She has a lot of divinity, so I think it¡¯ll be enough. You don¡¯t have to feel pressured.¡±


    ¡®We have enough budget even without you, so it¡¯s going to be a big hit, but it¡¯s a bit weird to share it with the three of us. Dominions and I started from the beginning, and you just joined in the middle. I¡¯m just telling you to take the beanstalk that fallster.¡¯


    I thought it sounded like that.


    ¡°Yes, it is as Lee Kiyoung said. Actually, I should have told you earlier¡­¡±


    ¡®This is looking good. We¡¯ll take the title of father and mother of the new human race. As for you, tinum pigeon, I¡¯ll just write down your name as a helper.¡¯


    I was sure it sounded like that.

 Chapter 725: Experiment (1)

    <h4>Chapter 725: Experiment (1)</h4>


    Of course, I didn¡¯t think our n would simply be sessful, considering it wasn¡¯t easy to work on people.


    However, the more rationally I tried to judge it, the more I thought people became likely to fall into such traps. Many individuals didn¡¯t think that they would get caught. They assumed they would be safe no matter how many fraud cases they had seen through the media or stories.


    But all around the world, right at that moment, there were victims everywhere.


    Many of the crimes couldn¡¯t be caught on the web because their targets were irrational or dumb. We also lived in a world where scammers who lived on the back of others were also being deceived.


    Not only highly educated people but also veterans with rich social experiences had a hole drilled into their backs. Of course, some people were naturally easier to deceive, like our regressor, but they were rare urrences.


    Most were cautious. Even the beasts moved carefully when giving out something they had.


    Seraphim was no different. I knew from what I¡¯d seen so far that my theory had potential, buting up with what I had to offer was apletely different matter.


    Hence, what I needed was¡­


    ¡®The perfect bnce.¡¯


    The perfect bnce was important. An amount that wasn¡¯t burdensome yet an amount that wouldn¡¯t be too little. Of course, it would be appropriate to increase it gradually, but I didn¡¯t think that the starting price set by Jihye and I would be a burden on Seraphim.


    That was just the amount of liquidated assets he could use at any time.


    Objectively, it wasn¡¯t a small amount, but it was divinities that I thought was worth investing for Seraphim, who had piled up assets. It wouldn¡¯t be strange for him to suddenly think abouting aboard the n when I was abandoning him.


    If he felt like I was trying to exclude him, he¡¯d be more suspicious. He would for sure be anxious, thinking he might not be able to get on the parents-of-new-humans train on time and be left behind on the way.


    From his perspective, his biggest mistake would probably be that.


    Unlike other pigeons, Seraphim was quite self-directed. I couldn¡¯t say he was as in control as Jihye and me, but he was still quite simr to us.


    If I were asked which one he was more simr to, the answer would probably be me. Even the way he tapped his thigh was simr. If I were in his position¡­


    ¡®I would read the proposal one more time.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t like gambling, but I wasn¡¯t foolish enough not to throw it when I needed it.


    However, the first thing to do was determine if it was really worth the risk.


    As expected, I saw him carefully scanning the n once again without saying anything.


    Of course, he wouldn¡¯t be able to find the problem in the n. Wasn¡¯t it a fact that he knew there was danger in the first ce?


    Except for that, there were no other notable obstacles.


    Nevertheless, if he still had any doubts¡­


    ¡®He¡¯ll ask me again.¡¯


    ¡°How exactly does the test server work?¡±


    ¡°It works exactly as you read. Think of it as programming a small ce first. I mean, in this huge map.¡±


    There, I needed to take out what I had.


    As Dominions snapped her fingers, a small map began to appear in view.


    Although minusculepared to its real size, it was a replica of the continent. It felt like looking at a tiny world from above. There were even miniature houses and natural environments.


    Of course, that was the result of my hard work.


    To someone who had doubts, we had to show results so that they could be convinced.


    As expected, a very surprised face stood out. It seemed that he didn¡¯t think things coulde that far.


    ¡°In fact, it¡¯s been quite a while since the programs have created a livable environment. Since we designed only the major cities and important ces on the continent, the error won¡¯t be thatrge. There may be detailed errors, but in this way, they can be corrected immediately.¡±


    ¡°Interesting. Are you saying that human miniatures live on this small continent as well?¡±


    ¡°To be precise, it is a program that imitates humans, and it is correct to call them dummies, but¡­ You¡¯re essentially correct.¡±


    ¡°How are you going to give them personalities? I don¡¯t think artificial humans can live like real humans. At best, it will only be imitating them. It could be a meaningless act.¡±


    ¡°I have some piled-up data.¡±


    ¡°Can you tell me where it¡¯s from?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a little difficult to tell you right now.¡±


    ¡°Dominions knows¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I know.¡±


    I actually had. That wasn¡¯t a lie. I really had enough data gathered, and I really intended to run that meaningless experiment. That way, he would know that it was worth the risk.


    ¡°You¡¯ll tell me if I join?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal for you to be that interested. In fact, it¡¯s not really a matter that I should hide, so it doesn¡¯t matter if I tell you¡­ I have data of most of the humans on the continent. I¡¯m not sure if it will act like actual living beings, but at least it will behave simrly.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°We currently have 5 million people.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°5 million programs will do different things. I can tell you with confidence that they won¡¯t do the same thing or even copy-paste. Yes. There are 5 million different personalities and dispositions in that small world right now.¡±


    ¡°Even though they¡¯re dummies, that much¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you if it¡¯s possible. The divinity written on the budget is enough.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why an experiment like this can be done, Seraphim. If it weren¡¯t for Lee Kiyoung, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to even try. This is no different from what actually created the world. Of course, it¡¯s more like a replica of the continent, but that¡¯s why it has more meaning.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®I¡¯ve done this much, and you still won¡¯t fall for it?¡¯


    Everything was real, and I was honest to the dot. Of course, I wouldn¡¯t even turn over the n in the middle. Our experiment would continue, and the creation of new humans would proceed as scheduled. If he invested in it, that was.


    Before long, I heard him speak.


    ¡°I¡¯ll join you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to, Seraphim.¡±


    ¡°No, I want to. I¡¯m going to invest twice as much as the existing budget.¡±


    ¡°Seraphim! Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡®Our new boss is really generous. Really.¡¯


    ¡°Seraphim, didn¡¯t I say it was okay?¡±


    ¡°No. Dominions. Wouldn¡¯t it be better to do good things together? I¡¯ll send it to you right now.¡±


    ¡®You are also cool-minded. I will be grateful, new boss.¡¯


    ¡°I said there¡¯s no need to do that¡­¡±


    ¡°It would be better to have a contract written.¡±


    As Dominions threw a littlement saying that he didn¡¯t have to do that, I noticed he tried harder to proceed immediately, as if he felt uneasy.


    ¡°When can I see the results?¡±


    ¡°Five days will be enough.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fast.¡±


    ¡°Because we¡¯re running out of time. Of course, it is a secret to Thronus and Cherubim. They¡¯ll probably keep trying to keep us in check. I hope that Seraphim will keep them away in return. Empower the elders a little too.¡±


    ¡°Of course. I am fully aware of what I can and should do. Are you sure I can see the results soon?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I promise.¡±


    ¡°Good. Then I¡¯ll be leaving. As you said, we must persuade the elders and others¡­ I¡¯ll finally get busy after such a long time.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be counting on you, Seraphim.¡±


    ¡®Thank you, bastard.¡¯


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡®Thank you very much, bastard. ¡®


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t yet a burdensome amount of divinities, but that was just the beginning.


    The way he left while humming was quite a spectacle.


    After some time, Dominions, no, Lee Jihye said, ¡°Twice the budget¡­ we couldn¡¯t get more than I thought. I must have settled on too little.¡±


    ¡°No. I think this is just right, Jihye. If we asked a little more, he would have been much more alert. What¡¯s more, his purpose might be something else entirely¡­¡±


    ¡°Ohh. The data?¡±


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s surely appealing. If things fail¡­ he would think that it would be advantageous to get the original technology. I would¡¯ve thought the same way. There is a high probability that things will work out well. If you can really pull out 5 million dummies with different personalities, wouldn¡¯t he think other experiments are possible? He can¡¯t use it, but¡­ the only ones that can ess the Benignore Net operator system and extract data are you and our Max, right?¡±


    ¡°I guess?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you give me the permission too?¡±


    ¡°Even if I wanted, I couldn¡¯t. You need to have the title of museum manager. Anyway, this is fun. We should start experimenting right away, Jihye. Our investor wants results, so shouldn¡¯t we try hard?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve already tested it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m talking about another experiment.¡±


    As Lee Jihye tapped the air, I saw humans the size of a fingernail appearing with light in the small map. They were basically dummies, but they moved pretty realistically. This was because it was made based on the data stored in Benignore Net.


    It could be considered a copy of Benignore Net users or those on the continent.


    It felt like ying a game. When I spread my fingers in a motion like zooming in on a smartphone, andscape greeted me with an erged view.


    It was the Blue Guild. They were having a meal together, and although I didn¡¯t know what they¡¯re talking about, their conversation looked pretty fun.


    Park Deokgu, Ahn Ki-mo, Kim Ye-ri, and the three siblings Park, Gi, Lee were apuding as if they were the most excited, and Jung Hayan was still right next to me.


    Sun Hee-young and Elena were having a conversation, and Alps was holding her dog. Kim Chang-ryul, Yoo Ahyoung, and Han Sora were also there. No one was missing.


    Cho Hyejin¡¯s appearance stood out. She was sitting while keeping a straight posture and eating in an ufortable position. The dummy really did seem to have reced her.


    Of course, Kim Hyunsung was there too. He wasn¡¯t the life of the party, but he was getting along well with them as if following the wind.


    ¡®Is this an error?¡¯


    I thought he would be more awkward, but that was surprising. Perhaps Kim Hyunsung¡¯s social abilities had risen.


    ¡°Do you want to return to the Blue Guild?¡±


    ¡°What, do you think I¡¯m getting emotional?¡±


    ¡°It looks a little like that. I was also watching my guild. It¡¯s like a home now. It deserves it. I¡¯mpletely settled in this life.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m simr, Jihye. I don¡¯t miss it that much, but I sometimes think of it.¡±


    ¡°But this is really hard. I wanted to create a new human race, but it¡¯s difficult to do so even with an experiment. I don¡¯t know if this can be done.¡±


    ¡°This is enough for now. In the next meeting, we¡¯ll only reveal that we made dummies, then we¡¯ll get a little more funding. Well, we just need to adjust it slowly.¡±


    My dummy was heading to the Red Mercenary Guild riding a griffon.


    Lee Jihye was tapping something next to me. She was probably trying to see how her disposition would change. I did the same thingst time, but the results were no different.


    Upon entering the Red Mercenary Guild, my dummy desperately knocked on the door to get out, but I watched his head get grabbed by Cha Hee-ra¡¯s dummy.


    ¡®The new human race, my ass.¡¯


    It was a plunging stock anyway.


    ¡°It¡¯s a terrible sight. It seems that your dummy will really die. Ah. Still, it¡¯s better than before. I guess the fine-tuning worked.¡±

 Chapter 726: Experiment (2)

    <h4>Chapter 726: Experiment (2)</h4>


    ¡®It doesn¡¯t seem to work very well.¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s just a piece of data, but it¡¯s still very interesting. It¡¯s not easy to cut desires. Seeing side effects like this happening¡­ Even if you adjust the detailed figures, it is the same in the end. I guess this can¡¯t be helped.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°It can be suppressed for about three months, but certain characters still get into estrus. Ah, it shouldn¡¯t be called estrus. Humans aren¡¯t beasts. What should I call it that sounds a little ssier? Shall we name it the Romance Day?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s take our time thinking about what to call it. Well, that doesn¡¯t really matter.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, the problem is that whenever daytimees, aggressive characters appear. Still, it¡¯s also interesting to see the change ording to their disposition. Some are less affected orpletely free than others even when the romance day arrives because their desires are usually cut off. Contrarily, there are some that emotionally explode and even exhibit aggression. The former is you, and thetter is Cha Hee-ra¡¯s dummy.¡±


    Even if they didn¡¯t show aggression, some people acted strangely.


    Just by looking at Jung Hayan and her crew, who walked in and out of the room where Lee Kiyoung¡¯s dummy was seen sleeping many times, I could predict how much of a side effect that would cause.


    ¡°The system works to some extent despite that. It would be a problem if both were aggressive or if theypletely lost their desire, but the proportions are bnced.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re pretty serious. Jihye.¡±


    ¡°These tiny experimental things are fun. Isn¡¯t it a bit like a game? When will we do this again? It¡¯s something we have to do anyway¡­ We can get a plus score just by experimenting like this. Of course, some contents cannot be announced, even more so the ones we just witnessed. It¡¯s like telling them that our work will fail.¡±


    ¡°We definitely have to cover it up, but we can¡¯t just show only the positive side. Just tell them some errors in moderation. You know, the weak ones, not confining things like this¡­ We just want to show them that we can deal with the side effects since that would cause them to believe in us even more. Let¡¯s select and show that mainly.¡±


    ¡°It would be nice to announce that the disposition changes. I think the pigeons will also be interested. There may be an answer we couldn¡¯t find. In fact, it¡¯s too much for us to be doing so many things at once, but¡­ Oh! Even with Kim Hyunsung¡¯s dummy and Cho Hyejin¡¯s dummy, there is still no progress in their rtionship. I thought they¡¯d at least go on a date¡­ even with my help. It¡¯s fun to know that it¡¯s a simple chunk of program, but it works as intended.¡±


    ¡°Jihye, that¡¯s not real. Why are you giving that much meaning to that? Still, I think there is some error with the Kim Hyunsung dummy. His sociability level was slightly raised and a little different. Anyway, why did you do such an experiment?¡±


    ¡°Who doesn¡¯t know this isn¡¯t real? That¡¯s why I yed with it a bit. Although this is a piece of data, it is more realistic than I thought. Can I tell you something that¡¯ll give you chills?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°The Lee Kiyoung dummy noticed that he was in a weird situation. Maybe he even noticed he was a dummy.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    What the fuck.


    ¡°Fuck, that¡¯s creepy.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know how many chills that gave me. He even left a letter.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    As Lee Jihye slightly touched the air, the letter written by the dummy came right into my eyes.


    -I don¡¯t know what you want, but I think I might be able to help.


    ¡®Holy fuck! Fucking hell, that¡¯s so creepy.¡¯


    ¡°Delete that bastard¡¯s data, Jihye.¡±


    -Respectful Transcendental. I know you are watching me.


    ¡°Ah, Jihye. That¡¯s too creepy, that bastard. What the fuck.¡±


    ¡°I have already disposed of that. So that¡­ was the 345th. Have you read the report I sent you yet?¡±


    ¡°Not yet¡­¡±


    ¡°Which one was it exactly? Was it the 382nd? It seemed like that one noticed it too. I need data from extreme situations. Honestly, I also think there were a lot of errors. I couldn¡¯t even make fine adjustments¡­ The changes in the environment were also so sudden that the dummies here would¡¯ve been confused. It¡¯s only natural that the 382nd one caught us. Lee Kiyoung¡¯s dummy sent a message like this, and I just ignored it.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you know what happened?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°He caused a rebellion. He made a fuss, inciting people that they had to resist the system. I was really surprised. In a single day, the temple was burned down, and they threatened us since we didn¡¯te out even with that. I watched it perplexed and immediately reset it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s creepy. Really.¡±


    ¡°I thought that too. You know, I got worried if we were in the same situation too. Anyway, read the report and dispose of it immediately. It¡¯s data that can¡¯t be released for presentation anyway. Wouldn¡¯t it be better not to have it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try to delete it. Any other specifics? Oh, how are the others?¡±


    ¡°The dummies?¡±


    ¡°No, the real people.¡±


    ¡°I think they¡¯re doing things ording to the manual. It seems that they are preparing well for the war, and it looks like the atmosphere is a little hopeful¡­ it¡¯s better than before. Kim Hyunsung is still winning, but he seems to be trying several things. The pigeons didn¡¯t send troops, so they¡¯ll have time to prepare.¡±


    To be precise, it would be correct to say that we were blocking their deployment.


    The war went into a lull. Maybe humanity was also confused.


    Since the pigeons suddenlypletely disappeared, I thought they would be puzzled enough.


    It wouldn¡¯t be weird if they dragged the troops out, right at that moment.


    Cherubim insisted that the timing shouldn¡¯t be missed, but Seraphim was preventing them. Hence, that was impossible.


    They couldn¡¯t even wage war in the first ce in their current state.


    The higher-ups were too worked up when I saw them. Discussions were incessant each time, and sometimes even physical struggles urred.


    The scenes of the elder pigeons raising their voices while talking were quite fun to watch.


    The faction waspletely divided, and even the normal pigeons began to take sides.


    ¡°It will be difficult in this situation.¡±


    ¡°If they had really thought it was a crisis, the factions wouldn¡¯t have been divided in this way. They feel that it doesn¡¯t matter if they go with it leisurely because they don¡¯t feel how urgent it is. Does that mean they don¡¯t see humanity as a threat?¡±


    ¡°Well, I guess. Maybe I would think so too, Jihye. To put it a little exaggeratedly, they would be looking at humans with the same feeling as us looking at the dummies¡­ Even you don¡¯t think these dummies are going to be a threat.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s different from that. Cha Hee-ra smashed Cherubim.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I said I was exaggerating. Basically, our n worked because they think they have the upper hand. Since their idea of ??being superior to humans is underpinned, it became possible to make these motherfuckers interested in the new humanity and other bullsh*t.¡±


    ¡°I agree with that. They thought they could change it. ording to your words, Thronus and Cherubim don¡¯t think about humans equally. It¡¯s ironic. Isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°They are actually the same too. If anyone asks who are worse, the idiots who have agreed with the new humanity n are the deep-rooted evil. So you can have fun and suck all they have. Is the presentation material ready?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I think I can do some editing as a finishing touch. It seems like it was only yesterday when Seraphim first came and saw it, but the scheduled meeting has alreadye. Time flies so fast. I hate that when I work hard. It all passes too fast.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go out and do some settings first.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Have a good presentation.¡±


    As soon as I left, the stage for the presentation came into sight.


    ¡®This will be fun.¡¯


    In fact, there wasn¡¯t much to show. The experiment was literally in progress, and announcing that there was a roadmap was all we were going to do.


    Still, that alone was enough to appeal to the investors.


    Soon after, the elder pigeons began to appear one by one.


    When I first saw them, their faces seemed a little despising of me, but they no longer had that expression. Rather, I was able to feel at ease, looking at them greeting me with a bright smile.


    Seraphim also took a seat. Cherubim didn¡¯te, but the pigeons from his side were among the participants.


    ¡®I guess his pride has been hurt.¡¯


    Of course, I sent the invitation. However, his ego probably didn¡¯t allow him to drag himself into the meeting. Couldn¡¯t it be considered an unspoken protest?


    ¡®Why is that one here?¡¯


    Thronus was also present. For a moment, I heard voices having conversations in the cluttered hall, and they were getting noisier and louder.


    I thought there was going to have a conflict. Two factions that opposed each other were gathered in one ce. How could nothing happen?


    In fact, it was as intended.


    That way, it would have more impact.


    ¡®It¡¯s time.¡¯


    With this, the lights went out in an instant.


    When the room was about to be noisy once again, a light came in, shining on me.


    I thought I didn¡¯t have to sell medicine. If one were sure of the product, they wouldn¡¯t even need to coax them. It was more definite to show it right away, rather than dragging the time with a strange introduction.


    As soon as I pped my hands, the environment of the reduced continent became visible in front of me.


    ¡®The timing¡¯s great, Jihye.¡¯


    It was qualitatively different from what I showed only to Seraphim a few days ago. It wasn¡¯t just the environment. One could actually see that the dummies were moving and living.


    Some were on an adventure, and others were enjoying their daily lives. Each had different behaviors and lived on the continent in different ways.


    The new technology that appeared like a hologram left the roompletely silent.


    Some people looked at it with their mouths open, like those who came in contact with a new culture. Even on the side of the Cherubim camp, there was an agitated atmosphere. Of course, that wasn¡¯t the end.


    When I pped one more time, they saw apletely different view.


    The scenery changed to forests that connected one city and another, the viges and dungeons in it, the great mountain and the sea, the temple at theke, another great city, and the infrastructures that filled it.


    They were watching in real-time, 5 million personalities living in a vast environment that couldn¡¯t be observed all at once.


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Of course, the new boss was satisfied with the atmosphere. He was proud because, at that moment, the results of his investment were presented to the world.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that before you is a miniature version of the continent. They are not dolls that simply move ording to orders but dummies with different dispositions. Five million personalities and behavior patterns. Yes. You didn¡¯t hear it wrong. There are 5 million of their kind living in that realm. Dominions, Seraphim, and I have truly created a small world.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s crazy. No, should I say that this is great?¡±


    ¡®Of course, it¡¯s great. Bastard. ¡°


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t make sense¡­¡±


    ¡®Why doesn¡¯t it make sense? It is possible if you have the data.¡¯


    ¡°Everything was made for testing. Yes. This is the first step in the new humanity n. In order to more clearly materialize the new humanity n that existed only as a theory, to see the dangers with our own eyes, and test our tactics ahead of time, we have created a small world. Of course, those who oppose this n are not wrong. Our method is risky and iplete. It isn¡¯t clear what adversity awaits us. But look. Witness those in motion in this tiny world.¡±


    We watched as the continent was being devastated. The screaming dummies and the people struggling in pain could also be seen.


    Cities that were engulfed in the radiant light darkened and became distant from civilization. I heard the sighs of some pigeons as if it was sad that the continent began to return to its original form when nothing was present.


    ¡°Is this the result you wanted?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Is this really what you desired?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°No matter how sublime it is, you can¡¯t get anything in the wrong way. You can¡¯t change anything through corruption and violence. It isn¡¯t as easy, but the process we¡¯re going for won¡¯t yield the same results. We can think, can we not? We are here because we can empathize. It doesn¡¯t matter if you agree with me or not. What¡¯s truly important is that we sympathize with their suffering and the pain of the continent.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°If you have the ability to empathize with the pain thates from the oue, you must be able to empathize with the pain thates from the process. If we can empathize with the forest¡¯s agony, we must also empathize with the pleas of the trees. You have to bet on what you have and face their anguish sincerely. You think humans have infinite possibilities, but you are like them. Limitless possibilities are open to us as well. The possibility of a new human race created by us living across the continent is open before our eyes.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°With the right theory, the innovative technology that can support it, and with you, we can change the world. No, we can be the masters of the world. After capturing the ipetent gods, the poor humans, and driving out the demons, we can be the gods of the new world. We will be remembered as the creators of the new humanity! Everyone!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Invest in the future, to hope and to the new humanity, and we shall draw the future with the utmost brilliance!¡±

 Chapter 727: Doubt and Conviction (1)

    <h4>Chapter 727: Doubt and Conviction (1)</h4>


    Indeed, it wasn¡¯t strange to see countless requests for handshakes by the pigeons.


    With just a nce, I saw the atmosphere bing heated up. No one whistled or screamed. Instead, a mixture of thunderous shouts and apuse was heard.


    Even in the case of the pigeons in our group, I didn¡¯t have to mention what the atmosphere was like because they were already standing up and apuding. It was like an award ceremony. A standing ovation. Okay, yeah. It was a standing ovation.


    Thronus looked dumbfounded, but the opposing pigeons who came with him seemed just as confused. They probably didn¡¯t expect things to actually proceed that fast.


    No, I was certain they didn¡¯t expect it to be so detailed. It started as just a theory. It was the result of enormous divinities and incalcble years of investment.


    Wasn¡¯t the word idealism the word that the major pigeons of the opposing faction usually used when they wanted to twist our words? All the guys who imed it was unrealistic, impossible, and simply delusional were making diforted faces.


    Of course, it was just a world of dummies. Scrap data mixed with divinity was fragmented and meaningless. However, they saw the possibilities. I created firsthand a new theory and the technology that could support it.


    ¡®Innovating technology is good.¡¯


    Aside from a few, everyone looked decent. It made simple bullsh*t sound like usible bullsh*t. The result we wanted was highly likely to ur. If they were pigeons who used their brains, I thought they¡¯d notice that.


    ¡®With that technology, it is possible. We can prepare for a lot of errors. Hence, we can minimize the cost.¡¯


    They were going to save money. From an investor¡¯s point of view, there was nothing better than that.


    ¡®It¡¯s possible to save time. How full of merit it is to be able to walk the road that has been paved once again.¡¯


    I had said everything when I started talking about the time.


    It was a safe investment. But of course, that wasn¡¯t enough. It might be very important to know whether I was a trustworthy founder or not, but wasn¡¯t Lee Kiyoung¡¯s stock already a trustworthy one?


    They¡¯d know that immediately just by thinking about two of the four angels giving him support.


    For example, a new small or startuppany suddenly entered the market with new technology. No matter how much one raised their voice for others to invest, it would sound like simple bullsh*t, but the atmosphere would immediately change if the chairman of argepany backed them up. I was even sitting at the top and participating in the apuse.


    Investors would naturally drool if startuppanies were supported by young businessmen, new talent, and capital fromrgepanies. Pigeons were no exception.


    ¡°I¡¯ll invest!¡±


    ¡°A myriad of handshakes!¡±


    ¡°Excellent! Excellent! Hahahaha!¡±


    ¡®Yeah, I¡¯ve always been amazing. Did you just recognize that now?¡¯


    ¡°You really are different. Lee Kiyoung is different! Seraphim is amazing, too. A new kind of n. This is a whole new start. It might actually be possible.¡±


    I could feel that the opposition faction was being shaken.


    ¡°Of course, there¡¯s no change in the position that it¡¯s still time to be cautious, but at least it¡¯s not time to be attacked for being vain.¡±


    ¡°Did you just see the look on his face? I can see it¡¯s gotten a lot darker. We shouldn¡¯t be doing this. We need to invest. Ahhh, yes, we should.¡±


    ¡°Do you really think it¡¯s possible? That¡¯s just a program, not actual humans.¡±


    ¡°There are as many as five million. It should at least counteract a number


    ¡°Right, that¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°However!¡±


    ¡°Keep your manners! You¡¯re not here for a meeting, are you? If you want to speak against it, do itter!¡±


    ¡°Are you done talking?¡±


    ¡°Yes! I¡¯m done talking!¡±


    ¡®This is going great.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m not even done with my presentation yet. What a disgrace! Apologize!¡±


    ¡°You have to apologize!¡±


    ¡°How could you do that in this kind of situation!¡±


    ¡°Apologize!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a state of war now! I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re being fooled by this nonsense!¡±


    ¡°What state of war? Huh? What do you mean, war? The other person is human. How dare you say we¡¯re in a state of war!¡±


    ¡®Yeah, you¡¯re a good speaker. I feel bad, but I like that attitude. I¡¯ll kill you painlessly.¡¯


    ¡°We¡¯ve lost troops to him! We¡¯re not in a situation where we can afford it!¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re so concerned, why don¡¯t you just bring the money that the elder hid as a secret fund!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not talking about that right now!¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to invest, get out! Get out!¡±


    ¡®It only takes a few moments for things to get messy.¡¯


    ¡°Humanity will not agree! Not only us, but mankind will not agree with that crazy n!¡±


    ¡®Yes, but they wouldn¡¯t agree with your n, either.¡¯


    I thought it was a good time to organize the mess. I was about to p again when I heard a voice.


    ¡°Stop.¡±


    Someone spoke up. It wasn¡¯t Seraphim. When I turned to the side where I heard the voice, a familiar blue figure came into view.


    ¡®Cherubim.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know when he started watching, but I noticed a dark look. Rather than being surprised to see the innovative technology that our side had put out, the current situation itself seemed to be unsatisfactory.


    Of course, he didn¡¯t like it. How many people could nod their heads at that mess?


    ¡®That¡¯s a shame.¡¯


    Still, he was the main figure who had created the opposing faction, but he seemed to feel disturbed that the conflict had deepened to such an extent.


    He didn¡¯t know when he was inside, but watching from behind gave him time to judge more rationally. Of course, that was just my guess.


    However, to some extent, I thought it would be right. Cherubim was one of the normal pigeons.


    ¡°What a disgrace.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Did you notice?¡¯


    It was as if he was saying, ¡®That¡¯s it.¡¯


    That was what he was after.


    ¡®You¡¯re not mistaken, are you?¡¯


    He looked as if he hade to a realization.


    It didn¡¯t matter if it was true or not, but at least I thought he had found the reason. Contrary to being very upset, he seemed to be collecting himself.


    Did I give him too many hints? That was too obvious, wasn¡¯t it? Where did I get caught? Maybe I should¡¯ve cut it a little bit. Did I focus too much on fomenting conflict? Well, it didn¡¯t really matter.


    I regretted a little bit that I hadn¡¯t looked at his condition recently, but I couldn¡¯t stop the flow of the trend.


    ¡®What are you going to do?¡¯


    Dominions was on my side, and Seraphim was as well. Could he even see it? I had so many supporters. What was he going to do?


    If he said that it was Lee Kiyoung who brought division, I was confident that they would catch him like a mouse and bury him in the depths of the pigeon society. There was no way he could make such a stupid political statement.


    I couldn¡¯t help but look forward to it because he didn¡¯t seem like the type to use his brain. The heads of the Four Angels were Dominions and Seraphim. Thronus was just an ipetent brat, and Cherubim was just a facade.


    However, that bastard didn¡¯t seem so stupid. I was nervous that he might say something at the slip of his tongue.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to ask you a question.¡±


    He threw the dice at a different option.


    ¡°Yes, I was just about to take questions, dear Cherubim.¡±


    Wouldn¡¯t it be the best choice for me?


    ¡°I want to ask you how you¡¯re going to proceed with the n. I do not agree with this n, but I would like to ask how it will proceed if there is a real possibility. Maybe humans don¡¯t agree with this n either.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Cherubim is right. Humans won¡¯t agree with the new n. But does it matter if they agree? The first n wasn¡¯t done in the first ce with their consent, either. Humans won¡¯t even notice the continent changing. They don¡¯t even have ess to the system.¡±


    ¡°But the fact that they are hostile to us will not change.¡±


    ¡°I know it¡¯s hard to untie twisted threads again. We¡¯re going to propose to humans an incarnation. If they n topensate for the damage they suffered, including the meaning of the apology¡­¡±


    ¡°Our spears and swords shed just before this.¡±


    ¡°Human beings are not idiots. Cherubim, we¡¯ve been watching them for a long time. Throughmon interests, they can be enemies and friends. Of course, there will be those who antagonize us, but there will also be those who find it difficult to continue the war. If the door doesn¡¯t open, you can knock it down little by little. We have a lot of time left. We don¡¯t need to rush.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®He¡¯s really thinking this time.¡¯


    I noticed him slowly approaching me.


    ¡®I¡¯m within his range, right?¡¯


    Although I imagined that he might reach out and break my fragile neck, I already decided not to throw too much at him. There was no need to be intimidated.


    ¡®Be confident, Kiyoung. Sh*t, you have to stay strong.¡¯


    After looking at me for a long time, I could see him slowly reaching out. Didn¡¯t it seem like a gesture to shake hands?


    ¡®Why is he so rude?¡¯


    The atmosphere had already been ruined. How could I describe the act of walking out anding up to the stage in the middle of the presentation?


    I thought he might¡¯ve been thinking that he was the main character. Even so, if that¡¯s what he wanted, I should do it for him.


    I slightly reached out and held his hand. I didn¡¯t know what else to say, but I thought it was a gesture that said he¡¯d support me.


    Apuse began to be heard everywhere. The ipetent Thronus would go with the flow, and the opposition would gradually be sorted out. Of course, that was not the flow he wanted.


    ¡®You¡¯re trying to dig it up from the inside, aren¡¯t you?¡¯


    Perhaps the idea was to find out who I was first, then dig into our n afterward.


    It would be better toe inside and turn it upside down than hang around from the outside. Yes, just like me. He made the same choice as I did. He¡¯de in for a chance and put the sword in at the most important moment. It wasn¡¯t right to just toy with him right away, so I yed around a little bit more.


    ¡°Do you agree?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I thought it was better to look at him with a mean smile.


    ¡°You agree with me, then?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    How would his expression change if I smiled?


    ¡°You¡¯ve finally realized what¡¯s right and what¡¯s wrong.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    However, his facial expression didn¡¯t change much. He didn¡¯t sway even when my lips curved upwards.


    I heard him mutter. Perhaps it couldn¡¯t be heard by others.


    ¡°I love humans.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an honor.¡±


    ¡°But when I see you, I can¡¯t stand the nauseating feeling. You¡¯re the parasite of the continent.¡±


    It had been a while since Ist felt like that.


    I thought it couldn¡¯t be, so I looked at him again, but the feeling didn¡¯t go away.


    I was certain. The holy light in me was telling me that he was a demon.

 Chapter 728: Doubt and Conviction (2)

    <h4>Chapter 728: Doubt and Conviction (2)</h4>


    ¡®Sh*t, I knew it.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t breathe properly and couldn¡¯t stand the nausea because of the dark stenching from his body. I suddenly felt like all probability had been met.


    ¡®What is this disgusting devil talking about? He¡¯s the one giving me nausea.¡¯


    I could see why he was so desperate for war, and why he was against the new n.


    In the first ce, he never liked humans. Controlling the current human poption for the sake of future humanity was also mere bullsh*t to him.


    There was no way that stinky garbage truly loved mankind. His whole ordeal was just a lie. His acting was aimed at eating negative human emotions through war and causing confusion on the continent.


    I got goosebumps all over my body when I thought of him wearing a mask and hiding for an immeasurable time.


    Perhaps Cherubim was the enemy that the masked hero kept in check the most?


    He had be suspicious from the time he was so adamant about waging wars. It was weird because he was more upset than he should¡¯ve been.


    ¡®This is enough, right?¡¯ The corners of my mouth went up since it felt like it fit so well.


    Perhaps the supplies were already in ce. The bastard was already prepared to be the devil himself.


    Of course, I couldn¡¯t touch the subject hastily.


    ¡®He was an angel of all trades, and he was one of the many pigeon models.¡¯


    For the time being, isting him was the priority. That was the basis for all the work originally. If one wanted to politicize one person, it was only right to keep them away from the pack.


    The way he sat in the conference room was very spectacr, and I was worried since he seemed to be taking the lead in the rookie program. It was the same thing that bothered me when he looked at me like he was going to dig up my identity.


    ¡®You threw your hat into the ring first, right?¡¯


    Perhaps that had also served as a warning.


    ¡®I¡¯ll keep an eye on everything you do,¡¯ or ¡®You won¡¯t be able to do anything stupid behind my back.¡¯


    I thought it meant the exact same thing.


    There was an inconvenience that the radius of action was slightly reduced, but there would be no major problems about it overall.


    I never did anything to get caught in the first ce. I never sent quests and refrained from using telescopes.


    Perhaps the reason why he decided to be with me was that he wanted to catch me in the act or something. They couldn¡¯t find any hard evidence externally, so they decided to look inside.


    ¡°Smart pigeon.¡±


    The method chosen was also unexpected.


    ¡°How¡¯s the progress going?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re continuing to experiment. I¡¯m getting satisfactory results in my own way. I¡¯ll report to you as soon as I get the results, so you don¡¯t have to rush me, Cherubim.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s slow for a spectacr job to do. Dominions?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not slow at all. It hasn¡¯t even been a month since we announced the new n. We¡¯re still collecting data, and we still need more time before we can determine all the errors.¡±


    ¡°Well, assuming you¡¯re using the technology you¡¯re proud of, three days is never a short time. I wonder if there¡¯s a reason why nothing can be announced. How¡¯s the pile doing? How many times did you repeat the other trial? Isn¡¯t there something you can¡¯t say?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I am also an investor. Dominions, I remember investing quite a lot of divinity¡­ I deserve to know how things are going.¡±


    ¡®You¡¯re so annoying.¡¯


    It was the first time I had evere across that type of pigeon.


    So far, I had fought with devil officials, Blue¡¯s old devil and psychopath murderer, Ito Souta, the devil worshiper, Jin Qing, and many others, but this type is new for me.


    ¡®It¡¯s my first time seeing it, too.¡¯


    It was normal to hide one¡¯s beliefs or opinions and not reveal one¡¯s ws.


    Wasn¡¯t the standard way to fight in such a situation was to smile while hiding a knife behind one¡¯s back?


    However, he was different. He didn¡¯t hide his knife from the start, and he didn¡¯t necessarily hide their beliefs and arguments either.


    He wasn¡¯t shouting against us, but he was showing hostility to us with his actions.


    That was why he invested arge amount of divinity even though he knew it would all be poured on the floor.


    ¡®Did going public backfire?¡¯


    Even the elderly pigeons began to invest their own divinity, and he soon became thergest shareholder in the pile of Lee Kiyoung¡¯s subsidiary.


    There was nothing wrong with what he said. As I had said at the briefing session, the investors had the right to be informed of how things were going.


    That situation happened because we didn¡¯t assume that he would abandon his divinity to the ground.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t a big disadvantage, either. It wasn¡¯t the right time to think about defending management, and he couldn¡¯t think that far. There¡¯s a limit to what he could do.


    ¡®He¡¯s pressuring us.¡¯


    He was trying to put weight on both Noona and me.


    It was natural for us to be be diforted. There were more eyes to deceive, after all.


    ¡°I remember there¡¯s still a lot left to do with the first presentation. Just because you¡¯re experimenting right now doesn¡¯t mean you can get results right away and show them. I need time to clean up the data, and if there is an error, I need time to analyze the error. It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t understand how you feel, Cherubim. Please don¡¯t be too pushy. You¡¯re not the only one who¡¯s counting on this. I want to proceed with the work in perfect condition.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re overreacting, Dominions. I just want to know what¡¯s going on.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You put on a usible show on stage, but what I saw was not a vision of theory, but a vision of technology. Of course, it¡¯s not that many people don¡¯t know that it¡¯s worth a lot, but many people want more urate data. I am just representing them.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll try to show you as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°I want you to specify the exact date.¡±


    ¡®Stop it, you piece of sh*t.¡¯


    I thought Jihye Noona might¡¯ve wanted to say that.


    ¡°Humans and¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re already trying to contact them, dear Cherubim.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, most people can¡¯t ept it¡­ As I said before, if the situation changes, the interests will change. Some people have agreed to join us.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t Lee Kiyoung who took care of things. It was me, Cherubim.¡±


    ¡°Seraphim.¡±


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s still a small number of people, but I was told they¡¯d see if there were any more people to join hands with.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Things are going great, Cherubim. There is no need to feel so suspicious.¡±


    ¡°I need to hear exactly who they are.¡±


    I was desperately ready to shake my head when asked if his straightness really worked.


    How easy it was to y rock-paper-scissors with a guy who always used rock. That was what he was currently doing.


    ¡®Of course, I understand.¡¯


    He must¡¯ve thought that what Lee Kiyoung could do at that moment was limited. Right then, he thought that the pressure and force he was exacting was enough.


    Perhaps he was even pondering about his next move.


    ¡®The first to check.¡¯


    The act of wielding a new n with the funds he invested in is itself a check.


    He was right. If one put our side in the corner, they¡¯d be judging that we could have a wider range of our own. If one thought about it shallowly, they could judge that it wasn¡¯t a big deal, but if he was trying to attract our side of the force, it might be a little annoying.


    So far, other factions and I had been on the same team, but depending on how he did it, we could move away from each other.


    Together, they were colleagues running toward the new n. However, they were still just investors, and I was in the position where I had to return what they had given.


    Suppose his checks worked to some extent.


    Wasn¡¯t it too obvious how that blue pigeon would behave? After recruiting the elders who invested with their divinity, he would rush to stab my heart with a knife instead of monitoring me.


    ¡®Give me my money! You impostors!¡¯ I could assure anyone that hundreds of pigeons would p and say that.


    The conference room, which was running toward dreams and the future, would turn into a group of victims swindled by frauds and woulde to strangle us.


    From the perspective of Noona and me, we had to be as careful as possible.


    ¡®How many divinities have we gathered so far?¡¯


    Although it couldn¡¯t be expressed in urate figures, it was enough to change thews of the continent one by one.


    Everyone put their life and soul into the new n with one mind. There were pigeons that invested all their divinities and pigeons that had been drawn from all over the ce.


    If the project copsed, literally half of the senior pigeons would see what the water temperature was like in Mirror Lake.


    ¡®It could be a shock if something like an IMF happens again.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know if I should express it like this, but I thought there would be confusion at the level of the Great Depression.


    I thought that was what Cherubim had overlooked.


    The pigeon wanted to pull down the rookie n, but none of the pigeons that invested in me wanted the n to go awry. In other words, everyone was holding hands and praying.


    ¡®Who do you think will be the viin?¡¯


    I would definitely be a viin under general circumstances.


    ¡®Do you think I¡¯m going to be it?¡¯


    However, I wasn¡¯t the public enemy, considering an outside enemy was trying to screw things up.


    ¡®We sink together and rise together.¡¯


    Now that was called a destinedmunity.


    ¡°Today¡¯s meeting was sh*t. Really. Everyone was quarreling. I almost died of annoyance at him picking a fight at every chance he could get.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯ll be solved soon.¡±


    ¡°By the way, why are youughing so viciously, Oppa?¡±


    ¡°Noona, what do you think you would do if thepany you invested in falters because of some rumors?¡±


    ¡°What? All of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°Do you think you¡¯re gonna me the guy who spread the rumor?¡±


    ¡°Of course, you¡¯ll me the rat. That¡¯s what most people resent it immediately when there is someone to me for the cause of be suspicious, but you¡¯re not, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±


    ¡°But what¡¯s wrong with that? Ahh¡­ Woaahhh¡­ Wow¡­ that¡¯s really trash. But, um¡­ Is that going to work? These are pigeons, not humans. They might be a little more rational.¡±


    ¡°No, they¡¯re no different than humans.¡±


    What I heard from Benignore in the past went through my mind. We were probably in the middle of talking about Altanus.


    ¡®You guys aren¡¯t perfect either, huh.¡¯


    ¡®Right. We¡¯re not perfect. Remember that well, my proud Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung. We¡¯re not perfect either. We¡¯re imperfect. It¡¯s just the ce where we stand is different from those on the continent, but we¡¯re not very different otherwise. Never forget that we¡¯re not perfect.¡¯


    I remembered the exact words of our conversation.


    I understood why Benignore kept emphasizing that they weren¡¯t perfect.


    I didn¡¯t think it¡¯s a double-track for the current situation, but Benignore probably wanted to convey that the ones we¡¯d fight against in the future would be no different from us. They were imperfect, too.


    I agreed with her.


    As soon as Lee Jihye smiled at me, an elderly pigeon then rushed into view.


    ¡°Gee¡­ Masked angels attacked the humans who have reached out to us¡­ They lost their lives.¡±


    The news came that the angels I made, no, disgusting pigeons sent by Cherubim, hit the back of powerless humans.


    ¡°Is¡­ that true?!¡±


    I had no choice but to harden my expression at this.

 Chapter 729: Doubt and Conviction (3)

    <h4>Chapter 729: Doubt and Conviction (3)</h4>


    ¡®It¡¯s like killing two birds with one stone.¡¯


    I thought it was a profitable business in many ways.


    It was quite a beneficial situation, especially since it dealt with the betrayers who tried to stick to our side and could use the devil¡¯s double life attached to the angel. I fully understood the elders¡¯ feelings, who looked like the sky had copsed.


    ¡®I¡¯m sure they made a bet, too.¡¯


    I also remembered them investing quite a bit. In the first ce, those pigeons couldn¡¯t reliably supply divinity.


    If people like Benignore and Elune trash werepared to office workers who got a full sry on the continent, the elder pigeons could bepared to pigeons who didn¡¯t have a fixed workce.


    Those worms led their lives only with the assets they had umted so far.


    There might¡¯ve been a source of supply somewhere, but it wasn¡¯t enough to say that it was stable.


    ¡®So can they really stay put?¡¯


    Things were going to get messy. They didn¡¯t seem to wonder who did it or why. The look they had on their faces told me they were wondering how to solve it.


    They were so cornered that they couldn¡¯t think of the cause of the failure.


    ¡°This¡­ This job¡­ What should I do about this?¡±


    ¡®What do you mean? It¡¯s obvious. There¡¯s no other option. How am I supposed to handle this? You have to hang in there for now. Don¡¯t you think so?¡¯


    ¡°I think we need to see if there¡¯s any other way. No, in the first ce¡­ I don¡¯t know why this happened¡­ Are there any other ordersing in?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s ack of information right now, and they¡¯re still fighting on the frontlines. It looks like humans are moving the wires. They put pressure on our team¡­ They¡¯re even heading to the temple.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s a quick response.¡¯


    The North fired a signal. The two camps, which had implicitly entered a truce, then became wary of each other.


    ¡®We¡¯re a little tired. How about you guys? Oh, you too? Then let¡¯s take a little more rest. We don¡¯t have to talk, but we know. We need to clean up inside, and there are many issues to be dealt with because of the big battle that suddenly broke out. Let¡¯s not invade each other¡¯s territory.¡¯


    Against that backdrop, it was said that the one who first stabbed the back of the head was on the side of the angels.


    Of course, even if the damage wasn¡¯t that great, the fact that the signal was fired was important. There was no reason for mankind not to move. The area where Kim Hyunsung was had beenpletely lulled, but that alone was meaningful.


    It went to show that the hero was revived, and the Light faction gained the power to fight one more time. Perhaps Jung Hayan had finished recovering her mana by that time as well.


    Our gray warrior would have to prove himself, so his body would naturally be heated up, and Cha Hee-ra would¡¯ve already woken up and ready to fight once more.


    Our Hyejin was also steadily following the manual, putting the wires up and pressuring the enemies.


    Of course, since it was based on a forward base, it wouldn¡¯t reach the heart of pigeons as they expected, but it woulde as a shock that they had shown their willingness to y in a groundbreaking manner.


    ¡°Are the dragons supposed to join us?¡±


    I didn¡¯t know for sure, but the chances were high. Even if it¡¯s only some of them, the fact that they came out of their hiding alone meant that they were prepared to give aid.


    To sum things up, the pigeon¡¯s one shot didn¡¯t necessarilye as a positive for the angels.


    Perhaps, if Kim Hyunsung moved, things would be a little more fun. If Alps had delivered the revised manual, they would soon begin to move.


    ¡°The¡­ The fallen swordsman is moving¡­¡±


    ¡®Yeah, it¡¯s about time.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t a situation where reason was attached, but it also came to our allies as a great opportunity.


    In fact, the general situation didn¡¯te as a big problem for pigeons either. They could just do what they had done so far. It was easy. They just had to give up what they had and repeat what they did before.


    However, that was no longer the case.


    ¡°We have to go back. Right now, we have a meeting¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re already here, Lee Kiyoung. First of all¡­ We¡¯ll take you on board.¡±


    ¡®Yeah, that¡¯ll make it easier.¡¯


    As soon as I stepped in, angry voices were heard from all over the ce.


    ¡°What the hell is going on!¡±


    ¡°War again! What the hell!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on right now? Can you believe it? Where did they get the permission?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not the point, is it? It¡¯s a matter of how we can deal with this.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s send out troops. We can¡¯t let humans step into this sacred temple.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean send troops? How am I supposed to send troops in this situation? It¡¯s nothing short of fighting again. Let¡¯s tell them that there was a misunderstanding and a mistake!¡±


    ¡°From the very beginning, humans have been hostile to us. It¡¯s not the time to talk nonsense. Now is the time to fight.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t waste our money on useless war games when the new n is just around the corner. Let us consider the divinity bound here. We need to look at the situation more rationally.¡±


    ¡®That doesn¡¯t seem very rational.¡¯


    I felt like I was looking at ants in the financial market on the first day of the Great Depression. It was hard to open my eyes and watch everyone holding envelopes in their hands.


    The situation was so difficult that their eyes looked like their souls had been taken away from their bodies.


    ¡®It¡¯s aplete mess. There¡¯s no greater mess than this.¡¯


    As soon as I showed a slight presence, everyone¡¯s eyes began to turn to me.


    Jihye, who was next to me, was expressing the direness of the situation with her worried expression, and her self-control acting skills stood out.


    I tried to hide my facial expression as much as I could, but I couldn¡¯t hide my difortpletely.


    Did I feel something uneasy about the exmation? I could see the expressions of the elderly pigeons looking at me turning a little darker.


    ¡°Everyone, calm down.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°Dear Lee Kiyoung, have you heard the news?¡±


    ¡°Lee Kiyoung!¡±


    I took a breath first.


    ¡°Have you heard?¡±


    It was important to pretend like it wasn¡¯t a big deal.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve been told that humans are dragging troops into the temple and that the fallen swordsman is starting to move again.¡±


    ¡°This¡­ this job.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to panic. There will be no change in the n. I think it would be better to send troops to maintain the front and make room again. Of course, I don¡¯t know if that will calm them down, but fighting right now is not good for our n.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, go ahead.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better to reduce the budget now?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve already reduced the budget to the limit. The divinity you have invested in continues to move the small continent. Tens of thousands of simtions are scheduled. The same goes for the divinity needed to ess systems that maintain continents. Technically, it¡¯s not something that can be scaled back. We can retrieve the divinity we¡¯re working on, but if we do it now, we¡¯ll suffer from catastrophic losses.¡±


    ¡°How¡­ big of a loss?¡±


    ¡°Already about a third of the divinity¡­ No, it¡¯s more than that.¡±


    ¡®Can you make it work?¡¯


    I wouldn¡¯t have to say much.


    ¡®It¡¯s not just a big loss. It¡¯s a total disaster.¡¯


    It was a plummet.


    ¡°There¡¯s no other problem with the n. The experiment is also going well. I just need to solve this problem. Yes, we just need to get through this crisis.¡±


    Frankly, the fact that the founder put that sentence in his mouth meant that it was already over, but that wasn¡¯t important.


    They¡¯d believe what they wanted to believe, anyway.


    The belief that if they endured that time, it would give good results someday. The belief that even though there was a crisis that would go on for quite a while, the one who survived would win.


    Such faith would move them.


    ¡°If anyone wants to pull out their investment, I¡¯ll give it back to you right now. Of course, we can¡¯t return the principal as stated in the contract, but¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You probably feel uneasy. Yes, I can fully understand your anxiety. However, it¡¯s especially at times like this that we need to work together. If everyone moves as one, what kind of crisis can¡¯t we solve? It¡¯s just something we haven¡¯t put on the table yet. Yes, this incident is unprecedented, but¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It can be corrected. There will be some damage, but if you bear it, you¡¯ll still rise more than enough. What¡¯s important is to be prepared not to have this problem again. Why ¡­ and who made the troops move?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re trying to figure that out right now, but¡­¡±


    ¡°As expected. Maybe¡­ I¡¯m not sure.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°There seem to be secret forces present.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s not something I can easily say here, but I think there are forces that don¡¯t want the new n to happen. Yes, I¡¯m sure of it¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s strange.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s strange. It wouldn¡¯t be easy for things to go this far if they weren¡¯t determined to screw it up. The fact that poor humans reached out to us was inherently top secret. Of course, you know what¡¯s going on, but it¡¯s just me, Dominions, Seraphim, and Cherubim, who know the exact location.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe they¡¯re doing this¡­¡±


    It was when I said that.


    ¡°But none of our troops left the premises.¡±


    Someone then spoke up. When I turned my head, I noticed a face that seemed to be trying to pretend to be calm. His blue hair, his trademark, stood out.


    ¡®He appears like the main character every time.¡¯


    Of course, his expression didn¡¯t look good. He was probably aware that things were a little messed up.


    Seeing that he confirmed that there were no internal troops, he seemed to havepleted his own investigation.


    Maybe he was aware that he had stepped into a spider¡¯s web by that moment.


    ¡°It¡¯s not the troops waiting in the temple. It¡¯s the troops that kept the front from the outside. It was nned. And didn¡¯t I tell you? There¡¯s a secret force abound. Evidence of a military operation would have been destroyed a long time ago.¡±


    ¡°What a wild guess.¡±


    ¡®He¡¯s being more careful than I thought.¡¯


    I could feel that he was being cautious with his remarks. If he had noticed that the spider web was made for him, he naturally would¡¯ve moved cautiously.


    He was currently judging that there was ack of information.


    I could see why angels suddenly attacked humans, what other cards I had, what exactly I was aiming for, and what I had prepared for him.


    ¡°There¡¯s something that bothers me to say since it¡¯s just a guess. Many people don¡¯t like the new n. As far as I remember, Cherubim was against it as well¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be, right?¡±


    He called me a disgusting person. I thought it was only proper to show him a disgusting expression.


    I smiled and opened my eyes while looking at him. I was sure he wanted to punch my face so badly. I felt good at times like that.


    ¡°Do you want a war against humans?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s true. Someone who wants to kill innocent people and fill their belly, in this sacred temple, in the mask of an angel¡­ He must¡¯ve been hiding like a rat.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s such a tragedy. A great tragedy.¡±

 Chapter 730: Doubt and Conviction (4)

    <h4>Chapter 730: Doubt and Conviction (4)</h4>


    ¡°It¡¯s such a tragedy. A great tragedy.¡±


    I noticed the hall had be quiet.


    I didn¡¯t mean to point my finger at Cherubim, but who wouldn¡¯t notice that I was solving the story with such a nuance?


    I wanted to catch him right away, but I had to be careful, too.


    I wasn¡¯t stupid enough to rush into a situation where all the supplies weren¡¯t ready yet.


    A moment of silence permeated around the hall. Everyone was looking at Cherubim and me, so it was a little burdensome, but wasn¡¯t Light Kiyoung originally a stage person from the beginning? That gaze was rather pleasing.


    When I turned my head slightly, I saw an angel with blue hair.


    Cherubim rolled his head. I did say that vaguely.


    Raising his voice would make him look weird, and it wasn¡¯t appropriate to deny it either.


    What he chose, after all, was to ept my words. It was clear that it was probably the only thing he could do.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I agree with you. It looks like a rat is hiding.¡±


    The story that there was a rat had been confirmed.


    ¡°Yes, I guess so.¡±


    Cherubim also put his hand on the most appropriate option. Wasn¡¯t it an expression that conveyed that he wanted to spare some time?


    Just as I was hesitant to rush in, so was he suddenly hesitant to push back.


    There was a lot I wanted to say, but there was still an order for everything.


    The build-up was just as important. I wished I could¡¯ve gone wild and blew myself up, but unfortunately, I wasn¡¯t that stupid.


    Rather, the eyes looking at me seemed to tell me to give it a try. It was quite obvious.


    ¡°And was that question was aimed at me?¡±


    In that fashion¡­


    Perhaps he felt he needed to defend himself at least once.


    ¡°What kind of question are you talking about¡­?¡±


    ¡°If I wanted to go to war with humans?¡±


    ¡°I never said that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not just you and the elders here who have a hard time when things go wrong. Doesn¡¯t everyone here know that I¡¯m also losing money? I¡¯m not making excuses, but I want you to apologize for what you just said. I¡¯ve already reached out to join the new n. I wouldn¡¯t deny that I was hoping to keep the existing n, but it¡¯s already a story of the past. Isn¡¯t everyone here the same? Stances can be changed.¡±


    ¡®So you¡¯ll pretend you don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, for now, right?¡¯


    ¡°We apologize if you felt ufortable. It wasn¡¯t meant to be aimed at Cherubim. It¡¯s such a sudden situation¡­ Once again, I formally apologize.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take it.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s true that a squeaky rat is hiding in the temple. I don¡¯t know what the purpose is exactly, but there¡¯s a need for us to work together to find out who it is. We don¡¯t know what¡¯s going to happen after this.¡±


    ¡°It is as you said. Humans who reached out to us were attacked. It¡¯s just me, Dominions, Seraphim, and Lee Kiyoung who know that fact. Of course, we can¡¯t rule out the possibility that this word might have slipped out to external forces, but if what you say is true, it¡¯s right that you should put yourself on the list of suspects.¡±


    ¡°But there is no motive.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t say that there is no motive. Let¡¯s say you haven¡¯t taken off the human mask yet.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a human being. The wings behind my back are proof.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s assume that your heart is still with them.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already been judged. I know better than anyone what¡¯s right or wrong, what¡¯s truly the way for the continent. Isn¡¯t that why we came up with a new kind of n? I can¡¯t blend in with them. My nature has changed.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying you¡¯re the culprit, either. But if that¡¯s the case, you have plenty of motivation. Aren¡¯t the humans who reached out to us, in your perspective, have be enemies? They are human beings who can be regarded as traitors to mankind.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have the ability to lead angels. Cherubim, I am not in a position to grant permission or provide decisive orders. If I were the rat, how could I bring them in?¡±


    That was right. I didn¡¯t have the ability to do that, and I was sure he knew that the best.


    ¡°Maybe there¡¯s a possibility that it¡¯s something in the form of an angel.¡±


    ¡°Possibility, possibility, possibility. I don¡¯t understand exactly what Cherubim is saying. So, Cherubim says I created something simr to an angel and sent them to kill human traitors? Of course, there¡¯s no evidence? Oh, you said ¡®possibility.¡¯ I forgot. I wonder why you¡¯ve opened your mouth and brought it up with a simple assumption.¡±


    ¡°There is no need to overstate it again. I didn¡¯t even say you were the rat. It¡¯s just that you can¡¯t get away with being the candidate either. I just said that because I thought it was right to open up every possibility.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we have to keep all possibilities open, but that means¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t deny that I¡¯m also a suspect. If an investigation is needed, it can be done faithfully. But the same is true of you. The same goes for Seraphim and Dominions. If anyone else thinks the investigation is necessary¡­¡±


    ¡®Head-on breakthrough.¡¯


    It was really like him. Since he had done nothing wrong, he could be confident. It would be clear that my side was also presupposing the possibility of tampering with evidence. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t act like that.


    ¡®Is there something in store?¡¯


    He might¡¯ve been thinking it¡¯s right to prepare from that point on. At least he felt that he could defend himself.


    Looking around a little bit, pigeons began to react vaguely.


    ¡°Then¡­¡±


    ¡°It is right to create and operate a new institution. An independent agency in which the four first suspects cannot be involved. If the institutions are investigated one by one as they are created, then there will be nothing toe up with.¡±


    ¡®Did he expect this?¡¯


    ¡°I think it¡¯s a good idea to have it consist of half the angels who invested in the new n and half the angels who didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡®You seem to be moving on too smoothly¡­ Are you preparing for something?¡¯


    ¡°It would be beneficial to find a way to defend yourself.¡±


    ¡®Oh, you¡­ you expected this, didn¡¯t you?¡¯


    That little punk.


    ¡®You really prepared for this, didn¡¯t you?¡¯


    It was just for a brief moment, but the back of my head had begun to feel itchy. It wasn¡¯t exactly right, but I could feel him patting me on the back of my head.


    I could tell for sure that I was right when I saw his eyes staring at me. I thought he was the type who wouldn¡¯t do anything that would hurt my brain, but I turned out to be wrong.


    It really started to get a little cold when I thought Cherubim was expecting me to sell the trap.


    Of course, he didn¡¯t expect what kind of trap it would be, but at least he knew that a web would be prepared to weave him in.


    ¡®You know me well.¡¯


    Rather, I thought the blue pigeon knew me better than Thronus.


    At least he had doubted me from start to finish.


    ¡®Now, can I just say that you¡¯ve exposed your ws? Did you prepare for something? Or are you going to take it the other way around?¡¯


    He didn¡¯t even believe Seraphim¡¯s judgment of guilt in the first ce. The same went for the wings behind me.


    I thought I learned more about him at that moment. He believed in his own judgment. No matter what people said, he only believed what he thinks was right.


    ¡°I think that¡¯s a good idea. Cherubim, I will also do my best to investigate. I don¡¯t know if there¡¯s anything to be revealed, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Thank you for agreeing, Dominions.¡±


    How could I say I disagree in that situation? Jihye wouldn¡¯t have had a choice either.


    ¡°I agree with that, Cherubim.¡±


    ¡°Seraphim.¡±


    ¡®The moment I deny it, I¡¯ll be pushed against the odds.¡¯


    ¡°I agree with you, dear Cherubim.¡±


    ¡®There is no other choice.¡¯


    He certainly made a more rational choice than me, who tried to clear the situation by using the people present and the people¡¯s trial.


    ¡®Will this work against me?¡¯


    Of course, I didn¡¯t leave any evidence either. In the first ce, it wasn¡¯t true that Lee Kiyoung was the rat.


    ¡®Does Cherubim have any evidence?¡¯


    The chances were small. No matter how much he had arranged the whole situation, it was impossible to predict the oue perfectly.


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll do it right away. The formation of independent institutions through Thronus.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll take three days, but even if it¡¯s organized sooner, I¡¯d like to start investigating it in order from then on.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, dear Cherubim.¡±


    ***


    It had been two days since then. It was a long and short time, but it wasn¡¯t a bad time.


    As usual, I was fiddling with the Dummy World when I heard a voice from the side.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure he was preparing for this.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I think it¡¯s almost a hundred percent. He has been waiting for us to set a trap.¡±


    ¡°How was the investigation? Noona?¡±


    ¡°Is there anything else to say? It was like stepping on legos. The formation of the members proceeded faster than the scheduled time, right? If we didn¡¯t prepare it in advance, we wouldn¡¯t be in this situation.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s Seraphim?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s suspicious of Cherubim. Isn¡¯t that the way it usually is? He doesn¡¯t doubt his abilities, so he thinks you¡¯re cleared of your sins. By the way, did you prepare anything? Why are you so calm? I don¡¯t think you¡¯ve been busy. You¡¯re just messing around with dummy world.¡±


    ¡°Why? The Dummy World is fun.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s gritting his teeth over there. He¡¯s a tough one. Didn¡¯t you mean to nt something on Cherubim?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t it Cherubim who was trying to nt something on me?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°No wonder, I thought you were a little too calm¡­ You¡¯re sure it wasn¡¯t Cherubim?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°No, this is frustrating. Say something! Can¡¯t you respond? Is it Seraphim? Thronus? It¡¯s really Cherubim, right? If we kill time here now¡­¡±


    ¡°You never tell me about things like this. I¡¯m rather relieved. If you haven¡¯t realized it yet, they won¡¯t have noticed it either.¡±


    ¡°What mystery game are you ying? It¡¯s time to talk.¡±


    ¡°Cherubim first tried to nt something on me.¡±


    ¡°But?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s one more guy. As a matter of fact, Cherubim is just the decoration of the situation. There¡¯s something else that he¡¯s nning.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Who is it?¡±


    ¡°How are the ally troops now?¡±


    ¡°Why are you suddenly changing the¡­ topic¡­? Ah.¡±


    Dominions, no, Lee Jihye opened her mouth, seemingly realizing something.


    She spoke slowly. Her face looked refreshed after she solved the mystery.


    ¡°Now I know. I didn¡¯t know what Oppa was trying to do, but I get it now.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Time.¡±


    As expected, Noona was quick-witted.


    Smiling, I replied. ¡°Correct.¡±

 Chapter 731: The Ark (1)

    <h4>Chapter 731: The Ark (1)</h4>


    The problem was the time.


    ¡°How much divinity do you think is being consumed every hour?¡±


    The divinity collected from the pigeons was being thrown into the trash can with every second that passed by. Continuing to invest in the dummy world, prating existing continental systems, and the continuing war all needed divinity.


    It was no exaggeration that one-third of the gathered divinity was being used. Divinity continued to be consumed at this time.


    Lee Jihye¡¯s smiling face was evident. I was worried that she would utter negativements, but I felt like I didn¡¯t need to worry based on her expression.


    ¡®I¡¯m a little relieved.¡¯


    ¡°There¡¯s going to be a great deal of benefits to mankind over time. Every continuous battle has a small advantage.¡±


    ¡°Because Cherubim is tied up here.¡±


    ¡°Seraphim is tied up, but what matters more than the fact that Cherubim and Seraphim are tied up are the supplies and our budget. You¡¯re right, Oppa. This is the right one. From Cherubim¡¯s point of view, it wouldn¡¯t be unreasonable to say that he was stabbed in the back. How long do you think it¡¯ll take?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯d like to do it for at least half a month. But I think they¡¯ll notice in a week, or it could be a littleter¡­The situation¡¯s a little hectic right now. They can¡¯t afford to argue about everything. Maybe it¡¯s time to have a st. They¡¯ll want to turn the tables, and I¡¯m sure they think they can think of a way to get rid of me.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°We both do. How can you not stick your teeth in front of an injured prey? I think it would be more difficult for him if I¡¯m about to get caught but don¡¯t actually get caught¡­ He¡¯s not tactless. Best case scenario, we can keep this going for another two months at the maximum.¡±


    ¡°How do we find a way to keep it going longer?¡±


    ¡°No, Noona. You don¡¯t have to do that. If you move too obviously, they¡¯ll get suspicious. This is the ideal state right now. The Dummy World continues to run, burning through divinity, and we¡¯re following the manual.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the main goal, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    If the outside world understood our ns, the benefits would be maximized.


    ¡®I just don¡¯t want to create a big threat.¡¯


    All I had to do was lessen the demons¡¯ benefits enough for them to have seizures. Looking at what our allies had shown so far, they also seemed to understand.


    As time went by, I realized that was the most advantageous scenario. Just like what the manual said, I felt like I was helping a snowball roll down without strain.


    ¡®This is how it works.¡¯


    It was important to continue that little gain.


    I thought Hyejin had a lot of things to do. Although internal maintenance was over, there must¡¯ve been more things to pay attention to as long as the troops were pulled forward.


    Since the army had advanced, they would¡¯ve had to establish a temporary front, and they would be looking for ways to restore the lovely regressor to his original state while closely monitoring him as he moved.


    ¡®Yeah, Hyejin. Sh*t, time is on our side.¡¯


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think you should get going?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I should.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s much to be prepared for¡­ But don¡¯t let them get to you. You might get eaten in an instant while trying to throw shade at them. It¡¯s actually dangerous. If you move incorrectly, they¡¯ll turn you into a traitor.¡±


    ¡®That can¡¯t be true.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t conceit. It was conviction.


    The idea remained unchanged as we stepped forward to faithfully conduct our investigation. Seraphim was suspicious of Cherubim, and Cherubim was in a hurry to eat the bait thrown at him.


    In other words, there was no acting brain that could pieces together and fit them on the board.


    It hadn¡¯t been long since an independent investigation agency was established.


    ¡®I can earn about three days from the initial investigation.¡¯


    If I simply continued to hang out with Cherubim, a week would pass.


    Even if he realized then, he wouldn¡¯t be able to tie me up easily. After all, It was him who asked to establish an independent investigation agency, and I couldn¡¯t be pressured by mere suspicion.


    If I could buy time through administrative procedures, the snowball would grow bigger to the extent where I would be able to crush the temple, and eventually, my small, sweet revenge would bepleted.


    ¡®I¡¯ll avenge you.¡¯


    It was just before I reached the destination that I felt something strange.


    There was a red background.


    ¡°Prepare for battle. Prepare for battle!¡±


    ¡®What kind of battle?¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s humans. Arm yourselves!¡±


    ¡®So what do you mean by that?¡¯


    The temple was being filled with red warning lights, simr to those that brighten up during emergencies.


    I couldn¡¯t get my act together due to the sudden situation. I was sure it was a flower garden just before, but the view was starting to get darker.


    ¡®What is this sh*t? Is this real? Is this real? What is this?¡¯


    A sh of memory came into my mind.


    ¡®Kim Hyunsung cut ties with the federation?¡¯


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible.¡±


    It was impossible to prate the barriers of the temple. Although a bit exaggerated, the temple¡¯s barrier was protected by the system.


    Even if one pierced it from the outside, moving into the temple in an instant¡­


    ¡®Are you out there?¡¯


    Sh*t.


    Anxiety suddenly wed all over my body and back.


    ¡®Is he really here? Do pigeons look like pushovers? You¡¯re going to charge right at the enemy?¡¯


    Was Cho Hyejin out of her mind?


    ¡®No, Sh*t, if there¡¯s someone above carrying the situation, one should just wait quietly. Why are you being so impatient? I never told you to do that in the manual?¡¯


    It was a dogmatic judgment. I would never agree to throw such a farce. In the first ce, it was still doing well.


    I endured all the hardships and troubles just to design everything. I worked so¡­ hard to¡­


    ¡°You¡­ crazy people.¡±


    If they couldn¡¯te inside in an instant, there was only one thing they could do.


    ¡°They¡¯re trying to break through from the outside.¡±


    It was a disadvantageous fight. It wasn¡¯t something one could do in their right mind.


    Of course, I jumped and looked out. What caught my eye was a very familiar form of transport.


    ¡®The Ark.¡¯


    ¡°You¡­ you crazy bastards.¡±


    ¡®Nice boat.¡¯


    ¡°You morons¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t know if they were trying to carry more people into the temple. Regardless, it looked like they¡¯d already tuned it.


    Looking at the pointed device mounted on the front of the hull, I could predict what its use was.


    After teleporting the ship to the front of the temple¡­


    ¡°Are you just going to break through?¡±


    The hope of mankind was rushing toward the ce, which made me even more anxious.


    ¡°Hey, you crazy bastards!¡±


    In that urgent situation, the telescope was turned on, and although I worried if someone was observing me, I was more worried about that ship above.


    My sights began to prate and reflect inside the hull.


    -Stronger!


    ¡®Park Deokgu, sh*t. You pig.¡±


    -Row harder!


    ¡®You stupid pig.¡¯


    -We have to speed it up!


    The wizards moving the ship by rowing the magic oars was quite a sight to behold.


    -Ah, you¡¯re so frustrating! Give me some paddles. I¡¯ve told you so many times that you have to row hard! Come on, chant, go! Go! Go! Everyone, get the timing right! Push and Pull!


    -A pigeon is approaching.


    -Mr. Ki-mo, please take a look at it.


    -Open the gunports now! Fire on my signal! Load the shells, damn it, load the shells!


    -The magic cannons are ready.


    ¡®When did you put so many magic cannons on? Sh*t. What the hell were you doing?¡¯


    -Go! Go!


    -Fire!


    Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang!!


    -Fire!


    Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang!!


    ¡®What¡¯s wrong with you guys?¡¯


    I was worried that those crazy people might¡¯ve acted arbitrarily among themselves, but I didn¡¯t think so. If they had moved alone in the first ce, they wouldn¡¯t have reached that far. When I looked inside the hull a little more, I saw the faces of the passengers.


    ¡®Cho Hyejin, Sh*t. How could you do this to me?¡¯


    Cho Hyejin was looking outside with a determined look on her face.


    ¡®Hayan looks healthy, but is the branch you¡¯re holding in your hand supposed to be Sora?¡¯


    Jung Hayan was mumbling while holding a part of Han Sora¡¯s body tightly in her hand.


    ¡®Why are you in there? Sh*t.¡¯


    Raphael remained quiet, his hand on his sword.


    ¡®Hee-ra, you¡¯re gearing up to fight, aren¡¯t you?¡¯


    Cha Hee-ra looked excited.


    I couldn¡¯t even enumerate every single one of them. Even those who didn¡¯t fit in any position could be seen in my field of vision.


    Seeing that Sun Hee-young and Elena also came, they seemed to have decided not to cover the rear against potential invasions.


    All the Blue Guild members had gathered. All the named ones that could be ssified as strong individuals in the continent seemed to be on board.


    ¡°Nobody assumed they were going to be shot down with that ship? Did no one go against that crazy n?¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t known whether Cho Hyejin was involved in the incitement or whether it was even her who initiated it. Regardless, it remained unchanged that it was unreasonable.


    I couldn¡¯t believe the situation that was going on outside.


    A huge counterattack began, all aimed at the sky, as the ship in the sky continued to rush vigorously toward the temple. The ark didn¡¯t break even as its hull was hit and shocked by the pigeons. Sh*t, yes. It was simply that strong.


    I had been on a trip to another dimension on it, so I was sure it could endure a lot of damages, but I wasn¡¯t sure if it would reach all the way to where I was.


    If I were there, I wouldn¡¯t have thrown that ship in the temple.


    The ark broke through the first line of defense and was greeted by pigeons flocking like dogs, trying to stop the ship¡¯s movement somehow, but magic barrages kept them at bay.


    -Fire! Fire! Fireeee!!


    ¡®Ahn Ki-mo, didn¡¯t he say that his dream was to be the pirate king?¡¯


    ¡°You¡¯re probably happy since you¡¯ve achieved your dreams, damn it.¡±


    Baaaaaaaaang!


    Every time a cannon sprayed fire, pigeons bounced out of the ark.


    A huge shield wrapped around its hull, and the ark approached with faster movement, gaining momentum.


    -Move forward! Move forward! Stronger! We¡¯re going to hit! Brace for impact,dies and gentlemen!


    -Everybody, prepare to board! Prepare to enter and fight! We¡¯re charging straight in, you hear me?! Follow the manual!


    ¡°You piece of sh*t, talking about following the manual.¡±


    -Hold on tight!!!!


    Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang!


    The ark hit a transparent membrane, reverberating a loud sound. It was going to be a little awkward, but I wanted them to go back.


    However, the ark squeezed in with a murky sound. What would happen next was obvious.


    With a deafening roar, the ark crept into the temple, and the pig, who seeded innding, ran out of the ship with a triumphant face. It was a difficult situation toment on.


    ¡°Sh*t¡­ you bastards¡­¡±

 Chapter 732: The Ark (2)

    <h4>Chapter 732: The Ark (2)</h4>


    Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaang!


    Boooom!


    Baaaaaaaaaaaam!!


    -Move! Move!!


    -Put the shield down first. Start with the shield first!


    -Win!


    -Move! Move forward! Onwards, everyone!


    -To victory!


    -Ready the defense magic!


    In an instant, the humans poured out of the ark that crashed into the temple.


    Park Deokgu was ridiculously leading muscr pigs with arger shield in his hand than the one he usually carried. Watching the troops pave the way forward by preventing external attacks, I felt that their training itself was well done, but what was the use of all that?


    ¡®No, sh*t. That is kinda cool, though.¡¯


    The shieldspletely blocked everything, even their heads, which prevented iing offensives from prating through their ranks. It was like watching a wall steadily moving forward.


    The wizards¡¯ protection magic wasn¡¯t enough to cover the troops once, and they even smashed the sacred force.


    The dense tankers seemed to have been given all the agility buffs to assist their movement, and their speed was indeed quite fast, which was embarrassing to me. Of course, I doubted they received a buff from some ordinary priest.


    ¡®Are you in the wall?¡¯


    I instinctively felt the need to check who was inside the shield wall.


    ¡®Elena.¡¯


    Looking inside through the telescope, I could see an elf with emerald hair.


    Her lips were trembling, but she continued to exert divine power, and she continued to step forward along with the forearm of an auxiliary tanker.


    Looking at her face, I knew she was scared. Of course she was. In the first ce, she was overwhelmingly inexperienced when it came tobat against such difficulties.


    Although a priest was usually responsible for the rear, she had to stand at the front. Her physical ability was too poor to be used as abat priest.


    Wouldn¡¯t it be the first time for her to join the frontlines?


    It was a wall of shields that felt imprable, but I could see cracks opening due to the continuous bombing.


    Bang!


    As soon as the sound was heard, one side of the small wall began to burst. With a ssh, I saw blood sshing into Elena¡¯s face.


    The broken part of it was quickly filled with auxiliary tankers, but the elven princess was shaken.


    -Damn it! Damn it!


    -Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!


    -Fill the gap now! Next!


    -Those who are injured, move back! Quickly now!


    Fortunately, Cho Hyejin was near her.


    -Elena, are you okay?


    -Yes¡­ Yes, I¡¯m fine, D-Deputy Guild master. I¡¯m just¡­


    -I¡¯ll stay with you until we arrive.


    -No, you don¡¯t have to¡­ You don¡¯t have to.


    -It¡¯s okay. I understand it¡¯s a tough situation.


    -¡­


    -¡­


    -Thank you.


    Elena¡¯s appearance as she walked away while holding onto Cho Hyejin looked morefortable, but that didn¡¯t dispel her fears.


    No, wouldn¡¯t it be more appropriate to say that she couldn¡¯te to her senses before being afraid?


    Screams and noises wereing from all over her vicinity. The air was filled with sweat and blood, while the ground was covered with the injured and dying colleagues who they had to leave behind for their goal. It was the first time I saw her looking so shocked at the battlefield.


    The priest, who should be located at the rear, was looking at the surroundings of the vanguard while biting her lips.


    It would be too grand to say that she realized something, but at least she was no longer making the same face as before.


    To those who were looking externally, wouldn¡¯t it look like light was leaking from inside the shield wall?


    Elena¡¯s whole body was shining brightly due to the emission of godlike sacred power.


    Cho Hyejin, with a determined look at her face, moved forward immediately after nodding slightly, waiting for the shield gates to open.


    -It¡¯s okay now.


    -Follow me, Elena.


    -Hang in there! Hang in there! We¡¯re almost there. Hang in there!


    -Elena! Please follow me.


    The Blue Guild assistant tanker Yoo Ah-young reached out to Elena, who had been busy breathing hard.


    Inside the wall, she saw troops reorganizing their ranks. Once again, the priests and wizards who led the shield wall were sent to the rear. Once the shields gave way, the warriors who would jump out would unsheathe their weapons.


    Muscr pigs, who needed to buy time to reorganize their ranks, were holding out as much as possible against the pouring attacks, filling the temple with screams and shouts.


    -Hang in there! Hang in there! A little more! A little more!


    -Open it! Open it! Now! Open it now!


    -Open it!


    -Don¡¯t die, Hyejin Noona! Don¡¯t get hurt!


    -Open!


    The shield wall, which seemed to have been locked tightly, opened, and troops who had held their breath were seen bursting out from within.


    The first thing that came out of the gate was Cho Hyejin, who had her long hair tied. She prated the neck of a pigeon, greeting it with a spear.


    ¡®Why so fast, Hyejin? Sh*t. You kill every time youunch an attack.¡¯


    It was like watching Kim Hyunsung. She also seemed a little sharper, standing way ahead of the troops.


    I thought about what I would do if I got hurt, but I guessed my concern was just a falsehood. It was doubtful whether she was really holding a spear.


    She used the spear as leverage to move her body and didn¡¯t take it out once it had stabbed someone. Unlike the traditional way of keeping a certain distance, she waspletely surrounded by pigeons.


    On a battlefield where there was no room to swing long weapons, she chose to use her body. I could see her punching instead of using the spear as of that moment.


    ¡®Sh*t, that¡¯s cool.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t just a normal punch.


    ¡®What? Where did you learn that?¡¯


    I had seen it once before. Xiaolin, who had bumped into Cha Hee-ra, once showed something simr.


    It seemed a little different, but it was amazing that there seemed to be some simrities as well.


    ¡®Do all the long-weapon users know how to punch?¡¯


    Perhaps it was a preparation for situations where weapons couldn¡¯t be used freely.


    It wasn¡¯t as fancy as Xiaolin¡¯s, but it was as modest and elegant. She had no wasteful movements either.


    She was only moving as much as necessary. It was like swinging a spear. She broke the opponent¡¯s shin with the soles of her feet and pushed with her shoulders to make room.


    After clenching her fist, she threw it to another target¡¯s stomach, causing the pigeon to beunched away.


    She didn¡¯t panic when she saw a pigeon thrusting its spear. After stretching out her long legs and wrapping them around the weapon, she turned around, causing the spear to pierce through the angel¡¯s body.


    She kicked its chin up with her foot and stabbed at its side. I was so distracted that I couldn¡¯t even understand what I was looking at.


    She kicked better than I thought, making me speak unknowingly.


    ¡°What¡¯s this? Why are you so cool?¡±


    Nobody could do that in a normal fight.


    I was overwhelmed by that ridiculous sight. I thought the scenes in the action movies would be less wonderful than what I was seeing.


    ¡®Take me, Noona. Sh*t.¡¯


    If it weren¡¯t for the current situation, I wouldn¡¯t have wanted her to take me.


    ¡®So, sh*t, what are you going to do now?¡¯


    The impressive images they showed were clearly stuck in my mind.


    ¡®Yeah, you guys are cool and all. Really. But what are you going to do from now on?¡¯


    They¡¯ve seeded in thending, and for that, I thought Deokgu had done amazing. How did he seed in that? I didn¡¯t know how hard he trained, but he wasn¡¯t superfluous. Still, what were they going to do now? How were they going to get out of here?


    I bit down on my lower lip.


    If it were a one-off surprise, I would nod. It was an act that was out of my control, but it wasn¡¯t bad.


    The problem was that they were going all-in. They put everything mankind had on the line and struck at the heart of the enemy.


    All the guild members of the most prestigious guild in the world had gathered in one ce. It was no exaggeration to say that that was the best of human power.


    It would be a relief if there were even a few more ¡®bullet racks¡¯, but the troops were small in numbers.


    They seeded in thending operation because of their skills, but the troops were now isted.


    No support could be expected, and no assistance could be provided.


    ¡®Hyejin, sh*t. Can you think of something?¡¯


    If Kim Hyunsung had been there, it would¡¯ve been a relief.


    ¡®No, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯d be relieved. Hyejin, you thought about that, right? What¡¯s your next move? Is there even one?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know whose idea it was, but I wanted to ask what would happen next.


    ¡®I¡¯m sure you guys didn¡¯te here just here to get yourselves killed. Sh*t.¡¯


    There had to be some usible n. No, I thought they had to make one even if they didn¡¯t already have one.


    ¡®Confusion.¡¯


    Seraphim, Cherubim, and Thronus had yet to arrive at the site of the battle.


    That bnce was currently being maintained because the main enemies hadn¡¯t appeared yet.


    ¡®Damn it. Sh*t. Sh*t.¡¯


    There was no reason for those bastards to stay still after so much death had been caused. I didn¡¯t know what they were doing or where they were, but they were most likely already moving. I had to move, too.


    ¡®Where?¡¯


    Jihye would move separately, right? She wasn¡¯t going to act like how Dominions stole Lee Jihye¡¯s soul in front of Cho Hyejin, would she? No, I thought she¡¯d do more than that. It was when I tried to move with my eyes fixed on the battle that was taking ce.


    ¡°Hey, here you are.¡±


    ¡°Thronus.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m d you didn¡¯t get hurt. No, we don¡¯t have time for this. Right now, humans are¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Humans attacked the temple. I think we¡¯d better get somewhere safe right now.¡±


    ¡®Where¡¯s the safe ce?¡¯


    ¡°I know it¡¯s urgent, but I have to go right now, too. The humans are remarkable. Maybe they¡¯re here to get you back. I¡¯m sure of it.¡±


    ¡®Why are you suddenly acting like you¡¯re close to me, you ipetent bastard? Sh*t.¡¯


    ¡°Come on, hurry! We don¡¯t have time for this.¡±


    His expression did seem tense. I was sure it was an emergency.


    ¡°Thronus?¡±


    In fact, there couldn¡¯t have been time for that. From their point of view, humans invaded their sanctuary.


    As there was still an urgent battle on one side, it was right to support immediately.


    I felt wee, especially in situations like this where he came to me first.


    ¡®So Thronus won¡¯t join immediately.¡¯


    If he joined, the fragile bnce would surely copse. It was undeniable that the piece of sh*t before me had the power to overwhelm Kim Hyunsung, even though he was ipetent.


    ¡®Who¡¯s going to be able to take on this bastard?¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t think of anyone right at that moment.


    In other words, it would be Raphael, but the holy warrior couldn¡¯t handle the pigeon who put Kim Hyunsung in a corner yet.


    Cha Hee-ra must¡¯ve wanted to fight Cherubim, and Jung Hayan was likely to have been given a special role.


    And that pig was supposed to get hit, anyway.


    ¡°Faster, faster. Move faster.¡±


    ¡®Safe ce. Is this a safe ce?¡¯


    Looking at the ce where I rushed in, I should definitely feel safe.


    The problem was¡­


    ¡°I won¡¯t be long. I¡¯ll be right back after I get things sorted out.¡±


    ¡®What, sh*t, you¡¯re leaving me here?¡¯


    He was trying to leave me behind and join the battlefield.


    ¡°Hang in there.¡±


    ¡®What is this sh*t? You really want to leave me behind?¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t go.¡±


    For the time being, I had no choice but to grab him by the sleeve.


    It waswless outside, after all.


    ¡®You¡¯re going to protect me, aren¡¯t you? You know, what if Cherubimes and harms me? Who else can I trust in such a chaotic situation? I¡¯m telling you, he might reallye to kill me.¡¯

 Chapter 733: Unusual Events (1)

    <h4>Chapter 733: Unusual Events (1)</h4>


    ¡®If you go now, you¡¯ll be a real piece of crap. You¡¯ll be the bad guy. How can you leave me alone?¡¯


    I had to show my most frightened expression as if it wasn¡¯t safe around me. I looked at Thronus in a way that told him he was the only one I could trust.


    It was only for a short time, but I also felt like I was shaking. Was it right to say that I couldn¡¯t move right now? I felt like I had lost strength all over my body. He must¡¯ve been thinking about what to do.


    ¡®What? You¡¯re not thinking about sh*t, are you? Right?¡¯


    No, he had to be logical about it. The atmosphere had been weirdtely. While there were friendly pigeons, there were many pieces of sh*t who wanted to eat me alive.


    Did he thinkmon sense would prevail outside right at that moment? If so, why hadn¡¯t Cherubim been in that fight yet?


    I was sure he¡¯d looking for me. While I was trying to break them, they¡¯d think a good opportunity hade to get rid of me.


    Honestly, it was a probable idea to kill an annoying piece of sh*t in the midst of confusion.


    It waswless, sh*t. Common sense didn¡¯t work.


    Even if it wasn¡¯t Cherubim, it was still dangerous. Many senior pigeons didn¡¯t like me.


    As soon as Thronus ran out, if theye to me, Lee Kiyoung¡¯s precious life would fly away to the other side of the sky.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid. It¡¯s not safe here.¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s safest next to you, sh*t. What safety are you talking about when you¡¯re leaving me alone?¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t go.¡±


    ¡°This is a safe ce. I¡¯ve already told the others. Maybe they¡¯ll protect you.¡±


    ¡°They won¡¯t leave me alone, Thronus.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not tru-¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been threatened for my life several times.¡±


    In fact, I had never been threatened. I wished they did, but no one was that crazy.


    ¡°No way.¡±


    ¡°I just couldn¡¯t tell you. Don¡¯t you know best that there are a lot of people who don¡¯t like what I¡¯ve nned here?¡±


    ¡®You have nothing to say, right? Sh*t, you didn¡¯t take my side either.¡¯


    ¡°Don¡¯t go.¡±


    I held onto Thronus¡¯s sleeve again. Although he was confused for a while, he was biting his lips as if he had made up his mind.


    After turning his head once, he carefully moved inside.


    ¡®Yeah, sh*t, that¡¯s good.¡¯


    For the time being, I felt like I seeded in keeping him in.


    It was visible that he slowly sat on the floor and settled on the side with a slightly awkward gesture.


    Although he felt a little awkward, he folded his wings and quietly closed his mouth, though he seemed a little restless. He was probably nervous about whether he was allowed to act like that at a time when there was a fight going on not far from us.


    The great angel who was protecting me wasn¡¯t free from responsibility.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Shall I try it?¡¯


    It was a whim.


    ¡®Shall I try it?¡¯


    What would happen if the angel put his burdens aside? It wouldn¡¯t be any detrimental to try to find out what would happen.


    ¡®It¡¯s not bad.¡¯


    Hisbat capabilities were impable. He was even enough to overwhelm Kim Hyunsung.


    He showed a steady performance against Doom Hyunsung, and his personality was worthy of use. If I thought about why the masked hero in the first episode kept him by his side, I could find the answer quickly.


    ¡®You don¡¯t know what¡¯s going to happen.¡¯


    If that angel was on my side, wouldn¡¯t the battle go much better for us?


    The question was, could he point his sword at Cherubim or Seraphim? Could he antagonize the other pigeons?


    Just in time, I heard a crackling sound. It was heard from a little distance away, but it was enough to surprise Lee Kiyoung, who was weak and powerless.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be okay. You don¡¯t have to be scared.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait here. I¡¯ll check the perimeter.¡±


    ¡°No, don¡¯t go.¡±


    ¡®There¡¯s no one around, you son of a gun. I think someone is running, but it¡¯s not enough for you to care. To be exact, you shouldn¡¯t care.¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I had to set the mood. It would be weird if the silence went on for too long.


    The tremors all over my body began to subside. Wasn¡¯t that evidence that the scared light Kiyoung was bing more stable?


    Thronus also seemed to think it was a good thing. That kind of timing would be good. I thought it was just right.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Sometimes¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­?¡±


    ¡°There are things thate to mind every now and then.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s blurry, but I get these thoughts from time to time¡­ These¡­ things thate to my mind whenever I hear that sound. I don¡¯t know why, but I start remembering unfamiliar scenes where I was in the middle of those screams and explosions.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I was smiling with a bloody mask on while the humans screamed, ¡®save me, I want to live, I want another chance.¡¯ But they also burst and scattered into pieces. It was definitely me who made them do that. It was me who wasughing at the center of the ruins. I don¡¯t know why or why on earth I saw this, but I¡¯m sure I¡¯m in the middle of it¡­ It was definitely me.¡±


    It was a secret that I couldn¡¯t reveal to anyone. I could see Thronus¡¯ face shaking.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°I remember the first time I saw Thronus. I¡¯ve been turning a blind eye until now, and I tried hard not to remember, but I think you know me¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not who you are. You can forget¡­ It¡¯s a memory you can forget, and that¡¯s no longer your business anyway¡­ What happened back then and what¡¯s happening right now is different.¡±


    ¡°As expected, it¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    He looked reluctant to say something. Of course, I could understand. If I were in his shoes, how could I say such a thing?


    ¡®Oh, that¡¯s you. Actually, in the first round, it was you all along, you know. Bad guys brainwashed you, and it was amazing. You know, you broke everything down and killed people. I told you that you were a bad person. Do you think that¡¯s all? You killed me, too. It¡¯s because you were brainwashed and out of your mind at the time.¡¯


    I wanted to ask what psychopaths could say that. Who could heal the heart of the wounded Light Kiyoung after that? I thought that¡¯s why he was being careful with his words.


    ¡°I think I know a little bit about what the judgment of sin is and what sins I had. I tried to deny it, but it¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t you!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t who you were¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not the only thing. Among the images in my head was Thronus. It¡¯s a morefortable memory.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°We were looking at the night sky together.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly where it is, but¡­¡±


    ¡®You remember that, right? We were happy back then. Even you were so happy.¡¯


    ¡°Thronus said humans were like stars. You said they beautifully shone, so you loved humans. You also asked me why I chose you. Then I answered¡­¡±


    The angel opened his mouth as if possessed.


    ¡°Because I look like a human being.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Thronus regretted and agonized just like humans do. You worry, and you¡¯re deep in thought because of useless worries. You can shine, you can grow, and you can fly higher than other angels. That¡¯s why I chose you, Thronus¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ it was like that.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯se back to see that view one day. Let¡¯s look up at the stars in the night sky.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure¡­ it was like that.¡±


    He said that earlier, but he now did it again. I was a little excited to see his change of pace.


    When I snuck a nce at him, I thought he was definitely lost in sentiment. He was probably starting to tear up as well.


    ¡°The conversation at that time is engraved in my heart, in my soul.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°And, of course, painful memories too. It¡¯s strange to say this in this situation, and I think it¡¯s embarrassing, but¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I havemitted a crime.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯vemitted crimes against humans that I can¡¯t wash away. It was not salvation. It was an expression of anger and madness itself. As Thronus said, they are stars. Stars with infinite possibilities, stars that shine on their own and shine brightly in the darkness. I trampled and smashed on those celestial beings. Whatever the reason was, it doesn¡¯t matter. The only thing that matters is that Imitted a crime. Maybe it¡¯s because of the sentence that remains in my dim memory, but I want to be with them. It doesn¡¯t matter if they¡¯re stars that are less shiny or have a monotonous shape, or can¡¯t shine. They have to live.¡±


    ¡°Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°I want to be with them. That¡¯s why they¡¯re against letting the stars disappear. It¡¯s no different now.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I want to save my family and friends who came here. That¡¯s my atonement, and that¡¯s my role.¡±


    ¡°Why are you telling me this¡­¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s obvious.¡¯


    ¡°I want you toe with me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I want to look up at the starry sky again. Together.¡±


    There was ack of build-up, but it wasn¡¯t bad. Even if I didn¡¯t build it up, Thronus would have done it himself.


    No, it was the masked hero that really built up the foundation.


    I also had to be a little nervous, but honestly, it was like thest chance that I was giving to Thronus.


    ¡®Don¡¯t let me down.¡¯


    What I wanted wasn¡¯t likely to happen, in my opinion.


    ¡®You can¡¯t let me down.¡¯


    Forgiveness wasn¡¯t a word that suited for Light Kiyoung.


    I noticed his eyes shaking as I tried to make eye contact, but he avoided my gaze.


    ¡®Yeah, sh*t. I¡¯m a fool to expect.¡¯


    ¡°I am¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t do that. I have a¡­ mission and¡­ my responsibility¡­ yes. I have a mission and a responsibility. Ha¡­ but maybe we can find another way.¡±


    ¡®Please feel free to babble. Sh*t, I can¡¯t hear you at all. Why are you looking for another way? Sh*t, I¡¯ll find another way. I¡¯m so annoyed, you bastard.¡¯


    ¡°If I speak well to others, I may be able to find a new way. Cherubim must understand¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey, Thronus.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    ¡°Look at me, you idiot.¡±


    Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaang!!


    It was then that one of the walls copsed with a heavy sound. I could see someone trying to poke towards us with a sword.


    Of course, I wasn¡¯t shocked. That was what I ordered in the first ce. Rather, it was Thronus that was shocked.


    It was so sudden that he didn¡¯t react and blocked me.


    I could assure anyone that if they were after Thronus, they wouldn¡¯t have been able to get a good hit.


    When I opened my eyes, which had been closed for a while due to the shing gray light, I saw Thronus¡¯ face.


    What¡¯s different from before was that I saw a gray sword that was sticking out of his chest.


    ¡°Get away from Hyung, you fucker.¡±


    ¡®Oh, my little bro, Raphael is here.¡¯


    I felt relieved to see his imposing appearance, who saved me from the hands of an ipetent angel.


    Before I said thank you, I¡¯d have to give him a word first, right?


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I see why I didn¡¯t choose you. I see why you were abandoned, Thronus.¡±


    ¡°Are¡­ Are you¡­okay?¡±


    ¡°You fool.¡±

 Chapter 734: Unusual Events (2)

    <h4>Chapter 734: Unusual Events (2)</h4>


    ¡®This kid doesn¡¯t have the skills, but he¡¯s strong.¡¯


    Raphael, who desperately reversed the Jordan River Express, was strong.


    The one who prated Thronus¡¯s chest with a heavy sword, the one that returned from hell, was about 0.5% of Kim Hyunsung. No, 0.6% of Kim Hyunsung seemed to be enough.


    He was spreading his wings and continuing to inject grayish power.


    I wasn¡¯t certain, but wouldn¡¯t that gray light work pretty lethal on pigeons?


    It was so natural to be at odds that it was probably eating away at the inside of an angel¡¯s mask like poison.


    His face was distorted by pain and seemed to tell me that my prediction was right.


    ¡°Are¡­ Are you oka-¡±


    ¡°Die.¡±


    ¡°Cough¡­ Cough.¡±


    In time, the moment Raphael¡¯s sword was pulled out of his chest, he started breaking apart.


    He was floundering, reaching out to me, but I couldn¡¯t allow the devil¡¯s grasp, so I pulled back slightly.


    Behind him, who fell helplessly to the side, was Raphael smiling broadly, covered in blood.


    ¡°Hyung.¡±


    ¡®Oh, my. Our grey warrior is here? You¡¯re very reliable. Reliable indeed.¡¯


    ¡°Hyung.¡±


    There was a sense of aplishment in the face of our holy sword warrior. He ran hard to prove his existence and eventually showed it, so it was only natural that he felt good about himself.


    Seeing his hands shaking, I guessed he still hadn¡¯t calmed down.


    His face was engraved with his belief to walk with the light.


    That was the difference between Thronus, who was down, and Raphael.


    He would¡¯ve had lots of questions that needed answers. He defined Kim Hyunsung as evil, and eventually, our regressor wandered about among the dead.


    If one thought about it a little bit, it wouldn¡¯t be unreasonable to have questions. Raphael¡¯sst fight wasn¡¯t so good.


    However, Raphael was in front of me, oveing all odds. He knew for sure how not to abandon faith, not to question it, and not to think deeply about it.


    To follow the light with infinite trust, to walk without any doubt along the path led by light. There was no need to list the differences between the grey warrior and the pigeon.


    ¡®Yeah, your role was big. Really.¡¯


    It was Raphael who had healed the wounds of the regressor.


    ¡®You¡¯ve be very reliable.¡¯


    If he hung in there, he would realize once again that he would win someday.


    I never thought I¡¯d be so proud for not taking off his life support. He had grown a lot. At one time, I didn¡¯t want to look at him, but at that moment, I was smiling at him.


    ¡®I told you, Noona. I told you he¡¯d be helpful one day.¡¯


    I knew he was a keeper. I was d I didn¡¯t sell him then. That was what judgment was all about. Lee Kiyoung, the genius investor.


    The grayish magic, which had always filled his body, seemed to be a littlerger, and his status also rose.


    It was the empirical part, but Raphael was stronger than he should be. Of course¡­


    ¡®That doesn¡¯t mean you could¡¯ve killed Thronus on your own.¡¯


    It was a sight to behold, the angel being on the floor. I didn¡¯t know if he was distracted or if he didn¡¯t intend to stop it in the first ce, but he was dying as a result.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t bother to look at her. Raphael in front of me was my priority.


    I thought it was better to show my disbelieving expression.


    It was a natural reaction to question whether what was really in front of me was real or whether it was just a dream. My eyes would¡¯ve been filled with tears, but I thought it would be better to shed tears in the end instead.


    ¡®Oh, but did he hear me earlier? I think I cursed too.¡¯


    There seemed to be a minor problem, but it was no big deal.


    People only heard what they wanted to hear.


    It was more of a cute act than a foolish one at a touching reunion.


    ¡°Raphael¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Dear Raphael¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, Hyung.¡±


    ¡°Dear Raphael.¡±


    The name I was calling freely at that moment, my little brother, Raphael.


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    On second thought, showing tears didn¡¯t seem to suit the imposing light. It was hard to stop crying midway, but I had to hold it in. I liked his weak but strong-minded position.


    ¡°Thank you, Raphael. You listened to my voice.¡±


    ¡°It was blurry, but I kept listening. In the midst of sinking into the darkness, I could hear a voice calling me¡­ Yeah, I heard voices telling me to get up.¡±


    ¡®I don¡¯t think that¡¯s what I said.¡¯


    ¡°It told me to save you, Hyung. Maybe Benignore guided me. I didn¡¯t think we could meet like this, but¡­ I¡¯m sorry it took a long time to stand in front of you.¡±


    ¡®Hey, you¡¯ve grown up, Raphael.¡¯


    ¡°I think it took a really long time. I¡¯m so d I could add my weak strength¡­¡±


    ¡°No, it didn¡¯t take that long, Raphael, and¡­ Your power is not weak at all. It¡¯s the power of the choice to save the continent. It¡¯s been so long since I¡¯ve seen you, so I don¡¯t know where to start. There are many things I want to talk about.¡±


    ¡°So do I, Hyung. Are you feeling well? Are you hurt or ufortable? Do you think these devils will ever¡­¡±


    ¡®These bastards are really bad guys. They really need to die.¡¯


    ¡°How can these devils¡­ Should I kill them?¡±


    I liked that, too. I was so happy to leave the judgment to the situation side by side.


    Of course, we should kill them. If we kept them alive, they might be a source of trouble. They were retired, but they were still a bit tough.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t answer, but I nodded. The unspoken positivity made Raphael raise his sword high.


    I heard a loud voice right next to me.


    ¡°Here! Here!¡±


    ¡°Here¡¯s Lee Kiyoung!¡±


    ¡®Fucking Pigeons¡­¡¯


    There was no time to think about other things. I felt my body moving at the same time as I heard the deafening roar.


    I didn¡¯t react, but our holy sword warrior responded to the enemy attacks.


    Rapid movement and white lights could be seen being executed in our vicinity, but the space that came in after the gray light shone brightly was a different ce from the ce before.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®These bastards are quick to react. It¡¯s perfect. Sh*t. Cherubim. You¡¯ve already released it, haven¡¯t you? Oh, but shouldn¡¯t Thronus have hit the rough patch?¡¯


    If Raphael decided he didn¡¯t have time, I wouldn¡¯t be able to help it, but it was a shame.


    It wasn¡¯t enough to say that it was threatening to think that Thronus stood up again and pointed a sword at mankind.


    ¡®This is not good.¡¯


    They would find out that Thronus was dead, and they might confirm that Lee Kiyoung was siding with the humans again.


    ¡®No, I mean, wouldn¡¯t they have realized everything by now?¡¯


    There was no way I could stop thinking while being carried away by Raphael because I had to think about how to move with the most efficiency.


    Raphael¡¯s reach there probably widened the scope of the battlefield. I could be sure, even if I didn¡¯t look at it with a telescope.


    Thending operation was sessful, and Cho Hyejin would divide the troops and use the whole temple as a battlefield.


    Unless Cho Hyejin was a fool, she was after something, so she was trying to deal with that. Of course, rescuing me was included, but I really didn¡¯t think Cho Hyejin came only for my rescue.


    If it was right to take that much risk, there was definitely something I wasn¡¯t aware of yet. That much was clear.


    ¡°Where should we go? Hyung? First of all, join the main force¡­ No, towards the ark. The road is blocked, but¡­¡±


    ¡®Should I really be carried by Raphael back to the ark?¡¯


    I had to make a good choice. There was still something I could do.


    ¡®Seraphim.¡¯


    Did he know I pressed the switch button?


    Perhaps he hadn¡¯t been told directly.


    Cherubim and Seraphim had different walking routes and were still moving for different things at that point. Seraphim believing in me or not was a different story, though¡­


    Admitting that Lee Kiyoung pressed the switch button again denied the judgment of the sin he believed in.


    Decisions were made in an instant, and choices were made in an instant.


    ¡°No, Raphael. You go back first.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s still work to be done. If you¡¯re not too far away, I¡¯ll send you a signal right away.¡±


    I thought it might be too much, but¡­ It was now time to throw the dice.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t gamble because it was a winning game, at least to some extent.


    ¡®But there¡¯s something I need to pay back.¡¯


    I had something to take my revenge against Seraphim.


    ¡°B-But¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really important. It¡¯s urgent.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I know it¡¯s dangerous, but I have to. Believe me. I¡¯m sure everything will be fine.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    He wouldn¡¯t be able to refuse. Raphael was also aware that the current situation wasn¡¯t so good while judging if there would be meaning to my actions.


    There was no way he didn¡¯t feel that pigeon forces were pressing towards us.


    He wouldn¡¯t be able to fight with me in his arms, so it was better to send me somewhere safe and then deal with the pursuers.


    The suggestion came at the moment when he was assuming that I would be a bait.


    There were few options and quick judgments. Raphael¡¯s voice came in between the changing background and fell down.


    ¡°At least I¡¯ll take you somewhere safe. And¡­ I¡¯ll be waiting not far away, so please send me a signal.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, if possible, for the devils who are headed this way¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll try to stop them, Hyung. I¡¯ll be back in 20 minutes.¡±


    ¡°If there¡¯s no signal after 20 minutes, you cane right away. Please.¡±


    ¡®You have to find me. Okay? You can¡¯t abandon me.¡¯


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    While answering, his eyes were in a different ce.


    He seemed determined to deal with the pursuers quickly when he saw them flying right away.


    Theck of time was the same for me. It was definitely a race against time.


    Before the story of Lee Kiyoung¡¯s betrayal went into Seraphim¡¯s ears, I had to work quickly.


    ¡®Noona, are you ready? We have to do it fast. We¡¯re running out of time.¡¯


    I had to do a job that needed a soulmate.


    ¡®Jihye. Sh*t, where is she? What the hell are you doing?¡¯


    I checked where she could be with my telescope, but I couldn¡¯t see anything.


    ¡®Oh, sh*t, is she really acting like Dominions took her soul?¡¯


    As I continued to look around the battlefield with my telescope, what I saw were Cho Hyejin and Dominions.


    -What did you do with her?


    -I just did what I had to do.


    -I asked you what you did to her!


    -I told you. I just did what I had to do.


    ¡®Oh, Sh*t. Noona,e on. I told you not to. Really.¡¯


    Did she really want to do that in such a situation?


    -If you want her soul back, defeat me if that¡¯s even possible.


    ¡®Come on, Lee Jihye, don¡¯t act like you lost your soul to Dominions. Sh*t, we¡¯re in a hurry right now.¡¯


    -Let me introduce myself again. I¡¯m Dominions, the soul stealer.


    ¡°Ah¡­ don¡¯t say things like that.¡±

 Chapter 735: Value (1)

    <h4>Chapter 735: Value (1)</h4>


    ¡®Does it have to be now? For real?¡¯


    My mouth tasted bitter for some reason.


    ¡®She¡¯s just trying to satisfy her greed. This isn¡¯t right.¡¯


    I felt so ashamed to look at her.


    I remembered her saying before that she could do it and that she would create the right scene, but I never expected her to do it now.


    ¡°Wow¡­ that¡¯s so absurd.¡±


    It was already a busy time, Cho Hyejin.


    ¡®We¡¯ve got a lot of work to do. Why are you doing this right now?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know what she exactly came to the temple for yet, but I thought it must¡¯ve been Cho Hyejin¡¯s judgment toe all the way.


    I had some doubts, but when I looked around the battlefield one more time, I understood. Deokgu and Hayan didn¡¯t know I was here. They weren¡¯t the only ones, either. It felt like most of them didn¡¯t know.


    They were only moving ording to the manual they received in advance. Seeing that they weren¡¯t moving emotionally, I was somewhat convinced.


    It wasn¡¯t just. If the entire force didn¡¯t secure a retreat, there were other purposes other than rescuing Lee Kiyoung.


    Rather, they spread in all directions and were divided into groups and engaged in guerri warfare in the temple. It wasn¡¯t a bad tactic.


    ¡®Yeah, that¡¯s not a bad call.¡¯


    At least they could block the wings of the pigeons in the temple.


    It was the enemy¡¯s camp, but we had the advantage inbat.


    The disadvantage was that their number was overwhelmingly unfavorable, but if they dyed the time in that way, they could do it with ease.


    The bigger one was, the more they wouldn¡¯t be able to move properly.


    The troops who infiltrated the area were fighting a bottleneck battle on a single line and were continuing to move in order not to be caught.


    There had to be a reason why they divided our soldiers.


    It was a very definite story that Cho Hyejin would¡¯ve had some other purpose.


    She was blocked by Dominions, a soul predator who suddenly appeared.


    ¡°Dominions the Soul Stealer?¡±


    I didn¡¯t know where she picked up the storytelling and soul-hunting settings, but the naming itself seemed tacky.


    Did she really have to name it ¡®Soul Stealer¡¯? Wouldn¡¯t it be better to call it a soul collector? Of course, I admitted that it was a ssic naming, but at that point, I thought it was a little too much.


    Contrary to my face, which was getting wrinkled, there was a very satisfied smile on the mouth of Dominions.


    ¡®Actually, it¡¯s a little cool. I wish I could¡¯ve put in that kind of setting¡­ I can steal souls.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t feelfortable because I thought I was admitting that we had simr tastes.


    I looked at the telescope with a suspicious expression on my face, wondering if that would work, but apart from my feelings, there was already a story about them.


    Cho Hyejin¡¯s desperate struggle to regain Lee Jihye¡¯s soul from Dominions, a Soul Stealer, was already beginning that day.


    -Dominions!


    Cho Hyejin took her spear with a loud roar.


    I had never seen Cho Hyejin full of determination to kill like that.


    Lee Jihye, who wasn¡¯t familiar withbat, thought about how to get out of that crisis, but she seemed to not allow distance unexpectedly.


    It seemed sensible to me that she continued to pressure Cho Hyejin with the curtain of light.


    ¡°That¡¯s not like you, Noona.¡±


    Ronove, or Dominions?


    It didn¡¯t matter who it was, but Lee Jihye¡¯s light was actually sharp.


    I couldn¡¯t find Lee Jihye in her movements and the beams of light while floating slightly in the air. Perhaps it was simr to when I had gotten Belial¡¯s help.


    After several push-and-pull battles, it entered into a lull.


    Cho Hyejin was breathing heavily, and the Soul Stealer was looking down at her. She had yet to go beyond her standards and couldn¡¯t deal with her one-on-one.


    I didn¡¯t know if it was because of her stuffy mind, but anger was still on her face. It was pure rage.


    ¡®I feel sorry for her.¡¯


    It was so heartbreaking.


    -You¡¯re¡­


    -¡­


    -You¡¯re a good person.


    -I¡¯ll never forgive you. Never.


    -I also like the fact that you don¡¯t break down. I don¡¯t know much about you, but I think I can tell who you are.


    -I¡¯ll never forgive you!


    -You¡¯re a human being worth saving, so I¡¯ll say it politely again. Please go back.


    -What?


    -Go back to where you came from right now. If you go back, I¡¯ll forgive you for your rudeness. I¡¯ll think of it as a mistake and move on. The new continent we¡¯ll be managing needs people like you. It¡¯s people like you who need to be the peaceful, just, and proper inhabitants of the continent.


    It was abominable to see her slowly getting into it. Naturally, Lee Jihye knew that Cho Hyejin wouldn¡¯t go back.


    -Unlike her.


    Cho Hyejin¡¯s expression was once again stained with anger. It could be expected that she would throw a famous line shortly after biting her lips as if she wanted to say something.


    Unsurprisingly, she was seen slowly talking.


    -¡­


    -She was a person who cherished every little life.


    ¡®What, who are you talking about?¡¯


    -She didn¡¯t know how to hold a sword and avoided fighting. She was a person who always gave way because she was ufortable with even a little conflict. She always pretended to be strong on the outside, but she was soft on the inside.


    ¡®Who is it? It¡¯s¡­ You¡¯re talking about me, right, Hyejin?¡¯


    -She was a person who got sick even with a scratch. She sacrificed herself for others and was able to handle a lot with her small body.


    ¡®Who are you talking about?¡¯


    -She wasn¡¯t a match for this kind of battlefield.


    -No, you¡¯re mistaken. She was uglier than anyone else. She was not worth saving. To put it bluntly, she¡¯s the cancer of the continent. She was just hiding it in front of you. What an ugly, despicable human being she was¡­ Useless, too.


    Jihye was well-thought-out.


    -Shut the fuck up.


    -¡­


    -¡­


    -¡­


    -There¡¯s no such thing as a useless human being.


    -¡­


    ¡®Wow, a famous quote. Sh*t.¡¯


    Wow. Hyejin. Really. Wow. I wanted to save that moment.


    I got goosebumps all over my body. I never thought that there would be such a positive line.


    ¡®There¡¯s no such thing as a useless human being.¡¯


    I never thought I¡¯d actually hear a line that seemed like a ssic hero quote.


    What gave me goosebumps was Cho Hyejin¡¯s extremely serious face. She didn¡¯t seem to have a single doubt about what she said.


    What I didn¡¯t like was that I wasn¡¯t the one who heard that line.


    -Everyone has a dark side. Human beings can¡¯t just be good. I used to think like you, but not anymore. Dominions, you can¡¯t define a human being. No, no one can define an individual, not just you. My beliefs have already been broken countless times, and I¡¯m not a good person. However, she was a better person than me.


    -¡­


    -I hear that from you who doesn¡¯t even understand human factors. I mean, I¡¯m not such a tough person to allow that.


    -You can¡¯t evaluate a human being when you can understand them. Rather, you can look at them more objectively from my perspective. This is her soul. This murky, dirty thing is the soul you¡¯ve been looking for.


    What appeared in Dominions¡¯ hands wasn¡¯t even a soul. It was just some ck bead that Ronove had made for her.


    But Cho Hyejin, who bit her lips tightly, seemed to think that¡¯s really Lee Jihye¡¯s soul.


    -It¡¯s a filthy soul, isn¡¯t it?


    -Don¡¯t insult her.


    -¡­


    -Don¡¯t insult her. The way she lives is different, and her life and thoughts are not worthless.


    ¡®Ahhhhh¡­¡¯


    -The same goes for all humans.


    ¡®Ah, should I y the Lee Kiyoung, the Soul Stealer too?¡¯


    -Everyone deserves to live. A person¡¯s soul is not something that can be defined as unsympathetic.


    I could see Cho Hyejin slowly pulling out her spear. It was so cool, the way she was preparing herself for something.


    It didn¡¯t seem to be a sudden awakening, but Cho Hyejin looked to be correcting her mind once more.


    A sharp spear thrust was executed while she quickly opened her eyes, which had been closed for a while, and settled in front of Dominions, a soul snatcher.


    -I¡¯ll prove it.


    Baaaaaaaaaang!


    ¡®There¡¯s going to be a lot of excitement over there.¡¯


    I wanted to watch some more, but I felt like I¡¯d seen all the important scenes.


    Was it okay to leave them like that?


    ¡®Don¡¯t you have something on your mind too, Noona?¡¯


    I was out of my mind for a while because of the sense of betrayal, but there must¡¯ve been a reason for it.


    Jihye fighting Hyejin might help us find out why she came here, although there were many things we still had to do.


    If she wanted to show her work without meaning, it could be said to be the worst situation, but Lee Jihye didn¡¯t exert effort without purpose.


    I was sorry that I couldn¡¯t get help, but¡­ That didn¡¯t mean I couldn¡¯t just say what I wanted. As time went by, it wasn¡¯t them but us who would sustain damage.


    Cho Hyejin continued to stretch out her spear as she moved fast, while Dominions continued to move around, avoiding it.


    It was hard to watch the two get tangled up in aplicated battlefield. I also started walking right away and searched with my telescope, but I couldn¡¯t see anything.


    ¡®Where is he?¡¯


    So far, he hadn¡¯t appeared on the battlefield. Though I agonized for a while, it was quick to make a judgment. If I were him, where would I go?


    ¡®The New n.¡¯


    I was sure he went to protect it first. There was a lot at stake, and he had invested a lot, so that was inevitable.


    I tried to p my wings, but I started to think that I¡¯d rather run instead.


    There were bombardments everywhere. Humans didn¡¯t seem to havee in yet, but the battlefield was already full of heat.


    ¡®Park Deokgu?¡¯


    The troops operated by him were also nearby. Maybe if it took a little longer, I would head to them.


    -Move! Move! Hurry up!


    It was like they were talking to me. I took the next step thanks to his voice.


    Only then did I see a more familiar ce than my house. When I opened the huge door, Seraphim slowly looked back.


    The tinum pigeon was staring at me, tapping his thigh with his fingers while sitting in my chair.


    I could feel an extraordinary atmosphere. It seemed quiet and a little subdued. I wondered if something was wrong, but I didn¡¯t show it. Raphael would arrive in 20 minutes. Hence, I could build this up slowly.


    ¡°There you are, Seraphim.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    There was some doubt in his face, looking down at me quietly.


    ¡°Yes.¡±

 Chapter 736: Value (2)

    <h4>Chapter 736: Value (2)</h4>


    ¡®What, you don¡¯t doubt me, do you?¡¯


    Maybe it was just my hallucinations or because of the strange atmosphere.


    ¡®Have you heard the story already?¡¯


    Even if he didn¡¯t hear the story directly, he might have realized something. However, I thought the odds were low. Seraphim didn¡¯t doubt himself.


    Lee Kiyoung was already an angel who repented his sins and stood in the position of a colleague in their new venture.


    It was Thronus who offered to ept me, but it was him who agreed decisively and opened up.


    ¡®We¡¯re colleagues, right?¡¯


    Whatever it was, the answer was to pretend I didn¡¯t know. Whether he suspected something or not, there was no excuse.


    It was right to keep being ignorant until he brought up the story first since that was the most natural act.


    ¡°I thought you¡¯d be here.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I thought Seraphim would definitelye.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief. I¡¯m so d. We don¡¯t have time for this.¡±


    ¡®I think he¡¯s suspicious, after all.¡¯


    The look on my face was serious, but I thought it was right to keep going overboard.


    I first checked Dummy World in a hurry, and I showed great relief after looking everywhere for any problems. Of course, there was no way something could¡¯ve happened. Our little world was still functioning normally.


    ¡°I think we¡¯d better move right away.¡±


    ¡®You know, it¡¯s dangerous here.¡¯


    What if someone came in and harmed the people living in the small world? Wasn¡¯t that the world we created together?


    If he wanted to make the new ne true, he had to protect the little world first. How much divinity went in here? Someone might be after it in the midst of all the confusion.


    ¡®You know, it¡¯s been weirdtely. Even if there¡¯s no target, would you be able to put this in a temple that has be a battlefield? We need to do something, even if we don¡¯t move with it.¡¯


    When I looked at Seraphim¡¯s face slightly, I could see him nodding slowly.


    ¡®Did he let me off? Or are we just going to wait and see?¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t make a decision easily, but I had to think it was thetter. Maybe he used the judgment of sin.


    After seeing nothing big happened, he had confirmed that Lee Kiyoung wasn¡¯t corrupt.


    Still tapping his thigh with his fingers, it was a habit that came out unconsciously when he was lost in thought.


    I was a little nervous because it seemed like he was considering many things. It was then that Seraphim lifted himself up from his seat. A slight nod was seen.


    ¡°I thought you¡¯de here first.¡±


    ¡®Sh*t, that¡¯s a relief.¡¯


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. For now, protecting this small world is the only way to protect the continent. No, we don¡¯t have time for this. Seraphim, someone might be after this ce. I¡¯m sure they¡¯re after it.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°There was an attack.¡±


    ¡°I know that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not humans. Seraphim, it was angels who attacked me.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Masked angels.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Thronus saved me, and I was able to get out of the ce¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe Thronus was seriously injured¡­¡±


    I had almost gotten in big trouble.


    ¡®You don¡¯t know how grateful I was to Thronus. You should¡¯ve seen him block the sword on my behalf.¡¯


    Crocodile tears started to fill my eyes when I thought of the devastation. I was worried about Thronus, who was on the edge of death row by that time.


    ¡°Thronus is not that weak. Nothing¡¯s going to happen. I want you to tell me a little more about it. What exactly what happened?¡±


    Of course, I would tell him.


    ¡°I was on my way to the parliament room for an investigation. Suddenly there was a deafening roar that shook the temple, and I heard everyone running frantically. Thronus was standing in front of me. He tried to join the battlefield after taking me to a safe ce, but because of the angels who suddenly appeared¡­ that was how the battle broke out¡­ There was nothing I could do.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t lying.


    There was no lie except that it was just one angel and not ¡®angels.¡¯


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t Thronus who they were aiming for from the beginning. I¡¯m sure they were after me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®He¡¯s not shaking.¡¯


    I thought he¡¯d be a little shocked or suspicious, but he didn¡¯t look like that at all.


    Rather¡­ it stood out that he seemed to be trying to judge the current case rationally. He was doing his best to calmly analyze the current situation without responding emotionally.


    ¡®He must have a lot to think about.¡¯


    If he heard the news from Cherubim first, he would¡¯ve had a lot to think about.


    Suppose he received a message that Lee Kiyoung betrayed them and that Thronus was injured. The situation would then be a little moreplicated. Seraphim might¡¯ve been judging who was lying.


    It was a very easy puzzle to solve, but it was so easy that it became questionable.


    Who stood on top of angels that opposed the new n? If what Lee Kiyoung said was true, wouldn¡¯t it be too obvious?


    Cherubim, who sent a false message that Thronus was injured, could be the culprit behind all the incidents.


    In the first ce, there were two pigeons who opposed the n, and if Thronus retired, there was only one left.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t that too simple? It¡¯s really too simple.¡¯


    I was sure he knew that.


    It was true that Cherubim was in favor of the end of the new n and invested with his divinities, but he constantly disapproved of our work, and he never came out cooperatively.


    Who set up the investigation office? He had to know we¡¯re behind schedule because of that, right? Who kept him in check the whole time? It¡¯s all him.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t that suspicious? Did it make sense to suddenly send a message saying I betrayed you? Think about it, Seraphim. Why would I betray you? You¡¯ve already been forgiven for my sins and put your life and soul into this project.¡¯


    I was the one who thought about the continent more than anyone else. I hoped he thought he was being duped by that bastard right now.


    ¡®He lied to you. That bastard sent the angel that stabbed Thronus. It¡¯s not me.¡¯


    I was right. I wished Seraphim wouldn¡¯t be fooled by the devil¡¯s lies.


    ¡®He¡¯s the one who killed the humans who tried to be with us and stimted the continent. Are you sure you don¡¯t understand? He brought chaos upon us himself. I was waiting for this month to fly in the first ce. The real purpose isn¡¯t war. It¡¯s to use the chaos to ruin the new n and kill Lee Kiyoung, who is at the center of it.¡¯


    It was a very simple puzzle. No, rather than a simple puzzle, the story ran so much like flowing water that it reached the point where it sounded unnatural.


    That was why he wouldn¡¯t be able to be sure. As if there was a certain order, the puzzle was a bit unnatural.


    ¡®It was so sudden. Was it a little urgent?¡¯


    Would it have been better if I didn¡¯t say anything?


    If I had more time, I would have twisted the simple puzzle a little bit.


    Not only would it satisfy the probability, but it would also leave a lot of bait. It might¡¯ve naturally and dramatically led to the eptance of the truth.


    ¡®Oh, sh*t¡­ Was I in too much of a hurry?¡¯


    I was worried that I might have put out the gift box too fast.


    I didn¡¯t know what Seraphim was thinking at that moment, but I felt like he was going to break my neck. There was hostility in his eyes, and all kinds of suspicions and doubts seemed to be raging.


    ¡®Ah, I should¡¯ve just pretended to be a Soul Stealer with Jihye. I shouldn¡¯t havee, sh*t. This is why people shouldn¡¯t do anything different than usual.¡¯


    There needed to be some element of reversal. At that rate, even if Thronus epted my bullsh*t, he wouldn¡¯t change his mind easily. Even if I seeded, I couldn¡¯t make out the picture I wanted.


    I became nervous, and my fingers moved without realizing it. I kept tapping my thighs with my hands.


    ¡®Oh, sh*t¡­ should I just go now? Do I have to call Raphael?¡¯


    It was then that Seraphim suddenly came into view.


    It was nothing special.


    It was just that the behavior he showed suddenly caught my eye. He stood up, arms crossed, thinking over and over again. Even at that moment, he kept tapping his arm with his fingers.


    The moment I saw his moving fingers, I had no choice but to stop him.


    Actually, it wasn¡¯t the first time I felt it. I felt that he was doing something simr to me, but at that moment, his appearance began to ovep with mine.


    ¡®He¡¯s just like me.¡¯


    To exaggerate a bit, it was like he was imitating me.


    To be more precise, he might¡¯ve been imitating the masked hero¡¯s actions of the first-round


    ¡®What the hell.¡¯


    That action wasn¡¯t the only one he copied. The way he sat on a chair and walked was very simr. Copying Kim Hyunsung¡¯s tactics¡­


    ¡®It was Seraphim.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t a hundred percent, but it felt like that was close to the answer. He was copying 1st timeline¡¯s Lee Kiyoung.


    Why was that?


    Was that what Cherubim said about the ugly desire?


    Suppose Seraphim, the tinum pigeon, was jealous of the masked hero in the first round and admired him at the same time.


    No, if he were really imitating 1st Kiyoung, his feelings would unconditionally be biased.


    If it was true that he was fascinated by the masked hero¡¯s things like his mind for the continent, ability, personality, leading angels on human subjects, and unconventional ideas¡­ He might¡¯ve thought he wanted to be like him.


    The first thing he said to me right after arriving here was, ¡®I thought you¡¯de here first.¡¯


    Was he serious?


    I thought I knew why he agreed to the new n. He said something simr back then. It was like ¡®I thought of something simr.¡¯


    He had never thought of a new n. He just said he was thinking the same thing because I said so. He didn¡¯t invest his divinity because he wanted to take away my achievements or leave them as my achievements. He just threw the dice because I acted like that.


    Why?


    He wanted to be like me.


    There were many parts that fit so well that there was a false smile.


    I kept seeing myself in him at that moment.


    Useless deception, hypothesizing, putting his hands on his head, even¡­ The act of putting his finger on his lips.


    That part was the most fun. Wasn¡¯t that where the distance was the most interesting? If he had been wearing a mask, he would¡¯ve been patting it.


    ¡®You idiot. You idiot.¡¯


    It was too much to just be seen as a coincidence. Due to that, I spoke immediately to confirm my thoughts.


    If he was really my copycat, what he had to do was obvious. That was enough to make me think we were on the same page.


    ¡®You don¡¯t have to say everything from beginning to end. Just¡­¡¯


    ¡°Seraphim.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe I¡¯m wrong. You don¡¯t have to listen to my words seriously, but I¡¯m worried. I know I shouldn¡¯t think about this, but¡­¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Maybe Cheru¡­¡±


    That was all I needed to say.


    And¡­ he began to nod.


    ¡°As expected¡­ you were thinking the same thing.¡±


    Idiot.


    My assumption was correct.


    That pigeon wanted to think and act like the masked hero.

 Chapter 737: Value (3)

    <h4>Chapter 737: Value (3)</h4>


    I didn¡¯t know the exact reason, but I could finally be sure.


    ¡®What on earth would have looked so good about him?¡¯


    It was a question that had already been answered.


    ¡®Sigh, that¡­ that crazy charisma¡­ The seeds are different. The seeds are different. Even when I¡¯m not doing anything, theyplicate things. Even if I try to live normally, I always be someone¡¯s role model. Fuck¡­ what should I do? Really. I¡¯ll go crazy. Lee Kiyoung, you are the best.¡¯


    It was rather strange not to be jealous or envious of the masked hero. The way he made decisions was always bold, and there was no hesitation in his actions.


    It felt natural that Seraphim hade to respect me. Among the four major angels, wasn¡¯t he sitting in a position that could be called the leader?


    No, he wasn¡¯t the leader, but there was no point in arguing that he was in the center. If I thought about the background he was in, he was likely inspired by something.


    ¡®Did he have something you didn¡¯t have?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know what Seraphim was like in the first round, but maybe it was a lot different from who he currently was.


    Perhaps he was somewhat passive. Usually, people like him longed for things they didn¡¯t have.


    He might not have been sociable, and he might¡¯ve been hesitant or felt awkward to give orders.


    He was most likely a soft person and had a deceivable personality. The answer came when I saw him leave the choices to me even at that moment, imitating me in the process.


    When he saw I was stretching my waist forcibly, he must¡¯ve actually bent his waist a little.


    The appearance of the guy in the first round gradually ovepped. It felt like there was nothing left for him except for imitating me.


    The probability of why he didn¡¯t doubt me seemed to be met.


    ¡®He¡¯s hypnotizing himself.¡¯


    There was no magic, but he might be brainwashing himself. The moment he questioned his own judgment or ability, he probably thought that he was likely to go back to the past.


    Well, the bastard was scared to return to who he used to be.


    ¡®Fuck, the masked hero was indeed great. It seems that I¡¯m getting things too easily that I almost feel sorry.¡¯


    That might also be the masked hero¡¯s arrangement for the second round. I didn¡¯t know if it was intentional or a coincidence, but it was bound to work in my favor.


    ¡°Yes, it is. I don¡¯t want to think that way, but¡­ It¡¯s a possibility.¡±


    ¡°There are many things that bother me to say that it is simply a possibility. Maybe we should also consider the possibility of someone being in touch with humans.¡±


    ¡®Right?¡¯


    ¡°I thought something was weird. It must¡¯ve been a script from the establishment of the institution, no, maybe even before that.¡±


    ¡®Yes, you are right. This was a nned script from the beginning.¡¯


    ¡°Cherubim hasn¡¯t yet appeared on the battlefield. What does this mean?¡±


    ¡®It means that he has no intention of fighting in the first ce. Wouldn¡¯t it be a dirty symbol of not thinking about temples orpatriots but trying to achieve only his purpose?¡¯


    ¡°You would know.¡±


    ¡®Of course, I know.¡¯


    As if he was thinking about those lines, I saw him looking at me slightly. It seemed like he was asking me to agree with him. He definitely pressed the correct answer button. He alone satisfied the probability that Cherubim was bound to be the viin of the current situation.


    Watching him keep pretending to use his head was a spectacle. When I looked into the pigeon bastard¡¯s face, I couldn¡¯t help butugh.


    Of course, I couldn¡¯tugh out loud. When I looked at Seraphim with a serious face, he also started giving me the same expression.


    ¡°Did the talk with Thronus not go well? That¡¯s why he thought he had to get rid of Thronus first, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Although Thronus opposed the new n¡­ he wouldn¡¯t have agreed with his crazy n either. He probably couldn¡¯t tell anyone and was keeping it inside.¡±


    ¡°Thronus has been that way since before. Stupid guy.¡±


    ¡®You are the stupid one.¡¯


    ¡°That¡¯s why he came here. If the new humanity n really is what Cherubim is aiming for, his true purpose is too obvious.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s not you, it will be this little continent. Cherubim¡¯s thoughts are predictable. It¡¯s a bit of a concern, but the evidence is more than enough.¡±


    ¡®Right. That¡¯s right.¡¯


    ¡°But Seraphim.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°If Cherubim¡­ is really the root of all this¡­ what are you going to do?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t even think that Cherubim would act so extreme. Maybe the cause is somewhere else. He may have felt anxious about the new human initiative or been afraid of the environment changing so rapidly. Just because he didn¡¯t like me, he wouldn¡¯t have done that¡­ we may have to find¡­ other agreements.¡±


    As I spoke, I could see him bing a little puzzled.


    ¡®It¡¯s weird, right? That¡¯s not something I would say, right?¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t good either to just push too hard. Originally, wasn¡¯t pushing and pulling the most necessary skill to make a fool out of anyone?


    ¡®The masked hero wouldn¡¯t have said that, right?¡¯


    I saw him slowly nodding. He must¡¯ve just realized.


    1st Kiyoung and 2nd Kiyoung were different. Their direction of thinking was simr, but there was a difference in the way of solving it.


    I didn¡¯t know why, but I felt like he wanted to smile.


    ¡®Is he enjoying this?¡¯


    Maybe so. If I were correct that he thought that he couldpletely rece 1st Kiyoung, it was understandable as to why he made that face.


    Separately, I thought he wouldn¡¯t find another agreement. The masked hero never did.


    ¡°Why should I find an agreement?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°No matter what Cherubim thinks, it doesn¡¯t matter why he did it. The important thing is that hemitted a crime. It¡¯s him who has to find a consensus, not me. I won¡¯t yield.¡±


    ¡®Whew.¡¯


    ¡°And I do not forgive.¡±


    ¡®Wow. He¡¯s really on the top level of copying and pasting.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know what to reply after he said all those embarrassing lines.


    Right. The masked hero didn¡¯t yield. It was a good posture. And he didn¡¯t do anything like forgiveness. If anyone hadmitted a crime, he would execute and kill them. He never avoided it.


    Others should yield, and not him.


    ¡®He just buried the bad guys he didn¡¯t like. You¡¯d do that too, right? You can do it, right?¡¯


    ¡°Right. I don¡¯t yield.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I thought it was a good idea to look at the bastard like I found him cool.


    How excited he would be. The one he considered his role model in the first round was looking at him with sparkling eyes.


    I couldn¡¯t have someone as a role model, but I would have wanted to dance too if I did.


    Even though I wanted to call him a stupid bastard, I thought that it couldn¡¯t be helped for him to feel that kind of superiority and a sense of aplishment.


    ¡®Did it feel good? Do you feel good because I looked at you like this?¡¯


    I noticed that the feathers on his wings were standing up as if he got chills. He probably didn¡¯t even know that his wings were like that.


    ¡®Did I react like that when I was being Doom Kiyoung? Gosh, it would be a little embarrassing if I looked like that. I must¡¯ve been less reactive than that, right?¡¯


    In any case, I could bet I wasn¡¯t as embarrassing as that.


    Roughly, it felt like he was ready, considering he didn¡¯t yield as he said. I could see that he made up his mind to show Cherubim what he deserved.


    At that timing, shouldn¡¯t Cherubim arrive?


    ¡°If you say you don¡¯t yield¡­¡±


    ¡°He has to pay for the crime.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    He was trying to prove to himself how great a pigeon he was.


    ¡®I¡¯ll be counting on you, Seraphim.¡¯


    I was worried that he was thinking differently, but he didn¡¯t even think about it in the first ce.


    It was then that the big door opened. I thought it was about the time for him toe, and I saw the viin getting on the stage at the right timing.


    An angel with blue hair neatly tied. Immediately after entering, the way his face crumpled stood out.


    ¡®You came, Cherubim. Your timing is impable.¡¯


    Of course, there was anger on his face. After quietly looking around, he began to open his mouth carefully.


    Well, it was an obvious line. It was so obvious even if I didn¡¯t listen. The viin who suddenly appeared would say bullsh*t, talking without knowing anything.


    ¡°What are you doing, Seraphim?¡±


    As soon as he came in, he put a word on him.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®You didn¡¯t notice that the atmosphere was a little strange, did you?¡¯


    ¡°Did you not hear my message?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°The rat bastard betrayed us once again. Thronus is dying. Everything was that mean bastard¡¯s n. There was no such thing as a new humanity n in the first ce. Everything was bullsh*t to waste divinity and divide us. It was a mistake to bring that trashy bastard to our side again.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°He is evil. He¡¯s a human that needs to disappear and the kind that shouldn¡¯t exist in the world.¡±


    ¡®You¡¯re too harsh.¡¯


    ¡°Motherfucker.¡±


    ¡®Were you that angry?¡¯


    ¡°Thronus believed in you.¡±


    ¡®Oh, yeah? I didn¡¯t believe in him.¡¯


    ¡°He was worried about you and believed in you until the end.¡±


    ¡®Oh, did he?¡¯


    ¡°He¡¯s not human.¡±


    ¡®I¡¯m an angel, man. You aren¡¯t human either. Talk to your heart¡¯s content, you demon bastard. See if I flinch. Can you see the person in front of me right now? No matter how much you talk, this person won¡¯t be shaken.¡¯


    It didn¡¯t take long before our Cherubim, who enjoyed anger time alone, noticed something strange.


    He looked at Seraphim once and looked at me, then looked at me and looked at Seraphim again. If it were Cherubim, who was familiar with the ugly desires of the tinum-colored pigeon, would he not realize how things were going?


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Seraphim opened his mouth arrogantly as if living up to his expectations.


    ¡°The traitor is you, Cherubim.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think we don¡¯t know your n.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ You stupid bastard!¡±


    ¡°You are the stupid one.¡±


    ¡°What was that rat telling you, Seraphim?¡±


    ¡°He never said anything to me. Everything is my judgment.¡±


    ¡®You can¡¯t mess with his weak spot. If you say that, it¡¯ll hurt him. Don¡¯t mess with his trauma.¡¯


    ¡°I knew you were being weird before, but I didn¡¯t know that you were broken like this.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I want to tell you, Cherubim.¡±


    ¡°You mean you¡¯re going to block me.¡±


    ¡°I would like you to express that I¡¯m blocking your dirty n.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s dirty is your ugly desire.¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just telling the truth as it is. You are broken, Seraphim.¡±


    ¡°I am not broken.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t get me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I want to say.¡±


    The atmosphere so far was turning out to be pretty good. A moment of silence erupted. They both knew how things would go down.


    Cherubim looked at me quietly and then opened his mouth as he looked at Seraphim.


    ¡°Forgive me, Seraphim.¡±


    ¡°How many sins have youmitted? Aren¡¯t you curious, Cherubim?¡±


    ¡®Wow, fuck. I should get some popcorn.¡¯


    Two pigeons slowly rising into the air were visible.


    ¡®Anyone one of you can die. Yes, it would be better if it were you this time, though, blue-hair.¡¯


    In that situation, a sneeringugh popped out.

 Chapter 738: Value (4)

    <h4>Chapter 738: Value (4)</h4>


    The way they showed hostility toward each other didn¡¯t even seem like they¡¯d known each other for a long time.


    ¡®Ah, where is the popcorn?¡¯


    Seraphim vs. Cherubim, Cherubim vs. Seraphim, there had never been a confrontation like that before.


    Needless to say, the atmosphere was very serious. It was so fun to watch internal conflicts, hurting each other¡¯s feelings, something like that. That was exciting. Like the Power Rangers, the fight between red and blue was always entertaining. It was a dream showdown.


    Personal curiosity also arose.


    ¡®Who¡¯s the strongest among pigeons?¡¯


    Thronus seemed to be the strongest in terms of brute strength, but that wasn¡¯t necessarily the case


    ¡®In terms of physical abilities, Cherubim seems to have the upper hand. Seeing the fight with Cha Hee-ra, he¡¯ll be hard.¡¯


    Well,bat couldn¡¯t be judged by physical ability, but¡­


    It was clear that he had an advantage. On the contrary, the advantage that Seraphim had was his absolute special skill. I didn¡¯t know how much his power worked against another angel, but it was probably better than nothing.


    As if living up to my expectations, Seraphim had already begun to pressure Cherubim. The sounds were so loud that I couldn¡¯t even focus properly.


    ¡®Hang in there, Seraphim. The future of the small world is in your hands. You can¡¯t lose. We must capture the future with our hands.¡¯


    ¡°Cherubim!¡±


    ¡°You stupid bastard!¡±


    Wasn¡¯t the way they called each other and hit at their weapons simr to scenes from great movies?


    There hadn¡¯t been any damage that could be called a critical hit yet, but it seemed that both bodies were getting dirty.


    Baaaang!


    Along with that sound, Cherubim was embedded into the wall. After a while, making the same sound, Seraphim was the one buried in return. As they shed against each other several times in the air, sparks and light continued to sh.


    As the blue angel wielded his scythe, the tinum-colored angel protected himself with a huge veil. It was a fight that wouldn¡¯t end easily. They knew very well what the other could do.


    ¡°You must get away, Seraphim. Don¡¯t you know you¡¯re still haunted?¡±


    ¡°I told you to shut up, Cherubim.¡±


    ¡°Remember what you really were like. Is this who you really are? No one has ever forced you to change, Seraphim.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re talking bullsh*t.¡±


    ¡°You have to get out. It¡¯s not just you. In order for us to move forward¡­ we have to get out. You have to get out of that damn haunting.¡±


    ¡°This is what I am, Cherubim. It¡¯s you, not me, that need to back off. You really have to get away from those narrow thoughts. If you did, we could climb to a higher ce.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a narrow thought. I just want to protect us.¡±


    ¡°You are rotten, Cherubim. What remains unchanged is bound to rot. You can¡¯t flow, and you¡¯re still standing in the same ce. You don¡¯t even think you want to flow in the first ce. That¡¯s morefortable, after all, and it feels safe. You don¡¯t risk things like this. Luckily, I tend to do that.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s easier to choose what doesn¡¯t change, so you don¡¯t move. No, you have changed at least a bit. Enough to carry out this crazy n.¡±


    ¡°I would have said that it was not me who called humans here. You are being deceived, Seraphim.¡±


    ¡°No one can fool me, Cherubim.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re out of your mind. Doesn¡¯t it seem like you¡¯ve heard this line a lot?


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You are losing yourself, Seraphim.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not. I found myself. I¡¯m back in my element. This is what I am.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what you are.¡±


    ¡°No, this is the real me.¡±


    ¡°You are just imitating him now.¡±


    ¡®Wow. You touched a really weak spot.¡¯


    ¡°Stop with the bullsh*t.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what you are, Seraphim. You are imitating him. You¡¯re just copying him. His actions, speech, and thoughts.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s bullsh*t that isn¡¯t even worth dealing with.¡±


    ¡°Think of yourself, Seraphim. Recall what you were like before. That was really what you were like. He may be the person you want to be, but you will never be him.¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡±


    ¡°You want to be that human.¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    ¡®Why do you keep making him embarrassed? How can you say that in front of me?¡¯


    I was the one looking at him with admiration just a moment ago, so how could he reveal his identity crisis?


    How embarrassed and ashamed he must¡¯ve been. Since he said that directly, it became a bit awkward. Just looking at his face was enough to make me realize that one was out of his mind. How shameful.


    In fact, he really seemed to be ashamed. Up until that moment, it seemed that he was excited enough to have his feathers squatting, but he was blushing right at that moment.


    ¡®I wouldn¡¯t like that too. Hey. How embarrassed will I be in that situation?¡¯


    I could be sure that it wouldn¡¯t take long for that shame to turn into anger.


    Wasn¡¯t he grinding his teeth as expected?


    Seraphim raised his sword again, and Cherubim looked at him and provoked him once again.


    ¡°Why do you imitate that man¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut up!!!!¡±


    Booooooooooom!!


    Cherubim¡¯s body flew to the other side, and it hurt me as he seemed to be trying to cover Cherubim¡¯s mouth desperately.


    ¡®I guess he was really embarrassed.¡¯


    It was in an instant that the fight they had confronted for their convictions became an emotional fight.


    Perhaps Cherubim couldn¡¯t have helped. Wasn¡¯t it the basic psychology that if the other side came out emotionally, the other side would behave emotionally as well?


    Actually, it wasn¡¯t Cherubim¡¯s fault. It might be a little disconcerting for him.


    It wasn¡¯t wrong to pinpoint his friend¡¯s fault. Rather, he said the right thing.


    He said with that much consideration, but if he came out that way, Cherubim would be upset too. Seraphim was the wrong one there. It was him in the end.


    ¡°Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!!¡±


    ¡°It is you who has to shut up, Seraphim! Until when will you be immature¡­ Open your eyes and face reality. Look back at how you¡¯ve been behaving!¡±


    ¡°Shut up, you traitorous bastard!¡±


    ¡®Ah, he¡¯s getting even more emotional. He even called him a traitor.¡¯


    ¡°You¡­ You filthy traitor! Do you think I will listen to you? Do you think I¡¯ll hear you, who brought humans to the temple? Everything that a traitor says is a lie. Lee Kiyoung. Don¡¯t listen to him.¡±


    ¡®Ah, it looks uglier to make excuses to me here. That¡¯s disgraceful. Ugly-raphim.¡¯


    ¡°You are not Lee Kiyoung, Seraphim!¡±


    ¡®Ah¡­ now he said he¡¯s not Lee Kiyoung. Gosh, that¡¯s a critical hit. You¡¯re really trying to blow him off. Although you can pinpoint the wrong, it feels like your method and timing are wrong, Cherubim.¡¯


    ¡°Shut up!!!!¡±


    Boooooooooooooom!


    ¡®Gosh, this will destroy the dummy world, you bastards. ¡®


    ¡°D-D-Don¡¯t listen to that crazy traitor, Lee Kiyoung. No, just leave here right now. I will open the way.¡±


    Looking at his urgent expression, it seemed that he was really nervous that I was here.


    Wasn¡¯t that just the right timing? I was worried that Raphael woulde in, and if I stayed here and got caught in the fight, it¡¯d be trouble.


    Seraphim was likely to win, but if Cherubim won, I would definitely be in an awkward position.


    ¡°Yes¡­ Yes.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, quickly!¡±


    ¡®Ah, you¡¯re pretending to be cool now.¡¯


    What was in his face wasn¡¯t the feeling of wanting to protect me but shame. He was afraid that his private life would be revealed more.


    The slow Cherubim continued to keep an eye on Seraphim¡¯s position even at that moment. That bastard was really slow.


    I began to understand why Kiyoung 1 had so easily controlled these bastards. Those pigeons were so bad atmunication. It seemed that it didn¡¯t matter if I judged that it was the difference with humans.


    The same went for Cherubim, Thronus, and Seraphim.


    They didn¡¯t first meet yesterday.


    Cherubim, who didn¡¯t talk about it to Seraphim until the wound festered and burst, or Thronus, who med himself for feeling that he was falling behind the other angels. In addition to this, Seraphim was at a level where it was doubtful whether normalmunication was possible in the first ce.


    Well, Dominions had a lot to say, but I thought she was better off not.


    I didn¡¯t know if they were already like that or whether they became retards because of the masked hero who suddenly invaded.


    ¡®Actually, the cause of these bastards¡¯ mental illness it¡¯s not my business.¡¯


    It was like killing two birds with one stone, so that was enough for me. It was natural that I moved in a hurry. He opened the way for me to escape, so I had to get away quickly.


    As I ran with the data of the small world in my hand, a loud voice came in.


    ¡°Fly!¡±


    ¡®I want to fly too. Fuck. I can¡¯t do that. In such a dire situation, with this much pressure, my wings will be twisted, then I¡¯m going to get hit right down to the ground.¡¯


    However, when I saw Cherubim approaching me with a light on his eyes, I thought that I had no choice but to fly.


    It¡¯d look better to get stuck on the ground with twisted wings than to fall while running.


    As soon as my wings started to p, I saw him swinging his scythe. It seemed that he used a lot of divine power with the determination to slit my throat at once.


    ¡®Gosh, fuck.¡¯


    Seraphim blocked it, though.


    ¡®I flew for nothing. Fuck. I thought I would twist my wings.¡¯


    My body rolled on the ground. I thought I left something behind but was that more important than my life? Immediately after touching the floor with my hands, I moved in a hurry.


    Boooooooooooooom!


    A voice mixed with a loud soundes from behind.


    ¡°Do not stand in front of me, Seraphim! You are now¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut up, Cherubim!¡±


    As soon as I ran, I immediately began to see the door. When I opened it, a wide corridor greeted me. Just before exiting, a huge light passed right by.


    ¡®Did I just almost die?¡¯


    -Die! This filthy traitor!


    -Open your eyes! Seraphim! I am not the traitor!


    When I looked at them with the telescope after getting out, I could still see the guys striking each other with excitement.


    How long did I run? It was then that I felt some movement over the wall.


    ¡®Is it him? Raphael?¡¯


    ¡°Here! Come this way.¡±


    However, the voice I heard wasn¡¯t Raphael¡¯s. I was worried that it might be a pigeon, but it was a voice I heard before, as I expected. I heard a pleasant puppy sound.


    ¡°Ruff!¡±


    ¡°There are no enemies around. I think you¡¯re getting closer! Quickly, quickly! A little more, a little more!¡±


    It was a face I had already seen with the telescope, but my anticipation rose without my knowledge.


    ¡®I guess he missed me.¡¯


    I hadn¡¯t really thought about him or remembered him, but my heart was beating.


    ¡®I don¡¯t understand.¡¯


    It was an emotion that I didn¡¯t understand even if I thought about it. I hated to admit it, but I guessed I got affectionate. The moment I finally turned around the corner and met a familiar face, I had to open my mouth wide.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Hey¡­ you¡­ you crazy pig bastard!¡±


    ¡°Hyung-nim?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    ¡®This pig bastard! Fuck! This pig bastard! Haha! Pig bastard!¡¯


    I felt the pig bastard with a flustered face taking me as I threw myself.

 Chapter 739: Value (5)

    <h4>Chapter 739: Value (5)</h4>


    -Will it be okay with this?


    ¡®It will be okay as it is.¡¯


    -Right, you thought well. It¡¯s okay as it is. What can you do, right?


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    -I think leaving it to me would be the best option. That¡¯s why you held my hand, too, right?


    ¡®Right.¡¯


    -Then that¡¯s it.


    ¡®But.¡¯


    -But? Do you still need something like that? It was not because of my strength that you were defeated but because of your ipetence. Even with that great power, your inability to do anything has caused the situation toe on its own. Am I wrong?


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    -I asked if I¡¯m wrong.


    I thought she wasn¡¯t wrong. I actually knew how strong the power she gave me was.


    If I hadn¡¯t embraced this force, I wouldn¡¯t be able to bring the situation to this point.


    I might not have been able to fight the angels. I wouldn¡¯t have been able to trade blows with Thronus.


    -You are weak.


    I knew that. If I had been strong, I wouldn¡¯t have epted the power she gave me.


    -Wouldn¡¯t it be possible to call you a failure if we defined a human like you in one word?


    That couldn¡¯t be denied either. Kim Hyunsung¡¯s life was close to a failed life.


    It wasn¡¯t only in the first round that he lost precious family members and valuable colleagues.


    It was the same for the second timeline. I wanted to get stronger, but I couldn¡¯t. I thought I could but couldn¡¯t. I wanted to stand up, but I fell in the end.


    Again, I couldn¡¯t save one important person. I couldn¡¯t even reach out to the person who dragged me out of the deep sea. Rather, it was me who harmed him.


    I wanted to befortable. I was relieved after leaving my burden to him after saying that he wanted to carry my burden together.


    It didn¡¯t mean I wasn¡¯t concerned. It didn¡¯t mean I wasn¡¯t nervous either. It wasn¡¯t that I didn¡¯t throw a question mark on myself as to whether he could handle the burden I had left.


    However, it seemed that I tried to turn a blind eye to it. I didn¡¯t think about it at the time, but I must¡¯ve ignored it.


    I was happy. It was literally because of that kind of selfishness.


    The peace of mind that came from having someone who understood me, understood my past and understood my present was no different from drugs.


    I knew he was struggling, but I might¡¯ve been pretending not to see the signal he was sending.


    Wouldn¡¯t I have given him more burden instead? Wouldn¡¯t I be making him nervous and giving him a hard time?


    It wasn¡¯t that I didn¡¯t even know about him. I already knew how he would behave if I left all the burden to him. It was because of me that he lost his memory. Because of me, he was dying, and it was because of me that he was in danger.


    I brought it in. I¡­ I brought it in.


    Wrong. It was wrong in the first ce.


    He shouldn¡¯t have offered his hand, and he shouldn¡¯t have told me to do it together. I should¡¯ve passed by him when we met in the tutorial dungeon.


    -What if I turn back the time? Do you think it¡¯s better to pretend you don¡¯t know then?


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    -Oh, right. I shouldn¡¯t have asked that. You¡¯re trash without the courage to go back again. Coward. You might think you¡¯re a little different from who you were back then, but you¡¯re not. Human nature does not change. Kim Hyunsung, who ran away from being scared in the tutorial dungeon, that¡¯s your ugly essence. You will keep running away. You know that¡¯s wherefort lies, after all.


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    -You know that¡¯s how you can feel less pain. I am not insting that you are making the wrong choice right now. Rather, you made a reasonable choice. I¡¯m just telling you that there is a very ugly and lowly feeling hidden in that rational judgment. Do you get what I mean?


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    -You will keep running. Endlessly. You¡¯ll keep escaping from your sins nonstop. In a mean, dirty and ugly way.


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    -But don¡¯t worry too much. No matter how poor of a human you are, I am looking after you, right? I like your dirty side, your twisted ide.


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    -Go back again. This time, things will be really over.


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    In an instant, the vision in front of me began to change. For a moment, a feeling of rejection soared throughout my body.


    Of course. That was a natural reaction. What I was seeing right at that moment was something created, after all.


    Hadn¡¯t I experienced it in the unconscious world? I knew I had to get out of this ce.


    However, in the end, I smiled.


    I knew that everything was a lie, but the appearance of the people reflected by the sunset made me lose the will to resist the fake scene.


    -You know you¡¯re not helpful anyway, don¡¯t you? You are the perfect example of a failed human. You inevitably ruin things and cause pain around you. You¡¯re a human designed that way.


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    -I¡¯m telling you that sometimes doing nothing will be more helpful.


    Maybe so.


    -I¡¯m right.


    Right. She was right.


    ¡°What are you looking at, Guild Master?¡±


    When I woke up, everything would be over. Kim Hyunsung was a person who had already failed and a person who would fail anyway.


    I knew that I shouldn¡¯t speak, but I did. I nodded over and over at the small whisper, continuing to sink again and again.


    ¡°Here¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you the Guild Master here? You can talk to mefortably, Hyejin.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ right, because this is the Earth. That¡¯s a little fun to think about. A Guild Master in a ce like this. I get embarrassed to think that anyone could¡¯ve heard it.¡±


    ¡°At best, they¡¯ll think we¡¯re the people you¡¯ve met in online gaming clubs. By the way¡­ who hasn¡¯t arrived yet?¡±


    ¡°Oh, hyung-nim is a littlete. They said he¡¯s busy these days, and he really does seem extremely busy. Well, it looks like he¡¯s barely making time again. The more I think about him, the more hyung-nim sounds greater.¡±


    ¡°Vice Guild Master is already an amazing person.¡±


    ¡®Oh, Hee-young, you think I don¡¯t know? I wanted to say that he was already great, but he¡¯s even greater than that. As soon as he got back to Earth, he suddenly said that he would try to be awyer, and then he really became one. And I heard that although he just got a job at aw firm, he is already in a high position.¡¯


    He was indeed a great person.


    ¡°At this rate, I wonder if he¡¯s going to enter politics or something. In just 20 years, maybe ten years, what if he bes a member of the National Assembly andter bes president?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really think it will be that way, but¡­ I think it will suit him very well.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a shame that things aren¡¯t going well with Hayan these days since he¡¯s that busy, but¡­ well, their rtionship isn¡¯t an ordinary one. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if I hear that they¡¯re getting married within a few years. Junior Sora knows that better, don¡¯t you? The two of them now¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ Jung Hayan is¡­ is doing well. Yeah¡­ she¡¯s having her meals well.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s fortunate, but¡­ Come to think of it, Sora, right now, at hyung-nim¡¯spany¡­ you¡¯re thew firm secretary or something, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Thanks to him, I¡¯m doing well. Except that he¡¯s too busy¡­ actually, today is also a busy day for us, so I should¡¯ve been there, but¡­ he was considerate and told me that I could go home first.¡±


    ¡°With that Chinesewyer¡­¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t exin in detail¡­ he¡¯s in charge of something. He¡¯s really busy with that.¡±


    As I slowly looked around, familiar faces were reflected in my view: the guild members and colleagues who were with me on the continent.


    I thought it¡¯s been a long time since we¡¯d been gathered in one ce like that. My heart was filled with an indescribable sense of satisfaction.


    I knew it could never be done, but I smiled even though I knew that I couldn¡¯t go back to Earth. Such scenery wouldn¡¯t be bad either.


    After everything was over, there would be a lot of gatherings like that.


    ¡°It¡¯s not only hyung-nim that¡¯s great. Hyejin is also amazing. She also passed the exam, so now the only thing left is to be a prosecutor.¡±


    ¡°I am¡­ just in the beginning. I¡¯m far behind.¡±


    ¡°When I first came back to Earth, I was dumbfounded, but seeing each one settling down like this makes me amazed, and it¡¯s refreshing. Ye-ri is also attending college, and Ahn Ki-mo has be a sessful actor. His movie is even about to be released now. Something like Ahn Bokdong, the king of cars¡­ Hee-young was also busy wandering here and there because of her volunteer work¡­ Elena became a streamer out of nowhere¡­¡±


    I could see Kim Ye-ri, who had a bright face, opening her mouth.


    ¡°4.5 million subscribers. She¡¯s also famous abroad.¡±


    ¡°Is she really that famous, Kim Ye-ri?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Really famous. I think she¡¯s more famous than most celebrities. Her video of eating Nuclear Fire Noodles has 25 million views¡­ Look at this.¡±


    ¡°Incredible. Really¡­ I was worried about hering to an unfamiliar ce and adapting ordingly¡­ Rather, she adapted better than me.¡±


    ¡°Junior Ah-young is also working well in the workshop. There¡¯s nothing to be worried about. I¡¯m more worried about our Guild Master hyung-ssi. Is Hyunsung studying hard?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Deokgu. Honestly, I¡¯m not sure what I¡¯m doing, but¡­ I¡¯m doing it.¡±


    ¡°Actually, I thought you would settle down soon, but surprisingly¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s slow. It seems that I have not yet adapted well to life on Earth. But it feels great to see other people doing so well. Yes. I¡¯m really happy.¡±


    I might not be able to adapt properly, but everyone could live a happy life if we went back to Earth. No, I was sure of it. Everyone would be shining like new.


    ¡°You will settle down well. I¡¯m certain of that. Hyung-nim was really concerned about you too.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t heard the details, but he said it was bothering him. Oh, it looks like he¡¯sing in now. Ask him directly.¡±


    As I naturally looked away, the two people entering the room were reflected in my view. I watched them slowlyughing and walking.


    ¡°Here! Hyung-nim! Hayan!¡±


    ¡°Deokgu.¡±


    ¡°Vice Guild Master, It¡¯s been a while.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s been a long time, everyone.¡±


    ¡°Is Hayan doing well?¡±


    ¡°I-I-It¡¯s been a long time, everyone¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time. Hyunsung too.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry that it¡¯s been so long since Ist saw you.¡±


    ¡°No. I know you¡¯re busy. I couldn¡¯t respond to the call because I might be a nuisance. Actually, even today¡­ I¡¯m worried that you¡¯re here when you shouldn¡¯t be.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Hyunsung. Life on Earth is, of course, important, but it¡¯s not as important as memories on the continent. If you allow it, I wille to see you more often from now on. I¡¯m not that far from here, but when I think about it, I think I acted too indifferent.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll consider that as my permission.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine¡­¡±


    ¡°After this work, I¡¯ll have more time, so it¡¯s really okay. Oh! I made you stand up for too long. Hayan, let¡¯s sit down.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°How¡­ How are you doing?¡±


    A face with a smile, as usual, was visible.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I was¡­¡±


    ¡°How are you doing?¡±


    She wore an expression that seemed to have no worries.


    ¡°I am¡­¡±


    ¡°Are¡­ you doing well?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ think I am.¡±

 Chapter 740: Value (6)

    <h4>Chapter 740: Value (6)</h4>


    I noticed his smiling face stiffen slightly.


    The way he tapped on the table stood out. Anyone could see he was concerned.


    I wondered if I had to say I was okay and that I was the same as usual, but I soon realized that the milk had already been spilled. It wouldn¡¯t be unreasonable to say that I had said it unconsciously. However, it truly didn¡¯t feel like I was doing well.


    ¡®But why¡­¡¯


    Why?


    ¡®I¡¯m so happy.¡¯


    Sometimes I felt like I was sinking. In reality, it seemed that I was spending most of my time like that. The feeling of being left alone in an empty space, the sense of breathing rapidly, the feeling of getting nauseous, my head bing dizzy, and the sensation of constantly falling into a deep sleep.


    That sensation was something that couldn¡¯t be felt here.


    If I were asked how I felt right now, it was more appropriate to say that I was happy.


    It was a ce where I didn¡¯t have to me myself and where I didn¡¯t have to take responsibility.


    I didn¡¯t have to carry a sword. I didn¡¯t have to kill people.


    It was a ce where I was with my loved ones, and just watching them make their lives sessful made me smile. Even in the utopia that I had pictured in my dream, Kim Hyunsung was still not okay.


    ¡°I-I¡­ I shouldn¡¯t have said that¡­¡±


    ¡°Guild Master, are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Hyejin.¡±


    ¡°Hyung-ssi. Are you okay? You don¡¯t look good.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I am¡­ fine.¡±


    ¡°Are you really okay? You look pale¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m okay, Ye-ri.¡±


    Was it because I had regrets left? Maybe so. If not, it could be because of the guilt that I was running away.


    ¡®But¡­¡¯


    I would say that it was a reasonable judgment. The man in front of me might agree with my choices. Lee Kiyoung was a practical man, after all.


    He knew better than anyone else that I was now useless.


    ¡®He must know.¡¯


    It was more proper for her to take care of things than the ipetent me. As she said, Kim Hyunsung was a failed human. If I defined my life in one word, it was no different than failure.


    I did nothing and only lost, and this time wouldn¡¯t be different. Even if I came forward, I would make the situation worse. If I made a mistake, I would lose again, just like how it had always been so far.


    ¡°I-I just blurted out something random, so you don¡¯t have to take it too seriously.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I meant it.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Shall we talk for a minute?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I think it would be better to talk separately for a while.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it will take that long¡­ and others will understand.¡±


    As I looked around, I saw them nodding.


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to do that. I just said it unconsciously¡­ Today is the meeting¡¯s day, and you must be busy.¡±


    ¡°I am saying this because I want to. Let¡¯s go outside.¡±


    I could see him getting up first. As I stood up, dazed, I noticed that I was suddenly out of the meeting ce.


    The scenery was different from the continent. The neon signs were slowly lighting up, and I heard people talking. It was somehow awkward to walk around there. I couldn¡¯t get used to being among so many people.


    I could see people walking by looking at their cell phones, groups strolling down the street with friends or lovers, drunk individuals, and others who were spending time in their own way.


    And I saw him blending among the crowd without looking out of ce. I had always thought about it, but he seemed to naturally fit in everywhere.


    Would I be simr to him? How would I look now?


    As I looked slightly sideways, I saw my reflection on the ss. It was more different than what I imagined inside. Refreshingly, I realized that I didn¡¯t fit in. There was a bitter smile at the fact that even that ce couldn¡¯t ept Kim Hyunsung, but I had to keep walking.


    If I walked with Kiyoung, I might feel like I was blending a bit. Perhaps others wouldn¡¯t feel I was out of ce either.


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡±


    ¡°I mean this ce.¡±


    ¡°If you say this ce¡­¡±


    ¡°I mean the Earth. This ce we are walking right now.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you ufortable?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not.¡±


    ¡°Go on.¡±


    ¡°It seems veryfortable. Compared to the continent, this is not a dangerous ce, and there are few things to worry about. At least it seems to be less heavy than being there.¡±


    ¡°If you say it seems to be less heavy¡­¡±


    ¡°Er¡­ Kiyoung, you don¡¯t have to take what I said earlier too seriously. It¡¯s just something that came out unconsciously.¡±


    ¡°I am asking you because I know that it came out unconsciously. I don¡¯t think you¡¯re satisfied with the present reality¡­ I thought there must be some other reason. Is it hard for you to adapt?¡±


    I had never thought about it. Although I had been here for a long time, I had never really felt it.


    However, it also felt like that. If I had to choose between adapting or not, I had no choice but to choose the first one.


    ¡°I can understand. Suddenly living on Earth is surprising and must be hard. We have lived on that continent for a very long time, after all. In your case, you¡¯ve been there longer than me, so it¡¯s understandable to be confused.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I think you may be feeling awkward that you don¡¯t fit.¡±


    That was exactly right.


    ¡°But it¡¯s not just you. I think everyone is feeling that way. It¡¯s not easy to blend with people and blend into society. The size of the burden we have will be all different, but most people will feel the same thing.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ I understand.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not telling you to be patient and to hold on since everyone is having hardships. The point I want to say is that just realizing that there are many people like you can help. Those walking over there, people with friends, everyone is the same. The people who are walking while looking at their cell phones are all people like you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re individuals who we haven¡¯t ever even spoken to, but everyone here might mutually understand. If you think of them as the same as you, that will be possible. It may not be enough, but I think that is the first step. If that¡¯s not enough, let¡¯s think closer.¡±


    I could see him smiling widely.


    ¡°A little bit narrower, our guild members who came from the continent with us will be able to be our understandings.¡±


    His eyes narrowed, and his mouth opened.


    ¡°More narrowly than that, I will be able to be Hyunsung¡¯s understanding.¡±


    He seemed to be telling me to get rid of my worries and concerns.


    ¡°You also¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think there are any humans in the world who aren¡¯t afraid of that. Everyone seems to be doing well, but they¡¯ve probably thought about it at least once. I am no exception.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I can tell you. I was the same. I thought some people could understand and help me. Of course, you were included in it.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t we do and shared many things? Am I¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, no. You¡¯re not wrong. You¡¯re not wrong¡­ at all.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡±


    It felt as if the bugs that were eating me up inside were disappearing gradually. My anxiety disappeared like snow melting, and my heart that was vigorously beating, seemed to calm down slowly.


    I smiled unknowingly. It was nothing special, but it was moreforting and rxing than any other reassurance I heard.


    ¡°I¡¯m the one relieved. I am. I didn¡¯t know you were thinking like that¡­¡±


    It was just after that that the situation was reversed.


    ¡°How would I not think so? Of course, it¡¯s not like I fully understood you, and you fully understood me, but¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t we carry each other¡¯s burdens?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°You also carried my burden with me.¡±


    ¡°Um¡­¡±


    ¡°I thought that if it were you, you would understand me. I thought you were thinking like me.¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ um¡­¡±


    ¡°The reason I can presumptuously say this is because I had carried your burden with you. Of course, it wasn¡¯t enough.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t that. I had never felt that.


    ¡°Um¡­ Ah¡­ um¡­¡±


    ¡°The reason I have been able to get along well here is that you have been my support.¡±


    However, I had never been a support to him. He carried my burden with me, but I had never carried his burden.


    Rather, I ran away.


    I ran, and now I was here.


    ¡°No¡­ I¡­ I¡­¡±


    My head started to get dizzy. I was short of breath, but I couldn¡¯t breathe properly either. Things around me couldn¡¯t get into my eyes properly, and I couldn¡¯t hear his voice well. A terrible sense of shame surrounded my whole body.


    ¡®A human trash.¡¯


    ¡°I am¡­¡±


    ¡®A selfish human. A man who is extremely selfish and cares only for himself.¡¯


    The face in front of my eyes seemed to be talking with his mouth wide open.


    ¡®I thought you would carry my burden together with me. I thought you would support me as much as I carried your burden with you.¡¯


    ¡°So¡­¡±


    Tears were filling up in my eyes. I couldn¡¯t really tell where I was at that moment. As I turned my head hurriedly, I could see myself standing with my sword.


    ¡°What are you doing here, Kim Hyunsung?¡±


    As I hurriedly turned to the other side, Kim Hyunsung, 22 years old, held a corpse whose shape was unrecognizable.


    ¡°Are you running away again? You said you wouldn¡¯t run away. You made up your mind that you would never run away or avoid it. You pledged like that after losing your hyung.¡±


    As I turned, a monster with horns on his head spoke.


    ¡°It¡¯s not you that¡¯s carrying his burden. It¡¯s me. You are running away. You¡¯re just running away because you don¡¯t have the courage to do anything, you selfish bastard.¡±


    ¡®No, I¡­¡¯


    ¡°He sacrificed everything for you. He threw himself in front of danger to carry your burden. What¡¯s the result? It¡¯s me, but I can¡¯t help but hate you. You don¡¯t deserve to stand next to him. It¡¯s good for a rat like you to rot in hell for a lifetime.¡±


    ¡®I didn¡¯t mean to do that. I didn¡¯t mean to do that. My actions make sense. I¡¯m going to ruin everything. I will ruin everything.¡¯


    ¡°What did you do for him? What did you do for him while he was struggling to take care of you, you selfish scum?¡±


    ¡®I¡­ I¡­¡¯


    ¡°Now, it¡¯s your turn to sacrifice.¡±


    -Kim Hyunsung. Now, it¡¯s your turn to sacrifice.

 Chapter 741: Value (7)

    <h4>Chapter 741: Value (7)</h4>


    ¡°Scum.¡±


    ¡®No.¡¯


    ¡°Selfish bastard.¡±


    ¡®No¡­ no.¡¯


    ¡°A mean, useless monster that, as if it wasn¡¯t enough, is also ugly¡­¡±


    ¡®I¡­¡¯


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°Hyunsung.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡±


    ¡°Hyunsung?¡±


    Whooooooooosh!


    ¡°Hyunsung!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ now¡­¡±


    ¡°You looked pale until now¡­ I¡¯m sorry if I was rude.¡±


    ¡°No, no. Yes. I¡­ now¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Where¡­ here¡­ Sigh¡­ Sigh¡­ where are we¡­¡±


    ¡°Hyunsung, are you okay? Wait¡­ wait.¡±


    The time that had passed slowly was gradually returning to its original state.


    I still had trouble breathing, and tears continued to flow from my eyes. My head was so dizzy that I didn¡¯t even think I should wipe it with my hands.


    I once again looked around but couldn¡¯t see anything. Both Kim Hyunsung from the first round and Kim Hyunsung, who turned into a monster, disappeared. I was certain that when he grabbed my shoulders, I felt like my mind and body started calming down.


    ¡°I think we need to find a ce to rest for a while. Somewhere near¡­¡±


    He looked bewildered and confused.


    ¡°No, I think it would be better to go to the hospital together.¡±


    His face had urgency in it. He was probably worried.


    ¡°Are you okay? Are you not dizzy?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°Hyunsung?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine. I think I will get better if I take a little rest¡­¡±


    I slowly looked at the person in front of me, but I felt that he still wasn¡¯t calming down.


    The face with a tight bite on his lips looked to be angry with the current situation.


    I thought I knew what he¡¯s upset about it. I was sure he was ming himself. He always did.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    However, he hadn¡¯t done anything wrong.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly what the situation is or what kind of situation you¡¯re in, but I¡¯m sorry for not noticing it sooner. I didn¡¯t think you were struggling this much.¡±


    Compared to the pain that Lee Kiyoung might be feeling, my little problems might not be much.


    ¡°I should have paid a little more¡­¡±


    This man no longer needed to sacrifice.


    ¡°Ah¡­ no. I can¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t cause you any more trouble.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to think about that.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind me. This¡­ is already enough. Just saying that and thinking like that¡­ It¡¯s not that serious in the first ce. I just got dizzy for a moment, so don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°How can I not worry? We shouldn¡¯t stand here like this. We should look for a ce to sit for a while¡­¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s really okay. I¡¯m fine now.¡±


    It¡¯s really okay now. I realized what I had to do.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do that.¡±


    ¡°No. Now¡­ You don¡¯t really have to worry.¡±


    I realized what I could do and what was given to me.


    ¡°It¡¯s fortunate¡­ if you say so, but¡­¡±


    ¡°I always seem to make you worry.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It seems like I always made you worry. I remember¡­ this happenedst time too. If you hadn¡¯te back then, I would¡¯ve been wandering there forever. Unlike Kiyoung, I am a very weak human. I would have stayed there over and over again. I was really grateful.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡±


    ¡°I am really grateful to you for making it possible for me to see new scenery.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying suddenly?¡±


    ¡°Thank you so much for carrying my burden. And I¡¯m very sorry. I am really sorry that I turned away and ran away after leaving you a burden that should not be left. I just kept avoiding you and¡­¡±


    ¡°Everyone runs away. And I have never criticized you. You¡¯ve also carried my burden¡­¡±


    ¡°No, I never did. I¡¯ve always been busy running away when you needed me. I did nothing but turn away, avoid, and hide. Perhaps¡­ perhaps I was waiting for someone to take me out of here too. And ask me¡­ Could youe back again? I¡¯m just thinking about that¡­ I was a human who only ran away. I¡¯m a weak and unworthy human being.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°In fact, I¡¯m no different now. I¡¯m afraid¡­ of getting out of this ce. Whenever I have this option, I always be nervous. I can¡¯t stand the fear. I hope Kiyoung and others will hold my hand. I think I can be a little more confident if you hold my hand again like that time, but I now realize that I¡¯m acting like a fool. I knew that could be a pain for others.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°This time, I found out that I have toe out alone.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about, but Hyunsung.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Everything that you want will be done. Whatever you choose, it will all work out.¡±


    I thought I needed that. Even in that situation, I was waiting for relieving words.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be afraid.¡±


    That man had no way to be afraid. He lost his memory, and even while he was dying, he was a man who always looked at the world with a good mindset. Thinking about it, that was why I was able to go outside even then. When I looked into his eyes, I felt like I could escape my fear of failing terribly. I could¡¯ve been convinced that the choice he made was the right choice. The person before was never wrong, after all.


    But that too was just an act of passing him the burden. I left him the responsibility for the choice.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry for everything that has happened so far.¡±


    At that moment, it was my turn to take responsibility. It was time to embrace everything and put a period to everything.


    I walked slowly.


    ¡°Hyunsung? Hyunsung?¡±


    I heard him calling me from behind, but I didn¡¯t stop or even look back.


    After all, I knew that my determination would be broken once again if I turned my head. I felt him holding my hand, but I had to shake it off right away.


    ¡°Hyunsung!¡±


    The scenery that was changing more and more rapidly was reflected in my view. I could see people looking at me with surprised eyes.


    Shirts and jeans had suddenly turned into heavy armor. The colorful streets became darker and darker.


    People disappeared one by one, and the sunsetndscape was covered in great darkness. A crackling sound continued to be heard, and unpleasant air filled the ce.


    It was only after a lot of time that I could see the woman sitting at arge desk and stroking a book.


    ¡°Lucifer.¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°Lucifer.¡±


    -What are you doing here? Is there something that didn¡¯t work out well? Anything you don¡¯t like?


    ¡°I want to go out.¡±


    -What?


    ¡°I want to get out of this ce.¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°I have to go outside.¡±


    -I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about¡­ Didn¡¯t I tell you? Everything will be a mess if you step forward.


    ¡°No, it won¡¯t be that way.¡±


    -On what grounds?


    ¡°Because I will put an end to it. I won¡¯t run away anymore.¡±


    -You have an interesting idea, you scum. You are not the main character. Even if you say you¡¯re going to embrace everything and end everything, there¡¯s no guarantee that it will work out as you desire. It¡¯s one thing you regressed. Your specialty is only that much, and you were chosen because you were lucky, no, unlucky. I bet if you get out of here, you¡¯ll regret it. Again, you will scream that you made the wrong choice.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -It would be better to wait quietly, don¡¯t you think so? You¡¯ll fail once again otherwise.


    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±


    -On what grounds?


    ¡°Because I¡¯ve made up my mind to do that.¡±


    -You won¡¯t be at the ending you pictured. Is it okay that you will not be in the daily life you dreamed of?


    ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡±


    -You¡¯ve been hiding in fear, and now you¡¯re willing to sacrifice for the future of others¡­


    ¡°Only now did I realize what my role was. I clearly said I wanted to go out, Lucifer. That was the contract.¡±


    -Well, how about thinking a little more?


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -You¡¯ll regret it.


    ¡°I already have enough regrets.¡±


    -You will fail.


    ¡°I only know now that you would never put an end to it, Lucifer.¡±


    -I am the one who is hoping for an end more than anyone else.


    ¡°No. All you want is confusion.¡±


    -Do you still want to go out? I can do that. It¡¯s also very easy to make the future of your dreamse true.


    A dreamlike reality unfolded in front of me again. A red sunset was setting in the dark sky, and the moon was slowly rising.


    I saw the guild members. Everyone wasughing while talking about something unimportant.


    I was sitting there too, smiling brightly. It was a dreamlike sight, a very beautiful scenery. It was a splendid vision that made meugh automatically.


    -Look at you. Look at youughing like a child. This is what you dreamed of. This is what you were holding with the greatest value. Oh, how about something else. It may be a little unrealistic, but how about going into the past? Yes. It will be fun to meet them before theynd on the continent. It would be nice to spend your school days together. If not, that too¡­


    ¡°I want to go out. Let me go, Lucifer. Fulfill the contract.¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -¡­


    -You stupid, stupid human.


    I felt as if my closed eyes were slowly reopening. Andscape different from the one that looked like a dream came into my eyes.


    It was a ruin stained with darkness and stench.


    The ce filled with the bodies of angels certainly felt more familiar to me than the scenery I saw earlier.


    As I slowly raised my hand, I saw a monster-like arm. Perhaps because of the huge horns, my head felt unfamiliar. My reflection in the stagnant, rotten puddle seemed to be worse than I had expected.


    I had finallye back to reality. I could recognize it. A familiar voice came in when I wasughing at myself.


    [A total of 2,124 forced quests are in progress. You will be viewing forced quests that have not been checked.]


    [A Legendary-grade forced quest has been created.]


    [I forgive your sins. Wake up, regressor of Altanus. (0/1)]


    [Quest-Clear Reward: Future (0/1)]


    ¡°Haha¡­¡±


    [Legendary-grade forced quest has been created.]


    [I forgive your sins. Please, I wish for you to wake up, regressor of Altanus. (0/1)]


    [Quest-Clear Reward: Future (0/1)]


    ¡°Hahaha¡­ Ha¡­ Huh¡­ Sniff¡­¡±


    [Legendary-grade forced quest has been created.]


    [I forgive your sins. Wake up, regressor of Altanus. Then I will give you the future. (0/1)]


    [Quest Clearing Reward: Future (0/1)]


    ¡°Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­¡±


    [Legendary-grade forced quest has been created.]


    [I forgive your sins. Wake up, regressor of Altanus. Then I¡¯ll give you whatever you want. (0/1)]


    [Quest Clearing Reward: Future (0/1)]


    ¡°Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­¡±


    [Legendary-grade forced quest has been created.]


    [Please. Please. Wake up, regressor of Altanus. Then I will give you a dreamlike future. (0/1)]


    [Quest Clearing Reward: Future (0/1)]


    ¡°Sniff¡­¡±


    [Legendary-grade forced quest has been created.]


    [I forgive your sins. Please wake, regressor of Altanus. Then I will give you the future. I will give you the future at all costs. I will give you anything you want under my name. (0/1)]


    [Quest Clearing Reward: Future (0/1)]


    ¡°Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­¡±


    [Legendary-grade forced quest has been created.]


    [Wake up, Kim Hyunsung. Please¡­ don¡¯t die. Please. (0/1)]


    [Quest Clearing Reward: Future (0/1)]


    ¡°Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­¡±

 Chapter 742: To The End (1)

    <h4>Chapter 742: To The End (1)</h4>


    I could see Park Deokgu¡¯s face, who seemed to be surprised. He still had a look that seemed stupid. He had a bad smell of sweat, but it was tolerable enough because he ran here to fight. It was understandable.


    It wasn¡¯t just him who felt surprised. I, who should be in the control room, was found in the middle of the temple, so it was perplexing enough to think about it from their point of view.


    Some seemed to be on the alert, but when they saw the pig nodding as if it was okay, they seemed very relieved.


    ¡®It won¡¯t get rumored that I called him a pig bastard, right?¡¯


    It seemed that I had be a little bit emotionally intense without knowing it. Thanks to Lee Jihye, my life here didn¡¯t feel so bad, but it was undeniable that I had umted stress problems.


    Even when I thought about it, it seemed that my emotions had been greatly revealed, but as soon as I showed a decent appearance, I could see the people looking at each other.


    ¡®It¡¯s been a while since I saw them all.¡¯


    Ahn Ki-mo and Kim Ye-ri felt like a set. Even Hwang Jeong-yeon was present. Other guild members seemed to have been incorporated into other units, but it must¡¯ve been an unavoidable choice because they had to keep the bnce.


    The rest of the personnel were all unknown faces. I hadn¡¯t seen most of them. They didn¡¯t look bad in terms of their stats, but there were some ws. For example, there were wizards who had too much stamina or too little magic. They didn¡¯t look like people who we could use by my standards.


    ¡®Where have they picked members like that?¡¯


    I wondered if I was asking for too much topose the battalions with a few normal people, but I couldn¡¯t expect much from guys who couldn¡¯t see stats.


    ¡°Hyung-nim? Hyung-nim? Is that you?¡±


    ¡®Of course, I¡¯m Lee Kiyoung. Who else would I be?¡¯


    ¡°He¡¯s really the Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°You should have told me in advance that you were here! I knew something was weird! Since when? No, more importantly, why were you here?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too long to exin. I¡¯ll tell youter. It¡¯s better to move first. I have a lot to tell you, so let¡¯s get out of here quickly.¡±


    ¡°No, first exin¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go quickly.¡±


    ¡°O-Okay.¡±


    ¡°You came, Vice Guild Master. It¡¯s been a while.¡±


    Ahn Ki-mo, who achieved the Pirate King¡¯s dream, was reacting as if he knew I woulde.


    Even if Cho Hyejin thoroughly hid it, there must¡¯ve been something they found strange¡­ Anyone who was quick-witted would¡¯ve been able to understand how things were going.


    He must have been suspicious of having been given the rule to follow Alps out of nowhere.


    ¡°Long time no see.¡±


    Kim Ye-ri, who gave a brief greeting, raised her hand as if saying that it didn¡¯t matter if I was there or not, but her face weed me. She looked like she wanted to run at me right away, but I noticed her trying to keep herposure.


    ¡®Be a little honest. Really. I know you have a lot of affection. If you pretend to be so cool, you start looking uncool.¡¯


    Finally, as if she was relieved, Alps, the new guild member, sighed loudly. I thought she couldn¡¯t easily speak to me, so I thought it would be better to say hello first. I understood why she felt like she couldn¡¯t easily approach me.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ Yeah! Vice Guild Master!¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s nice to be in spirit. It should be like this for a neer. You have to have ambition, ambition. But actually, I¡¯m not so grateful. It¡¯s nice to see them. Honestly, I feel good, but just because I feel good, it doesn¡¯t mean things will go well.¡¯


    I wanted to ask why they barged into the temple.


    ¡®Should I have been firmer when telling them not to do anything else?¡¯


    I should¡¯ve said not to say anything else when I was wearing the mask. No, that dog remembering me might have been the reason Cho Hyejin nned this operation.


    ¡®It¡¯s all my fault.¡¯


    For the time being, I smiled, and that was enough. It was annoying that something I didn¡¯t know was going on, but I¡¯d learn about it from then on anyway.


    As I looked around a bit, I started to feel the halves picked up by Park Deokgu looking at me.


    ¡®What do I do with them?¡¯


    It looked a little improvised.


    ¡®They don¡¯t look to be in good condition.¡¯


    They were able to fight a few times since they had the strong pig bastard. It was just the moment when I was about to give them instructions.


    ¡°Hyung-nim, stay right next to me. No. I¡¯d rather run carrying you.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Everyone, move!¡±


    ¡®What was that?¡¯


    ¡°Let¡¯s take the position. Go, hurry up! So¡­ that¡­ the twenty-fourth. The twenty-fourth!¡±


    ¡®What¡¯s the twenty-fourth?¡¯


    My curiosity was quickly resolved.


    ¡®This pig bastard¡­¡¯


    I could see the troops quickly reorganizing the toon.


    ¡®No, what the fuck is this?¡¯


    I knew from the start that they were well-trained. However, what the Park Deokgu army showed was more ideal than what I imagined.


    ¡®Is this possible?¡¯


    It felt like a square puzzle in which deformed shapes were put together. It was a bit clunky, but it had a stable shape that I couldn¡¯tin about.


    Park Deokgu was in the center rather than the frontline. The basic toon would probably be different.


    That shape, made in a slightly unorthodox way, seemed to have been made to protect the rear first.


    ¡®The bnce is good.¡¯


    The absence of Park Deokgu in the advance troops seemed to be a big weakness, but it felt more solid in some sense.


    I had to look at the pig bastard with different eyes. I felt like a turtle since we could hide our necks inside the shell at any time.


    ¡®Who the fuck are you?¡¯


    ¡°It was you who said I could do better if you could.¡±


    ¡®Still, fuck.¡¯


    ¡°Advance! Advance!¡±


    The unit members began to move. Park Deokgu started to speed up by attaching my body as close to the shield as possible.


    It felt like I could speak. It was afortable ride in its own way.


    ¡°Where are we going?¡±


    ¡°Oh, we¡¯re going out of the temple. That was the n.¡±


    ¡°What n?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure about the details¡­ except that Hyejin told me toe outside if I could find something¡­ I didn¡¯t know what she was talking about then bute to think of it. I think she meant you. It¡¯s my job to find you and go outside.¡±


    ¡°Did you secure a retreat?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know much about such details. I¡¯m telling you this operation waspletely top secret. Top secret. Oh, it looks like there will be a battle in front of us for a moment. Let¡¯s talk after that.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t see it properly because my field of view was obscured, but I knew I could understand the situation with the telescope.


    ¡°Hey, move! Don¡¯t stay still! Ms. Kim! What are you doing there? You have to move! Hey, Jeong-yeon! Heal! Heal! I¡¯ve said many times that you shouldn¡¯t miss the timing! Oh, that¡¯s good! There! Ye-ri! Fascination dance! Fascination dance!¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t do the dance of fascination. Please. Did you decide to use that as a formal technique? For real?¡¯


    ¡°This feels good right now! Keep it as it is now! If we keep going at this rate, we¡¯ll be able to win! Hang in there! Hold on! You have to hold on! No! How can you do that there! Ahn Ki-mo! Please fill it up! Ahhh! That¡¯s so frustrating! Really!¡±


    ¡®How is this bastard doing this? ¡±


    ¡°Jeong-yeon! Protection! Protection! Good job! Nice! Nice!!!¡±


    His voice was roaring. The way he uplifted the atmosphere was seriously amazing.


    It felt a bit clumsy, but somehow we pierced through, and the way Park Deokgu pushed his face, as if he were a mother bear checking if her babies were okay, came into my eyes once again.


    ¡°So¡­ I can¡¯t remember how far I told you¡­¡±


    ¡°This stupid bastard. Top secret¡­ Fuck. Top secret. If you had secured a retreat while going outside.¡±


    I wanted to p his back and scream, but it¡¯s hard to do that with his members around. When I whispered powerfully, it seemed that he noticed that I was getting more and more pissed.


    ¡°That¡­ I mean¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t panic and talk straight. Fuck.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡­ I don¡¯t know the details. I know they didn¡¯t make a retreat¡­ h-honestly, I don¡¯t know well¡­¡±


    ¡°No, how do you not know?¡±


    ¡°Only a few of them, including Hyejin, know how things work. Maybe that¡­ Red Mercenary¡¯s Mercenary Queen or Park Yeon-joo from ck Swan too. Manager Kim Mi-young and the Republic and the Union, even the other races¡­ one thing I can be sure of is that it seems that there are less than ten people.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know where to start the story. I¡¯m not saying there was a spy. Should I say it is a secret agent? Traitors who want to stand on the side of demons in angelic masks¡­ Honestly, I don¡¯t even know how they got into our ranks.


    I felt a bit guilty.


    ¡®Oh, that was my doing.¡¯


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if the talk didn¡¯t go well¡­ It means that we can¡¯t trust anyone because things are going on like that from themand post¡¯s perspective. Hyejin said that we could think of it as getting the parts.¡±


    ¡°Parts?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not really taking parts and making something¡­ So what should I say?¡±


    ¡°I know. It¡¯s just an expression.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s it. It means that when everyone finishes their work, the desired result wille out on its own. So even if I want to tell you, I can¡¯t. Oh, but I can tell you one thing.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°This was something Hyejin told me alone.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°She said that she would never run away.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®I think I know roughly what she means¡­¡¯


    In fact, when I first heard that, I had at best imagined getting a retreat path and how to get back to the wall. However, if Cho Hyejin could have opened her mouth in that way, she certainly had something in mind from themand side.


    ¡®How are you going to fight?¡¯


    What was a part? What material did we need to win?


    It was also impossible to escape by teleporting. Didn¡¯t theye to the temple through the ark because that was impossible?


    ¡®Control device?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know if it was possible to escape by teleport if I fixed the controls that suppressed the magic power, but the troops were already scattered. It meant that they were already camping out.


    As Park Deokgu said, there was no option to retreat.


    ¡®I have to run away.¡¯


    In the ending scene that Yuno Kasugano saw, there was a wall. In order to realize the ending with Kim Hyunsung stabbing me, I had to return to the original ce.


    Either way, fighting until we died in such a ce wasn¡¯t the way to the ending.


    ¡®Ah. Things got a bitplicated.¡¯


    When I tapped on my thigh with that thought, what suddenly came to mind is Kim Hyunsung¡¯s voice.


    ¡®Hayan from the first round moved the entire State.¡¯


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    ¡®It would be easy to understand if I told you that she changed the map of the continent.¡¯


    It felt like a hammer had hit me in the head.


    I could transport the ce where I couldn¡¯t go to, to where I was instead.


    ¡°Ha¡­ Haha, fuck¡­ fuck! Pfff¡­ Fuhahahaha!¡±


    I finally knew.


    ¡°Whew¡­ It¡¯s amazing.¡±


    Cho Hyejin had apparently intended to move the entire northern wall of the city to the front of the temple.

 Chapter 743: To The End (2)

    <h4>Chapter 743: To The End (2)</h4>


    ¡®Our Hyejin really has gritted her teeth. Wow, why didn¡¯t I think of this?¡¯


    I might not have considered it at all because it was too unrealistic. Whether Jung Hayan could make that possible was also one of the important issues.


    ¡®Why would it be impossible?¡¯


    Jung Hayan already had a history of dropping gravity all over the north. Even though her methods were different, it didn¡¯t change that she was a wizard beyondmon sense.


    Of course, just because a wizard graduated from the Department of Gravity Dropping Magic doesn¡¯t necessarily mean that they were in the Department of Teleportation Magic as well. Still, I didn¡¯t need to make such a distinction for Jung Hayan, who held a part of Han Sora¡¯s body in her hand.


    Regardless of her major, Jung Hayan was fluent in arge discipline called magic.


    It might¡¯ve been quicker to ask her what was impossible than asking what was possible for her. If she had enough time to research, our Archmage would always produce results.


    She wasn¡¯t still while she was recovering her magic power. She was also gritting her teeth.


    I was a bit puzzled about how she was able tomunicate with Cho Hyejin, but the fact that the two had reached an agreement also didn¡¯t feel awkward at all.


    Cho Hyejin wouldn¡¯t have been in her senses in the first ce. It wasn¡¯t Jung Hayan that nned this crazy operation.


    ¡®It¡¯s really surprising.¡¯


    The Cho Hyejin I knew was cautious and stability-oriented. In fact, Cho Hyejin would never gamble with this kind of operation.


    Even when ying chess, that tendency stood out.


    Cho Hyejin would only throw the dice if she were forced into an all-or-nothing situation.


    ¡®¡­ as a final option.¡¯


    The current situation might¡¯ve seemed the worst for her. From her perspective, she would¡¯ve thought she had no choice but to make the decision.


    She might¡¯ve also embodied the n with manager Kim Mi-young, the strategic nning office, and executives of themittee headquarters¡­


    It felt great enough just by acting. As such, the possibility of their n¡¯s sess was high.


    It was probably what gave the usibility to such a ridiculous tactic.


    ¡°She was waiting for me to know this.¡±


    The purpose wasn¡¯t just Lee Kiyoung¡¯s rescue. Lee Kiyoung was also a part that would make the entire n sessful. He had been defined as an essential element to it.


    It was fascinating that Cho Hyejin threw the dice in gambling that was dangerous enough to cause everything to copse if even one thing went wrong.


    ¡°What? What did you notice? Or did you already know it?¡±


    ¡°Deokgu.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t Hyejin tell you to give me something? Something sealed or something like a letter.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ I forgot about that. Ah!¡±


    ¡®You bastard, really. Fuck, what were you going to do if I didn¡¯t notice this?¡¯


    ¡°No, but Hyejin told me not to open this.¡±


    ¡°She told you to give it to me.¡±


    ¡°She told me not to open it.¡±


    ¡°Why would she give it to me if I can¡¯t open it? Quickly.¡±


    ¡°She told me not to open it no matter the circumstances. I can¡¯t forget her face at that time when she requested it sincerely.¡±


    ¡°No, fuck. Enough with that, and just give it to me quickly!¡±


    ¡°O-Okay¡­¡±


    I could see him rummaging in his sleeves.


    What came out of his pocket was nothing but a Goddess¡¯s Hand Mirror.


    ¡®Fuck, it¡¯s going exactly as I thought it would be.¡¯


    It was like the feeling of being annoyed a little while ago was fading away. My nervous and anxious feelings were being diluted.


    Seeing that just being able to understand how things were going made me feel better, I had to admit that Jihye was right. It wasn¡¯t that serious, but it was obvious that I had such a tendency.


    The problem was that the divinity in the temple was interfering with the propagation of the Goddess¡¯s Hand Mirror. I could immediately deduce what parts I needed next.


    ¡°These bastards are out of their minds.¡±


    ¡®Are you trying to get things done without a control tower?¡¯


    It wasn¡¯tpletely blocked. If it was close, it might be possible to connect, but I thought that the Goddess¡¯s Hand Mirror wouldn¡¯t connect when the recipient is beyond a certain distance, and the parts that other troops would bring would be to build a control tower.


    ¡®This changes things.¡¯


    Lee Kiyoung had eyes of light that could look far away and had a voice of light that could send a message to anyone, after all.


    However, I thought that what Cho Hyejin wanted would not be that kind of control tower.


    It was literally a device to facilitatemunication between armies and troops. Perhaps what made that possible¡­


    ¡®Max employee, no, son, you were here?¡¯


    The Crack Museum Level 5 Administrator Max was in one of the scattered units in the temple.


    ¡°Deokgu.¡±


    ¡°Why are you calling? It seems like there is still a long time left to go¡­¡±


    ¡°Which way did Max go?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Which way did Max go?¡±


    ¡°How do you know that Max is here?¡±


    ¡°I just do. Did he make a new dummy and send it? I don¡¯t think he sent the main body. Who is with him? Hee-ra? Or the ck Swan? Or is it a guild from the Republic side? The United Kingdom?¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t remember well, but it was probably the Friendship n, no, the Friendship Guild.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°The Friendship Guild.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ Where is that guild attached to, fuck?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you know them too?¡±


    ¡°How can I remember each tiny guild?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t remember?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°The people who were with you when you went to experience the Crack Museum after you dressed as a woman.¡±


    ¡®I didn¡¯t dress as a woman. Fuck. I actually transformed as one.¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re all from Lindel. Lee Cheol-woo, Kook Minji, and other people that I can¡¯t remember the names of. Anyway¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You really don¡¯t remember?¡±


    ¡°No. I remember.¡±


    However, my face became wrinkled.


    ¡®Fuck. What the fuck. Friendship Guild?¡¯


    It was because I remembered the people who had no future in my head. It wasn¡¯t because of my personality.


    ¡®Are they even worth allowing to participate in this operation?¡¯


    It was so ridiculous to say that he was with the guild that was made up of only those who were full of themselves in the continent that it left me speechless.


    Even if it was a dummy, it was ironic to entrust the precious son of others to them.


    ¡®Are you insane? Fuck, are you actually insane? They¡¯replete scum. They have no future.¡¯


    In a situation where I even thought it would be nice if Park Deokgu were wrong, I turned the telescope in a hurry, but the faces of those who were already blurry in my memories didn¡¯te into my eyes.


    ¡°It is a guild that has achieved tremendous growth in recent years. Originally, it was a n, but I was surprised to see them like there had been changes in their heart. I don¡¯t know if it was to participate in this operation, but it felt like their skills had grown tremendously. That¡¯s why Hyejin also left the operation to them without saying anything. Well, I don¡¯t know what they¡¯re doing there, but perhaps¡­¡±


    I had to send a message to Raphael. Just in case.


    I kept moving and looking around the temple for a long time. Finally, familiar human figures began toe into view. I couldn¡¯t tell who the others were, but my youngest child, who was between them, surely caught my eyes. His face was stiff. I saw a small, fragile body holding the hand of an unknown guy.


    When I checked him with my Mind¡¯s Eyes, I could immediately tell who he was.


    ¡®Lee Cheol-woo? That¡¯s right. Fuck.¡¯


    It felt like the lost memories areing back slowly. I hope it wasn¡¯t them, but it looked like it really was the party that went to the Crack Museum with me.


    I cursed and slowly checked them again.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    I could see that they had changed a bit, no, a lot.


    ¡®What, these bastards¡­ why do you have such good items?¡¯


    The growth of their basic stats was at a level enough to make me nod. No, honestly, their growth was so tremendous that they couldn¡¯t have achieved it.


    However, what caught my eye more than that was their sleek appearance.


    ¡®What. Fuck, why are they so good? How much is all that?¡¯


    Contrary to my judgment that the n would be disbanded, they seemed to have be more closely united.


    It wasn¡¯t just Lee Cheol-woo and Kook Minji. Those who went to the Crack Museum together at the time were also covered with high-quality items, and the bodies of the new guild members were also shining.


    One of them was even painted in gold from head to toe.


    ¡®What¡­ Did these bastards win the lottery?¡¯


    If it weren¡¯t a lottery, their appearance couldn¡¯t be exined. Their whole bodies were decked out with high-grade items.


    As the n had arge number of free funds, they would¡¯ve recruited other famous adventurers, and the n might have grown into a guild based on their overwhelming financial power.


    Not surprisingly, guild members who appeared to be of a higher level than the guild¡¯s founding members were visible.


    Even among them, the heroes of the first round that Kim Hyunsung and I were secretly supporting were included. There might be people who came for money, but the heroes of the first round were those who didn¡¯t act only for money.


    I quickly realized that the Friendship Guild¡¯s external reputation wasn¡¯t as bad as I thought.


    The way they fought against the angels was also considerable. There was a determination that they could never lose in the eyes of those who were moving organically. It was as if they were correcting my thoughts that they would copse soon.


    ¡®Wow, they worked out like that.¡¯


    Hadn¡¯t someone said it?


    If one lived in the world nicely, they would receive an equal reward someday.


    ¡®That snowball rolled like that?¡¯


    It could¡¯ve been meaningless behavior. Who knew that the affection that I gave to a small party in the past woulde back like that?


    I gave a warm touch to a party going through hardships. They grew beyond imagination and became in charge of such a big responsibility. They were indispensable as one of the continent¡¯s proud adventurers.


    I almost cried emotionally, but I thought I shouldn¡¯t shed tears even for the guys who came here.


    ¡®Do not cry. Lee Kiyoung. It¡¯s rude to the heroes who havee this far.¡¯


    -Cheol-woo Oppa!


    -I know, Minji. Are you okay, Max? Around here¡­


    -We need to go in a little more. I can¡¯t find the exact location yet. It seems like it should be somewhere around here, but¡­


    ¡®Our son pretends to be strict.¡¯


    It would be better to create a quest immediately and send him the location. I thought I knew roughly in which direction he was going.


    As expected, it didn¡¯t take long for my son¡¯s face to brighten with a worried expression.


    -It¡¯s my father.


    ¡®Yes. You should call me dad.¡¯


    The heroes who were moving in a hurry came into the first control room instantly, and immediately after I saw Max installing amunication tower inside the temple, I was able to ess the Goddess¡¯s Hand Mirror.


    At that moment, a familiar voice began to be heard as if she had been waiting.


    -Wee back, Vice Guild Master. This is manager Kim Miyoung.


    Other voices could be heard too.


    -Kiyoung?

 Chapter 744: To The End (3)

    <h4>Chapter 744: To The End (3)</h4>


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Is there anything that put you in a good mood? Did you seed? No, did something really happen?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®You woke up, you bastard.¡¯


    -Kiyoung. Can you hear me?


    ¡®Yes, I can hear you, fuck.¡¯


    -I¡¯m Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡®You don¡¯t need to introduce yourself.¡¯


    -This is Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡®I know even if you don¡¯t say it twice.¡¯


    For a moment, I was staring ahead nkly. I began to smile naturally.


    It was so unexpected that it was difficult to have other reactions. It was not unreasonable to clench my fist either.


    I tried not to look, but I turned my head automatically.


    What was reflected in the telescope was Kim Hyunsung, who remained alone in the ruins.


    His appearance hadn¡¯t changed much. He still had the huge horn over his head, and his whole body was covered with a ck entity. He also still had ck magic power.


    The only difference was that his face was exposed, but¡­


    ¡®Even that is enough to make him look extremely different.¡¯


    His previous appearance that looked like a monster had been transformed into the appearance of the protagonist, who had gone dark.


    ¡®I knew you would go well with the fucking horns.¡¯


    Seeing that its shape fit his face, it seemed that a person who knew fashion might¡¯ve designed them.


    His eyes were swollen as if he just finished crying. No, even now, there were tears in his eyes.


    ¡®Right. How thrilled he would be toe back to life.¡¯


    The way he was holding the Goddess¡¯s Hand Mirror tightly in his hand and desperately opening his mouth felt a bit pathetic. Seeing him scrambling with the mirror, he seemed to be thinking that he had pressed something wrong.


    -Sh*t. Why¡­ is this not working?


    I heard him say that.


    ¡®No, it is working.¡¯


    ¡°Yes. I can hear you, Hyunsung.¡±


    ¡°Did Hyunsung wake up? Really? Did he wake up? Whew¡­ Everything is going well.¡±


    Right. But how did he wake up?


    I couldn¡¯t even imagine that he woulde back on his own. Grey Skull Hyunsungpletely lost his mind to the point that I even wondered if I had to conceive a surprise event that would awaken Kim Hyunsung¡¯s reason.


    ¡®Was there a time limit? If not¡­ Did something simr to awakening happen? It¡¯s a typical protagonist-growing clich¨¦. After darkening, he wakes up and matures internally and mentally.¡¯


    One thing I could be sure of was that Kim Hyunsung might go up one more step.


    Honestly, that was something that I would also wee because it was also true that I was worried that Grey Skull Hyunsung would be the one doing the stabbing.


    Was there any reality where a man who had lost his reason would stab me gently? Wasn¡¯t it only logical that he had to recover his mind for him to be considerate of me?


    Of course, it seemed that he wouldn¡¯t have any consideration since he was already betrayed and angered, but it was better to be able to think. As time passed, it felt as if my smile was getting bigger.


    The voice continued to be heard. If there was a minor problem, it was that the channel was connected to themand.


    Since I didn¡¯t have the personal hand mirror, he couldn¡¯t reach me, so I felt like he just entered the channel instead. He had that much authority because it was Kim Hyunsung¡¯s mirror.


    ¡®It doesn¡¯t matter though¡­¡¯


    Even though it was themand frequency, only a few were included in the channel, including manager Kim Mi-young.


    -Kiyoung? Are you really Kiyoung?


    ¡®If I¡¯m not Lee Kiyoung, who would I be?¡¯


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    -You¡¯re okay. That¡¯s¡­ That¡¯s really fortunate.


    ¡°I am okay. By the way, you¡­¡±


    -I¡¯m sorry¡­ sniff¡­ Sorry.


    ¡®No, don¡¯t cry, fuck. The others are listening. You have to show dignity. You have to show you¡¯re strong. Fuck. Disy that you had mental growth. Fuck.¡¯


    -I¡­ I¡¯m really sorry. I screwed things up again¡­ I¡¯m sorry for running away and hiding.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to apologize. I feel relieved enough that you woke up.¡±


    -I¡¯m really sorry for making things hard for you. I¡¯m really sorry for not being strong and helpful, and I¡¯m sorry for not being able to help you with your burden. I-I just kept hiding. It seems that I have been running away from reality and turned away from what is in front of me. I was just constantly avoiding the problem even after saying that I would carry your burden with you. In the end¡­ I don¡¯t think I did anything.


    ¡®No, I got it, so stop it. They¡¯re listening. Private talks are banned in themand channel.¡¯


    ¡°Ha¡­ haha¡­¡±


    I understood the feeling of wanting to tell me how he got through the difficult situation, but I didn¡¯t know how to react except to give a nice smile.


    -I thought that I woke up on my own, but it was probably a message from you that woke me up.


    ¡®Fuck¡­ I want to leave. I want to close the channel. If I go out now, though, I will hear a voice asking after one minute, ¡®who will lead now?¡±


    If they weren¡¯t slow, it wouldn¡¯t matter if I came in 5 minutester, but manager Kim Mi-young and others in the control tower didn¡¯t even think about leaving.


    It was bothering to have them listening to such a conversation quietly.


    Kim Hyunsung, the bastard, kept talking like that as if he was out of his mind. That was a different kind of viin.


    -Yes. I mean the message that you told me not to die and to wake up. Thank you very much. Really¡­ Thank you.


    ¡°Haha¡­ Yeah¡­ Yes. Naturally¡­ Yeah¡­ Anyway, I¡¯m d you woke up.¡±


    -And¡­


    ¡®No, please stop, fuck. Really. Just do verse 1, man.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t want to cut off the words of a guy full of emotions and feelings that he would do verse 2 to verse 3 if I kept listening, but I had to speak quickly.


    ¡°I think it would be better to catch upter. Some things havee in front of us, and this is not a personal channel.¡±


    When one cut it, they should definitely cut it off thoroughly.


    -Ah¡­ Yes.


    His voice sounded a little depressed, but he had to be aware that he did something wrong.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how fortunate it is for you to be waking up like this.¡±


    -No. I¡­ what I did¡­


    ¡®Ah, this is getting longer again.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you a littleter.¡±


    -Ah¡­ Yes.


    ¡°Manager Kim Mi-young?¡±


    -Yes, Vice Guild Master. This is manager Kim Mi-young. Guild Master, congrattions on your sessfuleback.


    -Yeah¡­ it¡¯s been a while, manager.


    -I wanted the two of you to talk a little longer, but the situation isn¡¯t in the best condition¡­


    ¡°No, I understand. And this channel wasn¡¯t designed to have private talk anyway.¡±


    ¡®Did you hear what I said?¡¯


    -¡­


    ¡®Now you realized you made a mistake, right? You were out of your mind since you just woke up, right?¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung seemed to be regretting even based on what I saw through the telescope.


    -I¡¯m going now.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have toe. Don¡¯te. Wait at the wall instead. You will be nearby anyway.¡±


    -What?


    ¡°I¡¯m not telling you not to join the battle. The wall ising over anyway.¡±


    -Ah¡­


    -You knew, Vice Guild Master.


    ¡°Yes. I wasn¡¯t sure, but I was able to get the rough idea. I didn¡¯t think you woulde in like this. Most of all, I didn¡¯t think Hyejin would make such a bold decision¡­¡±


    -She struggled a lot.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    It must¡¯ve been really hard if even she knew about it.


    When I recalled that she was struggling with Dominions, the Soul Stealer, in that difficult situation, I began to doubt Lee Jihye¡¯s personality again.


    ¡°I¡¯ll send you the data you need. For now¡­¡±


    -Yeah.


    ¡°It would be right to send you a rough map of the temple. The location is not correct, but the control room, or the ce assumed to be the control room, will be marked separately and sent. If you block the ce that continues to supply the divinity to the temple¡­¡±


    -I understand.


    ¡°Since I haven¡¯t been to all the ces, there is a high possibility that the confirmation of some ces is uncertain. In addition, I¡¯ll send you the location of the current troops. Manager Kim Mi-young, please take charge of it. How are the preparations going on the wall?¡±


    ¡°Have you memorized this entire temple map?¡±


    ¡®This bastard Park Deokgu can¡¯t even remember that I memorized the road in the tutorial dungeon.¡¯


    As in the tutorial dungeon, I couldn¡¯t mark the location with arrows, but if I wandered around a ce for a long time, I could memorize it.


    Of course, I couldn¡¯t make a map, but some rough information was in my head.


    -I checked, Vice Guild Master.


    ¡°What is the situation on the wall?¡±


    -We are already ready to enter the battle. Just in case the operation fails¡­


    ¡®Did you have insurance?¡¯


    Knowing that there were so many preparations put me in a good mood.


    -I have sent the map of the temple to each unit.


    ¡®Yes, I noticed.¡¯


    I could see that they suddenly changed their movements through the telescope as they continued to receive data from the control tower.


    New generals from the Republic and the strongest ones of the Union were constantly moving.


    The fieldmanders on the scene were constantly tapping on the Goddess¡¯s Mirror, and they seemed distracted by processing the new information they suddenly obtained. Park Deokgu also started running without hesitation.


    The unit, led by Alps, didn¡¯t really need that kind of data, but it was better to have it than not to have it. It even showed that the troops were moving in real-time.


    As I lifted the telescope a little further away, I began to see all parts of the temple.


    It had been a while since I concentrated that much that it made my eyes and head throb.


    It probably wasn¡¯t just me who was busy. Even in the control tower, I thought they would be busy processing the information I was sending.


    The battlefield was changing from moment to moment, and they had to quantify the data to convey the right information to the fieldmanders.


    Everything was happening in real-time.


    I didn¡¯t see it through the telescope, but I could imagine what the control tower would look like. People must¡¯ve been stuck in front of hundreds of Goddess¡¯s Mirrors and kept tapping in the air.


    ¡°Deokgu, give me a few more mirrors. Give me yours too.¡±


    ¡°O-Okay.¡±


    It was only right for me to continue helping. After levitating some hand mirrors with magic power, I tapped my fingers without hesitation.


    Afterpleting the mission, the Friendship Guild established the path to join other troops.


    I could see Raphael, who was sent in advance, leading the guys and moving. The same went for the heroes of the first round. They had already run into the second control room.


    Although surrounded by enemy troops, there were troops around them who could help.


    It didn¡¯t mean that the small ones couldn¡¯t do anything. Those with somewhat lower stats moved while avoiding battle and were installing eyes in the temple.


    The dark map was gradually revealed, and more and more data came into the Goddess¡¯s Hand Mirror.


    The pigeons were perplexed. In that kind of battle, the difference between the presence or absence of the control tower was revealed.


    ¡®Ah. What was your brain doing? He must still be fighting excitedly.¡¯


    There probably hadn¡¯t been that much development yet, so I¡¯d check it outter.


    Oh, I had something to check in my spare time. As soon as I sent a personal message to Yuno Kasugano, the hand mirror rang.


    [Yes. The future has not changed.]


    ¡®Ah, I need to take some anesthetic potion. I should prepare the tears and the runny nose too.¡¯


    The time for Kim Hyunsung to stab Lee Kiyoung was approaching.

 Chapter 745: To The End (3)

    <h4>Chapter 745: To The End (3)</h4>


    ¡®I don¡¯t want Cherubim to change.¡¯


    ¡®What are you trying to say?¡¯


    ¡®I am telling you that there is no need to change.¡¯


    ¡®I don¡¯t need your advice.¡¯


    ¡®I didn¡¯t say anything great enough to be a piece of advice. I am notpelling you to ept it. You can let it in one ear and out the other. You know that everything I say is like that.¡¯


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡®It seems like you guys have changed a lot.¡¯


    ¡®We do not change.¡¯


    ¡®No. Thronus, Dominions, and Seraphim have changed. I don¡¯t know why, but you all changed little by little. Perhaps it¡¯s because of the long war. Maybe you were influenced from the outside¡­ maybe influenced by somewhere nearby¡­ maybe it¡¯s because you looked directly into the lives and deaths of humans. They are beautiful, aren¡¯t they?¡¯


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡®They are dazzling. The possibilities they have, their finite lives, and their desires are all filled with elegance and beauty. Maybe others have felt the same thing. We usually admire those who are different from ourselves. I thought it would be the same for you. Even if you pretend not to, you must be longing for their imperfections.¡¯


    ¡®It¡¯s not worth hearing this. If you keep talking like that, just get out of here. I have no intention of responding to your bullsh*t.¡¯


    ¡®Maybe everyone is thinking like that. They want to resemble humans. At least, even if it¡¯s not you, there are others who probably think that way.¡¯


    ¡®No, we¡­¡¯


    ¡®Will I be wrong?¡¯


    When I searched my memory, I thought that the human¡¯s words might be right at the time.


    The reason I stopped talking for a moment was probably that I felt he hit the right spot.


    At some point, Seraphim began to imitate human behavior, or, to be precise, that human¡¯s behavior. Meanwhile, Dominions began to take an interest in their culture.


    Randomly reading books or looking into their lives had already been a daily routine for her.


    Thronus was no different. He began to absorb human armaments, human martial arts, their objects, and theirbat methods.


    I didn¡¯t know how surprised I was when Thronus, who used to have the weakest body, collided his sword with mine.


    There was a change. There was definitely a change.


    We had been together for an innumerable length of time, but we had never seen or felt such a sudden change. The change was sudden, radical, and brilliant.


    Maybe he was right. I couldn¡¯t deny that I wanted to change too, after all. No, maybe I had already changed.


    ¡°A tie.¡±


    A bond. It was definitely a strange string that connected humans¡­


    I might have already changed since I was interested in that string.


    For example, it might be the emotion that the two people in masks had toward each other or the emotions felt by humans with their backs on each other on the battlefield.


    I felt that their recklessness, grasping each other¡¯s hands when dying, choosing to end their lives to protect their colleagues, or going into dangerous ces for their loved ones even though they knew it would lead to their deaths, all came from a sense of a bond.


    Thronus might¡¯ve also felt a bond with him. I thought maybe Thronus was the only one of us who realized about the string.


    Did we have that?


    I asked myself that question, but I couldn¡¯t easily answer it.


    We literally were just born and existed together.


    We didn¡¯t end our lives for each other, and we didn¡¯t exchange emotions. Although there were pros and cons of opinions and confrontations about them, although we formed groups, we felt different from humans.


    I couldn¡¯t define it exactly, but I thought the feeling of bonding didn¡¯t drive us.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Seraphim, Thronus, Dominions. And then there was me.


    ¡°Were we¡­ Were we connected? Have we ever been connected?¡±


    ¡®I do not know. I don¡¯t think I can answer anything. But one thing is certain: Cherubim shouldn¡¯t change.¡¯


    ¡°S¡­ Shut up.¡±


    ¡®We also need someone who has to keep the bnce. If you are a higher-ranking being, you should be the one to do that. As you know, humans are imperfect. Having to manage them must inevitably mean bing inhuman. Think about why the continent was so broken, Cherubim. Don¡¯t you already know? The reason that the continent was destroyed is that gods resembling humans exist and reign. That¡¯s the first button that¡¯s misced in the current dimensions.¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s because the gods resembling humans are in control of this continent. They cannot be free from their emotions. They sympathize, cherish, and even love humans. Does that make sense? The gods who are supposed to be observers have personalities. Haha. Those gods have always been involved in the lives of mortals.¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®There was even an event to reduce the number of them, right? The continent has always worked like that in history. Natural disasters, wars, demon invasions, and humans were born with such fates. It was always those gods that prevented continental crises. They restrained themselves not to intervene directly, but they have always tried to protect humans indirectly anyway. It has always been them that lowered the Holy Sword to the warrior, calmed down natural disasters, and imparted wisdom to prevent humans who were born with a natural destiny. Yes. They, too, are imperfect. Even though they know what will benefit the continent, they get caught up in private feelings and hurt their cause.¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®But that shouldn¡¯t happen anymore. If you say that even you are pursuing change, the continent will not be different from before.¡¯


    ¡°I¡­ I won¡¯t listen to you, you ugly demon.¡±


    I felt my vision gradually blur. I made a bitter smile when I saw the illusion wearing a mask constantly talking to me.


    I thought I would be different and could get out of it, but I realized it wasn¡¯t as easy as I thought it would be.


    The advice he gave in the past might have already gotten into my mind. The demon¡¯s cunning tongue continued to torment me even at the end.


    ¡®But, Cherubim has changed. In the end, you changed.¡¯


    ¡°It¡­ It was because it seemed that I was obeying you. That upsets me.¡±


    ¡®I don¡¯t know. The reason doesn¡¯t really matter, does it? What¡¯s important here is that you have changed.¡¯


    The man in the mask came closer and smiled brightly. I knew it was an illusion, but I couldn¡¯t help but stagger and swing my scythe. Of course, the illusion disappeared, releasing its shape.


    ¡®That¡¯s why you are dying.¡¯


    ¡°Bullsh*t.¡±


    ¡®If you had remembered what I said before, you wouldn¡¯t have ended up like this. Your strange obsession with strings caught your ankle. It was not me, but Seraphim, whom you had to swing your scythe so vigorously against. You could do that, right?¡¯


    ¡°I¡­ definitely have said I can. I just didn¡¯t like the way I acted listening to you.¡±


    ¡®If I wanted your death, I might have considered even your tendency to do the opposite. Haha.¡¯


    ¡°M-Maybe so, but I am different you filthy demon. I¡­ I wasn¡¯t caught by your cunning tongue. It was my will to cut Seraphim¡¯s neck. I just thought I wanted to do that. No matter how much you want to joke with me, that doesn¡¯t change.¡±


    ¡®Why?¡¯


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know myself.¡±


    ¡®I think I can tell. Didn¡¯t you mutter before? You said, ¡°Seraphim, Dominions, Thronus, and me.¡± One thing I¡¯m certain of is that it seems that the thing you call bond has grown inside Cherubim. Siblings¡­ born together and decided to share the same fate. Yes, the subtle bond between brothers and sisters caught your ankle.¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®But, you know? I think I¡¯ve said it once before¡­¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®The dictionary meaning of the word bond is a mutual feeling, a string and a belt that are closely connected to each other, and to connect orbine two or more with one another. Unfortunately, it seems that Seraphim didn¡¯t feel a bond with you. Haha.¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®I¡­ I think this bond is meaningful only when it is mutual. Emotions are meaningful only because they can be used tomunicate. No matter how much you talk about bonds, it will be in vain if others don¡¯t feel that way. That¡¯s no different than saying that you feel a bond with the wall. In the end, it¡¯s a meaningless dead end, just like what I told you.¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®You should be perfect and not change. After all, you¡¯re just an idiot. Your face doesn¡¯t look good. Do you regret it?¡¯


    ¡°No¡­ I¡­ I do not regret it.¡±


    I asked myself once, but the answer was still there. I wasn¡¯t sad, and I wasn¡¯t in pain. Rather, I felt a bit numb.


    The only thing I regretted was that I couldn¡¯t pull out that demon¡¯s tongue. As I uttered those words, I didn¡¯t think of anything other than that. There was no regret in giving Seraphim¡¯s end or in not stopping him.


    I didn¡¯t know why. I couldn¡¯t urately express what emotion I was feeling.


    ¡®Still, why are you making that face?¡¯


    It was probably because of curiosity. I was satisfied with the fact that I took another step in resisting the demon¡¯s words, but there were still questions.


    ¡°The bond.¡±


    I didn¡¯t realize what it was. I didn¡¯t even know what it was.


    ¡®People like you probably will never realize it.¡¯


    Maybe so.


    ¡®That¡¯s funny. What you regret at the end is not a dream, but a personal curiosity.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t expect that either. However, the remaining task woulde true. We were born as tools, after all.


    ¡®It hurts that no one can shed a tear for you.¡¯


    ¡°We don¡¯t dwell on that. I am not afraid of that. I¡¯m not afraid to disappear like this. We don¡¯t feel the fear of death. Even if the end hase, I just ept it calmly.¡±


    Humans wouldn¡¯t understand, but it was a shame. I should¡¯ve lived a little more as I wanted to.


    ¡°I thought it wouldn¡¯t be the case, but what you said became a bane to me. No matter if you wanted me to change or not, I curse you.¡±


    ¡®No matter what you think, you can¡¯t deny that your end will be disgraceful. You still can¡¯t get what you want.¡¯


    Booooooooooooooooooooom!!


    ¡°Haha. It¡­ It won¡¯t work the way you want.¡±


    It was the sound of a huge explosion that awoke the body that was about to fall asleep. Of course, I naturally turned my head.


    Although my body had lost all its strength, I unbelievably managed to stand up.


    I heard a familiar voice. It was an unweed one, but it was also the most weed at that moment.


    ¡°What? Blue-hair. You didn¡¯t die, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, but your body¡¯s not well.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Well, the situation right now is not leisurely enough to look at other people¡¯s circumstances. It is in its own state that it can be exhibited. I can¡¯t tell you to recuperate ande back.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not good to say it¡¯s a substitute, but I¡¯ll bnce it. Is this enough? Ah¡­ It hurts more than I thought.¡±


    ¡°Still stupid.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t your business. So, are you ready?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have any final words?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    What I saw was a red beast that had injured its own body.


    ¡°It won¡¯t be that bad in the end.¡±


    Maybe that beast was feeling the same as me.

 Chapter 746: To the End (5)

    <h4>Chapter 746: To the End (5)</h4>


    ¡°You have prepared it thoroughly.¡±


    -It would¡¯ve been impossible if the Vice Guild Master hadn¡¯t returned.


    ¡®How can our manager Kim Mi-young say only such pleasant words?¡¯


    In fact, she was right. It was an operation that couldn¡¯t be established without me in the first ce.


    ¡°How¡¯s Hayan?¡±


    -She¡¯s already chanting the incantation.


    ¡°At just the right timing.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t certain, but I thought we could do it in time at such a pace.


    But it took two to tango. I could bet that it wouldn¡¯t have felt like things were working in the right way if it weren¡¯t for a solid, conceptualmand.


    I naturally looked at the situation by tapping on the Goddess¡¯s Hand Mirror at manager Kim Mi-young¡¯s affirmation.


    I felt that the divinity surrounding the northern region was slowly fading. I had some doubts, but her judgment wasn¡¯t wrong.


    Considering that some of it had beenpletely lifted, it wouldn¡¯t be bad to chant the spell in the current state.


    They might¡¯ve been making simr judgments with me in the control tower, but maybe¡­


    ¡®They want to be sure.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t want to bet on the uncertain side either.


    ¡°I¡¯ll send the troops who have finished their mission to escape an order to retreat. Please organize additional troops headed for areas that haven¡¯t yet been resolved on themand side.¡±


    -Yes, Vice Guild Master.


    ¡®Most of the little things have been resolved. Are only the big matters left now?¡¯


    Jihye would probably solve the situation where Dominions and Cho Hyejin were filming a drama¡­


    I didn¡¯t think we were running out on time.


    I felt that the pigeons¡¯ control tower still wasn¡¯t being built.


    I even felt that some of their troops were confused.


    Just as Cherubim and Seraphim were upied with each other, the elder pigeons were likely to be hostile against their own kind as well. They were probably talking on the table about who brought humans over. I didn¡¯t even have to look through the telescope.


    -The operation was sessful.


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    -The Friendship Guild haspleted their mission and has joined the others. Raphael is also on the move.


    ¡®That¡¯s so good to hear.¡¯


    -It seems that the Garrosh & Cash Guild and the Love America Guild have also seeded in reaching major points, and they¡¯re currently engaged in battle. Forces from the Republic are expected to join too.


    ¡®Yes, I can see that.¡¯


    -The mission in Area 67 has beenpleted.


    ¡°Yes. I checked.¡±


    -The ck Swan Guild is returning afterpleting their task. Do you have any separate instructions?


    ¡°No. The ck Swan Guild should return as quickly as possible.¡±


    -Okay.


    As time passed, divinity continued to fade.


    ¡°If you have any other specifics, please keep reporting.¡±


    -Will do.


    It was then that a little unexpected report came in.


    -Vice Guild Master, there has been a report that the Mercenary Queen will start a battle with Cherubim. I received a message that you don¡¯t have to send a separate support force¡­


    ¡°What? When¡­¡±


    -Just now.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    It seemed that the bout between Cherubim and Seraphim had ended faster than I thought.


    ¡®Did the blue-hair win?¡¯


    I thought they¡¯d be fighting each other for at least a few hours. Hence, I had to admit that things got a bitplicated.


    I turned my gaze immediately. As reported by manager Kim Mi-young, I saw Cha Hee-ra and Cherubim staring at each other.


    The most striking thing was Cherubim¡¯s current state. I didn¡¯t know exactly what¡¯s going on, but his body didn¡¯t look well. No, he was already dying.


    I immediately looked around him, but I couldn¡¯t see Seraphim. I immediately realized what the current situation was.


    ¡®Seraphim won. Hee-ra came to deliver the final blow.¡¯


    One small problem was that Cha Heer-a was hurting herself.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    -Yes?


    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing.¡±


    ¡®Ah, why are you doing something cool again? Really. You just need to give the final blow quietly, but why¡­¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®What will you do if you lose?¡¯


    Of course, I didn¡¯t think Hee-ra would lose. As I said earlier, Cherubim seemed to be dying already.


    I didn¡¯t know if Cha Hee-ra noticed that, but he didn¡¯t have a body that could recover by itself.


    No, there was a possibility, but he was eating away the possibility himself. It was like burning up again after the candle had consumed all of its wax.


    Honestly, Hee-ra was a little cool, but she didn¡¯t have to prepare for a fair fight against her rival based on his condition.


    ¡®I¡¯m the only one who thinks of this continent, fuck.¡¯


    She was like a gamer who chose hard mode to fight for her own fun. Considering that the continent¡¯s fate depended on it, her choice was bound to feel disturbing from my perspective.


    -Haha! This is fun, blue-hair.


    -¡­


    However, the way she fought made me feel awe. Leaving Cherubim aside, Cha Heera made me doubt whether she was even human.


    Her eyes were bing redder, and it was visible that she was trying to let go of her reason.


    When she grew silent as if starting her engine, no other sound could be heard other than explosions and shouts.


    The battle between skills has already passed. Considering that Cherubim was smiling amid it, it seemed that they were feeling a bond with each other that I wasn¡¯t aware of.


    Maybe it was simr to the feelings Jin Qing and I had for each other.


    The praise and reverence to the opponent he recognized, the respect for the existence of someone with simr power, the excitement in participating in such a fight, and the bitterness of knowing that his end woulde as a result.


    It might¡¯ve been a little different, but the two looked like they were genuinely enjoying it.


    Booooooooooooom!


    Craaaaash!


    However, one small problem was¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s such a waste, the research facility. Such a pity.¡¯


    Theypletely smashed the surrounding area. It was the same as in their first match. During the second match, the terrain was alsopletely changing, causing theb to lose its usefulness.


    I could tell at that moment just how quietly Seraphim and Cherubim fought.


    -¡­


    -Are you having fun?


    -What are you talking about, red beast?


    -You are smiling now, blue-hair. What? Is it fun?


    -I don¡¯t get you.


    No, he clearly did.


    Booooooooooooooooom!


    Maybe he had to admit it too.


    -What would you like to do, Vice Guild Master?


    ¡°Keep support troops nearby, but far enough, so they don¡¯t get caught. I don¡¯t think I have time to worry anyway¡­¡±


    As time passed, his smile grew more and more.


    His long hair was already a mess. Unlike before, when he had his hair tied neatly, the current guy didn¡¯t seem to care about that.


    It didn¡¯t look like dystrophy or anything, and the objects attached to his face or body didn¡¯t seem to bother him.


    A huge scythe and an ax collided. As soon as the weapons bounced off, I watched Cherubim hit Cha Hee-ra with his head.


    -Hahahaha!


    Cha Hee-ra was also simr. After grabbing his long hair, she immediately hit his face with her elbow.


    Baaaaang!


    There was a sound of an explosion, but they didn¡¯t step back. The scene felt like I was really with them.


    It didn¡¯t seem like a fight between a human and an angel, but a fight between beasts. No, it was more like mythical beasts was shing.


    Cherubim called Cha Hee-ra the red beast. In my opinion, he was worthy of being called the blue beast.


    He was burning hisst vitality as if vomiting everything that was holding him down.


    I thought he was a cold guy, but he wasn¡¯t. Wasn¡¯t he the same as Hee-ra, too?


    A zing me.


    A fire that was never going to go out.


    I couldn¡¯t understand how he was holding down fire like that until now.


    Still, those mes also faded. Whether he wanted it or not, he had passed his limits.


    ¡®Hee-ra can¡¯t lose, can she?¡¯


    They were struggling with each other, but he was the one who ended up stepping back, the one who couldn¡¯t get up, the one who eventually copsed, stumbled, andy on the ground pathetically.


    The red beast spoke to the blue beast, spitting out bloody phlegm.


    That was the moment when anyone would¡¯ve uttered mocking lines, but the red beast¡¯s face looked serious.


    -It¡¯s a shame.


    They were different from Jin Qing and me.


    -Right¡­ it¡¯s a shame, red beast.


    -So, do you feel a bit refreshed?


    -Yeah. Maybe so.


    -How do you feel?


    -I don¡¯t know exactly. It was us who didn¡¯t put much meaning on ending life or disappearing by nature, but¡­ I think I know why humans are so obsessed with the end. But I have no regrets. It felt like I had let out everything that was inside me, but bond¡­ yes. I thought I could understand what a bond is.


    -A bond?


    -I don¡¯t know exactly. I don¡¯t know what to say, but I feel like you have something like I have. It¡¯s funny that we¡¯ve never had a conversation and that I felt that kind of feeling with a human like you, but the whole time I shed against you, that was the only thing I could think of. No, it¡¯s all just bullsh*t from someone dying, so you don¡¯t have to take it seriously.


    -That¡¯s mutual. I don¡¯t know exactly what you¡¯re talking about, but I can¡¯t deny that you and I are alike. I think it could be interpreted as a sense of bond if I have to, but I want to say this. We are of the same kind, blue-hair.


    -The same kind¡­


    -Yeah, the same kind. I knew it from the first time I saw you. The way you look now is proof of that. You try to hide it, but there are things you can¡¯t. I don¡¯t feel like it¡¯s something you acquired. Rather, it¡¯s an innate nature. Well, in the end, you also have it.


    -We weren¡¯t designed and born that way¡­


    -I don¡¯t care about that. That¡¯s why you and I are of the same kind, and that¡¯s why you felt like we bonded. So did I. Honestly, I think I felt simr to you. I wanted to fight a little more, but it¡¯s a shame.


    -Right. It¡¯s¡­ a shame.


    -What do you think? Do you want me to stay with you until you pass? I could do that much.


    -Ha¡­ haha. You don¡¯t have to. I just want to close my eyes like this. It¡¯s not something I can say as a recement for that offer, but¡­ I have¡­ I have a request to make to someone of the same kind.


    -What?


    -Can I¡­


    -You have some gust. They usually don¡¯t listen to a request just because they are of the same kind.


    -I know¡­ I¡¯m asking too much, but¡­ please¡­ take care of my siblings¡­


    -¡­


    -¡­


    -That¡¯s¡­ out of my abilities, blue-hair.


    -¡­


    -¡­


    -Then¡­ I can¡¯t help it.


    He quietly looked at the ceiling and opened his mouth.


    I couldn¡¯t understand what the blue beast was thinking or why he muttered it, but he still said their names even in the end.


    -Seraphim, Dominions, Thronus, and me¡­ Ha¡­ haha¡­


    -¡­


    -Seraphim¡­ Dominions, Thronus, and me¡­


    -¡­


    -Seraphim, Dominions¡­ Thro¡­ nus¡­ and¡­ and me¡­


    The red beast turned her back against him.


    -Sera¡­ Domi¡­ nus¡­ me¡­


    -We¡¯re really of the same kind, bastard.


    -Thro¡­ nus¡­ a¡­ an¡­ and¡­


    Amid that beautiful ce of struggle and fierce war¡­


    I could see my bag rolling, all ragged and tattered.


    ¡®Gosh, I think I left the anesthetic potion¡­¡¯

 Chapter 747: To The End (5)

    <h4>Chapter 747: To The End (5)</h4>


    ¡®I think I really left it¡­ that¡¯s a problem.¡¯


    I tried to capture Cherubim¡¯s end, who died as he called his siblings, but I couldn¡¯t concentrate on anything other than the bag ced near him. It was torn to pieces so much that I could no longer recognize its shape, seemingly representing my feelings.


    I could tell without looking inside. It was probablypletely ??smashed. How could my bag be safe when even theb surrounded by divine energy was ruined?


    Cha Hee-ra, who was walking after turning her back, also looked again as if the bag caught her eyes.


    ¡®Ah¡­e to think of it, she also wanted to get that bag before.¡¯


    I felt happy that she checked its condition instead of me. If the item¡¯s property was maintained, maybe there was hope¡­


    -Ah¡­ it¡¯s all in pieces.


    As if confirming there was no hope, she just threw it away.


    I didn¡¯t even need to send a message to Heera to ask. One of Kim Hyunsung¡¯s collections had alreadypletely lost the function of a bag. As she said, it was already in pieces.


    ¡®Fuck¡­ My alchemy kit was also in it.¡¯


    It was so ridiculous that I wanted to recreate it, but I couldn¡¯t.


    ¡®It was a legendary-grade alchemy kit¡­ The dragon breath potion and the bomb of light potions were all there too.¡¯


    No, honestly, that was okay. I didn¡¯t wee the situation where I had to use the battle potions. The most important thing was the anesthetic potion.


    ¡®Ah¡­ Fuck. What should I do?¡¯


    Should I just go in without it?


    Wouldn¡¯t it be okay to go in without it? I had enduredparable pain so far. Honestly, even at Ito Souta¡¯s incident, I went in without an anesthetic potion¡­ It was easy to use my body carelessly¡­


    However, Lee Kiyoung from that time and the current Lee Kiyoung were different. I honestly couldn¡¯t even remember how Lee Kiyoung felt in his early days, filled with the desire to somehow survive.


    Did they say that when there was enough to eat, and life became easy, the ones who changed were humans? It isn¡¯t a pleasure to be stabbed in the stomach; Light Kiyoung had long been freed from such hardships.


    ¡®Ah, didn¡¯t I put one in the room?¡¯


    It was then that my head shed momentarily.


    ¡°What? Something went wrong?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ Anyway, I¡¯ll have to stop by somewhere and go.¡±


    ¡°Is it near? It looks like Hayan will summon it soon¡­ Never mind, you already know that better than anyone.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not too far from here anyway. Let¡¯s go quickly.¡±


    ¡°Ahem. Seeing you say it like that, it looks like you¡¯ve hidden some secret weapon.¡±


    ¡®It is a secret weapon.¡¯


    A secret weapon that would allow me to me get into the mood. If I were in pain, I wouldn¡¯t be able to concentrate on the scene where I had to shed some tears.


    If there were a hole in my stomach without anesthesia numbing down the pain, time would probably run out just with me screaming. There wouldn¡¯t be any time for a final goodbye.


    ¡®Wow, fuck. Thinking this way, Cherubim is really great.¡¯


    If I were him, I could bet I would¡¯ve rolled around.


    ¡°Exactly how much time is left?¡±


    ¡°About an hour.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough time.¡±


    ¡®It must be there, right? I would have left it there, right?¡¯


    The pigeons might¡¯ve scoured my room, but the anesthetic potion would probably be fine. It was hidden properly. How could they find it?


    When I poked Park Deokgu¡¯s forearm, he changed direction like a bull. It didn¡¯t take too long to get to the destination.


    ¡°Where?¡±


    ¡°Just go a little more.¡±


    After entering the room, I began to check the interior immediately, and as expected, traces of pigeons were noticeable.


    I couldn¡¯t even think of it as a room already, but in fact, it didn¡¯t matter what happened to it.


    When I tapped on the floor, the lock was dismantled, and the ground cracked, revealing a small warehouse.


    Park Deokgu, who hade in with me, was snooping around like he was amazed. He soon saw me and nodded.


    ¡°Did you hide it here?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I have a few for emergency use.¡±


    Three dragon breath potions. One bomb of light potion. In addition to that, it was where items I thought were necessary for survival were collected and stored.


    Although the size was too small to be called a warehouse, I still couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    ¡®After all, fuck, the one who is prepared wins. Oh, I also kept a spare bag.¡¯


    If there was a small problem, it was that I couldn¡¯t see the anesthetic potion.


    I tried rummaging around to see if it would be further inside, but the green potion I thought had been stored wasn¡¯t there.


    ¡®What the fuck. Why isn¡¯t it here?¡¯


    The advanced healing potions and mana recovery potions were all there. In addition to the advanced alchemy potion set from the survival kits, and catalysts that weren¡¯t officially sold were there.


    ¡®Where is it?¡¯


    I wondered if I hadn¡¯t stored just that one, but it couldn¡¯t be.


    Of course, it didn¡¯t take long before I realized what was going on.


    ¡°Wow¡­ Fuuuck¡­¡±


    ¡°What is it now?¡±


    ¡°I really¡­ That¡¯s ridiculous¡­¡±


    ¡°Did something go wrong?¡±


    ¡®Lee Jihye¡­ Fuck¡­ You¡­ Really.¡¯


    If someone took it, wouldn¡¯t it be obvious who the culprit was?


    ¡°Wow¡­ Really¡­ that woman¡­ How could she do this? Fuck, you went too far. Do you have no manners? That¡¯s just wrong¡­¡±


    As I hurriedly turned my head, I could see Dominions lying down covered in scars.


    Cho Hyejin¡¯s body also didn¡¯t look well. It seemed that there a great fierce battle urred while I wasn¡¯t looking.


    No, they were still thrusting their spears towards each other.


    -R-Run away, Hyejin.


    -I can¡¯t do that.


    ¡®There was a lot of progress, really. Did the plundered soul pop out and tell her to run away? Is that what the story is? Isn¡¯t that a poor Doom Kiyoung imitation? You¡¯ve met the odds, right? No, what¡¯s the meaning behind the looted soul suddenly entering Dominions¡¯ body?¡¯


    -Run away while I hold this body down. Quickly.


    -I can never do that.


    ¡®Fuck, really. That¡¯s abominable. Seriously.¡¯


    How could a person be so disgusting? That expression seemed to fit best.


    Even if I only looked at the gist of it, I could get an estimate. That woman was also a famous person for not being able to tolerate pain. It felt unnatural to see her moving with holes drilled all over the body.


    Even if she shared the pain with Dominions and Ronove, I could bet that Lee Jihye wouldn¡¯t be able to bear that much pain.


    Her body wasn¡¯t trembling, and, honestly, she didn¡¯t seem to feel agony. Anyone could see that she had the appearance of a person who took an anesthetic potion.


    Her acting wasn¡¯t bad since her body trembled as if it were really painful, but looking at it from the point of view of someone who knew the truth, her ways were despicable.


    -Hyejin doesn¡¯t have to sacrifice for me. Yes. As this man said, I¡­ I am¡­


    -No one is not worth saving in the world. I believe in that.


    ¡®Hyejin, don¡¯t be fooled. Really¡­ You have to see that fox¡­ she¡¯s abominable. So much so that it even scares me¡­ Wow¡­¡¯


    -Didn¡¯t Jihye tell me?


    ¡®What did she tell you?¡¯


    -Sometimes¡­


    ¡®What did she say?¡¯


    -Others can feel what we can¡¯t.


    ¡®Look at those disgusting eyes.¡¯


    -We think we know ourselves best, but sometimes we don¡¯t¡­ Didn¡¯t you say those lines?


    -That¡¯s¡­


    -When you told me that, I couldn¡¯t understand what you were talking about, but I think I can understand it now. It¡¯s the same with Vice Guild Master Kiyoung.


    First of all, I liked that she mentioned me. Besides, she called me Kiyoung.


    -Vice Guild Master describes himself as a person who doesn¡¯t know how to yield, but that isn¡¯t the case at all. He is a person who is warmer and more responsible than anyone else. He knows best how to sacrifice himself for others and realizes what real concessions are.


    ¡®Ah, it¡¯s worth listening to these things.¡¯


    -The same is true for you. Although you despise and disparage yourself, you are someone much greater than you think. You are a kinder and warmer person than you think.


    ¡®That¡¯s wrong. She¡¯s really not.¡¯


    If she were kind, she wouldn¡¯t have taken my anesthetic potion.


    -I¡¯m¡­ not.


    -No. I¡¯m right. I¡¯m telling you this because I¡¯m sure of it. You don¡¯t have to disparage yourself like that. You don¡¯t have to judge yourself so negatively. It was also you who said that it is good to listen to others. You can break free. No, I¡¯ll break you free from there.


    Once again, I saw Cho Hyejin charging in with her spear.


    Dominions was revealing her true identity as if they were moving to the climax at that moment.


    Watching Lee Jihye, who said she didn¡¯t need to do that, shedding tears, and Cho Hyejin, who was filled with the tenacity to save her, made me so disconcerted that I couldn¡¯t even say anything.


    ¡®What does that woman think about people¡¯s feelings?¡¯


    Cho Hyejin didn¡¯t seem to be shaken, but she was. Although she didn¡¯t look like she¡¯d break, I knew she was barely holding on.


    Lee Jihye, who took the anesthetic potion, was unwavering. She was just telling her to run away or that it was okay now, but she honestly didn¡¯t look okay at all.


    No, thinking that was acting, I got perplexed.


    ¡®No, fuck, what can I do without my anesthetic potion?¡¯


    If even the one remaining bottle had been consumed, there was really no other option anymore.


    -Sigh¡­ Sigh¡­


    -Hyejin¡­ I¡­ don¡¯t think¡­ I can¡­


    I wasn¡¯t sure if she was even aware of how I felt, considering she was busy shooting a movie over there.


    I couldn¡¯t understand what the hell was going on. I knew it was roughly that kind of atmosphere, but it was hard to keep up with the development.


    One thing was certain. Cho Hyejin and Lee Jihye were located in thest remaining control room.


    Lee Jihye, who was quick-witted, guided Cho Hyejin to that ce.


    ¡®Ah¡­ fuck, this will start.¡¯


    Before even thinking about other measures, Cho Hyejin stretched out her spear. I heard a loud sound, and a message from manager Kim Mi-young came in.


    -The operation was sessful.


    ¡®No. Wait a minute. I don¡¯t think we should seed yet.¡¯


    I turned my gaze in a hurry, but Jung Hayan was already done with the incantation.


    -¡­!!


    Jung Hayan lifted her staff upward, and unrealistic sights began toe into my eyes.


    A magic circle covering the whole northern area, a huge wall that slowly began to be summoned, and heroes and continental leaders all slowly appeared.


    -Charge forth, heroes allied with the light! Let¡¯s protect the continent!


    Oscar, the revolutionary leader of the State, was the first to jump off the wall with a sword.


    ¡®No. Not yet.¡¯


    -For Benignore! Don¡¯t leave even one alive!


    Pope Basel and the Holy Knights, who were screaming at the moment, jumped into battle with desperate determination.


    ¡®Wait¡­¡¯


    -The time hase to return the favor.


    It was Pristina from a neutral country that I hadn¡¯t seen in a long time.


    ¡®What¡¯s up with you all? Why are you doing that as a group? Fuck. If you¡¯re going to return the favor, you shouldn¡¯t havee now.¡¯


    -We will win! We will never lose.


    Even the leader of the Republic shouted as if he was drunk on the continent¡¯s feeling.


    -For true unity!


    ¡®Don¡¯t be united yet. Fuck.¡¯


    Elios of the Multi-Races Association.


    -We have long forgotten many things. Let¡¯s fight to get back lost time.


    ¡®No, just forget it.¡¯


    I¡¯d rather he didn¡¯t show up, but even the lizards came.


    And¡­


    -¡­


    Even Kim Hyunsung was holding a sword and making a determined face. I could see him staring at his weapon and nodding.


    ¡®Fuck¡­ Not yet, you bastards. Not yet¡­ Hyunsung. I¡¯m not ready yet. I¡¯m not¡­¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s sword felt more threatening than usual.


    -Let¡¯s win.


    ¡®Not yet¡­¡¯


    An ideological war at the scale of myths was unfolding before my eyes.


    ¡°Fuck¡­¡±

 Chapter 748: To The End (6)

    <h4>Chapter 748: To The End (6)</h4>


    I saw giant dragons covering the sky. Their numbers were sorge that I even wondered if there were actually that many in the continent.


    Dozens of angels attempted to intercept the dragons. The chaotic and fierce battle in the air itself was an indescribable sight. Of course, it was even more colorful than the scenes mixed with graphics in the movies.


    As the number of angels became increasingly difficult for the dragons to keep in check, the elves continued to shoot arrows to assist the flying reptiles.


    Some of the angels approaching the dragons fell to the ground, and the dragons crushed their bodies with their huge fangs and ws.


    As their Breaths containing concentrated energy were fired, the pigeons immediately spread out in the air, and of course, the ones caught in the aftereffect melted immediately on the spot.


    The war situation wasn¡¯t advantageous, however. The dragons who fell because they couldn¡¯t withstand the offensive of the pigeons were also visible.


    I didn¡¯t know if I could say it was a relief, but I noticed that Dialugia was still fine, and she, like the rest of her kin, continued to release their Breaths.


    Dwarves and other races also jumped off the walls with swords and axes. I thought the best way to describe it was that they put all their effort into it. It was literally a battle that would decide the life or death of the continent.


    -Let¡¯s show our power to those demons. We have to make them realize that the united continent is powerful!


    -Attack! Attack!!


    -Don¡¯t stop moving! Keep shooting!


    -Don¡¯t back off! This is the finale!


    Since the war was happening all over the north, it became difficult to get a view even with the telescope. Large-scale battles were continuing simultaneously. The State soldiers and the Holy Knights confronted the enemy with divine power, and the soldiers of the Republic rained down magic.


    I found them beautiful, the huge explosions that were reverberating the atmosphere in quick session and the unusual colorful shes appearing everywhere. The scene in which the continent¡¯s heroes faced the enemy at their respective locations couldn¡¯t be described.


    ¡°Hyung-nim, I think we should go out quickly.¡±


    ¡®Fuck, I know that too.¡¯


    Was it just my imagination that I felt that all circumstances were forcing my sacrifice for some reason?


    I tried to buy some time, but Park, Gi, Lee, the three siblings, were already ready to escape from this ce, and they had already started to run before I could even say anything.


    ¡®Ah¡­ fuck, I think I should just go in.¡¯


    I wanted to find another way, but it was hard to do that at the moment.


    ¡®I don¡¯t have time. I have to get ready.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know when the timing woulde.


    The oue that was seen through Yuno Kasugano was turning more and more into reality. Just by the fact that dragons appeared, the puzzle was already put together.


    I still couldn¡¯t see Hee-ra fighting with a spear stuck in her, but she would run over right away since the final war had broken out. If she fought a little, she would get hurt, and that part of the scene might be a reality.


    I couldn¡¯t see Raphael, but he¡¯d probably join the outer battlefield with the Friendship Guild soon.


    Genorziah and Jung Hayan too. It was only a matter of time before Jung Hayan, who embodied tremendous magic itself, recovered her magic power and charged into the battlefield as well.


    -Jung Hayan¡­ Not yet¡­


    -No. I-I-I can do it.


    -You shouldn¡¯t, Jung Hayan. You need to recover a little more.


    She seemed to want to join the battlefield right away, but I could see her biting her lips at the pressure of the magic tower¡¯s grandfathers surrounding her.


    ¡®Right. You should rest a little more¡­ Logically speaking, if an ordinary human had used up that much magic, they would¡¯ve died instantly. One couldn¡¯t have even used it in the first ce¡­ They would burst during implementation.¡¯


    She understood better than anyone else that she was forcing herself too much, but I could bet that her break wouldn¡¯tst long anyway.


    ¡®Because she recovers magic power quickly.¡¯


    Genorziah, like the final boss, was still pretending to be stern after releasing the scams¡­ Were there three hours left until Jung Hayan fully regained her max magic power capacity? No, about five hours?


    Depending on the situation, it could be considered a long or short time.


    ¡®Ah¡­ Fuck, my anesthetic potion. Fuck¡­ Ah¡­¡¯


    I felt like I was in a situation where I had to make an avoidable decision, which made my mouth taste bitter. I kept trying to convince myself in strange directions. For example¡­


    ¡®No, but how can I convince him in such a short time. Isn¡¯t this changing in the future?¡¯


    That much.


    The question was, wasn¡¯t it that the timing should be right? Even if I arrived at Kim Hyunsung¡¯s location in time, the scenario would bepleted only when he stabbed me.


    ¡®Ah, it¡¯s so sudden that I didn¡¯t even get to organize my lines. It¡¯s too weird. I can¡¯t just blurt it out all of a sudden. I¡¯m the masked trash. It¡¯s weird if I say it like that. Will he believe me? I¡¯m sure he won¡¯t believe it, and in the end, he won¡¯t stab me. Aren¡¯t we running out of time? Fuck. Shouldn¡¯t someone be beside me and help me out¡­ I don¡¯t have enough time to prepare it¡­¡¯


    Of course, there was someone who could help. There was the pigeon who remembered what happened in the first round.


    However, if he met Kim Hyunsung¡­


    ¡®Hyunsung could lose again.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t that I didn¡¯t believe in our regressor, but in fact, Seraphim was like Kim Hyunsung¡¯s counter only by his existence. It meant that there might be an unforeseen death even before I could say anything. Of course, the current Kim Hyunsung looked a little different, but¡­


    ¡®Just no.¡¯


    Even if a situation where Kim Hyunsung confronted Seraphim was created¡­ It was doubtful if the pigeon would be like the grandfathers who spoke of old stories. Surprisingly, there was a possibility that he could do that because there was a lot to talk about¡­


    The first thing that came to mind was whether there was a need to gamble like that. It might make more sense to find another way. I could drop Kim Hyunsung to Seraphim as much as possible¡­ or I could just find another direction towards the same ending little by little. If I had to look for someone else¡­


    ¡®Who could be?¡¯


    Who wouldn¡¯t feel guilty?


    ¡®Jung Hayan?¡¯


    Maybe it was possible. She had the basic sense of guilt about Han Sora, but essentially, Jung Hayan was brazen. If tinum-colored swords stuck out, there was a high possibility that the number would be very small. The problem was¡­


    ¡®It will take a little longer for her to recover magic power.¡¯


    One of the important issues was whether I could buy enough time until she was prepared to join the battle. It reminded me that there was only one method, and there was no other way.


    As I slowly turned my head, the heated battlefield caught my eye again. Overall, it felt like they were pushing, but no one could guarantee how the current war would be overturned.


    Unlike the previous one, when the guerri warfare only hurt internally, humans openly went all in, so I couldn¡¯t carelessly disrespect them.


    Even without Seraphim¡¯s instructions, it wasn¡¯t strange if a control tower had been built by now.


    As if my thoughts were correct, I saw pigeons moving more and more organically.


    -For¡­ Varian!


    -Request for the support! Call for support!


    From the end of the temple and walls, there were signs that the war would be overturned little by little.


    ¡®I have no choice but to do this to protect the continent, fuck.¡¯


    Leaving the method aside¡­ At first, it seemed like a situation where Lee Kiyoung had to make up his mind and sacrifice.


    As I looked away, I saw Kim Hyunsung joining the battlefield and cutting down the angels. The way he was constantly swinging his sword and changing the war situation made my jaw drop.


    ¡®Wow¡­ Our Hyunsung is definitely strong.¡¯


    His sword was surely sharper, almost as if he had decided to believe in himself a little. Unlike before, when Lucifer¡¯s power was activated randomly, Kim Hyunsung¡¯s sword was currently powerful.


    I was worried about whether he was getting lost again, but I could see him opening his mouth when he got the chance.


    -Where is Kiyoung?


    ¡°I¡¯m escaping with Deokgu. Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll be arriving at the control tower soon. You don¡¯t have toe this way. First, the situation over there¡­¡±


    -Is he really okay?


    ¡°Yes. We¡¯re almost there. I think we will also meet the Mercenary Queen, so don¡¯t worry and just throw yourself into the battle. The war situation isn¡¯t that good. It¡¯s not far from where you are now¡­¡±


    -This ce will be fine.


    ¡®Not really. You need a lot of help there.¡¯


    To be honest, it looked like a battlefield where Kim Hyunsung wasn¡¯t required. Kim Hyunsung had already dealt with the intermediate-level named pigeons there, after all.


    He also knew how he could move more efficiently in such a situation. It was more advantageous to deal with those a bit stronger than to fight with regr pigeons. That was what he might think.


    No, he definitely thought he had to do something more important than that. As expected, he nodded and opened his mouth.


    -Seraphim¡¯s location¡­


    ¡®Fuck¡­¡¯


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I haven¡¯t confirmed it yet.¡±


    It was actually being confirmed, but¡­


    ¡®If I tell him again and then he loses, we will be in the same ce¡­¡¯


    -You don¡¯t have to worry.


    ¡°I¡¯m not worried¡­¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m not worried. It¡¯s aboutpatibility. Hyunsung cannot beat Seraphim. Thepatibility is too bad. Now that I have organized a unit to go there, I think it would be better to focus on the other side.¡±


    ¡®I think the Holy Sword Warrior Party is ready. Raphael is also in good shape.¡¯


    -No. It¡¯s fine. I can definitely win.


    ¡®No. You can¡¯t win. You can¡¯t win even if you reborn. Do you think you¡¯ve forgiven yourself of your sins? I¡¯m just saying, the guilt you have is a problem that I can¡¯t help you with. Of course, it could have brought you back to life, but it¡¯s just for a moment.¡¯


    The inscribed wounds in guys like Kim Hyunsung never disappeared. If I thought that the sword of judgment wouldn¡¯t fall, I wanted to tell him that it was a mistake.


    ¡°It¡¯s impossible. I think it would be better to talkter. I will contact you again once we enter the control tower. Instructions wille down from themand post for further instructions, so keep the frontline from crumbling until then.¡±


    -I can definitely win.


    ¡®Ah¡­ Yes. Yes. You will. You got the disease of the protagonists. The main characters are usually like that. You think that you can win if you re-challenge the enemy who you lost to once. But the reality is different. No means no. It¡¯s not because I¡¯m afraid to drill a hole in the ship right now, but the battle itself will not be established.¡¯


    It was then that he opened his mouth again with a serious expression.


    -If Kiyoung helps me¡­ I can win.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    It didn¡¯t mean that he could win if I cheered for him.


    -There is no way I can lose.


    I immediately understood what Kim Hyunsung was talking about. I slowly tapped my thighs with my fingers and calcted the odds, and I thought it wasn¡¯t going to be bad.


    ¡®There is a possibility.¡¯


    It was worth a try.


    ¡®If I think he can¡¯t do that during the fight, I can just send in the Holy Sword Warrior party.¡¯


    In fact, the odds of doing so were remarkably small. It didn¡¯t seem he would lose no matter how I thought about it.


    After interrupting the voice message for a moment, I immediately began to speak to Park Deokgu.


    ¡°Deokgu.¡±


    ¡°Is the conversation over?¡±


    ¡°Support me with your shield. Let me sit there.¡±


    ¡°What¡­ You mean to run in this state?¡±


    ¡°Only until we get into themand department. There are no enemies nearby anyway.¡±


    ¡°Still.¡±


    ¡°Just do it. And ask all your troops to bring all of the Goddess¡¯s Hand Mirrors they have, and ask Jeong-yeon to fix the Goddess¡¯s Hand Mirrors in¡­¡±


    ¡°Roger that, Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you came at the right time. So¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°You just need to maintain the Goddess¡¯s Hand Mirror fixed with magic power. I will check it while moving, so please stay in the position as much as possible.¡±


    ¡°Noted.¡±


    I could see the hand mirrors slowly levitating. The hand mirror with no screen then began to light up. Kim Hyunsung, reflected in the telescope, was holding his breath. He was seenughing, seemingly ready to do what he had to do. I spoke.


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit far.¡±


    -It¡¯s okay.


    ¡°I¡¯ll pick up the points.¡±


    -Okay. Let¡¯s do this. Good luck.


    ¡°You too.¡±


    I could see the vast battlefield at a nce.

 Chapter 749: To The End (8)

    <h4>Chapter 749: To The End (8)</h4>


    I saw a vast battlefield. Maps that could be said to be the entire northern part of the continent began to appear in sight.


    I couldn¡¯t read it exactly, but one thing was certain: all of those things were prepared for the single hero on the screen. It was a sight that I couldn¡¯t understand.


    ¡®What are you going to do?¡¯


    All of the situations didn¡¯t make sense.


    Why was the Honorary Cardinal taking out the Goddess¡¯s Hand Mirror and looking at the battlefield? For what was he talking about with the Blue Guild Master? Why were the Blue Guild members looking at that as if expecting something? I couldn¡¯t understand any of it.


    Of course, I had heard of it. Uncle Park, no, Captain Park Deokgu told me about it before.


    ¡®We have nothing to worry about. If hyung-nim and the Guild Master join forces, they be invincible. Honestly, I don¡¯t know how that¡¯s possible either. After some explosions, some rumbling and squeaking, everything will be solved quickly, so don¡¯t worry too much.¡¯


    It was hard to understand.


    As usual, I thought he was exaggerating, so I didn¡¯t listen, but as I watched that scene, the post I read on Benignore Net passed by in my mind.


    I thought it was a post only to get attention because Yu Dong-nick posted it, and it was a post that I forgot because it went down in a few minutes.


    ¡®What did it say again?¡¯


    It was a story about the Blue Guild Master during the war with the Republic. To be precise, it was the story of those who went through that war together.


    ¡®Did it say that the Honorary Cardinal was using the battlefield for the Blue Guild Master alone?¡¯


    I remembered that it received numerousments in a very short time. Of course, most of them were unproven and empty stories.


    That when people chanted healing spells and health recovery spells in the air, the Blue Guild Master appeared. That when an arrow was shot in a seemingly empty dimension, it pierced through the heart of the enemymander. It was like a testimony of a miracle.


    Of course, all guilds that had some size had control towers and understood what they could do very well.


    Regardless of small orrge-scale battles, they were contributing to various battles, and in fact, famous guilds often hadpetentmand posts, but¡­


    ¡®That story felt too unrealistic.¡¯


    Those who lived as adventurers on the continent would understand how empty the post was.


    Was that really possible? Didn¡¯t Iugh, saying that it was part of the continent¡¯s idolization work?


    ¡°Are you amazed?¡±


    ¡°Ah! Uncle Ahn¡­ No, Commander. I-I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°I am not rebuking you. Haha. Yes. Well, it¡¯s a fascinating sight indeed. It¡¯s not a familiar scene to me either. This is my first time seeing the Vice Guild Master like that. It¡¯s probably the first time Deokgu and Ye-ri have seen it as well.¡±


    ¡®Did he know?¡¯


    ¡°But we know what they¡¯re going to do.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°If you look at it, you¡¯ll know.¡±


    He even thought it was trustworthy. Didn¡¯t it seem that I was the one that had be abnormal?


    ¡®What the hell is that?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t want to say it was ridiculous, but it wasn¡¯t amon sight.


    The Honorary Cardinal sat with his legs crossed on arge shield, and Uncle Park was holding the shield as if he were a god.


    The Goddess¡¯s Hand Mirrors of the entire unit were rying different scenes, and the mage schr Hwang Jeong-yeon was levitating them in the air.


    The way they were moving while surrounded by protective magic and shields in case of an enemy attack looked as if they were carrying important cargo.


    I wouldn¡¯t have seen that sight if I hadn¡¯t also been part of the unit.


    The small control room¡¯s situation was like that, and the screen quickly flowed.


    ¡®What is that?¡¯


    What was reflected on therge screen made by attaching eight small Goddess¡¯s Hand Mirrors¡­


    ¡®¡­?¡¯


    It was simply andscape passing by quickly. It was like the scenery one saw when they drove a car or the scenery they¡¯d see when they got on a train.


    What was a little different was that the surroundings had changed beyond imagination, and it wasn¡¯t easy to recognize, most likely because of the screen moving so quickly.


    The reason I could notice what it was, was because of the screen next to it.


    A man moving insanely fast was disyed.


    ¡®Perhaps¡­¡¯


    It was the view that the Blue Guild Master was looking at.


    ¡®Really?¡¯


    The battlefield that Kim Hyunsung, who was called the Swordsman of Sunset, was witnessing.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    I opened my mouth in surprise, and the situation began to change from moment to moment.


    ¡°Fifth Unit. Get ready, healers. Hyunsung, you can go straight. I have sent you the location of the named target and all the expected moving lines.¡±


    I could see the Sunset Swordsman wielding his weapon.


    With each swing, the demons in angelic masks¡¯ blood sttered as they fell.


    In the blink of an eye, he had already moved to another ce. It seemed as if he was using even teleport magic.


    I could see the Blue Guild Master¡¯s body shining on the third-person screen next to it.


    -Clear.


    What was reflected in the Blue Guild Master¡¯s view was a priest of the 5th Unit looking at him with a perplexed face.


    -No¡­ way¡­


    ¡®Nonsense¡­¡¯


    Before the priest¡¯s perplexed words could be heard in the Goddess¡¯s Mirror, the Sunset Swordsman had already moved on. I thought I could finally understand the story I read in the post.


    Spreading his wings, he soared into the air while delivering multiple offensives.


    A few meters away, the light emitted by the demons was aimed at the Blue Guild Master.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t that dangerous?¡¯


    However, the Sunset Swordsman light wasn¡¯t shaken.


    Why?


    He had already been ordered to ignore it a few seconds ago.


    As the Honorary Cardinal predicted, and as the Sunset Swordsman believed, arge wall began to form in the air.


    The protection magic blocked the light emitted by the demon, and the Sunset Swordsman¡¯s light once again exited the battlefield.


    Again, the wizard¡¯s face, looking at her hand with a bewildered face, was visible.


    Of course, she made such an expression. The onlymand the wizard received was to put protective magic in the air at a set time, after all. There was no hesitation in the way he was moving like crazy.


    ¡°Enter forward base 24.¡±


    -Any sprecif¡­


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    -Yes. Clear.


    It seemed that he drove him into a dangerous ce.


    ¡®This is dangerous.¡¯


    I thought so. Even to himself, who learned the tactics in writing, the battle situation of forward base 24 seemed to be extremely imbnced. No, it was more urate to say that it was full of angels.


    That was when the view of the screen seen by the hand mirror was blurred. Nothing was reflected in it, almost as if there was fog.


    The same thing happened with the Sunset Swordsman¡¯s view. He could barely see what¡¯s in front of him, much less see even 3 meters ahead.


    I was able to quickly realize why such a phenomenon appeared.


    ¡®Eight seats from the State. Mist Summoner. Cheon Gwan-wi.¡¯


    The Honorary Cardinal must¡¯ve sent her. At that moment, I opened my mouth to the magic that covered the entire forward base 24 with fog. In an even more perplexing situation, I pulled my hair.


    It was something that I could understand by thinking a little. All I had to do was calcte the time it would take to cast a spell of that scale.


    ¡®At least 10 minutes.¡¯


    It sounded like she had chanted the incantation that took 10 minutes at least in advance. That meant¡­


    ¡®He knew it.¡¯


    The Honorary Cardinal knew. Ten minutes ago, he expected that the sunset swordsman would enter forward base 24. He knew that it would take exactly 10 minutes to get from forward base 30 to forward base 24 and that there would be no error in that time.


    The future¡­ It could only be exined by saying he was looking into the future. It made more sense to think that he was actually doing something so unreal.


    ¡®Is that possible?¡¯


    If he weren¡¯t looking at the future, that wouldn¡¯t be possible.


    Considering all the variables of the battlefield that constantly changed from moment to moment, he made the most reasonable judgment and issued orders? To someone moving at that speed?


    Was it possible to calcte and judge such a war with the human brain? No, could anyone capture something that moved like that in the first ce? Wasn¡¯t he really looking into the future?


    ¡®Look, even now¡­¡¯


    ¡°He¡¯s looking¡­ at the air.¡±


    ¡°The Vice Guild Master often looked into the air. I¡¯m not sure what he can see, but¡­¡±


    ¡®What would it be? Uncle Ahn. He must be looking into the future. Look at that.¡¯


    ¡°Sniper, get ready. Release arrows at the coordinates that I sent on my signal.


    -Yes, Blue Vice Guild Master. Long time no see.


    ¡°Right now.¡±


    -Got it.


    ¡®Look at that.¡¯


    The one who raised Dawan¡¯s reputation in long-range fighting, sniper Wi-ran, along with Mist Summoner Cheon Gwan-wi of the State¡¯s Eight Seats, fired arrows into the air.


    Over a hundred rays of light were sucked into the fog at a time. The marksman who constantly pulled his bowstring showed no doubts.


    The results immediately began to appear on the first-person screen of the sunset swordsman.


    An arrow hit the head of a demon right in front of him. The same went for two next to him.


    The fog obscured his view, but the rays of light created by the arrows continued to strike the pigeons.


    If he shot a littleter, that arrow would¡¯ve been aimed at the sunset swordsman. If the speed of reaching the point were faster, an arrow would¡¯ve been stuck in his head as well.


    He was moving without hesitation. Even in the rain of arrows created by allies and enemies, the swordsman constantly advanced through the fog.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -Clear.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -Clear.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -Clear.


    Wasn¡¯t he scared? Was he really not afraid of anything?


    A smile could even be seen in the lips of the swordsman that came through the fog.


    Looking slightly to the side, I saw the face of the Honorary Cardinal. He had a nosebleed and was smiling like a madman.


    He looked like he was having fun.


    He seemed to enjoy doing crazy things on the vast battlefield.


    The Honorary Cardinal¡¯s mouth, which seemed to be holding back hisughter, was bothering me. It was hard to imagine himughing out loud, but if I left him alone, it felt like he¡¯dugh like when he first met uncle Park.


    ¡°Forward base 21. Enter.¡±


    -Roger that.


    ¡®He ran a fifth of the battlefield.¡¯


    I thought I knew now why the map of the whole north was disyed.


    ¡°Ms. Kim! You need to get ready! We¡¯re going to go out of the temple now!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yeah, uncle Park.¡±


    ¡°Lift the shield! The shield!¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ Yep!¡±


    ¡°Lift the shield! Advance! Advance! Enemy magic on the right, enemy grenade on the right! Wizards, keep chanting the spells!!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t drive me crazy! Just go onwards, pig bastard!¡±


    ¡®Was it the Honorary Cardinal¡¯s voice just now?¡¯


    -What happened, Kiyoung? For a minute, themunication¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Do your mission.¡±


    -Roger.


    ¡°Magic iing! Magic!¡±


    ¡°Just move forward.¡±


    I looked at the side where the magic would fall and the ce where the Honorary Cardinal was, but he was still muttering. It seemed he couldn¡¯t afford to care about other things.


    ¡°Hyung-nim just told me to go ahead! Just go ahead! Just go ahead!¡±


    ¡®What? What? Really? That was a direct hit.¡¯


    ¡°Just go ahead! Advance! Don¡¯t hesitate and move forward!¡±


    ¡®Is it okay to just charge in like this, uncle Ahn?¡¯


    ¡°Go ahead. Quickly. Don¡¯t fall behind. Quickly, now. Go. Ahead.¡±


    ¡®Kim Ye-ri, really?¡¯


    ¡°Advance!¡±


    When I heard the order, I just followed it. I ran with my eyes closed, but I couldn¡¯t hear the explosion.


    As I slowly opened my eyes, I saw the back of the sunset swordsman, who hadrge horns and his huge wings spread out. He had blocked the attack that had fallen on us.


    ¡®When did youe this far¡­¡¯


    ¡°Kiyoung? Are you okay¡­?¡±


    ¡°Next.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Cleared.¡±


    Before long, he became a dot in the distance and disappeared. Kim Hyunsung and Lee Kiyoung made eye contact briefly, but soon the Honorary Cardinal looked back at the hand mirror again, and the swordsman focused on the battlefield.


    I could be sure. Those two¡­


    ¡®Are not human.¡¯


    They must¡¯ve been existences chosen by God. Otherwise, that couldn¡¯t be possible.

 Chapter 750: To The End (9)

    <h4>Chapter 750: To The End (9)</h4>


    ¡®Ah, sh*t¡­ My head hurts so much, really.¡¯


    I had already expected that it wouldn¡¯t be easy, but I had to admit that the difficulty was greater than I thought.


    ¡®Wow. Sh*t¡­¡¯


    I really couldn¡¯t afford to care about other things. In a situation where I could say that all I could do was follow Kim Hyunsung¡¯s movements, even Park Deokgu talking next to me felt annoying.


    ¡°Was that Hyunsung just now?¡±


    ¡®Didn¡¯t you just see him? Fuck. It was Kim Hyunsung.¡¯


    ¡°When did he get here¡­ I¡¯m telling you that I can¡¯t see the limit! Didn¡¯t I say this before? When the two of you are together, you¡¯re invincible.¡±


    ¡®I mean, I understand, so be quiet a bit.¡¯


    ¡°Whew¡­¡±


    ¡°Gosh! Be quiet!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Okay¡­¡±


    -What?


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    Even when my time was taken by the pig bastard for a moment, the battlefield didn¡¯t stop constantly changing.


    ¡®Fuck, I thought it would work.¡¯


    Not only did I get Elune¡¯s telescope, but there was also an increase in my intellectual stats.


    However, it seemed that I had been conceited. Wasn¡¯t it ridiculous to miss Kim Hyunsung while driving Raphael?


    It was me, not Kim Hyunsung, who wasn¡¯t prepared. The car that had some upgrades wasn¡¯t enough for a pilot named Lee Kiyoung to handle.


    Of course, I had an excuse.


    There was more space to cover.


    Kim Hyunsung, who hadrge ck wings, was no longer limited by space.


    It meant that the dirt floor wasn¡¯t the only ce Kim Hyunsung could use as a battlefield. The entire vast sky was no different than Kim Hyunsung¡¯s territory.


    In other words, I had to cover the front and back of the guy as well as the top and bottom.


    The attack could fall from the top, or an arrow coulde up from the bottom, so I felt that Icked sight.


    ¡®Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Right, fuck. That¡¯s an excuse. That¡¯s just an excuse.¡¯


    The reason why I wasn¡¯t able to use his 100% potential was my own ipetence.


    I could bet that Kim Hyunsung could move faster and neutralize enemies more efficiently.


    Up until now, I thought I was pulling everything out of him, but at that moment, I knew that wasn¡¯t the case.


    -Are you okay?


    ¡®Are you okay¡­?¡¯


    He could afford to talk. He even had the time to leisurely worry about others? Did he have enough time to see what¡¯s going on with me?


    It took only a few seconds for him to pause, but he couldn¡¯t be unaware of the consequences of those seconds and how important those seconds were.


    Wasn¡¯t it obvious? I could bet that he must¡¯ve thought he could fill the dy with his personal abilities.


    Not surprisingly, while Kim Hyunsung was speeding up more and more, it seemed like he was saying that he could still afford to do more. He was even showing an ufortable face.


    ¡®It¡¯s really annoying. Really. Are you not satisfied? Is this not enough?¡¯


    He seemed to want to say that he could move faster.


    ¡®Is this all you have?¡¯


    He seemed to be thinking like that. I wanted to increase the pace a little bit faster, but even that wasn¡¯t easy.


    It made no sense to use this tactic unless I could get 100% efficiency out of our regressor.


    Wasn¡¯t it funny? It was the control tower that limited the movement of the troops and couldn¡¯t utilize their maximum potential.


    The possibility was low, but if I were Kim Hyunsung, I might have nned to abandon Lee Kiyoung.


    ¡®Oh, Kiyoung is useless now, too. How about finding someone else?¡¯


    Of course, I knew that Kim Hyunsung wouldn¡¯t say that, but I started to get annoyed.


    ¡®Is this not enough? Even like this?¡¯


    I immediately tapped on the Goddess¡¯s Mirror. I knew that was my limit, but it didn¡¯t stop me from trying.


    I continuously transmitted coordinates and gave quests to Kim Hyunsung, who had reached the next forward base.


    I also didn¡¯t forget to capture the battlefield in my eyes. I looked at the Goddess¡¯s Hand Mirror in front of me, which was morefortable to see.


    As I turned a bit, I noticed the people setting up the control room at high speed.


    It was then that I realized that I hade down from Park Deokgu¡¯s shield and sat in a chair, but nothing changed. The things I had to do were already decided, after all.


    ¡®Right. Fuck. Was the environment too bad before? It was, right? The field of view was too narrow, and it was a temporary control room. Wait. Fuck. Wait. I¡¯ll do well this time.¡¯


    Once again, I captured the screen in my eyes. A multi-angle view that was simr to fly-like eyes entered my head at once.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t easy to process the enormous amount of information that came in instantly.


    Kim Hyunsung was constantly moving while I was running the program in my head.


    In the end, I had no choice but to give a vague quest.


    After sending Kim Hyunsung some coordinates, I tailored the situation around him for his benefit. It might¡¯ve been dangerous, like walking on a tightrope, but I should do it like that for the moment.


    -Kiyoung?


    ¡®I¡¯m sending it. Fuck, wait.¡¯


    Who was at forward base 21? Who was nearest to us? Park Yeon-joo? Was it Park Yeon-joo?


    With my one hand, I tapped the mirror, and with the telescope, I looked for the ck Swan¡¯s Guild Master.


    As expected, I saw her having a fierce battle with the pigeons.


    As in Park Deokgu¡¯s prank case, the way she continued to shoot ck armaments was certainly notcking. She was one of the State¡¯s eight seats, after all.


    ¡°Park Yeon-joo. Hyunsung is going there. As soon as he joins in, move with him to the points I have sent.¡±


    -Huh?


    There was no time to express questions. Kim Hyunsung passing by right away would¡¯ve already reflected in her sight.


    Park Yeon-joo immediately responded, and I realized I was using the Guild Master of one of the three major guilds of Lindel too easily.


    It was so organic that it was difficult to express how they connected, swinging their swords and continuing to move.


    Sometimes they scattered and stuck together, and they fought with their backs left to the other.


    While Kim Hyunsung moved forward, Park Yeon-joo followed Kim Hyunsung and threw ck daggers.


    A space that was unlikely to open began to open.


    ¡®Ah, fuck. I forgot the physical strength recovery.¡¯


    Recasting the recovery spell and buff right away was ideal, but the situation had already been missed, and there was no way to do it anymore. I should¡¯ve asked for wizardry reinforcement for the two.


    While Kim Hyunsung and Park Yeon-joo stopped moving for a moment, an enormous magic spell fell, but they didn¡¯t get caught up in the scope of the explosion.


    The wind magic cast in advance pushed them into the right ce.


    -Clear.


    -Blue Guild Master¡­


    -Long time no see, ck Swan Guild¡­ Clear¡­ Master.


    -Yeah. Seeing you standing up like this¡­


    -Clear.


    For a moment, the two gained momentum.


    While spinning around in the air, Park Yeon-joo used all kinds of splendid techniques and threw daggers in all directions, while Kim Hyunsung continued to swing his sword through the space opened up by Park Yeon-joo.


    -Hyunsung, up!


    Park Yeon-joo alerted him when she saw an enemy pigeon dropping light from the sky, but Kim Hyunsung wasn¡¯t shaken.


    The nearby magic corps had alreadypleted the protection magic spell by then. Even¡­


    Whooooooooooosh!


    Dragonic Breath shot from a distance swept away the enemy floating in the air with that sound. Park Yeon-joo¡¯s mission ended there.


    ¡®Wasn¡¯t that cool, Hyunsung? It was cool, right?¡¯


    -Please be safe, Blue Guild Master.


    -Clear.


    I could see Kim Hyunsung straightening his wings and heading into the air.


    When I calcted the positions of the arrows flying in from all directions and sent the coordinates, Kim Hyunsung flew in a circle in the air.


    ¡®Wasn¡¯t it cool? Really? It was no joke, right?¡¯


    I hoped he thought so since it was something that I borated on in my own way.


    ¡®You can move faster.¡¯


    He would be able to move faster, right?


    Whoooooooooooooosh!


    When I heard that sound, the dragon¡¯s Breath filled the sky. In the meantime, Kim Hyunsung continued to move.


    As if he knew when the Breath would pour out, Kim Hyunsung was moving one step ahead of the other pigeons in the air. By a hair¡¯s breadth, all the Breaths missed Kim Hyunsung. No, it looked like the tip of his wing was slightly burned¡­ There must¡¯ve been a very slight error.


    Well, that was a level that could be taken into ount. It would be okay. It didn¡¯t seem like Kim Hyunsung also noticed, considering there was no change in Kim Hyunsung¡¯s expression while keeping moving fast.


    Right. Fuck, his face remained unchanged.


    ¡®Is it not enough yet? Still?¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t tell how far to go about it, and I honestly just wanted to give up on the tactic Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡®How about this?¡¯


    -Clear.


    ¡®Can you move like this?¡¯


    -Clear.


    Still no change. Although there might be mistakes from my side, Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t make any. His still dissatisfied face annoyed me. I didn¡¯t know why he was so dissatisfied, but¡­


    ¡®I have to see more. I have to think faster.¡¯


    The screen, which slowly began to stretch on my fingertips, filled the entire control room.


    Large and small screens continued to show different scenes.


    ¡®Am I a little behind?¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung was performing something more of a mission than a quest. During themand system¡¯s few-second dy, the guy with nothing to do covered the rest of the way.


    ¡®Even this? Even like this?¡¯


    It seemed like a vein would burst in my eyes. My head was throbbing and spinning, but my high intellect stats didn¡¯t allow that to distract me.


    My nosebleed continued to drip, but I couldn¡¯t afford to wipe it off. I thought that if I wiped it with my forearm, my face would be covered with blood.


    ¡®Still? Still? It looks good now, right? Right?¡¯


    -I¡¯ll increase it a little more.


    ¡®This son of a bitch.¡¯


    It was no longer within my abilities.


    ¡®More than this is impossible.¡¯


    My head had already crossed the limit of eptable information. The hardware was screaming, and the fuse was about to go out.


    ¡®What do you really want me to do more than this?¡¯


    I was taking it with my head and eyes, what was happening in an entire area. It felt awkward for me to say this, but it was a feat that had already exceeded the scope of mediocrity.


    Even I wondered about whether it would be possible, so what else did I need to say? Yes. That was the limit of our tactic.


    ¡®I have to feel a little more.¡¯


    I had to, in order to enter the battlefield directly.


    I had to be in sync with Kim Hyunsung. Just as his eyes were looking at the battlefield, I had to look at where Kim Hyunsung was looking as well.


    ¡®I have to feel it with my skin.¡¯


    I needed a whole new kind of information, not just what I could see visually.


    In other words, guts. The sensation felt by the swordsman on the battlefield at its peak, the threat felt by his skin, the odor that rubbed the tip of his nose, the unconscious movement umted through experience, the texture of the floor, the flow of air, and the blood of enemies touching his body.


    I should be able to feel everything Kim Hyunsung was feeling. I needed more information at that moment.


    ¡®Is it possible?¡¯


    If it was impossible, I had to make it possible. No, I could probably do something simr to it that was possible.


    First, the view that Kim Hyunsung was looking at. What the Goddess¡¯s Mirror showed wasn¡¯t the same. What I needed was to see with his own eyes. I had the telescope. Hence, I could fix that.


    Could he split the telescope in half? If I lent him the telescope for a second, was it possible for us to look at the same ce?


    Was that possible with the remaining divinity? I felt desperate. I had been looking for a way somehow, but there was still no answer.


    It was as if I was falling behind. The feeling of moving a bit further away by a few steps over and over again consumed my pride.


    ¡®You think I can¡¯t do it?¡¯


    If it were impossible, I wouldn¡¯t even get to where I was.


    ¡®I can do it.¡¯


    It was possible with the system. No, this was what I should¡¯ve had from the start. It was the ability I should have.


    ¡®I have to do it. Give it to me. So give it out. It was originally mine.¡¯


    At this, I punched the floor in annoyance.


    [A new mythic-grade attribute has been created.]


    ¡°I knew it would be like this, fuck. Fuck.¡±


    [Mythic-Grade: Regressor Instruction Manual]

 Chapter 751: To The End (10)

    <h4>Chapter 751: To The End (10)</h4>


    What I was feeling was something really close to joy.


    I couldn¡¯t figure out how to describe the situation, but I thought it would be simr to joy. The uplifting feeling that I had felt before spread all over my body.


    The vast battlefield wasid out for me. When all the puzzle pieces fit, the primordial pleasure that humans experienced swept through my back. In fact, be it in the first timeline or the second timeline, I had never put special meaning into battles.


    It would be more appropriate to say I had no opinion about it. I really meant that. How could anyone give war a special meaning?


    Screams wereing from everywhere, and bodies were covered with sweat and blood. There were lots of heavy gasps for breath, and the fear of dying abounded. I was often exhausted after the battle, and I couldn¡¯t sleep with anxiety the night before the war itself.


    Of course, there were different kinds from time to time.


    There should be people who truly enjoyed warfare.


    The Mercenary Queen enjoyed the battle itself in the first and second timelines, so couldn¡¯t she be included in that category? I wasn¡¯t talking about the blood-crazy people wandering the battlefield.


    Cha Hee-ra, the Guild Master of the Red Mercenary, was a kind of human who really enjoyed brawls andbat. Perhaps she felt the same kind of pleasure.


    No, it couldn¡¯t be.


    She had never been through the battlefield with him. Perhaps what she felt was a different kind of emotion than mine.


    I felt that everything was organically connected. The moment I soared above the sky, I sensed the pouring Breath, but I didn¡¯t even have to turn my head. I knew it was going to pass by me.


    The dragon¡¯s Breath that passed right beside my ear swept through the angels in front of me.


    I could see a space that was unlikely to open, but I didn¡¯t lead my body there.


    The ce I had to head for wasn¡¯t there. At that moment, when the bigger space was reflected in my eyes, I felt myself moving forward as the wings soared.


    It was like I was running on an open highway. I could swing my sword without thinking.


    Although it might sound a bit exaggerated, it seemed that the enemies had given up their own vital spots. I was the only one who escaped from the light and magic that thundered forth from all directions.


    ¡®This¡­¡¯


    It was new.


    The sense of being in an unimaginably well-organized warzone felt new every time.


    ¡®It¡¯s fun.¡¯


    I was having fun on the battlefield that I hated so much that I thought it was ironic, yet it was bound to be that way. It was hard to say it¡¯s a pleasure that came from the battle itself. The only problem was¡­


    ¡®Is his body in a normal condition?¡¯


    His body wasn¡¯t in the right condition at that moment.


    ¡®Should I stop this now?¡¯


    He was someone that always put his health second, so it wouldn¡¯t be unreasonable to look like that. When I recalled his bleeding in an emaciated state, I bit my lips tightly once again.


    ¡®It is burdensome to him.¡¯


    That was a natural problem. A human was taking a huge amount of data that would¡¯ve overloaded evenputers.


    I had never heard of or seen a battlefield controlled to the point where it was close to the foresight of the future.


    It was a miracle and a feat in itself that a human realized that. Of course, I knew he was special, but¡­


    There was also a possibility that there was something wrong with his health. His body was damaged even before the war started. Maybe he had reached his limit.


    ¡®I have to make him stop.¡¯


    I thought I had to leave him alone as soon as possible, but my body continued to want to ept the sensation.


    ¡®I have to make him stop¡­¡¯


    But was that meaningful?


    ¡®Can I finish it?¡¯


    Could I put an end to this battlefield without him?


    ¡°It¡¯s impossible. It¡¯s absolutely¡­ impossible.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t justifying wanting to feel the sensation over and over again.


    It was literally impossible to end the war without Kiyoung.


    Where was I supposed to be headed? Where should I swing my sword, and where could I fight?


    The warzone spread across the northern part was vast. Even if I had umted a lot of experience, it was impossible to look at the battlefield in the same way geniuses looked at it.


    I couldn¡¯t see or understand the view that Kiyoung was witnessing. He always made reasonable judgments that had no errors and no mistakes. He didn¡¯t tolerate even the smallest things.


    He understood better than anyone how he could use the support called Kim Hyunsung.


    Without him¡­ Yes, I could win the battle against the angels in front of me right at that moment, but I wouldn¡¯t be able to win the war.


    ¡®I can¡¯t help it.¡¯


    I needed him.


    ¡®More¡­ more.¡¯


    I quickly spread my wings and swung my sword.


    ¡®More¡­ more!¡¯


    I didn¡¯t stop moving even right after I came down to the ground.


    ¡°Clear.¡±


    I took down the spear that flew in from the left.


    ¡®More¡­ I can do more. More.¡¯


    ¡°Clear.¡±


    My surroundings changed quickly. It was difficult to properly inspect the battlefield, thanks to the scenery passing by too fast.


    ¡®I can still do more. More.¡¯


    It felt like my eyes weren¡¯t keeping up with my body¡¯s speed, but it didn¡¯t matter. I had someone to be my eyes.


    ¡°Clear.¡±


    After taking a short breath, the recovery magic immediately fell on my body. It seemed that they also activated a recovery spell, but I didn¡¯t feel like I had run out of stamina in the first ce.


    It didn¡¯t mean that I wasn¡¯t out of breath. I was breathing heavily, and my muscles were screaming. However, I wasn¡¯t tired at all.


    I felt my brain already being full of adrenaline, and the pleasant sensation continued to put strength into my body as if I had entered a kind of zone.


    The wind caressing my face felt refreshing. Feeling out of breath also felt good.


    ¡®More. I can do more.¡¯


    I thought I could be faster. I thought I could be sharper.


    I didn¡¯t think I was tired, and I felt like I could fight all day long. As if I was constantly thirsty, my body continued to desire the battlefield.


    ¡®I can still do more.¡¯


    However, the quests stoppeding.


    ¡®I can move a little faster.¡¯


    No furthermand was given.


    Why¡­?


    Did I hit the limit?


    That must¡¯ve been it. Kiyoung understood what I could do and how I could move. He had aplete understanding of what kind of performance I could show. Perhaps¡­


    ¡®Is he judging that my body can¡¯t hold up?¡¯


    It was difficult to self-diagnose exactly how my body was doing. It wasn¡¯t easy to think about anything else because of my focus on wielding my sword and moving my feet.


    The warzone was wide. He might¡¯ve been thinking that I got exhausted quickly or that I should retire soon.


    ¡®I think I can do more.¡¯


    No. His judgment was correct. At that moment, the answer was to adjust the pace. However, it wouldn¡¯t be bad to increase the tension a little more.


    I wanted to say that I was okay, but it wasn¡¯t easy to speak out because I felt I would be forcing too much.


    Instead, I started to move a bit more than I wasmanded. Maybe he would see that I could afford to do a little more. He definitely would. However, no more missions arrived. In the end, I had to speak carefully. I wasn¡¯t trying to convince myself, but it seemed like the answer was to end the war like this.


    ¡°I will increase my pace a little more.¡±


    -¡­


    Still, no othermand came.


    ¡®Does he think it¡¯s impossible¡­¡¯


    Was he really judging that my body was facing its limits?


    ¡®I can still do more¡­¡¯


    I had to show that that wasn¡¯t the end.


    I still couldn¡¯t hear his voice. My mind becameplicated because I still thought it wasn¡¯t enough. It was then, as I held my sword tighter by the sudden sense of shame, that I noticed something.


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    The change started to happen slowly yet also suddenly. The first thing that became different was the view of the battlefield.


    ¡°What¡­ what¡­ the hell¡­¡±


    It felt as if I was looking at the world through the eyes of an insect. I felt a tremendous pain in my left eye and touched it, but it soon began to disappear.


    It wasn¡¯t only the front that was visible in my vision. From the side and the back, the vast battlefield and a multi-angle view entered my sights from top to bottom.


    It hurt, almost enough to break my mind, due to the amount of information that came in instantly. I came to understand everything.


    I got to know how powerful the angel in front of me was, how the war situation was going, and what I needed to do at that moment.


    The sensation of my wings seemingly be spiking swept behind my back, andpletely new feelings came as soon as it disappeared.


    Did they say that dogs gained tens of thousands of information by smelling? I thought I was currently in a simr situation.


    The breathing of the enemies, the allies¡¯ state, the cold floor, and the dried blood, the flow of air, the texture of the skin, and all the sensations I felt all at once were new.


    Among them, the newest was¡­


    ¡°Haha.¡±


    The sense of being connected with him.


    ¡°Ha¡­ Hahaha!¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure, but there¡¯s something I could feel. It was as if we were connected.


    Maybe Kiyoung was feeling the same thing. I knew everything about his breathing and physical condition as a partner on the battlefield.


    It was as if he was right behind me, in front of me, and beside me all at the same time. I removed the receiver that was plugged into my ear. I didn¡¯t need anything like it anymore.


    I was finally recognized. Finally, I could stand next to him. The sense of aplishment was wrapped around my whole body, and I had no choice but to grab my legs, which were shaking momentarily.


    -Are you okay?


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m fine.¡±


    I heard the voice that resonated inside my head rather than from my ear.


    -Are you really okay?


    I swung my sword and grabbed my head with my other hand.


    I wasn¡¯t used to the sensation of my head exploding. My left eye, which I thought was okay, kept throbbing.


    ¡®Why¡­¡¯


    I thought I could see why that genius was considerate of me.


    ¡®Kim Hyunsung¡­ Kim Hyunsung¡­ This moron. The idiot¡­ doesn¡¯t even know his ce¡­¡¯


    I was able to realize why he hadn¡¯t said those words so far.


    -You don¡¯t have to force yourself. It looks like it isn¡¯t possible yet. It¡¯s a shame, but¡­


    ¡°No. It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m fine. I can handle it. Yes.¡±


    -Let¡¯s see the status.


    ¡°I am¡­ I am okay.¡±


    -If you¡¯re tired, you can always tell me. You don¡¯t have to overdo it.


    ¡°I can do this¡­ even all day.¡±


    -If you say so¡­ I will connect in earnest.


    ¡®Is this¡­ not connected fully yet?¡¯


    -From now on, I will not send or exin the coordinates. I think you¡¯ll be able to immediately feel it.


    ¡°Yes¡­ I can feel it. I think I can feel it.¡±


    -Then¡­


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    -You can just act.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -What are you doing? Move.


    I slowly removed my hand that grabbed my left vision, and I started to smile.


    A whole new world was spread before my eyes.

 Chapter 752: To The End (11)

    <h4>Chapter 752: To The End (11)</h4>


    ¡°We will win! We are here to win!¡±


    ¡°Push them. Don¡¯t let them rise to the sky! Keep the magic up at all times!¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°Die!¡±


    ¡°Support! Support!¡±


    ¡°Lift your shields! Lift your shields!¡±


    ¡®This is dangerous.¡¯


    ¡°Don¡¯t break the line. Push it forward!¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s dangerous.¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s dangerous. Damn it.¡±


    I could see that the situation wasn¡¯t good. It was premature to predict how the battle would go, but there was a natural flow on every battlefield.


    ¡®How many ces haven¡¯t copsed yet? Are they holding on properly?¡¯


    I saw a demon throwing a spear. After lowering my head to dodge it, I immediately picked up my ax and cleaved it into his shoulder. It should¡¯ve been painful enough, but he threw a spear again without screaming. If it weren¡¯t for the fellow next to me, I probably would¡¯ve already had a spear stuck in my throat.


    I was out of breath, but for the time being, I had no choice but to keep swinging my ax. It was impossible to turn my back in the current state of war, after all.


    It was no longer possible to retreat.


    ¡®Is Oscar okay?¡¯


    It seemed that she was safe, considering I could still hear her continuous loud warcries. Still, that was merely relieving, not a sign of a hopeful situation. After all, since the frontline was broken, we could be considered to be in apletely surrounded situation.


    Perhaps at that rate, the main unit where Oscar was in would also be in danger.


    I didn¡¯t want to have sinister thoughts, but I thought this was where I would breathe myst.


    ¡°Hold on until the end. To the end! Don¡¯t copse! Never! Don¡¯t copse!¡±


    ¡°We will win! We will win!¡±


    How long had we been fighting demons? It was then that a voice came from next to me.


    ¡°Squad Commander McCree.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°We have to move now.¡±


    ¡°Where are we heading?¡±


    ¡°Where Oscar is.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°The line has alreadypletely copsed. It would be best to join them. We just need to go through the enemies. I want you to take the lead.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I will buy you some time here.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better for me to stay¡­¡±


    ¡°No. I can¡¯t entrust this kind of work to those who are still very young.¡±


    The man was once called the Imperial Sword, a greatmander who went through countless life-and-death situations and led numerous battlefields to victory. He was also the armed force that defended the imperial family.


    As I slowly looked at his face, I began to notice hisplicated expression.


    ¡°Victor Hart.¡±


    ¡°I regret it.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I regret the past. I hate to admit it, but I have no choice. Whatever his intentions, he changed the empire¡­ no, he changed the continent. I couldn¡¯t understand why Benignore chose him, but now I can. Go and protect the new leader. Oh, and¡­¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Please send my regards to the Honorary Cardinal.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Now.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Okay.¡±


    Shortly after I saw Victor Hart raising his huge sword, a small but safe space was opened before me.


    The time to think was short. For the time being, it was best to proceed with the n right away.


    ¡°Go! Move! We¡¯ll join Oscar!¡±


    ¡°This is ourst battleground, warriors of the State.¡±


    When I heard that line, shouts began to erupt behind me. The troops who were trying to somehow open the way didn¡¯t seem to be afraid of death.


    Even though they instinctively felt that it was the end, they held their shields against the enemies. Even I, who had wandered through numerous battlefields, had never seen such a sight. Where in the world was there a noble death?


    Death was always miserable and awful.


    But¡­ I could agree with them. That was what a cause was. They knew their death wouldn¡¯t be worthless.


    They fought to protect the continent. They fought for justice and the light.


    They must¡¯ve had the divine in their hearts. They fought with the great light from the Honorary Cardinal in their arms, after all, and they understood that their sacrifices wouldn¡¯t be in vain.


    I understood that too.


    I fought for the continent like the Honorary Cardinal. I fought not to let the darkness devour our home. I didn¡¯t stand on the battlefield with a grandiose will, but I also had something I wanted to protect.


    I could see the leader from not too far away. A symbol of freedom that led the State to a revolution. The revolutionary, who cut her hair short to show that she was dedicating everything to the State, lifted her sword high and guarded a small ember.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid of death, soldiers of the State. Remember that our death will not be in vain. Honorary Cardinal and history itself will remember us. I will remember you. I have captured each and every face of our warriors in my eyes and embedded it into my memory.¡±


    ¡®Oscar.¡¯


    ¡°I am proud, heroes of the State. The history! Our future generations! I¡¯m so proud to think that they¡¯ll sing about our actions here. I feel glorified to think that I¡¯ll be remembered with the heroes here. You all should be proud, just as I am.¡±


    ¡®Oscar.¡¯


    ¡°Don¡¯t lose the torch of hope until the end. Even if we lose, the light will triumph. Benignore¡¯s sons and daughters will eventually win. Resist until your veryst breath! Our ends will surely be a boon to the light. Remember that Benignore¡¯s State was founded under the belief in resisting for freedom. That will be your strength. Our roots will give you the power you need to fight. Show the pride of the State people. Show our enemies that we are Benignore¡¯s sons and daughters!¡±


    ¡®She¡¯s someone who couldn¡¯t handle swords properly.¡¯


    It couldn¡¯t be said that it would be beneficial for the battle, but it was a great strength to be with her in such a deathly ce. It wasforting just to say that I would die beside the great woman who stood at the top of the State.


    But¡­


    ¡®She shouldn¡¯t face the end with us.¡¯


    No such history should be written. Oscar should be remembered for a long time as the leader of the State. She had to remain as someone who changed the State, not as a tragic leader who faced the end with her soldiers.


    Many of us probably thought of the same thing.


    In the eyes of the countless soldiers who tried to maintain the frontline somehow with their teeth clenched, there was a conviction that they wanted to fight for the leader who thought of them sincerely.


    ¡®We have to make sure she lives.¡¯


    Even if there was a limit to my sacrifice, we still had to protect her.


    ¡®Benignore. You can take my little life away. However, please allow the symbol of the State you chose to remain for a long time.¡¯


    ¡°Oh, Benignore.¡±


    ¡°Protect her! Block them with all your might!¡±


    ¡°The torch of hope will never burn out. Even if we fall, the light will triumph. We must offer our strength to the light and the Honorary Cardinal!¡±


    ¡°Hold on! Hold on!¡±


    ¡°Holy Knights! Do not falter. Benignore will lead you into the bosom of the light. The Honorary Cardinal will guide us to Benignore¡¯s side!¡±


    ¡°Benignore! Benignore!¡±


    ¡°For the Son of God. For those who the light has chosen.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s protect Oscar. Protect the State!¡±


    However, the battlefield gradually tilted. As the heroes who were with us fell one by one, Oscar screamed with all she had. The hope in her eyes never disappeared. However, she was biting her lips tightly.


    I didn¡¯t know why, but the Imperial Sword¡¯s face I saw a little while ago ovepped.


    ¡®Regret?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know what her regrets were, but she seemed to be muttering a little. Perhaps she was saying her final words.


    It was just after that that Oscar¡¯s face began to change slowly.


    ¡®Huh¡­¡¯


    A very small hope entered her eyes. Her joyful face rose.


    ¡°Reinforcements.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Reinforcements! Reinforcements areing! Hold on a little more, heroes of the continent!¡±


    ¡°Ha¡­ Hahahaha!¡±


    ¡°You just have to hold on for a little more! Hold on a bit more!¡±


    ¡°Reinforcements¡­¡±


    I felt as if the flow of air had changed.


    ¡°Prepare the magic! Magic!¡±


    ¡°What¡­ the¡­¡±


    Something was going on. There was no indication, but I suddenly felt that way.


    As I looked at the sky, I saw a ck dot flying in, drawing a line.


    ¡®What is that?¡¯


    The ck line soon disappeared, but I saw the demons, who had just been confronting the troops not far away, had their necks sliced apart cleanly.


    It wasn¡¯t just those demons. As if someone was drawing arge circle to the right, the bodies of the pigeons surrounding the ally troops were falling like autumn leaves.


    The same happened to those who soared into the air in an instant. All I could see were our enemies dropping to the ground with their wings cut off in the air.


    ¡°A miracle?¡±


    There was nothing visible other than the ck light¡¯s afterimages. Literally, ck rays of light illuminated the sky.


    Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaang!!


    Craaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaash!


    The ground cracked. I couldn¡¯t really figure out what was happening right at that moment.


    Those who stared nkly at that sight didn¡¯t even shout. The sight was so perplexing that they were speechless.


    I began to see wizards and priests chanting spells in the air.


    The shing light continued to spread out, creating more beams. Dozens of airborne demons fell helplessly. The ck entity then went to the left.


    It passed so fast that I couldn¡¯t see it properly, but it continued to dominate the battlefield.


    ¡°Ha¡­ haha¡­¡±


    Boooooooom!!


    Immediately after a loud sound was heard, a dark circlended on the enemy force. It was like drawing a picture. No, it seemed like a meteor was falling.


    ¡®What did I just¡­ Am I¡­ having a dream?¡¯


    It churned the entire battlefield. The demons were busy getting buried on the floor. I couldn¡¯t understand anything that was going on.


    ¡®What¡­ the hell is going on?¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s the Sunset Swordsman.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°The Sunset Swordsman hase!¡±


    A loud voice burst out among the wizards.


    ¡®The Sunset Swordsman? That ck line?¡¯


    ¡°T-That?¡±


    Fortunately, it didn¡¯t take too long until the question was resolved. When the ck line finally stopped in the air¡­


    ¡°Blue¡­ Guild Master.¡±


    I could see the hero breathing slowly.


    He looked more like a demon than a hero due to his ck wings andrge horns paired with long hair and blood-red eyes. I didn¡¯t know if it was because it was just after showing an unrealistic sight, but fear came first rather than awe.


    ¡°Demon¡­¡±


    I muttered.


    The moment I looked at the divinely shining golden left eye, I corrected myself unknowingly.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s¡­ a god¡­¡±

 Chapter 753: To The End (12)

    <h4>Chapter 753: To The End (12)</h4>


    Every time the ck line passed, the pigeons¡¯ bodies were cut off, and they rolled around the ground. Even if I looked at it from a distance, that was the only scene I would be able to look at.


    Perhaps to the people watching, Kim Hyunsung would be seen as nothing but a passing line too. When I drew therge Goddess¡¯s Mirror in front of me with my finger, I could see Kim Hyunsung following my hand.


    Of course, the mirror didn¡¯t have a new function.


    -Clear.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Kim Hyunsung knew. He understood everything I wanted and where I wanted to move.


    In fact, he didn¡¯t even need to say clear. Before I could even tell him what I was thinking, he had already realized it.


    I couldn¡¯t understand how he got to realize it, but he certainly understood what I was thinking.


    ¡®Fuck, he¡¯s not reading what I¡¯m thinking now, is he?¡¯


    No, that was impossible. The name of the newly acquired attribute was not Lee Kiyoung¡¯s Instruction Manual but the Regressor¡¯s Instruction Manual.


    It wasn¡¯t Kim Hyunsung that used me. Rather, it was the kind of attribute where I used Kim Hyunsung. I could understand what he was feeling.


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s view, condition, everything Kim Hyunsung was feeling. I felt all of that as if I was experiencing his situation as well.


    ¡®Fuck¡­¡¯


    I thought that was probably the reason why the amount of adrenaline that was released was enough to make my head spin.


    An ordinary person with no power suddenly became superman.


    I couldn¡¯t wield that power, but I felt the sensations of the one who could and did.


    The speed of moving through the air and the strength that seemed to be able to crush mountains.


    The swordsman¡¯s swordsmanship at its peak, the power he could handle, the heat and hostility pouring out of the battlefield, the superhuman¡¯s sense of smell and touch, and an elevated mood and sensation.


    In return, all Kim Hyunsung felt was our connection and what kind ofmand I wanted to convey. It seemed helpful enough for Kim Hyunsung, who had a lot of fear and low self-esteem. I could bet that someone apanying him on the battlefield would mean a lot to him.


    Wouldn¡¯t that be especially true if that someone was the only person who understood him? If that person was Light Kiyoung?


    ¡®Yes, absolutely.¡¯


    It was something I always felt, but Kim Hyunsung was afraid to make decisions.


    I didn¡¯t know if that was his innate tendency or if it was conditioned, but it was probably closer to thetter. The trials given by the masked hero to the regressor helped in strengthening him, but on the other hand, it also made him weak.


    If I thought of Kim Hyunsung in the first round, wasn¡¯t it very obvious?


    Kim Hyunsung ruined everything. From the tutorial to the end, he always dipped into the worst option.


    Whenever he made a choice, his colleagues died or became half-disabled and eventually copsed in front of the ordeal of the masked hero.


    That trauma couldn¡¯t have disappeared so easily.


    Hence, he was afraid to make a choice.


    Even if he pretended not to be or didn¡¯t care, he was fearful of big decisions. Due to the remnants that were located deep in his heart- no, his soul¡­ Kim Hyunsung was restraining his original power.


    If I had topare it, I wondered if it was simr to a beast with shackles. A wild beast who might not know that he hadrge iron balls attached to his front and rear feet.


    -Hah¡­ haha!


    Kim Hyunsung seemed to think that I was giving him power, but all the force he showed was the original strength he had. He could do more than what my Mind¡¯s Eyes could see.


    Kim Hyunsung was¡­


    ¡®He¡¯s fucking strong. Really.¡¯


    He had the power that far exceeded what I had measured before.


    Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang!!


    Craaaaaaaack!


    Booooooooooooom!!!


    ¡®Look at that friend sweeping the battlefield, guys. Fuck, isn¡¯t that something you can only see in cartoons?¡¯


    -Cleared!


    ¡°Focus.¡±


    -Okay!


    I saw a face filled with joy. Every time he swung his sword, a ck wave covered his opponents.


    The regressor¡¯s statement that he could fight all day long wasn¡¯t exaggerated.


    There was no need to use other troops for Kim Hyunsung. I didn¡¯t have to support him with magic to defend against iing magic and arrows or push other heroes to make space.


    Even if Kim Hyunsung moved alone, it didn¡¯t seem like he was overdoing it.


    Giant lights, arrows, and spears flew in from all directions. I didn¡¯t need to ask the wizards for support.


    Why? Because he already saw them.


    Unlike before, when he was only looking straight ahead, he could now see from all angles.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t Kim Hyunsung who judged. Sitting in the control room, I judged everything.


    I determined where to dodge and which route to take.


    It wasn¡¯t a decision made without any basis, but one based on all the information pouring into me.


    ¡®It¡¯s not such a selfish judgment.¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s condition, his experience, his thoughts. Lee Kiyoung¡¯s personal opinion was added to it to find the most reasonable route.


    The time to determine all that was but an instant.


    I didn¡¯t know how it was possible. It was the same as asking, ¡®Why can you think?¡¯


    At that moment, themand system created in this way struck Kim Hyunsung. It felt as if our brains became one. I could see Kim Hyunsung nodding. He mmed the flying spear into the sky.


    His arms were a little bit numb.


    The pile of light that flowed in broke through from his wings wrapped around his body. Arrows were blown away by the wind pressureing from the spread of his wings.


    He stretched them to the most reasonable space, shoving dozens of pigeons away as soon as he wielded Durendal. The ck line crossed the sky once again.


    ¡®Fuck! Fucking fast! Fuck!¡¯


    The ck line standing in the sky was drawing a picture on the ground.


    ¡®Hyunsung, it¡¯s too fast. Fuck.¡¯


    I could see the old man Victor Hart struggling. He was someone who¡¯d be a waste to be allowed to die there, so I thought it was okay to keep him alive.


    After correcting the route, Kim Hyunsung moved again. The old man¡¯s face, seen from far away, was quickly approached.


    The heads of several pigeons who were throwing their spears at Victor Hart were mmed onto the ground by Kim Hyunsung¡¯s hand.


    Boooooooom!!


    I heard his voice after that.


    -Y¡­ You¡­


    ¡°Long time no see, old man.¡±


    -Long time no see, old man.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that for you to repeat it, Hyunsung.¡±


    -Ah¡­ My bad.


    I wondered if his odd eye looked that cool. The Imperial Sword that stared at Kim Hyunsung¡¯s face spoke as if he was discouraged.


    -Hah¡­ haha¡­ right. That¡¯s how it happened¡­


    It seems that it wasn¡¯t just one person chosen by God.


    -¡­


    -¡­


    -No. Only one was chosen by God.


    -¡­?


    -I am¡­ the one chosen by God¡¯s chosen.


    ¡®I¡¯m so proud of you, Hyunsung. Yes. I chose you.¡¯


    -No¡­ It¡¯s not¡­ You¡­


    The old man¡¯s face became distant in an instant. I could feel Kim Hyunsung swinging his sword once again, running quickly.


    I felt the swordsman¡¯s arm using his weapon in my hand.


    ¡®Wow, what if I get stronger too?¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s sword skills were in my head. Wouldn¡¯t it be possible to subdue the neighborhood bullies with sword skills?


    He kept breaking through enemies. The only thing that remained after a ck line swept through the battlefield once were the pigeons thrown to the ground.


    ¡®Let¡¯s go! Let¡¯s go!¡¯


    Baaaaang!!


    Craaash!


    Boooooooooom!


    ¡®I thought he could only use swords, but his movements aren¡¯t bad either. Why didn¡¯t you do that before? Were you too tied up? Or did you forget?¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung, with his sword on the ground, could be seen beating pigeons with his fists and feet.


    Boooom!


    With an unrealistic sound, the crushed guys bounced off of Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡®It doesn¡¯t fit the concept at all, but I think it¡¯s going to look cool if you hit them with the horn. You won¡¯t have any use for your horns after today anyway, so let¡¯s use it at least once.¡¯


    As soon as I thought of that somewhat ridiculousmand in my mind, I immediately saw Kim Hyunsung hitting an angel with his horns.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    It certainly didn¡¯t look good, but it wasn¡¯t bad.


    ¡®Ah¡­ This is really too easy.¡¯


    The current situation was easy enough to be able to make such ridiculous attacks.


    The difference in power was overwhelming, and Kim Hyunsung among the demons was no different from a wolf amongmbs. It was then that I felt a pain in my shoulder.


    ¡°Ahhhhhh!!¡±


    Standing where I turned my head was a named pigeon pulling a bow.


    ¡®Forget what I said. We can¡¯t let our guards down, fuck.¡¯


    He seemed to have the ability to shoot unseeable arrows.


    I couldn¡¯t detect the invisible arrow while lost in thoughts for a moment.


    Kim Hyunsung also reacted as if he was startled. The arrow was on his shoulder, so I didn¡¯t know why he was so surprised.


    ¡®It doesn¡¯t even hurt? Are you used to the pain? That hurt a lot¡­¡¯


    -Are you¡­ Are you okay?


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes. I¡¯m fine¡­¡±


    -I¡¯m¡­ sorry¡­ I¡¯m sorry. Sorry¡­


    ¡°No, it¡¯s okay.¡±


    ¡®Ah¡­ This bastard got scared again.¡¯


    ¡°I think the shared pain can be reduced a little. Calm down. You seem to be overly agitated.¡±


    In an instant, enormous anger fell into my head. The named pigeon, which fired an arrow before even being given an order, became covered in blood.


    Its face waspletely crushed, and its limbs were cut off disgustingly.


    -Motherfucker! Motherfucker!


    ¡®Okay, stop the aggression, Doom Hyunsung, fuck¡­¡¯


    Maybe I could control his emotions as well. I was able to see Kim Hyunsung breathing slowly, stabilizing as he slowly calmed down.


    ¡®That really worked.¡¯


    It felt as if the blood that was gathered in his head was gradually circting properly again. I noticed that he quietly bowed his head as if he was aware that he went too far.


    -I apologize.


    ¡°No. I wasn¡¯t focused either. Then¡­¡±


    -No¡­ I¡¯m really sorry.


    ¡°Just make sure to focus on the battle.¡±


    -Yes.


    The war wasn¡¯t over yet. His shoulder hurt a little, but it wasn¡¯t enough to hinder the ck line from moving.


    He bit his lips tighter than before as he became faster and faster.


    I could only hear explosions and loud sounds. I noticed he was focusing so much that I couldn¡¯t even hear his voice saying ¡®Cleared.¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung was trying to swing his sword. I ordered him to release the Sword of Sunset, but unfortunately, it couldn¡¯te out due to his Doom Hyunsung state. Enormous jet-ck energy struck the enemy camp instead.


    Everything¡­ Everything happened in the blink of an eye.


    ¡®Fuck, that¡¯s really cool.¡¯


    It was a sight that gave me chills. Who wouldn¡¯t be thrilled to see that scene? If someone didn¡¯t feel excited due to it¡­


    ¡®They were probably a demon official.¡±


    I would even call a heretic interrogator for interrogation. It was a sight that I couldn¡¯t take my eyes off of while holding my head with one of my hands.


    I saw the guy quietly nodding and looking at his hand.


    ¡°That was good. Move to the next point immediately. In no time, we¡¯ll be ending the war.¡±


    -Yeah.


    He nodded again. Kim Hyunsung, smiling brightly, looked to be in a really good mood, but there was a bad taste in my mouth.


    Somewhere very deep, I could feel fear and determination. Itsted for just a moment, but I noticed the change in his emotions.


    ¡®What? What are you scared of? Is that because of what happened earlier?¡¯


    Did he think he could fool me?


    It was easy to unlock what¡¯s locked. As I thought about going a little deeper, I began to feel the feelings he had.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -Where should I go next?


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -I want to end the war quickly, Kiyoung. Like this¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -I¡¯ll move now.


    ¡°Ha¡­ Look at this bastard.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a big problem.


    ¡°This bastard, really.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a big problem for me.


    Kim Hyunsung¡­


    Kim Hyunsung was thinking of his own death.


    He decided to end everything with his sacrifice.

 Chapter 754: To The End (13)

    <h4>Chapter 754: To The End (13)</h4>


    Nothing changed when I looked at him again. It was so ridiculous that I evenughed, so what else did I need to say?


    ¡®Kim Hyunsung¡¯s mental growth, my ass.¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®This bastard¡¯s problem is almost a chronic mental illness, really.¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®I was the idiot. I was the idiot.¡¯


    When I thought about it again, I still got disconcerted.


    I felt like an idiot who praised him for regaining his reason after beingpletely crazy. I thought Lee Kiyoung, who considered him as having achieved some inner growth after he came to his senses, was an idiot.


    ¡®I thought you really grew. There was no such thing as inner growth. No, I think you¡¯ve grown, but you took the wrong route.¡¯


    When I thought about it a little, I realized that it couldn¡¯t be the case. It would¡¯ve been big trouble if it wasn¡¯t for the Regressor¡¯s Instruction Manual. Things almost becameplicated.


    It was really weird indeed. Kim Hyunsung wouldn¡¯t suddenly say that he wanted me to support him.


    It felt a bit unnatural when he said he needed my help in the first ce.


    Did it make sense that Kim Hyunsung, who had been stubborn so far and blockedmunication since he was worried that it would be too much for my body, suddenly asked me to join him?


    He was someone who felt guilty for leaving me the burden instead of sharing it, even more so when I recalled that Lee Kiyoung, from Kim Hyunsung¡¯s perspective, was a very endangered and sickly bird who might die at any time.


    I almostpletely forgot about it, but the memory loss gimmick was still active.


    I didn¡¯t know what medicine he took but suddenly saying that he needed my help¡­ I thought it was because he decided he really needed it. However, basically, it was because of the thought that that was his final duty.


    He thought it was advantageous to end the war as soon as possible.


    Perhaps there was something likepensation psychology going on here. It was an expression that he wanted tomunicate with me onest time before he wrapped everything up.


    Perhaps it was something like a bucket list. Hyunsiung decided what was happening was going to be his final moments, and if he fought alone, his end would be lonely.


    ¡®You got back to your senses to film a self-sacrificial ending? Why? I don¡¯t know which wind got to you, who was always running away, to suddenly bber about sacrifice.¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Wow, I really want to open his head.¡¯


    I had already opened the half, but I didn¡¯t have enough skill to catch all the very detailed thoughts. Still, there were things I could understand even if I wasn¡¯t certain of the other half.


    What he was thinking and what psychological state he was in was clearly visible. I couldn¡¯t pinpoint it urately, but when I felt the past or emotions he had experienced¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s obvious.¡¯


    If I pretended to be Kim Hyunsung for a moment, I would be thinking along the lines of:


    ¡®I think I¡¯ve only run away so far. Even though I knew what role I had been given and had to fulfill, I turned away from it. Now I think I know why I returned. I will no longer run away. I¡¯ll face everything head-on.¡¯


    Right. He ran away. But what about it? Did someone point a knife at him not to run away? People were allowed to retreat and avoid. What was wrong with him?


    Perhaps it reminded him that he was condemned for his sins by Seraphim.


    ¡®I havemitted numerous sins and have turned away from these sins. I kept thinking that. h h. I¡¯ve always thought about what to do to make my atonement. h h. What can I do to atone for this sin? Finally, pay the price and h. I¡¯ll embrace everything and h h.¡¯


    He might be doing a build-up at thest minute to babble famous lines. I could bet he¡¯d be saying those quotes.


    It wasn¡¯t that I was trash, but I could only see it as Kim Hyunsung having a mental illness.


    ¡®Who cares about your sins? First timeline? Fuck, that was an unavoidable situation. We already started the second timeline anyway. Isn¡¯t it okay to think that it has already been cleaned off your soul? Why do you live in the hardest way? The gods love you, and you¡¯re a hero, and I understand that you take the protagonist¡¯s position seriously, but you are too much. Seriously.¡¯


    I already knew that Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t talk about everything in the first round.


    It was also obvious that he filtered his stories to not disappoint Lee Kiyoung, the saint of light.


    He told me about the war, but Hyunsung didn¡¯t describe how he was in the battle, how many humans he killed, or spoke of the inhumane things he did by his standards.


    There were still some questions that remain unanswered.


    In the first timeline, before the ordinary and innocent Lee Kiyoung awakened as the masked hero, how Kim Hyunsung contributes to Park Deokgu¡¯s death remained questionable.


    ¡®No. Did you really help?¡¯


    It might¡¯ve been a rough help. I didn¡¯t know what happened, but dropping magic in one area couldn¡¯t happen without the permission of the privileged.


    It might have been the Empress of the Empire that made the final decision, but I couldn¡¯t guarantee that Kim Hyunsung, who was privileged at the time, wouldn¡¯t have been involved. Still¡­


    I didn¡¯t know what exactly happened, but honestly, whether Kim Hyunsung contributed or didn¡¯t, that had no longer anything to do with me.


    It was understandable that there was a difference between people¡¯s positions, and as a result, I wasn¡¯t the masked hero. I took over from him, but just because he was angry, I didn¡¯t have to be angry either.


    -Kiyoung?


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -Kiyoung?


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    -Did something happen?


    ¡°No. Nothing happened. I think I¡¯m sending you the route continuously. Is there anything wrong with it?¡±


    -No¡­ It¡¯s not that¡­


    ¡°You are doing well. You are doing very well.¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°The impact on the battlefield is great. I think you can finish it all by yourself. Yes, Yes.¡±


    -I¡¯m¡­ sorry.


    ¡°What? I¡¯m not sure what you¡¯re talking about. Why are you sorry? Let¡¯s hear what you¡¯re apologizing for.¡±


    -I¡¯m sorry, I¡­


    ¡°No, I need to know what you are sorry for to ept the apology. It¡¯s just something you¡¯re saying to avoid the situation right now. Don¡¯t say anything you don¡¯t even mean, and focus on what¡¯s in front of you.¡±


    -I¡¯m really sorry. I-I mean, I ignored that order and moved¡­ I was so angry at the moment¡­ I¡¯m sorry.


    ¡°I¡¯m not angry about that.¡±


    -You got hurt because of my carelessness¡­


    ¡°No, it was Hyunsung, not me, who was hurt. I have blocked pain, so rest assured and fight to your heart¡¯s content. No one is stopping you.¡±


    -I¡¯m really¡­ really sorry.


    ¡°What are you sorry about?¡±


    -¡­


    I instantly felt like my mood sank. Of course, it was him who was actually feeling that.


    Seemingly losing his concentration, he was no longer focusing on the battle.


    ¡®Really¡­¡¯


    I had a sudden surge of irritation that made me want to make some unreasonable demands, but¡­ he certainly seemed to be affected.


    ¡®Did I go too far?¡¯


    Still, it seemed he thought those were his final moments¡­


    It was obvious that he might be picturing about the end with him oxidizing after catching up,municating emotionally, saying some cool lines, and crying a bit with his brother-like friend.


    How upset he must¡¯ve been since the end had been altered.


    Of course, the finale hadn¡¯t yete, but it was enough to destroy Kim Hyunsung¡¯s mood.


    He couldn¡¯t say a normal final farewell, ruined everything, put Light Kiyoung in a bad mood, and didn¡¯t even know why I was upset.


    Sure enough, once again, I started to feel the feeling of getting into the pit.


    Due to the thought of ¡®what did I do wrong,¡¯ a very pure sense of shame hit me.


    He was wielding his sword on the battlefield eagerly and sweeping away his enemies, but his shaking pupils and his whole body told me how he was truly feeling.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -So¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Okay. Fuck, let¡¯s stop. Still, I was trying to do it for you. If I think about it, there¡¯s really no reason for me to be so agitated.¡¯


    There was no possibility that Kim Hyunsung¡¯s n would actually seed anyway.


    The scene that should appear in the ending was Lee Kiyoung being stabbed, and not Kim Hyunsung¡¯s self-sacrifice.


    It might be a more terrible ending than Kim Hyunsung¡¯s version, but as a result, I was certain that it would result in the best end. Kim Hyunsung wouldn¡¯t die and wouldn¡¯t have to sacrifice himself. It was the regressor¡¯spanion, not the regressor that would be wounded.


    ¡®I will sacrifice for you.¡¯


    When I thought about it, I noticed there was a poignant coolness about it.


    ¡®It¡¯s really cool.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t bad to get a little drunk on myself.


    ¡®Ah, sh*t. Thinking this way makes me sad about the anesthetic potion again.¡¯


    -So¡­ I¡­ am¡­ sorry.


    ¡°If you say it like that, then¡­ Yes. I ept your apology.¡±


    -Really?


    ¡°Yes. I can understand why you¡¯re agitated. If you make judgments by yourself, there is no point in doing this. This much pain is fine, so please do not ignore the instructions.¡±


    -Yes, I won¡¯t¡­ I won¡¯t ignore it.


    ¡®It¡¯s easy to understand.¡¯


    He seemed to be honest with his emotions enough to know its influence on the battlefield before his mood came directly.


    The majesty of the ck line that annihted the enemies instantly was so great that it didn¡¯t have to be described again.


    I wasn¡¯t using the expression that the war seemed to be over for no reason. After all, we were in a situation where a god-like entity hade to the battlefield.


    After exerting great influence on the disadvantageous war situation, he moved to the next point, and after solving the problems there, he moved on to the next once more. The way the regressor influenced the whole northern area at an enormous speed really felt like he was burning hisst remaining me.


    ¡®How many areas are left?¡¯


    The battlefield was turning to our advantage.


    The locations that Kim Hyunsung passed by had been turned over.


    ¡®They¡¯re not that useless.¡¯


    The continent wasn¡¯t so ipetent that it was impossible to eat the prepared food at the table.


    As if Park Yeon-joo of the ck Swan Guild, Oscar and Victor Hart, Cheon Gwan-wi and Wi-ran, and the heroes who represented each forward base were also intuiting that they had captured the victory, they drove out remaining enemies with newfound strength. It was a scene I¡¯d seen a lot somewhere, like a d¨¦j¨¤ vu.


    I could see Cha Hee-ra running wild on the battlefield.


    However, as if the fierce battle was still maintained, a couple of spears pierced through her body one by one.


    She didn¡¯t seem to care, and the damage didn¡¯t seem to be that big, but I felt like I had seen that moment too. No doubt, the scene I witnessed through Yuno Kasugano was getting closer.


    ¡®I really think it¡¯sing.¡¯


    -Kiyoung.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    -So¡­


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    -Do you have a minute?


    ¡°I do.¡±


    -So, do you remember¡­ when we first met?


    ¡®Ah, we¡¯re starting with a trip down memoryne with Hyunsung.¡¯


    ¡°Yes. Of course, I remember. That¡¯s something I often recalled before.¡±


    ¡®We talked about this often.¡¯


    -Yes. I remember that you said you thought I was a cold person. I was actually like that. It seems that I didn¡¯t want to get affectionate at first.


    ¡®You¡¯re not going to go all the way back to the beginning, right? You don¡¯t have time to return all the way to the tutorial arc.¡¯


    -And¡­ When you first entered the Blue Guild¡­


    In the meantime, Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t even know that he had to do despicable acts with his own hands.


    He was eagerly swimming through the memories.

 Chapter 755: To The End (14)

    <h4>Chapter 755: To The End (14)</h4>


    -So¡­


    It didn¡¯t seem like it would end quickly. In fact, from the moment Kim Hyunsung got emotional¡­


    ¡®It was already predicted.¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung was usually quiet, but once the waterworks started flowing, he became a lot more talkative.


    Since he wasn¡¯t someone fun, it was hard for the one listening to him.


    If I could, I would¡¯ve cut it quickly, but¡­ I had to shut my mouth because I thought I would look too psychopathic.


    It was hisst memory trip in his perspective, and there would be something he would want to sort out before enacting the self-sacrifice ending. Anyway, as if Kim Hyunsung had been waiting for that moment for so long, he began to talk carefully.


    -When you first entered the Blue Guild, I was very sorry for not being able to take care of you in various aspects.


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    Right, honestly, you did me wrong then.


    I still remembered the situation where he was entrusting all the duties of the guild to me. When I thought about it now, it was hard enough that even if he got hit by stones hundreds of times, he would have no right toin.


    -It seems that I unwittingly gave you the burden with the idea that I should make the guild grow as quickly as possible.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®This bastard is lying. You gave me a burden without knowing anything. You were very determined to do it.¡¯


    -It was a decision I made because I believed in Kiyoung¡¯s abilities at the time, but when I think about it now, it was a very immature choice. Later, I brought Hyejin to reduce the burden on you, but even that¡­


    ¡®You know you¡¯re wrong. That¡¯s enough, really. It¡¯s okay now that I¡¯m best friends with Hyejin, but I wanted to kill you back then. I was fucking annoyed. I even brought you a gift back then.¡¯


    However, for the time being, I kept the warm atmosphere.


    ¡°It¡¯s all in the past now. Honestly, if you ask me if I was resentful, I would say that I was¡­¡±


    -I¡¯m sorry.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be sorry for. It¡¯s all memories I can have a goodugh about now.¡±


    -Hah¡­ haha. Thank you so much for thinking like that.


    ¡°It was the same when we went to the dungeon. At the time, it was so exhausting and painful that I thought it would be difficult to follow, but¡­ It all seems to have been an enjoyable experience. It was the same when I first went to the Garden of Horror. Was it Jung Yura? It was really exhrating. I was expecting that you had a special side, and¡­ it was an expedition where I could confirm that. I wouldn¡¯t have experienced such an adventure without you.¡±


    -The Cursed Shrine too¡­


    ¡®Ah, there was that too.¡¯


    -It was a bit dangerous, but honestly, I couldn¡¯t imagine that you would make a potion and help us raid it. Originally, that wasn¡¯t the strategy¡­ I still clearly remember the way you pretended to be Gedric. Really¡­ Ha¡­ haha¡­ As a result, you took away Juliana, but¡­


    ¡®What, you kept that in mind?¡¯


    -It wasn¡¯t mine from the beginning. I¡¯m only telling this now, but the demon swordsman, Jeong Jin-ho, used Juliana.


    I expected that much, but it was only at that moment that my predictions had been confirmed.


    -It felt like a good item in many ways, so I was nning to use it from the beginning of the second timeline¡­


    ¡®He¡¯s being slightly petty.¡¯


    -I didn¡¯t move back then¡­ When I think about it that way, I also think it was fortunate that you got the sword. Do you still remember having a brief swordsmanship training?


    ¡°Yes. It was really hard¡­ As the guild work was getting busier in earnest, it became a bit messy, but honestly¡­¡±


    ¡®You had bad feelings towards me back then, didn¡¯t you? You must¡¯ve been upset because I took Juliana from you.¡¯


    -I¡¯m just telling you this in case you misunderstand it, but I never meant to give you have a hard time. I honestly thought you gained a good sword¡­ I thought it would be nice if you could learn the basics at least¡­


    ¡®Don¡¯t lie. Fuck. You knew that I didn¡¯t have hope anyway.¡¯


    -I¡­ I¡­ As a result, in the next expedition, I got a better sword¡­


    ¡°Ah, yes, at the museum.¡±


    -Yes. I didn¡¯t really think I could get a sword that could be used even in our current situation. I didn¡¯t know that the party would be in such great danger. Fragments of the ancient gods¡­ The destruction of the continent, I remember I was very surprised.


    ¡°So, if you go back to the museum now¡­¡±


    -I¡¯m not sure, but in the current condition, it¡¯s likely.


    ¡°I think I roughly know how much you have grown. Haha.¡±


    -Not all of it is my strength, but¡­


    I could see himughing bitterly.


    -It seems that there were many huge incidents. You changed the Empire into the State, right?


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t make Charlia the empress, and I didn¡¯t know that things would work out so well, so in a way, it¡¯s all thanks to you. I¡¯m only telling you this now, but back then¡­¡±


    ¡®Where and what the fuck were you doing?¡¯


    -I was looking for a group of ck wizards. There were so many different things to do based on the first timeline that I couldn¡¯t get things done properly. Come to think of it. It seems that I was always separated from you when something important happened.


    ¡°Are you thinking of when Belial was summoned in Laios?¡±


    -Yes. I remember being seriously worried. I got therete, and as a result¡­ I couldn¡¯t protect you. Jin Qing was a sly and devilish man, but I can¡¯t deny that he was a catastrophe caused by my ipetence.


    ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t have to me yourself like that. The situation got a bitplicated, and you had things to do.¡±


    -But¡­


    ¡°I can¡¯t even feel the damage I suffered at that time. Rather, I¡¯m even a little proud. The moment when the people of Laios prayed for me was still unforgettable. I¡¯m also grateful to Hayan, Sora, and Deokgu, who fought with me. Oh, of course, I¡¯m grateful to you.¡±


    -No. maybe¡­ If it weren¡¯t for you, I wouldn¡¯t have been here. If Jin Qing was still here¡­ this war too¡­


    I could see his face getting serious, telling me that he was having bad thoughts.


    ¡®Actually, I think that was me, Hyunsung.¡¯


    ¡°When I first heard the story of the first round from you, I was really surprised. In fact, I didn¡¯t know that Jin Qing was such an evil human.¡±


    -If we talk about him, even all night won¡¯t be enough. He was such a scary human.


    ¡®I¡¯m a little hurt. It was all for you.¡¯


    ¡°Come to think of it. I remember that you were suspicious of me.¡±


    -I¡­ apologize for that.


    ¡®No. You don¡¯t have to be sorry. You¡¯ll be suspiciouster anyway. You can be sure this time.¡¯


    -Of course, I knew it wasn¡¯t you, but I kept repeating it like that. It looks like something was used on me. In a way, it seems I wasn¡¯t ready to trust everyone yet.


    ¡°How did you change your mind¡­¡±


    -I met a woman. Of course, that in itself wasn¡¯t enough, but¡­


    ¡®Ah, I think that was me too. But I¡¯ll just bury this. There is no reason to reveal that.¡¯


    -The woman told me that she had lost a loved one, too, because she couldn¡¯t trust others¡­ It was a little different from the situation I was in at the time, but the advice seemed to have given me a lot of power. Of course, I gave her an incurable wound, but¡­ I want to apologize if we meet someday again.


    ¡°Maybe she¡¯ll understand that you didn¡¯t have bad intentions.¡±


    -It would be nice if it was like that¡­ haha. Yes. If she really thinks that way, that would be really fortunate, but she probably hates me.


    He made a bitter smile and immediately raised his sword. It was a little surprising that he could think so differently while he kept culling the pigeons, but I felt he was focusing on the conversation rather than on the fight itself.


    ¡®There are no specific problems in his performance with the tasks I give him.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t even want to point it out. After having the conversation, I didn¡¯t think I felt bad either.


    I could say that it was a pleasant one. Of course, unlike him, I couldn¡¯t fully concentrate, but¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s been a long time.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know how long it had been when hest spoke openly like that.


    -It was fun to go to theke together.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t know that Deokgu would have built such a big boat. I wouldn¡¯t have expected it would be used in the war like this.¡±


    It would be nice if we had a ss of wine and talked leisurely. It¡¯s a shame we¡¯re in the middle of a war.


    ¡°The mirror salmon was really good. To be honest¡­¡±


    I thought it would be perfect if we had mirror salmons as a snack.


    -Yes. I didn¡¯t even expect that you would eat that much since you have a small appetite. Oh,e to think of it, have I told you? We seeded in cultivating mirror salmon¡­


    ¡°What?¡±


    -Although a little research funding was required¡­


    ¡®No¡­ I don¡¯t think it required only a little. It¡¯s a fish that goes around the dimension, so how did you do it?¡¯


    ¡°That¡¯s good news. Still¡­¡±


    ¡®Fuck, do you know that the guild funds shouldn¡¯t be used so carelessly?¡¯


    -Yes. I wish we could go again.


    ¡®No, I didn¡¯t tell you to go back¡­ Ah, he said the line, and he¡¯s the one depressed.¡¯


    ¡°We can goter. There will be so many things to do after everything is over.¡±


    ¡®We promised to watch the sunset, too. Oh, but I guess I shouldn¡¯t have said that.¡¯


    It seemed that he was holding his tears back.


    -Yes, right. After everything is over¡­ Yes¡­


    It looked a bit difficult for him to ept his fate wherein he had to sacrifice himself.


    ¡®You won¡¯t get killed. Stop getting emotional.¡¯


    -Er¡­ Kiyoung.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    The way he spoke was a little different from before. I thought it was the timing, but it seemed that the moment of h h h I¡¯d been waiting for hade back. He couldn¡¯t speak easily.


    -I was¡­ I was¡­ an unreliable human.


    ¡®Right. Fuck, I wondered why it wasn¡¯ting out, but Hyunsung, don¡¯t do that. Don¡¯t me yourself too much.¡¯


    - I didn¡¯t trust anyone¡­ I was clumsy in human rtions¡­ It seems that I was a human who always repeats failures. I¡¯m not talking about the first timelined¡­ When I think about it, it seems that the human named Kim Hyunsung has lived that way. He has lived as a timid man, dodging and running away every time. He always pledged that he could change, and even though he made up his mind in reality, he was always in the same ce. The reason I was able to change is because of you.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    -Because you trusted me, I was able to trust you as well. It¡¯s not easy to trust someonepletely. I know better than anyone else. You are the person who taught me what it means to believe in someone.


    I was thankful, but I was also worried. In the first ce, the greater the faith, the greater the feeling of betrayal¡­ What if the bastard didn¡¯t stab my stomach and stabbed somewhere else?


    Wouldn¡¯t it be hard to cope with his anger like an active volcano, resulting in him possibly cutting my throat? He only needed to stab me once, but I was worried that he would do it several times instead.


    Infinite trust and faith were mixed in the emotions that Kim Hyunsung was feeling.


    It was surprising how he matched his words and actions.


    ¡®He will control it on his own, right?¡¯


    ¡°Thank you for your words, but I¡¯m not that great.¡±


    -It¡¯s not just words.


    ¡°Ha¡­ haha¡­¡±


    -You have the power to change people. I can tell by looking at those around you. The same goes for Hayan and Cha Heera. I think you are a person who has the power to illuminate the individuals who follow you. You may have been born with the energy that makes everyone positive.


    ¡®Thank you¡­¡¯


    -I never thought I could change like this¡­ You allowed me to live a normal life, chat, make friends, and have fun with little things¡­


    ¡®Yes, you changed a lot. That¡¯s especially notable when you seeded in fishing an item in Mirror Lake¡­¡¯


    -Now I want to repay you.


    ¡°¡­ Huh?¡±


    The pleasant atmospherested for only a moment. I could see Kim Hyunsung looking up quietly.


    -I will put an end to everything.


    Seraphim was looking at Kim Hyunsung with a distorted expression.

 Chapter 756: To The End (15)

    <h4>Chapter 756: To The End (15)</h4>


    ¡®But what¡¯s wrong with one of his eyes? What happened to you? Was it Cherubim?¡¯


    The first thing I noticed was that his condition wasn¡¯t normal.


    ¡®I mean, what¡¯s up with him?¡¯


    His eye was bleeding. In normal circumstances, I might have thought that Cherubim had hit him, but¡­ I didn¡¯t think the guy who loved his brothers and sisters so much would dig into Seraphim¡¯s eyes. It was a bit weird, but it didn¡¯t take long for my question to be resolved. That was because the dummy world crumpled in one of his hands.


    ¡®What the hell?¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I could see his pupil trembling with anger.


    ¡®Really?¡¯


    He put strength to the hand that held our little project.


    ¡®Was it really Dummy Kiyoung?¡¯


    I remembered that the most recent reset was when Dummy Kiyoung studied ways to influence the bigger world.


    Jihyeughed at him and pressed the reset button for the next experiment, but it seemed that he found a way to get a blow from the demon-like guy who was harassing them in this round.


    ¡®Wow, fuck. He is scary. I knew he would cause trouble someday¡­ How did those tiny guys dig into Seraphim¡¯s eye? How does he keep remembering the previous rounds? Does it remain in the unconscious? Is there a trigger like that?¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t eptable in the system, but it might not have been entirely impossible.


    Look at the present Kim Hyunsung. Who would have predicted that he would be a god-like entity in the end?


    It was a lifetime of resistance in the dummy world where the same cycle had been repeated thousands-no, tens of thousands of times. It must¡¯ve been hisst act.


    I could bet that it was because they never let go of the hope that they could hurt the transcendent demons who tried to control them.


    They lived the same life over and over again, feeling the reality of being treated like an experimental mouse as unjust, so they stood up, eventually proving their worth. By hurting Seraphim, they let the transcendental people know that they could resist their fate.


    ¡­


    ¡®You demon.¡¯


    Their creator chose to destroy the little world. The way the dummy world shattered was far more disastrous than I thought. If there were any survivors of the Dummy World, wouldn¡¯t Seraphim be evaluated as the devil who put an end to the world?


    ¡®Those tiny guys did nothing wrong.¡¯


    I thought it was just a piece of data. Still, I naturally clenched my fists as I truly cherished them.


    ¡®I knew it, fuck. He looks really pissed. If this is the case, he may have noticed how the situation is going.¡¯


    If he weren¡¯t an idiot, he would surely know.


    ¡®I thought it wouldn¡¯t be bad if he believed it a little bit more. Well, this is not a bad situation either.¡¯


    Since the stock, which he believed in, became a piece of toilet paper, he wouldn¡¯t think that the new humanity n was working normally.


    Perhaps he quickly realized that he was being deceived. If it weren¡¯t a big deal, he could have thought there was an error, but he wouldn¡¯t make that judgment, considering one of his eyes got smashed.


    I felt like I should try to figure out why his eyes hurt.


    He brought his gaze down to see what was wrong with the dummy world I dropped before, and¡­


    ¡®He got a critical hit. Wow, that¡¯s surprising. Really.¡¯


    With that pain, I could bet he had realized that everything was just bluffs and lies. The enraged Seraphim¡¯s expression was hard to describe, and it was honestly surprising that someone who didn¡¯t show his emotions easily did that.


    ¡®It must¡¯ve felt unfair. The stock he was investing in with all his assets was quickly delisted. You also stabbed Cherubim with your own hands. You¡¯re already ready to fight. Hyunsung, you can do it, right?¡¯


    -I will surely kill you, dirty scum. Disgusting motherfucker.


    ¡®That was for me, right?¡¯


    -¡­


    ¡®I think it should be for me. You heard what that bastard said, right, Hyunsung? That motherfucker said he¡¯d kill me.¡¯


    -I¡¯m never going to let you live in peace, you scum motherfucker. I¡¯ll slowly give you death while you¡¯re swimming in eternal pain. It won¡¯t be bearable. I will torment and devastate your soul and body in the most disastrous ways, way far horrifying than anything you can imagine¡­ I¡¯ll make you feel more than that.


    ¡®You heard him, right? Fuck, Hyunsung. That motherfucker said he¡¯d kill me.¡¯


    -I¡¯ll torment you! I will! Even if it¡¯s thest thing I¡¯d do! I can¡¯t forgive you! Never!


    ¡®He¡¯s agitated. He¡¯s scary. I don¡¯t think he¡¯s sane.¡¯


    -Answer me if you¡¯re listening! Motherfucker! You disgusting crap bastard! Lee Kiyoung! Lee Kiyoung!


    ¡®I have to say something.¡¯


    ¡°H-Hyunsung.¡±


    -No need to be afraid, Kiyoung.


    ¡®As expected of our Hyunsung.¡¯


    -Your existence itself is evil! Your existence itself is evil and harmful! The fact that trash like you wanders around in this world is a misfortune on the continent and a mistake on the dimension.


    ¡®Doesn¡¯t he have a bit more creative curse?¡¯


    -I think you know why the dimension where you originally lived spat you out, you dirty pollutant bastard! Humans abandoned on the continent are victims! It¡¯s probably the humans who disowned you and identally sent others with you. You are a disgusting creature! You¡¯re not chosen by any god. You deserve to be abandoned by everyone.


    ¡®That¡¯s a bit more creative.¡¯


    -No! It¡¯s too much to call you human. You¡¯re a maggot that¡¯s worse than demons and knows how to use others more than a parasite! I will never leave you alone. Never! Never!


    It looked like he really went nuts.


    ¡®Aren¡¯t you a little too agitated? You have to calm down a bit. Aren¡¯t you like the angel among angels? Why is your mouth so dirty?¡¯


    -I¡­ Did you think you¡¯d fool me?


    ¡®I think I already did, though¡­¡¯


    -You rat scum! Dirty parasite!


    ¡®Stop it. What¡¯s wrong with you? You look too desperate. Look at his eye. Hyunsung, you won¡¯t leave him alone, right? Right? So creepy¡­ Ugh¡­¡¯


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    -Don¡¯t worry. I can solve this.


    ¡®I¡¯m counting on you. Hyunsung.¡¯


    The way the pigeon was breathing in proved to be quite ridiculous. Honestly, since I was in debt to him, I was certain that I wouldn¡¯t find a more pleasant situation.


    If he could hear my voice, I wanted tough at him. Oh, I forgot. I couldugh at him.


    [Generatingmon-grade forced quest.]


    [Idiooooot! Idioooooooooot!(0/1)]


    [Delivering amon-grade forced quest to Seraphim. You have not registered for quest clearing rewards. The subject will not bepensated.]


    -You motherfucker! You crap bastard!


    [Generating amon-grade forced quest.]


    [Puhahahahahaha! (0/1)]


    -I will definitely kill you! I¡¯ll make you swim in the pain of eternity¡­


    [Generating amon-grade forced quest.]


    [Hey! Idiooooot! Where did you leave your eye behind? (0/1)]


    -You piece of crap that¡¯s no better than a maggot!


    [Generating amon-grade forced quest.]


    [Idiooooot! Where did you leave your eye? That looks really painful. (0/1)]


    -I¡¯ll peel off your skin one by one. After pulling out your tongue first¡­


    [Generating amon-grade forced quest.]


    [New Humanity n! Adios! New humanity! Hey, but did you hear the news? It seems Cherubim went to Heaven. He went there with the new humanity n. (0/1)]


    -This motherfuckeeeeer!!!


    Eventually, the guy who couldn¡¯t stand the anger reached out to the sky.


    ¡®Hyunsung, are you ready for battle? Are you ready for battle?¡¯


    My head seemed not to be tense at all, but my body seemed to be tense. Kim Hyunsung was the same, and me too. It seemed to be because I remembered how he looked with swords stabbed all over his body, but the answer was to just swallow the worries.


    ¡°There is no chance of losing.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t strong. If Kim Hyunsung and I were together, he would never lose.


    -Judgment!


    ¡®You are innocent.¡¯


    I wanted to say that, but I knew that it was a line that didn¡¯t mean much. Even if I helped, Kim Hyunsung wouldn¡¯t be able to ignore his original sin. In an instant, the swords blown into the air came into sight.


    I bit my lips tightly automatically.


    ¡°I won¡¯t let even one sword get you. You trust me, right?¡±


    -I do.


    ¡®We¡¯re in sync.¡¯


    There were too many tinum-colored swords that filled the sky, but that didn¡¯t mean there was no space at all.


    It might¡¯ve felt like a mission to dodge the rain, but Kim Hyunsung had enough power to realize it. If Kim Hyunsung got hit by even one sword¡­


    ¡®I really am a crappy bastard. Fuck.¡¯


    -Divine punishment!


    Countless swords began to fall from the skies, putting as many swords as possible in my eyes¡­ No, I put all the swords I saw in my vision. For a moment, I felt that I was focusing so much that my head started spinning.


    It seemed that I was concentrating enough to send bad thoughts to my head for a moment, but even those thoughts were blown away.


    Time had seemingly slowed down. No, it seemed time had stopped. It was probably still going, but to me, it no longer flowed.


    ¡®You can dodge the one falling towards your shoulder by twisting your body.¡¯


    The same went for those falling overhead.


    ¡®I can see one falling on the back. You can dodge it, right? Can you see the space I pointed to? You have to twist there and knock that out. Ah. You¡¯re taking down the one I¡¯m seeing, but you have to knock what¡¯s falling on top with it.¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung, who twisted his body, swung his sword. He was constantly looking above the sky with his feet stuck on the ground, unlike before when he drew a ck line.


    ¡®No. You can take down all of them. You are faster.¡¯


    He was faster than the swords falling from above.


    He utilized his weapon while maintaining his posture. Even in that space where time seemed to have stopped, Kim Hyunsung¡¯s sword was hard to watch.


    Probably, to others, it would seem like that a hazy protective film was blocking Kim Hyunsung¡¯s front.


    -Judgement! Divine punishment!


    ¡®You can do it. You can see everything. You know which one to take out first.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t take his feet off the floor.


    -Divine punishment!!! Divine punishment!!! Divine punishment!!!


    Seeing him taking down all of his original sins he hadmitted, I smiled. It didn¡¯t really mean much, but it was somewhat symbolic.


    Booooooooom!


    Craaaaaash!


    Craaaaaaaaack!


    Booooooooooooooooom!!


    The swords smashing around were making a loud sound, but unfortunately, no sword touched Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡®I think we got fucking stronger, Hyunsung, right? Fuck, we¡¯re invincible.¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung was also looking at the scenery he made without a word. The trembling wings must¡¯ve been an expression of joy.


    It was a scene that gave even me chills. The way he was standing in the middle of a graveyard of swords was enough to please anyone.


    [Generating amon-grade forced quest.]


    [Idioooooot. Is that all you got? Is it over already? (0/1)]


    [Delivering amon-grade forced quest to Seraphim. You have not registered for quest clearing rewards. The subject will not bepensated.]

 Chapter 757: To The End (16)

    <h4>Chapter 757: To The End (16)</h4>


    ¡®As expected, this is the most fun time.¡¯


    [Generating amon-grade forced quest.]


    [Come here! Come here! Bastard! (0/1)]


    ¡®Ah, fuck. I¡¯m so happy.¡¯


    [Generating amon-grade forced quest.]


    [You pretended to be so strong, but you¡¯re just an empty shell. No big deal. (0/1)]


    ¡®I¡¯m on a cloud, really.¡¯


    Originally, in that kind of fight, the one that got agitated first was bound to lose.


    It wasn¡¯t a battle between Kim Hyunsung and him, but a battle between him and me. I was able tough pleasantly enough, so no other words were needed.


    Still, as I got on his nerves, it felt as if all the stresses that made my head hurt so far had disappeared.


    [Generating amon-grade forced quest.]


    [Judgment, my ass. Did you really think you were something? You¡¯re not. Look at what¡¯s in front of you, idiot. Humans feel awe at that. You¡¯re nothing more or less than an insect with wings. Don¡¯t pretend to be a stupid god. Just lie t from now on, yeah? (0/1)]


    -You¡­ parasite bastard!


    ¡®What are you going to do? Huh? What are you going to do? Can you beat Hyunsung? Can you? Can you fucking beat him?¡¯


    Hyunsung was quiet. Empty vessels made the most sound. Talkative guys often weren¡¯t helpful when fighting.


    Those who held their ground heavily looked stronger and were actually strong.


    ¡®The seed itself was different from you. The fundamentals are different. The fundamentals. Don¡¯t think you¡¯re a great guy.¡¯


    I could see him reaching out again with an extremely hostile expression, but the attack, once blocked, couldn¡¯t deal a valid hit.


    Wouldn¡¯t it be more appropriate to say that he was overwhelmed by the superiority of the specs rather than by his pattern?


    If there were other factors, the story could¡¯ve been different, but his execution method was just dropping attacks.


    The only thing he had was that countless numbers of swords falling towards one target at tremendous speed.


    Unlike before, Kim Hyunsung was aware of the swords and could either dodge or block them. That was enough to make me feel like an idiot for worrying about him.


    ¡®We can¡¯t let our guard down, though.¡¯


    Unless he were stupid, he¡¯d create another pattern. Wouldn¡¯t it be okay to judge that he had entered the so-called phase 2?


    Not surprisingly, he immediately began to draw a tinum-colored sword. I had a preconceived notion that he would be weak at melee fight, but it seemed that I was wrong.


    ¡®Actually, the distance doesn¡¯t mean anything.¡¯


    He would get the help of swords floating in the sky anyway. Those swords didn¡¯t aim for Seraphim. It seemed that the judgment and execution would serve as a bridgehead for him. It might be trickier than before, but I wasn¡¯t as nervous as before.


    I knew what Kim Hyunsung was capable of, and that¡¯s why I was confident he wasn¡¯t going to lose.


    ¡®It will be a littleplicated. Still, you only have to remember one thing. If you shorten the distance the moment the execution falls, you can get the timing right. Do you understand me?¡¯


    The moment woulde when he would have no choice but to be swept away by the waves of countless falling swords.


    ¡®You can use Seraphim as a shield when that happens.¡¯


    When a new pattern arose, he just had to find a new strategy to counter it. I wasn¡¯t sure if the tactic I gave was the right answer, though.


    ¡®My certainty is Kim Hyunsung.¡¯


    If it was the lovely regressor, it was possible.


    -Ugh!


    I could see Seraphim wielding the sword in great excitement. Kim Hyunsung then faced him with his own weapon, concentrating as much as possible.


    It didn¡¯t seem like Kim Hyunsung felt great pressure from Seraphim¡¯s physical abilities, but he certainly seemed to be feeling the pressure of the waves of swords that he continued to shoot.


    Rather than injuring Kim Hyunsung directly, I thought that he would bring him within the range of execution at any cost, but¡­


    ¡®It won¡¯t be easy.¡¯


    If he allowed one shot, he was more likely to allow the next. If he allowed the next, then he was more likely to allow the next of the next. It meant that there was a high probability that the domino would copse in a chain.


    Still¡­


    ¡°You must not make a mistake.¡±


    -Yes, I know, Kiyoung.


    Kim Hyunsung kept his calmness abound.


    After blocking Seraphim¡¯s sword, which was swung in arge circle, he immediately smashed the ones falling from the sky.


    He kept moving his feet to find space after seeing Seraphim moving away from Kim Hyunsung while spreading his wings instantly.


    ¡®What are you doing? Get close to him. The swords areing.¡¯


    He immediately spread the wings and approached Seraphim.


    It seemed that the swords of judgment aimed at our regressor suddenly stopped high in the air. Seraphim bit his lips and pushed Kim Hyunsung right away.


    ¡®You bought time, right?¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung hit all the attacks surrounding him with his sword.


    ¡®You also shoot arrows. That¡¯s a hidden pattern, right? Right?¡¯


    A single arrow that he fired was sucked into the trajectory of Kim Hyunsung¡¯s weapon.


    ¡®Did you see it?¡¯


    I watched as the regressor bent his head sideways to avoid the iing arrow aimed right between his eyes.


    ¡®Ah, fuck, that¡¯ll give him a scar.¡¯


    Blood flowed from one side of his cheeks, but that wasn¡¯t a big problem.


    -Are you okay?


    ¡°I¡¯ve blocked the pain, so I¡¯m fine. Just focus. It looks like you¡¯re losing concentration.¡±


    -I¡¯m sorry.


    ¡®No. You don¡¯t have to be sorry for me. It¡¯s you, not me, who got hurt. I¡¯m just telling you not to let go of the tension.¡¯


    Booooooooom!!!


    Craaaaash!!


    -Execution!!


    Boooooooooooooom!!!


    -I¡¯ll move now.


    Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang!!


    -Execution!!!


    Boooooooooooom!!!


    The stage then changed from the ground to the sky.


    The figure of the two constantly collided as but mere beams of light in the air. The waves of the swords continued to follow Kim Hyunsung, but none of them were given a chance to hit their target.


    ¡®Focus. Hold on, Hyunsung. Fuck, you¡¯re not the only one fighting. I¡¯m fighting too.¡¯


    [Generating amon-grade forced quest.]


    [You¡¯re a stupid bastard. You¡¯re an idiot who¡¯s been chasing my shadow. Hasn¡¯t that always been the case? (0/1)]


    -Shut up! Shut up!!!


    [Generating amon-grade forced quest.]


    [Even if you try to hide it, I can see it. I know what your ugly desires are, Seraphim. I know who you wanted to be like, and I know who you actually imitated. Fuhahahaha! What do you think? Did you have fun? How did it feel to be able to be the kind of person you thought was ideal? (0/1)]


    -Shut up! Lee Kiyoung! Just shut the fuck up!


    [Generating amon-grade forced quest.]


    [Idiooot. You can¡¯t be the masked hero even in your next life. No matter how hard you try, a copycat will always be nothing but a copycat. You know what they say. Human nature does not change. You are not human, but in my perspective, you aren¡¯t that much different from us. Your essence does not change. You will be the first timeline Seraphim forever. Ugly, jealous, and disgusting pigeon. (0/1)]


    -Shut up! Shut uuuup!!!


    [Generating amon-grade forced quest.]


    [You¡¯re even angrier now, aren¡¯t you? Are you crying? Are you crying? Fuhahahahehehe! Are you crying? You¡¯re crying, aren¡¯t you? (0/1)]


    -Shut up!!!!


    [Generating amon-grade forced quest.]


    [The masked hero never gets agitated, pigeon. If you wanted him to be your role model, you should have observed him more properly. (0/1)]


    -You dirty traitor! Ugly parasite! You¡¯re trash spat out by the dimension! Who are you to say that I imitated you?!


    [Generating amon-grade forced quest.]


    [What do you mean? That¡¯s on you, Seraphim. I don¡¯t know who you¡¯re calling traitor, but in the first ce, the masked hero was never a traitor. From the beginning, he was a hero among the heroes that fought for humanity. Fuck. How can you put the word traitor in your mouth? The real traitor is you who has forsaken your brother. (0/1)]


    -I¡¯ll pull out that tongue. Your tongue, I¡¯ll definitely¡­


    [Generating amon-grade forced quest.]


    [Did you hate yourself that much? Did you dislike yourself so much that you wanted to pretend to be me? Our poor Seraphim. Our poor pigeon with low self-esteem. I think I know what you looked like in the first round without even looking at it. It must have been different from now, huh? (0/1)]


    -Lee Kiyoung¡­ Lee Kiyoung¡­ Lee Kiyoung!


    [Generating amon-grade forced quest.] That¡¯s who you¡¯ve always been. Am I wrong? If you say you¡¯re doing something you¡¯ve created and imitated, doesn¡¯t that sound strange even for you? (0/1)]


    -Lee Kiyoung!!


    [Generating amon-grade forced quest.]


    [You guys aren¡¯t natural. Your existence has been created and fabricated. (0/1)]


    He stopped moving.


    ¡®Is that fact too hard?¡¯


    [Generating amon-grade forced quest.]


    [Unlike humans, you are artificially made. That¡¯s why you are jealous and envious of humans. It¡¯s a defense mechanism, saying you¡¯ll manage them while standing on them. The fact that you think you¡¯re superior to humans was a defense mechanism you guys created yourselves. If you didn¡¯t do that, you thought you would get out of line. You are envious of the humans who live looking for a purpose. You pigeons fooled yourselves. (0/1)]


    I could see him biting his lips tightly.


    [Generating amon-grade forced quest.]


    [There is no need to be embarrassed, Seraphim. That¡¯s how you were made, after all. Pfff! You were created! Puhehehe! Recycled, even! Puhahahaha! Hahahahehehe! (0/1)]


    He looked as if he was driven to a corner and was about to drop tears anytime soon.


    ¡®Did you see that, Hyunsung? I¡¯m fighting hard too.¡¯


    -S-S¡­ Shut up¡­ Shut up¡­


    [Generating amon-grade forced quest.]


    [You evaluated me as the trash spat out by the dimension, but you are the real waste that hasn¡¯t even been selected by any dimension. Idiooooot. Even if you search this world- no, the entire continent- no, all the dimensions, there will be no one who loves you. You guys are not considered creatures. You know that, right? Who would love someone assembled? Who¡­ P¡­ Pfff. Who would seriously think that way about the assembled guys? Pfff¡­ Fu¡­ Fuhahaheha! (0/1)]


    I felt a little sorry for putting too much strength into the damage dealing. I thought I had be the viin for some reason.


    Fuck. If Seraphim were the main character, a supporting actor would havee out and shouted. ¡®No! Fuck! We are not made!¡¯ Giving Seraphim courage and a reason to live, but what could I do? He was the viin.


    All the ones who could¡¯ve said that had gone to the other side. Oh, but I thought I went too far. He mightmit suicide at that rate.


    [Generating amon-grade forced quest.]


    [You are not loved by even those who made you poor Seraphim. Our poor Seraphim. Can I tell you why you guys pretend to be humans? Honestly, I¡¯m not sure if the answer is correct. But I think maybe it¡¯s because you have the unconsciousness that your Creator will love you. There¡¯s no otheredy like this, right? (0/1)]


    -¡­


    I could see him biting his lips tightly. The fact that the judgment and execution weren¡¯t working woulde with tremendous stress to him. Not only that, he was getting beaten up by facts.


    His pupil, which was constantly shaking, seemed to show that he was unaware of what he was even doing at that moment.


    ¡®That¡¯s not good.¡¯


    I had to keep in mind that he was probably thinking about giving that nasty guy a blow at any cost.


    ¡®He¡¯s not stupid enough to not think about that, right? Still, he should¡¯ve learned how to give a blow from the masked hero. He should give him a blow, right? Right?¡¯


    No matter how stupid he was, his brain should function that much. When the reason lost in anger returned, he would be aware of what was a reasonable choice.


    Was it to live up to my expectations? I could see Seraphim taking a slow breath. He was smiling happily while looking at Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡®Right. That¡¯s your role.¡¯


    The stage was set up, and the conditions had also been met.


    Seraphim then spoke to Kim Hyunsung.


    -You have some nerves, poor human.


    ¡®That¡¯s right.¡¯


    -You¡¯re following a man who¡¯s ruined your life, your soul, everything¡­ You got some nerves.

 Chapter 758: To The End (17)

    <h4>Chapter 758: To The End (17)</h4>


    ¡®This stupid guy finally did it. He finally did it.¡¯


    I saw Seraphim smiling as if he had finally found a way to give me a blow.


    ¡®Okay. You deserve it. Really.¡¯


    He deserved to have such a confident look. Although he started on the wrong foot, at least he realized his role even though it was a littlete.


    I wanted to encourage Seraphim, who was working hard towards the right path, but I couldn¡¯t make such a choice in the current situation.


    Although he finally opened fire, the build-up I had to do that led to that was hard enough to create to be difficultpared to any other work I had done so far.


    Why?


    That was obvious.


    ¡®There¡¯s no way he would believe him.¡¯


    It was impossible for Kim Hyunsung to easily trust his words.


    ¡®Would that sound believable?¡¯


    Even if I were to confess it myself, I didn¡¯t think he¡¯d believe it.


    Had it been Kim Hyunsung from a few years ago, a dusty suspicion would¡¯ve grown in his heart. However, the advice given by the mysterious woman and the warm heart of our Light Hyunsung purified by the sunset wouldn¡¯t create evil energy.


    At least, from the moment they reached an agreement in the unconscious world, the form that Lee Kiyoung was the masked trash would never be established in him.


    Even if some loyalists were to gather in front of the pce and spread rumors, saying, ¡®Ie with a warning, Your Majesty! He¡¯s the treacherous subject who¡¯s ruining you.¡¯ I could bet that Kim Hyunsung wouldn¡¯t even bat an eye.


    It didn¡¯t make sense to believe in the bullsh*t of a pigeon, the foe of a lifetime.


    ¡®It¡¯s bullsh*t.¡¯


    Of course, it would sound like bullsh*t. Seraphim, who was expecting a reaction such as ¡®what does that mean?¡¯ or ¡®what?¡¯, bit down on his lips tightly.


    The way he didn¡¯t react at all was a spectacle. It even made me doubt if he heard Seraphim¡¯s words.


    ¡®Wow¡­ How should I start talking about this? Seraphim, What are you going to do now?¡¯


    Perhaps Seraphim was also thinking the same.


    ¡®What can I do? You have to push it first. The battle has gone into a lull, and this timing doesn¡¯te often. Try a little harder. You can¡¯t give up here.¡¯


    -You didn¡¯t know?


    -There is no time to answer bullsh*ts.


    -I know who ruined your life. You might know too. You just deny it, poor Kim Hyunsung. Poor Altanus¡¯ regressor. You know the facts, too, right?


    ¡®No, fuck, I don¡¯t think he does. Could you try harder? If you talk like that, how will he ept it?¡¯


    -Who is the masked man with us?


    ¡®Ah, this bastard is doing it in the wrong way. He¡¯s so bad at it. He¡¯s not even being logical. Fuck.¡¯


    Even if he exined it step by step from the beginning, he might not even understand, so I didn¡¯t think there would be any hope to see him talking about something like that.


    -We didn¡¯t reach out to him, Kim Hyunsung. He reached out to us. He wanted to join us, saying we could work together to cleanse and manage humanity. He said he was the chosen one. He also said that he would live as a member of the world we will manage in the future and that the humans of the past were wrong. He said they were corrupted, rubbed, and contaminated. He argued that they needed control and needed new values¡­


    ¡®Yes, that¡¯s how you do a build-up. That way.¡¯


    I watched him as he talked slowly. Of course, Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t seem to be listening to him.


    -I¡¯ll recover my stamina for a while.


    ¡®Okay. Recover as much as you can.¡¯


    Seraphim, who told the truth, seemed more desperate than Kim Hyunsung, who was listening to him.


    Rather than shouting for trust, I felt like he was getting emotional by himself while speaking.


    It seemed that the way he spoke had changed a little. His voice tone was definitely different.


    I thought he might show a glimpse of his true self, but that wasn¡¯t good news for me.


    ¡®Do it with a slightly stronger tone. Fuck, you have to speak confidently. What is that? Fuck, you can¡¯t even make eye contact, and you¡¯re hesitating¡­ If you do that, Hyunsung won¡¯t find you trustworthy at all. Fuck.¡¯


    -¡­


    -Right. As the masked trash said, he looked like a suitable human to live on the new continent¡­ He was more devoted than anyone else, sometimes pure and sometimes bold. He did not hesitate to make a decision, and he¡­ he¡­ as if he understood us better than anyone else¡­ no, he surely understood us back then. Whates next is a story you know all too well, Kim Hyunsung.


    -¡­


    -He destroyed humanity, driving them to the edge of the cliff. He took the great wizard from mankind and divided them. He was more passionate than anyone else on the task of reducing the poption. Your resistance was strong, but you guys couldn¡¯t have done anything. So, who do you think is the one who got in your way every time and brought you despair?


    -¡­


    -I didn¡¯t know for sure, but now I do. Kim Hyunsung, why did hee to us and destroy mankind- no, the continent. I think I know now.


    ¡®That was a bit incoherent, but the delivery got better. Didn¡¯t you learn to speak from the masked hero?¡¯


    -He wanted to start anew. He decided to start everything from scratch. I don¡¯t know what his purpose is, but this one is for sure. He chose you, Kim Hyunsung. He got you into the n to get everything to start all over again. After the gods in charge of the continent have destroyed the continent beyond repair, he decided to use you as his long-term horse. You took the plunge, and you took the burden.


    ¡®It¡¯s getting better and better. If I cheer for him, I think it¡¯ll get even better.¡¯


    [Generating amon-grade forced quest.]


    [You¡­ (0/1)]


    I had to pretend to be disconcerted. That way, his confidence woulde alive.


    As expected, I could see him swallowing hard. After receiving the message, it seemed that he gained more momentum.


    I didn¡¯t know if he felt like he had the upper hand, but he definitely thought it was going to be a big blow to me.


    I then sent another message.


    [Generating amon-grade forced quest.]


    [Stop¡­ (0/1)]


    ¡®Whew. That was a good one. Stop.¡¯


    -It must have been for his own ugly greed, Kim Hyunsung. To him, humans like you would have felt easy to manipte. I know him better than you think. Do you think it¡¯s easy to make someone regress? Did the gods who manage this continent take this great risk and brought you back? Why were only you left at the end? Why was he where you were moving, and why did you have to ept that great despair right away? Why did bad things always happen to you, and why did everyone around you die one after another? Why did you have to start all over again from the beginning? Why was he with you at the beginning of the second timeline? Doesn¡¯t everything feel weird?


    [Generating amon-grade forced quest.]


    [Please stop¡­ (0/1)]


    -What he is most worried about is hisfort. He¡¯s not interested in anything other than that. He¡¯s not on anyone¡¯s side or anyone¡¯s ally. He is a terrible human who only thinks of himself.


    ¡®This bastard isn¡¯t bad.¡¯


    I thought he was doing really well. He was probably the type that survived when praised.


    I couldn¡¯t say that he was good at speaking, but I could feel the truth in his voice. Even the ability to instantly catch up on what was going on seemed to be good.


    The fact that someone who didn¡¯t know the true intention of the masked hero and exactly how Kim Hyunsung returned could do that much¡­


    ¡®I guess he¡¯s really trying hard.¡¯


    The only way to exin it was that he was using his head desperately in his own way.


    -He chose you only for greed. He is a demon who controls everyone with his hands and makes them move as he wants. The masked man. Aren¡¯t you curious who he is?


    -¡­


    -He¡¯s the one talking to you right now. He¡¯s the one who¡¯s giving you instructions. Do you get it now? Do you understand now?


    ¡®No. Fuck, he doesn¡¯t seem to understand at all.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t say that Seraphim was bad. There was still regret about what it would¡¯ve been like if it worked out a little more slowly, but I thought that was already more than I thought he could do.


    At first, it seemed as if he had vomited everything he wanted to say, and he got the point well.


    He finished exining that Lee Kiyoung was the masked man and that the purpose was to bring him back.


    ¡®I also liked the feeling of appealing to emotions.¡¯


    The problem was the result.


    -I¡¯m almost done recovering, Kiyoung. Can I go back?


    ¡®He let it in one ear and out the other. Did you hear it right? Did you hear for sure?¡¯


    He heard it, but he seemed to be thinking that it was trash-like words that weren¡¯t worth reconsidering. He was so strong in his faith that even I could feel it.


    ¡®Yes, fuck, I wouldn¡¯t believe it too. That crazy pigeon is saying that during a battle and when he¡¯s losing. Who would believe in him? However, Kim Hyunsung has to believe. He has to believe him no matter what. I¡¯m a little sorry, but I have no choice but to do this.¡¯


    It was a little ufortable to mess with things out-ofbat. Ethically, it was a bit¡­ It seemed like I was trying to manipte and control Hyunsung.


    Still, it would be better to make an exception this time for the sake of the cause. At that moment, the scenery that Yuno Kasugano saw might actually be flickering.


    Kim Hyunsung had to get something shy right at that moment.


    ¡®I can move.¡¯


    The regressor¡¯s instruction manual could artificially manipte Kim Hyunsung¡¯s emotions.


    The pros and cons weren¡¯t important. If I induced Hyunsung to move like that, he would have no choice but to do so.


    ¡°Yes. Immediately¡­¡±


    I started with a very small one.


    It could be weird if something too big suddenly came in, so I began with imnting a little suspicion in his head.


    ¡®It¡¯s the same as then, Hyunsung. Just that much. The tiny suspicion that you had before we agreed on the sunset world. I¡¯ll nt that.¡¯


    Given the circumstances, he would probably think that evil energy came in with Seraphim¡¯s powerful speech.


    -Huh?


    Along with that sound, Kim Hyunsung grabbed his head for a moment.


    A very embarrassed face stood out. I didn¡¯t know what image came up, but it was probably the image that I ovepped with the masked hero. I should speak with the most innocent voice.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Hyunsung?¡±


    -Yes¡­ I¡­ it¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s nothing. Yes. I¡¯m sorry.


    ¡®It¡¯s not nothing. Be honest. Seraphim, will you be still? You have to say one more word.¡¯


    -Keep your eyes open and face what the truth is, Kim Hyunsung. He¡¯s not the person you think he is.


    -¡­


    -You¡¯re noticing that my words are true.


    -Shut up, Seraphim.


    ¡®There¡¯s at least some progress.¡¯


    He seemed to be sensitive to Seraphim¡¯s words, unlike before, when he wasn¡¯t paying attention at all.


    I had no choice but to realize that things were going ording to my thoughts.


    Kim Hyunsung was scared right now. He was afraid that his words would shake him.


    He was even speaking to me.


    -Kiyoung¡­ Is there a delirious-type magic or something simr¡­


    ¡°There is no such thing, Hyunsung. Did something happen?¡±


    -No. It¡¯s¡­ nothing. I¡¯m sorry, Kiyoung. I¡¯m sorry.


    ¡®What are you apologizing for? That you¡¯re suspicious of me? Or that you¡¯re not focusing on the current situation? You don¡¯t have to apologize for the former. I¡¯m not even supposed to know that you¡¯re suspicious of me anyway.¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung trembled slightly and opened his mouth again with a crying voice. He continued to shake his head from side to side as if he would never think of it again.


    -I¡¯m really sorry, I mean¡­ I¡¯m sorry.


    I once again put a spoonful of suspicion in his confused mind.


    ¡®Your mentality is fine, right?¡¯


    However, it didn¡¯t take long before I felt him surrounded by his immense self-loathing, and in the end, he couldn¡¯t ovee that feeling. Tears began to fall.

 Chapter 759: To The End (18)

    <h4>Chapter 759: To The End (18)</h4>


    ¡®Ah, is this bastard not mentally okay? Be strong, Kim Hyunsung. Fuck.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t think he was okay.


    Confusing emotions were transmitted to me immediately. I could feel a huge swirl of feelings that were hard to exin hitting our regressor.


    If I were to exaggerate it a bit, it felt as if tens of thousands of maggots were eating my entire body.


    He hated himself and seemed to be taking the current situation too negatively.


    Although I was embarrassed because he seemed to be overreacting¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Is it natural?¡¯


    When I thought of what Kim Hyunsung had to go through toe here, I thought his reaction wasn¡¯t particrly strange.


    ¡®Because a lot has happened.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that the second timeline¡¯s Kim Hyunsung¡¯s growth process was actually based on his ties with Light Kiyoung.


    Although physical growth was important, mental growth should¡¯ve been the top priority.


    The light that melted Kim Hyunsung¡¯s heart, which was as cold as the harsh north wind, was warmer than anyone else¡¯s. That light was Kiyoung.


    That guy was always at the center of the incident and was at the center of Kim Hyunsung¡¯s few remaining human rtionships. At one time, they misunderstood each other, doubted each other, and even met as enemies. Still, in the end, it developed into a rtionship that he trusted the most, contributing to his growth and the formation of a new personality.


    That was also a part of psychotherapy, and it was also a course of education to kindly teach Kim Hyunsung, who was worn out by the first round, about true rtionships.


    ¡®Right. Fuck. That¡¯s right. It¡¯s understandable.¡¯


    Didn¡¯t we blow up all doubts when our soulsmunicated? In Kim Hyunsung¡¯s point of view, it was understandable to think he was trash.


    I couldn¡¯t even imagine how in pain he would¡¯ve been when the suspicions he thought he had already brushed off came back.


    ¡®Aren¡¯t I a lifesaver? No, I¡¯m a mental lifesaver. Honestly, I did Hyunsung¡¯s mental cardiopulmonary resuscitation. I still remember Kim Hyunsung¡¯s eyes when we just started the second round. I saved a person, treated him, and even paid the hospital fees. But now he¡¯s suspicious of me¡­ How much shame would he feel?¡¯


    I could see his pupils shaking. He didn¡¯t seem to have a clue about what to do.


    I knew his mind was weak, but it really seemed like he will copse anytime soon.


    His hand that held his sword was trembling, and it was noticeable that he forcibly bit his lips tightly.


    He probably thought that he should prevent the mental breakdown. Since it was an important moment for him, it was understandable.


    ¡®Ah, is it correct to proceed as it is? Honestly, the war¡­¡¯


    Sure, we were in an advantageous situation, but¡­


    ¡°Hyunsung? Did anything happen?¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°Hyunsung?¡±


    -It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s nothing.


    All the important pigeons had already been dealt with, and the troops weren¡¯t in bad condition¡­ What should I do if Kim Hyunsung became mentally ill at this rate?


    Of course, there was a possibility that the war situation would suddenly change. Still, even if that were the case, I thought it would be right to present a mental illness to Kim Hyusung.


    His condition looked bad enough that he had such useless worries. However¡­


    ¡®If this is the end, there¡¯s no way Lee Kiyoung could do such a n.¡¯


    If that was really the end, Lucifer and I had no reason to make a meaningless bet.


    Wasn¡¯t it obvious?


    ¡®There is a reason to do this.¡¯


    There might be something more left after this war.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t something that could be concluded with certainty, but wasn¡¯t it worth thinking about anyway?


    After the pigeons were dead, a pigeon boss or a pigeon parent might appear.


    The continent might copse out of nowhere, or something that I couldn¡¯t imagine might happen.


    I knew it might be absurd, but I didn¡¯t think that Lee Kiyoung would have signed a contract with Lucifer and would offer his stomach for nothing before erasing his memory.


    ¡®The most likely thing¡­ their creator?¡¯


    The outer god.


    Not imperfect like the pigeons.


    But a truly wless being.


    In short, if Lucifer didn¡¯t cover it, there might be a monster waiting for us.


    I didn¡¯t know what arrangement I¡¯d put on, but it wasn¡¯t small enough to ignore it.


    Although I suffered an inner conflict for a while, I wondered if it couldn¡¯t be helped.


    Lee Kiyoung wasn¡¯t a psychopath. Why wouldn¡¯t I worry about the mental health of the lovely regressor? However, if I were to go back now¡­


    ¡°We¡¯vee too far.¡±


    It was no different from crossing a river that we couldn¡¯t cross again. While I was lost in thoughts, one guy was enjoying it.


    -Do you remember now?


    -¡­


    -You¡¯re just denying it, Kim Hyunsung. Wouldn¡¯t it be better for you to ept it? He is not your savior. He¡¯s the demon himself that twists and squeezes your soul.


    -¡­


    -You¡¯d better ask him yourself. The demon is still wondering what to do with you in the palm of his hand.


    ¡®You got me there.¡¯


    -No, you don¡¯t even have to ask. You already know the answer. Your expression is telling me everything¡­ Am I wrong?


    ¡®It¡¯s almost as if he¡¯s in his element.¡¯


    It was funny to see that he was mistaken that his eloquence was working on Kim Hyunsung, but that was helpful. I had to help a little there too.


    ¡°Hyunsung? What¡­¡±


    -It¡¯s not something that you should be concerned about. It¡¯s not something for you to be¡­ I¡¯m fully recovered, so I should immediately¡­


    -You know that just because you look away doesn¡¯t mean the reality will change. Why don¡¯t you ask yourself who was the one that held your life and shook it in the first round, who you hated so much, who ughtered your colleagues and the humans of the continent and destroyed your soul? Who¡¯s the one that wields your life at will, who deceived you from start to finish and fooled you? Ask yourself.


    I had to add another spoonful of doubts there.


    -Shut¡­ Shut up.


    -Open your eyes and look at who your real enemy is!


    -Shut¡­ Shut up!!!


    Kim Hyunsung grabbed his sword and started to fly.


    In an instant, the men who faced each other continued to draw lines in the air, their swords shing.


    However, couldn¡¯t that be considered meaningless? Seraphim thought that the situation was an opportunity to screw me, and Kim Hyunsung¡¯s heart was also constantly shaken.


    The main points I was constantly picking up weren¡¯t getting into his head properly, and his movements could be said to be messy.


    In the meantime, seeing that he dominated Seraphim, it seemed that he was physicallyplete, even¡­


    ¡®Fuck, won¡¯t Seraphim die at that rate?¡¯


    Of course, that bastard was a pigeon that had to die, but he had to fulfill his duty first. The doubts in Kim Hyunsung¡¯s mind should be turned into certainty.


    There was a little problem¡­


    ¡®Ah¡­ This is more difficult than I thought.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t easy to fully root his doubt.


    -I¡­ sniff¡­ I never thought of that.


    ¡°Hyunsung?¡±


    -Please believe in me. I really never thought of that. R-Really¡­ Really¡­ Ugh¡­


    He seemed to be talking to himself, not me.


    -I¡­ I think someone entered my head. Something¡­ Something¡¯s weird, Kiyoung.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t confirm¡­¡±


    -Get out of my head! Sniff¡­ You motherfucker! You filthy bastard!


    ¡®I think what¡¯s in your head is me¡­¡¯


    -Sniff¡­ no! No! No!


    Seraphim shouted.


    -Open your eyes! Kim Hyunsung!


    -Shut up! Shut up!!!! No. No! Get out of my head! Sh*t! Get out, Lucifer!!!


    ¡®It¡¯s not Lucifer. It¡¯s me.¡¯


    He was wielding his sword ignorantly. It felt like he was fighting something in his head. He looked so miserable that it was difficult to say anything. To be honest, it was hard for me to witness that.


    -I have never had any doubts. I¡­ I¡¯ve never doubted.


    ¡®You¡¯re okay, right?¡¯


    It seemed that he was resisting the Regressor Instruction Manual. I didn¡¯t really think it would be possible to resist it.


    -Sniff¡­ Ugh¡­


    ¡®Don¡¯t refuse it, Hyunsung. You have to ept it. You, say something, crazy pigeon.¡¯


    -ept it, Kim Hyunsung!


    ¡®Fuck. Don¡¯t just say such shallow lines.¡¯


    It was hard to expect something from him.


    Kim Hyunsung, who continued to collide with him, stopped moving when I put in doubt once more.


    ¡®Don¡¯t resist. Sh*t.¡¯


    When I felt a little urgency, thinking that Kim Hyunsung might really be ruined at that rate, he grabbed his left horn.


    -Damn! Damn!


    ¡®What are you doing?¡¯


    ¡°What are you doing¡­ Hey¡­¡±


    -Sh*t¡­ Damn!


    ¡°You crazy bastard! What are you doing?¡±


    -Damn!!!


    Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t answer, but I thought I knew what he was trying to do at that moment.


    I could see his arm getting tense. There was a cracking, awful sound.


    Kim Hyunsung, who didn¡¯t even whimper against most types of pain, spat out a bizarre scream.


    I didn¡¯t feel pain, but I could feel how painful that was to Kim Hyunsung. Still, he didn¡¯t stop what he was doing.


    Seraphim¡¯s face became distorted when he saw the scene. Without knowing it, he sympathized with the pain.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do it, you idiot! Don¡¯t do it!¡±


    A scene that gave me goosebumps all over my body. Eventually¡­


    Crack!


    Along with that sound, Kim Hyunsung pulled his left horn.


    -Sigh¡­ Sigh¡­ Sigh¡­


    Blood continued to spill from the ce where the huge horn was forcibly removed from. I didn¡¯t know if it was because of the blood thatpletely covered Kim Hyunsung¡¯s half face, but that sight just felt unrealistic. My face crumpled unknowingly.


    Kim Hyunsung, covered with sweat, continued to mutter to himself.


    -Get¡­ Get out of my head, Lucifer. I don¡¯t doubt¡­ I¡­


    ¡°This bastard¡­¡±


    -I¡­ I have never doubted. I-I had once before, but not now. Believe. Believe. Believe. I believe. I believe¡­


    ¡®Fuck¡­ What should I do? Is it right to go on like this? Should I keep going?¡¯


    -I know now. Now¡­


    ¡®What should I do? What should I do? Fuck¡­ Fuck¡­ What should I do? Fuck¡­ Fuck¡­ I didn¡¯t know it would turn out like this. I didn¡¯t expect it to be like this. Really¡­¡¯


    He was still resisting the doubts in his head. The suspicion didn¡¯t go away by the action he had just done, after all. Not long after, he grabbed his right horn.


    -D¡­ Disappear from my head right away, Lucifer.


    ¡®What should I do? What¡­ What¡­ Fuck, what should I do? Fuck¡­ What should I do?¡¯


    -Leave¡­ Ugh¡­


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Ahhhhhhhhhhhh! Ahhhhhhhhhhhh! Ahhhhhhhhh!! Ahhhhhhhhhhhh! Ahhhhhhhhh! Ahhhhhhhhh! Ahhhhhhhhh!¡±


    He stopped moving.

 Chapter 760: To The End (19)

    <h4>Chapter 760: To The End (19)</h4>


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhh! Ahhhhhhhhh¡±


    He couldn¡¯tpletely pull out the horn.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhh¡­ Ah¡­ Ahh¡­ Ugh¡­ Ahhhhhh¡±


    His face turned pale. It seemed that he was still dizzy, but he was reacting to my screams.


    His eyes turned big.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Ugh¡­ Ahh¡­¡±


    ¡°Fuck, bastard.¡±


    Wouldn¡¯t the extremely realistic crying and painful screams be delivered to him with the exact same quality?


    He was still not on his mind, but it probably wouldn¡¯t take too long to figure out what was going on.


    ¡®Yes, you¡¯ll be alright.¡¯


    There was no way that Kim Hyunsung wouldn¡¯t realize that being able to block pain-sharing was a lie in good faith.


    He was famous for being slow, but I believed he would be able to notice the consideration of ¡°that guy,¡± who couldn¡¯t say that, fearing that the returner wouldn¡¯t focus on the battle properly.


    The sacrifice of that guy who endured pain and tried not to be a nuisance.


    As expected, he was flinching. His feelings filled with despair were making it hard for him to even open his mouth.


    -K¡­ Kiyoung?


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -Kiyoung? Are you¡­ Are you okay? Kiyoung?


    ¡®Is he sane?¡¯


    I honestly didn¡¯t know. Maybe it was just a reflex action. For the time being, it was correct to remain silent.


    Wouldn¡¯t it be better to feel great pain first and bravely talk afterward?


    It took time to decide what kind of judgment was the right answer.


    It was an action that came from the thought that I should prevent Kim Hyunsung from bing half-disabled. I was that desperate too and¡­


    The pain Kim Hyunsung was feeling was hard to exin. Physical pain was also painful, but¡­


    ¡®You shouldn¡¯t try to solve the problem like that.¡¯


    He shouldn¡¯t hurt himself and pull out his horns like that. What was he going to do if it didn¡¯t work out after he pulled it out? Would he try to pull out the wings as well? What would he do if that didn¡¯t work either?


    That kind of thing wouldn¡¯t help. He shouldn¡¯t try to solve the problem by doing that.


    ¡®It¡¯s morefortable to just ept it. Did you think you can deal with the suspicions that are springing up in your mind in the first ce?¡¯


    I thought it would be better to press on firmly to prevent other thoughts so that he could no longer do anything useless. It might be a little difficult to do it, but¡­


    ¡®I have to do it.¡¯


    No, it wasn¡¯t really hard. It was the same as when demons corrupted a human.


    They constantly dug into the weakest and most afflicted part of humans and ate thempletely after driving them into an irresistible state.


    Of course, there was the difference that I was doing it to protect Kim Hyunsung, but I was certain that their method would work better in such a situation.


    What was Kim Hyunsung¡¯s most distressing part right now? It was obvious.


    Guilt.


    I dragged it down to a darker ce. All I had to do was pretend to be in a little more pain and pretend to be fine.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Sigh¡­ Ah¡­¡±


    -Are you¡­ Are you okay? Kiyoung¡­ Kiyoung? What¡­


    ¡°Ha¡­ Uhh¡­ Ah¡­¡±


    -Kiyoung¡­ the pain¡­ the pain¡­ I¡­ I¡­


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°I am fine. I am¡­ So¡­ don¡¯t worry.¡±


    -What? Yeah¡­ uh¡­ yes¡­ sniff¡­


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened, but¡­ I¡¯ll move over there now. I don¡¯t feel anything right now¡­ Something¡­ If something is wrong¡­ I have to personally check your status.¡±


    -Is¡­ your head okay?


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I blocked the pain, so don¡¯t worry¡­ Yes. Sigh¡­ Sigh¡­ Are you¡­ Are you okay? It¡­ It seems I have to get to that ce for now. Maybe mental magic¡­ Ugh¡­ is on you now¡­¡±


    - Kiyoung? Kiyoung?


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®I¡¯m okay for real. Are you really okay?¡¯


    -I am¡­ Yes. I am¡­ sniff¡­


    ¡®How used to pain are you? What are you doing?¡¯


    -I am¡­ I don¡¯t mind. Ugh¡­ Yes.


    It was exactly as I thought. I didn¡¯t have to induce his consciousness, and he was going in the direction I wanted.


    It could be judged that he removed the horns from his head to resist Lucifer, but in reality, it was safe to say that it was self-harm.


    It wasn¡¯t unreasonable to interpret that he hurt himself because he couldn¡¯t ovee his hatred. It was an act of damaging his own physique, but I could use it so it would appear he hurt me in the end.


    As expected, I felt Kim Hyunsung gradually sinking. Even the final solution he could think of had been blocked.


    He didn¡¯t know how to act now. He was confused as to which direction to take the current situation. He was stopping even when he tried to put his hand on his head, and he was falling into hell as the only way to resist was blocked.


    There was nothing that he could do except to shed tears.


    There was no Kim Hyunsung who had achieved one level of growth. Kim Hyunsung, who escaped from Lucifer¡¯s grasp and became a sacrificial hero, wasn¡¯t anywhere to be found. There was only a sandcastle that would probably copse if touched.


    I could see him continuously looking around. His quivering mouth and constant flow of tears caught my eyes.


    He couldn¡¯t even say anything properly. Kim Hyunsung was broken.


    ¡°I¡­ I¡­ I believe in you.¡±


    With only those words, he copsed too easily.


    Whoooooosh.


    ¡®Now.¡¯


    It was an easy task.


    It was really easy to touch Kim Hyunsung, who was defenseless, a little.


    ¡®Time to break him.¡¯


    I could just destroy the bond Kim Hyunsung has with Lee Kiyoung. The reason our regressor was resisting was that he didn¡¯t want to let go of that string. Hence, I blurred everything that had happened so far.


    No, rather than blurring, I killed the feelings and bonds Kim Hyunsung felt so far.


    I had to make him not feel guilty about Lee Kiyoung.


    Was that possible? Why could it be impossible? Hadn¡¯t the wallpletely broken down?


    ¡®Is it really necessary to do this?¡¯


    It was correct to block the anxiety element from the beginning. I could be sure if I looked at Kim Hyunsung right now. With our bond intact, he couldn¡¯t stab me in the end.


    Even if I admitted that I was the masked hero, I had couldn¡¯t be touched because of the affection built in the second round.


    ¡®Look at that bastard. He will definitely act like that. He will hesitate and deny it and eventually drop the knife, but¡­¡¯


    No, there were no buts. That was the only option.


    I continued to wander through Kim Hyunsung¡¯s head. I kept pulling out the moments when he felt the bond with Lee Kiyoung.


    From the very beginning of the tutorial.


    -Ah¡­ No.


    Yes.


    ¡®I¡¯m Kim Hyunsung.¡¯


    From the beginning.


    I had already talked about memories with him once, but¡­


    Looking at it like that, it felt like everything was going like a panorama.


    ¡®Personally, it seems a little better to choose from Summoner, Alchemist, and ck Wizard, but it¡¯s hard to rmend ck Wizard. I¡¯m not sure, but you could be in a dangerous situation. At least this status window doesn¡¯t lie to us.¡¯


    Having trouble because of my ss was quite fun, wasn¡¯t it?


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    Honestly, I had fun too. At that time, I thought alchemist was a sweet ss. When I thought about it now, it was as if I got fished.


    Fuck. Being a ck wizard would¡¯ve been fine, and Commander would¡¯ve been good, too, but I was hooked on Ramus Tucker¡¯s Introduction to Alchemy.


    Did he still think that was the best choice? For real?


    ¡®Just¡­ Just in case¡­ Are you thinking of going somewhere else?¡¯


    ¡®You can¡¯t. O-Oppa!¡¯


    ¡®I won¡¯t. I want to be with you too. Of course, Hyunsung too. Isn¡¯t that right?¡¯


    ¡®Yes. Even though we met in this strange ce¡­ I want to go with Kiyoung, Deokgu, and Hayan.¡¯


    Was it when I first entered the guild? I said that I would earn a lot of money. At that time, I was desperate and just pushed forward.


    I sometimes said that even without Deokgu, it was fun with the four of us. Was it the same for him? Or was it a memory correction? He didn¡¯t like me very much at that time, right?


    ¡®There is no need to apologize, Kiyoung.¡¯


    ¡®What?¡¯


    ¡®You did nothing wrong. No, even if you did, Yura does not have the right to point out Kiyoung¡¯s fault. Kiyoung is definitely a Blue party member. If I had thought you made a mistake, I would have told you first. I don¡¯t know why Yura first made a problem with our party member¡¯s behavior, but I¡¯m honestly not happy about it.¡¯


    The first dungeon that I¡¯d joined before. Even now, I thought Hyunsung was a little cool there.


    ¡®The gift prepared for our Blue Guild Master is this griffon.¡¯


    ¡®Ah!¡¯


    Did he like it that much? He went crazy with the griffon.


    ¡®I want to appoint Hyejin as the head of the guild secretary¡­¡¯


    ¡®Er, Hyunsung¡­ you can forget what I said before. It¡¯s just a personal thought. If you think Hyejin is suitable for the job, you are free to appoint her. Ah! I¡¯m telling you this to clear things up, but there is no misunderstanding. It¡¯s something you can think of, in your position.¡¯


    Really, the candles at both ends had been burning brightly for him back then.


    passed by.


    These were moments when Kim Hyunsung had no choice but to feel the bond with Lee Kiyoung, although the order was mixed. There were even a lot of things I didn¡¯t remember. Very trivial ones. Really small things, like when we had a meal or had a drink together.


    Conversely, there were many very big events.


    ¡®Kill me.¡¯


    That was a little embarrassing to see now. No. Honestly, it was cool.


    ¡®Give it back to me, motherfucker.¡¯


    ¡®Did I not tell you?¡¯


    ¡®Give me back¡­¡¯


    ¡®You sound like a parrot.¡¯


    ¡®Give me back¡­ give me back!!! You fucking!! Bastard!!!!¡¯


    I didn¡¯t want to watch that. What happened before that was awesome.


    ¡®Humans are strange. Everything is in ruins¡­ it looks a bit pretty. It also looks mysterious. The red sunset¡­¡¯


    Right. This.¡¯


    ¡®Sh*t! What do you know!? What do you know!? Damn¡­ damn! Don¡¯t imitate it. Don¡¯t imitate it. Sh*t! Don¡¯te to me that way and force me to take responsibility. Don¡¯t show up like this and force me to take responsibility. I never said I wanted to start over. I never asked to do it again! So just leave me alone. Please! Leave me alone! Don¡¯t force me to take responsibility anymore! Motherfuckers! Don¡¯t¡­ fucking force me to take responsibility¡­ Fuck¡­¡¯


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡®Please don¡¯t think¡­ please¡­ Please don¡¯t think. Don¡¯t remember¡­ I¡¯m sick of it now. Please don¡¯t think of it. Don¡¯t think of anything.¡¯


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡®Please stop¡­ please¡­ Please don¡¯t force me to take responsibility looking like that.¡¯


    Honestly, I thought that was decisive. Even when I thought about it now, I got sad.


    ¡®No one has ever told you to take responsibility. No one ever said that. It¡¯s understandable that you feel pressured to have someone expecting things and that it doesn¡¯t seem like you will be able to withstand many things. You don¡¯t have to be stressed alone. I can carry your burden with you.¡¯


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡®I will take the responsibility.¡¯


    I raised Kim Hyunsung. There were much more memories than I thought.


    Bag shopping? Oh, fuck. Imprisoned for two weeks? And a night walk¡­ fuck, really?


    The Doom Hyunsung case proved to be a little bit too big, too, right? He really hated Raphael. However, after our work was done, they might have to live facing each other.


    As I went more and more, each and every little thing¡­ There were too many, although it didn¡¯t matter. It was just a moment anyway.


    ¡®Kiyoung?¡¯


    Yes.


    ¡®I¡¯m willing to believe.¡¯

 Chapter 761: To The End (20)

    <h4>Chapter 761: To The End (20)</h4>


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s really over.¡¯


    To be precise, I didn¡¯t actually erase his memory. I couldn¡¯t make everything that happened in the second round into something that didn¡¯t exist in the first ce.


    If there were no events, there was no growth, either. What I cut were the feelings and bonds Kim Hyunsung felt for me.


    Although it was a little difficult to exin, I thought that Kim Hyunsung probably wouldn¡¯t have feelings as deep as before about the series of events.


    He might feel like, ¡®oh, that happened,¡¯ or, ¡®I don¡¯t need to remember that.¡¯


    All of Kim Hyunsung¡¯s personal feelings toward the character Lee Kiyoung had now quickly copsed.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what to say, but I wasn¡¯t that happy about it. Memories weren¡¯t umted by Kim Hyunsung alone.


    There was an old quote that went along the lines of, ¡®the people left behind are in more pain than the dead.¡¯


    Of course, our case was different, and although it was my choice, I inevitably felt like there was a sense of loss.


    ¡®I should just ept it. What else can I do? Doesn¡¯t what we can gain matter more than what we had lost?¡¯


    That was right. I could just pick it up after work. It wasn¡¯t my style to dig into this, and I didn¡¯t even have to think deeply. It was simple.


    ¡®Let¡¯s run the happy circuit. It sucks to be depressed. Everything went well and is steadily proceeding been blocked, and there¡¯s no room for reversal anymore. Everything is going the way I wanted, so I have to smile, right?¡¯


    With this, I kept smiling. Eventually, augh began toe out.


    ¡®It¡¯s going as I thought it would. That¡¯s what¡¯s important.¡¯


    There was no problem. Everything followed my n, which was good news. It would be right to tell Jihye.


    However, she might be busy¡­ Well, it didn¡¯t matter much if I didn¡¯t tell her. She must¡¯ve been filming a drama with Hyejin anyway.


    Where and what was Deokgu doing? Oh, he had to be fighting. Hayan¡­ was fighting too. It seemed that she had recovered all of her magic power¡­


    I looked around the control room, but there was no way someone would be with me. In celebration, I raised a ss to the air alone.


    Since my job wasn¡¯t entirely over, it was still too early to have a toast, but I felt good.


    Oh, I almost forgot. First, I had to check the regressor¡¯s condition.


    His face was distorted again by anger.


    ¡®He¡¯s really angry.¡¯


    It was a very simple emotionpared to before, which was a mixture of feelings. It was definitely best to be simple. For some reason, I wondered if Kim Hyunsung from the first round was like that. For him, it wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that he was everything in the second timeline.


    Considering that, shouldn¡¯t it be interpreted that the first round Kim Hyunsung remained?


    ¡®No, I guess not.¡¯


    It was pretty hard to evaluate such things.


    Only one thing was certain. The regressor was no longer resisting his heart¡¯s voice.


    Kim Hyunsung epted it and was bing more certain. He was filled with confidence, not doubt. The conviction that Lee Kiyoung was the masked man in the first timelined had already filled his mind.


    ¡®It¡¯s not just that.¡¯


    When one thing changed, many things often followed, almost as a consequence.


    I could see that all the memories he kept like treasure were changing into distorted forms.


    Wasn¡¯t that understandable? From the bastard¡¯s point of view, he would have thought that everything was a lie and a deception.


    He actually was thinking of this. He was looking back on his memories one by one and realizing how idiotic he must¡¯ve looked.


    Among the emotions, he felt angry with himself. It wasn¡¯t the madness stained with self-loathing like earlier, but the anger of being deceived once again by an enemy whom he wouldn¡¯t be satisfied with the death of.


    I was worried that he would be suddenly cursing me or disconnecting, but he didn¡¯t feel the necessity to do that. Before I could talk to him, Seraphim spoke ahead of me.


    -What did you realize?


    -¡­


    -You seem to have been enlightened. What are you angry with?


    -¡­


    -Ha¡­ haha. Hahahaha.


    ¡®You have worked hard too, Seraphim, but I don¡¯t like seeing youughing like that.¡¯


    -Puhahahahaha!


    Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t answer. However, I could see his sword flying right away.


    -Huh¡­


    As soon as blood flowed from Seraphim¡¯s cheek, he swung his weapon again. They continued to battle without saying anything.


    ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯


    Since the fight resumed, I started sending the instructions again, but I was disconcerted for a moment at the unexpected situation.


    Still, it didn¡¯tst long. I was able to quickly realize why he had just taken that action.


    The pigeon was also an enemy anyway and¡­ crucially¡­


    ¡°Hyunsung?¡±


    -Yes, Kiyoung.


    ¡®Your voice has gotten slightly colder. Fuck. There¡¯s no emotion. It seems like you¡¯re calling someone else. Your tone is not the same as it used to be.¡¯


    ¡°Do you¡­ feel¡­ a bit better?¡±


    -Much better than before, but¡­ my head is still¡­


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    -I know it¡¯s rude, but I¡¯d like you toe and check it out in person.


    ¡®I think I said I would go¡­ wow, fuck. Kim Hyunsung, you sly fox¡­ you really made up your mind.¡¯


    I quickly realized that he didn¡¯t really mean for me to check his condition with my own eyes.


    ¡®You¡¯re calling me over for a different reason, right? Did you really define me as an enemy?¡¯


    From Kim Hyunsung¡¯s point of view, the masked hero was a motherfucker who could run at any time. He probably thought that if I chickened out, it would cause a disaster afterward. He wanted to bring me in directly and make sure to tear me to death¡­


    Huh?


    What? He shouldn¡¯t tear me to death. Why was he thinking that?


    ¡®You shouldn¡¯t cut my throat either. No, why do you keep thinking about cruel things? Will you break up my whole body into pieces? You want to cut off my limbs and make me crawl, then crush me with your feet to kill me?¡¯


    ¡°No. I need to check something here¡­¡±


    -Please. I need you over now.


    ¡®You think it would be good to turn me into someone that can neither die nor live and throw me into a pig pen? You¡¯re a psychopathic bastard. Who thinks like that? I know you¡¯re angry, but we made some memories together. You¡¯ve gone too far. That¡¯s not fair. Fuck. Isn¡¯t that a bit too much?¡¯


    As soon as I went silent, the unpleasant imaginations that filled Kim Hyunsung¡¯s head disappeared. He was considering all possibilities.


    Due to the Regressor Instruction Manual, he became wary of the assumption that what he was thinking might leak.


    He was cautious of letting me know what he was thinking, even though I had never exined that what he was thinking or feeling was being transmitted to me.


    He was considering all the


    ¡°I¡¯ll go now.¡±


    -Be careful.


    ¡®But you need to know that Kim Hyunsung wouldn¡¯t have asked me to go there in the first ce. It¡¯s too clumsy. I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯re acting right now, but honestly, I¡¯m pretending to be fooled.¡¯


    After looking for the anesthetic potion in my arms, I stood up.


    -Kiyoung?


    ¡°Yes, yes, I¡¯m getting ready.¡±


    I had to get the timing right.


    Kim Hyunsung was constantly swinging his sword. It didn¡¯t take too long for Seraphim to be covered in wounds.


    Rather, it felt like he was controlling himself, as if he were waiting for me toe. He sometimes allowed himself to be pushed back on purpose. He even grabbed and pulled on his hair.


    He kept appealing that something was wrong with him. It didn¡¯t look to be true no matter how I looked at him, though. Still, it felt good to watch him trying hard in his own way.


    The only problem was that there were no signs yet.


    I was thinking that the end wasing, but I couldn¡¯t see the picture. Everyone was yet to find their position.


    I knew that I was close to the endgame, but I couldn¡¯t get a sense of what kind of situation I had to conjure toplete the scene.


    ¡®Is the timing still wrong?¡¯


    No, should I think about it after I got there? I could see that they were talking to each other.


    -Take my hand, Kim Hyunsung. I can give you a new life.


    -¡­


    He would never take it.


    -We don¡¯t have to fight, do we?


    -Shut up, Seraphim.


    -You know that there is no chance you guys will win. What are you fighting for?


    -I am not here to y with you.


    -I¡¯m not saying this as a joke either. I¡¯m saying this because I think there was a misunderstanding. I¡¯m saying that we didn¡¯t intend to fight you. The endless war of destruction wasn¡¯t what we wanted. We were swayed by a parasite that created such an atmosphere.


    -I¡¯ve never been in favor of your method in the first ce.


    -Right, but you know that¡¯s what¡¯s needed. The continent is sick. Do you think we came here for no reason? I know you must have felt a lot while going through the second round. Answer me this: are humans different from before?


    -¡­


    -Humans don¡¯t change. Like the one you know, their essence never changes.


    -¡­


    -I¡¯m giving you a chance, Kim Hyunsung. You can stille back. Although impurities have intervened, Your sins can still be cleansed. You can¡¯t even see yourself as human anymore anyway, right?


    -Bullsh*t.


    ¡®He doesn¡¯t even mean what he¡¯s saying. That trash.¡¯


    Seraphim didn¡¯t like Kim Hyunsung. I didn¡¯t know what kind of feelings he exactly had towards our regressor, but I could be sure he didn¡¯t like him.


    The pigeons were hostile to the power of the demons in the first ce, and Kim Hyunsung was contaminated enough to bepletely covered by it.


    Considering that he was particrly proud of his sword of judgment, it was correct to think that bullsh*t was to fool himself too.


    ¡®Did you want to give me a blow that much?¡¯


    Seraphim¡¯s actions might have started with simply wanting to anger me. If not¡­


    -Our Creator wants you.


    -What?


    -Our Creator wants you, Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡®Suddenly?¡¯


    No, not all of a sudden.


    ¡®That¡­ Was that calcted? Have you been watching this too?¡¯


    I was flustered, but¡­


    ¡®Was that really calcted? Fuck.¡¯


    I thought he was aiming for that. The creator of the pigeons wanted a manager who didn¡¯t have a personality, which is why he made those morons¡­ It wasn¡¯t perfect, but¡­ the current Kim Hyunsung¡­


    ¡°I cut those¡­¡±


    It was then that a huge light covered the sky.


    It was foreign, but it also looked brilliant, so it was hard to express. Even a fool would know it.


    ¡®I wasn¡¯t wrong. Sigh¡­ fuck¡­ I wasn¡¯t wrong.¡¯


    The final puzzle piece existed for that, after all.


    Lee Kiyoung¡¯s sacrifice was meant for that.


    The foreign and enormous light was slowly reaching out to Kim Hyunsung, creating a strangely shaped arm.


    The outer god wasn¡¯ting.


    ¡°We¡­ had to call him¡­¡±


    However, making hime was also one of the tasks.


    I didn¡¯t know if it would be a happy ending or a bad ending, but I was sure that breaking my bond with Kim Hyunsung was one of the processes needed in order to reach the finale.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t wrong.¡±

 Chapter 762: To The End (21)

    <h4>Chapter 762: To The End (21)</h4>


    Lee Kiyoung of the past wasn¡¯t wrong. That alone made me relieved.


    Just knowing that every hardship I went through wasn¡¯t futile, I felt rewarded. Not all puzzle pieces were put together, but the ones I had collected were making the picture on their own.


    ¡®That¡¯s the first condition.¡¯


    The first step was to have the Creator of the pigeonse directly to our continent.


    If there were no enemy to fight, the story wouldn¡¯t work out in the first ce.


    I didn¡¯t know why the past Lee Kiyoung knew about him before he lost his memory, but he would have expected that there was someone to handle with Lucifer¡¯s intervention. When I was able to directly confirm it with my eyes, I felt a little more probable.


    ¡®I can trust you, right? Lee Kiyoung, you scammer bastard?¡¯


    Of course, I still had questions about why he should have kept that secret from me¡­


    ¡®Because the future could go wrong if I knew it?¡¯


    If not¡­


    ¡®Not remembering it could have been a condition of the bet as well.¡¯


    I could think of it that way, right?


    It wouldn¡¯t be wrong to turn my thoughts back for a moment, as it wasn¡¯t an important puzzle at that point. It wouldn¡¯t be unreasonable to judge that it was just the background.


    What was important was that their Creator had finally appeared, and I had to solve it.


    Realizing that, I immediately turned my gaze, and a terrifyingly foreign light came into my sight.


    The light that was emitted was enough for me to realize why it was expressed as the outer god.


    The soldiers who were at war were also staring at the sky nkly. Perhaps they had intuited that something was going on. It probably wasn¡¯t just the troops at war. The people of the continent located past the north would also be looking at that light.


    The light enveloping the sky illuminated the entire battlefield and was gradually expanding his territory. I, too, stared at it with no expressions.


    It was something that overwhelmed humans, like a natural phenomenon that was impossible to resist.


    Most people didn¡¯t know what that was, but everyone was probably thinking the same way, ¡®I can¡¯t resist that, I can¡¯t fight that.¡¯ I was also thinking the same.


    Could we really fight something like that?


    I mean, could we even call it a living being?


    Could it even think?


    What aboutmunication? What the hell was that?


    There were a lot of strange things. Although it seemed alive, it didn¡¯t feel like it was a sentient lifeform.


    Although different from humans, even those pigeons were alive, breathing, and thinking for themselves. The light wasn¡¯t like that.


    It was like watching a sudden storm or a huge wave.


    It seemed that it had a will, but I wasn¡¯t even sure about that.


    I couldn¡¯t put my finger on it, but I thought it was just¡­


    ¡®¡­the system.¡¯


    It just seemed to be a chunk of the system, not the Creator of the pigeons or anything.


    It wasn¡¯t moving after thinking. Was it instinct? Or maybe his programming made him do that.


    It wasn¡¯t the god I imagined, but¡­


    ¡®I¡¯m sure it¡¯s transcendental.¡¯


    The wriggling, bizarre, huge arms stretched out to Kim Hyunsung and began to look even more out of ce.


    -¡­


    -Hold his hand. With that, you can be forgiven of your sins.


    ¡®Seraphim, you moron. I don¡¯t think it made you. Haven¡¯t you just thought about the possibility that you were born by yourself inside there? Looking at it, that¡¯s just a system¡¯s chunk. It doesn¡¯t even show up itself because that doesn¡¯t have a will. It can¡¯t exert direct influence.¡¯


    Its reaction to Kim Hyunsung might not be something it decided itself.


    It was just running the code that was built into it. Just as Lee Jihye and Seraphim ran the dummy world, the system inside the light simply reacted


    I didn¡¯t know what it was made for or what it came into existence for, but what the system wanted was likely the same thing the four archangels did.


    It wanted to find a nest where it could take root. It craved continental bnce.


    The program inside gave birth to pigeons and made them wander around the dimensions where it could take root. That was how Kim Hyunsung¡¯s first timeline began, and it failed in front of the masked hero¡¯s n.


    The pigeons were affected by the failure of the first round, but the system¡¯s lump wasn¡¯t.


    What if the system failed?


    It was bound to fix it.


    After finding out where the error was, wouldn¡¯t it have fixed itself? It might were there and ran the program once again. That was exactly what its current state was. It felt the failure through the pigeons and found a new alternative.


    ¡®The alternative is¡­¡¯


    The regressor.


    It had to be Kim Hyunsung, who had beplete with a slightly different meaning.


    He hadn¡¯t abandoned his humanity yet, but that thing evaluated that Kim Hyunsung could do that.


    It judged that he could be a god who could make the continent and dimensions perfect, and that he could perfectly perform the program it wanted to perform.


    Of course, Kim Hyunsung wouldn¡¯t hold his hand.


    ¡®There¡¯s no way he would. Just think withmon sense. Fuck.¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s wish is to resist him, not to hold his hand. Taking the pigeons¡¯ side just because he was hostile to Lee Kiyoung¡­


    ¡®It doesn¡¯t make sense.¡¯


    -What can I get?


    ¡®Look, our Hyunsung is upright- Wait, huh?¡¯


    -Answer me, Seraphim. What can I get by holding this hand?


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    -Pff¡­ Puhhahahahahahahaha!


    -I didn¡¯t ask that as a joke, Seraphim. Answer my question.


    ¡®What are you doing now?¡¯


    ¡°Hyunsung?¡±


    There was no answer. I didn¡¯t know what he was thinking, and it was pretty hard to read the current state of his condition.


    -Well. It¡¯s up to you to think. I can¡¯t tell you exactly what you can get. But one thing you can be certain of is that whatever you want, it wille true. As far as our Creator allows, you will be able to gain as you desire.


    -I won¡¯t join a crazy n to kill half of the humans on the continent¡­


    -You can find another way. That isn¡¯t the only way to control the poption, right?


    ¡®New humanity n, son of a bitch. That is an infringement of intellectual property rights.¡¯


    -I don¡¯t know why our Creator chose you either, but¡­


    ¡®Because you¡¯re fucking ipetent, that¡¯s why.¡¯


    -He will give you a lot of power.


    It didn¡¯t give authority. It delegated it. It was a process to get its program to take root directly on the continent.


    -Can I change the continent?


    -Haven¡¯t I said it once? That¡¯s possible if that¡¯s what you desire.


    ¡®You, fuck, what are you doing now? Did I do something wrong? Did I make a mistake?¡¯


    Had I not done any calctions that Kim Hyunsung, who lost his bond with me, would go to the pigeons?


    ¡®What is this?¡¯


    I started to get nervous about the ridiculous situation. My head suddenly became confused.


    ¡®What would Kim Hyunsung gain with that, fuck¡­¡¯


    No, rather, he had no reason not to do it. There was nothing to gain but nothing to lose either.


    Wasn¡¯t the reason Kim Hyunsung fought with foreign people to protect those in his arms in the first ce?


    If Kim Hyunsung could really control the situation as he wanted, he might be convinced that the worst situation he thought of wouldn¡¯te.


    He had to know that he was passing his burden over in a different way, but¡­


    If it were me, I would definitely think it was a good deal.


    -Hold his hand, Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡®No. Fuck, don¡¯t hold it. Fuck¡­¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know exactly how Kim Hyunsung¡¯s current condition was. Of course, I could feel it to some extent because of the basic effect of the Regressor Instruction Manual, but I couldn¡¯t figure out what he wanted to even think about holding that hand.


    Naturally, I stood up in a hurry.


    ¡°Hyunsung.¡±


    Whatever the case, the scenario should go as nned. There was no scenario in which Kim Hyunsung was on their side.


    As I headed outside, I heard several mixed voices. I heard a voice calling me, but I didn¡¯t have time to exin anything.


    After spreading my wings, I started flying right away. Battles were still going on around the area, but it was urgent to move without paying attention.


    Baaaaaaaaaang!!


    -¡­


    ¡®You¡¯re not going to really take it, right? Fuck.¡¯


    -Hold his hand, Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡®That doesn¡¯t make sense. Fuck. Hold his hands? That¡¯s wrong.¡¯


    That bastard was just a system¡¯s chunk. It was nothing but a monster.


    -You can have anything you want.


    Baaaaaaaaang!


    I felt my body sted to one side along with that sound.


    I didn¡¯t know what it was, but it seemed that I had been hit directly. Fortunately, the defensive magic came in time, so there¡¯s nothing wrong with me, but my body fell to the ground and immediately rolled over.


    ¡°Honorary Cardinal?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the Honorary Cardinal! Honorary Cardinal¡­¡±


    ¡°Protect him!¡±


    ¡®My bad. I don¡¯t have time for that now.¡¯


    When I spread my wings again, my body soared into the sky. Without even knowing, my body was coated withyers uponyers of protective magic.


    ¡®I¡¯m going now. Fuck, don¡¯t mess with the situation for no valid reason¡­¡¯


    I thought I was flying pretty fast. It seemed that I had received a lot of help in the middle, but I couldn¡¯t check their identity one by one since I was too busy.


    The Dragons opened the way by shooting the Breath, and the voices of the guild members seemed to be heard as well. I thought I heard the voices of Elena and Sun Hee-young too¡­


    Maybe it was because of them that my body had been kept safe so far.


    I was getting closer to Kim Hyunsung. The foreign light was still reaching out to Kim Hyunsung, and Seraphim noticed that I was near.


    ¡°Hyunsung!¡±


    However, the moment I checked his eyes, looking at me¡­


    ¡°Ha¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Ah. I was baited.¡¯


    I realized that he hooked me.


    ¡®He didn¡¯t mean to hold his hand. Fuck. Ah¡­ How could I get baited? If I think about it, there¡¯s no way he would. I overlooked his honesty. Ah¡­¡¯


    I had toe over anyway, but it was so ridiculous that I was speechless. Thinking that Kim Hyunsung fooled me, I felt my back tingling.


    It was then that I felt great pain in my hind legs.


    As soon as I screamed, I felt his hand holding my hair slowly rising.


    ¡°Trash bastard.¡±


    Kim Hyunsung was looking down at me with a twisted look.


    ¡°Hyun¡­ sung¡­¡±


    When I was about to say something, he started to choke me.


    ¡°Kek¡­ Keck¡­¡±


    ¡°Dirty, mean, and disgraceful¡­ trash.¡±


    ¡°Kek¡­¡±


    ¡°How dare you, you filthy bastard.¡±


    ¡°Kehek¡­¡±


    ¡°How would you like me to kill you?¡±

 Chapter 763: To The End (22)

    <h4>Chapter 763: To The End (22)</h4>


    The first thing I was worried about when I saw the future was whether Kim Hyunsung could harm me. I even made several assumptions on my own. If he couldn¡¯t stab me, I had to make him.


    I was prepared to try everything, from revealing that Lee Kiyoung was really the masked hero to the situation in which I acted as the masked trash Lee Kiyoung in the first timeline. I even picked up a list of lines that could stimte Kim Hyunsung.


    They weren¡¯t just stimting lines. They were lines that depreciated Kim Hyunsung in the first round, and insulted even his fellow adventurers.


    It was a shame that I couldn¡¯t take it out, but¡­


    I believed I was in a situation where I had to worry about other kinds of things.


    It wasn¡¯t just about getting stabbed in the stomach and dying. Kim Hyunsung thought that he should kill Lee Kiyoung in the most terrible way possible. He kept thinking of cutting off my limbs in all sorts of insulting ways.


    I even began to wonder if the bastard was too experimental.


    ¡®You can work as a heresy inquisitor¡­ I¡¯m not used to you like this.¡¯


    It was scary, not because Kim Hyunsung held my neck but because the hostility that transcended humansing out of him was taking away my breath.


    If Kim Hyunsung strengthened his grip, my delicate neck would break in an instant. No, it wouldn¡¯t only break. It would shatter, almost as easy as crushing tofu with his hand.


    I noticed Kim Hyunsung was being careful, however. He was trying to subside his anger as much as possible. He would be trying hard not to identally put strength into his hands.


    It didn¡¯t take long before I realized that he wasn¡¯t Kim Hyunsung, which I was thinking of so far.


    ¡°Fucking trash bastard. Do you know how long I¡¯ve waited for this day?¡±


    ¡°Ke¡­ Keck¡­¡±


    ¡°Disgusting bastard.¡±


    In the meantime, although I could see the limit of insultingnguage that he could say¡­


    Crack.


    ¡°Ke¡­ Kehek¡­ Ugh¡­¡±


    I felt a pain in my arm that momentarily made me stop breathing.


    ¡®Fuck¡­ Fuck. Fuck¡­ Really.¡¯


    I watched him smile.


    ¡®Motherfucker. Son of a bitch. Really¡­ Really¡­ You really hit me. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.¡¯


    Of course, I knew he should do that, but I suddenly started to feel sad about my situation.


    ¡®Guys, this bastard really hit me. Fuck.¡¯


    My legs were already numb, and my arms were worn out. It was difficult to think normally because of the tremendous pain.


    I thought I was sane because of my high intelligence stat, but I honestly didn¡¯t know if I could get used to the agony. It was so different from Kim Hyunsung that I thought that it was unfair.


    When I ran out of breath and reached my limit, I felt him let go of my neck. Naturally, my body rolled on the ground, and I grabbed my broken arm.


    It was simply that painful. If I had the anesthetic potion, I could afford a little pain, but there was no such thing.


    Not only was my whole body coated with sweat, but my breathing itself was abnormal. Tears kept filling up in my eyes, and I felt like a groan woulde out as soon as I opened my mouth.


    ¡®Fuck. Crazy, mean bastard. He should be punished. Fuck. Fuck¡­ Damn bastard. I¡¯m really going to take revenge.¡¯


    ¡°At least, try to make an excuse for yourself.¡±


    ¡®How can you do this to me? Son of a bitch. How can you hurt me so much, motherfucker?¡¯


    ¡°Sigh¡­ Ugh¡­ Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you in pain? Are you? You can¡¯t make that face so soon. I¡¯ve only just begun. We¡¯ll be having a lot of fun.¡±


    ¡®This psychopath.¡¯


    ¡°Who knew it would be like this, am I right?¡±


    ¡®Yes, I didn¡¯t know it would be like this either, you fucker. ¡®


    Of course, I bit my lips tightly.


    ¡®I guess it¡¯s better to watch out. I might get traumatized.¡¯


    My top priority was stopping the crazy runaway lotive one way or another. I would be happy to offer my stomach, but I didn¡¯t want to be thrown into the pigpen with my whole body as a mop.


    I didn¡¯t like the way Seraphim smiled, showing how much fun he was having.


    Actually, anyone could see that Kim Hyunsung looked to have lost his reason. He didn¡¯t seem to think of anything other than pouring out his anger at the viin who screwed everything up.


    No matter what I thought, those bastards needed to calm down.


    ¡°Hyun¡­ Hyunsung.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t call my name using that dirty mouth, motherfucker.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ It hurts. It hurts¡­¡±


    ¡°With only this?¡±


    ¡®This bastard has no fucking mercy. Really.¡¯


    ¡°Why¡­¡±


    ¡°You know that better than me.¡±


    ¡®He doesn¡¯t even give me time to talk.¡¯


    Since I was already crying anyway, I had to make it more sorrowful. I was already hurting, but I pretended to be in even more pain.


    In the current situation, it would be the best option to keep ying dumb. I skipped the fact that Lee Kiyoung was the masked hero and kept with the position that the current Lee Kiyoung didn¡¯t remember the first round at all.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know anything. Really. Why are you doing this to me? Why are you doing that all of a sudden? I don¡¯t remember anything. No, I don¡¯t even know what you¡¯re talking about in the first ce. What is the reason for this? Jin Qing was the masked trash. It wasn¡¯t me, so why?¡¯


    I at least had to convey that much.


    ¡®Is there any problem? Have you been brainwashed? I¡¯m very worried about you, Hyunsung. It doesn¡¯t matter what happens to my body, but I can¡¯t stand it because I¡¯m worried about you.¡¯


    Thetter was more suitable for Light Kiyoung.


    If it were the warm-hearted guy, he would definitely take thetter position.


    His mind would definitely be filled with worries about the returner¡¯s condition, even with his body in pain. Only then would this bastard feel guilty about the way he was acting. I actually thought he might hesitate a little. He had lost the reason, and his mind was full of doubts, but¡­


    ¡®I know Kim Hyunsung. fuck.¡¯


    Human nature couldn¡¯t change that easily. Despite all sorts of wars and the rough life he had lived, Kim Hyunsung was essentially soft.


    Could he really throw a mace at Light Kiyoung without guilt, knowing he couldn¡¯t remember anything and was worried about him?


    Of course, he should be able to throw, but I didn¡¯t think he could do the things he wanted.


    Our bond was broken, but our memories remained. Of course, even if he said he couldn¡¯t feel any emotions attached to them, he remembered.


    I was certain he was feeling doubt, but I was suffering without knowing anything.


    ¡®To be honest, you¡¯re not that mean. I don¡¯t think you won¡¯t be shaken at all. It was Lee Kiyoung in the first timeline, not Lee Kiyoung in the second timeline, thatmitted the crime.¡¯


    Oh, of course, I didn¡¯t mean I was the masked trash, but he would need to distinguish the first and second timelines if he thought so.


    ¡°Hyunsung¡­ Hyunsung. Are you okay¡­?¡±


    ¡°I told you not to call me with that dirty mouth.¡±


    ¡°Ahhhh! Ahhhhhhhhh!¡±


    ¡®Son of a bitch, he stabbed me again. No, I shouldn¡¯t swear. I have to understand him. Hyunsung is having a hard time right now. I should think that he was mentally enchanted by that foreign pigeon.¡¯


    The culprit would be Seraphim, that motherfucker. The guy messed with Kim Hyunsung and made him suspicious of the innocent me.


    ¡°Wait¡­ a little bit¡­ Wait¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I think I can solve this¡­ Just wait¡­¡±


    ¡°You think you can deceive me?¡±


    ¡®Yes, I think you will be deceived. I can¡¯t erase your doubts, but wouldn¡¯t it be possible to put in the fake memory I¡¯m not aware of in the first round?¡¯


    I could bet it was definitely possible.


    Since I had already changed my expression, I immediately changed the way I looked at him as well to look as if I was worried about Kim Hyunsung.


    I showed the image of a saint among saints, one who endured the pain as much as possible and only worried about his brother¡¯s condition. I was so focused that the agony engraved on my body felt intensified. I swallowed my groans and screams as I spoke.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly¡­ what you¡¯re talking about, but¡­ everything¡­ everything will work out. So please be patient.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    It wasn¡¯t well stretched, but it would be okay to show the action of forcibly reaching out.


    How would I look now? I thought I must¡¯ve had a really tragic image.


    I was shot down to the ground twice on the way there, and one of my legs was acting weird. My arm seemed almost smashed¡­ since I rolled around the battlefield once, my whole body must¡¯ve been covered with blood. It was dramatic, right?


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe what you say. Dirty bastard.¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ little bit more¡­¡±


    ¡°Did you think I wouldn¡¯t know that you¡¯re trying to get out of this situation somehow?¡±


    ¡®So he noticed.¡¯


    For the time being, I had to cry. I had to cry to make my acting look real. I had to apologize too.


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous. Shut up before I pull out your tongue right away. Actually, you know it too. Don¡¯t you remember everything? You were the one who brought all these situations on your own. You, you ruined my life, my soul. You took all of me and denied me and made me dance on the palm of your hand. Do you think I¡¯ll be shaken if you look that way? Did you really think I wouldn¡¯t know that everything was acting? I know now.¡±


    ¡®Your tongue has gotten even longer.¡¯


    ¡°How much did you think of me as an idiot? I can¡¯t imagine how much youughed at me when you stood next to me and controlled me in your hand. I will never be fooled by you anymore. Dirty bastard. ¡°


    ¡®Why do you keep saying I¡¯m dirty? I am a clean person.¡¯


    ¡°Say it¡­ Tell me you knew everything.¡±


    ¡°Hyun¡­ sung?¡±


    ¡°Tell me. Tell me that you were the man wearing the mask in the first round.¡±


    ¡°Do you need to confirm it? Kim Hyunsung?¡±


    ¡°You shut up. Seraphim.¡±


    ¡°¡­ ¡­¡±


    Moron, getting humiliated after trying to say something. Loser, you just shut your mouth, alright?


    ¡°¡­ ¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m giving you thest chance. It¡¯s yourst chance to confess all the evil you¡¯ve done. You will die anyway. I know. I already know that you are the man in the mask.¡±


    ¡®You must be sure of that, well.¡¯


    ¡°I don¡¯t care what you choose. It¡¯s advantageous that there are no worms like you in this world anyway. There is only one thing you have to worry about now. Will you live your whole life like livestock and end miserably, or will you die like a human being? That depends if you tell me the truth. Tell me everything you¡¯ve done.¡±


    ¡®You think I can¡¯t tell?¡¯


    I could say what he wanted, even a hundred times, but the question was what kind of nuance it was. I wondered if it would be better to get as emotional as possible.


    I didn¡¯t know what to understand, but I sent a gaze that told him I did anyway. I showed an attitude that conveyed that if it could ease his mind, I would willingly suffer a hundred more times.


    I made a face stating that if it solved theplex thoughts in his head, I would be willing to give Lee Kiyoung¡¯s stomach.


    It would hurt, but I had to bear it. It was painful and sad, but I shouldn¡¯t shed tears anymore. Light Kiyoung never shed tears of sorrow, after all. No, these were tears of joy because he could sacrifice for his close friend, who he had already cherished the burnt life.


    I forced my body to rise, which wasn¡¯t moving well. I couldn¡¯t move my legs, and it seemed to be torn down anytime soon, but swallowing my pain, I faced the regressor face-to-face.


    I noticed Kim Hyunsung being wary of me.


    However, did he realize that I wasn¡¯t in the condition to resist? He was looking at me with one hand grasping the sword. The light, who had sacrificed everything for the continent, his friends, and brothers so far, to fulfill his mission, to sacrifice even in the end, would tell a white lie.


    ¡°Yes. I¡­ I remember.¡±


    ¡®If it makes you feelfortable, if I can protect the continent with it, this kind of pain is nothing.¡¯


    I once again showed a tearful look and spoke with a smile.


    ¡°I definitely remember it.¡±


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s hand became tense.


    ¡°You¡­ You¡­ You ruined all of me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You!! Sniff¡­ devoured my life, my soul! I¡¯ve been swung over by you countless times without knowing why. I had to do things I didn¡¯t want, and I had to witness deaths I didn¡¯t desire. Everything was your doing! It¡¯s all because of you!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Trash bastard. Dirty bastard! Dirty motherfucker!!¡±


    For some reason, Kim Hyunsung was crying.


    His face was definitely stained with anger, though.


    As he seemingly unraveled the resentment inside,


    He howled like an animal and thrust his sword forward, piercing my abdomen. With his de inside my stomach, I whispered with a small smile.


    ¡°I believe, Hyunsung.¡±


    At this, he looked down at his hand with a distorted expression.

 Chapter 764: To The End (23)

    <h4>Chapter 764: To The End (23)</h4>


    ¡®It¡¯s done now. Right?¡¯


    Actually¡­ I didn¡¯t know what happened.


    my head, the hot sensation I felt in my stomach interfered with my attempts to think properly. It definitely wasn¡¯t a pleasant sensation. I constantly sensed a foreign object in me, which was seemingly pouring hotva into my stomach.


    As I looked down slowly, I finally saw the sword clearly prating my abdomen.


    The clothes I was wearing were soaked in red, and I could feel something wet even in my bottoms.


    ¡®Fuck¡­ You really stabbed me.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t stop vomiting blood.


    ¡°Ah¡­ uh¡­ Cough¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    It was only for a moment that I felt Kim Hyunsung¡¯s hand tremble, sending vibrations to my body.


    I didn¡¯t know what he was thinking.


    The Regressor Instruction Manual hadn¡¯t yet been cut off, but I couldn¡¯t figure out what he was thinking at that moment.


    He wasn¡¯t careful about me being able to read his thoughts. Wouldn¡¯t it be best to say that his mind had be perfectly nk?


    ¡®Revenge is nothing. This bastard is acting too weird right now.¡¯


    ¡°Ah¡­ Uh¡­¡±


    ¡®Isn¡¯t the timing right now?¡¯


    My hand was constantly going towards Durendal, which was stuck in my stomach.


    As I looked into the telescope while grasping the sword¡¯s handle, I realized that the timing was certainly not bad.


    It was the same image as the future I saw through Yuno Kasugano.


    Cha Hee-ra was confronting the enemies with a spear plugged all over her body. Jung Hayan and the gold dragon were showing the same scenery as the future as well.


    I couldn¡¯t see it through Kasugano, but I could see Dialugia falling to the ground as if I had affected her.


    ¡®Ah, I forgot about Dialugia.¡¯


    It seemed that it was almost time except for minor issues.


    Kim Hyunsung wasn¡¯t looking down at me with cold eyes, but maybe he would do that soon.


    I hadn¡¯t passed out yet. I was definitely passed out in the future, right?


    I thought of forcibly staggering and lying down, but I didn¡¯t want to take an unnatural action.


    Waiting for the right time naturally is ideal.


    ¡°You¡­ You¡­ took away¡­ my life.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s all your fault. It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s all your fault. I didn¡¯t do anything wrong. I¡­ I¡­ I didn¡¯t do anything wrong. I don¡¯t even need to¡­ feel guilty.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t talking while looking at me. Kim Hyunsung was muttering to himself as he looked at his hands soaked in blood. It was creepy that he couldn¡¯t feel anything even while talking to himself, but perhaps things would be sorted out in his head soon.


    One problem was that he still wasn¡¯t looking at me.


    And¡­


    ¡®Weren¡¯t you supposed to appear when the sword pierced through my stomach?¡¯


    There was no further feedback from Lucifer. The future I saw in my head hadn¡¯t beenpleted yet, but I hoped I could see some signs.


    ¡®No, really. Won¡¯t I die at this rate?¡¯


    The feedback woulde when the scene wasplete, right? It would be delivered right after the cold gaze was shown, right? If I really just died, what about Dialugia? I didn¡¯t want to die like this. I wouldn¡¯t be lonely since I wasn¡¯t dying alone, but I didn¡¯t want it anyway¡­


    I knew that couldn¡¯t be the case, but it wasn¡¯t unreasonable to be anxious.


    My consciousness was bing blurry, and it was really hard to stand. I wanted to fall when he looked down on me, but that bastard still wanted to look at his hand and didn¡¯t take any other reaction.


    Finally, I watched him raising his head slightly, but he seemed to be hesitant. I wasn¡¯t certain what face he was making because I couldn¡¯t see it properly.


    I turned the telescope slightly and looked at his face¡­


    ¡®Why is this bastard crying?¡¯


    I saw tears dripping with a distorted face.


    ¡®Are you crying?¡¯


    ¡°You¡­ ruined me. You¡­ the innocent me¡­ you¡­ you¡­ dragged me into a hellish ce.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You took everything from me¡­ Everything¡­ you killed all my dear ones and took away what I valued¡­ this is a fair judgment. Very¡­ fair¡­ you¡­ bas¡­ bast¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Right, you have to raise your head. That¡¯s the normal thing to do. Isn¡¯t it the most daunting thing to see how your target of revenge is dying? Mock me. You have to show your cold eyes quickly.¡¯


    It seemed that there was still no feedback because the scene didn¡¯t seem to beplete yet.


    ¡®You know, the eyes full of hatred. Or maybe you have to look down with eyes that seem to have no feelings at all.¡¯


    I thought I was just going to pass out. My legs were getting rubbery¡­ Now that I was falling, he definitely had to look down like that. He had to look at me as if he was looking at trash. He should know that.


    Slowly, my body began to fall.


    I noticed Kim Hyunsung reaching out his hand without knowing it. Although it seemed to have tried to grab my body, I couldn¡¯t tell why he was doing that.


    ¡°Huh¡­ Ah¡­ Ah¡­¡±


    He was muttering that strange sound. He couldn¡¯t even hold me right. I didn¡¯t know if it was simply slippery because of the amount of blood on his hands, but it was something that I couldn¡¯t understand. Considering Kim Hyunsung¡¯s stats, that wasn¡¯t possible.


    Maybe it was because he was exhausted. His actions seemed to be telling me that he was out of his mind. Thanks to that, I was able to dramatically twist back, but¡­


    My mind had be increasingly nk. I couldn¡¯t even feel my body attached to the ground anymore.


    In the meantime, Kim Hyunsung¡¯s face was still worrying. It also felt like something unconditionally reflective.


    Before I even thought about it, my body moved first. My breathing became faster and faster, but at the same time difficult. I was only groaning, unable to speak properly. I wished Lucifer had a surprise partying in, but there were still no signs of such a thing happening.


    Kim Hyunsung was looking at me with concern. Instead of being cold, his eyes were trembling.


    ¡®This son of a bitch¡­¡¯


    Wasn¡¯t the bond blown away? How was he doing that? What was going on? What was wrong with him? Fuck. He shouldn¡¯t repair it by himself right after I had torn and blown it all up.


    ¡®Is this possible? Don¡¯t resist. Again, fuck, don¡¯t pick it up and put it back. Don¡¯t pick it up again. Should I have not said, ¡°I believe¡±? Did that snowball roll in this direction?¡¯


    Of course, there was no guarantee that the cold-eye ending was the switch. Lucifer might be preparing something else, and there was a chance that she would really appear just before I stop breathing.


    Still, I didn¡¯t like that he was trying something new.


    From my perspective, who wanted topletely block other what Hyunsung was trying to do was nothing more than taking risks.


    Regardless of my will, the image I saw before came to mind once again. It was the bond with the guy I¡¯d struck with my hand.


    ¡®I am¡­ I am a regressor.¡¯


    Yes, he was the regressor of Altanus because of my choice. Hence, he didn¡¯t have to do anything useless. He shouldn¡¯t spoil the picture I drew. All he had to do was what I told him to do. How could he not understand that?


    ¡®I hope you will receive it. It has a meaning of apology, and in many ways, it will be something that Kiyoung needs.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t need anything. He just had to shut up and focus on his role.


    ¡®I was admittedly being a little disgraceful.¡¯


    Did he know what¡¯s the ugliest was what he was doing at that moment? What was he going to do with the pieces that had already been shredded back? Could he handle it? Could he handle what he had done?


    ¡®Do not! Stop! Don¡¯t let me carry any more burden!! Anymore!! Kiyoung! Get out of there! Get out of there! Do not¡­ Sniff¡­ Stop. What can you do anymore¡­ No more what you do¡­¡¯


    I wanted him to stop what he was doing and get out of there. What was he going to do anymore? What was he going to do here? The future was changing. Unnned twists were what I hated the most.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry.¡¯


    He shouldn¡¯t do anything to be sorry for.


    ¡®Kiyoung?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t want him to call my name.


    ¡®I believe.¡¯


    Son of a bitch. I couldn¡¯t believe anything anymore. Fuck.


    ¡®Of course. I¡¯m thinking that you¡¯ll be carrying my burden together.¡¯


    Didn¡¯t he take it off already? He didn¡¯t have to lift it again. He was doing something he would regret in the end.


    I could feel the things that had already been shattered sticking back together. I wasn¡¯t in a state where I could in the first ce, but even if I were, I still wouldn¡¯t be able to say anything because it was absurd.


    Indeed, Kim Hyunsung was resisting the Regressor Instruction Manual. No, it might be that my dominance had weakened because I was dying, but even if I tried to control him once again, he showed no further reaction.


    Things I¡¯d seen before continued to pass through my head. I had already seen it once, but it contained all the matters I inadvertently handed over.


    There was a tremendous feeling of guilt. The way he was trying to cope with the emotions that he didn¡¯t have to deal with was enough to make him look ridiculous. I couldn¡¯t believe he was putting it back over and over again.


    ¡°D¡­ D¡­ Don¡¯t¡­ do it.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°No¡­ No¡­ Cough¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ Ugh¡­ Sniff¡­¡±


    ¡°Son¡­ of a¡­ bitch¡­ Stop¡­ Cough¡­¡±


    The future was changing. When I looked at Yuno Kasugano to confirm it, I saw her standing up.


    Her face seemed perplexed. She looked very confused about the unnned situation.


    Scenes passed. Cha Hee-ra was smiling with all the spears stuck in her body, and Jung Hayan was swinging a part of Sora¡¯s entity and conjuring more spells.


    The timing for Kim Hyunsung to look down at me with cold eyes had already passed. The picture should have been made at least a minute ago.


    I tried to control the Regressor Instruction Manual as much as possible, but Kim Hyunsung¡¯s spirit was unspeakable. Likewise, that bastard wasn¡¯t moving as I intended, unlike before when he was so easily controlled.


    I tried to start moving very little emotions, but he resisted even those. I didn¡¯t see any gaps. Rather, I noticed he was too focused on what he wanted to do.


    He was only crying, and he didn¡¯t say anything else. I felt tremendous pain coursing through my body.


    It wasn¡¯t the oneing from my stomach. It was a pain felt by Kim Hyunsung¡¯s feelings of guilt as he put the pieces back together.


    He kept picking up the broken things while chewing all the pain one by one.


    Why? I couldn¡¯t understand. Why was he picking it up, knowing that he was going to be a half idiot?


    ¡®Another useless sense of responsibility? Really? Are you doing this because of responsibilities? Is it because you think you have to bear with what you did? I don¡¯t you have to. You don¡¯t have to.¡¯


    It was as if time was going back again.


    Demon summons, Mirror Lake, having a meal together or going to the Griffon Festival, spending time with guild members and chatting, training together and going on an expedition, incidents that drove me to work, or a ss choosing with Park Deokgu.


    And then¡­


    ¡®Thank you for your help. I¡¯m Lee Kiyoung.¡¯


    Even the first meeting I cut off first.


    But he¡­


    He picked up what I threw away and put it back where it belonged.


    Whooooooooooosh.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Uh¡­ Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Huh¡­ Ugh¡­ Ugh¡­ Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. aaaaargh. aaaaaargh¡­ Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­ aaargh.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    It didn¡¯t take too long until I saw him grabbing his head and vomiting.


    ¡°Kiyoung¡­ Kiyoung¡­ Kiyoung?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Kiyoung? Ah¡­ No¡­ Sniff¡­ please¡­ please¡­ please¡­ No¡­¡±

 Chapter 765: To The End (24)

    <h4>Chapter 765: To The End (24)</h4>


    ¡°Please¡­ Please¡­ aaargh¡­ Sigh¡­ Sigh¡­ Kiyoung¡­ Kiyoung?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°No. It can¡¯t be¡­ Sniff¡­ please¡­ please¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®I want to say ¡®it can¡¯t be,¡¯ too.¡¯


    Words didn¡¯te out properly. Contrary to my stomach, which became too hot, the rest of my body had gone too cold.


    I wanted to turn my head a little and check Kim Hyunsung¡¯s condition, but it wasn¡¯t easy to even turn my face sideways.


    I didn¡¯t have to do that, however. I felt Kim Hyunsung approaching me directly.


    I didn¡¯t know what to say about his condition at the moment. I had witnessed him copse many times so far, but I¡¯d never seen him in such a state.


    He was making a face he didn¡¯t show upon being brainwashed by the demons of the 27th Legion, during his hesitation in the unconscious world, or when he faced Raphael.


    ¡®So why did you do that? Son of a bitch. Because of you, we¡¯repletely doomed. We¡¯re all ruined.¡¯


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ Sniff¡­ Ahhhh. Kiyoung. Kiyoung¡­ Kiyoung¡­¡±


    Did he think that it was his priority was to hurry up and pull out Durendal? That must¡¯ve been the case, considering he immediately removed it from my stomach.


    I could feel the blood sttering from my stomach over and over again. Kim Hyunsung was pressing on it to somehow stop the bleeding, but stopping it with just that was impossible.


    Seemingly remembering the potion he had, he opened the lid and poured it over the wound, but I just knew that it wouldn¡¯t heal that easily.


    ¡°Please¡­ please¡­ please¡­ pleeease¡­ Sniff¡­ pleeease!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Please save him. God. Please¡­ please. Please¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°This is wrong. This¡­ This is wrong¡­ This wrong. Why did this happen? Damn¡­ damn¡­ Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­ Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh¡­ Ah¡­ stop! Sh*t! Stop¡­ please¡­ Please stop. Please¡­ priest¡­ priest! Priest!! Ahhhhhh! Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!! Please!! Sniff¡­ please!!¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡±


    ¡°Kiyoung? Kiyoung? Kiyoung! Please don¡¯t die. Please¡­ please¡­¡±


    ¡®You stabbed me.¡¯


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ Please live. Please¡­ Please. You can still live. It will still be fine. Everything¡¯s going to be okay. Can you hear my voice? Can you?¡±


    ¡®How can I live at this rate?¡¯


    I was already bleeding out too much. Even if my wound was healed now, it was impossible to survive unless a miracle would ur. I wasn¡¯t a doctor, but wasn¡¯t it obvious just by looking at it? It was the end for me.


    ¡°Please¡­ Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t know if the bastard had gone nuts, but he was sending his magic power to me. I thought I knew what he wanted to do.


    ¡®You want to turn me into an undead? Is that possible?¡¯


    It shouldn¡¯t be impossible, considering he had received the magic power of Lucifer.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t know how high the quality of an undead made by a swordsman, not a high-ranking warlock, could be, and I was curious if it would have an ego or not. It would weird if I just wandered around as an empty shell.


    No, actually, it wasn¡¯t even possible in the first ce. There was no way that Light Kiyoung¡¯s body,pleted by receiving the divinities of Benignore and other high-ranking gods, could respond to such dark magic.


    Even if I wanted to ept it, the divinity in my body would reject that magic. As expected, I felt my divinity resisting his magic power.


    Kim Hyunsung was biting his lips stronger as he tried to inject magic power into me somehow, but my body, which showed a rejective reaction, spewed out blood once again.


    I had to act like I was refusing his way. After slowly raising my arm, unproperly so, and cing it over Kim Hyunsung¡¯s hand, I shook my head slightly.


    It was an act that told him he didn¡¯t have to do it. The scene showed the saint¡¯s will to be with the light rather than endure the shame of living as an undead.


    ¡®That was fucking cool¡­ Fuck.¡¯


    No, it wasn¡¯t the time to get drunk with something like that¡­ Oh, if there was really no other way, it was okay to be born undead, but Sora should do that, not him.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ Sniff¡­ please¡­ Please live. Please¡­ please¡­ Sniff¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I¡­ I¡¯m sorry. Sh*t¡­ Sh*t¡­ Sniff¡­ please¡­ What should I do? What¡­ Sniff¡­ Please don¡¯t close your eyes. The wound is not so deep¡­ Yes¡­ It is a wound that can be healed. It will heal soon. Even now, the wound is healing. Yes.¡±


    ¡®Liar.¡¯


    ¡°The potion¡­ The potion seems to work well. Kiyoung¡­ Sniff¡­ Maybe because it¡¯s the potion you made¡­¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t lie to me. It¡¯s not that good.¡¯


    ¡°Please¡­ If you hold on a little, the priests wille. Yeah¡­ Then everything will go back to normal. I was stupid¡­ aaargh¡­ Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­¡±


    Surprisingly, this bastard was still good-looking even with all the tears, runny nose, and drooling. Still, I didn¡¯t really know what was going on with his mind.


    I felt like he was saying anything that he could think of without considering it first.


    I was certain he had learned basic first aid, so I was confused by his actions. My heart still seemed to be beating, so why the hell was he doing CPR? He continued massaging my broken arm and leg, which he broke and brought his face to my chest.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Ahhhhhhhhh!¡±


    He was wailing like a beast, practically almost howling. I wondered if he gradually realized what he had done.


    I was hoping for the clich¨¦ part where Kim Hyunsung¡¯s tears would wet the wound, and I would miraculously resurrect, but reality proved to be far colder than that.


    It seemed that he had already dropped a gourd of tears on my wound, but I was still dying.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh¡­ please¡­ Benignore¡­ Altanus! Altanus!! Altanus¡­Please¡­ Give me one more chance.¡±


    ¡®This is a bit sad.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t like regressing. No, it made sense to say that he hated it.


    He didn¡¯t like to regress to the point where he would rather die than go through it again.


    ¡°Please¡­ Give me one more chance¡­ Altanus. Please¡­ Benignore¡­ Benignore. If you can hear my voice, Please¡­ Give me one more chance. This time¡­ I won¡¯t lose this time. I won¡¯t be shaken. Yes¡­ If you give me one more chance¡­ I¡¯ll take care of everything. Nothing you worry about will happen. Please forgive my sins¡­ please¡­ I will do whatever you ask. If you tell me to die, I will die, and I will obey every order you give me. I will live my entire life as a servant of Benignore. So¡­ So, please¡­ Please just one more time¡­ Let me do it one more time.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°One more¡­ Ugh¡­ Ugh¡­ Let me do it¡­ one more time. Please. Please¡­ Give me a chance. Give¡­ Sniff¡­ Give me a chance¡­ damn¡­ I said, give me a chance!!¡±


    ¡®This hot-blooded Doom Hyunsung, fuck.¡®


    ¡°Please! I¡¯m begging you. Give me one more chance! Motherfuckers! If you guys made mee back at will, you have to take responsibility! Damn! Sniff¡­ Ugh¡­ Can¡¯t you hear me? I¡¯m asking for a chance, son of a bitch! If you made someone like this¡­ motherfuckers ¡­ Save him. Damn it! Please¡­ Just¡­ Just one more chance¡­ please¡­¡±


    ¡®You¡¯re actually pretty good at swearing.¡¯


    ¡°Lucifer! Lucifer! Can you hear me? Can you hear me? You can take all of me, so please save him. If that¡¯s not possible, then make me regress. You can do that, right? Can you? You can do it too. Like Altanus, you can do it too.¡±


    ¡®Is feedbacking? Don¡¯t trust her. Lucifer was the one who controlled you in the first ce. Are you that desperate?¡¯


    ¡°Please make me regress! Please¡­¡±


    Unfortunately, nobody seemed to reply to him.


    Kim Hyunsung, screaming while looking at the sky as if he has gone crazy, seemed to be getting more and more desperate. It was as if he really thought there wasn¡¯t much time left.


    That bastard was out of his mind.


    ¡®Fuck, why did you do that? Why did you make such a stupid choice? Didn¡¯t you ever think you would really go crazy? As long as you touched the stomach of the innocent light, the only thing waiting for you was ruination. You shouldn¡¯t have picked up the bond again. You shouldn¡¯t have done that.¡¯


    ¡°Aaaahhh! Ahhhhh¡­ Please¡­ Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­ Kiyoung¡­ Kiyoung¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m really sorry. I¡¯m really¡­ sniff¡­ sorry. It¡¯s my fault. I did everything wrong. From the beginning¡­ I shouldn¡¯t have met you from the beginning. If I knew it would be like this¡­ Sniff¡­ If I knew it would be like this¡­ If I knew it would be like this¡­¡±


    He sounded like he thought that I had been reduced to such a state because I met him.


    His eyes went nk. I didn¡¯t even know what he was thinking. However, I could see him slowly lifting Durendal.


    ¡°It¡¯s all my fault. Everything¡­ A bastard like you ¡­ A bastard like you shouldn¡¯t even exist in this world. This maggot motherfucker Kim Hyunsung. Sniff¡­ Sh*t¡­ Sniff¡­¡±


    ¡®Why are you trying to do something bad, you asshole? Stop.¡¯


    ¡°Kiyoung? Kiyoung¡­ Just be patient. Everything will definitely go back to normal. Ha¡­ haha¡­ Yes. I know these bastards. They don¡¯t really want the continent to end this way. In the end, they will make me regress again. Yeah.¡±


    ¡®Hey.¡¯


    ¡°Next time, this won¡¯t happen. Yes. I¡¯ll take care of everything from start to finish. You don¡¯t have to carry things like a burden together. It¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t meet me. No, I will not talk to Kiyoung next time. I¡­ I¡­ Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­ I will never let this happen.¡±


    ¡®Kim Hyunsung? You didn¡¯t go crazy, right? Right?¡¯


    He brought his sword to his throat.


    ¡®You want to kill yourself?¡¯


    He was trying to take his own life.


    ¡®Are you out of your mind?¡¯


    Even if Kim Hyunsung died at that moment, there was no guarantee that Benignore or Elune trash would bring him back.


    I didn¡¯t know how he did it with Altanus, but it wouldn¡¯t be that easy to turn back time in the first ce. It wasn¡¯t a question of whether or not they would do it, but a question of whether or not they could. Besides¡­


    ¡®How can you be so fucking confident? Without me, fuck, are you confident you cane this far?¡¯


    Even if he returned, there was no guarantee that he would seed once again. There was no way Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t know that. He must¡¯ve also known that it was impossible to regress in the first ce.


    Rather than choosing to die to return¡­


    ¡®He just can¡¯t bear it.¡¯


    Perhaps he was just trying to convince himself. It was possible that he just couldn¡¯t bear with what he had done.


    ¡°Ha¡­ haha¡­ Ha¡­ The third timeline will be much happier than now. I¡­ I will make it that way. Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­ I¡­¡±


    He seemed to be trying to push the sword slowly through his neck, his tearful expression already cold.


    Once again, time seemed to be slowing down. I didn¡¯t really think this was the end, but I knew it was heading towards the worst possible ending.


    ¡®What the. This is unfair. Fuck.¡¯


    Did she really mess with it because of that? Lucifer, that crazy crow. Was this really the end?


    I hadpleted the condition. I won the bet. Did it make sense to end up like this just because a useless variable wasn¡¯t met?


    ¡°Next time¡­ Next time¡­ again¡­ yes. If I have a chance¡­ once again¡­once again¡­¡±


    There was no life left after the current one. Kim Hyunsung, that crazy bastard. I had to stop him.


    It was when Durendal¡¯s de touched Kim Hyunsung¡¯s neck.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t it weird when you think about it?¡¯


    My voice echoed in my head.


    ¡®It¡¯s weird when you think about it, Lee Kiyoung, isn¡¯t it?¡¯


    What? What was weird?


    ¡®It¡¯s funny. In the end, we left the choices to others. Isn¡¯t it strange that you bet all of you on Lucifer¡¯s choice?¡¯


    That¡¯s¡­


    ¡®I guess you had strong trust. Is that how much you trusted that crazy crow?¡¯


    That crow?


    ¡®We aren¡¯t the type to get backstabbed. We¡¯re supposed to backstab others.¡¯


    What sort of bullsh*t was that?


    ¡®This is the right future. The scene you see right now is what we really wanted.¡¯


    I wouldn¡¯t make a fucking third round.


    ¡®I never said to do it again, no. Just¡­ This is the right future. Do you know what to do?¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®You know.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know if I was seeing some illusion. No, certainly, I was. I didn¡¯t know if it was because I was dying, but¡­ I felt like I could see it since I was about to meet my end.


    ¡®Kim Hyunsung can beplete.¡¯


    I could now see the man in the mask was pointing at the sky with his hand on Kim Hyunsung¡¯s shoulder.

 Chapter 766: To The End (25)

    <h4>Chapter 766: To The End (25)</h4>


    When I opened my eyes again, I could still see the man in the mask pointing at the sky. I really seemed to be seeing some illusion. It was a scene that didn¡¯t feel very real.


    That was because Kim Hyunsung wasn¡¯t aware of the masked man next to him. I thought that he might be like that because he was out of his mind, but there was no way that could be it.


    No matter how weird his mind was, it didn¡¯t mean that he couldn¡¯t notice the guy with his hand on his shoulder.


    It wasn¡¯t only Kim Hyunsung. Even Seraphim wasn¡¯t aware of him. And so, what the hell was he talking about?


    ¡®You already know the answer.¡¯


    Did that bastard want to y a quiz with me or something?


    I couldn¡¯t even understand what he was talking about because my head wasn¡¯t working properly, and even when I blinked my eyes, It scattered like smoke.


    I clicked my tongue, but¡­


    ¡®Can¡­ I see it as a hint?¡¯


    Maybe it was. No, wasn¡¯t it supposed to be? I looked in front of me. There were still five minutes before it turned into aplete mess. Shouldn¡¯t I make an attempt now?


    What the masked hero said wasn¡¯t necessarily wrong.


    I wasn¡¯t saying we should be incited by unknown bullsh*t, but it wasn¡¯t unconvincing.


    It was definitely not like us- the masked hero and me- to leave the choices to others at the end of the end. I could also agree that Lee Kiyoung wasn¡¯t the type to be backstabbed but the one who backstabbed others.


    I wasn¡¯t stupid enough to leave the choices to Lucifer. I had already been burned once.


    I didn¡¯t know exactly what the terms of the contract were, but I could bet they had pitted each other. I thought I could see why Kim Hyunsung could beplete and why that guy pointed to the sky.


    When I thought of the current situation a little more carefully, I felt like the puzzles fit. The only problem was¡­


    ¡®Can I¡­ trust him?¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t like us to leave the choices to others until the end of the end, but it was about whether that guy really was us in the first ce.


    What if the man in that mask was my enemy? What if I didn¡¯t erase my memories, but he erased my memories? What if he was making up something and I was dancing on his palm? What if he wasn¡¯t the masked hero, but the damn masked trash?


    No.


    ¡®I have nothing to lose anymore.¡¯


    It was the seed I myself sowed anyway. And no matter what happened afterward, the choice didn¡¯t feel bad.


    I didn¡¯t know which end it would result in, but I had only one option. I had to bet on it.


    I was driven.


    As I slowly looked at the sky, the foreign light that filled it was still shining.


    Seraphim, standing upright and shrewd, seemed to be judging how the situation would proceed, but I could bet it wouldn¡¯t take long for him to make a choice. That was because I could see his hand that reached out to Kim Hyunsung going up again.


    ¡®Right, it¡¯s understandable.¡¯


    The external system wanted Kim Hyunsung, who had lost his personality. However, he finally regained the bond. Even shortly after getting it back, he was still crying.


    Hence, it concluded that Kim Hyunsung wasn¡¯t suitable as a manager who would manage the program.


    It wasn¡¯t a bad situation for me, but, in fact, it didn¡¯t mean much. I had to make a choice soon anyway.


    ¡®Kim Hyunsung can beplete.¡¯


    Yes, I knew that. I thought I knew what he was talking about. That¡¯s exactly what it was, wasn¡¯t it?


    The clich¨¦ that the protagonist awakened due to the death of a precious colleague. That was the picture he wanted. Was it for that moment that I had to call the program up there?


    Didn¡¯t they say that candles burned the brightest right before they would go out? It didn¡¯t take long before I realized that my current state was the most zing. No, maybe the masked hero gave me strength. The thought was long, but the time was fleeting.


    I had to slowly speak to Kim Hyunsung, who was trying to cut off his neck in a hurry.


    ¡°D¡­ Don¡¯t do¡­¡±


    I thought he wouldn¡¯t stop, but Kim Hyunsung stopped moving right away.


    ¡°Kiyoung?¡±


    ¡°It¡­¡±


    ¡°Kiyoung? Sniff¡­ Kiyoung. Kiyoung¡­ Kiyoung?¡±


    ¡°Please¡­ stop it. Don¡¯t¡­ do it¡­ like that¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you¡­ Are you okay? Are you¡­ okay?¡±


    I could see him running hurriedly and grabbing me. I should say that I was fine. There weren¡¯t any bastards that were okay when they said they¡¯re okay.


    ¡°Yes¡­ I am¡­ I am¡­ fine¡­¡±


    It wouldn¡¯t be bad to smile brightly. I didn¡¯t know how it would look, but it must¡¯ve been very sublime.


    I could tell just by looking at Kim Hyunsung¡¯s face as he looked at me with his expression slightly distorted.


    There was no way he wouldn¡¯t notice. There was no way he didn¡¯t know that Lee Kiyoung¡¯s dying right at that moment and that he didn¡¯t have much time left to talk like this.


    ¡°Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­¡±


    ¡°So¡­ don¡¯t¡­ cry¡­¡±


    I held his hand a bit too. The bastard had to calm down. I could feel him trembling as I did so.


    I didn¡¯t have to read his emotions to know what kind of state he was in. I could see him repeating what he said before.


    ¡°I¡­ I found another way. Yes. This time¡­ It¡¯s a way I will never fail this time. I¡­ I don¡¯t know if you heard it earlier, but¡­ yes. I¡¯m going to start the round once again. I won¡¯t make a mistake this time.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ don¡¯t need to¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡±


    ¡°I will¡­ like this¡­¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a bad stage for the Saint of Light to leave. If I spoke with a tiny bit of sincerity, I didn¡¯t think the end would be bad either.


    The finale would be the picture of the supporting actor, who sacrificed everything from start to finish, embracing everything and sacrificed once again. Wasn¡¯t it a perfect end to anyone watching?


    ¡°So¡­ I will¡­ believe.¡±


    As I uttered those lines, I knew he would be very agitated.


    ¡°It was fun¡­ so far.¡±


    It couldn¡¯t be, but if that was really the end, I thought I¡¯d say it like that.


    It was really fun, our journey.


    ¡°I was¡­ d to be tog¡­¡±


    I was d to have been together with him.


    ¡°Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­¡±


    ¡°Thanks to¡­¡±


    Thanks to him, I enjoyed some benefits. No, I shouldn¡¯t talk about that. Thanks to him, I was able to have a good ending.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry¡­¡±


    It would be nice to say I was sorry. I had done a lot of bad things so far. Honestly, I didn¡¯t mean to, but I thought I¡¯d been really harsh on him. In many ways¡­ yes. Right. In many ways. But we could call it even now, right? Wouldn¡¯t he agree?


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ for not keeping¡­¡±


    I was sorry for not keeping what I promised, which was to have some fun. We had a stack of ns to do after everything was over, and I felt bad that I couldn¡¯t keep them all.


    ¡°I¡­ I know¡­ Hyunsung is¡­ stro¡­¡±


    I had always known he wasn¡¯t weak. He was strong. I wasn¡¯t talking about his physique, no. He was really strong in every way. That¡¯s why I chose him. I chose him because he wasn¡¯t an idiot that could be easily swayed, but rather someone really strong. He proved that to me.


    ¡°Please¡­ take care of the others¡­¡±


    He knew that especially Hayan and Deokgu should be taken care of, right? If I really died like this, I would be doing something terrible to them.


    I wished he would take good care of the guild members, and the same went for my son and daughter. I hoped he would send my regards to Jihye and Hee-ra and visit Kasugano from time to time.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be¡­ sorry. I¡­ Sigh¡­ Sigh¡­ can¡­ under¡­ stand.¡±


    He shouldn¡¯t be so sorry for what he did. Honestly, he couldn¡¯t help it.


    It was all because of Lucifer and that wicked Seraphim. I knew it wasn¡¯t his intention to stab me.


    ¡°Thank you¡­ so much¡­ for every¡­¡±


    Just one more word to finish.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°The sky¡­ The sky¡­ I want to see¡­ it¡­¡±


    What time was it now? I couldn¡¯t wait to see the sky right now.


    ¡°It¡¯s the sunset¡­¡±


    Right. I wanted to see the sunset. I thought that would be a dignified death. I didn¡¯t think I would regret it if I met my end like that.


    This thought unknowingly made me smile. I didn¡¯t know how Hyunsung would ept the current situation, but I could see him shedding thick tears.


    His expression was finally one that familiar to me. I seemed to have seen him crying more thanughing.


    ¡°Finally¡­ only once¡­ more¡­ I wanted to see¡­¡±


    I wanted to see it one more time¡­


    It was a real shame that I couldn¡¯t see the scenery I was looking for because of that foreign light that covered the sky. I wanted to close my eyes while watching the sunset.


    He knew I didn¡¯t talk directly. He would know what I wanted. He knew what to do, right?


    Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t cry like before. I could see the guy who kept looking at me with his lips bit tightly, looking up at the sky.


    Was he thinking of thest request of the brother who shared everything with him? I thought he would if it were Kim Hyunsung.


    Whatever choice he would make afterward, he would let me look at the scenery I wanted for my dignified end as part of his friend¡¯s final favor.


    ¡°Hyunsung¡­ I will¡­ believe¡­¡±


    Kim Hyunsung slowly raised his body. I didn¡¯t know exactly why the masked hero said that Kim Hyunsung could beplete, but I finally felt like I understood.


    He didn¡¯t need Lucifer¡¯s power or Benignore¡¯s power. Kim Hyunsung could stand alone.


    ¡°Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­¡±


    He could stand alone.


    ¡®Get up.¡¯


    Right. Fuck. Kim Hyunsung could stand alone.


    ¡®Get up. Kim Hyunsung.¡¯


    Altanus¡¯ regressor could stand alone.


    ¡®Get up, bastard.¡¯


    ¡°The promise¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. The promise¡­¡±


    ¡°The sunset¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Before long, I could see himpletely standing up, looking up at the sky with his gaze off me.


    He slowly lifted his sword, and he once again corrected his posture while raising Durendal up.


    I didn¡¯t know if it was possible, butughter came out as I knew what he was trying to do.


    It was then that the change urred in Kim Hyunsung¡¯s body. I didn¡¯t know if he was aware of it or not. No, he must¡¯ve been unaware that his body had changed.


    ¡®Fuck¡­ this is fucking cool.¡¯


    I was so damn fucking cool.


    Light seeped into his huge ck wings. The red light that Kim Hyunsung himself had, not the light from Benignore, changed them.


    Instead of the dull night-like wings, behind him were bright ones that made me feel like I was looking at the rising sun.


    The same went for the horns over his head. I thought they would disappear, but an even bigger one settled above his head instead, which was also shining. The red sunset light shone brightly.


    ¡°Ha¡­ haha¡­ Hahahaha¡­¡±


    That wasn¡¯t anyone¡¯s power but the power he had.


    No.


    ¡®This is our special move.¡¯


    It was the power of friendship stemming from a precious brotherhood.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!¡±


    I could see him extending his sword of sunset into the sky.

 Chapter 767: To The End (26)

    <h4>Chapter 767: To The End (26)</h4>


    I didn¡¯t know what adjectives to attach to Kim Hyunsung, surrounded by the glow of the sunset. I felt he was that sacred. It was neither Lucifer¡¯s nor Benignore¡¯s, but the way he was radiating his own light made me proud.


    ¡®He was qualified right from the beginning.¡¯


    It was a sight that could only be exined by that justification.


    Contrary to me, who struggled with just epting the divinity given by Benignore, Kim Hyunsung¡¯s body was already ready.


    Whether we could go one step higher or not wasn¡¯t up to the choice of the deep-rooted evils from above, but the choice of Kim Hyunsung. It was understandable as to why everyone wanted him.


    He was an experienced neer. Whether it was ck or white, it must have felt very sweet to them as well to be able to recruit such resources right away.


    ¡®Fuck, look at that.¡¯


    Wings of sunset light. Sunset horn, sunset sword.


    The appearance of the guy making a loud shout while shedding tears had the power to make my fist clench.


    I got the expectation that he would be the one to make the impossible possible. A lot of people should see that. More and more people needed to know that the hero was indeed with us.


    As I thought that, the Goddess¡¯s Mirrors rose in the air simultaneously. To be able to sing the story of a hero who challenged the impossible, tofort the warriors who were tired of fighting, and to imprint the fact that there was someone who was taking the lead.


    Everyone had to look at it.


    In an instant, the battlefield seemed to grow quiet.


    While looking at the Goddess¡¯s Mirror floating in the air, what would everyone be thinking?


    I could see Kim Hyunsung swinging his sword. The sunset sword, which had not responded to him until that moment, was shining brighter than ever.


    People were staring at the sky nkly. Everyone had forgotten what they were doing as they silently raised their heads.


    Cho Hyejin was also looking at the sky as she exited the temple while supporting Dominions with one hand. I didn¡¯t know why she was taking her out, but I could see a smile on her mouth.


    She looked was relieved. It felt like a smile to Kim Hyunsung, who finally regained his true self.


    She deserved that. When I thought about it from Cho Hyejin¡¯s point of view, I realized how relieved she would be.


    It was different from Kim Hyunsung when he was struck and paralyzed by numerous tinum-colored swords while in the form of a demon.


    -Guild Master¡­


    I thought it would have been more picturesque if she hadn¡¯t called him Guild Master, but that was the limit of our Hyejin.


    I didn¡¯t know why, but I saw her loosening her braid that was finely tied, getting the hairband, and gripping it tightly in her hand.


    Cho Hyejin¡¯s long hair was fluttering in the wind in an instant, but she didn¡¯t care much about it.


    I wondered why she was like that, but it was suspicious that she kept holding tight to her band and looking at him.


    ¡®Fuck, that¡¯s not a gift from Hyunsung, right?¡¯


    -Be strong, Guild Master.


    It seemed like that by the atmosphere. There was no reason to hold it that way otherwise.


    As I remembered the bet I had with Jihye and turned my gaze while smiling, I could see Lee Jihye enjoying the break after getting out of Dominions¡¯s body.


    Gosh, Jihye, really¡­


    ¡®The war isn¡¯t over yet¡­¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t say anything because she was resting after doing everything she could, but she shouldn¡¯t sit across the window and have a cup of coffee either.


    -If you¡¯re looking, don¡¯t scold me much, Oppa. Honestly, you know I¡¯ve done everything I had to do. If you slip here, you¡¯re unlucky. This is already out of my jurisdiction, so I can¡¯t do anything. I have to leave it to the sky.


    I didn¡¯t even know what to say about the appearance of Ha Yeon-soo massaging Lee Jihye¡¯s limbs.


    -It¡¯s pretty, Unnie. It¡¯s really pretty.


    -I think so too. Seeing that kind of thing makes me think there really is a god. No, is he already a god?


    It was then that she let go of the cup of coffee she was holding in her hand. I reached out my hand to the cup of coffee that Ha Yeon-soo had dropped in a hurry, but in the end, I could see the cup of coffee pouring into the ground with a clink.


    It wasn¡¯t bad to show a clich¨¦ that something ominous would happen, but somehow it made me anxious.


    -¡­


    -Lee Kiyoung¡­ nothing happened, right?


    No, I thought something happened. I started not to see it too well.


    -¡­


    -¡­


    -Yeon-soo, get ready to go out.


    -What? Suddenly?


    -Get ready to go out right now. Sh*t.


    I wanted tough at her reaction, but when I saw Yuno Kasugano, it seemed like there was real trouble, so I couldn¡¯t say anything. I didn¡¯t know how to interpret the fact that she was sitting down silently and shedding tears.


    It seemed that she wasn¡¯t able to see a happy future. I didn¡¯t know whether she couldn¡¯t see or it was invisible, but her expression seemed to tell of Lee Kiyoung¡¯s end.


    Of course, most people were cheering.


    -Oh God. Thank you. Thank you.


    -It¡¯s the Sunset Swordsman. Haha. It¡¯s the Sunset Swordsman!


    -Hold on a bit more. The Sunset Swordsman is fighting with us.


    -Please! Blue Guild Master!


    -We can do it! We can do it! Hahahaha!


    Fighters fatigued from their battle were delighted that the end of the war wasing. The State and the citizens of Lindel, like my hometown, were also looking at that.


    It wasn¡¯t over yet, but they seemed to think that Kim Hyunsung would win in the end.


    They constantly prayed, sent out cheers, and sang songs about the hero who protected the continent.


    Weeping and hugging each other, they prayed for the hero who led them.


    For him to hold on a little more, a little more, a little more, a little more¡­


    Park Deokgu, that bastard seemed to be no exception.


    -So cool. Right. Uncle. Our Guild Master Oppa. He¡¯s really cool.


    -Whew¡­ Do you remember what I said? Didn¡¯t I say we¡¯d win? Well, I¡¯ve said over and over again that he¡¯d get rid of them all. That¡¯s what happened.


    -Can he really end up with this¡­


    -Well, Ki-mo. Of course, he can. I guarantee you. If it¡¯s hyung-nim and the Guild Master together¡­ they can definitely do it.


    It was a scene that made meugh. I wasn¡¯t sure when they started hanging around like that, but it looked nice.


    Even more so when I thought of Park Deokgu in the first round. Seeing him have such growth, I felt good for some reason.


    Hwang Jeong-yeon, who came to him quietly, was holding his hand. Both were looking up at the sky, and Park Deokgu muttered once more.


    -I¡¯m sure he can do it.


    -Yes. He can definitely do it, right?


    It was a smile that made me feelfortable for some reason. That was probably why I liked that pig. Useless worries flew away in no time with him.


    He would also live a different life from the first round. Noisy and fun every time. Maybe he would marry Hwang Jeong-yeon.


    It felt awkward to think of him forming a family but just imagining it was fun. Thinking that Park Deokgu¡¯s children would run around in the Blue Guild really made all theughtere out.


    Come to think of it. I decided to get married too. Right. Our Hayan was there.


    ¡®If I die like this¡­¡®


    Hayan¡­ Hayan would¡­


    She sat and hugged Han Sora¡¯s body part. It was a face breathing as if she was relieved as she looked up at the sky.


    The fierce battle came to an end, and it seemed that she could finally rest a little.


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    I was a little worried about the aftermath, but I knew she would be able to endure well with Sora.


    No, I didn¡¯t know why I kept reminding myself of death. Lee Kiyoung would live well until he became senile. It looked like I had gotten too drunk on my acting. Still¡­


    -Oppa?


    She was quick.


    -O¡­ Oppa?


    Looked like our eyes just met. How could she tell? So scary.


    -Oppa¡­ O¡­ O-Oppa.


    I could see that she got up in a hurry and stumbled. Surrounding soldiers and wizards were holding Hayan.


    Right. It was better not to let here. It was rather fortunate that there wasn¡¯t even a handful of magic power left in her.


    The image of Hayan screaming and grabbing her head contrasted with the appearance of others around her. Jung Hayan was crying and grabbing Han Sora tightly with her hands among those whoughed and cheered.


    Her pure white eyes looked at me.


    I didn¡¯t know how she knew¡­ She didn¡¯t get an attribute like Lee Kiyoung Instruction Manual, right? I hoped that wasn¡¯t the case.


    Oh, if I were to really die¡­


    ¡®Heeyoung. Right. Listen to Heeyoung. She is one of the few people in the guild that you can trust and rely on. Look at her still praying calmly. The first meeting was a little bad, but if you had a chance¡­ you could have gotten a little closer¡­¡¯


    I saw Elena and Elios. The two siblings, who stood between the different races, sat quietly and talked.


    -Do you not regret it?


    -You¡¯re watching it right now. The Blue Guild is where I should be.


    -Right. Haha. It looks like that. I thought I had seen many miracles so far, but¡­ this sight is really¡­


    -It¡¯s beautiful.


    ¡®I¡¯m d you don¡¯t regreting to the Blue Guild.¡¯


    In the meantime, Hee-ra seemed to be thinking of fighting with Sunset Hyunsung. I wished she would hold her desire back. It was good to move ording to her instincts, but if she left it to her body too much, the people around her would have a hard time.


    I was d to have the Red Mercenary on my side. I couldn¡¯t believe that the guild was the iron cage that kept her in lockdown.


    -You worked hard, Queen.


    -What about the battle?


    -It seems to be almost finished.


    -Hmm¡­


    -Queen?


    -What do you think? Who do you think will win if that and I fight?


    ¡®Don¡¯t fight. Please.¡¯


    -No, don¡¯t answer. I should just enjoy it now. I really don¡¯t know if this will end, but¡­ It¡¯s also a good thing to see that I can go up further. Looking at that, I can see why we were clinging to him.


    I didn¡¯t know if it was because it was a guild that revered strength, but it was noticeable that everyone was pping and showing respect.


    -Be strong, Blue Guild Master. Let¡¯s all cheer.


    -Be strong! Be strong!


    -Hahahahahaha! It is finally over. Fuck. That¡¯s it!


    No, to be precise, it wasn¡¯t over yet. The fight was still in progress.


    Everyone cheered as the sunset radiance from Kim Hyunsung¡¯s sword hit the sky.


    Booooooooooooooooom!!


    The foreign light then began to take form. The system with the intuition that it would suffer if he remained transformed into a giant that filled the sky, investing tremendous divinity in the process.


    I could see that he tried to block the sunset light emanating from the sword with both hands. For some reason, the side seemed to be empty.


    I remembered for a moment the scene where Park Deokgu shouted about the Spear of Longinus piercing God¡¯s side when we were fishing, but I shook my head to clear it away.


    I knew Kim Hyunsung could do it.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!! Sniff¡­ Ahhhhhhhhh!!¡±


    ¡®You¡¯re tired, right? Hold on a bit. There are so many bastards who are supporting you.¡¯


    The people I had looked through with the telescope so far, those who shouted cheers, sung and prayed for Kim Hyunsung, yes. The Guild members who believed in us as well.


    Oh, in Jung Hayan¡¯s case, a little filter was needed, but¡­ except for her¡­


    Our newbies. I couldn¡¯t call them like that now, but Ahyoung and Chang-ryul¡­ and even the new guild member Alps. They were all cheering for him.


    There was also the ck Swan Guild Master who said she liked him, and everyone rooting for him regardless of age or sex. Maybe it would be thest time, but¡­ no, I thought it was really, really, thest one for some reason.


    There were so many people who believed in him. There were so many bastards who supported that bastard.


    Through the Regressor Instruction Manual, I shared what I saw to Kim Hyunsung.


    Perhaps Kim Hyunsung was also feeling it. What I¡¯d seen for a while, he¡¯d feel how the continent was looking at the final battle.


    He surely knew how many people were giving strength and praying to him. I could see him holding back tears and biting his lips tightly.


    ¡®Be strong. Fuck. Our regressor.¡¯


    Finally, a pair of wings rose from behind his back.


    ¡®Right. That¡¯s it. Be strong, Altanus¡¯s regressor.¡¯


    His sunset sword cut through the foreign light.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!! Sniff¡­ Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!¡±


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s lightpletely erased the opposition until¡­


    I could see it.


    I could see the pouring sunset.


    ¡°Ha¡­ Ha¡­ haha¡­¡±


    Laughter came out as if I was deeply absorbed in the roley. Wasn¡¯t it really funny?


    I didn¡¯t know what happened afterward, but it was funny that Lee Kiyoung¡¯s end was really like this.


    I thought it would be nice if Kim Hyunsung chose thetter between saving the continent and Lee Kiyoung. In the end, it was ridiculous that I was the one that would need to make a sacrifice. Really¡­ I was really embarrassed.


    I didn¡¯t know why I did this either. I watched it despite being uncertain, but¡­ really¡­ really¡­ I¡­ I must have lost my mind. I must have been too drunk.


    ¡°Kiyoung?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Still¡­


    The scenery wasn¡¯t too bad.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Kiyoung?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    At this, my eyes closed.

 Chapter 768: The Last (1)

    <h4>Chapter 768: The Last (1)</h4>


    -Later, if someone asks what the battle was like, I will tell them that it was the day I saw the most beautiful scenery in my life.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -If someone asks about thendscape, everyone will sing that at that moment, one of the most sublime lights shone upon us. That¡¯s right. The continent has won. By driving out the hordes of demons that threatened the continent, we have achieved what we deserve. It was a valuable victory.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -But the reason we are here today is not to celebrate this victory. Rather, it is about the sacrifice of a saint who gave all of himself for it.


    ¡°I still can¡¯t believe it.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Really¡­ I can¡¯t believe it.¡±


    -Tomemorate the sacrifice of a saint.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -Yes. The Blue Vice Guild Master, Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung, has always been a self-sacrificing person. Really¡­ He was a man who sacrificed a lot. Closest to him¡­ I¡­ as his friend¡­ to say¡­ how much¡­ how much¡­ he was dealing with¡­ is not¡­ enough¡­ even if I talk all day¡­ yes¡­ I¡¯m sorry. Again¡­ I¡¯m¡­ about Kiyoung¡­ my friend¡­ Sniff¡­ I¡¯m sorry.


    As I looked ahead, I noticed Cho Hyejin, who was unable to talk.


    It was difficult to express how she couldn¡¯t take her eyes off the memorial service held in her hand.


    She was trying to say something somehow, but in the end, her fa?ade, which she couldn¡¯t hold together until the end, seemed to be enough to tell how hard it was for her.


    Unable to expect that she would shed tears in such an official event since she had never fallen apart in front of others, a lot of people began to feel the grief even more.


    ¡®It must be harsh.¡¯


    It was harsh for her to be seated in that ce. It was hard to imagine how difficult it would be for her to be talking about the past life of the Vice Guild Master.


    Her eyes were already red. Without even taking a proper break from the desperate news that reached her, preventing her from rejoicing in the victory of the continent, she set foot in a hellish ce. She still couldn¡¯t speak, but she was at least forcing herself to open her mouth.


    Still, I knew she would fall soon. The voice she somehow squeezed out was quickly buried in a screaming cry.


    -Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ Sniff¡­


    -I would like to apologize to all of you who are here. Yeah¡­ Please give us a brief moment¡­ to change the order¡­


    Soon, the voices of the church officials were heard. Several priests climbed up the podium and took care of the copsed Cho Hyejin.


    I wasn¡¯t sure what to do in that unexpected situation, but I thought maybe the memorial service would continue. It was that important of an asion.


    Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung was very important to the Church and continent.


    He was the hero and the saint who devoted everything to the world.


    Cho Hyejin¡¯s position in that difficult event must¡¯ve been for such a reason.


    Someone had to endure through his death. Someone in the Blue Guild had to tell the continent how noble and self-sacrificing he was, what his life was like.


    As she said, the continent won the war. It was a war that never would¡¯ve ended, and it was a more severe and tougher one than any other battle they had ever fought in.


    After the foreign light disappeared, the world dyed with the sunset light became more beautiful than anyndscape I had ever seen.


    Everyone sang the song of victory, unable to notice the greater sacrifices behind such a feat. I wasn¡¯t an exception.


    The moment the new sky opened, I burst intoughter and sang of the victory of humanity.


    Had I not seen the body of the Vice Guild Master, who was smiling with joy and with his eyes closed, I would have continued raising toasts with others.


    It was a very clear memory even now. Under the dazzling sunset light, the image of Jung Hayan grasping the body of the Vice Guild Master, and the way that the Guild Master stared up at the sky.


    Park Deokgu denied the death of the Vice Guild Master and the guild members, who seemed to have lost their ability to speak.


    I was so confused that I couldn¡¯t express it properly. Instead of joy, sadness filled that day.


    No, it wasn¡¯t much different now.


    From a ce not far away, I could see Jung Hayan bowing her back, her shoulders shaking.


    She probably wouldn¡¯t havee to this ce had it not been for Han Sora, who held her hand tightly while sitting next to her.


    No, maybe it didn¡¯t matter. Because Jung Hayan still denied the reality.


    I sometimes could hear her talk to Han Sora. It was a kind of conversation where the Vice Guild Master was talking and was with her.


    Han Sora, who was released from the demon¡¯s seal, smiled faintly and nodded to her words, but¡­


    ¡®It can¡¯t be like that.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t really think that Jung Hayan didn¡¯t believe in the Vice Guild Master¡¯s death.


    She looked more precarious than anyone else in the guild and even prayed for the end of her life to meet Vice Guild Master. To be honest¡­


    No one thought that Jung Hayan would be here.


    I could see a lot of empty seats. Neither Elena nor the Guild Master was present. No, it would be more appropriate to say that they couldn¡¯te. As such, his death made a lot of changes.


    Less than three days passed, but it was enough to make a big impact across the continent.


    Theyforted their grief in their own way, but neither the Blue nor the continent could escape the shock of losing the Son of Light.


    The same was true of others. Lee Jihye of the ck Swan disappeared shortly after hearing the news about the Vice Guild Master¡¯s passing.


    Sun Hee-young and Yuno Kasugano also disappeared at the same time. I heard that Lee Jihye had a separate meeting with Sun Hee-young, but nothing was known about where they headed or whether it was true that they disappeared together.


    Cha Hee-ra, the Red Mercenary Guild Master, also wasn¡¯t here. Although I received a separate message saying that she would attend¡­


    ¡°Alps?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Alps?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Alps.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes. I¡¯m sorry, Manager Kim Miyoung.¡±


    ¡°No. I am¡­ sorry.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s okay, may I ask you a favor?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Sure.¡±


    ¡°I think Cho Hyejin ising back now. She will take a break for a moment, wait here, and then go up to the podium¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes. Are you going now?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡­ I think I have to talk to the Church one more time.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard¡­ in many ways.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Anyhow, we have to keep ourselves together¡­ there are a lot of problems to deal with. I didn¡¯t think I would have to talk about this even in a memorial service, but¡­


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the guild dealing with the problem?¡± 3333


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to make other people care about this. I think it¡¯s better to handle it quietly, especially considering Jung Hayan¡¯s condition¡­ I don¡¯t think I should tell them.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then, please. The memorial service will probably start again in a while. Cho Hyejin really wanted to finish it up¡­ please, take care of her¡­ until she calms down a little.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡±


    With this, Manager Kim Miyoung stood up quietly. Looking at her swollen eyes made me feel sad.


    Wouldn¡¯t she be sad just because she was manager Kim Miyoung? She was one of the closest people to the Vice Guild Master. Perhaps more than anyone else, she would want to deny this reality.


    ¡®She wouldn¡¯t have wanted to discuss that¡­ even here.¡¯


    It was a simple matter, a matter of ownership of the Vice Guild Master¡¯s body.


    The Church wanted to take the body of Benignore¡¯s son in a symbolic sense. Actually, the expression that they wanted to take it was not strange¡­


    It would have been a difficult problem for the Church to yield. This happened after the Vice Guild Master officially left the Blue Guild, so as a result, the Blue Guild could not im ownership over his body.


    Since he was officially held as Honorary Cardinal, the Church imed the body was theirs, and the Continental Protection and Management Committee, which remained, insisted that they would take over.


    Until the memorial service, the Blue Guild kept the Vice Guild Master, but each group would im ownership after the memorial service was over.


    Perhaps even armed conflict would happen. It was something I hated to imagine and shouldn¡¯t happen, but some, including myself, were already familiar with the manual in case of armed conflict.


    Even in a time when it was difficult to handle sadness, she faced a painful political problem.


    I wondered if she wanted to take on such a job. She wanted to have her own time, but the circumstances around her didn¡¯t even allow it.


    Apart from clearing up the war, she had to respond to the suspicions surrounding the death of the Vice Guild Master and defend the Blue Guild.


    She would have thought it was important. She knew how much the Vice Guild Master loved the guild, after all. She might have thought that it was the best mourning she could ever do.


    ¡®It¡¯s sad¡­ Something like this¡­ wouldn¡¯t have been the sight that the Vice Guild Master wanted¡­¡¯


    He wouldn¡¯t have wanted something like this¡­


    As I slowly got up and passed by, I saw Yoo Ahyoung and Kim Chang-ryul nodding their heads.


    Kim Ye-ri was holding and talking with manager Kim Miyoung, who was just about to head to the officials of the Church. I didn¡¯t know what exactly they were talking about, but it was probably rted to what she just told me.


    ¡°Who they think they are to ask for the uncle? What have that bastards done?¡±


    ¡°Kim Ye-ri. Let¡¯s not do this here¡­ can we go to¡­ another ce¡­¡±


    ¡°Me too. I want to go with you.¡±


    Jung Hayan raised her head slightly as she heard them.


    After talking with Han Sora for a second, she once again lowered her head, but a chill of unknown origin suddenly passed by behind my back.


    I couldn¡¯t figure out why my hands and legs were shaking, but I imagined it would not have been strange if something just burst.


    I could see Han Sora breathing slowly. Hwang Jung-yeon and Ahn Ki-mo also stood up for a while and talked with manager Kim Miyoung.


    At the corner, Cho Hyejin, who was sitting quietly and crying, caught my eyes. I approached slowly and sat next to her, but I couldn¡¯t figure out what to say.


    Still, I had to do what I could.


    There was nothing I could do other than to hold her hand tightly quietly.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I looked unsightly.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I really¡­ looked unsightly.¡±


    ¡°Everyone will understand.¡±


    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have been stubborn¡­ It seems that I have been¡­ a nuisance until the end. I¡¯m sure that the Vice Guild Master¡­ would beughing at me. He would beughing at me, asking if that¡¯s the only thing I could do.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t read it.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t tell them that we had to stand up in honor of his sacrifice, and that it would be what the Saint of the Continent wanted. Even as to how much he truly loved the continent, I couldn¡¯t tell them what kind of life he endured.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°If I just read¡­ what was in front of me¡­ It would be over if I read it as it was¡­ I couldn¡¯t read it. Sniff¡­ I couldn¡¯t do it right. I couldn¡¯t do¡­ anything right¡­sniff¡­ until the end.¡±


    I noticed her slumping down and crying again.


    As I gazed at her, I noticed blood smearing from her thighs. The red color dyeing the ck bottoms seemed to represent her feelings.


    Same asst time. I bit my lips tightly for a moment. I thought it would be right to mention it again. I spoke up.


    ¡°Cho Hyejin. Perhaps¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Perhaps¡­¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your concern, but this is thest time. If I don¡¯t do this¡­ even this way¡­ I don¡¯t think I can finish it¡­¡±


    ¡°Still¡­¡±


    ¡°Thank you. Thanks to you¡­ I think I cheered up a bit. Go back to your seat. I have to finish this. Yes. I think I can do it now.¡±


    Once again, I could see her going to the tform and talking quietly.


    She stopped again and again and forcibly swallowed the tears, but she continued talking.


    -His¡­ His sacrifice was meaningful.


    There was no such thing as meaningful death.


    -You can definitely get over it¡­ Yes. You can endure it. It¡¯s not a big deal¡­ He would say that to us. My friend, who loved us more than anyone else, smiled and closed his eyes at thest minute¡­ And just like that moment¡­ he will continue to smile and watch us.


    There was no option to ovee someone¡¯s death or to stand up from it. Death had always been painful and cursing, and it had already devoured so many people.


    - Let¡¯s rise¡­ above the sadness. Let¡¯s remember that he was with us.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -The Saint of Light, Son of Benignore, and my friend will be with us as the light that illuminates the continent. In our hearts¡­ he will remain forever.

 Chapter 769: The Last (2)

    <h4>Chapter 769: The Last (2)</h4>


    I opened my eyes.


    As I slowly got up, I saw familiar scenery.


    ¡°Guild Master?¡±


    I heard someone¡¯s voice, and I moved right away.


    -The Saint of Light, Son of Benignore, and my friend will be with us as the light that illuminates the continent. In our hearts¡­ he will remain forever.


    There was a sound leaking through the Goddess¡¯s Mirror, but it disappeared soon enough.


    It didn¡¯t take long before the interior of the Guild House, which had been noisy for a moment, became quiet.


    I could see an empty space. There was no sound, and nothing was visible.


    The space filled with silence seemed darker. After slowly standing in front of the door, I knocked.


    ¡®Come on in.¡¯


    I entered despite no one responding. I sat in a chair quietly and looked at the room, then shook my head.


    ¡®What is it?¡¯


    After walking around the room for a while, I stood up, but I still couldn¡¯t hear any voices. I stroked the books on the desk.


    He was reading them.


    He was always here to do his work or read a book. When he had nothing to do, he would bring his alchemy kit and do experiments, the types I couldn¡¯t quite understand. Sometimes, he would pass the time sitting quietly. I remembered he even ate here when he was in a hurry.


    It was a ce where many traces of him had remained.


    He also seemed to enjoy spending time here. I looked around the room for a while, but I still couldn¡¯t hear any voices.


    ¡®Ah, yes. I was¡­ just about to eat. You came at the right time.¡¯


    As I moved again, the table came into my eyes. Thinking about what food could be done easily, I quickly reached into the food storage warehouse.


    ¡®It¡¯s good.¡¯


    I thought a simple fish dish would be okay. I remembered that he liked it the most.


    ¡®Wine would be fine too.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t hear a voice, but I nodded.


    After cing the two tes on the table, I pushed the food into my mouth.


    I couldn¡¯t taste anything. What I had made before was much better.


    After drinking the wine a bit, I moved once again.


    I didn¡¯t even know where I was heading, but I thought it was better for me to walk. It would be nice to look around the guild.


    As I opened another door and stepped outside, the training ground became visible.


    In fact, he didn¡¯te down here often. He woulde out on the terrace, sipping coffee quietly, looking down at the guild members training, but he didn¡¯t step on it.


    Come to think of it. I didn¡¯t think he liked to move his body. I hoped he could do some physical training as well, but he often got exhausted fast, perhaps because his body was weak by nature.


    He took a rough breath and quietlyughed, saying that he didn¡¯t seem to fit well and that it was too hard.


    I smiled bitterly, grabbed the sword, and swung it, but quickly lost interest.


    They asionally held a party here. It was a guild house with a separate banquet hall, but there were many cases where they gathered together to drink beer and chatted after training.


    It seemed that the seat was naturally created in a noisy atmosphere, but when I thought about it again, it seemed that it wasn¡¯t.


    As he had looked down on his training, he talked to the guild staff. A simple table had been made along with seats, and when it was ready, he quietly came down to talk.


    ¡®You worked hard today, Deokgu. Hyunsung also¡­ worked hard.¡¯


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Whenever we talked andughed happily, a lot of time often passed so quickly that I felt a little regrettable and strange.


    I was worried that it would interfere with the schedule for the next day, but I remembered that I enjoyed the gathering at the time.


    In fact, some did not appear at the training ground the next day. However, he always came out at the same time to drink coffee and read the newspaper.


    If our eyes met for a moment, he would raise his hand and quietly nod to greet me.


    Sometimes he was with Hayan. I couldn¡¯t really hear what they were talking about, but I¡¯d seen himughing out loud quite a few times.


    Even guests with personal acquaintances seemed to have spent time with him there. There were a lot of members of the State, members of Castle Rock, Catherine, and the Church that visited him.


    Whenever he held arge tea party, the terrace was always bustling.


    At that time, the guild members who were training below were quietly working on training or entering indoor training grounds. That was because they were worried that they would interfere with the event.


    Still, he spent most of the time here. Perhaps everyone did. We didn¡¯t talk to each other, but it seemed that everyone thought the same thing. The sound of him talking quietly with several people, the sound of music andughter that gently resonated, the asional sound of birds, or the sound of loud noise whenever something happened made my mind strangelyfortable.


    I didn¡¯t know what to say exactly, but it was probably because I realized how peaceful it was.


    I felt like ¡®my daily life began, and it¡¯s amazing.¡¯


    Of course, there were times when I was invited to the party. No, in fact, most of the time I was invited, but I didn¡¯t go. I thought I might kill the mood.


    I wondered about whether I might make a mistake or make them ufortable, but attending was much better now that I reconsidered it. I had to attend.


    ¡®That¡¯s what I said. Didn¡¯t I say that it would be good to build up friendships with several people?¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®I heard that in a few weeks, Marlin Young-ae¡¯s birthday woulde. Maybe in this ce¡­¡¯


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    After quietly nodding my head, I went inside again. I heard someone calling, but I did not stop and moved on instead.


    After sitting in the conference room for a while and then getting up, I went up to the desk andid myself down. I knew it was funny, but I didn¡¯t care about it much.


    As I quietly turned my head to the side, an empty space came into sight once more.


    ¡®Today¡¯s meeting¡­¡¯


    No voice was heard in reply, but I still nodded.


    ¡®The expedition will be in a few days. Can manager Kim Miyoung once again brief¡­¡¯


    It seemed that he was always smiling whenever manager Kim Miyoung talked in front of everyone. No, he was happy no matter who talked.


    He smiled as if he felt good even when a serious meeting deviated from the main subject for a useless joke. There were times when he seemed ufortable, but he seemed to beughing most of the time.


    ¡®Do you have anything to say, Hyunsung?¡¯


    ¡°No. I am¡­ Yeah¡­ fine.¡±


    ¡®Then, it would be better to end today¡¯s meeting. Shall we have a cup of coffee?¡¯


    I took another step. I wasn¡¯t sure where exactly I was going, but I continued to walk onwards.


    Library.


    Warehouse.


    Griffon¡¯s hutch.


    Workshop.


    Banquet hall.


    As I moved slowly and looked up, I saw the red sky. I couldn¡¯t hear any voice, but I kept going forward.


    As I stepped up on the roof of the Guild House, I caught a nce of Lindel¡¯s scenery.


    I couldn¡¯t believe that a war had taken ce over it. Lindel¡¯sndscape was no different from before.


    The Guild House of the Red mercenary and ck Swan could be seen from far away, as well as the Lindel Square, which the adventurers created. Therge fountain. Although it wasn¡¯t huge, the auction house was also visible. His favorite restaurants and cafes remained the same.


    It was always a bustling square, but it was quiet that day. No sound could be heard.


    As I quietly looked at the sky, which was getting redder. The day wasing.


    ¡®It¡¯s beautiful.¡¯


    ¡°Yeah. It is beautiful.¡±


    ¡®I¡¯m d I got to keep my promise.¡¯


    ¡°Promise¡­¡±


    ¡®To be together again someday¡­¡¯


    ¡°Yeah¡­ Together again¡­¡±


    That day, that view was especially beautiful. Just looking at the sky starting to change little by little made me smile.


    As I quietly looked to the side, I could see him nodding. However, as soon as I blinked, he disappeared. In his stead was a randomly ced sword.


    ¡°Together again.¡±


    I slowly lifted it.


    I moved my gaze up, noticing that the sky painting the redndscape was shining on the world.


    Maybe he was the one shining over us. That had to be it.


    There was a cool touch on my neck. My arms became tense, and I drew my sword toward it.


    However, nothing happened.


    My body didn¡¯t move before the force was properly applied, and the de prated the throat.


    [Mythic-Grade Attribute: Regressor Instruction Manual has been activated.]


    ¡°¡­¡±


    [Mythic-Grade Attribute: Regressor Instruction Manual has been activated.]


    ¡°Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­ please¡­¡±


    [Mythic-Grade Attribute: Regressor Instruction Manual has been activated.]


    ¡°Please¡­ don¡¯t do this. Please¡­¡±


    [Mythic-Grade Attribute: Regressor Instruction Manual has been activated.]


    ¡°Please let me escape from this curse, please¡­ please¡­¡±


    Golden eyes were reflected on the sword¡¯s fuller.


    The original color, which had already been switched away before, didn¡¯t return.


    ¡°Please¡­ Please. Please¡­ Now release me. Please¡­ now let me put an end to everything, Kiyoung. Please¡­ Please¡­ Please allow me to atone¡­¡±


    [Mythic-Grade Attribute: Regressor Instruction Manual has been activated.]


    I felt someone grabbing my body. Once again, I stretched my sword, but I couldn¡¯t grab it properly.


    Regardless of my will, the sword fell off my hand. The light emanating from the golden pupils was reflected on the de.


    I could feel nothing. The sense of being connected, the sense of bonding, the fact that he was alive.


    I didn¡¯t feel anything, but this damn jewel was still holding me back.


    ¡°Please¡­ please¡­ sniff¡­ sniff¡­¡±


    No voice could be heard.


    ¡®Live.¡¯


    ¡°Please¡­ please¡­ sniff¡­ now¡­ it¡¯s enough. I¡¯m tired now. Sniff¡­ please¡­ one more time¡­¡±


    No one answered.


    ¡®Live.¡¯


    ¡°Please¡­¡±


    ¡®Live.¡¯


    The sun was setting.


    A ck veil had now begun to cover the bright red sky.


    After rubbing my face with one hand, I stood up again. As if nothing had happened, I picked up my sword. After slowly sheathing it, I moved on again.


    ¡°Tomorrow¡­ we must be together.¡±


    ¡®Live.¡¯


    ¡°We must.¡±


    ¡®Live.¡¯


    ¡°Together¡­¡±


    I moved.


    After opening the door and entering, I closed my eyes slowly.


    And¡­


    [Live.]


    It was then that I heard a voice resonate.

 Chapter 770: The Last (3)

    <h4>Chapter 770: The Last (3)</h4>


    I definitely¡­


    [Live.]


    Heard a voice.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    [Don¡¯t torture yourself anymore. You no longer have to carry that pain. Put your burden downpletely and live the life you want. You deserve a happy one.]


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I definitely heard it.


    [You are the person who deserves a life happier than everyone else. Don¡¯t hate yourself. Don¡¯t me yourself. No one will me you. The achievements of saving thousands of people living on thisnd and those who will live on this continent in the future will be remembered in their hearts and souls for a long time. Until the day the continent disappears, all the creatures of the gods will bless you.]


    I slowly raised my upper body. A faint light was gradually filling up the dark room. It constantly flickered, almost as if someone turned themp off and on.


    The thought of having heard it wrong by any chance passed through my head, but it clearly wasn¡¯t an illusion.


    The voice felt like it was resonating in my soul, not in my mind. It reverberated all over my body, then began to enter me over and over again.


    ¡°Al¡­ tanus?¡±


    [It was a long battle. It must have been a particrly fierce struggle for you.]


    ¡°No, Benignore?¡±


    [It was a tough day, was it not? You lost a lot and got mixed into an unwanted battlefield. At that moment, you had to grow through pain and trials. You have survived those hard and difficult times and have saved many. I praise you for your struggles, your spirit of sacrifice, your courage, and your brilliant glow. I would like to express my sincere respect for all that you have ovee.]


    ¡°Altanus¡­ Benignore¡­ No, it doesn¡¯t matter who¡­ If you are watching, please, make me regress¡­ please. Benignore.¡±


    A faint light continued to illuminate the darkness.


    ¡°Please¡­ please. Benignore. Please¡­¡±


    [The continental threat haspletely disappeared. Now there is no reason for you to suffer or to make new sacrifices. There¡¯s no reason why you should start your hellish life all over again.]


    ¡°The ce where I am now¡­ this is hell. Just give me one more chance. Please¡­ If that¡¯s impossible, kill me¡­ please¡­ as painfully as possible. So that I can feel terrible pain¡­¡±


    The faint light continued to illuminate the darkness.


    [I cannot ept your request. I sympathize with the difficult time you¡¯re having. However, you will surely be able to face the great sadness and stand up. You will be able to get on your feet and live a happy life.]


    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous¡­¡±


    [You deserve it.]


    ¡°You know I don¡¯t deserve it¡­¡±


    The faint light continued to illuminate the darkness.


    [No. You deserve it.]


    ¡°You know what I have done¡­ You know I¡¯ve done something that I shouldn¡¯t have.¡±


    [It¡¯s not your fault. No one will me you.]


    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous. Don¡¯t be¡­¡±


    [He, too¡­ won¡¯t me you.]


    ¡°Shut up! You¡­ you know nothing.¡±


    [I swear he won¡¯t me you either. He wants you to be happy. He expects you to put everything away and live a new life free from the bondage and guilt of the past. I look forward to the life you will live, and the days you will experience in the future.]


    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous! Sh*t! Motherfuckers! Motherfuckers! Motherfuckers! Do you think you deserve to say that? You of all people! Trash bastards like you! How dare you talk about that person? Motherfuckers ¡­ Sniff¡­¡±


    I hurried and stood up.


    Once again, the faint light illuminated the darkness.


    I slowly looked next to me.


    [I am looking forward to the happy life you will live in the future. We are waiting for stories that you and your friends and family will create together.]


    The light was flickering from one eye in the mirror.


    [Your story is not over yet.]


    It flickered once more.


    [Raise your head and look around the continent you have protected. Experience the continent of the future and all of its changes. Take a trip, not an expedition, and take in new scenery with your friends, not yourrades. Enjoy your new routine and show us the stories.]


    Every time I heard the voice, the light constantly flickered.


    ¡°S¡­ Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­¡±


    [Enjoy and experience many things. Complete your story.]


    It kept flickering.


    ¡°Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­ Ugh¡­¡±


    [There is still a lot of things you haven¡¯t done. There is still a lot left for you to experience. Everything is what you have achieved. These are things that only could exist because of you. You deserve a happier life more than anyone else.]


    ¡°Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­¡±


    [Go ahead. Forget about the old things and start over¡­ ]


    ¡°I can¡¯t. I can¡¯t. Kiyoung.¡±


    [¡­]


    ¡°I can¡¯t never¡­ do that. I can¡¯t imagine a new continent, a trip, a newndscape, a new everyday life. Nothing¡­ Sniff¡­ Nothinges to mind. I will never forget it. I don¡¯t deserve all of those things.¡±


    [Kick the door and go out for a new beginning.]


    I hastily kicked out the door. I heard a noisy sound, but I recklessly moved on.


    ¡°I would have never been able to do it if I had been alone. I wouldn¡¯t have been like this if I had been alone. You are the one who deserves happiness. You are the one who sacrificed more than me. You are the one who truly wants to protect this continent and protect this scenery.¡±


    With this, the light continued to sh.


    [Don¡¯t copse anymore. Please don¡¯t hurt yourself.]


    ¡°I really don¡¯t think your story is over yet. I want to see what kind of life you will live in the future and what story you will write. New scenery, new life, talking with Deokgu as usual, going on a trip with the guild members¡­ Ha¡­ haha¡­ Imagine those things. It may be a little farther in the future, but if you and Hayan end up togetherter¡­ Just thinking about what will happen to you two, how your children will be, and just thinking about that¡­ I¡­ I¡­ I be happy. These are the stories that you will write in the future. These are the things you deserve. This is the life you should enjoy, not me.¡±


    [¡­]


    ¡°No, I would like to enjoy it together with you if possible. I¡­ I know I don¡¯t deserve it, but¡­ I¡­ I want to enjoy all of these things together if I dare to be just a little greedy.¡±


    I kept moving. Little by little, the view changed. The night sky embroidered with stars caught my eyes. Buildings continued to pass by my side.


    More people passed by as well. After moving a little faster, as soon as I spread my wings, a bright sunset light poured out.


    As my body rose to the sky in an instant, a vast continent came into view. The scenery of the world seen below the northern part of the war was dazzlingly beautiful.


    Little lights were visible. Countless numbers of very small fires were illuminating the continent.


    Wasn¡¯t it as if there were even stars on the continent? It was an insanely beautiful night sky.


    ¡°Are you watching this?¡±


    [¡­]


    It was the same as the scenery I saw yesterday. The scenery under thepletely copsed northern wall showed no signs of a fight.


    Small lights surrounded Mirror Lake, the Crack Museum, Laios, the Republic, and other beautifulndscapes.


    ¡°These are the things that you have protected.¡±


    I hurried across the sky. A cool breeze caressed my face.


    [These are the things you protected.]


    ¡°They¡¯re praying for you.¡±


    [These are for you. All of these are for you.]


    At this point, his body had already left Lindel.


    The light kept flickering.


    As I quietlynded from the sky, countless gazes looked towards me.


    ¡°The sunset¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the Sunset Swordsman.¡±


    As I stepped inside, I saw familiar faces.


    ¡°Guild Master?¡±


    ¡°Why are you¡­¡±


    ¡°Blue Guild Master.¡±


    There were many people. As I walked quietly, the path slowly began to open.


    ¡°Oppa? These bastards are¡­ now¡­ these bastards are¡­¡±


    I could see Ye-ri too, whom I haven¡¯t seen in a long time.


    ¡°Guild Master. Why did you¡­¡±


    I could also see Kim Miyoung, who seemed to be nervous. As I nodded slightly and patted her shoulder, I saw her stepping aside.


    Pdins in the way were visible. Their nervous-looking faces seemed to be telling me that something had happened before I came here¡­


    ¡°Blue Guild Master, what are you doing here? If you had told me in advance¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re currently taking the Honorary Cardinal. Even if you are the Hero of the Sunset, the Church cannot ept this kind of rudeness.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Think about the Honorary Cardinal¡­¡±


    ¡°I heard a voice.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry? That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°I heard a voice. So I¡¯ll take him.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I will take him.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I could also see Pope Basel looking quietly at me.


    ¡°Then, do it, Sunset Swordsman.¡±


    ¡°Pope Basel, but the Honorary Cardinal¡­ the Church¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I¡­ Didn¡¯t I say he can take him? You stupid thing!!¡±


    ¡°Yes? That¡¯s¡­ I mean¡­¡±


    ¡°Our Honorary Cardinal¡­ will be happier on that side.¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much, Pope Basel.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother, Sunset Swordsman. Please take care of the Honorary Cardinal.¡±


    As I looked down quietly, I could see the figure of a lying person.


    Wearing white clothes and smiling quietly, his face looked so at ease. He really seemed satisfied with all of this.


    I slowly held the body and then moved.


    ¡°Guild Master¡­¡±


    ¡°Forgive me for beingte, Hyejin.¡±


    ¡°No. Thank you foring. Sniff¡­ yes¡­¡±


    ¡°The others¡­¡±


    ¡°Hayan and Sora went first. They¡¯re probably waiting somewhere near.¡±


    ¡°Please contact them now.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Please convene all the guild members. Deokgu too. No, call everyone who had any contact with Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me, but¡­ the thing you just said¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. I heard a voice. It was definitely Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Kiyoung spoke to me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how, but¡­ perhaps¡­ maybe there¡¯s a chance that we can revive him.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Kiyoung will also be waiting¡­ definitely.¡±


    * * *


    ¡°I really hate to say this in this kind of situation and this atmosphere, but¡­ It¡¯s a little touching¡­ It does melt gently, doesn¡¯t it, Dialugia?¡±


    ¡°You crazy trash bastard.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Disgusting bastard.¡±


    ¡°A little bit harsh to the hero who saved the continent¡­¡±


    ¡°Son of a bitch. Trash, you deserve to be cursed.¡±

 Chapter 771: The Last (4)

    <h4>Chapter 771: The Last (4)</h4>


    ¡°You¡¯re being too harsh¡­¡±


    ¡°Son of a bitch.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    As always, Dialugia¡¯s gaze at me was a mixture of inexplicable loathing.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    It was a bit unfair, but after I nced at her, I had no choice but to look down.


    I understood how Dialugia felt about being tied up here all of a sudden¡­ At that point, the important thing was not our side of the story but down there.


    ¡®Look at that¡­ That picture is making a killing. Fuck.¡¯


    I watched our lovely regressor as he descended to the temple with the sacred body.


    ¡®I¡¯ll even have faith that I didn¡¯t have previous. Really.¡¯


    It was such a sublime scene that it was difficult to describe. Bright light poured out, and the path opened. As if Moses was dividing the sea, I saw the crowd splitting along the road Kim Hyunsung walked.


    As if it had already died, the head and arms of the holy body were about to fall to the ground.


    ¡®I knew that one would suit.¡¯


    I knew that shroud would suit the scene going out of the Church. Really.


    It seemed that Pope Basel carefully paid attention to it, seeing that I was wearing the shroud that only the popes could wear in the Benignore Church.


    In fact, the shrouds worn by the cardinals felt less sacred, so I was worried, but it seemed that I didn¡¯t have to be. This was the death of a hero who sacrificed himself for the continent.


    It was the death of a saint who had abandoned all of his own and lived only for the weak.


    There was no way he would have an ordinary funeral.


    I could see how much the Church took care of Lee Kiyoung¡¯s memorial service.


    I didn¡¯t know if the pattern drawn on the forehead, just like Benignore¡¯s, actually fit well, but it seemed to be more impressive than the shroud when I looked closer.


    It felt simr to what Benignore was wearing, and simr aspects were visible in detail.


    It was something only Benignore¡¯s son could wear.


    Who could see that and have doubts about Light Kiyoung¡¯s divinity?


    Nevertheless, there was a feeling that something wasn¡¯t right, but the picture became perfect with the appearance of Kim Hyunsung.


    I could guarantee that the appearance of sunset light made that scene reach its peak.


    ¡®How much did that earn? How much did you earn with this?¡¯


    The divinity of the picture just now outnumbered the divinity that had been collected.


    It was definitely good to die. It definitely was.


    It wasn¡¯t a suitable example, but it was simr to the artist¡¯s work soaring after his death.


    In my case, it was an even bigger result. Peace was achieved through the death of a saint. He already had all the conditions for bing an idol.


    Just by looking at the title called Benignore¡¯s son, anyone could predict how important the continent¡¯s light was.


    -Benignore¡¯s son¡­


    -The Sunset Swordsman had taken Benignore¡¯s son¡­


    I didn¡¯t know the reason, but even the divinity that was supposed to be for Kim Hyunsung wasing to me, almost as if it was the Regressor Instruction Manual¡¯s effect, but I felt that the divinity was moving as if it were being automatically transferred.


    ¡®It doesn¡¯t seem to be the effect of the Regressor Instruction Manual.¡¯


    It might be like a multi-level thing¡­ well, I didn¡¯t care. What was important was that divinity kepting in.


    ¡°How can youugh¡­ in this situation?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯mughing because of this situation. Why wouldn¡¯t I be anxious? I don¡¯t know why we¡¯re here right now, and I¡¯m worried about the guys down there. In this context, it seems that we are in heaven, but it seems a little different from what I thought. Honestly, I don¡¯t know what will happen in the future, which is why I have to earn it. That¡¯s what insurance is like, Dialugia.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°As you can see, it¡¯s a space with nothing, but we need divinity to live. What would you like to eat this time?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Can we go back?¡±


    ¡°We have to go back. I think we can.¡±


    I had a lot of things to fix right away.


    I was also worried about everyone. Our Hayan, pig and lovely Kim Hyunsung¡¯s mental condition were important, but even worse, I didn¡¯t think that Jihye would re-establish the brigade with Sun Hee-young and Kasugano.


    I seeded in sending a message to Kim Hyunsung, so if it were Lee Jihye, she probably would hear the news. She would realize that things had changed, so she¡¯d soon join them and find a way.


    Thinking about it again, I realized I did a very good job not asking to be rescued. The answer was to give him a message that there was still hope rather than shamefully asking for the resurrection because I wanted to live again.


    This was a strong connection beyond words. If that bastard saves me, that would be even better.


    ¡°Really¡­ Can we reallye back to life? Can we see Dialuria again?¡±


    ¡°It will be fine because I have exined the situation to Dialuria properly. By the way, the dragons are really amazing. I can send a message to Hyunsung because of my attribute, but¡­ If it wasn¡¯t for the strange energy that suddenly umted¡­ I would not have been able to convey the situation.¡±


    ¡°Now you¡¯re the Divine Dragon, Dialugia. Dialugia, the Dragon of Light, who fought side by side with the Son of God. That sounds good.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Anyway, I am relieved that what I was most worried about has been resolved. Once they find a way out over there, there will be hope here too.¡±


    ¡°What kind of ce is this¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. To be honest.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°This is not an ordinary space. If I have to predict¡­ it feels like someone has prepared it for us.¡±


    ¡°Someone?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It would be convenient to say that it is a space prepared by someone. As it was, I imagined that after closing my eyes, I would disappear or go up to the ce where Benignore was, but here¡­ it¡¯s foreign to anyone.¡±


    ¡°Who the hell¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Was this because of Lee Kiyoung from before erasing his memory?


    Kiyoung 1?


    No matter who it was, there would be no objection that this space had been artificially created.


    ¡°Then¡­ why are those lights¡­¡±


    As I turned my gaze, I saw the silver, blue, and brown lights.


    Thronus, Cherubim, Dominions.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. But there is something I can think of.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I guess I am preparing to be a god.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re out of your mind.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you want to think of it like that, you can. Remember what I said about me from before I lost my memory?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I was just wondering about what it would be like if I were the one who prepared this space.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s say I knew in advance that I¡¯m going to die. No, it¡¯s not an assumption since I actually knew it. I would have thought I had to prepare something¡­ I would have needed a ce to stay for a while before moving somewhere orpletely disappearing.¡±


    ¡°You mean that¡­ this is the ce?¡±


    ¡°Looking at what¡¯s happening below, I assume this is the control tower that will guide our Hyunsung¡­ yeah¡­ well. I feel like it makes sense¡­ Maybe it¡¯s not, but¡­ it doesn¡¯t mean there is no possibility at all.¡±


    ¡°What does that have to do with those lights? They are the ones who made things happen now.¡±


    ¡°Now they¡¯re just a lump of light. They¡¯re the ones left after that freak, that foreign program, disappeared.¡±


    After striking the silver light that wanted to stick close with my hand, I continued talking.


    ¡°So, Why¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe the past me thought like this before losing my memory.¡±


    ¡°Thought like what?¡±


    ¡°That I¡¯m sick of it.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Before he lost his memory, the past Lee Kiyoung would have been a control freak, unlike the current Lee Kiyoung. He must have had an inclination that he could never be satisfied without controlling the situation.¡±


    ¡°You still are.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Anyway, that¡¯s why he might have thought that he was sick of it. It seems like he didn¡¯t like the idea of someone else managing the continent. Wouldn¡¯t he be annoyed that something he didn¡¯t know was happening? Well, don¡¯t get me wrong. It¡¯s not that I am like that, but that¡¯s who Lee Kiyoung was before losing his memory. So¡­ he would have thought that he wanted to change it. He might have felt that he wanted to manage the continent himself and that it would be easier to do it himself. It¡¯s a lot of work, so he felt that it¡¯s hard on his own¡­ I guess that¡¯s why he prepared these guys.¡±


    ¡°But they¡­¡±


    ¡°Since the main system has changed, there will be changes in their thinking and behavior. Of course, it may not be able to correct their peculiar disposition or conditioned personality, but it might correct them in a positive way. Maybe it will prevent them from remembering what happened before. The important thing is that these guys will take over the troublesome work. They were actually born to manage the continent. Hence, it wouldn¡¯t be that bad. Whatever the case, creating executive-level resources requires tremendous divinity. It means that the cost-performance ratio will go down just by being able to get the main thing. Someone went bankrupt and brought something cheap from the auction.¡±


    ¡°Will it¡­ really be okay?¡±


    ¡°Is there any reason for it not to be? The main system has been moved. What could go wrong? Didn¡¯t you also participate in my little experiment? I have already made a body for one guy, and nothing went wrong. Just in case something goes wrong¡­ I have a lot of countermeasures.¡±


    I continued while looking at the tinum-colored guy while biting my lips anxiously next to Dialugia.


    ¡°Did you know that they wanted to be like humans? That these guys were feeling an irrationalck of affection from their Creator?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°The angels both envied and admired humans. So I intend to raise them like humans. I will make very young bodies so they can grow up like humans. The roles given will be different, but Cherubim, Thronus, and Dominions will mature like us. I guess they will forget the past and live happily, right? I intend to do things that their Creator couldn¡¯t do. Unlike the former foreign monster creator, I intend to give infinite love to our reborn angels.¡±


    After nced at him once again, I spoke again.


    ¡°Now I swear to you, I will really love these angels who will be my hands and feet with everything I can. I will love and love and love them. I¡¯ll show love to these angels until they get tired of it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a bad¡­ hobby. You¡­¡±


    ¡°Except for one.¡±


    ¡°Really¡­ That¡¯s a bad hobby.¡±


    ¡°Pff¡­ haha¡­ Puhahahahahaha! Except for only one! Except for only one¡­ I will give everyone equal love. Except for only one. Fuck¡­ I won¡¯t save that bastard. That bastard will not be born and will die. Even if we escape here, that bastard will not escape forever. Pfff¡­ Pu¡­ hahaha¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Pfff! Puhahaha¡­ Did you hear me, Seraphim? I will never let you be born again. I¡¯m not going to recreate you, take you, or love you¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m¡­ sorry.¡±


    ¡°Huh? I can¡¯t hear you.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I was wrong. Sniff¡­ I¡­ I was seriously wrong. Please give me one more chance. Please¡­¡±


    I could see Seraphim looking at me, kneeling down. Likewise, I looked down upon him.


    ¡°No, you bastard. ¡°


    [AT: Do you know God Kiyoung?]

 Chapter 772: The Last (5)

    <h4>Chapter 772: The Last (5)</h4>


    ¡®This is pretty thrilling.¡¯


    I could see his face stained with despair. I didn¡¯t expect to give Seraphim a blow in this manner, but it wasn¡¯t all that bad.


    ¡®Who knew it would be like this?¡¯


    Seraphim trembled like a puppy in the rain.


    I had faced numerous viins so far, but I had never seen such a desperate expression.


    There were Jin Qing, who made a definite and honorable choice, Ito Souta, who showed wrath and madness until the end, and some other guys I couldn¡¯t remember well.


    I wondered if the atmosphere was too different from before he gave in, but I honestly thought it was worth it.


    There might be many reasons, but wasn¡¯t it the biggest thing that I was his creator now?


    Of course, I didn¡¯t create his psychological side, but the current Seraphim was aware of the fact that I made him. Crucially, it was because he knew I could give him what he wanted.


    Living like a human.


    And¡­


    A creator¡¯s parental love.


    I could roughly understand why they were obsessed with such things. Before discussing the background of their birth, Yulha and I also went through a simr period.


    What was a little surprising was that Seraphim, who had formally denied his embarrassing personality, showed a very rapid change of posture.


    Seraphim perfectly sumbed just by showing him a glimpse of the vision of life he really wanted. From the moment I adopted him, there would be no room for rebellion, but it was meaningful that he sumbed physically and mentally.


    As I quietly held out the ss, and he got up and filled it. In the midst of it, a blue light circled Seraphim.


    ¡®Gosh. Why is it doing that again?¡¯


    ¡°What are you doing there, Cherubim?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You have some guts. Do you want to stand by Seraphim even after being backstabbed that much by him? You don¡¯t want to be left too, do you?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Looking at the brotherhood of the century that I have never seen anywhere else makes me want to cry¡­ It¡¯s not my business how you stand by and care for Seraphim, but your other siblings will also suffer if youe out uncooperatively. You¡¯re going to be very, very unhappy.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll hold Thronus and Dominions to ount. Your wrong choices will affect the happiness and future of the other two. Remember it well and act ordingly.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°There is no option to forgive, Cherubim. I am not such a generous person. Do you know what that bastard did? There is no option topromise.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The blue light continued to sh. It felt like it was talking to Seraphim.


    Seraphim hastily bowed his head, prostrated himself, and spoke up.


    ¡°It was a stupid act, F-F-Father.¡±


    Maybe it had even advised him to call me father.


    ¡°Please¡­ If you give me a chance again, I will give my all and thank Father for giving life by serving and dedicating a lifetime to this continent¡­ sniff¡­ With my sins in my heart.¡±


    ¡°I am not your father, Seraphim, and I never allowed you to speak¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°What are you doing, Cherubim?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Thronus and Dominions will be sad. Someone is depriving you of a new opportunity. Wouldn¡¯t it be a huge loss for me too?¡±


    After pushing out the silver light again, I continued.


    Of course, I knew Cherubim wouldn¡¯t be able to abandon them. There was no way he could do that to Thronus and Dominions, who kept lingering around me.


    In the end, it didn¡¯t take long for the guy who wandered around Seraphim to join this side.


    Seraphim kept shedding thick tears, but I couldn¡¯t stand it because I wanted to see him more like that. As I nced next to me, I noticed Dialugia quietly looking at me.


    I felt like she had a lot to say but kept silent. Still, as if she couldn¡¯t stand it, she slowly spoke up. ¡°Honestly, I know I shouldn¡¯t say this, but¡­ It doesn¡¯t look good to do this for your mood without any other purpose.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I am very anxious and embarrassed now, but you seem to be pushing more than necessary. It feels like you¡¯re harassing them maliciously.¡±


    ¡°But I am doing exactly that. I am venting out my anger¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Honestly, I had nothing to say, considering it felt like she hit the nail on the head. Rather than venting out my madness because of my anger against Seraphim, it would be appropriate to say that I was angry about the current situation, one which I could do nothing about.


    I didn¡¯t think Dialugia would notice my condition, but as we were together for a while, it seemed that she felt something, and it seemed that I was showing off in secret.


    When I looked at Seraphim again, I could see that he still couldn¡¯t look me in the eye.


    The way he was pretending to be a victim after being the viin that turned Kim Hyunsung¡¯s body into a beehive filled with holes was a spectacle.


    I wanted to kick him once, but it wasn¡¯t productive, as Dialugia said.


    I had to love my future creatures for the sake of peace of mind.


    It was never an action for Seraphim to see, nor was it an action to vent out my anger, but to love my children who would manage the continent together in the future.


    When I beckoned to the silver light that I had been pushing away for a while, I could see that it came flying.


    ¡°Come here, Thronus. Our Thronus. I guess I¡¯ve been too indifferent. Shouldn¡¯t the lovely Cherubime too?¡±


    ¡°Shameful, dirty human¡­¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t talk openly like that.¡¯


    ¡°What are you doing there, Dominions? Our Dominions and Cherubim are so pretty, sparkling magnificently like stars. Why are you so pretty? Right. Come here.¡±


    ¡°Really shameful human¡­¡±


    ¡°You cane a little closer, Thronus. Yes, here.¡±


    ¡°Do you have any idea how shameful you look now?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, our Cherubim. I was too harsh earlier. Will youe here too? You can y together. Don¡¯t pay attention to other people¡­ You don¡¯t need to pay attention to anything, okay?¡±


    I then began to speak with the sweetest voice possible.


    ¡°Really¡­¡±


    Seraphim died of envy just by looking at the happy scene.


    The act of rubbing and stroking light¡¯s cheek in itself felt a little shameful, but what about it?


    I could be sure that this scene would make Seraphim feel like watching a happy family ying in the park.


    He also wanted toe over and enjoy a happy time together with us, but he would be desperate to be unable to do so. The blue light still seemed to be ncing at Seraphim, but it still stood out to look happy.


    ¡®Yes, we were on bad terms. Now we have to start anew. Honestly, it will be good for you too, right? It doesn¡¯t feel that long since you called me parasite, and now you¡¯re shining happily like that. You¡¯re shining at the parasite¡¯s hand gestures.¡¯


    The slow silver light was flying around and sticking like it was in its element. The brown light didn¡¯t react much, but it felt like it was going with the flow.


    I couldn¡¯t figure out what the lights were talking about, but I hoped they¡¯d be happy even for the one person watching that scene.


    As I looked at him with a side-by-side nce, I could see him trembling visibly.


    The way he kept shedding tears as he couldn¡¯t do anything made it even sadder.


    I knew it wasn¡¯t very helpful, as Dialugia said, but there was something simr to pleasure passing behind my back. I felt so refreshed, so what more would I need to say?


    I was still bothered about Dialugia¡¯s gaze, almost as if she was looking at a trash human¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s not a shameful act.¡¯


    It was by no means shameful behavior. I was just having a good time.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you¡¯re the hero who saved the continent? Act like an adult. The top priority is to stop doing that and think about dealing with this situation now, isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Well¡­¡±


    ¡°So¡­ What¡¯s your next n?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s say you be a god. So it¡¯s also understandable that you¡¯ll try to use the creatures that the foreign light had already created as managers. Do you have any hints about going back? If it¡¯s true that you erased your own memories and that you have arranged for the current situation¡­ Wouldn¡¯t you have a clear idea of ??how to go back?¡±


    ¡°Are you trusting me?¡±


    ¡°All circumstances tell me to. I don¡¯t believe it either, but¡­ it doesn¡¯t seem like a hypothesis that doesn¡¯t make sense.¡±


    ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t remember anything.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I wish I had a hint about anything. I don¡¯t remember anything right now. I¡¯ve tried this and that because I decided that thinking of a certain action or thought might be the trigger, but nothing reallyes to mind.¡±


    ¡°You mean they have to find a way from down there?¡±


    As I nodded and looked down at Dialugia¡¯s words, I saw the people gathered in the Blue Guild.


    -It was definitely¡­ definitely Kiyoung who spoke to me. He will still be watching us now.


    -T-That¡¯s right. I-I also heard his voice without a d-doubt.


    The guild members were having a serious conversation.


    I tried several times to send a message to Hayan, but I didn¡¯t seed¡­ It seemed that it had some errors since some had arrived.


    -Then you mean that we can save the Vice Guild Master?


    -C-Can we save hyung-nim? Is that true?


    Oh, Park Deokgu, why did that bastard be emaciated?


    -There is nothing that I can clearly say¡­ What is certain is that Kiyoung must be somewhere looking for help. First, it would be nice to take a closer look at what we can do. Kiyoung would have said so.


    Yes. If it were me, I would have said that.


    ¡°Are you saying that other humans have to find a way to save us?¡±


    ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t know that either. There seems to be some way, but¡­ Oh! Did I mention that Lee Kiyoung made a bet with Lucifer before losing his memory?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because of that.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I think I should also think about the possibility that I have intentionally made it impossible to retrieve my memories. Past me might have thought it¡¯s more advantageous to not have to look for it or remember it. I don¡¯t know what the bet was about now, but¡­¡±


    ¡°What does that¡­¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have thought of anything else if I just had to be revived, but if Control Freak Lee Kiyoung really wanted to manage the continent, wouldn¡¯t it be necessary to cover Lucifer¡¯s eyes? Managing the continent would mean being independent¡­ He might have wanted to bepletely out of the monitors of Lucifer, other demons, and other gods.¡±


    ¡°That means¡­ Are you saying that Benignore and other continental gods should also be excluded?¡±


    ¡°Rather than exclusion¡­ Hmm¡­ Honestly, I am nervous too. All I can think of are hypotheses. There is nothing I can be certain of, and I¡¯m not sure what¡¯s going on, but I think it¡¯s better to do what I can for now. Don¡¯t draw too big a picture and start with what¡¯s right in front of us¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Like Kim Hyunsung said.


    ¡°First, it would be nice to take a closer look at what we can do. No, let¡¯s act right away.¡±


    As the divinity was removed, the space slowly opened. In it, I saw a familiar face after a long time.


    ¡°Huh? Huh?¡±


    It was a face that had be emaciated while looking at me with a finger pointing as if it was hard to believe. I didn¡¯t know if those guys were sleeping, but they seemed to have not slept properly, and I could see a pile of documents in her hands.


    It must¡¯ve been clear that she was working prior to our meeting.


    After one big incident, it wasn¡¯t only the people below who were busy.


    ¡°Junior Lee Kiyoung?¡±


    I didn¡¯t know how much time I had left. First, I knew I had to speak straightforwardly.


    ¡°Goddess Benignore, whom I respect and love.¡±


    ¡°Where is this¡­ Where are we?¡±


    ¡°How much do you get where you are working now?¡± I asked with a bright smile.

 Chapter 773: The last (6)

    <h4>Chapter 773: Thest (6)</h4>


    ¡°Huh? Huh?¡±


    ¡°First, take a seat, Benignore.¡±


    ¡°Where¡­ are we? No¡­ more importantly¡­ huh? Huh? Huh¡­ Are you really junior Lee Kiyoung? Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ J-Junior Lee Kiyoung Lee¡­ Ugh¡­ Ugh¡­ junior Lee Kiyoung¡­¡±


    ¡®What the. What¡¯s wrong with her?¡¯


    ¡°Junior Lee Kiyoung¡­ Ugh¡­¡±


    ¡®What?¡¯


    Benignore, approaching with her arms wide open, caught my eye. I didn¡¯t know if she was trying to hug me, so I couldn¡¯t help but be disconcerted.


    I thought she would be surprised, but I didn¡¯t think she would show such a dramatic reaction.


    If anyone asked me if that reaction was good or bad, I thought it was a good one, but I didn¡¯t think it was because she really missed me.


    ¡°You were here. Junior¡­ Lee Kiyoung¡­ Ugh¡­ I-I believed. Everyone said that your existence disappeared, and Elune said that the continent, no, the dimension, couldn¡¯t bear you, and it had to spit you out. Ugh¡­¡±


    Her face seemed about to cry, but her tearful expression soon disappeared. It was because she hugged me like a cicada sticking to a tree.


    It wasn¡¯t enough for her to shed tears. I could hear her gasping over and over again. This one also seemed to be the type with much affection.


    ¡°Junior Lee Kiyoung¡­ Ugh¡­¡±


    ¡®Now stop it.¡¯


    I wanted to talk about something in earnest, but the problem was that I couldn¡¯t.


    ¡°Benignore?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really d to see you again like this. Ugh¡­ I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t do anything. I¡¯m very, very sorry for not being able to help you much.¡±


    ¡®No, you don¡¯t have to be so sorry.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t get used to her like that. I wondered if she would let go of me now, but I could see her looking at Seraphim after I pushed her a bit. After checking my face once again and seeing the light wandering around, she started pushing away the blue and silver lights with her palms.


    ¡°You! How dare you guys! Again?¡±


    I didn¡¯t know how to exin the way she scattered the lights with the small palm of her hand. It looked like she was catching flies and mosquitoes.


    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing! Go away immediately. I won¡¯t let you touch Lee Kiyoung even with a single finger! Junior Lee Kiyoung! Come behind me! I will protect you!¡±


    ¡®Really, what¡¯s wrong with this one? Did she eat something wrong?¡¯


    ¡°You were trapping him here! M-Mean bastards! Ugly creatures! You dirty monsters!¡±


    ¡®If you call them ugly creatures, they will get hurt¡­ You went too far with dirty monsters¡­¡¯


    ¡°Do you think I will let you bother him?!¡±


    ¡®No, what¡¯s wrong with her¡­¡¯


    On the one hand, she had a colorfully designed shield. On the other hand, a holy spear was summoned.


    ¡®What. That¡¯s¡­ I¡¯m seeing that shield for the first time.¡¯


    Benignore¡¯s Shield.


    Even in the library at the temple, I hadn¡¯t heard anything about that. It might be because she didn¡¯t use it in the first ce, but frankly, it was a sight to see.


    Honestly, I didn¡¯t think she could fight, but it looked cool though.


    ¡®She¡¯s not abat type, no matter what¡­¡¯


    It looked good on the outside, but the way she was preparing to fight felt a bit awkward. If I thought about it, the fight against Belial was acting.


    I wanted to leave her like that for a little longer, but after seeing such dense divinity at the end of her spear, I had no choice but to call her in a hurry. I didn¡¯t want her to blow up this space because she couldn¡¯t control her force.


    ¡°No. It¡¯s not that, Benignore. Please calm down and sit down. They are no longer enemies. Oh. Except for one. I think you probably have a lot of questions. I think it would be nice to talk step by step¡­ first¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    It would be better to ask about how she had been. If I started talking about work right away, I would look like I have no affection.


    ¡°How have you been?¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­ Ugh¡­¡±


    ¡°How were you doing?¡±


    ¡°Junior¡­ L-Lee Kiyoung¡­¡±


    Fuck. She had gone back to the beginning again.


    I patted her back while smiling. I didn¡¯t know how much time had passed, but by the time the noise diminished, I finally heard her speak in earnest.


    ¡°It was so hard. Really! It was really too hard! They keptining from above. There¡¯s no divinity in my hands, but there¡¯s a lot to deal with! They said, ¡®Do this, do that¡¯ without even supporting me! I don¡¯t know how long it has been since I rested properly¡­ Ugh¡­ They keep pressing, asking me where you were, and I was¡­ in sorrow¡­¡±


    ¡°It must have been hard¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. They¡¯re all in an emergency. Closing the crack opened by the outer god is also a problem¡­ Suddenly, even the ones who lent the divinity came to me¡­ There really is no such thing as consideration from everyone. They know that our side is in a difficult situation and they had toe and ask me to pay them back right away, you know? They could¡¯ve been just a bit patient¡­ they just had to wait a few hundred years. Was that so hard to wait for? They even sent a letter saying that they would sue me, knowing how difficult it is for us to get into conflict in this situation!¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°In the meantime, Elune said he was preparing to move to another ce, you know? It was too lonely and hard for me¡­ Really. You have no idea how much I missed you¡­¡±


    ¡®Will it actually be easier than I thought?¡¯


    ¡°Well. It¡¯s also an old story, but¡­ since you¡¯re here, everything will be solved now. Can you help with this? That¡¯s exactly how much we have right now. There is no other support anymore¡­ Honestly, I might have to reduce it further here. As I looked at it, many things were dyed I thought I could solve it with what we earned this time, but¡­ we got less than I thought¡­ most of it must have gone to the god of sunset light.¡±


    ¡®It came to me. By the way, our Hyunsung has already be the god of sunset light.¡¯


    ¡°Oh! C-Come to think of it, you must have received a lot of as well? J-Junior Lee, Kiyoung. We shouldn¡¯t stay like this, wait¡­ are you thirsty? Or is there anything making you ufortable? I¡­ I¡¯m a little embarrassed to say this as a senior, but if it¡¯s okay, can you invest? As you know, the situation on the continent is not so bad¡­ After a little more time, it will be the end of hardships and the beginning of happiness. If you provide us with a little help, I can give it back twice, no, three times!¡±


    I didn¡¯t think I should ever lend it to her.


    ¡°If I look at your face, I want to invest, but I don¡¯t think I have that much vision.¡±


    ¡°D-Don¡¯t say that¡­ Junior Lee Kiyoung. Why wouldn¡¯t you have vision?! I have it, so there¡¯s no way you don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I believe in you too. If you werepletely managing the continent, of course, I would have invested in you, but you weren¡¯t, were you? I am telling you that I know that they are taking a lot from above. As you just said¡­ There are a lot of taxes to be paid¡­ In the end, even though the continent is going well, it seems that the so-called tops only have a structure that only enriches them.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°If you think about how dedicated you have been to this continent, don¡¯t you get an answer right away? You couldn¡¯t even take a proper break from moving the pen to the point that your hand felt numb, and there¡¯s not even anything left for you. The continent is still poor, and you are also poor. You can¡¯t even make a proper update. And the budget you get is so low¡­ It means that even if you work more, you won¡¯t gain. You just lose. Honestly, even if I invest, I don¡¯t know if I can properly recover the original amount¡­ I¡¯m not sure.¡±


    ¡°Honestly, you¡¯re not wrong, but¡­¡±


    ¡°No matter how you look at it, it looks like an unstable structure.¡±


    I thought it would be possible to win Benignore over, but I felt that things would be easier than I had previously expected.


    Everyone would have thought of independence at least once, even more so if they weren¡¯t satisfied with their current job.


    Benignore wasn¡¯t a neer and was responsible for one continent, so she must¡¯ve seen many dirty things must¡¯ve known better than me about how this system was currently working. She might also be wondering if she should y within this system.


    Since she wasn¡¯t a fool, I wondered if she¡¯d soon notice what I was trying to say.


    I could see her looking around.


    A spacepletely disconnected from the outside.


    And the four angels, no, the three angels, who were standing by as if anyone could tell that I would use them as managers, looked at my face quietly once again.


    At this, Benignore¡¯s eyes narrowed. It was an unfamiliar look.


    ¡°It¡¯s impossible, Junior Lee Kiyoung. I also understand your feelings, but it¡¯s not that simple.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to be simple either.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I want you because I know it will be hard. Now the continent is at a new crossroads. Look at our Hyunsung, who opened a new light and opened a new sunset. Isn¡¯t this how new myths are born?¡±


    I could see Benignore sporting a slightly anxious look.


    I thought I knew what she was thinking. Perhaps she was worried about the gradual decline of the Benignore Church.


    Since I said that, hoping that she would be thinking so, I was happy that it seemed to be going the way I intended, but seeing her with such a serious face made me feel weird.


    That was a natural phenomenon. There would be no problems with the Benignore Church right now, but there was no guarantee that it would remain after a few hundred years.


    When a new myth took ce on the continent, what had been established as an existing myth might gradually be blurred in people¡¯s memories.


    I could even speed up the period a little bit more if I just made up my mind.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°But I didn¡¯t really want to choose that sad method. I want to make it for a new continent, but I don¡¯t want to work on a continent without Benignore.¡±


    ¡°J-Junior Lee Kiyoung¡­¡±


    ¡°I have no confidence to do it without you.¡±


    ¡°Junior¡­ Lee Kiyoung¡­¡±


    ¡®What? What¡¯s wrong, Benignore?¡¯


    ¡°I-I actually¡­ actually thought you were trash.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I thought you were a fallen soul that had no room for enlightenment¡­ Ugh¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were thinking of me like this.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡±


    ¡°Still¡­¡±


    I could see that she kept avoiding my gaze.


    I wondered if I should talk about something realistic like the detail about the sry or the distribution of profits. Regardless, I instinctively felt that Benignore was reluctant.


    ¡®Can¡¯t I do this?¡¯


    Even if I were Benignore, it would have been difficult to easily make up my mind. She had never been out of bounds and had no intention of leaving it.


    She seemed to be proud of her career in her own way¡­ and it felt like I was asking for a change of values ??rather than changing jobs.


    Of course, if she were the Benignore I knew, she would be tempted by the divinity, but¡­


    ¡°It¡¯ll be 60 to 40. Mine is 60, and yours is 40.¡±


    No, honestly, she seemed to be shaken a lot.


    ¡°The divinity that Benignore will receive for the next hundred years is about¡­ It should be this much.¡±


    Although her pupils were visibly shaking in real-time¡­


    ¡°A number of additional terms and conditions are all listed in the document I have sent you now.¡±


    I could see that the hand that was holding the document was trembling. I could also see her swallowing hard. However, I thought this wasn¡¯t enough. It didn¡¯t suit me, but why shouldn¡¯t I say it with a little more sincerity?


    ¡°I¡¯m not building a subsidiary. We¡¯re building a subsidiary.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I sincerely hope that you will be with us.¡±


    Before going into full-scale negotiations, I had to sweet talk first.


    ¡®It looks like it will be a long fight¡­¡¯


    It wouldn¡¯t be easier than I thought, so it would be better to prepare again. Looking towards Dialugia, I opened my mouth.


    ¡°First, take a little break¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯ll do it!!¡±


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    ¡°I will do it! I want to do it! I will do it no matter what, Junior Lee Kiyoung!¡±


    ¡®What?¡¯

 Chapter 774: The Last (7)

    <h4>Chapter 774: The Last (7)</h4>


    ¡®I mean, I¡¯m grateful that she epted it, but¡­¡¯


    ¡°I will do it no matter what. I can write the contract now, right? Right?¡±


    ¡®Why am I feeling so anxious?¡®


    ¡°I just have to sign here, right, Junior Lee Kiyoung?¡±


    ¡®Why is she so motivated?¡¯


    That was the first time I had ever felt anxious with someone epting my request.


    ¡®Is she in any debt?¡¯


    No, I had always known she was in debt, but what worried me most was the amount.


    I thought that thepany could handle Benignore¡¯s debts, but it would be poison if I couldn¡¯t resolve it right off the bat.


    I had no desire to go bankrupt by being buried in debt right after starting a business. Even if there was a lot of divinity to earn in the future¡­


    ¡°Wait¡­¡±


    ¡°Can I sign here now?¡±


    ¡°Can I take a quick look at your financial situation?¡±


    ¡°Of course, Junior Lee Kiyoung. It¡¯s not that clean, but¡­ I-it¡¯s not so messy, either.¡±


    Benignore quietly reached out, and a small file began to materialize in her hand. When I took it and scanned it up and down, I nodded. After reading my expression, she sighed in relief.


    ¡°It¡¯s not¡­ that bad, right?¡±


    Honestly, it wasn¡¯t good enough for me to be relieved.


    ¡®Yes, as you said¡­ It¡¯s not that bad, but¡­¡¯


    The continent could handle it. However, it was not something she could afford.


    ¡®How on earth did she live? Could she even eat properly? I mean, it¡¯s okay to borrow, but why is the interest rate so high?¡¯


    The details were so terrible that I couldn¡¯t look at them and keep my eyes open.


    ¡®At this level, it¡¯s no different than being scammed.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t enough to say that she was scammed. I thought that she was squandering divinity in something useless, but that wasn¡¯t the case. Rather, she had no divinity to indulge in luxury.


    ¡°I will work hard too, believer Lee Kiyoung. I-I won¡¯t even ask you to pay off my debts. I¡¯ll do it all on my own. Yes! I¡¯m really looking forward to the future.¡±


    ¡®No. What can you even do?¡¯


    It might not be possible right now, but I would have to take a look at the people who had lent the divinity to Benignore.


    What was up with all those scammers? Fuck, they said rich people tended to be scrooges. The ones worse than demons were already here.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m not sure if this is actually the right thing to do, but¡­ still, I didn¡¯t think you would really want me like this¡­ I decided to believe in you as much as you believed in me.¡±


    Looking at her talking, it seemed that there was no other reason. Maybe just the way I spoke with sincerity moved her.


    ¡®This is good.¡¯


    It was small, but one of my headaches had been resolved.


    ¡°B-By the way, junior Lee Kiyoung. This is safe, right? You have other ns, right? I think you already know this, but it¡¯s not easy to operate the continent outside of the higherups¡¯ protection¡­ Of course, it¡¯s not that there will be nopensation at all, but¡­ It will be easy to be


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve already expected that.¡±


    That was a problem that woulde to mind just by thinking about it a little.


    I didn¡¯t think that independence would cause any other problems. At the end of the day, there was no option for the superiors that Benignore was talking about toe to the continent and act violently.


    I was sure there would be a lot of paperwork that would be the cause of many troubles orwsuits, but there was no possibility they would make an attempt of malicious retaliation.


    Even if they did such atrocities, they would be at least pretending because they were on the side of the light.


    The problem would be if something unexpected happened, like if there was a hole in the system, or if the demons came in and wreaked havoc.


    Of course, I knew they had a policy of minimizing direct intervention, but that didn¡¯t mean we didn¡¯t need them. They were, after all, important in matters like keeping the demons of Lucifer¡¯s level in check and minimizing their freedom.


    The same went for the outer beings. It was possible that things wouldn¡¯t have worked out if they hadn¡¯t invested divinity in me.


    The superior gods didn¡¯t y a decisive role, but the budget they set was being used for continent-level administrative expenses, and they lowered the time for external forces to enter as much as possible.


    In simple terms, it was insurance. By ensuring minimum safety, they made a reason to intervene and take rent. Beingpletely independent meant that we would bepletely out of their protection, putting us at great risk.


    Well, in fact, it was an assumption that had nothing to do with the continent¡­


    Why?


    We possessed Tactic Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡°We¡¯re ready, right?¡±


    ¡°We have Hyunsung.¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you see him flying and splitting the sky?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes! Yes!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that the guys above can solve something that even Hyunsung can¡¯t solve. You don¡¯t have to worry too much about security. Isn¡¯t the Sunset Swordsman with us? P¡­ Pfff!¡±


    ¡°P¡­ Pfff¡­ Yes! The god of sunset light will solve it, right? Even if the demons appear, he¡¯s going to get rid of them all.¡±


    Why was she repeating what I said?


    ¡®I raised our regressor really well.¡¯


    ¡°We don¡¯t need the guys above, do we, junior Lee Kiyoung?¡±


    A miracle in which one¡¯s boss turned into a stranger overnight. The change in posture was still as good as mine.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t like them from the beginning anyway. They don¡¯t do anything right. They just talk. It wouldn¡¯t kill them to help us a bit. They just talk and talk about rules, procedures, and h h h. Now I don¡¯t need your help! Our sunset god is with us. Pu¡­ hehehehe.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m saying this now, but the naming and concept of a sunset god seemed to be perfect. It was a strategic choice. Whenever people look up to the sky, they will think of the god of sunsets¡­ The scenery itself is pretty, and there is something mysterious about it¡­ The divinity we¡¯ll get looks like it¡¯ll be tremendous¡­ Also, if you look at examples of cases where he was written down in myths, you¡¯ll notice he¡¯s actually more loyal than the existing ones.¡±


    ¡°Somehow, it seems like a lot came in.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°How do you know that?¡±


    ¡°It seems that the divinity Hyunsung earnses to me. I don¡¯t know why, but it seems like almost all of it is being transferred to me¡­ It¡¯s great, and all, but I¡¯m curious about it. How¡¯s this happening?¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°Is there a case like this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s notmon, but¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s probably because the sunset god believes in you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°To make it easier to understand, think of it as the concept of a lower god and a higher god. It seems that the god of sunset is considering you as his object of faith. No, maybe not his object of faith. It might be a little different¡­ I can¡¯t even define it, but the point is that the sunset god believes in you. Usually, in this case, you should recalcte the divinity in a way that separates a certain amount for him. He doesn¡¯t know how things are going. If the god of sunset is officially appointed, it would be better to talk to him.¡±


    Although I nodded slowly, I didn¡¯t think there was a need to give Kim Hyunsung his divinity.


    ¡®I¡¯ll just take care of it.¡¯


    It was for him and the continent. I wasn¡¯t just being greedy for divinity. When I recalled that that bastard had some extravagant taste, it made me more certain that I was making the right decision.


    ¡®How can someone who embezzles guild money because he can¡¯t manage his own sry properly manage divinity¡­ That¡¯s too much, no matter how hard I think about it.¡¯


    An answer came just by looking at his financial status. I didn¡¯t know where he burned that much money, but it had been a long time since his bank ount entered a negative.


    He thought I didn¡¯t know that, but I heard several times that he contacted manager Kim Miyoung separately and received the slush fund.


    There was a record of getting a loan in thetest news as if he was being careful of me.


    In the end, there was no problem since guild funds filled it back up. Still, that meant entrusting divinity to Kim Hyunsung was like throwing away the money.


    ¡®That¡¯s too much.¡¯


    I¡¯d give him when he needed it, like an allowance¡­


    ¡®I have to say something too.¡¯


    It would be nice to warn him that it was hard to live these days and tell him to use it sparingly and that giving such amounts was already too much.


    If he rebelled, I¡¯d have to scream at him once in a while, looking annoyed, asking why he wanted that much when we didn¡¯t even get much divinity. If I grabbed the part of my stomach that he stabbed and talk about it while breathing harshly, the argument would be over right there.


    He didn¡¯t even know how much he had earned, anyway.


    Honestly, I thought it was a bit harsh, but I had to do it.


    Financial nners existed for a reason. It was better to be someone who could manage wealth.


    If I gave him divinity for his pleasure, that bastard would surely use it up overnight.


    ¡®I can guarantee that. Really.¡¯


    If he had to use it for something big, I just needed to loosen a little bit of what I had saved at that time. And if the demon bastards were to barge in, I just needed to give him some again then.


    If I left it to Kim Hyunsung, I might not be able to use it when something important needed it, so wasn¡¯t it a reasonable option for me to manage it?


    Hyunsung didn¡¯t even need it right away anyway.


    Did I have to share it? If I thought about it, where would Kim Hyunsung use it? He didn¡¯t maintain the continent himself¡­


    I thought it would be better to just bury it without saying anything¡­


    It would be a little annoying, but I thought I had to take it over for smooth management. It was all for the god of sunset.


    ¡°I will talk to the god of sunset myself.¡±


    ¡°Yes, don¡¯t be too sad. Still, it¡¯smon practice to recalcte about 80% of it or at least 75%. The divinity amount that went to you from him shows how much the god of sunset trusts and follows you. It expresses that he respects and believes you that much. You have to show your gratitude and manners in return. Do you understand what I mean?¡±


    It seemed that I did, but bad habits and customs existed to break it, not to maintain it.


    Considering the iing divinity, I thought about 3% per year would be appropriate. No, that was too much. Perhaps about 1.5% would be good.


    ¡°Yes, of course, Benignore. Then, let¡¯s stamp it first. Oh, and our manpower seems to be a little short¡­ Perhaps¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes! Maybe if I ask her, Lauren wille. Elune¡­ I think I should try to persuade him¡­ don¡¯t know. You don¡¯t have to worry about manpower too much. There are already a few on the continent.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°That¡­ Jung Hayan and that¡­ Red-haired unnie who fights savagely.¡±


    ¡®I think you¡¯re older than her.¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s still iplete, but the achievements of those two¡­¡±


    Their feats fully deserved to bebeled as mythical scenes. It was inevitable to feel awe by watching them, so, naturally, some people had faith in them.


    Of course, to be a deity like the god preparations were required, but it was undeniable that the two stepped on the border.


    And¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s a little special case, but the one who signed a contract with Ronove showed potential¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, disgusting human. No, I can¡¯t call you a disgusting human now. What should I call you? Partner?¡±


    When I turned my head to the voice, I could see a man wearing sses, the type that didn¡¯t suit him at all.


    The impression that he looked neat and tidy with his hair pulled back wasn¡¯t his original appearance, but there was no way I could not know who he was.


    It was me who sent him a contract, and it was impossible to forget that voice.


    ¡°Long time no see, dear and respectful, Belial.¡±


    ¡°I have already signed the contract. I wouldn¡¯t havee here if I hadn¡¯t signed it, disgusting and dirty light. You don¡¯t have to tter me that much. Rather, am I not the one in a position to tter you?¡±


    ¡°It is not a correct expression because it cannot be said that it is a rtionship with someone above. Haha.¡±


    ¡°You are also right.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you really willing to betray Lucifer?¡±


    ¡°She will be happy too. She will be thrilled that Belial has grown this far.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great.¡±


    He smiled with his eyes squinted.


    ¡°The 27th Legion will be with you.¡±

 Chapter 775: The Last (8)

    <h4>Chapter 775: The Last (8)</h4>


    ¡°It¡¯s not called the 27th Legion or Corps now, right? The newly born continent will remember Belial as the sole ruler of 10,000 demons.¡±


    ¡°I just like the contents of the contract you sent over.¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much for believing and epting the offer even with myck of vision.¡±


    ¡®He must have thought it over ways.¡¯


    Of course, it was most likely a difficult decision. Unlike Benignore, who found herself in a tough situation, Belial was living the life.


    Considering that he had several businesses outside of the continent, I felt Belial made an unexpected decision. Of course, he didn¡¯t intend to abandon those businesses entirely, but¡­


    ¡®Honestly, I didn¡¯t even expect him to do that.¡¯


    That was why I didn¡¯t invite him like Benignore, but sent a separate contract instead.


    It was difficult to know what he was thinking based on his continuous giggles, but there was no need to doubt Belial.


    The moment the contract was signed, the people in this ce became amunity sharing the same destiny¡­


    In fact, it wouldn¡¯t be a losing business for him either. Rather than making diversified investments in several ces, there would be a desire to invest directly in one smart business.


    Perhaps he liked the deal that announced that Belial was behind the invasion of demons in angelic masks.


    What was certain was that Belial¡¯s attitude had changed a lot from before. Although it wasn¡¯t a big deal, I felt like he was considerate of me, visiting the ce in his human form.


    He would have calcted that his current appearance, rather than the appearance of the devil, was easier to befriend or to make others put their guards down.


    His current appearance was probably made with that in mind.


    ¡®But why are you wearing sses?¡¯


    He wanted to look smart to his partner, didn¡¯t he?


    I didn¡¯t think it was for such a trivial reason. It could be that Belial transformed an artifact and brought it¡­ There had to be a reason why he needed that, but that wasn¡¯t my concern either.


    One of the important things was that a trusted partner would be with us.


    As I slowly turned my head, I saw Benignore looking at me with the expression like she had been betrayed.


    Angels, no, lights, who originally hated demons, openly surrounded him.


    Dialugia¡¯s reaction wasn¡¯t that different, either. She got up quietly and was on the lookout for him, and the silver light was trying its best to attack Belial.


    I didn¡¯t know if I could call that an attack, but I felt as if it was sparkling desperately and doing a headbutt. It was ridiculous, but it seemed like it was shouting for us to run away.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m weed.¡±


    ¡°Junior Lee Kiyoung? What¡¯s going on? W-Why is he here now?¡±


    ¡°Do you know what you¡¯re doing now? You¡¯re attracting themander of a Demon Corps.¡±


    ¡®Dialugia, not you too.¡¯


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like they want me¡­ Can I ask if I can go back to where I was?¡±


    ¡°Is there any way I would let that happen? Come on, take a seat, Belial. Benignore, calm down as well. I can exin everything.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Benignore.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t talk to demons.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you just do that?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t hear you. I can¡¯t hear anything, okay? I can¡¯t hear anything.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so sensitive, Benignore. Even if it weren¡¯t for this, aren¡¯t you and I bound by a contract? If you think it¡¯s an extension of that, you might not feel so bad. One more thing, even if you deny it, what happened between us won¡¯t disappear. I think you remember it better¡­¡±


    ¡°T-That¡­¡±


    ¡°As Belial said, Benignore, it is an extension of the contract.¡±


    ¡°The one we did¡­ the other day?¡±


    ¡®Yes, the one we fakedst time, that one. Do you remember how much divinity umted back then?¡¯


    Of course, I believed she remembered it.


    ¡°It¡¯s not easy to achieve results in these times. Where there is darkness, there is light, and where there is light, there is darkness. I just decided that bncing that was the most important thing. We are in a situation where we work on the same continent, but since our departments are different, we will not have many chances to encounter each other.¡±


    ¡°Still¡­¡±


    ¡°The era of dividing ck and white and confronting each other has already passed. Amunity working together with themon interest of the continent¡¯s future is what we should aim for.¡±


    ¡°Belial is in fact a demon.¡±


    ¡°The fact that Belial is threatening the people will be the driving force behind those who live in the continent toe and find us. It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t feel sorry for the fear and pain they¡¯ll have to deal with, but their darkness will be the sunlight that brightens the continent. Haven¡¯t you already experienced that? Think of the things we can do with so much divinity. The continent will develop tremendously in the blink of an eye. Our finance team also believes that holding an event every five years will earn us the budget to manage the continent for 100 years.¡±


    At this, I nced at Dialugia.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    She avoided my gaze on purpose, but as I continued to stare, she slowly nodded and spoke up.


    ¡°Yes. It is exactly 132 years. W-W-With only five years, we can earn for 132 years¡­¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Manager Lu.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°S-Still¡­ that¡¯s a little¡­ I still have a face to save¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not just that, Benignore. Director Bell¡¯s joining will be the driving force behind our subsidiary to move into arger market.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Director Bell, how many businesses do you currently have¡­¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I haven¡¯t counted them individually, but¡­ it¡¯ll be more than enough.¡±


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s close our eyes together and think about it.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t just about our continent, but also the other dimension that Belial has under his jurisdiction. That one has already been devastated. Without dreams and hopes, and with everything vited by demons¡­ It must be a world that has already been engulfed by darkness, a world where humans have given up on prosperity and struggle to live day by day. Let¡¯s assume that this is the onemonly referred to as the apocalyptic worldview.¡±


    ¡°D-Dirty demons¡­ mean bastard¡­¡±


    ¡®Why did you take it so personally¡­¡¯


    ¡°It is a continent that even the gods have given up on. It is essentially no longer viable.¡±


    ¡°N-No¡­ You can¡¯t give up.¡±


    ¡°In a ce where there is no hope, the 27th Legion appears once again. Belial descends to lead the demonic forces and smashes thatst drop of aspiration that remains.¡±


    ¡°Mean bastard¡­ Mean bastard! Disgusting demons!¡±


    ¡°Belial will shout to humans.¡±


    ¡°The only one that can stop me is Benignore. I must be grateful that the eyes of that bright and shining goddess cannot reach this ce. Crumble, mortals.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s good. We have good chemistry.¡¯


    ¡°Sorry¡­ my eyes couldn¡¯t reach¡­¡±


    I could see Benignore fully immersed with her eyes closed. Seeing her trembling with her fists clenched, she seemed quite angry. Even the tip of her nose seemed to have wrinkled.


    ¡°Humans will start to pray. Oh, Benignore. Save us. Please protect us from that fearful Belial. Where are you, our brilliant and shining goddess?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m here! I¡¯m here!¡±


    ¡°And¡­¡±


    p!


    ¡°A beautiful light appears, illuminating the already ruinednd.¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°The myth of Benignore will be etched forever on that world and will remain as a myth on a long-dested continent. With the emergence of a new myth, the existing faith will be dulled, and Benignore will be the greatest light of the continent, not only the present continent but also the continent in Belial¡¯s hands. You¡¯ll be their hope.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®She really likes money.¡¯


    I had never seen such an honest expression on her. She opened her eyes. I was certain her pupils were trembling.


    Because of her pride, she didn¡¯t send a sign of approval right away, but she seemed to be hoping for us to pressure her once more.


    Maybe she would want to nod reluctantly. No, even if that wasn¡¯t the case, she had an expression that told me she would be convinced with just a little more.


    ¡°I¡¯m stepping back to spread the light.¡±


    ¡®Say something, Director Bell.¡¯


    ¡°As you may know, I am also all for moderation. What I really want isn¡¯t for humans to perish and lose hope. There is fear because there is hope. Humans who have nothing to lose are not afraid of anything. Had the gods of today not denied us, maybe the current dimensions would be better than they are now. It is only humans who suffer in the fight between light and darkness. I want to put an end to this long-standing war, Benignore.¡±


    ¡°You have to decide to take a step towards the new beginning, Benignore.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t say I want them to gain hope, but I don¡¯t want them to live only in the dark.¡±


    ¡°The radiance that will light up the darkness is Benignore.¡±


    ¡°The harmony of light and darkness. We are offering a new path.¡±


    ¡°The decision¡­¡±


    ¡°A decision!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t help it, I guess? If you say it like that¡­ I can¡¯t help it.¡±


    She signed the contract while avoiding my nce slightly. The sight made me curious about the secret story of Benignore¡¯s birth.


    ¡®Are you from above? Or did you go up from the continent?¡¯


    What life would she have had as a human if it were the second option?


    Looking at the fact that it wasn¡¯t properly written on the Church, it seemed that there would be some secret story, but it probably wasn¡¯t important enough to pry.


    She didn¡¯t seem to think that it was very important either¡­


    Regardless, all that mattered was she decided to work together with us.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped¡­ if it is for the continent, right, junior Lee Kiyoung?¡±


    Not making eye contact with Belial would be herst remaining prideful act.


    Honestly, I thought it would be better not to.


    Belial¡¯s face right now was wondering why Benignore didn¡¯t take the position of Demon Commander. I was sure she wouldn¡¯t be able to stand that face.


    She kept muttering with uncertainughter, saying that she couldn¡¯t help it, but seeing that made me feel like I knew why the four archangels criticized the existing gods.


    As I turned my head quietly and made eye contact with Belial, it seemed he realized how he looked at that moment.


    ¡°You are greedier than the demon of greed.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    It was a small voice, but I certainly heard it.


    ¡°Then¡­ It¡¯s decided, right? Right? I look forward to the future. Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious about where and what the Legion was doing? It¡¯s a ce that has nothing to do with me anymore, but I¡¯m wondering if I¡¯m doing the right thing.¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t talk to yourself. She can hear you.¡¯


    ¡°Then what should we do now? Oh! Junior Lee Kiyoung will not be here all the time, right? First, it would be better to have a meeting about how to operate the continent.¡±


    She was desperately trying to change the subject.


    ¡°Because junior Lee Kiyoung will want to go down. Yes. I can understand. I can¡¯t do that because I don¡¯t have the courage, but¡­ it won¡¯t be easy¡­ still¡­ I wonder if it would be possible if we gather divinity. No, is it even possible?¡±


    A topic that was hard to ignore.


    ¡°Is it?¡±


    I asked that, but it was a stupid question. If Lucifer could bring me back, I might be able to use divinity to go down. One problem was¡­


    ¡°Well¡­ There are a lot of things I don¡¯t know yet¡­ but it might be.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°If we collect divinity for about 50,000 years¡­¡±


    What?


    As I looked at Benignore to see if I heard it incorrectly, she nodded to show she wasn¡¯t kidding.


    Gazing down, I saw those who were still in the meeting.


    -I will bring Kiyoung back to life no matter what. I don¡¯t care how much time passes.


    ¡®What bullsh*t are you talking about? I care, Hyunsung.¡¯


    -That¡¯s right. Hyung-nim will definitely be waiting. He¡¯ll be waiting forever!


    I wasn¡¯t that patient.


    ¡®What is this, fuck¡­¡¯


    Honestly, I thought there would be another way. But that was¡­


    Would we have an ending where we could only reunite after 50,000 years?


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I couldn¡¯t evenugh.

 Chapter 776: The Last (9)

    <h4>Chapter 776: The Last (9)</h4>


    ¡®Still, 50,000 years is too much.¡¯


    ¡°Then, we can finish the meeting with this, right? When will we meet again? First, it would be better to set up my office here! Oh! And I¡¯ll contact Lauren and the others.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Please.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s work hard, junior Lee Kiyoung! This is just the beginning, so be strong!¡±


    I nodded, but the content of the meeting that just finished didn¡¯te into my mind.


    ¡®Fuck, 50,000 years is too much.¡¯


    Finding the 50,000-years remark shocking, Dialugia, who was at a nearby seat, was sending a sour face. Of course, she wouldn¡¯t want to end her life here.


    The slightly paleplexion was very contrasting to Benignore¡¯s, who was smiling without thinking.


    Perhaps I also had a simr expression to Dialugia.


    ¡®It won¡¯t be that long.¡¯


    It could be shorter than Benignore calcted because we could earn more divinity than she expected. However, even assuming that, it was undeniable that it would take a lot of time.


    I couldn¡¯t easily calcte exactly how much time we needed, but considering that it consumed immense divinity in a single advent, her calction didn¡¯t even feel strange.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be going then.¡±


    ¡°You had a hard time, Belial.¡±


    ¡®How much is it exactly? How long can I shorten it? 10,000 years? No, if I cut it down as much as possible, I may be able to cut it down to several thousand years. If I¡¯m lucky, it might only take hundreds of years.¡¯


    However, even that didn¡¯tfort me. I thought it might be better to call them over, but that also wasn¡¯t easy.


    It was by no means easy to gain divinity¡­ I would feel embarrassed to say this, but I really wanted to return to the Blue Guild.


    ¡°Do I really have to wait?¡±


    ¡°If the n is implemented quickly, it may be possible to go back in tens of thousands of years. However¡­¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait.¡±


    ¡°I feel the same, Dialugia.¡±


    ¡°Is there any other way?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m thinking about it.¡±


    I thought I could see what the reward of the bet I made with Lucifer was.


    ¡®To save Lee Kiyoung?¡¯


    Maybe it was this.


    The reason I created a hiding space like this wasn¡¯t to be rewarded by her. If I went back to the continent with Lucifer¡¯s reward, she would inevitably have no choice but to intervene in the continent.


    It would be right to think that the past Lee Kiyoung pictured resurrecting by himself.


    His purpose would be to grant the three archangels a managerial position,pletely make the continent independent from the outside, and earn his own divinity by taking over Belial and Benignore.


    However¡­


    ¡®Did you not expect it would take such a long time?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t think he wouldn¡¯t have expected it. He had to have known.


    ¡®You didn¡¯t think you could endure such a long time, did you?¡¯


    Absolutely not.


    ¡®I mean, why on earth did you have to erase your memories?¡¯


    He shouldn¡¯t let Lucifer discover what he¡¯s nning, after all. Everything had to be done without her knowledge.


    ¡®Then, what about now? Lucifer can¡¯t see us here now anyway. If it¡¯s really right for me to earn my own divinity and go down, there¡¯s no reason for me not to remember anything. If the ending were to endure here for 50,000 years, there would be no excuse not to remembering anything until this moment. I¡¯m not going to run into Lucifer anyway¡­¡¯


    Maybe there was something more to do. When I thought about it, it might be because, once again, I needed to contact Lucifer.


    ¡°Am I supposed to meet Lucifer?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I have to meet Lucifer¡­¡±


    If the reason why I still hadn¡¯t been able to recover my memories was to deceive Lucifer, wasn¡¯t the answer obvious? I had to talk to her.


    It would be nice to talk about the contract and the reward.


    I didn¡¯t know how losing my memory would deceive her, but the answery with Lucifer.


    The problem was that all of this was uncertain. There was ack of physical evidence to be sure that my hypothesis was the correct answer.


    No, it wasn¡¯t justcking. There wasn¡¯t any evidence at all. I had nothing but my conviction.


    It was a risky gamble. I wasn¡¯t stupid enough not to bet on a game with a high winning probability, but I wasn¡¯t sure if my current judgment was correct.


    ¡°You mean¡­ Lucifer?¡±


    ¡°I think that¡¯s where the first clue lies.¡±


    ¡®Should I contact her right now?¡¯


    Did I have to go straight to the main point when there was nothing certain?


    I didn¡¯t have enough information. At least there might be something that could be used as a hint.


    ¡®What am I missing? I mean, just checking what I missed right now doesn¡¯t mean I can solve something.¡¯


    The reason I made this space would be to get ready. It would have been made to get ready to return to the continent and manage it without being seen by anyone.


    If one asked if everything was ready at this point, I would, of course, answer no.


    At that moment, I had just taken Belial and Benignore, and nothing had been achieved with my own hands yet. Meeting Lucifer would be after I had built up my own satisfactory foundation.


    I wouldn¡¯t wait 50,000 years, but I might need a little more time.


    ¡®I need help.¡¯


    Jihye.


    What was Lee Jihye doing? If she heard the news, wouldn¡¯t she have to show up?


    I kept looking around with the telescope, but she wasn¡¯t visible. I kept looking for her, but she hid so well that I couldn¡¯t even see a clue.


    As she would have left with Sun Hee-young, it would be quicker to search for her.


    ¡®She was clearly visible until a few days ago. Fuck.¡¯


    ¡°Where the hell have you gone?¡±


    It didn¡¯t make sense for a human to be able to avoid the telescope of a goddess.


    I tried to find a way to get in touch through Ronove, but I couldn¡¯t even find a trace of her.


    I wondered if Belial would know her location, but I had no choice but to shake my head.


    Ronove was no longer a member of the 27th Corps. I didn¡¯t have any guarantee that she didn¡¯t go to Lucifer¡¯s side.


    ¡®I need a conversation window.¡¯


    The Regressor Instruction Manual was maintained, and I could send a message to Kim Hyunsung, but that was all. I needed a more direct contact method.


    There was also a way to send an oracle through Benignore, but I had to worry about the eyes from above. I looked down and saw the Blue Guild members still gathered and talking. Elena, who was in a distant ce, had also returned to the Blue Guild, and I could see her speaking while wiping her tears.


    There were more people than before. Hyunsung, Park Deokgu, and Cho Hyejin. Ahn Ki-mo, Hwang Jeong-yeon, and Kim Ye-ri. Our Hayan, and Han Sora. Park Lian. Alps. Kim Chang-ryul. Yoo Ahyoung. Manager Kim Mi-young.


    Except for Sun Hee-young, who followed Lee Jihye, all guild members were gathered, and they were all pitching into the conversation.


    I couldn¡¯t help but smile. It was a good view, so it was worth it.


    It seemed that the contents of the meeting had already been carried out quite a bit and were being sorted out.


    -To sum up, the Vice Guild Master has be the god in charge of the continent.


    -Yes.


    -And we have to find a way to bring him back.


    -In short, yes.


    -Thinking that hyung-nim is really watching us, I feel a little energized. He may be looking at us right now.


    -Does he really want toe back?


    Of course.


    -He does. I know that for certain.


    I could hear Jung Hayan and Han Sora whispering.


    -I¡¯ll only tell Sora this. If oppa doesn¡¯te down, I-I will go up. You¡¯lle with me, right?


    -Ah¡­ Yes, Jung Hayan. Of course, I have to go with you. If possible¡­


    -I-I think it will take a little time. It will take a little more time if I take you too. It¡¯s hard, but I can stand it. Of course, if o-oppaes down first, we don¡¯t need to go¡­ still, as a precaution, let¡¯s get ready to go up, Sora, okay?


    I had never sent a message asking her toe up, but I thought she got the hint. She noticed that divinity was umting in her.


    Han Sora nodded, but she looked a little pale. It might be because the expression to go up here was heard as saying to die together.


    -Ah¡­ Yes. Still, wouldn¡¯t it be easier for us to bring the Vice Guild Master back than to go up?


    -Uh¡­ yes. That¡¯s better. It¡¯s just a backup n. I just want you to be p-p-prepared psychologically¡­


    -¡­


    Looking at that situation, I had to smile once again. It seemed that a little bit of anxiety that I had disappeared.


    Elena and Cho Hyejin were also talking. From the point of view of Elena, who was originally a priest, she might be wondering if it was correct to bring the god that had risen and if I really wanted toe down.


    -If Lee Kiyoung doesn¡¯t want toe down¡­ If he wants to be with Elune¡­


    -¡­


    I thought about it again, but after all, I wanted to go down. I would find a chanceter and send another message to Hyunsung.


    It seemed like they were talking a lot, but they didn¡¯te up with other ideas easily.


    Even I couldn¡¯t figure it out, so it had to be harder for them. It seemed difficult to expect them to find a way.


    -We don¡¯t need to be discussing useless things. Didn¡¯t I say that he must be waiting? We just have to find a way.


    -I agree with Deokgu.


    -Me too.


    Three siblings Park, Gi, Lee.


    -I¡¯ve never heard of anyone bringing a God down again. I remember several books, but I can¡¯t think of anything simr. It would be better to read the books in the Benignore Church once again.


    Perhaps Hwang Jeong-yeon¡¯s memory would help.


    -I¡¯ll see if there¡¯s anything I can do to help.


    In fact, I didn¡¯t think Yoo Ahyoung and Kim Chang-ryul would be helpful. That aside, why were those two so close?


    The downside, too, was that it would be difficult to reach a conclusion in the short term. Looking at them constantly now didn¡¯t help me either, so it was better to focus a little more on my work.


    The moment I was about to turn my head, I heard Kim Hyunsung¡¯s voice.


    -First¡­


    -Yes?


    -I think we should build a temple first.


    -¡­


    -If we make a statue, we may be able tomunicate with Kiyoung.


    Oh.


    -That¡¯s a good idea. Leave the temple to us. We¡¯re the ones that made the forward base.


    -We, uncle Ki-mo, uncle Deokgu, and I had made a base once. We¡¯ll be helpful in that aspect.


    Wouldn¡¯t it be better to leave it to an expert, though?


    -S-Sora can make the s-statue.


    That one was an expert. I had to admit that much.


    -Let¡¯s see if we can get permission. The budget is¡­


    Manager Kim Mi-young was quick to act.


    -You don¡¯t have to worry about the budget. You may mobilize all of the guild¡¯s funds. If we don¡¯t have enough funds, I¡¯ll find a way.


    -¡­


    -I have connections. They are people we can trust.


    Was it Garrosh & Cash or Love America? After all, he couldn¡¯t deal with money. Fuck.


    It seemed that looking at them made my mood lighten up.


    ¡®Right. One by one, step by step, fuck. I don¡¯t have to step forward and get nervous.¡¯


    Down below, they were doing what they could for the situation at hand.


    ¡°They¡¯ll build a temple, Dialugia.¡±

 Chapter 777: The Last (10)

    <h4>Chapter 777: The Last (10)</h4>


    ¡°Junior Lee Kiyoung¡­ Aren¡¯t we going to do other updates for the time being?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It would be a good idea to make it a priority to prevent cracks. It makes more sense to start dealing with an unstable system first, after all.¡±


    ¡°But aren¡¯t the adventurers waiting for new dungeons? I brought some dungeons and easter eggs hidden in the continent. Would you like to check it out? First, look at this. It¡¯s one of the legends that have been buried for a long time¡­ The story begins on thend where ancient warriors slept and where the sounds of their swords shing could be heard every night. The clear reward seems to be helpful to humans¡­ I think it can be activated immediately with a small investment of divinity. It¡¯s a total bargain!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t need that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s important to fill in the narrative page, junior Lee Kiyoung. I don¡¯t know if we¡¯ll get a huge immediate gain, but¡­ the continent where these legends live and breathe¡­ basically, in the faith of humans¡­¡±


    ¡°Where is the dungeon located?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s in an area that humans call Castle Rock.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s at the State.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°The adventurer who will clear it will most likely be a believer of Benignore.¡±


    ¡°No, that may not¡­ be the case. We don¡¯t know that. It¡¯s not because I want to see my believers etch their names in history¡­ It¡¯s definitely not that, you know. We¡¯re already running out of content, and there¡¯s nothing left to do¡­ it won¡¯t be good if this scarcitysts too long. This won¡¯t help with the continent¡¯s development. At this rate, humans will be increasingly helpless, and soon¡­¡±


    ¡°Still, no.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying this for no reason. Do you think I brought this up just to joke around? I seriously think we can get a legendary stone or ore from the rewards¡­ There may even be gems. At the moment, all of the legendary ores have been reduced to ashes¡­¡±


    ¡®I have nothing to say.¡¯


    I saw Benignore¡¯s face looking at me as if she was saying that it was all my fault. Honestly, I had no reply to that.


    ¡°It¡¯s not such a good situation. Humans are developing and healing, but the continent¡¯s resources are being rapidly depleted¡­ Did you know that basically anything that¡¯s rated as a legendary grade is supposed to affect your surroundings? If you consume it randomly like this, the bnce of the continent will copse in an instant. Let me give an extreme example. Imagine that the world tree disappears.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah! Isn¡¯t there an extreme example already? A fairyke pebble was used to build your temple. How much was the divinity that was used to prevent the fairyke from being contaminated? Come to think of it, the jewel of the sun was also used. The temperature in the whole area went down a little, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Dwarves are having a hard time because Orichalcum is scarce. Have you not heard the news, Junior Lee Kiyoung? After recklessly mining in certain areas, the ground was weakened a lot. The surrounding monster ecosystem has alsopletely copsed¡­ They¡¯re too much¡­ really, too much.¡±


    ¡°A few¡­ won¡¯t be too bad. If you bring a proposal, I will review it.¡±


    A winner¡¯s smile was on her face. She nodded vigorously. ¡°I knew you¡¯d say that, so I already brought it, Junior Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    She even had a n already. I quietly took the proposal and read it, and I thought it wouldn¡¯t be bad. If I could get things like stone or ore, I could probably cope with what was happening on the continent at the moment.


    If I looked a little more broadly, Benignore¡¯s words weren¡¯t wrong either. One problem was that there were some tricks in this proposal.


    Among the proposals that were handed over together in clusters, some of them were noticeably unnecessary. It had to be because Benignore would be getting separate divinity aside from the payment she was already going to receive.


    [Gradeless Dungeon: Cozy Haven of St. Mole]


    It didn¡¯t seem to mean that it hosted the saint of the moles.


    Rather, it was about someone who had never escaped from the underground hall. The entire dungeon itself was based on the myth of a person promoted to sainthood by fighting in underground battles.


    The location was¡­


    ¡®Benignore temple basement.¡¯


    The cost of divinity to activate the dungeon was also rather insignificant. Rather, I wondered if thend where ancient warriors slept would work more efficiently. Thepensation wasn¡¯t urate, and the n itself was poorly made.


    It felt like she was slightly more desperately avoiding my eyes.


    I didn¡¯t know what she was thinking, what the mole saint was, and her purpose, but it seemed like I had no choice but to ept it. I had done something wrong, after all.


    No, technically, it wasn¡¯t my fault, but it somehow still was.


    ¡®Kim Hyunsung, fuck.¡¯


    As Benignore described earlier, the problem was was invested in building Lee Kiyoung¡¯s temple.


    I knew that the Blue Guild and Kim Hyunsung would experience funding problems, but I didn¡¯t expect their actions to affect the ones from above.


    Who knew that the construction of the Saint of Light¡¯s temple, who sacrificed himself for the continent, would cause problems with the continental bnce?


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t enough to say that a fatal error urred, but it was undeniable that there was a problem.


    When he pulled out the pebble from the fairyke, my jaw dropped in perplexity. The guardian guarding theke didn¡¯t activate. Even if it did, Kim Hyunsung¡¯s sword would have broken it in one swing anyway.


    It wasn¡¯t just that. When he crawled to the end of the mine to get the ore, he woke up the inactive spirit of the earth and destroyed it.


    Not only did he collect all kinds of funds, but he also had to look around because the resources weren¡¯t enough.


    The issue was that every time that bastard moved, more work had to be done on our part.


    I thought it wouldn¡¯t be bad to construct it splendidly since they were already building it anyway, but my face crumpled when I realized there were so many things I had to deal with.


    ¡®Yes, fuck, I understand.¡¯


    He would have wondered exactly how toplete the temple and how to make it possible for me to dwell in the statue. It was a ce for the continent¡¯s light to stay, and it was the onlymunication channel between humans and a god.


    There was no guarantee that the system would register a building as a temple even if it were roughly built, so it wasn¡¯t unreasonable for Kim Hyunsung to fidget as well.


    ¡®He must have been worried about where I can enter the statue¡­¡¯


    It would¡¯ve been nice if I could enter anywhere, but it wasn¡¯t that simple.


    It was like making a business application to a system.


    Just as Yoo Ahyoung was graded whenever she was making an item, the temple was also graded. Depending on the grade it earned, there were many things one could do in the temple, and there were cases where it wouldn¡¯t even be graded, such as when something went wrong.


    I didn¡¯t think Kim Hyunsung would be aware of thisplicated situation, but he probably knew it instinctively.


    If he made it in the wrong way,munication could be impossible.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t know if money and legendary-grade objects would increase its ss, but I thought the odds would go up.


    I noticed Benignore running in joy after receiving the payment.


    Manager Lu of the finance team looked at Benignore and sighed, and I, too, turned my head down. It was because I could see the Blue Guild members moving.


    ¡®Is it going to be finished today?¡¯


    It had been nearly six months since they began the construction. The Blue Guild¡¯s temple-building operation was nearingpletion.


    When I looked back again, I noticed an overly splendid infrastructure.


    ¡®Aren¡¯t the people going to say something about it being too luxurious?¡¯


    It was more splendid than Benignore¡¯s temple. Brilliant jewels filled the corridor, and anyone could tell that it was made of expensive materials.


    Some might mistake it for a space created by a wealthy person for luxury, not for worship.


    One thing that made it feel like a temple was the entire ceiling made of stained ss.


    It seemed to have some magical design, but I couldn¡¯t figure out exactly what the principle of it was. I could only be sure that arge sum of money went into it.


    ¡®The Blue Guild fund situation is okay, right?¡¯


    Looking at manager Kim Mi-young¡¯s dark face, that didn¡¯t seem to be the case.


    Even though they requested support from the State and other countries to build the temple of the Saint of Light, the financial situation seemed bad.


    The Blue Guild had no choice but to sell the real estate managed by the guild, so I could fully understand her feelings. Han Sora was carving down a statue on one corner.


    ¡®She could really change her ss.¡¯


    I remembered her getting a message asking if she would change her ss. She refused for her own future, but she wouldn¡¯t need to worry about living if she had changed her job.


    ¡°How could she make it so simr to mine?¡±


    ¡°It looks a lot more beautified.¡±


    ¡°You mean just a bit.¡±


    ¡°No. A lot.¡±


    Wings were spread wide behind its back. The pose with its crossed arms ced lightly on its chest stood out as well.


    The fairy¡¯s pebble and the sun¡¯s jewels embedded in the softly open eyes gave it the impression of being truly alive. Its outfit was the one worn during the memorial service. The details carved by master sculptors were impressive.


    Its skin seemed to be really soft, and the clothes it was wearing looked like the wind was blowing past it.


    Didn¡¯t it seem like a sweet voice woulde out from its slightly open mouth?


    Han Sora, who was focused despite her sweat, looked unexpectedly amazing.


    ¡®You seem to be sculpting with full vitality¡­¡¯


    Jung Hayan was watching her quietly.


    Since I had been away for several months, she didn¡¯t look so good.


    Han Sora would have taken care of her, but even she couldn¡¯t care about Hayan while making the sculpture.


    -A-A-Are you almost finished, Sora?


    -Yes, for now¡­ but I don¡¯t know if I can say it¡¯s finished. Actually, I don¡¯t know how to finish it¡­ I don¡¯t know if there¡¯s even an end to this¡­


    -S-Should we take a break?


    -Ah¡­ yes¡­ It would be better to take a break. Have you eaten?


    -N-No. Not yet. I-I don¡¯t feel like eating.


    -I brought something. We can eat it together.


    -L-let¡¯s do that. B-By the way¡­ do you think oppa wille in there?


    -Probably not. It hasn¡¯t beenpleted yet, but what the Guild Master is concerned about will not happen. I¡¯m a little worried about the statue, but¡­


    -H-He will definitely possess it, right?


    -Yes.


    After a brief silence, I could see Jung Hayan suddenly crying.


    -Sniff¡­ Ugh¡­ Snigg¡­ He will, r-right?


    It looked like she suddenly was missing me.


    -Ugh¡­ Ugh¡­ Hic¡­ Hic¡­


    Sora started wiping away her tears, but humans tended to cry even more whenforted in these cases. Her tears kept dripping, and it was a bit heartbreaking to watch.


    -He will definitelye back, so don¡¯t cry, Jung Hayan. If he doesn¡¯te, then¡­ yes¡­ we can just go up to him together, can¡¯t we?


    -Yes¡­ Ugh¡­


    -Long-distance¡­ Yes. You can think of it as a long-distance rtionship. Once it¡¯s done, you can talk to him whenever you want¡­ It¡¯s no different than a long-distance rtionship.


    -Hic¡­ yeah¡­


    ¡®Why are you crying so sadly¡­¡¯


    Her shoulders and chin were shaking. She started with a bit of hope, but I thought she couldn¡¯t help but be more sorrowful as our time apart became longer.


    I was in a difficult situation too, so how bad would it be for her? Honestly, it made me proud looking at her holding on like that.


    -Do not cry, Jung Hayan.


    ¡°Yes, Hayan, don¡¯t cry.¡±


    -Yes. Don¡¯t cry¡­ The Vice Guild Master also¡­


    -?


    -?


    Jung Hayan and Han Sora looked at the statue with a nk face.


    -O-Oppa?


    [yer Han Sora haspleted a masterpiece of the century.]


    [You have not registered any rewards.]


    [Han Sora will not bepensated.]


    [Mythic-grade statue has been activated.]

 Chapter 778: The Last (11)

    <h4>Chapter 778: The Last (11)</h4>


    ¡®Mythic-grade?¡¯


    What happened?


    [A barrier has unfolded to protect the temple due to the effect of the mythic-grade statue.]


    [The physical strength and magic of individuals inside it are automatically restored, and their resistance also increases. Divinity begins to dwell in the barrier, and thends within its perimeters are purified. The curse of the believers who pray is purified. Those within the barrier cannot be affected by fatigue.]


    [There is an infinite amount of faith in the believers. Acquired 1.5 times additional divinity.]


    ¡®1.5 times additional divinity?¡¯


    I was on the verge of being dazzled by the messages that kepting up.


    The positive effects that I witnessed were impressive enough to make my mouth open.


    The part that said I would gain additional divinity particrly made me wonder if I read it wrong.


    I was so confused that I didn¡¯t know how to exin the phenomenon.


    The brilliant sunset light illuminated the stone statue. I didn¡¯t know if it was because of the radiance, but it looked even more sacred.


    Han Sora and Jung Hayan were still staring at the statue.


    Seeing a little smile on Hayan¡¯s face, who had a runny nose and tears rolling down her eyes, made me feel a little better, but Sora¡¯s face also caught my eyes.


    Her expression told me she couldn¡¯t believe it even though she was the one who made it. It was a face that did not believe in her own prowess.


    ¡®No. Fuck, I shouldn¡¯t be like this. I have to change her ss first. Why are you a ck wizard? Since you found your talent, you have to go down a new path.¡¯


    [Would you like to offer Han Sora a ss change?]


    [Searching for a mythic-grade ss. Couldn¡¯t find a suitable ss.]


    [A unique mythic-grade ss has been created.]


    ¡®Fuck, a unique mythic-grade ss! It¡¯s a unique mythic! Unique mythic!¡®


    [Unique Mythic-Grade ss: Life-Carving Sculptor]


    [Proposing the unique mythic-grade ss Life-Carving Sculptor to Han Sora.]


    A Life-carving Sculptor.


    That wasn¡¯t wrong. Look at that statue. Didn¡¯t it feel like it was alive?


    ¡®Come on. Sora. Let¡¯s make some more just like this!¡¯


    [yer Han Sora declined the offer.]


    ¡®?¡¯


    I hurriedly gazed at her, and I found her looking as if that wasn¡¯t right. It seemed she would never want to do it.


    Was it because of the pressure from Kim Hyunsung and Jung Hayan? Was it because they intervened and tried to control everything? Was it so hard to ept their annoyance?


    When that was made, it was a bit too much even for me¡­ Honestly, it would be understandable for her to be traumatized¡­


    I wasn¡¯t in a position to nibble at anything right now. It was a mythic-grade ss! It¡¯s 1.5 times additional divinity.


    [Proposing the unique mythic-grade ss Life-Carving Sculptor to Han Sora.]


    [Han Sora stubbornly declined the offer.]


    She had her eyes closed tightly, almost as if she was praying that this was going too far. Once again, her feelings about not wanting to suffer that kind of pain were visible on her face.


    [Han Sora begs, insisting that she doesn¡¯t want to change sses.]


    ¡®Fuck, just change your ss.¡¯


    [Han Sora says she doesn¡¯t want to change her ss. It¡¯s no longer possible to solicit her to change ss.]


    ¡®Han Sora, really? Oh, this is not the time. I have to take care of our Hayan.¡¯


    I almost forgot that I had something more important because of Han Sora¡¯s ss issue. Even though it was a mythic-grade statue, it wasn¡¯t guaranteed to be able to connect over and over again, so it would be better for me to speak as much as I could.


    What should I say? Honestly, there were many things I wanted to say. I had been watching how she was doing, but that was different from asking her.


    I wanted to talk with excitement, but I was a god now, so I wondered if it was proper for me to do that¡­ The wordsing out of the statue were essentially like oracles, so I had to be careful.


    I could see those in the temple gathering in front of the statue. Everyone was looking up at it as if they were possessed by something.


    ¡°Don¡¯t cry, Jung Hayan.¡±


    I thought it would be better to use honorifics.


    -O-Oppa¡­ oppa. Ugh¡­ oppa. Oppa¡­


    ¡°I¡¯ve always been watching you. Since the creation of this temple and statue started, I have been watching you.¡±


    ¡®Saying it like this will make her happy.¡¯


    ¡°I understand that you¡¯re having a lonely and hard time. However, I swear by my name, we will meet again. I don¡¯t know when it¡¯ll be, but we will definitely see each other once more. Hence, there is no reason for you to cry anymore.¡±


    -¡­


    She was still shedding thick tears.


    ¡®Why is she crying so much?¡¯


    ¡°You should stop crying now, shouldn¡¯t you?¡±


    She was biting her lips tightly.


    I didn¡¯t know if it helped, but the words we could meet someday seemedforting to her.


    Honestly, Jung Hayan would have wanted to hear that the most.


    She was making ns toe up on her own, and she might have recalled the methods to cope with the number of cases where we could not meet, but she had to have been partly nervous. I wondered if she was relieved enough just to have her anxiety reduced a little.


    I had a lot of things to say, but I didn¡¯t know where to start. It had been a while since I had talked like this, causing my mind to be confused.


    ¡®Where are the others? Haven¡¯t they heard the news yet?¡¯


    As expected, I could see theming. Manager Kim Mi-young contacted them.


    -Hyung-nim?


    I heard a familiar voice.


    ¡®Yes, it¡¯s me, pig bastard.¡¯


    -Are you really hyung-nim? Are you really him?


    It had been a while since I¡¯d seen Park Deokgu¡¯s face like that. He looked distorted. Tears continued to pour out of his eyes.


    -Is it really you? Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­


    He looked like a child rubbing his eyes with his big hand.


    -I¡­ I¡¯m stupid¡­ I¡¯m really sorry for being stupid.


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault.¡±


    -I¡¯m really sorry I couldn¡¯t be with you until the end¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ I don¡¯t know what to say¡­ I¡­ really¡­


    Now he couldn¡¯t even speak properly.


    Come to think of it. I remembered that he had a mental copse that was as bad as Kim Hyunsung¡¯s.


    He was forcing himself to look bright right now, but in the end, he didn¡¯t show up at the memorial service, so it had to have been really hard for him.


    Honestly, I thought it would be that pig bastard¡¯s role to move my body. I thought he would hold a picture of me from the front seat.


    He couldn¡¯t do that because Park Deokgu denied my death.


    He locked himself in the room for a while, so I understood.


    -Hyung-nim¡­ It¡¯s all my fault that you turned out like that.


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. Don¡¯t me yourself.¡±


    -Whatever you say, it¡¯s my fault¡­ I¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry for leaving you like that. I couldn¡¯t see you off, so I¡¯m really¡­ sniff¡­ sorry. You only had a hard time getting someone who had no ability¡­ I¡¯m really sorry I couldn¡¯t help with anything. Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­ I¡¯m a fool. I¡¯m really¡­


    ¡°You are one of the heroes of the continent. Remember. Always remember what I told you.¡±


    I told him to stop crying, but he was now covering his face with both hands. He probably couldn¡¯t control his tears.


    -Waaaaaah¡­ Sniff¡­ waaaaaahh¡­


    ¡®No, why are you crying out loud like this? Stop. Other people will see you.¡¯


    -Waaaaaaaah¡­


    Ahn Ki-mo, a pdin, was praying briefly and expressing courtesy. Kim Ye-ri was also crying.


    When I was with them, she showed she didn¡¯t like me, but it wasn¡¯t like that, and although I could see that she was trying to holding it back somehow, her nose tip was red.


    I tried to say something.


    [The connection with the statue will soon be terminated.]


    However, I heard unweing news.


    It was so short that I had tough. I could understand why so many gods weren¡¯t showing up well. The divinity cost of intervening in the present world was also high, and it wasn¡¯t easily possible in the first ce.


    There was a precedent of Benignore hiding inside the statue, but I wasn¡¯t in a position to leave now.


    ¡®Is it possible to connect with the statue if certain conditions are met? In my case, is it discounted when the sunset light pours out? There are other conditions too¡­ I have to read about it.¡¯


    Since it was a mythic-grade statue, the cost was probably rtively low.


    ¡®If I juste and connect with it without any conditions¡­¡¯


    The extra cost incurred would be beyond imagination. I could see why those bastards minimized intervening in the present world. It might just have been that they didn¡¯t have conditions to lessen the cost.


    Of course, I understood the stance of those who opposed the gods¡¯ intervention in this world, but I thought that was intended to protect the gods.


    Honestly, it was no different from gambling. If a god came down and showed something impressive, they could get their money¡¯s worth, but if they didn¡¯t, they could go bankrupt.


    In order to maintain and manage continents and dimensions, the intervention had to be minimized.


    [The connection with the statue will soon be terminated.]


    ¡®Why isn¡¯t Kim Hyunsunging to the temple quickly?¡¯


    He must¡¯ve been wandering around again. Since the temple hadn¡¯t beenpleted yet, he was probably looking for materials.


    If he received a call from manager Kim Mi-young, he would probably be running over right now.


    Sure enough, I could see the figure of a person rushing to the temple. The problem that he was quite far. I saw Kim Hyunsung spreading his wings while running.


    -I¡¯m going now, so please tell him to wait a bit, Manager.


    He was skillfully talking to manager Kim Mi-young with the Goddess¡¯s Hand Mirror.


    -I¡¯m going now. I think I will arrive in 10 minutes. Yes. Yes. What are you guys talking about? Yes. Yes. No, can you call Hayan here for a moment? Ah¡­ Yes. Okay. I will go as soon as possible.


    That bastard was about to cry too.


    -Is he still there? Can you still hear his voice?


    ¡®Oh, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll have time¡­ this is like drama¡­ they won¡¯t let us meet like this. Really.¡¯


    It would be nice to say hello to Hyunsung, Cho Hyejin, and the rest of the Blue Guild, but I really didn¡¯t have time.


    Since I came, I had to deliver some oracle. If there was amunication channel, I should think about using it efficiently, right?


    ¡°My soulmate. If you can hear my voice,e to me.¡±


    -What?


    ¡°My soulmate. If you can hear my voice,e to me.¡±


    I was looking for Lee Jihye of the ck Swan. I thought it would be better to say something like that because she wouldn¡¯te out. I didn¡¯t specifically refer to her, but she woulde to the temple if she heard the news somewhere.


    No, she had toe. It would be difficult to get out of this situation without her help.


    One problem was¡­


    -What? What? Ah¡­ Yes. Okay. I will go as soon as possible.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -I think¡­ Yes. Maybe¡­ I think Kiyoung is looking for me, manager Kim Mi-young.


    Kim Hyunsung, who was getting the current situation¡¯s report in real-time from manager Kim Mi-young, was firmly misunderstanding something.


    ¡®No. Fuck. Hyunsung.¡¯


    -The soulmate is probably¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s not you. This bastard. ¡®


    -Yes. I¡¯m not sure, but the odds are high.


    ¡°Wait¡­¡±


    [The connection with the statue is being terminated.]


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not you¡­ bastard¡­ Please call Jihye. Please¡­¡±

 Chapter 779: The Last (12)

    <h4>Chapter 779: The Last (12)</h4>


    -It isn¡¯t possible to reach a definite conclusion, but¡­ perhaps it¡¯s because my soul and Kiyoung¡¯s soul are connected. What the oracle means with the soulmate agenda is¡­


    -Is that why the color of one of the Guild Master¡¯s eyes changed?


    -Yes. I¡¯m telling you this now. It¡¯s probably the influence of an attribute. I don¡¯t know how this is possible or how this attribute can be maintained continuously¡­ If I have to guess, I think it¡¯s due to the bond that Kiyoung and I have built up. Even at this moment, I can feel a connection with him.


    -I see¡­


    -That¡¯s the same reason why I thought it might be possible for Kiyoung toe back. Maybe Kiyoung hasn¡¯t been able topletely abandoned his previous life yet. If he had really broken all the strings¡­ there¡¯s no way I would still have this eye.


    -The Guild Master¡¯s words make sense, but the fact that the Vice Guild Master¡¯s energy suddenly disappeared from the statue¡­


    -Maybe we have to satisfy certain conditions. It¡¯s notmon for an oracle to be given or for a god toe down. When exactly did Kiyounge to the statue, what kind of atmosphere did the temple have, and what was around it? Please check all possible variables. If I¡¯m right, perhaps he¡¯ll appear again tomorrow. There is no precedent foring again the day after, but if Kiyoung has something to tell me, he will definitely reveal himself.


    ¡®But it¡¯s not you¡­¡¯


    He had a very serious expression.


    ¡®It¡¯s really not¡­¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know what else to say.


    I didn¡¯t know why Kim Mi-young nodded, but perhaps it¡¯s because what Kim Hyunsung said actually sounded usible. The other guild members also agreed. I could see Cho Hyejin speaking up.


    -The Vice Guild Master¡¯s oracle is spreading to the media, including Benigore Net. How should we deal with this problem¡­


    -You don¡¯t have to block it. There must be a reason Kiyoung sent an oracle. The temple was not built as a secret.


    -Yes. Okay.


    Even in the Goddess¡¯s Mirrors, the event was being aired as a special feature all day long.


    It wasn¡¯t just the Blue Guild members who were in that ce. I wanted my voice to spread out in the first ce, but not in this way.


    I didn¡¯t know who filmed it, but construction workers, the three siblings Park, Gi, Lee, Jung Hayan, Han Sora, and manager Kim Mi-young, staring nkly at the statue andpletely epting the oracle appeared on the screen.


    Each media interpreted what soulmate meant differently, but the dominant opinion pointed to the sunset swordsman, making me think if Kim Hyunsung¡¯s remarks were leaked.


    No, seeing it now, it hadn¡¯t just been leaked.


    ¡®Fuck, when did you do that again?¡¯


    Manager Kim Mi-young had already officially appeared at the statue and confirmed it.


    The specific meaning of the oracle wasn¡¯t revealed, but it seemed that she had spoken enough to infer that it referred to Kim Hyunsung.


    Even Pope Basel was ahead of anyone else to promote the miracle of the day.


    He announced that Benignore¡¯s son had be a god of the continent. No, he said that Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung became a god of the continent because Benignore pitied humans.


    Although the temples and statues were already active, it was an atmosphere where everyone agreed that Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung had risen to a new light.


    In fact, that wasn¡¯t that surprising at all.


    I was a saint who had lived only in integrity and purity throughout my lifetime, the light itself that sacrificed everything to protect the continent.


    It would¡¯ve been strange if I didn¡¯t be a new star in the sky.


    When Benignore tried to punish humans for their sins, I gave them a chance once more. I even kept using myself for the good of many, even from above.


    We were earning a lot of divinity since various stories wereing out, but that wasn¡¯t the most important matter.


    The people¡­


    They all began to gather. Crowds from all over the ce were flocking like crazy. It was bing a problem.


    -I¡¯m very lucky to be able to witness a miracle once again, aren¡¯t I? George, what do you think? Do you really think Lee Kiyoung will reveal himself?


    -Well¡­


    -I know you¡¯ve been having a good feelingtely, so answer quickly. George, the third-rate gambler, is an old story now.


    -If it goes ording to the oracle, he will probably show up.


    -That¡¯s a very obvious answer, George. That¡¯s not fun.


    ¡®Fuck¡­ There is no divinity that I can use to descend. Sh*t. We don¡¯t have enough.¡¯


    That was all the talks below wherever I looked. There was no other conversation. Everyone¡¯s attention was also being concentrated in local pubs, zas, and markets.


    -We need to prepare to meet Lee Kiyoung. If the oracle is true, then he wille. Please cancel all schedules held today. There must be no mistake in having him. Is the deal done with the Blue Guild?


    -Yes, Oscar.


    -It is a national event. I know the time is running out, but please do your best.


    -We will.


    -Please.


    -I have one more thing to report. The voices of themittee members are increasing that today should be designated as a national anniversary.


    -That¡¯s a good idea. I think it would be okay to push forward.


    Even she was doing that. In the midst of this, Lee Jihye was out of the grid.


    A crowd as huge as the memorial service held for me was heading for Lindel. Fuck, I didn¡¯t even know there were so many Griffons on the continent.


    The Griffons were constantly moving in the sky, carrying many high-ranking officials, wealthy men, and adventurers. The wagons were being driven at full speed as well.


    That was the first time I¡¯d seen the main roads getting blocked. Some people came on foot from long distances, but soon there was news that the country would provide its own means of transportation.


    Those who had already arrived were also visible. Crowds already upied the perimeters of the temple, and the Blue Guild staff ran around so that the guests could restfortably.


    ¡®Fuck. Why do those crowds¡¯ meals sponsored by guild funds? No, we already don¡¯t have money. Why spend so much? Really?¡¯


    We were already nearing bankruptcy. It seemed that manager Kim Mi-young just gave up.


    ¡®Wow, really, I don¡¯t want to go back. How do I finance that¡­¡¯


    -It definitely happened at the moment when the light shone down.


    -It seems like it was at sunset. Brilliance poured out behind the statue as it lit up, creating a holy scene¡­ It was so divine that hyung-nim looked a little different. It seemed like his voice had be a little colder¡­ Still, it made me feel like he was missing us.


    -O-Oppa told me that we would definitely be able to meet, right, Sora?


    -Ah¡­ yes.


    -And when you stand near the statue, you¡¯ll feelfortable, with even the biggest problems seemingly flying away. As soon as the temple waspleted, the barriers spread quickly. Everyone knows what that means. I guess hyung-nim hadn¡¯t forgotten about us. He kept thinking of us. He desperately poured his energy into the statue to help us in his own way.


    Even Cho Hyejin seemed a little excited. She seemed regretful for not being able to witness my first oracle, but I noticed that she was nodding her head vigorously.


    -If it were the Vice Guild Master, he would do that. He¡¯s that kind of person, after all.


    As the conference room door opened, Kim Chang-ryul appeared.


    -Guild Master. Vestments were handed over from the Holy See. If you are ufortable with it, I will refuse it.


    Even robes had appeared now. I couldn¡¯t predict what it looked like, but it was probably simr to a priest¡¯s uniform.


    It wouldn¡¯t be unreasonable to say that the Lee Kiyoung Church had been founded. He would have thought that proper clothing was necessary to worship the gods, making Pope Basel considerate about it.


    Of course, I thought there would be a mixture of political positions.


    It wouldn¡¯t be Pope Basel¡¯s will, but he was expecting us to know that the Lee Kiyoung Church was subordinate to the Benignore Church. That was probably the reason why he prepared the robes.


    It wasn¡¯t a bad thing for the Blue Guild. We had Ahn Ki-mo, a pdin, but he didn¡¯t know much. Since so many people had gathered, unity was also important to give a feeling of beingpleted as a single Church.


    They couldn¡¯t worship me properly despite being inexperienced, could they? The priests dispatched from the Benignore Church would definitely teach them basic manners and movements.


    ¡®They have to do this.¡¯


    The fact that there was room for rejection meant no coercion, but there was no choice in this case. Manager Kim Mi-young was looking at Kim Hyunsung quietly as if she knew that too.


    -Guild Master.


    -¡­


    -I heard that it is a uniform made after the Vice Guild Master. If you are ufortable, you can refuse, but I think it would be better to show basic courtesy. Other people are watching, after all.


    -I can¡¯t help it then.


    ¡®Ah, that¡¯s a problem.¡¯


    It seemed that the event was bing bigger and bigger. I didn¡¯t know where and how to stop this.


    It looked like Kim Hyunsung was thinking if he really deserved to wear that, but he soon agreed.


    He was probably aware that he needed something like that, considering he wasn¡¯tpletely stupid.


    Eventually, I saw him quietly exiting the conference room. When he saw the clothes in front of him, he became hesitant, but he slowly changed clothes in the room anyway.


    Honestly, I didn¡¯t know if it suited him well. Originally, the priest¡¯s uniform looked better wide and tter, but the one given to him was body-hugging.


    Kim Hyunsung also looked at himself as if he felt awkward, but he began to mess with the rosary that he had received in the end.


    ¡®Ah, it really is ruined. Ah¡­ It¡¯s be a big deal.¡¯


    Time was passing too fast. Eventually, priests from the Benignore Church arrived and were rehearsing with Kim Hyunsung, and most of the Blue Guild members had changed into priest uniforms.


    Everyone looked like they felt a little awkward. Park Deokgu was praying in a weird position, so Ahn Ki-mo corrected his posture, but Ahn Ki-mo didn¡¯t seem familiar with it either.


    He was the guy who acted as Argirmo, who once didn¡¯t stop when he tasted blood. He didn¡¯t even look weird.


    Jung Hayan was trying hard to learn in her own way. She seemed very interested in it.


    -H-How about this?


    -Oh, do you want me to hold it for you?


    -Yes. T-Thank you.


    They were getting Elena¡¯s help. Everyone was a bit sloppy, and only she was holding the bnce.


    Finding the courses boring, Kim Ye-ri was spending time next to Alps and Park Li-ahn. Yoo Ahyoung seemed to practice hard, but she wasn¡¯t much different from Park Deokgu.


    In general, they created a very serious atmosphere. Among them, Kim Hyunsung, who was surrounded by priests and listening to the reminders, looked the most serious.


    He seemed that a little excited and afraid.


    It was most likely the kind of fear of confronting me rather than fear about whether I coulde or not. Regardless of the reason, he was the one who stabbed my stomach, so it wouldn¡¯t be strange for him to feel guilty about it.


    He seemed to be thinking that he might be criticized. That wasn¡¯t the time to be worried about it. My face crumpled.


    -Is this correct?


    -Yes, it is. It seems like the time hase. Let¡¯s go out together, Sunset Swordsman.


    -I¡¯ll do it one more time.


    -Yes, then now¡­


    -One more time¡­


    -Okay.


    -One more¡­


    -We have to go.


    The sky had turned a little red. I could see him quietly walking through the temple.


    I noticed that all of the Blue Guild members, who didn¡¯t get nervous when fighting, had their nerves getting the best of them.


    The crowd that gathered looked at them in silence. It would¡¯ve been strange if that didn¡¯t make them nervous.


    Park Deokgu was waddling as if he was bothered about his gait, and Jung Hayan was biting her lips tightly.


    A priest of the Benignore Church dropped holy water over Kim Hyunsung¡¯s head, and Kim Hyunsung quietly bowed his head.


    They were preparing to receive a god. I¡¯d never seen him so solemn.


    Kim Hyusung hesitated to walk after he confidently said that he was my soulmate.


    He probably feared that I would suddenly pop out and scream a curse on him.


    However, seemingly deciding that he could bear it, he moved forward.


    The Blue Guild¡¯s priests split into both sides, and a divine hymn spread out.


    Kim Hyunsung knelt as carefully as possible, paying attention to his steps and stride. He prayed and looked up at the statue.


    The setting sun illuminated the temple. Red light filled the space, and brightness poured out of the statue. Everyone was waiting.


    ¡®Ah, fuck¡­ what should I do? Should I go now?¡¯


    Nothing happened for a while, but no one was agitated.


    It felt like everyone was convinced that I would appear if they waited a little more.


    In the meantime, I could fucking hear what Cho Hyejin was whispering.


    ¡°Perhaps¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, Cho Hyejin?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s not the Guild Master¡­ Maybe he was referring to me.¡±


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡°It seems to be me. What should I do¡­¡±


    She was speaking to Alps, a cold sweat running down her forehead.

 Chapter 780: The Last (13)

    <h4>Chapter 780: The Last (13)</h4>


    ¡®Yes, fuck. Thank you. We¡¯re best friends. I didn¡¯t forget you.¡¯


    I felt gratitude towards Cho Hyejin¡¯s reaction. I knew that she enjoyed spending time with me, but I didn¡¯t know she was thinking about me to this extent.


    ¡®She¡¯s my best friend.¡¯


    But I couldn¡¯t smile. Apart from the pleasant reaction of Cho Hyejin, it was because I was in cold sweat too.


    I was even more nervous than them.


    ¡®Why are you doing that when even Hayan isn¡¯t moving?¡¯


    Even Jung Hayan was silent in that situation. Contrary to my expectations that she would im to be my soul mate, she maintained a very calm appearance.


    I gave the oracle when Park Deokgu and Jung Hayan were there, so she knew it wasn¡¯t meant for them, but if it was the usual her, wouldn¡¯t she act stubbornly even for a moment?


    The way she acted at that moment told me how mature she had grown.


    ¡®Try to be like Hayan¡­¡¯


    She actually seemed to be a little interested in it, but shepletely turned off her attention after it was revealed that the person the oracle referred to was Kim Hyunsung.


    She must¡¯ve been somewhat convinced that Kim Hyunsung was my soulmate. I didn¡¯t expect the others to make more fuss than her.


    ¡°Gosh, what should I¡­¡±


    They kept waiting, but when nothing changed, Cho Hyejin looked around with an uneasy face, while Kim Hyunsung, who was looking up at the statue with his eyes opened, was still convinced.


    ¡®Fuck¡­¡¯


    I could see that Cho Hyejin quietly walked little by little. She had probably thought that if she got close to the statue, it might react.


    Cho Hyejin didn¡¯t have the courage to openly approach Kim Hyunsung and say, ¡®I don¡¯t think it¡¯s you.¡¯


    No, it wouldn¡¯t have been easy for anyone to do that.


    It didn¡¯t make sense to do something unexpected at a very solemn religious event.


    I didn¡¯t want to betray Kim Hyunsung¡¯s expectations, believing that he was my soulmate.


    When there was no response from the statue, the believers started to send more fervent prayers. The hymns got louder and louder, and the festival awaiting for the advent began toe to life once again.


    The sky was changing color because the sun was slowly setting, but it seemed that they thought that I would reveal myself before the sunsetpletely disappeared.


    They were convinced that I would certainly appear before the sun could go down.


    ¡°I can¡¯t go. Really¡­¡±


    The atmosphere started to change a little after a few more minutes, and when there was no reaction, I could hear a little murmur of disappointment from the crowds.


    Some people were sad, and the priests dispatched from the Church were talking amongst themselves with serious faces. While I could see that the Blue Guild members were still in a row, only Cho Hyejin came out to the front and stuck to the statue.


    Kim Hyunsung, that bastard, still had a face that didn¡¯t seem to have any doubts. He seemed to think there was no way I wouldn¡¯t show up.


    -Kiyoung¡­ If you can hear my voice¡­


    ¡®Yes, I can hear your voice.¡¯


    -Could you answer me?


    ¡®It¡¯s a bit hard to answer.¡¯


    Once again, he held the rosary tightly and prayed.


    The prayers mixed with variousplex emotions were made so enthusiastically that they pushed behind the prayers of the crowds gathered there and stood in the front row.


    -I have something to say. Please¡­


    After a while, the priesthood was openly holding a countermeasure meeting. Since they made things bigger than they should be, they were probably be sharing opinions on what to do afterward.


    It was then that Cho Hyejin got up from her seat and walked toward the priesthood.


    -Maybe, the soulmate, which the oracle refers to, isn¡¯t the Sunset Swordsman. What should we do¡­


    -Did you bring the news to the Pope?


    -Yes. He only told me that he would surely reveal himself¡­ It seemed that his faith was firm. I do not deny what the Pope said, but shouldn¡¯t we prepare a backup n just in case? We have to find a way to appease the disappointed believers. In my opinion, the soulmate that the oracle means is not the Sunset Swordsman too¡­


    -It is probably him, considering his points were strong. There may be something else. It¡¯s notmon for gods toe down day after day¡­ he may need a little more time. Or maybe he needs a tribute. It¡¯s not amon example, but the elves say they offer tribute to Elune.


    -Lee Kyoung was a person without greed. A tribute? To talk about tributes to someone who hasn¡¯t had lust in this world? Be careful with what you say, Priest Verinom! You will awaken his wrath. He must be angry! A tribute to Benignore¡¯s son! A tribute!


    -I-I apologize. I think I shouldn¡¯t have said that¡­


    It was then that Cho Hyejin approached the priesthood and spoke to them.


    -I don¡¯t think you¡¯re totally wrong.


    -That means¡­


    -Of course, I¡¯m not saying that the Vice Guild Master was greedy. Although he enjoyed helping others rather than taking care of himself¡­ in my memory, the Vice Guild Master had a small hobby of collecting bags. He collected the same bag each time, enough to have a separate cab.


    -Haha¡­ Such a thing¡­


    -I remember that the Guild Master always gave gifts because he knew about it too. Perhaps¡­


    -We¡­ It seems that we didn¡¯t know him that well. Ha¡­ haha¡­


    -¡­


    - Maybe he wanted to put something in there. He probably wanted to preserve the faith and love of humans. I think it¡¯s a really simple hobby. I might sound a little weird. Still, he was a human too¡­ Think about it. He still is, in a way. Wasn¡¯t he the one who defended the continent alone and carried all his luggage? He would have needed something to relieve the great pressure in his mind and heart. That¡­ is only a bag collection¡­ I want to cry, Priest Verinom.


    -¡­


    -I heard that collecting bags was the only way tofort the pain Lee Kiyoung felt in this world¡­ To think that such a simple hobby was the only way out to appease him¡­ How can I hold back my tears?


    ¡®Priests are really scary. Wow¡­¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know how they came to the idea of ??me collecting bags to store human beliefs and love.


    ¡®I have to be careful with my words and actions. Fuck.¡¯


    An answer came just by looking at these problems stemming from the remarks about a soulmate.


    In fact, the appearance of the priests offering sincere prayers while shedding tears was a spectacle, and I thought I could see what Cho Hyejin was aiming for in the midst of it.


    -I remember that the Guild Master recently acquired the same type of bag.


    ¡®Fuck, you bought another one again? Kim Hyunsung, are you out of mind?¡¯


    -Ah! I can tell him that.


    -Yes. I wanted to ask if you could tell him.


    -Of course, I have to tell him. Of course.


    -I will tell the Guild Master myself.


    -You do that, Cho Hyejin.


    ¡°I¡¯m going crazy, fuck.¡±


    I was really going crazy with those bastards. Fuck.


    Cho Hyejin didn¡¯t seem to have the courage to say that she was my soulmate.


    In the end, the method she chose was to pretend to deliver a tribute and wander next to Kim Hyunsung, and it seemed that she thought I would react if she slightly touched the statue.


    ¡®I will go crazy, really.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t a bad n, but I didn¡¯t want to be a god who took bags as tributes.


    Cho Hyejin also covered the tribute with a white cloth to show she wasn¡¯t disrespectful, and Kim Hyunsung brightened as he saw her approaching slowly.


    He seemed to realize what wascking, wondering why he forgot that.


    ¡®Did I really give that impression?¡¯


    -I have something for Kiyoung.


    ¡®Don¡¯t give¡­ fuck, don¡¯t give that to me.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯te out in the first ce, but I wouldn¡¯te out to receive that even if I could.


    It seemed that the Blue Guild, those bastards, organized a strategy to screw me as a group.


    Cho Hyejin, who walked as if she was carrying a very sacred object and then watching the people, murmured that it would be a gift of gratitude to the god.


    Any smart god wouldn¡¯t want to appear at this time.


    If there was a problem that I wasn¡¯t expecting¡­


    It was that Han Sora¡¯s body was trembling.


    ¡®Gosh¡­ Hayan¡­ Fuck¡­ Ah¡­¡¯


    It was Jung Hayan who foreshadowed that Kim Hyunsung might not be the soulmate.


    ¡®Ah¡­ no. Ah¡­¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t her, or Park Deokgu, or Kim Hyunsung. If so, she seemed to be thinking about who was the soulmate I was talking about.


    Did she think that there were third parties she wasn¡¯t aware of? Maybe she was thinking about the second Park Mijin incident. I could see that her face was hardening.


    Han Sora, sensing danger, became paler and paler. She looked like if I let the situation continue, she would explode.


    In the meantime, Cho Hyejin handed over the tribute to Kim Hyunsung, and both were looking at the statue with expectations.


    Cho Hyejin believed that I would appear now because she came, and Kim Hyunsung believed that I would appear because of the tribute.


    Kim Hyunsung lifted the tribute high into the sky like a monkey lifting a baby lion, and Jung Hayan started to grind her teeth when I didn¡¯t show up.


    The hymn that resonated throughout the temple. The sun was setting slowly. The three siblings Park, Gi, Lee were apuding with the believers screaming cheers, and the priesthood started to ask for them to apud louder.


    They were the worst. I didn¡¯t know why Elena was crying. I didn¡¯t evene. Why the hell was she crying? Fuck.


    Everything seemed to be driving me into a corner. I guaranteed this situation was even more unbearable now than thest battle.


    As I looked next to me, I saw Benignore¡¯s face smiling, as if she found it fun.


    ¡®When did this onee again?¡¯


    It was certainly an expression mixed with ridicule.


    ¡®Fuck¡­¡¯


    ¡°I told you. Managing the continent is not an easy task, Junior Lee Kiyoung. That¡¯s why you should be careful with what you say¡­ Gosh¡­ I don¡¯t often talk because I¡¯m afraid I will make a mistake. Don¡¯t be too disappointed¡­ Most of the new recruits do that.¡±


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡°O-Of course, I thought that you would be a little different, but I guess you¡¯re a freshman after all. You¡¯re still a child. Pfff¡­ Puhihi. I guess I have to teach you a lot of lessons and lead you down the right path. What¡¯s with that serious face? They say we learn by making mistakes, don¡¯t we?¡±


    I had no retort.


    As I bowed my head, the situation underneath became direr and direr until I didn¡¯t think I had a choice anymore.


    In the end, I bit my lips tightly.


    -It¡¯s Lee Kiyoung¡­


    -Lee Kiyoung hase!


    -He really came!


    -Whooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!


    -It¡¯s Benignore¡¯s son!


    -God, always look upon us.


    -Oh, God! To you, who gave your life for the peace of the continent¡­ I will pray for you all my life.


    -I will never forget your sacrifice.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -Kiyoung?


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -Kiyoung¡­


    He was shedding tears.


    I began to worry about what to say to recover from this damage.

 Chapter 781: The Last (14)

    <h4>Chapter 781: The Last (14)</h4>


    It had been a while since Ist felt like my head had gone nk.


    The current situation was just as disconcerting as when I realized Lee Kiyoung¡¯s existence before erasing his memory.


    It wasn¡¯t that I had stage fright or the cheers of the believers were burdensome. Honestly, I just didn¡¯t know what to say.


    Everything was making me flustered.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t what I originally nned, and I wanted to apud the Blue Guild members who drove me to this point. I couldn¡¯t help but seriously wonder how it was possible to screw with someone without any malice.


    ¡®If I knew it would turn out like this, I would¡¯vee sooner.¡¯


    I really didn¡¯t want to be the shameful god who came down for a bag.


    Looking around, I noticed everyone was crying.


    Some people sent cheers, but it seemed that the true image of a saint who gave his all for the continent stole the tears of the crowd. Divinity continued to umte.


    Even the small prayers poured out nonstop.


    ¡®Wow, fuck. What¡¯s wrong with the ones praying to win the Crack Land jackpot or get admitted to an adventurers¡¯ college? The Saint of Light has appeared, and they have nothing else to pray for? They¡¯re pretty practical, though.¡¯


    Of course, the Blue Guild members who looked more passionate than anyone else stood out above the rest.


    Cho Hyejin cried without moving. She kept trying to move her lips, showing she had a lot to say, but words couldn¡¯t seem toe out properly.


    Elena had her head lowered to the sudden advent instead of looking at the statue properly.


    She might be thinking that directly looking at a god¡¯s eyes is sinful and disrespectful.


    Yoo Ahyoung and Kim Chang-ryul were rubbing their eyes. That was probably the first time I saw Kim Chang-ryul, who couldn¡¯t disy emotions well, react so expressively.


    Jung Hayan and Park Deokgu, who witnessed yet another miracle, responded the same way as thest time I talked to them.


    Oscar, who was a little far away, was praying with her hands sped together, and the new guild member Alps was more adroit, showing the best example of how to react to everyone else.


    Most people got down on their knees and sang songs of praise to me.


    ¡®It looks sacred even in my perspective. It¡¯s a mythic-grade statue, which must be why the effects are so amazing.¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®I think it would¡¯ve been more usible if I didn¡¯te down after they offered me a bag¡­¡¯


    The statue¡¯s eyes, made of the jewel of the sun and the pebble of the fairyke, emitted a subtle light, and the effect of the sunset sky illuminating the stone statue was divine.


    Just being surrounded by the holy light itself would be enough to feel awe, but an even grander image was painted due to the surrounding environment¡¯s help.


    The problem was that I didn¡¯t know what to say to them.


    I didn¡¯t know what to say to Kim Hyunsung, who was sitting down and crying profusely.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t that I didn¡¯t have anything to say to him, but what I wanted to talk to him about was something private.


    What should I officially say in front of so many believers?


    If the reason why I called him was small and weak, I wondered if it would take the wind out of their sails. Wouldn¡¯t my followers think of it as weird?


    I couldn¡¯t just say, ¡®How are you doing, Hyunsung?¡¯


    ¡®I¡¯m going crazy. Fuck.¡¯


    -Kiyoung¡­ Can you see me?


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -I¡­ really¡­ I mean¡­ I¡­


    He seemed unable to speak coherently, probably since he couldn¡¯t hold back his emotions.


    I had a warm smile on my face, but I wasn¡¯t sure what to say.


    The same went for Kim Hyunsung. I didn¡¯t think his confused feelings were particrly strange. He was the person who sent me to my death.


    It would be right to say hello first.


    ¡°Long time no see, Sunset Swordsman.¡±


    My voice flowed quietly.


    -Kiyoung¡­


    He noticed my formal tone, but he soon realized he didn¡¯t have the right to be disappointed, so he nodded slowly.


    -Yes, it¡¯s been a while, Lee Kiyoung.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -There are so many things I want to say, but I don¡¯t know where to start. I¡¯m curious about how you¡¯re doing and if you¡¯ve been well, but I know better than anyone that I have no right to ask you that. However¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -However¡­


    He quietly lowered his head and then continued.


    -How you¡¯ve been doing?


    That remark alone probably took him a lot of courage to ask.


    That probably was what he was most curious about, but that was hard to answer.


    Usually, I wouldn¡¯t have trouble answering such a question, but I had to think again about whether it was right to talk about something so personal in that situation.


    I called Hyunsung the Sunset Swordsman for a reason. The moment I was about to speak up, he opened his mouth again.


    Since I came down, I had to say something, but he kept taking my turn as if he had a lot to say. And he was doing it in a very bad way.


    -I¡¯m sorry.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­ I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m sorry. There are so many things I want to say¡­ I¡¯m sorry. Really¡­ I¡¯m really sorry. I wanted to see you again. I knew you were always watching over me, but I wanted to apologize in front of you.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -I know that just because I said sorry doesn¡¯t mean that the sins I¡¯vemitted will go away¡­


    ¡®He¡¯s out of his mind.¡¯


    -I know that this is just a selfish act to relieve the burden in my heart, even a little¡­


    Kim Hyunsung was more idiotic than I thought.


    -What I¡¯ve done¡­


    ¡°Stop.¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°Please stop it.¡±


    ¡®Does he want to die?¡¯


    It seemed that he was trying to confess about stabbing Lee Kiyoung in the middle of such an event. I knew he was kind of slow, but he was worse than I thought.


    ¡®Do you want to die by being stoned to death?¡¯


    As expected, amid the murmurs being heard, some had questions about the sinsmitted by the Sunset Swordsman.


    There was no way they wouldn¡¯t have doubts. They were bothered that Raphael wasn¡¯t showing up and was curious about the things that weren¡¯t exined to them.


    There were still suspicions circting about Lee Kiyoung¡¯s death, and various conspiracy theories were likely to arise.


    Confessing in such a situation was no different than suicide. Perhaps even the Blue Guild would drive him out.


    ¡®Don¡¯t say that.¡¯


    ¡°You did notmit any crimes or sins heavy enough to infer anyone¡¯s wrath. You are not a sinner but a hero who saved the continent and the guardian who has kept the radiant sunset light safe. Everything was as destined, thus inevitable.¡±


    -However¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t shed tears, Sunset Swordsman. Don¡¯t shed tears for the victims. Oh, wounded heroes. Don¡¯t let their sacrifices be in vain. They may not stand in the same ce as you do, but they sit on the right side of Benignore and watch the continent they have protected with their own hands.¡±


    -Oh, God¡­


    -Ohh¡­ Benignore. Ohhh¡­ Lee Kiyoung¡­


    ¡°They are with me with pride in protecting their family, friends, colleagues, and lovers.¡±


    Of course, I didn¡¯t know where the dead were. I just needed to say something like that. It was just a pure white lie anyway. They were all in heaven and living happily.


    ¡°What you have to do is not to wallow in sorrow but to move forward. You have to let go of the feelings of affliction and guilt that you are burdened with.¡±


    ¡®You know you really can¡¯t let go of it, though, right? Right?¡¯


    -However¡­


    ¡°Please let it go.¡±


    -I can¡¯t¡­ let it go. Sniff¡­ There¡¯s no way I could let it go.


    ¡®That¡¯s the right attitude. Fuck. That¡¯s the attitude. Never let it go. Fuck. You can¡¯t let go of your guilt. That¡¯s my weapon, after all.¡¯


    ¡°Let it go. You can move on. You all can. You deserve to be happy.¡±


    I just said anything that came to mind, but it seemed that even Cho Hyejin got influenced by it. She was also buried in guilt, so I wondered if my words wouldfort her a little.


    I could see her sitting down and crying. She was crying so mncholically that she couldn¡¯t properly control herself. In the end, Alps popped out in front of her and managed to take care of her.


    -Kiyoung¡­ I am¡­ I am¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t settle down. Looking back is not wrong, but letting yourself live in the past isn¡¯t what you should do. It is righteous to admit one¡¯s sin, but it is not right to be buried by it. Rather than being devoured by sadness, free yourself from your pain. It is the little lights that you cherished that illuminate the future unfolding before your eyes.¡±


    ¡®You can be buried a bit in sin. It doesn¡¯t matter if you fall in sadness and stop looking around a little. Just don¡¯t forget about me. Got it?¡¯


    It seemed that I wouldn¡¯t have to worry. Just by looking at Kim Hyunsung¡¯s face, I could tell what that bastard was thinking.


    He didn¡¯t agree with my words. His spirit of resistance, showing he would never follow my words, stood out.


    That was the right reply. I wanted to apud it.


    I was worried about what to do if he expressed his disagreement right at that moment, but he didn¡¯t seem to have set foot on the path of rebellion.


    ¡°I am always watching you all. What kind of continent you will make, what kind of life you will live. I look forward to each day¡­¡±


    -Kiyoung should enjoy it with us too. Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -You must enjoy it with us. It should be Kiyoung here, not me. Sniff¡­ Don¡¯t you know better than anyone that I do not deserve this?! Let go of me! I told you to let go! Sh*t!


    ¡®This bastard is agitated. I¡¯m getting scared¡­ Didn¡¯t we conclude this talkst time?¡¯


    He had been patient with it for a long time, but in the end, he couldn¡¯t stand it.


    The surrounding priests didn¡¯t know what to do. The priests were holding Kim Hyunsung, but it was impossible for them to calm him down.


    He seemed unaware of the sphemy he wasmitting. No, he couldn¡¯t even see or consider what was around him.


    The scene he was expecting wouldn¡¯t have been a scene like this. He might have thought I came to give him hope that I could be resurrected.


    That was probably why he looked bright earlier. He might have been happy that he was my soulmate, but wasn¡¯t it mainly because of his hope that he might be able to grasp a slight possibility of returning me to the continent?


    He didn¡¯t expect to be told to forget everything and move on.


    -I¡¯ll definitely get you back. I will. I¡¯m going to return Kiyoung to his rightful ce. Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­ I would never let it end like this. Nobody wants this ending. I¡¯ll do everything to get you back. The Blue Guild and I will.


    ¡®Good attitude.¡¯


    But speaking of such things during such an event wasn¡¯t appropriate¡­


    -I will bring Kiyoung back to life. I will bring you back to life at any cost. I don¡¯t care which method I use. Even if I have to give my all¡­


    I thought it would be better to ignore him. It might be a little insufficient, but I had to do what I needed to do.


    ¡°I¡­ I forgive your sorrows and sins.¡±


    A huge beam of light fell from the sky. Of course, I didn¡¯t really forgive their sins, but I thought it would be rewarding for them if there were such an effect.


    As expected, the believers quietly bowed their heads and epted the brilliance, while Kim Hyunsung spread his wings and prevented the beam from reaching him.


    He was blocking the light over and over until the moment I slowly disappeared.


    -¡­


    -¡­


    -Who can forgive sadness and sin at will? Move on? That¡¯s really funny. You can forgive them all you want, but I¡¯ll kill them all. Until I go back to the beginning, I will devour everything until there isn¡¯t even an ant left.


    As I looked down at Lindel, I saw Lee Jhye with masked people.


    -I¡¯ll kill everyone.

 Chapter 782: The Last (15)

    <h4>Chapter 782: The Last (15)</h4>


    -I¡¯m going to kill everyone.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®What? What¡¯s up with her¡­¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®You¡¯re joking, right? Why go that far? What¡¯s wrong? You¡¯re scary. Stop doing that.¡¯


    The sight was so ridiculous that I couldn¡¯t get used to it.


    ¡®Why did you suddenly pop out of nowhere?¡¯


    I wanted her toe to me, but I wasn¡¯t expecting something like that. I didn¡¯t want her to look like the final viin.


    I looked at those who were with her.


    The ones that stood out the most were Yuno Kasugano and Sun Hee-young. They were all women I knew.


    Of course, they looked different from before. Sun Hee-young¡¯s face had something I couldn¡¯t see before. It seemed as if I was looking at her first timeline version.


    Kasugano had the same face as usual, but it was even harder to read what she was thinking.


    Their bodies were covered withrge cloaks, and everyone had their faces covered with identical masks.


    From a distance, it was hard to tell who was who.


    There were a few more individuals with them. Ha Yeon-soo was one, and she was guarding Lee Jihye. I thought she would be with her. She was someone that Jihye always took with her wherever she went.


    What was a little surprising was that I saw a few unfamiliar faces. No, when I thought about it, they were faces that I had seen before.


    ¡°Where did I see them?¡±


    I asked myself, and I found an answer soon after.


    ¡®The brigade from the first timeline.¡¯


    If my memory served me right, those twins standing in the back like folding screens would be members of the first-round brigade.


    The same went for the man next to them. Unlike before, when he was missing one leg, he had both legs, but I certainly remembered seeing him through Yuno Kasugano.


    Among the guys I saw at the time, the only one I couldn¡¯t find was the one who was tall, skinny and had the most unpleasant energy.


    If the psychopath killer Jung Jinho and he were with them, I might have mistaken the scene as witnessing the first-round brigade.


    I didn¡¯t know how Lee Jihye made a connection with them, but¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s not too strange.¡¯


    Wouldn¡¯t their talents be amazing, considering they were the ones that pushed the continent to the brink of destruction with a small number of people?


    Kasugano might have given her the information too. Those were the guys who were active in the dark, and Lee Jihye might have taken them.


    Their histories probably differed from the first timeline, so their dispositions probably changed as well¡­


    Oh! In the case of the tall and skinny one, it could have been decided that there was no room for enlightenment, which meant he had to be removed? He was probably the kind of guy simr to Jung Jinho. He was typical trash made with a naturally evil principle.


    Other than them¡­


    ¡®I don¡¯t see Raphael.¡¯


    I thought he would act with Lee Jihye, but that wasn¡¯t the case. Or maybe he just didn¡¯t show up here.


    Whatever the case was, the important thing was that Lee Jihye¡¯s current condition didn¡¯t seem that good. It was as if she had been corrupted for good, with her facepletely stiff. I, too, had never seen her look that crumpled.


    ¡®No, why can¡¯t you read the atmosphere? Honestly, isn¡¯t it too obvious? Can¡¯t you figure it out?¡¯


    Sensically speaking, I wasn¡¯t the one to forgive sorrows and sins. I wasn¡¯t the one to die without any conditions. Didn¡¯t she know that better than anyone else?


    ¡®You don¡¯t really think I¡¯d say that, right? Right? Did you really think I would sacrifice myself?¡¯


    No, of course, I did¡­ And Kasugano might have said something to her too.


    She might have said that Lee Kiyoung decided to sacrifice himself, to ept his destiny, that she tried to stop him as much as possible but couldn¡¯t. Something like that. Still¡­


    ¡®There¡¯s no way you don¡¯t know¡­¡¯


    She probably knew that the bullsh*t I babbled on the statue wasn¡¯t really sincere.


    Maybe she was aware of everything. There¡¯s no way she, who signed with Ronove, wouldn¡¯t know how things up here worked.


    ¡®You¡¯re doing that even when you know everything. You¡¯re just doing that to scare me¡­ You¡¯re just venting out your anger because you¡¯re pissed¡­ Maybe you¡¯re thinking why I called for you¡­¡¯


    It was very likely. Since there was a problem at the top, her intention was likely to help from the bottom.


    Since I did the work without telling her the n, I wondered if she was doing that to screw with me.


    -Are you okay, unnie?


    -¡­


    -What should we do?


    But if Lee Jihye was serious about this¡­


    If she really intended to bring the continent back to the beginning¡­


    ¡°What should I do?¡±


    -Shall we start?


    ¡°Start what? Don¡¯t start anything.¡±


    Could Kim Hyunsung handle this? Could Kim Hyunsung stop Lee Jihye from running without brakes?


    I wondered about it for a second, but I soon shook my head firmly.


    Apart from her power and the brigade¡¯s power, I felt like Kim Hyunsung couldn¡¯t deal with Jihye.


    Right. To put it a little low¡­


    ¡®He will be crushed.¡¯


    Apart from my high appreciation of our lovely regressor, Kim Hyunsung couldn¡¯t handle Jihye.


    In fact, she didn¡¯t even need a brigade. The brigade was just a device to protect her body and speed her ns up a little faster.


    Given a little more time, Lee Jihye would be able to proceed without a brigade.


    What if Lee Jihye really intended to mess up the continent? Maybe she¡¯s writing a scenario where she would let others know that Kim Hyunsung stabbed me.


    Max controlled Benignore Net and the Goddess¡¯s Mirror, so it wouldn¡¯t be easy to spread such rumors, but she would try to let everyone know that Kim Hyunsung stabbed me at any cost.


    She would drive a wedge between the Blue Guild and Kim Hyunsung and mightpletely iste him.


    If she was lucky, she might be able to make Jung Hayan and Kim Hyunsung fight.


    Her first task was to separate Kim Hyunsung and the continent. Honestly, looking at that, her first n didn¡¯t feel difficult.


    -I will save you. No matter how¡­ Please answer me. Kiyoung. Please answer me!


    -Sunset Swordsman.


    -Guild Master¡­


    -Damn¡­ Sh*t¡­ Sniff¡­ Please answer me. Please¡­ There is hope¡­ Please answer that it¡¯s possible.


    ¡®You¡¯re still on that¡­¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know if that bastard knew that the greatest danger in his life hade, but he was still at the statue that had already been disconnected from me.


    Even though he was strong, I could guarantee that he would be backstabbed without a break. Since he was having a mental breakdown, it would be a lot easier.


    Even the Blue Guild, which was experiencing various problems, including financial problems, had limitations in serving as a shield, and eventually, they would rot from the inside.


    She could even drive a wedge between the Benignore Church and the Lee Kiyoung Church. I couldn¡¯t say that there was no possibility of causing a conflict between those two.


    There were many things that Lee Jihye could do in the current situation, which wasn¡¯t yet stable. That was why I felt the candles burning at both ends even more.


    ¡®If you intend to make me feel how sh*tty it is not to know anything, you have already seeded, so stop this, Jihye. I¡¯m getting really nervous.¡¯


    -Unnie?


    -¡­


    -Unnie¡­


    ¡®Why are you crying? Don¡¯t cry.¡¯


    -This asshole.


    ¡®She was always good at acting. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s really a joke¡­¡¯


    -This asshole.


    ¡®You know everything, right? You do.¡¯


    -I didn¡¯t know, oppa.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -Yes. I really didn¡¯t know I would be so angry. I really didn¡¯t know I would feel sh*tty like this. Honestly, I thought I could just forget it, but I can¡¯t. You feel the same as me, right? If we had been in a simr situation, you would¡¯ve done the same.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -They dared mess with something that¡¯s mine. Did you think I¡¯d be watching everything silently? You didn¡¯t really think that I would just ept it, right? Did you think I would enjoy a happy life when you ended everything in this way?


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not that¡­¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -They have to pay the price. I don¡¯t know what you¡¯ve been thinking about to do something this absurd, but that¡¯s none of my business. That has nothing to do with me. What¡¯s important is that the bastard that messed with what¡¯s mine will pay the price.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -Listen carefully, my love.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -I¡¯ll offer them to you.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -I¡¯m going to offer the screams of these decaying bastards that don¡¯t even know who earned the peace through self-sacrifice.


    ¡®I think they know, Jihye.¡¯


    -I¡¯m going to dance with you on the ruined continent and sing on the corpse of the one that stabbed you.


    ¡°Do you really not know?¡±


    I saw Lee Jihye slowly turning her back, and the members of the brigade slowly opened the way for her.


    -So we¡¯ll start over from the beginning. With everything back to the start, we¡¯ll meet again, right?


    ¡°Ah¡­ Fuck¡­¡±


    -That would be fun, wouldn¡¯t it?


    ¡°Really¡­¡±


    Quietly putting on her mask, she once again opened her mouth.


    -I love you, Kiyoung, my soulmate.


    Her face was twisted as if she shed tears.


    -See youter.


    She went off somewhere in an instant. Seeing that I couldn¡¯t see her even with the telescope, she seemed to have been helped by Ronove.


    ¡°Fuck¡­¡±


    I had to sigh. I really didn¡¯t know what she was thinking. I couldn¡¯t breathe because I thought that something I wasn¡¯t aware of might explode.


    I couldn¡¯t figure out why I had to worry about the continent¡¯s fate because of Jihye.


    Looking next to me, Benignore seemed to have an intuition that something serious would unfold. Unlike before, when she continued to giggle, her face was quite stiff.


    ¡°W-What should we do, believer Lee Kiyoung?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. First, I need to make contact¡­¡±


    ¡°What if that woman runs wild? Shouldn¡¯t you try to stop her? Can you do it? Can you? I¡­ I¡­ I don¡¯t want to sacrifice, Junior Lee Kiyoung. I am not Altanus. There are many things I haven¡¯t done yet¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°This is not the time. I¡¯ll have to tell Elune to j-join us quickly. R-Right now, weck people. I should put aside the difficult problem for a while, and uh¡­ I¡¯ll focus a little more on this¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to, Benignore. We¡¯re not sure yet. Still, I think we need to prepare.¡±


    ¡°Prepare for what?¡±


    ¡°Whatever it may be, I think she will probably proceed with the n.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±

 Chapter 783: The Last (16)

    <h4>Chapter 783: The Last (16)</h4>


    ¡°We are not the only ones that need to prepare.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Humans must as well.¡±


    Belial was busy fiddling with a cube. It was difficult to take my gaze from it half-floating in the air and moving by itself.


    ¡°That means¡­¡±


    ¡°The human that signed a contract with Ronove will once again bring everything back to the beginning.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why they should prepare too. Although Ronove belonged to the 27th Corps, that is now a story of the past. She already has her own legion and, strictly speaking, might be stronger than the former me. Besides¡­ She seems to be favorable towards her own contractor, just like I am with you. The terms of the contract wouldn¡¯t have been thatplicated.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t feel like it¡¯s impossible. We won the war against those flies, but that was a head-on fight. I wouldn¡¯t have acted like that.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°There is no reason to win the war if one really wants to go back to the beginning. What else can be as enjoyable and entertaining as ruining someone without any conditions or interests? No justification, no reason, no gains or losses after the war, no post-processing, nothing to worry about.¡±


    ¡°I think I understand what you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    ¡°You just have to smash everything how you see it fit. It won¡¯t probably be difficult for humans like you or her. There¡¯s nothing as scary as those who have such disgusting souls lumped together. Hence, the people of the continent should also be prepared. I don¡¯t want this dimension to go back to the start.¡±


    ¡°N-Neither do I. It seems that Elune is still wondering whether or not toe¡­ The risk is high, isn¡¯t it, Junior Lee Kiyoung?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re more demon-like than an actual demon, Benignore. How about changing your business type in this event?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Anyway, if you want, I¡¯ll contact her, but¡­ there is no guarantee that it will have a positive impact. How¡­¡±


    ¡®Is it impossible to contact Ronove?¡¯


    ¡°No. I don¡¯t think you need to contact her yet.¡±


    Considering that Lucifer really cherished Ronove, direct contact would be dangerous.


    ¡®I would cherish her too. Fuck.¡¯


    Who wouldn¡¯t be fond of a talent who climbed through the ranks at high speeds, reaching Corpsmander from Corps member?


    Given that such a case was unusual no matter the ce, it wasn¡¯t strange that she liked Ronove.


    The simplest hypothesis that could be inferred was¡­


    ¡®Is there any chance that Lucifer is behind it?¡¯


    It would be impossible for her to get involved directly, but I couldn¡¯t reject the possibility of her meddling indirectly.


    Of course, that was only considering the rtionship of Ronove and Lucifer. It might not have anything to do with Jihye.


    In fact, I couldn¡¯t imagine that Lee Jihye could be used by Lucifer. I didn¡¯t know what Lucifer wanted, but it was likely that their interests simply coincided.


    If the two actually met, then they might be preparing to backstab each other.


    ¡®Maybe she knows the content of our bet. I don¡¯t think Lucifer persuaded her, but¡­¡¯


    When did she n to move?


    She didn¡¯t have enough time to say it was long, but it wasn¡¯t so short that it was impossible to do a build-up at all. If Lee Jihye were really nning something, she would have enough time toy the groundwork to some extent.


    About six months had passed, making me wonder if I could say that something was starting to happen.


    ¡®If you ask if the continent is ready, then, no¡­¡¯


    They were in a hectic situation dealing with the post-war mess. It was too short to heal the wounds, and above all, they didn¡¯t know about the new threat.


    Jung Hayan was busy collecting divinity by making the old men and novice wizards in the magic tower idolize her.


    -I-I-I am the Goddess of Magic. I-I mean¡­ I think I¡¯ve be the Goddess of Magic.


    -Jung Hayan?


    -L-Listen to me! I am the Goddess of Magic!


    ¡®I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the way to do it.¡¯


    -You have to pray. You h-have to pray to me. S-Sora is an angel that serves me, okay?


    -Jung Hayan¡­ Suddenly¡­


    -Do you understand?


    -Yes¡­ Hahaha. Yes, we understand, Jung Hayan.


    -You have to pray to me every time you use magic. The same goes for S-Sora. F-First, please follow me. I¡¯ll show you what kind of magic the Goddess of Magic uses. Oh¡­ Before that, you have to pray first. Pray.


    -Um¡­ how¡­


    -I don¡¯t know but pray for now. Deliver a true, sincere prayer.


    The old men at the magic tower who looked at Jung Hayan with warm eyes were praying as she told them, but it was hard to umte divinity.


    Of course, it would work to some extent, but I could assure anyone that it wouldn¡¯t be enough to get up here.


    However, Jung Hayan kept giggling from the small effect.


    Sora, who was next to her, couldn¡¯t figure out what was going on.


    -W-What do you think, Sora?


    -Ah¡­ Yes. I¡­ Yeah¡­


    -If you don¡¯t like the title magic angel, would you like to be called something else?


    -Ah¡­ Yes. I¡¯ll think about it.


    Cha Hee-ra was busy drinking and sleeping all day long.


    Those who participated in the war went into a long break thinking that the battle was finally over, and in Kim Hyunsung¡¯s case, he spent most of the time in front of the statue.


    He seemed to be snooping around, thinking that there would be some other way, but none appeared.


    Honestly, he had been living a pretty hard life.


    He thought he would get a hint after building a temple and a statue, but he felt frustrated upon seeing the results because nothing changed.


    -I¡¯m thinking of going into the Mirror Lake, Kiyoung. I might find a way to revive you inside the waves of dimensions.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    It became a habit for him to return to the statue and talk to himself early in the morning or after work.


    It was hard to exin, but he seemed to be having a mental problem. If I hadn¡¯t corrected him to some extent using the Regressor Instruction Manual, he might have be disabled.


    ¡°Junior Kiyoung. W-why don¡¯t we ask the god of sunset light for help? You can exin the situation here to him. Your abilities are limited, but you can convey your voice. Tell him that the continent is in danger. Tell him¡­ to bring you back to life¡­¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s stupid. He can¡¯t say that because of the disgusting things he¡¯s done so far. What¡¯s he going to say?¡±


    ¡®Right. Belial is right. To ask that I want toe back to life is a bit¡­ I¡¯ve already said all of those things down there too. It¡¯ll feel weird¡­ and more than anything¡­¡¯


    It would be difficult for Kim Hyunsung to find another way. I was thinking based on it in the first ce, so I didn¡¯t give Kim Hyunsung any other exnation.


    I was having a hard time figuring out what was going on, exactly what to do, and how I could go back. I expected that part of the bet with Lucifer was taking an important ce, but everything else was shrouded in fog.


    There was no guarantee that it would be beneficial to Kim Hyunsung to know the situation here.


    No, I could bet I would have many things to lose.


    He wasn¡¯t apletely unrted third party. He was the subject and the principal agent of the bet. When I instructed Kim Hyunsung to do something, strictly speaking, it could fix the match between Lucifer and me.


    ¡®That¡¯s why it¡¯s not possible to know what the penalty is.¡¯


    In fact, besides that, there was a small reason that didn¡¯t need to be exined.


    ¡°T-Then, should I send an oracle? I-I can¡¯t afford it right now, though¡­¡±


    ¡®I don¡¯t know¡­¡¯


    Since things haven¡¯t happened yet, I couldn¡¯t figure out what to say.


    In fact, Jihye¡¯s aspirations weren¡¯t weak enough to be put a stop to with just a simple oracle.


    ¡®Will it be ready by sending an oracle to make everyone prepare?¡¯


    No matter what Benignore did, she wouldn¡¯t be able to manage it.


    The oracle to prepare for the invasion of the outer god was convincing since it was an external threat. How would I exin the kind of invasion stemming from someone like Lee Jihye?


    It was the same as ordering them to prepare for a growing disease inside.


    They could be careful, but they wouldn¡¯t know what kind of disease they were preparing for, and I could bet that it would win before they could fully counter it in that sense.


    ¡®How do I stop her?¡¯


    I needed hands and feet.


    It seemed I needed a way to influence the continent.


    ¡®I have to stop the masked trash, who is burning with revenge.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t think I could stop Lee Jihye in this state. If sending a few oracles was all I would do to intervene, I could never stop her. I didn¡¯t know if we could even fight, and it was like ying a game of chess without the knights and the pawns.


    If Jihye were just any random viin, I wouldn¡¯t care much, but I was nervous since she was the masked trash. Belial¡¯s voice reached me as I tapped my thighs.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the point?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have to find a human who will be your limbs?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s simr.¡±


    ¡®Originally, that was going to be Jihye. Fuck.¡¯


    ¡°It will be easier to talk to them if you did.¡±


    ¡®How does that make it easier?¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s going to have to be a bit of an investment, but it¡¯s going to be more profitable than fixing it after things happen.¡±


    ¡°How can it be done?¡±


    Benignore and Belial made eye contact. Benignore, confused at first, began agreeing with him with a bright smile soon after.


    ¡°Oh¡­ Right! There¡¯s a way!¡±


    ¡®What is it? Why are only you guys having fun? Fuck, let me have some fun too.¡¯


    ¡°Tell me, please.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve still got a long way ahead of you, considering you don¡¯t even know something so basic¡­¡±


    ¡®You couldn¡¯t even remember it until just a little while ago.¡±


    ¡°Think. What are the ways we can influence humans?¡±


    ¡°Through quests? Oracles?¡±


    ¡°Too much. In this space right now, it¡¯s impossible to send quests¡­ It¡¯s hard to constantly look after things like oracles or advents. It doesn¡¯t fit into our budget too¡­ Both are correct answers, but not exactly the answer that you need. What is the way to continuously take care of the continent? Think again, junior Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    Pretending to be my senior, she looked confident, but unfortunately, it was impossible to respond to that riddle. Benignore urgently spoke as she looked at Belial as if asking for a quick answer.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°A warrior.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°We have to send a holy sword. It¡¯s about setting up a representative of the gods.¡±


    Just in time, I saw a person walking in front of the statue.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°In her case, she would be our Holy Lance.¡±


    -How are you, Vice Guild Master? No¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -Kiyoung.


    With this, I could see Cho Hyejin speaking quietly.

 Chapter 784: The Last (17)

    <h4>Chapter 784: The Last (17)</h4>


    Since the temple and statue were created, many people visited them. Basically, they were open to everyone.


    There were so many believersing, but only a limited number of people could enter.


    Essentially, the supplies weren¡¯t enough to satisfy the demand. No, that wasn¡¯t exactly the case when I thought about it.


    Out of the 24 hours in a day, the temple was opened to the general public for about 3 hours. It was announced that it would be increased to 5 hours on holidays or weekends, but that wouldn¡¯t be enough either.


    That created a situation where only a limited number of believers were allowed to enter. In order to enter the temple and see the statue, it was necessary to go through a very strict procedure as well.


    It was harder to enter Kiyoung¡¯s temple than obtain an entry visa from another country for nonsensical reasons.


    It wasmon for believers who came to see the statue once from a distant ce to return without getting any results.


    Considering that there were times when they didn¡¯t open the temple itself due to difficult situations, I thought about whether the Blue Guild was interfering with my business with all their power.


    At that level, it was really no different than business interference.


    ¡®It¡¯s a bit too much to spend 21 hours taking turns to visit me among the members.¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung and Jung Hayan, who owned very high stakes, did not need to go through the same procedure because they lived almost in the temple. Park Deokgu, the pig bastard, was the same¡­


    In addition, there was a separate time for exposition exclusive to several guild members or major figures rted to the Blue Guild¡­


    ¡®They¡¯re bing really stagnant due to that. No, not just stagnant. They¡¯re bing rotten.¡¯


    It would be quite a miracle to see the temple gates opening to the publicpletely.


    At least Cho Hyejin, who owned the same share as Jung Hayan and Kim Hyunsung, wasn¡¯t stuck there every day, but sometimes she woulde to the temple to spend a lot of time.


    -I was a bit busy today.


    ¡®Yeah, I know. Fuck, who else would be doing the right thing there right now if not you? Is manager Kim Mi-young okay? She¡¯s not going to copse from overwork, right? No, you¡¯re not going to copse from overwork, too, are you?¡¯


    Of course, considering Cho Hyejin¡¯s stamina, that wouldn¡¯t happen.


    -The guild¡¯s financial status doesn¡¯t make sense. I don¡¯t know why there are so many things we need to spend on¡­ We have to build another temple, but we don¡¯t have the necessary funds. I guess we should start charging the entrance fee for entering the temple. If it were you, you would have told us to do that, but¡­


    No, even I wouldn¡¯t have the courage to enforce an entrance fee. It¡¯d be pretty good if they could get it as donations or offerings or something instead.


    -Anyway, it seems that I¡¯m getting used to you not being here. Still, I miss you sometimes¡­ The same goes for all the others. In fact, I thought the moment I felt before would keep going, but it didn¡¯t.


    Really?


    -I miss going out and having a drink and ying chess. I end up just lying in bed and thinking nkly now, you know? I wonder what I would be doing now if you were here. At least, the guild wouldn¡¯t have had any financial problems.


    Of course, it wouldn¡¯t. Fuck.


    -If the donations hadn¡¯t arrived, it might have been really dangerous for us. Have you heard about the Friendship Guild?


    ¡®Did they support too? Fuck, you live and you learn. That¡¯s why people have to live nicely.¡¯


    Had I ever told them about the Friendship Guild? I helped them in the past. That¡¯s what we were getting in return now.


    -Anyway, I live like that. Recently, there is news that dungeons have been discovered around, so we are preparing for an expedition little by little. The Guild Master didn¡¯t seem to be interested, but what can I do? Hyunsung must be the one having the hardest time¡­


    ¡®Look at her just calling him Hyunsung.¡¯


    Strictly speaking, Cho Hyejin was a Nuna to Kim Hyunsung. Of course, considering that Kim Hyunsung was a regressor, he might be older than her, but at least I felt that Cho Hyejin was more mature.


    In fact, he didn¡¯t have any mental growth in the first timeline but had mental breakdowns instead¡­


    Whenever Cho Hyejin talked to herself in front of the statue for a long time, there were times when I wondered if she had be toofortable.


    Well, I liked it, but she seemed to think I wasn¡¯t listening. Or maybe she thought that Lee Kiyoung¡¯s personality had be a little more mature. Or she justpletely changed.


    To think of that ce as her haven, she was no different from others. I was sure she was most reliant on that ce.


    As I saw before, Kim Hyunsung was still the same, and Park Deokgu and Elena spent a lot of time there, but no one was positively influenced like Cho Hyejin.


    ¡®You¡¯ve gotten a lot better.¡¯


    The difference between the way she was broken when I first saw her and now was huge. She seemed to have solved her personal problems too¡­ In this part, Alps¡¯s role, who continued to take care of her, yed a big part, but it was the statue of Lee Kiyoung that gave the final blow.


    ¡°But, Beningore, how can we send the Holy Lance? Do you have the necessary equipment?¡±


    ¡°W-Well¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh,e to think of it, don¡¯t you have a spear?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ you mean mine?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t send them mine. I think it¡¯s more meaningful if you send it directly¡­ My spear has some of its information left at the Benignore Church. Others will probably notice. It¡¯s not because I don¡¯t want to lend it¡­ it¡¯s just that things might beplicated.¡±


    ¡°We have to find a way to save divinity. It was already hard to send the Holy Sword. If we send your spear instead¡­¡±


    ¡°I think it would be good to think of it as an investment¡­ Oh! First, it would be good to find out if there is a good offer.¡±


    ¡°Where do you want to find out?¡±


    ¡°Oh, we have a market that we can use. We need a mythic-grade spear¡­ Actually, we can¡¯t send something too expensive. It would be nice to set the price at this level. I don¡¯t know if I can find something that fits the conditions¡­ Still, there will be properties that no one is looking for. In the case of a spear, it¡¯s not as popr as a sword, so it¡¯s not a favorite thing for managers on other continents.¡±


    ¡°Please choose a good one.¡±


    Still, I was giving it to a friend, so I didn¡¯t want to argue about the cost-effectiveness. Even if it were a little over budget, it would be better to give a good gift.


    ¡°This is the cheapest on sale right now.¡±


    ¡°Can we raise the price¡­?¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t buy something too expensive. With our budget, this is the limit. Of course, if you wait a few more years¡­¡±


    Unfortunately, there was no time for that. I looked at the spear floating over Benignore¡¯s palm, but it didn¡¯t satisfy me. I was curious about how that was even evaluated as mythic-grade. It had no other abilities except that it wouldn¡¯t ever break.


    It suited Cho Hyejin well, but it felt like something wascking.


    ¡°What should I do? Should I buy it now? By registering you as the owner, you¡¯ll be able to add shapes or functions, but it¡¯ll be limited. Really limited¡­¡±


    ¡°It would be better to do that.¡±


    I thought that even a delivery man woulde, but that wasn¡¯t what happened. A bright emerged from her hand in an instant and turned into a spear. To be honest¡­


    ¡®I don¡¯t know anything indeed.¡¯


    I thought I had a rough idea of ??how things were going around here, but there was still a lot I didn¡¯t know. After putting my hand on it, it immediately registered me as its owner, and I started customizing it to my liking.


    It was hard to edit the functions, but I wanted to change the appearance to something smooth and stylish.


    ¡®Ah, for some reason, it doesn¡¯t look cool¡­¡¯


    ¡°T-That¡¯s cool. I-It looks so sacred.¡±


    But I didn¡¯t think Cho Hyejin would like it. It might be too much, but it would be nice to change the speartip to her favorite color.


    ¡°T-The color is a bit¡­¡±


    ¡°No. I think this is just fine.¡±


    Cho Hyejin was still sitting next to the statue and was still talking.


    -Still, it seems to be better than before, but it¡¯s just¡­ Anyway, it would be nice if Hyunsung quickly regains himself¡­ Am I being too greedy? I have changed a lot from before. Actually, I don¡¯t y chess that much these days. I don¡¯t have time because I¡¯m busy every day, and¡­ I don¡¯t have anyone to y with. More than anything else, I keep thinking of you. I don¡¯t know where or what Jihye is doing either¡­


    ¡®If you keep saying that kind of thing, I¡¯ll be moved.¡¯


    -Oh! And Hyunsung seems to think that he is your soulmate. Isn¡¯t that funny?


    ¡®Both of you aren¡¯t.¡¯


    -What you said that day felt a littleforting. No, itforted me a lot. It served as momentum for me to get back on my feet¡­ I don¡¯t know if you really have forgiven my sorrow and sins, but it made me feel more at ease. Yes¡­ really¡­


    -¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Cho Hyejin went silent.


    She was hesitating. Her lips were shaking. Then, she sighed and looked up at the statue.


    -It¡¯s possible for you toe back, right?


    ¡®I guess?¡¯


    -As you may have heard, Hyunsung will make sure you¡¯ll return. He says every day that it should be possible, that he¡¯ll find a way, but¡­ I¡¯m not sure. Is there really a way, or are we just holding onto a ridiculous hope? I really want you toe back.


    ¡®I wish I can go back too, Hyejin.¡¯


    -The fact is¡­ Actually, it¡¯s still too difficult¡­ Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­ really¡­ It¡¯s too hard¡­ I thought it would be okay, but I guess that won¡¯t happen. I thought it would disappear over time, but it didn¡¯t. It feels like one side of my chest is empty. It¡¯s so hard now that I don¡¯t have anyone to chat with to get something off my chest. I lost many people, but you must have been more important to me than I thought. I thought you were just an annoying bastard¡­


    ¡®No¡­¡¯


    -I thought you were a trash bastard, an asshole¡­ that I didn¡¯t ever want to be associated with¡­ Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­


    That was too harsh.


    -I thought you were a really disgusting insect¡­ a son of a bitch¡­


    ¡®That¡¯s enough. Fuck.¡¯


    -Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­


    ¡®No, I think you can do a little better than that.¡¯


    It hurt to see her crying without saying anything. I was still human, after all.


    She couldn¡¯t see the statue properly and only shed tears.


    Cho Hyejin¡¯s cries continued to fill the temple. I thought I couldn¡¯t leave her like that anymore, so I immediately started preparing to send the spear I had prepared.


    Cho Hyejin didn¡¯t seem to notice, but the statue began to shine brightly.


    There was a lot of curiosity in her eyes as she slowly looked up, feeling something strange.


    -Huh¡­


    She just made that sound and said nothing else.


    Hyejin picked up the hand mirror to get in contact with someone in a hurry, but she soon began to look up quietly. She knew that I had something to say to her.


    She wouldn¡¯t want things to getplicated either.


    -Vice Guild Master¡­?


    The prepared spear fell into the temple.


    Boooooooom!!


    A spear with a blue de struck the ground with a thunderous sound.


    Because of the shockwave, Cho Hyejin had to cover her face, but her eyes were surely looking at the spear.


    There was no way she couldn¡¯t notice the subdued energy.


    She seemed to be speechless, but she soon began to slowly approach the spear as if possessed by something.


    It was a scene that could be a story. If that moment were told in the future, she would leave her mark in history as the envoy chosen by God.


    The earth was surrounded by light, and with every step she took, the light was lifted.


    I didn¡¯t know if she¡¯d like the spear I customized, but I thought she would at least like its appearance. She wiped the tears and slowly reached out to it.


    And¡­


    ¡°Are you crying?¡±


    -Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­


    ¡°Are you crying now?¡±


    -Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­


    ¡°Are you crying, Hyejin?¡±


    -Who¡­ Who¡­ said¡­ Who said¡­ Sniff¡­ I¡¯m crying¡­


    ¡°You seem to be crying¡­¡±


    -I¡¯m not crying¡­ Sniff¡­ I¡¯m not crying¡­ hic¡­ I¡¯m not crying¡­

 Chapter 785: The Last (18)

    <h4>Chapter 785: The Last (18)</h4>


    Cho Hyejin exhaled slowly, calming herself down. The way she held the spear tightly in her hand, almost as if she was trying to shatter it, stood out.


    It didn¡¯t mean that it would disappear just by letting it off her hand, and I feel it¡¯s not like her to keep holding the spear in her hand.


    As a warrior chosen by a god, I was pleased with the appropriate actions, but I couldn¡¯t show it. My head hurt just by thinking of exining the current situation¡­ my head hurt.


    I wondered if we could have a businesslike rtionship and take care of things, but I considered it necessary to exin what was happening in detail as it was a work that required close cooperation.


    -Sigh¡­


    I could see her exhaling again. There was a faint smile on her face. She would have liked that she heard the same voice as usual, rather than the fact that she was chosen as the warrior by Lee Kiyoung after the spear suddenly descended from the sky.


    -Vice Guild Master¡­ This¡­ What¡¯s going on?


    ¡°What do you mean? As what happened now, Hyejin has been chosen as my representative. I used the tremendous power of light to send the sacred spear, and you epted it.¡±


    -I¡¯m not asking that. Was this the reason you came to me?


    ¡°No. Not necessarily¡­¡±


    ¡®I¡¯m saying that it¡¯s not you.¡¯


    -Are you doing well? What¡¯s your exact situation right now? Did you really be a god? Can youe back? What the hell was that cringing voice tone when you were inside the statue, and what are you doing currently?


    ¡®Why is she talking so fast?¡¯


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why you have so many questions, but let¡¯s take it slow, like really slow. I¡¯m not going anywhere. First, bring a chessboard. The one in my room¡­ bring the one Hyunsung gifted me. No. You don¡¯t even have to. We don¡¯t have to look at the statue anyway¡­¡±


    -How can you think about chess in this situation? Sniff¡­


    ¡®No, why is she crying again?¡¯


    There seemed to be a misunderstanding. Seeing that Hyejin said she wouldn¡¯t y chess now, it seemed that she thought I was going to ask her for a match.


    ¡®Ah, it¡¯s not that.¡¯


    It was just that I was bored, and I wanted the conversation going forward to run a little smoother.


    If we talked while ying a game, it would create a nice and calm atmosphere. Remembering the old days after a long time and drenching in our memories would be nice.


    -The key to the Vice Guild Master¡¯s room is managed by the Guild Master. I think it¡¯s better to go to my room. No, first, this¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Keep it a secret for now. It¡¯ll be revealed soon, but I don¡¯t think we should make things as big as announcing it officially¡­ You don¡¯t want to announce it to the entire continent, do you?¡±


    -It doesn¡¯t really matter, but it¡¯s better to do that. Anyway, you suddenly dropped something like this at this time¡­


    ¡°A warrior had to appear. I also needed a representative¡­ Oh, move quickly. I¡¯ll slowly tell you what you¡¯re curious about.¡±


    Cho Hyejin bit her lips and walked. She looked a little dissatisfied. Well, I could understand. She would be annoyed since she wanted answers to so many things, and I didn¡¯t tell her anything.


    -For your information, I won¡¯t be able to keep hiding it. Tomorrow morning, other people will already be asking about the phenomenon that happened inside the temple. They will also ask about the spear I have in my hand.


    ¡°Do you think I don¡¯t know that? Just tell them that I have chosen you and have be my representative, and they will understand. Oh! First, we should agree on what you will say. Don¡¯t exin the details, just that you received a gift. I think you just need to exin that much.¡±


    -I don¡¯t know if they¡¯ll be satisfied with just that, but¡­


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave that to your discretion. Anyway, I miss this.¡±


    Cho Hyejin nodded as if agreeing with me. She probably missed this too.


    I remembered that the little table that we often sat on almost always had a chessboard on it.


    We used to have a ss of wine and talked about many things or yed games in silence.


    There was nothing on the table now, but when Cho Hyejin took out the chessboard from the drawer, it honestly felt like I was back.


    -A ss of wine¡­ Ah. I¡¯m sorry.


    ¡°Yes. I can¡¯t drink it now. I¡¯ll just receive the sentiment in gratitude. Oh, but still put two sses on it. I think that would be nice for old times¡¯ sake.


    -Yes¡­ It would be nice to do that.


    Originally, it was my job to set the ss and choose the wine¡­ I couldn¡¯t move from here, so I had to leave everything to her.


    -What¡­ should I drink¡­


    Seeing a lot of empty bottles piled up in the corner, she had probably been drinking a lot.


    She brought back a bottle, and she filled the ss delightfully.


    I knew why Cho Hyejin was making that expression. She probably felt like she had regained her lost routine. I couldn¡¯t even find a trace of the crying expression that she wore up until now. She seemed to be remarkably excited.


    -The Vice Guild Master can¡¯t drink it, but¡­ can you at least move your pieces?


    ¡°What a stupid question. Of course, you must move my pieces as well. Don¡¯t move it somewhere else on purpose. I¡¯m telling you that even if you¡¯re losing, don¡¯t do anything shameful and dirty. ept your defeat humbly. Do you understand?¡±


    -I won¡¯t do that.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s start. First, I will move the pawn. Let¡¯s see how much your skills have deteriorated.¡±


    -Now I can yfortably with you.


    ¡®Look at her.¡¯


    Cho Hyejin seemed to be focusing on the game. She might feel ufortable moving my pieces as well, but she was focused enough to keep her eyes on the board.


    When she raised the ss and realized that there was no one else to clink her ss with, sheughed awkwardly.


    ¡°Just bring it over this side.¡±


    She bumped her ss against mine after setting it opposite to her.


    -You seem to have improved a bit. Do you y it there sometimes?


    ¡°Not a chance. It¡¯s talent, you know. Talent. This game is supposed to turn into a realm of talent after a certain point.¡±


    -You haven¡¯t changed.


    ¡°Hahaha.¡±


    -So¡­


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    -I think it¡¯s time to tell me now¡­ What happened?


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I don¡¯t know where to start¡­¡±


    -How did you die? No, are you really dead?


    ¡°I can¡¯t say for sure. It seems right to say that I am physically dead. Human Lee Kiyoung certainly has died. Oh, haven¡¯t you heard why I died?¡±


    -I¡¯ve heard, but¡­


    ¡°As Hyunsung said, he indeed stabbed me. Oh! You don¡¯t need to be shocked. At the time, Hyunsung was affected by mental magic. He didn¡¯t even stab me on purpose. Honestly, it was a situation that I even wanted. Did I tell you? That means that the continent could win the war at my expense. I knew I was going to get stabbed by him. That was one of the conditions to win. Don¡¯t ask how I knew. It¡¯ll take us a lot of time to finish the story. Anyway, I knew I was going to die.¡±


    -That¡¯s¡­


    ¡°The saint¡¯s self-sacrifice for the continent had always been pre-destined. Because of my sacrifice, the continent was able to win. I just followed the nned guidelines. One problem is¡­¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know I was going to be in this kind of situation.¡±


    -I don¡¯t know what you mean by that.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know I would rise to the heavens. In fact, there is a reason for making judgments that might have made me seem stupid. I believed that I wouldn¡¯t die.¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°The only basis for that faith was that what I had nned wouldn¡¯t go wrong. I was almost certain. I would never die. It was before I lost my memory, but I thought I wouldn¡¯t do any harm to myself.¡±


    -I¡¯m still not sure what you mean.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but it seemed like I had a contract with a demon. It¡¯s a bet on whether Hyunsung will stab me or not.¡±


    -What?


    ¡°I thought that if Hyunsung stabbed me, it would help Lucifer deal with the outer beings.¡±


    -What does that¡­


    ¡°After that, I realized that something was weird. I realized it as I was dying. The sunset hero stood up without Lucifer¡¯s help and seeded in driving away the outer god. After that, I couldn¡¯t tell what I was supposed to do. One thing is certain. I didn¡¯t want her intervention in the first ce. Topletely liberate the continent from the grip of the devil, to separatepletely from external intervention¡­ I btedly realized that those were my purpose.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I have limitedmunication with the continent. Hyunsung, whose characteristics continue to be maintained, and Hyejin, who just became my representative today, are my onlymunication channels. It isn¡¯t possible to stabilize connections under the current situation, and it is very burdensome to show up on a statue and send an oracle.¡±


    I could see Cho Hyejin quietly looking at the spear. She seemed speechless. She seemed confused about what to say first.


    I didn¡¯t know if she even understood everything I said. Honestly, I also couldn¡¯t fathom the situations I listed.


    ¡®She seems to understand, though.¡¯


    -Are you avoiding the possibility of contacting the demon named Lucifer?


    ¡°Something like that.¡¯


    -The contents of the contract may be that the Guild Master stabs the Vice Guild Master. If the reward weren¡¯t the power to deal with foreign beings, but your resurrection¡­ inevitably, there would¡¯ve been situations where you would get help from Lucifer.


    ¡°Yes. You¡¯re right. What I¡¯m thinking is a slightly different possibility, but that reason is also included.¡±


    -If you get Lucifer¡¯s help, do you mean that the demon will intervene in the continent?


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s also right.¡±


    -You were looking for a way toe back on your own.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    -That¡­ That way is¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m still looking for it. What is clear is that I cane back there. I believe in my past self. It¡¯s on me that I have encountered an unexpected situation, but I believe that the error is part of my calctions. It¡¯s a fixed story for me toe back, and I won¡¯t get any help from Lucifer in the process. I wonder if this situation was also what I intended before I lost my memory.¡±


    -Is that true?


    ¡°Yes, there was an arrangement. I prepared a space for me to gain time. I epted this as finding a way to go back and getting ready to screw with Lucifer. Oh, of course, I can¡¯t do it alone. I also need help from down there.¡±


    -So you sent me the spear?


    ¡°Yes. Of course, there are other reasons as well. There is something we need to stop. In fact, I didn¡¯t know that things would go awry as soon as the big war was over, but someone is nning to destroy the continentpletely.¡±


    -What?


    ¡°Actually, you also know her.¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s Lee Jihye.¡±


    -What are you¡­


    ¡°Have you heard of regression? It seemed like she thought it was possible to return everything to the beginning. I can¡¯t see her even when I seek from above¡­ Anyway, that¡¯s it. Let¡¯s try to stop them together.¡±


    -What¡­ What do you mean¡­ you mean¡­ Jihye? I mean¡­ why would Jihye suddenly¡­


    She looked like she couldn¡¯t believe it. That was understandable.


    ¡®Ah¡­¡¯


    She seemed to be very disconcerted. Still looking confused, she probably couldn¡¯t ept that Lee Jihye would act that way, even in her dreams.


    -That¡¯s nonsense¡­ nonsense¡­


    ¡°If we don¡¯t stop her, everything will really copse. That¡¯s how serious the situation is.¡±


    -There is no way Jihye would think that. Didn¡¯t you just misunderstand something? She¡¯s not the one to do that.


    I had to say something to convince her. That woman was good at making a good impression, after all.


    ¡°I am not totally sure, but¡­¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°Perhaps a demon was involved here as well.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t even lying at this point.

 Chapter 786: The Last (19)

    <h4>Chapter 786: The Last (19)</h4>


    -Vice Guild Master?


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -If what you said is true, wouldn¡¯t it be better to inform the Guild Master?


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -Vice Guild Master? Vice Guild Master?


    ¡°That conversation ended yesterday. It¡¯s early in the morning¡­¡±


    -Oh, sorry. You must be tired¡­


    ¡°No¡­ You don¡¯t have to apologize.¡±


    In fact, I wasn¡¯t that tired.


    -After yesterday¡¯s conversation¡­ I thought about it a little. If Jihye really is being used by a demon, as you said, and the continent is in danger again, wouldn¡¯t it be better to let the guild take the job?


    ¡°I don¡¯t want Hyunsung to know.¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -Is there any reason he shouldn¡¯t know?


    ¡°Is there any reason for him to know? Are you really hoping for that? Don¡¯t make someone upset. Let him do what he wants to do. Instead of talking about this kind of thing, let¡¯s start with the business as soon as possible. We can¡¯t do anything about financial problems right away, but we still have to stop what we can. You said the guild is on the verge of going bankrupt.¡±


    -The guild is indeed busy with work but in this situation¡­


    ¡°What I¡¯m saying is that there¡¯s nothing we can do right now. I told you to think of it as a chess rule. Lee Jihye is white, and we are ck. It is her who has the right to make the first move. We need to focus on what we can do at this moment.¡±


    -Then¡­ What should I report to the Guild Master? He will learn of this anyway. If the situation you told me about really happens¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you that you don¡¯t have to worry about Hyunsung. We can just go with the resurrection bait.¡±


    -Guild Master will never close his eyes to this problem.


    No, he definitely would.


    I would send him somewhere out of reach of news. Around the time the situation exploded, Kim Hyunsung would probably be busy trying to solve my fake quest.


    Of course, he wouldn¡¯t ignore continental crises, but the whole continent wouldn¡¯t be engulfed by war anyway. Hence, I judged that it was only proper to solve the problem before it could reach its peak.


    I didn¡¯t think there would be a situation where Kim Hyunsung would intervene and slit Lee Jihye¡¯s throat open, but I didn¡¯t know how things would unfold.


    The masked hero wasn¡¯t just a single person.


    What would happen if he knew that Lee Jihye was the brigade trash?


    ¡®If he just bes hostile, it will be fortunate.¡¯


    The moment Kim Hyunsung caught wind of the second regression operation, it would be difficult to predict how he would react.


    The possibility was slim and unlikely to happen, but maybe he¡¯d try to find a way to join the brigade.


    I didn¡¯t know if Lee Jihye would approve of it, but who knows.


    ¡®Brigade Hyunsung would be too much.¡¯


    Doom Hyunsung, Greyskull Hyusung, Corrupted Doom Hyunsung. I had seen all kinds of transformations, but Brigade Hyunsung would be too much.


    Considering he wanted to regress at the expense of his own life, that might have meant he was really going to make extreme choices.


    ¡°You need to limit the information.¡±


    ¡®We need to limit the information that Kim Hyunsung can gain. He may be acting that way because he still hasn¡¯t realized he could get up here.¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung had already be a deity at this point. If he took a few steps towards it, he might find a way toe up.


    It didn¡¯t matter if it was about regression, about Lee Jihye, about divinity, or godhood. If Kim Hyunsung learned about those, he mightplicate things even more.


    Just being a strong supporting character was already enough.


    ¡®I¡¯ll take care of all the rest. You just keep earning tons of divinity¡­¡¯


    The expression ¡®limiting information¡¯ seemed a bit cruel after pondering about it.


    It would be a little more appropriate to express that we were just helping him with all we could to focus on his work. If such information reached him, he would walk a different path, making him susceptible to falling into temptation easily.


    I saw it as an unavoidable choice for the continent and the Blue Guild.


    -Still¡­


    ¡°I would¡¯ve reconsidered your words, but we really have no choice. I¡¯ll instruct Hyunsung to do something else. Don¡¯t bother. Oh, ande to think of it¡­¡±


    I heard someone knocking on the door.


    -Hyejin. It¡¯s me.


    ¡®This bastard came too early.¡¯


    I thought it was fortunate that he didn¡¯te over at dawn yesterday. He had probably already heard the news from the guild staff¡­


    Cho Hyejin and I had a short talk and sent a message to him, after all.


    It was just a brief report, though, since it couldn¡¯t be hidden anyway. Considering it waste at night, he probably didn¡¯te running right away, but I guessed he could no longer stand it.


    -Yes. I¡¯ll be out soon, Guild Master.


    -Okay.


    Cho Hyejin couldn¡¯t see Kim Hyunsung, but I could. He was pacing around impatiently. It was fun to look at him like that in front of the door.


    It was a small clue that came out after the word soulmate. He was probably thinking about a lot.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous, just say what we agreed on.¡±


    Cho Hyejin nodded. Hesitating in front of the door and checking herself on the mirror behind her, it seemed that she still liked Kim Hyunsung.


    She looked like she got embarrassed for a moment because I might be looking at her. She opened the door after fixing her hair.


    -Guild Master.


    -Hyejin. Sorry foring here early in the morning.


    -No. It¡¯s fine, Guild Master. I was just about to contact you. Like I said yesterday¡­


    -Ah¡­ Yes. Let¡¯s go outside first.


    -Yes.


    His gaze was fixed on the spear.


    ¡®Why are you staring at it like that? You¡¯ll burn a hole through it with your eyes.¡¯


    He constantly nced at it while they were walking.


    -So¡­


    -It happened yesterday evening. The spear suddenly fell from the sky, and I heard a voice saying that I was chosen as the Vice Guild Master¡¯s representative.


    -Is that so? If it¡¯s okay, can you tell me what you said in front of the statue?


    -It was just the same prayer as usual. I was telling him what happened in the day¡­


    -I see. Did he say anything else?


    -Maybe little by little, the oracles wille.


    -I see¡­


    -It probably has something to do with the clue.


    -Yes. I was thinking the same way.


    They didn¡¯t seem to have a specific destination.


    Usually, they would go into the office and talk, but they moved away from it as they conversed instead. It would be nice if they talked while eating breakfast, but they were busy having a serious conversation.


    In the end, the ce where Kim Hyunsung and Cho Hyejin stopped was the outdoor training ground of the Blue Guild. I could see them talking after sitting down on a chair.


    ¡®Cho Hyejin has a talent for lying.¡¯


    The way she said the words we had prepared was no different from Jihye or me. She was so natural at it that it was probably why we felt connected with Cho Hyejin.


    She was spitting out the prepared lines without hesitation, and there was no disturbance in her breathing.


    -Perhaps he responded to our voices. I¡¯m not sure of it yet, but I think the Vice Guild Master might be looking for a way too. No, to be precise, I definitely felt it. He also wants toe back.


    -Can you feel that too?


    -Ah¡­ Yes. It¡¯s a difficult sensation to exin in detail. But being a representative of a god¡­


    -Can I touch the spear for a minute?


    ¡®Somehow, I just knew he would ask that.¡¯


    Usually, such a statement would be rude, considering the continent¡¯s basic etiquettes. However, in the Blue Guild, it was a request that wasn¡¯t that hard to ask for. Cho Hyejin gently nodded and slowly passed him the spear.


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s face seemed to be noticeably tense. Swallowing hard, he reached out to it. However¡­


    ¡®It won¡¯t work, right?¡¯


    Baaaang!


    With that sound, waves began to spread out around it. Cho Hyejin¡¯s hair and Kim Hyunsung¡¯s cloak fluttered profusely.


    The spear was refusing to be touched by anyone other than the owner.


    If he were an ordinary person, no, even if he were a strong adventurer, it would¡¯ve been enough to throw his body away.


    The bastard was visibly holding on with all his might. I felt his will to never take his hand off of its shaft.


    With a crackling sound, the ground on which Kim Hyunsung was stepping began to sink.


    I couldn¡¯t understand why he didn¡¯t want to let go of the spear despite its resistance. Honestly, there was no way he couldn¡¯t know that it was rejecting him.


    -Guild Master?


    -Wait¡­ I¡¯m looking at it.


    ¡®I don¡¯t think you¡¯re just looking at it.¡¯


    In the end, he was even using magic power and divinity. One problem was¡­


    ¡®What? Fuck, why does it hurt? Why does it hurt? Why¡­¡¯


    I felt a tingling pain all over my body.


    ¡®Wait, stop. Fuck. You can¡¯t try to force it like that. Fuck. Stop. Stop.¡¯


    ¡°Ahhhhhh!¡±


    He was biting his lips tightly as he tried to suppress it somehow. No, fuck, he wasn¡¯t just suppressing it. He seemed to be trying to push it down.


    ¡®No, fuck, don¡¯t do this. Son of a bitch! Fuck¡­ gosh¡­¡¯


    The ridiculous event ended only after Cho Hyejin reached out to it again.


    ¡®Fuck¡­ Fuck¡­¡¯


    -¡­


    -It¡¯s a good¡­ spear.


    As if nothing had happened, he quietly walked and suddenly picked up a spear on one side of the training center. I didn¡¯t know what he was trying to do, slowly pointing it at her. Why did he look like he was protesting?


    Hyunsung seemed to be saying that he could use a spear, too, and that he was only a bit less familiar with it than a sword, that he was quite good at it.


    ¡®What can¡¯t this bastard do?¡¯


    In fact, he looked adept with it even though his stance was simple. Cho Hyejin, who had a deep knowledge of spearmanship, acknowledged Kim Hyunsung, and I didn¡¯t know much, but based on her expression, he probably was good at it.


    -I used to use spears in the past. It¡¯s been a while, so I¡¯m no longer used to it.


    -Ah¡­ I see.


    -Wait¡­ Can I touch it again, just for a minute?


    ¡°Don¡¯t give it to him.¡±


    -I-I¡¯m sorry, Guild Master.


    -Just once more¡­ please. I have something¡­ to check¡­


    -It looks like the spear doesn¡¯t want to. I¡¯d love to let you, but¡­


    -That¡¯s a shame.


    -I¡¯m sorry.


    -No. Rather, I am¡­


    The situation had be really awkward.


    Kim Hyunsung seemed to have a sense of what he was trying to do. Besides regret, embarrassment and shame were evident on his face. Elena, approaching from far away, broke the awkward silence thatsted for a while as both avoided each other¡¯s gaze.


    ¡®Oh, she¡¯sing.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know what news she brought, but I didn¡¯t think it was good news. Of course, I got the gist of it.


    ¡®Has it started?¡¯


    At this point, Lee Jihye had begun to act.

 Chapter 787: The Last (20)

    <h4>Chapter 787: The Last (20)</h4>


    I had to be a little nervous. No, rather than nervous, I was curious. I wasn¡¯t sure where Jihye would start or what she would do first.


    Although I had some ces in mind, I couldn¡¯t guarantee anything.


    ¡®It won¡¯t be the State or Lindel, right?¡¯


    She wouldn¡¯t do something stupid enough to throw a bomb right in the middle of the ce where the human power was concentrated.


    The continent was wide, and there was a lot she could do. It was clear that she wouldn¡¯t begin with an attack against a highly dangerous location. That was what I meant by Jihye having the right to attack first.


    She could slowly roll very small snowballs, or she could throw big bombs from the start. Although it might be a bit extreme, she could even start from ces that hadn¡¯t even been drawn on the map. There was a lot of emotion mixed in Elena¡¯s face, who was running in a hurry. She looked like she couldn¡¯t believe it.


    Cho Hyejin gazed at her while holding the spear. Kim Hyunsung did the same.


    ¡®Oh,e to think of it¡­ I have to send that bastard somewhere faraway.¡¯


    I decided to exclude him from the current situation if possible. Elena stopped in front of Cho Hyejin Cho and Kim Hyunsung, catching her breath. It looked like she wanted to say something.


    -Guild Master¡­ Sigh¡­ Sigh¡­


    At that moment¡­


    [Sunset Swordsman.]


    When I said that, Kim Hyunsung looked surprised. Perhaps because it had been a long time since he had heard my voice, he was looking around.


    -Do you¡­ Do you have a minute? I have something to tell you¡­


    [Can you hear my voice, Sunset Swordsman?]


    Although I saw a face that seemed to be troubled for a moment¡­


    ¡®I mean, do you even have to think?¡¯


    -Guild Master?


    ¡®You don¡¯t have time, do you? I called you, after all. Can you still talk to Elena over there? My voice may be cut off in a little while¡­ I should be prioritized, shouldn¡¯t I?¡¯


    [Sunset Swordsman?]


    -I¡¯m sorry, Elena. If you have anything to say, please tell Hyejin first. I¡¯ll make sure to listen to itter. It¡¯s just¡­ I heard Kiyoung¡¯s voice.


    -Ah¡­ okay.


    -I¡¯ll be back in a minute.


    There was no sign of disappointment on Elena¡¯s face. It seemed that she thought I was calling Kim Hyunsung because of what just happened.


    As he ran towards the temple without looking back, a sigh came out of me, and it felt good.


    I thought he would kick the door and walk into the temple, but he stopped at the main gate instead.


    Kim Hyunsung, who was pacing back and forth, suddenly lowered his Durendal to the ground.


    I didn¡¯t know why he suddenly put his sword down, but¡­ the mythic-grade sword that had been in Kim Hyunsung¡¯s waist throughout most of his journey was abandoned with ease.


    ¡®I can¡¯t afford it, you bastard¡­ I didn¡¯t call you to be the Holy Sword.¡¯


    I wanted to please him, but I couldn¡¯t afford to get another sword right now.


    Even if I didn¡¯t select Kim Hyunsung as my representative, we were connected due to the Regressor Instruction Manual¡­ Even if I forced it a bit and sent a weapon, the limit would be one cheaper than even Juliana, much less Durendal.


    -Kiyoung? Kiyoung?


    [Sunset Swordsman, can you¡­ Can you hear my voice?]


    -Yes. I can hear you. I¡¯m listening.


    [We need¡­]


    -Yes? Kiyoung?


    [We need¡­ help. Your¡­ Your help¡­ ]


    -Kiyoung? Kiyoung!!


    [From the Sunset Swordsman¡­]


    I hadn¡¯t yet decided where to send him, so I pretended that the connection was cut off from here. The light gradually faded from the shining statue.


    Even with that much, he wouldn¡¯t be able to leave the temple, so Jihye¡¯s actions most likely wouldn¡¯t reach his ears.


    He looked full of anxiousness, but I couldn¡¯t afford to focus on Kim Hyunsung right away. When I turned my focus back to the training ground, I saw Cho Hyejin and Elena once again.


    I left him constantly shouting, but I had to focus on this now.


    -I think the Guild Master is also listening to this news. There is no way that Lee Kiyoung, next to Elune, will not know this fact¡­


    -Can you tell me what¡¯s going on?


    ¡®Yes, what¡¯s going on? Fuck.¡¯


    -There¡¯s a problem in Eberia.


    -Yes?


    ¡®Is it the elf kingdom?¡¯


    -The World Tree¡­


    -Yes.


    -I just heard the news¡­ that the World Tree has fallen. The World Tree that maintains the kingdom of Eberia has been rendered unheble that it¡¯s virtually lost at this point¡­


    I could hear tears of blooding out of Elune¡¯s eyes.


    -I haven¡¯t heard the exact details yet, but¡­ there is no ce other than the Blue Guild that I can tell about this¡­ I don¡¯t know what to do¡­ Sniff¡­ My brother told me not to tell anyone, but I¡­


    ¡®I mean, why does the World Tree burst first whenever something happens?¡¯


    When the continent was in danger, the World Tree was always the first to suffer the consequences.


    I wondered whether that was Jihye¡¯s doing for a while, but I soon agreed that it was.


    That woman liked clich¨¦s too. I also didn¡¯t know if the World Tree was used to signal the beginning of the continent¡¯s destruction. Actually¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s also a reasonable choice.¡¯


    Even in the first timeline, the kingdom of Eberia, which held the World Tree, was one of the most important fortresses. In the war with the Republic, a defense system was employed around the World Tree, making it possible to stockpile strength.


    If Jihye was thinking for the long term, dealing with the World Tree was never a bad choice.


    What I was curious about was how she could reach it.


    ¡®I mean, fuck, how did you do it?¡¯


    The Kingdom of Eberia wasn¡¯t just a wall. It was a natural fortress. Hadn¡¯t it been firmly untouchable for an incalcble amount of time?


    It couldn¡¯t be magically influenced from the outside, and nobody could physically enter it with ease. If she openly dragged her troops over there, she might be able to drive out the kingdom¡¯s troops, but Jihye didn¡¯t have troops.


    Unless they lived at the World Tree¡¯s roots, like the demon monster Salit, it was almost impossible to influence Elune¡¯s tree. Even though the war had ended and the world was at peace, I couldn¡¯t think of a way to influence it either.


    ¡®So how did you do it?¡¯


    There might have been some way, but it wasn¡¯t what mattered now. The consequences that coulde from this would be more of a problem.


    -I think I should return to the kingdom as quickly as possible for now, Cho Hyejin.


    -I think it would be better to go together. We need to prepare as fast as we can. No, this is not the time. I¡¯ll call Hayan right now.


    -I would be grateful if you could do that¡­


    -It¡¯s rted to Elena. You don¡¯t need to be grateful.


    ¡®Hyejin, you¡¯re so cool.¡¯


    Elena nodded in gratitude. It was then that a little unexpected situation unfolded.


    Following Elena, manager Kim Mi-young hade too. She had always looked serious, but she seemed a bit more so at that moment.


    -Captain.


    -Yes, manager Kim Mi-young?


    Naturally, my gaze focused on her. Elena¡¯s face, quietly waiting for her to speak, looked nervous. It seemed that she read manager Kim Miyoung¡¯s thoughts, realizing that the Kingdom of Eberia was inevitably involved.


    -We have heard that visitors are currently being held in the Kingdom of Eberia.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -¡­


    -Each country and guild are requesting the release of those detained in Eberia, but there is no response yet. The guilds within the State are urging the three major guilds toe out to resolve this situation, but¡­


    ¡®Fuck¡­ Jihye¡­ Jihye¡­¡¯


    -Allmunicationworks arepletely blocked.


    ¡®Ah¡­¡¯


    -Oscar wants to talk with Elios through Elena, but¡­


    -I¡¯ll talk to him. That can¡¯t be. There must be some mistake. Detention¡­ in the Kingdom of Eberia¡­


    -Please, Elena.


    ¡®That woman¡­ really¡­¡¯


    -How did this happen¡­


    Cho Hyejin began to mutter in the sudden situation. It was probably directed at me.


    -Do you think¡­


    ¡°No. Jihye did not enter the Kingdom of Eberia and blockedmunications. She didn¡¯t build a defensive wall, either.¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°Not Jihye, but the elves and Elios of Eberia are holding visitors. It happened after the kingdom was opened to humans, after all. It seems that there is a suspect among those who entered from the outside. They blocked themunicationwork because they probably didn¡¯t want to announce that the World Tree has been lost. It makes sense that the kingdom is detaining humans. I don¡¯t know how long this situation willst, but I think it¡¯llst for quite some time.¡±


    Cho Hyejin nodded to convey she understood it.


    Perhaps she was also thinking of a number of possibilities. She might be considering the various situations that could unfold after the loss of the World Tree.


    It wasn¡¯t just that the elves had lost their guardian deity.


    Of course, that fact was the most important. Thinking that they had lost the means of defending themselves would be the beginning of more incidents.


    However, there might be other aspects rted to it. Wasn¡¯t the World Tree a treasure trove that delivered infinite resources to the elves? Unlike before, when the elves were closely rted to the lives of humans, there might be quite a lot of confusion this time.


    As mentioned earlier, they already had a great influence on human life. Their resources circted not only in Lindel but all around the continent. We could find their goods anywhere.


    Their culture had taken root across the world and was used inrge and small ces. Lindel even had a ce called Elf Town.


    Many organizations were trading with the elves. What if their transactions were suddenly cut off?


    People who already made a living with it would lose their jobs in no time, and many ns and guilds would also experience confusion.


    They would gather their voices to ask the country to deal with it, making it difficult to ignore them.


    No, in the first ce, wouldn¡¯t the State, the Republic, the Federation, as well as several small and medium-sized cities, raise their voices first?


    They would be dissatisfied with what was happening and what could happen in the future. They would ask why they blocked trade andmunicationworks.


    However, there was no way they could tell them the truth.


    They couldn¡¯t officially say that the World Tree had beenpletely destroyed.


    Elves and humans were friends.


    They had a mutually cooperative rtionship and were eternal allies who protected the continent together.


    But really, not all humans and elves were on the same page.


    It could be surprisingly easy for eternal allies to turn their backs on each other if multiple interests conflicted.


    Jihye¡¯s purpose wouldn¡¯t be the World Tree.


    Of course, she would have judged that the World Tree itself was a threat, but her real purpose was to use the World Tree to pull the trigger.


    Did I really need to exin what the trigger was?


    The anxiety that the elves had, a lesson that history had taught them.


    The humans.

 Chapter 788: The Last (21)

    <h4>Chapter 788: The Last (21)</h4>


    -Vice Guild Master, where did the Guild Master go?


    ¡°I sent him to the north.¡±


    -What?


    ¡°I sent him to the north. He should be on his way by now. Maybe he¡¯s even there already. Since he flew, he must be¡­¡±


    ¡®He has already arrived.¡¯


    -Is there something there?


    ¡°No. Why would anything be there? I sent him to a remote area that hasn¡¯t been developed properly¡­ I don¡¯t know what clues he¡¯ll find there, but I thought it would be better to put him inside a dungeon. Honestly, I don¡¯t know if there¡¯s even one, but he¡¯ll find out on his own. You know Hyunsung. He¡¯ll find something even if there isn¡¯t any. Probably.¡±


    -How could you send him alone to such a ce?


    ¡°What are you worried about?¡±


    -The Guild Master is currently mentally unstable. He needs help from the people around him. You should have sent at least the expeditionaries with him.


    ¡°If he doesn¡¯t feel bothered, it¡¯ll be fortunate. I¡¯m monitoring him properly. He won¡¯t do anything else¡­ I¡¯ll talk to him sometimes, so don¡¯t worry too much. You should focus on your work. The most important thing right now is what¡¯s in front of you. Oh, take care of Hayan too.¡±


    -Sora seems to be taking good care of her.


    It certainly looked like that.


    They were having a meal in the camp, and it looked heartwarming in its own way. She was like a bomb that might explode anytime, but she was still stable.


    I noticed that she liked Han Sora¡¯s new character lunch box.


    ¡®It looks like they¡¯re on a pic.¡¯


    Jung Hayan wouldn¡¯t have much thought about it. Jung Hayan wasn¡¯t in charge of suchplicated problems in the first ce anyway.


    The elvespletely locking their kingdom was none of her concern.


    The reason Jung Hayan came over was to move Cho Hyejin and Elena to the kingdom, but¡­


    -Do you think something big will happen?


    -I don¡¯t know for sure¡­ It would be nice if nothing does, though.


    -Y-Y-Yes, none should¡­


    It might also be due to the possibility of Jung Hayan being able to write her own myth.


    For some reason, I recalled the way she giggled when she heard that there was a problem with the kingdom of Eberia. She was the opposite of Elena, who had a nervous expression.


    In fact, she looked no different now. Wasn¡¯t it quite a contrast to Elena¡¯s appearance, who couldn¡¯t even eat her food properly due to anxiety?


    Han Sora also kept looking at Elena as if it was bothering her.


    In the end, she went tofort her for a moment and came back, but I could assure anyone that that wasn¡¯t a good choice. I was an authority in Hayan¡¯s department, after all. I knew all about her.


    -W-W-What did you talk about?


    -It seems that she¡¯s in deep sorrow¡­ because there¡¯s a problem in the kingdom. I thought I shouldfort her a bit¡­


    -W-What exactly did you talk about¡­


    -You don¡¯t have to worry too much about it.


    -I-I¡¯m asking you what exactly you talked about!


    -I mean¡­


    -Don¡¯t get too c-close to her. She¡­ she¡¯s a bit weird.


    Anyone could see that Jung Hayan was acting weird.


    I was worried that her eyes would roll over when I saw her breathing wildly and ring, but she probably wouldn¡¯t do anything that wouldn¡¯t be good for herself¡­ Probably.


    Ahn Ki-mo was on the left side of Jung Hayan and Han Sora, who were having their own conversation. He wasn¡¯t with Kim Ye-ri and Park Deokgu, which hadn¡¯t happened in such a long time.


    Like the friendly guy he was, he was stroking Alps¡¯ Whitey and giving words offort to Elena.


    Alps, the owner of Whitey was looking at Cho Hyejin, who was talking to herself, with a worried face¡­


    To others, it looked like Cho Hyejin was going crazy.


    Even Hwang Jeong-yeon, the mage schr who came to take care of the situation, joined the expedition. It wasn¡¯t a bad lineup. No, I thought it was just right.


    It wasn¡¯t even for battle in the first ce, and Jung Hayan would be able to cope with everything in case of an emergency. There was also a low probability of such events happening.


    ¡®She¡¯s probably observing the situation¡­¡¯


    She threw arge bait on it, so it was obvious that she would try to see how things were going.


    ¡°What did I say we should do?¡±


    -I¡¯m not an idiot, Vice Guild Master. Our priority is to have a conversation with Elios¡­


    ¡°No. The World Tree investigation muste first. The second is to find Lee Jihye¡¯s traces. I didn¡¯t call Jeong-yeon and Alps for nothing. We have to find her whereabouts.¡±


    -I think it¡¯s better to solve the immediate problem¡­


    ¡°No. We have to find her no matter what. If we deal with things in a way that solves the immediate problems first, we will only follow Lee Jihye¡¯s tail until the moment the continent bes ruined. We need to prepare and build a card that we can use rather than just plugging the leak. Do not intervene in the event of armed conflict between the two races with Elios. We do what we have to do.¡±


    -But.


    ¡°Please listen to me. You know best that I¡¯m not wrong. I¡¯m not saying you¡¯re wrong. I¡¯m telling you that my way is more appropriate. I know Lee Jihye better.¡±


    -I¡¯ll do as you say, for now. Just know that I didn¡¯t give my free will to the Vice Guild Master. I didn¡¯t choose to be a representative to be a puppet. If it¡¯s something I think is right and it should be done¡­


    ¡°Yes, yes. I know. I didn¡¯t think that you wouldpletely agree with me in the first ce, so you don¡¯t have to react that much. You only need to remember the priorities.¡±


    -Okay.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s move. If we proceed with haste, we¡¯ll get there in an hour. It would have been nice to go straight to that ce with Hayan¡¯s teleport¡­¡±


    -The kingdom didn¡¯t allow it, so we can¡¯t help it. They¡¯re being careful, and we must respect their choices.


    ¡°Yes, I know¡­¡±


    -You don¡¯t have to be too nervous. I know I¡¯ve said this before, but I don¡¯t think that Jihye would have done this. If she were involved in the loss of the World Tree, there would have been other reasons.


    That was a remark that was difficult to ept.


    ¡®How could she leave such a good impression on her?¡¯


    While clicking my tongue at Lee Jihye¡¯s personality, Cho Hyejin spoke to the guild members.


    Thanks to the fast-moving Alps, the camp was quickly organized, and the guild members were soon on the move again.


    The scenery of walking while having various conversations was somewhat familiar.


    Of course, a few members were missing, but it was still a scene that made me smile.


    After walking for about an hour, the panoramic view of Eberia slowly came into my eyes. It looked different from before. A huge barrier surrounded the kingdom. No, it looked too solid to be called a simple barrier.


    It was as if huge trees were covering the castle walls. I could bet that it was made with elven magic. Even at that moment, the branches were continually rising upwards.


    ¡®That¡¯ll end up covering the sky. Fuck.¡¯


    The way Elena began to bite her lips more and more tightly at the changed appearance of Eberia was a spectacle. Anyone could see she disapproved of Elios¡¯s choice, the current elven leader.


    She walked across Cho Hyejin, who was walking in front of her.


    -Open the gates. It¡¯s Elena.


    -¡­


    -Open the door. I¡¯m Elena of Eberia!


    ¡®Our Queen is so cool.¡¯


    The branches slowly gave way. It was probably equipped with a system that allowed it to do that whenever necessary.


    ¡®It¡¯s reasonable.¡¯


    Elves, originally protected by the World Tree, didn¡¯t build walls and barriers. I thought they would have taken some other countermeasures, but they had adapted much better.


    Humans weren¡¯t the only ones influenced by the elves. The elves were also very much influenced by humans.


    Before long, the ce where the walls of the branches were scattered was filled with armed elven soldiers together with Elios. I didn¡¯t feel like he was hostile to the party.


    No matter how sensitive the situation was, they wouldn¡¯t be crazy enough to make an enemy out of the heroes who saved the continent. Rather, some even showed respect to Jung Hayan.


    Those wearing robes in the back were bowing to her, and she smiled at the sight.


    ¡®What? Are they believers of the magic goddess?¡¯


    It also urred to me that the journey Jung Hayan was showing recently might not be just a trip.


    -What is this fuss, Elena?


    -I should be asking you that, brother!


    -¡­


    -¡­


    -Let¡¯s go in and talk.


    -No. I have something to say before I enter. You are detaining guests of the kingdom! I need an exnation about what¡¯s in front of me right now. Are you thinking of turning your kingdom into a cage?!


    -That¡¯s none of your business.


    -I-


    -It was you who chose to leave the kingdom, Elena. You¡¯re no longer in a position to interfere with matters rting to Eberia. I¡¯m just doing what I have to do.


    I didn¡¯t know how to intervene in the drama that started out of nowhere.


    As Elios raised his voice against the angered Elena, I thought that they were real brothers and sisters after all. The troops standing in the back couldn¡¯t figure out what to do.


    Eventually, the argument ended only after one of the aides spoke carefully to Elios.


    To be precise, they had entered a truce.


    -I¡¯m sorry, Blue Guild members, and¡­ Cho Hyejin.


    -Long time no see, Elios.


    -Yes. Nice to meet you, Cho Hyejin.


    Elios raised his ears slightly and greeted Cho Hyejin.


    I thought they were a weirdbo, but it seemed that they had many official meetings.


    No, I felt that the bastard had a crush on Cho Hyejin.


    My guts were telling me that he definitely had a crush on Cho Hyejin. His ears, which were shaking a little, were proof of that. It was a situation where I had no choice but to look at Cho Hyejin in a different light.


    ¡®Wow¡­ When did this one¡­¡¯


    What did those two have? Or was it one-sided? What was it? When did they meet? Had they ever met for personal affairs?


    I was regretting why I didn¡¯t watch Cho Hyejin continuously through the telescope.


    There was a high possibility that Elios developed a one-sided crush on her, but who knew if the two sometimes talked.


    -Sorry for noting to see you.


    -No. I know that you are busy.


    -How have you been doing?


    ¡®Look at this bastard.¡¯


    He no longer looked serious. Earlier, it was just a suspicion, but now I was certain.


    Cho Hyejin was a type that seemed to be popr among elves. Still, fuck, it shouldn¡¯t have been her. I didn¡¯t have bad personal feelings for that elf, but I thought it¡¯s not enough to share a tickling love with our Hyejin.


    ¡®You have Hyunsung.¡¯


    -First, I would like to express my gratitude to the Blue Guild members who came to this ce. Thank you for bringing Elena safely.


    -We just did what we had to do.


    -I would wee you as a guest of the kingdom if it weren¡¯t for¡­


    -¡­


    -The current situation is not good, so it seems that we will not be able to treat you properly.


    ¡®This asshole.¡¯


    He was obviously sending us back.


    -What do you mean?


    -Elena.


    -To the heroes who saved Eberia and the continent¡­


    -Elena!


    -I¡¯ve told them about it, so you don¡¯t have to worry about the secret leaking out, brother.


    ¡®This family¡¯s rtionship couldn¡¯t get worse.¡¯


    -I told Cho Hyejin everything, whom you are so passionate about!


    A remark I couldn¡¯t even imagine.


    ¡®Ahhhhhhhh¡­ that¡¯s so embarrassing¡­¡¯


    ¡°That¡¯s too cruel.¡±


    Elios, biting his lips, could be seen blushing.


    ¡®Pure evil, Elena. Fuck.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know when he arrived, but I could see Belial apuding Elena.

 Chapter 789: The Last (22)

    <h4>Chapter 789: The Last (22)</h4>


    -What are you talking about¡­


    Cho Hyejin seemed surprised. She looked visibly shook. At this point, I thought it wouldn¡¯t be strange if Elios ran away at that moment, to be honest.


    ¡°You¡¯d better make a scouting offer.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what kind of possibility I saw in Elena, but Belial, who was apuding with admiration, started to contact someone. I wanted to tell them to stop, but I couldn¡¯t take my eyes off the morning drama happening right in front of me.


    It was heartbreaking. There was no one willing to interrupt the silence that had surrounded them.


    Hwang Jeong-yeon, who was famous for being a drama lover, was looking at the two with apparent interest. Meanwhile, Elena had no intention of letting the situation pass. Was she still not aware of what she had done wrong? She seemed to be out of her mind due to her brother¡¯s shouts.


    -This has happened before! This isn¡¯t right. Even if you hunker down and make a cage like that, you know better than anyone else that that¡¯s not going to solve anything.


    -¡­


    -It¡¯s never beneficial to hide a problem. I can¡¯t believe you¡¯ve already forgotten the lessons you¡¯ve learned from the past! I knew your spirit was weak from the beginning, but I didn¡¯t expect you to insist on your stubbornness even under such a dire moment.


    She was pushing him into a corner. Sh*t. Wow¡­


    -¡­


    At first nce, it seemed like a simple argument, but in my mind, she seemed to be beating an opponent who had lost the will to resist.


    -It¡¯s always been like that since we were kids. Even if you take matters into your own hands, you won¡¯t be able to solve this.


    -Elena.


    -What are you going to do now? Are you going to make the same choice asst time? You have to tell the soldiers! Come on, give them your orders! Shouldn¡¯t you have told them to detain us? Are you going to keep Cho Hyejin, your crush, bound and caged in Eberia?


    ¡®Don¡¯t say it twice, damn it¡­ Don¡¯t remind me again.¡¯


    -Humans and elves are different from the past. You should know that best! Less than a year has passed since we joined forces to protect the continent! You still don¡¯t believe in humans! Cho Hyejin is also a human being. She¡¯s a human being!


    ¡®Okay, stop it¡­ Please stop¡­¡¯


    -Sigh¡­ Sigh¡­ Sigh¡­


    -¡­


    -Please get out of the way. Eberia isn¡¯t the only one suffering from this problem. The loss of the World Tree is detrimental for all of us.


    There was no answer, but Elena began to step forward. The Blue Guild members followed her after making eye contact with each other once. Of course, Elios couldn¡¯t stop Elena. He was already in a state where he couldn¡¯t even stand up.


    Apart from the merciless mental beating Elena did, he would have realized that there was nothing wrong with what she said. There were no other means.


    The Blue Guild members would¡¯ve been forced to subdue them. Meanwhile, Hayan had her eyes wide open.


    It was a good thing that Eberia didn¡¯t disappear like dust under the weight of gravity. All he could do for Elena was say a word quietly as she passed by.


    -I also understand humans. I understand them better because of thest war, Elena.


    -¡­


    -What they can do, how strong they are, how strong they can make themselves¡­ that¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about.


    -As long as my colleagues are around, their des won¡¯t be heading towards the elves.


    She looked pretty cool as she walked past him lightly with firm steps.


    Cho Hyejin was also trying to pass by Elios with a wary look. She spoke awkwardly due to what happened earlier. Anyone would¡¯ve noticed she felt ufortable.


    -I want you to forgive me for being rude, Elios, but this issue is¡­ I just want you to know it¡¯s a big issue of great importance¡­


    -No. I¡¯d like to apologize. You must have been very shaken.


    -It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m sure Elena was mistaken. Ha¡­ ha¡­ That was ridiculous, wasn¡¯t it? I know better than anyone else that it¡¯s nonsense. I don¡¯t care at all, so Elios¡­


    -Not really.


    -What?


    -What she said about me having something for you. I don¡¯t think that¡¯s nonsensical at all.


    -Ah¡­


    ¡®You sh*t¡­¡¯


    -Yeah¡­


    ¡®You son of a bitch.¡¯


    The son of Elune spoke the same gibberish.


    -Then¡­ please excuse me.


    He turned around and went inside as if he didn¡¯t have any regrets.


    Cho Hyejin was visibly confused. Standing in ce as if shocked for a moment, she seemed surprised rather than shaken.


    How could that happen in such a chaotic time? Sh*t, I was so speechless that I had to cough to break the silence.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    -I¡­ I don¡¯t know.


    ¡°Have you two ever met?¡±


    -No, I haven¡¯t met him privately. We would just meet in a public ce and have a cup of tea or a meal together¡­ Of course, we were with others. I don¡¯t know. I¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s both shady and insidious.¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s pointless to talk about this right now, but he doesn¡¯t seem like a very healthy person. Just keep that in mind. I¡¯m saying this as a friend. I¡¯ve had a few drinks with him, so I know. There¡¯s an insidious side to him.¡±


    Her silence was almost the same as saying, ¡°It¡¯s none of your business, Vice Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°Just think of it as a friend¡¯s advice and let it slide. I don¡¯t want to talk about this extensively at a time like this. Let¡¯s hurry up and go in. We need to see what exactly is going on.¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°Hurry up.¡±


    -Yes.


    One step behind the other guild members, she entered Eberia.


    I thought about what to do if she couldn¡¯t concentrate on her work. Cho Hyejin slowly looked around the city.


    Elena, who was the first to enter, was already kneeling on the floor and shedding tears. Other guild members¡¯ reactions weren¡¯t much different.


    I already checked the image of Eberia with a telescope, but I was still a little shocked by the scenery that had changed so much.


    No elves were living around the World Tree, the Tree of Life. I didn¡¯t know if it was burned or rotten, but it had been twisted into a bizarre shape.


    The faces of the other elves were all painted with anxiety and worry.


    ¡®Ha¡­¡¯


    What was a bit of a relief was that the detained people seemed to understand the situation.


    They seemed sympathetic to the bad luck that had happened to the elves and why they had no choice but to take such measures. The elves also seemed to be holding them as humanely as possible and were demanding cooperation rather than coercion.


    Of course, not everyone was the same.


    -You¡¯ll have to exin what¡¯s going on right now. Our guild would¡¯ve never let this happen.


    -Do you have any idea what you guys are doing? This is a vition of continentalw, you pieces of sh*t!


    -Oh, sh*t¡­ I had an important meeting. Damn it¡­


    -I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re doing right now, but I assure you, your entire race will be responsible for this.


    Some dangerous individuals were certainly holding on too forcefully.


    -The Blue Guild!


    -The Blue Guild is here! Jung Hayan! Jung Hayan! Please help us!


    They were yelling at the party that suddenly appeared. It seemed like they were hoping that we could solve the situation, but that wasn¡¯t our concern.


    -Cho Hyejin!


    Their anger was understandable. It wouldn¡¯t have been nice to be held there on purpose. Ah, except for those who were spouting some tribal chauvinist remarks.


    ¡®Sh*t, there are still people like that?¡¯


    Cho Hyejin looked at them with ufortable eyes.


    -Do you have any idea who¡¯s making a good living here or even know what you¡¯re doing? Do you want to go back to the old days, you filthy elves?


    ¡®He¡¯s just gonna have to die.¡¯


    -Cho Hyejin! Cho Hyejin!


    Cho Hyejin kept being called out. She was making the same face as to when we first met.


    ¡°Please say something, Hyejin.¡±


    -The Blue Guild can¡¯t solve your problems.


    -¡­


    -I¡¯m here to investigate the great loss of the continent. I understand that you are experiencing inconveniences, but the least you can do in the Kingdom of Eberia is to keep calm. The loss of the World Tree is a loss not only to the Kingdom of Eberia but also to the entire continent. I don¡¯t want to believe it, but there is a possibility that some of you here may have done it.


    -What do you mean?


    -I¡¯m just saying there might be a suspect here. Of course, it¡¯s unlikely¡­ As far as it goes¡­


    -What are you talking about? Are you crazy?!


    -Oh, now I know what happened, you little sh*t. The Blue Guild, those bastards, had sided with the dirty elves. They still think Blue Guild is still the old Blue, guys.


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    -Do you think we¡¯ll stay still if youe out like that? Do you have any idea what I mean when I say I know the Republic¡¯s giant guilds well? Not all the people here look likemoners, do they? Do you want to lose all of your clients? If you¡¯re a hero of the continent, you better act like a hero! You crazy bitch!


    Cho Hyejin bit her lips tightly.


    I felt like her eyes were going to spin, too.


    ¡®Ha¡­ Sh*t¡­ Really¡­¡¯


    It was ridiculous, so I couldn¡¯t even speak properly.


    I knew the guild was a mess, but I didn¡¯t think the Blue had fallen to this level.


    There were crazy people everywhere, but at least in the past, they wouldn¡¯t say such things so openly.


    Was it because of the problem within the guild? Even though Jung Hayan was there, such insane remarks still came out.


    Was it because Kim Hyunsung only acted like a Guild Master on his business card? Did they want him to retire?


    Or was it because of the news that Jung Hayan was moving to the Magic Tower? Maybe because of the financial copse and sh*t¡¯s inexplicable apocalypse? Or maybe it was because I got busted?


    What was even more absurd was that Cho Hyejin couldn¡¯t say anything. I didn¡¯t understand what she was thinking about. Why didn¡¯t she know that we didn¡¯t have to worry about what would happen next? Sh*t.


    -¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Kill him, Hyejin.¡±


    -What?


    ¡°Kill him.¡±


    -What are you talking about?


    ¡°No, don¡¯t kill him. Just scare him. Don¡¯t hold back and do what you want. You don¡¯t have to put up with it. Why are you holding it in? It¡¯s a really sh*tty view. I don¡¯t like our guild being put to shame like that. It¡¯s ridiculous to think that we¡¯ve fallen so low that we¡¯re being treated so poorly. Sh*t. Republic? The Republic?¡±


    Being treated like that by a useless extra was embarrassing.


    ¡®Why were these bastards allowed to live?¡¯


    In fact, manager Kim Mi-young wasn¡¯t the one to me, but the reality made me grind my teeth.


    -But¡­


    ¡°I¡¯ll take responsibility, so do as you please.¡±


    Soon after, Cho Hyejin, who bit her lips tightly, slowly approached the man.


    The pig looked at her with a triumphant expression and thought something different woulde from her.


    However, it didn¡¯t take that long for his expression to change.


    His face, which had a dirty smile, began to turn cold and sweaty, and his legs were shaking uncontrobly. It was also noticeable that his whole body was trembling and that he couldn¡¯t breathe properly.


    In the end, he even wet the floor.


    Cho Hyejin was pressuring him.


    -Say that again.


    -Kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk¡­


    -I told you to repeat what you said.


    -¡­


    ¡®You¡¯re going too easy on him.¡¯


    However, Cho Hyejin¡¯s stress seemed to have been relieved to some extent. I could take care of him anyway.


    -Please keep the order andply with themand. If you follow them, there will be no harm to your safety.


    ¡®It¡¯s too weak.¡¯


    I thought the picture that Lee Jihye wanted would bepleted. The Red Mercenary was now closing their doors, and the ck Swan was silent.


    The Blue Guild had fallen to the ground, which in turn meant that Lindel¡¯s three major guilds weren¡¯t keeping the center.


    The guild led by Yuno Kasugano had also been disbanded.


    The country had been patched down, and hidden bugs were crawling out.


    Of course, none came out from Blue. There wouldn¡¯t be anyone who wants to beat up Kim Hyunsung.


    However, it was likely that they were secretly moving for their own benefit. I thought the work would start here, but¡­


    The news that came soon gave me no choice but to reconsider the hypothesis so far.


    -It¡­ it might explode.


    -¡­


    -It might explode like this. If the remains of it do¡­ The whole area will be blown away.

 Chapter 790: The Last (23)

    <h4>Chapter 790: The Last (23)</h4>


    It wasn¡¯t like Lee Jihye.


    The news was brought by Jung Hayan, Han Sora, and Hwang Jeong-yeon, and not from Lee Jihye.


    -What do you mean, Hayan?


    -Let me exin it to you, Cho Hyejin. I think it¡¯s better to tell you that the world is in a very unstable situation.


    -¡­


    -Think of it as the Word Tree suppressing its energy inside. It doesn¡¯t seem to have any problems externally, but inside it, there is a conflict between the expanding and suppressing properties.


    -¡­


    -It¡¯s hard to exin. Even I can¡¯t understand Hayan¡¯s exnation properly¡­ The important thing is, there¡¯s not much time left before the World Tree- no, that monstrosity will burst.


    Blue Guild wizards surrounded Cho Hyejin in the meeting room.


    Hwang Jeong-yeon smiled a little anxiously, borating Jung Hayan¡¯s poor exnation and even drawing pictures, but Cho Hyejin and I still couldn¡¯t understand. Of course, there was no need to understand. The only thing that mattered was the fact that it would explode soon.


    -Exactly how much time do we have left?


    -Three¡­ three days?


    -¡­


    -¡­


    -Does Elios know about this?


    -I hadn¡¯t told him yet. I thought Cho Hyejin had to be the first to know. I¡¯m sure you have a purpose for going here¡­ Wouldn¡¯t it be better for you to tell Elios in person?


    -It doesn¡¯t have to be like that¡­


    -I think you should be the one to tell him. We are currently conducting an additional investigation. The issue that Cho Hyejin mentioned is also being looked at¡­ I¡¯m thinking about cooperating with the wizards of the tower¡­ I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to be possible to get permission for this, though¡­


    -Can you do it?


    -I-I don¡¯t know¡­


    Cho Hyejin, who was conflicted due to Jung Hayan¡¯s uncertain expression, caught my eye.


    ¡®Should we evacuate them?¡¯


    That was what she probably wanted to ask. She was most likely worried because Jung Hayan wasn¡¯t sure.


    Under normal circumstances, evacuating troops was the right action. Even if there was a little extra time left, we weren¡¯t sure about anything.


    The problem was that they weren¡¯t at Lindel. Eberia had its own procedures, and Elios was the suprememander of the kingdom. It¡¯s him who could make judgments, not Cho Hyejin. No, in the first ce¡­


    ¡®Will it even really explode?¡¯


    I thought it wouldn¡¯t. That was from how Jihye worked.


    She couldn¡¯t have prepared everything already. How should I ept the idea of blowing up a whole kingdom at this time?


    From the start, she revealed that there was a group threatening the continent, then she would announce her deration of war?


    Rather, it felt more realistic that Jung Hayan was doing a self-written y. Inevitably, I could see Jung Hayan smiling at the danger of the kingdom. She didn¡¯t even look anxious.


    -I think it would be better to let him know of the details.


    -Will you do that? Then take your time. I need to prepare a few things.


    -Yes. Thank you for your hard work, Jeong-yeon, Hayan, and Sora.


    Perhaps she wanted to create a crisis in the Kingdom of Eberia so she could stop it nicely, amassing her divinity. Was there any chance that everything was a self-made y?


    The brief meeting seemed to have ended while I was thinking.


    Of course, Cho Hyejin looked worried. She was probably thinking about how to take this problem.


    -What do you want me to do?


    ¡°Well, honestly, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to be that extreme¡­ I think it would be better to watch the situation for a few hours. As Hayan said, we still have time¡­ Oh, of course, you¡¯d better tell Elios first. Hyejin doesn¡¯t have to go there herself. It would be best to go through Elena. Let¡¯s go outside. I think we deserve a breather.¡±


    -Wouldn¡¯t it be better to evacuate them right now?


    ¡°The problem will be solved by Elios and Elena. I told you. We need to find another clue. If we try to control the situation right now, it will only add to the confusion. There will be a manual in case of an emergency in Eberia¡­ Well, let¡¯s respect their ways. We just have to do what we have to do.¡±


    -Okay.


    Immediately after going outside and standing in front of the decaying monstrosity, Jung Hayan began to exin multiple details.


    After carefully removing a piece of the World Tree, she locked it in a magical sphere and uttered words that we didn¡¯t understand.


    ¡°If the expanding and suppressing properties keep shing, it¡¯ll explode. Like this¡­¡±


    Whoo!


    The small piece burst, breaking the container made by Jung Hayan.


    ¡®It¡¯s not a self-made y, is it?¡¯


    -T-The magic in here is very pure. Even the point of expansion is. It¡¯s all different. In this case, we have three days. It¡¯s not dangerous right now, but¡­ If a big external shock is applied to it¡­ L-like this¡­ Whoo!


    ¡°Ask her something else.¡±


    -Can you tell me where the magic in the World Treees from?


    She shook her head.


    -Did someone elsee in here?


    She couldn¡¯t seem to answer that question either.


    Instead, Jung Hayan quietly chanted a spell. After uttering a fairly long incantation, she activated it.


    Han Sora and Hwang Jeong-yeon were looking at her in surprise.


    At that moment, transparent shadows appeared.


    -¡­


    They began to move on their own and do meaningless things.


    One of the smaller ones ran around while a slightlyrger shadow floated in the air.


    No, looking closely, it wasn¡¯t up in the air. If the World Tree had remained intact, wouldn¡¯t the shadows look like the elves who were spending time around it?


    -This is¡­


    -The¡­ The past¡­


    ¡®Are you crazy? Is this even possible?¡¯


    I knew she was a monster, but now I was looking at Jung Hayan in a different light. The reactions of the others, including Han Sora, were no different.


    Since she had authority on stalking magic, it was understandable for her to be able toplete that kind of spell, but who knew she would implement such unrealistic magic?


    No, sh*t, it wasn¡¯t weird. Spatial movements and gravity maniption didn¡¯t seem very realistic either.


    -Amazing¡­ Jung Hayan.


    -You¡­ you can do it too, Sora. I can teach you this one, and even invisibility that stays in effect when a person moves. There¡¯s a week left. Sora is a magic angel.


    -¡­


    -I-it¡¯s hard at first, but it¡­ it¡¯s easy¡­ and simple¡­


    The world called people like that geniuses. They made such deceptive remarks. But even with this, it was hard to find out what happened.


    How could she distinguish between the hundreds and thousands of shadows surrounding the Wolrd Tree?


    After a little more time, the shadows scattered. The time when the World Tree copsed might be near.


    Screaming, the dark entities fell in disarray and drifted away from the ce.


    They were only spells, but there was enough confusion to tell what they had gone through at the time.


    ¡°Back up for a second.¡±


    -Wait. Rewind it a little.


    One shadow was moving leisurely between them.


    ¡°Move a little more¡­¡±


    -A little more¡­


    Walking quietly, it stood out. While the others scattered in all directions, it even had its arms wide open.


    -Can you y it back from the beginning, Jung Hayan?


    It was clearly seen touching the World Tree while whispering.


    I couldn¡¯t understand what it was saying because I couldn¡¯t hear it, but I could see its mouth moving. Once again, the shadows scattered as the Tree of Life copsed.


    The shadow that reached for it mixed in with the others as it moved. I followed it to see where it was headed, but the traces were cut off halfway through.


    Thest ce where it was located was where the detained people were. It was an empty space at the time.


    ¡°What the fuck¡­¡±


    Just in time, I heard a loud noise.


    -Boooooooom!!!


    -Don¡¯t let them oppress us any longer! How long are you going to allow these filthy elves to keep us locked up like this?


    -Let¡¯s drive them out!


    -Let¡¯s get out of here,rades! Let¡¯s get out of this cage!


    -Let¡¯s move! Raise your weapons! Let¡¯s show them the power of humans!


    -Pleaseply with thew! Depending on the control¡­ Oh no!


    -If you don¡¯tply with us, we¡¯ll overpower you!


    -Fuck you, you son of a bitch! Hahahaha!


    -Stop them! Don¡¯t let them get out!


    -You son of a bitch! Hahaha! Crazy! Hahaha!!!


    -Call Elios!


    -Evacuate the people!


    -You filthy sons of bitches¡­ Whoosh¡­ Whoosh¡­ Rip and kill all these elven bastards!


    Cho Hyejin bit her lips tightly as she listened to the voices that wereing from all directions.


    -Get ready for battle! Get ready for battle!


    Ahn Ki-mo and Alps, who were nearby, immediately joined Cho Hyejin in arms, and she quickly moved and opened her mouth.


    -Put the safety of nearby citizens first.


    -Yes.


    -Got it, Acting Guildmaster.


    For a moment, I thought those bastards might be suicidal. They charged out of their cages, weapons in arms.


    Those sh*ts weren¡¯t doing that on their own, considering the way their eyes looked demented.


    -Ahhhh¡­ Our Goddess!


    ¡®What the hell is this? What is this?¡¯


    -My life is for you, my everything¡­ I will give you everything, from head to toe! Aaahhhhhhhh!


    ¡®What the fuck is that¡­ What the hell? I¡¯m so scared. That is¡­¡¯


    -Goddess! My Goddess!!! I will dedicate their blood to you, my Goddess!!! Ahhhh!!! Ahhh!!! Ahhhhhhhh!!!


    ¡®I¡¯m scared, sh*t. Sh*t¡­ Sh*t¡­¡¯


    -The Goddess is in the World Tree! Goddess is in the Tree of Life!!! Ahhh! Ahhh! Ahhhhhhhhahaha!


    ¡®What¡­ What the fuck¡­ Hey¡­¡¯


    -Prepare forbat!


    ¡°What? Combat? Fuck that! Just run, Hyejin!¡±

 Chapter 791: The Last (24)

    <h4>Chapter 791: The Last (24)</h4>


    -We need to keep them away from the World Tree!


    ¡°No! Sh*t.¡±


    -Hayan!


    ¡°Don¡¯t make Jung Hayan chant other spells! Sh*t, tell her to start teleporting! Make her cast the teleportation spell! Move everyone. Take the elves with you, sh*t! Stop what you¡¯re doing! Stop casting!¡±


    -Hayan! Now!


    ¡°Listen to me, Hyejin. Listen to me. Hayan doesn¡¯t have to fight, so tell her to start up the teleportation.¡±


    Cho Hyejin could be seen biting her lips tightly and nodding her head. She looked like she didn¡¯t understand, but she immediately instructed Jung Hayan to chant the spell.


    She untied the fabric wrapped around the spear and started to fight against the crazy individuals that came running straight at them.


    A madman had his chest stabbed by her spear and was torn down.


    The sight of an impaled individual still attempting to move was certainly something I¡¯d seen somewhere. Although there were differences¡­


    ¡®Republican suicide squads? Has the devil actually influenced them?¡¯


    The difference that stood out was that they had gone mad. That seemed to show that they were being brainwashed.


    No, I didn¡¯t have to check with my eyes. I could tell by their shouts.


    -The Goddess is in the Tree of Life! The World Tree! Hahaha!!!! Ahhh! Ahhh!! Ahhhhhh!!!


    -Let¡¯s go! Let¡¯s go!


    -With blood and pain! Ahhhh! Ahhhhhh!


    -Free the Goddess! Free her!!!!!


    They couldn¡¯t even pronounce their words properly. As they screamed nonsense, they drooled.


    Weren¡¯t they moving like they were out of their minds?


    It was madness, absolute madness, that stood on the faces of the people who were all shouting that they should head to the World Tree.


    The others were confused by such a sight. Smoke was already soaring from all directions, and I could hear the sound of soldiers trading blows with their opponents.


    The screams and movements of the panicked elves reminded me of the first time the World Tree copsed. However, this time, we weren¡¯t at the North, which was originally used as a battleground, but in the middle of a peaceful city.


    ¡®Are they really the enemy? Do we have to fight?¡¯


    There had to be some people who thought like that. Their opponents were humans being held in Eberia.


    -Get your act together!


    ¡®Good job, Hyejin. Sh*t.¡¯


    -Focus! We¡¯re in a dire situation! As trained, follow the manual!


    It was fortunate that Cho Hyejin¡¯s voice woke them up. But honestly, I didn¡¯t know if these elves were fighting in their right minds.


    It was a horror for some people. Sh*t, it was a nightmare. There was fear in the faces of the soldiers who had won the battle against demons that tried to rule the continent.


    ¡®Crazy¡­¡¯


    Fear of not understanding their ownmon sense, fear of facing pure madness and malice head-on. I bit my lips as she pushed her weapon in¡­


    ¡°Ahh! Ahhhhhhhh!! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!¡±


    They were screaming and moving recklessly, and their faces were turning muddy.


    They might be thinking that it would be better to deal with angel-masked devils. Sh*t, I was scared to death by the scene. I didn¡¯t know if they were really crazy.


    Themanders, who suddenly came to their senses on the battlefield, were leading the forces.


    Soldiers were trying to protect the kingdom¡¯s elves along with Cho Hyejin. Two types of troops flocked to the World Tree.


    That was a relief, but it was safe to say that nothing other than the Tree of Life was visible to these madmen and that nonbatants were safe. At least we could minimize the conflict.


    ¡®Sh*t¡­ Sh*t¡­ Minimize the damage.¡¯


    -It¡¯s the Goddess! The Goddess is with us!!


    -Don¡¯t back off, heroes! Remember the wars we¡¯ve gone through! Don¡¯t you ever back down! They¡¯re the people who sold their souls to the demons! Defeat them once more!


    -Kill them! Kill them all! They¡¯re in the way of our Goddess! Kill them all! Hahahaha! Hahahaha! The Goddess will rejoice in our sacrifice and blood!


    -Elune will join us! Lee Kiyoung will give us strength!


    ¡®I¡¯m not going to, but thank you for mentioning me. Sh*t.¡¯


    -Lee Kiyoung will be watching us!


    ¡®Well, you¡¯re not wrong.¡¯


    -The hero of the continent will stand by us!


    Cho Hyejin, looking at the chaotic battlefield, spoke again as she moved through the battlefield.


    -What¡¯s going on here? Why the hell is a goddess in the Tree of Life?


    There couldn¡¯t be a goddess in there.


    ¡°What Hayan said earlier¡­¡±


    -Isn¡¯t it going to explode if a huge shock hits it from the outside? The Goddess is¡­


    ¡°There is no goddess¡­ The Tree of Life is a bomb, and those bastards are the detonators. They got a message to head to the Tree of Life. They¡¯repletely brainwashed. Honestly, even if they don¡¯t make a fuss, Lee Jihye¡­ No, there¡¯s no time for this. Hurry up and put Ahn Ki-mo and Sora with Hayan. Hyejin, you¡­¡±


    ¡®Sh*t¡­¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m asking you again just in case, but you made her cast the spell, right?¡±


    -Yes, as the Vice Guild Master ordered. But she said it might take some time.


    ¡°Did you instruct Elena to install protective magic around the tree?¡±


    -I¡¯ll order her to do that now.


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    -Vice Guild Master. I¡¯m sorry, but when you said they are brainwashed¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s probably Lee Jihye¡¯s work.¡±


    -What?


    ¡°Why are you pretending you didn¡¯t hear me? This is her doing.¡±


    -¡­


    ¡®I¡¯d like to exin it in detail, but I¡¯ll have to think about it first.¡¯


    ¡°How many spells does Hayan have left? How long will she take?¡±


    -It may take longer than you think. There¡¯s a lot to consider since it¡¯s a job to move all the remaining elves in the kingdom.


    ¡®Is Lee Jihye still here?¡¯


    Honestly, I thought it was more likely that she escaped, but it would be a waste to miss this opportunity.


    ¡°Get Alps. Hyejin,e on.¡±


    -Alps!


    -Yes¡­ Yes! Acting Guild Master!


    ¡°Look for Lee Jihye! Tell them to find her!¡±


    Cho Hyejin took out the scarf that Lee Jihye wore around her neck every day.


    -Can you find her?


    -I¡¯ll give it a try! Whitey!


    -Ahhhhhhhhh!


    -Be careful!


    Alps¡¯s arm was being pulled toward the enemy. Hyejin protected her immediately.


    It was like a scene in a movie, but there was no time to appreciate Cho Hyejin.


    Whitey stretched out his legs right away as if he understood what was happening.


    -This way!


    ¡®Sh*t, we can stop this, right? We can stop her without Hyejin, right?¡¯


    It might be possible. Jung Hayan was excluded from the battle, but the Blue Guild was strong. Even though it was noticeable that the fighting power and regeneration power of the crazed humans increased¡­


    ¡®My members are stronger.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t like they¡¯d been half-assing their training. Not only the Blue Guild but also the elven soldiers.


    Elen was starting to spread her sacred power across the field. It gave the allies strong regenerative power. In an instant, our fallenrades lifted their bodies and picked up their weapons.


    Ahn Ki-mo was also very reliable. He covered a fairlyrge area but never took his eyes off Jung Hayan.


    He used his weapon and shield to fight while casting sacred spells, providing buffs, and even chanting protective magic.


    Although Park Deokgu overshadowed him, he was efficient enough to fill the role of the main tanker.


    ¡®He¡¯s the real deal.¡¯


    Hwang Jeong-yeon was delivering information about the Kingdom of Eberia to Jung Hayan through the eyes of Anemone. Han Sora was looking around, assisting Ahn Ki-mo.


    Some of the elves who came to their senses were also trying to drive away their enemies, keeping the defenses thick.


    It wasn¡¯t like I didn¡¯t see any close points at all, but¡­


    ¡®You¡¯ll be able to wrap it up. Sh*t.¡¯


    Even if something else happened, there wouldn¡¯t be a big problem until Cho Hyejin could return.


    -Here you go!


    Cho Hyejin and Alps were moving nonstop. Honestly, I didn¡¯t know how far her puppy could track Jihye, but he was running like crazy, probably because he felt something.


    ¡®Are you sure she¡¯s still in Eberia?¡¯


    She didn¡¯t have to bepletely discovered. I just needed Whitey to find a trace. There was so much I could do with that little clue that the possibilities were endless.


    ¡®Please, you can do it, Whitey. You can run faster, can¡¯t you? Our Whitey is good. You can do it, good Whitey.¡¯


    I wanted to call him Tactic Whitey. Frankly, I felt like he was worthy of such a title.


    -It¡¯s here! Cho Hyejin! This is it, right, Whitey?


    -Bark!


    -Yes, I¡¯m following you.


    It was the inside of the building. The crazed lunatics weren¡¯t around.


    I circled around the building as a precaution, but I couldn¡¯t see a single ant.


    How long had they been running? From far away, two dolls began to be seen.


    ¡®Is that noona?¡¯


    I wasn¡¯t sure, but what I could see was a woman wearing a mask and someone kissing her shoes¡­


    ¡®Elios?¡¯


    Sh*t, that son of a bitch¡¯s eyes were already out of order.


    The cheap pure love didn¡¯t go well with the guy who expressed interest in Cho Hyejin just a few hours ago.


    It was like he was being brainwashed, but if it was true love, then he wasn¡¯t loyal to anyone else, even if he was brainwashed. True love would¡¯ve ovee that.


    ¡®Hyejin, are you watching? Sh*t, that punk. You can¡¯t do this.¡¯


    -Jihye?


    -¡­


    -Jihye!


    -¡­


    The masked woman raised her hand, and a dark curtain instantly surrounded them.


    Elios and the masked woman, hidden in a dark shroud, immediately disappeared.


    Cho Hyejin ran in a hurry and tried to hold onto her, but she was toote. Alps was staring at her nkly, and Tactic Whitey was barking hard.


    ¡®Good. It¡¯s okay. That wasn¡¯t bad.¡¯


    It was satisfactory enough. I gained something from that alone.


    ¡°Tell Hayan to warp to this ce.¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°Hyejin, please send a message to Hayan.¡±


    -Ah¡­ Yes¡­


    ¡°We need to move now.¡±


    -You mean right now?


    ¡°Warp everything regardless of the oue of the battle. All the elves, too.¡±


    -¡­


    Cho Hyejin was looking at the distance, a bit puzzled. It was probably because most of the problems had already been sorted out, which made her think why we even had to warp. Well¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s going to explode, anyway.¡±


    -¡­


    And¡­


    Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!


    Cho Hyejin, who looked at Eberia nkly, caught my eye. I was sure of it.


    She was shivering at the horrors of Lee Jihye.

 Chapter 792: The Last (25)

    <h4>Chapter 792: The Last (25)</h4>


    [The fall of the kingdom of Eberia. A continent terrorized by new threats. -Reporter Kim Sung-kyung of the Lindel News]


    [Where and what was the Continental Protection and Management Committee doing? Former Chairman Lee Kiyoung uses themittee of ipetence. -Reporter Kim Sung-kyung of the Lindel News]


    [What happened there that day? The horrors were heard through the voices of survivors. -Reporter Merlia, the State Newspaper.]


    [Elena officially leaves the Blue Guild. There is no conflict with the guild members. A decision for the elves who have lost the kingdom. -Reporter Cheonwi, Dawan News.]


    [The whereabouts of the Sunset Swordsman is unclear¡­ The Blue Guild dismisses the Guild Master¡¯s retirement theory. However¡­ -Reporter Kim Sung-kyung of the Lindel News]


    [Has the Sunset Swordsman really abandoned the continent? I understand the iprehensible behavior and travel and the shock of the loss of the Honorary Cardinal, but¡­ -Continental News Agency]


    [Now, when he too has to ovee sadness, the continent¡¯s citizens are waiting for the Sunset Swordsman¡­ -Reporter Merlia, the State Newspaper.]


    The news about theplete destruction of Eberia was enough to shock the continent.


    Almost like they had been waiting for that exact moment, the media began to rush to uncover the truth of the incident, and citizens were unable to hide their anxiety.


    To put it a bit exaggeratedly, it felt even more confusing than Judgment Day.


    Actually, this situation didn¡¯t even feel strange. As it was said that the world would be destroyed, the foreign defense was not done in the north. It would have been unreasonable for ordinary people to actually feel the danger.


    Of course, I wasn¡¯t dismissing the fear they felt at the time, but I was sure that this event would have felt more real.


    ¡®Eberia, fuck, disappeared from the map. They must be feeling devastated.¡¯


    In the case of adventurers, they were looking at that incident from a slightly different perspective¡­


    ¡®Because the nonbat personnel is different.¡¯


    The fear of a man who could endure huge waves was different. It didn¡¯t take long before that fear was expressed. They were beginning to find ways to influence them in many directions.


    Calling the press for the right to know or exchanging undisclosed information.


    Most of the things seemed useless, but the fact that their influence could not be ignored was also a problem. Personal remarks and public opinion werepletely different. Not to mention¡­


    Several groups were using the situation maliciously.


    ¡°They want to get rid of the ones that were annoying to them in the past.¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°Why are the soldiers just watching it?¡±


    -I¡¯m not sure, but I think I know why the Vice Guild Master was trying to exclude the Guild Master.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    -I knew he was enduring heavy burdens, but I didn¡¯t know how much pressure he was enduring while fighting¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -There are more articles about the Guild Master than Eberia, which has disappeared. Even malicious articles¡­ Of course, they are keeping within the line, but¡­ They¡¯re standing on top of it. As long as it is written in goodnguage, the fact that they criticize the Guild Master does not change.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ well.¡±


    -No, even if they didn¡¯t intend to criticize, it¡¯s undeniable that they are driving the Guild Master to a corner. They don¡¯t know how hard it is for the Guild Master to pick up his sword and how cruel it is to ask him toe to the forefront again. Even this situation is getting politicized¡­


    ¡®I didn¡¯t exclude him for that reason, though¡­¡¯


    -I can also understand why Jihye made such a choice.


    ¡®Don¡¯t think like that. Brigade Hyunsung is too much, but Brigade Hyejin is even more¡­¡¯


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to understand Lee Jihye¡¯s feelings. Why are you trying to understand the feelings of someone who blew up a kingdom? You only need to do what you can do. Actually, it¡¯s not really a bad situation.¡±


    -How is this not a bad situation? Elios went missing. Jihye has lost her mind to the demon because of one wrong choice. I¡¯m sure she¡¯s continuing¡­ her tough fight.


    ¡®It can¡¯t be that tough.¡¯


    -If at least a little bit of her conscience is there¡­ I can¡¯t imagine¡­ how much tormented she must be feeling for what she has done.


    She wouldn¡¯t be that tormented.


    -I¡­ What should I do¡­


    ¡®Rather, you seem to be the one tormented¡­¡¯


    It seemed certain that various situations were bothering Cho Hyejin.


    I thought it was hard enough for her that even I couldn¡¯t judge.


    Her emotional shock brought forth by Lee Jihye, who sold her soul to the demon, was already big, and all of the circumstances would feel as if it was tormenting her. In addition to Elena leaving the Blue Guild and media response issues, many problems had to be solved officially. There was guild work as well, and many issues had to be dealt with informally.


    If I hadn¡¯t helped, the guild wouldn¡¯t work normally.


    The crazy remarks of the insane bastard I had seen in the Kingdom of Eberia were convincing.


    It wouldn¡¯t be wrong to say that we were having the worst times both financially and politically.


    ¡®I¡¯ll remember those motherfuckers. Really. Fuck.¡¯


    The assholes, who were hostile to the Blue Guild, and the bastards who escaped because they didn¡¯t want to be in a sinking ship. I remembered everyone¡­


    -It¡¯s really embarrassing to say this, but the fact that the Vice Guild Master is here isforting.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s not something to be embarrassed about. Didn¡¯t I tell you? It might not be that bad of a situation.¡±


    -Yes?


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to exin in detail, but I think I should also think about the possibility that Jihye is keeping her conscience a little bit.¡±


    -What¡­


    ¡°I wonder if she understands my current situation and is helping me¡­¡±


    -What are you talking about?


    ¡°The probability is low, and it¡¯s also undeniable that the continent is copsing, but ironically, all of these situations are working nicely for me. It would be easy to understand if I say that more people are praying to the gods. It is also true that many people are looking for Hyunsung. I told you that I need tremendous divinity to go back, right?¡±


    -No. Honestly, it¡¯s hard to understand what you are talking about.


    ¡°Just keep in mind that Jihye is keeping her consciousness even when her soul has been taken away by the demon.¡±


    ¡®Because this isn¡¯t Jihye¡¯s method in doing things.¡¯


    Honestly, I couldn¡¯t say that the probability was high. Still, it was a bit more convincing that Lee Jihye went crazy and caused this. However, no matter how much I thought about it, I didn¡¯t think Lee Jihye¡¯s methods were this terrible.


    She was a snake.


    It was my way, not hers, to bluff or to conjure big shocks to draw attention.


    Jihye Lee¡¯s preferred method was to observe and move quietly, without anyone noticing, and endlessly choking and choking the other¡¯s throat.


    If Jihye had been trying to deal with things in the right way, she wouldn¡¯t have dropped such a big bomb. She would have suffocated and sunk the continent without them even knowing that their necks were being slowly strangled.


    Of course, I remembered how she would have acted if she was me, and the story would be different if she were a romanticist who wanted to take revenge, but Lee Jihye followed reason rather than emotions.


    ¡®She is also avoidingmunication with me.¡¯


    She intentionally refrained from making contact with me. If that hypothesis were correct, it would be to avoid Lucifer¡¯s eyes. I had gained quite a lot from the extinction of Eberia.


    The first was the portal that Jung Hayan was currently investigating.


    Second, the fact that Lee Jihye and Lucifer were rted in some way.


    Third, there was a ground on which the divinity could gather.


    The second hint deserved the most attention.


    ¡®Does she know?¡¯


    If Lee Jihye intentionally avoided me to deceive Lucifer¡¯s eyes, if she was getting ready to backstab Lucifer, not me, maybe¡­


    Lee Jihye might know the content of the bet or information rted to it.


    ¡°Of course, that¡¯s a possibility. Maybe she¡¯s just venting out her anger, trying to kill humans, or she¡¯s hoping that we¡¯re making this assumption. Perhaps she¡¯s actually getting ready to backstab us after all. However¡­¡±


    -Yes.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that Jihye is only moving in the direction the demon wants.¡±


    -P-Probably. She¡¯s a strong person. Even after the Soul Stealer stole her soul, she steadfastly¡­ overcame it.


    ¡®The Soul Stealer¡­ Fuck.¡¯


    ¡°I think it would be nice to take some time to decide her intentions. Should we move with the assumption that Lee Jihye is acting for us or that she¡¯s moving in the direction of bing aplete enemy?¡±


    -Of course, I choose the former.


    ¡°Don¡¯t choose right now. If we gamble thinking that it was the first option, but it turns out to be the second, we¡¯ll be met with a bad ending.


    -I believe in Jihye.


    ¡°I only half-believe her. Still, what you need to do right now is track the portal where Lee Jihye disappeared.¡±


    -Yes.


    ¡°And getting a satisfactory result from the meeting, we¡¯re going into now.¡±


    -I know.


    ¡°So let¡¯s stop looking at articles and move on.¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°The other people might be waiting.¡±


    -Yes.


    Cho Hyejin got up with a slightly tense face.


    When she opened the door slightly, Alps, who followed as an attendant, was waiting.


    The new guild member, who looked at her with an anxious face, soon followed behind by a half-step.


    Since she already knew things, she should understand that this meeting would be difficult as well.


    -The representative of the Blue Guild Master, Cho Hyejin, is entering.


    After she said that, I was able to see those who intentionally sent distorted faces when she stepped inside. I could see that they were hostile at just one nce.


    Weren¡¯t their gazes following her until she sat?


    -Is the Sunset Swordsman very busy?


    -Guild Master is currently focusing on other work.


    -Haha¡­ Gosh¡­


    -¡­


    -I don¡¯t know what he¡¯s doing, but it must be very important. The kingdom of Eberia has been destroyed. It has disappearedpletely from the map. While the continent is in a crisis, the one who is called the Sunset Swordsman is ignoring all that¡­ sigh¡­ well¡­ gosh¡­


    -Hey! What are you saying about the hero who saved the continent!


    -I am saying that even more because he is the hero who saved the continent. Isn¡¯t this a situation where Elios¡¯s whereabouts are also unknown? It is a time when even a small amount of power is needed, isn¡¯t it? Perhaps the Blue Guild isn¡¯t very interested in this matter.


    -Be careful with your words¡­ you should be grateful. Thanks to the Blue Guild¡­


    -The Blue Guild didn¡¯t save the continent from the external enemies alone. We were able to lead the holy war to victory because the entire continent joined forces. The same is true this time. All the continent must work together to get out of this crisis. But¡­ what is this? Let¡¯s recall the reason Lee Kiyoung created the Continental Protection and Management Committee!


    ¡®Look at that bastard using my name.¡¯


    -Not only the Sunset Swordsman but also the Mercenary Queen isn¡¯t participating. Inherit the spirit of the Continental Protection and Management Committee! That¡¯s why I insisted that we create a strongermand that will inherit the will of Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung.


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    -The time hase to gather that will once again, everyone.


    They said that while the cat was away, the mice would y¡­


    I seemed to be able to know what those bastards were aiming for.


    ¡®You guys are not saying you will control Hyunsung, are you? Son of a bitch.¡¯


    At this, myughter disappeared.


    ¡®You want to do Tactic Kim Hyunsung?¡¯


    I started to get annoyed.

 Chapter 793: The Last (26)

    <h4>Chapter 793: The Last (26)</h4>


    ¡®They are out of their minds. Son of a bitch¡­ Assholes.¡¯


    Without knowing, I tapped my finger on my thigh. I couldn¡¯t hear the murmurs of the bastards that didn¡¯t even know their ces well.


    It was only for a moment, but I even thought of whether Brigade Jihye was making the right decision.


    I¡¯d seen many crazy guys do crazy things, but it had been a while since I had been so annoyed.


    As I looked around, I noticed Seraphim handing me a coffee.


    ¡°Father.¡±


    ¡°Who are you calling father?¡±


    ¡°As you said¡­¡±


    I was so annoyed that my hands got tense. My hands were so tensed I identally spilled the coffee.


    ¡°I¡¯ll bring another¡­¡±


    ¡°Get out of here, Seraphim.¡±


    -We have to gather will. We have to protect the continent. Wasn¡¯t that the intention of thete Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung?


    What was most annoying in that process was that a guy that I didn¡¯t even know the name of was using my name.


    I understood what those bastards were thinking, where those crazy thoughts wereing from, and where they were getting the grounds for such behaviors.


    Those bastards thought that if they were lucky, they could twist a few innocent bastards around and manipte them to suit their taste, but they couldn¡¯t guarantee that things would work out smoothly.


    When I thought of what was most impossible from the standpoint of those in power, the answer was surprisingly obvious.


    What those bastards feared most was a situation that they couldn¡¯t control. I felt embarrassed because I felt momentary hate for my race, but that was what the ones in power were like.


    How were those guys epting adventurers who had strength beyond their control?


    For example, could they watch Kim Hyunsung, Cha Hee-ra, Jung Hayan, Raphael, and others without remorse?


    What did they think of monsters who could sunder countries or cities with individual power?


    After defeating the Demon King, the clich¨¦ of the abandoned warrior wasn¡¯t formted for no reason.


    In a crisis, they were a stronger ally than anyone else, but they would look like a bomb that could explode at any moment during a peaceful period.


    It was clear that they would worry about having their privileges taken away, no matter if they were influential because of simple resentment or political reasons or because they wanted to destroy a working society.


    With that in mind, the system itself was understandable for those who transcended humans and could go up to the sky, but¡­


    ¡®They¡¯re in a transitional period.¡¯


    To rise to the top, it was still a time when much preparation was required. That was to say they had no choice but to suffer together with humans.


    -We need a stronger institution than before. There will be many changes in the previousmittee, but I think it will be meaningful and worth it. Think about how we won that long and tough fight. Wasn¡¯t it made possible because the continent became one?


    -¡­


    -It is because thete Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung unified us. He was no different from the epitome of sainthood.


    Even if he were ttering me, my mouth wouldn¡¯t move a millimeter.


    -Now, no hero can unite us. That means we have to find a new alternative. We need to create a new focal point that unites the heroes of different races, the Republic, the State, neutral nations, the Kingdom Union, the Federation, and the continent. This is an inevitable choice and an irresistible flow of the times.


    -However¡­


    -Yes.


    -At the present time when the continent is facing a great danger¡­ I admit that this is a very good offer, but¡­ Will the continent¡¯s heroes even join hands with us? Even though we¡¯re doing a meeting here, they¡­


    -Maybe? It is not our will. We do not just represent all the races and citizens living on the continent. This is the will of the continent¡¯s citizens, and I think our heroes will not shake off the hand of the citizens.


    ¡®Where did that bastarde from?¡¯


    There was no change in the fact that transcendental people were also social animals.


    The guy who led the meeting came into view once again. He seemed to have never been exposed to sunlight. He was unscrupulous, and I couldn¡¯t stand the way he was talking.


    I wondered if it felt like this when Blue¡¯s Lee Seolho saw me for the first time. I could understand why that old man looked at me with nauseating eyes.


    ¡®Where did youe from?¡¯


    Looking at him with the Mind¡¯s Eyes, his Korean name stood out.


    ¡®But why are you sitting there? Aren¡¯t you from Lindel?¡¯


    I had never seen him, so he probably just joined the politics¡­ Honestly, I didn¡¯t even know there was such a guy before the war, so he most likely joined recently.


    A newbie bastard who just started attending this meeting.


    ¡®Is he from a rising guild? Or does he have a connection with the head of the country? Why the hell is he sitting there?¡¯


    ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡±


    -I am from the Kingdom Union. I¡¯m Song Sookyung, Guild Master of the Union Guild.


    ¡°He is Korean. Isn¡¯t he from Lindel?¡±


    He went through the tutorial dungeon from Lindel, but I heard he was transferred to the Kingdom Union. After the war was over, after my death, he started to make a name for himself little by little¡­ Not long ago, I heard that he was awarded a title from the kingdom of Merhan. The Union Guild was a solid organization with internal stability, but in fact¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s not enough to be invited. He can join the meeting just because of the kingdom of Merhan, right?¡±


    -Strictly speaking, yes.


    ¡®He is full of greed.¡¯


    An analyst who had a hidden disposition. It seemed like the disposition was representing him. If the way he was acting was the real him, the reason he moved to the Kingdom Union was obvious.


    ¡®I guess he thought he wouldn¡¯t seed in Lindel.¡¯


    He might have thought that his dreams were difficult to achieve at Lindel.


    That was because there were already three hugely established guilds in the State, and it was difficult for new guilds or new ones to climb up.


    He would have decided that he would have had better possibilities in a new ce, and as a result, his thoughts seemed to be right. Seeing him here right now¡­


    He received a title in the kingdom of Merhan, and his guild took its own ce. I couldn¡¯t even imagine how proud he would have been to be in that meeting with the continent¡¯s tops.


    I hated to admit it, but I had no choice but to agree that he had good guts.


    I didn¡¯t start with a bare body, but I knew best that it wasn¡¯t easy to start without anything and climb to that level. Perhaps, even while I was still alive, he was working behind the scenes and outside of my awareness, but¡­


    ¡®Did he feel it was dangerous if he stood out?¡¯


    It was right to think that he was hiding and was waiting for an opportunity toe forward.


    He probably saw Lee Kiyoung¡¯s death as an opportunity, so he resurfaced using the foundation he had built up so far, and as a result¡­


    -Many people say they can see the Vice Guild Master in him. There is nothing to say about his evaluation¡­ They say that he is someone that fills the vacancy of the Vice Guild Master. I don¡¯t agree, but¡­


    ¡®Right, fuck, it must have been like this.¡¯


    I could already see it. Excluding the State officials¡­ No, even a few people from the State were throwing votes at him.


    Considering Oscar sitting nearby and Pristina of a neutral country didn¡¯t look happy, it seemed that they weren¡¯t getting any big results in out-of-sight political battles.


    The Republic and the different races too. I could see them being swayed by the sly tongue of that scamming bastard.


    -This is nonsense.


    ¡®Yes, it doesn¡¯t make sense even to me.¡¯


    -Think of the continent people trembling in fear, Oscar. The former Continental Protection and Management Committee has already lost the citizens¡¯ trust. When Eberia fell, where and what were they doing? Why are you saying that it is wrong to ask to create an institution that the masses can trust and rely on?


    -We do not me the institution. We¡¯re just telling you that the method is wrong. All humans must be free. That includes the heroes who saved the continent.


    -With great poweres great responsibility. Isn¡¯t that a quote we all know? Crucially, I am by no means trying to vite the freedom of heroes. Who would dare give orders to them?


    -¡­


    -Who would dare force and control them? Think about it, Oscar. Even Lee Kiyoung couldn¡¯t haveplete control over them. We¡¯re simply creating an institution and conveying the intentions of the continent to them. We are not giving orders. I mean, I¡¯m just giving suggestions and taking steps to make it easier for them to move and make it easier for them to act for the continent. Haven¡¯t I told you about it before? We are only representing the continent.


    -It sounds like you¡¯re saying to control them with public opinion, but¡­ I think we need to reconsider whether this is really the right thing to do.


    -There is no time, Oscar. We don¡¯t have that much time. What should we do when something simr to the Eberia crisis erupts?


    -¡­


    -We need a new institution that inherits the spirit of the Continental Protection and Management Committee. Therefore, I would like to introduce you to the New Continental Protection Management Committee once again.


    I could see him slowlying out to the pulpit.


    ¡®Huh¡­ Fuck.¡¯


    The sound of apuse burst out. There was anxiety on the faces of some of the guys who seemed to have tasted Doom Hyunsung, thinking that maybe they were making a mistake right now¡­


    That was why they seemed to feel more and more that the New Continental Protection and Management Committee was needed.


    Before long, the materials prepared by him began to appear in the Goddess¡¯s Mirror.


    Honestly, I didn¡¯t know what¡¯s different from the previous Continental Protection and Management Committee.


    A few differences were that the figures in it that were from the State and the neutral nations and now were from the Republic and Kingdom Union. Of course, people from the State were included to bnce them, but it was nothing more or less than matching the assortment.


    Virtually all of the power was upied by all those bastards.


    Oscar and the guild masters of Lindel also didn¡¯t look happy. There was an intention topletely exclude the State, so what else did I need to say?


    ¡®I didn¡¯t fucking invest in the Continent to make those bastards eat well and live well. I invested for our kids.¡¯


    From there, thunderous apuse burst out.


    -The continent will once again be one. It will be safe forever.


    Once again, shouts burst out.


    The list of heroes that the New Continent and Protection Management Committee wanted to manage also caught my eye.


    There was Sunset Swordsman Kim Hyunsung.


    Archmage Jung Hayan.


    Mercenary Queen Cha Heera.


    Gray Warrior Raphael.


    And¡­


    Holy Spear Cho Hyejin.


    The Eight Seats of the State and the Five Tiger Generals from the Republic. Even the small heroes of the continent. All were listed.


    ¡®What? Do you want to use all of them for the public good? Can you trade them? Isn¡¯t that no different from exchanging corn for diamonds? Bastards.¡¯


    -Let¡¯s go into a new future. Let¡¯s once again protect the continent that the Honorary Cardinal cherished. Let¡¯s show him, the god of the continent, that we can do without him!


    ps continued to resonate.


    ¡®You¡¯ll try without me? Fuck.¡¯


    The apuse didn¡¯t go away until the meeting was over.


    Cho Hyejin¡¯s face crumpled.


    Several people had already gathered to talk, and the bastard Song Sookyung was showing off his connections with a confident face. I could see him approaching Cho Hyejin with a bright face when he found her.


    He looked too pleasant to say that he was facing a continental crisis, and honestly, I didn¡¯t if that deep-rooted evil bastard was truly acting for the continent.


    -If you found today¡¯s meeting rude, I apologize, Cho Hyejin.


    -¡­


    -You may resent me, but I want you to know that it was a decision for the continent. Isn¡¯t world peace the wish of the masses? I understand that the Blue Guild Master is going through a difficult time, but shouldn¡¯t he¡­ forget about it and stand up?


    -¡­


    -If it¡¯s okay, can you tell me where he is now?


    -I don¡¯t know what you want, but I¡¯ll tell him myself.


    Heughed.


    -It¡¯s nothing specific. I just want to exin the contents of this meeting and¡­ I thought it was the only way to meet him and speak to him. Didn¡¯t he lose many things?


    -¡­


    -He¡¯s probably heartbroken to lose a close friend who was like a soulmate, like a brother. Perhaps¡­


    -¡­


    -Perhaps¡­ I just wondered if I could fill the emptiness the Honorary Cardinal left.


    -¡­


    -¡­


    ¡°Is that so, you bastard? Time to destroy the continent. Let¡¯s see how far you¡¯ll go, dumbass.¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°Let¡¯s see how well you¡¯ll do without me.¡±

 Chapter 794: The Last (27)

    <h4>Chapter 794: The Last (27)</h4>


    -I heard that a gue is circting around a big city in the Republic. In the Kingdom Union, mysterious disappearances are increasing.


    ¡°Why are you bothering with that? It¡¯s not the first time that a gue has circted, and there are many missing-person cases. Someone must have found a dungeon. Just be calm.¡±


    -There was also information that masked people were seen.


    ¡°Ah, yes. They must have started their activities. How¡¯s Hayan¡¯s investigation on the portal? I¡¯m curious if she¡¯s found a way to track it¡­ confirm it with her. She¡¯ll do well on her own, but please let me know if there are any areas she needs help with. The best action we can do in our current state is to trace the portal where Lee Jihye has disappeared¡­¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -Where are you going with this, Vice Guild Master¡­?


    ¡°I¡¯m doing my job. Didn¡¯t I give you the defense n?¡±


    -You know that¡¯s not what I meant. I understand¡­ sigh¡­ you¡¯re disappointed¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -I can sense that you don¡¯t like seeing the things you have worked on changing or disappearing little by little and that you are not satisfied with the continent gradually changing. I also don¡¯t like any of this, but that suggestion hasn¡¯t beenpletely epted yet.


    ¡°I am not a child¡­ it¡¯s not because of that. What can I do if I¡¯m not already in the world? Why would I be annoyed that great talents came out and want to protect and manage the continent? I just thought it wouldn¡¯t be bad to leave everything to them, except for the State and Lindel. It is a division of work. Division of work. I don¡¯t have multiple hands. First, don¡¯t we have to be sturdy?¡±


    -If that¡¯s true, at least you shouldn¡¯t have disturbed us.


    ¡°No, what kind of disturbance do you mean?¡±


    -Can¡¯t you stop the tears of blood flowing from the statue? You know how anxious people are because of that.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a disturbance. It¡¯s help. It is a warning for a continent that is fighting against a great threat. Where in the world will you find a god like me? Benignore isn¡¯t moving, and Varian and all the others are the same. At least I have to inform them that the continent is in danger.


    -You could have informed us in a different way.


    ¡°I¡¯m doing a good job.¡±


    -¡­


    ¡®Those idiots have to fail.¡¯


    They couldn¡¯t tell their asses from their elbows.


    No matter how I looked at it, I thought that Jihye was right. This situation was absurd enough to think that I would have loaded Doom Kiyoung if I only had a body.


    The more annoying thing was¡­ that those bastards were running the continent a lot more stable than I thought.


    Of course, the continent that the New Continent Protection and Management Committee wanted hadn¡¯t been created. Controlling the heroes as they wanted was just a countdown.


    However, it was undeniable that things were done quickly.


    At the same time as announcing the destruction of Eberia, they announced the inauguration of the New Continental Protection and Management Committee. As a result, it resulted in quieting the frightened citizens.


    Jihye had probably heard about it.


    ¡®You can¡¯t lose to them. You know that, right? Right?¡¯


    They didn¡¯t forget the n they were pushing for, and they were working on it step by step. They began to move the public opinion. Many people wishing Kim Hyunsung to participate in the war raised their voices.


    The timing alsoplicated things since a named one of the Kingdom Union had been causing trouble.


    ¡®Fuck, he¡¯s too shameful to be called a hero.¡¯


    The mediapanies, which were still friendly to the State, hadn¡¯t yet focused on that issue, but the mediapanies attached to the New Continent Protection and Management Committee had eagerly shed light on, re-examined, and highlighted the incident.


    They were starting to grow public opinion that the continent should manage those with transcendent power.


    It was a situation where ordinary adventurers spoke for their needs and safety.


    Cha Hee-ra, who wasn¡¯t moved even though the situation had reached this point. Kim Hyunsung focused on his strange journey, and Jung Hayan seemed to have no interest in the continent¡¯s crisis at all. I didn¡¯t even know where Raphael was.


    Honestly, if those guys showed up in the media even a little and expressed their regret, things wouldn¡¯t have gotten so big.


    In fact, public opinion was flowing as intended by Song Sookyung, that rat bastard.


    ¡®Gosh, in all my life¡­¡¯


    ¡°Let¡¯s see how well you¡¯ll do, bastard. Come at me.¡±


    -Huh?


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    -You might get offended, but considering the Blue¡¯s position, there¡¯s simply no choice. We have to express our stance that at least one of us is supporting them¡­ you know that. Maybe¡­ the guild¡¯s situation will be much better than it is now as a result. We were promised to receive support in various ways regardless of whether the work was sessful or not¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -There will be no problem with the guild maintaining its current condition.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -To be honest¡­ it¡¯s unlikely that things will go the way they want, but¡­


    ¡°Yeah, I guess.¡±


    -The Guild Master or Jung Hayan won¡¯t ept that. In particr, the Guild Master will never be hoping for this kind of situation.


    ¡®Yes, fuck. I also believe in Hyunsung. And in Hayan even more.¡¯


    That rabble didn¡¯t really mean anything. The Sunset Swordsman, Archmage, and Mercenary Queen weren¡¯t the type to obey when they were politically pressured and forced to take an interest in the continent¡¯s peace.


    There was no reason to stand up for something that would inconvenience them.


    Song Sookyung and the viin group were focusing on the top 3. Oh, and Raphael, so it was top 4.


    For their n to take ce, even just one of the four above had to be on their side.


    Song Sookyung was practicing riding a griffon probably because he knew that. It was to tter Kim Hyunsung. Fuck.


    As expected, the way he showed off a splendid appearance in the air, even wearing goggles that didn¡¯t go well with him, was a spectacle. It looked like he could ride well, but he didn¡¯t seem substantial or full of skill. As the guy who had been soaring through the air for a long time came down, the aides weed him.


    -They said that the Blue Guild Master likes griffons.


    -Yes. I¡¯ve been told so as well. He¡¯s a person who doesn¡¯t reveal himself well in private, but when the Griffon Festival is held, he always attends. I heard that he also has a small hobby of collecting rted items. On days when he¡¯s not in a good mood, he goes out alone riding or¡­


    -With the Honorary Cardinal¡­


    -Haha¡­ Unfortunately, the Honorary Cardinal wasn¡¯t good at dealing with griffons. Although he could fly, he preferred not to go to high altitudes or move at high speeds. Of course, I heard that there were times when the two went out together, but¡­ it could have been a boring time for Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡®Fuck, he didn¡¯t get bored.¡¯


    -It was not an exaggeration to say that Kim Hyunsung is the best in the continent for his skill in handling griffons.


    -Indeed¡­


    -If he participated in a ridingpetition, he would look like a pro. I have seen him riding a griffon from a distance, but¡­ other than saying that he is the best¡­


    -What is the number of griffons they have in the Blue Guild?


    -I don¡¯t know exactly, but about 15. Two adults and the rest¡­


    -Please prepare a gift. I would like you to prepare all the goods of the highest quality, including items that have been judged as pleasing to him.


    -Got it.


    -I want everything prepared by tomorrow. They said he mighte back within the day. There should be no negligence in our hospitality.


    -Yes.


    -I think you all understand how important this is. The Blue Guild Master is the key we need to protect the continent. We must never forget that we¡¯re all still alive because of the Sunset Swordsman. Right now¡­ he¡¯s been out of focus for a while because of the wounds of the past, but I have no doubts that he will eventually stand up and show what he was before. As always, he will lead us to a bright sunset.


    -¡­


    -Yes. To a bright sunset.


    He was just a smooth-talking fucker.


    It was revolting to see him talking, pretending to be nice. The way he kept smiling while handling various tasks, and the way he was kind to his subordinates, was probably because he cared about what others thought of him.


    It was also noticeable that he was working hard as if a daysted 48 hours¡­


    ¡®Fuck, do you think you can deal with Jihye? You will never be able to deal with her. A pissed-off Jihye doesn¡¯t stop even in front of red light.¡¯


    -Assistant, I have something to tell you¡­


    -Yes. Tell me, Song Sookyung.


    -I would like you to make a reservation for the restaurant where the Blue Guild Master often goes. It would be ufortable for him to meet new people¡­ I think a familiar ce will be more helpful.


    -I will. Should I prepare something¡­?


    -Other than that, no. I will prepare everything else myself. If you hear news about Kim Hyunsung¡¯s return, please tell me immediately, and¡­ about that¡­


    -Yes. It¡¯s not enough, but it¡¯s ready.


    I could see them standing up.


    Song Sookyung looked a little nervous, and the assistants walking next to him began to talk eagerly.


    At first, I didn¡¯t know what they were talking about, but the more I listened to it, the more I could predict what they were talking about.


    -ording to the story passed down, I heard that when the Sunset Swordsman was on the battlefield, he was always with the Honorary Cardinal. It didn¡¯t mean that the Honorary Cardinal was really standing together with him on the battlefield, but the two were connected. Of course, this is an exaggerated expression, but it would have really felt like their minds were connected from the enemy¡¯s perspective.


    -¡­


    -I heard that the Honorary Cardinal always looked at the Goddess¡¯s Mirrors that filled arge room and became his eyes. It can¡¯t be an area that humans can easily reach. Being able to urately prate the battlefield that changes every second is impossible unless you are a god looking down on the battlefield. That¡¯s why Kim Hyunsung trusted the Honorary Cardinal even more.


    -¡­


    -He has always led him the way he should go. He never got lost in his way. In any situation, he found a breakthrough¡­ haha¡­ It wouldn¡¯t be wrong to say that both of them are soulmates.


    -¡­


    Hearing the voices of others quietly, he nodded and began to look ahead.


    Standing in front of him were Goddess¡¯s Mirrors that filled arge room.


    In front of him was a helmet that looked like an artifact. It was connected to odd lines, and a magic circle was filling the area.


    ¡®A simtion?¡¯


    -I¡¯ll start it.


    He sat down slowly and wore the helmet, and a huge mock battle was going on in the Goddess¡¯s Mirrors. I could see him rolling his eyes insanely.


    Soon after, his nose was bleeding, and tears of blood exploded from his eyes as well, and in the end¡­


    -aaaaaaargh.


    With that sound, I could see him lying face down on the floor. He seemed to have cked out for a moment. He couldn¡¯t ovee the sudden overload, and he lost consciousness.


    After the priests waiting nearby ran and infused him with divine power, he sat down once again.


    I had to admit he had some guts, but it was an uninteresting sight to the extent that I had to yawn.


    -Mark the speed of my reactions¡­ How was it?


    -It was normal¡­ It was at amon adventurer¡¯s level.


    ¡°Tactic Kim Hyunsung, my ass¡­ Pfff.¡±


    -It was really¡­ normal level.


    -¡­


    ¡°Puhhahehehehehehe! Idiooooot! Idioooooooooooot!! Tactic Kim Hyunsung, my ass¡­ Screw you! Bastard! Seraphim, bring me some coffee, fuck!¡±

 Chapter 795: The Last (28)

    <h4>Chapter 795: The Last (28)</h4>


    ¡°The coffee is good today.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, father.¡±


    ¡°Stop calling me your father. You¡¯ll get too attached.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I knew it. Your intelligence isn¡¯t high. Tactic Kim Hyunsung, my ass. You¡¯ll be overwhelmed by even just Tactic Whitey¡­ you¡¯re just too greedy. Gosh¡­ Pff¡­ Pfff. Fuhahahehehe. Screw you, bastard. You have to learn Tactic Whitey first.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s not something ordinary humans can do.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡±


    ¡°Of course! It wasn¡¯t easy even for me, so how can a human imitate my father? It is not a problem to be solved simply by having high intelligence, and it is not easy to judge and analyze how the battlefield works.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Even if he¡¯s lucky and he seeds, it¡¯s nothing more or less than pretending or giarism.¡±


    ¡°What? You¡¯re saying he¡¯ll seed with luck?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just saying, what if.¡±


    ¡°Get out of here.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Sess, my ass¡­¡¯


    Looking at him now, I didn¡¯t think that he would be so sessful.


    ¡®How can you seed on something that even Jihye gave up on?¡¯


    Even Lee Jihye, who took on the role ofmander, couldn¡¯t properly handle Tactic Kim Hyunsung. She was limited to inputting a few simple words, and even that was based on her tactical choices.


    I wasn¡¯t talking bad about her. It was simply an area she couldn¡¯t touch in the first ce.


    ¡®It was a bit different.¡¯


    She didn¡¯t control Kim Hyunsung efficiently. I would like to give her a big score for using Kim Hyunsung as a fast infantry unit, but¡­


    ¡®If so, why would there be any reason to use Tactic Kim Hyunsung?¡¯


    One could just train a fast infantry group and use it, right? Of course, no infantry could be as fast as Kim Hyunsung, making the assumption itself meaningless¡­


    The point was that Kim Hyunsung could achieve the greatest efficiency when he moved as Kim Hyunsung.


    The personal ability of the person who directed the strategy was important, but understanding Kim Hyunsung was even more so.


    What he was thinking, what he could do, his current condition, the skills and habits he had, and even the very small details had to be in the tactician¡¯s head, and doing that was by no means easy.


    The bonds and true friendships built up by going through countless battlefields together, and our unity was created because we could trust each other wholeheartedly.


    ¡®That¡¯s our special move.¡¯


    My Mind¡¯s Eyes indeed helped, but I was the main factor in it.


    ¡®Fuck, practice all you want. You won¡¯t be able to do it.¡¯


    I knew what he was thinking. Tactic Kim Hyunsung was frankly impressive, but where else could be such a wonderful sight? It was deployed at a very high speed. I understood he wanted to do it as well.


    However, Kim Hyunsung wouldn¡¯t give him a chance in the first ce. Why would anyone abandon thetest smartphone and switch to an old 2G phone? If the phone didn¡¯t burst, they¡¯d be lucky. Wouldn¡¯t his head pop and burst like what just happened?


    -aaaargh! Sigh¡­ Sigh¡­ Sigh¡­


    -Are you okay?


    -aargh¡­ Sigh¡­ Sigh¡­


    -Song Sookyung, I think we should call it a day¡­


    -No. I¡¯m fine. This is¡­ necessary. There¡¯s no guarantee that a war against demons in angel masks won¡¯t happen again. Sigh¡­ Sigh¡­


    -¡­


    -I need to adapt as quickly as possible. Everyone who lives on the continent should feel that our homes are safe.


    -¡­


    -It definitely won¡¯t be impossible. I know that the Honorary Cardinal is a great person, but isn¡¯t he a human like me? I think I need to go about it in a different way. First, an item that increases my intelligence stat¡­ And if there is any potion left, that would be nice.


    ¡®Is there a potion that boosts intelligence among the potions I made?¡¯


    ¡°You¡¯re even going to dope, huh?¡±


    Some potions might have a simr effect as stimnts. Of course, I didn¡¯t know if he could get one now. Everything that was left was what I made while I was alive.


    ¡®What is on the market now will not work¡­¡¯


    -Can¡¯t you increase the output of the device a little more?


    -There is no problem, but there is a high probability that your body will be overwhelmed. As of now¡­


    -The information that it can get is too limited, and everything in this ce cannot be covered with my eyes¡­ It seems that I need a way to take it directly in my head. If you don¡¯t increase the output, we won¡¯t make progress. Please raise the output. I will definitely be able to withstand it.


    Apparently, the device was for that purpose. I expected it, but¡­


    ¡®You really decided to die, right?¡¯


    Without the Mind¡¯s Eyes and the telescope, that method would have been the best. Now I could understand what kind of role the helmet he was wearing had.


    If he delivered information to his brain directly instead of allowing it to go through his eyes first, he could achieve simr efficiencies. Just reducing the time to recognize and ept information should give him room to take a breath, but that wasn¡¯t enough.


    -Will you really be okay?


    -Yes. It may be difficult right now, but¡­ If we wait a little longer¡­


    ¡°Wait for what?¡±


    I looked at him with the Mind¡¯s Eyes once again. His stats soon came into my eyes.


    Intelligence 89.


    And¡­


    ¡°It seems that he changed sses¡­ a long time ago.¡±


    Was it time for him to change sses again? I wondered. The fact that a new attribute would open when intelligence was over 90 and that they could get information about the ss change was something already known on the continent.


    The system suggested sses ording to the adventurer¡¯s behavioral patterns.


    Assuming that he was well-experienced and repeatedly did that, he might get a ss that suited such behavior.


    ¡°Wow, fuck, that damn bastard¡­¡±


    What he was trying to do was tantly obvious.


    ¡°That sly rat bastard.¡±


    He understood the system. He was calcting how he could use it to his advantage and how he could achieve maximum efficiency.


    I didn¡¯t know if he got the right timing on purpose, but if he did, it meant that he had been thinking of this situation for quite some time already.


    Still, even if so¡­


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t change anything. Fuck.¡±


    Tactic Kim Hyunsung wasn¡¯t made free of charge. Naturally, I turned my gaze to Kim Hyunsung.


    He looked a bit out of energy. It looked like he wasing back in the north without getting any big results.


    It seemed that he brought some strange relic or item back with him, but he seemed to know best that it wouldn¡¯t be very useful.


    ¡®He looks a little bit desperate.¡¯


    I thought I should¡¯ve sent him a sword.


    When I essed the market using Elune¡¯s ount that Benignore brought, various swords began to appear. I looked for something suitable, but¡­


    ¡®Swords are too expensive¡­¡¯


    It seemed that heroes of other dimensions also preferred swords, and the price was as much as five times as high. It seemed unreasonable that a sword that wasn¡¯t even close to Durendal cost so much. What made matters worse was that the cost of sending it to the present world was¡­


    ¡®Too high¡­ The expenses are too high.¡¯


    It was too much.


    I didn¡¯t know why he was walking down a snowy mountain where his feet were sinking, but if I had to guess, it might be because he needed time to think.


    Sure enough, as he walked, he had a nk look on his face. After discovering a nearby cave, he sat down for a while and¡­


    He then started to shed tears. After shaking his head once and pping his face like the main character of a cartoon movie, he got up and leaned his back against the wall.


    After slowly pulling out the Goddess¡¯s Hand Mirror, he pressed the button with his thick hand. His face became brighter for a moment, but he soon took to the skies with a serious face.


    He only became aware that the statue was shedding tears of blood.


    He looked cool moving across the sky with his huge wings.


    -Manager Kim Mi-young, are you there? Manager Kim Mi-young?


    -Yes, Guild Master. This is manager Kim Mi-young.


    -I have read the message. Just before I¡­ No, exactly when did it start? When did it start?


    -Blood tears began to fall from the statue from 11 o¡¯clock on the 21st.


    -Why didn¡¯t you tell me faster! Damn it!


    -¡­


    -¡­


    -I¡¯m sorry, Guild Master.


    ¡®Why are you talking like that to manager Kim Mi-young¡­ you¡¯re the one who didn¡¯t read it¡­ she¡¯ll be hurt. Manager Kim Mi-young is having a really hard time these days¡­¡¯


    It¡¯s difficult to live in a society¡­ If she left the Blue, would he take the responsibility? It seemed that many ces were scouting her¡­


    -No¡­ No¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I¡­ I just¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I lost my temper. I apologize, manager Kim Mi-young.


    -You don¡¯t need to apologize, Guild Master. I should havee up with a way to contact you more directly¡­ I was careless.


    ¡®She¡¯s too generous¡­ Our manager is a real treasure.¡¯


    -Are there any other signs? Did another messagee? Is it correct that the investigation has reached a guild-wide level? Those who know this now¡­ Does Hyejin know about this? And about that spear¡­


    He was talking too fast to understand.


    -Yes. I told her¡­


    -No, this is not the time. I¡¯ll check it myself. Limit ess to the temple. Control it from now on! Where is Hayan now? Can youe where I am?


    -Jung Hayan doesn¡¯t know about this yet, but¡­ May I send her to the location you mentioned?


    -No¡­ It¡¯s fine. She doesn¡¯t know¡­ that¡¯s fortunate. You did well. I¡¯m going as fast as possible. I¡¯ll head straight to the temple.


    While flying, he closed his eyes. It seemed like he was praying that nothing else had happened.


    If someone died and they met again after a long time, would it still be the same?


    Our healthy rtionship was built based on a true bond, united with trust.


    I could bet that the arrogant guy couldn¡¯t rece me and that the situation where Kim Hyunsung abandoned Lee Kiyoung would nevere. I remembered the old days when I was afraid of being abandoned, but now making such an assumption was meaningless.


    In fact, I didn¡¯t even have to worry about it. I should work at ease and find out if I could give him anything other than a sword.


    ¡®I believe in you.¡¯


    I then began to send a simr message with a mncholic tone.


    [I¡­ I believe in the Sunset Swordsman.]


    -Kiyoung! Kiyoung! Damn! Kiyoung!!!

 Chapter 796: The Last (29)

    <h4>Chapter 796: The Last (29)</h4>


    It was fucking sorrowful.


    It sounded sad even to me. A voice that felt urgent but also filled with longing.


    I could say that it made it impossible to betray the faith I sent.


    I was feeling a little anxious, but¡­


    ¡®I have to believe in him. Fuck.¡¯


    We were united with trust. I would send a new item soon. Honestly, I wondered if it was right to send one right now¡­ I didn¡¯t think there was anything bad about preparing it since I had to give something important.


    Honestly, it seemed that it served as an opportunity to look back on whether I¡¯d been cold to him. I got lost in thoughts while tapping my thighs.


    ¡°Junior Lee Kiyoung? Junior Lee Kiyoung?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes, Benignore? I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Did you workte at night yesterday?¡±


    ¡°Something like that.¡±


    ¡°You work too hard, junior Lee Kiyoung. What if you get sick working like this? Still, you have to rest. Health is a precious possession, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I think you¡¯re right. You were talking about the recruitment of Elune earlier, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes! It¡¯s going very, very smoothly, junior Lee Kiyoung. Actually, Elune came out a little hard, but¡­ I just threatened her, saying I would tell the seniors. But this time, the World Tree was destroyed, and the elves don¡¯t have anywhere to go. Her statue has disappeared, and the temple haspletely disappeared¡­ Elune is not in any position to be picky.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ I see.¡±


    ¡°I scared her asking what the elves were going to do, so she just quietly went down on her knees, you know.¡±


    ¡®Did she really need to get down on her knees?¡¯


    It seemed that they didn¡¯t have the same rtionship that Kim Hyunsung and I had, which was united with trust. I already didn¡¯t have a good feeling from the time Benignore guaranteed that would be possible, but she was really¡­


    ¡®The devil itself.¡¯


    Perhaps the heavens scouted Benignore because they were concerned that the hostile forces would be stronger.


    ¡°When I told her it was toote now, she held on to my skirt¡­ and I scolded her because I got embarrassed. She shouldn¡¯t have crossed the line, being too unfriendly¡­ Tsk. Anyway, you can rest assured, junior Lee Kiyoung. Elune was educated for sure. She probably won¡¯t cause much trouble even when shees here. Oh, and Lauren decided to join us. Is it okay to bring her here?¡±


    ¡°Yes. You can call her at the next meeting. The Federation seems to be recovering to some extent¡­ We have to talk about which direction we¡¯ll take in the future. Bring Elune with you too¡­¡±


    ¡°The problem is the seniors.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure yet, but it seems like they are suspicious of me¡­ No, rather than suspicion, they are asking to bring the god of sunset to their side quickly. For now, I¡¯ve been telling them that he is expressing his intention to reject it¡­ but as if they think I¡¯m ipetent, they keep saying that they will contact him directly instead, you know.¡±


    ¡°We have to be careful with that. It would be better to say that the contract is in progress.¡±


    ¡®If Hyunsunges up here, we¡¯ll be back to square one.¡¯


    ¡°I don¡¯t know who they¡¯re calling ipetent. I¡¯m suffering right now, but if I get a chance, I¡¯ll kick them all.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®I think she¡¯s a little drunk¡­¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know if it was because Elune knelt, but her head was a little stiff, and her body was tense. She seemed to be drunk with the feeling that she had be a tycoon.


    ¡®What should I do with her¡­?¡¯


    Perhaps, after spending a long time with Belial, she had been unwittingly influenced. I started to understand why parents in normal families said we shouldn¡¯t make bad friends.


    ¡°How about you? Can you stop Jihye?¡±


    ¡°It depends on what the humans in the world do. Either way, I think we¡¯ll sustain some damage. I wanted to tell you that I think we need to increase the budget for damage recovery a bit. I believe the Head of the finance team can do it, right, Dialugia?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°She agrees.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­ We have a tight budget right now, but should I send an oracle too? It would be better to watch the situation, right? Surprisingly, humans will be able to ovee it, but we don¡¯t know Lee Jihye¡¯s true intentions yet too.¡±


    ¡°I think you should send an oracle at a better timing. There¡¯s one guy who bothers me, though¡­¡±


    I could see Benignore shaking her head firmly as I drew a line across my throat.


    ¡°No. You already know this. It¡¯s forbidden for a god to be personally involved in a human death. If an oracle kills a human, the system will penalize you. The system may reject our independence.¡±


    I remembereding to that conclusion early when I started to grasp the system of the continent.


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you this now, but if that was possible¡­ when you were a cancer lump on the continent, no, when I was thinking of such a misunderstanding¡­ wouldn¡¯t we have sent an oracle like that already? Ah! Of course, I¡¯m not saying I was the one who would¡¯ve. Perhaps Elune¡­ or Lauren¡­ It¡¯s just that not everyone had a good rtionship with you.¡±


    It was a conclusion about why the superiors didn¡¯t send an oracle directed at me.


    ¡°Well, the demon is close. Please mention the existence of a demon who has a good face and deceives people. Not right now, though. I¡¯ll tell you when.¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know what you mean, but I got it. S-Still, it¡¯s not good to go in that direction, junior Lee Kiyoung. The end of the gods, who were jealous or envious of humans, or simply shouted that they didn¡¯t like them, were often the worst. You should also mature because humans are not in the same league as us. We¡¯re respectable gods now. We have a suitable ss for that. Shouldn¡¯t we have to keep our dignity as someone of high rank?¡±


    I guaranteed that Benignore would have no dignity, considering she made Elune kneel.


    ¡°The normal procedure is all about training, but¡­ well, I can¡¯t help it. You are a unique case. It would be better if I, your senior, teach you to step by step!¡±


    ¡®I want to go down quickly.¡¯


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s cheer up again today. Let¡¯s put our hands together. Now! Head of the finance team,e here too!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°One, two, three!¡±


    ¡°Fighting¡­¡±


    ¡°Fighting!!¡±


    ¡°F-F¡­¡±


    Dialugia looked at us like we were pathetic, unable to cheer to the end. Benignore¡¯s face became more ted.


    That seemed to have been the source of her confidence. She straightened her back and hummed. She grabbed coffee with one hand and wore pointed sunsses.


    I was a little worried that she might cause some trouble, but at least Elune and Lauren decided to get on the same boat. They¡¯d cover her errors to some extent.


    ¡°Then contact me if you have any questions, junior Lee Kiyoung!¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    She was a little weird, but¡­


    ¡®But I¡¯m d I have her.¡¯


    I thought a lot about whether I should really hire Benignore, but I honestly thought she was helpful. She knew a lot of information I didn¡¯t, and honestly, she helped in this kind of thing as well.


    ¡®She¡¯s definitely a worthy goddess.¡±


    The same was true of her remarks about the ss. Her mindset itself that the present world and the heavens should be separated felt a bit mature.


    ¡®Right. Why did I pay attention to a kid who¡¯s like a stone in the street? I should disy the dignity of a higher ss.¡¯


    There was no change in the thought that he should be hit with the mace of light and justice, but that wasn¡¯t my job. That was the humans¡¯ duty. Wouldn¡¯t Kim Hyunsung crush him even if I didn¡¯t?


    After moving to the desk by dragging the chair forward with my feet, I started to look at Kim Hyunsug again.


    ¡®I got excited all day because of this.¡¯


    At that moment, I understood the feelings of people waiting for the morning time drama.


    It had been a while since he arrived at the temple. He was visibly nervous in front of the statue.


    Of course, he was already crying, and he even seemed to wipe off the bloody tears of the statue. The voice that was deliberately cut off due to the meeting continued to be heard.


    -Are you okay, Kiyoung? What¡¯s wrong with you?


    -¡­


    -Please answer me. I¡¯m so anxious. I¡¯m so anxious.


    -¡­


    -Please let me know what you mean by you believing in me. If it¡¯s something I can solve, I¡¯ll do it right away. No, I¡¯ll visit you myself. If you¡¯re in trouble over there, I¡¯lle over. Please open the door! Let me know if you need help!


    -¡­


    -Don¡¯t you know I¡¯m stupid? Please¡­ Please, Kiyoung¡­ Please exin what¡¯s going on and what you need.


    -¡­


    -Damn¡­


    After arriving, I was a little worried about him shouting without a break for a full day, but that only proved that our bond was still strong.


    When nothing had changed in the statue, I could see him grabbing his sword and trying to head out of the temple. It seemed that he judged that there might be feedback in other temples.


    ¡®It¡¯s about time for him toe. No, has he been waiting already?¡¯


    As expected, I could see the people waiting outside the temple.


    ¡®Have a taste of doom.¡¯


    I wanted to see this scene with the Song guy and the viins rushing to Kim Hyunsung, who went out of the temple.


    ¡®It¡¯s magnificent. Magnificent.¡¯


    Wasn¡¯t he dressed neatly? He even had his own griffon next to him as if he had just arrived.


    Anyone could see that it looked unnatural. The logo of the riding aids on the griffon was also set so that it was clearly visible, and how many people would be fooled by such an unnatural appearance?


    Fuck, you think that wille into the furious Hyunsung¡¯s eyes?


    -Blue Guild Master. Nice to meet you.


    -¡­


    -I am Song Sookyung of the New Continent Protection and Management Committee. I¡¯m sorry for the rudeness that we suddenly came¡­


    -¡­


    -It is a great honor to meet you like this. The timing isn¡¯t that great, but I have something that I must tell you¡­


    It was as expected. He walked as if he couldn¡¯t see the bastard. If they weren¡¯t inside the site of the temple, I think he would have spread his wings or run.


    -Please, can you give us a moment, Sunset Swordsm-


    ¡®Fuck, Hyunsung. I¡¯m impressed.¡¯


    He wasn¡¯t even ncing at him. The way he was grinding his teeth and continuing to move was amazing. Fuck¡­


    -Blue Guild Master! Blue Guild Master!


    The sly rat bastard gradually looked less confident. I could see that he thought that it wasn¡¯t supposed to turn out like that.


    That wasn¡¯t what he was picturing, but fuck, our Hyunsung never stopped at his friend¡¯s bloody tears.


    -Sunset Swordsman! Please listen to me for a second!


    It was then that the guy who was keeping the line moved in front of him.


    Like the main character in the movie, he blocked the road ahead of Kim Hyunsung with his arms wide open.


    His eyes might contain his will to make him listen to his voice even at the risk of his own life, but he didn¡¯t seem to think that a situation where he had to actually risk his life woulde.


    On the one hand, I got a little anxious. He got a bit of a soft spot, and I didn¡¯t think he¡¯d be able to be cold¡­


    However, it seemed that I was worried for nothing.


    Kim Hyunsung stopped and looked at him.


    He spoke firmly.


    -¡­


    -¡­


    -Screw off.

 Chapter 797: The Last (30)

    <h4>Chapter 797: The Last (30)</h4>


    It felt as if the air was freezing in an instant.


    A face that was gelid enough to make the illusion that the biting cold wave from the north wind reached that far, and it was an unfamiliar face that made me wonder if that was the Kim Hyunsung I knew.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t the first time I saw Kim Hyunsung¡¯s cold face. He had looked at me coldly in his Doom Hyunsung state and when the demon cut off our bond.


    However, the expression he showed now was different from then. It was difficult to exin exactly, but something wasn¡¯t the same. If I really wanted to find the right word, perhaps¡­


    Indifference.


    I guess I could express it that way.


    It was as if he was looking at a stone or an ant rolling on the side of the road.


    When the bond was cut off, Kim Hyunsung contained hostility, but I couldn¡¯t feel such hostility in his eyes looking at the Song Viin.


    There were no emotions. There was only a little annoyance on his face.


    He might be wondering why this man, no, this thing was in the temple.


    It wasn¡¯t an appropriate example, but it was understandable that indifference was scarier than maliciousments on inte posts.


    -S-S-Sunset Swordsman?


    -Get out of my face.


    -I¡¯m sorry?


    -¡­


    It seemed like he found it bothersome to talk any longer. I saw him slowly raising one arm.


    ¡®What? Really? Will you really hit him? Are you trying to hit him? Hyunsung isn¡¯t the type to solve things with violence.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t just a threat. Although he didn¡¯t raise his sword, there was no guarantee that the bastard wouldn¡¯t die if his fist hit him. No, I betted he¡¯d cross the Jordan River.


    ¡®You¡¯ll really go that far?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know if I should stop him or watch the scene unfold. No, I didn¡¯t know why that bastard was doing that in the first ce.


    Honestly, I felt happy.


    ¡®I believe in you, damn it! Smash him! Do whatever you want to do!¡¯


    However, on the one hand, I became anxious. I had no choice but to shake my head about whether this would help Kim Hyunsung form the correct values.


    The first time was hard. The second was easier. If one lived a happy life by smashing the guys who annoyed them, they were no longer heroes.


    ¡®I know he¡¯s annoying, but you can¡¯t kill him. He just blocked the way.¡¯


    Our Hyunsung wasn¡¯t a psychopath. He valued life.


    No, that bastard might not even be aware that he would be killing someone. He might be thinking that he was just removing a stone that blocked the way.


    ¡®Fuck, why should I worry about something like this?¡¯


    ¡°Yes, fuck, show him! Hyunsung! Throw a strong Sunset Punch at his face!¡±


    The back of Kim Hyunsung¡¯s hand aimed for him in an instant. An inch before the Song Viin¡¯s face suffered from his offensive, it stopped.


    It wasn¡¯t because Kim Hyunsung suddenly recognized him as a human.


    I wasn¡¯t sure if he realized that this ce was still inside the temple, but he was looking back.


    It was like he didn¡¯t want to be caught by his parents doing bad things.


    He seemed regretful, seemingly understanding that he did something that didn¡¯t suit him, but his fist wouldn¡¯t have touched Song Viin even if Kim Hyunsung hadn¡¯t stopped.


    That was because I saw someone blocking Kim Hyunsung¡¯s arm.


    ¡°Chang-ryul¡­ why did you stop him?¡±


    -Please forgive my rudeness, Guild Master. However¡­


    One of the few normal individuals left in the Blue Guild, Chang-ryul, was already climbing to the top, beyond the top adventurers¡­


    Usually, I would have praised him for making such a smart move.


    If Kim Hyunsung broke Sookyung¡¯s head there, it would have caused multiple problems.


    Honestly, it would¡¯ve been a set procedure for the Blue Guild to be in trouble. It wasn¡¯t as much as having many political problems to deal with, but it would be more likely that they would end up in a corner.


    However, I didn¡¯t want to say thank you.


    ¡®It must have broken his arm.¡¯


    Kim Chang-ryul was an agile assassin, which meant his endurance and strength weren¡¯t high, so his arm was probably screaming in pain by now.


    His face was likely distorted behind the mask that he always wore.


    -No, Chang-ryul. I almost made a mistake. On the grounds of the temple, no less¡­ I almost made a mistake.


    -No. I should¡¯ve paid more attention, Guild Master. I should¡¯ve limited the ess to the temple better.


    -I think you can see the guests off. I have somewhere to be right now. Then¡­


    -As you desire.


    -Blue Guild Master! I have something to say¡­


    -If you don¡¯t want to die, shut up, stupid bastard.


    -What?


    -I said shut up.


    Once again, a harsh voice poured out of Kim Chang-ryul¡¯s mouth, holding onto Song Sookyung, who was trying to stretch out his hand. Kim Chang-ryul also seemed to be in a hurry, seemingly recognizing that the situation was urgent.


    Maybe it was because he looked into Kim Hyunsung¡¯s eyes. It wasn¡¯t like him, who always showed a rational appearance. It was by no means his usual behavior to swear at key officials of the New Continent Protection and Management Committee.


    In the meantime, it seemed that that bastard wasn¡¯t even aware that he almost died. The fact that he kept talking while his legs were trembling was admirable, but it wasn¡¯t a wise move.


    Kim Chang-ryul took Song Sookyung out of the way¡­


    -Grass.


    -¡­


    -Do not step on the grass.


    Kim Hyunsung finally left the site of the temple and was surrounded by the glow of the sunset. It was when he was just about to rise to the sky.


    -D-Do you know that the kingdom of Eberia got destroyed?


    -¡­


    -The kingdom of Eberia is destroyed! The World Tree has been lost, and the kingdom has disappeared without a trace in the explosion! A new threat ising! gues are spreading simultaneously on the continent, and there is an increasing number of mysterious disappearances. There¡¯s a lot of chaosing from the forces on the continent! The New Continental Protection and Management Committee is dedicated to defending the continent! I need the help of the Blue Guild Master! We are preparing to fight for the continent¡¯s people. We are moving for a great cause!


    -¡­


    There was no way he couldn¡¯t have heard his voice. Kim Hyunsung pped his wings once again as if he wasn¡¯t interested. However, I could see Kim Hyunsung looking behind him.


    -This is the continent protected by the Honorary Cardinal!


    ¡®You¡¯re using my name there?¡¯


    Not a bad thought. It was an exquisite timing that was momentarily disconcerting.


    However, it remained to be seen whether it had had a positive effect or a negative effect. I would bet on thetter.


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s face was distorted. In an instant, his face was filled with anger and sadness, and energy that could only be expressed as hostility and rage poured out.


    I didn¡¯t know exactly what he was thinking, but I could see that Kim Hyunsung¡¯s anger exploded momentarily. He might be thinking, ¡®How dare you put my precious brother¡¯s name in your mouth?¡¯


    Kim Chang-ryul also seemed to think that it was over now since it was out of his hands.


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s eyes began to show blood veins, and blood flowed out of the corners of his mouth, seemingly due to biting his lips too strong.


    He would have just needed the right object to vent out his anger. Who could me the person who stabbed my stomach?


    -Ah¡­ Uh¡­


    Perhaps because of the murderous aura, his legs trembled, and he seemed admirable that he could open his mouth there.


    -I-Isn¡¯t¡­ Isn¡¯t this the continent that he had dedicated his life to protect?


    -Shut up.


    I had to admit that he had some guts.


    ¡®But he stepped on a mine.¡¯


    -The continent that the Honorary Cardinal wants¡­


    -You dare put his name in your mouth?


    -W-We must protect the continent.


    -You? How dare you! How dare you!


    -The c-c-continent¡­


    He kept talking, and that meant the pigpen ending was waiting for him. Hyunsung had to have been under a lot of stress these days. He needed to vent it out with something like this.


    -Lee Kiyoung will be sad.


    It was then that Kim Hyunsung stopped moving. I could see Song Sookyung crying.


    -He must be sad. He may be grieving that the continent he has dedicated his life to is being threatened again and that the continent¡¯s people will suffer once more.


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    -W-We¡­ We have to defend it once again.


    ¡®What? No, Hyunsung.¡¯


    -Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung would never want for the Sunset Swordsman to¡­ turn his back to the continent.


    ¡®Not really¡­¡¯


    -We need the power of the Sunset Swordsman to protect the continent¡­


    -¡­


    -For when the Honorary Cardinal returns¡­


    -¡­


    -We shouldn¡¯t ruin¡­ the continent that he loves.


    He was grinding his teeth.


    Kim Hyunsung slowly reached out to the guy who peed out of fear.


    There was no hostility in the regressor¡¯s face. Rather, it was an enlightened expression.


    He was working on his own on the puzzle of why my statue shed blood tears.


    ¡®Son of a bitch. Fuck.¡¯


    My annoyance began to rise.


    I had once made an assumption that¡­ if impurities came into contact with Kim Hyunsung, I would do my best to exclude those impurities.


    I had once be anxious, thinking that some bastard was trying to take away the regressor I raised very carefully. Wasn¡¯t that the reason why I was wary of Cho Hyejin at the beginning?


    ¡®Fuck, my ass. God¡¯s dignity, my ass.¡¯


    I thought it would be better to just kill him. That was the cleanest way.


    Benignore¡¯s advice was important, but I didn¡¯t want to create a situation that could beplicated.


    ¡®I did all the work, and you¡¯ll get the results¡­ I swallowed the bad parts, fuck, and you¡¯ll eat all the delicious parts? I was stabbed in the stomach, and you¡¯ll get all the good things?¡¯


    Where in the world was a situation as absurd as this? One man sowed, and a different man reaped?


    Thinking that I had been working so hard until now, vomiting blood, grinding my teeth, for Song Sookyung¡¯s happiness, my judgment began to twist. There was no more choice. That was the easiest way. Well, I just shouldn¡¯t tell him directly to kill him, right? There was no such thing as a shortcut.


    [He is the enemy of the Sunset Swordsman. He is the personification of the demon and the one who made me suffer. It¡¯s painful, Sunset Swordsman. Please help me. It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s so painful¡­]


    I just needed to say that.


    However, I could see him reaching out to Song Sookyung with both hands, unshaken.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    It was an iprehensible behavior. Didn¡¯t he hear my voice?


    [He is our enemy.]


    ¡®What¡­ What?¡¯


    [Can you hear my voice, Sunset Swordsman?]


    ¡®Huh¡­¡¯


    [Hyunsung. Can you hear¡­]


    I could see that Kim Hyunsung held the hand of the Song guy and raised his body.


    [Hyunsung, can you hear my voice?]


    -May I listen to it in a little more detail?


    I was shocked. My voice couldn¡¯t reach Kim Hyunsung.


    I didn¡¯t know why, but¡­ There was something wrong with the Regressor Instruction Manual.


    -We have reserved a suitable ce so we can talk. I will guide you. Oh! I think I should introduce myself again. Blue Guildmaster, my name is Song Sookyung.


    -¡­


    -I¡¯m Song Sookyung¡­ from The New Continent Protection and Management Committee. I¡­ really wanted to meet you.

 Chapter 798: The Last (31)

    <h4>Chapter 798: The Last (31)</h4>


    The Regressor Instruction Manual was a mythic-grade attribute. In fact, it was a kind of attribute that vited the continent¡¯sws to the extent that it was almost irregr.


    It was powerful enough to affect some parts of the system, and there was no means to sanction it in the usual way.


    Functions of a mythic-grade item or attribute couldn¡¯t be restricted, like the unbreakable spear that Cho Hyejin had. If the item description said that it couldn¡¯t break, that spear would never break.


    It never broke, even if people tried to bend, melt, or corrode it. Of course, there were exceptions. There were concepts of higher and lower levels in the grade as well.


    The problem stemmed from the fact that the Regressor Instruction Manual was a high-ranking attribute.


    Kim Hyunsung and I were connected. That would never break.


    I should¡¯ve been able to read everything about him, and my voice should¡¯ve always reached him unless there were other irregrities.


    ¡®Fuck¡­ What is this?¡¯


    I felt my blood running cold.


    ¡°Fuck, Kim Hyunsung, that stupid bastard! Seraphim, you motherfucker! Jin Qing, that masked trash bastard!¡±


    The irritation came to my head, but I had no choice but to suppress it. I knew that if I became angered, nothing would be solved.


    ¡®What¡¯s wrong with this?¡¯


    System intervention? Were they penalizing me for viting the rules?


    If not¡­


    Was it colliding with a higher irregrity? It wouldn¡¯t be strange if a higher existence or power than the Regressor Instruction Manual interfered with Kim Hyunsung¡¯s connection.


    If Song Sookyung had a mythic-grade artifact that blocked all means ofmunication around him, it made sense of what was happening right now.


    However¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s not that¡­¡±


    That moron didn¡¯t have the means to get such an item, and mythic-grade objects weren¡¯t thatmon.


    However, I was certain that some force was interfering with this.


    ¡®It¡¯s not that the connection is disconnected.¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s eye hadn¡¯t lost its light yet. It was just that my voice couldn¡¯t reach him.


    I could still feel Kim Hyunsung¡¯s feelings, and I could get his thoughts.


    Of course, there was no evidence that this wasn¡¯t fake, but¡­ My connection with him continued to be maintained. I got up and circumvented around the chair. I saw three hesitant lights trembling, but I didn¡¯t pay much attention to them.


    I noticed that the silver light was slowly approaching as if it had firmly made up its mind, and after hitting it with the back of my hand, I sat down again.


    ¡®Should I ask Hyejin to take care of it?¡¯


    Was I even connected with Cho Hyejin? Wasn¡¯t everything cut off?


    It was no wonder that I got anxious.


    ¡°Hyejin?¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°Hyejin?¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°Hey, Cho Hyejin.¡±


    -Yes, Vice Guild Master? I can hear you.


    ¡®Fuck, I haven¡¯t been cut off from her.¡¯


    As I sighed with relief, I immediately told her what I wanted to say.


    ¡°Listen to me, Hyejin. You know Song Sookyung, that bastard, right?¡±


    -What?


    ¡°No¡­ no. I¡¯ll get back to you a littleter.¡±


    ¡®This connection hasn¡¯t been cut off.¡¯


    I wanted to tell her to get rid of the Song Viin right now, but I couldn¡¯t speak easily because of one possibility.


    ¡®I may be being sanctioned by the system.¡¯


    It might be some kind of warning. I couldn¡¯t say that it was unlikely that my remarks sounded like saying that I had instigated Song Sookyung¡¯s death. I didn¡¯t say it directly, but I knew that Kim Hyunsung would take out his sword immediately if he heard my voice.


    I believed in him, and I even used bloody tears as precautions. What I directly told him was¡­


    ¡®Have I crossed the line?¡¯


    Why wasn¡¯t I sanctioned for telling Hyejin to kill someone?


    There were many reasons that I could think of, but nothing was certain.


    What was certain was that there wasn¡¯t so much that I could do in the current situation.


    I didn¡¯t want to face the worst-case scenario ofpletely losing the Regressor Instruction Manual or being disqualified by the system.


    ¡®It¡¯s limited, but it doesn¡¯t mean there¡¯s no way.¡¯


    As I tapped my thighs and looked at them with the telescope, I saw them walking quietly.


    -Please forgive my rudeness, Blue Guild Master. I know that you are busy and don¡¯t have spare time, but¡­ the situation is too serious¡­


    -¡­


    -I just want to talk while having a meal¡­ is that okay?


    -¡­


    The ce where the guy who constantly chattered next to him stopped was a restaurant where Kim Hyunsung used to go quite often.


    I could hear him talking while looking at the building after being silent until now.


    -I¡¯m not in the mood to eat.


    -Ah¡­ I¡¯m sorry.


    -Just tell me what you want.


    The Song guy¡¯s face was flustered. Looking at him, I felt like my annoyance calmed down a little.


    ¡®He might feel sh*tty now.¡¯


    Perhaps the most important thing when bringing out a conversation or telling a crucial story was a good atmosphere and the build-up, asking him what he wanted could be seen as looking down on the other person.


    Although Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t seem to look down on Song Sookyung, he might have noticed that Kim Hyunsung was difficult to talk to.


    ¡®Right. He¡¯s notpletely caught.¡¯


    Thinking a bit more, I understood why Kim Hyunsung reached out to him.


    It was worth thinking that the bloody tears of Lee Kiyoung¡¯s statue could be rted to the threat of the continent, and in fact, what Song Viin talked about wasn¡¯t wrong either.


    Of course, just because he understood him, it didn¡¯t mean he could forgive him.


    -First, what is the New Continent Protection and Management Committee¡­


    They were talking in the middle of the street. Kim Hyunsungpletely blocked the surroundings with magic power, but I could assure anyone that this didn¡¯t normally happen.


    ¡®You haven¡¯t betrayed me yet, Hyunsung. Still, fuck, you kinda betrayed me.¡¯


    I hoped that bastard would make a mistake. He had to pay for what he did to Kim Hyunsung¡­ However, his skill of keeping the proper lines was out of the ordinary.


    As if he noticed that my name triggered Kim Hyunsung, it stood out that he was careful about negative connotations as much as possible.


    Phrases, such as the ¡®one who had inherited or died already¡¯ turned into a ¡®ce to return to¡¯ or ¡®an organization¡¯ for him. Anyone would think that this guy was my believer.


    Kim Hyunsung, who was listening to him, slightly nodded, and honestly, I didn¡¯t know what he was thinking, but I felt his emotions fluctuating.


    I was also worried about Kim Hyunsung¡­ that bastard was all thumbs in things like this. I didn¡¯t think it would be strange if he epted his proposal.


    ¡®No. He¡¯s not that stupid.¡¯


    -That¡¯s why I thought we needed the power of the Blue Guild Master. It isn¡¯t designed to control or pressure you. This is to create a continent where the people that the Honorary Cardinal loved can be at ease. Our New Continental Protection and Management Committee needs the cooperation of the heroes who saved the continent.


    -¡­


    -We are currently investigating various anomalies based on the information held by the New Continental Protection and Management Committee. In the direction of suggesting a mission¡­ ifpared to the Honorary Cardinal¡¯s, it would be insufficient to the point of disrespecting him, but we¡¯re doing our best in our own way to unite the continent once again¡­


    -¡­


    -We¡¯ll need the Sunset Swordsman. I hope that you will be our center.


    The way he made it look like a good thing was sly. It would have been better if he talked through Cho Hyejin or manager Kim Mi-young.


    ¡®You¡¯re not really getting hooked on this, right?¡¯


    I wondered if he¡¯d ept this because it didn¡¯t sound like a bad story. No, in the first ce¡­


    ¡®Kim Hyunsung hates this kind of thing. Fuck.¡¯


    Being the central point wasn¡¯t good for our regressor¡¯s mental health.


    As expected, his gaze seemed to be shaking. Fortunately, he didn¡¯t seem to feel a lot of pressure, but anyone could see that he wasn¡¯t in a good mood. How would Kim Hyunsung take that? What did he think of the man¡¯s plea to let him carry such a burden again?


    I felt dizzy for a moment. That feeling wasn¡¯t mine, but Kim Hyunsung¡¯s. I couldn¡¯t even exin why he was clenching his fists tightly. However¡­


    He seemed to be judging that he should carry it once more.


    -The continent that Lee Kiyoung loves¡­


    -¡­


    -The Sunset Swordsman¡­


    -¡­


    -Must protect it. For him¡­


    His breathing at this point had be rough. Kim Hyunsung looked around.


    The attendants of the New Continental Protection and Management Committee surrounded him. It was impossible for him not to see the people who were looking at him.


    Their faces had vague hopes. For a moment, it felt like I was under huge stress. The thoughts that Kim Hyunsung was thinking of were constantly being transmitted to my head.


    The image of me dying slowly, his sword tainted with my blood.


    The continent in ruins.


    The guild members were running, and Park Deokgu was crying.


    The ce was a mess. Jung Hayan was holding her head and muttering to herself.


    It was a sight I hadn¡¯t seen. I didn¡¯t get to witness those moments since I had closed my eyes by then.


    Park Deokgu, that bastard, was hugging me so tight that my body almost crumbled. Maybe he was the one who killed me. I could bet that one of my bones would have been broken in the process.


    ¡®Please¡­ Sniff¡­ Please¡­ Please save our hyung-nim. Please save him¡­¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know who he was talking to, but he was screaming to save me.


    The scenery with the brilliant sunset light seemed somewhat sorrowful.


    ¡®Sniff¡­ Open your eyes! Open them¡­ Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­ Please don¡¯t take him. Please¡­ Give hyung-nim one more chance¡­ please¡­ you can¡¯t take him like this¡­ Please don¡¯t take him like this¡­¡¯


    Jung Hayan wasn¡¯t much different. She was unable to breathe properly.


    In an instant, her eyes, watching my body shaking back and forth by Park Deokgu, were filled with sadness and anger. If Han Sora didn¡¯te on time, I thought something might have really happened.


    Han Sora hugged her while she was crying. She kept opening her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but she couldn¡¯t. I was worried that she wouldn¡¯t be able to breathe like that.


    ¡®Ugh¡­ Ugh¡­Ugh¡­ Ugh¡­¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung continued to look on. I didn¡¯t know whether he was properly aware of the surroundings at the time, but he certainly could see everything¡­ even the saintly smile that remained on my lips, telling him it was okay to give my life up for the continent.


    Kim Hyunsung looked at the sky with a devastated expression, and Song Sookyung, in turn, made a strange expression when Kim Hyunsung¡¯s expression changed. His grew more distorted.


    It wasn¡¯t just greed for power. The Song Viin looked like there was a certain twist behind his motives.

 Chapter 799: The Last (32)

    <h4>Chapter 799: The Last (32)</h4>


    That bastard¡­ What the hell?


    -I know it¡¯s difficult to answer right away. You probably need time to think.


    -¡­


    -If you have any questions, I would like you to contact us anytime. I just want you to know that I¡¯m ready at any moment, Sunset Swordsman.


    ¡®What? What in the world¡­¡¯


    It was just for a moment, but he had a weird expression.


    ¡®I thought you had a mental breakdown?¡¯


    I suddenly thought about the possibility that he might be a seed sown by Lee Jihye.


    Of course, it was an absurd hypothesis, but his reaction was bizarre enough that I had to think seriously about it. I wondered if she had any reason to draw attention to herself just tounch the New Continental Protection and Management Committee.


    ¡®Are you aiming for something else? Or are you taking orders?¡¯


    The Republic and the Union protected the Song Viin, but it wasn¡¯t without risk. Exposing himself and moving meant he had to consider that he could always face a penalty.


    He might be thinking of turning the continent¡¯s hero into an enemy. There was also a possibility of dying asleep.


    That didn¡¯t make me feel that there was anyone behind him. There was no guarantee that Lucifer wouldn¡¯t be there, but I at least had no evidence of demons or others being involved with him.


    Although his intention to take the ce of Lee Kiyoung might seem to be his purpose, he had no reason to do so unless power was what he aimed for.


    My thoughts becameplicated when I saw our guys crying out loud like that.


    Kim Hyunsung was also looking at the ce where he left as if he felt the same.


    ¡®Fuck, let¡¯s give up. Actually, I don¡¯t even need to be curious¡­¡¯


    No matter what Kim Hyunsung thought, whether he really was for the continent or not had nothing to do with me.


    In fact, even if that bastard was thest remaining hope of the continent, my stance remained unchanged. It was an undeniable fact that Song Viin clearly crossed the line.


    Kim Hyunsung was walking slowly.


    He clenched his fists as if he had made up his mind, and I didn¡¯t want to even look at his face at the thought that he might betray me.


    Of course, I knew he wouldn¡¯t because of his attribute¡­


    ¡®We don¡¯t know what can happen.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t dedicate too much to someone.


    I had to always think about the worst and act.


    If Kim Hyunsung got rid of me, fuck, what would I do?


    ¡®What do I do? I¡¯ll die.¡¯


    It was then that a voice came from behind.


    ¡°That¡¯s fun.¡±


    ¡°Long time no see, Belial.¡±


    ¡°How is it? That human¡­ It seems like someone who looks quite usable appeared.¡±


    ¡®Usable, my ass.¡¯


    ¡°You must have been mistaken.¡±


    ¡°He might be useful somewhere.¡±


    He had to be ruled out, regardless. Honestly, I wasn¡¯t sure if Song Viin made a big enough mistake in order to face a miserable end, but I wasn¡¯t in a position to judge that in the first ce.


    Although my mood kept fluctuating because of self-brainwashing, honestly, I was slightly grateful to the Song Viin. It was just another opportunity to think about Lee Kiyoung once again.


    Since he stepped on the continent, Lee Kiyoung had never yielded. If anyone touched something that was mine, fuck, they had to die. I thought it would be reasonable to leave it to Jihye, but honestly, I hated waiting. I didn¡¯t know how she would act in the first ce.


    I had to deal with those who put their hands on the strawberries on top of the whipped cream I had spit on to save them.


    Rather, it felt like my head had gone cold. Belial seemed to know the gist of what I was thinking.


    Considering that he looked to be enjoying himself, it seemed that he didn¡¯t juste to provoke me.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about¡­¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious about that man?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not that curious.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that would be natural. Regardless of what kind of person he is, it will not change that he made you angry. You will eventually know. Even if the system is blocking it, it doesn¡¯t mean there¡¯s no way¡­ In the end, we will aplish our purpose. What I¡¯m talking about is how to get rid of that lowly mortal.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°We are also influenced by the system. It¡¯s a little different, but for your convenience, think of it as the system notarizing the contract. Only demons contracted or summoned can influence that world, but there are some cases in which humans who lived in the wrath of demons or gods be miserable.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I brought something interesting, but I don¡¯t know if it will help. It¡¯ll probably entertain me either way, so you can think of it as a bribe.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I was getting bored, so this is good.¡±


    His face looked like he was having the time of his life, and I didn¡¯t know why, but I started to smile.


    ¡°Thank you, Belial.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not something I gave you to be appreciated.¡±


    What Belial took out was a small marble.


    As I looked into it, pretending not to be interested, Song Sookyung caught my eyes.


    I didn¡¯t know when the scene was, but it wasn¡¯t the present. He looked different. Currently, he wore a neat uniform, but in the marble, it looked tattered. The background was also different. He wasn¡¯t in the Kingdom Union in where he was located. He was at Lindel.


    I quickly understood what I was seeing.


    ¡®It¡¯s the past.¡¯


    It might be Song Sookyung¡¯s memory.


    However, how did he get this? Our Director Bell was sopetent.


    After a glimpse of Belial¡¯s face, I began to turn my gaze once again to the small bead. I didn¡¯t know exactly when it happened, but it was boring.


    It was a normal video where he went hunting with his colleagues at the time. I looked at the bead quietly, wondering if I could get his weak spot, but I couldn¡¯t see any.


    Although there was a general conversation going back and forth¡­ It wasn¡¯t impressive. They looked like typical novice adventurers.


    ¡®It¡¯s something you have to do to survive. You have to have courage.¡¯


    ¡®I know.¡¯


    ¡®You think too much. Decide with ease, Sookyung. Did you hear about the Blue Guild? Kim Hyunsung, Lee Kiyoung, Jung Hayan¡­ They haven¡¯t been here for a long time, but the press keeps talking about them. They¡¯re the center of Lindel. Think of it as an opportunity. y monsters and get the right equipment to get stronger. That¡¯s the basics. There¡¯s no guarantee that we won¡¯t be like them. We can be just as powerful.¡¯


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡®Don¡¯t still think that God will save us. We¡¯re not on Earth anymore. There are actual gods here, not a fake one, but they abandoned us.¡¯


    ¡®I know. Let¡¯s move.¡¯


    ¡®Got it.¡¯


    That was when thendscape changed. He was being chased.


    ¡®Sigh¡­ Sigh¡­ Sigh¡­¡¯


    ¡®Sookyung, run away!¡¯


    ¡®Sigh¡­ Sigh¡­¡¯


    A huge monster was running towards him. It seemed like one of thosemon scenes where an adventurer who went hunting got into an ident.


    Most of his party had already been killed. It wasn¡¯tmon to be chased by an advanced adventurer or a monster one couldn¡¯t deal with in the middle of the forest.


    The beast was behind him, running through the woods.


    His trousers had be damp, and the way he was running away while throwing away his equipment put me in a good mood.


    His expression contained only the desire to survive.


    ¡®Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!¡¯


    ¡®Damn! Min-cheol!!¡¯


    ¡®Help me! H-Help me!!¡¯


    One of them was caught, and his body was split in half in the air. With no time to look back, he was terrified.


    ¡®Sigh¡­ Sigh¡­¡¯


    He appeared so different from his current self. Frankly, he seemed to be nothing but a scared moron.


    It also looked like he had lost his reason. In fact, who could maintain reason in such a situation? The corpses of his colleagues were scattered all over the overgrowth, and the sound of screams continued to echo.


    There had been many safeguards recently, but most normal ns and small guilds probably experienced something simr.


    ¡®Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!¡¯


    ¡°Go! Be strong! Get rid of it!¡±


    At that moment, the monster¡¯s arm finally reached him.


    Zip.


    The body of the giant monster was torn apart with that sound. Someone came into my eyes between the perfectly divided corpse.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I thought I knew why Belial had brought this.


    It was Kim Hyunsung who saved him.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    He had no emotions. He just turned around quietly without even looking at him.


    I could see Song Sookyung opening his eyes slowly, trembling, not knowing what happened.


    He was so cool¡­ Really. Hyunsung was cool. I admitted that.


    He met Kim Hyunsung before leaving Lindel. I could see the party members taking care of Song Sookyung as he looked nkly at the ce where Kim Hyunsung was heading.


    ¡®I survived. Damn¡­ I survived.¡¯


    ¡®Sookyung. Are you okay?¡¯


    ¡®Who was that just now? Was that¡­ the Blue Guild Master?¡¯


    ¡®Why would the Blue Guild Master¡­ be here¡­¡¯


    ¡®Aren¡¯t we supposed to say thank you?¡¯


    ¡®Blue Guild Master! Kim Hyunsung!¡¯


    Song¡¯s eyes got bigger.


    Whenever Kim Hyunsung, who moved slowly, swung his sword, more monsters were split in half. They couldn¡¯t scream. All they could do was fall helplessly before his strength. His face was filled with excitement in an instant.


    I thought I could see what the bizarre expression I had seen before was.


    Before long, I had no choice but to burst intoughter at the words he muttered.


    ¡®Messiah¡­¡¯


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡®T-That person is the Messiah¡­¡¯


    ¡°Pfff¡­ Pfff¡­¡±


    He was what?


    Yes, I knew it. Something was off about him.


    I keptughing not because he called Kim Hyunsung the Messiah. It was because I came up with a pretty good idea. Belial was also slowly smiling. Maybe he thought I had found the answer.


    ¡°I want to hear it too.¡±


    There was no need to hide it.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I needed Belial¡¯s help anyway.


    ¡°That bastard¡­ Pfff¡­ Puhee¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°That bastard¡­ I¡¯ll make him sign a contract with a demon.¡±


    ¡°Haha¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to make him sign a contract with a demon. Pfff¡­ Puhhahehehe!¡±


    ¡°Ha¡­ You¡¯re a disgusting soul, after all! Hahahahahahahahaha!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to make him sign a contract with a demon¡­ Hehehehahahaha!¡±


    Benignore, who arrivedte, read the room andughed with us. She didn¡¯t seem to know what was going on, but she looked to be enjoying herself.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Hahahahahahahaha!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Puhahehehehehe!¡±


    ¡°Pfff¡­ He¡­? Pfff¡­ Hehehehehehehehe!¡±

 Chapter 800: The Last (33)

    <h4>Chapter 800: The Last (33)</h4>


    I couldn¡¯t really define the Song Viin, but I could probably call him a believer of sunset light if I had to. It hade to the point where his actions were convincing to some extent. It was also understandable why the guy who lived silently started to move.


    If he thought of Kim Hyunsung as the Messiah and God, wasn¡¯t his reasons obvious?


    He had most likely judged that he wasn¡¯tplete at present. He might be thinking that he was just halfplete.


    Kim Hyunsung, who showed a dignified, always-on-top, overwhelming appearance, might have looked like he began to be shaken after Lee Kiyoung¡¯s death.


    Song might have judged that he could fill what Hyunsungcked, or he probably judged he couldplete him. I couldn¡¯t squeeze out his thoughts, but¡­ many parts fit that context.


    Song Viin didn¡¯t seem confident on the screen, and he didn¡¯t seem to have adapted well to the continent.


    Of course, many things would have happened during those times, but I thought it was only Kim Hyunsung that made him decide to move.


    ¡®Do you know who made him a god?¡¯


    I had created the regressor from start to finish.


    ¡®Do you even know whopleted Kim Hyunsung?¡¯


    The fact that the guy who popped out of nowhere imbued impurities in what I achieved made me angry.


    However, I had to admit that some of my anxiousness had disappeared. Maybe it was because, as Benignore said, I realized the difference between him and me. Contrary to what I thought about him bing a big problem, he wasn¡¯t actually a big deal¡­ I wasn¡¯t overestimating myself, butparing my specs with him was something that made me feel sorry for myself.


    ¡®I am morepetent.¡¯


    However, in such a confrontation, the one with nothing always won.


    I wasn¡¯t an appropriate example, but in morning-time dramas, the one who started with nothing always won. The one who just lived firmly and had no skills always emerged victoriously. But that was only in morning dramas.


    As I stroked the three colors, they started wandering around as if they were in a good mood.


    At the same time, I looked at Song Sookyung through one side of the telescope. It looked like he had be extremely busy, seemingly firm in his own way.


    -A battle against undead beings is taking ce in the ins of Wales. We don¡¯t know the exact number¡­


    -We will send support troops.


    -We need Jung Hayan¡¯s help. Not only will it take too long, but problems have also risen in some of the stronghold cities, disallowing the troops from moving. I think you should at least send the griffons as support.


    -Jung Hayan¡¯s whereabouts are currently unknown.


    Our Hayan was busy.


    -You haven¡¯t found the cause yet?


    -It seems that the undeads are growing rapidly around the ce where the gue broke out. Initial suppression is still possible, but they aren¡¯t affected by the divine power¡­


    Good job, Jihye.


    -Evacuate the citizens and block the area.


    -Yes. We will do as you said¡­ Ahhhhhh!


    The twins of the brigade showed up behind the guy who delivered the report. The Song Viin wouldn¡¯t be able to see them, but I could due to the telescope.


    -Is he dead?


    -No.


    -He¡¯s a wizard, right?


    -Yes.


    -His level.


    -Heroic-grade.


    -Let¡¯s drag him.


    -Unnie will like it.


    -She will.


    These were our trusty twins. For some reason, I thought I would have liked them in the first round. It would almost be like a masked hero family. I thought I would have defended them if the psychopath killer bullied them, telling him not to mess with the twins.


    Maybe it would be the opposite.


    Seeing the Song Viin grabbing his head, it seemed that things weren¡¯t going as he expected.


    ¡®Why are you doing that already? I don¡¯t think it even started yet.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t to scold and reprimand him for his ipetence. It really hadn¡¯t even started yet.


    There were problems in a few small towns, in the small ins.


    Such matters wouldn¡¯t have been needed to be reported unless they were special situations like when Eberia was turned asunder.


    Some nearby dungeon might have caused a problem. Maybe a new one just appeared, or perhaps a boss monster. It was an issue that had to be solved by adventurers in the vicinity.


    That was amon urrence in unstabilized areas.


    One minor problem was that those phenomena were happening all over the region.


    For Song Sookyung of the proud New Continental Protection and Management Committee, it was a situation that couldn¡¯t be ignored.


    ¡®But it¡¯s embarrassing to manage heroes in groups.¡¯


    They couldn¡¯t use a sledgehammer to kill a fly.


    Seeing that Jihye was benefiting from the speed of the events unfolding, it seemed that even I, who had the telescope, wouldn¡¯t be able to stop the water from leaking everywhere.


    ¡®Do you know how strong Jihye is?¡¯


    It was embarrassing to say that it was a big blow, but it seemed clear that he was under stress.


    She was far away, and although it didn¡¯t really seem that she intended this situation, she was helping me. It was easy to get coaxed when they were mentally pushed into a corner. The more active she was, the easier it became for me to act.


    -Please contact the Republic and tell them to take care of the problem. Send a message to the New Protection and Management Committee to deploy an investigation team as well. Rather than a priest, an investigation teamposed of alchemists and wizards¡­ and gather information from local adventurers¡­


    -¡­


    -Sigh¡­ Please provide the relevant investigation report as soon as possible.


    -How was the talk with the Sunset Swordsman¡­


    -It wasn¡¯t bad. I think the atmosphere was pretty good¡­ we also exchanged messages yesterday, and I think he¡¯ll probably contact me today. He requires structural reorganizations and conditions, but that won¡¯t change much. Maybe we need to arrange a seat for Kim Hyunsung. I¡¯ll take care of this.


    -I think it¡¯s better to start little by little¡­


    -Yes. I agree, assistant. There haven¡¯t been any big results yet.


    After looking at the Goddess¡¯s Hand Mirror for a moment, I saw him moving his finger to the call button. He was probably frustrated.


    -Blue Guild Master. This is Song Sookyung of the New Continental Protection and Management Committee.


    -¡­


    -Blue Guild Master?


    -I have delegated all authority to manager Kim Mi-young, so please contact her.


    -Ah¡­ Yes. Sorry if I bothered you.


    -You didn¡¯t. Goodbye.


    ¡®It seems like the Blue Guild is also busy.¡¯


    After closing his eyes for a moment, I could see him calling manager Kim Mi-young.


    Although he was working hard to find a point of consensus while taking notes, those negotiations being finished with such a call were impossible.


    The oue was easy to predict.


    I was worried that Kim Hyunsung would immediately go to themittee, saying that he would do what he wanted, but he couldn¡¯t be stupid.


    He judged that it was aplicated situation to solve and asked Kim Mi-young for help, which was good for the Blue Guild.


    He requested the restructuring of the personnel group organized around the Republic and the Kingdom Union and the management system of the heroes for corrections, and he was put in a position where he couldn¡¯t do much. Although he still held public opinion battles using the press, Kim Hyunsung wasn¡¯t the type to be swung over by it.


    One problem was that Kim Hyunsung was anxious.


    The conversation between him and Kim Mi-young was still in my mind.


    ¡®I would like you to tell me about the continent¡¯s current situation. Please exin step by step what the New Continental Protection and Management Committee is and exactly what condition Eberia is in.¡¯


    When I told him to work, fuck, he went shopping for bags, and now that I tell him not to work, he suddenly wanted to take responsibility. Still, it wasn¡¯t a bad conversation.


    ¡®Also, about the direction in which our guild and I should move¡­ Please don¡¯t think about my position and let me know what your opinions are.¡¯


    ¡®At this time, there are no alternative means for the New Continental Protection and Management Committee. All groups on the continent are supporting them, considering the information and infrastructure they have can never be ignored. The Blue Guild cannot fight alone.¡¯


    ¡®Then are you saying that I¡¯d better ept his suggestion?¡¯


    ¡®No. That¡¯s¡­¡¯


    ¡®I thought maybe Kiyoung might be hoping for it.¡¯


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡®He wants to protect this continent even if it means risking his life. Even when hees back, I want things to be intact¡­ I remember him looking at the World Tree in Eberia, smiling and saying that it was huge. I can¡¯t imagine how sad he would have been after things broke out. The tears flowing from the statue are probably¡­ due to that. Tears due to the ruined Eberia and the wounded elves¡­ He told me that he also believes in me because he hopes to solve this problem.¡¯


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡®The reason he gave a spear to Hyejin is also¡­ maybe¡­¡¯


    ¡®Yes?¡¯


    ¡®Because he doesn¡¯t want me to carry the burden by myself.¡¯


    The way heughed, disappointed as if he only realized it now, was so detestable that I wanted to hit him.


    ¡®I think he wanted to say that he is always with us. He probably feels two things: anxiety about me copsing and a wish that I would resolve the current situation.¡¯


    ¡®What do you mean¡­¡¯


    ¡®It¡¯s nothing, manager.¡¯


    As I turned my gaze, I saw Kim Mi-young holding a meeting with the guild staff.


    I wasn¡¯t certain if she thought they found a breakthrough, but she was eagerly talking, and I thought I knew what she was thinking.


    She intended to promote the New Continental Protection and Management Committee, centered on Kim Hyunsung, rather than being led by the Republic and Kingdom Alliance.


    Even I would have thought that it was the best option if I were her.


    The continent couldn¡¯t be kept intact under the influence of the New Continental Protection and Management Committee, so she nned to dominate the group with Kim Hyunsung.


    It was realistic because I could guarantee Kim Mi-young¡¯s ability.


    On the other hand, the Song Viin was under stress due to many issues. He sighed and went to the Tactic Kim Hyunsung training ground and put on the helmet, but there was no way that the practice would work properly.


    He didn¡¯t have the ability in the first ce, and there was no ss change or attribute that he was waiting for. Even while humming, he went to vomit and drove himself into pain.


    -Damn¡­


    He threw his helmet in anger and spat out harsh words.


    I had no choice but to speak right away.


    ¡°Take my hand, mortal.¡±


    It was a routine that I had never missed recently.


    -Huh?


    ¡°Take my hand, and you shall gain what you want.¡±


    -W-Who is it? Who are you!


    ¡°You will get everything you want.¡±


    To be precise, it was just a demon that was digging into his insides, telling him what I was saying, but it felt sweet.


    ¡°I¡¯ll grant you all that you desire in the world, you foolish and stupid mortal. Now¡­ Take my hand.¡± I said this as I mixed up some vibrato, and the Song Viin hurriedly looked around.

 Chapter 801: The Last (34)

    <h4>Chapter 801: The Last (34)</h4>


    Watching him sweat entertained me. I expected that he was under stress, but it seemed that he was more driven into a corner than I thought.


    -Who are you?


    It was sweet watching him look around continuously. I didn¡¯t think he would grab the demon¡¯s hand right away, but just seeing him confused made meugh.


    However, the mission of light to rule out evil was, fuck, constantly injecting endorphins in me.


    ¡®I¡¯m in the process of executing justice.¡¯


    The light never moved due to personal emotions. Everything was for the continent.


    ¡®I am the continent.¡¯


    Seeing that he was holding the chair¡¯s armrest, breathing wildly, and constantly squeezing his head, he seemed to be suspicious of whether there was a problem with his mind.


    Perhaps he was judging the current situation in his own way and might be wondering what the voice just now was or why that happened to him.


    Primarily, he might think it was caused by umted fatigue.


    Song Sookyung was exhausted due to excessive mental energy consumption. He might be thinking that was why he heard hallucinations, especially since there had been many idents recently.


    Those who signed contracts with demons tended to start simrly. Perhaps Jin Qing thought the same way when he heard Belial¡¯s voice.


    Naturally, it was better to approach him slowly and wear out his mind, but honestly, I didn¡¯t want to do that.


    ¡®That would take too long.¡¯


    I wished he would quickly sign a contract with a demon.


    After washing his face with cold water, he looked in the mirror and wondered what he saw reflected in the darkroom.


    -What¡­ is this¡­


    Unable to believe it, there were doubts in his expression.


    He wasn¡¯t an idiot. Considering the hints I had given so far, there was no way he didn¡¯t know what the abnormal phenomenon urring in his body meant.


    -It¡­ can¡¯t be.


    ¡®What do you mean? That¡¯s what it is. It¡¯s a little hard at first, but you¡¯ll get used to everything.¡¯


    -No way¡­


    People appeared just in time and opened the door. The startled Song Sookyung became wary of them.


    -Song Sookyung.


    -Wait¡­ Wait a minute¡­


    -It looks like you¡¯re not in good condition¡­ Should I call a priest?


    -No. I¡¯m fine. I am¡­


    -I thought you were training, but¡­ It¡¯s better not to overdo it today¡­ Shouldn¡¯t you take a little break?


    -I want to be alone for a minute.


    -I¡¯m sorry?


    -I want everyone out.


    The way he breathed, he wouldn¡¯t seem normal to anyone, but they nodded all the same. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if they got goosebumps upon seeing some guy panting in a dim space.


    I was worried that the Song Viin might try to find out the problem by going to the statue in the temple, but as expected, the guy chose to keep his mouth shut.


    ¡°It¡¯s obvious.¡±


    There was no way he could tell another god to solve the problem.


    It wasn¡¯t easy for him to confess that he seemed to have a demon in his body, and even if he did, there was no guarantee that he would be able to drive the demon out. Rather, he¡¯d be lucky he didn¡¯t get provoked by it.


    Even if that wasn¡¯t the case, he probably thought he could solve the problem on his own.


    He was a believer of the sunset light, after all. He left in a hurry with trembling legs. I heard voices calling out to him as he started to run in a hurry. He didn¡¯t respond.


    After he entered his room, he immediately locked the door and then knocked on arge bookshelf.


    A door to a secret room opened, he went down arge flight of stairs until he was met by a small stone chamber and various objects in the room illuminated by a few small candles.


    ¡®You psychopathic bastard. Fuck, I knew it.¡¯


    -Oh, God. Oh, Messiah.


    Arge statue stood in front of him. It looked awkward, almost as if he carved it himself. No, it looked okay at first nce, but¡­


    ¡®Han Sora¡­ is definitely different.¡¯


    I thought I had just witnessed what the difference between ordinary people and craftsmen was.


    Although I could see Kim Hyunsung in its overall picture, I could say that calling it Kim Hyunsung was an insult to our regressor. He did a great job with the body, but the face had no resemnce at all.


    Originally, a religious statue should contain sacredness, but there was no such sense emitting from it.


    ¡®There¡¯s no soul in it. Itcks effort.¡¯


    In addition to that, several items stood out.


    A rosary that seemingly represented the god of sunset, a bible that seemed to have his history written down and some unknown objects were enshrined as if they were treasures. I couldn¡¯t tell what that was all about.


    He would have wanted to entrust its creation to a well-known sculptor, but who could he tell that to? Although our lovely regressor had wings and light, the divinity rising toward him wasn¡¯tpletely there.


    The god of sunset hadn¡¯t yet taken off the skin of the mortal world and didn¡¯t deify himself like Jung Hayan.


    The divinity that most of the continental people sent to Kim Hyunsung was far from perfect faith¡­ and that was why Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t qualify.


    There was a high possibility that the behavior of Song would only look to the public as crazy.


    Of course, it could be viewed from a different perspective.


    They could also think of a direction for Song Sookyung to establish the myth of sunset light and create a religion himself. Most myths and religions started like that.


    However, there was no ce for him.


    ¡®It¡¯s mine. Fuck.¡¯


    As I said earlier, I made the God of Sunset, and Ipleted him. Creating a church of sunset light was also¡­


    ¡°That¡¯s my job, bastard.¡±


    I had to be the one to do it. From start to finish, from one to ten, everything had to be done by my hands.


    ¡®What should I do? Jihye, I guess I really am a control freak.¡¯


    -Oh, Messiah. I haven¡¯t forsaken my faith in you, nor did I fall under the temptations of the wicked.


    -¡­


    -Just know that my beliefs have not changed. My faith will never change. No matter how tempting dirty people whisper using false voices, I will not heed their calls.


    ¡®You think so?¡¯


    -As always, give me¡­ give me strength. Please give me the strength to ovee this false voice.


    ¡®Strength, my ass.¡¯


    It was funny to see him just muttering to a statue that had no power. Honestly, he only looked like an idiot.


    Song, his hands sped together, lifted his body after a long time, seemingly a little relieved as if he thought his prayers worked, but that was more of an act offorting himself.


    The demon, who had prated his weak spot, was still stuck in his heart, and even at this moment, he was looking for a chance to weaken him.


    In fact, I couldn¡¯t even call it a spot because that bastard had been driven into a corner from the start.


    ¡°Hyejin, are you ready?¡±


    -Yes. I am, but¡­ you¡¯re already watching. I¡¯m in front of the headquarters of the New Continental Protection and Management Committee. I got permission toe for training, and I also brought Ye-ri¡­


    ¡°Just tell her to follow you. I want to see how far they¡¯re willing to go.¡±


    -Ye-ri doesn¡¯t look happy.


    ¡°It¡¯s just the way I wanted.¡±


    -I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re plotting, but¡­ Hayan seems to have found a clue.


    ¡°Is that true?¡±


    -I don¡¯t think she¡¯s certain yet, but I¡¯ve been told that she¡¯s confident she can trace the portal back. If it weren¡¯t for her strange missionary activities, it would have gone a little faster, but¡­


    ¡°Please tell her to keep working on it.¡±


    -If Hayan gets a clue, will we be able to meet Jihye?


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s the purpose of her duty in the first ce. Well, even if it weren¡¯t for her weird actions, it would have still taken longer. It seems that Lee Jihye is scattering puzzles little by little. What was discovered in the ce where there was an anomaly yed an important role, right?¡±


    -I was told that it might have taken longer if it weren¡¯t for that.


    ¡®You could have given it all at once.¡¯


    -Surely¡­ it would be fortunate if it was true that Jihye¡¯s consciousness, which still remains, is showing us the way¡­


    ¡°Jihye seems to be doing well. Anyway, let¡¯s go in. Have you and Ye-ri talked over this already?¡±


    As I turned my gaze, Kim Ye-ri, showing an unpleasant expression, stood out.


    She looked like she was forced toe and didn¡¯t seem to like that she was in such a ce right now.


    ¡®Right. She¡¯s naturally annoyed.¡¯


    Our kiddo. Our little kiddo who grew up in the Blue. Kim Ye-ri. She pretended she didn¡¯t like me, but she secretly did. On behalf of the regressor who left the house, I raised her.


    I exaggerated a little, but I wasn¡¯t wrong.


    She hung out with Park Deokgu and Ahn Ki-mo now, but it wasn¡¯t like that in her early days.


    Considering that Kim Ye-ri was one of the saddest when I died, it was understandable that she was reacting like that now. It was obvious what Kim Ye-ri would think of the viin, who suddenly appeared and tried to take my ce. With her temper, she wouldn¡¯t feel satisfied even if she mutted him with a dagger.


    She was so close to Cho Hyejin, but she seemed a bit ufortable. I couldn¡¯t help but think that she wouldn¡¯t have liked that she was forced toe even after saying she didn¡¯t want to.


    -I said I didn¡¯t want to, unnie.


    -This is the Vice Guild Master¡¯s will, Ye-ri. Don¡¯t say anything rude now.


    -I don¡¯t like it. Who does he think he is? What is the New World Protection and Management Committee? It¡¯s annoying.


    ¡®Don¡¯t do that only behind my back. Say that to my face.¡¯


    -I don¡¯t like that I¡¯m helping with that person¡¯s training.


    -¡­


    -The only one who can do that is the uncle. He seems to be imitating him, and it¡¯s annoying.


    This wasn¡¯t an appropriate example, but for Kim Ye-ri now, the situation would feel like a situation where a stepmother or stepfather appeared.


    As if she was telling me that my guess was correct, Kim Ye-ri grabbed her dagger and spun around. She didn¡¯t even look in Song Sookyung¡¯s eyes, who greeted Cho Hyejin.


    He didn¡¯t have a choice, either. Kim Hyunsung and Kim Ye-ri had different levels, but it was true that she developed strength under Kim Hyunsung.


    In fact, if I had to choose, the person who moved most simrly to Kim Hyunsung in the guild was Kim Ye-ri. That¡¯s how much she resembled Kim Hyunsung.


    Of course, Kim Ye-ri wouldn¡¯t be considerate to such a guy.


    ¡®My child is a bit strong.¡¯


    After she had a simple mock battle with the Song Viin, I could see her throwing the receiver from her ear.


    ¡°Ptooey!¡±


    ¡®Isn¡¯t a bit too much¡­ to even spit? You look so rude.¡¯


    ¡°Trash. Trash. Trash.¡±


    She was stepped on the receiver that she threw. I didn¡¯t know how to express it because anyone could see that she put a lot of emotion into that.


    I expected she would be rough, but she expressed hostility to the extent that it exceeded my expectations.


    ¡°Trash! Trash! Trash!¡±


    ¡®What should I do with this one? She¡¯s bing crooked.¡¯


    ¡°You¡¯re the worst! Worst! Trash! Trash! Trash!¡±


    It looked like she was going through ate rebellious period.

 Chapter 802: The Last (35)

    <h4>Chapter 802: The Last (35)</h4>


    At a nce, I could even see the ecstasy in her eyes, and her face was so unusual that I wondered if she was transforming into Doom Ye-ri.


    I didn¡¯t know what to say. The pleasure was evident in her expression.


    She was biting her lips tightly and seemed to be acting, but the way she started to smile told me that Kim Ye-ri was enjoying the situation right now.


    -Trash! Trash!


    Poke! Poke!


    ¡®She¡¯s really going to be crooked. Do something about our kid. Seriously, she resembles someone. Fuck.¡¯


    There was probably so much she had kept in.


    She would have felt like all the circumstances surrounding her were bothersome, so it was understandable for her to be pissed off.


    She would have been bothered for being forced to help with the training, about the dispute over the ownership of my body, the anomaly urring on the continent, the iprehensible behavior of Cho Hyejin, and Kim Hyunsung¡¯s journey. I could guarantee that she wouldn¡¯t have liked anything about all of this.


    All the guild members would feel the same, but she wasn¡¯t happy with the guild¡¯s changed environment, as she especially liked to hang around with guild members.


    ¡®Besides¡­¡¯


    I was sure the idea of losing what she originally had was ying a part in that. Kim Ye-ri was from a slum and had lived quite harshly.


    In summary, it didn¡¯t feel strange that she exploded like that.


    That was why she probably needed someone to me¡­ The Song Vin, who just appeared, got on her bad side. Of course, she could only be seen as disying rude behavior. Cho Hyejin, watching her, looked a little more anxious than Kim Ye-ri, who was venting out her anger.


    Right now, the New Continental Protection and Management Committee was wary of Kim Hyunsung, but they wouldn¡¯t want to disagree with the core figures of the group, which could be said to be the center of the continent.


    -I apologize on her behalf. She didn¡¯t mean anything bad by that.


    There was no way that would beforting. Song Sookyung¡¯s face crumpled.


    In fact, I couldn¡¯t me her. It was an undeniable fact that he was trash.


    No, maybe he was satisfied with it. Even though it was a mock battle, Kim Ye-ri and the Song Viinpleted the given mission and somehow seeded inpleting the quest.


    Wouldn¡¯t it be meaningful to him that he broke through the mission itself? The problem was that it was C-grade at max.


    I wasn¡¯t proud, but I thought I would have received an SSS-grade easily if I was the one that conducted a mock battle with Kim Ye-ri.


    Since she had sparred with Park Deokgu and Ahn Ki-mo, Kim Ye-ri would be aware of that.


    -Sigh¡­ Sigh¡­ Sigh¡­


    She finally breathed in. After shaking her head and getting her dagger, she left the quest location. As it wasn¡¯tmon for her to reveal emotions, she had a nk look on her face.


    She might be happy inside that she gave a blow, but she was walking as if nothing had happened.


    The Song Viin was speechless, and Cho Hyejin kept covering for Kim Ye-ri next to him. Meanwhile, Ye-ri returned with dignity. Since the mock battle was over, they had to take a briefing and provide feedback, but the awkward atmosphere didn¡¯t even allow it.


    It was Song Sookyung who got back to his senses quickly. He understood that he wasn¡¯t in a position to be disappointed, and he once again disyed a smile on his face.


    I didn¡¯t know if he thought he should show the elders generosity at times like this, but whatever the reason, he seemed to have regained his calm quickly.


    -Ye-ri.


    -¡­


    -Just now¡­


    She didn¡¯t finish talking, but she did something rude, so she should apologize, right? She seemed to be trying to say that.


    -Ah!


    -It¡¯s fine, Cho Hyejin. You don¡¯t have to.


    -You heard.


    -Yes.


    -I thought the connection was cut off when the mission ended. Sorry. I didn¡¯t know.


    -¡­


    -Kim Ye-ri.


    -Really. I didn¡¯t know you would listen. If I knew you were watching, I wouldn¡¯t have acted like that.


    The way she was grinning seemed to be provoking him.


    I knew because I had done it a lot, openly protesting with a face that said, ¡®I don¡¯t like you, and I hope you¡¯re offended.¡¯


    Honestly, I didn¡¯t expect her to do that much.


    ¡®A monster raised by Blue. Fuck.¡¯


    -Haha¡­ It¡¯s fine. I also know I was terrible¡­


    -You are. More than terrible, actually.


    -¡­


    -Unnie, It¡¯s better for this person if we are honest with him. I¡¯m not being impolite or rude. This is training, after all. He needs honest feedback.


    I remembered the long training session she had with Park Deokgu when she dealt damage like a bamboo spear.


    -Yes. Kim Ye-ri¡¯s right. It would be more helpful, to be honest. I didn¡¯t call precious guests to get falsepliments.


    -First.


    -¡­


    -Your field of view is too narrow. I can predict why you wanted this, and basically, youck the talent andpetence to do it. Your speed of processing information is so slow that you are alwayste by one beat, half a beat, two beats, three beats. Your ability to see the battlefield is also too weak. What was Song Sookyung doing in the Continental War, the Republic War, and the 27th Legion War?


    -¡­


    -Uncle Kiyoungmanded both big and small battles and the world wars. The experience he gained from running directly with his body and vomiting blood is by no means something that can be obtained in a short period of time. No matter how much data you umte and how many tactics you squeeze out based on it, it¡¯s impossible to control the battlefield that changes real-time unless the experience to make decisive judgments is supported. That¡¯s not something that can be obtained from a small n or guild.


    ¡®Why are you losing the honorifics?¡¯


    I felt her willingness to remain very disrespectful.


    -¡­


    -That¡¯s what a person with genius abilities can do with his umted experience, even if it meant abandoning his body. Had it been possible for an ordinary and inexperienced person to get help from artifacts or auxiliary tools, everyone on the continent would have been able to do something simr to what uncle did. Yourck of understanding of the battlefield isn¡¯t the only problem. It is also evident that your experience of running with your body directly is insufficient. I feel a little sorry for you, but this is your fault. It¡¯s not a problem that can be ovee in a short period.


    -Yeah¡­


    -I just exined the major problem from the mock battle. In detail, as mentioned earlier, your field of view is too narrow. The uncle made me feel like he was looking at the battlefield from above. It was an ability close to foreseeing the future. It was as if he was watching the entire warzone like it was a single picture.


    Kim Ye-ri unsheathed a dagger and drew a line after opening the map.


    -The whole north.


    Until I saw the scene unfolding before me, I thought that Elios, who Elena had beaten, was the most pitiful.


    ¡®He won¡¯t want to live¡­¡¯


    -The range that you just used in the mock battle at max is just at the Metropolitan level. Hyunsung oppa can move beyond the whole northern region. I don¡¯t understand why you¡¯re doing this just to use it in one big city. How can you fit an ocean in a cup? If you want my honest judgment, let me tell you this: it will not help your rise to power. Oh, there is one more problem with your vision. You don¡¯t understand how other upations or named enemy soldiers move. I don¡¯t know how uncle Kiyoung could do that. He knew about the movements, skills, habits, and intentions of Hyunsung oppa¡¯s enemies.


    -¡­


    -There was no error. I felt like he was grasping everything without exception. He was in a realm of talent where he can grasp all the variables even though he¡¯s not a melee fighter or someone who made a living through wars. He had a good eye for details, and even that was unique to him. I¡¯m not in a position to criticize anyone trying to close that gap with effort, but he reached an area of talent that nobody else can reach.


    ¡®Thank you, Mind¡¯s Eyes.¡¯


    -¡­


    -Song Sookyung of the New Continental Protection and Management Committee doesn¡¯t even understand me properly. I didn¡¯t reveal some stats and abilities to you for that reason. I really didn¡¯t want to tell you, but I told you because you are trying to do something so impossible. And the result, well¡­


    -Yeah¡­


    -You don¡¯t know what I can do, and you don¡¯t understand at all what it¡¯s like for an adventurer who has reached the peak to fight sincerely. I trusted you to risk being crippled by a cutthroat or having your arm cut off. It was just a mock battle, but I entrusted my life to you. You nearly died exactly three times. If it had been a real battle, you would have been rendered half-disabled. There is no way you, who can be said to be a downgraded version of him, can understand Hyusung oppa, whom even I do not understand.


    -That¡¯s¡­


    It was then that there was a change in his expression.


    -Am I wrong?


    Kim Ye-ri talked a lot after so long. Seemingly certain of what she said, she looked at Song Sookyung with an expressionless face.


    I saw the Song Viin nodding for now, but I also didn¡¯t think he felt convinced.


    He couldn¡¯t say anything right now, but it could only be exined that her saying that he didn¡¯t understand Kim Hyunsung properly was just to piss him off.


    Suppose someone told Pope Basel right now that he didn¡¯t really understand Benignore.


    I could bet that the next morning their neck would be hung over the square of the capital.


    Telling him that he wouldn¡¯t be able to understand our regressor had the same gravity.


    It seemed that our quick-witted kiddo realized what would trigger him. The way she kept constantly speaking, seeminglymitted to getting on his nerves, was out of the ordinary.


    Even while giving feedback on small moves or small orders, the finish was always¡­


    -There is no way you can understand. You won¡¯t be able to understand.


    It didn¡¯t take long before the smile disappeared from Song Sookyung¡¯s face, who had made up his mind to study.


    He looked like he epted her words externally, but what he was thinking was obvious.


    As if Ye-ri entered the mode, ¡®you think what you want, but I¡¯ll keep talking,¡¯ she still didn¡¯t stop.


    -You will be able to see the effects in small battles if you target an ordinary party or n, to some extent¡­ but I can¡¯t even imagine you reaching a level beyond that. What you¡¯re trying to do is absolutely impossible unless you are reborn. Every word I¡¯ll utter from here on out will be based on the statisticspiled by the Blue Guild itself. Originally, it was confidential, but training requires feedback¡­ This has to be revealed because you¡¯re an important New Continental Protection and Management Committee figure.


    Anxietyy in Cho Hyejin¡¯s face. She was probably wondering what she was trying to say.


    She red at Kim Ye-ri for a moment, but she spoke as if she didn¡¯t care.


    Cho Hyejin, who tried to keep her in check, didn¡¯t stop her, thinking that Ye-ri would be able to distinguish between what she should say and what she shouldn¡¯t say, as she had a rough grasp over how the guild worked.


    -Uncle Kiyoung maintained a connection with Hyunsung, and while maintaining that connection, how many people do you think he sent missions to in the northern battle alone?


    -¡­


    -Exactly 5,421 people. 712 priests. 831 wizards. Even the ck Swan¡¯s Park Yeon-joo unnie, the named ones of the continents, and the State¡¯s eight seats, also received individual missions.


    ¡®That much?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t remember well. It probably wasn¡¯t that much. She was probably exaggerating a bit.


    -While he maintained the connection with Hyunsung-nim, he kept the battlefield under control to allow the Guild Master to focus only on his mission. What do you think is the reason that was possible?


    -¡­


    -Until now, I talked about talent, but¡­ in fact, I don¡¯t think something so out of this world would be possible just because he¡¯s a genius. Lee Kiyoung, no¡­


    -¡­


    -Kiyoung oppa¡­


    ¡®I¡¯ve be an oppa, too.¡¯


    -He was chosen by the gods. I think that¡¯s why it was possible.


    The time to give feedback turned into a time to show off Lee Kiyoung. I could see Song Sookyung holding on with his lips tightly bitten. He seemed to be holding himself back, trying not to get angered.


    Kim Ye-ri meant that I was chosen by Benignore, but it seemed like he thought that I was chosen by Kim Hyunsung.


    I could feel him gradually sinking. I wasn¡¯t connected to him, but it was like I could see his emotions descending to rock bottom.


    I thought it was too early, but I spoke to him again.


    -¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°You want the same thing as what Lee Kiyoung had.¡±

 Chapter 803: The Last (36)

    <h4>Chapter 803: The Last (36)</h4>


    ¡°You too want the same thing as what Lee Kiyoung had.¡±


    -Thank you for your feedback, Kim Ye-ri. I will make sure to remember it in the next training session.


    -It seems that you didn¡¯t really understand what I had just said. I¡­


    -Sorry, but I think I need some time to organize your feedback. I should also say thank you, Cho Hyejin. We have prepared meals and banquets for you, so please enjoy yourselves. If you have no other appointments, you can stay here. If you need anything, please feel free to tell me¡­


    -Let¡¯s go home. I¡¯m ufortable, unnie.


    -Thank you for the offer, but we¡¯ll go back. I have a lot of work to do¡­


    -That¡¯s a shame, but I guess it can¡¯t be helped. My aides will guide you outside. Once again, thank you for the hard work¡­ Then, I will see you in two days.


    -¡­


    -I don¡¯t know how different he will be in two days, unnie.


    -Ye-ri.


    -What? I didn¡¯t say anything wrong.


    ¡®You were too harsh.¡¯


    It was scary to see her whispering to Cho Hyejin as if it wasn¡¯t enough to persistently deal a lot of damage. Although she whispered inaudibly, her voice leaked out, seemingly trying to let others hear on purpose.


    It was a provocation that made me think if that would make the Benignore Church¡¯s priests angry and lose their reason, but the Song Viin couldn¡¯t seem to hear her voice at all.


    Unlike when he rejected my advances, now he seemed to be worried that my voice would be cut off.


    It looked like he was bothered that I said he wanted the same thing Lee Kiyoung had.


    After he said something to Cho Hyejin and Kim Ye-ri that was close to kicking them out, I could determine what his status was just by seeing him leave the rest to his aides.


    It was more appropriate to say that he couldn¡¯t afford to take care of them rather than ignoring Kim Ye-ri and Cho Hyejin.


    Of course, even so, the fact that he was neglecting the two remained unchanged¡­


    ¡®You can¡¯t see anything after having a taste of power? Or are you confused?¡¯


    Maybe it was both. Regardless, the one thing that mattered was that our Ye-ri did a good job.


    ¡®I think she carried this match.¡¯


    -I don¡¯t feel good about him. He¡¯s annoying. Trash.


    -You worked hard today, Ye-ri.


    -¡­


    -Are you okay?


    -How can I be?


    It was so lovely to see her clearly expressing her displeasure while leaving themittee headquarters.


    ¡®You saved the continent.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t because she hurt Song Sookyung¡¯s pride.


    Of course, Kim Ye-ri¡¯s harshments had undermined his self-esteem, but I didn¡¯t think he would hold my hand with just that.


    Wouldn¡¯t the keyments she made in the interim strike his heart?


    Apart from realizing his ipetence, he might have despaired that he wasn¡¯t likely to be chosen by the god of sunset. His hopes, such as wanting to stand by, wanting to be recognized, wanting to be together, wanting to follow, and so on, had begun to crumble.


    The anxiety that no matter how much time passed, he¡¯d never catch up dawned upon him. The thought of never being chosen underlined the spirit of the man who had already been at the end of his rope. The contract would go smoothly as long as I presented only the right points of agreement.


    Why?


    Because he didn¡¯t have time, either. There was no way he didn¡¯t know that we only had a few moments before the big bomb would go off.


    As expected, after sending out Cho Hyejin and Kim Ye-ri, he started to move quickly again.


    I was worried that he would go into the secret temple in his room, but he seemed to think it wasn¡¯t a suitable ce to talk to someone who was potentially a demon.


    Eventually, I saw him whispering after going to the training ground.


    -Who are you? The¡­ one that keeps talking to me.


    ¡°You probably know the answer to that already, foolish mortal.¡±


    -Who are you?


    ¡°The one who can give you what you want.¡±


    -How¡­ can you talk to me?


    ¡°Because your despair reached me. Your despair for a god brought me here.¡±


    -You are a demon. A dirty demon bastard.


    ¡°Why do you call me a demon, mortal?¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°To im that I am a god or a demon is nothing but an act of proving your stupidity. If you call me a demon, I will be a demon, and if you call me a god, I will be a god. If you want to deny both, you can. If you think that I¡¯m an unknown transcendent being, I will be a transcendent being, and if you think I¡¯m your helper, I will be your aide. It lies on you to judge which reality is more beneficial. There¡¯s nothing more stupid than asking me for an answer. What do you want to hear? What answer do you want from me?¡±


    -What bullsh*t is that¡­?


    ¡°The world, more than you know, has aplex and diverse will to manage this continent. It is not a problem that can only be interpreted through the human eye. I¡¯m not telling you to understand me, but you seem to need to broaden your horizons a little more.¡±


    -You say¡­ you¡¯re not a demon?


    ¡°I am the continent itself and the will that dwells within the continent. You cannot define me by the words god or demon. I am not telling you to serve me or worship me. I wouldn¡¯t even tell you to sell your soul. You are¡­¡±


    -I¡¯m a believer of the god of sunset.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t even tell you to forsake your faith in him.¡±


    It was small, but I thought there was an atmosphere for conversation.


    He still seemed to be wary of me, but thestment was decisive, and he realized that I wasn¡¯t going to test his beliefs.


    Although I could see him thinking, he felt good enough to have a conversation with me.


    He was still biting his lips tightly, and he seemed to be wondering whether to believe me or not, though.


    -How can I believe your words?


    ¡°I have never asked you to believe in my existence. It is purely your will to hold my hand or not, and if you refuse, I will only go to someone else.¡±


    -What do you mean by that?


    ¡°I did not appear to answer your curiosity.¡±


    -What did you mean when you said that I wanted the same thing as Lee Kiyoung?


    ¡°If I exin that he also received my help, it would be quick.¡±


    -What?


    ¡°He, too, asked for my aid, Mortal.¡±


    -Is that so¡­


    He nodded subtly. As if he was convinced, I could see him biting his nails anxiously.


    In fact, that was probably how it looked. Lee Kiyoung¡¯s achievements couldn¡¯t be exined by anything other than the telescope and the Mind¡¯s Eyes.


    If he didn¡¯t know that, it would be natural to think that I¡¯d been helped or signed a contract with some transcendental being. If he thought about it, he might conclude that there were many strange things about my past life. I didn¡¯t think he had toe up with various hypotheses.


    That bastard tried not to acknowledge Lee Kiyoung¡¯s existence in the first ce.


    In the myth of sunset light, did it make sense without the Son of Light? Nevertheless, he deliberately ruled out the work of the Son of Light, so it was probably putting weight on thetter.


    ¡°He wanted to stand next to the sunset god.¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°He wanted to follow in his footsteps, and he wanted to walk with him. It was a distorted, ugly desire, and it was also a child¡¯s pure admiration and a dreamlike emotion. It was his will, the Son of Light, that awakened me. I was raised again by his desires and dreams, and the Son of Light finally got what he wanted. Not only did he stand next to him equally, but he was also chosen¡­¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°By the sunset god.¡±


    At this, he swallowed hard.


    ¡°That was faith and an expression of respect. Although he was a human¡­ he really wanted to stand next to god.¡±


    -What did he get?


    ¡°Everything that he needed and wanted. You can also receive the same. Of course, only if you want to¡­¡±


    Looking at him bing troubled was very fun. He seemed to be judging whether or not to believe the voices he heard within him, but he was probably convincing himself above that.


    The bait I threw at him was that sweet.


    ¡®You can stand next to your god.¡¯


    ¡®You can be chosen by him.¡¯


    ¡®You can be recognized by him.¡¯


    Those kinds of baits. It wasn¡¯t a temptation that was easy to say no to, even for priests.


    Just to be able to stand next to Benignore, I could assure anyone that believers who would offer their souls would appear en masse.


    That was martyrdom, a sacrifice for god.


    The Pdins who were fighting for their lives, the heretical inquisitors who didn¡¯t spare their own bodies, all worked under the notion that they would be able to rest by Benignore¡¯s side if they died.


    Some religious beliefs, which were no different from madness, obscured or firmed human judgment. The desire to get closer to deities was that scary.


    ¡®This bastard is no exception.¡¯


    A small light shone in his eyes while he fell into the void, so it wasn¡¯t important to judge whether there was danger or not.


    He was still convincing himself.


    He told himself that the one talking to him was not a demon, that epting my offer wasn¡¯t a betrayal to the god of sunset, that everything was for his god and him.


    He had to make unavoidable choices to make his god perfect.


    -If I don¡¯t ept the suggestion¡­ what happens?


    ¡°That¡¯s a stupid question. Nothing will happen to you.¡±


    -If so¡­


    ¡°Because you are not the only one wanting to walk with a god.¡±


    ¡®Even if you don¡¯t, another bastard will.¡¯


    -¡­


    ¡®You don¡¯t have to be the one who can walk with the sunset god.¡¯


    -I¡­


    ¡®I¡¯m not in a hurry. You are.¡¯


    -I am¡­


    ¡®Are you going to let someone else take him away again? You want it, right? Fuck, you do. I know you want it.¡¯


    ¡°Take my hand, mortal.¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°Everything you want wille true.¡±


    -Oh, God. Oh, God¡­


    he even started praying. I didn¡¯t know why he was crying, but I felt like he was fighting a tremendous internal conflict.


    -Oh, God¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Nothing could be seen in the dark room. Considering his expression, I didn¡¯t think I had to say something.


    The demon hiding inside of him reached out to him.


    With a distorted smile, he grabbed that hand.


    ¡°You will get what you want.¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°The eyes and heart of the Son of Light.¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°That is what you seek.¡±


    As I opened my mouth, I started tough.


    ¡®Such a killer setup. Really.¡¯


    It was a ssic clich¨¦, but one simply couldn¡¯t go wrong with the royal road.

 Chapter 804: The Last (37)

    <h4>Chapter 804: The Last (37)</h4>


    He wasn¡¯t able to focus on his work properly, and of course, I thought he¡¯d keep thinking of the conversation we had a few days ago.


    He dealt with issues happening on the continent as if he hadn¡¯t forgotten his duty, but it looked like his mind was going somewhere else.


    Probably because he thought the contract would work.


    The Song Viin moved quickly after receiving reports from his aides.


    Immediately after he sat down, I saw him fiddling with an artifact that looked like a helmet.


    -How is the situation?


    -The battle is going on. Undead creatures of heroic grade and higher are being identified¡­ and the onemanding them¡­


    -Yes?


    -It is confirmed to be Elios of the Kingdom of Eberia.


    -What¡­


    -The only thing that can exin it is that someone brainwashed him¡­ Since the frontline was built in a hurry, it¡¯s being destroyed helplessly by the fallen Elios, and the damage continues to umte. Reinforcements are expected to arrive soon but at this rate¡­


    ¡®I was wondering what Elios was doing, and he finally appeared.¡¯


    -The briefing is done. From now on, I will be in directmand of the field. Please provide the list of named ones currently fighting.


    -Yes. One of the new generals of the Republic¡­


    -Please call him.


    -Okay.


    Although it wasn¡¯trge in scale, it was called a strategic location in its own way, so it would be a natural choice for him to takemand. I didn¡¯t know if it was because he acted in a cool way a few days ago, but the people around him looked at him with envy.


    He was about to put on the hideous helmet, but he put it down instead. He probably decided that he didn¡¯t need it anymore.


    After sitting in his seat, he looked at the screen and what he saw was the battlefield, which was already engulfed bybat. As always, it was a violent scene. Elios wielded a sword amid the sounds of screams and madness, and the undead surrounding him were enough to im that the continental crisis hade.


    Song Sookyung had already made his debut stage, but he felt a little nervous in a ce where he could prove himself. He was probably greedy to want to do better thanst time.


    -From now on, I willmand the battlefield myself, Natrian.


    -What? You¡­


    -I¡¯m Song Sookyung of the New Continental Protection and Management Committee. Please follow orders as the top priority.


    I was the one who would get busy.


    I wasn¡¯t the target of the contract, but¡­


    ¡®It looks like I¡¯ll be riding a cheap car.¡¯


    Since I was in a position rted to the contract, I couldn¡¯t just stand still. It was my job to convey my will to the demon who signed the contract with him.


    In short, the contract was carried out through an outsourcedpany.


    Of course, there was nothing wrong with that. I could confirm that there was no problem in terms of the contract, and there was no problem with its functionality.


    This was the second time since I targeted a rookie I hadn¡¯t even heard the name of.


    ¡®I¡¯m not the kind that just does it with anyone. I, Lee Kiyoung, go all the way I can.¡¯


    I also had some dignity and pride. Fuck.


    ¡®But I guess this one will be fine.¡¯


    Although it was a bit embarrassing topare him with Kim Hyunsung, Thronus, Raphael, and even Cho Hyejin, there was a reason why a new star of the Republic emerged.


    He was young and still seemingly had growth potential.


    If I forcefully looked for his quality, I would find he had a cheerful rhythm. He wasn¡¯t fast or strong, but I felt a fun rhythm in the movements of his rapier. It wasn¡¯t too constant, either. The skill of shifting around when the enemy got used to it wasn¡¯t bad. If I hadn¡¯t be more exigent, I would have managed to use it while being satisfied. It was boring, but it wasn¡¯t that bad.


    The small battlefield was reflected in the telescope. As I recalled the mission to be fulfilled by the new star of the Republic, I could see Song Sookyung speaking as if he was waiting.


    Perhaps he was mistaken that he recalled what I recalled.


    -Let¡¯s start going to the left. Please move immediately after checking the coordinates. I¡¯ll take the back. Whatever the circumstances, please follow the orders first.


    -Yes¡­ Yes.


    ¡®Too slow.¡¯


    It was fun, but it was boring because his basic specs had be trash.


    Light continued to fall on Natrian¡¯s body, thrusting his weapon against a heroic-grade named undead. It didn¡¯t take long for the incessantly moving swordsman¡¯s face to be filled with joy.


    He seemed to think that he and the battlefield were uniting.


    It was an experience he had never felt before, so it was natural for him to be happy.


    -Elios in the front. Don¡¯t bump into him now. We¡¯ll bypass him.


    -Yes, sir!


    The arrows and magic fell and missed him, regardless of owner.


    He probably felt like he was the main character in a movie.


    If it was Kim Hyunsung that I was controlling, I could have felt that sensation, but unfortunately, I couldn¡¯t. Maybe that was what made me feel even more bored.


    I liked Natrian quite a bit and provided services in various ways, but we decided to use only about 20% of his abilities, so he was out.


    Just doing that would be enough to change the war. As if Elios, no, Jihye also thought that this was the limit of this unit, I could see that the troops were immediately pulled back.


    She was most likely aware of the reinforcements and decided she wouldn¡¯t want her location to be found.


    -This¡­ Ha¡­ haha¡­ What the hell is this¡­


    In the midst of that, the swordsman stood steadily with the rapier, still feeling the adrenaline rush.


    Song Sookyung, sweating even though he didn¡¯t do anything, became dark.


    ¡®I guess you weren¡¯t satisfied.¡¯


    -You worked hard.


    -N-No. You¡­ worked hard. Really. Ha¡­ haha¡­ you¡¯re great.


    -I should be the one saying that.


    The atmosphere of the situation room looking at the Goddess¡¯s Mirror and the atmosphere surrounding him was quite the opposite.


    He might have felt that the battle they just had wasn¡¯t satisfactory.


    It was quite different from before, but what he was aiming for was even higher.


    -The Son of Light seemed to have emerged.


    -Haha¡­ It seems that the gods have not abandoned the continent yet. It¡¯s a continental blessing.


    -That¡¯s great.


    -We will be able to fight with the Sunset Swordsman.


    I wanted tough when I saw his fists clenched, but I had no choice but to hold back.


    -Thank you for the hard work.


    -It¡¯s for the continent. About Elios¡­ no, I think it would be better to tell Elena first. We will form a unit centered on the Elven Rangers. It is not visible yet, but it feels as if the real identity of the enemies is gradually being revealed. Please keep monitoring them. After the formation of the troops is finished, immediately deploy them.


    -Yes, sir.


    -Any other specifics?


    -It seems that several survivors found in the Federation Battle havee to their senses. I investigated in various directions, but except for those I saw wearing masks¡­ it¡¯s still a situation where we have to rx our mind and body¡­ It looks like it will take more time to reach a definitive answer.


    -If new informationes in, please report it immediately. Then I¡¯ll be going¡­


    -Yes. What about the next schedule?


    -Please cancel it. I think¡­ I need some time to rest for a moment.


    -I see. You deserve it.


    ¡®The New Continental Protection and Management Committee looks happy.¡¯


    It seemed that they thought the card they used was correct, and everyone was creating a warm atmosphere. Not him, though.


    Upon entering the room, his gaze turned to the Goddess¡¯s Mirror. He probably wanted to see himself uplifted in the media.


    Well, he seemed a little satisfied to see that he was called the incarnation of the Son of Light and a tactical genius, but he still looked anxious.


    He might think that Kim Hyunsung was also listening to that news, which would probably make him more nervous. The smile on his face gradually disappeared as he thought of something, and I thought I could deduce what he was thinking just by looking at him.


    He definitely changed after he took my hand. He grew and apparently broke through his wall.


    However¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s still not enough.¡¯


    He might be thinking that unlike before when he couldn¡¯t feel what wascking in the first ce, he realized his difference with Lee Kiyoung more and more now that he gained a slightly new perspective.


    It seemed that giving him instructions slightly different from what I would¡¯ve done worked. Human greed knew no bounds.


    Had he been the one to be satisfied with this, he might not have held my hand in the first ce.


    He was pulling out his hair, pretending to be anguished, but I thought I could see what he was thinking. Not surprisingly, I heard him muttering.


    -The eyes of the Son of Light¡­


    He spoke slowly. He was waiting for my voice.


    ¡°The original is mine. I gave it to him.¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°An eye that reveals what mortals cannot see, and also the medium that connected him with the god of sunset. It was what he wanted most, and it was all of him. It is said that his body has already lost its light, but it does not mean that he¡¯s lost his eye and hearing. It is not something that can be defined as death.¡±


    -I realize that I amcking. I¡¯m still not enough to stand next to him.


    ¡°You can fill that gap.¡±


    Once again, I could see him quietly looking at his hand.


    -Perhaps¡­ If I transnt his eyes, would I be able to see what he was looking at? Will I be able to connect with the god of sunset?


    ¡°I won¡¯t deny it.¡±


    -¡­


    A few minutester, the guy with his head down spoke. I honestly thought it would take a little longer.


    -Sigh¡­ The body is in the Blue Guild¡­


    ¡®Wow¡­¡¯


    I had to tremble at the viciousness of that bastard.


    -Damn¡­ Is there any way to get it out?


    ¡®This bastard was really crazy. Really.¡¯


    That made me think Belial didn¡¯t apud him for no reason.


    ¡®As a real human being, shouldn¡¯t you stop before you cross that line¡­¡¯


    -Sh*t.


    ¡®Is he even human?¡¯


    Although I intended it, wasn¡¯t this too fast? He had to think about it a little more. It felt too creepy¡­


    I had chills due to his freakiness, but I had to smile.


    -The eyes and heart of the Son of Light.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -The eyes of Lee Kiyoung. Lee Kiyoung¡¯s heart. Lee Kiyoung¡¯s eyes. Right. Lee Kiyoung¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°It is entirely your will to choose to be perfect.¡±


    -It would be impossible to sneak in.


    It wasn¡¯t possible even when I thought about it.


    -There is no choice but to be mordacious.


    A political approach was the better option, and maybe it wasn¡¯t a bad choice to make contact while lying about being chosen by the light.


    -No. It¡¯s too¡­ dangerous. I could infer his anger.


    ¡®At least you know that.¡¯


    Although the methods were limited even for me, it seemed that he thought it wasn¡¯t bad to try once. He hurried to contact someone and spoke to them. His eyes seemed lost in the abyss already.


    -Please prepare people we can trust.


    ¡®You have be a real runaway lotive.¡¯


    -Yes, sir. It looks like we need to change the meeting location with the Blue Guild.


    ¡®Wow, a real demon. In a few days, you have be a demon.¡¯


    -Lee Kiyoung¡¯s¡­ I mean, we need the body of thete Honorary Cardinal.


    His expression contained malice. He was trying to dishonor my body, the body of the light that sacrificed everything for the continent.


    He was definitely bing a demon.

 Chapter 805: The Last (38)

    <h4>Chapter 805: The Last (38)</h4>


    ¡°Are you having fun?¡±


    ¡°How could I not?¡±


    ¡°Life is too long. That¡¯s why we need a story like this. I always say this, but your work is too outstanding. I just want to express my gratitude for having entertained me over the past few days. What do you think? Do you want a ss of wine?¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Belial.¡±


    ¡°It seemed to have corrupted him perfectly.¡±


    ¡°Because he had problems from the beginning.¡±


    ¡°Being able to bring that out is also a talent. There is no human being in the world who canpletely turn away from darkness. Bringing out the darkness in the human mind, hiding it inside, and stimting corrupt desires¡­ Isn¡¯t that the direction that we, demons, should go to? It may feel like nothing, but your cunning and disgusting tongue has a trick to it that awakens darkness. You have a talent to poke in a very small gap and stimte it.¡±


    ¡°The brighter one is, the better he engages with the darkness.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°So far¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen a lot of trash so far, but you¡¯re really way worse. You are an amazing human. Enough to make me speechless. Haha.¡±


    ¡®Director Bell, is that apliment? Or an insult?¡¯


    ¡°I can pull out their darkest desires because I truly shine. Fuhahehehehehe!¡±


    ¡°Disgusting human! No, you¡¯re a disgusting demon! Hahahahaha!¡±


    There seemed to be a reason why Belial was the one who responded to my soul and magic among so many demons.


    ¡°So, what are you going to do next?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I haven¡¯t decided yet. I¡¯d like to prepare a wonderful stage since it turned out like this. Still, there are many variables.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm¡­ is that so? Variables¡­ okay. Variables¡­¡±


    After shaking off the silver light showing hostility to Belial, I took a sip from the wine again.


    ¡°You¡¯re thinking about what happens after.¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s not perfect yet, but it something like that.¡±


    He nodded as if he understood it. I didn¡¯t exin anything, but I felt like he agreed with me.


    Maybe he thought that it was right to use what I had started properly.


    Well, I didn¡¯t put in a tremendous effort, but still, it was a lot of work, so he probably thought it was only proper to see if it was worth it as a puzzle. I couldn¡¯t deny that I got a quite usable card.


    Emotionally, regardless of being a puzzle or not, I wanted to kill him in a single whipping, but rationally speaking, it was better to give him a role.


    I thought I could use him more than I initially expected¡­


    ¡®The demon contractor.¡¯


    No, no, the demon itself.


    Although that may be a little too much, it was difficult to ignore the picture that came to mind.


    ¡®I think I can really pull it off.¡¯


    The reason Jihye was working while minimizing contact with me was to avoid Lucifer¡¯s eyes. However, it was also to collect her achievements.


    Assuming she knew what my contract with Lucifer was, the justification of her actions was even more pronounced.


    ¡®She thinks she needs divinity.¡¯


    Of course, what she was collecting wasn¡¯t faith but a nutrient of fear and terror. However, considering that it could also be converted into points, I came up with a simple answer.


    I was gathering divinity because I came to the same conclusion as her.


    ¡®Insurance.¡¯


    Divinity was insurance. Insurance that could bring back any possible circumstances to square one. The possibility of the viin that Song Sookyung showed bothered me for no reason.


    ¡°By the way.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°If something happens with my mortal body, would something happen to me too?¡±


    ¡°No. When you go back to the present world again, nothing would have changed. Your heart¡­ Well¡­ If you leave it out for too long, something might happen, but you will bring it back anyway, right? Even if you return to your insignificant mortal body, your character will remain the same. Although a little different, isn¡¯t there a suitable example? Just look at those shiny insects¡­¡±


    As I quietly turned my gaze, I could see the blue and brown lightsforting the silver light. I saw them stopping the silver insect that made up its mind and was trying to get up again.


    I understood what Belial meant.


    ¡°I think I know what you¡¯re talking about. My body¡­¡±


    ¡°The body is just the body. What you need to go down to that world is not the resurrection of your body, but the amount that you need to pay.¡±


    ¡°I know that.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ nothing. I guess I know what you¡¯re thinking. Ha¡­ Hahahaha!¡±


    ¡®You¡¯re too quick, Director Bell.¡¯


    It was already fun enough so far, but his eyes seemed to be expecting that it would be even funnier in the future, and I felt that he wanted me to proceed with the n.


    ¡°That¡¯s cool.¡±


    ¡®I think it¡¯s a cool n too. It seems to be fun too.¡¯


    The storyboard was pictured in my head.


    The demon that led the abnormal phenomenon that was taking ce all over the continent, a deceiver who fooled all humans and denied the existing light, a viin who deceived himself to corrupt the light¡­


    Song Sookyung.


    Just imagining the scene where the great demon, enough to make even his own kind look like angels, took the eyes of the Son of Light and made the continent tremble in terror was enough to make me shiver. Only with that much would the masses fall into despair. It would be nice if our Jihye could join us.


    If that woman was just being stubborn, she might have made a scapegoat to die with everything in its ce, but there was a chance that she wasn¡¯t.


    Maybe she knew about the Song Viin. Since she was more sensitive to information than anyone else, she might be expecting that I was¡­


    ¡®That I¡¯m framing him up.¡¯


    I liked the fact that I could collect quite a lot of points as a result. Maybe I could get a simr amount to that of the 27th Corps incident.


    Naturally, Kim Hyunsung and the sons of light threw stones at him¡­


    ¡°What should I prepare then? Hahahaha!¡±


    ¡®Director Bell is too excited.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯ll call Limur.¡±


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to call her right now.¡±


    ¡°Are you troubled? Not only great revenge¡­ Are you also aiming for a wonderful story? I don¡¯t understand why you are hesitant about the best option given to you to get results. It may even surpass the divinity that Benignore and I had at the time of the 27th Corps summoning. No, I think it certainly will. Unlike that time, when we invested a lot, we don¡¯t have to invest anything now. I don¡¯t like the numbers game, but if I convert it¡­¡±


    ¡®Director Bell is way too excited.¡¯


    Honestly, he didn¡¯t seem interested in how much we could get or how much profit we¡¯d have.


    I thought the reason why he brought out such data was to convince me. It seemed he didn¡¯t want to miss out on the entertainment he hadn¡¯t seen in a while. It¡¯s the first time I saw him be this excited.


    Did he make that face when he corrupted the Son of Light? At that time, he wasn¡¯t a humanoid, and I couldn¡¯t read his expressions properly, but I thought he probably did.


    ¡°If it¡¯s the current you, you will have an idea of how much it will be.¡±


    ¡®I have.¡¯


    ¡°Is the reason you¡¯re hesitating because of the possibility that something will happen to your mortal body?¡±


    Well¡­


    ¡°No. It¡¯s not. There¡¯s a problem with physiological reluctance, but since you said that nothing wrong would happen¡­ If we could get that much profit, my eyes won¡¯t be a problem. We¡¯ll be able to meet all the budgets in question now¡­ and the amount that Benignore and I will get will be tremendous¡­ Even the god of sunset would get profit.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s all mine. Virtually all of them are mine.¡¯


    It was true that there were many things I could do. In addition to insurance that could be used in a decisive situation, it was possible to finish the restoration and update of the continent.


    ¡°You don¡¯t like waiting, do you? You want to do it right now.¡±


    ¡°No. It isn¡¯t that long, so waiting isn¡¯t a problem.¡±


    I took another sip of the wine. As if he wanted to feel fancy, I heard the old-fashioned music that Belial yed earlier.


    As I quietly turned, I could see him turning his head too, and it was the Rangers who entered the screen. There was one assassin whom I thought to be best in the continent, and all the rest of the rangers were ranked in the upper ranks. The way they moved, melting in the shadows, was fast, even for me.


    They were trained professionally only for infiltration missions, after all.


    They probably simted it several times already. The guys stepped inside the Blue Guild with minimal hand signals. I also wanted to believe that those bastards would do something, but of course, nothing would happen.


    The guild already knew that they had invaded.


    ¡®Do you see the Blue Guild as a pushover?¡¯


    The lovely regressor, manager Kim Mi-young, and Cho Hyejin were in a meeting, and they look tired since it had been going on all night. I didn¡¯t think that the regr guild staff could stop them, but¡­


    ¡®Who is on duty today?¡¯


    Seeing someone falling between the rangers from the sky, pulling up her twin swords, I had no choice but to nod.


    ¡®Park Li-ahn.¡¯


    The enemy rangers were scattered in an instant due to the sudden situation. She cut two throats in an instant.


    The guy who seemed to have decent skills tried to stab her with his dagger, but she leaned back and dodged the attack.


    He couldn¡¯t even scream as his arms and legs were cut off. It seemed that those measures were taken to prevent them from killing themselves, but I could see Park Li-ahn¡¯s expression crumpling as she saw the guy melting in an instant.


    ¡®Curse.¡¯


    The curse of melting in the event of being incapacitated had probably been given before the start of the mission.


    As if she thought the same thing, she seemingly decided that she had to find another way. I saw her immediately hiding in the shadows with her sword pulled out again.


    In fact, I wondered if it would be possible to deal with them with Park Li-ahn alone, but the purpose of the invaders was not to go into battle or to assassinate guild members.


    It was to find my body. Judging that there would be few opportunities except for the first try, more rangers were constantly invading from the other entrances.


    They sent too much power to raid a single guild house. Their target being the Blue Guild could be enough reason for them to deploy that many people, but¡­ even with that in mind¡­


    ¡®There are many indeed. They prepared well.¡¯


    A few of the guys were thrown with a bang from a ce not far away, and Yoo Ahyoung, who appeared in the room, did not have time to put on her armor and took part in the battle with a hammer, but¡­


    ¡®She can¡¯t catch them.¡¯


    Rangers would not try to fight her. Even though there were many of them, no assassin wanted to y tanks with high endurance.


    While big and small skirmishes were already taking ce, the battle itself was too unteral, making me unable toment. Still, since they were a unit consisting of the highest-ranking rangers in the continent, they managed to arrive where the body was ced.


    Right. The problem started there.


    -W-W-W¡­ Who are y-you guys¡­


    -¡­


    -W-W-Who are you? I¡¯m asking¡­ who you are¡­


    Jung Hayan could be seen biting her fingernails.

 Chapter 806: The Last (39)

    <h4>Chapter 806: The Last (39)</h4>


    I felt like she had be a dungeon master for some reason.


    ¡®Fuck¡­¡¯


    When I thought of the invading rangers as adventurers who hade to attack the dungeon, I started to think that this ce was really like one.


    ¡®It would probably be mythic grade too.¡¯


    Defining the Blue Guild¡¯s base that way, it would definitely be ssified as a mythic grade dungeon. Honestly, I thought that it wouldn¡¯t be a mistake if it were ranked higher than that.


    All of the guild members were decent adventurers on the continent. Since the senior members of Blue had such unrealistic powers, there were cases in which those who had entered since then were undervalued. In reality, it wasn¡¯t too much to say that Kim Chang-ryul and Yoo Ahyoung were also the top adventurers on the continent.


    Even the freshman Alps had grown into an adventurer who could be considered excellent anywhere she went, based on how she defeated the assassins like rats.


    Of course, the new guild members weren¡¯t the real deal. The named ones also had to have the power worthy for our home to bebeled a mythic-grade dungeon.


    In that sense¡­ Park Deokgu would be suitable as the first-floor boss.


    ¡®The gimmick of bringing in a colleague if you can¡¯t defeat him in time would suit him.¡¯


    Kim Ye-ri and Ahn Ki-mo would appear together.


    As expected, the trio gathered around and sorted out the situation.


    Ahn Ki-mo restored Park Deokgu¡¯s physical strength, and Kim Ye-ri was in charge of dealing damage. I didn¡¯t think they¡¯d be able to break through them even if they came in as a party, no, a n or guild unit.


    Apart from being personally close to each other, the synergy effect of when they teamed up could never be ignored. Not only did they cover each other¡¯s weaknesses, but also the quality of their synchronization was unique.


    ¡®The boss on the second floor¡­¡¯


    Although she wasn¡¯t there, I thought the boss on the second floor should be Cho Hyejin. Her achievements and impact weren¡¯t enough to call her extraordinary, but she was still one of the humans who crossed her limits. She certainly was on a level enough to be called transcendental¡­ I could count on my fingers those who could capture Cho Hyejin while equipped with her pet and items.


    ¡®She will be more difficult to deal with than they think.¡¯


    There was a reason why a military unit called cavalry existed. If there were an environment in which she could run freely, their armor and shield wouldn¡¯t matter. She would destroy them all.


    The final boss was Kim Hyunsung, the lovely regressor who didn¡¯t need to be divulged on. There was honestly no need for exnation in the first ce, so he was outside the discussion¡­


    If a Blue dungeon existed, it would have had a reputation for one reason or another.


    Not only would they decide that it was impossible to attack, but they had to put in some money and manpower to attack on a national, no, continental level. That was what they were doing now.


    However, the reason why this dungeon would really be notorious was the presence of a Hidden Boss, like the one that I was watching right now.


    ¡®She¡¯s too scary.¡¯


    A hidden boss that could only be encountered when entering the alchemy workshop, finding Han Sora, or breaking into the body chamber of the Son of Light.


    ¡®You are really scary¡­¡¯


    Even if I were in the position of an adventurer, I would never want to encounter her.


    If the intruders knew about the dungeon boss named Jung Hayan, they wouldn¡¯t have attempted to enter in the first ce.


    ¡®You didn¡¯t think that it would really be possible to attack, right?¡¯


    Without exaggerating, Jung Hayan¡¯s existence was no different than a disaster for all invaders.


    The face of our Hidden Boss, looking at the guys who had stolen the dungeon¡¯s treasures with her head down halfway, felt especially frightening.


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    After a while, I didn¡¯t know if they became aware of the bad lucking to them, but I started to see unexpected ease on their faces.


    ¡®Those bastards aren¡¯t sane¡­¡¯


    They looked rxed, considering that they met the hidden boss, and of course, I could understand why they looked like that.


    Jung Hayan was a wizard.


    ¡®Idiots.¡¯


    Even if she had transcendental magical power or magic I couldn¡¯t describe, her roots were in wizardry. There was no way for a normal mage to live independently when encountering a group of assassins, and they were probably making simr judgments.


    The high-level assassins probably thought that such a role wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything and that they would be able to easily subdue her.


    The way they exchanged gazes at her question was a spectacle. The moment when they signaled to suppress her without killing her, they set foot on the wrong option. They challenged her with all their might.


    There was no doubt on the face of the enemy who grabbed Jung Hayan from behind. He might be thinking that he could defeat Jung Hayan andplete the attack of the Blue dungeon.


    Of course, it didn¡¯t take long for him to look puzzled. His dagger couldn¡¯t move anymore, almost as if it had been caught by something invisible.


    He was trying to resist what was holding him back, but there was no way he could. Starting with his hand holding the dagger, his body melted.


    ¡®Fuck¡­¡¯


    -Ah¡­ Ahhh¡­


    ¡®Ugh¡­¡¯


    -Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!


    It didn¡¯t make sense for those trained not to scream in the first ce to sound like that.


    -Ahhhhhhhhh! Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!


    They screamed so loud it would¡¯ve been enough to alert the entire guild house.


    In an iprehensible situation, the intruders¡¯ faces began to get tense, and the crying sounded so desperately that even I would be scared.


    -I asked¡­ w-w-who you are.


    The one who jumped in front of her was also thrown to the ground.


    -Ahhhhhhhhhhhh! Ahhh!


    It was unknown how she did it, but his body was bizarrely twisting. His bones were bent in a strange direction, and an unpleasant sound kepting out of his interior.


    I didn¡¯t know how to exin human beings being transformed into small balls.


    -Oh, I s-shouldn¡¯t kill them since I have to open their heads. I n-need to capture them alive.


    I couldn¡¯t even understand how the guy who was crumpled like a piece of paper was still alive.


    I could affirm that she really meant to dissect him.


    The same went for the others. Some intruders were rushing to kill her, whether they acknowledged that something went wrong, but there was no way they could do any harm to her in the first ce. She would never fall. The scene was so unrealistic that I couldn¡¯t even describe it.


    There was a terrible scene going on inside there that I can¡¯t even imagine in most horror movies or gore movies.


    I thought I had the stomach to see this, but I don¡¯t dare to keep looking at that.


    -Ahhhhhhhhh!


    -Ah¡­ Ah ah ah! Ahhhhhhhh!!!


    -S-Save me! H-help me! Save me!


    -Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!


    -Bleargh¡­ aargh¡­ please¡­ please¡­


    ¡®Fuck¡­¡¯


    -Ahhhhhh! Save¡­ Save¡­


    -Y-You people are aiming for oppa, right? R-Right?


    -Ahhhhhh¡­ Ahhh¡­


    -Y-You came to t-t-take oppa, didn¡¯t you?


    -Ugh¡­ Ahhh!!


    -D-Do you think I will l-let you? D-Do you think I will let you take him away from me? N-Never. Never!


    -Ahhhhhhhhh! Ahhhhhhhhh!


    It seemed that she had piled up more stress than I thought. I didn¡¯t know if she was getting pissed, but I couldn¡¯t get rid of the thought that she was being overly angered.


    Maybe she just needed a justification. She would have been stressed due to various things, and personally, she probably thought that she was driven into a corner.


    The cute n of bing a magic god and going up to the sky was on the way, but the progress itself was slow, and above all, not being able to meet me directly would have felt like great displeasure on her part.


    ¡®Those bastards messed with someone they shouldn¡¯t¡­¡¯


    The gamblers¡¯ luck was too cruel. It was as if Hayan was gradually losing her reason, and, as always, I felt like she was in constant delusions. She was getting really pissed, which made it difficult for her to make normal judgments.


    -I¡¯ll never¡­ let you take him¡­ He¡¯s mine¡­ He¡¯s mine. W-Who are you? W-Why are you trying to take him? Why the hell are you doing that? Why? Why do you keep tormenting me? Why! Why!


    As if she wanted to use her own hands to finish them, she pulled out a dagger. I didn¡¯t know why she had one, though.


    -I-It¡¯s dangerous. It¡¯s dangerous¡­ It¡¯s a dangerous situation¡­


    ¡®What¡¯s dangerous? It¡¯s not dangerous at all. You are the most dangerous.¡¯


    -Who¡­ Who¡¯s aiming for him? Why aren¡¯t you leaving him alone¡­ Why do you keep trying to take him away¡­ Ugh¡­ I¡¯m anxious. I¡¯m so anxious. I was already having a hard time¡­ I¡¯m too anxious.


    ¡®Why are you anxious? Don¡¯t be. Don¡¯t be anxious. Han Sora, where and what are you doing?¡¯


    Come running to her side quickly.


    I was curious about what Han Sora, who maintained a 24-hour surveince system, was doing.


    ¡®This is outrageous. You shouldn¡¯t sabotage my ns with that sry. I didn¡¯t pay you to do that.¡¯


    I saw hering over in a hurry soon enough, unable to forget her duty. How perplexed she would have been when Jung Hayan suddenly disappeared while working together.


    She seemed to have thought that she was in big trouble.


    -Please¡­ please¡­ Oh, God. Oh, God.


    She was a ck wizard, so I didn¡¯t know why she was looking for a god, but that showed how desperate she was. She probably thought something wasing. She might be able to stop her to some extent, but she wasn¡¯t confident enough to cope with Jung Hayan while she waspletely out of her mind.


    -Why a-a-are you tormenting me!


    Even in the midst of that, Jung Hayan was losing her reason in real-time. Han Sora Han arrived at just the right time.


    -Jung Hayan! Jung Hayan! Where are you?!


    -¡­


    -Jung Hayan!


    -S-Sora, is that you? Ugh¡­


    -Jung Hayan!


    -Sora¡­


    -Are you injured?


    She looked at the surrounding scenery and made a reluctant expression, but she seemed happy to have found Jung Hayan.


    -Sora¡­


    -Yeah. I¡¯m here. I¡¯m here.


    She tightly hugged Han Sora with her body covered in blood.


    -I-I think they¡¯re trying to take oppa away. W-What should I do? What should I do?


    -He¡¯s¡­ still there, right? It will be fine, but you have to calm down. Nothing has happened yet. You are not alone, okay? You have the other guild members and me. Let¡¯s figure out what happened first. Stay here. I will try to contact other guild members.


    -Okay¡­


    -I think they¡¯re almost done. It¡­ It seems that they contacted the Guild Master too.


    -H-H-Hyunsung oppa too?


    -Yes. It seems that the Guild Master is alsoing here in a hurry, so you can rest assured. Park Deokgu is also on his way. Nothing will happen. I think everything has been dealt with now. Li-ahn¡­


    -Li-ahn?


    -Ah¡­ Yes. Not Lian¡­ I got a call that Ms. Park Li-ahn is currently interrogating the captured assassins. The results should tell us why they were aiming for the Vice Guild Master and why they broke into the Blue Guild. You should say goodnight to the Vice Guild Master and take a break. Take a shower too, okay? Have a warm bath and enjoy it¡­


    -I-I-I want to be here.


    -Ah. Yes. Then should we stay here until the Guild Masteres?


    -Yes¡­


    -I got scared that you suddenly disappeared. Are you sure you¡¯re okay?


    -Uh¡­ Yes¡­ I¡¯m fine. I-I-I¡¯m fine now. Ah¡­ I have to open their heads.


    -Rest a bit. You can do it tomorrow. It¡¯ste in the night now. I think it would be better to take a break today.


    -Okay. Then, shall we do it t-together tomorrow?


    -Ah¡­ Yes¡­


    ¡®I think that will probably be impossible.¡¯


    I wanted to y along with what Belial wanted to do, and I wanted to cause something big too, but¡­


    ¡®I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a possible n¡­¡¯


    No matter how much I used my head, I didn¡¯t think they would be able to attack this dungeon.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible.¡±


    ¡°There will be¡­ some way.¡±


    Kim Hyunsung was returning to the Guild House.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    He wore an expression that seemed to be betrayed by the world.

 Chapter 807: The Last (40)

    <h4>Chapter 807: The Last (40)</h4>


    -I think he has arrived, Jung Hayan. How about leaving the field to the Guild Master and taking a break? You haven¡¯t had proper sleep in a few days¡­


    -Ah¡­ Okay¡­


    -You should also say goodnight to the Vice Guild Master.


    -Yes. I h-have to cast magic spells again first. W-Wait a minute, Sora.


    -Yes. No rush. I¡¯ll¡­


    I thought that the situation was better on Jung Hayan¡¯s side.


    ¡®What should I do with Hyunsung?¡¯


    After entering the house, I saw Jung Hayan looking down on me.


    Of course, nothing happened with my old body. It was treated to prevent corruption in the first ce, and in fact, it wasn¡¯t easily corrupted even without such magic treatment.


    It didn¡¯t seem warm, but it didn¡¯t look stiff or hard. My skin was probably soft, and¡­ at one nce, it felt alive because various spells were still being maintained.


    Despite being told that Kim Hyunsung and Park Deokgu wereing, she cast magic spells several times due to her still feeling uneasy.


    After applying various curses and spells, I saw her quietly stroking my cheeks.


    After looking around a bit, she kissed me quietly, and I saw her giggling for no reason.


    ¡®She¡¯s a little weird as usual, but¡­¡¯


    She seemed healthy, at least¡­


    I wondered if it was right to express that as healthy, but the urgently administered sedatives seemed to work. Seeing her in a stable state that was impossible to achieve before, I felt strange for being anxious just now.


    -Yes. Sora unnie. The Guild Master is currently being informed of the situation.


    -Really?


    -Yes. The damage situation is beingpiled, but in fact, there was no actual damage¡­ Seeing that there¡¯s no destruction in the guild warehouse or other ces, we can judge that the enemies were aiming for the Vice Guild Master.


    -It¡¯s the worst. Jung Hayan will probablye out soon. Report the situation to Hyunsung and when you¡¯re done, contact me.


    -Yes, Sora unnie.


    -S-Sora? I¡¯m here.


    -Then¡­ Please, Ms. Park Li-ahn.


    -What?


    -Thank you for your hard work, Ms. Park Li-ahn.


    -Ah¡­ Yes¡­ Yes¡­ Ms. Sora¡­


    -Are you all done with your business, Jung Hayan?


    -Uh¡­ Yes¡­ just now¡­


    -Ah. It¡¯s nothing. I just received a report from her. Shall we go?


    She was indeed mentally healthy because she had an effective sedative.


    It felt like she was crossing a thin ice board or traveling through a single rope, but it was okay to assume that while Han Sora was holding it firmly, there was little possibility that Jung Hayan would cause the same trouble as before.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t know how things would go wrong. Considering that there was a risk to Hayan herself, it was still too early to let my guard down, but¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s meaningful.¡¯


    When I recalled that there were no major idents even after I died in the first ce, I judged that the odds of Jung Hayan making extreme choices were slim.


    On the contrary, Kim Hyunsung was the one that was the problem.


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    Danger signals continuously flooded into me through the Regressor Instruction Manual. Kim Hyunsung¡¯s mental health was on the verge of copse.


    I would be grateful if Cho Hyejin could follow Han Sora¡¯s rules, but even that wasn¡¯t possible.


    As I turned my gaze quietly, I saw Kim Hyunsung¡¯s stiff face.


    He looked serious while having a conversation with Park Deokgu and Hwang Jeong-yeon.


    -Well, it¡¯s obvious that they were aiming for hyung-nim.


    -Is that so?


    -It¡¯s suspicious that there is no damage to other facilities¡­ I don¡¯t know why they¡¯re aiming for him, but Jeong-yeon¡­ said that hyung-nim has some value now. It¡¯s not strange at all, considering his body is one with great divine power, but a crazy situation like this¡­ I never thought this would happen. I don¡¯t know who the crazy bastards that thought of doing this are.


    -¡­


    -Even after interrogation, nothing was revealed, and it seems like they got the request indirectly¡­


    He spoke carefully.


    -There is a possibility that it is from the ck market.


    -You mean¡­


    -Yes, Guild Master. I think I¡¯ve seen one of the ones that invaded. If my memory is clear, it was probably the ck market from the Republic. I have to delve deeper into this further, but¡­


    -Is there any reason for them to aim for his body?


    -About that¡­ I¡¯m cautious about saying this, but if they¡¯re aiming for financial gain or the power residing in the Vice Guild Master, there¡­ there will be no means to get it other than the ck market.


    She nced at Kim Hyunsung, whoseplexion was getting darker.


    It felt as if he was forcibly suppressing the anger rising from within. In fact, I understood that he felt that the world betrayed him.


    ¡®He really will stop trusting humans. Seriously, who will Hyunsung depend on if it goes on like this? The world is too much. It went too far this time.¡¯


    I could affirm that if this situation persisted a little longer, he would be suspicious of and doubt everyone. Maybe he would think there wasn¡¯t anything worth saving other than me.


    He was the hero who saved the continent by forcefully carrying the unbearable burden but didn¡¯t he have to do it regardless of his own will?


    He had to for the sense of responsibility, the requests, and the aspirations of the most important person to him.


    The continent, the humanity that he saved, was treating the body of that individual as an item and was attempting to trade it in the ck market¡­ I couldn¡¯t imagine how great of a betrayal he would feel. He might be in so much anguish that he wouldugh.


    Did the Son of Light have to be sacrificed just to protect such people? Did Kiyoung have to die for their sake? I was certain he would constantly be questioning if he really had to endure such painful times to save such garbage.


    As expected, he seemed dispirited. While suppressing his rage, he looked like he felt a sense of terrible disillusionment about the continent¡¯s evil spirits and humans.


    -Isn¡¯t it rted to the anomaly happening on the continent right now?


    -I¡¯ll have to investigate that too, but¡­ I think the odds are slim. Wouldn¡¯t it be better to assume them as those who know the situation of the continent well? The fact that this happened when the Guild Master was away¡­


    -¡­


    -They are too systematically trained to say that it is an action taken by the ck market¡­ The possibility thatrge guilds are involved at the metropolitan level cannot be ignored. If Hayan conducts a proper investigation tomorrow, there probably would be results, but as of right now, it¡¯s hard to draw conclusions. We have to be careful. The continent is in a confusing situation, after all. I think it would be better to join the investigation with Hayan tomorrow¡­ Would it be okay?


    -I actually wanted to ask that from you. Please go ahead.


    -Hyung-ssi¡­


    -As of the current time, we will adjust the guild¡¯s security level.


    -I knew you¡¯d say that. Then¡­


    -Yes. You can judge that there is no difference from being in a state of war. Anyone without permission is assumed to be an intruder. I would like you to tell this to the guild members so that they can kill anyone immediately. The investigation of the ck market¡­ Chang-ryul¡­ yes¡­I will tell you more about it in the conference room tomorrow.


    -Okay.


    -And¡­ Thank you.


    -¡­


    -¡­


    -Well, what are you thanking me for? You¡¯re not the only one who wants to protect hyung-nim¡­ It was Hayan who ultimately blocked the front of the mortuary. Actually, it¡¯s like I didn¡¯t even do anything. Anyway, cheer up. There is no need to me yourself. You can¡¯t always protect hyung-nim, and that¡¯s why we should also be strong.


    -Thank you.


    -Anyway, you must be tired aftering a long way. I have to sort out the rest of the situation as well, so as you said, we should talk in detail tomorrow¡­


    -Okay.


    Seemingly noticing that Kim Hyunsung was bing hectic, Deokgu patted him on the shoulder. If he got angry, he might not have sent suchfort. As such, the reaction that Kim Hyunsung was currently showing seemed dangerous.


    -Hah¡­ haha¡­


    After Park Deokgu and Hwang Jeong-yeon disappeared, he looked at the ground whileughing self-mockingly.


    -Hah¡­ Ha¡­


    He didn¡¯t even have tears in his eyes. A nk pupil stood out.


    While the guild staff and guild members were taking care of the situation, he keptughing as if to insult himself.


    -¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s just before the time bomb explodes¡­¡¯


    It seemed that he wasn¡¯t expressing his anger aggressively like Doom Hyunsung. Still, he was gradually umting it.


    When I recalled that that kind was scarier than pouring such emotions out openly, I became unsure how far the small ball that the Song Viin shot would go.


    ¡®He should have done better on the first try.¡¯


    Of course, I also thought that he didn¡¯t prepare poorly. He invested a lot of resources.


    If it were an operation against a hugemon guild, they would have had enough room to work. Cho Hyejin, who could be considered the second inmand of the guild, and the final boss, Kim Hyunsung, weren¡¯t present.


    The only factors that the Song Viin didn¡¯t consider were that the Blue Guild was far from the ordinary and that he couldn¡¯t assume that roles were meaningless against a wizard who had already crossed their limits.


    ¡®If he only knew that Hayan was at a league high enough to fight Heera, he wouldn¡¯t have done this.¡¯


    All he probably thought was that my body would be kept in a safe ce and that our wizard could only use wide-ranged magic.


    Only one wizard crossed the wall in the continent, so it was at least understandable that theycked information. However, their attack on the Blue dungeon became even more difficult due to the balls thrown by those bastards, seeming in an attempt to test them.


    Maybe a lot of things would change from tomorrow.


    Jung Hayan¡¯s magic on my body was also important, but the fact that the security level had been increased to a level simr to wartime defenses would create many differences.


    Needless to say, I was worried about what choice Kim Hyunsung would make¡­


    If he became distrustful of humanity and set his foot on a strange option, My n to seize my body would probably turn to dust.


    ¡®I¡¯m so close.¡¯


    I hadn¡¯t fully held onto that stock yet, but it wasn¡¯t easy to let go of it as it showed possibilities of soaring. It was the same as what happened with Raphael. Belial was selling medicine next to me, so I didn¡¯t feel like this judgment was wrong.


    ¡®I think I need to cheer him up.¡¯


    -Kiyoung¡­ What am I supposed to do? What¡­ in the world¡­ am I¡­ supposed to do?


    The way he was sitting down in front of my corpse was heartbreaking.


    ¡®Our Hyunsung is having a very hard time. He deserves to be happy soon¡­ The world keeps giving Hyunsung a hard time. Seriously¡­ It¡¯s the world¡¯s fault.¡¯


    -I don¡¯t know what you want to protect or what you want. In this situation, I¡­ Ha¡­ haha¡­ I already knew that it was meaningless behavior¡­ Kiyoung¡­ Unlike what you think, the continent¡­ the humans are not clean. It may not be worth it¡­ I know that¡¯s a denial of your sacrifice. However¡­ However¡­ I don¡¯t know what to do in this situation. I don¡¯t know what to expect.


    ¡®You have to wake up. A hero shouldn¡¯t be doing this.¡¯


    Since Kim Hyunsung was expecting my voice, It was obvious what I had to say.


    Originally, the true light¡­


    No matter how hard it was, even when doubts rose, it was meant to sing human hymns.


    ¡°Not all humans are evil, Sunset Swordsman.¡±

 Chapter 808: The Last (41)

    <h4>Chapter 808: The Last (41)</h4>


    ¡°Every human being grows and cherishes small kindness in their heart. Sometimes they take the wrong options, but those mistakes don¡¯t speak for their lives and souls.¡±


    -Kiyoung?


    He probably wasn¡¯t expecting to hear my voice.


    -Kiyoung¡­


    Despite being just a voice in his head, he was looking at my body.


    I didn¡¯t know if he was trying to talk to me face-to-face, but that was probably a natural response. He seemed to be in a hurry, thinking the connection would be lost. I thought that he would refute my words, but I felt that he focused on my voice itself rather than what I was saying.


    Of course, it didn¡¯t take long for him toe to his senses. There was no way Kim Hyunsung couldn¡¯t notice why I appeared like this and talked to him, after all.


    He looked like he had a lot of things to say. He was talking about his dissatisfaction and doubts just before, so that was only natural.


    He seemed to be thinking over and over, but his first words were¡­


    -I¡¯m sorry, Kiyoung. I¡¯m sorry.


    Seeing Hyunsung, who lived carrying guilt on his back, didn¡¯t make mefortable.


    ¡®Why are there so many things you¡¯re feeling sorry for?¡¯


    A line that seemed to contain a lot of meaning. I didn¡¯t know if he was saying it was hard to live up to my expectations or because he hadn¡¯t been able to save me yet or because of what happened this time, but he was clearly feeling guilty.


    ¡®It¡¯s not the former, right? I haven¡¯t even started yet. You aren¡¯t already interrupting me, are you?¡¯


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that the Sunset Swordsman did anything worth apologizing for. I always, always, have a grateful heart to you.¡±


    -I am¡­


    ¡°I¡­ I really want to apologize.¡±


    -There is no need for you to apologize.


    ¡°However¡­¡±


    It was then that Kim Hyunsung¡¯s face changed a little.


    ¡®What¡¯s happening? What¡¯s wrong with him?¡¯


    He looked sorrowful and seemingly distorted. I didn¡¯t know why he suddenly made such an expression. It felt like the atmosphere had changed significantly from what it used to be.


    Seemingly realizing that this conversation wouldst for quite some time, a different idea entered his mind.


    What filled him wasn¡¯t doubt. It was a conviction, and it was also the answer to my first words.


    His eyes looked out of energy. He was even angry, which wasn¡¯t like him. It felt different to see Kim Hyunsung get angry at me when he wasn¡¯t in the Doom state.


    -You knew.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -You knew, didn¡¯t you?


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -You must have known!


    ¡®Are you yelling at me now?¡¯


    -Did you know that this would happen, that your body would be in danger? Why? Why didn¡¯t you tell me? Why did you just watch this happen? Why didn¡¯t you ask Hyejin for help?


    ¡®Are you out of your mind, you bastard? Why are you taking it out on me like this?¡¯


    -Why did you leave it alone! How can you still be calm¡­ like that¡­ after going through this¡­ Sh*t!


    ¡®Sh*t? Sh*t? You bastard¡­¡¯


    ¡°I can also understand the frustrations that you¡¯re feeling.¡±


    -No! You don¡¯t understand anything! You don¡¯t understand what I¡¯m thinking or what kind of frustration I¡¯m feeling. I am not a hero. I¡¯m not as great as you think. I am not the kind that can forgive and ept everything so easily. You said that human nature is inherently good and that they should cherish the light in their hearts. I¡¯m not interested in any of that.


    ¡°Sunset¡­¡±


    -Why! Why did you¡­ just watch it? Why!! How long will you have to abandon yourself to be satisfied? Until when! Can you be satisfied only by sacrificing yourself?! It¡¯s your body! Damn! Sh*t! I¡¯m sick of it now. Every time! Every time! Even after you died¡­ You don¡¯t have to sacrifice for humans, for the continent¡­ It¡¯s okay to be a little selfish. Damn!


    ¡®Are you out of your mind? For real?¡¯


    It had been a long time since I¡¯d seen him this agitated, though I thought he¡¯d protest to some extent. In particr, he wasn¡¯t in his hot-tempered Doom version. He was in his base form, which made it so ridiculous that I couldn¡¯t even talk properly.


    ¡®Wow, I really want to go down. Let¡¯s see if you can say those things even after I show my wound in the stomach. Fuck. I can assure you that you won¡¯t be able to say a word.¡¯


    Since I was so far away, I couldn¡¯t pretend to be sick or scared, so I felt like my weapon had been stolen. It seemed that the shock Kim Hyunsung felt was greater than I expected.


    -Answer me! Please answer me!


    ¡®I won¡¯t.¡¯


    -Why were you just watching!


    ¡®No. I won¡¯t say anything.¡¯


    -Kiyoung? Kiyoung!


    It felt a little shameful, but I thought it would be better to leave him alone until he calmed down.


    As expected, soon, I could see his face flustered.


    -Kiyoung¡­ Kiyoung?


    ¡®You brought this upon yourself. You need to be able to provide an environment for conversation in order to talk.¡¯


    -I¡¯m sorry, Kiyoung¡­


    ¡®Now you¡¯ve done something to be sorry this time. Really. I can bet that Solomon will raise my hand even if he judges.¡¯


    -I¡¯m sorry. I-I got caught up in the heat of the moment. I didn¡¯t¡­ I didn¡¯t mean it. When I said I wasn¡¯t interested, I was lying. It wasn¡¯t true that I think that we shouldn¡¯t value the light in humans. So¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -Kiyoung? I didn¡¯t mean it. Yes. I know what you are trying to say. I just got so angry¡­ I think my tongue slipped in a moment of rage. I think I thought of something I shouldn¡¯t. I¡¯m really sorry if you are disappointed. I¡¯m sorry I disappointed you. I wasn¡¯t really serious.


    ¡®He seems to be thinking differently.¡¯


    He probably thought that the connection was broken because of the malice and disillusionment toward human beings that he had momentarily.


    ¡®That¡¯s usible.¡¯


    If he thought that the path through which he could connect with the saint of light required a good heart, it wouldn¡¯t be wrong to feel that way.


    He was desperately denying his own thoughts.


    Since Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t have the ability to self-brainwash, it was like pouring water into a sieve, but it seemed that he believed that he had to respect the good heart of humans nheless.


    Things were working well, but I felt like it was too much to force Kim Hyunsung¡¯s morality in this situation. He would definitely have a hard time trying to do something like this.


    He had been under a lot of pressure since a lot of things had happened, and the media constantly looking for him probably annoyed him as well¡­


    The sudden crisis of the continent would be something unwee to him too.


    Since he was morbidly afraid of carrying the burden by himself, he would be afraid of losing connection with the only brother who could carry it with him.


    It was a bit embarrassing to say this with my mouth, but the reason he was able to endure a battle with the foreign people was because of the existence of the brightest shining guy, who always silently lit up the darkness of the regressor.


    The guy who always sacrificed himself like a fool. From this perspective, it was eptable that he was angry because he wanted to protect my body.


    ¡°Sunset Swordsman.¡±


    -Yes! Yes¡­ Kiyoung! Yes! Thank God. Ha¡­ haha¡­ thank God¡­ I wasn¡¯t serious. Please forget everything I said earlier.


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault.¡±


    -Yes. Yes.


    It really wasn¡¯t his fault.


    ¡°I can understand why you were angry. I can fully understand why you feel disillusioned and want to give up the light of faith in humans. I am not saying to forgive them. It is because I know that it is only your choice and will. But¡­¡±


    -Yes.


    ¡°I just don¡¯t want to see the Sunset Swordsman losing humanity. It is my little greed and desire. I hope that you can be happy. I want you to forget all the confines and pains and live your own life. I want to see you throw away your guilt and stay healthy. I hope you live like that.¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to force you to carry this burden, but I hope that you will not give up your faith in humans. I want you to know that many people support the Sunset Swordsman. I want you to realize once again that many people have their faith in you. I want you to remember that there are more humans that had gone down the right path than those who hadn¡¯t. I want you to remember that humans are beautiful, warm, and sublime.¡±


    -Yes¡­ Yes¡­


    ¡°I know it¡¯s hard. However, if the Sunset Swordsman doesn¡¯t abandon the faith in light¡­¡±


    Boooooooooooooooooooooom.


    A brilliant light radiated out with a magnificent sound.


    ¡®It¡¯s been too hard for you so far. Even if I think about it, Hyunsung was in too much pain. It may be painful once more. I have to feed him a potion for now.¡¯


    ¡°I will be with you.¡±


    What could be seen through the calming light was a holy sword shining brightly.


    It was a weapon reminiscent of a red sunset. Like Cho Hyejin, it looked like it has undergone a little customization, bing a great de even by my standards.


    It could be said to be good enough to carry around as a sub, although I didn¡¯t know if its function itself would beckingpared to Durendal. One problem was that it was expensive.


    ¡®How do I make up for that? Really¡­¡¯


    In fact, it was purchased with the divinity earned by the god of sunset, but Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t need to know that fact. The act of sending the sword to the ground itself also spent divinity.


    -Kiyoung? This¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s easy to understand.¡¯


    He was interested not only in griffons but also in equipment. He could tell at a nce that it was a good sword. A tense-looking face stood out. However, I didn¡¯t see hesitation about whether he should receive it or not.


    The way he took it immediately in case it disappeared was a spectacle. I didn¡¯t seem to feel a strong spiritual connection because there was no connection system better than the Regressor Instruction Manual, but he looked pleased.


    ¡®It¡¯s been a while since he¡¯s gotten so excited¡­¡¯


    ¡°I want you to believe.¡±


    -Yes.


    ¡°I want you to believe in humans and the light that remains in them. I hope you get help again and again. I hope you can find people who can be with you and move forward with everyone¡¯s strength. If anything is bothering you, I¡¯d like you to think about it together. If there¡¯s a hard time, I want everyone to put their heads together. I know it will be unfamiliar to you.¡±


    -¡­ ¡­


    ¡°But please remember that I am with you.¡±


    -¡­ ¡­


    ¡°Faith¡­¡±


    -Yes¡­ I¡­ I won¡¯t¡­ I won¡¯t let you down.


    He looked like he was telling me that he would follow what I said at all costs.


    He had ovee the fear in himself.


    It seemed that he made a firmmitment in his own way, but¡­


    It didn¡¯t look like he already noticed that the darkness of the continent¡­


    ¡­ Was reaching out to the fallen darkness.

 Chapter 809: The Last (42)

    <h4>Chapter 809: The Last (42)</h4>


    ¡®I wish I had three bodies.¡¯


    Song Sookyung, Kim Hyunsung, and Cho Hyejin were constantly calling me, so it wasn¡¯t easy to focus on work.


    In fact, it was hard to keep my mind focused on the voices that had been ringing in my head since yesterday¡¯s event happened.


    In Kim Hyunsung¡¯s case, I was able to calm him down a little after giving him the holy sword, but Song Sookyung, who was on the wrong path, and Cho Hyejin, who probably knew about the situation, did not. Perhaps Cho Hyejin was also as flustered as Kim Hyunsung.


    Not surprisingly, I could still hear her voice. I thought I had a bit of exining to do, so I was forced to stop what I was doing.


    -Vice Guild Master. Vice Guild Master?


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -Vice Guild Master?


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    -Kiyoung, can you hear my voice?


    ¡°Ah. I can hear you, Hyejin. What¡¯s up?¡±


    -Why¡­ Why! Have you been silent so far? I¡¯ve been calling you since yesterday!


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -No, did you disconnect on purpose?


    ¡°It¡¯s not that. I was just busy.¡±


    -You have to tell me what the hell happened. Do you know what happened in the guild? No, there¡¯s no way you don¡¯t know.


    ¡°I was really busy.¡±


    -Was it really you that gave the sword to the Guild Master?


    ¡°I told him not to tell anyone.¡±


    -He came directly to me and told me. It¡¯s a sword from Kiyoung¡­ He said you asked him to help and that provide assistance in the future.


    ¡°He seems to have judged that telling you wouldn¡¯t matter since you were chosen as well. Is he hiding it from other people?¡±


    -He¡¯s doing that on the surface, wrapping it in a clean white cloth. Still, he¡¯s treating it as if he¡¯s serving and worshipping it, so rumors are starting toe out. I don¡¯t know if he applied magic power to it, but a red light is seeping through the fabric.


    ¡°How¡¯s the guild situation?¡±


    -The atmosphere isn¡¯t good. Hayan, Jeong-yeon, and Sora are currently investigating it, but¡­ I heard they found nothing even when they open the captives¡¯ heads. I don¡¯t know how they did that, though. Anyway, if the wizards in the guild can¡¯t find a way, then even if we entrust the quest to the magic tower, nothing will change. That aside, until yesterday, the security level was adjusted to the highest level, but Hyunsung said we would be taking another step higher this morning. No, don¡¯t you dare ask questions. You have to answer my question first. Is there something happening that I don¡¯t know of right now?


    ¡°Well¡­ You don¡¯t have to worry too much about it. It¡¯s not something you should be bothered with.¡±


    -How could I not? Assassins and rangers invaded the guild, all aiming for your body. You didn¡¯t send the spear to me for that reason, did you?


    ¡°You should focus on the task I gave to you, which is to find Lee Jihye¡¯s whereabouts. Why do you care so much about it anyway?¡±


    -You shouldn¡¯t say that. Do you think that even makes sense?


    ¡°That¡¯s why I wasn¡¯t going to say anything. Didn¡¯t you say that the situation is urgent there too?¡±


    -Do you know who did this? What kind of crazy guy did this¡­


    ¡°Even if I knew, I couldn¡¯t tell you. We have a use stating that we cannot have any influence in the present world. And I¡¯m telling you since things turned out like this, but don¡¯t worry about my body. I think I have to hand it over.¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -Are you crazy!


    ¡°I¡¯m not joking. I really think I should. Don¡¯t ask about the details. Just think of it as the will of God. Whenever gods send oracles, they are mysterious and have room for interpretation, don¡¯t they? I can¡¯t borate on it, so that¡¯s all I can let you know. All you have to do is remember that something good wille out of it.¡±


    -How can handing it over create a positive oue?


    ¡°I told you already that I can¡¯t expound on that.¡±


    -Have you really gone insane?!


    ¡®What? Are you yelling at me now?¡¯


    -You crazy bastard, really!


    Using Kim Hyunsung as a lesson, I tried to be consistent with silence, but Cho Hyejin¡¯s momentum was unusual.


    -If you¡¯re going to do this, why did you send the spear?


    ¡®I¡¯m not talking.¡¯


    -You crazy bastard! Lee Kiyoung, you¡¯re a really crazy bastard!


    After unwrapping the cloth wrapped around her weapon, she stepped on it. She was freaking scary. I knew it wouldn¡¯t break, but as if that wasn¡¯t enough, I could see her bringing another spear and hitting it on the floor.


    ¡®What¡¯s up with you? That¡¯s not like you.¡¯


    -If you¡¯re going to do this! Why did you send the spear! If you¡¯re going to do it all by yourself! Why did you do make all that fuss! I won¡¯t do it either. I won¡¯t!


    ¡®By the way, where is D.T.H.P Hyejin? What¡¯s up with you? This doesn¡¯t suit you.¡¯ (Note: D.T.H.P - Don¡¯t Tarnish His Pride)


    -Crazy bastard! Crazy bastard! Do it alone! I won¡¯t do it. Do it yourself then!


    ¡°I mean¡­¡±


    -That¡¯s what you say to someone who¡¯s been waiting all day? Shouldn¡¯t you tell me something more useful? You crazy bastard! Trash bastard!


    She wasn¡¯t trying to test me. I felt like she was really angry, and I thought it was understandable. Something happened, and her spear didn¡¯t respond all day long. Although the situation had already been dealt with, she would have been anxious, thinking what if something else had happened.


    It made her even angrier because she couldn¡¯t even sleep properly.


    I was worried that the unbreakable spear would be broken if I kept my mouth shut.


    I didn¡¯t know if it was because the stress that piled up within her so far had exploded, but she also seemed to be a little tired of the sudden change.


    ¡®I guess I gave her too much information.¡¯


    It wouldn¡¯t have mattered if I acted moderately like when I lost my memory¡­ I didn¡¯t know if I thought of Cho Hyejin too much like Jihye. I needed someone to cooperate closely with, so I chose to send a spear to Cho Hyejin, but her way of thinking was different from mine.


    In an instant, I realized that I gave her issues, which she might be sensitive to. I had to keep talking for now.


    ¡°No, stop it.¡±


    -Stop what? Stop what?


    ¡°Calm down. Do you think I¡¯m really doing this to hide it? Listen to me first.¡±


    -I know you didn¡¯t even intend to tell me.


    ¡°There¡¯s no way I would do that.¡±


    -And even if I listen to you, do you think I¡¯m going to work on such a ridiculous n? I assure you, I¡¯m not going to cooperate.


    ¡°My body wille back anyway. I¡¯m just handing it over for a while. Did you think I wouldn¡¯t mind because it¡¯s me? It is still mine. You know I care about my body more than anyone else does with theirs.¡±


    -If you were really such a person, the situation wouldn¡¯t have be soplicated in the first ce.


    ¡°No. All of this is part of the n.¡±


    -Don¡¯t be crazy.


    ¡°Everything is connected.¡±


    -Connected?


    ¡°I can¡¯t really tell you the details. Again, it¡¯s not that I¡¯m not telling you, but that I can¡¯t. If I do something wrong, I may get a penalty, and we may not be able to even talk like this anymore. The only thing I can tell you is that everything is connected and has meaning. I¡¯m not sure how I got here, but this process will help me get to that conclusion.¡±


    -And how do you know that?


    ¡°Lee Jihye is probably aware of my ns. That¡¯s why I asked you to find her.¡±


    -Honestly, I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re talking about.


    ¡°Regardless, that¡¯s all I can tell you. Weren¡¯t we able to drive out the outer beings at my own expense? This is the same as that time. I know it¡¯s questionable, but this n will lead to good results. I also want to go back there as soon as I can.¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m not lying. I really also want to go back with haste. Honestly, if I work on things a little slower, I won¡¯t even have to do things this way, but you can think of it as my greed.¡±


    ¡®I have to quickly take care of Hyunsung, Hayan, and Deokgu¡¯s mental condition, after all.¡¯


    ¡°I made another card because I wanted more certainty. My body will have some use. It¡¯s part of what I nned, so you don¡¯t need to be agitated, and you don¡¯t need to be anxious. I will tell you the details after I go down.¡±


    -Don¡¯t think I¡¯ll just watch it happen.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯re getting anywhere, so let¡¯s finish this issue here for now.¡±


    ¡®If the boss on the 2nd floor makes up her mind and blocks the way, it will be more difficult to seize it¡­¡¯


    Of course, that wouldn¡¯t happen. Cho Hyejin had to perform her role, too, and I had insurance in case of an emergency.


    ¡®It¡¯s impossible to attack in the first ce.¡¯


    It was impossible to really attack the Blue Guild¡¯s base as a dungeon.


    If something simr happened once again, the monsters and bosses in the dungeon woulde running out of it.


    Of course, Song Sookyung had a simr thought. Since the first attempt failed, he had no choice but to be a little more cautious during the second.


    Maybe he was looking for an opportunity. Jihye wasn¡¯t the only one waiting for the war.


    ¡®But it¡¯s not that there aren¡¯t any.¡¯


    -You¡¯d better not look down on the Blue Guild, Vice Guild Master. Don¡¯t think they can take the body in the first ce¡­


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    -Not the guild, but Lindel, both the Holy See and the State, have agreed to protect it. This is a n being led and promoted by the Guild Master. He said he was getting help. He said that the power of the Blue Guild might not be enough and that he needed people who could help when a worse situation breaks out.


    ¡®That fast?¡¯


    -I¡¯m sure it¡¯s impossible to take it now. I don¡¯t know who the intruder is, what their purpose is, and what you¡¯re picturing, but¡­ It would be better to find another way.


    Although I had already expected that¡­


    ¡°That¡¯s excellent.¡±


    I agreed with Belial¡¯s words. As I turned my gaze quietly, I could see our lovely regressor talking with Oscar, Pope Basel, and the main figures of the State.


    It was obvious why he was in a meeting with them. He followed the oracle that I spoke of after I gave the holy sword.


    Unsurprisingly, Kim Hyunsung showed slight anxiety. He was dubious about whether it would be right to believe in humans other than the Blue Guild, but he resolved the anxiety by grabbing the weapon I gave him.


    -He said everyone should work together.


    -You mean the Honorary Cardinal¡­ No, the Son of Light.


    -Yes, Pope. He asked me to believe in humans. He asked us to believe in the light that remained in them. He told me to help and get help. He told us to find people who could be with us and move forward with all our strength.


    -I see.


    -If something is bothering us, he asked us to think as one¡­ If we¡¯re going through hard times, we should put our heads together¡­ It¡¯s unfamiliar to me, but he said he¡¯ll be with us. I don¡¯t fit in a ce like this and even feel ufortable, but I¡¯d like to ask you guys for help. I hope that the Blue, the Holy See, and the State will merge their powers to protect Kiyoung.


    -The State will provide strength, Blue Guild Master.


    -The same goes for the Holy See.


    ¡®Then, the story changes.¡¯


    It was impossible to attack the Blue dungeon. However, it might be possible to attack the State dungeon. Oftentimes, therger the size of any group and the more humans gathered¡­


    ¡®The gap is bound to get wider.¡¯


    If the Song Viin weren¡¯t an idiot, he would realize that.

 Chapter 810: The Last (43)

    <h4>Chapter 810: The Last (43)</h4>


    ¡®You aren¡¯t that stupid, are you?¡¯


    I had to judge that he had found the right path.


    Although the Song Viin was ipetent, he was by no means stupid. Had he been an idiot who knew nothing in the first ce, he wouldn¡¯t have been appointed as a key member of the New Continental Protection and Management Committee as he was now.


    Although the continent was friendly to adventurers, it was never easy to start from nothing and reach such a high position. Not only did he have great political senses, but considering he had formed his power¡­


    ¡®I have to admit that he did a good job.¡¯


    He was definitelypetent.


    Even if he didn¡¯t get involved in the Kim Hyunsung issue, wouldn¡¯t I have judged that he was worth using at least once? I might have hired him as a guild employee, or if he was lucky, I might have put him in a fairly decent role.


    He was the kind of human that I could call talented enough to think of this.


    Of course, substituting me or ying Tactic Kim Hyunsung was a realm he couldn¡¯t touch, but I thought that the response to the changes taking ce on the continent wasn¡¯t bad.


    Didn¡¯t it all happen while the Blue Guild, which had been maintaining a closed policy after the Son of Light died, opened the door?


    He announced to the media about those aiming for Lee Kiyoung¡¯s body and formally asked the Holy Sector and the State for help. He asked therge and small guilds in Lindel to cooperate, and he was forming a group to protect the saint of light.


    Some people had finally made noise about whether the Sunset Swordsman was creating a private force, but there was no way the Blue Guild would care about it.


    The circumstances of the assassins and rangers invading the guild were very clear, and everyone went silent on the video prepared by the Blue Guild. From there¡­


    ¡®He¡¯s been working on an agreement or something. That¡¯s how bad it is.¡¯


    Had it been the usual Kim Hyunsung, he would never have done it.


    ¡®I guess I said the right thing.¡¯


    Guild Masters depended on Vice Guild Masters.


    It was a favorable situation for Song Sookyung, who made an excuse to contact him somehow.


    -Did you really cut any leads?


    -Yes. You can rest assured that I have taken care of it. Themittee has been working to ensure that there is no evidence of any connection to this event and that even the smallest associations are found if they existed. Since the group that submitted the request has no entity, they can¡¯t catch our tail.


    -Thank you for the hard work.


    ¡®You became aplete demonic bastard. You don¡¯t even feel any sense of guilt.¡¯


    -More importantly¡­ the Sunset Swordsman¡­


    -Yes. I heard that he would attend it. He will arrive soon, so it¡¯s probably best to get ready.


    -Good. That¡¯s really fortunate.


    Just as expected, he was already looking forward to it.


    It felt like a secondte, but the fact that he acted remained unchanged. It was a reaction that should be seen from the standpoint of the Protection and Management Committee.


    ¡®The timing is good.¡¯


    There was no way their new organization would stand still when the entire continent would be paying attention. He was proving with his actions that he wasn¡¯t so ipetent.


    Immediately after the Blue Guild officially announced the incident, he established a countermeasure headquarters. He then gathered the named ones and authorities on the continent after tying up the anomalies taking ce around the world.


    Of course, the Blue Guild was on the first list, and Kim Hyunsung and the members, who were just about to enter the social world, would have had to ept their proposals.


    I thought it was appropriate to say that their interests had coincided.


    He straightened his clothes in a private waiting room after entering the building.


    He was looking at his face in the mirror, then nodded and spoke.


    -It looks like things will go well.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -I couldn¡¯t even imagine he would reallye.


    ¡°You will get what you want.¡±


    -Yeah. I have to get it. I will definitely get it.


    -It¡¯s time, Song Sookyung.


    -Yes. I¡¯m going.


    ¡®He prepared well in his own way.¡¯


    Although I was a little anxious, I felt like he was keeping the line properly. His clothes were a bit simple, but for now, while the atmosphere was unsettled, that was just right.


    It might not have been satisfying in the Kingdom Union or the Republic powerhouses¡¯ eyes, but considering the public¡¯s interest, it was better to avoid excessive splendor.


    The meeting didn¡¯t even serve the purpose of a party in the first ce. The joining of the Sunset Swordsman probably changed the direction of the meeting a lot.


    Although I didn¡¯t like the smile on him slowly heading for thending site¡­


    ¡®I¡¯ll get justice anyway.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t have to be nervous.


    Song Sookyung was slowly looking up at the sky. And as expected, I saw Kim Hyunsung, who personally rode the griffon.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t he reliable?¡¯


    At first nce, there was tension in his face as hended at themittee with the ck beast that I hadn¡¯t seen in a long time.


    His expression was unfamiliar.


    ¡®He¡¯s nervous.¡¯


    Even Kim Hyunsung had to endure through the day. Hence, it wasn¡¯t unreasonable to look like that. It was probably best to define it as him being a little out of the grid then suddenly wanting to talk to others.


    He was at a ce to announce that and the will to actively intervene in the continent¡¯s problems. Even in the first round, he wasn¡¯t familiar with such meetings, leaving everything to others, so his reaction didn¡¯t seem all too weird.


    -Blue Guild Master, Thank you foring all the way here. I¡¯m Song Sookyung of the New Continental Protection and Management Committee.


    -Ah¡­ Nice to see you again. Thank you very much for meeting me like this.


    -I will guide you myself. Come this way.


    -Sure.


    -I heard the news, Sunset Swordsman.


    -Ah¡­ Yes.


    -I don¡¯t know what to say¡­


    -¡­


    -No words canfort you, but I would like you to know that our New Continental Protection and Management Committee is also working hard on this matter. I thought that the group that caused the strange phenomenon currently urring on the continent may be involved. It may be a lot different from the direction the Blue Guild is thinking of, but¡­


    -¡­


    -In many ways, I felt the need to look at the incident from a whole new perspective. Although the information is limited, we are also working to identify and resolve the severity of this matter.


    -¡­


    -I¡¯ll tell you more about itter. Let¡¯s go in first.


    -Okay.


    Their first meeting, which was a bit shocking, seemed to have been forgotten in each other¡¯s memories, and in fact, Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t seem to remember him much.


    It was as if he was trying to treat him amicably after noticing that he was someone important.


    Manager Kim Mi-young, who came with him as an attendant, was whispering to him, probably getting information about Song Sookyung once again.


    ¡®She usually doesn¡¯t appear in such events¡­¡¯


    That was probably proof that the guild was also paying attention to his new behavior.


    -So¡­ was your travel okay?


    -Yes.


    -Come to think of it. I just saw your griffon with my own two eyes, which I only heard about in stories. It looks like he¡¯s received a lot of love. His feathers are shiny, and he seems very healthy. His physique also looks bigger than other griffons.


    -I haven¡¯t been able to pay attention to him recently, but¡­ Yeah.


    -Oh! It¡¯s a sudden question, but I¡¯m also curious about how they mate. Actually, I¡¯m also very interested in them¡­ I heard that the one named White Paul hadid another egg recently. I heard that natural mating is impossible¡­ In academia and rted industries, they¡­


    -I didn¡¯t really do anything¡­ They got along from the beginning.


    ¡®He¡¯s just¡­ just¡­ talking about griffons.¡¯


    -How fast can he fly?


    ¡®The only thing he can talk about is griffons.¡¯


    -I heard that you enjoy riding sometimes. Me too¡­ It might not be possible right now, but¡­ if there is a chance after everything is over¡­


    -Yes. If we have a chance, that would be great too.


    ¡®And he got hooked into that.¡¯


    Maybe they should have a meal together someday. I thought Hyunsung interpreted it along those lines, but I still wondered if he really had to give a positive answer.


    It seemed that Kim Hyunsung thought there was no reason to push the Song Viin away. He probably felt that he should believe first rather than doubt.


    Seeing that Lindel¡¯s guilds, the State, and the Holy See did not directly demand cooperation, it seemed as though he was positing an emergency¡­


    He most likely thought it wouldn¡¯t be beneficial to reject the guy who set up a task force.


    While heading to the conference room together, their constant conversations caught my eyes.


    In the back, some of the assistants were walking along with manager Kim Mi-young. I could see that they eventually moved at the voice calling for them in front of the door.


    -Song Sookyung of the New Continental Protection and Management Committee and the Blue Guild Master are entering.


    The door opened immediately after that announcement.


    ¡®He really is sly.¡¯


    He wanted to show the public the image of him appearing with Kim Hyunsung.


    -Nice to meet you, Blue Guild Master.


    -It is an honor to meet you like this, Hero of sunset.


    -I see you have already finished greeting Song Sookyung.


    -Ah¡­ Yes. That¡¯s right.


    -I heard about it, Blue Guild Master. There was an unfortunate ident.


    -¡­


    -If you need help at any time, please contact us. I¡¯m from the Republic¡­


    -Yes. Nice to meet you.


    Manager Kim Mi-young was constantly whispering to Kim Hyunsung.


    Although it might be a bit rude, it seemed they were all tolerating it to some extent. They probably already knew that Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t know much about them.


    They judged that Kim Hyunsung was a human who made a living out of fighting.


    I might be seeing the side effects of taking all the actual guild management to myself.


    ¡®I can¡¯t see the ones who suffered due to Doom Hyunsung.¡¯


    Looked like they all retired.


    -Seeing the two of you together, it seems that we can ovee any crisis on the continent.


    -¡­


    -Are you aware, Sunset Swordsman?


    -Excuse me¡­ I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.


    -I mean that Song Sookyung is called the incarnation of the Son of Light. Seeing the two of you together like this makes me feel as if I¡¯m looking at the past.


    -¡­


    -Two new pirs of the continent have gathered in one ce.


    -Indeed¡­


    -The Son of Light must be pleased as well.


    -Wouldn¡¯t he be happy? It must be very reassuring. There was a misunderstanding between you two, but in the end, you¡¯re brought back together.


    -The Sunset Swordsman is probably surprised. Looking at them, I really thought the Son of Light hade back alive.


    ¡®He¡¯s not very happy.¡¯


    Even if I didn¡¯t look at Kim Hyunsung¡¯s face, I already knew that they stepped on a mine.


    Naturally, I was worried that the situation might break apart.


    It was then that Song Sookyung spoke up.


    -That was so rude!


    I knew it was necessary, but¡­


    ¡®Ah, why is he so despicable?¡¯


    -If you¡¯re offended, I apologize in their stead, Blue Guild Master.


    Seeing the demon¡¯s tongue starting to speak to Kim Hyunsung, it felt like the judges were twisted.


    ¡®That demonic bastard¡¯s sneakily and despicably preparing the foundations.¡¯

 Chapter 811: The Last (44)

    <h4>Chapter 811: The Last (44)</h4>


    ¡®Who does this nowadays?¡¯


    I wondered if he hired those guys. If he didn¡¯t, he probably had been waiting for this situation, and honestly, I couldn¡¯t help butugh at his cheap n that seemed toe out of a teen drama.


    ¡®Do you think this will work?¡¯


    However, it appeared to. Humans were supposed to pay more attention to people who showed affection for them.


    From Kim Hyunsung¡¯s point of view, it would seem like he was angry on his behalf or got him out of a difficult situation.


    He didn¡¯t help with anything great, but it was an undeniable fact that he scored at least.


    As expected, there was a little gratitude in our regressor¡¯s gaze on the Song Viin.


    Currently, he probably only became properly aware of him now, but he seemed to think that he had imprinted his presence.


    ¡®This bastard is good at acting.¡¯


    -It hasn¡¯t been long since the Son of Light entered the spiritual world. There are still many people who can¡¯t forget that sadness¡­


    ¡®You¡¯re good at acting. Very much so.¡¯


    -Your words may sound rude to those who honor him. I don¡¯t even need to say anything about the Sunset Swordsman. That¡¯s a glorious and highpliment for me, but¡­ I¡¯m afraid that it may harm his reputation.


    ¡®He doesn¡¯t address me as thete Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung anymore.¡¯


    -He is the saint who gave everything for the continent. Nothing and nobody can take the ce of the Saint of Light. I¡¯m sorry for being so sensitive to yourpliment, but I hope you refrain from saying that¡­ at least in front of the Blue Guild Master.


    ¡®Is there really anyone that can rece me?¡¯


    -I apologize once again, Blue Guild Master.


    -It¡¯s fine.


    -We apologize too, Sunset Swordsman.


    -We didn¡¯t consider the Blue Guild Master¡¯s feelings. We formally apologize.


    Within the blink of an eye, only the extras looked bad. Kim Hyunsung, who almost got angered for a moment, was also making an awkward expression in that strangely sorted-out atmosphere.


    It was understandable since the Song Viin decided to say the words he didn¡¯t want to say. Maybe he thought it was better like that.


    As expected, manager Kim Mi-young looked relieved. Having been assigned to exin the situation to Kim Hyunsung, she wouldn¡¯t want a problem to erupt there.


    Regardless of whoever¡¯s at fault, she didn¡¯t want anyone talking about this.


    ¡®Because the decoys didn¡¯t do anything really wrong.¡¯


    At this point, if Kim Hyunsung became enraged and messed things up, the rumors would probably put him in a bad light.


    It was almost certain that there would be a story about the Sunset Swordsman going crazy because he couldn¡¯t ovee his sadness from losing the Honorary Cardinal, bing unable to make sound judgments.


    Those types of hearsays were alreadying out little by little. There was no need to inte such topics even more.


    -¡­


    While Kim Hyunsung was silent, the decoys quietly coughed and left, while the Song Viin sighed and spoke to him.


    -I hope you don¡¯t resent or hate them too much, Blue Guild Master.


    -¡­


    -They didn¡¯t forget the Honorary Cardinal.


    -If they¡­


    -Yes.


    -If they didn¡¯t forget, how could they¡­


    -Yes?


    -No¡­ it¡¯s nothing.


    -I understand your anger. However¡­ However¡­ Could they? Can the continent really forget the one who sacrificed himself for the world and devoted himself to the people? They¡­ were just afraid.


    -I don¡¯t know what kind of fear you¡¯re talking about.


    -All kinds. The fear of living on this continent.


    -¡­


    -The fear of living on this continent without the Honorary Cardinal. They are not the only ones who are afraid. The citizens of this continent will feel frightened more than the authorities or adventurers. Considering that a lot has happened in recent times, I can¡¯t begin to fathom how much distress they¡¯ll have to endure. It¡¯s been less than a year since the great war ended. We still remember that day.


    He continued to talk while handing him the ss in his hand.


    -They must be thinking about a lot of things, thinking that they¡¯re safe, that they¡¯re protected. They simply want to fill in the empty space the Saint of Light has left.


    His acting ability to release a self-helpfulugh wasn¡¯t bad.


    -Even after he died¡­


    -He became the spiritual proprietor of the continent. I am also scared. Knowing that I could no longer rely on the Saint of Light, I felt pathetic about myself, who had no choice but to rely on him. To escape from his arms, for ordinary people like me¡­


    -Even after he died¡­ he is being forced to sacrifice.


    -¡­


    -¡­


    ¡®That¡¯s how they interpret it, huh¡­¡¯


    Not surprisingly, Song Sookyung paused for a moment.


    He wasn¡¯t sure if what he said was the right answer, and the build-up itself seemed fine, but he seemed to be shaken by the unexpected rise of the sacrifice statement.


    It seemed that he took the issue itselfpletely differently, so he was probably flustered.


    -I¡¯m sorry, but¡­ everyone lives relying on him.


    -Ha¡­ Ha¡­


    -I-I¡­ They don¡¯t want to believe.


    -¡­


    -Yes. They wouldn¡¯t want to believe it. How can we admit that he left us? Can you admit it, Blue Guild Master?


    Now, I saw Kim Hyunsung responding by slowly shaking his head.


    -They are the ones who inte rumors to fill in that vacancy and to appease their anxiety. Rumors that the incarnation of the Saint of Light has appeared or that the Honorary Cardinal seems to havee back alive spread from mouth to mouth of the powerless people. I also don¡¯t feel that I am worthy of the adjectives attached to me¡­ Rather, I¡¯m embarrassed. Who could dare rece him?


    -Yeah.


    -However¡­ However, you know, Blue Guild Master.


    ¡®This bastard¡­¡¯


    -I do not deny the rumors of the powerless people. At least in front of the public, I do not deny their words.


    ¡®There is a justification.¡¯


    The justification was clear.


    -I wanted to be a haven for them. I want to make the continent a ce where they feel safe. I wanted to once again put a continent in their hands where the powerless people could live with peace of mind. I know better than anyone that I can¡¯t rece the Son of Light, but¡­ I wanted to be him for the powerless.


    I was about to vomit at the lies continuing to flow like water¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s not bad.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t think he would have made such a build-up because he knew Kim Hyunsung¡¯s wrath.


    ¡®He wouldn¡¯t.¡¯


    I was the only one who knew that Kim Hyunsung had trauma in carrying a burden.


    Maybe he just wanted to make a cause for being called the descendant of the Son of Light, but in our regressor¡¯s mind, it would feel like the bastard was carrying my burden.


    Perhaps he was thinking of the guy who sacrificed everything for the sake of others.


    Since he was taking the position to sacrifice himself for the continent, even though he wasn¡¯t forced to, it wouldn¡¯t be strange to see me in him.


    Of course, I couldn¡¯t imagine Kim Hyunsung projecting me onto someone¡¯s image, but at least it could be enough to reduce the boundaries toward him.


    ¡®Is this really going well?¡¯


    There was no doubt that he needed that process to steal the Son of Light¡¯s eyes and heart, but I started to get partly anxious.


    ¡®Kim Hyunsung, that bastard. Won¡¯t he suddenly go nuts and say something like, ¡®don¡¯t sacrifice yourself?¡¯ He suddenly feels sorry for Song Sookyung. Maybe they¡¯ll be closer and create a solid rtionship¡­¡¯


    He reminded me of Kiyoung. I could make this person suffer the same¡­


    ¡®Fuck. Isn¡¯t this turning out so strange?¡¯


    Once the n became sessful, and he stole my eyes and heart, it would be revealed that everything was a lie, but I still didn¡¯t like the idea of the regressor that I raised with so much care looking for a new friendship.


    ¡®This development doesn¡¯t make sense¡­¡¯


    If that bastard had a conscience, he couldn¡¯t think that way.


    Kim Hyunsung, who silently nodded at him talking, was filled with useless anxiety.


    I didn¡¯t know if Kim Hyunsung had stopped thinking, but it felt like he didn¡¯t want me to find out what was on his mind.


    It was frustrating because I couldn¡¯t read him properly. Even Song Sookyung started looking nervous after noticing that Kim Hyunsung had gone silent.


    It seemed that he was frustrated because he didn¡¯t know whether he pressed the correct answer button or not.


    Kim Hyunsung sat down without a word, and the Song Vin led the meeting he had prepared in an awkward pose.


    He prepared many options ording to the n¡¯s result, but it seemed that he proceeded with the assumption that his n worked.


    Kim Hyunsung nodded when he presented the results of the investigation of Lee Kiyoung¡¯s body hijack attempt, the ck market, and anomalies urring in the current continent.


    It was fabricated information anyway, but it seemed that he thought it was convincing in its own way. ordingly, he led the meeting by exining what happened at the time of the actual event and revealing the positions of the named heroes included in the managementmittee.


    ¡®Even¡­¡¯


    -All fieldmanders will be moved into one control tower.


    -That¡¯s¡­


    It was to show his abilities. The Song Viin seemed to think it was premature to reveal that he could do the one-man tactic directly, but he was saying he could control the battlefields taking ce on the continent.


    Without the tactical confidence and ability and the trust of those around him, it couldn¡¯t be brought up.


    -If it¡¯s Song Sookyung, he can definitely¡­


    -Yeah. He can definitely do it.


    Kim Hyunsung, who didn¡¯t know that Song Sookyung turned into a demon, seemed to be wondering, ¡°Is it possible?¡± but everyone agreed. Hence, he observed the situation first. No, he even looked a little happy. I didn¡¯t know why that bastard was pleased.


    ¡®What the hell? Why are you happy with that?¡¯


    Wasn¡¯t that bastard fucking betraying me?


    Wasn¡¯t he thinking that he had found a capable brain¡­


    Seeing Kim Hyunsung going after him separately after the meeting made me disappointed.


    -I want to tell you that I¡¯m looking forward to it.


    -Thank you, Blue Guild Master. It is an honor.


    ¡®Fuck, bastard. Traitor bastard. Mean bastard.¡¯


    However, at Kim Hyunsung¡¯s eventual thought, I had to be disappointed in a slightly different meaning.


    -Please do your best¡­ to take the role of Kiyoung.


    He had a weird smile and an awkward look.


    -I believe.


    The twisted thoughts that Kim Hyunsung had momentarily in his head were conveyed in my head like images.


    -Please do your best.


    I felt so perplexed that I ended up speechless.


    ¡°What¡¯s up with you? Hyunsung¡­¡±


    That kindhearted Kim Hyunsung¡­ was about to sacrifice Song Sookyung as a scapegoat to take on the burdens of the continent on behalf of the Saint of Light who would soon return.


    ¡®What is this¡­ Why¡­ It hasn¡¯t been that long since I told you to believe in humans¡­¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung chose him.

 Chapter 812: The Last (45)

    <h4>Chapter 812: The Last (45)</h4>


    ¡®That reminds me of the past.¡¯


    I recalled when our tutorial party took full control of the Blue Guild, or to be more precise, Kim Hyunsung took office as Guild Master.


    I remembered the days when I was working so hard that I thought I would die of overwork.


    Back then, I had to pay attention not only to all the duties in the guild but also to Lee Kiyoung¡¯s growth as an alchemist, clean Kim Hyunsung¡¯s mess, and control Hayan¡¯s mental condition, who might burst at any moment.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t even have time to sleep properly.¡¯


    I tried hard in my own way to convey that I was useful somehow, but regardless of that, it could not be denied that he entrusted me with a heavy workload.


    I couldn¡¯t even remember how many positions I had, so what else would I need to say?


    I didn¡¯t have time for myself, and of course, I didn¡¯t get a good night¡¯s sleep.


    ¡®Honestly, it was too much.¡¯


    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for manager Kim Mi-young¡­¡±


    I would¡¯ve found myself in real trouble.


    When I thought about it that way, his current behavior didn¡¯t seem so out-of-character, especially when considering the frozen heart of the regressor in the beginning.


    I thought Ipletely melted his cold soul, but there might be parts that didn¡¯tpletely thaw.


    I was sure I did, but the aftereffects of his Doom state might have remained¡­


    Although I tried to convince myself through that, it was creepy to see him thinking of leaving the burden to the Song Viin.


    ¡®Even I didn¡¯t think about that.¡¯


    Wasn¡¯t that an act vile enough for even Satan to send a standing ovation?


    No matter what he thought and how he behaved, it was undeniable that his attitude would bring good results to me.


    Kim Hyunsung thinking like that was no different than giving Song Sookyung more power.


    Not surprisingly, the Song Viin began smiling widely.


    ¡®You must be happy.¡¯


    Sookyung was noticeably convinced that he had been recognized, that what he had prepared had worked and that he had brought Kim Hyunsung to his side.


    Now that he had heard so many encouragements, it wouldn¡¯t be strange if he kept that look on his face. He was trying his best to hold back hisugh.


    -Hah¡­ haha¡­ Ha ha ha ha ha!


    Immediately after entering the room alone, he startedughing like crazy.


    -Hahahahahahahahaha!


    Yes, enjoy it.


    -Were you watching? Were you watching?


    Yes. I was watching.


    ¡°I can see and feel everything.¡±


    -The Blue Guild Master asked me to take the Honorary Cardinal¡¯s ce.


    ¡®I don¡¯t think he said that. And he¡¯s probably asking you to just take over the job.¡¯


    -He said he believes and asked me to do my best.


    ¡°What did I say? What you want wille true.¡±


    -You don¡¯t know how overwhelming it was when he said he trusts me.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t over yet, is it, mortal?¡±


    -What do you mean by that?


    ¡°Even if you said the god of sunset is favorable to you, it doesn¡¯t mean you are connected with him. Whatever judgment he makes of you, you can never rece the Son of Light.¡±


    -¡­


    His expression changed right away. He started looking ferocious, like a concubine jealous of the queen or a typical viin in a story.


    -¡­


    ¡°His eyes and heart will make you whole.¡±


    -Yes. You said I needed his eyes and heart¡­ With that, I¡¯ll be able to go one step further. That way¡­ I can be whole¡­


    ¡°Right. That¡¯s how you can be perfect. You can achieve what you want.¡±


    -Only with that¡­


    He seemed to be nervous now.


    ¡®I really ruined someone.¡¯


    -All that¡¯s left is his body¡­ Everything else is ready.


    ¡®You really turned into a demon, Song Sookyung.¡¯


    The Song Viin couldn¡¯t be considered sane, but¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s a natural behavior.¡±


    ¡°Is that so, Belial?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t human minds inherently weak? They are shaken even with the smallest things, and they constantly change with the smallest words or actions. It won¡¯t be easy for them to recognize that they¡¯ve changed, and even if they notice it, it¡¯ll probably be toote by then.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re speaking as if it wasn¡¯t because of his contract with the demon.¡±


    ¡°I will not deny that there is an influence. We enjoy the lowly human emotions. We enjoy setting up an environment in which they can change and inducing them to do so. I¡¯d say it¡¯s an eternal life of entertainment. Isn¡¯t it the same for you?¡±


    ¡®No¡­ I¡¯m not like that¡­ necessarily¡­¡¯


    I enjoyed it in some cases, though not always.


    ¡°There are some who do not change, such as the woman you consider to be your soulmate. People like them are numb. They¡¯re insensitive to change and do not feel guilty for their feelings or thoughts. There are times when theyfort themselves, but those moments are rare. They don¡¯t change. The average person is usually not the one who eats them but the one who gets eaten. They be increasingly engrossed in negative emotions and sink in the dark until they can no longer escape.¡±


    I remembered Hyunsung¡¯s characteristics.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°How to control the change is also a task given to the contractor, but that guy seems to have chosen to ept it instead. Haha. He judged that such a choice was better than being overwhelmed by inferiority. Since he¡¯s satisfied, he mistakes it for happiness.¡±


    ¡°Since I sold hope, there is no way he wouldn¡¯t be happy in terms of buying it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. That makes sense. So¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°The preparation is over, right? The stage is set up, and the characters seem to be ready¡­¡±


    ¡®He really hates waiting.¡¯


    It was like a child who wanted to open the gift box quickly.


    ¡°It¡¯s not us who should pull the trigger.¡±


    As always, it wasn¡¯t our side that would start the y. Since I did the preparations, the other side had to be the one to signal the beginning.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Jihye needs to move first.¡±


    That was a reasonable idea. The Song Vin might have a simr thought. Under normal circumstances, it was impossible to take Lee Kiyoung¡¯s body.


    The Blue dungeon had grown into a State dungeon, and the members merged into them. There was no way it would be easy to break through the ce guarded by the final boss and the hidden boss.


    Since he already failed once, he would have to be a little smarter the second time. They needed at least a justification to get Kim Hyunsung or Jung Hayan out.


    ¡®The best oue is if Jihye does something.¡¯


    I wasn¡¯t referring to anomalies popping up all over the continent, but a big event was needed. Maybe¡­


    ¡°I think we¡¯re almost all there.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s probably about to do it. I can¡¯t wait to see what Jihye has prepared.¡±


    She said she would destroy the continent, so I wondered if she prepared something with a pretty strong impact. No, if she really intended to destroy it, she wouldn¡¯t do something sloppy.


    Wouldn¡¯t she do something that would cause mass confusion across the whole continent?


    It was impossible to say that the loss of the World Tree or what was happening on the continent wasn¡¯t a big deal, but if it was Jihye¡­


    ¡®She¡¯s scary when she does something.¡¯


    Assuming Lucifer sponsored her, she would be even scarier.


    She would create the situation I wanted. I didn¡¯t think things would happen right away, but¡­


    Looking at the sudden changes across the world, I muttered unknowingly.


    ¡°That woman isn¡¯t just anyone.¡±


    She really wasn¡¯t¡­


    -Song Sookyung!


    -¡­


    -Song Sookyung!


    -Yes?


    -Y-You¡­ You have toe out now.


    -¡­


    -It¡¯s urgent. I can¡¯t exin¡­ what¡¯s going on outside now¡­


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    -Now¡­ I mean¡­


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ridiculous.¡±


    Belial also muttered quietly. He probably thought what was happening was unrealistic.


    Even he felt like it was unrealistic, and he was a transcendental being. I couldn¡¯t even imagine what humans would think.


    Song Sookyung eagerly moved out.


    Everyone was staring at the sky nkly.


    -Oh God¡­ this¡­ this¡­ why¡­


    The inhabitants of the continent were screaming as they stared at the sky in terror.


    -Where is the Sunset Swordsman¡­


    -Oh, Benignore. Oh, Son of Light. Please¡­ Please save the continent.


    -This is crazy¡­ This¡­ This is really crazy.


    -Oh, Elune¡­ Ha¡­ haha¡­


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think this was possible¡­ No, nothing is impossible with her power, but I want to apud her creativity for thinking of this n. Above all else, I didn¡¯t think the system would have allowed this¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s amazing even by my standards. That¡¯s really ridiculous¡­¡±


    There was darkness in the sky. No, the better expression would be that the entire continent was dyed with it.


    Kim Hyunsung soared into the air due to the sudden situation. I didn¡¯t know what happened, but he drew his sword and radiated sunset light as if he thought he had to resist the darkness that was devouring the world.


    Red light filled the world in an instant, and his magic power poured out as if tearing the space above, but that couldn¡¯t be removed with physical force.


    Kim Hyunsung became filled with doubts, wondering why he couldn¡¯t get rid of the darkness with the light he had unleashed.


    ¡®He noticed that there was no reaction.¡¯


    The darkness didn¡¯t respond to his sunset light at all.


    ¡°Because that¡¯s the system.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°That disconcerts me. Is that possible?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you looking at it with your own eyes right now? That¡¯s happening because it¡¯s possible. The system is probably thinking that that¡¯s reasonable, too.¡±


    After the unknown darknesspletely covered the continent, a familiar voice began to be heard, as expected.


    [The mythic-grade dungeon ¡°The Continent Where the Son of Light was Sacrificed¡± has been forcibly created.]


    [All personnel has entered the dungeon.]


    [All personnel has been given a mythic-grade forced quest.]


    [Dungeon Clear conditions Will now be revealed.]


    [End of all life (0/1)]


    [Or]


    [Resurrection of the Son of Light (0/1)]


    ¡°Lee Jihye¡­ Really?¡±


    [The choice is yours.]


    ¡°The scale is too big¡­¡±


    [Do you understand?]

 Chapter 813: The Last (46)

    <h4>Chapter 813: The Last (46)</h4>


    -Vice Guild Master! Vice Guild Master?


    ¡°I know. I will tell you when the situation has cleared up.¡±


    -Is this Jihye¡¯s doing?


    ¡°Wait. Wait a minute. I¡¯m in a hurry right now. I think she probably did it. I¡¯ll tell you the detailster.¡±


    -What? Now? Seriously?


    -Kiyoung¡­ Kiyoung.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -Kiyoung!


    ¡°Keep your ce, Sunset Swordsman. I believe that you will be able to get through this crisis.¡±


    Kim Hyunsung was confused, but I had no choice but to be consistent with evasive words for now.


    -Get ready for battle! Monsters are flocking like packs of dogs. Sh*t!


    -Save Castle Rock! Don¡¯t copse!


    -If the front line copses, it¡¯s over. The general public will also be swept away.


    ¡®No, fuck, it looks like it¡¯ll be broken.¡¯


    -This is the end, the end¡­ The Goddess of Light is angry. It must be that she brought judgment on humans. Ha¡­ Hahahahahahahahaha!


    -We¡¯re all going to die! Sh*t! We¡¯re all going to die! We¡¯re paying the price of living on the continent where the Son of Light was sacrificed¡­ This is where we die!


    - Crazy bastard! You¡¯re totally crazy! Fuck! Jericho! Take this bastard inside!


    -The Goddess of Light must be angry. We sacrificed her son. Oh, Benignore. Oh, Benignore! Please forgive us. Pity the stupid mortals and give us one more chance! Benignore! Please respond to my voice.


    -Stop it! Stop it! Sh*t! Call for support! Request support! What the hell is the New Continental Protection and Management Committee doing!


    What would they be doing?


    -How did this happen? This¡­ Is this reality? Really¡­ Have the gods really forsaken us?


    They were in the middle of a countermeasure meeting.


    -The end of all life, the resurrection of the Son of Light, and why the entire continent be a dungeon¡­ Are you saying no one can exin this crazy situation? The Benignore Church¡­ What did the Holy See say about this?


    -They haven¡¯t made any official announcements yet¡­ They really seem to think that this might be Benignore¡¯s will.


    -If it is, do they mean to ept this situation? How can they do that? Didn¡¯t the message say that this is the end of all life, that it would be satisfied only when the continent is destroyed?


    -Isn¡¯t there a way to resurrect the Son of Light?


    -If that were possible, there would be no reason for Benignore to bring this judgment. The Goddess of Light would have raised the Son of Light herself. This is punishment. It is the damnation of arrogant humans who live thinking only of themselves. There was no option in the first ce for the resurrection of Lee Kiyoung. Benignore just¡­ wants the humans living on the continent to realize their sins and destroy themselves.


    -That is an over-interpretation. She wouldn¡¯t want¡­ us to¡­


    -Think of the recent incident. I don¡¯t know what crazy guys they are¡­ but they dared covet the body of the Son of Light. Do you think the goddess has no reason to be angry? No parents would want to see their son¡¯s body being sold on the ck market and defiled. It¡¯s no wonder she¡¯s enraged. She has truly abandoned the continent.


    -¡­


    -If we bring those crazy guys to her statue, wouldn¡¯t her anger die down a little?


    -Yes. We must calm her with the blood of the madmen who coveted the Saint of Light¡¯s magic.


    -You don¡¯t even know where they are!


    -Then shouldn¡¯t we just bring anyone we can take? Otherwise, everyone will die. Everyone will be tormented for eternity!


    -No, maybe there is a way to resurrect the Son of Light.


    -I bet there isn¡¯t!


    -Shouldn¡¯t we try it at least? We have to ask the Blue Guild, and the Holy See for cooperation. If we call the continent¡¯s wizards, priests, or adventurers with special abilities, wouldn¡¯t we be able to find even a tiny hint? Let¡¯s call them right now. Let¡¯s send an official letter¡­


    -Do we have time to do that right now? We must protect his body in the name of the New Continental Protection and Management Committee!


    They had gone into aplete panic state.


    It was perplexing even to me.


    The entire continent was turned into a dungeon, making it reasonable that the undead and monsters were raging wildly.


    The timing was also impable¡­


    ¡®It feels like it fits perfectly.¡¯


    From their point of view, it wasn¡¯t that unconvincing for it to be involved with the body of the Saint of Light.


    It was Song Sookyung who calmed everyone down.


    -Everyone, stop! It¡¯s not toote to take action slowly. Protecting the citizens is our priority. The entire continent is under attack by monsters. People in small towns must be moved torge cities, and the gates must be locked. What we do after that is also important, but the damage must be minimized first.


    -¡­


    -Unexpected circumstances have urred, but not to the extent that we cannot respond. We will adjust the continental disaster rating to the highest level. Call the troops. This means war.


    While the mortals were upset, those in our realm couldn¡¯t take it easy either.


    ¡°Junior Lee Kiyoung! Junior Lee Kiyoung!¡±


    Benignore, arrivingte, was distorted and perplexed.


    Her face was so full of emotions that what Belial and I felt was nothingpared to hers.


    ¡°What should we do? What should we do? It turned into a dungeon, didn¡¯t it?¡±


    The one who came with her stood out. A Goddess, a little shorter than Benignore, came with her.


    ¡®Lauren?¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s as you can see. I never thought this would be possible, but¡­ Ah! Lauren is also here.¡±


    ¡°Long time no see, human.¡±


    ¡°Lauren! Watch your words! I told you to behave!¡±


    ¡°Okay, unnie. It¡¯s been a while, Lee Kiyoung. And¡­ the dirty demon that I don¡¯t even want to see the face of is also here.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you again, Lauren.¡±


    ¡°Please stay a step away from him right now, unnie.¡±


    ¡°Lauren! What are you doing now?!¡±


    ¡°We at least have to protect ourselves. Fixing the problem is what we need to do right now, but I can¡¯t tolerate that disgusting demon breathing the same air as you. It¡¯s dirty. We don¡¯t know when he might threaten you with those disgusting hands¡­¡±


    ¡°That hurts. I am confident that I have lived cleanly.¡±


    ¡°Lauren! You have to put your weapon down!¡±


    Lauren was holding a giant halberd. I couldn¡¯t really imagine how she could handle it with that little body, but she looked quite familiar with it. She was quite different from Benignore, who was holding her spear and shield clumsily.


    Belial didn¡¯t seem nervous, but it seemed that he felt that an annoying situation hade.


    Thinking they wouldn¡¯t stop even if he said something, he looked at me quietly, seemingly conveying he wanted me to mediate.


    ¡°H-He¡¯s on our side now! Belial is on our side too! I know he¡¯s a trash devil that we can¡¯t ever live with, but he¡¯s still on our side!¡±


    ¡°Unnie, you don¡¯t really trust that demon, right?¡±


    ¡°Laureeen! Laureeeeen! Won¡¯t you obey me?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Benignore.¡±


    ¡°Junior Lee Kiyoung! Don¡¯t stop me! I told her so many times already¡­ I have to teach her a lesson today!¡±


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to be enraged, Benignore. I can understand Lauren¡¯s feelings. She will be anxious. She may not be familiar with it. It goes without saying that working with the demonmander cannot be understood with the gods¡¯ old mindset. Oh! You can hold your weapon, Lauren. Just don¡¯t swing it.¡±


    ¡°Did you hear that, unnie?¡±


    ¡°I heard you would be joining us¡­ it¡¯s nice to meet you again. I would have arranged something better if I had known you¡¯reing.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. Hum¡­ I mean, Lee Kiyoung. The current situation is too urgent for that. So¡­¡±


    ¡°The continent has be a dungeon.¡±


    ¡°I know that. I also know that monsters and undeads are flocking to the cities. I saw it. Thanks to it, our side is also in disarray. They haven¡¯t heard of anything like that, and they¡¯ve never even thought about it.¡±


    ¡°Is there any workaround?¡±


    ¡°We have no choice but to wait for the dungeon state to be stopped. That has been allowed by the system¡­ As always, the only thing we can do is to leave the rest to humans¡­ The problem is that this is not an ordinary dungeon. I guess the situation is a little special.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You know that a dungeon is basically an independent spacepletely blocked from the outside, right? To exin it a little more urately¡­¡±


    ¡°No. There is no need to exin. The problem is probably bigger than I thought.¡±


    She nodded.


    ¡®It¡¯s going to be crazy.¡¯


    I could understand why the World Tree, which could be said to be a treasure of infinite resources and a gift from the gods, was the first to be destroyed.


    ¡®It¡¯s going to be really crazy.¡¯


    At that moment, humans busied themselves with stopping the monster wave. The continent bing a dungeon was bound to cause more problems than I thought.


    The sky was covered in darkness, and the sea was also engulfed by dark matter. Humans had lost ces to get illumination, one of their basic needs.


    The first side effect that I thought of was¡­


    ¡®Resources.¡¯


    ¡°Yes. The gods¡¯ gifts will no longer be reborn on the continent. At least until the dungeon is cleared, there is a high possibility that it will remain in this state. It will be an important problem for humans. I want to believe in them, but¡­ maybe¡­¡±


    ¡°There may be a possibility of a war.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Not only will they fall into chaos, but if this phenomenon persists for a long time, it will result in all humans in the present world¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°They will starve to death.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s very bad. I knew well that she had a trash soul, but to be that disgusting¡­ I just want to watch the humans in this world create hell and burn each other! You shouldn¡¯t let theme here, unnie.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know if she could say that in front of Jihye, who had already be her boss. However, seeing all kinds of negative things she said, she seemed to be anxious.


    Didn¡¯t it seem to show that our current situation wasn¡¯t good?


    ¡®She went a bit too far, though.¡¯


    I also knew that Jihye would cause trouble, but¡­ I wondered if she would really want to watch such chaos unfold.


    She might think that gathering all sorts of human groups who had to die and having them kill each other was a way for them to mourn my death.


    ¡®You know that I¡¯m alive, right?¡¯


    There was no way she wouldn¡¯t know. She most likely made a hypothesis, but I thought she prepared various ns since she wasn¡¯t sure about it.


    If her hypothesis copsed, it wouldn¡¯t be weird to assume that she had prepared something so that she could look at the end of the continent at any time.


    That wasn¡¯t the only thing that I was anxious about.


    Although it was an over-interpretation to say that it was an anxiety-inducing factor¡­


    ¡°Kim Hyunsung.¡±


    And just as expected¡­


    The Sunset Swordsman was looking up at the top of the dark dungeon with a smile.

 Chapter 814: The Last (47)

    <h4>Chapter 814: The Last (47)</h4>


    -Did you hear? The dungeon can only be cleared by resurrecting oppa, S-Sora. That way, we can clear the sky!


    -Wow! That¡¯s¡­ fortunate!


    -A-A world without him is meaningless and deserves to be broken. The system must have judged it like that too. That¡¯s why it turned the continent into a dungeon.


    ¡®When did you¡­¡¯


    -T-That¡¯s why it must have given us a choice. I think everyone will cooperate. Of course, I don¡¯t think stupid fools will be able to do anything, but¡­ still, their lives are at stake. It would be funny if everyone dies.


    -Ah¡­


    -You won¡¯t die, so you don¡¯t have to worry.


    -Yeah¡­ Thank you. More importantly¡­ Are you okay now?


    -Huh?


    -Your magic power.


    - I-It doesn¡¯t matter. I can recover it in no time at all. You¡¯ll gain this ability soon.


    Jung Hayan quietly closed the book and looked out the window.


    -I-I-It¡¯s pretty.


    Sora, who had been looking at the scenery outside the window, quietly nodded.


    A feast of lights and explosions was constantly falling amid the night.


    The monsters and undead knocking on Lindel¡¯s gates roared and screamed continuously, but Jung Hayan remained undaunted.


    Han Sora was looking at her mixed respect and fear. Watching her maintaining high-level magic that she couldn¡¯t understand while reading books was too much for her toprehend.


    -They are praying at the magic tower, right?


    -Yes¡­ They should be praying now. Oh! Come to think of it. They said there would be a meeting soon. Should I tell them that you¡¯re too busy keeping your spell up?


    -Who¡¯sing?


    -Guild Master and Park Deokgu.


    -T-Then let¡¯s go.


    -Okay. I¡¯ll get ready.


    -Oh! Wait a minute, Sora. Wait. A big one showed up¡­


    I saw a massive lightning strike from the sky, smiting down arge monster. Witnessing that, I thought that she wasn¡¯t kidding about being the goddess of magic.


    -R-Right on him. Then let¡¯s go.


    -Sure.


    ¡®Maybe everyone will do the same.¡¯


    Of course, not all guilds and groups would attend. Whenever the environment changed, the direction of action would be forced to change along with it.


    Currently, every organization was in a state of emergency due to the recent events that transpired.


    In particr, the Blue Guild was deeply connected to the situation to the point that it could be described as the nucleus of the incident.


    However, I couldn¡¯t help but feel anxious that the meeting would proceed a little differently.


    ¡®Fuck¡­¡¯


    I was worried about what Kim Hyunsung would think.


    There was no way he wouldn¡¯t realize why there were two options to attack the dungeon. He had to be aware of the link between the resurrection of the saint of light and the end of all life.


    ¡®He looks to be hiding it forcibly, which only makes me even more worried.¡¯


    Basically, the continent the Son of Light had sacrificed himself for had a dungeon created for him. It was unlikely, but if I thought that the end of all life was the mark of the third timeline¡¯s beginning, things would inevitably be more serious.


    He couldn¡¯t just keep asking to see the sunset and to get rid of the darkness.


    With the sword I gave him, he became keen to protect the continent, but I was afraid that he would take the first option if he felt like there was really no hope.


    Even if there were no evidence that the end of all life would start the third timeline, Kim Hyunsung wasn¡¯t above taking that choice in the worst situation.


    That would mean Brigade Hyunsung, who appeared only in my dream, would be born.


    ¡®I can¡¯t say it. I can¡¯t.¡¯


    Before things could go wrong, Kim Hyunsung himself wouldn¡¯t be able to forgive himself.


    The moment our regressor, who was already suffering from so much mental pain and pressure, destroyed humanity with his own hands, I could guarantee that he wouldn¡¯t be able to bear it, even if the third round really began.


    ¡®No, this isn¡¯t the right time to think about that.¡¯


    First, he didn¡¯t seem to be thinking very seriously about this situation.


    Wouldn¡¯t it be more urate to say that he didn¡¯t care that much?


    In fact, it wasn¡¯t just him. I had a strong feeling that Jung Hayan, and maybe even Park Deokgu, seemed to think that all guild members were better off.


    -Hayan! Sit here. I saw what¡¯s happening outside. Is it okay to continue with the spell? It¡¯s providing huge help to the defending soldiers¡­ Oh, they asked me to tell you they¡¯re grateful.


    -And about the¡­ m-magic god¡­


    -I was promoting it. I heard that they would definitely go to the temple in the basement of the magic tower.


    Park Deokgu told the story with blood all over his body, seemingly justing off the battlefield. He looked delighted to see Jung Hayan after so long. No, maybe he was also happy with this event in a different way.


    -I feel like I can see some hope. Dungeons were originally designed to be cleared. If hyung-nim¡¯s resurrection is a condition for clearing the dungeon, there must be a way to save him. What Hyunsung, Hayan, and our guild were doing wasn¡¯t meaningless. It means that hyung-nim can definitely return.


    -I also think¡­ it¡¯s better this way. They¡¯ve been sending out official letters ever since this happened, asking if they can examine uncle Lee Kiyoung¡¯s body so they can find a way to resurrect him.


    -¡­


    -I don¡¯t know what rights the people who haven¡¯t been interested in us have to try to get into our business. It¡¯s annoying. It was just yesterday that they looked at us like crazy people, saying that Hyunsung oppa must move on and ovee his death. They bbered about such things¡­ In the end, look at them. Look at how shameless they act when theirfort is at stake.


    -Haha¡­ Ha. I understand your feelings, but¡­ you don¡¯t have to hate them too much. It¡¯s all because they are scared.


    -Uncle Ahn Ki-mo, you¡¯re too soft. When they need power, theye after Hayan unnie and Hyunsung oppa for help. When they don¡¯t need it, they just ignore us and be negligent. No matter how I think about it, it turned out for the best because an environment that requires power hase.


    -Ugh¡­ you don¡¯t have to say it like that¡­


    -Uncle Deokgu also agrees with me.


    ¡®I should really educate that one too.¡¯


    I fully understood what Kim Ye-ri was saying and thinking, but I couldn¡¯t erase the thought of that kiddo being too twisted.


    It wasn¡¯t that she was wrong, but I couldn¡¯t say it was healthy. Yoo Ahyoung, who was quietly reading the atmosphere, also spoke up.


    -Actually¡­ I agree with Kim Ye-ri. There are many rude people around. There are many individuals who say it¡¯s the Guild Master¡¯s duty to protect others, that it¡¯s definitely something he has to do.


    -That¡¯s what a hero is.


    -But Chang-ryul.


    -I don¡¯t like it either, but¡­


    -¡­


    When the atmosphere got a little heavier, Hwang Jeong-yeonughed.


    -The atmosphere is a little tense. Of course, I know the external situation is bad, but we have to smile even more at times like this. As Deokgu said, the power to maintain the dungeon is tantamount to recognizing that Vice Guild Master can live. It¡¯s good to have an opinion, but it¡¯s not good for the mission to let our personal feelings get involved¡­ you all know that, right?


    -¡­


    -Regarding the direction the guild will move in the future, manager Kim Mi-young, Guild Master, and Hyejin are putting their heads together for it. Why don¡¯t we wait while having a good conversation?


    Except for Alps, who was careful since she was the youngest, everyone else talked about multiple things.


    -Come to think of it, has anyone heard of Elena after this happened?


    -It seemed like she was looking for a ce for the elves to stay in. She must be having a hard time.


    Jung Hayan didn¡¯t actively participate in the conversation, but she didn¡¯t seem to hate the guild¡¯s atmosphere, which had be bustling for the first time in so long.


    She talked with Han Sora and said that she would bring the elves directly to Lindel.


    Kim Hyunsung, Cho Hyejin, and manager Kim Mi-young appeared after some time.


    Kim Hyunsung and Cho Hyejin sat down, and manager Kim Mi-young immediately prepared for the briefing. Jung Hayan ncing at my empty seat bothered me.


    Of course, the seat was still vacant. If someone filled that seat or removed it, I would have been pretty disappointed. Before long, in a slightly heavy atmosphere, manager Kim Mi-young finally spoke.


    -As you might expect, the top priority of the Blue Guild is to target the mythic-grade dungeon, the Continent Where the Son of Light was Sacrificed. No mission is to be prioritized over the objectives rting to that.


    -¡­


    -Until information on urate dungeon strategy has been gathered, we should focus on defending the continent.


    -You mean fighting the monster waves?


    -Not just that. I¡¯m talking about all risk factors. The State, narrower than that, Lindel, and narrower than that, the Blue Guild¡­ we will protect all of them.


    -What exactly are you talking about?


    -There¡¯s a high chance of war.


    -¡­


    -Other cities and other countries are likely to have simr thoughts to our guild.


    -So¡­


    -We believe that famine will ur across the continent in less than a few months. In some small towns with poor cirction, their stocks will run out in less than a month, and the situation will be no different inrge cities. Starting with the Union, which had been restored not too long ago, there will be chaos all over the continent. The Blue Guild also wants to prepare for any possible situation.


    -¡­


    -Aren¡¯t the famine issues¡­ under the control of the New Continental Protection and Management Committee?


    -The State will not agree with the policies promoted by that organization. Not only can they not trust the system they run, but there¡¯s also the idea that they must respond to all possible variables in the future. The alliance with the neutral country Laos will remain the same, but Oscar informally defined¡­ the Federation, the Kingdom Union, and the Republic¡­ as potential adversaries.


    -¡­


    -There¡¯s probably little chance of arge-scale war actually happening, but the Blue Guild is trying to prepare for the worst and act ordingly. We want to conserve and grow our power and join forces with the Blue Guild¡¯s eternal allies, the ck Swan and the Red Mercenary.


    -Red Mercenary¡­ The Mercenary Queen¡­


    Perhaps Park Deokgu would be able to find the answer to the question he posed.


    Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang!!!


    The whole city rang due to a thunderous sound. Reflexively, the people sitting in the conference room immediately went on the lookout, but they seemingly realized that the enemy wasn¡¯t the one who caused it.


    I could see a red beast, soaked with blood, running wild on the outskirts of the wall.


    It seemed that it didn¡¯t care about the magic that Hayan maintained. It was beautiful in the sense that it was a warrior who endured, broke, bit, and engaged in a fierce battle.


    The red beast, which made people feel respect rather than fear, and joy rather than sorrow, finally rose amid the corpses of enemies that she had ravaged.


    With a roar, it spoke.


    -¡­


    -¡­


    -Now I feel like I¡¯m sobering up.

 Chapter 815: The Last (48)

    <h4>Chapter 815: The Last (48)</h4>


    -You¡¯ve worked hard, Mercenary Queen.


    -Thank you for your hard work, Guild Master.


    -It¡¯s been a long time, everyone. When is the next wave?


    -¡­


    -Check when it¡¯ll arrive.


    -On it.


    -I¡¯m going to take a bath.


    -I¡¯ll prepare one.


    -I¡¯ll have a meal too.


    -We¡¯ll have it ready for you to feast upon after your bath.


    -I¡¯ll be eating a lot.


    -Okay.


    -A lot.


    -Okay.


    It wasn¡¯t only the citizens of Lindel who weed Cha Hee-ra as she opened the gates and entered.


    I saw that the member of the Red Mercenary who disappeared with her lined up before her first.


    There was great respect in his eyes, who covered her with a seemingly heavy coat of fur without saying anything. The others were no different.


    She was fully armed to the point of being intimidating, seemingly announcing the political intent to resurrect the Red Mercenary, but they didn¡¯t address it. That was an expression of respect for the red warrior they trusted and followed.


    ¡®They are amazing, too.¡¯


    The fact that recognizable adventurers on the continent were waiting for her to return was enough to tell how loyal they were.


    As if denying that the group that lost their leader would copse, it was also surprising that those wild mercenaries kept their positions without causing an ident.


    They probably knew that their Guild Master would be back soon.


    ¡®In that sense, it¡¯s understandable why Ahn Ki-mo left the Red Mercenary.¡¯


    He most likely joined them in an impulse, finding his traits very different from them. I remembered him looking strangely happy when he got the offer from Blue.


    ¡®Well¡­¡¯


    Choi Young-ki, who had been silent for the past hour, started reciting reports to Cha Heera.


    Although she seemed to be listening with one ear and out the other, Cha Heera kept nodding.


    -The influential figure of themittee appears to be Song Sookyung and is called the descendant of the Son of Light, or the wise man.


    -What is your personal opinion?


    -He doesn¡¯t seem to have great ambition or greed, but¡­


    -¡­


    -I felt ufortable many times. I can¡¯t exin it, but¡­ I don¡¯t think he¡¯s really serving the continent.


    -Can you take responsibility for that judgment?


    -Yes.


    -Good. Next.


    -This is an official letter from the New Continental and Management Committee requesting cooperation from the heroes of the continent. It is written that a cooperative organization will be created and the designated targets will be specially operated. The list also includes Cha Hee-ra¡­


    -With whose permission?


    -¡­


    - Whatever. If they don¡¯t want their head to be smashed, tell them toe and exin in person. Next.


    -The assassins who aimed for Lee Kiyoung¡¯s body attacked the Blue Guild.


    -¡­


    -Currently, the Blue Guild¡­


    -Is a mess. Next.


    ¡®It¡¯ll be very busy today.¡¯


    Cha Hee-ra wouldn¡¯t be busy, but the staff of the Red Mercenary would. Maybe for a few days, they¡¯d be working so much that they wouldn¡¯t have time for personal exercise.


    Since they had to solve all the problems they had been putting off, perhaps some of the employees were worried about losing muscle.


    -Has nothing been revealed about the dungeon?


    -We¡¯ll find out as soon as possible.


    -Ask the ck Swan to cooperate. Get a brief report from the magic tower¡­ no, from the second. Create a dedicated team and figure out the locations of the dungeon and named monsters. Start from the capital.


    -I¡¯m sorry?


    -The capital of the State. Laios. The Union. And the northern area.


    -Speaking of the named monsters¡¯ locations¡­


    -It¡¯s a dungeon. I don¡¯t know how this dungeon works, but beating the boss monster is the most basic attack method. If there is a dungeon with the name the Continent Where the Son of Light Was Sacrificed, isn¡¯t it obvious that there must be a named monster in the area where my honey suffered? Look around the Union especially. 27th Corps incident. There.


    ¡®Hee-ra is actually pretty sharp.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t say it was the right strategy, but¡­ I thought it could be a hint. In a way, it seemed like she was getting to the point.


    ¡®Even I didn¡¯t think about it.¡¯


    The Blue Guild members wouldn¡¯t have thought about it either.


    If there was a meeting, such a topic coulde out, but perhaps the most basic direction might have been missed because of the specificity of the entire continent as a dungeon, and the clearing method was fixed. While the Blue thought we had to adapt and survive through various changes, Cha Hee-ra tackled it head-on with the most basic and primal method, which assumed there was a named monster and that it might have something to do with the Son of Light.


    ¡®There¡¯s no way Lee Jihye would just let that slip.¡¯


    Either way, it wouldn¡¯t be wrong to think that she prepared the basic configuration.


    It was premature to judge that the dungeon attack was a clue, but¡­


    ¡°Any dungeon that doesn¡¯t have named monsters is just pitiful.¡±


    -Gather a few useful people and deploy immediately. Take action, and¡­ call Kim Hyunsung. No, invite him formally. Ask him to have a meal with me.


    -Okay.


    ¡®Why do I feel that this woman got stronger?¡¯


    Seeing her eating after the bath made me feel that way for some reason.


    In the meantime, I could see her continuously munching the food, no, nutrients down her throat, seemingly judging that her nutritional status was poor.


    It felt like she was building a body that could fight rather than having a meal. Just as Jung Hayan continued to gain magic power with her heart, she probably kept gaining other kinds of power as well.


    ¡®I can¡¯t even call her human anymore.¡¯


    I felt like everyone who could be called the continent¡¯s powerhouse was beyond the human race, but no one was as far from the limits of humanity as Cha Heera.


    Being able to be strong without training, without wielding a sword, and living as one pleased¡­ It was a privilege and irreceable talent. No, the word talent wasn¡¯t appropriate.


    To her, climbing over or jumping over the walls felt close to instinct.


    I realized all over again why Cherubim called her the red beast and why Belial and Benignore said that Cha Hee-ra was worthy toe up here.


    Perhaps Kim Hyunsung felt it, too, considering he was also sending her a strange gaze.


    It was a modest meeting for an official invitation, but it was a meaningful event, so he seemed to think it was right to make time for it.


    -Long time no see, Red Mercenary Guild Master.


    One problem was that Kim Hyunsung had strange thoughts for a moment.


    It was so fast that I couldn¡¯t even notice it, and it was such a small thought that I didn¡¯t know exactly what it was.


    Kim Hyunsung, too, might have embraced it unconsciously, without much meaning or his knowledge.


    However, Cha Hee-ra, who was sensitive in this direction, seemed to have realized what it was just about. I could see her smiling quietly.


    -You are funny.


    -¡­


    - You¡¯re really funny. Really.


    - I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about, Cha Hee-ra.


    -I really want to know what you¡¯re doing here.


    -It was you who invited me. I thought you had business to talk about, but if you just want to pick on me, I¡¯ll visit you next time.


    -Business, yes. I had business. There were a lot of things I wanted to ask personally, there were things I wanted to hear from your own mouth, and the Blue Guild and the Red Mercenary were allies, so it can be said that I invited you for that too. Still, isn¡¯t it weird? You¡¯re not like me¡­


    -¡­


    -You¡¯re definitely not like me. Even after rubbing my eyes, I can¡¯t seem to find the feeling of the foreign blue-haired. Why did our Blue Guild Master measure me as soon as he entered the room?


    -¡­


    -You. Thought of fighting with me.


    -¡­


    -You thought of it unconsciously, right?


    -You must be mistaken.


    -Mistaken, my ass. You thought about who would die. You wondered if I would die the moment you stabbed me with that sword.


    -You¡¯re mistaken. If I made you feel that way, I apologize.


    -It¡¯s not about apologies. I¡¯m not ming you or anything. After all, I also think about that sometimes. Anyone can think of that. That¡¯s instinct. If there¡¯s no killing aura, and if it¡¯s pure fighting spirit, I find it interesting. But that¡¯s weird. Why did a guy who doesn¡¯t fight for no reason suddenly stare at me and think like that? Why did you have such a useless thought out of nowhere?


    -¡­


    -I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll betray my honey¡­ and it doesn¡¯t seem like you have any other intentions¡­


    -¡­


    -Perhaps¡­ do you know something I don¡¯t?


    -¡­


    -Aside from the resurrection of the Son of Light, did you learn something about the first option?


    ¡®Why is the atmosphere like this?¡¯


    -Even I don¡¯t know. That¡¯s why I¡¯m asking what you¡¯ve learned.


    -I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.


    -Stop that. Share it with me.


    ¡®What¡¯s up with those two?¡¯


    Cha Hee-ra was giggling, and Kim Hyunsung quietly gazed at her.


    ¡®Hee-ra, why are you so quick¡­¡¯


    It was just that Cha Hee-ra didn¡¯t like to think. It wasn¡¯t that she couldn¡¯t.


    She just enjoyed surrendering herself to her instincts, but she wasn¡¯t always out of herself.


    I knew that she was sensitive to danger and was quick-witted, but I didn¡¯t expect her to say something like that to Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡®What¡¯s up with her? Did she get enlightenment while drinking?¡¯


    It had all happened so fast that I literally couldn¡¯t even feel it.


    ¡®Kim Hyunsung, why are you like this again? Are you really bing crazy?¡¯


    No, Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t show any hostility either. If you were an adventurer, a warrior that was making a living out ofbat, measuring your opponent¡¯s strength was something anyone could do.


    Cha Hee-ra herself was advertising with her whole body, ¡®I¡¯m fucking strong,¡¯ so wasn¡¯t it natural to imagine the oue of fighting with her at least once?


    Still¡­


    ¡®Why are you thinking about that? It¡¯s not ruined yet.¡¯


    Why was he already thinking of a n B? He shouldn¡¯t be interested even the slightest bit about n B. Really.


    Both of them would have meant to test each other lightly.


    Even in Cha Hee-ra¡¯s position, it was bait thrown without much thought, and Kim Hyunsung only thought of that unconsciously.


    But I felt the atmosphere gradually changing.


    Cha Hee-ra was giggling and radiating magical energy with her whole body, and Kim Hyunsung was still quietly looking at her. It seemed that the red hair was slowly rising upward under the influence of her magic power.


    As if she had confirmed that the red beast¡¯s eyes were changing, Kim Hyunsung¡¯s hand became tense.


    It was a defensive instinct, finding out that the predator could be a threat to him.


    After realizing that the woman might kill him, his body started to send a signal.


    ¡®Don¡¯t. Fuck. Don¡¯t do it even as a joke. Hee-ra, don¡¯t do that.¡¯


    -I don¡¯t want to fight.


    ¡®Right. Don¡¯t, Hyunsung. That¡¯s right.¡¯


    -Really? It doesn¡¯t seem like that.


    ¡®Why are you nitpicking at him? Don¡¯t do that.¡¯


    -I. Don¡¯t want to fight. Now.


    ¡°This crazy bastard¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t know if I should call it fortunate or not, but¡­


    -I¡¯m sorry to interrupt, but Cha Heera, the capital¡­


    -I¡¯m busy right now.


    -A named monster appeared in the capital. They said there¡¯s an undead dragon and that someone unknown on top of it sits on the State¡¯s castle.


    -¡­


    -Next report. A huge magic power in Laios¡­


    -Sigh¡­


    -Next report. At the Federation¡­


    -Such a funny joke¡­


    -Next report.


    -A very funny joke.


    Kim Hyunsung and Cha Heera quickly got up.


    -I¡¯ll go to the Federation.


    -And I¡¯ll¡­


    -¡­


    -I¡¯ll¡­

 Chapter 816: The Last (49)

    <h4>Chapter 816: The Last (49)</h4>


    [When the day of destruction came, the leader of the State fell to her knees. Oh, Son of Light, forgive us of our sins. Pity thembs, and give them one more chance. She cried for those she loved and cherished and asked the Son of Light for onest mercy. The Son of Light answered, ¡°I¡¯ve already given you a chance. What choice should I make?¡± If what the Son of Light really wants is the judgment of sin, what kind of choice should Alice, the lowly handmaiden who is here with the grace of the Son of Light, choose? Then the Son of Light said again¡­ omitted¡­ -Excerpt from unnamed Bible 27:19.]


    -I¡¯ll¡­


    -¡­


    -¡­


    -Kim Hyunsung. Why do you think I chose the Federation?


    -¡­


    -Think carefully. Among the many ces I could go to, why would I be going there?


    -¡­


    -I could go where the undead dragon and my honey fell, or to Laios, where themander¡¯s magic power is falling¡­ Or, it might not matter even if we headed to a ce where nothing happened. Come to think of it, there was the demon monster Salit, too, yet why do I have to go there and fight with the 27th corps guys? It¡¯s a joke that¡¯s not even funny. I don¡¯t know what the purpose is, but I think it¡¯s usible.


    -¡­


    -There must be a ce that you will want to go.


    -¡­


    -There is only one named monster that fell in the north. It was a corpse in tatters. It doesn¡¯t matter if you run away, or if you follow the other way in your mind, it doesn¡¯t matter that much¡­ The choice is yours, and I won¡¯t force it.


    It was just like Cha Hee-ra said.


    ¡®North¡­¡¯


    Unlike other ces, there was only one named monster that fell to the northern part. It was a corpse in rags.


    ¡®Is this a special treat?¡¯


    Perhaps the budget was insufficient, and it might have been difficult to create a means to deal with outer beings.


    However, Kim Hyunsung was silent. He was staring nkly in the direction Cha Hee-ra left.


    He looked like he was dealing with a lot of thoughts, but in the end, he started walking slowly.


    The Red Mercenary¡¯s waiting to be dispatched paid their respects to Kim Hyunsung, but the guy started leaving the main gate of the Red Mercenary without even looking at them.


    ¡®Do you want him to have a mental breakdown? Hee-ra¡­ I mean this woman really¡­¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t decide exactly which choice to make.


    No, it would be more urate to say that I couldn¡¯t make a choice. What I could do was limited, and it was impossible to take care of everything that was happening simultaneously.


    Maybe I couldn¡¯t have solved all of this even if I was down there.


    Perhaps there was a limit to cing personnel in the right ce¡­


    Actually, if I thought about it that way, it wasn¡¯t a bad situation.


    Heera and the Red Mercenary Guild decided to leave for an expedition for the situation in the Federation. Meanwhile, the magic power floating on Laios¡­


    ¡®There is a high probability that Hayan will solve it.¡¯


    There was probably Park Deokgu and Han Sora too.


    It had to be a re-enactment of the situation on the verge of extinction due to the demon summoner Jin Qing. It seemed as if I was just looking back on what happened before, except that I wasn¡¯t there.


    I didn¡¯t know what Jihye¡¯s purpose was, but I thought I could understand her intentions.


    Without Lee Kiyoung, would they have been able to save the continent? It felt like she was throwing that question. It seemed like romantic revenge, but the intention itself was¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s too romantic. There is no need to do this, right?¡¯


    I strongly felt like it was just a bluff. Perhaps her real purpose was to earn divinity for the entire continent. The storytelling itself that the narrative of the Son of Light was the beginning of destruction felt usible, after all.


    She¡¯d shout my name and Benignore¡¯s name in a slightly different way, but she¡¯d make some achievements.


    ¡®Laios¡­¡¯


    I wasn¡¯t too worried about that one. In fact, the magic power summoned by Demon Summoner Jin Qing using Belial was blocked with Jung Hayan alone.


    Of course, the difficulty level would be adjusted ording to their current growth, but if it were her, she¡¯d be able to block it without too much trouble.


    The real deal would be the chain quest that would appear after resolving the Laios crisis. The same went for the war between the Republic and the State and the 27th Legion.


    As the ending was a bloody battle between Belial and Benignore, I didn¡¯t know how the event would go, but in the worst-case scenario¡­


    ¡®Will we fight against Belial¡¯s incarnation?¡¯


    The exact offensive wasn¡¯t yet visible, so it would be better to postpone nning for what would happenter.


    At least Cha Hee-ra and Jung Hayan found their elements.


    Since Hee-ra was going to the Federation, she was probably carrying the burden of being the generalmander at the time. She might have thought that that was the cause of the decisive weakening of my body and decided to do it the second time without making any mistakes.


    ¡®Not bad. Not a bad pick at all.¡¯


    I could trust them both. The problem was on the other side.


    North¡­


    Important resources had been drained, as well.


    The State¡¯s Revolution.


    ¡®The difficulty level is too high.¡¯


    I saw a huge dragon climbing on top of the wall and howling. Above it was a vague figure in my shape. It felt like a ghost rather than undead. It looked down on the State with a translucent appearance.


    It seemed as if it was about to swallow the State at any moment, but there was no movement. I had a strong feeling that it was waiting for something. The people in the capital had a bewildered expression on their faces, but most of them were praying.


    The soldiers were trying to evacuate the civilians, but they seemed to think that they should show their respect to the incarnation of the Son of Light, who perched on the wall.


    And¡­


    [The main event of the mythic-grade dungeon Continent Where the Son of Light was Sacrificed, the State¡¯s Revolution, begins.]


    Just as expected. With the system¡¯s voice, the ghosts, which slowly began to take shape, rose.


    Those who were moving slowly soon took up arms and stepped toward their enemies.


    It wasn¡¯t the kind of quest that simply solved named monsters.


    -What¡­ What is that? Sh*t¡­


    -Prepare for battle! Sh*t! Prepare for battle!


    -They are ghosts! Get ready for battle! Evacuate the citizens!


    -Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! Run away!


    Due to the appearance of the named monster, the soldiers and citizens of the country fell into confusion.


    ¡ªPut down those traitors!


    ¡ªDirty traitors!


    ¡ªLet¡¯s bring judgment on the filthy traitors who have tainted the Empire with chaos! Glorious soldiers of the Empire!


    The one who wielded the spear against the State was a ghost from the time when it was still called the Benignore Empire.


    An enormous number of troops had begun to sh with the State¡¯s soldiers.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t the difficulty level too high?¡¯


    If that was the only thing happening now, the State might be able to handle it.


    However, with their main power missing, they were quickly mixed into the chaos, reminiscent of those judged in Hell. The ghastly soldiers reappeared after being in. The State¡¯s people, who were bing increasingly terrified by the constant influx of troops, were filled with vague fear.


    ¡ªThose filthy traitors destroyed the long and long history of the Empire with their injustice!


    -Do not back down! Don¡¯t listen to the voices of the ghosts!


    ¡ªWe will reim our glorious Empire today. Just as the Empire was erased and the State established, we will erase the State and find eternal rest. We will kill every single one of you without exception and make you feel the pain of eternity.


    -Stop the ghosts! Stop them!


    ¡ªFor eternal rest. For the glory of the Empire. For our lost lives¡­


    -We must ask Lindel for reinforcements.


    -Anomalies are happening all over the continent. In Laios, in the Federation¡­ I don¡¯t know how long it will take. F-First, we have to stop them. There is no other way but to endure.


    -What can we do? Our swords and magic don¡¯t even work!


    -We must evacuate the citizens. Other issues should be consideredter.


    -Has the heavens really abandoned the State? Oh, Son of Light, have you forsaken this ce you built with your own hands?


    -It is still too early to give up hope. There must be some other way. Definitely¡­ definitely.


    ¡®Some other way¡­¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t hard to hold on right now. With Pope Basel, the Holy Knights, and the State¡¯s priests holding on, they could block the entry of the ghosts.


    Of course, even that wasn¡¯t easy. They were constantly respawning.


    To make matters worse, if the named monster moved¡­ defending would seem impossible.


    ¡®No. There¡¯s nothing that can¡¯t be attacked.¡¯


    Since the system allowed the existence of such a dungeon, we could definitely damage them. There was no way the system would allow an event that couldn¡¯t be targeted.


    - Oscar.


    -¡­


    - Oscar.


    -¡­ Yes, Duchess Catherine?


    -Are you okay?


    -Yes. I¡¯m fine. I am¡­ fine.


    -The New Continental Protection and Management Committee has requested support from Lindel, Celia, and Dawan. The Mist Summoner and Ranged Sniper from the State¡¯s eight seats are expected to arrive soon with griffons, and the Sunset Swordsman is yet to respond.


    -¡­


    -It has been reported that Jung Hayan headed to Laios with some of the Blue Guild members. I think she probably judged that was a sign of what¡¯s happening in the State. I heard that Laios, the Republic, and the State would be in danger of being caught up if the magic power floating above Laios falls.


    -I see. Jung Hayan also¡­ Yes. Thank you. Duchess Catherine.


    -Yes?


    -Duchess Catherine.


    -What is it?


    -What do you think?


    -What are you talking about¡­


    - What do you think about this fight?


    -¡­


    -If this fight is really for the Son of Light to judge us, what should we do? What do we have to fight with? What are we fighting to protect from whom? If what he really wants is destruction¡­ What should we do if this is the result he really wants?


    -That¡¯s¡­


    -Even Pope Basel spared some words. We know we have to evacuate the citizens. I know they are too innocent to face such a cruel fate. However¡­ However, I am afraid that this will go against Lee Kiyoung¡¯s will. Perhaps¡­ Maybe we have to ept fate.


    -Oscar.


    -That could be the atonement for him. The minimum amount of atonement that can undo our wrongdoing.


    Everyone would find their ce.


    However, I thought that there were people who had been maintaining their original positions.


    ¡®They don¡¯t need support.¡¯


    There was no need for Kim Hyunsung toe or Jung Hayan toe.


    The ghosts didn¡¯t die. I didn¡¯t think the event that Jihye prepared would end with just killing monsters.


    State¡¯s Revolution.


    Maid Alice.


    No, Oscar.


    ¡°This is your element.¡±


    Maybe¡­


    The actor prepared, as this stage was meant for her.


    -Oh, Son of Light.


    A revolutionary who had abandoned her former name was looking out the window with an anxious face.

 Chapter 817: The Last (50)

    <h4>Chapter 817: The Last (50)</h4>


    ¡®I didn¡¯t know you were writing a letter. Looks like I came at a bad time¡­ Oscar.¡¯


    ¡®It¡¯s okay, Lee Kiyoung. It¡¯s almost over, so¡­¡¯


    ¡®This time too¡­¡¯


    ¡®Yes. Because my mother might be worried, and¡­ as I always say, you can call me Alice when there¡¯s only the two of us. I feel like you¡¯re being too unfamiliar with me¡­ It puts my mind at ease when you treat mefortably as before.¡¯


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry if you felt that way, Alice, but I¡¯m just expressing the courtesy you deserve.¡¯


    ¡®You know¡­ I¡¯m not the kind of person who deserves such treatment from you.¡¯


    ¡®I don¡¯t think there is a distinction between those who deserve it and those who don¡¯t.¡¯


    ¡®Yes. Right. Yes¡­¡¯


    ¡®As I always say, there is no such thing as a humble life. Some people differentiate, but all human beings are equal and have the right to enjoy what they deserve. The same goes for you. You don¡¯t have to humble yourself. No matter what the circumstances you grew up in, all humans under Benignore are equal.¡¯


    ¡®I¡­ I forgot for a moment.¡¯


    ¡®Are you nervous?¡¯


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡®Yes, I think I¡¯m nervous. I think it¡¯s scary¡­ and heavy. Sometimes¡­ Sometimes I dream.¡¯


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡®In it, people who support me point their fingers at me. Therades who believe and follow me point their fingers at me after climbing the stage as Oscar. When that happens, the Oscar on the podium disappears. The long hair that was cutes back to life, and I can see Alice wearing a maid¡¯s uniform. Alice, dumb, fearful, and pressured, looks around her with a pale face. Comrades throw stones at her, saying that they were deceived and asking if I have the right to lead them. If I really think that I¡¯m someone great that can lead the new them¡­¡¯


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡®I want to say something, but whenever I try, no voicees out. I know Benignore is right. I also know that what you said is right. However¡­ I guess I¡¯ve been living like this for too long. Have you ever thought about that?¡¯


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡®Have you¡­ Have you ever regretted even the slightest bit of choosing me? Have you ever thought it was a mistake?¡¯


    ¡®Alice¡­¡¯


    ¡®No. I shouldn¡¯t have said that. There¡¯s no way you could make a mistake¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡¯


    ¡®You don¡¯t have to apologize.¡¯


    ¡®I-I should prepare¡­ tomorrow¡¯s speech.¡¯


    ¡®You were neither a fool nor fearful nor pressured. If you¡¯re still worried, I hope you don¡¯t forget that I¡¯m always by your side, Alice.¡¯


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡°I never forget, Son of Light. However¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I am very afraid now that the Son of Light is not present. I¡¯m scared that I¡¯ll make the wrong choice. Maybe all of this is my responsibility. I can¡¯t stand the fear of just thinking about it.¡±


    ¡ªThe traitors¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡ªThe traitors deserve the judgment of their sins! I will give divine punishment to those who threw the glory of the Empire into the filthy water.


    ¡°Evacuate the citizens, soldiers! Let¡¯s remember what we fought and won for!¡±


    It was a memory that remained strong even in the process of running frantically.


    The State that had spread wide, therades who had fought together for a great cause, the tall clock tower, and our splendid country that seemed tost forever.


    The figure of the Son of Light who supported me in that¡­ No matter how many years and many eons passed, I thought that those memories would remain in the State¡¯s history.


    I had thought that the day when the State¡¯s light would fade would nevere.


    There was a bitter smile on my lips. I quietly looked outside, but a feeling of helplessness, a feeling that I couldn¡¯t do something, covered my whole body.


    Maybe I knew it was going to end like this. That might be why I was nervous.


    I didn¡¯t think his choice would be wrong. Perhaps the expression that I didn¡¯t live up to his expectations would be appropriate.


    ¡°Revolution. A glorious victory.¡±


    The Empire copsed, and the State rose. A lot of things had changed, but many things didn¡¯t.


    The hungry people were still hungry, the poor were still poor, and those who couldn¡¯t raise their voices still couldn¡¯t. The will of therades faded and deteriorated, and I failed to protect the sacred democracy.


    We won the revolution, but it was also a failure. I just denied it.


    Those who were against the gods¡¯ will were wrong and hadn¡¯t proven that we were right.


    The country was corrupt, and a new ss had been created. Those above might have changed, but nothing truly did.


    Perhaps, it was only natural that the Son of Light would be disappointed.


    It might be the result of polluting the sublime will of the white, angelic man.


    ¡°Was he regretting it?¡±


    ¡ªKill the traitors!


    ¡°Sh*t! Hold on! Soldiers of the State! Just hold on a little bit, and the reinforcements will arrive!¡±


    ¡°Is this really the end? Oh, God!¡±


    ¡°Oh, Son of Light. Are you really going to leave us? Oh, Benignore. Are you really trying to judge humanity?¡±


    I could see the maid Alice with long hair, wearing a maid outfit reflected in the mirror. I closed my eyes tightly.


    ¡°What are you doing here, Oscar?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    A woman with red hair. Right. There was this woman.


    ¡°Senator Charlotte.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m asking what you¡¯re doing here.¡±


    ¡°I was looking outside.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re out of your mind. Are you leaving them?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t give up. Just¡­ just¡­ I¡¯ve just been thinking a lot. The will of the Son of Light¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I was just thinking about the will of the Son of Light.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You fool and stupid bitch.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You are really foolish and stupid, you lowly maid.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I was a fool for believing that you were a good fit for a leader, insect. I was a fool to think that it was fortunate that you were standing here on behalf of my father and sister, lowly bitch.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Perhaps the princess is right.¡±


    The person standing in front of me is truly a leader.


    Looking at her with unshakable eyes and noble grace, never wavering, standing up again against any odds was how a true leader should be.


    It must have been the image I had been picturing over and over in my head.


    ¡°I am not a princess.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t changed anything, Charlotte. I changed nothing, nothing. I¡¯m a stupid, lowly, dull maid who can¡¯t choose anything without the will of the Son of Light.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Someone said that human nature does not change. I denied that statement, but now I feel that it isn¡¯t wrong. Even if I got a new name and a new role, I don¡¯t think my essence has changed. I was a maid. Yes. I was Charlia¡¯s maid. Only now have I be Oscar, but when I think about it now, I think that only the one I serve has changed. I went from Charlia¡¯s maid to his maid.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I cannot go against his will, Charlotte. I can¡¯t deny what he wants. It is you who¡¯s best suited to be the leader of the State. You are the only one who can save it.¡±


    ¡°Really¡­¡±


    ¡°Look outside, Charlotte. They want an empire. Isn¡¯t it the glory of the splendid Empire that those ghosts want? You¡¯re the only heir left of it. You are the only hope that can save this ce.¡±


    My hand trembled. As I ripped the seal off my chest and slowly pushed it toward her, I saw her distorted expression. It was familiar. It seemed to hate and almost as if she had seen something dirty.


    I couldn¡¯t understand, but that made me feel relieved. However, soon enough, I saw her eyes filled with tears.


    Her expression couldn¡¯t be expressed in words. It made my heart stop for a moment.


    ¡°Many have died.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why you have to save them! You can do it. You¡¯ll be able to undo everything.¡±


    ¡°A lot of people have died to build this country, to establish the new State. Many died. This country was built with the blood and sacrifice of noble people. No matter what happened in it, that doesn¡¯t change.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°My father and sister also closed their eyes, and countless people who did not share their will buried their bones. The State is a country built by sacrifice, and¡­ to my disgust, I was proud of all of this.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I was proud of the new citizens, I was proud of those who were able to unite their will, and I was proud of you leading a new country. Although I knew it was wrong to shed blood, I was happy to see how we were changing and that the blood of those who sacrificed for thisnd wasn¡¯t spilled in vain in the end! I just got to feel it!¡±


    ¡°Charlotte.¡±


    ¡°However¡­ However, in the end! All this was an illusion. Sacred democracy was also a mere instrument. Ha¡­ haha¡­ Hahahaha! The Son of Light is not the way in the end. He is not!¡±


    ¡°He was not wrong! Charlotte!¡±


    ¡°Shut up, you lowly thing!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°How dare you look straight into my eyes and raise your voice tone! You should know your ce!¡±


    p!


    At this, my face got hot.


    My body turned with that sound.


    ¡°Keep your position, you disgusting insect. You chose it. It is your lowly roots that changed your destiny again.¡±


    Charlotte raised her hands with tears in her eyes.


    ¡°I am different from you. I will not forsake it.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I will never forsake the State. I will not give up this blood-stainednd. Never¡­ Never.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°This is not mine, so I will not take it.¡±


    ¡°He wasn¡¯t wrong¡­¡±


    ¡°Then prove it, you imbecile.¡±


    I could see the State¡¯s seal falling.


    The back view of Charlotte with her back turned and the loud noisesing from outside were all like a dream.


    Tears dripped down without my knowledge. I kept crying out loud.


    I held the stained seal tightly. There was no Oscar. She wouldn¡¯t be seen as a hero who led a revolution, who led a brilliant country.


    She ruined everything herself, looking like the wretched handmaid Alice with her mask removed.


    However, she raised her body. Red cheeks, messy hair. With a dirty uniform¡­


    She stood up.


    Maybe¡­ Perhaps¡­


    That was most likely the first time for Alice.

 Chapter 818: The Last (51)

    <h4>Chapter 818: The Last (51)</h4>


    I ran until I was out of breath. I didn¡¯t know what I was running for, but I knew I had to keep moving for now.


    Nothing might change. I didn¡¯t think anything would.


    It probably wouldn¡¯t be of any help, either. It would most likely only be a hindrance.


    But I kept moving.


    ¡°Oscar!¡±


    ¡°Oscar! You must leave.¡±


    ¡®What am I doing?¡¯


    Even I didn¡¯t know. As I turned my head unconsciously, I saw the people colliding with the soldiers. I saw those who were screaming and running.


    Even in such a chaotic situation, the troops were still evacuating citizens.


    Charlotte, who was facing the enemies with her sword drawn, also caught my eye. Everyone looked desperate.


    Looking up from the window, I saw the Son of Light quietly looking at the end of the State.


    ¡ªA traitor! There! There! A bunch of dirty rebels!


    ¡ªThe princess who betrayed the Empire! Here¡¯s the Imperial Empress who devoured her own family! The cancer that ruined our nation is with the rebels!


    ¡°I am not a princess, shades of the Empire!¡±


    ¡ªAre you denying your true identity? Do you deny the will of the Empire?


    ¡°The will of the Empire is buried with the victims. I am a citizen of the State! I¡¯m a human like everyone, forgotten ghosts!¡±


    ¡ªAre you denying your legitimacy? Do you deny your specialness? Do you deny that you are of imperial blood and that you are the master of the Empire?


    ¡°I am not special! The ones truly special are the people who changed this country, those who sacrificed and shed blood for it! How can you call something that hasn¡¯t changed special? Those who changed it are the masters of it! They are the ones deserving to lead it!¡±


    ¡ªYou¡¯re stupid! You are stupid!


    ¡°The real fools are you who are stuck in the past! Aren¡¯t you the ones trying to shackle yourselves? We will fight until the end! I will bury my bones here too! Not as the princess of a fallen empire! Future generations will remember me as Charlotte of the State!¡±


    A voice that I shouldn¡¯t be able to hear was stuck in my ears. It echoed throughout the State.


    ¡°Why are you resisting, Charlotte?¡±


    There had to have been a way to appease the angry ghosts. If it were her, she would have a way to calm them down.


    ¡°Why¡­¡±


    Why did she brandish her sword with the soldiers when she wanted to save the people?


    No, I actually knew the answer. Maybe she was trying to preserve the history of our brilliant resistance. It was to protect our pride.


    ¡°Don¡¯t leave the future of the State built with sacrifice and blood to your enemies! Remember how you got here! Remember how we built this ce!¡±


    The voice still rang in my head and resonated in my heart. Therades who fought together, the future, the glory, the future generations, the people who gave their lives for their ideas.


    She didn¡¯t want to give up on them either. Even she, who said the bloody revolution was a failure, wanted to defend them.


    Perhaps that was why. That might be the reason why I was running now.


    Booooooooooooooooom!!!!


    A huge explosion began to erupt with a loud sound.


    My body bounced off, and my vision quickly turned dark.


    It might be better to lose consciousness. I thought about it for a moment, but then I stood up.


    Arge hole created by the explosion was visible. The wind blew in, and the heat and shouts of war suddenly felt a little closer.


    When I looked up once more, the figure of the Son of Light as if looking at me caught my eye.


    I climbed up the railing with my lips tightly bit and grabbed the crack in the outer wall.


    That was reckless.


    Right. That was reckless. If I fell, I would die.


    That might not be bad either.


    Alice wasn¡¯t even a hero. She didn¡¯t have any special powers, nor did she deserve anything.


    Without finding any reason to approach this vision of the Son of Light, I reached out once more.


    ¡®What am I doing now?¡¯


    Trying to convince him?


    ¡®Will it change anything? What can I change?¡¯


    Could I, who was full of lies, be able to change something with just that?


    However¡­


    ¡°I want to change.¡±


    I wanted to change. Although I was nobody and had a hard time approaching the Son of Light, if I did this, it might change something.


    I had such expectations without even realizing it.


    My arms and legs trembled, and I was out of breath again. My body shook violently in the sudden wind.


    ¡°Aaaaaah!¡±


    -Kill them!


    ¡°Stop them! Stop them!¡±


    I kept hearing the voices. With a crackling sound, the debris on the wall continues to fall.


    I gritted my teeth and stretched my arms once again. I forced my frozen legs to move upwards.


    I wanted to think that Alice could do it, not Oscar.


    ¡°Please¡­ please!¡±


    I stretched out my arms again.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    I stumbled and, from there, felt my body falling.


    ¡®This little thing¡­¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t even do something so simple. Alice would die here without being able to do anything.


    As I thought about that, I heard a voice again.


    ¡°You can open¡­ your eyes again, Alice.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Alice.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Cho Hyejin from the Blue Guild. Forgive me for my rudeness.¡±


    ¡°W-Why are you here¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you heading towards the Vice Guild Master?¡±


    I felt someone riding a griffon grabbing my hand and lifting me.


    ¡°Yes¡­ Yes!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take you there.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not bad to get help, Alice.¡±


    It seemed like she discovered what I intended, but¡­


    ¡°You can do what you can do and do what you want to do.¡±


    I automatically nodded at her soothing voice.


    Cho Hyejin quietly handed me a spear. I grabbed it with a tingling sensation.


    She smiled and slightly pushed my back.


    I looked down again. I saw the scene where the battle was still taking ce.


    They were blocking the arrival of reinforcements, but I heard several voices.


    Along with screams, the people struggled to protect the State.


    ¡°Oh, Son of Light.¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°Oh, Son of Light!¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°Please stop them!¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°Please, put away your wrath. Everything is my fault. Everything happened because of me. They have no sin. The only thing they did wrong was to trust and follow someone who is not qualified. It¡¯s not their fault, please¡­ please¡­¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°Oh, Son of Light¡­ If you can hear my voice, please¡­ please answer me. So I can take it all by myself¡­ So that I can finish my role¡­ I hope you can help me, Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°Aren¡¯t they the people that you love? Don¡¯t you love them more than anyone else? Didn¡¯t you say that not knowing is not a sin? Didn¡¯t you say that it is not the people of the Empire that are wrong, but the people who lead them, Lee Kiyoung?!¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°They did nothing wrong! If there is a crime, if someone has to be punished, I should be held ountable!¡±


    However, I couldn¡¯t hear any voice. I clenched the spear in my hand and looked at Lee Kiyoung again, but I couldn¡¯t hear him.


    ¡°Lee Kiyoung. Lee Kiyoung! Forgive our sins. Take pity on them. Please give them one more chance. May the Son of Light extend yourst¡­st mercy¡­ sniff¡­ for those¡­ you love and cherish. Please¡­ please¡­ please.¡±


    It was then that the light burst out of the spear.


    -I¡­ I¡¯ve already given you a chance.


    I wasn¡¯t the only one hearing the voice. I didn¡¯t know what it was, but I could see everyone looking upwards.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -I¡¯ve already given you a chance.


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°What choice do I have to make? What choice must I make so that you can forgive them? If you tell me to kill myself, I will. If you tell me to swim in the pain of eternity for the rest of my life, I will. If what you really want is the judgment of sin¡­ What choice should the handmaiden Alice, who¡¯s here by your grace, make in this position?¡±


    -I said I¡¯ve already given you a chance.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I have no way of knowing what kind of opportunity we were given or what kind of opportunity you gave us.¡±


    -You.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    - You are¡­ the opportunity I have given them.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -Proud daughter of the revolution. You don¡¯t have to ask me for permission. I did not choose you, but you chose yourself. You have made your own qualifications, you have achieved them yourself, and you have changed yourself.


    ¡°Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­¡±


    -Daughter of the Revolution. Get what you want for yourself


    [When the day of destruction came, the leader of the State fell to her knees. Oh, Son of Light, forgive us of our sins. Pity thembs, and give them one more chance. She cried for those she loved and cherished and asked the Son of Light for onest mercy. The Son of Light answered, ¡°I¡¯ve already given you a chance. What choice should I make?¡± If what the Son of Light really wants is the judgment of sin, what kind of choice should Alice, the lowly handmaiden who is here with the grace of the Son of Light, choose? Then the Son of Light said again¡­]


    ¡°Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­¡±


    [Daughter of the Revolution. You don¡¯t have to ask me for permission. I didn¡¯t choose you. You chose yourself¡­ Now, Follow your own will. He said¡­ -Excerpt from unnamed Bible 27:19.]


    A huge light then began to spread out into the sky.

 Chapter 819: The Last (52)

    <h4>Chapter 819: The Last (52)</h4>


    Seemingly embracing everything, the warm lightforted those who were tired of the battle.


    I had been through many wars and miracles, but moments like these always made my heart race. The yboy Cannon, who had just been spending time cursing, was also staring at the sky nkly.


    The radiance brightly illuminated the dark sky where nothing could be seen.


    It was okay if that wasn¡¯t a miracle. It was okay if it was just a show.


    Just providing brilliance to the continent was enough. The situation was bad enough to even think like that.


    ¡°Did the Son of Light¡­ not abandon the continent? He¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no way he would abandon the continent. Haha. Isn¡¯t it obvious? Who else in the world loves the continent more than he does?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you too confident for someone who was cursing just before, Cannon?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Well, why are you talking about something like that? I just thought I didn¡¯t have any luck. Now that I¡¯m retired, I¡¯ve been trying to live in peace, but who knew that things would go wrong the day I came to see the capital? Alex, weren¡¯t you thinking the same thing? You were the one who said that fighting for a living is tiresome now. It was you who persuaded us to retire together.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Anyway, George, you¡¯re out of luck if you hang out with him. Why visit the capital when the situation is like this? Looking at the bad timing, who wouldn¡¯tbel you as a third-rate gambler? You say something too, Alex.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I feel rather fortunate, Cannon.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Maybe we¡¯re lucky to be here.¡±


    ¡°Crazy bastard. You¡¯re a war addict, Alex. You¡¯d better go to a temple or a mental hospital before it gets worse. If you don¡¯t want to go alone, then I can¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure exactly how to exin it, but it certainly wasn¡¯t about addiction. Rather than being able to fight, I felt fortunate to be able to just be here together with them.


    It wasn¡¯t a battle with great meaning like for the country, ideals, or future generations.


    We were the kind of people who lived by the flow since we liked conformity without resistance.


    Every time I stood at a turning point, whenever there was a big crisis, I was called up to take up arms, but¡­ this time, I felt something different.


    Without realizing it, I looked up.


    Oscar was holding the sacred spear. The dragon and the Son of Light were also there, surrounded by light.


    A roar resonated as the huge reptile raised its head to the skies. I felt like their vision that was about to devour the State was giving us a hand.


    When I saw Oscar standing on the railing and holding a weapon, I felt something tingling and resonating on my back.


    She looked different than usual. She wasn¡¯t as elegant and organized as she had always been.


    Rather, she looked just like us. Wounded, broken, exhausted, soft¡­


    However, she was strong. She made sure to rise again every time she fell.


    I couldn¡¯t see her eyes properly due to the distance, but there was a spark in them that was visible despite how far I was.


    We were witnessing the birth of a hero, the story of a human taking off her skin and growing on her own. She wasn¡¯t the leader of the fallen continent but simply amon human who led the battlefield.


    ¡°I¡¯m d I came here.¡±


    ¡°Crazy bastard. Alex, you crazy bastard! Say something to him, George!¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t she look cool?¡±


    ¡°Damn it. I¡¯m the only sane person here. Sh*t! I¡¯m an idiot for hanging out with the two of you. I¡¯m an idiot¡­¡±


    A loud voice burst out with the gigantic light.


    ¡°I will not be broken!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I will neither run nor hide! Even if I am destroyed, I will rise again and spark the mes of struggle and resistance! People of the State! Ourrades who have settled here and live! I¡­ I was afraid of losing you all, but I also feared that I might be acting against the Son of Light¡¯s will. I¡¯m not different from you. I am no different from you all who are resisting against our enemies.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t realize what I was fighting. I didn¡¯t even understand why I had to fight. I was an ordinary human, no different from you, and I was afraid of change.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°But I raised my sword and the g of struggle. I raised my sword, even though I didn¡¯t fully understand the meaning and philosophy of the thoughts left behind by the Son of Light and the Goddess of Light.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because I was vaguely aware that they¡¯re right. It was because I felt in my heart that you and I are the same, that I am no different from others, and that it¡¯s only right to move forward together.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It was because I knew that even if I fail and fall, for as long as the peoplee together, we will eventually be on the right path.¡±


    ¡°Oscar¡­¡±


    ¡°Many sacrifices have been made!¡±


    ¡°Daughter of the Revolution.¡±


    ¡°So much blood had to be shed to create a State where we can share our will. We had to make so many sacrifices. Despite that, we couldn¡¯t create the nation that we wanted. However! However! I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a failure!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯ve failed! That was a process! Failure and change must also have been a step towards the right path! It must have been the process of finding the answer! I may not realize what the right way is. I, whom you call your leader, may not know what it is until thest minute of my life. But we will find out. Express what you feel in your heart, and one day you will surely be able to make it happen!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I do not doubt that the sacrifices on this earth will be the foundation for a great cause, just as those who died before became the foundation for the present State!¡±


    ¡ªThe lowly handmaiden is wearing a king¡¯s mask! Look at that traitor!


    ¡°I am not a traitor! I am neither lowly nor defiled!¡±


    ¡ªThe imperial princess and the lowly maid are crazy and deny their roots!


    ¡°I said I am not lowly! There is nothing in the world that is lowly. Now I can say it proudly with my own voice.¡±


    ¡ªYou!!


    ¡°We will fight nonstop to deny you, ghosts! I will fight to the end, even if I have to do so until my arms and legs are crushed! For a better country! For the sacrifice and blood to make this country! For me! For ourselves! For the continent! We will fight!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Revolution, believe that we will fight and win! Raise your sword and g!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Revolution! Myrades!¡±


    It was then that an unknown voice was heard.


    Boom! Boom!


    ¡ªRevolution!! Comrades!!


    ¡°Ha¡­ haha¡­¡±


    I looked around me without noticing.


    ¡°What am I supposed to say about this¡­ Hey, George. Am I dreaming right now?¡±


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    ¡ªRevolution! Comrades!! Our brothers!!


    ¡°Awesome¡­ amazing. To think that I would see something like this.¡±


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    ¡ª Revolutionize and fight! Raise the g of victory!!


    ¡°Ha¡­ hahahaha, hahahaha! Who would think that we could be fighting with them? To be able to stand on the battlefield with them! Hahaha! You¡¯re right, Alex! You were right!¡±


    ¡°I rmend going to the temple, Cannon. You¡¯re addicted to war.¡±


    ¡°Hahahahahahahahaha!! We are at the heart of history!¡±


    Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!


    ¡ªRevolution! Comrades!! Let¡¯s raise the sword of struggle!!


    ¡°Did Oscar¡­ know?¡±


    I saw souls slowly raising their bodies from the side.


    They were raising their swords and raising their gs high as if in response to her words.


    Therades pointed their swords at the ghosts and stood up as if they were about to charge in. The giant dragon roared as they pounded their feet.


    Boom! Boom!


    It felt like it was resonating in my heart.


    Did the daughter of the revolution know that things would turn out like this? Had she known that the souls who sacrificed themselves would rise and raise their banners g once more?


    I looked up at her, but I still couldn¡¯t figure it out.


    All I could see was her holding the seal and shedding tears.


    She gazed at the State¡¯s scenery as if she had lost her words.


    It was as if she couldn¡¯t hold back her tears. She continued to weep, seemingly no longer needing to hide her real identity.


    ¡ªRevolution! For the daughter of the revolution! For the future of the State!!


    ¡°I will lead! Sniff¡­ always! Always! I will lead the way for you! Myrades! I will never waste¡­ sniff¡­ the sacrifice of those who have already shed blood!¡±


    I raised my sword


    ¡°My dearrades!¡±


    She climbed the griffon. At the boiling uplifting feeling, I involuntarily began to shout out loud.


    George, whom I didn¡¯t know the thoughts of, was smiling quietly while Cannon was screaming.


    Seemingly brainwashed, she constantly shouted.


    ¡°Revolution! Revolutionize!!¡±


    ¡ªRaise the g!


    ¡°Let¡¯s fight! For the State! For our country! Let¡¯s fight!¡±


    ¡ªStand up with your sword!


    ¡°Revolution! Revolution! Hahahaha! Revolutionize!!¡±


    When the State leader finally stood before them, the souls began to sh with their weapons.


    It would have been a sight that adorned the pages of history, no, a myth.


    * * *


    -Vice Guild Master¡­


    ¡°What.¡±


    - How do you¡­


    ¡°How would I know¡­ no¡­¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°They say that the daughter of the revolution has awakened herself, Warrior with the Holy Spear. Do not doubt the meaning of the light.¡±


    -Crazy bastard¡­

 Chapter 820: The Last (53)

    <h4>Chapter 820: The Last (53)</h4>


    ¡°The warrior who inherited the holy spear denied the will of the Son of Light, and¡­¡±


    -Stop.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°So the living and the dead¡­¡±


    -Stop it. I¡¯m serious.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    -Even in this kind of situation¡­


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s because I¡¯m in a good mood. How can you stand still looking at this now?¡±


    -I¡¯m annoyed. What can I do? Please refrain from speaking like that. I¡¯m more nervous than annoyed.


    ¡°What are you nervous about?¡±


    -I think you¡¯re changing.


    ¡°What?¡±


    -You seem to be changing. It¡¯s embarrassing to say this, and I am ashamed of myself for even thinking about it, but I¡¯m anxious. I don¡¯t know your situation well, which makes me wonder¡­ What should I do if you really be a god? If you stay there for a long time, will you lose your personality or something?


    ¡°That¡¯s not going to happen.¡±


    -What if it does? Have you ever assumed that these people would really ept you as a god, and that would cause a setback ining down? What about the possibility of the continent¡¯s will not allowing it? If it¡¯s generally not allowed for those at the top toe down, if all the continental people regard you as an object of faith, I think it might have a negative impact on the n.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    -I¡¯m just telling you that there is nothing wrong with being careful. Maybe it¡¯s because I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m saying, but¡­ it doesn¡¯t feel like something easy to do. Of course, being annoyed is the biggest reason, but¡­ if possible, please stop.


    Cho Hyejin¡¯s anxiety as she looked at the State caught my eye.


    ¡®She only gave me one more unnecessary worry¡­¡¯


    However, I thought it was worth thinking about as I watched what was going on below.


    The sight of the Empire soldiers and the fighters of the State creating a scene from a myth made me forget what to say. The name of the dungeon being called the Continent where the Son of Light was Sacrificed the event¡¯s content that followed the Son of Light probably amplified her anxiety.


    Maybe the continent was trying to turn Lee Kiyoung into a god. It was as if a transcendent power might need Lee Kiyoung. Now that I thought about it, I remembered Cho Hyejin was very relieved when I sent the Holy Spear and treated her as usual.


    ¡®Is this what Hyunsung is feeling too?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t really consider it.


    There was a possibility that he thought that my personality had been cut off, that I had be something other than a human, that I would be very different from before.


    Maybe he thought the continent was preventing me from heading down.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t think about that.¡¯


    He was probably nervous and anxious, so it wouldn¡¯t have been unreasonable for him to have strange thoughts. Like Cho Hyejin, I thought it would be good to talk openly once in a while, but¡­ I thought it would be good to think about this a little more.


    This was because making fun of her should be my priority.


    ¡°Oh¡­ our Hyejin was worried?¡±


    -Shut up.


    ¡°Aww¡­ Were you worried? I¡¯m so happy. Kiyoung is happy.¡±


    -Shut up! Seriously. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t want to talk¡­


    ¡°You worry too much, our Hyejin¡­¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°Our Hyeji-¡±


    -Shut up! Bastard! Shut up! Shut up! Stop!


    ¡°Ah¡­ okay.¡±


    -Don¡¯t mess with me. Please stop¡­


    I could see her blushing. She seemed embarrassed, which was the first time I¡¯d seen her look like that. She was probably very regretful, thinking that she said something useless and that she shouldn¡¯t have done so in the first ce.


    With this, Cho Hyejin tried to change the subject in a hurry.


    -Vice Guild Master¡­ you¡­


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    -Did you expect this to happen?


    As an extension of the question she asked earlier, I thought she wanted to change the subject fast.


    ¡°Yes. I was expecting it.¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°I was expecting our Hyejin to be worried about me¡­¡±


    -Fuck! Son of a bitch! Enough!


    ¡°Oh, okay, okay! I¡¯ll stop. Don¡¯t throw the spear away. I won¡¯t do it anymore.¡±


    -You¡¯re going to pay. One more, and you¡¯ll pay.


    ¡°I said okay. Well¡­ To be honest, I didn¡¯t expect it. How will this turn out? What is the correct answer? How can I get it right?¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous. I¡¯m really not going to do it.¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°I think there may have been several branches of thought and possibilities. There must have been a way to hunt the named monsters, and there must have been a way to convince the ghosts of the Empire. There may be a way I hadn¡¯t thought of. I did not make the choice, but Oscar, no, Alice did. The results haven¡¯te out yet, so it seems like I¡¯m already ahead of myself¡­ Still, I think she made the right decision.¡±


    -Are you saying that it is Alice¡¯s ability to awaken the spirit of the State?


    ¡°Well. I don¡¯t know that either. But I think the chances are high. It seems that it is far from the picture that Jihye is thinking¡­¡±


    -And Alice¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s a little difficult to exin. I don¡¯t even know how this is possible.¡±


    It was weird to say this, but honestly, I could only describe it as a miracle.


    After all, in Alice¡¯s status window, she didn¡¯t realize her special ability, nor did she grow as an adventurer and summon the spirit of the State.


    If I had to borate on it, wouldn¡¯t it be that when she grabbed Cho Hyejin¡¯s spear, the divinity flowed into her, and it gave strength to her cry?


    Considering a number of things, that seemed to be the most usible hypothesis.


    ¡ªRevolution! Comrades! Revolution!


    ¡°Let¡¯s raise the g of our struggle here once again!¡±


    Otherwise, perhaps those souls just wanted to reach out to Alice¡­


    A lot of things outside ofmon sense happened on the continent.


    It might be mostfortable to think of it as a miracle, like the citizens of the State fighting over there.


    -That¡¯s amazing. Thinking that this sight might really be a miracle¡­ it feels a little overwhelming.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -Sometimes I wonder if you could reallye back here. I sincerely hope that you will return here. I am fighting for that.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -So what should I do now? Go to Laios? If not¡­ to the Federation¡­


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    As I slowly turned my gaze, I could see them preparing in their respective positions.


    Kim Hyunsung finally decided to move to the north, and although he seemed a little hesitant, I could see him spreading his wings.


    ¡®Will he be able to handle this?¡¯


    I felt like he wasn¡¯t even sure about it himself and like his body was shaking.


    -It looks like there will be a battle in the Federation. I don¡¯t think Cha Heera will need help, but¡­ adding a hand¡­


    ¡°That wouldn¡¯t be bad, either.¡±


    -Or how about Laios?


    ¡°Laios¡­¡±


    When I turned my head once more, I saw Jung Hayan, Han Sora, and Park Deokgu.


    Of course, I could also see Laios.


    It was the same as back then. Priests were seen praying, and the evacuation procession continued. Pristina, the leader of the neutral nation, was weing Jung Hayan, looking nervous. I could see her looking at her, ashamed.


    -Thank¡­ Thank you for visiting Laios once again, Jung Hayan, Park Deokgu, and Han Sora.


    -No worries. Long time no see, Pristina.


    -I wanted to meet you all again at a much better time¡­ I¡¯m sorry for not being able to wee you properly due to this situation, but I have no choice but to ask for your help again¡­


    -Don¡¯t worry too much. If that falls, Laios isn¡¯t the only ce in danger. The fate of the entire continent will be at stake¡­ Being able to follow in hyung-nim¡¯s footsteps once again is essential.


    -However¡­


    -There¡¯s no need to be so sorry! Actually, finding the key to the dungeon is more meaningful than protecting Laios. I¡¯m sorry if that¡¯s a little selfish, but this quest is that important to us¡­ Rather, I want to ask Pristina to cooperate with us.


    -Thank you for worrying, Park Deokgu. I have nothing to say other than thank you very much. In my name, I promise to the heroes of Laios once again. For our kingdom¡­


    -Then I-I¡­ p-please¡­


    -Yes, Jung Hayan! Please feel free to tell me anything.


    -T-The temple of the magic god¡­


    -Yes?


    -Jung Hayan, can I speak on your behalf?


    -Ah¡­ yes. Sora can do it.


    -So¡­ Jung Hayan wants to build a magic tower here, Pristina. It is a new type of research institute centered on wizards who believe in and follow Jung Hayan, a giant tower like a temple. They have already made a trial model in Lindel, are satisfied with the sessful result, and want to build a second tower in Laios.


    -Ah¡­


    -Financial support is not required, so I would like to ask you to prepare a site¡­


    -Naturally. Of course, I will! Rather, I should be the one asking you that, Jung Hayan.


    -T-Then, t-that¡¯s it¡­


    -We promise that we will spare no expense in supporting you. Laios will not hold back.


    -Then, I guess that¡¯s enough for greetings¡­ I think it would be better to proceed with the task at hand now.


    Rather than Jung Hayan¡¯s smile, Park Deokgu¡¯s worried expression stood out.


    Even during the conversation, his face remained the same.


    It had been a while since I didn¡¯t see him look yful, and when he confirmed that Pristina wasn¡¯t in their sight, he slowly opened his mouth.


    - Well, I¡¯m nervous about this.


    -¡­


    -At that time, hyung-nim was with us. Of course, I know that Hayan has grown stronger, but still¡­ to be here without him¡­ Thinking that we have to stop that, I feel anxious¡­ and all sorts of other things. Sora, you feel the same, right?


    -Yes? I¡­ I am a bit like that too.


    -There seems to be a battle going on in the State. As we expected, this dungeon is following in his footsteps. The ghosts of the old Empire won¡¯t be relevant to the dungeon raid, but I feel something is going on in this ce as well. He¡¯ll probably be here if I¡¯m right.


    -W-What?


    -The man who is moving the magic above here.


    -Ah¡­ Yes¡­


    -The viin who summoned the Great Demon. Demon Summoner¡­ from the Republic. Perhaps Laios¡¯ invasion is closely rted to him. It¡¯s more or less certain.


    ¡®That¡¯s usible.¡¯


    It was an inference that I would normally ignore, but¡­


    I was thinking a little serious about it too. There was something about it that made sense.


    The great trash that terrorized the continent and Laios.


    A demon who didn¡¯t even have the minimum sense of ethics that a human should have.


    The guy who tried to burn Laios in its entirety only for his own gains.


    ¡°Demon Summoner Jin Qing.¡±


    I had no choice but to say the name again, which was already taboo on the continent.

 Chapter 821: The Last (54)

    <h4>Chapter 821: The Last (54)</h4>


    I couldn¡¯t say there was no possibility. The Laios incident and the linked event that would follow, called the Republic War, couldn¡¯t be discussed without mentioning him.


    It was simr to a core named boss, or¡­


    ¡®There is a possibility that he will appear like how an NPC would¡­¡¯


    These events nned by Jihye wouldn¡¯t have been made to simply follow me.


    If she wanted to show how much Lee Kiyoung sacrificed for the continent, I could only think of him having the role of the named monster of Laios this time.


    The vision of the Son of Light couldn¡¯t be seen there.


    The named monsters of the main event, the State Revolution, were the revolutionary version of Lee Kiyoung. The ones that would appear in the Federation against Heera were Doom Kiyoung and Belial, and the viins that would appear in the northern part were the outer beings.


    ¡®It would be strange if none appeared there.¡¯


    There was a possibility that we just hadn¡¯t discovered it yet, and it might be unlocked only when other conditions were met¡­


    The fact that magical energy was constantly floating above Laios seemed to indicate that he was somewhere around it.


    Jihye knew him well, too, after all. The question was how the Demon Summoner settled there.


    Even if she got permission from the system and worked under Lucifer¡¯s support¡­


    ¡®It would be impossible.¡¯


    It would be a little different depending on how one would use it, but¡­ it was impossible to resurrect him to full form. If he got an important role, he could get a personality by bing a named monster, but I wasn¡¯t sure if he was the real Demon Summoner or just a puppet at that point.


    ¡®I¡¯ll think about this when I see himter.¡¯


    Because nothing had been decided yet.


    -Demon Summoner Jin Qing¡­ you mean¡­


    -That¡¯s right. I¡¯m afraid to even say it. Of course, while fighting various battles, gaining experience, and meeting various viins, we grew and developed, but¡­ no viin was as scary as him. Even after everything was over, with a voice overshadowed by evil, he screamed that he was not a demon summoner while crying¡­ I read the madness in his eyes.


    -Ah¡­ Yes.


    -He reminded me of what it would look like if a human were really demonized. Well, don¡¯t you remember it too, Sora? Hyung-nim and Hayan¡­ were also in danger. I wasn¡¯t strong enough at the time, but it¡¯s a memory I don¡¯t want to recall again. Such was the brutality of the Republic that made their troops believe and follow blindly, turning them into undead. He was the opposite of hyung-nim.


    -That¡¯s right¡­


    -Well, they say you can only see as far as your skills let you¡­ Now I think I know better how dangerous he is. At one time, there were rumors that a demon was manipting him to do things, but no matter if it was a guild or a mysterious ck magic cult¡­ considering that his influence stretches across the world and through time, even in this peaceful moment¡­


    - S-Still¡­ This time, Jung Hayan is here.


    -You¡¯re right. We can trust her. It¡¯s not just Hayan. You and I have grown too. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll be able to get through it.


    Apparently, in Park Deokgu¡¯s memory, Jin Qing was more clearly engraved.


    Most of the humans on the continent probably had the same thoughts as Park Deokgu.


    After all, he was the beginning and end of the continent¡¯s danger, and that wasn¡¯t even an exaggeration. It was probably because of this that he had a more serious face than usual.


    -By the way¡­ Hayan.


    -¡­


    -Why isn¡¯t that falling?


    -I-I don¡¯t know¡­ It d-doesn¡¯t matter whether it f-falls or not. I¡¯m going to disassemble it anyway.


    -¡­


    -I-I have to disassemble it before it falls. I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯m doing it n-now.


    -Is that¡­ possible?


    ¡®She¡¯s really great.¡¯


    Park Deokgu was looking at Jung Hayan in disbelief, and I, too, couldn¡¯t help but feel disconcerted.


    ¡®Disassemble it before it falls?¡¯


    -I-I-It¡¯s just a bunch of magic anyway¡­


    Did Jihye expect this? There seemed to be no limit to Jung Hayan¡¯s magic, to the extent that it might be faster to ask what was impossible than what was possible.


    ¡®That¡¯s why the magic god concept works.¡¯


    If I were a wizard, I would have thought of Jung Hayan as the object of my faith.


    Seemingly, Han Sora began to draw arge magic circle, which was probably to superimpose various magic spells to avoid Laios falling into the sphere of influence of the deconstruction.


    Jung Hayan, being seemingly rxed was making me wonder if this was really a crisis right now; she was quite impressive. Han Sora stepped outside for a moment while drawing the magic circle and spread a mat. Taking something out of the pic box, she took care of Jung Hayan¡¯s meal there.


    Hayan wouldn¡¯t have lifted a finger in the past, but now I could see her helping her.


    -You can stay still. You are now¡­


    -I-It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll help too.


    In fact, she didn¡¯t help much. She just spread the tip of the mat and dusted it off, but considering Han Sora¡¯s slightly moved face, it seemed to have an effect.


    Park Deokgu, who easily assimted into the atmosphere, was also adjusting well without being embarrassed by the sudden mood change.


    After Jung Hayan finished her meal and drank tea, Han Sora finished drawing the magic circle.


    Having put the magic power in andpleted the test operation, she immediately stood up.


    ¡®She¡¯s chanting a spell.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know when she started. Maybe it was right after she came there.


    As expected, it didn¡¯t take long for a strong wind to blow around her.


    Park Deokgu seemed to havee to his senses at that moment. He picked up his shield and became alert.


    He probably recalled Jung Hayan and I blocking the magic from falling from above, and he and Han Sora had to stop the demons of Jin Qing from attacking.


    Of course, the situation was different from before. The soldiers of Laios escorting Jung Hayan, Han Sora, and Park Deokgu, were also present, and the support team was also visible.


    The wizards from the magic tower and the guilds and ns prepared themselves for any unexpected situations.


    Unlike Jung Hayan and Han Sora, who looked rxed, the tense faces of those who came with them were evident.


    Of course, the magic old men were looking at Jung Hayan with the mindset that they believed in their granddaughter, but I could sense fear on the faces of others.


    It was probably because they knew that they would be erased from existence if whatever was floating in the sky exploded. Thinking of it as a nuclear warhead hovering over their heads, the horror they felt was understandable.


    Some soldiers quietly closed their eyes and prayed for it not to drop, while others murmured that she could do it.


    Her spell exploded when their anxiety reached its peak.


    Various branches of light emanated from Jung Hayan¡¯s staff.


    It was dazzling, almost like she thought it was important to stand out. It was enough to make even Han Sora¡¯s jaw drop.


    -Hiyaaaaa!


    The contrived sound of cheering was purely for the public to hear. Han Sora looked at her and rummaged through her bag.


    She prepared the pamphlets for the Goddess of Magic that she had made a few days ago, so the tension faded even more, but after a while, her expression began to look abnormal.


    -Huh?


    Jung Hayan looked at her, puzzled. Han Sora spoke to her, noticing something was wrong.


    -Jung Hayan?


    -T-The magic doesn¡¯t seem to work.


    -What?


    -The magic isn¡¯t working¡­


    -That¡¯s¡­


    -I-I guess this isn¡¯t magic. I don¡¯t think we did anything wrong.


    -¡­


    -Um¡­


    -Wait, Jung Hayan. I¡¯ll investigate it. Yes. Oh, Li-ahn¡­ No, Ms. Park Li-ahn. Over there now¡­ yes, oh¡­ Yes. Okay. Yes, yes. Ah¡­ Yes. I¡¯ve confirmed.


    ¡®This is it.¡¯


    Even Han Sora had noticed.


    If that were a normal magic power or magic remnants, it would be natural to think she couldn¡¯t break it down.


    Seeing her contacting various ces, she seemed to have anticipated why that was happening too. I reached a conclusion swiftly. Perhaps¡­


    -I think it¡¯s the system, Jung Hayan. It¡¯s kind of like a forced dungeon event or forced quest, so there must be a procedure. It seems they are still protected¡­ for now, the people of the magic tower will take care of this ce, so we should find another way¡­


    -Ah¡­


    -You don¡¯t have to be disappointed. We¡¯ll get another chance. There is an event quest in the State, but it hasn¡¯t happened in Laios yet. I think there must be some kind of trigger.


    -It must be that bastard! Surely the Demon Summoner is here! I¡¯m sure we need to find him first, Hayan.


    -R-R-Right.


    Several eyes were on Jung Hayan as she looked around Laios.


    It felt like she was looking for hints while trying to look for Jin Qing.


    It was a little grotesque to see the Anemone¡¯s Eyes fluttering around in search of a target, but it worked.


    -Look there. At the cave! He might be in there!


    -It may not be him, Jung Hayan. Would you like to speak with Pristina again?


    -He¡¯s definitely in there since that¡¯s where he summoned the demon. That¡¯s the ce where we first met¡­ We have to go there.


    -N-N-No. W-When we first met¡­ for sure¡­


    As soon as Jung Hayan chanted a spell while holding Han Sora and Park Deokgu¡¯s hands, they began to move.


    Park Deokgu looked confused, and Han Sora¡¯s was simply curious.


    -I-It¡¯s here.


    -Right¡­ I remember now. It was from here¡­


    -I can¡¯t see him here, Sora.


    -What? Then¡­


    -Yes. I can¡¯t see him even with my eyes from here. I-I think we should just go in.


    -Should we just go in without any preparation?


    -W-we¡¯re strong enough to kill him. Just blow his head off.


    Park Deokgu went inside the door without hesitation, and Jung Hayan was following him while chanting a spell, but¡­


    ¡®I don¡¯t feel good about that. Something¡¯s not right¡­ ¡®


    Just as I expected¡­


    [The main event of the mythic-grade dungeon, The Continent Where the Son of Light was Sacrificed, the Demon Summoner, begins.]


    ¡ª¡­


    ¡®This is the worst¡­ this¡­¡¯


    ¡ª¡­


    ¡®Really¡­ It¡¯s the worst¡­¡¯


    It was the worst hypothesis I had ever thought of.


    ¡ªWhy¡­ don¡¯t we y a little game?


    I could see the Demon Summoner sitting at the table and looking ahead.

 Chapter 822: The Last (55)

    <h4>Chapter 822: The Last (55)</h4>


    ¡®So this is your n.¡¯


    I tapped my thigh with my fingers nervously. I had thought there would be quite a bit of difficulty, but it might be more than I expected.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this too difficult?¡¯


    It wouldn¡¯t be unreasonable to look again at the Demon Summoner that I hadn¡¯t seen in a long time. It was like a reenactment of the first meeting.


    There was an arrogance that couldn¡¯t be exined in his expression, quietly looking at Jung Hayan and Park Deokgu.


    It didn¡¯t reveal anything but his confidence in his abilities. He was that kind of human. He was a man who revealed himself, and he was the kind of man who never doubted his judgment.


    He was like Jihye and me, yet different.


    He never revealed his vulnerable point or any weakness. He had the arrogance that matched his abilities, and he didn¡¯t hide it.


    ¡®It¡¯s a little too much to call it bluffing.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t exaggerate, after all. He was the kind of person who hated bluffing.


    He might not have hated it from the start, but he would have started loathing it after a few incidents.


    Wouldn¡¯t it be best to say that he was showing himself as he was? He was a different kind of genius from Kim Hyunsung, Cha Hee-ra, and Jung Hayan.


    Jin Qing would have been the kind of man chosen not only on this continent but also on Earth.


    ¡®Just looking at that bastard annoys me.¡¯


    The three who came into the room were wary of him.


    Park Deokgu immediately raised his shield and prepared to attack, and Jung Hayan began chanting a spell, but it probably wouldn¡¯t work. The system protected him.


    This forced quest couldn¡¯t be solved by brute force. Perhaps it would be that kind of quest.


    As if she had already realized that, Han Sora quietly grabbed Jung Hayan¡¯s hand. Park Deokgu, who was reading the atmosphere, quietly put down his shield and observed him.


    -What¡­ the hell is¡­


    -It¡¯s like a forced event. Magical or physical methods cannot solve it. Perhaps winning this game is the only way to solve the Laios problem. I don¡¯t know what game it is, but¡­


    -I-I-I saw oppa ying it¡­


    - Well, I think I remember too¡­ A-anyway, what are we going to do now?


    ¡ªA game.


    -¡­


    -¡­


    -¡­


    ¡ªLiterally. It¡¯s simple. You may find it convenient to think of it that way. It may look a little moreplicated than things like chess, but¡­ Wait, have you ever heard of this?


    -Well, of course, I haven¡¯t.


    There was arge board on the table. As I had seen before, it appeared to consist of dozens of chess pieces.


    The difference was that the map was different, and unlike the previous one that seemed to be randomly created, the current map had the appearance of the continent.


    It was like a mini version of the continent. The battlefield centered on Laios and the Republic was the same as¡­


    ¡®The Republic War.¡¯


    It reminded me of thest war that would start after this event.


    On top of the part of it that looked like Laios, a huge ball of magic was floating, and the pieces waiting at the ce where thest battle would ur stood out.


    Among them, there were pieces with the appearance of Jung Hayan and Park Deokgu.


    There was even a piece in the shape of Kim Hyunsung. Soldiers, wizards, knights, assassins were all detailed as well. Each n and guild, as well as various troops, were visible as well.


    ¡®The Republic is also in this camp.¡¯


    I naturally realized that there was no separate quest chain.


    In fact, from the first time I saw him, from the moment I saw the board on the table, I was aware of it. The special event that began there, Demon Summoner, was no different than the quest that ran through the Laios Demon Summoning Event and the War of the Republic.


    Perhaps¡­


    ¡ªActually, I don¡¯t even need to exin the basic rules. This is a miniature version of the war. It¡¯s a war game in which you divide your camp into two, and twomanders will face each other. Oh, and one more thing¡­


    -¡­


    ¡ªThe danger is real.


    -What¡­


    ¡ªThink of these little pieces as actually being alive.


    -What¡­


    ¡ªThe defeated camp¡¯s pieces that were taken out will actually lose their lives.


    -T-That¡¯s crazy¡­


    ¡ªOf course, apart from that, the magic will fall in Laios as nned if you lose. Winning this game is the content of the event, and there is no other way to finish it. I¡¯m speaking in my name. What I have said now is the truth without a single lie.


    -Well, how can we believe in the Demon Summoner¡¯s words¡­


    ¡ª¡­


    Somehow, it seemed like that its difficulty level was the highest. The risk was also great.


    Frankly, it was absurd. Even if I yed, I wasn¡¯t sure if I would be able to beat it.


    ¡®Is it really a beatable quest in the first ce?¡¯


    Of course, it was. The demon summoner directly taught us himself how to finish it.


    The strategy was too simple. If they won the game against Jin Qing, everything is over.


    It was no different than telling them to catch the boss since there was one. The problem was that the boss we had to deal with was Kim Hyunsung.


    Jin Qing was at least as desperate as Kim Hyunsung in this field.


    Park Deokgu, Jung Hayan, and Han Sora were notmanders, nor had they ever operatedrge troops in the first ce. Even if themand teams of the continent came, I didn¡¯t think they¡¯d be able to score points against him.


    It wasn¡¯t that there weren¡¯t any talented people out there, but¡­ he went beyond the level ofpetence. The first thought that came to mind was, again, cheating.


    ¡®They could just lose on purpose.¡¯


    I meant petty tricks. To relinquish victory in the first ce and y the game.


    If all the pieces of the defeated camp didn¡¯t lose their lives, they would be able to fight to protect them.


    If they chose to discard Laios after the game was over to protect important pieces or the main force, wouldn¡¯t it be possible to finish the event with minimal damage?


    If they chose to lose all the pieces by resisting to the very end, it might be convenient to throw away the least amount of troops and Laios.


    I was relieved that Jihye had provided a way to escape, but even that wouldn¡¯t be easy.


    He wouldn¡¯t let things go that way.


    -What¡­ What should we do?


    -I-I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a matter¡­ to judge hastily. So, Jin Qing. May I ask you a few questions?


    ¡ªAs you wish.


    -What happens to the yer who loses the game?


    ¡ªNothing will happen to the yer.


    -What if we do not ept the game¡­


    ¡ªThere are no cases where the game does not start.


    -Are there any other rules we should be aware of?


    ¡ªThere is not. I¡¯m also willing to provide you with a rule book if you¡¯re suspicious.


    -Only one yer can y?


    ¡ªIt doesn¡¯t matter how many.


    -Can we switch yers during the game? No. If one of us three¡­


    ¡ªI don¡¯t care if other peoplee and shift in. However, as the event time passes, the amount of magic power floating on Laios will increase. Starting from now.


    Seeing Sora collecting information about it step by step, I thought it was fortunate that she¡¯s there.


    Once the way to physically stop him waspletely blocked, Jung Hayan had nothing to do, and in Park Deokgu¡¯s case¡­


    -This is trouble. Doesn¡¯t this mean that as time goes by, that magic power will turn from a snowball to an avnche? Shouldn¡¯t we y now? I think we should¡­


    -No¡­ that¡¯s¡­


    -Well, someone has to quickly start it. Try contacting anyone¡­ Otherwise, I don¡¯t think it would be bad to be in charge for a while¡­ He said we could change it in the middle of the game! For now, I think it would be good to do that!


    ¡®Stop it with the bullsh*t, bastard.¡¯


    -Wait.


    -No, there really is no other way than that. The way to stop that him¡­ If there is no way, I will¡­


    ¡®This pig bastard, really.¡¯


    ¡ª¡­


    -Is there no chance that there¡¯s another way?


    -I-I¡¯m looking for one.


    -Since it¡¯s already like this¡­


    -Wait! Wait a minute. Park Deokgu!


    -We don¡¯t have time for this!


    -S-Sora asked you to wait.


    -Calm down. There¡¯s still time. Er¡­ Jung Hayan. Can you check how much time is left before the magic power expands and explodes?


    -A-About an hour?


    -Thank you. We still have about an hour left. There is no need for us to proceed with the game. It will be better to leave it to the fieldmanders of the continent. First, I think it would be good to contact manager Kim Mi-young or other people in the guild¡­ W-would that be okay, Jung Hayan?


    -I-I¡¯ll leave it to you.


    -Thank you.


    ¡®I¡¯m really d Han Sora is there.¡¯


    She had been saving the continent every time, but that was the first time she saved it in this way.


    Just imagining Park Deokguing in alone and sitting with Jin Qing was enough to make me stressed, so what more did I need to say? He had to study tactics, and he seemed to be unexpectedly talented, but putting Park Deokgu on that stage was suicidal.


    They wouldn¡¯t be able to throw all the named ones of the continent into the fire pit, let alone cheat.


    Thanks to Han Sora, the initial response seemed to be going well.


    When they realized that they were out of scope, they first asked him a question.


    ¡®This was the trap.¡¯


    ¡°No¡­ this bastard¡­ are you really an NPC?¡±


    At first nce, it looked like Jihye created it. Still, after seeing him not bothering to divulge unnecessary information, I had no choice but to reconsider the possibility of him having consciousness.


    If Han Sora hadn¡¯t asked the question, they wouldn¡¯t have known that they could change yers, that the game didn¡¯t have to start right away, and that winning or losing the game wouldn¡¯t affect them.


    I didn¡¯t know if there was a restriction on answering the question, so perhaps¡­ to some extent¡­


    ¡®You mean you have free will, right? Then how about your memory? Do you remember anything?¡¯


    -Wait. I want to ask you one more question. Are you Jin Qing himself?


    ¡ªI will not answer that.


    ¡®This bastard.¡¯


    -Well, are you really the Demon Summoner?! I¡¯m asking if you¡¯re the vicious Jin Qing that made the continent tremble in fear!


    ¡ªI will not answer.


    -Who are you?


    ¡ªIt would be easier to think of me as an event monster in the dungeon.


    His face was stiff, sitting calmly and speaking using a formal tone.


    He seemed to be ignoring them and observing.


    One thing was for sure. He was different. Maybe he decided to get a different role, so it felt like his quality was different from the ghosts in the State.


    Either way, I had no choice but to speak up. Because in this case, there were no other options.


    ¡°Hyejin, let¡¯s get ready.¡±


    -What¡­


    ¡°Let¡¯s show the power of friendship. You¡¯re still sharp, right?¡±

 Chapter 823: The Last (56)

    <h4>Chapter 823: The Last (56)</h4>


    -Sigh¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much about it, Hyejin.¡±


    -How could I not worry? This is not just a game. This¡­


    ¡°Well¡­ It¡¯s the same with war. Why are you acting like you¡¯ve nevermanded a military force? Responsibility always follows¡­ It¡¯s no different this time around.¡±


    -This and that are different.


    ¡°Gosh¡­¡±


    -I don¡¯t like to lead the field even in war, but I will feel even more out of ce in this case. It is not something I can do sanely since just moving a piece might blow someone¡¯s life away. This is the first time I¡¯m going to say this, but I instinctively reject ying with human lives¡­


    ¡®Look at her saying famous lines again.¡¯


    ¡°But what can I do? The only person I can think of right now is you.¡±


    ¡®Well¡­ It¡¯s pretty understandable.¡¯


    -Sigh¡­


    She still looked like she didn¡¯t want to do it.


    As she said, her intuition declined such drastic notions.


    In fact, she seemed to be afraid of the act of betting people¡¯s lives rather than the burden itself.


    Perhaps, if the war had actually happened, she wouldn¡¯t have felt a sense of repulsion to this extent.


    ¡®Gosh¡­¡¯


    Typical psychopathicmanders like Jin Qing and Jihye would probably not understand Cho Hyejin even for the rest of their lives.


    ¡®I understand because I¡¯m the same. I¡¯m just being honest. How can anyone y a game where they use people as chess pieces? What kind of crazy people came up with this idea?¡¯


    I felt somewhat proud of the fact that I was closer to her than those two.


    She and I got along well for a reason.


    I didn¡¯t want to send her on such a painful mission at all, but I couldn¡¯t think of anyone other than her who was suitable for it.


    I wondered if it would be good to send Song Sookyung, but he was out since he had work to do while Jung Hayan was tied up, and Kim Hyunsung also had to spend time with the angels in the north. More than anything¡­


    ¡®It suits her disposition.¡¯


    If not satisfied, she had to fight with defeat in mind. She wouldn¡¯t start intending to lose, but she¡¯d most likely start a fight that preserved as many troops as possible as a precaution.


    Of course, I highly appreciated her ability, but perhaps she would y that game more carefully than anyone else if it were her.


    After a while, she slowly nodded, opened the door, and began to move. Park Deokgu and Han Sora, waiting for her, looked relieved.


    -Well¡­ You finally arrived!


    ¡ª¡­


    ¡°This is obvious, but you have to hide that you can talk to me.¡±


    She didn¡¯t say anything, but she was probably listening.


    ¡ªIf you are ready, please let me know.


    ¡®I hate to see him pretending to be rxed.¡¯


    -Hey, Hyejin, has Hayan given you a brief exnation?


    -Cho Hyejin.


    -Yes. Yes. I know the gist of it. The information that Sora gathered was very helpful.


    For a brief moment, the people surrounded Cho Hyejin.


    ¡ªIt¡¯s you.


    -It will be convenient for you to think that I¡¯m the one who has the final decision-making power. I heard that it doesn¡¯t matter if many people y¡­


    ¡ªYes. I don¡¯t mind.


    -There are several requirements.


    ¡ªI¡¯ll consider it.


    -We need some time to understand the troops and the rules before starting this event. The information you gave us is insufficient. I need to know in detail what roles my troops can perform and whether they are affected by stats, supply status, morale, or other aspects. With you, who knows everything, as an opponent, it¡¯s difficult to proceed with this quest¡­


    ¡ªI will allow it.


    -I¡¯m telling you to stop the magic that¡¯s expanding on Laios.


    ¡ª¡­


    -¡­


    ¡ªYes. I¡¯ll do that.


    -I will also ask you for a minimum amount of information about the troops you will be operating.


    That was appropriate. With such knowledge, there would be room formunication. We should know about his soldiers as much as he knew about ours.


    Of course, there was a possibility that he didn¡¯t know about theposition of our army, but the chances were slim.


    No, even if he said he didn¡¯t know, we wouldn¡¯t believe him, considering he was a member of the Republic.


    -I¡¯ll ask for at least equal to what you know about our forces. Where is the enemy I have to fight with my troops?


    ¡ªIt¡¯s better to assume that the rangers from both sides have been asking for information as if they were actually at war.


    [A letter from the ck Swan Guild¡¯s Information Department has arrived. Overall key information is disyed, including the detailed military strength of the Demon Summoner.]


    -We cannot rule out the possibility that the letter you sent us contains incorrect information. I will refuse.


    It had to have been around this time that he started to look interested.


    ¡ªEverything in it is factual. You may find it convenient to think of it as just a device for entertainment. Rather¡­ How about having a cup of tea?


    It was entertaining to see him being friendly. Watching the guy who might be just a bunch of programs doing something like that was funny, but if he was well made, he should be able to do that with ease.


    Basically, he enjoyed socializing with capable people. In particr, he probably especially liked smart ones. When he heard the rumor that I was a genius, he immediately tried to test me out. It was as if he felt a sense of kinship with those he thought to be elite.


    Of course, that expression wouldn¡¯t be able to define his psychology.


    His sense of kinship was based on his superiority over others.


    ¡®I think it would be more appropriate to call it a simple interest.¡¯


    Yes. Interest. That was all it was. He looked like he found something interesting and entertaining.


    -I will decline.


    ¡ªThat¡¯s a shame.


    Cho Hyejin slowly read the information the ranger gave her.


    Of course, she wasn¡¯t just still. She was putting all the information in her head and delivering it to the situation room.


    Themand infrastructure that the Blue Guild had wasn¡¯tcking.


    Hwang Jeong-yeon, who had long-term memory, and manager Kim Mi-young who helped in areas other thanbat, were the same. In fact, some of themand staff of the Continental Protection and Management Committee had transferred to the Blue Guild.


    Considering that he was short-lived, I thought the possibility wasn¡¯t too low.


    Watching the series of events, the Demon Summoner looked to be in a good mood rather than offended.


    -Yes, manager. I would like the power analysis team topare the powers of both sides.


    ¡ªYou have too many suspicions.


    -It¡¯s just a necessary procedure.


    ¡ªPerhaps it truly is.


    The game had to start fairly, after all. That was just a means to prevent the possibility that the troops¡¯ quality Jin Qing was equipped with would be far stronger.


    He didn¡¯t even have to say anything else, but he seemed to want to speak, so he took a sip of his tea and talked to Hyejin.


    ¡ªThe power you have will be more dominant. Although our special forces have different expertise, you can counter or offset them sufficiently with your resources. For example, in the case of the undead soldiers I have, they will show a weak side to the priests and pdins of the State. The undeads do not need supplies, but their equipment is poor. If they don¡¯t win the battle, their effectiveness will be reduced, and their dependence on the ck wizard will be high.


    -¡­


    ¡ªck wizards have high firepower by default, but they are easily exposed to assassins, and the basic attack method will not be much different from reality. I have more troops, but the quality of your pieces will be slightly higher than mine.


    [A letter from the Republic Power Analysis Team has arrived. Analyzing and disying the power of the Demon Summoner¡¯s army and the yer¡¯s army.]


    -Please check if there are any errors, Jeong-yeon. Yes. Yes. I confirmed.


    Of course, there was no error.


    Jin Qing wasn¡¯t the kind of person who would y around with things like that, but rather, he had enough room to impose a handicap on himself.


    -What about the existence of citizens? While my troops and I have citizens to protect¡­


    ¡ªThere are power supplies that supply power to ck wizards and demons. Of course, my pieces won¡¯t protect them first, but in the broadest sense, they¡¯re no different than yours. In the case of named pieces¡­


    -Wait.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say anything useless, Hyejin.¡±


    -I don¡¯t want you to call them pieces.


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    -Please don¡¯t call this a game or describe them as pieces.


    ¡°Why are you arguing about that? Seriously, what¡¯s up with you?¡±


    ¡ªHahaha¡­


    Heughed spectacrly. That showed that he had figured out what kind of person Cho Hyejin was.


    ¡°Why are you trying to lose the battle before it even starts? Where¡¯s the advantage in saying something like that?¡±


    ¡ªI see.


    -A person¡¯s life is not a chess piece. I didn¡¯t agree to this nonsense to get along with you. I don¡¯t know about your trashy values, but I hope you don¡¯t spit those dirty thoughts at me, Demon Summoner.


    ¡ªWhat would you do if I said no?


    -I¡¯m. Asking. A favor.


    ¡ªI¡¯ll give you an important tip. Your thoughts will hinder the smooth progress of this quest. Don¡¯t you know better? It is a virtue to distinguish between the forces that should be discarded and those that should be saved, and demanding sacrifices is also necessary as amander. Wouldn¡¯t that be easier in the case of this game?


    -¡­


    ¡ªIf you win, no one will actually lose their lives. What is that if not a game¡­


    ¡°Tell him that he doesn¡¯t even know anything about honor.¡±


    -Shut up, you bastard. You know nothing about honor.


    ¡ª¡­


    -They¡¯re those who risk their lives regardless of their will. If you have even the slightest bit of honor left, if you were once a soldier of the Republic, it is right to respect them, no matter what.


    ¡ª¡­


    Our Qing hyung got hit at the right spot.


    ¡ªThis¡­ Okay. You got me. I will ept your request.


    -¡­


    ¡ªSo. It¡¯ll start to get boring for you¡­ why don¡¯t you try doing the event quest? I think I gave you enough time to think, but¡­


    -¡­


    ¡ªOh! And I haven¡¯t been able to tell you before, but¡­ this is information about the named ones.


    Cho Hyejin seemingly couldn¡¯t believe the words that came out of him.


    ¡ªYes. Rather than exining myself¡­ it¡¯s probably faster to see for yourself.


    I looked at the pieces ced in his camp.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Absurdly, it was people I had seen before.


    I could see members of the Demon Order, including Mikhail.


    Lee Seolho, the demon informant.


    Demon worshipper Ito Souta.


    Jung Jinho, the psychopath killer.


    ¡°They¡¯re all familiar faces.¡±


    He smiled.


    ¡ªThen¡­ Let the war begin.

 Chapter 824: The Last (57)

    <h4>Chapter 824: The Last (57)</h4>


    I expected that there would be a card prepared on his side as well since there had to be some bnce control as the power difference was huge.


    Unlike our faction, which owned dozens of named entities, including Kim Hyunsung and Jung Hayan¡­


    ¡®That bastard had nothing.¡¯


    Even if we were up against the Demon Summoner, there was no way he could stop Kim Hyunsung with simple undead beings.


    However, I didn¡¯t expect them to be the cards that could deter our regressor.


    It wasn¡¯t just them. I could see viins that I couldn¡¯t remember well now.


    There were high-ranking ck wizards leading their fellow ck wizards. He truly did seem like he was an expert at it. They might be the victims of Kim Hyunsung¡¯s long-time hatred of them, or maybe they were the viins who met their end at the hands of the Pdins of the Benignore Church.


    Whatever the case, the important thing was that he had a card to fight our transcendent beings. Still¡­


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this overrated? That cowardly bastard¡­¡±


    In fact, I couldn¡¯t criticize him for being a coward since we had Kim Hyunsung, Cha Heera, and Jung Hayan, but I thought it was too much.


    In the case of the demon¡¯s informant Lee Seolho or Mikhail, they weren¡¯tbatants in the first ce. They weremanding and administrative personnel who could help in this war, and they were the ones who managed the troops.


    No, looking closely again, I couldn¡¯t let those bastards out. Weren¡¯t they all showing off their abilities beyond the potential they had at the time?


    Taking Ito Souta as an example, it would be easy to understand. The scenario seemed to be answering what would have happened if those viins had grown properly instead of dying.


    His agility stats were extremely high, making it seem like the quick movements he showed just before he drowned in holy water weren¡¯t just a technique.


    I didn¡¯t remember very well, but it seemed that the sword of the wind, a heroic-grade weapon that he had at the time, became legendary, and rted special abilities had also grown.


    Rtive to his title of Celia¡¯s Wind, he became a swordsman who used the wind, and as if to repay his title as a Demon Worshiper, hepleted the 5-star evolution ending in a ck wind-enclosed sword.


    Not only did he grow properly, but he also acquired the power of a demon.


    ¡®I did a good job of handling him really quickly. If he had signed a contract with a demon and made a mess, it would have been big trouble¡­¡¯


    The ck air currents roamed around him nonstop, disying that his endurance was no longer his weakness. I was speechless at the absurdity of it.


    Apart from him being annoying, he made me want to try to use him. The swordsman, who seemed to be at the height of his glory days, looked pretty cool.


    However, not cooler than the guy near him.


    ¡®Themander of the first round brigade.¡¯


    Psychopath Killer. Jung Jinho.


    I didn¡¯t know why the guy who died in the tutorial was there, but he seemed to be strong enough to make anyone feel like he was prepared to be the opponent of Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡®I don¡¯t think his growth limit was this high.¡¯


    He showed strength beyond his limits in the first round. He had to have been given a gimmick or something that made him ovee the system¡¯s walls or received a demon¡¯s power.


    He wasn¡¯t only well-bnced enough to fit the job of a magic swordsman, but his magic power stat was going through the roof.


    Seeing him with a sword in one hand and drawing a magic circle with the other was impressive.


    Although he seemed to be enchanted, there was a strong feeling that he had all the conditions that matched the fundamentals of psychopaths.


    ¡®I think that¡¯s enough for mass-killing magic.¡¯


    He even had movement spells that could move him short distances very fast.


    It was absurd to see what seemed to have been made only for Jung Hayan in his status window.


    Of course, in his case, he could only move his own body to nearby ces, but it was annoying that he had received such a trick.


    He showed a lot of blood maniption and mediating magic, so I was sure he¡¯d be able to show good efficiency in the field. He might even be beyond our guys in terms of ughtering capabilities.


    Besides him, there were Ki-cheol and Jae-jun, who lost their lives together in the tutorial, the Russian Park Deokgu, who worked with Jin Qing, and the soldiers and officers who followed him.


    Their team was impressive. His deck looked just as much a scam as mine.


    The Demon Summoner, who had brought all demon officials together, started to put his hand on the miniature continent with a diabolic mile. Cho Hyejin also put magical energy in it nervously.


    And¡­


    The pieces that seemed to be standing still began to move.


    -¡­


    ¡®Isn¡¯t that the improved version of Jihye¡¯s dummy world? Is that the Dummy World DLC: Republic Wars or something?¡¯


    It looked like they put some restrictions on it, but it really did look like a dummy world.


    They seemed to be acting and thinking for themselves. I also found conversations that I didn¡¯t understand. I couldn¡¯t hear their voices, but I could tell they were expressing their will.


    [Named entity Kim Hyunsung of the human faction is anxious. He expresses an intention that can¡¯t be conveyed to the yer. His intention has not beenmunicated.]


    [Themand center of the human faction says we need to check our supply status. There seems to be a problem regarding it. The two leaders of the Republic and the State are in conflict. Sending a letter to each yer.]


    [Named entity Kim Hyunsung of the human faction is crying and sad. He expresses a will that can¡¯t be conveyed to the yer. His intention has not beenmunicated.]


    ¡®No, why the fuck is he like that again? Is this a bug?¡¯


    [The Red Mercenary Guild of the human faction says that you must attack first. If the yer¡¯s intention is not clearlymunicated, the Red Mercenary Guild will lead the army.]


    ¡°You know you have to stop that, right?¡±


    ¡ªI think sending my willingness will be enough.


    -¡­


    [Cha Heera of the Red Mercenary Guild epts the yer¡¯smand. Cha Heera insists that she is waiting and that the battle should be fought as soon as possible. ck Swan Guild¡¯s power analysis team wants to first analyze and point out the weakest front of the demon faction. They are leaving it up to the yer to decide.]


    ¡®It¡¯s too organic.¡¯


    The situation itself that progressed in real-time was mind-boggling. Cho Hyejin was also biting her lip. She seemingly wasn¡¯t expecting this, and was thinking that she needed a suitable period of time for adaptation.


    Jin Qing looked at Cho Hyejin as he was giving orders, conveying that he was having fun. He wasn¡¯t serious at all. Maybe it was his consideration for her. No, that couldn¡¯t be it.


    It was more likely because of his desire to enjoy the game a little more. He didn¡¯t want to y a boring match, after all. The priority should be to strengthen the stability.


    Cho Hyejin, who was so focused that I couldn¡¯t tell if she could hear my voice, moved like she knew that too.


    Considering Jin Qing also didn¡¯t move his own troops, he probably had his own personal difficulties.


    He had to unite the voices of the fieldmanders of his army, and wouldn¡¯t he have to suppress the sudden actions of the named entities as well?


    Perhaps the crazy psychopath Jung Jinho was scrambling for a source of magic power or soldiers.


    Ito Souta and Lee Seolho might be trying to seize power within the group together. Basically, they would move based on their pre-installed disposition.


    ¡®Are they obeying the yer¡¯s orders?¡¯


    [The State¡¯s Holy See strongly argues that the power of the demon must be quickly defeated. Pope Basel sends a letter to the yer.]


    Looking at it now¡­


    [The named entity, Pope Basel, respects the yer¡¯s wishes, but he says he can¡¯t ignore the citizens in fear, which is why we need a way to reassure them. Priests and devotees are outraged. He expresses his strong will that the demon cannot be left alone.]


    It didn¡¯t seem to be unconditional obedience.


    Basically, they respected the yers¡¯ wishes, but she needed a carrot and a stick to control them. Cho Hyejin and the situation room were busy trying to calm the citizens, probably already realizing the fact.


    Looking at her giving orders to Oscar, I knew she was trying to put out the most urgent fires first.


    -Yes. Okay. Yes. I checked.


    ¡®Hyejin is adapting quickly. She¡¯s much better than me¡­¡¯


    [The named entity, Oscar, speaks out of respect for the yer¡¯s wishes. She calms the fearful citizens and unites the State. Oscar activates the special skill Diplomacy. She summons the executives of the Republic and other countries. Oscar triggers the special skill Speech. She appeals torge guilds and armed groups to unite as one.]


    ¡®Oscar is good.¡¯


    [The ck wizards of the human faction hide in fear. There is a possibility that they willter turn to the demon faction.]


    ¡®There are also side effects like this.¡¯


    The more I thought about it, the more it felt like a well-made game. Feedback onmands was quick, and it was as if they had applied many variables that were easy to miss.


    In particr, how to control those variables would be an important factor in solving the game.


    [Delivering supplies to the soldiers of the human faction.]


    ¡ªWhat do you think?


    -¡­


    -You¡¯re a boring partner. Well, it¡¯s okay. Rather than useless psychological warfare¡­ this is much better.


    ¡®Do you think she can hear you now?¡¯


    She was too busy focusing on the game. Basically, in order to create the environment that Cho Hyejin wanted, the groundwork would be the most important.


    ¡®It will probably be hard.¡¯


    Of course, I had to think that it wouldn¡¯t be easy to move the troops the way she wanted. She used her forces defensively because there was plenty of room for Jin Qing to execute skirmishes across the ying field. The warlike Red Mercenary Guild and the temple group weren¡¯t likely to not be happy about the yer.


    Naturally, their morale would also be broken because they were locked there¡­


    She also needed to solve the supply predicament if she wanted tost for a long time.


    She had to bnce the main base, not to mention the basic dust-free setting, and she had to raise new walls or drill through supply routes.


    There was also the task of forming a contactwork or creating and delivering a manual for organic movements between groups.


    ¡®Hyejin owns this area.¡¯


    There was no need and no room for me to intervene any further.


    The Blue Guild¡¯smand team wrote out a manual and sent it to Cho Hyejin, who reviewed it and conveyed it or cut it off. While having a meeting with Jung Hayan and Han Sora, she grew even more serious.


    They were having the meeting after taking action in such a way that others couldn¡¯t see or hear their tactics or strategies.


    -We won¡¯t have enough time to control everything. I think it would be better to go ahead with writing the manual first. Yes, I checked. I¡¯ll review it, manager. Okay. I¡¯m going to take back the frontline. Diplomatic Team, please fill out a document to be sent to themanders in charge of each front.


    [Themand center epts the yer¡¯s will and decides to operate the troops defensively. The survival of the main force is the top priority, and except for some named entities and troops, the will of the yer is respected.]


    ¡°Good.¡±


    -Securing a stable supply route is important.


    But war couldn¡¯t be avoided.


    [They agree with the idea of having a safe supply route at themand center. They im that it will be stable if they retake the 15th frontline. Eachmander says thatbat is essential. The Red Mercenary of the human faction wants to go to the battlefield. Sending the ck Swan Rangers.]


    A battle would be inevitable.


    [Checking the information of the forces of the demon faction and the named entity. The named entity¡¯s identity has been confirmed as the Magic Swordsman Jung Jinho, who is currentlymanding the 15th Front.]


    ¡°He¡¯s already aware of it.¡±


    [The human faction is dispatching the named entity¡­]


    ¡°He knew it.¡±


    [Sunset Swordsman Kim Hyunsung.]

 Chapter 825: The Last (58)

    <h4>Chapter 825: The Last (58)</h4>


    [Named entity Kim Hyunsung says he will obey the yer¡¯s orders and will do anything the yer asks him to do. He expresses an intention that can¡¯t be conveyed to the yer. His intention has not yet beenmunicated.]


    ¡°It¡¯s not too bad all in all.¡±


    [The forces of the human faction have gathered, and the battle on the 15th Front will soonmence. The Sunset Swordsman and the Magic Swordsman recognize each other. The named entity Magic Swordsman provokes the Sunset Swordsman, engulfing in confusion and anger. He roars with evil and draws his sword.]


    ¡®No, fuck, is this bad?¡¯


    [The Magic Swordsmanughs at and insults the Sunset Swordsman. The Magic Swordsman wants to fight. The yer of the demon faction respects his will.]


    ¡®I don¡¯t think the atmosphere is an advantageous one.¡¯


    [The battlemences.]


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this a bug?¡¯


    With this, I thought about whether I should protest or not.


    I knew that Kim Hyunsung was mentally weak, but it felt disconcerting to see that even his piece was like that.


    He might have taken a penalty. Considering that he was as mentally weak as he was powerful, it was quite usible.


    ¡®We¡¯re not the only ones having problems.¡¯


    Jin Qing¡¯s named entity, Jung Jinho, also didn¡¯t look sane.


    I guess it would be advantageous to keep my mouth shut for now. If the war situation became unfavorable, there would be room to use the bugs as an excuse or directly protest against Jin Qing.


    If it were Jin Qing, he would probably ept it¡­


    It might seem a little dirty, but it couldn¡¯t be helped. As it was a battle in which the lives of precious continental people were at stake, I had no choice but to ignore the notion of fairness.


    ¡®Yeah, let¡¯s go with this. If we¡¯re ever at a disadvantage, let¡¯s recover as much as possible with that excuse.¡¯


    While I was thinking of various possibilities, Jin Qing and Cho Hyejin were busy manipting the dummy world expansion pack.


    They both knew there was a lot to gain or lose based on the oue of the first battle. Cho Hyejin, who sent Kim Hyunsung right from the get-go, seemed to have made a rather drastic decision, but in reality, that wasn¡¯t the case.


    She was like that.


    It had to havee from her desire to minimize the damage on the human faction.


    It was true that the 15th Front was important for supply, but there was no reason to send Kim Hyunsung there. If it had been confirmed that Jung Jinho was missing, there would have been a way to focus our forces on the other fronts.


    Our gain would be small, but considering the efficiency, there was no reason to tie the Sunset Swordsman card, which had a wide range of capabilities, to the Magic Swordsman.


    She also knew that he was specialized in mass destruction, and the thought of minimizing unnecessary sacrifices most likely created the current battle structure.


    They were making quite a thrilling battle for just a small guy.


    [Themanders of the human forces im they need more troops. They request reinforcements.]


    The soldiers of the human faction and the army of the demon faction were throwing spears at each other.


    Wizards casted spells, and priests continued to chant holy magic.


    The howling and trembling pieces copsed, showing images reminiscent of real war.


    [Some of the people in the human faction have fallen into fear. Priests of the Holy See sang for the glorious light, causing the soldiers to gain courage. They advance, saying they would not sumb to the demons. Status abnormalities offset despair. They roar for victory over fear.]


    [The fieldmanders of the human faction warn you to spare divine power. The number of exhausted priests increases.]


    Cho Hyejin bit her lip as she watched Kim Hyunsung and Jung Jinho swinging their weapons against each other.


    She knew that the named Sunset Swordsman would never get tired, but seeing him collide with Jung Jinho directly, she seemingly became worried.


    After strengthening himself with all kinds of magic, the Magic Swordsman looked happy.


    I didn¡¯t know if he had realized that there was no chance of winning in a head-to-head fight or if he thought he should use his special skill to keep others in check, but it was clear that he put Kim Hyunsung in a difficult position in an annoying way.


    ¡®She chose the wrong battlefield.¡¯


    The method of continuously moving short distances and tying his feet was definitely effective.


    Blood pooling on the floor grabbed onto the regressor¡¯s feet, and his magic got on his nerves.


    It was difficult to tell whether he was fighting with him or just enjoying the war while slicing away at anyone who stood in his way.


    The Sunset Swordsman had no choice but to think that it would be hard for him to deal with the guy as he didn¡¯t distinguish between friend and foe, turning everyone within his reach into corpses.


    Like a psychopath killer, he had no hesitation in using humans as his shield.


    If he felt he was at a disadvantage, he would hide behind a human wall or create a situation where it wouldn¡¯t be easy for Kim Hyunsung to attack.


    Laughing like a madman, he recklesslyunched an offensive.


    Considering my memories of the first round and the tutorial, I thought he might show a decent appearance. However, as the battle got longer, it seemed that he was putting his reason aside to show his true nature.


    ¡®No. He¡¯s different from Hee-ra.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t about letting go of reason. He was more rational than anyone else right now.


    While Kim Hyunsung might not find this process enjoyable, he was the exact opposite. He was umting damage on both sides.


    [Jung Jinho, the Magic Swordsman from the demon faction,ughs in joy and explodes with insanity as he charges on.]


    [The troops of the human faction fall into fear of abnormal conditions. They have grown afraid of Jung Jinho. The fieldmanders insist on stopping him as the battlefield gradually falls into chaos and the forces of both camps begin to entangle. They have entered a state of confusion where they can¡¯t distinguish between ally and foe. The heat of the battlefield rises, and all the soldiers have gone into a frenzied state.]


    ¡®Fuck. I think there¡¯s been a mistake.¡¯


    Jin Qing would have judged that it was an area that had no choice but to surrender. Considering Cho Hyejin¡¯s disposition, it would have been obvious that she would be obsessed with this front. I could probably understand why he put Jung Jinho on a battlefield that had to be won at any cost.


    ¡°He¡¯s just provoking you to have a dogfight. You know that, right?¡±


    -¡­


    He intended to umte damage as much as possible and cut us down. That was very like him.


    They thought of getting benefits even if they had to keep making a snowball and giving away what they had while continuing to undercut the other party.


    Of course, there was no way Cho Hyejin would let them just do it. In addition to reorganizing the troops quickly, fieldmanders with high leadership levels were immediately sent in to encourage the troops.


    [Named entity, Sunset Swordsman Kim Hyunsung raises the Sunset Sword.]


    [The forces of the human faction are released from their frenzied state.]


    [The named entity, Shield of Faith, Park Deokgu, shouts a cry to regroup.]


    [The forces of the human faction rallied once more. They raise their g and begin rebuilding the ranks.]


    -I will reconfigure the n and deliver it to each fieldmander.


    That wasn¡¯t easy.


    It was virtually impossible to reorganize the already ruined battlefield and reorganize the camp.


    No matter how much Kim Hyunsung and Park Deokgu woke up the spirits of the troops, it was difficult to separate gravel and sand and put them back in their ce.


    As expected, the forces that started to move organically were strange even to me.


    Personally, I thought Cho Hyejin was weak in improvisation, but now that I got to see her in action firsthand, I realized that that wasn¡¯t the case.


    Apart from the troops moving ording to the manual, it looked like she was giving instructions directly to ces where the situation wasn¡¯t ideal.


    -We will not be shaken. Those who have rebuilt the magic square will advance.


    [The fieldmanders of the human faction apud the yer¡¯s decision.]


    [The moral of the human camp rises.]


    -Soldiers, drive out the armies of the demon faction. Gather survivors and fallen soldiers and form ranks once more. Raise your shields and unleash your protective magic to advance. We will line up and drive out our enemies.


    [The shield users of the human faction raise their defenses and moves forward. The Shield of Faith roars with cheers. He encourages the troops to win. He activated the special skill Instigation. All allies trust the instigation of Park Deokgu.]


    [The morale of the demon faction has been broken.]


    ¡ªHahahaha!


    ¡®That bastard isughing¡­¡¯


    ¡ªThis is fun. This is so fun.


    ¡®Fun, my ass. Fuck. Fuck you, bastard.¡¯


    At this point, the reason for sending Kim Hyunsung became evident.


    -We will deal with the named entity Magic Swordsman Jung Jinho first.


    [Kim Hyunsung agrees with the yer¡¯s opinion.]


    He immediately jumped, swinging his sword at him. Jung Jinho pulled his body back, disappointed.


    [The demon faction retreats, dragging their troops back.]


    -Don¡¯t miss them.


    ¡®Short-distance teleport magic. Fuck. I thought that would be annoying.¡¯


    [The Rangers of the ck Swan Guild say it is dangerous to push in anymore. They warn the yer that this is an unpatrolled area.]


    [Named entity Kim Hyunsung says he canplete his mission. He shouts to leave everything to him under the notion that he is not in danger. He strongly and desperately expresses his will that he can solve the quest.]


    -We¡¯re not going to go any further.


    Cho Hyejin murmured in disappointment. Nevertheless, the ally troops made a reasonable decision. She checked the damage immediately because the battle had been won, but the casualties had to be severe.


    Messages kepting in saying that the morale of our allies was skyrocketing and that we had to attack the enemy at this moment, but it was more important to rearrange the frontlines and secure a supply route.


    We had to build solid defensive lines and walls andy the groundwork for an advantageous battle.


    They stated the so-called second-half blow operation. I felt like I could clearly see her disposition whenever she yed chess. When she locked the door like that and looked back, Cho Hyejin was especially terrifying. I couldn¡¯t see any weak side.


    Jin Qing was nodding as if he understood it.


    He might have predicted roughly what type of person she was, but as time went by, wouldn¡¯t he get to know the human Cho Hyejin better?


    Unsurprisingly, as the match progressed, he slowly started to measure Cho Hyejin. He was like a viper trying to figure out her traits to take advantage of her little by little.


    ¡ªYou look like an upright person.


    -¡­


    ¡ªIt¡¯s not easy to find someone with such a clear characteristic¡­ as this war progresses, it seems I¡¯m learning more about who you are.


    -I do not want to talk about useless things.


    ¡ªYour intention is understandable, but you probably won¡¯t fit in here. As I said, you can¡¯t get anything without sacrificing anything. Even if you keep your beliefs and live, you will only lose. Think about what you got.


    -That¡¯s why you gave up your honor and took the demon¡¯s hand?


    ¡ª¡­


    -I am neither as upright nor as righteous as you judged me. Have you ever wondered why you lost the Republic War?


    ¡ª¡­


    -Because there were people who remained true to their beliefs and lived the way they wanted to. The continent continues to develop after oveing numerous crises because of them. They did not sumb to temptation or force and held in their hearts what they valued until the very moment of their death. It is their kind that made the present continent.


    ¡ª¡­


    -You sold your soul to the demon so you wouldn¡¯t understand, but¡­ I believe.


    ¡®The demon summoner who sold his honor. You¡¯re dumbfounded, right?¡¯


    ¡ª¡­


    ¡®You can¡¯t say anything, right? You can¡¯t say anything because you see a really honorable person, can you?¡¯


    -It¡¯s not people like you who really change the world.


    ¡®Look at how cool our Hyejin is. Really. I think I¡¯m going to have a crush on her.¡¯


    Jin Qing, quietly looking at Cho Hyejin, seemed to be getting serious.


    Enough to admit that Cho Hyejin did a good build-up.


    -I¡­ believe so.


    I had no choice but to speak up.


    ¡°Hyejin. Change slowly. Change. We¡¯re going to backstab that bastard. Hepletely believes in you. He got caught!¡±

 Chapter 826: The Last (59)

    <h4>Chapter 826: The Last (59)</h4>


    It was a simple trick.


    It was so easy to do that it wasn¡¯t even necessary to exin it.


    It was just that the yer changed in the middle. It wasn¡¯tplicated, and it wasn¡¯t that I hade up with a unique idea.


    However, if anyone asked me if it was simple from the standpoint of that demon summoner, I could confidently say no.


    Who could have predicted that a yer who was ying the game would change his or her disposition in an instant or that the person would change at all in the first ce?


    In this case especially, if one did a build-up like this, even he would naturally be easily backstabbed. Rather, if he had been stupid, if he hadn¡¯t been confident in himself, there would have been no room for him to struggle, but he had already finished his interpretation of Cho Hyejin.


    Of course, there would be a checking process, and he would still be going through it.


    I remembered hearing from somewhere that he had a history of ruining his life when he was caught by bluffing habitually.


    I didn¡¯t know if he was reliving that precious lesson, but he continued to go through the process of getting to know Cho Hyejin carefully.


    He was no different at this moment. He was constantly reflecting over and over again about who Cho Hyejin was, what kind of personality she had, her beliefs, how she managed the troops and confirming his thoughts about her.


    He probably alreadypletely trusted his judgment by now, but the way he umted information from time to time still looked dignified.


    Regardless, I could guarantee that all his judgments woulde to one conclusion.


    ¡®Because she¡¯s just too transparent.¡¯


    Where else in the world could there be an idiot like Hyejin who was pure, clean, and only looked forward?


    Who else lived without lies and with honor and faith in their hearts?


    She was like a straight bamboo, like a spear that never wavered.


    She never hid her true self, and she constantly moved towards what she thought was right.


    Hyejin didn¡¯t yield to injustice, lies, and power and didn¡¯t back down when it came to her values.


    That tendency of hers was reflected in her fighting style and the way she managed her troops.


    Even if I tried to look for something wrong or suspicious, I couldn¡¯t find any. She had nothing to hide in the first ce.


    As she herself said, she didn¡¯t fit in this ce where all the conspiracies and disgusting things were going on. Jin Qing himself would understand it better than anyone else.


    [Themanders of the human faction say there is nothing they can do. Sometimes they appeal to choose to abandon our troops. They say that even if they send in reinforcements, things won¡¯t get better.]


    -Don¡¯t abandon them.


    [Themanders of the human faction praise your courage and justice, but they say it¡¯s a stupid choice. They say that if the damage umtes, we will eventually lose this war. Everyone shouts that the wise decision is to abandon Castle Rock. They convince you that there will be no soldiers to assist them on their way there.]


    -We will send people to support them.


    [The yer gives the quest to the named entity Holy Spear Cho Hyejin. She nods and grabs the spear. She gathers those who will be with her and organizes a detached force. They understand that they might lose their lives in that mission. Everyone says it¡¯s a stupid choice. She says we sometimes have to make stupid choices.]


    ¡®Look at this. Who wouldn¡¯t believe her when she does this?¡¯


    [The people of the continent unite and praise the Holy Spear¡¯s courage. Named entity Cho Hyejin shakes her head. She shouts that it doesn¡¯t take courage. She says anyone would have made the same choice.]


    ¡®My ass, no one would do that.¡¯


    The fact that Dummy Hyejin and Cho Hyejin had simr tendencies was perfect for us.


    In the meantime, I could see Cho Hyejin nodding. She agreed with Dummy Hyejin that anyone would have made the same choice.


    ¡ªDo you know? You too¡­


    -Humans are willing to give their lives for what they value. Anyone would have made the same choice.


    ¡ªIf you die, nothing will be resolved. After you lose your life, its value will be a piece of paper, and in the end, no one will remember the value you had.


    -It doesn¡¯t matter how someone remembers me. The most important thing is that I am not ashamed of myself.


    ¡ªYou¡¯ve never met real malice, so you can talk like that. You can¡¯t even feel what really disgusting and mean malevolence is, so you can still say that you can make sacrifices or uphold your values.


    -Just because you broke down for that reason doesn¡¯t mean I will. As you say, I may regret it, and things I value may be worthless, but so what?


    ¡ª¡­


    -Are you satisfied now that you have abandoned your values and honor? Regardless of the consequences of all your actions, are you satisfied with the way you are now?


    ¡ª¡­


    Jin Qing¡¯s face was clearly wrinkled after being hit in the most painful spot.


    He moved his lips a bit as if he wanted to continue this verbal battle, but in the end, he had nothing to say and silently continued givingmands.


    What more could Jin Qing say there?


    The guy who valued honor more than anyone else stomped on his honor on the ground and smashed it with his feet.


    What could the guy who was paying the price for that behavior say to Cho Hyejin now?


    Rather, he would be angry. Maybe he wanted to prove that Cho Hyejin was wrong with his actions.


    He might want to say, ¡®can you keep yourposure in the face of true malice, and can you show who you are despite filthy temptations and deception?¡¯


    Not surprisingly, I could see that the army of the Demon Summoner, who had abandoned their honor, was ying tricks on humans.


    However, Hyejin¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t tremble.


    -We can solve this situation. It is possible if we unite our forces.


    [Soldiers of the human faction gain a bit of hope from the yer¡¯s words. Named entity Oscar agrees. Special skill Speech is activated. The named entity Park Deokgu activates the special skill Incitement. Ahn Ki-mo and Kim Ye-ri of the Blue Guild support him. The coalition skill Continental Incitement is activated.]


    -We can win.


    [The humans gain courage. Songs of victory and hope resound endlessly. They say it can be done.]


    ¡ªThat is useless¡­


    ¡°He said¡­ it¡¯s useless. It¡¯s like he¡¯s spouting lines of a third-rate viin. Let¡¯s show courage and the power of hope! Hyejin!¡±


    She looked like she was telling me to shut up, but I kept muttering for now.


    ¡°You have to changeter. Get ready.¡±


    [Jung Jinho of the demon faction meets Cho Hyejin of the human faction.]


    [Their battle has begun.]


    [Magic swordsman Jung Jinhoughs at Holy Spear Cho Hyejin. He looks down on her, saying that a boring opponent has appeared.]


    A fight that began at the frontlines by interlocking the two opposing forces and named individuals. It seemed to me that it was impossible to defend against it.


    [Named entity Cho Hyejin of the human faction is trying to evacuate the citizens of Castle Rock. Jung Jinhoughs at her.]


    Actually, this battle wasn¡¯t important. After all, Castle Rock had no choice but to copse.


    It was an operation to allow the isted citizens in Castle Rock and the exhausted soldiers to escape.


    It would be correct to interpret it as an operation to reduce casualties to a minimum rather than conserve power. Unsurprisingly, the scene where Dummy Hyejin and the gang risked their lives to let others escape while there was a pretty gruesome battle going on down there seemed a little sublime to me.


    [Holy Spear Cho Hyejin is encouraging the troops. She ims that she can open the way. She rides the unicorn and leads the citizens and troops to break through enemy forces. The Castle Rock inhabitants are terrified. Named entity Cho Hyejin inspires the citizens. The troops march forward.]


    ¡®She¡¯s so cool.¡¯


    [Cho Hyejin opens the way. An army of demonic forces seizes the citizens of Castle Rock as they try to escape. They said that She and herpanions would remain. She collides with Jung Jinho, allowing the citizens of Castle Rock escaped. She and herpanions remain until the end to fight the enemies.]


    ¡®She¡¯s really cool.¡¯


    [Castle Rock will remember her.]


    [Cho Hyejin, a named individual of the human faction, dies at the hands of Jung Jinho, a named entity of the demon faction, but he was fatally wounded. It seems that it will take quite some time for the wound to heal, making he¡¯s indignant about his own mistake. He murmurs that she was not a negligible opponent and that he should have been a little more careful. He walks away.]


    [The continent will remember the heroes.]


    ¡ªUnexpected damage urred, but¡­ this is not the end.


    [Citizens and exhausted soldiers of Castle Rock failed to escape. Soldiers from the demon faction ambushed and captured them. They will be used as their source of magic.]


    ¡ªThe results are not very good.


    [The soldiers of the demon faction return with the soldiers and citizens of Castle Rock.]


    ¡ªThis is the reality. Anyone can say nice things. Faith, justice, and courage. Anyone can say¡­ that you should fight for what you value¡­ or do something you wouldn¡¯t be ashamed of, but look. This is the result.


    -¡­


    ¡ªYou didn¡¯t gain a victory from thest battle, just mere self-satisfaction.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s because he got hit on the heart too much, but his tongue has gotten quite sharp.¡¯


    It seemed to me that he was defending himself. Cho Hyejin, biting her lip, looked mad.


    She stared intently at the situation board for a long time as if she had nothing to say to Jin Qing. There was no way there¡¯s no value in her actions.


    [The human camp remembers the sacrifices of the Holy Spear Cho Hyejin and Castle Rock. The operation failed, but her sacrifice inspired many. A named entity from the human faction informs the yer that we can win.]


    ¡ªThat¡¯s not fun.


    [The whole continent sings of her sacrifice. Citizens brought up arms, and those who fled in fear raised their shields.]


    ¡ªIt¡¯s really not fun.


    [The morale of the human faction rises, and their status increases. Some named entities unlocked special skills. The Blue Guild, engulfed in great sorrow, rises and raises their weapons.]


    ¡®It¡¯s a bit like a cartoon, but it¡¯s not bad.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t think Cho Hyejin even intended this. Seeing her with a bright expression on her unexpected result, she seemed happy about her faith not being betrayed.


    It was a small game board, but what could make her happier than that? Moreover, that wasn¡¯t the only advantage that came from her reckless behavior.


    [An unidentified magic applied to the citizens of Castle Rock is activated.]


    ¡ªHuh¡­


    [Castle Rock citizens captured by the demon faction exploded.]


    ¡ªWhat¡­ What?


    [Magic sources of the demon faction died.]


    ¡ªWhat?


    [Magic sources of the demon faction died.]


    [Magic sources of the demon faction died.]


    [Magic sources of the demon faction died.]


    [The demon faction takes fatal damage. Many power sources had been in. They don¡¯t have enough magic power to sustain their troops. Their side is bewildered. Some ck wizards scream. Lee Seolho of the demon faction murmurs that it was his mistake. He screams that he didn¡¯t expect it.]


    It was the noble result of their sacrifice. There¡¯s no way I could forget it.


    I untied Hyejin¡¯s blue hair tie. It didn¡¯t really mean anything but showmanship.


    I turned my head naturally, tilted the chair back, and then crossed my legs. I then spoke to Jung Hayan, who was looking at me speechless.


    ¡°How are you, Hayan?¡±


    ¡ªYou¡­ you¡­ you!!!


    Jung Hayan, who looked at me in disbelief, immediately began to shed thick tears.


    It wasn¡¯t my body, but I could tell that the atmosphere had changed.


    Eventually, as if rushing into my arms, I felt her hugging me, more precisely, hugging Cho Hyejin.


    Han Sora was looking at me with surprise on her face.


    Seeing her murmuring, ¡®Jung Hayan? Jung Hayan?¡¯ It seemed that she didn¡¯t understand exactly what was going on.


    Oh, I had to say something to Deokgu too.


    ¡°Deokgu. Get a cup of coffee.¡±


    ¡°Hyung-nim¡­ is that really you?¡±


    ¡°Answering the call of the Holy Spear, the Son of Light descended directly upon her body.¡±


    ¡°Is that really¡­ ugh¡­ you?¡±


    ¡ªYoooouu!!!!!


    Finally, to this demon summoner too.


    I needed to say something. I didn¡¯t want to use Cho Hyejin like this, but I ended up smiling and lifting the tip of my chin.


    I should speak to him as if it were too funny to bear, with the meanest and most despicable smile I could muster.


    It felt great.


    ¡°Gosh¡­ You were deceived again,mander.¡±


    ¡ªLee Kiyoouuuuuuung!!!!


    ¡°Puhehehehehehehehaha! Jin Qing! Fuck, how can you get fooled again?!¡±


    I thought I was going to be addicted to this.


    His reaction was definitely worth descending for.

 Chapter 827: The Last (60)

    <h4>Chapter 827: The Last (60)</h4>


    The hall had be confused by the unexpected situation.


    It was a little embarrassing and sudden even to me, but it wasn¡¯t all that bad.


    ¡®The air is different.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t that the air above was bad. It was convenient not only to be filled with divinity but also to have a body that didn¡¯t need sleep. However, I definitely felt happy here.


    ¡°Waaaaaah¡­ ugh¡­ waaaah¡­ hic¡­ hic¡­¡±


    Hayan was crying while hugging me to the point that she couldn¡¯t even properly control her body.


    She pretended to be okay and swore she could go up anyway, but she had to have been more worried as time passed.


    When she looked at me, she became unable to hold back the tears that were falling.


    ¡°Waaah¡­ waaaaah¡­¡±


    As she buried her face in my body, she constantly made noises, making it embarrassing to take any other action. All I could do was stroke her hair or her back.


    ¡°Ugh¡­ waaahh¡­ oppa¡­ ugh¡­ ugh¡­¡±


    Han Sora tried to calm her down, seemingly bewildered by how Hayan was crying out so loud, but she couldn¡¯t seem to do it right.


    ¡°Jung Hayan? Jung¡­ Hayan? Jung Hayan?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Sora.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Vice Guild Master? Are you really the Vice Guild Master?¡±


    I slowly nodded, and she looked like she understood just now. As she saw that Hayan continued to mumble to herself iprehensibly, I could tell she was greatly relieved.


    She probably knew that Jung Hayan wasn¡¯t just acting since it was in the middle of the game.


    ¡®I don¡¯t think Hayan will calm down easily.¡¯


    ¡°So¡­ waaah¡­ ugh¡­ ugh¡­ hic¡­¡±


    She was talking while shedding tears and with a runny nose. Her emotions were so intense that I couldn¡¯t really understand what she was saying.


    I nodded and confirmed.


    As I spoke as sweetly as I could, she once again buried her face in my chest and cried again.


    I continued to stroke her back. She seemed to have calmed down a bit, considering she squeezed her body into the chair as much as she could.


    It was a sight to see her straightening herself and looking at me. She hade to her senses.


    She stared at Cho Hyejin as if something bothered her, and she nodded slightly and started repeating the same actions as before.


    I didn¡¯t know exactly what the action was, but it felt like she was thinking about whether she could interpret the Lee Kiyoung, who came into Cho Hyejin¡¯s body, as her own Lee Kiyoung.


    Although there was some regret, there was an agreement in her heart, and she had concluded that this was really Lee Kiyoung.


    She looked delighted even though she continued to cry. It definitely made me feel better.


    After seeing Han Sora and me, she was showing the happiest expression in the world.


    It was a slightly different form, but since the picture Jung Hayan had been drawing in her head was temporarilypleted, she probably thought she had the whole world.


    Park Deokgu was no different.


    I could guarantee that he was itching to hug me tight right away.


    ¡°Are you really hyung-nim¡­ sniff¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you really him? Really¡­¡±


    It was ufortable to see the big pig rubbing his face with his huge arms and sobbing.


    ¡°Just get me some coffee.¡±


    In the meantime, while faithfully fulfilling my request, he came to my seat holding the coffee with arge shaking hand.


    It seemed that half of the coffee was spilled on the tray, but the taste wasn¡¯t bad.


    He was going back and forth as if he didn¡¯t know what to do. He bent his back as soon as I reached out.


    I could see him trembling violently as I brushed his hair once. His tears were dripping down the floor.


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    He was the exact same as Cho Hyejin. Although it was a bit different, he looked very relieved to see that I was acting the same as I did from the past, unlike before when I acted as if I was constantly drawing a line.


    He was as happy as much as he was freed from the anxiety that I would keep moving away like this or that I might no longer be the Lee Kiyoung they knew.


    ¡°U-Um¡­ you could have told us you were doing well¡­ once in a while¡­¡±


    ¡°You can see I¡¯m fine now. I have many things to tell you, but we don¡¯t have time. One more cup of coffee, Deokgu. It seems tastier now that I¡¯m drinking it after such a long time.¡±


    ¡°Well, I did practice!¡±


    Iughed. He was talking loudly in an attempt to hide his embarrassment. In the meantime, looking at Jin Qing, who gave us time to sort things out, Iughed once more.


    ¡®Such a good-mannered guy.¡¯


    A friendly viin who waited while the main characters enjoyed their long-awaited reunion.


    I didn¡¯t know if he realized that his turn wouldn¡¯te just because he came and shouted or if he needed time to sort out his emotions, but I could see him looking at me with all kinds of emotions.


    He had a distorted expression and was grinding his teeth. It looked like he wanted to run at me right away and strangle me.


    He seemed to be trying to calm himself down after yelling until now, but when I sent a smirk once again, I could see his body moving.


    ¡ªThis motherfucker¡­ son of a bitch!!! You son of a bitch!!!


    ¡®He can¡¯t control his emotions. I don¡¯t think he was always like this¡­ I¡¯m sure this is a real anger management disorder.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t the selective anger management disorder that normal humans had. Seeing him reaching the point where he couldn¡¯t control his emotions at will made meugh a little.


    I wondered if my gentle personality was a bit twisted, so what more did I need to say?


    Seeing these guys, who were always calm and rational, getting excited just looking at my face and going crazy, made me feel like their hearts were throbbing and ringing deep inside.


    That face certainly seemed to be a source of vitality for me.


    ¡ªYou mean motherfucker!! You scumbag!!! You dirty and ugly cheater bastard!!


    He was the guy who was trying to hide in the first ce. I couldn¡¯t understand why he was trying to do that, but it¡¯s funny to see him imitating the NPC that was created, revealing himself tantly.


    I was skeptical, but now I thought I understood.


    I didn¡¯t know exactly how he got to this ce, but it was true that Jin Qing, who was in front of me right now, remembered what happened in the past.


    Perhaps it was the guy himself.


    ¡°What are you so angered about,mander? As an intelligent person, shouldn¡¯t we be able to calmly talk about it?¡±


    ¡ªLee Kiyoung¡­ Lee Kiyoooung!!


    ¡°Weren¡¯t we on good terms? Anyone who sees you would think we ended things badly. P-Pfff¡­¡±


    ¡ªWhat? What? How dare you say that bullsh*t!! How can you talk like that!! How dare you!!! How!!


    ¡°You seem to be overly angered,mander. It¡¯s been a long time since we¡¯ve met. I¡¯d like to catch up on things and talk about things we haven¡¯t finished talking about. Oh! How about having a cup of coffee? Deokgu. Give one to him. P¡­ Pfff¡­¡±


    ¡ªYou¡­ you¡­


    ¡°Oh, I have to apologize. To be honest, I also made a mistake. But it¡¯s not without excuses. I did my best in my own way, but what would you do with the mess you made? I also wanted to follow your will as much as possible, but the situation was not¡­ Fu¡­ hehehe¡­ was not easy. I mean those demon gang bastards. Your¡­ Puhahehehe!¡±


    ¡ªLee Kiyoouuung!


    ¡°Puhehehahehehahe! Cough! Puhehaheheh! Cough! Cough! Puhahaheheheheh!¡±


    ¡ªLee Kiyoung, you bastard!!!!


    He jumped up from his seat and reached out his hand, but the system didn¡¯t allow it. He huffed in the air.


    He seemed to have lost his reason to the point that if he had maintained a perfect body now, his blood pressure would burst, and he would die.


    I thought it might not work with Hyejin¡¯s face¡­ It was fortunate to be able to put my expression on her face.


    Where else could I see such a magnificent view?


    mander, is that a created body, or are you a ghost? Whatever it is, being too angered is not good for your health. Where is the demon summoner I met before? Shouldn¡¯t you always show your reason and lead the Republic with a charismatic figure?¡±


    ¡ª¡­


    ¡°The current you is too shameful. Pfff! It¡¯s too shameful. It¡¯s so shameful it makes meugh. Isn¡¯t that behavior too shameful to be showing to a once former enemy?¡±


    ¡ª¡­


    ¡®Ah, fuck¡­ I must have gone too far.¡¯


    I should¡¯ve stopped at the first verse.


    I wanted him to be a little more angered if possible, so I kept sending sneering faces, but when I went beyond verse 1 to verse 3 and verse 4, it seemed that he had regained his reason.


    The fact that I continued to provoke him, wanting to see him go crazy, had be a source of trouble.


    He held his breath like he was trying not to see my face as much as possible. He even avoided my gaze. I thought that if he looked at the smile on my face once again, he would show the same behavior as before.


    ¡ªScumbag.


    ¡®You went back to the way you were.¡¯


    Jin Qing crossed his legs and raised the tip of his chin.


    I fiddled with the status board with my middle finger and handed him the coffee with an exaggerated gesture, but he took the coffee with a casual face and drank it with dignity as usual.


    I was annoyed because it seemed like he was trying not to be angered like just before, but what about it?


    ¡ªDon¡¯t think I¡¯ll get caught in your cheap psychological warfare, you dirty cheater.


    ¡°It seemed like you got pretty swept away just now¡­ I think you¡¯ve regained reason, though.¡±


    ¡®Ah, fuck, if this were my face, the effect would have been better.¡¯


    ¡ªRather, I think it turned out well. You have toe out like this.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious what you are thinking? You could pay off the debt at that time, or that you would crush me. Isn¡¯t it obvious what the viins of the old times¡¯ thought? We need to pursue a new direction in which everyone can get a win-win.¡±


    ¡ªRather, I¡¯m pretty sure I know what you¡¯re thinking. You are anxious now.


    ¡°Why should I be anxious?¡±


    ¡ªYou know well you can¡¯t beat me. It was funny how you looked doing useless provocations or exaggerated gestures.


    ¡°What about you?¡±


    ¡ªI¡¯m saying that your veneeres from your low self-esteem, rat bastard. The way you y like an actor on stage is like a frightened animal inting its size. Poor and pitiful bastard.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know who is pitying whom. Whom do you think is the real pitiful person? Aren¡¯t you the one who lost your honor? Or is it me, revered as the god of the continent?¡±


    ¡ªHow you are feeling right now is what matters. That¡¯s funny. As you said, even while you are the god of the continent, you feel inferior to me. I don¡¯t know if it was congenital or acquired, but¡­


    ¡°You¡¯re out of your mind, bastard.¡±


    ¡ªNow it¡¯s a face worth seeing.


    ¡°You¡¯re talking too much.¡±


    ¡ªThose who have a lot to lose feel insecure about even the smallest things.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you remember? How did the Republic War end? You stupid monkey bastard. Even now, you have nothing to say.¡±


    ¡ªIt was a mistake, and I admit that I lost then. But I think it will be different this time¡­


    ¡°Different, my ass¡­ bastard. You seem to have forgotten that you were just fooled. In my eyes, you¡¯re the one that looks like a frightened beast with an inted size. Fuck. Anyone can see I have the advantage. Enough with the bluffing.¡±


    ¡ªDon¡¯t think that everyone will grow as big as you.


    ¡°Gosh. Right. I got it,mander. Let¡¯s see how far our greatmander¡¯s overflowing wisdom and tactics work. What do you think I will do?¡±


    ¡ª¡­


    ¡°Speak,mander. Say it with that cheeky mouth. What do you think I will do?¡±


    I could see the man biting his lips.


    ¡®Actually, I don¡¯t even know what I¡¯m going to do.¡¯


    So it was only natural that he didn¡¯t know.


    ¡ªSon of a bitch¡­


    However, he and I¡­ We knew this one thing.


    ¡®Pace matters.¡¯


    The most important thing was who would lead the pace.


    ¡°Well, what would a demon summoner with no honor know, right, Hayan?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ Yeah! What does an honorless demon summoner k-know? Hehehe¡­¡±


    ¡°Am I right, Sora?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yeah¡­ the Demon Summoner¡­ doesn¡¯t¡­¡±


    I was desperately trying to calm my heart, but without realizing it, my face was distorted.


    ¡°Hey, what would a demon summoner know?¡±


    It hurt more when one attacked with a group than when they do so alone.


    ¡®How¡­¡¯


    ¡ª¡­


    ¡®How can someone who doesn¡¯t have colleagues and family dare mess with me?¡¯

 Chapter 828: The Last (61)

    <h4>Chapter 828: The Last (61)</h4>


    The guy¡¯s colleagues who went to the other side wouldn¡¯te back even if the sky fell.


    ¡°The demon summoner doesn¡¯t know anything! He is an evil bastard that would put even Satan to shame! I feel sorry for the citizens of the Republic who trust and follow such a man!¡±


    ¡®Deokgu is doing well.¡¯


    ¡°You all were united with malice against the continent, and you¡¯re still doing this even after you died? I¡¯ve met a lot of people, but this is the first time I¡¯ve met a psychopath like you! Unclean demon minion! If you have a little bit of humanity left¡­ it is right to repent for your sins and kneel before the light! Sora should also say something.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yeah¡­ this¡­ This demon summoner¡­ how¡­ how¡­ can you summon¡­ demons ¡­ on this peaceful continent¡­¡±


    Light shone even more when we¡¯re together.


    ¡®That¡¯s a sincere crying from his heart.¡¯


    Just by looking at him with a sly smile, I began to see his anxious expression.


    I thought he was anxious about whether his heart would be shaken rather than being anxious about being criticized.


    He knew. Jin Qing understood that he shouldn¡¯t be shaken, that he shouldn¡¯t get caught up in the pace, and that he shouldn¡¯t be pushed into a fight that seemed useless.


    However, it wouldn¡¯t be easy to keep hisposure.


    The arrogance he had was visibly cracking. How could he keep hisposure when he saw the holy light that would remain the only stain in his life?


    Seeing that he couldn¡¯t answer the question of what I was going to do¡­


    ¡®He must be thinking that he has to be careful.¡¯


    For him, the human Lee Kiyoung was the kind of person whom he didn¡¯t know the full capabilities of.


    He called me a dirty scammer and described me as a moron who only bluffed, but there was no way he thought that in his head.


    ¡®Because he¡¯s not such an idiot that can¡¯t learn a lesson from failure.¡¯


    He had learned enough lessons from the past.


    The human in front of him had been acting unpredictably, and he might be judging that I could turn the tables while he didn¡¯t have the ability to lead the board.


    Perhaps he was overestimating me a little more.


    Perhaps the explosion of magical power sources earlier gave him a chance to think.


    I couldn¡¯t say that it was a very pleasant situation for him to raise my awareness, but I wished he could overestimate me a little more if possible.


    It was important to make him act carefully regarding where and what measures would pop up.


    After all, it was a situation where I would win as time passed¡­ It was obvious without even seeing the pieces of the demon faction, which lost many of its magic sources.


    He quietly frowned and looked at the situation board once again, but after confirming that there was no major damage to the main unit, he was seen stroking his chin.


    ¡®He¡¯s going to fight.¡¯


    He decided that he could change the unfavorable situation.


    ¡®I hate this.¡¯


    Under normal circumstances, raising a white g would be the correct decision. I began to feel annoyed when he found a way out that I couldn¡¯t even see.


    ¡ªThe talk was long. What do you think? I also was about to wonder what you would do. Shouldn¡¯t we continue? It looks like you¡¯re acting as if you have already won.


    [The Sunset Kim Hyunsung looks up at the sky. He expresses an intention that can¡¯t be conveyed to the yer. His intention has not beenmunicated.]


    ¡®Ah, why does he keep getting bugs?¡¯


    ¡ªI¡¯m curious about your next move. It must be garbage bluffing anyway. Do you have anything left to show?


    I didn¡¯t need to panic. At times like this¡­


    It was important to blur the essence. There was no need to limit me to this measly little game board. If he saw me as an unpredictable human, then it was right to act like that.


    Although it was stated that I had to attack to win the game, I would like him toe up with various hypotheses if possible.


    It might be easier to create afortable environment to move around by saying that I was looking for an offensive method that he wasn¡¯t aware of.


    ¡®There is nothing better than clouding the issue when you¡¯re in doubt.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t pay attention to the game board. Sometimes I talked with Hayan, drank coffee, or got up from my seat. After putting the Republic¡¯s soldiers and citizens at the forefront, I simply prepared for war and looked around.


    It would be important to chat with Deokgu about news from the Federation where Hee-ra was andugh at him as if these games didn¡¯t matter.


    It would be hard to ignore.


    ¡°Commander, how did you meet Lee Jihye?¡±


    It was a question that might get his attention.


    ¡ªThat¡¯s a pointless question. I just got an offer from someone.


    ¡°Did you know that I died?¡±


    ¡ªShould I answer? I don¡¯t know if this kind of chatter is important. How about focusing a little more on the war?


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Frankly, it doesn¡¯t matter. This event doesn¡¯t feel that important either. Do you understand how things are going here?¡±


    ¡ªI do.


    ¡°Are you aware that the mythic-grade dungeon Continent where the Son of Light was Sacrificed has been opened, and you are being used as a piece to propel the event forward? For you, this quest is both the meaning of existence and the purpose itself, but it does note with the same meaning to me.¡±


    ¡ªThat¡¯s a lie.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you can think of it that way.¡±


    ¡ªThat¡¯s a very tant lie. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s self-confidence or if you went nuts, but there¡¯s no objection to the fact that your actions are made up, stupid bastard. Didn¡¯t I say that people who have something to protect are weak? Is there any reason your voice has to be heard by that crazy woman and the big moron?


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if they don¡¯t, but what can I do if they like me?¡±


    ¡ªYou¡¯re nervous. You¡¯re flustered since things aren¡¯t going your way.


    ¡°You became a lie detector in the blink of an eye.¡±


    ¡ªI just put what I see into words, trash.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re looking at, and I find it ridiculous that you think your interpretation is right.¡±


    ¡ªIt¡¯s a simple story. Isn¡¯t it all just to show off? It¡¯s usible that you¡¯re in that woman¡¯s body, bloated like an actor on stage, but I think the timing is quite convenient for you. It was when the woman on this little battlefield died, if I¡¯m correct. It looks like you¡¯re acting, even deceiving yourself, but don¡¯t think you can fool my eyes.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good guess.¡±


    ¡ªEven that little production might be a show to hide your true feelings. If provoking me and raising the tension was to hide that anxiety, it might make sense. Oh! Of course, as you said, this is a guess, not a certainty.


    ¡°Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You¡¯re right. You¡¯re right.¡±


    ¡ªAnd I feel that your current behavior is an act of hiding your fear. You are nervous. I didn¡¯t expect that there would be people who value a bastard like you, but it seems to me that you are assuming a situation where you are making a mistake.


    ¡®It¡¯s so annoying. This bastard.¡¯


    ¡ªUnlike you¡­ all I have to do is stick to this war.


    ¡®So annoying.¡¯


    However, he was probably not convinced of that hypothesis. No, he might be trying to suppress his certainty since he knew he shouldn¡¯t let go of the possibility that I was expecting him to think that way.


    In other words, he was thinking of responding to all changes and variables now.


    I didn¡¯t need to deny or affirm it. It didn¡¯t matter, anyway.


    ¡°I will not deny it.¡±


    ¡ªI guess I got it right. Is that woman¡¯s honor holding your ankles? That was funny.


    ¡°It is true that I do not want Hyejin to die. It¡¯s an overstatement to say that I came down here to prevent her death, but maybe that¡¯s it. Would you feel better if I say it like this?¡±


    As soon as I calmed down, I immediately felt tears pouring out of my eyes.


    His face, which was constantly maintaining his poker face, was distorted for a moment.


    I thought about losing Cho Hyejin for a moment and assumed that I was a human who reacted to the death of a loved one by changing Lee Kiyoung¡¯s disposition.


    After a while, my hands started to tremble. I felt my body fall all the way down to the abyss. Anger, frustration, and all sorts of negative emotions mixed. My chin shook, and tears were constantly falling from my eyes.


    ¡°Ah¡­ ugh¡­ugh¡­¡±


    Strange noises were constantly leaking out of my mouth. It was hard to breathe.


    My head was dizzy


    It was strange. I almost felt like throwing up¡­


    ¡ªCrazy bastard. You¡¯re obviously crazy.


    ¡®This feels bad. I¡¯ll never do it again.¡¯


    ¡°Who would you like to have a conversation with? No matter what kind of person you think of me, I am willing to adapt to that¡­¡±


    ¡ªCrazy bastard.


    His eyebrows twitched as I tapped my thigh with my finger.


    ¡°No matter what you think, it¡¯s up to you, but it would be easier for you to think of me as a bastard who always goes back on my word depending on the situation I¡¯m in.¡±


    ¡ªI¡¯ll give you serious advice. No matter how you end up, you will eventually go crazy.


    ¡°It is not for you to judge, so don¡¯t think about measuring me, okay? It¡¯s annoying. To be honest, you must not be happy. If I think that my people will disappear, I may go crazy, as you said. But it doesn¡¯t matter.¡±


    ¡ªI think you might.


    ¡°Did you know that the clearing condition of this dungeon is Lee Kiyoung¡¯s resurrection or the end of all life?¡±


    ¡ªI do.


    ¡°You will think that you have stepped on this stage again for the sake of thetter, but from my point of view, thetter does not matter.¡±

 Chapter 829: The Last (62)

    <h4>Chapter 829: The Last (62)</h4>


    I couldn¡¯t hear his voice.


    He just quietly looked at me for a moment and then looked down, but it seemed certain that he was thinking about something.


    He was probably pondering about a lot of things. One was that he probably thought he shouldn¡¯t believe it, that it was just bullsh*t. While trying toe back to his reason, he would most likely be wondering about the exact contract and terms.


    I thought he could dismiss it as mere bullsh*t, but he wouldn¡¯t.


    ¡®There is nothing he can gain.¡¯


    The significance of the existence that brought him to where he was today was shattered overnight. This kind of human was always like this.


    People who were rational and self-confident didn¡¯t move if there was no profit and often acted based on numbers rather than emotions.


    The kind who could give up their personal feelings for what they could get.


    They were rational enough to say it became their instinct. Even if they tried not to think about it, they constantly calcted everything, reminding themselves of what they could get.


    I couldn¡¯t help but think about what I could take in ce of his useless revenge.


    ¡°H-Hyung-nim. What did that demon summoner say earlier?¡±


    I spoke to Park Deokgu, who was worried about my reaction.


    ¡°Do not worry about it.¡±


    After saying that, I flickered my hair off my face.


    ¡®Or are you thinking about the third round?¡¯


    Was it shocking that this was the second round? Or was he shocked that there was a way to turn back time?


    I felt like I might have given too many hints, but what about it? He didn¡¯t have a choice either way. The fact that he didn¡¯t say anything right now was like telling me that he needed time to organize his thoughts.


    It was not yet possible to urately calcte which side benefitted more. I didn¡¯t think that would be a bad score for being sessful in blurring the essence.


    ¡®Because that was the first purpose.¡®


    I was indeed clouding the issue smoothly.


    [The main unit of the demon faction advances with shouts.]


    [Humanity¡¯s spirit burns brightly on the battlefield. They said that we must not forget the sacrifice of Cho Hyejin. They im that if we be one, we can drive out our enemies.]


    [The ck Swan Rangers want to investigate the problems the demon faction is experiencing. Power analysts say the demonic forces will not back down and sends you a report saying we need to prepare for the final battle.]


    [Named entity Kim Hyunsung of the human faction offers a prayer.]


    [The named entity Ito Souta from the demon faction advances with an army.]


    [The Defense War begins. ck wizards from the demon faction build towers of corpses and move to the walls. Allied wizards cast their spells. Large and small battles take ce in all regions.]


    ¡®This is all so tiresome.¡¯


    It was definitely annoying.


    It wasn¡¯t as easy to deal with as everything happened simultaneously. They threw in their troops in moderation and eventually took what they wanted, but in battles big and small, it felt like the structure was continuously umting where he gained, and I lost.


    Perhaps Jin Qing knew he didn¡¯t have much time left, but he held on to the same attitude he had before.


    It might be because I could continue to provide magic power sources, but the thought that I might have a little more leeway than I thought came into my mind.


    In the meantime, Jung Hayan was gradually getting closer to me, and she continued to hold my body tightly as if she would never let me go.


    It was a fun time, but honestly, I couldn¡¯t concentrate on the conversation.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m going to be a magic god and climb up.¡±


    ¡°I watched it all, Hayan.¡±


    ¡°S-S-Sora will be a magic angel¡­¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡®I don¡¯t know what exactly she¡¯s aiming for.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t say anything first, and I couldn¡¯t rush first either. After all, the moment I spoke again was like discovering that I wanted him to do business with me.


    It was better to make him think I gave him a chance.


    No, that¡¯s actually true. Whatever it was, it was undeniable that I gave him a chance.


    ¡°This is so like you.¡±


    ¡ªYou too. You, with no philosophy, continue the same.


    ¡°Is that really needed for this kind of war game?¡±


    ¡ªIt doesn¡¯t matter. After all, what everyone needs is a result. But I respect them. It feels like I¡¯m having a conversation, I mean. That¡¯s basically what this kind of thing is. This kind of war is a process of making us understand each other.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you liked to talk.¡±


    ¡ªI felt itst time, but it doesn¡¯t feel like I¡¯m having a conversation with you. What should I say to you, who has no subjectivity and moves only in response to gains and profits? No, if I think about it, it might feel different. It¡¯s rather simple. I don¡¯t need to understand, and I don¡¯t need to make you understand. All that remains is the result.


    [Ito Souta of the demon faction and Cha Hee-ra of the human faction have met. Light came out of Cha Hee-ra. Ito Souta got scared, but he knows he has to fight.]


    ¡°What nonsense.¡±


    [ording to the yer¡¯smand, the human faction changes formation. The demon faction also changes its tactics to match the footsteps of the human faction. The battle continues. Citizens and priests of the human faction say that this battle will remain in the history of this continent. It is a great and noble war that will never happen again, and everyone murmurs that today¡¯s battle will be remembered.]


    -The third round is¡­


    ¡°I guess you are curious.¡±


    [Human faction¡¯s tacticalmanders are amazed by the unbelievable battle that¡¯s currently going on. They say that from today onwards, the continent¡¯s tactical manual would change. They say it is sure to mark a page in warring history.]


    ¡°It¡¯s strange that you didn¡¯t think of it as a bluff.¡±


    ¡ªI¡¯m just curious. So¡­ you must have experienced this situation one more time. You mentioned the third round to imprint on me that you can do it again?


    [The soldiers of the human faction raise their g. The holy power of the priests and the magic of wizards are constantly scattered across the continent. Reinforcements arrived for both sides. Another great battle ensues.]


    [Named entity Sunset Swordsman Kim Hyunsung said he could move again. He prays that he is ready to go out.]


    ¡°You can think whatever you want to think.¡±


    [The yer wants to use the Sunset Swordsman, who agrees to themand. The demon faction¡¯s troops copse against the great sunset light. Named entity Kim Hyunsung nods.]


    ¡°It¡¯s a little too much for you to understand. It¡¯s ridiculous to even tell you.¡±


    ¡ªI only know this one thing. As you said, it may not matter how things go, but I can tell you want me to cooperate. The choice is not yours.


    [The demon faction dispatches Jung Jinho, making him join the battlefield. A scream is heard, and damage to allies umtes.]


    ¡°The choice is mine, not yours. You¡¯re funny.¡±


    [The human faction is building a base. They say we can catch them if the yer doesn¡¯t get shaken. Raise the spear high and move forward. Priests sing praises to the yer. The hymn of victory resounds, and allies gain strength.]


    ¡°I just don¡¯t want things to be cumbersome andplicated. It¡¯s annoying when things don¡¯t go the way we thought they would.¡±


    ¡ª¡­


    I could see him ncing at the battlefield.


    He was probably reorganizing his thoughts once again, watching the constantly flowing board.


    It wasn¡¯t easy to say who had the advantage in the continent where war was continuing.


    Some areas were engulfed by savage battles, while others were neatly organized.


    We analyzed each other¡¯s named entities, allocated a battlefield that could draw out maximum efficiency, and came up with strategies or means to counter one another.


    Organic wasn¡¯t enough to describe the battlefield, which was constantly interlocked.


    It was an exaggeration to say that it felt like it was alive, but it was difficult to grasp the ever-changing battlefield at a nce.


    They used ridiculous methods. Jin Qing was sneering, but it was funny that he couldn¡¯t help but react in the end. He was most likely thinking it¡¯s bluffing in his head, but¡­


    ¡®His bodynguage is honest.¡¯


    He had no choice but to react to those lousy and iprehensible methods.


    Why?


    He learned something from the lessons of the past. He had to think about the possibility that I wasn¡¯t bluffing.


    [The human faction and the demon faction sh with swords and spears. Commanders think the god of war is watching over them. They said that iprehensible battles andmands lead directly to the best oue. Tactics analysts no longer publish reports. They say the war has gone beyond what they can understand. They say they will only obey the yer¡¯s orders.]


    [The named entity Celia¡¯s Wind Ito Souta is fatally wounded and runs away.]


    [Named entity Cha Hee-ra falls into a trap while chasing Ito Souta. The support unit that was getting ready joins her.]


    [Park Yeonjoo, the named entity of the human faction, dies. The continent will remember her.]


    [The named entity of the demon faction, Mikhail, dies. The demon faction mourns his death.]


    I kept moving my eyes and hands for the ever-changing battlefield. Even the Demon Summoner kept his mouth shut and concentrated on the game.


    Jung Hayan, who was braiding Cho Hyejin¡¯s hair, quietly continued to observe the board.


    As I adjusted my posture, I could feel Han Sora quietly pulling Jung Hayan. As if she was aware that I was in a situation where I had to concentrate, Jung Hayan moved a little further away.


    Even while I took a sip of coffee, I stared intently at the board. He was no different.


    [The human faction abandons the wall and retreats.]


    [The demon faction doesn¡¯t chase them. They appear to go straight to the Fifth Front.]


    [The Fifth Front is out of bnce. The human faction shouts a cry of victory.]


    ¡®My gain. Your loss.¡¯


    [The human faction wins a great victory.]


    ¡®Was this bastard caught off guard?¡¯


    [The human faction once again gains a great victory. The demon faction of the First Front has been annihted.]


    ¡®Idiot. Idiot bastard!¡¯


    [The demon faction captures Park Deokgu, the Shield of Faith of the human faction.]


    ¡ª¡­


    ¡°What.¡±


    ¡ªI¡­


    ¡°What are you going to do?¡±


    ¡ªI didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°What, you fucking bastard.¡±


    ¡ªI said I didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°So what are you going to do? You fucking bastard!!!¡±


    ¡ª¡­


    ¡°Kill me.¡±


    ¡ª¡­


    ¡°This bastard. I¡¯m telling you to kill me.¡±


    ¡ª¡­


    ¡°Let¡¯s see how it goes. Kill me. Let¡¯s see if this time again¡­¡±


    Huh¡­


    ¡°I will¡­¡±

 Chapter 830: The Last (63)

    <h4>Chapter 830: The Last (63)</h4>


    ¡®Do you think I will lose?¡¯


    ¡°Fuck¡­¡±


    ¡°Hyung-nim, hyung-nim¡­ Are you okay? W-What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°You stay away, bastard.¡±


    ¡°I mean¡­ what¡­¡±


    ¡®Do you think I will lose again this time?¡¯


    ¡°What is this¡­¡±


    ¡°Hyung-nim!¡±


    ¡°Gosh! I told you to stay away! Pig bastard! Stay away for now!¡±


    I pushed him away with a bang.


    ¡®No, fuck, I didn¡¯t mean to do that. I¡¯m strong now.¡¯


    I forgot I had Cho Hyejin¡¯s strength right now. A few steps away, his gaze on me was smeared with concern. His face was pale, and he looked like he didn¡¯t know what to do.


    Hayan was no different. After flinching for a moment, she quietly nced at me. She seemed to be trying to reach out to me, but she couldn¡¯t and quietly looked up at me instead.


    Han Sora quietly pulled Jung Hayan¡¯s hand as if she was startled.


    ¡°U-Um. Er¡­ uh¡­ so¡­ Oppa¡­¡±


    I heard her murmuring. The tears welling up in her eyes ovepped with what I had seen before.


    ¡®He¡­ he wille¡­ cough¡­ to save me¡­ Oppa¡­ wille¡­¡¯


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    ¡®You came. You came¡­ to save me.¡¯


    ¡°What is it really¡­¡±


    ¡®I¡¯m¡­ d¡­ now¡­ we¡­ can finally¡­ be together¡­¡¯


    Without realizing it, I reached out my hand and patted Jung Hayan¡¯s head. It was then that I saw her smiling as if she was relieved. I felt like the anxiety that she was holding had subsided a little. I most likely didn¡¯t look normal now, even to Jung Hayan and Park Deokgu.


    In particr, Han Sora had an expression that told me she was staring at a maniacal psychopath.


    My breathing was shallow, and my head was throbbing. It was hard to understand why this had happened.


    The simplest hypothesis was probably¡­


    ¡®Is it because it¡¯s Hyejin¡¯s body?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know exactly what kind of side effects causing an advent had, but I understood that what was happening to my body wasn¡¯t normal. When I saw the memories of the first round I saw before, it felt like there was something wrong with the main system in my head.


    It was funny to self-diagnose that there was something wrong with my own head, but I couldn¡¯t exin the current situation except through that.


    ¡®Did the memories of the first round flow in? If not¡­ Is the masked hero in my head¡­¡¯


    I was pretty sure it had something to do with it. I remembered that something simr had happened once before. I thought it was the bluffing of that trash scammer Lee Kiyoung, but I didn¡¯t throw out the possibility that there might still be remnants of the masked hero in my head.


    At the end of the war with the foreign people, the image of a guy pointing to the sky with his hand on Kim Hyunsung¡¯s shoulder crosses my mind for some reason.


    The guy who spoke to me¡­ certainly had some omens.


    I was just ignoring it and putting it on the other side of my head. I could think that Park Deokgu had pushed the switch button when I was in an unstable mental state.


    There was nothing certain, but I judged that it was better to draw a conclusion.


    Of course, that wasn¡¯t something I could focus on right now.


    ¡®This demon summoner bastard.¡¯


    Jin Qing was quietly looking at me.


    Park Deokgu and Jung Hayan watched me from a little distance away, realizing that it wasn¡¯t good to provoke me. As before, after taking measures so that my voice was not heard, I looked down at the board again.


    Park Deokgu was struggling with his whole body imprisoned.


    ¡®I was too agitated.¡¯


    My mouth was bitter because I thought I showed a side of me that I shouldn¡¯t have. I wasn¡¯t happy because I felt like he caught my weakness.


    ¡®Damn it. You¡¯re a stupid and mean bastard, Lee Kiyoung, no, masked hero. I was too agitated.¡¯


    There was no reason to be so agitated since the game wasn¡¯t over yet.


    Even if the fake pig died here, the real pig wouldn¡¯t die unless we lost the game.


    It was a reasonable decision to let it slip. There was no reason to openly make him think that I had weaknesses.


    No, there had to have been many problems with how I acted after I came here.


    ¡®Did I drink too much coffee?¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t help it. Fuck, the coffee tasted so delicious.


    Did I perhaps show too much emotion?


    It might have been unnatural to appear with Dummy Hyejin¡¯s death in the first ce.


    It could have been that I looked too happy to see Deokgu and Hayan, but¡­ perhaps it was a coincidence that they captured Park Deokgu.


    There was a possibility that he might have heard information from Lee Jihye, but there was no way that she would have given any useless information like me cherishing the pig.


    From his point of view, I had overreacted when he was just testing me without thinking.


    ¡®I can¡¯t be like this.¡¯


    ¡ªNow we can talk.


    ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡ªI¡¯m sure you know¡­


    ¡°It will have no value as a hostage. Are you going to kill him?¡±


    ¡ªWell¡­ Does it matter? After all, if you win this war, it doesn¡¯t really matter whether that big idiot dies or not. Are you not confident? If you look at the war situation alone, doesn¡¯t it look favorable to you? You¡¯re acting strange.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®This son of a bitch.¡¯


    ¡°I don¡¯t like your eyes, demon summoner bastard.¡±


    ¡ªMe too. I didn¡¯t expect you to have personal problems like that¡­ well, it¡¯s none of my business. Don¡¯t change what I said earlier. Looks like you¡¯re already gone crazy.


    ¡®Crazy psycho bastard.¡¯


    I had no idea what this bastard wanted. No, of course, there was something that came to mind.


    ¡®You want to fight properly, right?¡¯


    That was the only reason I could think of right now.


    Of course, there was also the possibility of a trap since we weren¡¯t warriors.


    It was neither appropriate nor right to fight with all the cards out. It was rather stupid.


    Saying that he liked to talk might itself be a build-up for an attack from behind.


    But on the other hand¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s usible.¡¯


    The Republic¡¯smander wanted to protect his pride. It might be disgusting to see me trying to cloud the issue¡­


    And he might have felt as if I wasn¡¯t really going to war, which led him to have the conversation he was talking about.


    Instead of revenge, he might want to choose to correct the mistakes of the past. In conclusion, he probably desired to create a situation where I had to fight. Only then would he be able to restore his self-esteem.


    If I thought about it from that perspective, it could be said that he had also revealed himself.


    I didn¡¯t think he would assume I didn¡¯t realize what he wanted.


    As I slowly turned my gaze back, I saw him slowly looking at me once again.


    ¡ªKeep going.


    I also didn¡¯t have time to reconsider and think about it. For now, I had no choice but to bite my lower lip and immediately pay attention to the board.


    The battle continued. I taunted, pushed, and pulled, but he was concentrating solely on the board. I didn¡¯t know if he decided that it wasn¡¯t beneficial to talk anymore, but I thought I could get a rough idea of what he was trying to say.


    ¡®Are we going to talk right here?¡¯


    The huge battle continued. It wasn¡¯t a pure tactics-against-tactics sh.


    I knew that there was no chance of winning with the conventional method. Damage gradually umted for each side. As time went by, he grew more nervous. Finally, it became evident that he didn¡¯t want to lose his troops.


    I didn¡¯t want to lose either. We didn¡¯t have much left.


    Wouldn¡¯t it be more urate to say that it was a situation in which we had no choice but to be sensitive even with the smallest damage?


    The melee began when Magic Swordsman Jung Jinho and Kim Hyunsung collided against each other with their swords, and their forces started to get tangled up.


    Troops repeatedly retreated and trapped and continued to change camps to catch up with one another. I could see the way he tried to control even the smallest details.


    ¡®He¡¯s smart.¡¯


    The defeat on the winning front intensified, and the victory went off on the front that I thought I had no choice but to give up.


    It was impossible to capture the flow of the organic battlefield at a nce. But I felt like my eyes were opening up.


    ¡®Fuck, I¡¯m growing during the battle!¡¯


    After all, fuck, the light should be like this.


    It seemed that my eyes that weren¡¯t defined by the stats or attributes were opening.


    The way I was hanging on this little board looked funny, but I became more focused.


    After wiping the blood flowing from my nose, I looked down at the board again.


    The demon summoner frowned. He¡¯d be concerned about the broken fronts since there would be a trap there.


    ¡®Did you notice? Then how about this?¡¯


    This¡­


    ¡®How about this?¡¯


    What else?


    ¡®This is fun. I can only express it like that. In any case, that woman would have been better. I thought it would be a little different if I met you like this, but with you¡­ I still don¡¯t feel like I¡¯m having a conversation with you.¡¯


    ¡®There are so many things you want when you¡¯re dying. I don¡¯t think that¡¯s something to say outright to someone who came all the way here to share theirst moments with. You should keep basic manners, right?¡¯


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡®Actually, something happened. Jihye also wanted toe with me, but¡­ I think that if she came with me, we would fight.¡¯


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡®I think she would want to keep you alive. She would think about where we could use someone with a lot of greed for talent. I thought I would be persuaded, so I just came alone.¡¯


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡®It¡¯s not that I¡¯m not greedy, but¡­ you are overlypetent. You¡¯re too talented for us to use.¡¯


    ¡®That¡¯s sweet, considering you¡¯re talking to the loser.¡¯


    ¡®Since when have you known us?¡¯


    ¡®Is that important?¡¯


    ¡®A couple of ns went wrong because of you¡­ You even took advantage of us. Many times. Is it strange to wonder how long you¡¯ve known? Who knows, who else knows?¡¯


    ¡®Yes, some probably do know, but does it matter? After all, you guys aren¡¯t going to show up soon. Am I wrong¡­ Lee Kiyoung?¡¯


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡®After all, you can¡¯t.¡¯


    ¡®I¡¯ll take that as apliment.¡¯


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡®Now, let¡¯s get to the point.¡¯


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡®About the cleaning in the past. I heard that you were aware of the list of people¡­ who agreed to the n at the time¡­ That bastard who fled to the Republic. You heard everything from that bastard, right?¡¯


    ¡®Didn¡¯t you already know that too?¡¯


    ¡®I know. It¡¯s just to double-check it properly.¡¯


    ¡®Is there a reason I should tell you?¡¯


    ¡®Don¡¯t worry about your pride in the yard of death. Just speak and go. There are a lot of people I can ask either way.¡¯


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡®Charlotte of the Empire.¡¯


    ¡®Now we¡¯re talking.¡¯


    ¡®Castle Rock¡¯s Song Jeong-wook.¡¯


    ¡®I killed him.¡¯


    ¡®Cardinal Malen of the Holy See.¡¯


    ¡®I killed him too.¡¯


    ¡®Dawan¡¯s¡­¡¯


    ¡®Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.¡¯


    ¡®Celia¡¯s¡­¡¯


    ¡®I killed him.¡¯


    ¡®And¡­¡¯


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡®Kim Hyunsung of Lindel.¡¯

 Chapter 831: The Last (64)

    <h4>Chapter 831: The Last (64)</h4>


    Whoooooosh.


    With that sound, I felt my vision return to normal.


    ¡®Kim Hyunsung of Lindel?¡¯


    ¡°Kim Hyunsung of Lindel.¡±


    ¡®Is this the first round? Did I just watch the first round?¡¯


    I felt like I was frowned upon without realizing it. I had no choice but to quickly suppress my confused emotions.


    ¡®What was that all of a sudden?¡¯


    My emotions were so puzzling that they surprised even me. I felt so strange to the point where I couldn¡¯t feel the change no matter how hard I bit my lip or tapped my thigh.


    Tears streamed down from one eye.


    I tried to cover my eyes, but there was no way he couldn¡¯t notice this.


    ¡®Fuck, why am I crying so often?¡¯


    It didn¡¯t feel so good to have thoughts that were hard to exin. I thought there was no need to panic or be nervous, but it felt like my body was reacting against my will.


    I knew it. It was something I had expected from the beginning.


    Didn¡¯t I decide to understand that Kim Hyunsung was somehow involved in the case, that he had his own circumstances, that there was something I didn¡¯t know about?


    Nevertheless, I felt a tremendous betrayal. It wasn¡¯t a feeling that I was trying to stop, but a feeling that came rushing in from within me.


    ¡®Didn¡¯t you decide to separate the second and first rounds?¡¯


    Fuck, to be honest, it was unavoidable.


    If I had to argue on behalf of Kim Hyunsung, there were many things I could say.


    At the time, it would have been difficult for Kim Hyunsung, who was receiving the status of an aristocrat on Charlotte¡¯s line, to reject the opinion that was close to the mainstream.


    I didn¡¯t know exactly what kind of cleaning it was, but it could have been a decision for the sake of the Empire¡¯s well-being.


    I couldn¡¯t deny that it might have simply been politically empowering to Charlotte or that it was a cleanup in which the existence of the Empire or the continent was at stake.


    Maybe it had something to do with the reason why Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t want to make Charlotte the empress of the Empire. Perhaps, even if I were in Kim Hyunsung¡¯s position, there was a high possibility that I would have agreed with the n.


    ¡®If that was really reasonable.¡¯


    It should have thatbel, though.


    Although the incident itself experienced by the Masked Hero and Park Deokgu might feel pitiful, in this era, one might think that they couldn¡¯t understand the circumstances of each individual.


    Considering his political sense, the possibility that he just fell into a trap was also undeniable.


    Of course, I wasn¡¯t defending the idea of blowing people or cities up as a whole, but my conclusion was that Kim Hyunsung might have encountered a situation that could not be avoided.


    That meant that bastard¡­


    No, it was weird that I even thought about this.


    Why did he show me this in the first ce? Why did I see this when everything was already over?


    Wasn¡¯t the timing too specific to say that this situation with a demon summoner was the trigger?


    I didn¡¯t understand why I had to feel so confused after seeing this.


    For example, if 1st Timeline Kiyoung wanted me to see this and wanted me to understand this situation¡­


    ¡®Why?¡¯


    Why would I need to know this?


    Even if it was an expression of the unconscious, I had no choice but to think that there had to be some reason.


    ¡®Do you want me to be hostile to Kim Hyunsung?¡¯


    Or was it for the sake of revenge? Kim Hyunsung looked happy, contrary to his intentions, so did he use such an irrational method because of bitterness? That filthy devil bastard.


    Of course, he had been a little sadtely, but wasn¡¯t Kim Hyunsung quite happy in his own way?


    Although he even stabbed his closest friend¡¯s stomach with a sword and killed me¡­


    While the regressor was living with a lot of guilt, it seemed that he had some sort of mental illness, and he was in a state where he couldn¡¯t take his own life, but¡­ overall, Kim Hyunsung in the second round¡­


    ¡®He¡¯s happy.¡¯


    I had a guilty conscience, but if I looked at the overall picture¡­ yes, he was happy. He had to be happy, right? He wouldn¡¯t feel any pain. He couldn¡¯t have liked that Kim Hyunsung was now happy, so the devil from the past most likely appeared. Or maybe my subconscious was trying to say something, but I didn¡¯t understand anything. One thing was for sure¡­


    ¡®I am the same.¡¯


    I hadn¡¯t lost my reason, nothing had changed, and I didn¡¯t think too much.


    The n hadn¡¯t changed, and the story that followed wouldn¡¯t change.


    ¡®You fucking evil bastard. I knew it. Masked hero, my ass.¡¯


    The fact that the masked devil was trying to control me was annoying, but at the same time, reassuring. If what he wanted was thepletion of revenge, if there really was a reason to show me this, then with that alone, I could maintain my current stance.


    The possession of body and mind was blocked, and he was doing nothing more than stimting me now. Since I had the initiative, it wasn¡¯t unreasonable to say that he was throwing a bit like this.


    Even if the person behind the mask wasn¡¯t the masked demon but Lucifer, wouldn¡¯t this be applicable?


    Light Kiyoung was opening the door of truth and following the light of justice¡­


    The masked demon and his hordes were blocking my way out of anxiety.


    Naturally, I was able to catch my breath slowly, but my breathing was getting quite rough, and tears were flowing from my eyes, but as soon as I spent a little time holding the table with both hands, it felt like everything was back to normal.


    That¡¯s when I heard his voice.


    ¡ªYou seem to have a lot going on. Need some time off? If you need a break¡­


    ¡°No. I¡¯m fine. How can I express my gratitude to you for being so considerate¡­ You are a gentleman. A true gentleman.¡±


    ¡ªI don¡¯t sympathize with your personal problems. I just want to have a pleasant ending. So¡­ how was it?


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡ªMy appearance in the first round.


    ¡°What? You asshole!¡±


    ¡ªIs it true?


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡ªI was skeptical, but it¡¯s hard not to believe in a situation like this.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡ªI don¡¯t think you remember everything. Are you not the subject of the return? Is it just a simplistic view? If not¡­ Is there some other signal? That¡¯s fun and interesting. I don¡¯t know what happened or how you found out about it, but¡­ that¡¯s amazing.


    ¡®You crazy bastard. You¡¯re so annoying.¡¯


    ¡ªNo need to think so strangely. I mean, it¡¯s obvious. Didn¡¯t you say it yourself? The fact that this is the second round, that the third round is possible, the act of reflecting on something with a nk face, or the face that seems to have realized the truth¡­ I was just testing you. Of course, I didn¡¯t expect it to be this easy. Well, that must mean it was that hard for you.


    He looked to be really enjoying it. For a moment, I wondered if this bastard had dug a trap, but there was really no emotion other than interest on his face.


    At least he had nothing to do with the phenomenon I just went through.


    ¡°You can think of it any way you want.¡±


    ¡ªWhat was I like?


    ¡®This bastard is already convinced.¡¯


    ¡°How would I know that?¡±


    ¡ªI¡¯ll ask again. What did I look like?


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡ª¡­


    Would it be okay if I just told him? There was nothing he could do anyway.


    ¡°You spent your life as my¡­ ve¡­¡±


    ¡ªLee Kiyoung, you son of a bitch. I¡¯m seriously asking now.


    ¡°No, I am serious. I¡¯m just telling you what I saw¡­¡±


    ¡ª¡­


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened, but you were making coffee for me. You served as a human chair and sometimes got beaten on days when I was stressed. I mean, for no reason. Of course, when it was mealtime, youid down like a dog under the table and ate¡­ dog food¡­ sometimes even the bread I threw¡­¡±


    ¡ªLee Kiyoung.


    ¡°No¡­ do you think I¡¯m lying?¡±


    ¡ªLee Kiyoung!!


    ¡°No, fuck, it¡¯s true!! It¡¯s the truth!!¡±


    ¡ªWhat?


    ¡°I was too perplexed to say anything¡­ sigh, really¡­ even when I think about it now¡­¡±


    ¡ªWhat¡­ that¡¯s¡­


    ¡°You were below humans.¡±


    ¡ªThere¡¯s no way¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s a joke, so don¡¯t make such a serious face.¡±


    He didn¡¯t shout out loud, but his face looked like he was yelling and calling me a son of a bitch.


    ¡ª¡­


    ¡°You were dying.¡±


    ¡ªWas I?


    ¡°I remember being in a simr situation to now. We were ying the game we yed the first time we met before you died, and we chatted. You don¡¯t need to know what it was about. I don¡¯t know why you died, so don¡¯t ask. Perhaps, like an idiot, you fell into a trap again. Well. It¡¯s obvious. You died by pretending to be good.¡±


    ¡ª¡­


    I could see him slowly moving his troops.


    ¡°It seems that there were no demon summoners there. At the very least, when you died, you died as a soldier of the Republic. It must have been an honorable death. It¡¯s a little ironic that I was the person who stood by you, but¡­ Oh! Don¡¯t think like you were backstabbed by the motherfucker Lee Kiyoung even in the first round. At the time, I was hanging around with Jihye. Maybe Jihye and I took turns backstabbing you.¡±


    I was moving my army as well.


    ¡°It seems that there were quite a few things that we argued about since you were aware of our existence. You took advantage of us, and I think we pretended¡­ Well, it may not have been revealed on the surface, but it would have made me tired of the brain battles that you like so much.¡±


    ¡ª¡­


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like much has changed.¡±


    ¡ªIs it?


    ¡°I wonder why you are curious.¡±


    ¡ªIt¡¯s just curiosity. There is no bigger reason than that.


    ¡°Then why are you curious about that?¡±


    ¡ªShould I tell you?


    ¡°That¡¯s also a mental illness,mander. You are not in a position to advise me.¡±


    ¡ªYou and I are different, fool.


    Even while we were talking, I instinctively moved the pieces. Jung Jinho and Kim Hyunsung were still trading blows, ring each other to death, and the battlefield wasing to an end.


    Jin Qing was no different from me. He muttered a little but didn¡¯t take his eyes off it.


    ¡®This bastard really¡­¡¯


    To be honest, I wasn¡¯t excited anymore. I also had to work hard to please him and did what he wanted, but now that I realized the result of this game, how could I not lose my excitement?


    He seemed to be aware of my condition too, but he didn¡¯t dare say anything else.


    However, as if his goal was to win, he led his troops and advanced toward me.


    Like the end of the second round and first round, it was obvious what he would choose.


    Although they fought hard, the allied forces were eventually pushed to go on the defensive. And in front of his troops before the final decisive battle, he spoke as if he was satisfied with it.


    ¡ªHonor.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡ªWhat I want is honor, not revenge.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    He continued with a slightly anxious expression.


    ¡ªKeep¡­ the promise.


    ¡°Of course, we have to protect it. You have chosen very well,mander.¡±


    ¡ªKeep it¡­

 Chapter 832: The Last (65)

    <h4>Chapter 832: The Last (65)</h4>


    ¡°Of course, I have to keep it.¡±


    ¡ª¡­


    ¡°Actually, I expected it, but I want to say that you made a very good choice. I will do my best to make a deal without regrets that can benefit both of us.¡±


    ¡ª¡­


    ¡°Always for customer satisfaction¡­¡±


    ¡ªStop¡­


    ¡°So¡­ How far do you know?¡±


    ¡ªIsn¡¯t that your problem? I¡¯d love to hear from you about what kind of deal can benefit both of us.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to look so serious, Commander. Oh, and take back your troops, please. If possible, I would be grateful if you could return Deokgu as well. If you¡¯re nervous, just give me back Deokgu. You don¡¯t really need to do this in the process of finding a deal that will satisfy us both. A true rtionship can be established only when we trust each other¡­ you¡¯re being so overbearing, which makes me wonder if you don¡¯t trust me¡­¡±


    ¡ªI don¡¯t trust you. Who would do that?


    ¡°Why do you keep doing this? We¡¯ll both benefit from this. Deokgu, make a cup of coffee for the Commander.¡±


    Park Deokgu rolled his eyes and got up. He then looked at me with a puzzled face.


    ¡ªI don¡¯t need it.


    ¡°Such small actions hurt people, Commander. When you refuse a sincere favor, you make me want to cry.¡±


    ¡ªBullsh*t. I don¡¯t want to joke around with you, Lee Kiyoung. These troops are a safeguard. A safety device to keep you from doing anything sh*tty.


    ¡°Hey¡­ take this, Demon Summoner¡­¡±


    He took a sip of the coffee that Park Deokgu brought him and looked at me.


    He frowned after passing the coffee through his throat. It didn¡¯t seem to suit his taste.


    I watched him quietly putting the coffee away in a corner and sipping tea again.


    ¡°Why would you need a safety device? It¡¯s something that works for both of us. Humans like us are crazy about things like this. It¡¯s a mutually beneficial deal where we¡¯ll both get what we want without losing anything.¡±


    ¡ªI won¡¯t deny it. However¡­


    ¡°From the standpoint of the continent¡¯s best Honorary Cardinal, to be honest, it is almost impossible to save your face now. Sora?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes, Vice Guild Master?¡±


    ¡°Go to Benignore Net, search for posts rted to him, and read them right away.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Y-You mean¡­ now?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, a simple one is fine too. One that¡¯s got a lot of views, though.¡±


    ¡°Do I have to¡­ read it?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Please read without skipping anything.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ okay.¡±


    She quietly nodded, taking the Goddess¡¯s Hand Mirror. Of course, I also took out the hand mirror in my pocket and immediately turned my gaze to it.


    ¡®What is this?¡¯


    [My Post]


    [Title: I shouldn¡¯t write something like this in the current state of the world, but¡­ I think an elf confessed to me. No, I honestly don¡¯t know. I need your advice, guys. (Comments: 1,024)]


    [Written by: I like the B1ue color]


    [I know that many people are worried and concerned about what is happening, but I am posting this like aint because I have no ce to tell anyone about myplicated feelings. To begin with, I think I was confessed to by an elf. I can¡¯t say who he is, but he¡¯s a high-ranking person in the kingdom of Eberia. We don¡¯t know each other well. All we¡¯ve ever done was bump into each other for important meetings and other things, and we ate and drank tea together, too, a handful of times. So, of course, I didn¡¯t think he would have a crush on me. This is how it happened. His younger sister¡­ omitted¡­


    He said, ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s absurd that I have different feelings for you.¡± I didn¡¯t say anything, but¡­ the current situation isn¡¯t good, so I¡¯m worried about how to answer him. Is it okay to refuse properly? Or would it be better to tell him after things get better? I know it¡¯s not the right time to talk about it, and I know we¡¯re in a predicament, but I¡¯m worried that he might feel like I¡¯m ignoring him, which is why I¡¯m waiting for advice from those who know the elves well.]


    [ID Undecided: What a load of bullsh*t. That¡¯s bullsh*t. You can write a novel. Hahahahahahahahahahaha]


    [I like the B1ue color: Huh?]


    [ID Undecided: Sure, you put a lot of effort into this story, but it¡¯s too shabby. You¡¯re not even joking. Aren¡¯t you the one who came up with a weird post before? This time, you suddenly received a confession from an elf. Excuse me. If you want to write a novel, you have to write it properly. Eberia is now under control, and I can¡¯t believe that you met a high-ranking official there. LOL. You¡¯re just too ridiculous. Hahahaha]


    [Lindel Vige Resident: The current situation is not good¡­ and this kind of post is a bit¡­ inappropriate. I do not agree with ID Undecided, but in the current situation where Eberia detains continental adventurers and tourists, this article is a bit¡­ should I say that you don¡¯t seem to understand the atmosphere?]


    [I like the B1ue color: I posted this because I wanted to get advice from you. As I said, the atmosphere isn¡¯t good, so I¡¯m asking for advice on how to act¡­ I never meant to offend you guys. I¡¯m not unaware of the seriousness of the situation.]


    [Wooden Spoon: This person has been posting a lot of bullsh*t since a long time ago. There was also an amnesia story¡­ ]


    [I like the B1ue color: I¡¯m not making it up.]


    [ID undecided: Just take my dislike.]


    [Nananananan: I also got confessed to by some elves¡­ it¡¯s a bit hard because of cultural differences, but now I am dating one of them. There¡¯s a little bit of an age difference¡­ anyway, even if you say no, don¡¯t say no too harshly. Elves often take their own lives if they fail¡­]


    [I like the B1ue color: What? Is that true?]


    [H.G.S.A.L Lover: Reported as a controversial article. ^^;;]


    ¡®What, she¡­¡¯


    I quickly realized that it wasn¡¯t my hand mirror.


    I thought it was posted right after the incident, so I wanted to take a closer look at thements and Cho Hyejin¡¯s reaction, but I immediately looked away.


    It didn¡¯t feel right for some reason, and it felt like I had opened Pandora¡¯s box.


    ¡®Just put it aside.¡¯


    The client had toe first. Wasn¡¯t Lee Kiyoung a professional who always put customers first?


    ¡®She really¡­¡¯


    As soon as I started coughing in embarrassment, Han Sora spoke up.


    ¡°Jin Qing? Ah¡­ That demon summoner bastard? Do I have to read c-curses too?¡±


    ¡ª¡­


    ¡°Unfiltered and transparent. Isn¡¯t that the motto of ourpany?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s the Guild Master of a small-sized guild in the Republic. I¡¯ve worked with and had a meal with that demon summoner bastard. Until then, I thought that that bastard was a talented person who could change us, who would lead the Republic¡­¡±


    ¡®Qing, you don¡¯t look too good.¡¯


    ¡°In the end, it was all about his own greed and personal desires. Just thinking that I was deceived by that bastard and followed him makes me lose sleep these days. Demon Summoner bastard. He even died without paying for his sins properly¡­ I wish he suffered a little bit more. Deceiver. Scammer. Dirty Demon Summoner.¡±


    ¡ª¡­


    ¡°S-Should I read thements too?¡±


    ¡°Honesty! Transparency!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes. There was a time when I worked for Jin Qing for a while¡­ that bastard was a show-off. Pretending to be different, pretending to be special, pretending to be superior to others, pretending to look down on the world. At the time, I really thought he was someone else, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Buuut?¡±


    ¡°Who would have known that that specialty was something that came out of a contract with a demon?¡±


    ¡°This is how public opinion is. Please continue, Sora.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s ament that defends the Commander.¡±


    ¡ª¡­


    ¡°After that, there is a reply that says¡­ demon summoner son of a bitch. And next¡­ Yeah¡­ That¡­ it¡¯s a picture¡­posite pictures¡­ the Commander¡¯s face is on a demon¡¯s body and¡­ yeah¡­ do I have to show it?¡±


    ¡°No. To protect the client¡¯s mental health, let¡¯s not show it.¡±


    Naturally, he frowned.


    ¡°Anyway, that¡¯s pretty much it, Commander.¡±


    ¡ªIt¡¯s all your¡­


    ¡®He¡¯s about to get mad again.¡¯


    ¡°No. Commander. Actually, I ran all day and night for your honor. The n for the second anniversary of your reputation cleansing was in progress before the sudden appearance of hostile groups turned the n into nothing. You must feel treated unfairly. Of course, I understand that feeling, but sometimes, things happen out of our hands. That was exactly the case. It was something I never expected.¡±


    I felt like he was catching his breath.


    ¡°In fact, you can tell by looking at the sudden change in public opinion before and after the formation of the group. It¡¯s not that I didn¡¯t keep my promise. It was that I couldn¡¯t keep the promise. I¡¯ll clear you of false usations. I will prove again that you were the true hero who sacrificed for thisnd.¡±


    ¡ªYou don¡¯t have to pay lip service, and there is no need to put yourself out there. You don¡¯t have to prove I was a hero. You don¡¯t have to do anything more than necessary. I just want you to rify that I¡¯m not a demon summoner.


    ¡°Will that be enough?¡±


    ¡ªI¡­


    ¡°Let¡¯s go with something more certain. You probably won¡¯t be disappointed either.¡±


    It was better to deal with things like this with certainty in the first ce. Park Deokgu was quietly looking at Jin Qing as if he felt that something was going on strangely.


    ¡°What do you mean¡­? Are you saying that Jin Qing wasn¡¯t a demon summoner?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°No, how could that¡­ be? What the hell¡­ is this¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a long story, Deokgu. One thing is for sure. The Commander is still fighting the devil inside him¡­¡±


    ¡ªStop with that bullsh*t¡­


    ¡°Sora. Send out what¡¯s happening here on the whole continent.¡±


    ¡ªDon¡¯t do useless things, Lee Kiyoung! I warned you. Jung Hayan is faster than Han Sora. She can show what¡¯s going on here across the continent¡­


    As if she thought she should show the reaction of the continent¡¯s people, she disyed the external situation. I could see those looking at the Goddess¡¯s Mirror floating in the sky nkly.


    They were probably wondering what the hell was going on. And why the Holy Spear of Blue, Cho Hyejin, and the Demon Summoner, who they thought was dead, were together, and what the hell were they doing right now. The people of the continent shuddered with fear while murmuring.


    Jin Qing wanted to say that it was something he wanted, but not in this way. How could he say it at this moment where the entire continent was watching him? What could he even say?


    I immediately brought my hands together to my chest and opened my mouth in a desperate voice.


    ¡°You¡­ You must ovee this, Commander. You can ovee it.¡±


    ¡ªDamn¡­


    ¡°You can fight the demon. Didn¡¯t you tell me! Didn¡¯t you say that you will ovee and that you will fight with us for the light?!¡±


    I shed tears.


    ¡®It¡¯s our Hyejin¡¯s screen debut.¡¯


    I needed to put some more emotion into it.


    ¡°Please¡­ sniff¡­ pleasee back, Commander¡­ you must ovee it! You need to bring back that little light in your heart.¡±


    He probably knew that he couldn¡¯t help it either.


    Just as expected, he started acting quietly.


    ¡®Why are you so embarrassed?¡¯


    ¡ªI have already been engulfed in darkness, Light¡¯s Chosen Daughter.


    He apparently didn¡¯t have any talent for acting.


    ¡ªD¡­ Daaamn¡­ damn¡­ sh*t¡­

 Chapter 833: The Last (66)

    <h4>Chapter 833: The Last (66)</h4>


    ¡®But it¡¯s good that he¡¯s quick-witted.¡¯


    There were some problems with his acting skills, but he certainly seemed to understand what I wanted. Even if I didn¡¯t exin anything, he knew what to say and what attitude to take.


    ¡®It¡¯s pretty good overall.¡¯


    It was right to apud him just because he followed my lead.


    Of course, his face was very distorted. He looked regretful, and he seemed to be contemting whether he had to do this. Overall, he had a shameful expression. I wondered if he¡¯d hide in a mouse hole if there were one, but there was no way he would go into it.


    In the first ce, he would not be able to argue that this was the most reliable method.


    He was worried about when he would be stabbed in the back, so I was sure he¡¯d feel safe in his own way.


    ¡®There¡¯s no better way to do it than to tell the public directly. I¡¯ll also earn some divinity.¡¯


    As I nced at Park Deokgu, I saw him sending an apologetic look to him.


    ¡®Of course, he¡¯d do that.¡¯


    He criticized him for being a demon summoner, saying all the bad things he could say.


    It seemed difficult to understand exactly what the current situation was, but it was the same for the people of the continent watching this situation.


    Rather, it felt like an opportunity to exin the context. Unsurprisingly, I saw Park Deokgu quietly nodding.


    ¡°W-What does that mean¡­ then¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You mean it was all a misunderstanding?¡±


    ¡®Would it be just a misunderstanding? I¡¯lle up with a really nice story.¡¯


    It was a story and a role I had been saving. To be honest, it wasn¡¯t worth it for Jin Qing, but I couldn¡¯t help it.


    ¡°It¡¯s not just a misunderstanding, Park Deokgu.¡±


    ¡°Hyung-nim¡­¡±


    ¡®You can¡¯t call me hyung-nim. Fuck.¡¯


    ¡°I-I mean¡­ Hye¡­ Hyejin¡­¡±


    Right. I was Cho Hyejin now. Hyejin loved justice more than anyone else, liked the Blue, and sometimes posted on Benignore Net with the intention of looking for advice.


    ¡°He was fighting.¡±


    ¡°What¡­ does¡­¡±


    ¡°The Commander was fighting a battle that was not revealed to the world, a ce out of the reach of the public. As a shadow of Light, he was fighting the demon in constant pain. The Commander has been fighting, knowing that his own body will crumble. Perhaps he was aware of these results. He knew that his body¡­ would someday¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I mean¡­ what¡­¡±


    I could just talk about possibilitiester. I had to focus on this first.


    ¡°Even knowing that one day he will be eaten by the demon!¡±


    I began to shed more tears. A few drops of it even got blown into the air, which made it more cinematic.


    ¡®I like Hyejin¡¯s face like this.¡¯


    She definitely had the type of facial features that could make up an overall trustworthy expression.


    Although the lines were cringeworthy, these kinds of scenes always had to be.


    I appealed with a voice and eyes full of acting skills and sincerity.


    I also showed Park Deokgu, who seemed to have realized everything. He was giving himself time to think about why I was so confused before.


    Lee Kiyoung¡¯s confusion and tears were meant to sympathize with Jin Qing¡¯s life.


    ¡®Right, Deokgu. I think you picked the right answer.¡¯


    ¡°Is¡­ that true? Then why¡­ why¡­¡±


    ¡°The Commander wanted to be a symbol.¡±


    ¡°Symbol¡­¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s chosen the path of bing a symbol of fear. I still remember the conversation between the Vice Guild master and Jin Qing- no, the son of Light and the shadow of Light. It was a story that was never known to the continent and had to be buried forever. Don¡¯t you remember too? There¡¯s no way you can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡ªThat¡­ That¡­


    ¡®Gosh, this moron is not good at following me.¡¯


    He had absolutely no idea about what to do.


    ¡®Gosh, he¡¯s not following me. Look at him not flowing with the tempo. Was the Daughter of Light remark a coincidence? Or has shame started to explode?¡¯


    ¡°What¡­ What is that conversation?¡±


    ¡®Deokgu, fuck, I love you.¡¯


    ¡°It was a contract. It was a request not to restore his honor, which the demon had eaten. He wanted to remain as a demon summoner. He wanted his shadow, who had been fighting the devil all his life, to remain as a shadow until he died. That was the Commander¡¯sst favor. Carrying everything on your back as a symbol of evil¡­ as a joke, a traitor to humanity¡­ he wanted to stay that way¡­ to unite the continent.¡±


    ¡ª¡­


    ¡®Gosh, what¡¯s up with his face¡­ Come back to your senses.¡®


    ¡°This¡­ absurd reality¡­ How could such an absurd reality exist¡­ it shouldn¡¯t be like this.¡±


    ¡°This is reality. This is a reality we must not deny. Perhaps it¡¯s the fault of the continent of the past that the demon has once again robbed the Commander¡¯s soul. It is our fault for ignoring his honor and end. Commander, I still live with the words that you left for me in my heart.¡±


    ¡ª¡­


    ¡°You said it was nothing.¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°You said that this sacrifice was insignificantpared to the contribution that the Son of Light did for the continent. You said it was your fault that the demon defeated you, so you calmly epted the end as a demon summoner. You said that you would live the rest of your life as a shadow. However¡­ However¡­ this ending is too tragic. Even the Vice Guild Master would not want you like this.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°The Son of Light also wants you to move your feet toward the heavens.¡±


    ¡®Start, Deokgu.¡¯


    ¡°If¡­ If it¡¯s hyung-nim, I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll want it! I-I didn¡¯t think something like this would happen¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey, Commander guy! You can do it. You said you¡¯d been fighting evil all your life. All your life¡­ all your life! There¡¯s no way you can¡¯t escape that. Hey¡­ sorry about everything. I am truly sorry for insulting you as a demon summoner without knowing about what you¡¯re going through.¡±


    He was about to cry.


    The way Park Deokgu said emotional lines made me apud mentally.


    He had honesty in his expression, regretting the remarks he made before, and he had a sublime figure that seemed to repent sincerely.


    Soon, tears began to form in the corners of his eyes.


    ¡°I believe, Commander.¡±


    As I nced at Han Sora, she began speaking up.


    ¡°C-Commander, It¡¯s okay now. You¡­ You no longer have to hide in the shadows.¡±


    ¡®Nice line.¡¯


    I sincerely hoped Jung Hayan wouldn¡¯t say anything for now.


    ¡°The continent couldn¡¯t have be one. Yes. The Vice Guild Master used to say the same thing. Even if it was your will, yourst request, he was heartbroken for not being able to tell the continent the truth behind you. That¡¯s how strong your will was, but the Vice Guild Master knew.¡±


    ¡ª¡­


    ¡°He might have known what it is to really honor you. Look. Commander.¡±


    Tears began to flow from one eye.


    ¡°The continents had be one.¡±


    I swiped my gaze towards the camera. Our Hyejin¡¯s debut should be perfect.


    ¡°We have defended the continent from great threats, from the prophecies of the apocalypse, from demons in angelic masks. It¡­ It was thanks to you.¡±


    Crying openly was over-emotional. It was best to just let a few drops of tears out and say lines that sounded like they¡¯d appear in a drama.


    It was okay to speak with difficulties. The Republic people got out of their minds whenever they got hit with nationalism anyway. Others didn¡¯t usually show many reactions, but the Republic guys¡­


    ¡°It was thanks to you, with the Secret Service of the Republic, who defended the continent in the shadows!¡±


    ¡®He owns this. Unsurprisingly, I can see the people of the Republic already cheering up with nationalism.¡¯


    Older people¡¯s eyes had been moist for a long time. Mumblings began to be heard from all over the ce.


    -The Commander wasn¡¯t a demon summoner.


    -The hero of the shadows¡­ he was an unknown hero from the continent¡­


    ¡®If I manage the Benignore Net a little while manipting public opinion centered on the Republic, his identity will be cleansed within a year¡­¡¯


    -You are not a demon summoner, Commander Jin Qing¡­


    -I believed you. W-what did I say? I said he couldn¡¯t be a demon summoner¡­ definitely¡­


    -Don¡¯t lose, Jin Qing! Don¡¯t be defeated by the demon!


    -One of the Five Tiger Generals of the Republic. The hope and light of the Republic! This is the Republic you have defended.


    ¡®Whew. The guys of the Republic are way too patriotic.¡¯


    I thought it was even more than the State. In a way, their eyes were so filled with pride that they should be the standard of nationalism.


    To be honest, these bastards would believe what I said no matter what, even if I took it all back.


    Or maybe they just wanted to believe unconditionally.


    Those guys had been quite a bit stressed, after all. Considering that the State and the Republic had been rivals since birth, that was understandable.


    It was even more so when I considered that the Republic hadn¡¯t done anything right while the State gave birth to two heroes who protected the continent.


    They invested a lot of resources and manpower to protect the continent and the pride of their country, but in reality, the sacrifice of the Son of Light and the ending of the Swordsman of Sunset took all the attention.


    While the Named beings of the State raised their strength for the Light, the Named beings of the Republic were busy colluding with the demons.


    It was a story that everyone could know without needing to say that the pride of the general public and the authorities had to have been hurt.


    A means to restore such national pride had emerged.


    He wasn¡¯t a demon summoner.


    ¡®This is a real washing machine, isn¡¯t it?¡¯


    He was a shadow hero who fought the powers of a demon in an unseen location. Although he was taken away during the battle by the secret society and the demon, he fought to the very end on his own, making him a great man who gave up his honor for the sake of the continent.


    ¡®Honestly, it¡¯s fucking cool. Shadow Hero.¡¯


    The Republicans went crazy.


    Benignore Net, which was being updated in real-time, was also booming.


    In the Republic, only posts supporting Jin Qing could be seen.


    Of course, Cho Hyejin, who made her screen debut, also received a good response.


    -Commander!


    ¡®It¡¯s really spectacr. Spectacr!¡¯


    -We believed in the Commander.


    ¡®These bastards¡¯ attitude change is no joke.¡¯


    -We believed that you were not a demon summoner¡­


    ¡®Not long ago, you were eagerly bad-mouthing him¡­¡¯


    -Commander! Stay strong! The people of the Republic will support and pray for you.


    ¡®Gosh¡­¡¯


    -We believe in you! Damn it!


    With everyone¡¯s power¡­


    No matter how shameful it was, no matter how much they thought that it wasn¡¯t the case, even if it wasn¡¯t the direction that they wanted it to go¡­


    At this point, it was like they didn¡¯t have a choice.


    I also dropped a few more tears and pped the desk to say the embarrassingly obvious lines.


    ¡°Shadows do not exist without Light. There is still light within you.¡±


    In the end, I saw the cornered guy grabbing his head.


    ¡ªS¡­ sniff¡­ sniff¡­


    He didn¡¯t add any more lines.


    ¡ªAaaaaah¡­


    I was rather embarrassed by it. His pupils were clearly shaking.

 Chapter 834: The Last (67)

    <h4>Chapter 834: The Last (67)</h4>


    His pupils shook so mercilessly that I thought there was an earthquake happening.


    ¡®Why do you look so pitiful all of a sudden?¡¯


    I didn¡¯t even know how to exin the way he was staring at me, as if asking if he could do this.


    He would definitely know. In order to continue this storytelling, there was no way that he didn¡¯t know what he needed to do or what position he needed to take.


    That action had to have been the result of that.


    ¡ªUughh¡­ uuugh¡­


    ¡°Be strong! Not everyone believed in the demon summoner story! Everyone is cheering for you! We¡¯re waiting for you to return to normal! Is¡­ Is there anything¡­ I can do to help?¡±


    ¡ªUghh¡­ damn¡­ Get out of m-m-my head¡­ this¡­ de¡­ dem¡­


    Nevertheless, looking at him, it seemed as if he wasn¡¯t confident in his actions. He was sending a silent question asking if it was the right thing to do, and he looked strangely anxious.


    ¡®Gosh, I¡¯m going to go crazy. Why is he so bad at acting?¡¯


    He was even worse than Dialugia. At least she reached the high point in her career with the gue dragon, soparing them was pointless.


    I didn¡¯t know how someone usually good at hiding his emotions could act so bad, but its quality was so poor that it was hard to say something. A maggot-like sentiment made me feel like I was wasting the cast and the story. I even gave him the title of Hero of the Shadows and Shadow Hero¡­


    ¡®Focus. Don¡¯t be shy and focus. Fuck. Is this a joke? Does this look like a joke? Do you know how many things are at stake here?¡¯


    It would have been better to save this scenario for something else. I shouldn¡¯t have brought out the Shadow Hero in the first ce.


    With this, I looked at Han Sora with an urgent expression.


    Even in the eyes of camera director Han Sora, who had built up filming techniques through her experiences, the present moment seemed like a crisis.


    Eventually, she bit her lip and moved the hand mirror here and there.


    It wasn¡¯t only to convey the scene¡¯s urgency, but also to hide Jin Qing¡¯s awkwardness.


    ¡®You know that noise should be added to this sound, right?¡¯


    She needed to add some demon voices. The way she handled it on her own was already that of a pro. It got better due to various special effects, but it still couldn¡¯t cover the awkwardness.


    In all honesty, it would have been better if it had been a little simpler setup.


    What if it was storytelling that did not require acting skills and emotional lines?


    ¡ªUgh¡­ I won¡¯t lose.


    ¡®What do you mean you won¡¯t lose? What in the world? What? Are you saying that you won¡¯t lose like that?¡¯


    The fact that my screeny was bing rubbish made me tap my thighs unconsciously. If it weren¡¯t for Park Deokgu, who was trying to help Jin Qing in any way, it would have been ruined.


    ¡°H-Hyung-nim! This¡­¡±


    ¡°Commander! Keep your pride!¡±


    ¡ªUgh¡­ Pfff¡­ Hahaha¡­


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the demon trying toe out? How should I¡­ The demon that took everything from Jin Qing ising out! Hyung-nim! Don¡¯t we have to save him? I can¡¯t let the Shadow Hero who secretly protected the continent be eaten by the demon like this again!¡±


    ¡ªDamn¡­ damn¡­ Sh*t¡­ Lee Kiyoung¡­


    ¡®That emotion just now was good.¡¯


    ¡ªUgh¡­ no one¡­ can stop me.


    I didn¡¯t know why his lines had to be so uncreative.


    ¡°No. You can ovee it. I¡¯ll be with you, and The Vice Guild Master also said that. The light that creates the shadow is very small, but it shines brighter than anything else.¡±


    When one shouted out these lines, they¡¯d usually have to be confident in themselves.


    The reason why lines that seemed toe out of a cheap novel gave them strength was their emotion. We were really risking our lives. Hence, we had to focus on this.


    People were watching because this was a real situation, and we could really die.


    Of course, Hyejin¡¯s appearance was thepletion of her acting.


    Still, she shouldn¡¯t be ashamed of herself. If the person who did it was ashamed, the person who saw it would also feel the same way. He had to be a little more daring.


    I tried to advise by continuing to supply some cringe-worthy lines, but the CPR was already impossible.


    In the end, thinking there was no other way than to go on like this, my mouth tasted bitter.


    It was then that the director made a bold decision.


    ¡®Whoa.¡¯


    She lowered the lens and started illuminating the dummy world.


    I could see the huge demon forces striding towards the few remaining humans.


    With nowhere to retreat, the Army of Light was united as one, preparing to meet the demons.


    ¡ªGo ahead. A¡­ Army of demons.


    Since we started shooting in super close-up, it didn¡¯t feel like a children¡¯s toy.


    It felt like we weren¡¯t ying a game but fighting a war in another dimension.


    No other voices could be heard, but the battlefield mixed with sound effects was enough to fill the continent¡¯s people with fear.


    ¡°You must win, Army of Light! Victory in this battle is the only way to save you from the darkness.¡±


    ¡ªD-do you think it will go your way¡­ just give up¡­


    ¡°I will never give up on you. It¡¯s not just us. The people of the Republic, the heroes of the State that are currently fighting, and all those who have defended the continent will not give up on you.¡±


    ¡ªDamn¡­ why me¡­ damn¡­


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Army of Light!¡±


    A huge beam of light poured down.


    [The named entity of the human faction, Kim Hyunsung, smiles brightly. He says he knew you were watching and asks to fight thest battle together. The Sunset Swordsman is nervous because he doesn¡¯t know how this story will end, but he says he¡¯ll follow the yer if you desire it.]


    ¡®You bastard, what should I do with this bug? Jihye. You could¡¯ve made some corrections when creating it. It¡¯s nice to use the dummy world like this too, though.¡¯


    It would be good to try out a few experiments.


    [Named entity Kim Hyunsung of the human faction shouts out.]


    [The forces of the human faction express surprise. Everyone is encouraged by the bright glow. Their troops do not seek advice from the yer. Instead, they say it¡¯s thest battle. A battle of pure light and darkness will begin. They give a cheering warcry, beat their shields, and sung a song of victory for the final battle.]


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go! We¡¯re saving the Commander!¡±


    [The demon faction moves, emitting sounds like the howling of the earth. The human faction does not tremble in fear. They shout that the warm light from the sky will guide them on the way they should go.]


    ¡ªKill them. Kill¡­ kill them all!


    ¡®You¡¯re not serious, right?¡¯


    [The final battle begins! It will forever remain in the history of this continent!]


    The sight of demons engulfed in darkness and an army engulfed in light colliding with each other was so wonderful that it was hard to say something.


    Pdins screamed and resisted the demons, and the undeads bit back at the infantry until the very end. It was far from a battle of tactics and strategy. They were actually desperate enough for it to be called a pure sh of darkness and light.


    If I hadn¡¯t known it was a dummy world, it would have been a battle that would make my hand sweat quite a bit.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t have anything to say about the reaction of the continent¡¯s people looking at this. Battles and wars were taking ce all over the continent.


    Some were fighting, and some were not, but they all felt the same all in all.


    They believed that light would triumph, that darkness would eventually kneel before light. They believed that they could get through this crisis once again.


    -Please¡­ Please.


    -Do not lose! Sh*t! Give them hell!


    -The Son of Light is with you.


    Citizens were seen praying everywhere. Those who were fighting were also expecting victory in the above battle.


    -Don¡¯t give up! People of the State! Behold, the forces of light pushing the demon army away! We, too, will triumph with them! The Son of Light is watching over us!


    -Let¡¯s stay strong. Don¡¯t be afraid, everyone, and look up to the sky! Ourrades who protected the continent together are also bleeding on other battlefields. Our victories will be of great strength to them.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t have to tell them that this was fake, considering the effect was great.


    It was a fight that gave hope and courage to everyone. It was so noble that it inspired them.


    There was no fear in the eyes of the dummies of light, though the situation was desperate.


    Their belief that the gods would watch over them was so deep that they were willing to give their lives up.


    ¡°Commander.¡±


    ¡ª¡­


    ¡°Get back to your senses, Commander.¡±


    ¡ªUgh¡­


    ¡°You are the only one who can end this war. The Vice Guild Master also said so.¡±


    ¡ªI¡­


    It¡¯s a bit frustrating that he still wasn¡¯t focused.


    However, the situation was so good that it seemed to undermine his acting skills.


    He nced at the Republic people who were praying and those who were giving him strength.


    I watched him reflexively grabbing his head when he saw the light.


    The detail of his body reflexively responding to it was good, but there seemed to be a limit to him expressing it.


    As much as I was good at emitting brilliance, I slowly started injecting its effecting out of him.


    Seemingly thinking it was about the right time, he spoke with a red face.


    ¡ªI¡­ I won¡¯t lose. I will not sumb to malice!


    ¡°¡­¡±


    It was a bit awkward that he said that while looking at me, but the emotion was good.


    ¡ªI am Jin Qing of the Republic. Why should I sumb to something like this?


    But his line was too sloppy. It sounded so old. Of course, I wasn¡¯t saying the ssics were bad¡­


    No, rather, the ssics were good. Still, I didn¡¯t know if it was because of his delivery, but it was a bit awkward to watch him introducing himself as Jing Qing of the Republic¡­


    I had to ept it, though.


    ¡°Yes. You are Jin Qing. You are Jin Qing, who has been fighting a demon all your life and wanting to protect the continent even if it means your death!¡±


    ¡ªI am Jin Qing of the Republic. Damn¡­ damn!


    A huge light struck the forces of the demon.


    The splendid sight where the illumination broke down all darkness was so beautiful that words couldn¡¯t describe it.


    [The human faction witnesses a miracle. Most of the troops shed tears as the lightes down to their side. The demon faction begins to disappear, weakening their power. Jung Jinhoughs as if it is a pity, but he said he¡¯s sure there¡¯ll be another chance. Kim Hyunsung looks up at the sky. He closes his eyes quietly as he stretches out his hands while looking at the pouring light.]


    ¡°Commander¡­¡±


    ¡ªNo¡­ No one can defile my pride¡­ I¡­ I won¡¯t sumb to malevolence.


    [Humanity drives out the demons, which are crumbling on their own. The radiant light of today will remain in their hearts forever.]


    ¡°¡­¡±


    [Everyone cheers, and the battle ends.]


    And¡­


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    I started to feel my body floating upwards.


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    When I opened my eyes, a space filled with silence entered my eyes.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

 Chapter 855: The Last (68)

    <h4>Chapter 855: The Last (68)</h4>


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡®Things are going back to normal.¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    It felt like I wasn¡¯t ustomed to the noisy surroundings that be quiet in an instant.


    ¡°Father¡­¡±


    I looked at where I heard the sounding from, finding Seraphim that I hadn¡¯t seen in a long time.


    He was quietly holding coffee while looking up at me. Immediately after taking a sip¡­


    ¡®It doesn¡¯t taste good.¡¯


    I could see him wiping the coffee spilled on the ground while crying, but I didn¡¯t pay much attention due to Cho Hyejin covering her face with both hands.


    She was so red and seemed to have watched the situation while I was descending on her body.


    I didn¡¯t know if it was because I saw the post she posted or because she was thrilled with her first camera debut, but it was clear that she was flustered.


    ¡°Hyejin?¡±


    -Shut up, you son of a bitch.


    She whispered it, but it seemed to be louder than intended.


    Hyejin cursed.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? We did really great.¡±


    -Please shut up¡­


    She almost looked like she was about to cry.


    ¡°This will definitely make you go up to stardom. In fact,pared to your achievements, you¡¯re not that known to the public because you weren¡¯t promoted.¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°That won¡¯t happen anymore. All of today¡¯s events will probably be uploaded to themunity that you often visit¡­ Oh! And just in case you misunderstand, I saw your hand mirror by mistake. It wasn¡¯t intentional. Well, since what I saw wasn¡¯t that important¡­ don¡¯t pick on me too much. I sincerely apologize. However, if such a question arises in the future, consult a friend rather than¡­ a strangemunity¡­¡±


    -Please¡­ please shut up.


    ¡°Come back to your senses. They¡¯re looking at you weirdly, Hyejin.¡±


    They really weren¡¯t. I was just wondering why the hell she was doing this. With a nce, they might mistakenly think that she was thrilled with the victory of light.


    Looking at the atmosphere, it seemed they hadn¡¯t yet noticed that I had already left for the heavens.


    Even Jung Hayan, who would¡¯ve noticed it fast, was still in the same position, perhaps because of the confusion in the room, and Park Deokgu, who had always been slow, was still making a fuss. Maybe he was helping to confuse the atmosphere.


    ¡°Let¡¯s give them a chance to say goodbye. They will be disappointed.¡±


    Only now did it feel like she hade to her senses.


    There was no way she wouldn¡¯t have known that if I suddenly disappeared without a word, Hayan and Deokgu would be disappointed.


    I continued as I saw her quietly resolving and solidifying her mind and body.


    ¡°I will give you a small effect from this side. Say goodbye to them in my ce. You can say something simple, or if you¡¯re not sure¡­ Just do something as fast as possible before Hayan notices.¡±


    I provoked sympathy in case she was a little angry. I spoke quietly as if I had no energy left, and she wiggled her fingers.


    She eventually began to speak as she nodded slightly. She evidently seemed confused about what to say, but it would be better than coaching her with everything.


    She slowly turned her head while standing up from her seat. That was an unprecedented move.


    It seemed like she was acting out of the desire to really represent my position rather than just acting for herself.


    The expression on her face revealed that she didn¡¯t want to be far away.


    Perhaps everyone realized it. There was no way they wouldn¡¯t know what Cho Hyejin- no, Lee Kiyoung, yed by Cho Hyejin, would be talking about next.


    Her expression, by this point, looked bitter.


    -I think I should go now.


    She was better than I thought. Her acting was a bit too serious, though.


    -What do you mean?


    -I have to go now. I think I¡¯ve done everything I can do here. I don¡¯t have much time¡­ but I have something nned. We¡¯re not in the right stage to tell you in detail, but I¡¯ll definitelye back, so there¡¯s no need to worry too much.


    -I-Is that true?


    -Of course¡­


    ¡°If you say it with so much confidence, they will look forward to it.¡±


    -It was a short time, but it was so much fun to be able to reunite with you even like this. Hayan, Deokgu, and Sora seem to be doing well, and¡­


    -N-N-No¡­


    -We¡¯ll meet again soon, Hayan.


    -Y-Yes¡­ yes¡­


    Of course, Jung Hayan was the problem. The pig bastard was brimming with tears as expected, but in Jung Hayan¡¯s case, it was worse.


    Dropping thick tears was normal, but the way she hugged Cho Hyejin, not wanting to let her go, looked a little sad. As she continued to cry out loud, Cho Hyejin began to look embarrassed, but she slowly stroked her hair anyway, thinking that she needed to calm her down.


    Jung Hayan held her even tighter when Cho Hyejin tried to release herself now, which made it impossible because she was stuck like a piece of gum.


    I didn¡¯t know how she was holding up. No matter how much she supported her strength with magic, she couldn¡¯t tie her down like that without basic strength.


    -Waaaah¡­ ugh¡­ waaahhh¡­


    -I-I¡¯ll be back soon.


    -Hic¡­ ugh¡­ don¡¯t go. Don¡¯t go¡­ hic¡­


    -J-Jung Hayan. You can¡¯t do that. The¡­ Vice Guild Master said he¡¯ll being back soon.


    -I¡¯lle back as soon as possible.


    -Don¡¯t go! D-D-Don¡¯t¡­ waaahh¡­ Don¡¯t go¡­


    I saw her looking at the spear as if asking what to do.


    However, I couldn¡¯t really say anything.


    It would be best to wait for Jung Hayan¡¯s suppressor to calm her down.


    Unsurprisingly, Han Sora started soothing her. She actually didn¡¯t seem to calm down at all, though¡­


    -He said he¡¯ll be back soon. It must be difficult for the Vice Guild Master as well. Let go of her, Jung Hayan¡­


    -Waaahh¡­


    - Well, he must be having a hard time too. I understand how you feel, but for now¡­ y-you have to let him go. Didn¡¯t he say that he¡¯ll return for you? He can¡¯t continue to live in Hyejin¡¯s body. He¡¯ll be back in his original body. For now¡­ we should let him go.


    -As I said, Hayan, I¡¯ll be back soon. You¡¯ll wait for me, right?


    She shook her head without saying a word.


    -You will, right?


    When she asked her one more time, I could see her nodding reluctantly.


    It seemed she wantedpensation for her wait, considering I always rewarded her.


    However, there was no way that Cho Hyejin could recognize her intention. She was once again stroking her hair and straightening her dress.


    She wiped her tears with her hands and looked into her eyes.


    -Everything will be fine.


    Or.


    -Because I believe in Hayan.


    Or say.


    -You can trust me too, right?


    This much.


    As Cho Hyejin continued to say things that she wouldn¡¯t usually say, Jung Hayan reluctantly nodded.


    She looked like she was quite good at handling her, so I couldn¡¯t help butmend her.


    ¡°If I can do it.¡±


    -If I can do it.


    -I can do better. You already said it a thousand times. Stop making us cry and just go. You¡¯reing back anyway.


    -Okay. See youter, pig¡­ bastard. Sora, you worked hard.


    -Ah¡­ Thank you, Vice Guild Master. Have a safe trip.


    I didn¡¯t say anything like, ¡®I¡¯m going. I¡¯m really going. Goodbye.¡¯


    For just a moment, Cho Hyejin closed her eyes, and a little light shed.


    Wouldn¡¯t it be better to let others know that Cho Hyejin came back to her body by tying up her hair again?


    She tied her hair as if she thought the same and spoke up.


    -I was away for a¡­


    -Looks like he really left.


    -Yes. As you may have already heard, he¡¯ll be back as soon as possible, so he asked us to wait. I¡¯m sure he wille down. It seems that the Vice Guild Master is also saddened about this.


    -Well, we heard it too. I feel sorrowful. Oh, just for you not to misunderstand, I¡¯m not saying it¡¯s a pity that Hyejin came back. It¡¯s just sad that we can¡¯t be with hyung-nim.


    -I know.


    -You worked hard too.


    -Jung Hayan. Now¡­


    -Oh¡­ Yes¡­


    -Are you okay? Hayan?


    -¡­


    -Jung Hayan will be fine, right?


    -Yes¡­


    She didn¡¯t look all that good. If I hadn¡¯te down from the beginning, she would have felt less loss. Being given something and having it taken away was annoying.


    From her perspective, the current situation seemed to be the same. As her emotions always went up and down frequently, a momentary depressive feeling took over her body.


    As Han Sora, who slowly took her away from Cho Hyejin, patted her on the shoulder, she immediately trembled and found it hard to lift her head.


    She heard the sound of her forcibly holding back the tears that made even Han Sora flustered.


    She was wiping away her tears with one hand, and in fact, it didn¡¯t seem like her mental health would recover anytime soon.


    -Jung Hayan¡­


    -¡­


    -Stay¡­ strong. He said he would be back soon. Even if he doesn¡¯te down, you can be a magic god. I, too, will do my best as a magic angel.


    -R¡­ Really?


    -Yes. Magic angel Han Sora¡­


    ¡®She seems embarrassed.¡¯


    She definitely was. Not as much as Cho Hyejin, though.


    Even afterpleting one mission, she still looked red, and after looking to the side for a while, she spoke again. She had to finish her remarks, after all.


    - Deokgu.


    -¡­


    -Can you check with Hayan if there is anything wrong outside?


    -Leave it to me.


    After Park Deokgu went outside with Jung Hayan and Han Sora, she spoke to the person who was quietly looking at her.


    ¡ªFinally over. Sh*t¡­


    -¡­


    ¡ªThis crazy¡­ Sh*t¡­ This¡­ This is¡­ Is that motherfucker watching now? Is he looking down here? Sh*t¡­ damn! Lee Kiyoung motherfucker¡­ that¡­ scammer bastard.


    -I¡­ I¡¯m sorry.


    ¡ªI don¡¯t want to get an apology from you. You must be in the same situation as me. Damn¡­ Sh*t¡­ I¡­ I didn¡¯t even want to be the Shadow Hero. I just¡­


    -¡­


    ¡®Lift your head. Hyejin. Why are you acting like a criminal? We didn¡¯t do anything wrong. Are you embarrassed? Are you really embarrassed? Were you embarrassed by the Shadow Hero¡­¡¯


    ¡ªWhat¡¯s the use of saying these things now? It¡¯s ridiculous to say things like this to me. Damn¡­ In any case, I don¡¯t want to be involved anymore¡­ It didn¡¯t go the way I thought it would, but still¡­ damn¡­ okay. The game¡­ I mean, war is your victory. I now¡­


    -That¡­


    ¡ªI want to say that I had a lot of fun with you. If it¡¯s okay, I want to enjoy another cup of tea onest time. Can you wait for a little while?


    -I-I¡¯m sorry.


    ¡ªWhat?


    -T-The Vice Guild Master asked me to tell you¡­ that he can¡¯t finish it yet. If I tell you as it is ¡­ since things look this way¡­


    ¡°Tell him quickly to do some work and go. So we can solve some federal issues together.¡±


    ¡ªWhat?


    As I turned my head slightly, I saw a silver-haired man in a mask looking down quietly.


    ¡ªInsects that don¡¯t even know their ce are messing with me.


    The figure had a wide smile.


    -That was to me?


    [The main event of the mythic-grade dungeon Continent Where the Son of Light was Sacrificed, gue Lord, has begun.]

 Chapter 836: The Last (69)

    <h4>Chapter 836: The Last (69)</h4>


    ¡®I¡¯ll have to fix this before I go.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t that I didn¡¯t trust Hee-ra. I knew that she could smash the Dark gue Lord or anyone for that matter.


    But wasn¡¯t war keeping the two of them in a cage? Maybe¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s going to be more difficult than I thought¡­¡¯


    In terms of difficulty, it was quite high. Even at a nce, the gue Lord side seemed to have had his stats increased to some extent.


    I didn¡¯t know exactly how the dungeon system of the Continent Where the Son of Light Was Sacrificed. Still, if I considered the Revolutionary War and the Demon Summoner case, it seemed like it could be said to have undergone an upward adjustment to some extent.


    There was a possibility that the difficulty or method of attack would be different.


    In the case of the revolutionary Cardinal who appeared in the Revolutionary War, it was even more so considering that he was an NPC who couldn¡¯tmunicate his intentions properly.


    Since the design of the continent-wide dungeon most likely cost a tremendous amount of divinity, it could have been designed that way in terms of cost reduction.


    However, in the Revolutionary War, Oscar and the soldiers were the protagonists in the first ce. So it was unreasonable to see him as the event boss who was in charge of the big axis of the event.


    The Revolutionary Cardinal was nothing more or less than an NPC who simply stepped on and moved ording to a set behavioral pattern.


    In Jin Qing¡¯s case, it was a little different. I didn¡¯t know how Jihye brought him here.


    However, he clearly remembered the past and expressed his intentions, and a unique attack method was also installed.


    Of course, Jin Qing had no function that could hold the lifeline of reality with that game.


    It was a little different, but it was right to think that he was also upgraded, just like Jung Jin-ho and Ito Souta on the board.


    ¡°This is too obvious.¡±


    It was a story that was already buried in the past and disappeared into history, since stories were often exaggerated and subjected to various corrections.


    I thought that the Doom Kiyoung I was looking at right now would have received an upgrade but would never have received a downgrade.


    ¡°What matters is what¡¯s inside that. You either brought your own soul, or you could be a simple body with thoughts. I¡¯m a little sorry to say this to you, but do you have the perception that you¡¯re the original?¡±


    ¡ªI do. However, we cannot rule out the possibility that it is incorrect information. Are you wondering what¡¯s inside that gue Lord?


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t really matter, but I¡¯m curious. The gue Lord recorded in history was very cold, charismatic, and ruthless. He was pretty cool too¡­ well, he had that kind of image.¡±


    -Image?


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Please keep talking, Hyejin. I just said something I shouldn¡¯t have.¡±


    ¡ªSo you mean that his personality was created?


    ¡°I feel like the probability is high.¡±


    ¡ªI don¡¯t know why you¡¯re worried. A created personality is just that. I don¡¯t know exactly how the system governing the continent works, but if that¡¯s a sloppy chunk of data, there¡¯s no reason to worry about it.


    ¡°It¡¯s because it might be simr to the original. Have you ever thought that the game board you are running right now is strange? It¡¯s too simr to the original to be a simple game¡­¡±


    ¡ªYou¡¯re crazy.


    ¡°It was made by Jihye.¡±


    ¡ªCrazy bastards.


    ¡°It was created using the system we have, but using divinity means that the results are quite usible. She seeded in creating a program that resembled actual people. I didn¡¯t even expect it. But look at this. Isn¡¯t it really like the original?¡±


    ¡ªThat¡¯s really absurd¡­ crazy bastards.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Even you think it¡¯s interesting. Errors such as the Sunset Swordsman are asionally seen, but¡­ aside from those errors, this chunk of data is near-perfect. It can think for itself, and it can evolve. It is safe to say that it is a very well-crafted artificial intelligence. It¡¯s a coincidence, but judging it as a simple piece of data is an insult to Jihye who created this system.¡±


    Cho Hyejin, who was conveying my words, paused for a moment.


    It looked like she had something to say, but she focused on saying what I was saying for now.


    ¡ªThen¡­


    ¡°Yes. Perhaps what is now inside the gue Lord is a personality created by that system.¡±


    Many things were likely to have been cut off.


    It was just a chunk of the system, but Doom Kiyoung was dangerous in many ways.


    Considering that he actually gave a blow to Seraphim¡­


    ¡®I don¡¯t need to say anything.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t enough to say that it was a feat that a single chunk of data had given a blow to upper dimensional people.


    ¡®Anyway¡­¡¯


    Maybe it disappeared with all personality and memories and put Doom Kiyoung into the base spirit. Or, he might have signed a separate contract with Jihye. Maybe it was both. In the process of coaxing him, she might have signed a contract and pruned the twigs to make a chess horse piece out of theplete gue Lord.


    Jihye liked Doom Kiyoung quite a bit, after all.


    ¡®It must have been the best method to effectively reduce costs.¡¯


    I was certain that if it were me, I would have made the same choice. She was probably thinking about making a real named entity, so she thought it would be better to put a little more effort into it.


    No matter how she tricked him, he was probably putting off a chess piece.


    No, it wasn¡¯t acting. He most likely really considered himself the gue Lord. All the mental collisions had been swept away, after all.


    The memories of the dummy world would have been wiped out on their own.


    ¡®What could be the content of the contract?¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t something to make me interested. Well, it had to be regarding the treatment of the Dummy World or the people who lived there. I couldn¡¯t guarantee that she would keep the promise, and frankly, it might be something with a different personality based on the real Doom Kiyoung.


    Everything was just a simple assumption. However¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s pretty dangerous.¡¯


    Being judged as a named monster in the dungeon was meaningful.


    If Lucifer and Jihye had designed a body based on an exaggerated history and put a chunk of data that could be exploited in it¡­


    ¡®It would definitely be a nightmare.¡¯


    Tension rose in the eyes of the leaders of the Federation War upon hearing the news of the State and Laios.


    Doom Kiyoung, looking down at the dirty insects with his arrogant eyes, definitely had ss.


    A huge army of demons lined up behind him, and a gue dragon was standing right next to him. Limur, Ronove, and the other Four Heavenly Kings were not seen, but Donovan and other fake demons were there.


    The spears held by the soldiers who were looking at them from quite a distance were shaking.


    The adventurers of the Federation, who remembered the previous battle, had faces like they were being led to the ughterhouse.


    True to the name of the gue Lord¡­


    -Cha Hee-ra.


    -Report.


    -Some areas cannot be battled on. To be precise, they became infested with gues that can¡¯t be purged by any means. Even for high-ranking adventurers, surviving for an hour or so is the limit¡­


    -So, this is a battlefield that cannot be used practically. Next.


    -The ghosts summoned by the gue Lord¡­


    -Create a separate response team to deal with it. What about the evacuation of federal citizens?


    -As you said, the evacuation of federal citizens is our top priority. All high-ranking priests and useful alchemists have been recruited to distinguish the infected from those who are not, but there is a shortage of manpower as there are too many.


    -Your thoughts.


    -I think it would be good to recruit manpower at the main unit. Of course, it might be difficult to maintain the fronts, but¡­


    -Then do it.


    -Are you serious?


    -The battlefield must be cleared quickly. This is better than cumbersome things. Do you have any contacts from other ces?


    -No.


    -Get ready to enter within three days.


    -¡­


    -Three. Days.


    -I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll¡­ do my best¡­


    The situation itself didn¡¯t look advantageous.


    It certainly seems to have received an upgrade. Unlike this side, where only a few ghosts could move, it seemed to be able to move on a big scale.


    It could even generate gue-infested areas. With that much¡­ the word ¡°redesigned¡± fits well.


    I could feel that Hee-ra would use her troops in her own style.


    In fact, it was also efficient. That was also like her¡­


    It was a w that she trusted people too much, but she was also excellent at distinguishing between those she could believe and those she couldn¡¯t¡­


    As I always thought, she was closer to bing an ideal monarch than our regressor.


    If I had to look for her weakness, it was that Cha Hee-ra was pressured by groups.


    There were kinds of leaders who gathered people even when they were standing still.


    There might be several reasons. As Choi Young-ki said, there might have been grace, and there might have been others who were simply drawn to her name and actions.


    In a way, she was a blessed talent, but to her, her group would feel like a chain.


    She couldn¡¯t abandon her own people. That might have been the reason why Kim Hyunsung measured up against Cha Hee-ra.


    Thus, she couldn¡¯t ept theplete destruction of the continent.


    ¡°So, you need help.¡±


    ¡ªDidn¡¯t I tell you? I no longer¡­


    ¡°This is not a request, Commander. It¡¯s counter-intimidation. If you be a hero of the shadows, you must walk like one.¡±


    - I said¡­


    ¡ª¡­


    ¡°And why are you doing this? To be honest, it looks like it would be fun for you too. Think of it as ying the realst game.¡±


    ¡ª¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be really fun this time.¡±


    ¡ª¡­


    ¡°After all, you¡¯re the Shadow Hero. I¡¯ll be careful not to step on the screen again. Heera seems to be the main character here.¡±


    ¡ªDamn¡­


    This bastard was even thinking it over.


    It seemed like he wanted to avoid any further involvement as much as possible, but that wasn¡¯t the case with games.


    People often yed one more even after saying it was theirst match. He humbly wanted to ept his end, so before he went¡­ it wouldn¡¯t be unreasonable to think of thest match.


    Besides, the opponent was the gue Lord. It would be strange if his soul as a gambler didn¡¯t burn.


    ¡ªHow can I help you?


    ¡°The operation and supply of the overall force¡­ no, just think about what you¡¯re doing from the beginning to end. Of course, I¡¯ll have to lead first, and finally, you¡¯ll have to work with Heera too. If you speak well, you can do whatever you want, from start to finish.¡±


    ¡ª28 hours.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡ªLet¡¯s say we¡¯re ready to go in 28 hours, Cho Hyejin. Contact the outpost right now¡­


    -Okay. I will.


    Cha Hee-ra¡¯s puzzled expression was reflected in the Goddess¡¯s Mirror.


    ¡ªIt¡¯s me. We will finish preparations for departure within 28 hours.


    -¡­


    ¡ªConnect the data I need to know right now and the lieutenants who will handle misceneous tasks.


    ¡®This bastard kept talking with honorifics and then stopped right away. Hepletely let himself go.¡¯


    From Cha Hee-ra¡¯s point of view, it might be a little shocking. How absurd it would be when a connection came in through an unknown line, and Jin Qing, the hero of the shadows, asked for information.


    However, she didn¡¯t seem to care much. After that, while staring intently at the screen, she spoke up.


    -Leave it to me. Connect themunication channel.


    ¡ªWhat would you like to do? Do you want anything?


    -I¡¯m going to the nest.


    It seemed that the destination had been decided.


    ¡®It¡¯s Limur¡¯s nest without Limur.¡¯


    It was the ce where Cha Hee-ra, who was the generalmander at the time, had no choice but to retreat her troops.


    -By the way, Vice Guild Master.


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    -Are you really okay?


    ¡°What?¡±


    -No¡­ it¡¯s nothing.

 Chapter 837: The Last (70)

    <h4>Chapter 837: The Last (70)</h4>


    ¡°Did you find anything strange?¡±


    -No¡­ I¡¯m just wondering if you¡¯re okay.


    ¡®Did I talk too quietly?¡¯


    ¡°Are you afraid there will be trauma again?¡±


    -Yeah¡­ in many ways.


    ¡°Of course, I would be lying if I said it wasn¡¯t hard, but¡­ we have to ovee it. It¡¯s heartbreaking to see what I caused at the time, but I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to stop it like this.¡±


    -I¡¯m d you said that, but still¡­ I think it might be better to take a little break this time.


    ¡°I can¡¯t remember properly, but I know everything. I¡¯m ready to face it.¡±


    ¡®Why is she being like this all of a sudden?¡¯


    A very worried face appeared.


    After seeing Jin Qing talking frantically with the Red Mercenary and federal lieutenants to meet the 18-hour cutline, I saw her grabbing the spear tightly again.


    I thought about how important I made it seem again, but I really only talked about it as nothing too special. When I thought of the fact that after the guelord¡¯s death, the guild members were imprisoned under the guise of protective action¡­


    ¡®It makes sense.¡¯


    Maybe it was because I got toofortable with Cho Hyejin.


    I was blunt, but it might have been a little more convincing to continue in a more solid position.


    Right. It was sad, but Light Kiyoung was ready to face the sins of the past and the things he had done.


    Lauren and Benignore had already forgiven me for my sins, but that didn¡¯t take away the guilt I should bear. I couldn¡¯t say that it was all fake at this point.


    -I honestly don¡¯t know if you¡¯re really ready to face it.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    -I¡¯m worried about you.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -I wish it was just a rainstorm, but¡­ when you came into my body¡­


    ¡°Oh,e to think of it, I¡¯m curious. I wondered what would happen to the soul of the body I possessed.¡±


    -I didn¡¯t feel it much, but I thought I could understand why the advent is called the blessing of a god. I was able to learn a little bit about you through it. I could roughly feel where you were and what your condition was. If it¡¯s true that you really became a god, maybe¡­ to say that I am a representative of a god¡­ Through that series of processes, I was able to understand you. I cannot express it in words, though.


    ¡°What¡­ That¡¯s probably¡­¡±


    -I don¡¯t know what kind of ce that is, or exactly where you are, but¡­


    ¡°Perhaps your soul? I don¡¯t know if I can call it a soul. Regardless, it seems that it was isted, so you felt that way. Dialugia is here too, and I get along well with Benignore. Lauren sometimeses to visit. I know my condition best. It has always been and will continue to be so. To be honest, I was a little confused before, but¡­¡±


    -I¡¯m a bit anxious to say this, but I think it felt like you were trying to suppress your emotions. I can¡¯t exin it exactly, but¡­ it¡¯s like you¡¯re putting them in a small box¡­


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    -No, but now I¡¯m worried that this might cause the container to burst. When I think about how hard it was for you after that happened¡­


    ¡®Actually, it wasn¡¯t that hard.¡¯


    I had a hard time acting. No, honestly, it was. Fuck, I was imprisoned for two weeks. How could it not have been hard?


    External information waspletely blocked, and the door was locked from the outside¡­


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry.¡±


    -It doesn¡¯t have to be you. It would be better for you to rest for a while since Jin Qing said he would lend us his strength.


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    -To be honest, I don¡¯t want to show him to you.


    ¡°What?¡±


    -I don¡¯t want you to see yourself¡­ as the enemy of mankind, transformed, swayed, and brainwashed by the power of the devil.


    ¡°I already know everything.¡±


    -Hearing about it and actually seeing it is different. He wasn¡¯t you.


    ¡®Doom Kiyoung must have been really shocking to them.¡¯


    Considering how she was reacting now, it seemed that I acted amazingly.


    ¡®It¡¯s a nasty talent. Really.¡¯


    I probably looked like the incarnation of evil, with eyes that seemed to have no emotions and an expression that looked down on everything worthless.


    The appearance of me wearing a mask and surrounded by demons even gave me goosebumps.


    Other people were terrified because I looked like that. It could also be symbolic.


    The fear that humanity¡¯s light had beenpletely tainted with darkness was more symbolic than any other event.


    It seemed that not only Cho Hyejin, but many people were already trembling in fear.


    -Aaaaah! Aaah!! Please¡­ please kill me. Please¡­ please kill me¡­ please¡­


    -Uh¡­ Ah¡­ it hurts¡­ hurts. Priest¡­ it¡¯s painful.


    -Hold on a bit more.


    -Priest¡­ it¡¯s too painful. It¡¯s¡­


    It wasn¡¯t enough to say that the sight of people who had been caught in the wrong ce and infected with the gue was terrible.


    -Plena¡­ I¡¯m fine now¡­ go back. You know it¡¯s dangerous to stay here.


    It might be appropriate to say that their cells were decaying.


    Basically, it was the kind that constantly inflicted damage to the things that made up the body. It was to the extent that high-ranking priests copsed faster than stabilizing the body with recovery spells.


    ¡®They can¡¯t even die on their own.¡¯


    It was designed to inflict constant pain for a very long time.


    Perhaps, if the gue continued to corrode them, they would look like people who had been exposed to radiation. They seemed to be in perfect condition now because high-ranking priests were forcing their recoveries.


    Naturally, they had to be in pain. They took damage and healed repeatedly.


    It wasn¡¯t a ce of bloodshed. Rather, it was a ce where enormous divine power continued to pour out, and at a nce, it even looked holy. It was a space filled with such a bright light that it seemed ironic that the people in there constantly screamed in pain.


    ¡®I can understand why she is worried that I will be shocked when I see something like this.¡¯


    The bodies of priests who took turns applying divine power were also infected.


    A priest looked anxiously at the spots on his forearm.


    It had to have pierced his immune system. He did not express it, but after quietly reciting the name of the God he worshiped, he began healing others once again.


    The family and friends of the infected outside the quarantine were crying out to let them in.


    Ordinary soldiers controlled them as much as possible, but considering their stiff faces, they also looked uneasy.


    ¡®That¡¯s the real hell. To be honest, sometimes I feel like it was a great decision.¡¯


    There were too many infected. To put it bluntly, it wouldn¡¯t be normal to lead them. They weren¡¯t even ready to be used as fighters anymore¡­


    In fact, if I thought about how helpful each priest was in fighting the demon army, the priests who were put there were¡­


    ¡®They are being wasted.¡¯


    I was certain there would be many among those on the frontlines who questioned that choice.


    Since the order had been given, they would follow it, but there would be quite a few of them loaded with advice.


    If Cha Hee-ra wasn¡¯t themander here, that was. I could see her wearing armor and leaving the barracks. The Red Mercenary¡¯s lieutenants were headed in the area with the infected.


    ¡®Your actions are like a politician.¡¯


    She was probably trying to meet the infected people once before she went. There was no one warning them it was dangerous. Che Hee-ra said that she would go, and no one would dare stop her.


    -Please¡­ please let me in. Please¡­


    -Can¡¯t I just check if my brother is okay?


    -I want to be able to see it with my own eyes.


    -Don¡¯te close. You must note close. Back off!


    -Please!


    -Sh*t! Can¡¯t you hear me? Say back away!


    When Cha Hee-ra, who should be on the frontlines, appeared, a crowd gathered.


    ¡®It¡¯s not like we¡¯re going to an election.¡¯


    It was then that Cha Hee-ra opened her mouth quietly, seeing loud noisesing out of various ces.


    -Ah¡­


    -¡­


    -We are doing our best to rectify this situation at the headquarters right now. Unfortunately, we cannot say that the infected are not in a serious condition, but we will do our best to ensure that they do not lose their lives in vain. Everyone, please wait in a safe ce prepared by the headquarters. As soon as the identification of the infected is finished, the task force will report their status¡­ We hope to bring you good news in a short time.


    -That¡­ that¡­


    -Citizens, please cooperate. Please cooperate with the soldiers.


    -Please cooperate!


    -Thank you for your cooperation!


    -Please cooperate!


    Soldiers could be seen raising gs and controlling the crowd.


    Cha Hee-ra continued to enter a ce where the divine power was pouring and looked for infected people.


    She was just quietly encouraging them or giving them a word of constion, but to them, the fact that the suprememander came to such a ce would be a source of strength.


    That gue couldn¡¯t damage Cha Hee-ra¡¯s body, but those who didn¡¯t know it would be even more impressed. Some were definitely motivated. And the Red Mercenary¡¯s guild members were even more so.


    -Hold on.


    -Yeah¡­


    -We¡¯ll fix it in a few days.


    -I¡¯m¡­ sorry¡­ for¡­ troubling you¡­


    The lieutenants who came along were even joking around.


    -If you keep lying down like this, you will lose muscle, bastards.


    -¡­


    -¡­


    -Captain¡­ does¡­ the¡­ gue¡­ really¡­ cause¡­ muscle loss?


    -I don¡¯t know.


    No, it wasn¡¯t a joke. He was a wizard, so why would he worry about muscle loss?


    I couldn¡¯t get used to the atmosphere. The big guys crowded, and they joked around or even patted their fellowrge members lying on the bed.


    Priests wearing protective gear were restraining them, but the atmosphere did not subside.


    Even the ones screaming wereughing like they were drunk, so I thought this was definitely a ce where only strange people were gathered.


    ¡®It would have been fun if I started here.¡¯


    -Let¡¯s go.


    -Yeah.


    -Yeah.


    -Yeah.


    A horn was sounded to bless the warriors heading to the battlefield.


    Someone raised a g, and someone pounded a drum.


    That probably signified the main force had 12 hours left on the expedition, and the gue Trash recognized someone on the other side of the frontline.


    ¡ªFor an insect¡­ it¡¯s not bad.


    The Republic¡¯s Demon Summoner trash also raised an eyebrow and murmured.


    ¡ªNow, how are you going to act, fake creature?


    No, he wasn¡¯t a demon summoner anymore¡­


    It was only because fighting with viins was a little more interesting, that I just called him like that inside my head.

 Chapter 838: The Last (71)

    <h4>Chapter 838: The Last (71)</h4>


    On the one side, the corrupted gue scum terrorized the entire continent.


    In fact, he was a viin who left an indelible wound in the hearts of many people, not to mention he did enough damage to make the group of the Federation unable to function as a nation.


    It was enough to make it impossible to calcte the material and national damage.


    The day of destruction and prophecy was the foreign war, but it might have been the summoning of the 27th Legion that gave a great shock to many people¡¯s memories.


    The other side was demon summoning trash that needed no exnation.


    Before the 27th Legion Summoning incident, there was Demon Summoning trash.


    He was the one who pulled the trigger of war on a peaceful continent and plunged mankind into chaos. A real demon who made even his subordinates into undead and thrust a spear at mankind.


    The first demon involved was Ito Souta, but it was probably the Republic¡¯s demon summoner garbage that raised the awareness and danger of demons. Except for the four outer angels and the strange light, those two viins were the evil representatives of the continent.


    Not just strong idiots, but viins who were sleazy, mean, and threw away their humanity.


    It was also a rare sight to see them recognizing each other and having a brain battle.


    ¡®Honestly, it¡¯s a bit of a dream.¡¯


    Personally, I liked the story of the hero being born out of the mud, but I didn¡¯t hate this story either.


    A sh of viins who thought they were higher than others bit and ndered each other, escting into dogfights and ultimately sinking into ruin.


    It was a little minor, but as I always said, a fight between bad guys was the most enjoyable.


    He was a gue scum with an annoying face, but he had a strong sense of pride, so he was probably a bit confused.


    Perhaps it was doubt. At some point, there¡¯s no way he wouldn¡¯t have noticed that the status of the frontlines was suddenly changing.


    It was invisible when inside it but visible when watching it. The troops felt like they were doing the same thing as usual, but in a broader sense, they weren¡¯t.


    It was quite spectacr and seemed like a magnificent sight, witnessing a hundred and a dozenrge and small battles change their course of action from one moment to the next.


    ¡ªThat¡¯s funny.


    ¡®It wouldn¡¯t feel so funny.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t that their main units collided or a big battle was going on right now.


    Jin Qing¡¯s goal was to create an environment for the main unit to advance. No, it was to prepare the main unit to reach its goal. Finishing preparations for the campaign within 28 hours would have meant that Cha Hee-ra would help the moving unit reach the enemy¡¯s heart.


    To exaggerate a little, the series of processes was no different than a strategy simtion game.


    It wasn¡¯t about gathering resources to produce troops.


    However, it was necessary to rearrange the existing army, designate new units, prepare the best ce and the best time to fight, and simultaneously conduct continuous attrition.


    They underwent the process of upying a better position than the enemy, responding to the number of opponents, and consuming the considered difficult sses.


    In that sense, the seeds sown by the gue trash could be said to be the best choice.


    He had to have been thinking that the gue trash had created the background he wanted.


    He made difficult terrain an invible area, and it froze the enemy priests and troops effectively.


    A lot of things had be entangled, like a spider¡¯s web, to say that it was simply to create an infected area out of hatred for humanity. He seeded in creating the best battlefield that didn¡¯t allow having various variables.


    ¡®No¡­ At least I¡¯m certain that she¡¯s on the way to sess.¡¯


    If Cha Hee-ra were really ipetent, she wouldn¡¯t have been able toe at this point.


    She couldn¡¯t be exactly called intelligent, but she did not have a small amount of knowledge¡­ and above all, she had a lot of talented people.


    Of course, the most valuable thing she had was her sixth sense.


    It was what made her figure out even the inexplicable battlefield.


    Her instincts weren¡¯t only shown in battle but also tactics. She realized the timing to enter and the timing to retreat, and her body would be feeling it before she thought with her head.


    Although there wasn¡¯t much time, the reason why she said she would give three days for the expedition was probably due to her intuition that told her to lead the main force as soon as possible.


    Seventy-two hours that Cha Hee-ra thought.


    Demon Summoning trash had the ability to shorten 72 hours to 28 hours by binding the infected areas and establishing an optimal route. He pushed out the main forces on the frontline where the gue trash was located by consuming the surplus forces.


    ¡®You piece of trash.¡¯


    He reinterpreted the battlefield, thinking that the gue trash wasn¡¯t important, and redefined it as a ce that could only make him drool.


    If it hadn¡¯t been prepared in advance, things wouldn¡¯t have been so easy.


    -Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!


    -Push it! push it!


    -There aren¡¯t many enemy troops left! Push them!


    -Come, you demon bastards!


    -Keeeeeeeeek!


    That battle taking ce on one side was a small but important battle that could change the game of this war, and it was a warning message thrown at the gue trash by the Demon Summoner trash.


    ¡ªIs a fake just a fake?


    ¡®This bastard looks excited.¡¯


    His bodynguage was honest, considering that he said he didn¡¯t want to be involved.


    I could see the arrogance of the way he was quietly sipping tea.


    ¡ªIt doesn¡¯t matter if he¡¯s there or not. He¡¯s just an imaginary insect squirming, but that¡¯s all. He¡¯s just struggling.


    Wasn¡¯t the gue trash also raising his chin and opening his mouth?


    ¡ªThe fake one doesn¡¯t seem to want to be taken away.


    ¡°How are things? Is everything going well?¡±


    ¡ªIt¡¯s always the same. If there is something you want to take, there is also something you have to give away. He¡¯s just paying the price for the gains made by the fake guy.


    ¡®That¡¯s how things work.¡¯


    That was the cost of maintaining the frontlines they upied. Having many fronts meant that they had to allocate a limited number of troops to each point.


    One move made by the Demon Summoner trash was nothingpared to asking if he could close the multiple escape holes in arge bank.


    ¡ªIs this insect going to throw away his troops?


    ¡ªIt¡¯s not about throwing them away. It¡¯s not about sacrifice. It¡¯s just about tying everyone up. Along with the forces the fake guy has, I mean.


    ¡ªI¡¯ll kill them all.


    ¡ªIf only this fake could do it. Can he even kill?


    ¡ªI will dispatch Donovan.


    ¡ªIf you want to protect it, all you can do is dispatch a named entity, but how can the other fronts be blocked? Show it, fake bastard.


    ¡ªThe rest have no value, so much so that they¡¯re unusable. It¡¯s a pretty funny imitation, but how can I respond to a force you can¡¯t influence? The ipetence of an insect is pitiful. This is also a tactic. It would feel like a foul to an insect, though.


    ¡ªAbilities possessed bymanders or named are inherently influencing the battlefield. It looks great, but spreading an epidemic or creating an infected area is absurd. If the range is fixed and the trigger conditions exist, it¡¯s not something that can¡¯t be stopped.


    ¡ªLowly human bastard.


    ¡ªYou¡¯re not fun to y with, but you¡¯re better than the original, fake bastard.


    ¡®It¡¯s a real mess. It¡¯s a mess.¡¯


    I could cut the tension between them with a knife.


    ¡®Maybe it¡¯s because they¡¯re viins that they¡¯re fighting too hard. It¡¯s disgusting. Neither of them wants to yield.¡¯


    It was only proper to give what they had to give, but it seemed that they were holding onto it until the end before letting go. It was like if they could hit the other¡¯s right cheek strongly in return for being pped on their left cheek, they would smile and show their left cheek dly. It wasn¡¯t a good sight.


    ¡®Certainly, I have a different disposition than the gue scum.¡¯


    Maybe it was Lee Jihye¡¯s setting.


    It was hard to exin the difference, but he did appear to be more daring and decisive.


    If one side had a tendency to avoid fights and go round and round, the other side wouldn¡¯t avoid the uing battles. I only rolled the dice when the probability was high, but he didn¡¯t hesitate to do it on the ambiguous side.


    It wasn¡¯t confidence in probability but confidence in himself, and it was a behavior that looked down on low-level humans just like the gue trash.


    I wasn¡¯t certain, and it might be a little over-interpreted, but it was as if Jihye was telling me I could be a little simpler.


    ¡®This woman really liked Doom Kiyoung.¡¯


    A bloody nerve battle between two viins unfolded as they muttered to themselves as if they were in front of each other.


    ¡ªTime to sweep the insects away. It is the result of your arrogance, lowly bastard.


    ¡ªDoes this idiot know he¡¯s surrounded?


    ¡ªTime to clean you up altogether.


    ¡ªDid you expect it? That¡¯s fun.


    He looked cool, but¡­


    Whenever I looked at him talking to himself, he just looked like a social misfit.


    I didn¡¯t mean it in a bad way¡­ but he looked like a psycho due to his eyes.


    They both looked bloodthirsty.


    ¡ª¡­


    ¡°What is it, Commander?¡±


    ¡ªWhat? I¡­ Hey. Are you listening Commander of the 13th Regiment? I don¡¯t remember giving you orders to leave the area. Return right now.


    -This is the Commander of the 13th Regiment, Colonel Smith. This regiment had received orders 19 minutes and 29 seconds ago, on the samemunication channel, apparently to the Holshua Valley. Please check again if there is anything wrong.


    ¡°Oh, leave it alone. That¡¯s because I have to use a few troops. So¡­ we will head to Holshua Valley.¡±


    ¡ªWhat?


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you trying to start a war to upy Holshua Valley? If you¡¯re going to do it, shouldn¡¯t you be certain that you will actually put it into motion?


    ¡ª¡­


    ¡°¡­ ¡­¡±


    ¡ªWhat?


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡ª¡­


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡ªThis¡­ idiot! Sh*t!


    ¡°Why are you cursing? I¡¯m helping you because I think you missed something.¡±


    ¡ªYou idiot! Damn! You ruined everything. Didn¡¯t I tell you not to interfere!!


    ¡°Hey¡­ what¡¯s up with this bastard? You said you would upy Holshua Valley! Can you do that with the existing troops?¡±


    ¡ªI knew there wasn¡¯t enough. That said, there was no reason to take it as ours until moving the troops on the 13th Front. If taking it is impossible¡­


    ¡°It is disappointing to end by consuming the surplus troops. Looking at Captain Smith¡¯s view, I think he can do it. Open the Commander¡¯s log and specs and take a look. Wouldn¡¯t it be beneficial for you too to upy here?¡±


    ¡ªI guess we¡¯re about to throw away the scarce troops. Sh*t¡­ Sh*t! Lee Kiyoung, you useless moron. That¡¯s enough. It hurts my mouth to even exin. After all, I had already expected a saboteur from you. It doesn¡¯t matter if I lose the army. Just in case, I¡¯ll say it again. Don¡¯t interfere next time. Don¡¯t ruin the board I made with meaningless bluffing.


    ¡®You psycho bastard. Fuck, you said you would never do it. You said you had enough of it.¡¯


    He was still a viin. His personality was indeed a mess.


    Seeing that he secretly dropped themunication channel from Cho Hyejin, it seemed that he really thought that my actions were ruining the board he had made.


    But still, I trusted Colonel Smith. I believed in him. Here was the jackpot.


    -This is the Commander of the 13th Front Regiment, Colonel Smith. We report thepletion of the upation of the Holshua Valley Front and will join the forces in support of the 14th Front, ording to orders given in advance. The damage report would be sent to you while the troops are moving¡­ please check if there is anything wrong with it.


    ¡ª¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡ªThere¡¯s¡­ no problem. Proceed as is.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡ªNot bad.


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    ¡ªLee Kiyoung¡­


    ¡°Yeah? What?¡±


    ¡ªI¡­ have to apologize.


    ¡°I can¡¯t hear you well because you¡¯re such an idiot. I beg your pardon?¡±


    ¡ªI said I¡¯m sorry.


    ¡°What?¡±


    I could see him clenching his fists.

 Chapter 839: The Last (72)

    <h4>Chapter 839: The Last (72)</h4>


    ¡°They say you see as much as you know.¡±


    ¡ª¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s not a bad idea to look at the situation as a whole and draw the big picture. I also like to draw big pictures. Isn¡¯t that a fact everyone knows? I like turning small profits into huge ones, but it¡¯s also very important to focus on the important point and adjust it intensively.¡±


    ¡ª¡­


    ¡°Think about why you were there. You don¡¯t have to feel too embarrassed. Not knowing is not a sin, is it? However, it is not the right attitude to treat others as fools because they made a move that you do not understand. How would you have known? Can you understand why I made that judgment?¡±


    ¡®You finally shut your mouth. You can¡¯t say anything, right?¡¯


    It seemed like he was trying to ignore what I was saying, but he inevitably became more curious.


    He seemed puzzled. What he thought was garbage sabotage turned out to be the best move possible.


    He probably thought it would be impossible, but the battle for the upation of Holshua Valley was an illusion.


    It was prepared to attract the attention of the enemy forces. Despite intending it to be used in a war of attrition because they thought it was virtually impossible to upy, we still emerged victoriously.


    From the point of view of apletely uninterested guy, he would want to rewind what happened. Perhaps after the war had ended, he would rey the battle of Holshua Valley right away.


    He couldn¡¯t ask right away because of his pride, which made him look petty.


    ¡ªDidn¡¯t you say it was a lie?


    However, he was trying to test me because, of course, he was curious.


    ¡ªThat¡¯s interesting.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡ªHow did you win the battle? No, how did you know¡­ I don¡¯t really care, but if you want to say something, I¡¯ll listen.


    ¡°You have to figure it out for yourself.¡±


    ¡ªYou son of a bitch.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t know, you¡¯ll need to learn as you go. The way you try to peek at someone else¡¯s know-how without any effort makes me sick.¡±


    ¡ª¡­


    ¡°Now, who¡¯s the moron?¡±


    ¡ªDon¡¯t talk to me, Lee Kiyoung. I¡¯m busy right now.


    ¡°Who¡¯s the moron?¡±


    ¡ªYou¡¯re a son of a bitch.


    ¡®You can¡¯t be honest.¡¯


    Watching him acting in annoyance admittedly put me in a good mood.


    Since he couldn¡¯t check the battlefield properly, he probably became more curious.


    He was probably holding back the urge to ask Colonel Smith exactly what order he was given.


    In fact, I didn¡¯t even specify a detailed tactic. Instead, I gave him a simple unit designation and target points. It was just that simple.


    It was Colonel Smith¡¯s personal ability that made it possible to upy Holshua Valley.


    ¡®Where has he been hiding so far?¡¯


    Colonel Smith, who seemingly looked a little anxious, stood out.


    The beard that covered half of his face was neatly trimmed. Deep eyes were visible on his angr features.


    ¡®The main character has been hiding his power.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯tmon, but it did happen asionally. In particr, his case was even lessmon. It wasn¡¯t bad, though. Themander of the federal front was trying to recover.


    He was in a decent position where he didn¡¯t have to try too hard. However, considering his abilities, it was insufficient and even rendered it useless.


    I didn¡¯t know if he wanted to live a quiet life or simply didn¡¯t want to get involved in troublesome things, but it was undeniable that he didn¡¯t want to reveal his talent.


    What wealth and honor would the federal regimentmander have? It was obvious that he was given a position to take care of his people¡­ I thought he was unlucky.


    He probably thought the same way.


    Telling his troops to head to the Holshua Valley would have been no different from saying, ¡®After letting as many troops as possible get killed there, die.¡¯


    To survive, he had to conquer. He would have had no choice but to show his power for what he wanted to protect.


    -Colonel Smith, are you okay?


    -It¡¯s already spilled milk.


    ¡®Right. I like that attitude.¡¯


    It was already spilled milk. Why not spill a little more?


    His estimatedbat power was simr to the former eight seats or higher, the unique legendary-grade ss Magic Bullet Shooter, the person who fired magic easily with his fingers, and abat group that impacted mid-to-long-range and even melee battles because of his high physical ability.


    His unique ability was Reload, which reloaded the consumed magic. Needless to say, his ability as amander was unquestionable, and his judgment on the battlefield was also excellent.


    How could I not use that guy? It was a coincidence that I discovered him, but that didn¡¯t mean I shouldn¡¯t use him.


    ¡°Hyejin. Contact Colonel Smith. Let me help.¡±


    -Okay, Vice Guild Master.


    ¡°Oh, and tell themander that you are taking some key areas with you. Holshua Valley, Lycanlia Basin, and¡­¡±


    -I¡¯ll tell him.


    ¡°He will probably say nothing. Levitate the Goddess¡¯s Mirror. Let¡¯s get started.¡±


    -Don¡¯t overwork yourself.


    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±


    I would be far from doing that.


    Colonel Smith¡¯s expression became even stiffer when themunication channel was connected.


    The way he closed his eyes tightly seemed to say that his existence had been revealed.


    He muttered that the milk had already been spilled, but when he saw the bucket of milk rolling on the ground, he felt sick.


    ¡®That¡¯s what war is. A new hero will always appear.¡¯


    As expected, Jin Qing didn¡¯t say anything. Curious about the secret from earlier, he just looked at Cho Hyejin, who quietly pulled out dozens of mirrors.


    They all reflected Colonel Smith. He joined forces with other fronts, moved to a new battlefield, and spoke up.


    -We¡¯ve arrived on the frontlines.


    ¡°Oh, Colonel Smith.¡±


    -Yes?


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to lead the 13th Regiment from now on.¡±


    -¡­


    I took a sip of the coffee and continued.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to use you myself, so just know that. Go alone on the frontlines that I put a mark on. I¡¯ll take care of all the rest.¡±


    -Are you ordering me to die now? Please, reconsider it.


    ¡®Why would I kill you? You¡¯re too talented for that.¡¯


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to die. It¡¯s a chance to be the hero of the continent. Just listen to what I order you to do and trust me. You¡¯ll only die if you disobey me.¡±


    -Okay.


    Soon after, I saw Colonel Smith arriving at the forefront and immediately moving. He wasn¡¯t fast, but his attack speed and range were.


    He burned magic power instantly, charged it once more, burned magic power again, and charged it again.


    The sight of him shooting dozens and hundreds of magical abilities through the demon army was truly spectacr, and frankly, I thought that hispatibility with me wasn¡¯t bad.


    Yes, his level was probably low, but it was enough to entrust him with one area of the war.


    After dodging the giant ax by a thread, he fired a st to his enemy¡¯s head, then killed another after blocking a sword.


    As always, support continued to fall on him.


    Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang, bang, bang!


    It was far too impressive.


    He made no unnecessary movements. His mana capacity being low was a shame, though.


    He had the unique ability called Reload, but his mana supply was limited, so he had no choice but to overuse his abilities.


    The dy seemed to be a weakness, but there were many means to cover it if I used him.


    I didn¡¯t have to exin his role as he had a good grasp of the battlefield.


    He was showing the power that a named entity could show amid wars.


    He was also feeling catharsis.


    He still looked anxious, but his sense of being united with the warzone was the same as all those who lived by fighting.


    ¡®The more you use your unique abilities, the more tired you¡¯ll feel.¡¯


    If he had been a little younger, he would have been more usable.


    Jin Qing was looking at Cho Hyejin, who was watching all of the series of processes. He had to be wondering what she was doing now.


    However, he had been through this. Of course, I couldn¡¯tpare what happened then and now, but he apparently did.


    I was worried that the painful memories woulde back, but what I was most worried about right now wasn¡¯t Jin Qing¡¯s mentality.


    ¡®It¡¯s our gue trash¡¯s mentality.¡¯


    ¡°He must feel like he had been backstabbed, doesn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡ªAren¡¯t you tired of this?


    ¡°You know it¡¯s effective. That¡¯s why one-on-one is so good. You can effectively stab the opponent in the back in the right ce. Can you see the demon legions copsing?¡±


    From the standpoint of the gue trash, who had kept Jin Qing in check, he might be puzzled by the new battlefield spreading around Holshua Valley.


    No, he had to be feeling anger beyond wonder. Just having a power line copsing helplessly at the hands of low-level insects would make him go nuts.


    I wanted to control myself, but how could I? The Demon Summoner was ring at me like that.


    How could I do it? While the two of them were fighting each other, I was getting all the benefits.


    ¡®Don¡¯t underestimate human power, dirty gue trash bastard. This is the power of justice.¡¯


    ¡°You be careful not to die when you move, Colonel Smith. The more you move, the more your subordinates you like so much will survive.¡±


    -¡­


    ¡®This is the power of light, gue scum.¡¯


    ¡°You have been disobeying the policies of the New Continental Protection and Management Committee. I think you should have reported in advance. Why were you hiding your power?¡±


    -I¡¯m sorry, but¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t say anything now. The only way for you to live is by obeying orders. Leave your name on the continent as a war hero. I¡¯ll help you. At the very least, I will take measures to ensure that the regiment you cherish is handled in a good way.


    ¡®Are you watching? The darkness never defeats the light that fights for itsrades.¡¯


    Just as expected, I saw the guelord¡¯s face distorting.


    He didn¡¯t seem to show much emotion, but his trembling eyes and stiff body seemed to show how angry he was.


    It was a reaction that didn¡¯t feel enough since low-grade insects heavily attacked him.


    It would be natural to run wild and scream, but as if he thought that such a reaction was not dignified, he held back his anger.


    ¡®If it were me, I would have screamed.¡¯


    I would have thrown something to the wall.


    I poured cold water on a situation he was sure was flowing perfectly, not once, but twice.


    If he were created with me as a base, he would definitely be furious at the cracking situation, which made it obvious what he¡¯d do next.


    ¡ªI¡¯ll kill you. I will surely present you guys with the most painful hell.


    ¡®One is already in Hell.¡¯


    ¡ªYou must have thought I¡¯d be quiet.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    ¡ªIt¡¯s a gift, inferior bastards. Curse your own helplessness and die.


    I could see him leaning on his chair and snapping his fingers.


    As if waiting, Laios began to tremble.


    I immediately realized how things were going when I heard Park Deokgu outside calling me.


    I didn¡¯t know how it happened, I didn¡¯t know how he could do that, but the magic power floating above Laios¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s falling.¡±


    ¡ª¡­


    ¡°You¡­ You fucking demon summoner bastard! You traitorous bastard!¡±


    ¡ªIt¡¯s not me. Damn¡­


    ¡°You bastard return kindness with evil?¡±


    ¡ªI¡¯m saying it¡¯s not me¡­ I¡­ sh*t¡­ what the hell is this¡­


    ¡°Look at him acting, Hyejin. Cut that traitor¡¯s throat quickly!¡±


    ¡ªLee Kiyoung! You crazy motherfucker! How many times have I said it¡¯s not me!


    ¡°Call Jung Hayan! Hayan! Call our Hayan! Call my love Hayan!¡±

 Chapter 840: The Last (73)

    <h4>Chapter 840: The Last (73)</h4>


    ¡°Hurry up, call Hayan!¡±


    -Vice Guild Master!


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Can she block it?¡±


    Maybe she could. On second thought, she absolutely could.


    ¡°You treacherous bastard! You dare backstab me even after receiving the Shadow Hero title?¡±


    ¡ªI said I didn¡¯t do it! Sh*t! And the Shadow Hero¡­


    ¡°Then what, bastard? What is this?¡±


    ¡ªLet¡¯s find out now.


    ¡°You talked bullsh*t about it not falling, and now¡­¡±


    ¡ªWe can block it.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I did think so too.


    ¡°But how can you be sure? After all, if you die, that¡¯s going to disappear anyway. It was such a system in the first ce. I hate to say this, too, but let¡¯s just make a clean sacrifice since you¡¯re the Shadow Hero anyway¡­ you¡¯re not really alive¡­ I don¡¯t want to worry about useless things¡­ let¡¯s finish this now.¡±


    ¡ªGetting out of their control is the same as breaking the rules of the dungeon. The disappearance of my existence does not guarantee that that magic will disappear. What¡¯s more, if I¡¯m removed now, aren¡¯t you the one who will regret it? Think a little bit calmer. Only themand center was hit directly. It¡¯s amon urrence.


    ¡°It¡¯s something that often happens in a normal situation? The magic above is yours, and the gue trash hacked into the system above or the Demon Summoner trash betrayed us. Fuck. Do you think that makes sense?¡±


    ¡ªHe probably didn¡¯t hack the dungeon¡¯s system. If I have to guess, I want to express that he got permission. The continent where the Son of Light was Sacrificed is not a typical dungeon. Didn¡¯t you also freeze the main event, the Demon Summoner, and use me? Where there is something to gain, there is something to lose. It¡¯s just that the fake guy used one of the elements of the bounded event.


    ¡°The story must have been different from what it was before when it could not be solved with magic or physical power.¡±


    ¡ªActually, my role as the main event Demon Summoner is over. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s thanks to you, but it seems like this is possible.


    I saw him putting his hand on Cho Hyejin¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Hands off, bastard.¡±


    ¡ªI was just testing things. Unlike thest time we couldn¡¯t use physical force on each other, it seems possible now. Maybe I can get out of this ce. I don¡¯t have to, though.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡ªFirst of all, I don¡¯t think that crazy woman can¡¯t block this. It won¡¯t fall.


    It was as Jin Qing exined. If the mass of magic on Laios had been released from the dungeon¡¯s control and if it had be magic that Jung Hayan¡¯s power could counter, there¡¯s no way it would fall.


    Not surprisingly, a ghoul clinging to the falling magic became visible. It started to dull in vibrancy and color, feeling more and more dangerous even at a nce.


    Jung Hayan, who was looking up at the sky, was chanting a spell with a casual expression on her face, but looking at Sora¡¯s expression next to her, I realized how serious the situation was.


    The magical power that grew bigger and bigger was bing huge enough to influence the State and the Republic¡­


    In the end¡­


    Booooooooooooooooooom!!!


    With that sound, the magic began to collide with the transparent barrier.


    -¡­


    After chanting the spell in a loud voice, Jung Hayan stretched out her arms, and Park Deokgu, who was staring nkly at it, jumped in and put up a shield. The guy who saw a ghoul wrapped in magic power rushing towards Jung Hayan guarded her in the same way from the first Laios incident.


    Han Sora was no different. She nced at Jung Hayan, chanting spells, and confronted the ghouls reaching out from all sides.


    ¡®Fuck.¡¯


    It was then that things like smoke broke through Jung Hayan¡¯s barrier.


    As the startled Jung Hayan once again cast a spell, even the unknown smoke was blocked by a wall of transparent magic.


    I saw her frowning.


    Boooooooooooooooooooooom!!


    -Aaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!


    An unusual sound was heard in the air.


    I thought she would be able to block it without too much trouble, but I saw her bing more and more anxious. Since I always observed Jung Hayan¡¯s facial expressions, I thought I understood what that meant.


    ¡®Things are not going the way she wants.¡¯


    She was getting stressed because things weren¡¯t going well. Cracks began to appear in various ces in the magic barrier.


    No, to be precise, it wasn¡¯t a crack. Rather, it was more appropriate to say that it was falling while ignoring the barrier. Rotten corpses gradually raised their bodies as if they were affected by magical powers. It was enough to erase my smile.


    ¡®Summoning Magic.¡¯


    Jung Hayan was chanting again in a hurry. The summoning ritual itself couldn¡¯t be canceled with a magic barrier, so she immediately looked for another way.


    In the meantime, the undead that appeared were standing up on the ground and attacking the party holding the spell. Perhaps the only difference from before was that I wasn¡¯t present.


    ¡®At the same time, the pig is being pushed more and more by those who are flocking to him like a herd of dogs¡­¡¯


    Of course, I didn¡¯t think those undeads would prate that pig¡¯s defense, but one hand couldn¡¯t block ten hands.


    He kept getting rid of the guys that clung to his body and protected Jung Hayan, but¡­


    ¡®No. It wouldn¡¯t be dangerous.¡¯


    The real danger was not the undead but the magic that fell from above.


    Those undeads were there to interfere with her casting, not to inflict direct harm.


    -Hayan! Hayan! Sora,e here too!


    The image of him pulling Han Sora¡¯s arm and hugging her tightly with Jung Hayan probably meant that he¡¯d just stop it with his body.


    The big body embracing Han Sora and Jung Hayan tightly and holding back the undead was admirable, but that wasn¡¯t the correct answer.


    This was because there was no way Park Deokgu¡¯s body could withstand all that mass.


    -I¡¯ll hold out! I will!


    -Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!!


    -Jung Hayan! Jung Hayan!!!


    -Take it easy. I promised to protect her until hyung-nim returns! I¡¯m keeping my promise!


    -Jung Hayan! Are you okay? Jung Hayan!


    -I¡¯ll protect Sora as well.


    -Keeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!


    -Keeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!


    -Just chant the spell! The spell only! I¡¯m holding on right here! Don¡¯t be afraid!


    -Jung Hayan!!


    Han Sora, holding Jung Hayan¡¯s hand tightly and closing her eyes, caught my attention, but Jung Hayan didn¡¯t look away from her.


    She continued to look up at the sky and concentrated on reciting the spell.


    It felt like her concentration had reached its limit.


    She was trying to keep up with the ever-changing nature. I thought maybe it was some kind of bluff. The first was magic, the second was acting, the third was summoning magic, and since even I couldn¡¯t decide exactly what woulde next, she seemed unable to rx.


    I could see the undead on top of Park Deokgu. The guys who flocked together continued to hit him on the back.


    In the end, even as he was buried under them, new ones continued to climb up.


    Han Sora sometimes cast spells, too, making some of them bounce off him, but their number was sorge that it was almost unnoticeable.


    I thought she would be able to stop it. I patted my thigh out of anxiety. It was difficult to look at Jung Hayan, whose expression was gradually changing, as well as Park Deokgu, who was holding on to a huge pile of undead on his back.


    The idea of squeezing into pure mass was primitive but also effective.


    ¡®Fuck.¡¯


    -I can do better. Ugh¡­


    -Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!!


    -I can do better. I can do better!!


    ¡®It¡¯s not like the pig bastard has high muscle strength.¡¯


    ¡ªIt looks like there are some pretty useful insects.


    ¡®At the same time, this bastard is so full of himself.¡¯


    However¡­


    ¡°He¡¯s invested a lot.¡±


    ¡ªNaturally.


    ¡°He must have invested a lot.¡±


    ¡ªIt seems that my presence annoyed the fake guy.


    The fact that he wanted to hit themand center directly didn¡¯t have much to do with how we annoyed him.


    It had to have been because he didn¡¯t want to lose the initiative and an attempt to expand the battlefield. Even without mentioning it, it was enough to tell how much effort he put into this case. He invested enough to make Jung Hayan nervous and even brought the ghouls from the frontline¡­


    ¡ª He must have thought he didn¡¯t want to be shaken anymore. Even if he¡¯s a fake, it looks like he has some simrities to you. It¡¯s funny to see you inted.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s not just about inting the size. Actually, this is¡­¡±


    ¡ªBut it¡¯s like revealing your weakness.


    ¡®But didn¡¯t this bastard really betray me?¡¯


    It was at that time that a few undead came along. Cho Hyejin immediately raised her spear and swept up a few guys. What was a little surprising was that the demon summoner trash did not panic. Rather, after slightly pulling his body back, he pushed the chest with the palm of his hand.


    Seeing the palm marks remain on the chest of the undead who pierced through the wall with a baaaang sound¡­


    ¡®Come to think of it, was his physical ability okay?¡¯


    He had abilitiesparable to that of a melee ss. Most of the work was handled by Cho Hyejin, but the skills that he showed little by little were quite high-level.


    He was the type who liked to make attacks with the back of his hand. He also refused to tarnish his image or lose his dignity.


    ¡®He¡¯s fighting together with her in a mean and vile way.¡¯


    -You¡¯re pretty good.


    ¡ªNot enough to hear that. This is the basic knowledge¡­ In my opinion, you are more amazing. I¡¯ve met many people who im to be soldiers, but not all of them are as good as you. The quality¡­ and skills too.


    ¡°Tell that bastard to shut up.¡±


    -¡­


    ¡ªCome to think of it, is that okay?


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡ªThe mad wizard, I mean. I remembered that they were the ones you cherished¡­ Your face doesn¡¯t look as worried as I thought.


    Well, I was worried about them. The pig bastard¡¯s legs were still shaking, and Han Sora¡¯s magic power was on the verge of exhaustion.


    Considering the magical energy flowing out of Hayan¡¯s mouth and eyes, it seemed that she had alreadypletely entered her own world.


    If I was there, it might be a little different. Maybe things would be better than they were now.


    To be honest, yeah, I was worried. It looked the same as before, but the fact that I wasn¡¯t with them¡­ How could I not be worried?


    However, I could be a little reassured.


    Because there had been some positive changes.


    -You dirty undead bastards!!


    -Who do you think you¡¯re messing with, you ugly demonic creatures!


    I could see the undead covering the party burst out in all directions.


    ¡®Old men are pretty strong.¡¯


    That wasn¡¯t all. The colorful magic circles were adding power to Hayan¡¯s barrier.


    The Old Men¡¯s Association of Magic Tower shouted as their long beards fluttered.


    -Protect Jung Hayan!


    Some eyes¡­ were definitely rolled back.

 Chapter 841: The Last (74)

    <h4>Chapter 841: The Last (74)</h4>


    ¡®Magic power¡­¡¯


    What I saw was a feast of colorful magic circles.


    ¡®Jung Hayan.¡¯


    ¡°Jung Hayan¡­ Can you see it?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you seeing it?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The scene was so beautiful that it couldn¡¯t be exined in words, and it was also a scene that brought tears to my eyes for some reason.


    I might be a little emotional. No, I was taking it emotionally. Most of the magic in my body was drained, and I was at my physical limit. And above all, this situation felt dramatic.


    I might have been exhausted and thought about useless things.


    ¡°Are you okay? Sora¡­ and you¡­ is everyone fine?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡­ I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°What about you¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Still¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    On one hand, perhaps it was because I got to know Jung Hayan better.


    Now that I thought about it, it would be closer to thetter than the former. There was a time when I thought it was crazy to understand this person, but now that we had spent a lot of time together¡­ I thought I could understand her a little bit.


    Maybe I was inspired without even knowing it.


    I hated to imagine the first time we met, but¡­ now, I could sympathize with the pain and suffering that Jung Hayan had.


    I wasn¡¯t good at reading other people¡¯s minds, and I wasn¡¯t even aware of everything about her.


    It was just my thoughts after what I had been seeing or hearing, and I wasn¡¯t even sure about that, but¡­ Jung Hayan was a very pitiful person.


    ¡®Crazy¡­ It¡¯s crazy to even think like this. Maybe this is something like Stockholm Syndrome. I need toe back to my senses¡­ I really do¡­¡¯


    It wasn¡¯tmon to be abandoned by one¡¯s family.


    It was hard to imagine that the people someone trusted the most would turn their backs on them at some point. That was her trauma, and it had to have been an event that had a decisive influence on her psyche formation.


    She still didn¡¯t trust people, so what more could I say?


    Jung Hayan was extremely reluctant toe into contact with other people.


    She showed reluctance when she had to meet people and didn¡¯t make herself clear in ces where she was forced to meet. At first nce, it might seem like she couldn¡¯t get along with others, but upon closer inspection, she actually didn¡¯t want to.


    She thought that others built the wall first, but Jung Hayan was the first to do it.


    She never allowed others toe near her except for a few people.


    ¡®Although she¡¯s a very lonely person¡­¡¯


    It was strange that she felt morefortable being alone.


    Maybe that was why she was constructing one.


    She was creating it because she was afraid of growing away from the people who knocked on the wall, of not being able to be with the people who came inside it.


    I shouldn¡¯t think that, but it was enough to feel like a dog suffering from a separation anxiety disorder. Jung Hayan was definitely abnormal when she couldn¡¯t be with someone who had stepped into the wall.


    She was terrified and couldn¡¯t let her body just stay still. She tried not to stop thinking and kepting up with thoughts she didn¡¯t like. Due to the family members who suddenly abandoned her one day, she was constantly worried that those who broke through her wall would abandon her.


    These people were no different than the parts that operated the person named Jung Hayan.


    She had parts that wouldn¡¯t have been a problem if she didn¡¯t have them from the beginning.


    If a part were missing, she wouldn¡¯t function normally.


    She couldn¡¯t satisfy her basic needs, such as eating or sleeping. She couldn¡¯t do everything a human being needed to survive. I never spoke to her directly, but this was¡­


    ¡®It must be a mental illness.¡¯


    As I slowly looked to the side, I saw her holding a staff and looking up at the sky.


    Magic power constantly flowed out of her mouth and eyes, and she was constantly chanting spells.


    Shouts echoed all over the ce.


    Booooooooooom!!


    With a loud sound, the undeads were thrown out in all directions.


    They tried to reach Jung Hayan somehow, but they were blocked by a transparent wall and couldn¡¯t advance anymore.


    ¡°Protect Jung Hayan!¡±


    ¡°Jung Hayan! Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°We will assist you. Everyone, chant the spell. It doesn¡¯t matter if you run out of magic, so keep chanting the spell.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t let these filthy undeads run wild any longer! These damn bastards! These dirty bastards! You dare harm Jung Hayan? You dare!¡±


    ¡°Jung Hayan! Jung Hayan!¡±


    The guild members of the magic tower who spent time with her, the old men and grannies who cared for her like her granddaughters, the schrs who respected her, and the trainees who had just started studying, regardless of young and old, were raising their voice, so how could she control her emotions?


    It wasn¡¯t simply because they admired her power or looked up to her. These were the people who knew about her well, and they were probably attracted to her human side. They sent her support with a pure heart.


    ¡®Jung Hayan, how about meeting some other people?¡¯


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡®Magic tower called to have a meal together.¡¯


    ¡®I-I don¡¯t want to go. I just want to eat with Sora.¡¯


    ¡®Still¡­¡¯


    ¡®W-W-Why? D-Do you want me to go?¡¯


    ¡®No. I didn¡¯t mean it that way. I just¡­¡¯


    ¡®I¡¯m asking if you want m-me to go¡­ y-you want¡­¡¯


    ¡®I didn¡¯t¡­ mean that.¡¯


    ¡®I-I don¡¯t¡­ really want to meet them. They have nothing to do¡­ with me¡­ a-anyway.¡¯


    Many memories passed by.


    ¡®Sniff¡­ ugh¡­¡¯


    It looked like she was sniffing alone in a dark room.


    ¡®I-I will be a magic god.¡¯


    Even the way she tried tofort herself by saying something a little absurd.


    ¡®I will be a god too. S-Sora will be a magic angel.¡¯


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡®I¡¯ll be able to meet o-oppa. Even if he can¡¯te down, I can go up. I-It¡¯s not that hard. If you have a goal, you can focus. Oppa told me that. O-Oppa¡­ right¡­Oppa said¡­ that we can even forget the hard stuff¡­¡¯


    ¡®Jung Hayan¡­ you can do it. Don¡¯t cry. Make a step-by-step n. You did itst time and stopped. Do it in a little more specific way this time¡­¡¯


    I didn¡¯t think I had seen her smilingtely. The only images that came to mind repeatedly were images of her wiping away tears or being covered with a nket.


    Sometimes sheughed happily, but she quickly became depressed.


    I also thought that meeting with other people could y a positive role in her¡­


    I wasn¡¯t even sure if that was really the right thing or the right thing to do. I couldn¡¯t distinguish those who approached her for pure purpose.


    If I persuaded her, I could have arranged a meeting with someone else, but¡­


    ¡®Excuse me, but I have a request for Jung Hayan¡­¡¯


    ¡®I refuse. If you want to talk about a public matter, contact the guild. Jung Hayan, let¡¯s go.¡¯


    ¡®Ah¡­ Ah. Okay¡­ is that alright?¡¯


    ¡®Yeah. It¡¯s okay. I think I misunderstood the person. Ptooey. Dirty man.¡¯


    ¡®D-Do you want me to kill him?¡¯


    Most of the time, the results were not good.


    ¡®I want to make an offer to recruit you to our guild¡­¡¯


    ¡®Shut up, bastard. Do not contact me in the future.¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®I¡¯m researching new magic. Sora unnie. I¡¯m really sorry to say this, but if she could help me a little¡­¡¯


    ¡®Don¡¯t call me anymore.¡¯


    There were a lot of people who made outright nonsense suggestions¡­ They weren¡¯t the only ones who coveted the handful of knowledge she had.


    In fact, there was someone who stole Jung Hayan¡¯s knowledge.


    She was a wizard hired as an assistant when she was in the middle of her studies and someone to fill vacancies if she had other work to do.


    When she disappeared a few dayster, I also remembered that she was not disappointed.


    She didn¡¯t even mention why she didn¡¯t show up, and she didn¡¯t ask questions about her.


    She couldn¡¯t have been hurt because she had no interest in her in the first ce.


    ¡®Jung Hayan¡­¡¯


    ¡®Perhaps¡­ That¡­¡¯


    ¡®I-I don¡¯t know. I-I don¡¯t know about that. I really don¡¯t know.¡¯


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    She didn¡¯t even believe in herself. She didn¡¯t have those who could give her strength and endow her with healthy rtionships, so she¡¯d drawn her conclusions and didn¡¯t move forward any further.


    That was why. I started tearing up because I was thinking about that.


    ¡°There are so many.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°There are so many people who love you.¡±


    ¡°Hey, who could hate her?¡±


    ¡°There are so many people who cheer for you without any conditions. Jung Hayan. You think you¡¯re alone and that no one likes you, but that¡¯s not the case. Look at that. Look at that sight. You don¡¯t have to think you¡¯re alone. You¡¯re not alone.¡±


    ¡°Well, of course, she¡¯s not alone. Many people believe and follow her. I don¡¯t know why Sora is suddenly talking like that¡­ All of our Blue Guild members believe in her. Hyejin, and the new guild member Alps too¡­ It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve seen her, but Hee-young said she was sometimes concerned about her.¡±


    ¡°Are you seeing this, Jung Hayan?¡±


    ¡°Hyunsung, hyung-nim, Ki-mo, Yeri, manager Kim Mi-young, Ahyoung, and Chang-ryul¡­ a-and not only the guild members. You are the most loved wizard on the entire continent. Maybe everyone is cheering for you.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Everyone is cheering for you. Everyone likes and thinks of you, the people from the magic tower, the people from the State, and the Lindel people, the people I meet when I go for a walk, and the people I greet at a cafe or restaurant.


    The one who could support her the most wasn¡¯t here.


    That¡¯s why I thought it would be good if she saw this sight.


    Perhaps everyone was praying. Countless wizards who fought against the enormous magic power, creating thousands or even tens of thousands of magic circles, and those who empowered her with their own life-like magic in return also chanted spells. They were looking at her and sending her prayers.


    ¡°The citizens of Laios¡­ are probably the same. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re saving them twice.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Cheer up. Jung Hayan!¡±


    ¡°Cheer up! Archmage!¡±


    ¡°Listen to the entire army of Laios! Never let the undead get to the Archmage. Protect her, even if it means giving up your life! For the benefactor of a neutral country! For Laios! Let¡¯s show that we can risk our lives too!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s protect her!¡±


    Strangely, tears kept flowing.


    ¡°Jung Hayan¡­ are you seeing this?¡±


    It was at that time thatrge wings came out from Jung Hayan¡¯s back.


    They were so huge that they felt like they were made with pure magical power.


    An agglomeration of magic, no, a crystal of magic¡­ no, magic itself.


    As they spread out, it seemed that a huge wind blew in Laios. Perhaps due to the influence of magic power, the image of her rising into the air was simply phenomenal.


    The figure of Jung Hayan surrounded by four pairs of wings made her look like an angel. The magical energy that continued to pour out of her mouth and eyes faded away at some point.


    Contrary to the way she continued to shout, her calm face seemed to have grown more mature.


    As she spread her wings, a beam of magical energy began to scatter out into the sky.


    Boooooooooooooooom!


    A huge barrier surrounded Laios once again with a majestic sound.


    ¡°Jung Hayan? Can you see this?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ Yes.¡±


    ¡°You are¡­¡±


    ¡°S-Sora, I-I¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°I-I¡­ think¡­ I am the magic god. I¡¯m still not good enough, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes! Many people believe in and love¡­¡±


    ¡°Thanks to i-i-idiot people.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°S-Sometimes fools are helpful, r-right?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ That¡­ that¡­¡±


    ¡°C-Come here¡­ Sora.¡±


    I thought that something was wrong.


    At that moment, I confirmed that an enormous stream of magical power was slowly approaching me.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make you an angel.¡±

 Chapter 842: The Last (75)

    <h4>Chapter 842: The Last (75)</h4>


    I eventually began to see the magical wings slowly wrapped around the sky. Those who stared nkly at the sky began to rub their eyes in disbelief.


    The wizards who cast spells, those who were praying for the Archmage, and all those who drew their swords to face the undead were staring nkly at all but a single person.


    There were no cheers to be heard. Instead, they were quiet, speechless, like people whose thoughts had been paralyzed for a moment.


    The sight of the Archmage spreading her wings made of magical power was that much of an incredible sight. It was the process of a human gaining divinity, the process of mortal peeling and growth, but it was also a sight that couldn¡¯t be so easily simplified.


    The colorfully shining magic circles that blocked the dark demon¡¯s magic stood out.


    Four pairs of continuously extending wings enveloped the entire Laios to repay their faith, to show that she wouldn¡¯t be defeated by evil.


    The light of that sublime, magical power continued to expand nonstop.


    -Angel¡­ it¡¯s an angel. Mom, mom, look at that. It¡¯s an angel.


    -The Archmage of the State¡­


    -Beautiful¡­ It¡¯s beautiful.


    -This¡­ what magic is that, Lord of the Tower?


    -This sight¡­ how¡­ how can I define this as magic? Haha¡­ This is not magic, but Jung Hayan¡¯s power. I thought it was an absurd joke, but it seems she has really be the magic god¡­ she went beyond her limits to save the continent¡­


    -Magic god¡­


    -Doesn¡¯t it seem like all the magic powers on the continent are blessing her new birth?


    The more I heard the muttering voices and the inaudible voices of many of her supporters, the more her power grew.


    Fiddling with his long white beard, the wizard watched the scene with an innocent figure that did not fit his age.


    -Magic Wings¡­


    -¡­


    -Don¡¯t they resemble her purity?


    -Yes. It feels like it contains Jung Hayan¡¯s transparency.


    -I can¡¯t even pray with a smile anymore¡­


    It was such an amazing sight that my mouth was left agape.


    ¡°Fuck¡­ What is this now?¡±


    It was that much of a jaw-dropping scene.


    ¡°What¡­ How did you do this?¡±


    Jung Hayan was constantly sucking up the magic around her.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    Considering that it absorbed the divinity around her, it made me wonder if she had been waiting for this situation this entire time.


    She smiled, her body trembling and her fists clenched, creating an eerie image somehow.


    It seemed I wasn¡¯t the only one who thought that way.


    Park Deokgu blinked and cheered for Jung Hayan, but Han Sora, who began to be entangled in a huge stalk of magic, was struggling to get as far away from it as possible.


    The stream of magic power, which climbed up her ankle, began to pull her body closer.


    She stretched out her hand as if trying to escape somehow, but the stream of magic that covered her didn¡¯t allow it.


    -Aaaaaaaaaaaah! Jung Hayan! Jung Hayan!


    -¡­


    -Jung Hayan! I¡¯m scared. I¡¯m¡­ scared. Please forgive me. Please forgive me!!


    ¡®Fuck, of course, it must be scary.¡¯


    She was forcibly transforming a human into an angel.


    Anyone suddenly turning into a different race would be afraid.


    As it continued to wrap around her body, she became more terrified¡­


    Some pain might apany it as it wasn¡¯t normally possible.


    There might have been a softer way, but there was no way that Jung Hayan, who had just started using her divinity, could realize it. She didn¡¯t seem to be thinking of anything else but turning Han Sora into an angel as soon as she could.


    -Jung Hayan¡­ Jung Hayan¡­


    Finally, a huge streak of magic engulfed her bodypletely.


    One arm grasped and reached out between the stems, but her attempts just got swallowed as well. Finally¡­


    -Huh¡­


    -It¡¯s fine now. Sora.


    Han Sora emerged with a pair of transparent ck wings on her back.


    For a brief moment, her face was covered with tears and a runny nose, depicting that she suffered a lot, but she still quietly stared at her back, mesmerized by them.


    She then nced at Jung Hayan, her startled heart seemingly unable to calm down, but she bit her lips and became softer after seeing her exhausted.


    - W-Were you very scared?


    -¡­


    -Did it hurt?


    -Yeah¡­ I¡¯m okay now.


    -Thank God¡­


    -I¡¯m okay now.


    -I-I¡¯m really¡­ g-d¡­


    It was not fortunate. She was probably startled because she became an angel out of nowhere. However, was she really fine now?


    In the process of transforming Han Sora, it felt like she had consumed a lot of mental and magic power and divinity.


    It seemed like she could dismantle what was up out there casually, but I could feel her lips trembling because she wasn¡¯t in good condition.


    With a thud, demonic magic once again crushed Jung Hayan¡¯s wings, but she only made a loud noise with her arms wide open.


    ¡®You¡¯re not acting, right?¡¯


    Hayan was indeed evil.


    -Ugh¡­ Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!


    It wasn¡¯t that I didn¡¯t like it. It was rather amazing. Just¡­ it wasn¡¯t that she was bad¡­ she just had a wicked side.


    -I will protect you, S-Sora¡­ Deokgu¡­ I¡­ I will protect you.


    She wasn¡¯t even stuttering.


    -Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!


    With a loud sound, Jung Hayan¡¯s wings fell once, and those who looked above screamed.


    They sent prayers, cheered for her, and provided her strength. The magicians of the tower continued to deliver magic power to her.


    If that was acting, she was probably dancing inside with excitement. There were many things that our Hayan had seen and learned. She was really doing that on purpose, right? That wasn¡¯t a real crisis, was it?


    -I can protect you! I-I can protect you¡­


    She bit her lip, and blood gushed out of her mouth. I looked away from her for only a moment, and her whole body seemed to be in rags.


    Fragments of her magic power fell from her wings, holding up her magic.


    Han Sora stared nkly at the scene and then¡­


    -Sigh¡­ Sigh¡­ I¡­ I can protect you¡­


    -Jung Hayan!


    She got up and started holding her hand.


    It was an emotional sight. If only that weren¡¯t all just an act.


    How could tears note out while watching a small wizard trying to fight evil by sacrificing everything she had? Han Sora, too, standing on Hayan¡¯s left side, who was desperately trying to fight back, seemed to have forgotten that she had just been swimming in the stream of her magic power, and kept nodding.


    I wasn¡¯t certain if she was brainwashing herself or not.


    -You¡­ You can do it. Hold on, Jung Hayan.


    -T-T-Thank you¡­ Sora.


    Was it because it was an extreme situation?


    ¡®No. Who wouldn¡¯t be fooled by that?¡¯


    It was the same with pro wrestling. There was a script, but the danger was real.


    I didn¡¯t know who it was, but I wanted to see the face of the guy who taught Jung Hayan such things.


    ¡®She¡¯s adapting quickly¡­ I¡¯m honestly scared.¡¯


    And her practical ability wasn¡¯tmon¡­


    She didn¡¯t even realize that what had entered her body was divinity. What she was already doing made me think that Jung Hayan was just being herself, after all.


    Of course, she couldn¡¯te up right now because she didn¡¯t have a direct contract, but I was worried that she might do something else.


    The fact that she created her own angel right now was like saying she had already done something extraordinary. However¡­


    Right now¡­ maybe I could put that worry down.


    ¡°Good.¡±


    She was creating a very good opportunity for the allies.


    ¡°Good, our Hayan. Very good.¡±


    I heard the demon summoner trash murmuring.


    ¡ªYou did something stupid, fake bastard. It seems that the move you saved has be garbage¡­


    The gue scum was probably thinking the same as the demon summoner scum.


    ¡ª¡­


    ¡®I can¡¯t say anything.¡¯


    ¡ªThis is useless.


    He seemed inclined to continue badmouthing him.


    ¡ªYou¡¯re blocking it well, but you¡¯re just lucky. I have many moves prepared, and only one of them went wrong. You guys haven¡¯t defeated me yet.


    ¡ªThis fake bastard must be thinking that he hasn¡¯t lost yet. What could be easier than fighting a fool that believes he will never lose? Your arrogance will strangle you.


    ¡ªInsects like you are the ones bound to lose. My thoughts are filled with conviction, not arrogance, and your actions will not affect the oue. Look around the battlefield. Look what¡¯s left. In the end, there¡¯s nothing you can do. I¡¯m getting tired of the useless tug-of-war in the frontlines¡­ To believe that you can win this big battlefield with a small gain¡­ is nonsense.


    ¡ªI never went into the battlefield in the first ce, fake bastard. I had fun with you, but¡­


    ¡ª¡­


    ¡ªYou¡¯ll have to give up your seat now.


    ¡®Right. The demon summoner trash is right.¡¯


    It was an exaggeration to say that he never entered the battlefield.


    Considering that the demon summoner trash tried to control the situation in the first ce, he was most likely bluffing.


    However, it wasn¡¯t a lie to say that he had to give up his seat.


    This trash¡¯s role was only to connect the bridges in the first ce.


    There were many horses and many rides, and as a result, he made a strong bridge within the given time.


    Just as expected, the way to the frontline opened up.


    The eyes of those who didn¡¯t know how to read the battlefield would see nothing, but I could certainly see the path.


    The gue piece of trash was probably looking at it too. Amidst the multiple wars of attrition, he would witness a sturdy bridge being built.


    He frowned. It seemed that I wasn¡¯t wrong.


    This time, his distorted expression came in, almost as if his pride had been damaged, and he had no choice but to think that it would be beneficial for him to think about the next move.


    We weren¡¯t the only ones seeing that scene right now.


    Jin Qing didn¡¯t say anything, but¡­


    The red beast walked on the path with a confident face and soon sprinted towards her most desired ce.


    The guelord stayed silent. He was watching the beast approaching him, unable to say anything.


    Perhaps he realized that she couldn¡¯t be referred to by words such as lowly human or insect.


    It didn¡¯t even take her that long to arrive at the battlefield and let out a roar.


    -Let¡¯s go.


    -¡­


    -Let¡¯s go! My brothers and sisters!


    -Whooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaa!!!


    -For the Red Mercenary!!!!!


    -For the Red Mercenary!!! For the god of war!!!!

 Chapter 843: The Last (76)

    <h4>Chapter 843: The Last (76)</h4>


    The heat of the battlefield was palpable. Anyone would find it unpleasant.


    I was certain anyone who had ever stood on the battlefield even once wouldn¡¯t wee it.


    They passed by woundedrades, encountered enemies, and shed with their swords and spears. A deafening roar was heard, along with screams from all directions.


    I was out of breath. I felt malice, hostility, and madness spread through the air, and the foul smell of blood and sweat made it difficult to breathe properly.


    My body was drenched in sweat, and it was impossible to distinguish what was truly happening. For ordinary people, the battlefield was something they feared and would never want to experience again.


    Of course, some enjoyed this environment.


    The brigade trash, the sad psychopath killers, and some of the war-addicted veterans and retired mercenaries.


    I honestly had never understood what it felt like to be addicted to war, but I thought I might upon seeing the Red Mercenaries.


    ¡®They¡¯re unusual indeed.¡¯


    They were definitely unusual.


    -Let¡¯s go! Comrades!


    -Whoooooooooooooooooaaaaa!!


    -To battle, my brothers and sisters!


    -Don¡¯t stop! Charge! Charge! Charge!


    -Fight, bastards, fight!


    -Don¡¯t die! Do not die! Let¡¯s meet again after all of this is over!


    ¡®Really¡­¡¯


    I knew that the atmosphere of the Red Mercenary Guild was inherently wild, but it seemed more disorganized than I¡¯d thought. There were people like Choi Young-ki who judged the situation fairly coldly, and although they were made of muscles, there was a feeling that they were rational muscleheads.


    They had fairly good manners, and the proportion of those looking dandy was also quite high. Of course, the rules defined by the guild instilled reason in them, but as those reputations piled up¡­


    ¡®I forgot about it.¡¯


    For a moment, I forgot that it was Cha Heera holding back those gangs of delinquents. I had forgotten that if she put them out in the world immediately, they would be criminals or were already people who would cause trouble somewhere.


    -Kill them! Kill!!!


    -Die, you dirty bastards!! Wizards, bring support! Support!!


    -Move! Bastard! Move!!


    -Bring it on, you demon insects!! Come on!!


    It wasn¡¯t the first time I had seen the Red Mercenaries on the battlefield, but it felt so unfamiliar to me. They weren¡¯t fighting like trained soldiers in formation. It was more like watching beasts with their leashes removed.


    ¡®They¡¯re a real mess.¡¯


    Some had axes, and some had shields. Just like the weapons they held, their fighting styles were also different.


    Some fought without their armor because it was hot, and some used their staffs as blunt weapons despite being wizards.


    Some threw huge weapons, while othersughed out loud after being attacked by the enemy wizards. Some fought recklessly with their messed up bodies, pulling out arrows stuck in their arms, and some scanned the battlefield with eyes that looked like they had gone mad.


    The battlefield was in so much chaos that I could understand why she hadn¡¯t loosened their leashes until now¡­


    ¡ªThey are barbarians.


    ¡°Do you have to call them that?¡±


    ¡ªRegardless, it was the battlefield I designed. I don¡¯t have the desire or right to meddle anymore, but I¡¯m notfortable watching a battle like that. I¡¯d rather not witness it.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not pretend to be dignified, really. What would a man raised like an orchid in a greenhouse know? What would a man who grew up with good parents, reared with the utmost care and affection know? Where is dignity on the battlefield?¡±


    ¡ªDon¡¯t try to insult me by saying useless things, Lee Kiyoung. I am also not a person who seeks dignity on the battlefield, but¡­


    ¡°But?¡±


    ¡ªBut there is a line that mustn¡¯t be crossed. You can¡¯t even call that war. Tell me how that¡¯s different than cheap and drunk mercenaries fighting in random taverns. The Red Mercenary, which is one of Lindel¡¯s three major guilds, is like that. I opened the way for them, but I feel like I¡¯ve be garbage in return.


    ¡°So that¡¯s why you¡¯re sitting here like this right now. What do you know? A guy who knows nothing about such passionate fighting sits in a chair and talks about strategy and tactics. Have you ever felt that kind of heat? That¡¯s why office workers are not fit for their roles. People who are busy discussing the tabletop talk wouldn¡¯t survive their onught.¡±


    ¡ªAt leastpared to you¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s because I didn¡¯t say anything, but I¡¯d rather be on that side than yours. If I¡¯d gone there, I would have adapted well. I prefer to be on the field. I¡¯m fundamentally different from the military.¡±


    ¡ªThat¡¯s bullsh*t, and you know it.


    ¡®You bastard¡­¡¯


    He frowned, expressing his disdain. I could understand his feelings to some extent, but perhaps what he¡¯d just said wasn¡¯t the truth. He was just feeling bothered.


    Perhaps he just didn¡¯t want to admit that. How could he understand that they were achieving results despite fighting like that?


    Perhaps the values he had established in his own way had been shattered into pieces.


    How many battlefields would that bastard have gone through on the continent? How many battlefields had he written a thesis on?


    Through a lot of trial and error, I could be certain that he had defined war in his own way.


    He was a bastard full of arrogance anyway¡­ I couldn¡¯t even imagine how much pride he had in his theories.


    In the end, a new theory had emerged that would threaten his studies, or to be more precise, cases that contradicted his works had appeared.


    ¡®While it definitely doesn¡¯t look organized¡­¡¯


    It felt organized at the same time.


    I didn¡¯t even know how to express that. Their military sses were not properly divided, and the lines were not normal. They were just charging ignorantly, and there was no propermander in sight.


    Some of them wore the Commander¡¯s Badge, but even they just focused on shoving their axes through the demons¡¯ heads.


    The faces and bodies of those cursing while foaming at their mouths were soaked in demon blood.


    To be honest, it was hard to tell who the demon was in that scenario. Some scenes were so cruel that they made me think of the demons as the victims.


    I couldn¡¯t even use it for publicity.


    But¡­


    ¡®Why do they look so organized?¡¯


    I wasn¡¯t talking bullsh*t because of the result, but there were definitely rules to their movements.


    It looked like they were simply running rampant, but it also looked like what they were doing had been agreed upon beforehand.


    Their casualties were minimal, and there were guidelines that even they weren¡¯t aware of but still followed. The way they acted and moved in different ways looked like they were moving as a single unit. Nonsensical puzzles came together to fill each other¡¯s shorings and drew a picture. It was¡­


    ¡°Perfect.¡±


    It was the most amazing masterpiece.


    ¡°They probably wouldn¡¯t be able to do this the same way even if they did it again.¡±


    I could guarantee it.


    It had to have been a product of chance. They had been fighting together before this, so their bodies had somehow gotten used to it, and now they just fit perfectly. If I asked them to do it again, they really wouldn¡¯t be able to.


    If Cha Hee-ra weren¡¯t the one leading the battlefield, this scene wouldn¡¯t have been possible in the first ce.


    The Red Mercenary broke the rules and broke the leash because Cha Heera had told them to do so, and there was no other reason.


    Now that I thought of it, Cha Hee-ra really had made such a decision¡­


    ¡®Because of the demon summoner trash.¡¯


    Ironically, it had to have been thanks to the Republic¡¯s genius soldiers. They provided a strong stage where they wouldn¡¯t copse.


    -Kill them! Kill them!! Kill!!!


    -Charge! Don¡¯t stop! Don¡¯t look back or retreat!


    A roar was heard, along with another thunderous sound.


    Holding a two-handed ax and a sword in one hand each, she swung around randomly.


    Those who were hit by her giant sword had their upper bodies blown away, and those who were hit by the ax were smashed.


    With each step, the earth quaked, and with every offense, a gust of wind blew.


    Sound effects that I had never heard before in my life kept hitting me.


    The soldiers who walked the path opened by the god of war looked at her, believed in her, followed her, and gave their all for her. She blocked the enemy¡¯s attack with a shield,ughed in madness, and stepped into the darkness.


    She believed that she wouldn¡¯t die. No, it seemed more urate to say that she wasn¡¯t afraid of death. Even if she died, she seemed to think that she would go to Valha, the hall of warriors in the afterlife.


    ¡°The god of war is with us!¡±


    ¡°The Red Mercenary is with us!¡±


    ¡°Today, this will be our grave! We will face the most glorious death next to the god of war. Onwards, warriors! Comrades! My brothers and sisters! Let us mow down our enemies for her!¡±


    ¡°Nothing can stand in our way! We will sing the song of victory as always!¡±


    ¡®Gosh. These bastards must be drunk.¡¯


    They seemed to be on drugs, drunk on madness, and drunk on the battlefield. They continued to say lines that they wouldn¡¯t have been able to utter were they sane.


    ¡®I can see why Ahn Ki-mo couldn¡¯t get used to it.¡¯


    Given that he¡¯d probably had to stand shyly among the massive Red Mercenaries drenched in madness, it was definitely understandable why he¡¯de to the Blue.


    They sang victorious melodies and praised the god of war. Cha Hee-ra simplyughed.


    She kept on shing the enemies and crushing them like insects, exining why they should believe in her. Witnessing this was simply overwhelming.


    Booooooooooooooooooooooooom!!


    But she was even more so.


    Craaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaash!


    Her power was enough to make me feel awe.


    ¡°Ha¡­ Hahahahahahahahaha!!¡±


    ¡°Magic! Wizards!¡±


    ¡°Advance! Advance! Don¡¯t look back!¡±


    ¡°We will die beside the god of war!


    ¡°I will give my life to her!¡±


    ¡®These bastards are out of their minds.¡¯


    Crossing the bridge the demon summoner trash had made was not an easy task.


    The gue trash wouldn¡¯t have been stupid enough to leave that road wide open.


    They¡¯d tried to reinforce the frontlines and block the holes by deploying more troops, but none of those actions had been influential enough and became meaningless.


    Although they might have to face their physical limitations, the soldiers of the Red Mercenary, led by their leader, didn¡¯t get tired.


    ¡®How flustering would that be?¡¯


    ¡ª¡­


    ¡®How annoyed is he?¡¯


    Perhaps the gue trash was more stressed than the demon summoner trash.


    ¡ª¡­


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    ¡ªThat disgusting insect¡­ those filthy insects¡­ they dare¡­ dare!!


    Boooooooooooooooooom!!


    An explosion could then be heard.


    Cha Hee-ra held the gue trash¡¯s hair with one hand and threw him against the wall.


    Craaaaaaaaaaash!


    -Long time no see, honey.


    -Yoooooou!!!! You crazy red bitch who doesn¡¯t even know your ce!!!!!!


    -Shut up, bastard.


    Her huge fists mmed into the man¡¯s face.


    Booooooooooooooooooom!!!


    ¡®Gosh¡­ I can¡¯t watch this.¡¯


    Booooooooooooom!


    Craaaaaaaaaaaaaash!!


    Craaaaaaaaack!!!


    Boooooooooooooooooooooom!!!


    ¡®I really can¡¯t watch this¡­¡¯

 Chapter 844: The Last (77)

    <h4>Chapter 844: The Last (77)</h4>


    The roar thusly continued. The deafening sounds of fists hitting someone¡¯s face kept echoing in my ears.


    Each time she swung her fist, it felt like a shock wave burst out. The sight of her holding the gue trash¡¯s hair and punching him reminded me of the battle with Cherubim, but seeing the shriveled body of the victim made him seem more pitiful than the other guy.


    His body pped all over like a paper doll. I was starting to feel like I was in pain since he looked like me.


    She threw him against the walls and all over the ce. He tried to resist even while his body was bouncing off the walls and flying, but he couldn¡¯t do it while the non-stop attacks disconcerted him.


    Baaaaaaang!!


    He was mmed against the wall once more. The Red Beast then climbed on top of him, sped her hands, and mmed them down on him like a hammer.


    Having been buried into the ground, he tried to get up, but she just kicked him in the face. Naturally, his body bounced off to the next wall.


    ¡®She has no mercy.¡¯


    I remembered when Kim Hyunsung had hit me.


    ¡®He must be thinking that he wants to go home. He¡¯ll want to quit now.¡¯


    He woke up with just one blow. Not to mention, it wasn¡¯t Kim Hyunsung¡¯s but Cha Hee-ra¡¯s. Her punches really were meant to kill him.


    Even if his status got an upgrade, there was no way that damage wouldn¡¯t umte. I thought it wouldn¡¯t be strange if he immediately retired in that situation, but there were variables.


    That ce was Limur¡¯s nest.


    This wasn¡¯t Cha Hee-ra¡¯s battlefield, but the gue trash¡¯s.


    I didn¡¯t know how effective it would be, but wouldn¡¯t the inner wall act as a cushioning material?


    Or he might have created a means to spread the damage elsewhere or set up safety devices in various ces to protect his weak body.


    Hee-ra had also realized that the feeling in her fist wasn¡¯t good, which was evident when her expression became a little ufortable.


    ¡®Who made our Hee-ra ufortable?¡¯


    As if she thought that separating his neck and body would be enough, she grabbed the ax and swung it, but one huge tentacle protruding from the inner wall blocked its de.


    Crash!!!


    The tentacles were still crushed by that sound, but it wasn¡¯t a bad move. It was just to buy time, after all. She had to have thought it would be possible for him to control the current situation if he had control over Limur¡¯s nest. I saw the tentacles erupting from all directions and rushing towards her.


    Sheughed and swung the ax once more, but the appendages were filling up the ce.


    It wasn¡¯t a nice sight to see them over and over again.


    They were being crushed and torn, and foreign substances that I didn¡¯t want to exin burst out of them. It was a scene that made me frown even more.


    ¡®It reminds me of the video I watched.¡¯


    At that time, Lee Kiyoung had certainly had a kind of hungry spirit. He¡¯d had to have the courage to set himself on fire to make a decent piece of work.


    Now that he had entered the red tape line to some extent, it was certainly a little more repulsive from a third party¡¯s perspective.


    Booooooooooooooooooom!!!


    Those constantly wriggling appendages regenerated, divided, and merged. The nest, which was full of repulsive colors, became even more bizarre than any dungeon.


    ¡®There is no answer to this.¡¯


    There was no end to them.


    Hee-ra continued to deal with the tentacles, but the result of their bout wasn¡¯t looking that good since they were constantly regenerating.


    This¡­


    ¡®The dungeon gimmick is being maintained.¡¯


    Limur¡¯s nest was also set to constantly suck the magic from the captured humans and maintain the nest and its corps.


    It looked like it was being strengthened a bit, but it was true that the gimmick itself was being maintained.


    There was no way that Hee-ra, who had a deep connection with Limur¡¯s nest, had forgotten about it, but she continued to wield her ax and sword.


    It didn¡¯t seem to matter. She moved forward, tearing apart everything that bothered her. She fought so hard that the rate of their destruction was faster than their recovery. The dungeon¡¯s regenerative power couldn¡¯t withstand her.


    And¡­


    The red warriors started pouring out with a huge roar.


    ¡°She knew.¡±


    It felt like she had been steadily preparing for a dungeon attack.


    Leaving an ax as a gift in the forehead of the demon, the soldiers began to move deeper.


    She had to be moving to block the magic that maintained the dungeon.


    ¡ªThese dirty insects!


    -¡­


    ¡ªThese dirty insects!! How dare you! How dare you!!! I¡¯ll kill you all!! I¡¯ll¡­ kill you all!! You motherfuckers!!


    -¡­


    ¡ªThe same goes for you, disgusting red bitch! I¡¯m going to make you pay! Don¡¯t think you can get out of here alive. This will be your graveyard. I won¡¯t let any of you escape! Not even one¡­


    -¡­


    ¡®He always talks a lot. He¡­¡¯


    He was good at talking, considering that he had wrapped himself in a giant bone shield.


    ¡ªSh*t¡­ damn!! These motherfuckers!!


    ¡®His expression is noteworthy.¡¯


    He looked really angry¡­ he looked passionate to the extent that I began to worry that he might have lost his reason. Although, in the Doom Kiyoung state, there was no such thing as deviating from the concept that much.


    Perhaps the original personality inside him had changed.


    As time went by, he had moved further and further away from the character of the guelord. It was just a hypothesis, and maybe it could be judged as an error that didn¡¯t matter, but after seeing him quietly muttering to himself, maybe¡­


    I thought maybe the dummy version of Lee Kiyoung was really inside him.


    ¡ªI can¡¯t lose. In this ce¡­ sh*t¡­ I can¡¯t copse in a ce like this.


    It was a fleeting moment, though.


    ¡®I don¡¯t have to think too deeply about it.¡¯


    Nothing would change even if she gave a dummy version of his personality to design a proper guelord. From his point of view, it would be unfair.


    In addition to this, he was also holding up better than I¡¯d expected.


    The gue trash didn¡¯t make any mistakes. Most of the things came out as he had nned, and in some cases, it was an effective blow to me.


    Sometimes he even gave us a surprise by making a surprising move.


    However, that was all. The only reason was just that he wasn¡¯t lucky.


    Jin Qing crushed the brain he was showing off, and Jung Hayan blocked his ambitious move.


    Regarding his power to fight, did I really need to say something? Seeing him being beaten up by Cha Hee-ra would give anyone the answer. From the moment she entered the nest, he¡¯d lost all hope.


    ¡®I can see it that way.¡¯


    He had his circumstances, but I also had mine.


    ¡®What can a created person do, bastard?¡¯


    ¡°So, just go in, idiot. This is our fucking strength as one, gue scum!¡±


    ¡ªI can¡¯t¡­ I can¡¯t meet my end in a ce like this.


    ¡°Taste the power of the light and the power of itsrades. Hee-ra! Beat him for me too!¡±


    ¡ªIn a ce like this¡­ I can¡¯t be broken like this!


    ¡°Qing, say something too!¡±


    ¡ª¡­


    ¡ªDamn¡­ Damn¡­ Do you think I will copse like this? Against you motherfuckers¡­ Do you think I¡¯m going to copse after being teased like this? Me? Me?! Do you know what I left behind to be here¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk sh*t and go back to your home quickly! How dare a data chunk try to be at the same level as humans?!¡±


    ¡ªYou guys won¡¯t understand what I¡¯m betting to be here¡­


    ¡°You bastard. That might be a breach of contract. If you mumble while caught up in the heat¡­¡±


    ¡ªI can¡¯t lose. I¡­ I¡­ I¡­ I can¡¯t¡­


    He held his head. That was as expected.


    He¡¯d probably crossed the line.


    Constantly panting for breath, he started to fight against Cha Hee-ra, who continued to swing her ax and sword at him. It wasn¡¯t a tense fight since the result was obvious, but a pretty splendid scene unfolded before me.


    He continued to spread the distance, attaching ghosts to Hee-ra. He was trying to damage her using the tentacles in the nest and the bones he had summoned.


    Craaaaaaaaaaaash!


    Along with that sound, he let out a roar that didn¡¯t sound like me at all.


    ¡ªAaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!!


    I could see how desperately he was fighting. It almost made me cry, but now he was just a viin, a great source of divinity.


    Sharp, massive bones took shape in the air, rushing towards Hee-ra, but they shattered with one swing of her fist.


    The tentacles nted to offset the movement were smashed instantly, and the gue nted by them was unable to prate her immunity.


    It was apanied by a sound effect as if the skin had touched acid, but his self-healing ability wasn¡¯t exclusive to him.


    ¡ªDie! Die!! Please!! Die!! You crazy monster!!!!


    Who dared to stop the red warrior, who was firmly armed with the power of courage and justice?


    ¡ªDamn¡­ daaamn¡­ f*ck¡­ f*ck¡­


    -Take a break now.


    ¡ªF*ck¡­ pant¡­ pant¡­


    We had no dreams or hopes.


    ¡ª Puha¡­ haha¡­


    -¡­


    ¡ªPu¡­ puhahahahahahahahahahaha!


    ¡®Has he gone nuts?¡¯


    ¡ªPuhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!


    -¡­


    ¡ªIt¡¯s me who¡¯ll win.


    -¡­


    ¡ªThis is my victory, you dirty and disgusting bastards.


    ¡°Gosh. He must have gone mad.¡±


    The sudden change on his face was embarrassing. Jin Qing seemed to be looking at the gue garbage with quiet eyes as if he were embarrassed.


    It was then that he began to be enveloped in mysterious magic.


    I was worried that he would self-destruct, but that wasn¡¯t the case. When he was engulfed in grayish magic, his figure became invisible.


    ¡°This sly bastard.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but think about how this story ended.


    ¡°This foxy bastard is real!¡±


    The guy engulfed in magic was gradually taking shape. It was a familiar look.


    Although it was different from before, he was definitely taking the shape of Belial.


    ¡®Was I too stupid?¡¯


    He grewrger, and when he swung his arm, Cha Hee-ra was flung off with a loud sound.


    ¡®Why didn¡¯t I think of that?¡¯


    Why had I forgotten that the guelord ended with the battle between Belial and Benignore, not his death?


    ¡®Sh*t¡­¡¯


    The condition for clearing the main event of guelord wasn¡¯t defeating the gue trash.


    The clearing condition was¡­


    ¡°Summoning Benignore.¡±


    Obviously, there was going to be an event. If he had asked to do the previous ending in the form of Belial, there would have been an event where I could summon Benignore as well.


    I should have prepared with a little more detail. I should¡¯ve looked back slowly, and like the previous events, I should have passed this event carefully.


    ¡°Does this bastard dare to bluff?¡±


    It was amon technique: backstabbing. He¡¯d wanted us to think of the Limur¡¯s nest as a stage, and he¡¯d limited the battlefield to himself.


    He had made too many hidden puzzles and hadn¡¯t allowed us to think about Easter Eggs or Hidden Pieces. While he¡¯d put aside the elements of the dungeon¡¯s events or quests, he¡¯d focused all arrows towards only himself.


    It had been a gamble for him and a risky move, but as a result, we were¡­


    ¡°We¡¯ve been deceived¡­ Fuck¡­ this stupid demon summoner bastard!¡±


    ¡ª¡­


    ¡°You useless bastard!¡±


    A gigantic demon jumped out of Limur¡¯s nest.


    Perhaps everyone had been looking at the sky with nk eyes.


    ¡ªIt¡¯s me¡­


    -Who gets to win?


    All except for one person.

 Chapter 845: The Last (78)

    <h4>Chapter 845: The Last (78)</h4>


    From his point of view, it must have been the best move.


    The process might have been a little different, but I can guarantee that I would have done something simr if I were him. Topletely hide the conditions for attacking the event and to draw all eyes to him.


    It was all bluffing, and it was a made-up script.


    The arrogant expression on his face, the way he referred to humans as inferior insects, the way he was calm while being beaten up, and the thing he¡¯d dropped in Laios were all scripted.


    I immediately realized that it had been designed with this side as a medium.


    He was cautious yet daring. He had several insurances, and he¡¯d thrown the dice at the time he thought was right.


    Seeing that he had deceived Jin Qing and Cho Hyejin, I could only think that he was right. This was because the results were actually saying it.


    Everyone looked up at the sky as he became a giant incarnation of Belial and wielded arge sword. Even after rubbing my eyes, I couldn¡¯t find the figure of Benignore, who was keeping him from the gue Lord¡¯s event at that time. Because this was an event that had passed.


    It was an event that had skipped by itself while I was paying attention to the gue Lord, who was wagging his tail softly in front of me.


    ¡®There must have been a hint.¡¯


    There must have been a condition.


    Infected areas that had not been there at the time, those infected with the gue, the isted patients, and the high priests who were guarding them.


    Families in distress and those who offered prayers. A church that worked hard to purify thend and the huge divine power that was constantly falling.


    ¡®That must have been the condition.¡¯


    If I¡¯d wanted to attack this event, as usual, the key would probably have been that.


    I should¡¯ve collected the divinities they¡¯d gathered or the keys to summon the incarnation of Benignore that could be used for the main event by clearing a few small ones.


    That was how games worked, right?


    If I were to clear all the chain quests, chain quests, and chain quests, the rewards woulde at the end.


    Maybe he was doing something simr. Wouldn¡¯t it be correct to surmise that he was clearing his own small event while facing this side?


    ¡°Could I at least get it now?¡±


    It might have been a littlete, but it might be okay. The divinity gathered more in moments of crisis, and not everything had been ruined yet.


    ¡°Hyejin, let¡¯s see if we can proceed with small events or quests centered on the infected area, the infected, and the high-ranking priests there. Even the smallest hint it¡¯s good. Tell Jin Qing too¡­¡±


    ¡ªDamn.


    ¡°I guess this bastard¡¯s pride is greatly hurt.¡±


    ¡ª¡­


    ¡®Are you having trouble breathing?¡¯


    There were excuses. This was because he didn¡¯t know what the next event was going to be or what the gue Lord¡¯s ending was.


    However, he was biting his lip as he quickly realized that there were other conditions.


    He didn¡¯t like the fact that he¡¯d missed something. He probably thought that he had been fooled again. The opponent he¡¯d thought was having fun fighting was actually doing something else.


    From his point of view, he had been deceived again, so I could understand his angry expression. However, what could I do?


    ¡®You¡¯re not the only one who has been deceived¡­¡¯


    Technically speaking, I should have noticed.


    ¡ª Stupid Lee Kiyoung.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    ¡ªYou¡¯re below the level. Damn.


    ¡°Strictly speaking, you should have noticed. Who are you ming for taking the main order?¡±


    ¡ªEnough. There must be a way to fix it now¡­ It would be meaningless toe here and judge what is right or wrong.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not meaningless. It¡¯s not meaningless. Anyone can see it¡¯s your fault. You are also in charge of an axis of the event. The person who noticed how the system was running got crazy with the war game and had fun with it¡­ Isn¡¯t it natural for something like this to happen?¡±


    ¡ªAren¡¯t you aware of the event, too? Besides¡­ you have experienced it yourself. How do I¡­? About what happened after I died¡­?


    ¡°You said you were a geniusmander. It seems like the genius part is dead. No matter what you say, it doesn¡¯t change the fact that you neglected your work because you were caught up with war games. If you had dealt with it sooner¡­¡±


    ¡ªWhat?


    It was then that Cho Hyejin, who had been quietly reporting the situation, hit the table.


    -Gosh! Stop! Really!


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡ª¡­


    - It¡¯s a mess here, so please¡­ stop it. If the Vice Guild Master also wants to say something, say it. The same goes for themander. Even in this situation, do you have to fight and bite at each other like that?


    ¡ªLee Kiyoung started it¡­


    -¡­


    ¡ªOkay. Let¡¯s stop¡­ Damn¡­ I showed a shady side. Damn¡­ why me¡­?


    ¡°Look at him confessing his fault now. Hyejin, let me say one more¡­¡±


    - I said, enough.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -Stop. Now.


    ¡°Well¡­ okay.¡±


    - I¡¯ll send Alps.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    -As you said, it may be a littlete, but we will be able to follow along. Maybe she¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s not a bad pick.¡±


    -Yeah.


    The dog that was with her had a good nose, so feedback would definitelye soon.


    If Cho Hyejin also thought that it was right to follow through with the event even though it waste, then perhaps I could see the result sooner than I thought.


    If it were a standard strategy, Hyejin might be better than me.


    - First, I will check the infected area where it was first created. We are currently conducting investigations on the infected, even though it¡¯ste¡­ and we¡¯ll follow the case, centering on the report that the temple of Lauren was the first contaminated. You two, please find a way to fix Belial¡¯s incarnation situation.


    ¡ªOkay.


    ¡°How long do you think it will take?¡±


    - It¡¯s hard to say exactly, but I¡¯ll follow up as fast as possible. Alps? Yes. As soon as you arrive, head to Lauren¡¯s Temple. I¡¯ll send you a party that you can join with the coordinates. If there is a battle or you need assistance, please contact me immediately.


    ¡°About three hours.¡±


    -The time you can stay is about three hours. Keep in mind that you can be infected with even a little more time. The faster, the better.


    Alps, who nodded, got off the griffon and ran off frantically with Whitey.


    There was no need to, but after receiving the priests¡¯ blessing, she took a deep breath before heading to the infected area.


    There was no sound in the ruins, where all the residents had already been evacuated.


    Cho Hyejin was looking at the Goddess¡¯ Mirror with a worried expression, but it wasn¡¯t about Alps she should¡¯ve been worrying about.


    ¡ªDie, you lowly insects.


    The incarnation of Belial with the giant sword was more of a problem.


    It definitely looked like a huge tower was falling.


    Jin Qing was prepping for the Belial raid, sending out a flurry of dispatches, but in my case, it seemed that I could rest assured a bit.


    ¡®Hee-ra.¡¯


    She wasughing.


    - Hahahahahaha!


    All with her arms wide open.


    ¡°If it¡¯s dangerous, tell her to get out immediately, Hyejin. I prepared it because I knew this.¡±


    -What?


    ¡ª¡­


    Of course, I hadn¡¯t prepared anything. However, it was undeniable that the one who pretended to see was the winner.


    The one who got achievements first won. Actually, this would be Hee-ra¡¯s achievement, but there was no problem taking part in the credit.


    The huge sword began to fall, and Cha Hee-ra deftly crossed the ax and the great sword to face the incarnation¡¯s de.


    Boooooooooooooooooooooooooooooom!!


    With that sound, the ground that Cha Hee-ra was treading on crumbled.


    The ax and sword she was holding cracked and eventually shattered.


    In the meantime, I saw her gripping the sword with her arms again and biting her lips sharply.


    She ground her teeth, and blood flowed from within her mouth. It felt like her body was screaming at a force that she couldn¡¯t cover with simple muscle strength, but she seemed to be having fun.


    The incarnation of Belial, who had eaten the gue trash, was pouring more magical energy into the giant sword, but she did not retreat even a single step.


    ¡ªDie!!!


    - It¡¯s me who will win this.


    Boooooooooooooooooooom!!


    With that sound, the dust rose, but there was no damage to Cha Hee-ra.


    After blowing blood from her nose, she quietly looked up.


    - Should I just do this?


    ¡ªWhat?


    - This way, I can fight properly.


    ¡ªWhat¡­? What¡­? Hey¡­ you are¡­ you are¡­ what in the world¡­?


    It was at that moment that a dark red light came out of her back.


    Something that I couldn¡¯t call wings or magic power began to wrap around Cha Hee-ra¡¯s body so quickly that it was weird.


    ¡°Hee-ra¡­ I love you.¡±


    Just as the gue garbage had contained the incarnation of Belial, the dark red light surrounding Cha Hee-ra had now begun to take shape.


    As her body continued to inte, something in the form of armor was being created steadily.


    As the incarnation of Belial swung his sword, the red armor raised one arm to block the sword and once again grew in size.


    Just when I thought that she had be simr in size to him, the red body carefully stood up.


    ¡ªThis monster¡­ monster bitch¡­


    - This is easy.


    It was just like looking at a god.


    Just like when Belial and Benignore, in their gigantic forms, collided, the incarnation of Belial and the red body wielding weapons at each other was more than overwhelming.


    Every time their swords struck, I could hear a roar that resonated in the earth.


    The surroundings turned into ruins too easily.


    I didn¡¯t know how she could do something like that. Could Kim Hyunsung do that? Because the gue trash didn¡¯t actually carry Belial¡¯s incarnation.


    Perhaps it was possible? To be more precise, he¡¯d wrapped his body with divinity to create a shape. He¡¯d received a system judgment as an event there¡­ and if he were to get a boost in his abilities¡­


    It was easy to say, but such a series of processes was not easy.


    What was surprising was that Hee-ra had seen it once and imitated it right away.


    I didn¡¯t know if she understood that the divinity in her own body was umted or if she had created the exact shape by using advanced magic, but Cha Hee-ra had put her incarnation in her own body.


    It was unstable, but the whole process made it hard to believe that this had been a human achievement, and it made me rub my eyes without realizing it.


    Not to mention the red mercenaries. No, many Federation citizens who were watching that battle would also have defined what was happening now as nonsensical.


    - Red body. Red body.


    -Really¡­ It¡¯s a red body.


    Booooooooooooom!!


    Boooooooooooooooooom!!!


    - It¡¯s a ridiculous battle¡­ really¡­ is it a sight¡­ that humans can even create?


    - Cha Hee-ra¡­


    Craaaaaaaaash!


    Booooooooooooooom!!


    Of course, it was a sight that humans could create.


    I thought it would be better to say something more here.


    ¡°It¡¯s just as nned.¡±


    ¡ª¡­


    ¡°It seems worthwhile to have insurance,mander.¡±


    ¡ª¡­


    His eyes were telling me to stop with the bullsh*t, but in the first ce, shameless people always won.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t we supposed to hide our really precious cards even from our allies?¡±

 Chapter 846: The Last (79)

    <h4>Chapter 846: The Last (79)</h4>


    It seemed that the lie about borrowing the power of demon summoner trash to hide my true intentions would work. This let me raise my chin slightly and grin.


    The demon summoning trash couldn¡¯t see my face anyway, but atmosphere and focus were important in this case.


    ¡°Everything went as expected.¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°Everything was as expected. Hyejin, tell him quickly.¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°Ah¡­ please. It¡¯s a lifetime wish. Really.¡±


    -Everything¡­ was going as expected.


    ¡°Considering the wide area of infection and the special situations that haven¡¯t been seen before, the results are as I predicted. Well, I have no intention of ming you. As you said¡­ you didn¡¯t know what happened after this. Ha¡­ Haha, I¡¯m not going to me you.¡±


    ¡ª¡­


    ¡°Attracting attention was your role. The real deal was this. It wouldn¡¯t have been bad to summon the incarnation of Benignore, but¡­ that gue trash required a move he wouldn¡¯t expect.¡±


    -Is that¡­ true?


    ¡°He tried to control everything from the beginning to the end. Even if we¡¯d summoned Benignore¡¯s incarnation, he would havee up with a way to deal with it. It is undeniable that there were some errors, but¡­ the results are perfect. Everything¡­ was as I designed¡­¡±


    ¡ªThat¡¯s ridiculous.


    His face didn¡¯t lie. He seemed to think it was bullsh*t at first, but he had in mind the possibility that what I was saying was true. Although it was around one or two percent, it was enough to make it seem a sess just by nting a very small suspicion.


    Since he had been stabbed in the back several times in unusual ways, he looked like he thought that unconvincing bullsh*t could be persuasive. Even if I didn¡¯t brag any more, I could guarantee that a feeling of self-doubt was growing in the heart of the demon summoner trash.


    ¡°The Red Beast and the guelord. Look at this battle that¡¯s only ever supposed to happen in myths. It¡¯s a great scene, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    The two collided with each other. The Lord of Lies, Belial, grewrger as he swung his sword, but Cha Hee-ra didn¡¯t retreat.


    She raised her gauntlet-like arm, deflected the de, and continued to move.


    The battle looked like it was taking ce from a distance, but in reality, it wasn¡¯t.


    Could it be that he was the one being pushed back?


    As he stretched out his arm, tremendous energy began to rise in the air.


    It tried to wrap around her, looking dangerous even to me, but she twisted, broke it, and then moved again.


    ¡ªDamn¡­ What the hell are you¡­? What¡­ What the hell are you?! You appear out of nowhere and¡­


    -Cha Hee-ra.


    ¡ªDamn!! Sh*t! That¡¯s not what I meant. What are you? Damn! Are you¡­ really human?


    -I¡¯m Cha Hee-ra. Why would you need any other answer besides that?


    ¡ª¡­


    -Don¡¯t define me by things like being human or a god. I¡¯m Cha Hee-ra. That¡¯s it.


    ¡ªHow dare¡­ a bitch like you pop out of nowhere¡­ and ruin everything? Do you¡­ Do you really think I would tolerate such a thing? An impurity that suddenly intervened¡­


    -¡­


    Booooooooooooom!!!


    With that sound, the fist of the beast, covered in red armor, locked right into the bastard.


    It was a surreal sight. The fight between the two gigantic beings was certainly unbelievable.


    I didn¡¯t know if it was because their masses were different from ours, but they seemed to be moving a little bit slower.


    Every time they jumped from the ground, ruins bounced off, and whenever they shed, the atmosphere trembled.


    I could hear the sound of the sky being ripped apart as the sword wielded by Belial¡¯s incarnation tore through the clouds. However, I could also tell that he was nervous.


    ¡®He will know.¡¯


    There was no way he was unaware that he was at a disadvantage which grew bigger the longer he dragged out the fight.


    Alps¡¯ dog sniffed and signaled that he smelled something, and Jin Qing relentlessly watered down the Benignore incarnation summoning quest, trying somehow to make up for his mistake.


    He hadn¡¯t already put an end to this with his hidden card, which might not benefit him. Meanwhile, the opponent was continuously gaining strength.


    It was a pre-determined fact that her divinity would continue to umte as Cha Hee-ra¡¯s appearance got further away from humans¡­


    ¡°Well¡­ the game is over here too. It would be disrespectful to him to watch any further. Shall we turn our gaze? Don¡¯t push yourself too hard too¡­¡±


    ¡ª¡­


    The bastard didn¡¯t listen to me.


    The demon summoner definitely wanted Cha Hee-ra to lose more than anyone else. However, there was no way that could happen.


    ¡ªI can¡¯t lose. I won¡¯t be defeated in this ce. I¡­ What I carry on my back is different from yours.


    -¡­


    ¡ªWe have different things at stake in this fight.


    -Don¡¯t categorize values, stupid bastard. Don¡¯t think that only your luggage is heavy. If you want to prove it, fight and win. This is war. It¡¯s simple. We fight for each other¡¯s values. I don¡¯t quite understand what you¡¯re talking about, but you¡¯re not the only one fighting with something at stake.


    ¡ªI¡­ I fight for everything I put on the line. I fight to protect and maintain everything I have. And you bitch¡­ What the hell are you fighting for? You simply go crazy in battles!


    -My pride.


    ¡ªWhat?


    -My pride.


    Boooooooooooooooooom!!!


    Along with that sound, the ax that she had raised sliced through the throat of Belial¡¯s incarnation. In an instant, the magic power dissipated.


    He lost his avatar, and the gue trashy on the ground shamefully, vomiting blood.


    Cha Hee-ra was no different. Her unfamiliar appearance seemed to have exhausted her, which wasn¡¯t like her.


    However, her eyes weren¡¯t the same as before. As she¡¯d said, she fought for her pride. Her eyes were full of self-confidence.


    ¡®Right.¡¯


    It was something I thought of every time, but there had never been an event that had left her helpless, like the twenty-seventh Legion summons and the guelord incident.


    There couldn¡¯t have been any incident in which she¡¯d lost her confidence in herself like this one.


    She hadn¡¯t been the hero of the story at the time. After all, that was when Kim Hyunsung had awakened as the Sunset Swordsman, and it was a stage prepared for him from beginning to end.


    In all wars, she had been forced to look up at someone, from one of the Four Demon Kings, Donovan, the guelord, to the incarnation of Belial.


    Perhaps it had instilled in her an indescribable frustration.


    With her unable to do anything about it, I was certain it inflicted a deep wound on her pride.


    It wasn¡¯t a lie that she was fighting for her pride.


    -I fight for my pride.


    She wanted to regain her lost pride and self-esteem.


    She might be fighting to prove that she was Cha Heera, as she had said before.


    ¡ªDon¡¯t be ridiculous¡­ Sh*t¡­ Enough! Just because of that¡­


    ¡°That bastard is really losing himself.¡±


    -¡­


    ¡ªPride? Dignity? Fucking bitch. Do you think that reason is valid?


    -Prove you¡¯re right, then.


    ¡ªAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!!


    ¡®Now it even looks shameful.¡¯


    He wasn¡¯t like me. In some ways, it seemed as if he was acting like me, but¡­


    To be honest, I didn¡¯t know if it was because I had never been driven to the corner.


    Belial¡¯s armor no longer protected him. It was funny to see him barefoot and running towards Cha Hee-ra with a sword.


    It would¡¯ve looked awkward to anyone, to see him go to all-out war with a few ghosts and a bone shield. The way he gritted his teeth and rushed made it look impossible to turn a nonbatant into a fighter.


    Still, having seemingly been given an upgrade, he was scattering various traps and gues, but his already unbnced body wasn¡¯t in a state where he could do much.


    Nevertheless, he continued to run at Cha Hee-ra.


    Like a cornered rat trying to bite a cat, he continued to run even after he fell.


    ¡®But Hee-ra is a tiger, not a cat, right?¡¯


    There was no doubt in her eyes as she carried her pride. Rather, it was like she recognized him as a fellow warrior.


    ¡®Pride.¡¯


    ¡ªAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!!


    -¡­


    He bit his lip as their bodies and magic powers collided.


    The gue trash rushed in despite his rugged physique, swinging his sword awkwardly.


    To be honest, it was a scene I couldn¡¯t understand. There was no chance of winning for him.


    He had to know that it wasn¡¯t beneficial to run with fire in his eyes like that.


    ¡®You can¡¯t do that.¡¯


    If it were me, I would lie t. Being recognized as a warrior by Hee-ra meant that the oue wouldn¡¯t be good for him.


    It would be different if he were recognized as an ally, but the result would be a cruel death if that happened.


    ¡®Why did you suddenly take that position?¡¯


    -You are a warrior.


    ¡®She just put a death g on him.¡¯


    ¡ªI am not a warrior. Sigh¡­ Sigh¡­


    He skillfully, unconsciously avoided her blows. That was good.


    -No, you are a warrior.


    However, she had reached a decision.


    ¡ªI am not a warrior. I wasn¡¯t born to fight. I just¡­ just¡­


    -It doesn¡¯t matter how you were born. It matters whether or not you step up for what you value. You are not my honey. Who are you?


    ¡ªI¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m¡­ Damn¡­ I am the guelord. I was born as the guelord to¡­ spread fear in this world¡­ to step on you insects¡­ I¡¯m the guelord.


    -Who are you?


    -Didn¡¯t I say¡­? I¡¯m¡­ the guelord?


    - I am Cha Hee-ra. And¡­ who are you?


    ¡ªI¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m¡­


    -I just want to hear your name.


    ¡ªI¡­ I don¡¯t have a name to give to a beast like you.


    I could see him continue going toward her despite already being in tatters.


    There was no sympathy in her eyes. What remained was respect for the opponent who had to die for her to regain her value.


    A huge bone could be seen protruding from under Cha Hee-ra¡¯s feet.


    It was just to divert her attention. Ghosts, bizarre tentacles, and everything else were meant to distract her.


    He scattered mist and poison. He drew out all the elements that might bother her and continued to drag her attention.


    In the end, his sword reached her. Its de dug into her arms, and he twisted it.


    Cha Hee-ra didn¡¯t avoid it. She received the nameless warrior¡¯s attack head-on.


    -Anyst words?


    ¡ªI have a request.


    She cut his throat right away.


    - I¡¯ll ept it.


    ¡ª¡­


    -¡­


    ¡ª¡­


    [The main event of the mythic-grade dungeon, the Continent Where the Son of Light was Sacrificed, guelord has been cleared.]


    -Kiyoung, you bastard. When you reallye down, you¡¯re dead.

 Chapter 847: The Last (80)

    <h4>Chapter 847: The Last (80)</h4>


    He definitely didn¡¯t look like me, but¡­


    ¡®It was a good ending.¡¯


    Perhaps the reason he¡¯d thrown himself into a fight he was unlikely to win was that he wanted to produce such a result. He had personally judged that there was no chance of winning, so he¡¯d thrown himself into a dim possibility.


    Had it all been to get her respect?


    It was probably the best option he¡¯d thought of since he had no more cards left.


    It wasn¡¯t a bad choice. It had to have been a gamble, but he¡¯d probably had his own convictions.


    He might have already figured out what kind of person she was, what kind of thoughts she was living with, and what kind of disposition she had.


    They hadn¡¯t talked to each other much, but he could have easily noticed.


    Cha Hee-ra didn¡¯t bother to hide her nature. She always revealed what kind of person she was.


    He¡¯d said he wasn¡¯t a warrior, but he wanted to be treated as one, and his wish had been granted.


    I didn¡¯t know if he had really been able to get what he wanted, but Heera would probably respect his death and choices.


    -Definitely¡­


    ¡°What?¡±


    -I think I know what it means to say that person was created based on the Vice Guild Master.


    ¡°Based on what?¡±


    -I can¡¯t describe it in one word, but¡­ his sacrifice¡­ I think there may have been other motives behind it.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -But he didn¡¯t choose anything. Instead of sacrificing someone else, he ended up dying himself. Maybe he was having a hard time. He¡¯d rather have ended it¡­


    ¡°I never give up.¡±


    -Maybe he thought it would be better to tie the knot on his own terms.


    ¡°That kind of thought¡­¡±


    -This isn¡¯t like you. It reminds me of how you were in the war with the outer gods.


    ¡°It¡¯s a little different from that, but¡­ I¡¯ll admit that there are some simrities¡­¡±


    I could see him slowly fading away.


    The scene where a group of small stars dispersed was quite enjoyable, but not to the point where I could feelplex emotions like Cho Hyejin.


    Cha Hee-ra silently stared at it and paid tribute to the warrior¡¯s death. She then congratted herself for getting her pride back, clenching her fists.


    Her smile caught my eyes.


    Why wouldn¡¯t she be worried? Cha Hee-ra had believed she could do it, but she wouldn¡¯t have been able to ignore the small trauma buried deep within. In her own way, she had once again crossed the wall, and she¡¯d managed to achieve what she wanted.


    She raised her body once more, patted the Red Mercenary on the back nonchntly, and began to walk.


    ¡°So¡­ what clues¡­?¡±


    -I¡¯ll send Alps to check.


    ¡°Go for it. There might be some left. Since the event has been sessfully cleared, we should expect to unfold a lot of things.¡±


    -Maybe there¡¯s a hint, something that Jihye left for the Vice Guild Master, or¡­ at least there might be something we can use to control what will happen next¡­


    ¡°Anyway, Hyejin, please finish that.¡±


    -Okay.


    ¡°I want to leave the post-processing to Heera, but I think it would be better to leave it to you.¡±


    -And you¡­


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to look at Hyunsung.¡±


    -Is the Guild Master okay?


    Well¡­ I don¡¯t know.


    He wouldn¡¯t be okay.


    ¡®If he¡¯s okay, he¡¯s not human.¡¯


    It was impossible for him to feel okay.


    It was difficult for even Cha Hee-ra to face her own trauma. How would Kim Hyunsung, who was weak at heart, be okay if he had suffered the biggest trauma?


    His mental state was on the verge of breaking like a cookie, and his whole body couldn¡¯t move properly.


    Perhaps he hadn¡¯t met him yet. He had to be scared.


    ¡®Hee-ra¡­¡¯


    She had given him the right gift. She knew very well what gave Kim Hyunsung the most pain.


    However, maybe that bastard would push through it.


    I was worried that he knew about the third round, but¡­ I thought he¡¯d get over it. He just needed something to trigger it. Yes. He just needed something.


    When I turned my gaze, I saw him looking at my personification, which was covered in scars.


    It was as expected, but it wasn¡¯t satisfying to see.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t that a little too much?¡¯


    It seemed a bit exaggerated. Blood was constantly oozing from both arms as if they were being scraped with a saw de, and his legs were wobbly.


    It looked like he had been torn apart, to the extent that I couldn¡¯t understand how he was moving.


    His neck was severely bruised. The handprints on it were clear.


    One side of his face was swollen, and above all, the scar on his abdomen was so terrible that I couldn¡¯t even look at it properly.


    As if in pain, tears were constantly flowing from his eyes, and as he moved, he covered the pure white, snowy mountains with blood. The lovely regressor, whom I hadn¡¯t seen in a long time, was as good-looking as before, but he also seemed pale.


    He was trying to look away, seemingly about to vomit at any moment. He was also quietly looking at him with hesitating gestures, as if he wanted to say something, but he quietly lowered his head, unable to utter any words.


    It wasn¡¯t necessarily a bad sign that he looked like that because I still didn¡¯t know the exact conditions for clearing this event.


    I didn¡¯t know how it would turn out, so it was better than taking a hostile look right away.


    ¡ªHyunsung.


    -¡­


    ¡ªHyunsung.


    -¡­


    ¡ªHyunsung?


    -¡­


    ¡®This bastard even talks.¡¯


    It was natural, but he couldn¡¯t speak properly. Being able to talk at all was a miracle.


    -Yes¡­


    ¡ªIt seems that a lot of things have happened.


    -Yes¡­


    ¡ªIt seems like a lot has happened since we first met. We¡¯ve talked and reminisced every time, and we¡¯ve made a lot of memories. For me to be close to someone I was even a little awkward with¡­


    -¡­


    ¡ªI do not resent you.


    ¡®What? Fuck. What are you aiming for?¡¯


    It was a bit disconcerting because it wasn¡¯t what I¡¯d expected.


    I thought he would say something like, ¡®Do you dare kill me? I will resent you and curse you, but it is more peaceful than I thought.¡¯


    There was no feeling of hostility or anger for Kim Hyunsung on the expression of a slightly better-made event NPC.


    Rather, he was warm and had the face of a saint who seemed to understand everything.


    ¡ªIt was what I wanted and hoped. I was always looking at what was happening here, constantly looking for the conditions under which we could be happy together, but I always found what happened at this ce. I know it¡¯s absurd, but it was necessary to beat them. Somebody¡¯s sacrifice was necessary to protect the continent, and I thought I had to be that person.


    -¡­


    ¡ªI¡¯m sorry¡­ for leaving you with an indelible wound.


    -I¡¯m¡­ rather¡­ I¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­


    ¡®What the hell? Why are you doing this? Why is it like this, Jihye? Can it go like this? Can this proceed in such a warm atmosphere?¡¯


    No, of course, Kim Hyunsung seemed to be in severe pain.


    To put it a little more bluntly, he looked like he was on the verge of copse.


    I¡¯d thought he would be able to face some of the previous events with a few additional small events.


    Still, I¡¯d given him a sword, sometimes talked to him, given him courage, and done everything I could possibly do on my part.


    It was too early to say that he hadpletely recovered psychologically, but at least I had seeded in preventing suicide attempts. It wasn¡¯t wrong to say that excellent psychological treatment had been applied.


    Even so, I¡¯d never expected that the things I had built up so quickly would copse.


    His breathing was unstable.


    Tears were already welling up in his eyes. I didn¡¯t know what he was looking at, but he was staring at his arm. It was like he was checking to see if my blood was on him. He was looking around anxiously.


    It was hard for me to breathe because of the influence of the Regressor Instruction Manual.


    He gripped the sword I had given to help him find peace of mind, but he immediately let go of it because of the coldness that enveloped it.


    He touched his face, seeminglying to his senses.


    -I¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I¡­ I¡­ I¡¯m so sorry. I¡­ did something I shouldn¡¯t have¡­ I¡­ I¡­ sniff¡­ I¡­ what¡­? What have I done¡­? I¡­ I¡­


    ¡ª¡­


    - aaaargh¡­


    ¡ª¡­


    - Kiyoung¡­ Kiyoung¡­


    ¡ª¡­


    The way he rushed in looked too shameful.


    I didn¡¯t know if that bastard was the real hero of the continent. What was he going to do if that was the enemy?


    Of course, I didn¡¯t feel like that, but how could you get closer if it was like a bomb?


    In the meantime, he tried to heal his wounds.


    Did he have any awareness of being a dungeon event NPC? Was he really distinguishing this from reality right now?


    Had someone put hallucinatory magic or unconscious awareness magic here?


    -Stay still. Sniff¡­ sniff¡­ The wound¡­ will open.


    ¡ª¡­


    - Don¡¯t move anymore. If you keep moving¡­ it¡¯s dangerous. I¡¯m saying it¡¯s dangerous.


    ¡°That¡¯s not me.¡±


    -Is your¡­ Is your neck okay? Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­


    ¡ªYeah. It¡¯s fine, Hyunsung. I don¡¯t feel any pain. I am a fragment of his memory. A small fragment of his memory that met his end here¡­


    ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s a lie. It¡¯s such crappy acting.¡±


    ¡ªI have a small request for you, Hyunsung.


    -Yeah? Yes¡­


    ¡ªCan you listen?


    -Yes¡­ Yes¡­


    ¡ªCan you grant my wish?


    ¡®At best, kill yourself, or please die. Those kinds of lines¡­ are already¡­¡¯


    ¡ªDo it again.


    -What?


    He grabbed Kim Hyunsung¡¯s sleeve and looked up at him.


    ¡ªKill me once more.


    He smiled, looking at Kim Hyunsung with a strange expression that even I had never made before.


    ¡°Ah¡­ fuck¡­¡±


    ¡ªKill¡­ kill me again.


    [The main event of the mythic-grade dungeon, the Continent Where the Son of Light was Sacrificed, has begun.]

 Chapter 848: The Last (81)

    <h4>Chapter 848: The Last (81)</h4>


    She looked way too serious about this.


    ¡°Gosh, Lee Jihye. Lee¡­ gosh¡­ really! This was mean. Really¡­ too mean.¡±


    ¡ªPlease¡­ Please¡­ Kill me¡­ once again¡­


    -¡­


    Even the demon rejected that. It wasn¡¯t unreasonable to question whether she was really human or not.


    If she had died, I would have done something simr, but I had to think hard about whether it was necessary to push humans to that extent.


    This was simply over-the-top cruelty.


    ¡®What the hell are you aiming for?¡¯


    Actually¡­


    If I thought about it, it was obvious. There was no need to ask any questions.


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s ruin.


    Destruction to the point where recovery was impossible.


    It seemed that she was building up to crippling him so he could not raise his sword again.


    She could also film the scene where Kim Hyunsung cut through Lee Kiyoung¡¯s throat again and show it on the continent. I could tell people like Cha Hee-ra or Jung Hayan, but she was probably hoping for him to feel pain from the act itself.


    If he stabbed me again, maybe¡­


    ¡°It would be over.¡±


    The situation would explode like a fuse had blown. I could guarantee that he wouldn¡¯t be able to function normally.


    He had already sacrificed a lot to rebuild his broken mind. If he copsed again, I wasn¡¯t sure he would be able to recover from it.


    As expected, his eyes were flicking around frantically. He seemed confused about what he had heard, but the event¡¯s content hadn¡¯t changed. What was important was legitimacy, the justification for why Kim Hyunsung had to kill Lee Kiyoung once again.


    Although it was different from the previous event so far, if the big picture was set as the war with outer beings, there was a high probability of bing a key.


    ¡ªThere¡¯s not¡­ much time left, Hyunsung.


    -¡­


    ¡ªUntil theye back again¡­


    -¡­


    ¡ªThey¡¯ll be back. With a stronger and more fearsome appearance, it will be impossible to stop the Day of the Prophecy. Only my death¡­ can stop them from reaching this ce.


    ¡°So clich¨¦.¡±


    ¡ªThat¡¯s¡­ the only way to get through this crisis. All I can do is stop them with my blood.


    ¡°Right. You have to act like that. Even I would have done it like that.¡±


    It was a clich¨¦ seen only in ssic fantasy: the sacrifice of a saint to prevent the destruction of the world.


    Of course, I wouldn¡¯t use such a devilish trick, but if I did, I¡¯d use it like that since it was dramatic.


    I didn¡¯t know whether it was true that outer gods woulde again, but that part wasn¡¯t important.


    What was important was that Kim Hyunsung had to make a choice. That meant that although he was indecisive, he had to weigh the life of his close friend against the continent.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t his real friend or anything, but it seemed that the bastard already thought that Rag Kiyoung was Lee Kiyoung.


    ¡ªPlease.


    -N-No way¡­


    ¡ª¡­


    -That¡¯s absurd¡­


    ¡®What¡¯s absurd? This is the event.¡¯


    -I¡­ I will not allow it.


    ¡®I mean, it doesn¡¯t matter if you allow it or not. You have to kill me. What will you do if you don¡¯t allow it? And he¡¯s Rag Kiyoung. He¡¯s not real.¡¯


    ¡ªBut¡­


    -There must be another way.


    ¡ªThere is no other way.


    If there was one thing Jihye had overlooked, it was that I was connected to Kim Hyunsung. It was possible tomunicate directly, but¡­


    ¡°He is not really¡­ the Sunset Swordsman. He is¡­¡±


    However, I didn¡¯t know if it was right to tell him to cut him. At this point, was it the right choice to tell him to kill Rag Kiyoung?


    ¡®Fuck.¡¯


    If I said that he wasn¡¯t real and exined the circumstances, would he listen?


    Would it be right to tell him to do what he regretted having done before?


    Although he was the lovely regressor, he looked lousy. It looked like he would break down at any moment or perhaps already was broken.


    I didn¡¯t know if the act of cutting itself would be possible in the first ce. He was already in a state where he couldn¡¯t hurt anyone.


    His arms were shaking, and he couldn¡¯t even hold his sword properly. He was probably reminded of the strange, cold touch. He might be remembering the time when he pierced my stomach.


    As I looked at his eyes, which were still fluttering, I saw I was probably right.


    ¡®This is fucking bad. Gosh.¡¯


    It felt like I couldn¡¯t choose between the two options, so I was rather annoyed.


    ¡®This is a checkmate.¡¯


    It was too subtle.


    ¡®If the dungeon really releases outer beings or those equivalent to them¡­¡¯


    ¡°Can he stop it?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t be sure. No, it was probably impossible.


    It had been the same in the State Revolution, Demon Summoner, and guelord, but I thought this system was quite subtle.


    The number of people who could participate in the quest had already been dictated and couldn¡¯t be changed. It was rather scary because it was so simple.


    As always, this kind of dungeon design or event design had a big return in exchange for a big risk.


    Thinking from Jihye¡¯s point of view, if the risk was to cut my clone¡¯s throat, I couldn¡¯t imagine how big the reward she¡¯d get in return would be.


    It had to have been the condition she created in the first ce. Even if Kim Hyunsung cut the rag¡¯s throat, the winner would be¡­


    ¡®Jihye.¡¯


    Of course, from my perspective, the best option was for Kim Hyunsung to kill him.


    Thest thing I wanted was the outer beings being summoned again.


    I wasn¡¯t scared to fight them again, but with them involved, the number of possible oues was terrifying.


    I wanted to avoid the possibility of losing someone again.


    I didn¡¯t want that kind of thing to happen.


    ¡ªPlease stop the continent from being destroyed, Hyunsung. Please save the continent¡­ once again.


    ¡®If it were Lee Kiyoung, he wouldn¡¯t say such a thing.¡¯


    -¡­


    ¡ªI know it¡¯s hard. I know that I shouldn¡¯t ask you this. It must be hard. You don¡¯t want to do it, but¡­


    If he were the real one, he wouldn¡¯t give his responsibility to others. He wouldn¡¯t ask me to save the continent or prevent its destruction.


    However, the present Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t seem to havee to his senses enough to understand that.


    He couldn¡¯t feel anything more than confusion. He was scared. He feared that the worst woulde, that he would have my blood on his hands.


    ¡ªIt¡¯s not painful, Hyunsung. I won¡¯t feel the pain. I¡¯m sorry for forcing you to do this, but¡­ please, protect this scenery.


    -¡­


    ¡ªSo¡­ please.


    ¡®It¡¯s annoying. So annoying.¡¯


    What the hell was that in the first ce?


    ¡®What are you?¡¯


    If Lee Kiyoung of the State Revolution was a simple NPC, and Lee Kiyoung of the guelord was a character based on a dummy, I didn¡¯t know what to call the one before me right now.


    He didn¡¯t feel like the gue trash, but he seemed to be thinking and acting independently.


    He was weeping, appealing to his emotions, and desperately trying to drag Kim Hyunsung to his side. What was certain was¡­


    ¡®He¡¯s not just an NPC.¡¯


    Perhaps¡­


    ¡®Is that Jihye?¡¯


    It was just a hypothesis, but it didn¡¯t feel strange to think that he was the NPC Jihye was ying. It didn¡¯t look like she was directly inside the doll, but there was a high probability that she was controlling it from afar.


    The look I saw on my clone for the first time felt out of ce.


    ¡®Someone is passing it on.¡¯


    If it wasn¡¯t her, it had to be one of the brigade¡¯s guys. It might be difficult to find their whereabouts, but the feeling was certain.


    I patted my thigh.


    Although the correct answer did note out, I felt the need to turn the table prepared by Jihye. I had no choice but to speak once again to Kim Hyunsung, who still looked stunned.


    ¡°Pass the sword.¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°Pass the sword, Hyunsung.¡±


    - Kiyoung¡­ Kiyoung? Huh? Huh¡­


    ¡ªPlease. Hyunsung¡­


    -Kiyoung? Kiyoung¡­ I¡­


    ¡°Gosh, just give him the sword, you moron!¡±


    -Huh?


    ¡°Pass him the sword! Pass him the sword! Pass him the sword! Give him the sword! Give him the sword! Give him the sword quickly before I make you throw it away, you bastard!¡±


    -Ah¡­


    ¡°Hurry up, you moron!¡±


    -Yes¡­ Yes!


    Even though he was stunned, he pulled out the weapon I had given him and handed it over to Rag Kiyoung. It seemed that his subconscious had taken control of him.


    ¡®I think it¡¯s possible.¡¯


    If that NPC was a puppet, it might be possible for me to use it.


    The body had been made with me as its base in the first ce, and Jihye and the scum of the brigade used it, so why couldn¡¯t I? He¡¯d said he didn¡¯t feel any pain¡­ since he wasn¡¯t a living being, the cost of an advent could also be minimized.


    I couldn¡¯t guarantee how long the body would hold up, but at least I¡¯d be able to die from Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have thought of this, Jihye.¡±


    It felt like my body was falling from the sky.


    It was a feeling I had felt once, but it wasn¡¯t particrly pleasant.


    The diminishing senses were the most displeasing of all.


    However, I had tough. I didn¡¯t want to see her like this, but we would be meeting after a long time. That was what mattered.


    Booooooooooooooooooom!!


    The stupid regressor looked at the scene, blinking like an idiot. I didn¡¯t know if he had realized what had changed, but tears were constantly falling from his golden eyes as he looked at me.


    He bit his lip and lowered his head slightly. Tears continued to flow down his chin.


    I couldn¡¯t concentrate properly with the sound of his crying, but Kim Hyunsung still couldn¡¯t look at me properly.


    ¡°Long time no see, Hyunsung.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ long time no see. Sniff¡­ Really¡­ it¡¯s been a really long time, Kiyoung.¡±


    He smiled widely.


    I was sure that he would cry soon.

 Chapter 849: The Last (82)

    <h4>Chapter 849: The Last (82)</h4>


    ¡®It does seem like I haven¡¯t seen him in a really long time.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t even remember thest time I¡¯d seen him smiling like that.


    ¡®It seems like he¡¯s really happy to see me.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know if he was just trying to smile or really smiling, but his expression really did seem bright.


    Perhaps Kim Hyunsung wasn¡¯t that different from Cho Hyejin, Park Deokgu, and Hayan.


    Maybe he was relieved that I¡¯d spoken to him not as the Son of Light but as Lee Kiyoung¡­


    He might think that once again, I was saving him.


    I wanted to make a proper judgment based on the Regressor Instruction Manual, but I couldn¡¯t understand what he was thinking because all kinds of emotions and thoughts were pouring out at once.


    He was having trouble breathing, seemingly panicking, but he had calmed down slightly. My appearance seemed to be working, at least.


    He looked like he was thinking about what to say first, how to say it, and whether or not to treat me as usual, but unfortunately, there were a lot of things I had to check too, so I couldn¡¯t concentrate on personal matters.


    ¡®I don¡¯t feel physical pain.¡¯


    I was worried about what to do if it was painful, but there were no other symptoms than difort.


    My voice had cracked, and I couldn¡¯t walk properly, but it didn¡¯t hurt. The worst thing that could have happened would have been to scream in pain as soon as I came down. Still¡­


    ¡®I can¡¯t use my abilities.¡¯


    It was simr to when I¡¯d descended on Hyejin¡¯s body.


    ¡®This body¡¯s physical ability is sh*t. Really.¡¯


    I¡¯d already had that thought, but with this dying body, I couldn¡¯t do anything else.


    Unlike Cho Hyejin¡¯s body, which seemed able to do anything, this vessel was helpless.


    It was truly made to die.


    Andstly¡­


    ¡®Can I hurt myself?¡¯


    Identifying if I could kill myself was my priority. It might be a somewhat shocking scene for Kim Hyunsung, but¡­ that¡¯s why I¡¯de down in the first ce.


    I tried to bite my tongue for a moment, but¡­


    ¡®I can¡¯t.¡¯


    I wasn¡¯t surprised; I¡¯d kind of expected it.


    ¡®Safety device.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t think I had put a safety device on it, considering that I hade down, but it seemed like I¡¯d made a way to resist outside intervention.


    The system didn¡¯t want me to hurt myself. Only the person getting the event could do that, and that was Kim Hyunsung. It was a bit annoying, but there was plenty of room to fix it.


    If I spoke well and persuaded him, he wouldn¡¯t have any other choice. I just had to exin it well. If I reminded him that this wasn¡¯t my real body, that it was necessary, and that I would be back one day, I was sure that he would understand.


    When I nodded slightly, he spoke to me right away.


    ¡°Are¡­ Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ My body feels a little ufortable, but I¡¯m fine. I¡¯ll exin in advance that this vessel is not mine. It¡¯s an event object created on the continent that became a dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ yeah.¡±


    ¡°So there is no need to panic, no need to look at me with those eyes.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°I am neither sick nor in pain. You must keep this in mind. I¡¯ll say it again. I am¡­¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt¡­ you¡¯re not in pain.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s it. It¡¯s a bit messed up outside, but I have nothing to do with this event object. One more thing: nothing this entity has previously described has been a lie. The content of the quest is the disappearance of this event object, and if it does not disappear, there may be a situation where you may have to wage war with the outer god once again. Our goal is to destroy this event object. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Answer me, you bastard.¡¯


    Okay. I¡¯d expected this too.


    ¡°Our purpose is to clear this event. I am here to clear the main event, Sacrificed Saint.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°What did I say?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ cannot sacrifice Kiyoung once again.¡±


    ¡®Stop with the bullsh*t. Gosh.¡¯


    But it was just that meaningful. After all, the life of this Saint of Light was a life made of sacrifice.


    I thought I could see why this event was named ¡°Sacrificed Saint¡± rather than ¡°External War.¡± Even in the smallest details¡­


    ¡®She paid attention.¡¯


    Clearing the event ¡°External War¡± and clearing the event ¡°Sacrificed Saint¡± felt different.


    For Kim Hyunsung, the difference would be even worse.


    Clearing it in itself was a nuance since it required sacrificing a saint. I was certain that he would have an instinctive sense of rejection since he was already traumatized.


    What¡¯s more, if he remembered how the original war ended, there was no way he¡¯d ever be able to do this again.


    Even if I made him understand that it was necessary and there would be no other harm done to me¡­


    ¡®It won¡¯t be easy.¡¯


    However, I¡¯d expected this too.


    I noticed his slightly bitter face, his eyes fluttering after looking at me again.


    There seemed to be a lot of things he wanted to say. He had probably put all his thoughts together, but it felt like he was checking what he would say once again.


    I didn¡¯t have to browbeat him. All I had to do was get the desired result within the given time, and if I encouraged him a little, we would be able toe to an agreement.


    I thought it would be better to lead the conversation first. We couldn¡¯t keep being so awkwardly silent. Now that I thought about it, I¡¯d only talked about formal things and necessities. That hadn¡¯t helped much.


    ¡°How have you been?¡±


    Only then did he look a bit relieved.


    ¡°Ah¡­ I mean¡­¡±


    ¡°No. Actually, you don¡¯t have to tell me. I was watching everything.¡±


    ¡°What? Is¡­ Is that true?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I was watching it all. I felt it too. Like your eyes were my eyes¡­¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°You were running around to find a way to save me¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I also saw you trying to steal the spear that I gave to Hyejin.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ I didn¡¯t mean to steal it¡­¡±


    ¡°Hahaha.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I walked slowly. It was a little difficult to move, but maybe he noticed my intention to walk.


    Because, as expected, Kim Hyunsung moved with me, step by step.


    Since it was a silent, snowy mountain with no monsters or humans, the sound of the snow being stepped on became even more pronounced.


    ¡°I also saw you struggling¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°I saw you struggling a lot. I saw you walking around the guild alone anding down with my body. And¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I was also watching you¡­ trying to make extreme choices.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Why¡­ Why did you stop me?¡±


    ¡°Because the continent needs you.¡±


    I said that, but it wasn¡¯t the best answer.


    ¡°And¡­¡±


    This was.


    ¡°More than anything else, I didn¡¯t want to watch you die.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Like I said back then¡­ I wanted you to live.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I wanted you to forget everything, shine like before, and see you live like that. Even if I wasn¡¯t there, I wanted to see everyone smiling, making memories, doing what you all wanted to do, and living happily. That was my wish. My wish for some specific human happiness is¡­ strictly speaking, not allowed.¡±


    I was almost shedding a tear.


    ¡°I am¡­¡±


    ¡°I knew it was hard.¡±


    ¡°I am a human being who doesn¡¯t deserve to live¡­¡±


    I just had to keep talking, not letting him talk.


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. It is the fault of the demon who brainwashed you. Don¡¯t think of the demon¡¯s sin that made us doubt each other, which broke the bond we had. It was inevitable that I had to die.¡±


    ¡°For the continent?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s hard to exin exactly, but now that I¡¯ve been given a new role, I think I¡¯ll be able to get a glimpse of it. If it weren¡¯t for you, I would have disappearedpletely.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡®What do you mean? That makes sense here.¡¯


    ¡°That is nonsense.¡±


    ¡®It isn¡¯t.¡¯


    ¡°I cannot fully understand what you¡¯re saying, but I can tell you one thing for sure. I am the person who made y-you turn into that. I killed you¡­ with my own hands. How can you say it¡¯s not my fault? How could I forget that?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I still can¡¯t get over it. I¡­ don¡¯t know what I thought when I ruined your throat, legs, and stomach like that¡­ I don¡¯t know what I had in mind when I did that¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the demon¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter! What I was thinking is important. I wasughing. Seeing you crawling on the ground, wanting to live somehow¡­ in pain¡­ how much¡­ Iughed!¡±


    ¡®I understand.¡¯


    Fuck, how good would that have felt? It had been a moment of revenge on the man who hadpletely ruined his life.


    However, there was no need to tell him everything. It was weird to feel guilty about this.


    ¡°It is not something that you thought for yourself.¡±


    I patted his shoulder a bit.


    ¡°They weren¡¯t your own¡­ thoughts.¡±


    ¡°Sniff¡­ sniff¡­ sniff¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡­ wasn¡¯t you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry. Sniff¡­ ugh¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to apologize.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ for putting you in¡­ pain.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to apologize.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry for¡­ killing you¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ that I doubted you¡­ that I couldn¡¯t keep my promise¡­ that I couldn¡¯t give back as much as I received¡­ that I left you alone¡­ for everything¡­ with everything.¡±


    I gave a saintly smile that showed I understood him.


    ¡°Really¡­ sniff¡­ sniff¡­ I¡¯m really sorry.¡±


    I gestured with holiness, forgiving him of his sins.


    ¡°This won¡¯t be enough, but I¡¯m really¡­ sorry¡­¡±


    The saint¡¯s kindness seemed to melt even the snow that covered the mountains.


    The sight was undoubtedly beautiful.

 Chapter 850: The Last (83)

    <h4>Chapter 850: The Last (83)</h4>


    Of course, not all problems would be solved. No matter how much I buttered him up, he would still suffer from feelings of guilt and shame, and even after a long time, he still wouldn¡¯t be able to get rid of his past regrets.


    Perhaps he would go on fighting his sins like that for the rest of his life.


    Even if a demon had psychologically attacked him, the memory would remain even though it wasn¡¯t his intention. However, I thought it might be of somefort to him.


    He had been forgiven twice by Lee Kiyoung, the other one as a god.


    Of course, it was painful, but the light that symbolized tolerance and sacrifice always gave warmth to those who repented.


    When I forced a smile, saying that it was okay, I could see him finally raising his head after having sobbed for a long time.


    ¡°Everything is okay.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Everything.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Now, shall we walk a little more?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    ¡®Whates next is important.¡¯


    First, the purpose ofing here had to be achieved. Whatever the method, it was Kim Hyunsung who should finish Rag Kiyoung.


    He seemed to have forgotten about it for a moment, but I didn¡¯t have to remind him at this point. There was no way he would kill him just because I told him to.


    ¡®I just have to coax him.¡¯


    Rather than constantly pressuring him mentally to finish the work, the most reasonable way to get it done was to soothe him little by little.


    I didn¡¯t know exactly how long it would take for things to happen, but maybe there would be a harbinger when the time came. It was no different than an event that would draw the end of the continent, so Jihye had to have been paying attention from her point of view as well.


    Until then, I felt like I had a bit of extra time.


    There was no specific destination. For now, we walked slowly.


    Kim Hyunsung also seemed to have many questions while following my steps, despite remaining silent. Eventually, though, he spoke up, seemingly unable to keep it in any longer.


    ¡°How is it¡­ over there?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not terribly bad. The feeling of being above is still surreal. There are many things I want to tell you, but¡­ it seems that doing so would vite thews of the continent¡­ I just want you to remember that I am doing well.¡±


    ¡°By any chance, are you being oppressed¡­ or is someone making you ufortable¡­?¡±


    ¡°No. There is no such thing. I¡¯m treated rather well. I¡¯m positioned as the saint who saved the continent, after all.¡±


    ¡°You were used as a sacrifice.¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t go the wrong way.¡¯


    ¡°No. It was my choice. They are neither omnipotent nor perfect. It wasn¡¯t something they could¡¯ve stopped.¡±


    ¡°Of course they would say that. They deceive us like demons do¡­¡±


    ¡°Hyunsung.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t ask you not to resent people like Benignore, Lauren, or Elune. Because I know that it¡¯s impossible for you but please¡­ try to understand them even a little bit, as far as your heart allows. They, too, are pitiful. They¡¯re not the ones bad feelings should be directed at. Of course, I also resent them.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°They gave a burden too great for humans to bear¡­¡±


    ¡°As expected¡­ you also¡­¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s not about me. This is about you.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    He looked moved.


    He wore an expression that said, ¡®How could such a person exist? How could there be such a kind and pure person?¡¯


    ¡°Whatever the reason, they deserve to be condemned for cing such a heavy burden on you. They dragged you into a battle you didn¡¯t want to fight. The pain you suffered and the hostility it inevitably created were as they made it. If it had been me, I wouldn¡¯t have made that choice.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Haha. I¡¯m sorry that I keep talking about serious stuff.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°Can I sit down for a moment?¡±


    ¡°Ah. If you want to take a break¡­¡±


    Actually, there was no suitable ce to do that. We were in the middle of a snowy mountain, after all.


    However, he guided me to a small cave nearby.


    It was a pretty decent ce to rest in for a while. Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t need to, and the same usually went for me, but it was still difficult to walk due to the weak physique of my vessel.


    I didn¡¯t know if I was physically exhausted, but I was definitely mentally tired. It was best to sit down if possible.


    We even lit a small campfire, so it felt like a pretty usible camp had been created. Of course, it was bad in terms of the current Blue¡¯s standards, which had developed in various ways, but there was no better camp than this for beginners to use.


    It was clunky, but it seemed to have everything¡­ and most of all, I liked the cup of hot coffee.


    ¡°Being like this, I remember the time you revealed that you were a regressor.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°The small town of Heren. I¡¯ve heard it¡¯s more advanced now than it was back then¡­ After what happened in the North¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. A lot has changed. It has been transformed into a cultural city and a tourist spot¡­ The State and Lindel also invested in it¡­ you will probably be surprised when you see it.¡±


    ¡°Have you ever been there?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve been in that hut¡­¡±


    ¡°You seem to have been leaving the guild for too long.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t say that to get an apology. However, please pay a little more attention to the guild. They won¡¯t say it, but everyone¡¯s having a tough time. Oh. Especially Ye-ri.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡®I think this bastard has realized it now. He was the one that brought her along.¡¯


    ¡°She pretends to be strong, to feel nothing, but she needs attention more than anyone else. She may feel that the person who used to take care of her is gone. Oh, and the guild finances¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t take a closer look, but the guild¡¯s business and financial status seemed to be in a really bad condition.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry.¡±


    ¡°If it weren¡¯t for manager Kim Mi-young, everything would have copsed immediately. You¡¯vepletely let go of the Blue Guild.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°The guild spends too much money on useless things.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°It was stupid to send requests to the information brokers¡¯ guilds spread across the continent. In a situation where the guild¡¯s finances are in turmoil, the cost of using the auction house¡­ and the cost of building the temple was the biggest problem.¡±


    Thinking about it made me angry again.


    ¡°Speaking of which, what do you think people thought when you built that temple? Neither the Church of Benignore nor the Church of Elune is that fancy.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Just because the temple isrge and fancy does not make it a ce where I can rest. It¡¯s rather ufortable.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡®Of course, it would be nice if it were big and fancy. But they went too far.¡¯


    ¡°Do you know how much debt the guild owes? And why did you buy the bag that¡­?¡±


    No, fuck, I shouldn¡¯t say that since he wouldn¡¯t understand anyway.


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry.¡±


    ¡°I love the continent, but you need to know that I have a great attachment to the Blue Guild. To be honest, it didn¡¯t make me happy. Do you have any financial ns?¡±


    ¡°There are many things I have in mind¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hear them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°First, through dungeon explorations¡­¡±


    ¡°The Blue Guild is not a small or medium-sized n. Don¡¯t you understand that the scale of the dungeon has grown toorge to aim for one quick hit?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You must remember that we¡¯re a guild capable of exerting influence not only on Lindel but also on the whole State¡ªno, the entire continent. Considering the number of guilds and subcontracted guilds and ns, let alone the guild leaders, this is by no means an absurd statement. My death must not affect their daily lives. Some people have a hard time every day.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really¡­ really¡­ really sorry.¡±


    ¡°And above all else¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this a ce I will return to someday?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know when it will be, but it¡¯s the ce I¡¯ming back to.¡±


    ¡°Can youe back?¡±


    He took the bait.


    ¡°Yes. Or¡­ it¡¯s hard to exin, but maybe I can go back. I am working on it.¡±


    ¡°Ha¡­ Hahahahaha.¡±


    I could see himughing as if he couldn¡¯t believe it.


    ¡°If only this could be resolved smoothly.¡±


    However, underneath theughter, there was doubt. He suspected that this might be a lie.


    He suspected that this saint, who always wanted to sacrifice himself, was lying to him in order to make another sacrifice. After that, even while talking about various things, his skepticism didn¡¯t disappear from his eyes.


    He had realized how this event should end.


    ¡®He¡¯s pretty quick.¡¯


    ¡°When I go back, it would be nice to go for a ride or go out together. The continent is so wide, and there are still many ces I haven¡¯t seen properly, so I want to visit them all at least once.¡±


    ¡°Will you be okay?¡±


    There¡¯d definitely be excuses like¡­


    ¡°You know more about the continent, so please.¡±


    ¡°Most of the ces I went to were battlefields¡­ so it won¡¯t help. I¡¯ll check other locations out.¡±


    Or¡­


    ¡°There are a lot of things I haven¡¯t done. In fact, I think the most urgent task is to restore the guild to its original state.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Or perhaps¡­


    ¡°Come to think of it, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever been over the sea.¡±


    ¡°You will probably be surprised.¡±


    We continued to chat about those things. His eyes were fluttering even while we were talking. He seemed to be trying to get my attention as much as possible.


    He kept talking, and he kept bringing up new topics, not like his usual self. Of course, I could see why.


    ¡®It¡¯sing.¡¯


    A harbinger wasing. I nced up at the sky and saw a group of deformed clouds.


    Kim Hyunsung, who bit his lip tightly, spoke with a smile as if nothing was wrong.


    It was, of course, banality. It was something about a new bag or whatever.


    He continued to catch my attention, exaggerating the ridiculous lie that a new series had been found in the dungeon. However, there was no way he didn¡¯t know how meaningless it was.


    As he slowly turned his head to the sky and smiled as if he understood, he probably already realized how useless his lies were now.


    Hence, he spoke again, this time with his eyes trembling.


    He spoke of the truth this time around.


    ¡°I¡­ I had a dream.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    That¡¯s why he avoided my gaze.


    ¡°It was a dream of a new beginning.¡±


    ¡®Look at this bastard testing me.¡¯

 Chapter 851: The Last (84)

    <h4>Chapter 851: The Last (84)</h4>


    However, he should have known the third round wouldn¡¯t happen. Not even over my dead body.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. It was a dream of a new start¡­ of everything going back to the beginning.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You were smiling there, and it wasn¡¯t just you. Deokgu, Hayan, Hyejin, and other guild members all gathered andughed together. Everyone was enjoying their precious daily lives without hard work or suffering. Adventures were fun, but being in each other¡¯spany was even more so.¡±


    ¡®Let me listen first.¡¯


    ¡°Sometimes Ki-mo joked, and Deokgu and Ye-riughed. You still didn¡¯t let go of your work, but you would asionally watch the guild members train from a distance. Like you wanted, you toured the continent on a griffon and lived your hopes and dreams¡­ You did it with everyone.¡±


    His body was trembling.


    He probably judged that I would understand the nonsense he was saying.


    He didn¡¯t say it was the third round, but I knew that was what he was talking about. He was most likely worried about how I, the saint who had sacrificed himself for the continent, would react to his selfish remarks.


    ¡°No one died. There were no victims in the tutorial either. The various wars and great events that urred, the events that made you suffer¡­ didn¡¯t happen¡­ They didn¡¯t happen¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not riddled with memory loss. No, your mind and body weren¡¯t damaged by the various incidents that you went through. It¡¯s not just you. Everyone on the continent¡­ looked like they were living a happy and healthy life. It¡¯s hard to describe everything, but it was the kind of ce where everyone could smile.¡±


    That was utter nonsense.


    I continued to look at him with a sad expression. He visibly became frightened, seemingly startled. He probably regretted talking about it, thinking that he shouldn¡¯t have brought it up, but his behavior, biting his lip hard, didn¡¯t change.


    ¡°The things that hurt you¡­ didn¡¯t exist there¡­¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t undo what has already happened.¡±


    ¡°No, I can turn it back. There is a way to rewind time. You know that too, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°I just have to start over. Just like I saw in my dream.¡±


    ¡°Did you think I would agree with your delusion?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a delusion.¡±


    ¡°Even if it isn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I am telling you that it is actually possible.¡±


    ¡®Yeah, fuck, it might actually be possible. But what can you do?¡¯


    ¡°Something that didn¡¯t happen will not happen. If you start over again, can you be sure that I and the other guild members you know will remain the same?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, there are memories I want to forget. There are experiences I don¡¯t want to think about, and I met people who made me suffer. But that¡¯s why I am who I am today. Because we went through all of that, Hayan, Deokgu, Hyejin, and our people exist today. Because we went through all these things together, our bond deepened this much.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Everyone wants to forget the hard times, but I don¡¯t want to let go because I know that they made us who we are today.¡±


    ¡°Maybe there is a way to return with our memories. We don¡¯t know if there can be only one regressor¡­¡±


    ¡°What I¡¯m talking about isn¡¯t just our rtionships with people. The same goes for ces that have be memories. The new State will not be the one we know right now. Laios and Mirror Lake will never be the same again. Castle Rock¡¯s walls will be returned to before they were repaired, and the Federation will suffer the same fate. We¡¯ll go back to a ce where the recovery n hasn¡¯t been executed yet. The same would be true of the small town of Heren. There won¡¯t be anything there that you described before.¡±


    ¡°But!¡±


    ¡°I want to build memories here. I want to live in a ce where many things have already happened, where the Blue Guild members and my people live together.¡±


    I stared at him with very little hostility. Just this much.


    ¡®Are you worth only this much?¡¯


    It was dramatic.


    ¡®Are you willing to step so low?¡¯


    My expression went well with the situation.


    I didn¡¯t list the sacrifices we¡¯d had to make to get to the third round.


    I didn¡¯t tell him about those who had sacrificed themselves to make the current continent.


    I didn¡¯t mention that the current continent would be abandoned, that many people looking at the light would be abandoned, and that this ce would have to be pushed to a level that could not be restored for us to get to the third timeline.


    However, I was sure that he already knew. My eyes said it all.


    Actually, the biggest reason was that the third round would be bothersome, but it would be better to put aside his useless delusions anyway.


    Unsurprisingly, he reacted to the hostile light. It was brief, but all kinds of negative emotions seemed to overflow from him.


    Anxiety seemed to be rising inside him. He¡¯d run out of breath with a single stare from me, which was unusual. It looked like he was about to have a seizure, but he mustered the courage to speak up.


    ¡°But¡­ But you may not be there. You said you want to build memories, but there might be no ce for you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ming back¡­¡±


    ¡°That might just be another lie!¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    ¡°You could be lying again, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You might just be attempting to reassure me by saying that everything is fine this time when you won¡¯t really be able to return. If you coulde back, you would¡¯ve already done it.¡±


    ¡°I wille back.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me.¡±


    ¡°I cane back.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie¡­ damn¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s something I want too.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ such a lie.¡±


    This bastard didn¡¯t fucking believe me.


    How did this skeptical bastard get stabbed in the back so much?


    It felt like he was acting like a kid. It was bing embarrassing because it seemed like we had reached a level where we couldn¡¯tmunicate.


    I was saying I was going back. Why did he keep saying it was a lie?


    ¡®Why are you staring at me? You look like you¡¯re going to hit me.¡¯


    He seemed about to cry as well. The more the sky changed, the more his nervousness became evident.


    ¡®How much time is left¡­ do I have time to be like this right now?¡¯


    I felt a little worried, but¡­


    ¡®What can you do?¡¯


    It was ironic, but I didn¡¯t think that he would continue to stand up for himself when he noticed my change in behavior.


    When I stopped talking and looked at him silently, he flinched a little.


    The longer I stared at him without saying anything, the more he talked. Unable to look into my eyes directly, he lowered his head gradually, his strong tone bing weaker and weaker. In the end, he became quiet.


    ¡®That¡¯s right. How dare you raise your voice after seeing me like this? You¡¯re the one who put me in this state, and you still have the audacity to shout at me? Have you seen what you did to my stomach?¡¯


    ¡°Please, believe me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s not a lie this time.¡¯


    ¡°You have to believe me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°If not you, who will? I know that it is difficult to understand right now and that you are anxious. And you might resent me. But that¡¯s not a lie. I love the Blue Guild more than I love the continent. I am also envisioning the day when we will be together again.¡±


    ¡®You can¡¯t say anything, can you?¡¯


    He probably had a lot to say.


    To be honest, there was nothing he could do, even if he screamed or shouted out loud. Regardless, he seemed to already believe in me.


    No, he probably thought he should. If Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t, who would?


    Even though he had reduced my body to rags, I still put my faith in him.


    ¡®I believed you even though you turned me into a total wreck.¡¯


    Our friendship hadn¡¯t broken despite me being torn apart by his sword.


    I¡¯d trusted that it wasn¡¯t Hyunsung¡¯s will, that he couldn¡¯t do that¡­


    I¡¯d supported him with no doubts until the moment I closed my eyes.


    ¡®You have to pay off your debt.¡¯


    The light never forgets debt. I didn¡¯t put pressure on him with words, however.


    ¡®I trusted you, so you have to believe in me too.¡¯


    It was a card I was trying to use anyway. I thought it was released at just the right time.


    ¡°Trust me.¡±


    I slowly raised my sword.


    Looking at the sky, which had already begun to change, I pointed to it as if the time hade.


    Of course, I couldn¡¯t do any harm to my body. That was why I had no choice but to look at Kim Hyunsung again.


    Hesitantly, he started closing in on me, looking at the brightly changing sky once and then at me again. Of course, he was already shedding thick tears. He seemed like he wasn¡¯t certain if he could do this.


    ¡®You can do it. I¡¯ll do it with you.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t want to make him carry the burden alone.


    He and I held the sword. The way I grabbed it was a little funny, but I felt his hand trembling as he cried, leaving me no choice but to hold onto it even tighter.


    ¡°I wille back.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ sniff¡­ yeah.¡±


    ¡°I will definitelye back.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ Yes, Kiyoung. I believe you.¡±


    ¡°I will believe you too.¡±


    His face was distorted. I didn¡¯t know why, but he closed his eyes tightly, then carefully opened them again as if he thought he had to witness it.


    His pupils shook, but when I nodded and smiled, he forced a ridiculous smile.


    He was smiling while shedding tears. I almost burst for a moment, but I held my emotions in and talked to him again.


    ¡°Are you ready?¡±


    ¡°I am.¡±


    It didn¡¯t really seem like he was, but Kim Hyunsung had made up his mind. I could feel it because of the Regressor Instruction Manual.


    ¡®We¡¯ll go on three.¡¯


    After I conveyed my intention, he nodded slowly.


    One.


    Two.


    Three.


    ¡®Ah¡­¡¯


    And¡­


    I thought my head was going to fall off.


    However, the sword fell to the floor.


    As I looked straight ahead with a puzzled face, I noticed Kim Hyunsung grabbing one of his eyes.


    ¡®It¡¯s ruined.¡¯


    A face contorted like a demon.


    An expression that seemed to have lost reason in anger.


    ¡®Gosh, Song Sookyung, you bastard. You can¡¯t even get the timing right. Really.¡¯


    And with this, the silent viin began to act.

 Chapter 852: The Last (85)

    <h4>Chapter 852: The Last (85)</h4>


    ¡®I¡¯m d he¡¯s not stupid.¡¯


    He had stolen the body while all the main troops were gone. Okay¡­ I could praise him for that.


    ¡®How did he break through Hayan¡¯s magic?¡¯


    It couldn¡¯t have been that easy.


    Someone must have given him some information. It would have been impossible to tell him how to dispell the magic, but he had nned the route in advance and even made an announcement about it.


    Still, I was perplexed that he¡¯d done this. Even though Jung Hayan was working in Laios, avoiding her eyes wouldn¡¯t have been easy. He might have had help from Belial. No, even so¡­


    Right. The Song Viin had plenty of room, but I hadn¡¯t thought he would make his dreame true so openly as this.


    He¡¯d seeded in surprising me with an ability that didn¡¯t suit him in the first ce.


    ¡®But why now?¡¯


    Even I felt scared. To be honest, I was more afraid than before I got stabbed in the stomach.


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s face had be distorted. Tears continued to flow from him with so much intensity.


    He was acting strangely, touching one of his eyes.


    ¡®He¡¯s feeling it.¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t see it, but I knew that he could feel it.


    I had no choice but to look directly at Song Sookyung through the telescope.


    I hadn¡¯t seen him in a long time, and he seemed dark. He looked like he had lost more weight than before and had gained a bloody aura.


    I didn¡¯t know if it was because he had already been affected by the demon several times, but he didn¡¯t look normal.


    His eyes appeared to be spinning, and his face was visibly glowing.


    I felt like he was out of breath because of excitement. I didn¡¯t know if it was because of the joy that he could soon get closer to his god, but he was humming.


    As he did so, he moved his hands.


    Every time the red dripped from his hand onto the altar, I could see his body trembling.


    Meanwhile, Kim Hyunsung continued to scream.


    ¡°Don¡¯t! Don¡¯t!¡±


    It wasn¡¯t because it hurt. In the first ce, perceptions weren¡¯t transmitted, and even if they were, there was no way Kim Hyunsung would scream for that reason.


    He never even batted an eye at any wounds, so why would he whine about this?


    ¡°Damn¡­ damn! Ahhh¡­ ahh!¡±


    The sight of him crying was surprising. It had to have felt as if the Regressor Instruction Manual had been cut off from his perspective.


    He might feel like the external hard drive that had been plugged into hisptop was being pulled out. I didn¡¯t know if he was actually feeling that it was being cut off, but his reaction wasn¡¯t normal.


    ¡®Gosh, that¡¯s troublesome.¡¯


    ¡°Hyunsung¡­¡±


    I called his name desperately, but he didn¡¯t seem to respond. All his nerves were already focused on that.


    The guy standing on the altar continued to hum a melody and paint in red.


    The scene looked like a religious ceremony. It was a bitplicated to exin, though.


    The solemn gestures and the atmosphere made his humming sound like gospel.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    Finally, he lifted the golden sphere.


    He looked it over, smiling as if he had found a precious treasure.


    I¡¯d thought he hated the human named Lee Kiyoung, but his face seemed honest.


    ¡®He looks like a real madman.¡¯


    He hadn¡¯t been that crazy in the beginning, but he had be a really crazy guy since. I guessed this was all my karma.


    -Now it¡¯s done¡­


    I saw him muttering.


    -This is the condition to resurrect him. I will be the Son of Light himself. I¡¯m stealing his brilliance.


    Even the way he talked to himself seemed very dangerous.


    -I¡­ now I¡­ I can stand next to him. Ha¡­ haha¡­ hahahaha!


    He continued tough even as he brought his hand towards his eyes. The sound of hisughter continued to resonate in the quiet space.


    And¡­


    His body was engulfed in light.


    The golden radiance continued to twinkle in one of his eyes.


    ¡°Ugh¡­ ugh¡­ Aaaaahh¡­ ugh¡­¡±


    ¡®Be quiet. Damn it.¡¯


    -Haha¡­ Hahahahahaha! Hahahahahahahahaha!


    ¡®Ah, these bastards. So noisy from both sides.¡¯


    -This was the difference between you and me, Son of Light. Haha¡­ Hahahaha¡­ This is the power that allowed him to stand next to him!


    Could I consider that as an item?


    There was room for that interpretation based on his reaction.


    ¡®I expected that much, though.¡¯


    Maybe it gained a higher rating than I¡¯d thought.


    Actually, it was obvious.


    I didn¡¯t know exactly what system this worked on but considering that it was able to catalyze the tears of blood that flowed from the statue of Benignore, I judged that this was also the case with my body.


    Now that I thought of it, it was just that the State, the Holy See, and the Blue Guild hadn¡¯t used my corpse properly.


    It was an item or catalyst that could be ssified as at least mythic-grade. The entirety of it was a treasure the value of which no other items could match.


    It was a relic with more than enough worth to have a tremendous influence on the continent.


    A dragon¡¯s corpse was already so lucrative here. Mine had a god inside it.


    I could guarantee that it would have so much power that if the State were a little weaker, if Kim Hyunsung and Jung Hayan weren¡¯t in the Blue, if the continental people had a slightly lower civic consciousness, and if many people knew about its existence, the continent would be engulfed in war.


    ¡®The most valuable part must be my eyes¡­¡¯


    Those golden orbs were set as the symbol of the Son of Light.


    A mythic-grade item. Eyes of the Son of Light.


    The function was probably¡­


    ¡®The Mind¡¯s Eyes.¡¯


    ¡®Lee Kiyoung¡¯s telescope.¡¯


    ¡®Regressor Instruction Manual.¡¯


    In addition, there had to be a divine power effect or some sort of side function embedded in it.


    It could be called one of the legacies left by the gods, which were hidden things that remained on the continent in the form of dungeons, quests, events, or hidden pieces. There were items that could be used to imitate or borrow the power of gods using their legacy as a medium.


    My eyes would be no different from those.


    Yes, it was a downgrade of the original, but even so, it had a high practical value.


    He wouldn¡¯t be able to see everything with the Mind¡¯s Eyes, but he¡¯d be able to look at basic stats and dispositions. He wouldn¡¯t be able to use the telescope at will, but he might be able to see as far as his mental powers allowed.


    It would be difficult to connect with Kim Hyunsung exactly like me. Still, he might get some information about him. It was unlikely, but it could have some impact.


    However, more than anything else, he would be delighted that he got the qualifications. He could definitely feel the divinity in the golden eyes, after all.


    And¡­


    ¡®I left my heart there too.¡¯


    I saw him raising his dagger once more. With far more joy on his face than before, he looked like he thought he could be even more perfect.


    He moved carefully but relentlessly. In a way, he seemed to be rushing, but he was probably putting his best effort into it. He quietly chanted a spell. The magic circles on the altar continued to shine, illuminating his face.


    Kim Hyunsung probably felt that. No, could he see him? Wait, could he really?


    ¡°Hyunsung?¡±


    ¡°Sh*t¡­ Damn¡­ I will kill him.¡±


    ¡®No. You can¡¯t do that.¡¯


    ¡°I¡­ I will kill them all.¡±


    ¡®You really shouldn¡¯t.¡¯


    ¡°Sniff¡­ sniff¡­¡±


    ¡®You haven¡¯t gone mad, have you?¡¯


    He seemed unstable enough to make me worry that he would or had gone crazy.


    His mental state had always been a little wobbly, but now it was even more so.


    He was like a balloon about to explode. Even whileughing, he cried, making it hard to read his expression. It was terrifying to watch him say such weird things. He looked like he had gone mad, making me worried that I was pushing him too hard.


    ¡®I have to do something.¡¯


    It was momentary, but my brain didn¡¯t work.


    I had been through a lot of perplexing moments so far, but I had never been as perplexed as I was now. I wasn¡¯t sure what kind of reaction I should show. I couldn¡¯t say that I could sacrifice myself again. I had already done too many build-ups asking him to believe me.


    In fact, there was no choice. It had been wrong to defend Song Sookyung in the first ce.


    However, I didn¡¯t think provoking Kim Hyunsung would help. The only option was to keep the line intact.


    From the victim¡¯s perspective, there was no other way than to tell him it was okay.


    It wasn¡¯t an intentional sacrifice, so it was right to steady my current position, saying that forgiveness had to be given.


    First, I covered my eyes too.


    I then frowned with a surprised expression, almost as if I were in pain.


    Oh, I needed to avoid making a face that looked like I was in too much pain. It would be hard to stop Hyunsung if he got too enraged.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®But why don¡¯t you react?¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®I¡¯m in pain. Why don¡¯t you care?¡¯


    I thought he woulde running to see my condition immediately, but there weren¡¯t any signs of that.


    His expression became more distorted than before.


    His arms were trembling as tears dripped down from one of his eyes.


    It looked like he was about to explode in anger. Then something started to protrude from Kim Hyunsung¡¯s body.


    He continued to try to suppress it, but he was unable to properly control his emotions.


    He wasn¡¯t looking at me. He was looking at the floor like me when I was looking elsewhere.


    He was looking at me as if he were looking up at me on the altar.


    It was then that a ck form protruded from Song Sookyung¡¯s chest and swallowed the heart of the Son of Light.


    He probably thought there¡¯d be more he could take.


    ¡®He is indeed frugal.¡¯


    The appearance of the Son of Light became more and more horrifying.


    His face was stained, and his white clothes were dyed red.


    Unimaginable shapes were rolling all over him, and holiness no longer remained in any part of him. Tears of blood naturally flowed down where the gold eyes were located.


    However, that smile remained the same. Only the smile of the saint, who had diedfortably, seemed impossible to defile.


    -Ha¡­ haha¡­


    The demon scoured through my corpse.


    He dropped the puppet on the altar as if he were no longer interested.


    At that moment, the smile of the fallen saint disappeared with a rustling sound.


    The face clinging to the floor could no longer be seen properly. At the moment when its red-covered face was crushed powerlessly¡­


    ¡°Aaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh¡­ Aaaaaaahh! Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!¡±


    Kim Hyunsung grabbed his head and began to scream.

 Chapter 853: The Last (86)

    <h4>Chapter 853: The Last (86)</h4>


    ¡°Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh¡­ Aaaaahhhhhh! Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!¡±


    ¡®Are¡­ you okay?¡¯


    ¡°Sniff¡­ pant¡­ aaaaaahhhh¡­ aaahh¡­¡±


    ¡®Our Hyunsung will cheer up, right? You can still stand up, right?¡¯


    ¡°Sniff¡­ sniff¡­ ugh¡­ pant¡­ aaahh¡­ ahhh!¡±


    ¡®You can ovee this. I believe in you.¡¯


    ¡°Aahh¡­ Ah¡­ Aaaahhhh¡­ Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­¡±


    ¡®Hold¡­ hold on¡­¡¯


    ¡°Ha¡­ haha¡­ aaahh¡­ sniff¡­ hahahaha¡­¡±


    ¡®What should I do? I¡­ think he¡¯s really gone nuts.¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung looked so broken that it made me stomp my feet.


    I simply couldn¡¯t tell what was going on. He was shaking his head profusely, making me fear approaching him.


    He seemed to be having seizures. I could understand that this had been a shocking scene for him, but I never thought that he would be ruined to this extent.


    That body of mine was a hollow shell anyway. If I had been alive and suffered that, his reaction would have been understandable, but only the shell got slightly damaged.


    There would be no problem since it could just be reassembled like a toy. As soon as Sora and Hayan touched it, it would revert to its former glory right away. I might not even need to do that in the first ce. The moment I got resurrected, it would go back to its original state.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ sniff¡­ Ahhh¡­¡±


    It wasn¡¯t big enough for him to be vomiting and crying like that.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ Aaaahhhh¡­¡±


    ¡®I think he¡¯s really going crazy. What should I do?¡¯


    I should have hired a psychiatrist in advance. I should have set up a dedicated team to monitor his mental health properly.


    ¡®This all seems dangerous.¡¯


    This situation would put everyone at risk.


    Our lovely regressor was already suffering from several, if not dozens, of inexplicable psychoses in the first ce. In fact, he¡¯d seen that happen in the first timeline as well, so it would be strange if he had maintained a healthy mind.


    I couldn¡¯t figure out how to define his mental illness academically, but I judged that he was in a very dangerous state, like walking on a tightrope.


    It just didn¡¯t look like it from the outside since there were no visible symptoms.


    Looking at Kim Hyunsung now, I thought it was finally being expressed.


    He was constantly grabbing his chest, seemingly unable to breathe properly.


    So many tears were pouring down from his eyes; I had never seen such a sight. It wouldn¡¯t be wrong to say that he was suffering what that shell of light had suffered.


    In short, Kim Hyunsung was falling.


    What had been holding him up was now most likely copsing.


    ¡®He¡¯s really going crazy. What should I do? What should I do?¡¯


    I was afraid he¡¯d turn into an idiot or get something like aphasia. He was showing how the human mind copsed once it was broken.


    ¡®I have to stop him from falling apart.¡¯


    I had to quickly pick up the Regressor Instruction Manual and put it back up.


    ¡®Maybe he¡¯s doing this because he thinks I won¡¯t be able toe back.¡¯


    I had to tell him that even if that body were ruined, it wouldn¡¯t have a huge impact on my return.


    Now he was on his knees, still grabbing his head.


    I went down to the floor with him, putting my hand on his shoulder.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ aaahhhh¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Everything¡­ everything will be fine.¡±


    ¡®What is Hayan doing?¡¯


    I was concerned about the other side too. Quickly looking around with the telescope, it seemed like she was still busy. That allowed me to focus on solving the problem in front of me.


    I calmed down and kept talking.


    ¡°I¡¯m here. It¡¯s okay.¡±


    ¡®One, two.¡¯


    Since his breathing felt irregr, as if he were about to explode, I instructed him how to control it. I didn¡¯t know if it would work, but he seemed to follow my instructions.


    I patted him on his shoulder, held his hand tight, and quietly reassured him that everything was okay and everything would be fine. Even without words, some things could be conveyed through actions.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t stop talking either.


    ¡°Hyunsung. Look at me. Look at me. I¡¯m here.¡±


    ¡°Aahh¡­ sniff¡­ aaahhhh¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here. Everything will be fine. Calm down. I¡¯m here, don¡¯t worry. Everything will be fine.¡±


    ¡°Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s okay.¡±


    A frantic hand touched my shoulder.


    His breathing seemed to be noticeably stabilizing. Tears continued to flow from his eyes, but at least he was no longer having a seizure like before.


    He wasn¡¯t screaming anymore, and I could see his reasoning back. However, I didn¡¯t know if it had returned to the point where he couldmunicate normally.


    I could see his pupils slowly returning. I didn¡¯t know exactly how, but now, he seemed to have realized what kind of situation he was in.


    There was a sense of urgency in the eyes looking at me. He¡¯d learned what he really needed to protect and who was on his side.


    ¡°Ha¡­ Hahahaha¡­¡±


    ¡°Have youe back to your senses now?¡±


    ¡°Hahahahaha¡­ haha¡­¡±


    ¡°Hyunsung?¡±


    ¡°Hahahahahahaha!!¡±


    ¡®Ah¡­ Fuck.¡¯


    ¡°Hyunsung¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Hyunsung?¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡®Ah¡­¡¯


    ¡°Yeah¡­ Yes. It seems that my head is a little refreshed. Thank you, Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°I can exin everything, Hyunsung. But for now¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes¡­ I thought you¡¯d say something like that. I knew¡­ you were going to say something like that.¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s not that. I don¡¯t think I can really exin it.¡®


    ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly what happened¡­ but we should try to be as rational as possible¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, be rational¡­ and that it¡¯s not a big deal¡­ I thought you¡¯d say that. I knew you would say that.¡±


    Blood oozed from where he had bit his lip since he was chewing on it.


    There was an indescribable rage in his eyes. Blood continued to drip from his mouth.


    Kim Hyunsungughed. As if he had given up everything, he smiled.


    ¡®Are you serious?¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung had already given up.


    ¡®Are you really serious?¡¯


    I could see what he was thinking.


    ¡°Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know¡­ I don¡¯t know what I¡¯ve been fighting for.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°For what¡­ why did you carry such a burden?¡±


    Reality had indeed hit him hard.


    ¡°I think you should calm down a little first, Hyunsung. Right now, you¡¯re¡­¡±


    ¡°The world¡¯s giving you a hard time, the ones around me too¡­ And yet we have to protect them¡­¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a human. He¡¯s bound to make mistakes. He¡¯s probably¡­ to the demon¡­¡±


    ¡°You had to die¡­ for those worthless motherfuckers¡­¡±


    ¡°So¡­¡±


    ¡°It was only because of them that you had to suffer.¡±


    What was up with him?


    ¡°You keep saying that everything is fine¡­ that everything will be fine¡­ through your sacrifice¡­ that¡¯s always been your stance. You¡¯ll be okay, right? Yes. If it¡¯s you, you¡¯ll say you¡¯ll always be fine. You always pretend that nothing is wrong, after all, that you can understand¡­ you can take it all¡­¡±


    ¡°Hyunsung, as I said, let¡¯s look at the situation a little more objectively. This¡­¡±


    ¡°How can you still talk like that even after knowing what happened to your body?! How?!¡±


    ¡®Hey. Are you yelling right now? Did you just yell at me?¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m not okay.¡±


    Now I could feel the fear emanating from me.


    ¡°I¡¯m not okay.¡±


    With this, he quietly got up.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay not to go back. I don¡¯t care what happens after that.¡±


    ¡®What¡¯s wrong with you, Continent¡¯s Hero, Sunset Swordsman?¡¯


    ¡°I will not kill you.¡±


    The sky kept changing. A strange aura continued to unfold as if a bad omen were approaching.


    It was like a reenactment of that time. It wasn¡¯t really the outer gods, but it felt like the dungeon was penalizing an event failure.


    That foreign light was the system that governed the dungeon.


    ¡®I must die now.¡¯


    ¡°There is no time, Hyunsung. I¡­ I will continue to speak to you from the heavens. For now, quickly¡­¡±


    It would be strange to ask him to cut my throat. However, it had to be now, or they¡¯d reallye.


    ¡®The continent will be destroyed, you bastard.¡¯


    But he moved on as if it didn¡¯t matter. He even left me alone.


    I pushed my stomach a little further forward, but he didn¡¯t seem to see it. It looked like he was trying hard to focus.


    His determination not to be swayed any longer wasmendable, but the timing wasn¡¯t right.


    I hurriedly grabbed at his clothes, thinking that I should do something, but he quietly looked down at me and didn¡¯t say anything.


    No. A moment¡¯s gaze was enough.


    ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ Don¡¯t go.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Kim Hyunsung walked, and naturally, I lost sight of him and fell t on my face.


    ¡°Aaahh.¡±


    In pain, I tried to look up, but all I saw was Kim Hyunsung spreading his wings.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I slowly rose upwards.


    I got up and ran hurriedly. I stumbled on purpose and fell, but he still seemed out of his mind.


    ¡°Hyunsung!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Come back!¡±


    ¡® If you want to go, kill me first, you son of a bitch.¡¯


    ¡°Kim Hyunsung!¡±


    ¡®You have to cut my throat before going. Fuck.¡¯


    ¡°You bastard!¡±


    ¡®Are you ignoring me?¡¯


    ¡°Don¡¯t go, you bastard!¡±


    ¡®Mean bastard.¡¯


    ¡°Hey, you fucking bastard! Son of a bitch! You stupid bastard! You moron! You dickhead! Hey! Hey! If you want to go, cut my throat first, damn it!¡±


    ¡®Kim Hyunsung, you son of a bitch.¡¯


    ¡°You¡¯ll regret this,¡± I muttered quietly on the snowy mountain. I was alone.


    ¡°You will definitely regret this.¡±

 Chapter 854: The Last (87)

    <h4>Chapter 854: The Last (87)</h4>


    ¡®Does that mean that bastard just left me?¡¯


    I bit my lower lip as I walked.


    ¡®That cold idiot¡­¡¯


    I kicked the snow, but it popped out in a way that was too petty to be venting my anger.


    ¡°Is he going to do it all by himself?¡±


    I was very proud of him. Honestly, I was. Bing close to Kim Hyunsung, hearing him confess that he was a regressor, building a bond with him, and carrying his burdens were good and all, but he relied on me too much even after so many things had happened, which was annoying.


    No, thinking about it, it wasn¡¯t annoying. It was really just shameful.


    Of course, I understood that he took a slightly passive stand because the results of his choices hadn¡¯t always been good, but there were times when it felt a little too much.


    ¡°Right. Fuck. I¡¯m too proud of you. No one could be prouder than I am.¡±


    He had grown. To put it bluntly, to some extent, I might have wished that Kim Hyunsung would act independently, but¡­


    ¡®Not this.¡¯


    I wanted him to move independently only within the allowed range. He shouldn¡¯t have left me.


    It might be a little difficult for him, but I couldn¡¯t guide him step by step.


    Leaving without looking back despite my injury was a crime in the Lee Kiyoung Autonomous Republic. It was an act that deserved life imprisonment or the death penalty.


    Even that ipetent Thronus hadn¡¯t left me behind in such a crazy situation.


    ¡®He¡¯s still out of his mind.¡¯


    He hadn¡¯t figured out what was more important yet.


    Hyunsung knew the mess he would create if he didn¡¯t listen to me, but he insisted on it anyway, so there wasn¡¯t much I could do.


    I had to make him regret his decision one more time. That was better than abandoning him. It was definitely better than throwing him away.


    As I slowly looked up at the sky, I felt as if something exploded.


    No, in fact, when Kim Hyunsung left, I became certain that something would go wrong with this ce.


    Perhaps Cha He-era or the State also thought that they should bring the troops to the North.


    I didn¡¯t know if this could still be fixed, but each armed group that had sensed this change would probably decide that something needed to be done.


    Multiple events had already happened, and there was no turning back at this point.


    What I had to do now was determine how to recover from here.


    In all honesty, I didn¡¯t know if there was anything to think about. The answer was simple because there were limited areas in which I could take action right now.


    Would it be better to throw away this body and go up again? Or would it be better to stay here?


    It was a little bothersome that my divinity was being consumed in real-time, but it was within the range I could handle.


    My priority was to directly watch Kim Hyunsung through the telescope.


    He was flying in a hurry, so it wasn¡¯t easy to follow him with my eyes. As expected, he was heading to Song Sookyung.


    He seemed to be crying, expressing his regrets, but those were nothing more or less than crocodile tears.


    ¡®What are you crying about? Fuck.¡¯


    -¡­


    ¡®There he goes with the crocodile tears.¡¯


    -I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry¡­


    ¡®Apologizing isn¡¯t enough to end this.¡¯


    -I¡¯m really sorry¡­


    ¡®You shouldn¡¯t have done something you¡¯ll be sorry for.¡¯


    I could probably turn my gaze away from him, considering nothing special was likely to happen.


    ¡®And Song Sookyung¡­¡¯


    -Song Sookyung, thank you for your hard work.


    -I didn¡¯t do anything. It was all thanks to your support.


    -Did you get what you wanted?


    ¡®He¡¯s too busy messing around.¡¯


    I could see him slowly opening his eyes as he spoke. It was impossible to understand why he¡¯d appeared with one eye closed, but he probably wanted to get in the mood.


    -Yes, I did.


    He disyed his brilliant golden eye. The faces that had been silently watching him were shining brightly.


    Of course, everyone was in awe.


    Song Sookyung¡¯s body trembled as if he found it satisfying to look at their reactions.


    However, that onlysted for a moment. Soon enough, he looked like he couldn¡¯t think about anything.


    What they thought of him had probably already been deemed unimportant to his main concern.


    His hands were stained red, but he didn¡¯t seem to think he was doing anything wrong.


    He had an attitude that said he got what he deserved and received what should have been his from the beginning.


    From his perspective, it would be unreasonable to say that a new world had opened up. He probably thought everything else was worthless.


    Right. For him, nothing made any sense anymore. To stand on top of power, be respected by people, and be the idol everyone desired would feel worthless, considering his goal.


    He wasn¡¯t someone who pursued such values in the first ce. Still, the energy that spread within his body felt as if he were saying those things were worthless.


    He had ascended the ranks of gods, and he had realized that he was different from ordinary humans. He must be thinking that he was different, or that he had a ss that suited him, or even that he had transcended humanity.


    That was an interesting reaction in many ways because he hadn¡¯te up in a normal way.


    -How is it?


    -The Federation seems to be in order, but there are abnormal signs in the North. Judging from what has happened so far, we believe that it is probably the reappearance of the day of extinction.


    -The reappearance of the day of extinction¡­ I see. How about Laios?


    -Jung Hayan is currently helping them. It seems that the State is being organized under Oscar¡¯s leadership, which makes it difficult to send support to the frontlines right now. And¡­


    -We¡¯ll have to finish that quickly too. We¡¯ll head north as soon as everything¡¯s cleared up. I think it would be good to head to the front first. They¡¯ll need help even where the main events didn¡¯t manifest.


    -Yes. We¡¯ll¡­


    -I will go there myself. We need to provide great strength to the soldiers.


    -Will that be okay?


    -Of course.


    -And Song Sookyung. I¡¯m sorry, but I have to tell you something¡­


    -Yes. Say it.


    -May I ask¡­ how best to deal with it? I think¡­


    -First¡­


    -Yeah.


    -It would be better to leave it alone for now. We¡¯ll deal with it after everything¡¯spletely finished¡­


    -I see. I will prepare the griffon, then.


    -No. I will go there on my own.


    The way he slowly spread the two pairs of wings looked funny and unappealing.


    -Huh¡­


    -Whooooooaa¡­


    -Whooa¡­ indeed¡­


    -Song Sookyung. He¡¯s really¡­ a god¡­


    -It will be a great help to the soldiers.


    ¡®You moron. You look too excited. So excited that you even spread your wings, not knowing you¡¯re going to die soon¡­¡¯


    Actually, I could understand his feelings.


    Apart from the joy that the operation was sessful, he would be really happy. In particr, perhaps, he would be delighted about the event that would begin in the northern part.


    ¡®Even if I were you, I would have thought so.¡¯


    He would gain the chance to erase the narrative of the Sunset Swordsman and the Son of Light.


    Being able to change the existing history once more wasn¡¯t exclusive to those solving current events.


    His position was no different from that of Hee-ra. Due to his regrets, he had to have been cultivating an idiotic fantasy in his head wherein what couldn¡¯t happen again actually did.


    Standing next to the Sunset Swordsman, just imagining that he would ovee the crisis in front of the continent¡¯s people, would give him chills.


    He wanted to take my ce, after all. Doing that was the best option for him.


    He wanted to fill in the ce I¡¯d vacated.


    What was a little surprising was that he didn¡¯t feel the current Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡®Is there a distance limit penalty in the Regressor Instruction Manual?¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t perfect. With this thought in mind, I sat down and patted my thigh.


    I hadn¡¯t decided what to do or which route to take, but I¡¯d decided what was useful.


    However, for now, I had no choice but to talk to him right away.


    This was because if he got killed instantly, my investment would be useless. As much as I had decided to raise him as a viin, I had to y an active part in this situation.


    ¡°How is it?¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°The new power.¡±


    -Do I have to answer?


    ¡°Congrattions. You are no different from someone qualified. You did great.¡±


    -It¡¯s not just about qualifications. I already¡­


    ¡°No. The foundation has beenid, but you¡¯re not yet fully empowered. Do you feel it?¡±


    -What do you mean?


    ¡°I¡¯m asking if you feel it right now. I¡¯m asking if you can feel¡­ the god of sunset in you.¡±


    -What do you mean¡­?


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -Of course I can.


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    It would be blurry. I didn¡¯t know how to exin, but it should feel something like a mist.


    However, it seemed to be getting clearer. He would feel that the sensation was bing more and more distinct.


    As time passed, the closer the distance, the better he would be able to read him.


    He probably knew what the person he was connected with right now was thinking and why he wasing to him so quickly.


    -¡­


    He would notice that iprehensible hostility that couldn¡¯t be described in words.


    Malice and anger.


    -Why¡­?


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -Why? Why? Why? Why?!


    ¡°It must be because you are not perfect.¡±


    -Why?! Oh, Messiah! Why did you turn that sword against me? Sniff¡­ sniff¡­ aaaahh! Why?! Why am I not enough?


    ¡®This bastard sure looks crazy.¡¯


    Tears flowed down like a waterfall. A huge wave of emotions seemingly surrounded him.


    ¡°You, mortal, are not yet perfect. You couldn¡¯t digest that power properly, and you couldn¡¯t handle it properly. As proof of that, you are only able to spread out two pairs of wings.¡±


    -Aaahh¡­ Aaaahhhh! He wants to kill me. He wants to destroy this world. What should I do? I¡­ What should I do?


    ¡®He really looks insane.¡¯


    -Now that I am finally able to stand next to him, why is he mad at me?


    ¡®You don¡¯t know?¡¯


    -What the hell am I¡­cking¡­? Sniff¡­ sniff¡­


    It looked like he had been eaten by madness. He had gone nuts before, but looking closer, he was even worse now. I didn¡¯t know how much the demon inside had gnawed at him, but his soul was probably in the shape of a rotten apple.


    His pupils lost light. I couldn¡¯t find his excitement and joy anymore. Instead, there was nervousness on his face.


    ¡°I will be with you.¡±


    -Aahh¡­ god of sunset. Why are you¡­ why¡­ what am I¡­? Sniff¡­ sniff¡­


    ¡°What youck is a soul.¡±


    -A soul¡­


    ¡°Right. The soul of the Son of Light.¡±


    -Soul of the Son of Light?


    He would probably like that.


    After all, it was a gift from Rag Kiyoung, who had lowered his head helplessly while being nailed to the cross.


    Of course, this was also a gift to Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡®I¡¯m being far too generous.¡¯


    I gave everything up for the continent.

 Chapter 855: The Last (88)

    <h4>Chapter 855: The Last (88)</h4>


    ¡°Now¡­ what, unnie?¡±


    ¡°W-Well¡­¡±


    ¡°You know that we¡¯re not in a situation that can just be glossed over like that, right? Shouldn¡¯t we at least be withdrawing now? It¡¯s a littlete, but if I report the situation to the superiors, there might be room to fix it somehow.¡±


    ¡°I trust junior Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°That bastard is a psychopath! He¡¯s out of his mind! It will be most reasonable to fix it now and contact the god of sunset separately. If it goes on like this, the continent will truly be over. Can you see the face of the god of sunset now? He¡¯s clearly going to be hostile to us. First of all, we have to exin the situation to the higher-ups. We have to let them know it¡¯s not our fault.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°We have to move before he finishes the continent,es up here and destroys us!¡±


    ¡°You should listen to me, Lauren!¡±


    ¡°I mean¡­ unnie¡­¡±


    I had no choice but to close my eyes.


    When I opened them again, I saw the man¡¯s smile.


    ¡®Psychopath¡­¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know what she was thinking. The thought of betraying the innocent unnie made me furious.


    ¡®It¡¯s really going to end.¡¯


    I really didn¡¯t think it would be strange for it to be this dimension¡¯s destruction.


    ¡®We can¡¯t intervene anyway, can we? Isn¡¯t it over and done with?¡®


    The transformation of the continent into a dungeon was already in progress. Since the system had already made a decision, there might be limits to external interference.


    The foreign light continued to spread through the sky. The penalty of event failure was the reproduction of the day of destruction, but that wasn¡¯t the same light as before.


    Since the system imposed a penalty, it was virtually impossible to block it using outside intervention.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t been watching this continent for that long, but¡­ there¡¯s one thing I can be sure of. I¡¯ve never seen a ce in as much of a mess as this. The great wars, the wars for the liberation of different races, and the wars caused by great famines were better than this.¡±


    ¡®It¡¯spletely a mess.¡¯


    I had seen many wars fought because of human selfishness, fought because of interests, and many other reasons.


    I had watched the struggle of the continent to prevent monsters, demons, or creatures from the void, but I thought that all those crises were nothingpared to what was happening now.


    ¡®This is insane¡­¡¯


    There was no other word that could better describe the present situation.


    Monsters were rampaging all over the ce, and the war in the area where the event had fallen wasn¡¯t even over yet.


    The god of sunset, whom I believed in, was rampaging, and the guy who had gone down to fix all of this was adding fuel to the fire.


    ¡°How could I not be worried? It¡¯s over. I came all the way here after trusting you¡­ of course, I¡¯m not ming unnie, but¡­ t-this is¡­ if this doesn¡¯t end well, how will we live?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m telling you to believe in junior Lee Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°That bastard is a psycho! He has a self-harm addiction and probably doesn¡¯t even know what he¡¯s doing. I don¡¯t know what caused him to get mad, but¡­ I mean, I don¡¯t know what he didn¡¯t like, but he seemed to only want to mess with the continent.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s just doing whatever he can simply because he doesn¡¯t want to yield. That crazy control freak must think it¡¯s better to destroy the continent with his own hands than with someone else¡¯s. I bet he¡¯s already thinking like that.¡±


    ¡°W-We¡¯re bound by a contract anyway, so he can¡¯t turn his back on me right now. A-And Lee Kiyoung doesn¡¯t act without thinking.¡±


    Her voice was trembling.


    Even Benignore wasn¡¯t sure. No, she seemed to have some faith in him, but she looked shaken.


    She had seen Lee Kiyoung the most up-close, so maybe she knew what he was thinking.


    Perhaps she even agreed with me.


    ¡®Because I¡¯m not wrong.¡¯


    ¡°Shall we take a closer look at the contract together? We don¡¯t even know if there¡¯s been a breach somewhere¡­ Oh. We should call Elune too¡­¡±


    ¡°I mean, Kiyoung and I are going to sell and buy together at the same time. Well, that was our oath¡­¡±


    ¡°This is a ship that is already sinking. Look at that. How can he fix that? Is there anyone out there who thinks they need to save the continent right now? The god of sunset is already beyond salvation¡­ That ce has been destroyed by the hands of a newly-born god, so other gods will think it¡¯s a lie when they hear this. It will remain theughing stock of their lives.¡±


    ¡°We have junior Lee Kiyoung on our side.¡±


    ¡®Wrong. She must have beenpletely brainwashed already.¡¯


    Now that this had been done, I felt like I had no other choice but to use force. I unthinkingly grabbed her hand and looked at her.


    ¡°He¡¯s not that stupid.¡±


    I heard an eerie voice. As I turned my gaze, I saw Belial smiling happily, raising his sses with his fingers.


    I wanted to smack his shining face with my halberd. It was a pity that I couldn¡¯t.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you already on the same boat? I would rmend having a little fun.¡±


    ¡°Who said you could talk to us? Unnie, stand behind me. I¡¯ll deal with that stinky, disgusting demon.¡±


    ¡°If the Son of Light and Darkness were stupid, he wouldn¡¯t have been able toe this far. Looking at him now, it doesn¡¯t seem like your words are wrong, but all will have a meaning.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not enough.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°L-Lauren¡­ we have to earn more. You understand me, right?¡±


    ¡°Even you¡­¡±


    ¡°This is too little. There are two conditions for clearing the dungeon anyway. The events that are taking ce now are the means to meet those conditions, not the purpose. I know things aren¡¯t going well, but it¡¯s enough for us to meet one of two conditions. There is no need to be nervous.¡±


    ¡°We just need to fulfill the requirements for the end of all life or the resurrection of junior Lee Kiyoung, Lauren.¡±


    ¡°I know, but I don¡¯t know what that has to do with what that psycho is doing right now. In the former case, it is impossible anyway. Unnie, you¡¯re¡­ y-you¡¯re not really trying to change Elune, are you?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Why are you avoiding my gaze, unnie?¡¯


    ¡°N-No way. Do you think I would? Elune is our precious friend and colleague, which is why I want the end to happen in this round. Perhaps the same goes for Lee Kiyoung. There won¡¯t be a third timeline. Reviving him is one of the conditions for clearing the dungeon, after all.¡±


    ¡°I know, but is that really possible?¡±


    ¡°If it weren¡¯t possible, we wouldn¡¯t have gathered like this, would we, Benignore?¡±


    I had heard about them: the contract with Lucifer, the human named Lee Jihye, and¡­ Lee Kiyoung, that psychopath, who wanted to go down.


    ¡®She said that Lucifer and Lee Jihye hold the keys.¡¯


    I definitely heard that they needed insurance.


    ¡°Is the insurance divinity?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lauren. Lee Kiyoung wants to bepletely independent. Not only from up here but also from Lucifer. We spent more than we expected to solve the event or solve the problem Lee Kiyoung is having. Perhaps he is feeling it too.¡±


    ¡°Is that why he¡¯s doing it?¡±


    ¡°We need to show what the public wants to see. The stage is set, and the roles have been decided, but there is no impact.¡±


    ¡°What impact?¡±


    ¡°Where is the evil, the darkness that has made all these things happen?¡±


    ¡®There is darkness. You said it was the human Lee Jihye.¡¯


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    ¡°Where is the darkness that will cover everything that is happening right now? Shouldn¡¯t we create a figure who will stand against the Sunset Swordsman and the Son of Light? It¡¯s a simple story, but people get so excited about it they produce divinity for us. Although it¡¯s an obvious clich¨¦, the royal road never fails, and a great crisis creates a great narrative. Of course, justification is also needed.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°We need to provide the need for the Son of Light and Darkness to descend again. That¡¯s necessary for his resurrection since it would allow the mortals to understand. I can¡¯t say things haven¡¯t beplicated, but the story is running toward the end. What we¡¯recking is an enemy, which is why he¡¯s creating one.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why he cultivated the human named Song Sookyung.¡±


    ¡®Crazy garbage demon. What a piece of sh*t excuse for a human.¡¯


    I saw unnie slipping to the side, sneaking away from our gaze.


    ¡®S-She¡¯s not guilty. She¡¯s only been swayed for a moment.¡¯


    For a moment, I was furious, but if that was what he was really looking for, I thought what was happening was justified.


    He¡¯d made enemies for the cause. That was believable, to say the least. I didn¡¯t know when it was, but he might have needed someone suitable to sacrifice.


    He would have needed a reasonably smart yet easy-to-manipte actor who could y the right role.


    Through a pact with a demon, he¡¯d worn away his personality and granted him divinity by handing over the legacy of the Son of Light.


    Perhaps this was not the end. I was pretty sure there was something I didn¡¯t know.


    ¡°I want to tell you that making it isn¡¯t an easy process.¡±


    That man was found to becking, after all.


    Hecked the skills to stand against the God of Sunset and the Son of Light.


    He wasn¡¯t superhuman, nor was he an extraordinary genius. He could be ssified aspetent, but he waspletely different from the Red Beast or the Goddess of Magic.


    He didn¡¯t even deserve divinity in the first ce, and even if he wrote his own myth, he¡¯d sooner orter hit his limit.


    It would be unreasonable to say that he was simr to Lee Kiyoung.


    His mental strength was rather weak. He was weak, easily shaken, and dependent on others.


    He¡¯d wanted to find a ce to put his heart into and had consequently created his own Messiah.


    He wanted to rise, stand by his side, but he¡¯d be frustrated with himself and felt shameful jealousy. He¡¯d then shifted the me onto others¡­


    ¡°Why go that far?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the Son of Light and Darkness reluctant to have someone touch what he owns? It¡¯s surprising that you can say things like that, Lauren. There are a lot of beings who have met a terrible fate because they incurred the wrath of gods, demons, or other transcendents.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°There is no point in looking for a reason. Anyway, the important thing is that it is still not enough. The seeds will probably germinate soon, but that¡¯s also not enough.¡±


    ¡®So that¡¯s why he¡¯s giving a show right now? To show it to the public?¡¯


    ¡°You mean that he didn¡¯t just do it to screw with the god of sunset after he left him alone? Are you sure about that?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Why is everyone avoiding my gaze?¡¯


    ¡°It could be¡­ w-we¡¯re a support team, so we just have to do what we¡¯ve been tasked to do. How did it go when I told you to bring some divinity from Elune?¡±


    ¡°I received it, but unnie¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe there is not much time left, but first look elsewhere. After all, you won¡¯t be able to meet the superiors anymore. Convince the people you usually hang out with¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯ll take care of it, unnie.¡±


    ¡°L-Lauren, you know I trust you a lot, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Of¡­ course.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s real this time, Lauren. There must be no mistakes. Lee Kiyoung is the smartest when ites to emotions.¡±


    She wasn¡¯t wrong. That human had be the Son of Light with that garbage soul, after all. Hence, I understood what she said.


    Even if I hadn¡¯t, the question would¡¯ve still remained. It might not matter much, but it seemed to be a story that had been decided not to be told tacitly.


    I had no choice but to speak quietly. Since we¡¯d decided to do it together, I had to get answers to these kinds of questions.


    ¡°Unnie, can I ask you something then?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°What the hell is that pendant hanging from the god of sunset?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°And¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t the god of sunset and the son of light also know?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Who¡­ erased their memories?¡±


    Benignore¡¯s eyes opened wide, and Belial started stroking his chin.

 Chapter 856: The Last (89)

    <h4>Chapter 856: The Last (89)</h4>


    It wasn¡¯t easy to ask tacitly about something one had decided not to talk about, but I couldn¡¯t do anything without resolving this question.


    As I turned my gaze slightly, I saw Lee Kiyoung smiling, seemingly having lost his mind.


    ¡®Why did you have to get involved with a guy like that¡­?¡¯


    If I had known it would turn out this way, I would have paid more attention to him.


    Benignore and Belial hadn¡¯t said anything yet, but the dice had already been cast. As I spoke again, they stared at me.


    ¡®I have to say what I have to say.¡¯


    ¡°I¡­ I didn¡¯t observe the Son of Light nonstop, but I¡¯m certain that the dimensional sea in Mirror Lake isn¡¯t an easter egg. It¡¯s an obvious bug. It¡¯s strange that they managed to enter and exit the dimensional sea with a tattered, man-made ship in the first ce.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t consider it as a bug, Lauren. That¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s why he didn¡¯t fix it¡­ That¡¯s what everyone might think.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°That could be the will of the system.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°The outer god was definitely out of the norm, so I thought the system gave a gift to the god of sunset and the Son of Light tobat them. I think that was a means to upgrade them for free. In fact, it could have been that way if he had chosen Longinus¡¯s Spear. He would be an enemy in the end, though, so it would¡¯ve been meaningless¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°But that wasn¡¯t what happened. I never saw that pendant used on the day of destruction or in the war against the outer god. It was hidden as if it didn¡¯t exist in the first ce and treated as if it had never been obtained. He can¡¯t even remember it himself, let alone the followers of the Son of Light who went to Mirror Lake at that time, and the sunset god is in the same state. It¡¯s not even recorded in the Continental Archives. Wouldn¡¯t it make sense that someone intentionally deleted it?¡±


    ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve dug up quite a bit. I can see your hard work.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because I thought joining this ce was a gamble. I needed to know what I needed to, right?¡±


    ¡°D-Didn¡¯t you believe me, Lauren?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not it. Since I was alreadying here, I wanted to do things right. It was more for you than me.¡±


    There were definitely a lot of strange things. This situation was so bizarre that simply saying that it was strange wasn¡¯t enough.


    ¡®What is that, anyway? Why can¡¯t I see it?¡¯


    It felt weird not being able to check and confirm the item with my eyes, let alone with the Continental Archives. It couldn¡¯t be exined by saying someone had intentionally blocked it.


    Of course, it was easy to guess who¡¯d done this. It was obvious who¡¯d blocked the information about it.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s Lucifer.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s probably her. Am I wrong?¡±


    No demon would have been able to do this unless they were on the same level as her or higher, considering only high-ranking demons or gods could make this absurdity possible.


    The question was, why had Lucifer done such a thing?


    Why had she influenced not only the Son of Light but also his followers?


    ¡®It¡¯s a mythic-grade item.¡¯


    She chose it by throwing away Longinus¡¯ spear, which could kill even the gods¡­


    That extreme efficiency bug was still rotting that object? Wasn¡¯t it Lee Kiyoung who¡¯d chosen that pendant?


    Why was it that the artifacts he would never use had been put aside under mutual agreement with Lucifer? What the hell was that item for him to even erase his memory for?


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about Benignore, but I don¡¯t think that garbage demon would have joined for no reason. You joined because you have a chance to win, right? Also, unlike me, you two thought that the Son of Light would keep watching. I¡¯m certain that you checked that pendant before anyone influenced it. At least one of you must have known, but there¡¯s also a high probability that both of you knew. So please tell me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Benignore.¡±


    ¡°Unnie, you have to tell me.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you that.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Lee Kiyoung told me not to.¡±


    ¡°What? What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Lee Kiyoung doesn¡¯t want me to disclose it. He said that the others shouldn¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the item that he picked up?¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know much about the details. However, before he lost his memory, Lee Kiyoung asked me not to tell anyone. He told me not to tell even himself no matter what happened¡­ He said that it was all I had to do. I¡¯ve never seen Lee Kiyoung so nervous. It¡¯s probably going to be really important.¡±


    ¡°Do you know about it too, Belial?¡±


    It looked like he did.


    ¡®What the hell is it?¡¯


    His grin definitely looked annoying. The way he put his hand on my head felt like he was provoking me. I couldn¡¯t think right.


    ¡®Why can¡¯t you tell me? Why don¡¯t you tell me what even that demon knows?¡¯


    ¡°Of course I know.¡±


    I had no choice but to reflexively lift my halberd.


    ¡°Tell me, you damn demon.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you because I¡¯m bound by a contract. And even if you learn of it, it won¡¯t change anything. I don¡¯t know exactly what the Son of Light and Darkness is thinking, but it¡¯s all his choice and his will. Secrecy and security are originally meant to reduce variables.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    He took a bite of an apple after sitting on the edge of the desk.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you can create unexpected variables, but he¡¯s a cautious person, so much so that he even erased his own memory. There¡¯s no assurance that you won¡¯t do anything unnecessary with the card that he has.¡±


    ¡°He erased his memory to¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, to win the bet with Lucifer. In reality, it is to nullify the bet by expediency. Perhaps he was feeling pressured by her. He decided that it would be best toy the rails ahead of time as the Son of Light and Darkness, so his job became simple. He erased his memory and put the train on the rails. It¡¯s really simple, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Psycho bastard.¡±


    ¡°There is no reason to be happy if unexpected variables ur. Without them, the train would run on a set rail and eventually reach its destination safely.¡±


    ¡°I am not going to be a variable. I need to know if this will harm Benignore¡­ and even if it will, I won¡¯t do anything. I just want to be prepared for when anger strikes.¡±


    ¡°L-Lauren.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind. Even if the n fails, Lee Kiyoung said that he would take care of it.¡±


    ¡®How do you know that¡¯s not a lie?¡¯


    I had to protect her.


    It felt like watching a child being thrown into the water. Seeing her holding my hand tightly as if she was moved, I got worried that she had been really deceived, and it was hard to turn a blind eye to seeming injustice.


    I thought it was important to know this, even if we went to hell together.


    Even if I could no longer step out, I had to join them for now.


    ¡®She can¡¯t escape anymore anyway.¡¯


    It would be the least I could do to stop great anger froming from her. Belial smiled brightly and held out the contract.


    I¡¯d known it would be like this, but it felt worse than I expected. The thought that I might be making the problem bigger ran through my head, but I couldn¡¯t help but watch him point out where to sign with his eyes twinkling.


    There was basically no problem about it except for the basic confidentiality use, the penalty for revealing the secret, and the seal of Belial, but the act itself felt shameful.


    After looking at him once more, I picked up the pen.


    It was then that Benignore, who had been silently observing the situation the entire time, spoke.


    She did so as if it weren¡¯t a big deal.


    ¡°It¡¯s the legacy of Altanus.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°The name of the mythic-grade pendant is the Legacy of Altanus.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°A pendant that makes wishese true.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°The penalty is the extinction of the user.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°To put it simply, it is a pendant that will make his wishe true with the disappearance of the Sunset Swordsman.¡±


    ¡°Why¡­ Why did he choose that?¡±


    She wouldn¡¯t know that much. But questions filled my head. In an instant, my thoughts becameplicated.


    ¡°Why did the Son of Light choose an item that penalizes with the death of the god of sunset? Why did he agree to wear the pendant he gave him?¡±


    I didn¡¯t ask the question to gain answers. I needed to take some time to think for myself.


    ¡°Why¡­?¡±


    Lee Kiyoung and his followers would have beenpletely unaware of the penalty. There was also a possibility that it was a penalty that only the owner could confirm after being chosen by the item.


    However, the eyes of the Son of Light were special. I didn¡¯t know about his followers, but he should have been aware of the price. It wouldn¡¯t make sense if he weren¡¯t.


    Had he been installing rails since then, or did he just hate the Sunset Swordsman? Did he suddenly want revenge?


    ¡°Has Lucifer been intervening from that point on? When exactly did he erase his memory, and when did the bet start? Why¡­ Why can¡¯t the god of sunset check the items he is wearing? This is strange. Why can¡¯t he even be aware of the existence of equipment that he himself is registered as the owner of? It is possible to confuse his followers, but not to infringe on the rights of the owners.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, it would have been possible back then. At that time, he was just a mortal. But he¡¯s different now. Considering his level, doesn¡¯t it seem strange that he can¡¯t recognize items that havee into his possession? Even with Lucifer involved, that¡¯s impossible. It¡¯s not an item that she gave him. It¡¯s Altanus¡¯ legacy. I¡¯m sure the system won¡¯t allow it¡­¡±


    Regressor Instruction Manual.


    ¡°Regressor Instruction Manual?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    It would be possible with the power of the Son of Light.


    ¡°Regressor Instruction Manual¡­¡±


    With the power that he possessed, it might be possible. No, he would definitely be able to control it.


    Topletely delete the pendant from the head of the god of sunset, make him unaware of it, and make itpletely disappear from its existence.


    It was something that even Lucifer couldn¡¯t do, but it was easy with his ability.


    However, I still had some doubts.


    Lots of them.


    Still, one thing was for certain.


    ¡°The content of the bet was not whether the god of sunset would kill the Son of Light. It¡­ It was a bet about whether he would use the pendant to save him.¡±


    ¡°You may be right¡­¡±


    ¡°The reward they were supposed to receive was not the resurrection of the Son of Light.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It was the resurrection of the Sunset Swordsman. The reason we are gathering divinity is not to save Lee Kiyoung, but to save Kim Hyunsung¡­¡±

 Chapter 857: The Last (90)

    <h4>Chapter 857: The Last (90)</h4>


    ¡°Kim Hyunsung¡­ Kim Hyunsung¡­ You¡¯re dead.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t forgive you. Fuck. It doesn¡¯t matter from which perspective I look at it. I can¡¯t forgive you, mean bastard.¡±


    He had to pay for his actions. Though, to be honest, my personal feelings were a bit mixed.


    It was necessary either way, right? The one thing he shouldn¡¯t do was leave me behind.


    Did it make sense to give up on Lee Kiyoung when both the continent and I were at stake?


    I¡¯d dedicated my life to helping him. If he went away like that, how would that make me look? I had raised him so carefully, and he just went running without looking back? This was why there was no point in treating others well.


    I knew that Kim Hyunsung was suffering a lot mentally, but I had no sympathy for him right now.


    ¡®I have to tame him as early as possible.¡¯


    We wouldn¡¯t just be together for a few decades. As we would have to live together for hundreds, thousands, maybe even tens of thousands of years, I thought this kind of preemptive suppression was necessary.


    It wasn¡¯t that much work, considering it was just one extra show.


    And it was necessary. It didn¡¯t make a difference if another story to the script was supposed to go on anyway.


    It had consumed more divinity than I¡¯d expected, though. Even now, it was still consuming it¡­


    The scene didn¡¯t have to be provocative to be sessful, but it was better to hit the jackpot than barely pass the break-even point.


    If he regretted it in the deepest part of his heart, he would never repeat this mistake again.


    ¡®The Song Viin can do that much.¡¯


    Belial would also be getting ready.


    I was worried that he wouldn¡¯t be able to do his job properly, but it probably wouldn¡¯t be a big deal. His mental state probably had already worn down to an unimaginable point, so he shouldn¡¯t be able to make normal judgments.


    Since he relied on the demon¡¯s voice, he would act like the Republican organization if I managed him well.


    He also had a downgraded version of my eyes, so there was room for some resistance against Hyunsung. I didn¡¯t think his head would fly off like beans roasted by lightning that easily.


    ¡®And I¡¯m here too.¡¯


    If Song Sookyung wasn¡¯t enough, I could help.


    Perhaps soon, the cast would gather on stage. I felt I wanted to prepare before that if possible, leaving me no choice but to talk to Cho Hyejin.


    I was really out of time.


    From the moment the main event in the North was nullified, we had been derailed.


    We¡¯d departed from the normal dungeon attack method that the system had kindly guided us through.


    I was a little nervous, but it was fine.


    ¡®It¡¯s not just one thing, anyway.¡¯


    All dungeons were like that. Although the scale wasrge, this one was no different.


    Just as the curse of the Cursed Shrine had been resolved through alchemy or when the Crack Museum was cleared in a pure, clever way, there would be other strategies for this dungeon as well.


    In fact, it was simpler than the ones that came before since it had a clear purpose.


    ¡®The point isn¡¯t that we just need to resurrect him.¡¯


    Rather than sending an entire army to solve what was going on in the North¡­


    ¡°I can go down.¡±


    ¡®When I go down, I have to hit Kim Hyunsung first.¡¯


    The condition for clearing the dungeon was Lee Kiyoung¡¯s resurrection, after all.


    If I could go down, the mythic-grade dungeon, the Continent Where the Son of Light was Sacrificed, would be freed from its dungeonization.


    Now that everything out there was back to normal, there was no need for another adventure.


    The minor problem was that it was still difficult to find a clue about my resurrection.


    ¡®That¡¯s why it exists.¡¯


    And that was why it was important to find Lee Jihye. Contacting her should be our top priority.


    ¡°Hyejin.¡±


    -Vice Guild Master.


    ¡°Did you find anything?¡±


    -Yes. As you said, there was a clue. Of course, I¡¯m not sure if this is a trap or not¡­ but for now, I¡¯m going with Alps.


    ¡°Good. I knew it.¡±


    -How did you know it?


    ¡°Do I need a reason? Did you think there would be no rewards if we cleared the main event? You can think of it as her installing the railroad tracks.¡±


    -You mean Jihye?


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    I still couldn¡¯t confirm whether she had the same thoughts as me or was thinking differently.


    However, the situation was obvious. If I cleared the main event, I could reach the clue.


    The system that maintained the dungeon was fair. This was how it was normally supposed to be attacked: the offensive was a process of running on a fixed rail until the end or until it derailed halfway through.


    ¡°Of course, there will be no traps since, if I¡¯m right, this is an event that Jihye made for me. The rewards we¡¯re going to gain aren¡¯t a lie either. This isn¡¯t the first time you¡¯ll be trying to attack a dungeon. Rather, you¡¯ve been to more ces than I have.¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°I understand you¡¯re worried about its size or the specificity of the situation, but you can think of it as no different from the rest of its kind. Anyway, how far did you go?¡±


    -Alps?


    -Ah. Yes. I think we will arrive soon.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell-¡±


    -I didn¡¯t tell anyone.


    ¡°Good.¡±


    -What about you? I heard that an anomaly has appeared in the North. Themunication channel with the Guild Master has also been cut off. Anytime you need support¡­


    ¡°No. You don¡¯t have to worry about it. Let¡¯s see¡­ it seems that you¡¯ll get there¡­ in about two hours.¡±


    -Two hours?


    ¡°Can you get there in an hour?¡±


    -Alps?


    -Yes, Cho Hyejin. This is where the coordinates are pointing. Whitey also says it¡¯s this way.


    ¡®As long as nothing happens on the way¡­¡¯


    There was a possibility that the reward gained from being the guelord at the main event might not be her location.


    Since I didn¡¯t know what the rewards were, I had no choice but to rely on luck.


    No, not luck. She would know. She¡¯d probably noticed that things had gottenplicated right now¡­


    The only reason she wasn¡¯ting out was that she was pissed off. She¡¯d probably noticed that I was still alive.


    I¡¯d descended twice already, so there was no way she didn¡¯t know. Even if she weren¡¯t at the ce with rewards, she would definitely be waiting.


    This was the main event for that. Of course, there was a will to get revenge, but I was sure she would keep all possibilities open if it really were her behind this.


    The train might be heading somewhere else, but if it was Lee Jihye, there was a chance that she had changed the railroad tracks.


    As I turned my gaze, I saw Alps and Cho Hyejin entering.


    After Whitey smelled the scarf one more time, he started moving. Cho Hyejin was basically maintaining abat-ready posture, probably because of the atmosphere.


    -There are traces of someone having been here, Cho Hyejin.


    -¡­


    -They covered it well, but Whitey says someone was just here.


    I saw them following the canine, who started running frantically through the dungeon-like structure. I couldn¡¯t see any traces of anyone living there or any monsters, but they kept running around.


    After a short while, they finally got to the small cave.


    -There¡¯s¡­ nothing?


    -Is this a trap?


    That was when she said it.


    -Prepare for battle, Alps.


    -Ah¡­ Yes¡­ Okay! Whitey!


    A few people started rushing into the cave.


    Cho Hyejin raised her spear, and Alps took a stance with her back to her.


    The masked personnel raised their weapons and fired at Cho Hyejin. However, she deflected them away as if she had anticipated them and then calmly threw her spear.


    Before it could reach the mask of the unidentified person, it was blocked by divide protection with a booom!


    Although she was in a situation where she could get flustered, Cho Hyejin quietly talked to Alps.


    -I see a priest.


    -Yeah¡­ Yeah!


    -First¡­


    -I¡¯ll go. Whitey!


    -Damn! A high-ranking priest¡­


    I tried to exin, but two people with simr body types frantically changed positions and pressured Cho Hyejin, sometimes even shooting arrows or magic.


    But right now, the thing bothering her the most was the divine magicing from an unknown ce.


    She probably thought of them as powerful and high-leveled.


    Their buffs, the timing to chant protection magic, and even their recovery ability was at a level that couldn¡¯te from a simple high-ranked priest.


    They not only shot sacred magic to keep their enemies in check but was alsomanding the small-scale battle.


    Hyejin looked anxious. She was probably worried about Alps, who had gone to subdue the priest.


    - If you don¡¯t get out of the way, I¡¯ll kill you.


    She stretched out her spear and whispered, and though the fighting men flinched¡­


    -Who are you guys?


    -We are¡­


    -The ones who break the moon.


    -The Moon Brea¡­


    One of them, who was talking bullsh*t, was hit by a spear and rolled over with a boom.


    His mask bounced off, revealing his identity, and causing his colleague to shout.


    -Oh!


    It was as expected.


    ¡®The brigade twins.¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s Hee-young.¡±


    -What?


    ¡°The person whomanded and took care of them was Hee-young. Where could they have found a high-ranking priest like that in the continent in the first ce? Of course it¡¯s Sun Hee-young. Look. Aren¡¯t you familiar with all types of divine magic patterns and spells?¡±


    -Hee-young?


    A voice came from the darkness.


    -Yes. Long time no see, Hyejin.


    -¡­


    - Please drop your weapon first.


    -¡­


    -P¡­ Please let go of me! Let¡­ Let go of¡­


    It was strange to see a swordsman being subdued by a priest.


    Sun Hee-young emerged with a dagger pointed at Alps¡¯ neck.


    Whitey, who didn¡¯t know anything, was wagging his tail next to her.


    He¡¯d probably noticed that she wasn¡¯t hostile, but still, he shouldn¡¯t wag his tail while his owner was being held captive. He shouldn¡¯t be too friendly.


    Next to them, Yuno Kasugano also appeared quietly, giving a bow.


    I¡¯d thought they would have changed a lot, but they hadn¡¯t. Both were without masks¡­


    The difference was that they were wearing cloaks that covered their bodies.


    Sun Hee-young looked a bit malicious, but she didn¡¯t seem to have any intention of stabbing Alps.


    Oh, Yuno Kasugano again¡­


    ¡®She¡¯s very emaciated.¡¯


    I thought it was probably a result of using too many skills. It was hard to predict how many times she had seen the future since I¡®d died.


    ¡®That¡¯s only natural.¡¯


    -How have you been? I¡­ I¡¯ve been looking for you, Hee-young. All the other guild members miss you too. I¡­ I¡­ no, but where is Jihye¡­ and what does moon breakers mean¡­


    -You don¡¯t have to worry about that. They just said what they wanted. Sometimes they say weird stuff. More importantly¡­ drop your¡­


    -No, you don¡¯t have to. You cane inside, Hyejin. Lee Kiyoung, that mean bastard, must be doing well¡­


    A familiar voice then came from afar.


    Yuno Kasugano nodded quietly, chanting a spell, and a small space appeared between the walls as if it had always been there.


    It was obvious who was inside.


    The little one quietly took off her mask and opened her mouth.


    -Did youe here to¡­ give my scarf back?

 Chapter 858: The Last (91)

    <h4>Chapter 858: The Last (91)</h4>


    I hadn¡¯t seen Lee Jihye in a long time, but surprisingly, she was the same as thest time I did.


    To be honest, the thought that I was happy to see her came first in my mind.


    I hadn¡¯t been able to find a trace of her even after looking so hard, and I¡¯d wished she was with me¡­ a couple of times.


    In this situation, I was d that she and I were moving separately.


    However, I still had some concerns.


    ¡®What should I do if this woman has gone crazy?¡¯


    In the interim, I¡¯d thought she was showing me a way to aplish what I needed.


    She would have devised her n considering various variables, and if she had information from Lucifer, she would have paved the path based on that information.


    Due to the circumstances, I¡¯d felt like she was watching over me, but it was possibly not the case.


    Perhaps Lee Jihye had been considering both options A and B for herself.


    The option to reach out her hand and the option not to.


    She wouldn¡¯t have even considered Kim Hyunsung in the first ce.


    In other words, it depended on her whim.


    She was rational and reasonable. If she felt that what she could get from the contract with Lucifer was greater than what we could offer, there was a possibility that she would turn her back on us. Of course, I didn¡¯t think she¡¯d want to sh with me, but beyond that, it was hard to predict how her whim might work.


    That was the bottom line.


    ¡®I¡¯ll have to humor her well.¡¯


    I probably wouldn¡¯t have imagined when I first met her.


    ¡°I honestly wouldn¡¯t be here without her.¡±


    It would have been the same in the first round.


    ¡°Hyejin. You¡¯ll have to humor her well. Don¡¯t say anything weird.¡±


    She started contemting what to say first.


    She moved carefully as she looked around, and although they seemed to flinch for a moment¡ªexcept for Sun Hee-young and Kasugano¡ªthey didn¡¯t move.


    Perhaps it was because there was no other order. The familiar person next to Lee Jihye stopped her.


    -That¡¯s enough. Don¡¯te any closer.


    - Yeon-soo, it¡¯s okay.


    -Unnie.


    -You can¡¯t stop her even if you wanted to anyway. Acknowledging the difference between you and your opponent is a virtue.


    -What? What do you mean? I¡­ I don¡¯t lose.


    -¡­


    -I don¡¯t lose¡­


    -You should listen to me.


    Her viinous aura was awesome. She was the personification of charisma itself.


    She was a viin.


    Yeon-soo took a step back, looking enraged. Carefully nodding, Cho Hyejin quietly returned her scarf.


    Lee Jihye only smiled a little, but for the spearwoman, that would seem very reassuring. At least she¡¯d have noticed that she wasn¡¯t hostile.


    Although the atmosphere was a bit tense, she¡¯d probably decided that Jihye had expressed a willingness to have a conversation.


    Although she was worried about how to start it, she went with¡­


    -Jihye. The demon who controlled you¡­


    It wasn¡¯t my favorite option.


    -¡­


    -¡­


    - Pfff.


    -¡­


    - Fuhahaha. Our Hyejin is so naive. Did you really think a demon did that?


    ¡®This is not good.¡¯


    ¡°No, why are you asking that? Just get to the point. Why are you talking about demons? Just ask her to help.¡±


    -Did you really think a demon was manipting me? Yeon-soo, bring me some water. Pfff. This is so funny.


    ¡®Gosh, I¡¯m getting scared of her. She seems to be willing to go with no turning back.¡¯


    Saying that she was being manipted was a way to change their position.


    What was her purpose for saying something like that to Cho Hyejin? It was to show her drive.


    -¡­


    -¡­


    -I did it from start to finish. I got help from many ces, but that was it, and it came from my head. In general, erasing Eberia from the map, turning the continent into a dungeon, and turning Elios into a chess piece were all parts of my work. It¡¯s hard to list them all¡­ well, in many ways.


    -Why?


    -¡­


    -Why did you go¡­ that far¡­?


    -Because you needed a lesson. Actually, there were many reasons, but it¡¯s difficult to exin here. Just think of it as a whim. When you lose a dear one, you usually get overloaded with thoughts, don¡¯t you? I just did what I had to do. What, do I look different?


    ¡®No, really, what¡¯s up with you? Why are you being so reckless?¡¯


    Her voice wasn¡¯t trembling. She slowly put on the mask and quietly leaned on the backrest.


    The brigade members were also quietly looking at Cho Hyejin. She didn¡¯t want to show what she was thinking, but I thought that such a look suited her well.


    As she raised her chin with her legs crossed, Ha Yeon-soo quietly came forward and blocked Cho Hyejin.


    ¡°Hyejin. Just tell him that we should catch up with each other while having a cup of coffee.¡±


    I could see her looking at the spear as if telling me to shut up. She nodded as if she had made up her mind.


    -¡­


    -¡­


    -No. It¡¯s not that. You don¡¯t look different. You are just like the Jihye I saw before.


    -¡­


    -To be honest, it¡¯s uneptable by my standards, but¡­ I don¡¯t want to judge you by it. Everyone has a different opinion¡­ and I can understand how sad you must have been. Perhaps everyone felt the same way.


    -¡­


    -Mistakes are reversible. You are a wise person.


    -I don¡¯t regret what I¡¯ve done.


    -¡­


    -It¡¯s the continent, not me, which has to pay for its sins, and to be honest, it¡¯s still not enough. I¡¯m a selfish person and not what you think I am.


    -You are affable.


    ¡®She said affable.¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s been a really long time since Ist heard ¡®affable.¡¯ Really.¡±


    It was a really sweet word. I felt impressed. Our Hyejin. Huh. She¡¯d said that in this situation.


    -In my opinion, you¡¯re more affable than anyone else. Why did you wait for me here?


    -That was your reward. Think of it as meeting the hidden boss of the dungeon. Whether or not you can get the right rewards is up to you.


    -You¡¯re not my enemy. The same goes for everyone here. We can go one step further. The Vice Guild Master said so. Of¡­ Of course, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s the right thing to do. But¡­ I can understand. To be honest, I can understand you. That¡¯s why I want you to join us. I want you to fight with us.


    -¡­


    -I want you to give me one more chance to make up for my mistake. I hope that you will give me a chance to pick up your mistakes and capture them.


    To be honest, I didn¡¯t think those words would work with Lee Jihye. It was reckless, and I couldn¡¯t really understand what it meant.


    However, I saw her slowly taking off her mask. She was quietly looking at her.


    Cho Hyejin bowed her head. She didn¡¯t know what she meant, but she was looking at her with a sincere expression.


    The expression in front of her proved to be a speechless one. Lee Jihye spoke to her.


    -This is how youe out.


    -What?


    -I wasn¡¯t certain, but¡­ really¡­ you¡¯vee out like this. I¡¯m the one getting embarrassed.


    -¡­


    -You¡¯ve really made me speechless. It would have been easier to talk to oppa. Guys, close the door. Yeon-soo, bring a cup of tea. Hee-young, you can let go of that kid. It seems that oppa was expecting this anyway. He might have been almost sure of it.


    -Yeah¡­ what?


    -Lucifer¡¯s eyes can¡¯t reach us here. The dungeon system gave us this ce as a reward. Even high-ranking people can¡¯t see us here, so you can think of it as a legitimate bug. Well, she may feel that something weird is going on here, but she probably doesn¡¯t know what I¡¯m doing. Oh, can I touch that spear? Anyway, you came. To be honest, I thought you wouldn¡¯t be able to find the hint. Of course, it was a little surprising that you came with a little kid, but¡­ I¡¯m d you came.


    -I¡­ I don¡¯t know how the heck things are going¡­ well¡­


    -I¡¯m saying that you¡¯vee to the right ce, Hyejin. Huhu. We are¡­


    -The one who breaks the moon¡­ the Moon¡­


    -I told you to shut up.


    -¡­


    -We¡¯ve been predicting this for a long time. The war against the outer gods, Lee Kiyoung¡¯s death, and the events that followed after¡­ the disappearance of Eberia and the continent turning into a dungeon. It¡¯s all thanks to Yuno Kasugano from Celia.


    Kasugano, who was watching the situation quietly, nodded slightly.


    -It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve seen everything. I was able to see only a fraction, but¡­ I can be sure that I have reached a future that leads to good results. I mean, so far.


    -Yes. Kasugano is right.


    -That¡¯s what Jihye¡­


    -Did you think I really did it?


    -¡­


    -You didn¡¯t think that the affable me could really do such a horrific thing, did you?


    -No¡­ there¡¯s no way¡­ you would do that. Yeah¡­


    -We thought we had to fix this issue beyond the reach of that demon. We had to work in the shade without revealing ourselves. It wasn¡¯t easy, but we¡¯ve managed to get this far for one purpose.


    -What¡­


    -The resurrection of the Son of Light.


    -Is that possible?


    -Yeah. It¡¯s possible. It was Yuno Kasugano and oppa who gave me the n. Our members and I just prepared the rail for the train to run on. We weren¡¯t sure of the destination¡­ It was only a fragment of his memory that we had confirmed, but with your help, we were able to get here. The continent is now running on railroads. I want to exin many things, but unfortunately, I do not have enough time to exin them all.


    -That¡¯s fortunate.


    -What?


    -Jihye¡­


    -You know my temper, right?


    She was really good at lying.


    How could she lie like that without blinking an eye?


    Hyejin had also noticed that it was a little weird, but it was confusing because Jihye was too confident.


    ¡®It¡¯s impressive, really.¡¯


    I wanted to say something to Jihye right away, but I couldn¡¯t.


    It seemed like things were going well, but it was a situation where I had to keep an eye on her.


    Wouldn¡¯t it be better to get a stamp before she changed her mind?


    -I don¡¯t think we have that much time left. Can I talk with oppa for a minute?¡±


    -Ah¡­ Yeah.


    Cho Hyejin quietly gave her the spear, and Lee Jihye carefully took it.


    Taking a deep breath, she seemed to want to curse, but after she closed her eyes, she held her breath again. She looked like she was thinking about what to say in a way that didn¡¯t suit her, so I guessed I¡¯d have to talk to her first.


    ¡°How have you been, Jihye, my love, my soul mate?¡±


    -Of course, I¡¯m fine, oppa, my love, my soul mate.


    Her giggling face looked more trashy than ever.

 Chapter 859: The Last (92)

    <h4>Chapter 859: The Last (92)</h4>


    ¡°How have you been?¡±


    -I should be asking you that as well. Have you been doing well? No, I don¡¯t even need to ask. You¡¯re probably fine and having fun. Lots of fun.


    ¡®There¡¯s a certain bite to her words.¡¯


    Our conversation was unlikely to start in a good mood.


    ¡°Jihye, what¡¯s wrong with you¡­?¡±


    -I guess I have to exin why I¡¯m doing this.


    I had tried to begin the conversation as a warm and touching reunion since we hadn¡¯t seen each other in a long time, but I grew a little cautious at her reaction.


    She¡¯d handled the situation ording to what she¡¯d told Cho Hyejin, but she might change her mind again.


    The best possible choice was to humor her for now.


    I spoke quietly with a sweet voice, as I had always done.


    It didn¡¯t work on everyone, but I wouldn¡¯t lose anything by moving vigntly in this situation.


    ¡°How could I do well without you? I missed you every single day, so much so that I couldn¡¯t even eat or sleep properly. Every day was like hell. My life without you is meaningless¡­ I just realized that, you know?¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know it was going to be like this. I only realized how precious you were when no one was by my side. I wanted to see everyone else too, but really¡­¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°You don¡¯t know how much I¡¯ve missed you, Lee Jihye.¡±


    -Stop with the bullshit. Just don¡¯t.


    ¡°I¡¯m being honest. I missed your voice so much¡­ and your smile. Yourughter. I missed the conversations I had with you. I¡¯m sure you know that. You¡¯re my soulmate, after all.¡±


    -I don¡¯t know. For me, we are connected by the soul only in words. Aren¡¯t you and that bastard who stabbed you also soulmates? Being able to share your vision must be nice too, huh? Don¡¯te here spouting lies. I¡¯m not buying it.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Jihye? Why did you have to mention him? You know you shouldn¡¯t do that. I understand that you are heartbroken and angry. I know I was wrong. However, the situation is different now. I can¡¯t exin everything right now, but¡­ you know how much I think of you¡­¡±


    -Gosh. Don¡¯t you dare say it like that.


    ¡°Jihyeeeee¡­¡±


    -Stop. I find that really disgusting.


    ¡°Come on, Jihyeeeee¡­¡±


    -What¡¯s wrong with you?


    ¡°My soulmate. My love. Won¡¯t you look at me and forgive me? Nothing will change between us, right?¡±


    -¡­


    I honestly thought it wouldn¡¯t work. Yet, on the contrary, it seemed to be having an effect.


    I figured it would do. Her reaction wasn¡¯t as passionate as when I¡¯d done it with Heera, but it was enough¡­


    ¡®To call it a sess.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t really be sure. I spoke with cuteness and yfulness, but getting her in a good mood was another story.


    Working with me and being on great terms were two different things.


    Of course, she would most likely cooperate since it had already been agreed on, but there was a huge discrepancy between moving voluntarily and reluctantly.


    At first, sheughed at me, seemingly finding it absurd, but this kind of work required repetition, sincerity, and consistency.


    It was questionable if that would be enough, but history suggested that it would.


    ttery never lost.


    -That¡¯s annoying.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    -I already know that technique, that¡¯s why. I¡¯m supposed to cooperate anyway. Stop stalling and start talking about what you¡¯ve got to offer. No, let me tell you what I want instead. You¡¯re not trying to get me for free, are you?


    ¡°Of course not.¡±


    Of course, exceptions did exist.


    -Lee Jihoo. Lee Kiyeon.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    -Let¡¯s just go with that. It¡¯s cool and sexy.


    ¡°What does that mean¡­?¡±


    -Exining it isn¡¯t sexy.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    -It¡¯s insufficient, but it¡¯ll be a satisfactory transaction, Kiyeon.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -Anyway, as you said, we don¡¯t have time. Let¡¯s end the useless chatter here. I have a lot of questions and a lot of things I want to ask. If you want to keep whispering in my ears with that sweet voice of yours, do itter when we go out on a date. Don¡¯t waste your energy here. It hurts my pride, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to concentrate if you keep doing that.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -Oh! Actually, I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯ve pictured the situation up to this point properly. I checked through Yuno Kasugano, but you know that nothing is ever absolute.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    -It¡¯s as I said. Did you think everything I told Hyejin was a lie, that it was a coincidence I came up with a n the moment I visited Yuno Kasugano after your death? The reason you came to me was because of your bet with Lucifer, right? I thought you would know all of that. You weren¡¯t sure, but you must have felt that I was helping you. I was making it obvious, too.


    ¡®She¡¯s really cooperating.¡¯


    It was nice to hear her talking like a rapid-fire gun. It seemed that I wasn¡¯t the only one who needed this conversation and that she¡¯d waited as long as I had.


    What she was saying was hard to understand, though, because she kept talking recklessly, which wasn¡¯t like her.


    I tried to tell her to speak slowly for a moment, but she took a deep breath and continued before I could intervene.


    -In conclusion, I don¡¯t know the details of the bet.


    ¡°What?¡±


    -I¡¯m not even sure about this. I have some predictions, but I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s right for me to tell you this or not. So I can¡¯t say any more.


    ¡°You still¡­¡±


    -No. Of course, I was angry. It¡¯s true that I acted because I wanted them to pay the price for daring to touch what¡¯s mine, but my interest in youing back here is even more important than that. I know there was a contract between you and Lucifer, and I also know that you had to erase your memories because of that. Considering those two facts, I expected it would be necessary to earn divinity because there was a need for expedients.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -That¡¯s why I made this dungeon. The Continent Where the Son of Light Was Sacrificed wasn¡¯t made out of impulse. It has been designed to give you the highest profit possible rtive to the amount you invested. It may seem like I¡¯m simply following your story, but the process of creating a structure that can provide high returns wasn¡¯t easy.


    ¡°I am thankful for that, but¡­ is that really all?¡±


    -Why are you asking the obvious? I was going to blow it up if it had proved to be a mistake.


    ¡®I¡¯m d it didn¡¯t. Really.¡¯


    The timing didn¡¯t seem right, but the result wasn¡¯t bad.


    I was reassured enough that she was earning a lot above everything else. The n hadn¡¯t gone wrong, after all.


    Perhaps the reason Lee Jihye had reached out her hand was that she knew I was already on the move.


    ¡°What do you mean you can¡¯t tell me?¡±


    -Doing so would risk changing the future. That¡¯s what I¡¯m wary of. Won¡¯t that be a variable?


    ¡®I see.¡¯


    -We brought Raphael to our side for a reason.


    ¡°He was with you?¡±


    -Yeah. In my personal opinion, he¡¯s also a variable. He¡¯s full of energy, but he¡¯s too emotional and easily swept away. I didn¡¯t want to leave him alone. I thought he would ruin things ahead of time¡­


    I pondered about it for a while, but I thought that my choice was right.


    ¡®He¡¯s a little¡­ yes, she¡¯s right¡­¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t find a more appropriate word than that. If she had left him alone, he would have caused some big ident somewhere.


    I quietly looked at Lee Jihye, who was sitting on the desk and talking.


    Cho Hyejin was with Sun Hee-young and Kasugano, who were both ncing at the spear. Perhaps they were expressing their desire to have a conversation with me.


    I would have loved to talk with them if I got the chance, but I wasn¡¯t sure that would be possible. I didn¡¯t know when the connection would end.


    ¡®I don¡¯t think she¡¯s lying.¡¯


    She was probably trying to be as close to the truth as she could with her words. There was no reason for her to do the opposite.


    Perhaps all of her actions were focused on avoiding and preventing as many variables as possible.


    It had to be due to the fact that she was convinced that if it were left as she¡¯d designed, or more precisely, as we had designed, she would get good results.


    ¡®Okay. I can understand that too.¡¯


    But how long did I have to go without knowing?


    We were already running toward the end. I could have endured it in the middle of the process but at this point¡­


    ¡®I have to know.¡¯


    ¡°I think I should know, Jihye.¡±


    -I thought you would say that. That¡¯s who you are.


    ¡°If you¡¯re worried, you don¡¯t have to tell me everything, but I think I should know what kind of picture you¡¯ve been painting and exactly what Yuno Kasugano has been witnessing.¡±


    -Is there anything else you¡¯d like to know? Like the scene where you¡¯re resurrected, perhaps.


    ¡°So you¡¯re telling me that I¡¯ll return.¡±


    -If I hadn¡¯t seen that, I wouldn¡¯t be suffering like this.


    ¡°But it¡¯s not just that. There¡¯s more you can tell me.¡±


    How I returned was more important.


    I was worried about creating a variable, but beyond that, the fear of not knowing anything was greater.


    As she said, it wasn¡¯t because I was a control freak, but because I was worried about how this story might end.


    Lee Jihye quietly wrapped her scarf around her neck.


    -Don¡¯t get agitated.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    -To be honest, even I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m doing the right thing. But if it were you, if you¡¯de this far, you¡¯d probably want to know at any cost. Even if I weren¡¯t here, you would have known anyway.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -So. Don¡¯t do anything reckless after hearing this.


    ¡°And that¡¯s¡­?¡±


    -Kim Hyunsung will die.


    ¡°What?¡±


    -Kim Hyunsung will die in your ce.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -That¡¯s all I can tell you so far. You¡¯ll be able to learn the rest on your own. Again, there is no other future. Kim Hyunsung will die.


    ¡®Why say it three times?¡¯


    When I unconsciously turned my gaze, I saw Kim Hyunsung. He was crying, his wings spread out while holding my ruined corpse.


    The others¡¯ heads had been blown around, perhaps by the attack from their sole invader.


    An explosion echoed with a loud bang as attacks poured in from all directions.


    Kim Hyunsung covered the corpse with his body and held back his tears.


    In the rain of arrows and magic, he quietly spread his wings and swung his sword. Their surroundings exploded once more. At that moment, Kim Hyunsung raised his sword towards humanity.


    He had probably decided on it already.


    ¡°Why would he die?¡±

 Chapter 860: The Last (93)

    <h4>Chapter 860: The Last (93)</h4>


    My first thought was that Lee Jihye might want to get rid of Kim Hyunsung.


    Lee Jihye had kept Kim Hyunsung in check until now, and she had expressed it unknowingly.


    Assuming that Kim Hyunsung bing our enemy was also¡­


    ¡®Her doing.¡®


    Many factors made her dislike Kim Hyunsung.


    He had irreceable force, and there was no choice but to hold him responsible for turning me into a rag and killing me in the first ce.


    Jihye and I had the personality to forget about grace, but we never forgot about our grudges.


    It made sense to have this kind of build-up ready if she thought he had to pay for his actions anyway.


    Before deciding whether it was reasonable or not, such thoughts continued to run through my head.


    It was then that I heard Jihye¡¯s voice.


    -I¡¯m asking just in case, but you don¡¯t think I¡¯m nning something, do you?


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -Of course. I feel like the situation isn¡¯t bad, but please know that I have no reason to do so. I wouldn¡¯t want to turn oppa into an enemy. I¡¯m a person great enough to respond to all sorts of things. I know that Kim Hyunsung is important, but Lee Kiyoung is more important to me. That left me no option but to design the n with him as a priority.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    -I have the ability to lead the situation, but not the ability to change it. I haven¡¯t tried, but that doesn¡¯t really mean anything. No matter how many times I see it, tens or hundreds of times, the future remains the same. It is quite natural to say that I was able to arrive at one conclusion.


    ¡°A conclusion that this is the right future?¡±


    -This is the correct answer. You erased your memory because you didn¡¯t want to change this future. To block the possibility of heading to another future.


    That was convincing. The circumstances that had made her think that way were understandable.


    In fact, she should have thought so. If I had been in Lee Jihye¡¯s position, I would¡¯ve done the same and made the same decisions.


    She¡¯d started the game, knowing I would want to rule out variables.


    If the future with all impurities removed meant Kim Hyunsung¡¯s death, there was room to allow that it was the correct answer.


    Maybe¡­


    ¡®That¡¯s what happened.¡¯


    Of course, there was still some time left until I could be sure that this was the correct answer, but I thought the possibility was high given the situation.


    It was quite usible. If I¡¯d had the memory, I would never have gambled in favor of Kim Hyunsung¡¯s death.


    Recalling how he was a little shaken when the Seraphim¡¯s sword once raged at him¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s even more so the case now.¡¯


    Lee Kiyoung had erased his memories himself.


    -You thought you were a variable.


    ¡°Maybe¡­¡±


    -You couldn¡¯t even trust yourself. You must have been unable to maintain yourposure. That¡¯s how I judged it. I decided based on the fear of ruining the future you had designed. I¡¯m certain of my judgment, but am I wrong?


    ¡°Why did you tell me this?¡±


    -I told you before. You¡¯ll find out someday¡­ and I didn¡¯t want to be the object of your resentment. Maybe it¡¯s also because I¡¯m convinced that the future won¡¯t change no matter how hard I try. I¡¯vee too far already. Stepping on the brakes or turning the steering wheel will no longer allow me to avoid it.


    ¡®It¡¯s already right in front of you.¡¯


    -But looking at your reaction, I think I shouldn¡¯t have told you.


    She was talking while stroking the spear.


    Her stare at it held no emotions, leaving me clueless about what she was thinking.


    Of course, she wasn¡¯t concerned about Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡®She¡¯s cold because he¡¯s not one of her people.¡¯


    Perhaps, if Ha Yeon-soo had been in Kim Hyunsung¡¯s position, she would have turned red and made a fuss about it.


    -Don¡¯t think I¡¯m too cold. Isn¡¯t there a way? There¡¯s really no chance you¡¯d gamble with killing Kim Hyunsung. Actually, I think you had insurance. Of course, you¡¯re doing something bad to him, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s enough to force him to give up his life. Considering you threw the dice with confidence, there must be something there.


    ¡°That¡¯s not wrong either. You¡¯re right. The problem is that I don¡¯t know what insurance is. I don¡¯t even know anything about it.¡±


    Of course, that didn¡¯t mean something didn¡¯te to mind. In fact, a hypothesis came to mind as soon as I heard Lee Jihye¡¯s words.


    ¡®The bet¡¯s reward may not be Lee Kiyoung¡¯s resurrection.¡¯


    There was a possibility that it was Kim Hyunsung¡¯s resurrection.


    The content of the bet might be different from what I thought. Had it always been like that in the first ce?


    ¡°Does that mean he¡¯s sacrificing himself to die for me?¡±


    -Yes. Yuno Kasugano saw him fade away, and you opened your eyes. Given the circumstances, it would be correct to say that he saved you, right?


    The content of the bet could be whether Kim Hyunsung would sacrifice himself to save me or not.


    ¡°It might not be your resurrection we¡¯re gathering divinity for right now, but his.¡±


    -I¡¯m not going to make any hasty decisions. I¡¯ll just leave it to you. My head hurts too much to think about this.


    ¡°No. This is probably right¡­ Yeah, that makes sense. There are a few things that are bothering me, but¡­ there is a high probability that this is the correct path. Even if my n fails, there may still be a way to save him through Lucifer.¡±


    -It¡¯s risky to call in that insurance. In any case, there is one thing we can do.


    ¡°Drag this as much as we can?¡±


    -Yeah. Exactly.


    It wasn¡¯t that I wasn¡¯t nervous, but I was in a situation where I had to force myself tough.


    If I didn¡¯t keep running the happiness circuit, my mouth would dry out with nervousness.


    ¡®This is right.¡¯


    The God of Sunset would return anyway.


    Where else could there be such a miracle? It was also a perfect picture for the narrative, and there was nothing toin about. The insurance was also well prepared¡­


    But, fuck, I was worried. It couldn¡¯t go this way. It really couldn¡¯t.


    ¡®At this point?¡¯


    I had to think of another way. It wouldn¡¯t be toote to fix it after it happened.


    I just had to take a few more deep breaths, check again, and think of the number of cases one by one.


    I felt like my hands were shaking. My breathing kept getting faster, and my heart seemed to be pounding.


    It was hard to keep my sanity with the cold sweat and the feeling that I would faint anytime, but peace permeated through me as I slowly touched my eyes.


    ¡®There¡¯s no way I would abandon him.¡¯


    There was no way I would abandon the regressor whom I raised with all my care. If I were going to abandon him like this, I wouldn¡¯t have used him in the first ce.


    I even got the mythic-grade Regressor Instructor¡¯s Manual for him.


    It wouldn¡¯t be exaggerating to say that I had thrown away more than half of what I had gained since I came to the continent.


    I couldn¡¯t help but think that my past self must have had insurance for himself, not just for Kim Hyunsung¡¯s safety but also for Lee Kiyoung¡¯s own sake.


    My breath stabilized, and I smiled slowly. I felt like I was now in a state where I could make rational decisions as usual.


    An indescribable pleasure wandered through my brain, which was sending danger signals. So much so that it became blurry for a moment.


    ¡®Now I¡¯m calm.¡¯


    ¡°I think it¡¯s ready. Jihye?¡±


    -Oh, I¡¯ll add one more use to my demands. Maybe it would be better for you to go to counseling with me.


    ¡°I think you need it. You probably feel it¡¯s embarrassing to go alone¡­ It¡¯s nothing to be ashamed of at all. Of course I¡¯ll go with you, Jihye.¡±


    -¡­


    Once again, I turned my gaze to Kim Hyunsung.


    -Then it¡¯s time to work.


    I saw him wielding his sword numbly, with tears continuing to flow from his eyes.


    At first nce, that scene could lead to misunderstanding. Our Hyunsung had be the enemy of mankind and was raising his sword against them. Anyone would think that upon witnessing it.


    However, there was a postwar situation. The people had to see it.


    In fact, it did require editing in several ways.


    -Aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!!


    -Sunset Swordsman, What the hell¡­ are you doing¡­?


    -Save¡­ Save¡­ me¡­ it¡¯s a monster¡­ a monster¡­


    -Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!


    ¨C I apologize. We¡­ We were wrong¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­


    -Fight him. He¡¯s a human in the end! He¡¯s no different from us.


    ¡®Actually, no. He can¡¯t be called human at this point.¡¯


    There was a feeling that the method was too cruel. It was hard to describe because it seemed like he would inflict the worst pain on all those involved.


    The red colors continued to pop out in all directions, and the screams didn¡¯t stop, reaching the point where it looked like hell even to me.


    In the meantime, the sunset light did not fade.


    It could mean that he hadpletely escaped from Lucifer, but perhaps it also meant that he was making this choice as the God of Sunset.


    Maybe I was right.


    ¡®But it¡¯s okay. I can understand.¡¯


    Perhaps even the continental people would understand it enough.


    If they looked at Lee Kiyoung¡¯s ruined corpse, they would probably realize and sympathize with the Sunset Swordsman¡¯s anger.


    ¡®I¡¯ll have to cast this in Laios.¡¯


    Hayan shouldn¡¯t see this.


    Director Lee Jihye and Camera Director Ronove wouldn¡¯t have to exin everything.


    Not surprisingly, arge Goddess¡¯ Mirror floated across the continent.


    The corpse of the Honorary Cardinal,pletely destroyed, was in the New Continental Protection and Management Committee.


    The Sunset Swordsman gritted his teeth as his tears flowed, his sword in his hand.


    -Why¡­?


    -¡­


    -Why are you doing this? Why? Why?


    -¡­


    ¨C He loved you all.


    -¡­


    ¨C He loved you more than anything else.


    -¡­


    -What the hell is wrong with you people¡­? Why can¡¯t you leave him alone? Why did you have to vite him like this? He¡¯s the one who sacrificed everything. He didn¡¯t spare himself even at the moment of his death¡­ Why¡­? Why did you have to do this? Did you have to take everything? Motherfuckers. You fucking bastards!


    -Please¡­ let¡­ me live.


    -He¡¯ll say he can forgive you. He¡¯ll say that it¡¯s okay, it¡¯s meaningless, and he can give it all away¡­ he¡¯s always been like that. But I can¡¯t forgive you. I can¡¯t possibly forgive you. I know this will make Kiyoung sad. I know I¡¯m doing the unforgivable, but I don¡¯t think I can forgive any of you.


    -¡­


    -No matter how many times I think about it¡­


    I¡¯d felt it a while ago, but he looked like a half-crazy person.


    The scene was so dark that I no longer knew if this would work positively anymore.


    There were probably many people who would be scared after seeing this.


    Whatever the circumstances, there would certainly be those puzzled by the inhumanity that Kim Hyunsung was showing now.


    However¡­


    ¡®Fear is also faith.¡¯


    Not only admiration for gods but also fear of them could be considered faith.


    Maybe even more effective than admiration. To be honest, I couldn¡¯t even think of any difference between them.


    Perhaps the guy who was moving now knew it best.


    -Why don¡¯t you recognize it, God of Sunset?


    -¡­


    -Why can¡¯t you understand, oh god?¡±


    Grabbing one of his eyes, he stepped forward¡­


    ¡­Onto the stage.

 Chapter 861: The Last (94)

    <h4>Chapter 861: The Last (94)</h4>


    How they appeared in public was the most important thing for all viins.


    Personally, I thought the first impression one made was more important than the process or result.


    Through it, a character¡¯s identity could be seen clearly, showing how vicious, evil, dangerous and cruel the bastard was. Especially in our Song Viin¡¯s case, it had to be considered even more of a priority.


    That scene alone had revealed his duality, after all.


    To be honest, it wasn¡¯t overwhelmingly obvious from his external appearance, but that was his identity. He pretended to be a saint, crying out that he would create a world for the continent and for the weak, but in reality, he was trying to satisfy his own selfishness and greed.


    Simply put, this was a ck screen.


    Everyone probably thought that he was a descendant of the Son of Light.


    I was certain many of his followers thought of him as such.


    ¡®The descendant of the Son of Light.¡¯


    The new hope for the continent.


    ¡®The legacy of the Lee Kiyoung.¡¯


    They might have thought of him as the new partner of the God of Sunset.


    Even if he wasn¡¯t, many people talked like that due to his maniption of public opinion.


    Of course, this wasn¡¯t to dismiss those who had such sphemous thoughts.


    The public didn¡¯t like sudden changes, which was why they would understand.


    With the Sunset Swordsman and the Honorary Cardinal, they were able to protect the continent.


    Trying to rece the deceased Lee Kiyoung with him was probably more of an act of instinct.


    It was the same as children finding it more reassuring to have two parents than one in most cases.


    That was how hard they would¡¯ve tried to look for me in him.


    Song Sookyung of the New Continental Protection and Management Committee being the descendant of the Son of Light was basically the public brainwashing themselves to feel safe.


    That was why the video clip I was showing them right now was important. It had amplified public expectations. This was the scene where the guy broke through the Son of Light.


    -Oh God¡­


    -Son of Light¡­ What in the world is this¡­?


    Some quietly looked at the sky, speechless. There were also priests shedding tears.


    They were rubbing their eyes as if they couldn¡¯t believe what they¡¯d just witnessed. Fearful trembles and vomiting ran rampant through the viewers.


    It was shocking enough even for me to see Song Sookyung blushing as he painted the room in red.


    -That¡¯s sphemy.


    When he lifted the glowing sphere, I saw the crowd despair.


    -You will be punished. Yes, you will be punished, Son of light. Son of Light¡­


    -Benignore, please punish that demon¡­


    He took my corpse¡¯s heart out as he frugally cared for his greed. It was certainly spectacr. It had to have been difficult to find the image of the former Honorary Cardinal in my body after it fell to the ground, dirty and messy.


    Everyone already knew how the Son of Light looked because of Kim Hyunsung, but the process was probably a more tragic and desperate scene than they had imagined.


    Even Pope Basel staggered and swallowed hard because of it.


    The leader of the State was shedding tears as if in disbelief.


    Many people who remembered the Saint of Light¡¯s smile, innocence, and warmth denied what their own eyes were witnessing.


    -Ha¡­ haha¡­


    Standing in front of the Goddess¡¯s Mirror, which revealed only the truth, Song Sookyung gave an awkwardugh.


    His eyes shone.


    The light that had always lit the world no longer illuminated the continent.


    ¡®This is definitely a huge matter.¡¯


    He began to move.


    ¡®I¡¯m certain of it.¡¯


    Hyunsung¡¯s visible image was a little disappointing, but what could I do? It was unavoidable.


    Actually, it would have been better if he had hesitated a little more. Still, there was room to defend the scene he was making now.


    Among the people of the continent, few were unaware of how close the God of Sunset and the Son of Light were. He had every right to be angry.


    The eyes Lee Kiyoung had gotten from his bond with him were stolen, after all.


    Of course, some of the lines had to be filtered, but he would understand. The public was on the side of the light.


    Song Sookyung continued to walk. Director Belial continued to shine on Song Sookyung. With one of his eyes lit, he pulled out two pairs of wings.


    -Why¡­ Why can¡¯t you understand?


    Red wings bloomed behind the man as he continued to mutter angrily.


    Director Belial. Good effect. Watching him walk slowly and transform like that had an amazing impact. Whose idea was it?


    -Ah¡­ Aaaaah!


    It looked like he was in pain. He grabbed my corpse and shook it, causing blood to drip from the empty eye socket.


    ¡®It definitely feels full of bloodlust, but it looks cool. Things like that are needed.¡¯


    Even as the red fluid dripped from his back, he didn¡¯t stop.


    The scene was bizarre and evoked a primal fear that couldn¡¯t be exined.


    It wouldn¡¯t be unreasonable for many to frown at it.


    -What do Ick? What the hell do I have to do to stop being rejected? Sniff¡­ sniff¡­


    ¡®That¡¯s really creepy, though.¡¯


    Perhaps Kim Hyunsung felt it too because the energy emanating from within him was too ominous to be simply human.


    Just when I thought of keeping the picture of them both meeting on the ruins of a building nowpletely destroyed¡­


    Boooooooooom!!!


    With a loud sound, Kim Hyunsung broke through the outer wall.


    Kim Hyusung grabbed Song Sookyung¡¯s neck before he could say anything and threw him against the wall.


    -You¡­ You motherfucker! You scum bastard!


    -Sniff¡­ sniff¡­


    While they had flown away entangled with each other, Kim Hyunsung cursed, and Song Sookyung burst into tears, seemingly unable to stand it.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!!! Boooooom!!!


    Song Sookyung continued to get mmed against the wall, and Kim Hyunsung, who was grabbing the guy¡¯s neck, arrived at the shrine made for him.


    ces that had copsed due to that shock.


    -You¡¯re not even human! Motherfucker!


    The God of Sunset didn¡¯t unsheathe his sword. He simply continued to swing his fists at him.


    He was different from before. Even his punches seemed unconventional. He wasn¡¯t trying to knock down the opponent. He was exerting violence that seemed to regurgitate the anger and resentment inside him.


    -Sniff¡­ sniff¡­


    -Shut up! Shut up, bastard!


    Boooooooooooooooooooom!!


    -You disgusting motherfucker!


    It didn¡¯t look like he was trying to kill him quickly.


    Crash! Craaaack!


    In the meantime, seeing that he was beating one eye without touching the other, it seemed that he was still rational. I was rather concerned about the well-being of Song Sookyung, who had been exposed to that indiscriminate violence.


    ¡®Director Belial. Did you seed in strengthening Song Sookyung? I hope you did, considering he¡¯s being hit too hard right now.¡¯


    The shape of his face was gradually changing.


    ¡®It can¡¯t end like this.¡¯


    He had to at least fight back. I had even given him wings for it.


    -Sigh¡­ Sigh¡­


    That was when Kim Hyunsung, who had gained some reason, reached out to his eye.


    Song Sookyung¡¯s hand grabbed Kim Hyunsung¡¯s wrist.


    It looked like his head had beenpletely smashed, but his body still moved.


    The process of returning to his original form was grotesque, but that onlysted for a brief moment. The man quickly spoke, his expression filled with sanity.


    -That¡¯s¡­ mine.


    -What?


    -It¡¯s mine now, God of Sunset.


    -You bastard!


    -Why can¡¯t you understand¡­? Why¡­?


    Booom!!


    With that sound, the red wings pushed Kim Hyunsung away.


    -Howe you can¡¯t understand my will to save the continent and my will to stand by your side¡­ sniff¡­


    -I¡¯m not interested in that, motherfucker.


    -I just wanted to protect this ce by eliminating its crisis. I just wanted to clear the dungeon of the continent you¡¯re trying to defend. One of its clearing conditions, the resurrection of the Son of Light¡­ I was trying to make it happen.


    -¡­


    -All of that was for you, God of Sunset. I just wanted to make you moreplete. Sniff¡­ Why are you rejecting me? Why are you ignoring my pure faith and belief? Why are you trying to harm me¡­? Because of my will to take the ce of the Son of Light? Even to the point of killing me¡­ Why¡­? Sniff¡­ sniff¡­


    -Crazy bastard¡­


    It was just as Kim Hyunsung had said.


    ¡®That idiot really has gone crazy.¡¯


    Seriously, how did hee to his senses when the demon was determined to control his mind?


    Still, seeing that he¡¯d assimted so well and there was no hesitation, it seemed that this was his vocation, but I still thought he¡¯d gonepletely nuts even considering all that.


    Did he really know what he was talking about right now?


    It was as if basic logic had beenpletely erased from his mind, and he could only hear his own voice. It was as if he werepletely trapped in his own frame.


    His eyes were no longer even focused. They just spun around ceaselessly now.


    -If that is what the God of Sunset wants, I will dly ept it. If that¡¯s what you want¡­ if it¡¯s to pour out resentment and anger at me, I¡¯m willing¡­ to endure it for the rest of my life. Happily so. But¡­ But don¡¯t deny my faith and belief in you¡­


    -You crazy bastard! Shut up! Son of a bitch! Why the hell are you doing this to me? Son of a bitch! What kind of bullshit is this God of Sunset concept all about?! I¡¯m the object of faith and belief?! Shut up, son of a bitch!


    Kim Hyunsung grabbed the guy¡¯s hair and threw him on the floor.


    -Aaah. You are not yetplete¡­ but don¡¯t worry¡­ I can fill your shorings. Yes. If this fills your shorings, I will dly¡­


    -Shit! Shit! What kind of bullshit¡­


    Kim Hyunsung looked nervous. Naturally, I thought I would be able to figure out his true nature.


    Maybe it was the anxiety that this incident might have happened because of him.


    He¡¯d listened to Song Viin¡¯s bullshit, probably because he¡¯d noticed that that crazy guy had a strange kind of obsession with him.


    -Why¡­


    With an indescribably bizarre expression, Song Sookyung replied with a smile.


    -Didn¡¯t you save me?


    ¡®Fuck. That¡¯s creepy.¡¯


    -Didn¡¯t the Messiah save me in the past?


    ¡®Gosh, this bastard is really creepy.¡¯


    -Don¡¯t you¡­ remember it?


    What should I do? Why did that insane stalker expect the Sunset Swordsman to remember that?

 Chapter 862: The Last (95)

    <h4>Chapter 862: The Last (95)</h4>


    ¡®How can he remember that, you idiot?¡¯


    How could Hyunsung remember him when he had already saved so many people?


    Thousands of thousands of people would appear if he assembled all the beings he had helped before.


    ¡®Honestly, if I asked what you did years ago, would you be able to answer, you psycho bastard? For him, saving people is his everyday life.¡¯


    That was right.


    ¡°That was his everyday life¡­¡±


    It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration. To Kim Hyunsung, saving someone was a daily routine.


    Whether the action was voluntary, intentional, or unconscious, that fact didn¡¯t change.


    During the tutorial and after that, he protected multiple individuals from harm.


    There were times when he was away from me, so there must have been many other cases besides those I had seen.


    He wasn¡¯t cold enough to pretend he didn¡¯t see those who were in crisis, after all, especially since he carried a responsibility no one else ever had.


    Perhaps it was the influence of the benefactor he met in the first round, but I really couldn¡¯t assess him since I didn¡¯t know what Kim Hyunsung was thinking whenever he gave a helping hand to others¡­


    Hence, it was way more appropriate to say that it was his everyday life.


    It might not have been an act with good intentions, but the result didn¡¯t change regardless of the reason.


    Of course, he probably didn¡¯t attach much meaning to his actions.


    So maybe that was why he was confused right now. He thought that the consequences of his actions had turned for the worst.


    -Ah¡­


    -Didn¡¯t you save me? The God of Sunset saved my life and my soul. From that day on, my life¡­ becamepletely different from before. Your helping hand has allowed me to go this far, God of Sunset. It was all thanks to you. Do you remember?


    ¡®Come on, how could he remember that, bastard? Don¡¯t pretend to be close by making up some kind of link. You¡¯re not that memorable. He doesn¡¯t remember others¡¯ faces and names.¡¯


    Song Sookyung, who continued to talk about a topic I couldn¡¯t quite understand, was also a problem, but in fact, I was more worried about Hyunsung than the viin. After all, I could already guess what he was thinking.


    He was probably already ming himself. This time, too, he probably thought this was happening because of him, that he had done something he shouldn¡¯t have.


    He might feel disillusioned with the very act of helping someone he couldn¡¯t even remember.


    He was now angry at himself, others, and the malice of the world.


    -D-Don¡¯t be ridiculous!


    -It¡¯s true. I wouldn¡¯t lie to you.


    -Stop this insanity, bastard! Stop bullshitting me!


    -At that time, you were really¡­


    -Son of a bitch!


    Raising his sword, Kim Hyunsung swung it at him.


    Its red sh sliced off his arm at a speed that was hard to follow with the naked eye, but it didn¡¯t seem like such a meaningful move.


    Bizzare red lines wove together on the open wound and held his arm up before it could fall to the ground.


    He was already in a state where he couldn¡¯t be called human.


    -What¡­ What are you? Why¡­?


    -¡­


    -What the hell are you, you damn monster?! What the hell¡­? You came out of nowhere¡­


    -Didn¡¯t I tell you? My name is Song Sookyung. I am your first follower, and I decided to serve you when you saved me that day. Everything you see now, I prepared for you.


    -Crazy bastard¡­ Crazy bastard!


    Boom! Boom!!! Boooom!! Booooooooooooom!!!


    Kim Hyunsung swiftly swung his weapon multiple times as if to deny the guy¡¯s existence, but the red magic floating around his body blocked his attacks.


    The God of Sunset then appeared behind him in an instant and tried to hit him on the head again, but the red magic still defended the Song Viin.


    Their powers colliding was enough to cause a huge noise to explode in all directions.


    Watching it with my own two eyes was already exciting, yet it was even livelier in Director Ro¡¯s camera work.


    Drawing a circle with a camera focusing on Kim Hyunsung and Song Sookyung, the view zoomed in whenever they shed. She was really good at catching things like that, probably because she was a demon.


    The handsome regressor¡¯s tears flowing down were shown.


    It showed, in slow motion, the image of his kick half-floating in the air before the tears even fell to the ground. It wasn¡¯t shy, but we had to keep showing his sophisticated sword skills.


    Yes, that one. We couldn¡¯t miss that. We had to catch his facial expressions as well.


    ¡®He¡¯s handsome indeed. Really.¡¯


    Contrary to Kim Hyunsung¡¯s desperate feeling, what he was showing now was jaw-dropping.


    ¡®He¡¯s the main character.¡¯


    This was what happened when the right character was disyed with the right camera angles.


    I felt bad for him, but his desperate face just suited the mood of the y so well.


    It hadn¡¯t been long since we started, but they had already crossed the break-even point.


    Even my hands were sweating while watching it, so I could only imagine what other people thought.


    It was obvious. They wouldn¡¯t just be sweating. They had to be crying and screaming and were probably praying with their hearts pounding for every action Hyunsung took.


    Otherwise, the divinity that was nowing in would be inexplicable.


    -Die, you son of a bitch!


    I¡¯d gotten so absorbed by it that I couldn¡¯t even breathe properly.


    Craaaash! Boooooooom!!


    -You are notplete.


    I hated to admit it, but the appearance of a standard viin was also one of the things that had got me so hooked.


    His red magic, which had begun to take shape, took the form of various monsters. Though, I didn¡¯t know if I should call them monsters.


    They looked more like unidentified creatures rather than the monsters we knew.


    There was a beast with limbs attached randomly and another with a face filled with thousands of eyes. Monsters of all sizes and shapes divided or changed shapes, taking their ces on the temple¡¯s ruins.


    Personally, I wanted to apud Song Sookyung for his good taste. His physical abilities would have limitations no matter how much he strengthened himself anyway, so it would¡¯ve been the best option to go in that direction.


    The monsters were multiplying into hundreds, no, thousands of individuals.


    Some of them even took root and covered the temple, making it look like hell.


    Red slime, tentacles, and strangely shaped beings piled up on each other to create a bizarre-looking building.


    On top of the ruins, he oveid his own temple.


    ¡®Fuck¡­ That visual¡­¡¯


    Among them, Song Sookyung with red wings was frankly¡­


    ¡®He looks like a real demon.¡¯


    -Come on! Come on, show me! Your power! Your greatness!


    ¡®Even his lines are filled with malice. Who could sanely say a line like that?¡¯


    They were actions that only Song Sookyung could do.


    -Show me how strong and perfect you are, how noble and holy, how sublime your light is! Yes, just like back then! Like back then, when I¡­


    -You bastard¡­ son of a bitch! I don¡¯t care about what you¡¯re talking about.


    I saw the beasts being split into dozens as Hyunsung ripped through them.


    One of the monsters tried to grab Kim Hyunsung¡¯s back, swinging his huge arms, but he was soon sliced into four and thrown backward.


    A huge tail soon passed by Kim Hyunsung¡¯s side, and as soon as he stepped on it, dozens of small individuals surrounded him. However, with a swing of his sword, the glow of the sunset shed, obliterating them piece by piece.


    -Keeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!


    -Keeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!


    ¡®That¡¯s a new skill.¡¯


    I guessed he could divide his huge blow, which required charging, into small amounts.


    Boooooooom!!


    Whenever the sunset light shone, the beasts scattered with both loud and faint sounds.


    Huge tentacles soon protruded from the bizarre structure that had encroached on the temple and rushed Kim Hyunsung. However¡­


    ¡®How did you avoid that?¡¯


    ¡°He¡¯s really great.¡±


    I found no space to escape from that predicament, but he had still found a way, and after spreading his wings, I could see him running toward the gap.


    Some were unavoidable, forcing him to use his sword, but he dodged most of them. He not only flew around and destroyed those that blocked him, but he even stepped on the ones fallen on the floor to boost himself up.


    Boooooooooooom!!


    -Keeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!


    -God of Sunset¡­


    I was lucky, being able to watch that scene from multiple perspectives.


    The people of the continent would also be watching with their mouths open. Where could they watch this for free? I could be sure that they would be more surprised if they knew the truth.


    Considering Song Sookyung had my eyes, I could fathom Hyunsung¡¯s power even less now.


    ¡®That¡¯s crazy.¡¯


    The Song Viin was probably looking at Kim Hyunsung¡¯s view.


    It might not be perfect, but maybe he knew in advance what he was thinking and where he was heading.


    Surprisingly, he still couldn¡¯t stop Kim Hyunsung, even though having my eyes was the same as having the map revealed and then engaging in a strategy simtion game where he could see the enemy¡¯s future movements.


    He was already showing skills that went beyondmon sense, shocking me even more.


    No words needed to be said, considering he was destroying all of the demons with his physical abilities alone.


    -You are amazing, after all. Haha¡­ Messiah!


    -Shut up, bastard! Give it up. Give it to me!


    Did he not have enough influence over my skill? Was it because he wasn¡¯t yet proficient enough to limit his actions?


    Booooooooooooom!!!


    -You¡¯re still iplete but don¡¯t worry. I willplete you. In the ce of that ugly and filthy Son of Light, I will make you whole. I mean, Lee Kiyoung. He was your obstacle, but I¡¯m different. I will never stand in your way.


    ¡®You¡¯re blocking him right now, though.¡¯


    -Don¡¯t say his name! You disgusting bastard!


    -Why?


    -Don¡¯t disgrace him! What do you think you know, you son of a bitch? Don¡¯t talk like you know the story.


    -Can¡¯t you see yourself now?


    -¡­


    -Weak, ugly, useless. He made you weak. He imprisoned and oppressed you from realizing your full potential. It didn¡¯t matter how he looked from the outside. He was always making the wrong choice for you. You are an object of faith. You¡­


    -Don¡¯t force your bullshit on me. I¡¯m not a god. I¡¯m a human, and I will live as one!


    -You know that¡¯s impossible, don¡¯t you? I can see it.


    -¡­


    -You feel different from before, for you are holding divinity within you. That shows how powerful and great the God of Sunset ispared to those foolish mortals. My belief in you wasn¡¯t wrong, and I feel that way even more now.


    -Those eyes are not yours.


    -Now¡­


    -Give me back those eyes, you son of a bitch. Give them back to him!


    -¡­


    ¨C What¡¯s left of me now¡­


    -¡­


    Kim Hyunsung took hold of his trembling hands, twisting his face strangely, and spoke.


    -Now¡­ These are all that¡¯s left of him.


    It made him look all the more miserable.

 Chapter 863: The Last (96)

    <h4>Chapter 863: The Last (96)</h4>


    -That¡¯s all that¡¯s left.


    ¡®No, what do you mean? There are many more than that.¡¯


    -Just give it to me.


    -¡­


    -Give it up, you disgusting bastard!


    ¡®And why are you cursing so much? You should be more careful with your words.¡¯


    -All I have left is¡­


    ¡®But what should I do? He really thinks that.¡¯


    Still, I thought I understood why Kim Hyunsung had said such a thing.


    ¡®The third round?¡¯


    I guessed he had really made up his mind.


    He hadn¡¯t told me his ns, but it was obvious what he was thinking.


    Perhaps he thought I wouldn¡¯t carry a heavy load on the third try since he would no longer share the burden with me.


    If the third round really started as Kim Hyunsung thought, maybe I wouldn¡¯t be able to meet him.


    I didn¡¯t know if I would retain my memory or not, but Kim Hyunsung would definitely try to avoid me either way. He seemed to be thinking of carrying all the weight by himself.


    His absurd n for the third round was based on the basic premise that we wouldn¡¯te across each other in the beginning, even in the tutorial.


    ¡®Really?¡¯


    And probably the dungeon exploration.


    ¡®Are you nning on doing everything alone?¡¯


    He most likely wouldn¡¯t join the guild in the third round, either.


    ¡®You¡¯re thinking of abandoning the Blue Guild too, which means you¡¯ll fight without power. That¡¯s funny. Do you think it¡¯s possible to handle everything yourself?¡¯


    The State Revolution and¡­


    ¡®How are you going to win in the Republic War? What will happen to the Twenty-Seventh Corps incident? How will you respond to the changed future? Can you respond to every minor and major detail?¡¯


    The Eberia incident and the Crack Museum. The Foreign War. He would handle all the battles and events by himself from start to finish.


    I couldn¡¯t say anything. Kim Hyunsung¡¯s thoughts were so unrealistic they made meugh.


    It was impossible. It didn¡¯t matter how much he had grown since the first round. Even if he could regress at his current level, he wouldn¡¯t be able to handle all of it alone while keeping his identity from me.


    However, that stupid bastard seemed to think it was possible.


    ¡®You greedy bastard. You even want to be the hero in the shadows.¡¯


    He was going to take Jin Qing¡¯s position.


    ¡®That¡¯s bullshit.¡¯


    That was so like him since he had always been the type to think he had caused the Saint of Light¡¯s suffering and everything happening on this continent.


    As if he hadn¡¯t existed in the continent back then, he wanted to take responsibility for everything that had happened up to now.


    Of course, that was no easy task.


    Even if Kim Hyunsung was the ideal hero, in my opinion, he was too easily shaken, lonely, timid, and indecisive.


    He was also easy to backstab and was mentally weak. If he got hooked on something, he often rushed in without hesitating, and he had poor financial management skills.


    He was also the type to build a wall to keep himself away from social life, which meant his social skills were low.


    Of course, if this bastard wanted to act as a hero among the shadows, he wouldn¡¯t have to run into anyone else, but he had to have some limit.


    He would know that too.


    He was most likely aware that it was impossible for him to survive the third round the way he wanted to due to his mental capacity.


    I was certain that Hyunsung knew he was moving away from his desired future and would never be happy, that the war would be long and hard, and that he would have to give up everything he had ever had.


    That was why¡­


    ¡®You¡¯ll take the Regressor Instruction Manual. That¡¯s it.¡¯


    Maybe he thought that was the only driving force that would allow him to endure the third round.


    But no, he seemed to intend to use it as the sole constion rather than the driving force.


    Thefort that he wasn¡¯t alone even if his battles restarted once more, the relief that he was connected with his most-trusted person, and the fact that he had something to lean on would be his driving force and shelter.


    ¡®If your aim is rted to the Regressor Instruction Manual anyway¡­ why do you think I won¡¯t find out about it? Are you smart enough to handle that? The Regressor Instruction Manual is mine, not yours. It is irrational to think that there is a way to im it. The Saint of Light knows everything. What makes you think my third-round self won¡¯t know what you did? I don¡¯t know how it will be at first¡­ but eventually, I¡¯ll find out. What you¡¯re trying to take is mine, after all.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t just that.


    ¡®Even if he regresses without it, the connection won¡¯t be broken.¡¯


    Of course, if the regression started while Song Sookyung had what was mine, being anxious about losing the Regressor Instruction Manual would be understandable.


    But there was no denying that it was still a useless worry.


    It was a trait engraved on my soul, not my body, and it is still connected to this day. It wasn¡¯t just an item.


    ¡®I mean, will we regress with it in Song Sookyung¡¯s possession? Probably not.¡¯


    The chances were indescribably slim. It was impossible unless there were errors or bugs.


    ¡°That¡¯s not good. Third round, my ass.¡±


    I¡¯d clearly said there would be no third round.


    That was also a disease. Hyunsung might be thinking that the Regressor Instruction Manual wouldplete him, but it was no different than an alcoholic relying on alcohol.


    It was funny. Hyunsung didn¡¯t realize that it would be a fundamental solution in the end, but he probably also felt a little sad, thinking that there would be nothing else left.


    That he looked so desperate was most likely because he¡¯d had such a thought.


    -Give it back! Give it¡­ back!


    -¡­


    Boooooooooooooom!!!


    Once again, Kim Hyunsung swung his sword against the beasts.


    He was more desperate than before, but his enemies wouldn¡¯t die. Rather, they simply divided or continued to block his path.


    Song Sookyung¡¯s temple was gradually expanding its scope, and when it was enough topletely engulf a city, demons close to the Twenty-Seventh Legion could be seen blocking it.


    Althoughmon and a clich¨¦, it looked like a work of art depicting the epic of an ideal hero fighting to prevent the end of the world.


    The hero shed tears as he fought without rest.


    Even when he got crushed, fell, and became tired, he got up once more and illuminated the darkened hall with the light of the sunset.


    Brighter. Hyunsung continued to shine brighter. Although his purpose itself was somewhat sphemous, his light should reach everyone who was struggling at that moment.


    Everyone was looking at him. It was such an amazing sight that it made them forget to breathe.


    Kim Hyunsung never stopped.


    Perhaps because the continent had received a penalty for failing the event, Kim Hyunsung began to look more nervous than before. Maybe it was because he¡¯d realized that he really didn¡¯t have time now.


    He continued to cut through the monsters, but his gaze remained focused on something else. His purpose was clear, and nothing else mattered.


    Kim Hyunsung soon grabbed his head as he shook it.


    -I said that isn¡¯t yours!


    Song Sookyung began to invade his mind.


    -It is now.


    -No. That¡¯s not your power. You didn¡¯t gain it, and you¡¯re not allowed to touch it. So give it to me. Get out. I told you to get out. Son of a bitch. It wasn¡¯t made for you. Get out of my head, bastard!


    -It¡¯s mine now. No, it doesn¡¯t even matter if it¡¯s not mine. But this force must be used properly. Do you feel it? This power is the key that will make youplete. With this power, you can reach your maximum potential. Didn¡¯t I tell you? Lee Kiyoung made you weak with this power, but I¡¯m different.


    -This ugly monster bastard.


    He continued with the parade of famous lines.


    ¡®He¡¯s going crazy. Look how desperate the people are. Watch our audience cry, Hyunsung.¡¯


    -I can do it for you. I can be him. I can do things he couldn¡¯t.


    -You can never be Kiyoung.


    -No. I can. If I kill myself, I mean. If I can kill myself, I can be equal to him.


    -You¡¯re going to die, either way, scum.


    -It will be a meaningful death. Yes. A very meaningful one. I shall have a glorious and sublime death for this continent! I will take his body and his soul, and I will kill myself, God of Sunset.


    -You¡¯re insane¡­


    He slowly spread his wings and reached out a hand toward the sky.


    The bizarrely shaped tower continued to stretch out with his beckoning.


    Song Sookyung looked up and smiled brightly.


    Kim Hyunsung, too, was looking at the unusual tower, made of tentacles and strange objects, as if it were a symbolic temple.


    He had already seen what was on top of that.


    His face had be more distorted, changing to a more desperate look.


    -It¡¯s not just you. I can beplete too. I will take the Son of Light¡¯s soul and make it mine. I will then be reborn as neither he nor me. I know I¡¯m not enough, but the new being will be different. With him, you¡¯ll truly be reallyplete.


    -¡­


    -You will have no choice but to acknowledge me. In the end, you will understand that I was right all along.


    For the first time, I thought it would be better if he didn¡¯te back to his senses. The circumstances weren¡¯t suitable for filming a pitiful melodrama.


    ¡®Overall, the situation¡¯s a bit exaggerated.¡¯


    It was a little too provocative. However, it was undeniable that it was extremely desirable.


    The Son of Light¡¯s soul was tied to the top of the tower made of disgusting foreign matter. The viinughed at the temple he¡¯d built to take it as the hero struggled to save it.


    Of course, my soul wouldn¡¯t be taken away, but this scene was provocative enough.


    I could tell just by looking at people¡¯s reactions.


    The son of Benignore, who had sacrificed everything, had his body humiliated. And now, his soul was being put at risk.


    The enemy was too strong, and there seemed to be no hope for mankind.


    The swordsman, who they¡¯d thought was their only hope, seemed to be in despair.


    There was no reason not to pray. I saw people crying all over the ce.


    The voices of those cheering with all they had poured into my ears.


    ¡®Please¡­¡¯


    They hoped the sunset hero would win.


    ¡®Please.¡¯


    They hoped nothing would happen to the body and soul of the Son of Light.


    ¡®May the continent, the God of Sunset, and the Son of Light be saved through our faith.¡¯


    They hoped for their little prayers to reach us, begging they would be of help.


    ¡®It¡¯s reaching us, everyone.¡¯


    It had reached us. It was very clear and touching. I would never forget the support they had given me. I looked for the light.


    ¡®Give me the light!¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung spoke.


    ¡°K-Kiyoung¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Kiyoung? Kiyoung¡­ Kiyoung¡­¡±


    I also had to go with the flow.


    I slowly opened my eyes and spoke quietly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ worry about me. Please¡­¡±


    And just like that.


    I felt my body being filled with divinity.


    I felt it pouring over and over again into my very being.


    ¡®I will never forget your great support!¡¯

 Chapter 864

    Chapter 864: The Last (97)


    Their sh looked like a mythical war that would eventually decide the world¡¯s fate.


    Rather than fighting for their beliefs, it looked more like a battle between opponents who had been pushed to the limit. But the sight I saw was more sublime; it gave me an indescribable feeling.


    Everyone was probably thinking that way.


    Some were even left breathless as they looked up at the sky.


    The people cheered for the Sunset Swordsman, and priests offered prayers. The streets just kept getting more and more crowded.


    -It¡¯s not just you. I can beplete too. I will take the Son of Light¡¯s soul and make it mine. I will then be reborn as neither he nor me. I know I¡¯m not enough, but the new being will be different. With him, you¡¯ll truly beplete.


    -...


    -You will have no choice but to acknowledge me. In the end, you will understand that I was right all along.


    When the Son of Light finally appeared, only one voice echoed across the battlefield, its owner quietly looking up at the sky.


    ¡°Hyung...¡±


    His appearance was horrifying.


    The red demon that had insulted the Honorary Cardinal¡¯s corpse and tried to take his soul was far more brutal, malevolent, and bizarre than any enemy the continent had ever faced, so much that it made me feel a previously unknown fear.


    I actually felt fortunate that I wasn¡¯t there.


    ¡°Son of Light...¡±


    ¡°Please, God, if our voices can reach you, save the Son of Light and the Sunset Swordsman.¡±


    ¡°Please... please... I know that we don¡¯t have the right to say these things since we couldn¡¯t protect the Son of Light, but I pray shamelessly once again for you to give them another chance.¡±


    ¡°Please save the Son of Light. Oh, God. We can¡¯t let him be sacrificed again. He already gave up his whole life for the continent.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Benignore...¡±


    ¡°Oh, Elune. Give them power. Please...¡±


    Voices wereing from all over my vicinity. They gathered at the temple and offered the deepest and most heartfelt prayers they could, even here, at the southernmost part of the continent.


    Next to me, I saw a familiar face. His hands were sped tightly together as well.


    He was mixed among the others and doing the same thing they were doing, but the way he bit his lower lip made him look more serious than anyone else here.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t let anything happen to him... Please...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    In the end, I had no choice but to speak to him. I couldn¡¯t just stand and watch him silently.


    ¡°Are you okay, Raphael?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Yes, Marien. I¡¯m okay.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re worried after all, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    The hero of the Holy Sword didn¡¯t answer. However, the slight nod of his head caught my eye.


    How could he not be worried? More than anyone else, Raphael had followed the Son of Light, the Honorary Cardinal.


    ¡°There¡¯s no way he¡¯d be okay,¡± Lee Joo-hyuk, a member of the same party, replied in his stead.


    ¡°Joo-hyuk.¡±


    ¡°The answer to that question is way too obvious, Marien. Seriously.¡±


    That was right.


    The person he followed was his real older brother, the only one he could trust and the one who made him who he was today. The Honorary Cardinal of the State was someone Raphael, our party leader, held in the highest regard.


    He wasn¡¯t just a saint. He was the personification of faith itself. He had even sacrificed his whole life for the continent and had probably done a lot more than that.


    ¡°He probably wants to go there right now.¡±


    ¡°Joo-hyuk.¡±


    ¡°He most likely wants to run to his side right now. He¡¯s just that kind of person.¡±


    ¡®He¡¯s weird sometimes... He gets serious... and says embarrassing things.¡¯


    He even talked to me with his arms crossed and his back against the wall, which was most likely artificial and staged. I¡¯d known from the first time I met him that Lee Joo-hyuk was such a person.


    ¡°The Son of Light is his savior, but he couldn¡¯t repay him. When the Honorary Cardinal was in pain, when his spirit broke, when he gave himself up and sacrificed his life for the world, Raphael could do nothing. That¡¯s what makes your question pointless, Marien. Can you imagine how he¡¯s feeling? How miserable and shameful he must be seeing himself as?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°At least the Sunset Swordsman is struggling to save him, which makes the situation better for him. Raphael is...¡±


    ¡°Joo-hyuk. You¡¯re too...¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything wrong. I¡¯m just telling you how it is. Raphael probably thinks the fates are messing with him since he¡¯s forced to pray here. It would¡¯ve been better if you hadn¡¯t asked.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not here to pray. You know that. Our mission is different. Kasugano will...¡±


    ¡°Right. I know that an unexpected enemy will invade this ce. I already heard and know that, including the fact that we¡¯re the only party that can stop them right now. Regardless, that doesn¡¯t invalidate or erase the emptiness within him. Raphael, are you really okay with being here?¡±


    ¡°Enough! Lee Joo-hyuk!¡±


    At that moment, Raphael, who quietly watched the sky, replied.


    ¡°I¡¯m okay, Marien. You don¡¯t have to yell like that.¡±


    ¡°Lee Joo-hyuk, what are you trying to say? You know things aren¡¯t going well. Weren¡¯t we already told that nothing would change if we went there? We¡¯re a party built to respond to variables. Even Lee Jihye-¡°


    ¡°There is no hope for the continent if the Sunset Swordsman copses anyway. We probably can¡¯t even begin to fathom what will happen if that demon really gets to devour the Son of Light¡¯s soul.¡±


    ¡°Did you really need to say something so pessimistic?¡±


    ¡°As I said, I¡¯m just stating facts.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your point?¡±


    ¡°Ask the stupid praying guy, not me.¡±


    As I turned my gaze naturally, I saw Raphael¡¯s awkward expression.


    He kept nodding his head, trying to make us believe he was okay, but his arms were visibly trembling.


    He asked why I was looking at him, not even realizing blood was dripping from the lip he¡¯d been biting down on.


    Lee Joo-hyuk sighed quietly.


    After an unnatural silence enveloped the ce, Raphael looked at the party members and spoke.


    ¡°I...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I want to go.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I might not be of any help, I might get in the way, and I might do stupid things, but I want to save him...¡±


    ¡°Then go.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Go.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°Leave this ce to me.¡±


    ¡°Lee Joo-hyuk.¡±


    A deafening sound echoed.


    Boooooooooom!!!


    With an explosion, angels with red wings began to appear.


    ¡°Prepare for battle!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Prepare for battle!¡±


    The priests and the crowd prayed, screamed, and scattered in all directions in an instant.


    To the sound of wizards and priests chanting spells, the angels came down onto the city and engulfed it in war.


    ¡°Let¡¯s move...¡±


    ¡°Not you, Raphael.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I am in charge of this ce.¡±


    ¡®Why the hell is he doing this?¡¯


    ¡°This is from Yuno Kasugano, Raphael. Here.¡±


    ¡°No. I said I was in charge of this ce.¡±


    ¡°A named entity has appeared! Be on the alert at all times!¡±


    An angel handling a huge red nt stood out. Before Raphael could raise his sword, the hound flew away.


    That was reckless. I knew Lee Joo-hyuk was strong and that he sometimes showed more power than I imagined, but I didn¡¯t think he could jump over the wall.


    The party members responded to it with all they could.


    Not long after, he was hit and was thrown against the wall, but he gestured for us not to interfere. It was a grueling fight. Lee Joo-hyuk¡¯s battles were always devastating, but this one seemed even worse.


    He fell down, grabbed his ankle, and got up. Hanging from his wings, he shoved a sword around his neck and was drenched in blood. As soon as he let go of it, he bit down on his neck.


    ¡°Marien, I have to move. I have to go support-¡°


    ¡°No, Raphael.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t where you should fight. Go. Save the Son of Light. Hear the prayers of the people here. You are the warrior chosen by the Holy Sword; it is one of your duties to listen to their wishes. That¡¯s what our party was made for. Leave the problem here to us.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    The named entity fell to the floor with a thunderous thud.


    ¡°Uh...¡±


    Raphael raised his sword, but the angel just fell apart.


    The hound appeared behind the named entity.


    ¡°I am not weak.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I am not weak, Raphael.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    He didn¡¯t look like he was in good condition. The wounds on his body were so horrific that I couldn¡¯t even look at them properly.


    But there was still rage in his eyes. His expression growled that he didn¡¯t need help and could keep fighting alone.


    ¡°But we don¡¯t have much time...¡±


    ¡°Go to Laios, Raphael.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Jung Hayan should be there. If you exin the situation and head to the Sunset Swordsman with her, you¡¯ll arrive on time. She¡¯s still participating in the main event there, but by the time you get to her, she will probably already have cleared it. We don¡¯t have time. You have to go now.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Will you all really be okay?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not weak enough for you to worry about, Raphael. I am your rival, not the one you should be concerned about.¡±


    ¡®R-Rival...¡¯


    Perhaps Lee Joo-hyuk was the only one who thought so. The party members each tried to ease his mind.


    Eventually, when my turn came, I had no choice but to open my mouth quietly.


    ¡°Of course. I¡¯m the Miracle Priest, Marien. A miracle will surely happen here too. Definitely.¡±


    Fighting in arge-scale battle without our party leader would be terrifying.


    Perhaps everyone felt as anxious as I was, but I smiled.


    ¡®I can do it.¡¯


    I was the Miracle Priest.


    ¡®I will protect them.¡¯


    I could do it without Raphael.


    ¡°Raphael... when this is over... can we...?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Yes, Marien. Let¡¯s go see him together.¡±


    ¡°Ah... yes...¡±


    It was okay. I was the Miracle Priest.


    ¡°Thank you, everyone.¡±


    The gray warrior spread his wings and pierced through the enemies.


    ¡°I will help you clear the road.¡±


    The party wizard cast a spell for him. Lee Joo-hyuk also continued to cut off the angels¡¯ heads.


    I slowly chanted a spell, drawing out the divine power within my body to the fullest. It was time to show why I had been given such a title.


    ¡®I am the Miracle Priest.¡¯


    My whole body filled up with divine power.


    I emitted a brighter and holier light than usual. It was stronger and warmer than when the first miracle was performed.


    The power of the gods overflowed in my body, and it felt like I could hear her voice.


    ¡®It¡¯s... it¡¯s descending. A miracle... a miracle is really happening.¡¯


    I could hear a clear voice.


    [Stop with the bullshit, you guys.]


    ¡°What?¡±


    [The Son of Light asked me to send this message, my daughter.]


    ¡°What?¡±


    [He says to stop with the bullshit, my dear daughter.]

 Chapter 865

    Chapter 865: The Last (98)


    -Raphael... when this is over... can we...?


    -Yes, Marien. Let¡¯s go see him together.


    -...


    -Thank you, everyone.


    -I will help you clear the road.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Yeon-soo, can you open my hand?¡±


    ¡°Okay, unnie.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to really open it.¡±


    ¡°Oh! I-I¡¯m sorry. I...¡±


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t need to apologize. I mean, it¡¯s already a mess here, so why are those kids starting their own little adventure? I don¡¯t know how they can say lines like that so easily, especially Lee Joo-hyuk. He seriously talks like that. You saw that too, right?¡±


    ¡°Ah... yes. That¡¯s definitely...¡±


    ¡°I was already aware of it since the twins liked it, strangely. They recognize those who are like them. And that one too. Isn¡¯t he a member of the Moon Breakers?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Ah. A-Anyway, what should we do with Raphael, unnie?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I tried to stop him, but I don¡¯t know if he can be stopped. We don¡¯t have to do anything here. It¡¯s not me who¡¯s in aplicated situation now. It¡¯s oppa. Maybe he¡¯ll work it out...¡±


    -Jihye. Have you seen those crazy bastards?


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like it... Gosh, he gives me so much trouble.¡±


    Not surprisingly, I could see the Son of Light speaking via the Goddess¡¯ Mirror.


    The way he was rushing to talk to unnie seemed somehow superficial.


    ¡°I know, so don¡¯t overreact. That¡¯s within expectations.¡±


    -If possible, please don¡¯t let hime. Hyunsung will go crazy. He¡¯s already upset right now; he shouldn¡¯t make things worse. He can¡¯te. Did they say he should go to Laios? Oh no. Hayan. Please, do something about Hayan...


    ¡°Yes, yes. Okay. I understand your feelings well enough. I¡¯m scared of that crazy bitch too, and I really don¡¯t have any desire to take a step toward the continent¡¯s destruction.¡±


    -You know I can¡¯t focus on anything else because I have to prepare myself too, right? I¡¯m too busy with work right now... I trust you¡¯ll be able to take care of it. Oh, Jihye, do you have any divinity...?


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that. We¡¯re gathering so much of it that it would be meaningless to settle the ounts in real-time. The leading digit keeps changing every second. I¡¯d like to get this sorted out first. If you need to use it somewhere, I should make sure it¡¯s ready for you, right? It looks like those up there are also preparing. Belial must be busy, and Benignore... Well, I¡¯ll just take care of it.¡±


    -Good. You¡¯re the only one I trust, anyway.


    ¡°Don¡¯t believe in me too much. There¡¯s a limit to how much I can control the situation. This is even more difficult for me since I¡¯m sitting in a chair.¡±


    -Still.


    ¡°As you can see, I sent responses to different countries and groups about the show that is going on right now. Naturally, there¡¯s no need to worry about the State. The Republic is slowly gathering as well.¡±


    -I think it would be better to put in the Shadow Hero and appeal to their emotions. I¡¯m going to connect the channel.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make a short promotional video and send it out. Asking Ronove might be the best option here. There are some differences within the expected range, but most of the responses are positive. We¡¯re gathering divinity from all directions. There¡¯s not much from Laios, but that was unavoidable... anyway, that¡¯s all for now. Good luck, oppa.¡±


    -Yes, Jihye. I¡¯m always thankful for you.


    ¡°Me too. I love you and thank you.¡±


    Unnie was quietly looking into the Goddess¡¯ Mirror. The gray-colored warrior on the screen sprinted at high speed, destroying the demons.


    The way he continued to sh the enemies with the sword was desperate to the point that I unwittingly cheered for him.


    ¡°It will be difficult to stop him. Things aren¡¯t going well. If you look closely, that gray newbie has also crossed the wall... This can¡¯t be easy. Themunication channel has already been cut off, so there is no way to contact them. It¡¯s the same for Marien and Joo-hyuk, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    However, that scene was only a cross-section of many other mirrors.


    The mirrors that filled the room had images of each city as well as the entire continent.


    In Laios, the God of Magic and the Angel of Magic were still blocking the huge mass of magic power, and battles were taking ce non-stop on the frontlines.


    -This is a holy war! A crusade! God will not forsake us. Never yield to the demons. Let the world know that our knights are alive. Let¡¯s do everything we can with our powers, my brothers and sisters!


    -Fight for the Son of Light and Goddess Benignore!


    -Don¡¯t back down!


    -For the Republic! For the Shadow Hero!


    -Oh, Lauren, please bless our sons and daughters who are heading to the battlefield with strength.


    Those who weren¡¯t participating in the war prayed desperately. Some had already been swept up in battle or remained in the city¡¯s ruins, hiding inside basements or buildings and holding each other¡¯s hands.


    There were more than a few people who put small stones on their knees and wept or grabbed rosaries from around their necks.


    Citizens who had never been on the battlefield picked up swords and shields with trembling hands.


    To protect their faith, to protect themselves, to protect the continent.


    They, too, shared what might be theirst greeting with their loved ones.


    ¡®This...¡¯


    Even thinking a little rationally, I was so disconcerted that I couldn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡®This is a stage and a y made by those very people.¡¯


    It was a y that Lee Kiyoung and Lee Jihye had created, and they had put each character on the stage called the continent.


    Those desperate, sublime, and even beautiful situations that were happening right now... I couldn¡¯t believe it was all an entertainment show made by those two people.


    The lights and angels, the adventurers who¡¯d fought and got tangled with monsters, the mercenaries who went to war to protect the city, and those who had struggled to survive somehow...


    All of them were part of a y that followed a well-nned script.


    There had sometimes been people who¡¯d caused unbelievable things on the continent, such as the gray warrior who continued to cut down the red demons, the archmage who had held back a smile with her head bowed, the Mercenary Queen quietly looking at the sky with her face crumpled, the leader of the State who had cried, and the elf princess who was leading the elves to the frontlines.


    Although not as many, countless others could influence the continent.


    The eight seats of the State, the generals of the Republic, the armed groups of the Federation, and the Union.


    But all of them still seemed too insignificantpared to that duo.


    ¡®Just the two of them...¡¯


    They were ying with the continent.


    I felt as if they were gambling, thinking of it as a yground.


    They moved their chess pieces without much care, but they didn¡¯t forgive those that fell outside their influence.


    They chose even those who would be their enemies, controlling them from the palms of their hands and ultimately leading them to ruin.


    I¡¯d known from the beginning that unnie, the woman I chose to follow, was such a person. I¡¯d even known that things would be like this, but it was hard to get used to it.


    The fact that the continent had be a stage was difficult for the average person to understand, which even confused me at different levels.


    Maybe it was because I thought too much. I noticed Lee Jihye looking at me quietly with her chin resting on the back of her hand.


    ¡°Yeon-soo, what are your thoughts so far, watching this?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°What do you think of this?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just... feel reassured.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯m next to you and not there, and because I know everything that¡¯s happening here. At least I¡¯m...¡±


    ¡®Not a chess piece.¡¯


    Extremely put, I might have been nothing but a part that supported their stage.


    I might just have been a lump of iron on the railroad tracks built under Lee Kiyoung and Lee Jihye.


    Unnie had told me that she cherished me, but she might just have been thinking of me as a part she liked.


    However, the fact that I wasn¡¯t a chess piece, after all, made me feel relieved.


    ¡°Right. It¡¯s important that you feel that way. Thinking too deeply can be detrimental to your health. Oh! I must be out of my mind. I should send more troops to the Republic¡¯s side. The main event is practically over, and... um... Can you please call Yuno Kasugano?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    As I slowly opened the door, I saw her waiting in front of it.


    ¡®She must have already known.¡¯


    ¡°Oh. Yuno.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I will guide you. Where¡¯s Cho Hyejin?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s still talking with Sun Hee-young. She seemingly wants to go to where the Sunset Swordsman is currently located... The others feel the same way.¡±


    ¡°B-By the way... how did you know when toe here?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s ufortable to talk to her.¡¯


    In fact, this woman was the creepiest.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know what she¡¯s thinking.¡¯


    ¡°Did you find it, Lee Jihye?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Kasugano.¡±


    She nced at me.


    ¡°Should... Should I stay outside?¡±


    ¡°No, Yeon-soo. You can stay here.¡±


    I smiled at her, and after the shaman nodded, seemingly having predicted this turn of events, she didn¡¯t pay much attention to me anymore.


    ¡°You¡¯re probably wondering about what has changed.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. You¡¯re right. I¡¯ve been wondering to what extent variables are allowed to change the future and if the future won¡¯t change even if the process to get to it changes. I honestly don¡¯t think it can be stopped. It looks like the gray side will be taken care of somehow. Our Red Queen, Lindel¡¯s pride, is also running.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It will not change.¡±


    ¡°On what basis?¡±


    ¡°Because we have reached the end. That¡¯s all I can say for now. Lee Jihye, everything will go as you wish.¡±


    She tapped the table, seemingly a bit troubled.


    After quietly looking toward the Goddess¡¯s Mirror, she got up and paced around the room.


    I didn¡¯t know what kind of calction she was doing, but Yuno Kasugano was looking at her with her wide-open eyes and huge pupils.


    ¡®Ugh...¡¯


    ¡°And Cho Hyejin...¡±


    ¡°We will go too.¡±


    ¡°What? Unnie?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to go too. Even if we can¡¯t stop him, it won¡¯t be too bad. I don¡¯t know what the correct answer is, but I think this is right. There is a limit to what we can do here anyway, which means we¡¯ll have to switch tactics sooner orter. Other than that, all I know is that the Eberia case is a little different, considering they were the guardians who foresaw the destruction of the continent and were the first ones to move.¡±


    ¡°Is that the only reason?¡±


    ¡°As always.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I just found a more efficient way. Like oppa said, it¡¯s stupid not to throw dice when you have to, especially considering this is a winning bet. Oh. Before we leave, call Jung Hayan... no, Han Sora. I¡¯ll exin the situation and go right in.¡±


    ¡®You¡¯re going over there?¡¯


    On top of the red temple, I saw the God of Sunset struggling and the Son of Light whose soul was being ripped out.


    -Kiyoung... Kiyoung!


    -Aaaaaah...!


    Yuno Kasugano just watched the scene nonchntly as she stood up.


    ¡°As the master wishes...¡±


    As always, she was acting strangely creepy.

 Chapter 866

    Chapter 866: The Last (99)


    ¡°Kiyoung... Kiyoung!¡±


    ¡°Aaahh...¡±


    For a moment, he shouted at the people¡¯s tremendous support.


    ¡®Fuck, this is such a mess. What¡¯s wrong with them?¡¯


    Raphael, that bastard! I knew it. I should¡¯ve given up on him earlier.


    I moved my fingers nervously, but what I could do at this point was limited. I was d that I still had...


    ¡®Jihye. Fuck. That¡¯s a relief.¡¯


    Even if I hadn¡¯t exined everything in detail, I thought she would take care of things well. I had already given the word.


    I would have liked to solve it myself if possible, but it was quite difficult to control all the situations.


    How could a person in the field respond to all theplex variables?


    If I had been in a different position, I could have done that, but in this case, I had to focus on what was in front of me.


    What was happening on the continent right now, the divinity unfolding in real-time, the immense support of the people, and the fact that a lot of investment had been made to get here were some of the reasons I couldn¡¯t ignore this.


    I was alsomunicating with Yuno Kasugano, so even if the script changed, I¡¯d be able to respond ordingly.


    Even if Raphael got there, it was highly likely that the future would take action to prevent itself from changing, which was why I didn¡¯t have to be nervous. The most logical action now was to focus here.


    In fact, there was a great reason to keep checking Kim Hyunsung¡¯s status. I was pushing him to the bottom despite having already been pushed to his limit...


    I had no choice but to focus on him. To be honest, if he had been an ordinary person, he would¡¯ve already gone crazy.


    He was barely moving, walking a tightrope on a tall building.


    He looked like a thread on the verge of being broken, but a capable director could push an actor like him to the limit.


    ¡®Yes, this is the right move. I¡¯ll just focus here.¡¯


    The strongest emotion in him was guilt, and even though he had decided to go for the third round, he couldn¡¯tpletely abandon the second timeline.


    Even if it meant gaining a fresh start, watching the Son of Light suffer was probably unbearable for him.


    How could Kim Hyunsung, who had a soft heart, ignore his close friend as his soul and body were tormented?


    He kept roaring out in rage.


    ¡°You bastard!¡±


    I quietly called his name and immediately heard a response.


    ¡°Hyun... sung...¡±


    ¡°Kiyoung! Kiyoung! Can you hear me?¡±


    ¡°Yeah... Yeah... I hear you.¡±


    As soon as I turned my gaze, I saw him frantically leaning toward the huge tower.


    He kept his eyes fixed on me while he swung his sword desperately against the monsters.


    After a great sense of guilt passed through his head, his mind seemingly went nk.


    Needless to say, he was feeling extremely anxious right then.


    He was afraid I¡¯d really lose my soul. He feared that he would watch the Son of Light crumble helplessly without him being able to do anything.


    Holding his breath, he took the offensive as he spread his wings in rage.


    In fact, the whole process felt a bit touching. It was as if the scene was saying I had been right about him.


    However, it also looked extremely miserable.


    ¡°Let go of him, you bastard!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I refuse.¡±


    ¡°Let go of... Kiyoung.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, God of Sunset. I¡¯m doing this for you.¡±


    ¡°Let go of him! Shit!¡±


    Song Sookyung then reached out to me. The tentacles that held my body vibrated and emitted a faint light that slowly turned a cloudy color. Not long after, it was sucked into the creature.


    ¡°Sigh... Sigh...¡±


    There was heavy breathing.


    I could guarantee that this moment would make Kim Hyunsung and the entire continent tremble.


    Even before I felt their warm support pouring in once again, more was already arriving.


    As my breathing became harsher, Kim Hyunsung became more and more distressed. He probably felt like I was too far away.


    He kept trying toe closer, but the distance between us didn¡¯t decrease. The beasts that were regenerating kept grabbing his ankles.


    He continued to cut through them, but they created endless shapes and ceaselessly blocked his way.


    ¡°Wait just a bit, Ki... Kiyoung...¡±


    ¡°Sigh... Sigh...¡±


    ¡°Please, wait... a bit. Just a bit.¡±


    ¡°Aaahh...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m... I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry for everything. I... Again...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not... Hyunsung¡¯s... fault...¡±


    ¡°Damn... damn...¡±


    ¡°So you don¡¯t... need to feel... responsible.¡±


    ¡°Sniff... sniff... Damn! Shit!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Why... Why does this keep happening? Why does it have to happen to you...?¡±


    ¡°Sigh... Sigh...¡±


    ¡°Please wait a bit. Yeah... I¡¯ll be there soon, Kiyoung. I... I can save you. Sniff... sniff... So please hold on.¡±


    ¡°Sniff...¡±


    ¡°No! No!¡±


    I could see his body glowing. The beasts crumbled amid the bright light, making me think they were eating away his vitality.


    The huge tentacle pir was split in half, and he swiftly rushed to my side without dy, soaring through the sky.


    The stems created from the ground grabbed his ankles, but Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t turn his gaze away.


    ¡®Gosh, how is he so fast?¡¯


    How was this guy, who had been so far away from me just a second ago, already right in front of me?


    ¡®Gosh, Director Belial, what are you doing? Are you going to let it end like this?¡¯


    He tried to reach out his hand to grab me somehow.


    ¡°Hold my hand...¡±


    However, there was no way I could reach out. All I could do was smile faintly at him.


    Kim Hyunsung, who could barely reach me, was pushed back once again.


    I looked at him for a brief moment, watching his tear-stained face getting further and further away.


    ¡®He¡¯s far too desperate.¡¯


    He was so desperate that I even felt a bit sorry for him.


    Booooooom!! Craaaash!


    With a huge roar, I saw a massive pir hitting his body.


    The stems and beasts continued to hold him down. Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t scream.


    He only looked at me as he swung his sword. Whenever he fell, he would rise again and raise his weapon once more.


    He kept trying to move forward, releasing roars that didn¡¯t suit him.


    He judged how much time was left based on the tentacles climbing up and gradually devouring my body.


    It was as if I were being swallowed by a snake. It wasn¡¯t painful, but it was suffocating, causing my breathing to be rougher.


    Kim Hyunsung screamed with all his might once again.


    ¡°Stop... you son of a bitch... I told you to stop... Don¡¯t torture him anymore. Let him go. He¡¯s already sacrificed a lot. He¡¯s given up everything he had beforeing here...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Since I¡¯m your goal, you don¡¯t need him, right? Right?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°What... What do you want?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°What do you want? Why the hell are you doing this? D-do you want me to get down on my knees and beg? Please... please let him go. He¡¯s not someone whose soul should suffer... sniff...¡±


    He was trying to reach an agreement with Song Viin, which wasn¡¯t like him.


    That was enough proof that he had been driven into a corner.


    Even without the Regressor Instruction Manual, just looking at him seemed dangerous. There were no major wounds on his body, but his armor had been cracked and crushed.


    His appearance was so messed up that ¡°deste¡± didn¡¯t even begin to describe him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do this. Please... please don¡¯t. Please.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I honestly don¡¯t remember you very well, but if it¡¯s true that I saved you... then let him go, please...¡±


    ¡°You look shameful and weak.¡±


    ¡°Please let him go. Please...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too different. I thought you were someone who could not be broken. But you¡¯re too weak... and there doesn¡¯t seem to be much to see.¡±


    ¡°Please...¡±


    ¡°What I want is theplete God of Sunset.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You are weak because of your interest in him.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t do that! Don¡¯t... do that!¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t pull my hair, you bastard.¡¯


    ¡°This idiot was just lucky.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why he could be by your side. But it¡¯s actually nothing worth bragging about. I¡¯m right, aren¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Sigh... Sigh...¡±


    ¡°R-Right, you¡¯re right. So let go of him.¡±


    ¡®This two-faced bastard. He seems to have finally gone crazy. He doesn¡¯t even know what he¡¯s talking about anymore.¡¯


    ¡°He got a little special ability because he was lucky. He was lucky. He became a god... and was admired by others... just because he was lucky...¡±


    ¡®What do you know about Light Kiyoung¡¯s growth?¡¯


    Well, there was room for such thoughts from a third party¡¯s perspective.


    For others, the Son of Light¡¯s appearance probably seemed splendid. I probably looked like I had taken an elite course or like I¡¯d never been through hardship.


    I¡¯d joined the Blue Guild, and sponging off Kim Hyunsung, I¡¯d gained connections with the nobles and became the Pope¡¯s favorite.


    He probably thought I enjoyed a happy life while having a ss of wine and chatting.


    I had been the Mercenary Queen¡¯s gigolo, the Archmage¡¯s lover, and I¡¯d read books while researching alchemy with support from the rich... it most likely looked like I was monopolizing the favor of the whole world. I could at least admit that much.


    In other words, he probably thought I¡¯d lived a life simr to that of a typical protagonist, not that I was a transparent human willing to sacrifice myself.


    Perhaps Song Sookyung expressed his inferiority in such a way because the Son of Light had a really pure heart.


    In the end, I¡¯d even be a god who took care of the continent, so from the standpoint of the guy who hade up from the bottom, wouldn¡¯t that make him angry?


    But Kim Hyunsung would know that my appearance to the public was a little different from reality. There was no way he didn¡¯t know that I¡¯d crawled my way up here from the bottom.


    ¡°That¡¯s all...¡±


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s face was distorted. His emotions were also disrupted by the voice that had denied me in the second timeline.


    But what stood out more was his nervousness and anxiety.


    ¡°Please... let go of him.¡±


    ¡®You can¡¯t give up.¡¯


    ¡°Hyunsung...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Instead of expressing my feelings with my voice, I showed them to him through my gaze.


    I urged him not to give up, proving to him that I was fine.


    That, as always, I hoped he could ovee the crisis.


    That even if I disappeared, nothing would change.


    So...


    ¡®Fight and win. Don¡¯t back down.¡¯


    ¡°Please. Don¡¯t torture him anymore...¡±


    ¡®What are you doing, you bastard? Fight and bring home victory!¡¯


    ¡°Please... I beg of you. Please...¡±

 Chapter 867

    Chapter 867: The Last (100) [Side note, the author is channeling his inner Kiyoung by giving thest few chapters so many parts.]


    ¡°Let him go. I won¡¯t ask for anything else. Please...¡±


    ¡®What are you doing?¡¯


    ¡°He¡¯s already suffered enough. You¡¯ve been torturing him nonstop, and you¡¯ve taken everything you wanted. You don¡¯t have to do this...¡±


    ¡®Why are you trying to negotiate with a terrorist? Even if I¡¯m being held hostage, you shouldn¡¯t do that.¡¯


    ¡°This is enough. Any more than this...¡±


    ¡®There is no way the Song Viin wouldpromise in the first ce.¡¯


    I thought he had knelt to boost himself and gain momentum, but that didn¡¯t seem to be the case.


    ¡®You have to fight.¡¯


    Assuming he could have a conversation with that crazy bastard was nonsensical.


    What Song Sookyung wanted was toplete the God of Sunset.


    He also had the huge goal of reserving the spot next to him, but... that was most likely his secondary goal.


    He probably felt like there was a greater meaning to Hyunsung being the God of Sunset, making him pour more energy into his efforts.


    Naturally, Kim Hyunsung¡¯s state right now wouldn¡¯t change his mind.


    It was impossible for Song Sookyung to judge the situation normally, considering he had already beenpletely conquered by the demon and had be the demon itself.


    Perhaps the current Kim Hyunsung angered him.


    He might be feeling the same way towards Lee Kiyoung too. His ideal god¡¯s desperate side had been revealed, after all, making him think Hyunsung¡¯s appearance at this moment was far from what he thought the God of Sunset was.


    He didn¡¯t look like someone to be worshiped and supported. Rather, he looked weak and was seemingly crumbling. There was fear and anxiety in his eyes, and his shattered armor made him look even weaker.


    Even his hand, holding his trustworthy sword, didn¡¯t seem to have any strength in it.


    He had already lost the will to fight.


    ¡®You don¡¯t have to think too hard about this situation to know that acting like that is only going to anger that psychopath even more, Hyunsung. I can¡¯t believe you can¡¯t even make logical judgments right now.¡¯


    All he seemed to be thinking about was the scenario where I would have my soul taken away.


    ¡®He¡¯s just grasping at straws.¡¯


    All of this was probably terrifying for him. He didn¡¯t care if he was in pain. All he knew was he didn¡¯t want me to be tormented any more than I¡¯d experienced before.


    He thought continuing to fight against him would eventually lead to a terrible scene.


    If I had my soul stolen, then he knew I wouldn¡¯t be able to be with him in the third round.


    That brought forth the possibility that the existence of the Son of Light would disappear forever, as well as the Regressor Instruction Manual.


    His anxiety twisted like a skein of thread and bound him like an insect in a spider¡¯s web.


    It wasn¡¯t like him, but his subconscious decided that the most rational option was to appeal to his emotions.


    Wouldn¡¯t the Song Viin¡¯s response to such tactics be obvious?


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Please... P-please...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s useless.¡±


    ¡°Please...¡±


    ¡°I said it¡¯s useless, God of Sunset.¡±


    He looked down at Kim Hyunsung as calmly as possible, but I could see his agitation.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t like you. What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Am I not the enemy you have to defeat? How can you beg me for mercy? What makes you think I¡¯ll listen to you?¡±


    ¡°Let go of Kiyoung. I¡¯ll do whatever you want... if you really think of me as your savior, then please lend me an ear. Please...¡±


    Song Sookyung was looking at me.


    ¡®You psycho bastard. The light will never give in to you.¡¯


    I conveyed that thought through my re, using my whole body to express that even the smallest light could illuminate the darkness. I knew I had to take this position now.


    What would the people of the continent think if they saw this? Slightly hopeful situations paid off. If we looked too desperate, this scene wouldn¡¯t look good.


    To be honest, Hyunsung had also crossed the line a lot. Fuck, it didn¡¯t make sense for the God of Sunset to be like that.


    I understood why, but ordinary people might find it difficult to ept.


    ¡°You. If you really want a savior, I can be a savior... So...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°That person has nothing to do with this. He... He already lost everything. You... You don¡¯t need to care about him. If you really think that Kiyoung... No, that person ruined me, I¡¯ll...¡±


    ¡®What, you bastard? Say it. Fuck. Are you for real, dering that you¡¯ll abandon me?¡¯


    ¡°Please...¡±


    It was then that Song Sookyung¡¯s face distorted.


    The hand holding my hair got tenser.


    ¡°Stop! S... Stop! Please... please!¡±


    Contrary to his somewhat rough behavior, I noticed confusion in his eyes.


    ¡®What the...? What¡¯s up with this bastard now?¡¯


    ¡°Damn...¡±


    He looked at Kim Hyunsung and me alternately.


    I wasn¡¯t sure what was on his mind, but...


    ¡®What is there to be worried about? Just take it. Fuck. What¡¯s the problem?¡¯


    He seemed hesitant to take the soul of the Son of Light.


    I didn¡¯t know why he was acting like that.


    He hade too far to say that he¡¯d changed his mind after seeing how miserable Kim Hyunsung had be. The situation had already reached an irreversible level. Since the Song Viin hade this far, he had to see it through to the end.


    ¡®Do you have any other options? You must be pissed off, right?¡¯


    Instead of apleted Kim Hyunsung, the one in front of him was a very fragile human being. Shouldn¡¯t he be angry?


    ¡®You¡¯re not in a state where you can feel sympathy right now. If you were going to feel any, you should¡¯ve done it earlier.¡¯


    To be honest, I didn¡¯t think Song Sookyung sympathized with Kim Hyunsung.


    Because there was no way that psychopath would think like that.


    But... he kept looking around. He looked at the devastation he had made and turned his head as if he didn¡¯t like it.


    ¡®Ah...¡¯


    Fuck.


    Did our psychopathic viin still have some humanity left?


    I thought the tiny light inside him had already gone out. Was it trying to drive the darkness away?


    Did he regret listening to the demon¡¯s voice?


    He might have realized that what was happening right now was a little strange.


    The tiny firefly that remained in him was about to start pping its wings vigorously.


    ¡®You fucking bastard... There¡¯s no way. Don¡¯t even try to wake up here, you idiot. The darkness has already devoured you. Stop using that tinymp of hope of yours.¡¯


    ¡®Director Bel, what are you doing? Are you going to lose to him? Is this where your limits lie?¡¯


    His hand grabbed my face.


    I twisted my face as much as I could and bit his hand hard.


    ¡®Wake up! Don¡¯t lose to the light, you idiot.¡¯


    ¡°You son of a bitch!¡±


    His expression shifted.


    ¡°You son of a fucking bitch!¡±


    ¡®You¡¯re back, Song Sookyung. You overcame it. I can even greet you with a smile now.¡¯


    ¡°You shameful, ipetent bastard! You ruined it. You ruined everything! Look. Look at the God of Sunset over there. Raise your head, you worthless insect. Is that the god you were hoping for? That weak human... Is that the kind of deity you wanted? This is all your fault!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t... don¡¯t... do it!¡±


    ¡°Be quiet, God of Sunset! It¡¯s all his fault. Everything! This shameful monster made me... made me like this. Fuck. It all happened because of this fake bastard... It¡¯s because this guy never knew his ce and kept standing next to you! Shit! Why is he so important to you? Why are you doing that? Why are you showing a side that isn¡¯t like you? Don¡¯t give me that look! Do not beg for sympathy!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Why the hell are you doing this to me, God of Sunset?! Why are you giving me such a sight? Why do I have to look at you in that state?! I just... I... I just...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Sigh... sigh... sigh...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no use. The results won¡¯t change. This is meaningless.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The guy who had finally sumbed to the darkness looked sorrowful. Tears welled up in my eyes without me realizing it.


    My sympathy for Song Sookyung apanied the guilt of not being able to protect the little firefly inside him.


    He had already beenpletely devoured by the demon, but the wless light felt sorry for him nevertheless.


    ¡°What does that mean, Lee Kiyoung?¡±


    ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°How dare you...?¡±


    ¡°You are such a pitiful person.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°A pitiful and lonely person.¡±


    Song Sookyung¡¯s face became wrinkled once again. Was it hard to bear sympathy from someone he hated?


    ¡°What... What did you just say to me?¡±


    The Son of Light didn¡¯t answer. He just caressed his tainted soul with his eyes as if he knew everything about his heart, his bitter feelings, and the reason he hade this far.


    ¡°How... How dare you look down on me?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You are a failure, Lee Kiyoung. You¡¯re a loser... How can you pity me after taking everything away from me? Huh? You¡¯ve failed. Look at the continent! This is the shape of the continent you wanted to protect. You gained nothing in the end. Your death and sacrifice were meaningless and worthless. Yet you still...¡±


    ¡°My sacrifice... My death wasn¡¯t in vain, defiled soul.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous.¡±


    ¡°My sacrifice definitely wasn¡¯t worthless.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous!¡±


    ¡°I believe in humans. I... believe in their potential to ovee any difficulties. I believe that they will rise from the pain of the past and that they will not repeat the same mistakes as before. It may seem useless to some, but it wouldn¡¯t be worthless if even one person recognized it.¡±


    ¡°The God of Sunset...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the Sunset Swordsman... That is the Hyunsung I know.¡±


    He had denied Kim Hyunsung, who was weak, but I would not.


    ¡®That is the difference between you and me.¡¯


    It was what set apart a pro and an amateur.


    ¡°He¡¯s fragile, weak, easily shaken, and sometimes... sometimes it¡¯s frustrating.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°But he¡¯s someone who always gets up again.¡±


    That was what a hero was.


    ¡°He always raises his sword and ovees his struggles, bing stronger and stronger. He never stops moving forward.¡±


    That was the regressor I knew.


    ¡°I... I believe.¡±


    That was the regressor I had chosen and made.


    I, the Son of Light, bowed my head. I hadn¡¯t lost faith in humans until the very end, and I smiled quietly even at the moment when his soul was crushed by malice.


    He grew quiet, seemingly understanding everything.

 Chapter 868

    Chapter 868: The End of The Scenario (1)


    ¡°That¡¯s the Sunset Swordsman... that is the Hyunsung that I know. He¡¯s fragile, weak, easily shaken, and sometimes... sometimes it¡¯s frustrating.¡±


    Yes. That was what I looked like.


    I was fragile, weak, easily shaken, and sometimes... no, always made him feel frustrated.


    ¡°But...¡±


    But?


    ¡°But he¡¯s someone who always gets up again.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure if I could get up this time. I never could stand up on my own; Kiyoung always lifted me up.


    ¡°He always raises his sword and ovees his own struggles, bing stronger and stronger. He never stops moving forward.¡±


    He was just overestimating me. Oveing my struggles didn¡¯t mean I became stronger.


    All I did was struggle, run away, and escape.


    I hadn¡¯t reached this point alone. I had never learned how to solve problems by myself. It was him who taught me.


    ¡°I... I believe.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t live up to his expectations.


    ¡°...¡±


    He smiled as if he¡¯d managed to understand everything.


    He had never lost his faith in humanity until the very end, and he was smiling quietly even while the demon was stepping on his soul.


    He was smiling... as if he... as if he believed in me.


    ¡°Aaah... aaaahh... sniff... sniff...¡±


    I tried, but I couldn¡¯t reach him. I continued to fight my way through, but strangely, I couldn¡¯t get to where he was.


    Now that I thought about it, I had never reached him on time. This time was no different.


    I had been fighting for so long, but all of my battles resulted in failure.


    I didn¡¯t know why I couldn¡¯t touch what I was supposed to reach. If someone looked into my life, it would look like I was standing still.


    I would be no different from a hamster ceaselessly running in a wheel.


    Indeed, I might constantly be running in arge cylinder.


    Without Lee Kiyoung, that wheel would¡¯ve been a dark barrel instead.


    It was him who had made me move forward. Because of him, I had been able to take the first step down a road I never thought existed.


    I had been able to take action because of the Son of Light.


    I, Kim Hyunsung, had grown little by little, stood up straight, and taken one step after another.


    That was all thanks to him.


    I¡¯d started over in the Blue Guild, met important people,ughed, talked, and enjoyed life on the continent.


    Because of him, I had been able to forget my painful memories and ept myselfpletely.


    What had made it possible for me to endure the struggles of my life was the light shining around Lee Kiyoung. It had enabled me to walk straight ahead, even if I was walking in the dark.


    Of course, I wasn¡¯t the only one who had been blessed by his brilliance.


    Everyone on the continent basked in his glow, but...


    I was able to stand because he was with me.


    ¡°Sniff... Sniff...¡±


    I watched him fuse with the huge, foreign tower. I had been fighting because I knew what that meant, but my efforts couldn¡¯t change anything.


    The huge infrastructure soon clung to the red-winged demon.


    The Son of Light, who had turned gray, was embedded in the left side of that monster¡¯s chest.


    Seemingly having lost his soul, his corpse looked like nothing more than a piece of wood.


    I could see his huge arm swinging around, but I couldn¡¯t move my body.


    I felt myself smash against the other side of the battlefield with a loud sound.


    I stood up again and grabbed my sword, but my hand didn¡¯t move.


    I heard a voice, but I remained still.


    ¡®I believe.¡¯


    What...?


    ¡®What do you believe in? What the hell do you believe in at this point?¡¯


    ¡®You should know the answer to that better than anyone.¡¯


    ¡®You know that I am a miserable person, that I am not worthy of your support, that I am selfish and have no interest in things like the continent.¡¯


    ¡®I believe.¡¯


    ¡®Don¡¯t say that. I am useless. I¡¯m not a man who can embrace everything as you did.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t want this. I resented this ce for hurting him so much and for taking everything away from me.


    All the things I¡¯d cherished and loved seemed to have rotted away.


    ¡®I believe.¡¯


    ¡°Those words now feel more like a curse than a blessing. Sniff... Why... why do you keep trusting me? Don¡¯t you know what I¡¯m thinking? You knew I was going to throw this round away together with everything you love and start over... I don¡¯t want to be in this ce anymore.¡±


    ¡®I believe.¡¯


    ¡°Stop. Don¡¯t believe in me anymore. Sniff... sniff... Please... I don¡¯t care what you have to do as long as youe back. It doesn¡¯t matter what happens next. Just don¡¯t go away!¡±


    ¡®I... ¡®


    Boooooooooooooooooooooom!!!


    ¡°Can you see this, God of Sunset?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Now, I will be him. Oh, God. I will take his soul and rece him.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°He failed. His life was already worthless and a failure from the beginning. He was a man who couldn¡¯t handle his own power, but don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be different. He made you worthless. I will make you whole. His vain death shall be truly useless...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Boooooooooooooooom!!


    ¡®I believe.¡¯


    I rose. My body responded to Kiyoung¡¯s voice as if brainwashed, making me lift my sword, albeit forcibly.


    I unwittingly cleared my breath and took a stance.


    I knew this battle was going to be difficult, but I quietly took a step forward anyway.


    ¡®I believe.¡¯


    ¡°Why do you believe in me? I have never once seeded in protecting you. I¡¯m not a hero. I¡¯m not even the kind of person you think I am. There¡¯s a limit to how many times I can stand back up.¡±


    Boooooooooooooom!!!


    With that sound, my body was sted away once more. I stopped breathing. Pain coursed through my entire body.


    Without realizing it, I coughed and spat out what was blocking my throat.


    I wanted to fall. I wanted to go to sleep and let everything go. I wished all of this was just a dream.


    I wanted to go back to a time when nothing had happened yet and forget everything.


    It would be nice if I could just stop thinking about it...


    But I pushed myself up once more, quietly staring at my opponent and readying my weapon.


    I didn¡¯t even know why. It wasn¡¯t because I didn¡¯t want to die.


    I didn¡¯t know why I kept trying to fight even though everything had already been ruined. I had already lost everything, so why did I keep resisting? What was holding me up?


    ¡®I... I believe.¡¯


    ¡°Sniff... Sniff... Ahhh... Aaaahhh... Sniff... Ugh... Ahhh... Sniff... Yeah... Yes...¡±


    I wiped my tears with my free hand.


    I gritted my teeth.


    The sound of the air being cut as I swung my sword echoed in my ears.


    I looked for space where I could move freely. I didn¡¯t know if I was mistaken.


    I might have been hallucinating, but it felt as if I¡¯d heard a voice.


    It seemed that I was being told where to go and how to fight.


    ¡®I believe.¡¯


    ¡°Yes. Yes...¡±


    ¡®I believe.¡¯


    ¡°Yes... Yes... Yes...¡±


    Huge pirs fell. After jumping, I went on the offensive once more.


    I couldn¡¯t even count all the magical powers at y here, but I instinctively knew where I needed to go.


    Even if a wall blocked me, even if there was no room for me to move, my eyes kept looking for the next location to turn to.


    As I spread my wings, light began to burn the demons over and over again, its warmth gradually illuminating the ce.


    ¡°God of Sunset, why do you deny me?! I can make you¡ª¡±


    ¡°You... You can¡¯t make meplete.¡±


    ¡°I killed myself too.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°He is ruining you, God of Sunset. He¡¯s leading you down the wrong path. He¡¯s just taking advantage of you. All... All the things he¡¯s done are making you weak. Don¡¯t you think his sacrifice wasn¡¯t worth it either?¡±


    Of course, it might be.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t really care about you.¡±


    It might not be me he really cared about.


    However, that was because he loved everything and everyone.


    He loved and cherished the continent, its people, its life, everyone¡¯s hopes and dreams, light, innocence, and all that was in between.


    ¡®My sacrifice wasn¡¯t worthless.¡¯


    ¡°Kiyoung¡¯s sacrifice was not worthless.¡±


    ¡°I believe in humans. I believe... in their potential to ovee any difficulties. I believe they¡¯ll rise from the pain of the past and avoid repeating the mistakes they made before. It may seem useless to some, but my sacrifice won¡¯t be worthless for as long as even just one person recognizes it.¡±


    ¡°I... I recognize it.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I recognize it, Kiyoung.¡±


    At that moment, I realized everything.


    Kim Hyunsung rose from the pain of the past.


    I had made many mistakes over and over again, but I was definitely growing.


    I still didn¡¯t believe in my potential, but I had been able to get through many difficulties.


    Even if everyone denied him, I couldn¡¯t do the same even if I wanted to.


    The seeds he¡¯d sowed on the continent definitely weren¡¯t worthless. Everyone would know that.


    The monster in front of me raised its huge arm.


    Boooooooooom!


    With that sound, it lost its bnce.


    A faintly shimmering gray color met me.


    ¡°...¡±


    Soon enough, magic circles opened in the air, and familiar faces starteding out of them.


    ¡°O-O... Oppa...¡±


    I looked over at the hand that grabbed my shoulder and saw someone holding a long spear.


    ¡°Guild Master. I¡¯m sorry... I¡¯mte.¡±


    And just like that...


    Looking at the crowd that filled this red temple, I understood.


    ¡°For the Son of Light!¡±


    ¡°For the Son of Light!¡±


    Why he loved this ce.

 Chapter 869

    Chapter 869: The End of The Scenario (2)


    ¡°...Hyejin?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Guild Master. All of the Blue Guild members have arrived. I apologize... for beingte.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Guild Master?¡±


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s nothing. Thank you foring.¡±


    I looked around slowly. As I turned my head, I felt a hand grabbing my other shoulder and heard a familiar voice that was a little noisy at times, but... at this moment, it put my mind at ease.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been through a lot. I don¡¯t know how much it will help, but leave the rest to us for now. I¡¯m sorry for depending on you all the time. This is a burden that we must all bear together... You can rest a little.¡±


    I felt someone grabbing my trembling hand.


    ¡°Oppa, I¡¯m sorry. I... I... Sniff...¡±


    ¡°It will be fine, Ye-ri. After all, the Vice Guild Master is within us...¡±


    Park Deokgu, Kim Ye-ri, Ahn Ki-mo.


    I could finally see their faces. It was dark, so I¡¯d thought I wouldn¡¯t be able to see anyone, but I could see them.


    ¡°I think Lee Jihye and manager Kim Mi-young will take charge of the frontlines, Guild Master. We are setting up themand center as quickly as possible, so could you please wait a moment?¡±


    ¡°We... are a littlete, aren¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Guild Master.¡±


    Hwang Jeong-yeon, Yoo Ah-young, and Kim Chang-ryul.


    ¡°What about o-oppa... O-oppa?¡±


    ¡°H-He will be fine, Jung Hayan. I¡¯m sure of it. So, c-calm down for now... Everything will be fine, okay?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Aah... ugh... I-I don¡¯t want to...¡±


    Jung Hayan and Han Sora were maintaining their magic from a distance.


    ¡°Um, Cho Hyejin. Lee Jihye wants to talk to you...¡±


    Park Li-ahn and the new guild member also stood out.


    ¡°Long time no see, Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°Hee-young?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m sorry for being away for so long.¡±


    ¡°Where have you been...?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you everythingter. For now...¡±


    ¡°Yeah...¡±


    I hadn¡¯t seen her in a long time.


    ¡°Let me greet you as well, Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°Elena.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I haven¡¯t been able to contact you. A lot was going on...¡±


    ¡°No. I just want to thank you foring here.¡±


    She was leading different races.


    Now, I could see them properly. The time we had to say hello to each other was very short, but it seemed like we shared a lot.


    Unlike before, when I couldn¡¯t see anything, the shapes of everything around me became more and more distinct.


    I didn¡¯t know what to say, but my calm heart kept repeating the same voice over and over again.


    ¡®He wasn¡¯t wrong.¡¯


    Lee Kiyoung wasn¡¯t wrong.


    ¡°Kiyoung...¡±


    It was presumptuous to decide if his sacrifice was right or wrong.


    I still couldn¡¯t ept his sacrifice, but what he¡¯d valued was not wrong.


    It felt like I could tell what the Son of Light had been trying to say and what he¡¯d wanted to convey to me, even at the cost of himself.


    Lee Kiyoung had wanted to tell me that humans were beautiful, pure, and warm.


    He¡¯d wanted to deliver this scene to everyone living in this world, to those who believed in doing the right thing, those who were exhausted and struggling, and everyone who had been betrayed by expectations.


    He¡¯d wanted to tell all the marginalized people that they weren¡¯t alone.


    I just hadn¡¯t noticed it before. Everyone knew he was right, but I might not have believed it.


    He¡¯d wanted to show everyone that if we walked hand in hand, given the opportunity, we could move forward together.


    ¡®I believe.¡¯


    ¡°Yes... Yes, Kiyoung. Now I think I can believe too.¡±


    ¡°I guess you like to talk to yourself.¡±


    Boooooooooooooom!!


    With a loud sound, the bizarre-shaped building finally bounced off.


    ¡°I think we came just in time... We¡¯re not toote, are we?¡±


    ¡°Cha Hee-ra.¡±


    ¡°Blue Guild Master. It¡¯s been a while.¡±


    ¡°Park Yeon-joo.¡±


    Lindel¡¯s Red Mercenary and The ck Swan.


    Familiar people kept emerging from the magic circle that continued to illuminate the ce.


    The Knights of the Order, the troops of the Republic, the Federation, and numerous other races... People we had met previously kept catching my eyes.


    I gave a brief greeting and prepared myself forbat.


    ¡°Today, we want to repay you, hero of the continent. We want to repay the dedication and sacrifice you¡¯ve shown to our world.¡±


    ¡°Oscar...¡±


    ¡°I want to show that his death was worthwhile and that the legacy the Son of Light left with us still lives. Let us prove it to him. We are here to show what his devotion and life left to the continent. We are here to prove that he wasn¡¯t wrong.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°That wicked demon says the Son of Light is wrong. But look around, everyone. He was right all along.¡±


    I kept hearing her voice. From the magic circles embroidered in the sky, people kepting.


    I saw warriors wearing armor, priests who sang with great divine power, low-level mercenaries who were ready to die, and even high-level adventurers who came of their own volition.


    People from various parts of this world raised their gs and their weapons.


    ¡°For the Son of Light!¡±


    ¡°For the Son of Light!¡±


    I knew it was embarrassing. I also knew that I shouldn¡¯t show them my weakness now.


    And I knew that nothing had been resolved yet.


    However, my tears kept pouring down.


    Maybe it was because I was being overwhelmed by emotions right then, but they kept flowing no matter how hard I tried to stop them.


    ¡°Sniff... sniff...¡±


    ¡°Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°Sniff... sniff... sniff...¡±


    He had wanted to protect this.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry... I¡¯m sorry...¡±


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    This was what he¡¯d wanted to show me.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry... for not... sniff... sniff... believing.¡±


    This was what he¡¯d wanted to convey to the worn-out Kim Hyunsung of the first round, to the skeptical Kim Hyunsung of the second round, and to my current self, who was constantly wandering...


    He¡¯d wanted to tell us that he wasn¡¯t the only light. That together, we could all be the brilliance we needed.


    Booooooooooooooooom!!!!


    ¡°That¡¯s a lie. It¡¯s all a lie, God of Sunset. You are being deceived if you think they can make youplete! They are making you weaker as we speak. Don¡¯t listen to those bastards.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all bullshit. He did nothing! His death left nothing behind! What are they going to do now...? What can those lowly mortals even do, huh? I¡¯m different from them. I... I...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I will prove it to you once more!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Let me... Let me show you and everyone here that I am right! I will prove him wrong!¡±


    His beasts moved slowly. They were rushing toward mankind, running frantically, almost as if they were racing against each other.


    It was a terrifying sight. There was no way it couldn¡¯t be scary.


    But those with shields took one more step forward. They held and leaned on each other and created a shield wall.


    ¡°Hey, stay behind me!¡±


    ¡°Divine Protection!¡±


    The priests cast a huge barrier that blocked their way, but the beasts pierced through it, baring their fangs as they entered.


    ¡°Raise your shields! Raise your shields! Bastards!¡±


    Boooom!! Craaaaaaaash!!!!


    ¡°Raise your shields!¡±


    Booooooooooooooom!!!


    ¡°Hyung-nim is watching!¡±


    They overcame their fear. They stood their ground against the abominations that charged toward us.


    Divine power continuously fell on them as they lined their shields up beside each other and took a step forward.


    ¡°Advance! Advance!¡±


    It was a strange sight.


    ¡°D-Die... Die! D-D-Die! O-Oppa... Oppa!¡±


    Wizards began to cast spells. The archers released volley upon volley of arrows, and the spearmen pierced through the enemy lines behind our allies¡¯ shields.


    The battle was tough. Some of them disyed their fear at times, but they roared through it, showing their resolve as they took another step forward.


    They were also fighting. They sacrificed their lives on the battlefield for the Son of Light.


    ¡°Yes, Jihye. Yes. I will tell them. This side seems to be fine... Ah. Yes. We will provide support soon. The Guild Master...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Guild Master. Sorry for the rude question, but...¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I can fight, Hyejin.¡±


    ¡°Jihye will open the way.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    I wouldn¡¯t run away this time.


    ¡°She said she would give the signal.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Kim Hyunsung¡¯s life was a series of mistakes and failures. However, at this moment, I felt that I should no longer run away.


    ¡®I believe.¡¯


    ¡°Yes. Me too... I believe.¡±


    Escaping was something I¡¯d always thought about. I¡¯d even wanted to start anew.


    Maybe I¡¯d wanted to avoid responsibility, my sins, and perhaps even what the Son of Light really wanted to say.


    Now, in a position where I¡¯d always received his devotion and sacrifice, for what he gave me, and to atone for what I hadmitted against him... I also had to convey something.


    I had to let him know that this ce and the people here loved him as well, that he hadn¡¯t been wrong, and that his sacrifice hadn¡¯t been in vain.


    The people he¡¯d shone his brilliance on also illuminated him, creating a sight as beautiful as the sunset¡¯s light.


    ¡®I believe.¡¯


    ¡°Yes. I believe too. I can see it now, Kiyoung. I think I understand why you loved this world and its people so much.¡±


    ¡®I believe.¡¯


    ¡°They need you as much as you need them. I...¡±


    When I first came here, I¡¯d actually been at a loss as to what to do. I¡¯d asked myself why I even returned and why I was the only one given a new life. I couldn¡¯t find my purpose... but now I thought I finally had.


    I¡¯d returned for him.


    I probably hadn¡¯te back just to fight.


    I was here to advocate for what he¡¯d wanted to tell the world and to protect all he¡¯d loved.


    He¡¯d wanted to present all these things to me, but I wasn¡¯t the one who should enjoy them. That was what I had realized.


    ¡°Everything you ask me to enjoy is what you deserve.¡±


    Even if the price were my life, even if I wouldn¡¯t be able to enjoy the future that would follow, I would give him what he deserved, what he loved, and what he wanted.


    ¡°I¡¯m ready, Hyejin.¡±


    ¡®I will save you.¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s finally time.¡±

 Chapter 870

    Chapter 870: The End of The Scenario (3)


    ¡®These bastards went nuts. Nuts.¡¯


    I even wanted to put special background music on that scene. It was so moving I was almost in tears. Fuck.


    ¡®Okay. Fuck. To be honest, the moment they created is amazing.¡¯


    He was definitely a god worthy to partake in the final sh.


    The truth was a little different, but they looked like heroes going against the demon who was trying to devour the continent.


    Where else could this miracle that united everyone at the decisive moment have happened?


    The scene was so amazing that it made me think a bright tomorrow awaited us. It was like I could already hear hopeful music ying.


    Familiar faces were stilling out of the magic circles.


    Not all of them were from the Blue Guild. There were some joining in that I couldn¡¯t even remember the names of, but they had all probably been helped by or benefited from the Son of Light, considering their faces held more than determination.


    They looked like they couldn¡¯t watch me suffer any longer and that they¡¯d do everything to save the Son of Light. It was as if they were telling me it was their turn to help me now...


    It felt good to see so many people yelling for the Son of Light, but at the same time, it made me nervous.


    ¡®Jihye, is this right?¡¯


    Our original scenario wasn¡¯t like this. There were too many uninvited guests.


    Jung Hayan, for example.


    ¡®That bastard Raphael, too.¡¯


    I¡¯d thought Jihye was going to talk to Han Sora, but anyone could see she was on the verge of losing reason.


    Seeing strange monsters exploding like firecrackers while she maintained the teleportation magic hadn¡¯t put me at ease. Although Han Sora was marking her closely, she would probably feel like she was riding a tightrope from her perspective.


    It wouldn¡¯t be strange if a meteorite fell here as soon as she slipped off of that tiny thread.


    Had I known she wasing, I would have at least concealed my appearance.


    ¡°D-D-Die. I¡¯ll kill you. D-Die...¡±


    ¡°Jung Hayan? Jung Hayan?¡±


    The gray pigeon, whom I suspected was the culprit behind all this, was showing off his strength while proving that he was still in good health, but...


    ¡°Hyung! It¡¯s me, Raphael! I¡¯m here!¡±


    ¡®You¡¯re not the main character here. Fuck. You have a minor role!¡¯


    He had to stop stepping over his line. Why was the supporting actor acting as the lead actor and improvising without permission?


    As someone who had to make a perfect scene, I couldn¡¯t stand the chaos among the artists.


    ¡°Sniff... Hyung... You motherfucker! Aaaaaaaaaah!¡±


    ¡®Piss off. Really. You¡¯re too emotional. Don¡¯t take the spotlight from our Hyunsung, you bastard.¡¯


    The overall image itself wasn¡¯t that bad, but looking into the details, I was going to go crazy.


    I doubted this had even been right in the first ce.


    Of course, we were earning a lot from the people. I fully understood director Lee Jihye¡¯s intentions, who wanted to deliver hope and a message to mankind...


    But I kept seeing members of the production overstepping their boundaries. To be honest, it wasn¡¯t that our main actor didn¡¯t sell many tickets. That gray bird just dared to keep flying around.


    ¡°Hyung! I¡¯ll save you. Be patient.¡±


    ¡®Gosh, just take him away...¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t help but be skeptical about this entire situation. We were definitely benefitting from this scene, though. What Jung Hayan was showing was nothing short of a miracle, and her timing was exquisite.


    ¡®Fuck, what good will thinking about it do me?¡¯


    It was out of my hands anyway. If Jihye decided this was right, there had to be a reason.


    I was the one who¡¯d nned it, but now, it was on her to change the scenario... I was also an actor on stage. I had to keep my mouth shut.


    ¡®Jihye... Jihye...¡¯


    If it were true that she was organizing the main unit right now, then she¡¯d let the lead actor regain the spotlight soon enough.


    ¡°Open the way! Open the damn way!¡±


    Booooooooooooom!!!


    I heard a voice roar within our ranks.


    ¡°Advance! Advance! One step forward!¡±


    The shield unit was moving, led by Park Deokgu.


    ¡°Forward! Push!¡±


    The priests¡¯ divine power continued to fall on them as they did.


    I saw the road slowly opening. It was small, but it was like watching the red sea part.


    On thend filled with unspeakable abominations, humans were forming a path with their shields side by side.


    ¡°Make way!¡±


    Its appearance alone made my jaw drop. It was a bit cringeworthy, but it was something we didn¡¯t see every day.


    Park Deokgu, who seemed more desperate than anyone else, stood out. The way he was holding the camp while keeping pace with other people made me reevaluate him.


    ¡®He¡¯s grown.¡¯


    If he hadn¡¯t, Park Deokgu would have left long ago. Actually, he¡¯d hit a wall a couple of times, and there were many things I¡¯d had to take care of to make him stronger.


    I¡¯d thought no effort would be enough to take his name to the top of the continent, but looking at Park Deokgu now, it was no longer possible for me to have those thoughts.


    He¡¯d forgotten about the attack power he had no hope of gaining, and the other parts that were blocked by his limitations had been supplemented with buffs or equipment. With all of thosebined, he climbed up.


    Witnessing his figure overwhelming everyone despite already being among huge warriors made me feel a little sad without really registering it.


    ¡°Well, the only thing I can do is defend the frontlines.¡±


    ¡®Pig bastard...¡¯


    ¡°I can¡¯t do that properly either, but if it¡¯s dirty work, leave it to me.¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t say embarrassing lines.¡¯


    ¡°That is enough.¡±


    It was Cho Hyejin who answered him. No, it was the members of the Blue Guild, led by Cho Hyejin.


    ¡°Themand wille from headquarters. We will obey orders with the highest priority.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    ¡°It seems like it¡¯s been a long time since we were together like this.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Alps, Yoo Ah-young, and Kim Ye-ri continued talking. They started running down the path opened by the big pigs.


    Unlike me, who hadn¡¯t participated in proper training for so long, the Blue Guild members never skipped intense training.


    Their responses were instantaneous. It even made me react before thinking.


    Their actions demonstrated just how strong a well-bnced party could be.


    In fact, even the textbooks talked about that.


    The party members started to move.


    Centered on Cho Hyejin, their purpose was to pierce through. Those who entered the camp grew tense, almost as if they were looking directly at a pointed spear that could never be stopped.


    Their operation started with her taking one step forward.


    She jumped like a bullet, threw her spear, and Sun Hee-young and Elena, who were in the middle of the formation, began to chant divine incantations.


    Sprinting ahead of the party and leaving two priests behind was dangerous, but the two rangers in charge of the party¡¯s nks made it possible.


    ¡®Kim Chang-ryul and Kim Ye-ri.¡¯


    Actually, I didn¡¯t even need to talk about Kim Ye-ri. She was an all-rounder disguised as a ranger, and she was so good even in closebat that she was called the downgraded version of Kim Hyunsung.


    The pressure they felt as they marked all kinds of variablesing in from all directions was higher than Cho Hyejin, who was at the forefront.


    They constantly kept an eye on the party while responding in real-time to any situation brought by external forces.


    Even manager Kim Mi-young couldn¡¯t makements or give themmands. In other words, the two rangers had to make arbitrary decisions.


    They were the ones who had to constantly think ande to conclusions about what to give up and what to take.


    For example, they chose what to do when magic spells that rangers couldn¡¯t stop were fired at them or when they had to move to avoid being surrounded.


    And during this time, Kim Ye-ri had to choose. With the tentacles pouring out and the beast blocking their way, she chose to cut through them all.


    She didn¡¯t bother with the tentaclesing from above, most likely under the notion that Ahn Ki-mo would block them.


    ¡°Nice, uncle Ki-mo.¡±


    ¡°Haha...¡±


    Kim Chang-ryul also left some of the burdens to Yoo Ah-young, who was taking care of the Blue¡¯s rearguard.


    ¡°I trust my colleagues.¡±


    I¡¯d love to say cringe-inducing lines like that, but that wasn¡¯t the case at all. This win was made possible by the system.


    It was the result of training thousands, tens of thousands, millions of times.


    The system was the one that allowed them to distinguish between what they could and couldn¡¯t do as individuals and how to distribute their burdens evenly.


    That was why the priests, wizards, and Hwang Jeong-yeon could continue to chant spells inside the square.


    Buffs were constantlying down to the frontline. Whenever their energy ran out, divine power and magic hit them once again.


    Of course, the one who made the biggest contribution in making these impossible tactics possible was...


    ¡°Our Hayan.¡±


    Booooooooooooooooooooooooom!!!


    Magical power split into millions of strands continued to fall around the party.


    Booooooooooooooooooooooooooom!!!


    The divine power emitted by Elena and Sun Hee-young was also beyond ordinary, but Jung Hayan was in an entirely different league.


    Her magical thorn, which moved as if it had its own will, continued to expand its range and prated quite a lot of our opponents.


    Even Han Sora was a big help. I wanted to show her, but I couldn¡¯t since she wasn¡¯t the one that should be getting the spotlight.


    ¡°These bastards!¡±


    The Song Viin fired out arge amount of magical power. At this point, it was time for him to stop.


    ¡°Leave it to us!¡±


    Park Deokgu, who had switched with Cho Hyejin, raised his shield. Together with Yoo Ahyoung and Ahn Ki-mo, they blocked the attack head-on.


    ¡°I¡¯ll throw it in a different direction! Hwang Jeong-yeon!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ahyoung. Deokgu.¡±


    Sun Hee-young provided buffs that could assist the members at the frontline. At the same time, Hwang Jeong-yeon used magic to reduce the physical shock received by tanks, changing kic energy to magical energy. She was secretly an all-rounder too. She just didn¡¯t have magic power.


    In the meantime, Elena was...


    ¡°Cho Hyejin!¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    She loaded more fuel into Cho Hyejin. Only Alps, who was stillcking in skill, snooped around. Whitey barked and took care of their mental health.


    It was probably an overwhelming scene to see up close, but it still made my jaw drop even when viewed from a distance.


    What they were doing was too unrealistic as a small party fighting in a ce filled with hideous tentacles and monstrosities.


    Unsurprisingly, I heard the ones watching them murmuring.


    ¡°How... is that possible...?¡±


    ¡°Keep your eyes open. Our people need to learn from them. Trust your colleagues...¡±


    That wasn¡¯t the power of trust and friendship. That was the fruit of their training and hard work, and the power of the system.


    The red waves were starting to break apart.


    In the middle of the square, Kim Hyunsung lookedfortable. Though he always led the party members in the frontlines, he moved while being protected this time.


    ¡®He probably thinks he should trust his colleagues more.¡¯


    Perhaps they would live up to Kim Hyunsung¡¯s expectations.


    And just as expected...


    ¡®Did the delivery arrive?¡¯


    The magic square that had been heavily defended was forcibly opened. At that moment, Kim Hyunsung spread his wings as the sunset fell behind him.


    Unlike before, when his face had looked nervous, now he seemed to be at ease.


    ¡°I will save you.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The scene made me feel sad for some reason.


    ¡°For sure this time.¡±

 Chapter 871

    Chapter 871: The End of the Scenario (4)


    ¡®Why is he so serious?¡¯


    Of course, there was never a time when Kim Hyunsung wasn¡¯t serious, but he seemed to be more determined than usual, which made me worry.


    ¡®Well, it¡¯s good to be serious. The people will be more absorbed.¡¯


    Looking at the huge viin in front of him, I felt like we had definitely reached the end of the scenario.


    From his perspective, he probably thought that he couldn¡¯t ruin things this time around.


    He was probably paying more attention than usual because this was an opportunity that the Blue Guild members had created together.


    It might feel like we had invested nothing, but the Blue Guild wasn¡¯t invincible.


    Unlike Jung Hayan, who could continuously recharge her magic power, the resources that other guild members could use were limited.


    There was a limit to Elena and Sun Hee-young¡¯s divine power. The same went for Hwang Jeong-yeon¡¯s magic power and the frontline¡¯s physical capacity.


    Unsurprisingly, those who had be exhausted stood out. There were wounds all over their bodies that hadn¡¯t yet been healed by divine power, and the condition of their equipment was troubling.


    I had to apud their efforts for bringing Kim Hyunsung here while battling a high-level monster.


    ¡®Their mission doesn¡¯t end here.¡¯


    The party¡¯s purpose was to remove as many obstacles as possible and assist Kim Hyunsung the best they could to fight in a safe environment.


    His battle wasn¡¯t the only aspect of this war that was difficult.


    The guild members spread the magic square and immediately prepared for the next fight. Even highly experienced adventurers wouldn¡¯t want to continue a mission while surrounded by the enemy camp.


    The Blue Guild was no exception. Cho Hyejin¡¯s specialty would be sealed off, and it was difficult to protect all of the rearguards with her small hands.


    Sun Hee-young and Hwang Jeong-yeon, who were wearing melee equipment, would also need to take action to protect them.


    ¡°Hyung. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Good luck, Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°Cheer up, Oppa.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll see youter, Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°Woof!¡±


    Everyone saw Kim Hyunsung off in their own way. Even Whitey.


    He nodded slightly and spread his wings once more.


    Song Sookyung threw out more provocations, but he wasn¡¯t agitated. Since his purpose was now clear, nothing else came to his mind.


    As soon as Kim Hyunsung jumped out, the party members started fighting.


    Not just the Blue Guild. No one had withdrawn from the battle that would determine the fate of the continent. Loud noises and screams echoed across the ce.


    The voices calling for the Son of Light were tense, as were the soldiers repeatedly muttering the God of Sunset¡¯s name. The priests looked at the Sunset Swordsman, who was emitting a bright light.


    Perhaps they were gaining courage.


    The sight was giving them the strength to fight and the hope that they could win.


    Kim Hyunsung was more like a god than a human, but he was more human than anyone else.


    The expression and behavior he was showing now had the power to make anyone look at and even follow him.


    Understandably, Song Sookyung was obsessed with Kim Hyunsung. Of course, his goal was a little different, but Kim Hyunsung...


    ¡®You are a real hero.¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung was perfect and the most amazing hero. Fuck.


    Bang!!!


    The Sunset Swordsman collided with the Song Viin, who had swallowed the soul of the Son of Light.


    It was as if the sunset spread wherever Kim Hyunsung passed. The way the reddish brilliance continued to fill the space was so beautiful that it made me speechless.


    ¡®This scene isn¡¯t bad.¡¯


    Huge tentacles flew in, but Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t care.


    They all lost their power as soon as they got hit by Jung Hayan¡¯s magic.


    -Kiyoung.


    Huh?


    -Thank you.


    What? Suddenly...


    -Really... I¡¯ve received so much from you that I don¡¯t know what to say.


    ¡®I¡¯m d you know. I¡¯ve invested so much in you that I¡¯m still trying to break even. Regardless, I¡¯m proud of you. Anyway, are you telling me this through the Regressor Instruction Manual for me to hear? I shouldn¡¯t be hearing this now. I hope you understand that I can¡¯t reply.¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung swung his sword. Dozens of light rays were fired and lodged deep in the red demon¡¯s body.


    -I have received so many things from you in so many ways that it is impossible to enumerate them one by one. Compared to the time I first came to the continent, it seems a lot has changed. You also mentioned it before, but at that time, I...


    Right. I had.


    -Back then, I don¡¯t think I had the time to think about why I returned. All I could do was worry about what would happen in the future or resent my situation... There was nothing else I could do. As you know, I was a bit stupid and couldn¡¯t think deeply about various things.


    ¡®No, you¡¯re not stupid. It¡¯s not good to me yourself excessively.¡¯


    -You¡¯re the one who made me realize that there are many things I can do here. You made me realize that we could have fun too. Changing my perspective made me a lot happier. Before, expeditions or dungeon explorations always felt annoying. But now, even trivial things like useless meetings and training have be fun. I¡¯ve even gained a hobby. There are things I want to collect, and there are many things I want to do.


    ¡®Right. Right. I¡¯ve heard all of that before.¡¯


    -Fishing at Mirror Lake and going in and out of the auction house, I think, were good sources of happiness for me.


    ¡®It wasn¡¯t to get me a gift, but to vent your stress, right?¡¯


    -Riding a griffon and looking at the sky, eating and drinking coffee in a nice ce, reading a newspaper, or sharing people¡¯s interests. It¡¯s not much, but texting and spending time with guild members became fun.


    Right.


    -I have a lot of people around me now. They¡¯re the ones I can call family, notrades in arms. They became more important to me than I thought they would.


    ¡®I¡¯m getting embarrassed. I actually did a lot of things, huh. You¡¯re exaggerating a bit, but... They¡¯re actually true. I guess I really am great, considering I even melted our regressor¡¯s frozen heart.¡¯


    -But all of this wasn¡¯t because of me. It may not have been as much as you, but I think I had quite a lot of fun.


    He continued the story a little calmer, but Kim Hyunsung still looked tense.


    He soared through the air with his wings wide open.


    Various attacks were fired against Kim Hyunsung, but he easily twisted his body to avoid them or swung his sword to destroy them.


    Climbing even higher, he again readied his weapon as he moved toward the demon.


    -It¡¯s all thanks to Kiyoung. Yeah... It¡¯s all thanks to you.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous! Damn it, stop talking nonsense!¡±


    Oh, right. The Song Viin was connected to him too.


    He might¡¯ve been able to receive his thoughts exactly as I did. Song Sookyung had probably been spying on Kim Hyunsung¡¯s desperate letter to me, which was why he was so agitated.


    I kept hearing Kim Hyunsung¡¯s voice. To be honest, I found witnessing all the trivial stories being unraveled interesting.


    A bond united us, after all. That made this more fun.


    -As much as I am grateful, I am also very sorry. I should¡¯ve been a little stronger and a little smarter. This isn¡¯t the first time I¡¯ve had this thought. It seems that I didn¡¯t think of you as much as you thought of me. I may have gotten used to being on the receiving end.


    He was telling me all kinds of things.


    -I¡¯m sorry. There are limited ways to pay you back for what I received. If you hadn¡¯t had a hobby of collecting bags, I probably would¡¯ve found doing so a lot harder.


    No, fuck, I didn¡¯t have that kind of hobby.


    -It¡¯s all thanks to you. You changed me and taught me to make sacrifices. I learned how tomunicate with others and how to understand them. Of course, I couldn¡¯t do what I learned properly, but I was able to feel and think about many things because of you. Still, I feel resentful. Why do you have to suffer like this, why does it have to be you, why do you allow yourself to be tormented so much for the continent? I don¡¯t understand your motives at all, but I think I finally understand why you love this ce and its people.


    Tentacles tried to grab him, but he disposed of them swiftly. He then continued to move, seemingly getting faster.


    He twisted his body in the air, scattering even more light.


    A lot of people were watching him, watching the God of Sunset, with nk expressions.


    The demon¡¯s loud voice fell on deaf ears for a moment. Soon enough, even he started watching Kim Hyunsung in silence.


    -You should enjoy all of this. It¡¯s not me but you who deserves these things. So... so... I¡¯ve thought of a way to return everything I received.


    Right. That was a very good attitude. I liked that.


    -I¡¯m scared.


    ¡®Of what?¡¯


    ¨C I¡¯m afraid of things I hadn¡¯t even thought of before.


    ¡®What are you afraid of? You have to make it more understandable for me.¡¯


    -There were times when I thought that I would rather have things end, but now I¡¯m afraid that I won¡¯t be able to do everything I want to do.


    ¡®What¡¯s wrong? You can live your life as you please soon enough. Once this is over, our suffering will be too. At that moment, our happiness will begin.¡¯


    -I¡¯m just an ordinary person, unlike you. However, I know how valuable it is to sacrifice myself for something. I can¡¯t make that sacrifice for the continent, but I can make it for you, who¡¯s given me more than I deserve. It is probably simr to how you look at this ce and its people. It¡¯s less sublime, but you¡¯re more valuable to me than anything else.


    ¡®Okay. Sacrifice is a good word. Dedicate your life to it.¡¯


    Booooooooooom!!!!


    With a loud sound, he collided against the red demon.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!!!¡±


    Typical cheers echoed from a distance.


    It was as if the world were shining brightly.


    In the blink of an eye, Kim Hyunsung¡¯s face appeared right in front of me.


    He stabbed our enemy¡¯s chest with his sword. After letting go of his weapon, he reached out to me.


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    He removed the tentacles that were constantly clinging to him and trying to drag him down.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I... I just...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It had been so long since his face had been covered in tears.


    He quietly nodded and spoke slowly.


    ¡°Thank you so much.¡±


    ¡®Okay.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry I was such a quiet guy.¡±


    ¡®Oh, stop saying you¡¯re sorry.¡¯


    ¡°You tried to protect me until the end... Thank... Thank...¡±


    ¡®What are you talking about now?¡¯


    Kim Hyunsung smiled.


    ¡°Goodbye.¡±


    He grabbed the pendant hanging from his neck.


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    With a mncholic tone of voice, he spoke once more.


    ¡°Goodbye...¡±


    ¡®Huh...?¡¯


    ¡°I hope... I hope we can meet again someday...¡±

 Chapter 872

    Chapter 872: The End of the Scenario (5)


    ¡°I hope... I hope we can meet again someday...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡®What¡¯s that now?¡¯


    ¡°What...?¡±


    ¡®What does that mean? Why is this bastard saying weird stuff all of a sudden?¡¯


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡®Are you crazy?¡¯


    ¡®What the hell are you talking about? Isn¡¯t this a little strange? No matter how much I think about it, his emotion feels a little strange.¡¯


    ¡®Is that line correct? Thank you for your hard work. Now it¡¯s all over. This won¡¯t happen anymore. Doesn¡¯t that kind of line fit better?¡¯


    ¡®Goodbye, my ass. Why are you talking like someone you won¡¯t see anymore?¡¯


    From start to finish, I didn¡¯t understand anything.


    Why he was talking like that, why he was holding on to the pendant, why he had said he was scared, why he was smiling as if everything was finally over, why he was making a face that seemed like he could only be at ease now, why his appearance was now scattered... there was nothing I could understand.


    I couldn¡¯t say anything. It wasn¡¯t easy to think when it felt like my mind was paralyzed.


    I tried to get back to myself, but I became dazed. So time went by. As always, a wonderfulndscape loomed over the continent.


    Very bright sunset light illuminated the continent. As if the whole story were over, the light began to spread across the continent.


    Everyone must have thought it was a miracle. Looking around nkly, I saw people cheering in joy.


    It was the behavior of those who thought that everything was over.


    ¡°Son of Light!¡±


    ¡°I lived... lived.¡±


    ¡°Benignore... haha... hahahaha!¡±


    ¡°It is light.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a warm light. It¡¯s so warm...¡±


    ¡°The Sunset Swordsman won... hahahaha! Oh, God... Thank you. Thanks again for the miracle...¡±


    ¡®What kind of bullshit are you talking about? Now...¡¯


    ¡°It is a miracle. Everyone, it¡¯s a miracle. The continent has won once again. We did not lose to evil and did not give in, we achieved victory once again. Our home, the soul of the Son of Light! We have preserved the things we value. We will never forget this day.¡±


    ¡®I mean... what? What are you guys talking about?¡¯


    ¡°The demon is disappearing. Everyone... the demons are disappearing. Humanity has won.¡±


    It was just like they said. The strange monsters were slowly scattering. Those affected by the glow of the sunset screamed painfully and dispersed.


    Everyone put down their swords. The adventurers fighting fiercely, the priests who had continued to pray, and the wizards who were constantly chanting spells put down their wands.


    I saw people shedding tears, hugging each other in relief, or falling to the floor.


    In the meantime, Kim Hyunsung, who held me in his arms, was disappearing.


    ¡°Huh... huh?¡±


    I grabbed his clothes, forgetting to act, but they fell apart before my hand could reach them.


    Just like a dandelion seed being blown away, he began to scatter even in the slight wind.


    I grabbed his hand, but I couldn¡¯t get it. The hand that was holding me was disappearing. It was like touching the sand.


    ¡°Hey, hey!¡±


    I didn¡¯t know when, but Kim Hyunsung¡¯s expression had frozen. He¡¯d kept his smiling face as it was after he said thest line.


    His gaze was fixed on me until the very end. His eyes didn¡¯t blink, and the shape of his mouth did not change. I couldn¡¯t even feel any slight tremors.


    ¡°Hey... what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    I didn¡¯t hear an answer.


    ¡°Is it a prank?¡±


    Still no answer.


    What should I have done? He was a bit strange. Was it because he¡¯d overdone it... I thought he was exhausted. He¡¯d fainted while standing. That must have been it.


    ¡®It¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t look much like the protagonist. You¡¯ve already done enough. You don¡¯t have to do this much.¡¯


    ¡®Honestly, you knew everything, right? You¡¯re doing this to make fun of me, right?¡¯


    ¡°Say something. Hyunsung. Are you okay? Hyunsung... now... it¡¯s all...¡±


    Was it because he was too shocked that I¡¯d suddenly started talking? Were you surprised? Actually, I wasn¡¯t nning on talking here.


    ¡®Look at him frozen in surprise. I can¡¯t do this anymore. Hey, I won¡¯t do it from now on. So talk.¡¯


    ¡°Everything will be fine now. Everything is over. Now... let¡¯s go back. Let¡¯s go back...¡±


    No answer was heard.


    He was still looking at me quietly with a smile on his face.


    ¡°It¡¯s over now.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Hey. It¡¯s over now...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Kim Hyunsung. Can¡¯t you hear me?¡±


    ¡®Benignore, Lucifer, it¡¯s over now, right? Someone, please answer. Jihye, is this right?¡¯


    ¡®Why is no one giving any feedback? It¡¯s a little strange now. No, isn¡¯t it a bit too strange?¡¯


    ¡®This wasn¡¯t in the n. Things are going a little strange right now. Benignore. Benignore. Can you hear me?¡¯


    ¡°Benignore... can you hear me? Belial... you...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°What are you doing? Kim Hyunsung... you...¡±


    I slowly got up. The body of the guy who had been holding me copsed.


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    Startled, I reflexively stretched out my hand.


    ¡°Huh...¡±


    His face scattered when I touched it with my hand. The face that had been smiling all the time was no longer visible. His body, legs, and arms were just blown away by the wind.


    ¡°Ahhh... huh...¡±


    I felt something strange and looked around. Cheers could still be heard. With the sound of happyughter, the scenery changed like it was a festival.


    I saw theming to me. I saw people looking at me holding the scattered Kim Hyunsung.


    I could see they had slightly strange faces. The party members around me looked worried.


    How did I look now? Was I crying?


    My hands kept trembling. I couldn¡¯t breathe properly. I felt dizzy. What was going on? I was dreaming right now, right? What in the hell happened?


    What was I supposed to do from now on? What was my next n? What was I going to do? Now... now... why am I here? What are all these... I...


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I heard voices around me, but I couldn¡¯t understand anything. I stretched out my hand one more time, but I couldn¡¯t get anything. Park Deokgu...


    ¡°Hyung-nim...¡±


    I heard his voice. But even after that, I couldn¡¯t hear it right.


    It was then that I felt my body float into the sky.


    I couldn¡¯t figure out exactly what was going on, but then I felt like I was falling to the ground.


    Everyone was looking up. I saw myself immersed in a huge light. I could see people looking at me from below.


    Did I get out of the dummy? Was I going down? It had happened so quickly that I had no sense of reality.


    Was I really resurrecting now? Was Iing back to life like this?


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    I saw them cheering.


    It was hard to judge, but it was probably happening.


    [You havepleted the conditions for clearing the mythic-grade dungeon ¡®The Continent Where the Son of Light Sacrificed.¡¯]


    [Resurrection of the Son of Light (1/1)]


    I saw the message.


    I saw the sky that covered the northern part disappear.


    Everything affected by ¡°dungeonization¡± reverted to its original form.


    Once again, the bright light fell, and the fallen things were raised again.


    As if there had been no battle from the beginning, as if this had not happened in the first ce, everything went back to its original state.


    Flowers bloomed, and trees grew. Light fell on the contaminated area. The sunset light continued to fall all over the continent.


    I could also see Eberia in the distance. Leaves bloomed on the World Tree with the sunset light. The elves offered prayers to the World Tree.


    Laios was no different. Neither was the Federation.


    The same went for Mirror Lake. This phenomenon, which was taking ce across the State, the Republic, and the entire continent...


    It was a sight I didn¡¯tprehend. No, it was a sight I didn¡¯t want to understand.


    The blocked river flowed again. Those who had been lying down got up. Those who were hiding came out and looked up at the sky.


    In the sunset light that illuminated the entire continent, I could see them quietly closing their eyes and spreading their arms. I saw the people of the continent rejoicing.


    But I still couldn¡¯t hear their voices. They were probably cheering.


    They must have been muttering for a miracle, for the Hero of the Sunset, or the Son of Light.


    Like it had before... now, this sight must have looked like a miracle. It was a sight worthy of being called a miracle.


    It felt like it was time to get back what everyone had lost and what they had almost lost.


    I bowed to look down at where Kim Hyunsung was, but he was not there. The ragged body was no longer visible.


    ¡®Why you...¡¯


    ¡°You won¡¯te back.¡±


    The bodies of those who had been wounded were being healed. Those who had been dying raised their bodies. Kim Hyunsung still didn¡¯t get up. He wouldn¡¯t go back to normal.


    ¡°Why are you...?¡±


    The pendant.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you getting up?¡±


    My head hurt.


    Cho Hyejin was crying. She was crying while looking at Kim Hyunsung.


    Kim Ye-ri was holding Kim Hyunsung¡¯s sword. With her head bowed, she was hugged by Ahn Ki-mo and copsed.


    ¡°Sniff... Sniff... Sniff...¡±


    I could hear her crying.


    ¡°Sniff...¡±


    I guessed that was what it had meant.


    I guessed that was what Kim Hyunsung¡¯sst words had meant.


    I guessed the sunset light that filled the sky was not the effect of clearing the dungeon, but the light created by Kim Hyunsung.


    Sacrificing himself for me... I should be enjoying myself when it meant this? Were you really going to end it like that? Was it that?


    My hands were shaking. I felt as if something were forcibly pulling me off the floor.


    ¡°I won¡¯t go down.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Fuck! I¡¯m not going down. Shit. Fuck! Take this off. I¡¯m not going down, you bastards!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Kim Hyunsung, you stupid bastard! Don¡¯t be presumptuous! Son of a bitch. Who do you think you are to decide whether to get me back or not? What the hell are you doing, damn it, presumptuously...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I will take care of everything. Just put it back the way it was. You stupid bastard.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I will take care of everything! Just put it back the way it was from the beginning! You bastard! Let go of me! Fuck, I won¡¯t go down! I¡¯m not going down! Shit!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Benignore! Benignore!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I looked around in a hurry.


    I saw someone looking at me. They seemed invisible to other people¡¯s eyes, but they were definitely visible to me.


    ¡°You...¡±


    The guy with the mask off.


    He opened his mouth while smiling.


    ¡®This is right.¡¯


    ¡°Stop with the bullshit! You bastard!¡±

 Chapter 873

    Chapter 873: The End of the Scenario (6)


    ¡°Don¡¯t be mean! You bastard!¡±


    ¡®This is right. This is the correct answer.¡¯


    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous! Son of a bitch! What¡¯s right?! What the hell is right...? Shit... what... what¡¯s the right answer...?¡±


    He was still smiling. His figure became clearer and yet more blurred.


    ¡®What the hell is that? What the hell are you?¡¯


    Seeing him smiling as if he were satisfied made me angry.


    I bit my lip to grab hold of my mind, but his appearance did not change. He was still looking at me.


    Was this what you wanted?


    ¡°Did you touch my memory to see this?¡±


    It felt like I was not breathing properly, but my mind was clear.


    I felt like I was going to pass out at any moment, but the light that continued to surround me grabbed my fading mind.


    I forcefully clenched my fist. I took a deep breath to somehow send air to my brain.


    I thought I needed to keep breathing over and over again.


    ¡°Haaa... whoo...¡±


    Was it my fault?


    ¡°Whoo... haa... haa...¡±


    Where did it go wrong? From where... what the hell happened?


    ¡°Haa... Whoo... Whoo...¡±


    It¡¯d be fine soon. It¡¯d... It¡¯d be fine soon.


    As usual, nothing would happen. It was no big deal. This hadn¡¯t gotten out of my hands yet.


    I could turn everything back. As always, it¡¯d be the same this time. I still had many cards.


    If not, I could go to the next round. It would be a bit bothersome, but yes. I had the option of starting all over again. I had insurance. So, I shouldn¡¯t be nervous.


    ¡°Sigh...¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure if I had been able to think as usual, but I had to force myself to think about it. I had to keep thinking about why it had happened and if there was a way to reverse the current situation.


    I had to think about which piece of the puzzle was wrong. Because I knew turning it over didn¡¯t help.


    I had to get rid of unnecessary emotions and make rational decisions. So I had no choice but to continueforting myself.


    It only took a very little time for me to feel a bit better.


    ¡°Whew...¡±


    Was I in that bastard¡¯s hand?


    The hypothesis that part of Lee Kiyoung from the first round might be inside me had been established for quite a long time.


    I couldn¡¯t be sure, but there were several omens.


    I did think about the possibility that it was a bluff, I didn¡¯t ignore the possibility that it was just my illusion, but I couldn¡¯t erase the thought that it had been Lee Kiyoung since the first round.


    It was simple.


    Assuming that first-round Lee Kiyoung¡¯s purpose had been to avenge Kim Hyunsung, everything felt like a perfect y.


    For sure, there was no more perfect revenge than that. Because, even in my opinion, it was thepletion of the most brutal revenge.


    He held Kim Hyunsung in his hand, shook it, and made him sacrifice himself at thest moment.


    To erase the existence of Kim Hyunsung on the continent and restore everything to its original state through his sacrifice.


    He gave him a moment when he was really happy and then took it away.


    He gave him the feeling of wanting to live and made him give up on it.


    It was perfect storytelling.


    ¡°Right. Damn, it was a perfect story.¡±


    Kim Hyunsung had smiled and disappeared, but I didn¡¯t think he was really happy at thest moment. Because it had been different from the first round, in which he didn¡¯t feel many emotions.


    The guy in the second round had wanted to live. He had wanted to do things he couldn¡¯t, and he wanted to have an everyday life. He also had a lot of hobbies and interests, and he had wanted to enjoy them.


    It must have been terrifying, as he had said. It must have been scary and difficult.


    ¡°I am not you. Trash bastard. I am the Son of Light. Asshole.¡±


    ¡®No matter what you n or do, it has nothing to do with me. So don¡¯t disdain. Don¡¯t look at me like it¡¯s all over.¡¯


    Nothing was over yet. Now, it was the beginning. If it turned out like that, I would start anew...


    Images came to my mind.


    Images kept popping up in my head, and I thought I could tell what he was trying to show, but I didn¡¯t care about it.


    No, I didn¡¯t want to think about it. No matter what the guy in the first round had been thinking, it had nothing to do with me.


    There was one important thing.


    Kim Hyunsung was mine.


    ¡°If you touch what¡¯s mine, everything will be lost. Do you understand? You rat. You will regret what you did. I don¡¯t know where you are or if you¡¯re in my head, but I will surely find you and tear you to pieces.¡±


    ¡®I am you.¡¯


    ¡°Bullshit. I don¡¯t care what kind of bullshit you¡¯re thinking, it¡¯s meaningless. Moron. What you did means nothing. I will start over. All your bullshit... will be meaningless.¡±


    ¡®It will be of no use.¡¯


    ¡°You think?¡±


    ¡®There is no third round.¡¯


    ¡°Fuck you.¡±


    ¡®Kim Hyunsung¡¯s existence has been erased... Even if the third round starts, Kim Hyunsung won¡¯t be there. The Sunset Swordsman is not dead. Can you feel that he has attained divine status? He no longer exists.¡¯


    ¡°It is not for you to decide. I can do it if I say so.¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s sad to see youfort yourself like that. Poor bastard.¡¯


    I bit my lip hard. My hands were trembling from seeing him so disdainful, but I could do nothing about it.


    I didn¡¯t have enough information. Remembering was the most important thing. How did I do it? What did he know? What in the hell did he know that I didn¡¯t?


    ¡®Pendant. We gave it. Isn¡¯t that true?¡¯


    ¡°Don¡¯t say we. You fucking bastard! I never agreed. Fuck! I never agreed! Son of a bitch! How can I agree with this? Me?¡±


    ¡®I think you¡¯re overly agitated...¡¯


    ¡°I. Never agreed. You bastard!¡±


    ¡®No. It is true that we agreed to hand over the legacy of Altanus.¡¯


    It felt like the fog in my head had lifted. The events that happened in Mirror Lake came to mind in a chain.


    The face of Kim Hyunsung, who was delighted with the inheritance of Altanus, came to mind. I even saw my smiling face. The memories we shared after eating together also lingered in my mind.


    ¡®First, I want to say thank you.¡¯


    ¡®What?¡¯


    ¡®The items found in the dimensional sea...¡¯


    ¡®Oh. You don¡¯t have to worry about it. After all, no one else can use it except you. To be precise, I didn¡¯t give it to you... ¡®


    ¡®I will make sure to keep the pendant you handed me.¡¯


    Why did youugh at that, you stupid bastard?


    ¡°Why did youugh at that? You were stabbed in the back, bastard...¡±


    My hands were starting to tremble. I couldn¡¯t see the surroundings well.


    Why hadn¡¯t Kim Hyunsung doubted me? No, it was understandable. Kim Hyunsung would have thought I didn¡¯t know about the penalty. He might just have thought I¡¯d given him a nice present.


    ¡®It was your choice.¡¯


    ¡°No. I never made a choice.¡±


    I did not agree. I¡¯d tried to protect Kim Hyunsung. So I erased his memory of the pendant.


    In order to prevent Kim Hyunsung from reminding himself of the pendant, ¡®he¡¯ had sealed his memory with the Regressor Instruction Manual.


    Just in case he didn¡¯t need me... I had tied it up so that it wouldn¡¯t be used in case of necessity.


    I had even touched my memory. Bluffing on the bluff might have been in order to fix this memory.


    The reason the Blue Guild members who had been together at the ce did not recognize the pendant must also have been the reason for fulfilling the contract with Lucifer.


    The content of the bet was not about whether Kim Hyunsung would stab me or not, but whether or not to save me.


    ¡®I think there is a possibility that he will be affected. Lucifer.¡¯


    ¡®That¡¯s right.¡¯


    ¡®Whether to use the pendant or not depends on the Sword of Sunset¡¯s choice. We must make it impossible for others to exercise influence.¡¯


    ¡®I agree.¡¯


    I was reminded of me and her talking.


    I grabbed my aching head that felt like exploding. It felt like shards of ss were being driven into my brain.


    I continued with the thoughts. Nevertheless, the question of why I had given the pendant to Kim Hyunsung remained unresolved.


    Nothing came to mind. Had he been influenced by Lee Kiyoung from the first round? Had he lost control of his body for a short while to Lee Kiyoung from the first round?


    ¡®I don¡¯t think so.¡¯


    ¡°Shut up...¡±


    If not... maybe I really had passed the pendant to him. To use it as insurance, if there were times when I would need itter... to use it someday...


    ¡®Think. It¡¯s a legacy that can change one person and achieve everything. Where else could you find a business as profitable as this?¡¯


    ¡°Shut up...¡±


    ¡®We are like that. We¡¯re the ones who use everything. Why wouldn¡¯t you? Tap the calctor. It¡¯s a legacy where you can get everything. Don¡¯t you feel like a fool not to have one? Suppose you had been handed the pendant, not me. Imagine what you would have judged reasonable. I¡¯d bet on thetter. You¡¯re me too. We know our thoughts best.¡¯


    ¡°I never abandon what¡¯s mine. Stupid bastard.¡±


    ¡®So it looks like it was fixedte. Isn¡¯t that so? Even doing useless things... right? Because it felt like Kim Hyunsung was more precious to you than you thought. Because you¡¯re closer to Kim Hyunsung than you thought. You thought it wasn¡¯t yours, but in the end, you gave up your space. You thought it was going to be a throw-away card, but you liked it. So maybe that¡¯s why you were trying to fix it.¡¯


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡®Humans are so much fun.¡¯


    ¡°...¡±


    Slowly my body fell to the ground. The light that had continued to fall from the sky gradually faded away.


    The light that had enveloped my body also disappeared as if it had never existed in the beginning. As if there were no strength in my legs, my body copsed on its own.


    I saw others approaching in surprise, but I couldn¡¯t see their faces. I couldn¡¯t hear their voices. I saw someone¡¯s hand touching my body, and I pped it with my arm.


    I was getting nauseous. I didn¡¯t know why, but I kept getting nauseous. It felt like my whole face was covered with tears and saliva. Loud cheers were heard.


    ¡°aaaaaargh...¡±


    Nothing came out. Someone grabbed my arm.


    ¡°Piss off... Shit...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I kept thinking about it without realizing it.


    ¡°Fuck...¡±


    I kept thinking of him.


    ¡°Sniff... Fuck... Fuck...¡±


    As I moved my body, I sat down where he was.


    I tried to grab something but caught nothing. I gripped the floor.


    ¡°...¡±


    I kept thinking of him over and over again.

 Chapter 874

    [We deeply apologize for the dys, we¡¯ll get a new separate proofreader to work on this as it has been over half a year since we¡¯vepleted the main storyline. We just couldn¡¯t free up enough time due to budgeting constraints.]


    Chapter 874: The End of the Scenario (7)


    It wasn¡¯t that I¡¯d gotten emotional. My thoughts were jumbled up, so I didn¡¯t know what emotion I was feeling right then.


    It wouldn¡¯t simply be because I¡¯d lost Kim Hyunsung. This would be a moreplex emotion than that. Maybe it was because I had failed.


    ¡°Failure...¡±


    Lee Kiyoung had failed. I¡¯d just realized that. Maybe that was why. Because everyone got angry about failures.


    As Jihye had said, I might have been feeling overly stressed about getting out of the situation I was thinking of.


    It might have been more appropriate to call it annoyance at having blown away my regressor card.


    Literally, Kim Hyunsung had been the best hand I had.


    He had been convenient to use, and he didn¡¯t cause any problems other than money.


    He¡¯d been a perfect fit for me and was the easiest puppet to control. The process had been quite annoying, but he¡¯d grown into one of my most trusted and cherished yers in the end.


    Considering what I had invested in him, it wasn¡¯t unreasonable for me to feel that way.


    I didn¡¯t know where it had gone wrong, but there must have been a problem with the process.


    There were many factors of anxiety. I just couldn¡¯t remember. I was just ignoring it.


    ¡°Fuck...¡±


    I kept thinking of him.


    ¡®Kiyoung.¡¯


    ¡°Stupid bastard...¡±


    ¡®I¡¯m an ordinary person, unlike you. But I can understand how valuable it is to sacrifice myself for something. I can¡¯t sacrifice for the continent, but I think I can sacrifice for you, who gave me many gifts. It is probably simr to how you look at this ce and these people. It¡¯s less sublime but more valuable to me than anything else.¡¯


    ¡°You stupid bastard... Who do you think you are...?¡±


    ¡®Goodbye...¡¯


    It was stupid that I hadn¡¯t thought this stupid bastard was sacrificing for me.


    Because he¡¯d been a coward. Right. Kim Hyunsung had been overly cowardly, and he¡¯d had a knack for making people angry with even the smallest choices.


    Perhaps the biggest problem was that I hadn¡¯t assumed that he¡¯d made such a choice.


    Everything I¡¯d done to get inside Kim Hyunsung caught my ankle.


    ¡°Who the hell do you think you are to act like that? Know your ce...¡±


    It wasn¡¯t too sad if I thought about it. The guy had possessed too many ws.


    There had been so many ws that I couldn¡¯t understand why I chose him.


    Right. Think about it. He¡¯d just been a big guy. He¡¯d given me a lot of work, and I¡¯d had to watch everything.


    From the middle, it had been almost impossible to tell who was dragging whom.


    He was the guy who¡¯d chosen to live his life in his dreams, so what more did I need to say? I still got annoyed just thinking about it.


    So I didn¡¯t have to be sad. I didn¡¯t have to think about failure, and I didn¡¯t have to stress about it.


    ¡®Humans are very strange.¡¯


    Right. You were right, Kim Hyunsung.


    ¡®It¡¯s all ruined ruins... but it does look a little pretty. It looks mysterious too. The red sunset...¡¯


    No.


    He was also needlessly sentimental.


    To be precise, it was annoying. Because I¡¯d been walking around with him for almost a day.


    I didn¡¯t know why he liked the ruins enough to be there, but he was far from the ideal hero image.


    I slowly turned my head and saw the red sunset. It was neither mysterious nor pretty.


    Everything was bullshit.


    ¡®I only thought that thendscape I was looking at was the sunset. Of course, there was no such thing as the sun there. But... I kept thinking so.¡¯


    In my eyes, it looked like it was setting now.


    Even then, you must have misunderstood something. It was all a sight I made. You were looking at the wrong thing.


    Either way, it looked like the light was going out. The red sunset that had continued to illuminate that side was no longer visible.


    ¡®Kiyoung.¡¯


    I remembered it had always been like that.


    He was negative, easily suspicious, and eventually out of control.


    It was just my personal judgment that he¡¯d been an obedient puppet. Come to think of it, Kim Hyunsung had never listened to me. Things were always the way he wanted.


    ¡®It¡¯s a gift.¡¯


    He¡¯d always bought things I told him not to.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry.¡¯


    He¡¯d also made me stressed by repeating the things he¡¯d been told not to do every time.


    About Raphael too. In the end, he¡¯s been a bastard who did things his way.


    He¡¯d been so stubborn even when he couldn¡¯t take responsibility... In fact, he¡¯d been very wed.


    ¡®If I lose it, I can find it again.¡¯


    There were still many useful cards around me. In fact, it might not have made sense to increase it anymore.


    I might not even need a regressor. The value of his use might actually have been over...


    Now the first round meant nothing. The first and second rounds werepletely different, and if I needed force, there were plenty of substitutes.


    Kim Hyunsung didn¡¯t know what the future held, and even if it happened, he had no ability to deal with it.


    Not only after that but also during the process. If given the opportunity to start the second round again, I might not do shit with Kim Hyunsung. The role he could y was limited anyway.


    There was a high probability that no idents would happen in the future.


    Of course, I had to do what I had to do. I was going to have to give a good stab to the back of the damn bastard who had screwed me.


    Would there be a way? There had to be, for sure. Maybe I could go directly to the first round...


    It was best to keep all possibilities open. It would be easy to find someone to rece Kim Hyunsung.


    I just had to find someone suitable. Would I be going a bit far if I took Raphael? How about Thronus? Both were swordsman types and their loyalty...


    ¡®Thank you for your trust.¡¯


    ¡°Fuck... shut up. Bastard... you idiot bastard.¡±


    ¡®Kiyoung. Thank you for always believing... thank you very much. Actually, I...¡¯


    ¡°Piss off, you useless bastard! Don¡¯t make me mad and just disappear... I¡¯ll be busy from now on. Do you understand me? I don¡¯t have time to think about you.¡±


    ¡®I am...¡¯


    ¡°Shit...¡±


    Still, I kept remembering him. I thought that I had already taken him out, but without realizing it, I had fallen to the ground. I kept covering my face and pulling out my hair.


    I wondered if there really was another way or other possibilities.


    I wasn¡¯t the type to repeat my past mistakes, but I kept reminding myself of my mistakes and whether there was really no way to undo them.


    This couldn¡¯t be the end. Right.


    It really couldn¡¯t end like this. I¡¯d have insurance too.


    ¡°Where is Jihye?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Where is Lee Jihye?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°And Yuno Kasugano... what are you doing? Did you know things would turn out like this? What did you want? If the one you called master is Lee Kiyoung from the first round, I won¡¯t forgive you either.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t that there was no possibility. There were a lot of things that were a little strange too...


    Right.


    Maybe magic could bring things back.


    ¡°Hayan... Jung Hayan.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    If it were Cha Heera, wouldn¡¯t she find a way?


    ¡°Heera.¡±


    Why couldn¡¯t I hear their voices? Why couldn¡¯t I see their faces? How much time had passed?


    I felt someone grabbing my body. It felt like an attempt to calm me down, but it didn¡¯t work.


    I tried to shake off the hands that grabbed me from all directions. I didn¡¯t even know how I¡¯d gotten that strength. Maybe they let go of me first.


    Was Lucifer looking at this now? Why was there no feedback? Did she think I had vited the prerequisites of the bet? Was this because the contract had already been broken?


    It really couldn¡¯t end like this. There had to be something. Definitely... I must have had many situations in mind...


    I kept tapping my thigh. Maybe I looked like a crazy person. But nothing wasing to mind.


    ¡®It¡¯s andscape I want to see again.¡¯


    ¡°Stop talking about the scenery. Really. It¡¯s making me nuts.¡±


    ¡®Someday...¡¯


    ¡°I said stop talking. You¡¯re making me nuts.¡±


    Neither Benignore nor Belial could be contacted. No, I didn¡¯t even know if they were being contacted. Of course, I couldn¡¯t feel Lucifer either.


    I couldn¡¯t figure out what to do or even what I could do. I just screamed.


    ¡°Wake up...¡±


    I knew it was useless, and I knew it was meaningless.


    I knew it was going to look stupid, and I knew it was nonsense. But I had to keep opening my mouth.


    ¡°Get up. Regressor of Altanus... Damn... Wake up.¡±


    No, it wasn¡¯t useless. That was logical enough.


    ¡°You survivedst time. Of course, you weren¡¯tpletely dead then, but you definitely got up.¡±


    ¡°It will be possible this time too. You will appear again this time as if nothing happened.¡±


    ¡°Arise, Regressor of Altanus. Then I will give you the future.¡±


    Of course, nothing happened. I was doing something wrong.


    How had I done it back then? How had I gotten him to stand up?


    ¡°This won¡¯t work. Fuck... This won¡¯t work...¡±


    ¡®I always...¡¯


    ¡°Rise up, Altanus¡¯s... regressor... sniff. Then I will give you the future.¡±


    Had I talked a little louder? Were you listening to my voice? You were listening, right?


    ¡°Wake up! Wake up! Shit! Regressor of Altanus! Kim Hyunsung! Shit! Then I will give you a future...¡±


    But nothing happened.


    ¡°Fuck! Wake up, Kim Hyunsung, you bastard! Regressor of Altanus. You scum! Then I will present you with a future.¡±


    [A system error has urred.]


    What?


    [Checking the error for the mythic-grade item, Altanus¡¯ Legacy, user Kim Hyunsung, the God of Sunset.]


    ¡°Wake up! Son of a bitch! ¡°


    [Checking the list of quests registered to Kim Hyunsung, the user of the mythic-grade item Altanus¡¯ Legacy.]


    ¡°Wake up...¡±


    [Checking the quests that are not permitted by Kim Hyunsung, the user of the mythic-grade item Altanus¡¯ Legacy. Organizing quest rewards.]


    ¡°Please...¡±


    [The future (0/1)]


    Please...


    [The future (0/2)]


    ¡°Please!¡±


    [...]


    [The future (0/5)]


    [...]


    [The future (0/25)]


    [...]


    [The future (0/381)]


    [...]


    [...]


    [The future (0/2,124)]


    [Compensation for a total of 2,124 forced quests has not been settled.]


    [The reward for the forced quest given to the God of Sunset has not been settled.]


    [Administrator of the continent, please check the error. The effects of quest rewards and Legacy of Altanus are conflicting. The Son of Light did not reward the God of Sunset.]


    [Checking the activation condition of the item and the grade of the forced quest...]


    ¡°Wake up, you bastard! Then I will present you the future.¡±


    [Creating a mythic-grade forced quest.]


    [I forgive your sins. Arise, Regressor of Altanus. Then I will gift you the future. (0/1)]


    [Quest Clearing Reward: The future (0/2,125)]


    [The future (0/2,125)]


    Once again, a gigantic light fell from the sky.


    ¡°I will... present the future.¡±


    Right.


    The future...

 Chapter 875

    Chapter 875: The End of the Scenario (8)


    It was full of things I didn¡¯t understand.


    I¡¯d seen and experienced many magical sights before, but what was happening now made me uneasy.


    A huge light continued to fill the earth.


    It continued to light up the ce where Kim Hyunsung was.


    That was when the dark vision returned in an instant.


    All senses suddenly returned as if a dark room had just been lit up. I felt the fresh air as if I hade out of a sinking swamp.


    ¡®Right... the future...¡¯


    Whoooooooooosh.


    I heard voices that I hadn¡¯t been hearing before. I could see everyone¡¯s faces. I could feel the wind blowing slowly and the pleasant light.


    My arms weren¡¯t shaking anymore, nor was my face distorted. I had stood up without realizing it.


    ¡°Hyung-nim...¡±


    It was the pig bastard closest to me who was holding my hand.


    ¡°O-O-Oppa...¡±


    I could see Jung Hayan holding my arms and sticking together.


    Everyone was looking at me. Not only the Blue Guild members but everyone in the ce.


    Among them, some were on their knees, and others had their heads bowed. Some were offering prayers, and others were holding hands.


    The people who raised their wounded bodies, the lovers and colleagues holding each other¡¯s hands, and the people who I seemed to have met at least once somewhere on the continent, looking around me, somehow made me smile.


    Of course, I wasn¡¯t getting sentimental, but...


    ¡°Did youe back to your senses?¡±


    And when wasn¡¯t I in my senses?


    ¡°A-Are you okay? Oppa?¡±


    Of course, I¡¯m fine. So, did you really think I wasn¡¯t well? Why is Hayan so full of tears and a runny nose? I need to clean it up for her.


    ¡°What the hell happened? Hyung-nim? Hyung-nim?¡±


    ¡°Shut up. You¡¯re making me go nuts. Pig bastard.¡±


    ¡°S-Still, we need an exnation. What the hell now...? Hyung-nim... just now, you were definitely...¡±


    Was I a bit weird?


    I stroked Hayan¡¯s hair while she was still looking at me with an anxious expression and wiped her face.


    I heard a pleasant sound ofughter as if reassured, but I had no choice but to look up at the sky again after that.


    Because things weren¡¯tpletely over yet.


    ¡°Hyunsung...¡±


    ¡°Enough. Don¡¯t say anything.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I can get things back.¡±


    ¡°R... Really? Vice Guild Master?¡±


    ¡°Right. Hyejin. I can turn things back.¡±


    ¡°Is that... is that true?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Now I felt a bit better.


    Now I had time to look around.


    ¡°Son of Light... ¡±


    ¡°Lee Kiyoung... ¡±


    ¡°The Son of Light has returned... and forgiven the sins of the God of Sunset... the Son of Light, who has returned from the dead...¡±


    I spread my wings while hearing the murmurs of the bards and priests.


    The wings spread from behind my back, and once again, the light poured out.


    The feeling of my body being filled with divinity was always pleasant. I muttered quietly as my head cleared.


    ¡°I will present the future.¡±


    Actually, I didn¡¯t know what had happened.


    It was impossible to determine whether what was happening now was nned or unnned, but one thing was certain.


    An immutable truth that would never change.


    ¡®Fuck, that means I¡¯m a genius. Well.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t remember very well, but it had all been nned and designed.


    Even Kim Hyunsung¡¯s sacrifice was in my head.


    It gave me chills.


    I couldn¡¯t say for sure as it hadn¡¯t been properly sorted out yet, but probably everything was connected.


    The pendant, the Foreign War, Doom Doom Hyunsung, Resurrection, and Death.


    I thought that everything would be entangled like a spider¡¯s web. It was a well-nned script from start to finish, and I was just moving ording to the script.


    Kim Hyunsung was probably the same. Jihye and Yuno Kasugano, too... everything was necessary to see the end.


    Even if not, it didn¡¯t matter. It had been done the way I originally thought.


    ¡®You¡¯re scary. Lee Kiyoung. How far did you really look ahead? You¡¯re a real genius.¡¯


    ¡°Even I¡¯m scared.¡±


    ¡°Hyung-nim... what...?¡±


    ¡°Deukgu. Bring me the receiver.¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    ¡°Quickly. Hayan, block out ambient noise. Can you prepare for the shoot?¡±


    ¡°Ah... Yeah... Yeah!¡±


    I slowly spread my arms, exaggeratedly like an actor on stage. I saw the faces of those who were looking at me quietly brightening.


    ¨C I guess you¡¯re yourself now, Oppa?


    ¡°How was my acting, Jihye?¡±


    ¨C Acting, my ass. Don¡¯t speak nonsense. Anyone who looked at you could see that you were out of yourself. I was really perplexed. Really. Anyway, I¡¯d expected something to happen, but I was very surprised. To be honest, I¡¯d thought it was over too.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¨C You will be surprised to see the real-time reaction on Benignore Net. I guess the other people didn¡¯t like seeing you like that. I tried to block it as much as possible, but I couldn¡¯t help it.


    ¡°I guess you had time to look at it.¡±


    ¨C Because it¡¯s important.


    Right. She was right.


    ¨C The Sunset Swordsman sacrificed for the Son of Light. If the story ends here, I don¡¯t really care, but it wouldn¡¯t be like that for you. No, I¡¯m d too. Because your condition was more serious than I expected. It really looked like you wouldn¡¯te back... You pretend not to be, but you¡¯re soft too.


    ¡°Soft, my ass.¡±


    ¨C So what¡¯s the situation now?


    ¡°I think there is a conflict between the Legacy of Altanus, which Kim Hyunsung used to resurrect me, and the insurance I put in before. The light that¡¯s falling right now is probably because of that. It¡¯s a bit forced, but the system is still judging that Kim Hyunsung can¡¯t disappear.¡±


    Maybe she knew what I was talking about.


    I hadn¡¯t given a lot of detail and exnation, but she had experience running dummy worlds.


    There, the system existed too. Of course, it was a degraded version that couldn¡¯t bepared with the one that governed the continent, but the result was the same. She knew roughly how this ce worked.


    -The point is that you intentionally made an error.


    ¡°Right.¡±


    -I think that dummy Lee Kiyoung did something simr...


    ¡°Perhaps he did.¡±


    The important issue was that the conflict had been created intentionally.


    Errors, bugs, etc. There were many words to describe it, but there was no denying that I¡¯d found a loophole in a code that was running well.


    Of course, the system...


    -It¡¯s going to try to repair the error.


    ¡°We have to widen that gap.¡±


    ¨C I understand what you mean. Until the system is normalized, we¡¯ll snatch Kim Hyunsung, right? It was also because of this that divinity was needed. Now I understand how things are going. It¡¯s good that it¡¯s not in vain to have it ready to use right away.


    ¡°I¡¯m d.¡±


    ¨C I don¡¯t know if what I¡¯ve collected is enough, though...


    ¡°Belial and Benignore must be doing something simr. Transfer right now. And I¡¯m going to start broadcasting right away.¡±


    ¨C Let¡¯s earn in real-time, is that it?


    ¡°It¡¯s not just that.¡±


    That was not the only reason.


    ¡®Because storytelling is important.¡¯


    It was, literally.


    What and how the public believed was also important. Regardless of how I used them, what they believed was important.


    In that sense, all of this work was meaningful. I mean, Kim Hyunsung standing up before, and now me reviving like this.


    ¡°I am the God of Sacrifice and Resurrection, Jihye.¡±


    ¨C The God of Sacrifice and Resurrection. I understand, but don¡¯t you think it¡¯s embarrassing to say it yourself?


    ¡°If the public thinks so, what can I do? It doesn¡¯t matter if they don¡¯t think so. You will make it happen. I will be the God of Sacrifice and Resurrection.¡±


    ¨C You want too much. Do you want me to manipte public opinion in real-time?


    ¡°I love you.¡±


    -I love you too. I¡¯m already busy... why do I have to do this for Kim Hyunsung...? Ugh, I don¡¯t like it...


    I heard her murmuring, but after a second, I heard some other mutterings. These were probably the moles Lee Jihye had nted.


    ¡°The God of Sacrifice and Resurrection...¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s the God of Sacrifice and Resurrection.¡±


    ¡°God of Resurrection.¡±


    Divinity continued toe.


    I spread my wings even wider. They kept muttering the same thing. It was like conducting a religious ceremony.


    ¡°Get up, God of Sunset. Then I will give you the future.¡±


    In the voice of Lee Kiyoung, who had lost his brother by bond, who was shedding tears, I murmured in a wretched andpassionate way, in a noble and sacred way.


    ¡°Wake up... sniff... sniff... God of Sunset. Then I will give you... the future. Sniff...¡±


    I thought it felt more realistic than before. The tears fell like a waterfall.


    I thought this got more sympathy... it was better to be soft than to struggle recklessly. Right, Benignore and Director Bell? You guys work hard too.


    [Creating a mythic-grade forced quest.]


    [I forgive your sins. Rise up, Regressor of Altanus. Then I will gift you the future. (0/1)]


    [Quest Clearing Reward: The future (0/2,129)]


    A huge light continued to fall.


    People joined hands. As always, they put their hands together like those who had witnessed a miracle.


    These people had no doubt that the Sunset Swordsman would stand up with the miracles performed by the God of Sacrifice and Resurrection.


    Yes. Faith was power. This faith was power. The system was a force that could not be denied and could not be ignored.


    [Creating a mythic-grade forced quest.]


    [I forgive your sins. Rise up, Regressor of Altanus. Then I will gift you the future. (0/1)]


    [Quest Clearing Reward: The Future (0/4,122)]


    Of course, there were concerns.


    I was sure this would work, but I wasn¡¯t sure there wouldn¡¯t be any other variables.


    But it would definitely be possible. Because I was not the only one who wanted Kim Hyunsung to be resurrected.


    The legacy he left behind must have made the same judgment as I had. The legacy he left behind would know what was right. Right. Altanus?


    ¡®Altanus loved the man. And... she also sympathized with his life. After much deliberation, she thought of sacrificing herself to get it all back once again. Of course, I must have stopped her back then, but... I respect her. There is probably no God who can make such a choice. Those feelings are values that aremon among us... I can¡¯t remember everything, but I do remember Altanus¡¯ will.¡¯


    ¡®You love him. Right?¡¯


    ¡®You will help us. I think so.¡¯


    ¡®You must have arranged the legacy. It was due to your will that we discovered your legacy.¡¯


    I murmured once more.


    ¡°Thank you, Altanus.¡±

 Chapter 876

    Chapter 876: The End of the Scenario (9)


    And...


    Slowly the sky opened up.


    Once again, a huge light filled the earth.


    I didn¡¯t think the system would respect Altanus¡¯ will because it didn¡¯t have a personality.


    It just judged right and wrong. What suited thew more, which was the most ideal and least harmful to the created world.


    Neither Altanus¡¯ legacy nor will seemed to matter at all. It wouldn¡¯t even pay attention to the quests I had given them.


    It had one interest: to fix the conflicting errors.


    ¡°It¡¯s apromise. Coexistence... that¡¯s what I want.¡±


    In fact, it waspromise, coexistence and bullshit, but from its point of view, there was no other option. Because now I was being stubborn.


    If it couldn¡¯t fix bugs and errors, I¡¯d ask to get things back. I meant to ept it. Unless you wanted to see this fucking shit happen.


    It might seem like a virus that had entered the human body, but I was not a harmful virus.


    Depending on how it chose a coexisting virus, I could be poison or medicine.


    Rather, I was a virus that made the human body stronger. Your immunity would be higher, and I would be able to manage this more stably. So, let¡¯s solve the problem together. Huh?


    [Creating a mythic-grade forced quest.]


    [I forgive your sins. Rise up, Regressor of Altanus. Then I will gift you the future. (0/1)]


    [Quest Clearing Reward: The Future (0/4,397)]


    Please, ept it. It wouldn¡¯t be a bad deal.


    [Quest Clearing Reward: The Future (0/5,132)]


    ¡°Wake up... sniff... sniff... sniff...¡±


    Let me shed a tear...


    ¡°Sniff... sniff...¡±


    Holy tears were running down my cheeks. This scene was important. Right?


    ¡°Wake up... Sunset Swordsman. Then... sniff... I will give you the future.¡±


    I thought the reaction would be immediate because it was the system. It was rather easy to make rational decisions. It knew what was needed to fix the error.


    I took a step because I could see the light falling as if telling me toe inside. To where Kim Hyunsung was.


    Once again, the view changed.


    What the?


    As soon as I stepped into the light, thendscape changed. The sight of it changing in an instant, starting with my left foot touching the floor, felt foreign but beautiful.


    Neither Park Deokgu nor Jung Hayan nor the others felt it. I wondered if my mind had run away again, but it probably wasn¡¯t that.


    Because it felt so real. I couldn¡¯t judge exactly what this space was right now, but maybe...


    ¡°Feedback came.¡±


    It would be most reasonable to think that feedback hade. It was a space where everything was surrounded by white, and I was surrounded by a maze-like wall.


    It was unreal enough to make me wonder if it was the afterlife, but ironically it was very vivid.


    ¡°If you want to give it to me, just do it. If not...¡±


    It might not have been allowed. Still... the quest went on... Jihye and Benignore would take care of the cleanup. I still had some time.


    I kept moving on. I didn¡¯t know where I was heading or what awaited me in that maze of white space.


    Maybe it was the ce that Altanus¡¯ Legacy had provided...


    Because it was a ce where there was nothing, I had a lot of thoughts. This was because of the possibility that the system might have identified me as a bug and quarantined me.


    I thought that moving hastily would be worse, but I had no choice but to move.


    It wasn¡¯t the right situation in which to throw dice, but I was that desperate.


    I seemed to be moving quite recklessly for a person who hated gambling. I left an arrow on the wall, thinking I might get lost.


    ¡®I¡¯m not thirsty, and I¡¯m not tired. At least it¡¯s not hostile.¡¯


    To turn the happiness circuit, I had to turn it like this.


    ¡®Oh,e to think of it, am I still in the world? I wonder if it¡¯s just my spirit that came here.¡¯


    ¡®I¡¯m the God of Sacrifice and Resurrection. I don¡¯t know if I can disappear suddenly.¡¯


    ¡®I don¡¯t want to create a gimmick that the God of Sacrifice and Resurrection disappears before a miracle urs. It¡¯ll look a little weird.¡¯


    ¡®I have to resurrect with light. If I hide... it won¡¯t... look cool.¡¯


    It was then that the sound of a crying voice came from somewhere.


    ¡°Sniff...¡±


    I listened to the sound from afar.


    ¡°Sniff...¡±


    It wasn¡¯t clear, but I took another step.


    ¡°Kim Hyunsung?¡±


    ¡°Sniff... Sniff...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re with that bullshit again. Again. Are you crying again?¡±


    ¡°Sniff...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sick of it. Really.¡±


    I kept hearing him crying. But as I got closer to the sound, the less I heard.


    Finally, I couldn¡¯t hear the crying, but I could feel someone.


    Somewhere in this space had to be Kim Hyunsung.


    Maybe it would be my end to wander around here, and maybe the system really had punished me. I thought I had been defined as a bug.


    Was this the punishment for continuing to explore the maze while listening to Kim Hyunsung crying? Very good. It was a dramatic myth, so it would probablye and go in people¡¯s mouths.


    ¡°Sniff... sniff...¡±


    I kept walking.


    I didn¡¯t know how much time had passed because I had no sense of time. It seemed that I was going in circles. Looking at the arrow carved on the wall, I couldn¡¯t help but mutter.


    ¡°How many days have passed?¡±


    At some point, there was no sound. I wondered if it would be better to think of a way back, but what would be different if I went back now?


    The concept of time here and there might be different. A few days here could be a second there. It was simr in Kim Hyunsung¡¯s head.


    At least a week had passed. No, it could have been a month, or it could have been half a year. Still...


    ¡®Let me be more at ease.¡¯


    ¡°Sniff...¡±


    It was then that the cry was heard again. I walked recklessly and without thinking, and then I stopped. The voice wasing from beyond the wall.


    After slowly touching the wall, I opened my mouth. It was right under my nose...


    ¡°You were here.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You were here.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Were you there? How did you get there? Looking at the shape, it looks like it was blocked from the inside... Don¡¯t even think about hiding like a rat because I know you¡¯re there. It¡¯s no use covering your mouth, you bastard. I don¡¯t know how long you¡¯ve been hiding, but I know everything.¡±


    ¡°Who... are you? Who are you?¡±


    The voice I heard was really Kim Hyunsung¡¯s. His voice was a little younger than usual, but I was convinced that he was the person hiding behind the wall.


    It made me a little sad that he couldn¡¯t remember my voice. Had he lost his memory? Or was he unconscious?


    It might not have been the real Kim Hyunsung, but it would be right to get him out anyway. That¡¯s why I came.


    ¡°Come outside.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°What are you doing? Come out.¡±


    ¡°No... I don¡¯t want to.¡±


    ¡®You fucking bastard.¡¯


    ¡°Come out. Bastard.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to. I will not go out.¡±


    ¡°Stop with this ande out, Kim Hyunsung. Before I break down this wall.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t really break it, though.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Is that important?¡±


    ¡°Who are you, and how do you know my name? Were you the one who locked me up here?¡±


    ¡°You are stuck on your own.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mean that... not here behind the wall... you imprisoned me here?¡±


    ¡°Fuck. Yeah, I locked you in here.¡±


    ¡°T-Then, are you imprisoned here too? How do you know my name? Why...? Am I dreaming right now? Please, tell me it¡¯s a dream. We must be undergoing some kind of human experimentation. If not... Do you know anything? Were you dragged here too?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Um... I was unconscious for a moment... and suddenly I was here. Do you have a cell phone? Where¡¯s the... police station? You...¡±


    ¡°Is that important?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Why am I here? Why do I know your name? Do you think it matters? The important thing is that we have to get out of here. Instead of talking while stuck there, you have to act no matter what. I¡¯m not saying it¡¯s bad to have questions, but you have to act. Right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s safe here.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s safe where I am too.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m scared.¡±


    ¡°What are you afraid of?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°What the hell are you so afraid of?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to exin.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s out there. I don¡¯t even know if you¡¯re really a good person or a bad person... It¡¯s safe here. At least there¡¯s no risk of dying. That¡¯s right. It¡¯s dangerous outside.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°How do you know my name?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make me say the same thing, Hyunsung.¡±


    ¡°Are you a good person?¡±


    ¡®You annoying bastard, fuck. Why do you ask such a thing?¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t understand the situation. But it seemed to exin the state he was in right now. Maybe...


    ¡®I think he¡¯s Kim Hyunsung from the first-round tutorial.¡¯


    This was Kim Hyunsung at twenty-two years old. I¡¯d heard about it.


    I didn¡¯t know whether the situation was exactly the same or not, but it was probably Kim Hyunsung from that time behind the wall. The ce I was in right now wasn¡¯t a tutorial dungeon, though.


    At the time, I¡¯d thought it was annoying while listening to the story, but I felt like I would explode when I met him in person.


    ¡®What an idea. Gosh.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know if he¡¯de here on his own and got stuck or if he¡¯d started here.


    I didn¡¯t know if his original personality had been destroyed. Even if I brought him out now, would that be Kim Hyunsung...?


    Was that the penalty of Altanus¡¯ Legacy?


    I had a lot of questions, but I thought that probably nothing would happen.


    If it were true that the system had signed the agreement and Altanus had given me a chance, she wouldn¡¯t have done things messily.


    It might be convenient to think of it as just a device. It could be the process of checking whether Kim Hyunsung would receive the quest reward... This was probably the most convincing hypothesis.


    Because Kim Hyunsung might not want the quest reward.


    Let¡¯s throw a question mark on the first guy who¡¯d arrived here.


    ¡®Can he say no?¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    ¡°I am really hungry... my throat is dry...¡±


    His hand stuck out under the wall. It was a hand that had never held a sword, and it was different from the hand of the current Kim Hyunsung.


    He had no calluses and no scars. It was a hand that never seemed to have ever done hard work. His cuffs also felt a little thin, making me wonder if it was really Kim Hyunsung.


    Hesitant gestures seemed to represent his personality.


    There was a mumble along with a rustling sound from beyond the wall.


    ¡°Perhaps...¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Do you want... bread?¡±

 Chapter 877

    Chapter 877: The End of the Scenario (10)


    ¡®There isn¡¯t much. Fuck. Selfish bastard. Selfish Kim Hyunsung.¡¯


    After sitting down, I immediately took a bite of the bread.


    Actually, I wasn¡¯t hungry. I just wanted to make the conversation easier.


    Didn¡¯t people say that they be closer while eating? At least, it would be a good environment to relieve Kim Hyunsung¡¯s vignce.


    Unsurprisingly, a murmur could be heard from beyond the wall.


    Even if I didn¡¯t look at him with my eyes, it seemed that I could see him eating bit by bit.


    There was no voice, but the silence did notst long.


    ¡°Are you there?¡±


    I heard him.


    ¡®This bastard...¡¯


    ¡°Hello?¡±


    Still, he must have felt like he¡¯d been left alone since the atmosphere was different than before.


    When I didn¡¯t answer on purpose, just in case, I heard him begin to cry.


    ¡°Sniff...¡±


    He looked so weak that I couldn¡¯t understand why I¡¯d picked this asshole as a hero.


    I waspletely disgusted to the extent that I wondered if it would be better to just go back.


    But my feet didn¡¯t move.


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m here.¡±


    ¡°W-Where have you been?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s none of your business.¡±


    He had nothing to say. Fuck. He couldn¡¯t ask me that. He was the one stuck there.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I guess you¡¯re scared since you¡¯re alone.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Look. He had nothing to say.


    ¡°How did you get here?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really remember. Why I¡¯m here and since when... what about you?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t remember either. I don¡¯t even know what I¡¯m doing here.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a joke. I really didn¡¯t know what I was doing right now.


    It was a bit funny how we were sitting with a wall between us, leisurely eating bread. I was thinking about how to get him out.


    ¡®Should I just leave him alone and go back like Kim Hyunsung from the first round said? I¡¯ve drawn an arrow, so maybe he will follow it.¡¯


    I thought there was a high chance, but I didn¡¯t do it.


    I wanted to see hime out from behind that wall himself.


    I thought it would be good to make him more at ease, so I talked about this and that, but in the end, I didn¡¯t know what to talk about anymore.


    Ack of sociability seemed to be his basic trait.


    ¡°Give me a little more.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Quickly.¡±


    ¡®I¡¯d rather have an anglerfish like in the tutorial dungeon. Then I¡¯d throw it over there.¡¯


    ¡®Do you have an infinite bag of bread? I don¡¯t think the food ran out either.¡¯


    Though my head was cluttered with various thoughts, I calmed down once again. In fact, Iughed.


    ¡°How long will you be here?¡±


    When I asked, I heard a voice in response that seemed to have no energy.


    ¡°I... don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t move, nothing will change.¡±


    ¡°Still...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°There is a possibility that it could be dangerous. What I¡¯m experiencing right now is not a normal situation... Come to think of it, there are a couple of strange things. You also said you couldn¡¯t remember why you came here... Me too... It would be dangerous. It¡¯s a new ce. I¡¯m not moving, so I¡¯ll stay safe.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m outside. Or maybe you think I¡¯ll hurt you? I can¡¯t fight. I have no weapons.¡±


    No, maybe I could beat Kim Hyunsung now. If I fought with all my might, my chances of knocking him out might be as high as forty percent.


    ¡®We even ate bread together. What¡¯s up with him?¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s not necessarily that important... I know you¡¯re not a bad person, but... I just don¡¯t want to go out.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I am afraid of change. It feels like everything is going to change. I am afraid of what will be out there, what kind of work I will do and what choices I will make. Here, you just have to stay still. Then at least nothing will change. People like you may not understand, but I...¡±


    ¡°No. I understand.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I know what you are talking about.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s scary to be different from the current environment. Taking on a challenge is inherently scary for anyone. Everyone is afraid of sudden changes... I am no exception.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It only takes a small impulse.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Anyone can change with a really, very small impulse.¡±


    ¡°Did you do that too?¡±


    Maybe I had. It had been a little different from what I told Kim Hyunsung, but there might have been a reason for me to change too.


    There were many reasons, but I thought Kim Hyunsung would also y a huge role. Otherwise, there would be no reason to be here now.


    The same went for Kim Hyunsung. In the beginning, the guy could do nothing but lock himself up against the wall, but he had led the first round and became a hero who knew how to sacrifice himself in the second round.


    The experience he¡¯d been through was huge, but pulling him out from the wall for the first time had to be a small impulse.


    Kim Hyunsung had grown by meeting new people, experiencing new things, and going through dangers and crises.


    His biography looked like that of a hero to the extent that it could even appear in a novel or movie. It was the continent¡¯s history, and it was a narrative passed down from mouth to mouth. It was this guy, the guy who was hanging on the wall and eating bread.


    I wasn¡¯t sentimental. But I kept getting my memories back, and I was mumbling useless words without realizing it.


    ¡°It would be good to think of it as a dream. What I¡¯m saying may sound like bullshit, but what you¡¯re going through right now isn¡¯t normal. You are dreaming now.¡±


    ¡°That... that...¡±


    ¡°A lot of things can happen that you can¡¯t even imagine. As you said, it can be painful, scary, and difficult. You can still write your story down.¡±


    He might have been looking at me with those eyes, wondering what kind of bullshit I was talking. But this emotion could work.


    ¡°You can make a lot of friends, and you will meet a lot of people. You will go through painful things that will make you want to give up, and you may be waiting for somethingpletely different from the life you¡¯ve been through. You will make a lot of mistakes, and in the end, you will fail.¡±


    Kim Hyunsung from the first round had. He¡¯d met a lot of people, gone through painful things, made many mistakes, and failed.


    ¡°You might end up in a situation where you really want to give up everything, but... you will meet people who are like family again. Right now, you may not feel happier than you were in your past life, you may give up and fail again, but in the end, you will experience things that are so enjoyable that any painful experiences you have had will be overshadowed. You will meet important people, enjoy your favorite travels, hobbies, and things you want to do. You have it right in front of you.¡±


    ¡°T-That doesn¡¯t make sense.¡±


    Son of a bitch, I¡¯d set the mood.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know what¡¯s going to happen until you go out and face it in person.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Even if it sounds like I¡¯m talking bullshit right now, you won¡¯t know unless you roll the dice. It¡¯s you, not me, who can confirm that. You¡¯ll have to check it yourself. You... You... You will be a hero.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll save everyone, save the continent, and save me.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You will be my regressor.¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    ¡°You will be my regressor, Kim Hyunsung.¡±


    ¡°Um...¡±


    ¡°Because I choose you.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    He didn¡¯t say anything. No voice could be heard through the wall.


    ¡®You should have gotten out of here in the first ce. You have toe out. The famous lines yed by the characters who have lost their memories have to appear once.¡¯


    I honestly didn¡¯t expect much. Because I was just saying what came to mind. But the lovely regressor opened his mouth as if living up to my expectations.


    ¡°What...? Why the tears...?¡±


    Yes, son of a bitch. This.


    ¡°Huh... sniff... sniff... huh... huh... why all of a sudden... tears are....¡±


    ¡®Kim Hyunsung, fuck, it¡¯s really easy. There¡¯s no one easier than this. This worked.¡¯


    ¡°Wait... Wait... Wait a minute, sniff... I¡¯m sorry. Hey... sniff... I suddenly...¡±


    How would this work?


    ¡°Suddenly... tears are... sniff... sniff...¡±


    ¡°You will grow to be able to sacrifice for others, and eventually, you will be saved.¡±


    Because I would make it happen.


    I slowly stretched my hand towards the wall. There was no particr reason, it just seemed like I had to.


    I didn¡¯t know until he took a step forward like I¡¯d just said.


    I¡¯d always waited for him toe out from behind the wall on his own, but looking back, I don¡¯t think I ever went inside.


    I suddenly realized that this homework had not just been given to him. It was me, not him, who should present the future to him.


    ¡°Huh... huh...¡±


    All of a sudden, I could see Kim Hyunsung. I could see the twenty-two-year-old Kim Hyunsung, who was crouching and crying.


    Then Kim Hyunsung got up. He was crying, and his nose was runny when he stretched out his hand. I also stretched out my hands and lifted him.


    ¡°A good ending awaits you.¡±


    And.


    Whooooooooooooooooosh!


    The world began to change with that sound.


    Again, starting with the feet.


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    The guy looked around. I looked at him.


    The twenty-two-year-old guy suddenly turned into the first-round version, and then the first round turned into the second, and the guy who kept crying was looking around everywhere.


    The background seemed to change as well. It was as if Kim Hyunsung was bringing back the times that had passed so far.


    Among them, he closed his eyes tightly as if there were some things he didn¡¯t want to see, but then he slowly opened them to see everything.


    To try to see everything that had ever raised him and made him grow.


    My hero grew like this. Our regressor had be tough.


    Like this.


    It seemed a little exaggerated, but the scene was also reflected as if the sunset were rising.


    Because the dark memories of Kim Hyunsung were getting brighter.


    ¡°I will present you with the future.¡±


    There were no more quest messages.


    The reason was obvious when the scenery surrounding him finally returned to its original ce.


    The guyughed.


    With all his tears and runny nose, he smiled in an invisible form as a God of Sunset.


    What to say, how to exin this situation now? There was an iprehensible look on his face, but he realized that he had returned, and the guy muttered with his eyes on me.


    ¡°I¡¯m... I¡¯m back. Sniff... I¡¯m... sorry. Sniff...¡±


    It was a ssic phrase.


    ¡®This is it? Can¡¯t you say just a bit more? No, I like clich¨¦s too, but that¡¯s it? What¡¯s up with that? I¡¯m sorry... Should I just say ¡°wee¡±? Isn¡¯t that just corny?¡¯


    But it wasn¡¯t weird. I was really embarrassed that he could say something like that, but...


    I also smiled.


    ¡°Fucking bastard,¡± I said.


    [The Regressor Instruction Manual has ended.]


    ¨C So, oppa.


    ¨C Huh?


    ¨C What happened in the end?


    ¨C What?


    ¨C The viin from the first round. The masked trash. That bastard in your head. I mean, you¡¯re sure it was in your head, right? Did you just think about the probability of bluffing that you made a fuss alone? Even now... do you see him?


    ¨C Well.


    ¨C What¡¯s that? You¡¯re too vague. Don¡¯t you know everything now?


    ¨C I can¡¯t say for sure. Actually, I don¡¯t know either. As you said, it could be bluffing... or just...


    ¨C Yeah.


    ¨C That bastard might have been very attached to our regressor. He¡¯s watched him for a long time, so he may have felt human sympathy... maybe he meant it when he told me, ¡°this is right. This is the correct answer.¡± Maybe everything was correct.


    ¨C Come on.


    ¨C So, what?


    ¨C ...


    ¨C The God of Sacrifice and Resurrection said: ¡°Let there be light.¡±


    ¨C ...


    ¨C There was light.


    ¨C ...


    ¨C ...


    ¨C Is that all you have to say about this?


    ¨C ...


    ¨C Lee Kiyoung... you are really trash.

 Chapter 878. Epilogue (1)

    <h4>Chapter 878. Epilogue (1)</h4>


    ¡°The God of Sacrifice and Revival said he¡¯ll give the God of Sunset the future, so the continent will wee a new future...¡± I[1] said.


    ¡°Wait, wait... you¡¯re really going to say that? You know you shouldn¡¯t talk like that during the interview, right?¡±


    ¡°<i>Huh?</i>¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you that you shouldn¡¯t actually say that when you go into the interview, Belier. Father Lee Ki-Young said he doesn¡¯t want to be called the God of Sacrifice and Revival. Goddess Benigoa is the one that¡¯s managing the continent, and he¡¯s simply assisting her... How will he feel if you call him that after he said that he doesn¡¯t want to be called by that moniker of his?"


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°This is a rare opportunity. Joining the Blue Guild is every adventurer¡¯s dream, and a private meeting with Mr. Lee Ki-Young... You can¡¯t even pay money for that.


    "Don¡¯t do <i>anything</i> that¡¯ll offend him, and you must actually prepare for it. You''ll be disqualified the moment you mention the God of Sacrifice and Revival and the God of Sunset.¡±


    ¡°But still...¡±


    I knew that as well because it had been over a year since the God of Sacrifice and Revival descended on the continent.


    When everyone got busy handling the aftermath, Father Lee Ki-Young made an official announcement. He said Goddess Benigoa had taken pity on the continent and sent him back. He also announced that he¡¯d live as the Honorary Cardinal of the Order of Benigoa, but how could we forget about the incident and the miracle we witnessed on that fateful day?


    Articles about it were everywhere at the time. He was obtaining more and more followers as time ticked by. Even though they weren¡¯t holding regr worship services, it was only natural for everyone to worship him, as he was a saint¡ªno, a god of the continent.


    I was the same. When I witnessed that miracle on that fateful day, all I could do was look at the Goddess¡¯ Mirror in the sky. I felt everything vividly as if it were happening right before my eyes.


    Father Lee Ki-Young cried as he descended amidst a colossal column of light.


    He bawled as he spread his wings and said, <i>¡°Rise, God of Sunset. Then, I¡¯ll give you the future. Heuk... heuuk...¡±</i>


    <i>¡°...¡±</i>


    <i>¡°Heuk... heuuk... I¡¯ll give you the future.¡±</i>


    How could I forget his pitiful yet noble figure?


    I was sure the scene where the Sunset Swordsman appeared in the world with the sunset and hugged Father Lee Ki-Young was carved in everyone''s retinas. We saw everything, but we still had to wait for the official announcement regarding the aftermath.


    [Father Lee Ki-Young is still unconscious. The Blue Guild and the Order of Benigoa have yet to issue any official announcements...]


    [For the miracle the God of Sacrifice and Revival showed that day.]


    [The Special Audit Team of the Democratic Country and the Heresy Inquisitor of the Vatican are discussing how to punish Great Demon Song Soo-Kyung. It is highly likely that he will be executed.]


    [Father Basel¡¯s tears. Goddess Benigoa has felt sorry for us... All followers should show respect and thank Mr. Lee Ki-Young and Goddess Benigoa...]


    [There are daily masses, and there¡¯s a crowd in front of the Blue Guild today as well. They say there¡¯s no issue with his health, but... the concerned voices of the people are getting louder and louder...]


    Basically, they were allpeting to release a story.


    Exactly three months after Father Lee Ki-Young''s awakening, an event was held where he thanked everyone and shared his vision of freedom and equality for the continent.


    This event was held for everyone who supported him, including Goddess Benigoa and the Sunset Swordsman. Of course, it was an even for him as well.


    He talked about how he didn¡¯t want to be called a god and gave a speech about his long journey to get to his current heights. His story made many people cry.


    At the time, everyone weed a brand-new era.


    My luck also turned for the better that day, even though I was just an ordinary mercenary.


    <i>¡®Joining the Blue Guild...¡¯</i>


    Bing a member of the Blue Guild was everyone''s dream.


    I had to go through the recruitment test thatsted for over two months, and today, I only had to tackle the final interview. I still couldn''t believe that I managed to get this far. It was so surreal that it felt like a dream.


    If the God of Sacrifice and Revival¡ªno, if Lee Ki-Young of the Blue Guild wanted to remain human, then respecting <i>that </i>was the right thing to do.


    I nodded and heard myradesforting me while patting my shoulder.


    ¡°Good luck with your interview, Belier,¡± Hee-Chan said.


    ¡°Yeah, thanks, Hee-Chan,¡± I said.


    ¡°If you do get epted, you better not forget about us.¡±


    ¡°No way... I¡¯m thankful for all of you,¡± I said.


    ¡°I knew something was up the moment you started training hard after the Day of Revival, but... I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d actually change guilds.¡±


    ¡°Nothing has been confirmed yet, and if I do get epted... I feel bad about you guys,¡± I told them.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to feel bad. We¡¯re actually thankful. I''m already happy just thinking about the buy-out price.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m kidding. Anyway, you have to tell us if you do get epted. If yound a good position or somehow find yourself in the middle of a great quest, you have to let us know about it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll do that,¡± I answered.


    I hugged myrades and went to the warp point that Archmage Jung Ha-Yan had created.


    It would take me over four days to arrive at the final interview''s location if I were to go there via a griffon, but Archmage Jung Ha-Yan''s magic circle would teleport me to the location in just a few seconds.


    It was kind of expensive, as I had to activate a special artifact to use it, but I noticed that this transportation method was bing more and more popr. It hadn''t even been long since this transportation method was introduced, but I could no longer imagine living life without a warp point.


    As expected, there were many people at the warp point.


    From huge boxes for transporting goods, small guilds looking for jobs, immigrants who hade here to start a new life in Lindel, priests on their pilgrimage, members of the other races, to tourists... this was amon scene to me, but it looked so unfamiliar today.


    <i>¡®These kids...¡¯</i>


    I saw a party made up of three guys and one girl.


    They were wearing cute armor and swords and were pretending to be adventurers. The sight of children carrying huge pieces of luggage near a ten-year-old child was a bit strange. The fact that their hair was of varying colors only added to the bizarre sight.


    It seemed that the others thought the same as me because they started looking at the kids.


    ¡°Our mother is waiting. Mother is really strict when ites to time, Cheru. What are we going to do about this?¡± Sera asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°<i>Ugh...</i> What should I do? I got scolded because I wastest time as well...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure Father will talk to her about it,¡± Cheru said.


    ¡°<i>Ugh...</i>¡±


    The blue-haired child wasforting the crying blond-haired child.


    For some reason, the sad blond-haired child caught my attention.


    The blue-haired child looked back and said, ¡°Come here, Sera. We¡¯re leaving soon."


    ¡°O-Okay...¡± Sera stuttered.


    ¡°Sera, is Father still...¡±


    ¡°Yeah... i-it¡¯s because I¡¯mcking... If I make mistakes today, too, then...¡± Sera trailed off.


    ¡°What did your mother say?¡± Cheru asked.


    "Mom is busy, so... a-auntie has been taking care of me,¡± Sera replied.


    ¡°Do you want me to talk to them?¡± Cheru offered.


    ¡°D-Don¡¯t... Don¡¯t do it, Cheru. If you do... they¡¯ll hate you too,¡± Sera rejected.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Sera. Father doesn¡¯t hate you...¡± Cheru said.


    <i>¡®Are they heading to Lindel as well?¡¯</i>


    The silver-haired kid was the only quiet one among them. He gathered their luggage while the others were talking.


    The monster¡¯s by-products that fell out of their bags bothered me for some reason, and I could tell that they were from high-ranking monsters.


    Honestly, I could just mind my own business, but I couldn¡¯t look away from them because it was such a unique sight.


    <i>¡®An errand?¡¯</i>


    I was sure it wouldn''t take long because of the warp points, but I couldn¡¯t understand going on an errand to bring a monster¡¯s by-product all the way here and...


    <i>¡®They must all have the same father.¡¯</i>


    They were either children of a well-known family or sons of an adventurer. Polygamy was pretty popr on the continent, and I felt like I was correct based on their neat appearances.


    The silver-haired boy was carrying multiple heavy-looking bags like it was nothing, so I deduced that they had been training since they were extremely young.


    The blue-haired boy, who looked like the leader, was taking care of the remaining children and acted as their leader. Seeing that they had a VIP ticket, I was probably right, and I walked with them as I took out the ticket I had gotten from the Blue Guild.


    I don¡¯t know why, but I noticed them looking at me.


    They must¡¯ve been surprised because I didn¡¯t look like someone who would have a VIP ticket.


    ¡°H-Hello...¡± I greeted.


    ¡°Hello, noona.¡±


    The blue-haired child bowed, the blond-haired child looked away, and the silver-haired child nodded. Meanwhile, the brown-haired girl just sighed as if she wasn¡¯t interested in the discussion.


    ¡°A-Are you running an errand?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    That was the end of the conversation...


    ¡°Cheru, have you forgotten what Father said about not talking to strangers?" the silver-haired child pointed out.


    The blue-haired child shut his mouth as if his mouth had been glued together, and he looked pretty cute. The child named Sera was keeping his mouth shut so tightly that he looked like he was putting pressure on his lower jaw. I felt bad for talking to them.


    <i>¡®Cute.¡¯</i>


    They were cute, but I couldn¡¯t help but feel bothered.


    It was all because the silver-haired boy seemed wary toward me. Perhaps he had noticed me observing them earlier.


    I smiled lightly because I felt bad.


    Hea nodded at me and looked away.


    I took a step forward and heard a voice.


    ¡°Let¡¯s move.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I saw multiple shes of light, and the scenery before me peeled away.


    ¡°Wee to Lindel.¡±


    ¡°Wee, everyone! Wee to Lindel!¡±


    The Free City of Lindel.


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    As always, the scenery caused my jaw to drop. It was a giant city centered around the dragonir of Miss Dialugia and Miss Dialuria. This city was dubbed as the paradise of adventurers. The city was extremely diverse, filled with people from all walks of life and races.


    The city was a symbol of freedom, and it brought the Sacred Democratic Country to its current heights.


    More importantly, Father Lee Ki-Young loved and cherished this city the most.


    ¡°Lindel... It¡¯s Lindel...¡± I mumbled.


    1. Belier¡¯s POV ?

 Chapter 879. Epilogue (2)

    <h4>Chapter 879. Epilogue (2)</h4>


    Everyone knew that Lindel was a popr city to Koreans, who had been summoned here. Dawan was just next to the Republic, and the city was pretty close to the capital, unlike Celia.


    Of course, Lindel was closer to the capital than Dawan, which was the reason so many people traveled to and fro to Lindel. The city had also made great improvements over the years, but it only became popr when the Blue Guild rose to power.


    The three major guilds of the Sacred Democratic Power grew in power, attracting merchants who wanted to receivemissions from the three guilds. As a result, the city became a popr destination for merchants with money to burn, which fattened up the city as a result.


    The majority of the warp points all over the continent had Lindel as its destination, so it was only natural for the city to obtain so much gold. The huge temple that was built for the God of Sacrifice and Revival still existed, and Miss Dialugia¡¯s dragonir became known as one of the main tourist attractions of Lindel.


    In some ways, redevelopment was a need, not a choice. It had already been nine months since the city weed the new city n. Today, the city was the most beloved city by the denizens of the continent.


    <i>¡®And...¡¯</i>


    ¡°That¡¯s not all.¡±


    The three guilds and Miss Dialugia¡¯s nest weren¡¯t the only things that the city was famous for.


    <i>¡®Food.¡¯</i>


    As people arrived in droves, themercial district thrived. Arge shopping center and multiple restaurants appeared amidst the city redevelopment n.


    From famous restaurants located all over the continent to hole in the wall restaurants, one could find just about anything in Lindel. Lindel''s street food was high quality, too.


    From what I[1] heard, the Guild Master of the Blue Guild worked hard to attract people to themercial district, and there was even a rumor going around that the Sunset Swordsman was a big foodie.


    Restaurants and shopping centers were neatly arranged in a row. I smiled unknowingly upon seeing people enjoying their daily lives here. There was an adventurer square nearby, but it was natural for people to be more interested in this ce.


    <i>¡®Should I go get some Mirror Salmon?¡¯</i>


    The Guild Master of the Blue Guild had sessfully aqua-farmed the Mirror Salmon, and it became the specialty of Lindel rather than Mirror Lake''s specialty.


    <i>¡®No. I think I¡¯ll feel stuffy if I eat too much.¡¯</i>


    It¡¯d be a relief if I didn¡¯t vomit the things I had eaten in front of Father Lee Ki-Young, but the sweet smell from all over the ce was stopping me from walking any further.


    <i>¡®Rainbow Cotton Candy.¡¯</i>


    That was Lindel''s specialty as well.


    Did Father Lee Ki-Young enjoy eating that as well?


    It became popr because a picture of him eating the cotton candy was posted on Benigoa Net.


    Just as I expected, I saw marketing texts near the shop. It said things like ¡°Taste the vor that even Father Lee Ki-Young has approved¡± or ¡°Taste the seven vors.¡±


    The Goddess'' Mirror even showed a video of the time when Father Lee Ki-Young visited the shop.


    - What do you think, Mr. Ki-Young?


    - Not bad.


    - I¡¯m d.


    - But why today...


    - I heard the auction house finally has a stock of an item that you''ll definitely like. Let¡¯s go.


    The taste of the cotton candy didn''t really matter, and I could see based on the crowd that was in front of the shop. I moved without realizing it, and I saw familiar faces when I stopped.


    ¡°How much do we have left, Cheru?¡± Sera asked.


    ¡°We can buy exactly three,¡± Cheru replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I suggested we save money on equipment. Mother said not to spend all of it. We¡¯re in big trouble. <i>Ugh...</i>¡±


    ¡°What should we do?¡± Cheru asked.


    ¡°T-T-Then let¡¯s buy three and share,¡± Sera suggested.


    ¡°No. We¡¯re alreadyte...¡±


    The brown-haired child wasining while the blonde-haired child was looking at the blue-haired child as if they wanted to really eat cotton candy. The silver-haired child kept looking at me as if trying to keep an eye on me. Well, I <i>did </i>seem suspicious.


    <i>¡®Why do we keep running into each other?¡¯</i>


    He was looking at me as if I were some kind of criminal, but our encounter was purely coincidental. Those four children were cute, but I had no intention of following or spying on them. Of course, I could have stared at them for too long at the warp point because I had dazed out, but that was beyond my control.


    They whispered among themselves and slowly distanced themselves from me.


    The child named Domi looked at me with disgust.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s really not what you think.¡¯</i>


    <i>''I don¡¯t know what was going on, but I felt like I had to deny it for now.''</i>


    ¡°D-Do you want me to buy you one?¡± I offered.


    I said that to get out of this situation.


    ¡°What?¡±


    The child named Cheru cast a suspicious gaze at me.


    Sera was already nodding, and the silver-haired child still looked like he was questioning me.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a strange person... I-I just...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Cheru interrupted.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m really not a strange person,¡± I said.


    ¡°You definitely look strange. Can you keep your distance from us? Mother said that when ites to strangers...¡± Cheru trailed off.


    ¡°I¡¯m really not a strange person. I simply thought you guys were cute...¡± I said.


    ¡°Mother said not to listen to people who call us cute,¡± Cheru said.


    ¡°I¡¯m just visiting because of the interview at the Blue Guild. See? My pass. I couldn¡¯t help but notice you guys while I was passing...¡± I told them.


    I didn¡¯t expect them to recognize the pass, but I was sure they recognized the Blue Guild¡¯s seal, even if they were just children.


    The guild''s public credibility was incredibly high, so it was basically impossible not to know the Blue Guild.


    I couldn¡¯t help but feel anxious because if I just backed off here, I''d really look like a suspicious person.


    The blue-haired child, who was staring at the pass, caught my attention.


    ¡°Is it real?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s real.¡±


    ¡°What should we do?¡±


    It seemed like everyone was waiting for Cheru''s decision.


    And that was when Domi said, ¡°The pass is real.¡±


    ¡°R-Right?¡± I stuttered.


    ¡°We don¡¯t really have a lot of allowance money. If you don¡¯t mind, would you like to trade with an item that I have? What¡¯s your name?¡± Cheru asked.


    ¡°B-Belier...¡± I replied.


    The child took out a small pebble.


    I chuckled and dropped the change into the child¡¯s hands, which were spread open wide open. I talked to him for a bit and heard him thanking me.


    I felt proud about that, and I felt even more proud when I saw that they each had a cotton candy in their hands. Domi and Cheru were eating their cotton candy quietly, and the silver-haired child was the only one who wasn¡¯t eating it.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to eat it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to give it to my father,¡± replied the silver-haired child.


    ¡°D-Do you want me to buy you another one?¡± I offered.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± the silver-haired child answered.


    The blonde-haired child stared hesitantly at the silver-hailed child. The silver-haired child was already drooling, but he looked away from the cotton candy because he wanted to give his own portion of the cotton candy to his father.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I have a lot of money,¡± I told him.


    ¡°It¡¯s really fine. I don¡¯t want to cause you more trouble. I¡¯m genuinely thankful,¡± said the silver-haired child.


    Meanwhile, Cheru gave his cotton candy to Sera.


    Sera looked happy as he ate the cotton candy in a hurry.


    It seemed that he couldn''t hold it in, as he immediately devoured his cotton candy after taking a bite of Cheru¡¯s cotton candy. I¡¯d understand it if he were just annoying, but he told him to take his time, so the blue-haired child¡ªwith the name Cheru¡ªhad to be the oldest brother.


    ¡°A-Are you really not going to eat it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°How about I give you some of mine?¡± I offered.


    ¡°I¡¯m okay,¡± Cheru answered, but his body responded in a different way.


    When I pulled a piece of cotton candy and ced it near his mouth, he immediately started drooling. He closed his eyes and swallowed the cotton candy as if he were doing it subconsciously.


    The cotton candy was tailored to children''s tastes, so he reacted instantly toward it. I was sure he felt conflicted because he kept looking at the cotton candy in his hand. He probably felt that a demon was tempting him.


    <i>¡®He must really love his father.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Then are you heading to the Blue Guild, noona?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± I answered.


    ¡°Great timing. Sera and Thro will take you there,¡± Cheru said.


    ¡°<i>Huh?</i>¡±


    ¡°Are you guys heading to the Blue Guild as well?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Only Thro and Sera. I have to stop by the Red Mercenary Guild,¡± Cheru answered.


    ¡°I need to stop by the ck Swan Guild first. Mother is waiting,¡± Domi replied.


    I questioned why these children were heading for the three major guilds.


    No matter how hard I tried to guess, I couldn¡¯t think of a reason behind it. I thought maybe they were ying a prank, but I rubbed my eyes in disbelief upon seeing the build-haired child entering the Red Mercenary Guild.


    The building was actually bigger than the Blue Guild¡ªno, it was more like a castle. The overwhelming sight caused my jaw to drop, and the building appeared as if it were a warrior holding up his sword.


    It was an unrealistic sight to see a child walking into the Guild House of the Red Mercenary Guild.


    <i>¡®His mother is in there?¡¯</i>


    ¡°See youter, Sera. Make sure you hold her hand,¡± Cheru told Sera.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Sera replied.


    ¡°Thank you, noona,¡± he said to me.


    ¡°<i>Ah...</i> yeah...¡± I said.


    It was the same after that, too. I soon found myself standing before the ck Swan Guild¡ªa guild with only female members. They were the best intelligence organization throughout the continent, and their financial prowess was on the same level as the Blue Guild.


    The majority of them were rangers, thieves, or assassins.


    When Miss Lee Ji-Hye became the Sub Guild Master of the ck Swan Guild, the massive guild started making a name for itself in the business industry.


    Their guild house was smaller than the Red Mercenary Guild, but the building looked like it was built to be efficient rather than to appear magnificent. The building was decorated in ck, and it made me feel like it was dangerous.


    ¡°Belier unni, thank you,¡± Sera said.


    ¡°Sure...¡± I said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to pay you back. My mother said to never forget grace and your enemies, but especially your archenemy,¡± he said.


    ¡°<i>Ah...</i> I see... I¡¯ll see youter, Sera,¡± I told Sera.


    ¡°Thro, take good care of Sera,¡± I instructed Thro.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Howte is it... <i>Ugh</i>... Mother is going to scold us...¡± Thro mumbled. He walked away with slouching shoulders and with Sera in tow. The front gate opened this time as well.


    <i>¡®What the hell?¡¯</i>


    This meant that the two were heading toward the Blue Guild, too.


    I finally understood why they became so rxed after checking my pass.


    <i>¡®Are they children of the Blue Guild''s high-ranking executives? Who are they?¡¯</i>


    ¡°W-What does your mother do?¡± I asked. I finally asked the stupid question.


    ¡°My mom is a mage.¡±


    ¡°R-Really?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s the most famous mage on the continent, a-and Thro doesn¡¯t have a mother.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t say stuff like that to your hyung,¡± Thro warned Sera.


    I flinched, but I recovered quickly and nodded.


    ¡°Thro lives with his master. He receives training every day... and learns from his master. Except for Thro, we all learn from our mothers.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Thro said it¡¯s fine if he doesn¡¯t have a mother.¡±


    <i>¡®What is he talking about?¡¯</i>


    I thought perhaps I wasn''t supposed to get involved with them.


    What if this was the final interview to join the guild? Was I supposed to keep my guard up around the children? What if an illusion-type spell was cast on me? I suppressed my anxiety, but I felt ufortable as we walked into the Blue Guild.


    Soon, I saw a familiar figure. She was of average height with short hair.


    At first, I couldn''t see her face clearly, but I eventually identified her as I got closer to her.


    ¡°Miss Han Sora.¡±


    She was a well-known mage of the Blue Guild. She was archmage Jung Ha-Yan¡¯s right hand and left hand. She was the hero who had saved Laios twice, and she became Father Lee Ki-Young¡¯s secretary, thanks to her outstanding alchemy and political skills.


    ¡°S-She¡¯s really Miss Han Sora,¡± I mumbled. How could I not be nervous? She was the hero I admired, but why was she outside? Was she waiting for me? Or did something happen to the guild? Why¡ª


    I heard Sera¡¯s loud voice.


    ¡°Auntie!¡±


    Sera ran up to Miss Han Sora and hugged her.


    ¡°A-A-Auntie...¡± Sera stuttered.


    ¡°You¡¯re here, Sera,¡± Han Sora greeted.


    ¡°<i>Sniffle...</i> Auntie... <i>Heuuung...</i> Auntie...¡± Sera cried.


    ¡°You did great. Come here,¡± Han Soraforted Sera.


    I didn''t expect to see this.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on...¡±


    I had stumbled upon some silly kids; I was sure of that.


    1. Belier''s POV ?

 Chapter 880. Epilogue (3)

    <h4>Chapter 880. Epilogue (3)</h4>


    ¡°Did youplete the quest?¡± Han Sora asked.


    ¡°Yeah, Cheru...¡± Sera replied.


    ¡°Really? I should thank him,¡± Han Sora said.


    I saw the two talking casually, but the blond-haired child was a stuttering mess.


    For some reason, Miss Han Sora was nodding while listening to Sera, and it was an unrealistic sight in my eyes. Miss Han Sora also patted Sera''s head and pinched his cheek. I wasn¡¯t sure whether it was because of what Han Sora was doing, but the crying Sera eventually stopped crying.


    Sera was still huping and sniffling, but he calmed down a lot and spoke more clearly.


    ¡°So...¡± Sera trailed off.


    ¡°So what happened?¡± Han Sora asked.


    <i>¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯</i>


    ¡°D-Domi kept saying that she''s going to get in trouble...¡±


    ¡°It''s prettyte. She might get scolded, but you have to keep promises. I was really worried, too,¡± Han Sora said.


    ¡°<i>Ah</i>, w-what about Mom...¡± Sera asked.


    ¡°She¡¯s probably with your dad,¡± Han Sora answered.


    ¡°R-Really? Can I go see them?¡± Sera asked.


    ¡°I think they¡¯re busy right now, so let¡¯s go see themter. Thro, you should head in first and submit your report,¡± Han Sora suggested.


    ¡°I-I want to go, too...¡± Sera mumbled.


    ¡°Stay with me a little longer. You haven¡¯t finished the homework your mom gave you, right?¡± Han Sora asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll help you,¡± Han Sora offered.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s do that,¡± Han Sora added.


    ¡°Okay...¡± Sera answered.


    ¡°Did anything else happen?¡± Han Sora asked.


    ¡°Yeah. I ate cotton candy on the way here. We didn¡¯t have any money because we spent it, but t-that noona bought us cotton candy,¡± Thro said. The silver-haired child then entered the guild with his head down.


    I noticed Miss Han Sora staring at me.


    <i>¡®What should I do? She¡¯s looking at me.¡¯</i>


    Han Sora smiled and nodded when Sera whispered something into her ear, but Han Sora suddenly looked at me with a wary gaze. When I saw that, I knew I had to say something because she was definitely suspicious of me now.


    ¡°H-Hello. I-I¡¯m Belier. I came for the Blue Guild¡¯s entrance test final interview...¡± I trailed off. I had no idea how I said those words, but Han Sora seemed to have realized that I wa an interviewee who hade to the guild for her final interview.


    Han Sora got up quietly and said, "<i>Ah,</i> so...¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m Belier. I-It¡¯s an honor to meet you, Miss Han Sora!¡± I shouted.


    ¡°I¡¯m honored to meet you as well, Mis Belier. I heard the children are indebted to you...¡± Han Sora remarked.


    ¡°N-No, I wouldn¡¯t say indebted, and please speakfortably,¡± I told her.


    ¡°No, you¡¯re a guest. I can¡¯t do that. How about we head inside?¡± Han Sora suggested.


    ¡°O-Okay!¡± I eximed and stepped stiffly into the guild through the front door.


    ¡°Wee to the Blue Guild,¡± Han Sora greeted.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I said.


    I took just one step, but I felt like I had stepped into another world with how the atmosphere changed drastically in an instant.


    The entire Blue Guild wasid out clearly before me, and it was so big that I couldn¡¯t believe that this ce was being used by less than twenty guild members.


    Perhaps it was because they had more guild staffpared to the ck Swan and the Red Mercenary Guild. This could also be to support each and every guild member, but it could also be to maintain the guild''s businesses.


    They had to take care of many things, things including the potion business, the item business, and the Rift Museum. Powerful figures in important positions or guild masters of other guilds probably visited them daily, so the Blue Guild was <i>really </i>important.


    Despite that, the guild¡¯s atmosphere was pretty carefree. I saw people drinking coffee and talking about their work in the staffer''s resting lounge. I saw security guards standing like statues, and I saw people in the middle of training.


    ¡°There¡¯s a separate site for official guild members,¡± Han Sora said.


    ¡°<i>Ah</i>... I see.¡±


    ¡°Your interview today will be taking ce there as well... <i>Ah</i>,e to think of it, you still have some time left. Would you like to take a look around?¡± she offered.


    ¡°Yes, Miss Han Sora. I-I¡¯m a huge fan,¡± I confessed.


    ¡°What?¡±


    It seemed really random that I unknowingly confessed.


    ¡°I¡¯m a huge fan,¡± I repeated.


    ¡°<i>Ah,</i> thank you,¡± she said.


    ¡°I¡¯m being serious. I¡¯ve been watching you since the Laios days, during the Day of the Revival and... the Day of the Prophecy. I¡¯m trying to calm down a bit, b-but I can¡¯t. I¡¯m sorry. Do you mind if I ask a few questions? Could I get your autograph... No, if you don¡¯t mind, could I take a picture with you so that I can show it off for the rest of my life?! And I!¡± I paused.


    ¡°H-Hold on,¡± Han Sora said.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I get it, so you don¡¯t have to stand so close,¡± Han Sora said.


    ¡°<i>Ah...</i>¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry. I was just so happy,¡± I stuttered.


    <i>¡®I ruined it all because I kept rambling like a fool.¡¯</i>


    I started regretting the fact that I panicked, and I felt like crying for fumbling here.


    Her reaction was understandable, as I had basically pounced on her. I was starting to get worried that this was going to affect my interview in a negative way, and my heart broke at the thought that she''d think of me as a weird person.


    <i>''I can''t look her in the eye. Where should I look?'' </i>


    While I was thinking about how I was supposed to apologize to her, I heard her talking once again. ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I meant. The reasoning is a bitplicated... It mightplicate things for you. I wasn¡¯t offended, so no need to apologize."


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t really tell you, but...¡± Han Sora paused.


    ¡°It¡¯s a curse...¡± I said.


    ¡°How did you...¡±


    ¡°Can I take a closer look? I might be able to help,¡± I offered.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine, Miss Belier. More importantly, how did you know?¡± Han Sora asked.


    I couldn¡¯t see it, but I could feel it.


    I couldn¡¯t state the reason, but I was sensitive to magic. I had no idea just what type of spell was this, but it was like a clump of dark energy. I had never felt something like this before. Since she had told me not to get close to her, it could be a type of curse that would whisk her away to the location of the curse''s caster.


    Sera could be an exception, as she managed to get close to Han Sora.


    Obviously, I had never seen a spell capable of differentiating between people, but...


    <i>¡®I¡¯m looking at it right now.¡¯</i>


    The difference between me and the caster of this spell was more than just a level. I couldn¡¯t even understand the first paragraph of theplicated form before me. All I could do was feel it, and when I moved my mana out of curiosity...


    <i>¡®Die.¡¯</i>


    <i>Uh.</i>


    <i>¡®Die.¡¯</i>


    Why was there a dagger...


    <i>¡®Die.¡¯</i>


    Pressing against my neck...


    <i>¡®Die.¡¯</i>


    As I stood stunned at the cold, prickling sensation, someone grabbed my hand.


    ¡°<i>Uh... </i>Miss Han Sora, just now...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Han Sora said.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I''ve been experimenting with something recently, and I failed one of the trials for it, so I''m currently under its side effect. That¡¯s why I¡¯m minimizing contact with others. Testing on my own body is the most effective. <i>Haha</i>... it¡¯s not a curse, so don¡¯t worry and there aren¡¯t any other side effects.


    "However, It¡¯s very sensitive, and you even tried to dispel it, so it''s not strange that it reacted like that,¡± Han Sora exined.


    ¡°Amazing. Just now... I almost died,¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°How is this possible... It¡¯s simply amazing. <i>Wow...</i>¡± I said.


    ¡°I think you¡¯re more amazing, Miss Belier. If I remember correctly, you''re a fighter,¡± Han Sora said.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m a fighter. To be exact, I¡¯m a Unique-rank magic fighter... so that¡¯s why I¡¯m studying magic. A-And it looks like I caused trouble again,¡± I answered.


    ¡°Not at all. Considering what Sera told me earlier, I should actually be the one thanking you,¡± Han Sora said.


    ¡°T-T-Thank you,¡± I stuttered.


    I looked down and saw a child clinging to Miss Han Sora''s legs. I smiled brightly at the child and looked at my hand again. I felt likeughing because the situation just now was just a bit too ridiculous.


    <i>¡®Amazing...¡¯</i>


    I simply attempted to dispel it, but the spell actually reacted so violently that it almost killed me.


    <i>¡®She¡¯s really amazing.¡¯</i>


    Once again, I became extremely aware of the difference between myself and these people known as the top adventures of the continent. I wasn''t really expecting to reach their heights, but they seemed like mountains I couldn¡¯t climb.


    If I ended up getting epted as a guild member, I¡¯d be spending time with them. I¡¯d be training with them and learning from them. I trembled briefly, and I couldn¡¯t hold my smile back.


    Miss Han Sora was smiling awkwardly toward me. It seemed like she was feeling kind of bad...


    ¡°I¡¯ll guide you. Sera, shall we go for a walk?¡± Han Sora suggested.


    ¡°Okay!¡± Sera replied.


    ¡°<i>Ah</i>... sure,¡± I said.


    I couldn¡¯t stop myself from looking around the guild house.


    The well-maintained garden, the majestic-looking fountain, the shops and restaurants inside the guild, and the many different amenities avable to the staffers caught my attention. I also saw the youth education facility that I had only heard of in stories.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure where I should start. There¡¯s the magic research facility and the alchemy workshop, but since you have a closebat type job, you must be curious about the training hall and the training facility...


    "The training facilities have improved... so people with closebat type jobs have been using them pretty often.


    "<i>Ah</i>, the guild will provide you with your own armor, so visiting the workshop doesn¡¯t sound like a bad idea at all. Or... <i>Ah</i>... one moment, Miss Belier. Yes, Miss Jung Ha-Yan?¡± Han Sora said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°No, I-I went out... to meet Sera... Yes. Right now? Of course, I can head there now, but... <i>Ah</i>... okay. Of course, I can do that. Okay, please wait for me. I¡¯ll be there as soon as possible. Have you eaten yet? Okay. <i>Ah</i>, I¡¯m sorry. I thought you had already eaten with the sub guild master...


    "<i>Ah</i>... Okay, Miss Jung Ha-Yan. I did make preparations in advance... <i>Ah</i>... together. Then Sera... <i>Ah... ah... ah...</i> But going together... I¡¯ll bring her with me,¡± Han Sora said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, something came up that requires my attention. I¡¯ll see youter. Let¡¯s go, Sera,¡± Han Sora said.


    ¡°Okay, Auntie,¡± Sera replied.


    Han Sora''s extremely surprised face disappeared as soon as the call ended.


    <i>¡®What about me?¡¯</i>


    Miss Han Sora and Sera walked away.


    <i>¡®Did Miss Jung Ha-Yan summon them?¡¯</i>


    Miss Han Sora had mentioned Jung Ha-Yan''s name during the call, so it had to be the case. It was fine, but the problem was that I had no idea where I was right now.


    <i>¡®Why isn¡¯t there anyone here?¡¯</i>


    I saw many people earlier, but there was no one here.


    I would ask for directions if there were someone else here...


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    And that was when I heard someone''s voice.


    ¡°An intruder?¡±


    ¡°No, I...¡±


    I heard footsteps, and I turned to find someone swinging their dagger.


    ¡°You don¡¯t look like an intruder, but... it doesn¡¯t matter since this looks fun. Let me know if you need help,¡± the gentleman said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need your help. Mister Ki-Mo. I¡¯ll just warm up,¡± a girl said.


    ¡°Hey, go easy on her!¡± the gentleman shouted.


    <i>¡®Huh?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Lie down for a moment.¡±


    I instinctively jumped backward and swung my fist toward her afterward.


    I smirked as I performed a light hook toward the figure charging at me.


    <i>¡®Another swing and then a straight punch.¡¯</i>


    Before I could even swing my fist, I felt weightless and...


    ¡°Not bad.¡±


    My vision went dark.

 Chapter 881. Epilogue (4)

    <h4>Chapter 881. Epilogue (4)</h4>


    ¡°She¡¯s an interviewee... I checked her pass, and there weren''t any issues... <i>Uh... </i>What should we do? Mister Ki-Mo?¡± the girl asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. She should be getting up soon...¡± the gentleman replied.


    ¡°She¡¯ll be up soon.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Miss Sun Hee-Young. I¡¯m d you¡¯re here. She seemed like she injured her head...¡± the gentleman said.


    ¡°I think... the three of you should get ready to write a written exnation,¡± ady suggested.


    ¡°<i>Ah</i>, no. If that happens, oppa¡ª¡±


    ¡°I already contacted the guild master and the sub guild master,¡± the gentleman interrupted.


    ¡°Is that true?¡± thedy asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s not something we can hide anyway,¡± said the gentleman.


    I opened my eyes slowly and saw an unfamiliar ceiling along with faces looking down at me. There was a woman with pigtails, and she reminded me of a cat.


    <i>¡®Miss Kim Ye-Ri.¡¯</i>


    It was known to everyone that the Blue Guild had three geniuses. The guild master, the sub guild master, and the girl with pigtails before her.


    She was known as the Blue Guild''s daughter, and it was all because she was skilled with a dagger, a long sword, and a bow. She hadpleted ranger training, and her closebat skills were top-notch because the Guild Master of the Blue Guild himself was her trainer.


    I finally understood why I lost consciousness before I could put up a fight.


    A handsome man wearing sses with no lens was next to her.


    <i>''He''s Mr. Ahn Ki-Mo.¡¯</i>


    He was a holy knight with perfect scores on hexagonal agility tests.


    <i>''I¡¯m sorry, that¡¯s all I know about you.''</i>


    I turned unknowingly and saw a beautiful woman sitting on a chair.


    I was feeling out of it, but my eyes widened when I saw the beautifuldy wearing a traditional priest outfit. She seemed friendly, but for some reason, she seemed to have a cold side.


    The beautifuldy walked up to me and pushed my hair back. ¡°Open your eyes wide.¡±


    ¡°O-Okay,¡± I replied.


    My mind became clearer when the light entered my eyes..


    ¡°Miss Sun Hee-Young?¡± I called out.


    ¡°Yes, she seems fine,¡± said the nun.


    ¡°Miss Kim Ye-Ri,¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Even Mr. Ahn Ki-Mo... is here. You¡¯re really here,¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°You should rest for even a brief moment. Your condition...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s truly an honor meeting you like this. I¡¯m a fan of all of you. <i>Ah</i>, I-I¡¯m also sorry for telling youte. I¡¯m not an intruder. I came here for the interview...¡± I informed them.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°<i>Ah</i>... the interview,¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°The interview!¡± I shouted. I got up instinctively, and I felt a sharp pain radiating from my forehead. It seemed that I had identally bumped into someone as I got up.


    ¡°<i>Ack!</i>¡± I shouted.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    The person I bumped into eximed, but my eyes were on the clock on the wall.


    I looked around and opened my Goddess¡¯ Hand Mirror.


    <i>¡®I¡¯mte.¡¯</i>


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°What should I do?¡± I asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°What... should I do?¡± I mumbled.


    My interview was supposed to happen five hours ago. I worked so hard to reach the final interviews, and I couldn''t believe that I ruined it. For some reason, I wasn''t crying, but my shoulders drooped, and my feet quivered.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry, Miss Belier,¡± Sun Hee-Young said.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°The ident happened because of the guild''s mistake, and the Blue Guild isn¡¯t <i>that </i>strict. The sub guild master has already received a report about what happened today. He said he¡¯ll be here soon, so lie down until then,¡± she exined.


    ¡°What? Will I be doing the interview like this?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Kim Ye-Ri chimed in.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Miss Kim Ye-Ri,¡± I said.


    ¡°I would like to apologize as well,¡± Ahn Ki-Mo said.


    ¡°You really don¡¯t have to apologize. I¡¯ll be embarrassed if you keep doing that,¡± I told them.


    ¡°It¡¯s all. My fault,¡± Kim Ye-Ri said.


    ¡°It is your fault, but I¡¯ll apologize as... <i>Ugh!</i>¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really okay. I was startled, but it all worked out... in the end. Anyone would find me suspicious if they were to see me looking around in the middle of the guild house like that, so don¡¯t worry about it.


    "By the way, I really feel like I''m dreaming. The thought of meeting all of you after getting epted to the guild made my heart flutter, but... I have no regrets meeting all of you like this. Even if I don¡¯t make it¡ª¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t happen. I don¡¯t know about other people, but our sub guild master hates letting go of talented people. It seemed like you worked really hard. I¡¯m sure it wasn¡¯t easy training as a fighter...¡± Sun Hee-Young said.


    ¡°I feel embarrassed hearing that. I mean... I lost consciousness before I could even do anything...¡± I said.


    ¡°<i>Hahaha...</i>¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry,¡± Kim Ye-Ri said.


    <i>¡®They¡¯re good people.¡¯</i>


    I was kind of nervous, but I eventually feltfortable around them.


    ¡°Miss Ye-Ri has always been kind of impatient,¡± Ahn Ki-Mo said.


    ¡°Stop it,¡± Kim Ye-Ri warned.


    ¡°Last time¡ª¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t say it again, Mister Ki-Mo,¡± Kim Ye-Ri interrupted.


    ¡°<i>Haha...</i> wanting to keep your dignity in front of your junior¡ªARGH¡± Ahn Ki-Mo screamed.


    The two started wrestling to the point that I questioned whether I was watching a y or not. I honestly thought the atmosphere would be a bit more serious. I could tell they were close, and it reminded me of my early adventurer days when my party members and I would go to a pub to call it a day.


    These people weren¡¯t any different from us back then.


    <i>¡®Oh, it¡¯s Miss Alps.¡¯</i>


    ¡°You¡¯re all here,¡± Miss Alps said.


    ¡°Have a cup of coffee while you¡¯re here,¡± Sun Hee-Young suggested.


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am. <i>Oh!</i> You had a guest. Hello,¡± Miss Alps greeted.


    ¡°Hello!¡± I greeted Miss Alps.


    ¡°No, Shiro!¡± Miss Alps shouted.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I said.


    The puppy looked so adorable as he ran at me while wagging his tail.


    ¡°The interview... <i>Ah</i>, you¡¯re the final interviewee. I¡¯ll finally have a junior!¡± Alps eximed.


    I felt kind of bad, but Miss Alps looked cute when she tightened her fist.


    ¡°The process is shorter than what we went through,¡± Yoo Ah-Young chimed in.


    ¡°Sit here, Ah-Young unni.¡±


    More and more people arrived after Miss Yoo Ah-Young joined. Miss Sun Hee-Young seemed unhappy by the fact that more and more people wereing, but she was definitely having fun because she was smiling.


    ¡°How are things with Chang-Ryeol oppa these days?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure... He¡¯s pretty busy right now... so I don¡¯t really have time to see him.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Chang-Ryeol takes on many unusual tasks. He has spent the shortest time in the guild, and if you think about it, it¡¯s been a while since we saw him.¡±


    ¡°We gatheredst week, too. Mister. The regr meeting.¡±


    ¡°And this is...¡±


    ¡°<i>Ah</i>... I¡¯m Belier.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s my junior!¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t been epted yet.¡±


    I really wanted to join them, and it was perhaps because they considered each other as family. They chatted and often made jokes about each other. I was sure they ate and trained together. I reckoned that long expeditions with them would be really fun as well.


    It was just admiration at first since they were the most famous guild on the continent, and everyone dreamed of joining them. Their pay and benefits were great, but I simply wanted to spend more time with them.


    And that was when I heard a voice outside...


    ¡°You pig, can you even take responsibility for this? If we get sued, will you defend the guild? Should we cut off the head of every guest who visits the guild? You want all of our guests to worry about losing their heads?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t... do that...¡±


    ¡°Shut up, man. Do you really think that the conversation will end by saying that? Will that resolve everything? You¡¯re dead.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t really hear them, but it was something like that.


    The door opened with a <i>click</i>, and I saw a woman with a scar on her face.


    ¡°Come in, sir.¡±


    ¡°<i>Huh?</i>¡±


    The noisy atmosphere soon became quiet, and I saw everyone standing up quietly.


    Was I supposed to get up as well? I looked around, trying to figure out what to do, and I felt a hand grabbing my shoulder. It was Miss Kim Ye-Ri, and she was telling me with her expression that I didn¡¯t need to stand up.


    ¡°You¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°Have a seat, everyone.¡± A clear and crisp voice echoed.


    Then, I saw Mr. Lee Ki-Young along with Mr. Park Deok-Gu.


    ¡°<i>Ah...</i>¡±


    Mr. Lee Ki-Young was walking in a dignified manner, and he was wearing a pure white priest outfit. I couldn¡¯t quite describe his appearance. I felt indescribable emotions as I stared at him, and my jaw dropped without realizing it.


    ¡°You''re...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Belier,¡± I introduced myself.


    Mr. Lee Ki-Young''s voice was so sweet that it made my brain tingle. His voice was so low that it sounded like he was whispering to me, but his voice filled my head.


    <i>''Am I allowed to lift my head? Should I greet him while looking at him? Will that be considered rude? Can I look straight at him?''</i>


    ¡°You can lift your head, Miss Belier,¡± Lee Ki-Young said.


    I looked up and saw the face that everyone could see everywhere.


    I had seen his face many times through various articles, pictures, and posts made on Benigoa Net, but I still had a hard time breathing when I saw his actual face.


    It was like there was a radiant light behind him¡ªno, perhaps there actually was a light. I wanted to grab my chest because it felt like someone was banging on my heart, but I couldn¡¯t do it. My hands and feet were trembling; I felt numb all over.


    This was weird¡ªtoo weird.


    <i>¡®He¡¯s like an incubus.¡¯</i>


    I had never met or seen an incubus before, though.


    Obviously, it was rude to think that way, and I couldn¡¯t understand why I thought of him as an incubus when he was a saint emitting a pure, radiant light. However, that was honestly the impression that I got from him. His lips were small, and his neck was long; those <i>weird</i> emotions disappeared when I realized what I was staring at.


    I shook my head to regain myposure, but I still couldn¡¯t speak properly.


    I was sad. He was an angel who had given up everything and had descended from the heavens for the continent''s sake. He had given up his position to be human. He was like a flower before it was plucked¡ªno, he was like a flower that had already been plucked and was on the verge of withering away.


    He was thin... like... like he could break at any moment, and it seemed like he''d crumble even at the slightest touch... He had been plucked and had been trampled on many times, but he was like a resilient flower bud trying its best to bloom.


    ¡°<i>Heuk...</i>¡±


    <i>''Why... am I crying?''</i>


    ¡°<i>Heuk... heuuuuk... heung...</i>¡±


    <i>''Why can¡¯t I stop crying, Father Lee Ki-Young? Why am I crying?''</i>


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. My... emotions... suddenly... <i>Heuk...</i> I couldn''t stop it...¡± I muttered.


    I had no idea why I was apologizing. Actually, I knew why I was crying. I was sure he had seen this sight before since he was beloved by all denizens. My tiny existence was probably the reason he was summoned to the continent once again, and I could be the reason why he had once sacrificed everything.


    ¡°<i>Heuuuuk... heuuuk...</i>¡± I cried.


    I felt someone wiping away the tears falling from one of my eyes.


    Their hands were really thin, but they were so warm...


    ¡°Your sins will be forgiven in the name of Goddess Benigoa,¡± Lee Ki-Young said.


    ¡°<i>Heuuuuuk... heuuuung...</i>¡±


    I couldn''t stop crying as he held me in his arms.


    ¡°<i>Heuuuung...</i>¡±


    I cried for a while.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry... <i>Heuk... </i>I¡¯m really... sorry,¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°G-G-Get away from him.¡±

 Chapter 882. Epilogue (5)

    <h4>Chapter 882. Epilogue (5)</h4>


    If it weren''t for the timid voice that entered my ears, I would have continued hugging Father Lee Ki-Young.


    I turned instinctively and saw a mage wearing a huge hat. Of course, I was familiar with the mage, but she didn''t look anxious and ufortable like usual. Instead, her eyes contained a fury that seemed capable of sucking just about anything into it.


    I stiffened at the sight of her gaze alone.


    When Father Lee Ki-Young patted Miss Jung Ha-Yan¡¯s head, it felt like something had been ventted, but I still couldn¡¯t quite exin nor brush off the fury that I saw in her eyes.


    Before I could question it, I saw a woman with a scar on her face grabbing her sword.


    It wasn¡¯t just her. Miss Kim Ye-Ri, Mr. Ahn Ki-Mo, Miss Sun Hee-Young, and even Miss Alps looked at me nervously. Miss Hwang Jung-Yeon, who had been quiet all this time, looked like she was channeling a spell.


    I finally understood what I was doing.


    I lifted my head slowly and saw Father Lee Ki-Young smiling while trembling. It turned out that his body was so weak and fragile that it felt like the weakest force could break it. It was like ss made with care.


    In fact, it felt like his wrist could be easily broken.


    I felt like I could easily crush him like paper, and I also felt like I could easily smash his head. He was too weak to be called the Son of Light and the God of Sacrifice and Revival.


    I blushed when I imagined Father Lee Ki-Young¡¯s face being covered in blood. I don¡¯t know why, but I felt like I was heating up.


    <i>¡®This is embarrassing.¡¯</i>


    I was definitely the only one thinking that way, so I was ashamed of it.


    It was even more that I still couldn''t understand why they looked so anxious and fearful.


    ¡°I-I-I... told you to... g-g-get away...¡± Jung Ha-Yan stuttered.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry... I¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Ha-Yan. It¡¯s fine, everyone. You don¡¯t need to be wary of her. She¡¯s a guest who¡¯s visiting the guild. <i>Cough</i>,¡± Lee Ki-Young interrupted.


    ¡°Hey, hyung-nim. Are you okay?¡± Park Deok-Gu asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I... <i>Cough</i>. I¡¯m sorry, Miss Belier. <i>Cough</i>,¡± Lee Ki-Young said.


    ¡°Father Lee Ki-Young...¡± I mumbled.


    I spaced out for a moment. Miss Sun Hee-Young immediately went to his side and checked his condition. Father Lee Ki-Young assured her that he was fine, but I saw something red on his hand that was covering his mouth.


    ¡°<i>Ah...</i>¡±


    ¡°Sir!¡±


    I trembled and lowered my head. Then, I felt someone looking at me.


    <i>¡®...¡¯</i>


    ¡°...¡±


    I felt like I was a frog in front of a snake. I was finding it hard to breathe.


    ¡°<i>Eeeek!</i> I told y-y-you... to get away from him!¡± Jung Ha-Yan screamed.


    ¡°Stop,¡± Lee Ki-Young said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not her fault, Ha-Yan. I would like all of you to refrain from doing rude things. I simply haven''t... fully recovered yet,¡± Lee Ki-Young exined.


    ¡°Will you be okay, Mr. Lee Ki-Young? If you¡¯re not feeling well, how about canceling your schedule?¡± Sun Hee-Young suggested.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine, Miss Hee-Young. Ha-Yan, do you mind if I lean on you?¡± Lee Ki-Young asked.


    ¡°What? <i>Ah¡ª</i>yes!¡± Jung Ha-Yan eximed.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Miss Belier, how about we go for a walk?¡± Lee Ki-Young suggested.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m... more worried about you...¡± I answered.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s not like a short break will help improve my condition. I¡¯d like to get some fresh air,¡± Lee Ki-Young said.


    ¡°Well... since you said it like that...¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°You guys can go back. I¡¯ll be with Ha-Yan, so you don¡¯t have to worry so much,¡± Lee Ki-Young said.


    ¡°Yes, sir¡±


    ¡°Well... alright,¡± Park Deok-Gu answered.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Miss Kim Ye-Ri was thest person to answer, and the noisy room instantly became quiet. I couldn''t believe that I''d be able to walk with Father Lee Ki-Young.


    I saw him walking slowly while being supported by Miss Jung Ha-Yan.


    It hadn''t even been that long since I came here, but so many things had already happened. I was crying when I woke up earlier, thinking that I had missed the final interview, but now, I was on a stroll with Father Lee Ki-Young.


    I couldn''t have imagined that this would happen.


    I kind of felt like a sinner, and it was all because, contrary to popr belief...


    <i>¡®He hasn''t recovered yet.¡¯</i>


    ¡°O-Oppa... are you okay?¡± Jung Ha-Yan asked.


    ¡°Yeah, thanks for worrying about me, Ha-Yan,¡± Lee Ki-Young replied.


    ¡°L-Let me know if you¡¯re struggling,¡± Jung Ha-Yan stuttered.


    ¡°Okay," Lee Ki-Young replied. He looked lonely, even though he was walking with Jung Ha-Yan, and I felt ufortable because it felt like I was seeing Father Lee Ki-Young¡¯s true self.


    That was when Father Lee Ki-Young turned slightly and said, ¡°You must be shocked, Miss Belier. I''m sorry about that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Father Lee Ki-Young. It¡¯s... because of me...¡± I said.


    ¡°<i>Haha</i>... Don¡¯t think that way. This happens often. It¡¯s just...¡± Lee Ki-Young trailed off.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I would appreciate it if you don''t tell anyone about whatever happened in the guild house today,¡± Lee Ki-Young requested.


    ¡°Of course!¡± I replied.


    ¡°Don''t be too surprised if Miss Kim Mi-Young ends up visiting you. It¡¯s not because we don¡¯t trust you. She¡¯s just very thorough when ites to work... <i>Haha</i>... She might visit you with a contract in hand, or it might be Miss Hye-Jin,¡± Lee Ki-Young exined.


    ¡°Miss Jo Hye-Jin...¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°Come to think of it... you must''ve met her during the entrance exam,¡± Lee Ki-Young said.


    ¡°I did. She taught me many things, and I also received a lot of help from Miss Elena. I was badly injured, and Miss Elena immediately¡ª¡± I cut myself off.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°A-Also, you don¡¯t have to worry about <i>that</i>. If you want... you can cast a spell that will ensure that I''m not going to say anything,¡± I told him.


    I was sure he wanted to hide his true condition from the public, as he only wanted to show everyone that he was healthy. If this truth were to get out, the entire continent would fall into chaos. Any news about Father Lee Ki-Young affected not only the economy and politics but the civilians as well.


    ¡°We don¡¯t need to go that far,¡± Lee Ki-Young said.


    ¡°Still...¡±


    ¡°How was it?¡± Lee Ki-Young asked.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± I asked.


    ¡°The Blue Guild,¡± Lee Ki-Young exined.


    ¡°<i>Ah</i>, I think it¡¯s a nice ce. I don''t even have to talk about how great the facilities are. There were some things that were different from what I had imagined, but the guild members were really nice.


    "They were kind... I thought I would have a hard time getting along with them, but I didn¡¯t feel that at all. Miss Han Sora, Miss Kim Ye-Ri... and Miss Sun Hee-Young,¡± I responded.


    ¡°I¡¯m really happy to hear that,¡± Lee Ki-Youngmented.


    ¡°You guys were like a family, and it¡¯s very rare to see that in a ce like this. Since the Blue Guild is one of the three major guilds, I thought this ce would be a bit more business-like and serious,¡± I added.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It was so different from what I had imagined... so my desire to join the Blue Guild has intensified. I could tell that everyone really cared about each other... Everyone seemed to enjoy each other¡¯spany...¡± I said.


    ¡°Is that right?¡± Lee Ki-Young asked.


    I stopped talking when he smiled quietly because it felt like he was genuinely asking what the people I met were like and what the continent I experienced was like.


    Of course, I met many great people, but it wasn¡¯t always the case.


    I had experienced a ton of malice and many absurd situations. There were also times when I was treated unfairly for no reason. Of course, there were times when I had to fight, even though I didn¡¯t want to do so. I had even harmed people myself.


    Life on the continent was like that.


    People would hurt each other over and over again for rights, their pride, malice, and for the sake of their own profits. I matured while living in that kind of environment, which was perhaps why I wanted to join them.


    They were willing to sacrifice for each other. They were willing to abandon the things they possessed as if they were nothing. Most importantly, they cared a lot for each other.


    ¡°So...¡±


    ¡°I had fun as well,¡± I told him.


    ¡°<i>Ah...</i>¡±


    He looked really happy.


    ¡°Each time I wake up, I think about how lucky I am to be with the people I love,¡± Lee Ki-Young said.


    The way Miss Jung Ha-Yan hugged him tightly caught my attention, and Father Lee Ki-Young ced his hand on Jung Ha-Yan''s shoulder as he added, ¡°It¡¯s really nice to be able to be with people you can rely on and share your feelings with."


    Father Lee Ki-Young smiled warmly as he looked at Lindel.


    I followed him and saw the sun setting slowly in the distance.


    Lindel¡ªbathed in red¡ªlooked more beautiful than ever.


    I saw children ying in the square, couples walking around while holding hands, workers going home for the day, merchants spending an ordinary day, bards singing songs, praying priests, and adventurers having a drink.


    The city was lively.


    I also saw Miss Dialugia, and my jaw dropped when I saw her sitting in the setting sun.


    That was probably what Father Lee Ki-Young meant.


    Lindel¡ªFather Lee Ki-Young''s beloved city¡ªwas a city he could rely on and share his feelings with.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure everyone feels the same way,¡± Lee Ki-Young said.


    ¡°I see,¡± I said.


    ¡°Although this sounds ridiculous, everyone in this city¡ªno, on this continent are all sons and daughters of Goddess Benigoa... I¡¯m sure everyone exists tofort and care for each other,¡± Lee Ki-Young added.


    <i>''Really?''</i>


    ¡°Obviously, I know the world isn¡¯t that beautiful,¡± Lee Ki-Young said.


    My face turned red because it seemed like he had seen through my thoughts.


    I looked at the sunset again, and the sight wasn¡¯t any different from before.


    ¡°That¡¯s probably why I¡¯m trying,¡± Lee Ki-Young said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Starting from those closest to me. I¡¯m trying to change the world into a ce where everyone thinks of each other as family,¡± Lee Ki-Young added.


    Father Lee Ki-Young stared into the distance. I followed his gaze and saw a figure walking slowly beyond the sunset.


    The person was holding a paper bag filled with bread, and their other hand was holding many items.


    The sunset fit them very well. When they looked outside the window, Father Lee Ki-Young waved at them. The distant figure was overjoyed, as if they had just obtained everything that they wanted to obtain. After putting the items in their hands, they waved with both arms like a child toward Father Lee Ki-Young.


    I couldn¡¯t help but smile at the sight.


    ¡°Mr. Ki-Young!¡±


    Father Lee Ki-Young waved and ced his hand on his chin before smiling.


    Miss Jung Ha-Yan started waving at them.


    <i>¡®They really are like a family.¡¯</i>


    Honestly, I still couldn¡¯t tell what Father Lee Ki-Young was thinking.


    I had an idea, but it felt like there was a big picture unknown to me.


    ¡°A ce where everyone lives for each other and considers everyone as family,¡± Lee Ki-Young said.


    <i>''Perhaps I''m overthinking it...''</i>


    I had no idea where I had gotten this courage from, but...


    ¡°Father Lee Ki-Young...¡± I trailed off.


    ¡°...¡±


    Could I be like him? I wascking, but could I help make the guild, Lindel, and the continent into a better ce? Would I be able to cherish and love people like him?


    Could I be someone capable of sacrificing myself for others? Would I be able to fight for values that couldn''t be seen with the naked eye rather than for my own profits?


    Could I do that like what Father Lee Ki-Young and his guild members had been doing all this while?


    ¡°C-Can I be a part of your family?¡± I asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Momentster, Father Lee Ki-Young nodded at me and answered, ¡°Wee to the Blue Guld, Miss Belier."


    The smile of the Son of Light¡ªthe smile of the one who had sacrificed everything for the continent¡ªthe smile of the God of Sacrifice and Revival¡ªFather Lee Ki-Young''s smile was more beautiful than anything I had ever seen.


    ¡°Thank you!¡± I eximed in delight.

 Chapter 883. Vacation (1)

    <h4>Chapter 883. Vacation (1)</h4>


    ¡°So you ended up recruiting a new guild member... How¡¯s the new recruit?¡± Lee Ji-Hye asked.


    ¡°She¡¯s kind of strange, noona. Her potential to grow stronger and her abilities aren¡¯t bad. <i>Ah!</i> Her personality isn¡¯t bad, and she¡¯s determined... she tries her best, but... she¡¯s kind of...¡± I[1] trailed off.


    ¡°Is there something kind of suspicious about her?¡± Lee Ji-Hye asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think she realizes it yet. Anyway, I¡¯m satisfied. She¡¯s adapting well, too,¡± I answered.


    ¡°Our Mercenary Queen must¡¯ve been really disappointed. I heard she made an offer as well,¡± Lee Ji-Hye said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°So oppa. When are we going on our special date?¡± Lee Ji-Hye asked, standing up.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have time,¡± I replied.


    ¡°If you wanted to go on a date, I¡¯m sure you could make time. What¡¯s wrong?¡± Lee Ji-Hye questioned.


    ¡°Make time? Yeah, I could take a day off like you said, as I have been working too hard over the six months, but that¡¯s not the end of it. How am I going to exin it to Kim Hyun-Sung and to the guild members?¡± I asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°He still won¡¯t stay away from you? How is he different from Jung Ha-Yan? I mean, I get it, but I think he likes you a little <i>too</i> much. That bastard...¡± she swore.


    ¡°He went through a lot so just let him have his fun. Don¡¯t be too harsh on him since he¡¯s trying to get his life back,¡± I told her.


    ¡°No, he¡¯s crossing the line. I feel like all he¡¯s been doing over this year is ying around... Shouldn''t you give him work or something?¡± Lee Ji-Hye asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say anything if you were the only one taking a break. That bastard is just really frustrating. The only thing he knows how to do is spend money... Cut down on his allowance or something. Maybe that¡¯ll help him with his mental illness,¡± Lee Ji-Hye suggested.


    <i>¡®He¡¯ll take out a loan if I reduce his allowance.¡¯</i>


    Kim Hyun-Sung was never really a loafer, so his break could be considered too long at this point. I looked back on his past activities, and I understood why Lee Ji-Hye was so frustrated.


    I didn¡¯t want to scold him for enjoying his life, but his actions were affecting me as well.


    ¡°If he wants to attend a festival, why doesn¡¯t he go by himself? Why drag you with him?¡± Lee Ji-Hyeined.


    Actually, it was more like it was affecting her, not me.


    ¡°I won¡¯tin about attending a festival, but why would he hold a festival? Do you have any idea how much that messed up my schedule? He should have excluded our guild. He tempted Yeon-Joo unni to hold a bag festival.


    "What the hell is a bag festival? I''ve never heard of a festival like that. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s so random of him to do that? The more I think about it, the more ridiculous it bes. That bastard is a psychopath. He¡¯s crazy,¡± Lee Ji-Hye continued.


    It felt like Lee Ji-Hye''s rage had reached its peak.


    ¡°At this point, Jung Ha-Yan looks like she¡¯s in a better state than him. At least she¡¯s managing that mana and has been doing her best in her tasks.


    "Can¡¯t you give Kim Hyun-Sung some work to do? No, probably not. It¡¯s not a good idea to assign him anything. Forget what I said. Don¡¯t give him work,¡± Lee Ji-Hye said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Why do we need to clean up after his mess? I¡¯m sure Miss Kim Mi-Young wants to kill him as well,¡± Lee Ji-Hye added. I was sure it wasn¡¯t to <i>that </i>extent, but Miss Kim Mi-Young was definitely thinking of doing something about Kim Hyun-Sung.


    ¡°At least he got us a lot of holy power. We only managed to set next year¡¯s budget because¡ª¡±


    ¡°You better stop covering for him, or I''ll flip this table,¡± Lee Ji-Hye threatened.


    ¡°Hyun-Sung <i>did </i>go a bit overboard,¡± Imented.


    ¡°I really am struggling. I knew managing the continent was going to be really difficult, but I¡¯m seriously struggling here. Have I everined about things being difficult?


    "The war against the Outer Gods was much easier than this. Things were much easier when this ce was still a dungeon.


    "We¡¯re short on people, and it only got better recently because you¡¯ve been helping us. Do you know how hard it was when we made our child? I thought I was going to go crazy for three months,¡± Lee Ji-Hye continued.


    Lee Ji-Hye raged for a while, but she eventually sat on the table.


    She probably felt burdened by the possibility that she''d finish her taskte.


    <i>¡®I didn¡¯t think it would be this bad.¡¯</i>


    I knew managing a dimension was no easy task. Taking care of a guild or nation was already hard, so I couldn¡¯t even imagine just how difficult managing an entire dimension would be.


    I thought everything was over, but the end was actually just a new beginning.


    It was a signal for the next struggle.


    The system had agreed that the subsidiarypanies I had created would manage the dimension, but the problem was that I couldn¡¯t expand the number of manpower.


    We had the workers that Benigoa had sent over to us, but they weren¡¯t enough to repair the hole in the dimension and maintain it.


    Jung Ha-Yan was given the responsibility of the overall mana of the continent, and Hee-Ra noona was in charge of the upkeep of the other dimensions, including the void, but there were still many issues.


    Only five people were authorized to ess the system¡ªme, Lee Ji-Hye, Jung Ha-Yan, Cha Hee-Ra, and Kim Hyun-Sung. Kim Hyun-Sung had no idea that he had ess to the system, so he could be excluded.


    Anyway, the Order of Benigoa and the four of us were taking care of everything.


    Dialugia was helping me, but she couldn¡¯t take care of all the problems that were happening everywhere.


    Perhaps it was an aftermath of the dungeon miracle, but she''d experience mana burn several times a day. Problems with the program itself would sometimes pop up, such as issues with the air, water, and elemental control devices, creating a huge rift in the continent.


    <i>¡®We''ve underestimated this undertaking.¡¯</i>


    We were making the same typical mistakes that newpanies often make.


    Since Lee Ji-Hye was overlooking <i>everything</i>...


    <i>¡®I understand why she¡¯s going crazy.¡¯</i>


    ¡°This is the report I received from Goddess Benigoa and Mr. Bel. I took a look at it first, but you should take a look as well,¡± Lee Ji-Hye suggested.


    I felt kind of bad for her.


    ¡°At this rate, I might actually die from overwork,¡± Lee Ji-Hyemented.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Another issue urred in 7A. Another mana burn. I¡¯ll submit a repair request to Jung Ha-Yan,¡± she said.


    [The Dimensional Management Program is initializing.]


    [ess granted to the administrator of the 271st dimension¡ªthe God of Sacrifice and Revival.]


    [You have four unread messages.]


    [Benigoa - Lee Ki-Young! Did you read my business n?]


    [Lee Ji-Hye - Kim Hyun-Sung, that bastard...]


    [Jung Ha-Yan - O-Oppa... I...]


    [...]


    I saw a miniature version of a vast dimension.


    ¡°Do you see something strange in the dungeon under the Vatican? It¡¯s the Mole Saint. We need to take care of her in the next forty years. We need to pass down a divine oracle or eliminate her ourselves,¡± Lee Ji-Hye said.


    ¡°Yeah, I can see her,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Species 3,412 has eventually be extinct. Damn it. I¡¯m going to murder the bastard who spread the rumor that it''s good for stamina,¡± Lee Ji-Hye remarked.


    <i>¡®She¡¯s scary.¡¯</i>


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the elemental control device? Shit! Are you serious?!¡± Lee Ji-Hye eximed.


    ¡°Ji-Hye, calm down, okay?¡± I told her.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°There are still many things we''ve yet to make a guideline for. Things will eventually fall into ce one by one, and we won''t have as much of a difficult time by then. Do you want us to take a break today? Why don¡¯t youe here? Actually, let¡¯s take a break. Lie down there, noona,¡± I suggested.


    ¡°You¡¯re tempting me again,¡± Lee Ji-Hye said.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I questioned.


    ¡°I¡¯ll just y dumb. Come here and let¡¯s rest together,¡± Lee Ji-Hye said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°We need to hurry up and raise Domi as soon as possible. I wonder if she can start working within the next ten years. <i>Ah</i>,e to think of it, have I told you? She''s really smart. Did I tell you about the quest that the kids went onst time? I¡¯m asking because I¡¯m worried because Thronus gave me a strange report,¡± Lee Ji-Hye asked.


    I saw Ji-Hye chattering away as I looked at her face. Compared tost year, she hadn''t changed much, but she would get excited and would smile whenever she was talking about Dominions.


    I knew the moment she said she wanted to take charge, but...


    <i>¡®She must be enjoying living with her.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how many books she has read so far,¡± Lee Ji-Hye said.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°How are the other children doing?¡± Lee Ji-Hye asked.


    ¡°They¡¯re pretty much the same,¡± I answered.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure Bluey is arguing with Cha Hee-Ra every day... and Seraphim...¡± Lee Ji-Hye trailed off.


    ¡°I just can¡¯t force myself to show affection toward him. Well, I wasn¡¯t nning on showing it to him in the first ce...¡± I confessed.


    ¡°It¡¯s amazing that you even epted him again in the first ce. Actually, that¡¯s not true. I heard Cherubim had brought him in discreetly. In some ways, they¡¯re like twins. Is it true that Seraphim was right beside him when Cherubim was created?¡± Lee Ji-Hye asked.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I responded.


    I was so shocked back then.


    ¡°You were going to let Jung Ha-Yan take care of Thronus at first, right? And you were just going to exclude Seraphim from the group... But... Kim Hyun-Sung took Thronus, and Jung Ha-Yan forcefully took Seraphim away.


    "He¡¯s problematic even here... Despite that, I feel like she¡¯s neglecting him... Is he even receiving proper education?¡± Lee Ji-Hye questioned.


    ¡°Probably, but it seems like Sora is more directly involved with him than Ha-Yan. Ha-Yan only takes interest when ites to practicing things using the dummy world... It looked like she¡¯s been teaching magic to him, but the result hasn¡¯t been that great,¡± I responded.


    ¡°In some ways, this is like punishment for Seraphim. I didn¡¯t think about it much at first, but after seeing our Domi, I feel kind of bad for him,¡± Lee Ji-Hye said.


    ¡°Stop lying,¡± I said.


    ¡°I¡¯m being honest here,¡± Lee Ji-Hye said.


    ¡°You¡¯re speaking empty words again,¡± I said.


    ¡°I told you, I¡¯m being serious,¡± she repeated.


    ¡°Really?¡± I questioned.


    ¡°Do you want a cup of coffee?¡± she offered.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make it,¡± I said.


    ¡°Thank you for the drink.¡±


    I saw Ji-Hye noona holding her cup of coffee and going back to her chair.


    I was sure she was lying when she said that she was feeling bad for Seraphim, and it was evidenced by the fact that she suddenly changed the subject. If she really felt bad for him, she would have already talked to him.


    Unfortunately, she had never really been the type to listen to other people¡¯s pain.


    ¡°I wonder if Miss Kim Mi-Young was given ess,¡± Lee Ji-Hye said.


    ¡°Probably not,¡± I answered.


    ¡°I know. I said it because I felt kind of bad. An error message appeared in 21B. Lauren is asking me to check it out. It must be a gate, which means some second-rate adventurers are probably going to go inside of it. The Order of Lauren has requested approval to use holy power. Please approve the request,¡± Lee Ji-Hye requested.


    ¡°You do it,¡± I told her.


    ¡°All right, all right. <i>Oh</i>, right. Elune... contacted me about that issue with the World Tree¡ª¡± Lee Ji-Hye muttered.


    ¡°Tell him to shut up,¡± I interrupted.


    ¡°I already did that. Anyway, it''s funny how I was so frustrated earlier, but now, I''m having fun. I think it''s because I''m working with you like this,¡± Lee Ji-Hye said.


    <i>¡®That¡¯s because you and I are workaholics.¡¯</i>


    We were having silly conversations while focusing on our tasks when¡ª


    [A new message has arrived.]


    I didn¡¯t really care since it wasn''t my ount, but Ji-Hye noona called out to me. ¡°Oppa."


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°I think things will get easier for us soon,¡± Lee Ji-Hye said.


    ¡°Why?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Mr. Bel said that he found a subcontractor,¡± Lee Ji-Hye replied.


    ¡°<i>Huh?</i>¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re cheap as well. It''s really great,¡± Lee Ji-Hye added.


    <i>¡®Damn it, a subcontractor?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Wow! Mr. Bel scored a big one!¡± Lee Ji-Hye shouted.


    ¡°Has he verified their identity?¡± I questioned.


    ¡°They¡¯re managers of discarded dimensions. They must¡¯vended on his radar while he was looking into things. They''ve already signed a contract with him, and they''ll join Benigoa''s team once they''re done with basic training,¡± Lee Ji-Hye answered.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Looks like we¡¯ll be able to go on vacation,¡± Lee Ji-Hye remarked.


    I turned and saw Lee Ji-Hye smiling brightly.


    1. Lee Ki-Young¡¯s POV ?

 Chapter 884. Vacation (2)

    <h4>Chapter 884. Vacation (2)</h4>


    - I called it a vacation, but I¡¯m not saying we should do something fancy. I just want to go on a date. Oppa, we¡¯ve been through a lot in the past few years, and we¡¯re going to get busy again anyway... We won¡¯t get a chance like this again.


    - Considering that we need to have another event in a few years, we need to start preparing for it now. We need to hold a meeting to n things out with Mr. Bel...


    ¡°<i>Hmm...</i>¡±


    - People already have varying opinions about Mr. Bel''s n. Benigoa¡¯s side...


    ¡°They want to minimize the damage. It makes sense,¡± I said.


    - The direction they want to take to grow is different. Benigoa¡¯s side wants to minimize the damage because the continent still isn''t as stabilized as before all of this.


    - However, Mr. Bel¡¯s side believes the continent is stable enough. Belial thinks we need to gather as much holy power as possible to advance swiftly.


    - If you look at his n, it¡¯s really not that bad. I understand where both sides areing from, and we¡¯ll have to keep coordinating and working with each other. Think about the uing workload. This really is our only chance.


    ¡°You¡¯re definitely right...¡± Imented.


    - I¡¯m not suggesting we just y around. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re going to go out looking like this. You went outst time looking like a civilian, so let¡¯s do the same this time.


    ¡°So, you want to see how the denizens and ordinary adventurers are doing? Aren¡¯t you doing that already? Don¡¯t you have the reports from the ck Swan Guild''s psychological counseling and treatment centers?¡± I asked.


    - Of course, I have ess to the results, but it¡¯s different seeing it for myself. How many people do you think will admit on the survey that they have a mental illness? Adventurers are particrly sensitive when ites to that.


    <i>¡®Ah, she¡¯s right about everything...¡¯</i>


    ¡°There¡¯s no way the ck Swan Guild will be so clumsy when ites to reports, so I don''t see anything wrong with it at all,¡± I asked.


    - I¡¯m not saying the reports are wrong. I¡¯m simply suggesting that we need to see it for ourselves. We need to see what the denizens are currently thinking and whether the majority of them don''t have any mental illnesses.


    ¡°Since when were you so interested in the mental health of the people?¡± I asked.


    - You think I¡¯m doing this because I¡¯m actually interested in that? It just makes things easier to coordinate. Honestly, I have no idea what¡¯s going on down there because I¡¯ve been busy working on so many documents these days.


    - However, I¡¯m sure you feel the same way. There¡¯s a difference between experiencing it yourself and just reading a report.


    Lee Ji-Hye was right.


    I had to coordinate with Belial and Benigoa for the next event, and I also needed to know what the denizens were going through at the moment.


    I was receiving reports about them, but there were some things I couldn''t quite understand. In other words, taking this chance to go out...


    <i>¡®It sounds like a good idea.¡¯</i>


    More importantly, I needed to keep my promise because I <i>did </i>make a deal with her.


    I wasn¡¯t trying to avoid her, and it wasn''t that bad of an idea. The idea just had to be right. I knew trust was important, and things would be awkward between Lee Ji-Hye and me if I were to break that trust.


    ¡°How is that a vacation?¡± I questioned.


    - It¡¯s definitely a vacation. If we stay out together for a long time, then it''s a vacation. Being able to live a new life in a new ce... I call that a privilege.


    - Since the Federation has received the most damage, how about we visit it? We¡¯ll join an adventurer guild and go on raids with them. Let¡¯se up with a concept and go. We can also eat a ton of local specialties.


    I couldn¡¯t help but keep thinking about it while I was talking to her on the phone.


    ¡°What am I going to tell the others?¡± I questioned.


    - Just tell them that you¡¯re going to do work. We¡¯ll have an escort, and I¡¯ll let Hye-Jin know as well. The problem is that there are two people who will not understand us. I think I can convince Jung Ha-Yan...


    ¡°How?¡± I asked.


    - I need to find a way, but...


    ¡°Kim Hyun-Sung is the problem, right?¡± I asked.


    - You do something about him. You can¡¯t really sneak out in this day and age.


    There were voices around me. When I went outside, the people outside greeted me immediately after seeing me. I nodded and greeted them back. The guild house looked as familiar as ever. As I drank my coffee while sitting on the terrace, I looked up at the Goddess¡¯ Hand Mirror as if I had long gotten used to it.


    - Let¡¯s set the Federation as our destination. I¡¯ll decide on the sub-regions. I¡¯ll be the immature son of a noble family¡ªno, I¡¯ll be the son of an influential guild or family. I¡¯ll be a really selfish and arrogant bitch. You can be the maid of the family who¡¯s deep in debt.


    ¡°Does it really need to be <i>that</i> detailed?¡± I asked.


    - If we''re going to do this, then we might as well go all the way.


    [The Federation''s Adventurer Guild]


    I saw many different pieces of information when I typed those words on the Goddess¡¯ Hand Mirror. There wasn¡¯t anything new, but I saw a variety of registered quests and dungeons. Many ns and guilds had submitted quests and dungeon conquest requests for Adventurers to take, but this was supposed to be a vacation, so it was better to take up easy requests¡ªsomething that mid-rank adventurers could do.


    <i>¡®Goblin hunting? There¡¯s also the Cobalt dungeon...¡¯</i>


    Perhaps this was too easy, as the overall level of the Adventurers had gone up.


    I think it was better to ept requests that were at least Average or Rare.


    - I¡¯m going to equip that item. I¡¯ll obviously look like a kid, but I¡¯ll have expensive items. I¡¯ll be the typical rude piece of trash because I have my influential parents backing me up. I¡¯ll pretend to be someone who likes to show off, and I pretend like I love expensive things...


    ¡°Why would you do something like that?¡± I asked.


    - Is there really a reason to do so? It just sounds like fun. Anyway, I''ll go ahead and create a proper identity. I¡¯ll send your character detailster, so just check it once it gets there.


    [Lee Ki-Yeon]


    [Lee Ki-Yeon had been living the life of an ordinary Adventurer until she encountered Lee Ji-Hoo. Lee Ji-Hoo was the only son of arge guild''s guild master (guild name and family name to be decided)]


    [After catching Lee Ji-Hoo''s attention, Lee Ki-Yeon was caught up in a wicked and dirty plot against her will... omitted... In the end, she was left with a huge debt, and she suffered every day... omitted.


    [She started liking Lee Ji-Hoo without her realizing it... omitted... She could still remember Kim Hyun-Sung, an adventurer whom she met in Rift Land, but she eventually gave her body and heart to Lee Ji-Hoo, surrendering to him... omitted...]


    ¡°<i>Ah</i>... what the hell, noona? This is too much,¡± Iined.


    - That¡¯s why I said it''s going to be a vacation. It''s only fun when it''s too much. Don¡¯t you think something <i>stimting </i>needs to happen between us? We¡¯re going to be working together for a long time, so this will help a lot when ites to getting our spark back. You really think we¡¯re roleying for no reason here? Also, this is a part of the contract.


    <i>¡®Yeah, she¡¯s not wrong.¡¯</i>


    - This is only a rough draft, so I¡¯ll send you the details and what we''re going to do once everything has been finalized. You take care of Kim Hyun-Sung. I¡¯m sure it won¡¯t be <i>that</i> hard.


    With that, Lee Ji-Hye hung up.


    <i>¡®She¡¯s really determined.¡¯</i>


    I knew she was looking forward to it, but I was still taken aback by the amount of preparation that she had done beyond the scenes.


    <i>¡®She¡¯s been preparing for this for quite a while now.¡¯</i>


    It was an understatement to say that the document was packed to the brim with texts.


    I felt kind of bad because I could feel how stressed she had been feeling all this while, but she had this sense of madness that I couldn¡¯t quite describe, which made me feel confused as to what to feel.


    This was probably all she had been thinking about while she was busy working. Lee Ji-Hye was probably in the middle of making her bucket list as if she were an ordinary worker thinking about going overseas once their vacation was approved.


    I was definitely correct. Otherwise, her n wouldn¡¯t be this detailed.


    Lee Ji-Hye even wrote a detailed exnation of how we were supposed to talk to each other, our habits, and how Lee Ji-Hoo had influenced Lee Ki-Yeon. I was so shocked that my jaw dropped.


    I didn¡¯t feel like it, but this would be worth it if she''d feel recharged by the end of it.


    As expected, Kim Hyun-Sung was the problem.


    Just then, I heard someone shouting my name.


    I looked down and saw him waving at me.


    He didn¡¯t look all that different from before, and the only difference was the length of his hair. Back then, he couldn''t really care less about his hair, but now, he had been taking care of it, making sure that it would look neat.


    His hair had gotten short as well, and it was probably because I told him that his hair was too long. He was handsome, so he¡¯d look good in anything, but he needed a haircut, which would be better than his messy hair at the time.


    <i>¡®Actually, that messy hair of his was charming in its own way.¡¯</i>


    He looked like an untamed wolf at the time.


    However, he was unemployed at the moment, so I believed he had to at least look neat.


    ¡°Mr. Ki-Young!¡± Kim Hyun-Sung shouted. He was holding something heavy while waving at me. I was pretty sure that he had gone to the auction house again without me realizing it.


    ¡°Are you done training Thronus?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll head up there right now,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    <i>¡®No, I¡¯m asking whether you''ve finished training him or not.¡¯</i>


    His innocent and bright attitude was still there, but he had truly changed drastically.


    Since everything was over, Kim Hyun-Sung rarely had things to worry about, which led to his dramatic change. Of course, I was sure there were other reasons, but the biggest reason behind his change was probably the fact that he had finally gotten rid of the heavy burden on his shoulders.


    He was no longer encumbered, so he was picking himself up from the mistake he had made in his first life. He was making sure that he wouldn''t make the same mistake in his current life.


    I was sure having a reason to be the regressor made him happier than anything.


    This wasn''t the best example, but Kim Hyun-Sung was probably searching for himself at the moment. It was about time he figured out what kind of life he''d live and what he was supposed to be living for. In his first life, Kim Hyun-Sung was too busy surviving, while in his second life, he just had to remove the burden on his shoulders.


    Kim Hyun-Sung seemed like he wanted to live a normal life, but he knew better than anyone that he could not be normal. Moreover, there wasn¡¯t much he could achieve.


    He was the Guild Master of the most popr guild throughout the continent, and he was in the top three of the most powerful adventurers. He no longer had the desire to achieve something with his own hands; all he wanted was peace for his brother, who had carried and shared that immense burden with him.


    He was no longer using his signature armor, and it had been quite a while since it was stashed in his personal storage unit. He didn''t really need his armor as he was already intimidating with just his sword.


    Kim Hyun-Sung was starting to wearfortable, everyday clothes as well.


    ¡°How was your day today?¡± Kim Hyun-Sung asked.


    He was being overly clingy.


    ¡°Have you eaten?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Not yet,¡± I answered.


    ¡°I found a delicious restaurant. How about we go out...¡±


    ¡°I want to eat here today,¡± I interrupted him.


    ¡°If there¡¯s something you¡¯re craving...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°<i>Whoo...</i>¡±


    I sighed, and I saw Kim Hyun-Sung frowning slightly.


    I was sure his instincts were telling him that I was acting in a different way than usual.


    He was probably assuming that I was either in a bad mood, was worried about something, or even worse¡ªhe had done something wrong without his knowledge.


    Angel Ki-Young whose warm smile seemed permanent wasn¡¯t there. The patience and understanding Lee Ki-Young wasn''t there as well. Instead, I was looking at him coldly.


    ¡°<i>Um</i>, Mr. Ki-Young. I got a really rare item from the auction house today. It¡¯s not the Chanelia Hermes you¡¯ve been waiting for, but it¡¯s a Louisgi made by Leathersmith...¡± Kim Hyun-Sung trailed off.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. There haven''t been any discounts these days...¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    <i>¡®He really is out of his mind.¡¯</i>


    I was hoping that he wasn''t thinking that I was sulking because there hadn''t been any sales that day, but it seemed like he was actually thinking that way. Yeah, he definitely thought I was sulking because there had been no discounts recently.


    ¡°<i>Whoo...</i>¡± I sighed again, and Kim Hyun-Sung looked uneasy.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°<i>Ah</i>, about Thronus¡¯ training...¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°He seems to be getting stronger without any issues whatsoever. I can¡¯t say that he¡¯s very talented, but... he¡¯ll at least meet your expectations...¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°<i>Haa...</i>¡±


    Kim Hyun-Sung had to have realized it by now.


    <i>''That¡¯s it for the build up.''</i>


    I had to say something, so I spoke coldly, ¡°Mr. Hyun-Sung, how long have you been taking a break?¡±


    <i>¡®Why aren¡¯t you working, damn it?¡¯</i>


    I pushed aside the bag on the table, and I looked like someone who finally had enough.


    The heavy bag fell to the ground with a loud thud.


    For some reason, the way it fell looked dramatic.


    ¡°How did you even buy this bag?¡± I questioned.


    <i>¡®You have no money.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Don''t you think you''ve been overdoing it?!¡± I shouted.


    <i>¡®You¡¯re really crossing the line.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I¡¯m tired of it...¡± I muttered. It was just a mutter, but I was sure it sounded extremely loud in Kim Hyun-Sung''s ears¡ªloud enough for the entire guild to hear.

 Chapter 885. Vacation (3)

    <h4>Chapter 885. Vacation (3)</h4>


    ¡°I¡¯m tired of it...¡± I muttered.


    Anyone would agree that it was such a ridiculous situation. Angel Ki-Young became Devil Ki-Young in just a day, as I was smiling warmly at him yesterday.


    I was sure he remembered how I was thanking him continuously when he gave me a useless gift. The bond between Kim Hyun-Sung and I was great these days, which was why I understood his reason for looking at me with such disbelief.


    I was furious, and I had even thrown the bag that he had given me to the floor. This was not supposed to happen, and he couldn''t believe that this was happening.


    This was a bit much, but the person who''d get mad or cry first was usually the winner.


    Even if one hadn''t done anything wrong, one was bound to reflect on one''s actions if the other person were to get angry or cry first. One would question whether one had done something wrong. They''d also think about whether the other party was simply having a bad day or if something actually happened.


    There was a moment of silence and it seemed like it took him a while to process myment earlier. As always, his reaction was still the same.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    I knew he''d say that.


    ¡°What exactly are you sorry about?¡± I asked.


    Apologies had long be a habit of Kim Hyun-Sung, and I could tell that he apologized without even thinking about it.


    <i>¡®I need to strike like lightning.¡¯</i>


    I had to be emotional and corner him to make sure that there wouldn''t be any time for him to think.


    That was the basics of negotiating...


    ¡°Tell me exactly what you¡¯re sorry about. Let¡¯s hear it,¡± I said.


    ¡°Ki-Young...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re like this every single time. Fix your habit of apologizing first. Please,¡± I begged.


    ¡°<i>Ah...</i>¡±


    ¡°I know you¡¯re not sorry,¡± I argued.


    ¡°No, I really am sorry. I...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sick and tired of this,¡± I mumbled.


    <i>''What¡¯s with that face?''</i>


    ¡°Forget it. Please leave,¡± I told him.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m doing the right thing, right, Ji-Hye noona?¡¯</i>


    I needed to be cold and end the conversation here, but I was sure that wasn¡¯t enough to make him leave. He wasn¡¯t <i>that</i> dumb that he wouldn''t realize the fact that things would truly be over between us if he were to leave right now.


    <i>''You¡¯re really going to leave? Leave. If you do, it¡¯s over.''</i>


    Regardless of what had happened, I could tell that he was genuinely trying to figure out what he had done wrong and was trying to buy time. His eyes trembled as he kept his mouth shut, as he had no idea why I was so angry.


    ¡®<i>I don¡¯t feel good about this either...</i>¡¯


    Kim Hyun-Sung had suffered for over ten years, so nothing would change even if I were to let him do whatever he wanted for a year. Letting him rest was actually the right thing to do. Considering the things he had gone through, one year was probably not enough for him to rest properly. The way he was spending his time was kind of wrong, but at least it was making him happy.


    I felt kind of bad seeing his anxious look, but I needed to act this way to buy some time.


    If I were to talk to him about it nicely, the conversation wouldn¡¯t go anywhere.


    As expected, Kim Hyun-Sung didn''t leave.


    I thought cornering him more would be a good idea, but...


    <i>¡®Let¡¯s just stop here. I¡¯ve said enough.¡¯</i>


    It¡¯d be fine if he were having fun on his own, but he was affecting the guild¡¯s finances. I could have stopped him long ago. Fortunately, it wasn''t toote yet, and the timing was actually perfect, as I had things to take care of with Ji-Hye noona...


    ¡°<i>Whoo...</i>¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m... sorry, Mr. Ki-Young,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung repeated.


    ¡°<i>Haa...</i>¡±


    ¡°I¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, I think I was being a little harsh,¡± I interrupted.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I think I was being a bit sensitive because I¡¯ve been really stressedtely. I¡¯m usually not like this, but I''ve been worrying about many things...¡± I told him.


    ¡°...¡±


    I picked up the bag on the floor and said, ¡°It looks good. I like it."


    The atmosphere was still tense, but it was better than earlier.


    I nodded, signaling to him that he could sit down.


    Kim Hyun-Sung sat down.


    ¡°But I don¡¯t want you to do this again,¡± I warned him.


    ¡°What?¡± Kim Hyun-Sung questioned.


    ¡°You may not be aware, but the Blue Guild is preparing to open a few businesses, which are for beginner adventurers and for those marginalized in our society, but we¡¯re not in a favorable position financially due to the recent events.


    "Moreover, the money we had invested in the free psychological counseling center is in conflict with the Lindel city n...¡± I exined.


    ¡°I-I see...¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    ¡°We¡¯re managing through the alchemy workshop and the weapons business, but we need to save as much as possible,¡± I added.


    What I said wasn''t true, as we were obtaining a ton of money from the warp gates, but Kim Hyun-Sung wasn¡¯t aware of the guild¡¯s financial situation, so I was sure he had no idea what I was talking about.


    ¡°If possible, I don¡¯t want to stop you from doing what you want to do. I¡¯d like to dy the welfare project, but as you already know, we¡¯re in an urgent situation... <i>Whoo...</i> I¡¯m sorry,¡± I said.


    ¡°I see...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry for saying this, but the amount you''ve been spending every month to maintain your status is a lot...¡± I revealed.


    ¡°...¡±


    He was definitely at a loss for words. Using a n or guild¡¯s annual budget to maintain one¡¯s status was just absurd. If I had used a fabricated version of the Blue Guild¡¯s financial reports to tell him more about the situation, then I would have been able to exin it better, but it didn''t really matter.


    Just as I expected, Kim Hyun-Sung¡¯s eyes started shaking. He didn¡¯t have a basic concept of money. We never really talked a lot about his life on Earth, but he was probably born with a silver spoon.


    ¡°I... I was... really...¡±


    ¡°Obviously, I think you¡¯re worthy of receiving <i>that</i> kind of treatment, and I want you to enjoy this ce more than anyone, but I do want to see you go out into the field while wearing your armor sometimes. It¡¯s already been a year...¡± I said.


    ¡°You need to start deciding what you want to do. You can¡¯t keep beingzy. Are you going to live like this for the next one hundred years? I¡¯m only human, man.


    ¡°You''re making me feel worried in more ways than one,¡± I told him.


    <i>''I¡¯m worried that you¡¯ll actually be jobless. You¡¯re not trying to reap profits even though you haven''t done anything, right? Light Ki-Young once said that one shouldn''t even look at ipetent bastards. Have you heard about that? It¡¯s two outs for you right now.''</i>


    ¡°I understand what you¡¯re saying,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to ask for a small favor...¡± I said.


    ¡°Anything... I¡¯ll do my best,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    ¡°I¡¯d like you to visit the Republic,¡± I requested.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°The Blue Guild is nning on setting up a branch there. I won¡¯t be able to provide you with a lot of support, but it¡¯s required. I''d like to see the old Kim Hyun-Sung, who had led the Blue Guild into its tremendous growth,¡± I exined.


    <i>''There isn''t going to be any type of support. I want you to go there and build it yourself. Build power and go on raids. You understand what I¡¯m saying, right? Don¡¯t take out a loan, no matter what. I want you to work passionately as if you¡¯re a beginner adventurer again. It¡¯s better than ying around.''</i>


    He was the Guild Master of the Blue Guild, so I wanted to give him something more important to do, but it had been a while since he was on the field, so I couldn''t just send him out there haphazardly.


    Moreover, the farther he was from the Federation, the better it would be for us, so the Republic was the best ce for him to go.


    The guild branch in the Republic was going to be built for a symbolic reason, anyway, so his sess didn''t really matter. If he somehow managed to seed and be an important figure there, the guild branch there would be even more symbolic, which was why it was better to dispatch him there.


    Once he was back to his old self, I could just give him other tasks to do.


    I looked at Kim Hyun-Sung and saw that he was being hesitant.


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯d be happy to do that, but I¡¯m worried about your safety and health...¡± Kim Hyun-Sung muttered.


    ¡°You know we no longer have to worry about threats. I¡¯m happy that you¡¯re worried about me, but I¡¯m not someone that requires protection. I''ve been feeling a bit ufortable with those types of hospitality recently... Like the three months after I woke up. <i>Haa...</i>¡± I sighed.


    ¡°I understand,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    ¡°I believe we need to change as well. You and I can¡¯t stop moving. I hope you understand what I¡¯m saying,¡± I continued.


    ¡°I do, but...¡±


    ¡°<i>Haa...</i> I¡¯m tired...¡±


    I was sure he¡¯d get PTSD from hearing the words "I''m tired" so many times.


    ¡°If that¡¯s what you want... then I¡¯ll follow your orders,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said. It seemed that Kim Hyun-Sung no longer wanted to hear the words "I''m tired," so he changed his stance.


    I couldn¡¯t help but smile because this was much easier than I thought.


    ¡°But I¡¯m really worried about your health, Mr. Ki-Young,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    ¡°There are many other people in the guild, and it¡¯s not like we¡¯re going to be apart for thousands of years. It¡¯s only going to be for a few months. More importantly, if I do end up in a dangerous situation, I¡¯ll be sure to let you know right away since we¡¯re still connected,¡± I reassured him.


    Kim Hyun-Sung nodded, and it was probably because he had confirmed it with his own eyes. He''d always look happy every time I said that we were still connected. Anyway, it was the perfect line to end the conversation.


    ¡°Thinking about it now, it looks like I¡¯ve really been a disappointment. I think I¡¯ve gottenzy these days,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung confessed.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing like that,¡± I said.


    ¡°And... I haven¡¯t been very trustworthy,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung added.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that...¡± I said.


    ¡°I dly ept your request, Mr. Ki-Young,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    I got the feeling that he epted because he had no choice, but I liked his determination.


    Afterward, many things happened so fast...


    ¡°Would you like to eat together?¡± I offered.


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    We ate together, visited shops, and we went on a walk, too.


    ¡°That one is nice.¡± I pointed out.


    We met with the other guild members and drank wine...


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that Hyun-Sung bro is going on a business trip to the Republic? Who is he going with?¡± Park Deok-Gu asked.


    ¡°The guild won¡¯t be providing a lot of support... so...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go with him,¡± Sun Hee-Young offered.


    ¡°I¡¯d feel relieved if you go with him. While we¡¯re on the topic, how about taking the new recruit with you?¡± Park Deok-Gu suggested.


    ¡°M-Me?¡± Belier asked.


    ¡°Just in case he has to go on a raid or go hunting... on-field training is important for a rookie, too,¡± Park Deok-Gu said.


    The next morning...


    ¡°Just as I thought, I like that look on you the most,¡± Iplimented Kim Hyun-Sung upon seeing him in his armor.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see youter,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    And then...


    Then...


    <i>Hm...</i>


    Then...


    ¡°Tell me, noona. I want to hear it from you. What do you want? Tell me,¡± Lee Ji-Hoo said.


    <i>''Damn it.''</i>


    ¡°You... Young... Master,¡± I replied.


    We soon found ourselves at the Federation.

 Chapter 886. Vacation (4)

    <h4>Chapter 886. Vacation (4) </h4>


    Like yesterday, the Federation was chaotic.


    I was not sure whether all big cities were like this or not, but Colorado, which was the big city that Ji-Hye noona had decided for us to settle in for the meantime, was kind of noisy.


    In some ways, it was to be expected because the Federation had gone through a lot, such as the Continental War and the 27th Legion Summoning incident. It was even affected by the Continental Dungeon event.


    A nation even asrge as the Federation could easily go haywire after going through so many hardships in a short period of time, but it didn''t happen, so...


    <i>¡®They can be considered pretty lucky.¡¯</i>


    It was actually a relief that it ended like this, and it seemed like everyone else thought the same because the city was pretty lively.


    Actually, I was convinced that this was the busiest time for everyone here.


    I heard loud voices everywhere, and there were workers doing their own jobs everywhere.


    There were low-rank mages moving construction materials in the air and warriors usingrge hammers to drive inrge nails. Many adventurers had decided to participate in the development and restoration n of the Federation, so there was a constant cacophony of harsh noises.


    The weather was great, and this was the perfect morning to go for a walk.


    ¡°We¡¯re recruiting people to go on a hunt with us! I¡¯m a warrior capable of disying power equivalent to a rare-rank warrior!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re recruiting mercenaries willing to go farm for construction materials!¡±


    It looked like there was a ton of work avable for anyone qualified to take. I looked around and saw many marginalized adventurers. I nodded and thought that Ji-Hye noona had actually picked a decent ce.


    ¡°I''m selling this recovery potion that I obtained directly from Lindel! I have many different potions with me, and they''re all sourced from Lindel! Come take a look!¡±


    <i>''Those are fake.''</i>


    There were many people in the city, creating a bustling atmosphere.


    There were finished buildings, but there were more unfinished buildings throughout the city, which made sense because the majority of the shops were being rebuilt. There were a ton of people gathered at the square to sell their items.


    Lindel was like this at the beginning of its restoration n.


    The Federation was in the middle of its restoration n, and it attracted a ton of immigrants who wanted to settle down in the Federation.


    It wasn¡¯t that difficult to move to the Federation.


    There also seemed to be arge number of Asians here. They probably thought that it was better to start new here than in the Republic or the Sacred Democratic Country. I wasn¡¯t sure what kind of rumor they heard, but they all had the same thought.


    ¡°I¡¯ll repair your equipment. I have decent equipment, so please take a look.¡±


    ¡°Here! Over here!¡±


    ¡°The side story of ''How the Alchemist and the Genius Swordsman Loves'' has been released! I really worked hard to get it, soe here and get your own copy! Now!¡±


    I wondered why there were so many people gathered here, but at the same time, I realized that this had to be amon scene. The only difference was that Ji-Hye noona and I were here. I looked down and saw an unfamiliar sight.


    <i>¡®Damn it, what¡¯s with this maid outfit?¡¯</i>


    Anyone could tell that it was a maid outfit.


    <i>¡®Who the hell wears something like this these days? I¡¯m sure not even the royal maids in the Union of Kingdoms wear something like this...¡¯</i>


    I turned and saw my reflection in the window. I basically looked like Lee Ki-Yeon. The only difference fromst time was that my hairstyle had changed. My hair was tied up like Jo Hye-Jin, but I still looked pretty good.


    Perhaps it was all because of the makeup that Ji-Hye noona did herself.


    If I had to give myself a one-sentence review, then I''d say, "I looked good overall."


    If there was one thing I was happy about my outfit, it would be the fact that the outfit didn¡¯t reveal any skin of my skin at all. If there was one thing I was unhappy about, it would be what Lee Ji-Hye was doing right now.


    <i>¡®Stop touching me, damn it.¡¯</i>


    It was absurd how we were walking down the lively streets with her hand on my waist as if she was trying to show me off to everyone. The arrogant grin on her face suited her; it felt like her face suited her overall nature.


    Basically, she was handsome, and everything suited her so perfectly that it wouldn''t be strange for anyone to think that she actually looked better with that face. It was to the point that I thought that her hair and gender were actually ill-suited to her.


    She was slightly shorter than me and was way younger than me, so she looked like the young master of a noble family. She was also wearing fancy clothes from a popr luxury brand, which made her look even more arrogant.


    Anyone could tell that she didn¡¯t belong here; she looked like a rich kid who hade out to the world out of boredom. Even if that weren''t the case, a young rascal being apanied by a maid would easily catch everyone¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Noona,¡± Lee Ji-Hye called out.


    ¡°Yes, young master,¡± I answered.


    ¡°You don¡¯t look so good... You must be thinking about what happened yesterday,¡± she said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± I said.


    ¡°That¡¯s disappointing. I wanted you to think about it,¡± Lee Ji-Hye said with disappointment.


    ¡°Noo... I mean, young master, I don¡¯t understand why you chose this ce...¡± I said.


    ¡°It¡¯s a nice ce to walk around to kill time. There¡¯s always something happening. There¡¯s a lot of people and it¡¯s the perfect ce to get what we want,¡± Lee Ji-Hye exined.


    <i>¡®Take your hand off of me, damn it.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Young master, behaving like this here... is a bit...¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°What?¡±


    <i>¡®Ah, shit.¡¯</i>


    - Lee Ji-Hye, don¡¯t cross the line.


    - What do you mean? I can do whatever I want. You can¡¯t just start acting like this.


    - You started it, Ji-Hye noona.


    - I¡¯m the young master here, not noona. Have you forgotten about our deal?


    - Other people are watching, damn it.


    - Who cares? It doesn''t matter as long as we¡¯re enjoying it. And it''s not like people can avoid staring at you.


    - <i>Ah</i>, man.


    - You¡¯re making me sad. I¡¯ve done so many things for you, but you can¡¯t do this one thing for me? Do you know who I¡¯ve been doing all of this for... How can you say that when you know how much I¡¯ve suffered?


    - ...


    - I¡¯m so sad, Lee Ki-Young. Be honest with me. Who helped youe this far? I want my reward as well. Don¡¯t you agree?


    - ...


    - And I¡¯m sure you like the attention. You say you don¡¯t like it, but your body is saying other¡ª<i>ah!</i> Yes, I should use that line.


    - ...


    - Anyway, if you¡¯re embarrassed, then act like it. That¡¯s your character. Seeing you blush is cute as well. I worked hard to put that make-up on you... and your outfit is pretty as well.


    - I haven''t realized it until now, but I think I have a <i>slight </i>fetish for this kind of thing, oppa. I mean, perhaps it¡¯s because my Ki-Yeon looks good in that outfit. You look like the main character of a novel who just got hurt by the world.


    - You look good as well. You''re really like a kid who knows no fear.


    - I appreciate thepliment, but stop acting out of character and focus.


    <i>¡®Damn it, maybe I shouldn¡¯t have done this.¡¯</i>


    I knew this wasn¡¯t going to be easy, but I never imagined it¡¯d be this difficult.


    However, Ji-Hye noona looked really happy. Now that I thought about it, I had never really spent that much time with her.


    We''d meet often because of work, but we''d never met separately for leisure and pleasure. I figured she was happy because she could act like this without worrying about other people. She was relieving her stress by looking around the city, the items being sold on the street, and walking down the streets herself.


    Ji-Hye noona and I weren¡¯t the type of people that enjoyed being in crowds, but outings like this helped from time to time.


    If it weren¡¯t for the people staring at us, I would¡¯ve enjoyed this as well.


    After all, this could be considered a unique experience as well.


    As we walked down the streets, Ji-Hye noona''s hand was still on my waist. I tried to wriggle myself away from her hand, as it felt weird, but she grabbed my waist and held me firmly in ce.


    I felt ufortable because it felt like she was telling me toe closer.


    <i>¡®Why is she so strong?¡¯</i>


    ¡°I think I¡¯m going to get kind of lonely tonight. How about you wear your ne?¡± Lee Ji-Hye suggested.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m kidding. Let¡¯s go, noona,¡± Lee Ji-Hye said.


    ¡°Yes, young master,¡± I replied.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to join an adventurer guild today,¡± Lee Ji-Hye informed me.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    The adventurer guild was pretty big.


    I heard its status had fallen significantly due to Benigoa Net, but it was still pretty big since it was better to create a party or go out on a hunt offlinepared to doing all that online.


    A decent adventurer guild would provide amodation for thoseing from other ces, and they''d even assist mercenaries and wanderers on their tasks.


    It seemed that this adventurer guild was considered "decent," as I saw a steady stream of people exiting and walking into it.


    When Lee Ji-Hoo opened the door, the people inside instantly looked at us.


    A deafening silence filled the hall as we walked down the hall and approached the front desk.


    ¡°This must be your first time at an adventurer guild... What can I help you with?¡±


    ¡°Give me your best room,¡± Lee Ji-Hoo said arrogantly, hurling gold coins toward the front desk staffer.


    ¡°Lee Ji-Hoo. Lee Ki-Yeon. Give us a temporary Adventurer Registration Certificate,¡± Lee Ji-Hoo added arrogantly before turning around to sit in front of a table.


    Clearly, it was up to me to handle the misceneous things.


    ¡°That¡¯s Mr. Lee Ji-Hoo from Castlerock. We came to get a temporary Adventurer Registration Certificate. I¡¯ll... take care of the rted documents and seals...¡±


    ¡°<i>Ah</i>, I see. Please follow me,¡± the staffer said.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Many eyes were on us, and there was even someone who whistled at me.


    <i>''You actually whistled at me, you bastard? I¡¯ll remember you. I¡¯m going to smash your head in.''</i>


    ¡°They''re from the Democratic Country.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Castlerock. Why are they here?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe that rich young master over there has decided toe here on a vacation?"


    ¡°With a maid?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s¡ªwow... I have no idea what to say.¡±


    ¡°If they¡¯re from Castlerock, then I¡¯m sure that maid is pretty skilled.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve confirmed both of your identities. You¡¯re both registered as epic and rare-rank independent adventurers. If there are any tasks or missions you want to take...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to take a look. Thank you,¡± I said.


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    I walked past the staffer and nced behind me.


    However, all I noticed was the sound of my heels cking against the ground.


    <i>¡®I told her I didn''t want to wear heels, damn it.¡¯</i>


    Lee Ji-Hoo really looked like a bastard as he stared at me walking toward him. He was smiling at me as if he was telling me to sit beside him. When I hesitated, he pulled my arm until I clumsily fell into his arms.


    ¡°The thing you asked me to do¡ª¡±


    ¡°I have more work for you...¡± Lee Ji-Hoo interrupted.


    ¡°Yes, young master. Anytime... M-More importantly, what would you like to eat today?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I want to eat here today,¡± Lee Ji-Hoo replied.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Ji-Hye noona was really enjoying this. She was so focused on her character.


    I was sure she was doing this to attract everyone''s people¡¯s attention, as she enjoyed their attention.


    No one approached us despite our behavior. Of course, they were still staring at us. Lee Ji-Hoo ate quietly and frowned. He wiped his mouth clean, and he looked like he did not like the food at all.


    And that was when I heard a voice. ¡°Mind if I join you?¡±

 Chapter 887. Vacation (5)

    <h4>Chapter 887. Vacation (5)</h4>


    <i>¡®That was faster than I thought.¡¯</i>


    Adventurer Guilds were ces for people to find jobs, so we knew that people would approach us the moment we entered one. After all, someone whose purpose for visiting a city was merely sightseeing would not visit an adventurer guild. Instead, they''d go to an ordinary inn and settle there until it was time for them to go home.


    Despite expecting that we''d get approached, it still happened faster than we thought.


    The moment Lee Ji-Hoo and I stepped into this ce, we basically told people that we were open to anything. We were indirectly telling them toe to us if they had a decent job, useful information, or if they were a skilled adventurer.


    Since this guy had decided to walk up to us directly instead of just staring at us from afar meant that he was a skilled adventurer himself.


    <i>¡®Or he might have other motives...¡¯</i>


    There was also a chance that he simply wanted to be friends, but he was definitely friendly, regardless of his motives. He looked like a westerner in histe 20s. I activated Mind¡¯s Eye and saw his overall stats.


    <i>¡®Epic-rank and more...¡¯</i>


    ¡°I¡¯m embarrassed to say this, but I''m Jine the Gale.¡±


    <i>¡®Not bad.¡¯</i>


    Overall, he looked friendly.


    Although his nickname was kind of cheesy, his agility stat was high.


    He seemed easygoing, too.


    ¡°Excuse me, I heard from afar that you¡¯re from Castlerock located in the Sacred Democratic Country. I was thrilled when I heard that because I stayed at Castlerock for quite some time in the past...¡± Jine said.


    The adventurers in Colorado were trying to open up a ce to exchange information, and this timing wasn''t really that bad.


    I nced at Lee Ji-Hoo, and I saw him nodding. I bowed and stepped back.


    Jine seemed to have understood that as Lee Ji-Hoo giving him the permission to take a seat because he nodded and stepped forward. After sitting down, he looked at Lee Ji-Hoo quietly.


    <i>¡®I kind of felt like a maid just now.¡¯</i>


    I knew I was not supposed to be proud, but I felt proud for some reason.


    I was really acting like Aris.


    ¡°I¡¯ll buy you a drink to celebrate our meeting,¡± Jine offered.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You''vee from afar, after all,¡± Jine said.


    ¡°It¡¯s not even that far these days since there are warp gates,¡± Lee Ji-Hoo said.


    ¡°<i>Haha</i>... you¡¯re right. How is Castlerock these days? Has it changed a lot?¡± Jine asked.


    ¡°It has gone through a ton of development. There are positive and negative changes, but they are great for the adventurers overall,¡± Lee Ji-Hoo answered.


    ¡°But it¡¯s probably not as good as this ce,¡± Jine said, ¡°I know Colorado is known as thend of opportunity, and that¡¯s probably the reason why many people have been visiting this city. It¡¯s definitely¡ª¡±


    ¡°So... Mr. Jine... Why did youe here? I¡¯m an impatient person, so I''d like to know as soon as possible,¡± Lee Ji-Hoo interrupted.


    ¡°<i>Haha</i>, it¡¯s nothing serious. I simply wanted to be friends because you¡¯re not from here...¡± Jine replied.


    ¡°...¡±


    <i>¡®This bastard is lying.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I¡¯m kidding. <i>Haha</i>... I just have a feeling that I can give you what you want, Mr. Lee Ji-Hoo. I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a reason you came all the way here.


    "Since you decided to visit this ce, are you perhaps looking for a useful mercenary? Maybe you¡¯re looking for a rumor or perhaps a dungeon...¡± Jine trailed off.


    ¡°Interesting theory,¡± Lee Ji-Hoomented.


    ¡°Regardless, I¡¯m sure you came here looking for an adventure... Colorado isn¡¯t a city that¡¯s kind to foreigners. I don¡¯t know about the inner part of the city, but you¡¯ll understand what I¡¯m talking about once you''re outside the city.


    "If you¡¯re trying to get information or if you want to work here for a long time, then I suggest you increase the number of your party members. Since you¡¯re recruiting mercenaries...¡± Jine trailed off.


    ¡°<i>Hmm...</i> I¡¯d be lying if I said I wasn¡¯t excited about going on a dungeon exploration... Do you have any useful information?¡± Lee Ji-Hoo asked.


    ¡°I have a few things that might catch your interest. They¡¯re not <i>known </i>dungeons, though..." Jine muttered.


    <i>¡®Something smells fishy.¡¯</i>


    I started seeing him in a different light; something felt so off that I couldn¡¯t focus on what they were saying.


    ¡°If what you¡¯re saying is correct, what do you want in return?¡± Lee Ji-Hoo asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not cheap, y¡¯know,¡± Jine replied.


    Jine was kind of impudent, but he wasn¡¯t lying.


    Some of his stats were close to legendary; his job and attributes weren¡¯t bad, either. I also wanted to give him additional points for his cheesy nickname, which was Gale.


    He had been working in Colorado for a long time as well, which meant that he had a ton of experience clearing quests and conquering dungeons. His stats were pretty good, he was pretty handsome, and if he was a mercenary for hire, then I''d understand his high price.


    The problem was that he was looking at me.


    <i>¡®...¡¯</i>


    His gaze was like a slithering snake as he looked up and down at the pitiful and miserable Lee Ki-Yeon.


    It seemed that the answer had always been there all this while.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°There might be an easier way than gold,¡± Jine responded.


    ¡°Interesting,¡± Lee Ji-Hoo said.


    <i>''It¡¯s not interesting at all, damn it.''</i>


    <i>¡®You''re a viin...¡¯</i>


    Lee Ji-Hoo dragged me toward him. I tried to stop him, but it was no use. A ripping sound echoed, and the cor of my clothes was torn apart.


    I hurriedly covered my corbones with my hands, but they already saw it.


    <i>¡®The ve seal.¡¯</i>


    Damn it. Her attention to detail was scary. I told her that we shouldn¡¯t add something like this because someone would definitely notice it. At a nce, it looked like a simple tattoo, but it was a magical seal that one would often see in a ck market.


    ¡°I knew it... I¡¯m pretty knowledgeable when ites to such contracts...¡± Jine said.


    <i>¡®This bastard. He must have been in that ck market in Castlerock. I found it strange that he mentioned being at Castlerock for a while.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I don¡¯t know the details, but that¡¯s none of my business,¡± Jine said.


    ¡°<i>Hm...</i>¡±


    There was greed in the eyes of the horny bastard.


    After checking the ve seal, his gaze toward me became strange.


    He looked at me as if he was looking at an object.


    <i>¡®Wow, it¡¯s a good thing that I came here. I can¡¯t believe jerks like him still exist.¡¯</i>


    Obviously, it had been a while since very became illegal in the Sacred Democratic Country. I couldn''t get rid of itpletely, but ve trading had been illegal for quite a long time now.


    Jine assumed that Lee Ji-Hoo was working for a ruined ck market or was connected to an illegal business. He probably thought that he hade to the Federation to start anew since business in the Democratic Country was bad.


    His misunderstanding was his own problem, but it was pretty convincing.


    ¡°There are still some ces in the Federation where <i>this</i> is legal, but it¡¯s illegal in most of the big cities because of the great and mighty Saint of Light. Fortunately, it¡¯ll take a long time before thatw spreads throughout the continent, and there¡¯s no way his eyes can scour the entire world,¡± Jine said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Some big cities have been doing it discreetly, and since the Federation¡¯s situation isn¡¯t as great as the other countries, there are a ton of loopholes here. What do you think?¡± Jine asked.


    ¡°Are you saying there¡¯s a ck market here?¡± Lee Ji-Hoo asked.


    ¡°Stop ying dumb. Didn¡¯t youe here knowing that there''s one here? You don¡¯t need to worry about the outside world. It¡¯s not something you can go out and show off, so we covered the eyes and ears of those nearby. If you hire me, I¡¯m willing to give you the details... I still haven¡¯t heard your answer yet,¡± Jine offered.


    Lee Ji-Hoo didn''t even look at me as he talked to Jine.


    <i>¡®Shit.¡¯</i>


    epting his offer was the right thing to do because Lee Ji-Hoo still wasn¡¯t aware of the fact that he loved Lee Ki-Yeon. His love was twisted, and he was basically evil.


    He wasn¡¯t afraid of ying dirty if it meant getting what he wanted or if it meant bing entertained. He was basically like a child.


    Lee Ki-Yeon was nothing more than a toy he cherished.


    Of course, there was a minor plot point that he¡¯d really regret his actions once Lee Ki-Yeon was no longer next to him. However, Lee Ki-Yeon was still next to him, so he had yet to figure out his true feelings.


    I noticed Lee Ji-Hoo''s gaze bing a bit colder as he stared at me.


    <i>¡®You''re getting too immersed, damn it.¡¯</i>


    ¡°<i>Hmm...</i> What do you think, noona?¡± Lee Ji-Hoo asked with a yful look.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s best if I ask you,¡± Lee Ji-Hoo added.


    Lee Ji-Hoo was someone who had never received any love from anyone, so his expression of affection had mutated in a twisted way, which meant that he enjoyed torturing Lee Ki-Yeon, thinking that it was the best way to express affection.


    <i>¡®No, don¡¯t get too immersed... the details are too refined, damn it.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Y-Young Master,¡± I stuttered.


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to?¡± Lee Ji-Hoo asked.


    <i>¡®Think of an answer, Ki-Yeon. You¡¯re confident and smart. You ended up in this situation because you had no choice, but you¡¯re wise.¡¯</i>


    Obviously, I didn¡¯t think Lee Ji-Hye was actually going to hand me over, but this felt like a test.


    ¡°I-I-I...¡± I mumbled.


    First, I decided to look nervous. I ced my hand on my chest and looked at my savior. With tears in my eyes, I tried to look pitiful and weak to the point that I could break at any moment.


    Lee Ji-Hoo still looked evil as if he was telling me that begging for sympathy was the wrong answer. I know this wasn''t the answer because Lee Ji-Hoo really liked it whenever Lee Ki-Yeon was obedient to him.


    In the end, I spoke quietly and bit my lips as if I made my decision.


    ¡°I-I¡¯ll do... whatever the young master... wants...¡±


    Lee Ji-Hoo revealed a crooked smile and nodded.


    Jine grabbed my hand tightly as if I had given him consent to do so.


    <i>Boom!</i>


    Jine was sted away, and he was sent flying to a wall.


    My corbones were only revealed briefly, but Lee Ji-Hoo quietly wrapped his cape around me. He acted indifferent, and he looked as if he couldn''t understand why he was acting like this. He was disappointed in himself for losing his mind for a moment, and he looked nervous due to the possibility that he could be attracted to me.


    I was sure those emotions would disappear by tomorrow, but they were definitely burning deep inside his heart right now as if they were an unquenchable me.


    <i>¡®Damn it, Ji-Hoo! Is this really how it¡¯s supposed to happen?¡¯</i>


    ¡°I don¡¯t like your offer,¡± Lee Ji-Hoo said coldly.


    <i>¡®I might fall for you, Ji-Hoo.¡¯</i>


    I couldn¡¯t figure out what was going to happen next.


    *


    - From that night on, Lee Ji-Hoo begins to mistake that volcano-like burning feeling inside him as rage, oppa. He starts harassing Lee Ki-Yeon more persistently, more harshly, and relentlessly. Then, he¡¯ll me Lee Ki-Yeon for the fact that he''s getting swayed. He''ll me her for everything.


    - You¡¯re getting too immersed, noona.


    - You did well, too. I mean, your heart is still racing. Why are you so sexy?

 Chapter 888. Vacation (6)

    <h4>Chapter 888. Vacation (6)</h4>


    I never really thought that Lee Ji-Hye was interested in the denizens. I already knew that she simply wanted to fulfill her desires. There was a chance that she was kind of interested in them, but she was currently different from the meticulous and workaholic Lee Ji-Hye.


    It was probably because she was too immersed in her role as Lee Ji-Hoo or because she felt pressured about having a decent vacation.


    I was not sure whether it was because she felt like this was the only time she could take a break, but she seemed to havepletely forgotten the lines she was supposed to say to seduce me.


    ¡°You¡¯re nothing, noona,¡± Lee Ji-Hoo said.


    ¡°...¡±


    <i>¡®Damn, look at her acting skills.¡¯</i>


    ¡°You¡¯re nothing... Lee Ki-Yeon...¡± Lee Ji-Hoo repeated.


    ¡°...¡±


    He kept mumbling that to himself, and his eyes shone in a glint that contained hatred, rage, and affection.


    <i>''Why did she not decide to be an actress? She should have debuted in the entertainment business.¡¯</i>


    If she had seriously considered bing one back on Earth, she could have be an actor more famous than Ahn Ki-Mo. The way she became one with her character gave me goosebumps, and I became curious as to what made her like this.


    <i>¡®She¡¯s really good at storytelling.¡¯</i>


    Lee Ji-Hye remained consistent in her words yesterday, and Lee Ji-Hoo started treating me a bit rougher as if he was forcefully telling me that he wasn¡¯t interested in me...


    ording to the story that she had written, the little bit of sympathy he had for Lee Ki-Yeon would disappear, and a brief period of transition would follow as Lee Ji-Hoo struggled to deny his true feelings.


    The changes happened within three days, but it felt like it happened in the blink of an eye. There were details unknown to me, but Writer Lee said that there wasn¡¯t a problem with the story.


    Lee Ji-Ho seemed dissatisfied with Lee Ki-Yeon with his own color alone, as his behavior was even starting to taint her.


    ¡°What¡¯s the point of telling him, damn it? I need to at least get my act together,¡± Iined.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Excuse me, young master,¡± I said.


    ¡°Shut up,¡± Lee Ji-Hoo said.


    ¡°Well, you see¡ª¡±


    ¡°I told you to shut up,¡± Lee Ji-Hoo interrupted me.


    There was a dull thud as Le Ji-Hoo pushed me into a wall.


    ¡°What? Did you miss me?¡± Lee Ji-Hoo questioned.


    <i>¡®Someone stop her, damn it. We¡¯re here to work.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Young Master, what I¡¯m trying to say is¡ª¡±


    ¡°Well, it can¡¯t be helped,¡± Lee Ji-Hoo said.


    He revealed an evil smile and reached out to me with his dirty hand.


    ¡°S-Stop!¡± I shouted.


    I resisted timidly, but he didn¡¯t stop. His face no longer had that tinge of affection toward me, and his face was now filled with hatred and greed.


    In the end, I stopped resisting and got ready to cry.


    The unrelenting Lee Ji-Hoo looked at Lee Ki-Yeon quietly and took a step back. Lee Ji-Hye''s facial expression as Lee Ji-Hoo was so profound that it was an expression that one could only see from actors with at least ten years of experience.


    Lee Ji-Hoo breathed in ragged pants as if he was regretting his behavior.


    He clenched his trembling hands and turned around.


    It was such a perfect sight.


    ¡°Get out,¡± Lee Ji-Hoo ordered.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Get out, noona. Get away from me. I don¡¯t want to see you right now,¡± Lee Ji-Hoo said.


    <i>¡®You¡¯ve gone too far, damn it.¡¯</i>


    ¡°...¡±


    Like Lee Ji-Hoo''s heart, I heard items shattering into pieces behind the tightly shut door.


    Clearly, she was still keeping up the act through method acting, even though I wasn¡¯t there in the room with her.


    I was genuinely starting to get scared of her because she was getting really immersed in her character. We had great synergy, so I was also getting immersed without realizing it. I had to be careful about that.


    I needed to pull myself together and pay attention. One of us had to be rational.


    <i>¡®We also have an issue with the ck market.¡¯</i>


    If it weren''t for Jine the Gale or whatever that Ji-Hye noona had hired, we wouldn¡¯t have known that there was a ck market in Colorado.


    The Federation had never really said anything about it, so it had to be a tiny ck market, or it could be amunity that the denizens had built themselves. I had no idea what was being sold there.


    However, the denizens'' conditions...


    <i>¡®It doesn¡¯t seem that bad, so that¡¯s a relief.¡¯</i>


    I climbed down the stairs and felt people looking at me. Rumors about Lee Ji-Hoo, who was equipped with many different items, had to have already spread because no one tried to pick a fight, unlike yesterday.


    Our young master <i>did </i>send Jine flying with one attack as well.


    The adventurers were no different from yesterday.


    They were still lively, and it looked like there weren''t any issues at all. Colorado had always been like this. It was like this yesterday and the day before yesterday. It appeared like the Federation had never gone through those hardships.


    All I could see was a city filled with dreams and hope.


    I couldn''t help but doubt the report that the ck Swan Guild had submitted about the Federation.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m starting to think that the money we spent for the counseling centers was wasted.¡¯</i>


    I could hear loud noises everywhere. Some were drinking rum in the middle of the day, some were working hard to join parties, and others were looking to see if there were decent quests to take.


    ¡°Do you have any decent quests left?¡±


    ¡°Hold on.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re recruiting a priest who wants to party up with us. We wee everyone who has a job that can provide the same value as a priest. Don¡¯t be afraid to let us know if you do have that kind of job.¡±


    <i>¡®Maybe the denizens of the Federation just have a stronger mind than the denizens of the other countries?¡¯</i>


    The Federation''s situation was not that great.


    The Democratic Country had struggled a lot as well, but it was slowly bing a better ce.


    ¡°I¡¯m still having a hard time understanding it...¡± I mumbled. Perhaps the people here just had a different mindset than the rest of the people living on this continent. Colorado had a ton of foreigners, and the city itself was giving off a strong teamwork-like atmosphere.


    It would be safe to say that the city was popted by people who wanted to move forward from a difficult past.


    I looked around and sat at an empty table.


    <i>¡®Ah, I wonder if he¡¯s going to eat.¡¯</i>


    I went upstairs again.


    ¡°Young master, what would you like to...¡± I trailed off. I didn¡¯t hear an answer, so I went back downstairs and sat down. I looked around, but nothing really caught my attention.


    <i>¡®Maybe I should head outside.¡¯</i>


    I decided to buy some bread at a local bakery. I''d go somewhere and just make an excuse about how I had decided to buy something that the young master would like. I wanted to look around the neighborhood, as I never really had the chance to do so.


    I started walking down the streets, and the sight outside wasn¡¯t all that different from the sight inside the adventurer guild. The only difference was that it was filled with adventurers getting ready for their expedition. People in small andrge parties were preparing to leave the city.


    They were stuffing their bags with necessary items, and some were shouting to catch thest train. They were either going on a hunt or going on a task to acquire raw materials.


    And that was when I saw an interesting sight...


    <i>''Who are those people?'' </i>


    I activated Mind¡¯s Eye to see if there was anyone useful among the crowd when a title caught my attention.


    [Title - Potion Addict]


    If it were just one or two people with the same title, I would have overlooked it, but that wasn¡¯t the case. Among the parties here, either half of them or even the entire party had the "Potion Addict" title. To make things worse, workers and ordinary merchants had this title as well, and my jaw dropped at the absurd sight.


    I immediately started figuring out what was going on, and my eyes widened upon realizing the reason why this ce was so lively.


    Who was in charge of Colorado?


    Wouldn¡¯t it be strange if the manager of this city wasn¡¯t involved in this?


    - Ji-Hye noona. Noona?


    - ...


    - Noona?


    ¡°I knew she wasn¡¯t going to answer,¡± I mumbled.


    <i>¡®I knew it was too good to be true.¡¯</i>


    Now that I thought about it, it was really strange that the city was <i>too </i>normal.


    Even the denizens of the Democratic Country, who were blessed by the God of Sacrifice and Revival and had religion as the foundation of their mental health, couldn''t easily forget the past hardships, so how could these people live an ordinary life when they could be considered to be living in a remote ce?


    It seemed that the power of going undercover was finally showing its fangs.


    ¡°<i>Huh?</i> I think we¡¯repletely out... <i>Ah</i>... damn it... What should I do?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? You need to get more. We have some time before we need to leave, so hurry and get more.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you lend me some?¡±


    ¡°I only have enough for myself, Malon. Weren¡¯t you told ahead of time that this expedition was going to take more than a week? If you don¡¯t want to hear the n master nagging at you, hurry up and get some more... I¡¯ll cover for you.¡±


    ¡°Got it. <i>Haa</i>, this is annoying.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Damn it,¡± Malon swore and walked away from his party members.


    I saw people getting on a carriage with mysterious potions in hand, so my assumption was definitely correct.


    I merged with the crowd and felt confident because no one recognized me.


    Malon headed into a dark alley, but there obviously wasn¡¯t a ck market in the dark alley. I was simply following him because I knew they had their own way of distributing those potions.


    If the people in power in Colorado were really involved in this, then the process had to be reallyplicated.


    I had a few catalysts with me, so dealing with anything epic-rank would be easy for me.


    My Strength wascking, but my Alchemy Summoning job was a Unique Epic job. Actually, I was physically capable of taking on Average-rank or even Rare-rank warriors. After all, I had received some lessons from Kim Hyun-Sung.


    Malon was heading to a ce that wasn''t really that difficult to find. It made sense, as the potion seemed to be quite easy to ess. It seemed that heinous crimes truly often took ce in back alleys.


    <i>¡®Caught you.¡¯</i>


    ¡°One week... no, get me one month''s worth,¡± Malon requested.


    ¡°Got it. <i>Ah</i>, I¡¯m sorry, but the price has increased a bit,¡± the staffer said.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you increase the pricest month?¡± Malon asked.


    ¡°<i>Haha</i>, I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s high in demand, and since we¡¯re struggling with the supply...¡±


    ¡°I understand you want to make a profit, but it should still be priced reasonably. Everyone is doing this to make a living. Who would keep buying if they no longer have the money to buy?" Malonined.


    ¡°We are fully aware of our customers¡¯ position,¡± the staffer said.


    ¡°Anyway, thanks for this,¡± he said.


    ¡°Thank you for visiting us. Also... please be a bit more careful next time,¡± the staffer warned.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Looks like someone has been following you,¡± the staffer said.


    And that was when I felt something cold on the back of my neck...


    ¡°Who are you?¡± the voice asked.


    ¡°<i>Uh...</i> I-I-I... Well... you see... I ended up... I... didn¡¯t see anything,¡± I stuttered.


    I felt something covering my mouth, and I caught a whiff of a strong medicine.


    They were definitely trying to make me lose consciousness, but weak medicine was ineffective on the fleshly body of the God of Sacrifice and Revival.


    Of course, a sharp weapon was effective on me, which was why I was scared. My legs instantly became weak, and I thought it was better to pretend to fall down, so when I fell to the side, I felt a rough set of hands catching me.


    - Noona... noona?


    - ...


    <i>''Looks like I''ve been kidnapped... what can I do here?''</i>


    ¡°What the hell? She¡¯s a ve.¡±


    The guys that spoke were obviously scums of society.

 Chapter 889. Vacation (7)

    <h4>Chapter 889. Vacation (7)</h4>


    Thinking about it objectively, I was convinced that nothing would happen to me, which was probably why I felt kind of rxed. I had a solid way of getting out of here immediately.


    <i>¡®I just need to summon Ha-Yan.¡¯</i>


    The problem was that summoning Ha-Yan could bring about a Buster Call-level disaster.[1]"


    I was already having a headache just thinking about how I was supposed to exin to her why I was a girl, and I didn''t want Colorado to be a wastnd, either.


    It was the same for Kim Hyun-Sung. If I were to give him a quest, he¡¯d definitelye flying to me in under an hour, but how would I exin this to him? If I were to reveal to him that I was Lee Ki-Yeon, what would he think of me?


    I also didn''t want to taint those precious memories[2].


    Actually, the situation didn¡¯t seem all that bad because I needed to find the ck market here, anyway. Once Ji-Hye noona discovered that I had been kidnapped, she¡¯d definitely find a way to find me.


    ying the part was important, but safety was more important than that.


    [Creating an Average-rank Forced Quest.]


    [Noona, I think I¡¯ve been kidnapped. (0/1)]


    [An Average-rank quest has been delivered to yer Lee Ji-Hye. No quest rewards were dered, so yer Lee Ji-Hye will not receive a reward.]


    <i>''Damn it, she¡¯s not answering. Is she really not going to say anything despite receiving my quest?''</i>


    [Creating a Legendary-rank Forced Quest.]


    [Do you remember that Gale something guy who said that there''s a ck market in Colorado? They caught me following them, and they''re taking me away somewhere right now. It¡¯ll be problematic to call Ha-Yan or Hyun-Sung, so think of a way to find me. I¡¯m starting to get scared. (0/1)]


    [A Legendary-rank quest has been delivered to yer Lee Ji-Hye. No quest rewards were dered, so yer Lee Ji-Hye will not receive a reward.]


    <i>''She¡¯s really mean. How long has it been? Five hours?''</i>


    Naturally, I looked in the direction where Lee Ji-Hye was located.


    - How could he get himself kidnapped just like that?!


    <i>''Is she mad? Did I ruin the n?''</i>


    - You''re a mind reader, aren''t you? I¡¯m going crazy. Lee Ki-Young, you¡¯re driving me insane...


    The way she jumped on the bed and rolled around while hugging a pillow was indescribable.


    <i>¡®She¡¯s really...¡¯</i>


    She got up and looked around. She opened the room slowly and walked out of the room while looking around. She was acting as Lee Ji-Hoo, who was looking for Lee Ki-Yeon. Lee Ji-Hoo''s face darkened. He ran out of the adventurer guild and started running aimlessly down the street. He wasn¡¯t saying anything, but I knew what he wanted to say.


    - Noona...


    It was sad seeing him desperately trying to find his maid.


    I thought his heartless eyes could never cry, but tears started welling in his eyes.


    - Noona! Noona! Lee Ki-Yeon... Lee Ki-Yeon!


    <i>¡®This makes you look like an actual psychopath.¡¯</i>


    She was rolling around in her bed just now.


    <i>¡®You¡¯re mentally ill.¡¯</i>


    Why was she suddenly desperately looking for me...


    Unfortunately, it was raining, and the rain that poured slowly started getting heavier, hiding Lee Ji-Hoo¡¯s tears. He was trembling as he clenched his fist. I watched Lee Ji-Hoo just to keep an eye on him, but I couldn''t describe what I was watching.


    - Noona... where are you? Damn it... Lee Ki-Yeon... where the hell are you?!


    His face was filled with regret and resentment toward himself. He started running again, but he stumbled and fell to the ground.


    For a moment, I was d our vacation wasn¡¯t that long, but if we had a little more time... I couldn¡¯t imagine what kind of grand narrative would be created.


    The madness of the viins I had met so far was nothingpared to the madness Lee Ji-Hoo was showing right now. From what I could see, Lee Ji-Hoo was showing true madness at the moment.


    I couldn¡¯t keep watching, so I looked away. It was actually the perfect timing. It felt like the carriage I was locked up in had stopped moving. After I heard them moving cargo and pieces of luggage, I felt the carriage moving again.


    A violent tremor ran across the carriage, and my figure trembled.


    <i>Boom</i>!


    Light started pouring into the dark carriage.


    ¡°<i>Ugh...</i>¡±


    And I saw a grim prison...


    ¡°<i>Heuuuk... heuk...</i>¡±


    I heard someone crying, so I looked around and saw other people.


    They looked as if they had been sold off. There were two males. One looked like a diator, and the other was a good-looking fellow. There were three women. Two were members of the Other races, and one of them was an elf.


    It seemed that these people didn¡¯t care about the continentalw prohibiting the trafficking of humans and Other races. They¡¯d probably be sold for a high price, as supply was low, and I was sure that they weren¡¯t the only things being sold.


    <i>¡®At least I came to the right ce.¡¯</i>


    I was just going to sit in the corner. I did that and started pondering about what was going on. How much longer do I need to stay here? As I asked myself that question, someone opened the iron door.


    ¡°<i>Heuuuuung...</i>¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°<i>Heuuuuuuuuung...</i>¡±


    I saw a kid crying loudly.


    ¡°Shut up and get in there.¡±


    I heard a deep voice.


    The kid moved stiffly into the carriage. Astonishingly, her face looked familiar to me.


    <i>¡®Isn¡¯t she Ha Yeon-Soo?¡¯</i>


    The assistant who was always with Lee Ji-Hye.


    It seemed that fairy magic was cast on her, as she looked like a child, but she was definitely Ha Yeon-Soo.


    Mind¡¯s Eye even confirmed it for me, and I felt relieved knowing that fact.


    I knew Ji-Hye noona wouldn¡¯t abandon me. Now that I thought about it, I felt like I had seen Ha Yeon-Soo in Colorado. It turned out that I had a bodyguard all this while.


    To be honest, I was kind of scared because the mood here was pretty dark, but I was feeling slightly stable upon realizing the truth.


    ¡°Excuse me... Miss Yeon-Soo? We...¡±


    ¡°<i>Heuuuuung...</i>¡± Ha Yeon-Soo cried.


    ¡°Miss Yeon-Soo, right now, we...¡±


    ¡°W-Who are you?¡± Ha Yeon-Soo asked.


    <i>''You¡¯re doing this too? Damn it.''</i>


    ¡°I...¡±


    ¡°Where are we? <i>Heuk!</i> Please save me. I miss my mom and dad...¡± she begged.


    <i>''Are you also going to make your debut as an actor with Lee Ji-Hye?''</i>


    ¡°No, wait... This situation is¡ª" Ha Yeon-Soo stuck to me like a cicada and cried her heart out. It was stupid of me to expect any help from her, as it seemed like Ha Yeon-Soo was just...


    <i>¡®A bystander; she''s just a bystander, right?¡¯</i>


    <i>She¡¯s not going to do anything unless something really dangerous happens, right?'' </i>


    I was d that we had a shield, at the very least, but I wasn¡¯t really that happy about it.


    ¡°W-We¡¯re not going to die, right? Right?¡± Ha Yeon-Soo questioned.


    The actress that Lee Ji-Hye had trained managed to amplify the tension in the carriage with herment.


    And that was when the iron door opened once again...


    Three men entered, and they looked around before staring at me.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± a bandit asked theirrade.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Touching the product is against the rules, but...¡± replied the other bandit.


    <i>¡®Bullshit. The moment youy a finger on me, Ha Yeon-Soo will cut off your head.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Bring her,¡± said the mysterious figure with the bandits.


    ¡°<i>Kyah!</i>¡± I screamed.


    <i>¡®Yeon-Soo, I¡¯m in trouble. Look! This bastard grabbed my wrist.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Where should we take her?¡± the bandit asked.


    <i>¡®Yeon-Soo. You¡¯re not just going to watch, right? Shit, Yeon-Soo. Ha Yeon-Soo. What¡¯s wrong with you? Don¡¯t just watch.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Y-Yeon-Soo!¡± I yelled.


    ¡°K-Ki-Yeon!!!¡± Ha Yeon-Soo yelled.


    <i>''Don''t scream my name. Help me.''</i>


    ¡°Don¡¯t take her away!¡± Ha Yeon-Soo shouted.


    ¡°Someone shut that kid up. Looks like you two got close pretty fast. How.... nice,¡± a banditmented.


    <i>''Ha Yeon-Soo, you¡¯re so mean. You really want me to activate Buster Call?'' </i>


    I had no idea what was going to happen to me, so I seriously thought of summoning Jung Ha-Yan here, but I heard a different voice outside.


    ¡°Hyung-nim.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°They said to bring that woman there."


    ¡°Who did?¡±.


    ¡°They¡¯re going to put her up for action today. There was something wrong with the ne, which was supposed to be one of the main items today, so they needed something to rece it. We need to prepare her right away...¡±


    ¡°The seal is still on this woman... Do you not see the ve seal on her?¡±


    ¡°They said they¡¯ll bring a mage and take care of it once the trade isplete. I received orders to take her away, so I¡¯ll just take her with me. I also need to make her presentable on stage. The main event is going to start soon, so I really don¡¯t have¡ª¡±


    ¡°Take her, then,¡± a voice interrupted.


    When I stepped out, I heard the bandit scream.


    The subordinate clicked his tongue, and I knew what he was thinking, but I didn''t think he screamed because he was angry.


    Ha Yeon-Soo had to have killed him.


    As expected, I saw red dripping down between the rusty iron door. I heard him gasping for air, but this idiot had no idea that his hyung-nim was already dead. He was just taking me somewhere in a hurry.


    Soon, I found myself in a room that was way better than that ce earlier. Momentster, several people appeared and crowded around me.


    ¡°She¡¯s pretty.¡±


    They started washing me with water.


    ¡°She¡¯ll be an expensive one.¡±


    They washed my hair and made me sit on a chair before I even realized what was going on. They were pampering me; it was like they were working on even the smallest detail.


    Ji-Hye noona would probably like this kind of treatment. They were painting my nails and putting stuff on my face. They dried my hair, and I started noticing the changes through the mirror in front of me.


    Even I thought that I looked pretty decent. Actually, scratch that¡ªI looked pretty.


    ¡°What should we have her wear, madam?¡± a maid asked.


    ¡°I think it¡¯ll be better if there isn¡¯t too much exposure. Get up,¡± the madam ordered.


    ¡°<i>Huh? </i>M-Me?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Who else?¡± she questioned.


    I got up, and they started dressing me up.


    ¡°How... did all of you start... working here?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You think we¡¯re working here because we want to? I don¡¯t think this outfit will work... Drink some warm tea. Let¡¯s put on the lipstickst,¡± the madam said.


    ¡°Madam, they want us to bring her out now,¡± a maid informed.


    ¡°Wait, let¡¯s put some essories on her,¡± said the madam.


    ¡°They said to hurry.¡±


    It seemed like they had put some stuff on me, but I couldn¡¯t see them myself. Eventually, they finished up, and I found myself sitting awkwardly in a waiting room.


    I could hear someone''s booming voice outside, and they seemed like the host of some kind of event. I felt like I was in a daze because things had happened so quickly.


    - I¡¯m terribly sorry, everyone. There has been an issue with the final item, Micharia¡¯s Ne, so we won¡¯t be able to present it to you. We sincerely apologize for not being able to notify you in advance. This is all the fault of an inexperienced organizer.


    The atmosphere was obviously bad. I was sure there were people who hade here just for that ne, and they were in a bad mood after hearing that the ne was no longer avable for sale.


    The crowd jeered. I wasn¡¯t sure about the size of this ck market, but it seemed like there was even a proper protocol in ce on the off chance that something went wrong.


    - We''ve prepared another product to make up for this blunder.


    I was pushed to the stage and...


    ¡°...¡±


    The hall instantly became quiet.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Then, an explosion of voices reverberated right afterward.


    ¡°A hundred thousand¡ªa hundred thousand gold!¡±


    ¡°Two hundred thousand gold!¡±


    As I looked around the absurd scene, I saw a familiar face...


    <i>¡®Why are you here?¡¯</i>


    1. From One Piece. ?


    2. I think he''s referring to when he became Lee Ki-Yeon and the events that happened around CH 451 ?

 Chapter 890. Vacation (8)

    <h4>Chapter 890. Vacation (8)</h4>


    I was a bit surprised when I realized that the hall was bigger than I thought. This was not enough information for me to deduce the size of the ck market, but this ce, which was definitely the main auction house of the ck market, reminded me of Castlerock''s ck market in its early days.


    The stage was really big, and the seats were filled. It was so big that I couldn¡¯t understand how they managed to create a ce like this capable of amodating so many people. My ears were hurting because there were too many scums screaming at once.


    ¡°A hundred thousand gold... A hundred thousand gold!¡±


    <i>''Why are you even screaming in the first ce?''</i>


    ¡°Two hundred thousand gold!¡±


    They were ignoring auction etiquette and procedures. They just had to raise their finger or the sign in their hand, and the host would handle everything. However, this scene resembled more like a market rather than an auction.


    ¡°Two hundred and ten thousand gold! Two hundred and ten! Two hundred and TEN!¡±


    ¡°Shit... Two hundred and forty-thousand gold!¡±


    It was strange paying so much gold for a servant. It was safe to think that something else was included with the main event item. Greed filled everyone''s eyes.


    <i>''I really don¡¯t want to be sold to that particr guy.'' </i>


    Eventually, the host started calming everyone down.


    ¡°Please calm down, everyone. Calm...¡±


    ¡°Two hundred and seventy thousand gold!¡±


    ¡°E-Everyone, please follow the established rules and procedures! Calm down and follow the auction procedures!¡± the host shouted.


    ¡°Three hundred thousand gold!¡±


    I felt like I was staring at hell, and these people were great examples of human nature.


    The old millionaire and the chubby higher-up were all screaming.


    Even a noblewoman... Why, though?


    I wasn¡¯t sure whether someone had ordered the host or if he had decided to do it on his own, but he decided to let this market-like atmosphere continue. He probably thought that this kind of atmosphere would help with the auction from time to time, as it was a big hit.


    I felt out of ce seeing them so immersed in the auction to the point that it appeared unrealistic.


    <i>¡®Are they using a potion or something?¡¯</i>


    This could be a type of illusionary magic.


    I looked around, but I didn¡¯t notice anything.


    <i>¡®There are so many crazy people here.¡¯</i>


    I had several theories in mind, but all I saw were lumps of cancer. Obviously, the people participating in auctions like this weren¡¯t ordinary people. They were wealthy and powerful individuals. I was sure Ji-Hye noona knew most of them, as they made their wealth illegally.


    <i>''Yeah, I knew there was something fishy about you. Federation, Federation, wait, you¡¯re a senator of the Sacred Democratic Country. You¡¯re all dead. And you... you... and...''</i>


    <i>¡®Wait, why are you here?¡¯</i>


    And that was when I saw a familiar face...


    <i>¡®Why is he here?¡¯</i>


    I knew I wasn¡¯t seeing things.


    We were in a hall full of crazy people, so a pretty calm-looking guy stuck out like a sore thumb. He was sitting quietly in his chair and was frowning for some reason. He sighed and attempted to stand up. The frown on his face allowed me to deduce that he hade here for the ne


    He still looked wicked and cocky; it looked like he wasn¡¯t nning on changing out of that Chinese-style outfit. I was sure he owned several sets of that outfit. He still had that same old expression, and he looked like he was looking down on the people here as if he wasn''t like them.


    <i>¡®You two-faced masked scum. Since you knew about the ck market, why did you not tell me about it?¡¯</i>


    ¡°I heard three hundred and ten thousand gold! Three hundred and forty thousand gold! That was three hundred and forty-thousand gold!¡± ¡°...¡±


    ¡°The price has gone up to three hundred and fifty-thousand gold! Anyone else? It¡¯s at three hundred and fifty thousand gold!¡±


    The auction house was chaotic, and I heard voices everywhere. I was sure some of the people here were trying to pool their money together to purchase me, as they were too broke to purchase me without the help of their peers.


    Meanwhile, a few cannon fodders came out and grabbed my wrist.


    ¡°<i>Kyah!</i>¡±


    As soon as I screamed...


    ¡°I got three hundred and seventy gold! Wait, it¡¯s four hundred thousand gold now!¡±


    Masked Scum Jin Cheong of the Republic unknowingly looked at me upon hearing my screen.


    <i>¡®Ah, shit. Come to think of it, you¡¯re pretty rich.¡¯</i>


    Our eyes met...


    <i>''You know it¡¯s me, right? You¡¯ve already realized that it¡¯s me, right?''</i>


    Kim Hyun-Sung''s slow-wittedness was pretty rare, and Jin Cheong was especially quick-witted, so I felt like he had already noticed my true identity.


    ¡°H-Help me,¡± I stuttered and copsed. Then, I started crying as if I had given up on everything. I represented caution and innocence, so I couldn¡¯t endure the hideous desires and dirty gazes in this auction house.


    There wasn¡¯t anything dirty about Lee Ki-Yeon, so I was simply scared because all of this was new to me. Naturally, I looked at Jin Cheong again with a look of anticipation, but...


    <i>¡®You bastard. How dare you ignore me?¡¯</i>


    As if looking away wasn¡¯t enough, he even covered his face. He grabbed his stuff, and he looked like he wanted to leave as quickly as possible. He clearly showed that he didn¡¯t want to get caught up in this ridiculous situation, but...


    [Creating an Average-rank Forced Quest.]


    [Commander, why are you ignoring me? (0/1)]


    [An Average-rank quest has been delivered to Jin Cheong. No quest rewards were dered, so yer Jin Cheong will not receive a reward.]


    <i>''Buy me.''</i>


    [Creating an Average-rank Forced Quest.]


    [Have a seat. Let¡¯s make a deal. I¡¯m in a really bad spot right now. Colorado might end up getting destroyed, so I¡¯d appreciate it if you participate in the auction as soon as possible. (0/1)]


    [An Average-rank quest has been delivered to Jin Cheong. No quest rewards were dered, so yer Jin Cheong will not receive a reward.]


    Hurry.


    [Creating a Rare-rank Forced Quest.]


    [All right, fine. So you¡¯re just going to ignore me. I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re here in this ck market... but you¡¯re going to regret it. I guarantee that you will. I¡¯m not asking you to do it for free. I¡¯ll even dere a quest reward. Get up from your seat if you can. Do it. Did you stand up just now? Sit back down. Are you really leaving? Don¡¯t go. (0/1)]


    [A Rare-rank quest has been delivered to Jin Cheong.]


    [A quest clear reward has been dered...]


    [A tea time with Father Lee Ki-Young (0/1)]


    He could only ignore me for so long. He was acting like he couldn''t hear me, or he had no idea of my identity, but I kept sending him messages, so he mumbled as if he was in a bad mood.


    - Damn it. I remember telling you that I no longer wanted anything to do with you... did you not agree to it?


    He had taken the bait.


    - What the hell are you... You crazy bastard. Damn it! No wonder things weren¡¯t going my way today. Damn it!


    [You keep saying that you don''t want anything to do with me, but you''re still using this privatemunication channel. (0/1)]


    - What do you want? And why are you here looking like that? Actually, it¡¯s disgraceful for me to even ask that question. You have a pretty disgusting kink.


    [It¡¯s a long story, Commander. Actually, I haven¡¯t been able to contact you because I¡¯ve been so busy these days. Wait, I did contact you, but you ignored me. I was going to visit you, but I was so busy in Lindel. Anyway, have you been well? (0/1)]


    - I was feeling great until you showed up...


    [<i>Ah!</i> I can¡¯t exin all the details. Do you really think that I want to be here looking like this? I didn¡¯t even know that there was a ck market here. But why are you here, Commander? Depending on your answer, things might be a bit... (0/1)]


    - What I do is none of your business. At least, it¡¯s not as bad as you standing on that stage while looking like that. Anyway, all I''ll say to you is that all of this has nothing to do with me. Are you done?


    [No, we¡¯re not done. Just bid for me. I have a reason for doing this, and this isn¡¯t a request. (0/1)]


    - You think your threat¡ª


    [It¡¯s a bribe. (0/1)]


    - ...


    [I¡¯ll give you a decent position. What do you think about the current continent, Commander? Which direction... do you think our continent, the Republic, and the Sacred Democratic Country should take? Even a god needs the help of talented people to manage the continent... (0/1)]


    - Stop talking nonsense.


    [Anyway, we''ve started off on the wrong foot, but aren¡¯t we in the middle of building a great rtionship? This is a cliche where our rtionship improves after fighting the same enemy. I considered you my enemy when we first met, but not anymore. We¡¯rerades. (0/1)]


    - Bullshit.


    [Hurry up and bid. Stop changing the subject. You don¡¯t want to regret this, do you? (0/1)]


    Jin Cheong looked like he was gritting his teeth, but in the end, he sat back down as if he had no choice but to do so.


    I knew he''d do that. I had no idea whether he had a change of heart or if he thought that he could get something out of this deal, but he made a great choice.


    - I only want one thing, and it¡¯s no longer getting involved with you. I honestly don¡¯t think that you¡¯ll keep your promise, but if you¡¯re indebted to me, then make sure that I won''t get caught up in a ridiculous situation like this again.


    [A wise choice, but I¡¯m telling the truth about giving you a good position. I¡¯ll send you the offer another time, so read it over and decide. <i>Ah</i>, the auction is almost over. Hurry. (0/1)]


    ¡°Four hundred and twenty thousand gold, everyone! This is great news. Just now, we''ve broken our auction house''s highest record! We¡¯re nning on offering the buyer an option of their choice, and...¡±


    The host held up two fingers.


    ¡°Now it¡¯s four hundred and twenty five thousand gold! Please note this product has yet to receive any training,¡± the host added.


    ¡°Four hundred and thirty thousand gold!¡±


    ¡°Four hundred and forty thousand gold! Four hundred and forty thousand gold!¡±


    Jin Cheong held up his sign, but no one noticed him.


    Even the host didn''t notice him, but how could the host notice him amidst the excited crowd?


    Jin Cheong seemed to have realized that as well because he revealed an annoyed look before mming his hand on the table in front of him.


    <i>BOOM!</i>


    The entire hall seemed to vibrate as mana pervaded the hall in the blink of an eye. I knew things weren''t going to be dangerous, of course. Jin Cheong was just trying to make his presence known to the host.


    As expected, everyone looked at him.


    <i>¡®He sure tries hard to look cool.¡¯</i>


    I felt like Jin Cheong actually enjoyed acting. He stared at the host amidst the quiet hall before murmuring, "Six hundred thousand gold."


    Some of the members of the crowd had to pick up their jaws from the floor upon hearing Jin Cheong''s deration. The remaining members of the crowd merely stared at him, but it was like he had be the protagonist of this auction.


    <i>¡®He¡¯s seriously annoying. How much more annoying can he get?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Okay... okay... six hundred thousand gold... We got six hundred thousand gold,¡± the host announced.


    I felt kind of ufortable because it was like we were forcing everyone to give up, but I honestly wanted to deliver a heavy blow to them as well.


    I looked at the chubby higher-up who had decided to participate in this auction, and he looked like he was questioning his finances, but at the same time, he looked confident that he could win this auction.


    After a while, he raised his hands and shouted, ¡°I¡¯ll pay six hundred and fifty thousand gold!¡±


    ¡°Okay, we got six hundred and fifty thousand gold!¡± the host announced.


    <i>''Hey, you beautiful noblewoman. Are you going to give up? I want you to be my master. I really want you to take me. I want to serve you and wake up in your arms.''</i>


    ¡°I can¡¯t give up. I¡¯ll give seven hundred thousand¡ªseven hundred thousand gold!¡±


    ¡°The auction price has increased to seven hundred thousand gold!¡± the host shouted.


    Our Jin Cheong frowned, and it was all because of his rivals'' actions.


    I thought he was feeling embarrassed, which would actually make sense, as he had unleashed a powerful fatal blow, but the viin easily avoided it and punched him back.


    I was sure his pride was hurt.


    He was the Hero of Shadows and a great symbol of the Republic, so I was sure he was heartbroken by the fact that these strange people were beating here.


    It was probably like the time when Kim Hyun-Sung was beating up Hee-Ra noona. The embarrassment was definitely amplified because I was watching him.


    He wanted to look cool, but he was getting embarrassed instead, so I startedughing to myself. Since things had alreadye to this, Jin Cheong definitely thought that he could no longer retreat.


    I was sure that this was more about his pride now rather than my offer and request.


    ¡°Damn it. I¡¯ll offer seven hundred and ten thousand gold!¡±


    <i>''Great job, gentleman with a mustache.''</i>


    "Seven hundred and twenty thousand gold!¡±


    The beautiful noblewoman¡¯s name was Sarubia.


    <i>''I like you the most out of everyone here.''</i>


    "Seven hundred and fifty thousand gold!¡±


    It was a mess.


    The auction was heating up.


    Everyone started shouting as if they had been possessed by something.


    And that was when Jin Cheong''s arrogant voice pervaded the hall.


    ¡°One million gold.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°In cold hard cash...¡±

 Chapter 891. Vacation (9)

    <h4>Chapter 891. Vacation (9)</h4>


    <i>¡®What kind of crazy bastard would spend a million gold on a servant?¡¯</i>


    Everyone stared at him in shock and surprise.


    If an actual lunatic ended up appearing, then the person next to them would return to their normal self.


    Everyone was just staring at Jin Cheong.


    The people here seemed like they were under control, and the auction proceeded despite that, but one couldn''t say that a million gold was a reasonable price.


    Although supply was hard due to the ve trade ban, this price was still unreasonable.


    With a million gold, an Average-rank adventurer party could purchase equipment that would allow them to be a Rare-rank adventurer party.


    Actually, they''d get more than that.


    The people''s reaction in this auction house was natural, as a million gold was just too high of an amount for a servant.


    <i>¡®The others were just pretending to be crazy.¡¯</i>


    I was kind of surprised that Jin Cheong even had that much money, but when I thought about it, it wasn''t actually that strange. He was the symbol of the Republic, and he was involved in many things, just like me.


    Jin Cheong seemed to have realized that there wasn¡¯t anyone else willing to fight him anymore. Perhaps they thought of him as a lunatic willing to spend a million gold on a servant, and Jin Cheong''s arrogant look did not help at all.


    ¡°Crazy...¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°Jin Cheong of the Republic. I didn¡¯t know you were such ady-killer.¡±


    <i>''It had been a while since I heard that word. What year were you born?''</i>


    ¡°I guess he''s human as well. He''s been pretending to be innocent and different from other people, but you know what? People like him actually have dirtier and more wicked hearts.¡±


    Yes, Ms. Sarubia. I think you¡¯re right.


    ¡°He¡¯s known as the Hero of Shadows and the symbol of the Republic, but he''s actually easily swayed by his dirty desires...¡±


    The people¡¯s attitudes toward him changed drastically. Just now, they were all screaming, but now, they were jealous. Jin Cheong also found himself in a difficult situation because he had just spent a million gold.


    Privacy was paramount for the members of a ck market, and the public would probably not hear of the purchase that he had made today, but one couldn''t speak in absolutes.


    The news of Jin Cheong, the Hero of Shadows and the symbol of the Republic, purchasing a servant for a million gold would probably be a hot topic. With a bit of exaggeration, ruining his life would be a piece of cake.


    I was not sure about the others, but it could happen to him.


    ¡°Number 101 has offered a million gold... If there¡¯s no one else who¡¯s going to offer more, I will continue with the auction. Sold! Sold! Sold!¡± the host dered.


    Jin Cheong stood up quietly, and he seemed to be annoyed because I could see him frowning slightly. However, he knew dropping the act now would be even worse. He was trying his best to remain calm as he left the room.


    <i>¡®That bastard is really...¡¯</i>


    ¡°Thank you for your great support. We will end today¡¯s auction here. Thank you once again to all our customers,¡± the host said, ending the auction.


    The people started swearing orange talking amongst each other as they walked out. It was obvious what they were talking about, so I didn¡¯t bother listening to them. It was a pretty interesting event, so I was sure many people would be talking about it.


    They finished the auction by ying pretty ssic music and showering everything with flower petals.


    I was forced out of the auction hall, and it was probably to go through a few procedures. I ignored the gazes of the big guys, and we ended up in a pretty old-fashioned room. A woman, who looked like a staffer of the auction house, was sitting across from Jin Cheong.


    ¡°You¡¯re here.¡±


    Jin Cheong nodded while quietly drinking his tea.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re surprised, sir. About the item''s delivery...¡± the staffer muttered.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take her myself,¡± Jin Cheong replied.


    ¡°We¡¯ll do as you say, but she has yet to receive any training. As we¡¯ve mentioned, we¡¯ll provide you with some options for free. I rmend looking at the guide for the list of options rather than me exining those options to you,¡± the staffer suggested.


    There were several options written in the guide, but I was not sure if they were even worth reading. Jin Cheong nced at the guide, and then he closed the book as if he wasn¡¯t interested in it.


    ¡°I¡¯ll just take her right now,¡± Jin Cheong said.


    ¡°I...¡±


    ¡°I know the seal on her has yet to be removed. I¡¯m not going to ask for a discount or be nitpicky about it... I just want to get this over with as fast as possible,¡± Jin Cheong urged.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you not to keep me waiting any longer,¡± Jin Cheong added.


    <i>¡®He sure is acting pretty arrogant.¡¯</i>


    I was sure the staffer was thinking the same thing as me. Anyway, he was basically the embodiment of desire who had just spent a million gold to buy a servant.


    The staffer quickly got up from her seat and bowed. ¡°We¡¯ll make sure to take care of the aftermath. You can stay here for as long as you like, and if there¡¯s anything you need, let me know."


    ¡°Enjoy your time,¡± the staffer said before leaving the room.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Damn it,¡± Jin Cheong cursed.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Are we done?¡± Jin Cheong asked.


    ¡°ept your quest reward first. Don¡¯t they even offer tea here? Commander, press that call button and ask them to bring tea and clothes that I can wear,¡± I requested.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really been a while. Doesn¡¯t it remind you of the old days? I mean, we''ve met in an unexpected ce again," I said.


    ¡°Stop the crap, and you don¡¯t need to worry about that quest reward. We¡¯re done, right? I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Why are you in such a hurry?" I interrupted him, "Are you just going to leave me here? Are you insane? What if something happens to me..."


    "You need to take me outside, at least, and I¡¯m hungry. I need to eat something. If they offer Mirror Salmon here, I¡¯ll take..." I trailed off.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°About our deal...¡±


    "You bought me, damn it, so you should take responsibility,¡± Iined.


    <i>''Look at this luxurious room. I think it¡¯s more luxurious than my room.''</i>


    It had been a while since I stretched my legs. I sprawled out on the couch and started eating the snacks in front of me. I nced at Jin Cheong and saw that he was looking at me with an annoyed look.


    <i>¡®I shouldn¡¯t push it. I think he¡¯s really mad.¡¯</i>


    I was sure he was really annoyed to meet the worst guest possible during his vacation.


    Lines existed so that people wouldn''t cross them. If one crossed the line, one could end up in a bad situation. What was the point of Jin Cheong and I maintaining a new bond between us?


    There was no point to it, so we simply decided not to cross each other''s lines.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. If I had made a mistake, then I sincerely apologize,¡± I said.


    ¡°I want to say that your existence itself is a mistake,¡± Jin Cheong said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°And your apology does not really matter to me,¡± Jin Cheong added.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so cold, all right? Since we¡¯re already here, we might as well talk about something meaningful. How long have you known about the ck market? It seems like you¡¯ve been using this ce for a while now. Please tell me what you know,¡± I requested.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not trying to find fault with you here. I know that you can use this ck market to obtain items that you can''t obtain through ordinary means. Anyway, are you aware of what has been going on in Colorado?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Colorado?¡± Jin Cheong asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Dumbass. We aren''t in Colorado,¡± Jin Cheong said.


    I went silent and started tapping on my thigh.


    <i>¡®Have I really traveled that far?¡¯</i>


    I wasn''t really looking outside at the time, but the journey was so short that it didn¡¯t make sense for me to be outside of Colorado. It wasn''t like I was transported via a griffon or through a warp gate...


    ¡°It¡¯s true that you can reach this ce using the warp gate in Colorado, but I don¡¯t know the exact location of this ce,¡± Jin Cheong said.


    ¡°How can you get here using a warp gate? Warp gates...¡±


    <i>¡®They were all installed by Ha-Yan.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I should be asking you that question. I¡¯m sure there are many ways to do so. Someone could have stolen a warp gate''s core, or there might be another powerful mage capable of installing warp gates.


    "Personally, I think the former is more likely, but it¡¯s none of my business how this ce was created. As you said, all I care about is getting the item that I want. Of course, I¡¯m not happy with the atmosphere of this ce...¡± Jin Cheong exined.


    ¡°<i>Hm...</i>¡±


    ¡°Based on your appearance, it looks like you were kidnapped from Colorado. What the hell are you up to that you''re looking like that?¡± Jin Cheong asked.


    ¡°<i>Ah</i>, they were distributing potions there,¡± I told him.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Wait, you don''t know that? Dumbass,¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I believe it¡¯s a hallucinogenic potion that is incredibly addictive. I found more issues, but they¡¯re not worth mentioning because the top priority is the potion being distributed throughout the city,¡± I said.


    <i>¡®He doesn¡¯t look so good.¡¯</i>


    I was just going to continue the conversation, but seeing him frown made me think that there was something bothering him, or he could be disappointed by the fact that he had yet to catch on to that fact.


    Of course, there was also a chance that he was disappointed in himself because I called him "dumbass."


    Regardless, I had to acknowledge the fact that I had been neglecting the continent.


    I never imagined that one could get here using a warp gate, and it was also possible that the warp gate wasn''t in Colorado. This ck market was massive, so it might be connected to other ces as well.


    There were only a few warp gates, but...


    ¡°Does the Republic have a warp gate as well?¡± I asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    Jin Cheong nodded lightly. Had there ever been a case where a warp gate''s core was stolen? After all, I was pretty certain that only Jung Ha-Yan was capable of making warp gates.


    Jin Cheong was probably right¡ªsomeone had stolen a warp gate''s core, or they had taken over a few warp gates unbeknownst to Jung Ha-Yan.


    Based on the situation, there could be a few reactionaries at the Magic Tower. After all, Ha-Yan didn''t install those warp gates by herself.


    What were we supposed to do next? Investigate the Magic Tower?


    <i>¡®This is an issue thates with bing too powerful...¡¯</i>


    We hadn''t been able to identify any issues in ces that were beyond our scope like Colorado.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t do anything despite knowing that?¡± I questioned.


    ¡°We¡¯re not <i>that</i> close. Why would I tell you that?¡± Jin Cheong retorted.


    <i>¡®You¡¯re being too nitpicky here.¡¯</i>


    <i>Knock, knock, knock!</i>


    When I heard knocking on the door...


    ¡°I brought the tea and food you request¡ª¡±


    <i>''Take this!''</i>


    ¡°C-Commander... P-Please! Please!¡± I eximed.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°<i>Ack!</i> Mas... ter! <i>Agh!</i> Not there...¡± I screamed.


    ¡°You bastard! What the hell are you doing?!¡± Jin Cheong shouted.


    ¡°No more... <i>Ahhhh!</i>¡± I screamed.


    ¡°You lunatic! Shut up right now!¡± Jin Cheong yelled.


    ¡°<i>Mmhm! Mmhm! Mmhm!</i>¡±


    <i>''You should¡¯ve treated me better instead of turning me into a joke. The ordinary Ki-Yeon is not so delicate that she''ll have issues bing the joker of Lindel.''</i>


    ¡°I-I¡¯ll leave these... outside. I-I... hope you have a great time...¡± the staffer said meekly.


    They were definitely stupefied by what they heard.


    Jin Cheong frowned deeply, and I believed it was an expression that suited him the best.

 Chapter 892. Vacation (10)

    <h4>Chapter 892. Vacation (10)</h4>


    ¡°You crazy bastard!¡± Jin Cheong roared.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a lunatic... Shit! Shit!¡± Jin Cheong swore.


    He became really emotional.


    ¡°These tragic incidents have been happening because you''ve been refusing to cooperate with me,¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    Jin Cheong''s eyes were quivering, and it seemed that he was truly angry.


    I felt like he was kind of losing his mind.


    ¡°Why so serious? Howe you''re still about your public image when you''ve been visiting this ck market so often? I guess you''re still obsessed with honor.¡± I pointed out.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s understandable that you¡¯d be worried. Some people have been saying that you¡¯re a lustful man, but they¡¯re technically correct, as you''ve hurriedly purchased a servant when you''re so busy that you barely have time to return to the Republic.


    "You''ve allowed your desire to take over¡ªlike you¡¯re a dog in heat...¡± I muttered.


    ¡°When did I...¡±


    ¡°You know that¡¯s not what¡¯s important, Commander. I¡¯m sure the denizens of the Republic will love that news,¡± I added.


    ¡°That should be my line. You¡¯re the Honorary Cardinal of the Sacred Democratic Country and the God of Sacrifice and Revival. However, you actually switched genders and have been spending time in a filthy ce like this.


    "I¡¯m sure the people will be happy to hear that,¡± Jin Cheong retaliated.


    ¡°Don¡¯t even think about ying games with me,¡± I warned.


    The Joker of Linderl, Lee Ki-Yeon, would never stop norpromise.


    ¡°So you have things to lose as well,¡± Jin Cheong said.


    ¡°Well, it really doesn¡¯t matter. I don¡¯t even think that they''ll believe you anyway... If you want to get involved with me that badly, then do it. Also, did I ever say that I wanted to fight? I was merely suggesting that wepromise and figure things out together.


    "You know how I do things. This will be profitable for both of us. I¡¯m not asking you to do anything difficult. I just want you to y along with me for a bit. You¡¯re so close-minded. I know we started off on the wrong foot, but it''s all water under the bridge,¡± I exined.


    It was true that we had an ill-fated rtionship, but it was all in the past. Those times had be nothing more than just a part of our memories.


    I had done all of this to help you grow¡ªall this was training for the Hero of Shadows.


    ¡°You good-for-nothing...¡± Jin Cheong muttered.


    <i>''Like the continent that has just started growing again, don''t you think that we should start growing as well?''</i>


    I cast a warm gaze at Jin Cheong as he stood up awkwardly.


    ¡°...¡±


    One had to cast a warm gaze upon others for them to reciprocate the deed, but Jin Cheong''s gaze was pretty cold.


    <i>¡®Is he trying to hit me?¡¯</i>


    <i>''Hit me if you dare. Ha-Yan wille immediately and hit you back.'' </i>


    I had no idea what to say, but many different thoughts popped up into my head.


    I was grateful that he was being rational, at the very least.


    If he had lost his mind, he would¡¯ve hit me by now. If he were to decide to beat me up, then I¡¯d act like the weak and fragile Lee Ki-Yeon. I¡¯d act like a rabbit trembling in its den¡ªI''d act like a cornered Lee Ki-Young.


    And that was when Jin Cheong sighed and said, "Stop the disgusting antics."


    ¡°Then...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll work with you, but there¡¯s a limit to it. Also, you need to offer me something that will match my efforts,¡± Jin Cheong said.


    <i>''Does he not care about what happens anymore?'' </i>There was a high chance that realized that he wouldn''t be able to avoid this. He was probably thinking about acting tough for a bit and taking care of whatever I needed him to do before I hurt his pride even more.


    He was probably thinking of going home as fast as possible to enjoy a cup of tea. Of course, I was sure that he was thinking about how he was too unlucky today as well.


    ¡°All right, let¡¯s do that. Let¡¯s look around the market first. I want to see what kind of potion it is. <i>Ah</i>, bring the stuff outside in here,¡± I requested.


    ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°What? Want me to go out there¡± I questioned.


    ¡°I¡¯ll bring it in,¡± Jin Cheong said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°The food isn¡¯t bad.¡±


    Jin Cheong looked annoyed while staring at me as I ate.


    Once I was done with my meal, I pushed the tes aside and changed clothes.


    The clothes looked like a typical qipao. The only difference was that there was a slit on the side. I threw away the clothes that I was wearing earlier, and I felt like I was finally wearing proper clothes.


    The ck dress had gold decorations, and the fabric itself felt pretty nice to the skin.


    I could tell that the ck market was meticulous in their choice of clothing, and the reason they sent this high-quality clothing was that Jin Cheong was from the Republic, and they wanted to leave a good impression on him.


    ¡°I like it,¡± I said.


    When I expressed my satisfaction, Jin Cheong looked at me with confusion. Perhaps it was because I had been living on the continent for too long, but he looked at me the way a person would look at a foreigner eating kimchi.


    I didn¡¯t say anything to him, but he seemed to have realized that I was ready because he left the room.


    I had to follow him while maintaining a certain distance from him.


    Obviously, many people were looking at us, making up assumptions about what had happened inside the room just now.


    The maids responsible for maintaining the VIP room we were in earlier looked at me.


    <i>''It will be strange if I act too normal, so I¡¯ll act like I¡¯m kind of tired. Cheong, I¡¯m helping you with your image here, okay?''</i>


    ¡°Do you know where they''re sold?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I know where they sell potions that aren¡¯t sold to the public. It¡¯s probably <i>that</i> ce,¡± Jin Cheong replied.


    ¡°Not sold to the public... I¡¯m curious since I¡¯m an alchemist as well,¡± I said.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you''re already familiar with them. There are many potions with fatal side effects, such as berserker potions and curse potions. I heard that many people have been using them...¡± Jin Cheong exined.


    ¡°If it¡¯s a potion that will get rid of one''s fear during battle, it¡¯s worth selling. Since I¡¯m an alchemist as well, I¡¯ve been researching something simr, but it wasn¡¯t worth it in the end.


    "We can¡¯t keep relying on potions while hunting, and I¡¯m sure it¡¯s being sold to adventurers who are too weak to live as adventurers,¡± I said.


    ¡°You mean like the people of Colorado?¡± Jin Cheong asked.


    ¡°Yes. I knew there was something fishy. Have you been to Colorado?¡± I asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Most of the people in that city are potion addicts. I think most of them have PTSD. The potions are only being distributed to Colorado, but who knows what will happen in the future? They might distribute them throughout the entire Federation and even the Republic,¡± I said.


    ¡°That won¡¯t happen,¡± Jin Cheong said.


    ¡°How can you say for sure? Those criminals are really systematic, you know? There are many moving parts¡ªmuch more than you think. We even need to search the Magic Tower and question some of the Republic and the Sacred Democratic Country''s key officials.


    "I guess I¡¯ve been looking at the bigger picture a bit too much. Have you been reading the messages that I''ve been sending you to your mail?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Do I need to answer that?" Jin Cheong asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been busy trying to draw the bigger picture. As a god managing the continent, my focus is spread thin. Anyway, are you interested in <i>that</i>?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Not interested,¡± Jin Cheong answered.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been training people because I need help, but we need someone who can help right away. Updating the naturalws of the continent, the dungeons, controlling the monster ecology and their poption, and evening up with quests and events..."


    "There are so many things to do that I can¡¯t list them one by one, but I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be helpful. Help me, and you¡¯ll be qualified in no time... It¡¯s a win-win situation for both of us.


    "Ji-Hye noona and I have been taking care of things somehow, but weck manpower...¡± I exined.


    ¡°It hasn¡¯t been that long since I decided not to get involved with you any longer, you bastard,¡± Jin Cheong said.


    <i>¡®But I¡¯m sure he¡¯s interested...¡¯</i>


    ¡°...¡±


    <i>¡®He¡¯s a control freak as well.¡¯</i>


    I was sure he felt anxious by the fact that things were happening in ces that he couldn''t see. He was pretending that he wasn''t a control freak, but I was very certain that once he was alone, he''d search his mail frantically for that message.


    <i>''I think it''s best to delete those messages full of swear words or the messages I sent as a joke.''</i>


    Jin Cheong had cast a spell that separated us from the people outside as we conversed, but many people were still looking at us. It seemed that the news of what had transpired in the ck market had already spread, as some people were staring at Jin Cheong with disgust.


    Of course, I also saw people smiling at Jin Cheong, and there were even some bold enough to approach him.


    ¡°Excuse me, Commander. I¡¯m sorry, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Hedler from the Federation. If you have time, I¡¯d like to talk¡ª"


    ¡°I heard you got a nice servant.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯d like to invite you to my ce sometime. I¡¯d like to show you my collection¡ª¡±


    The majority of them wanted to share their hobbies with Jin Cheong, and I was sure he wanted to tell them that he was different from them, but no one would believe him. He seemed to have realized that fact because he ignored them all and walked away.


    I knew we were in a massive estate, but the ce was bigger than what I imagined.


    It was like a mall with restaurants and a variety of shops people could enjoy.


    There were diator fights, ve markets, and monster trading shops as well. There were so many things to see that I couldn¡¯t look away. There was also an exchange shop for stolen goods and even an illegal casino.


    ¡°You visited that ce often, right, Commander? You probably went there to y games. Have you heard people say something along the lines of ''put your life on the line if you don¡¯t have the chips to pay or offer one of your hands as payment''?¡± I asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Remember the game we yed when we first met? Does that casino have that game?"


    ¡°...¡±


    <i>¡®They must have it.¡¯</i>


    ¡°You talk too much,¡± Jin Cheong said.


    ¡°<i>Ah</i>, that must be the potion exchange shop.¡± I pointed out.


    They were disyed pretty well, and I didn''t feel like I was in a ck market at all. I activated Mind¡¯s Eye and looked around quietly.


    Meanwhile, I saw Jin Cheong talking to the staffer who walked forward to greet him.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to meet the alchemist who¡¯s distributing potions throughout Colorado. If you have these potions in stock, I¡¯d like to take...¡±


    <i>¡®He¡¯s doing well.¡¯</i>


    I checked some of the potions with Mind¡¯s Eye...


    <i>¡®Hm...¡¯</i>


    <i>''Can I assume that this is the third-rate version of that hallucinogenic potion? They must¡¯ve gotten a ton of information from the potion that was being distributed throughout Celia a long time ago.''</i>


    I looked at Jin Cheong while tapping my thigh.


    The masked scum walked up to me and said, ¡°They don¡¯t seem to have any information about the alchemist. Anyway, did you find what you were looking for?¡±


    ¡°I did,¡± I answered.


    ¡°What''s the n?¡± Jin Cheong asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s no n. I found a sample, so let¡¯s just blow it up,¡± I replied.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Howe you suddenly became a man of justice? I thought you weren¡¯t really interested in ck markets,¡± Jin Cheong asked.


    <i>¡®Man of justice, my ass.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I just need to know what''s going on,¡± I said.


    Just then, I heard amotion outside.


    ¡°The warp gate!¡±


    ¡°Shit! What¡¯s going on?! The warp gate has been blocked.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, everyone. There¡¯s an ongoing issue with the warp gate. It will be stabilized soon...¡±


    <i>''Nice.''</i>


    ¡°How dare you try to dirty my things.¡±


    <i>''Nice.''</i>


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I need to go back now... Damn it...¡±


    ¡°Stop pushing. Please stop pushing!¡±


    ¡°The monster is running rampant! Security! Security!¡±


    ¡°<i>Aaaahhhh!</i>¡±


    I smiled at the sight.


    The Hero of Shadows realized what was going on and stared deeply at me.


    ¡°Crazy bastard...¡± Jin Cheong mumbled.

 Chapter 893. Vacation (11)

    <h4>Chapter 893. Vacation (11)</h4>


    Masked Scum Jin Cheong shook his head at the chaotic sight.


    ¡°Did they block the warp gate?¡± Jin Cheong questioned.


    I didn¡¯t answer because the answer was pretty obvious.


    Han Sora had basic control of the warp gates. In addition, no matter what kind of core was stolen at the Magic Tower, we had control over which one to close and open.


    Normally, we¡¯d have all of them open, but in this case, it would be best to have them closed. After all, we could make the evil bastards here suffer.


    I looked outside and couldn¡¯t help but think that the situation was pretty interesting.


    The entrance and exit had been sealed, so there was pandemonium.


    The staffers of the ck market told the people that they were handling it, and it was nothing more than a small hup, but monsters that were locked up were running rampant, so who would be able to remain calm?


    <i>¡®The effects of the potion must be pretty good.¡¯</i>


    ¡°<i>Kyaaaaaaaaah!</i>¡±


    Fear was spreading, and I was sure that the gnarly scene unfolding before everyone was quite confusing to them.


    I cast a spell, and a small fire appeared at the tip of my finger.


    I climbed up a chair and raised my finger up at the ceiling, activating the fire rm spell.


    A shrill rm echoed, and flickering red lights came to life along with a gush of water.


    rm bells rang everywhere, but there was nowhere to run.


    I could hear the screams of the frightened people along with the roars of monsters.


    <i>Swooooosh.</i>


    ¡°<i>Roooooooooar!!!</i>¡±


    ¡°<i>k!</i>¡±


    ¡°Shit, what¡¯s going on?! What is this?!¡±


    ¡°Run, damn it!!!¡±


    ¡°<i>Kyaaah!</i>¡±


    ¡°Move! Move it!¡±


    ¡°Please calm down, everyone. Follow the emergency procedures of the market! In emergencies, we are¡ª¡±


    ¡°Where are we supposed to go? Where?!¡±


    ¡°Where are we supposed to go, you crazy bastards?!¡±


    <i>¡®They wouldn¡¯t know that.¡¯</i>


    Even the staff had no idea where they were supposed to seek shelter, so a few people formed groups and just started running away toward the warp gate. However, an explosion urred from the warp gate, making them scream and run away from it.


    ¡°Help! Help me... damn it!¡±


    Running around in groups like that meant that they would most likely trip and get crushed to death. The situation was so chaotic that some even whipped out their weapons to protect themselves.


    ¡°<i>Ahh!</i>¡±


    ¡°Move, you fools!¡±


    ¡°Shit!¡±


    The powerful figures were being protected by their bodyguards, so they were in a better situation, but I was very certain that dying here would be a better oue for them.


    ¡°Lady Hennerys!¡±


    ¡°There you are,¡± Lady Hennerys said.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s best if webine our guards.¡±


    ¡°Okay, but... why is this suddenly happening...¡± Lady Hennerys asked.


    ¡°Surviving is the top priority.¡±


    ¡°R-Right, let¡¯s do that,¡± Lady Hennerys stammered.


    It seemed that the crowd thought that the safest ce here was the ce where the powerful figures were gathered.


    ¡°Help us!¡±


    ¡°Help!¡±


    ¡°Stop them! Make sure they don¡¯te in!¡±


    ¡°<i>Ahhhh!</i>¡±


    ¡°These bastards stabbed me! Damn it! They stabbed me! You bastards!¡±


    ¡°Push! Push, damn it!¡±


    <i>¡®Things are about to get messy.¡¯</i>


    It hadn¡¯t even been ten minutes, but it already felt like we were in hell.


    Jin Cheong looked around the chaos and said, ¡°It¡¯s a bad hobby.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t go that far. They¡¯re just getting punished for betraying the light and surrendering to their desire. You reap what you sow. <i>Ah</i>, I¡¯m telling you this just in case, but you need to protect me. Ah, I should also get some potions as well.


    "There are a few potions that I would like to analyze. Do you remember seeing anything decent among the stolen goods? If possible, I¡¯d like to get some of those as well. I might even be able to get some gold. Just how much is all this worth?¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°By the way, everything here is my loot. Actually, it¡¯s not mine... the Continental Protection Management Committee will be taking them away... I trust that you understand. It will be used to fund the development n of the continent,¡± I added.


    ¡°I¡¯m not even expecting anything,¡± Jin Cheong said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to pay you for protecting me,¡± I told him.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°How about a hundred thousand gold?¡± I offered.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°<i>Kyaaaaah!</i>¡±


    I flinched upon hearing a roar while I was in the middle of gathering as many potions as I could. Fortunately, Jin Cheong quietly stood in front of me, and I felt kind of relieved at the sight.


    He raised his arms, which were as long and as sturdy as a sword, and rushed toward the monster. A radiant light erupted, pushing the monster back.


    <i>Boom!</i>


    The monster struck a distant wall, and Jin Cheong dusted off his clothes.


    He had simply dealt with an Epic-rank monster, so I found is actions and pose to be quite a bit exaggerated. However, I was convinced that his pose and actions were to show me that he was protecting me, so I simply nodded at the sight.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make a yground for you, Commander. The ck market wasn¡¯t part of my n... but I don¡¯t think it would hurt to have one. I just need to make sure that you can have fun with it, right? You know what they say about losing your card,¡± I asked.


    Jin Cheong was walking confidently despite the chaos.


    He wasn''t doing much, but I heard consecutive explosions and saw the viinous bastards and monsters flying away.


    ¡°What¡¯s next?¡± Jin Cheong asked.


    ¡°We need to find the manager. Capturing them alive is the best, and we''ll ask them to lead us to their strongbox,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Looks like it won¡¯t take long,¡± Jin Cheongmented.


    ¡°I hope so,¡± I said.


    ¡°Commander! Save me. Please... Please save me!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Go away,¡± Jin Cheong said.


    The majority of the people here were figures whom Jin Cheong didn''t want to be friends with, so he didn''t bother helping them. Our situation was kind of unrealistic; there were screams everywhere, along with gory scenes.


    Amidst the chaos, Jin Cheong and I were the only ones who were calm.


    I actually found it amusing how we were walking around casually while looking around as if we were taking a stroll in our backyard. It was so unreal that it felt like we were in our own world.


    ¡°<i>Ahhhh!</i>¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the diators! Damn it!¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure how they were freed, but the locked-up diators were outside, swinging their swords randomly.


    Some of the ck market''s staffers were adventurers, but I was sure Ha Yeon-Soo had already taken care of them. As for the ves, we could just save themter. Anyway, the flickering lights were turning off one by one, and the ce was soon plunged into darkness, which made some people run rampant.


    ¡°Kill them! Kill them all, damn it!¡±¡¯


    Some of them charged into the shops as if this was their one and only chance to make it big. I swept my gaze across them and noticed that they all had unique habits that were quite dangerous.


    Now that I thought about it, only those full of greed would visit a ck market, so it wasn''t strange for them to take advantage of the chaos for their own gain. These greedy psychopaths definitely thought that this was their opportunity to get rich, and even the staffers thought the same. As expected, I saw people fighting over items.


    ¡°Let go, you bastard!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s mine, you bastards! Don¡¯te close! Stay away, damn it!¡±


    ¡°How disgraceful,¡± the Hero of Shadows mumbled.


    ¡°They¡¯re the staffers of the ck market. If they were honorable people, do you really think that they''d evene here? <i>Ah</i>, I¡¯m not saying that you¡¯re like them.


    "I¡¯m sure you have your own reasons foring here. <i>Ah!</i> The bandits areing this way. We¡¯ll be running into them soon.¡± I pointed out.


    The bandits'' goal was obvious, but they had grouped up faster than I thought.


    ¡°Leave that woman behind, Commander of the Republic,¡± a bandit suggested.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°If you agree to this request, we¡¯ll keep you safe. I¡¯m not sure how this happened, but the ce suddenly became a battlefield, and we need to be able to protect ourselves. We¡¯ll include you in our group, but leave that servant of yours behind... we will keep her entertained for you,¡± the same bandit said.


    ¡°Know your ce, you fools,¡± Jin Cheong said.


    <i>¡®He¡¯s charismatic and arrogant.¡¯</i>


    ¡°We outnumber you, and I don''t think you can handle so many monsters when you''re just a strategist in the rearguard. This is a win-win situation for both of us, so let''s keep it at that, shall we?¡± the same bandit suggested.


    ¡°The only thing you have are numbers, so don''t cross the line,¡± Jin Cheong warned.


    ¡°If you really want to be punished that badly, then we¡¯ll have no choice but to amodate. Boys!¡± the same bandit roared.


    <i>Boooooooom!</i>


    Jin Cheong waved his hand, and a few bandits were sted away.


    <i>¡®They¡¯re dead.¡¯</i>


    ¡°<i>Ahhhhhh!</i>¡±


    ¡°D-Damn it! Run!¡± a bandit shouted.


    Jin Cheong extended his hands out toward the bandits, and I heard a noise reminiscent of a gunshot. I saw something hitting the back of the bandits'' heads. Jin Cheong had probably cast a spell against them, and he made quick work of them.


    A few bandits managed to escape, but the majority of the ignorant bandits were killed.


    Jin Cheong frowned, looking like he had wasted his energy.


    He was probably thinking that he had wasted his mana on them.


    ¡°Cockroach scums,¡± Jin Cheong mumbled.


    ¡°You¡¯re pretty strong, Commander,¡± a manplimented him.


    ¡°It was just the basics,¡± Jin Cheong said.


    ¡°And you¡¯re still annoying,¡± the same man added.


    <i>¡®So many people areing here in droves...¡¯</i>


    ¡°I''ve been waiting for this moment, Jin Cheong! You bastard!¡± the man roared.


    People with a personal grudge against Jin Cheong appeared from out of nowhere.


    It seemed that they wanted to avenge themselves after losing against Jin Cheong in thetter''s own game.


    ¡°It¡¯s him! Bring me his servant!¡±


    I saw some of the auction participants earlier.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    When the story was about to reach its climax, Lee Ji-Hoo finally appeared.


    <i>¡®Ah... damn it.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Young... Master?¡± I muttered.


    ¡°Noona. Is that you?¡± Lee Ji-Hoo said.


    Moreover...


    ¡°...¡±


    Kim Hyun-Sung appeared at the crossroads.


    <i>''Wait, why are you here?''</i>


    ¡°Miss... Ki-Yeon?¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    Jin Cheong stared at Lee Ji-Hoo and grimaced as if he had gotten himself caught up in a ridiculous situation.


    Meanwhile, Ji-Hye noona smiled upon seeing an unexpected figure.


    Kim Hyun-Sung had no idea what to do.


    The four of us ended up stumbling upon each other as if it were destiny.


    It was like a memorable scene one would only see in soap operas.


    - Lee Ki-Young, you bastard! What did you do this time?


    <i>''y along. Just. This. Once.''</i>


    - Oppa, this is really awesome. I can¡¯t believe this is happening. Is this really a part of your n? Did you prepare this gift for me? You even called Kim Hyun-Sung. You¡¯re so romantic. Are you proposing to me right now?


    <i>''How is this romantic? Just stay quiet and stop crying. You look so agitated, Ji-Hye noona.''</i>


    ¡°Why are you...¡± Kim Hyun-Sung muttered.


    <i>''You shut up, too, Hyun-Sung. I told you to go make money, so what are you doing here, man?''</i>

 Chapter 894. Vacation (12)

    <h4>Chapter 894. Vacation (12)</h4>


    I wanted to yell at Kim Hyun-Sung and ask what the hell he was doing here because I was curious as to why he was here when he was supposed to be out there making money. However, I couldn¡¯t say that right now.


    The turn of events was so sudden that my mind nked out.


    <i>¡®Ah, damn it.¡¯</i>


    Obviously, Kim Hyun-Sung was surprised as well¡ªmore surprised than me.


    Putting myself in his shoes, I was sure this situation was like a dream for him.


    He only had a few precious memories, and one of those was the precious memory of that night, which ended on a bad note. In the end, all he had left was a shoe.


    It was funny to see so many emotions painting his face, but this wasn''t the most ideal situation. To make things worse, he looked like he didn''t notice Jin Cheong or Lee Ji-Hoo at all.


    It was like he was trying to decide what to say while staring intently at me.


    <i>¡®This is bad. Isn¡¯t our n ruined now?¡¯</i>


    I had to think of a way to fix this.


    ¡°You scum. Who are you...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Jin Cheong wasn¡¯t even thinking about answering. He was really shocked as well.


    - Lee Ki-Young... you scum. What the hell is going on?


    <i>''I don¡¯t know either, damn it. But I¡¯m sure you have an idea. Isn¡¯t it obvious?''</i>


    ¡°Noona... are you okay?¡± Lee Ji-Hoo asked.


    - Shit! What kind of ridiculous situation did you shove me into, Lee Ki-Young? Answer me!


    ¡°I¡¯m asking you a question, noona,¡± Lee Ji-Hoo said.


    <i>''You two need to stop pressuring me. I can''t think straight, and you¡¯re making it worse for me.'' </i>


    Lee Ji-Hoo was on the brink of exploding, and his passionate acting made the situation even more realistic. I could see that he was worried about me while we were apart. He was nervous and anxious; his breathing was uneven as well.


    He waspletely immersed in his role.


    Lee Ji-Hoo was ying the typical male protagonist regretting his actions while worrying about Lee Ki-Yeon. The desperation on his face made the other actors be immersed in their roles as well, and I took a step back without realizing it.


    I wanted to apologize to <i>him.</i> I wanted to tell him that my <i>precious thing</i> had been taken away by this man and that I was no longer the Lee Ki-Yeon whom he was familiar with...


    We weren¡¯t apart for that long, but to stay on schedule, we needed to condense the story. I suffered for two to three months because of this scum, and I thought Ji-Hye noona actually liked that setup because of the many emotions on her face.


    - Lee Ki-Young, you bastard!


    Jin Cheong went mad upon realizing that his assumption was correct.


    [Creating an Average-rank Forced Quest.]


    [I¡¯m really sorry, Commander. Please forgive me just this once. I really came here with Ji-Hye noona on vacation, but the situation became bad. I¡¯ll grant your wishter as long as it¡¯s within my power. You don¡¯t have to do anything; just act like you normally would. (0/1)]


    [An Average-rank quest has been delivered to Jin Cheong. No quest rewards were dered, so yer Jin Cheong will not receive a reward.]


    - I...


    [I¡¯m sincerely asking for your help right now. It seems like I¡¯m ying around, but I¡¯m really desperate right now. It¡¯s really important. <i>Ah</i>, how about this? We agreed to work with each other. (0/1)]


    - I don¡¯t remember agreeing to work with you, but...


    [I know you want to work with me. You¡¯re annoyed about letting me handle all of it, but you¡¯re also annoyed about the fact that many things are happening without your knowledge.


    [People like us are really sensitive to things like that. I will help you work in your desired position.


    [You¡¯ll get a lot of support, and I¡¯ll make sure that you''ll get to take on as many solo projects as possible. Basically, you¡¯re guaranteed to get those projects. Anyway, do I just need to get the Republic off your back? (0/1)]


    - ...


    [Interested? I know you are interested. It¡¯s not even a difficult request. Just act like you normally would. You don¡¯t have to do anything in particr. (0/1)]


    <i>''Actually, it''s better if you don¡¯t say anything.''</i>


    This wasn''t the right timing to transform the Hero of Shadows into the main protagonist. He just had to maintain that arrogant look and condescending look, and Ji-Hye noona would get the scene that she wanted to get.


    I didn¡¯t hear any answer from him. I wasn¡¯t sure whether he was thinking about it or if he had decided to do what I wanted him to do, but his face told me everything. He looked so much like a viin that he didn¡¯t even need to say anything.


    ¡°Come here, noona,¡± Lee Ji-Hoo said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Y-Young Master...¡± I stuttered.


    ¡°Come here,¡± Lee Ji-Hoo repeated.


    Jin Cheong was stopping me from going to him.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m... sorry. I...¡± I paused.


    ¡°I told you toe here,¡± Lee Ji-Hoo said.


    There was a subtle hostility in the air, and I was sure that Kim Hyun-Sung had realized something. I wasn¡¯t sure what kind of story he was imagining right now, but he had definitely realized that two men were fighting over a woman.


    Since he had already realized that, then I was sure he was thinking about why I was here.


    Kim Hyun-Sung finally spoke, ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, but...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t just stand by and watch,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung continued.


    <i>''No, you can just, Hyun-Sung...''</i>


    Kim Hyun-Sung looked at Jin Cheong, but I couldn¡¯t imagine these two talking to each other. As expected, the two didn¡¯t say anything despite the strange situation.


    They could have asked each other what they were doing here, but they were maintaining an awkward distance as if they were seeing each other for the first time.


    Perhaps this was better because if those two ended up getting involved, the situation could get worse.


    ¡°It¡¯s up to Miss Ki-Yeon to decide where she wants to go because she doesn¡¯t belong to anyone. I don¡¯t know what kind of rtionship you have with her, but...¡± Kim Hyun-Sung trailed off.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Miss Ki-Yeon,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung called out to me.


    Anyway, it was better to send Kim Hyun-Sung away because this was just too dangerous. I cast a longing gaze at him, and my expression spoke volumes.


    In the end, I chose to run away.


    <i>¡®I¡¯ll retreat for now.¡¯</i>


    It was for a good reason.


    Lee Ki-Yeon didn¡¯t want to be with Jin Cheong when she had indescribable feelings for Lee Ji-Hoo. It was the same for Kim Hyun-Sung. As for Jin Cheong, he didn''t have to do anything other than standing and smiling wickedly while staring at Lee Ji-Hoo.


    Would the scene be more realistic if I ran away because I couldn¡¯t stand being here any longer?


    With that in mind, I turned around and ran away.


    [Creating an Average-rank Forced Quest.]


    [Buy me some time. I¡¯m not asking for much. I just need a moment. Take care of them for me. You don¡¯t even need to worry about Kim Hyun-Sung. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll go away soon. (0/1)]


    [An Average-rank quest has been delivered to Jin Cheong. No quest rewards were dered, so yer Jin Cheong will not receive a reward.]


    They disappeared from my line of sight when I turned the next corner. I heard them calling out my name, but I quickly opened my hand mirror and sent a message.


    - Mr. Hyun-Sung, can youe here real quick?


    Obviously, the sender was the God of Sacrifice and Revival.


    The sender was God Ki-Young, who had a solid bond with Kim Hyun-Sung.


    - It¡¯s kind of urgent, and I have many things to tell you... Come to think of it, I think I was kind of harsh. I¡¯d like to apologize over dinner. I made a reservation at a nice restaurant, and I want to know how you¡¯ve been doing as well. It¡¯s been a while since we¡¯ve seen each other.


    I was running so fast that I was running out of breath, so I found it really difficult to send those messages. I couldn''t see Kim Hyun-Sung, but I wasn¡¯t sure whether Jin Cheong was doing a good job buying time or if the former had simply read my message.


    There was a chance that Kim Hyun-Sung had yet to read my messages, but I thought about the worst-case scenario, which was the possibility that Kim Hyun-Sung might not have received my messages, so I decided to send another message.


    - Also...


    <i>''I¡¯ll end it there. I have to make him curious to make it more effective. He¡¯ll probablye right away once he reads my message. Our Hyun-Sung won''t betray Light Ki-Young just because he has fallen for Bitch Ki-Yeon.''</i>


    I ran so frantically that I had no idea where I was right now. One thing I was sure of was that my surroundings were still a mess. There were screams everywhere, and I could see people running in all directions.


    There was chaos around me.


    And that was when my hand mirror vibrated in my hands.


    <i>¡®He¡¯s here.¡¯</i>


    - I¡¯m really sorry, Mr. Ki-Young.


    ¡°What?¡±


    - I have no words other than that I¡¯m really... really sorry. I¡¯d like to go to you right now, but something urgent came up... I can¡¯t tell you right now, but it¡¯s really urgent. I¡¯ll make sure I get to you within three hours. I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m... really sorry.


    - What?


    <i>¡®What the hell are you doing?¡¯</i>


    <i>''How dare you betray me when I¡¯ve done so much for you?''</i>


    - Okay. Good luck. ^^ Looks like I¡¯ve been bothering you. ^^


    <i>''Fucking¡¯ bastard. Will you still note after seeing this message?''</i>


    - You¡¯re not bothersome at all. I¡¯m actually really happy that you contacted me. I¡¯ll return once I''m done with my task here.


    Kim Hyun-Sung probably had no idea why I sent that emoticon to him.


    Perhaps I had to be a bit more straightforward because that was the only way he¡¯d understand me.


    I picked up my hand mirror again, but I had to put it away because I saw Kim Hyun-Sung running toward me. It wasn¡¯t easy mixing in with the crowd. All I could do was keep turning corners and widening our distance¡ªno, I couldn''t even do that.


    I decided to just get ready to cry.


    As expected, I felt someone putting their hand on my shoulder.


    I looked at Kim Hyun-Sung with eyes filled with tears, and he flinched upon seeing my tear-stricken face.


    I smacked his hand away, and his hand fell weakly on his side. I finally realized where we were. I pulled at my clothes to adjust them, but I inadvertently put too much strength into my hands, so I tore them apart, revealing the ve seal.


    The seal told everyone that Lee Ki-Yeon hadn''t been living an easy life.


    ¡°Miss Ki-Yeon?¡± Kim Hyun-Sung called out.


    <i>''I¡¯ll p him for now.''</i>


    <i>Smack!</i>


    ¡°<i>Ah...</i>¡±


    ¡°How much more are you going to make me miserable?¡± I questioned.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Do... Do you still believe that I don¡¯t belong to anyone?¡± I asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Are you disappointed because this isn¡¯t the reunion that you wanted?¡± I asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Are you disappointed because of how much I changed?¡± I asked.


    <i>''I¡¯ll corner him for now because he can¡¯t do anything once he''s pushed into a corner.''</i>


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m a stupid woman?¡± I asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Why did you appear before me? <i>Heuk...</i> Why... Why?!¡± I grumbled.


    <i>''Take one more p for no reason.''</i>


    <i>Smack!</i>

 Chapter 895. Vacation (13)

    <h4>Chapter 895. Vacation (13)</h4>


    Humans often activate their inner superhuman strength whenever they were in danger, and Lee Ki-Yeon was in that kind of situation. My acting was beyond method acting. My unexpected p and the tears in my eyes spoke volumes.


    Basically, Lee Ki-Yeon was feeling ashamed for showing this side of herself to someone she thought she had a precious bond with, and she resented that person for showing up at such a bad time.


    The explosion of Lee Ki-Yeon''s pent-up emotions was amazing.


    <i>''Let me p him again.''</i>


    <i>Smack!</i>


    Honestly, I was convinced that my hand was hurting more than Kim Hyun-Sung¡¯s cheek.


    Perhaps it was because of theplicated emotions coursing through me, but I didn¡¯t feel any pain at all.


    ¡°Why! Why did you appear before me?! Why?!¡± I shouted.


    I was going to start hitting him. I started hitting him lightly while crying, and I eventually started swinging my hands as if I were having a seizure.


    And that was when Kim Hyun-Sung grabbed my bloody hands and looked at me quietly.


    ¡°<i>Heuk... heuuuk... heuuuuuuk...</i>¡±


    <i>''Let''s copse like I''ve consumed all of my emotions and strength.''</i>


    He awkwardly ced his hand on my shoulder and patted me.


    This was the best he could do tofort me.


    Typically, the male lead would hug the other party at this point, but it seemed that his past blunder was telling him not to cross the line.


    In the end, all he did wasfort me warmly.


    Sometimes, staying silent was more helpful than trying to address the issue.


    Kim Hyun-Sung¡¯s current lookforted Lee Ki-Yeon. Since I was in character, I didn¡¯t dislike him at all. After all, he was the only person I could lean on right now. However, I had to pull myself together.


    <i>¡®All of this doesn¡¯t matter anyway. You jerk. How can you do this to me...¡¯</i>


    <i>''You have a lot of exining to doter. You better think of a good excuse. I must¡¯ve been going too easy on youtely. Do I have to be on the brink of death again for you toe back to your senses?''</i>


    Obviously, I could forcefully understand him. We were in a dangerous situation, and this ce wasn''t exactly safe.


    Kim Hyun-Sung wouldn¡¯t just stand idly by when someone was in danger. Moreover, a meal with Lee Ki-Young wasn¡¯t really an urgent matter.


    Since Lee Ki-Yeon was in danger, Kim Hyun-Sung probably thought that this was more urgent. I couldn''t exactly forgive him for it, but I could understand him.


    If I were in a dangerous situation, I was sure he woulde running to me right away, after all.


    <i>''He''s definitely going to do that.¡¯</i>


    This was apetition between situations rather than between Lee Ki-Young and Lee Ki-Yeon. To make matters worse, there weren¡¯t any warp gates avable for him to teleport to where Lee Ki-Young was located, anyway.


    <i>¡®But why the hell is he here? Which warp gate did he take that he ended up here?¡¯</i>


    I had no idea how many minutes it had been, but Kim Hyun-Sung was still waiting for me to calm down. I was waiting for him to say something, but he was too slow to realize that. It was nice that he wasn¡¯t saying anything, but he was being too quiet and cautious.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Guild Master of Blue,¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Are you feeling better?¡± Kim Hyun-Sung asked.


    ¡°Yes. I... showed you my ugly side. I shouldn¡¯t have screamed, and... I shouldn''t have taken my anger out on you...¡± I replied.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that way at all. It wasn¡¯t an ugly side at all...¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    Kim Hyun-Sung was still being cautious.


    It was like he was showing that our ancestor¡¯s wise words, "look before you jump," were applicable to the current situation as well, as he was really cautious with his words.


    He looked anxious like he was worried that he''d end up making a stupid mistake in the face of the woman he had met for the first time in a while. He could also be anxious because he had to leave in three hours.


    <i>''The n has been canceled, anyway, so if it''s thetter, then don''t worry about it. I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be seeing each other for the time being.''</i>


    ¡°That¡¯s not true,¡± I said, smiling dejectedly.


    ¡°Do I... look like an idiot?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m pathetic... for leaving like that... for disappearing without saying anything... and I look pathetic now that we''ve met again, right?¡± I asked.


    I didn''t think I looked that bad as I stepped backward and got ready to cry. I spoke with a voice mixed with self-deprecation and regret. It was random, but about three percent of my voice was flirtatious, and it wasn''t strange, as that was just the kind of person I was.


    ¡°I know you have some feelings for me,¡± I said.


    Kim Hyun-Sung didn¡¯t deny it.


    <i>''All right, so you¡¯re going to abandon your brother.''</i>


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± Kim Hyun-Sung asked.


    <i>''It¡¯s probably best if I tell him so that things will be a bit more dramatic.''</i>


    ¡°So...¡±


    I spoke quietly about the things that happened after we parted ways in Rift Land as well as some things he didn''t know about Lee Ki-Yeon.


    Our surroundings were chaotic, but the space we were in was quiet. I squatted down in the slightly dark space and started recounting to Kim Hyun-Sung. He didn''t say anything and merely listened to me. I started from very trivial stories to...


    ¡°I worked as a staff at an inn, and it was kind of rewarding. <i>Ah</i>, I also worked as a receptionist at an adventurer guild for a short time. It was really fun. Of course, I heard news about the Blue Guild while I was working there,¡± I said.


    Making up stories here and there to match the story wasn¡¯t that hard.


    It wasn''t like Kim Hyun-Sung could do some fact checking, anyway, and I was more knowledgeable about the continentpared to him. He smiled lightly at the mundane parts and pitied me when I told him about the unfair situations I had been in.


    ¡°And that was when I realized that I left my shoe...¡± I said.


    ¡°I still have it. I tried to give it back, but...¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    ¡°Really? <i>Hehe</i>,¡± I giggled.


    I even made jokes from time to time, but the important fact here was that he still had my shoe.


    Eventually, I got to the main story, and his expression became serious. It was the story about how I met Lee Ji-Hoo, and how I had gotten the ve seal after falling for a trap like an idiot. The story also included the reason I started working as a maid at Lee Ji-Hoo¡¯s ce...


    Kim Hyun-Sung was not saying anything, but I could tell that he was angry because this wasn¡¯t exactly the nicest story out there.


    I told him how I ended up in a ck market, how I ended up getting sold for a million gold, and how I ended up in the hands of the Commander of the Republic. My story made him clench his fist.


    <i>''Jin Cheong, you¡¯re in big trouble now.''</i>


    ¡°That was two months ago,¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°But why are you here?¡± I asked.


    I cast a suspicious gaze at him to make him think that I was suspecting him of visiting the ck market for the same reason as Jin Cheong.


    Obviously, Kim Hyun-Sung looked really shocked.


    To be honest, Lee Ki-Young was more curious about this than Lee Ki-Yeon.


    <i>''Why the hell are you here? Are you doing something bad behind my back? You didn''t know that this ck market existed until now, right? If you¡¯ve really been hiding its existence from me, then I¡¯ll be disappointed.''</i>


    ¡°Do you...¡±


    ¡°I-It¡¯s nothing like that, Miss Ki-Yeon,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung stuttered.


    ¡°Then?¡± I asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I feel like I¡¯ve been talking about myself too much,¡± I said.


    ¡°I received a request,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    ¡°A request?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes. I found out about this ce a few days ago. I can¡¯t tell you the details, but it¡¯s regarding the guild...¡± he answered.


    <i>¡®Ah, does this have to do with building a new branch?¡¯</i>


    ¡°So...¡±


    <i>¡®Look at him hesitate...¡¯</i>


    ¡°Did that friend of yours make the request?¡± I asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung replied.


    Although Kim Hyun-Sung didn¡¯t give me the details, I could tell that it was the request I had made.


    <i>¡®This guy...¡¯</i>


    Perhaps he was trying to make up for the insufficient guild funds.


    He probably thought that raiding a ck market would be more profitable than raiding a dungeon. There was a warp gate at the Republic, so it would make the Republic wary of ck markets once this ck market was shut down.


    It seemed like he was trying to sell the funds and stolen goods that he would get from getting rid of this ce to earn some money. He had sessfully infiltrated this ck market, but the warp gate suddenly closed...


    <i>''Is that even right?''</i>


    It was highly likely that my assumption was correct. However, it was best to ask him the details as Lee Ki-Young since this was a guild secret. He couldn¡¯t tell the details to Lee Ki-Yeon, as she was technically an outsider.


    ¡°The issue you''ve discussed with me must¡¯ve gotten resolved.¡± I pointed out.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s all thanks to you. Mr. Ki-Young...¡±


    ¡°So it was Father Lee Ki-Young. I mean, the person you mentioned back then...¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°What kind of person is he?¡± I asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s someone who¡¯s precious to me,¡± he replied.


    <i>''But you have the guts to abandon me?''</i>


    ¡°He helped me be the person I am today, and he has been supporting me all this while. I don¡¯t have enough words to describe it all... but he¡¯s a close friend,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung exined.


    <i>''But you ignored me. How dare you? I even sacrificed myself for you.''</i>


    ¡°I¡¯d like to introduce you to him, but...¡± Kim Hyun-Sung trailed off.


    ¡°...¡±


    There was a moment of silence, and Kim Hyun-Sung finally decided to keep talking when the silence became too long. He was trembling slightly, so he seemed to be getting ready to make an important statement.


    As a response, I got into a slightly serious pose.


    ¡°Excuse me... Miss Ki-Yeon.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    He was definitely gathering his courage to say that.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind...¡± Kim Hyun-Sung paused.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t youe to the Blue Guild?¡± Kim Hyun-Sung suggested.


    <i>¡®You¡¯re funny. You have no right to bring Lee Ki-Yeon to the guild. You''ve never been interested in recruiting people.¡¯</i>


    I thought it was a slightly impulsive statement.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure we can resolve the issues you¡¯re having, and I¡¯m not saying this out of pity or because of the situation you¡¯re experiencing. It¡¯s just... I think Mr. Ki-Young will like you as well. There are other reasons, but anyway... W-Why don¡¯t youe with me?¡± Kim Hyun-Sung stuttered.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I normally don¡¯t make this kind of offer... but I feel like I need to say something...¡± Kim Hyun-Sung added.


    ¡°You told me the same thingst time. You said you normally don¡¯t do this... but you felt like making this offer today for some reason. It must be a typical statement you make when flirting with girls,¡± I said.


    ¡°T-That¡¯s not true,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said, immediately denying it.


    I wasn¡¯t sure whether it was true or not because Kim Hyun-Sung seemed to be acting on impulse. He probably said it unconsciously. Honestly, he definitely wasn''t sure about his own feelings toward Lee Ki-Yeon. He had beautiful memories of her, but those memories weren''t enough to define a person.


    I was certain that his offer was out of impulse, but it definitely contained some pity and a bit of his feelings.


    <i>''Yeah, I get it, but you know...''</i>


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I said.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, but I can¡¯t go with you,¡± I answered with a sad smile.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°The young master¡ªI¡¯ve fallen in love with Lee Ji-Hoo,¡± I confessed.


    Kim Hyun-Sung had yet to confess, but he had already been rejected.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand it, either...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°But lovees in many forms,¡± I said.


    <i>''That was a great line.''</i>


    Kim Hyun-Sung¡¯s eyes quivered intensely.


    <i>''Deserved.''</i>

 Chapter 896. Vacation (14)

    <h4>Chapter 896. Vacation (14)</h4>


    Kim Hyun-Sung looked like there were many things he wanted to say.


    I had no idea if Lee Ki-Yeon was truly his first love, but it was an undeniable fact that he had a crush on her. Since he had offered her to go to the Blue Guild together, he was probably imagining a lovey-dovey future between him and her.


    <i>¡®That won¡¯t happen, man. Lee Ki-Yeon has Lee Ji-Hoo.¡¯</i>


    The memories of that precious night made Kim Hyun-Sung have feelings for Lee Ki-Yeon, and his suggestion just now was probably his way of confessing his feelings to her. He was ufortable about being straightforward, so I was sure he was ufortable as well when he said that.


    He was never the type to say something so bold, so he was really being courageous right now.


    I felt an electrifying tingle running down my spine. He seemed like he was unsure of his feelings, but I felt an unknown sense of sadness from him. His one-sided crush had ended before it started, and I had to say something to end this once and for all.


    ¡°Yes, I love the young master,¡± I confessed.


    Bitch Ki-Yeon was already Lee Ji-Hoo¡¯s servant, so his identity as the Guild Master of the Blue Guild and the Sunset Swordsman didn''t matter at all. Skills and appearance weren''t the most important things in the world, after all.


    ¡°I-I see,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung stuttered.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for saying this to you despite being the Guild Master of the Blue Guild,¡± I said.


    ¡°No, I...¡± Kim Hyun-Sung paused.


    <i>''Don¡¯t deny it. I need to really make it clear. You were already rejected even befor your confession. He has to know the harsh reality.''</i>


    ¡°I¡¯m not <i>that</i> slow-witted, you know,¡± I said.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I knew your feelings...¡± I told him.


    <i>''But you had no chance from the start. You understand me, right?'' </i>


    I really had to make sure that he''d know...


    I had to be straightforward with him, or he''de up with his own conclusion.


    I had to make it clear that I was rejecting him.


    It was better to take the initiative in a situation like this.


    I was caught off guard by the fact that Kim Hyun-Sung had confessed when his feelings toward me weren''t really that significant.


    However, he had already confessed to me. I just had to make it clear that I was rejecting him so that he would understand the cold reality.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I can''t ept your feelings, Mr. Hyun-Sung,¡± I apologized.


    <i>¡®This was a nice build-up.¡¯</i>


    It was so magical. He was probably thinking that he just got dumped after making the confession of a lifetime.


    <i>¡®I shut him down good.¡¯</i>


    However, I needed to give him hope, as that was how one could "manage" people.


    ¡°If I had met you a bit sooner...¡± I mumbled.


    It was a typical line, but it was enough to touch anyone''s heart.


    ¡°W-Would I have been in a healthier and loving rtionship?¡± I stammered.


    Kim Hyun-Sung looked sad. Humans were easily influenced by emotions and moods.


    A great example of this was the fact that whenever one was talking to someone in a dark, isted space, one would start feeling emotions that one had never felt before.


    Obviously, Lee Ki-Yeon¡¯s acting skill was spearheading this situation.


    My pitiful face, teary eyes, seductive lips, slightly red cheeks, and trembling hands and feet could easily activate anyone''s instinct to protect. The mood was so good that it made me feel like I was in a melodrama.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll make even a monk¡¯s heart race or make even a psychopath''s heart race.''</i>


    Kim Hyun-Sung was falling for it as well without realizing it.


    Lee Ki-Yeon shed another beautiful tear.


    Howe I couldn¡¯t meet Kim Hyun-Sung sooner?


    Why was it that I had to experience this kind of love? Why was I so dumb and silly? I could be in a healthier and loving rtionship, so why was it that I had to listen to the voice in my heart? Why couldn''t I ept the Guild Master of Blue''s feelings? I...


    <i>¡®Pleasefort me.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Miss Ki-Yeon...¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    <i>¡®I need you tofort me. Hug me tight. Hug me really tight. Please. Please hug me.¡¯</i>


    I was like hypnotizing him. Kim Hyun-Sung seemed to be wondering how he couldfort me while looking at me as if I were the most pitiful woman in the world. How could he stand still when the woman was aggressively hinting at him to hug her andfort her?


    Kim Hyun-Sung stretched his hands out and tried to hug the woman in pain, but...


    ¡°Please don¡¯t do this, Mr. Hyun-Sung,¡± I said.


    <i>''That won¡¯t work, man.''</i>


    ¡°Please... Please don¡¯t do this any longer. Don¡¯t... make my heart waver... any longer,¡± I begged.


    <i>''Bastard.''</i>


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry. I just...¡± Kim Hyun-Sung paused.


    ¡°...¡±


    <i>You got dumped again without even confessing. Hyun-Sung, you should be careful when you start meeting women in the future. How are you going to survive this harsh world when you''re so clumsy?''</i>


    <i>''You won¡¯t look charming by behaving like you¡¯re willing to give everything you have like a fool. If you stumble upon a gold digger, I''m afraid you might end up giving her the Blue Guild. I should really get him and Hye-Jin together as quickly as possible.''</i>


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t my intention. It just seemed like you were asking to beforted...¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    ¡°You¡¯re a good person, Mr. Hyun-Sung...¡± I said.


    ¡°That¡¯s not true. I¡¯m not a good person...¡± Kim Hyun-Sung denied.


    ¡°The woman whom you will love will definitely be happy,¡± I added. This kind of line was pretty effective when it came to "managing" people. Moreover, instilling useless hope was my forte.


    ¡°That¡¯s...¡±


    ¡°Give that warmth to the person who truly needs you,¡± I said and stood up.


    <i>¡®If possible, give it to Hye-Jin. I still have some stocks of her.¡¯</i>


    Kim Hyun-Sung nodded slowly with a face that told me that he had realized something.


    He still looked sad, but his emotions seemed to have be bittersweet.


    ¡°I think I understand what you¡¯re saying, Miss Ki-Yeon,¡± he said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°So what will you do now?¡± Kim Hyun-Sung asked.


    ¡°I should return to the young master,¡± I answered.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It was nice seeing you, Mr. Hyun-Sung,¡± I said.


    ¡°Excuse me... M-Miss Ki-Yeon,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung called out.


    Kim Hyun-Sung grabbed my hand, but he quickly let go of it with a surprised look on his face.


    I was also taken aback by what he had done.


    Of course, I didn''t think that he was being stubborn, as he knew that Lee Ki-Yeon wouldn''t change her mind. He was probably trying to end this in his own way. I was not sure whether that¡¯d end this rtionship or lead to a new rtionship, but he looked pretty serious as he stared at me.


    ¡°I might be saying something unnecessary here, but...¡± Kim Hyun-Sung trailed off.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°And you might not even want it...¡± Kim Hyun-Sung trailed off again.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°But I want to help you somehow,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    ¡°What? What do you¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not because I want something... I don''t have any other intentions, either. I-I just feel like I need to do this...¡± Kim Hyun-Sung interrupted.


    ¡°You¡¯re kind. I... feel like I''m being rude toward you,¡± I told him.


    ¡°That¡¯s not true. Honestly, I still don¡¯t know... what kind of person you are, and I don¡¯t know what kind of feelings I have for you... but I at least want you to be happy. This is the one emotion I¡¯m sure of,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung exined.


    <i>¡®Shit. Is this guy being serious?¡¯</i>


    <i>''Even though this love cannot and won''te true, you actually still want to make her happy? Are you saying you¡¯re going to cheer on us two from afar? Did you receive some kind of script from Ji-Hye noona? Are you the second lead of this melodrama?''</i>


    I started wondering whether Kim Hyun-Sung was a paid actor or not, but there was determination in his eyes. He was never the type of person to care about other people, but he cared a lot about Lee Ki-Yeon, so I was very certain that he had feelings for her.


    I became even more confident in my assumption when I remembered how he had abandoned his brother for her. To make matters worse, he looked like he didn''t regret that decision at all, and it was proven by how he was staring at me with a solemn look.


    I would hit him if I could, but I couldn¡¯t find the right timing, as we were moving too fast.


    He was taking his crush back to his love rival.


    If Kim Hyun-Sung were a bit weaker, he would look more noble.


    He was like a knight protecting his princess from every possible danger.


    Knights were sacrificial figures, and despite the sad reality that the princess and the knight couldn''t be together, the Sunset Swordsman of the Blue Kingdom was giving everything he had to protect the innocent princess.


    Things would be too easy if the monster was too weak to the extent of dying in just one hit.


    I was sure that Lee Ji-Hoo was definitely thinking of the same thing as me.


    The Sunset Swordsman¡¯s struggle...


    Despite knowing that they would eventually part ways, Kim Hyun-Sung still decided to sacrifice himself for the heroine.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m sure he would be popr no matter where he is.¡¯</i>


    First of all, he was handsome.


    If the world had a poprity contest, he''d always be at the top.


    The battered and bruised knight soon arrived in front of the prince.


    <i>¡®That¡¯s another novel right there.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Noona?¡± Lee Ji-Hoo said.


    ¡°Young Master...¡± I answered.


    ¡°Noona... noona...¡± Lee Ji-Hoo repeated.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me, Young Master. It¡¯s Lee Ki-Yeon,¡± I said and started crying.


    Our reunion earlier wasn¡¯t touching, but this one was different because Lee Ki-Yeon had finally realized that she loved Lee Ji-Hoo.


    No matter what kind of hardships she would go through, and even if the young master ended up hating her, Lee Ki-Yeon was resolved to ovee any obstacles. Wouldn¡¯t it be fitting to say that the Sunset Swordsman had taught her to think that way?


    Kim Hyun-Sung and I had a short adventure, but it was a journey that took about five months. This time, there were many parts that had to be shortened due to the time constraint.


    Anyway, Lee Ki-Yeon was afraid to look at Lee Ji-Hoo, who had just been humiliated by the scummy and horny Jin Cheong. However, Lee Ki-Yeon only took a moment topose herself before bravely stepping forward.


    ¡°Young Master, I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say anything, noona,¡± Lee Ji-Hoo interrupted.


    <i>¡®Lee Ji-Hye, your emotions are really...¡¯</i>


    ¡°Don¡¯t say another word,¡± Lee Ji-Hoo said.


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°I realized it when I got separated from you,¡± Lee Ji-Hoo added.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I finally realized... just how precious you are to me... And it was such a straightforward feeling. I don¡¯t care what kind of person you are. I love you... Lee Ki-Yeon,¡± Lee Ji-Hoo confessed.


    My hesitant steps were no longer full of hesitation as I moved even faster.


    ¡°Y-Young Master..." I mumbled and started running while crying at some point. I ran out of breath, but I ran desperately as if I wanted to be in his arms as soon as possible. I almost fell to the ground, but I recovered my bnce and ran with all my might.


    Lee Ji-Hoo did the same and was running from the other side toward me. I nced at him and noticed that his face was covered in tears.


    I couldn''t see any traces of his yful side, and he looked like a mess.


    He wanted to fulfill his one and only desire, which was to embrace a certain woman.


    His desperation was telling me how hard he had worked to get this far.


    And that was when the two people finally met and hugged each other tightly to seemingly affirm their love for each other...


    <i>¡®I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m doing this.¡¯</i>


    It was kind of fun, though.


    It would have been more fun if Kim Hyun-Sung hadn''t said his next words while staring at Jin Cheong with a slightly sad face.


    ¡°I¡¯ll pay for her freedom, Commander of the Republic.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°One million...¡± Kim Hyun-Sung offered.


    <i>¡®What?¡¯</i>


    ¡°No, two million gold. Is that enough?¡± Kim Hyun-Sung asked.


    <i>¡®You bastard...¡¯</i>


    ¡°Miss Ki-Yeon... please be happy...¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    <i>¡®Kim Hyun-Sung, you jerk... You¡¯re someone who''d happily give everything you have to a fox. You can still give some money to your brother who sacrificed himself for you, right? You still have money for me, right?¡¯</i>


    <i>''If you don¡¯t, then it¡¯s really over for us. Got it?''</i>


    - <i>Hahahaha!</i> Thanks for the gift, Lee Ki-Young!


    Jin Cheong''s delighted voice made me seethe inside.

 Chapter 897. Vacation (15)

    <h4>Chapter 897. Vacation (15)</h4>


    <i>¡®I¡¯m so angry.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I¡¯m so annoyed, damn it,¡± I said.


    ¡°What are you so annoyed about?¡± Lee Ji-Hye asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s pretty obvious,¡± Lee Ji-Hye said.


    <i>¡®Jin Cheong, that bastard.¡¯</i>


    I got angry again when I recalled his delighted voice. I was sure he was more happy about backstabbing me than getting money. He was clearly mocking me. His behavior was strange, and I was sure he hadughed out loud on purpose to provoke me.


    Even if that wasn¡¯t his goal, he still obtained two million gold, so he was definitely happy about that. It was an unexpected boon, so he was definitely on cloud nine right now. I gnashed my teeth when I remembered how he thanked me.


    <i>¡®No, Kim Hyun-Sung is more problematic than him. What kind of crazy bastard hands over two million gold because of someone he had met long ago? Where did you even get that money from? Did you write an IOU or something? Weren¡¯t you going to give me the profits you''ve earned from the ck market?¡¯</i>


    I had no idea how much gold they had stored here, but two million gold was a ridiculouslyrge amount.


    It¡¯d be a different story if Kim Hyun-Sung managed to sell all the stolen goods here, but there was no way he could do that. In addition to the one million gold that Jin Cheong had paid the ck market, there was still the remaining one million gold. I couldn''t help but wonder where he had obtained that amount.


    To make matters worse, the money was supposed to belong to the Continental Protection Management Committee, so it felt like I lost double the amount, making me feel even more bitter.


    <i>¡®Jin Cheong isn¡¯t the problem. He¡¯s the root of all evil.¡¯</i>


    I was sure that if Jin Cheong wanted to get more, he could have gotten more than just two million gold.


    I wondered how he was going toplete the quest that I had given him and why he even did that without thinking it through.


    <i>''The fox¡ªI mean, that fox was me, but I really wanted to hold a hearing.''</i>


    ¡°I guess Kim Hyun-Sung is still a man in the end. He looked at Lee Ki-Yeon as if she was someone special. He¡¯s a good person, and it''s proven by the fact that he¡¯s cheering her on...¡± Lee Ji-Hye said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It was fun, right? Let¡¯s end this on a good note,¡± Lee Ji-Hye said.


    <i>¡®Well, we can¡¯t end it on a good note.¡¯</i>


    ¡°It¡¯s not like we didn¡¯t profit. We resolved the potion addiction crisis in Colorado. Of course, there are still many things that we need to handle," Lee Ji-Hye said.


    ¡°What''s going to happen afterward is more important. In less than a week, there will be an uproar from the peopleining about their addiction.


    "I need to dere Colorado as a special management region and track the distribution route of the potions. Han Sora will take care of the Magic Tower. I think it¡¯s best if we leave Lindel alone.


    "Jin Cheong had also promised to take care of the Republic side. We should consider restoring the Federation to its original state as our top priority,¡± I suggested.


    If one only looked at the results, then it looked great. The only problem was the financial loss. Designating a ce as a special management area was expensive, but how could the Honorary Cardinal of the Sacred Democratic Country leave the addicts to suffer?


    The Federation was famous for being broke, so they¡¯d obviously request funds from the Committee.


    Even quick maths on the cost of a rehabilitation center, a counseling center, and a living assistance system for the Adventurers of the Federation and Colorado said that the amount would be astronomical.


    Obviously, <i>I</i> wouldn''t pay for all of this, but the Committee¡¯s funds were closely tied to me, so I felt bitter about this incident.


    <i>¡®Kim Hyun-Sung, you jerk.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Are you sure there¡¯s one at the Magic Tower?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s a warp gate there, so it''s pretty obvious. One just has to fall, and they''ll fall one by one like dominoes. If we let the ck Swan Guild handle it, it¡¯ll only take a few days,¡± Lee Ji-Hye answered.


    Fortunately, we could confiscate the assets of the viins. However, it didn''t change the fact that Kim Hyun-Sung was still a jerk.


    ¡°By the way, you look good, Ji-Hye noona,¡± I said.


    ¡°Of course. It feels like I enjoyed my vacation for the first time in a while. Yeon-Soo was there to record, so I can watch it every day,¡± Lee Ji-Hye said.


    ¡°What did she record?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Everything. Once the video is edited, it¡¯ll be pretty fun to watch,¡± Lee Ji-Hye answered.


    <i>¡®Everything?¡¯</i>


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m going to spend the rest of my vacation with Yeon-Soo. My staffer worked really hard, and it resulted in a great piece. I need to make sure that Yeon-Soo gets to make great memories as well, as it would be the reward for her hard work.


    "<i>Ah</i>, now that I think about it, aren¡¯t you supposed to meet Kim Hyun-Sung? You have less than thirty minutes left. What are you going to do?¡± Lee Ji-Hye asked.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t nning on meeting him anyway. <i>Ah</i>, I should send him a message,¡± I said.


    Sure enough, I had already received a message.


    I wanted to write something nice, but I couldn¡¯t do it.


    - Mr. Ki-Young, where are you right now? I¡¯m almost there.


    <i>''He¡¯s not even apologizing to me.''</i>


    - I need to cancel our n today. You seem busy... take care of your work. ^^ I feel like I¡¯m bothering you when you¡¯re working so hard. ^^ You¡¯re so busy that you can¡¯t even contact me, right?


    - That¡¯s not true. I have my reasons for not contacting you back... I was actually going to contact you, Mr. Ki-Young, but there was a pretty important matter...


    - But you did not contact me. You seem busy right now, so you can just stop replying, Guild Master. I believe you¡¯ll do a great job at the task that I¡¯ve given you, as you¡¯ve been working so hard. ^^;;


    <i>¡®You still can¡¯t tell?¡¯</i>


    - I¡¯d really appreciate it if you could send a performance report by tomorrow, Guild Master. I would like you to focus on the budget, in particr, Guild Master.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m angry. I¡¯m actually angry.¡¯</i>


    Kim Hyun-Sung had to be disciplined.


    I realized that I had been going too easy on him.


    I knew he was slow-witted, but he''d definitely understand what I was trying to say here, right? I specifically called him "Guild Master," so he''d definitely realize that something was wrong.


    It was proven by the fact that he didn¡¯t reply right away.


    I was sure he had finally realized that the emoticons I sent in my first message weren''t my way of expressing my kindness to him.


    As expected, my hand mirror started ringing. I was sure he wanted to talk over the phone, as he had no idea what to say. Of course, I didn¡¯t answer his call.


    My hand mirror rang a few more times, but I didn¡¯t answer him.


    - Please stop calling me, Guild Master. I can¡¯t talk on the phone right now.


    - Mr. Ki-Young, there¡¯s something that I really want to tell you today.


    <i>''He¡¯s getting impatient.''</i>


    - Please call meter.


    I couldn''t even smile, as I already knew what he was going to say. He was probably going to exin his situation, say that he needed to save someone in danger, and make excuses. I¡¯d have topliment him if I were to hear him out, so it was better not to respond to his calls.


    - How about focusing more on your task rather than talking about useless things? ^^;; I¡¯m kind of busy right now.


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty obvious. I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sowwy... h, h, h,¡± I said.


    - If I insulted you in any way... I¡¯m really sorry.


    <i>¡®Sorry, my ass.¡¯</i>


    - I got you a gift. It¡¯s Micharia¡¯s Ne. I wanted to give it to you in person... If you can make some time for me...


    Kim Hyun-Sung even sent a picture of it. For some reason, the name sounded familiar.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s </i>that<i> item.¡¯</i>


    The final item that was supposed to be sold on the ck market. It had a pretty simple design. I didn¡¯t like it, but it was definitely an excellent item, as it was being sold in an auction house.


    <i>¡®I can probably sell this to Jin Cheong.¡¯</i>


    He seemed pretty sad about it, so I could probably sell it to him for two million gold.


    If its effects weren''t bad, I could equip it myself.


    It wasn¡¯t so bad, but I wasn¡¯t happy about the fact that he wanted to meet me. He¡¯d probably go on and on about how sorry he was. I felt bad, but I needed to discipline him.


    Of course, I was still going to ept the ne.


    - I¡¯d appreciate it if you could just mail the ne. I don¡¯t want to see you right now.


    - Okay... I¡¯ll send it right away.


    - If you have nothing else to say, I¡¯ll be signing off, Guild Master.


    - Excuse me, Mr. Ki-Young...


    - Yes?


    - There was an unavoidable reason why I had to bete to the ce you invited me.


    - I¡¯m telling you this because I¡¯m in an avoidable situation right now. ^^;;


    - I¡¯m sorry, but...


    I didn¡¯t reply to hisst message and messaged someone else instead.


    Soon, I heard a voice outside.


    ¡°Mr. Ki-Young? You have a guest.¡±


    ¡°Tell them toe in. Actually, I¡¯ll head out,¡± I answered.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    When I walked out, I saw a face I hadn¡¯t seen in a while.


    ¡°Have you been doing well?¡± I asked.


    He hadn''t dyed his hair, so he still had blond hair. Perhaps it was because of the influence of mana, but his appearance hadn''t really changed. He was smiling at me, so I was sure he was happy about the fact that I had messaged him.


    Judging by his flushed face, he had to have run here the moment he received my message.


    <i>''This is what I¡¯m talking about... This is more like it.''</i>


    ¡°Am Ite, hyung? I¡¯m sorry. I was in the middle of training...¡± Rafael said.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Mr. Rafael,¡± I said.


    ¡°I-Is something wrong?¡± Rafael asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing serious. Do I need to have a reason to contact you?¡± I questioned.


    ¡°Not really...¡± Rafael replied.


    <i>''Yeah, I¡¯ve neglected you too much. I also understand that this is too sudden.''</i>


    ¡°I contacted you because I wanted to catch up over a meal. I was wondering what you¡¯ve been up to these days... and I have a favor to ask as well. I¡¯d like to talk to you about what''s happening on the continent these days. Are you avable?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m avable, hyung,¡± Rafael replied.


    ¡°Can you... make a reservation at <i>that </i>restaurant?¡± I requested.


    ¡°A-actually, I know a better ce. Let¡¯s go there, hyung,¡± Rafael suggested.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s actually dinner time... and I thought something like this might happen...¡± Rafael said.


    ¡°How about we take a picture?¡± I suggested.


    ¡°What? But that''s so sudden...¡± Rafael questioned.


    ¡°Let¡¯s take one together, Mr. Rafael,¡± I said.


    ¡°<i>Ah...</i> okay.¡±


    I felt like we took a pretty good picture. I ignored Rafael¡¯s awkward smile and immediately posted it on Benigoa Net. I rarely made posts, but I immediately logged into my personal ount and soon uploaded the picture.


    I was curious about thements that the people were going to make. It had been a while since I posted on Benigoagram, so I decided to post the picture with the following caption.


    [It¡¯s been a while since I met the Gray Warrior.]


    <i>''It''s pretty good, but obviously, I didn¡¯t stop there.''</i>


    [#I don¡¯t care anymore #With my lovely little bro #An overdue outing #Restaurant #Honorary Cardinal and the Gray Warrior #Holy Sword Warrior # Rafael #Goodbye stress #Finally free #We understand each other #Unbroken promise #A sincere friend]


    In addition...


    [#A new friend]


    <i>''I really needed to discipline him. Seriously.''</i>

 Chapter 898. Holy Sword Warrior and the Honorary Cardinal (1)

    <h4>Chapter 898. Holy Sword Warrior and the Honorary Cardinal (1)</h4>


    [Jung Ha-Yan likes your photo.]


    I knew Jung Ha-Yan would like my photo first. I thought she was with Han Sora right now and was investigating the Magic Tower with her, but it seemed that this was important to her as well.


    Jung Ha-Yan had to be on her hand mirror after making Han Sora handle the majority of the tasks. It had only been one second since I uploaded the photo, but she had already reacted to it, which was exactly what I expected from Jung Ha-Yan.


    [Cha Hee-Ra likes your photo.]


    [Jo Hye-Jin likes your photo.]


    Cha Hee-Ra¡¯s ount was being managed by her guild, so they had to do this to show that she had no issues with me. Hye-Jin always had her hand mirror with her, so of course, she''d react quickly to my photo.


    <i>''Is today her day off? I wonder what she¡¯s doing right now.'' </i>


    I wanted to invite Jo Hye-Jin out, but Kim Hyun-Sung would probably despise me for it, so I decided against it. In addition, Rafael was actually more effective when it came to it.


    Rafael talked nonstop, and I nodded nonstop at what he was saying. I nced at my hand mirror and saw that many people were liking the photo. It was happening so fast that I couldn¡¯t check every single notification, but I saw most of it thanks to Mind''s Eye.


    It seemed that Park Deok-Gu, Ahn Ki-Mo, Kim Ye-Ri, the guild members, Oscar, and even Father Basel had Benigoagram ounts.


    Clearly, Father Basel wasn''t falling behind the trends these days. Lady Marilyn, Senator Caitlyn, the executives of the Republic and Federation, the Vatican, and even Other races liked the photo.


    The photo that I had just posted spread like wildfire on Benigoa Net, and I was sure that Kim Hyun-Sung would soon see the post. Momentster...


    [Kim Hyun-Sung likes your photo.]


    He finally saw it.


    [Kim Hyun-Sung has unliked your photo.]


    <i>¡®He must¡¯ve misclicked.¡¯</i>


    My ount could see through everything.


    I was sure he had misclicked while scrolling through his feed. It was pretty obvious. He probably tapped on it again upon realizing that he had liked my photo, but he had no idea that I could see what he was doing.


    Was he that obsessed with his hand mirror?


    And that was when I heard a voice beside me.


    ¡°How... have you been doing, hyung?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Things are pretty much the same. I''ve been spending the majority of my time working, but I still make sure to enjoy some breaks from time to time. I''ve been doing some reading and praying as well,¡± I answered.


    I couldn¡¯t tell him that I had a chaotic vacation with Ji-Hye noona.


    ¡°You¡¯re simply... amazing. B-But... please focus more on your health,¡± Rafael requested.


    I just smiled quietly.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry too much,¡± I reassured him.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m taking care of my health more than anyone. I¡¯m not working as hard as you think I am. Of course, I know I shouldn¡¯t be acting like this since the continent has yet to recover, but I¡¯m human as well... I tend to bezy from time to time,¡± I added.


    ¡°<i>Hahaha...</i>¡±


    Rafael wasughing, but there was a hint of sadness in hisugh.


    It seemed like he was thinking that I could never bezy.


    ¡°I mean, I''m spending time with you right now, right?¡± I questioned.


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right...¡± Rafael answered.


    ¡°I¡¯m enjoying myself because it¡¯s been a while since we¡¯ve seen each other,¡± I said. I wasn¡¯t really enjoying myself. He wasn¡¯t really fun to be around. It was fine to see him once in a while, but I didn¡¯t want to meet him often.


    Fortunately, our meeting happened so suddenly that we had many things to talk about. I was also curious about how Rafael was doing these days.


    The Holy Sword Warrior¡¯s party was apetent party of the continent. They were less valuable than Kim Hyun-Sung, Jung Ha-Yan, Cha Hee-Ra, and me, but they were gaining a ton of attention. That was probably why people were looking at us.


    <i>¡®But I knew this would happen...''</i>


    ¡°Today is pretty bad, though,¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, Mr. Rafael,¡± I replied.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s really bad.¡¯</i>


    It was the same whenever I went out with Kim Hyun-Sung, Jung Ha-Yan, or even Park Deok-Gu. People would look at us because heroes of the continent and popr adventurers were like celebrities here, but I felt like today was especially bad.


    It felt like everyone was making it obvious that they were staring at us. Some even tantly took photos. I also noticed a few reporters among the crowd.


    <i>¡®Rafael must be more popr than I thought. Has it really been that long since Ist saw him?¡¯</i>


    I felt like they were going to release an article about this.


    I opened my hand mirror again and saw an article on the main page.


    I knew this was going to happen...


    [Honorary Cardinal and the Holy Sword Warrior¡¯s Lindel Outing - Reporter Kim Sung-Kyeong from Lindel Daily Report]


    There were countlessments, but I did not need to read them.


    It wasn''t that difficult to deduce what thosements were like.


    I was sure theizens were going crazy right now, thinking about the reason why I decided to summon the Holy Sword Warrior to Lindel. Of course, they were definitely specting about my political intentions as well, and there was also a chance that they were assuming that I''d recruit Rafael¡¯s party to the Blue Guild, as we were in alliance.


    [A Conflict with the Sunset Swordsman? The Blue Guild Has Yet to Released an Official Statement - Reporter Kang Yumi of Lindel¡¯s Political Department]


    <i>¡®What the hell is this?¡¯</i>


    Was the "new friend" hashtag too stimting? Anyway, they were blowing things out of proportion to get people talking.


    [Unidentified ID: I knew this was going to happen. I don¡¯t want to say this, but when you look at the guild master¡¯s past behavior, it¡¯s understandable. He even left for the Republic for no apparent reason.]


    [Lindel Viger: You¡¯re right... It''s symbolic to have a branch in the Republic, but that¡¯s all there is to it. The timing is kind of strange, too.]


    [Nature Lover: Please take the article down. It¡¯s such a ridiculous article.]


    [Lindel Viger: This isn¡¯t the first time they released an article about them having a bad rtionship... Don¡¯t you remember the rumor about Father Lee Ki-Young possibly moving to the Federation a long time ago? At this point, isn¡¯t it reasonable to make that kind of assumption? Of course, I¡¯m not doubting their rtionship. I¡¯m just suggesting that we think about that possibility.]


    [Nature Lover: I¡¯m telling you this as a guild official, but that¡¯s not true at all. I¡¯m going to make an official request to take down the article, so think what you want.]


    [Unidentified ID: You probably can¡¯t talk about it <i>because</i> you¡¯re a guild official. The fact that he¡¯s meeting the Holy Sword Warrior right now...]


    Of course, this wasn¡¯t that bad, as this would help discipline Kim Hyun-Sung.


    He¡¯d definitely be able to read this article since it was on the main page. I was certain that many thoughts would pop up in his head, and he''d soon realize the gravity of the situation.


    It seemed that the situation was more serious than I thought because Miss Kim Mi-Young even decided to call me. I simply told her that she didn¡¯t need to do anything. I just told her to announce that there weren¡¯t any issues and that the rumor was going to disappear soon.


    The stock price would fall slightly by doing that, but...


    <i>¡®I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll take care of it.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Rafael. Something came up...¡± I said.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, hyung. Is there anything you want to eat?¡± Rafael asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. You can pick something for me,¡± I told him.


    ¡°<i>Ah...</i> okay. I¡¯ll order something for you... Would you like some wine?¡± Rafael asked.


    ¡°I think I¡¯ll have a cup of wine,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    <i>¡®You don¡¯t need to think so hard about it.¡¯</i>


    Rafael thought hard and long before ordering the most ordinary thing on the menu, which was the course meal.


    ¡°I heard a celebrity is operating this restaurant. They¡¯re an adventurer specializing in fire magic... and they opened this restaurant the moment they retired. Marian told me about this ce,¡± he said.


    ¡°Marian... you¡¯re talking about the Miracle Priest,¡± I said.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°By the way, how¡¯s the party...¡± I asked.


    ¡°They¡¯re looking for a dungeon,¡± Rafael replied.


    ¡°A dungeon?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    <i>¡®Interesting.¡¯</i>


    ¡°That is a bit unexpected...¡± I said.


    ¡°Do you think so?¡± he asked.


    <i>''That¡¯s because a party like yours doesn''t really go out there to look for dungeons. Purchasing the entry rights to a dungeon or participating in raids throughmissions are the best ways to go about entering a dungeon; they save you a ton of time, too. You don''t know that?''</i>


    Finding a dungeon was difficult, and they were often found by ident or by tracking down the root of an anomaly in a region. It was like finding a needle in a haystack, and it wouldn''t be any different for Rafael¡¯s party.


    Rather than having the party waste time on useless things, it would be cheaper to hire a professional tracker.


    This was a widely known method, so the fact that they had decided to find the dungeon themselves meant only one thing...


    <i>¡®They have a lead.¡¯</i>


    <i>''They don¡¯t want others to know about it, too.''</i>


    ¡°Do you¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s actually top secret, but I can tell you,¡± Rafael interrupted.


    <i>''Our Rafael is nice.''</i>


    ¡°Hold on. Do you mind if I take photos of the food before we talk about it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Of course, hyung,¡± Rafael replied.


    The food came out at the perfect time. I immediately uploaded the photos of the food to Benigoagram. I saw Jung Ha-Yan liking those photos in the proverbial blink of an eye before I could even close my hand mirror.


    ¡°Actually, we found a strange monster near Lindel,¡± Rafael said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It was a <i>really </i>unique monster; we couldn¡¯t find it in any bestiary. We couldn¡¯t take a photo of it, too, as everything happened so fast,¡± Rafael added.


    ¡°What did you do with its corpse?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It disappeared as well...¡± Rafael replied.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°More specifically, when Marian ced her hand on it, it turned into dust, which appeared like it was made out of light and disappeared. We have no idea how, but even more interesting was that the monster wielded holy power,¡± Rafael answered.


    ¡°Holy power?¡± I questioned.


    ¡°Yes. It definitely wielded holy power. Marian and I both felt it. At first, we thought it was just a variant monster, but as time went on...¡± Rafael trailed off.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Marian started having dreams,¡± Rafael continued.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Someone was talking to her in that dream. She found herself in a pitch-ck room, and someone was asking for her help... someone was asking for Marian''s help to get out of that pitch-ck room,¡± he added.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    <i>¡®This is definitely foreshadowing.¡¯</i>


    At this point, it wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to let the party look for it.


    The situation was clear, and if the monster''s level was high, then the dungeon had to be a high-ranking dungeon as well.


    Actually, a dungeon had already popped up in my mind the moment I heard Rafael''s words. As one of the continent''s managers, Ji-Hye noona and I had a list of all the dungeons on the continent...


    <i>¡®But the problem is that we can¡¯t release it.¡¯</i>


    Rafael had probably found leads to that dungeon...


    <i>¡®The Mole Saint''s dungeon...¡¯</i>


    It was the dungeon that Benigoa herself had updated, and the dungeon that the Vatican had decided to conceal underground.


    [Unranked Dungeon]


    [Mole Saint¡¯s Cozy Sanctuary]


    I checked the information of the dungeon that had popped up in my head before turning to Rafael and saying, ¡°It''s not going to be much... but I think I can help.¡±

 Chapter 899. Holy Sword Warrior and the Honorary Cardinal (2)

    <h4>Chapter 899. Holy Sword Warrior and the Honorary Cardinal (2)</h4>


    ¡°Are you... going to go into the dungeon with us?¡± Rafael asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I¡¯d like to if I have the time... but I can¡¯t promise anything... For now, I think finding that dungeon is the top priority. I think it¡¯s best if we adjust our nster since we both have work to do...¡± I suggested.


    ¡°<i>Ah...</i>¡±


    <i>¡®He looks really sad.¡¯</i>


    ¡°But I¡¯ll think about it as positively as possible since it¡¯s your n,¡± I added.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to... Please do what¡¯sfortable for you...¡± Rafael said.


    His expression was different from his words, but it was fine. I was interested, after all.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s an issue. A monster capable of wielding holy power... that is just bizarre. As you said, it¡¯s highly likely that it''s the reason behind the anomalies happening in the nearby regions. Even if we don¡¯t go into the dungeon together, I think it¡¯s best to investigate the ecology with experts... There are too many strange things going on for it to be just a variant,¡± I suggested.


    ¡°You think so?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yes. I think it¡¯s best to investigate the ce where the monster was first found. Is your camp there?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes. We made camp at the ce where we first discovered that monster,¡± Rafael replied.


    <i>¡®Should I go now?¡¯</i>


    I was quite free once I was done eating with him, and the camp had pretty good scenery. I would certainly be able to capture excellent pictures if we set up a campfire there.


    On top of that, we could make stew, drink beer together, and talk about random things.


    I''d have to post that on Benigoagram. Even if we weren¡¯t going for that reason, it was a ce I had to go at least once because I couldn¡¯t just tell him that the dungeon was located below the Vatican.


    The dungeon was top secret, and it wasn¡¯t something I could tell him even if I wanted to do so. It was an unranked dungeon, after all. It wasn''t even an Average or Rare-rank dungeon.


    I could overstep my boundaries if I wanted, but using cheats more than necessary as an administrator would make the system think that I was a delinquent. The most I could do was drop him hints and help his party find the dungeon through normal means.


    ¡°How about we go together?¡± I suggested.


    ¡°What? Really?¡± Rafael asked.


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s kind ofte, but I think it¡¯ll be fine if I just take a look. If you have room, I could maybe spend a night,¡± I answered.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°If... you don¡¯t like the idea...¡± I paused.


    ¡°N-No, that¡¯s not the case... P-Please wait a moment. I need to make preparations... I need to make a call,¡± Rafael stuttered.


    ¡°...¡±


    Rafael quickly took out his hand mirror and called someone. I couldn¡¯t really hear him due to the barrier, but it sounded like he was shouting. I was worried because it seemed like they had different opinions, but I saw him nodding quietly in the end.


    <i>¡®But how should I let him know about this?¡¯</i>


    It¡¯d be problematic if the system told me that giving hints was cheating.


    The guild''s investigation would be faster than Rafael''s party, but I didn¡¯t really like that.


    Obviously, Rafael would say that he was fine with it, but the Holy Sword Warrior party wasn¡¯t part of the Blue Guild. In other words, it would appear like the guild was stealing the party¡¯s hard work. I didn''t want to do that, as there was no need to cause unnecessary conflict.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s best if we leave after dessert, hyung,¡± Rafael suggested.


    ¡°Okay, Mr. Rafael. <i>Ah</i>, can I bring a few people with me?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, if that¡¯s what you wish... Are they from the Blue Guild?¡± Rafael asked.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m sure he¡¯s worried.¡¯</i>


    ¡°They¡¯re not from the guild. I know what you¡¯re worried about, but you don¡¯t have to worry, Mr. Rafael. I don¡¯t know if this will make you feel reassured, but the ownership of the dungeon will definitely belong to your party...¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing like that. It¡¯s not because of the ownership of the dungeon... Honestly, that doesn¡¯t even matter. I could give it to you if you need it...¡± Rafael paused.


    ¡°<i>Haha</i>, I appreciate the offer. I¡¯ll do my best not to put you and your party members in a difficult situation,¡± I reassured him.


    ¡°You don¡¯t... need to be <i>that</i> considerate...¡± Rafael said.


    We talked as we proceeded with our meal. They weren¡¯t really important conversations, but they were good enough to pass the time. Soon, his hand mirror vibrated again, and he brought up the topic once again.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get going, hyung,¡± Rafael said.


    ¡°<i>Ah</i>, okay. Could you tell me the coordinates?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Rafael replied.


    After seeing the coordinates that Rafael sent me almost immediately, I walked and saw a green griffon. I was actually going to ride Whitefall, but the griffon had two saddles, so I immediately took out my hand mirror.


    ¡°Could I take a picture...¡± I asked.


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    [With Mr. Rafael¡¯s Green Griffon]


    [#Nighttime flight #Departure #New Beginning]


    This would be good enough.


    ¡°Hold on tight,¡± he said.


    ¡°...¡±


    I thought it would be an ufortable flight, but I was mistaken.


    I noticed that we were getting farther away from Lindel.


    After some time, I saw a forest and lights everywhere.


    A party had probablye out for an expedition. They looked like Epic-rank adventurers, and they were sitting in front of a campfire. I assumed they were discussing their future ns or their ns about the expedition tomorrow.


    Even though it wasn¡¯t anything special, it was a sight that one would see in a fantasy novel.


    Their tattered and simple tents reminded me of the old days as well.


    <i>¡®That¡¯s a must.¡¯</i>


    Unlike these camps, the camp over there was really eye-catching.


    <i>¡®Isn¡¯t that a little too fancy?¡¯</i>


    It was really big. If I were to exaggerate a bit, I''d say that I was looking at a castle or a small vige. Therge tent covered a vast area of the clearing, and themps revealed luxurious items that reminded me of mping[1].


    I had to ask because of the griffon...


    ¡°Is it that ce?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s a bit simple, but...¡± Rafael paused.


    <i>¡®You call that simple?¡¯</i>


    ¡°I had to put in some work in case you felt ufortable,¡± Rafael confessed.


    <i>¡®In that short period of time?¡¯</i>


    ¡°I don¡¯t think they finished building it... Looks like we¡¯re kind of early,¡± he said.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t need to do that. I¡¯m worried that I caused trouble for your party,¡± I said.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. We weren¡¯t making any progress anyway, and I¡¯m sure the party members will be happy to see you, too,¡± Rafael denied.


    <i>¡®That¡¯s what you think...¡¯</i>


    I was sure his party was unhappy to be caught up in all this from out of nowhere.


    They were happy that I was going to help them, but no one would be happy about building a camp during their break. To make matters worse, they were going to take down the camp anyway, so this was basically pointless.


    At most, the camp wouldst only a month. They also didn¡¯t have staffers to build the camp, so I was sure these top adventurers were finding it hard to stomach the reality that they would have to build the camp themselves.


    In other words, this wasn''t practical at all. They had decided to build a camp to create a resupply point closer to where they assumed the dungeon was located, but this fancy camp was just too much.


    This fancy camp was just a distraction. Actually, if this camp was a smokescreen, then it was pretty sessful. After all, who would think that Rafael''s party was here to investigate a possible dungeon upon seeing the fanciness of their camp?


    Everyone would most likely think that some rich adventurer like Lee Ji-Hoo was here to have fun, and they wouldn''t care about the party afterward.


    The camp was so fancy that it was worthy of being posted on Benigoagram. I was convinced that it would appear in a camping magazine or something. Perhaps this was the reason he had raised his voice earlier.


    The griffon descended slowly amidst my silly thoughts.


    His party greeted me uponnding.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Father Lee Ki-Young.¡±


    ¡°It has, Mr. Lee Joo-Hyuk. Have you been doing well?¡± I asked.


    The hunting dog was still as charismatic as always.


    ¡°Hello, Father Lee Ki-Young. I¡¯m so happy to see you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m happy as well, Miss Marian. I heard you¡¯ve been struggling a lot,¡± I greeted.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s really nothing,¡± Marian replied.


    Marian, the Miracle Priest.


    ¡°Hello, Father Lee Ki-Young.¡±


    I didn¡¯t really remember the remaining members, but it would be best to greet them one by one by reading their information using Mind¡¯s Eye. It felt like the party had grown pretty big while we hadn''t seen each other.


    I could see unfamiliar faces, and I decided it was better to get them to like me by saying their names and titles rather than ignoring them outright.


    ¡°<i>Ah!</i> I heard a lot about you. Aren¡¯t you Neina, the Gray Mage?¡± I asked.


    ¡°H-How did you...¡± Neina stuttered.


    ¡°I really wanted to meet you in person... I can¡¯t believe we¡¯re seeing each other like this. I never imagined you¡¯d be in the same party as Mr. Rafael. Actually, the Blue Guild was going to contact you, but it looks like we werete,¡± I told her.


    <i>''See? She¡¯s going crazy about it. She¡¯s smiling so brightly.''</i>


    ¡°I¡¯ve visited many camps so far, but I¡¯ve never seen a camp this stylish,¡± I said.


    I decided topliment their hard work and act like amoner to gain their favor.


    This tactic wasn''t going to work on everyone, but parties used to living in the wild instead of in a n house or guild house likedpliments like this. They really liked it when I told them that it reminded me of the old days.


    I looked like a weak person who wouldn¡¯t even lift a finger to help when it came to something like this, but look at their faces. They definitely thought I was different.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it, hyung,¡± Rafael offered.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Mr. Rafael,¡± I told him.


    ¡°It¡¯s because we¡¯re feeling really ufortable, Father Lee Ki-Young. We¡¯re really grateful that you¡¯re here...¡± Rafael said.


    ¡°I was worried that maybe I was being too nosy. I¡¯d like to say this just in case, but the Blue Guild has no intention of taking your achievements...¡± I reassured them.


    ¡°O-Oppa.¡±


    <i>¡®This... timing is bad.¡¯</i>


    ¡°O-O-Oppa...?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t... that Miss Jung Ha-Yan?¡±


    Neina, the Gray Mage, spoke while her eyes sparkled.


    ¡°Is that really Miss Jung Ha-Yan?¡± she questioned.


    ¡°Y-Yes. Hello,¡± Jung Ha-Yan greeted and bowed.


    I saw Han Sora standing beside her. I was happy to see familiar faces in an unfamiliar ce, but why did she have to appear now? I definitely didn¡¯t contact them. I looked at her as if I was demanding an exnation, but she looked away from me.


    ¡°I-It¡¯s dangerous for children toe here alone. I-I-I came as their main guardian,¡± Jung Ha-Yan exined.


    <i>¡®What¡¯s so dangerous about this? They have no chance even against weak adventurers...¡¯</i>


    And that was when I saw children walking out from behind Jung Ha-Yan and Han Sora...


    Cherubim, Dominions, Thronus, and Seraphim.


    ¡°Hello, Father.¡±


    They all greeted and bowed toward me at the same.


    I smiled awkwardly toward Rafael¡¯s party.


    ¡°These children are here to help.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Thronus.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Dominions.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Cherubim.¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m... Seraphim. I-I look forward to working with you...¡±


    1. mping is a portmanteau of "morous" and "camping," and describes a style of camping with amenities and, in some cases, resort-style services not usually associated with "traditional" camping. ?

 Chapter 900. Holy Sword Warrior and the Honorary Cardinal (3)

    <h4>Chapter 900. Holy Sword Warrior and the Honorary Cardinal (3)</h4>


    The children had long grown into Epic-rank adventurers. Actually, Cherubim and Thronus were strong enough to be considered Legendary-rank adventurers.


    Meanwhile, Dominions was exceptionally talented in many fields. Ji-Hye noona had been teaching her many things, so she was a bit better than Cherubim and Thronus overall.


    Cherubim was the so-called party leader, but Dominions was contributing a lot to their decisions. As I expected, Seraphim showed the least amount of growth, but he waspetent as well. Their race wasn''t human, so they grew and learned fast. Sometimes, they''d act childish, but each child was different from the other.


    <i>¡®Cherubim is all grown up.¡¯</i>


    The first child would often mature first, so I felt like Cherubim had matured a lot, and it was probably because he felt responsible for Seraphim.


    Regardless, I wanted to apud him for the fact that he was helpful to me.


    Even though they were fundamentally designed to crave the love of their creator, Cherubim''s self-restraint was pretty high. I realized that when I saw him greeting me quietly while looking down at the ground.


    Meanwhile, Thronus had always been struggling to hide his true feelings. He didn¡¯t behave all that differently from Cherubim, but the way he looked at me was different.


    His face was kind of flushed, and his eyes were telling me that he was craving my affection. It was like he was telling me to look at him, to talk to him, and topliment him. Although they had no memories of their past life, it wasn''t like their soul had changed, so I was sure his soul was affecting his personality.


    Surprisingly, Dominions was the most aggressive one.


    <i>¡®But I think she¡¯s doing that on purpose.¡¯</i>


    Perhaps it was because she resembled Ji-Hye noona, but I couldn¡¯t read her at all. It was like she knew how she needed to behave to receive affection and love. Obviously, I didn¡¯t hate it. She actually looked cute, and I wanted to pinch her cheeks whenever she puffed them. She was just so different from Seraphim.


    Lastly, the blond-haired child greeted me, but I couldn¡¯t tell whether he was crying or smiling. He looked cute whenever he stuttered like Ha-Yan, but I still couldn¡¯t get myself to like him. For some reason, he always looked dispirited. He''d smile forcefully whenever our eyes met, but I''d look away from him intentionally.


    ¡°You mean these children?¡± Rafael asked.


    ¡°Yes. They¡¯re reliable, so you can trust them,¡± I answered.


    When I gave the signal, a pair of wings spread from Cherubim¡¯s back. The remaining children showed their wings as well. The lighting from their tiny wings briefly illuminated the dark camp.


    ¡°<i>Ah...</i>¡± Marian gasped and quietly sped her hands in disbelief.


    I had an idea as to what they were thinking.


    ¡°T-They¡¯re angels. H-How... should we greet...¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so formal. They¡¯re just ordinary children right now,¡± I told them.


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°Marian, stand up. Think about the reason why their existence has yet to be revealed to the continent...¡± Lee Jo-Hyuk muttered.


    The Miracle Priest stood up.


    The truth was kind of different, but I understood why he thought that way. The God of Sacrifice and Revival pitied the baby angels and wanted them to grow like other human children.


    <i>''That¡¯s what you¡¯re thinking, right?''</i>


    ¡°Looks like we got caught up in something ridiculous,¡± said the hunting dog, but it was like him to say such words. He probably thought that the situation was so bad that even angels had decided to show up. I thought it wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to resolve the misunderstanding a bit, but I decided to give them some time to think for now.


    ¡°I brought the children here so that they can experience many things. They''ve been spending the majority of their time learning, so they rarely have the chance to go outside... Of course, I hope what I¡¯m thinking doesn¡¯t happen...¡± I exined.


    ¡°I knew it... Rafael, what¡¯s your n now?¡± Lee Joo-Hyuk asked.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t change the party¡¯s policy,¡± Rafael replied.


    ¡°Just as I expected,¡± Lee Jo-Hyuk remarked.


    <i>¡®Looks like they¡¯re misunderstanding the situation, but it''s in the right direction. Well, I¡¯m not sure if this can even be called a misunderstanding...¡¯</i>


    Obviously, I didn¡¯t want the continent to be in danger either.


    It was also a really big assumption to think that people¡¯s daily lives would be ruined by an unranked dungeon.


    The Rift Museum was an unranked dungeon and was quite dangerous as well, but today''s continent was different from the continent at the time.


    I had no idea what was going to happen in the dungeon, and I also had no idea how to clear it. However, I thought it was possible to clear it.


    <i>¡®I think I need to look into this as well.¡¯</i>


    If the Holy Sword party was not enough, we could make the Blue Guild join the expedition. Our first task was to find the dungeon before it affected the Sacred Democratic Country. The children, who understood the system and were sensitive to holy power, would definitely be helpful to this expedition.


    ¡°Then... what do we need to do now, hyung?¡± Rafael asked.


    ¡°You¡¯re the leader of the party...¡± I pointed out.


    ¡°<i>Ah...</i>¡±


    ¡°But if you need my advice, then I¡¯ll tell you this...¡± I trailed off.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Rx. It¡¯s alreadyte today and it doesn¡¯t matter if we start tomorrow,¡± I told him.


    Everyone was too tense.


    ¡°How about we talk over some rum?¡± I suggested.


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    It felt like it suddenly turned into a family camping trip. Many people immediately sat around the campfire and of course, Jung Ha-Yan sat on the left side. She came here as a guardian, but there was no way she was going home at this point.


    ¡°O-Oppa... o-over here,¡± Jung Ha-Yan said.


    Han Sora sat next to her and Seraphim sat next to Han Sora. Cherubim sat next to Seraphim and Thronus sat on the right side of me. He had been wary of me since he came here, but he seemed to have won the meaningless battle for a seat.


    Rafael was sitting across from me, but since there were a lot of people, he seemed far away from me. He seemed kind of sad about that, but the overall mood wasn¡¯t bad. We started chatting with each other as the fire of the campfire crackled.


    Of course, we were talking about the past.


    ¡°T-T-This... reminds me of the past. Right, oppa...¡± Jung Ha-Yan asked.


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± I said.


    <i>''I¡¯ve been thinking about that for quite a while now.''</i>


    ¡°T-The tent was really small... back then... <i>Ah!</i> I-I went to the mall with Sora recently,¡± she said.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°I-I thought this would look good on you, so I bought it... D-Did you bring it, Sora?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yes, of course,¡± Han Sora replied.


    Obviously, Jung Ha-Yan was the most excited out of everyone here.


    We hadn''t been able to spend that much time together recently, not to mention spending time like this. Honestly, I was having fun as well. Spending time with the children like this wasn¡¯t so bad, and we seemed like a real family.


    It had been a while since I thought of Yul-Ha, but it would be nice if she were here. Wait, perhaps she wouldn''t like this ce.


    ¡°We haven''t been able to spend time like this. So many things have been happening these days...¡± I said.


    ¡°I-It¡¯s okay... I-It can¡¯t be helped. Many things are happening, and I-I¡¯ve been really busy as well. A-Also! T-Try this!¡± Jung Ha-Yan offered.


    ¡°You should try it, too,¡± I said.


    ¡°Okay...¡±


    ¡°I-I want to go on an adventure like we did a long time ago. S-Since everyone is busy, maybe you, me, and S-Sora can go... M-Maybe we can go to that magic spot... once everything is over...¡± Jung Ha-Yan suggested.


    ¡°Miss Jung Ha-Yan, how about... taking Sera with us... as well?¡± Han Sora suggested.


    ¡°<i>Ah!</i> O-Okay. S-Sera as well...¡± she agreed.


    I had no idea why, but I started patting Thronus¡¯ head.


    He moved a bit closer to me like he was asking for more head pats.


    ¡°Father...¡± Thronus said.


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing...¡± Thronus replied.


    <i>''Maybe he has no idea what to talk about with me.''</i>


    ¡°How¡¯s your training these days? Come to think of it, I don¡¯t think we really talked about yourst quest. Of course, I read all of your journal entries...¡± I said.


    ¡°Master went to the Republic, so Miss Cha Hee-Ra has been training me,¡± Thronus replied.


    ¡°You¡¯re doing well,¡± Iplimented him.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m just doing my job,¡± Thronus said.


    He was trying to talk in a mature way, but he was wriggling his fingers in an adorable manner, which meant that he wanted me topliment him.


    I could easily deduce his thoughts. I had no idea about what our topic was supposed to be, so I decided to say things a son would want to hear from their father, and it was pretty effective.


    When our eyes met, I grabbed his hand and sincerely said, ¡°I¡¯m proud of you.¡±


    <i>''This...''</i>


    ¡°I love you, Thronus.¡±


    <i>''And this...''</i>


    ¡°I-I... love you as well, Father,¡± Thronus said.


    <i>''We¡¯re raising them with love. I should have called our first and second child.''</i>


    ¡°What about me? What about me, Father?¡± Dominions chimed in.


    I patted Dominions¡¯ head as well, even though she was sitting a bit far away.


    I told her the same thing, and she smiled brightly at me. At this point, I would say we were doing well acting like a happy family. The Holy Sword Warrior party definitely felt the same way because they were smiling warmly.


    And that was when Rafael said, ¡°Hyung.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Rafael?¡± I answered.


    ¡°What are you going to do about the children¡¯s training while we¡¯re here? We¡¯ll probably have to stay here for quite a while...¡± Rafael asked.


    ¡°It might be kind of tiresome, but Lindel...¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s okay with you, I can take care of them during my spare time,¡± Rafael offered.


    It wasn''t a bad idea at all. I couldn''t say for sure about the others, but I could trust him.


    Rafael had also be a Transcendent, so it wouldn''t be a bad idea to learn from him.


    Rafael was an expert in his exclusive gray magic, and he was also quite skillful at strength maniption. The children would definitely learn a lot from them, and I was sure Cha Hee-Ra and Lee Ji-Hye would tell me to ept his offer if they were here.


    It was a great idea, and I also believed that both angels and human beings had to keep learning forever.


    ¡°I should be the one making that request,¡± I said.


    ¡°Really?¡± Rafael asked.


    ¡°Yes. Looks like you¡¯ll be busy starting tomorrow. You need to find the dungeon and train... <i>Ah!</i> I¡¯d like to participate in the training once in a while. Do you mind?¡± I asked.


    ¡°That¡¯d be great, hyung,¡± Rafael replied.


    The mood was great.


    ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll join, too. Are you okay with that, Father Lee Ki-Young?¡±


    <i>''You¡¯re a great candidate as well, Joo-Hyuk. You¡¯ll get along with Cherubim.''</i>


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    The atmosphere became a bit warmer. Earlier, there was tension between their group and our group, but now, everyone was getting along. Seraphim was still in Han Sora¡¯s arms, while Cherubim was talking to Lee Joo-Hyuk. Thronus and Dominions were talking to the party along with Jung Ha-Yan.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s best if we put the children to sleep...¡± I suggested.


    ¡°<i>Ah</i>, I¡¯ll take them, sir,¡± Han Sora offered.


    It was alreadyte, so we sent the children to sleep so the adults could talk.


    I took pictures, uploaded them to Benigoagram, and before I knew it, it was 3 a.m. It waste in the night, so people became emotional and started talking about the continent. They started talking about serious topics, too.


    Even I was getting drunk in thete-night feelings.


    <i>Bzzz.</i>


    My hand mirror vibrated. I opened it and immediately frowned.


    [I drank...]


    The length post started with those words.


    <i>¡®You should have done well while you had the chance to do so.¡¯</i>


    It was Kim Hyun-Sung¡¯s first-ever post on Benigoagram.


    <i>¡®You¡¯re terrible. Just terrible...¡¯</i>

 Chapter 901. Sera (1)

    <h4>Chapter 901. Sera (1)</h4>


    ''This bastard... is seriously...''


    <i>¡®I was pretty hard on him as well.¡¯</i>


    [I had a drink... Today... Today, I would like to offer a truly sincere apology. It¡¯s fine... if you don¡¯t ept my apology, but Mr. Ki-Young... just remember that I¡¯m being serious. I won¡¯t exin what happened. I just want to tell you that I regret my decision. You may not like my apology... I''ve been thinking about it day and night... I did my best and thought hard about it. These aren''t just empty words. I hope you''ll feel my sincerity. I¡¯m sorry...]


    Kim Hyun-Sung was spouting a bunch of nonsense, so he had clearly drunk a lot.


    I had no idea just how much he drank to be <i>this</i> drunk.


    Had he drunk a ten-thousand-year-old liquor brewed by a dragon? Actually, it wasn¡¯t that important. What mattered here was the possibility that this cheesy post would stay on the first page of Kim Hyun-Sung¡¯s dark history rather than staying as a sincere apology.


    Naturally, theizens immediately wrotements, so I had to wrap up our little party.


    <i>¡®This is tiring, damn it.¡¯</i>


    First, I needed to check the reply he sent to mest night.


    [Please stop.]


    This was the message I had sent him.


    [I¡¯m sorry...]


    And this was his reply. I had to reply. I looked really cold-hearted here.


    [I just needed some time.]


    <i>''Yeah, I needed some time... Actually, I think I¡¯m over it... but you acted so disgracefully. I¡¯m doing this to discipline you. You understand, right?''</i>


    His post was actually working, which was absurd.


    I wouldn''t say that his "sincerity" was working; he actually appeared kind of pitiful by making that post.


    This wasn¡¯t the best example, but it was simr to a long-term couple pitying each other.


    Kim Hyun-Sung and I had experienced many things together.


    He always looked so big in my eyes, so this was the first time he looked so pitiful.


    I looked at him using the telescope yesterday, and he looked pretty horrible.


    I understood his feelings.


    I was sure he was shocked because he struggled even more than children when it came to building rtionships with people. His post sounded like we were breaking up, and from my posts on Benigoagram, it seemed like everyone was happy except him.


    Those posts... Kim Hyung-Sung was afraid of bing distant from his close friend, with whom he had a special bond. As always, he had to rely on alcohol to face the emotional turmoil of making a mistake and feeling heartbroken about it.


    <i>¡®I feel bad for him.¡¯</i>


    One would be able to feel the heartbreak that Kim Hyun-Sung was going through by imagining someone cooped up in their room for a long time to pass an exam. Upon passing the exam, that certain someone would then try to hang out with their friends only to find out that they had cut ties with them.


    Of course, Kim Hyun-Sung had done the right thing by making <i>that</i> decision.


    [Okay, I¡¯ll be waiting. I¡¯m sorry.]


    <i>¡®Of course, you should wait.¡¯</i>


    [Also, I think it¡¯s best if you delete your Benigoagram ount.]


    This way, he wouldn''t make another mistake.


    [Okay... Mr. Ki-Young. Have a good day.]


    [Thank you. ^^]


    [I¡¯m sorry. If I did something wrong...]


    [<i>Ah</i>, it¡¯s nothing like that. I''m looking forward to the result of the task I assigned to you.]


    This emoticon was going to give him PTSD. It was kind of funny seeing him act like a scorched child afraid of fire, but he needed to experience something like this so that he would do better in the future.


    I leaned halfway out of bed and heard a familiar voice.


    ¡°O-Oppa, are you awake?¡± Jung Ha-Yan asked.


    ¡°Yeah. Did you sleep well?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Y-Yes,¡± Jung Ha-Yan replied.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t have trouble sleeping?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Jung Ha-Yan answered.


    <i>¡®I slept well, too.¡¯</i>


    What was this tent made out of, and why was there furniture here?


    There was a bed rather than a sleeping bag. I saw a water fountain, and even the table that was provided for me to take care of my business looked fancy. The nket made with excellent materials was softer than the nket in my room.


    Now that I thought about it...


    ¡°<i>Ah!</i> O-O-Oppa,¡± Jung Ha-Yan called out, interrupting my train of thought.


    ¡°Yeah?¡± I answered.


    ¡°M-Miss Kim Mi-Young called. She said she wanted to talk to you about work...¡± Jung Ha-Yan informed me.


    ¡°I¡¯ll call her now,¡± I said.


    ¡°A-Also, I prepared food for you. Y-You cane out when you¡¯re done with your call,¡± Jung Ha-Yan added.


    Except for the fact that I woke up kind ofte, this morning was no different from the mornings I often spent at the guild.


    ¡°Miss Kim Mi-Young,¡± I greeted.


    - Good morning, sir.


    ¡°I heard you wanted to talk to me about something...¡± I said.


    - I took care of the guild master''s post, just as you asked. We¡¯re trying to stop the screenshots of the posts from spreading on Benigoa Net, but we can''t take care of the rted posts that are discussing it. I called to ask your opinion on asking Mr. Max to take total control.


    ¡°<i>Ah</i>, I see. Well, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s necessary. Just keep an eye out for the posts made by the press. Then, just take care of the silly posts and posts with ridiculous assumptions,¡± I ordered.


    - Thank you for your confirmation, sir.


    ¡°Thank you for always working so hard, Miss Kim Mi-Young,¡± I said.


    - I¡¯m simply doing my job.


    Once Miss Kim Mi-Young was done with her yesterday''s report, coffee and newspaper were ced on the table before me. Honestly, I could use my hand mirror to read the news, but reading it from a newspaper feltpletely different.


    When I went outside, I saw Jung Ha-Yan sitting at an outdoor table. It was a picturesque sight, as the table was on beautiful green grass. I felt kind of embarrasseding out in my pajamas, but it probably didn''t matter.


    ¡°What about the others?¡± I asked.


    ¡°T-They''ve eaten already, and you woke up kind ofte... I didn¡¯t wake you up because you seemed kind of tired...¡± Jung Ha-Yan replied.


    ¡°I must¡¯ve slept a little too long,¡± Imented.


    ¡°I-I haven¡¯t eaten yet because I wanted to eat with you...¡± Jung Ha-Yan stuttered.


    ¡°Really? Thanks,¡± I said.


    Honestly, I was convinced that Jung Ha-Yan only managed to wait for me, as she didn''t receive any tasks. However, her words still put me in a good mood. Eating alone wasn¡¯t bad, but this wasn¡¯t bad either. It was like I was enjoying my everyday life.


    Although we were in a different location, we had experienced many extraordinary things recently, so I had been missing moments like waking upter than usual, drinking coffee, and eating while reading the newspaper.


    ¡°I heard the other party prepared the food. T-That man, Rafael, supposedly cooked the food,¡± Jung Ha-Yan said.


    <i>¡®He¡¯s pretty attentive.¡¯</i>


    I looked around and saw that the others were in the middle of training.


    They had woken up so early to start training that it felt like the partyst night had never happened at all.


    Rafael and Thronus were exchanging moves with their swords.


    Cherubim and the hunting dog were talking to each other while swinging their swords at each other.


    I had no idea what they were talking about, but they were covered in sweat, so it seemed that they had been sparring for quite a while now.


    Just then, I saw Rafael swinging his sword powerfully. In response, Thronus spread his wings and swung his greatsword, but Rafael easily blocked Thronus'' attacks.


    <i>¡®Rafael grew stronger as well.¡¯</i>


    Back then, Rafael couldn''t really control his power, and he had been taking advantage of that fact by using it to corner his enemies.


    I could tell that his experience in battle had honed his attacks, and my jaw dropped unknowingly while I was staring at him. He wasn¡¯t as graceful as Kim Hyun-Sung, but it felt like Rafael was moving ording to his personality. His style wasn¡¯t fancy, and it seemed like he had given up on making his movements graceful and fancy upon realizing that his swordsmanship would never reach Kim Hyun-Sung¡¯s level.


    ¡°<i>Hyah!</i>¡± Thronus eximed as if he was trying to show me something upon noticing that I was staring at him.


    ¡°<i>Eek!</i>¡± Thronus shrieked and rolled on the ground upon being countered by Rafael.


    Thronus looked pretty cool when he kicked off of the ground to recover his bnce.


    If Thronus were himself a long time ago, he would be much stronger.


    On the other side, Lee Joo-Hyuk and Cherubim were talking to each other nonstop.


    Cherubim swung his scythe nonstop, but Lee Joo-Hyuk blocked all of his attacks.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± Lee Joo-Hyuk said.


    ¡°Okay. <i>Whoo...</i>¡±


    ¡°I understand your level now, Cherubim,¡± Lee Joo-Hyuk said.


    ¡°How was it?¡± Cherubim asked.


    ¡°And it''s so low that it''s extremely boring. I was so bored I felt like dying," Lee Joo-Hyuk answered.


    ¡°What...?¡±


    ¡°You should train like you''re in the middle of a battlefield. If you had truly learned something from the Mercenary Queen, then you should know what I¡¯m talking about,¡± Lee Joo-Hyuk said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s training for you?¡± Lee Joo-Hyuk asked.


    ¡°What?¡± Cherubim asked.


    ¡°For me... training is killing,¡± Lee Joo-Hyuk said.


    <i>¡®Lee Joo-Hyuk, stop teaching him strange things.¡¯</i>


    ¡°<i>Haha</i>... you¡¯re a strange one...¡±


    <i>''Stop encouraging him, guys.''</i>


    ¡°Come. I¡¯ll be your opponent for now,¡± Lee Joo-Hyuk ordered.


    The two continued their sparring.


    I thought it was too much to have Lee Joo-Hyuk train Cherubim, but they weren¡¯t that bad of a pair. Perhaps it was because he wasn¡¯t going easy, but Cherubim looked really surprised. He imed to be Rafael¡¯s rival, and I could tell that he had been working hard to ovee his limits.


    Rafael had a small crossbow in one hand to create a variable.


    Lee Joo-Hyuk was most likely the reason behind Rafael''s rapid growth.


    <i>¡®He¡¯s stronger than I thought.¡¯</i>


    Cherubim couldn''t counterattack at all. In the end, Lee Joo-Hyuk grabbed Cherubim¡¯s long hair, and I chuckled when I saw Cherubim hanging from Lee Joo-Hyuk¡¯s hand.


    While my eyes were on him, Thronus and Rafael wrapped up their training and approached me.


    ¡°How was it, Mr. Rafael?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It was great, hyung. He just has to train consistently, and I think he¡¯ll be even stronger... It seems like he''s standing before a wall... but I think the problem lies with the training method rather than with Thronus,¡± Rafael replied.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I know because I learned from him as well. The guild master isn¡¯t considerate of his students,¡± Rafael answered.


    <i>¡®Really?¡¯</i>


    ¡°I¡¯m not denying the fact that he¡¯s a genius swordsman, but his training method is too much for a child to handle. It takes a separate talent to teach someone. It¡¯s nothing serious, so you don¡¯t have to worry about it... By the way, did you guys enjoy them?¡± Rafael asked.


    ¡°Yes, thanks to you,¡± I answered.


    ¡°I-I-It was delicious,¡± Jung Ha-Yan answered.


    ¡°Mr. Rafael, I¡¯d like to talk to you in detail about Thronus...¡± I requested.


    <i>¡®I can... see what he''s talking about. It¡¯s not like someone will be a genius just by learning magic from Ha-Yan.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Thronus,e here and sit, too...¡± I told him.


    <i>¡®Honestly, Hyun-Sung was pretty frustrated with Thronus as well. He said something like Thronus doesn¡¯t have talent and that he wasn¡¯t that useful.¡¯</i>


    I was kind of worried because I thought he''d grow in the wrong direction.


    ¡°H-H-How¡¯s Sera doing?¡± Jung Ha-Yan chimed in.


    It was an unexpected question, as Jung Ha-Yan had never really been interested in Seraphim. She had been making Han Sora take care of Seraphim most of the time rather than training him.


    I reckoned Jung Ha-Yan had decided to ask that question, as I had been talking about Thronus for quite a while now.


    ¡°<i>Ah</i>, I think it¡¯s because if you look at him yourself, Miss Jung Ha-Yan. Lee Joo-Hyuk has decided to take care of Seraphim...¡± Rafael replied.


    Seraphim and Lee Joo-Hyuk were actually dueling right now.


    ¡°Come at me, kid,¡± Lee Joo-Hyuk said.


    Seraphim looked pretty serious with a sword in his tiny hands.


    He seemed to have noticed that we were watching them because he bit his lips, looking quite nervous.


    ¡°<i>Hyaaaah!</i>¡± Seraphim shouted and swung his sword with all his might. He swung it so hard that the sword flew out of his hand. It was a mistake that not even beginners would make. To make things worse, the sword flew toward my table.


    <i>¡®Is he trying to assassinate me or something?¡¯</i>


    I didn''t bother dodging, as I knew that the sword was going to get blocked, anyway.


    <i>ng!</i>


    As expected, the sword bounced off the barrier.


    ¡°W-What do you think you¡¯re doing?!¡± Jung Ha-Yan yelled.

 Chapter 902. Sera (2)

    <h4>Chapter 902. Sera (2)</h4>


    ¡°W-W-What do you think you¡¯re doing?!¡±


    It had been a while since I saw Jung Ha-Yan so angry.


    The mood suddenly became tense because of Jung Ha-Yan''s sudden shout. Rafael¡¯s party looked particrly shocked. Han Sora had seen Jung Ha-Yan¡¯s angry side many times before, but Rafael¡¯s party was different.


    The mages were particrly astounded, and they stared at the ongoing situation with wide eyes.


    Jung Ha-Yan''s shy and awkward smile was reced by a frown as she red at Seraphim. Those mages seemed like they wanted to know whether what they were seeing was actually happening or not.


    This was kind of different, but I was sure people would react the same upon hearing me yell. I understood how they felt because Jung Ha-Yan was like an idol to them, and they couldn''t have imagined that she could raise her voice like that.


    ¡°I-I-I asked what you think you¡¯re doing!¡± Jung Ha-Yan repeated. Honestly, I also never imagined Jung Ha-Yan could raise her voice like that.


    In some ways, this incident could be considered a small incident, but it seemed to have brought back bad memories for Jung Ha-Yan.


    I became especially frail as an aftermath of everything, and Kim Hyun-Sung wasn¡¯t the only one worried about my safety. If anything, Jung Ha-Yan was in a worse situation than him.


    <i>¡®But I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the reason why she¡¯s acting this way.¡¯</i>


    To be honest, there was no way Seraphim''s attack would hurt me, and it wasn''t like I got injured. This was just a tiny incident that could easily be glossed over.


    ¡°<i>Ah, ah... ah...</i>¡±


    ¡°S-Speak properly...¡± Jung Ha-Yan ordered.


    Seraphim¡¯s face turned pale as he faced Jung Ha-Yan¡¯s fury. He had never been the assertive type, so he was nking out. I was certain that this was the most hopeless situation for kids with a unique habit rted to craving for love.


    ¡°<i>Ugh...</i> I-I-I¡¯m... I¡¯m...¡± Seraphim stuttered.


    ¡°<i>Eeeek!</i>¡± Jung Ha-Yan screeched.


    Tears instantly filled Seraphim''srge eyes, and I felt bad for him because he was trying his best not to shed tears. He probably thought that the situation would get worse if he cried, or he could also be worried that Santa might not bring him a gift.


    ¡°S-So annoying. I-I¡¯m so... annoyed... <i>Heuk</i>...¡±


    <i>¡®Why are you crying?¡¯</i>


    ¡°<i>Hup...</i> I¡¯m annoyed... <i>Hup...</i> I think he really is a dummy...¡± Jung Ha-Yan said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°<i>Hup...</i> Y-You can¡¯t even do that properly... A-Apologize to him right now... Tell him that you¡¯re sorry!¡± Jung Ha-Yan shouted.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m... sorry... Father...¡± Seraphim mumbled.


    ¡°C-Come over here and apologize!¡± Jung Ha-Yan yelled.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry... Father...¡± Seraphim repeated.


    When I recalled what Seraphim had done in the past, I felt like cornering him with Jung Ha-Yan or cheering her on, but too many people were watching, so I couldn¡¯t do that.


    It was an honest mistake as well.


    As a saint¡ªno, as a father, I had to overlook this to maintain a good image, right?


    When Seraphim tensed up, Cherubim, Thronus, and even Dominions tensed up as well.


    I had to do something about this mood.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Ha-Yan. Come here, Sera,¡± I told him.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°What happened? Sera, why are you crying? Miss Jung Ha-Yan? What¡¯s wrong with him...¡±


    <i>''I¡¯m d you¡¯re here, Sora.''</i>


    ¡°E-Exin... the situation... yourself!¡± Jung Ha-Yan shouted.


    <i>''Stop Ha-Yan for me.''</i>


    ¡°I-I... I... identally let go... of my sword... and it flew toward Father... <i>Heuk... kgh...</i>¡± Seraphim stammered and cried.


    People would often cry harder whenever they had someone to lean on, and Seraphim cried even louder upon seeing Han Sora.


    Han Sora was shocked. I had always been the one asking her for her help, but she was asking for my help this time.


    Based on her expression, it seemed like she was taking Seraphim¡¯s side, but she seemed worried about the consequences of protecting him.


    It was pretty obvious. If Han Sora defended Seraphim, Jung Ha-Yan would be even angrier.


    Unlike me, Han Sora liked Seraphim a lot, and she was worried about Seraphim.


    It couldn''t be helped, as Han Sora had raised Seraphim as if he were her own child.


    Han Sora looked sad, and she looked like she wanted to pull him out of this hellish situation as quickly as possible.


    I was also starting to feel ufortable because the mood was starting to turn awkward.


    ¡°I¡¯m annoyed... I¡¯m really annoyed... Why is he...¡± Jung Ha-Yanined.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry... Mother. I...¡± Cherubim chimed in.


    ¡°H-How... dare you try to get involved? I-It¡¯s rude! So rude! H-How dare you talk... when the adults are talking!¡± Jung Ha-Yan shouted.


    Cherubim immediately went silent.


    This was the power of an adult, and Jung Ha-Yan was utilizing it well...


    ¡°I-Is that what... Cha Hee-Ra taught you?¡± Jung Ha-Yan questioned.


    What an unexpected insult.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡ª¡± Cherubim muttered.


    ¡°S-S-Shut up! Just shut up... <i>Hup</i>... How dare you... make eye contact with me?!¡± Jung Ha-Yan yelled.


    ¡°Ha-Yan, it¡¯s fine. Come here and calm down...¡± I told Jung Ha-Yan.


    ¡°I¡¯m... going to go take care of some things, hyung,¡± Rafael said.


    <i>''I¡¯m d our Rafael is quick-witted. While you¡¯re at it, take your friends away, who are obviously enjoying this family drama. That¡¯s right. Good job.''</i>


    In the end, Han Sora, Jung Ha-Yan, Seraphim, and I were left on our own devices in this awkward situation.


    The others realized that something strange was going on, so they became cautious as if there were a bomb that was about to explode.


    Meanwhile, Jung Ha-Yan was still ring at Seraphim, who was still crying.


    The Holy Sword Warrior party cast a strange gaze at Jung Ha-Yan, but I believed the fundamental problem lies elsewhere. Jung Ha-Yan wasn¡¯t strange, and Seraphim hadn''t done anything strange as well.


    I knew the answer to this conundrum.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m the problem.¡¯</i>


    The answer was simple: I was the culprit.


    There was no need to me anyone else for it.


    My attitude toward Seraphim so far was the problem, and it was all because I had never really taken Seraphim''s side nor shown any affection toward him in front of Jung Ha-Yan.


    I had never really thought much about it, as I assumed Jung Ha-Yan wasn¡¯t fond of him either, but I was sure something like this was stressing out Jung Ha-Yan.


    Seraphim seemed ipetent, as he was especially behindpared to the other children. Moreover, Jung Ha-Yan had to have seen me receiving reports from Thronus and Cherubim. I had been showing my affection toward them, too.


    Rather than saying that Seraphim''s mistake was the root of the problem here, it''d be more urate to say that the root of the problem was the stress that had been umting inside Jung Ha-Yan.


    When it exploded, this incident urred. It made sense, as it would be strange for anyone to get angry at such an insignificant event.


    <i>¡®She must be somewhat fond of him.¡¯</i>


    If Jung Ha-Yan couldn''t care less about Seraphim, she wouldn¡¯t have scolded him.


    I was sure Jung Ha-Yan had yet to realize it, but she had to be interested in Seraphim. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have cared about how he had been doing these days or how his training was going.


    It was possible that Jung Ha-Yan wanted me to love Seraphim as well, but she was just having a hard time expressing that desire.


    Of course, I knew Jung Ha-Yan had never really been a sociable person and that she would always have a hard time handling situations like this. We were quite simr but drastically different at the same time.


    Just like her, I didn¡¯t really have a normal childhood, but I was good at pretending that it was the opposite.


    However...


    <i>¡®Jung Ha-Yan has never really done anything like that.¡¯</i>


    I managed to keep going because of Yul-Ha, but Jung Ha-Yan was abandoned by her parents and older sisters, so what could she have done?


    All she could do was pretend like she didn''t exist, and I was sure she didn¡¯t have the will to improve her situation. She had to have done nothing but cower to avoid being noticed.


    Unfortunately, there was nothing she could learn from the continent when it came to the social skills department.


    Jung Ha-Yan had probably gotten a hint of it, but it was hard to put into practice, especially for someone like her.


    She was thinking about what she wanted, but she couldn¡¯t put it into action. Of course, there was also a chance that she didn''t know the answer to her conundrum.


    Humans would always learn a ton through experience, and this was especially true for our one-trick Ha-Yan.


    <i>¡®Honestly, I¡¯m not so sure, either. Damn it, I don¡¯t even know where to start.¡¯</i>


    <i>''Let¡¯s just handle this first.''</i>


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Ha-Yan. I didn¡¯t get hurt, and Sera just made a mistake. The mistake happened during training and things like this happen from time to time. You don¡¯t have to be so sensitive about it. Cheer up, Sera,¡± I said.


    ¡°H-He makes mistakes... every day. Isn¡¯t he tired of it? H-He can¡¯t even do this homework properly... and he doesn¡¯t even know how to cast spells or use a sword,¡± Jung Ha-Yan grumbled.


    <i>¡®You¡¯re going to hurt him.¡¯</i>


    ¡°That¡¯s not all. He doesn¡¯t know how to do anything. I-I read the entry about their previous quest... and Sera only made mistakes. He didn¡¯t do anything at all... and he even got himself in danger. H-He¡¯s really stupid... <i>Hup</i>...¡± Jung Ha-Yan continued.


    <i>¡®You read that, too?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Every kid is different,¡± Imented.


    ¡°H-He¡¯s right, Miss Jung Ha-Yan. Sera is doing his best as well. You have no idea how hard he works...¡± Han Sora chimed in.


    <i>''Great support, Sora. I can see that you¡¯re desperate as well.''</i>


    ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll do well someday, right?¡± I asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Right, Sera? You can do well, right? How about you promise me?¡± Sora asked.


    ¡°Y-Yes... <i>Heuk...</i> I can do well,¡± Sera answered.


    ¡°N-Nothing will change... just by doing your best... You said the same thingst time... You say you¡¯re going to do your best every day... but nothing has changed. In the end, you¡¯re the same every day. It¡¯s a meaningless promise...¡± Jung Ha-Yanined.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Y-You have to show results... You have to... J-Just doing your best isn¡¯t enough... b-because...¡± Jung Ha-Yan paused.


    <i>''Because I likepetent people?''</i>


    ¡°Competent... You have to bepetent...¡± Jung Ha-Yan added.


    <i>''You have to bepetent to be loved?''</i>


    ¡°Y-Y-You¡¯re so frustrating... You annoy me so much...¡± Jung Ha-Yan added.


    ¡°...¡±


    The two of them were going to be heartbroken.


    Honestly, there was something strange with me as well.


    Jung Ha-Yan hadn''t noticed, but I felt better seeing Seraphim cry.


    At first, I had no ns of bringing him down with me. However, Cherubim brought him down with us, so I decided to simply ignore him from then on.


    I was probably looking forward to this moment, and I was sure Cherubim had made a move earlier with this situation in mind.


    I stared at Seraphim and saw his eyes darting around as if he had no idea where to look.


    And that was when Jung Ha-Yan mumbled, ¡°M-Maybe... I shouldn¡¯t have asked for Sera... Things would have been better if I had chosen the other children...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I knew she didn¡¯t mean that, but I was sure that her words broke Seraphim''s heart.

 Chapter 903. Sera (3)

    <h4>Chapter 903. Sera (3)</h4>


    Just as I expected, Seraphim looked hopeless and indescribably sad. He had been telling himself to hold back his tears, but he no longer had the energy to do even that.


    He cried so hard that his eyes resembled a faucet.


    He sobbed and huped while his limbs were trembling as if he were having a seizure. I was sure that he felt like his existence itself was being denied.


    Seraphim wasn¡¯t the only one surprised. The other children seemed more tense than earlier. Actually, it was like they had stopped thinking. It was possible that they were ming themselves, and they were probably assuming that they''d hear such words in the future.


    The children were scared about the possibility that their existence itself would be denied. Dominions was probably thinking about Lee Ji-Hye, while Cherubim was probably thinking about Cha Hee-Ra.


    They were thinking about the possibility of hearing such words.


    Cherubim had been looking at Seraphim with a worried gaze, but now, he was quiet and was looking quite pale himself.


    Meanwhile, Han Sora instinctively stood in Jung Ha-Yan¡¯s path. A magic barrier sprang up; it seemed that Han Sora was worried that Seraphim would hear Jung Ha-Yan''s further words.


    ¡°M-Miss Jung Ha-Yan... that¡¯s...¡±


    ¡°We should¡¯ve brought the other children...¡± Jung Ha-Yan said.


    ¡°D-Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re being too harsh? Sera is doing his best...¡±


    ¡°D-Doing your best is meaningless! Y-You know that as well... It¡¯s really frustrating, Sora. Really frustrating... <i>Hup... Heuk...</i> I¡¯m really frustrated... but I don¡¯t know what to do... I¡¯m so frustrated...¡± Jung Ha-Yanined.


    ¡°Still!¡± Han Sora shouted.


    ¡°I-I said I¡¯m frustrated!¡± Jung Ha-Yan shouted as well.


    ¡°Miss Jung Ha-Yan!¡±


    ¡°I-I-I¡¯m... frustrated!¡±


    <i>¡®Damn it. I don¡¯t even know when I should intervene.¡¯</i>


    I suddenly felt like getting Han Sora involved was a bad idea.


    Han Sora had always been an emotional person, but I felt like she was more emotional than usual in this matter.


    Honestly, it seemed like Jung Ha-Yan was just speaking randomly earlier. She seemed to have spat every single word that came to her mind without thinking about it. She was frustrated, but she had no idea how to stop feeling frustrated except for cornering others.


    ¡°<i>Hup...</i> I don¡¯t even want to see him...¡± Jung Ha-Yan said.


    ¡°Please stop... Any more and¡ª¡±


    ¡°I-It¡¯s really tiring... O-Oppa... <i>Hup... Heuk...</i>¡± Jung Ha-Yan cried.


    ¡°...¡±


    <i>¡®I shouldfort her for now.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I think it¡¯s best if we talk about thister. Ha-Yan, how about you head in first?¡± I suggested.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Or...¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯ll do that. I-I want to rest...¡± Jung Ha-Yan stuttered.


    Jung Ha-Yan tried her best not to look at Seraphim as she walked past him.


    Han Sora grabbed Jung Ha-Yan''s hand, but thetter shook off her hand, which was shocking to me. Seraphim froze like a broken doll for quite a few moments before he cried his heart out once again.


    Just as I started wondering about what I could say tofort him, he turned and ran toward the forest.


    <i>¡®Are you going to run away from home?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Cherubim, bring him back,¡± I ordered.


    ¡°Yes... Father,¡± Cherubim answered with a nod.


    Seraphim wouldn''t be able to run away anywhere, as his home was wherever we were.


    Han Sora nced in the direction where Seraphim had disappeared before staring at me.


    <i>''Yeah, I should talk to her as well.''</i>


    ¡°How about a cup of coffee...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really ruthless. You...¡± Han Sora paused.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I knew you were crazy, but you crazier than I thought,¡± Han Sora added.


    ¡°I told you not to be fond of him. I didn¡¯t bring him here because I wanted to. Weren¡¯t you aware of that as well?¡± I asked.


    ¡°T-The situation is different now,¡± Han Sora argued.


    ¡°I believe I¡¯ve done enough for him,¡± I told her.


    I wasn¡¯t trying to avoid the conversation or give her an excuse because it was true that I had provided Seraphim with everything he needed.


    Once could say that I had done the bare minimum by not sending him back or abandoning him. He was actually supposed to watch us down here from up there. It sounded a bit too ruthless, but he needed to be punished for his sin.


    ¡°I normally don¡¯tpromise,¡± I said.


    ¡°I know that, but...¡±


    ¡°The fact that he¡¯s here and has been able to enjoy such a daily life is enough of apromise for me. He has lost his memories, sure, but there¡¯s an indelible sin deep in his soul.


    "I judge others that way, and I¡¯m simply treating him like how I treat other people. Our Hyun-Sung almost died at his hands, too. He dared to touch what¡¯s mine, so don''t you think that I¡¯m going easy on him by giving him this kind of treatment?


    "Don¡¯t you agree? It is a bit petty, but what I¡¯m doing right now can¡¯t even be considered revenge,¡± I exined.


    ¡°But still... he¡¯s still a child...¡± Han Sora muttered.


    ¡°Indifference is the best treatment that I can give him. I honestly wasn¡¯t nning on letting Ha-Yan take care of him...¡± I said.


    ¡°But you did,¡± Han Sora argued.


    ¡°Now that I think about it, I think I made a mistake,¡± I confessed.


    <i>¡®I shouldn¡¯t have let Jung Ha-Yan take care of him in the first ce.¡¯</i>


    I had to have allowed it, as I assumed that Jung Ha-Yan would quickly lose interest in Seraphim. However, it seemed that she had taken an interest in Seraphim upon hearing that Lee Ji-Hye and Cha Hee-Ra had epted Dominions and Cherubim as if they were presents from me.


    She felt like she was the only one without a gift, so she decided to take in Seraphim.


    However, she made Han Sora take care of Seraphim, so I thought that she was no longer interested in him.


    It seemed that I was wrong, and a part of me was kind of surprised. I thought Jung Ha-Yan had no sense of responsibility, but it seemed <i>that</i> feeling had bloomed inside of her the moment she epted Sera.


    <i>¡®No, she could have just done that on impulse after throwing a tantrum.¡¯</i>


    Of course, it was highly likely that I was wrong. There was a high chance that she made that decision after thinking about it thoroughly. I was quite certain of it, as Jung Ha-Yan had never really been the type of person to turn others into her subordinates.


    Perhaps what had happened to her on Earth was the reason behind it, but Jung Ha-Yan never really made people her subordinate to ensure that she wouldn''t get backstabbed.


    In other words, Jung Ha-Yan definitely had a hard time epting Seraphim, and it could have been a pretty dangerous challenge for her as well.


    She had basically invited a new person into the space that only Han Sora and I were allowed to enter, so it was definitely a big decision on her end. She had to have pondered over it for a few days and asked Han Sora many questions about it.


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about it over a cup of coffee. Oh yeah, it¡¯s not because of Seraphim. I''m concerned about Ha-Yan, so I want to know a few things from you. Let me start with my questions. The day... Ha-Yan decided to take Seraphim...¡± I paused.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°What were you two talking about?¡± I asked.


    ¡°We just... talk about many different things. I can¡¯t remember them all because we talked about so many things, but she seemed to be deeply contemting something. She said she was excited... but scared at the same time about the idea.


    "She did visit you in the end, but I recall her being really hesitant about it,¡± Han Sora responded.


    <i>¡®Damn it.¡¯</i>


    ¡°And you didn¡¯t stop her,¡± I said.


    ¡°I-I thought it would be helpful for Miss Jung Ha-Yan,¡± Han Sora stuttered.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I kind of regret it now, but I thought it would help her at the time,¡± Han Sora said.


    I perfectly understood Han Sora''s feelings.


    Jung Ha-Yan had probably lost interest in Seraphim when she realized that he wasn¡¯t aspetent as the other children. I assumed that she had let go of himpletely when I stopped showing interest in him or stopped showing any reaction toward him.


    Honestly, it was hard to deduce what had transpired, and I couldn''t see through her thoughts. If there were a Jung Ha-Yan Instruction Manual, I would read it, but there wasn¡¯t anything like that. We had been sharing information with each other, but how could she share something she wasn''t even aware of... like her emotions for example?


    ¡°I think she''s thinking that way now...¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°It¡¯s because she¡¯s been having a hard time these days,¡± Han Soramented.


    ¡°How was she in the beginning?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s best if you look at it yourself,¡± Han Sora suggested.


    Han Sora handed me a Goddess¡¯ Hand Mirror, and it seemed that she had prepared the footage in advance, as the video yed immediately when I epted the hand mirror. The hand mirror depicted Seraphim when he was still a bit younger.


    - L-Look, Sora. H-H-He¡¯s really small, right...


    - Yes... he is.


    - I-I¡¯m Jung Ha-Yan... I-I¡¯ll be your mother from now on.


    - M-Mother?


    - H-He talked. Sora... he talked!


    - It¡¯s said that they can talk as soon as they are born. The other children seem to be growing a little faster than him.


    - He¡¯s cute.


    - Hello, Mother.


    - H-H-Hi...


    - Don¡¯t hide ande out, Miss Jung Ha-Yan. You should greet him properly. Hi, Sera! I¡¯m your auntie.


    - H-Hello, Auntie....


    - You should go hug your mother. You shoulde out as well, Miss Jung Ha-Yan. Yes, just keep doing that!


    I was annoyed by Seraphim¡¯s genuinely happy smile, but Jung Ha-Yan looked so happy that I smiled without realizing it. To add to that, she looked surprisingly adorable as she hugged the tiny Seraphim. She was shy, but she patted his head nonstop with a bright smile.


    She was obviously enjoying the moment.


    - L-L-Look!


    I was surprised to see her use magic to put on a show.


    <i>''Ah. So Seraphim was living a happier life than I thought at the start.''</i>


    - Wow...


    - Y-You¡¯ll be able to do it soon, too, Seraphim.


    <i>''No, I don¡¯t think he can do that... Your magic is too fancy.''</i>


    ¡°She¡¯s a lot different now,¡± Imented.


    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s be really different. She kind of struggled at first...¡± Han Sora said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Miss Jung Ha-Yan learned how to love from you, sir.¡± Han Sora pointed out.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°She''s ignorant of anything else,¡± Han Sora added.


    That was how I learned how to love as well. Obviously, I knew <i>that </i>method was drastically from the social norms. Anyway, it had to be the reason behind all this. I had alternative ns, but Jung Ha-Yan had none. I could make a move, but she couldn''t.


    I unknowingly started tapping my thigh, and I couldn''t stop remembering Jung Ha-Yan¡¯s smiling face.


    ¡°Miss Jung Ha-Yan must be seeing herself in Seraphim,¡± Han Sora said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s why she feels frustrated,¡± Han Sora added.


    I looked at Jung Ha-Yan using the Telescope and saw her crying with a nket over her head.

 Chapter 904. Sera (4)

    <h4>Chapter 904. Sera (4)</h4>


    ¡°Seraphim, Dominions, Thronus, and me.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Seraphim, Dominions, Thronus, and me...¡±


    Seraphim, Dominions, Thronus, and me... Those were the words that had been going through my head the moment we were born here. I[1] wasn¡¯t sure why, but I had been living while thinking of those words again and again.


    I would mumble those words like a spell whenever I was in a dangerous situation. I had been doing that so many times that it had be a habit, and I was doing it again.


    ¡°Domi, can you track Sera¡¯s location?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. He¡¯s normally slow, so I don¡¯t know why he¡¯s so quick today. I can¡¯t even detect him using my Detection Magic. I think... he''s really shocked,¡± Domi said.


    ¡°That¡¯s because...¡±


    I had to hold back my words because it wasn¡¯t enough to exin the situation.


    <i>¡®He was abandoned by his mother.¡¯</i>


    Or...


    <i>¡®Does she hate him?¡¯</i>


    The reason didn¡¯t matter. We were born to be loved and crave for love. We realized that since they were young. We felt that the moment we met our father. <i>Ah</i>, we were born to be loved by this man¡ªwe were born for him.


    Our first encounter was really touching, and it made me feel many emotions.


    It felt so emotional that I cried without realizing it.


    I could tell we were blessed, and we felt like we were truly alive.


    His kind hand, which patted my head, and his warm voice made me feel overjoyed.


    They were just simple movements, but they satisfied me in a way that nothing else could do. Obviously, joy wasn¡¯t the only thing I felt.


    At the time, Father¡¯s face became serious when he looked at Sera, who was holding my hand tightly. He didn¡¯t pat Sera¡¯s head. He didn¡¯t make eye contact with him, and he didn''t say anything kind to him.


    I recalled him doing nothing but looking down quietly at him as if he was pondering something. I wasn''t sure whether Sera had noticed or not, but at the time, I got the feeling that Father was thinking about something scary.


    <i>¡°You were really crafty, Cherubim. Just as I expected,¡± </i>Father said.


    <i>¡°What?¡± </i>I asked.


    <i>¡°It¡¯s nothing. Just rest for today. I need to think about what to do with you,¡± </i>Father instructed


    <i>¡°...¡±</i>


    <i>¡°Wee to the world,¡± </i>Father added.


    I felt fear back then, and I would never forget the moment I felt that trace of fury in his eyes. The fear of being hated, abandoned, and not receiving any love from Father was scarier than anything else for me. Afterward, I never saw that expression on him again, but I realized something from that incident.


    If he ended up abandoning us...


    ¡°There will be no reason for us to be born again,¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°What?¡± Domi asked.


    ¡°Can you imagine Father and Mother abandoning us, Domi?¡± I asked.


    ¡°D-Don¡¯t say such terrible things, Cheru,¡± Domi criticized.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯d rather die,¡± Domi added.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure Sera is thinking of the same thing,¡± I told Domi.


    ¡°No, he hasn¡¯t been abandoned yet. Father has never said anything about abandoning Sera. Our mothers said that Mother Jung Ha-Yan sometimes says things she doesn¡¯t mean because she''s the type to overreact.


    "Whenever that happens, It''s best to avoid her until she cools off. She wasn¡¯t acting like her usual self today. Today was probably one of <i>those </i>days,¡± Domi exined.


    ¡°You think Sera thinks the same way as you?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that... but...¡± Domi paused.


    ¡°How would you feel if Mother said the same thing to you?¡± I questioned.


    ¡°Our mothers... are pretty strict, but...¡± Domi trailed off.


    ¡°If,¡± I emphasized.


    ¡°I-I¡¯ll probably be sad, but saying that isn¡¯t enough to describe how I would feel. Still, Father said to bring Sera back, so I¡¯m sure he has something in mind... It means Father is worried about Sera.¡± Domi pointed out.


    ¡°Father doesn¡¯t like Sera,¡± I told Domi.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not because Sera¡¯s growth is a little slower or because he¡¯s ipetent. I think Father just doesn¡¯t like Sera. I don¡¯t know the reason either... but Father had never met Sera by himself.


    "Father had never patted his head and had never told him that he loved him. He had never made eye contact with him, either. When they were at the Blue Guild, Father only summoned Thro. Sera doesn¡¯t even know what Father¡¯s office looks like. Father had also never visited Sera during his training to see his results. They had never really talked, either...¡± I exined.


    ¡°...¡±


    I had no idea why, but I''d probably never find out.


    ¡°Sera lives with Father,¡± Domi said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°So why...¡± Domi questioned.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know either. Mother never said anything, either. I did talk about it with Father once, but...¡± I paused.


    ¡°What did he say?¡± Domi asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°He told me not to cross the line,¡± I answered.


    ¡°And...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it. It¡¯s possible that Father didn¡¯t want Sera, but Sera has been with me since he was born,¡± I said.


    Domi¡¯s face gradually turned serious, and it was possible that she was thinking about the fact that things weren''t going swimmingly for us. The atmosphere felt heavy, and Domi¡¯s words that she¡¯d rather die than be hated kept echoing in my head.


    Sera was probably thinking of the same thing.


    I thought I knew him well, but had I ever understood his feelings? I couldn¡¯t imagine what he was feeling right now. Just thinking about it was painful and terrifying to me, so it had to have been <i>really </i>painful for Sera.


    I was sure he felt like his world was falling apart.


    I ran faster and faster.


    I wasn¡¯t out of breath, but I was having a hard time breathing.


    ¡°Sera!¡± I called out.


    ¡°S-Sera!¡± I repeated.


    ¡°Where are you, Seraphim?!¡± I shouted.


    ¡°Sera! Where are you?¡± I yelled.


    ¡°Y-You still can¡¯t locate him?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Hold on... let me try looking,¡± Domi replied.


    ¡°Actually, let¡¯s split up,¡± I suggested.


    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll keep in touch,¡± Domi said.


    It took us quite a while, but we eventually found a tiny light that stuck out like a sore thumb in the vast, dense forest. I contacted Domi quietly and approached the small flickering light.


    The light wasing from a small hole in a giant tree. I walked around the tree and saw Sera hidden in the tree. He had his head down, so I couldn¡¯t check his face, but his shaking shoulders told me his feelings.


    <i>''Should I talk to him? Has he noticed that I¡¯m here?''</i> Several thoughts popped into my mind, but I ended up patting Sera''s head quietly.


    ¡°Are you okay, Sera?¡± I asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± I repeated.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure she didn¡¯t mean it, so don¡¯t be so bad, Sera,¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°A-A-Are the others the same?¡± Sera asked.


    ¡°Yeah, our mothers did the same thing. They always said that... Mother Jung Ha-Yan seemed to really like you,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Really?¡± Sera asked.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I answered.


    ¡°Father is worried as well,¡± I told him.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back,¡± I suggested.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Staying here is not going to change anything. Let¡¯s talk to Father together. Apologize to Mother Jung Ha-Yan. She''ll probably forgive you if you ask for forgiveness and tell her that you¡¯ll do better from now on,¡± I advised.


    ¡°I-If... If I do that... you think it¡¯ll get better?¡± Sera asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try talking to her...¡± I said.


    And that was when I heard Father¡¯s voice.


    - My lovely children.


    I heard his voice in my head, and I immediately started trembling as if it was instinct.


    - I want to say something to you, not as your father, but as your creator.


    ¡°Y-Yes, Father.¡±


    ¡°Yes...¡±


    - I love you guys.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I said.


    ¡°T-T-Thank you,¡± Sera said.


    - I brought you to thisnd because I love all of you. I wanted all of you to experience many things, and I wanted to give you things that you couldn¡¯t obtain in your past life. I sacrificed many things to create all of you... for your sake.


    - I sacrificed many things so that all of you guys could be loved, and I took on a ton of responsibilities to do so. I¡¯m not trying to ce a burden on your shoulders, my children. I just want to express how much I love all of you...


    ¡°<i>Ah... ahh...</i> We would never doubt your love, Father,¡± I said.


    ¡°F-Father... Father...¡± Sera stuttered.


    Sera and I started crying. It was just a misunderstanding. Father, he...


    - However, I can¡¯t love just you guys. I don¡¯t think love has priorities, but I hope you understand that I have no choice but to love your mothers even more. They helped me be who I am today. That¡¯s right, Thronus. It¡¯s the same for your master. I sincerely love them.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    - That¡¯s why I have no choice but to worry. The reason I handed you over to your mothers was that I wanted you to receive their love. However, I also wanted you guys to be the reason for your mother''s joy.


    - Of course, some of them do seem happy because of you... but there are those who aren¡¯t. I don¡¯t want you guys to make your mothers unhappy. Seraphim, I¡¯m sorry, but you may not have a choice. I may have to give up on¡ª


    ¡°Please forgive him, Father. I-I beg you. Forgive Seraphim. I¡¯ll receive his punishment, so please...¡± I begged.


    ¡°<i>Ah... ah, ah...</i>¡±


    - Your love for your siblings always breaks my heart, Cherubim.


    ¡°N-No... <i>Heuk</i>... Father... please reconsider. I beg you, please!¡± I shouted.


    - You always sacrificed for your siblings.


    ¡°I¡¯ll carry his sins. I¡¯ll carry Sera¡¯s sins,¡± I said.


    - I don¡¯t want to see Cha Hee-Ra sad. The sin you have to bear isn¡¯t Sera¡¯s sin.


    <i>¡®N-No.¡¯</i>


    I was confused. Many thoughts popped into my head, but I couldn¡¯t find an answer to this dilemma.


    <i>''What should I do, Mother? If Father really abandons Sera, what should I do, Mother? I...''</i>


    <i>"Do whatever you want, Bluey."</i>


    Seraphim, Dominions, Thronus, and me...


    <i>¡®Live however you want. Do whatever you want and live the life you want to live. It sounds cheesy and childish, but that is the definition of happiness. Living a childish life is what makes living fun.</i>


    <i>"Close your eyes quietly and listen to the voice echoing in your head. Then, you¡¯ll find the answer, Bluey. You can be the person you want to be, and you can do everything you want to do.¡¯</i>


    Seraphim, Dominions, Thronus, and me...


    <i>¡®At least, that¡¯s how I¡¯m living my life, you cutey Bluey. We¡¯re the same. Even if you don¡¯t want to do that, you will inevitably do it.¡¯</i>


    Seraphim, Dominions, Thronus, and me...


    <i>¡®Right?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Run, Seraphim...¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°W-What?¡± Sera questioned.


    ¡°Run away from here,¡± I told him.


    ¡°<i>Uh...</i>¡±


    ¡°Hurry!¡± I shouted.


    - Making such a foolish choice...


    ¡°Please forgive me, Father,¡± I said.


    And that was when I saw Thronus pointing his sword at my neck...


    ¡°Don¡¯t move, Cheru. You too, Sera,¡± Thro warned.


    ¡°Thronus?¡± I asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You were going to disobey Father just now, right?¡± Thro asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Answer me, traitor,¡± Thro urged.


    1. Cherubim¡¯s POV ?

 Chapter 905. Sera (5)

    <h4>Chapter 905. Sera (5)</h4>


    They looked like they were at their breaking point, and I was sure anyone watching this scene would feel like crying.


    The fact that the brothers were pointing their swords at each other wasn¡¯t a good look.


    Thronus surprised me[1] the most. Thronus was extremely indecisive back then, so I couldn''t help but smile at satisfaction upon realizing that he had already made up his mind.


    <i>¡®Thronus has be very loyal after I cut him off once.¡¯</i>


    I really liked his attitude. Cutting him off was truly effective. <i>Ah</i>, he actually went through that twice. I had to do it again, or he wouldn''t have learned his lesson.


    - I warned you not to move, Cheru. Don¡¯t make me hurt you. I don¡¯t want to do this either...


    - Thro, Sera is...


    - Father will decide everything. Whatever his decision is, we must follow him. I¡¯ll talk to him as well about Sera¡¯s position... but your behavior right now is basically betrayal toward Father. If you¡¯re really going against him, then I will not forgive you. Can you even imagine how heartbroken Father will feel?


    - Thro...


    - Do you know how Father was feeling when he said that? You¡¯re not the only one who¡¯s in pain, Cheru.


    <i>''We should go stargazing someday. I¡¯ll be sure to give you my love.''</i>


    - You haven¡¯t forgotten how much Father struggled to get us to where we are today, right? Cheru, we were born thanks to his grace. Are you nning on betraying his hopes?


    - But... I can¡¯t abandon Sera. If Father... abandons Sera...


    - Let¡¯s talk to Father together with Domi. Domi, take Sera away.


    - <i>Ah...</i> okay.


    Dominion quietly grabbed Sera.


    And that was when Cherubim turned around...


    - You!


    Thronus eximed in surprise, as Cherubim was no longer within Thronus¡¯ attack range. I actually expected that to happen because Thronus wouldn¡¯t actually hurt Cherubim. He kind ofckedbat power... and more importantly, Cherubim knew that his threats were just empty words.


    Thronus rushed toward Dominions andshed out with his leg. He took advantage of the few seconds when Dominions was hesitating, and his foot reached her abdomen.


    Dominions was sent flying away, but she started running away with Seraphim.


    - <i>Ah!</i>


    - Damn it!


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to go after them, Thro,¡± I told him.


    - I¡¯m... sorry.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to apologize. I¡¯m really happy knowing that you didn¡¯t betray my trust. I¡¯ll give you a gift, my lovely child,¡± I said.


    - T-Thank you, Father.


    They were having mixed emotions. They felt guilty for pointing their swords at each other and disappointed for not following their father¡¯s will. It was like Thronus felt kind of relieved that Seraphim was no longer in danger but was also confused by the strange sense of joy upon knowing that I would reward them despite what happened.


    Thronus probably felt that it was a bit immoral, but he was smiling unknowingly.


    - <i>Um...</i> Father, about Cheru and Sera...


    ¡°I¡¯ll think about what to do with them, but...¡± I trailed off.


    - May I speak freely?


    ¡°Go ahead, Domi,¡± I replied.


    - I-I think Cheru is just confused. Mother always tells me every time I make a mistake that... children are bound to make mistakes. She said children learn and grow through mistakes, and they should keep making mistakes.


    - I think it''s the same for Sera. H-He''s not aspetent as us right now, but as time goes by, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll start loving¡ª


    ¡°So you¡¯re trying to teach me a lesson,¡± I interrupted.


    - I¡¯m sorry, Father. That¡¯s not what I was trying to do...


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not ming you. Humans learn through mistakes. Lee Ji-Hye and I learned a lot through our mistakes. That makes a lot of sense, so I¡¯ll reconsider. As you said, I hope Cheru and Sera will learn many things from this incident,¡± I said.


    - Thank you.


    ¡°Help Rafael upon your return,¡± I ordered.


    - Okay...


    We hadn''te here to quarrel as a family. It was funny, but we came here to deal with the Mole Saint or whatever was her name. I focused my attention on Cherubim and Seraphim. It was funny seeing them running away desperately despite knowing that I had the Telescope.


    Their tear-stricken faces caught my attention.


    I was sure they were nervous and scared by the fact that they had betrayed their parents¡¯ wishes. I was sure they were thinking that they would probably never receive any love from now on, and it was a painful thought that was eating away at them.


    If I were to exaggerate it a bit, they''d probably have a mental breakdown soon, as they had basically ruined their life.


    - A-Are you okay... Cheru?


    - Yeah... I¡¯m fine, Sera.


    - <i>Heuk... Kgh...</i>


    - Don¡¯t cry. I¡¯m here, and I have you.


    - Father... <i>Heck...</i> Mom... <i>Heck...</i>


    - Don¡¯t cry, Sera... Don¡¯t... <i>Kgh...</i>


    - Mom... Mooom...!


    Seraphim, who was crying in Cherubim¡¯s arms, clenched his fists.


    While I was tapping my thigh quietly, I heard Han Sora¡¯s voice next to me.


    ¡°Sub Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Sir?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Miss Sora,¡± I answered.


    ¡°Y-You¡¯re not... seriously thinking about getting rid of Sera, are you? You¡¯re just... trying to scare him, right?¡± Han Sora asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just giving him a warning... right?¡± Han Sora asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Please...¡± she begged.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± I answered.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t do it. Please... <i>Heuk...</i>¡± Han Sora cried.


    <i>''She¡¯s making it seem like I¡¯m the only bad guy here. Actually, she''s right, but... it doesn''t feel good.''</i>


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to kill him,¡± I told her.


    ¡°It sounds the same to me,¡± Han Sora argued.


    ¡°You¡¯re the Angel of Magic, Miss Sora. You should know this by now... and I haven¡¯t made a decision yet. Actually, it¡¯s more like I¡¯m trying not to make a decision. I¡¯m going to let Ha-Yan decide,¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    <i>¡®Honestly, I feel kind of ufortable making the decision.¡¯</i>


    To be honest, I was fine with discarding him. We had a bad rtionship, after all, and even though wecked manpower, it wasn¡¯t so bad that we had to rely on Seraphim.


    It was true that it was disappointing... but discarding him was probably the better move, as he didn''t really matter. I was more worried about Ha-Yan than Seraphim. If I were to truly get rid of Seraphim...


    <i>¡®I don¡¯t think Ha-Yan will like it.¡¯</i>


    Han Sora wouldn''t like it, and it was highly likely that Jung Ha-Yan wouldn''t like it as well. Since she had already decided to make Seraphim one of her people, she wouldn¡¯t be able to push him away so easily. Jung Ha-Yan''s rtionships were generally like that. Entering her world was difficult, but exiting her world was even more difficult.


    ¡°Then, what you did just now...¡± Han Sora questioned.


    ¡°Well... apart from what just happened, he still needs to be punished. This isn¡¯t enough, and I am not satisfied yet. However, I¡¯m worried about Ha-Yan. I can¡¯t stop thinking about her smile...¡± I answered.


    ¡°S-So you do care about her,¡± Han Soramented.


    ¡°What do you take me for?¡± I questioned.


    ¡°I-It¡¯s nothing, sir. Forget it. Also, from now on¡ª¡±


    ¡°Regarding the kids who ran away from home, leave them alone for now. They need to realize that they¡¯ll only end up suffering by running away from home. I n on asking Ha-Yan indirectly,¡± I interrupted her.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You said you think he¡¯s receiving her love because he¡¯spetent. I need to fix that mindset of hers. If I do that, don¡¯t you think she¡¯ll get an answer? Honestly, I think it¡¯s toote,¡± I replied.


    ¡°How are you going to do that?¡± Han Sora asked.


    ¡°Talking to her sincerely is probably the best way to go about it,¡± I responded.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll like that as well,¡± Han Soramented.


    ¡°If she can''t understand it, then I¡¯m going to try taking it away from her,¡± I told her.


    ¡°T-Take what?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Her magic,¡± I replied.


    Han Sora looked at me as if I were crazy, and it was a reasonable reaction. Taking magic away from the God of Magic was basically absurd. Of course, I knew it was impossible.


    <i>¡®Yeah, it¡¯s actually impossible.¡¯</i>


    It would be impossible if I were to use the system, but it was a different story using my own abilities. I just had to concoct a position that would restrict her mana for a short period of time.


    It was going to be difficult, but it was possible if I used Jung Ha-Yan''s blood as the catalyst for that potion.


    After all, her blood was the essence of all magic itself.


    I could easily obtain her blood, and I knew how to concoct that kind of potion, so it wouldn''t be that difficult for me to make one that was powerful enough to restrict Jung Ha-Yan. Of course, I needed the right ingredients.


    The problem was its effectiveness.


    Even if I used every single legendary catalyst out there, I wasn¡¯t sure whether the potion''s effectiveness wouldst even a day.


    It was kind of a strange method, but it was achievable with enough sincerity to my beloved. Moreover, Jung Ha-Yan was really quick-witted when it came to matters affecting her. Unfortunately, there wasn¡¯t anyone I could consult with¡ªwait, there was actually someone I could talk about it with.


    <i>''Perhaps I should ask him.''</i>


    [Excuse me, Commander.]


    [Go away, Lee Ki-Young.]


    [Do you have a family?]


    [Go away.]


    [Do you have someone you love?]


    [Go away.]


    [What do you think love is?]


    [Crazy bastard.]


    [Do you have children back on Earth?]


    [Go away.]


    I really had to take care of him once I had the opportunity to do so.


    ¡°Anyway, that was my n,¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m saying this just in case, but don¡¯t send Seraphim any support. I¡¯m kind of narrow-minded, so I want to see him suffer. The same goes for Cherubim... Actually, let''s not do that to him,¡± I said.


    ¡°You¡¯re...promising?¡± Han Sora asked, sounding dumbfounded.


    ¡°Ipromise from time to time when ites to the people I care about,¡± I told her.


    Especially if it was Ha-Yan...


    I could still see her crying through the Telescope.


    [Sorry to ask this all of a sudden, but can you give me your blood?]


    [Go away, Lee Ki-Young.]


    [Wrong send.]


    <i>''This bastard. Did he make a macro to reply to me automatically?''</i>


    I sent a simr message to Jung Ha-Yan again.


    Jung Ha-Yan¡¯s face brightened up instantly, and she instantly sprang up from her bed.


    I had no idea that she''d like that.


    [Why? Why do you need it?]


    [I suddenly want to store your blood.]


    She giggled and wiped away her tears with one hand. The sight told me that she liked my request. She was crying her heart out not too long ago, but now, she was smiling, so she had to be feeling better now.


    <i>''I''m d that she likes it...''</i>


    Jung Ha-Yan''s face was flushed as she nodded continuously, and I was convinced that I had made the right choice. I decided not to watch what was about to happen, but I received blood packaged in a very pretty bottle.


    After breakfast the next day, or more specifically, eleven hourster, Jung Ha-Yan lost her magic.


    I went all out. I used Mythic-rank catalysts, Belial''s Curse, and Jung Ha-Yan''s blood as ingredients for the potion. The Alchemist of Light job effect was even activated, but the potion I concocted would onlyst three days.


    Fortunately, Jung Ha-Yan immediately started hiding the fact that she had lost her magic.


    1. Lee Ki-Young¡¯s POV ?

 Chapter 906. Sera (6)

    <h4>Chapter 906. Sera (6)</h4>


    It was natural for Jung Ha-Yan to hide her condition. I thought she woulde to me for advice, but nothing really changed. Perhaps it was because she was still used to the old ways.


    It seemed like she was still convinced that she had to bepetent to receive any love.


    She also thought that since she was the one who had made a big mistake, she couldn¡¯t me other people for it. I decided to think about this as her paying the price for growing stronger in an unusual way.


    <i>¡®Thinking of it like that actually makes me feel a lot better.¡¯</i>


    I turned while sipping my tea and saw Jung Ha-Yan looking around anxiously.


    She didn¡¯t seem all that different from her usual self, but I could tell that she was feeling dispirited. She was trying to act normal, but it was so unnatural that she looked strange.


    She kept ncing over at the tent, and her facial expression was telling me that she wanted to go in. I was sure she needed time to figure out what was going on, and I was sure she could feel her mana evaporating even while sipping on her tea.


    It was like Jung Ha-Yan to act like nothing was wrong despite the abnormality. I was sure she didn¡¯t want others to find out that there was something wrong with her. Many different thoughts were popping up in her head because it happened so suddenly, but the first thing she thought of was to make sure that no one would notice it.


    <i>¡®It could¡¯ve been really bad.¡¯</i>


    Of course, nothing bad would actually happen, but I felt kind of ufortable as I made many different assumptions. If we were actually in the middle of an expedition or if we ended up entering a dungeon while her magic was sealed...


    I had Mind¡¯s Eye, so I could check her condition, but her status was a wall of text that strained my eyes. If I weren''t a member of the expedition, the problem would be even more serious. The party could get annihted, or the worst-case scenario could happen.


    If we were in the middle of a war, we wouldn¡¯t make it this far.


    I thought things were going pretty well, but it didn¡¯t seem to be the case. There were things that made me worried, and I was still worried about them right now.


    Jung Ha-Yan¡¯s expression was changing continuously.


    ¡°Ha-Yan, are you okay?¡± I asked.


    ¡°<i>Huh?</i> W-W-What... do you mean? I-I¡¯m fine...¡± Jung Ha-Yan answered.


    <i>¡®She¡¯s answering with an excuse.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Well, you don¡¯t look so good... is it because of Sera?¡± I asked.


    ¡°N-No, it¡¯s nothing like that. <i>Ah!</i> Come to think of it, is Sera... d-doing okay?¡± Jung Ha-Yan asked.


    <i>¡®So she does care about him.¡¯</i>


    ¡°He¡¯s working with the party members, so don¡¯t worry so much,¡± I replied.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m d,¡± she said.


    ¡°If there¡¯s something you want to say, you can tell me anytime,¡± I told her.


    ¡°Okay... b-but there¡¯s nothing... I want to say right now,¡± Jung Ha-Yan stuttered.


    ¡°Really?¡± I questioned.


    ¡°Yes, r-really. I-I¡¯m the same as always. O-O-Oppa... I¡¯m kind of... tired right now...¡± Jung Ha-Yan said.


    ¡°Oh yeah? <i>Ah</i>, I want to visit the Democratic Country real quick. Can you open up a warp gate...¡± I asked.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry... but I can¡¯t. I¡¯m... really tired right now... I-I think I should head in first,¡± Jung Ha-Yan refused.


    ¡°Okay, go ahead,¡± I said.


    ¡°Are you heading in already, Miss Jung Ha-Yan?¡± Han Sora asked.


    ¡°Y-Yeah,¡± Jung Ha-Yan answered.


    ¡°Is there anything you need?¡± Han Sora asked.


    ¡°N-No... don¡¯te in, Sora. I-I want to be alone... for now,¡± Jung Ha-Yan said.


    Jung Ha-Yan looked nervous.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t want youing in either... Sora...¡± Jung Ha-Yan stuttered.


    ¡°<i>Ah...</i>¡±


    Han Sora looked shocked and nervous as well, but I was sure there was a different reason behind her shock


    <i>¡®She had definitely never imagined that this would happen.¡¯</i>


    Han Sora had probably never imagined that Jung Ha-Yan would hide things from her. She thought Jung Ha-Yan would always rely on her to deal with hardships, but...


    <i>¡®She must be thinking that she''s mistaken...¡¯</i>


    At one point, Han Sora desperately wanted to leave the party... but right now, she was too sad to leave. Human emotions were truly funny.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m really sorry... I-I¡¯m going to go rest, oppa. I¡¯m sorry... Sora,¡± Jung Ha-Yan said.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to apologize. I can ride my griffon to the Democratic Country. Your health takes precedence over everything. Take care of yourself, Ha-Yan,¡± I said.


    ¡°Miss... Jung... Ha-Yan...¡± Han Sora muttered.


    Just like that, Jung Ha-Yan entered her tent.


    ¡°At one point, you asked me to transfer you elsewhere,¡± I reminded Han Sora.


    ¡°W-When did I say that?¡± Han Sora stuttered.


    ¡°Did you not expect Ha-Yan to start hiding things from you?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I...¡±


    ¡°I think you drew that conclusion because she has low self-esteem. Isn¡¯t it normal for humans to live while not knowing when they¡¯ll be abandoned?¡± I questioned.


    I had simr thoughts as well when I first met Kim Hyun-Sung.


    It seemed that Ha-Yan and I had more simrities than I thought.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that... It¡¯s just... she doesn¡¯t need to feel like she needs to hide things from me...¡± Han Sora said.


    ¡°That¡¯s what you want, Miss Sora. Ha-Yan doesn¡¯t think the same way. Since you learned many things from her, she probably cares more about you than me. <i>Ah</i>, let me send a message,¡± I told her.


    [Check it for me.]


    [Are you doing your job properly?]


    [Don¡¯t even think about nitpicking ridiculous things, Lee Ki-Young.]


    [I checked to see if Commander Jin had done this part, oppa. It¡¯s not bad.]


    [Check thoroughly again, Noona.]


    [Bastard. I told you not to be nitpicky. I already assumed that you would do that.]


    [By the way, Dominions contacted me. What are you doing over there?]


    [Just trivial errands rted to Seraphim. There¡¯s also an issue with Ha-Yan. <i>Ah</i>, I¡¯m currently trying to lure the Mole Saint out. There are a lot more things to handle than I thought. Anyway, it¡¯s going to be hard for me to focus on that ce for the time being, so take care of things for me. Commander, please make sure to do your job properly.]


    [Everything happened all at once... Still, I¡¯m d we have Commander Jin here. Don¡¯t you agree, Oppa? We can focus on the other parts, all thanks to him. You should reward him someday.]


    [Of course, but has he done something amazing that deserves a reward? All he did was take care of some chores. It¡¯s not good to promote a rookie who just started working.]


    [Say that after you¡¯ve checked my work.]


    [Talk to me after you''ve done something that is worthy of a reward, Commander. You''re like a rookie giving advice to an expert.]


    [Damn it, Lee Ki-Young. You¡¯re getting on my nerves. If I¡ª]


    [Mr. Lee Ki-Young has left the chatroom.]


    [Miss Lee Ji-Hye invited Mr. Lee Ki-Young to the chatroom.]


    [Take good care of our Domi, my love.]


    [Don¡¯t worry, my other half.]


    [Damn it. You¡¯re making me sick.]


    [Mr. Jin Cheong has left the chatroom.]


    <i>Ah</i>, I should contact Hee-Ra noona as well...


    [Noonaa?]


    [What¡¯s wrong, darling?]


    [It¡¯s kind of hard to exin, but if Cherubim contacts you, I want you to ignore him.]


    [All right.]


    [Just like that?]


    [I thought we needed to do something like this at least once. He needs to learn how to live alone. What is he doing right now?]


    [He¡¯s crying.]


    [Really? Make him cry more, and you should stop by the guild. I have things I need to discuss with you.]


    <i>¡®We¡¯re raising him to be independent.¡¯</i>


    Cherubim entered a cave with Seraphim, and he startedforting thetter.


    I immediately stopped looking at them because they weren¡¯t important right now.


    ¡°You know what¡¯s important right now, right? This isn¡¯t the time to be sending messages...¡± Han Sora''s voice echoed in my ears.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± I said.


    ¡°What is Miss Jung Ha-Yan doing? Are you sure she¡¯s okay?¡± Han Sora asked


    ¡°Hold on. I¡¯m worried about her as well. I just needed time to organize things since there are many things I need to handle. I¡¯ll check out Rafael, Thro, and Domiter. Also, we have eyes in the tent. Turn it on. Ha-Yan doesn¡¯t have ess to her mana right now, so she can''t sense those eyes,¡± I told her.


    ¡°<i>Oh!</i> Right...¡±


    Han Sora grabbed the mirror, and I looked at it with her.


    Honestly, I knew how Jung Ha-Yan was feeling without even looking at her. She was probably really anxious and was feeling the same way when she was still in the tutorial dungeon. Just as I expected, she was pacing around the tenth.


    - W-What should I do? W-What... W-Why is this happening? Why...


    She was evaluating her condition while talking to herself.


    She raised her hands and channeled a spell quietly to no avail. There was no way she could resist the effects written on the potion that the system itself had dered. Jung Ha-Yan was currently suffering the effects of that potion.


    - W-What should I do... <i>Hup</i>... W-What do I do...


    Jung Ha-Yan was shaking, and tears would fall down her eyes every time she blinked. Her bad habits were alsoing back, even though I thought that she had long abandoned those habits. She started biting her nails and scratching her head.


    She was too nervous in my eyes.


    - No... Please... please... <i>Heuk</i>... Please... <i>Hup...</i>


    <i>¡®I don¡¯t really want to keep watching this.¡¯</i>


    I was sure Han Sora felt the same way.


    ¡°<i>Ah...</i> Miss Jung Ha-Yan... what do we do? I feel bad... I feel bad for Miss Jung Ha-Yan,¡± Han Sora said.


    ¡°We¡¯re doing this to fix her,¡± I told her.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Still... this is worse than I imagined,¡± Han Sora said.


    - <i>Heuk...</i> I-It¡¯s over. It¡¯s... all over. What should I do... <i>Heuk...</i> Move...


    ¡°...¡±


    - Y-You stupid! Move! Why aren¡¯t you listening to me?!


    In the end, Han Sora ran out.


    - Miss Jung Ha-Yan...


    - <i>Huh?</i> <i>Uh...</i> H-Hold on... Wait...


    - Miss Jung Ha-Yan, I...


    - Don¡¯te in... D-Don¡¯te in!


    - I heard you crying...


    - I-It¡¯s nothing.


    - Are you sure you¡¯re okay?


    - I said... it¡¯s nothing.


    - Are you really... really... okay?


    - ...


    - ...


    - Y-Yeah...


    - You don¡¯t have to hide it from me.


    - ...


    - You said you would tell me everything, right?


    I thought Han Sora was being a little too hasty, but I didn''t think that it was a bad idea overall, as it seemed like Jung Ha-Yan felt like she was in a corner. She needed someone to rely on to make it easier for her to speak her mind.


    <i>¡®The problem is...¡¯</i>


    I had no idea whether she was going to open up or not.


    - You said you''d tell me everything, including the bad and the good. You promised me... didn''t you?


    I saw Jung Ha-Yan wriggling her fingers in hesitation.

 Chapter 907. Sera (7)

    <h4>Chapter 907. Sera (7)</h4>


    - You said... you would share everything. That¡¯s what you promised.


    - ...


    Jung Ha-Yan was in a dilemma. She was having an internal struggle about confessing the truth to Han Sora. Jung Ha-Yab was breathing heavily, but her face gradually became serious. She was probably thinking how she had turned out like this when she waspletely useless back on Earth.


    I didn''t think that I was solely responsible for the values that made her who she was today, but...


    <i>¡®It¡¯s her family¡¯s fault for abandoning the cute Ha-Yan. They¡¯re heartless bastards, damn it.¡¯</i>


    I had probably made her condition worse, but her mindset that she¡¯d be abandoned if she wasn''tpetent was still deep inside of her.


    ording to what she told me, she had always been alone. She had troublemunicating, and she wasn¡¯t particrly outstanding in other fields, so she probably felt like she was a burden to her family.


    Her oldest sister started working at a young age, and her second oldest sister was smart. She hadn''t said it herself, but she definitely didn¡¯t have any friends when she was in school. I actually heard from her that she was made an outcast...


    <i>¡®This part is different for Yul-Ha and me.¡¯</i>


    Basically, Jung Ha-Yan found value in her existence upon arriving on the continent. She found something she was good at, and it was making people happy with her as well.


    The grandpas and grandmas at the Magic Tower liked her a lot, and they all had their attention on her. She wasn¡¯t the type who would care about other people, but magic was a gift and blessing that made Jung Ha-Yan who she was today.


    In some ways, she was probably d that she was transported here.


    ¡°Maybe I should¡¯ve asked her for more details about her life on Earth,¡± I said.


    It couldn''t be helped. She didn¡¯t seem like she wanted to talk about it, but it would be best to hear her story even if I had to pressure her a bit for it.


    Jung Ha-Yan didn¡¯t say anything and simply walked in front of the door Han Sora, where Han Sora was standing just a few inches away from her. As time ticked by, Jung Ha-Yan was starting to be exhausted. She grabbed the door, but she lost confidence and let it go.


    - <i>Heuk... Hup...</i>


    All I could hear in her room was her sobs.


    - I will never leave you, Miss Jung Ha-Yan.


    - ...


    - You even said you wanted to stay together.


    - Yeah...


    - Please... open the door.


    It was like they were filming a teen drama...


    <i>''You know, the one where the heartbroken protagonist always getsforted. No, it¡¯s like that show Animal Farm[1] where the process of heartbroken puppies opening up to humans is shown.''</i>


    Even though Han Sora could just walk into the tent, she still decided to ask Jung Ha-Yan to open the door. I was sure it was somewhat symbolic, but I could see that she wanted Jung Ha-Yan to open up to her.


    It seemed that Han Sora¡¯s sincerity was working because Jung Ha-Yan nodded quietly and opened the door of the tent that was too grand to be called a tent.


    Jung Ha-Yan greeted Han Sora and stared quietly at her.


    Han Sora seemed to have realized that this was Jung Ha-Yan''s way of opening up.


    A slight smile tugged at Han Sora''s worried face.


    - S-Sora... I...


    - Yes, Miss Jung Ha-Yan.


    <i>¡®You don¡¯t need to say anything. Just hug.¡¯</i>


    Hugging was the first thing they had to do. Han Sora started crying as well upon seeing Jung Ha-Yan''s messy face. If I showed this to Han Sora in the past, who always ran away, she wouldn¡¯t believe me.


    - W-Why did you bite your nails again?


    - <i>Ah...</i> well...


    - Your pretty hair is a mess as well. You should stop pulling your hair. Didn''t you say that you''ll stop doing that?


    - O-Okay.


    - Why did you cry so much? Your eyes are swollen. <i>Heuk</i>... why are you so sad?


    <i>¡®Damn. She¡¯s doing so well.¡¯</i>


    Han Sora knew what was going on, but she was acting really well.


    <i>''You''re involved in this as well, so why are you feigning ignorance? You¡¯re an aplice, too.''</i>


    I felt bad because it felt like I was ruining the mood, but Han Sora was...


    - Why are you acting like such a fool? Miss Jung Ha-Yan... you¡¯re really...


    I really liked the tension.


    - Why are you always suffering alone...


    - I-I¡¯m sorry... Sora.


    - You should apologize to yourself, not to me.


    It was dramatic, but the situation wasn¡¯t bad.


    I thought it was pretty good because it was actually helping Jung Ha-Yan calm down. Earlier, she was hyperventting, but her breathing had evened out, and she no longer seemed nervous. She was rxed and could finally reflect on herself again.


    - So... what happened?


    The timing at which Han Sora asked the question wasn¡¯t bad either. I thought she would talk to her while crying, but Han Sora was pretty calm.


    - I-It¡¯s nothing serious...


    - I still want to hear it.


    - M-M-My magic... suddenly disappeared...


    With that, Jung Ha-Yan stared at Han Sora''s face. She was clearly curious about her reaction.


    - I-I think it¡¯s just t-t-temporary...


    Jung Ha-Yan was nervous, so she was saying that it was fine and that her magic would soon return. She was also hinting at Han Sora that she didn''t want thetter to leave her alone.


    - I-I¡¯m just trying to find out why this is happening, and it''s just temporary, so it should be fine, right?


    - Why are you asking me?


    - I-I-I don¡¯t know...


    - Are you okay, Miss Jung Ha-Yan?


    - Y-Yeah... i-it¡¯s only temporary. Y-You can stay as the Angel of Magic, so...


    - That¡¯s not important, Miss Jung Ha-Yan. I don¡¯t care if you have magic or not. You¡¯re the one important to me, not your magic. I¡¯m sure the sub guild master also...


    - D-D-Don¡¯t tell him... He mustn''t know.


    - I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll tell you that it¡¯s fine.


    - D-Don¡¯t tell him! Don¡¯t...!


    - You have a lot of strengths even without magic.


    - ...


    - You¡¯re nice... pretty and cute. Magic isn¡¯t what brought you to existence. I¡¯m sure he likes you because of those many sides of you. Look at this. Don¡¯t you think you look lovely as well?


    Han Sora conversed with Jung Ha-Yan while fixing thetter''s messy hair.


    Jung Ha-Yan relied a lot on Han Sora, so she looked at the mirror quietly.


    - Y-You¡¯re prettier, Sora.


    - Really? Which part?


    - Your eyes. Your odd eyes.


    You gave her those odd eyes, Ha-Yan.


    - I-I...


    - No, you¡¯re really pretty, Miss Jung Ha-Yan. Also, your appearance doesn¡¯t really matter. The sub guild master said that he liked you as a person. The two of you were together the moment younded on the continent.


    - You experienced many things together, grew together, promised to have a future together, and dedicated yourself to each other. You can be a little more confident about yourself, you know?


    - S-Still... I-I don¡¯t want to... <i>Hup</i>... I-I really don¡¯t want to tell him. I... really... really don¡¯t want to... please...


    - Then how about we tell himter?


    - ...


    - ...


    - L-Let¡¯s do that...


    Han Sora was really skilled at handling Jung Ha-Yan.


    It seemed that she had long gotten used to handling Jung Ha-Yan, as she had been spending the majority of her time with her. Obviously, the time that she had spent with Sera was helpful as well.


    Whenever Jung Ha-Yan was calm, Han Sora would tell the former what she wanted her to do, and if Jung Ha-Yan didn''t want to do something, Han Sora would find a middle ground that they could settle for.


    It sounded easy, but it wasn''t easy at all.


    We were talking about Jung Ha-Yan here, after all.


    Their conversation was going so smoothly that Jung Ha-Yan looked a bit convinced.


    - You said it''s going toe back soon anyway. Let¡¯s wait and see what happens. Also, you should think carefully about what you''re going to do next. We don¡¯t need to be hasty. Are you... feeling better?


    - Y-Yeah. Thanks, Sora. T-Then what should I say to oppa?


    - I¡¯ll try talking to him. If we end up in a situation where you''d have to use spells, I can cast spells in your ce... I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be needing it anytime soon though.


    - I... need to do that thing... The thing I do with oppa...


    - You mean managing the continent? I¡¯ll talk to him about that as well, Miss Jung Ha-Yan. So don¡¯t worry too much about it, okay? You¡¯re the God of Magic. You¡¯ve been experiencing hardshipstely and have been really tired these days.


    - I think it¡¯s because you¡¯re really stressed. Even if I tell you to rx, I know you won¡¯t rx, but I think it¡¯s best if you rest and stop thinking about anything. No, you have to do that.


    - Y-You¡¯re right, Sora... I-I''ve been having a headache recently, and I''ve been feeling frustrated, too. I-It¡¯s because of Sera... I-Is Sera doing okay?


    - Yes, Sera is doing fine since I¡¯ve been taking care of him. Just think about yourself, Miss Jung Ha-Yan. You have to... so that I can act like my normal self. I¡¯ll help you.


    - Are you sure... that¡¯s okay?


    - Yes, of course.


    - <i>Heuk... Hup...</i> Really?


    - Yes.


    - You won¡¯t leave me, right?


    - Why would I? I¡¯ll stay with you even after you get married.


    - Really... are you really not going to leave me?


    - Yes, I won¡¯t.


    Han Sora definitely had a trauma about that.


    - I-It¡¯lle back soon.


    - Yeah, it¡¯lle back soon, right?


    - But y-you still might leave me.


    - I told you that I won¡¯t leave you. Geez, Miss Jung Ha-Yan...


    - S-Since we made a promise, l-let¡¯s make it official. L-Let¡¯s sign a contract.


    - What?


    - A magic contract. If you leave me... you¡¯ll go... <i>boom!</i>


    <i>¡®Shit. Good thing I didn¡¯t go in there first.¡¯</i>


    <i>''Thanks, Sora...''</i>


    - What? I-Is that really necessary...


    - We¡¯ll bind our promise using the magic contract. T-That¡¯ll help me feel reassured. Since I can¡¯t do it, y-you can do it for me, right?


    - <i>Ah...</i>


    - Y-You¡¯ll do that for me, right? You can... right?


    Han Sora nodded without realizing it.


    At the same time...


    ¡°Sir.¡±


    ¡°<i>Oh</i>... Hye-Jin... what brings you here?¡± I asked.


    ''She¡¯s a friend I haven¡¯t seen in a while.''


    ¡°A strange monster appeared in the capital,¡± Jo Hye-Jin answered.


    1. A South Korean television program that focuses on animals and their rtionship with humans. ?

 Chapter 908. Sera (8)

    <h4>Chapter 908. Sera (8)</h4>


    ¡°What the hell are you talking about? You just appeared out of nowhere...¡± I questioned.


    ¡°You¡¯ll understand once you''ve seen the report about the situation, sir,¡± Jo Hye-Jin said.


    ¡°What happened? If you came all the way here just to tell me¡ª¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re still investigating the exact time it happened, but we believe it happened at around nine-eleven in the morning. The monster¡¯s first appearance is believed to be within one kilometer of the capital¡¯s clock tower.


    "The monster¡¯s sudden appearancepletely disrupted the areal; there were many casualties and injured victims,¡± Jo Hye-Jin said, interrupting me.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to report in such a formal manner. Just go straight to the point, Miss Hye-Jin. You¡¯re saying that a monster has appeared within the capital, and there was a lot of damage, right?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes. It was a good thing that Mr. Park Deok-Gu, Mr. Ahn Ki-Mo, and Miss Kim Ye-Ri were nearby, so the damage was minimized, albeit it''s still a lot of damage,¡± Jo Hye-Jin replied.


    <i>¡®Why were they there?¡¯</i>


    Jo Hye-Jin stared at my face, seemingly trying to deduce my reaction.


    ¡°Mr. Park Deok-Gu has decided to host a capital exploration.¡±


    <i>¡®A capital exploration? Why are they exploring the capital all of a sudden? I think he just needed an excuse to y around.¡¯</i>


    ¡°He said they were having drinks at a bar near the clock tower,¡± Jo Hye-Jin informed.


    ¡°Who drinks in the morning?¡± I questioned.


    ¡°They¡¯ve been drinking sincest night...¡± Jo Hye-Jin added.


    ¡°You mean he took care of the monster while drunk? That pig...¡± I said.


    What if he had ended up getting hurt?


    ¡°How is he?¡± I asked.


    ¡°He suffered a serious injury, but I was told that he had recovered to the point that he can go about his daily activities without any issues,¡± Jo Hye-Jin answered.


    ¡°He sure recovers quickly,¡± I mumbled. It was ridiculous that he drank all night while exploring the capital, but I was surprised by the fact that he fought a monster despite being drunk. I had a feeling I knew why he didn¡¯t report this to me himself.


    He was probably scared that I would scold him, or he thought it wasn¡¯t a serious problem.


    I wasn¡¯t sure why a monster appeared in the middle of the capital, but those three were considered the top adventures of the continent, so I was more surprised that Park Deok-Gu suffered a serious injury.


    <i>¡®Maybe its level was higher than they thought.¡¯</i>


    It was impossible for weak monsters to leave even a scratch on Park Deok-Gu.


    His Endurance had gone beyond the limits, and he had a ton of buffs from his equipment as well as from his job himself.


    I was dumbfounded because all of this happened while I was watching Jung Ha-Yan and Han Sora. Fortunately, Jo Hye-Jin hadn''t mentioned anything about Kim Ye-Ri and Ahn Ki-Mo''s injuries, which meant that they had carried out their role properly amidst the chaos.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be faster if you see for yourself rather than me exining it,¡± Jo Hye-Jin suggested.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure someone has recorded what happened, and some of them must''ve died while in the middle of recording it,¡± I said.


    I knocked on the table, and a Goddess¡¯ Mirror popped up. I immediately went to the Videos tab and saw keywords such as "Blue Guild Members vs. Monster" in the rankings.


    I clicked on a video, and it immediately started ying.


    - What the hell is happening?!


    - Seriously. A monster...


    - Yes, there seems to be a monster. I think we drank too much.


    The three obviously looked drunk.


    <i>''Wait, why is Kim Ye-Ri so drunk? Is she even old enough to drink?''</i>


    - I think the three of us are hallucinating at the same time. Wait, maybe I''m dreaming, and the two of you are here in my dreand?


    - We need to. Take care of the monster. First.


    - I¡¯ll cast a holy power spell. Let¡¯s take this seriously.


    Ahn Ki-Mo said that he was going to take the situation seriously, but I couldn''t believe him at all because he was stumbling.


    The guards of the capital cordoned off the area.


    Meanwhile, Park Deok-Gu shouted and charged at the monster.


    The camera captured the monster¡¯s entire body.


    It had a huge frame, a grotesque-looking face, and a bizarre form.


    I had no idea what to call that monster, but it was different from the monsters I had ever seen so far. It had a pair of white wings on its back, and it definitely was a strange monster from the way it was making a <i>buzzing</i> sound.


    - This is! Physical magic!


    - Then, should I y the role of a berserker who¡¯s crazy for blood?


    - Dance of Enchantment.


    <i>''Stop it guys. I can¡¯t go anywhere because you guys are embarrassing me.''</i>


    - <i>Woooooo!</i>


    - I-It¡¯s not an easy opponent...


    - We should focus more.


    - Dance of Enchantment Second Style: Coming-of-Age Ritual.


    <i>¡®Ye-Ri, are you crazy?¡¯</i>


    - H-Hold on... It¡¯s stronger than we think. Wait! <i>Eek!</i> It hurts!


    - Dance of Enchantment Third Style: Rosy Wind.


    - <i>Eek!</i>


    ¡°Take this video down as soon as I¡¯m done watching it and tell those three to submit a letter of exnation¡ªno, a ten-page letter of apology,¡± I ordered.


    ¡°This video is already viral, though...¡± Jo Hye-Jin said.


    - Dance of Enchantment. Truth. Master. My name is Kim Ye-Ri, and no words can describe me. Awaken¡ªsubus Mode.


    ¡°All right, fine. Just leave it alone so that it stays in the Benigoa Net forever. They have to see what they were doing while they were drunk,¡± I said.


    - <i>Kgh! </i>Physical Martial Arts¡ªIndestructible!


    - Bloodthirster: Berserk!


    - <i>Ahhhhh! </i>Physical Martial Arts¡ªHeavenly Subjugation!


    ¡°Actually, I¡¯m going to punish them. Let¡¯s give them the highest level of punishment that the guild can impose in my name. Reduce their pay and tell them to return their equipment for two months. The fine will be... ten thousand gold,¡± I said.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea, sir,¡± Jo Hye-Jin said.


    The pig was finally sent flying after holding out for so long.


    Was that when he got hurt? I saw Park Deok-Gu mming into a wall, but I was relieved to see him standing up almost immediately. Of course, he probably broke a bone or two upon impact.


    They were shouting at the monster with uneasy looks, but it seemed like they hadn''t forgotten their roles.


    Park Deok-Gu, the vanguard, was fighting the monster face-to-face, while Kim Ye-Ri was taking advantage of Park Deok-Gu''s peeling to deal damage to the monster. Ahn Ki-Mo stood at the rear, supporting Park Deok-Gu.


    The way he seamlessly cast spells infused with holy power between Kim Ye-Ri and Park Deok-Gu told me that these three siblings had a ton of experience working together.


    Kim Ye-Ri was stumbling like a drunken master as she attacked, but it was a perfect performance. She hopped onto the monster¡¯s back and started climbing it up with a dagger in hand. She hopped onto a roof and attached the wire that was attached to her wrist to the clock tower before taking to the sky.


    Kim Ye-Ri was soon flying above the city.


    <i>¡®This is basically a one-man show.¡¯</i>


    The guards and adventurers got into a formation and started shooting arrows at the monster. The monster swung its arm like a lunatic, but Park Deok-Gu grabbed its arms, suppressing it. Kim Ye-Ri then hopped onto its arm and hacked away at it.


    At this point, the battle was over as long as the monster didn''t recover its health.


    ¡°It¡¯s holy power.¡± I pointed out.


    ¡°Yes, it is. The videos after this one were uploaded by other adventurers,¡± Jo Hye-Jin informed.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t need to look at those. I''m sure many adventurers participated in the battle. There must have been some damage, but they still managed to take the monster down, right?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, sir. Additionally, they brought its corpse here. I thought you might be curious about it,¡± Jo Hye-Jin replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s great. We actually found something simr to that monster. There''s a non-disclosure agreement, but it doesn¡¯t matter anymore because everyone in the Sacred Democratic Country will eventually know.


    "Rafael¡¯s party was hunting a simr monster around here. Its appearance is kind of different, but they seem to be the same type of monster,¡± I informed her.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°The Holy Sword Warrior believes that the monster is rted to a dungeon... and I agree with him,¡± I continued.


    ¡°It¡¯s definitely... safer to think that this phenomenon is happening because of a dungeon,¡± Jo Hye-Jinmented.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Are you¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m helping them,¡± I answered.


    I felt a bit rxed to see Jo Hye-Jin¡¯s face. Her long hair was still tied up, and her armor was still pretty shiny. However, I could still see Bonobono¡¯s color theme, which meant that she couldn¡¯t quite give up her favorite color.


    Obviously, she still had the spear that the God of Sacrifice and Revival had bestowed upon her. She could have contacted me in other ways, but she probably thought that it was morefortable for us to talk face-to-face.


    ¡°It¡¯s probably an unranked dungeon, but I assume the true difficulty is probably Mythic. The monsters are pretty high in level to say that it¡¯s simply because of the dungeon. If we don¡¯t take care of it, simr monsters will keep on appearing in the near future.


    "Where¡¯s the corpse of that monster?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s on its way here, sir,¡± she answered.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s head over to the ce where the monster that the Holy Sword Warrior¡¯s party had encountered was defeated. <i>Ah</i>, I forgot to ask you this, but I coincidentally saw something on Benigoa Net...¡± I trailed off.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Something about Jo Hye-Jin of the Blue Guild going on a date with a man...¡± I continued.


    ¡°What do you...¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t been on Benioga Net recently? Well, it¡¯s a pretty old story...¡± I asked.


    ¡°<i>Ah!</i>¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Jo Hye-Jin nodded quietly as if she had figured something out.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a date,¡± Jo Hye-Jin said.


    ¡°?¡±


    ¡°We simply ate together. I identally hurt his griffon. I was going topensate him, but he said that I could just buy him some food; he also told me that he was a fan of mine...


    "However, it turns out that he was a superficial and rude man, so the entire experience was torture for me. I think his name was... Lee Ji-Hoo? Contrary to his first impression, he was extremely rude. Anyway, it¡¯s not what you think, so stay out of it,¡± she exined.


    <i>¡®Why is Lee Ji-Hoo being mentioned all of a sudden?¡¯</i>


    It seemed that Jo Hye-Jin truly thought of it as a bad memory, and I could see that from the frown on her face.


    ¡°Be careful. There are many strange people in this world. I''m sure there are people who are more than willing to take advantage of our innocent Hye-Jin,¡± I warned her.


    ¡°That¡¯s what it seemed like. At first, he gave strangepliments¡ªno, let¡¯s stop talking about it, sir. Let¡¯s go. <i>Ah!</i> Also, you need to issue a statement,¡± Jo Hye-Jin said.


    ¡°What kind of statement?¡± I asked.


    ¡°A statement about the recent events. Miss Oscar and Father Basel have officially requested one from you. It''s a monster that can wield holy power, after all,¡± Jo Hye-Jin exined.


    It was understandable. After all, it hadn''t been that long since the continent returned to normal. I was sure most denizens were afraid that there was going to be another judgement.


    In fact, some of them were probably thinking that they had yet to be forgiven for their sins or that the gods and goddesses of the continent were testing mankind again.


    They were probablying up with all sorts of theories about the apocalypse. I needed to make a statement to reassure them, and I needed to deal with this issue before things became even more chaotic.


    I walked into Rafael''s camp with Jo Hye-Jin and soon arrived at where the monster''s corpse was located. I saw Han Sora and Jung Ha-Yan. It seemed that Han Sora was done speaking with Jung Ha-Yan, but thetter remained uneasy...


    ¡°Ha-Yan, are you feeling better?¡± I asked.


    ¡°<i>Ah</i>... y-yes. I¡¯m still kind of tired...¡± Jung Ha-Yan answered.


    ¡°You can go in and rest...¡± I told her.


    ¡°I-It¡¯s fine. More importantly, M-Miss J-Jo Hye-Jin is here as well,¡± Jung Ha-Yan greeted.


    ¡°Hello, Miss Jung Ha-Yan and Miss Han Sora,¡± Jo Hye-Jin greeted back.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while since we saw each other,¡± Han Sora said.


    They were assigned their own tasks. There had been no expeditions recently, so they rarely ran into each other. Realizing that, I couldn''t help but think about nning something that would allow everyone to meet in one ce again.


    ¡°Tell them to transport that corpse from the capital here, Miss Hye-Jin,¡± I ordered.


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Jo Hye-Jin answered.


    ¡°And Miss Sora, please call Rafael¡¯s party for me. The situation has changed,¡± I instructed.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    When I entered the tent, the first thing I saw was Dominions dissecting the corpse.


    The way she greeted us while her face was covered in gory stuff was a grotesque sight.


    I waved my hand, afraid that she''d walk up to us.


    Dominions obediently went back to her work.


    <i>''Where is Thronus? Is he investigating the nearby area?''</i>


    And that was when I heard a loud noise...


    <i>Boom!</i>


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°This is the third time,¡± Jo Hye-Jin said.


    Rafael barged into the tent.


    ¡°Hyung, are you okay? Y-You should move somewhere safe...¡± Rafael suggested.


    Nothing had happened yet, and it was <i>really </i>far away.


    Nothing was going to happen here.


    <i>''Wait, isn¡¯t Sera and Cheru in that direction?''</i>


    - C-Cheru! Look at that. I-If we take that with us, Father m-might forgive us b-because it''s an achievement.


    <i>''No, I still won¡¯t forgive you.''</i>


    - ...


    <i>''Don¡¯t you dare agree with him.''</i>

 Chapter 909. Sera (9)

    <h4>Chapter 909. Sera (9)</h4>


    - You think so?


    - ...


    - You think Father will be happy?


    - I-I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be happy. H-He might forgive us. T-T-Thro and Domi said they¡¯ll talk to him, too. I¡¯m sure... <i>Kgh</i>... M-Mother will be happy, too... S-She might look for me again.


    <i>¡®He </i>does<i> look desperate.¡¯</i>


    This was a brand-new side of him that I could only see because he had no choice but to do something like this. I was not sure whether this was an appropriate description or not, but he looked simr to an anxious puppy without their owner around.


    They <i>did </i>go against my wishes, but they knew that they acted out of ce, so their reaction was totally reasonable. It had only been a day and a few hours, but the boys already looked exhausted.


    They were trying to rely on each other, but there was a limit to that.


    I couldn¡¯t help but think that they had finally found a ce where they could seek refuge. Seraphim was always looking for that kind of ce, so it was understandable for him to show that kind of reaction.


    However, it was a different story for the epitome ofposure, Cherubim. The way he was acting made me think that they were feeling cornered.


    Still, Cherubim...


    - He won¡¯t forgive us.


    <i>''Does he really think that he''s making a reasonable judgement here?''</i>


    - Still, he might reconsider. Right, Sera?


    - Yeah. I-If your mother helps, too...


    - Mother...


    Cherubim started tearing up at the thought of Cha Hee-Ra. In the end, he nodded anxiously. The issue was whether they could even handle the monster or not. I believed that a party of four could handle this monster, so it was impossible with just the two of them. Actually, even a party of four would find it difficult to handle this unprecedented monster.


    The two looked at each other as they got ready for the hunt, and the moment they charged, I heard a voice beside me.


    <i>''Ah, here he goes again. I¡¯m done talking.''</i>


    ¡°Hyung...¡± Rafael said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Hyung, are you really... going with us?¡± Rafael asked.


    ¡°<i>Haha</i>... you don¡¯t have to worry too much about me, Mr. Rafael,¡± I told him.


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll do my best so you don¡¯t get hurt... but still... I¡¯m worried... that I might make a mistake...¡± Rafael said.


    ¡°I used to be an adventurer, too, you know? I cleared a lot of dungeons and camped out in forests many times. At the very least, I won¡¯t get in the way,¡± I said.


    ¡°E-Even if you tell me that...¡± Rafael stuttered.


    <i>''What the hell?''</i>


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, hyung. I didn¡¯t mean to say that... I wasn¡¯t trying to insult you...¡± Rafael apologized.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Ipletely understand how you feel, Mr. Rafael. However, I¡¯d like to see it for myself,¡± I said.


    ¡°Then, promise me that you¡¯ll follow my orders until the end of the expedition,¡± Rafael requested.


    Hearing that, I became convinced that he had truly grown a lot. He had always been a passive individual, but he had finally be confident enough to make that kind of request.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll do that since your party is in charge of this. <i>Ah</i>, I don¡¯t know if you heard, but a simr monster has appeared in the capital. I think rumors about this dungeon have been spreading among the adventurers in the Democratic Country...¡± I informed him.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m aware, hyung,¡± Rafael said.


    ¡°If you¡¯d like, I can ask for protection¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t need to do that. I¡¯m just happy to be working with you, hyung... Everything else is secondary,¡± he interrupted.


    <i>''He¡¯s really good at making people feel touched. He¡¯s a model pushover.''</i>


    ¡°And you said you''d help, so we wouldn''t bete at all,¡± Rafael added.


    Unfortunately, I was convinced that we were alreadyte.


    I wasn''t sure about everything else, but I felt like we were marching as slow as a turtle.


    Of course, we were entering the forest a lot faster than the other parties, but the problem was that we were too cautious.


    I knew it was best to look before one leaped into a river, but he was actually looking at every little thing before jumping into the river. The party¡¯s rangers, who were up ahead, could have a cup of coffee, and we¡¯d still be at the same spot.


    Even Jo Hye-Jin was starting to feel annoyed...


    <i>''She''s the type to do things by the book as well...¡¯</i>


    But this was just too much...


    The formation consisted of foreigners participating in the expedition, and they had no idea what was going on. Fortunately, they had apetent summoning mage because soldiers made of magic were marching along with them, which was a rare sight.


    It also meant that the formation itself was strong and stable.


    I could guarantee that monsters and humans would see them as a solid wall.


    We couldn¡¯t use teleport because of Jung Ha-Yan¡¯s condition, but she was walking with Han Sora, so it seemed that she wanted to participate in the expedition as well.


    Thronus, Dominions, and Jo Hye-Jin were here as well, and they maintained formation as if they were protecting an important figure.


    It seemed that Rafael wanted to show me that he had changed a lot because he''d give orders or listen to any new information about the ongoing situation with a serious expression.


    Such as...


    ¡°Any news from the rangers?¡±


    And...


    ¡°Please search the area a little more thoroughly. If a third one were to appear, there¡¯d be no guarantee that a fourth one wouldn''t appear. Hyung¡¯s safety is the top priority here.¡±


    And...


    ¡°How long do you think it¡¯ll take? How are the preparations for the hunt? Have you made sure that the other variables are within the expected range? Report to me as soon as you receive news. What if we dispatch the rangers to see what type of monster it is?"


    He''d call Lee Joo-Hyuk and Marian, who were his closest advisors, ande up with a strategy with them. Of course, one of the most important things that had to be done here was getting information. We weren''t here to have fun and y games, after all.


    Even a high-level adventurer would die if they made a mistake.


    We basically had only a little information about this monster, so the protocol was to conduct more thorough research. However, Rafael¡¯s gaze seemed to be telling me something else.


    He looked like he was begging me to look at him and see how much he had grown and that he was no longer the old Rafael.


    He also seemed worried about not performing well during the hunt.


    I was sure he didn¡¯t want to show his sloppy side to his benefactor. I was certain that was the reason why Rafael¡¯s party was so tense. They didn¡¯t want to miss even the tiniest detail, but it applied to me as well.


    ¡°Thro,¡± I called out.


    ¡°Yes, Father,¡± Thro answered.


    ¡°It looks like you¡¯ve been doing some research. I¡¯d like to hear your opinion,¡± I requested.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    The more information, the better....


    ¡°The monster¡¯s habits were very simr to trolls¡ªa monstermonly seen in this forest,¡± Thro said.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Actually, they looked alike.... I was in the process of confirming what I already knew, such as its ws, footprints, and their appearance when sticking close to a tree...¡± Thro answered.


    ¡°That¡¯s interesting. Domi, have you found anything?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not at the stage where I can tell you anything for sure...¡± Domi replied.


    ¡°I see,¡± I said.


    ¡°If you¡¯d like, I can tell you my opinion despite theck of information,¡± Domi said.


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°I performed several tests on the monster that first appeared based on the information that Thro had provided to me. I couldn''t find out many things, but one assumption I can make is that this monster may have already existed long ago,¡± Domi exined.


    ¡°If your assumption is correct, then the first monster must''ve been a troll long ago,¡± I said.


    ¡°Yes, but I don¡¯t know what kind of power made it mutate that way. I believe I came to a conclusion a bit too soon, so I need more time to verify the information that I have. Right now...¡± Domi trailed off.


    ¡°<i>Hmm...</i>¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t have enough time to investigate, but it was the same for the second monster, Father. The two seemed simr, but they werepletely different entities... If something made them mutate that way...¡± Domi paused again.


    I wonder if that was the reason behind the manifestation of holy power inside them.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to hear more. It¡¯s fine if they haven¡¯t been confirmed yet,¡± I requested.


    ¡°Well...¡± Domi said hesitantly.


    ¡°...¡±


    <i>''They¡¯re worried about making a mistake. I¡¯m not that cold-hearted.''</i>


    ¡°Actually, I seeded in securing tissue samples that are found in both monsters, Father,¡± Domi informed me.


    <i>¡®Great.¡¯</i>


    ¡°The problem is that the samples'' origin is unclear....¡± Domi added.


    ¡°Is there a way to find out?¡± I asked.


    ¡°T-To put it bluntly, I believe it¡¯s the blood of the transcendent being that transformed those monsters. If holy power is themon trait between the two monsters, then¡ª¡±


    ¡°Domi!¡± Thro eximed, casting a shocked look at Domi.


    Domi hadn''t said anything yet, but she was implying that she''d be able to find the answer faster byparing the samples to my blood.


    ¡°You¡¯d be able topare if you had my blood,¡± I said.


    ¡°T-That¡¯s...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not scolding you. I actually want topliment you,¡± I told her.


    <i>''I''m kind of scared of seeing my own blood, but¡ªAck, I''m scared.</i>''


    I ced a dagger on my finger, and blood starteding out of my finger. The children were surprised, and their faces turned pale. They definitely didn''t expect me to do something like this because they looked shocked.


    Thro looked particrly shocked, which was kind of funny.


    Domi snapped back to reality. Realizing what she had to do, she whipped out a small medicine bottle and extended it toward my bleeding finger with her trembling hands.


    Soon, my blood filled up the small bottle.


    ¡°M-M-Me, too...¡±


    <i>''Why are you standing in line, Ha-Yan?''</i>


    ¡°I-I want one to keep, too,¡± Jung Ha-Yan said.


    <i>''Fine, take it.''</i>


    ¡°Would you like some as well, MIss Hye-Jin?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Stop saying such ridiculous things and get that treated, sir,¡± Jo Hye-Jin said.


    It suddenly urred to me that they were onto something here.


    <i>¡®How absurd.¡¯</i>


    Thronus and Dominions were probably right, especially Thronus. He wasn¡¯t bold enough to ask for his father¡¯s blood since nothing had yet to be confirmed. Fortunately, Dominions was more courageous when it came to something like this.


    Since she grew up in the ck Swan Guild, she was skilled in experiments and gathering information, and she was exceptional when it came to drawing a conclusion out of nothing, which made me think she really was like Lee Ji-Hye.


    Anyway, if Dominions was right, then those two were transformed by a god''s blood.


    <i>¡®There¡¯s a dungeon beneath the Vatican.¡¯</i>


    Mole Saint¡¯s Cozy Sanctuary.


    For some reason, I had a feeling that I knew whose blood made those monsters mutate.


    ¡°Benigoa?¡±


    Was it safe to assume that those anomalous monsters had consumed Benigoa¡¯s blood?


    It would be really funny if that was the case. I had some questions I personally wanted to ask the Vatican, but I felt like I already had the answers.


    First of all, the temrs.


    <i>¡®Did you guys drink it too?¡¯</i>


    For some reason, I became suspicious of them.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Deep underground in the Vatican...


    ¡°...¡±


    <i>¡®Ha...¡¯</i>


    Could it be that Benigoa¡¯s corpse was there?

 Chapter 910. Sera (10)

    <h4>Chapter 910. Sera (10)</h4>


    Was it really there?


    I wanted to ask Benigoa, but I thought it would be useless to ask that kind of question.


    Even if I were to ask her about the dungeon, she wouldn''t tell me anything because that was the rule. The timing at which she did the dungeon update was indeed a bit strange, so it was only natural for me to think that her corpse was buried beneath the Vatican.


    I was not sure if she had memories of what she had done when she was still a human being, but even if she had no memories of herself at the time, she still interfered, albeit unknowingly.


    <i>¡®It seems that she''s the Mole Saint.¡¯</i>


    I knew she wasn¡¯t familiar with worldly affairs, but this was pretty bad. I became certain of my assumption that she was stuck underground like a mole, which was the reason she got backstabbed. The assumption suddenly popped into my head, but I thought it was reasonable.


    Otherwise, the Temrs wouldn''t exist. Three superhumans stayed there when the Order of Benigoa was founded. There was scarce information about them, which was probably the reason why my imagination was going wild, but...


    "The fact that there''s no information about <i>them </i>is strange,¡± I said.


    I was talking about how the Temrs were founded, what they usually do, and why I had never really seen them, even though I had visited the Vatican so many times over the years.


    Now that I thought about it, there were a few suspicious things. It was that they were a secret armed group, but they were still a part of the Vatican. Wait, no. Perhaps they were not affiliated with the Vatican.


    I considered the possibility of them being an independent organization rather than an organization affiliated with the Vatican.


    I nodded at the thought because if they were truly using Benigoa''s corpse to mass-produce the Temrs, there was no way Father Basel would just stand by and watch them do that. He was a devoted follower of Benigoa, after all.


    Father Basel was like an open book, so assuming he¡¯d do something secretly without notifying me was a bit far-fetched... If he had broken bad, then the continent had no future.


    <i>¡®Saying that they¡¯re an independent organization is more convincing.¡¯</i>


    I had never really thought about it until now.


    The Temrs were as strong as the Eight Seats. They could already walk with their heads held high before, but their power level had increased drastically, so they were definitely an influential organization.


    A dungeon had appeared, and monsters weren''t the only ones affected by it. If Mole Saint''s Cozy Sanctuary was affecting the nearby regions, then it was highly likely that the Temrs were being affected as well.


    It was like the monsters had been upgraded using a cheat code, but this was merely an assumption on my end. I had no time to think deeply about it right now, but if we really do end up in that kind of situation, then the Temrs wouldn''t be happy about raiding that dungeon.


    They''d probably think that it was Benigoa''s gift to them.


    <i>¡®I should check it myself.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Miss Hye-Jin,¡± I called out.


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Jo Hye-Jin answered.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± I said.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Jo Hye-Jin asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯ll tell youter,¡± I answered.


    ¡°What is it? Now I¡¯m curious,¡± Jo Hye-Jin said.


    ¡°I just thought things might get worse than I imagined,¡± I told her.


    ¡°Is there still some serious matter we should be aware of?¡± Jo Hye-Jin asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you everything once I¡¯m certain. Once we return, tell everyone not to ept any requests, missions, or quests for the time being and be on standby. Please handle the expeditions that are going to take some time. If there are any guild members outside, please tell them to return to the guild as soon as possible,¡± I instructed.


    ¡°Should I message the guild master, who¡¯s in the Republic right now?¡± Jo Hye-Jin asked.


    ¡°No, Hyun-Sung will be on standby in the Republic. If something happens, I¡¯ll tell him myself. <i>Ah!</i> Also, please pass down the same message to the three major guilds as well,¡± I added.


    ¡°So it''s <i>that </i>serious. I knew it was a strong monster, but...¡± Jo Hye-Jin trailed off.


    Yeah, it was a pretty strong monster, and it was evidenced by how the injured Sera and Cheru were running frantically away from it.


    The first monster was originally a troll. If a simple mutant had gone on a rampage upon drinking Benigoa¡¯s blood, then there were other threats we had to worry about. If a boss monster somewhere had obtained that kind of buff, it would definitely be a huge problem.


    ¡°We¡¯ll pick up the pace. Tell the rangers to join the battle right away. Also, Joo-Hyuk...¡± Rafael instructed.


    ¡°Got it,¡± Lee Joo-Hyuk answered.


    ¡°Hyung,¡± Rafael said.


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Rafael,¡± I answered.


    ¡°I think Sera and Cheru are being chased by the third monster.¡± Rafael pointed out.


    ¡°<i>Ah!</i>¡± Jung Ha-Yan eximed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I sent Joo-Hyuk just now. We¡¯ll make sure to save them as quickly as possible,¡± Rafael reassured.


    ¡°Sera... Is Sera okay?¡± Han Sora asked.


    ¡°Yes, Miss Han Sora,¡± Rafael replied.


    The boys seemed to be struggling, but their injuries weren''t life-threatening injuries. The two looked disheveled as they ran through the forest.


    The monster was swinging its hands nonstop to try and catch the tiny boys.


    ¡°What should we do? Sub Guild Master? Please do something about Sera.¡±


    Jung Ha-Yan looked worried, but she was trying to read my reaction.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine, Miss Sora,¡± I said.


    ¡°<i>Ah...</i>¡±


    <i>''Don¡¯t be so anxious. It¡¯s really fine.''</i>


    ¡°He needs to go a little faster. Please tell him to go faster,¡± Han Sora requested.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure he''s there by now, so don¡¯t worry, Miss Han Sora. We¡¯re moving as fast as we can as well,¡± Rafael told her.


    ¡°Miss Jung Ha-Yan, please do something. Sub Guild Master, you¡¯re not just going to abandon Sera, right? Right? Is this why... Is this why...¡± Han Sora trailed off.


    <i>¡®Is this why you sealed Miss Jung Ha-Yan¡¯s magic?¡¯</i>


    Han Sora seemed to have misunderstood something, but...


    <i>''What does Han Sora take me for? You really think I would seal Ha-Yan¡¯s magic just to get rid of Seraphim? She must still think I¡¯m pretending to like Ha-Yan. You think you¡¯re the only one who cares about her? I want her to be happy as well.''</i>


    ¡°Please, take pity. Our Sera. I feel really bad for him. <i>Heuk...</i>¡± Han Sora begged.


    Han Sora¡¯s enthusiastic performance made the mood be incredibly tense. The children wouldn''t die so easily, and they¡¯d soon stumble upon Lee Joo-Hyuk, but Han Sora just couldn¡¯t bear to watch.


    I was sure the only thing she was worried about was something bad happening to Sera, whom she raised with care.


    Obviously, her worry was contagious.


    Thro and Domi knew what was going on, but they still seemed worried about their brothers. Of course, they didn''t show it on the outside. Meanwhile, Jung Ha-Yan¡¯s face was turning pale. She was probably imagining something bad happening to Sera.


    ¡°<i>Ah...</i>¡±


    Normally, people would realize that something was precious when they were about to lose it. Ha-Yan had already epted Sera into her life, so she was worried about him. I could tell that she was only pretending to be calm.


    ¡°Joo-Hyuk must be there now, hyung. Don¡¯t worry, Miss Jung Ha-Yan, Miss Han Sora," Rafael exined.


    The girls sighed in relief.


    ¡°I¡¯m d,¡± Han Sora said.


    ¡°I think the raid is going to start soon. We should move to a¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯d like to see it myself. Tell him to bring Sera and Cheru to me as soon as they are rescued," I ordered.


    ¡°I¡¯ll let him know,¡± Rafael said.


    I thought Han Sora was holding Jung Ha-Yan¡¯s hand tightly, but it was the other way around. I felt kind of bad because it was like a sign that she was gradually getting worried, but she didn¡¯t show any reaction that needed my attention.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine, Miss Jung Ha-Yan,¡± Han Sora reassured her.


    ¡°Yeah...¡±


    <i>¡®Yeah, nothing will happen.¡¯</i>


    Lee Joo-Hyuk finally encountered the monster.


    The way he held up his sword to block its path seemed like he was simply posing to look cool, but I did feel relieved to see him there.


    His stats weren''t as good as mine, but he had a ton of experience against monsters. He dodged all of its attacks as if he knew its attack patterns beforehand, and he looked pretty cool doing that.


    Minimal movement, maximum efficiency, and saying lines one would normally see in dramas¡ªLee Joo-Hyuk had it all.


    - Good job, kids.


    - W-What should we do? Cheru? D-Did Fathere to rescue us?


    - That¡¯s right.


    - C-Cheru, did you hear that? You heard it, right? <i>Heuk...</i> Really? Did Father really...


    - Father Lee Ki-Young ordered me to bring you two safely to him right away. Let¡¯s treat your wounds first. Here, take the potion.


    - R-Really?


    - Yeah.


    The truth was kind of different, but I still needed him to bring them in because I had many things to say to them.


    - W-We can fight too. Sera, you can fight, right?


    - Y-Yeah.


    - ...


    - Please let us fight. We can be helpful as well.


    - ...


    - <i>Whoo...</i>


    - Please...


    - Then support me, but don¡¯t push yourselves. Our goal is to hold out until the main force arrives here. The rangers are going to help you in the rear. We''re going to gather information about this monster first before hunting it down. Study its patterns and store all of that information in your head.


    <i>''That¡¯s a ssic strategy.''</i>


    - Keep thinking about what the monster is capable of doing and move ording to that.


    <i>''He''s a great teacher.''</i>


    It seemed that Lee Joo-Hyuk and Cheru''s chemistry was great. The goal was to slowly understand the monster through fighting it, but Cheru seemed to be thinking that he had to achieve something, as he threw himself into battle.


    - Don¡¯t be hasty. That¡¯s not how you should fight. Our role isn¡¯t to finish it off. That was extremely childish of you.


    - O-Okay!


    - Okay...


    - The right... it¡¯s on the right side. Get back. I need to see if it has a long-ranged skill that is capable of suppressing us. You with the gold hair. Be my rearguard. Anything is fine but cast spells that are helpful.


    Lee Joo-Hyuk was better than I thought.


    - U-Understood!


    - Let¡¯s go.


    - Okay.


    Cheru cast a surprised gaze at Lee Joo-Hyuk.


    Cheru probably thought that he could learn something from Lee Joo-Hyuk, and it was an intuition that he had honed by training with Cha Hee-Ra.


    Cheru probably found it interesting that Lee Joo-Hyuk was a top-ranking adventurer despite his ordinary physique. From decision-making andbat sense to insane movement mechanics, Cheru probably thought that he could learn a lot from Lee Joo-Hyuk.


    Lee Joo-Hyuk would say strange lines from time to time, but he was <i>really </i>serious in situations like this.


    - <i>Roooooooar!</i>


    - I¡¯ll go left.


    - Okay!


    <i>¡®Is there nothing unique about this monster?¡¯</i>


    I observed the fight all the way to the third phase, thinking that things would take a turn during its third phase, but I didn''t really notice anything.


    The giant monster was capable of wielding holy power. It asionally fired a burst of holy power, but the way it wielded that holy power made it obvious to everyone that its Intelligence stat was low.


    It seemed that this was going to be a normal raid, which betrayed my expectations.


    And that was when a figure sportingrge wings decapitated the monster beforending on the ground.


    - <i>Ah...</i>


    - ...


    The children''s jaws dropped at the sudden turn of events, and even Lee Joo-Hyuk stared in astonishment at the neer.


    At first, I thought it was Rafael, but Rafael... he was standing next to me right now.


    - Who are you?


    - You don¡¯t have to be wary of me.


    - I asked you a question.


    Upon taking a closer look at the mysterious figure, I muttered, ¡°The Temrs.¡±


    <i>''These bastards actually have wings. They didn''t have those wings at first, did they?''</i>

 Chapter 911. Sera (11)

    <h4>Chapter 911. Sera (11)</h4>


    He had the same hair color as Benigoa and was sporting the armor of the Holy Knights.


    The most important part here was his stats. If I had topare, his stats were simr to Rafael''s. He was strong enough topare to a top adventurer. Obviously, I had never seen or heard of such a strong Temr. In addition, reaching the same heights as Rafael was...


    <i>¡®Difficult...¡¯</i>


    Rafael would only look weak whenever he waspared to Kim Hyun-Sung.


    He was actually really strong. It was just that he wasn''t as strong as Hyun-Sung. He was a superhuman when it came to stats. He was kind of unreliable before the war with the Outer Gods, but that was no longer the case.


    He had finally perfected himself, but the mysterious figure before me was on the same level as Rafael, which was a threatening sight to me.


    It was too early to assume that he and I were on opposite sites, but it didn¡¯t hurt to be cautious. It was like the first time I saw the Four Angels during the war with the Outer Gods.


    It was natural for Lee Joo-Hyuk to be wary of the mysterious figure


    His emotionless face reminded me of Kim Hyun-Sung in his early days, but there was a difference in their appearance.


    I wasn''t sure whether he had been trained to do that or not, but he looked like he had killed his emotions.


    ¡°Sera!¡± Han Sora shouted.


    ¡°A-A-Auntie...¡± Sera stuttered.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Han Sora asked.


    ¡°<i>Heuk...</i> Auntieee...¡± Sera cried.


    Meanwhile, Sera and Han Sora were having a tearful reunion,


    Sera nced at Jung Ha-Yan, probing her reaction.


    Jung Ha-Yan wanted to reunite with Sera as well.


    Han Sora noticed that, so she said, ¡°You should... greet your mother."


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Miss Jung Ha-Yan, Sera is here. Please hug him,¡± she said.


    ¡°I-I-I¡¯m d...¡± Jung Ha-Yan paused.


    <i>''You should finish your sentence, Ha-Yan. Be honest.''</i>


    Jung Ha-Yan was looking around while we were walking, which made the atmosphere awkward. The three were awkward around each other while the Holy Sword Warrior¡¯s party was minding their own business.


    Marian was busy treating Lee Joo-Hyuk, while Rafael was staring ahead while standing next to me.


    ¡°Father...¡± Cheru said.


    ¡°Well... I¡¯m sor¡ª¡±


    ¡°Thro and Domi, take Cheru and Sera to their rooms,¡± I ordered.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    I didn¡¯t bother making eye contact with Cheru because his treatment wasn¡¯t important right now. Moreover, the boys had gotten pretty lucky as well.


    My attention was on the Temr, who was standing quietly with his head down. Lee Joo-Hyuk was soon patched up, and he reported the situation to me.


    The Temr''s wings were still spread wide open as he greeted, ¡°Hello, Father Lee Ki-Young."


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to bow your head, <i>um</i>...¡± I trailed off.


    ¡°You can call me Gen,¡± Gen answered. He looked friendly and was extremely polite. I could also tell that he respected me. He looked so sincere that perhaps I thought badly of him for no reason.


    I honestly couldn¡¯t understand why I felt that way, as I was Benigoa¡¯s son and the God of Sacrifice and Revival in his eyes. Of course, he¡¯d act this way to me, as they had a duty to protect me.


    However, I was not sure whether they were showing the same respect to the other cardinals or not.


    ¡°Okay, Mr. Gen, then,¡± I said.


    For now, I had to behave the same way as him.


    I had to be a man devoted to Benigoa. I had to be someone who knew nothing other than being warm and affectionate.


    I immediately put on my business smile, and I didn¡¯t forget to sprinkle some soft light on purpose. I looked so holy that just looking at me would make people stop breathing unconsciously.


    <i>''This is me, damn it.''</i>


    ¡°First of all, I would like to thank you,¡± I said.


    ¡°I was simply doing my job,¡± Gen said.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it wasn¡¯t easy dealing with this kind of monster... I¡¯m really grateful. I¡¯m sure you expected this, but can I ask for your affiliation?¡± I asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    Gen quietly revealed his hidden badge to me. He didn¡¯t answer, but he had proven that he was a Temr. I wasn''t surprised or shocked. I simply nodded quietly.


    ¡°I see,¡± Imented.


    The Temrs had never really shown their faces to me, so howe they suddenly appeared before me?


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    There was a moment of awkward silence, and I wasn¡¯t exactly happy about it, as I wanted to continue the conversation.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to say this, but...¡± I trailed off.


    ¡°Please speakfortably, Father Lee Ki-Young,¡± Gen said.


    ¡°Can I ask why you''re here? And... you look like you''ve obtained a brand-new power,¡± I asked, going straight to the point. ¡°I assume it''s because of the anomalies that¡¯s been happening recently on the continent...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, sir. The Temrs have recognized the seriousness of the current situation and are concerned about it. Our mission so far has been solely focused on protecting the cardinals, but I came here because I was dispatched for a special task,¡± Gen replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the will of Goddess Benigoa. My appearance right now is proof of that,¡± Gen added.


    <i>''You¡¯ve never heard her voice, so what do you mean by ''the will of Goddess Benigoa''?'' </i>


    Obviously, I had no time to confirm his words. The anomaly had urred around the capital of the Democratic Country, and the brand-new that he possessed could be exined by saying that Benigoa had bestowed it upon them.


    ¡°Then...¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re conducting our own investigation right now, Father Lee Ki-Young,¡± Gensaid.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°So, on behalf of the other Temrs, I would like to ask you this...¡± Gen paused.


    <i>''Did hee here with a purpose, or is it coincidence?''</i>


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I would like you to leave this to us,¡± Gen requested.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°The brand-new power that Goddess Benigoa had bestowed upon us exists for calming this chaos. Dealing with these otherworldly monsters is a mission bestowed upon us by the Goddess Herself, and we¡¯ll use this power to do that,¡± Gen said.


    <i>¡®This bastard definitely came here to tell me that, but it''s also because of that monster''s presence. However, he knew my location as well...¡¯</i>


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I have no control over this,¡± I informed him.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Mr. Rafael¡¯s party has control over this... so I can¡¯t make that decision,¡± I said.


    ¡°<i>Ah...</i>¡±


    ¡°Mr. Rafael believes that these anomalies are happening because the dungeons nearby are running rampant,¡± I added.


    <i>''I''m sure you know that a dungeon has appeared beneath your house.''</i>


    ¡°I believe... that you''d be able to... convince him somehow...¡± Gen mumbled.


    <i>''How am I supposed to convince him? I mean, I could tell him not to do it, and Rafael will just agree, but I can¡¯t do that.''</i>


    ¡°Unfortunately, Mr. Rafael isn¡¯t part of the Blue Guild. To be exact, he¡¯s a free adventurer with the right to ess all quests and dungeons on the continent. The Democratic Country and the Continental Protection Management Committee have issued him his license, and I don¡¯t have the power to stop him. I¡¯d like to help you, but...¡± I trailed off.


    ¡°There has to be a way...¡± Gen muttered.


    <i>''I just told you there isn''t a way...''</i>


    ¡°Mr. Rafael was also chosen by Goddess Benigoa. I understand what you¡¯re saying, but I''m sure Goddess Benigoa doesn''t want you to exclude Mr. Rafael and the other groups that she has chosen.


    <i>"Ah!</i> Of course, I¡¯m not denying your words here. I''m simply thinking from her point of view, as I am her son, after all,¡± I exined.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Many things had happened to the continent. There was that crisis, and there have been many incidents that affected the fate of the continent.


    "In the end, those incidents were resolved, but I wasn''t the only one who made the effort to resolve those incidents. Everyone on the continent¡ªthe adventurers, the men, and the women... they made the continent into what it is today, and it''s all because they wanted to protect it. If there really is a new threat to the continent, then...¡± I trailed off.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°The Temrs don''t have to take care of it alone. It¡¯s a problem that all of us will have to handle,¡± I added.


    Gen frowned. He probably thought I''d agree to his request. What would those people know when all they had been doing was praying and having shady parties in their basement? Actually, some of them knew something, but this guy definitely had no idea.


    ¡°In that case... are you willing to hand over this monster¡¯s corpse?¡± Gen asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave that up to Mr. Rafael,¡± I replied.


    Obviously, Gen was trying to steal our loot here.


    He had appeared out of nowhere and decapitated the head of the monster that we were hunting. To make matters worse, he was demanding ownership of the corpse.


    <i>''If we sue you for this, you¡¯ll definitely get punished, man.''</i>


    Killstealing had recently be a social issue, after all.


    ¡°Mr. Rafael?¡± I called out.


    ¡°<i>Ah</i>... I¡¯m sorry, but that won¡¯t be possible,¡± Rafael said.


    I knew I could trust you.


    ¡°Of course, we fully recognize your contribution, and we can acknowledge some ownership, but the only offer we can make is forty percent... I think it¡¯s best if I talk to my party¡¯swyer about the details,¡± Rafael said.


    It was my first time seeing Rafael acting in such a business-like manner.


    ¡°<i>Whoo...</i>¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I can¡¯t be of much help,¡± I said.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, sir. However...¡± Gen paused.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I beg you once again... Can¡¯t you hand this over to us?¡± Gen asked.


    ¡° I don¡¯t get it,¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Why must you go that far?¡± I questioned.


    ¡°I can¡¯t... tell you right now,¡± Gen answered.


    <i>''You must be thinking that someone will be in trouble if you say it. Who is it? Will it be me? Or will it be you guys?''</i>


    I wanted more information, as I really didn''t have that much information no matter which angle I looked at the matter.


    What if I was just making a mountain out of a molehill?


    I¡¯d look incredibly stupid by then.


    <i>''Perhaps I should just test the waters first.''</i>


    ¡°Actually, there¡¯s something I would like to discuss with you as well, Mr. Gen,¡± I said.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Gen asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s not something we should discuss here... Do you mind if we move elsewhere?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Gen replied.


    <i>''Well, it¡¯s nothing special, but I¡¯ll set the mood by looking all serious and solemn.''</i>


    ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve been dreaming of Goddess Benigoa these days,¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t really describe it, and it wasn¡¯t a familiar sight either.


    "However, I suspect that I was in a den of demons in those dreams. I saw a scene so terrible that I don¡¯t dare describe it with my own mouth.


    "Those filthy demons, who deserve to be punished by the heavens, have injured her holy body and were drinking her blood. In my dreams, she spoke but in a tired and agonized voice,¡± I exined.


    <i>''Dirty demon bastards. They¡¯re seriously psychopathic and crazy monsters. Can you even imagine how horrible that sight was?'' </i>


    I started crying without realizing it.


    Benigoa''s lips were trembling, and her face was ashen gray; her holy teardrops fell like jade beads to the cold ground.


    I stared at Gen with a guilty face, looking like I had told him something I wasn''t supposed to say to him, which could result in him bing cursed. Anyway, I started breathing in ragged pants as well.


    ¡°''Help me. Help me.'' That¡¯s what she said...¡± I told him.

 Chapter 912. Sera (12)

    <h4>Chapter 912. Sera (12)</h4>


    ¡°She was asking for help,¡± I said.


    Gen¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change, and he was just staring at me quietly.


    Actually, he looked like he was trying to empathize with me, and it bothered me because he looked as if he understood me.


    It was to the point that I questioned whether he actually understood what I said or not. I thought perhaps I was being <i>too </i>indirect, but I didn''t really think that was the case. I was just telling him what I wanted to say.


    <i>¡®Benigoa¡¯s corpse. I know it¡¯s in the basement of your house. What are you going to do about it? That power that you''ve obtained... Didn''t you get that after drinking Benigoa¡¯s blood?¡¯</i>


    I wasn¡¯t sure if he was feigning ignorance or if the Temrs didn¡¯t consider themselves as those demons, but there was definitely something wrong with the Temrs.


    Those guys had basically mutated after drinking Benigoa¡¯s blood. Gen probably thought that the demons I had described were the monsters, as he probably believed that what they were doing was holy and right.


    If my assumptions were right, then there were two conclusions I could draw.


    These bastards were either crazy, or they knew the reason behind this phenomenon.


    I was sure they also knew why these monsters had mutated in this manner. One of the reasons this guy named Gen came here was to hide that fact, and asking for ownership over the monster was probably one of his missions...


    <i>¡®It¡¯s been a while since I had to do this much thinking.¡¯</i>


    I came up with various assumptions because I was curious about a lot of things.


    If the Temrs¡¯ home base was the Mole Saint¡¯s Sanctuary, then where were they living right now? They were probably living inside the dungeon itself, or they could have be a part of the dungeon.


    It was rare, but there were cases where humans became boss monsters of dungeons.


    A long time ago, there were quite a few humans living in dungeons, but there wasn''t aw that forbade humans from living in dungeons in the current era.


    There was also a high chance that they couldn''t enter the altar and were trying to discreetly raid the dungeon.


    I was still crying as I stared at the silent Gen''s face. A human¡¯s face could convey a lot of information.


    <i>''Perhaps I should change my stance a bit. I wanted him to think that he didn''t have to be wary of me. Should I act weaker? Look more pitiful and pathetic? I hope it¡¯s not too sudden of a change in attitude. It should be fine since he misinterpreted my threat.''</i>


    As expected, he reacted, and he looked like he was going to break down at any moment. How many believers could ignore the tears of a devoted saint?


    I should have done this from the very beginning. Something was a bit off, but he was still a follower of the Order of Benigoa.


    ¡°Are you okay, Father Lee Ki-Young?¡± Gen asked.


    <i>''Am I okay? Are you seriously asking me that?''</i>


    ¡°Yes, I-I¡¯m... fine,¡± I answered.


    ¡°I think I can understand the sorrow that you¡¯re feeling right now. Of course, the pain I¡¯m feeling isn¡¯t as painful as the pain you must endure...¡± Gen said.


    <i>''Are youforting me right now? Really?''</i>


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry... for suddenly showing this side of me...¡± I apologized.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be embarrassed, Father Lee Ki-Young. You¡¯re being honest and sincere. You¡¯re crying for her. There¡¯s no need to feel embarrassed,¡± Gen said.


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°You can act morefortably around me,¡± Gen interrupted.


    ¡°You mean...¡±


    ¡°Obviously, I know my words aren¡¯t enough tofort your broken heart... but if you¡¯re carrying a heavy burden... and you need someone to talk to...¡± Gen paused.


    <i>''You¡¯d really do that for me?''</i>


    ¡°I¡¯m d that I canfort you even slightly, so please don¡¯t feel ufortable around me,¡± Gen requested.


    ¡°It¡¯s really strange,¡± I said.


    ¡°What is?¡± Gen asked.


    ¡°The fact that I¡¯m saying this to someone I met for the first time...¡± I answered.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It was something I¡¯ve been wanting to tell someone...¡± I said.


    <i>''Yeah, I¡¯ve been keeping it to myself this whole time. Honestly, how can I talk about this when it¡¯s so disturbing? The sight of the demons drinking Goddess Benigoa¡¯s holy blood was such a horrible sight. Imagining it alone makes me feel like passing out. </i>


    <i>''Can you imagine it? Can you even imagine that sight?</i>


    <i>''Who can I confide this to? Of course, this is our first meeting, and I know we¡¯re not at the stage where I can tell you things like this, but I''m mentally vulnerable right now. </i>


    <i>''I needed to vent this out to someone. I needed someone who''d listen to me without judging me, and it couldn''t be someone familiar to me. I needed someone new but could understand the thoughts of the Saint of Light.''</i>


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it was hard for you,¡± Gen said.


    ¡°I was more about Goddess Benigoa experiencing hardships... than my own hardships,¡± I told him.


    ¡°Goddess Benigoa...¡± Gen mumbled.


    ¡°I honestly haven¡¯t heard her voice for a while now. If I did something wrong...¡±


    ¡°You did nothing wrong, Father Lee Ki-Young. If you did...¡± Gen paused.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± he said.


    ¡°I¡¯d appreciate it if you could tell me more details. Do you know something... Mr. Gen?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s just...¡± Gen paused.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I was simply thinking that everything has a cause. Maybe we¡ªthe Order¡ªor the entire continent might¡¯ve done something to make her angry,¡± Gen continued.


    ¡°Are you implying there¡¯s a problem with the Order right now?¡± I asked.


    <i>''Let¡¯s find out more.''</i>


    ¡°That¡¯s not the case,¡± he replied.


    <i>''He¡¯s backing out. Is there something you¡¯re not satisfied about? Have the Temrs been talking about it? You guys are questioning the direction the Vatican is trying to take right now, right? Right? Or are you guys questioning the continent instead? Whatever it is, there¡¯s room for consideration.''</i>


    ¡°...¡±


    In the end, the Temrs seemed to be thinking that they hadn''t made any mistakes, and I understood that thought process.


    They had obtained that power from Benigoa through a religious ritual that had been passed down for generations. There hadn''t been any problems with the ritual until now, so they probably thought that something went wrong somewhere with the recent incidents.


    The main possibility was that the current Vatican was corrupted.


    The Vatican was a religious group, but there were bound to be a few bad apples everywhere. Grandpa Basel was sensitive to that kind of stuff, but he wasn¡¯t smart enough to weed out the bad apples. In fact, I could still remember seeing a few members of the Vatican when I visited that ck market as Lee Ki-Yeon.


    ¡°Then, do you mind if I ask what you think of the current Order?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Strictly speaking, we have no say in the direction that the Order wants to take. We¡¯re just a group of people whose task is to protect the cardinals¡ª¡±


    ¡°That has always been the case until now,¡± I interrupted.


    <i>''Not anymore.''</i>


    ¡°That¡¯s...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not an idiot,¡± I said.


    I was an innocent, weak, and pitiful saint, but I wasn''t an ignoramus. I was actually pretty smart. Of course, people skilled in politics would probablyugh at me, but I was wise, bold enough to protect my beliefs using my own methods, and unshakable.


    ¡°I don''t know the exact reason you showed yourself, and I also don''t know why the Temrs are suddenly showing up, even though they''ve been in hiding until now, but I believe that there has been a change of heart.


    "I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a reason why Goddess Benigoa has decided to bestow those powers upon you. I don¡¯t think people like you will refuse to acknowledge her wishes,¡± I exined.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Is the Order aware of this?¡± I questioned.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re ufortable with me asking these questions...¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not ufortable, however...¡± Gen paused.


    <i>''You still haven¡¯t opened your heart to me?''</i>


    ¡°I simply think it¡¯s not time to tell you yet,¡± he continued.


    ¡°I see,¡± I said.


    <i>''Let¡¯s look sad.''</i>


    ¡°I understand,¡± I told him.


    I thought it would be best to make him feel like I had drawn the line and wouldn''t interfere with the Order''s issues. After all, I was nothing more than an honorary cardinal. I was ultimately an outsider when it came to the Order.


    Of course, I wasn''t really going to stop interfering, but he had to feel that way so he''d open up to me.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to walk with you for a bit...¡± I said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll walk with you,¡± Gen said.


    <i>''Of course, you will.''</i>


    I wasn¡¯t sure what I was doing when I still hadn''t taken care of the problem with Ha-Yan and Sera. I still needed to punish Cheru as well, but I thought it''d be better to do that once Gen was no longer around.


    Rafael followed me, but I shook my head to tell him that he didn¡¯t need toe with me.


    ¡°Hyung,¡± Rafael said.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. You can trust him,¡± I told him.


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really fine, Mr. Rafael,¡± I repeated.


    <i>''You don¡¯t have to be so wary. You really think he¡¯s going to kidnap me here?''</i>


    ¡°Then...¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s something I need to discuss with Mr. Gen alone, Mr. Rafael. Of course, you¡¯re not an outsider, but...¡± I paused.


    ¡°<i>Whoo...</i>¡±


    <i>''What are you going to do about it? Just ept it.''</i>


    Obviously, Rafael still had his guard up. I was sure he was focused on my safety more than ever, but there was no point saying that when Gen was here.


    It was better to show him that I trusted him and that we were a team.


    There wasn¡¯t really a trail we could walk on.


    The forest was dangerous, and there wasn¡¯t an actual road, but it wasn¡¯t an issue for us. I spread my wings, and Gen nodded quietly. The dense forest brightened up, and I attracted the gazes of Thro and Domi, who were standing from afar.


    The wings of light were both holy and beautiful.


    It was like a symbol that reminded people that I was the Son of a Goddess rather than a human being. The quality of my wings was vastly higher than the quality of Gen''s wings.


    Light would scatter everywhere whenever I pped my wings, and the sight of it alone was enough to make every evil thought go away. I was a bit embarrassed to say this myself, but every single priest who had seen my wings so far was captivated by it.


    ¡°Shall we get going?¡± I asked.


    Gen nodded quietly. I rose slowly into the air, as I still hadn''t gotten used to flying, but he matched my pace and flew slowly with me.


    <i>''We''ll use this to show people that we¡¯re on the same side.''</i>


    ¡°I¡¯m kind of happy,¡± I said.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m happy that I met someone who truly thinks about Goddess Benigoa,¡± I answered.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure Goddess Benigoa is happy as well. She¡¯ll be happy that a new saint appeared for this continent,¡± I added.


    ¡°That¡¯s...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not good enough. I have fancy names like the Son of Light and God of Sacrifice and Revival, but I¡¯m weak, and I''m an idiot as well. I could only make it this far because of the people who have been helping me and supporting me. Everything is all thanks to the people who have been protecting our faith and beliefs together,¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I think there¡¯s a new threat on the continent. The things that are happening right now can¡¯t be considered normal...¡± I said.


    ¡°Mr. Lee Ki-Young...¡±


    ¡°But I believe we can ovee it. Goddess Benigoa won¡¯t give us a trial we can¡¯t ovee. She will always give us the <i>power </i>to ovee any trial,¡± I said.


    <i>''I''m talking about your wings. That''s the </i>power.<i>''</i>


    ¡°The continent has always been like that. There are threats everywhere, but the continent bes a bit stronger and tougher after oveing every threat. The trials caused us pain and hardships, but I believe that those pain and hardships are the reason we get to live on this beautiful continent and look at its blue sky,¡± I told him.


    The starlight in the night sky represented Thro, while the sunset represented Hyun-Sung.


    ¡°It¡¯s a beautiful view. Don¡¯t you agree?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The blue sky and the sunlight shining down between the clouds created a dazzling slight.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be able to see this sight again once everything is over,¡± I said.


    <i>''Of course, this bastard won¡¯t be seeing this beautiful sky again.''</i>

 Chapter 913. Sera (13)

    <h4>Chapter 913. Sera (13)</h4>


    ¡°Goodbye,¡± I said.


    ¡°Thank you... for weing me like this,¡± Gen said.


    ¡°We¡¯re all brothers under Goddess Benigoa. You can visit anytime you want. I will always be waiting for you,¡± I told him.


    After taking care of a few things, it was time to send him away.


    I wasn¡¯t sure if he had fallen for my trap, but it was highly likely that he liked me.


    I couldn¡¯t check to see why, but a heart-to-heart conversation with the Son of Benigoa in midair was an experience one couldn¡¯t buy.


    At the very least, he wasn''t going to be hostile toward me. Since I had shown him the nice side of me, he''d probably think that I was useful, which was even better. I was worried that perhaps I showed him my friendly side a bit too suddenly, but...


    <i>¡®It''s natural because Gen and I were bound by religion.¡¯</i>


    Yeah, religion. There was nothing more effective than religion when it came to connecting strangers with each other. We weren''t born in the same ce, and we didn''t grow up in the same ce as well.


    However, we were brothers serving the same goddess.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking, where are you nning on going next?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I need to report what happened here,¡± Gen replied.


    ¡°You¡¯re talking about your mission... <i>Ah</i>...e to think of it...¡± I said.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Although, I couldn¡¯t get what I wanted...¡± Gen said.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t help,¡± I told him.


    ¡°Ipletely understand your position, so you don¡¯t have to worry so much. I actually feel bad because I feel like I had put you in a difficult position...¡± Gen said.


    ¡°Not at all. I enjoyed our time together. There¡¯s nothing more enjoyable than talking about religion and Goddess Benigoa. You use your powers for the continent and for the Order of Benigoa, and I enjoyed my time with you. I meant it when I said you can visit me anytime,¡± I said.


    Perhaps it was just me, but I saw Gen smiling slightly. Yeah, he was smiling.


    ¡°Consider it a ce you can restfortably,¡± I added.


    ¡°Thank you, Father Lee Ki-Young,¡± Gen said.


    ¡°<i>Um...</i>¡± I paused.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I hope we see each other again,¡± I told him.


    We¡¯d probably see each other soon, and we''d talk deeply about religion over wine by then.


    I¡¯d visit him, as I had a feeling that I would have to visit the Vatican soon.


    I had no idea what exactly was going on, but there was definitely something going on inside the Vatican.


    Father Basel hadn''t said anything because he didn¡¯t want to burden me, but the fact that the Temrs were getting involved meant that there was a huge change. The Temrs were an independent organization, but they were still a part of the Order of Benigoa, so I expected that there would be a discussion soon.


    A miracle was power and authority. The miracles bestowed upon the Temrs were worth using. It wasn''t what they wanted, but I was sure the Temrs were under a ton of attention in the Order right now.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m sure Father Basel is having a headache over this. After all, he''s in the final stages of his life, but he suddenly has to deal with something like this...''</i>


    ¡°<i>Whoo...</i>¡± I sighed.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t seem like a very nice person,¡± Rafael said.


    ¡°What?¡± I asked.


    ¡°That man. There¡¯s something off about him, Hyung. I can¡¯t really say what it is... but it¡¯s strange, don¡¯t you think? He has the same wings as those monsters capable of wielding holy power. His holy power feels the same as the holy powering from that monster as well, and there¡¯s something ''dark'' about his expression...¡± Rafael answered.


    <i>''Yeah, I feel the same way, but you don¡¯t need to react so seriously.''</i>


    ¡°I appreciate you worrying about me, but I¡¯m also a follower of the Order of Benigoa, Mr. Rafael,¡± I reminded him.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry,¡± Rafael said.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I know what you¡¯re worried about and that you need to keep all situations in mind, Mr. Rafael,¡± I said.


    ¡°Yes, t-that¡¯s what I meant. I¡¯m just saying we shouldn¡¯t put our guard down, but we achieved a lot today. We were able to hunt for new samples... and I think we made some progress with our research. Marian seemed to have gotten a lead,¡± Rafael updated.


    ¡°Is that right?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes. I think we¡¯re getting closer to the dungeon,¡± Rafael answered.


    <i>''It¡¯s in the basement of the Vatican.''</i>


    ¡°I have a feeling that this won¡¯t be a simple dungeon raid...¡± Rafaelmented.


    <i>''All right, but I¡¯m tired, so just leave.''</i>


    ¡°I-I¡¯ve been kind of bothersome, right? Rest up, Hyung,¡± Rafael said.


    <i>''At least he¡¯s quick-witted...'' </i>


    I was honestly kind of tired. I had a lot to do and a lot to think about.


    Normally, I¡¯d talk to him, but I needed time to rest as well.


    ¡°That¡¯s not true, Mr. Rafael. However, there are many things I need to think about... I also have that issue with Sera and Cheru,¡± I told him.


    ¡°<i>Ah</i>... r-right,¡± Rafael said.


    ¡°Moreover, the Order is in a bad situation right now. I¡¯m thinking about visiting the Order soon,¡± I said.


    ¡°Are you going to lead the prayer service?¡± Rafael asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not¡ªActually, that¡¯s not a bad idea,¡± I replied.


    <i>''Yeah, I should try that. No, I have to do that.''</i>


    I had been avoiding getting involved with the Vatican, as getting deeply involved with them would definitely be exhausting. Strictly speaking, I was an outsider as well. Of course, none of the followers treated me like one since I was the Son of Benigoa, but I had too many responsibilities that I hadn''t been able to focus on the Order.


    It was one of the reasons why I couldn¡¯t reveal the reason I wanted to give more power to Father Basel.


    Father Basel wanted me to be more deeply involved with the Order, but doing that would undoubtedly attract a ton of attention.


    I turned to Rafael and saw his sparkling eyes. I had a feeling that things would be more troublesome if I told him what was going on.


    ¡°How many times have you been there?¡± I asked.


    Tens of thousands of followers were waiting for the prayer service, which could be considered the Sacred Democratic Country¡¯s biggest event. It would also be broadcast live all over the continent.


    This was why there were so many things we had to prepare and worry about.


    From the clothes to the ceremony, it was an event that made everyone tense, including Father Basel, Oscar, the three major guilds of Lindel, and the vendors involved in the event. There was no way we could do something like that on a regr basis.


    ¡°I''ve attended all of the prayer services so far, Hyung. It¡¯s thanks to the Vatican being considerate, but it was still hard,¡± Rafael said.


    <i>¡®I remember it, too. You always sit in the front as well.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Can you tell me in advance what time it will take ce? It doesn¡¯t matter if you don¡¯t tell me, but since there are many things going on these days... I think it¡¯s best if I adjust my schedule to amodate it,¡± Rafael asked.


    <i>¡®Kim Hyun-Sung will probablye as well. Actually, I can make sure that he won''t know.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I¡¯d like to do it as fast as possible. I also need to hear from the Order about their stance on the current incident... There¡¯s also a chance that the Temrs are involved. I¡¯m embarrassed because it feels like I¡¯ve been neglecting the prayer service too much... but I¡¯m sure the Vatican will wee it,¡± I exined.


    ¡°<i>Ah</i>, is it because of the recent incident...¡± Rafael asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± I replied.


    ''Yeah. You''re the reason I¡¯m going to do this annoying prayer service is because of you.


    Actually, it wasn¡¯t because of Rafael.


    I wanted to be more deeply involved with the Vatican. Moreover, the dungeon was located in their basement, so they were inevitably connected to it in some way.


    Things would be easier if Father Basel had absolute power in the Order, but if they were in the middle of a political war, I had to offer him my help. I also needed to get closer to Gen. More importantly, I had to move the stage to the Vatican so that Rafael¡¯s party would discover the Mole Saint¡¯s Cozy Sanctuary.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be heading in, Mr. Rafael,¡± I said.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I kept clinging onto you. Also... I¡¯m really happy,¡± Rafael said.


    ¡°How about we pray together when we get the chance?¡± I suggested.


    ¡°<i>Ah!</i> Really? Can we?¡± Rafael asked.


    <i>''Wait, I didn''t think he''d actually agree. I wasn''t saying that he wasn''t worthy of praying with me. I just felt ufortable praying with someone.''</i>


    With that, I smiled quietly and answered him in a vague way. "I-I¡¯m heading in."


    ''Shit, I really should go in.''


    I sighed and entered the tent. I saw Seraphim and Cherubim sitting in a corner.


    <i>''Ah...''</i>


    ¡°Father... <i>Um</i>...¡±


    I waved my hand lightly, and the boys left the room. I wonder if Han Sora had brought them here. I was sure I instructed her to give them a ce to rest.


    The cute traitors left the tent anxiously as if they were puppies that got drenched by the rain.


    ¡°<i>Ah</i>, Sera,¡± I said.


    ¡°Y-Yes?¡± Sera answered.


    ¡°Go to your mother,¡± I instructed.


    ¡°B-But...¡±


    ¡°Go to her,¡± I repeated.


    ¡°Y-Yes, sir,¡± Sera said.


    <i>''I think she¡¯s really feeling lost right now.</i>


    Now that I thought about it...


    <i>¡®I wonder how long she¡¯s going to hide it for.¡¯</i>


    Jung Ha-Yan was quiet because she was afraid that I''d notice the fact that she couldn''t use her magic for some reason. I thought about meeting up with her or creating a situation where the truth would inevitably be revealed.


    I still had some time left, so I decided to send her a message.


    [Ha-Yan, where are you?]


    [I¡¯m currently resting with Sora. Is something wrong, Oppa?]


    [I might have to visit the Capital. Are you still not feeling well?]


    [Yes... I¡¯m sorry... But why are you going to the Capital?]


    [I''m thinking about holding a prayer service.]


    [What? Really?]


    [Yeah.]


    [I want to go with you!]


    [Shouldn¡¯t you rest?]


    [I still... want to go with you.]


    I couldn¡¯t really get her reaction just on the message alone.


    - L-Looks like oppa is going to hold a prayer service at the Vatican!


    - Really?


    - Y-Yeah. T-That¡¯s why he¡¯s going to the capital.


    - You told him you weren¡¯t feeling well, right?


    - I-I still need to attend the prayer service. Y-You know the outfit he wears every time he prays? I-I¡¯ll be able to see it this time. I''m going to record it. W-Will you do it, Sora? I-I should be able to sit in the front row this time as well, right? L-Last time... I sat in the second row.


    - That¡¯s because... it was an invitational prayer service, and the leaders of each order needed to sit at the front. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be able to sit in the first row this time. I¡¯ll put in the request in advance.


    <i>- Huh?</i> Sera, you¡¯re here. Miss Jung Ha-Yan, Sera is here. You said you were going topliment him, right? Hepleted his mission well. Our Sera. I know you didn¡¯t finish it, but I heard how courageous you were.


    - <i>Ah... ah... ah...</i>


    - But you shouldn¡¯t do anything dangerous like that again, got it? At least do it when your mother or I¡¯m there...


    - Okay, Auntie...


    - Miss Jung Ha-Yan, you should say something as well.


    - <i>Ah</i>... right...


    For some reason, I was embarrassed by how awkward Jung Ha-Yan was acting right now.


    Meanwhile, Sera was staring at Jung Ha-Yan with dazzling eyes.


    All of a sudden, my hand mirror vibrated. I looked at it and was surprised.


    [Today, I have some good news for everyone.]


    <i>''Ah...''</i>


    [You see, I¡¯ll be joining the prayer service that the honorary cardinal will be hosting soon. The exact date hasn¡¯t been decided yet, but I¡¯m writing this post because I wanted to share the news with everyone. #HonoraryCardinal #HolySwordWarrior #OrderofBenigoaPrayerService #BeHappyEveryone #SeeYouSoon]


    I knew it...


    My hand mirror wouldn''t stop vibrating.


    ¡°Damn it, why did you post that?¡± Iined.


    <i>''Is that guy crazy?''</i>

 Chapter 914. Sera (14)

    <h4>Chapter 914. Sera (14)</h4>


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Father Basel,¡± I greeted.


    ¡°<i>Oh!</i> Father Lee Ki-Young!¡± Father Basel greeted back.


    It felt like it had been a while since we saw each other. His face revealed many different emotions, including joy as well as a profound respect toward me, which was a massive changepared to thest time we saw each other.


    He was trying to ept my wish to remain human, but it appeared like he still couldn''t hold in his respect toward me. I understood his reaction. I was the God of Sacrifice and Revival, after all. I was the closest to Benigoa, and I had also been to the afterlife.


    <i>¡®Why does this old man look so haggard though?¡¯</i>


    He looked like he had aged a lot, and it wasn¡¯t just me. I was sure everyone had noticed that as well. I assumed it was because he was stressed about many things, and I couldn''t help but feel sad at the fact that even he couldn''t escape the ruthless passage of time.


    <i>¡®I wonder if Deok-Gu will be old as well.¡¯</i>


    The aging process would slow down if one''s Magic stat was high, and if one was at a certain level, they''d no longer age.


    Kim Hyun-Sung, Rafael, Jung Ha-Yan, Cha Hee-Ra, Lee Ji-Hye, and I wouldn''t age, but it wasn¡¯t the same for others, especially for Park Deok-Gu. I had never really thought about it until I saw Father Basel¡¯s holy power decreasing as he aged.


    <i>¡®He was such an energetic man. I still remember him raging and yelling while swinging his mace. Right now... I don¡¯t even know if he can still carry a mace anymore.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I haven''t been able to visit you, Father Basel,¡± I said.


    ¡°I understand what you¡¯re going through, Father Lee Ki-Young. I''m a bit sad, but you¡¯re using your powers for Goddess Benigoa in the loneliest and toughest way possible. In addition, what you''ve been doing is supposed to be the Order''s job. I actually feel really bad because it feels like we''ve put that burden on you,¡± Father Basel said.


    ¡°If it wasn''t for the Order¡ª¡±


    ¡°I appreciate your words, Father Lee Ki-Young,¡± Father Basel interrupted me.


    ¡°That¡¯s not true, Father Basel. How could I ignore the things that are going on within the Order? The followers¡¯ prayers and beliefs are part of the reason why the continent is in its current state, but your wonderful leadership has contributed a lot to it as well,¡± Iplimented him.


    ¡°<i>Hahaha.</i>¡± Father Baselughed.


    He was still weak to ttery.


    ¡°By the way, regarding the prayer service...¡± Father Basel said.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I apologized.


    ¡°You don''t have to apologize for it, Father Lee Ki-Young. Every single devotee throughout the continent has been waiting for it as well, so it''s fine. I was actually surprised by your decision. If you had notified me in advance... I would have made sure that there aren''t going to be any issues with the preparations...¡± Father Basel said.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for notifying you like this,¡± I said.


    <i>¡®Damn it. I knew this was going to happen. What would that make him look like?¡¯</i>


    If Grandpa Basel¡¯s power was weakening in the Order, then he''d be more worried about this incident. It was more like a small event than an incident, but ordinary people were very sensitive to incidents like this. The prayer service was announced through Rafael''s personal ount rather than through official channels. Wouldn''t the people find that suspicious?


    <i>¡®The answer is pretty obvious.¡¯</i>


    It was highly likely that there were rumors about how Father Basel and I were splitting up and about how I was no longer supporting Father Basel. I was sure there were other bad rumors as well.


    This small event had the worst timing ever, as those guys with wings had just started showing themselves. It was one of the reasons why we were trying to convince the public that Father Basel and I were still together.


    I needed to let the followers of the Vatican know that I still supported Father Basel, as small moves like those would be pretty helpful in delicate situations like this.


    Father Basel and I talked about many useless topics, and I started noticing familiar faces nearby.


    The majority of them were in the same faction as Father Basel, such as Sister Jayna and Sister Helena. Of course, I noticed other people as well. They gathered and started catching up before the abrupt,rge-scale prayer service.


    This was supposed to be a prayer service, but the key members of the Vatican were all here, so it was like we were at a party.


    <i>¡®The atmosphere isn¡¯t that friendly, though.¡¯</i>


    It was different, but I felt like I was at a social event with nobles.


    They were in their own cliques and were whispering with each other while being wary of each other.


    I had never really noticed that until now, as I had never really been looking for it. Some looked at me anxiously, while others cast wary gazes at Father Basel. What caught my attention was a cardinal walking toward us.


    ¡°Father Lee Ki-Young,¡± Yohan greeted.


    ¡°Father Yohan,¡± I greeted back.


    ¡°You were here too, Father Basel,¡± Yohan said.


    ¡°Wee, Father Yohan,¡± Father Basel greeted.


    ¡°Thank you for weing me, Father Basel. And... Father Lee Ki-Young. I¡¯m looking forward to today¡¯s prayer service,¡± Yohan said.


    ¡°It won¡¯t be any different from the usual prayer service,¡± I told Yohan.


    ¡°But you¡¯re leading it this time. I''m sure you think that it''s the same old prayer service, but the followers of the continent definitely don''t think that way. I want you to know that I have high expectations,¡± Yohan said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if my prayers will be enough...¡± Imented.


    "The Son of Goddess Benigoa himself is leading the prayer, so¡ª<i>Ah!</i> I almost forgot. I¡¯d like to introduce you to someone...¡± Yohan said.


    ¡°<i>Huh?</i>¡±


    ¡°Come,¡± Yohan said.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    An unfamiliar figure appeared behind Father Yohan.


    <i>¡®This bastard...¡¯</i>


    ¡°You may call him Simon,¡± Yohan informed me.


    ¡°He¡¯s a Temr.¡± I pointed out.


    ¡°Do you know him?¡± Yohan asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s my first time seeing Mr. Simon... but I''ve met another Temr. I simply assumed that he''s a Temr because he exudes a simr energy to the Temr I met,¡± I replied.


    ¡°I¡¯d expect nothing less from you. <i>Haha</i>,¡± Yohan said,ughing.


    <i>¡®There is something I want to discuss with him, though.¡¯</i>


    I was curious about what the other Temrs were like.


    Simon''s expression seemed perpetually cold. He had short ck hair, and his height was simr to Kim Hyun-Sung. What stood out the most were his purple eyes, which gave me the feeling that he''d be more rational than emotional, especially whenpared to Gen.


    If anything, I felt like he was simr to us. By us, I meant people like Lee Ji-Hye, Jin Cheong, and me. Obviously, I couldn''t say anything for sure, and this was just my first impression of him.


    <i>Ah</i>, perhaps I felt that way because his Intelligence was pretty high. I also noticed his title, which was "Calctive Monk." Of course, I didn¡¯t feel any hostility from him. I assumed his goal was to leave a good impression on me, so it wouldn¡¯t hurt for me to leave a good impression on him, either...


    ¡°I apologize. I was in the middle of an important conversation with Father Basel... Would it be okay if I visit youter?¡± I asked.


    Yohan was being too obvious, so I wanted to avoid talking to him.


    ¡°<i>Ah...</i>¡± Yohan frowned. He was trying not to show it, but I could tell that he was agitated.


    ¡°I know Goddess Benigoa has bestowed new blessings on some people,¡± I mentioned.


    ¡°<i>Ah</i>, that¡¯s right, Father Lee Ki-Young. Just like Gen, Simon has also been bestowed... wings from Goddess Benigoa...¡± Yohan answered.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to have a discussion about thatter, but...¡± I trailed off and nced at Father Basel. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I met Father Basel, so I would like to spend more time with him."


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Father Lee Ki-Young... It seems like... I¡¯ve interrupted your conversation,¡± Yohan apologized.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. No one would dare to me you for anything, as you have such a high position within the Order. I simply have things regarding the prayer service that I need to discuss with him... Anyway, I hope you understand,¡± I said.


    My words sounded rude, but Yohan looked pretty happy when I patted his left shoulder in the warmest way possible. As expected, he looked happy. He nodded and expressed as much respect as possible before retreating.


    Meanwhile, Simon and I made eye contact, so I smiled at him.


    Father Basel looked more ashamed than grateful.


    ¡°Father Basel,¡± I said.


    ¡°Father Lee Ki-Young.¡±


    ¡°I hope you keep in mind that I¡¯m always on your side,¡± I told him.


    ¡°<i>Ahem...</i>¡±


    When I signaled that we ought to start moving, Father Basel started walking away.


    I had to change clothes, so we had to start moving.


    ¡°I heard the situation within the Order has changed,¡± I said.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Goddess Benigoa has bestowed blessings upon the Temrs. It¡¯s a huge blessing for the Order,¡± Father Basel said.


    ¡°Looks like the Temrs will be more closely involved with the Vatican and I¡¯m sure some of the followers want that as well. Did the Temrs... decide to support Father Yohan?¡± I asked.


    ¡°They¡¯re even talking about the next Pope,¡± Father Basel replied.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Father Lee Ki-Young. It seems like Goddess Benigoa has no use for me anymore,¡± Father Basel added.


    ¡°The Temrs have indeed received Goddess Benigoa''s blessing, but the fact that they aren''t supporting you does not mean that Goddess Benigoa is no longer watching over you. She always loves and supports all of her followers.


    "I¡¯m sure she¡¯s always watching over you as well,¡± I replied.


    <i>¡®Why are you giving up already, man? We still have many things to do.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying this just to make you feel better, Father Basel,¡± I told him.


    I decided to observe his reaction for now, as there were nearby priests in their formal outfits. Well, perhaps their presence didn''t really matter because they seemed to be on the same side as Father Basel. Of course, I didn''t care even if they spread rumors. In fact, I actually wanted them to do that.


    I was just sad that I couldn¡¯t see Father Basel¡¯s face because he was waiting for me behind the white curtain.


    ¡°Perhaps...¡± I trailed off.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Perhaps the Temrs had stolen her powers, which meant their blessing wasn¡¯t actually bestowed upon them,¡± I muttered.


    <i>Crash!</i>


    ¡°<i>Ah</i>! I-I¡¯m sorry," someone said. However, the voice didn''t belong to Father Basel. It was the voice of a follower who had identally dropped a ss te containing my essories.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Father Lee Ki-Young. W-What should I¡ª¡±


    It seemed that my remark was really shocking.


    The follower was sweeping their gaze frantically across the ground, searching for the essories mixed with ss fragments, but what caught my attention was their confused expression.


    They probably felt like they had heard something they weren''t supposed to hear. I felt bad for them when I saw their trembling hands. I was sure they weren''t acting that way because they had inadvertently dropped my essories.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I think it¡¯s best if I walk out there with a simpler look today,¡± I told them.


    There was no need to look fancy every time.


    I got rid of the useless essories, and I saw myself wearing just a white priest outfit.


    I still had an ancestry, which was a lone ne. The fabric was woven in a meticulous way that made it appear pristine and holy, so I felt like it was enough for me.


    In addition, I was sure everyone would be more focused on my wings rather than on my outfit, so my getup wouldn''t really matter.


    In fact, I was convinced that I looked even holier in this simple and humble outfit. I also thought this was a great decision, considering the ongoing situation.


    Once I had changed into my clothes for the prayer service, I parted the curtain and saw Father Basel¡¯s distorted face. His face was so distorted that he looked like a demon.


    <i>¡®He¡¯s angry.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Is that true... Father Lee Ki-Young?¡± Father Basel asked. He looked like he was going to grab his mace and smash Father Yohan¡¯s head open with it. ¡°Are you saying that those ipetent fools... stole Goddess Benigoa¡¯s powers...?!"

 Chapter 915. Sera (15)

    <h4>Chapter 915. Sera (15)</h4>


    <i>¡®Come to think of it, this old man is famous for having a bad personality.¡¯</i>


    He was like a kind old man these days, but at one point, Father Basel was famous for his fiery temper. When he was still a cardinal, he wielded his mace and personally smashed in the heads of undead creatures.


    Many people were still wary of him even after he became the Pope. Whenever Father Basel was mentioned, I''d always imagine an old man shouting at someone to bring his mace to him. His spit would go everywhere as he shouted, and his eyes would be bloodshot, which reminded me of Jung Ha-Yan whenever she was angry.


    ¡°Are you telling the truth?¡± Father Basel asked. Had this old man been pretending as if he were senile all this while? I could see his veins bulging on his hands. He was still pretty healthy. It seemed that my worries were unfounded.


    ¡°Bring my mace right now...¡± Father Basel ordered.


    <i>''Don¡¯t just start looking for your mace.''</i>


    ¡°It hasn¡¯t been confirmed yet, Father Basel. It was simply an assumption,¡± I told him.


    ¡°Goddess Benigoa! What did She say?¡± Father Basel asked.


    ¡°Actually... it¡¯s been a while since I heard Her voice,¡± I replied.


    <i>''The situation is pretty serious. You understand that, right?''</i>


    ¡°H-How... could this... happen...¡± Father Basel mumbled.


    I couldn¡¯t help but be careful when I saw his trembling lips.


    ¡°Of course, I can feel her beside me... but I had this strange dream recently... Of course, I wish it was nothing, but considering our current situation...¡± I paused.


    ¡°Father Lee Ki-Young, can you tell me more... about that dream?¡± Father Basel asked.


    I knew he''d ask that question.


    I decided to be hesitant for a bit before telling him my dream.


    I told him the same thing I told Gen, but I made it sound more realistic.


    I described the way Benigoa was trapped underground, and I described the room she was in. It was important to stimte his imagination by avoiding detailed descriptions but telling him how horrible and cursed the scene was at the same time.


    ¡°It was such a horrible sight that I don¡¯t dare talk about it,¡± I told him.


    The demons were greedily devouring the holy blood of the goddess.


    The scene was so horrible that recounting it made me cry.


    ¡°She kept asking me for help,¡± I said.


    I made it sound realistic.


    Father Basel and the followers helping me get dressed were crying as well. Some were trembling in fear, and it was understandable because how many followers could stay calm when the goddess they were serving was in such a predicament?


    ¡°The ce was like hell. I wish what I saw was a lie... but thinking that Goddess Benigoa is in pain even now...¡± I paused.


    ¡°Goddess Benigoa... <i>Ahh</i>... Goddess Benigoa...¡± Father Basel cried out.


    ¡°<i>Heuk... heuuk...</i>¡±


    ¡°<i>Heuk...</i> Goddess Benigoa...¡±


    Obviously, Father Basel and the followers didn¡¯t misinterpret what I said.


    I was sure they thought that the Temrs were the demons.


    ¡°W-We must! Capture those Temrs and hand them over to the Heretic Inquisitors! Even now, Goddess Benigoa is screaming out for help. They¡¯re the most evil bastards in the world... H-How dare they!¡± Father Basel shouted.


    <i>¡®It would be nice if it were that easy.¡¯</i>


    Still, I was d that Father Basel was on my side. I knew he was on my side as soon as I met Father Yohan, but his reaction was like a confirmation that we were indeed on the same side.


    ¡°I believe my dreams are connected to the anomalies that have been urring recently. I¡¯m talking about the monsters that can wield holy power, Father Basel,¡± I told him.


    ¡°R-Right. I thought that was strange as well,¡± Father Basel said.


    ¡°Mr. Rafael agrees, but we can¡¯t say for sure yet. If Goddess Benigoa ends up in trouble because we moved too hastily...¡± I paused.


    ¡°Goodness...¡± Father Baselmented.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to forgive myself until the day I die,¡± I added.


    ¡°R-Right, you¡¯re right. It¡¯s not toote to surrender myself to anger once we''ve handled everything,¡± Father Basel said.


    There was one more thing I needed to confirm here.


    ¡°Do you know how the Temrs are nominated?¡± I asked.


    Father Basel shook his head.


    ¡°They¡¯re a group that works separately from the Vatican, Father Lee Ki-Young. I tried to unify our groups together, but..¡± Father Basel paused.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m sure it was hard.¡¯</i>


    It wasn''t really strange, and the Temr''s influence was pretty strong, as they were the strongest armed force in the Order.


    This was a world of magic and strange phenomena. A politician, a noble, or even a king would die upon getting hit by a powerful spell.


    Father Basel had no choice but to be nice and respect the group. After all, they were responsible for protecting the high-ranking members of the Vatican.


    It was my first time hearing this, but Father Basel definitely wanted to reform the Temrs. The result wasn¡¯t great, but the fact that Father Basel had managed to establish an informationwork there was awesome.


    ¡°I see,¡± I said.


    ¡°If I knew this was going to happen...¡± Father Basel trailed off.


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault, Father Basel,¡± I told him.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°The Temrs have been protecting the Vatican and the cardinals up for the longest time now. I¡¯m sure questioning their legitimacy is the same thing as questioning the Order, and...¡± I paused.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°They have been by Goddess Benigoa¡¯s side for a very long time. I don¡¯t know what made them change, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°I understand that you have a kind heart, but the reason behind their actions isn''t that important anymore. It¡¯s possible that they have been possessed by demons, or they may have fallen into temptation.


    "However, the reason wouldn''t justify their actions. They have sinned, so they must be punished for it. How can I forgive them? I can¡¯t forgive them for what they''ve done this time... I''m going to throw them into the brimstone of hell,¡± Father Basel interrupted me.


    <i>''I understand your feelings that way, but you can¡¯t just attack them. There are still many things we need to know and hear.'' </i>


    More importantly, I wanted to see how they''d react once I started being hostile toward them.


    If they were still an ordinary armed force, I could probably break through to them, but they were working with Father Yohan, so I was sure that their political influence was pretty strong.


    Perhaps this was a checkmate for Father Basel...


    ¡°There¡¯s an order for everything. If we want the believers to believe that they must be punished, then we need convincing enough evidence, I told him.


    The first step was bringing them down.


    ¡°Right... you¡¯re right...¡± Father Basel said.


    ¡°It hasn¡¯t been that long since that big fight. I don¡¯t want the believers to be nervous,¡± I said.


    Information was necessary as well.


    <i>¡®I need to know how the Mole Saint¡¯s Cozy Sanctuary works.¡¯</i>


    I also needed to help Father Basel grow in power so that they could ept his <i>slightly</i> far-fetched arguments.


    ¡°Father Lee Ki-Young...¡± Father Basel said.


    ¡°...¡±


    I put my sad face on and wiped away my tears.


    ¡°Father Lee Ki-Young...¡± Father Basel repeated.


    However, I couldn''t stop crying. It looked like someone had turned on the faucet to my holy tears.


    <i>''Yeah, my tears are holy tears.'' </i>


    The followers were quiet as they stared at the Saint of Light.


    The Saint of Light had merely been acting tough all this while, and the followers learned that fact when they witnessed his weak side.


    Father Basel looked sad as he stared at me. The prayer service would start soon, and he watched as I became an emotional wreck. His eyes were filled with sympathy toward me, as he knew that I was carrying a huge burden on my shoulders.


    It was a gaze that people wouldn''t usually cast on me.


    ¡°Father Lee Ki-Young... regarding the prayer service that¡¯s taking ce today...¡±


    ¡°I appreciate your concern, but I¡¯m fine. All I can do right now is pray for her safety,¡± I told one of the followers.


    <i>''My prayer service has to continue...''</i>


    ¡°I may be crossing the line here, but how about we dy the prayer service a bit?¡±


    <i>''Why? Does it look like I¡¯m unable to control my emotions right now? Or... do I look like a mess because I cried too much?''</i>


    They could be trying to stop me because they were afraid that I was going to put the me on them. After all, I wasn¡¯t wearing the majority of my essories, and I looked really pathetic. Obviously, I knew they weren''t really thinking that way, but...


    <i>¡®They don¡¯t know anything.¡¯</i>


    This kind of look was more effective. It was better to go out there looking like this. I had to look as weak and as pitiful as possible. I had to look like I could break even at the lightest touch. Otherwise, I wouldn''t be able to touch the people''s hearts.


    It was the same when the continent was under a huge threat. I had to look more human than anyone else. Of course, the light within me couldn''t look human, but that gap would touch the people''s hearts.


    That was my identity, after all.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I told them.


    The followers turned to Father Basel, looking like they wanted to tell Father Basel to ask me to stop.


    ¡°Father Basel...¡±


    ¡°Let''s do what Father Lee Ki-Young wants. Who could stop him? Let¡¯s all pray for Goddess Benigoa," Father Basel said, shaking his head. He was telling them that I couldn''t be stopped.


    <i>¡®I said I¡¯m fine, so why are they making a big deal out of it? And we can¡¯t dy it either.¡¯</i>


    Soon, I heard the loud noise of a pipe organ.


    The noise was so loud that the entire Vatican seemed to tremble beneath it.


    Since it was an official prayer service, they used the biggest pipe organ.


    Eventually, I heard the choir, and I was sure the people who hade here to attend the service were finally entering the hall. The followers supporting the weak Saint of Light cast worried gazes at me, but I nodded at them, signaling that I was okay.


    However, I didn''t even bother wiping away my tears.


    <i>¡®Kim Hyun-Sung, you better not be here. I told him not toe here.¡¯</i>


    If he had a conscience, he''d stay in the Republic. I told Jin Cheong to keep him there so I was sure that they were having an awkward time together.


    Hee-Ra noona said that she wasing, while the majority of the Blue Guild members were probably here.


    While thinking about many useless things, I started walking away. Light poured down into the cathedral through the stained ss and holy light poured down through the perforated ceiling.


    ¡°Father Lee Ki-Young...!¡±


    ¡°<i>Ahh...</i> Son of Light...!¡±


    The followers standing in the hallway proceeded with the prayer service; they didn¡¯t say much, as they were too shocked to witness my appearance. When I spread my wings, they looked down as if they were in a daze.


    ¡°Goddess Benigoa¡¯s blessing will be with you,¡± I said.


    ¡°Thank you, Son of Light...¡±


    I also saw Rafael, who had decided to attend the prayer service.


    ¡°Hyung... are you okay?¡± Rafael asked.


    He extended his hand out hesitantly to try andfort me...


    <i>p!</i>


    <i>¡®You bastard. How dare you.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Hyung?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll head up first, Mr. Rafael,¡± I told him.


    <i>''You need to be punished for what you did.''</i>


    When I walked up to my spot, I noticed the crying followers.


    <i>¡®I knew this was going to work.¡¯</i>


    They didn¡¯t bother wiping their tears and simply stared at me dumbfoundedly. When I spread my wings wide, they eximed and looked away. They probably thought that looking directly at my wings was disrespectful.


    <i>¡®My wings do look pretty nice. Particles of light keep falling down from it.¡¯</i>


    Even I thought that my wings looked pretty.


    <i>¡®Maybe I should p them again.¡¯</i>


    This was seriously amazing.


    I was crying as well.


    My tears were sincere and beautiful, looking like they contained the pain and innocence of the entire continent.

 Chapter 916. Sera (16)

    <h4>Chapter 916. Sera (16)</h4>


    ¡°How long has it been?¡±


    ¡°<i>Ah! </i>Lady Marilyn! You¡¯re here. How have you been doing?¡± I[1] asked.


    ¡°I''ve been doing fine as usual. Other than attending the cab meetings, I''ve been spending most of my time at Castlerock. I¡¯m busier than I expected, so I don¡¯t even have time to do my hobbies,¡± Marilyn answered.


    ¡°<i>Ah</i>... how¡¯s your father doing?¡± I asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s been the same. He¡¯s been struggling a bit after retirement, but he found a new hobby recently... How have you been doing, Lady Violet?¡± Marilyn asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I didn''t really want to answer that kind of question.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t been doing much. I lost my position as a senator... and have been living with my parents while walking on eggshells around them. Father said he''d get a spot in the Continental Protection Management Committee, but I ruined my interview...


    "I¡¯m embarrassed to say this, but I guess I''m still not ready,¡± I answered.


    ¡°<i>Ah...</i> I¡¯m sorry,¡± Marilyn said.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s nothing you need to apologize for. It¡¯s all because I¡¯m not good enough... Compared to me, I think you¡¯re really amazing, Lady Marilyn. Whenever I meet with my friends, they always talk about you,¡± I told her.


    ¡°What? But I¡¯m not all that amazing...¡± Marilyn muttered.


    ¡°You¡¯re really amazing. You contributed a lot to the development of the Democratic Country as a senator, and you''re handling many different things, too.


    "I heard Castlerock is improving daily. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s difficult... considering it¡¯s right next to the Republic. Anyway, your work really is admirable,¡± I said.


    I wasn¡¯t lying.


    When Senator Marilyn was just the daughter of Count Castlerock, she wasn''t really that popr, but when the Empire became a Democratic Country, she became a hot topic among the daughters of nobles.


    She didn''t really attend the social gatherings that I made sure to attend each time, but the people there would always be talking about her.


    <i>¡®I thought she would be the same even after time passed.¡¯</i>


    She wasn''t really the type to get involved with people back then.


    Castlerock was far from the Capital.


    Marilyn was really bubbly, but there was something strange about her, so none of the daughters wanted to be friends with her. If it weren''t for Count Castlerock¡¯s influence on the Empire, she wouldn¡¯t get invited to anything.


    <i>¡®Actually, she was excluded from a few events.¡¯</i>


    I wasn¡¯t openly ignoring Lady Marilyn, but I''d spend time with thedies I usually spent some time with...


    <i>¡®There was nothing I could do.¡¯</i>


    Marilyn would smile while looking at a strange picture by herself alone, and she''d sometimes make strange noises by herself. She <i>really </i>was different from the other nobledies.


    If it weren''t for my mother, I wouldn¡¯t spend time with Marilyn as well.


    Thanks to the time that I had no choice but to spend with her, I got an understanding of the kind of person Marilyn was, and we became close to each other, too.


    However, I could still remember being ufortable during the adjustment period.


    ¡°Still, I get toe to a ce like this thanks to you,¡± I said.


    ¡°I was lucky. Senator Caitlyn owed me a favor, so I was lucky enough to get us good seats. I was thinking about who I shoulde with... and I recalled you saying you never attended a prayer service before,¡± Marilyn exined.


    ¡°Y-You remembered?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Of course. You¡¯re... my friend,¡± Marilyn said.


    ¡°Lady Marilyn... is it... really okay for someone like me to be here?¡± I asked.


    I nced to the side.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s Miss Jung Ha-Yan.¡¯</i>


    The person sitting next to her had to be Miss Han Sora.


    When I turned to the right, I saw Miss Oscar, the leader of the Sacred Democratic Country.


    ¡°Miss Oscar,¡± Marilyn greeted.


    ¡°Senator Marilyn. We meet again. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen her before...¡± Oscar pointed out.


    ¡°M-My name''s Violet. It¡¯s an honor to meet you,¡± I greeted.


    ¡°She¡¯s my friend,¡± Marilyn said.


    ¡°I see. It¡¯s nice to meet you,¡± Oscar greeted me and grabbed my hand. We proceeded to shake hands and talk a bit. Our conversation didn''tst that long, but my heart was already pounding wildly against my chest.


    After all, the leaders of the Sacred Democratic Country were basically here.


    There were quite a few members from the Blue Guild as well including Miss Jung Ha-Yan and Miss Han Sora.


    However, I didn¡¯t see any of their rookies.


    Perhaps they were sitting in the second or third row. I saw those with important positions, those with social influence, those esteemed by others, and war heroes who were active in the war.


    Anyone could tell that I didn¡¯t belong here.


    The conversations I heard before the prayer service started were pretty serious.


    They were discussing the continent¡¯s political situation or the usage of an unimaginable amount of gold. If this were some sort of social gathering, I would get up and greet them, but the ce didn¡¯t give off that kind of atmosphere.


    <i>¡®Quiet.¡¯</i>


    It was definitely different from a social gathering.


    They seemed really cautious about even asking about each other¡¯s well-being.


    The ce was also pretty quiet, overall. A long time ago, there was a simr meeting among nobles, but that meeting couldn''tpare to this gathering.


    I could tell how much they respected this prayer service.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to be so nervous, Lady Violet,¡± Marilyn said.


    ¡°<i>Ah...</i> okay,¡± I said.


    ¡°There¡¯s no special etiquette or rules you need to follow,¡± Marilyn added.


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure everyone is just being cautious. They''ve been waiting for this prayer service more than anyone...¡± Marilyn said.


    ¡°<i>Ah</i>... I see.¡±


    ¡°Come to think of it, is this your first time seeing Father Lee Ki-Young in person?¡± Marilyn asked.


    ¡°Yes...¡± I replied.


    <i>¡®I never had the chance to meet him.¡¯</i>


    I had seen him from far away, and I was about to see him up close for the first time.


    I had seen pictures, videos, recorded prayer service videos, and interviews on Benigoa Net. I watched his asional media appearances, too, but this was my first time seeing him in person.


    We didn¡¯t really have much of a connection... and honestly, I had never really been able to attend the prayer services because I was too busy with work. I guess it could be said that I was really courageous toe here.


    ¡°Now that I think about it... you¡¯ve met with Father Lee Ki-Young privately before, right?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, but I haven¡¯t been able to meet him at all recently. I can only talk to him from time to time. Even though it''s just once a month, I''m really grateful for the fact that he still replies to me,¡± Marilyn answered.


    ¡°<i>Ah...</i> w-what¡¯s he like?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Imagine it, and he''s exactly like that,¡± Marilyn replied.


    <i>¡®Exactly as I imagine....¡¯</i>


    Of course, I didn''t really have to think too much about it, as I¡¯d be seeing him soon.


    Soon, the sound of the giant pipe organ filled the room.


    The loud soundforted everyone rather than making them think that it was too loud.


    Light poured down from the ceiling, and the choir sang.


    The murmurs vanished as well.


    Some grabbed the rosario hanging from their neck, while some prayed quietly with their heads down.


    Senator Marilyn was right. Everyone was paying their respect in their own ways.


    My heart pounded violently against my chest, and I felt like I was in heaven.


    The priests sent wave after wave of holy light, which filled the room in a beautiful way.


    Also...


    ¡°<i>Ah!</i>¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°<i>Heup!</i>¡± I shouted unknowingly, as what I saw made me hold my breath.


    I finally realized why they were still ying the organ and why the choir was still singing.


    Someone was bound to exim, and they were being considerate of the followers who might make a mistake. The people who were used to attending these prayer services were already holding their breaths.


    Senator Marilyn, Miss Oscar, and Miss Jung Ha-Yan stared agape...


    ¡°<i>Ah... ahh...</i>¡±


    ¡°O God...¡±


    ¡°Son of Light...¡±


    They stared agape at the Son of Light, the God of Sacrifice and Revival, the symbol of Goddess Benigoa, and the pride of the continent. They stared agape at him while muttering words that I couldn''t quite understand.


    He was wearing a simple white priest uniform, but he looked holier than anyone here. His outfit looked like it was woven to resemble heaven, and he was wearing a ne on top of it.


    His clothes billowed out around him as he walked, and I felt like I could see his raw, naked body through the thin fabric of his uniform.


    <i>¡®I-I can''t have these outrageous thoughts...!¡¯</i>


    He was walking with bare hands and bare feet for the prayer.


    The room was filled with music, but it felt like I could hear him stomping on the ground. The sound of his clothes rubbing against each other pervaded my head. There was no way I could hear something like that, but it was like my mind was unwittingly transfixed on those noises.


    ¡°O God...¡±


    Light fell upon everyone, and Father Lee Ki-Young''s wings of light spread wide.


    Light spread from the wings that looked more beautiful than anything else. The light scattered across the wings and floated briefly before disappearing. I wanted to stretch out my hand to grab those particles of light, but I froze upon seeing the saint¡¯s tearful face.


    ¡°<i>Ah...</i>¡±


    ¡°Son of Light...¡±


    I felt like I had be a sinner.


    Was the Saint of Light before me carrying my sins?


    Was he carrying all the sins throughout the continent by himself? I didn¡¯t know what was going on, but I was crying before I even realized it. The others were in the same condition as me. They were staring at him in disbelief while crying.


    He was the saint who had decided to return to the continent because he loved it more than anyone else. He hadn''t been able to leave this ce, as he cared about it more than anyone else.


    How could an ordinary person like me understand his deep intentions? How could I understand the meaning of those tears? Many different ideas popped up in my head, but in the end, I ceased all thoughts.


    The prayer continued amidst the deafening silence.


    Once the prayer was recited, he sprinkled holy power and put his hands together.


    The denizens of the Democratic Country were familiar with this procedure, and it looked kind of different, even though it was the same exact procedure that other priests would do for the prayer service.


    It was more like he himself was a different being.


    The way he prayed to Goddess Benigoa with bare hands and feet...


    ¡°<i>Ahh...</i>¡±


    It was like I was watching a y. It was too beautiful to be called "natural."


    The Gray Warrior walked up to him quietly and ced a transparent fabric on top of Father Lee Ki-Young''s head.


    The priests moved to their designated spots and proceeded with the ceremony.


    The choir''s singing got even louder as light fell from the sky once again.


    Father Lee Ki-Young raised his hand, and his sleeves fell, revealing his thin arm to everyone. Despite that, the ceremony continued. He knelt down before Goddess Benigoa¡¯s statue and offered his holy power to her.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give my all to you, Goddess Benigoa,¡± he said.


    A massive light burst out of him and took to the sky, creating a really unrealistic sight.


    <i>¡®I must be in heaven right now.¡¯</i>


    The column of lightsted only for a moment, but I couldn¡¯t help but think that way upon seeing it.


    ¡°S-Sora. Y-You got all that, right?¡± Jung Ha-Yan asked.


    ¡°Yes, of course,¡± Han Sora replied.


    ¡°Y-You have to keep recording,¡± Jung Ha-Yan instructed.


    ¡°Senator Marilyn,¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Are you okay, Senator Marilyn?¡± I asked


    ¡°Yes,¡± Marilyn replied.


    It was like everyone was under a spell.


    Soon, the Saint of Light¡¯s lively and clear voice filled my ears.


    ¡°This is the word of Goddess Benigoa.¡±


    I saw him reciting the sacred verses of democracy.


    ¡°I say this to everyone I love,¡± Father Lee Ki-Young added.


    It was like his voice was massaging my brain.


    ¡°Son of Light.¡±


    ¡°Son of Light...¡±


    <i>BOOM!</i>


    And that was when I heard a deafening explosion.


    A thick fog enveloped everyone, and when it receded, I saw monsters with holy wings.


    1. Violet¡¯s POV ?

 Chapter 917. Sera (17)

    <h4>Chapter 917. Sera (17)</h4>


    ¡°<i>Aaaahhh!</i>¡±


    ¡°W-What the...¡±


    <i>Booooooooooooom!</i>


    ¡°Lady Violet!¡± Marilyn shouted.


    ¡°Lady Marilyn?¡± I[1] questioned.


    ¡°Miss Jung Ha-Yan! Miss Jung Ha-Yan!¡±


    ¡°<i>Huh?</i> W-What about oppa... Is he okay?¡± Jung Ha-Yan asked.


    <i>Kabooooooooooooom!</i>


    ¡°We need to leave for now,¡± Han Sora urged.


    ¡°I-I-Is he okay?!¡± Marilyn yelled.


    ¡°Prepare for battle! Prepare for battle!¡±


    ¡°Oppa! Oppa!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the Holy Knights! I-I¡¯ll join the... No,e this way, Miss Jung Ha-Yan,¡± Marilyn said.


    ¡°O-Oppa!¡± Jung Ha-Yan shouted.


    ¡°This way, Miss Jung Ha-Yan!¡± Han Sora yelled.


    ¡°L-Let go of me! Let go!¡± Jung Ha-Yan shouted.


    ¡°Damn it! Jung Ha-Yan! Hurry up ande this way!¡± Marilyn yelled.


    ¡°<i>Ahh!</i>¡±


    ¡°Listen to me!¡± Marilyn urged.


    ¡°Wait... get away...!¡±


    A massive light made out of holy power engulfed us.


    <i>Wooooooooo!</i>


    The rumbling noise sounded bad to me.


    <i>¡®Huh? Am I going to die?¡¯</i>


    Many different thoughts popped up into my head.


    My feet¡ªno, my body wouldn''t move. It was like they were frozen.


    I looked to the side and saw Marilyn shouting at me, ¡°What are you doing, Lady Violet?!¡±


    ¡°Stand behind me!¡± Marilyn instructed.


    <i>Boooooooooooom!</i>


    A deafening explosion echoed, and I saw someone¡¯s massive back profile.


    ¡°<i>Uh...</i>¡±


    ¡°Ha-Yan noonim!¡± Park Deok-Gu shouted.


    ¡°O-Oppa... Oppa is!¡± Jung Ha-Yan stuttered.


    ¡°I know! Prepare for battle! Prepare for battle!!! Get into formation! Hurry! Hey! Shiro! Alps! Come this way!¡± Park Deok-Gu ordered.


    ¡°<i>Woof! Woof!</i>¡±


    ¡°O-Okay! Belier! Come with me,¡± Alps instructed.


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am!¡± Belier answered.


    ¡°We¡¯ll split into groups. Ahn Ki-Mo, Sun Hee-Young, Han Sora, Hwang Jung-Yeon, Belier, Alps, and Elena will protect and evacuate the people,¡± Jo Hye-Jin instructed.


    ¡°Y-Yes, ma¡¯am!¡±


    ¡°Kim Ye-Ri, Park Deok-Gu, Kim Chang-Ryeol, and Yoo Ah-Young wille with me. Rescuing the sub guild master is our top priority. The enemies are believed to be monsters capable of wielding holy power.


    "Miss Hwang Jung-Yeon will support using her spells, and Mr. Park Deok-Gi will tank as usual¡ª¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re telling me to be a meat shield?¡± Park Deok-Gu interrupted.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for making an unreasonable request,¡± Jo Hye-Jin said.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s my job,¡± Park Deok-Gu replied.


    ¡°He¡¯s right,¡± Kim Ye-Ri chimed in.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Jo Hye-Jin said.


    ¡°O-Okay!¡±


    <i>¡®It¡¯s the members of the Blue Guild.¡¯</i>


    I was definitely staring at the members of the Blue Guild, and I saw them move busily after assessing the situation in the proverbial blink of an eye.


    The turn of events was so sudden that I had no idea what was going on, but it seemed like the chaotic situation was calming down. I could no longer hear screams and panicking voices.


    I looked around and saw people casting their spells or using their holy power. They secured an escape route to ensure that the people could escape starting from the back while protecting the people waiting for their turn to evacuate.


    A few priests and adventurers were calming down the nervous people.


    <i>''Are we really safe now, though? W-we should be safe. We¡¯re in the Vatican, after all.¡¯</i>


    The Sacred Democratic Country had its own independent armed forces.


    The Sacred Democratic Country was as strong as the major guilds throughout the continent, and they had been fighting against demons and heretics for centuries. They were the ones who had raised up their holy swords and took the lead on the continent¡¯s prophesied day of destruction.


    I had never heard of monsters invading the Vatican, but they could definitely handle this.


    The top-ranking members of the Blue Guild and powerful adventurers were here as well, so I was sure that we would be safe.


    However, I still couldn''t stop myself from trembling in fear.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be safe, Lady Violet,¡± Marilyn reassured.


    I calmed down upon hearing her voice.


    ¡°A-Are you okay, Lady Marilyn?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m used to it,¡± Marilyn replied.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Marilyn nodded at my question, and I was confused for a moment, but I eventually understood why she said that.


    <i>¡®Lady Marilyn... is from Castlerock.¡¯</i>


    Castlerock was practically right in front of the Republic. It was so close to the border that I was sure there was constant conflict. Moreover, Castlerock often experienced monster waves, which was the reason why Castlerock was categorized as a dangerous ce.


    Lady Marilyn had grown up in such an environment, so I was sure she had experienced this kind of situation many times in the past.


    She was born to a military family, so she had to have received swords and magic training. Her confidence was what made her the person she was today, and she waspletely different from me, who knew nothing but to cower in fear.


    ¡°The adventurers and the Holy Knights will take care of this, and we have Miss Oscar with us,¡± Marilyn reassured.


    ¡°I see...¡± I said.


    ¡°They¡¯re securing an escape route from the back, although it might take some time...¡± Marilyn informed me.


    ¡°R-Right?¡± I stuttered.


    ¡°We also have the Blue Guild here. We¡¯ll be fine... but I¡¯m not sure if Father Lee Ki-Young is safe...¡± Marilyn mumbled.


    ¡°<i>Ah!</i> N-Now that I think about it...¡±


    ¡°Mr. Rafael is with him... but I don¡¯t think we''re dealing with ordinary monsters here. I¡¯ve never heard of monsters wielding holy power...¡± Marilyn said.


    ¡°Y-You haven¡¯t?¡± I asked.


    ¡°At least not that I know of or seen. Adventurers say that dungeons have unique creatures, but I think this is different from that... The fact that they have those wings and the fact that they even entered the Vatican.


    "I think they have another goal...¡± Marilyn deduced replied.


    ¡°What if...¡±


    ¡°Yes, I think their target is Father Lee Ki-Young. I¡¯m not sure if they came here because his holy power attracted them, but I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if it turns out that someone has orchestrated all this. They must''ve taken this prayer service into ount because their timing was perfect," Marilyn exined.


    ¡°T-Then the incident back then...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to overinterpret and say it¡¯s going to be the same as the continent¡¯s day of destruction...¡± Marilyn trailed off.


    ¡°D-Do you think that demons are behind this?¡± I asked.


    Demons capable of wielding holy power... It sounded more unrealistic than monsters capable of wielding holy power, but the two ideas were both unrealistic to begin with. I was embarrassed because I felt like I had asked a stupid question, but Marilyn nodded.


    ¡°Things unknown to us often happen throughout the continent. To make matters worse, I don¡¯t think holy power... is going to work on those monsters,¡± Marilyn said.


    ¡°What?¡±


    It seemed that Marilyn was right, as I soon heard screams everywhere.


    ¡°Holy power isn¡¯t working on those monsters! The priests should retreat.¡±


    ¡°Protection-type spells are useless.¡±


    I was worried about the people at the front line.


    I couldn''t help but admire the Blue Guild as they rushed to the front that was filled with a hostile light and raised their shields to the sky.


    They faced the hostile light and opened up a path for the people. Unfortunately, their transparent shield was slowly crumbled in the face of the hostile light.


    <i>¡®Is it okay to enter the light that¡¯s destroying their shields?¡¯</i>


    <i>Wooooooo!</i>


    ¡°You bastards!¡±


    A cracking noise echoed as a giant arm shattered the shield.


    ¡°O-Oppa!¡±


    Miss Jung Ha-Yan jumped into the light.


    When the monster with wings was about to crush her...


    ¡°You dirty bastard!¡±


    A massive purple arm shoved the monster away.


    ¡°<i>Huh?</i>¡±


    ¡°ck magic?¡± I questioned out loud.


    Then, an ominous ck wave of ck mana condensed, restoring the shields that were about to be destroyed. The ominous energy felt strange to me, and I could feel it slowly filling up the hall.


    <i>Rumble!</i>


    ¡°S-Sora? I told you not to go!¡± Jung Ha-Yan shouted.


    I saw Miss Han Sora sporting ck wings in midair.


    <i>¡®What the hell is going on?¡¯</i>


    The energy was so ominous that I started feeling nervous at the sight of it. In addition to the terrified cries of the people, the situation became even more tense when pitch-ck monsters rose up with their horrifying maws wide open.


    They made screeching noises as they charged at the winged monsters.


    <i>Wooooooo.</i>


    What was I watching right now? Just a few moments ago, I thought I was in heaven, but now, I felt like I was in hell.


    The monster that jumped up next to me was swallowed by a giant mouth that appeared from underground. The monster managed to escape the colossal mouth, but dozens of pitch-ck spears were waiting for it outside.


    ¡°I told you toe this way! I¡¯m sure the sub guild master is safe since he¡¯s with Rafael,¡± Han Sora said.


    ¡°S-Sora...¡± Jung Ha-Yan stuttered.


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to do anything. Right now, you...¡±


    The pitch-ck spears killed one of the monsters, but it got up again.


    To make things worse, it pulled out the spears with its own hands, and it was.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s recovering.¡¯</i>


    A giant purple hand had crushed it, but the winged monster still managed to stand up despite being covered in blood. It was such a horrendous sight that I couldn¡¯t question why Miss Han Sora was using ck magic.


    The sight around me was so unrealistic that I felt like I was dreaming.


    ¡°I¡¯m... I¡¯m sorry... I...¡± Jung Ha-Yan said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t apologize. T-There¡¯s nothing we can do right now. More importantly,e this way!¡± Han Sora urged.


    ¡°Okay...¡±


    ¡°Miss Han Sora, will you be okay?¡± Hwang Jung-Yeon asked.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped, Jung-Yeon unni. Holy power and my magic are opposites... This is the best option,¡± Han Sora answered.


    <i>¡®She must¡¯ve been hiding it.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Why is Miss Jung Ha-Yan¡ª¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s going through some stuff. I¡¯ll exinter,¡± Han Sora interrupted.


    ¡°I¡¯m okay, but she can¡¯t avoid punishment. You remember that reporting your condition is mandatory, right?¡± Hwang Jung-Yeon reminded her.


    ¡°Yes...¡± Han Sora answered.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s best to remove Miss Jung Ha-Yan from the frontline. Please stand next to Senator Marilyn. She¡¯ll escape with Senator Marilyn once we''ve secured an exit route,¡± Hwang Jung-Yeon instructed.


    I was standing with Miss Jung Ha-Yan.


    I had no idea what was going on, but one thing I was sure of was that there was a problem with Miss Jung Ha-Yan right now. She was crying while being protected by a transparent shield.


    When the light up ahead started to fade, she looked up and stared at the front line.


    I was ignorant of what was going on, but I could tell that the situation was changing.


    The hall was too bright for me to see anything earlier, but the spell that Han Sora had cast was making the holy power fade. The room soon became filled with an ominous color. I wasn¡¯t happy to see that, but it was better than those monsters.


    The ck and white energy collided as the pitch-ck monsters and winged monsters duked it out. The shield protecting the people was bing stronger and stronger while the winged monsters were falling to the ground one by one.


    <i>Woooooooo!</i>


    <i>Kyaaaah!</i>


    ¡°Lady Violet! This way!¡± Marilyn urged.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Why are you just standing there? It¡¯s our turn,¡± Marilyn said.


    ¡°<i>Ah</i>... o-okay!¡± I answered.


    ¡°Miss Jung Ha-Yan, go with them!¡± Hwang Jung-Yeon suggested.


    ¡°B-But...!¡± Jung Ha-Yan stuttered.


    ¡°Forget it. Let¡¯s hurry and get out of here! Damn it! Belier!¡± Hwang Jung-Yeon shouted.


    ¡°Y-Yes?¡± Belier answered.


    ¡°Take Miss Jung Ha-Yan away...¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am! Come this way, ma¡¯am! Everyone! Senator Marilyn! Miss Jung Ha-Yan! A-And... And! Anyway,e quickly!¡± Belier yelled.


    ¡°W-Wait... Oppa!" Jung Ha-Yan eximed.


    ¡°What?¡±


    I turned and saw Father Lee Ki-Young in Mr. Rafael¡¯s arms.


    Father Lee Ki-Young was covered in blood.


    1. Violet''s POV ?

 Chapter 918. Sera (18)

    <h4>Chapter 918. Sera (18)</h4>


    ¡°I think we¡¯ve taken care of things here.¡±


    ¡°Persistent bastards.¡±


    ¡°I want the priest to take care of the wounded.¡±


    ¡°Hyung-nim, are you okay? Hyung-nim... open your eyes. Are you badly hurt somewhere?¡± Park Deok-Gu asked.


    I could hear loud noises everywhere.


    My eyes were closed, but I knew what was going on.


    The priests were taking care of the wounded, the Holy Knights were preparing for the next attack, and I was sure a wall of Holy Knights had surrounded me. It sounded like Park Deok-Gu was next to me. It seemed that the Blue Guild still had their guards up since this happened inside the Vatican.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m sure they''re shocked.¡¯</i>


    Of course, I could hear the people of the Vatican talking to each other.


    They were discussing the identity and the goal of the enemies.


    They had probably concluded that they were after me.


    Themotion was making me feel happy. This was different from the monster that had appeared in the square and the unique monster that was discovered in the forest¡ªthis was different because this happened inside the Vatican.


    To make things worse, it was after me, the Saint of Light, who had onceid down everything for the continent. It was a disaster that would shake the nation, let alone the high-ranking officials and the important figures of the continent.


    ¡°What the hell are the Holy Knights doing?!¡±


    <i>¡®Father Basel is pretty good at yelling.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you call yourselves ''Holy Knights'' without noticing those monsters invading the Vatican! You fools! You fools!¡± Father Basel roared.


    ¡°We apologize,¡± one of the knights said.


    ¡°Do you seriously think that a mere... apology will resolve this issue?! I really want to crush your skull with my mace right now, you idiots!¡± Father Basel shouted.


    ¡°We apologize,¡± one of the knights repeated.


    <i>¡®He¡¯s still got it.¡¯</i>


    ¡°But... Your Holiness, there¡¯s something important we need to tell you,¡± a knight said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear your excuses right now,¡± Father Basel said.


    <i>¡®Themander is really having a tough time.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I¡¯m not giving an excuse. It¡¯s just... It¡¯s just that we couldn¡¯t find any traces of the enemies inside...¡± themander said.


    I thought this was a good time to get up.


    Park Deok-Gu wouldn''t stop shaking my shoulders, and I was worried about Jo Hye-Jin, who was staring at me quietly. I also needed to rescue themander, who could get executed for something he hadn''t done.


    ¡°<i>Hmm...</i>¡±


    ¡°Father Lee Ki-Young!¡± Father Basel called out.


    ¡°<i>Ah... mmm...</i>¡± I groaned.


    ¡°Father Lee Ki-Young! Are you okay?! Hey there! What are the priests doing?! Father Lee Ki-Young is...¡±


    <i>¡®The old man is going to run out of breath.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Sir, are you okay?¡± Jo Hye-Jin asked.


    ¡°Hyung-nim, are you awake? Hey, Holy Sword bro...¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s covered in blood, but thankfully, his wounds aren¡¯t deep...¡± Rafael told him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to thank you,¡± Park Deok-Gu said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not the one who saved him. Thankfully, someone blocked the attack for him,¡± Rafael told everyone.


    The weak Saint of Light woke up and said, ¡°<i>Ah...</i> thank you, Mr. Gen.¡±


    ¡°Father Lee Ki-Young!¡± Father Basel called out.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, Father Basel. I''m fine. I only fainted. Thankfully, he saved me before the monster got close to me,¡± I told him.


    ¡°I¡¯m d. I¡¯m really grateful...¡± Father Basel mumbled.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to be so worried, Father Basel,¡± I said.


    ¡°How could I not be worried?¡± Father Basel questioned.


    Father Basel¡¯s reaction was really amusing.


    Before the prayer service, he thought of the Temrs as demons, but he probably realized that something was off upon discovering that one of the Temrs had saved my life.


    For now, he seemed really grateful that I was safe. On the other hand, he was questioning whether Gen had ulterior motives or not, but instinctively, he was grateful to Gen for saving someone precious to him.


    Everyone was looking at Gen, and I had to say something before Father Basel.


    ¡°Thank you again, Mr. Gen.¡±


    ¡°I was simply doing what was right, Father Lee Ki-Young,¡± Gen said.


    ¡°Are you hurt anywhere?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, but you...¡±


    Of course, he wasn¡¯t hurt.


    I was sure he felt sore, but he didn¡¯t suffer any serious injuries, so he¡¯d soon recover.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to thank you... I¡¯ll be sure to visit youter to thank you properly,¡± I offered.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to...¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll make sure to visit you. The situation isn¡¯t that great right now...¡± I said.


    We couldn¡¯t stay here and keep listening to me expressing my gratitude toward him. A serious incident had just urred, and we needed to figure out how to handle all this.


    Gen seemed to have realized that as well because he bowed quietly and disappeared into the crowd.


    Father Basel helped me up, and the guild members cast worried gazes at me.


    As for Jung Ha-Yan... she was probably somewhere else.


    Elena and Sun Hee-Young examined me, and then they nodded to signal to everyone that I was fine. The new recruits looked so awkward as they stood there, not knowing what to do.


    Meanwhile, Jo Hye-Jin was talking with the people of the Vatican.


    ¡°Well then... the Blue Guild will take care of the sub guild master,¡± Jo Hye-Jin said.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you stay here a little longer and observe his condition?¡±


    The Blue Guild definitely wanted to bring me... to that damned room with no windows to ensure my safety. However, the Vatican didn¡¯t want to send me away. Actually, it was a matter of face. A strange incident had happened inside the Vatican, and if everyone heard that I immediately left the Vatican, the Vatican would look bad.


    It was tantamount to saying that the Vatican wasn¡¯t a safe ce. In addition, everyone might assume that this was a terrorist incident caused by the internal strife within the Vatican, which was the truth.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to go back to that room...¡¯</i>


    I needed to think about Father Basel¡¯s image. This wasn''t his fault, after all.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, Miss Hye-Jin,¡± I said.


    ¡°Sir, what if...¡±


    <i>¡®This isn¡¯t a safe ce? That we need to be careful because we might get ambushed again?¡¯</i>


    ¡°It happened inside the Vatican. Also... it happened during the prayer service... I believe I¡¯m somewhat responsible,¡± I told her.


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°I believe the Vatican will take care of the things you¡¯re worried about. Father Basel, if you don¡¯t mind...¡± I trailed off.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do that. Provide a ce for the members of the Blue Guild to stay!¡± Father Basel ordered.


    This was what one would call an agreement.


    I was d Father Basel was easy to talk to.


    Not only was the guild given permission to stay at the Vatican to protect me, but he had also given them a lot of authority that would allow them to carry out their missions with more flexibility.


    The guild members basically had the same authority as ordinary Holy Knights, and it was an authority that wouldst until I left the Vatican. Of course, we wouldn''t be able to enter every part of the Vatican, but we definitely had ess to ssified information.


    Kim Ye-Ri and Lee Chang-Ryeol could obtain a variety of information, and the energetic Father Basel could give us ess to even more things. Obviously, there were people who disliked the idea, and one of them was Father Yohan standing in front of us...


    ¡°Your Holiness, that¡¯s...¡±


    ¡°What are you worried about, Father Yohan?¡± Father Basel questioned.


    ¡°I¡¯m not worried about anything, but they''re outsiders. I¡¯m simply worried that something bad might happen if we''re not careful," Father Yohan answered.


    ¡°Are you trying to say that we should send Father Lee Ki-Young and the Blue Guild away despite their conditions?! This happened inside the Vatican, Father Yohan! Also, his safety is under threat, and that¡¯s all you care about?


    "How can I leave Father Lee Ki-Young¡¯s safety to those fools?!¡± Father Basel shouted.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°If this happens again, are you going to take responsibility for it? Father Yohan? Will you be able to ask Goddess Benigoa for forgiveness?! You¡¯ve bepletely blinded by the illusion before you, and it¡¯s not just you! I¡¯m also talking about the priests who serve Goddess Benigoa!


    "We¡¯re supposed to serve her and respect her wishes, so when did we...¡± Father Basel trailed off.


    <i>¡®The old man is on a roll. He''s overreacting a bit, but he¡¯s full of energy. He needs to be full of energy.¡¯</i>


    His political skills weren¡¯t bad either, so he definitely thought that this was the right time to say what he was saying right now.


    ¡°Have you not realized what¡¯s important and what¡¯s not?! Do you not see that Father Lee Ki-Young haspromised for us? Do you not see that?!¡± Father Basel shouted.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°We should be the ones asking for his help, but you¡¯re worried that something bad might happen? Are you serious?! This incident is quite serious, Father Yohan!¡± Father Basel yelled with a flushed face and bloodshot eyes. The veins on his hands were bulging as well.


    The sight made me feel worried that he''d get up and grab his mace, but seeing Father Basel yell for the first time in a really long time made me feel relieved.


    Father Yohan was at a loss for words.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s your fault.¡¯</i>


    Obviously, it was the entire Vatican¡¯s fault for not taking responsibility for our safety. From the start, it was stated that my safety was the Vatican¡¯s responsibility during the prayer service, which was the reason they were there with all the priests.


    <i>¡®So they have no excuse.¡¯</i>


    It wasn''t like Father Basel was bluntly saying that he was going to use the Blue Guild rather than them, as he couldn''t trust them.


    We had also never said that we¡¯d go wandering around the Vatican. He simply wanted to make the guild members stay here until things had simmered down.


    Was that so bad? I was sure it was bad for Father Yohan, as he had a secret he desperately wanted to remain hidden.


    <i>¡®Mole Saint¡¯s Cozy Sanctuary.¡¯</i>


    ¡°The ck mage earlier is part of the Blue Guild, Your Holiness.¡±


    <i>¡®I knew he''d bring that up.¡¯</i>


    ¡°The monsters who ambushed Father Lee Ki-Young are capable of wielding holy power, Father Yohan! When are you going to get rid of that outdated way of thinking?!¡± Father Basel scolded.


    ¡°But it¡¯s ck magic, Father Basel! The same ck magic that demons use to wreak havoc!¡± Father Yohan argued.


    ¡°And it''s the ck magic that saved the followers and priests! The same ck magic that saved all of you!¡± Father Basel retorted. Father Basel wasn''t afraid of advancement, and I really liked open-minded people like him.


    ¡°There¡¯s a possibility that she made a contract with a demon, Father Basel.¡± Father Yohan pointed out.


    It was a contract with Jung Ha-Yan, not with a demon.


    Father Yohan looked at me.


    Since Han Sora wasn¡¯t here, I had to say something.


    ¡°I had no idea that she''s a ck mage, but there''s one thing I''m sure of... she didn''t make a contract with a demon,¡± I said.


    ¡°You heard him! She didn¡¯t make a contract with a demon! You heard him yourself!¡± Father Basel shouted.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡ª¡±


    ¡°Are you saying you don¡¯t believe him? You don¡¯t believe the Son of Benigoa and the Saint of Light?!¡± Father Basel questioned.


    <i>''That¡¯s right, </i>I <i>said it. I¡¯m right.''</i>


    ¡°You dare question and persecute the one who protected the followers while the ipetent Holy Knights sat around and sucked on their thumbs? Tell me, Father Yohan. Themander of the Holy Knights said that they couldn¡¯t find traces of those damned monsters outside. Do you understand what that means?¡± Father Basel asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It means those monsters were inside the Vatican all along,¡± Father Basel added.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°The summoner isn''t a demon! It¡¯s someone from the Vatican!¡± Father Basel yelled.


    Father Yohan¡¯s face turned pale. He was surprised to hear that, as he knew that they didn¡¯t summon those monsters.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I understood the reason behind their surprise.


    I was the one behind this incident, after all.


    <i>¡®Benigoa¡¯s bloody tears have finally be useful...¡¯</i>


    I obtained them during Benigoa¡¯s bankruptcy incident, so it had been a while since then.

 Chapter 919. Sera (19)

    <h4>Chapter 919. Sera (19)</h4>


    - Father Basel is still a bit feisty. So what happened next?


    <i>''What do you mean?'' </i>


    I could still remember how Father Yohan¡¯s face turned pale, so I was sure he was feeling ashamed. However, all I could tell Lee Ji-Hye was that he and the Temrs were in the worst-case scenario. He had basically lost his opportunity to execute his n while leading the Temrs. Moreover, those bastards...


    <i>¡®They already know.¡¯</i>


    I had no idea what was going on. I also had no idea why the monsters were after me, but I was sure they knew that today¡¯s incident had happened because of the Mole Saint¡¯s Cozy Sanctuary.


    Of course, the reality was that I made all of this happen, but they had no idea that I had Benigoa¡¯s blood flowing in me. All they could do was make their own interpretations.


    I wasn¡¯t sure whether the monsters were attracted to me because I had consumed Benigoa¡¯s blood or it was a side-effect born from the fact that the dungeon was still untouched, even though it had been quite a while since it went online.


    Regardless, mutated monsters exiting the dungeon didn¡¯t really happen often, but it didn''t mean that there was no precedence.


    They probably thought about taking care of the anomaly that wasn''t part of their n before focusing on the faction war within the Vatican.


    - You should¡¯ve been there, Ji-Hye.


    - It¡¯s a shame I wasn¡¯t there. I¡¯m sure it was really fun. Anyway... so you almost got everything you wanted.


    - Something like that.


    - You convinced the Vatican to let the Blue Guild stay, exposing the faction war that¡¯s taking ce within the Vatican, and you even managed to give power to Grandpa Basel.


    - ...


    - Then, are we going to proceed with the n?


    - Not yet. I need to carefully select the people who are going to stand on my side. Father Yohan¡¯s side is wary of me, but he doesn¡¯t have the luxury to keep that up. I¡¯m sure he¡¯s busy trying to get rid of the remaining evidence. <i>Ah!</i> I think the public is on my side. The recent event was a pretty big incident, after all.


    - Well, it''s an unprecedented incident... the Saint of Light was attacked during a prayer service, after all. People are already talking about it. But will it really be okay, oppa?


    - If I join you, the Commander will have to handle the situation up there alone... Of course, he¡¯s pretty capable, but he¡¯s been pretty awkward with Kim Hyun-Sung recently, so things don''t really look good. Moreover, all he does all day is talk badly about you.


    - It¡¯s not like he¡¯s doing anything important. I¡¯m sure he¡¯s capable enough to handle minor tasks on his own. I¡¯m tied up down here, so we have to prioritize this task. I want you to rush over here...


    - It doesn¡¯t really matter to me since I haven¡¯t been to a party in a while. I always enjoyed talking to people, too. This actually feels like a vacation.


    - I¡¯m d you like it.


    - I think it¡¯s more like you want to go. I know you really enjoy talking behind people¡¯s backs. You looked genuinely happy during the democratic revolution, after all.


    - I¡¯m not that type of person.


    - Yeah, right... <i>Ah!</i> I¡¯ll call you backter. I need to go.


    I looked at Lee Ji-Hye using my Telescope and saw her having the time of her life.


    <i>¡®She¡¯s a strange one as well.¡¯</i>


    <i>''Well, talking behind people¡¯s backs is pretty fun.''</i>


    - Let¡¯s go, Yeon-Soo.


    - Okay.


    - You scheduled everything, right?


    - Yes, but the scheduled parties have been canceled. Instead, they¡¯re holding tea parties and small gatherings...


    - They¡¯re just calling it that way. Do you really think that those people would do nothing when something really juicy had happened? I¡¯m sure they had no choice but to cancel the parties because of the public''s reaction, but they need to gossip more than ever.


    - Investigate how many parties¡ªI mean, gatherings are going to be held within this week.


    - I just need to focus on the donors, right?


    - Of course. If we want to put pressure, we need to do it properly, don¡¯t you agree? This isn¡¯t really my forte... but I think it¡¯s going to be fun.


    <i>''I think she¡¯s more than capable of doing this, but this really isn¡¯t my forte as well.''</i>


    - But unni... aren¡¯t you busy as well? Why...


    - What? You think I¡¯m wasting my energy on trivial things?


    - No, that¡¯s not what I meant. Letting you do this when you¡¯re so busy... is a bit...


    - Oppa needs proof. A proof that he had obtained information from the ck Swan Guild.


    <i>''She¡¯s right.''</i>


    - Muddying the waters isn¡¯t an easy task, you know?


    - ...


    - That¡¯s especially true for this incident because this is <i>really </i>risky. If we¡¯re careful and convince the people to donate arge amount of money to the Vatican...


    - Will we profit from that?


    - The Vatican will have no choice but to be careful since not everyone there is innocent. It takes a lot of gold to pay the Heretic Inquisitors, priests, and the Holy Knights.


    - There¡¯s also the Vatican''s charity foundations. Do you know how much it costs to maintain the dignity of priests who are bishops or higher? Do you know how much that costs annually? They¡¯re only engaging in religious activities because they¡¯re getting paid well.


    - ...


    - They¡¯re indirectly letting the factions know that they¡¯re making the wrong choice, and they need to stand with the correct side if they want to continue living a prosperous life.


    - Benigoa isn¡¯t the only one they¡¯re serving. Some of them are also serving the precious god of gold, so imagine how fun this is going to be.


    Ji-Hye noona definitely enjoyed being a part of the sidelines.


    To be exact, she enjoyed hot topics and promoting conflict.


    I had no idea how her personality became so twisted, but it was true that it was amusing to see one''s target showing an interesting reaction to one''s provocation. Obviously, I didn¡¯t give her that work to have fun.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s actually important work.¡¯</i>


    Ha Yeon-Soo was confused about why Lee Ji-Hye was getting involved in such trivial matters...


    <i>¡®But it¡¯s like she said...¡¯</i>


    I wouldn¡¯t give this task to anyone except for Lee Ji-Hye.


    - Oh my, it¡¯s been a while.


    - Have you been well, Miss Lee Ji-Hye?


    - I contacted you recently, <i>hehe</i>.


    - You did.


    - Did your wife like the gift that I sent her?


    - <i>Haha</i>. I actually wanted to thank you for that. <i>Ah!</i> You¡¯re here. Have a seat here, Senator Drus.


    - It¡¯s really been a while, Whitneys.


    - I must really be invisible to you, Senator Drus.


    - Of course not. <i>Haha</i>. You¡¯ve be even more beautiful, Miss Lee Ji-Hye.


    - You won¡¯t get anything even if youpliment me.


    - Looks like I failed.


    Lee Ji-Hye was definitely a pro, and her way of talking was top-notch.


    One had to be pretty skillful to make the other personfortable and to create <i>that </i>kind of atmosphere. Lee Ji-Hye was so skilled that she could easily control a person¡¯s emotions. She was also skilled at leading the conversation, creating the right mood, and changing the subject naturally...


    - Looks like Mr. Varus won''t be able to make it today.


    - It¡¯ll probably be hard for him. He¡¯s been looking forward to the prayer service... We just have to pray that he recovers.


    This situation was the same as my situation in the Vatican, but this was actually easier. She just needed to read their expressions and slowly make them talk about things that they were interested in.


    - Our ck Swan Guild actually managed to obtain a certain piece of information. Actually, I¡¯m not sure whether it¡¯s rted to the recent incident or not, but... I heard that the Vatican is embroiled in a faction war.


    - What?


    - I believe that¡¯s the reason why Father Lee Ki-Young was in danger...


    I would call this a sess. It was enough to stimte their imagination, and it was also enough information to let them know that the faction war was getting worse.


    We could make it worse by saying that it was an assassination attempt on the honorary cardinal, but going that far was a bit...


    - What? Then... did Father Yohan really...


    - No. It''s an unconfirmed piece of information. It''s basically a rumor, so don¡¯t believe it, Whitneys.


    It was amusing seeing them react that way exactly three hourster...


    - We still need to confirm that piece of information... and we still haven¡¯t gotten any information on that monster capable of wielding holy power.


    - They really tried to assassinate Father Lee Ki-Young... Is that what you¡¯re saying here?


    - <i>Shh!</i> You¡¯re too loud.


    - <i>Ah...</i> I¡¯m sorry.


    - It¡¯s not <i>that</i> big of a deal, and it¡¯s too early to overinterpret like that. No one knows who¡¯s behind it yet... But one thing we¡¯re sure of is that there are people within the Vatican who aren¡¯t fond of Father Lee Ki-Young and Father Basel.


    - But it¡¯s a fact that Father Lee Ki-Young¡¯s safety was threatened because of the faction war...


    - That seems to be the case...


    - <i>Huh</i>... Father Yohan... I didn¡¯t think he was <i>that</i> kind of person.


    - But we don¡¯t know for sure whether Father Yohan is actually the culprit or not, Whitneys.


    - I suddenly feel like the world has changed, Miss Lee Ji-Hye. If only the religious people... were all like Father Lee Ki-Young...


    - But Miss Lee Ji-Hye... Will Father Lee Ki-Young really be safe at the Vatican?


    - Well, they allowed the members of the Blue Guild to stay at the Vatican with him. I¡¯m sure Father Basel was worried about him as well.


    - It¡¯s understandable. Come to think of it... before he was revived...


    - Yes, Senator.


    - The Vatican had imed ownership of his corpse... Does that have anything to do with the recent incident?


    <i>''That''s a long time ago... you''re actually thinking that far back?''</i>


    - I don¡¯t know anything about that, so I can¡¯t confirm it.


    - If Father Yohan is after Father Lee Ki-Young¡¯s body...


    <i>''What are you saying?''</i>


    - Then don¡¯t you think... the recent incident fits the situation, Miss Lee Ji-Hye?


    - That can¡¯t be.


    <i>¡®What are you guys talking about? You guys are overinterpreting it. You shouldn¡¯t make someone look that bad.¡¯</i>


    I was sure the people there knew better than anyone that theirments were ridiculous. They were probably just exaggerating things, as they really enjoyed gossiping.


    Some of theirments werepletely absurd, but Lee Ji-Hye of the ck Swan Guild easily transformed those ridiculousments into something convincing.


    I was definitely going to give her fifty points for letting people know that I was in a dangerous situation due to the ongoing faction war within the Vatican, and I''d give her another one hundred points if she told them that Father Yohan was at the center of it.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s even better if she turns Father Yohan into a total piece of shit.¡¯</i>


    Four days was enough for rumors to spread.


    It was easy to send someone to their grave in the blink of an eye.


    I was sure that Benigoa Net would soon be a nightmare for him.


    Actually, I didn''t really think that he had any <i>real </i>power...


    ¡°The result will still be the same,¡± I said.


    It was time to reap what I had sown, but I also had to take care of the issue I had been putting aside these days.


    ¡°Miss Hye-Jin? Miss Hye-Jin!¡± I called out.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Hye-JIn! Hey!¡± I yelled.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, sir?¡± Jo Hye-Jin asked.


    ¡°Did Ha-Yan get disciplined by any chance?¡± I asked.

 Chapter 920. Sera (20)

    <h4>Chapter 920. Sera (20)</h4>


    ¡°Is Ha-Yan getting disciplined by any chance?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Not yet. We¡¯re not in the situation to do that right now... I have received a general report, but the guild is still in the middle of making a decision,¡± Jo Hye-Jin replied.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s best if I take care of it,¡± I told her.


    ¡°I think so, too. You seem to have a better understanding of it, but the situation isn¡¯t that great right now... Personally, I think it will be better to lower the level of her punishment,¡± Jo Hye-Jin suggested.


    ¡°I think I understand what you¡¯re saying,¡± I said.


    <i>¡®I do need to start taking care of her mental health.¡¯</i>


    ¡°She gets kind of sensitive when other guild members try to deal with her,¡± Jo Hye-Jin added.


    ¡°I know,¡± I said.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m sure it¡¯s difficult.¡¯</i>


    I wasn¡¯t discriminating against Jung Ha-Yan and the other guild members, but Ha-Yan was above the guild¡¯s rules.


    Sun Hee-Young, Hwang Jung-Yeon, and Jo Hye-Jin were higher in rank than her and had more authority than her, but they couldn¡¯t discipline her at all.


    Actually, it was more like they respected her.


    Jung Ha-Yan had more authority than the Tower Master of the Magic Tower, and she was so strong that she was second to none throughout the continent.


    I thought about making a role for her, but at the time, I had no idea what trouble she''d cause, so I put it aside for now.


    Jung Ha-Yan was in that state for a long time, so she ended up being untouchable in the guild. She was an official guild member, but no one could actually deal with her except Kim Hyun-Sung and me.


    If I had to pick one more person capable of dealing with her, I''d pick Jo Hye-Jin, but Jung Ha-Yan wasn¡¯t wary of her at all.


    It was up to her whether she wanted to take on a task or participate in a quest, and she didn''t really receive any guild tasks. She¡¯d either focus on a research task I had requested her to do or do things she wanted to do without gaining attention from others.


    Well, Han Sora would take care of these tasks on her own, so technically, there wasn¡¯t anyone in the guild capable of making her do whatever they wanted her to do.


    <i>¡®And an assassination attempt on the Saint of Light has just taken ce...¡¯</i>


    It wasn''t like the guild had a reason to dy things when they were known for taking care of things right away. I was sure the guild members and staff were on edge. Even Miss Kim Mi-Young had yet to contact me, so I assumed she was trying to take care of it.


    ¡°Where did that reporte from? Was it from Miss Sora?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes. I heard she used up most of her mana upon conducting a magic experiment. It was a pretty big experiment, so it¡¯ll take her some time to recover.


    "The reason she didn¡¯t submit a separate report is just as you expected and Miss Ha-Yan had apologized privately as well,¡± Jo Hye-Jin answered.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°She said she was sorry for causing trouble,¡± Jo Hye-Jin replied.


    <i>¡®That¡¯s rare.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Then... we just need to deal with the part where she didn¡¯t report it to the guild in advance.¡± I pointed out.


    <i>¡®But she lied on her report...¡¯</i>


    Since I was the one getting the report, she had to have asked Han Sora to lie on the report.


    <i>¡®Stop saying such ridiculous things.¡¯</i>


    <i>''You recover a ton of mana every second. You can do anything with a little bit of mana.''</i>


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll bring her here right now. I assume... you¡¯ll be handling it in your room,¡± she said.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll take care of it out of other people¡¯s sight. Don¡¯t let the other guild members know that Ha-Yan is getting disciplined. I don¡¯t want people to think she didn¡¯t get the discipline she deserved,¡± I instructed.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure no one will feel that way,¡± Jo Hye-Jinmented.


    Yeah, she was right.


    ¡°Also, are you really okay, sir?¡± Jo Hye-Jin asked.


    ¡°You heard the priests. I simply lost consciousness out of shock. I feel perfectly fine. I know what you¡¯re worried about, but itpletely disappeared after my revival. You don¡¯t have to worry about it anymore,¡± I reassured her.


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief,¡± Jo Hye-Jin said. She then smiled and left the room.


    <i>¡®She worries a lot about useless things.¡¯</i>


    I could still remember how she had written a post on Benigoa Net''s main forums while crying upon hearing that I had fainted for no reason.


    She already knew that my health conditions had disappeared upon my revival, but it seemed that the recent incident still brought a great deal of shock to her. I was sure she reacted that way because it was a pretty big incident, but she was overreacting in my eyes.


    ¡°<i>Ah!</i> Don¡¯t forget my request,¡± I reminded her.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    <i>¡®I need to see what our informants will bring.¡¯</i>


    Restoring Jung Ha-Yan¡¯s self-esteem was more important than waiting for them.


    The effect of the potion was going to disappear today, and if I were to drag this any longer, she could experience side effects.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m sure she¡¯s really scared.¡¯</i>


    She had to have been struggling these days. More importantly, she definitely thought that she needed to hide this from me.


    Naturally, she was worried about getting caught, and I was sure her anxiety was amplified to the max right now, as she knew that she was about to get caught. The fact that she had mentioned performing arge-scale magic experiment that was unknown to me meant that she was bing desperate by spinning lies.


    <i>¡®People need to live an honest life.¡¯</i>


    Or they ought to stop being nervous about lying. One would feel better by not thinking about getting caught at all. My words were proven by a nervous Jung Ha-Yan entering the room.


    ¡°D-D-Did you call for me? O-Oppa?¡± Jung Ha-Yan asked.


    Jung Ha-Yan was definitely sleep-deprived. She looked tired and mentally unstable.


    Perhaps it was because of Han Sora, but she wasn''t biting her nails, and her hair wasn''t in a mess either. However, I couldn¡¯t deduce her feelings from her appearance alone. I could also see an unknown sense of resolve in her eyes.


    Jung Ha-Yan probably thought that there was no way she''d allow herself to get abandoned. She was resolved to make sure that she wouldn''t get caught and that she had to endure what wasing.


    She looked like awyer preparing her final defense of a lifetime.


    ¡°Sit here, Ha-Yan. Do you want something to drink?¡± I offered.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m okay,¡± Jung Ha-Yan replied.


    ¡°How about a cup of tea?¡± I suggested.


    ¡°O-Okay, I¡¯ll drink it,¡± Jung Ha-Yan answered.


    Han Sora wasn¡¯t here to defend her, so I was sure they ran through several simtions and thought of excuses against the questions I could ask her.


    ¡°You know why I called you here, right?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Y-Yes,¡± Jung Ha-Yan replied.


    Jung Ha-Yan was a bad liar.


    ¡°I received the report from Miss Hye-Jin. About the magic experiment...¡± I trailed off.


    ¡°Y-Yes! I-It was a really important experiment. I-I didn¡¯t tell you because I wanted to keep it a secret from you. I-I... wanted to surprise you... b-but the experiment... failed. Still, it was really amazing. I want to tell you more about it...¡± Jung Ha-Yan trailed off.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°B-but I can¡¯t use my spells right now... b-because of the side-effects from the experiment... I mean, I <i>can</i> use it... b-but I want to recover faster... s-so... I don''t want to use my spells for the time being,¡± Jung Ha-Yan continued.


    ¡°Oh yeah? What kind of experiment was it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It was an experiment involving the assimtion of several conflicting spells. I-I was trying to fuse it directly into my body...¡± Jung Ha-Yan responded. She was still stuttering, but it wasn''t that bad, and it was all because her answers were prepared beforehand.


    ¡°I-I did it with Sora. S-She can tell you if you ask her,¡± Jung Ha-Yan stuttered.


    Jung Ha-Yan immediately mentioned a witness.


    ¡°When did you do it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°B-Before you joined Rafael¡¯s party. It¡¯s all written in the experimental log,¡± Jung Ha-Yan replied.


    There was even an alibi.


    <i>¡®She¡¯s more meticulous than I thought.¡¯</i>


    I was sure they went over the answers several times, as Han Sora was the one who came up with that alibi.


    ¡°I-I normally don¡¯t make mistakes, b-but I probably wasn¡¯t in my best condition back then. I-I think I was sick. I honestly thought that it wasn¡¯t a big deal. I¡¯m sorry for not letting you know ahead of time. I-I also apologized to all the other guild members with Sora,¡± Jung Ha-Yan said.


    ¡°Oh yeah? Then...¡±


    ¡°I-I-I need to get disciplined... <i>Ah! Ah!</i> I caused trouble, so of course, I should apologize. I¡¯m sorry,¡± Jung Ha-Yan said. She even showed me her mature side by acknowledging her mistakes.


    ¡°If possible, I want to avoid punishing you as well, but I have to worry about other people as well. You understand, right?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Y-Yes!¡± she replied.


    ¡°As a guild member, there are rules you must follow. This is for <i>your</i> safety, not for the safety of others. I hope you understand that,¡± I added.


    ¡°I see...¡±


    <i>¡®She definitely thinks that I haven''t noticed it yet.¡¯</i>


    <i>''Why does she look so cute?''</i>


    I was talking about the look of sess on her face. She looked cute when she clenched her fist. She was bad at lying, so I could easily see through her lies, which made her appear even more innocent in my eyes.


    I really wanted to end things here...


    ¡°Are you... telling the truth about the experiment?¡± I questioned.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I checked the logs a few days ago because I check your logs almost every day. I remember not seeing any mentions of an experiment before I left for Rafael''s party. Am I remembering it wrong?¡± I asked.


    ¡°<i>Ah</i>... w-well I forgot to upload¡ª¡±


    ¡°I double-checked with the guild staffers and the guild members of the Magic Tower Guild,¡± I interrupted her.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what kind of experiment you were doing, but if it was that dangerous, then I''d already be aware of it. And you don¡¯t look <i>normal </i>right now. Are you really speaking the truth? You¡¯re not lying to me, are you?¡± I questioned.


    ¡°I-I-I-I wouldn¡¯t... dare. I-I would... never lie... to you,¡± Jung Ha-Yan stuttered.


    <i>''Why won¡¯t you look at me?''</i>


    Her hands were no longer clenched, and I could see her cowering before me. I could see cold sweat on her forehead, and she was biting her lips. She was looking away, clearly afraid to look at me.


    ¡°I-I-I don¡¯t... feel so good...¡± Jung Ha-Yan said.


    <i>''Are you saying you want to adjourn this meeting?''</i>


    Jung Ha-Yan wanted to go back to Han Sora and figure out a way to counter my questions, but I wasn''t going to let that happen.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine with everything else, Ha-Yan,¡± I told her.


    ¡°<i>Huh?</i> W-What... do you mean...¡± Jung Ha-Yan asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m really fine with everything else, but I don¡¯t like it when you lie,¡± I said.


    ¡°I...¡±


    ¡°Especially when it¡¯s about her health or the condition of your body,¡± I added.


    Obviously, I looked at her warmly and touched her cheek as if I was telling her that she was the most precious person in the world to me.


    Hyun-Sun and Jung Ha-Yan had seen this unique expression on me before.


    <i>¡®You know I like you, right?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Really...¡±


    <i>¡®You know you¡¯re the only one for me, right?¡¯</i>


    ¡°<i>Ahhh... ah...</i>¡±


    <i>¡®You¡¯re the most important to me. I have no one else.¡¯</i>


    The situation was serious, but I smiled. Of course, I didn''t really smile on the outside.


    The thought of her alone was making me smile.


    <i>''You¡¯re </i>that <i>special to me.''</i>


    ¡°I-I-I... so...¡± Jung Ha-Yan stuttered.


    <i>''The thought that something bad had happened to you or that you got hurt is unbearable for me.''</i>


    <i>¡®I want you to stay by my side.¡¯</i>


    Forever...


    <i>¡®I really want you by my side forever.¡¯</i>


    ¡°<i>Ah... ack...</i> O-Oppa...¡± Jung Ha-Yan muttered.


    But...


    ¡°When did you lose your magic?¡± I questioned.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Jung Ha-Yan''s face instantly turned pale.

 Chapter 921. Sera (21)

    <h4>Chapter 921. Sera (21)</h4>


    ¡°What? W-What do you mean?¡± Jung Ha-Yan asked.


    <i>''Look at me.''</i>


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t understand... w-what you¡¯re saying. M-My magic...¡± Jung Ha-Yan paused.


    <i>''Look. At. Me.''</i>


    ¡°I-I never lost it... <i>he...hehe</i>,¡± Jung Ha-Yan said, chuckling.


    I knew she was going to y innocent.


    ¡°<i>Hehe... he...</i>¡±


    Jung Ha-Yan tried to improve the atmosphere byughing, but herugh sounded awkward in my ears. I wasn¡¯t sure whether she thought I was joking or sheughed to avoid this situation, but her body was speaking louder than her mouth at the moment.


    ¡°N-n-nothing happened to me. No way. B-But... I¡¯m not feeling well right now,¡± Jung Ha-Yan stuttered.


    <i>''You¡¯re always feeling unwell.''</i>


    ¡°I never lost my magic. That never happened. I-I think there¡¯s been a misunderstanding... <i>Ah</i>... maybe you thought that... because I¡¯m not in the best condition,¡± Jung Ha-Yan continued.


    <i>¡®This is going to take all day.¡¯</i>


    It seemed that she had decided to feign ignorance.


    Jung Ha-Yan seemed to have thought that she needed to make eye contact with me because she was trying her best to look at me. She was trying her best to find a reasonable excuse, as she knew more about magic than me.


    Jung Ha-Yan refused to back out of her stance, even though I had already confronted her.


    I was sure she''d try to change the subject by saying that she was in pain or her stomach was hurting; she could also say that she wanted another cup of tea, and she could even make awkward jokes.


    Honestly, I was convinced that she had no idea what she was saying right now.


    I was sure her head had gone nk¡ªnk as an empty sheet of sheet.


    ¡°B-But... Well... B-Back then, Sora...¡±


    <i>''Let¡¯s say her name again.''</i>


    ¡°Ha-Yan.¡±


    <i>''Stop avoiding it.</i>''


    ¡°I¡¯m saying it because I¡¯m worried about you. You think I wouldn¡¯t know?¡± I questioned.


    ¡°W-What?¡±


    I was certain that Ha-Yan knew that I was aware of her condition, as she was one of the few people who knew me the most. She knew what kind of person I was, so I was hoping that she wasn''t thinking that I wouldn''t know her true condition.


    <i>''You really think that you can fool me? You didn''t think that way, did you?''</i>


    I cast a cold gaze at Jung Ha-Yan, and she cowered. She looked like she was thinking hard about what she was supposed to do.


    She seemed to have realized that I was no longer the same Lee Ki-Young that she was familiar with, and her face became even paler at the realization.


    It was then that she realized that the situation had gotten much more serious. I was kind of worried about how I looked in her eyes right now... Actually, she seemed scared of me, just like in her past life.


    Jung Ha-Yan hadn''t noticed that she was breathing in ragged pants. She also hadn''t noticed the beaded cold sweat on her forehead and the fact that her eyes were quivering ever so slightly.


    Soon, tears started falling down her cheeks.


    <i>¡®This won¡¯t do.¡¯</i>


    I had to be nicer to her.


    ¡°We shouldn¡¯t hide anything from each other,¡± I told her.


    ¡°What? <i>Ah...</i>¡±


    ¡°I thought we were going to share our secrets with each other,¡± I reminded her.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not scolding you. I just want to know why you¡¯re trying to hide this and why you didn¡¯t tell me earlier. I want to talk like we normally do... Why did you hide it from me?¡± I asked.


    <i>''Yeah, I just want to talk.''</i>


    ¡°<i>Ah</i>... w-well...¡± Jung Ha-Yan stuttered.


    ¡°You should¡¯ve told me first the moment this happened... I want to know everything, Ha-Yan,¡± I told her.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I want to know everything about you,¡± I said.


    ¡°I-I see...¡± Jung Ha-Yan said.


    Since we had changed drasticallypared to when we first met, it¡¯d be more effective to talk to her like this rather than be straightforward about it. It seemed like she somewhat agreed with my words, but I wasn''t sure whether she had acknowledged it herself or not.


    Honesty was probably <i>really </i>effective in situations like this.


    I wanted her to know that I cherished her regardless of her level ofpetence.


    <i>¡®This is harder than convincing Kim Hyun-Sung to confess that he was a regressor.¡¯</i>


    ¡°We¡¯ve known each other for a long time, and we promised to spend our future together...¡± I said.


    <i>''I like you more than you think.''</i>


    ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything more important than trust in our rtionship,¡± I added.


    It seemed kind of one-sided, but trust was important.


    ¡°Right... t-trust... is important. Y-You¡¯re right,¡± Jung Ha-Yan stuttered.


    ¡°The most important thing is that we don¡¯t lie to each other,¡± I said.


    ¡°Right... I shouldn¡¯t lie...¡± Jung Ha-Yan mumbled.


    <i>''I¡¯ve fallen for you harder than you think. You really thought I would dislike you because of that stupid magic? You¡¯re smarter and more charming than you think. My feelings for you have to do with your magic.''</i>


    I touched her cheeks, and she rxed gradually. I could tell that she was no longer feeling as nervous as earlier. I kissed her cheek, and she trembled. Then, I moved closer to her and asked, ¡°Can you tell me honestly?¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes... I-I¡¯ll tell you,¡± Jung Ha-Yan replied.


    Jung Ha-Yan spoke as if she were possessed. Of course, she was nervous because this was a big deal to her.


    I was certain that it wasn¡¯t easy for her to confess the fact that she had lost everything, and it was all because she thought that her magic was what made her valuable.


    I would have the same thoughts as her if I were in her shoes.


    How could I tell people that I had suddenly lost everything one day?


    It was like telling Kim Hyun-Sung that I had lost the Regressor Instruction Manual or telling my believers that I had lost my holy power.


    It wasn¡¯t easy, and Ipletely understood what Jung Ha-Yan was feeling. She was scared and frightened. She definitely didn¡¯t want to do this; she was particrly scared right now, as magic was everything to her.


    Jung Ha-Yan took a deep breath and said, ¡°A-A few days ago... I-I suddenly¡ª<i>heuk!</i>¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I-I-I don¡¯t know why... but... I-I couldn¡¯t use my mana... I-I-It all disappeared... <i>Hup... Kgh</i>...¡± Jung Ha-Yan confessed.


    The way she was trying to read my reaction while talking was pretty cute in my eyes.


    ¡°I kept trying... b-b-but... <i>Kgh...</i>¡± Jung Ha-Yan stuttered.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°I-I-I¡¯m... sorry... <i>Hup... Kgh...</i>¡± Jung Ha-Yan cried.


    <i>''You don''t have to apologize to me.''</i>


    ¡°Why are you apologizing? Is there anything wrong with your body?¡± I asked.


    ¡°<i>Huh?</i> I¡¯m fine...¡± Jung Ha-Yan answered.


    ¡°What about your health?¡± I asked.


    It was only natural for me to ask about her health before asking her more about how exactly she had ended up losing her magic. It was a touching way to go about the matter as well.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be good to have... Miss Hee-Young or Miss Elena examine you?¡± I suggested.


    ¡°What?¡± Jung Ha-Yan said, sounding dumbfounded.


    Of course, she was dumbfounded. The situation was going in apletely different way than she had expected, so she was finding it hard to adjust to it.


    Had she expected me to act coldly or do something dramatic to her?


    She was probably worried that I was going to tell her that I no longer needed her.


    The possibility that she thought of me as some kind of a typical jerk protagonist made me feel kind of sad, but I was reborn as an exceedingly kind person. I <i>was </i>kind of cold at the beginning, but it happened a long time ago, and I had no choice but to be cold at the time as well.


    <i>''So you misunderstood me, is that right?''</i>


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say anything?¡± I asked.


    ¡°<i>Ah</i>... well... you see...¡±


    <i>¡®You didn¡¯t know this was going to happen, right?¡¯</i>


    I held her hand and stared at her with a worried gaze.


    ¡°Is it because of me?¡± I questioned.


    I reflected on myself and thought that perhaps I had burdened her a bit too much.


    This was possible <i>because</i> it was Jung Ha-Yan. If it happened to an ordinary mage, I was sure they''d abandon their tasks. Jung Ha-Yan managed to install warp gates throughout the continent and take care of the necessary steps that only a mage could do.


    ¡°I-I-It¡¯s not because of you,¡± she answered.


    <i>''It </i>is<i> because of me.''</i>


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t... really know the reason... b-but it¡¯s not because of you. I-I think this is just temporary... I-I feel okay, though. S-Sora examined me... Y-You don¡¯t have to worry,¡± Jung Ha-Yan reassured me.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°A-Actually... I-I¡¯m feeling kind of sick. M-My head... and m-my chest hurts...¡± Jung Ha-Yan said.


    <i>¡®I knew it.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I-I¡¯m feeling kind of dizzy as well... Yes, I-I feel dizzy. I think I¡¯m sick,¡± Jung Ha-Yan added.


    ¡°It would have been great if you had told me sooner,¡± I said.


    It was really simple.


    <i>¡®She must realize it.¡¯</i>


    Jung Ha-Yan knew that it didn¡¯t matter whether she had magic or skills and that all of it was just a misunderstanding. She was telling herself that it couldn¡¯t be it. Of course, she was still doubtful, but she was starting to rx.


    It was clear that she was feeling extremely relieved, and she was even...


    <i>¡®She''s even smiling.¡¯</i>


    ¡°<i>He... hehe... hehehe...</i>¡±


    She was in a <i>really </i>good mood.


    ¡°<i>Hehe... Heuk... Hup... Hehehe...</i>¡±


    <i>''Why are you crying?''</i>


    ¡°<i>Heuk... heuk... heuk...</i>¡±


    <i>''This is kind of scary.''</i>


    ¡°<i>He... hehehehe...</i>¡±


    Stop...


    Her strangeugh was probably part of the process of her realizing that she was wrong.


    However, it seemed that she hadn''t noticed that I was casting a nervous gaze at her.


    <i>¡®At least I managed to change her mind.¡¯</i>


    Jung Ha-Yan chuckled like a madwoman, and she looked like I was telling her that I loved her. She was wrong when she thought that I would abandon her just because she had lost her magic and that she''d only get a reward by showing results.


    I assumed she came up with that conclusion, as she was under a ton of stress recently, and I understood why she was struggling to ept that her mindset was wrong all this while.


    Jung Ha-Yan''s values and mindset had changed upon her arrival here, so it could be said that the reason behind her struggle was the fact that she was trying to recover the self-esteem that she had lost a long time ago.


    ¡°<i>Pfft... hehehe... Hup... Hehe...</i>¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°<i>Hehe... hehehehe¡ªAh.</i>¡± Jung Ha-Yan suddenly stoppedughing. I knew what she was thinking, and the next word that she muttered told me that my assumption was correct.


    ¡°Sera."

 Chapter 922. Gen (1)

    <h4>Chapter 922. Gen (1)</h4>


    I thought it was going to take Jung Ha-Yan a lot longer to realize it, but it seemed that she cared about Sera more than I thought. It was proven by how she immediately thought of Seraphim the moment she epted the fact that ipetence or achieving results didn''t really matter when it came to her.


    Jung Ha-Yan definitely tried not to think about him, but I was sure that a part of her was always thinking about him.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s a good sign.¡¯</i>


    I was kind of annoyed and heartbroken, but this was right.


    If Seraphim was making her happy, then there was no reason for me to get rid of him. Actually, I had plenty of reasons to get rid of him, but I was forced to keep him because he was a seed that I had sown myself.


    After all, I had contributed a bit to what made Jung Ha-Yan today. Of course, the fact that she turned out this way was technically her family''s fault.


    ¡°<i>Huh?</i>¡±


    ¡°I-It¡¯s nothing. <i>Hehe...</i>¡± Jung Ha-Yanughed.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I-I said it¡¯s nothing,¡± Jung Ha-Yan answered.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I-It¡¯s really... nothing...¡± Jung Ha-Yan repeated.


    Naturally, she didn¡¯t immediately run to Sera and focused on me instead. Jung Ha-Yan''s eyes were wide as she stared at me, looking like she hadn''t made a fuss earlier. She seemed to have realized that she was in a mess right now, as she was trying her best to look as lovely as possible.


    ¡°<i>He... hehe...</i>¡±


    She was pretty cute.


    ¡°Am I... pretty?¡± Jung Ha-Yan asked.


    ¡°Yeah...¡± I replied.


    ¡°Do you like me?¡± Jung Ha-Yan asked.


    ¡°<i>Ah...</i> yeah,¡± I responded.


    ¡°What do you... like about me?¡± Jung Ha-Yan asked.


    ¡°I like that you do your best in everything you do. You¡¯re kind, and you take care of the people around you. I like it when you focus on your studies, and being around you feels pretty rxing. More importantly, you¡¯re pretty, cute, and lovely,¡± I answered.


    I was pretty good at lip service, but half of what I said was true.


    I had to cheer her up a bit to make her feel better.


    As expected, she started trembling...


    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought... from the first time I saw you,¡± I added.


    ¡°W-What?¡±


    I wasn¡¯t lying because I immediately thought about bringing her to my side the moment I saw her.


    Jung Ha-Yan giggled, and she seemed to have thought that the atmosphere was romantic because she got closer to me. However, I felt awkward in the middle of this slightly romantic mood.


    Jung Ha-Yan tilted her head at a forty-five-degree angle.


    Perhaps she thought that the left side of her face was prettier because she was trying her best to show me the left side of her face. Her neck ended up getting twisted in a strange way, but she didn¡¯t seem to care about that.


    I kissed her lightly, and she giggled.


    And that was when a voice echoed outside the door...


    ¡°Father Lee Ki-Young.¡±


    ¡°Ha-Yan,¡± I said.


    ¡°<i>Shh</i>. D-D-Don¡¯t say anything, oppa,¡± Jung Ha-Yan said.


    <i>¡®There¡¯s someone outside, damn it.¡¯</i>


    ¡°S-Surrender yourself... to your instincts,¡± Jung Ha-Yan added.


    <i>¡®What the hell are you talking about? Where did you hear that from? Was it Kim Ye-Ri? Did you take Dance of Enchantment lessons?¡¯</i>


    There was knocking on the door, and Jung Ha-Yan frowned upon hearing it.


    ¡°Father Lee Ki-Young, I¡¯m sorry it¡¯s already sote...¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s get up, Ha-Yan. It looks like I still have some work to do. Also... this is different from that. I need to handle some documents that need to be submitted as soon as possible. I think your punishment will be light, and... let¡¯s look into your magic together,¡± I suggested.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll get it back today.¡¯</i>


    ¡°O-Okay... i-i-it can¡¯t be helped. I-I¡¯ll... see youter,¡± Jung Ha-Yan said.


    <i>''You¡¯reing here again?''</i>


    ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s meet after work. I¡¯ll call you,¡± I told her.


    ¡°O-Okay!¡±


    Jung Ha-Yan opened the door, and I saw a priest outside. Jung Ha-Yan red at him because he had ruined the romantic atmosphere, but the priest simply lowered his head without showing any reaction.


    I knew why he came here. He probably wasn¡¯t one of Father Basel¡¯s men, as they had never really visited me duringte hours without contacting me first. In addition, it was my first time seeing the priest before me.


    <i>¡®They¡¯re moving faster than I thought.¡¯</i>


    It seemed that this incident was <i>that </i>important to them.


    There was no way they¡¯d know when I would execute my n, so I assumed they contacted me first because they were feeling guilty. At this rate, their n would get ruined, but they had already realized who was at the center of attention right now.


    Of course, it was none other than me, which meant that their chances of winning would increase if they somehow managed to make me jump onto their side.


    <i>¡®They sure act fast.¡¯</i>


    It seemed that they were <i>that </i>desperate.


    <i>¡®And they¡¯re quick-witted, too...¡¯</i>


    My n hadn''t started yet, and there was no way the rumor that Lee Ji-Hye had started had already spread that far. In addition, Father Basel had yet to do anything that would make them move like this.


    In other words, the reason behind this move of theirs was to prepare for what was toe. It seemed that they had an idea as to what wasing. I wasn''t sure whether it was Gen or not, so perhaps this was Father Yohan or Simon''s decision?


    They could also be working together... Well, it didn''t really matter.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for visiting so suddenly,¡± the priest said.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. May I ask why you¡¯re here?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Temr Gen would like to speak with you,¡± the priest replied.


    <i>''That¡¯s surprising.''</i>


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I can¡¯t tell you the details, Father Lee Ki-Young,¡± said the priest.


    ¡°Temr Gen...¡± I said.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Could you wait a bit? I need to get ready...¡± I told him.


    ¡°Then can I assume you¡¯re agreeing to his request?¡± the priest asked.


    ¡°Of course. I actually wanted to thank him... I¡¯m d he asked to meet,¡± I responded.


    I decided to wear just an ordinary priest uniform, nothing too fancy.


    I didn¡¯t need to wear any essories, as we were meeting secretly. Lee Chang-Ryeol and Park Lian were good candidates toe with me, as they were tight-lipped, and whenever they had to do something, they would always do it discreetly.


    I sent a quick message to Jo Hye-Jin and examined myself in the mirror. I didn¡¯t see anything out of the ordinary, so I nodded in satisfaction. I looked kind of tired and sick, but I actually liked that look right now.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± I said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll guide you,¡± he said.


    The Vatican was dark at night.


    There were priests and monks praying or carrying out their tasks, but the ce remained quiet and dark. The stationed guards didn¡¯t show any reaction upon seeing me. They were obviously greeting me, but they didn''t perform any special actions like a salute or something else.


    I assumed it was all because they were Father Yohan¡¯s men.


    The Holy Knights here were probably taking turns standing guard, and it seemed that Temr Gen had asked me for a meeting when it was time for Father Yohan¡¯s men to stand guard here.


    Those who weren¡¯t his men were probably bribed.... or they were on Father Basel¡¯s side.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s more systematic than I thought.¡¯</i>


    The faction war seemed bigger than I originally thought.


    I looked around and couldn''t see the Holy Knights in ces where they''d normally walk around to patrol the Vatican. The corridor was massive and quiet, so the atmosphere was kind of scary, especially when there was no one else here but the priest.


    <i>¡®These bastards. I hope they¡¯re not trying to assassinate me. Was I too hasty when I epted this request for a meeting?¡¯</i>


    Could Lee Chang-Ryeol and Park Lian take on the Temrs?


    I wasn¡¯t really worried, as I had already let Jo Hye-Jin know, but being more cautious wasn''t going to hurt anyone.


    If they were going to harm me, it would be an opportunity for me.


    They¡¯d basically be digging their own grave if they were to do that, so I was certain that they wouldn¡¯t do something stupid like that.


    The walk to our destination felt pretty boring, so I used my Telescope to look around.


    - O-Oppa... s-said that he likes me. He said I¡¯m pretty... and l-lovely.


    - Really? I told you that was going to happen, Miss Jung Ha-Yan.


    - I-It must not matter to him whether I have magic or not. I-I think he just likes me. H-He like me, even without magic.


    - I like you too, even without magic. And I''m sure everyone feels the same way as me.


    - I-I must be pretty. Do I look pretty to you, Sora?


    - Of course. You¡¯re very lovely.


    - <i>He... hehehe.</i>


    - <i>Ha... haha...</i>


    - <i>Ah!</i> Where¡¯s Sera?


    - I¡¯m not sure. He¡¯s probably asleep by now...


    - F-Forget it then. H-How about we visit him tomorrow?


    - Really?


    - Y-Yeah.


    - I¡¯m sure Sera will really like that, Miss Jung Ha-Yan.


    - W-We should look around the temple together.


    - How about inviting the sub guild master as well?


    - I-If only he has time...


    <i>''I don¡¯t think... I¡¯ll have time...''</i>


    ¡°Father Lee Ki-Young?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Father Lee Ki-Young.¡±


    ¡°<i>Ah</i>... I¡¯m sorry. I was... distracted for a moment,¡± I said.


    ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± the priest said.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s waiting inside. Hope you enjoy your time...¡± said the priest.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I said.


    The priest led me to a small door. The room beyond the door didn¡¯t seem that big to me, but when I opened the door, it was actually pretty big.


    Gen called me, and his appearance didn''t really change at all.


    His expression was indifferent, but his gaze was filled with mixed emotions, and it was bothering me.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the rude invitation,¡± Gen said.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m sure you had no other choice. I actually wanted to thank you,¡± I told him.


    I nodded to tell him that I understood his position, but I didn¡¯t mean that in a political sense. I was the Saint of Light, and I was aware that the Temrs were a group of people that had to remain hidden from the public.


    ¡°And I really... wanted to meet you again,¡± I added with a hint of guilt.


    <i>¡®He was forced toe here.¡¯</i>


    Based on Gen''s personality, he wasn''t the type who''d take the initiative to do something, so I assumed that he was forced to do this. The order to talk to me had probablye from either Father Yohan or Simon.


    He looked ufortable, and I wasn¡¯t sure exactly why, but he was staring at me as if I was pitiful.


    <i>¡®It''s probably because I¡¯m the honorary cardinal who had sacrificed myself for the continent. I¡¯m smart, but I¡¯m an innocent saint ignorant of the evil of this world. I¡¯m a saint whose job is to instill faith in everyone''s heart; I''m a monk who will stubbornly go on my way despite knowing that the journey will inflict tremendous pain on me.¡¯</i>


    I was an honorary cardinal who had unwittingly found myself in the middle of a faction and power war within the Vatican.


    <i>¡®Shit, that¡¯s a pretty good setup.¡¯</i>


    It was highly likely that he was given the mission to receive my approval, so I understood why he was staring at me as if I was pitiful. I felt like I finally knew why he requested to meet me when he had been avoiding me.


    Temr Gen was basically trying to pull in the innocent saint into the wicked and dirty political scene, and he was going to do that by...


    <i>¡®By weaponizing the good impression that I had of him...¡¯</i>


    <i>''You jerk. Are you to stain this white piece of paper?''</i>


    <i>¡®You wicked jerk.¡¯</i>


    <i>''You disgusting jerk.''</i>


    <i>¡®You dirty jerk.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I can''t stop thinking about our conversation and the scenery we saw together at the time. We''ve met each other again sooner than I thought... so I¡¯m happy,¡± I told him. I had to smile brightly at him because that was my role. ¡°Looks like we''ll talk about the goddess all night long."

 Chapter 923. Gen (2)

    <h4>Chapter 923. Gen (2)</h4>


    ¡°I¡¯d like to thank you first for helping me,¡± I said.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Like I said before, I was simply doing my job,¡± Gen said.


    ¡°If you hadn¡¯t been there during that time, I don¡¯t know what would¡¯ve happened...¡± I told him.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure someone else would appear if I weren''t there,¡± Gen said.


    <i>¡®Why is he so humble?¡¯</i>


    <i>''I¡¯m telling you that I¡¯m thankful.''</i>


    ¡°You¡¯re always humble... Mr. Gen... does my word make you ufortable?¡± I asked.


    <i>''Do you feel ufortable by the fact that I''m constantly thanking you? Did I do something wrong?''</i>


    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing like that... It''s just...¡± Gen paused.


    ¡°I was simply thanking you from the bottom of my heart. If that bothers you...¡± I said.


    <i>''So you''re trying to say that I did something wrong...</i>''


    The honorary cardinal had made a mistake.


    The innocent honorary cardinal had made a big mistake.


    I looked down quietly to thank him from the bottom of my heart, but my actions were making him ufortable. I understood why he was ufortable, and it was probably because the Temrs were ignorant of the outside world.


    In other words, they had no idea that I was the type to express my gratitude to my benefactor.


    It seemed that Gen''s mind had gone nk in the face of my aggressive expression of gratitude. He didn''t have the luxury of time to think about his next course of action. In the end, he did something surprising by kneeling down and getting on one knee.


    ¡°I was out of line, Father Lee Ki-Young. I didn¡¯t think that you''d feel that way...¡±


    <i>¡®What¡¯s wrong with him?¡¯</i>


    <i>''He¡¯s acting like he''s some medieval knight.''</i>


    ¡°Please stand up. It¡¯s unlike you to act like this. I feel like I made things ufortable between us, and I feel bad about it. How about we sit down?¡± I suggested.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Please sit, Mr. Gen,¡± I said.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    He seemed more tense than the first time we met, and it was understandable.


    He wasn¡¯t used to situations like this, and it was also... pretty rude of him to summon me to this room.


    Not only was he not the right candidate for this task, but he didn¡¯t want to do it in the first ce. However, there had to be something going on behind the scenes, as his actions were bothering me.


    An example of this was the way he suddenly got down on one knee.


    Of course, this was just my assumption, but...


    <i>¡®You¡¯vepletely fallen for the God of Sacrifice and Revival, haven¡¯t you?¡¯</i>


    I wasn¡¯t sure whether he was aware of that or not.


    I wasn¡¯t sure whether our previous conversation was effective or if it was because of my actions during the previous prayer service, but I was probably acting like the honorary cardinal he had imagined.


    I was acting like the saint who had sacrificed everything for the continent. He probably thought of me as some kind of great holy man. It was possible that a recent event had changed his thoughts or made me look holier in his eyes.


    Gen was acting like he was serving a higher figure or someone who had to be worshiped.


    ¡°How about a cup of coffee? If you¡¯re okay with that, I¡¯ll¡ª¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯ll do it, Father Lee Ki-Young,¡± Gen interrupted me.


    ¡°Please stay seated. I apologize for saying this... but I can¡¯t imagine you making coffee,¡± I told him.


    <i>''His coffee probably doesn¡¯t taste good.''</i>


    ¡°I¡¯m... sorry about that," Gen said.


    ¡°<i>Hahaha</i>, it¡¯s fine. The Holy Knights seem kind of unfamiliar with things like this. It''s actually surprising. Anyway, excuse me,¡± I said.


    But there wasn¡¯t any coffee, damn it.


    I thought there''d be some coffee in the cab, but there wasn''t any coffee in the cab.


    <i>¡®Who treats a guest like this?¡¯</i>


    However, there was some wine.


    ¡°There¡¯s no... coffee,¡± I told him.


    ¡°I¡¯ll ask them to bring some,¡± Gen suggested.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine, Mr. Gen. It¡¯ll make the other priests ufortable... I think it¡¯s best if we talk over a ss of wine,¡± I suggested.


    <i>''It¡¯s wine that I¡¯m pouring for him on my own.''</i>


    ¡°I honestly don¡¯t like discussing Goddess Benigoa while drinking wine...¡± I confessed.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°But I enjoy drinking wine from time to time. Have you heard of people saying I enjoy drinking wine?¡± I asked.


    I was trying to tell him that I wasn''t <i>that</i> narrow-minded.


    My words just now were pretty good.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t...¡± Gen replied.


    ¡°I don¡¯t enjoy getting drunk, but I do enjoy drinking with people I like. Like today,¡± I said.


    ¡°Thank you...¡± Gen mumbled.


    ¡°Is this... where you normally spend your time?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Not really...¡± Gen answered.


    ¡°I see. Then where do you...¡± I paused.


    ¡°It probably won¡¯t be fun to hear it. All I have in my room is a desk, books I read, and weapons. I rarely spend time in my room. I spend... most of my time outside. I carry out missions, train, or pray... I¡¯m sure it¡¯s kind of boring for you...¡± Gen replied.


    ¡°Not at all. You¡¯re part of the Vatican¡¯s secret group, so there¡¯s no way I''ll be bored by your stories. Actually, I¡¯d like to hear more,¡± I told him.


    I honestly wasn¡¯t all that interested, as their routine was pretty obvious.


    Still, behaving like this was helpful.


    A secret group within the temple...


    The honorary cardinal, who loved every single part of the world, would definitely go crazy over such a story.


    I made sure that my eyes would sparkle, and I also had to look excited about it. I had to make it enjoyable for him to talk about it. I was sure there were some things he couldn''t tell me about, but there was still a high chance that he''d give me a useful piece of information.


    Gen¡¯s mission was receiving my approval.


    If he wanted to fulfill his mission, he needed to give me information that was helpful but wasn''t ssified.


    ¡°Of course, if you¡¯re ufortable about telling me...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I just... don¡¯t know where to start...¡± Gen said.


    ¡°Then, can I ask how you became a Temr?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you the details, but I didn¡¯t train with the Order of the Holy Knights,¡± Gen answered.


    ¡°<i>Ah...</i>¡±


    ¡°I remember training at a young age to do this kind of job. I had been spending my days at an orphanage managed by the Order until one day...¡± Gen paused.


    ¡°I see. I¡¯m sure the training was tough,¡± Imented.


    ¡°There were times when I felt physically tired, but I was never mentally tired. Perhaps it¡¯s because of the thought that I''ll be able to serve Goddess Benigoa if I just persevere, but my mind was always filled with the holy spirit.


    "Of course, I was different from the other children living an ordinary life, but I considered the fact that I was chosen to be an honor, and I remember being thankful for everything when I was chosen,¡± Gen continued.


    ¡°Goddess Benigoa is always with us,¡± I said.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°However, I¡¯m sure all of that wasn¡¯t because of her grace. You¡¯re the person you are today because of your thoughts, your attitude toward life, your gratitude toward her, and your hard work,¡± I told him.


    ¡°<i>Ah...</i>¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure Goddess Benigoa, who has been watching over you, will agree with me. That¡¯s why you became an amazing Temr, and that''s why you were given the role to praise her and make her shine even brighter,¡± I added.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s like he¡¯s been living under a rock.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I see...¡±


    ¡°Of course, I can''t speak for Goddess Benigoa. I''m simply telling you my thoughts...¡± I told him.


    ¡°That¡¯s more than enough, Father Lee Ki-Young,¡± Gen said.


    I just told him that all the time he had spent to be a butterfly was worth it.


    It was possible that he was already feeling that way, but I was sure it felt different hearing it from the Son of Benigoa. As expected, Gen looked like he was feeling better.


    We drank two sses of wine, and the mood became better than I thought.


    The fact that I didn¡¯t ask any questions about why he had decided to request a meeting out of the blue was pretty effective.


    Rather than urging him to tell me the reason behind it, it was better to listen to his story, exaggerate my reaction, and look at him with sparkling eyes. He looked like he hadpletely forgotten his mission.


    Perhaps it was because he genuinely enjoyed spending time with me.


    ¡°I see. Did you receive that kind of training as well?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Gen replied.


    That was easy.


    ¡°I expected it, but it¡¯s kind of interesting. I met Goddess Benigoa after crossing over to the continent... I¡¯m curious about what it feels like to be with her the moment you¡¯re born,¡± Imented.


    I needed to be careful because I didn¡¯t want him to know that I was trying to extract information from him.


    ¡°Amazing, <i>haha</i>,¡± Iughed and pped my hands exaggeratedly.


    I was actually acting a bit <i>too</i> rxed. I was always tidy and quiet. Naturally, the people respected me a lot. In other words,ughing and pping like a child would make me look out of ce. Showing my drunk side as an honorary cardinal could disappoint some people, but at least Gen wasn¡¯t disappointed.


    I was actually showing my true self.


    Although I had heavy responsibilities and burdens, I enjoyed worldly things and was no different from other people. This setup was working on him. I felt like I finally knew why those jerks brought some wine here, but their move was great for me as well.


    I wasughing in afortable manner, which I only showed when I was around people I really liked. In order to show I was slightly intoxicated, I fanned myself with my hand and ced my chin on my hand.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Gen asked.


    He obviously worried about me. He looked so worried about me that I felt like my worry about getting kidnapped by him was pointless. It didn¡¯t make sense from the start, but I felt stupid for even considering the possibility.


    <i>¡®It¡¯ll hurt them more.¡¯</i>


    Things would be <i>really </i>chaotic if I were to suddenly disappear from the Vatican. In addition to giving Father Basel the justification to execute his n, the believers would go crazy as well.


    To make matters worse, Ji-Hye noona had already spread the rumor that Father Yohan and the Temrs were the culprits behind the recent incident, so if I were to go missing, all hell would surely break loose.


    The Holy Knights and the Heretic Inquisitors would barge into Father Yohan¡¯s room.


    He¡¯d be questioned, and he''d end up getting hanged.


    <i>¡®Huh?¡¯</i>


    The nation would annihte the remaining Temrs as well.


    <i>¡®Huuuh?¡¯</i>


    The Mole Saint¡¯s Cozy Sanctuary would be immediately revealed, and they¡¯d be able to skip theplicated parts that were supposed to be unskippable before one could reach the dungeon.


    <i>¡®Huuuuh?¡¯</i>


    I nced over at Temr Gen and saw that he was still staring at me with a worried face. He seemed to havepletely forgotten about his mission, and it seemed like he didn''t have toplete his mission tonight.


    <i>¡®I wonder how long it¡¯ll take to win him over.¡¯</i>


    One month? One week?


    Perhaps that would be enough for Ji-Hye noona to take care of all of it.


    ¡°It¡¯s reallyte, Father Lee Ki-Young. You should return...¡±


    I was sure we¡¯d have more meetings like this.


    Moreover, only a few peopl were aware of this secret meeting of ours.


    <i>¡®Should I use my charm on him?¡¯</i>


    It would be kind of random, but I appeared to be really drunk.


    I was filled with holy power, but I couldn¡¯t hold my liquor.


    I decided to talk in a sad way.


    ¡°Mr. Gen.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°H-Have you...¡± I stuttered.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Traveled the world... have you explored the continent?¡± I asked.


    I was a saint trapped in responsibilities and burdens.


    And the knight who would kidnap¡ªno, set me free was right in front of me.

 Chapter 924. Gen (3)

    <h4>Chapter 924. Gen (3)</h4>


    <i>¡°Yes, that¡¯s right,¡± </i>I[1] said.


    <i>¡°I knew it. Is it for a mission?¡±</i> Lee Ki-Young asked.


    <i>¡°I can¡¯t tell you the details, but it¡¯s something like that,¡± </i>I answered.


    <i>¡°That¡¯s interesting. So it¡¯s like a secret mission,¡±</i> Lee Ki-Young said.


    <i>¡°Yes.¡±</i>


    <i>¡°So even the numerous kingdoms in the Union of Kingdoms...¡±</i> Lee Ki-Young asked.


    <i>¡°I visited almost all of them. Of course, they were short visits... but the short amount of time I spent in those ces was enough for me to fully understand them,¡±</i> I told him.


    <i>¡°What was the Larmaria Mountains like? Have you visited the famous cultural kingdom, the Gelira Kingdom? What about Po Hoa, the historical site filled with inscrutable secrets? What were the people like there?¡±</i> Lee Ki-Young asked.


    <i>¡°I had the opportunity to spend a long time in the Gelira Kingdom,¡± </i>I told him.


    <i>¡°Can you tell me more?¡±</i> Lee Ki-Young requested.


    <i>¡°Of course, Father Lee Ki-Young. So... there¡¯s a famous artist there, and he''s...¡±</i> I recounted.


    <i>¡°I see. I saw his works from afar before. I thought the techniques he used to express himself were very unique... The same goes for the architectural styles of the kingdom, which shows everyone its boundless history.</i>


    <i>"Ah! Come to think of it, I heard the legacy of the hero Jarvahan, who unified the Union of Kingdoms, is actually located there. Is that true?¡±</i> Lee Ki-Young mentioned.


    <i>¡°That¡¯s right. The dungeon was cleared, but I don¡¯t think the owner has appeared yet. I think the owner may never appear, and...¡±</i> I replied.


    <i>¡°Ah! There are secrets in the Larmaria Mountains, right?¡±</i> Lee Ki-Young asked.


    ¡°<i>Yes. There¡¯s a vige where fairies live, but I''ve never really seen them...¡±</i> I told him.


    <i>¡°Fairies... It really sounds like a fairy tale. I heard fairies enjoy pulling pranks... Have you ever been... pranked by fairies before, Mr. Gen?¡±</i> Lee Ki-Young asked.


    I could vividly remember the conversation we had just yesterday.


    ¡°I wasn''t myself yesterday...¡± I mumbled. I was so different from my usual self yesterday that I started questioning how I managed to hold a conversation with Father Lee Ki-Young.


    He was alsopletely different from what I had imagined, and I couldn¡¯t understand him to the point that my opinion about him had changedpletely. The God of Sacrifice and Revival, the Son of Benigoa, and the Saint of Light.


    He had many titles, but I thought they were all exaggerated titles.


    Of course, I had no doubts that Father Lee Ki-Young had performed miracles, but I had doubts about him as a person.


    I had heard many things about holy beings from up above, but I wasn''t sure whether they truly existed or not. Were they actually real? And was he really the widely acimed saint blessed by Goddess Benigoa Herself?


    Was he really a messenger chosen by the Goddess?


    My brain was telling me not to doubt Goddess Benigoa¡¯s will, but my heart was telling me that something was off. However, my opinion about him changedpletely as soon as I met him¡ªwait, no, it was actually when I saw him at that prayer service


    <i>¡°I think there¡¯s a new threat on the continent. The things that are happening right now can¡¯t be considered normal...¡±</i> Father Lee Ki-Young muttered.


    ¡°Father Lee Ki-Young...¡± I mumbled.


    <i>¡°But I believe we can ovee it. Goddess Benigoa won¡¯t give us a trial we can¡¯t ovee. She will always give us the </i>power <i>to ovee any trial,¡±</i> Father Lee Ki-Young added.


    ¡°Lee Ki-Young...I muttered.


    <i>¡°The continent has always been like that. There are threats everywhere, but the continent bes a bit stronger and tougher after oveing every threat.</i>


    <i>"The trials caused us pain and hardships, but I believe that those pain and hardships are the reason we get to live on this beautiful continent and look at its blue sky,¡±</i> Father Lee Ki-Young added.


    It was then that my opinion of him changedpletely. He was exactly what society had described him to be.


    He was always humble...


    He loved the light and humanity.


    More importantly, he was always prepared to sacrifice himself.


    Son of Benigoa...


    The Incarnation of Light...


    The selfless saint always willing to sacrifice himself¡ªno, it was more like he was a saint who had no choice but to sacrifice himself. Despite that, the strange feeling that there was something amiss hadn''t gone away, but I had a feeling that I knew the reason behind that feeling.


    Perhaps the side of him that I had witnessedst night was Father Lee Ki-Young in his "human" form. Perhaps... perhaps I had a conversation with the Father Lee Ki-Young, who wasn''t wearing his mask as the Son of Goddess Benigoa.


    Perhaps I was talking to the Father Lee Ki-Young with no responsibilities and burdens on his shoulders. I was probably talking to that side of him yesterday.


    <i>¡°I see. Fairies... Can we even see that?¡±</i> Father Lee Ki-Young asked.


    <i>¡°They say that fairies don¡¯t leave their domains. The continentalw prohibits possession and confinement of fairies... so you¡¯ll probably have to go to their territory yourself to see them,¡± </i>I answered.


    <i>¡°Ah... I knew it... That¡¯s a shame. It¡¯d be nice if I could see them someday,¡± </i>Father Lee Ki-Young said.


    It was short, but the time we spent felt really long, and it was probably because I had never seen him so disheveled. He got drunk after just one ss of wine, and the way he stammered while talking about going on an adventure with a smile made him think that I was talking to the human version of Lee Ki-Youngst night.


    It was further evidenced by how he couldn''t stop asking me questions about my stories as if he were a child who had yet to explore the world.


    It was probably an honor to be Goddess Benigoa''s Chosen One¡ªno, not probably, it was definitely an honor, but was that the kind of life that he wanted to live?


    Wasying down everything and sacrificing himself for religion, the continent, and the denizens the life he truly wanted to live? He loved the beautiful scenery of the world more than anyone, so was living a trapped life what he truly wanted?


    I knew it was absurd for me to think about this. I knew that I wasn''t supposed to be thinking about it, and it wasn''t my business as well.


    However, I couldn''t stop recalling his sincere face.


    <i>¡°I¡¯m jealous. Being able to travel all around the world is just...¡±</i> Father Lee Ki-Young trailed off.


    <i>¡°You can also...¡±</i>


    <i>¡°Ah, right. I did travel around the continent... Yeah, I used to travel a lot. A long time ago... I was temporarily working as an... adventurer,¡±</i> Father Lee Ki-Young said.


    I assumed that this wasn''t the life he wanted to live.


    He was always surrounded by temple priests and the bodyguards of the guild. Then, he had to fulfill his obligations by visiting designated locations and safe ces. I assumed that was his version of travel and adventure.


    It was possible that he had never seen the things that he actually wanted to see, and I was convinced that he felt like he was trapped at the top of a tower.


    <i>¡°I-If you don¡¯t mind, can we meet tomorrow as well? I¡¯d like to hear more about your adventures, Mr. Gen,¡±</i> Lee Ki-Young requested.


    ¡°Temr Gen...¡± A voice echoed behind me, interrupting my train of thought.


    I turned around slowly and saw a familiar figure.


    ¡°Yes, Temr Simon,¡± I answered.


    ¡°How did it go with Father Lee Ki-Young?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t told him yet,¡± I replied.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I think what you''re doing is a great idea as well, Temr Gen. Our chances of sessfully roping him in will be higher if you get closer to him first before telling him anything. However, you should be careful, as he¡¯s close to Father Basel.


    "Right now, Father Basel is at the center of things in the Vatican...¡± Temr Simon suggested.


    ¡°Understood,¡± I said.


    ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m d he likes you. I don¡¯t know why... <i>Haha</i>... What do you think? Do you think he knows something...¡± Temr Simon asked.


    ¡°Do you think he does?¡± I questioned.


    ¡°Of course not. He is Father Lee Ki-Young, after all. He only cares about the safety of the denizens, religion, and Goddess Benigoa. There¡¯s no way he¡¯d know what¡¯s happening in the Vatican and that the believers are bing corrupt,¡± Temr Simon answered.


    That wasn¡¯t true at all, but... I had to nod for now.


    ¡°Once he realizes that the true light is in this ce, he¡¯ll definitely join us,¡± Temr Simon remarked.


    ¡°Temr Simon,¡± I called out.


    ¡°Yes, Temr Gen.¡±


    ¡°Do you have any ns on canceling this n...¡± I asked.


    ¡°Are you not satisfied with bringing Father Lee Ki-Young to our side?¡± Temr Simon asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Temr Gen, you¡¯ve always been like this. You¡¯re kind and warm, and you have this unnecessary sympathy for everything. However, we don''t need those weak emotions right now.


    "Just take a look around the continent. Look closely at the things that are happening on the continent right now. Everything must be reverted before Goddess Benigoa abandons us,¡± Temr Simon exined.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°We must revert the corrupted Vatican to the way it was before; we must capture the corrupted believers and offer them to her. You know better than anyone that we can¡¯t just stand by and watch like we did before.


    "We were bestowed upon this power so that we can take action. Temr Gen, we have to do something, or nothing will change. The history of the continent is written by those with purpose and empowered by faith and light. Just like us,¡± Temr Simon said.


    ¡°But Temr Simon...¡±


    ¡°Father Lee Ki-Young will understand us as well. I don¡¯t want to drag him to a ce full of dirty and corrupt people, but it is going to be okay, as that is his role,¡± Temr Simon added.


    ¡°It¡¯s not his job to sacrifice himself, Temr Simon,¡± I argued.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a sacrifice. It¡¯s a revolution. If we get Father Lee Ki-Young on our side, many believers will support us, Temr Gen. It¡¯s obvious...¡± Temr Simon replied.


    ¡°Right...¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°I believe he¡¯ll support us because this is Goddess Benigoa¡¯s will. If he¡¯s really the Son of Benigoa, he¡¯ll support us more than anyone else out there,¡± Temr Simon added.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I know you¡¯re bothered by this, Temr Gen. However, you have to think about a better future,¡± Temr Simon reminded.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°ording to Father Yohan, Father Basel is already making his move,¡± Temr Simon told me.


    ¡°Is that true?¡± I asked.


    ¡°There have been rumors that he¡¯s gathering senators and figures with power to me Father Yohan for the recent incident. Apparently, he''s using malicious rumors and fabricated stories to rope them in,¡± Temr Simon answered.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You have one week,¡± Simon said.


    ¡°When you say one week...¡±


    ¡°You must bring him to our side in one week. Everything depends on you. I want to resolve this without shedding any blood, Temr Gen. I¡¯m sure Father Lee Ki-Young doesn¡¯t want a bloodbath to happen inside the Vatican either,¡± Temr Simon rified.


    Of course, he wouldn''t want that to happen. Actually, I was sure that he couldn''t even imagine a bloodbath happening inside the Vatican.


    I couldn¡¯t tell whether this was the right thing to do or not.


    Actually, I knew we were righteous.


    It was really clear why Goddess Benigoa had bestowed this power upon us and why all of this was happening. The power we received from her was supposed to be used for her. Even a child could figure that out.


    ¡°So... what¡¯s Father Lee Ki-Young like?¡± Temr Simon asked.


    I looked away and stared into space as I recalled the kind of person Father Lee Ki-Young was.


    I felt like I could see him surrounded by believers and praying in front of a statue.


    The sight of him hugging andforting them while smiling was blinding to me.


    However, I was convinced that he wasn¡¯t smiling genuinely. I couldn¡¯t help but think that way after witnessing him gaze at the sky with an empty look during our short meeting.


    ¡°He¡¯s an unfortunate... and pitiful person,¡± I replied.


    He was a saint who couldn¡¯t fly despite loving the vast sky filled with light more than anyone else. He was a saint trapped in the temple despite loving the continent more than anyone else.


    ¡°He¡¯s... very heartbroken,¡± I added. He was still sacrificing himself for the continent while hiding his true self in the blinding light.


    1. Gen¡¯s POV ?

 Chapter 925. Gen (4)

    <h4>Chapter 925. Gen (4)</h4>


    ¡°What are you thinking about, Father Lee Ki-Young?¡± a priest asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± I[1] answered.


    ¡°Thank you... for today. Father Jernihan will be arriving soon,¡± the priest informed me.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I said.


    I had no choice but to be determined because that was my role. I had long gotten used to hiding my true self and pushing aside my true desires, as I was the saint chosen by the light. As an honorary bishop, I would never cry, no matter how painful or sad I was.


    I was going to ept my holy role with joy and honor.


    I woke up at the usual time, prayed, and finished my personal schedule.


    Ipleted my boring and repetitive tasks every day.


    <i>¡®I need to be persistent.¡¯</i>


    I had things I wanted to do and see, but as the honorary cardinal, I had no choice but to hide my desires because that was what the world wanted me to do, and that was what... Goddess Benigoa wanted from me.


    My fate was to stay clean and live my life for others.


    <i>¡®I want to travel.¡¯</i>


    I wanted to go on an adventure.


    I wanted to see interesting and mysterious things and live with ordinary people.


    I also wanted to know what it felt like to be the real me. The blue sky was vast, but I couldn¡¯t go anywhere.


    I had wings that allowed me to fly into the vast sky, but I couldn¡¯t spread my wings. I knew I wasn¡¯t allowed to do that, and I had long gotten used to sacrificing myself. Living for the things I loved more than myself was a beautiful and happy thing.


    However, I''d sometimes look at the sky with an empty gaze.


    ¡°Traveling...¡± I mumbled.


    - Don¡¯t be ridiculous. You don¡¯t like traveling, oppa.


    <i>¡®Why did you have to ruin the mood?¡¯</i>


    - You know that suddenly acting like that isn''t convincing, you know that, right? You hate adventures and expeditions, after all. You don¡¯t like sleeping outside because it hurts your back, and you don¡¯t like marching because it hurts your legs and shoulders...


    - Have you ever carried your own backpack? You always made that pig carry it for you... The only thing you know how to do is destroy a campfire. You probably don¡¯t even know how to set up camp.


    - That¡¯s not true.


    - Actually, there is a type of travel you''d like. A safe and luxurious one. The camp has to be a ce that never gets dirty, and there has to be someone who will carry you whenever you¡¯re feeling a bit tired.


    - It sounds strange to hear that you want to travel and go on adventures when you''re much more of a clean freak than me. You only started walking a few kilometers every day after learning about Jung Ha-Yan¡¯s warp gates.


    - Can you leave me alone so I can focus?


    - It¡¯s because you¡¯re being a real eyesore. I can¡¯t believe there¡¯s an idiot who believes you.


    ¡°...¡±


    - I thought you were working on something ridiculous...


    - That¡¯s why I need to focus, and it actually sounds convincing, you know? Also, think about it, noona. Do you know how much I''ve struggled at the time just to survive? I even went on dungeon expeditions back then. Anyway, this coin is going to make us rich.


    Basically, the small child inside the Saint of Light wanted to see the world.


    <i>¡®I do have records of working as an adventurer before entering the Vatican and being chosen by Goddess.¡¯</i>


    With my realistic acting, my story would sound pretty convincing.


    - I would look into the distance or stare out into space with an empty gaze... I¡¯ve been doing this more often, as I¡¯ve been seeing him every day recently. His reaction is much better than I thought.


    - Yeah, I¡¯m sure it is.


    - Our conversation was awkward at first, but at some point, he started having more fun than me. He''d show me documents and describe things to me passionately. He makes me feel like I¡¯ve been to those ces.


    - ...


    - He''s kind of stupid, but he¡¯s passionate. He¡¯s <i>really </i>determined.


    - And that could be all he has to offer. There¡¯s no guarantee that Temr Gen will take you out from here. To him, that would be like disobeying Benigoa.


    - It¡¯s only difficult in the beginning, and thinking of it as an act of disobeying Benigoa is an overinterpretation. We just need to start with simple conversations, and it¡¯s important to take it slow from there until it eventually bes a <i>tada! </i>moment.


    - Are you sure?


    - If things go ording to n, I¡¯ll be leaving the Vatican today.


    - Well, I hope your n works out. <i>Ah!</i> I need to head out and spread more rumors. How are things over there?


    - It¡¯s chaotic.


    - Not bad.


    With that, the call ended.


    Since Ji-Hye noona was doing her job, I needed to start doing mine.


    As soon as I knocked on the table, I saw a familiar figure.


    ¡°Father Lee Ki-Young.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Father Jernihan,¡± I greeted.


    He was neither on Basel nor Father Yohan¡¯s side.


    He was a stubborn priest serving the honorary cardinal with sincerity.


    ¡°I heard... you requested to go out,¡± Father Jernihan mentioned.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± I said.


    ¡°May... I ask why?¡± he asked.


    There was no need to be nervous. I just need to exin what I needed.


    ¡°As you already know... there¡¯s a gue outbreak,¡± I said.


    It was really coincidental, and I mean <i>really</i> coincidental. As always, I took an interest in the outbreak.


    ¡°I heard the priests are currently dispatched to the affected regions, so I''m thinking that Imight be able to help them, Father Jernihan,¡± I responded.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Father Lee Ki-Young. The Vatican is doing everything within its power to calm the situation down. It¡¯s not as serious as you think... so you don¡¯t need to worry about that. Right now, your safety is the top priority...¡± Father Jernihan said.


    ¡°But Father Jernihan...¡±


    ¡°I understand how you feel, Father Lee Ki-Young. However, it hasn¡¯t been a week since the assassination attempt. The Vatican is doing its best to investigate the situation internally... but we haven¡¯t figured it out yet. Going outside at a time like this¡ª¡±


    ¡°But the people are in pain, Father Jernihan,¡± I interrupted him.


    ¡°The Vatican sent priests to provide support to them, Father Lee Ki-Young. They¡¯re doing their best to get the gue under control... so you...¡±


    ¡°Father Jernihan. Don¡¯t think you can fool me. You know you can¡¯t get this gue under control that easily. I¡¯ll¡ªno, if the Vatican won¡¯t allow it, then I¡¯ll go with the Blue Guild. Please take me to Father Basel. I¡¯ll tell him myself and go,¡± I ordered.


    ¡°The Blue Guild has already agreed to this. The guild and the Order of Benigoa are working while considering your safety as the top priority. If you really want to leave, I¡¯ll push for it, but you must think about the realistic problems you must bear, Father Lee Ki-Young,¡± Father Jernihan warned.


    <i>''That¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about. That¡¯s the answer I wanted to hear.''</i>


    ¡°We consider your safety as our top priority, so we¡¯ll have no choice but to dispatch guards with you. Many Holy Knights, Heretic Inquisitors, and guardian priests will be moving with you,¡± Father Jernihan informed.


    Obviously, they weren¡¯t going toe with me because it wasn¡¯t realistic. Not only would it cost a ton of money to dispatch them, but it¡¯d take them a long time to prepare.


    Since they''d be moving in the name of the Vatican, they would also have to focus on my safety, and there would obviously be limitations to that.


    They¡¯d have to search the sick patients and be wary of the people nearby.


    This wasn¡¯t something that could be done through willpower alone.


    Normally, things weren''t as exaggerated as this, but I was getting a lot of attention after the assassination attempt, so it was probably impossible for me to go out there. A crowd would surround the guards, and they''d have to be wary of ambushes.


    In other words, I would be a nuisance by visiting the regions affected by a gue.


    Father Jernihan didn¡¯t say that, but he clearly wanted me to read between the lines.


    ¡°You¡¯re saying that... I might be a nuisance,¡± I said.


    <i>''I¡¯m sad.''</i>


    ¡°I-It¡¯s... nothing like that, Father Lee Ki-Young. Why would you say such a thing? I was s-simply... telling you about the potential issues,¡± Father Jernihan denied.


    I couldn¡¯t help but feel sad. How could something so sad happen to me?


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best toe up with a way as soon as possible. I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Ipletely understand what you¡¯re saying, Father Jernihan. I-It... looks like I made a troublesome request,¡± I interrupted him.


    When it came to method acting, one had to regte one''s emotions on a regr basis, so I forced myself to smile. I did this to show that I understood and epted what Father Jernihan was trying to say.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about what I said, Father Jernihan,¡± I told him.


    ¡°F-Father Lee Ki-Young,¡± Father Jernihan stuttered.


    <i>¡®No, don¡¯t fall for it and just leave.¡¯</i>


    ¡°<i>Whoo...</i>¡±


    <i>¡®No, just leave.¡¯</i>


    Thankfully, he bit his lips and bowed. He stood with determination as if telling me that there wasn''t any room for negotiations, and I liked that determined side of his.


    Obviously, I released a heavy sigh.


    I was an ipetent saint. Everyone praised me, saying I was the Son of Light, but I realized that I was just a weak human being deep inside.


    <i>¡®Everything is my fault.¡¯</i>


    Sadness filled me, and then I heard a voice outside.


    ¡°Father Lee Ki-Young.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Father Lee Ki-Young?¡±


    ¡°Please tell him I don¡¯t want to see him today,¡± I instructed.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Actually, tell him I¡¯m kind of tired today... <i>Sniff!</i>¡± I cried.


    ¡°Tell Temr Gen that I¡¯m sorry...¡± I added.


    ¡°I¡¯ll deliver your message,¡± the priest answered.


    Father Lee Ki-Young would never cry... but there were times when I''d cry whenever I was alone.


    <i>''Ah, is there anyone who can heal my wound? My wound is only going to get worse if I don¡¯t do anything about it.''</i>


    <i>¡®Is he going to leave me alone?¡¯</i>


    I was sure the rumors had already spread, and it was possible that he was spying on me, but was he really not going to do anything about it?


    I knew there was something he wanted from me.


    <i>''I''m at my lowest point right now, so how about you give it a shot?'' </i>


    I was sure they had ordered them to do something against his will.


    <i>''You won¡¯t get a chance like this again.''</i>


    I looked at the sky with an empty gaze. Then, I started crying. Momentster, I sighed deeply and wiped away my tears.


    I put on my sad face again and stared at the sky with listless eyes.


    And that was when I heard knocking on the window...


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for visiting like you this,¡± Gen said.


    ¡°Mister...¡± I paused. ¡°Gen?¡±


    I had to show him that I was surprised.


    ¡°How about we go for a walk?¡± Gen suggested.


    I instantly saw through his intentions.


    <i>¡®You¡¯re about to be a criminal, man. Those capable of stealing an egg can steal an ox.¡¯</i>


    As expected, it was always easy at first.


    1. Lee Ki-Young¡¯s POV ?

 Chapter 926. Gen (5)

    <h4>Chapter 926. Gen (5)</h4>


    ¡°<i>Huh? </i>Where...¡± I asked.


    ¡°Come with me,¡± Gen said. He definitely found me pitiful. He definitely found the Saint of Light, who was dealt a cruel hand by fate, to be quite pitiful, but aside from that, I had no idea what he was thinking.


    Of course, I wasn¡¯t certain whether this current situation was an opportunity created by him, Temr Simon and Father Yohan, but Temr Gen needed to earn my favor. It honestly didn¡¯t matter, but it was pretty exciting to think that he was pitying me.


    <i>¡®He''s too easy to lure in.¡¯</i>


    However, who wouldn''t find me pitiful? Everyone found me pitiful, but this criminal was the only one who had done anything about it so far; the ordinary people had never done anything about it.


    Empathizing with me and actually offering me a helping hand were twopletely different things.


    As for him...


    <i>¡®I guess this is just how he is...¡¯</i>


    I was not sure whether he was aware or not, but he was probably seeing himself in me.


    He was raised in a temple at a young age, and he had been training to be a Temr since a young age, so I was sure he felt like his fate was decided the moment he was born.


    He was probably thinking that he was living a blessed life because of his faith, but I wondered whether his subconscious thought the same as him or not.


    Although he had been living a free lifepared to the Saint of Light, I wonder if he <i>truly</i> felt free. The fact that he took pity on me instead of thinking that I was blessed because Benigoa had chosen me...


    <i>¡®Makes him look kind of suspicious.¡¯</i>


    My assumption could be correct¡ªhe could be seeing himself in me, but...


    <i>''All of this could also be an act...¡¯</i>


    Right now, the important thing was that this criminal was taking me outside.


    ¡°I-It¡¯s reallyte right now, and I don¡¯t want to wake the others up. I¡¯m sorry...¡± I replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant,¡± Gen said.


    <i>''So you don¡¯t want to walk around the Vatican, right?''</i>


    ¡°Mr. Gen, I¡¯m sorry...¡± I apologized.


    ¡°I would like for you toe with me,¡± Gen insisted.


    At this point, I had to understand what he was saying.


    Knocking on the windowte at night was a rude thing to do. I told him that I didn''t want any visits from him in the meantime, but he still decided to visit me and even suggested that we go on a walk.


    I was the incredibly innocent Saint of Light, but I had to catch onto what he was trying to say.


    My expression was nk, and I nodded unknowingly.


    Then, I stood up as if I had been wanting to leave this suffocating ce to feel thefort of the world outside.


    ¡°It¡¯s cold outside,¡± Gen said.


    <i>¡®So you''re prepared for this...¡¯</i>


    ¡°It¡¯s a little dirty, so please forgive me,¡± Gen told me.


    Arge nket was wrapped around me, and I was sure he brought that nket to hide my identity.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s definitely dirty.¡¯</i>


    However, this much was necessary to hide my identity.


    ¡°Please forgive me for my rudeness,¡± Gen said. Then, he grabbed me with one hand and took me to the sky. I was sure he had gotten his wingster than me, but he was more skilled than me at flying. Of course, he wasn¡¯t as fast as Kim Hyun-Sung.


    Amidst the peeling scenery and the cacophonous breeze sweeping across us, I realized something important.


    <i>¡®Won¡¯t we get caught?¡¯</i>


    I couldn''t help but think that we managed to get out a bit too easily.


    <i>¡®I can just let Chang-Ryeol and Lian know...¡¯</i>


    I was sure Gen had taken care of the Holy Knights and the guards.


    Otherwise, he wouldn''t have taken me outside.


    Just then, he stopped in midair. I lifted the dirty nket slightly and was stunned by the night view of the Sacred Democratic Country. The city was illuminated by as many lights as there were stars shining in the night sky.


    It was such a typical sight, but my eyes widened upon seeing it.


    ¡°Wow... it¡¯s beautiful.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t <i>that</i> beautiful, but I had to say something.


    ¡°I agree,¡± Gen said.


    ¡°B-But... Mr. Gen... is this... really okay?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I don''t think so. Once the Holy Knights and the priests discover what I''ve done, they might do more than just scold me,¡± Gen replied.


    ¡°So... why...¡± I questioned.


    ¡°I just... wanted to do this,¡± Gen answered.


    I just smirked and said a cliched line, ¡°We¡¯re... aplices, then.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Since we went out together, we¡¯re aplices. When should we go back?¡± I asked.


    ¡°We only have... about three hours...¡± Gen responded.


    ¡°That¡¯s more than enough,¡± Imented.


    I was free for the next three hours.


    For the next three hours, there was no need for me to care about other people.


    For the next three hours, I was freed from my suffocating bird cage.


    I was temporarily free from my annoying shackles.


    I started acting as if I had been locked up my entire life and revealed a genuine smile at Gen.


    I was kind of annoyed by the fact that the nket was kind of dirty, but I still smiled brightly. I needed to be energetic to show that I needed moments like<i> this.</i> I had to be excited and thrilled to the point that he''d think that I was having <i>too</i> much fun.


    For the next three hours, I had to be curious about the world.


    ¡°Where are we going?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Wherever you want to go, Father Lee Ki-Young,¡± Gen answered.


    ¡°I don¡¯t... really...¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s look around the night market first,¡± Gen suggested.


    ¡°The night market?¡± I repeated.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    It was a good choice.


    Rather than going to an extremely safe ce, he thought of a ce where I could interact with the denizens. Moreover, I had never actually been to the capital''s night market.


    I never really had any reason to visit it, as it was pretty far from the capital''s central district. Moreover, I couldn''t really visit such a crowded ce due to my special identity.


    ¡°We have to walk from here,¡± Gen informed me.


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    I couldn¡¯t take my eyes off the various sights that I was seeing while we were walking to our destination. It wasn¡¯t my first time seeing such sights, but I wasn¡¯t used to seeing them. I was also not used to walking down the streets as my true self.


    No one greeted me nor worshiped me.


    Everyone was focused on their own business, but honestly...


    <i>¡®I wish they would give me some attention.¡¯</i>


    I had long gotten used to receiving attention, and I would always be happy whenever people were paying attention to me. Of course, I couldn¡¯t make it <i>that </i>noticeable.


    My steps became more and more confident as time passed. I couldn''t stop seeing many interesting things. I walked faster and faster down the street, and sometimes, I''d stop by a shop and stare curiously at the disyed items.


    ¡°Mr. Gen! Look at this!¡± I called him over.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± I asked.


    <i>''It¡¯s just food that people normally eat. What else?''</i>


    ¡°It looks like a ham made from the by-products of a lower-ranking monster. I heard monsters can be used to make food, and they apparently have a unique taste,¡± Gen replied.


    ¡°What? A monster...¡± I mumbled.


    I was definitely raised like a noble. I had been living a rich life in the Blue Guild.


    ¡°Would you like to try?¡± Gen offered.


    <i>¡®What? Are you crazy?¡¯ </i>I wanted to say this, but I couldn¡¯t say it.


    ¡°Yes! Of course!¡± I answered happily.


    I waited excitedly for Temr Gen to bring the mysterious dish over as if I was about to eat it for the first time.


    ¡°Here you go,¡± Gen said.


    ¡°Thank you...¡± I mumbled.


    I looked a bit scared as I took a bite of the ham, but it tasted savory and wasn''t as bad as I thought. Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t look appetizing, which made it difficult for me to swallow it.


    <i>''Don¡¯t back out now, Lee Ki-Young. If you do...''</i>


    ¡°I-It¡¯s delicious!¡± I stuttered.


    ¡°<i>Hahaha</i>,¡± Gen chuckled.


    ¡°It¡¯s savory. This is¡ª¡±


    ¡°Would you like another one?¡± Gen offered.


    <i>¡®What?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Yes, please, Mr. Gen!¡± I responded.


    <i>''You, criminal! I¡¯m seriously going to kill youter.''</i>


    ¡°<i>Ah!</i> Look at that, Mr. Gen. There¡¯s a street performance,¡± I said, pointing at themotion.


    ¡°Let¡¯s head that way, then,¡± Gen said.


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    ¡°Rise! If you do, I¡¯ll give you the future!¡±


    ¡°<i>Ah.</i>¡±


    ¡°Rise! My hero! If you do, I¡¯ll give you the future!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I knew what that performance was about even without watching it.


    ¡°Is the night market always this loud?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, as I''m not really a frequent visitor of the night market,¡± Gen replied.


    ¡°Hey, try this!¡±


    ¡°Take a look at the items! We sell low-grade potions!¡±


    ¡°We sell various tableware.¡±


    ¡°I sell wooden figures of Goddess Benigoa that I carved myself.¡±


    ¡°<i>Ah!</i>¡±


    ¡°I have wooden figures of the honorary cardinal as well. Would you like one?¡± a vendor asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take the wooden figure of Goddess Benigoa...¡± I requested.


    ¡°Here you go,¡± the vendor said.


    ¡°I-I have to pay¡ª¡±


    I was dumbfounded because I had no idea how much was the wooden figure, and I also had no money with me. I thought perhaps I got a bit too carried away with my acting, but Gen approached me quietly and paid for the item before giving the wooden figure to me.


    ¡°Thank you, Mr. Gen,¡± I said.


    I ran to a different ce with the wooden statue in my arms. I looked at many different shops and marveled at the street performers. I eventually started blending in with the people. I saw drunk people and visited many different street shops. I was exaggerating my reactions and was even pping sometimes.


    I even got a henna tattoo on my wrist.


    ¡°Look at this, Mr. Gen,¡± I said.


    ¡°It looks good on you,¡± Genplimented.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to wear a long sleeve tomorrow,¡± I said.


    It wasn¡¯t easy pretending to be happy. My legs were exhausted now, and I really wanted to go home and rest. Had three hours always been this long? Really? I had to wake up early tomorrow. Still, I needed to act like I was really happy so that he''d take me out next time.


    <i>¡®I don¡¯t want this to end.¡¯</i>


    I was so happy that I could fly. I was certain that freedom felt like this.


    Obviously, my happiness didn¡¯tst long because Gen looked as if he was walking on thin ice.


    My acting seemed to have lost its effectiveness on him, as he looked really worried.


    However, I didn¡¯t forget my role, and I knew better than anyone that this wasn¡¯t where I was supposed to be. This freedom was temporary, and I appreciated the fact that Gen had given me this fleeting freedom.


    All I could do was lighten his burden, so I smiled brightly and asked, ¡°Shall we... go back?¡±


    Gen looked guilty as he nodded at me.

 Chapter 927. Gen (6)

    <h4>Chapter 927. Gen (6)</h4>


    ¡°Then... should we go back today too?¡± I asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    <i>¡®Gen still looks the same.¡¯</i>


    It had been a few days since then, but his expression remained the same.


    Just like the first day when we enjoyed our brief freedom, he was still staring at me as if I was pitiful.


    He was trying his best to hide it, but it was clear that he couldn''t stop pitying the life that I had been living so far. I had to force myself to act energetically because he''d either tighten his fist or talk less than usual.


    Normally, it was more effective to show my bright side than my sad side because I was sure it was heartbreaking to see me act happily amidst the cruel hand that fate had dealt to me.


    Even I felt emotional when Iughed off my circumstances and acted happily as if it was nothing.


    <i>¡®I got so immersed that I feel like crying as well.''¡¯</i>


    <i>''Don¡¯t cry, Lee Ki-Young. Show your bright side. You¡¯re strong.''</i>


    <i>¡®Don¡¯t cry...¡¯</i>


    <i>''You¡¯re being a nuisance to Mr. Gen. Smile. You¡¯re happy right now.''</i>


    ¡°Thank you always, Mr. Gen,¡± I said.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°For bringing me out,¡± I told him.


    ¡°That¡¯s...¡±


    ¡°The continent is vast,¡± Imented.


    ¡°<i>Huh?</i>¡±


    ¡°I mean, I knew it was vast, but I had no idea that there were still so many ces out there that I hadn''t visited yet. The same goes for this ce, where there are lively voices all throughout the night market, along with street performances. Who could have known that there are buildings by the river that people rarely visited?¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a romantic ce, and adventurers use it to rest, too. There are minstrels singing, adventurers form parties on the spot, and even adventurers sharing camps. Something about it is... truly heart-warming,¡± I added.


    It was definitely unique.


    I looked around and saw adventurers in groups.


    I also saw abandoned buildings that looked like they were from ancient times, and there were also strange-looking buildings. I had no idea how the people from many years ago were using such buildings, but they had be camps that were protecting the adventurers of the current era.


    Many low-ranking adventurers from all over the ce frequented this ce to talk about their hunt for the day while drinking rum.


    Of course, they only seemed that way because I was staring at it from a romanticist¡¯s point of view, but they actually looked like drunk homeless people. The abandoned buildings were dirty, there was trash everywhere, and there were items lying around.


    <i>''Stop spitting on the floor, and don¡¯t throw away your cigarettes to the floor, damn it.''</i>


    ¡°I was an adventurer at some point, so I know just how difficult it is to cooperate with strangers in a party. Everyone will think of the others as enemies, and I was the same as them back then,¡± I said.


    I was sure Gen knew that my stint as an adventurer didn''tst that long, and it was definitely funny for me to pretend like I knew what it was like to be an adventurer. I was certain that it was funny because I saw Gen smiling quietly to himself.


    ¡°<i>Haha...</i>¡± Gen chuckled.


    ¡®It¡¯s true, Mr. Gen. I''m also a seasoned adventurer¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you were,¡± Gen interrupted me.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°<i>Haha...</i>¡±


    And that was when I heard a voice behind me. ¡°Hey, aren¡¯t you going to drink with us?¡±


    ¡°<i>Ah...</i>¡±


    ¡°We haven¡¯t prepared much, but you should join us here. I¡¯m sure it was hard hunting with each other... Let¡¯s exchange information,¡± the adventurer suggested.


    ¡°W-We...¡± I stuttered.


    Obviously, I had to worry about Temr Gen. I wanted to spend time with them, but it was time to go home. I wanted to spend more time with them as Lee Ki-Young, not as the Saint of Light.


    ¡°Let¡¯s spend some time with them,¡± Gen suggested.


    ¡°Can we?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Gen replied.


    I got up shyly and joined the adventurers.


    They handed me a used cup and poured out disgusting rum for me to drink. I knew they weren¡¯t sanitary, but I couldn¡¯t frown here.


    Gen wasn¡¯t all that different, either. To ensure that there wouldn''t be any idents, he sat next to me and epted the drink quietly.


    The drink wasn''t poisoned.


    ¡°Where are you two from?¡± an adventurer asked.


    ¡°We¡¯re from Castlerock,¡± Gen replied.


    ¡°You came from far away... Well, people like us don¡¯t really care about that kind of stuff. The present is what¡¯s important. Based on your equipment, were you two chased out of Castlerock?¡± another adventurer asked.


    ¡°Is this your first time here?¡± they asked.


    ¡°Yes. We heard there¡¯s a safe hunting ground here, so we traveled all the way here.¡±


    Gen, the potential criminal, answered for me.


    We couldn''t really talk about what we were going to say to these adventurers, so I had no choice but to listen to their conversation.


    ¡°You two look really close... You guys must¡¯ve been in a party together for a long time...¡± an adventurermented.


    I had to answer this one.


    ¡°Yes. He¡¯s a really reliable person,¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Having a reliable party member is a good thing,¡± they said.


    ¡°H-He¡¯s actually my friend, not just a party member,¡± I rified.


    <i>''Are you touched? Yeah, we¡¯re friends. Even though it hasn''t been that long since we met, we can still be considered friends. Yes, it hasn''t been that long, but that makes this rtionship of ours much more meaningful.''</i>


    <i>''I wonder if I sounded rude.''</i>


    Fortunately, Gen smiled and nodded, so I smiled as well.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You guys must have good teamwork. I wasn¡¯t really expecting a deep answer like that. I was just wondering if you¡¯d be interested in hunting tomorrow...¡± the adventurer said.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but we have to return before morning,¡± Gen said.


    ¡°You¡¯re leaving earlier than I thought. There¡¯s really no need to leave that early... Well, it can¡¯t be helped. Let¡¯s enjoy another cup of rum. Ham is perfect with this rum!¡± they shouted.


    <i>''Shit, don¡¯t give me that. It doesn¡¯t taste good. I guarantee this is the worst rum I have ever tasted.''</i>


    ¡°Thank you very much for today as well, Mr. Gen,¡± I said.


    ¡°It was nothing,¡± Gen said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you tomorrow,¡± I said.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a bad event. It wasn¡¯t the decisive blow, but it was satisfactory.


    I thought calling him my friend and a reliable person was the best part, but...


    <i>¡®We need more time.¡¯</i>


    The only w was that I had no time to foster a nonexistent friendship with him. It would normally take a few months for such a friendship to be created, so I was truly short of time.


    ¡°Father Lee Ki-Young, it¡¯s me,¡± Gen greeted.


    ¡°You¡¯re here,¡± I said.


    And that was why we needed to spend even more time with each other...


    ¡°Where are we going today?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m thinking about going outside the Sacred Democratic Country,¡± Gen replied.


    ¡°R-Really?¡± I asked.


    We headed outside the Sacred Democratic Country.


    ¡°Mr. Gen! Watch out! Right now, I''m¡ª<i>Ah!</i> Careful!¡± I shouted.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Father Lee Ki-Young. I can take them on alone,¡± Gen reassured me.


    ¡°Mr. Gen! On your left!¡± I yelled.


    ¡°<i>Hah!</i>¡±


    We took down the monsters that stood in our way.


    ¡°<i>Heuk... heuk...</i>¡± I cried.


    ¡°Father Lee Ki-Young...¡± Gen mumbled.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry,¡± I repeated.


    ¡°I think they died long before we got here. It¡¯s not your fault,¡± Gen said.


    ¡°But... if we had arrived just a bit faster... if we had just been a bit faster... they wouldn¡¯t have to die,¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°...¡±


    We even met people who had be unfortunate victims of the world¡¯s evil. Naturally, our friendship grew deeper as we went on more adventures. Of course, I needed to put a ton of effort into each event since we were short on time.


    ¡°Mr. Gen!¡± I shouted.


    ¡°Father Lee Ki-Young.¡±


    There were no ordinary events because that was the life of a protagonist. We were like detectives who''d bring mysterious cases with them wherever they went because Gen and I encountered many different incidents at the ces that we visited.


    ¡°These are followers from the other order,¡± Gen said.


    ¡°H-How!¡± I shouted.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. They probably won¡¯t recognize you. I¡¯ll put more effort into your disguise tomorrow,¡± he said.


    I encountered priests from other orders...


    ¡°Mr. Gen, are we leaving today as well?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Gen answered.


    ¡°Where are we going today?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I prepared a boat,¡± Gen responded.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Sometimes, we''d travel by sea.


    ¡°Pirates! There are pirates, Mr. Gen!¡± I shouted.


    ¡°I¡¯m Gol P. Roger[1], the Pirate King! <i>Hahaha!</i>¡±


    ¡°<i>Ah!</i>¡±


    ¡°Watch out, Mr. Gen!¡± I yelled.


    Sometimes, we''d encounter enemies that were a threat even to us.


    Our unclear friendship was starting to take shape, and a fake bond was slowly forming between us. We''d go out on a stroll after our work for the day, and we had been doing that so often that it was second nature to us at this point. Sometimes, we''d stay up all night to talk about our next adventures, and sometimes, we''d meet in the afternoon instead of at night.


    The atmosphere within the Vatican was still tense, but I had to spend time with him while looking out for Father Basel.


    Gen and I had a special memory together, and it was our memory of looking up at the sky together.


    ¡°It¡¯s a beautiful sight,¡± Imented.


    Everyone would fall in love with this sight.


    ¡°It¡¯s so beautiful that it¡¯s blinding. It¡¯s Goddess Benigoa¡¯s gift. I should offer a prayer of thanks...¡± I said.


    ¡°Yes... I¡¯m sure Goddess Benigoa will be happy as well, Father Lee Ki-Young,¡± Gen agreed.


    I couldn''t peer into his mind, but I was sure he was thinking about it.


    He was thinking about showing me even more sights instead of returning me to my suffocating cage in the Vatican. He wanted me to fly in the bright sky of the continent; he didn''t want me to stay in the pitch-ck abyss where I couldn¡¯t see anything at all.


    He didn''t have the courage to do it, but he''d offer a helping hand if he truly considered me his equal. Of course, he needed an opportunity to do so.


    Normally, the turning point was always in the middle of a conflict, and I also thought that there had to be a conflict sooner rather thanter.


    We looked happy, but it wasn¡¯t really the case.


    <i>''Damn it. The world is trying to split us up.''</i>


    There was something Gen wanted from me as well, so I could say that he had been using his sincerity to win me over. He was aware of that as well, which was why he hadn''t said a word about the faction war in the Vatican.


    However, if he wasn''t going to say it first, then I''d say it first.


    And just like that, the potential criminal knocked on the window at the usual time and cautiously entered my room.


    I cast an empty gaze at him as I handed over the stacked documents to him.


    I had to mention the truth to the viin who had taken advantage of the Saint of Light¡¯s innocent heart.


    ¡°Was it all because of this?¡±


    <i>''One hour and twenty-five minutes left before Gen bes a criminal...''</i>


    ¡°Was it all... because of this?! Was this the reason you''ve been trying to gain my favor?! Did you do all that... just for this?!¡± I roared.


    <i>''One hour and twenty-four minutes left before Gen bes a criminal...''</i>


    ¡°Tell me! Say something! Temr Gen!¡± I yelled.


    A close friend had stabbed me in the back. I was in so much despair that I couldn''t hold back my tears.


    1. A parody of Gol D. Roger from One Piece ?

 Chapter 928. Gen (7)

    <h4>Chapter 928. Gen (7)</h4>


    Naturally, my memories with Temr Gen popped up in my head.


    We had made a ton of memories in a short period of time, so the betrayal was extremely painful. He was... the only person who approached the Saint of Light when there was no one else around him.


    He was the one who had seen me as who I was rather than as the God of Sacrifice and Revival or the Honorary Cardinal of the Vatican. He became the lighthouse that guided me whenever I was weary.


    The rtionship I had with Temr Gen was deeper and more meaningful than what people could see. Based on the script, Temr Gen was my way out of my painful life, and he was the savior who had helped me get through tough days.


    As the lonely honorary cardinal, I thought he and I were alike.


    We cherished our own faith; we enjoyed adventures; we met new people, and we enjoyed the sights that the continent had to offer to us.


    Despite knowing that we were fated to live by the card that fate had dealt to us, we still cherished every single moment that fate had given to us. That was why I thought we were alike. I thought he''d understand me, as he became a Temr as soon as he was born.


    <i>¡®That was the script.¡¯</i>


    No, I thought... we understood each other, but the document that I had just stumbled upon changed my mind. The document contained details on using the faction war within the Vatican and the honorary cardinal.


    Of course, my dumb and foolish self had yet to fully read the document, but he didn''t have to do that, as he was going to rip it apart, anyway.


    Tears flowed down my eyes like a waterfall as I threw away the items in my hands. I trusted him a lot, so I truly felt betrayed. Of course, my actions could also be born from the recent habit that I had nurtured. I was talking about my habit of wearing my heart on my sleeve before him.


    I looked so sad that I couldn¡¯t describe this emotion that surprised even myself.


    <i>¡®I feel like my heart is going to explode if I don¡¯t do this.¡¯</i>


    ¡°<i>Eek!</i>¡± I cried out, making a sound that was supposed to be exclusive to Jung Ha-Yan. Then, I crumpled the document and threw it to the ground. <i>¡®Shit, my emotions are important right now.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Tell me!¡± I shouted.


    I had to show him that I still trusted him and that I didn¡¯t want to lose him. Although he had already betrayed me, I had to look sad... like I couldn¡¯t ept the truth. I even looked desperate and pitiful.


    <i>''Please give me some kind of excuse.''</i>


    ¡°...¡±


    <i>''Tell me there was a good reason for this. Tell me you didn¡¯t build a bond with me because of this.''</i>


    ¡°Was it... Was it really because of this?¡± I questioned.


    <i>''Say something, anything, you fool.''</i>


    However, the idiot before me couldn¡¯t give me any excuses. He was quiet, but he looked like he had eaten something disgusting. Obviously, I cheered because it was a sign that he had actually fallen for it.


    His intentions at first were different. ording to the mysterious document, there was a chance that he simply wanted to win my favor. However, he changed slowly as we spent more time together.


    He ended up enjoying his time with the pitiful Saint of Light more than fulfilling his original goal.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m acting pretty desperate.¡¯</i>


    The insignificant little adventure had made me so happy that I hadpletely forgotten about the other problems that were giving me a headache.


    I saw Gen¡ªnot Temr Gen, looking at me as just Lee Ki-Young.


    We ended up having a bond that wasn¡¯t part of his n.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s making me cry.¡¯</i>


    The potential criminal looked just as horrible as me, and he despised himself deeply. I wanted to say something, but he seemed to be thinking that he had no right to give an excuse. A frown soon suffused his face, and I assumed it was because he thought his silence was enough of an answer.


    ¡°It¡¯s... true,¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°<i>Ha... haha...</i> It really is true. Your goal was to use me in this fight among the factions,¡± I said.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Gen said.


    I was having so much fun that I couldn¡¯t focus at all.


    ¡°What were you trying to do, Temr Gen?¡± I asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°What the hell were you trying to do in the Vatican? I... I... What the hell was your...¡±


    I couldn¡¯t finish my sentence.


    ¡°W-What have I... been doing...¡± I muttered.


    <i>''My head was filled with the pain of betrayal and despair. How can I think straight at a time like this?'' </i>


    I staggered upon getting hit by a sudden bout of dizziness.


    I started gasping for breath; I was having a hard time breathing.


    ¡°Father Lee Ki-Young...¡± Gen said.


    ¡°Don¡¯te close to me,¡± I warned him.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You are a stranger to me,¡± I said.


    ''That''s such a memorable line.''


    ¡°I-I¡¯ll pretend I didn¡¯t see this,¡± I told Gen.


    <i>''Stages of denial...''</i>


    ¡°W-We never met in the first ce,¡± I stuttered.


    ¡°Are you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t show up before me,¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t appear in front of me ever again. I-I¡¯m going to go... pray. Goddess Benigoa...¡± I paused.


    ¡°...¡±


    <i>''Let¡¯s act like our encounter with Pirate King Gol P. Roger, our fight against multiple monsters, and the drinks we shared at that camp had never happened in the first ce.</i>


    <i>''Let¡¯s abandon the bond that we had built between us. </i>


    <i>''I¡¯ll lock up Lee Ki-Young again and return to being the Saint of Light as well as the Honorary Cardinal of the Vatican. I¡¯ll return to the saint who loved all mankind so much that he had once sacrificed everything for them. I¡¯ll live the life I''ve been living so far.''</i>


    <i>''Yeah, I got my hopes up too much.''</i>


    There was no way someone out there could truly understand the real Lee Ki-Young.


    There wasn''t a person alive... who could see me as Lee Ki-Young rather than as the Saint of Light.


    <i>''But is this really okay? Is it really okay to pretend like nothing had happened between us?''</i>


    ¡°But.. I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Please leave. If you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll call someone,¡± I threatened him.


    <i>''Is it really okay for me to abandon my true self? Is that really the right choice?''</i>


    <i>¡®What is this guy doing?¡¯</i>


    Say something.


    <i>¡®You¡¯re really going to let it end like this? You¡¯re not actually going to leave, are you?¡¯</i>


    <i>''Haa... you slow-witted fool.''</i>


    ¡°What are you doing?! Temr Gen! Didn¡¯t you hear what I said?¡± I shouted.


    <i>''Say something, damn it. I¡¯m ready to ept everything.''</i>


    ¡°<i>Eek!</i>¡±


    Ha-Yan¡¯s scream!


    ¡°That may have been the case at first, Father Lee Ki-Young,¡± Gen said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°At first... I may have approached you with that kind of intent,¡± Gen continued.


    ¡°What... are you saying¡ª¡±


    ¡°However, that wasn¡¯t the only reason,¡± he interrupted me.


    <i>¡®What? Is that true?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Don¡¯t make meugh,¡± I said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure when it started. Actually... it¡¯s possible that I was seeing myself in you from the very beginning. I could¡¯ve been looking for my true self that I had lost¡ªno, my true self that I never had,¡± Gen exined.


    <i>¡®Really? Is that true?¡¯</i>


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t just pitying you,¡± Gen added.


    <i>¡®So the fake bond I created wasn¡¯t fake? The fake bond I created was real to you?¡¯</i>


    ¡°I¡¯m well aware that whatever I say isn¡¯t good enough to be an excuse,¡± Gen said.


    <i>¡°No, it¡¯ll be a good excuse. I¡¯m more than willing to ept your excuse as long as you make the right choice.¡¯</i>


    However, I needed to say something different in order to get what I wanted.


    ¡°Are you trying to insult me? Temr Gen! Don¡¯t think you can justify your actions with those words. I... I trusted you. I thought you were a good man and someone I can trust...


    "Did you enjoy it? Did you think... I was a fool... a naive person who''s easy to trick? I¡¯m sure you were happy fooling me!¡± I retorted.


    ¡°T-That¡¯s not true!¡± Gen eximed, denying it.


    <i>¡®You fool... You¡¯re the naive person who¡¯s easy to trick.¡¯</i>


    ¡°That¡¯s really not the case,¡± he said.


    ¡°Then...¡±


    ¡°I swear on Goddess Benigoa that I never thought that way. I-I respect you. I really... really respect you. I''ve always found you admirable for how you had sacrificed everything you had for the continent and the Goddess,¡± Gen confessed.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°However, my respect for you goes beyond that. I admire you for giving up your true self and living as the Saint of Light and the Honorary Cardinal. I admire you for choosing to live as the God of Sacrifice and Revival. I-I wouldn¡¯t dare think... that you¡¯re a fool or a naive person who¡¯s easy to trick,¡± Gen exined.


    <i>¡®Look at his reaction. He¡¯s so... clumsy.¡¯</i>


    ¡°The memories and bond that we had built together weren¡¯t lies. My intention may have been impure, but the time we had spent together wasn''t meaningless,¡± Gen continued.


    <i>''I¡¯ll show him that I''m hesitating.''</i>


    I decided to make just one informalment before immediately backing off.


    It would be a sign that I had epted his words as Lee Ki-Young.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make meugh.¡±


    ¡°The time we spent drinking rum and traveling the continent wasn''t... meaningless,¡± Gen added.


    ¡°D-Don¡¯t make meugh! Temr Gen!¡± I shouted.


    <i>''Man, he¡¯s not bad...''</i>


    Unfortunately, it wouldn''t be that easy for him to be a criminal.


    I was pretty stubborn, and my honorary cardinal self would never be convinced of him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to think that those times were meaningless,¡± Gen said.


    ¡°What are you¡ª¡±


    "I''m going to take you with me," Gen said. He calmly revealed his n tomit a crime. He babbled on about his n tomit a terrible crime without blinking an eye.


    He looked like a psychopath, and I couldn¡¯t help but tremble in fear.


    ¡°You''ve sacrificed too much, Father Lee Ki-Young. I¡¯m sure the continent... the Sacred Democratic Country... and Goddess Benigoa want you to be free.


    "I thought I was bestowed this blessing to fight my enemies. I foolishly... thought... that was the reason why I got these wings,¡± Gen exined.


    <i>''You disgusting monster.''</i>


    ¡°However, I don¡¯t think that was the case, Mr. Lee Ki-Young. I probably needed these wings... to take you to more ces and show you the new continent,¡± Gen said.


    <i>''You criminal.''</i>


    ¡°You can show your true self now. You don¡¯t need to sacrifice yourself anymore, nor do you need to keep wearing clothes that don''t fit you at all,¡± Gen added.


    <i>''So you¡¯re going to tie up the Saint of Light using that smelly and dirty nket?''</i>


    ¡°An adventure...¡± Gen trailed off.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s time to go on a long adventure, Mr. Lee Ki-Young,¡± Gen continued.


    I was scared, and I was trembling like an aspen tree.


    <i>¡®Save me... S-Someone. Hyung-Sung... Ha-Yan... Deok-Gu...¡¯</i>


    This was the worst, but my life could be in danger if I rejected him, so I-I had no choice but to grab his hand.

 Chapter 929. Gen (8)

    <h4>Chapter 929. Gen (8)</h4>


    <i>''Adventure, my ass.''</i>


    ¡°Is it... really okay to do this?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes...¡± Gen answered.


    ¡°Is it really... okay to live this way?¡± I questioned.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯ll be fine,¡± Gen replied.


    ¡°I¡¯m scared, Mr. Gen. I don¡¯t know if this is even forgivable and if Goddess Benigoa will really allow this... More importantly, is it really okay to abandon the continent... at a time like this?¡± I asked, sounding hesitant.


    "You''ve sacrificed too many things, Mr. Lee Ki-Young. Your existence is the reason the current continent still exists, and it¡¯s because of you that the Sacred Democratic Country managed to take that one step forward.


    "You don¡¯t need to think about other people all the time. I want you to enjoy the things that will help you find your true self,¡± Gen exined.


    <i>''He¡¯s talking so smoothly. You unprepared fool... It would have been great if you had made your n just as smooth as your talking...''</i>


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°Would you like some more?¡± Gen asked.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m okay,¡± I declined.


    <i>''Go ahead and stuff your face in that pig porridge.''</i>


    It had been exactly six hours since I was kidnapped by this criminal.


    ¡°Where exactly are we?¡± I asked.


    ¡°We¡¯re in the Demonic Forest of Laios,¡± Gen answered.


    ¡°<i>Ah!</i> So we¡¯re in Laios?¡± I replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°I''ve visited Laios a few times before... but it¡¯s my first time here,¡± I told him.


    We slept outdoors inside the Demonic Forest of Laios, and this was our first morning together. Gen served me porridge that I would never eat if I had the chance.


    Perhaps it was because of the crude bedst night, but my back was hurting. I knew I''d experience some hardships, but the treatment I was receiving was worse than I expected.


    Obviously, there was no way this dumb fool had nned things out properly. I understood that he didn¡¯t have time to pack some necessities, as getting out of the Vatican was already a difficult task, but this was worse than I thought.


    <i>¡®How much does he have?¡¯</i>


    He had at least a thousand gold coins, right?


    I suddenly missed Rafael''s cozy mobile home when I saw the shabby and crude temporary. It was a good thing he was serving me meat for all three of our meals.


    When I was first captured, he even served me a Mirror Salmon as a side dish, but I didn¡¯t eat it because... my pride hadn''t allowed me to eat it.


    However, I really couldn¡¯t eat this thing. I really hope we were not going to eat this every meal. And what if we had to stay in a single ce for an extended period of time? I was worried that we''d keep on sleeping like this. Shouldn¡¯t he make a bed, at the very least?


    ¡°Is the food not to your liking?¡± Gen asked.


    ¡°Of course not. You cooked this yourself. I just... have many things on my mind...¡± I answered.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It looks like we¡¯ll have to walk to the nearby small town, Mr. Lee Ki-Young,¡± Gen informed.


    ¡°What?¡±


    <i>''What did this idiot just say?''</i>


    ¡°There could be a party after us. Flying... will be dangerous for many reasons,¡± Gen said.


    ¡°I-I see,¡± I stuttered.


    <i>¡®I think I know why he told me to eat more.¡¯</i>


    I frowned, and Gen became cautious after seeing my expression. However, he felt better when I smiled brightly the next second. He seemed to be thinking that I was still struggling about whether my true self was Saint of Light or Lee Ki-Young.


    ¡°I see. So we¡¯re really... on an adventure... now...¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Gen said.


    ¡°I should eat more to get more energetic, then,¡± I said.


    I shook my clenched fists and forced that pig porridge down my throat again.


    Gen smiled warmly and started cleaning up the temporary camp. He seemed to have handled many missions by himself, as he looked like he had long gotten used to setting up camp.


    Was he looking forward to our future travels? His warm smile left an impression on me.


    <i>¡®Haa... damn it. I¡¯m annoyed.¡¯</i>


    <i>''I haven''t washed up yet, and Laios was such a dirty ce. How can I walk there when I''m so dirty? And I really don¡¯t want to eat this porridge, either.</i>


    <i>''Is wiping your face with a wet wipe even considered washing up? </i>


    <i>''My feet, back, and knees were in pain. Adventure, my ass...''</i>


    ¡°Our n is to go to a nearby town and resupply before heading for the Republic,¡± Gen said.


    ¡°The Republic? Why...¡± I asked.


    ¡°I heard there¡¯s a pretty famous city there. Adventurers normally gather there, and we should be able to obtain new identities there. I also brought some gold coins with me,¡± Gen replied.


    ¡°How much...¡± I asked.


    ¡°Sixty pieces,¡± Gen answered.


    <i>¡®Ha... shit...¡¯</i>


    <i>''He¡¯s really ignorant of the world. Do you really think that¡¯s enough?''</i>


    ¡°A new identity... So I can truly be the person I''ve always wanted to be,¡± I said.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. We''ll go ahead and register with an adventure guild, and then we can finally go on dungeon raids or eptmissions from all over the continent. We can go out to sea... or go to all the cities and interesting ces you want to visit.


    "It''s going to be kind of difficult, but they''re all going to be memorable experiences,¡± Gen exined.


    ¡°Wow...¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°You must be excited just thinking about it, right?¡± Gen asked.


    <i>''I¡¯m so excited that I want to kill you. When can I wash up? Actually, are you sure we can stock up at the nearest town from herey? Have you not considered the fact that there might be a ton of people there that might recognize me?''</i>


    Moreover, I also believed that it was starting.


    If my assumption was right, we wouldn''t even make it to the nearest city.


    <i>''Anyway, we¡¯re in Laios, so can¡¯t you just take this nket away from me?''</i>


    ¡°It¡¯s a beautiful sight. Don¡¯t you agree?¡± Gen asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    The criminal was staring at the sky, and he wanted me to empathize with him, but I wasn¡¯t looking at him.


    <i>¡®Soon...¡¯</i>


    Through my telescope, I saw a few priests knocking on the door to my room in the Vatican. Obviously, there was no sound inside the room. The priests looked confused, but they started knocking again.


    Their confusion was understandable, as this had never happened before.


    I was always following the rules. I had never made the priests wait for a long time, and I''d always greet them with a neat look.


    One of the priests called out to me, but they received no answers.


    After talking to the holy knights who were guarding the door, they knocked again, but they still received no answer. With that, one of the priests ran away somewhere. After a while, Father Jernihan arrived.


    - Father Lee Ki-Young.


    <i>Huh?</i>


    - It¡¯s me, Father Jernihan.


    <i>''Hurry up ande in.''</i>


    - Father Lee Ki-Young! It¡¯s Father Jernihan.


    Father Jernihan looked anxious.


    - I¡¯ming in.


    <i>Boom!</i>


    A holy knight destroyed the door.


    - <i>Ah... ahhh...</i>


    They were instantly stupefied upon entering the room.


    The room was in a mess, as I had gathered my things in a hurry, and there were traces of a break-in, so I was sure they''d find it difficult to deduce just what exactly had transpired.


    The holy knights standing guard at the door looked like they had stopped breathing; their eyes went as wide as saucers. Clearly, they had never expected to see such a sight. Eventually, they snapped back to their senses and hurriedly searched the room.


    There were traces of someone leaving through the window, a fierce argument, and resistance. Father Jernihan swept his gaze across the room that looked like a scene of a crime.


    <i>¡®There¡¯s a reason why I ripped that document.¡¯</i>


    I felt kind of bad because Father Jernihan''s hands were trembling as he was slowly putting the pieces of paper together. However, the look of despair on his face convinced me that I had done a great job at setting the bait.


    - Father Jernihan...


    - S-Something...


    - This letter was found in Father Lee Ki-Young¡¯s drawer. I believe he had left it for you...


    It was a letter with all sorts of details written on it.


    It mentioned that Temr Gen was suspicious and that Father Yohan could be after me.


    The letter also said that if I ended up disappearing, my disappearance could be a part of their n to protect Goddess Benigoa. I also strongly suggested that they could be the mastermind behind the recent incident.


    They were truths I had to keep hidden deep within myself, as I couldn¡¯t tell anyone else about them. They were heartbreaking truths that I had to endure myself for the peace of the Order of the Benigoa.


    - Yohan... Father Yohan... Father Yohan!!! That bastard! Those bastards!!!


    - ...


    - Summon the Heretic Inquisitors right now! Holy Knights... Holy Knights! Deliver this document to Father Basel right now and request reinforcements!


    A certain someone''s beard was trembling violently.


    - <i>Ahh...</i> What... What should we do about this... O Benigoa... O Benigoa...


    The evidence was right in front of him, so he responded quickly.


    He had no reason to hesitate as well.


    - Father Yohan!


    - What are you all doing?! He¡¯s praying right now! If you have business with him...


    - Quiet! You beasts! I know everything that you guys have done!


    - We¡¯re in a holy temple! How dare you sheathe your weapon! You¡¯re standing before Goddess Benigoa, Father Jernihan!


    - Goddess Benigoa will punish all of you, you dirty fools! The wrath of the goddess will fall on you! What are you all doing?! I want the Heretic Inquisitors to drag those dirty fools out right now! Sister Helena! I want the Holy Knights to look for Father Lee Ki-Young right now! Hurry! We¡¯re running out of time!


    - <i>Ahhh!</i>


    - What are you all doing right now?! How dare you sheathe your sword! We¡ª


    - Silence, you heretics! How can you call yourselves followers of the Goddess Benigoa when you¡¯re trying to harm her son?! Drag Father Yohan out of here! No mercy to those who resist!


    - <i>Ahhhhhh!</i> Goddess Benigoa! Goddess Benigoa!!!


    - How dare you say her name with that dirty mouth of yours! You¡¯re maggots who deserve to be in hell!


    - Help... help...!


    - Don¡¯t show mercy to those heretics!


    The temple immediately became chaotic. Troops arrived, and priests covered in blood were being dragged away. Everyone was still trying to figure out what was going on amidst the nonstop screaming.


    The troops who reached Father Yohan¡¯s study knocked on the door using holy magic.


    - Temr... Simon! Mr. Simon!


    <i>¡®I¡¯m sure he had already cut ties with him. He needs to ensure his survival, too. He¡¯s probably stuck in a dungeon or in hiding somewhere.¡¯</i>


    - Let go of me! D-Do you know who you¡¯re touching right now?


    - Silence! You dirty heretic! Where¡¯s Father Lee Ki-Young?


    - W-What... are you talking about...


    - I know you tried to harm him.


    - What are you talking about?! Father Jernihan! I really... really don¡¯t know anything.


    - What? Stop talking without thinking!


    - I said I don¡¯t know anything! Father Jernihan! There¡¯s something... strange about this...


    - What?


    - I don¡¯t know anything! Someone''s behind this! Someone¡ª


    - Destroy that heretic''s hand!


    - <i>Ahhhhhh!</i> Simon! Temr! Simon! <i>Ahhhh!</i> I really don¡¯t know anything!


    It was music to my ears.


    Meanwhile, the guy next to me mumbled once again with his gaze fixed on the sky.


    He was smiling and was reading my expression like he was demanding an answer from me.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it a <i>really</i> beautiful sight?¡± Gen asked.


    Obviously, I had to answer.


    ¡°Yes, it really is.¡±


    - The Temrs... I¡¯m sure it¡¯s the Temrs.


    ¡°It¡¯s just as beautiful as our future adventures, Mr. Gen,¡± I added.


    - Temr Simon... Wait, where¡¯s Temr Gen?


    He was right here with me.

 Chapter 930. Gen (9)

    <h4>Chapter 930. Gen (9)</h4>


    The Sacred Democratic Country and the Vatican weren¡¯t ipetent, so they reacted pretty fast.


    It seemed that the note I left had caused chaos within the Vatican.


    The chaos was so intense that the ongoing faction war within the Vatican looked pitiful inparison to it.


    Father Yohan and the heretics were having a fun time in the interrogation rooms.


    Everyone involved was being interrogated, so even the priests working with the Temrs were popping up as well. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if Goddess Benigoa¡¯s holy mace ended up smashing their heads in.


    - <i>Ahhh! Ack!</i>


    - Father Lee Ki-Young...


    Naturally, they realized that the recent incident and the monsters capable of wielding holy power were rted to my disappearance. With those clues in mind, they focused on the Temrs, who were still hiding.


    The honorary cardinal''s note contained a heavy and cruel truth that I had decided to keep to myself. As expected, the note was pretty useful, and the stories I said only to Father Basel were being investigated as well.


    I was talking about the scenes I had seen in my dreams where Goddess Benigoa was locked up in a dark space while being surrounded by demons who were busy drinking her blood.


    It was a dark and dirty truth. The disgusting truth that was supposed to have been hidden forever was starting toe to light.


    - That''s what Father Lee Ki-Young said to me...


    - No way... Is that really possible? O Benigoa... O Benigoa...


    Father Basel¡¯s words and my note weren¡¯t the only things that supported their assumption.


    <i>¡®Didn''t we work hard on our investigation?¡¯</i>


    Holy Sword Rafael and his party''s investigation were pretty useful as well.


    I was sure that if we revealed the information that the mini Outer Gods had uncovered from their investigation, the entire thing would be a bigger conspiracy. It could no longer stay as an ordinary kidnapping case.


    Actually, it wasn''t just a conspiracy. It was the truth, and it had already happened.


    - ording to Mr. Rafael''s investigations, the strange monsters had evolved because they had consumed Goddess Benigoa¡¯s holy blood...


    - That¡¯s the same for the Temrs!


    - They presume that a dungeon was made as a result of the anomaly. Miss Jo Hye-Jin of the Blue Guild had mentioned that this incident was caused by a dungeon that they have yet to clear. I also received documents from Mr. Rafael¡¯s party. Father Lee Ki-Young''s baby angels... have delivered those documents themselves.


    - Where the heck is that dungeon?


    - Are you sure... Father Lee Ki-Young is in that dungeon?


    - We¡¯re not sure yet... but we believe that Temr Gen has kidnapped Father Lee Ki-Young...


    - So what''s the point of this conversation, then?! We must figure out Father Lee Ki-Young''s whereabouts before anything else!


    They were bound to find out that Temr Gen was my kidnapper, as there was no such thing as secrets in this world.


    They¡¯d figure out that Temr Gen had been taking me outte at night.


    Father Yohan¡¯s priests and the Holy Knights had been overlooking our meeting, and the guys who were paid to spread rumors were having a field day at the moment.


    The rumor was definitely about a heartwarming story¡ªa heartwarming story about how I wanted to trust Temr Gen until the end and how I had given him a ton of my love.


    Unfortunately, Temr Gen repaid my trust and love with a criminal act, so he deserved to die. He also deserved to be the continent''s public enemy number one.


    - The recent event is rted to this. Just think about their actual goal. They had obtained the <i>wrong </i>power by drinking Goddess Benigoa¡¯s holy blood. Why would they not want to drink the Saint of Light¡¯s blood?


    - How terrible... O Benigoa...


    - What should we do about this?


    They reexamined Gen¡¯s motives for kidnapping me, and the public opinion changed in an instant. Thanks to the rumors that Ji-Hye noona had been spreading all this while, the evil guys and the good guys quickly became clear to everyone.


    Moreover, the rumors justified the decisions of the good guys.


    They had to move forward with their n, and they couldn''t waste any time being nitpicky.


    - We can¡¯t find any traces of the remaining Temrs.


    - They might be hiding somewhere inside the Vatican.


    - In that case, the dungeon might be inside the Vatican as well. We must search the Vatican, even if it means getting outside help.


    - The Temrs... have been too secretive and independent. We must use this opportunity andpletely get rid of all the corrupted beings in the Vatican.


    Everyone was working together during this unprecedented crisis. The Holy Knights and the Inspection Bureau of the Sacred Democratic Country rushed to the Vatican in order to get rid of the corrupted heretics.


    The winds of unprecedented change were bringing with it a brand-new order.


    It probably wouldn''t take long. The Vatican was big. It was as big as a small city, but I was convinced that it was only a matter of time before they found what they were looking for, especially if they investigated the ces where the Temrs were often spotted.


    <i>Ah!</i> They could get more information from Father Yohan.


    - I... I know nothing, Sister Helena.


    - ...


    - I really don¡¯t know anything.


    - ...


    - Everything is Temr Simon¡¯s fault. H-He''s the reason behind all this! A-After receiving Goddess Benigoa¡¯s new will and light... h-he used that sly tongue of his to deceive me¡ªno, us. If I made any mistakes, it¡¯s the mistake of loving Goddess Benigoa¡ª<i>AAAHHH!</i>


    - Where¡¯s Father Lee Ki-Young, you dirty heretic?!


    - I¡¯m not... a heretic... I...


    - You harmed him, so Goddess Benigoa will never love you. What you¡¯re going to see upon closing your eyes isn¡¯t Goddess Benigoa, but the dissection table that she had made for you.


    - That¡¯s not true. That¡¯s not true...


    Sister Helena was pretty scary.


    It seemed that they wouldn''t be able to extract that much information from Father Yohan. It was clear that Temr Simon was the one controlling him rather than the other way around.


    The fact that there were many things happening at the Vatican at the same time made me feel relieved. It was like the puzzle pieces that I had been collecting were finally falling into ce. I was proud of my friends, who were getting closer and closer to the truth thanks to the information that we had painstakingly gathered.


    - Father Lee Ki-Young has instructed us not to let the continent know if something ends up happening to him. He warned us to be especially careful around Miss Jung Ha-Yan and Mr. Kim Hyun-Sung.


    - I understand how he feels. He doesn¡¯t want them to worry. Father Lee Ki-Young has always thought about others before himself. I just didn¡¯t think that he''d still prioritize other people despite his current predicament.


    - I¡¯m sure he¡¯s worried about the possibility that the denizens might get swayed.


    - We have to take this. I contacted the nations nearby, but I¡¯m not sure how helpful they are going to be.


    - The rangers in the Sacred Democratic Country, the Blue Guild members, and our Holy Knights are tracking him, so I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll be able to save him.


    - We just distributed Temr Gen''s wanted posters.


    - The Continental Protection Management Committee is moving along the border between Laios and the Union. We¡¯ve been continuously deploying griffon units and with the help of the ck Swan Guild, we¡¯ve been controlling the guild getting intel.


    - Ourmand center believes that Temr Gen is moving around by flying. We¡¯ve been keeping an eye on the nearby region using the surveince orbs...


    - We¡¯ve dispatched rangers based on witness ounts. Apparently, some people saw them in specific locations.


    They were even going at it systematically. It''d be annoying if Ha-Yan and Kim Hyun-Sung ended up getting involved. I also wanted to avoid the denizens finding out about this because those two would definitely end up hearing about this incident.


    The Sacred Democratic Country and the Holy Knights were working together to close in on us, and the griffon units were either flying or were moving discreetly on the ground.


    There wasn¡¯t any problem¡ªno, wait, there was one problem. I was getting tired.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s best if we don¡¯t stop by the closest city, Mr. Lee Ki-Young,¡± Gen suggested.


    ¡°What? What about our supplies...¡± I asked.


    <i>¡®And I need a shower.¡¯</i>


    What about a hotel?


    ¡°Can we not meet the denizens of the small city?¡± I asked.


    Was there really no way for us to escape from this homeless life?


    ¡°We still have food I brought with me... and I can make food myself...¡± Gen answered.


    <i>''Are you suggesting that we''re going to eat nothing but ham from now on?''</i>


    ¡°W-Why should we not stop by the closest city?¡± I asked, sounding doubtful.


    ¡°I believe they¡¯re closing in on us, and I also think they¡¯re focusing on this area for their search... We should just stay hidden here for a few days, and then we can leave once it''s no longer so hot around here,¡± Gen suggested.


    ¡°D-Did I put you in a difficult spot...¡± I questioned.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing like that, Mr. Lee Ki-Young. It¡¯s just¡ª¡±


    ¡°So you expected this, Mr. Gen. W-Wouldn¡¯t... it be better if we just returned?¡± I asked.


    <i>''Let¡¯s go back, please. If you don¡¯t have a n, let¡¯s just surrender instead of wasting time like this.''</i>


    ¡°If something happens to you because of me...¡± I paused.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Gen said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I can¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine,¡± Gen repeated, interrupting me.


    <i>''I won¡¯t be fine, though.''</i>


    ¡°I-I¡¯ll be fine, Mr. Lee Ki-Young. I promised you that I''d show you a better world,¡± Gen said.


    <i>''This isn¡¯t a better world. It''s just going to be for a few days, but how can we live like this? How long do you think we can hold out... inside these ruins while eating nothing but pig porridge? We can¡¯t resupply, and we have nothing. Is porridge all we¡¯re going to have? Wait, can we even wash up?''</i>


    ¡°We''ll ovee every single hardship as long as we''re together,¡± Gen reassured.


    <i>''No, I can¡¯t endure this. The power of our bond and friendship can''t sustain us. Now, it¡¯s about capital andpetence. I once said not to look at ipetent fools, but that¡¯s exactly what you are¡ªipetent.''</i>


    ¡°I agree. It¡¯ll be hard... but with you, I can endure any hardships. However, I don¡¯t want you to get hurt because of things like this, Mr. Gen,¡± I told him.


    <i>''So let¡¯s just surrender...''</i>


    ¡°There¡¯s ake nearby,¡± Gen informed me.


    Stop changing the subject.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go get some water,¡± Gen said.


    <i>''Get water? Are we that low on supplies? Is there hot water? What about a foaming cleansing cream? Shampoo?''</i>


    ¡°I¡¯ll prepare warm water for you, so please rest,¡± Gen told me.


    ¡°But Mr. Gen¡ª¡±


    ¡°We can get through this together, Mr. Lee Ki-Young,¡± Gen interrupted me.


    <i>''I can¡¯t get through this, damn it. This trip was a bad idea.''</i>


    <i>¡®Is he nning on spending time like this until we get new identities?¡¯</i>


    We could hunt down monsters, but there was no way for us to sell those carcasses. The small cities were under surveince because they were investigating this region right now. In other words, we had to stay here for a few more days. We couldn''t go back to the city to stock up on supplies.


    <i>''How much food do we have left?''</i>


    I searched his bag and found that...


    <i>¡®He didn¡¯t bring much food.¡¯</i>


    Perhaps he couldn''t prepare much, as we had left in such a hurry, or perhaps he thought that he could resolve everything by himself?


    <i>¡®Three days?¡¯</i>


    The pieces of jerky he had put into that disgusting pig porridge would onlyst for three days.


    <i>¡®The coffee doesn¡¯t taste good, either.¡¯</i>


    And I wouldn''t be able to drink coffee by tomorrow...


    I believed he had a conscience, so he''d give the rest to me, right?


    <i>¡®They¡¯ll find us soon...¡¯</i>


    <i>''There¡¯s no warm milk, no wine, no snacks, and no tea.''</i>


    Sixty gold coins were truly all he had, and I couldn''t help but sigh when I thought about where he could even spend this money.


    Unfortunately for him, the Sacred Democratic Country wasn¡¯t ipetent. It was highly likely that they''d find and rescue us without asking for Lee Ji-Hye or Jung Ha-Yan''s help.


    If possible, I wanted to avoid any awkward situations.


    <i>¡®I just need to hold out a bit longer.¡¯</i>


    The Sacred Democratic Country waspetent, so everything would surely be resolved in just a week. The wicked criminal would be judged by thew by then, and I''d be able to return to the arms of my beloved denizens.


    And just like that, two weeks passed by in a sh...


    <i>''Damn it.''</i>

 Chapter 931. Gen (10)

    <h4>Chapter 931. Gen (10)</h4>


    - Save me, Ji-Hye noona.


    - I¡¯m busy right now, too. You might as well enjoy your suffering while you¡¯re out there. The more you suffer, the more heated things are going to be here. Isn¡¯t that what you wanted?


    - ...


    - The public has turned their backs on the Vatican, and the reformation of the Vatican is going smoothly. I¡¯m telling you, things have never been better. They¡¯re on their toes, and the dungeon might soon be discovered.


    - Are you sure it¡¯s not because you want to see me suffer?


    - No way. Do you really think that I want you to suffer?


    You¡¯re the only person I think about all day. I''ve been wondering if you''re eating properly, sleeping in a warm ce, and bathing properly.


    - But what can you do? This situation needs tost longer so that we''ll reap a ton of profit. More importantly, we¡¯re getting so much holy power right now.


    The priests are praying a lot more these days, and they''re more sincere than usual as well. Benigoa is screaming in joy up above. Moreover, we also have to get ready for our business.


    - Hold on.


    - We need to get as much holy power as we can right now so we will have no regretster. If we want to afford the project that our Commander Jin is preparing, we need to get as much holy power as we can right now.


    - You already gave him a project?


    - The continent is safe right now <i>because</i> he¡¯s there. Kim Hyun-Sung is an idiot, but he¡¯s not slow-witted. Commander Jin, who¡¯s working hard both emotionally and mentally, needs to be rewarded so that his work efficiency will increase.


    - Also, the project isn¡¯t <i>that</i> bad. I can¡¯t tell you right now, though...


    - What would a rookie know? Noona, stop trying to side with him when talking to me... It makes me ufortable.


    - I¡¯m always on your side, but he¡¯s prettypetent. He gets his tasks done while taking care of Kim Hyun-Sung, and whenever he has free time, he brings me a new project, so how can I not like him? <i>Ah!</i> Are you jealous?


    <i>¡®Jealous, my ass.¡¯</i>


    - I didn¡¯t know you were the type to get jealous. You¡¯re so cute. Don¡¯t worry. He''spetent, but he looks like an asshole, so he¡¯s not my type.


    - That¡¯s true.


    - I just can¡¯t describe his annoying look. Especially when he submits a project, he bes so sassy that I just want to pick on him. He knows that he¡¯spetent, and he makes it very clear. That¡¯s why he¡¯s annoying. I¡¯m sure he was part of the upper-ss society when he was back on Earth.


    - ...


    - <i>Ah</i>, is Temr Gen or whatever treating you well?


    - He is, but that''s the problem. He¡¯s not flexible. Anyway, I can¡¯t stand it any longer. At this rate, I might actually call Ha-Yan, noona.


    - Then try calling her... Anyway, that¡¯s it for me. Enjoy your pig porridge.


    - <i>Ah...</i>


    - <i>Pfft!</i>


    <i>¡®Damn it. I¡¯m sure she¡¯s enjoying this.¡¯</i>


    It was true that we were profiting here, but Lee Ji-Hye was trying to annoy me about it. Of course, I understood what she was doing; we were actually earning a lot right now, even though there hadn''t been any major events recently.


    We needed to get as much holy power as possible, but she seemed to be enjoying the fact that I was suffering out here. Every time I contacted her, she''din about how busy she was, but she had never told me that she''d often be drinking coffee, doing half-baths while doing her nails, and rxing while talking to me.


    She was definitely making fun of me.


    <i>¡®Damn it, do I really need to call Ha-Yan?¡¯</i>


    <i>''Howe we haven''t gotten caught yet? Howe they haven''t found us yet?'' </i>


    Why was Gen sopetent when it came to useless things?


    Hadn''t he trained as a ranger?


    I was sure he had done ranger training, and it was probably faster for me to deduce the type of training he had never received than the type of training he hadn''t received.


    The rangers of the Holy Knight and ck Swan Guild were so ipetent that Gen easily hid our tracks from them. No, it wasn''t just that. It was like Gen knew their movements for some reason.


    Whenever he suggested that we go out, I could tell from his face that he was confident about our chances of not getting caught.


    I looked around and saw a deserted building that was so dpidated it looked like it''d copse any time soon. It was about five pyeong[1], and we were kind of in between the basement floor and the first floor, so we couldn''t receive much light.


    Actually, wait, there wasn''t actually any light, as we were behind a rotten tree. As for how it managed to get here, I had no idea, but it was blocking the sun''s rays from reaching out. Of course, there were some bushes around us as well.


    It was highly likely that some hunters in the distant past were treating his ce as a temporary camp, but it didn¡¯t really matter.


    <i>¡®Ah, it¡¯s leaking again.¡¯</i>


    Perhaps it was because it had rained recently, but the ground was wet.


    Half of the deserted building was buried in the ground, so it was constantly leaking into our temporary shelter. I used a broom to push the water out, but it wasn¡¯t working.


    I had long gotten used to the damp smell, and things were much better in the afternoon as well, even though they weren''t any sunlight. Since I couldn¡¯t turn on the light at night, I needed to clean up as much as I could while there was light outside to secure afortable sleeping space for myself.


    <i>¡®Please get out. Damn it, just get out.¡¯</i>


    I fought the water for a long time, but in the end, I had to bundle up the rags and press them against the leaking corner.


    I couldn¡¯t spend any more time on this because I needed to do something important today, and Gen would lie down on the wet floor anyway. He¡¯d probably be satisfied by the fact that I actually tried to stop the water froming in.


    What I was about to do was more important than trying to stop the water froming in.


    I checked to see whether the sun was still up or not before immediately lighting the furnace.


    <i>¡®I¡¯ll finally be able to have a proper meal.¡¯</i>


    We also had rum.


    It wasn¡¯t much, but I was sure it was better than the pig porridge that we had been eating these days. After taking out a huge chunk of ham wrapped in arge leaf, I marinated it with the sauce I managed to get.


    I also had bread and potatoes, so I had a pretty bnced meal. I immediately took out the wooden table and ced the food on a wooden te. The criminal would be back soon...


    <i>¡®He¡¯ll be surprised since we¡¯ve been eating pig porridge every day.¡¯</i>


    Just as I expected, I felt a presence outside. Since he didn¡¯t enter immediately, he seemed to be in the middle of surveying our perimeter. He''d check his disguise and see whether there were any traces of mana nearby. They were his most important tasks, so he''d never neglect to do them.


    <i>''What has he been up to today? I¡¯m sure he didn¡¯t go out just to get some ham...''</i>


    ¡°Mr. Lee Ki-Young,¡± Gen called out.


    ¡°Come in, Mr. Gen. Was everything okay?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes. It looks like the patrol nearby lightened up a bit. I think we can start moving tomorrow afternoon,¡± Gen replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief,¡± Imented.


    His eyesnded on the wooden table.


    <i>¡®This is what you call a meal.¡¯</i>


    Gen looked at me in disbelief.


    He seemed like he wanted to tell me something, but he seemed to have been waiting for me to say something.


    ¡°I prepared all this, Mr. Gen.¡±


    ¡°<i>Ah...</i>¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been working hard every time... so I just wanted to help...¡± I told him.


    I pretended to be shy.


    ¡°I have rum as well, so how about we eat?¡± I offered.


    <i>''I¡¯m proud of myself as well.''</i>


    ¡°Where did you get this?¡± Gen asked.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Where did you get all of this, Mr. Lee Ki-Young?¡± Gen questioned.


    ¡°<i>Ah</i>, there were farmers nearby...¡± I replied.


    <i>''If you walk south a little, there¡¯s a small rural hamlet. I went there.''</i>


    ¡°I obtained some leather from the monster you huntedst time...¡± I muttered.


    <i>''I can¡¯t even begin to exin how hard I worked to get it. My bloody hands became swollen, but I managed to do it.''</i>


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure whether the price was right, but I exchanged it for food that willst us a few days,¡± I informed him.


    The price was obviously right. If anything, I profited from the deal. We''d be able to eat proper meals instead of just pig porridge for a few days at least, and I even got rum for us to drink.


    ¡°They were kind,¡± I said.


    Actually, they were kind of rude, but I didn¡¯t have a hard time talking to them.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re hungry, so let¡¯s eat,¡± I suggested.


    <i>''Let¡¯s sit down and open the long-awaited party. Hey, there¡¯s no point in living a painful life every day. We need days like these¡ªrxing days.''</i>


    I revealed a business-like smile and tapped his seat.


    And that was when Gen said, "I never... asked you to do this.¡±


    I obviously thought he was going to smile, but I was mistaken.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Do you understand the situation we¡¯re in? I can¡¯t believe you went to a farmer¡¯s hamlet,¡± Gen questioned.


    Gen¡¯s distorted face frightened me.


    <i>¡®Damn, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡¯</i>


    I was careful, all right?


    ¡°I made sure that they wouldn''t know me, so don¡¯t worry so much, Mr. Gen. Since it rained, my traces are probably...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not the problem!¡± Gen shouted.


    <i>¡®What¡¯s wrong with you? Did you just yell at me?¡¯</i>


    ¡°The world is a lot more dangerous than you think. Everyone isn¡¯t friendly. The farmers who live here all have a reason why they¡¯re here. It wouldn¡¯t be strange at all if something happened to you,¡± Gen said.


    ¡°I was once¡ª¡±


    <i>''I¡¯m kind of strong... My Strength...''</i>


    ¡°Please stop, Mr. Lee Ki-Young! Do you still not understand how immature your action was today? They could¡¯ve captured you and sold you as a ve. A-All I¡¯m saying is that you were lucky. You were lucky today,¡± Gen interrupted me.


    <i>''Then stop cooking so much pig porridge. There''s a reason I did all this...''</i>


    ¡°I... I didn¡¯t want to bring you to a ce like this. If... If you hold out just a bit longer...¡± Gen trailed off.


    <i>''How long do you want me to endure this? How long? You can¡¯t do anything, so I should at least try to do something. I somehow managed to put meat, potatoes, and rum on the table, and this is how you treat someone who¡¯s been working hard all day to do that? </i>


    <i>''I know you¡¯re frustrated, but you shouldn¡¯t treat me like this, you ipetent fool.''</i>


    ¡°I-I thought¡ª¡±


    ¡°Now is the time to be careful. They may have notified the rangers about your presence, and they might be tracking you right now using the traces that you''ve left. Erased traces are nothing topetent rangers,¡± Gen exined.


    <i>''I know that.''</i>


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think it through,¡± I admitted.


    ¡°The continent... the world is a lot more dangerous than you think,¡± Gen warned.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I said.


    <i>''Why should I apologize?'' </i>


    When I showed a pitiful look, however, Gen seemed toe back to his senses. I understood his feelings, and the heartbroken Lee Ki-Young cared about how his feelings as well.


    ¡°Mr. Lee Ki-Young...¡± Gen mumbled.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I think... I was being too harsh,¡± Gen added.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Mr. Gen. I should¡¯ve been a little more careful. I¡¯m sure you had a n... I think I was being a bit presumptuous. I simply wanted to express my gratitude...¡± I told him.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. That¡¯s not what¡ª¡±


    ¡°S-Still, you should try it,¡± I interrupted him.


    Gen¡¯s expression was beyond words. I was sure there were many things he wanted to say to me. He probably felt bad because he had offered to show me the world and brought me out, but it had been two weeks since we were stuck in this deserted building.


    He even got mad at me for trying to do something different, so I was sure he felt ashamed of himself. He seemed to have regretted his words upon seeing my guilty face, but it was toote.


    It was toote for regrets.


    Gen turned around as if saying that he had no courage to look at me.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to take a quick look around again, Mr. Lee Ki-Young. Feel free to... eat first,¡± Gen said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that and eat¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Gen interrupted me.


    I wasn¡¯t nning on forgiving this criminal...


    <i>¡®But you¡¯re seriously in trouble...¡¯</i>


    I gnashed my teeth.


    1. roughly 20 sqft ?

 Chapter 932. Gen (11)

    <h4>Chapter 932. Gen (11)</h4>


    I was sure Gen had no excuses, as the life he had nned for us to live waspletely different from the life we were living right now.


    He was a Temr, so he had to have been walking down an established path since he was young. It wasn''t strange that he was having trouble dealing with an unexpected situation like this. He was even shocked to hear that my disappearance had already spread throughout the continent.


    An army of griffons were flying in the air, and rangers were on patrol everywhere.


    All we could do was find a ce to rest and wait for them to thin out.


    Since he had been working as a Temr in the Sacred Democratic Country, he knew just howpetent and stubborn the armed forces of the Sacred Democratic Country were.


    The search party was an army of rangers that was the pride of the ck Swan Guild.


    The guilds and armed groups were aiming to create a coordinatedmunicationwork to move systematically.


    The opening was tiny, and it was extremely difficult to exploit it. I was sure that Temr Gen didn''t want me to sleep in this messy and small ce. He also didn''t want me to eat pig porridge all day unless he was a psychopath.


    I was certain he wanted to remove the tree, at the very least, to allow some sunlight into our room, but he probably thought that he needed to be careful of his every move.


    That was probably why he didn¡¯t ask for basic necessities at that hamlet.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m sure of it because that¡¯s what the results are telling me.¡¯</i>


    The reason we managed to avoid the Sacred Democratic Country¡¯s search party for two weeks and counting was that we were cautious.


    We minimized our contact with the people outside, erased our traces, and hid like turtles, hoping that the fire would just pass.


    Obviously, Gen didn¡¯t yell at me because I had spoken with outsiders.


    It was a variable, but it was something that could be handled. The reason he was still here was to erase my traces, and I was sure it was also because he couldn¡¯t forgive himself. Actually, it was more like he had no courage to face me.


    <i>¡®I didn¡¯t say I wanted to escape. You¡¯re the one who dragged me out here. Shit, I didn¡¯t even ask you to set me free. I only came here because you asked me toe here.¡¯</i>


    I was sure he was fantasizing about it in his head.


    He wanted to show me the sky and travel with me across the continent. He was definitely dreaming of a happy life where we were always full of smiles.


    However, this horrible situation had been going on for two weeks now.


    <i>''Think you can hold out? I¡¯m sure you feel really bad right now.''</i>


    I wasn¡¯t certain, as I couldn¡¯t read his mind, but he was definitely filled with regret and shame.


    When he saw my inmed hands, which worked tirelessly to obtain leather, he definitely recalled his words about how he wasn''t going to let me suffer. Even though he had broken his promise, I was still smiling brightly at him. I was sure his heart shattered at the sight.


    He was definitely questioning his behavior and decisions right now. He was also definitely questioning whether he had done anything right for me all this while. A variety of questions had probably popped up into his head.


    He was anxious, scared, and sorry, and all these led him to raise his voice at me.


    <i>¡®...¡¯</i>


    Of course, that was his own problem to handle, and there was no reason for me to worry about it.


    <i>''How dare you yell at me?'' </i>


    I couldn''t help butugh about how hard I worked to skin an animal, as I wanted to feed that fool some meat. I was actually thinking about editing the script for him, as we had been living together for quite some time now, after all.


    <i>¡®Do you know how heartbroken I was?¡¯</i>


    Gen had yet to return. I looked at him using my telescope and saw that he was quite far away. I assumed he was there tofort himself. Once security had loosened up and I was all by myself, I could probably go out that far as well.


    Soon, daybreak arrived, and Gen got ready to enter a small city.


    He was moving cautiously underground. I assumed he was moving underground, as he had already determined that it would be too dangerous for him to enter the city through the main gates.


    He unsheathed his sword and moved cautiously, thinking there were rangers around, but I didn¡¯t see any rangers nearby. The people nearby weren''t really on high alert, and I presumed it was because they didn''t have enough manpower to dispatch here.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s obvious why he¡¯s decided to visit this tiny city.¡¯</i>


    He probably wanted to apologize to me by treating me better. He had to have been troubled when he saw the food I had prepared for himst night. He only had sixty gold with him, but he still needed to stock up before leaving for the Republic.


    He arrived safely within the confines of the small city.


    - <i>Whoo...</i>


    He started looking around, and he exhaled loudly, which was enough for me to deduce just how nervous he was at the moment. He melded with the crowd, pretending to be one of the city''s adventurers.


    - I¡¯m here to sell something.


    Gen soon found himself at a shabby shop.


    The owner bowed before asking.


    - What are you trying to sell?


    - This. How much can you give me?


    <i>''He took out Benigoa¡¯s rosario. This bastard was trying to sell his subject of devotion.''</i>


    - ...


    - ...


    - Where did you get this?


    - Do I have to answer that question?


    - You don¡¯t have to, but it''d be easier to sell if I know the source. At a nce, it looks like it¡¯s from the Sacred Democratic Country. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be treated well if you take this to them. Actually, everyone is trying to avoid doing backroom deals... I don¡¯t even know if I can pay you the right price for this.


    - How much can you give me?


    - Um<i>, </i>let me check to see whether this is real or not. It looks like someone of pretty high status was the owner of this rosario. If you got this by killing a high priest of the Sacred Democratic Country, it¡¯ll be difficult for me to sell it.


    - The Heretic Inquisitors was here just a few days ago, so I¡¯m curious whether this item has anything to do with that.


    - It doesn¡¯t have anything to do with them, so don¡¯t worry.


    - ...


    - <i>Whoo...</i> I can give you exactly three hundred and forty gold.


    - ...


    - If I sell it at the right price, I¡¯ll be able to get a thousand gold, but it¡¯s really hard to sell this thing in the current situation... I¡¯m not trying to rip you off, so rx. I¡¯m offering the best price after considering the risk that I''ll have to take just to sell this thing.


    - ...


    - That¡¯s all I can offer, so if you don¡¯t like it, I rmend going to another city and selling it... Most of the guys around here are conmen, so don¡¯t go to them... I¡¯m sure you¡¯re already aware, but the Republic...


    - I¡¯ll sell it.


    - Really?


    - Yes.


    - <i>Ugh...</i> I feel like it''s a <i>really </i>big loss for you... Do you want something else except gold?


    - Any basic necessities such as food.


    - I won¡¯t ask why... Wait here for a bit.


    Gen looked nervous. He was worried that the merchant, who disappeared behind the store, would return with the search party.


    Not many people were aware of the ongoing situation, but one could never be too cautious.


    Moreover, fugitives often used the underground market, so I wouldn¡¯t be surprised to know that the search party had visited the market a few times these days.


    There was a possibility that the store owner had reported Gen while he was in the back of his store, but it seemed that the store owner was the type of merchant who would never stab his customer in the back.


    Of course, there was a chance that he was worried about the consequences of backstabbing Gen, as thetter looked pretty scary.


    - This is all I can give you.


    - This is enough.


    - <i>Oh...</i> go ahead. It''s not much, but I added ten more gold, so take the pouch.


    - ...


    - You¡¯re not going to count it?


    Gen nodded and left. He walked past the square in a hurry, so I assumed he thought that he had to get out of the city as soon as possible. However, I suddenly saw him stop in front of an adventurer shop.


    <i>¡®Boots?¡¯</i>


    There was basic equipment like adventurer boots,fortable clothes, and equipment that was a lot better than this dirty nket. Of course, they looked cheap, but the set equipment that was being sold in the store seemed pretty cost-effective.


    There were also ranked items in the story.


    - The boots have an anti-fatigue effect. Sir, this is a rare item. They sell out as soon as theye out. It''s kind ofcking for adventurers, as it doesn¡¯t have other features... but items with simr features are ideal for rookie travelers. This set item...


    - I¡¯ll take it.


    - It¡¯s a hundred and eighty-eight gold.


    - ...


    Gen nodded and walked out of the store with a strange smile.


    It was indeed a rare item.


    They were bing popr these days, as the manufacturing industry was in the middle of an industry boom. Despite that, the boots were still pretty rare.


    The overall quality of manufacturers was still low, and there was a huge difference between those at the top and those at the bottom. There were items without any effects, and Gen had gotten lucky to obtain those boots with an anti-fatigue effect.


    I assumed it was probably because it was still daybreak; the majority of the adventurers were still fast asleep.


    Gen smoothly left the city. He was worried, but he got what he wanted pretty easily.


    However, I was sure he could feel that he had gotten lucky. The search party had already searched this city over the past two weeks, but Gen still managed to enter and exit it without much issue.


    I assumed it was either the rangers and the Heretic Inquisitors who were working in shifts or their security had loosened, as they found no traces of Gen or me around here. If they had received news that I was spotted around here, I was sure a huge chunk of their forces would focus on searching this region.


    Gen returned rather quickly. The criminal had brought a handful of items for me to make himself feel better. Perhaps it was because he had obtained basic necessities, food, and even boots with an anti-fatigue effect, but he seemed to be feeling better.


    He stepped forward and knocked on the door.


    ¡°Mr. Lee Ki-Young?¡±


    Gen called out quietly, but I obviously didn¡¯t answer.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lee Ki-Young.¡± He called out again and quietly opened the door.


    Had he checked the dishes on the cheap wooden table?


    The food was still warm, as I warmed it up upon confirming that he was going back.


    ¡°...¡±


    I was sure he was touched. I waited for him until morning, so I was so exhausted that I ended up falling asleep. Of course, I didn¡¯t actually fall asleep. Anyway, the point was that I made sure that the food wasn¡¯t cold.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Gen said.


    ¡°...¡±


    He expressed his appreciation with a mutter upon checking my peaceful sleeping face.


    ¡°And... I¡¯m sorry,¡± Gen added.


    He even created a heartwarming atmosphere, but his smile suddenly turned into a frown.


    ¡°Mr. Lee Ki-Young...?¡±


    My face was covered in sweat. I heard a ttering sound as he turned me around.


    I was as hot as a ball of fire.


    ¡°<i>Haa... haa... haa...</i>¡±


    My face was pale, and I looked like I had caught the gue.


    ¡°<i>Ah...¡± </i>I groaned without realizing it. It was a fun adventure, but it was too difficult for my weak body. Perhaps my lifestyle over the past two weeks had worsened my condition.


    The poor living conditions and the fact that we hadn''t been eating anything else but ham and pig porridge had ruined my body. Or perhaps I had gotten a bit too exhausted trying to get rid of the muddy water in our dwelling.


    ¡°Lee Ki-Young... Mr. Lee Ki-Young... Are you okay? Mr. Lee Ki-Young...¡± Gen asked.


    Right now, I was sure he was thinking along the lines of this¡ª<i>¡®I was having a good day, but I knew it was too good to be true.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Mr. Lee Ki-Young... Mr. Lee Ki-Young!¡±


    This bastard was definitely thinking along the lines of that.

 Chapter 933. Gen (12)

    <h4>Chapter 933. Gen (12)</h4>


    ¡°Are you okay? Mr. Lee Ki-Young. Mr. Lee Ki-Young...¡± Gen asked.


    <i>¡®Do I look okay?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Just... Just wait a moment,¡± Gen said.


    <i>¡®Will you really be okay to let me wait? And what am I supposed to be waiting for? Are you going to cure me?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Damn it... why...¡± he mumbled.


    <i>¡®What do you mean why? Like fate, this was already decided. The ending of this fairytale is a bad ending. You really thought this was going to be a fairytale-like story?¡¯</i>


    My body was weak to begin with, so this was bound to happen. It only happened sooner rather thanter due to the recent streak of bad luck.


    We were doing a pretty good job so far, but did he really think that nothing was going to happen? After my revival, my weak body had gotten worse.


    My condition became so bad that I was struggling with my daily life.


    I was the Honorary Cardinal of the Sacred Democratic Country and the continent''s Saint of Light, so I had to ensure that everyone would think that I was okay.


    I was that kind of person, after all¡ªthe kind of person who disliked it when others were worried about me. I also disliked seeing others getting hurt because of me.


    I didn¡¯t want the continent and the people around me to be in pain because of me.


    More importantly, I didn¡¯t want to be the reason behind Gen''s pain.


    Despite knowing that my body couldn''t handle it, I still wanted a taste of freedom.


    I wanted to see the beauty of the continent with my own eyes.


    It was probably the reason I decided to take Gen¡¯s hand.


    But he actually dared to...


    <i>¡®You actually dared to serve pig porridge to the Saint of Light.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Damn it... Damn it!¡± Gen shouted.


    <i>¡®And you''ve been keeping him locked up in such a tiny space?¡¯</i>


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know anything...¡± Gen mumbled.


    <i>¡®That¡¯s right. You don''t know anything.¡¯</i>


    ¡°What the hell... did I do...¡±


    <i>¡®If you make me cry, you¡¯ll cry tears of blood.¡¯</i>


    My body was extremely weak; I was like a trembling leaf that might fall off the tree at any moment.


    Sun Hee-Young and Elena of the Blue Guild and the high priests of the Sacred Democratic Country were looking after me.


    Gen and pig porridge was basically poison to me. It took me a long time to skin that animal and I even walked a long time in the rain while carrying something heavy, so it¡¯d be strange if I hadn''t gotten sick.


    I was so frail that the smallest burden could be fatal to me.


    To make things worse, I stayed up all night.


    I wanted to feed him warm food, so I stayed up to ensure that the food wouldn''t get cold.


    Normally, people would be forced to go to bed whenever they were sick, so I wonder what he thought about what I felt when I decided to wait for him toe back for an entire night


    I tried to hold out, but I couldn''t endure it any longer.


    ¡°Why is the holy power...¡± Gen muttered in disbelief.


    <i>''You know this issue can''t be resolved with holy power, and you¡¯re not even a priest. You can wield holy power, but it doesn¡¯t mean that you have healing powers like Sun Hee-Young or Elena.''</i>


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°<i>Haa... haa...</i>¡±


    Gen didn''t have many choices¡ªno, he had no choice.


    He was probably thinking that returning to the Vatican was the best option.


    As I expected, he bit his lips.


    Then, he carried me on his back and ran out into the pouring rain. It was one of those extreme situations that one would normally see in a drama, and I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if there were sad music ying in the background. Actually, I could already hear it.


    <i>¡®Where are you going?¡¯</i>


    He wasn¡¯t even aware of where he was going or where he was supposed to go.


    He was lost.


    ¡°Mr. Gen...¡± I mumbled.


    Gen was surprised, and he hurriedly answered, ¡°A-Are you awake?¡±


    ¡°Yes... Mr. Gen...¡± I answered.


    ¡°Please hold on a bit longer. Just wait... Get a good night¡¯s sleep, and everything will be over by the time you wake up,¡± Gen reassured.


    ¡°A-Are we heading to the Republic?¡± I asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Are we... finally... going to the Republic... after waiting for so long?¡± I asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Can we... start a new life? Can we... get new identities... and live a new life?¡± I questioned.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Will we be able to see a different sky... every day?¡± I asked.


    I was so focused that I almost cried. I was acting in a really desperate way.


    ¡°So I can finally go to the ces... you mentioned. I can finally... live a new life...¡± I said.


    Gen was quiet. I wasn¡¯t sure what he was thinking, but he was probably thinking about turning himself in, as I looked like I was in critical condition. He probably thought that there was no other way to resolve the current situation unless he turned himself in.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Yes... w-we''re heading to... the Republic,¡± Gen replied.


    ¡°I-I see.¡±


    It was a white lie that sent a shiver down my spine.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be arriving soon. So... hold out just a little longer,¡± Gen informed me.


    ¡°...¡±


    <i>''You¡¯re not even running in the Republic''s direction. Why are you telling me that when you¡¯re running in the opposite direction?''</i>


    ¡°If you wait... just a little longer... you¡¯ll... you¡¯ll soon live the life you want,¡± Gen added.


    He sounded like he was forcibly holding in his tears.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be able to live a free life for as long as you want,¡± Gen said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll see a new sky, go on adventures, and see new things. You¡¯ll get to travel and meet strangers every day. You can enjoy such a life and do the things you''ve always wanted to do while helping people.


    "You¡¯ll no longer be sick or be in pain. You¡¯ll smile every day...¡± Gen added.


    ¡°Lies...¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°<i>Haa... haa... </i>You¡¯re... lying,¡± I said.


    <i>''How dare you try to fool the Saint of Light?''</i>


    ¡°You¡¯re... lying right now,¡± I repeated.


    <i>''I know you¡¯re trying to turn yourself in. I know... you¡¯re trying to devote yourself to the Vatican.''</i>


    ¡°Do you know?¡± I started.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Whenever you lie... <i>Haa...</i> your voice kind of shakes, and you look anxious... I can¡¯t see your face, but I-I¡¯m sure you look anxious right now. Your voice... is also higher than usual... your actions are also telling me... that you lied,¡± I told him.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re nice,¡± I added.


    <i>''You criminal.''</i>


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°And warm,¡± I said.


    <i>''You disgusting bastard.''</i>


    ¡°Did I... faint? Did I... faint again?¡± I asked.


    I was so out of it that my current condition was unknown even to me.


    I couldn¡¯t tell whether I was awake or dreaming.


    My head also felt like it was on fire. I was nauseous, and my eyes were hurting. It was like my entire body was dying. I spoke nonsense as if I was in the middle of a dream. I was out of it, but I knew what I wanted.


    It was the only thing that I wanted. I didn''t need anything else.


    ¡°Please... go to the Republic,¡± I requested.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I want to go to the Republic. I want to go there... and go on new adventures... with you...¡± I said.


    ¡°I''m sorry, Mr. Lee Ki-Young,¡± Gen said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go back... to the Democratic Country,¡± I begged.


    ¡°I¡¯m... sorry,¡± Gen repeated.


    ¡°Please... I beg you. I don¡¯t want to go back. I no longer... want to...¡± I paused.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Lee Ki-Young. I...¡± Gen paused.


    ¡°I won¡¯t be happy,¡± I told him.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Even if I manage to get back on my feet again, I won¡¯t be happy. I¡¯m sure... I¡¯ll be unhappy. If we return, I¡¯ll resent you, Mr. Gen,¡± I threatened.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Even if I recover from this sickness, I¡¯m sure... I¡¯ll regret it. I... I¡¯d rather... just end it. I want to live more like a human being... live a life of freedom, even if it means certain death. I want to die doing the things I want to do,¡± I exined.


    The script about how my life was going to end soon was like a bolt of lightning from out of the blue, but it didn¡¯t seem out of ce.


    I had a good reason, and I wasn''t lying to him as well.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you can do that, b-but... now is not a good time,¡± Gen said.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m sure I won¡¯t get this chance again,¡± I denied.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°<i>Haa... haa...</i>¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t go back. It¡¯s my final request,¡± I begged.


    Gen closed his eyes tight and nced at me. He looked like he couldn¡¯t reject my request. The pouring rain obscured the tears that were falling down his cheeks. He picked up the pace as his cries were being silenced by the rain.


    <i>''Why was this man born with this kind of fate? Why can¡¯t I, the Saint of Light, enjoy the things I deserve to enjoy? Why is the world treating us in such a harsh way? Why did Benigoa give such a harsh trial to me?''</i>


    ¡°O Benigoa...¡± Gen said, but he sounded like he was resenting Her and cursing Her rather than praising Her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t... resent her,¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not... her fault,¡± I added.


    I struggled to move my sick body to ce a rosario in his hand, as I noticed that the rosario around his neck was nowhere to be seen. He trembled in surprise, but he tightened his grip around it.


    ¡°I want to live normally... during my final moments, and... I want to do what I''ve always wanted to do,¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I want to see... every single scenery that the continent... has to offer,¡± I added.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I want to enjoy... adventures... with you,¡± I said.


    And that was when Gen came to an abrupt halt.


    ¡°<i>Heuk...</i> at least...¡± I paused.


    Gen stood frozen as if he had be a statue.


    ¡°I want to live... the life I want to live... even for a moment. <i>Heuk... heuuuk...</i>¡± I cried.


    My acting was so amazing that I even managed to surprise myself.


    I was so immersed that tears fell down like a waterfall from my eyes.


    <i>¡°Heuk... Kgh...</i> In the end, I...¡± I trailed off.


    Gen couldn''t move forward.


    How could he head toward the Vatican while listening to the words I had never told anyone or hadn''t been able to express out loud?


    I couldn¡¯t see his face, but he was definitely suffering. He had no idea what to do, so he started thinking about many things and pondered over what would be the best choice for me.


    ¡°I don¡¯t... want to... go back to the birdcage...¡± I mumbled.


    Obviously, I wanted to go back.


    I wanted to go back to the cozy and warm birdcage as soon as possible.


    I wanted to drink coffee to start my day and end the day with a cup of wine.


    I wanted to enjoy a half bath with a cold drink in hand, but I wanted to make Gen cry a bit more. I wanted to see him in pain and despair.


    I was relieved to see him in a dilemma.


    It didn''t matter even if we were to go back right now... but I could definitely convince him to stay out with me for three more days.


    ¡°Please... Please, I beg you,¡± I begged.


    - Commander.


    - ...


    - Come save me.


    - ...


    - We¡¯re heading to the Republic right now. I heard the news about your new project. If you help me with this, I¡¯ll give you a bigger budget.


    - ...


    - I want you to bring a lot of troops and make sure that those troops can give off an intimidating aura. I¡¯ve been kidnapped. You heard it, right? I¡¯m struggling right now.


    - ...


    - I trust that you¡¯ll be on standby, okay? By the way, I¡¯m not asking for a favor because your project is on the line here. I trust you know what to do.


    <i>''I really need to see him struggle to feel satisfied.''</i>


    - ...


    - ...


    - Shit. Lee Ki-Young, you bastard. Shit! Shit!!! Shit!!! You disgusting bastard!

 Chapter 934. Gen (13)

    <h4>Chapter 934. Gen (13)</h4>


    <i>"I¡¯ve arrived in the city, Commander."</i>


    ¡ª ...


    <i>"I told you I¡¯m here. What are you nning? Howe you haven¡¯t said anything yet?"</i>


    ¡ª ...


    <i>"For your information, I¡¯m staying at Emil¡¯s Inn. Breakfast here isn¡¯t so bad, but the room isn¡¯t that great. Ah! I didn¡¯t know this kind of city existed. It has a nice atmosphere, and the ck market looks useful as well... ck markets must be prettymon in the Republic."</i>


    ¡ª ...


    <i>"I¡¯m alone, so it¡¯s pretty boring. You did receive the official document that the Continental Protection Management Committee sent to you, right? You''re hiding it from Hyun-Sung, right? If you don¡¯t hide it, he¡¯ll cause a huge fuss.</i>


    <i>"They''ve been focusing on the Federation, and I think it''s because there are some rumors that I was spotted around there. Thanks to that, I have been able to workfortably here, and I¡¯ve been walking around by myself as well."</i>


    ¡ª ...


    <i>"It¡¯ll get moreplicated if you don¡¯te here, Commander. They might start notifying the public because there¡¯s no progress in their search.</i>


    <i>"The Vatican is in a state of total emergency, and the continent will fall into chaos again. I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t want that to happen, right? You worked so hard preparing for that project of yours. You really want a variable to ruin that?"</i>


    ¡ª ...


    <i>"If you don¡¯t take care of this... how are you going to get your project done? Commander Jin, how can I leave the continent to you... when you can¡¯t even handle an easy task like this?</i>


    <i>"Am I wrong? If you¡¯re doing this because of Ji-Hye noona, I¡¯ll be hurt. You need to know who the actual manager is. Technically, it''s me. You know that, right? Right? You didn¡¯t curse me just now, did you? I¡¯m the boss. I¡¯m your boss."</i>


    ¡ª ...


    <i>"Hey, Commander Jin. Do you really think I''m joking? Is that what you think? Can you not hear what I''m saying?"</i>


    ¡ª Damn it...


    <i>"That¡¯s right."</i>


    ¡ª Damn you, Lee Ki-Young. You don''t have to nag me, as I''ve been taking care of it. If you hadn''t told me to take care of that idiot musclehead, I would have been in the city by now.


    <i>"You mean Hyun-Sung? He¡¯s doing well, right?"</i>


    ¡ª I¡¯m telling you not to get me involved in ridiculous things like this. I have my own business to take care of... and watching that fool is not a part of it...


    <i>"Interns are normally in charge of misceneous things."</i>


    ¡ª You disgusting bastard. Why am I... Damn it.


    <i>"You want to quit?"</i>


    ¡ª ...


    <i>¡®I know you don¡¯t want to.¡¯</i>


    <i>"You can quit if you want to. We have a lot of manpower."</i>


    ¡ª Bullshit.


    <i>¡®He caught on.¡¯</i>


    <i>"We actually have a lot of manpower... but why are you getting stressed out over things like this? I feel bad for offering you this position. You said you had a lot on your te... and now you have to work on the continental project as well... so I just... feel bad...</i>


    <i>"I feel like I¡¯m burdening you a lot. Maybe... I overestimated your capabilities... Let me know if you have too much on your te."</i>


    ¡ª ...


    <i>¡®He must be mad.¡¯</i>


    His pride was probably getting in the way as well.


    He probably felt ashamed of himself, as he wanted to tell me that he''d definitely bring me down, but he just couldn¡¯t bring himself to say it.


    Based on his temper, I was sure he wanted to quit right now, but how could he give this up so easily when he already had a taste of it?


    The ability to manage the continent and do whatever project he desired was probably like a sweet fruit that couldn¡¯t be exchanged with anything else.


    It was especially true for people like us.


    <i>¡®Think about your project getting trashed while you¡¯re working so hard on it. I¡¯m sure it''ll feel like it was all in vain.¡¯</i>


    <i>"Commander. I was kind of harsh."</i>


    ¡ª ...


    <i>"I will provide you with a generous research fund, so be careful on your way here."</i>


    ¡ª ...


    <i>¡®He¡¯s actually mad.¡¯</i>


    ¡ª ...


    <i>"You better keep your promise."</i>


    I was sure he didn¡¯t want to give up on the research fund.


    When I heard his answer, I immediately started moving. It was time to act.


    ¡°Mr. Gen,¡± I called out.


    ¡°...¡± ¡°Mr. Gen... it¡¯s time to wake up,¡± I said.


    ¡°<i>Ah...</i> It looks like... I woke upte. I¡¯m sorry,¡± Gen said.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. You worked hardst night. I packed you lunch, so have it during your lunch break,¡± I offered.


    ¡°<i>Ah</i>... you didn¡¯t have to do this, Mr. Lee Ki-Young,¡± Gen said.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to go with you, but it¡¯s hard for me to move right now... This is the least I can do when you¡¯re out there getting us some money. Don¡¯t you agree?¡± I asked.


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much,¡± I told him.


    ¡°H-How¡¯s your leg?¡± Gen asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s kind of hard to move it, but I can walk, as you can see. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll feel better by the time we get our new identities,¡± I replied.


    <i>¡®We would have avoided this suffering if you had just brought more gold coins with you. You really thought that making a new identity would be easy with a mere sixty gold and by selling your rosario?¡¯</i>


    Gen stared at me as if I was pitiful. I was fine, but I couldn¡¯t move properly due to a recent incident. I was limping, and I couldn¡¯t move my arms properly as well.


    I couldn¡¯t see through one of my eyes, and I often vomited whatever I ate.


    I could no longer eat the pig porridge. My body had gotten ruined to the point that I couldn¡¯t live a normal life anymore. Of course, it didn¡¯t matter to me since I was a determined person.


    It was like me to do my best to live an energetic life despite the hardships.


    I smiled and opened the door, allowing the sizzling sun to pour into the room.


    The honorary cardinal was desperate for freedom, so I weed the warm wind and sunlight with my body.


    ¡°The weather is nice today,¡± I said.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. It does look nice. Mr. Lee Ki-Young,¡± Gen called out.


    ¡°<i>Ah</i>, one moment,¡± I said.


    ¡°Are you nning on going out today as well?¡± Gen asked.


    ¡°Yes. I need to go grocery shopping,¡± I replied.


    <i>''I¡¯m going to drink some coffee and rx a bit.''</i>


    ¡°I told you... you didn¡¯t need to do that...¡± he mumbled.


    <i>''We need to save so we get the money we need quickly. Also, why do I need your permission for every little thing I do? You remember what happenedst time, right? If you don¡¯t support me, who¡¯s going to support me?''</i>


    ¡°You must be careful,¡± Gen warned.


    ¡°Yes, I know. Nothing happenedst time either,¡± I told him.


    ¡°It seems like the Vatican¡¯s attention is on the Federation, but this ce isn¡¯t safe either. It¡¯s possible that someone has been observing us, and we also have to consider the possibility that someone has been tracking us.


    "You have to promise¡ªpromise me that you''ll only go to the ces that I told you about and walk down the path I had plotted for you. If you go to other ces¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll only stop by the market,¡± I interrupted him.


    ¡°<i>Whoo...</i>¡± Gen sighed as he wore his equipment.


    It was obvious what he was thinking as he looked at his items that suddenly became sparkling clean overnight. He was feeling guilty.


    The more I did things for him, the more guiltier he became.


    He probably wanted to tell me I didn¡¯t need to do this, but he couldn''t bring himself to say that and simply went silent, falling into the quagmire of sadness and affection toward me.


    He cried when he saw me limping and moving with difficulty. He was trying his best to hold in his tears, and he turned around to grab his equipment, making sure that I wouldn''t see him crying.


    For some reason, he looked pitiful in my eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back,¡± Gen said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see youter,¡± I said.


    However, I was really happy to hear him cry.


    ¡°I¡¯lle back as soon as I can today,¡± Gen said.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Also...¡± Gen paused.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m always grateful,¡± Gen continued.


    ¡°It should be me who should tell you that,¡± I told him.


    ¡°Thank you... very... very... much,¡± Gen said.


    ¡°Be safe out there,¡± I said.


    <i>''Stop talking and go. I want to enjoy my free time.''</i>


    Gen stood at the door for a while before heading outside.


    I wrapped the washed nket around myself and headed out as well.


    I had washed the nket and dried it under the sun, but it was still dirty.


    Unfortunately, I had no choice but to do this if I wanted to hide my identity.


    Gen was right. We were still in a dangerous situation.


    I ced the nket over my head...


    <i>¡®Let¡¯s go get some coffee.¡¯</i>


    I had been cleaning his equipment this morning and had spent thetter part of it packing his lunch, so I was pretty tired. I needed a break.


    I started walking away.


    This city had a pretty interesting atmosphere.


    Since there was a ck market here, I thought it would be underdeveloped or dangerous, but that wasn¡¯t the case at all. The adventurers frequented this ce to buy and sell items they couldn''t buy or sell through ordinary means.


    It wasn¡¯t as luxurious as the ck markets built out in the open, but it was lively. It would be safe to say that the Republic had indirectly acknowledged their existence. I was sure they were making a ton of money, and ironically, they were pretty transparent.


    <i>¡®I¡¯ll just ask Jin Cheongter.¡¯</i>


    Of course, the city had the typical, cliched ck markets as well.


    Gen frequented those ces to ept requests or get rid of items, but it was none of my business.


    I stopped by the market and bought food that we were going to eat for the next four days...


    <i>¡®I found a cafe.¡¯</i>


    I started walking toward the cafe...


    ¡°It¡¯s the Blue Guild," someone said, and I immediately cowered in response.


    <i>¡®What the? They shouldn¡¯t be here.¡¯</i>


    They were supposed to be at the Federation right now.


    Did they not stop Lian and Chang-Ryeol froming here?


    I remained silent to eavesdrop.


    ¡°Who? I don¡¯t see any familiar faces.¡±


    ¡°They''re Blue Guild members from the Blue Guild''s Republic branch.¡±


    I nodded at that. I was sure they had decided to ept new guild members, as I had put them in charge of establishing a branch in the Republic. They could be temporary adventurers or interns.


    Still, it looked like Kim Hyun-Sung was doing his job properly. I considered the possibility of Jin Cheong taking care of most of the tasks, but Kim Hyun-Sung had achieved a pretty good result.


    I was happy. I could start a new business and enter dungeons by then.


    <i>¡®Where did they go?¡¯</i>


    ¡°<i>Huh?</i>¡±


    I was curious about the stats and nature of the new guild members. I didn¡¯t need to avoid them, as they didn¡¯t know me, but I wrapped the nket around me even tighter.


    ¡°I can see the Blue Guild''s seal from here,¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°Over there. I heard they¡¯re a promising group of adventurers who had cleared the tutorial dungeon the quickest among this bunch of newbies. Looks like they ended up joining the Blue Guild.


    "I heard they were promised a really high sry. I¡¯m jealous. They just arrived here, but they''re already living on a bed of roses.¡±


    ¡°The guilds in the Republic didn¡¯t make an offer to them?¡±


    ¡°They were afraid that people were going to make rumors, as the Guild Master of the Blue Guild had announced that he had picked them himself. I¡¯m sure they joined for the sake of money, power, and strength. I¡¯m sure no guilds in the Republic can offer half the benefits that the Blue Guild is offering right now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±


    This story sounded familiar.


    <i>¡®Perhaps I should have paid attention to them.¡¯</i>


    It honestly didn¡¯t matter, but it was interesting.


    I wasn¡¯t sure whether Kim Hyun-Sung had actually picked them himself or not, but they were members of the Blue Guild. In other words, we¡¯d inevitably meetter.


    Of course, they had justpleted the tutorial, so it¡¯d take some time for them to be an official guild member, but if they were skilled, it was going to be fine even if I gave them special support from the sidelines.


    I looked around and bumped into someone.


    I staggered backward. Perhaps it was because I had been acting like I had a limp, but I immediately lost bnce and rolled on the ground.


    I looked back and saw someone with the Blue Guild¡¯s seal on their chest


    ¡°What the hell is wrong with this beggar?¡± they said.


    <i>''What?''</i>


    ¡°There¡¯s a beggar on the road...¡±


    <i>''What did you just say?''</i>

 Chapter 935. Gen (14) [Illustration]

    <h4>Chapter 935. Gen (14) [Illustration]</h4>


    ¡°So unlucky. <i>Ah...</i> I just bought this equipment... Damn it,¡± the man grumbled.


    <i>¡®You can just wipe it clean, you bastard. You¡¯re ridiculous, and you look really young to say that to me.¡¯</i>


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Hey, get up,¡± the man said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I said get up. Geez... people are looking. Whatever...¡± the man grumbled.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Just give him some gold. Things are going to be difficult for us if you don''t,¡± a woman suggested.


    ¡°<i>Whoo...</i>¡±


    ¡°You should consider where the others are as well. How much longer are you going to act like you¡¯re still in the tutorial dungeon?¡± an older man chimed in.


    ¡°But that beggar blocked my path, hyung. I didn¡¯t even bump into him that hard, but he fell on the ground.


    "He¡¯s obviously a scammer. Don¡¯t you find his actions disgusting? I can only overlook it so many times. If you¡¯re short on gold, don¡¯t think about swindling people and just get a job, you homeless bastard. Geez...¡± the man grumbled.


    ¡°Stop.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make it moreplicated. You have to be careful not to get involved in ridiculous situations like this. The guild master seemed like he¡¯s been in a bad moodtely... If something happens, I don¡¯t know what we''re going to do¡±


    <i>¡®Since when was Kim Hyun-Sung your guild master? He¡¯s my guild master.¡¯</i>


    ¡°<i>Whoo...</i>¡±


    <i>''Wait...''</i>


    ¡°It¡¯s so unfortunate. How much do you need?¡± the man asked.


    <i>''I have a lot of money, you fools. Your sries are paid from my own pocket.''</i>


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I think there¡¯s been a fight.¡±


    ¡°The Blue Guild?¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    The people nearby started murmuring. I had to avoid attention at all costs, but this was beyond my control. The situation was also so absurd that I had no idea what to say.


    The Blue Guild¡¯s new guild members consisted of two men and two women.


    I checked their stats using Mind¡¯s Eye and nodded. Their potential and growth weren''t simr to new adventurers who had justpleted the tutorial.


    They were worth the investment based on their stats alone. They weren¡¯t superhuman like Jung Ha-Yan or Kim Hyun-Sung, but they had better potential than Ahn Ki-Mo or Lee Chang-Ryeol.


    If it hadn''t been for this incident, I would have tried training them because they knew their worth better than anyone.


    <i>¡®Yeah, they probably think that they got everything.¡¯</i>


    The Blue Guild was no longer a dying guild, like when we had just joined it.


    The Blue Guild was the best guild throughout the continent, and it had a massive influence on other kingdoms and regions, not just on Sacred the Democratic Country.


    Even if they ended up bing bottom-of-the-barrel guild members, no one could afford to ignore them due to the fact that they were members of the Blue Guild.


    Even the recent rookie, Belier, already had a massive influence. If my memories were serving me correctly, she was recently invited to a social gathering that ordinary people couldn''t even dream of attending.


    Obviously, the guild disliked those types of ridiculous social gatherings, but attending them was up to the person.


    These fools...


    <i>¡®They look like they¡¯re enjoying it.¡¯</i>


    They seemed to have realized that they were one of the privileged people, and they were acting as if they were leading a different lifepared to ordinary people.


    They seemed to have enjoyed spending therge amount of money that they had earned, as they looked pretty good in their equipment.


    They had to have eaten something good as well, as they looked really happy.


    They were full of confidence, too.


    They had been living ordinary lives prior to getting summoned here, so they probably felt like protagonists of a story. I was sure the world had be inexplicably beautiful in their eyes.


    <i>¡®Kim Hyun-Sung. Did you not do a personality check on them?¡¯</i>


    Obviously, they were ufortable with the attention.


    The quick-witted one disyed a business-like smile and asked, ¡°Are you okay, sir?¡±


    <i>¡®What? Sir?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Looks like we made a huge mistake. Natalia. Can you check if he¡¯s hurt anywhere?¡± he requested.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Can you stand up, sir?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯s injured. He does look like he needs to rest a little because he seems to be in pretty bad shape,¡± Natalia informed.


    <i>¡®At least he¡¯s quick-witted.¡¯</i>


    However, his gaze toward me was cold.


    <i>''Yeah, I¡¯m sure it¡¯s annoying dealing with a homeless person when you¡¯re a privileged adventurer.''</i>


    If it hadn''t been for the people around us, he would have ignored me and gone on his way. He could have even harassed me. The least he¡¯d do was spit on me.''


    ¡°A-Are you okay?¡± the man asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m right, hyung. That bastard needs gold. I offered to take him to the hospital, but he refused,¡± the other manined.


    ¡°Stop.¡±


    ¡°This is all I have with me right now. It should be enough to get treatment, so use it wisely and watch where you¡¯re going next time,¡± he warned.


    <i>¡®Everyone, listen to how this fool is talking.¡¯</i>


    Obviously, the people couldn¡¯t hear him, and all they saw was a heartwarming sight of him giving me some money. I was relieved that he was quick-witted enough to know that there were people staring at them.


    The Blue Guild had an image to uphold¡ªActually, that wasn''t important right now.


    ¡°Consider yourself lucky,¡± hemented.


    ¡°I told you to stop. We¡¯ll be going now. Sorry again for the trouble,¡± the man said.


    After helping me stand up, they disappeared into the crowd, and I noticed people looking at me enviously.


    When I opened the pouch, I saw a few dozen coins inside of it.


    To me, it was a small amount, but it was a lot of money for me right now. I noticed some people revealing greedy looks at the sight. I was just a homeless person, after all, so they definitely thought that I was an easy target.


    <i>¡®All right, fine. So you think of me as a swindler?¡¯</i>


    <i>"Commander."</i>


    ¡ª ...


    <i>"Hey, Commander Jin."</i>


    ¡ª ...


    <i>"Cheongie hyung. Can you hear me?"</i>


    ¡ª ...


    "Hey."


    ¡ª Damn it. What do you want?


    <i>"Have you heard about how the Blue Guild''s Republic branch had recently recruited new guild members into their ranks?"</i>


    ¡ª ...


    <i>"Who recruited them? Was it Hyun-Sung?"</i>


    ¡ª So you¡¯ve met them.


    <i>"Did Hyun-Sung really pick them? You picked them, right?"</i>


    ¡ª Both of us have approved of them, so we recruited them. That muscle headed fool had decided to ask for my advice, and I gave him the advice that he wanted to hear.


    <i>"What exactly did he want to hear?"</i>


    ¡ª Fast results.


    ¡ª ...


    ¡ª He wanted to get results as fast as possible. Weren¡¯t they polite and useful? They¡¯re pretty talented as well. More importantly, their growth rate is quite high. They¡¯re already creating a buzz, so the Republic... has a good impression of them. In fact, they have already cleared a dungeon.


    <i>"What about their personality?"</i>


    ¡ª I told you that they¡¯re pretty polite.


    <i>''Yeah, but only to you and Kim Hyun-Sung.'' </i>


    <i>''I mean, who wouldn¡¯t kowtow in the face of absolute strength?''</i>


    I was certain that even people with anger management issues would act docile before their superiors.


    They were just pretending to be nice.


    How could one eat a random fruit before them without checking if it was edible first?


    <i>"Did you do a background check on them?"</i>


    ¡ª What is there to investigate when they just came out of the tutorial dungeon? They weren¡¯t even offered an official seat. They¡¯re simply temporary guild members of the Blue Guild''s Republic branch...


    "Like you?"


    ¡ª ..


    <i>"It was a bad joke, so forget it. Don¡¯t be hurt by it or be upset. Anyway, why did you bring them here?"</i>


    ¡ª Is that important? They¡¯re here to enjoy their long-awaited break. They might be celebrating their sessful dungeon raid right now.


    <i>"Who the hell enjoys their break at a ck market? Well, I know you do. You even snuck into a ck market like a rat to buy a maid for two million gold. You said you can read people, but you ended up picking people who are just like you.</i>


    <i>"Kim Hyun-Sung didn¡¯t pick them, right? You bastard. I know you gave him false hope, you fool."</i>


    ¡ª I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re mad about, and I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re taking it out on me.


    <i>"So you¡¯re just going to let Kim Hyun-Sung do whatever he wants? I¡¯m sure the Blue Guild¡¯s Republic branch is beneficial for you as well. Can¡¯t you put more effort into it?"</i>


    ¡ª I¡¯m not someone you can take your anger out on. Know your boundaries.


    <i>"And what if I don¡¯t?"</i>


    ¡ª There¡¯s a limit to my patience.


    <i>"And what are you going to do once you''ve gone over that limit? Are you going to quit? Hey, Intern Jin! If you don¡¯t want to do it, then leave!"</i>


    <i>¡ª</i> Damn it, you bastard! What the hell did I ever do to you?! All I did was carry out the things you asked me to do. I spent time with that muscle headed fool. I helped him with his tasks, and I even became like a parrot just to make him understand certain things that he was struggling to understand for some reason.


    ¡ª I didn¡¯t want to do any of those things, damn it! I don¡¯t want to listen to your nitpicking or even get involved with you. Damn it! Damn it! Lee Ki-Young, you disgusting bastard! I don¡¯t care about the Blue Guild¡¯s Republic branch or whatever! I don¡¯t want to spend another second with that dumbass! And the fact that you¡¯re acting rude in front of me is just...


    ¡ª ...


    ¡ª Hold on... I got worked up. I apologize.


    <i>¡®I honestly understand his frustration.¡¯</i>


    ¡ª Damn it...


    <i>¡®Hyun-Sung has a knack for making people feel frustrated.¡¯</i>


    I had forgotten about that and had taken out my anger on Commander Jin.


    He had to have been having a hard time as well... I was being selfish here.


    <i>¡®I already feel frustrated at the thought of teaching Hyun-Sung to do certain things, so how could others not feel frustrated about it?¡¯</i>


    <i>"It¡¯s fine. Ipletely understand how you feel, but I won¡¯t go easy on you next time. You better manage that temper of yours."</i>


    ¡ª ...


    <i>"Also, I¡¯m busy right now. There¡¯s somewhere I need to be. See youter."</i>


    ¡ª Where are you going?


    <i>"I''m going to make money."</i>


    We had some idiots on the loose.


    I needed to show them how violent and harsh society could be. In addition, I could also run into the criminal whom I had been taking care of these days


    I spaced out for a moment, but I immediately took action. I stood up and used my telescope to find them. I wasn¡¯t sure whether they were enjoying the attention or were looking for a restaurant to eat at, but they were still near the square.


    I went back to acting like I was limping and wrapped myself in my dirty nket.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do anything foolish...¡± the older member warned.


    ¡°I know,¡± the other male replied.


    ¡°Think carefully about the meaning of the guild seal we have on our chest. Think carefully about what this means to us. We¡¯re not the same as them,¡± the man said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°We must forgive them and be generous. That¡¯s the privilege of those who stand above others... and that¡¯s the world we must live in from now on. We have to worry about how others look at us and be modest even in the smallest and insignificant situations.


    "We¡¯re on a different level. With great poweres great responsibility. Compared to the things we¡¯ll be enjoying in the future... these things aren''t that hard to endure,¡± the older member exined.


    ¡°<i>Whoo...</i>¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t understand how you feel, but...¡± the man trailed off.


    I waited for them in an alleyway and appeared when they got close enough.


    ¡°<i>Ah!</i>¡± I screamed.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You''re...!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re... the beggar... from earlier,¡± the older man said.


    It seemed that I looked really weak in their eyes.


    ¡°Why... is this bastard...¡± the man said.


    ¡°<i>Ack...</i>¡± I groaned.


    The way I rolled on the ground made me look like I got hit by an eight-ton truck.


    ¡°<i>Ahhh... Ack...</i>¡± I groaned.


    ¡°What is this beggar... doing right now?¡± the man questioned.

 Chapter 936. Gen (15)

    <h4>Chapter 936. Gen (15)</h4>


    ¡°You... bastard,¡± the man said.


    <i>¡®Everyone, look over here.¡¯</i>


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°<i>Haa...</i>¡± I moaned.


    ¡°You bastard! Just now, you!¡± the man shouted.


    ¡°<i>Ahhh...</i>¡± I groaned.


    ¡°S-Stop!¡± the older man yelled.


    <i>¡®He almost hit me.¡¯</i>


    The impatient one immediately raised his hand, and he seemed to be thinking that I saw them as walking bags of money because he was trembling in anger.


    Right now, I definitely looked like...


    <i>¡®A con artist. I definitely looked like a con artist right now.¡¯</i>


    I looked like someone crossing the line and to squeeze as much money as I could from these people. I appeared careless, but I knew what I was doing. They were in their pre-training period, and causing trouble would put them at a disadvantage.


    They knew that better than anyone else.


    However, I knew that the soft-hearted Kim Hyun-Sung wouldn''t bully or pressure them in any way.


    <i>¡®He''s not even Doom Hyun-Sung right now, so he''s really kind right now. He¡¯s so innocent...¡¯</i>


    If they had met Jin Cheong before, they definitely had an idea as to what things were like here, as Jin Cheong was really sensitive when it came to incidents and the news that the many different media outlets were churning out.


    I didn¡¯t know exactly what the Republic branch was like, but I believe there was some order around here.


    The fact that they were being cautious around a beggar meant that they were painfully aware of the fact that one mistake could end their career. Of course, that could be just an exaggeration, and they could be given just a few warnings.


    Unfortunately, they were in a city famous for its ck market.


    <i>¡®Although I have no idea why they are here when they''re supposed to enjoy their break.¡¯</i>


    They weren¡¯t here to do charity work.


    It was possible that they came here without knowing anything, but it was all a matter of perspective.


    <i>''I¡¯m sure Hyun-Sung would love it if the new guild members caused trouble here of all ces.'' </i>


    Kim Hyun-Sung was nice to them, but he was the type who knew how to separate his public life from his private life.


    As I expected, the older man looked around.


    More and more people were gathering around us, and the sight made him bite his lips.


    <i>¡®That¡¯s right. You guys messed with the wrong person.¡¯</i>


    ¡°...¡±


    <i>¡®The scariest person out there is someone who has nothing to lose.''</i>


    ¡°Hyung, this bastard...¡±


    ¡°You bastard. Do you have any idea what you¡¯re doing right now?¡± the older man questioned after casting a soundproofing spell around us. He immediately got angry and unleashed his man to threaten me, but it wasn¡¯t enough to make me kneel.


    <i>¡®Of course I know, idiot.¡¯</i>


    ¡°You psychotic bastard. We¡¯re¡ª¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± I interrupted them.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re members of the Blue Guild. The new members of the Republic branch, right?¡± I asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Whether I know that or not isn¡¯t important. I want you to be aware of the fact that you guys are in a bad situation right now. How dare you persecute the weak of society as a group? You even tried to hit me, so I¡¯m sure things are going to get worse,¡± I told them.


    ¡°What the hell are you talking about...¡± the man asked.


    ¡°The public sides with the weak,¡± I said.


    The man looked around, and the people around were looking at him.


    He simply nced at them, but I could tell that he knew what was going on.


    The short-tempered man had made a mistake by raising his hand at me. Violence was a bad idea, and one ought to smoothen out the situation by talking it out first before resorting to any violence.


    ¡°Looks like you¡¯re caught in an unfair situation... You can just exin it,¡± I said.


    All he had to do was open a people''s court. He could say that it wasn''t his fault and that it was my fault. He could also say that I was trying to scam them by harming myself before them.


    He could also shout and me me to obtain everyone''s support, but I was sure that something like that wouldn''t happen.


    After all, there were witnesses to our altercation earlier, and I had prepared a counterargument as well.


    <i>''If you¡¯re going to open an illogical people''s court, then I wee it.''</i>


    ¡°You can also report me,¡± I suggested.


    <i>''I¡¯m the one that¡¯s causing the problem, after all.''</i>


    ¡°I¡¯m going to hire a state-fundedwyer,¡± I told them.


    I obviously had no time for that, but I needed to show some guts.


    <i>¡®They¡¯re at a bigger disadvantage than me.¡¯</i>


    The trial would be long, and it¡¯d be a long fight.


    If they were an official guild member, thewyers of the guild would defend them, but the Republic branch of the Blue Guild was being operated by Kim Hyun-Sung all by himself, so it was impossible.


    Honestly, taking such a trivial incident to court was an absurd thing. The process would be extremely lengthy, and the media would obviously charge in to cover the unprecedented drama.


    I was sure the press would publish articles with titles along the lines of...


    <i>''New guild members of the Blue Guild¡¯s Republic Branch caught up in violence, or the leaders of society stepping on those underprivileged.''</i>


    <i>''They could also ask...</i>


    ¡°Why they''re even in this city...¡± I mumbled.


    Even if they somehow won, the people would always think of them as violent people, but if they ended up losing...


    ¡°If you¡¯re so confident, go ahead. I have nothing to lose. You guys are the ones who have a lot to lose,¡± I said.


    ¡°Crazy bastard,¡± the man cursed.


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly right. You guys messed with the wrong crazy bastard. If you don¡¯t n on taking this to court... how about we go back to the point... and show me mercy?¡± I suggested.


    I lowered my head and wiped away my tears. One of the guild members behind them frowned as if they were watching a crazy bastard, and they were right.


    Unfortunately, they had yet to realize that their actions and words were in conflict.


    ¡°Hyung... are you really...¡±


    Between someone who stood to lose everything and someone who stood to lose nothing, the former obviously had a massive advantage over thetter.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare show your face in front of me again, you bastard,¡± the older man warned.


    ¡°If you pay me enough, I¡¯ll disappear quietly. Don¡¯t be cheap like earlier, and give me a good amount. Be generous. <i>Hehe</i>,¡± I told him.


    The older man took out his pouch. It seemed that he had earned a ton of money, as he was spending it like it was nothing.


    ¡°Are you seriously¡ª¡±


    ¡°Quiet,¡± the older man interrupted his party member.


    He helped me up quietly. He seemed worried about what the people thought about them because he pretended to be worried about me while handing over a hefty gold pouch to me.


    <i>¡®They¡¯re still rookies.¡¯</i>


    I had no idea that he''dpromise so easily. I thought they were actually going to open a people''s court. What was making them act so cautious?


    <i>''Is Commander Jin that scary? He must be far stricter than I thought.''</i>


    ¡°Go away,¡± the older man said.


    ¡°Thank you, sir,¡± I said.


    ¡°This is thest time I¡¯m forgiving you. Don¡¯t appear in front of me again. If you do, I¡¯ll do whatever it takes to¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. Have a good day,¡± I interrupted him.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Before I leave, the short-tempered man over there should learn to manage his temper. This is sincere advice from me,¡± I told them.


    Even if I were to appear before them, I was sure they wouldn''t be able to do anything to me, as it wouldn''t be that easy for them to take advantage of their authority as guild members of the Blue Guild.


    They wouldn''t be able to do anything other than tell the guild master or consult the guild staffers about it. Actually, I was sure they didn¡¯t even have enough staffers in the Republic Branch.


    I was sure they were simply given those seals before being told to take a break.


    <i>''I''m curious about whether those idiots are up to something, but I can check thatter because we¡¯re going out tonight. Right, Mr. Gen?''</i>


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Wee back, Mr. Gen. You really came back early today,¡± I greeted.


    ¡°I told you that I would,¡± Gen said.


    ¡°I-I just feel bad. I didn¡¯t think you¡¯de back this early... so I didn¡¯t prepare any food... H-How about we go out and eat?¡± I suggested.


    ¡°...¡± ¡°If you¡¯re ufortable about doing that¡ª¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s fine to do that once in a while,¡± Gen answered.


    ¡°I¡¯ll lead you to the restaurant. I already made the reservations. Do you know what day it is today?¡± I asked.


    ¡°What?¡±


    <i>¡®I don¡¯t know either, man. So don¡¯t make that kind of face.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Yes... of course I know,¡± Gen said.


    <i>¡®Another white lie.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Today... is a very special day for me,¡± I told him.


    He didn¡¯t bother asking me. He seemed to have decided that it was better to stay quiet rather than be a jerk with a bad memory.


    I was sure he was thinking hard about it, but he couldn''t possibly find an answer, as this day was just an ordinary day for me. He seemed to be feeling guilty, but all he could do was y along with the Saint of Light, who was having a ton of fun.


    ¡°I agree, Mr. Lee Ki-Young,¡± Gen said.


    ¡°I honestly thought you''d forgotten, so... I¡¯m happy that you still remember it,¡± I said.


    ¡°O-Of course... How could I forget it?¡± Gen stuttered.


    So what was so special about today?


    <i>¡®This guy is actually lying to me. He''s talented at lying.¡¯</i>


    I used my telescope to search for my targets and found them at a restaurant.


    I entered the same restaurant with Gen and sat in a corner of the restaurant.


    ¡°It¡¯s a nice ce,¡± Genmented.


    ¡°I told you. I really wanted to show my appreciation, Mr. Gen,¡± I told him.


    ¡°I should be the one thanking you,¡± Gen said.


    I looked around and saw the idiots sitting at a table far from us.


    When the short-tempered man got up to go to the bathroom...


    ¡°Do you mind if I head to the bathroom?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Go ahead,¡± Gen replied.


    I followed the short-tempered man into the bathroom.


    ¡°<i>Huh?</i>¡±


    I just had to collide with him as he was walking out of the bathroom, and it''d be mission sess.


    He tried to avoid me, but I was confident of my Agility, so I managed to bump into him.


    I fell to the ground.


    It seemed that I had bumped into him harder than I was supposed to because the noise echoed throughout the entire restaurant.


    Hot-tempered number one frowned and red at me. He looked like he was struck by deja vu, and he couldn''t believe that something as ridiculous as this was happening to him again.


    He couldn¡¯t see my face, but he instantly saw through my identity upon seeing my smile.


    I didn¡¯t think that this was enough to provoke him, but he quickly proved me wrong.


    ¡°<i>AAAAAH!</i>¡± I yelled.


    ¡°You crazy beggar!¡± the hot-tempered man shouted.


    ¡°<i>Ack! Ahh!</i>¡± I screamed.


    ¡°Do you have any idea who I am?! Who we are?!¡± the hot-tempered questioned.


    ¡°<i>Ahhhhhh!¡±</i> I yelled.


    <i>¡®Damn, that hurts.¡¯</i>


    ¡°You begging bastard! If you want to be crazy, go and be crazy with someone else. <i>Ptooey!</i> You bastard! Did you think we were joking when we said that we wouldn''t forgive you again¡ª¡±


    <i>¡°Ack!</i>¡± I screamed, interrupting him.


    The hot-tempered man was shouting in fury while I was screaming in pain. I was screaming because I was actually surprised by his outburst.


    Meanwhile, Gen was preparing to have a nice time with me to celebrate this random day.


    <i>¡®Why isn¡¯t heing here?¡¯</i>


    ¡°<i>Ahh! Ack!</i>¡± I screamed again.


    <i>¡®The Saint of Light is dying, man.¡¯</i>


    ¡°M-Mr. Gen...¡± I mumbled.


    <i>Boom!</i>


    I saw the hot-tempered man falling to the ground.


    ¡°What the hell are you doing, you piece of trash?¡± Gen questioned.


    <i>¡®He knows how to curse as well?¡¯</i>


    ¡°I asked you what you were doing to him, you bastard,¡± Gen repeated.

 Chapter 937. Gen (16)

    <h4>Chapter 937. Gen (16)</h4>


    <i>¡®You¡¯re toote, man.¡¯</i>


    ¡°<i>Haa... Heuk...</i>¡± I groaned.


    <i>¡®Shit, you scared me. You scared me a lot.¡¯</i>


    ¡°You piece of trash,¡± Gen said.


    ¡°<i>AAAAAH!</i>¡± the short-tempered man screamed.


    I trembled at the sweet melody. The man''s scream was several times louder than my scream. Gen was in the middle of treating the short-tempered man¡¯s anger management issues in a not-so-gentle way.


    However, it was basically a miracle from the goddess.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s the Goddess Benigoa¡¯s miracle. But it really hurts...¡¯</i>


    ¡°<i>Ahh! Gaaaaaaah!</i>¡± the short-tempered man screamed.


    <i>¡®Nice tune.¡¯</i>


    ¡°<i>Gah! Aaaack!</i>¡±


    <i>¡®Nice!¡¯</i>


    ¡°<i>Ah...!</i>¡±


    <i>¡®Yes!¡¯</i>


    Gen frowned, and his fist trembled as he bit his lips. Blood started dripping down his fist, and I was proud of that fist because the blood on it hade from the short-tempered man. It was a lovely fist.


    Honestly, Gen didn¡¯t look happy. He seemed to be having mixed emotions and one word wasn¡¯t enough to describe how he looked. He was probably thinking that he needed to hold it in because he couldn''t attract any attention right now.


    However, how could he hold it in when I was dying?


    How could he stand by and not do anything when the Saint of Light, who had been living a life of sacrifice, ended up getting caught up in violence full of malice?


    How could he not do anything when I was rolling on the dirty ground, getting insulted, and getting spat on by a thug?


    He was already feeling guilty toward me.


    He was worried that his wrong decision was making me suffer, and he was also irresponsibly clinging to an impossible dream. I was sure he enjoyed seeing me every day, but a part of him was also heartbroken by how difficult his goals were to achieve.


    I was sure his goals were something along the lines of...


    <i>¡®I want to make him happier.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®I don¡¯t want him to be in pain any longer.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡®I¡¯m going to protect him. I won¡¯t let him get hurt anymore.¡¯</i>


    Actually, it was none of my business because it was highly likely that he had all sorts of thoughts.


    We had just settled down and were about to start a new life. He made a decision not to hurt me anymore and to protect me at all costs. He had just made that decision when this incident happened.


    ¡°How dare... How dare you...¡± Gen mumbled.


    ¡°<i>Ack! Gah!!!</i>¡± the short-tempered man screamed.


    Gen was so angry that I couldn¡¯tpare his current expression to the expression of his everyday, normal self. He grabbed the short-tempered man, who had lost his will to fight, by the cor and lifted him up, creating a very dramatic scene.


    The scene was so one-sided and dramatic that <i>he</i> looked like the viin. If he could see himself, I was sure he¡¯d be surprised because he didn¡¯t look like his usual self.


    Anyway, I knew what I had to do, and it was pretty obvious.


    ¡°I-It¡¯s fine, Mr. Gen... I¡¯m fine. It was just an ident. Please let him go.¡±


    <i>''I don¡¯t want anyone to get hurt. I¡¯ll forgive even my attacker.''</i>


    <i>¡®Knock him out! Shit! I think I have a bruise on my face. Ruin his face!¡¯</i>


    ¡°He...¡±


    ¡°I... <i>Ugh</i>... bumped into his first...¡± I told Gen.


    ¡°Do you... Do you realize what you¡¯ve gotten yourself into? This man... Do you know what you look like right now? Do you know what you look like as you¡¯re saying that to me?¡± Gen questioned.


    ¡°He must have a reason... <i>Ack</i>... I¡¯m fine, so please... let him go. Treatment¡ª¡±


    My words were interrupted by Gen mming the short-tempered man into the wall.


    ¡°You bastard!¡±


    ¡°<i>Ack!¡±</i>


    The onlookers already had their hand mirrors out, so I was sure everyone would soon know what was going on here.


    One of the new recruits charged at Gen with their sword out.


    Their movement was fast and sharp.


    They seemed to have received training from Kim Hyun-Sung, as their movement seemed unusual. When I saw that they had imbued mana into their sword, I could tell that they were determined to cut Gen down, but...


    <i>Boom!</i>


    They fell to the ground, and I saw that a part of their body was crushed.


    <i>¡®Are they dead?¡¯</i>


    ¡°<i>Gah!</i>¡±


    The attacker¡¯s arms and legs were twisted in an abnormal way. The priest of the party quickly cast a spell, but it wasn¡¯t enough to treat the injured assant.


    <i>¡®That was a fatal attack.¡¯</i>


    The guy who looked like the leader also rushed in, but it wasn¡¯t effective.


    <i>¡®Look at the difference in skills.¡¯</i>


    <i>¡°Ack!¡±</i>


    <i>¡°Ahhh!¡±</i>


    Gen was on apletely different levelpared to them.


    It was like Alp''s Shiro attacking Park Deok-Gu, Jo Hye-Jin ying chess against me, or Commander Jin talking about business in front of me.


    ¡°S-S-Stop!¡± the short-tempered man shouted.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Are you trying to make the Blue Guild your enemy?!¡± the short-tempered man questioned.


    <i>''That¡¯s right. He knows he can¡¯t win, so he brings up the Blue Guild. He¡¯s be a typical viin.''</i>


    Gen finally noticed the seal on their chests and frowned. He was probably trying to assess the situation. He had just obtained a ton of information using the presence of the Blue Guild''s Republic branch member as the clue.


    In the end, he reached a conclusion and concluded that something was wrong.


    I had been eyeing the new recruits, and I saw that their leader looked nervous while staring at Gen.


    <i>¡®At least he¡¯s not dumb.¡¯</i>


    He had finally realized that Gen was far more powerful than him.


    <i>¡®What will you do?¡¯</i>


    I was sure the realization was what led to him screaming the Blue Guild''s name.


    He didn¡¯t want to use the Blue Guild¡¯s name this way, especially when he was still a rookie, but he had no choice.


    Gen was like a towering mountain to him.


    There were many hidden experts on the continent, but they had just encountered one of the most powerful figures throughout the continent. Even if all of them were to charge at him at once, they wouldn''t be able to handle even Gen¡¯s wings.


    ¡°You disgusting fools.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The onlookers were getting noisy.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?!¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s security?!¡±


    ¡°The members of the Blue Guild are fighting someone. That man just punched the other man.¡±


    ¡°S-Should we report this? What should we do? That man...¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯ve seen him from somewhere...¡±


    Quite a few of the onlookers were recording the scene using their hand mirrors.


    Gen seemed to have realized that as well, but he was so furious that his head was muddled. He had no idea what to do. I could understand Gen''s feelings, as I knew that feeling as well.


    <i>''Your head and your actions aren¡¯t in sync. There¡¯s a fire burning inside you, and you feel like you¡¯ll explode if you don¡¯t let it out. Ah, that rookie has the same expression as him.''</i>


    <i>¡®Hey, friends. I¡¯m back.¡¯</i>


    ¡°You trashy bastards,¡± Gen said.


    ¡°Do you have any idea what you¡¯ve done? We¡¯re members of the Blue Guild. I don¡¯t know what business you have with us, but you¡¯re making a mistake right now,¡± the short-tempered man said.


    ¡°Yeah, I know,¡± Gen said.


    <i>Boom!</i>


    The short-tempered man was mmed into the wall.


    Gen didn¡¯t really throw him that hard, but the thunderous boom was so loud that I got worried for the short-tempered man.


    Still, it seemed that the throw wasn''t that hard, as the short-tempered man could still talk.


    ¡°<i>Ahh...</i> S-Spare me... Please stop...¡± the short-tempered man begged.


    ¡°Youmitted a sin that cannot be washed,¡± Gen said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on... but how dare you persecute an innocent man!¡± the short-tempered man shouted.


    ¡°Innocent? Are you saying you¡¯re not at fault after looking at this man?¡± Gen said, pointing at me.


    ¡°That¡ªman... <i>whoo...</i> It seems like there¡¯s been a misunderstanding. I¡¯m sure... there was a misunderstanding... If you tell me which guild you¡¯re from, I¡¯ll make ns to officially apologize to youter,¡± the leader offered.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°If you need an apology, I canpensate with physical items...¡± the leader added.


    <i>¡®No. I don¡¯t want gold this time.¡¯</i>


    ¡°You... pieces of trash...¡± Gen mumbled.


    <i>¡®That actually made him more mad.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Mr. Gen...¡± I said.


    ¡°Please wait a moment,¡± Gen said.


    ¡°Mr. Gen!¡± I shouted.


    ¡°I...¡±


    ¡°Mr. Gen! Please stop!¡± I yelled.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You can stop now!¡± I told him.


    <i>''Don¡¯t stop, damn it. Hit them more and show them your strength.''</i>


    ¡°Don¡¯t hurt them anymore,¡± I begged.


    <i>''Hurt them. Crush their bones and tear their skin. I think I got a bruise. It hurts a lot. This isn¡¯t enough to calm me down. I think there¡¯s a crack in my bone. My ribs hurt a lot. Pay them back fourfold! No, fortyfold! Kill them! Rip them to pieces!''</i>


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°Let''s just... leave,¡± I suggested.


    <i>''We should run before security gets here but serve them a few more knuckle sandwiches before we leave.''</i>


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, Mr. Gen. I¡ª¡±


    ¡°How can you say that you¡¯re fine every time?¡± Gen interrupted.


    ¡°I¡¯m really fine,¡± I reassured him.


    <i>''Why do the rookie members look like that? Their nervous look is making them look like the same person to me. Of course, I¡¯m still the same beggar earlier.''</i>


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re after... but the Blue Guild won¡¯t overlook this incident,¡± the leader said.


    <i>''The Blue Guild will overlook this. You¡¯re the one who won¡¯t overlook this. Don¡¯t use the guild¡¯s name like that. You¡¯re so arrogant.''</i>


    ¡°L-Let¡¯s go, Mr. Gen. Please... <i>Heuk...</i> Please...¡± I cried.


    <i>''I don¡¯t want to go back to the birdcage. I don¡¯t want to hurt people any longer. But man, don¡¯t hold it in. Punish those fools.''</i>


    Gen seemed unable to ignore my tears because he lowered his hand and grabbed my hand.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget. The Blue Guild will never overlook this!¡±


    <i>''Just shut up, man. You¡¯re so loud.''</i>


    The scared dog among the rookies finally became quiet.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Mr. Lee Ki-Young... I¡¯m sorry,¡± Gen said.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. You don¡¯t need to apologize for anything. Then...¡± I paused.


    ¡°I think we should... leave the city,¡± Gen suggested.


    <i>''No, I don¡¯t think we can leave. Commander Jin has already organized his troops.'' </i>


    As expected, they were closing in on us, but the Heretic Inquisitors or the Holy Knights were nowhere to be seen.


    However, I was sure they¡¯d soone flooding in from the warp gate.


    ¡°This way!¡±


    "I¡¯m sorry. I... <i>Heuk...</i> I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Gen,¡± I cried.


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault, Mr. Lee Ki-Young,¡± Gen said.


    <i>''I think we''ll end up running away into the night.''</i>


    <i>''Many people are keeping tabs on the ongoing situation, right?''</i>


    ***


    <i>"Guild Master, I apologize for contacting you sote. T-There¡¯s something I need to tell you. We got into an ident today¡ªHuh? Oh... I-I¡¯m sorry"</i>


    ¡ª ...


    <i>"I thought it was nothing more than an argument... but it looks like there¡¯s another guild involved. Their goal is unknown, but they¡¯re systematically targeting the guild...</i>


    <i>"Yes, that¡¯s right. We ran into him exactly three times... It¡¯s like he knew where we were... Yes, yes... I¡¯ll notify the Commander first¡ªWhat? Ah... yes. It¡¯s more like he¡¯s after the Blue Guild, not us... I¡¯m sorry. My ipetence has stained the guild''s honor... I¡¯m sorry, Guild Master."</i>


    ¡ª ...


    <i>"The exact details... Yes. About the video that¡¯s spreading on Benigoa Net... I¡¯m sorry. Please forgive me. P-Please kill me."</i>


    ¡ª ...


    "What?"


    ¡ª ...


    <i>"I¡¯m sorry. I... didn¡¯t hear you. Did you just say Mr. Ki-Young? Who is..."</i>


    ¡ª ...


    ¡ª ...


    ¡ª ...


    <i>Click.</i>

 Chapter 938. Gen (17)

    <h4>Chapter 938. Gen (17)</h4>


    The atmosphere of the city was changing so rapidly that I could feel it.


    Everyone realized that something big was going on.


    Gen¡¯s expression was also telling me that the situation was turning for the worse.


    The city was sealed by a huge semi-transparent veil.


    The guards and the adventurers in the city were moving based on the orders that they had received. Reinforcements were flooding in through the warp gate, and every single exit was locked. The civilians in the city were pretty flustered, which was quite realistic.


    <i>¡®Commander Jin is doing a good job.¡¯</i>


    The mood was important in situations like this.


    <i>''Look. He''s determined not to let even a single ant leave the city.'' </i>


    The peaceful city instantly became simr to a battlefield, and it seemed like a stage was made.


    ¡°This way.¡±


    ¡°Martialw has been dered in the city! We ask that you follow the army¡¯s instructions!¡± a soldier announced


    <i>¡®He even dered martialw?¡¯</i>


    ¡°W-What¡¯s going on?¡± a civilian asked.


    ¡°Are you allowed to do this? If you do this¡ª¡±


    ¡°Please follow our instructions!¡± a soldier interrupted.


    ¡°Do you know who I am?!¡± the civilian shouted.


    <i>''There¡¯s always someone who asks stupid questions, but they¡¯ll soon end up getting suppressed.''</i>


    ¡°Shut up and follow our instructions, you fool,¡± said arge-framed soldier.


    The uncooperative civilian immediately went quiet.


    The civilians were moving and being questioned without knowing what was going on. I was sure the soldiers were asking them if they had seen Gen or not. If they had, then the soldiers would ask when they saw Gen and where.


    ¡°Can you tell us what¡¯s going on?¡± a civilian asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but it¡¯s top secret,¡± a soldier replied.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°If you cooperate, you¡¯ll be able to return to your homes soon,¡± the soldier informed.


    ¡°Hey! How are things over there?¡± a soldier asked.


    ¡°Themander has taken over operational control. He said he''s on his way to the site...¡± a soldier responded.


    ¡°Damn it... we should handle this quickly. What is the partner guild doing? Come over here! Control the civilians and make sure not a single person gets out of here!¡± a soldiermanded.


    Everyone was busy, and it was all because they were worried about Commander Jin¡¯s reaction. It seemed that Commander Jin had truly be a symbolic figure of the Republic. A few years ago, people were pointing fingers at him, calling him "Demon Summoner," but he became a great hero in just a few years.


    <i>¡®He really needs to treat me well.¡¯</i>


    <i>''The Hero of Shadows... his title alone sends a shiver down anyone''s spine.''</i>


    Obviously, his fame wasn¡¯t limited to the Republic. The Sacred Democratic Country¡ªno, the entire continent knew of his existence, so I was sure that Gen had heard of him as well.


    They had never met, but the Republic was the Sacred Democratic Country¡¯s enemy... so I was sure he was at least aware of the Republic''s major figures.


    As expected, Gen revealed a solemn face.


    His solemn face was telling me that I was right.


    <i>¡®He¡¯s probably thinking that Commander Jin can''t be an easy opponent.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I think themander of the Republic ising here, Mr. Lee Ki-Young,¡± Gen said.


    ¡°<i>Ah...</i> when you say themander...¡± I paused.


    ¡°It won¡¯t be easy,¡± Gen said.


    ¡°W-Will we be okay?¡± I asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    Gen couldn¡¯t answer with confidence.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s move,¡± Gen suggested.


    We didn¡¯t have many choices.


    It was almost impossible to escape discreetly or wait until security had loosened up.


    The security was so tight, as they had made an extreme move of sealing the entire city.


    It was pretty effective.


    If the city''s manager were an idiot, there''d be openings, but the Commander of the Republic wouldn¡¯t have an opening like that. He was thorough, so it was impossible to escape the well-woven spider web without making a single noise.


    Our only option was...


    <i>¡®To brute-force our way out...¡¯</i>


    We could show ourselves, and weak spots would certainly appear in this intricate spider web. Security was tight, but not everyone was perfect. His underlings or even the Blue Guild members could end up doing something that would reveal a gap for us to exploit.


    The city guards and ns throughout the city were part of his operation, but there were bound to be variables to this perfect system of his, as the parts that make up the system were just humans.


    Gen seemed to have reached the same conclusion as me. He carried me with one hand and started running away. The people around us turned their attention to us, and that was when Gen spread his wings and flew at a low altitude across the city.


    <i>¡®Why is he so fast?¡¯</i>


    He was slower than Kim Hyun-Sung, but he was fast.


    <i>''Can Jin Cheong even stop him?¡¯</i>


    Our Commander Jin was weak when it came to something like this. He was even defeated by the tactical Kim Hyun-Sung, and the same thing could happen this time as well.


    ¡°Shit! After them!¡± a soldier shouted.


    ¡°We found our target! Target found!¡± another soldier shouted.


    ¡°Move!¡±


    Everyone reacted immediately. Perhaps it was for the safety of the hostage, but they didn''t use any offensive-type spells against Gen.


    However, a deluge of binding spells swept toward Gen.


    Masked rangers chased after us, and there were also moths blocking Gen¡¯s path.


    Of course, they were too weak to stop Gen here.


    ¡°<i>Gah! Ack!</i>¡±


    ¡°Request reinforcements! Reinforcements! Capture them somehow!¡± a soldier shouted.


    ¡°We¡¯re moving. The target is still on the move!¡± they eximed.


    They weren¡¯t out to kill us; they simply wanted to suppress us.


    ¡°Mr. Lee Ki-Young, are you okay?¡± Gen asked.


    ¡°Y-Yes, I¡¯m fine, Mr. Gen. Are you hurt anywhere?¡± I asked.


    Gen covered my face with a nket.


    A cacophony of explosions pierced my ears, and I could imagine just what kind of battle was happening right now. I was sure they were chasing us like dozens of wild dogs hunting one prey.


    Their stamina and mentality were getting exhausted at breakneck speeds. They couldn''t afford to injure me, after all, which was definitely mentally draining.


    It seemed like we were doing a good job at escaping, but that wasn¡¯t really the case.


    <i>¡®I think we¡¯re getting cornered.¡¯</i>


    They were forcing us to move to a certain area.


    To make things worse, this fool had yet to realize that he had fallen for their trap.


    ¡°<i>Whoo... whoo...</i>¡±


    ¡°Mr. Gen!¡± I shouted.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Mr. Lee Ki-Young,¡± Gen said.


    An arrow had grazed his arm.


    He changed directions, and I would have done the same if it hadn''t been for my Telescope. Yes, I would have suggested this route. His decision wasn¡¯t so bad, but it was actually disadvantageous to us.


    They were probably waiting for us at the end of this path.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s nice to appear at thest and decisive moment.¡¯</i>


    Once we were cornered, I felt like Gen would raise one arm and reveal an annoying smile, saying, <i>"This is the end," or "Did you think you could escape from my trap?"</i>


    I could already imagine Gen revealing a smile filled with despair before saying, <i>"Let the game begin."</i>


    <i>¡®Ah, I should have asked him to bring those fools from earlier. They need to eat more knuckle sandwiches.¡¯</i>


    Especially the one who had left a bruise on my face.


    <i>¡®At this point, I¡¯m sure they¡¯re in a desperate situation as well.¡¯</i>


    ¡ª That... beggar was the sub guild master? I-I¡¯m sure you''ve misunderstood it. That¡¯s... It can¡¯t be. I-I¡¯m sure you¡¯re mistaken. You mean the Honorary Cardinal of the Democratic Country was that crazy jerk?"


    ¡ª Are you sure you exined the situation correctly?


    ¡ª I think I made a mistake...


    ¡ª ...


    ¡ª It must''ve been a call for help, and I misunderstood us. He made contact with us three times, and they were all desperate calls for help...


    I wasn¡¯t familiar with this script, but anyone could tell that what I had done was a call for help. It was a call for help to get away from this criminal¡¯s dirty hands and to no longer suffer horrible things as this criminal''s captive.


    I had dragged my weak body to ask the Blue Guild for help, but the new guild members ignored it and even misunderstood it.


    I was certain that everyone would find it hard to imagine just how hopeless... I had to have felt at the time. They had even insulted me by calling me a beggar, and they even punched me.


    I was sure they were aware of my identity at the time.


    ¡ª What do we do?


    ¡ª ...


    ¡ª ...


    ¡ª Regardless of the incident... how are we going to handle... his rage?


    <i>¡®He said, "his rage." That¡¯s such an old expression. I guess Commander Jin has been too strict these days. He should have been a bit kinder on them.¡¯</i>


    ¡ª The guild master won¡¯t forgive us.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    <i>''Guild Master? What about Commander Jin?''</i>


    I activated my Telescope and saw Commander Jin.


    ¡ª I didn¡¯t know either. Damn it! Why me?! Damn it!


    <i>''Who is Cheongie hyung talking to?''</i>


    ¡ª You crazy bastard! Damn it! I¡¯m taking my hands off of this one. I shouldn¡¯t have gotten involved with you guys. You¡¯re just fools who rush in by relying only on your strength and nothing else!


    ¡ª How dare you... You¡¯re nothing but beasts who don''t recognize my kindness in taking care of you! How dare you! Say something like that? The thief[1] mentioned in that old saying are fools like you! You dirty and disgusting fool. I¡¯m ipetent? Me?


    <i>''Oh, did you guys fight? Did Hyun-Sung say something?''</i>


    <i>BOOM!</i>


    I felt weightless, and I felt like I was flying somewhere.


    I could feel the flow of mana around me, so I spoke, ¡°A-Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Mr. Gen?¡± I called out.


    ¡°Mr. Ki-Young.¡±


    I heard a different voice. I looked up and saw a familiar face. It had been a while since I saw that face.


    ¡°Hyun-Sung?¡± I asked.


    I saw his handsome and angry face.


    I had no idea what exactly was going on, so I just decided to cry first as if I was hurt.


    ¡°Gen... I mean... M-Mr. Hyun-Sung,¡± I mumbled.


    <i>''I¡¯ll just cry for now.''</i>


    1. Proverb: Save a thief from the gallows, and he''ll be your enemy ?

 Chapter 939. Gen (18)

    <h4>Chapter 939. Gen (18)</h4>


    I would be able to determine the direction of the situation by crying first, and Kim Hyun-Sung would also make his own conclusions as to why I was crying.


    I cried, hoping he¡¯d find the answer, but I was also startled to see him here.


    <i>¡®Damn it, what the hell?¡¯</i>


    What was that ipetent Commander Jin doing? Howe he didn''t stop him froming here? Was he contacted by those new recruits? It was highly likely.


    Many different thoughts popped up into my head, and the script had taken a turn so suddenly that my mind couldn¡¯t keep up with it.


    However, there was a really high chance that those foolish recruits had contacted Kim Hyun-Sung directly. They had to have considered Gen¡¯s actions as a challenge to the Blue Guild, which meant it wasn''t strange that Kim Hyun-Sung was contacted about it.


    Kim Hyun-Sung knew what the guild meant to me, so I was sure he had emphasized many times to the recruits just how important the guild''s honor was. If they had determined that today¡¯s incident was serious enough to destroy the guild¡¯s honor, they probably had no choice but to contact him directly.


    <i>¡®They had no idea that they were simply digging their own holes... Did Kim Hyun-Sung recognize me through the video that¡¯s being shared throughout Benigoa Net right now?¡¯</i>


    How the hell did he even recognize me?


    I was convinced that upon seeing the video, he rushed to Jin Cheong and acted like a child before making a beeline for my current location.


    Kim Hyun-Sung wouldn''t have noticed us if we had tried to get out of here quietly, but the entire city had announced that we were here, so it wasn''t strange for him to know about it as well.


    In addition topletely destroying the stage that Commander Jin had created, he also took the lead role for himself.


    <i>¡®Commander Jin is probably disappointed.¡¯</i>


    He had to be disappointed by the fact that he couldn''t speak his famous lines. I shook my head unknowingly while thinking about useless things like to escape reality temporarily.


    And that was when Kim Hyun-Sung¡¯s thoughts filled my head.


    [What the heck? His arm is so thin... he''s just skin and bones...]


    <i>''No, it¡¯s not that bad.''</i>


    [What the hell? He looks terrible... Can he even move properly?]


    <i>''Do I look</i> that<i> bad?''</i>


    His thoughts filled my head in real time, and he started having many thoughts as soon as he held me in his arms. I was crying, and I looked both horrible and weak.


    <i>¡®I definitely look worse than I thought.¡¯</i>


    It was kind of awkward evaluating myself through another person¡¯s eyes, but I was sure I had lost a lot of weight because I couldn''t remember thest time I ate a decent meal.


    I''d often eat just a little before putting my spoon down.


    The situation had improved a bit, but the traces of suffering were still there.


    In addition, my fingers were swollen due to the intense house chores that I had been doing these days. I was trying to pretend that I was working hard as well, so I ended up having a lot of injuries from sewing and cooking.


    I treated them using holy power, but I had to wrap them with bandages as a way to show them off. I would either stab myself while sewing or cut myself while cooking, as my character background stated that I had never really done such chores.


    In other words, I had to be clumsy when it came to cooking and sewing.


    <i>¡®That¡¯s right, Hyun-Sung. My skin has also be really dry.¡¯</i>


    The products that Lee Ji-Hye had sent me gave me really stic, healthy, and pure white skin, but my current skin had lost all of its moisture. Actually, it wasn¡¯t <i>that</i> bad, but there was a clear differencepared to before this incident.


    <i>¡®Yeah, I have chapped lips, damn it.¡¯</i>


    My gaze looked empty.


    It was like I had given up on life, and my gaze seemed to be telling him the hardships I had to endure upon getting kidnapped by Gen. I was sure that Kim Hyun-Sung wouldn''t be able to imagine the things I had gone through¡ªthe humiliation, the disgrace, and the pain I had to endure.


    He wouldn''t be able to guess the things I had to experience.


    <i>¡®Actually, that didn''t really happen. It''s just that his imagination runs wild at times like this.¡¯</i>


    I could tell Kim Hyun-Sung was thinking about every single possible scenario. He was biting his lips hard, and it seemed that he couldn''t control his strength right now, as his lips were bleeding.


    He was about to remove the nket on me, but he stopped.


    When I saw his expression, I frowned and quickly covered myself. Was it because I didn¡¯t want to show my miserable appearance to the public?


    Was it because I didn¡¯t want to show my bedraggled appearance to the denizens because they were looking up to me? I was sure Kim Hyun-Sung felt bad because all he could do was cover his wounded friend using a cursed, tattered nket.


    It had been a while since he saw such a nket around me.


    [Those bastards.]


    <i>''Yeah, those bastards beat me up. I have bruises all over me, and I broke some bones as well. They were so violent that they even focused their attacks on my face, so my face would look really swollen.''</i>


    Regardless, I was still smiling.


    <i>''Yeah, stay strong, Ki-Young.'' </i>


    <i>''Hyun-Sung, don¡¯t ever forget those bastards. They¡¯re really unforgivable.''</i>


    ¡°M-Mr. Ki-Young...¡± Kim Hyun-Sung mumbled.


    ¡°...¡±


    I decided to stay quiet for now.


    ¡°Mr. Ki-Young... are you okay? W-What in the world...¡± Kim Hyun-Sung stuttered.


    It sounded like Kim Hyun-Sung was at a loss for words, and he was already overflowing with rage and shame. Now that I thought about it, I had a limp, but I couldn''t show him that, as I was in his arms.


    ¡°Why did you not call...¡± Kim Hyun-Sung trailed off.


    <i>''Ah, I have my reason for that.'' </i>


    One of my eyes was injured. I was talking about the gift that the Goddess had bestowed upon me using the bond between Kim Hyun-Sung and me as the primary crafting material. My gold eye was also a symbol that would notify me whenever we were connected, but it had lost its light a long time ago.


    I couldn¡¯t open one of my eyes properly.


    Actually, my gold eye was just symbolic, but I could use it as a reason why I couldn''t contact him.


    ¡°...¡±


    Kim Hyun-Sung¡¯s face slowly became grim.


    <i>¡®Uh.¡¯</i>


    The air around me was distorting along with his face. His face was so distorted that I wondered whether it was actually possible for him to make that kind of face. It was only for a moment, but...


    <i>¡®What the hell? You scared me.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    Updat??d fr??m .


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m... I¡¯m sorry about everything,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung added.


    <i>''No, you have nothing to apologize for.''</i>


    ¡°I¡¯m really... really sorry. I¡ª¡±


    ¡°I-It¡¯s fine, Mr. Hyun-Sung,¡± I said, interrupting him.


    ¡°I-¡±


    ¡°I knew you¡¯de,¡± I told him.


    I was honestly hoping you wouldn¡¯te.


    ¡°If I... came sooner...¡± Kim Hyun-Sung muttered.


    ¡°And this is my fault... so you don¡¯t have to apologize for anything,¡± I said.


    ¡°Please... please hold on a little longer,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung begged.


    That was when I heard a loud voice...


    ¡°Let go of his hand.¡±


    <i>Ah</i>, right. He was here as well. Obviously, I flinched upon unconsciously recalling how this dirty kidnapper had been ying around with me.


    I could still remember the suffering I had to withstand in that deserted, moldy room where we had to eat pig porridge every day. And I could still remember how I struggled against the dirty, muddy water that flooded that room every day.


    There was also that moldy nket...


    ¡°I said let go of his hand,¡± Gen repeated.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I told you to let go of his hand!¡± Gen shouted.


    ¡°Is it him?¡± Kim Hyun-Sung asked.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Is he... the culprit behind why you look like this?¡± Kim Hyun-Sung asked.


    <i>It¡¯s a long story, so... I¡¯ll just cry for now. </i>


    Gen revealed a desperate look and spread his wings.


    Our Hyun-Sung unsheathed his sword while biting his lips.


    Gen was definitely strong¡ªhe was stronger than an ordinary human being, as he had received Benigoa¡¯s power. He had also been desperately honing his sword techniques, and he was overflowing with talent as well.


    He was so talented that he was transferred to the Vatican, and he had grown powerful upon receiving a ton of resources from the Vatican. Overall, Gen was powerful.


    <i>¡®Unfortunately, our Hyun-Sung is stronger.¡¯</i>


    Low-altitude flight seemed to be his specialty, as he charged at Kim Hyun-Sung and flew so low to the ground that I thought he''d collide with it.


    Kim Hyun-Sung took a stance and got ready to attack.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s been a while since I saw him fight.¡¯</i>


    <i>BOOM!</i>


    A thunderous boom echoed as Gen was sted several kilometers away, eventually crashing into a building.


    <i>¡®Shit. This is why I didn¡¯t want to call Kim Hyun-Sung.¡¯</i>


    <i>Kaboooooooooom!!!</i>


    Of course, Gen didn''t fly several kilometers away without colliding with anything. Every single building unfortunate enough to collide with him crumbled almost immediately.


    <i>¡®Uh...¡¯</i>


    <i>Boom!</i>


    Gen didn¡¯t seem to care about the roads or the buildings as he stepped out into the open.


    ¡°Mr. Lee Ki-Young!¡± Gen screamed, stretching his hand out toward me, but he was sted away again.


    <i>BOOM!</i>


    The city was destroyed in an instant.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m sorry, Commander Jin. Damn it.¡¯</i>


    Had he expected this to happen?


    The city was so empty that I couldn''t see even a single ant.


    The civilians and troops were evacuated.


    There were some people around, and I could see that they were trying to control the situation, but they couldn¡¯t even approach the two.


    Of course, I didn''t really think that they wanted to stop the two. Actually, they <i>could </i>stop them, but it was more like they couldn¡¯t do it. They were aware that this was out of their hands at this point.


    <i>¡®They¡¯ve given up on the city.¡¯</i>


    The famousndmark of the city¡ªarge tower in the city center¡ªcopsed to the ground upon getting split into two by Kim Hyun-Sung''s sword.


    Gen desperately fought back Kim Hyun-Sung.


    Even the temple in the city was destroyed, and I was sure that it was only a matter of time before the city was reduced to a wastnd.


    Even the city walls were in the middle of a copse...


    I was d that Jung Ha-Yan wasn''t here, but the damage was really extensive.


    I felt like I was watching children fighting on top of a sand castle. Actually, the two couldn''t even bepared, as I was sure that this sight filled people with more despair than watching a sandcastle fall apart upon getting stepped on.


    ¡ª Damn it! Lee Ki-Young, you bastard! Damn it!


    <i>"Are you watching, Commander?"</i>


    ¡ª Damn it! What are you...


    <i>"I told you to take care of Hyun-Sung, didn''t I? And you couldn¡¯t even do that? You¡¯re so ipetent... What can you even do? Do you really think I can put you in charge of projects with how ipetent you are?"</i>


    ¡ª You crazy fool! Do you really think that you¡¯re in the position to say that?!


    <i>''Stop it, man, I''m already having a headache.''</i>


    I muted themunication channel and focused on the fight between Gen and Kim Hyun-Sung.


    <i>¡®What should I do?¡¯</i>


    <i>BOOM!</i>


    <i>¡®I¡¯ve grown fond of him since we lived together for quite a while, after all. He¡¯s still kind of useful as well.¡¯</i>


    ¡°<i>Ahhh!</i>¡±


    <i>¡®Should I just cut ties with him here? I guess he''s pretty embarrassing to associate myself with.¡¯</i>


    <i>Craaaaaaack!</i>


    <i>¡®Do I still need more information about the dungeon? Still, the least I can do is bring Gen to court so he can maintain his honor until the end. It might be better to send him off painlessly and with his honor intact.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Bastard!¡± Kim Hyun-Sung shouted.


    ¡°Someone like you... will never know his pain... <i>Kgh!</i>¡± Gen yelled.


    ''Uh...''


    <i>Kabooooooom!</i>


    <i>''Ah.''</i>


    <i>Craaaaaack!</i>


    ¡°<i>Kgh!</i>¡±


    <i>Boooooooooooooom!</i>


    <i>''You¡¯re going to kill him, man...'' </i>


    Kim Hyun-Sung was no longer using his sword. At some point, he had let go of his sword and was just beating Gen to a pulp. It was like I was watching Cha Hee-Ra¡ªno, it was more like I was staring at Doom Hyun-Sung.


    I checked to see if he had a tail and if his expression had be icy cold, but there wasn''t anything like that. Kim Hyun-Sung was just disying what pure violence looked like without using any of his skills.


    He was just taking his anger out on Gen, and his one and only goal was to inflict as much pain as possible on Gen.


    Gen was resisting, but it was pretty much useless.


    His Endurance had to be pretty high, as he was doing a great job withstanding Kim Hyun-Sung''s attacks, but the fact that he was still alive despite such a beating made him appear really pitiful.


    ¡°W-Wait...¡± I muttered.


    <i>''You¡¯re really going to kill him at this rate.''</i>


    <i>Kaboooooooom!</i>


    ¡°Bastard!¡± Kim Hyun-Sung shouted.


    <i>Crack!</i>


    ¡°P-Please stop, Mr. Hyun-Sung!¡± I shouted.

 Chapter 940. Gen (19)

    <h4>Chapter 940. Gen (19)</h4>


    <i>¡®I think Gen is still useful.¡¯</i>


    He knew the dungeon¡¯s location, he had a direct connection to the Mole Saint¡¯s Cozy Sanctuary, and he''d be helpful in clearing it.


    In addition, I needed a culprit to show to the public.


    I needed someone to take responsibility for this incident.


    Actually, Gen''s survival didn''t really matter to me, but the public would think otherwise. I also just couldn''t announce that the guy who was supposed to appear in public had died under mysterious circumstances.


    Gen hadmitted a worldwide felony, which meant that anyone had the license to kill him on the spot. I was sure that no one wouldin even if Hyun-Sung ended up sending Gen to Benigoa''s side, but if possible, it would be more effective to let thew handle him.


    <i>¡®He </i>did<i>mit a crime worthy of death...¡¯</i>


    However, a miserable death under Kim Hyun-Sung''s fists in a random deserted building was just a bit too much, which was why I decided to stop Kim Hyun-Sun.


    I didn''t do that out of the bond, friendship, and brotherhood between Gen and me. I was simply worried that Kim Hyun-Sung''s anger would consume him. Thankfully, Kim Hyun-Sung stood up and looked down at the guy that he had beaten to a pulp.


    Gen looked startled by the sudden respite, and his fists trembled upon realizing that I had saved him. He felt overwhelmingly helpless. Although he had suggested that we travel the world and look at the beautiful sceneries of the continent, we hadn''t really done any of that.


    Of course, it was all because I was dying, but it wouldn''t change the fact that we had yet to do any of what he had suggested to me.


    Now that I thought about it, he had never really done anything for me.


    I couldn¡¯t choose anything for myself even in my final moments. If the Guild Master of the Blue Guild were to drag me away, I''d be locked up in a birdcage again, and I would never get to spread my wings until the day I die.


    The Honorary Cardinal of the Sacred Democratic Country, who''dugh even at the smallest thing, would choose to live as the God of Sacrifice of Revival.


    Gen couldn¡¯t just stand by and let that happen; he¡¯d rather die than let that happen.


    With that in mind, he got up and swung his fist.


    A criminal''s cowardly sucker punch would never hit its mark, and Gen¡¯s fist didn¡¯t even reach our hero.


    Kim Hyun-Sung¡¯s basic defense stance was enough to stop Gen''s powerful fist.


    Gen seemed to have thought that he had a chance because heshed out with his leg, but Kim Hyun-Sung''s thick arms easily withstood his kick.


    Even if Gen were in perfect health, there was no guarantee that his kick just now would hit Kim Hyun-Sung.


    ¡°Damn it... damn it!¡± Gen shouted. He cursed with everything he had, but his attacks couldn''t reach Kim Hyun-Sung at all. There was a clear difference in their strength, and Gen couldn''t do anything other than make the city restoration efforts be even more expensive andplex.


    In the end, Gen copsed first. He was so immersed in this role that I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he cried.


    As expected, he started crawling toward me while crying.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry... I¡¯m... sorry,¡± Gen said while crying.


    ¡°Please stop, Mr. Hyun-Sung,¡± I begged.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Please stop,¡± I repeated.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Please stop, Mr. Hyun-Sung!¡± I shouted.


    Kim Hyun-Sung wasn''t nning on stopping, but he ended up stopping and cast a confused gaze at me.


    ¡°But... why?¡± Kim Hyun-Sung asked.


    <i>¡®What do you mean why? Is he out of his mind? Is it okay to beat someone to death when we¡¯re not even at war? Really? I mean, you can, but you should still hold it in.¡¯</i>


    ¡°It¡¯s not his fault,¡± I answered.


    ¡°Mr. Lee Ki-Young...¡± Gen muttered.


    ¡°It¡¯s not his fault. I asked him... to leave with me. He was simply fulfilling my wishes,¡± I added.


    It didn¡¯t actually happen, but I needed to build up the story.


    Obviously, Kim Hyun-Sung looked utterly confused. He also couldn¡¯t ept the idea that I wanted to leave the Sacred Democratic Country and the Blue Guild. Of course, I didn¡¯t think Kim Hyun-Sung was going to easily ept that story.


    My trembling voice seemed to have told him that I was lying, but of course, I made my voice tremble on purpose.


    I looked so bedraggled that there was no way I''d go out there and show myself to the public, much less ask someone to leave with me.


    The idea was so absurd that it couldn''t even be considered a joke.


    There weren¡¯t any variables, but Kim Hyun-Sung seemed to have recalled a certain psychological response, and he looked like he couldn''t ept the possibility that his assumption was correct.


    ¡°Mr. Ki-Young, have you ever...¡± Kim Hyun-Sung trailed off.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Have you ever heard of Stockholm syndrome?¡± Kim Hyun-Sung asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    <i>''Of course, I''ve heard of that.''</i>


    ¡°What?¡± I asked.


    "Apparently, Stockholm syndrome describes the psychological condition of a victim who begins to identify and empathize with their captor. Maybe you¡ª¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not the case,¡± I interrupted him.


    Our time was short, but our friendship was real.


    I wasn¡¯t experiencing that kind of psychological response.


    <i>''And even if I''m experiencing that syndrome, did he really think I''d say yes and acknowledge it? He should consider the possibility of me bing hostile toward him. He needs to be more cautious when dealing with the mentally ill.</i>


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing like that. I just...¡± I trailed off.


    ¡°If you¡¯re going to punish Mr. Gen, you¡¯ll have to punish me as well,¡± I added.


    Gen had actuallymitted a crime, but...


    ¡°This man is a criminal,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    <i>¡®Hey, don¡¯t listen to me.¡¯</i>


    ¡°He made you suffer,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung added.


    ''I know you always say yes, but don¡¯t say yes this time. You have to be assertive. Am I really in the condition to make a reasonable judgement here? I mean,e on. Just look at me.


    ''I look like I''ll copse to the ground at any moment, so do you really think that someone like that can think properly? You''ve got to learn how to be blunt when necessary, man.''


    ¡°It¡¯s my fault, Mr. Hyun-Sung. He did nothing wro¡ª¡±


    "You look like skin and bones, and it''s this man''s fault!¡± Kim Hyun-Sung eximed.


    <i>''Yeah, get angry. Keep shouting.''</i>


    ¡°You¡¯re not in the condition to make any reasonable decision. Even if you don¡¯t agree with my actions right now, you¡¯ll eventually understand that I was right. It doesn¡¯t matter if you resent me right now, as you will eventually...¡± Kim Hyun-Sung trailed off.


    Temr Gen was poison, and I was sure Kim Hyun-Sung believed that he wasn''t supposed to exist.


    On the other hand, Gen looked touched. Temr Gen was crying, but was he crying because I was protecting him, or was he crying because he was in a hopeless situation?


    His crying was so good that he could win the Best Actor Award.


    Furious Kim Hyun-Sung didn¡¯t look so bad either, but Gen¡¯s face was filled withplicated emotions such as¡ªregret, gratitude, and pain, along with other emotions that I couldn''t really deduce.


    ¡°R-Run, Mr. Lee Ki-Young!¡± Gen eximed.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll hold him back. Run as far as you can!¡± Gen shouted.


    He was really cool right now, but I was too weak to do that.


    He was skilled at talking as well. I was really impressed by his confidence when he said something along the lines of showing me the beautiful sceneries of the continent.


    The results of his efforts were disappointing, though, like the pig porridge and that moldy deserted building.


    I was sure this time wouldn''t be any different.


    ¡°<i>Kgh! </i>Hurry up and run!¡± Gen repeated.


    <i>''Hey, how can I run from Kim Hyun-Sung? Stop talking nonsense. That¡¯s impossible.''</i>


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me... Hurry!¡± Gen yelled.


    He was putting on a one-man show.


    ¡°Come at me!¡± Gen provoked.


    <i>''You¡¯ll die if Kim Hyun-Sung goes to you. You should tell him not toe to you.''</i>


    Kim Hyun-Sung was shocked and angry. He was also filled with pure malice because he couldn¡¯t understand why I had decided to take Gen¡¯s side, even though Gen was the one who had reduced me to mere skin and bones.


    Kim Hyun-Sung was so angry that he was struggling to suppress his fury.


    Kim Hyun-Sung was right; he had always been making the wrong choices, but he finally made the right choice this time.


    The right choice here was to kill Gen and set me free.


    Kim Hyun-Sung was silent while Gen got ready to fight¡ªthinking that this was going to be his final battle.


    When Kim Hyun-Sung unsheathed his sword with the mindset to kill Gen with one strike, I got goosebumps all over my back.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do it!¡± I shouted.


    <i>''Don¡¯t kill him!''</i>


    Kim Hyun-Sung was really scary whenever he was full of killing intent.


    I was trembling unconsciously like an aspen tree, but I gathered my strength and shouted, ¡°That¡¯s right, Mr. Hyun-Sung! You¡¯re right.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Kim Hyun-Sung questioned.


    ¡°He really did kidnap me,¡± I added.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s also true that he kidnapped me and brought me here. I won¡¯t deny it anymore,¡± I added.


    Gen didn''t look like I had betrayed him. Perhaps it was because he had realized that I was doing this for him and that I had no choice but to do this to save him from Kim Hyun-Sung.


    ¡°Don¡¯t use your powers like this,¡± I begged.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°He has the right to a fair trial, Mr. Hyun-Sung,¡± I told him.


    <i>''Yeah, this is the build-up I was talking about.''</i>


    ¡°Even if his crime is unforgivable, he still deserved a fair trial and a chance to defend himself. You¡¯re about to do something controversial under continentalw. If Mr. Gen really deserves punishment, we must go through the correct procedure,¡± I exined.


    ¡°...¡±


    I was too weak right now, but I stepped forward with dignity and spread my arms dramatically. It was like I was telling him that I was going to defend Gen and that I couldn¡¯t let him die like this. The production value was truly great and excellent.


    ¡°<i>Ah... uh? Ah... uh...</i>¡±


    <i>''He looks strange now...''</i>


    ¡°<i>Uh... ah...</i>¡±


    <i>''What¡¯s wrong, Kim Hyun-sung? You¡¯re not broken, are you? You¡¯re okay, right?''</i>


    ¡°The Sacred Democratic Country and the Vatican must be the ones to punish him, Mr. Hyun-Sung,¡± I added.


    ¡°<i>Ah...</i>¡±


    Kim Hyun-Sung didn¡¯t say anything. Perhaps because he was too shocked, but he seemed like he was denying reality.


    His face was distorted, and he was mumbling strange things to himself. It was like someone precious to him had been taken away by a bunch of thugs, and he couldn''t do anything about it.


    ¡°<i>Uh...?</i>¡±


    ¡°Mr. Hyun-Sung, I¡¯m sorry, but this isn¡¯t right,¡± I said and ran over to Gen.


    ¡°...¡±


    I crouched and whispered to Gen, ¡°This is the only way, Mr. Gen.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to... You don¡¯t need to fight for me, Mr. Lee Ki-Young. What I want... is for you to be free...¡± Gen said.


    ¡°I¡¯m already free thanks to you, Mr. Gen. It¡¯s now my turn to protect you,¡± I told him.


    <i>''What a cliche.''</i>


    ¡°I¡¯m going to defend you,¡± I added.


    <i>''Yeah, I¡¯m not.''</i>


    ¡°I¡¯ll protect you,¡± I said.


    <i>''Yeah, I won¡¯t.''</i>


    ¡°So...¡± I paused.


    <i>''You have to tell me everything you know. You have to do that for you to win the uing trial.</i>


    <i>''You need to tell me everything, including how you obtained your wings, the location of the Mole Saint¡¯s Cozy Sanctuary, the dungeon''s clear requirements, Simon''s true identity, and the location of the other Temrs.¡¯</i>


    I bit my lips while staring at Gen.


    ¡°We¡¯ll ovee this crisis together,¡± I said.


    <i>''Actually, I don¡¯t think I will.''</i>

 Chapter 941. Gen (20) [Illustration]

    <h4>Chapter 941. Gen (20) [Illustration]</h4>


    ¡°Mr. Ki-Young...¡± Kim Hyun-Sung called out.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Mr. Ki-Young, are you avable?¡± Kim Hyun-Sung asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but Father Lee Ki-Young said he doesn¡¯t want to see anyone right now...¡± a holy knight said to him.


    ¡°Please tell him that I¡¯m here,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung requested.


    ¡°I already did, but he said he didn¡¯t want to see anyone. I¡¯m sorry, Master,¡± the holy knight told him.


    ¡°Mr. Ki-Young!¡± Kim Hyun-Sung shouted.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but...¡±


    ¡°Let go of me!¡± Kim Hyun-Sung yelled.


    ¡°Please have some dignity, Master,¡± the holy knight said.


    I heard loud noises outside. I heard Kim Hyun-Sung shouting my name, but I didn¡¯t really care. If I weren''t the one explicitly denying visitors, he would kick the door open.


    <i>¡®Unfortunately, he can¡¯t do anything about it, as I¡¯m the one who doesn¡¯t want to meet anyone.¡¯</i>


    I was in the middle of a very confusing time. I was minimizing contact with the outside world, excluding Jung Ha-Yan, and I avoided exposure to the media as much as possible.


    There were only a few people aware that I was kidnapped.


    Was it because they thought that my miserable life of eating pig porridge had tainted my honor, or was it because they didn¡¯t want to show the world that they were ipetent?


    The Vatican was really against letting the media know about the truth.


    It was also the reason I didn¡¯t want to meet Kim Hyun-Sung. They announced to the public that I was taking a break, and I went along with them by minimizing contact with other people, telling everyone that I had yet to recover from the shock.


    Of course, Kim Hyun-Sung didn¡¯t feel that way.


    He was preparing for the trial of the worst criminal to have ever existed¡ªTemr Gen¡¯s trial. However, I was sure he was disappointed in himself as well. He was mentally unstable because he was scared of losing his brother whom he had a deep connection with.


    The revived Kim Hyun-Sung was really obsessed with our bond, so I could see why he was acting kind of strange.


    He was deeply shaken by the fact that a random insignificant fool had somehow managed to take his position away as my brother.


    To make things worse, he was a criminal as well.


    In Kim Hyun-Sung''s eyes, he was a criminal who had hurt me, so I was sure it was hard for him to understand why I was defending the criminal.


    He was probably thinking that something had gone wrong somewhere, and he had to find what went wrong and fix it. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he thought he needed to be by my side because I was in a lot of mental pain.


    ¡°He¡¯s been like that for three days now. Oppa, Kim Hyun-Sung <i>is</i> okay, right?¡± Lee Ji-Hye asked.


    ¡°I can¡¯t do anything right now,¡± I replied.


    ¡°I ate with him two days ago, and he was just in the worst condition. He looked like he had lost everything, and there was a cloud over his head... he''d sometimes mumble strange things to himself as well...¡± Lee Ji-Hye said.


    ¡°Mumble strange things to himself?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I was scared, so I couldn¡¯t really hear what he was saying, but the light in his eyes had faded away. He looked desperate¡ªlike he had been pushed into a corner. He looked like someone on the brink of causing trouble or someone about tomit a crime...


    "It¡¯s like he''d blow up the moment you mess with him...¡± Lee Ji-Hye exined.


    ¡°But why did you two eat together?¡± I asked.


    ¡°<i>Ah!</i> He asked me to join the trial and to side with the Vatican. Apparently, he wants me to be a special prosecutor or something and punish the criminal.


    "He said the criminal had to be brought to the gallows no matter what... he said I could juste to the trial, and he¡¯d take care of the paperwork. He¡¯ll also pay me handsomely if I help him...


    "I''m still not sure about the details of his request, but the remuneration is prettyrge. He said he¡¯d pay me several years¡¯ sry all at once. I don¡¯t really care about gold at this point, but that amount was just astounding,¡± Lee Ji-Hye answered.


    <i>¡®This girl...¡¯</i>


    ¡°So what did you do? Did you ept it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No, I told him I was busy. I would ept it if I weren''t so busy. However, I don¡¯t really like being on the opposite side of you. However, I think he''s going to visit Commander Jin,¡± Lee Ji-Hye replied.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°He really wants to see the criminal on the gallows and Commander Jin is pretty skilled when ites to that. He also enjoys filming court cases. Kim Hyun-Sung seems like he knows that you¡¯re going to defend Gen because he''s preparing many things. He¡¯s working harder than you think behind the scenes,¡± Lee Ji-Hye informed.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°But... are you really okay?¡± Lee Ji-Hye asked.


    ¡°I told you I¡¯m fine,¡± I answered.


    ¡°Your face and skin are horrible right now. Your face and the skin were the only things that were good about you, but look at them now...


    "You also lost too much weight. I feel bad now... I had no idea that things would get <i>this </i>bad. I thought you were living a good life. Since you were struggling, you really should have said something,¡± Lee Ji-Hye said.


    ¡°I really was struggling at the time,¡± I told her.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s been a while since Ji-Hye noona felt bad about something.¡¯</i>


    In other words, I was definitely in pretty bad shape. I could still remember seeing a speechless Commander Jin when he came to arrest Gen, the worst criminal in history.


    I thought he was going to say a bunch of bullshit, but he stayed quiet upon seeing my poor condition. Thanks to his silence, I didn¡¯t need to get into a pointless argument, so I could say at the time that my condition was great.


    It was to the point that I thought it wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to go around looking like this from time to time.


    <i>¡®People who are normally cold toward me are treating me well right now.¡¯</i>


    Of course, I couldn''t do that again.


    I didn''t really want to go out looking for freedom again.


    ¡°Do you want more tea?¡± Lee Ji-Hye asked.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I answered.


    It was my dream to live a free life, but it seemed that living inside a birdcage was more enjoyable for me as the Saint of Light.


    I finished my half-bath and put on a face mask. Then, I sipped on tea while spending some time with Ji-Hye noona inside a luxury spa.


    <i>''Now this is what I call a real break...''</i>


    The massive room couldn''t bepared to that moldy, deserted building. Rather than a musty smell, the room was filled with sweet-smelling candles as a part of a so-called aromatherapy.


    Rather than a harsh discordant mixture of noises, sweet music filled the air. The sensation of the fabric wrapped around me felt really good; my feet and joints weren''t throbbing in pain as well.


    I also really liked the fact that Ji-Hye noona was treating me better than usual.


    ¡°Did our Ki-Young have a really hard time?¡± Lee Ji-Hye teased.


    <i>''But don¡¯t treat me like a baby.''</i>


    ¡°Do you want a hug?¡± Lee Ji-Hye asked.


    ¡°No. I need to eat and get ready to go out,¡± I told her.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°<i>Hmm,</i> are you going to Gen?¡± Lee Ji-Hye asked.


    ¡°Yeah, I need to get as much information as I can. It¡¯s Mirror Salmon today as well, right?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yeah. I also brought Rainbow Cotton Candy for dessert, so have your fill,¡± Lee Ji-Hye answered.


    It was pointless topare Mirror Salmon and Rainbow Cotton Candy to Gen''s pig porridge.


    ¡°The salmon came straight from Mirror Lake rather than from a farm,¡± Lee Ji-Hye added.


    ¡°Really?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes. Kim Hyun-Sung told me to tell you,¡± Lee Ji-Hye answered.


    <i>¡®He¡¯s really dedicated and nice.¡¯</i>


    I felt kind of bad. There was no need for him to go that far.


    I wanted to exin my situation, but what could I even tell him? I couldn''t tell him that everything was a part of my scheme and that I had been acting all along. I couldn''t tell him that I wanted to turn someone into a criminal and bring him down.


    The food melted in my mouth, causing all myplicated thoughts to disappear. It seemed that my stomach had gotten smaller because I quickly became full, but the fact that I was enjoying my meal was enough to make me feel better.


    ¡°And the guild is in chaos,¡± Lee Ji-Hye informed.


    ¡°The Blue Guild?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yeah. Looks like Kim Hyun-Sung has caused quite amotion while venting out his anger. He started breaking stuff as well. Jung Ha-Yan wasn¡¯t there because she''s preparing for a wedding or something...¡± Lee Ji-Hye replied.


    ¡°How do you know so much?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Because I have an informant. This is so good. I can see why you like it,¡± Lee Ji-Hye answered.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like it <i>that</i> much...¡± Imented.


    ¡°You say that, but you looked like you really enjoyed it. By the way... you¡¯re going to start today, right? How are you nning on doing it?¡± Lee Ji-Hye asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to go hard and wear all sorts of essories,¡± I responded.


    Lee Ji-Hye nodded in understanding and smiled.


    I could go around wearingfortable clothes, but this was more effective.


    The brighter I shone and the more I acted like the honorary cardinal of the Sacred Democratic Country, the more ashamed Gen would feel.


    This outfit was actually the mostfortable outfit for me, but Gen would think that I had be nothing but a mindless doll. He¡¯d probably confess once he saw me in shackles again because he was too ipetent to keep me away from here.


    ¡°A beautiful bird inside a birdcage... that''s what you want to be, right? A dressed-up doll living ording to the wishes and whims of other people. You once desired freedom, but your eyes had lost the light.


    "You want to be someone who has no choice but to ept your fate no matter how horrible it is,¡± Lee Ji-Hye asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly it,¡± I answered.


    ¡°You should wear the hat. I¡¯ll give you the ne and rings as well,¡± she suggested.


    ¡°Not bad.¡±


    My preparations were done, and I got ready to go out.


    Dozens of holy knights instantly surrounded me outside, as there was an ongoing concern about the security around the Vatican.


    When I saw how Park Lian, Lee Chang-Ryeol, and even Kim Ye-Ri were assigned to protect me, I realized that they were truly worried about the possibility that I could get kidnapped once again.


    Kim Ye-Ri raised her hand slightly to greet me, and I did the same. It looked like Kim Ye-Ri was aware of everything, but it was probably because she had participated in Park Deok-Gu¡¯s awakening event.


    And that was when I heard a voice...


    ¡°Where are you headed, Father Lee Ki-Young?¡± a holy knight asked.


    ¡°Please take me to where Mr. Gen is,¡± I answered.


    ¡°...¡± ¡°There¡¯s something I would like to hear from him. I¡¯ll interrogate him myself and see what he has to say,¡± I added.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I trust that he wasn¡¯t tortured, and there weren''t any cruel and usual punishments inflicted on him,¡± I said.


    I was sure he was constantly being tortured, but Gen definitely hadn''t said much to him, as he was pretty good at keeping secrets.


    Anyway, the party of holy knights nodded in response to my question.


    ¡°Mr. Ki-Young!¡± someone yelled.


    ¡°Mr. Hyun-Sung?¡±


    <i>¡®You¡¯re still here?¡¯</i>


    It turned out that he had been waiting outside, waiting for an opportunity to see me.


    ¡°Mr. Ki-Young, have you¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Hyun-Sung. I don¡¯t want to see you right now,¡± I interrupted him.


    Ji-Hye noona was right. Kim Hyun-Sung looked really horrible.


    <i>¡®I don¡¯t think he¡¯s been sleeping.¡¯</i>


    I couldn¡¯t really describe his face, but he looked like he was hanging off a cliff.


    He looked really desperate.


    ¡°You have your own tasks to handle,¡± I told him.


    <i>''You have work to do in the Republic, so why are you here?''</i>


    ¡°Those aren¡¯t important right now, Mr. Ki-Young,¡± I said.


    <i>''If that¡¯s not important... Shit. So you randomly picked those guys as guild members because you thought that the tasks I assigned to you weren''t important?''</i>


    ¡°You have to take care of the new guild members,¡± I said.


    <i>''Yeah, the ones who hit me. Those bastards.''</i>


    ¡°Those... guild members... are no longer part of the guild,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung informed me.


    ¡°What? Did you shut down the Republic branch?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No, t-that¡¯s not what I meant. The new guild members are no longer around,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung stuttered.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to exin... but anyway... they¡¯re no longer around,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung repeated.


    <i>''So where are they? In Heaven?''</i>


    ¡°They¡¯re... no longer around,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung added.


    <i>''Did you... kill them?''</i>


    Kim Hyun-Sung¡¯s gaze scared me a bit.

 Chapter 942. Trial (1)

    <h4>Chapter 942. Trial (1)</h4>


    I had no idea just what Kim Hyun-Sung was thinking.


    I just knew he was confused and was feeling a variety of emotions at the moment. One thing I managed to confirm was that his gaze was kind of strange, and it was to the point that it reminded me of Jung Ha-Yan during her prime.


    <i>¡®Did you really kill them?¡¯</i>


    I looked around using my telescope just in case, but I didn¡¯t see them.


    I had no idea if they ended up getting buried alive or if they even went to heaven, but the Blue Guild¡¯s Republic branch, where I thought I would find them, looked like the scene of a gruesome crime. Things were scattered everywhere, and there wasn''t anything intact inside of it as if it were an abandoned building.


    The desks and chairs were broken in half...


    <i>¡®That¡¯s not blood, is it?¡¯</i>


    There were strange stains.


    The temporary guild house looked clean from the outside, but it was actually useless for quite some time now. I didn''t really think that they would close the guild house because I saw a few staffers, but they looked gloomy.


    I heard someone crying from one side of the room while another person was questioning what they were supposed to do now. Despite that, they were still working, but they all looked so desperate that I couldn''t even hear them talking to each other.


    <i>¡®What the hell happened?¡¯</i>


    I turned my head to act like it was none of my business, but I noticed familiar objects on the meeting table.


    <i>¡®Empty lunch boxes.¡¯</i>


    They looked familiar. Han Sora always carried those around with her, and Jung Ha-Yan always ate from them.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    <i>¡®I thought you guys were preparing for a wedding.¡¯</i>


    Was Jung Ha-Yan connected to this as well?


    I was sure we had already taken care of the kidnapping case. Could it be that they noticed what was going on?


    The easiest assumption I could make was that perhaps Kim Hyun-Sung had asked for her help, as killing those guys was easy, but hiding them was hard. Jung Ha-Yan had enough spells in her arsenal to dispose of them. They¡¯d be able to get rid of them easily.


    Now that I thought about it...


    <i>¡®I think Jung Ha-Yan isn¡¯t the only one who¡¯s involved here. Why did Ji-Hye noona lie to me and say that Jung Ha-Yan was preparing for a wedding?¡¯</i>


    Lee Ji-Hye was suspicious as well. If she was involved as well, it was highly likely that she had taken care of the paperwork, as there was no way Kim Hyun-Sung could do something like that by himself.


    Although it wasmon for adventurers to go missing or die under suspicious circumstances, the continent never really took action about that. If there was a murder or a missing person case, the police would naturally make a move, and many people would be deployed to investigate the case.


    The bigger the case, the more organizations would get involved.


    The media would also take an interest in the case.


    The disappearance of promising new recruits would definitely attract attention, as those new recruits were the talk of the town.


    I heard hiding crimes was nearly impossible these days, and there were also factions observing organizations and groups with a lot of power.


    The Continental Protection Management Committee was a great example of that.


    There were two ways to make people disappear¡ªuse spells or techniques that were imperceptible to the investigation groups and powerful rangers, or let Lee Ji-Hye handle it.


    <i>"Max."</i>


    ¡ª F-Father! It¡¯s been a while. I was actually going to greet you with noona...


    <i>"Can you find identification or something to prove the identity of the temporary guild members at Blue Guild¡¯s Republic branch? Anything is fine. I believe their names are..."</i>


    ¡ª Y-Yes.


    <i>"Did you find something?"</i>


    ¡ª Y-Yes, but the Republic Branch never picked temporary guild members. I searched using the names you gave me, but nothing came up.


    <i>"Are you sure? Search for people who exited the Republic¡¯s tutorial dungeon as a raid group."</i>


    ¡ª There wasn¡¯t... a raid party in the Republic''s tutorial dungeon recently. That¡¯s... what it shows in the logs... Should I look into it more?


    <i>"No, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll n something out with your sister. I love you."</i>


    ¡ª I-I love...


    <i>"Okay, I¡¯ll contact you again, Max."</i>


    It would be best for me to assume that he used both methods for this incident. Since even the Manager of Benigoa Net had no idea that they existed, then Ji-Hye noona was definitely involved.


    I spent thest three days resting in my room...


    <i>¡®She must¡¯ve done it back then.¡¯</i>


    Kim Hyun-Sung was definitely not the one who hade up with the overall n. His gaze was kind of strange, but at least he was being nice.


    <i>¡®She wasn¡¯t being honest...¡¯</i>


    Why would she hide this from me?


    ¡°Excuse me... Mr. Ki-Young,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Hyun-Sung?¡± I answered.


    ¡°So... where are you headed right now?¡± Kim Hyun-Sung asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to meet Mr. Gen. I¡¯m worried about his condition,¡± I replied.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go with you,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung offered.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll protect you in case something happens,¡± he said.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that because I have a lot of guards. You should take care of your¡ª¡±


    ¡°I do have other tasks to take care of, but this is the most important task for me,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung interrupted me.


    <i>¡®Why is this guy following me?¡¯</i>


    He was making me feel ufortable.


    From his expression, there was no way he was going to let me meet Gen without him.


    He looked like a determined general facing an army of a million troops.


    ¡°I have the Blue Guild and the Holy Knights of the Vatican,¡± I told him.


    ¡°I can¡¯t trust them. If you¡¯re going to visit that criminal, I¡¯ll apany you,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Do... as you wish,¡± I said.


    <i>¡®You¡¯re the one who¡¯s going to be frustrated.¡¯</i>


    I walked quietly, and the silence made me feel really ufortable. It felt like everyone was looking at me, and all I could hear were footsteps. Of course, the scenery was changing and I no longer saw the temple that was filled with light.


    I walked down the wet and dark stairs until I saw the pitch-ck underground interrogation room. It looked like there wasn¡¯t any interrogation or torture going on right now, as I couldn''t hear any screams.


    However, they were probably told ahead of time that I wasing.


    ¡°<i>Heuk... heuk...</i> O Benigoa... O Benigoa...¡±


    ¡°<i>Kgh... Heuuung... </i>O Benigoa. Please save me.¡±


    Those were the noises I could hear.


    ¡°You bastards!¡±


    I sometimes heard cursing as well.


    ¡°I... I really... don¡¯t know anything. O Benigoa... I have never harmed him...¡±


    I heard a voice full of regret, and I assumed that it belonged to Father Yohan.


    <i>¡®He¡¯s still alive?¡¯</i>


    The deeper we went down, the more sealed doors appeared before me. They were all sealed using locks, spells, and holy power. Also...


    ¡°I¡¯ll head in alone from here,¡± I told them.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but that¡¯s¡ª¡±


    ¡°He will not harm me,¡± I interrupted them.


    <i>¡®I can¡¯t trust them.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I¡¯m here... to defend Temr Gen. It¡¯s my duty to meet and talk to him so I can defend him. It¡¯s his right. I know what all of you are worried about, but as someone who loves the Sacred Democratic Country, I don¡¯t want to give up my authority and duty,¡± I exined.


    ¡°It¡¯s Father Basel¡¯s wish, Father Lee Ki-Young,¡± a knight informed.


    ¡°I respect his wishes, but I cannot deny the holyw of the Democratic Country established by Goddess Benigoa¡¯s will. I understand how all of you are feeling, but I hope you all understand how <i>I</i> feel,¡± I said.


    <i>¡®What¡¯s wrong with them? It¡¯s the holyw of the Democratic Country established under Goddess Benigoa¡¯s will.¡¯</i>


    They looked like they weren¡¯t going to back down, and it was probably because of my kidnapping case. Perhaps it was because all of them had gotten a taste of Father Basel¡¯s mace, but they looked like they¡¯d rather die than leave me alone.


    <i>¡®I have other ns today.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Father Lee Ki-Young.¡±


    ¡°<i>Whoo...</i> in that case...¡± I trailed off.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take four Holy Knights with me. If you don¡¯t agree with this, I won¡¯t back down either,¡± I offered.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll go with you, Mr. Ki-Young,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung offered.


    <i>¡®Why is he butting in?¡¯</i>


    However, the Holy Knights looked relieved. They were probably thinking that leaving the Sunset Swordsman to protect me was more effective than four Holy Knights protecting me.


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll leave it to you, Sunset Swordsman,¡± a knight said.


    I didn''t agree to their arrangement, but they had alreadye to an agreement.


    The Holy Knights stepped back while Kim Hyun-Sung moved closer to me. A few priests cast a holy spell, and the iron door, which was so secure that it seemed like the demon king himself was sealed inside, opened slowly before me.


    I saw iron bars created by spells, and I saw Gen sitting quietly in the middle of the room.


    ¡°Mr. Gen,¡± I said quietly.


    ¡°Mr. Gen!¡± I shouted.


    Gen opened his eyes slowly. He seemed fine physically.


    He looked shabby, but he didn¡¯t look hurt. However, I was sure his insides were in a mess. How could he not suffer any pain inside an interrogation room?


    It was more convincing to say that his wounds were treated hastily when the personnel here heard that I was visiting him. As expected, I saw traces of his wounds receiving treatment from a holy spell.


    I was sure he had a tough and difficult time here. This ce was probably like hell to him right now. However, he wasn¡¯t the only one who was having a tough and difficult time.


    <i>¡®I''m having a </i>really <i>tough and difficult time as well.¡¯</i>


    Being locked up in a birdcage was really tough. I was in hell as well.


    There was a stark contrast between us. Gen was wearing prison clothes in this dark ce, while I was like a doll covered in all sorts of fancy essories. It was like we were the continent''s darkness and light.


    Gen¡¯s eyes widened upon seeing me.


    He looked happy to see me, but he started frowning upon noticing my getup.


    The more he looked at me, the more depressed he felt. After all, he knew that I was locked in a birdcage once again. This was the result of his mistake. I was forced to live the life I didn¡¯t want to live because he couldn¡¯t protect me.


    ¡°Mr. Lee Ki-Young... Mr. Lee Ki-Young!¡± Gen shouted. He suddenly ran toward me, but he obviously couldn¡¯t reach me because the chains binding him pulled him back. Perhaps it was because his wrists and ankles were chained up, but I saw red liquid dripping down his wrists and ankles.


    However, he didn¡¯t seem to care about his wounds.


    ¡°Are you okay, Mr. Lee Ki-Young?¡± Gen asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Are you okay? Are you... really okay?¡± Gen repeated.


    I had to force a smile.


    ¡°Yes, I-I¡¯m fine,¡± I answered.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no way you¡¯re fine,¡± he said.


    <i>¡®No, I¡¯m actually doing great.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Just because... you smile like that doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re okay,¡± Gen added.


    <i>¡®No, man. My satisfaction in life has increased by a ton since our return.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Y-You look sad,¡± Gen stuttered.


    <i>¡®That¡¯s because I need to look sad.¡¯</i>


    Recently, however, I had been thinking that life was always like this, and I wasn¡¯t lying about that. It was actuallyfortable to stay inside a birdcage, and I questioned why I left it in the first ce. I also discovered that I preferred meat over pig porridge.


    ¡°Mr. Gen... are you okay?¡± I asked.


    However, I couldn¡¯t mess this up.


    This was the scene where we''d reconfirm our bond. If this were a y, it would be sad enough to make people cry.


    Our position had changed drastically, but we were still friends staring at the same goal.


    Meanwhile, Kim Hyun-Sung was feeling anxious in this prison cell that was overflowing with emotions.

 Chapter 943. Trial (2)

    <h4>Chapter 943. Trial (2)</h4>


    <i>¡®Your friend isn¡¯t going anywhere.¡¯</i>


    His expression was a sight to see.


    <i>¡®Kim Hyun-Sung was still a child. His mental age is that of a child.¡¯</i>


    Of course, he was just worried about me, and he was still convinced that I was still experiencing mental issues. Stockholm syndrome or whatever had nothing to do with me, but Kim Hyun-Sung didn''t believe it.


    He was certain I had problems, so he was examining my behavior.


    It was like he wanted to nitpick my smallest actions, but the most noticeable part about him was his fear of losing his close friend, Lee Ki-Young. He was still afraid of being left alone.


    <i>¡®You¡¯re not even a baby. What are you, twelve? Sixteen?¡¯</i>


    We were brothers connected by a bond, and I was a friend he could give up his life for.


    We both understood each other, and we had spent a long time together.


    Our bond had be extremely deep and could no longer bepared to our rtionship when we were still in the tutorial dungeon. Despite that, he was still afraid that I was going to leave him so easily.


    At first, I thought it wasn¡¯t so bad, but I never imagined he''d still be obsessed over that possibility. In his eyes, I was like a childhood friend who was bing even closer to my new friend. He felt left out upon realizing that both Gen and I had shared precious memories.


    He was shaken by the ridiculous idea that I''d be as fickle as a child.


    It seemed like my revival was just yesterday, and we had our own splendid ending upon confirming our bond. I thought he was no longer being gued by his mental illness, but...


    <i>¡®I guess he still hasn¡¯t changed.¡¯</i>


    Perhaps it was because he never had a friend except for me.


    <i>¡®He looks normal, but he''s really pathetic. I''m sure he never had someone he could call a friend since he was in elementary school up until now.''</i>


    Kim Hyun-Sung had always been that kind of person.


    He was a coward and reserved. He was also always worried about his rtionship with others, so I was sure he was having a hard time watching this NTR live show starring the bastard who had already been branded as a criminal.


    <i>¡®I¡¯ll make timeter and y with you.¡¯</i>


    I was briefly worried about him, but I didn¡¯t really focus on Kim Hyun-Sung. What was important right now was Gen, not Kim Hyun-Sung''s anxiety. I cast a soundproofing barrier, but...


    <i>¡®Why is heing in here?¡¯</i>


    I could feel Kim Hyun-Sung trying to make a hole in the barrier with his mana. I red at him once, and he quickly looked away.


    I could finally focus on the conversation.


    ¡°Are you hurt anywhere? Were you tortured... or did you experience anything horrible?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I didn''t experience anything like that, Mr. Lee Ki-Young,¡± Gen replied.


    ¡°Have you been eating well? The... others...¡± I paused.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that, but...¡±


    It was a white lie. I was sure his entire body was screaming at him in pain.


    <i>''Look at his chapped lips. I don¡¯t think he¡¯s been drinking water.''</i>


    ¡°Can you tell me what questions the Heretic Inquisitors had asked you to answer?¡± I asked.


    ¡°A-Actually, I¡¯d like to know how you¡¯ve been doing these days,¡± Gen said.


    ¡°That¡¯s not important, Mr. Gen. Right now¡ª¡±


    ¡°I really want to know,¡± Gen interrupted me.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s been the same for me. What do you want to know so badly about?¡¯</i>


    ¡°I¡¯ve been... praying every day...¡± I said.


    <i>¡®I''ve been drinking wine while taking half-baths, and I''ve been enjoying my time as if I were unemployed. I¡¯ve also been eating Mirror Salmon and cotton candy instead of pig porridge...¡¯</i>


    ¡°Every time...¡±


    <i>¡®I¡¯ve been coping with the same method as I''ve been using all this while. My schedule is the same each time, but I don''t feel like I''ll get tired of it. This must be what it feels like to live a decent life.¡¯</i>


    Gen frowned.


    ¡°W-Whenever I feel suffocated, I tend to look up at the sky,¡± I told him.


    <i>''That¡¯s right, our promise.''</i>


    ¡°I see...¡± he mumbled.


    ¡°There are times when it¡¯s hard and tiring... but I''ll remember our promise and look up while thinking about memories together,¡± I added.


    Gen was relieved, and he wasforted by the fact that he was helpful to me, albeit in an indirect manner. However, he then lowered his head upon realizing that our promise could no longer be fulfilled.


    I was sure Gen knew about his situation better than anyone. He knew how dark and dangerous the Vatican was. There was no way I''d just stand by and do nothing.


    For the past three days, Gen seemed to be thinking that the weak Saint of Light had done something.


    <i>¡®Actually, I didn¡¯t do anything.¡¯</i>


    Gen probably assumed that I visited Father Basel to plead and convince Father Basel that he was innocent. He seemed to be thinking that I got on the floor and insisted that I was the one who wanted to be free and that he was innocent.


    I assumed he was thinking that I had been thinking of ways to set him free while crying every day. Despite my efforts, however, nothing had really changed, as the Vatican was trying to hide the truth.


    The fact that I ran out of the Vatican myself to find freedom would not only taint my honor but the Vatican¡¯s honor as well. It wasn¡¯t something that could be dismissed as a one-time mistake. The Vatican had decided to sacrifice someone rather than tainting their honor, and the sacrifice was Gen.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t be with you,¡± Gen said.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to apologize for anything, Mr. Gen. All this happened because I was stupid and ipetent,¡± I told him.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t keep my promise. I¡¯m really sorry... for leaving you alone,¡± Gen said.


    ¡°What do you mean alone? I¡¯m not alone, and I never thought that I was alone. We''re seeing different things, and we''re in different positions, but I know we¡¯re always looking at the same goal. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re looking at the same goal as well, Mr. Gen...¡±


    I cried, and I was worried that perhaps I looked too desperate. I thought I was overreacting, but this was good enough because I had no intention of wasting time filming a melodrama.


    ¡°I¡¯m preparing for the trial, Mr. Gen,¡± I informed him.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I told you before, but it¡¯s my turn this time. This time, I¡¯ll take you out from here,¡± I said.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡ª¡±


    ¡°I already decided,¡± I interrupted him.


    ¡°It¡¯s impossible. No, I¡¯m worried it¡¯ll harm you, Mr. Lee Ki-Young,¡± Gen said.


    <i>''You know I¡¯ll never yield to the pressure of great power. I¡¯ve always stood my ground.''</i>


    ¡°They¡¯re trying to purge the opposite faction, including the Temrs,¡± I informed him.


    Some Temrs had already been purged. I couldn¡¯t find Temr Simon¡¯s whereabouts, but Father Yohan would soon die, and I was sure that his subordinates would meet the same horrible fate as him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know which side is correct, but their ways are wrong. T-They¡¯re iming that the Temrs are corrupted beings who had stolen Goddess Benigoa¡¯s power. They¡¯re saying that you and Temr Simon had extorted Goddess Benigoa out of Her power.


    "They¡¯re stating that the opposite faction is filled with nothing but a bunch of heretics and that they must be purged,¡± I exined.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re iming that you kidnapped me... to do something horrible to me,¡± I added.


    ¡°That¡¯s not true!¡± Gen shouted.


    <i>¡®Oh yeah? But you guys do look like heretics in my eyes.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I must reveal the truth,¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You must tell me everything you know,¡± I said.


    ¡°I can... tell you everything,¡± Gen mumbled.


    <i>''Of course, you should tell me everything. We can start with either how you got your wings, the dungeon''s location, or Temr Simon¡¯s location.''</i>


    <i>¡®But why does it feel like he¡¯s being hesitant?¡¯</i>


    I almost cursed, but...


    <i>¡®He¡¯s just worried about me.¡¯</i>


    He was worried about me getting swept up in a dirty court battle.


    ¡°I¡¯m a strong person, Mr. Gen,¡± I told him.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m aware. You¡¯re a strong person, Mr. Lee Ki-Young. You¡¯re strong and confident; you''ve never been the type to back down nor surrender... You were brave enough to face everything,¡± Gen said.


    <i>¡®Yeah, that¡¯s the kind of image I want to show everyone.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you everything,¡± Gen said.


    I nodded quietly...


    Just as Gen was about to start speaking, the soundproofing barrier I made shattered. I looked to the side, thinking that Kim Hyun-Sung had done something unexpected, but he hadn''t done anything. In fact, he actually looked away upon seeing my gaze.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s not Hyun-Sung.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Visiting hours are over, Father Lee Ki-Young.¡± A familiar voice echoed, and it was a <i>very </i>sassy voice. ¡°It¡¯s interrogation time now.¡±


    <i>''Why are you here, damn it?''</i>


    I looked back and saw Jin Cheong¡ªthe rude guy who called me a bastard. It had been a while since I heard him talk to me with respect and using my title.


    It was probably because there were other people around, but more importantly, his attitude bothered me. I was annoyed by the fact that he appeared with many adjutants, and they were actually holding piles of documents.


    <i>¡®I thought you didn¡¯t want to get involved, damn it. So why did you ept it?¡¯</i>


    <i>''Did you actually be a special prosecutor? But why?''</i>


    ¡°You have exceeded the visiting time that¡¯s written under continentalw, Father Lee Ki-Young,¡± Jin Cheong added.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Since you asserted the suspect¡¯s rights as specified in the continentalw, I believe you¡¯re also aware of the visiting time that¡¯s specified in the samew,¡± Jin Cheong said.


    <i>''This bastard is being really sassy right now.''</i>


    ¡°To make things worse, it looks like you ignored most of the procedures.¡± Jin Cheong pointed out.


    <i>''I did, damn it. I didn¡¯t submit a request to meet with the suspect or ask for protection. I¡¯m the Honorary Cardinal of the Sacred Democratic Country, you bastard. Do you really think those procedures will stop me? I¡¯m the Sacred Democratic Country, and the Sacred Democratic Country is me.''</i>


    ¡°Please be careful next time. You can¡¯t ignore all theplicated procedures as you please and focus only on the continentalw. I¡¯ll consider this a mistake made out of ignorance since you must not be familiar with the procedures yet,¡± Jin Cheong continued.


    <i>''This bastard is acting really sassy.'' </i>


    I was startled, but I had an idea why he was here.


    <i>¡®Are you </i>that <i>bored? You really want to fight me?¡¯</i>


    I had been wanting to have a proper match with him, but I never really had the opportunity for that until now. And I was sure he shared the same sentiment as me; otherwise, he wouldn''t have epted Kim Hyun-Sung¡¯s proposal.


    It seemed that he really wanted to put me in a difficult position.


    Of course, he could also be doing this only to relieve some of the stress inside of him.


    I was sure Jin Cheong had been full of stress these days. This probably felt like a game to him. It was different from the game he enjoyed, but he probably wanted to y a game on top of the chessboard with someone simr to him.


    The ck market had disappeared, and he was done babysitting Kim Hyun-Sung, so he wanted to enjoy his free time. He definitely thought of his desire not to get involved with us again, but he simply couldn¡¯t resist the temptation of ying a game against me.


    Jin Cheong smiled as if to prove that my assumption was correct.


    As always, his smile was both arrogant and annoying.


    He looked like he was telling me that he was above me.


    <i>¡ª Let¡¯s start the game.</i>


    <i>¡®He¡¯s crazy. You''ve already lost to me once. Are you really that excited to lose again?"</i>


    <i>"Do you... want to lose your honor?"</i>


    <i>''You want to fall into the abyss again?''</i>

 Chapter 944. Trial (3)

    <h4>Chapter 944. Trial (3)</h4>


    ¡°We need to beat that bastard to a pulp until he can no longer stand up again,¡± I said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go overboard, okay? Commander Jin is in charge of a lot more things than I thought. If we get rid of him without considering those things, things are only going to be harder for us. Don¡¯t bring your personal feelings into business. It''s all because of Commander Jin that we have been able to work like this,¡± Lee Ji-Hye reminded.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°If we drive Commander Jin out, the dragon mother will be wary, too,¡± she added.


    <i>''She¡¯s right. I¡¯ll feel kind of bad for Dialugia as well.''</i>


    ¡°He¡¯s so arrogant. Who does he think he is that he thinks he can be the special prosecutor? What does a guy from the Republic know about the Democratic Country?


    "He knows nothing, but he talks like he does. Does he want to be exiled to the Democratic Country or something? Is he <i>that</i> familiar with democraticw?¡± I questioned.


    ¡°I think he¡¯s doing all that to provoke you,¡± Lee Ji-Hyemented.


    ¡°We need to bring him down so hard that he won''t be able to step onto a stage again, much less attend any trial in the future. You looked up thews and any precedents about special prosecutors, right?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Everything you requested is on your desk right now, but things are going to be harder for you if he insists on bing a special prosecutor,¡± Lee Ji-Hye said.


    <i>''That¡¯s true, but that bastard really annoys me. Just thinking about him raising an objection in court is already making me feel frustrated.''</i>


    ¡°Just leaving him alone is the best option, and it''s the best choice for you as well,¡± Lee Ji-Hye suggested.


    The best thing to do here was to drag him down from his position as a special prosecutor by questioning his qualifications, as he was a Republican, after all. He wasn''t a denizen of the Sacred Democratic Country, so I could definitely use that fact to my advantage.


    The problem was the aftermath. I''d definitely be happy to bring him down, but I could already see what Jin Cheong was going to do next.


    <i>¡®He¡¯s going to take it to the continental court.¡¯</i>


    To be honest, Kim Hyun-Sung was the one who had destroyed the city of the Republic, but Temr Gen had also contributed to the city''s destruction. The uing trial was actually misleading.


    The Republic was the one that suffered immense damage, the crime took ce in the Republic, and the criminal was captured in the Republic. In other words, there was no reason for the Republic to hand over the criminal to the Sacred Democratic Country.


    The reason they did that was to be considerate to the Sacred Democratic Country, as both nations were allies, after all. The trial that was supposed to take ce only within the Sacred Democratic Country would be a trial that everyone throughout the continent would witness if I brought Jin Cheong down through nitpicking.


    To make matters worse, it was legal.


    <i>¡®I have to stay calm, but I just can¡¯t...¡¯</i>


    The pieces of evidence were with the Republic.


    The investigation team consisted of the Vatican¡¯s Heretic Inquisitors and the elite rangers of the Sacred Democratic Country, but the moment the case was taken to the continental court... the deste building that contained our precious memories would be trampled mercilessly by those scums from the Republic.


    <i>''I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll fabricate the evidence, but you never know. Words can have many different meanings depending on how they are interpreted.''</i>


    ¡°It¡¯s definitely advantageous to end it within the Democratic Country,¡± I said.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. It¡¯s better to just leave Jin Cheong alone. It¡¯s taking ce within the Sacred Democratic Country anyway, so his powers are limited here. There are a limited number of adjutants he can dispatch. I don''t think it matters even if he receives support from the Sacred Democratic Country, but the fact that he can''t work with his people is kind of¡ª¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to do it? You¡¯ll help me, right?¡± I interrupted.


    ¡°I¡¯m helping you right now,¡± Lee Ji-Hye said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not doing it right?¡± I asked her.


    ¡°What am I supposed to do? I have my own work to do, too. Honestly, this is just a fight between prideful kids. Don''t you think the trial is none of your business? Just tell Temr Gen or Temr Gwen to tell you everything that he knows and then kill him,¡± Lee Ji-Hye said.


    <i>¡®That¡¯s true. It doesn¡¯t matter even if he just dies, but I feel like he can still be useful. It¡¯s not like I had put in a lot of effort into him, anyway.¡¯</i>


    <i>''Regardless, I just don''t want to see a smile tugging at that arrogant guy''s lips. But Ji-Hye noona is technically not on my side as well.¡¯</i>


    She didn''t want to get involved, so she had a neutral stance about this, but her words basically meant that she wasn''t on my side. The way she was carelessly flipping through the documents was unlike her.


    I wasn''t going to force her, but I didn''t really think that she¡¯d be helpful.


    <i>¡®Ick manpower.¡¯</i>


    To make matters worse, I found out toote that Jin Cheong had decided to intervene..


    ¡°Sub Guild Master?¡±


    ¡°Miss Kim Mi-Young, I¡¯m d you¡¯re here,¡± I greeted.


    I had yet to form a proper defense counsel. I thought the trial was going to be easy, so I decided to take my time and have fun. I was also in the middle of recovering, so I couldn''t have seen that the cowardly Jin Cheong of the Republic would intervene.


    ¡°I have organized all the documents that you requested. This incident is pretty unique, so I couldn¡¯t really find an exact precedent, but there have been cases where the victim had decided to defend the suspect.


    "A hundred and eleven years ago, a saintess was kidnapped, but she didn¡¯t want her kidnapper, Holy Knight Barhak, to receive punishment...¡±


    <i>¡®But he was torn to pieces despite that...¡¯</i>


    Holy Knight Barhak was drawn and quartered. His sin was lusting after the Saintess of the Vatican. It was a cruel and unusual punishment, but perhaps they thought it was the right thing to do at the time.


    ¡°There''s another case from fifty-four years ago. It''s about Princess Charlperia of the Benigoa Holy Empire. She was kidnapped by the Prime Minister of the Union of Kingdoms, and...¡± Kim Mi-Young trailed off.


    He was killed as well.


    ¡°Those cases...¡±


    ¡°Yes, they happened a long time ago when the Benigoa Holy Empire still exists. If we argue that those cases aren''t exactly the best examples, they won¡¯t be able to find fault with it,¡± Kim Mi-Young interrupted me.


    ¡°Are there no cases where the defendant ended up winning the trial?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, there were no cases like that,¡± Kim Mi-Young replied.


    These past cases didn¡¯t really matter, as thew had changed a lot since then. One thing I was happy about was that the one presiding over the trial wasn¡¯t the Vatican. The Heretic Inquisitors would be the ones presiding over the trial. If a religious trial were to take ce, Temr Gen would surely be another Ito Sota.


    It was possible that the Vatican would go a bit easy, but it was highly unlikely. They just didn¡¯t want me to resent them, and it applied to both the Vatican and the Sacred Democratic Country.


    ¡°Since the Sacred Democratic Country and the Vatican will operate the trial together, there is going to be a jury,¡± Kim Mi-Young informed.


    They didn¡¯t want any of the sides to resent them.


    Kim Hyun-Sung wasn¡¯t the only one who weed Jin Cheong.


    It was the same for Father Basel and Oscar.


    ¡°The jury will consist of ten religious officials from the Vatican and eleven denizens from the Sacred Democratic Country, and they¡¯ll be selected at random,¡± Kim Mi-Young added.


    ¡°Who would do the sentencing? The Supreme Court''s judge?¡± I asked.


    ¡°A cardinal will do it, too,¡± Kim Mi-Young answered.


    <i>¡®Looks like they don''t want to take responsibility.¡¯</i>


    They probably thought that my obsession with Temr Gen was abnormal. In the end, they¡¯d let the jury decide whether he was innocent or not, and then the Supreme Court''s judge and a cardinal of the Vatican would determine the punishment.


    <i>¡®Having a jury is more advantageous to me.¡¯</i>


    The ones who would decide whether Gen was innocent or not would be ordinary people rather than well-educated people. However, the judgements of ordinary denizens who weren''t particrly educated had always been a source of controversy, even in countries with jury trials.


    <i>¡®A jury is great because they can be swayed.¡¯</i>


    One could win their favor and make them sympathize with oneself. One could say anything, and they¡¯d believe it. Of course, the Supreme Court or the opposite party could set some restrictions, but an emotional appeal that would bring tears to anyone''s eyes would definitely be a hundred percent effective.


    Jin Cheong wasn''t really used to that. He probably thought that he just had to say whatever he had to say, and that was it. If the jury could be convinced through evidence alone, then they could just sentence the criminal themselves.


    However, humans were emotional creatures.


    ¡°Do you...¡± I paused and stared at Miss Kim Mi-Young. ¡°Do you have the jury list?¡±


    <i>¡®I¡¯m sure it¡¯s private.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I have it,¡± Kim Mi-Young said.


    As always, she was reallypetent.


    If there was going to be a jury trial, then focusing on them was the best option.


    Jin Cheong''s presence in a normal trial conducted using the Democratic Country¡¯s methods made me feel nervous. Moreover, a religious trial conducted in our style had too many variables, and it was impossible to be prepared for each and every one of them. The jury system, which was decided because both parties would end up going back and forth a lot, was the best for me.


    ¡°The first juror is George...¡± I said.


    ¡°He¡¯s known as the Third-Rate Gambler,¡± Kim Mi-Young said.


    <i>''So I just need to pay him a little gold.''</i>


    ¡°Kennen,¡± I said.


    ¡°He¡¯s known as the yboy of Lindel. The two of them have participated in the major wars... Actually, they participated in all the wars you were in so far,¡± Kim Mi-Young corrected herself.


    ¡°Really? The two of them?¡± I asked.


    ¡°They¡¯re in the same party,¡± Kim Mi-Young said.


    I would probably get punished for this, but it wasn¡¯t bad. The fact that they were participants in all the major wars meant that they had worked together in a ce that was close to me, the Honorary Cardinal of the Vatican and the Saint of Light.


    ¡°Elf Eledian. That¡¯s bad,¡± Imented.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    The majority of the elves were a stickler for principles. It was highly likely that they¡¯d side with reason rather than emotion. If Commander Jin brought proper evidence... they¡¯d say Temr Gen was guilty before crying together with the Saint of Light.


    ¡°Giselle Garix of Castlerock. She¡¯s an immigrant from the Republic and is currently a citizen of the Sacred Democratic Country,¡± Kim Mi-Young informed.


    <i>''Someone from the Republic is part of the jury?¡¯</i>


    Were they really picked randomly?


    I skimmed through the list, and I could tell that they were picked in a way that would give me a bit of an advantage. There would always be variables, but it wasn¡¯t anything I couldn¡¯t handle. I wasn¡¯t the one who needed to be worried about the jury.


    ¡°It¡¯s Jin Cheong,¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing, Miss Kim Mi-Young. What about the Supreme Court judge and the cardinal?¡± I asked.


    ¡°They haven¡¯t decided on the judge yet, but the cardinal who will participate in the trial is Sister Jayna,¡± Kim Mi-Young responded.


    ¡°Sister Jayna?¡± I asked.


    ¡°She recently became a cardinal to rece Father Yohan,¡± Kim Mi-Young informed.


    ¡°I see. Thank you, Miss Kim MI-Young,¡± I said.


    Kim Mi-Young nodded lightly and said, ¡°Since we don''t have a defense counsel yet..."


    ¡°Go ahead,¡± I told her.


    I was sure she¡¯d make one withpetent people.


    ¡°You heard everything, right? You really don¡¯t want to join the defense counsel?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t. I¡¯m really busy. Since Commander Jin is busy with the trial, I should at least take care of the tasks. Also, I¡¯ve told you this many times now, but stop being so stubborn. All you need to do is get the information and let him die...¡± Lee Ji-Hye said.


    <i>''My pride won¡¯t let me, Ji-Hye noona.''</i>


    ¡°Then set up a meeting with Sister Jayna,¡± I requested.


    ¡°You¡¯re talking nonsense again. That¡¯s against thew,¡± Kim Mi-Young said.


    ¡°If you do that, I won¡¯t ask you to join the defense counsel. I¡¯m... in a lot of pain right now,¡± I told her.


    Asking to meet with the cardinal who was preparing for the uing trial was illogical, and it wasn''t supposed to be done, but I was sure Ji-Hye noona could do it.


    I was sure she felt guilty about the fact that she wasn''t going to help me, so she¡¯d probably help me with this.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re being really unfair right now?¡± Lee Ji-Hye asked.


    The unfair and wicked ones usually were the winners.


    If Jin Cheong ended up beating me in the uing trial, I wouldn''t be able to have a good night''s sleep for quite a long while.


    <i>''Does she not know the feeling of getting defeated in one''s home ground? If Jin Cheong somehow managed to defeat me, then I''m sure he''ll smile meaningfully every time he sees me. I can''t bear to see that. I need to help him realize that he got a bit too reckless by stepping into this fight.</i>


    <i>''I¡¯m the Sacred Democratic Country, and the Sacred Democratic Country is me. The Sacred Democratic Country is one, so I¡¯m not being unfair here. </i>


    <i>''The loser will be</i> the<i> idiot, so...''</i>


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Then... please continue with your testimony, the prosecutor¡¯s witness. Is it true that you stayed in the same inn as Father Lee Ki-Young?¡± the judge asked.


    ¡°T-That¡¯s right. E-Every night, I could hear Father Lee Ki-Young¡¯s screams and painful groans. I could hear <i>thud, thud, thud </iing from their room. I tried not to listen... but I just couldn¡¯t ignore his painful screams...¡± the witness muttered fearfully.


    ¡°O Benigoa...!¡±


    ¡°O Benigoa...!¡±


    ¡°<i>Sob...! sob... </i>Son of Light...¡±


    I turned to Jin Cheong, and he shed me a disgusting smile.


    <i>¡®That bastard...¡¯</i>


    ¡°...¡±


    This coward had just brought in a fake witness to the sacred court. He wanted to convince everyone to believe his words through his lies, so I felt dumb for trying to go about this trial in a fair and honest way.

 Chapter 945. Trial (4)

    <h4>Chapter 945. Trial (4)</h4>


    We were in the court of the Sacred Democratic Country, and this court, which was built on the blood of countless people, had to be the purest and sacred ce throughout the Sacred Democratic Country, yet Jin Cheong was here spreading lies using his witness.


    I got angry at the fact that the idea of fairness had just been thrown out of the window. How can I not be angry when the uncivilized beast of the Republic was using the sacred court to put his enemy in a difficult situation?


    <i>¡®That cowardly and wicked bastard...¡¯</i>


    I nced at him. Was he unable to feel even an ounce of shame? Jin Cheong¡¯s expression remained unchanging, and he was nodding at the witness¡¯ every single word. The sound of prayer filled the court at some point.


    ¡°O Benigoa...!¡±


    ¡°Son of Light...!¡±


    The guy who was summoned as a witness was someone I had never seen before, but it was possible that I had encountered him before, and I simply couldn''t remember him. I could have run into him at the inn inside the Republic.


    I wasn''t sure where we stumbled upon each other, but I had definitely run into him at least once.


    <i>¡®There¡¯s no way he¡¯d work in vain.¡¯</i>


    I had no idea how long he had stayed at that inn, but he was definitely there...


    <i>¡®And inns usually have logs containing the names of their guests...¡¯</i>


    His alibi definitely matched perfectly with his sworn statement.


    ¡°He sounded like he was in extreme pain; he sounded like he was trying to hold back his screams, but he just couldn''t do so because he was in so much pain.


    "I heard someone scream as if they were venting their anger, and then I heard another scream immediately afterward. He must''ve been gagged at the time, as I could hear a muffled sound before everything went quiet.


    "Just as I thought it was over, I heard someone hitting something, but I didn''t hear any screams. I-I think that was when he fainted..." the witness exined.


    ¡°Objection, Your Honor. The witness is saying what he believes to be true rather than actual facts. He¡¯s trying to sway the jury using spective remarks,¡± a member of our side argued.


    ¡°Objection overruled. Let¡¯s keep listening. Witness, did it happen only on that one day?¡± the judge asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really remember, but it wasn''t just that one particr day. I could hear it day and night from that day on,¡± the witness replied.


    ¡°Why did you not contact the local authorities?¡± the judge asked.


    ¡°B-because I was scared. I¡¯m just an ordinary merchant. I was scared of revenge and getting caught up in a scary situation.


    "S-So Iforted myself by saying it wasn¡¯t a big deal. I really never imagined that something like that was going on, but I have no excuses,¡± the witness replied.


    <i>¡®They sure are prepared.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Have you ever seen those twoe out of their room?¡± the judge asked.


    ¡°I remember them spending most of their time in their room. They''d sometimese out to the dining room to eat... but I couldn''t quite see his face because he was always covered in what looked like a nket¡ª¡± the witness answered.


    ¡°Your Honor, there isn''t enough evidence to support the witness¡¯ testimony. Being in the same inn is not enough evidence,¡± Miss Kim Mi-Young interrupted.


    ¡°I swear to the Goddess that I am not giving a false testimony. The man covered in what looked like a nket was limping; he was having a hard time walking with his legs!


    "Back then, I couldn¡¯t tell whether that man was Father Lee Ki-Young or not, but I¡¯m sure of it now. He''d often drop his spoon while eating as if one side of his body was in pain, and he couldn¡¯t eat properly,¡± the witness argued.


    ¡°Objection, Your Honor!¡± our party shouted.


    Our defense counsel raised objections, but the judge didn¡¯t even look their way.


    <i>¡®We¡¯re going to submit evidence as well.¡¯</i>


    The annoying Jin Cheong got up and said, ¡°I will now present the list of guests who stayed at the inn at the time and a video footage of the dining hall as evidence.¡±


    The video contained in the video orb was promptly disyed on a big Goddess¡¯ Mirror.


    <i>¡®Damn. I really went all in with my acting here.¡¯</i>


    Obviously, we saw the dining hall of the inn.


    A limping man entered the dining hall. He was covered in a dirty nket and was eating his food cautiously, but it seemed that hecked the energy to even hold up a spoon, as it kept falling to the table. His hands were trembling as he forced himself to eat a few bites before dragging himself back upstairs. He looked really pitiful.


    ¡°Honorable judge, Cardinal, and jurors, I believe you¡¯ll make the right choice here. The evidence is rock solid. Upon entering the Republic, Father Lee Ki-Young was faced with extreme brutality, and we don''t even dare to imagine... the suffering he had gone through before he arrived in the Republic,¡± Jin Cheong said.


    <i>¡®Father Lee Ki-Young, my ass! He¡¯s such a... dirty bastard.¡¯</i>


    ¡°This is what Father Lee Ki-Young looked like when we discovered him,¡± Jin Cheong added.


    A picture of me appeared on the Goddess¡¯ Mirror, but I had no idea when that picture was even taken. I looked like a mess, and I looked like I definitely received a good beating or two. My wounds were treated using holy power, but traces of the ruthless torture were still visible to me. My neck was swollen, and my eyes were bruised.


    I was so dehydrated that my lips were chapped, and blood was dripping down from it.


    ¡°<i>Ah...</i>¡± I heard someone gasp from the crowd. Belier, a new guild member, was staring at the Goddess¡¯ Mirror with a flushed face.


    <i>¡®What¡¯s wrong with her?¡¯</i>


    My weak smile brought tears to everyone''s eyes. The smile that seemed capable of forgiving everything¡ªeven the criminal who had subjected me to extreme torture¡ªmade everyone feel like crying on the spot.


    ¡°Let go of me! That bastard! That bastard!¡± someone shouted.


    <i>¡®Ah, shit.¡¯</i>


    I heard amotion among the crowd.


    <i>¡®Why did hee here?¡¯</i>


    The furious Park Deok-Gu stood up.


    The Holy Knights and the security guards tried to stop him from shouting, but it was useless.


    ¡°That bastard! You¡¯re telling me that¡¯s how he treated our hyung-nim?! You shameless bastard!¡± Park Deok-Gu shouted.


    The pig was even crying.


    ¡°Let go of me! I don¡¯t care about this court or trial or whatever! I have to beat him to a pulp, or I''m never going to feel better!¡± Park Deok-Gu yelled.


    ¡°...¡±


    The Holy Knights and the security guards had no choice but to drag him out, but he didn''t stop cursing as he was being dragged out of the court.


    ¡°You¡¯re a monster! How dare you hurt him! Our hyung-nim did nothing wrong! H-How could you hurt him?! Oh no... hyung-nim...! Oh no... I feel really bad for you, hyung-nim...¡± Park Deok-Gu cried out.


    <i>¡®Just leave, man.¡¯</i>


    ¡°That bastard is guilty, Your Honor! Cardinal! And jurors! I¡¯m ignorant, so I don¡¯t know much about thew, but that fool is guilty! He¡¯s guilty!¡± Park Deok-Gu shouted.


    <i>¡®Please leave.¡¯</i>


    ¡°<i>Sob!</i> Our hyung-nim had once decided to abandon everything for the continent, which resulted in his demise. It hasn''t even been that long since he was revived, and he has already suffered such a¡ª<i>sob!</i>


    <i>"</i>How could you do that to him?! How could you do such a thing to such a selfless and self-sacrificing man?!¡± Park Deok-Gu eximed.


    <i>¡®Please just leave...¡¯</i>


    The pig was just rambling on, but it was pretty effective. The crowd empathized with him as he spat out a bunch of nonsense while crying his heart out. In addition to those quietly sobbing, I saw a few people crying their hearts out as well.


    <i>¡®Get out already, man.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I¡¯ll say one more thing. Jurors, my fist... this fist of mine won¡¯t reach him, but your fists will reach. I¡¯m... just his stupid younger brother, and I can¡¯t avenge him, but all of you can avenge him!


    "The job to avenge him is in your hands; you have to do it for the continent and for hyung-nim! You must punish that fool... so that this will never happen again. We must create a continent where hyung-nim will be safe!¡± Park Deok-Gu shouted.


    <i>¡®Just get out. Why are you still here?¡¯</i>


    He didn¡¯t lower his voice despite getting dragged out. The unexpected favorable situation caused Jin Cheong to smile and it was to the point that I started questioning if maybe that pig was on his side.


    ¡°Please remember my words! Jurors! Our hyung-nim!!!¡±


    <i>Boom!</i>


    The doors closed and although it didn¡¯tst long, it was impactful.


    <i>¡®Damn it.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I request for a recess.¡±


    The atmosphere was so one-sided that there was no way a proper trial could be done.


    Miss Kim Mi-Young quietly raised her hand, requesting for a recess but even that was hard here.


    ¡°The witness¡¯s testimony isn¡¯t over yet, Your Honor,¡± Jin Cheong argued.


    ¡°Please continue, then," the judge said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll also submit these pictures as evidence,¡± Jin Cheong said.


    ¡°Objection, Your Honor. Those pictures cannot be used as proof that Temr Gen was violent to Father Lee Ki-Young,¡± Kim Mi-Young chimed in.


    ¡°Then, who did it?!¡± Jin Cheong shouted.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Who?! Who inflicted those wounds on Father Lee Ki-Young?!¡± Jin Cheong questioned.


    Everything felt fabricated.


    To make matters worse, the bastards who gave me a beating were no longer a part of this world.


    ¡°Whomitted such malicious and thoughtless brutality on Father Lee Ki-Young?! Tell me! Who? Who did it?!¡± Jin Cheong asked.


    They hadpletely disappeared, and I was sure the videos with their figures on Benigoa Net had all been taken down.


    Of course, I didn''t really think that they''d be useful in this private prosecution.


    The defense counsel hesitated.


    Jin Cheong seemed to be enjoying this, as he was really energetic.


    He mmed the table and opened his arms wide with exaggeration. It was like he was relieving his regret of not being able to participate in Father Lee Ki-Young¡¯s rescue operation. He spoke with confidence as if he was the protagonist of this stage.


    ¡°I know the answer, Your Honor,¡± Jin Cheong said.


    ¡°Go on.¡±


    ¡°We found some blood in one of the ces where Father Lee Ki-Young and that vicious criminal stayed for a while. I¡¯ll also submit them as evidence,¡± Jin Cheong said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°We also discovered traces of Father Lee Ki-Young getting beaten up in a deste building inside the Demonic Forest of Laios. We believe they stayed there for a while before entering the Republic," Jin Cheong added.


    It really was too easy to transform someone into a criminal.


    I was bleeding at the time due to all the sewing that I was doing.


    ¡°Objection, Your Honor!¡± Kim Mi-Young shouted.


    ¡°Objection overruled. You¡¯ll have your turn once the prosecution is done presenting their evidence,¡± the judge said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°The exhausted and weakened Father Lee Ki-Young was constantly being assaulted even in Laios, and it was the same in the Republic. With that in mind, I''m sure it was the same even while they were moving around hiding from our rangers.


    "There¡¯s an overwhelming amount of evidence that supports this im. The rangers of the investigation team also discovered traces of holy power being used constantly from the Demonic Forest to the Republic, but there were no traces of battle,¡± Jin Cheong said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°There were no traces of battle, but we found traces of a healing spell being cast by holy power. I''m sure it''s the used. He definitely used Father Lee Ki-Young¡¯s holy power to heal thetter, who was probably dying at the time.


    "I''m sure Father Lee Ki-Young was dying because his weak physique couldn''t endure the ruthless beating and violence being inflicted on him. The used must''ve been taking out his anger on Lee Ki-Young.


    "Of course, it could have been just a joke, or he could have done it for literally nothing at all. We are unsure of his motives, but he was <i>killing</i> the Son of Light,¡± Jin Cheong added.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°What are you so afraid of, Father Lee Ki-Young? What are you so afraid of that you¡¯re sitting there? You shouldn''t be there,¡± Jin Cheong questioned.


    <i>''Annoying bastard.''</i>


    ¡°He can no longer harm you, and you no longer have to empathize with his pain. He¡¯s a criminal,¡± Jin Cheong said.


    ¡°He¡¯s the used, not a criminal,¡± Kim Mi-Young corrected.


    ¡°There¡¯s a story behind every criminal out there. I know you¡¯re trying to side with him and understand him. Everyone knows you love humans, after all. <i>Hahaha!</i>¡± Jin Cheong chuckled.


    <i>''Why are youughing? Is it that fun?''</i>


    Jin Cheong seemed to have realized that he had made a mistake because his expression immediately turned solemn.


    ¡°However, you don¡¯t need to show love to such a vicious monster, Father Lee Ki-Young. You¡¯re a victim, so you don¡¯t need to defend him. Don¡¯t make excuses for him. You must live for yourself,¡± Jin Cheong said.


    ¡°Objection, Your Honor. He¡¯s talking about things unrted to the trial,¡± Kim Mi-Young argued.


    ¡°That''s it. I¡¯ll also submit the rangers'' notes as evidence. Honorable Judge and Cardinal, I''m done,¡± Jin Cheong said.


    And that was the end of it.


    I felt like he had punched me a few times, and his storytelling was so perfect that I couldn''t find any holes in it.


    He took advantage of the temporary guild members, who were no longer part of this world. The documents and evidence that he had gathered while I was acting my heart out at the time were perfect.


    They were fabricated, but the fabrication was so perfect that they were basically the truth.


    <i>¡®Damn it.¡¯</i>


    There was no way we could turn this around today. Park Deok-Gu had made such a bigmotion out of this case that it was no longer possible to turn this around. Still, I had to stand up. It was going to sound like nonsense, but I had to say something here.


    ¡°Temr Gen... He¡¯s a victim as well,¡± I said.


    Of course, it was just a bunch of nonsense.

 Chapter 946. Trial (5)

    <h4>Chapter 946. Trial (5)</h4>


    ¡°Temr Gen is a victim created by the Sacred Democratic Country and the Vatican.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°That was what Father Lee Ki-Young said, and Ipletely understand why he said that. ording to Father Lee Ki-Young, Gen was actually a tool his entire life. He grew up in an orphanage managed by a temple, and he became a Temr for some reason.


    "He spent the majority of his childhood and his teenage years training rigorously every day. He had never been able to do anything by his own will, so I won''t say that he had an easy life.


    "The Temrs turned Gen into a monster, and we can say that the Vatican is an aplice, as the Vatican has never done anything about it,¡± Kennen exined.


    ¡°His upbringing is not an excuse for his crimes, Kennen,¡± I[1] said.


    ¡°You think I don¡¯t know that? I¡¯m just saying that I understand his position. I''m sure you can only say that because you didn¡¯t see Father Lee Ki-Young pleading with tears in his eyes, Alex. I¡¯m sure I wasn¡¯t the only one who was swayed.


    "I honestly think that the masterminds here are Temr Simon and Father Yohan,¡± Kennen added.


    ¡°Temr Simon? Father Yohan?¡± I asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Those jerks are the ones who used Temr Gen. Father Lee Ki-Young wasn¡¯t lying when he said that Temr Gen was also a victim,¡± Kennen answered.


    ¡°Do you have proof that Temr Simon and Yohan had been using Temr Gen for their vested interests?


    "And have you forgotten the note that Father Lee Ki-Young had left before he got kidnapped? Didn¡¯t he write that something bad might happen to him? The Hero of Shadows submitted that note just now.


    "The evidence is rock solid, Kennen. I don''t even think that we should hesitate here. It doesn¡¯t matter what kind of conspiracy the Temrs were involved in; the story behind his actions isn''t important as well.


    "Of course, as a field investigator, I can¡¯t tell a juror what they should do, but I believe that you¡¯ll make a reasonable decision,¡± I said.


    The gist of the story was that Father Lee Ki-Young, who was struggling to uncover the Temrs¡¯ conspiracy, had ended up getting kidnapped.


    I turned and saw Father Lee Ki-Young¡¯s messy room, which had never been touched since his disappearance.


    There was a mess on the table, and there were torn pieces of paper and trash all over the floor. Most of the jurors gulped upon seeing the horrible sight. It was like they could clearly imagine what had transpired.


    Perhaps the silencested too long because a junior of the Continental Management Committee shattered the silence, saying, ¡°Father Lee Ki-Young wasst seen here before he was kidnapped. Jurors, please make your decision while thinking of this sight.¡±


    ¡°What do the investigators think?¡± a juror asked.


    ¡°The field investigators believe that Father Lee Ki-Young didn¡¯t show much resistance. They think that there was an argument followed by a brief struggle. As you can see, they exited the room through the window...¡± I replied.


    ¡°Where were the Holy Knights and the security guards of the temple?¡± a juror asked.


    ¡°We learned that the Holy Knights on Father Yohan¡¯s side were on duty,¡± I answered.


    ¡°Is it safe to assume that this kidnapping was nned in advance?¡± they asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s something you must decide. We''re only here to guide you into making the right decision,¡± an investigator said.


    They were right, and my actions right now weren''t befitting of a field investigator.


    Kennen turned to me and said, ¡°Your words and your junior''s words are contradictory.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Still, this is really incredible. Who could have known that you¡¯d end up working at the Continental Protection Management Committee, Alex?¡± Kennen said.


    ¡°He''s the reason I ended up changing my mind, Kennen. I had been living a sad life at the time, so I ended up joining the Committee to be someone useful to Father Lee Ki-Young.


    "Now that something so absurd has urred, how can I just stand by and do nothing? I honestly believe that a trial for him is a waste of time. We ought to have ripped him to pieces long ago,¡± I told him.


    ¡°Lower your voice, Alex. You¡¯re really agitated right now. You know you shouldn¡¯t say that in front of the jurors, right?" Kennen reminded me.


    ¡°I¡¯m saying this because you guys are here. I know how to keep my mouth shut somewhere else, so don¡¯t worry about me,¡± I reassured him.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d better be prepared for the next site,¡± I warned.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Miss Jung Suah?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir?¡± Jung Suah replied.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s best if we head to the next site,¡± I suggested.


    ¡°Okay. S-So do we just need to head <i>there</i>?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yes. Guide the jurors to the warp gate and announce that we¡¯re heading straight to the Demonic Forest. We¡¯ll leave in ten minutes,¡± I instructed.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°You actually look the part, Alex,¡± Kennen remarked.


    ¡°Shut up, Kennen,¡± I said.


    ¡°What¡¯s your rtionship with Jung Suah?¡± Kennen asked.


    ¡°There''s nothing going on between us,¡± I replied.


    ¡°But the way you guys were exchanging nces told me that there''s definitely <i>something </i>going on. Is it okay for you to date a colleague?¡± Kennen pointed out.


    ¡°Shut up, Kennen. I¡¯m not in the mood for your jokes,¡± I told him.


    I wasn¡¯t sure what he was thinking. I thought this way of avoiding the elephant in the room, but I didn¡¯t really approve of it. I was getting annoyed because Kennen was being a chatterbox next to me, but he soon became quiet.


    And it was all because a shocking sight had appeared before him...


    ¡°The second site is the site where we believe Father Lee Ki-Young stayed for approximately eighteen days. The space inside is small, so we¡¯ll allow only two people to enter at a time,¡± I informed.


    The jurors were at a loss for words.


    It was a deste building that looked like a hut, as it was buried halfway into the ground. The ground was covered in muddy water and filth. It was questionable whether there was even proper air cirction inside the "hut."


    It was so smelly inside that I couldn''t breathe and couldn''t stop myself from frowning. It was a space so small and dirty that it was hard to believe that someone could even stay here for a minute, much less for eighteen days.


    We were having a hard time staying in this ce, so I could only imagine the suffering that Father Lee Ki-Young had to go through. I had been here once, but I was still at a loss for words upon seeing it twice.


    <i>¡®The Son of Light... actually spent such a long time in a ce like this?¡¯</i>


    Kennen was silent while the religious jurors were already crying.


    ¡°<i>Sob! Sob... </i>O Benigoa!¡±


    ¡°Father Lee Ki-Young...!¡±


    They were crying while calling out to the Goddess. Their crying seemed contagious because the others soon started crying as well. The deste building looked like it was going to copse at any moment, and the idea that he had struggled in a ce like this for such a long time made the jurors'' emotions run wild.


    ¡°The rangers believe that Father Lee Ki-Young went outside only two times throughout the ordeal,¡± I told them.


    ¡°Does that mean he spent the rest of the roughly eighteen days in here except for the two times he went out?¡± a juror asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. His nutrition and health deteriorated drastically during his stay here. We believe that his current mdy was caused by the time he had spent here. It was raining most of the time, so a majority of the traces have disappeared long ago, but Father Lee Ki-Young... he was assaulted many times in here,¡± I replied.


    ¡°So the evidence that the Commander of the Republic had found was discovered here...¡± a juror muttered.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t say this with certainty, but we believe that he had experienced a variety of harsh torture in here. In addition to the physical pain, I¡¯m sure he was being mentally tortured as well.


    "What''s interesting is that he visited a nearby rural hamlet to exchange some of the leather he had obtained for everyday supplies,¡± I exined.


    The jurors started whispering among themselves.


    ¡°Why did he not let the vigers of that hamlet know about his plight?¡± a juror asked.


    ¡°He was probably worried that Temr Gen might take his anger out on them. I¡¯m sure he would have done more than just kill them,¡± I answered.


    ¡°We managed to confirm that he left the hamlet as quickly as possible, and then we discovered traces of holy power being used right after that,¡± Jung Suah chimed in.


    ¡°In other words, we think Father Lee Ki-Young ended up getting punished for visiting that rural hamlet,¡± I added.


    ¡°I agree,¡± Jung Suah said.


    ¡°How many times did he use healing-type holy spells...¡± a juror asked.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know exactly how many times, but we believe that he frequently had to exhaust his holy power,¡± I answered.


    ¡°If someone with that much holy power had to frequently exhaust it to heal himself, then... he had to have been in a serious situation back then,¡± a juror said.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°And he did say he almost died...¡±


    ¡°Why did he even buy everyday supplies?¡± a juror asked.


    ¡°Father Lee Ki-Young bought everyday supplies for Temr Gen. To serve food and make things convenient for him.¡±


    ¡°But why...¡± they questioned.


    ¡°We will understand his intentions unless he makes it clear to us himself, but if I were to make a guess... I''d say it''s because he found him pitiful.


    "I¡¯m sure they talked about many things. They spent over two weeks in this tiny ce, so I believe that amount of time was enough for Father Lee Ki-Young to understand and empathize with him.


    "The criminal had harmed, insulted, and humiliated the Son of Light, but he still ended up loving him, as he has always been that kind of person," I exined.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°O Son of Light...!¡±


    ¡°<i>Whoo...</i>¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s probably the reason why the Son of Light has decided to defend him. The Son of Light has forgiven him¡ªno, he¡¯s trying to forgive him. He¡¯s such an innocent and kind man... to the extent of foolishness. He''s doing that despite what he had experienced...¡± a juror chimed in.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°What do you think, Alex? You already know what the majority of the jurors think, right?¡± Kennen asked.


    ¡°Well, they¡¯re not wrong, Kennen,¡± I replied.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°The next site is just ahead of us. After entering the Republic, we found evidence that Father Lee Ki-Young had devoted himself to that damned criminal. Despite getting beaten up every night, Father Lee Ki-Young still couldn''t help but find him pitiful. He''d wake up at dawn and prepare food for that damned criminal,¡± I said.


    ¡°That bastard,¡± Kennen said.


    ¡°However, his kindness was repaid with violence,¡± I added.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°The payment he received for his dedication were ruthless beatings and torture. That bastard treated the Son of Light like he was some ve at the ck market. At this point, I don''t think the mastermind behind his actions still matters.


    "It doesn''t matter whether his actions were a result of Temr Simon''s orders or Father Yohan''s lies. The truth is that he''s evil, Kennen. He''s like a demon who derives enjoyment from deceiving people. He makes people pity him before repaying their kindness with violence.


    "Even if Father Lee Ki-Young ends up forgiving him, we can¡¯t forgive him,¡± I exined.


    ¡°It was just the first trial...¡± Kennen remarked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if holding more trials is worth it. Anyway, what do you think, George?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Well...¡± George trailed off.


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a group that has been contacting me to vote that Gen is innocent,¡± George confessed.


    ¡°What?¡± I was astounded


    ¡°Calm down, Alex. I looked into them because I was curious about them, but it was meaningless. I have been silent until now, as I don''t want to cause any trouble, but there are many of them out there.


    "It¡¯s highly likely that they¡¯re the Temrs or Father Yohan¡¯s spies, but I don¡¯t really know what they¡¯re trying to do here,¡± George exined.


    ¡°Did you ept their money...¡± I asked, sounding hesitant.


    ¡°Of course, I didn¡¯t. I would ept it if I were still the same old me years ago, but... we''re talking about Father Lee Ki-Young here. I can''t betray him.


    "He¡¯s someone who deserves to be treated with respect and dignity. The Son of Light had saved the world, and I don''t think he deserves beatings and getting locked up in a deste building as his reward for saving the continent.


    "We''ve received plenty of help from him, too,¡± George said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Whenever the continent was in danger, we were always with him. We''re also witnesses to his life story and epic adventures,¡± George added.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Do you remember what the Shield of Blue shouted while he was being dragged out of the courtroom? He¡¯s right. We must do what we can do. We have to make that demon pay for his sins,¡± George said.


    I had always thought of George as a bit of an airhead, but it seemed that he was capable of saying something awe-inspiring from time to time.


    I immediately nodded at his words.


    The majority of the jurors were shocked upon seeing the horrific scene.


    ¡°That bastard...¡±


    ¡°He deserves an extreme beating.¡±


    ¡°That bastard is a demon.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t agree more.


    1. Alex¡¯s POV ?

 Chapter 947. Trial (6)

    <h4>Chapter 947. Trial (6)</h4>


    <i>¡®Fuckin¡¯ bastard.¡¯</i>


    Asshole.


    <i>¡®Demon-summoning bastard.¡¯</i>


    Jerk.


    <i>¡®Jin Cheong, you jerk.¡¯</i>


    There was truly no one on my side.


    <i>¡®In the end, people really are alone in the world, damn it.¡¯</i>


    It felt like Ji-Hye noona, Park Deok-Gu, and Kim Hyun-Sung had turned their backs on me. Jung Ha-Yan and Han Sora weren''t around. I assumed they were enjoying their time with the new recruits, who had disappeared under mysterious circumstances.


    The jurors looked strange, so I assumed that they had been bribed or something.


    Perhaps the build-up to this point was <i>too</i> perfect.


    The series of processes that would undoubtedly transform Gen into a criminal was making me feel suffocated. I started wondering what it would have been like if I had left out at least one of those processes.


    If I hadn''t left a note when I got kidnapped...


    If I hadn''t stayed for such a long time in that deste, abandoned building...


    If I had avoided that strange incident in the city...


    Those incidents popped up in my mind, but I knew better than anyone that regret was meaningless at this point.


    <i>¡®It was too perfect. Too perfect, damn it.¡¯</i>


    The way Jin Cheong was sitting with his chin raised arrogantly made me feel angry. I was annoyed by his attitude, as he was basically telling me that he was going to win in the end, no matter what I would do against him.


    It was like he was telling me that I could struggle as much as possible, but it wouldn''t matter because I was in the palm of his hand anyway. He looked satisfied and smug; he also looked like he was finally relieving the stress that had umted over the years.


    <i>¡®Ah, he¡¯s really annoying. Damn it.</i>


    I had to say something because I couldn¡¯t ruin the second trial.


    ¡°It was all because of his twisted concept of belief. If you¡¯ve sinned, you must take responsibility for the sin that has twisted your feelings for Goddess Benigoa.


    "Temr Simon and Father Yohan had taken advantage of his belief to control him. They used his desperate wish of wanting to stand beside Goddess Benigoa, transforming him into a puppet. Must he take responsibility? Must he be med for his desperate feelings of wanting to serve Goddess Benigoa?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It is undeniable that hemitted a crime,¡± Jin Cheon said casually.


    ¡°It was a mistake. It¡¯s true that he had made a mistake, but it doesn¡¯t mean that he had sinned,¡± I argued.


    <i>''He</i> did<i> drink, but he didn¡¯t drink and drive, damn it.''</i>


    ¡°Father Yohan and Temr Simon are the ones who must take responsibility for his mistakes. The independent Temrs are the ones responsible for the incident, and the suspect is nothing more than a small cogwheel in their grand scheme,¡± I exined. ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to ask if a scapegoat is what you really need or if you¡¯re looking for someone to vent out your anger. Let¡¯s think about the mistake William the Mage had made two years ago.


    "Let¡¯s talk about that incident here. All William did was cast a spell and throw it at the designated ce, but he ended up destroying a vige due to the Magic Tower''s mistake. At the time, no one held him ountable,¡± I said.


    Framing Temr Simon and Father Yohan was the only way I could win here. It was an oue I had been building up since the first trial, and I happened to have a good precedent.


    ¡°Objection, Your Honor. Father Lee Ki-Young''s example has nothing to do with the current case,¡± Jin Cheong argued.


    ¡°Objection overruled. Please continue,¡± the judge said.


    ¡°The observers of the Magic Tower and the signalman on duty at the time ignored the protocols and were promptly punished for the deaths of those civilians. No one med William. No one. They actuallyforted him and sympathized with his pain.


    "How is Temr Gen different from him? All he did was carry out his tasks like he always does. I believe that¡¯s faith and a path to reach Goddess Benigoa; he simply carried out the holy mission he has received,¡± I exined.


    The problem was that this statement was wed.


    I nced at Jin Cheong and saw that he was shrugging with his arms spread out exaggeratedly. I bit my lips because he looked like he knew I was going to deploy this card against him.


    <i>¡®This bastard already knows what I''m going to do.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Father Lee Ki-Young¡¯s statement doesn¡¯t make sense, Your Honor,¡± Jin Cheong argued.


    ¡°...¡±


    <i>¡°Haha</i>. He sold his rosario of the Goddess Benigoa to the ck market. Do you consider that as faith in Her as well?!¡± Jin Cheong yelled.


    <i>¡®This asshole.¡¯</i>


    ¡°He abandoned Goddess Benigoa, Father Lee Ki-Young. How dare you try to defend the one who had sold their rosario to the ck market by saying that their actions are born from faith? You¡¯re <i>too</i> innocent,¡± he said.


    ¡°D-Do you have evidence?¡± I asked.


    ¡°We have a copy of the ledger that shows how the suspect had sold his rosario to the ck market. I¡¯ll submit it as evidence, Your Honor,¡± Jin Cheong replied.


    ¡°It¡¯s the ledger of the ck market. It¡¯s unreliable evidence, and it cannot be submitted as evidence,¡± I argued.


    ¡ª How disgraceful, Lee Ki-Young.


    <i>"You can¡¯t submit something like that as evidence, Commander Jin. Got it? How dare you fabricate evidence."</i>


    ¡°Temr Gen had sold his rosario for three hundred and fifty gold coins to buy a new identity and everyday supplies. My statement does make sense. How dare you use him of throwing away the symbol of the Goddess when he was doing it for his mission of faith?


    "The Vatican surely knows what the rosario means, and you can¡¯t im that hemitted a crime for the sake of his faith,¡± I said.


    ¡°Where¡¯s that rosario? The evidence has to be clear. Even if that ledger is real, we can''t say for sure whether it¡¯s the same ledger that contains information about Temr Gen selling his rosario,¡± the judge said.


    ¡ª This must be the only thing you have up your sleeve, Lee Ki-Young. Did you really think you¡¯d be able to buy time with nothing but a rosario?


    <i>"It¡¯s not over yet, Commander Jin. You¡¯re too rxed andcent."</i>


    ¡ª What a ridiculous bluff. Don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to fall for it.


    ''You¡¯re right. I am bluffing, damn it.''


    <i>"You¡¯re the one who¡¯s really disgraceful, Commander. If you didn¡¯t bring proper evidence with you, then you shouldn¡¯t have submitted any evidence in the first ce. You¡¯re so disgraceful showing off with half-assed evidence. Was that the best you could do?"</i>


    ¡ª I don¡¯t think the jurors think that way.


    I felt like I''d instantly look away as soon as my gaze met with any of the jurors, so I simply rolled my eyes and caught a glimpse of the jurors'' shocked faces. The religious jurors were especially affected. It was understandable, as I was basically arguing that Temr Gen had sold his rosario to fulfill his mission of faith for Goddess Benigoa.


    <i>¡®Damn it.¡¯</i>


    ¡ª You would have had a chance of winning if you had won over the religious jurors. What a shame.


    <i>"I said it¡¯s not over yet, Commander. You¡¯ve really put your guard down. Don''t tell me you''ve already forgotten how you ended up losing everything after acting like this thest time we yed this game? I guess you''ve forgotten, as you were resurrected."</i>


    ¡ª You only talk big because you¡¯re scared.


    <i>"From my experience, losers talk big as well."</i>


    ¡ª <i>Hmph.</i>


    What kind of reaction was that?


    <i>"Anyway, let¡¯s see if things really go your way. We¡¯ll see."</i>


    <i>¡ª</i> I don¡¯t care what kind of tricks you have up your sleeve. The evidence is clear, and you can''t possibly wiggle your way out of this.


    <i>''He''s right, damn it. I don¡¯t think I have a way out of this.'' </i>


    The evidence was clear, and everything was going his way.


    Just like the first trial, I couldn''t achieve much in the second trial. The defense was in a hopeless state for quite a while now. It was to the point that they suggested we go with getting a reduced sentence instead.


    <i>¡®No, we have to win no matter what.¡¯</i>


    Jin Cheong''s way of talking changed drastically upon realizing that he was winning, and I could already imagine what was going to happen as soon as I lost this trial. He¡¯d get on my nerves every day with that arrogant face of his, and he''d provoke me every day by mumbling that the trial was easier than he thought.


    ¡°The defense¡¯s argument makes sense. It¡¯s not clear enough of an evidence,¡± the judge said.


    <i>¡®Nice.¡¯</i>


    <i>"Look, Commander Jin. How dare you submit such a useless item as evidence? Hey, Commander Jin. You think the court is a joke? You think the Sacred Democratic Country¡¯s courthouse is your yground or something?"</i>


    ¡ª It¡¯s only a matter of time. This is just a minor ident that will not affect the overall trend.


    He looked calm right now, but he definitely couldn''t see this as a "minor ident." I was certain of that, as he was a perfectionist, after all.


    He was right. This "minor ident" would not affect the overall trend, but this "minor ident" meant that there was a w in his argument.


    Once he found out that I was trying to frame Temr Simon and Father Yohan for this case, he definitely wouldn''t be able to ignore this so-called "minor ident."


    <i>¡®He''s acting like he''s calm, but he¡¯s bothered by it.¡¯</i>


    ¡°The trial is adjourned and will resume in two days,¡± the judge announced.


    ¡ª The next trial will be thest one, Lee Ki-Young.


    <i>"You mean it¡¯ll be</i> yourst trial<i>, Commander?"</i>


    ¡ª I don¡¯t know how much time you can buy with that card, but since you desperately want to buy some time for yourself, then I¡¯ll y along and give you some time.


    <i>''Stop talking nonsense. I know you¡¯re really worried. You¡¯re nervous right now despite pretending like you¡¯re not. You should know that since you¡¯ve already tasted what it feels like to get stabbed in the back. You will y along and will desperately try to find that rosario first.''</i>


    I hadn''t said anything about it, but...


    <i>¡®I need to find that rosario before him.¡¯</i>


    It¡¯d be best if I ended up obtaining that rosario in the end.


    Actually, there was something else that would be truly the best.


    <i>¡®It can be said that I''ve already lost.¡¯</i>


    Everyone was aware of that as well.


    The jurors no longer listened to me. The denizens and the religious figures of the Vatican were all taking their anger out on Temr Gen. The series of events was just so perfect that I couldn''t see an opening at all, which infuriated me.


    Even if there were an opening, I¡¯d also be pressed for time.


    <i>''Damn it, I''m gonna lose. I¡¯ll lose at this rate.''</i>


    ¡°Sub Guild Master,¡± Kim Mi-Young called out.


    ¡°Yes, Miss Kim Mi-Young?¡± I answered.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for telling you this... but about our suggestion¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t want a reduced sentence. We have to win this case no matter what,¡± I interrupted.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for myck of skills,¡± Miss Kim Mi-Young said.


    ¡°No, you¡¯re doing more than enough,¡± I told Miss Kim Mi-Young.


    <i>''I did it a bit too well. You didn¡¯t do anything wrong. Being able toe this far is already a miracle, and I feel bad because she lost a lot of weight over this case.''</i>


    ¡°Please find the rosario first. We must move faster than that Republican beast. Head to the ck market right now, and I¡¯ll dispatch... Lee Chang-Ryeol and Belier,¡± I instructed her.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°Additionally, please prepare for the next trial with the defense. You don¡¯t have to report every little thing to me. Do what you think is best, Miss Kim Mi-Young,¡± I added.


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t given up on the trial. I need to find a way to win,¡± I interrupted her.


    To be exact, I had to find a way to turn the tables; this wasn''t just about winning and losing anymore. I thought about it many times, but I thought this was the most reasonable method avable to me.


    If I couldn''t win, then I couldn''t let Jin Cheong win either.


    I had to make sure that he''d lose as well.


    <i>¡®Damn it.¡¯</i>


    It was an ambitious outlook, but it would allow me tomit irresponsible acts without any hesitation.


    It was 2:33 a.m., and I realized that this was the only way.


    Just like that, I had no choice but to visit our Hyun-Sung.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get straight to the point, Mr. Hyun-Sung,¡± I said.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Please help Temr Gen get out of here,¡± I requested.


    <i>''You understand what I¡¯m saying, right? Help him escape from prison. I know you can do it.''</i>


    ¡°I won¡¯t meet him ever again,¡± I added.


    <i>''If you do this for me, I won¡¯t hang out with him anymore. I¡¯ll only hang out with you.''</i>


    ¡°Please help him live freely. I beg you,¡± I said.


    <i>''I¡¯ll cut ties with him and you¡¯ll be my brother again. We¡¯ll be best friends with a strong bond. If you help me with this, all of that will be yours again. You¡¯ll get it back. I know that I¡¯ve been neglecting you recently, so I¡¯ll give all of that back to you.''</i>


    It was a trade that even elementary school students would find childish, but the corner of Kim Hyun-Sung¡¯s lips quivered slightly at my offer.

 Chapter 948. Trial (7)

    <h4>Chapter 948. Trial (7)</h4>


    How was I supposed to interpret that expression? If I had no idea what Kim Hyun-Sung was thinking, I would have been confused. It was kind of blunt, but I had to say something as soon as possible.


    ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to kill him.¡±


    <i>¡®I¡¯m sure he won¡¯t kill him right away. Don¡¯t cut off his limbs.¡¯</i>


    I couldn''t help but think that he had be a cold-blooded person.


    Was he still under Doom Hyun-Sung''s influence, or had he truly gone crazy because of stress? I trembled at the scary thought that Kim Hyun-Sung had finally gone crazy. I had no idea why, but I was suddenly reminded of the time when he stabbed me in the stomach.


    <i>¡®Shit. That was really painful...¡¯</i>


    However, I couldn¡¯t express that because I was ring at him with an upromising and determined look. No words were necessary from me, as I knew he had already deduced my thoughts.


    <i>¡®Don¡¯t break him out of prison and then send him to Goddess Benigoa afterward. You can¡¯t kill him, man.¡¯</i>


    The clean-up would be really hard if he were to do that.


    <i>''You understand, right? I know how you feel, but this conversation is over. As long as you break him out of prison, it¡¯ll be like Gen had never even existed in the first ce.''</i>


    ¡°I want you to break him out of prison unharmed,¡± I requested.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Please do it discreetly,¡± I added.


    ¡°Mr. Ki-Young, he¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right, Mr. Hyun-Sung. However, he¡¯s been suffering as well. I''m crossing the line here, but I can¡¯t just let him die like this. As you said, he did hurt me, but...¡± I trailed off.


    <i>''</i>You <i>hurt me, too. You stabbed me.''</i>


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Would you like toe in for a moment?¡± Kim Hyun-Sung asked.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s alreadyte. Also...¡± I declined.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking and what you want to tell me, but it won¡¯t be enough to convince me. I''ve already made a decision, so I beg you,¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°As I mentioned earlier, you must not kill him...¡± I repeated.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll assume that you''ve epted my request,¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Also...¡± I paused.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Thank you as always, Mr. Hyun-Sung,¡± I told him.


    <i>''Let¡¯s smile a little because it¡¯ll be effective here.'' </i>


    Kim Hyun-Sung didn¡¯t answer, but I believe he¡¯d make the right choice. There were probably many things that he disliked about the idea, but there was no way he would refuse my request.


    After all, it was a request from a friend who had sacrificed his life for him.


    Anyway, he just had to ept my request, and he''d be able to get rid of Temr Gen somewhere I couldn''t see, and our bond would return as well.


    Under normal circumstances, if one wanted to obtain something, then one had to sacrifice something in exchange for it. I was sure Kim Hyun-Sung was aware that he needed to focus and make a choice.


    Rather than wasting his time on meaningless revenge, he probably thought he needed to take care of and protect his friend. Obviously, I preferred a trade with no losses, but there was no way Kim Hyun-Sung would reject me.


    <i>¡®Even if he doesn¡¯t like it, he¡¯ll do it no matter what. He¡¯ll do it even if he doesn¡¯t want to do it.¡¯ </i>The most important thing in the world for Kim Hyun-Sung was our lost bond. <i>''In addition, it would be strange for him to refuse the idea, but he does have a record of causing a mess and threatening to kill others.¡¯</i>


    Anyway, the next thing I had to handle was Gen.


    <i>¡®The trial isn¡¯t as important anymore. I was never really interested in the trial.¡¯</i>


    I startedforting myself, saying that the result would have been different if I had given my all during the trial. I wasn¡¯t interested inpeting with Jin Cheong in the first ce, so I simply decided to look for a more reasonable way to deal with the matter.


    What was actually good for the continent?


    At this point, what was really important?


    I had to go back to the beginning and think about it. I had no choice but to keep thinking about the answer to that question. Was that trial really <i>that</i> important to me? Was the trial actually meaningful?


    The battle of our petty pride wouldn''t do me any good in the future.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m different from that bastard who only knows how to y games.¡¯</i>


    I was a saint who''d always prioritize the interests of the multitude rather than my personal greed.


    <i>¡®There¡¯s a reason I¡¯m the Saint of Light.¡¯</i>


    The petty fight about whether Temr Gen was innocent or not and the jurors¡¯ decisions weren¡¯t important.


    The extermination of the group known as the Temrs, clearing the Mole Saint¡¯s Cozy Sanctuary, stopping the anomalies happening throughout the continent, and dedicating myself to the job of ensuring that the multitude would live a peaceful and happier life...


    These were the tasks I had to do as the Saint of Light, the Honorary Cardinal of the Vatican, the Manager of the Continent, andstly, as a human being.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m built different¡ªthe essence of my existence is different from him.¡¯</i>


    There was a massive difference between Demon Summoner Jin Cheong and the Saint of Light.


    <i>''Let¡¯s ce a location-tracking artifact and a spy camera artifact on Goddess Benigoa¡¯s statue, as there''s only one ce Temr Gen will go upon escaping. There¡¯s a chance he might go elsewhere, but his priority is to save the weak Saint of Light.'' </i>


    It was only natural for him to know that he needed the power of a group rather than the power of an individual. There was no other group he could turn to except for them, and it was all because he didn¡¯t have any connections.


    I nodded and quietly called out, ¡°Mr. Gen.¡±


    ¡°Mr... Lee Ki-Young?¡± Gen asked.


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Gen. It¡¯s me,¡± I replied.


    ¡°What brings you here... when it''s already sote?¡± Gen asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get straight to the point since I don¡¯t have a lot of time,¡± I told him.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I-I think I can help you get out of this ce,¡± I said.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Gen asked, looking confused.


    ¡°I decided to get help,¡± I informed him.


    ¡°What? What do you...¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t say more, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about, Mr. Lee Ki-Young?!¡± Gen interrupted.


    He sure was loud for someone who was dying, but it was understandable.


    He looked like he couldn¡¯t understand what I was saying, even though I simply told him that I was going to get him out of here. The public''s opinion had already turned against him, and I was sure he was aware of the fact that winning this trial was hopeless.


    His reaction was understandable, and he definitely assumed that I made some kind of deal. He definitely thought that way, but he couldn¡¯t figure out what kind of deal I had to make.


    I could have sold my freedom, or it could have been a political deal. Even worse, it could have been some kind of cruel deal that I couldn¡¯t tell him.


    In reality, I was just going to hang out with Kim Hyun-Sung more often than usual, but Gen''s wild imagination was advantageous for me right now. I took advantage of that and revealed a weak smile, showing him that I had long gotten used to sacrificing myself and that I was okay with it.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to sacrifice yourself. All of this... is solely my¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, Mr. Gen,¡± I interrupted him.


    ¡°I¡¯m not fine, Mr. Lee Ki-Young. For someone as worthless as me...¡± Gen paused.


    ¡°No, you¡¯re not worthless. You showed me a bigger world and what the continent truly looks like. You broadened my worldview, and you even gave me several gifts,¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Honestly, all of this was because I was selfish. You probably think that it''s all your fault, but that¡¯s not the case at all.


    "I¡¯ve always been dreaming of it. Perhaps I''ve always wanted to go out and see the beautiful world out there. I know that it was wrong, and I know that the ending was going to be horrible, but I ignored it because... I was happy,¡± I exined.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I clung to the joy of being able to see a different sky every day and my precious daily life was just too precious for me to just let it go. Of course, perhaps I also ignored it because I was worried that something bad might happen to you,¡± I said.


    ¡°You did nothing wrong, Mr. Lee Ki-Young. This is my fault. I¡¯m the one who ignored everything that happened afterward. I told you that I''d show you a new world, but perhaps my desire to be free was even greater than your desire to see the world.


    "I did it all for myself, not for you...¡± Gen confessed.


    ¡°You¡¯re a kind person,¡± Imented.


    <i>''Idiot.</i>''


    ¡°I¡¯m not as kind as you think! I¡¯m... a disgraceful man! This is all because I''m selfish!¡± Gen eximed.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do it... for you,¡± Gen added.


    I couldn¡¯t tell whether he was lying or not. I knew that he was projecting himself onto me, but I was convinced that he was lying to me right now. He definitely didn''t do all that out of selfishness.


    However, it was undeniable that he was having mixed emotions right now. I didn''t really mind it, as I believed that he''d start thinking about me a lot from today onward


    ¡°None of that matters, Mr. Gen. I simply did what I thought was right,¡± I said.


    An always steadfast honorary cardinal. A saint of unshakable faith. Sending Gen out was just the beginning, and the battle was bound to be tough and long. It would be a tough, drawn-out fight against the hidden evil of the continent, and it was going to start from the faction war within the Vatican.


    ¡°Leave and go to a ce where no one can find you, Mr. Gen,¡± I instructed him.


    ¡°What...¡±


    ¡°Father Basel will soon dere a holy war on the Temrs,¡± I revealed.


    <i>''It''s me. I''m going to dere it.''</i>


    ¡°I¡¯d like to stop it if possible,¡± I said.


    It was already impossible to stop it, as the faction war within the Vatican had gone on for too long to be stopped. Moreover, I was just one person; there was no way I could stop an entire war by myself.


    It was like a pus that had been festering for a long time had finally popped up.


    It¡¯d basically be a purge.


    ¡°Many will die, and there will be a lot of bloodshed,¡± I told him.


    ¡°...¡±


    The only thing I could do was try to prevent it. Actually, I knew I couldn¡¯t stop it and that my efforts would be nothing more than a futile struggle. However, I wouldn¡¯t be the Saint of Light if I didn''t lend my hand to those who needed a helping hand.


    ¡°Mr. Lee Ki-Young, you don''t have to...¡± Gen trailed off.


    <i>''No, you know the truth as well. My power as the Honorary Cardinal of the Vatican was necessary to minimize the damage of what was about to happen.'' </i>


    It felt like a twist of fate. This was the epic story of the Honorary Cardinal of the Vatican fighting against a greater power for the sake of the continent, the Sacred Democratic Country, and in the end, for the sake of a pious believer named Gen.


    ¡°Run away as far as possible,¡± I told him.


    <i>¡®Don¡¯t leave; just crawl back into your home, man. Go back to where your Temr friends are right now.¡¯</i>


    ¡°You must forget everything about the Sacred Democratic Country and the Vatican,¡± I added.


    <i>¡®Don¡¯t forget. You must not forget what the Vatican had done to you.¡¯</i>


    ¡°You must also forget about me,¡± I told him.


    <i>¡®Don¡¯t you dare forget about me, damn it. Have a debate or something with the remaining Temrs out there.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Don¡¯t look for me again,¡± I said.


    <i>¡®I¡¯ll probably look for you myself.¡¯</i>


    ¡°T-This is myst gift,¡± I stuttered as I extended a small ne toward him.


    It was the best gift ever, featuring a location-tracking artifact, a spy camera, and a bug[1]. Of course, I was confident that he wouldn''t notice those features.


    The ne had an engraved gem depicting Goddess Benigoa, and it was my final gift to him as Lee Ki-Young, so I was sure he¡¯d treasure it.


    ¡°Mr. Lee Ki-Young! Mr. Lee Ki-Young!¡± Gen shouted.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lee Ki-Young!¡± Gen yelled.


    ¡°...¡±


    <i>''Don¡¯t look back. I''ve gotten used to break ups, but I might still end up crying if I look back.''</i>


    ¡°Mr. Lee Ki-Young... please... please!¡± Gen begged.


    <i>I have to keep walking for a while, and then I''ll stop for a moment to look back at him.</i>


    ¡°...¡±


    I came to an abrupt halt and looked back at him, saying, "It was fun."


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°<i>AAAAHHHH!</i>¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°<i>AAAAHHH!!</i>¡±


    The next morning, I heard a loud and obnoxious rm.


    ¡ª LEE KI-YOOOUNG!! You bastard! You crazy fool! You piece of trash! You disgraceful and nauseating fool!


    1. A bug is a concealed or disguised microphone to overhear conversation ?

 Chapter 949. Trial (8)

    <h4>Chapter 949. Trial (8)</h4>


    ¡ª Lee Ki-Young, you bastard! It¡¯s no use pretending, you rat!


    Kim Hyun-Sung had done his job perfectly. I had doubts whether he could y the role of an assassin, ranger, or thief, and I was sure that doubt was due to the fact that he had the typical swordsman image.


    <i>¡®But I don¡¯t think he left any traces...¡¯</i>


    I expected nothing less than that from a regressor.


    I assumed he had done a simr mission in his past life because his past life was quite troublesome, unlike his current life, where he was walking down a smoother path. I was sure his experience in his tumultuous first life had helped him immensely.


    Actually, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he had built a reputation in the underworld.


    <i>¡®It was a difficult task.¡¯</i>


    We were talking about the underground prison of the Vatican here, after all.


    It would be easy for him to just break in and help Gen escape, but helping Gen escape without anyone noticing was difficult.


    The continent¡¯s worst criminal had disappeared overnight.


    There were no traces of mana, and there were no traces of holy power being as well.


    A few people got injured, but no one died.


    Temr Gen was the only one who disappeared. He managed to avoid the eyes of that demon summoner, who definitely was prepared for this kind of variable, so I could definitely say for sure that...


    <i>''He¡¯s no different from the continent¡¯s number one assassin. Shit.¡¯</i>


    He definitely got himself a second job advancement for what he had done.


    If Kim Hyun-Sung were the one who kidnapped me instead of Temr Gen, no one would find me ever again.


    I peeked outside and heard a loud voice.


    ¡°What the hell were the Holy Knights doing?!¡± Father Basel shouted.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± a knight said.


    ¡°Father Lee Ki-Young... where is he? Was he...¡± Father Basel asked.


    ¡°Thankfully, we confirmed that he¡¯s in his room,¡± the knight answered.


    ¡°You must tighten up the security. You have to protect Father Lee Ki-Young with your life. He mighte back for him,¡± Father Basel ordered.


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind,¡± the knight said.


    ¡°Is Father Lee Ki-Young aware of what happened?¡± Father Basel asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s probably not aware of it yet,¡± the knight replied.


    ¡°What do we do...¡±


    They prioritized security, and there were quite a few people worried about me.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s only natural.¡¯</i>


    Criminals had the tendency to return to the scene of the crime.


    Gen''s crime had ended up in failure, so there was a chance that he''de back to take me away again. I saw Holy Knights standing near my room, and I also saw members of the Blue Guild.


    Just as I thought that they''d soon enter my room, I heard knocking on the door.


    ¡°Hyung-nim,¡± Park Deok-Gu said.


    <i>¡®Damn it, it¡¯s the pig.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to see you right now,¡± I said.


    ¡°H-Hyung-nim...¡± Park Deok-Gu mumbled.


    ¡°If there¡¯s something you want to tell me, tell Jo Hye-Jin toe in,¡± I instructed him.


    ¡°All right,¡± Park Deok-Gu said.


    ¡°Sir, it¡¯s me,¡± Jo Hye-Jin said.


    ¡°Come in, Miss Hye-Jin,¡± I said.


    Jo Hye-Jin, Park Deok-Gu, and Kim Ye-Ri entered the room.


    <i>¡®Go away, you pig!¡¯</i>


    When I red at Park Deok-Gu, he immediately flinched. He looked like a rain-soaked puppy.


    I eventually stopped ring at him, and he quietly took a seat. It had been a few days since the trial, and we were still in the middle of a cold war. I could already deduce why the guild members hade here to visit me.


    ¡°So... what brings you here?¡± I asked, going straight to the point.


    Jo Hye-Jin nodded and replied, ¡°Temr Gen has vanished."


    I already knew that he was gone, but I still pretended to be shocked.


    I entered a state of denial and looked at Jo Hye-Jin as if I couldn¡¯t understand her words.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Like I said, Temr Gen disappeared, sir. The Vatican is investigating all the Holy Knights who stood guard during the estimated time of his disappearance. They are still trying to figure out what happened.


    "The Magic Detection Unit and the rangers were dispatched to investigate the scene, but they haven¡¯t found any traces at all,¡± Jo Hye-Jin said.


    ¡°Ye-Ri... have you checked the scene?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yeah, but there weren¡¯t any traces of mana or holy power. He probably just used brute force... I can¡¯t really exin it... but there¡¯s no one on the continent capable of doing that.


    "This must be the work of an assassin with a skill to erase traces, or perhaps they have a skill that allows them to conceal their mana. Thetter is an attribute that has never been recorded on the continent just yet, or at least I''m not aware of anyone with that kind of attribute.


    "Chang-Ryeol oppa is currently investigating my former assumption... but if that isn¡¯t the case, then it¡¯s the work of someone unknown to us,¡± Kim Ye-Ri exined.


    ¡°We believe Temr Gen has yet to escape the Vatican. The Vatican and the Blue Guild have determined that we need to focus on protecting you more than tracking him down, so we¡¯re nning on staying here to protect you in the next forty-eight hours.


    "It is going to be ufortable, but..." Jo Hye-Jin trailed off.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Sir.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a criminal,¡± Jo Hye-Jin continued.


    I frowned because the idea that I''d have guards so close to me sounded annoying, but it seemed that Jo Hye-Jin had misunderstood me.


    ¡°Ipletely understand how you¡¯re feeling, but you can¡¯t deny the crimes that he hasmitted. The guild¡¯s Investigation Team believes that the Temrs are behind his escape,¡± Jo Hye-Jin added.


    ¡ª You coward! Are you... not feeling embarrassed at all? You shameless bastard!


    <i>¡®Ah, ourmander is so loud.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I¡¯m sure there was some kind of reason he approached you in the first ce. I know it¡¯s heartbreaking, but...¡± Jo Hye-Jin trailed off. Then, she nodded and added, ¡°You don''t have to sympathize or empathize with him.¡±


    ¡°You were tricked, hyung-nim,¡± Park Deok-Gu chimed in.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You can tell if you just think about it a little. That jerk fooled our hyung-nim to take advantage of him. I don¡¯t know what those Temr bastards are going after here... but if Temr Gen really cared about our hyung-nim, he wouldn¡¯t have disappeared without a word.


    "I¡¯m sure he¡¯s up to something, but don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m going to stay right beside you until the day I die,¡± Park Deok-Gu said.


    <i>''Get away from me and give me my coffee.''</i>


    ¡°And... we discovered a suspicious ce, sir,¡± Jo Hye-Jin informed me.


    <i>¡®I know.¡¯</i>


    It was all because Temr Gen was basically telling me his location in real time.


    Honestly, I thought it was kind ofte because it had been quite a while since I assigned the task to Rafael¡¯s party and those children.


    I wasn¡¯t sure if he had missed his chance to tell me, if he was too upied by the sudden kidnapping case, or if he was busy purging Father Yohan and the remaining evildoers, but I was honestly happy that hepleted the quest I gave him.


    "There''s a high chance that it''s the dungeon you mentioned before. I¡¯m sure Temr Gen and his conspirators are inside that dungeon. Rafael¡¯s party and the investigation team of the ck Swan Guild have been dispatched, but there¡¯s nothing to report yet,¡± she said.


    ¡°Temr Gen...¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°That jerk is probably there. I¡¯m sure they¡¯reing up with some sort of unimaginable n. The anomalies happening on the continent are getting worse... and the reason he kidnapped and tortured you was definitely to dy us from dealing with the anomalies.


    "You are the protector of the continent, after all. He''s probably trying to get rid of anything that might get in his way,¡± Park Deok-Gu said.


    ¡°Mr. Gen is¡ª¡±


    ¡°Sir,¡± Jo Hye-Jin interrupted me.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    Jo Hye-Jin looked pretty cautious as she asked, ¡°Can you tell me exactly what happened when you were with him?"


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about it. I testified everything in court,¡± I replied.


    Park Deok-Gu and Kim Ye-Ri exchanged nces.


    They stepped back, thinking that we were going to have an important conversation.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to tell you this... but you might have been brainwashed or hypnotized...¡± Jo Hye-Jin said.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°There were no signs of mana; not even simr artifacts were found. You said you''re okay, but you were already experiencing mental issues even before the War against the Outer Gods, so there¡¯s a chance that you''ve been hypnotized by him,¡± Jo Hye-Jin exined.


    <i>¡®Hypnotism? Really, Hye-Jin? Have you been reading some weird novelstely?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Sir, I¡¯m being very serious... right now,¡± Jo Hye-Jin added.


    <i>¡®What kind of novels has she been reading these days?¡¯</i>


    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing like that so don¡¯t worry. I was simply thinking about him as a human being. I have more good memories than bad memories now,¡± I told her.


    ¡°....¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to enter the dungeon as well, so please be prepared,¡± I instructed.


    ¡°No way!¡± Park Deok-Gu shouted.


    ¡°I have things I need to handle for Benigoa''s sake,¡± I exined.


    ¡°Stop talking nonsense! It''s because of that Gen or Gwen, right?!¡± Park Deok-Gu yelled.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s truly because of Goddess Benigoa, then you don''t have to do that. The continent has plenty of talented people¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hye-Jin noonim is right,¡± Park Deok-Gu interrupted Jo Hye-Jin.


    <i>''Let me set the mood first. A serious face and atmosphere always helps.''</i>


    ¡°I just... I just want to see it with my own eyes,¡± I said.


    ¡°Hyung-nim...¡± Park Deok-Gu mumbled.


    ¡°I want to know the truth and what¡¯s real... I still believe him, but I think there¡¯s something wrong. There might be something... in that dungeon,¡± I told them.


    ¡ª Lee Ki-Young, you coward! You losing like that...


    <i>¡®He¡¯s being so loud.¡¯</i>


    <i>"What? Is something wrong?"</i>


    ¡ª What you did was just...


    <i>"Did you get the rosario?"</i>


    ¡ª The rosario?


    <i>"Now that I think about it, I heard Temr Gen broke out of prison."</i>


    ¡ª Don¡¯t act like you don¡¯t know.


    <i>"How can you do this?"</i>


    ¡ª What?


    <i>"You should have just said something if you think you¡¯re going to lose. You''re so scared of losing that you even ruined the trial where I was winning..."</i>


    ¡ª What? You arrogant bastard! Put your hand on your chest and think about what you just said.


    <i>"</i>I<i> was going to win, you dumbmander. You knew I was going to win, so you went ahead and did </i>that<i>. The secret weapon I prepared all night long is useless now. Thanks to you, the situation has gotten even moreplicated... Haa..."</i>


    ¡ª Bullshit. Stop talking nonsense, you bastard!!! Secret weapon? Secret weapon? I know every single detail of your n. That useless and meaningless rosario is in my hands; you can only make so many objections, and we''ve prepared a counterargument for every single objection of yours!


    <i>"I¡¯ll forget about it since I¡¯m not the type to dwell on the past."</i>


    ¡ª Don¡¯t make meugh, Lee Ki-Young. You¡¯re so shameless. Don¡¯t... Don¡¯t contact me for personal reasons from now on.


    <i>"Is it okay to contact you as long as it''s about business?"</i>


    <i>''Aren¡¯t you going to y games with me? You¡¯re really not going to y with me?''</i>


    <i>"Don¡¯t be like that and get ready to enter the dungeon. This isn¡¯t for a personal matter."</i>


    ¡ª What?


    <i>"It¡¯s a pretty big dungeon, so prepare yourself. Come to think about it, do you have any knowledge about clearing dungeons?"</i>


    <i>''What are you going to do now? This game is a really, really fun one.''</i>


    ¡ª ...


    <i>"We¡¯ll quantify the dungeon''s clear results and convert them to points. We¡¯ll duel, and the winner is the one with the highest points."</i>


    <i>''It¡¯s a duel. It¡¯ll be really fun. A battle between brains. A battle between a prodigy and someone with mediocre talent.A battle between the symbols of the Sacred Democratic Country and the Republic.'' </i>


    Obviously, I had a bit more of an advantage, but games were more fun if one had an edge over thepetition.


    <i>"If you¡¯re not going, then I¡¯ll take Hee-Ra noona with me. In the meantime, you can just catch up on your work. As I promised, I¡¯ll make sure to give you a massive fund for your project. I¡¯m expecting... good results."</i>


    ¡ª ...


    ¡ª I¡¯ll...


    <i>"Yes?"</i>


    ¡ª I¡¯ll y with you onest time.


    <i>"..."</i>


    <i>''This guy...''</i>


    ¡°I¡¯ve decided to convene a meeting. Please summon all the guild members,¡± I ordered.


    It had been quite a while since I met all the guild members.

 Chapter 950. Mood (1)

    <h4>Chapter 950. Mood (1)</h4>


    I had never really gotten used to wearing a full uniform.


    During the tragic kidnapping incident, I had a dirty nket over my head most of the time.


    I had been wearing loose clothing these days, so this outfit felt awkward for me.


    I fixed my outfit and walked slowly outside.


    I saw priests and Holy Knights walking over toward me. I was sure they had a lot to say to me. They looked at each other, and it was probably because they had no idea how to deliver the shocking news to me.


    Eventually, a priest closed his eyes and stammered, ¡°F-Father Lee Ki-Young.¡±


    ¡°I know, Father Pes,¡± I said.


    ¡°<i>Ah...</i>¡±


    ¡°I would like for you to investigate this incident closely and gather as much detail as possible. I heard how there''s a high chance that they''re the ones behind this,¡± I requested.


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Father Pes answered.


    ¡°The Blue Guild will also do what we can,¡± I added.


    <i>¡®I was feeling kind of confident there.¡¯</i>


    Even I thought that I was being kind of bold.


    Of course, I had no intention of doing this, but it wasn¡¯t a bad setup at all.


    They thought I would be grieving, be sad, or act really shocked, but I got up from my seat instead.


    I made them think that something different would happen, as the incident had taken a different turn.


    I was sure my outfit helped with that as well because I was expressing that my mindset had changed a bit. This outfit made me look more charismatic than the priest outfit.


    People had been looking at me with sympathy or pity; the majority of them were worried about whether I¡¯d be able to ovee the pain or not, but the Holy Knights and priests nearby didn¡¯t look at me that way anymore.


    They treated me as a determined saint who had ovee his wounds; they were looking at me as the hero of the continent responsible for maintaining the continent¡¯s equilibrium.


    <i>¡®Kim Hyun-Sung isn¡¯t the only hero.¡¯</i>


    There was a great conspiracy around the Vatican.


    There were still anomalies happening throughout the continent, and the priests were nervous because they couldn''t hear Goddess Benigoa¡¯s voice for some reason.


    Some looked at me with worried gazes, thinking that I stood up because of Temr Gen, but it wasn¡¯t enough to affect the overall situation. It really wasn''t bad, as they were simply worried about the weak honorary cardinal.


    The guild members were the problem.


    Lee Chang-Ryeol had an idea as to what was going on, so he stayed quiet for now, but most of the members looked worried. Jo Hye-Jin, Park Deok-Gu, and Kim Ye-Ri looked worried, along with Sun Hee-Young and Elena.


    The priests were worried as well.


    Of course, I could understand why they were worried. It hadn''t been that long since the incident, after all.


    In that sense, Ahn Ki-Mo wasn¡¯t all that different from them.


    He was a berserker crazy about blood, but in the end, he was a holy knight as well.


    cksmith Yoo Ah-Young and Great Mage Hwang Jung-Yeon were worried as well.


    Alps holding onto Shiro, and the new guild member Belier were there as well, even though they looked quite awkward.


    I also saw Jung Ha-Yan, who looked quite ufortable, and Han Sora, who was nervous about Jung Ha-Yan''s reaction.


    The guild members were here, so I was kind of happy, but I was kind of worried about their reaction. The majority of them were worried about me, while the others were trying to read the room.


    It was such a shocking incident, and they were now face-to-face with the sub guild master covered in wounds.


    I had been iming that Gen was innocent, but they had been shouting that he was guilty. In the end, we entered a state of lull during the trials. I was the one who refused to meet them, but they were the ones ufortable, as they had seen me covered in wounds at the time.


    ¡°The mood is pretty serious,¡± Chang-Ryeol said, breaking the silence.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    <i>¡®I can¡¯t even make a joke.¡¯</i>


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, sir.¡±


    <i>¡®I¡¯ll make sure to take care of you.¡¯</i>


    He was a loyal member who had turned a blind eye to the incident.


    Actually, he did more than just turn a blind eye. At the time, Lee Chang-Ryeol had appointed himself as my guard, and the fact that he had failed to protect me had ruined his reputation.


    The Blue Guild as a whole didn¡¯t scold him since the guild wasn¡¯t the type to put the me on others, but it was highly likely that Kim Hyun-Sung or Jo Hye-Jin had scolded him. They could have punished him or deducted his pay.


    Everyone here knew that Lee Chang-Ryeol waspetent, so negligence was the only exnation as to why he ended up losing me and had even failed to track me down.


    <i>¡®That¡¯s right, Chang-Ryeol. You were always on my side.¡¯</i>


    Just as I expected, Jung Ha-Yan was ring at Lee Chang-Ryeol, and it was understandable, as ming others had always been her way to cope and stabilize her mental state.


    ¡°You¡¯re here, Mr. Hyun-Sung,¡± I greeted.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for beingte,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    However, even Kim Hyun-Sung frowned upon seeing Lee Chang-Ryeol.


    <i>¡®Our Chang-Ryeol is innocent... What should I do? Looks like he went through a lot more than I thought.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember lifting Mr. Chang-Ryeol¡¯s punishment,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung remarked.


    <i>¡®You don''t even let him attend meetings anymore?¡¯</i>


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sir.¡±


    ¡°I-I summoned him, so please don¡¯t scold him,¡± I told him.


    ¡°I understand how you feel, but rules are rules, Mr. Ki-Young. Due to many reasons, such as negligence, Mr. Chang-Ryeol is no longer an official guild member. Thus, he cannot attend our meetings, Mr. Ki-Young. If we were at war, he would be hanged for his negligence,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung argued.


    <i>¡®Why is he talking about hanging someone?¡¯</i>


    The situation was more serious than I thought.


    Yoo Ah-Young stood up quietly and cried while staring at Lee Chang-Ryeol.


    Yoo Ah-Young''s reaction gave me an idea about just how much Lee Chang-Ryeol had suffered in the meantime.


    ¡°It¡¯s not his fault, Mr. Hyun-Sung. My behavior is the problem here...¡± I told him.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with your behavior,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung denied.


    <i>''No, there is. It¡¯s a big problem.''</i>


    ¡°Please withdraw his punishment; at least, punish him only after all this. Of course, the guild has rules, and I don''t want to destroy them due to this special incident, but the Blue Guild really needs Mr. Chang-Ryeol¡¯s power right now,¡± I requested.


    <i>''I can go on forever about how important rangers are when raiding a dungeon.''</i>


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°Please, I beg you,¡± I said.


    ¡°<i>Whoo...</i>¡±


    ¡°I also ask that others don¡¯t scold Mr. Chang-Ryeol too much. It¡¯s my fault, not his fault. I thought nothing bad was going to happen, so I ignored those who were trying to keep me safe,¡± I exined.


    ¡°I-It¡¯s not your fault, hyung-nim,¡± Park Deok-Gu chimed in.


    ¡°It¡¯s also my fault that Mr. Chang-Ryeol didn¡¯t fully cooperate. It¡¯s not solely his fault...¡± I said.


    ¡°It¡¯s my fault, sir,¡± Lee Chang-Ryeol said.


    <i>¡®No, it¡¯s not your fault. You just need to gain their trust again through this expedition. Don¡¯t worry too much, Ah-Young. And I won¡¯t forget your kindness and for keeping quiet about it, Chang-Ryeol.</i>


    <i>''So, what are you going to do, Kim Hyun-Sung? Are you really going to let your emotions control you?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Mr. Chang-Ryeol isn¡¯t the only one who¡¯s at fault, so I should be punished along with him,¡± I suggested.


    <i>¡®You¡¯re not actually going to change the topic, are you?¡¯</i>


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°<i>Whoo...</i>¡±


    <i>¡®That¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I¡¯ll withdraw his punishment,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    ¡°I will follow your orders, Master. Thank you for giving me a chance.¡±


    It seemed that Kim Hyun-Sung was really hurting, as he didn¡¯t even respond to Lee Chang-Ryeol¡¯s words. It appeared that he only withdrew Lee Chang-Ryeol''s punishment because of my desperate words.


    I wasn¡¯t sure whether it was because of the mood earlier or not, but the atmosphere was still heavy. People were looking at each other awkwardly, and the silence was suffocating, unlike during our previous meetings when the mood was always boisterous.


    The members didn¡¯t chat with each other, and all I could hear was the sound of everyone gulping a mouthful of their own saliva instead ofughing with each other.


    <i>¡®This isn¡¯t right...¡¯</i>


    I nced over at Park Deok-Gu.


    ¡°H-Hyung-nim...¡± Park Deok-Gu stuttered.


    <i>¡®No, not that. I don¡¯t need people to sympathize with me.¡¯</i>


    ¡°<i>Sniff!</i>¡±


    <i>¡®Don¡¯t cry, damn it. Don¡¯t cry.¡¯</i>


    ¡°<i>Sob... Sob...!</i>¡±


    <i>¡®Jung Ha-Yan looks like she''s about to cry because you¡¯re crying.¡¯</i>


    ¡°S-Sub guild master...¡±


    <i>¡®Elena looks like she''s about to cry because Ha-Yan is crying.¡¯</i>


    ¡°...¡±


    <i>¡®Even Jo Hye-Jin looks like she''s about to cry because Elena is crying.¡¯</i>


    I looked around to see whether there was anyone who could resolve this situation or not, but I couldn''t see anyone like that. They started crying one after another, and in just under one minute, half of the guild members were already crying.


    I looked at a certain guild member.


    Fortunately, he was quick-witted, so I hoped he''d quickly realize what I wanted him to do.


    <i>¡®Ahn Ki-Mo. Please...¡¯</i>


    ¡°Everyone... please calm down. I know something unpleasant has happened this morning, but the sub guild master has regained his health, so can''t today be considered a good day as well?


    "It¡¯s been a while since we gathered like this, and I¡¯m sure he doesn¡¯t want to see everyone being so sad,¡± Ahn Ki-Mo said.


    <i>¡®Yeah, that¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about.¡¯</i>


    ¡°H-He¡¯s right,¡± Park Deok-Gu chimed in.


    <i>¡®Nice.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sure this isn¡¯t what hyung-nim wants. All right! Stop crying, noonim! You, too, Elena noonim. Stop crying,¡± Park Deok-Gu said.


    ¡°Mister Ki-Mo is right,¡± Kim Ye-Rimented.


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s all show our lively side!¡± Ahn Ki-Mo yelled.


    It was such a bizarre sight seeing them trying to act all lively and happy when they were actually sad.


    ¡°I think we should start with a cup of tea,¡± I suggested.


    We were sitting at arge, round table, but I started chatting with Kim Hyun-Sung, who was sitting beside me. We were actually busy, but it was better than going on an expedition in such a heavy mood.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡±


    Iughed at his ridiculous words...


    <i>¡®At least he¡¯s happy.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Come to think of it, Whitefall¡ª¡±


    ¡°I heard it as well. I¡¯m d they¡¯re getting along,¡± I interrupted.


    We also talked about the griffons.


    I took a sip of my tea and turned to Ha-Yan. Naturally, I nagged the pig as well.


    Eventually, I turned to Belier and asked her about how her life in the guild was.


    ¡°Miss Alps has been taking good care of me, so I have no issues adapting, sir!¡± Belier answered.


    ¡°Belier is really interested in the history of the continent, and she¡¯s been holing up in the guild¡¯s hall of records since she joined the guild,¡± Alps said.


    "Really?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t... do that,¡± Belier mumbled.


    ¡°She¡¯s been upte almost every night since then. There were times when she¡¯d stay up until dawn... The 27th Legion Summoning, the Resurrection Day... I¡¯m sure she''s been looking up many things that are hard for anyone to read...¡± Alps added.


    <i>¡®That¡¯s true. I don¡¯t even want to read about the Song Soo-Kyung incident again. The script was really brutal.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t a guild member at the time, and I-I just wanted to understand the Blue Guild more... The incidents that the guild had gone through are incidents only I didn¡¯t get to experience, and I want to sympathize with the pain you experienced


    "I-I-I... want to grow stronger... and contribute more to the Blue Guild...¡± Belier exined.


    ¡°Bel... you¡¯re such a sincere person... If there are hundreds of you, I¡¯d agree to ept all of them into the guild,¡± Park Deok-Gu said.


    ¡°Howmendable. I didn¡¯t think you were <i>that </i>kind of person,¡± Sun Hee-Young remarked.


    ¡°Hey, you should try to get to know the new guild member, Hee-Young noonim. You¡¯re being too distant,¡± Park Deok-Gu said.


    ¡°...¡±


    <i>¡®That¡¯s it.¡¯</i>


    It didn¡¯t take long for the atmosphere to return to normal as everyone started talking about random things...


    ¡°Hey, Bel. Are you sure you don¡¯t have other intentions?¡± Park Deok-Gu asked.


    ¡°No! No! No!!! That¡¯s not true!!!¡± Belier denied.


    ¡°Hyung-nim¡¯s handsome face... Wait, w-why are you yelling?¡± Park Deok-Gu asked.


    ¡°<i>Ah? Ah</i>... t-that¡¯s because Miss Jung Ha-Yan is here as well. I was simply... admiring him...¡± Belier muttered.


    ¡°Stop teasing. Her. Mister Deok-Gu. What if. She leaves. The Guild?¡± Kim Ye-Ri said.


    ¡°<i>Ah!</i> I-I¡¯m sorry. I took... the joke too far...¡± Park Deok-Gu said.


    Everyone started catching up with each other.


    ¡°Hey, Elena noonim. How are things at the Elf Kingdom?¡± Park Deok-Gu asked.


    ¡°My brother is currently...¡±


    ¡°I see. I¡¯m d he¡¯s doing well,¡± he said.


    ¡°<i>Ah</i>, and he said... he wanted to hear Miss Jo Hye-Jin¡¯s answer this time no matter what,¡± Elena added.


    Kim Hyun-Sung was surprised.


    ¡°What kind of answer does Mr. Elias need to hear from Hye-Jin noonim...¡± Park Deok-Gu asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± Jo Hye-Jin answered.


    ¡°Did he confess his feelings again?¡± Park Deok-Gu questioned.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Park Deok-Gu asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s not important right now,¡± Jo Hye-Jin retorted.


    <i>''How can you say it¡¯s not important? You should at least try to make Kim Hyun-Sung jealous so that he¡¯ll start getting worried. You¡¯re really... slow.''</i>


    Absolute Evil Elena added, ¡°It¡¯s been a while since my brother had formally proposed to Miss Jo Hye-Jin. The elders are against it, but my brother has been adamant about it.


    "She has already rejected him twice, so if she rejects him this time, it¡¯ll be the third rejection. Personally, I¡¯d like it if Miss Jo Hye-Jin became a part of our family, but... my older brother is reallycking, so I understand the rejection.¡±


    I was kind of surprised by the random news concerning the pure-hearted Elias.


    <i>¡®Kim Hyun-Sung, you better watch out, man.''</i>

 Chapter 951. Mood (2)

    <h4>Chapter 951. Mood (2)</h4>


    <i>¡®Actually, Kim Hyun-Sung isn¡¯t the only one who needs to be nervous.¡¯</i>


    I needed to be nervous as well.


    <i>¡®Hye-Jin is a precious friend of mine...¡¯</i>


    ¡°During the World Tree Destruction incident... Mr. Elias has confessed to her... I was there. It was really romantic... I felt like I was watching a drama,¡± Hwang Jung-Yeon said.


    ¡°Is that true, Miss Jung-Yeon?¡± Elena asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    I was there as well.


    <i>''Elias, you old bastard.''</i>


    I actually had no idea of his age, but he was definitely somewhere in the hundreds.


    It had been a while since we started gossiping, so I was excited to hear some gossip.


    In my opinion, Elias'' actions were bad. He was so insensitive that he proposed three times to a girl with a bright future ahead of her. He was basicallymitting a crime.


    Jo Hye-Jin was a self-proimed technician from Wooshin Girls¡¯ High School, but she never really had a proper rtionship. Elias ought to have simply enjoyed it and stopped before it could get out of hand.


    Why was he even proposing to a girl who had never gotten into a rtionship?


    I started questioning whether he had a conscience or not.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Are we talking about Hye-Jin noonim here?¡± Park Deok-Gu asked.


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Deok-Gu. Whenever we walk on the streets, many people would ask for her number,¡± Hwang Jung-Yeon said. Jo Hye-Jin was surprisingly really popr.


    Actually, the word "surprisingly" was rude here.


    Jo Hye-Jin''s personality and work ethic were great; she was a good fighter, she was smart, and she was cool as well.


    She basically had everything one could wish for from a partner.


    I could confidently bet that those who had witnessed her swinging her spear had the urge to confess to her almost immediately.


    People could easily misunderstand that she was unfriendly, and it was all because of her rigid personality, but her rigid personality was exactly what the elves were looking for from a person.


    Jo Hye-Jin was definitely the best partner in the eyes of any elf out there.


    And if they could take a peek into someone''s soul like Elena, they''d fall even harder for Jo Hye-Jin.


    <i>¡®Although I don¡¯t think she¡¯ll ept the proposal...¡¯</i>


    Still, she had the ruler of the Elf Kingdom buff... and Elias wasn¡¯t <i>that </i>ugly, so I was sure the kind-hearted Jo Hye-Jin was being swayed by him. Actually, there was a high chance that my assumption was true. Otherwise, Elias wouldn''t have proposed to her thrice.


    ¡°I didn''t know that,¡± Park Deok-Gu said.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure... they approached me because of my background. They had either made a business inquiry... or asked questions about joining the guild,¡± Jo Hye-Jin said.


    ¡°Oh my, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the case. The people who talked to you aren''t exactlycking. Many of them were from influential families, and some of them were even celebrities,¡± Sun Hee-Young argued.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Anyway... that means Hye-Jin unni will eventually be the Queen of the Elf Kingdomter,¡± Kim Ye-Ri said.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m going to reject it,¡± Jo Hye-Jin stuttered.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Looks like we¡¯ll have to wait for the fourth proposal.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Based on her reaction, Elena seemed really disappointed.


    Kim Ye-Ri was trying to feel her out¡ª


    <i>''Oh, no, I think she still likes Kim Hyun-Sung.''</i>


    ¡°If Hye-Jin noonim bes the elf queen¡ª¡± Park Deok-Gu said.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not,¡± Jo Hye-Jin interrupted.


    ¡°I have a feeling she¡¯ll look good as the queen,¡± Sun Hee-Young remarked.


    ¡°I won¡¯t look good at all,¡± Jo Hye-Jin denied.


    ¡°It¡¯s like a story from a fairytale. A female knight rejecting the elf prince¡¯s proposal...¡± Sun Hee-Young added.


    ¡°That¡¯s not going to happen,¡± Jo Hye-Jin retorted.


    ¡°I really hope it goes well,¡± Sun Hee-Young said.


    <i>¡®It¡¯d be great if nothing happens...''</i>


    I could see Jo Hye-Jin trying to deduce Kim Hyun-Sung¡¯s reaction while denying Sun Hee-Young''s words. The sight made me think that perhaps there was still some kind of spark between them.


    Kim Hyun-Sung acted like he didn¡¯t care, but it was probably because he didn¡¯t have the luxury to worry about Jo Hye-Jin¡¯s problem as well.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to leave the guild, Miss Hye-Jin,¡± I chimed in.


    ¡°I told you... I have no intention of leaving, Sub Guild Master,¡± Jo Hye-Jin said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you agree, Mr. Hyun-Sung?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, he¡¯s right. You¡¯re a valuable member of the guild,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung answered.


    <i>¡®I told you, noona. This coin still has the potential to bounce back.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Indeed, she¡¯s an important member of the guild. She needs to stay with us in the Blue Guild forever,¡± Park Deok-Gu said.


    ¡°<i>Woof!¡± </i>Shiro barked in agreement.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t leave, Miss Jo Hye-Jin,¡± Alps begged.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to go anywhere, Alps,¡± Jo Hye-Jin told her.


    It was stressful trying to respond to each and every one of them. To ovee the depressing mood earlier, some made some pretty mean jokes.


    Jo Hye-Jin started blushing in the face of everyone''s words, which was unlike her.


    The sight seemed to be a brand-new sight for the new member of the guild, as she was in awe while staring at them.


    If the guild members had been spending time with each other more often, she would have been able to see that side of Jo Hye-Jin often, but that wasn''t the case at all. In Belier''s eyes, Jo Hye-Jin was definitely an unfriendly and scary superior, but this scene definitely changed her thoughts about thetter even just a little.


    We drank coffee and ate some snacks while talking about many different things. I wasn¡¯t sure whether we were having a meeting or just chatting, but it was really fun.


    Kim Hyun-Sung also looked like he was enjoying himself... and Ha-Yan also looked like she wanted to maintain this lively atmosphere.


    ¡°<i>Hm... </i>I¡¯m starting to get hungry.¡±


    Eating now seemed a bit too much, though.


    The people outside would definitely think that we were having a serious conversation at this rate. It had been a while since the meeting had started, after all. They couldn''t have imagined that we were talking about Jo Hye-Jin and Elias¡¯ love story.


    Actually, we didn''t have the luxury of time to chitchat like this.


    ¡°Come to think of it, when are we going to have dinner together? It¡¯s been a while since we went out to eat together,¡± Park Deok-Gu asked.


    ¡°H-He¡¯s right. O-O-Oppa, it¡¯s been... a really long time...¡± Jung Ha-Yan stuttered.


    <i>''You¡¯re only saying that because you want to feed me wine.''</i>


    ¡°We should also have a wee party for the new guild member,¡± Park Deok-Gu added.


    ¡°Then... I¡¯ll host the party,¡± Sun Hee-Young volunteered.


    ¡°I-If... Hee-Young noonim is preparing the party... I wee it anytime, but we should let someone else... do it...¡± Park Deok-Gu suggested.


    I liked the way Sun Hee-Young hosted parties. Her parties were quiet and ssy, but I saw the others nodding in agreement with Park Deok-Gu.


    ¡°<i>Woof!</i>¡± Shiro barked in agreement as well.


    ¡°How about you host the party, Alps?¡± Jo Hye-Jin suggested.


    ¡°What? M-Me?¡± Alps asked.


    <i>''I don¡¯t think she¡¯s any better. What if she hosts a pet party? She''s obviously never hosted a party before based on how she looks like a nerd.''</i>


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best!¡± Alps shouted.


    ¡°<i>Woof! Woof! Woof!</i>¡±


    <i>''No, don¡¯t do it.''</i>


    ¡°Or I can do it as well. The great Park Deok-Gu...¡± Park Deok-Gu volunteered.


    <i>''No, you¡¯re even worse.''</i>


    ¡°I think... Miss Jung Ha-Yan wants to do it," Han Sora chimed in.


    Jung Ha-Yan nodded immediately. If Jung Ha-Yan ended up hosting the party, Han Sora would be the one who''d be busy, so it was fine. However, I was afraid that a life-size statue of me would appear at the party, so I couldn¡¯t approve of the suggestion.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go big and open a festival instead of hosting a party! You know that bag festival Hyun-Sung bro had openedst time? We got a really good reaction from that,¡± Park Deok-Gu suggested.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to ask each guild for their cooperation... We don¡¯t really have a lot of time, but we can do it if we push for it,¡± Hwang Jung-Yeon informed.


    ¡°A pic. What do you think? Last time. We all. Went to. Mirror Lake,¡± Kim Ye-Ri suggested.


    <i>''It sounds like Ye-Ri wants to y.''</i>


    ¡°Or how about we go sea fishing? It¡¯ll be like a pep rally,¡± Ahn Ki-Mo suggested.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while since Ki-Mo bro made a good suggestion,¡± Park Deok-Gumented.


    ¡°Should I craft a few special fishing rods?¡± Yoo Ah-Young asked.


    <i>''That sounds like a waste of talent.''</i>


    Everyone suggested something except for Lee Chang-Ryeol, who was never really the talkative type.


    Their voices got louder and louder, and they''dugh every time the pig made a ridiculousment.


    I tried to hold back myughter, but I couldn¡¯t do it because he kept making ridiculousments.


    <i>¡®Damn it.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Make special baits, not special fishing rods!¡±


    <i>¡®Ah, I don¡¯t know why that keeps making meugh.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I can¡¯t... make that...¡± Yoo Ah-Young said.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve seen youugh like that, Mr. Ki-Young,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said quietly.


    <i>¡®Really? I think I¡¯ve beenughing a lot.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Really?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung answered.


    ¡°It¡¯s because we¡¯re all together,¡± I told him.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    <i>''I feel like he likes it more than I do. You think you can fool me? I know you¡¯re enjoying this.''</i>


    ¡°O-Oppa, w-w-we should take Sera as well,¡± Jung Ha-Yan suggested.


    ¡°Of course, we should,¡± I said.


    <i>''But have you two been doing well?'' </i>


    I presumed that was the case, as Ha-Yan looked happy at the mention of Sera.


    I wondered if Thro and the others were doing well, too.


    ¡°But...¡± Park Deok-Gu paused.


    ¡°<i>Hm</i>?¡±


    ¡°The festival, pic, pep rally, and party... W-When are we doing all of that?¡± Park Deok-Gu asked.


    "After we''re done clearing this dungeon,¡± I replied.


    ¡°W-What?!¡±


    The room abruptly became silent.


    <i>¡®Ah, shit. My timing was bad. I should''ve built up for it or hinted at it first before saying it.''</i>


    The atmosphere was great just a few moments ago, but the air between us suddenly became kind of awkward.


    They weren¡¯t scared of going into dungeons, nor were they shocked about the sudden news because they knew the reason behind today''s meeting.


    The problem was that everyone was worried about me.


    Kim Hyun-Sung was staring at me in disbelief.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m not going to sacrifice myself in the dungeon, so don¡¯t worry too much.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Guild Master,¡± I said.


    ¡°I won¡¯t allow it,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    <i>''How dare you block my path.''</i>


    ¡°There¡¯s no reason for you to enter the dungeon, Mr. Ki-Young. The dungeon inside the Vatican is probably being cleared right now, and many guilds, including the Blue Guild, are already preparing a raid party. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll hear good news soon,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said to me.


    ¡°Y-You should get some rest. We¡¯ll¡ª¡±


    <i>¡®No, I can¡¯t trust you guys.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you,¡± I interrupted.


    ¡°I won¡¯t allow it,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung argued.


    ¡°I¡¯m going with you,¡± I repeated.


    ¡°Mr. Ki-Young!¡± Kim Hyun-Sung shouted.


    <i>''Don¡¯t raise your voice, damn it. I just need to say one thing, and it¡¯ll be over.''</i>


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be alone.¡±


    <i>''Where do you think I¡¯ll be the safest?''</i>


    ¡°I want to be with the members of the Blue Guild,¡± I requested.


    The room became quiet again as if everyone was at a loss for words.


    <i>¡®Answer me. Where do you think I¡¯ll be the safest?¡¯</i>


    If all of you guys enter the dungeon, who willfort me? Who will protect me?


    I looked happy, and I even had the capacity to sympathize andfort Temr Gen, but I still felt pretty shaken by that incident.


    Sometimes, I''d have nightmares, and there were times when I couldn''t sleep at all. I''d flinch at the smallest sound and tremble in fear, afraid that someone was going to hit me.


    I had nothing left but the guild members. My family members here were the only ones who could support me. If Kim Hyun-Sung and Jung Ha-Yan were to enter the dungeon without me, what would I do? Who would stay with me?


    ¡°I feel the safest with you guys, so...¡± I trailed off.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°So I¡¯m going, too,¡± I continued.


    There was no way he''d keep arguing against me after hearing that.


    As expected, Kim Hyun-Sung''s face became solemn, and some of them looked like they were feeling guilty.


    How could they just leave me alone?


    In fact, they had been neglecting me recently, and I assumed it was because they were busy with guild work?


    Some of them seemed to have remembered the fact that I had spent a long time up there where it was dark and empty... I was talking about my time upstairs. I had extended my hand toward the continent, but I just couldn''t reach it, as I was dead.


    My time with Gen made me remember those dark times.


    I had been missing the Blue Guild, and I had been missing spending time with you guys.


    The only time the honorary cardinal¡ªoverwhelmed and busy with numerous tasks and responsibilities¡ªcould be Lee Ki-Young was whenever he was with you guys.


    <i>''I don¡¯t want to be apart from you guys any longer. Can''t you guys feel my true feelings? Can''t you guys feel my sincerity?''</i>


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be apart from you guys any longer,¡± I said.


    ¡°O-O-Oppa...¡± Jung Ha-Yan stuttered.


    <i>''That¡¯s right, Ha-Yan. I don¡¯t want to be apart from you.''</i>


    ¡°Hyung-nim...¡± Park Deok-Gu muttered.


    <i>''Deok-Gu, I¡¯m really tired.''</i>


    ¡°...¡±


    <i>''Hye-Jin, my friend. You¡¯re going to continue being by my side, right? You¡¯re not going to marry that old elf, right?''</i>


    ¡°Mr. Lee Ki-Young.¡±


    <i>''Yes, Miss Elena. Please stay with me.''</i>


    ¡°M-Mr. Ki-Young.¡±


    <i>''Yes, Mr. Hyun-Sung. Don¡¯t leave me alone anymore.''</i>


    I looked at everyone with tearful eyes.


    <i>''Don¡¯t leave me alone, everyone. Don¡¯t leave me. Don¡¯t leave Lee Ki-Young alone.''</i>

 Chapter 952. Mood (3)

    <h4>Chapter 952. Mood (3)</h4>


    I would be safer with them, and it was a fact that the people who had spent time with me would agree on.


    Leaving me alone was like leaving a child close to a body of water.


    The world was always cruel to me, and I was always under threat.


    There were many reasons behind their malice, such as personal greed, political reasons, or they were simply evil. I was always the victim, but I was always forgiving and understanding.


    There was no way Kim Hyun-Sung would give this task to a member of the Blue Guild.


    Lee Chang-Ryeol and Park Lian had already made a big mistake, so I was sure that no bodyguard would satisfy him at this rate. I assumed that Jung Ha-Yan and him were thinking that no one else could take on that important task except for them, but they couldn¡¯t stay by my side.


    <i>¡®After all, who will enter the dungeon if not the continent¡¯s best mage and swordsman?¡¯</i>


    Kim Hyun-Sung could afford not to go, but I couldn¡¯t imagine Jung Ha-Yan missing out on an expedition like this. Even Park Deok-Gu, who could be used as our backup n, had to go. Even if he were forced to stay to protect me, I was sure those two would still be worried about me, as the pig was only good at being a meatshield.


    <i>¡®Game over.¡¯</i>


    <i>''I decided to make eye contact with each and every person so that they''ll think that they shouldn¡¯t leave me alone no matter what.''</i>


    As expected, I noticed a strong resolve in Elena¡¯s eyes.


    It was the same for Jung Ha-Yan and Park Deok-Gu. I tried to focus a bit more...


    <i>¡®But I should stop here...¡¯</i>


    I felt like I¡¯d end up being the bad guy if I were to keep this up.


    It was effective, so I had to stop here.


    The mood was already set as well.


    ¡°The sub guild master¡¯s safety... is the most important,¡± Jo Hye-Jin said.


    ¡°We can just make you stay in your room, and then we can... seal it with spells and enhancements. No one will be able to barge into your room then,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung suggested.


    I got worried for a second, but I smiled after hearing Jung Ha-Yan''s words.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped... W-W-What if I stay behind?¡± Jung Ha-Yan asked.


    ¡°You¡¯re a key member of dungeon raids,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I think it would be better if I stay behind,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung added.


    <i>''They¡¯re all trying to stay behind.''</i>


    ¡°If our hyung-nim is going to stay behind...¡± Park Deok-Gu trailed off.


    Facing the Temrs would be more difficult.


    ¡°But we can¡¯t have a separate group of guards. This is no ordinary dungeon, so we need as many people to participate in the raid,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    ¡°How about we let the Order stay with him?¡± Jo Hye-Jin suggested.


    ¡°I won¡¯t allow it,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung responded. We did that, and it resulted in bloodshed, so the only option they had was the Red Mercenary Guild, but it was no easy task either.


    ¡°N-N-Not that,¡± Jung Ha-Yan stuttered.


    Ha-Yan would oppose it and...


    ¡°Miss Cha Hee-Ra has dered her participation in the expedition,¡± Jo Hye-Jin informed.


    Hee-Ra noona wouldn¡¯t miss out on an event like this. She was never really the type of person to just stand around, and it was time for her to start moving again, so there was no way she was going to be absent.


    Without Cha Hee-Ra there, it''d be meaningless to go to the Red Mercenary Guild.


    ¡°Looks like I have no choice but to go with you,¡± I said. It was the only option left. No adult would want to leave me near the water. What if I ended up falling into the water?


    <i>''Are you guys just going to let me drown?''</i>


    The room became silent, and they all looked at me quietly. It was amusing how they were exchanging nces upon realizing that there was only one option.


    Kim Hyun-Sung sighed deeply and said, ¡°Your safety is more important than clearing the dungeon.¡±


    <i>''Really?''</i>


    ¡°Your safety will be the top priority, so we¡¯ll form three escort groups. I¡¯ll be in the first group, Miss Ha-Yan will be in the second group, and I¡¯ll ask the Red Mercenary Group¡¯s cooperation for the third group,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung announced.


    <i>''So it¡¯ll be Hee-Ra noona...''</i>


    ¡°The members of each group will be announcedter,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung informed.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Master.¡±


    ¡°Miss Sun Hee-Young,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung called out.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Please reconfirm the supplies,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung ordered.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Sun Hee-Young answered.


    <i>¡®Looks like the guild staffers will be the ones suffering.¡¯</i>


    I was joining the expedition, so more supplies were necessary. They¡¯d have to carry mping items instead of simple tents and Mirror Salmon instead ofbat ration. I''d expect nothing less than that.


    <i>''Carry a lot of supplies, guys. I don¡¯t like being hungry.''</i>


    ¡°Miss Hye-Jin,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung called out.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Please select a trustworthy guild,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung requested.


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Jo Hye-Jin replied.


    It seemed that some of the people who were supposed to join the raid would end up scoring me instead. It wasn¡¯t that bad, but they seemed to be focusing less and less on clearing the dungeon, which made me think that my absence would be more helpful to the dungeon conquest.


    Everyone immediately got busy with their own tasks.


    At this point, I had to say something because I had to let them know what was important.


    ¡°Now that things have been decided, I should invite the guest.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Come in,¡± I said.


    <i>¡®They''ve been waiting for quite a while outside.¡¯</i>


    The Outer God children entered the hall.


    ¡°Oh my,¡± Hwang Jung-Yeon eximed.


    They were the top contributors and were the ones who found the dungeon inside the Vatican.


    They looked pretty cute when they came in, but they didn¡¯t look so good.


    I was sure they knew what had been going on through word of mouth.


    Actually, there was a chance that they had no idea, but it didn''t seem to be the case, as they looked really relieved upon seeing that I was safe. Cheru and Sera, who had yet to be punished, looked kind of nervous.


    I saw Jung Ha-Yan waving at Sera.


    Unlike them, Kim Hyun-Sung and Thro didn¡¯t even look at each other.


    <i>¡®I think there¡¯s some kind of issue between them.¡¯</i>


    ¡°C-Can we start, Father?¡± Domi asked.


    <i>¡®Go ahead, cute Domi.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll go straight to the point and exin briefly about the dungeon,¡± Domi said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°The location of the dungeon was discovered fourteen hours ago. Using the energy signature of the unique energy that Mr. Rafael''s party has been investigating, we managed to find another ce emitting the same type of energy. It''sing from an abandoned temple, and the door leading to its basement was discovered in a public library within five hundred meters of the temple," Domi said.


    <i>¡®Dominions is good at talking.¡¯</i>


    ¡°The trick to opening the door was quite simple¡ªone just has to remove a certain book, but the door only opens to those possessing the holy power of the Order, so... we couldn''t continue our investigation.


    "We discovered that the basement has a total of 148 floors, and the entrance to the dungeon is located approximately 2,430 meters below ground. What you¡¯re seeing right now is the dungeon entrance,¡± she exined.


    An extremelyrge door appeared on the Goddess¡¯ Mirror.


    The massive door was bigger than the doors to any temple, and I saw several religious carvings on the door. The carvings depicted angels, gods, and demons, which made it hard to identify. One thing I was sure of was that it gave off a really negative energy.


    I could see war, greed, murder, people pointing their swords at each other, and demons devouring humans.


    <i>¡®Who are they?¡¯</i>


    Perhaps I could find Belial among the carvings. I looked around, but I couldn''t see him.


    However, the figure carved at the very bottom of the door was unmistakable.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s Benigoa.¡¯</i>


    Benigoa seemed to be praying with her eyes closed and hands sped together.


    The carvings above her depicted chaos, so it seemed like she was praying for them.


    It was like she was praying to stop the war, to stop the famine, and to stop the demon invasion. She seemed like she was praying for the denizens of the continent.


    I had no idea what happened, but it wasn''t that hard for me toe up with many assumptions. It was cliched, after all. I assumed she was locked up underground and was being used as a factory of holy power.


    Of course, there was also a high chance that she was stuck between a rock and a hard ce.


    <i>¡®Still, locking her up 184 floors underground is a bit harsh.¡¯</i>


    <i>''Shit, maybe I shouldn¡¯t have offered to go. How am I going to climb down all those stairs? Maybe Deok-Gu will carry me, or Ha-Yan will make me weightless.''</i>


    Anyway, walking wasn¡¯t a good choice.


    While I was getting worried about how I was going to traverse so many steps, Sera started talking to the others.


    I was kind of puzzled, but...


    <i>¡®He¡¯s trying to be the top contributor of this presentation.¡¯</i>


    I instantly understood what these children were trying to do here.


    They knew that I disliked him, so they were trying to gather all of their achievements and give them to him. This wasn¡¯t just a presentation. They also wanted to show us Sera''s contributions.


    Domi did the first presentation, as she made the biggest contribution.


    Honestly, I wasn''t convinced that Seraphim had done well, so his siblings were definitely being considerate here.


    ¡°I-I¡¯ll exin the n-next part. While Mr. Rafael¡¯s party was heading toward the dungeon, seven skirmishes erupted, and their opponents were all humans. T-the H-H-Holy Knights of the Vatican have upied the p-path that leads to the dungeon entrance,¡± Sera exined.


    Jung Ha-Yan was smiling at the sight. She seemed proud of his contribution and the fact that he was in the middle of a public presentation. I couldn¡¯t really hear him because he spoke quietly and was stuttering, I understood what he was trying to say.


    ¡°T-t-the name of the dungeon is the Mole Saint¡¯s Cozy Sanctuary. A-as all of you have heard by now, this dungeon is unranked, but experts have determined this is at least a Legendary dungeon,¡± Sera added.


    I wanted to throw a pen at him so that he''d speak properly, but I had to hold it in.


    ¡°Mr. Rafael¡¯s party has entered the dungeon, and we¡¯re receiving news through the rangers. H-His party believes this dungeon is thergest dungeon to have ever existed, and we confirmed that t-there¡¯s no limit to the number of people who can enter the dungeon. W-We¡¯re nning on dispatching up to ten thousand people¡ª¡±


    ¡°Ten thousand p-people?¡± Jung Ha-Yan interrupted.


    ¡°Y-Yes, Moth¡ªI mean, Mot¡ªI mean, Miss Jung Ha-Yan. We confirmed that there are at least three floors below the dungeon entrance,¡± Sera replied.


    ¡°I-I see. T-Thank you for that information, Investigator S-Sera,¡± Jung Ha-Yan said.


    ¡°S-Sure. Thank you, Moth¡ªI mean, Miss Jung Ha-Yan,¡± he stuttered.


    I knew the dungeon was going to be massive, as the Vatican itself was as big as a city.


    If I assumed that the Mole Saint had been digging beneath such a vast space, a small party would be useless in the dungeon. It seemed like Rafael¡¯s party had explored up to the third basement level, but there was no way they¡¯d be able to do a proper investigation.


    We needed a lot more people to do a proper investigation.


    The dungeon was absolutely massive, after all.


    <i>''A war event might erupt.¡¯</i>


    There was no guarantee that a huge battle would ur just because the dungeon was big, but...


    <i>¡®It¡¯s worth considering for this expedition.¡¯</i>


    ¡°The first strike squad includes the ck Swan Guild, along with a few powerful guilds from the Republic. T-these are the monsters that we found so far... a-and their samples¡ª¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s do thatter,¡± I interrupted.


    ¡°<i>Ah</i>, o-okay,¡± Sera replied.


    Thro looked kind of disappointed, so I assumed the monsters were part of his presentation. I felt kind of bad for him now.


    ¡°T-That¡¯s all,¡± Sera said.


    Jung Ha-Yan was already pping before Sera could conclude his presentation. Once the presentation was over, everyone pped, including Han Sora.


    ¡°You did well,¡± Jung Ha-Yan told him.


    Sera looked really nervous.


    <i>¡®He annoys me for some reason.¡¯</i>


    Sera looked relieved upon seeing Jung Ha-Yan''s nod.


    <i>¡®He really annoys me.¡¯</i>


    Still, I needed to be nice to him because Ha-Yan was watching.


    ¡°You''ve improved, Sera. I¡¯m proud of you,¡± I said.


    <i>¡®Gosh, I really want to beat him up. One mistake and you¡¯re dead.¡¯</i>


    Jung Ha-Yan looked relieved upon seeing my reaction


    ¡°We¡¯ll leave in three hours. Until then, prepare for the expedition and be on standby afterward. I¡¯ll personally take the lead on behalf of the busy guild master,¡± I said.


    ¡°Ki-Young...¡±


    <i>¡®Shut up, Kim Hyun-Sung. I¡¯m going to do it, damn it. I need to do this to feel satisfied.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Please tell all the groups and adventurers participating in the expedition that I¡¯ll personally form the groups except for the first strike squad,¡± I instructed.


    No one argued.


    <i>¡®Yeah, now you guys know that three hours is enough.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Additionally, I¡¯m going to add basic siege weapons, including magic cannons, to the list of supplies. Miss Ah-Young, please join the supply group along with the dwarf engineers,¡± I ordered.


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Yoo Ah-Young answered. She didn¡¯t even ask why we were taking a siege weapon with us.


    <i>¡®I like this.¡¯</i>


    Their pitying gaze became full of faith, as they knew that listening to me would only be advantageous to them.


    I actually didn''t have to give them the look of "please don''t abandon me..."


    <i>¡®Stop staring at me.¡¯</i>


    After all, these baby chicks of the Blue Guild still needed me.


    ¡°What are you guys doing? Move,¡± I ordered.

 Chapter 953. Mood (4)

    <h4>Chapter 953. Mood (4)</h4>


    <i>¡®Busy, busy, and busy...¡¯</i>


    Ten thousand people were going to participate in the expedition.


    It could be said that the continent¡¯s best forces were going to join the expedition.


    The three major guilds of Lindel, the great generals of the Republic, the famous adventurers of the Union of Kingdoms the Federation, the knights of the Sacred Democratic Country, and the priests of the Vatican.


    Every adventurer and their respective party had their own unique traits, personalities, and skills, so it was difficult to organize a raid with so many people. If these people were members of an armed force that had been training in one ce, the situation would be different, but that wasn''t the case at all.


    Since there were so many people to manage, even creating the strike squad was incredibly difficult. Fortunately, no idiot had gone ahead and asked why the strike squad was important.


    In addition, every single guild and party had their own way of handling their administrative tasks, which was incredibly helpful in our current situation.


    It had been a while since I joined a dungeon raid, but I was sure we couldplete the quest without that many issues. My Mind¡¯s Eye and Telescope were super strong, after all. Of course, my genius brain and cool-headed mindset were even more powerful.


    I was also a dignified and charismatic leader.


    If I had to nitpick, I''d say that the administrative staffers of the guild and parties weren''t looking fondly at me. To be exact, they looked nervous.


    ¡°This is the next one, Father Lee Ki-Young. It¡¯s selecting people for the fourth strike squad.¡±


    ¡°Please leave it there, and my title from now on is Strike Squad Operations Commander,¡± I ordered.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    Perhaps it was because the majority of them were young, but they looked nervous about my arrangements.


    I understood their feelings, as it had been a while since I joined a dungeon raid. Of course, my strong symbolic image had to be one of the reasons they were nervous as well.


    They probably thought I was crazy when I suddenly told them that I''d remake the strike squads in just three hours. After all, everyone here was a genius considered to be elite among their peers.


    <i>¡®But guys, did you know that...¡¯</i>


    ¡ªthat I was the one who started the control tower boom?


    I was the reason the higher-ups of basically every single organization out there had decided to invest in these guys.


    The continent had no system in ce when it came to raids prior to my arrival here.


    <i>''Why do you think your bosses sent you guys to me? They want you guys to obtain some experience and learn something from me, so you shouldn¡¯t be talking behind my back like that.''</i>


    ¡°He said he¡¯s going to change the strike squad, but I think he¡¯s working on the fourth strike squad right now.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have enough time to change anything. The strike squad members are going to get confused at this rate. Are you sure you told him the details about the raid?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I told him the details, but he suspended the operations of the first strike squad, and he''s about to change them as well.¡±


    ¡°Why is he doing this... What the hell is the guild master...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand any of this... why is he reforming the strike squads? Why the hell is he interfering with our system?¡±


    <i>¡®You guys don¡¯t understand my n because you guys are idiots, and I can hear everything you guys are talking about, you know?¡¯</i>


    ¡°From what I heard, useless supplies have beening in since Father Lee Ki-Young announced that he was going to participate in the raid. They¡¯re basically sending in luxury items.¡±


    ¡°Expensive food including Mirror Salmon... Rainbow Cotton Candy for dessert... <i>Ha. </i>Even a chef specializing in creating cotton candy was enlisted as an expedition member. Premium mping kit, a sleeping mattress, and ornately designed uniforms...¡±


    "Does he not know that this isn''t a yground?"


    ¡°I think this is all a political y. Perhaps the Vatican and the Sacred Democratic Country have joined forces to pressure everyone.


    "Raiding a dungeon with Father Lee Ki-Young as themander... Is that even a reasonable decision?


    "We can surely handle a dungeon without him. If I were in their position, I wouldn''t make the same decision as them. The problem is that this isn¡¯t an ordinary dungeon. If we think of it as an ordinary dungeon, we¡¯re going to suffer.¡±


    <i>''Yeah, that makes sense.''</i>


    ¡°Do you think he¡¯ll get it done in time? There isn¡¯t much time left until the expedition... What did he mean by dispatching a separate siege unit... There are so many changes...¡±


    ¡°All we need to do is follow his orders.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Fortunately, some of them had a brain. I took a closer look at the one who chimed in and realized that she appeared familiar to me. I couldn''t remember her name, and I had no idea where we fought together, but I presumed that she was once an adjutant.


    Therge sses that covered half of her face, her short hair, and her soft manner of speech were really familiar to me.


    ¡°Keep in mind that he¡¯s the honorary cardinal and the former sub guild master of the Blue Guild.¡±


    ¡°I know that, but...¡±


    ¡°Back then, the Blue Guild was on the brink of copse, and it wasn''t strange if the guild had simply disappeared at the time. You guys honestly don''t believe that... the guild master¡¯s power alone was enough to grow the guild, do you?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°The Blue Guild was extremely short on manpower at the time, so the sub guild master had no choice but to take care of a variety of administrative tasks.¡±


    <i>¡®Yeah, I remember. Kim Hyun-Sung, that evil bastard.¡¯</i>


    <i>''I can still remember how I had to work tirelessly like a dog upon being dered the sub guild master.''</i>


    ¡°The sub guild master is the reason why the Blue Guild is at its current heights. I¡¯m not simping over him. He actually did it. Remember the textbooks you guys are using to study? Where do you think theye from?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s...¡±


    ¡°Do you guys still not know... how the textbook that contains information about the Continental War, the Day of Destruction, and the big and small wars were created?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°They weren''t made because everyone idolized him. The tactics that were employed during those wars were direct orders from him... The administrative tasks, tactics, strategy, supplies, and personnels were all decided by him.


    "He and Miss Lee Ji-Hye did them all together, and I was their assistant.¡±


    ¡°Really? That¡¯s... so absurd...¡±


    It was kind of exaggerated. However, I had to admit that she was prettypetent and was of great help to me at the time.


    ¡°If that¡¯s true, then there¡¯s no reason for him to create a separatemand tower¡ª¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think about it.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I suggest you get rid of any opinions or doubts you have in your mind. We¡¯ve beponents of his n. You¡¯re not here to brainstorm. Think of yourselves as being the hands and feet of the sub guild master and the cogwheel that executes his n. It may not make sense, but trust me. You do that, and you¡¯ll obtain something after all this.¡±


    It felt good to know that someone was defending me.


    <i>¡®Her name is Floretta. She must be from the Union of Kingdoms.¡¯</i>


    It seemed that she had been enjoying a good position since then. I could see it from her outfit and her overall demeanor.


    However, she really was exaggerating, as I never thought of the staffers as my hands and feet. As expected, some of them nced at me. The majority of them still couldn¡¯t believe it, and I was bothered by them. The impact didn''t really diminish, as I really liked receiving attention, but their gaze felt burdensome.


    I was now afraid of not being able to meet their expectations.


    The simtion that I was running in my head in real-time told me that the satisfaction rate was seventy-six percent, which was pretty high.


    <i>¡®Not to brag, but I made that, too, guys.¡¯</i>


    They were looking forward to seeing what else they could do here to achieve even better results.


    Floretta nodded as if she was telling them to trust her.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s honestly not a hard task.¡¯</i>


    I had data from the dummy world, Mind¡¯s Eye, and the Telescope, so it was like solving a slightly difficult puzzle. Yeah, it was just that.


    I simply ran the program that matched the dummy world data using my personal ount on the Goddess¡¯ Hand Mirror. I updated the variables tied to the named characters and double-checked those variables against the information that I could see from Mind¡¯s Eye.


    I would then update the data if there were any discrepancies.


    The program sorted people into their own groups, and grouping them into strike squads made me feel like a marriage agency matching couples for life


    <i>¡®That¡¯s just an example.¡¯</i>


    It was a lot more borate than that.


    The program would create parties and groups by ensuring that the members'' styles, stats, battle records, and individual characteristics werepatible with each other.


    In other words, everything was automated.


    Although I had to change some things here and there, it wasn¡¯t really a big issue.


    I needed to put on a performance, as these administrative rookies were looking at me as if I were a fool. Getting a nosebleed would be pretty dramatic, but it''d make me look like I was focusing at the very least. They¡¯d be touched if I did that, too.


    <i>''Ah, damn it. I got dust in my eyes.''</i>


    The satisfaction rate was going to the moon. Seventy-seven percent. Seventy-eight percent.


    My hands danced across the keyboard as I pretended like I was busy. I took a sip of my coffee and returned to typing when I heard familiar footsteps behind me. The footsteps were from Floretta, a senior member of thismand center.


    ¡°Check the supplies onest time and report back to me afterward. The Blue Guild said that they¡¯re done with the preparations,¡± I ordered without looking away from the screen.


    I got dust in my eyes, but I endured it and focused on the Goddess¡¯ Mirror.


    <i>¡°Is it all done?</i>¡± I asked.


    ¡ª Yes, Mr. Ki-Young. I¡¯vepleted everything you asked me to do.


    <i>¡°Wait, Mr. Hyun-Sung. I sent someone over there right now,¡± </i>I informed him.


    ¡ª M-Mr. Ki-Young... you don¡¯t have to overdo it.


    <i>¡°I¡¯m not overdoing it, so don¡¯t worry,¡±</i> I told him.


    I had him on speaker, so I had to hang up before he said something strange.


    Seventy-nine percent. Eighty percent. The satisfaction rate rose to a decent percentage, so I felt like I was finally free.


    I thought about which task I had toplete at the same time as what I was doing right now, but I found no more tasks to handle.


    What would happen if I included the fieldmanders in my calctions?


    Eighty-one percent...


    Nice...


    Eighty-two percent...


    I noticed people whispering with each other while ncing at me. They looked like they had realized that something indescribably was happening before their eyes.


    ¡°What in the world...¡±


    ¡°That doesn''t make any sense...¡±


    <i>''That''s what they said, but this </i>does <i>make sense, you idiots.''</i>


    ¡°Mr. Lee Ki-Young, I heard you called for me?¡± Kasugano Yuno asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Miss Yuno,¡± I greeted.


    It was Kasugano Yuno, my special guest. However, we could just catch upter, as I was still too <i>busy</i>.


    ¡°I want you to help me minimize the variables as much as possible,¡± I requested.


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Kasugano Yuno answered. It wasn''t exactly that detailed, but she could see the future, and there was nothing better than that.


    Eighty-four percent. Eighty-five percent.


    <i>''I don¡¯t want to put Elias and Jo Hye-Jin on the same squad... but they¡¯re sopatible with each other. Is there something wrong with the program?''</i>


    Eighty-nine percent.


    The satisfaction rate was now ny percent.


    I saw the idiots casting envious looks at me. Actually, they were staring at me as if they were looking at a monster. However, they''d definitely be more shocked once they saw tactical Kim Hyun-Sung. This was nothingpared to him.


    Since this was such a big dungeon, there was a chance that I had to deploy him.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get ready to head out. The second and third strike squad will enter the dungeon first,¡± I ordered.


    ¡°Y-Yes, sir.¡±


    Ny-eight percent....


    At this point, ny-eight percent made me feel a bit disappointed.


    I didn''t really want to do this, but I decided to put Elias and Jo Hye-Jin in the same squad.


    99.1 percent. It was minus 0.9 percent, but the data from the dummy world was kind of exaggerated, so I had to take this with a grain of salt.


    ¡°Themand center will head in together with the guards and the seventh strike squad,¡± I added.


    I was sure I looked like a genius to them.


    <i>¡®I feel the same way.¡¯</i>


    There was only one thing I was worried about, and it was about how we were going to go down to the lower levels, but...


    <i>¡®These guys... they actually prepared a pnquin?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Get in, Mr. Ki-Young.¡±


    I nodded upon seeing an ornately designed pnquin.

 Chapter 954. Mood (5) (Illustration)

    <h4>Chapter 954. Mood (5) (Illustration)</h4>


    It looked like a king had arrived. Obviously, the control tower was important, but I thought this was a bit excessive. There weren''t any religious events and we weren¡¯t visiting another nation. We were going on an expedition to clear a dungeon, so an entire strike squad as my guards wasn''t exactly ideal.


    The experience and size of the guards surrounding the pnquin were double the strike squad that had entered the dungeon first, so it wasn''t strange for people to say that I was heading to the dungeon to have a pic rather than conquer it.


    The pnquin was unnecessarily luxurious, and it was surrounded by holy knights and members of the Blue Guild.


    There were a total of four people carrying the pnquin, and they were sweating a lot.


    They were mediocre adventurers when it came to stats, but they were pretty skillful.


    The pnquin was sofortable that I wondered whether they were professionals at carrying a pnquin. The interior of the pnquin was fancy as well. It had been expanded using a variety of spells, so there was a bed, sofa, table, and of course, there was a small kitchen. The inside was big enough to amodate four people, and I couldn¡¯t help but sympathize with the people carrying such a heavy pnquin.


    <i>¡®These guys...¡¯</i>


    They looked really nervous. It was like they were threatened that their entire family would get wiped out if they ended up making a mistake and dropping the pnquin.


    The dungeon was cold, but they were sweating a lot, so anyone could see that there was something wrong here.


    <i>¡®I feel bad...¡¯</i>


    I felt bad about them, as I was feeling reallyfortable.


    Just then, I heard someone sipping their tea.


    ¡°Mr. Lee Ki-Young, would you like to have another cup?¡± Kasugano Yuno asked.


    ¡°I¡¯d appreciate that, Miss Yuno,¡± I replied.


    ¡°I¡¯m so happy to see you after such a long time.¡±


    Hearing her say that while pouring me another cup of tea made me think that it really had been a long time since I saw her.


    We had been messaging each other, but we were working in different regions, so we hadn''t really been able to meet each other. Kasugano Yuno was the actual ruler of Celia, so she had many affairs to handle every day.


    ¡°I can¡¯t remember thest time I was on break...¡± Kasugano Yuno remarked.


    <i>¡®We¡¯re not on break right now, though. We¡¯re going on an expedition.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Do you remember? In the Dark World...¡± Kasugano Yuno trailed off.


    I honestly couldn''t remember what she was talking about, but I nodded to make her happy.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while since we went on an expedition together... Being with you is so surreal that it feels like a dream, Master¡ªI mean, Mr. Lee Ki-Young. This moment is so precious to me...¡± Kasugano Yuno said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°<i>Ah!</i> C-Come to think of it, Mr. Lee Ki-Young...¡± Kasugano Yuno paused.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I heard that silver-haired child doesn¡¯t have a guardian yet,¡± Kasugano Yuno said.


    <i>''Hyun-Sung is the guardian now...''</i>


    ¡°I heard that Thro is rejecting his guardian... Would it be okay if I talked to him?¡± Kasugano Yuno asked.


    ¡°T-T-Thro¡¯s guardian is Hyun-Sung oppa... r-right, Sora?¡± Jung Ha-Yan mumbled.


    ¡°T-Thro needs to learn swordsmanship, so H-Hyun-Sung oppa has to be his guardian. B-Besides swordsmanship, h-he¡¯s learning other things, too, so his guardian has to be Hyun-Sung oppa,¡± Jung Ha-Yan added.


    She was right.


    Now that I thought about it, there was a time when she was desperately trying to get rid of her, but it no longer seemed to be the case.


    Jung Ha-Yan''s self-esteem was exponentially higher than when I first met her, so she no longer seemed interested in Kasugano Yuno. In her eyes, Kasugano Yuno was just a foreigner who''d visit Lindel sometimes.


    We would barely meet, so Jung Ha-Yan''s reaction was understandable.


    Moreover, Kasugano Yuno wasn''t a guardian of one of those Outer Gods, so Jung Ha-Yan definitely felt that she was in a different position from the former.


    What was also amusing was that Kasugano Yuno didn¡¯t seem to be interested in Jung Ha-Yan, either.


    There wasn¡¯t a special reason for it. Kasugano Yuno simply remembered Jung Ha-Yan as nothing more than a chess piece in her first life. Kasugano Yuno didn''t make it obvious, as she wasn''t that kind of person, but I noticed she''d sometimes look at Jung Ha-Yan as if thetter was pitiful.


    ¡°Miss Jung Ha-Yan, you should mention Sera as well,¡± Han Sora told her.


    ¡°<i>Ah</i>, right. O-Oppa, I-I¡¯ve been thinking about many things. It¡¯s regarding Sera¡¯s education...¡± Jung Ha-Yan said.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°T-They say that a social life is important,¡± Jung Ha-Yan added.


    <i>''Really? I¡¯m d you know that.''</i>


    ¡°O-Of course, I know that Sera is getting along with his other friends, b-but I think it would be good if he went to school... I-I think he¡¯s kind ofcking in the social department..." Jung Ha-Yan suggested.


    ¡°Let¡¯s take our time thinking about it. I think it¡¯s best if we ask Sera¡¯s opinion after the expedition,¡± I suggested.


    Kasugano Yuno quietly left. For some reason, I pitied her, so I felt ufortable to see her leave just like that.


    And that was when I heard knocking on the window...


    <i>¡®What a relief.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Mr. Ki-Young?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Hyun-Sung,¡± I answered.


    ¡°Is everything okay in there?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yes, of course,¡± I replied.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s stuffy and tiresome being in there... How about we take a short break?¡± Kim Hyun-Sung suggested.


    <i>''Can you not say that out loud? What will the people around us think about our conversation? I¡¯m just drinking tea in here, so who do you think is more tired?</i>


    <i>''Is it these people walking underground or someone like me who''s been doing nothing but drink tea since the start of the expedition? </i>


    <i>''In addition, the people carrying this pnquin are drenched in sweat, so why are you even saying that?''</i>


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You look really tired. We¡¯ll take a quick break,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    <i>¡®Ah, they''ll start talking behind my back again. I know you¡¯re just going to set up camp.¡¯</i>


    I was sure that no one wanted to take a break here, as there were many things they had to do each time a break was announced.


    ¡°We¡¯ll take a break,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung announced.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    The officers nodded, but they didn¡¯t look happy.


    As expected, I heard the adventurers sighing among themselves.


    ¡°Damn it...¡±


    ¡°This is so fuckin¡¯ annoying.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t evenin. What the hell are we doing here? Are we here to clear the dungeon, or are we here on a pic? We haven¡¯t even entered the dungeon yet...¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s set up camp. Hurry up and move!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡±


    <i>¡®Shit, maybe I shouldn¡¯t havee here.¡¯</i>


    These people were first-ss adventurers. They were people with a lot of influence in their own guilds or organizations, so it felt pretty awkward to order them around. The good thing was that they were pretty obedient, and the youngest members of their team were already busy setting up camp.


    The members of the mercenary group known as the Halberds of Execution were hammering nails into the ground while a famous mage with the title¡ªMage of Scorching Heat¡ªwas busy with the bonfire.


    The way everyone was moving busily was pretty absurd, and I could hear sighs everywhere.


    ¡°Damn it... this is why I didn¡¯t want to be in this strike squad...¡±


    Despite saying that, he still joined the strike squad.


    ¡°There are too many rocks on the ground,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    ¡°We¡¯ll take care of them,¡± an adventurer said.


    With that onement, everyone got moving, pushing away the rocks on the ground.


    <i>''Did they imagine that I might trip on a rock and fall to the ground? Well, the rocks have to be cleared, as it''s ufortable to sit on rocks.''</i>


    ¡°Please maintain strict hygiene,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung ordered.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°Please wait a moment, Mr. Ki-Young,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    Only the people tasked with carrying the pnquin were happy. Their limits were being tested physically until now, so they all sprawled out on the ground once the pnquin was on the ground. It felt like they were staring at the pnquin in a daze.


    ¡°I¡¯m heading out,¡± I said.


    <i>¡®How is this even possible?¡¯</i>


    I was astonished to see that they managed to set up camp in such a short period of time.


    I looked around and saw people looking at me with resentment, which was within my expectations. They had probably realized that I was the reason behind all this. Their gaze was telling me that they wouldn''t have to suffer like this if I had just stayed put outside.


    For now, I had to act like I wasn¡¯t feeling well because if I did that, they¡¯d be less dissatisfied with the current situation.


    The long journey had exhausted Father Lee Ki-Young, but he had forced himself to participate in the raid despite being ill.


    He was truly a saint.


    ¡°Mr. Ki-Young, are you okay? I knew it... you¡¯re not feeling well...¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Everyone is tired... so I¡¯ll try to hold out as much as I can,¡± I replied.


    I smiled weakly as if I were going to copse at any moment. As always, my n was to emphasize my perseverance. I also needed to encourage the guild members while visiting the resting members of the strike squad.


    I was worried about Kim Hyun-Sung following me, but Jung Ha-Yan ran up to me and ended up taking Kim Hyun-Sung away with her.


    I wasn¡¯t sure what they were talking about, but it seemed serious.


    I walked away with Kasugano Yuno standing behind me, and I saw the strike squad members restingfortably.


    ¡°Do you mind if I join you?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Ah! M-Mr. Lee Ki-Young.¡±


    I shook their hands like a politician and smiled at them while making eye contact.


    <i>''I¡¯m Lee Ki-Young, Candidate Number One. Please don¡¯t forget about me.''</i>


    ¡°You¡¯ve alle here for the continent''s sake, so I really don¡¯t know how to thank you..." I muttered.


    ¡°We¡¯re just doing our jobs, Father Lee Ki-Young. I-I don¡¯t know how to respond...¡±


    ¡°Thank you. Thank you, Father Lee Ki-Young.¡±


    ¡°If you feel ufortable or if you have any suggestions during the expedition... feel free to let me know,¡± I told them.


    ¡°We''re not ufortable at all.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that,¡± I said.


    I also needed tofort the people carrying the pnquin. They looked like they had gotten a tan, and it proved to me that they had been carrying the pnquin all this while.


    I grabbed their hands and stared deeply at them.


    ¡°Father Lee Ki-Young?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for causing you so much trouble,¡± I said.


    ¡°Why are you...¡±


    It was because the Saint of Light was fair to everyone, even to those outsiders...


    ¡°It would¡¯ve been nice if I could walk by myself... This is all I can offer,¡± I told them.


    I offered them a chest filled with a luxurious potion set.


    I was sure there was a fatigue recovery potion in there. The entire set was <i>really</i> expensive, after all.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to do this, Father Lee Ki-Young... We¡ª¡±


    ¡°I know very well... how exhausted all of you are. Please take it,¡± I interrupted them.


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°Please think of it as me expressing my gratitude,¡± I added.


    ¡°In that case... we¡¯ll dly ept.¡±


    ¡°Also... I¡¯d like to invite you to dinner tonight... Do you have time?¡± I asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to feel burdened. It¡¯s just dinner,¡± I said.


    ¡°Well, in that case...¡±


    As expected, Kasugano Yuno walked up to me and chimed in, ¡°Mr. Lee Ki-Young, you have ns today.¡±


    <i>''Yeah, I know. I just said it just to be polite.''</i>


    ¡°I see. That¡¯s unfortunate. We¡¯ll have to get together another time,¡± I told them.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about us. Your offer is more than enough.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯d like to treat you... I¡¯ll let you know when I¡¯m avable,¡± I said.


    ¡°O-Okay! We¡¯ll be looking forward to it.¡±


    They looked pretty energetic when they responded, so I expected them to be that energetic once they were carrying the pnquin once again.


    My words of encouragement were pretty effective. Instead of ring at me like earlier, they seemed happy about the fact that I was taking care of them. Their stats wereckingpared to other adventurers on this expedition, so I was sure they were happy when I offered them dinner.


    After all, that was an offer one couldn¡¯t even buy with money.


    <i>¡®Should I just hire them as a staff?¡¯</i>


    It''d make thingsfortable, but...


    ¡°I look forward to working with you all,¡± I said.


    ¡°We should be the ones saying that, Father Lee Ki-Young. We¡¯ll make sure to keep you safe,¡± they said.


    <i>''Yeah, blondie. I¡¯m d you said that.''</i>


    I was in the middle of talking to the strike squad members when Floretta, my new adjutant, ran toward me and said, ¡°I have something to report, Commander. The sixth strike squad encountered a hidden boss monster.


    "They managed to reorganize and attack the hidden boss monster, but it was ineffective. They suffered great losses, but there weren¡¯t many casualties. However, Mr. Elias...¡±


    <i>¡®Did he die?¡¯</i>


    ¡°He was seriously injured,¡± Floretta added.


    <i>¡®Damn it. Stay calm.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I-I see...¡±


    <i>''But... is Hye-Jin okay?''</i>

 Chapter 955. Mood (6)

    <h4>Chapter 955. Mood (6)</h4>


    ¡°The name of the hidden boss is Gelk, and it is about ten meters tall. We believe it¡¯s a roaming-type monster that wanders around the entire dungeon.


    "The sixth strike squad was attacked exactly an hour and eleven minutes ago. They regrouped after the ambush and tried to take down Gelk, but it was no use.


    "While trying to help the members of the strike squad escape, Mr. Elias suffered a serious injury, so they decided to create a safe zone where Mr. Elias is currently resting,¡± Floretta reported.


    ¡°Is Hye-Jin noonim safe?¡± Park Deok-Gu asked.


    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s safe,¡± Floretta replied.


    <i>¡®Did Elias get hurt while trying to rescue Jo Hye-Jin? I feel like he overextended there...¡¯</i>


    I wasn''t supposed to think that way, but I couldn¡¯t help but question it.


    As expected, a needlessly tragic scene yed out in the footage recorded by the sixth strike squad.


    ¡ª Get away, everyone! Leave it to me.


    <i>¡®What can you do?¡¯</i>


    ¡ª Mr. Elias!


    <i>¡®Look at Hye-Jin¡¯s sad face.¡¯</i>


    ¡ª Damn it!


    A towering monster charged at everyone, seemingly trying to crush the entire strike squad with its body alone.


    A member of the strike squad screamed as the monster stomped on him. The monster had a bizarre appearance. It actually didn''t look like one entity. Instead, it looked like the entire monster was made out of many different monster body parts.


    Overall, it looked gross.


    When I saw how there were appendages of various sizes sticking out all over it...


    ¡°We believe it absorbed the monsters in the dungeon,¡± Floretta told me.


    Floretta was right.


    ¡°I can see why there hasn¡¯t been a big battle up until now,¡± Imented.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. The sixth strike squad encountered Gelk on the second basement floor of the dungeon. Considering the first strike squad is currently on floor five, it¡¯s likely that Gelk had absorbed other monsters while climbing from floor five to floor two.


    "We assume that the boss monster was also probably...¡± Floretta trailed off.


    <i>¡®If Gelk had absorbed it as well, then we should assume that its stats are incredibly high right now.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Why couldn''t the rangers find any traces of Gelk when they went ahead of the strike squad? I¡¯m sure a monster that big was easily noticeable...¡± I asked.


    ¡°We''ve confirmed that the monster can erase its traces. After escaping, the rangers of the sixth strike squad tried to find it, but...¡± Floretta trailed off.


    ¡°But they couldn¡¯t find it,¡± I said.


    ¡°Yes. They couldn¡¯t find any traces of it," Floretta said, nodding.


    Gelk¡¯s ability to erase its traces could be one of its innate abilities, or it could have obtained it upon absorbing another monster.


    [I must tell them... I must... tell them...]


    ¡ª Miss Jo Hye-Jin. Get away! I¡¯ll take care of....


    [I have to tell them... I have to...]


    ¡ª <i>Ahhhhhh!</i>


    [I have to tell them...]


    Elias, the most innocent man of this era, pushed Jo Hye-Jin away and tried to move just outside of the monster''s range.


    ¡ª Mr. Elias!


    However, if Hye-Jin hadn''t pulled his arm toward her, he would have be one with the boss monster. Elias wanted to be a pure-hearted man, but sadly, hecked the skills to do so, and a pure but ipetent person was just a pitiful person.


    <i>¡®He''s bing a nuisance, damn it.¡¯</i>


    Whether Elias wanted it or not, the situation ended that way.


    ¡°This was all we could confirm from the footage. We haven¡¯t confirmed Gelk¡¯s exact location, but we analyzed its behavior, and we believe that it¡¯s trying to find a way to the top. ording to the report sent by the sixth strike squad...¡±


    I thought the same thing.


    Those who were unaware of the dungeon''s history would have a difficult time figuring out what was going on, but Benigoa used to be here.


    If we took into ount the size and the architectural style of the underground temple as well as Benigoa¡¯s strange behavior, this underground temple was definitely her prison.


    Over the years, many people had to havee here toplete a variety of missions, and the key members of the operation had to have fused to be the boss monster. I was convinced that Gelk was a messenger with a mission to travel between the surface world and the underground temple.


    [I have to... tell them... I have to.]


    It would make sense if one took into ount its strange obsession with its final task. If one were to add its ability to erase its traces, the theory would be pretty convincing.


    ¡°The main force is most likely going to encounter Gelk,¡± I said.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. If we¡¯re certain that it¡¯s finding a way to head to the surface, it¡¯s highly likely that it¡¯ll run into the main force,¡± Floretta said.


    ¡°How about forming a separate group to subdue Gelk, Mr. Ki-Young?¡± Kim Hyun-Sung suggested.


    <i>¡®Does he have some kind of sickness that makes him chase after monsters whenever he encounters them?¡¯</i>


    ¡°It¡¯s too risky, Mr. Hyun-Sung. We haven¡¯t figured out the details of the dungeon or the monster¡¯s base stats. This probably won¡¯t happen, but I¡¯d like to avoid casualties as much as possible,¡± I answered.


    ¡°How about ordering the sixth strike squad to eliminate the monster again?" Kim Hyun-Sung asked.


    <i>¡®Do you want Hye-Jin to get hurt?¡¯</i>


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to burden the sixth strike squad. Mr. Elias and other people with serious injuries are still recovering. Moreover, the monster is also difficult to locate. Even if we can somehow find it, it''s not that easy to take it down. The main force will take care of Gelk. We¡¯ll set up camp at the entrance and wait for it toe,¡± I ordered.


    ¡°But...¡±


    <i>¡®What do you mean ''but''? This guy...¡¯</i>


    ¡°That¡¯s the best solution. Don¡¯t think about taking a separate group to fight Gelk. We¡¯ll get ready now. We''ll send the rangers out first, and the main force will follow. We¡¯re near the entrance, so let¡¯s pick up the pace,¡± I instructed.


    <i>¡®Hidden Boss or not, it¡¯ll just be a sandbag.¡¯</i>


    If Gelk had already shown everything it had in the footage just now, then it''d be nothing but a sandbag once it reached the entrance.


    Gelk seemed to have a penchant for attacking others using its massive body. If we knew exactly where it was going to show up and its destination, then we could easily prepare for it in advance.


    <i>''And we have Ha-Yan with us.¡¯</i>


    The Blue Guild''s foundation was solid. Park Deok-Gu and the other tanks could block its path while the mages were going to attack it from afar. If the shields of the tanks were enough to withstand its attacks, then its towering body would be its biggest weakness rather than its strength.


    <i>¡®It''s screwed if we can ce a trap for it in advance.¡¯</i>


    Our stats were amazing, so it¡¯d be embarrassing if we couldn''t take down a massive idiot with these members.


    <i>¡®We can also get samples from it.¡¯</i>


    If it had started from the fifth floor and had been absorbing other monsters while climbing, I was sure it had a ton of samples to give us.


    We could obtain both normal and boss monster samples.


    It was a chance to achieve great results and the one and only chance to bring Jin Cheong down. I''d be able to criticize that ipetent fool by hunting down a monster that he couldn''t hunt down.


    The only variable would be us getting stuck here.


    <i>¡®I wonder how many special abilities it has.¡¯</i>


    I assumed it had at least five special abilities. If it was truly capable of plundering the abilities of other monsters, then things would be dangerous. We could end up in a safe zone, just like the sixth strike squad.


    Fortunately, we were on the lower floors.


    The meeting had already ended, but I was still thinking about the uing operation.


    It was a good thing that we stood to gain more than what we''d lose.


    ¡°Mr. Lee Ki-Young, we¡¯ll be at the entrance soon,¡± Floretta informed.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    I opened the window and saw therge door that I had seen earlier using my Telescope.


    The massive door was even more overwhelming in person, but it also looked like a work of art.


    I couldn''t help bute up with a story in my head as I stared at the people setting up camp. The fieldmanders had taken control of the situation, and arge wall of shields was soon created. The mages and priests moved to their designated locations.


    They started channeling an easy spell in the safest location possible, so I was confident that they wouldn''t encounter any issues whatsoever.


    ¡°The strike squads will rest but are ready to fight at any time!"


    ¡°Is there anyone who hasn¡¯t received a potion yet?¡±


    ¡°The Strike Squad Commander will soon visit each unit. Make sure the preparations are done perfectly.¡±


    <i>¡®They¡¯re all professionals, so I¡¯m sure they¡¯re doing fine. Do I really need to visit them and make them feel ufortable?¡¯</i>


    No one would look forward to the visit of their superior. I understood that they wanted everything to be perfect, but the members of the main force weren¡¯t rookies.


    I had won the hearts of the people earlier, but it felt like my efforts had gone down the drain. Fortunately, the ground started trembling, and the distraction minimized the damage to my reputation, eliciting a smile from me.


    ¡°Prepare for battle!¡±


    The rangers notified the control tower that the monster wasing, while the control tower notified the fieldmanders of the rangers'' report.


    ¡°Mr. Ki-Young, I think you''ll be safer if you stay back a little,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung suggested.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m already in the back.¡¯</i>


    Jung Ha-Yan and the other mages continued with their channeling as the giant door opened slowly.


    [I have to deliver it...]


    A massive ball of fire erupted, enveloping the monster along with many other spells.


    [You have encountered Gelk, the dungeon''s Hidden Boss.]


    <i>BOOM!</i>


    [I have to... I have to...]


    The allied troops fired magic arrows at the monster. Magic arrows were powerful, but they couldn''t obstruct anyone''s vision, so they were pretty useful.


    From time to time, powerful spells capable of inflicting serious damage to just about anyone would be cast at the monster, causing a thick fog to envelop the battlefield.


    However, the fog was not really an issue as the mages easily vanquished it with a wind-type spell. The archers fired their arrows nonstop, and the powerful ranged adventurers unleashed their powerful attacks as well.


    [I-I have to...]


    <i>¡®What do you have to deliver, you weakling?¡¯</i>


    [I have to...]


    ¡°Keep attacking! Don¡¯t give it a chance to attack us!¡±


    <i>Booooooooom!</i>


    <i>Kabooooooooom!</i>


    [<i>Ack... ahh... ahh!</i>]


    The monster swung itsrge hand while moving slowly toward us. The allied melee adventurers blocked its path, preventing it froming closer. Park Deok-Gu was the main tank, and he looked pretty reliable as he faced the massive monster on his own.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let your guard down and maintain your distance, you pig,¡± I said.


    ¡°I know that!¡± Park Deok-Gu shouted.


    We only had one job to do here¡ªmake sure that the monster wouldn''t inadvertently assimte us.


    The mages cast spells imbued with holy power on Park Deok-Gu, while the traps were activated to trap Gelk. We were also using the ballistas that were made to fight extremelyrge monsters.


    The battle was going so smoothly that I didn¡¯t need to get involved at all. Of course, there were variables. The monster stomped forward, creating a shockwave that interrupted the mages'' channeling.


    ¡°Mages, move to the back!¡±


    [I have to... deliver...]


    <i>¡®What are you talking about, you idiot?¡¯</i>


    [The fact that... the Mole Saint has died... must be delivered to the surface...]


    <i>¡®...¡¯</i>


    [The Mole Saint has died... She... dead...]


    <i>¡®What?¡¯</i>


    [The Mole Saint who''s been supporting the continent for a long time... has died...]


    ¡°Stop attacking,¡± I ordered.


    [The poor and pitiful Mole Saint... the saint who was forced to make sacrifices... has killed... herself.]


    ¡°Stop attacking! Stop attacking! Stop attacking!"


    [She crawled into the iron maiden herself... and met... a miserable... end. <i>Ahh</i>... the continent... the brilliant... and blinding continent... now...]


    I had to say something.


    ¡°Messenger Gelk will follow the orders of the honorary cardinal.¡±


    From my experience, nothing bad had ever happened whenever I talked in a situation like this.

 Chapter 956. Mood (7)

    <h4>Chapter 956. Mood (7)</h4>


    I was confident that it happened a long, long time ago. It had to have happened way before the Order of Benigoa settled down here. Moreover, it wasn¡¯t even a known story.


    If the Mole Saint weren''t Benigoa, the situation would getplicated, but the Mole Saint¡¯s story was definitely Benigoa¡¯s story. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have transformed this ce into a dungeon.


    The relief carving of Benigoa on the door was the biggest clue.


    If this was the story of the saint who stopped the threat to the continent by allowing herself to get locked up underground from the moment she was born until the day she took herst breath...


    <i>¡®That¡¯d be a pretty good story, then.¡¯</i>


    I was sure there were many other versions of it, but one thing I was kind of confused about was the fact that Benigoa¡¯s story was actually edited.


    The denizens actually had no idea what happened here.


    In the memoirs of the people of the Order or the religious books rted to Benigoa, there wasn¡¯t a single piece of information about how Benigoa had ended up getting locked up underground her entire life.


    Benigoa was remembered as the goddess who had brought light to the continent, and none of those scriptures had ever mentioned her life as a human being. As time went on, her story changed slowly until it was edited and rewritten. Still, it was strange how her story as a human being had disappeared in the process of her bing a goddess.


    <i>¡®Did someone hide it intentionally?¡¯</i>


    If I were a devotee, I would hide it as well because the fact that we had to lock up a human being underground to get rid of the threat to the continent was pretty disgraceful.


    If I were in their shoes, I''d tell the denizens that a saint named Benigoa had saved the continent, which was exactly what people knew about her today.


    In that case, did Benigoa herself want to hide this true story of hers, or was it the opposite?


    It was possible that she wanted to hide her miserable life at first.


    Otherwise, the Mole Saint¡¯s Cozy Sanctuary would have appeared earlier.


    The Order of Benigoa was already in the middle of stabilizing, so there was no reason for her to do something like that at this point. There was also a chance that she simply did not want to remember the time she spent as a human being, or she might be in denial.


    Perhaps she had no expectations from the continent. Perhaps she didn''t care whether the truth would end up getting revealed or not, as she had experienced all those hardships underground. I assumed that was her feelings when she transformed this ce into a dungeon.


    <i>¡®She¡¯s basically asking me to take care of this. She wants me to obtain the corpse inside the iron maiden, and she wants me to tell the world about what actually happened here.¡¯</i>


    Benigoa¡¯s blood was still flowing out of the iron maiden, so her corpse was still in there.


    On top of that, Gelk had yet toplete his mission.


    If this dungeon hadn¡¯t appeared, the Mole Saint''s story would have remained underground forever.


    [C-Cardinal... Cardinal...]


    <i>''But... I¡¯m not sure if this is going to work. It¡¯s been too long, and the empire probably has yet to exist back then. This ce was probably just an ordinary kingdom when all this happened.''</i>


    [Caaar... dinal...? Yooou...]


    I wondered whether the Order had cardinals back then. The position could be different back then, but there had to be cardinals.


    <i>''Damn it,e to think of it, their name wasn''t Order of Benigoa back then. What was their name back then? I feel like many things have changed since then.''</i>


    I couldn''t help but feel like I should have kept my mouth shut.


    I told Gelk to follow my orders, but I''d look weird if it refused to follow my orders. The people were already staring at me.


    <i>''Damn it, this won¡¯t do.''</i>


    The answer to awkward situations was always the light, so spreading my wings was the answer here.


    I spread my wings of radiant light, and arge amount of holy power filled the cavern. It was a unique and gentle but blinding light. The majority of the people around me eximed at the sight.


    [<i>Ahh... ahhhh!</i>]


    Even the monster was in awe.


    ¡°Gelk,plete your mission,¡± I said.


    I spoke gently but with confidence as if I were trying to persuade the messenger, Gelk.


    <i>''Gelk, I know you¡¯ve been through a lot. This Saint of Light understands that you¡¯ve been wandering around like a ghost. It¡¯s okay. Just let it go. Pour out everything that¡¯s inside you.''</i>


    [<i>Ahhhhh... Haaaaaaaa!</i>]


    <i>''That¡¯s right.''</i>


    I had no idea where its "true" eyes were located, as it technically had no face. However, the eyes all over it started crying as Gelk trembled like an aspen tree. Momentster, it stopped moving and spoke.


    [T-the Mole... Moleee... Saint... went inside... the iron maiden herself... and killed herself...]


    ¡°...¡±


    [The saint who supported the continent for a long time... rejected her own life... the saint was trembling in pain...]


    <i>¡®Man, why is it having such a hard time talking?¡¯</i>


    [The danger... the threat... to the brilliant and glorious continent... is now...]


    <i>¡®I just want to smack it.¡¯</i>


    [The... underground temple... must notify the Order... of the new n... I cannot let the continent get destroyed...]


    <i>¡®...¡¯</i>


    [The saint will be born... <i>Ah</i>... the saint... will be born as the prophecy foretold... This saint will love the continent... embrace the continent... and live for the continent... But remember... my sons and daughters... my precious descendants... don¡¯t let this saint look at the sky... don¡¯t let this sky look at the light... If the saint looks at the light, you¡¯ll lose everything... You¡¯ll lose... all of your holy power and miracles.]


    <i>¡®What the? Is that a prophecy?¡¯</i>


    [A new prophecy... is needed. A new divine message... a new light that will support the continent... A new light is needed...]


    <i>¡®What the? This feels strange.¡¯</i>


    <i>''Let me lower the brightness a little by folding two of my wings.''</i>


    [The continent... The radiant and glorious... continent... The continent... The continent!]


    <i>¡®What the... the monster is acting strange.¡¯</i>


    [The saint! The <i>saaaint!</i> Will appear!]


    That scared me.


    [The saint! Will appear!!!]


    <i>¡®Shit!¡¯</i>


    [The saint will appear! As the prophecy foretold!!! The saint will appear! This saint will love the continent... embrace the continent! And live for the continent... But remember! My sons and daughters... my precious descendants!!! Don¡¯t let this saint look at the sky! Don¡¯t let this sky look at the light... If the saint looks at the light, you¡¯ll lose everything... You¡¯ll lose... all of your holy power and miracles! The saint will appear!!!]


    ¡°<i>Aaaah!</i> Damn it, Hyun-Sung!¡± I shouted.


    [The saaaaint!!!]


    ¡°...¡±


    It was such a grotesque scene that I forgot about my character.


    The mouths embedded in the monster opened wide and screamed like a lunatic.


    [The saint! Will appear!!! The saint!!! The saint!!! Is here!!!]


    A cacophony of deafening voices repeated the same words.


    <i>¡®Shit, I hope no one heard me scream just now.¡¯</i>


    I wasn¡¯t sure whether I was supposed to feel relieved about this or not, but no one was listening to me. Everyone was focused on the bizarre monster. Even if there was someone listening to me, I was sure they thought they misheard me.


    Unfortunately, it seemed that one person managed to hear me.


    An arm suddenly burst out of the monster''s figure, and it made a beeline for me. I knew I had to say something here to exin why the monster was suddenly running rampant.


    ¡°You¡¯ve... You¡¯ve beenpletely corrupted...¡±


    <i>''If we¡¯re not on the same page... then you¡¯ve been corrupted.''</i>


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Rest for the monster...¡± I said.


    The problem was that it wasn¡¯t <i>that </i>easy to put it to rest.


    Kim Hyun-Sung split the arm in half with a single stroke of his sword.


    The monster looked like it was vomiting whatever it had eaten as pale monsters rushed out of it like a deluge.


    [The saaaaint!!!]


    <i>¡®Go away!¡¯</i>


    [The saint wille! The saint wille!!!]


    The sight of pale monsters crawling up the ceiling and walls was so disgusting.


    [The saaaaaaaint!!!]


    The monster extended its arm and charged at me. It was obvious why it had decided to charge at me. The main force wasn¡¯t really shocked by the monster''s actions, and they sent troops toward the monster.


    Their numbers weren''t important. This monster was nothing more than a gatekeeper at the start of a dungeon.


    The strike squad members fought the monsters, and colorful spells flew everywhere.


    Kim Hyun-Sung ughtered the monsters with wings.


    There were too many of them for one person to handle, but it didn¡¯t really matter to Kim Hyun-Sung. He spread his wings and spun once in mid-air, sending the monsters plummeting to the ground.


    Appendages in a variety of sizes burst out of the fallen chunks of meat, and the chunks of meat tried to crawl away. Unfortunately, they were nothing more than chunks of meat, so everyone made quick work of them.


    <i>¡®Division.¡¯</i>


    It seemed that they could return to Gelk and merge with him again.


    The chunks of meat that couldn¡¯t move forward turned to Gelk and started making their way toward it.


    [The saint!!! The continent... The continent will be saved again!!! It will forever be radiant and glorious... That¡¯s how it will be!]


    <i>¡®This is easy.¡¯</i>


    I nced over at Han Sora, and she nodded at me before casting a spell.


    She cast a poison-type spell at the chunks of meat. The poison seemed to be capable of purifying anything under its influence as the ground dyed in purple was slowly clearing up.


    Gelk became sluggish, and the chunks of meat that couldn¡¯t fuse properly fell to the ground.


    [For the future of the continent! For the new saint!!!]


    The monster could no longer maintain its form.


    It seemed that the monster was in a DPS check phase earlier.


    [<i>Ahhh... ahhhhhhh!</i>]


    The monster seemed to have realized that its massive body wasn''t going tost long, as it extended its hand out as far as possible to try and escape.


    However, a sizzling noise echoed afterward as its arm melted away.


    <i>¡®Ha-Yan.¡¯</i>


    Jung Ha-Yan was quietly casting a spell beside me.


    <i>¡®I wonder if this monster will drop any items.¡¯</i>


    A functional item would be nice, but it¡¯d be nice if it dropped an item rted to the dungeon. Perhaps Gelk¡¯s journal, letter, or documents that¡¯d help clear the dungeon. Of course, anything expensive was nice as well.


    The hunt continued while I was having many other thoughts, and it was all because there wasn¡¯t much I couldment about the fight. I was satisfied by everyone, as they were all doing their roles.


    Soon, something caught my attention.


    <i>¡®Gelk is really disgusting.¡¯</i>


    The monsters looked disgusting, but the things they did were even more disgusting.


    The mutted and grotesque-looking chunks of meat were crawling toward me as if it was trying to get their hands on the saint.


    Just then, the monster seemed to have lost its mind as it roared with its appendages extended toward me.


    [The saaaaaaaaaaaaint!!! The saaaaint!!!]


    <i>¡®Ah, shit.¡¯</i>


    [<i>Gaah! </i>The saaaaaaaint!]


    I wasn¡¯t the only one upset. The troops at the front line all looked terrified while staring at the monster. The monster wasn¡¯t afraid of getting hurt or dying. There were many types of monsters in the dungeon, but this type of monster was really unpleasant to handle.


    [<i>Hahahahaha! Hahaha... hahahaha!!!</i> The saint!!! Wille!!! The saint!!! Will appear!!! It¡¯s the saint!!! The saint!!! Has arrived!!!]


    Everyone''s expression remained solemn until the end of the fight.


    It couldn''t be helped. They all realized that the dungeon was more grotesque and bizarre than they had ever imagined.


    <i>¡®Damn it... I¡¯m feeling ufortable as well.¡¯</i>


    I had no idea that things would turn out this way, either.


    <i>''I''m serious, Hyun-Sung. Really, Hyun-Sung...''</i>


    ¡°Damn it...¡± Kim Hyun-Sung mumbled. ¡°Damn it! That''s why I said that you shouldn¡¯te here!¡±


    Kim Hyun-Sung threw a fit as if a button to annoy him had just been pressed.

 Chapter 957. Mood (8)

    <h4>Chapter 957. Mood (8)</h4>


    ¡°Why... Damn it! Why did I...¡±


    <i>¡®You¡¯re questioning why you brought me with you?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Damn it... I knew this was going to happen... Damn it!¡± Kim Hyun-Sung shouted.


    <i>¡®No, I actually had no idea that this was going to happen.¡¯</i>


    It felt like I was walking on ice because he was really angry. If I could turn back time, I''d turn back time and do something else. He was mumbling something to himself that I couldn''t quite understand, but the meaning in his words was unmistakable.


    I was sure he was thinking along the lines of, <i>"Why did I even bring him with me? I knew something was going to happen again. He said he¡¯s fine, but I know he¡¯s not fine. I shouldn¡¯t have believed him. I knew something was off. Look, we''re in a dangerous situation again..."</i>


    <i>¡®Kim Hyun-Sung has be pretty savage.¡¯</i>


    Obviously, he didn¡¯t scream all of that at me because he had long realized that he wouldn''t get anything out of arguing with me. In addition, he knew that I''d pout if he were to yell at me.


    I assumed he''d kick the ground and take his frustration out on the deceased Gelk on the ground. I assumed he''d do that to show me that he was furious. I was convinced that he wanted to show me that he was right and that he knew that this was going to happen.


    <i>¡®Actually, he doesn¡¯t even have the luxury to do that.¡¯</i>


    It was all because he was pretty desperate as well.


    ¡°<i>Whoo... whoo...</i>¡±


    <i>¡®The members of the strike squad are staring at him. We also need to see what kind of items that monster had dropped.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Damn it...¡± Kim Hyun-Sung cursed. The button to annoy him was pressed, so he was throwing a fit


    Actually, Kim Hyun-Sung''s reaction was understandable, as it hadn''t been that long since I carried the pain of the continent and sacrificed myself for it before being revived.


    In other words, the painful memories wereing back to him.


    Just as he was starting to look forward to living a happy life. I ended up getting kidnapped, which lit a fire inside of him. The fire within him eruptedpletely when he heard the words "sacrifice" and "for the continent," causing him to throw a fit.


    The word "sacrifice" sounded good to some people, but it was a very frightening word for Kim Hyun-Sung. He was scared of being asked to make sacrifices, and he was terrified of it to the point that he''d feel like having a seizure just by hearing that word or any synonym of it.


    In his eyes, the continent was a ce that constantly demanded sacrifices from him or from other people.


    The moment he thought that <i>only </i>happy days were waiting for him, the word "sacrifice" popped up in front of him again. To make matters worse, the word popped up when he least expected it to appear.


    <i>¡®Shit, but I really had no idea, man....¡¯</i>


    Kim Hyun-Sung looked like he was a mentally unstable patient having a panic attack.


    <i>¡®Sometimes, he''d have nightmares rted to it.¡¯</i>


    Sometimes, I''d feel him waking up and throwing a fit due to a nightmare. Right now, he wasn¡¯t in the condition to think rationally. As expected, he gathered the adjutants and dered something ludicrous.


    ¡°We need to head back up.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m canceling the expedition,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung added.


    <i>¡®Cancel, my ass.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I can¡¯t let you get in any more danger. There¡¯s something strange about this dungeon. This is no ordinary dungeon, so we must make more preparations,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung exined.


    I had to say something as well.


    ¡°Nothing will cancel the expedition.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll continue the expedition,¡± I added.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear it just now? You heard everything that monster said,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung argued.


    <i>¡®Yeah, I heard it, but it doesn¡¯t matter.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Like you said, there¡¯s something strange about this dungeon. A temple this big, the statue, and the Mole Saint are all just below the Vatican... There must be a legend about the Vatican¡ªI mean, about the ''true'' Order that has been missing all this while.


    "This dungeon will reveal the truth to everyone. It will reveal where it all went wrong, what kind of mistakes we¡¯ve been making, and why the Temrs betrayed the Vatican.


    "We''ll also unearth a piece of history unknown to the continent, and we''ll know the secret that the order has been trying to hide all this while,¡± I exined.


    ¡°T-That has nothing to do with you, Mr. Ki-Young. You¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the honorary cardinal of the Order and a believer of Goddess Benigoa. What happened here is closely rted to me. I believe there¡¯s a reason she guided me here,¡± I interrupted Kim Hyun-Sung.


    ¡°You are what they want!¡± Kim Hyun-Sung shouted, continuing his sentence.


    ¡°...¡±


    Kim Hyun-Sung was about to throw another fit, but he calmed down before my re.


    <i>¡®That¡¯s right. You shouldn¡¯t swear when the holy knights and the priests are here.¡¯</i>


    Upon obtaining everyone''s attention, Kim Hyun-Sung continued the conversation.


    ¡°You heard the monster¡¯s prophecy...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It talked about the Mole Saint''s story, who was locked up here all her life. Don¡¯t you think the Mole Saint, who served the continent all her life, resembles a certain someone?


    "The beings up there don¡¯t really care about the pain that the humans down here are experiencing and will experience. All they care about is the continent running smoothly, and they¡¯re willing to sacrifice anyone to achieve that,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung exined.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°The sudden appearance of a dungeon here is strange as well. This is a trap. Everything looks like a trap to pull you in,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung added.


    <i>¡®No, I don¡¯t think so.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a problem in the system, and I¡¯m sure it needs you to handle that problem. I¡¯m sure the beings up there have chosen you to take the Mole Saint¡¯s ce,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    <i>¡®He¡¯s too paranoid. It¡¯s like he¡¯s delusional. One of those beings up there might be me, you know?¡¯</i>


    There were parts in his argument that I thought were right.


    If the continent really ended up in danger, then it wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to sacrifice one human being to stabilize the continent.


    I wasn''t convinced that one of the gods up there would sacrifice themselves, but if they needed holy power, I was sure they''d set that kind of condition¡ªthe clear condition to sacrifice a saint with enough holy power to stabilize the continent.


    Obviously, it was a lose-lose business venture that would surely make them suffer a huge loss.


    I was sure that the only way for them to reduce the initial investment cost was to penalize the Mole Saint, and her penalty was to ensure that she wouldn''t see the light again.


    <i>¡®But I¡¯m sure that''s not the case....¡¯ </i>Their mindset and moral principles were different from humans, but they weren¡¯t demons. <i>¡®I¡¯m sure no one up there is that big of a scum; they care about their own children, after all.¡¯</i>


    I believed there was more to the Mole Saint''s story. A demon could have interfered, or the Temr could have fabricated the prophecy.


    ¡°The monster wasn¡¯t in its right mind to begin with, so I don¡¯t think you need to be too worried about it. I guarantee that the thing you¡¯re worried about will not happen,¡± I reassured him.


    ¡°If I were the target, I wouldn''t be so anxious, Mr. Ki-Young. Think about all the things you¡¯ve experienced up until now. Can you really say... that this is nothing? Something is off... Damn it...¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    Kim Hyun-Sung was trying not to raise his voice.


    <i>¡®It''ll be easier to deal with him if he just gets angry at me...¡¯</i>


    I thought I just needed to stay quiet for him to get mad at me, but he actually stayed calm.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I said.


    ¡°It¡¯s not fine. You¡¯ve always said that it¡¯ll be fine and that everything is fine now... but just look at the oue. Do I need to exin each and everything that has happened so far?¡± he asked.


    <i>¡®Get angry, Hyun-Sung. Yell at me or something.¡¯</i>


    ¡°It was required,¡± I told him.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t required in the end,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung argued.


    <i>¡®If you stay calm like this, I have no choice but to press the button that¡¯ll make you throw a fit.¡¯</i>


    ¡°No matter what you think, I believe all of that was needed,¡± I said.


    <i>''Pause here...''</i>


    ¡°If... If it¡¯s needed this time... as well¡ª¡±


    ¡°Damn it!¡± Kim Hyun-Sung shouted.


    <i>''He fell for it.''</i>


    ¡°Damn it! What¡¯s wrong with you?!¡± Kim Hyun-Sung yelled.


    <i>''He¡¯s angry and worked up now.''</i>


    ¡°What the hell is wrong with you that you act like this every time?! Why... why?! Every time! Why do you think about the others first every time?! Damn it! Why?!¡± Kim Hyun-Sung shouted.


    I pressed the button that would make him throw a fit, and he actually threw a fit. I was sure this situation was frustrating for him. He probably told himself that he needed to keep it in, but my remark had to have triggered him, causing him to lose his mind.


    He yelled at me, but he quickly realized his mistake.


    His ring eyes soon looked down, and his voice mellowed out.


    ¡°You seem really worked up, so I think it¡¯s best if we talk about this next time,¡± I suggested.


    ¡°I-It wasn¡¯t like that. I-I just...¡±


    ¡°I told you that this ce was the safest ce. Even if we head back up, nothing will change. If this dungeon was truly created to find a scapegoat, they¡¯d juste to the surface someday to look for that scapegoat,¡± I told him.


    <i>''Gelk tried to head outside as well.''</i>


    ¡°We can¡¯t block the dungeon entrance forever. The anomalies throughout the continent are getting worse day by day. If we don¡¯t clear it... the thing we don¡¯t even want to think about will happen. As you said, this isn¡¯t an ordinary dungeon, so...¡± I trailed off.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°So I believe we should prioritize clearing this dungeon,¡± I added.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the purpose of this expedition, and that¡¯s why all these people are here. I¡¯m not the only one who¡¯s willing to sacrifice themselves to protect the continent. Everyone here thinks the same,¡± I said.


    Of course, there were some who simply came here to hunt, but most of the volunteers hade here with noble intentions.


    ¡°I don''t want to rip open those wounds; the continent has been through a lot, after all. Everyone is here because they all have something precious they want to protect.


    "As I mentioned earlier, the goal here isn''t my safety. The goal is to clear the dungeon, and everyone is simply carrying out the tasks that they were given,¡± I added.


    I looked around and saw people cleaning up the area.


    The rest treated the wounded or were repairing their gear with their guards up.


    There were some who checked the loot that Gelk had dropped.


    I wanted to check the loot as well, but I couldn¡¯t do it because Kim Hyun-Sung was in my way. I also saw alchemists and mages gathering samples from Gelk''s corpse, and I was proud of them for carrying out their tasks.


    I really wanted topliment the members for working hard.


    <i>''Work harder and sweat more.''</i>


    ¡°I¡¯m honestly worried about whether you¡¯ll be able to lead this expedition group. If these people end up getting hurt because of you making the wrong decision...¡± I trailed off.


    ¡°I...¡±


    This was the decisive blow.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s best if you take a break,¡± I suggested.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You should cool your head,¡± I rified.


    <i>''I¡¯m sorry for making you emotional and for pressing that button, but I think you¡¯re</i> too <i>emotional right now. I don''t think you should continue being the leader under these circumstances.''</i>


    ¡°I¡¯m not telling you to drop out of the group... I just think that you should step down from <i>that</i> position for now...¡± I told him.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s a temporary demotion. You understand why I''m doing this, right? I¡¯ll reinstate you once you¡¯vee back to your senses.¡¯</i>


    Of course, I couldn''t actually make that decision on my own.


    Kim Hyun-Sung actually had the right to refuse on the outside, but he wouldn''t be able to refuse, as I was right, and he knew that I was right.


    Kim Hyun-Sung was too emotional right now, and he knew that he wasn¡¯t in a position to make a reasonable decision.


    He was really worked up, and any thoughts of clearing the dungeon had already disappeared from his mind.


    ¡°O-Okay...¡± Kim Hyun-Sung answered. He looked really dejected, but it was fine.


    He wouldn''t be getting any sleep tonight, so I decided to cheer him up a bit the next morning.


    <i>¡®He¡¯s... going to have nightmares... tonight.¡¯</i>


    He was definitely going to have nightmares. He''d scream and wake up from his sleep.


    <i>¡®I guarantee that he¡¯s going to have a nightmare tonight.¡¯</i>


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    At exactly 3:28 a.m. the next day, everyone fell asleep with a minimum number of people staying up as night watch. As expected, I saw Kim Hyun-Sung sitting in front of the bonfire by himself, and he was trembling pitifully.

 Chapter 958. Mood (9)

    <h4>Chapter 958. Mood (9)</h4>


    I woke up at around half past two in the morning.


    I could probably ignore him if I wanted to ignore him, but I had already decided that I wouldfort Kim Hyun-Sung today, so I had to get up.


    His nightmare tonight had to be worse than usual, as anxiety was eating away at him.


    I wasn''t using my Telescope, but I could clearly see what was going on in his tent.


    He woke up drenched in sweat, and he was breathing in ragged pants. He reached under his bed, as that was where his sword was located. After realizing that he was inside his tent, he sighed and gulped down a ss of cold water.


    Unfortunately, it was not enough to make his anxiety go away.


    He could no longer sleep, so he washed his face and stepped outside to see what was going on. After checking the pnquin, he calmed down and started walking around the camp, as he was feeling depressed.


    <i>¡®I should head out now.¡¯</i>


    It was time for me to move, but my body wouldn¡¯t listen to me. The problem was that Jung Ha-Yan was sleeping next to me, and her legs were on me. I was used to it, as this wasn''t the first time she had crawled onto my bed.


    Actually, I wasn''t supposed to worry about Jung Ha-Yan.


    <i>¡®Why is Han Sora here?¡¯</i>


    Han Sora was curled up next to Jung Ha-Yan.


    To make things worse, she was awake. I had no idea if she had woken up at around the same time as me or if she had never slept, but I was sure she was going through the same struggle as me.


    I struggled to move Jung Ha-Yan¡¯s body to the side...


    <i>¡®Why is she so strong?¡¯</i>


    I couldn¡¯t move or push her to the side.


    And that was when Han Sora and I made eye contact...


    I decided to ask her for help.


    ¡°Please help me, Miss Sora. Actually, why are you even here?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Miss Jung Ha-Yan asked me toe with her...¡± Han Sora answered.


    Thanks to Han Sora trying her best to pull Jung Ha-Yan to the side, I managed to escape and stand up. I managed to escape Jung Ha-Yan¡¯s grip, but Han Sora ended up sacrificing herself and getting stuck in my ce.


    ¡°P-Please help me, too, Sub Guild Master,¡± Han Sora requested.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I need to go to the bathroom. I-I¡¯ve been awake for thirty minutes. I haven¡¯t been able to move because of Miss Jung Ha-Yan...¡± Han Sora exined.


    ¡°...¡± ¡°Sir?¡±


    <i>''It¡¯ll be bad if Ha-Yan wakes up now. She¡¯s definitely going to follow me if that happens.''</i>


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Sir?¡±


    <i>¡®Sorry.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Sub... Guild...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°That jerk...¡± Han Sora.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Sh¡ª¡±


    I heard her struggling behind me, but there was no way Han Sora could beat Jung Ha-Yan¡¯s Strength.


    Jung Ha-Yan had to have instinctively noticed that the spot on her right was empty, so she stuck to Han Sora, who was on her left side.


    Han Sora was definitely going to struggle, but it was just a temporary struggle. Kim Hyun-Sung''s mental health was more important than Han Sora¡¯s issue.


    I heard Han Sora struggling as I got ready to go out, but I had to ignore her struggle for the continent''s sake.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s cold outside.¡¯</i>


    It was still 3:28 a.m., and everyone was asleep.


    I saw Kim Hyun-Sung sitting in front of the bonfire alone and trembling pitifully.


    Kim Hyun-Sung was extremely sensitive to other people¡¯s presence, but he seemed to be extremely deep in his thoughts, as he didn''t notice my presence until I got too close to him.


    He was probably thinking about the nightmare he had tonight.


    I wasn¡¯t sure about what kind of nightmare it was, but I had an idea as to what happened. He probably dreamed of a happy continent where everyone lived their daily lives in joy.


    The reason it was a nightmare was that the brother he had a bond with wasn¡¯t there. He noticed something amiss in his dreams, so he wandered around and ended up in front of the God of Sacrifice and Revival''s temple.


    He had to have screamed there, which woke him up from his dream, or he could have had a dream where I was in extreme agony.


    There was also a chance that he dreamed of me ending up in an iron maiden, screaming for help like a maniac at the bottommost floor of this dungeon.


    Obviously, Kim Hyun-Sung couldn¡¯t reach me in his dream. No matter how long he ran, and regardless of what he did, he couldn¡¯t save the Saint of Light. In the end, I stopped screaming, and the dream had to have ended there.


    <i>¡®There can be variables, too.¡¯</i>


    If Kim Hyun-Sung somehow managed to stop Lee Ki-Young, the continent could end up getting destroyed, as the God of Sacrifice and Revival¡ªthe Saint of Light¡ªcouldn''t do anything to save it.


    The Saint of Light would then resent Kim Hyun-Sung and the guild members who stopped him from doing what was necessary to save the continent. He''d then be filled with guilt and helplessness, which would end in him taking his own life before everyone.


    <i>¡®I actually saw a plot like that in a y.¡¯</i>


    The nightmare could be worse, or it was probably not as bad as I assumed it to be.


    Regardless, it was a shocking nightmare that made Kim Hyun-Sung unable to go back to sleep. It was a terrifying nightmare that tormented Kim Hyun-Sung a lot.


    When I made a noise, he grabbed his sword instantly, and he rxed when he saw me.


    Honestly, I got kind of scared by his instant reaction.


    ¡°Mr. Ki-Young?¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, I just¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I think I was too quiet just now. I didn''t want to startle you...¡± I said.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that...¡± Kim Hyun-Sung mumbled.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m not here to be nitpicky about that.¡¯</i>


    <i>''I wonder what he thinks of me...''''</i>


    It was true that I preferred working at my own pace, but I wasn''t such a psycho that he had to be wary of me. I felt kind of bad for him when I saw him being wary of me despite the fact that I was here tofort him.


    He was still the hero of the continent, after all.


    I was a bit harsh on him today, and he seemed really disheartened. He no longer had a title or power here, and the fact that he had nothing made him look pathetic. His shoulders were drooping, and he still seemed worried about my reaction...


    <i>¡®Why does he look so pitiful?¡¯</i>


    He looked really happy when he told me that he''d open a bag festival in the future.


    ¡°Looks like you couldn''t sleep,¡± I said.


    ¡°You, too?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yes... I couldn¡¯t stop thinking about what happened today... I think I was kind of harsh,¡± I replied. I started off by feeling kind of bad. I honestly wasn¡¯t feeling bad, but he¡¯d feel better if he knew that I had been worried about him.


    ¡°I-It¡¯s okay. As you said, I was <i>too</i> emotional. I can''t make reasonable decisions right now, so I believe you made the right decision. If I were to continue being the leader of this expedition, something bad would happen,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    ¡°That¡¯s a bit¡ª¡±


    ¡°You made the right choice,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung interrupted.


    ¡°No, I think... I got a bit too worked up about what happened this afternoon, Mr. Hyun-Sung...¡± I told him.


    ¡°What? What do you...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m kind of embarrassed to tell you the truth... but the things that happened up until now...¡± I trailed off.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I got kind of angry... when you said that the things we did up until now were unnecessary,¡± I confessed.


    The campfire crackled, and it was the only noise I could hear amidst the deafening silence.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    <i>''You said that, but I know that he had no intention of saying that. He probably meant that my sacrifice was unnecessary, but it''s all a matter of interpretation.''</i>


    <i>¡®Yeah, I was pretty angry.¡¯</i>


    <i>''Do you really think that I want to remember everything that happened to me over these years? It was a difficult and hard time for me, too.'' </i>


    There were many painful memories I wanted to forget, and my soul now had a scar that I''d have to carry with me for the rest of my life.


    <i>''They were memories that would instantly push me to my limit both mentally and physically, but those memories... are what made us who we are today.</i>


    <i>''When we first met as strangers... those painful memories are what helped us build a bond and be brothers. Come to think of it, that¡¯s probably why I got angry yesterday.''</i>


    <i>¡®It¡¯s like he denied everything. It''s like he''s saying that everything that has happened up until now has never actually happened.¡¯</i>


    I didn¡¯t bother exining everything with words. I also didn''t tell him that I was disappointed in him and that I felt like my feelings were being invalidated.


    I couldn¡¯t tell him that I got angry because it felt like he was basically saying that everything we had gone through together was unnecessary.


    Kim Hyun-Sung was slow-witted, but he wasn¡¯t dumb.


    <i>''Expressing that I was angry should be enough, right?'' </i>


    As expected, Kim Hyun-Sung started feeling better.


    <i>¡®He¡¯s really easy to handle.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I-Is that so?¡± Kim Hyun-Sung asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°T-That¡¯s not what I meant. I was just...¡±


    ¡°I know, but in my eyes, the painful memories... and the memories that I don¡¯t even want to remember are all precious memories. I¡¯m talking about what I went through with the guild members, Ha-Yan, Deok-Gu, and you. I know that you didn¡¯t mean that either, but...¡± I trailed off.


    ¡°It looks like there was a small misunderstanding,¡± he said.


    ¡°Yes, it looks like it,¡± I agreed.


    ¡°Would you like a cup of coffee?¡± Kim Hyun-Sung offered.


    ¡°Of course,¡± I answered.


    I started poking the campfire because that was the only thing I was good at.


    Kim Hyun-Sung took out iron mugs. He ced them above the campfire and sat back down. I was sure this wasn¡¯t enough for him to forget his nightmare, but he seemed to be feeling better.


    There was a small secret behind the reason I treated him harshly, and it was enough to give strength to the loner whocked social skills. Of course, this would help with his trauma as well.


    <i>¡®Yeah, those incidents are what made us grow this strong, and they are the reason why we can have a cup of coffee like this.¡¯</i>


    From now on, I was sure that he would no longer say that they were unnecessary.


    He''d probably evenfort himself, saying that those tragedies were the reason we were here right now. Obviously, I wasn''t convinced that it was going to have a positive effect right away, as those tragedies were memories that Kim Hyun-Sung did not even want to keep.


    However, what I had done would assuage his difort.


    ¡°Won¡¯t you be tiredter, Mr. Hyun-Sung?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. In my past life, there were times when I didn¡¯t sleep for a week. More importantly, I''ve already thrown away the heavy burden on my shoulders. I think the expedition is going to be a lot easier from now on,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung replied.


    <i>¡®You¡¯re not being sarcastic, are you?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Are you being sarcastic?¡± I questioned.


    ¡°Of course not. I just¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m kidding,¡± I interrupted him.


    Iughed and then went straight to the point.


    ¡°What have you been doing all this time instead of sleeping?¡± I asked.


    <i>''What have you been doing? I couldn¡¯t sleep because of what happened today... so why are you here looking so pitiful and all that?''</i>


    It was definitely because he had a nightmare, but Kim Hyun-Sung didn''t say anything in response.


    I understood the reason behind his silence. He was embarrassed to say that he woke up from a nightmare, and he didn¡¯t want to make me worry about him as well. In addition, if he ended up revealing the truth, he¡¯d have to tell me about that nightmare of his, which was definitely going to be troublesome.


    In other words, Kim Hyun-Sung''s refusal to confess was his way of avoiding such a hassle.


    ¡°<i>Huh?</i>¡±


    ¡°I...¡± Kim Hyun-Sung hesitated.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    I was sure he''d start talking about something else.


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m a selfish person, Mr. Ki-Young?¡± Kim Hyun-Sung asked.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m not sure...¡¯</i>


    ¡°What you said has been bothering me. About how everyone is here to protect the continent,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    <i>¡®...¡¯</i>


    ¡°That¡¯s not the case for me at all. Actually, I¡¯ve never been <i>that </i>kind of person,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung confessed.


    Was the crackling bonfire making Kim Hyun-Sung feel emotional?


    <i>¡®Did he hit puberty again?¡¯</i>


    Kim Hyun-Sung''s self-deprecating words that came out of nowhere made me sigh inside.

 Chapter 959. Mood (10)

    <h4>Chapter 959. Mood (10)</h4>


    I said it just to win this pointless argument. Was Kim Hyun-Sung <i>that</i> impressed by the fact that the expedition members were working hard? I didn¡¯t expect that he¡¯d be brooding over myment about how everyone had gathered for the continent''s sake.


    If that was how he actually felt...


    <i>¡®I¡¯m sure it¡¯s an interesting sight.¡¯</i>


    It was all because he didn¡¯t really understand what it meant to dedicate oneself to the continent. He had already saved the continent and had given everything he had for it, so it was shocking how he still couldn''t understand that.


    ¡°You¡¯re the hero who saved the continent, Mr. Hyun-Sung...¡± I said.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t my intention. It¡¯s just... I just had no choice but to do it. To be honest, this expedition and the people that are gathered here... all of these seem pointless,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung confessed.


    He seemed kind of scared. It was like he was worried about saying something ridiculous, and he was scared that I''d despise him because of his thoughts. It wasn''t easy to confess that there could be something wrong with him, and it was particrly difficult to do that to a brother.


    <i>¡®His self-esteem was actually really low back then.¡¯</i>


    Kim Hyun-Sung was still insecure. There were many times when he acted like nothing was wrong, but there were many times when he stated that the Blue Guild and I weren¡¯t right for him.


    He knew better than anyone that his past life had destroyed his personality, and leading an ordinary life felt weird to him. This was not really umon. There were quite a few soldiers who couldn''t adapt to their ordinary lives upon returning home from war.


    I was sure it was worse for Kim Hyun-Sung, as he had survived the majority of the wars he had gone through in his life. He found it ufortable to socialize and meet people.


    Whenever someone approached him, he tended to take a step back and observe them rather than think that they had no ill intention at all.


    There were times when I saw him trying his best to socialize, but he''d usually fail at that. The only ce where Kim Hyun-Sung feltfortable was in the Blue Guild, and the only people he didn¡¯t mind hanging around were the guild members and me.


    <i>¡®And that¡¯s why he¡¯s obsessed with our bond...''</i>


    He was probably thinking that our bond was the only reason he was still human, and I was sure he was worried about it.


    <i>¡®He''s worried about getting caught red-handed.''</i>


    Clearly, he didn''t want me to know that he still hadn''t been able to adapt to life in society and socialize with people, even though he no longer had to carry those burdens.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s something that I¡¯ve been ignoring for quite a while now...¡¯</i>


    The timing wasn''t really bad, and it was all because Kim Hyun-Sung was mentally ill...


    <i>¡®And I¡¯ve been neglecting him, too.¡¯</i>


    I needed to take care of him. In fact, I thought time would resolve it, as he looked genuinely happy when he said that he''d hold a ridiculous bag festival. Now that I thought about it, Kim Hyun-Sung had never done anything for himself.


    Whenever there were festivals, I''d notice him taking two steps backward and watching people have fun from the sidelines. I could also remember how he''d focus on my reaction upon bringing me bizarre-looking bags.


    Whenever it was just the two of us, he¡¯d be like a normal person and break the ice, but whenever there were other people, he¡¯d take a few steps backward and observe from the sidelines.


    Whenever the guild members were having fun, he¡¯d look around andugh to himself.


    There were many times when it seemed like he was confirming whether he was really part of this group or not.


    <i>¡®The more I think about it...¡¯</i>


    His mental illness was more serious than I thought.


    <i>¡®He probably enjoys riding his griffon because there¡¯s nothing around him.''</i>


    He probably felt free in the sky, as there was nothing else around him.


    Usually, we''d be alone together whenever we rode our griffons, and Kim Hyun-Sung probably thought that those moments were perfect. He was free from the oppression of society and the burdens of rtionships with other people whenever he was in the sky.


    No one could restrain him up above.


    I couldn''t say that this particr mindset of his did not have any influence on his ability to wield the sunset, but in my eyes, the sky was like an escape for him


    The silver lining in this situation was the fact that Kim Hyun-Sung had started the conversation. Although he was asking whether he was a selfish person or not, it''d be a lot easier for me to make a decision if I were to treat his question as his cry for help.


    ¡°I think everyone is simr to you,¡± I said.


    ¡°That¡¯s true... but...¡± Kim Hyun-Sung paused.


    <i>¡®Yeah, I did tell him that everyone had gathered here for the continent.¡¯</i>


    ¡°How about we go for a walk?¡± I suggested.


    ¡°OKay.¡±


    I grabbed my cup and stood up.


    Kim Hyun-Sung also grabbed his cup and stood up awkwardly.


    While we were walking quietly through the camp, Kim Hyun-Sung¡¯s thoughts were all over the ce. He was worrying about silly things like perhaps he wasn''t supposed to bring that up.


    Eventually, we reached our destination.


    ¡°How¡¯s everything going?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Wee, Commander. A-And the Guild Master of the Blue Guild,¡± a sentry greeted.


    We found ourselves near sentry posts where the sentries were located for nightwatch.


    ¡°Where are you from?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m Choi Joo-Hee from the Lindel n Alliance,¡± said one of the sentries.


    ¡°I¡¯m Jeon Hye-Min and I¡¯m also from the Lindel n Alliance,¡± another sentry said.


    Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t know them.


    ¡°Would you like a cup of coffee?¡± I offered.


    "W-we''re on duty, so it¡¯s fine!¡± Choi Joo-Hee eximed.


    <i>¡®No, I¡¯m not trying to test you guys. You don¡¯t have to be so formal.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I just... want to talk to you guys for a bit,¡± I replied.


    <i>¡®You¡¯re really not going to talk to me?¡¯</i>


    ¡°But we¡¯re currently...¡± Choi Joo-Hee trailed off.


    <i>¡®Really?¡¯</i>


    Everyone wanted to talk to me, and I was sure they were getting bored as well.


    In the end, Jeon Hye-Min chimed in, ¡°Let''s just think of this as carrying out our mission.¡±


    It was the perfect excuse.


    ¡°Can I ask a random and slightly strange question?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°Can you tell us why you joined the expedition?¡± I questioned.


    It was highly likely that their superior had told them to go, but no one would say that.


    No one would say, ¡°I didn¡¯t want toe here, but my superior told me to go, so I had no choice!¡±


    Even if they were greedy, they also wouldn''t be able to say, ¡°It¡¯s because I need the money! And I want to acquire powerful items, too,¡± unless they had a few screws loose.


    As expected, the two hesitated, and they exchanged nces as if telling each other to answer me.


    And that was when Jeon Hye-Min eximed, ¡°Actually, I-I¡¯m a fan of yours! That¡¯s why!¡±


    <i>¡®No, don¡¯t say that. I wasn''t expecting that answer.¡¯</i>


    Choi Joo-Hee caught on to my thoughts and eximed, ¡°I''m here to protect my beloved husband!¡±


    It was the perfect answer.


    ¡°My husband is a nonbatant! The anomalies on the continent are worsening day by day, and I think it''ll affect my husband someday. That¡¯s all,¡± Choi Joo-Hee added.


    Jeon Hye-Min finally noticed what answer I wanted to receive, and she hurriedly shouted, ¡°I want to protect my friends!¡±


    I had no idea whether she was telling the truth or not, but I was sure some of the people here had that kind of mindset.


    I turned to Kim Hyun-Sung and asked, ¡°Why did you join the expedition, Mr. Hyun-Sung?


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I-it¡¯s to protect you, Mr. Ki-Young,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung answered.


    <i>''See? You¡¯re not so different from them. Protecting the continent or for the greater good are just empty words. No one actually has such a grand goal. It¡¯s human nature to try to protect those closest to you.''</i>


    ¡°See, you¡¯re fighting for others as well, Mr. Hyun-Sung. That¡¯s what I meant about fighting for the continent,¡± I told him.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Fighting for the people you love and protecting the ce where they live is what it means to fight for the continent. Every single person out there has their own beloved one out there, but we¡¯re amunity that lives together,¡± I added.


    <i>''Protecting me means fighting for the continent, and it''s all because I </i>am <i>the continent.''</i>


    ¡°It''s actually rare to find people with such lofty goals,¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not selfish, Mr. Hyun-Sung. To me, you''re the most selfless person ever,¡± I added.


    He was always ready to sacrifice himself for me, so in my eyes, he was indeed the most selfless person ever.


    I bowed slightly at the sentries staring at us. It was my way of thanking them for hanging out with us. Then, I ced a finger on my lips, indicating that I wanted them to keep our conversation a secret. I smiled at the two, and they responded by nodding frantically.


    They looked like they had no idea where to look.


    ¡°That was a random thought,¡± Imented.


    ¡°<i>Huh?</i> I¡ª¡±


    ¡°I never thought you were a selfish person, Mr. Hyun-Sung. You were selfless even in the tutorial dungeon. Ordinary people would have run as soon as their second life began, as they would be afraid of dying again, but you didn¡¯t do that,¡± I interrupted him.


    Of course, he <i>did </i>run quite a few times in the middle of it, and it was my job to bring him back each time he ran away. To make things worse, running away was a speciality of the twenty-two-year-old Kim Hyun-Sung, but...


    ¡°I remember you staying until the end and facing your predicament,¡± I said.


    In the end, he faced his predicament.


    <i>¡®You should be proud of that.¡¯</i>


    He''d run, but he''d never avoid it. In the end, he''d fight and ovee it.


    ¡°Actually...¡± I paused.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I know you''ve been having a hard time adapting to the new continent,¡± I continued.


    <i>¡®I noticed that you haven¡¯t really been able to socialize with others.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I¡¯m also aware that you''re not really the type of person to socialize. I think you asked me that question because you want an answer." I pointed out.


    <i>¡®...¡¯</i>


    ¡°You¡¯re a strong person in my eyes, Mr. Hyun-Sung. You always ovee your hardships,¡± I added.


    <i>¡®You once overcame your nightmares and improved your mental health. And you know that the Saint of Light isn¡¯t interested in losers, right?¡¯</i>


    ¡°That¡¯s because you were next to me...¡± Kim Hyun-Sung muttered.


    <i>''I¡¯m not telling you to ovee every single hardship by yourself every time.''</i>


    ¡°I¡¯m next to you right now, Mr. Hyun-Sung,¡± I said.


    I made him feel relieved by saying that I''d always be with him and that I''d always support him.


    Obviously, I wasn''t convinced that this issue was going to be resolved anytime soon, and it was all because Kim Hyun-Sung¡¯s condition was slightly worse than I expected.


    However, I believed that he wouldn''t avoid it. Rather than taking a step back, he¡¯d take a step forward, and he''d try to shake off his nightmares rather than stew in anxiety over it.


    ¡°I see...¡± Kim Hyun-Sung mumbled.


    I wasn¡¯t sure whether it helped him or not, but Kim Hyun-Sung smiled.


    Soon, it was morning. We couldn¡¯t see the sky since we were inside the dungeon, but there was a <i>swoosh</i>, and I saw Kim Hyun-Sung spreading his wings. It didn¡¯t take long for the sunset to illuminate the dungeon, and I soon felt like I was watching the sun rise.


    <i>¡®The atmosphere is so nice.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I think I can ovee it,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    Perhaps it was just me, but his words just now sounded like a red g.


    <i>¡®I suddenly think that he won¡¯t be able to ovee it...¡¯</i>


    <i>''Something bad always happens after heartwarming moments like this...''</i>


    ¡°I won¡¯t disappoint you,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    For some reason, I had a feeling that I was going to get disappointed.


    <i>¡®Just stop talking, man.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I¡¯ll move... one step forward,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung added.

 Chapter 960. Item Distribution (1)

    <h4>Chapter 960. Item Distribution (1)</h4>


    ¡°I¡¯ll move... one step forward,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    <i>¡®I feel like something is going to happen...¡¯</i>


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be hasty about it, Mr. Hyun-Sung,¡± I told him.


    <i>''I feel like something bad is going to happen if you go about it hastily.''''</i>


    ¡°I think it¡¯s best to try it when you¡¯re ready to take a step forward. For now, just do the best that you can,¡± I advised.


    ¡°Okay, Mr. Ki-Young. Thank you... for the advice,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    I wasn¡¯t sure whether he actually understood my advice or not, but a morning that would put an end to my anxiety dawned beneath Kim Hyun-Sung¡¯s sunset.


    Naturally, I heard murmurs everywhere. It was still early, but some people realized that Kim Hyun-Sung and I were already awake. Those worried about our reaction got up and started working.


    <i>¡®They¡¯re pretty fast.¡¯</i>


    As always, morning was the busiest time of the day for adventurers.


    The majority of the adventurers preferred to work whenever the sun was up. There were many reasons for that, but it was basically for their safety. Some of those reasons varied from the visibility or the working hours of the temple priests, but safety was the biggest reason.


    That was why there was an unwritten rule in many ces about how preparations for an expedition had to be done early in the morning.


    <i>¡®Are theypeting to see who wakes up earlier?¡¯</i>


    There was a saying about how the early bird would get the worm, and it applied here.


    They could im hunting grounds, ept quests first, and carry out missions first. It would also increase their chance of encountering a monster. Basically, they could be one step ahead of theirpetitors, and the expedition members here were all one step ahead of everyone out there.


    They cleaned up the camp and ate some jerky or bread for breakfast, even though I gave them enough time to eat. The assigned supply unit moved another step forward. They had woken up a while ago and were preparing to serve breakfast to the adventurers.


    Normally, I wasn''t the type to wake up early, but it wasn¡¯t bad to do it once in a while.


    <i>¡®I should start a little early.¡¯</i>


    My day had started a while ago, but I pretended like I was just getting started as I drank some coffee.


    ¡°I look forward to working with you today as well,¡± I said to Kim Hyun-Sung.


    ¡°Me, too,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    <i>¡®All right.¡¯</i>


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to take what I said today to heart. Well then...¡± I told him.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Shall we start the meeting, then? <i>Ah!</i> I¡¯ll have a light meal during the meeting,¡± I said.


    ¡°<i>Ah...</i>¡±


    <i>¡®You don¡¯t want to? That¡¯s too bad.¡¯</i>


    The busy atmosphere <i>did </i>have an effect, but it really wasn¡¯t because of the atmosphere.


    <i>¡®I¡¯m curious about the results.¡¯</i>


    I wanted to know Gelk''s loot. I was sure the appraisers of the expedition group had already appraised them, but I still couldn''t see the loot, and it was all thanks to this guy¡ªKim Hyun-Sung.


    Everyone around us was busy, but it seemed like he really wanted to enjoy his food. I wanted to rx with a cup of coffee as well, but my idea of a break was working, so I decided to check Gelk''s loot.


    Actually, it had been a while since I detached from things like items and money, but I was still really greedy. I wanted nice things and more gold. I wish this was mine, and I wish that was mine. I wanted everything.


    ¡°I¡¯ll check the byproducts and items that Gelk had dropped. I want all staffers, including themanders, toe to the mobile meeting room... Actually, I¡¯ll tell Miss Floretta myself,¡± I said.


    ¡°Okay, Mr. Ki-Young,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    I headed toward the mobile meeting room. I thought I got here pretty quickly, but I saw people in the room.


    <i>¡®How did you guys get here so fast?¡¯</i>


    Did they even sleep? It seemed like they had been waiting for us while fully armed.


    I wondered whether all of them were awake when Kim Hyun-Sung and I were talking while circling around the camp. I liked that they were disciplined, but it was really amusing.


    Perhaps they were impressed by how I controlled Kim Hyun-Sung yesterday. I assumed they felt my charisma when I used my almighty power to remove the strike squad leader from his position.


    I decided to look stern, but it didn¡¯t take long for me to realize that I was being inconsiderate.


    ¡°Let¡¯s start from the regr situation report,¡± I ordered.


    ¡°Okay. The first strike squad has joined the second and third strike squads. They entered the eighth floor and are resting at the moment,¡± Floretta reported.


    I thought they were on the fifth floor...


    ¡°Yesterday morning, the boss monsters of the sixth and seventh floor, Executor Sax and Tormentor Achellie, were defeated.


    "There were six casualties, many were injured, and they¡¯re going to focus on treating the injured, so they¡¯re going to take a one-day break. The supply unit has requested rum and beer. The request is waiting... for your approval¡ª¡±


    ¡°Reject it,¡± I interrupted.


    ¡°Commander Jin wants to treat the hardworking strike squad members¡ª¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re still inside a dungeon, after all. I understand that they are inside a safe zone that they had created, and I understand that he wants to reward his squad members for their effort, but they have yet to investigate the eighth floor nor acquire samples of the monsters there...


    "It can be said that they''re still in danger. Think about it... what they want to do is dangerous," I exined.


    ¡°There are some casualties, and the squad members are exhausted. Commander, we should at least¡ª¡±


    ¡°I will not allow it. I¡¯m sure there are other ways to reward the squad members for their hard work. Don¡¯t you agree?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes... y-you¡¯re right,¡± Floretta responded.


    <i>''How dare you even think about drinking rum and beer inside a holy temple? That¡¯s ridiculous.'' </i>


    I could hear someone swearing at me, but for the sake ofw and order, I couldn¡¯t allow it. If something bad were to happen, I''d definitely feel so guilty about it that I wouldn''t be able to sleep.


    ¡°Next is the sixth strike squad,¡± Floretta continued.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Elias, the strike squad leader of the sixth squad, is still recovering. He¡¯s recovering, but he¡¯s no longer physically fit to lead a strike squad, so they¡¯re looking into regrouping with the main force,¡± Floretta said.


    "That report is from Miss Hye-Jin, right?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, I received the report from her,¡± Floretta replied.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s best if the sixth strike squad joins the main force. Please send them the rendezvous coordinates,¡± I ordered.


    ¡°Understood,¡± Floretta said.


    ¡°Anything else?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I-I do, Father Lee Ki-Young. It¡¯s... about Gelk''s loots...¡± Floretta answered.


    ¡°<i>Ah!</i>¡±


    <i>''Looking at their faces, I finally understood why they were up so early.''</i>


    <i>¡®They have been waiting for this.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I see. I would like to see the items first. Have the items been sorted?"


    ¡°It¡¯s done, Mr. Lee Ki-Young. We sorted them out into two categories¡ªitems that can be used right away and items that can be used as samples. Additionally, items that can be used right away were sorted based on rarity...¡± Floretta exined.


    ¡°I see,¡± Imented.


    "And this file contains a report about the contributions made by each n, guild, and individual,¡± Floretta informed me, and I saw numbers before my eyes.


    ¡°It is presumptuous of me, but each n and guild had created a list of the items that they wanted. It would be great if you could take note of that,¡± she requested.


    <i>¡®How long have they been waiting for this?¡¯</i>


    It was like they settled all of their affairs beforeing here for this.


    Perhaps I made these greedy and avaricious bastards wait for too long.


    <i>¡®They must¡¯ve been feeling really anxious.¡¯</i>


    I realized that I was being inconsiderate of them. They had to have been really anxious while waiting for me to make a decision. They had been waiting to see whether they would be rewarded for their hard work, and they all looked like puppies wanting to go pee.


    I was very certain that there wasn''t a person alive who wouldn''t want items that would boost their strength.


    I had a nonbatant job, but the majority of the people here were the opposite. High-quality items could increase their survivability and raise their strength by a rank or perhaps even two ranks.


    The Blue Guild had plenty of treasures, so Legendary items could no longer catch the Blue Guild''s attention, but it was different for these ordinary adventurers.


    A powerful item could increase a n or guild''s fame, and items were the reason why they were even here. It wasn¡¯t the best example, but many people cared about their public image, so I was sure they were excited to see Gelk''s loot.


    The problem was that they could only see them, and it was my job to distribute them.


    There were so many groups here, so these drops would be the seeds of conflict.


    Of course, it was customary for people like the strike squad leader to distribute the items, and we had never really discussed the loot distribution, so it wouldn''t be strange if we went for the default distribution.


    <i>¡®Something good must¡¯ve dropped.¡¯</i>


    These warriors had gathered upon being asked to work for the sake of the continent, but none of them actually wanted to work for free.


    ¡°Is this all?¡± I asked.


    ¡°There are more, Mr. Lee Ki-Young,¡± Floretta replied.


    Spirit Gelk had assimted monsters on his way to the top, so I was sure that he had left behind a ton of loot.


    ¡°There''s quite a lot of them,¡± Imented.


    I was sure they had been wanting to talk about these items since yesterday. They wanted to ask what they were supposed to do with them, but Kim Hyun-Sung and I had ended up arguing.


    Since the atmosphere was tense, no one had the courage to ask. After all, none of them wanted to get involved...


    <i>¡®These guys...¡¯</i>


    I could always take these items away and tell them that the temple needed them, but...


    <i>¡®I need to be generous.¡¯</i>


    It would be helpful morale-wise.


    ¡°For the sake of a smooth raid... I think it¡¯s best if we distribute these items now,¡± I suggested.


    ¡°Thank you for making that decision,¡± Floretta said.


    ¡°I feel kind of bad for saying this, but I don¡¯t think each n and guild will get all the items that they want to obtain,¡± I told her.


    ¡°I understand,¡± she said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to distribute them fairly based on their contributions andpatibility,¡± I added.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Looks like the atmosphere got tense. You guys look more serious than when you were fighting Gelk. Please listen to me while sipping on your tea. You may not like what''s going to happen, but we¡¯ll distribute the items as fast and as simple as possible. I¡¯ll allow each group to object once,¡± I informed.


    <i>¡®But that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯ll ept your objection.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s take care of the easy ones first. They¡¯re items from the boss monsters that Gelk had absorbed rather than from Gelk himself.


    "The first one is Helmet of Palt. It¡¯s a Legendary item that redirects a certain amount of damage dealt to the wearer to the helmet. This will go to the n Union, which is eleventh on the contribution list. Additionally, I¡¯ll give them Palt¡¯s g as well. Any objections?¡± I asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°None.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°If there are no objections, we¡¯ll continue with the distribution. The n Union will decide the ownership of the item,¡± I added.


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    <i>¡®Yeah, those items are enough for you guys. Helmet of Palt is kind ofcking, but Palt¡¯s g gives an AoE buff, so it should be useful.¡¯</i>


    I was sure adventurers who were slightly more powerful had their eyes on different items. For example...


    [Checking Semi-Mythic Spirit Gelk¡¯s Boots.]


    This one.


    <i>¡®This is such a good item.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I would like this item, Mr. Ki-Young,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung chimed in.


    He had been quiet all this while, but he suddenly ced his hand on the table.


    I wanted to cheer because it meant that he had finally taken a step forward in the right direction.


    <i>''Did he speak up to get himself a gift?'' </i>I assumed, but he wasn''t talking about Spirit Gelk''s Boots.


    [Spirit Gelk¡¯s Messenger Bag - Legendary]


    ¡°It¡¯s a nice bag,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung remarked.


    ¡°...¡±


    <i>''This crazy bastard...''</i>

 Chapter 961. Item Distribution (2)

    <h4>Chapter 961. Item Distribution (2)</h4>


    <i>¡®I really want to hit him. I want to flick his forehead.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Will you really be okay with that?¡± I asked.


    The people sitting at the table smiled.


    It seemed that they were imagining something good.


    They were probably imagining themselves acquiring the Semi-Mythic item. An item like that ought to belong to the Blue Guild, and there was no need to calcte the contributions, as the Blue Guild would definitely be at the top.


    Park Deok-Gu was the main tank, Han Sora ensured that Gelk would not be able to recover at all, Jung Ha-Yan bombarded Gelk with her powerful spells, and Kim Hyun-Sung sliced up the other entities like tofu. The remaining guild members also showed an impressive performancepared to the other adventurers.


    Kim Hyun-Sung''s deration that he would like the bag made it seem like the Blue Guild was willing to give up on the Semi-Mythic item. The Blue Guild was a major guild with an excellent public image, and it was known for having friendly policies toward small and medium-sized ns and guilds.


    ¡°Thank you very much, Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°As expected from the Blue Guild...¡±


    ¡°Thank you for being considerate.¡±


    <i>¡®Stop with the nonsense.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Would you like to see it, Mr. Ki-Young?¡± Kim Hyun-Sung asked.


    <i>¡®Get that bad away from me, you psycho.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Any item inside the bag will never suffer any damage to their durability. It''s one of the bag''s effects,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung added.


    <i>¡®Seriously, go away.¡¯</i>


    ¡°It¡¯s not that big, but it''s not that small, either...¡± Kim Hyun-Sung continued.


    <i>¡®Crazy bastard.¡¯</i>


    ¡°It''ll be great to have this kind of bag in dungeons. It¡¯s practical... It also has a vintage, yet luxurious feel to it,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    <i>¡®Just shut up.¡¯</i>


    ¡°So you bid to give it to him as a gift. Congrattions on obtaining a great bag, Commander,¡± Floretta said.


    ¡°It¡¯s kind of reassuring to see that you two are still on good terms. The atmosphere between you two wasn¡¯t that great yesterday... so we were kind of worried... <i>Hahaha</i>,¡± an adventurer said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°We heard that you have a few hobbies, Commander... and that seems to be true. My fianc¨¦e has the same hobby as yours. Could you show us your collection one day?¡± asked the same adventurer.


    <i>¡®This isn''t my hobby, you fools.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Congrattions!¡±


    The atmosphere was improving, and it was getting positive to the point that the tense mood earlier felt like it had never happened at all.


    I really wanted to say, ¡°The Blue Guild is not giving up any items. We¡¯re going to take this, that, and that one over there,¡± but it was getting harder to say that.


    Under everyone''s gaze, Kim Hyun-Sung gave me the bag.


    The bag looked like a vintage item, but the material wasn¡¯t bad, and it looked like it was made to withstand dangerous situations rather than a daily driver. I actually liked it. I did have a few expedition bags, but Chanelia Hermes wasn¡¯t exactly made for expeditions.


    ¡°Try it out,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    ¡°Yes, Commander. Try it.¡±


    The female managers looked at me as if they really wanted me to try the bag out. When I epted the gift awkwardly, I heard people pping around me.


    <i>''Damn it, I want to get out of here. I want to throw this bag¡ªno, I want to throw a chair at his face and run out.''</i>


    ¡°It looks good on you, Mr. Ki-Young,¡± hemented.


    ¡°T-Thank you,¡± I said.


    <i>¡®How should I say it? Would it be better if I just ignore their requests and say the boots are ours as well?¡¯</i>


    The problem was that I needed to protect my honor as the honorary cardinal. In addition, greed was bad for the Saint of Light''s image. In the end, I had no choice but to look at Park Deok-Gu.


    <i>¡®I trust you.¡¯</i>


    I wanted to see him stand up and shout, ¡°Boots!¡±


    Unfortunately, he was too busy eating his snacks.


    <i>''From now on, I¡¯m going to get rid of all snacks during meetings.''</i>


    I tried to execute my next contingency n and nced at Han Sora, but she intentionally avoided my gaze, which made me think that she wasn¡¯t going to help me at all.


    <i>¡®What¡¯s wrong with her...¡¯</i>


    I had to find another way, so I faked my smile.


    At a nce, it seemed like nothing, but those familiar with my real smile would know that this wasn¡¯t my <i>real </i>smile. It was a smile to move on to the next subject. Obviously, my target was Kim Hyun-Sung, and things would be easier if I made him look like a crazy bastard.


    ¡°Do you like it?¡± he asked.


    As expected, he was waiting for my reaction.


    Of course, I nodded as if I was telling him that I was grateful and that I liked it.


    <i>¡®I do like it... but I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be carrying a lot of stuff.¡¯</i>


    I didn¡¯t tell him my true feelings.


    <i>¡®I¡¯ll store it for now since it really is helpful during expeditions. I¡¯ll probably use it a lot more if I had the boots to match.¡¯</i>


    I liked matching my bag and boots.


    I felt bad, but this was normal for those with this kind of hobby.


    <i>¡®Come to think of it, it¡¯s about time I change my boots. The boots I wear for expeditions are all old, and they hurt my feet...''</i>


    The worried Kim Hyun-Sung cast a surprised gaze at me.


    I looked at him and "smiled" again.


    ¡°I... really like it. Thank you,¡± I said.


    ¡°<i>Hahaha. </i>I¡¯m d to hear that you like it, Commander. Now, how about we continue with the item distribution?¡± an adventurer suggested.


    ¡°Wait...¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°And...¡± Kim Hyun-Sung trailed off.


    ¡°<i>Huh?</i> Guild master?¡±


    ¡°And... Gelk¡¯s Boots. We¡¯ll take that as well,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung added.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    <i>¡®You adorable fool!¡¯</i>


    Kim Hyun-Sung was a crazy fool.


    I had never seen someone so shameless to say something like that in this kind of situation. I knew Kim Hyun-Sung hadn''t been able to adjust to life in society, but he wasn''t actually dumb.


    He was having a hard time getting along with people, but I was sure he at least had the ability to read the room.


    Unfortunately, he didn''t read the room. As if he were a new recruit, he announced confidently that he was going to leave for home, even though everyone was going to stay and work overtime.


    ¡°What?¡± I asked.


    Of course, we had the right to take it.


    It just didn¡¯t make sense that the Blue Guild would back off after taking just one item.


    ¡°We have the right to take it, Mr. Ki-Young,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°We should definitely take that item. Just think about our contributions to the fight. I understand that you¡¯re trying to be considerate of other guilds, ns, and expedition members. I also understand that you want to distribute the items objectively and fairly as their leader, but you don¡¯t have to be considerate all the time.


    "I¡¯m... I¡¯m the guild master of our group, and the Blue Guild has contributed a lot in the fight, so we deserve to get this reward,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung exined.


    <i>¡®Since when did he get so good at talking?¡¯</i>


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Y-You¡¯re right, Master,¡± Floretta said.


    ¡°I won¡¯t apologize for what I said, everyone,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    ¡°<i>Haha</i>. You don¡¯t need to apologize for anything,¡± an adventurer said.


    ¡°But Mr. Hyun-Sung...¡±


    ¡°Right now, I¡¯m talking as the Guild Master of the Blue Guild, not as the leader of a strike squad, Mr. Ki-Young. If you''re going to allow it... I¡¯ll formally im ownership of Spirit Gelk¡¯s Boots,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung dered.


    <i>¡®He¡¯s like a runaway train that just can''t be stopped.¡¯</i>


    I made eye contact with the other expedition members as if I was trying to tell them that I wanted to give them the item, but I simply couldn''t do anything about it. I was worried that they might react negatively, but they all seemed like they understood my feelings.


    ¡°We¡¯re fine with that. We would feel ufortable if fewer items were distributed to the Blue Guild, Commander,¡± an adventurer said.


    Who could go against Hyun-Sung¡¯s words? Sometimes, it was best to be stubborn and push through with your opinion. Thankfully, the meeting went a lot smoother from then on.


    ¡°Marlemonroe¡¯s Ceremonial Dagger... will go to the Lime Guild,¡± I announced.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s best if the Underground Order of the Holy Knights¡¯ Radiant Shield is given to the Beast Guild. They have a strong vanguard, after all.¡± I suggested.


    ¡°We¡¯ll do our best to fulfill our mission.¡±


    No one objected to my decisions, even though my way of distributing the items was different from how items were normally distributed. Even if the items were distributed fairly, there would always be those who''d object and talk nonsense.


    That was exactly why I couldn''t help but nod in satisfaction when these people simply epted what they were given without any word ofint.


    ¡°The remaining are monster samples and items that are hard to appraise. The samples will be handed over to the researchers. The items that can¡¯t be used right now will be stored for the time being,¡± I instructed.


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    ¡°Please prepare for the next leg of the expedition. We¡¯ll join the sixth strike squad. We¡¯re going to head to the ninth floor as fast as possible,¡± I added.


    ¡°Yes, Commander.¡±


    The expedition group was done with their preparations. As soon as I exited the tent, I saw people getting ready, and I saw the pnquin in the distance. Before I could walk into the pnquin, I heard a voice calling for me.


    ¡°Mr. Ki-Young!" Kim Hyun-Sung called out.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry... for disappointing you just now,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°But these boots¡ª¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s yours, Mr. Hyun-Sung,¡± I interrupted.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You should use that item. It suits you better, Mr. Hyun-Sung,¡± I said.


    ¡°B-But...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not trying to be sarcastic here...¡± I told him.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I really want you to use it,¡± I added.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my gift to you,¡± I said.


    I didn¡¯t buy it nor did I earn it, but I wanted to show it off.


    I smiled at Kim Hyun-Sung, who was staring at me with a dumbfounded face as if he were a broken robot.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    <i>¡®Just listen to me and you¡¯ll profit like this.¡¯</i>


    <i>''Do you understand?''</i>


    ¡°Thank you, Mr. Ki-Young,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung repeated.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    And...


    [Secret Report About the Mole Saint]


    [Document Written by Spirit Gelk]


    [Temr Training Experiment Report]


    [Underground Gathering Invitation]


    I examined the rest of the items that we had obtained from Gelk.


    <i>Underground Gathering Invitation</i>


    <i>We¡¯d like to thank everyone who has been supporting the Underground Temple and has been keeping our existence a secret all this while.</i>


    <i>To show our gratitude, we prepared a gathering just for you. We hope to discuss our future with those who have been doing their best to protect the continent.</i>


    <i>May the infinite glory of the God of Light be with all the attendees. </i>


    <i>We hope that you¡¯ll attend and grace us with your presence.</i>


    [Would you like to ept the invitation?]


    Obviously, I immediately put away the invitation.


    <i>¡®What the hell was that?¡¯</i>


    I could still remember seeing blood upon epting an invitation like this before...

 Chapter 962. Results (1)

    <h4>Chapter 962. Results (1)</h4>


    I was kind of surprised.


    I thought I''d find nothing but useless documents. Clearly, I was mistaken, as we picked up this item as well. It was just more than a hint on how to clear the dungeon. It could actually affect our strategy.


    I had no idea how to use it or if it was just exactly what it seemed, but it was very useful.


    [Underground Gathering Invitation]


    <i>¡®Can I consider it as a way to travel back in time?¡¯</i>


    I wasn¡¯t sure exactly when the gathering had taken ce, but if this was an invitation to a gathering in the past, then it would have a direct effect on the raid. The attendees of this gathering...


    <i>¡®They''re probably the named bosses of the Cozy Sanctuary...¡¯</i>


    I could attend the gathering and find out more information about the named bosses before we actually encountered them. That way, we''d be able to categorize them and make the appropriate preparations to face them.


    I''d also be able to make a map of the dungeon and find out the exact clear conditions.


    I might be able to locate more hidden bosses and perhaps even easter eggs.


    <i>¡®This is the key.¡¯</i>


    Of course, we could clear the dungeon without using it, as the same thing had happened at the Cursed Shrine. Defeating the hidden boss, Gedric, was a prerequisite, but we still managed to clear the dungeon by defeating Juliena.


    In other words, the Underground Gathering Invitation was a key to one of the endings.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I need to use it right now.¡±


    It was only right for me to use this, as I already had it in my mind, but I felt worried about the idea of actually using it.


    After all, even a child would know how the people here would react if I were to suddenly disappear in this mysterious dungeon.


    It wouldn''t matter if the flow of time there was different from the flow of time here, but things would be problematic otherwise.


    Kim Hyun-Sung''s mental illness would activate once again. Jung Ha-Yan and the other guild members would surely be anxious, thinking that Gelk''s remarks about the so-called "advent of the saint" were actually true.


    The strike squad''s mood would get ruined, and Kim Hyun-Sung would cry and kick up a big fuss.


    He had already recognized his problems and had resolved to ovee them step by step instead of running away from them.


    Kim Hyun-Sung¡¯s mental health was really important.


    If he crumbled down again, I wouldn''t be able to see him live a healthy life. He''d live a paranoid life, and his nightmare would be even more outrageous. There was also a chance that it''d be something bizarre and terrifying at the same time.


    <i>¡®This is ridiculous... It''ll be really problematic.¡¯</i>


    Unfortunately, I couldn''t tell him about this. And it wasn''t just that¡ªI couldn''t tell anyone else as well, as I would not be satisfied with sending someone else to participate in my stead.


    If this were a religious event instead of a social gathering, I''d send someone else, but the implications of the event were clear, so I would never be satisfied unless the participant was either myself, Commander Jin, or Ji-Hye noona.


    If I handed over the invitation to Kim Hyun-Sung...


    <i>¡®U-u-u-um, I¡¯m Kim... Hyun-Sung. It¡¯s nice to meet you. That''s the end of it.¡¯</i>


    The first thing I needed to find out was the difficulty of this dungeon. It would be great if the expedition remained as smooth as it was right now, but we had to be prepared for a difficulty spike.


    <i>"Commander."</i>


    ¡ª ...


    <i>"Commander? I¡¯m sorry for asking this all of a sudden... but what do you think about this dungeon?"</i>


    ¡ª ...


    <i>"Hey, Commander."</i>


    ¡ª ...


    <i>"I¡¯ll give you the supplies you want, so say something, will you? I¡¯m telling you this in case you¡¯re suspicious of me, but I didn¡¯t reject your request to make you look bad. I mean, just think about it. Isn''t it strange to drink beer and rum inside a dungeon?"</i>


    ¡ª It¡¯s the duty of themander to praise his hardworking soldiers. I wasn¡¯t going to drink alcohol myself, you idiot. And I''m themander here, so I¡¯m the one who gets to decide whether we''re safe enough to do something or not.


    ¡ª I''m actually here, after all, unlike a certain someone who has been sittingfortably in a pnquin and has been doing nothing but sip on wine.


    <i>¡®He sounds a bit bitter and downtrodden.''</i>


    <i>''I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen him look happy, but he looks even more downtrodden than usual. I had an idea why he looks like that.''</i>


    <i>¡®They''re really fast at clearing floors.¡¯</i>


    Commander Jin and his strike squad cleared the sixth and seventh floors while we were resting, so they were <i>really</i> fast.


    I was sure he motivated everyone by saying that they''d take a break after clearing the eighth floor, and he''d prepare drinks and meat for everyone to consume as gratitude for their hard work.


    All of a sudden, I recalled a certain general''s line in a drama I had watched a few times before.


    In the end, they reached the eighth floor and fulfilled their goal, but the drinks and meat that he had promised did not arrive.


    The headquarters did not send the supplies that he had requested, and it wasn''t like he could make liquor and meat out of nothing. Inevitably, the soldiers would lose morale, and their trust in theirmander would go down.


    <i>"Looks like there''s a misunderstanding between us."</i>


    ¡ª Misunderstanding? Are you seriously...


    <i>"Ah, I¡¯m </i>really <i>not trying to bring you down."</i>


    <i>''Just kidding, I''m trying to bring you down.''</i>


    <i>"I¡¯ll send out the requested supplies with some reinforcement, so just rx in that safe zone. I''m amander as well, so I can¡¯t just stand by and ignore Commander Jin''s request when he has contributed a lot to the expedition</i>


    <i>"I¡¯ll give you whatever you want, so tell me what you want."</i>


    ¡ª Just keep your word and send those supplies.


    <i>"Yes, of course. But what do you really think about this dungeon, Commander? I want to know what you think about the difficulty."</i>


    ¡ª ...


    <i>"..."</i>


    ¡ª I don¡¯t know what kind of answer you¡¯re looking for.


    <i>"What?"</i>


    ¡ª If I tell you that the difficulty is low, will you not work as hard? Dumbass.


    <i>"What are you saying all of a sudden?"</i>


    ¡ª There¡¯s no such thing as a <i>safe </i>expedition. We have to always move while thinking about the worst-case scenario. Otherwise, those with faith in you will die, you ipetent fool.


    "..."


    <i>"You no longer sound bitter."</i>


    ¡ª ...


    ¡ª Just think about the desperate times you spent in a dungeon back then, and you¡¯ll realize how stupid your question is.


    <i>''Stop criticizing your rival with those cliched lines, man. You¡¯re losing, anyway, so why so serious?''</i>


    <i>"I understand what you¡¯re saying."</i>


    ¡ª Keep your promise.


    <i>"I will."</i>


    ¡ª <i>Ah! </i>I¡¯m in the lead with 1,000 points, by the way.


    <i>''See, this idiot is really evil. He sees people as nothing more than chess pieces, but I understand what he¡¯s trying to say.'' </i>


    Of course, a few casualties were inevitable, but they were basically honorable deaths.


    Personally, there were times when I thought he''d be a bit more open-minded, but it was more like he became rxed upon taking care of all of his tasks andpleting his homework.


    The Mole Saint¡¯s Cozy Sanctuary was not an ordinary dungeon, but it wasn¡¯t as dangerous as the Outer Gods War or the Continental War. Spirit Gelk was too easy for a hidden boss, and thepetent members were taking care of their tasks without me giving out any orders.


    It was pretty systematic.


    It felt like Commander Jin had spouted a bunch of nonsense over some supplies, so I got annoyed. However, his words were worth considering.


    Anyway, I decided to open another item.


    <i>[Temr Training Experimental Report]</i>


    What was this one like?


    <i>The Temrs were weakening because the Mole Saint was weakening. The Temrs tried their best to preserve their powers through various means, but they couldn''t stop the loss of power. </i>


    <i>I had no idea why, but the majority of the Temrs had lost all of their powers.</i>


    <i>They could no longer fight demons like they used to do, and they had been reduced to mere ordinary holy knights. Only eight Temrs managed to stop their power from disappearing along with the Mole Saint''s power.</i>


    <i>They were worried, but they were not worried about the continent.</i>


    <i>When their numbers dwindled to seven, they gathered and consumed the Mole Saint''s blood. The results were promising, but some of them could not handle the Mole Saint''s immense power and died.</i>


    <i>In the end, only four of them remained, and they were the chosen ones.</i>


    <i>Yeah, they thought they only managed toe this far because they were the chosen.</i>


    <i>The power that Mole Saint''s blood had bestowed upon them was a unique power, entirely different from the power they had prior to drinking the Mole Saint''s blood, and they all believed that they deserved it.</i>


    <i>Only four had the power that the Temrs desired, so they definitely felt like they were gods¡ªno, they were definitely gods at the time. Unfortunately, the Temrs became old. It was unknown whether it was due to a side effect from drinking her blood or not, but the four Temrs became old.</i>


    <i>One of them was worried, seemingly afraid of returning to dust, but the Mole Saint¡¯s power weakened, and they quickly grew old.</i>


    <i>One of them was worried about the continent upon their deaths, and he said that they needed to train new Temrs and sessors to follow in their footsteps. He brought over a child from the Order and made him drink the Mole Saint¡¯s blood. </i>


    <i>However, the child died. He could not handle the Mole Saint¡¯s diluted blood.</i>


    <i>One of them wanted to be free. He had epted the fact that he had gotten old, but couldn¡¯t let go of his yearning of wanting to live the life he wanted to live. He argued that the key figures of the Order on the surface had to be protected. </i>


    <i>It seemed that he really valued his life.</i>


    <i>I''m scared and nervous as well. I''m scared of death, and it''s heartbreaking that I''m going to die before I can witness the end. I want to live forever. I want to keep living¡ªomitted.</i>


    <i>As the years passed, an anxious Temr remarked, ¡°Why are we growing old? Our powers are so strong and glorious, so why are our fleshly bodies so weak?</i>


    <i>The soul and the body are separate.</i>


    <i>The body is nothing but a vessel that carries our soul, which contains our essence.</i>


    <i>The Temr, who longed for freedom, was puzzled, but I understood what the anxious Temr was trying to say. </i>


    <i>Our body is nothing more than a vessel for our soul. If we can find a vessel suitable for us, then we can have eternal life. And we can once again...</i>


    <i>The next report is about our test subjects... who may hopefully be our vessels...</i>


    ¡°<i>AAAH!</i>¡±


    ¡°<i>Ah¡ª</i>shit! You scared me!¡± I eximed and turned to where the scream hade from.


    I saw Kasugano Yuno looking at me with pitch-ck eyes, and her eyes reflected the figures of Kim Hyun-Sung, Jung Ha-Yan, and the Blue Guild members. Shockingly, each and every one of them was... headless.


    ¡°It¡¯s dangerous, Master,¡± Kasugano Yuno said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s dangerous,¡± Kasugano Yuno repeated.


    It was a ridiculous sight.

 Chapter 963. Results (2)

    <h4>Chapter 963. Results (2)</h4>


    Kasugano Yuno did not have to say that it was dangerous for me to know that it was indeed dangerous. The scene ying out before me was pretty unrealistic.


    <i>¡®What is this...¡¯</i>


    I was at a loss for words.


    I saw my babies sprawled out on the ground in the dark ruins.


    It wasn¡¯t just my babies.


    The expedition group had been annihted.


    The banners of the guilds and ns were all over the ground, along with their corpses. I couldn¡¯t see it, but I was sure Commander Jin¡¯s corpse was here as well. Of course, my interest was elsewhere. Their lives were none of my concern and whether Commander Jin was alive or not wasn¡¯t important.


    My babies were missing their heads.


    In addition, the pig''s corpse was aplete messpared to the rearguards. His right arm was on the ground, but his left arm was still holding a shield. I was sure he had received the most attacks before dying, and it made sense because he was the main tank.


    Jung Ha-Yan was dead as well. Her head was ghastly white, and it was all because she had squeezed every single drop of her mana. I thought her mana would never run out, and even if she could run out of mana, I never expected that it could happen, but the sight before me betrayed my thoughts.


    Han Sora was hugging Jung Ha-Yan, and there were arrows sticking out of her. I looked around and found the rearguards. It seemed that they were taken out with one attack.


    Sun Hee-Young, Elena, and Hwang Jung-Yeon were dead. I wasn¡¯t sure whether they couldn''t respond to the ambush or if they simply had no time to dodge.


    Ahn Ki-Mo and Yoo Ah-Young, the peelers of the Blue Guild¡¯s rearguards, seemed to havested longer than them, but they still couldn¡¯t handle the next wave of enemies.


    Belier and Alps were dead as well.


    I looked around and couldn''t see Kim Ye-Ri, Lee Chang-Ryeol, Park Lian, and the rangers.


    They were part of the scout team, so it was highly likely that they died somewhere during their reconnaissance mission.


    As for Kim Hyun-Sung...


    Kim Hyun-Sung was on the ground, and his torn wings were next to him.


    Swords and spears were sticking out of him, and he clearly died to protect me.


    The sight reminded me of the Outer Gods War. To make things worse, I couldn¡¯t see his head. Inside the world depicted in Kasugano Yuno''s eyes, I... saw a headless Kim Hyun-Sung.


    I heard a <i>swoosh</i>, and the background peeled away.


    I was back inside my spacious pnquin, but I couldn¡¯t calm down at all.


    Kasugano Yuno¡¯s breathing was uneven, and she was crying while staring at me. I shook my head, but the scenes that had been burned into my brain wouldn¡¯t go away.


    <i>¡®Hee-Ra noon and Yuno... they must have died as well.¡¯</i>


    The strike squads were annihted, and the expedition ended in a disaster.


    Everyone was cornered to the point of no return. In the final battle, they gave it their all, but they were destroyed. I wasn¡¯t sure how the battle even started, but that detail wasn¡¯t important right now.


    What mattered was the fact that the difference in power had to have been massive.


    <i>¡®This pnquin is kind of suffocating.¡¯</i>


    I opened the window to look out and saw soldiers marching outside. Everything was still normal. Jung Ha-Yan and Han Sora were moving with the pnquin; Ahn Ki-Mo and Elena were talking to each other. I couldn¡¯t really see him, but I could hear Park Deok-Gu.


    ¡°This is what hyung-nim said to me back then¡ª''If I can do it... you can do better, Deok-Gu. I trust you.'' Honestly, I didn¡¯t really understand it back then, but I think that incident has changed my mindset. I realized that I could do it... that I could grow even stronger.¡±


    ¡°<i>Ah...</i> I had no idea that happened to you, Mr. Park.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true! It¡¯s all thanks to him that I managed to grow this big,¡± Park Deok-Gu said.


    They were so talkative.


    It seemed that Park Deok-Gu had already gotten close to the tanks of the other guilds.


    Sun Hee-Young seemed to have noticed me staring outside.


    ¡°Sub Guild Master?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Miss Hee-Young?¡± I answered.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Sun Hee-Young asked.


    ¡°<i>Huh?</i> What do you...¡± I trailed off. ¡°...Actually, we shouldn¡¯t be talking about this. Could you call over Mr. Hyun-Sung for me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir. Please wait...¡± Sun Hee-Young said.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Soon, Kim Hyun-Sung approached me.


    ¡°I heard you called for me, Mr. Ki-Young? Is something wrong?¡± Kim Hyun-Sung asked.


    <i>''I should take care of this first.''</i>


    ¡°Please cancel all the reconnaissance missions assigned to Park Lian, Lee Chang-Ryeol, and Kim Ye-Ri,¡± I ordered.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t assign any missions until I give you instructions,¡± I added.


    ¡°Did they do something that deserves punishment? I understand Mr. Chang-Ryeol, but Ye-Ri¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing like that. It¡¯s not a punishment... I want you to inform them that there¡¯s something else I want them to do,¡± I interrupted.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll do that. But... are you... okay right now... Mr. Ki-Young?¡± Kim Hyun-Sung asked.


    <i>¡®Why is everyone asking me that?¡¯</i>


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t look so good. If you¡¯re feeling unwell, how about we take a break?¡± Kim Hyun-Sung suggested.


    ¡°No, I feel fine. I just don¡¯t want to dy things any longer,¡± I rejected.


    When I looked at myself in the mirror, I saw that my eyes and hands were trembling. I took a deep breath and felt like everything was returning to normal, but the distracting thoughts in my head wouldn¡¯t go away.


    I found it ridiculous how I had basically be Kim Hyun-Sung upon waking up from a nightmare. I exhaled and felt a bit calmer, so I looked at Kim Hyun-Sung once again.


    ¡°Anyway, exclude those three from all reconnaissance missions and... as I always say, safety is our top priority.¡±


    ¡°Right. You don¡¯t have to worry about the expedition team¡¯s safety...¡± Kim Hyun-Sung reassured me.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m talking about you and the guild members rather than the expedition team. Safety has to be the top priority during a raid. I¡¯ll say it again, but the top priority is safety,¡± I repeated.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Then...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll let you know when we¡¯re getting close to the sixth strike squad''s camp. Anyway, Mr. Ki-Young...¡± Kim Hyun-Sung trailed off.


    I wanted tofort him somehow, but I couldn¡¯t think of what to say to him. I was sure that this wasn¡¯t enough, but I used my finger and tapped my eye. He seemed kind of surprised, but he smiled and nodded.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget,¡± I said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll never forget,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    ¡°Do not forget it,¡± I repeated.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    With that, I closed the window and decided to create new protocols.


    We had been moving with safety in mind, but the situation had just gotten worse, so I had to create new ones.


    <i>¡®Damn it.¡¯</i>


    However, I still couldn¡¯t understand it. I don¡¯t know about the others, but I couldn¡¯t imagine something happening to Kim Hyun-Sung, Jung Ha-Yan, and Cha Hee-Ra.


    These three were superhumans.


    They were a bitcking in my eyes, but they were strong enough to be called demigods.


    When it came to raw power, they were on the same level as the beings up there. I also felt relieved by their achievement, as I assumed that there wasn¡¯t anything here that could harm them.


    <i>¡®It really is hard for me to understand...¡¯</i>


    However, what I had seen was going to happen.


    Spirit Gelk''s loots had told me that there was a big difference between the Temrs of the current era and the Temrs back then. They both drank the Mole Saint¡¯s blood, but Gen and Simon were only half as powerful as them.


    I also felt like Gen and Simon were nothing more than the vessels of the real Temrs.


    <i>¡®They¡¯re preparing the vessels.¡¯</i>


    The experiment report did not mention whether they had sessfully taken over the bodies of the vessels, but I was sure that it was all because the experiment was still ongoing.


    It was hard to say that they were sessful. After all, the Temrs familiar to me were only on the same level as the Eight Seats, which meant that they were too weak to contain the souls of those who were basically gods.


    I had no idea about the process, but I was sure that the details were already in the Temrs'' heads, and they were simply waiting for their bodies to ripen for the picking. It hadn''t been that long since the Temrs obtained wings, but the existence of their wings meant that they were ready for the picking.


    I also felt like that was one of the reasons the strike squads were annihted.


    The old spirits took over the bodies of the innocent Gen and the wicked Simon. There was one person I had yet to see, and the one who had written that report had seeded in taking over a body.


    I couldn¡¯t determine their exact strength, but they were probably just as strong as our Hyun-Sung. In the worst-case scenario, they were stronger than Kim Hyun-Sung, Jung Ha-Yan, and Cha Hee-Ra.


    <i>¡®Damn it, Benigoa...¡¯</i>


    Well, I couldn''t really me her. This was inevitable. Things would have been more difficult if I hadn''t discovered it so early.


    I understood her, but...


    <i>''I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a reason behind your actions and maybe you were even forbidden from doing certain things, but if things still go wrong, I¡¯m going to me you. Keep this in mind. You¡¯ll be responsible for it.''</i>


    ¡°Mr. Lee Ki-Young... are you okay?¡± Floretta asked.


    ¡°...¡± ¡°Mr. Lee Ki-Young?¡± Floretta called out.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine. Is there anything else you need to report?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t. I¡¯m sorry,¡± Floretta replied.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to feel sorry since I was already aware. I asked just in case... Anyway, take this,¡± I said.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Upon meeting with the sixth strike squad, please deliver this to Hye-Jin. When you regroup with the first strike squad, deliver this one to Commander Jin.


    "There are many things that need to be changed, but they¡¯ll take care of everything.


    "It¡¯s the same for you, Miss Yuno. Safety is the top priority. This letter is for Ha-Yan and Sora, while this letter is for Lee Ji-Hye of the ck Swan Guild. I have a letter for Hee-Ra noona as well. If I end up disappearing, I want you to show this to Hyun-Sung immediately. They might be suspicious of Miss Yuno, so¡ª¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Floretta interrupted me.


    I had many things to take with me. A small alchemy kit, potions, catalysts, and Gelk''s loots. I stuffed my bag with things I¡¯d need, but I would be sad if I actually had to use them.


    I needed clothes as well.


    <i>¡®I can¡¯t go to a social gathering looking like this.¡¯</i>


    Religious figures would probably be there as well, so I had to dress up.


    I opened my closet and saw a white outfit. There weren''t any essories for me, and it wasn¡¯t a fancy outfit, so I definitely wouldn''t attract any attention with this. It was kind of bulky, but it¡¯d make it easier for me to move around. I needed to run around, after all.


    <i>¡®Is this the right thing to do?¡¯</i>


    That question popped into my head, but I couldn¡¯t just stand by and do nothing.


    I needed to do something to change the future.


    I opened the window again and heard loud voices outside.


    [Would you like to ept the invitation?]


    I nodded and¡ª


    ¡°Hello, Father.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Temr Genny, your guide," said a child.


    I looked down at him and deduced that he had to be around fifteen years of age.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be your guide,¡± Genny added.


    I was kind of shocked, but I smiled because he looked exactly like the worst criminal in history¡ªTemr Gen. I would believe it if someone told me that this was what he looked like in his past life.


    ¡°Thank you for epting Saint Altanus¡¯ invitation,¡± Genny said.

 Chapter 964. Altanus (1)

    <h4>Chapter 964. Altanus (1)</h4>


    <i>¡®Altanus?¡¯</i>


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Many people, including people from aboveground areing, so we prepared many things. Can I take you to the room you¡¯ll be staying in first?¡± Genny asked.


    ¡°I must be pretty early,¡± Imented.


    ¡°That¡¯s not true. There are people who arrived a week ago... Of course, it simply means that they¡¯re excited to attend this social gathering. We¡¯re sincerely grateful. <i>Ah!</i> This is your room. Did you bring any luggage with you? If you did, I¡¯ll carry¡ª¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Please let me know if you need anything. By the way, have you eaten?¡± Genny asked.


    <i>¡®He sure talks a lot. It¡¯s like I can hear him from all directions.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Maybe there are ces you''d like to visit? By the way, please refrain from wandering around the Underground Temple by yourself. This ce is really big, so people visiting for the very first time often get lost. There are even ces unknown to me, so if there¡¯s any ce you would like to visit, ring the bell next to the door.


    "Father... would you like me to guide you to the cafeteria?¡± Genny asked.


    <i>¡®Now isn¡¯t the time for me to have a chit-chat with you.¡¯</i>


    ¡°It¡¯s a public cafeteria used by many followers. It''s as impressive as the one aboveground, but they offer a huge variety of delicious food, so I rmend you try it out. The popr dish is...¡± Genny trailed off.


    <i>¡®Just go away.¡¯</i>


    I already had many things on my mind, and I did not need his yapping.


    <i>¡®Altanus? Altanus? Did you just call her Saint Altanus?¡¯</i>


    ¡°How about visiting that ce? It has wonderful statues, Father. Can I ask if there are statues like those aboveground?¡± Genny asked.


    Normally, I¡¯d talk to him as well, but I was suspicious of whether Temr Gen had be a vessel of one of the old spirits. No, he definitely became a vessel. The figure before me looked exactly like the younger version of Gen.


    There were too many things that I couldn¡¯t just overlook.


    Genny would probably be one of the four remaining Temrs in the future.


    It seemed that I was experiencing the events prior to the Temr Training Experimental Report and before the downfall of the Temrs and the Mole Saint.


    The social gathering probably took ce when Gen was still a kid.


    Genny could be one of the test subjects as well, but based on the situation down here, my first assumption was highly likely to be true. The temple was in good shape, and the sight convinced me that there were many Temrs here.


    Of course, I needed to gain Genny''s favor. He''d be a named being in the future, after all, and he had a bright and sessful future ahead of him.


    I had yet to decide what I was going to do, but I hade here empty-handed, so I needed someone I could rely on. The moment I saw him, I told myself that I would do that, but...


    <i>¡®I really thought Benigoa was the Mole Saint.¡¯</i>


    However, Genny''s remark not too long ago had erased that thought in my head.


    <i>¡®Altanus? The one locked up underground is Saint Altanus?''</i>


    Icked information. I was sure many things had changed since all this happened.


    The doctrines, the books, and ways of worshiping had changed drastically as well.


    The most prominent subject of worship right now was not Altanus, which meant that some unknown god was in control. What was Benigoa doing? I couldn¡¯t understand what was going on. I needed time to gather my thoughts and get more information.


    ¡°Where are you from, Father?¡± Genny asked.


    The kid was still busy trying to satisfy his curiosity.


    Was he happy because it had been a while since someone from the outside world had visited this ce?


    At his age, it was only natural for him to be curious about many things. Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t seem like he was going to stop yapping anytime soon. I wanted to talk to him, but I had to be careful about my words.


    <i>¡®First of all, I need more information.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Could you...¡± I paused.


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Could you guide me to the library? I¡¯d like to go to the prayer room afterward...¡± I requested.


    It wasn¡¯t a bad choice.


    ¡°I-I see... I was being rude, Father,¡± Genny said.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine, Temr Genny,¡± I said.


    He looked kind of embarrassed, which was expected, as there were answers he wanted to hear from me.


    <i>¡®This is what it means to be an adult.¡¯</i>


    He was still in his early to mid teens, so he was full of energy and curiosity.


    He had to have been living his entire life here and had been doing nothing but training.


    Regardless, his training couldn¡¯t suppress his true self at all.


    I was sure he found it interesting to see a visitor from aboveground.


    Since he had been living his whole life here, he was definitely curious about the world up above. As a result, he unknowingly got too excited, and he ended up talking nonstop.


    However, the clean and upright priest from aboveground was only interested in studying, theology, and worshiping.


    I was quiet, behaved, and was careful about my actions. I was a model priest. I was a holy man who had decided to live only for God, and the revtion silenced the noisy parrot.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to apologize, and I¡¯m actually grateful that you¡¯re taking great care of an insignificant person like me. I hope you¡¯ll keep taking care of me, Temr Genny,¡± I said.


    ¡°O-Okay!¡± Genny shouted.


    <i>¡®ying around with a little kid isn¡¯t that hard.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I-I¡¯ll take you to the library, Father,¡± Genny stuttered.


    He looked a bit different from earlier. Someone of his age would have one or two idols.


    I was not sure what kind of person his idols were, but I knew just what type of people he couldn''t help but admire.


    <i>''And it''s probably priests...¡¯</i>


    Genny was quiet, cautious about his every step. I noticed him ncing multiple times at me while I was walking beside him.


    Perhaps the way I was walking cautiously without making a single sound looked cool to him. He could only hear the sound of my clothes, but even that noise sounded holy to him.


    He was worried about being a nuisance. He was scared about getting in my way, so I thought helping him rx a little would be great.


    ¡°Temr Genny,¡± I said.


    ¡°Yes, Father!¡± Genny shouted.


    <i>¡®Geez, that was loud.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t realize¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Temr Genny,¡± I interrupted him.


    It was another mistake that lowered his self-esteem.


    ¡°E-Excuse me... Father,¡± Genny said cautiously.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I-If you¡¯re not satisfied about the Temr in charge...¡± Genny paused.


    ¡°Why do you think that?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I feel like... I¡¯ve caused too much trouble... I¡¯m afraid of getting in your way...¡± Genny answered.


    I smiled lightly and stared deeply at him.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Eventually, I said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to think that way. I actually don¡¯t know what kind of person you are... but I feel like I¡¯ve been getting nothing but positive energy from you."


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to criticize yourself, nor do you need to be so humble. Revealing your true self to me is more than enough for me to be grateful to you, Temr Genny,¡± I added.


    ¡°<i>Ah...</i> I-I see,¡± Genny said.


    ¡°It seems that you are really interested in what life is like aboveground,¡± I said.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m embarrassed to say it, but I do,¡± he answered.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to feel embarrassed. I¡¯m also interested in the world down here,¡± I told him.


    ¡°<i>Ah!</i>¡±


    "The people selfless enough to sacrifice themselves and lock themselves up in this lightless ce are the reason the surface world has be a prosperous ce where the denizens are alwaysughing.


    "I believe those martyrs are the closest to the light, and the people who have been living in this ce are worthy of standing next to her," I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to thank you on behalf of the people aboveground,¡± I said.


    ¡°I-I...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I would also like to thank the people aboveground, Father. The believers down here said that the Underground Temple only exists due to the priests aboveground,¡± Genny remarked.


    <i>''I¡¯m sure that¡¯s true. Who else will pay for your living expenses?''</i>


    ¡°So it looks like we¡¯re helping each other out,¡± Imented.


    ¡°Yes...¡±


    I smiled as if I was telling him that we could have a mutual rtionship, just like how the Underground Temple and the priests aboveground were helping each other out.


    I''d be able to obtain information about this ce from him, and he''d obtain information about the surface world from me.


    <i>''Of course, ny percent of the information that I''m going to tell him are lies, but what does this kid even know? My lies are probably even better than the truth. I¡¯m also good at telling exciting stories.''</i>


    Genny hadn''t said anything, but he looked like he understood what I was trying to say, and I would be fine if he interpreted my words as me saying, ¡°Let¡¯s get along.¡±


    If we ended up getting close, we¡¯d share many things with each other, and he¡¯d ask many questions first.


    We talked about many different topics until we arrived at a ce that looked like a library. He stared deeply at me while talking, and it was probably because he wanted to see my reaction.


    ¡°This is the underground library, Father,¡± Genny said.


    ¡°It¡¯s a nice ce,¡± I said.


    I expected this ce to be big, but it was bigger than I thought.


    The ce was like five meters tall, and it was filled with a huge variety of books. The Underground Temple was flourishing indeed. That was what I thought. The moment I stepped foot into the library, however, the sheer size of the ce made my jaw drop.


    ¡°There are books that were written here, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°They''re probably books about the surface world,¡± I interrupted.


    ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re happy,¡± Genny said.


    <i>¡®How can I not be happy?¡¯</i>


    I had to read them as soon as possible.


    I didn¡¯t have a super good memory like Hwang Jung-Yeon, but I was confident that I would be able to memorize the key details in these books.


    ¡°Temr Genny,¡± I said.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to spend the night here,¡± I told him.


    ¡°What?¡±


    I wanted to bury myself in these books.


    I¡¯d check the books rted to religion first.


    I was sure most of them were rted to religion, but I had to read as much as I could. It wouldn''t take me long to categorize these books. My n was to put them into two categories¡ªthose I had to read thoroughly and those I could just skim.


    It was imperative that they see me as someone well informed.


    There would be many conversations during the social gathering, and I had to meet many people as well. If there were things unknown to me, I''d stray away from the point or leave. If I knew something but wasn''t exactly sure what I was talking about, I''d just exaggerate my answer.


    I¡¯d deduce the topics that we¡¯d most likely talk about deeply and obtain as much knowledge as possible for those topics.


    I was so focused that I failed to notice my surroundings.


    <i>¡®Where did he go?¡¯</i>


    Temr Genny was missing, but I saw coffee and snacks when I turned.


    I took a sip of the coffee and returned to my reading.


    Fortunately, I managed to obtain the information that I wanted to acquire.


    <i>¡®Where did Benigoa go?¡¯</i>


    Benigoa wasn¡¯t mentioned in any books.


    <i>¡®Shouldn¡¯t she be in at least this particr book?¡¯</i>


    Even if Altanus was the Mole Saint, it was strange how Benigoa wasn¡¯t mentioned at all.


    And that was when I saw a familiar face...


    It was the face of a woman, and she was staring at me.


    ¡°<i>Ah</i>, I¡¯m sorry," said the woman, sounding like an awkward idiot.


    <i>¡®Benigoa?¡¯</i>


    A brown-haired maid was staring at me.

 Chapter 965. Altanus (2)

    <h4>Chapter 965. Altanus (2)</h4>


    ¡°I thought there was no one here... I-I¡¯m sorry,¡± the brown-haired maid said.


    ¡°Benigoa?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    I blurted out my thoughts without realizing it, and I said it in a loud voice.


    I said her name clearly, but the woman in front of me looked at me with confusion.


    It was a reaction that told me that her name was not Benigoa at all. The tower of books that I had worked hard to organize had fallen down, and she looked like she had no idea what to do. She had the same demeanor as the Benigoa I was familiar with.


    The only difference was her hair color and clothes.


    Instead of her usual white and gold embroidered outfit, she was wearing a tattered maid outfit. Her shiny and smooth hair had taken on a dull brown color. There were dark spots on her face, and she looked shabby overall.


    She had light freckles around her nose, and she looked thinner than usual.


    I never really thought that Benigoa had ever acted like a transcendent being ought to act, but she had a beauty that suited her status as a transcendent being, and her believers even believed that she was the perfect existence.


    Except for her aggrieved look, the woman before him was pretty simr to Benigoa. It was just simr, but I felt like this woman <i>was</i> actually Benigoa.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m really sorry,¡± she apologized. She tried to clean up the books that had fallen because she had bumped into them, but when she turned around, her books decimated what remained of the tower of books.


    ¡°<i>Ah!</i>¡± she eximed, startled.


    Then, she fell backward on her butt. ¡°<i>Kyah!</i>¡±


    She couldn''t do anything at all.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m sorry, Father!¡± she eximed.


    She looked exactly like Benigoa.


    ¡°What should I do? Father... I¡¯ll clean this up. I¡¯m sorry,¡± she offered.


    <i>¡®No, don¡¯t. I don¡¯t have to wait around to see what¡¯s going to happen... Damn it.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I¡¯ll...¡±


    <i>¡®Please don¡¯t do anything.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Where was this book at?¡± she muttered.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°<i>Cough! Cough! </i>I¡¯m sorr... <i>Cough!</i> There¡¯s suddenly dust¡ª<i>Cough!</i>¡± she said.


    <i>¡®I think I¡¯m going to start coughing, too.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Father... I-I¡¯m going to drink some... <i>Cough! Cough!¡¯</i> she said.


    <i>¡®Don¡¯t drink my coffee, damn it.¡¯</i>


    ¡°<i>Whew...</i> T-Thank you. I¡¯m feeling better,¡± she said.


    A troublemaker appeared after the noisy parrot. She was so dumb that I felt like I was bing stupid as dumb, and it made me feel uneasy. However, I couldn¡¯t avoid her, so I needed to confirm my assumptions first.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I said.


    ¡°No! I-I did this, so I¡¯ll clean it up. You can sit and keep reading...¡± she argued.


    ¡°I¡¯ll clean it up, so you can just leave it. I was actually thinking about taking a break,¡± I told her.


    ¡°B-But...¡±


    ¡°If you feel bad, how about you keep mepany?¡± I suggested.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You just need to talk to me for a bit,¡± I told her.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Can you tell me your name?¡± I asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°My name is Lee Ki-Young,¡± I introduced myself.


    First, I needed to lower her guard as much as possible. I could still remember how Benigoa was a really big coward at the time.


    As usual, I decided to smile and provide her with afortable atmosphere.


    She seemed hesitant, and I thought perhaps it was because she felt awkward about the idea of spending time with someone she had just met.


    I got nervous, feeling like I had made a mistake, but her serious face rxed slightly¡ªno, she was actually smiling brightly right now. Wait, it was more like she was desperately trying to suppress her facial smile, making her look kind of weird.


    ¡°T-That¡¯s... Are you...¡± she stammered, ¡°Asking me out on a date? A-Are you flirting with me?¡±


    <i>¡®What the hell?¡¯</i>


    ¡°P-People from aboveground are pretty aggressive..." she remarked.


    <i>¡®What the hell are you talking about?¡¯</i>


    ¡°I¡¯m not ready yet... I¡¯m sorry. <i>Ah!</i> I¡¯m not apologizing because I don¡¯t want to spend time with you. It¡¯s just that... it''s my first time experiencing something like this... a-and I¡¯m not very familiar with it, so I don¡¯t know what to do...¡± she exined.


    <i>¡®This girl.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Your face is far from being my type... b-but don¡¯t misunderstand, Father. I¡¯m not saying you¡¯re ugly... It¡¯s just you¡¯re not my type... but you do look pretty though


    "B-But... that¡¯s not... my ideal type... How should I say it... I kind of liked your intelligent look while you were absorbed in your reading...¡± she added.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I guess I like your aura... and you look sexy, too... Something like that,¡± she said.


    <i>¡®What is wrong with her?¡¯</i>


    She looked like she was already daydreaming.


    ¡°I-It feels immoral because you¡¯re a priest... O-Of course, I¡¯m not saying that priests shouldn¡¯t date anyone... but priests give off a ''pure'' feeling, right?¡± she asked.


    <i>¡®Stop talking to yourself.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I-If things go well, does that mean I¡¯ll get to live aboveground, too? Or here? I think we¡¯ll have to live here. You seem kind of weak... Are you okay? I don¡¯t want to be a widow at such a young age... If you have some sort of chronic illness...¡± she asked.


    I found it absurd how she was talking to herself. To make things worse, she seemed unaware that she was doing that.


    I wanted to pinch her cheeks because of her rudements. However, this was a brand-new sight to me; I had no idea that Benigoa was <i>that </i>interested in dating.


    Perhaps it wasn''t strange, as when she was up there, she was a goddess, but right now, she was just a human being. I was sure she had her own fantasies, and I was sure this kind of romance was something she desired like the other girls out there.


    The issue was that she was going a bit too far here.


    <i>¡®Widow, my ass...¡¯</i>


    ¡°I-I ept your offer, Father,¡± she said.


    The shy look that she revealed upon realizing that she wanted made her look. After all, she revealed that look after organizing her thoughts right in front of me.


    I heard everything, including the remark about how priests who had been invited to this social gathering were allpetent, about how I didn¡¯t look <i>that</i> weak, and it wouldn¡¯t be so bad to test it out and enjoy it.


    Despite saying all of those, she was blushing as if she were an innocent girl.


    Her voice sounded higher than usual, and she started to sound a bit adorable.


    <i>¡®You¡¯re not my type either.¡¯</i>


    Even if we were facing the apocalypse, Benigoa and I would never be in that kind of rtionship.


    <i>¡®I don¡¯t like you, either...¡¯</i>


    I wanted to deny it and embarrass her, but it wouldn''t be effective. I felt kind of ufortable by the misunderstanding, but it was enough to get close to her.


    In the end, I decided to smile and confidently.


    <i>¡®Are you serious?¡¯</i>


    She was staring at me while tilting herself at the perfect angle to look as alluring as possible, but I didn''t feel anything at all.


    ¡°I¡¯m a maid working here underground, and I¡¯m in charge of quite a few tasks that ensure thefort of the believers. My hobby is going on a stroll. I was born and raised here. You were invited to the social gathering, right?


    "<i>Ah!</i> And my specialty... my specialty...¡±


    <i>¡®Do you even have any? And who talks about their hobbies and specialties during a blind date?¡¯</i>


    ¡°I¡¯m Lee Ki-Young. As you said, I''m from aboveground, and I''m here to attend the social gathering. I¡¯m from the Land of Nejesca¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve heard of that ce! Land of Nejesca!¡± she interrupted.


    It was the perfect background for me.


    I was a priest from a remotend. I was from a region that was struggling to recover after the war. Due to the devastating war, there were many wandering priests doing volunteer work.


    Wouldn¡¯t it make sense to be a priest from a remote ce?


    ¡°So you¡¯re a wandering priest,¡± the maid said.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m not sure why I was invited, but...¡± I paused.


    ¡°You were invited because you did great. You¡¯re a role model and the work that you do is an example for many people. You should be happy. I''m giving you additional points,¡± she replied.


    <i>¡®I don¡¯t need your additional points, so take it back. Also, don¡¯t wink at me.¡¯</i>


    ¡°<i>Haha</i>... I¡¯m d,¡± I said.


    ¡°Seeing how you like books, reading must be your hobby. It¡¯s my first time seeing a priest so absorbed in reading that the books have piled up like this. Come to think of it¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hold on...¡± I interrupted her because our topic was not really important.


    ¡°Yes, Father?¡±


    ¡°Could you tell me your name?¡± I requested.


    ¡°<i>Ah!</i> You must not be aware,¡± she said.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have a name,¡± she informed me.


    <i>¡®What the hell is she talking about?¡¯</i>


    ¡°We¡¯re called Atenta... meaning¡ªworkers born to serve God. It¡¯s a noble mission because we¡¯re the only ones allowed to carry it out,¡± she exined.


    I activated Mind¡¯s Eyes and checked her stats.


    ¡°...¡±


    <i>¡®It¡¯s true.¡¯</i>


    She truly had no name. It was so ridiculous that I was at a loss for words. I knew human rights basically did not exist on the continent around this time, but I had no idea that things were <i>this</i> bad.


    Even ves had names, which made this brown-haired maid even worse than a ve.


    <i>''Born to serve God? What exactly do you do?'' </i>


    Of course, their mission was not important to me. The continent¡¯s human rights status and whatnot were none of my business. There was only one thing I had to focus on and think about.


    <i>¡®This isn¡¯t an ordinary invitation.¡¯</i>


    Perhaps I wasn¡¯t invited to clear a dungeon, and there were many things that were too suspicious to say that it was a mere coincidence, such as the silence of both Benigoa and the higher-ups.


    Of course, there was a high chance that this was a part of the dungeon raid... but I felt like the reason behind this invitation wasn''t just to give out information about a named boss, so I had to say something here.


    ¡°Benigoa.¡±


    ¡°<i>Huh?</i> What¡¯s a ''Benigoa''? Come to think of it, you said that earlier as well...¡± the maid said.


    ¡°Can I call you Benigoa?¡± I asked.


    I was here to put the remaining puzzle pieces together.

 Chapter 966. Altanus (3)

    <h4>Chapter 966. Altanus (3)</h4>


    If this invitation wasn''t just a simple invitation, and if I assumed that this wasn''t a simple gathering, then I had an idea about why I traveled back in time. After all, there was a reason behind every happening.


    Just like how the masked hero made ns for me, I also had to make a n for the masked hero in the future. I had to act in a certain way to achieve the results that I wanted to achieve.


    I stillcked information, but an outline of what I needed to do was bing clearer in my head. In the past, Benigoa was nothing more than a maid part of the so-called Atenta.


    To make things worse, she was just an ordinary, nameless maid. The first thing I needed to do was give her a name and then support her so that she could take her ce as Benigoa. Afterward...


    <i>¡®Would gnawing away at Saint Altanus¡¯ power be the right move?¡¯</i>


    Everything started with the downfall of Altanus.


    It all started when her power and holy power went down.


    I assumed that event was the blueprint needed to solve the puzzle.


    The number of Temrs went down drastically during her downfall, and they started thirsting for Altanus'' blood. The Temrs proceed with the ritual of session, and Altanus ends up locking herself up in the iron maiden, which made the continent walk down the path of destruction.


    Lucifer was managing the continent right now, but she failed spectacrly.


    The culture and religion that she had made were hidden in the shadows.


    The Order of Altanus was createdter, and its creation brought upon new culture, a new continent, and a new order.


    However, I still had no idea why the Order of Altanus managed to settle on the groundter on when they had been stuck underground all this while.


    <i>¡®I think it''s my job to uncover that, too.¡¯</i>


    I couldn''t say that I had a lot of time, but I definitely had enough time to establish and polish them.


    <i>¡®This must happen no matter what.¡¯</i>


    Altanus had to be born, and Altanus'' opinion herself did not matter at all. Upon entering the iron maiden, her soul had to leave her body and rise to be a goddess ruling over the continent.


    <i>''She¡¯ll make Kim Hyun-Sung a regressor, after all.¡¯</i>


    Altanus, who had fallen in love with the hero while observing his story from up above, would then be erased.


    Altanus¡¯ will would then be handed over to Benigoa, and the second life would begin just like that.


    I felt like the timeline that had brought me to this point was being drawn in my head, but there were still many details that needed to be tweaked.


    I wasn¡¯t sure whether that essory from Mirror Lake was something that was agreed upon between the Masked Hero and her. It could also be simply Altanus acting on her own, but there was a chance that it was a part of my n.


    It was possible that everything would happen in order without me having to do anything about it. The saint¡¯s downfall, Lucifer¡¯s downfall, and the birth of the Order of Altanus could all be events guaranteed by the system.


    However, I wasn¡¯tpletely certain.


    I didn¡¯t even know what exactly the system wanted, so it was better to do something for now rather than just sit around.


    <i>¡®This is better.¡¯</i>


    I felt morefortable moving around than doing nothing, which was why I called her "Benigoa."


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t want it,¡± the maid said.


    ¡°...¡±


    However, it seemed that it wouldn''t be that easy.


    ¡°You¡¯re more rude than I thought,¡± she said.


    <i>¡®What is she saying all of a sudden?¡¯</i>


    ¡°Is it because I look simr to the person you cherished in the past?¡± she asked.


    <i>¡®What the hell is she talking about?¡¯</i>


    ¡°That¡¯s why you called me ''Benigoa'' as soon as you saw me, right? I don¡¯t know what¡¯s your rtionship with her... but we must really look alike... I understand how you feel... but I can¡¯t rece her¡ª¡±


    <i>''Looks like she just wrote a strange story in her head.''</i>


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing like that,¡± I interrupted her.


    ¡°Then...¡±


    ¡°Benigoa... means a sky shining brightly,¡± I told her.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°A sky shining brightly...¡± she repeated.


    I said it without thinking, but it was effective.


    ¡°A sky shining brightly...¡± she muttered, looking flustered because I had just told her that she was beautiful. I <i>did </i>call her Benigoa upon seeing her. Anyone would have the same reaction as her upon being called "a sky shining brightly."


    She was definitely feeling kind of embarrassed. I couldn''t read Benigoa''s thoughts, but my words had affected her positively, and it was proven by how she nodded slightly.


    ¡°I-Is there... a reason why you want to call me Benigoa...¡± she asked.


    ¡°It''s because I want to meet you again...¡± I replied.


    ¡°I... see. I¡¯m not the only Atenta in the Underground Temple... I-I understand what you mean. Despite your looks... I mean, I knew you were aggressive from the get-go, but you¡¯re more aggressive than I thought.


    "I don¡¯t think I can reciprocate your feelings <i>yet... </i>b-but please know that I¡¯m thinking positively about it,¡± she exined.


    ¡°Then, Miss Benigoa-¡±


    ¡°I...! I¡¯m pretty busy... and I¡¯m behind on my work, so I need to go take care of them. W-Will you be in the library tomorrow as well?¡± she asked.


    "I¡¯ll probably stay here if I have no tasks to handle, Miss Benigoa,¡± I answered.


    ¡°P-Please stop calling me Benigoa! I-It¡¯s embarrassing and really shocking. I-I¡¯m grateful that you think I¡¯m that charming, but a sky shining brightly? People from the surface world really are aggressive,¡± she said.


    ¡°Will you help me tomorrow as well?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll... think about it, but don¡¯t expect too much. I-I have high standards when ites to men,¡± she answered.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°G-Goodbye.¡±


    With that, she ran excitedly toward the exit, but she ran too fast and ended up falling to the ground. Her silly and clumsy attitude made meugh. Of course, I couldn¡¯t just stare at her back because I needed to confirm my assumptions.


    If my presence here would affect the future...


    <i>¡®I should do a simple experiment.¡¯</i>


    I left a letter for the expedition team members.


    It had been quite a while since then, so there was a chance that the first strike squad had already entered this library on the eighth floor.


    Kasugano Yuno had to have already delivered the letter to Commander Jin.


    We were in different times, but he and I had to be in the same ce right now.


    I took out an alchemy kit from my bag and removed a portion of the floor.


    [Creating an Epic-rank Hidden Quest.]


    [A Warning From the Past - Epic Rank]


    [Someone from the past sends you, the one who discovered this ce, a warning. If you discovered this ce, you must be someone who came down here to protect the continent. You must¡¯vee here to fight against the evil that threatens the continent. I understand it¡¯s not an easy task, and it¡¯s full of hardships. A gift was left for you in this secret ce. It¡¯s a legacy passed down from the past for the heroes who will arrive here in the future. I pray that your future will be bright.]


    [Someone from the distant past has given you a warning. Since you''ve stumbled upon this ce, you must havee down here to protect the continent. You must be here to fight against the evil that threatens the continent.


    [I understand that it is not an easy task, and you will experience many hardshipster down the road, so I left behind a gift for you to take. It''s a legacy for the heroes who will be here in the future.


    [I pray that your future is replete with light.]


    [Quest Reward - A Potion From the Distant Past]


    <i>¡®This should be enough, right?¡¯</i>


    I shoved a few useful potions into the floor. It was an Epic-rank quest, so it would be best to include a few items that could be used right away.


    I covered the ground and made sure to clean things up. I didn¡¯t want to leave any traces, so I decided to use a reagent upon burying the quest that I had created into the ground along with the potions.


    It was a simple andmon trick often used in dungeons for the sake of easter eggs, hidden quests, and hidden pieces.


    The reward wasn¡¯t that great, even though it was well hidden, but I thought that it wasn¡¯t so bad.


    After all, this quest was avable to everyone.


    It was possible that someone would find it before them, but I didn''t believe that a lunatic would suddenly start digging up the ground. I was more worried that someone might find it identally upon tripping over a book and noticing the incongruity on the floor.


    With that in mind, it wasn''t bad to include those potions as the reward. The finder would be really happy about finding it, as it was like finding a hidden treasure. Those potions were rare, so I believed that they wouldn¡¯t analyze the potion''s ingredients.


    <i>¡®Actually, they might.¡¯</i>


    I wasn''t convinced that they''d be able to uncover all the ingredients, but what if an alchemist stumbled upon the stash and decided to analyze the positions? What if they ended up seeding, and alchemy became extremely popr throughout the continent?


    What if the librarian, whom I assumed was the boss of this area, ended up throwing away the potion upon discovering it identally?


    They were meaningless thoughts, but I was pretty sensitive to the butterfly effect.


    The smallest action could change the future. The changes wouldn''t be that massive, but there was a risk that many things would change.


    At this point, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder whether I got a bit too impulsive.


    I looked around and started tapping on my thigh, but this was the time to take risks.


    <i>¡®I¡¯ll be a fool if I don¡¯t do anything just because I¡¯m afraid of the butterfly effect.¡¯</i>


    ¡°Commander Jin, please...¡± I mumbled. I had been pacing around for hours. I had been reading books to prepare for the social gathering and obtain more information about this continent, but I couldn¡¯t focus at all.


    ¡°Father, about dinner¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, Temr Genny,¡± I interrupted him.


    Temr Genny decided to check up on me.


    ¡°I¡¯m worried about your health, Father,¡± Genny said.


    ¡°They say that books are food for the mind, Temr Genny. This is also part of my practice, so you don¡¯t have to worry too much,¡± I reassured him.


    ¡°But still...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Father,¡± Genny said.


    ¡°If you¡¯re that worried, I¡¯ll eat a small piece of bread...¡± I told him.


    ¡°Okay! I¡¯ll bring it for you,¡± he said.


    I even had to take unnecessary meal breaks.


    ¡°By the way...¡± I trailed off.


    ¡°Yes?¡± Genny answered.


    ¡°Do you know of an Atenta with brown hair and freckles?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Father. I''ve never talked to an Atenta,¡± Genny replied.


    We had a decent conversation...


    <i>¡®Are they still dealing with the librarian?¡¯</i>


    Perhaps they had yet to reach this library.


    I thought I could rx, but there was a limit to how much time I could spend here. I thought it would be best if I left tricks in the other parts of the library, but that would increase the chances of the items getting discovered prematurely...


    [Epic-rank Quest, A Warning From the Past, has beenpleted.]


    I couldn¡¯t tell whether it was Jin Cheong or not, but I couldn¡¯t stop smiling.


    ***


    [You have discovered the Epic-ranked Hidden Quest¡ªA Warning From the Past.]


    ¡°What the hell is that idiot up to now?¡±


    [The quest ispleted automatically.]

 Chapter 967: Altanus (4)

    Chapter 967: Altanus (4)


    <em>By the time you receive this letter, I¡¯m not there anymore, Commander. I¡¯m sincerely sorry for leaving when the situation has been so gloomy. </em>


    <em>Anyway, what kind of person am I to you? </em>


    <em>A trustworthyrade? </em>


    <em>Your one and only rival in the world?</em>


    <em>Perhaps an archenemy you find so vile you''d never feel satisfied even if you were to beat me to death. </em>


    <em>You may get upset about some of the things I did, but it was all because so many things had happened. I did all of them to help you grow, Commander. It¡¯s to prepare you for this kind of situation.</em>


    <em>I left this letter because I obviously have a small favor to ask of you. As the Saint of Light and the heart of the continent, I must fight against a cruel fate, so someone needs to take care of the expedition group in my ce. </em>


    <em>It is going to be burdensome, and I also know better than anyone that your skills¡­ arecking, but don¡¯t let that burden bring you down. </em>


    <em>With Miss Hye-Jin, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be able to ovee these trying times. </em><em>What if you¡¯re still struggling? Don¡¯t worry. I wrote everything down in the manual. </em>


    <em>Of course, I¡¯m not doubting your skills because I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be able to ovee these trying times just fine, but you never know what¡¯s going to happen. </em>


    <em>Who could have known that I''d immediately get thrown into the past?</em>


    <em>That¡¯s why you have to move with haste. I have many things to do. You know best what I can do and the results I can achieve. I have been thinking about many things, as my actions in the past may have a butterfly effect upon my return. I think this is just a simple event, but it¡¯s highly likely that it''s bigger than just a "simple" event. I might do a small experiment, so please be a little more diligent and thorough.</em>


    <em>I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t like this because it feels like I¡¯m ordering you around, but you must cooperate with me so you can achieve the same amount of results as me. </em>


    <em>I also have other people who can help me if you don¡¯t want to help me, so you can decline if you dare. Lastly, there are many things written in the enclosed letter, and it also contains the manual I mentioned earlier and some of the information about this dungeon that I discovered earlier. </em>


    <em>Don¡¯t let your pride burn the letter because I already sent this information to the othermanders. I¡¯ll stop here. </em>


    <em>Good luck, Hero of Shadows!</em>


    <em>¡®Bastard.¡¯</em>


    I[1] wanted to tear this letter apart because it wasn¡¯t something I could justugh off.


    The expedition group became depressed upon his disappearance.


    Basically, the expedition group couldn¡¯t operate properly anymore.


    Just a few hours ago¡ªno, some of the expedition parties were still incapacitated. The main force that was supposed to maintain the bnce of the expedition group had announced a temporary hold on the expedition.


    I was sitting in his ce like a statue, and there were many mages there.


    It was shocking that an item had brought him back into the past, but what was even more ridiculous was how the expedition group was handling it.


    <em>¡®Did they only get the idiots?¡¯</em>


    There was an order to find a way to go back to the past. The continent¡¯s most renowned researchers and mages were wasting their time on research that would never bear fruit.


    Anyone could see that it was meaningless research.


    If that crazy woman following him around couldn¡¯t do it, then it was impossible.


    In other words, the top-level expedition members were forced to do meaningless tasks.


    At this rate, there was no way we could clear the dungeon.


    To make matters worse, the dungeon difficulty was increasing gradually. Our supplies were also getting dyed, and we had yet to receive any decent news.


    Themand center was urging the first and the remaining strike squads to withdraw; they even made ridiculousments about cutting off supplies if we refused to return.


    That was probably why he thought that this was a good opportunity to do this.


    [You have discovered an Epic-rank Hidden Quest, A Warning From the Past.]


    ¡°What the hell is that idiot up to?¡± I mumbled.


    [The quest has beenpleted automatically.]


    I had to focus here as well.


    <em>¡®Looks like he¡¯s not bluffing.¡¯</em>


    I was sure the potion that I got as a quest reward hade from him. The potion was already being distributed in the Republic, and I couldn''t help but notice it, as it reigned supreme over the market.


    The potion was old, but there was nothing wrong with the quality. It probably managed to maintain its original form thanks to the quest''s protection rather than the quality of the item.


    I got a solid piece of evidence right when I was worried that he was talking nonsense.


    Lee Ki-Young was in the past and was waiting for the quest to bepleted. I reckoned that he was standing in the same ce as I was right now.


    ¡°Commander.¡±


    ¡°...¡± ¡°Commander.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m listening,¡± I answered.


    ¡°The Command Center has ordered us to withdraw. They¡¯re going to stop the expedition for now. The other strike squad members, including Mr. Rafael, are confused. At this rate¡ª¡±


    ¡°Are there any items worth reporting from the items that the librarian had dropped? Maybe something rted to the dungeon¡­¡± I interrupted.


    ¡°Nothing like that. Librarian Dolores dropped three spell books that mages can use and priest-exclusive essories.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Is there anything you¡¯d like to tell the Command Center?¡¯


    ¡°Tell them that I¡¯m looking for traces of Lee Ki-Young¡­ I mean, the Sub Guild Master of the Blue Guild,¡± I answered.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°Tell them that for now. I¡¯ll take care of the rest. Once you''re done, distribute the items based on the highest contribution level and prioritize the guilds that haven¡¯t received any items yet,¡± I instructed.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    I was still in control of the overall situation, but it could change anytime because that was his way of doing things. His unexpected methods would always catch me off guard.


    Of course, the majority of his methods were mere bluffs, but I would never underestimate that jerk.


    I was sure there were many things he could do under the assumption that this dungeon had existed a long time ago. He could send information about the dungeon, the boss monster, and the map of the dungeon through the method he had used just now.


    He could even do something unknown to me.


    Whatever he was going to do, it would be helpful in taking down the key figures of this dungeon and increasing his contribution level.


    <em>¡®Not bad.¡¯</em>


    I didn¡¯t like it, but it was a reasonable decision to use him, as I was themander of this raid. Of course, there were many things I needed to think about besides this game.


    <em>¡®Was there a reason he needed to go?¡¯</em>


    The issue was simple.


    He immediately used the invitation he had gotten from Spirit Gelk and took on the risk.


    He was a selfish bastard, which was why I couldn¡¯t help but question his choice. I couldn¡¯t exclude the possibility of him hearing about the future from the blind shaman capable of seeing the future.


    He was a total piece of trash, but he was overly obsessed with the people within his circle.


    <em>¡®A dummy and an ignorant fool. Maybe that crazy woman will end up dying in the end.¡¯</em>


    He probably died as well.


    However, the fact that they died meant that the expedition group was annihted.


    That was when I received a message¡­


    [Starting a Linked Quest.]


    [Reply From the Present - Epic]


    [You have received a warning from the past. The threat right before your eyes may seem like a nightmare, but I believe you and yourrades will be able to ovee it. If you have proof that you''ve handled the threat, ce it down in the same spot. I pray that you ovee this hardship.]


    ¡°Is it to get confirmation?¡± I questioned.


    I was sure he wasn¡¯t aware that I had discovered the quest.


    I had no idea how many hundreds or even thousands of years were the gap between the past and the present, but there was no guarantee that this quest had remained hidden until now.


    If someone else had discovered this quest, he''d probably think that the future had changed, as he had mentioned that he was worried about the butterfly effect.


    He believed the future had to continue this way. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have spoken in such a serious tone and in such an ambiguous way using keywords like "handling threats," "hardships," and "nightmares."


    I raised my hand quietly and heard a voice.


    ¡°Did you call for me, Commander?¡±


    ¡°Can you bring me the loot that we''ve obtained from Librarian Dolores?¡± I requested.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    Librarian Dolores'' loot was probably the proof that he was talking about.


    ¡°And Commander.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead,¡± I said.


    ¡°The Guild Master of the Blue Guild is apparently heading this way.¡±


    <em>¡®That piece of trash.¡¯</em>


    He was the bastard who didn¡¯t even bother epting my request for supplies.


    I was dumbfounded at the news that he wasing here. I had suffered many times because the Commander Center was so slow in taking care of things, so the fact that they acted quickly this time made me feel angry.


    ¡°<em>Whoo¡­</em>¡±


    ¡°Here are the items that you''ve requested, and I also brought a list of the misceneous items that Dolores had dropped in case you needed them. Regarding the distribution¡­ there are people who are worried that they¡ª¡±


    ¡°Can you tell them that we¡¯ll distribute the lootter?¡± I interrupted.


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    [You have submitted the quest item.]


    [The Epic-rank Linked Quest, Reply From the Present, has beenpleted.]


    [Starting a Linked Quest.]


    [To the Prayer Room - Epic-rank]


    [Please head to the prayer room.]


    I believed things would be easier from here on out. Since it was a Linked Quest, no one would be able to see the quest except for the person who started the first quest of the Linked Quest.


    Since he was thorough, I was sure there were going to be a few more verification processes, but it was going to be fine.


    I got up slowly and heard murmurs outside.


    ¡°It¡¯s this way, Master.¡±


    ¡°Is it true that traces of Mr. Ki-Young were found?¡± Kim Hyun-Sung asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­ but I¡¯m sure Commander Jin Cheong knows the details. I¡¯ll guide you there,¡± Kasugano Yuno replied.


    It didn¡¯t take long for him to reach this ce.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯de here so quickly,¡± Imented.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I heard you found traces of Mr. Ki-Young?¡± Kim Hyun-Sung asked.


    ¡°That blind shaman is right. He¡¯s in the past right now. He might be standing exactly where we¡¯re standing right now,¡± I said.


    ¡°What does that have to do with finding traces of him?¡± Kim Hyun-Sung asked.


    ¡°He sent a message from the past. There was a potion buried in the ground of the library. He was even thorough with it and used reagents to hide it. He left a quest and I simply replied to it while you were wasting your time there,¡± I answered.


    I didn¡¯t say he could take it, but he stretched out his hand toward the potion.


    <em>¡®Rude bastard.¡¯</em>


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Did he say anything else?¡± Kim Hyun-Sung asked.


    ¡°The name of the quest is ''A Warning From the Past,'' but I don¡¯t really remember the details. After that, there was a Linked Quest. Apparently, I have to offer Librarian Dolores'' loot and head to the prayer room. Maybe¡ª¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s trying to guide me,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung interrupted me.


    ¡°There''s a high chance that he''s pointing out the ce where the expedition group needs to go. Spirit Gelk dropped an invitation to a social gathering, so the environment there has to be better than here¡­¡± Kim Hyun-Sung muttered.


    <em>¡°He¡¯s not even listening to me.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Anyway, there¡¯s no reason for you to be worried,¡± I reassured him.


    He still wasn¡¯t listening and was just staring at the potion. The researchers of the expedition group took the potion and would probably check to see whether it really came from the past.


    And that was when Kim Hyun-Sung said something ridiculous.


    ¡°I¡¯ll handle the expedition group myself from now on.¡±


    ¡°Bullshit,¡± Imented.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I am inmand. That jerk¡ªI mean, it¡¯s the will of the overallmander along with that woman named Jo Hye-Jin. You have no right to do that. Do you really think that I can trust the fate of the expedition group again to someone who has been demoted?¡± I argued.


    <em>¡®He¡¯s just an idiot who only knows how to use brute force.¡¯</em>


    Kim Hyun-Sung did not respond to me and simply stared at me quietly.


    <em>¡®Bastard.¡¯</em>


    I felt like things were going to getplicated.


    He wouldn''t be able to cause direct harm, but he could use a variety of ways to divide the expedition group. Actually, most of the supplies that were supporting the expedition group wereing from the Blue Guild and the Vatican, so I was basically an outsider.


    Even if he and the others were to stage a coup, I had no right to stop him. It would be absurd to penalize him for insubordination, as he was above thew.


    In the end, I had to say something ridiculous as well.


    ¡°You have other things you need to take care of.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Kim Hyun-Sung asked.


    ¡°There may be more than one invitation to the social gathering,¡± I lied.


    I was sure there was only one invitation.


    1. Jin Cheong¡¯s POV ?

 Chapter 968: Altanus (5)

    Chapter 968: Altanus (5)


    <em>¡®There may be more than one invitation to the social gathering.¡¯</em>


    I was sure that would keep Kim Hyun-Sung, as that was the only thing he could do right now. I[1] knew what was happening to the expedition group without seeing it with my own eyes. I had written down guidelines for each of the key figures, but they definitely wouldn''t follow them to a T.


    Fortunately, I wrote them while considering their behavior.


    The others would move ording to my wishes, but Kim Hyun-Sung and Jung Ha-Yan would probably do something absurd, like looking for a way to return to the past.


    They¡¯d probably set up camp in the area where I had disappeared and do things that would dy the expedition. They¡¯d bring all thepetent members to that camp, which would dy the expedition.


    <em>¡®Commander Jin needs to hold things together.¡¯</em>


    If possible, I wanted Jo Hye-Jin to be in charge, but Kim Hyun-Sung was kind of her weakness. The expedition had to continue regardless of what I had to deal with here.


    If they really had cleared the library, then the prayer room was their next destination. I still couldn¡¯t confirm whether Jin Cheong was the one who had epted the quest, but since I managed to confirm that he had epted the Linked Quest, there was a high chance that he had epted the quest "A Warning From the Past." as well.


    <em>¡®Actually,e to think of it, there might really be a few more invitations.¡¯</em>Obviously, Kim Hyun-Sung would be useless even if he were toe here.


    It¡¯d be better if¡­


    <em>¡®If Ji-Hye noonaes here.¡¯</em>


    Anyway, it felt like some of the priorities had been handled. I managed to confirm that this event wasn''t just a simple event, and I seeded in delivering my message to the expedition group.


    The next tasks at hand were delivering information and handling the overdue tasks.


    First of all, I thought it would be best to acquire information about the prayer room, as I was already here.


    The prayer room on the eighth basement floor had hundreds of rooms rather than just a single room. There were also chapels where everyone prayed together, but there were ces for people like me who needed personal space.


    Some of them were even used as confessionals by the priests¡­


    <em>''All of them must have be monsters.¡¯</em>


    Father Draktaris was probably the boss monster here. He was a priest who was in charge of the private prayer rooms and had amazing holy power.


    ¡°Father Draktaris is a strict and stubborn person¡­ and he¡¯s one of the priests in the Underground Temple with a lot of holy power. He¡¯s famous for living for the sake of Lady Lucifer. I have never really seen him that much, though¡­¡± Temr Genny said.


    ¡°Really?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes¡­ it¡¯s because Father Draktaris has his own guards¡­ He¡¯s so strong that he can¡¯t bepared to a low-level Temr like me,¡± Temr Genny said.


    <em>¡®This is going to be tricky.¡¯</em>


    ¡°It¡¯s a shame since I wanted to meet him,¡± I told him.


    ¡°He¡¯s always in the prayer room somewhere, so if you visit the prayer room often, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll eventually run into him,¡± Temr Genny informed me.


    <em>¡®Does that mean he appears randomly?¡¯</em>


    This was a corridor-style building, so it wasn¡¯t easy to bring in a bunch of troops at once.


    The archbishop had guards on a simr level as the low-level Temrs. If I had a lot of space to work with, then things would be easier, but the space was limited, so things were going to be a bit tricky.


    <em>¡®It¡¯s too small for a group to move around in.¡¯</em>


    I needed a certain number of people to clear this ce. I pondered briefly and reached the conclusion that three parties made up of five people were needed to clear this.


    The most reasonable decision was to create a small party centered around the Blue Guild. I was bothered by the memory I had seen through Kasugano Yuno, but this ce was different from the future I had seen.


    ¡°The statues in each prayer room also contain Lady Lucifer¡¯s holy power. It seems to contain a blessing thatforts the priests whoe here to pray. I sometimese here to pray as well¡­¡± Temr Genny paused.


    <em>¡®There are even relics in each room¡­¡¯</em>


    Those relics were blessings to the enemy, but it was a cursed holy relic to our allied troops. Every time a room was opened, there would be a skirmish. It was highly likely for them to get exhausted¡ªboth physically and mentally.


    I assumed Draktaris and his guards would appear once the party members were exhausted, and that was when the boss fight would begin.


    If I were to assume that the statues would inflict debuffs as a part of the special event¡­ I had to exclude Ha-Yan from this, as the statues'' exact abilities were unknown. Han Sora could be used as her suppressor, but situations like this were always worrying.


    It would be ideal to create a party with Park Deok-Gu, who had a ton of HP and could take a beating, our Hye-Jin, who was capable of making objective decisions, Elena, who had a ton of holy power, and Sun Hee-Young.


    We''d then take Rafael¡¯s party with us.


    <em>¡®I¡¯ll exclude Kim Hyun-Sung as well, just in case¡­¡¯</em>


    Kim Ye-Ri, Lee Chang-Ryeol, and Park Lian were all excluded from this part of the expedition, too.


    ¡°Temr Genny, I¡¯ll get back to what I was doing¡­¡± I told him.


    ¡°Yes, Father. I¡¯ll wait for you outside,¡± Temr Genny said.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    The prayer rooms were big since it was on a huge plot ofnd.


    It was too narrow to fight in, but it was big enough to move around. There was a small altar and a statue on one side of the wall. I was sure the rooms were designed like this.


    I was kind of worried, but I thought it''d be best if I included Alps as well since Shiro¡¯s buff was going to be helpful to the group.


    [The Epic-rank Linked Quest has beenpleted.]


    [Create an Epic-rank quest.]


    [Archbishop of the Prayer Room - Legendary Rank]


    [Father Draktaris is a devout priest residing in the prayer room. As a faithful servant of Lucifer, he possesses enough holy power to threaten you, and he is always apanied by loyal and powerful guards.


    [The statues of evil spirits in each prayer room will curse you and will constantly test adventurers with weak minds.


    [Only certain heroes can ovee this crisis¡ªan adventurer with arge shield, a priest with a massive amount of holy power, the Queen of the High Elves, a warrior with gray wings and hisrades, and a dog capable of blocking out negative thoughts.]


    <em>¡®Who else is there?¡¯</em>


    A martial artist was needed, as the space to move was pretty small.


    [Heroes capable of using their bodies as weapons are needed as well.]


    Jin Cheong¡¯s soldiers, andstly¡­


    [The red beast.]


    If the statues could truly attack people mentally, then bringing Hee-Ra noona was the right choice, as she had the strongest will out of all the people I knew.


    [I wish good luck to the heroes who have willingly set foot on such a dangerous ce for the continent''s sake.]


    This was basically an open-book test. Before creating the quest, I felt like I needed to leave a letter. I had to write a letter to Kim Hyun-Sung and Jung Ha-Yan.


    In the letter, I needed to include that there were things I needed to do here that I could help them from here, and there weren''t any issues with my identity here, as I had been invited to the social gathering.


    I also needed to include that my time here was limited, and I¡¯d return once the social gathering was over.


    Lastly, I decided to write something nice like words of support and that should be enough. Since it was going to be a letter from the past, it¡¯d be like a journal or an autobiography¡­


    [Registering the Epic-rank Linked Quest, Archbishop of the Prayer Room.]


    [??? has epted the Linked Quest.]


    There were things I needed to do before that quest waspleted, so I gathered my hands quietly and unleashed light.


    The room was instantly filled with light, and I was sure people outside could see the light seeping out. As always, the radiant light spread everywhere, and it even went into the other prayer rooms. I didn¡¯t spread my wings because I found it scary for some reason.


    <em>¡®I¡¯m sure it¡¯s still effective.¡¯</em>


    As expected, I heard murmurs outside.


    The miracle made people gather one by one¡­


    ¡°O Lucifer¡­¡±


    ¡°O Saint Altanus¡­¡±


    ¡°What in the world¡­¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure why they mentioned Saint Altanus, but it was probably proof that she had a huge influence on this ce. Even on the continent, they said things like, ¡°O Saint of Light¡± or ¡°Son of Light.¡±


    The light that filled the room was dimming slowly.


    I stayed in the prayer for a while because I needed the crowd to be curious.


    The crowd outside didn¡¯t leave my private prayer room alone, and their murmurs were getting louder.


    I was sure the higher-ups were here as well.


    If I stayed here for an entire day, they¡¯d probably wait for me the entire day.


    A priest would be able to express how touching it was to meet the Goddess after spending two or more days in this room, but I wasn¡¯t nning on spending two days here. We were in a state of emergency right now, after all.


    Silence filled the room and the crowd didn¡¯t say anything.


    What could they say to the crying priest covered in sweat?


    No one was dumb enough to ask me whether I had met the Goddess or if I had heard Lady Lucifer¡¯s voice. I lowered my head quietly, praised the Goddess, and cried. Temr Genny cast a dumbfounded gaze at me. He had been by my side all this while, after all.


    I walked quietly, but I fell to the side.


    <em>¡®I must¡¯ve fallen naturally.¡¯</em>


    Temr Genny grabbed me and supported me.


    ¡°Father, are you okay? Father,¡± Temr Genny asked.


    I forced myself to get up and nodded.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine, Temr Genny. C-Could you get the archbishop for me?¡± I requested.


    ¡°W-What?¡±


    Obviously, the archbishop was here. He came here with his guards.


    As a loyal follower of Lucifer, he looked at me with a warm gaze.


    ¡°This man¡­¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a priest who has been invited to the social gathering, Father Draktaris,¡± Temr Genny replied.


    ¡°I see. Does he¡­¡± Draktaris muttered with a pale face, afraid that someone might hear him.


    ¡°I-It¡¯s not something we can discuss here, Father.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s best if we go somewhere else. Hellis, please escort him,¡± Draktaris ordered.


    ¡°Yes, Father,¡± Hellis replied.


    ¡°I-I¡­¡±


    ¡°You are?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m Temr Genny, Father Draktaris,¡± Temr Genny answered.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s best if youe with us,¡± he suggested.


    I had just received a divine message, and I was in the middle of trying to recover my wits. However, I was being moved against my will. We walked down a small corridor and left the prayer room. Soon, we entered a reception room.


    Draktaris seemed to be a man who favored minimalism, as the decorations in the reception hall were far from being fancy. I nodded because it made sense for him to practice minimalism. After all, he was a priest who lived only for Lucifer rather than a corrupted priest.


    ¡°Now¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Can you tell me what happened?¡± Draktaris asked.


    I took a deep breath, but I was still crying.


    Then, I looked pale and nervous as I answered, ¡°Saint Altanus¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°The divine message told me that she¡¯ll slowly lose her holy power,¡± I said.


    I wasn¡¯t wrong here.


    1. Lee Ki-Young¡¯s POV ?

 Chapter 969: Altanus (6)

    Chapter 969: Altanus (6)


    <em>¡®I guess I can say that the continent was already getting destroyed.¡¯</em>


    Those unaware of what was happening outside were bbering about the great, the protector, the benevolent, and the wise Lucifer. In my eyes, however, they looked like they were standing on the edge of a cliff.


    Lucifer did not have the luxury to pass down a divine message or create miracles to promote herself. She couldn''t even descend into a devotee''s body.


    I was sure that was the reason they locked up Saint Altanus underground. Lucifer needed someone to manage the scarred surface world¡ªsomeone who could protect the continent.


    The continent looked perfectly fine. ording to the books in the library, the current level of civilization, mindset, and the overall living standards of the continentals were pretty high.


    The underground temple was no different.


    I thought there was an ongoing apocalypse outside, but the surface world had an abundant amount of resources, and there weren''t any tainted regions as well.


    Of course, social issues such as war, hunger, and poverty existed, but those were basically everywhere. The continent looked perfect in the eyes of a transcendent being.


    Unfortunately, if something was perfect on the outside, then it had to be corrupted on the inside. In other words, it could be said that the continent''s bubble was about to pop.Lucifer was probably borrowing holy power from everywhere and was running around the continent to fix it.


    <em>¡®Come to think of it, wasn''t the Rift Museum created around this time as well?¡¯</em>


    Max¡¯s mother¡ªmy spiritual wife¡ªprobably died while trying to close the rift.


    Several issues popped up, and if it weren''t for the underground temple, the surface world would be a mess.


    Lucifer had to have locked Altanus here, as she couldn¡¯t bear to look at the continent herself. In that sense, it could be said that Draktaris wasn''t reallymunicating with the priests of the continent.


    <em>¡®Is this the first miracle in decades¡ªno, centuries?¡¯</em>


    I was sure that it had a really long wait.


    <em>¡®They''ve been living for this day, after all.¡¯</em>


    And that was the reason this clumsy event was so effective.


    ¡°Do you really understand¡­ what she said?¡± Draktaris asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to believe it, either, Father Draktaris,¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°But what I heard is the absolute truth. Lady Lucifer said that Saint Altanus would eventually lose her light. The foundation that has been protecting and maintaining the continent would be unstable. A great threat will soon be upon us,¡± I said while crying like a child. ¡°She said that darkness will envelop the continent, and everyone will tremble in pain and fear. <em>Heuk¡­</em>¡±


    ¡°H-How could this¡­¡± Draktaris mumbled.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°O Lucifer¡­ how¡­¡± Draktaris said.


    ¡°Saint Altanus lost her light, and I saw what happened to the surface world after that. The denizens were crying tears of blood, and they were cursing Lady Lucifer,¡± I said.


    ¡°It¡­ can¡¯t be¡­¡± Draktaris muttered in disbelief.


    ¡°O Lucifer¡­ are you going to abandon the continent¡­ Are you going to abandon yourmbs?¡± I cried out.


    ¡°F-Father¡­¡± Draktaris stuttered.


    ¡°<em>AAAAAAAHHHHH!</em>¡± I roared, acting like a lunatic.


    ¡°Calm him down! Hurry!¡± Draktaris ordered.


    ¡°The darkness! The darkness! Ising! <em>Heuk¡­ heuk¡­ Ahhhh!</em>¡± I screamed.


    ¡°Father! Are you okay? Father!¡± he asked.


    ¡°Saint Altanus! O Lucifer! Why¡­ <em>Heuk¡­ Ahh¡­ Ahhhh!</em>¡± I shouted.


    I clutched my chest and started roaring like a lunatic.


    The sight seemed to have finally made everyone realize the gravity of the situation.


    Draktaris'' tough guards grabbed me, but they couldn''t do anything about my mind.


    I was bawling, and I was crying so much that my eyes were hurting.


    I was losing my mind.


    I couldn¡¯t stop crying.


    I even had no idea what I was doing right now, as I was actually losing consciousness.


    ¡°<em>Heuk¡­ Haa¡­ Heuuuk¡­ Ahhh!</em>¡± I shouted.


    ¡°Father! Father! Are you okay?¡± Draktaris asked.


    I was having a seizure, and my heart was pounding fast against my chest.


    I was breathing fast, but it felt like I wasn''t getting enough air.


    ¡°Hurry! On Father Lee Ki-Young!¡± Draktaris ordered.


    ¡°<em>Heuk¡­ </em>O Lucifer¡­ Lucifer¡­¡± I mumbled.


    When a stream of holy power entered me, I slowly calmed down. My breathing became calm, and I stopped crying. However, I was covered in sweat, utterly exhausted.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    After themotion, a deafening silence filled the room.


    <em>¡®My acting skills were amazing.¡¯</em>


    It was perfect.


    It seemed like no one cared about whether my words were true or not.


    Everyone, including Father Draktaris, looked pale.


    They got immersed in my performance which was so brilliant that even the winner of the "Best Actor Award" would cry upon seeing it.


    Was the scene of the continent heading toward the apocalypse reflected in the panicking protagonist who had received a divine message?


    Were they sympathizing with the priest whose heart almost ceased all movement out of terror and shock?


    The reason didn''t really matter.


    Anyway, Temr Genny was busy exining everything that he knew.


    He was still too young to know about the truths of the world, so he looked nervous, and there were tears in his eyes. He looked paler than a sheet of paper. It was a typical reaction of someone like him. Actually, his reaction wasn¡¯t <em>that</em> bad because he had received training, but if he had been an ordinary kid, he would have fainted from terror.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Temr Genny came back to his senses and approached me.


    ¡°E-Excuse me, Father. Are you okay?¡± Temr Genny asked.


    ¡°Y-Yes¡­ I¡­ just¡­¡± I mumbled.


    I looked like I still had no idea what had happened.


    ¡°He''s in shock, Father Draktaris. I think it¡¯s best if he rests first¡­¡± Temr Genny suggested.


    ¡°I agree, but¡­¡± Draktaris paused.


    ¡°What should we do about this?¡± Draktaris continued.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not tell anyone for now,¡± Temr Genny answered.


    <em>''Yeah, that¡¯s a reasonable decision. There¡¯s no point in making everyone panic. I¡¯m sure that¡¯s not what he wants, though.'' </em>


    However, it''d be absurd to notify the ordinary priests of this incident, and he¡¯d also have to think twice about the higher-ups. A low-level priest would immediately run to the higher-ups and let them know about this, but Draktaris wasn¡¯t a low-level priest.


    He had his own troops and a group of holy knights who were on the same level as low-level Temrs.


    He had to consider the impact that this incident would have once word got out, but he also had to worry about the corrupted priests, who''d definitely use this incident to their advantage. Of course, a few people would inevitably find out, but it was going to be fine as long as they worked hard at suppressing the news.


    In this room, there wasn''t anyone else aside from me, Draktaris, two of his trustworthy guards, and Temr Genny. After saying a few words to one of his personal guards, he walked up to me.


    He grabbed my hand¡ªthe hand of the one aware of the continent''s grim future. I knew what he was going to say, so I decided to speak first.


    ¡°Father," I said, ¡°This is presumptuous of me, but¡­¡± I paused.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°How about¡­ we keep this a secret for the time being?¡± I suggested.


    <em>''Yeah, that''s right.''</em>


    ¡°Father¡­¡± he mumbled.


    I wasn¡¯t just a devout priest.


    <em>¡®I¡¯m an elite priest.¡¯</em>


    I was aware of what kind of impact this incident would bring, as I was a priest capable of looking at the bigger picture before making any decisions.


    I was a well-educated priest who understood politics and current affairs.


    Basically, I waspetent. I was someone people would want to work for them.


    I was panicking and was like a lunatic just a few moments ago, but I could simply say that it was all because my faith was strong.


    My sponsor¡ªno, Father Draktaris, who''d be my sponsor, looked at me with deep and wise eyes.


    <em>¡®Yeah, take a good look at my behavior, too.¡¯</em>


    Even at a nce, anyone could see that I was a noble.


    <em>¡®I was acting cautious.¡¯</em>


    My hands were soft as if I had never experienced any hardbor, and my skin was pale, as I was barely in the sun. I was sure many thoughts were popping up in his head right now.


    He was probably assuming that I was either a fallen noble who became a priest or a servant of Lady Lucifer who came out to the world with a purpose in mind.


    I didn''t know exactly what he was thinking, but I was certain about one thing.


    He wanted to sponsor me, as he didn''t want to lose me.


    ¡°Father, I understand better than anyone how you feel,¡± Draktaris said.


    ¡°Father Draktaris,¡± I said.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re worried about what¡¯ll happen afterwards and the impact this incident will have, but you don¡¯t have to worry. However¡­¡± Draktaris paused.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s best if we straighten things out so we¡¯re on the same page,¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°O Lucifer¡­¡±


    ¡°Also¡­¡± Draktaris trailed off.


    <em>¡®Yeah, Temr Genny is the problem, right?¡¯</em>


    Technically, he wasn¡¯t one of us.


    As expected, the archbishop cast a cold gaze at Temr Genny. Draktaris'' guards also ced their hand on the pommel of their sword.


    Genny was young, but he wasn¡¯t <em>that</em> stupid to not notice what was going on. I was sure he also understood that he was in a pickle. It¡¯d be a different story if there were only one guard, but there were two here.


    Moreover, there were definitely more guards outside.


    <em>¡®I can¡¯t let him die here.¡¯</em>


    A butterfly effect might happen, and I believed that he was still useful.


    ¡°He¡¯s one of us, Father,¡± I argued. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to talk to him. I''ll tell him that he can''t reveal our secret to anyone."


    ¡°But Father Draktaris¡­¡± a guard muttered.


    <em>¡®Guards should remain silent.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Silence,¡± Draktaris said sternly.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Can you promise me that?¡± Draktaris asked.


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°Can you swear on Lady Lucifer''s name that you¡¯ll take everything that happened today to your grave?¡± Draktaris asked.


    <em>¡®Of course, he can.¡¯</em>


    ¡°I-I¡­¡± Temr Genny stuttered.


    ¡°Temr Genny,¡± I said.


    <em>¡®I¡¯ll support you.¡¯</em>


    ¡°...¡±


    <em>¡®So that you can ensure that this important secret will remain a secret and that you''ll ovee this cruel fate.¡¯</em>


    I looked at him nervously, and he was also looking at me.


    He nodded slowly, but it wasn''t because he had no choice. It was all because he trusted me, which was why he was willing to make an oath. He seemed to be unaware of the fact that nothing good would happen by trusting someone whom one had just met, and I presumed that was the case because he looked like he hadplete trust in me.


    ¡°I swear it, Father Draktaris. I swear on Lady Lucifer''s name that I won¡¯t tell a soul about what happened today,¡± Temr Genny pledged.


    I have a feeling that I was going to get even closer to Temr Genny and Draktaris.


    <em>¡®He''s not going to say something ridiculous during the dungeon raid, right?¡¯</em>


    ***


    ¡ª The day of destruction that the prophetic priest has spoken of has arrived! <em>Ahh!</em> Where is he?! Prophetic priest¡­ Prophetic priest! If you¡¯re not here, I¡­ I!


    ¡°Prepare for battle!¡±


    ¡°Hey, I told you to prepare for battle!¡± Park Deok-Gu shouted.


    ¡ª <em>Ahhh! </em>Where the hell are you?!


    ¡°Damn it!¡±


    ***


    <em>''Yeah, he probably won''t do that.''</em>

 Chapter 970: Altanus (7)

    Chapter 970: Altanus (7)


    ¡°Thank you for helping me, Father,¡± Temr Genny said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for you-¡±


    ¡°Temr Genny,¡± I interrupted.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the one who caused this trouble. I don¡¯t even know what to say¡­ for getting you involved in this¡­ If I had been just a bit more considerate of you¡­¡± I said.


    I wouldn¡¯t have talked about the divine message while he was here in the first ce, but I did that for a reason.


    I was unaware of just how big and powerful the armed forces of the Underground Temple were, and I had no idea that Draktaris was wary of Temr Genny. I hadn''t considered the possibility of him getting involved in this incident.


    On the outside, that was what it looked like for Temr Genny.¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    <em>¡®ying with a kid is pretty easy.¡¯</em>


    From my point of view, it was a good thing to make him feel indebted to me. He was still a child, but he was pretty strong, and he had a bright future ahead of him. Whenever there was an opportunity, it was best to seize it right away.


    I wonder what I looked like in his eyes¡­


    The priest he respected suddenly received a divine message.


    I was an ill-fated priest enveloped in an indescribable light, and I was the priest who had received a divine message about the threat to the continent. I was probably born with a cruel fate¡ªthe cruel fate of having to fight against a great threat.


    Kids would surely go crazy over this setting.


    <em>¡®On top of that, I saved his life.¡¯</em>


    It was a bit unclear, but anyway, we were on the same boat.


    Of course, he wasn¡¯t given any role.


    He was nothing more than a low-level Temr, so his only role was to keep quiet.


    It seemed that he thought of the same thing. Priests had a tendency to put a lot of importance on things like the Goddess'' guidance, fate, and Lady Lucifer''s hints.


    Of course, a young individual was easily swayed, so I was convinced that Temr Genny was having thoughts like, ¡°The Goddess has guided us to each other,¡± or ¡°It¡¯s my divine duty to protect and support this priest who has to face a terrible threat.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault, Father. You¡­¡± Temr Genny muttered.


    <em>¡®Yeah, I didn''t have the luxury of time to think things through, and my seizure was kind of abrupt earlier.¡¯</em>


    ¡°I¡¯m sure¡­ it was difficult for you as well¡­¡± Temr Genny said.


    <em>''I should smile </em>faintly <em>at him.''</em>


    ¡°I can¡¯t say that I¡¯m the only one who¡¯s suffering,¡± I said, smiling faintly.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you and Father Draktaris have been having a hard time as well. Of course, I¡¯m not saying what he did was right. Threatening you¡­ was definitely wrong¡­ but I believe my fault is bigger for not considering each of your positions. That¡¯s why¡­¡± I trailed off.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Temr Genny nodded, but I didn''t think it meant that he agreed with me. He smiled awkwardly, looking like he was having a hard time arguing against me. Afterward, he seemed to fall into contemtion.


    Then, with an awkward face, he muttered, ¡°Excuse me¡­ Father.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°W-What will happen to the continent?¡± Temr Genny asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    I patted his head. It was rude, but it seemed like the right thing to do because we were already best friends.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ not something you need to worry about,¡± I told him.


    <em>''Basically, trust the adults.''</em>


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re worried about many things, but there are talented priests and Temrs down here,¡± I said.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I want you to enjoy the life you were given a little more,¡± I answered.


    ¡°<em>Ah¡­</em>¡±


    <em>''It¡¯s fine, just let the adults handle this.'' </em>


    I had to be careful about this, as he could think that I was treating him like a child and be hostile toward me.


    However, this sensation had to feel new to him, as no one would ever talk to him like this. As soon as he opened his eyes, he was already a servant of Lucifer, and the Underground Temple had been pressuring him to be an adult soon.


    He had given up his life to be even stronger for Lucifer.


    I was sure I was the only person who had ever told him to enjoy the life he was given.


    There were many adult priests here, but it was an undeniable fact that this sensation was brand-new to him. As expected, he thought I was different from the other adult priests.


    ¡°I-I¡¯d like to help¡ª¡±


    ¡°I know, Temr Genny. However, that¡¯s not what we need right now,¡± I told him.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I believe one day Lady Lucifer will use you, but that time isn¡¯t now,¡± I added.


    ¡°Father¡­¡± Temr Genny mumbled.


    ¡°See more things and learn a lot until Lady Lucifer thinks you¡¯re ready. The world is huge, beautiful, and vast. You can learn many things from the smallest things out there, and it¡¯s a ce¡­ where you¡¯ll always learn something new,¡± I told him.


    ¡°...¡±


    I wanted him to think along the lines of this, "I had no idea what Father meant by his words at the time, but now¡­ I feel like I finally understand." It wasn''t a bad idea, and funnily enough, Temr Genny actually looked like he didn¡¯t know what I was talking about.


    I just gave him a hint about the future, but he seemed to be enjoying the warmth andfort that I was giving him so much that it did not seem like he noticed that hint.


    I patted his head again.


    He seemed a bit embarrassed about it, but he didn¡¯t seem to dislike my touch. However, it didn¡¯t take him long toe back to his senses. He was on a mission right now, after all.


    ¡°<em>Ah!</em> F-Father. It¡¯s time to go,¡± Temr Genny said.


    ¡°Looks like it¡¯s already time,¡± Imented.


    ¡°Yes. Father Draktartis said he¡¯ll prepare the uniform, so you just need to wait in the waiting room of the social gathering hall,¡± Temr Genny answered.


    ¡°Really?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be the fifth person to enter,¡± Temr Genny informed.


    ¡°What? Why¡­¡± I questioned.


    ¡°I believe this is his way of being considerate¡­¡± Temr Genny said.


    <em>''This is why you need to be on the right side.''</em>


    ¡°I¡¯ll take you there, Father,¡± Temr Genny offered.


    ¡°Thank you, Temr Genny,¡± I said.


    ¡°No problem!¡±


    <em>¡®Originally, there was no such thing as an entry order.¡¯</em>


    To be exact, I was an extra.


    Rather than getting introduced to everyone before entering the hall, I had to enter the hall without anyone knowing it.


    I couldn''t get any attention, and I had to look at others with envious eyes.


    This was perfect for an unknown wandering priest.


    I had to be honored for even receiving an invitation.


    This gathering was for the sponsors from aboveground. This was a ce for those in power, the strong with special powers, and nobles or royalty with a deep history.


    Powerless wandering priests, philosophers admired by the denizens, and even sages were only invited to fill in the empty seats. Of course, the former were allowed to enter "formally," while the others simply filled the empty seats without any of the formalities.


    Moreover, it wasn''t like it was easy to talk to the high-ranking officials.


    <em>¡®Draktaris hyung has more power than I thought.¡¯</em>


    In addition¡­


    <em>¡®The uniform isn¡¯t so bad.¡¯</em>


    I liked the fact that it wasn¡¯t too fancy. It made me look like an introverted priest instead of a clown. It wasn¡¯t that I didn¡¯t like the clothes I brought with me, but if possible, I¡¯d like to wear clothes that match the trend.


    The Atentas stood next to me and helped me get into the uniform.


    I tried my best not to look awkward.


    I found this treatment to be kind of ufortable, but I had to act like I was used to receiving this kind of treatment. After all, my backstory was that I was a child of a noble family. If the Atentas and guards here were Draktaris¡¯ eyes and ears, then there couldn''t be any contradictions in my story.


    ¡°Where is Father Draktaris¡­¡± I asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s on his way, Father,¡± a maid answered.


    Draktaris'' downside was that he was hard to kill.


    <em>¡®He¡¯s really stubborn.¡¯</em>


    I wasn¡¯t sure whether the expedition group had encountered him yet or not, but they had spent almost an entire day clearing the prayer room, but I had yet to hear any news about the raid from them.


    I didn''t really think that they were going to fail, but I was feeling frustrated.


    Soon, I heard a voice outside. ¡°Father Lee Ki-Young, are you ready?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    I exited and entered the waiting room. Of course, I saw the stubborn bastard there.


    ¡°You¡¯re here,¡± Draktaris greeted.


    ¡°Thank you for being considerate, Father Draktaris.¡±


    I decided to greet him first. I wasn''t really a fan of situations like this, but I had to show my appreciation for his kindness.


    ¡°I¡¯m worried that I¡¯ve burdened you,¡± I added.


    <em>''I did burden you because I can feel you trying to use me for political reasons.''</em>


    ¡°That¡¯s not the case, Father,¡± Draktaris answered.


    The Underground Temple was already aware that a priest who had received a divine message was here. There hadn''t been any details yet, but I was sure that Draktaris would announce it soon, as he had to im me for himself.


    When it came to religious people, nothing gave more power and validation than hearing the voice of one''s goddess or god. He wasn¡¯t a corrupted priest, but it was all the more reason for him to be obsessed with me. He was going to use me for his own agenda, and I¡¯d obtain his support as a result.


    He¡¯d announce that the priest who had received a divine message was on his side, and I¡­


    <em>¡®I will be the star of the social gathering.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Father Draktaris and Lee Ki-Young, the wandering priest, have arrived!¡±


    I stepped forward, and my favorite scenery came into view. I could feel many people looking at me. They seemed to have already heard the rumors because they were whispering to each other, and I saw others looking at me from head to toe.


    Obviously, there was a certain image that they were expecting from me. They probably thought I was a devout believer, as I heard Lady Lucifer¡¯s voice. They expected me to look like a typical upright priest.


    After all, I got invited to this social gathering, even though I was just a wandering priest.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t disappoint them.


    My eyes were filled with devotion and I walked as if holy power was dripping down my figure. I looked like I had gone through a lot. I had both respect and guilt toward Lady Lucifer and Saint Altanus. I was known as the Saint of Light on the continent, so I knew instinctively how I needed to act to attract the crowd.


    I could sense them staring at me.


    <em>¡®Keep staring. Keep staring at me.¡¯</em>


    Father Draktaris was already part of the crowd, and the room became silent.


    <em>¡®I¡¯m the Saint of Light, damn it.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Lucifer¡­¡±


    <em>¡®I¡¯m the God of Sacrifice and Revival.¡¯</em>


    ¡°O Lucifer¡­¡±


    I heard voices that made me want to spread my wings.


    If I were to show my wings, half of the people here would get down on their knees.


    <em>¡®The problem is that the other half will try to get a piece of me.¡¯</em>


    Exaggeration was bad when done too much, but this was my first appearance, so I needed to make an impact. I decided to unleash a faint light, and people looked at me again.


    I was sure they realized that¡­


    <em>¡®That I¡¯m the star.¡¯</em>


    It took no time for me to receive countless handshake requests.


    Regardless of what was going to happen, I was already the star of this social gathering.


    <em>¡®I¡¯m the star, damn it.¡¯</em>

 Chapter 971: Altanus (8)

    Chapter 971: Altanus (8)


    ¡°Mage Marquis rkin has arrived!¡±


    <em>¡®Yeah, make a grand entrance if you can.¡¯</em>


    ¡°The Grand Duchess of the Delia Empire and the Iron Knight, Leinburg, has arrived!¡±


    <em>''You¡¯ll never get as much attention as me, even if you¡¯re a grand duchess or a queen.''</em>


    My audience impact was so massive that I basically stole the show for this social gathering. A grand duchess, adorned with fancy ornaments and a neat-looking knight, entered the social gathering together, but they weren¡¯t as impactful as me.


    Out of courtesy, the crowd weed them, but the sight of the Saint of Light had already been carved in their heads.


    I was the God of Sacrifice and Revival, so I was more elegant than the Grand Duchess and more charming than her knight.


    It wasn¡¯t because I was more important than them. Anyone could tell they were fancier and looked like people who would lead the continent, but titles weren¡¯t everything.


    <em>¡®We¡¯re here to get to know each other.¡¯</em>The Grand Duchess of the Delia Empire, the Iron Knight-whatever, and the noblemen¡­ there were many amazing people here, but they were already pretty famous.


    Of course, it seemed like they were meeting the believers of the Underground Temple for the first time, but people just couldn''t help but be curious about me.


    A random wandering priest whose name they had never heard before entered the social gathering with Father Draktaris, and he managed to grab everyone''s attention as well.


    In addition, I had a dignified demeanor that people had never seen before.


    At this point, everyone shared the same curiosity as Draktaris toward me.


    <em>¡®This is why people need to learn.¡¯</em>


    This was why people had to learn the etiquette of a noble and royalty. Etiquette had long been carved into my body as the honorary cardinal of the Vatican.


    My etiquette was different due to the difference in the era, but my unique etiquette and bearing had to be the reason why people were curious about me.


    Real recognize real.


    Even if I were to walk mindlessly, educated people would still identify many different things in me.


    That was probably why people were cautious around me. They were wondering what kind of person I was, what kind of life I had been living all this while, and my "true" identity. They were more focused on me than that so-called mage marquis, and they gathered naturally around me.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, Father Lee Ki-Young.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s nice to meet you,¡± I greeted.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, can you give me some of your time?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course,¡± I answered.


    Of course, groups were formed around other people as well.


    ¡°<em>Hahaha</em>, I see.¡±


    ¡°Lady Lucifer will be pleased.¡±


    ¡°<em>Hahahaha</em>.¡±


    However, the people in those groups were nothing more than side characters.


    <em>¡®Whenever there are several groups in one ce, the loudest one wins.¡¯</em>


    I wasn¡¯t talking about screaming frivolously.


    People tend to join a friendly and lively group, and even if one were to try and look away from that group, one would find oneself stealing nces at that group.


    The friendly group here was my group, and it was a gathering of educated and smart people. There were difficult conversations, but I had long gotten used to smiling and getting along with nobles.


    I praised Lucifer¡¯s greatness to the renowned priests, while I praised and blessed the houses of distant nobles with high self-esteem.


    I gave thempliments that other nobles with high self-esteem wouldn¡¯t give them. I made it seem like I was approachable, causing more people to gather around me.


    When one person called someone over, another would call someone else, and so on.


    ¡°There¡¯s someone I want to introduce you to, Father.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be an honor,¡± I said.


    ¡°I¡¯m Bahan, a bishop. It¡¯s nice to meet you,¡± Bahan introduced.


    <em>¡®Yeah, you¡¯re worthless.¡¯</em>


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, Father Bahan. I heard a lot about you from Father Draktaris,¡± I said.


    ¡°You embarrass me. I don¡¯t know what Father Draktaris told you, but I¡¯m not anyone amazing, Father¡­ <em>Haha</em>¡­¡± Bahanughed.


    There were a few worthless people here like him, but people like him usually had connections to important figures.


    ¡°Come to think of it, I heard that a radiant light spread in the private prayer rooms. Do you happen to be¡­¡± Bahan paused.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Father Lee Ki-Young¡­¡± Bahan muttered.


    ¡°I¡¯m a nobody, but I received Miss Lucifer¡¯s blessing,¡± I said.


    ¡°<em>Haha</em>¡­ so it was you¡­ It¡¯s been so long,¡± Bahan said.


    I was even blessed.


    An invisible territorial battle ensued in the middle of the gathering, but this wasn¡¯t really important for the priests, as their goal was to look good in front of the sponsors here. On the other hand, the sponsors were on edge about this territorial battle because people like them couldn''t live unless they were the protagonist.


    That was why the Grand Duchess couldn''t stop ncing over at me.


    Her pride did not allow her to approach me first, but she was definitely curious about me as well. She was wondering why there were so many people around me, and why there was so muchughter around us.


    And that was when I heard a loud voice.


    ¡°Why?!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It was an event.


    <em>¡®It¡¯s been a while since I saw an event like this.¡¯</em>


    It was an event that often happened in social gatherings.


    I was talking about problematic people. They''d show up sometimes and cause some trouble.


    I had attended many social gatherings before, but I never really encountered that many troublesome people. A typical example of those troublesome people were arrogant pieces of trash rude to ady or a rude drunkard kicking up a fuss.


    A social gathering was a gathering of many people from all walks of life, so one or two participants were bound to cause some trouble.


    The guards were supposed to stop troublesome people from kicking up a fuss, but those people were often influential or in power, which meant that the guards couldn''t really do much about them.


    In other words, the group itself would have to step up to resolve the issue.


    Usually, the one who''d step up to deal with that issue would be the star of the social gathering.


    <em>¡®It¡¯s great timing as well.¡¯</em>


    It was time for men and women to hold hands and start dancing, but I couldn¡¯t do that. Nobles from powerful families looked a bit disappointed, and it was understandable since they lived to show off their dancing skills to other people.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you going to provide support?! You promised that the Underground Temple would provide support,¡± a woman shouted.


    ¡°I already told you many times that I cannot dispatch the Temrs or the Holy Knights whenever I want. There¡¯s not enough evidence!¡± the man argued.


    ¡°There¡¯s plenty of evidence. You have to read the reports that the association has created. There are already hundreds of them,¡± the woman replied.


    ¡°An army was dispatched a year ago, but nothing happened. Have you ever thought about the resources we had to spend for that? Reports aren''t enough. There¡¯s a process to everything. I can¡¯t dispatch them just because I want to,¡± the man said.


    ¡°It¡¯s different this time. We¡­ We all need to join forces,¡± the woman said.


    ¡°<em>Tsk¡­</em>¡±


    ¡°Everyone, please listen to me,¡± the woman dered.


    <em>¡®I don¡¯t think he¡¯s drunk.¡¯</em>


    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± the man told her.


    ¡°We all need to join forces¡­¡± the man argued.


    A man and a woman were arguing in the distance.


    They were talking about resources, so the woman had probably asked for the help of the Underground Temple¡¯s armed forces, but it wasn¡¯t approved.


    The best thing to do was to meditate, and the others seemed to have thought of the same thing.


    The hyenas of the social gathering moved forward to intervene, but¡­


    ¡°Please listen to me!¡± the woman shouted.


    ¡°Please stop this, Metel!¡± the man yelled.


    I had to use a slightly different method to resolve this issue.


    [Creating a Rare-rank Quest.]


    [Go crazy like you¡¯re having a seizure. (0/1)]


    The woman looked confused.


    [I¡¯ll take care of your problem. (0/1)]


    Our eyes met, and the woman cast a confused gaze at me.


    [No one will listen to you. The people here aren¡¯t interested in what you have to say, and your problem isn''t really a problem in their minds. This social gathering was created for the sponsors who have been maintaining the Underground Temple. You really think they¡¯ll provide support? Why not take my advice? I think I can help you. (0/1)]


    The woman looked away from me and looked around. It seemed like she was sure that the voice wasing from somewhere else.


    [I know about the threat you¡¯re talking about, and I know the proper way to deal with it, so I won¡¯t repeat myself. I¡¯m not the one who has something to lose here. Go crazy like you¡¯re having a seizure. (0/1)]


    I had nothing to lose, and she had no other choice.


    ¡°Listen to me!¡± the woman roared and started going crazy. ¡°This isn''t the time to party like this!"


    It seemed like she was being somewhat sincere.


    ¡°Calm down! Metel! This is not the ce for this!¡± the man shouted.


    ¡°Why won¡¯t you believe me?! Why?!¡± the woman yelled.


    ¡°I told you that we can¡¯t help you! You have to bring clearer evidence, and we also have¡­ many issues to consider. Don''t do this here, okay? Go to the Magic Tower¡­¡±


    The Magic Tower wasn''t going to do anything. In fact, the reason she came to the Underground Temple was that she couldn¡¯t convince them up there. It seemed that she had also received an invitation to this gathering.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell Saint Altanus myself! Let me meet her!¡± the woman demanded.


    ¡°Please keep calm!¡± the man begged.


    ¡°The continent is in danger, everyone!¡± the woman yelled.


    ¡°Take her away!¡± the man ordered.


    ¡°Let go of me!¡±


    [You know what to do when there¡¯s a sh of light, right? I believe you¡¯re quick-witted enough to know what to do. (0/1)]


    The situation was about to get ugly.


    The hyenas of the social gathering seemed to have thought that there was no other way than to drag her out as they watched with their hands behind their backs.


    Meanwhile, the guards exchanged nces.


    This is where the protagonist ought to make his appearance.


    I walked slowly just like I did earlier.


    The onlookers moved to the side as if they were possessed by something, and I could finally see what was going on. I saw a furious woman with tears in her eyes, and I saw a man trying to suppress her with his cohorts.


    ¡°Please step aside," I said with a serious tone of voice and quietly unleashed a light.


    A light that was starkly different from holy power spread out, and it enveloped the woman.


    I didn¡¯t want to say this with my own mouth, but it was a <em>really</em> radiant light.


    Everyone¡¯s jaw dropped as they looked at the light. The woman closed her eyes slowly, and the light seemed to calm her down as if it were a sedative. Of course, it didn¡¯t have that kind of effect, but she clearly knew what I wanted her to do.


    The light held her as she copsed to the floor. The room became silent again and all the sponsors, including Draktaris, looked really surprised. They seemed intoxicated by the radiant light that they had just witnessed.


    ¡°Can you please provide us with a ce to rest? I¡¯ll look after her,¡± I requested.


    The first day flew like that, but I wasn¡¯t sad about it. It was actually better to leave amidst the praises and apuse. I was sure everyone would talk about what happened just now, and in the end, today''s events would help me greatly tomorrow.


    However, I now had a problem to face.


    I turned toward the actress who performed wonderfully.


    [It¡¯s because of the rift, right? (0/1)]


    The woman before me was Max¡¯s creator and my spiritual wife¡ªGuardian of the Rift Metel.

 Chapter 972: Altanus (9)

    Chapter 972: Altanus (9)


    Metel stared at me in surprise. She had long blonde hair and noticeably long eyshes. She also had the same face as the statue of hers in Rift Land. Her statue and my statue in Rift Land looked friendly, and it was urate because Metel actually looked friendly.


    <em>¡®I¡¯m happy to see her for some reason.¡¯</em>


    It was my first time seeing Metel in person, but I was happy to see her.


    Whenever I spent time with Max, about eighty percent of his stories were about her.


    Of course, I rarely listened because I couldn¡¯t really rte.


    All I could remember was that Max wouldn''t stop saying that she was the kindest among the guardians he had ever interacted with. He also talked about the good memories he shared with her.


    Even though I often never really listened to Max''s words, I was happy to see her.


    Perhaps I felt this way because Max talked so much about her.


    Of course, I was the only one who felt this way. In stark contrast, Max¡¯s mother looked a bit nervous, and it was all because I was trying to create a friendly atmosphere between us. She seemed careful even about her words.


    She was listening to me, but she was really cautious, and most importantly¡­


    <em>¡®She has her guard up.¡¯</em>


    A few momentster, she finally talked. ¡°Who¡­ are you?¡±


    <em>¡®I can¡¯t tell her that we had a spiritual marriage.¡¯</em>


    ¡°My name is Lee Ki-Young,¡± I introduced myself.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t asking¡ª¡±


    ¡°I''m a wandering priest aboveground, but here, I¡¯m known as the priest who has received a divine message¡­ but that¡¯s not really important, right? The important thing is that I can help you,¡± I interrupted her.


    ¡°The voice in my head¡­¡± Metel said.


    ¡°<em>Ah</em>, that could be a problem¡­" I muttered.


    ¡°Who¡­ are you¡­¡± she repeated.


    If the quests I had given her were the reason behind her confusion, then it would make sense. After all, only gods and goddesses could give out quests using holy power.


    The method and type were different, but people could easily be misled into thinking that they had received a divine message or had established some kind of connection with a divine being.


    To put it simply, Rift Guardian Metel felt traces of the God of Sacrifice and Revival from me.


    ¡°Are you¡­¡±


    ¡°What? Do I look like a god to you? Do I look like a reincarnation or an avatar of a god? Do you feel like you heard the voice of a transcendent being?¡± I asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I understand, but don¡¯t think about anything else for now and just look at what¡¯s in front of you. Things that can¡¯t be understood happen quite often here.


    "For example, there¡¯s that rift you¡¯re worried about and there¡¯s Saint Altanus. I also feel the same way. If you think I¡¯m an avatar of God, feel free to think that way. Anyway, I¡¯ll tell you how I know about it,¡± I told her.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It''s because I can see into the future,¡± I said.


    I wasn¡¯t wrong.


    ¡°Your worries will be reality. The rift will open, and monsters will fall from it,¡± I told her.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°The continent will be a literal hell. The ipetent priests and powerful figures on the surface world will not listen to you. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re already aware¡­ but it¡¯s such a ridiculous story.


    "Another dimension and a rift¡­ anyone would think that you''re crazy if you were to talk about that with them," I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It really doesn¡¯t matter whether they believe you or not. Even I think that it sounds absurd, but one thing I¡¯m sure of is that I can do what you want,¡± I said.


    ¡°Really?¡± she asked.


    ¡°The continent wouldn''t copse, and it was all because you and a few guardians had carried out your missions wonderfully. Do you still use the title Rift Guardian?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Rift Guardian¡­¡± she mumbled. It seemed that she had never heard of that before.


    <em>¡®Do I need to tell her everything? Come to think of it¡­¡¯</em>


    The technology to create the Rift Museum wasn''t from this era.


    I visited the library and spent quite some time reading the documents there, but the technology of this era couldn''t create Max or the museum¡¯s system.


    Metel was known as the genius of the century, but technological advancement wasn''t that easy to bring about. The Goddess¡¯ Mirror and the Goddess¡¯ Hand Mirror needed a system to function, and the system itself had hundreds and thousands of sub-systems that had their own instructions to fulfill so that those two items would function properly.


    <em>¡®This, too?¡¯</em>


    <em>''This damned continent is doomed without me.''</em>


    I was biting my nails, thinking about my next steps.


    And that was when I heard knocking on the door¡­


    ¡°Hold on¡ª¡±


    Before I could finish my sentence, someone entered the room.


    ¡°Miss Benigoa?¡±


    Benigoa didn¡¯t even look at me. After barging into the room, she proceeded to clean the room aggressively. She took her anger out on the cushions by hitting them hard and pushing Metel and my feet away while mopping the floor.


    <em>¡®What¡¯s wrong with her?¡¯</em>


    <em>''Wait, she must be jealous.''</em>


    I observed her for a bit and noticed that it was more like she was furious rather than jealous. In her eyes, she saw the priest¡ªwho had spoken sweet words to her¡ªleave the gathering with a woman he met right there and then.


    <em>¡®I¡¯m sure Benigoa was one of the Atentas in that massive gathering¡­¡¯</em>


    I told her I''de looking for her, but I hadn''t done that yet, so she was probably expecting me to find her soon. Based on her personality, I was sure she thought that fate would lead us to meet at the gathering, or we''d end up having a rendezvous after the gathering.


    However, she saw the priest disappear with Metel, and the sight left her furious. In the end, she followed the priest, which led to where we were right now.


    ¡°<em>Ah¡­</em>¡±


    "Can you move your feet please? I need to clean,¡± Benigoa said.


    <em>¡®She really is like a child.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Why is the room so dirty? And there''s actually trash just lying around¡­¡± Benigoa mumbled.


    <em>¡®She isn¡¯t calling me trash, is she?¡¯</em>


    ¡°Are you okay, Miss Metel? You didn¡¯t fall for a certain someone who must have already spoken sweet words to you, did you?¡± Benigoa asked.


    <em>¡®What¡¯s wrong with you? Can¡¯t you see that we¡¯re having a serious conversation right now?¡¯</em>


    As expected, Metel put her guard back up.


    ¡°Excuse me¡­ Miss Benigoa?¡± I said.


    ¡°Who¡¯s Benigoa? I¡¯m an Atenta. Looks like you¡¯ve had many Benigoas up there,¡± Benigoa said.


    ¡°...¡± ¡°It¡¯s a misunderstanding, Miss Benigoa,¡± I told her.


    ¡°I knew you were going to say that, but I¡¯m not stupid, Father. I-I didn¡¯t ept you in the first ce, but you really are a¡­ lewd and obscene person,¡± Benigoa said.


    <em>¡®That¡¯s a bit harsh¡­ I¡¯m not like that.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Liar. You¡¯re a womanizer who''s good at speaking sweet words,¡± Benigoa added.


    ¡°Excuse me, Miss Benigoa. I think there¡¯s been some kind of misunderstanding. I¡¯ve been talking about business with Miss Metel¡ª¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re done, Father,¡± Benigoa interrupted.


    Benigoa seemed to be thinking that she looked cool, but I could see tears in her eyes.


    <em>¡®She¡¯s hurt.¡¯</em>


    She was obviously hurt by the way she was acting. To be honest, there wasn''t anything between us. We only spoke a few times, and we promised to eat together; that was all. I considered the possibility that perhaps doing all of that was the same thing as proposing in her eyes, but it didn¡¯t seem to be the case.


    <em>¡®I¡¯m pretty sure she was just imagining all sorts of things by herself.¡¯</em>


    Benigoa¡¯s behavior made it difficult for me to determine whether she was naive or stupid.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ done with you, Father,¡± Benigoa said. It seemed that she wanted to look cool until the end because she mmed the door shut


    However, I did not bother chasing after her.


    <em>¡®I just need to film a heartbreaking drama with herter.¡¯</em>


    Metel was important to me right now.


    ¡°That woman¡­ just now¡­¡±


    ¡°It looks like there was some kind of misunderstanding. You don¡¯t have to worry about what she said,¡± I told her.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that¡­¡±


    <em>¡®Looks like she¡¯s trying to run.¡¯</em>


    Before Metel could say anything, I decided to make a move.


    I put my hand in my pocket, and Metel grabbed the staff that fell to the ground because of Benigoa''s aggressive cleaning. However, she stared in bewilderment at what I had taken out of my pocket. It was a Goddess'' Hand Mirror, but Metel had never seen anything like it before.


    What happened next was pretty obvious. Instead of operating the Goddess¡¯ Hand Mirror, it¡¯d be easier for her to understand if I just showed her how it was made and how it worked.


    I infused my mana into it, and a light spread out from the hand mirror, pervading the entire room.


    The room became filled with holograms depicting geometric patterns and strange forms. I honestly didn¡¯t understand all of this, either.


    I knew the main system and how it worked, but the main system was the type to be more and moreplicated, the deeper one dove into it.


    Metel staggered backward when the holograms appeared, but her bewilderment did notst long. Her jaw dropped to the floor, and she stared wide-eyed at the scene before her.


    <em>¡®Looks like she has an idea about what these are...¡¯</em>


    Arge system that bes the foundation of the Rift Museum and the program that maintained the museum before I entered the dungeon. It¡¯s what turned Metel and the others into Rift Guardians.


    <em>¡®I can¡¯t hand over the Goddess¡¯ Hand Mirror.¡¯</em>


    It wasn''t that likely, but there was a possibility of her losing the hand mirror, or they could advance faster than my expectations. I decided to provide just the basic clues, as that was probably the reason why the museum¡¯s hardware was so bulky.


    If they were to recreate the Goddess¡¯ Hand Mirror using my technology, the hardware would only get bigger.


    ¡°You think you can make it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I asked if you can make this,¡± I repeated.


    ¡°N-No way¡­¡± Metel stuttered.


    ¡°There are four things I would like to ask in return for handing over this technology to you,¡± I requested.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°First, you must ensure that there aren''t going to be any information leaks,¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll refer to you and the few people who will work with you as Rift Guardians. This technology shall only be avable to the guardians. I don¡¯t really remember all their names, but you should recruit Jaime and Sneff. <em>Ah!</em> Additionally, you should have a ranking system; you need to categorize information into ranks,¡± I suggested.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Secondly, create an autonomous dummy that would manage the entire system. It would protect and research information about the rift inside a ce called the Rift Museum.


    "This is something we can discuss while I¡¯m here. There are many things for us to discuss, such as the overall design and the rates of the lottery system¡­ It¡¯ll be harder than you think, so you¡¯ll have to learn quickly,¡± I informed her.


    ¡°How¡­ d-did you¡­¡± Metel stammered.


    <em>¡®She has no idea what to say.¡¯</em>


    Metel looked like someone witnessing civilization for the first time. Actually, that was true, as I had just shown her technology that she couldn''t have imagined even in her wildest dreams.


    ¡°Thirdly, I want you to help me out a bit while I¡¯m here,¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m kind of lonely¡­ and I need someone to be my hands and feet¡­ this social gathering is like a w-war zone. It''d be nice to have someone I can talk to without feelingfortable about it. Andstly¡­¡± I trailed off.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You have to forget me,¡± I told her.


    Metel stared wide-eyed at me.

 Chapter 973: Altanus (10)

    Chapter 973: Altanus (10)


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll take that as a yes, Guardian Metel,¡± I said.


    <em>¡®She still hasn¡¯te to her senses.¡¯</em>


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°First of all, give me some time to organize the forms necessary to create the program''s foundation. As I mentioned earlier, you won¡¯t have a lot of time to learn them. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll have much time to spend with you,¡± I told her.


    ¡°What? How am I supposed to do this alone¡­¡± Metel muttered.


    ¡°I think my role is toy the foundation,¡± I answered.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you would spend time with me?¡± Metel asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll guide you in the overall direction, but I won¡¯t exin every single detail to you. I told you, didn¡¯t I? I have things to do as well. I was serious when I asked you to be my hands and feet,¡± I reminded her.¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°What¡­ do I need to do?¡± Metel asked.


    There was a lot to do. First of all, she had to inform me of her connections by submitting a report about it. Then, she''d explore the Underground Temple in my ce.


    <em>¡®I don¡¯t have enough time.¡¯</em>


    At first, I was worried about spending too much time here, but now, I was worried about not having enough time here, as I had many things to do.


    I had to keep delivering information about the dungeon to the future, and I had to ensure that Benigoa would be holy. Not only did I have to take control of this social gathering and prepare the foundation to drag Saint Altanus down, but I also had to find a way to weaken the power of the Temrs.


    Moreover, I had just received a mission to train the Rift Guardians, so I was overloaded with work.


    Of course, the foundation for bringing Saint Altanus down was already prepared. Some of the awakened priests, including Father Draktaris, were already on the move.


    Since the rock had already been thrown into the pond, there was no stopping the ripples. Once the social gathering was over, they¡¯d gather ande up with a solution. After Altanus¡¯ downfall, they would then decide their own path.


    <em>¡®For now, I just need to ruin the Temrs and Father Draktaris¡¯ rtionship.¡¯</em>


    It was still in progress. Actually, it was highly likely that it¡¯d happen on its own without me getting involved. Draktaris had attempted to kill Temr Genny, so he obviously wasn¡¯t very fond of the Temrs.


    Based on the situation, I wasn''t expecting a coup, but it was undeniable that he was trying his best to maintain this delicate power bnce in the Underground Temple. I saw that clearly during the social gathering.


    <em>¡®Did I do something wrong¡­ or am I missing something?¡¯</em>


    A few things were making me nervous. First of all¡­


    <em>¡®It¡¯s strange that they still haven''t defeated Draktaris.¡¯</em>


    I was worried that I was giving Draktaris more power than he actually needed.


    The prayer room was big, and if they were raiding at a steady pace, it would take them some time to clear it.


    However, the fact that it was taking this long made me think of the possibility that he was getting stronger because of me and the possibility that he was growing stronger even now.


    When I thought about theplex power structure within the underground world, it was possible that the Temrs weren''t the only ones he was wary of. It was inevitable that others would grow weaker once he grew stronger, but the fact that there might be casualties in the raid made me feel like I was having a headache.


    <em>¡®Is there a way to recruit Draktaris as an allied NPC?¡¯</em>


    It was a bad decision.


    Regardless of whether it was possible or not, it was worth a try. If I could make Draktaris even more hostile against the Temrs and make him feel like getting rid of them was his long-cherished wish, his soul could end up helping the expedition group.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to go take care of some work,¡± I told her.


    ¡°Wait. Come to think of it¡­¡± Metel paused.


    The gathering was still in progress, but it wasn¡¯t the right time to go back.


    The first ce I visited was the ce where Atentas were located.


    <em>¡®I need to talk to Benigoa again.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Hello,¡± I greeted.


    ¡°Hello, Father. How can I help you?¡± an Atenta asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m looking for an Atenta with brown hair and freckles on her nose. She¡¯s the cute¡­ and¡­ beautiful¡­ Benigoa¡­¡± I answered.


    ¡°<em>Ah!</em>¡±


    Then, I saw them whispering amongst themselves. I wasn¡¯t sure whether Benigoa had already told them about the recent incident, but their gazes toward me weren''t friendly at all.


    <em>¡®Looks like the rumor has already spread.¡¯</em>


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but the Atenta you¡¯re looking for is currently busy with other work¡­¡± the Atenta informed me.


    ¡°It¡¯ll only be for a moment,¡± I begged.


    I was sure Benigoa had already told them not to tell me her location.


    ¡°I- I¡¯m not sure. I¡¯ll try talking to her, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°Can you tell her that I¡¯ll be waiting in the library?¡± I requested.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Tell her that I¡¯ll be staying in the library and will wait for her until shees,¡± I told her.


    It was so cliched. A man with a pure heart waiting in one ce until the arrival of a certain someone. Honestly, I was certain that this was going to work. Rather than saying that she''de to me because she genuinely wanted to have a conversation with me, it was highly likely that she¡¯de, as she found the situation to be quite enjoyable.


    <em>¡®She''s a drama queen.¡¯</em>


    I didn¡¯t want to acknowledge it, but Benigoa and I had some simrities.


    <em>¡®I understand that feeling, too.¡¯</em>


    I could understand what she was going through.


    A priest from aboveground was waiting for her in the middle of the night.


    Of course, there was a small misunderstanding, but everything was a test so that our rtionship could take one step forward. We were also going to talk about the misunderstanding in the ce where we first met¡ªthe library.


    Drama queens would always appear on stage before thinking about whether they wanted to appear or not. Upon hearing the news, she wouldn''t be able to resisting here. If I were Benigoa¡­


    <em>¡®I would go regardless of the result.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Please let her know,¡± I begged.


    I obviously looked sad. The Atentas here would deliver the current situation to Benigoa, so it was right to show them a face full of regret. Even the way I dragged myself out of there was perfect.


    I headed slowly to the ce where Benigoa and I first met.


    <em>¡®I need to deliver a quest, anyway.¡¯</em>


    I also need to check in to see if the expedition group was doing well right now.


    Once I was done, I would then act like I had been desperately waiting for Benigoa. I''d either bite my fingernails to show anxiety or pace around in one ce, as people would usually do that to vent out their anxiety.


    As expected, I saw Benigoa peeping at me nearby.


    The smile tugging at her lips told me that she was satisfied with the current situation. This was kind of different, but it was like I was looking at Ji-Hye noona when she and I were pretending to be Lee Ji-Hoo and Lee Ki-Yeon.


    <em>¡®Hurry up.¡¯</em>


    Perhaps she wanted to see me be more anxious, but it took her a while to appear.


    The drama queen wriggled her fingers while walking up to me and staring at me with a sad gaze.


    ¡°Miss Benigoa!¡± I greeted.


    ¡°W-What do you think you¡¯re doing, Father?¡± Benigoa questioned.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Did you think calling me out here would resolve anything?¡± Benigoa asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I have my own circumstances as well. I have work to take care of as an Atenta¡­ and my own problems¡­ D-Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s really rude¡­ to thoughtlessly¡­ ask my co-workers to deliver a message to me?¡± Benigoained.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing like that, Miss Benigoa,¡± I told her.


    ¡°<em>Hmph. </em>There you go again with that smooth talk¡­ The more I see you, the more disappointed¡­ I¡­ get¡ª¡±


    I took a huge step forward, and Benigoa couldn''t finish her sentence. She looked shocked, clearly not expecting me to do something like this. I took another step forward, and she revealed an expectant look.


    <em>¡®No, it¡¯s nothing like that.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Suddenly approaching me like this is¡­¡± Benigoa mumbled.


    ¡°Miss Benigoa, I swear to the Goddess that my feelings are still the same as the first time we met,¡± I told her.


    I grabbed Benigoa¡¯s hand and ced it on my chest, allowing her to feel my pounding heart. Benigoa looked pretty satisfied upon feeling my pounding heart, but her expression remained slightly cold to ensure that I wouldn''t notice her satisfaction.


    ¡°W-What about¡­ Miss Metel¡­¡± Benigoa asked.


    ¡°All I see is you, Miss Benigoa,¡± I told her.


    ¡°Even if you tell me that¡­¡±


    It honestly wasn¡¯t a romantic feeling because my heart wasn''t actually racing, nor did I feel nervous around her.


    <em>¡®This is pretty strange as well.¡¯</em>


    To be exact, it was like we were ying.


    Just like whenever Ji-Hye noona and I were acting, I would create a situation and act out the character that was suitable for me.


    It wouldn¡¯t be strange if I were the only person who thought that way, but Benigoa seemed to be thinking the same thing as me. Actually, I was pretty certain that it was the case, and she probably thought that she was the one leading this y.


    <em>¡®It¡¯s probably because we¡¯re both drama queens¡­¡¯</em>


    But I had to think if I was doing something wrong or if I was missing something.


    ¡°I just thought of something I needed to do, Father. I-I¡¯ll be going now!¡± Benigoa shouted.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Also¡­¡± Benigoa trailed off. Then, Benigoa kissed my cheek while making sure to generate a kissing sound ¡°I fully understand how you feel, Father,¡± Benigoa said before running out of the library.


    <em>¡®I feel ufortable for some reason¡­¡¯</em>


    I felt really ufortable, and it was because of Benigoa¡¯s sudden kiss.


    <em>¡®Draktaris¡­ the raid¡­¡¯</em>


    <em>''No, don''t suddenly think about Draktaris. Think back to the beginning about Benigoa.''</em>


    ¡°Why did Benigoa pretend like she doesn''t know me?¡±


    Why was that? She definitely didn¡¯t lose her memories. I knew she didn¡¯t like talking about her life as a human, but I had a feeling that wasn¡¯t the case at all. When I looked at the current Benigoa, it felt like she had never really lived her life as a human¡­


    <em>¡®Is that Atenta not Benigoa? Was I wrong?¡¯</em>


    Many thoughts came into my mind. The things Benigoa had said to me up until now and her attitude yed in my head as if they were cross-cut.


    How did Metel react when she saw Benigoa?


    <em>¡°That woman¡­ just now¡­¡±</em>


    <em>¡°It looks like there was some kind of misunderstanding. You don¡¯t have to worry about what she said,¡± I told her.</em>


    <em>¡°It¡¯s not that¡­¡±</em>


    What was Metel trying to say before looking at the Goddess¡¯ Hand Mirror?


    <em>''At the entrance of the Underground Temple, why was Benigoa¡¯s¡ª''</em>


    It was so obvious. I already knew the answer, but I hadn''t been able to think about it for some reason.


    <em>''Yeah, it''s like a part of my memories were erased because it¡¯s something I don¡¯t want to even think about.¡¯</em>


    It felt like I was preventing myself from knowing the answer.


    And as if I had been waiting for it, I heard Metel¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Did you have a good time with Saint Altanus?¡± asked Metel.

 Chapter 974: Altanus (11)

    Chapter 974: Altanus (11)


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I saw Saint Altanus having that much fun. Of course, it¡¯s been a while since I actually met her¡­ I couldn¡¯t even greet her properly because she suddenly came in¡­ Do you know her, Father? Did she say anything about me¡­¡± Metel asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I expected it, but it seemed like they didn¡¯t want me to meet Saint Altanus,¡± Metel added.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Come to think of it¡­ this item called the hand mirror¡­ and now Saint Altanus¡­ Father, just who¡­¡± Metel trailed off.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°So about Saint Altanus¡­¡± Metel trailed off.


    ¡°Saint Altanus¡­¡± I repeated.¡°Yes, about her¡­ Do you¡ª¡± Metel paused.


    Metel couldn¡¯t hide her sudden surprise, and I could tell she was trying to read my reaction despite saying all that just now. I wasn¡¯t sure whether it was because I didn¡¯t look so good or she had realized her mistake, but she went quiet.


    ¡°Is it true that the Atenta who came into the room just now is Saint Altanus?¡± I asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Metel paused.


    I asked the question but I didn¡¯t hear the answer because I already knew the answer.


    <em>¡®Benigoa was Altanus.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Benigoa was Altanus¡­¡± I mumbled.


    The answer wasn''t that hard to reach if one were to think about it.


    Her image was carved at the dungeon entrance of the Mole Saint¡¯s Cozy Sanctuary.


    Nothing else was more convincing evidence than that.


    Her actions were clearly different from the other Atentas.


    The Underground Temple was a special institute, but Atentas was clearly the lowest ss within the temple. Her behavior didn''t fit someone whose name was taken away by someone saying something ridiculous like she had to serve the Goddess.


    Like acting out a character written down on a character sheet, the awkwardness I felt from her didn¡¯t seem so awkward anymore. She was actually acting like an Atenta, and she was doing a bad job at it, too. I just felt stupid for not noticing it.


    <em>¡®No, I wouldn¡¯t go so far as calling myself stupid.¡¯</em>


    I had to have noticed it when I first saw Benigoa, and even if that hadn''t been the case, I had to have noticed it at some point.


    <em>I </em>was the one blocking out my thoughts and memories about the truth.


    Likest time, I had to have erased my memories this time as well. I was in full control of myself and if it hadn''t been for Metel, my subconscious would have continued interrupting me until the end.


    ¡°Father¡­ are you okay?¡± Metel asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Father?¡± Metel repeated.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine, Miss Metel,¡± I answered.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°By the way¡­ would you like some coffee?¡± I offered.


    ¡°No, I¡ª¡±


    ¡°You should have some if you¡¯re going to stay up all night studying,¡± I interrupted her.


    ¡°Did I¡­ make a mistake,¡± Metel asked.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not a big deal, so don¡¯t worry. Here you go. If you have questions, write it all down, and I¡¯ll take a look tomorrow morning,¡± I instructed her.


    ¡°Thank¡­ you,¡± Metel mumbled.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to go into my room and organize some things, Miss Metel,¡± I told her.


    ¡°O-Okay,¡± she said.


    I started to understand the burning questions in my head and the reason why the timeline was unclear to me. I understood why Benigoa couldn¡¯t remember this world and why she inherited Altanus¡¯ will.


    <em>¡®Altanus¡¯ existence was erased.¡¯</em>


    Altanus had entered the iron maiden herself, causing the continent of the past to go down the path of destruction¡­ The story took ce after the continent''s manager, Lucifer, was demoted.


    The story began after a new order, a new civilization, and a new continent was established. I wasn''t familiar with this world, but Kim Hyun-Sung knew it very well.


    <em>¡®His first life.¡¯</em>


    Altanus had sacrificed herself in exchange for turning Kim Hyun-Sung into a regressor.


    Up until now, I thought that meant total extinction, but there was a chance that it wasn''t the case at all¡ªno, it definitely wasn¡¯t the case. Altanus had disappeared, but Benigoa, who had inherited her will, was still alive.


    Although her memories, character, and everything else had disappeared, the continent¡¯s system had left behind Benigoa¡¯s shell to take care of things after her.


    Of course, Benigoa wasn¡¯t <em>just</em> a shell.


    To be exact, she was a formatted piece of hardware. Aputer fresh out of a clean reinstall.


    I was sure Kim Hyun-Sung didn¡¯t find anything strange when Altanus¡¯ name was reced with Benigoa. It was highly likely that some of the higher-ups didn¡¯t find anything strange either.


    <em>¡®The system probably did that.¡¯</em>


    Not even Benigoa felt that something was amiss¡­


    This was Altanus¡¯ role. She¡¯d enter the iron maiden and ascend to be one of the Goddesses up there. She would then take care of the continent, and she''d eventually sacrifice herself for Kim Hyun-Sung.


    I was aware of that fact as well¡ªno, I was in the process of bing aware of that fact. Regardless of what was going to happen, the future had to proceed ording to the timeline that I knew, and my subconscious had to have done something to prevent me from recalling the truth.


    <em>¡®I needed topletely erase my personal feelings.¡¯</em>


    Was it because I might sympathize with the tragedy that Altanus had experienced?


    <em>¡®No, I¡¯m not that nice.¡¯</em>


    It had nothing to do with Altanus¡¯ tragic ending.


    It was because of the possibility that I might confuse Benigoa with Altanus.


    <em>¡®Actually, it might be better to say that I''d sympathize with Altanus¡¯ tragic ending.¡¯</em>


    That sounded better, too¡­


    This was the summary of my memory issues¡­


    God of Sacrifice and Revival Lee Ki-Young found Altanus to be quite pitiful, and he was heartbroken by her tragic fate and hardships. However, Lee Ki-Young knew that the future had to proceed ording to the timeline he knew, so in the end, he decided to sacrifice his memories and subconscious.


    It was necessary to ensure that a variable wouldn''t be born due to his feelings of pity toward her. A variable capable of changing the future couldn''t be allowed to appear. Otherwise, the butterfly effect would change the current continent.


    <em>¡®The problem is that I figured it out.¡¯</em>


    Of course, nothing would change just because I became aware of it.


    <em>¡®This is for Benigoa as well.¡¯</em>


    Altanus wasn¡¯t one of my people.


    <em>¡®I just need to be a little more cool-headed.¡¯</em>


    Benigoa was my baby. Her shell was Altanus, but what was inside her was Benigoa.


    Benigoa was here <em>because</em> Altanus had disappeared.


    Altanus had toplete her mission so that Benigoa would stay as her current self.


    <em>¡®And there''s really nothing that I can do at this point.¡¯</em>


    Even if I were to find another way, I had no time to change the course. The timeline was already flowing the way I knew it would flow. Except for this, there was no other way to put the future and the past all on the same timeline.


    <em>¡®The n must proceed.¡¯</em>


    I felt this need better than anyone.


    If Benigoa''s cheesy lore about how she was actually Altanus'' shadow wasn¡¯t there, then the theories I came up with would end up being true.


    ¡°Are there any other variables?¡±


    I checked Benigoa¡¯s status window using Mind¡¯s Eye, but¡­


    <em>¡®Altanus could have made it so that Mind¡¯s Eye wouldn''t see through her true status window¡­¡¯</em>


    Of course, there was also a chance that my subconscious was ying a trick on me.


    It wasn''t likely, but Lucifer could have done something as well.


    It was a meaningless assumption, but if Lucifer and I wanted the same thing, then it was possible.


    What if all of this was the process of session rather than the downfall of Lucifer?


    What if all this was part of her n, and she wasn¡¯t actually being chased out?


    <em>¡®Maybe she looked really far ahead¡­¡¯</em>


    If she had abandoned the continent after doing everything she wanted to do, then she''d agree to cooperate with me. If this meaningless assumption had some truth to it¡­ then she¡¯d be worse than Elune.


    It would be right to call her a waste product that couldn¡¯t be recycled.


    She¡¯d be more of a demon than a goddess.


    While I was quietly thinking of any other variables, I heard a voice outside.


    ¡°Father, it¡¯s Temr Genny.¡±


    <em>¡®Damn it, I¡¯m busy.¡¯</em>


    ¡°I¡¯ll be right there, Temr Genny,¡± I answered.


    When I went outside, I saw Temr Genny and Guardian Metel looking at each other awkwardly. Of course, I had to greet them with a smile.


    ¡°I hope you¡¯re feeling better, Miss Metel,¡± I said.


    ¡°I am¡­¡± Metel answered.


    Metel seemed to be ufortable, as the two kept exchanging nces, so when I invited them inside, I saw her bending slightly forward to enter my room.


    ¡°Thank you for your hard work, Temr Genny,¡± I said.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Father. I¡¯m sorry this is all the help I can give you. I was pretty busy as well¡­ so I¡¯m not sure if I properlypleted the task you gave me¡­¡± Temr Genny said.


    I made Temr Genny attend the social gathering in my ce because I needed someone to fill my spot. I gave him simple instructions like collecting letters or listening to what others were saying.


    I was sure the true higher-ups had delivered their message through Father Draktaris, but Father Draktaris wasn¡¯t my servant. I was sure there were things they wanted to tell me directly. More importantly, Draktaris was busier than me, so he didn¡¯t have time to take care of me.


    ¡°I want to know if the social gathering went well. I hope that I didn¡¯t make many people ufortable,¡± I said.


    ¡°That¡¯s not true, Father. They are praising your holy power and virtue,¡± Temr Genny said, denying my ims.


    <em>¡®Really? I knew that was going to happen.¡¯</em>


    ¡°So many people wanted to talk to you¡­ so I had to create a list of people who will spend time with you tomorrow at the social gathering. First, there¡¯s the promise with the Grand Duchess and the other Archbishops¡­¡± Temr Genny added.


    <em>¡®It was an obvious reaction.¡¯</em>


    I would have been disappointed if they hadn''t shown any reaction.


    ¡°I thought you wouldn¡¯t have enough time so I didn¡¯t give a few people an answer¡­ I think it¡¯s best if you take a look and decide,¡± Temr Genny suggested.


    ¡°That¡­¡± I trailed off, "That kind of attention is kind of burdensome. I¡¯m not anyone important."


    ¡°That¡¯s not true. I overheard the other priests talking about you¡­ and they said that you might be a saint chosen by the Goddess¡­ They also said that you¡¯re a huge blessing to the Underground Temple,¡± Temr Genny added.


    <em>¡®I¡¯m not really happy about that.¡¯</em>


    Regardless, many other thoughts popped into my head. I was thinking about something random when I heard Temr Genny say, ¡°Saint chosen by the Goddess.¡±


    I tried toe up with a way to put both the future and the past on the same timeline.


    <em>¡®Why was I called here?¡¯</em>


    A way to assemble a future that would fit the timeline better than n A.


    <em>¡®What if¡­ I¡¯m Altanus?¡¯</em>


    It was a ridiculous assumption.

 Chapter 975: Altanus (12)

    Chapter 975: Altanus (12)


    ¡°It¡¯s a very moving story,¡± Delihamented.


    ¡°You are too kind. I was just doing my job as a servant of Lady Lucifer, Lady Deliha,¡± I said.


    ¡°So you were active in the Land of Nejesca, right? Where exactly is that¡­¡± Lady Deliha asked.


    ¡°It was a small vige with no name,¡± I answered.


    ¡°I¡¯m embarrassed. Actually, the long-standing conflict in the Land of Nejesca¡­ was partly mediated by Deliha Empire¡ª¡±


    ¡°Mydy,¡± Lord Len Burk interrupted.


    ¡°I¡¯m not here to talk about the corruption of the empire, Lord Len Burk. I¡¯m simply speaking the truth. Even a child knows that the conflict in the Land of Nejesca urred because of the petty pride between the Deliha Empire and the Valinarian Empire. Don¡¯t you agree, Sir rkin?¡± Lady Deliha asked.


    ¡°This is embarrassing,¡± Sir rkinmented.


    ¡°Even the magic marquis of the Valinarian Empire agrees. An unknown priest has been providing support on the issue the two empires have been ignoring,¡± Lady Deliha said.¡°The actions both empires took after is a bit unfortunate, but¡­¡± I trailed off.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think the petty pride that the Grand Duchess had mentioned is petty at all. Competition is the greatest driving force for human development. In the eyes of narrow-minded people¡­ it''ll be unfortunate that there needs to bepetition, but when you look at the bigger picture¡ªI can¡¯t really list all the things that the two empires had done to benefit humanity.


    "The development of magic is for the sake offort and safety while the development of technology is for the sake of convenience and prosperity,¡± I exined.


    ¡°Are you saying the two empires did nothing wrong, Father?¡± Lady Deliha asked.


    ¡°If you¡¯re asking my personal opinion¡­¡±


    ¡°I asked such an obvious question,¡± Lady Delihamented.


    ¡°Obviously, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s wrong to sacrifice a small amount of people for the greater good,¡± I paused.


    ¡°Despite that¡­ You¡¯re just telling me the things that I want to hear,¡± Lady Deliha said.


    ¡°The important thing is to share,¡± I exined.


    ¡°So that¡¯s the reason for the bribe earlier. Don¡¯t you agree, Sir rkin?¡± Lady Deliha asked.


    ¡°<em>Haha</em>, I felt this earlier, but this is no ordinary bet. Are you asking us to support the duchy?¡± rkin asked.


    ¡°It won¡¯t be bad for both empires either as long as it can inspire pride and self-esteem as denizens of the empire. On top of that¡­¡± I trailed off.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Like I mentioned earlier. Competition is the greatest driving force for human development,¡± I continued.


    ¡°<em>Hahahahaha</em>.¡±


    ¡°You hurt the petty pride of the two empires, Father. Are you suggesting theypete with each other to see how much support they can provide?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I never said that,¡± I answered.


    ¡°It¡¯s inspiring something inside me, Father. <em>Hahaha!</em>¡± Lord Len Burkughed.


    <em>¡®You don¡¯t even know how I feel, damn it.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Come to think of it, did you say you learned alchemy as well?¡± the Grand Duchess asked.


    ¡°I do. Of course, it can¡¯t bepared to Sir rkin who¡¯s known as the mage marquis¡­¡± I replied.


    ¡°No cutting in line, Sir rkin. Father Lee Ki-Young and I have things to talk about regarding theology,¡± Lord Len Burk said.


    ¡°I see¡­ if you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯d like to join you¡­ Can I?¡± Sir rkin asked.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be more fun if you join us,¡± I answered.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°However, we¡¯ll have to put <em>that </em>off for a bit since we¡¯ve been keeping the important guest¡­¡± Sir rkin suggested.


    ¡°<em>Haha</em>, you¡¯re right,¡± Len Burk said.


    <em>¡®This is why being popr is tiring.¡¯</em>


    I was surrounded by Grand Duchess Deliha, Iron Knight Len Burk, and Mage Marquis rkin¡ªthe three most popr figures here, so many people were ncing over at us.


    Influential people from both the Underground Temple and the surface world were looking for an opportunity to attend this social gathering.


    Of course, the social gathering for the lower sses wasn¡¯t all that different. People had gathered even around Metel, who was with me yesterday, so they had to be trying to get some benefits from her. It was better to do that than not get any information.


    ¡°Looks like Lady Deliha has a lot to say to Father Lee Ki-Young,¡± Draktaris chimed in.


    ¡°Father Draktaris,¡± I greeted.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, could I borrow Father Lee Ki-Young for a moment?¡± Draktaris asked.


    ¡°I was actually going to let him go since so many people are watching,¡± Lady Deliha replied.


    ¡°<em>Hahahaha</em>,¡± Draktarisughed.


    They sure look happy.


    ¡°I hope we didn¡¯t put you in a difficult situation, Father,¡± Lady Deliha said.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a mean joke, Lady Deliha. <em>Hahahaha</em>. His face turned red as a tomato.¡± Sir rkin pointed out.


    ¡°Oh no,¡± Lady Deliha eximed.


    ¡°<em>Hahahahaha!</em>¡±


    They were having fun amongst themselves while I was feeling upset, but I couldn¡¯t show that. I had yet to make any noticeable achievements, but this build up was important. It wasn''t like I wasted the day ying with Metel.


    <em>¡®By tomorrow, I should be able to talk about the Temrs.¡¯</em>


    I needed to bring it up in a way that wouldn''t be too sudden and random. It seemed like Draktaris was working in the dark, but I needed to¡­


    <em>¡®Divide the group.¡¯</em>


    Honestly, I had yet toe to a proper conclusion¡ªno, I actually came to a conclusion, but the problem was that I wasn''t sure about it.


    <em>¡®I¡¯m not Altanus.¡¯</em>


    There was no way, but it was actually possible.


    After entering the iron maiden, it was possible that I assembled the present and the future in a way that would fit the current timeline.


    It was possible that I watched Kim Hyun-Sung in his first life¡­ created my avatar¡­ made him act as the masked hero in the first life, and destroyed myself after turning Kim Hyun-Sung into a regressor.


    What if it was my n to send Benigoa to stand in my ce, send my shell to the earth, and start the second life?


    If I were to assume that I simply couldn''t remember those events rather than the possibility that I was not involved at all, then the theory that I was Altanus would be correct.


    I couldn''t stop thinking about the masked hero, the Lee Ki-Young I had seen in the first life, and the fragments of the past that could be interpreted as the remnants of extinction.


    Of course, there were details I needed to organize, including the fact that my memories of Earth hadn¡¯t disappeared at all.


    <em>¡®Is that even possible? Can I even do something like that myself?¡¯</em>


    Benigoa couldn¡¯t remember anything.


    <em>¡®What if Benigoa didn¡¯t want to remember rather than she couldn¡¯t remember at all? What if she could seal away her own memories like me? What if there was some kind of deal during the process of me bing Altanus and bringing her up with me?¡¯</em>


    There was a slim possibility, but that was all there was to it.


    <em>¡®It¡¯s just an assumption.¡¯</em>


    There were two main reasons why I came up with that assumption.


    First of all, I wouldn¡¯t ce an avatar called the Masked Hero of the First Life.


    <em>¡®That''s just impossible.¡¯</em>


    A ton of holy power was required when descending or sending a divine message, so it was impossible to ce an avatar and control it from the beginning till the end. Well, it was technically possible, but the amount of holy power needed to do that made it practically impossible.


    The first life was going to be destroyed anyway, so I could have used a bit more holy power to open Hell''s gate, but I wasn¡¯t sure whether that was even possible.


    I could¡¯ve imbued the personality of the dummy into a homunculus, but that was also out of the question. The illusion and memories I felt were too vivid to say that I simply inherited the memories of a dummy.


    Secondly, it would be more convincing to say that Benigoa was Altanus rather than say that I was Altanus.


    The Altanus theory was something I came up with to support my assumption.


    Between a mere suggestion and something obvious, there wouldn''t be any need topare the two, as the obvious one would be closer to the answer. Based on all the pieces of evidence so far, my second assumption seemed closer to the answer.


    Personally, it sounded more convincing.


    <em>¡®That has to be it. There are no other variables here. That has to be it.¡¯</em>


    This was where things gotplicated.


    I reached one conclusion based on the puzzle pieces I forcefully put together toplete the puzzle.


    <em>¡®There¡¯s no way Lee Ki-Young is Altanus.¡¯</em>


    However¡­


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    [Lee Ki-Young can be Altanus.]


    I could change the past, present, and future.


    If I managed to enter the iron maiden faster than Benigoa, then I''d be Altanus.


    Not only would I take Benigoa¡¯s ce, but I could take care of everything she couldn''t handle. I could enter the iron maiden and assemble the future the way I wanted it.


    Obviously, it was going to be risky. As I mentioned earlier, there was a high chance that I wouldn''t be able to create Lee Ki-Young. The first life could end without Jung Ha-Yan, Kim Hyun-Sung, Park Deok-Gu, and Lee Ji-Hye meeting the masked hero.


    <em>¡®That¡¯s not all.¡¯</em>


    I could also fail in cing my shell to the ground upon sacrificing myself and turning Kim Hyun-Sung into a regressor. If I ended up failing, then Lee Ki-Young would cease to exist.


    <em>¡®Still¡­¡¯</em>


    Despite that, I could assemble the future the way I wanted it.


    <em>¡®Even if the second life begins as a failure, Lee Ki-Young is the only victim. He''s the only one who will cease to exist.''</em>


    I could clear the Continental War, the 27th Legion, the summoning incident, the War On the Outer Gods, and every other major quest beforehand.


    The masked hero wouldn''t appear as well.


    Before the world was changed, Lee Ki-Young was an ipetent individual, but in the brand-new world, Lee Ki-Young would be an almighty god. It was an arrangement necessary to handle all the events that would ur from the beginning till the end. Of course, that included unknown variables that would certainly appear.


    <em>¡®That¡¯s a piece of cake.¡¯</em>


    I wasn¡¯t sure whether it was actually possible or not, but if I were to summon the guild member of the Blue Guild back to the sanctuary after the end of the War On the Outer Gods War, they would be able to save me from the iron maiden.


    The only problem was that they would have no memories of me.


    Once the butterfly effect started, the second life would start without Lee Ki-Young, and everyone wouldn''t know me. In addition, they could change into strangers. Their personality could change, and they could have different habits as well.


    The oue would be the same, but the life they lived would bepletely different.


    <em>¡®That can¡¯t be.¡¯</em>


    There was no need for me to go <em>that</em> far.


    There was no reason for me to be Altanus in exchange for everyone forgetting about me.


    ¡°This way, Father¡­ There¡¯s someone I would like to introduce you to,¡± Draktaris said.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    When I saw a figure walking toward us, I couldn¡¯t help but recall the grotesque scene I had seen beforeing here.


    I saw the pig with wounds all over him, Jung Ha-Yan¡¯s hair waspletely white, and Han Sora looked like a porcupine.


    Sun Hee-Young, Elena, and Hwang Jung-Yeon had died instantly.


    Ahn Ki-Mo and Yoo Ah-Young managed to hold out for a long time, but they eventually were killed.


    I couldn¡¯t even find the corpses of Kim Ye-Ri, Lee Chang-Ryeol, and Park Lian.


    Kim Hyun-Sung had perished as well with his wings torn off.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I realized that I was here to change the future that was already set in stone.


    ¡°Hello, Father Lee Ki-Young. I heard many things about you. This is Temr Simon and I¡¯m¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ Temr Bahamut,¡± he introduced.


    I was sure that the one who made that future was the bastard in front of me.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I could sense it instinctively.

 Chapter 976: Altanus (13)

    Chapter 976: Altanus (13)


    I knew it without even using Mind¡¯s Eye.


    <em>¡®He¡¯s a viin. I can smell it.¡¯</em>


    The psychopathic murderer Jung Jin-Ho, second-rate old codger Lee Seol-Ho, Demon Worshiper Ito Sota, Demon Summoner Jin Cheong, Leader of the 27th Legion, Belial, Seraphim Alter, whom I could tear to pieces but still wouldn''t be satisfied, and the scummy Song Soo-Kyung who wasn''t even worth mentioning here...


    I had encountered so many viins that I had basically developed a viin detector, which allowed me to determine whether someone was a viin or not just by their looks.


    <em>¡®He looks like a viin.¡¯</em>


    Actually, Temr Bahamut looked normal.


    He wasn¡¯t as good-looking as Kim Hyun-Sung, but he was pretty good-looking.


    I sized him up and took note of his reddish hair, which wasn''t as red as Cha Hee-Ra''s hair. Actually, I wasn¡¯t sure whether it was bright brown or some type of red, but he had his hair down, reminding me of Jesus'' hairstyle.


    Hisrge frame was what caught my attention the most. He was massive and was covered with muscles all over. Unlike Park Deok-Gu, who had obtained his muscles by virtue of harsh training, it seemed like he was born with that kind of body.<em>¡®I think he''s over a hundred and ny centimeters?¡¯</em>


    If I were to exaggerate a bit, he''d be like a legendary demi-god. His arms looked like they were on the verge of exploding from the bulging muscles told me that he was a character whose main stat was Strength.


    <em>¡®That hand would send hundreds¡ªno, thousands of people to Lucifer¡¯s side with just one p. This bastard...¡¯</em>


    Basically, he was the Kim Hyun-Sung of this era.


    He was the hero of the continent and the hero unfortunate enough to get lost in history.


    Mind''s Eye was telling me that he was a hero based on his stats and abilities. His job, overwhelming stats, special abilities, unique abilities, equipment, and title were all top tier.


    The only difference between him and Kim Hyun-Sung was that his main stat was Strength, while Kim Hyun-Sung''s main stat was Agility. Of course, he wouldn''t be able topare to Kim Hyun-Sung with his current stats, so it wasn¡¯t worthparing the two.


    <em>¡®You have no idea how hard I worked to strengthen him.¡¯</em>


    From Zero Hyun-Sung, First Life Kim Hyun-Sung, Second Life Kim Hyun-Sung, Doom Hyun-Sung, Doom Doom Hyung-Sung, Disconnected Hyun-Sung, to Sunset Hyun-Sung¡­ I worked so hard to strengthen him.


    Even if Temr Bahamut was a hero, he couldn¡¯t bepared to Seven-Star Kim Hyun-Sung, who had been strengthened to the max, but if I had topare him to Kim Hyun-Sung, then I would say¡­


    <em>¡®I think he¡¯s on the same level as Doom Hyun-Sung¡­ Actually, maybe Doom Doom Hyun-Sung.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Lee Ki-Young. It¡¯s an honor to meet you, Father Bahamut,¡± I introduced myself.


    ¡°I finally got to meet you. If possible, I¡¯d like to speak with you somewhere more private, but¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    <em>¡®This crazy viinous bastard.¡¯</em>


    Doom Doom Hyun-Sung was sadly defeated by Seraphim Alter, whom I really wanted to rip to shreds, but it was only because Seraphim Alter was Doom Doom Hyun-Sung''s direct counter.


    It was evidenced by how Thronus¡ªwho was on the same level as Seraphim Alter but with different abilities¡ªcouldn¡¯t handle Kim Hyun-Sung¡¯s power at the time.


    When it came to stats alone, Seraphim Alter couldn¡¯tpare to Kim Hyun-Sung at all


    I was at a loss for words because the guy before me was on <em>that </em>level.


    The powers bestowed upon him by Saint Altanus were mere side effects for him.


    <em>¡®He''s human¡­ right?¡¯</em>


    Could a mere human actually be this strong?


    Yes, it was possible. Otherwise, that certain someone wouldn''t exist.


    <em>¡®Hee-Ra noona.¡¯</em>


    Cha Hee-Ra noona was born to be strong, and he was born to climb to the top and crush those beneath them.


    There were people like Cha Hee-Ra, and of course, there were other types of people, but I believed Temr Bahamut was the same type of person as Cha Hee-Ra.


    If I had to describe him, it was like he took Kim Hyun-Sung and Cha Hee-Ra¡¯s good qualities for himself. I was sure he wasn''t the type to go berserk like Hee-Ra noona, as he wasn''t the type of person who would allow his instincts to control him.


    Swordsman-rted information was written in his title and traits, so I could tell that he wasn''t like Hee-Ra noona, who was capable of leveling up just by breathing.


    He wasn''t the type of person to neglect his training. He was always trying to improve himself, and he always wanted to be even stronger. I was sure he was the one who wrote the Temr Training Experiment Report.


    In his eyes, time was a weapon. What if this viin actually had eternal life?


    <em>¡®You horrendous monster.¡¯</em>


    He''d be a monster akin to a natural disaster.


    Temr Bahamut had such a powerful aura that I didn¡¯t even notice Temr Simon, who was looking all serious as if he were the second-inmand. I unknowingly wanted to rely on him. If he had fallen into the tutorial dungeon with me, I would have bought his coin.


    <em>¡®He¡¯s nothing but a viin now, though.¡¯</em>


    My holy soul quivered beneath his viinous stench.


    ¡°Unfortunately, I couldn¡¯t find the opportunity. Father Draktaris really wanted to keep you hidden¡­ I¡¯m d we managed to meet somehow,¡± Temr Bahamut said.


    <em>''That¡¯s right.''</em>


    <em>¡®You guys are political enemies, after all.¡¯</em>


    ¡°It¡¯s because I¡¯ve been too busy¡­¡± I said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not criticizing you. It was simply a joke about how much I wanted to meet you¡­ I¡¯m sorry if I burdened you with it,¡± Temr Bahamut apologized.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I heard about the miracle that happened in the prayer room. Of course, there are other things I¡¯m personally curious about besides that. I heard you were a wandering priest in the Land of Nejesca,¡± Temr Bahamut said.


    ¡°Yes, Father Bahamut. It was nothing special, but I was active in the conflict zone between the empires,¡± I answered.


    ¡°I was also active in the Land of Nejesca, but they were in war during that time. <em>Ah</em>, I protected the civilians during that time¡­¡± Temr Bahamut informed.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    I needed to smile for now because he was being friendly toward me as well.


    ¡°It¡¯s rare for Temrs to be dispatched to the ground level¡­ but at the time, the Land of Nejesca needed help. I¡¯ve always been bothered by the fact that I couldn¡¯t see it to the end, but I finally have the chance to do that. If you don¡¯t mind¡­ is it okay if we talk for a moment?¡± Temr Bahamut asked.


    ¡°Of course, Father Bahamut,¡± I answered with a smile.


    <em>¡®He¡¯s good at talking and has good manners.¡¯</em>


    I knew he wasn¡¯t the type to just swing his sword, but he was a lot more skilled than I thought.


    He found amon topic about the Land of Nejesca, and we naturally changed to topics I wasfortable talking about. He looked really friendly. I wasn¡¯t sure whether he was acting or not, but I could see his desire to get to know the Priest of Miracles and Divine Messages.


    I had no idea whether this was his real personality or not. I couldn''t help but think that perhaps he was hiding his true colors, but there was a chance that he simply held no malicious intent toward me.


    Time and the environment could change people, and he could be <em>that </em>kind of person, too.


    ¡°Are you¡­ okay with that, Father Draktaris?¡± Temr Bahamut asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s up to Father Lee Ki-Young. It¡¯s not something you should be asking me, Temr Bahamut,¡± Draktaris answered.


    ¡°In that case, we¡¯ll just talk for a bit,¡± I told him.


    ¡°As you wish.¡±


    We started walking away. When I saw that we were heading toward the balcony, it became clear to me that he really didn''t want to get interrupted. I felt the wind blowing across my face, and the noises and music slowly disappeared.


    ¡°So¡­ what¡¯s Nejesca¡­ like now?¡± Temr Bahamut asked.


    ¡°Honestly, I can¡¯t say that the situation has improved¡­ but the denizens are really determined to ovee it. It¡¯s not because of the wandering priests; they¡¯re the ones helping each other out. I can feel their determination to get through these difficult times,¡± I replied.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t exin everything that¡¯s happening there, but I remember the vige I stayed at was like that. The other wandering priests I met from time to time¡ª¡±


    ¡°Can you tell me where the vige was located?¡± Temr Bahamut interrupted.


    <em>¡®You won¡¯t know even if I tell you.¡¯</em>


    <em>''I probably can¡¯t tell him that.''</em>


    ¡°I remember it being near a small city named Arpe, Temr Bahamut,¡± I answered.


    ¡°Arpe¡­¡± Temr Bahamut repeated.


    ¡°Is that the region you were active in?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No, Father. The region I worked in was closer to the frontline¡­ I did pass by it once, though. I remember¡­ the fountain located in the center of the city was beautiful, and the inn I stayed in was quite impressive,¡± Temr Bahamut answered.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really know what happened now¡­ but you must know better than me,¡± Temr Bahamut said.


    <em>¡®He¡¯s trying to sound me out.¡¯</em>


    It was understandable, as I was basically just a random wandering priest.


    A random wandering priest had suddenly be the center of attention at an important social gathering, and I even received a divine message. Actually, it wasn''t that strange for a priest to receive a Divine Message, but Temr Genny made him feel doubtful.


    I was sure the Temrs had asked about what had happened in the prayer room.


    However, Temr Genny, who had sworn on Lady''s Lucifer name, remained quiet, so they became suspicious of it. To make matters worse, I was one of Draktaris¡¯ people. If the Temrs had done all sorts of background checks on me, it wouldn''t be strange if they became even more suspicious of me.


    It was hard to uncover the identity of a wandering priest, but¡­


    <em>¡®I¡¯m sure they couldn¡¯t find anything about me.¡¯</em>


    I felt like they''d start looking into how I had gotten the invitation in the first ce.


    ¡°It will look different from before,¡± I informed him.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Arpe is still a beautiful ce though, Temr Bahamut,¡± I added.


    I had never been to Arpe, but I <em>did </em>study the Land of Nejesca to the point that I felt sick just hearing its name alone. I knew about the fountain he had mentioned, and if I were to exaggerate a bit, I probably knew that ce more than the denizens there.


    Still, it was better to be vague about my answers.


    <em>¡®He¡¯s being cautious as well.¡¯</em>


    If he had been more direct or had tried a stupid method to sound me out, I would have lied.


    However, if I said, ¡°Yes, thatke is very beautiful,¡± then he¡¯d definitely say, ¡°There¡¯s noke in Arpe,¡± and he¡¯d change his attitude toward me.


    I was sure that he wasn''t a hundred percent suspicious of me.


    There were too many people who had witnessed the miracle in the prayer room for him to say that Father Draktaris was lying. I was sure the news had already spread like wildfire, and he couldn''t treat me rudely after hearing the witness testimonies.


    ¡°About the people there, what do you think of them?¡± Temr Bahamut asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    I thought it''d be best for me to take the initiative.


    ¡°You seem to be interested in somethingpletely different, Temr Bahamut.¡±


    It was important to let him know that I was not an idiot. He was reasonable for someone as massive as him.


    He seemed to value rules and discipline a lot, as he had decided to engage in a political war with Father Draktaris, even though he could easily kill thetter.


    ¡°I¡¯m not an idiot, Temr Bahamut. If there¡¯s something you¡¯re really curious about, I want you to be straightforward and ask me about it,¡± I told him.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Father. That¡¯s not what I meant. I just¡ª¡±


    ¡°What do you want to know?¡± I interrupted him.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡± There was silence. It seemed like he had no idea what to say, but the hesitant man eventually asked, ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡± ¡°What kind of person¡­¡± I trailed off.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Do I look like in your eyes?¡± I continued.


    With that, I spread my wings. There were bright lights, and he looked at me with a dumbfounded gaze. One of my eyes was emitting a radiant golden light as I stared at him. The next moment, everything vanished as if it were just an illusion, and I saw him staring at me while holding his breath.

 Chapter 977: Altanus (14)

    Chapter 977: Altanus (14)


    I couldn¡¯t just tell Temr Bahamut that I was the God of Sacrifice and Revival, and I obviously couldn¡¯t keep my wings open. It was annoying to keep telling people that I was the incarnation of Lucifer, and more importantly, I didn¡¯t know how he was going to react.


    There was no guarantee that he wouldn''t go berserk like what Spirit Gelk had done.


    It would be enough if he thought that he had just seen an illusion. I just needed him to doubt what he had seen and question whether what he had seen was real or not. It had to be enough to sway him.


    <em>¡®Even if he doesn''t swayed by that¡­¡¯</em>


    He wouldn''t be suspicious of me, at the very least.


    It didn¡¯t matter whether he thought of me as a wandering priest with special holy power, a saint who had received the Goddess'' blessing, an angel from up above, or Lucifer''s messenger. The important part was making him get rid of any negative thoughts about me.


    If he had no choice but to doubt me, then I wanted him to doubt me in a positive way.


    ¡°What do I look like, Temr Bahamut?¡± I asked.


    ¡°...¡±¡°No matter what you think of me, I¡¯m just an ordinary wandering priest. I¡¯m a believer who serves Lucifer with all my heart. I spread her word, and I live only for her. I understand if you have questions about my past, but¡­¡± I trailed off.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°But my past doesn''t matter anymore. I''m nothing more than a priest serving her wholeheartedly,¡± I said.


    <em>¡®He¡¯s still out of it.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Just now¡­¡± Temr Bahamut mumbled.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Just now¡­¡± Temr Bahamut repeated.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Just now, what¡­¡± Temr Bahamut trailed off.


    ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± I asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    He''d be proving that I was an innocent priest by staying quiet.


    <em>¡®I don¡¯t know anything, damn it. I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re saying or what happened just now.¡¯</em>


    In the end¡­


    ¡°I-It¡¯s nothing, Father. And¡­¡± Temr Bahamut trailed off.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to apologize again¡­ for being rude earlier,¡± Temr Bahamut added.


    <em>''That¡¯s what I want to hear.''</em>


    ¡°I ept your apology,¡± I said.


    However, it was still awkward. He had clearly made a mistake, and he couldn''t stop thinking about the "illusion" he had seen just now, so he couldn¡¯t think properly at all.


    The situation was now in my control.


    ¡°We can now enjoy our time together,¡± I said.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°About the Land of Nejesca and other things,¡± I told him.


    ¡°<em>Ah</em>.¡±


    I was suggesting that we go back to what we originally came here to do.


    Cornering someone who was still out of it was easy.


    There were many things to talk about, such as the Land of Nejesca, Temrs, and the topics at the social gathering. I was going to meet a lot more people at the social gathering today, but a huge bait was waiting for me, so I couldn¡¯t let this opportunity pass by.


    Even I thought I had the ability to curry favor from other people.


    I just needed to y along. It was easy to refrain from talking about things they didn''t want to hear and gain their favor by saying things that they wanted to hear, but it wasn¡¯t something everyone was capable of doing.


    <em>¡®A person like him¡­¡¯</em>


    I was sure he had heard a lot of ttery before.


    The minor incident earlier could actually help me out. He basically owed me a debt.


    <em>¡®I''m also a guest here, after all.¡¯</em>


    ¡°I see. Did that really happen?¡± Temr Bahamut asked.


    ¡°Yes. As you already know, the Land of Nejesca¡­¡±


    ¡°<em>Ah.</em>¡±


    I talked about that ce and took a sip of wine in the middle of it.


    Of course, we also talked about theology.


    He studied theology as a Temr, but he wasn¡¯t on the same level as someone like me who had devoted myself to theology.


    I was aware of Lucifer¡¯s teachings and the knowledge that was scribbled down by renowned theologists was also embedded into my head. I added my own interpretation and made sure that it wouldn''t go against Lucifer''s teachings. If it wasn¡¯t enough, I would make riddles to confuse him.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure everything is ording to Lady Lucifer¡¯s will. Thend is green, and the river is dark, after all,¡± I said.


    It was so ridiculous that <em>I</em> didn¡¯t even know what I was saying.


    Why would the river be dark when thend was green?


    It was nonsense, and it wasn''t even convincing to begin with, but we had an in-depth discussion about the holy scripture, so I couldn¡¯t help but think that he was making his own interpretation of my words.


    I probably looked like a knowledgeable person in his eyes.


    ¡°For issues like this, I think we should approach it with joy, reason, and sacredness,¡± I said.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Father¡­ but I don¡¯t quite understand¡­ Can you tell me more about how I should approach it?¡± Temr Bahamut asked.


    ¡°The act of exining with detail isn¡¯t holy, Temr Bahamut. I believe that¡¯s the case for this issue¡­¡± I answered.


    ¡°...¡±


    I was sure he was getting a headache.


    ¡°I¡¯m embarrassed. I also thought I was serving Lady Lucifer sincerely, but¡­¡± Temr Bahamut paused.


    ¡°We just serve her in different ways. While I couldn''t do anything other than read and pray, you''re already serving her as her sword,¡± I said.


    I didn¡¯t want to give him too much credit, so I only gave himpliments when necessary.


    As always, people would always realize something at this point of the conversation.


    <em>¡®He¡¯s easier to talk to than I thought.¡¯</em>


    It would be great if he realized that, and it would be enough for me right now. After all, we were just getting started. We entered the social gathering hall and talked about many different topics while walking side by side.


    Temr Simon and other insignificant people invited to the social gathering had joined the conversation, but Temr Bahamut and I were thest ones to remain and continue the conversation, like those people who''d always stayst in a drinking party.


    We told everyone that we were going on a stroll and left the hall. We proceeded to have another deep conversation. He seemed to be thinking that I was easier to talk to than he thought because he talked a lot more than earlier.


    I could tell that he liked me.


    Perhaps it was because of my wings, but it was an undeniable fact that he was influenced by my personality, which was as radiant as the light.


    When we were far enough from the social gathering hall, we continued our conversation. We saw what looked like a training hall in the distance, and it was perfect timing, as it was about time I showed him the human side of the Priest of Divine Message.


    ¡°I had the opportunity to learn the sword before,¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem to believe me.¡± I pointed out.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I just can¡¯t imagine it¡­¡± Temr Bahamut said.


    ¡°That opportunity was back when I was still young¡­ Everyone dreams of being a knight or mercenary when they¡¯re young. During that time, I wasn¡¯t aware of Lady Lucifer¡¯s will, and I had yet to realize my destiny back then.


    "I imagined taking down monsters just like the children dreaming of bing warriors,¡± I exined.


    It wasn¡¯t something I told everyone. I only drank one cup of wine due to the mood, but I had to act like I was getting drunk. That was why I was talking a lot more and was even talking about the past.


    I could also be talking more because I felt morefortable around him than I thought I would.


    ¡°I learned it from a swordsman in a small city¡­ It''s not impressive, but I was pretty proud of it at the time,¡± I said.


    <em>¡®He¡¯s looking at me as if he wants to see my swordsmanship.¡¯</em>


    He didn¡¯t say it because he was afraid that it would be rude, but I could see it from his expression. He had his own reasons for seeing it, after all.


    ¡°Right now, I''m practicing it to defend myself. As a wandering priest, I do end up in dangerous situations, after all,¡± I told him.


    ¡°I see. If you don¡¯t mind, can you show me your swordsmanship? I want to make up for my rudeness earlier as well¡­¡± Temr Bahamut asked.


    ¡°I had already epted your apology earlier, Temr Bahamut,¡± I reminded him.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Still, it¡¯s a good opportunity¡­ so I¡¯ll show you a little bit,¡± I said.


    I held up my sword awkwardly.


    <em>¡®I wanted to show him the killer techniques I learned from Hyun-Sung, but¡­¡¯</em>


    I couldn¡¯t leak any information. I learned swordsmanship from Rafael, so I decided to show him what I had learned from Rafael.


    This was an event that would show him my human side, and Temr Bahamut needed to see it to obtain decent information about me. I had been dragging him around during our conversation, so it was about time for him to earn something.


    This was also a necessary step toward friendship on equal grounds.


    ¡°<em>Whoo¡­</em>¡±


    I showed him the basics, and he was watching me with a serious gaze.


    My arms were shaking because the sword was heavier than I thought, but it stayed up. I showed him my technique for about thirty minutes.


    When I ced my sword down, he nodded quietly and remarked, ¡°You learned a great technique."


    <em>¡®Really?¡¯</em>


    ¡°Youck the stamina, but¡­¡± Temr Bahamut trailed off, looking like he didn¡¯t know what to say. It was like he had a hard time making ament, and the sight made me feel miserable.


    ¡°It''s obvious, but when you swing your sword¡­¡± Temr Bahamut showed an example.


    He looked like he swung his sword lightly, but I actually heard a <em>whoosh</em>.


    ¡°This technique requires a good bnce. It''s a sword technique that relies on exaggerated skill and the use of mana. It looks like a simple sword technique, but¡­¡±


    <em>¡®He just won¡¯t stop talking. He¡¯s having fun.¡¯</em>


    Temr Bahamut was talking a lot to make up for the time when he was quiet while we were talking about theology.


    ¡°I¡¯ll help you with your stance,¡± Temr Bahamut offered.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Yes, like that¡­¡± Temr Bahamut said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You have to put a little more strength into your lower body. Move your arm here¡­ Great, you¡¯re doing great,¡± Temr Bahamut said.


    <em>¡®Geez, this is really hard.¡¯</em>


    ¡°...¡±


    I felt like a doll because hisrge hand was moving me around.


    Of course, we couldn¡¯t spend a lot of time on it because it was already gettingte.


    Temr Bahamut was satisfied, and I was somewhat satisfied as well. I think he had gotten a little morefortable after we left the social gathering. Now, it was time to part ways, so I needed to say something before we meet next time.


    ¡°I can¡¯t see the sky from here,¡± I said.


    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Temr Bahamut said.


    ¡°When I was at the Land of Nejesca, I''d always look up at the sky after finishing my work. The stars in the pitch-ck sky seemed to take away the exhaustion I had umted during the day. Doing that became a habit for me, so I''ll unknowingly look up at the sky every day,¡± I told him.


    ¡°Since you arrived here¡­¡± Temr Bahamut trailed off.


    ¡°Yes, I haven¡¯t seen the sky since then, but that pitch-ck ceiling looks simr to the sky I had seen a long time ago,¡± I said.


    I was sure he knew what I was talking about.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been a really long time since I talked to someone this long¡­ so thank you for spending time with me today, Temr Bahamut,¡± I said.


    ¡°I should be the one thanking you, Father,¡± he said.


    I rejected Temr Bahamut''s offer to take me to my room and started walking away.


    Soon, Temr Genny appeared before me and greeted me, but I didn¡¯t see his energetic face, and perhaps it was because of my pale face.


    ¡°Father?¡± Temr Genny muttered and checked up on me.


    Draktaris, who was standing nearby, did the same. He breathed out in relief upon seeing that I was fine. However, there were tears in his eyes, and he looked like he was out of breath. He was trying to hold back his tears, but he was failing at it.


    ¡°What happened? Father Lee Ki-Young¡­ what on earth¡­¡±


    <em>''You¡¯re watching, right? Temr Genny, was he watching? I believe he''s going to cut off the arm of one of his seniors.''</em>


    ¡°He¡¯s¡­ <em>Haa¡­ haa¡­</em> He¡¯s¡­¡± I panted.


    It was time to cause amotion.

 Chapter 978: Altanus (15)

    Chapter 978: Altanus (15)


    ¡°Father¡­¡± Draktaris mumbled.


    ¡°Are you okay, Father? Father,¡± Temr Genny asked.


    My face was filled with many emotions, such as fear, confusion, and horror.


    The sight was probably making them imagine many things.


    I cried as if someone had turned on the faucet in my eyes, and I was trembling as if I had jumped into the ocean mid-winter. My face was pale, my lips were dry, and I was panicking, making Draktaris and Temr Genny confused about what to do.


    They were obviously worried about me. Of course, they were curious as well, as I showed this kind of reaction right after meeting with Father Bahamut.


    They were probably thinking about what exactly had happened and why I was reacting this way. By now, I was sure there were several assumptions in their heads.


    It was ridiculous how Temr Geny was making a big deal as if this was happening to him. Perhaps my never-ending teardrops of light had made him emotional, or he was probably just worried and sympathizing with my pain.


    He was crying as well.¡°Father! Father!¡± Draktaris eximed. Unlike the child who couldn¡¯t hide his emotions, he was trying to understand the situation. However, he also seemed afraid of what I was going to say.


    ¡°<em>Haa¡­ haa¡­</em>¡± I took a deep breath, and the two stared nervously at me.


    Father Draktaris turned and chased away the people who weren''t supposed to be here.


    ¡°Father Draktaris.¡±


    ¡°Not now, and don¡¯t ask what happened today,¡± Draktaris ordered.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°Temr Genny¡­¡±


    ¡°I-I¡­¡±


    He even gave Temr Genny a few orders. The shocked boy bit his lips as if he wanted to stay with me, but the young Temr couldn¡¯t rebel against Father Draktaris.


    To make things worse, the key figures who were still here were giving him signs, so I was sure that even he himself thought that he wasn''t supposed to be here. However, that was his problem.


    He also had the right to stay and hear me out.


    I grabbed his sleeve as if I needed someone to lean on, and he nodded with a serious face. My action seemed to have given him courage. He looked as if he knew that I needed him and that it was his job to protect me.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Father. Everything is going to be okay,¡± Temr Genny reassured.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll stay by your side. It¡¯s okay. It¡¯ll be fine,¡± Temr Genny added.


    <em>¡®What¡¯s going to be okay? What¡¯s this got to do with you¡­ It doesn¡¯t matter if you¡¯re beside me or not, man. He¡¯s pretty stupid as well. Perhaps he was born stupid.¡¯</em>


    However, hisforting words seemed to be effective, as the young Temr became the sanctuary of the Priest of Divine Message.


    I managed toe back to my senses.


    ¡°Father Lee Ki-Young¡­¡± Draktaris muttered.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for showing such a disgraceful side of me, Father Draktaris. And to the others as well,¡± I said.


    ¡°If it¡¯s too difficult to say, you don¡¯t have to say it, Father,¡± Temr Genny said.


    <em>¡®What¡¯s difficult to say? I¡¯m going to tell you no matter what. Learn to read the room, Genny.¡¯</em>


    I thought it would be best to set the mood first. I nodded with a firm face, looking like I had made a decision. Then, I looked up at them as if I was ready to let them know the secret that I had been hiding for a while now.


    <em>¡®Confidently and proudly.¡¯</em>


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to tell you this, but¡­¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Sometimes¡­ I see strange scenes,¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    I decided to talk a bit about it.


    ¡°One of my eyes will sometimes see a different ce,¡± I said.


    They revealed solemn looks at my revtion.


    It wasn¡¯t something they could just ignore.


    If some beggar said such words, they¡¯d tell them to go to a mental hospital or something, but I wasn¡¯t some ordinary priest. I received a divine message from Lucifer just a few days ago. I received information about Saint Altanus¡¯ downfall directly from her.


    The miraculous things happening to me were things that they couldn''t just overlook.


    ¡°Was it after¡­ you received the divine message?¡± Draktaris asked.


    I nodded.


    ¡°O Lucifer!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°O Lucifer¡­¡±


    ¡°You''re probably thinking that Lady Lucifer is trying tomunicate something through me¡­ but I¡¯m not sure whether this really is a miracle¡­ or¡­ I¡¯m¡­¡± I trailed off.


    <em>''Going crazy¡­''</em>


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know whether my assumptions are correct or not, so I¡¯m really worried,¡± I said.


    ¡°Father Lee Ki-Young¡­ I understand that you¡¯re scared, but this¡­ I¡¯m sure it¡¯s a blessing. I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a reason why Lady Lucifer had chosen you,¡± Draktaris said.


    Draktaris looked like he was trying his best to hide his smile. He seemed to beforting me, as I was confused, but I was sure that this development was good for his people.


    This was indeed a "blessing" for him. We didn''t even have to talk about the legitimacy of my words. However, Draktaris'' expression didn''tst long, and the room soon became quiet.


    It was probably because they finally understood why I was so cautious and afraid.


    Temr Genny looked at me and muttered, ¡°You¡­ saw something¡­ rted to Temr Bahamut¡­¡±


    They understood the storyline. They were really good at figuring out the story.


    I had to start trembling again, but I had already gained some courage earlier. I realized that I could ovee this hardship, as I had people who cared about me.


    <em>''Ovee this, Ki-Young. You can do it. The people here will be your strength.''</em>


    ¡°Father,¡± Temr Genny said.


    <em>''Yeah, thanks for giving me courage. Thanks to you, I¡¯m able to take one step forward.''</em>


    ¡°Father Lee Ki-Young¡­¡± Father Draktaris said.


    <em>''Same goes for your Draktaris¡­''</em>


    ¡°Temr Bahamut¡­¡± I paused.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡­ saw him worshiping an evil god,¡± I confessed.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I saw him sacrificing something inside an iron maiden, and he was bowing toward this evil god. I saw a river of blood at his feet, along with a mountain of corpses. Those who are still alive are screaming for help. Many died while screaming out Lady Lucifer¡¯s name. It was such a horrible sight that I couldn¡¯t¡­ look at it properly,¡± I exined.


    ¡°<em>Ah¡­</em>¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know the exact timeframe¡­ or why it happened. I don¡¯t even know if what I had seen will happen in the distant future¡­ but as Father Draktaris said, I felt like I had received some kind of message,¡± I added.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I must have seen¡­¡± I trailed off. ¡°the downfall of Saint Altanus¡­ and¡­ Temr Bahamut."


    ¡°...¡±


    They were decent puzzle pieces that I had yet to put together.


    ¡°The first divine message was clearly about the saint losing her holy power,¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°And the second¡­¡±


    It felt like I was <em>really </em>cornering him, so I thought it''d be best if I denied it at least once.


    ¡°I can''t imagine Temr Bahamut betraying Lady Lucifer. The Temr Bahamut that I know looked like someone who respected Lady Lucifer and Saint Altanus more than anyone else. I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a reason behind it¡­ perhaps there''s something I haven''t seen yet," I said.


    I saw it clearly with my own two eyes, but we still needed more information.


    Moreover, the narrative that would piece the puzzle pieces together was still missing.


    ¡°If his n has always been to betray Lady Lucifer, then¡­¡±


    I was sure Draktaris wanted to believe that.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t going to be easy,¡± Draktaris said.


    <em>''Yeah, it won¡¯t be easy.''</em>


    I was no longer at the center of attention. The worried Draktaris and his minions were talking seriously among themselves.


    ¡°What do we do?¡± Draktaris asked.


    ¡°He has many followers in the Underground Temple, Father Draktaris. We must gather those people, restrain them, and n for the future,¡± one of his minions suggested.


    ¡°This is an urgent situation, so we must prepare for the future. He¡¯s a threat to the Underground Temple¨C-no, the continent,¡± they said.


    ¡°How about we summon the Heretic Inquisitors? If what Father Lee Ki-Young said is true, then I¡¯m sure we can find evidence,¡± another suggested.


    ¡°If we don¡¯t find anything, we''re going to be in a difficult situation, and we''re talking about Bahamut here. If he sees that we¡¯re on the move, he might try to rally the others. No, if he reveals his true intentions before that happens¡­¡±


    ¡°<em>Ha¡­</em> evil god¡­ evil god¡­ O Lucifer!¡± Draktaris eximed.


    ¡°What about assassins or mercenaries aboveground?¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t ask them toe down to the Underground Temple,¡± Draktaris replied.


    ¡°If I may speak¡­ shouldn¡¯t we wait and see whether what Father Lee Ki-Young had seen was truly Lady Lucifer¡¯s prophecy?¡±


    ¡°Watch what you say! How dare you speak such nonsense?!¡± Draktaris roared.


    ¡°We must be certain, Father Draktaris. Once we start moving, we won''t be able to stop. A war might erupt in the Underground Temple. We must be really careful about this,¡± said one of Draktaris'' minions.


    These bastards were not as courageous as I thought. If Father Basel were here, he¡¯d yell at someone, ordering them to bring over his mace, and then he''d charge at those daring enough to oppose him while cursing at them.


    However, I understood why they were being so cautious.


    <em>¡®I¡¯d be in a difficult situation as well if a war were to break out here.¡¯</em>


    The people who were here right now and those who''d stand with them would be wary of the Temrs. If they were to bring the Heretic Inquisitors or whatever here, things would definitely backfire, and they''d lose their lives.


    I hated it whenever people were questioning me, but it was inevitable for some people to refuse to ept me as the Priest of Divine Message or prophecy.


    I acted like I was having a headache, and Temr Genny called out to me. ¡°Father.¡±


    He looked more worried than before.


    ¡°Father?¡± Temr Genny repeated.


    When he called out, I saw the others having a discussion.


    ¡°Father, right now¡­¡±


    ¡°<em>Huh¡­</em>¡±


    ¡°This is¡­¡±


    Draktaris¡¯ "family" and Temr Genny were unwittingly transfixed on one of my eyes because it was emitting a radiant golden light. The priests felt the holy power of my golden eye, and they all knelt one by one.


    ¡°Priest of Prophecy¡­¡±


    ¡°Priest of Prophecy¡­¡±


    ¡°O Lucifer!¡±


    ¡°<em>Ahh!</em>¡±


    ¡°<em>Ahhh!</em>¡±


    They cast stupefied gazes on me. I looked up nkly as if I couldn''t see the priests kneeling before me. I didn¡¯t say anything about what I had seen just now.


    After they all left, however, I walked up to Temr Genny and whispered, ¡°Temr Genny."


    ¡°Yes, Father,¡± Temr Genny answered.


    ¡°I¡¯m not someone special,¡± I said.


    ¡°That¡¯s not true, Father. You¡¯re a special person,¡± Temr Genny said, refuting my words.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not, Temr Genny. So¡­ you don¡¯t¡­ have to put your life on the line for me. Remember this. You don¡¯t need to throw your life for me,¡± I told him.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Keep that in mind,¡± I said.¡±


    ¡°...¡± ¡°Don¡¯t die for me,¡± I added.


    I only managed to make this honest statement because I truly cared about him.


    However, he was still going to die for me one way or another.


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to save me,¡± I told him.

 Chapter 979: Altanus (16)

    Chapter 979: Altanus (16)


    It was too early to decide which route to take.


    I had yet toe up with a n of what I had to do if things went wrong once I had be Altanus. It would be better to discuss the best next course of action once it was over.


    n B was the safer route, but if ended up in the worst-case scenario, I would have to consider n A. Right now, the most reasonable thing for me to do was to make my move while considering both routes at the same time.


    That was exactly the reason I decided to nt a seed in Temr Genny.


    <em>¡®Whether it¡¯s Genny or Gen, he¡¯ll be my shield at least once.¡¯</em>


    If I were to go with n A, it¡¯d be Genny. If I were to go with n B, it¡¯d be Gen.


    Actually, even if the future ended up changing, I could still create a scene where Temr Gen would have to make a noble sacrifice in Kim Hyun-Sung¡¯s ce.


    <em>¡®It¡¯ll be the same for Draktaris.¡¯</em>


    I had an idea about how to do that. I just had toy the foundation that would turn him into my coborator, deepen the conflict between Bahamut and Draktaris, and transform Draktaris into an NPC who would help against the final boss.<em>¡®This could be the reason why I haven¡¯t heard any news about defeating Draktaris.¡¯</em>


    Hee-Ra noona probably found this boring, but those who had entered the prayer room could have noticed that the raid condition had changed.


    Regardless, the main force seemed to have decided to continue with the raid, so I could assume that they were not in a dangerous situation. Regardless of what n I ended up choosing, Draktaris could still be an allied NPC.


    The key to these two routes was Temr Bahamut.


    <em>¡®Weakening their forces is the first thing to do.¡¯</em>


    It would be better if we could get rid of them¡­


    <em>¡®But it¡¯s too risky.¡¯</em>


    He was the hero of this world, after all.


    The continent had to meet its end after Benigoa or I had entered the iron maiden, but it would only happen when Lucifer was finally ready to abandon the continent.


    If the continent were to meet its end in a different way, the future would definitely change into something unfamiliar to me. Temr Genny was a shield. A shield that''d protect the continent until Benigoa or I had inherited the continent.


    Moreover, I could easily kill him if I wanted to do so.


    ¡°Father, how about reconsidering it?¡± Draktaris suggested.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Father Draktaris,¡± I replied.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Lady Lucifer wants it. I-I don¡¯t know whether what I had seen was the future that is about to begin or not, but as you and the others had said, I don''t think I¡¯m worthy of the title, ''Priest of Prophecy¡­''¡± I paused.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°But if Lady Lucifer had truly bestowed upon you that ability, there had to be a reason behind it. I might be able to figure out the reasons behind Temr Bahamut¡¯s downfall, and I might be able to stop it as well. I need to be close to him.


    "I-It hasn''t been that long since we met, but¡­ I don¡¯t think he''ll abandon Lady Lucifer,¡± I added.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I know what you¡¯re worried about, Father Draktaris. I agree that there might be a safer and more reasonable method than this¡­ but I believe that this is the only thing that I can do,¡± I told him.


    ¡°Father¡­¡±


    ¡°Even if he''s going to abandon Lady Lucifer¡ª¡±


    ¡°How about at least taking Temr Genny or the other guards with you?¡± Draktaris suggested.


    It wasn¡¯t a bad idea, but I shook my head. I didn''t want him to put his guard back up.


    ¡°F-Father Lee Ki-Young, Father Draktaris is right. As you said, it¡¯ll be nice if nothing happens, b-but you might end up in a dangerous situation¡­¡± Temr Genny chimed in.


    ¡°I¡¯m just going to spend some time with him, Temr Genny,¡± I reassured him.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t do anything that¡¯ll worry you, so you don¡¯t have to worry,¡± I added.


    ¡°But Father!¡±


    ¡°As I told you yesterday¡­ I¡¯m not someone special. Please keep that in mind, Temr Genny,¡± I reminded him.


    I stepped back slowly.


    Temr Genny frowned as if he were looking at someone who was being sold off, but the Priest of Prophecy would never avoid his fate.


    I was scared, but I knew that the bigger picture was more important than me.


    I smiled brightly, trying to tell him that it wasn''t a big deal.


    I used that same bright smile to greet the guest who had been waiting for me.


    ¡°Temr Bahamut!¡± I greeted in an energetic voice.


    Temr Bahamut wasn''t the type of person to enjoy a social gathering, so he wouldn¡¯t have attended the third day of this social gathering if it hadn''t been for me.


    It seemed that he had truly enjoyed our time together yesterday.


    <em>¡®I¡¯m sure he enjoyed it.¡¯</em>


    The Underground Temple had no concept of recreation, and the Goddess'' Hand Mirror had yet to exist, so I was sure Temr Bahamut''s daily life was boring. Moreover, he was always in thepany of the same priests.


    He had just met someone easy to talk to, so I was sure he was excited to spend some more time with that individual¡ªan outsider who cared about no one else but Lucifer.


    ¡°You¡¯re here,¡± Bahamut greeted.


    ¡°I saw you from back there, Temr Bahamut¡­¡± I said.


    ¡°<em>Hahaha¡­</em>¡± Temr Bahamut chuckled sheepishly. It was a short conversation, but the atmosphere was clearly better than yesterday. His sword training ss had helped us build a bond, and our interaction was so natural that there was no awkwardness.


    <em>¡®People are normally awkward around each other the day after having a few drinks with each other.¡¯</em>


    It could be said that we were already past that point.


    ¡°Father Draktaris.¡±


    ¡°Temr Bahamut.¡±


    The two pirs of the Underground Temple looked at each other. At this rate, things were going to get awkward, so I had to get in between the two.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go spend some time with Temr Bahamut, Father Draktaris,¡± I said.


    ¡°Understood, Father Lee Ki-Young,¡± Draktaris answered.


    I had a lot to do at the social gathering, but there were things I needed to prioritize. I had already informed Metel of the things she needed to do and the people she needed to meet.


    I saw her with so many people around her, so she was definitely doing a great job.


    <em>¡®Draktaris will start making his move as well.¡¯</em>


    He was gathering his people and nning for the future.


    Rather than staying with Draktaris, it was more helpful to disappear quietly because I needed to gain the Mage Marquis and the Grand Duchess¡¯ favor. Of course, it¡¯d be kind of strange if I suddenly suggested that we head out, so it was better to wait for the right timing while talking to other people.


    ¡°<em>Hahahaha!</em>¡±


    The ce was filled withughter today as well.


    ¡°So that¡¯s the hidden meaning behind Lady Lucifer''s words. That¡¯s amazing, Father Lee Ki-Young.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just my own interpretation. How could my words rece her words?¡± I said.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so modest, <em>hahaha</em>. You said it was your own interpretation. In that case¡­ Mr. Bahamut¡­ can I ask what you think about this?¡±


    ¡°Before hearing Father Lee Ki-Young¡¯s words, I also understood her words as it is¡­ but after hearing his words, I believe there¡¯s a hidden meaning as well,¡± Bahamut answered.


    ¡°Your knowledge is pretty impressive. Now that I think about it when you arrived here¡­¡±


    <em>¡®The rumors reached that far already?¡¯</em>


    ¡°I heard from somewhere that you spent quite some time in the library.¡±


    ¡°I wanted to see what the Underground Temple¡¯s library looked like¡­¡± I told them.


    ¡°<em>Hahahaha.</em>¡±


    Of course, my goal today wasn¡¯t to entertain the people here. Although I wasughing with them, I needed to show that I was ufortable. To others, I seemed like the same old Lee Ki-Young, but Bahamut looked ufortable upon seeing me. His genuine smile from yesterday was nowhere to be seen.


    He kept looking around as if there was something he wanted to say to me, and he looked like he wanted to leave this ce.


    ¡°Are you okay, Father?¡± Temr Bahamut asked.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine,¡± I answered.


    Of course, I showed him that I wasn''t actually fine.


    ¡°How about we go get some fresh air?¡± Temr Bahamut suggested.


    I nodded as if I had been waiting for him to say that.


    ¡°You looked really ufortable earlier.¡± Temr Bahamut pointed out.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Yes, earlier¡­¡±


    ¡°That can¡¯t be¡­¡± I said.


    ¡°I could have been imagining things¡­ but that was how I felt. It¡¯s like you''re worried about something¡­¡± Temr Bahamut said.


    ¡°...¡±


    Naturally, I didn¡¯t say anything for a while because I needed to think about what I wanted to say. As always, I revealed a worried face and muttered, ¡°Well¡­"


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know how to tell you this, but¡­¡± I trailed off.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Sometimes¡­ I see strange scenes,¡± I continued.


    ¡°...¡±


    It was the same as yesterday.


    ¡°One of my eyes will sometimes see a different ce. It sounds crazy, but after receiving Lady Lucifer''s divine message, I have been seeing strange things¡ªthings that will happen in the future."


    I don''t know whether they''ll happen in the near or distant future, but they are things that are bound to happen, and I saw them as if they were illusions,¡± I exined.


    It was a secret that I had been keeping to myself. I hadn''t told anyone about this except for him. It was a stupid thing to do, and it was clearly strange to tell all of this to someone I had just met yesterday, but I had no one else to rely on because I was alone down here.


    Upon hearing my struggles, my new friend Bahamut stared quietly at me.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I know that it doesn''t make sense,¡± I said. ¡°...¡±


    ¡°<em>Ha¡­ haha</em>¡­ Actually, it was a joke, Mr. Bahamut. My joke must¡¯ve been a bit¡ª¡±


    ¡°I believe you.¡± Temr Bahamut interrupted me.


    ¡°You do?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I <em>think</em> I can believe you,¡± Temr Bahamut said, nodding.


    <em>¡®Yeah, I knew you''d believe me.¡¯</em>


    Since he had witnessed an illusion as well.


    He had witnessed the priest from aboveground spreading his wings and showing off his golden eye. He also saw an indescribable holy light spreading from the priest''s figure.


    Who would believe me if not him?


    ¡°Really?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, I believe you, Father,¡± Temr Bahamut replied.


    Perhaps it was because I was no longer feeling nervous, but my legs quivered, and I felt as if they''d give up at any moment now. Tears welled up in my eyes as if they were representing the hardships I had endured so far.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, can you tell me what you saw?¡± Temr Bahamut asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me if you don¡¯t feelfortable,¡± Temr Bahamut added.


    ¡°Well¡­¡± I trailed off.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, Mr. Bahamut,¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you right now¡­¡± I told him.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°But you must stay away from power,¡± I warned him.


    <em>boom!</em>


    There was an explosion as soon as my words fell, and the explosion enveloped me.


    However, I wasn¡¯t worried because Temr Bahamut was here to protect me. The explosion created mes simr to mes that one could only find in hell. It was a pitch-ck fire that gave off an ominous air.


    The nauseating mes looked as if it was going to devour everything in its path.


    ¡°<em>Ah!</em>¡±


    ¡°Watch out!¡±


    It was¡­


    [Hellfire Bomb Potion - Semi-Mythic]


    An item created by an unknown ck mage who had been hiding in the underground world all this while.

 Chapter 980: Altanus (17)

    Chapter 980: Altanus (17)


    <em>¡®Damn it.¡¯</em>


    It was stronger than I thought. It was such a huge explosion that it damaged the inner part of my precious ear, and the mes that spread afterward were on a different level from the fire an ordinary ck mage could make.


    Actually, I wasn¡¯t even sure if a ck mage was the one behind this.


    Interestingly, the explosion spread out immediately like a wave of darkness and devoured everything. If I were to exaggerate a bit, I''d say that it had a mind of its own.


    Before I could even scream, the fire that had its own will struck me like a wave.


    <em>¡®Ah, is this¡­ how¡­¡¯</em>


    Was this the end of the Saint of Sacrifice, who had lived his entire life for the sake of others? Was the light that fought for the greater good going to disappear here like mist?


    Fortunately, Bahamut wasn''t going to stand by and watch the saint¡¯s final moments.


    He covered me with his towering frame, and I saw hisrge arms wrapping around me. My vision went dark, and it was all because Bahamut had blocked the fire by embracing me. I was struggling to breathe; the mes had burned away the oxygen.The explosion covered a pretty big area, as it wasn¡¯t just a simple terrorist attack.


    It filled the entire room, and I could hear screams everywhere. To make things worse, the fire had squeezed through the opening in Bahamut''s protection and attacked me.


    Bahamut had a massive frame, but there was no way he could protect me perfectly.


    ¡°<em>Ack!</em>¡±


    I forced myself to swallow my screams because I knew that Bahamut was in more pain than me.


    ¡°<em>Ugh¡­</em>¡±


    Despite that, I couldn''t stop myself from groaning.


    <em>Kaboom!</em>


    I heard something fall, and I assumed that the ceiling was copsing.


    Afterward, I heard a high-pitched noise, and then¡­


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    The surroundings seemed to move backward as if everything was a tape that had been rewound.


    ¡°<em>Ah¡­</em>¡±


    I saw a horrible sight before me.


    The Underground Temple, which had managed to maintain its long history, culture, and knowledge, waspletely destroyed.


    Lady Lucifer¡¯s holy temple was destroyed as well.


    It was fortunate that the explosion had urred far from the social gathering hall.


    However, it seemed like the pitch-ck fire wasn''t going to go out anytime soon. To make matters worse, it was spreading while devouring everything in its path as if it were a demon.


    ¡°Mr. Bahamut? Are you okay? Mr. Bahamut!¡± I shouted. I was worried about the person who had decided to protect me rather than my surroundings.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Are you hurt anywhere, Mr. Bahamut?¡± I asked.


    He wasn¡¯t badly hurt. I wanted him to have burn scars, but his Endurance was pretty high, so I wasn''t expecting any of that. He could have internal injuries, so I became hopeful and examined him.


    Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t seem to be the case.


    <em>¡®Still, I¡¯m sure it was painful; he¡¯s just pretending that he''s not in pain.¡¯</em>


    He''d look bad if he were to make a fuss about pain.


    Regardless, I had to act like I was worried about him by exaggerating more than him and asking anxiously whether he was okay or not.


    Of course, it would be more effective if I was hurt because I could pretend like I was worried about him without realizing my own injuries.


    There was already a scar on one of my arms.


    The fire had enveloped him, so there could be burn scars like this all over him. At a nce, the injury looked excruciatingly painful, but I only cared about Bahamut right now.


    I could see some burn marks on him, so I mobilized my holy power.


    ¡°O-Oh no¡­¡± I said shockingly.


    It wasn¡¯t an ordinary burn injury, and it had to be purified as soon as possible. I was afraid that the mes had a horrifying side-effect simr to a gue. More importantly, I needed him to be aware of the work that I was putting in.


    ¡°Father¡­¡± Bahamut mumbled.


    ¡°Are you okay, Mr. Bahamut? If you wait a moment, I¡¯ll¡­¡± I paused.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I have to purify¡­¡±


    ¡°Father!¡± Bahamut shouted.


    I finally realized that one of my arms was injured.


    ¡°<em>Ah¡­</em>¡±


    <em>''Wow, I¡¯m just too nice, but that pain isn''t as important as Baha-whatever¡¯s injury.''</em>


    My voice shook as I replied, ¡°I-I¡¯m okay. More importantly¡ª¡±


    ¡°You have to get it treated right now,¡± Bahamut interrupted me.


    ¡°What? B-But¡­¡±


    ¡°Please hold on a little longer. I think it¡¯s best to patch you up first,¡± Bahamut suggested.


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    <em>¡®At least he knows how to treat wounds.¡¯</em>


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Your arm,¡± Bahamut requested.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Once he was done patching me up, we left in a hurry.


    There were some difficulties due to the debris from the explosion, but Bahamut shoved them away with hisrge frame. The pitch-ck mes on the debris were clearly after the Priest of Prophecy.


    After putting out the fire that was reaching out toward me, Bahamut said, ¡°It¡¯s still dangerous.¡±


    He was right. It was still dangerous here, and he was probably worried about another round of terrorist attacks. He was calm¡ªno, it was like he was trying his best to remain calm.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t an ordinary me. Hellish mes¡­ that¡¯s darker¡­ than the abyss¡­¡± I muttered with an edgy tone of voice.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°How could something like this happen in the Underground Temple¡­ The others¡­ Do you think the people at the social gathering hall are safe?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not certain. I hope I¡¯m wrong, and I¡¯m sure you felt it as well¡­ but there aren¡¯t a lot of demons capable of wielding this kind of fire. There''s probably a ck mage who had made a contract with the priest of Rembil. I don¡¯t know how they entered the Underground Temple¡ª¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I interrupted him.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°T-This¡­ isn¡¯t the work of Rembil''s priest. We¡¯ll have to wait and see, but¡­¡± I trailed off.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°The ck mage who has made a contract with a demon lord,¡± I continued.


    I suspected this to be the work of a ck mage who had made a contract with a demon lord or a squadron leader in a legion. The hellish me looked so ominous for it to be a simple terrorist attack.


    The shocking truth was finally revealed, and it was someone I could have never imagined.


    ¡°<em>Blech¡­</em>¡± I started retching.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Bahamut asked.


    ¡°The stench¡­¡± I said.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°The stench of the pitch-ck fire¡­¡± I rified.


    It was a nauseating stench that ordinary people couldn¡¯t smell.


    Bahamut was confused, but I could smell it. It smelled of pure evil, and it had an ominous power that seemed capable of devouring everything.


    It was a deep, dark evil that made me tremble.


    ¡°Are you all right?¡± Bahamut asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not¡­ really sure. Why¡­¡±


    And that was when I made one of my eyes shine¡­


    ¡°Again¡­¡± I mumbled.


    <em>''I¡¯ll stumble a bit here.''</em>


    Bahamut definitely knew what was going on, as I had told him that I''d sometimes see strange things after receiving Lady Lucifer''s divine message. I also told him that perhaps the strange scenes were the future.


    Bahamut told me that he believed me, and he had decided to trust my words after I mustered some courage and told him about it.


    <em>¡®That¡¯s the current situation.¡¯</em>


    The Priest of Prophecy was looking at the future right now.


    ¡°<em>Ah¡­</em>¡±


    ¡°Father Lee Ki-Young,¡± Bahamut said.


    ¡°N-No,¡± I stuttered.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡± I said.


    I stretched out my hands as if I were having a nightmare.


    My eyes were full of tears, and I had already forgotten the wounds that the ck mage had inflicted on me.


    ¡°No¡­ Mr. Bahamut¡­ please¡­¡± I begged.


    ¡°Father?¡± he said.


    ¡°Please¡­¡±


    I could see darkness devouring him.


    He was so drunk and overwhelmed with power that he epted that power¡ªa demon''s power.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ept that power¡­¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You can no longer¡­¡± I mumbled.


    I needed to talk as vaguely as possible.


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Of course, I gave him hints so that he''d be able to solve the puzzle himself. I mumbled things like, ¡°Don¡¯t ept that power,¡± ¡°It¡¯s dangerous,¡± and ¡°Don¡¯t get swallowed by darkness.¡±


    I was sure he was anxious right now.


    <em>¡®Did I¡­¡¯</em>


    Be corrupt? He was probably asking himself that question right now.


    <em>¡®Why?¡¯</em>


    The light that I was emitting was just too holy tough off. No one would think that I was acting. Who''d think that these tears of light were fake?


    <em>''Can you see that I can''t speak because I¡¯m choking up? You can see the trembling of my jaw, hands, and feet, right?''</em>


    <em>Boom!</em>


    <em>''Perfect timing.''</em>


    ¡°Father!¡± Temr Genny shouted.


    I was sure the other Temrs were with him.


    <em>¡°F-Father?¡±</em>


    <em>''Yeah, I¡¯m sure I don''t look so great. Can you see these scars caused by the ck me?''</em>


    <em>''I know what you¡¯re thinking, and yep, he might be the one behind this.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Let go of Father Lee Ki-Young!¡± Temr Genny shouted.


    The trainee had just shouted informally at hismander, and he even pointed his sword at Bahamut. He looked pretty hostile the way he red at him with his sword out.


    I doubted him a bit, but Temr Genny was really on my side.


    ¡°Calm down, Temr Genny. There¡¯s an intruder in the Underground Temple. There¡¯s a ck mage who made a contract with amander-level demon. The wounded¡ª¡±


    ¡°But¡­ F-Father¡­ your arm¡­¡± Temr Genny stuttered.


    <em>''Yeah, my arm.''</em>


    ¡°Your arm¡­¡± Temr Genny repeated.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. More importantly¡­ please¡­ take me to the wounded¡­¡± I told him.


    <em>''I¡¯m fine, so take me to where the wounded are. It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s time to make a sacrifice.''</em>


    ¡°Your arm¡­¡± Temr Genny said.


    ¡°Take me to them!¡± I shouted.


    <em>''My dreams are scary, damn it!''</em>

 Chapter 981: Altanus (18)

    Chapter 981: Altanus (18)


    ¡°Save¡­ Save me¡­¡± someone begged.


    ¡°This way, Father!¡± Temr Genny shouted.


    ¡°<em>Ugh¡­ Ack!</em>¡± I screamed.


    ¡°Please¡­ <em>Ack!</em>¡±


    ¡°The holy power isn¡¯t working. Damn it¡­ the holy power¡­¡± Draktaris grumbled.


    ¡°<em>Blergh¡­</em>¡±


    ¡°<em>Ahhhhh!</em>¡±


    Gruesome wasn¡¯t enough to describe the situation.


    If they had been just a bitte, I would have had a nightmare.¡°Father¡­¡± Draktaris said.


    ¡°The priests must be bishops or higher, Father Draktaris,¡± I suggested.


    ¡°I understand,¡± Draktaris said.


    ¡°Please evacuate the ordinary priests. If I¡¯m right¡­¡± I said.


    <em>¡®The burn might be contagious.¡¯</em>


    ¡°<em>Gaaaaah!</em>¡±


    As expected, a priest grabbed their arm and screamed.


    I was sure they touched the wound of the injured priest.


    ¡°We need priests capable of purification. This burn is like a gue,¡± I said.


    It would spread to people with low Magic Resistance or Holy Power.


    The holy power of ordinary priests was useless against it, so they were useless here.


    A nce was enough for anyone to deduce that the injuries weren''t just a simple burn. I was sure that even a child could deduce that by the fact that the patients were still breathing, even though they had been scorched ck.


    The pitch-ck mes didn''t kill anyone¡ªno, it would be more urate to say that it wasn''t willing to give anyone permission to die while inflicting extreme pain on them.


    Ironically, those who were dying were being kept alive by the gue.


    ¡°So cruel¡­ What the hell¡­ does it think of humans?¡± I mumbled. I was furious. I believed only a demon could think of such a devious scheme.


    I felt someone grab my shaking hands.


    ¡°Father¡­¡± Temr Genny said.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Temr Genny. I¡¯m fine¡­¡± I reassured him.


    The only thing priests who were bishops and lower could do was suppress the burn so it wouldn''t get any worse. With my light, however, I believed I could drive out this gue.


    I approached a patient in bed, and he was being suppressed by two Holy Knights.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let go of him!¡±


    ¡°If he moves¡ª¡±


    ¡°<em>Ahhh! Ahhhhhh!</em>¡±


    I ced my hand on the patient¡¯s forehead, and everyone became quiet as if they had been possessed by something.


    I unleashed my holy power right afterward, and a radiant light enveloped the patient. The burn injury that couldn¡¯t be healed with ordinary holy power was reacting to mine, which had changed fundamentally upon receiving Lady Lucifer¡¯s blessing.


    ¡°<em>Ahh¡­</em>¡±


    ¡°F-Father.¡±


    They were witnessing¡­ a miracle. The ck stain that covered the patient from head to toe vanished beneath the radiant light. Every single wound that they had sustained from the pitch-ck me was recovering at a rate visible to the naked eye.


    The injured patient, who had been screaming in pain, definitely felt themselves recovering because they looked up at me.


    ¡°You¡¯ll feel better,¡± I reassured them.


    ¡°O Lucifer¡­¡± the patient mumbled.


    Obviously, this wasn¡¯t an easy task. I needed to maintain a high level of concentration, and I had to use a lot more holy power than I thought. Beads of sweat formed all over my face and rolled down my chin.


    ¡°Next¡­¡± I said.


    ¡°Father¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t bother treating my arm because the Priest of Prophecy was worried about others more than his own pain. I was afraid I''d run out of holy power to treat others by treating myself, and I''d rather be in great pain than let that happen.


    ¡°Father! Father!¡± Temr Genny shouted.


    ¡°<em>Aaaaaah!</em>¡± I screamed.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Next¡­¡± I mumbled.


    There was radiant light everywhere. I was sure it was touching to see the Priest of Prophecy erasing the demonic brand of the pitch-ck me at breakneck speeds. I was doing something that needed several priests of at least a bishop or higher to do.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s an ordinary burn. Please notify the other bishops. This is almost like a gue. This isn¡¯t the work of a priest of Rembil¡­¡± I informed them.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Do you¡­ know something?¡± he asked.


    ¡°The Monarch of Lies and Deception¡­¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°...!¡±


    ¡°Also known as the Master of gues¡­¡± I added.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Belial, themander of the demon army,¡± I said.


    The shocking truth was finally revealed, and I heard people sighing everywhere.


    ¡°O Lucifer¡­¡±


    ¡°How could this¡­¡±


    ¡°O Lucifer¡­ please save us!¡±


    ¡°Of course, nothing has been confirmed yet,¡± I said.


    ¡°What the hell have the Temrs been doing that something like this happened in the Underground Temple? The Master of gues? The Monarch of Lies and Deception?¡± Draktarisined.


    It had been a while since I heard someone grumble along the lines of that.


    It was Father Basel¡¯s famous line.


    ¡°What the hell are the Temrs doing?¡± Draktaris added.


    Father Basel''s famous line had to havee from this era.


    ¡°An intruder in the Underground Temple¡­ Come on, does this even make sense?¡± Draktaris questioned.


    Their job was to ensure that something like this wouldn''t happen.


    In other words, the priests were cleaning up the mess that the Temrs had allowed to happen. Bahamut had no time to think about this, as he was shocked by the news of his corruption, but the Temrs worried about their political influence were on edge.


    The priests facing the gue head-on looked noble even in my eyes.


    Of course, the Priest of Prophecy shone particrly brighter than everyone else, but overall, we all looked noble. Despite the horrors of the gue, the priests focused on treating the injured. I told the weaker priests to retreat, but they stayed at their stations.


    They wereforting the wounded while squeezing as much holy power as they could from their frail bodies.


    The Temrs and the holy knights were dispatched for security reasons, and they were all watching the scene with the Atentas, who were dispatched to provide support. A small number of people expressed their dissatisfaction toward the Temrs, but everyone probably had the same thought.


    <em>¡®Where the hell are they, and what are they doing?¡¯</em>


    Of course, I was busy right now¡­


    <em>¡®Because I need to track down the ck mage.¡¯</em>


    Starting from the area where the explosion had urred, they conducted many investigations. Even if they managed to find the ck mage, it wouldn''t change the fact that their influence was under threat.


    <em>¡®Naturally.¡¯</em>


    Regardless of the oue, they would definitely hold a hearing. The best oue here was if many forces ended up turning their backs on the Temrs. To make matters worse, news of corruption had just been delivered to Bahamut¡­


    The ck mage was someone unknown to me, but they were helping me unintentionally.


    <em>¡®That¡¯s not all.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Move out of my way. Sir James, are you there?¡± Deliha said.


    ¡°We¡¯re in the process of keeping things under control. As soon as it¡¯s purified¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, there¡¯s no need for that. I¡¯m going to take Sir James right now and leave this ce, Father Draktaris,¡± Deliha interrupted him.


    <em>¡®Leave?¡¯</em>


    From now on, no one could leave.


    ¡°Lady Deliha," someone said, but it wasn''t Draktaris.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but you must follow the protocols. We¡¯re in the middle of a formal investigation of the people invited to the social gathering,¡± the Temr exined.


    The Temrs were trying their best to deal with the issue, and they had no choice but to do this. If one were to think about it, doing an investigation on the people who had been invited to the social gathering was a reasonable choice.


    The problem was that the sponsors would be displeased with this decision.


    ¡°Are you¡­ ignoring me and the Duke of Harveen right now?¡± she questioned.


    The snobbish nobles wouldn¡¯t just stand idly by. They¡¯d probably follow the protocols, but the nobles would surely retaliate. I was sure the one in charge of internal affairs among the Temrs was shaking nervously right now.


    ¡°Duke Harveen will not forget what happened here,¡± Deliha threatened.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Lady Deliha, but¡­¡± the Temr paused.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°The Red Magic Tower won¡¯t just stand by and do nothing!¡± Deliha shouted.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a formal investigation,¡± they said.


    The social gathering wasn''t going to end here.


    The fact that I could decide when it would end was important.


    Obviously, Saint Altanus would finally show herself to cate the sponsors. Upon making contact with her, the range of my influence would increase.


    I was already drawing many ns in my head. Three days? One week? Making the Temrs an enemy group and isting them wasn¡¯t hard at all.


    More importantly, Bahamut was probably being overwhelmed right now, so he¡¯d just stand by and watch.


    After treating one of the patients, I decided to calm down the furious crowd.


    And that was when I heard a distinct sound¡­


    [The Grave Keeper of the Underground Temple quest has beenpleted.]


    [Demons¡¯ Social Gathering Hall quest has beenpleted.]


    [Temrs¡¯ Training Ground quest has beenpleted.]


    [...quest has beenpleted.]


    [...quest has beenpleted.]


    [...quest has beenpleted.]


    The quests that I had sent out werepleted all at once.


    I stopped walking and pondered, <em>¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯</em>


    Actually, not all quests werepleted. The quest with Father Draktaris was still in progress, and the envoy quest was still ongoing as well. Power Boost, Demon From Hell, and a few other quests were still ongoing.


    <em>¡®What¡­ the hell? Damn it¡­ Why aren¡¯t they gettingpleted in order?¡¯</em>


    <em>''Why did they skip so many quests?''</em>


    <em>¡®No, no.¡¯</em>


    They didn¡¯t skip. It makes more sense to say that theypleted the quests all at once but left some of the quests just one step away frompletion.


    <em>¡®The message.¡¯</em>


    I thought about the quest list.


    There was a certain period between thepleted and the notpleted quests.


    [The quest has beenpleted.]


    [The quest is in progress¡­]


    [The quest is in progress¡­]


    There was a dot for thepleted quests and three dots for those in progress.


    It was a code used by Jin Cheong, Ji-Hye noona, and me. We made it based on Morse code. I was taken aback, but I felt like pulling out my hair upon solving the puzzle.


    ¡ª Variable, annihtion, and danger.


    And my consciousness began to fade away¡­

 Chapter 982: Altanus (19)

    Chapter 982: Altanus (19)


    <em>''What the hell happened? Variable, annihtion, and danger? Give me the details, you ipetent fool. I can¡¯t tell if you guys are at risk of annihtion or if you''ve already been annihted.''</em>


    Personally, I had no choice but to lean to the former.


    Actually, I was pretty sure that it was the former.


    I was very certain that Demon Summoner Jin Cheong wouldn¡¯t send a message when something had already happened. He was ipetent, but he wouldn''t stand by and do nothing.


    I wasn¡¯t saying this tofort myself.


    <em>¡®He¡¯s not </em>that <em>ipetent.¡¯</em>


    Our Commander Jin wasn''t so ipetent that he¡¯d push an army into a fire pit.


    <em>¡®Where did it go wrong?¡¯</em>


    There was a high chance that they were the ones who made a mistake, not me, but I had to keep thinking about where things had gone wrong. I wasn''t sure, but Jin Cheong probably noticed something was wrong when the Draktaris raid began.Jin Cheong probably noticed that something was amiss when the raid slowed down, and he probably felt like he needed a backup n. I was sure that was the reason he started the next raid, even though the Draktaris raid wasn''tplete yet.


    He needed toplete enough quests toplete his message.


    <em>¡®What¡¯s the variable?¡¯</em>


    Bahamut could have encountered the expedition group too early, or there could have been something wrong with Draktaris.


    <em>¡®Did some of the guild members end up dying? Did they escape right after encountering the variable?¡¯</em>


    The troops would disperse, leaving only the minimum amount of troops toplete the quests. In that case, then they couldn''t fall into despair yet, as they still had enough manpower to transfer to the other squads.


    I thought perhaps they had transferred the troops upon getting annihted, but as I said, Jin Cheong wasn''t <em>that</em> ipetent that he''d take care of the issue only <em>after</em> it had urred.


    People like us always had a few backup ns. It was funny, but his backup ns were making me feel worried.


    <em>¡®That arrogant bastard has just handed over the burden to me¡­¡¯</em>


    In other words, his backup ns didn¡¯t work out at all. They were probably standing on theirst legs by now. Asking me for help was the worst decision he could make, and he''d avoid making that decision at all costs, but he had just made that decision.


    <em>¡®Damn it¡­ damn it¡­¡¯</em>


    <em>''How bad is the damage? Any Casualties? Is the pig doing okay? Is there anything I can do from here? No, can I even send them another message? What if they can still withdraw the troops? What if they¡¯re already in the middle of following the retreat manual? Can they evenplete my quests?''</em>


    Jung Ha-Yan was fine as long as nothing had happened to Han Sora.


    I was more worried about Jo Hye-Jin and the pig because I was afraid that they were going to say something like ¡°Leave me here!¡± and jump into the fire pit just to save a few people.


    I told myself not to be anxious and be calm, but it wasn¡¯t working at all.


    The thoughts popping into my head made me unable to think properly.


    <em>''There was no other way. First of all, the quests¡­ Again¡­ no. H-How long has it been since I fell asleep?'' </em>


    The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was an unfamiliar ceiling.


    I tried to stand up, but someone stopped me.


    <em>¡®How long has it been?¡¯</em>


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t move yet. The wounds that are visible to the naked eye look like they¡¯ve all been healed, but¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I immediately knew who was talking to me.


    <em>¡®Saint Altanus.¡¯</em>


    Her face was covered with a veil, but I was sure Benigoa was the one who had treated my wounds. Except for the fact that there were only a handful of people capable ofpletely erasing that burn injury, I could just feel that the person before me was Benigoa.


    It seemed that she didn''t want me to find out that she was Benigoa because she even changed her voice, but it wasn¡¯t enough to fool me.


    Her acting skills were outstanding, but she was an awkward actress.


    <em>¡®Damn it.¡¯</em>


    ¡°How¡­ long have I been unconscious¡­¡± I asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s been almost six hours. You were injured and exhausted. I think it¡¯s best if you take a break for the time being. We¡¯re still treating the wounded¡­ so you don¡¯t have to worry too much and just focus on taking care of yourself,¡± she exined.


    <em>¡®It¡¯s been six hours?¡¯</em>


    ¡°Six hours¡­¡± I mumbled.


    <em>¡®Shit¡­ shit¡­¡¯</em>


    I checked the quest screen again.


    There were two additionalpleted quests.


    This wasn¡¯t a code.


    This was a signal that they were still alive, as they wouldn¡¯t havepleted these quests for no reason. The first signal was four hours ago, and the second signal was two hours ago. The two-hour interval was in ordance with the manual.


    There were a total of eight quests remaining, and I was able to determine that the expedition group had been alive for at least sixteen hours.


    If I were to register a quest again and ensure that he''d find that quest, then we would be able to keep in contact. It had only been sixteen hours, but it would be unrealistic for me to expect them to find the quests while they were probably in hiding.


    <em>''It¡¯s probably best to move for now, but¡­ what happened to thest quest? Why is thatst one¡­''</em>


    <em>¡®Huh?¡¯</em>


    I felt like I was having a random seizure.


    <em>¡®Uh¡­¡¯</em>


    I was having a hard time breathing, and my head was throbbing in pain.


    ¡°Father Lee Ki-Young?¡± Benigoa said.


    ¡°<em>Haa¡­ haa¡­ haa¡­</em>¡±


    ¡°Father, Father?¡± she repeated.


    ¡°Daaamn it¡­¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± she questioned.


    [...quest has beenpleted.]


    <em>¡®Damn it, it hasn¡¯t been six hours yet.¡¯</em>


    I couldn¡¯t help but look at Benigoa with a resentful look.


    <em>¡®Fourteen hours from now on.¡¯</em>


    It was clear what I needed to do.


    <em>¡®I should have had a meeting with Commander Jin or Ji-Hye noona beforeing here.¡¯</em>


    The situation was bad. I wanted to leave this ce right now and return to the present, but the social gathering had just been shut down. Actually, even if I were to go back now, I wouldn''t be able to offer any solution.


    I was here because of the future that Kasugano Yuno had seen. I couldn''t check what Jin Cheong meant by "variable," I couldn''t deal with my task rted to Bahamut, and I couldn¡¯t even leave a message for Draktaris.


    <em>¡®I couldn¡¯t even work on the task with Altanus¡­¡¯</em>


    I wanted to execute n B, but it didn''t mean I could actually do that.


    Before that, there were many things I needed to exin to Benigoa, such as the iron maiden, the path that she''d have to take after this, and what she was going to do once I had be Altanus.


    Naturally, I took advantage of the tense atmosphere and writhed in pain.


    ¡°<em>Ack¡­!</em>¡±


    ¡°Father Lee Ki-Young!¡± Benigoa eximed and used her holy power on me. My physical wounds disappeared, but I needed to act like the brand of the pitch-ck mes was still inside me.


    <em>¡®I don¡¯t have enough time to make Benigoa believe me.¡¯</em>


    Benigoa and I were getting closer, but it wasn¡¯t enough for me to talk about entering the iron maiden and bing a god observing the world from up above.


    ¡°Miss Benigoa¡­¡± I mumbled, speaking cautiously while clinging to my unstable consciousness.


    ¡°Beni¡ªMiss Benigoa,¡± I repeated.


    ¡°What¡­ are you talking about? Who is Benigoa¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ protect you no matter what,¡± I added.


    I couldn¡¯t see her face because of the veil, but she was definitely staring at me as if I were crazy.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure¡­ to protect you¡­ this time, Miss Benigoa,¡± I said.


    ¡°Father¡­ Lee Ki-Young?¡±


    However, the Priest of Prophecy would never lie.


    I had a sorrowful look as if I were looking at my lover, whom I had been missing for hundreds of years now. I bawled and raised my trembling hand to grab her hand.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ that I couldn¡¯t¡­ protect you. I¡¯m really sorry,¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    For some reason, she looked angry. She was probably thinking that I was spouting a bunch of nonsense again. She probably thought that "Benigoa" was the name of my old lover, but that wasn''t the case at all.


    ¡°No¡­ Miss Altanus¡­ <em>Haa¡­ haa¡­</em>¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ Miss Altanus¡­ for leaving¡­ you along¡­ for so long¡­ I¡¯m really sorry. This time, I¡¯ll¡­¡± I paused.


    ¡°What¡­ are you talking about right now?¡± Benigoa asked.


    ¡°<em>Ahh¡­</em> my everything. My light,¡± I said.


    ¡°Father Lee Ki-Young?¡±


    Her veil fell, and the face behind it was clearly Benigoa''s face. She seemed confused because she had no idea what was going on, but she hurriedly covered her face as if she had gotten caught red-handed, but she lowered her hands slowly.


    The sight of that convinced me that she was thinking along the lines of this¡ª<em>''This man is aware of the fact that Benigoa and Altanus are the same people. I don¡¯t know why, but this priest from aboveground seems to be really familiar with me.</em>


    <em>''He''s also been trying to hide that fact. He has also received¡­ Lucifer¡¯s divine message.''</em>


    I was sure of that, as she seemed kind of in a daze right now.<em></em>She''d definitely ask many questions once she understood what was going on, so I forced myself to pat her head. I did it as if it were natural and had done it many times before.


    I closed my eyes, acting like I was in a daze.


    <em>¡®She¡¯ll probably ask about my identity, why I was acting as if I was familiar with her. If I had approached her, knowing that she was Saint Altanus, and what I meant when I apologized for leaving her alone and not being able to protect her.¡¯</em>


    ¡°What are you?¡± Benigoa mumbled. It seemed that impatience was one of her natural traits, as exactly two hours and twelve minutester, she started throwing out questions just as I had expected.


    Of course, I had to answer her.


    ¡°I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think about lying to me,¡± Benigoa interrupted me.


    ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡± I paused.


    ¡°Please answer me, Father,¡± Benigoa begged.


    ¡°I¡¯m a regressor,¡± I replied.


    <em>''Yeah, I¡¯m a regressor. I regressed to save my ex-lover, who will meet a tragic end. I¡¯m sure this setup is going to work.</em>

 Chapter 983: Altanus (20)

    Chapter 983: Altanus (20)


    It was a precious secret that I had been keeping to myself this whole time.


    I wondered if this was how Kim Hyun-Sung felt right before confessing to me.


    My hands and feet were shaking a bit, and it was hard to maintain aposed face.


    It was difficult to tell someone this precious secret. There was this anxiety about whether she would believe me or not. I was also worried that she''d think I was crazy, so I was finding it hard to stay calm.


    <em>¡®I can just imitate Hyun-Sung and act like a sad little puppy.¡¯</em>


    Three secondster, I could then have an anxiety attack.


    I looked calm, but anyone could tell that I was nervous.


    I also needed to act like I was worried about being abandoned.


    However, the look in my eyes was the most important. Showing the pain I felt over the years of my life in my eyes was incredibly important here. My method acting had gotten to such a terrifying level after years of experience that I had goosebumps all over me.


    Benigoa even looked nervous while listening to my nonsense.


    I had the ability to make my nonsense not sound like nonsense.


    <em>¡®Yeah, I''m a regressor.¡¯</em>


    The setting was like this¡ªA priest working aboveground coincidentally met Benigoa, and the two developed deep feelings toward her. In the end, I decided to stay underground for her sake, and our fate was going to be either tragic or happy ever after.


    Unfortunately, I wouldn''t be able to stop Saint Altanus'' downfall. I wouldn''t be able to protect her from her tragic end, and I would end up dying as well. Through an unknown power, however, I became a regressor, going back in time a few days before receiving an invitation.


    I suffered through the same hardships again through the fate that was bestowed upon me, and after attending the social gathering once more, I started making a n. Yeah, a n to save Benigoa¡ªno, Altanus.


    ¡°What are you¡ª¡±


    ¡°I understand it¡¯s hard to believe. I know it sounds ridiculous, especiallying from a person you just met. I¡¯m not asking you to believe me. I¡¯m not asking you to¡­ believe and follow me. It¡¯s just¡­¡± I trailed off.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Benigoa asked.


    ¡°I just¡­ want you to know that I came here in order to protect you, Miss Benigoa. Just¡­ Just hear me out for now,¡± I begged.


    ¡°That¡­ can¡¯t be¡­ A regressor? That¡¯s nonsense¡­¡± Benigoa mumbled.


    Obviously, she was confused at first and was denying reality. I didn¡¯t expect her to believe me right away, but I thought her reaction wasn¡¯t that bad. At least she didn¡¯t look at me as if I were a lunatic. Instead of justughing at me, she was actually shocked.


    ¡°You called me Benigoa because¡­¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want you to be called Altanus. You wanted me to call you Benigoa whenever we were alone,¡± I told her.


    ¡°The library!¡± Benigoa shouted.


    ¡°Our meeting in the library wasn¡¯t intentional. I tried to avoid you, but¡­¡± I trailed off.


    We ended up meeting, as that was what destiny had in store for me.


    I couldn''t avoid destiny even if I wanted to avoid it.


    I called her Benigoa because I couldn¡¯t hide my feelings for her.


    Benigoa and I were tied together by an invisible soul string.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you, Father. I¡¯m sorry, but that¡¯s ridiculous¡­¡± Benigoa said.


    ¡°Like I said earlier, I¡¯m not telling you this because I want you to believe me, Miss Benigoa. What I want to tell you is¡­¡± I paused.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Saint Altanus will lose her power,¡± I revealed.


    ¡°...¡±


    I¡¯m lucky.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why, but Saint Altanus¡¯ power will gradually disappear,¡± I said.


    Her expression became stiff.


    ¡°No one knows it right now, but everyone will eventually know the fact that she is gradually losing her power,¡± I said.


    She was losing her power, even now, and she was aware of it.


    ¡°The continent will start copsing,¡± I continued.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Lady Lucifer¡­ Lady Lucifer will abandon the continent,¡± I added.


    ¡°That¡¯s not true! She wouldn¡¯t abandon us¡­¡± Benigoa argued.


    ¡°She won¡¯t answer you,¡± I told her.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Have you heard it before?¡± I asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Have you ever heard¡­ her voice?¡± I asked.


    ¡°N-Nonsense! You expect me to believe that?!¡± Benigoa shouted.


    ¡°Tell me if you ever felt her,¡± I said.


    I was sure she had never heard Lucifer''s voice before, as Lucifer had already decided to abandon the continent. Right now, I was sure Lucifer was thinking about running away after squeezing as much profit as she could from the continent.


    ¡°The continent will copse, and the unthinkable will happen. Saint Altanus¡­ Saint Altanus will choose to sacrifice herself. She¡¯ll lock herself up in the iron maiden, and she''d be the continent''s foundation to protect it, I exined.


    I felt like I¡¯d been crying a lot these days, so I wasn¡¯t sure if I could even cry some more, but this was the time to cry.


    ¡°That can¡¯t be¡­¡± Benigoa mumbled.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a lie¡­¡± Benigoa said.


    ¡°The Temrs will be thirsty for your blood. The surface world and this underground temple will be in chaos. That¡¯s all I know,¡± I told her.


    ¡°Lies¡­¡± Benigoa said.


    <em>''Yeah, I¡¯m lying. A big¡­ I mean, a white lie.''</em>


    ¡°Father¡­¡± Benigoa said.


    ¡°In order to take you out from the iron maiden¡­¡± I trailed off.


    I could still remember how I struggled and did my best to no avail.


    The world had pressured her to sacrifice herself, and if Benigoa didn''t step into the iron maiden, the continent would be destroyed. In exchange for suffering inside the iron maiden, she''d obtain a massive amount of her holy power, and she''d use it to protect the continent.


    By then, I was sure no one in the Underground Temple wanted her toe out from the iron maiden, and the ones who made it worse were the Temrs.


    Lee Ki-Young, who had attempted to take her out, met a tragic end.


    ¡°So that¡¯s¡­ how you died,¡± Benigoa said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°If¡­ what you say is true¡­¡± Benigoa paused.


    <em>''I think I almost got her¡­''</em>


    ¡°What exactly were we?¡± Benigoa asked.


    ¡°We were¡­ lovers,¡± I answered.


    <em>''You think I''ll risk my life for an acquaintance?''</em>


    ¡°How¡­ d-d-did we be¡­ l-lovers?¡± she asked.


    I proceeded to tell her our story, and of course, I made sure my story would sound reasonable. It was painful for me, but I spoke as if I were enjoying it. It was painful to recall our memories, but I was overjoyed to share with her the time we spent together.


    Of course, I exaggerated some parts of it.


    <em>¡®Like how she always wanted toe outside.¡¯</em>


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ what you always said,¡± I told her.


    <em>¡®That you wanted to be normal...¡¯</em>


    ¡°You always wanted to live a normal life¡­¡± I continued.


    <em>¡®And you didn¡¯t want to be a saint...¡¯</em>


    Benigoa''s thoughts were pretty obvious. All I did was exaggerate. I told her stories unknown to her, and I told her things that she wanted to hear. I told her every little detail, such as how we often ate together, stayed upte together, and prayed together.


    <em>¡®Damn it, I¡¯m wasting too much time.¡¯</em>


    I was bing anxious by the minute, but Benigoa seemed to be enjoying my stories, regardless of whether they were true or not. I knew why, as these were the stories she wanted to hear. I was sure it was entertaining for her.


    ¡°I knew it. You have a knack for making people feel frustrated,¡± Benigoamented.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure I did that because of how frustrated I felt. You should have been aggressive,¡± Benigoa said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I was wondering why you were so aggressive when we first met¡­ You did that because you regretted your previous life. <em>Ah!</em> This doesn¡¯t mean I believe you yet. I¡¯m saying this on the assumption that you''re telling me the truth,¡± Benigoa said.


    She probably felt like she had returned from being Altanus to Benigoa.


    ¡°<em>Haha. </em>That¡¯s right,¡± Iughed.


    I received another questpletion message.


    <em>''Ten hours¡­'' </em>


    We spent two hours just talking andughing with each other.


    <em>¡®Damn it¡­¡¯</em>


    ¡°So¡­¡± Benigoa said.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°So if¡­ what you¡¯re saying is the truth, what do I need to do?¡± Benigoa asked.


    ¡°...¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to do anything,¡± I replied.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Like I said, you don¡¯t need to do anything. You just need to enjoy your life,¡± I rified.


    ¡°H-How can you say that?¡± Benigoa stuttered.


    ¡°That¡¯s the reason I came here,¡± I told her.


    ¡°What exactly are you nning on doing? <em>Ah</em>¡­ I¡¯m asking under the assumption that what you¡¯re telling me is the truth,¡± Benigoa reminded.


    ¡°I won¡¯t let you sacrifice yourself,¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    <em>''I¡¯m going to sacrifice myself in your ce because that¡¯s my job. I can¡¯t let anyone else do it. This is a win-win situation for you because you''ll get to live, and you won''t have to do anything, too.''</em>


    I spread my wings slightly to show that I could support the continent in her ce.


    Obviously, Benigoa¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°<em>Huh?</em>¡±


    My holy wings and my status as a regressor weren¡¯t rted in any way.


    I simply spread my wings, but anyone could easily misunderstand that my regressor status and my holy wings were rted.


    <em>¡®Would a guy with such holy wings really lie?''</em>


    <em>''You think a person who¡¯s emitting such a holy light while crying holy tears would lie?''</em>


    I patted her head.


    I had no idea whether it was because of my habit of patting her head or not, but even I thought that I was acting in a surprisingly natural way.


    Altanus didn¡¯t pose awkwardly like Benigoa; her pose just now felt really out of ce.


    She had done this a few times in my past life, and she reacted naturally as well as if it were a long-time habit of hers.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°So it was true¡­¡± Benigoa mumbled.


    I nodded and kissed her forehead.


    She was surprised, but she didn¡¯t avoid it as if she was possessed by something.


    ¡°<em>Ah¡­</em>¡±


    I remained quiet and enjoyed it.


    ¡°It¡¯s a shame that our meeting was short¡­ but it looks like we won¡¯t have much time to spend together,¡± I told her.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Actually¡­¡± I paused.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°There''s something I want to tell you if we ever meet again,¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡± ¡°I love you,¡± I confessed.


    <em>''Smile sadly here¡­''</em>


    ¡°I-I¡­¡± Benigoa stuttered.


    ¡°I love you,¡± I repeated.


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Benigoa was at a loss for words, and all she could do was blink her big eyes.


    She was pretty naive, and she seemed to have gotten immersed in my story because she started crying.


    ¡°This time¡­ I¡¯ll protect you, Miss Benigoa,¡± I told her.


    I had to say some cliched lines.


    <em>And that was when I heard another loud explosion¡­</em>


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back,¡± I said.


    I had ten hours left.


    ¡°Shiit¡­ I only have ten hours left...¡±


    <em>Kabooooom!</em>


    ¡°Only ten hours left...¡±


    Actually, it could be shorter than that.


    Since I had chosen a clear route¡­


    <em>¡®I might end up getting forgotten.¡¯</em>


    I felt like the others were already starting to forget me. It was probably just me, but I felt like one of my eyes reflected on the window was¡­ losing its light.

 Chapter 984: Altanus (21)

    Chapter 984: Altanus (21)


    I was sure it was just me because I had yet to execute my ns.


    No, it <em>had</em> to be just me.


    <em>¡®I have to hold out for ten hours or hold out until all the quests I prepared areplete.¡¯</em>


    I had no idea what the expedition team was up to, but they could hold out for ten hours.


    If their memories were gradually being erased¡­


    <em>¡®They could take other actions.¡¯</em>


    Jin Cheong¡¯s side could being up with another n, and I was sure he¡¯de up with a backup n to not forget me. He''d either write it down on his tiny notepad or prepare a signal or code that only he would recognize.


    The important part wasn''t losing connection before the ten-hour mark.


    The problem was¡­<em>¡®He¡¯s the only one who will think that there¡¯s nothing wrong.¡¯</em>


    I wasn¡¯t sure how losing memories of me was going to affect them, but if the same thing were to happen to Jung Ha-Yan or Kim Hyun-Sung, I could already deduce what was going to happen.


    They would probably run rampant and quiver like they were having a seizure, and I could honestly see that happening. Hye-Jin and the others would be anxious, but at least¡­ they wouldn''t abandon their tasks.


    If the expedition group was in danger, and I had topletely rely on Kim Hyun-Sung and Jung Ha-Yan, then the problem would get worse. Kim Hyun-Sung would go on about the third life, say sorry, and talk about how it was not worth protecting at all h, h, h¡­


    <em>¡®He might actually be the better one.¡¯</em>


    I was worried because I had no idea what kind of trouble Jung Ha-Yan was going to kick up.


    <em>¡®I wonder how Ji-Hye noona is doing.¡¯</em>


    She was probably trying hard to find a way as well.


    Regardless of what was going to happen, the important part here was carrying out the tasks that I could do. If people were really forgetting about me in real-time, then it would be reasonable for me toplete all the tasks that I had already started.


    I started moving.


    The bombs that the ck mage had installed were making the extreme situation even more extreme.


    <em>Kaboooooooom!</em>


    The bombs weren''t that strong, but the explosions were enough to terrify the people here. I heard screams everywhere as if the explosions had sent the mes of hell everywhere, and people were running away while keeping their heads low.


    It seemed like they were instinctively running toward the ce they thought was safe, but they wouldn¡¯t be able to find a safe ce in this chaotic Underground Temple.


    A few Temrs were containing the crowd, but¡­


    <em>¡®Who would trust you guys?¡¯</em>


    They knew better than anyone that the Temrs wouldn¡¯t be able to control this situation. The fear created by the hellfire explosion and their fear of the explosions couldn¡¯t be contained by the group that had already failed once.


    ¡°<em>Kyahhh!</em>¡±


    ¡°Move! Shit! Move out of the way!¡±


    ¡°E-Everyone!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m leaving this ce!¡±


    <em>Booom!</em>


    ¡°Lady Deliha!¡±


    ¡°Damn it! Damn it!¡±


    ¡°Let us leave this ce, damn it!¡±


    This was the same sight I saw at that ck market. There were people cowering in the corner, while there were some people hiding under the decorative tables. Most of the people tried to get away from the explosions without choosing a particr destination.


    <em>Boom! Boom!</em><em>Boom!</em>


    The explosions continued.


    The explosions seemed like they were part of a massive bluff, but this was enough to plunge the entire Underground Temple into chaos.


    To make matters worse¡­


    <em>¡®I can¡¯t really move around either, damn it.¡¯</em>


    So many people were running around desperately, and I couldn¡¯t even move, let alone maintain my bnce. People were colliding with my shoulders, and I got worried about getting pushed back by the crowd.


    And that was when I heard a familiar voice.¡°Father!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Father! Father!¡±


    ¡°Genny!¡± I shouted.


    I heard Temr Genny¡¯s voice from afar.


    He pushed through the crowd while biting his lips.


    ¡°Father!¡± Genny shouted, grabbing my hand.


    ¡°Father Draktaris¡ª¡±


    ¡°You have to get away, Father! I¡¯ll take¡­ you to a safe ce¡­ for¡ª¡± Genny interrupted me.


    ¡°I have to go to Father Draktaris,¡± I interrupted him.


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Please take me to Father Draktaris,¡± I requested.


    <em>¡®Nothing is happening now, damn it. It¡¯s all a bluff.¡¯</em>


    Of course, the explosions had to be somewhat realistic.


    It felt like the Underground Temple was going to crumble anytime soon.


    The chaos gave birth to more chaos, and the chaos would transform into bigger chaos. Despite the fact that nothing was really happening, everyone was running around as if the world were ending, so it felt like the world was really going to end.


    Temr Genny didn¡¯t look that different from other people.


    He had received formal training, but he was still afraid.


    It made sense. After all, he was still a rookie, so this situation was probably terrifying for him.


    I was sure he wanted to take me to a safe ce, but he couldn¡¯t ignore my gaze. I looked as if I was about to face an indescribable fate, so he probably thought it was best to listen to me.


    There was also a gleam of responsibility in my eyes.


    ¡°B-But¡­¡± Genny stuttered.


    I bit my lips and tried to shake off his hand, but he pulled me.


    ¡°Father Draktaris is probably still with the wounded. This way,¡± Genny said.


    ¡°Temr Genny¡­¡± I said.


    ¡°I¡¯m too stupid to know what¡¯s going on right now¡­¡± Genny said.


    <em>¡®It¡¯s natural not to know what¡¯s going on.¡¯</em>


    ¡°But I believe you¡¯ll be able to resolve this,¡± Genny added.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Please save the Underground Temple, Father,¡± Genny begged.


    Obviously, I didn¡¯t say anything because I didn¡¯t want to interrupt the actor who was in the middle of acting out his part.


    <em>Kaboom!</em>


    ¡°This way, Father!¡± Genny shouted.


    <em>¡®He¡¯s really immersed.¡¯</em>


    There were loud explosions, and Genny reacted like a demon was about to appear every time there was an explosion.


    I was embarrassed because he was sweating and was genuinely trying to carry out his role on the set. Of course, it wasn''t like he was useless. He actually broke through therge crowd and created a path for us to take.


    ¡°Father!¡±


    But it was sad seeing him act like that when there was basically no threat.


    He was too immersed.


    Would he notice it soon?


    I used a single-use catalyst because I was worried about him getting disappointed about the fact that there was actually no threat.


    Arge arm of a monster popped out from the wall.


    It happened out of nowhere, but Genny reacted quickly, rolling on the ground while holding onto me. I rolled on the ground as well. Genny unsheathed his sword and made quick work of the arm.


    ¡°<em>Hyah!</em>¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s weak¡­¡± Genny mumbled.


    <em>¡®Shit, should I have not done that?¡¯</em>


    ¡°No¡­ it¡¯s not weak. I became stronger. It¡¯s thanks to Father¡­¡± Genny paused.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I became stronger thanks to you,¡± Genny continued.


    <em>¡®Is there no ce to hide?¡¯</em>


    Temr Genny looked confident. This one battle¡­ was enough to make a recruit or even a low-ranking Temr feel confident about themselves.


    Earlier, he was filled with nervousness, but he seemed to have grown a little stronger. He was still a rookie, but I could see that the rookie Temr was trying to be stronger through this incident.


    I felt like the narrator ought to say something along the lines of, "This was when Temr Genny became even stronger."


    Temr Genny was a butterfly who had morphed out of fear and despair. He rolled gracefully on the ground, making sure that the copsing walls wouldn''tnd on me.


    He truly had immense potential, and I could see his hesitation disappearing from his actions.


    Thanks to that, I managed to reach Draktaris in the blink of an eye.


    ¡°I brought Father Lee Ki-Young, Father Draktaris!¡± Genny announced.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I brought Father Lee Ki-Young!¡± Genny repeated.


    The door was opened.


    They probably had a meeting about whether they would open the door or not, as they had yet to check the situation outside.


    Draktaris and the priests here couldn¡¯t abandon the wounded, so the guards had no choice but to worry about Draktaris¡¯ safety. It was a good thing that they had made that choice, as it was the right choice to make.


    As expected, Draktaris was surrounded by his guards as he approached me and grabbed my hands, saying, ¡°I¡¯m d. I¡¯m really d that you¡¯re safe, Priest of Prophecy."


    ¡°Right now-¡±


    ¡°I actually sent three of my guards outside to assess the situation outside. I couldn¡¯t leave because of the wounded here¡­ Can you tell me what¡¯s happening outside? Actually¡­ are you feeling better?¡± Draktaris asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not sure either, but¡­ I think that the things that are going to happen in the future are happening a bit earlier than expected. I know it¡¯s hard to understand¡­ but it¡¯s highly likely that there¡¯s a variable,¡± I replied.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°If the future you saw¡­ is true, then we don¡¯t have time to do this. I must take my guards and gather the troops who are making preparations in the Underground Temple,¡± Draktaris suggested.


    ¡°I understand your worry, but Father Draktaris¡­¡± I paused.


    ¡°...¡± ¡°You must stay here,¡± I told him.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You must stay here at least until things quiet down,¡± I said.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Draktaris asked.


    ¡°If you leave this room now, you¡­ you¡­¡± I paused.


    Do you understand what I''m trying to say?


    There¡¯s no way he wouldn¡¯t know; he wasn¡¯t an idiot, after all.


    Draktaris was quick-witted, so he asked, ¡°Did you witness my death?"


    <em>''That¡¯s right. You¡¯ll die if you leave here now. You¡¯ll die a painful and worthless death.''</em>


    ¡°I¡¯m a servant of Lucifer, Father. I¡¯m not afraid of death¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid to see you die! Father Draktaris,¡± I shouted.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid!¡± I repeated.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I know better than anyone that you¡¯re not supposed to die here. In the far future¡­ In the very far future, you¡¯ll do something great, Father. I can¡¯t tell you the details, but you¡­ will save this Underground Temple¡­ and Saint Altanus. You¡¯ll do greater things than stabilizing this ce right now,¡± I told him.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m well aware that you can''t ignore the pains of others, and this decision is going to torment you more than anyone, but¡­¡± I paused and made eye contact with him before continuing, "promise me this¡­"


    My eyes were filled with utmost sincerity.


    ¡°Please swear it on Lady Lucifer¡¯s name,¡± I requested.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Swear on Lady Lucifer''s name that until they find you, even if it¡¯s not me¡­ I''m talking about the people who truly love Lady Lucifer, people who want to reform the Underground Temple, people blessed by the Goddess, and those who have been selected by the light¡­ swear on Lady Lucifer''s name that until they appear before you¡­!¡± I eximed.


    ¡°Priest of Prophecy¡­¡± he mumbled.


    ¡°You must survive and wait¡­ be patient until they appear before you¡­ be patient for the sake of the hope that wille someday¡­¡± I muttered. A teardrop, a sad look, and a strong will. ¡°Swear that you¡¯ll live¡­ for the sake of that day!¡±


    I spoke without any hesitation and yelled, ¡°Promise me."

 Chapter 985: Altanus (22)

    Chapter 985: Altanus (22)


    This man¡­ this man was determined to die.


    The saint was trying to burn his final me here.


    He was trying to prevent the destruction of the Underground Temple and the continent by sacrificing himself.


    They had no idea what was going on outside, but I knew what was going on out there.


    Lee Ki-Young¡ªthe Priest of Prophecy¡ªwas trying to calm things down by sacrificing himself.


    The atmosphere was suggesting that. Draktaris and his guards seemed to be certain of that as well. Draktaris was cautious about his words despite knowing what was right and which decision would bring about a more positive result.


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    There wasn¡¯t any hesitation in my eyes.


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Draktaris asked.<em>''You know what I mean, so I¡¯m not going to answer. I¡¯m not going to tell you what I meant just now because everyone knows the answer.'' </em>


    It was like we were on thin ice.


    Temr Genny, who was listening to the adults talk, looked at me nervously.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing I can tell you. However¡­ However, I want you to promise me that, Father Draktaris. It¡¯s myst request,¡± I told him.


    ¡°I can¡¯t¡­ I can¡¯t do that, Priest of Prophecy. I¡¯m sure there¡¯s another way. If we¡­ work together and find a way¡ª¡±


    ¡°I can tell you that with certainty. There¡¯s no other way,¡± I interrupted him.


    Out of the fourteen million futures I had seen, there was only one future where we won.


    ¡°I know that it''s a difficult task, and I know it¡¯s hard to ept, but¡­¡± I trailed off.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°But you must endure it, Father Draktaris. I know I sound selfish by saying this¡­ but you must endure it,¡± I told him.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I trust that you¡¯ll keep your promise and be the single ray of light that shines in darkness. No matter what hardshipes your way¡­ even if there¡¯s a situation you can¡¯t endure, you must do your best, but today¡­ today isn¡¯t your time to die,¡± I exined.


    ¡°Father¡­¡± Draktaris mumbled.


    ¡°I¡­ I believe Lady Lucifer has given everyone a role that fits them. It¡¯s my mission¡­ to protect you in this ce. It¡¯s my job to guide the people who will fight for the continent and for Lady Lucifer in the far future,¡± I added.


    ¡°...¡±


    My words weren¡¯t convincing because I wasn¡¯t trying to be reasonable in the first ce.


    My remark was to make people emotional, to trust me, and to tell them that this ce wasn¡¯t their stage.


    Of course, Draktaris had no obligation to grant my request or keep his promise.


    However, h-he wasn¡¯t <em>that</em> cruel to betray the saint¡¯s sacrifice.


    I was sure he wasn¡¯t aware of how difficult it was for me to make this decision and how much I had suffered so far.


    He was the archbishop with a ton of responsibilities, so I was sure he was trying his best to understand my feelings. If he were a priest with no responsibilities, he would have refused my request.


    ¡°Y-You¡­ have my word,¡± Draktaris answered while suppressing his heartache as much as possible. ¡°I swear on Lady Lucifer''s name, and I promise¡­ to follow your request."


    I smiled, letting him know that I could finally rest in peace.


    My smile was sad, and I looked like I knew that he was going to agree with my request.


    I told everyone through my smile that this was the right thing to do.


    Draktaris frowned, looking like he was trying his best not to cry and that he ought to send the saint off with a smile, but he cried too easily.


    ¡°Well then¡­¡±


    I didn''t have much time to say farewell to them.


    It¡¯d be a shame if I didn¡¯t grab the hands of the other priests and pray together with them.


    ¡°O Lucifer¡­¡±


    ¡°There will be light.¡±


    ¡°Blessings¡­¡±


    ¡°Please watch over the Priest of Prophecy. Please¡­ Please always stay by his side.¡±


    ¡°: Lady Lucifer will watch over all of you.¡±


    I didn¡¯t forget about the guards, either.


    ¡°Please take care of Father Draktaris, Sir Neymarian,¡± I requested.


    ¡°Y-Yes, sir¡­¡± Sir Neymarian stuttered.


    ¡°Sir Serilicia, you have a beautiful smile, so please see me out with a smile,¡± I said.


    ¡°<em>Heuk¡­ heuk¡­</em> O Priest of Prophecy,¡± Sir Serilicia said, sobbing.


    ¡°Lady Lucifer¡¯s blessing will be with you,¡± I told them.


    After kissing everyone on the cheek, I walked out with footsteps, intending to be a saint.


    ¡°F-Father.¡±


    Of course, there were still some whom I had yet to say goodbye to.


    <em>¡®Yeah, this is the end for you as well.¡¯</em>


    Surprised?


    I was sure he had never imagined that we¡¯d part ways here, but it was time to part ways.


    We would never meet again.


    I was talking about Temr Genny, who tugged at my sleeve.


    ¡°It¡¯s the same for you, Temr Genny,¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°This is where we say goodbye¡­¡± I told him.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Please take care of Father Draktaris. T-There are many things I want to say to you¡­ but I want to thank you for everything before anything else. Our time together was short¡­ but you gave me a lot of strength¡­¡± I muttered.


    ¡°Why¡­ are you telling me this?¡± Genny asked.


    <em>''It seems like you don¡¯t have a lot to do, but you do. Father Draktaris needs one Temr on his side.''</em>


    ¡°I can¡¯t¡­ do that. This doesn¡¯t make sense,¡± Genny said.


    <em>''What do you mean? You can do it.''</em>


    ¡°Father¡­ Father¡­¡± Genny was already crying. ¡°Please don¡¯t go. I can¡¯t let you go. I just can¡¯t. <em>Heuk¡­ heuk.</em>¡±


    <em>''What do you mean? Who gave you the right to say that you won''t let me go? I¡¯m the one who decided to go. ''</em>


    I couldn¡¯t help but think that he was still truly young. Earlier, he seemed pretty reliable, but his face was now covered in tears and snot.


    It happened so suddenly that I was surprised.


    It seemed like he already felt like crying from the prayer event earlier and had simply been holding his tears back. Now that it was time to say farewell, he couldn¡¯t hold back his tears anymore.


    His jaw was shaking, and I could tell how emotional he was right now.


    He was still holding my sleeve, and his eyes were telling me that he wasn¡¯t going to send me away. I wasn¡¯t sure why he was so engrossed, but it was probably because he knew where this was going.


    <em>¡®At least he¡¯s not dumb...¡¯</em>


    ¡°Father¡­ So¡­ so¡­¡± Genny stuttered.


    <em>¡®Am I going to die?¡¯</em>


    I would probably die, so it was understandable why he¡¯d think that way, but I needed to make a white lie to calm him down.


    ¡°I think I¡¯m heading back up,¡± I told him.


    ¡°What?¡±


    It was an angel''s pure white lie.


    ¡°I¡¯ll probably head to the surface and find a way to get help from there,¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be going with Miss Metel,¡± I added.


    Rift Guardian Metel was reliable, and I was going to leave this ce someday, anyway.


    I had always been a guest here, which meant that I couldn''t stay here forever. Although the timing was pretty dramatic¡­ telling them that I was leaving to get help from above was pretty believable.


    Of course, he didn''t believe me at all; he probably thought that I was lying to him.


    ¡°Lies¡­¡± Genny mumbled.


    <em>¡®Yeah, it¡¯s a lie.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Stop lying. <em>Heuk¡­</em> Father,¡± Genny sniffled.


    But¡­


    ¡°I swear on the name of Lady Lucifer, Temr Genny,¡± I told him.


    <em>''This is it. Lucifer will forgive me for this white lie.''</em>


    It sounded like a lie, but no one criticized me for it.


    There wasn¡¯t a fool quick-witted enough to think I would lie while swearing on Her name. I made the white lie for the kid who was going to be hurt. It was a lie that Lucifer would be happy about.


    The innocent fool nodded and asked, ¡°Are you telling the truth?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Y-You¡¯re not lying, right?¡± Genny stuttered.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m telling the truth. I can¡¯t tell you that I¡¯lle back down soon¡­ because I have a lot of work as well¡­ and it might actually be difficult for me toe back. I can¡¯t promise you¡­ that we¡¯ll meet again¡­¡± I told him.


    I was being cautious about my words.


    Temr Genny nodded.


    Although it was hard to understand, he seemed to be trying his best to understand. He couldn¡¯t believe it, but he was forcing himself to believe it.


    He had chosen the path that would make him suffer less.


    He was still young, so he had unconsciously chosen the path that was the least painful for him.


    As expected, he asked, ¡°C-Can Ie visit you?¡±


    I bent down a bit, made eye contact with him, and patted his head.


    ¡°Of course, Temr Genny,¡± I answered.


    ¡°<em>Heuk¡­ Kgh¡­</em>¡±


    ¡°I look forward¡­ to the day we meet again, Sir Neymarian and Serilicia. Please take care of Genny,¡± I requested.


    I was obviously telling them to stop him from following me.


    With that, I kicked the door open and didn¡¯t look back.


    ¡°Father! Father!!! Let go of me! Let go!¡± Genny shouted.


    ¡°...¡± ¡°Father! <em>Kgh</em>¡­¡±


    I was a busy man, so I ignored his cries.


    The sounds of explosions and the heavy atmosphere enveloped me.


    <em>''Ah, next¡­ next is¡­''</em>


    ¡°So this is where you were.¡±


    ¡°Guardian Metel,¡± I greeted.


    ¡°Where have you been?¡± Metel asked.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Do you know how worried I was about you?!¡± Metel shouted.


    ¡°It''s fine; you''ve confirmed that I''m safe, right? Anyway, I''m sure you can cast a spell, so can you create a path straight to Bahamut? Actually, I think it¡¯s best if we decide on a location and make preparations ahead of time. <em>Ah!</em> Have you been studying it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t have time for that. I still have¡­ a bunch of questions I want to ask you,¡± Metel answered.


    ¡°I''m the one who organized the information, so you don¡¯t have to worry so much. More importantly, I need you to help me. We don¡¯t have time, but we have many things to do,¡± I requested.


    I couldn''t help but think that there was something wrong with Metel, and it was due to the fact that she was still worried about the Rift Museum despite the chaos around us.


    At this point, I could say that she was obsessed.


    Of course, people like her would always prioritize the satisfaction of their curiosity before anything else.


    <em>¡®I¡¯m d I have someone who can lend a hand.¡¯</em>


    I just had to take care of Bahamut in the next eight hours.


    Actually, how many hours had it been?


    ¡°What exactly do you need help with?¡± Metel asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Actually, before that¡­¡± Metel trailed off.


    ¡°...¡± ¡°Father, one of your eyes¡­¡± Metel pointed at me.


    ¡°...¡±


    <em>''What about my eyes?''</em>


    ¡°One of your eyes¡­¡± Metel repeated.


    I quickly took out a hand mirror and checked my face.


    ¡°...¡±


    <em>''My eyes¡­''</em>


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    <em>¡®Damn it¡­ how dare you forget me, you bastard!¡¯</em>


    It was returning to its original color.

 Chapter 986: Altanus (23)

    Chapter 986: Altanus (23)


    I looked at the hand mirror again, but nothing changed.


    ¡°...¡±


    I stared at my face again at the thought that perhaps there was something wrong, but nothing changed. My golden eye, which was our bond and a symbol of the Regressor Instruction Manual, was returning to its original color.


    My cool, odd eye disappeared.


    The odd eye made me feel edgy as if I were a teenager, but I still cherished it a lot.


    <em>¡®I really liked it¡­¡¯</em>


    ¡°Father?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    <em>¡®I¡¯ve done so much for you. Damn it¡­ how could you forget me?¡¯</em>I couldn¡¯t help but think that way.


    <em>¡®You really forgot me?¡¯</em>


    ¡°...¡±


    <em>¡®You actually forgot me? You bastard. You really are useless.¡¯</em>


    Of course, I understood why this happened.


    I understood better than anyone that this was inevitable.


    It wasn¡¯t that the Blue Guild had forgotten about me.


    I would cease to exist, so saying that he had forgotten about me probably wasn¡¯t the best way to describe it.


    The future had changedpletely.


    I wasn¡¯t even sure if Kim Hyun-Sung was still a regressor, as I had yet to decide whether to make him a regressor or not.


    I didn''t want to be separated from him, but I thought that taking care of everything in the first life was the right thing to do, but there was no guarantee that my n would work out as I had intended.


    If there was a variable, I could execute the round again¡­ but if things did go the way I nned¡­


    <em>¡®It might get taken care of in the first life.¡¯</em>


    The masked hero wouldn''t exist in the first life, and it wouldn''t be Altanus'' Regressor anymore, but Altanus'' Warrior. I was sure many things would change, but the basic framework would stay the same.


    In other words, they had experienced the Continental War, the 27th Legion Summoning, the Outer Gods War, and other major events. Today, they were now raiding the Mole Saint''s Cozy Sanctuary.


    <em>''I''ll adjust the overall timeline¡­ so that has to be it.''</em>


    Kim Hyun-Sung probably went through many incidents, but he was a hero who had grown stronger through my support. He was going to experience an incident unknown to me, and that incident would awaken him as the Sunset Warrior.


    No, there was a chance that he would no longer be the Sunset Warrior.


    <em>¡®No, he has to be the Sunset Warrior.¡¯</em>


    The sunset was extremely suitable for him, and I couldn¡¯t imagine him awakening as something else, so I needed to make sure that my ns would go smoothly.


    Perhaps he¡¯d awaken as the Sunset Holy Knight.


    As soon as he was summoned, he¡¯d start off as Altanus¡¯ Warrior.


    It wouldn''t be bad if he walked down the path of a holy knight.


    Jung Ha-Yan and Park Deok-Gu would probably grow in a simr direction.


    Ha-Yan could be a temple mage¡ªa job that had never existed before, and Han Sora could be a ck mage. It''d be great if they ended up working together upon experiencing hardships together.


    Park Deok-Gu could grow in a simr way. If he was given a shield, he could follow the same path.


    I still had no idea what would happen to Jo Hye-Jin. As for Kim Ye-Ri, she could be a Heretic Inquisitor along with Lee Chang-Ryeol.


    Miss Hee-Young could be an archbishop or something.


    I imagined them working as Altanus¡¯ Holy Knight Order instead of as members of the Blue Guild, and I nodded at that thought.


    They¡¯d look cool wearing the same special uniform that was different from the Temrs.


    The current overall timeline was simr, but it was apletely different world from the world I was familiar with. They hadn''t really forgotten about me, and it wasn¡¯t a regretful situation, either, as I expected it to happen.


    I knew this was going to happen, so I had to be pping rather than feel disappointed.


    The fact that my eye returned to its original color¡­


    <em>¡®Means the Altanus n was aplete sess, right?¡¯</em>


    It hadn''t been executed yet, but if the future proceeded at this rate and there were no errors or variables whatsoever, then I could say that it was a huge sess.


    <em>¡®As expected from Lee Ki-Young.¡¯</em>


    There were no openings in the n, and the future was set.


    <em>¡®I¡¯d expect nothing less¡­¡¯</em>


    I know I was supposed to nod in joy, but I was angry.


    I knew I had to do this, but I was feeling sad.


    <em>¡®Shouldn¡¯t he have resisted even a little bit?¡¯</em>


    Wasn''t there supposed to be a cliched moment where he''d try his best not to forget about me? There were still eight hours left, so wasn''t it a bit too much for him to forget about me so early? Wasn''t it too much for everything we had done so far to end up as if it had never happened at all?


    Was it okay for everything to change this easily?


    <em>¡®Shouldn¡¯t you have endured it until the end?¡¯</em>


    Wouldn¡¯t it be beautiful to forget about me when there were only ten minutes left?


    <em>''Ha-Yan still remembers me, right? I¡¯m sure Ji-Hye noona remembers me. Actually, I¡¯m sure there¡¯s at least one person who remembers me.'' </em>


    I was surprised by the fact that I was having this thought, but it felt kind of miserable to be forgotten like this¡ªwait, no¡­


    ¡°Bonds can be built again,¡± I muttered.


    It wouldn''t be between the Blue Guild and me, but it could be between Altanus and the Holy Knight Order. I still couldn¡¯t think of a clear method, but I could find a way to get their memories back once the Blue Holy Knight Order had taken me out from the iron maiden.


    It was only a possibility, but it was better than nothing.


    ¡°Father¡­ are you okay?¡± Metel asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Father.¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Just now¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± I told her.


    ¡°What? But¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry. Why do you keep asking ufortable questions? You¡¯re making me angry¡­ More importantly, I should tell you about the future n,¡± I told her.


    ¡°You said finding a ce to meet Mr. Bahamut¡­¡± Metel reminded me.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    I had taken care of both Draktaris and Temr Genny.


    After taking care of Bahamut, my story would end with a beautiful farewell to Benigoa.


    Naturally, I started walking with Metel.


    I didn¡¯t hear anything about a quest beingpleted, but I still needed to do my job.


    ¡°What should I¡ª¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to summon a demon,¡± I interrupted her.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Summon a demon,¡± I repeated.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Metel questioned.


    ¡°Why are you having a hard time understanding me? A demon summoning. I don¡¯t have enough mana to hold a summoning ritual¡­ so I¡¯m going to need your help, Miss Metel. Actually, I won¡¯t need just your help. It¡¯ll be your job,¡± I exined.


    ¡°Are you serious right now?¡± Metel asked.


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I be serious?¡± I asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You''re a Rift Guardian, anyway. It doesn¡¯t matter whether you summon a demon or their parents because it¡¯s nothingpared to that rift being torn open.


    "You''ll never know what wille out of that rift. Aside from the program you¡¯ll be learning from me, making a contract with a demon isn¡¯t so bad. There are things I can¡¯t tell you, but if you look at just the contract alone, you don¡¯t have to worry about your soul getting taken away.


    "In fact, there are some cases where they¡¯re better than the gods and goddesses above, like Lucifer,¡± I told her.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°I have an idea as to what you¡¯re thinking right now, but it¡¯s not what you think, Miss Metel. Haven''t I shown you my wings? I¡¯m embarrassed to say this myself, but I¡¯m more of an angel than a demon,¡± I added.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°As soon as this is over, you just need to focus on stopping the rift. Except for taking care of the continent, you have many things to do here.


    "If possible, we''ll find a way tomunicate with each other. Otherwise, I¡¯ll give you this. Right now, this item isn''t supposed to exist, so I can¡¯t give you everything, but you¡¯ll get what you want,¡± I continued.


    ¡°What do you mean by impossible?¡± Metel asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s embarrassing to say this, but I might ascend,¡± I answered.


    ¡°What do you¡­¡±


    ¡°What I¡¯m saying is I might be a god who is going to watch over the continent,¡± I told her.


    ¡°You¡¯re crazy. How could you actually¡­¡±


    I unfolded my wings because Metel and I were alone here.


    <em>¡®The future is set.¡¯</em>


    I did overdo it a bit, but my eye wasn''t going to take on that hue anymore.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Obviously, Metel cast a dumbfounded gaze at me.


    ¡°Do you believe me now?¡± I asked.


    Metel''s mouth stayed open in a daze. Then, she cautiously asked, ¡°Who¡­ the hell are you?"


    ¡°Didn''t I tell you when we first met? Iprehensible things happen on the continent, like rifts. Who do <em>you</em> think I am? Do you remember the voice you heard back then? The voice that sounded like a divine message? It¡¯s up to you to decide who <em>you </em>think I am,¡± I told her.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Poor little sheep. I¡¯m the God of Revival and Sacrifice. I traveled back in time because I found you pitiful and to take Lucifer''s ce," I said.


    I was half-joking, but I could tell that she was confused. She was thinking that my ridiculous words could actually be true. I was sure she could feel it because she had received a quest from me before.


    This iprehensible item, the fact that I knew about the rift, my wings that gave no room for suspicion, and the holiness radiating from me. I was kind of sad that I had lost the ability to unleash light from my eye, but it was nothing more than an embellishment.


    A saint with such radiant holy power was a shocking sight to everyone, and it would always make them think of something divine.


    ¡°Half of it is true,¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Do you believe me?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± Metel answered.


    ¡°Really?¡± I questioned.


    ¡°I¡¯m not really sure¡­ I¡¯m confused as well¡­ b-but¡­ I feel like I should believe you,¡± Metel replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough, and I¡¯ll correct what I said before,¡± I said.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Do you remember the first time we met? I told you to forget about me,¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, you did say that¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take that back. Don¡¯t forget about me,¡± I told her.


    ¡°...¡± ¡°Don¡¯t forget about me,¡± I repeated.


    ¡°Okay, I won¡¯t forget,¡± Metel said.


    Hearing her say that suddenly made me angry.


    <em>¡®Damn it.¡¯</em>


    It was all because Metel reminded me of Kim Hyun-Sung.


    He told me the same thing as well.


    <em>¡®Damn it.¡¯</em>


    Now that I thought about it, I clearly told him not to forget about me.


    <em>¡®This is why giving love is useless.¡¯</em>


    His words suddenly popped into my head, making me gnash my teeth again.


    <em>¡®Do they really think that they can be happy without me? We¡¯ll just see about that.¡¯</em>


    Despite that thought in mind, I wasn¡¯t sure either because I was the reason behind their mental illness, but¡­


    <em>''I still gave them many things, you know?¡¯</em>


    It was true that I was the reason why they had one or two mental illnesses, but I gave them many things topensate for that. The pros outweighed the cons.


    <em>¡®They¡¯re probably really unhappy right now.¡¯</em>


    I wasn''t there, so I was sure they couldn''t even dream of having a normal life. I believed they were feeling nervous about the raid without me there.


    Once I had be Altanus, I¡¯d focus a little more on the well-being of those disgraceful fools, but I was convinced that they wouldn''t be as happy as they were when I was by their side.


    Right now, I was sure they were unhappier than me.


    ***


    ¡°<em>Hahahaha!</em>¡±


    ¡°<em>Hahahahaha!</em> Hey, Hyun-Sung bro! Is it okay to be joking around at a time like this? We¡¯re still in the middle of a raid!¡± Park Deok-Gu shouted.


    ¡°T-T-That¡¯s our motto. To always have fun¡­¡± Jung Ha-Yan chimed in.


    ¡°Ha-Yan noonim is right. Always have fun¡­ that''s a good motto. We''re in a pinch right now, but¡­ I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll pull through this time as well. Like we always do,¡± Park Deok-Gu said, nodding.


    <em>***</em>


    They were probably just as unhappy as me...

 Chapter 987: Altanus (24)

    Chapter 987: Altanus (24)


    Strictly speaking, it wasn¡¯t an optimistic situation because the Mole Saint¡¯s Cozy Sanctuary was far more difficult than I expected. It was more difficult than average unranked dungeons.


    In addition to exceeding the expectations of dungeon researchers and power analysts, their ns had gone wrong as well.


    This dungeon couldn''t be cleared using ordinary methods, and I was sure everyone who joined the expedition group could feel that deep in their bones.


    <em>¡®Simply defeating a boss monster isn''t going to clear this dungeon.¡¯</em>


    The dungeon monsters were spouting a bunch of nonsense, and there were iprehensible anomalies as well. Above all, the spacetime inside the dungeon was fragmenting, scattering into what appeared like a mosaic.


    It was such a strange sight that I had no idea how to describe it. The spacetime was repeatedly dividing and merging. It was an anomaly that not even people with PhDs or mages with degrees rted to dungeons could understand.


    It wasn''t caused by mana nor holy power.


    ¡°I-If we¡­ consider the continent as one big program, then the program is probably in the middle of getting fixed, as we can see from the division of the spacetime here,¡± Jung Ha-Yan said.


    ¡°Is that so?¡±¡°I-I can¡¯t¡­ s-say for certain. I-I¡¯ll have to investigate a little more¡­ I-I don¡¯t know what kind of example I can give¡­¡± Jung Ha-Yan replied.


    ¡°Miss Jung Ha-Yan, how about using magic as an example?¡± Han Sora suggested.


    ¡°<em>Ah!</em> R-Right. Thanks, Sora. S-So, you can think of it as a summoning spell, but you''re not summoning a creature here. It¡¯s more like a process of summoning an entire space.


    "Actually, I don¡¯t know if ''summoning'' is the correct word¡­ Maybe moving¡ªno, you can think of it as releasing it. If that''s not it, then maybe spacetime is being reversed, but¡­ I can''t be certain of it. I¡¯ll need to do more research¡­¡± Jung Ha-Yan exined.


    ¡°You¡¯ve looked into it enough, Miss Jung Ha-Yan. I think you¡¯re <em>too</em> obsessed with that strange spacetime¡­ and it¡¯s worrying me¡­¡± Han Sora said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I-It¡¯s fine, Sora. I¡¯m not¡­ obsessed¡­ <em>Ah!</em> Anyway, what I want to say is that the strange space we¡¯re standing and looking at is probably an unfamiliar ce for us, Hyun-Sung oppa.


    "It could be the ce beyond the rift that we had seen at the Rift Museum¡­ a different world in the same time period, or it could be in the past or in the future that is unknown to us. Of course, this is an assumption as well since this isn¡¯t magic,¡± Jung Ha-Yan continued.


    ¡°Is it safe to assume that space and time are changing here?¡± Kim Hyun-Sung asked.


    ¡°Yes, probably¡­¡± she answered.


    It could be a unique trick that the dungeon itself had or a side-effect that appeared after an extended period of time. It could be a crucial clue to clearing the dungeon.


    ¡°M-More importantly, have you not heard S-Saint Altanus¡¯ voice, oppa?¡± Jung Ha-Yan asked.


    That could be why they couldn''t hear her voice...


    ¡°No. She¡­ hasn¡¯t said anything else yet. Is it the same for you?¡± Kim Hyun-Sung asked.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s the same for me¡­ D-Do you think she¡¯s busy?¡± Jung Ha-Yan asked.


    ¡°Hey, did you make her mad again, Hyun-Sung bro?¡± Park Deok-Gu asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a possibility,¡± Sun Hee-Young chimed in.


    ¡°Hee-Young noonim agrees as well. You received a divine message to run away, but you overdid it and almost died. She didn¡¯t talk to you for a year. Even though she told you not to make useless offerings, you kept offering that strange bag of yours to her, and she ghosted you for a little over three months.


    "Wait, she never even said that she liked that bag¡­¡± Park Deok-Gu pointed out.


    ¡°She never expresses it openly, but she''s always happy about it. More importantly, didn¡¯t she¡­ choose the offering herself?¡± Kim Hyun-Sung asked.


    ¡°Hey, you didn''t have to give any offerings. All she said was that if you <em>wanted</em> to give her an offering, you could do it. Our leader sure adapts quickly to everything else¡­ but when ites to Saint Altanus, you¡¯re slow-witted things.


    "Of course, it¡¯s the same for noonim¡­¡± Park Deok-Gu said.


    ¡°M-My faith is simply strong. And I''m not slow-witted¡­¡± Kim Hyun-Sung remarked.


    ¡°Everyone here has a strong faith. Everyone has gathered here under the guidance of Saint Altanus,¡± Park Deok-Gu argued.


    I nodded at the sight.


    ¡°It¡¯s the same for Ha-Yan noonim¡­ me, Sora is kind of different¡­ Hee-Ra noonim, Hye-Jin noonim, and all the new members¡­ are here because of Saint Altanus. She¡¯s the one who gave us many things, and she changed us. The others have leveled up as well, but our leader was the one who changed the most,¡± Park Deok-Gu added.


    ¡°Please refrain from being rude to our leader¡­¡± Jo Hye-Jinmented.


    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re too serious, Hye-Jin noonim. Don¡¯t you remember Saint Altanus telling you to loosen up a bit?¡± Park Deok-Gu asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Miss Hye-Jin. It¡¯s kind of embarrassing, but¡­ at least we canugh about it now,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung told her.


    ¡°<em>Hahaha.</em>¡±


    ¡°<em>Hahahaha.</em>¡±


    I saw everyone smiling.


    They were probably talking about the time when we were in the tutorial dungeon.


    It was the time when I crawled into a small space and hid.


    It wasn¡¯t exactly funny, but we were like a family¡ªno, we were a family, so we could talk freely about it.


    I was sure the gap between then and now was amusing.


    It was embarrassing, but it was fun listening to them talk.


    It made me feel good thinking that we couldugh about our embarrassing moments together because we were all family.


    ¡°We can justugh about it now, but you were apletely different person back then when you were still hiding. Aren''t you no longer the same weak bro that I know?


    "Not being rude here; the thought just came into my head. Seeing how much you¡¯ve grown, you really are the legendary Sunset Holy Knight. I feel overwhelmed just thinking about the things we experienced in the past,¡± Park Deok-Gu said.


    ¡°<em>Haha.</em> I never would have left if Saint Altanus hadn''t called me out. While we¡¯re on that topic¡­ What about you, Mr. Deok-Gu? I remember you crying when you lost the shield that Saint Altanus had bestowed upon you¡­¡± Kim Hyun-Sung asked.


    ¡°T-That¡¯s too¡­ Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s unfair to bring that up?¡± Park Deok-Guined.


    ¡°You were. An embarrassment. Back then,¡± Kim Ye-Rimented.


    ¡°Y-Y-Ye-Ri thinks that way as well?¡± Jung Ha-Yan stuttered.


    ¡°The holy knight who lost his holy relic. I wonder if someone like that actually exists. She gave that to you herself, so Saint Altanus was so shocked, and she was at a loss for words. She didn¡¯t know what to say¡­¡± Kim Hyun-Sung added.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I. Was. Really. Going to. Interrogate you. Mister Deok-Gu,¡± Kim Ye-Ri said.


    ¡°<em>Hahahaha.</em>¡±


    ¡°If. Saint Altanus didn¡¯t care about you. You would have. Suffered from divine punishment. I don¡¯t know why. She cares about you so much. I really don''t know,¡± Kim Ye-Ri added.


    ¡°I-I also¡­ thought that losing your holy relic¡­ w-was a bit too much,¡± Jung Ha-Yan mumbled.


    ¡°You, too, Ha-Yan noonim?¡± Park Deok-Gu said.


    The pattern was simr each time, but it never failed to make meugh. It had be a precious part of my daily life.


    And that was when I heard a voice from afar¡­


    ¡°Are you talking about the past again?¡±


    ¡°Jung¡­ Yeon noonim,¡± Park Deok-Gu mumbled.


    ¡°Looks like our leader bullied my cute husband again. Also, darling, why are you still calling me noonim? We¡¯ve been married for a while¡­ Are you still embarrassed to call me darling or honey?¡± Hwang Jung-Yeon asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You get embarrassed easily despite being a big boy¡­¡± Hwang Jung-Yeon added.


    ¡°<em>Ahem¡­</em>¡±


    ¡°Anyway¡­ <em>ahem</em>¡­ the food is ready,¡± she said.


    ¡°Is it that time already?¡± Park Deok-Gu asked.


    ¡°What about¡­ the others?¡± Hwang Jung-Yeon asked.


    ¡°Commander Jin said that something is off¡­ so he¡¯s been wandering around to investigate or something¡­ I believe the Mercenary Queen is going to have a light meal. She must be dissatisfied about how we retreated in the previous battle,¡± Park Deok-Gu answered.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°<em>Ah!</em> The menu looks great. Today must be a special day. The Pope must¡¯ve worked his magic¡­¡± Hwang Jung-Yeon said.


    ¡°Then, before we eat¡ª¡±


    ¡°I know. I¡¯ll call the other members,¡± Hwang Jung-Yeon interrupted Park Deok-Gu.


    There was always this kind of event.


    Only Altanus¡¯ Holy Knight Order would do it before eating, before leaving on an expedition, before sleeping, and before doing anything.


    The remaining members entered the tent as if they had been waiting for this.


    Elena was a priest serving Elune, but she decided to live as a follower of Saint Altanus.


    Miss Ah-Young was there along with Mr. Chang-Ryeol, who was now working as a Heretic Inquisitor. Alps and Belier, the rookie, gathered around. They started talking until everyone sat down.


    They were in a difficult situation, but they smiled as if they were in a good mood.


    ¡°Is everyone here?¡± Kim Hyun-Sung asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s¡­ one person missing¡­¡±


    ¡°<em>Ah! </em>Miss Lian ising.¡±


    Others would find this strange, but I had long gotten used to this sight.


    Many people thought this was a ceremony for the Knight¡¯s Order, so the people nearby left. They grabbed each other¡¯s hands and created a circle. Then, they closed their eyes and prayed.


    They showed appreciation for the fact that Saint Altanus had chosen them and had given them hope during hopeless situations.


    They chanted each word clearly and with indescribable feelings of gratitude.


    ¡°Thank you for always watching over the continent and us¡­¡±


    ¡°Please forgive the sins of those who serve you and those who don¡¯t serve you¡­¡±


    ¡°Those who don¡¯t serve you¡­¡±


    ¡°So that they shall follow your will¡­¡±


    ¡°Your will¡­¡±


    I was sure everyone was thinking about it.


    They were saying their prayers while thinking about Saint Altanus'' words.


    <em>¡®My littlembs.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Please¡­¡±


    <em>¡®Actually¡­ my babies¡­ my children. I want you to be happy.¡¯</em>


    ¡°...¡±


    <em>¡®I want you to treat each other like family and support each other. Give each other strength.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Please¡­¡±


    <em>¡®Things can get tough sometimes. You will find yourself in a pinch, but I always believe in you. If everyone walks on the same path, you¡¯ll be able to ovee any trial. So my children¡­ empathize with each other;ugh and cry with each other. </em>


    <em>''Remember that I¡ªthe worthless one¡ªam always with you.¡¯</em>


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°O Altanus.¡±


    <em>¡®I want to see you smile, my children. I want you to enjoy your ordinary days and the life bestowed upon you. Even if you experience hardships and trials, I want you to ovee them with a smile. I want you to value and enjoy the gifts I have given you¡­¡¯</em>


    ¡°Thank you as always.¡±


    <em>''Keep smiling¡­</em>


    ¡°T-T-Thank you as always, Saint Altanus. T-Thank you very much¡­ for watching over us.¡±


    <em>¡®Keep.. having fun. That¡¯s whatforts me, and it is my wish.¡¯</em>


    ¡°...¡±


    <em>¡®I hope you don¡¯t forget my words. I hope you''ll always carry my words with you. I hope you''ll always carry my sincerity in your hearts, and I hope you''ll never forget that I love you.¡¯</em>


    ¡°...¡±


    <em>¡®Don¡¯t forget¡­ ever¡­ again.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Yes, O God. We¡¯ll never forget.¡±


    ¡°...¡± ¡°We¡¯ll never¡­ ever forget.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°We will never forget.¡±

 Chapter 988: Altanus (25)

    Chapter 988: Altanus (25)


    <em>¡°...¡±</em>


    ¡°...¡±


    <em>¡°Liar.¡±</em>


    I[1] would never forget.


    <em>¡°No, you¡¯re going to forget.¡±</em>


    <em>''That¡¯s not possible. How can I forget?''</em>


    <em>¡°You forgot.¡±</em>


    <em>''That can¡¯t be, Mr¡­''</em>


    <em>¡°It hurts.¡±</em><em>''What?''</em>


    <em>¡°It hurts¡­ It really¡­ really¡­ hurts¡­ I gave up everything for you¡­¡±</em>


    ¡°...¡±


    <em>¡°I thought you guys would remember me¡­¡±</em>


    ¡°...¡±


    <em>¡°I resent you guys sometimes. It happens rarely, but I resent you guys so much. The emptiness¡­ pain¡­ and waiting wasn¡¯t painful for me, Hyun-Sung. Our time wasn¡¯t short¡­ but I still had fun. But¡­ I sometimes feel like this oue is really cruel, especially when I waited such a long time for it.¡±</em>


    <em>''What do you mean?''</em>


    <em>¡°There are times when Iugh, but when the day is over, it bes painful again. I thought¡­ I thought there would be a ce for me. I thought you would make a ce for me¡­ That¡¯s what I thought, but you didn¡¯t.¡±</em>


    <em>''Mr¡ªI¡­''</em>


    <em>¡°I think it¡¯s all your fault. I think you made me this way. You changed me¡­ and eventually abandoned me.¡±</em>


    <em>''I didn¡¯t. I¡­''</em>


    <em>¡°You abandoned me. I never abandoned you. You forgot about me, and you made me feel miserable.¡±</em>


    It felt like a dark shadow was suppressing me.


    A shapeless hand was climbing up me, lingering around my neck.


    <em>¡°I did it for you¡­ but you abandoned me.¡±</em>


    The shapeless hand was tightening its grip on my neck. It wasn¡¯t strong, but I couldn¡¯t breathe. I became stiff, and I couldn¡¯t move. I couldn¡¯t shake off the shapeless hand, even though it seemed like I could easily shake it off.


    <em>¡°You¡­ You¡­ Heuk¡­ heuuuk¡­</em>¡±


    ¡°<em>Heuk¡­ heuk¡­</em> T-That¡¯s not true! That¡¯s not¡­ <em>Heuk</em>¡­ not true.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°No¡­ that¡¯s not true¡­¡±


    I was covered in sweat. The moment I got up, I immediately looked for my rosary.


    I touched my neck, and the familiar feeling made me feel relieved, so I instantly exhaled. My breathing was unstable, and I couldn''t stop breathing heavily.


    <em>"Things can get tough sometimes. You will find yourself in a pinch, but I always believe in you. If everyone walks on the same path, you¡¯ll be able to ovee any trial. So my children¡­ empathize with each other,ugh and cry with each other. </em>


    <em>"Remember that I¡ªthe worthless one¡ªam always with you."</em>


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    <em>"I want to see you smile, my children. I want you to enjoy your ordinary days and the life bestowed upon you. Even if you experience hardships and trials, I want you to ovee them with a smile."</em>


    I recalled Saint Altanus'' words and chanted them.


    ¡°Saint Altanus will always be by my side,¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Saint Altanus will always be by my side,¡± I repeated.


    I calmed down slowly, and my tumultuous emotions were stabilizing as well.


    ¡°Saint Altanus,¡± I said.


    It was a strange dream. It was a really, <em>really</em> strange dream.


    ¡°It really was a¡ª¡±


    ¡°Leader, it¡¯s Jo Hye-Jin. Did something happen?¡± Jo Hye-Jin asked.


    ¡°...¡± ¡°Leader?¡± Jo Hye-Jin asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, Miss Hye-Jin. I just had a strange dream¡­ I¡¯ll head out now,¡± I replied.


    ¡°It¡¯s still early, Leader. You can¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. I have work I need to take care of anyway. Is¡­ Miss Ha-Yan sleeping?¡± I asked.


    ¡°She¡¯s in the middle of her research concerning that strange spacetime¡­¡± Jo Hye-Jin answered.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°After today''s meeting, she said that she needed to look into it again¡­ and she hasn¡¯t left her spot since then,¡± Jo Hye-Jin added.


    It wasn¡¯t unusual. Jung Ha-Yan would often stay up all night to do her research.


    ¡°It¡¯d be nice if there¡¯s nothing out of the ordinary¡­¡± Imented.


    ¡°Miss Sora also expressed her worries. I don¡¯t know why, but she sometimes cries by herself,¡± Jo Hye-Jin said.


    Perhaps it was because I had a disturbing dream, but I felt ufortable, so I tightened my grip around my rosary again and looked at the mirror.


    I was frowning a bit, and my expression looked so serious as if I had seen a ghost. This wasn¡¯t what Saint Altanus wanted. I forced my trembling lips to smile.


    After reciting another prayer, I could feel my expression turning to normal.


    When I walked out, I saw a familiar face.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for worrying you, Miss Hye-Jin,¡± I said.


    ¡°Did you have a nightmare?¡± Jo Hye-Jin asked.


    ¡°Sounds like you heard everything from out here. Looks like Mr. Deok-Gu will tease me again,¡± I said.


    ¡°As the leader, you need to scold him from time to time. Mr. Deok-Gu doesn¡¯t seem like he knows how to distinguish between private and public matters. I can''t believe he made suchments when the new members are around¡ª¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it okay since it makes Saint Altanus happy? I didn¡¯t think I would say this myself, but as you already know, Saint Altanus¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, I know, Leader. Don¡¯t be too serious¡­ but I¡¯m not <em>that</em> serious,¡± Jo Hye-Jin interrupted me.


    Jo Hye-Jin looked down slightly, looking a bit heartbroken.


    ¡°S-S-So¡­ you sounded really scared¡­ Did you dream about the time you were in the tutorial dungeon?¡± Jo Hye-Jin asked.


    Her statement made me smile and chuckle. ¡°<em>Pfft.</em>¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°<em>Hahaha.¡±</em> Iughed.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Leader,¡± Jo Hye-Jin said.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. It was funny,¡± I told her.


    It was more like thement she made was funny rather than the joke itself.


    She sounded awkward, but she had clearly mustered the courage to say it. She had to have decided to be brave upon realizing that I was in bad condition. I was happy for some reason. I finally understood why Saint Altanus told us to always cry andugh together as well as empathize with each other.


    ¡°<em>Ah!</em> The dream wasn¡¯t about the tutorial dungeon,¡± I answered.


    ¡°Then¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. It was clearly¡­¡± I paused.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I-I-I¡­ don''t really remember,¡± I told her.


    It wasn¡¯t an excuse. I really couldn''t remember it. I tried to remember it, but for some reason, I couldn¡¯t remember anything about it. The shapeless hand and that voice¡ªthat was all I could remember.


    ¡°<em>Ah!</em> I experience that from time to time,¡± Jo Hye-Jinmented.


    ¡°It was so vivid¡­ that I thought I would never forget it¡­ but it waspletely erased from my mind after talking to you, Miss Hye-Jin. I¡¯m not really sure, but I was clearly in pain¡­ anxious, and scared,¡± I told her.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s because you¡¯ve been really stressedtely,¡± Jo Hye-Jin said.


    ¡°That¡¯s a possibility. Saint Altanus¡ª¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t the first time she hasn¡¯t said anything for a while, so don¡¯t worry so much¡­ Once we conquer this dungeon, I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be happy and she¡¯ll start talking again. She¡¯s always been like that,¡± Jo Hye-Jin reassured.


    ¡°I agree with you, but¡­ no¡­ I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be happy,¡± I agreed with her.


    And that was when I heard a scream. ¡°<em>AAAAH!</em>¡±


    I ced my hand on the sheath of my sword, but I chuckled when I recognized the owner of the voice. ¡°<em>Pfft!</em>¡±


    ¡°<em>Haha¡­</em>¡±


    ¡°Looks like¡­ Mr. Deok-Gu had a nightmare as well,¡± Imented.


    ¡°I agree,¡± Jo Hye-Jin said.


    ¡°<em>Heuk¡­ Heuuung¡­</em>¡± Park Deok-Gu cried.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Hyuuuuung¡­ <em>Kgggggh¡­ kgh¡­ Heuuung¡­</em>¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°<em>Keugh¡­ Hup¡­ Heuuung¡­</em>¡±


    ¡°Honey? H-Honey? Mr. Deok-Gu.¡±


    ¡°<em>Huh? Ah¡­</em>¡±


    ¡°W-W-What¡¯s wrong?¡± I asked.


    ¡°<em>Huh?</em>¡±


    ¡°Did you have a nightmare?¡± I asked.


    ¡°<em>Uh¡­ </em>I¡­¡±


    I remained quiet and was worried about the voiceing from inside the tent.


    ¡°What kind of dream¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­ I don¡¯t really remember¡­ Were you talking in your sleep or something?¡± Park Deok-Gu asked.


    Naturally, I made eye contact with Jo Hye-Jin.


    The first time could be a coincidence, but the second time was different.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be right back. Dispatch the rangers and examine the camp. Dispatch the investigation team as well to address this issue. The chances are low, but a mare could be behind this, so dispatch the Holy Knights as well. This is the top priority,¡± I ordered.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°And iste the people who are showing the same symptoms,¡± I added.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    <em>¡®Their minds?¡¯</em>


    I looked up at the ceiling and saw the spacetime emitting a buzzing noise while splitting and splicing.


    It was reasonable for me to think that there was some kind of curse or debuff here that affected one¡¯s mind. Park Deok-Gu and I, as well as the others who had nightmares that they couldn¡¯t remember, could be under the same curse or debuff. A specific monster could be behind it, but it was most likely the work of the strange spacetime above us.


    I had to look around first and if there really were a mage¡­


    <em>¡®They managed to infiltrate the safe zone?¡¯</em>


    I checked the other camps, but I didn¡¯t hear any loud noises.


    There was a high chance that the Commander of the Republic was talking about this when he mentioned that so-called "strange feeling." The camp was lit, so he probably decided to stay upte to finish his work.


    I knew it was a rude thing to do, but I decided to walk to his camp.


    ¡°Commander,¡± I said.


    ¡°What brings you here thiste? It¡¯s rude¡­¡± Commander Jin said.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but there¡¯s something I have to ask you¡­ Regarding the strange feeling you had before¡­¡± I paused.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I was actually going to tell you about it¡­¡± Commander Jin said.


    ¡°Go ahead,¡± I said.


    ¡°There were quests,¡± Commander Jin said.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°From the first floor of the basement level up to here, I found dozens of quests,¡± Commander Jin answered.


    ¡°Quests?¡±


    ¡°Some of the quests have rewards. Take a look. It¡¯s a rare potion. I guarantee there isn¡¯t an item better than this out there. I asked the alchemists of the Republic for their opinion, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°Regarding the strange space¡­¡± I interrupted Commander Jin.


    ¡°That¡¯s also being investigated,¡± Commander Jin answered.


    I started moving again.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Disgustingpdogs of Altanus. You¡¯re still rude as usual.¡±


    I heard him criticize me, but I couldn''t care less nor apologize. My heart was pounding, but that was probably just me.


    ¡°S-Something is strange,¡± I said.


    Howe I couldn''t hear Saint Altanus¡¯ voice? Had something happened to her?


    ¡°Miss Ha-Yan. Miss Ha-Yan,¡± I called out.


    ¡°Hyun-Sung oppa¡­?¡± Jung Ha-Yan answered. She stretched her hand out toward the strange spacetime from afar, and Han Sora was clinging to her.


    <em>¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯</em>


    I ran as fast as I could, but I wasn¡¯t getting closer to them.


    They were getting farther and farther away, and I felt myself getting whisked away to somewhere else. It felt like the world was spinning. The scenery before me was spinning, and I heard strange screams and cries.


    One of the strange voices was familiar, and I felt like I heard it in one of my dreams before. No, I was sure I heard this voice before. The voice sounded extremely heartbroken, so I immediately covered my ears to avoid getting beguiled.


    ¡°What the¡­¡±


    <em>''Where am I?''</em>


    ¡°What the¡­ hell is this¡­¡±


    I found myself inside a vast cavern filled with artificial lights.


    There was an iron maiden in the middle of the cavern, and it was emitting a radiant light.


    ¡°What¡­ is that?¡±


    1. Kim Hyun-Sung¡¯s POV ?

 Chapter 989: Dream

    Chapter 989: Dream


    It was an unusual sight. The fact that I managed to find myself here was unusual as well, but the sight before me was even more unusual than that. It was like I was staring at a kaleidoscope of artificial lights.


    The scene reflected before my eyes was a deste space, but one thing I was sure of was that all of this looked extremely holy. It wasn¡¯t the same as the temples outside, but this ce felt like a temple.


    I saw an altar of unknown purpose and props that looked like they were used for religious ceremonies. That was all I could see in this empty space, but the ce felt holy rather than empty.


    There weren¡¯t murals or statues depicting legendary figures, and the lights looked like decorations that were used to make this space stand out.


    The iron maiden stood tall, and it was the strangest prop among all the props here.


    Why was a torture device like that standing in the center of this ce?


    No matter how much I thought about it, it wasn¡¯t a normal sight.


    To make things worse, it was releasing a radiant light, making my jaw drop without realizing it. The artificial light around it was different. The radiant light was strangely warm and cozy. Despite what it looked like on the outside, this space was extremely¡­


    <em>¡®Oppressive and frightening.¡¯</em>It was probably because this was a brand-new sight to me.


    I unknowingly stepped back and heard a <em>ssh</em>.


    It was a feeling I felt many times on the battlefield, and it was a nauseating feeling.


    When I looked down, I saw a red puddle on the ground. I noticed it just then¡ªtherge cavern was covered in blood. The floor was so red that I¡¯d believe it if someone were to say that I was staring at a shallowke of blood. Interestingly, the air had no rusty smell, but I still couldn''t understand why it took me sote to notice all the blood.


    In addition, the air smelled sweet.


    <em>Splish, ssh, ssh¡­ </em>


    This was all I could hear in this ce.


    <em>''P-pause and think carefully about all this. Don¡¯t get too worried and just think about all the possibilities, as that was Saint Altanus¡¯ advice. Think again and again. Once you''ve thought it through, you can then make your move.''</em>


    ¡°Where¡­ am I?¡±


    I suddenly found myself here, so I probably got myself caught up in a trap, or I could have discovered an easter egg. If I were right, then it was highly likely that the other expedition members would soon arrive here.


    <em>¡®A hidden boss.¡¯</em>


    The hidden boss was probably inside that iron maiden.


    It seemed different from the other bosses we had encountered so far here at the Mole Saint¡¯s Cozy Sanctuary, but it didn¡¯t mean that the expedition group had no way of releasing the seal.


    If I were to open that iron maiden, a hidden boss would most likely appear, and the raid would begin. Technically, I had to wait for the other members or find a way to bring them to this room. I was strong, yes, but a raid with no information andrades was a bit too much for me.


    I was sure that was the right thing to do, and Saint Altanus would agree with me. Despite that, I couldn¡¯t help but keep walking toward the ce that was definitely dangerous.


    I could hear a faint voice from it, and it sounded like the voice I often heard in my dreams. Moreover, the radiant light from the iron maiden spread like smoke and transformed into humanoid figures.


    It was an interesting sight. The lights were moving and creating figures on their own. The figures moved and spoke as if they were in a y. They talked with each other, cried, andughed.


    At some point, figures made out of light were all around me.


    <em>¡°Mr¡­ do you recognize me?¡±</em>


    <em>¡°No.¡±</em>


    <em>¡°What?¡±</em>


    <em>¡°I don¡¯t think I remember you because it¡¯s been so long since we¡¯ve seen each other.¡± ¡°Uh.¡±</em>


    <em>¡°I¡¯m joking.¡±</em>


    <em>¡°I¡¯m sorry. I was¡­ really¡ª¡±</em>


    <em>¡°No, you don¡¯t have to be sorry. I already know how busy you are¡­ and more importantly, I know how important training is. You don¡¯t need to stay here. You don¡¯t even have time to talk¡­ It¡¯s time to go back to your training. Don¡¯t worry about me and go back. I¡¯m fine, Mr. Hyun-Sung.¡±</em>


    The two were talking. One of them was being sarcastic, while the other was struggling. Interestingly, one of the figures resembled me a lot. No, I heard my name, so I was sure it was me. A figure who looked like me was talking to a faceless figure.


    <em>¡°Um, Mr¡­ I got a really rare item from the auction house today. It¡¯s not the Chanelia Hermes you¡¯ve been waiting for, but it was made by a leatherworker named Louisgi¡­¡±</em>


    <em>¡°...¡±</em>


    <em>¡°I¡¯m sorry. There aren''t many decent items on sale these days¡­¡±</em>


    <em>¡°Whoo¡­¡±</em>


    <em>¡°...¡±</em>


    <em>¡°...¡±</em>


    <em>¡°Mr. Hyun-Sung, how long has it been since you took a break from the guild tasks? How were you able to afford this bag?¡±</em>


    <em>¡°...¡±</em>


    <em>¡°Don¡¯t you think this is a bit much?!¡±</em>


    <em>¡°...¡± ¡°I¡¯m sick and tired of it.¡±</em>


    It looked like I was looking at my ordinary daily life. We''d exchange gifts and¡­


    <em>¡°It¡¯s the Chanelia Hermes.¡±</em>


    <em>¡°It¡¯s not bad. My disy case will finally be filled.¡±</em>


    <em>¡°I¡¯m d you like it.¡±</em>


    We''d eat together.


    <em>¡®How is it?¡±</em>


    <em>¡°It¡¯s not bad.¡±</em>


    Or we''d just have ordinary conversations¡­


    <em>¡°I was kind of surprised when I received a griffon as a gift.¡±</em>


    <em>¡°Ah, I got it when I was returning from the Capital. I was worried about whether you¡¯d like it or not. I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d like it that much, and I also didn¡¯t think that you enjoyed festivals and festival-rted items. I''m honestly kind of relieved. At the time, Miss Hye-Jin¡ª¡±</em>


    <em>¡°Hahaha. Is that true?¡±</em>


    <em>¡°I was really surprised when you suddenly said you were going to appoint her as the secretary.¡±</em>


    <em>¡°I-I¡¯m sorry about that.¡±</em>


    They were stories about us riding our griffons together or going shopping. We¡¯d drink tea, open festivals, andugh. However, I wasn¡¯t the only figure made by the light. It¡¯d be nice if it was just all in my head, but it felt like all the Holy Knights were here.


    ¡°<em>I-I-It¡¯s been a while since we went on a date.¡±</em>


    <em>¡°That¡¯s because we haven¡¯t had the chance to go on one. Let¡¯s do whatever you want to do today.¡±</em>


    <em>¡°R-Really?¡¯</em>


    <em>¡°Yeah.¡±</em>


    Jung Ha-Yan¡­


    <em>¡°O-O-Oppa, I love you.¡±</em>


    <em>¡°I love you too, Ha-Yan.¡±</em>


    Park Deok-Gu¡­


    <em>¡°Hey, you should exercise. You should worry about yourself before worrying about me. Did you stay upst night as well? You should get some sleep.¡±</em>


    <em>¡°...¡±</em>


    <em>¡°Come on, let¡¯s go eat. Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re going to eat alone today. I know you¡¯re busy, but you should at least fulfill your basic needs.¡±</em>


    Jo Hye-Jin¡­


    <em>¡°You have no right to say something like that, Miss Hye-Jin.¡±</em>


    <em>¡°Excuse me?¡±</em>


    <em>¡°You must not remember ourst chess game. I recall you losing without having the chance to do anything.¡±</em>


    <em>¡°248 wins and 246 losses. Based on the score, I obviously-¡±</em>


    <em>¡°Why do you even remember that? You just need to remember the most recent score. Who lost three games and was annihted again?¡±</em>


    <em>¡°I asked you to y after that, but you ran away.¡±</em>


    <em>¡°I''d be ying with an inferior yer, so I couldn''t get in the mood to y. I declined as a way of telling you to improve a little more. I didn¡¯t run away. Obviously, I don¡¯t want to y with a rookie. P-Pfft!¡±</em>


    Sun Hee-Young¡­


    <em>¡°The tea time is nice.¡±</em>


    <em>¡°I¡¯m grateful¡­ you think that way¡­¡±</em>


    <em>¡°It¡¯s normally really loud, so I need quiet times like these. As you already know¡­¡±</em>


    <em>¡°Yes, I understand what you¡¯re saying, Miss¡­ It doesn¡¯t happen every time¡­ but sometimes it¡¯s just¡­¡±</em>


    <em>¡°I¡¯m d we think the same thing. Haha. Is this apple tea?¡±</em>


    <em>¡°Yes, I have other teas as well. Would you like to try them?¡±</em>


    I heard voices everywhere.


    They gathered at arge table and talked, drank, and sang.


    They were rowdy, and it was probably because of the dancing Ye-Ri.


    They seemed to be really enjoying themselves.


    Theyughed while pping, clinked sses, and started talking about the things they normally talked about. Miss Elena, who was sipping on her cup, looked like she was talking about the Elf Kingdom with Yoo Ah-Young.


    I took a step forward, and the scenery changed.


    The faceless figure was on the terrace with me and was drinking coffee while watching people train. I was sure that was part of their daily life. They''d raise their hand slightly to greet people and call out their names. They''d go out to eat with other people and have conversations that I couldn¡¯t quite understand.


    When I stepped forward once more, the scenery changed again.


    I could see the sunset. I wasn¡¯t sure where I was, but I was looking at two people who were staring at the sunset. I didn¡¯t know what they were talking about, but the faceless figure seemed like they were smiling.


    I stepped forward, and the scenery changed again.


    <em>¡°Y-You¡¯ll¡­ be a hero.¡±</em>


    <em>¡°...¡±</em>


    <em>¡°You¡¯ll save everyone, the continent, and me.¡±</em>


    <em>¡°...¡±</em>


    I stepped forward, and the scenery changed again.


    <em>¡°You¡¯ll grow strong enough to sacrifice yourself for others, and in the end, you¡¯ll be saved.¡±</em>


    I stepped forward, and I saw the iron maiden.


    The iron maiden was crying tears of blood.


    Blood spilled out of it as I stared at the figure that the light had created.


    I knew I wasn''t supposed to open it, and I knew that this was a risky adventure.


    However¡­ my hand reached out toward it, even though I knew that I couldn''t do this.


    I was reacting to it without realizing it.


    I put some strength into my arms, and I opened it without any hups.


    A creaking noise echoed, and the door seemed to open automatically.


    ¡°Who is it¡­¡±


    There was a figure whose figure was covered in a red hue. The figure''s body was riddled with holes in a variety of sizes, and there was blood flowing out of the holes.


    It was such a horrible sight that I couldn¡¯t describe it with words. I thought I had witnessed all sorts of disasters and grisly scenes after years of living in this ruthless continent, but the sight before me was such a cruel sight that it couldn¡¯t bepared to those things.


    I couldn¡¯t see clearly, and my head felt like it was spinning.


    ¡°Who¡­ the hell¡­ are you¡­¡±


    <em>Squelch, squelch, squelch¡­</em>


    I could hear the thorns falling off their figure.


    It felt like the grotesque noises were telling me about how long it had been since the thorns had pierced their figure. The figure fell forward weakly. I tried to catch them, but I took a step backward. There was a <em>thud</em>, and they fell to the ground.


    The figure rolled on the ground as if it were a puppet that had lost its strings.


    <em>¡®Y-Y-You¡¯ll¡­ be a regressor.¡¯</em>


    And¡­


    <em>¡®A good ending awaits you.¡¯</em>


    ¡°<em>Ahhh¡­</em>¡±


    <em>¡®I¡¯m going to give you that kind of future.¡¯</em>


    ¡°<em>AAAAAH¡­!</em>¡±


    <em>¡®...¡¯</em>


    ¡°<em>AAAAAH!!!</em>¡±


    <em>¡®You¡¯ll be happy, my regressor.¡¯</em>


    ¡°...¡±


    <em>¡®Kim Hyun-Sung.¡¯</em>


    ¡°...¡±

 Chapter 990: The End of the Social Gathering (1)

    Chapter 990: The End of the Social Gathering (1)


    <em>¡®What happened?¡¯</em>


    <em>Kaboooooooom!</em>


    ¡°Damn it¡­ damn it! There¡¯s another explosion¡­¡±


    <em>¡®From where¡­¡¯</em>


    I[1] heardints mixed with explosions from all directions.


    ¡°Damn it! I told you that I was going to leave this ce! The Underground Temple¡ª¡±


    ¡°Please follow the procedure!¡± a soldier interrupted.


    ¡°You think I supported the Underground Temple so I can receive this kind of treatment?! You have to tell us what¡¯s going on right now! How much longer do we need to feel anxious?¡± Delihained.


    ¡°We¡¯re still finding out¡ª¡±¡°That¡¯s what you said earlier! How much longer do we need to wait, Captain Bahamut?! Captain Bahamut! Are you listening to me?¡± Deliha questioned.


    ¡°The Captain is¡­ I¡¯ll answer in his ce. There¡¯s a ck mage who made a contract with a high-ranking demon¡ª¡±


    ¡°Everyone already knows that, but you don¡¯t even know whether there really is a ck mage or not. If there were a ck mage hiding here, then tell me why you haven¡¯t found them yet! Move aside. I need to talk to Bahamut myself¡­¡± Deliha demanded.


    I started getting a headache.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but for your safety¡ª¡±


    ¡°Are you sure this ce is safe? I¡¯m asking whether following your rules is really going to be safe for us or not. If leaving isn¡¯t an option¡­ then bring soldiers from the aboveground,¡± Deliha requested.


    Actually, I experienced this many times before. Simply put, a terrorist ck mage had infiltrated and attacked the Underground Temple. This had never happened in the Underground Temple, but they had experienced something like this.


    It seemed like this incident was being handled.


    They were evacuating the important figures from aboveground and were minimizing the number of casualties and those wounded. The explosions were decreasing, and the Temrs were moving around to find the ck mage.


    The top priority was protecting the fleshly body of Saint Altanus, who was an important being of the Underground Temple. We couldn¡¯t put down our guard just yet, but it was undeniable that things were looking optimistic. Despite that, I was puzzled.


    I couldn''t calm down at all, and there was this strange anxiety gripping my entire being.


    <em>¡®The Priest of Prophecy¡­¡¯</em>


    I was convinced that it was because of him¡ªno, it was more like the words he said to me. His warning was making me feel anxious.


    <em>¡®You must stay away from that power.¡¯</em>


    His voice echoed nonstop in my head.


    <em>¡®I can¡¯t tell you now¡­ but you must stay away from that power.¡¯</em>


    I couldn¡¯t understand what he was saying.


    ¡°...¡±


    He was¡­ He was an interesting person. He was honest and more devoted than any other priest. When it came to theology, he''d happily mutter things only sages would say. It felt like his knowledge was endless, but he wasn''t a fan of showing that off.


    It felt like he was actually trying to hide it.


    It was the same for his actions.


    His being exuded elegance that one would only see from royal families and nobles, but it looked like he was trying to restrict himself. He also wasn¡¯t afraid to sacrifice himself for others. He was a saint who thought about others before himself. He was badly hurt by that pitch-ck me, but he was worried about the tiny burn on my hand.


    Moreover, he treated those who were unfortunate enough to get caught up in the explosion nonstop, without thinking about himself. His eyes were filled with warmth and affection all throughout the ordeal.


    It was like he was carrying all the pain and sadness of the world. There was sadness mixed in his gaze whenever he looked at me. He approached me as if¡­ he knew everything.


    <em>¡®No¡­ Mr. Bahamut¡­ please¡­ don¡¯t ept that power¡­¡¯</em>


    What was he talking about? What was going to happen soon?


    The Underground Temple¡­ No, what did the Priest of Prophecy and I get involved in?


    ¡°Corruption¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It didn¡¯t make sense at all.


    I had lived my entire life serving the Goddess, so it wouldn''t make sense for me to end up getting corrupted. However, I did not question the words of the Priest of Prophecy.


    Actually, it was impossible to question him. I saw an illusion; it was fleeting, but I was sure I saw his true colors. His light was so radiant that it was blinding, and one of his eyes was holy. He also had wings that looked like they were capable of embracing all the sins in the world.


    A Messenger of the Goddess¡ªno, I would believe it if someone were to say that he was the Incarnation of the Goddess. Perhaps¡­ the things that were happening right now¡­ were all rted to the future that the Priest of Prophecy had seen.


    That was the conclusion I ultimately reached...


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ going to assess the situation myself,¡± I said.


    ¡°Mr. Bahamut!¡±


    ¡°Captain Bahamut!¡±


    <em>¡®Where is he?¡¯</em>


    He had the answer.


    <em>¡®Priest of Prophecy¡­¡¯</em>


    And that was when I realized it...


    ¡°You idiot¡­¡±


    I felt stupid for not realizing it until now.


    ¡°Mr. Bahamut, the saint¡­ has something to say¡­¡±


    ¡°Tell them that I¡¯m busy,¡± I told them.


    ¡°What? But¡­ they said it was really urgent.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯lle back as soon as possible,¡± I said.


    The first explosion that urred. If that was targeted at either the Priest of Prophecy or me, then the target was clear. I couldn¡¯t help but think that I was missing something more important than protecting Saint Altanus.


    I got up and moved. I heard voices behind me, but I couldn¡¯t pay attention to them.


    <em>¡®Is he with Father Draktaris?¡¯</em>


    If that weren''t the case¡­ If he ended up getting harmed while I was looking away¡­ If the hands of evil had gotten a hold of him¡­ would Temr Genny be able to protect him?


    <em>¡®No way¡­¡¯</em>


    The worst-case scenario popped into my head.


    I imagined losing the continent''s brand-new ray of hope and radiant light.


    <em>¡®Shit.¡¯</em>


    While I was mindlessly running around the temple, a voice echoed in my head.


    [Come¡­]


    ¡°¡­¡±


    [Come here.]


    ¡°Am I¡­ Am I going crazy?¡±


    [Come here.]


    I wasn¡¯t sure who the voice belonged to, but it sounded like it was piercing my mind.


    Lucifer? No, it could be the Priest of Prophecy, or I could just be hearing things.


    My steps became slow, but I was moving toward the voice. I thought perhaps I was being possessed by something, but this was probably the best choice.


    [Please¡­ Pleasee here.]


    ¡°Damn it¡­¡±


    I had no other choice. I had no one else to rely on other than the voice I was hearing from somewhere. The scenery eventually changed. I wasn¡¯t sure whether this was the right way to describe it, but my surroundings were getting darker and darker.


    The Underground Temple was in a mess, and the surroundings were getting darker and darker as if something was blotting out even the slightest ray of light.


    Lucifer¡¯s broken statue was scattered all over the floor.


    I was furious at the sight, but I pushed myself to pick up the pace.


    When my hand unconsciously touched the nearest wall, I felt something sticky.


    <em>¡®Blood.¡¯</em>


    Naturally, I took out my weapon. I had no idea what was calling for me, but it was undeniable that I had to be there. I was sure my surroundings were filled with corpses, and I knew because I could smell the thick stench of blood.


    I was sure this ce had be pandemonium itself.


    I muttered Lucifer¡¯s name and started walking again. I couldn¡¯t see anything because it was so dark.


    Eventually, I saw a faint light from afar, and I ran fast with my weapon out.


    [Pleasee.]


    ¡°Who are you?¡± I asked.


    [Pleasee here.]


    ¡°Who the hell¡­¡±


    ¡°<em>Ack¡­</em>¡±


    I heard a faint voice.


    <em>¡®The Priest of Prophecy.¡¯</em>


    ¡°I will never¡­ ever¡­ let things¡­ go your way¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    My ears were keen, but I couldn¡¯t hear the voice clearly.


    Unlike the clear voice that was in my head just moments ago, I was sure this voice belonged to the Priest of Prophecy.


    ¡ª Don¡¯t think that things will go your way, Priest of Prophecy.


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    I saw the Priest of Prophecy with his pure white wings. The radiant light from his entire being was vanquishing the pitch-ck darkness.


    He was holding a holy torch in one hand and a mirror in the other. They were items that looked like holy relics, and they were unleashing a radiant light that pushed back against the encroachment of the darkness.


    ¡°Priest¡­¡±


    I was going to call out to him, but I took another look at him and saw that some of his wings had been torn off, and he was covered in blood. Above all¡­ one of his eyes was closed, and blood was flowing out from the closed eye. The Priest of Prophecy¡¯s eye¡ª


    ¡°Mr. Bahamut?¡± he called out.


    ¡ªmet my eyes.


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°W-W-why are you¡­ here, Mr. Bahamut?¡± he questioned.


    I had to act first. I wasn¡¯t sure about the opponent''s identity, but¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡±


    ¡ª <em>Hahahaha¡­</em> The one with the demon¡¯s seed has walked here on his own!


    ¡°The demon¡¯s seed?¡± I repeated.


    ¡°<em>Kgh¡­</em>¡±


    The moment I took a step forward, a wave of darkness sprang up from the ground. The darkness devoured everything nearby, and it threatened to devour the radiant light of the Priest of Prophecy.


    ¡°You must stay there¡­ Mr¡­ <em>Ugh</em>¡­ Bahamut¡­¡± mumbled the Priest of Prophecy.


    ¡°Priest of Prophecy¡­ Y¡ªYour eye¡­¡± I pointed out.


    ¡°I¡¯m okay¡­ with these eyes now,¡± said the Priest of Prophecy.


    ¡°What happened¡­ to your wings¡­¡± I asked.


    ¡°Later¡­ I¡¯ll exin everythingter. I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Bahamut. I¡¯m really¡­ really¡­ sorry. I didn¡¯t¡­ want you to see me¡­ like this¡­¡± replied the Priest of Prophecy.


    He looked anguished.


    ¡ª The demon¡¯s seed is here. <em>Mwahahaha! </em>The one with the demon¡¯s seed has finally arrived.


    ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ protect you, Mr. Bahamut,¡± the Priest of Prophecy said to me.


    I was so bewildered, shocked, and confused by what was going on that I couldn¡¯t quite keep up with the situation.


    However, the puzzle pieces were falling into ce, and I felt like I finally knew the identity of the Priest of Prophecy, why I was here, and the meaning of his prophecy.


    ¡°The demon¡¯s¡­ seed¡­¡±


    The demon''s seed was inside me.


    1. Bahamut¡¯s POV ?

 Chapter 991: The End of the Social Gathering (2)

    Chapter 991: The End of the Social Gathering (2)


    <em>¡®The demon¡¯s seed.¡¯ </em>He probably thought that nonsense was inside him. <em>¡®I¡¯m really d that he¡¯s an idiot.¡¯</em>


    Actually, he wasn¡¯t an idiot.


    It was more like my[1] work was just too excellent.


    This was the result of my painstaking efforts. The props were perfect, the story flowed smoothly, and I finally managed to sow the seed that I had nted in the beginning. This situation was only made possible because everything had gone ording to n.


    For a split second, my wings and golden eye had captivated him. The small event that took ce on the terrace wasn¡¯t part of my n, but it had be an indispensable and delicious ingredient for this dish.


    <em>¡®I¡¯m sure he''s fallen for it.¡¯</em>


    It didn''t matter whether he thought of me as the Incarnation of the Goddess or the Avatar of the Goddess. Personally, I wanted to be known as an angel who had abandoned his position and descended to protect the continent.


    An angel who couldn¡¯t ignore the pain of the humans he loved so much.


    <em>¡®I¡¯m an angel who has fallen from the heavens like a meteor.¡¯</em>Of course, the angel didn¡¯t love the continent at first. Many things had happened before I¡ªthe treasure of heaven¡ªhad decided to descend, but I had no choice but to skip all that because I didn''t have enough time.


    Of course, it was an important setting as well.


    My story started on a rxing day in the heavens. I happened to look down on the world down below and pped my eyes on a Temr who had devoted his body and heart to Lucifer.


    The sight kickstarted a small change in my life; I cried,ughed, and empathized with his adventures, and I watched over him nervously.


    It was a grand and legendary story, and it all started with that small change. I couldn¡¯t stand by and watch him get corrupted. I couldn''t watch the continent fall as well. As always, it was a touching story that would end with me sacrificing myself.


    A story that one would see in a drama, and as I said, it was a very important setting. It was proven by the shocked face of the man before him. I couldn''t even imagine how he was feeling upon finding out the secret about himself that even he didn''t know about.


    ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ Don¡¯t surrender to evil, Mr. Bahamut,¡± I begged.


    ¡°Father¡­¡±


    He probably didn¡¯t even have the luxury to think about that.


    He probably wanted to run toward the injured angel and save him, but this wasn¡¯t a battle of brute force.


    This was a battle between holy and evil.


    A fight between an angel and a great demon. There was an invisible and intangible energy. It was a fight between those who had transcended, and it was a battle of morality. Of course, Bahamut couldn¡¯t understand the fight at all.


    I raised the holy torch in my hand, and the radiant light pushed back the darkness.


    I reflected the light with my mirror and stopped the darkness'' encroachment.


    Of course, the darkness was still there, and it was struggling for supremacy over this ce against the radiant light.


    The light and the darkness¡¯ fight over this ce was more intense than any other battles. Well, this was just an illusion, so it would be okay for me to manipte the light and make it look kind of cool.


    Hundreds, no, thousands of dark arrows targeted my pure white wings. In response, I raised the mirror of light, and arge shield of light manifested, consuming the dark arrows.


    A dark scythe manifested afterward, and I swung my holy torch toward it. The collision generated fragments of light that fell from the torch andnded on the darkness encroaching on the floor.


    It was a spectacr virtual battle that couldn¡¯t be matched by cheap action scenes. I was sure that the 4D graphics were realistic enough to make Bahamut cry, and it was proven by how he wasn''t even moving. He was staring dumbfoundedly at the scene.


    <em>¡®Belial, this doesn¡¯t look like a ridiculous fight, does it?¡¯</em>


    [It''s not, you disgusting angel. Humans are naturally afraid of the unknown. It¡¯s true that this human named Bahamut has transcended, but at the end of the day, he¡¯s still human. If he¡¯s a human worthy of being on the same level as us, he wouldn¡¯t see this as a joke. Those on a higher level won¡¯t expect this kind of joke, and¡­]


    <em>¡®So you¡¯re certain this looks convincing?¡¯</em>


    [I guarantee it.]


    If I were topare Bahamut to a caveman who had just witnessed something new, it would be a bit too much, but he actually looked like that.


    ¡ª The seed of evil is going to bloom! <em>Hahaha!</em> The destruction of the continent begins today! In this ce!


    ¡°Y-You think I¡¯ll let that happen?¡± I stuttered.


    ¡ª Struggle all you want. You¡¯re nothing but an angel who has abandoned yourself for the continent! Simply hrious! <em>Hahahaha!</em> It¡¯s so hrious! An angel is actually trying to protect a human with the demon¡¯s seed! <em>Hahahaha!</em>


    ¡°<em>Ugh¡­</em>¡±


    [He¡¯s even afraid of you getting hurt. There is nothing more fun than this.]


    <em>¡®We¡¯re in sync.¡¯</em>


    ¡ª Struggle all you want, but it¡¯s toote. I can see it, you weak angel. The demon¡¯s seed is already eating away at you!


    ¡°That¡¯s not¡­ That¡¯s not true, Mr Bahamut!¡± I shouted.


    A curtain of darkness manifested as if it were proving that the demon lord was right.


    Bahamut seemed afraid of the current situation. I noticed he hadn''t moved an inch, and it was understandable. He was the only one who couldn¡¯t feel anything, as the seed of evil growing inside his body was only affecting me.


    He flinched at the intense sight, and his slight movement affected me immediately


    <em>¡®Huh? You moved! Did you just flinch?¡¯</em>


    <em>''Then, that will break one of my wings, damn it. I¡¯m dying because of the demonic energy that you¡¯re unleashing.'' </em>


    A wave of energy burst out of Bahamut, shattering one of my remaining wings.


    ¡°<em>Ack!</em>¡± I screamed.


    - <em>Hahahaha! </em>What a pitiful sight, you foolish angel. I can¡¯t understand it. No matter how much I think about it, you¡¯re a fool that I truly cannot understand.


    ¡°<em>Ugh¡­</em>¡±


    I needed to show him an aerial battle as well.


    I had wings, so it would be a good idea to show him my fancy flying skills.


    <em>¡®Ah, damn it.¡¯</em>


    Unfortunately, this wasn¡¯t going my way. While trying to dodge the ws of darkness, I pped my wings the wrong way, which ended up in me falling to the ground. Whatforted me was the fact that the scene looked pretty good and natural.


    [It was natural.]


    <em>¡®It was natural.¡¯</em>


    I looked so pitiful that I ended up creating a cool scene. I got up and staggered. My injuries were so bad that I looked like I was supposed to be in aa right now, but I forced myself to stand up.


    I was trembling like an aspen tree, and it was all because I was scared as well.


    My opponent was a demon lord, and there was a massive gap between our power. I could struggle for as long as I wanted, but the gap between our power wouldn''t narrow at all. The holy torch was dying out, and the Goddess¡¯ Mirror was slowly losing its power. Despite that, the angel¡­ who loved humans and the continent stood up.


    ¡°R-Run, Father Lee Ki-Young. I¡¯m okay¡­¡± Bahamut stammered.


    <em>''I can¡¯t hear you.''</em>


    ¡°Father¡­ please run,¡± he repeated.


    <em>''There¡¯s no way I''ll run.''</em>


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Bahamut. I¡­ I¡¯ll protect you,¡± I told him.


    I revealed a weak smile.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to do that for me¡­ If¡­ the seed of evil inside me is actually taking root¡ª¡±


    ¡°No. <em>Haa</em>¡­ The seed of evil hasn¡¯t eaten away at you yet. I¡¯m¡­ sure of it. <em>Haa¡­ haa¡­</em>¡± I interrupted him.


    Bahamut was a terrifying and towering man, but he was cowering at the idea of getting corrupted.


    It was understandable, as he didn¡¯t know anything else other than being Lucifer¡¯s loyal servant.


    He was the fearless hero of the continent, Lucifer¡¯s strongest sword, and a pir of the continent, but he was afraid of getting corrupted. He wasn''t expressing that fear, but he couldn¡¯t hide his gaze filled with anxiety from me.


    He was worried about abandoning his goddess and afraid of getting cursed.


    This was why brainwashing was so scary when done at a young age.


    There was a long silence.


    Did he think that myment about how the seed of evil wasn''t eating away at him yet was nothing more than words offort? Was it because he could no longer watch me get hurt, or could it be that he felt like allowing himself to be devoured by the darkness would ensure that I would no longer be in pain?


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    [You should say something to the hero who¡¯s losing hope.]


    <em>¡®That¡¯s it.¡¯</em>


    I shattered the silence, saying, ¡°This isn¡¯t like you, Temr Bahamut.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t like you. You were always confident. The person I¡¯ve been watching all this while was a bit more courageous¡­ stronger¡­ and determined¡­¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I''ve been watching you,¡± I told him.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°From the heavens¡­ I watched¡­ your story. You are Lucifer¡¯s sword, the pir of the continent, a guardian, and the hero with a ton of responsibilities on your shoulders. I''ve been watching you, and you¡­ you''ve always been a beacon of light on thisnd.


    "You''ve been through many trials and hardships, but in the end, you proved that Lucifer¡¯s light is righteous,¡± I said.


    ¡°Father¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t tell you sooner, Mr. Bahamut. I¡¯m really sorry¡­ I couldn¡¯t show this side sooner. I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t catch on sooner,¡± I added.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I-I believe that you¡¯ll be able to suppress the demon¡¯s seed, and I know better than anyone that you won¡¯t surrender to the demonic power,¡± I said.


    I got prepared to cry.


    ¡°I know you can ovee this as well¡­ I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be able to prove once again that the light is righteous,¡± I said.


    ¡°Why¡­ are you¡­¡±


    <em>''Why do I have so much faith in you, you ask?''</em>


    There was no reason whatsoever, and perhaps it was simply because I just wanted to believe.


    I was sure Bahamut wanted a clear answer, but I couldn¡¯t remember the script here, so I simply smiled at him. Sometimes, a smile could express more messages than a thousand words.


    ¡°<em>AAAAAH!</em>¡±


    <em>¡®Ah, shit. You scared me.¡¯</em>


    Bahamut was crying.


    ¡°<em>AAAAAH!</em>¡±


    Bahamut started fighting the unknown seed of evil inside him. Perhaps he thought he could find a way to fight back. Was he thinking that the light remaining inside of him could fight the demon¡¯s seed? Could he really channel the immense holy power inside him to destroy the demon¡¯s seed?


    ¡°<em>AAAAAAH!</em>¡±


    It was so absurd that I almostughed out loud at the sight of it.


    Obviously, the darkness was still there.


    His red eyes, pitiful face, and muscles that looked like they were going to burst weren''t helping him at all.


    ¡ª Looks like you¡¯re done with your absurd y. Wait, you''re still not done? <em>Haha¡­ hahahaha!</em> How funny! <em>Hahahahaha!</em> Do you really think you can fight back? A mere human¡­ you¡¯re nothing but a human¡­ <em>Haha! </em>How dare you try to resist the demon¡¯s seed, you imbecile! The result is obvious, and you know that better than anyone, angel of sacrifice!


    ¡°His light will not go out,¡± I said.


    ¡ª It¡¯s useless.


    ¡°I won¡¯t let that happen,¡± I said.


    ¡ª I-It¡­ can¡¯t be¡­


    <em>¡®That tone makes it obvious that you¡¯re acting.¡¯</em>


    [It¡¯s an important part. I was simply trying to emphasize my delivery.]


    <em>¡®That¡¯s true. I respect it.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Temr Bahamut¡­ No, Mr. Bahamut,¡± I said.


    ¡°F-Father?¡±


    ¡°I believe¡­ you¡¯ll be able to ovee the seed of evil,¡± I told him.


    It was a line I used on Draktaris as well.


    ¡°But now isn¡¯t the time,¡± I added.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been¡­¡± I paused.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been¡­ really fun,¡± I continued.


    <em>Swooooooosh!</em>


    And that was when I heard a familiar voice.


    [A Mythic-rank Forced Quest has been activated.]


    [Don¡¯t do it. Please. I beg you. Please¡­ don''t do it. (0/1)]


    ¡°¡­¡±


    [A Mythic-rank Forced Quest has been activated.]


    [Come back. Please¡­ please¡­ (0/1)]


    1. Lee Ki-Young¡¯s POV ?

 Chapter 992: The End of the Social Gathering (3)

    Chapter 992: The End of the Social Gathering (3)


    <em>¡®What¡¯s this¡­¡¯</em>


    [A Mythic-rank Forced Quest has been activated.]


    [Please don¡¯t do it. Please¡­ (0/1)]


    <em>¡®Who¡¯s this?¡¯</em>


    [A Mythic-rank Forced Quest has been activated.]


    [Pleasee back. (0/1)]


    <em>¡®Who the hell sent this?¡¯</em>


    Of course, I had a hunch about the identity of the one who was sending me these quests, as only a handful of people were capable of sending quests like this. It couldn¡¯t be Saint Altanus, and it clearly wasn¡¯t Lucifer.


    I was convinced that it was someone in the future, but I couldn¡¯t understand how they could send this quest to me. It was impossible to deliver a quest to someone in a different era. That was the reason I was forced to use items to send a message to Jin Cheong.


    Despite that, the Forced Quests were nonstop.


    [A Mythic-rank Forced Quest has been activated.]


    [That¡¯s not where you should be, Mr. Ki-Young. (0/1)]


    It was probably Kim Hyun¡ªwhatever his name was.


    I couldn''t really remember his name, but I knew that he was the Sunset Swordsman who lied on a daily basis. We had been disconnected from each other, but that was the only exnation here.


    Our souls were once connected, so he had to have found a method to contact me, or a variable that I couldn¡¯t understand had appeared.


    <em>¡®Does he remember me now?¡¯</em>


    I had no idea what was happening over there, but I could feel something rushing in like a tide. I felt this before, and it was very simr to the time when he tried to repair our broken bond. It broke through the wall and enveloped me.


    ¡°...¡±


    Then, I felt a stinging pain in my eye. I couldn¡¯t stop smiling at the sensation.


    It wasn¡¯t Morse code or anything, but a light flickered in my eye as if it were sending me a message. It was like the stinging pain was telling me their current situation. I couldn¡¯t see it for myself, but my eye was probably changing colors from my original color to ck while emitting a radiant light as if it were a flickering light bulb.


    Unlike me, Bahamut seemed enraged, which was surprising.


    ¡°<em>AAAHHH!</em>¡±


    <em>¡®This bastard¡­ is seriously¡­¡¯</em>


    Bahamut was desperately resisting the demon''s seed, so he probably thought that my golden eye, which was a symbol of my holiness, was disappearing under the influence of the demon''s seed.


    ¡°<em>AAAAHHHH!</em>¡± Bahamut roared as loudly as he could while unleashing his holy power.


    <em>¡®It¡¯s not because of you so stop over exaggerating. Stop being hopeful and just ept the ending of this story.¡¯</em>


    ¡°<em>RAAAHHH!</em>¡±


    <em>¡®No, this isn''t because of you.¡¯</em>


    I had even told him, "It¡¯s been fun," but he wasn''t listening at all. I was kind of embarrassed because we were about to reach the end. There were no perfect break-ups, but this atmosphere was close to being the perfect break-up.


    ¡°<em>Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!</em>¡±


    <em>¡®You¡¯re so loud.¡¯</em>


    Of course, I couldn¡¯t let him keep screaming like that, as the louder he screamed, the more wounds would appear all over me. Sharp ck spears swept past me, generating a whistling noise as they streaked through the air.


    There was blood everywhere, and the screaming guy finally realized that what he was doing was nothing but a meaningless tantrum. The more he struggled, the more injuries I sustained.


    ¡°<em>Ah¡­ ahh¡­</em>¡± Bahamut gasped in despair, but the angel of sacrifice didn¡¯t stop moving.


    I found it really strange that I could still move, but I dragged my injured self and used the mirror of light to light up the darkness.


    It was such a godly and holy sight.


    It was so beautiful that it would render just about anyone speechless at the sight of it. The way I was walking on the bumpy path while vanquishing the darkness would probably remind anyone of a holy ritual.


    ¡ª What do you think you¡¯re doing?! Angel of sacrifice! <em>Ha¡­ hahahaha!</em> Pain will follow you. Everyone who treasures you will forget you, and you¡¯ll eventually be alone. That vessel of yours¡­ the angel who has been protecting the light since time immemorial will soon greet his final moments, and it is all because of the seed of evil inside you!


    He kindly exined to Bahamut, who was unaware of the story''s setting. His acting was so natural that Bahamut would definitely soon figure out what kind of situation we were in.


    [A Mythic-rank Forced Quest has been activated.]


    [It¡¯s all my fault. Please¡­ Please stop. Please don¡¯t abandon this ce. (0/1)]


    <em>''I¡¯m not abandoning you.''</em>


    [A Mythic-rank Forced Quest has been activated.]


    [Don¡¯t leave everything behind. Everyone is waiting for you, Mr. Ki-Young. Everyone is¡­ Didn¡¯t you say it was all over now? Didn¡¯t you say we''ll carry all the burdens together? You said we can ovee all difficulties as long as we¡¯re together. (0/1)]


    <em>¡®He sure talks a lot.¡¯</em>


    I walked nonstop, and I saw the iron maiden at the end of the road that the holy torch could barely illuminate.


    I disliked how it was standing alone in the dark, but everything was going to change the moment I went inside of it. The angel, who had voluntarily shattered his own wings for the continent, would soon enter that iron maiden.


    I was hoping that they had upgraded the interior and made itfortable for me, at the very least.


    ¡ª All right, I¡¯ll acknowledge that righteous heart of yours¡­ but don¡¯t think that things will go your way! Don¡¯t think I¡¯ll just stand and watch you struggle! The seed of evil will bloom, and in the end, there will be blood and destruction ALL OVER the continent!


    ¡°...¡±


    The pitch-ck mes of gue descended, so I spread my remaining wings to protect myself before continuing on my walk toward the iron maiden.


    I heard a <em>sizzle</em>, but my gaze remained firm.


    I was taking it slow¡ªtaking one step at a time, but my feet left heavy footsteps of light.


    <em>¡®I¡¯m kind of like that Kim-whatever.¡¯</em>


    The hero of the continent.


    I had never confronted a demon like this.


    ¡ª Let¡¯s see if you can endure this.


    I looked holy, but the angel of sacrifice had a limit. Like those cliched movies, I soon reached my limits. However, it was typical for the selfless hero to move his fleshly body with his sheer willpower.


    A curtain of darkness pervaded the entire space, and there were tiny explosions all over my wings in an attempt to push me back, but the attacks were only going to break my fleshly body, not my spirit.


    I abandoned the wings that could no longer move and moved forward while covering my face with both hands. At this point, there was a line I needed to say, and this was also the perfect timing to y the background music.


    ¡ª How!! How!!! Howe you can still move?! How!!!


    Howe I could still move? The answer was obvious.


    [A Mythic-rank Forced Quest has been activated.]


    [Don¡¯t sacrifice yourself¡­ Please¡­ don¡¯t try to abandon everything and leave. (0/1)]


    ¡°<em>Haa¡­ Heuk¡­</em> The light never loses,¡± I said.


    [A Mythic-rank Forced Quest has been activated.]


    [I won¡¯t forget. I won¡¯t forget ever again. So¡­ don¡¯t do that. Don¡¯t act as if none of it happened. I¡¯m sure we can ovee it together this time as well, just like always. (0/1)]


    <em>''Stop interrupting me. I¡¯m losing focus. This is an important part.''</em>


    ¡ª There¡¯s no way that you can keep moving just because of that! That can¡¯t be!


    ¡°...¡± ¡ª That''s impossible!


    Belial¡¯s acting was great¡ªreally great. He delivered that cliched line perfectly.


    ¡°You¡­¡± I said.


    ¡°You do know it, don''t you? Monarch of Lies and Instigation¡­ Demon Lord of gues¡­ When humans¡­ are protecting something precious to them¡­ <em>Haa¡­ haa¡­</em> they be¡­ stronger,¡± I exined.


    ¡ª Bullshit!


    ¡°I saw it. <em>Haa¡­ Ack¡­ </em>I¡¯ve¡­ always watched them¡­ with my own eyes. They¡¯re weak¡­ sometimes selfish, and they make many mistakes¡­ but to protect¡­ the things that are precious to them¡­ they ovee their pain¡­ and sadness to stand tall,¡± I added.


    ¡ª Don¡¯t make meugh! That¡¯s absurd!


    ¡°I¡¯ve always been watching them¡­ I''ve seen everything¡­ from the sidelines. And¡­ I now understand¡­ just how brave¡­ how amazing¡­ and how courageous they are. They¡¯re a lot stronger¡­ and more beautiful than you think,¡± I continued.


    ¡ª ¡­


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t have that kind of courage¡­ I ran and hid¡­ but I¡¯m different now,¡± I said.


    ¡ª <em>Aaargh! </em>How dare <em>yoooooooou!!!</em>


    ¡°Maybe¡­ Maybe¡­ I¡¯ve gotten closer to them¡­ Maybe I¡­ can take a step forward as well¡­¡± I said.


    Really¡­ really¡­


    It was unfortunate that there was only one person in the audience.


    Yeah, it was kind of cheesy, but as the director, my n would never fail.


    There was a reason cliches were always effective. Considering the current state of affairs, this was a masterpiece that deserved to be forever known as the GOAT.


    Bahamut was crying, and he was furious at his ipetence.


    He was grateful for my devotion, and he was afraid of the demon¡¯s seed inside him.


    Despite hisrge frame, Hero Bahamut cast a worried gaze at me.


    I was sure he had never felt this helpless before.


    ¡°N-No¡­¡±


    <em>''Yes.''</em>


    ¡°Father¡­ Father!¡± Bahamut shouted.


    We said farewell earlier, so there wouldn''t be a second farewell.


    There was nothing more pitiful than looking back, either.


    [A Mythic-rank Forced Quest has been activated.]


    [Mr. Ki-Young, please¡­ (0/1)]


    Now that I thought about it¡­


    <em>¡®I do want to have a cup of coffee.¡¯</em>


    I forgot to add drinking coffee to my schedule. I should¡¯ve drank a cup¡­ before leaving.


    [A Mythic-rank Forced Quest has been activated.]


    [Please¡­ (0/1)]


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Please¡­ don¡¯t leave,¡± someone said and grabbed my hand.


    <em>¡®Shit. Was Belial just watching until he got here?¡¯</em>


    I looked back instinctively and¡­


    ¡°Come back to where Miss Ha-Yan and Mr. Deok-Gu are¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back¡­ to where the Blue Guild is,¡± he suggested.


    It had been a long time since I saw that face.

 Chapter 993: The End of the Social Gathering (4)

    Chapter 993: The End of the Social Gathering (4)


    <em>¡®Why is he here?¡¯</em>


    It all happened in a sh. It was so sudden that I fell into a daze.


    I thought I was seeing things, so I rubbed my eyes and looked at him again, but nothing changed. Kim-whatever was looking at me while crying. He was probably heartbroken by how pitiful I looked. I told myself that I had to say something, but this drunkard had appeared so suddenly that I had no idea how to react to it.


    <em>¡®If I say¡­ who are you¡­¡¯</em>


    If I were to say that, the atmosphere would turn for the worse.


    It was a card I could use someday, but this wasn¡¯t the right time to use that card.


    <em>¡®This wasn¡¯t part of the n.¡¯</em>


    Kim Hyun-Sung¡¯s intrusion was the most unlikely variable out of all the variables I had in mind.


    <em>¡®Was there another invitation?¡¯</em>I was convinced that there was another invitation, but how did he even find it? Wait¡­ what made us lose connection? How did he get his memories back? How did hee here?


    The future had already changed, so it was possible that a rift had appeared in the system, as the future wasn''t set in stone yet. Despite that, it was an undeniable fact that the future had already changed. Otherwise, my eye wouldn¡¯t have changed.


    <em>¡®Did he use the invitation that Spirit Gelk had in hand?¡¯</em>


    I didn''t exist in the changed future, so it was highly likely that the invitation I had used was in the bag that Spirit Gelk was carrying.


    I had to enter the iron maiden first before the raid on Gelk would happen, so there were things I had yet to figure out.


    When one thing became suspicious, everything would be suspicious. I was also worried about the fact that the future had changed quicker than I thought. It changed before I could enter the iron maiden. The difference was only a few hours, but¡­


    <em>¡®It doesn¡¯t make sense that Kim Hyun-Sung managed to find me so quickly.¡¯</em>


    I couldn¡¯te up with a decent theory about that, as I didn¡¯t know exactly what had happened in the future, but I could make a reasonable assumption.


    <em>¡®If he forgot me intentionally¡­¡¯</em>


    There was a chance that the expedition group had decided to forget me intentionally. I was not sure how they went about that, but they had to have decided to change the future on their end.


    With that in mind, I made several assumptions about what had happened.


    First of all, the expedition group had to have been really confused when they realized that their memories of the Saint of Light were gradually disappearing. This was just my first assumption, but I was sure that most of them tried not to forget about me.


    Kim Hyun-Sung or Jung Ha-Yan had probably brought disaster to the expedition group, and it was possible that the future started changing at that point in time. It also matched the timeline when Commander Jin sent that Morse code.


    My second assumption was that they decided to ept the changes in the future upon thinking of a method that was still unknown to me. Unfortunately, their eptance happened earlier than I had nned.


    I was sure I could ask this Kim whatever-guy, but the Hero of Shadows knew the answer as well. The expedition group working with the Blue Guild had probably rejected the idea of epting the changed future, so I was sure the idea to do this came from Commander Jin.


    He was probably trying his best not to forget about me. In the end, however, he decided to ept the changes first instead of waiting for it toe.


    Why would he do that?


    It was all for the sake of using Gelk¡¯s invitation toe here at the right time.


    If they attempted to use the invitation once I had already be Altanus, then this Kim whatever-guy wouldn¡¯t have arrived here in time, but that wasn¡¯t the only reason behind Commander Jin''s decision.


    He probably thought it was impossible to avoid the future that had already changed, but it was a different story when it came to a future that could still be changed. He probably believed that he could avoid getting affected by the changes.


    <em>¡®It happened inside the dungeon first, so only the members who were part of the expedition group at the time could have epted the changes before anyone else could do so.¡¯</em>


    The future inside the dungeon had changed, but the future outside the dungeon had remained the same. The reason the Hero of Shadows encouraged those members to ept the changes was that he wanted to rely on the people outside the dungeon.


    I would often forget this fact, but¡­


    <em>¡®But Ji-Hye noona is controlling a subus.¡¯</em>


    It was a reasonable way of making the Blue Guild remember me.


    My third assumption was that Lee Ji-Hye probably entered Kim Hyun-Sung¡¯s dream to wake him up and make him use the invitation that Spirit Gelk was carrying with him.


    <em>¡®They must be out of their minds.¡¯</em>


    There was no guarantee that they''d seed. It was probably their first time experiencing a phenomenon where the present was changing because of the future, and they also didn''t have enough time and manpower to do some research on it.


    They could use the Dummy World, but there was no guarantee that Dummy World would show the same results as reality.


    Even the tiniest variable during the process could result in them getting lost in other dimensions; they could easily find themselves trapped in apletely unfamiliar dimension, and they''d be forced to wander in that dimension for eternity.


    <em>¡®Those crazy bastards.¡¯</em>


    I was talking about Jin Cheong, as he was definitely the one who made that suggestion, but the people who had epted his suggestion were crazy as well.


    Jung Ha-Yan could have been torn apart by the work that she had to do; all because of Jin Cheong''s assumption.


    ¡°Kim Hyun-Sung, you¡­¡± I paused.


    ¡°I-I¡­ want to be a regressor,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I want to be a regressor. I don¡¯t want a future where I¡¯m not the regressor,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I have to be the regressor,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung demanded.


    <em>¡®Really? Then you can add being a regressor to your n.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Everyone is waiting. They¡¯re waiting for you toe back, Mr. Ki-Young,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    I finally knew how I was getting messages from the future.


    It wasn¡¯t from the future. He was sending messages to me upon getting invited here.


    ¡°Mr. Ki-Young¡­ you don¡¯t need to do this anymore,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    <em>¡®I agree.¡¯ </em>If it weren''t for the future I had seen through Kasugano Yuno, I honestly wouldn¡¯t havee here. <em>¡®If I go back now, will everything be ready?¡¯</em>


    Was there any guarantee that I wouldn''t encounter that future again? The Blue Guild¡¯s obsession to get me back was praiseworthy¡­ but could they <em>avoid </em>that future? Was I ready? Had I prepared everything that I needed as the Priest of Prophecy?


    I was honestly worried, and the reason I came up with n B was to get rid of this anxiety. I had to control every single detail, and this was the only way that I could do that. If I weren''t a crazy control freak, I wouldn¡¯t havee here.


    I tried to move, but I couldn¡¯t move at all.


    <em>¡°Belial?¡±</em>


    [...]


    <em>¡°What are you doing?¡±</em>


    [I¡¯ve got my hands full.]


    <em>¡°What the hell are you talking about?¡±</em>


    [I really need to take care of this.]


    <em>¡°You¡­¡±</em>


    And that was when I saw something strange¡­


    <em>¡®What the¡­ What is this? What is this?¡¯</em>


    I was the only one feeling cozy andfortable. Everything around me had distorted, and I could hear creaking noises everywhere.


    Kim Hyun-Sung¡¯s mana had pervaded everything nearby, and even the pitch-ck virtual visual effects were being suppressed.


    I could see that Belial was getting ready to leave, and it was probably because he believed that he wouldn''t be able to handle what was going to happen next. It made sense, as he wasn''t here in hisplete form, after all.


    Meanwhile, Bahamut''s eyes were as wide as saucers as he stared at me.


    He could feel himself getting suppressed as well.


    <em>''He¡¯ll grow stronger in the future.'' </em>


    Bahamut was just a four-star character, so wouldn¡¯t be able to beat the seven-star Kim Hyun-Sung. I could already feel that he was instinctively afraid of Kim Hyun-Sung.


    ¡°W-Who are you¡­¡± Bahamut stammered. His reaction made the 4D battle that happened just now look like it was nothing. He was covered in sweat, and his fear was no different from his fear of knowing that the demon¡¯s seed was inside of him.


    He was truly afraid of Kim Hyun-Sung.


    A hostile air pervaded the hall, and the pressure was mounting. Bahamut was afraid that his head would detach from his shoulders if he moved even just a bit. He was always a predator, but he was suddenly the prey, so he had no idea what to do.


    The Sunset Demon. Kim Hyun-Sung probably looked like that in Bahamut¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°What the¡­ hell are you¡­¡± Bahamut asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I-I asked what you are!¡± Bahamut shouted.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°L-Let go¡­ of the Priest of Prophecy¡­ Sunset¡­ Demon¡­¡± Bahamut mumbled.


    ¡°Mr. Ki-Young¡­¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    ¡°Y-You¡­ monster¡­¡± Bahamut mumbled.


    I had to say something.


    ¡°Don¡¯t kill him,¡± I said.


    <em>''Don¡¯t kill Bahamut. He''s the hero of this era, and he''s the shield that the continent needs until it''s stable.''</em>


    [I¡¯ll be heading out now.]


    <em>¡®Wait, Belial. If you do that¡­¡±</em>


    [You vited the contract first. <em>He''s...</em> not part of the contract. Anyway¡­ I had fun.]


    <em>¡°You¡­¡±</em>


    [As my parting gift, I¡¯ll leave that ominous ck smoke here. However, it¡¯s going to disappear soon.]


    ¡°The future¡­ The future will change. If you kill him¡­¡± I paused.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Let go of him!¡± Bahamut shouted.


    In the end, Bahamut got up. However, he was sted away with a <em>boom</em>, and he mmed into a wall.


    <em>¡®Shit, how did he do that?¡¯</em>


    I couldn¡¯t do anything.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    Kim Hyun-Sung went from being the ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡± robot to the ¡°let¡¯s go back¡± robot.


    ¡°What.. the hell¡­ are you?! You monster!¡± Bahamut yelled as he got up with dirt all over him.


    [I wonder how this will end.]


    The Monarch of Lies and Instigation became an onlooker.


    ¡°He¡¯s not an enemy, Temr¡­ Bahamut," Altanus said, stepping forward.


    ¡°...?¡± I nced at her, as her words were just absurd.


    I looked up at Kim Hyun-Sung, and he seemed relieved upon seeing Altanus.


    <em>¡®The two of you¡­¡¯</em>


    ¡°...¡±


    <em>¡®The two of you¡­ met. You met Altanus¡­ beforeing here.¡¯</em>


    I realized that I lost my right to make a decision the moment Kim Hyun-Sung arrived here.


    ¡°I want to thank you for the things you''ve done¡­ and are trying to do bying to this shabby ce,¡± Altanus said.


    The atmosphere changed instantly.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to thank you, Father. You¡­ have¡­ no idea how touched I was. I can¡¯t exin it, but¡­¡± Altanus trailed off. Her determined voice sounded loud and clear as she continued, ¡°However, the Underground Temple is where I must be¡­ I must be responsible for it, and I must protect this ce.


    "The destruction of the continent is something <em>I </em>must endure; it is not for an outsider to endure. It¡¯s also my job to sacrifice myself for the continent,¡± Altanus continued.


    ¡°Benigoa?¡± I said.


    Our eyes met. It was brief, but I felt something indescribable.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°This brief social gathering has ended, so¡­¡± Altanus trailed off.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°<em>Haa¡­ Hmm.</em>¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Be careful on your way back¡­¡± Altanus said. She ced her hands on her stomach and bowed. I wanted to stretch my hand out toward her, but her appearance resembled the noble and holy goddess whom I had in mind, so¡­ all I could do was stare at her.


    ¡°Let¡¯s meet again, Father. In the far future,¡± Altanus said.


    I closed my eyes.

 Chapter 994: You Reap What You Sow (1)

    Chapter 994: You Reap What You Sow (1)


    When I opened my eyes, I saw a few people who were pleased to see me.


    ¡°It¡¯s Father Lee Ki-Young.¡±


    ¡°Father Lee Ki-Young has returned.¡±


    ¡°The operation is a sess. <em>Hahaha</em>. It¡¯s a sess!¡±


    ¡°Contact headquarters. Tell themander things went as nned.¡±


    ¡°Are you okay? I¡¯ll check your condition¡­¡±


    I instinctively looked around.


    Most of the priests were praying while crying, the mercenaries cheering while hugging each other, and expedition members were pping. I was out of it because they were so loud, but I could clearly see that the members of the Blue Guild weren¡¯t here.


    I couldn''t even see Kim Hyun-Sung.I looked around again and realized I returned to the ce where I had first used the invitation.


    Kim Hyun-Sung had used the invitation at a different location, so I understand why he wasn''t here. Had he ordered the reserve forces to be on stand-by here in case I return?


    While I was puzzled, I was trembling for some reason. My body wasn''t behaving like normal, and tears wouldn¡¯t stop flowing down my cheeks.


    An unknown feeling took over me. It didn¡¯t make sense, but¡­


    <em>¡®I must be calming down.¡¯</em>


    In the end, my n to be Altanus failed, and¡­ my body was relieved that it ended up that way. I managed to be safe, but I felt a strangely unpleasant sense of relief.


    <em>¡®No, that can¡¯t be it.¡¯</em>


    <em>''This is anger, damn it. If this wasn¡¯t anger, it was a side-effect of crossing space and time. That must be burdensome for both the body and the mind.'' </em>


    I stayed in the past for a long time, so it was only natural for me to sustain mental damage. In other words, it was not strange that I couldn''t think properly.


    ¡°Father Lee Ki-Young, are you okay?¡±


    ¡°This ce¡­ Why am I here¡­¡± I asked.


    ¡°I think Commander Jin¡¯s n worked.¡±


    ¡°What n¡­¡± I questioned.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I can¡¯t tell you the details. The only order we received was to be on stand-by here¡­¡±


    <em>¡®Yeah, of course you wouldn¡¯t know.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Anyway, we¡¯ll take you to a safe¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll get going now,¡± I interrupted them.


    ¡°What? But¡­¡±


    ¡°The expedition group¡­¡± I said.


    <em>¡®You scummy bastard.¡¯</em>


    It was highly likely that the Morse code in the middle of all this was a bluff as well. This was probably the bare minimum of effort he needed to put in so that he could be in control.


    ¡°Jin Cheong, you bastard¡­¡± I mumbled. <em>¡®No, don¡¯t let it get to you.¡¯</em>


    He¡¯d be happy to see me get worked up. Honestly, I got backstabbed, so he¡¯d probably tease me. While I was trying to calm myself down a little, a message arrived.


    ¡ª Looks like you¡¯re back.


    <em>"..."</em>


    ¡ª In the end¡­ you''ve returned, Lee Ki-Young. Did you think things were going to go your way? <em>Haha</em>. Did you really think you could defeat me?


    <em>¡®Crazy bastard.¡¯</em>


    I was prepared to sacrifice for myrades while carrying out that ridiculous n about bing Altanus. In his eyes, it had to have been a desperate maneuver on my side to win the game.


    <em>''I want to win the game, but do you really think I''ll go through all that just to win? Who would be crazy enough to do that?''</em>


    <em>"How¡­ did you do this?"</em>


    ¡ª Who knows¡­ How did I do it?


    <em>''This jerk.''</em>


    ¡ª You sound curious. You really can''t think of anything? What should I do? Should I give you a hint¡­


    I had an idea because I hade up with many possibilities earlier, but my pride would get hurt if I were to ask for confirmation from him. I was also scared to speak confidently, as it was possible that I actually had the wrong answer all this while.


    I couldn¡¯t even imagine how happy he''d be if my assumption was wrong.


    ¡ª You¡¯ll find out once you look through the dungeon raid recordster. Since this is the era where we leave video records, it¡¯s the best way for you to get answers.


    <em>"You must have your head in the clouds to be talking like this¡­ but¡­ I have an idea. I¡¯m honestly not that curious¡­ and I asked because there¡¯s a process to everything, and you could have made a mistake as well. It¡¯s your specialty to ruin things while trying to resolve it."</em>


    ¡ª You sure talk big. What would you know when you¡¯ve seen nothing? About that distorted spacetime, and how to control it¡­ you might¡¯ve guessed those correctly, but it doesn¡¯t change the fact that your nature remains unchanged. Basically, you know nothing.


    <em>"You seem more confident than I thought. You said you didn¡¯t like my method, but you used it pretty well."</em>


    ¡ª <em>Ha¡­ hahahahaha. Ah¡­</em> you¡¯re talking about the code. Hmm, I wonder. Was it a bluff? There¡¯s too much to exin. It¡¯s true that I was in dangerous situations, but¡­ what do you think? <em>Hahahaha!</em> Are you curious? You must be¡­ really curious! Who knew you''d be the type to be <em>this</em> curious?


    <em>¡°You bastard!¡±</em> I yelled.


    ¡ª <em>Hahahaha!</em>


    I really wanted to kill that bastard.


    Naturally, I started talking to Lee Ji-Hye.


    "Noona, I have something I want to ask you. Could you share¡­ the work you did with Jin Cheong."


    ¡ª I have nothing to discuss with you right now. I¡¯ll contact youter.


    ¡ª Noona, how could you¡­


    ¡ª Shut up.


    Shit.


    ¡ª Entertain me more, Lee Ki-Young. <em>Hahahahahaha!</em>


    <em>¡°You scummy bastard!¡±</em> I yelled.


    ¡ª <em>Hahahahaha!</em>


    ¡°You jerk! You bastard! You dirty copycat!¡± I shouted.


    ¡°Father¡­ Lee Ki-Young?¡±


    ¡°Go away, damn it!¡± I yelled.


    I wouldn¡¯t exactly consider this venting out my anger, but right after I got up, I grabbed a sword and started hitting stuff. I heard <em>nk, nk</em> instead of <em>kaboom, kaboom.</em> My hands were hurting, but my actions helped me calm down.


    ¡ª You¡¯re not taking your anger out on anyone, are you? <em>Hahahaha</em>.


    ¡°<em>Whoo¡­ whoo¡­</em> this jerk. If it fails this time¡­¡±


    ¡ª Angry? It sounds like you¡¯re angry¡­


    "No, I''m not¡­


    ¡ª <em>Hahaha!</em>


    <em>"Well¡­ I don¡¯t know what to say¡­"</em>


    ¡ª...


    <em>"Thank you, Commander. I honestly thought it was all over."</em>


    ¡ª...


    His reply didn¡¯t arrive right away.


    ¡ª What?


    <em>"Thank you. Thank you¡­ very much."</em>


    ¡ª What are you up to now¡­


    <em>"It¡¯s nothing like that. I¡¯m telling you this because I¡¯m really grateful."</em>


    ¡ª...


    ¡ª...


    <em>"I¡¯m busy¡­ so let¡¯s talkter."</em>


    I was pretty sure Jin Cheong had never received any love from someone, as he was the type to get shocked whenever people were nice to him.


    ¡°Excuse me¡­ Father¡­ Lee Ki-Young?¡±


    I decided to smile brightly.


    ¡°Yes? Is something wrong¡­¡± I asked.


    ¡°No¡­ it¡¯s nothing.¡±


    ¡°Can you tell me the current raid status?¡± I requested.


    ¡°S-Sure.¡±


    <em>¡®Is it safe to assume n B was executed?¡¯</em>


    There were many things I had to handle about the expedition group¡ªno, I had many things to worry about.


    <em>¡®What¡¯s going to happen in the end?¡¯</em>


    n B had ended up failing. it had to have happened a bit early, but Altanus had probably entered the iron maiden and watched over everything. The Benigoa I knew still existed, and the future that Kasugano Yuno had seen hadn''t happened yet.


    <em>¡®It¡¯s the most perfect way to decrease the number of variables.¡¯</em>


    The surest way to avoid facing the future Kasugano Yuno had seen was no more. That damned, wicked demon summoner had brought danger to the continent, but I had no time to resent him or look back on the past.


    <em>¡®I''ve failed, but¡­¡¯</em>


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I didn¡¯t do anything,¡± I said.


    I had created an iplete picture. If this seeded, it¡¯d be better than n B.


    At least I could ensure that my babies wouldn''t forget me.


    I unknowingly looked at the mirror and saw that my golden eye hadn''t lost its light.


    ¡°Tell Kim Hyun-Sung not toe here,¡± I ordered.


    ¡°What? But¡ª¡±


    ¡°Tell him,¡± I interrupted them.


    ¡°Y-Yes, sir.¡±


    I started walking away.


    <em>¡®I did something.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Father Lee Ki-Young!¡±


    I could clearly see what I needed to do at this point. I needed to harvest the seed that I had sowed a very long time ago. I shook off the people trying to grab me and ran away.


    ¡°Father Lee Ki-Young! Damn it! Get him!¡±


    I ignored their shouts and ran as fast as I could. Soon, I was approaching my destination.


    ¡°What? But¡ª¡±


    ¡°Damn it! Move! Move while protecting Father Lee Ki-Young!¡±


    <em>¡®It¡¯s time to get my reward.¡¯</em>


    ¡°What the hell am I supposed to do¡­ Damn it¡­ it¡¯s over¡­¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°You must rest, Father Lee Ki-Young. Please¡­¡±


    <em>¡®If I end up in the room with no windows, everything will be for nothing.¡¯</em>


    They seemed to be worried that I could get hurt by their dirty hands, so they couldn¡¯t stop me at all. They were busy protecting me, and they seemed worried about how they were going to report this to their superiors.


    However, I wasn¡¯t the one who was going to be punished for it, so I couldn''t care less.


    <em>¡®This is good for you guys as well.¡¯</em>


    I was running out of breath, but I felt energetic when I saw a familiar back.


    ¡°Hyung-nim?¡± Park Deok-Gu said.


    ¡°You¡¯re¡­¡±


    ¡°<em>Haa¡­ haa¡­</em> The Priest of Prophecy has returned! <em>Heuk¡­</em> Father Draktaris¡­!¡± I sobbed.


    ¡ª ¡­


    ¡°The Priest of Prophecy has returned¡­ <em>Heuk¡­</em>¡± I repeated.


    And then¡­


    ¡ª <em>Ahhhhhh! </em>The Priest of Prophecy! <em>Heuk¡­</em> The Priest of Propheeecyyyyyy! <em>Heuk¡­! Heuuuuk!</em>


    Our reunion scene popped into my head.


    <em>¡®I¡¯m scared to see you die.¡¯</em>


    ¡ª The Priest of Propheeecyyy! <em>Heuk! Heuk!</em>


    <em>¡®I¡¯m afraid!¡¯</em>


    My precious¡­ my extremely precious¡­


    <em>"I know better than anyone that you¡¯re not supposed to die here. In the far future¡­ In the very far future, you¡¯ll do something great, Father. I can¡¯t tell you the details, but you¡­ will save this Underground Temple¡­ and Saint Altanus. You¡¯ll do greater things than stabilizing this ce right now."</em>


    Our precious memories.


    <em>"I trust that you¡¯ll keep your promise and be the single ray of light that shines in darkness. No matter what hardshipes your way¡­ even if there¡¯s a situation you can¡¯t endure, you must do your best, but today¡­ today isn¡¯t your time to die."</em>


    These were words I couldn¡¯t tell anyone else¡­


    <em>"Swear on Lady Lucifer''s name that until they find you, even if it¡¯s not me¡­ I''m talking about the people who truly love Lady Lucifer, people who want to reform the Underground Temple, people blessed by the Goddess, and those who have been selected by the light¡­ swear on Lady Lucifer''s name that until they appear before you¡­!</em>


    <em>"You must survive and wait¡­ be patient until they appear before you¡­ be patient for the sake of the hope that wille someday. Swear that you¡¯ll live¡­ for the sake of that day!"</em>


    It was short, but it was a beautiful and precious connection.


    <em>"Promise me!"</em>


    The dungeon''s spirit crumbled, and he kissed my feet.


    ¡ª I''ve been waiting¡­ for you¡­ For the day of your arrival. I''ve been living and enduring¡­ hardships again and again¡­

 Chapter 995: You Reap What You Sow (2)

    Chapter 995: You Reap What You Sow (2)


    <em>¡®Look at this guy giving up so fast.¡¯</em>


    It was such a magnificent scene.


    <em>¡®Look at this idiot. Do you see this? This is the result.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Father¡­ Draktaris¡­¡± I mumbled.


    There wasn¡¯t a sight that made me happier than this.


    Describing it as righteous and holy wasn¡¯t enough to describe the sight.


    For some, it was heart-wrenching; for others, it was a tear-jerker; for others, it was awe-inspiring enough to clench their fist. It seemed like everyone was reacting to this in their own ways, but their eyes were on me¡ªthe saint of the continent who made this miracle happen.


    I saw traces of the bloody battle, and it told me that the battle had never stopped. The


    party members were fighting Father Draktaris for a long time, and the members who were in the same party as Cha Hee-Ra and Park Deok-Gu were covered in wounds. They looked exhausted as if they had been fighting for several days.


    The only ones who were fine were the vanguards with high Stamina.


    The young blood Rafael seemed to havested this long due to the fact that he was young.


    Meanwhile, Sun Hee-Young and Elena, who were the core of the rearguards, looked like they were going to lose consciousness at any moment.


    Alps, who had joined the party to counter mental-type skills, seemed like she was at her limit by just standing there while Shiro was sprawled out on the ground and breathing heavily.


    I couldn''t care less about Jin Cheong¡¯s underlings, but they looked at me with their disheveled faces. At first, they were in disbelief, and then, they smiled brightly. They had to be happy to see me as well.


    ¡°Hyung-nim? Are you back? Hyung-nim! I knew you were going toe back! I just knew!¡± Park Deok-Gu shouted.


    <em>¡®Yeah, I¡¯m back.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Darling? Where have you been?¡± Cha Hee-Ra asked.


    <em>¡®It¡¯s been a while, Hee-Ra noona.¡¯</em>


    ¡°<em>Ahh¡­</em> thank you, Elune. Thank you very much,¡± Elena said.


    <em>¡®It¡¯s been a while since I saw you as well, Miss Elena.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Mr. Lee Ki-Young¡­¡±


    <em>¡®Hey, Hee-Young.¡¯</em>


    ¡°<em>Woof!</em>¡±


    <em>¡®Shiro is suddenly full of energy.¡¯</em>


    Obviously, there were endless requests for a handshake, but I was sad because I couldn¡¯t shake the hand of each and every person. At a nce, I could tell what had been happening to the expedition group, even though I had been stuck in the past.


    <em>¡®They must¡¯ve continued the raid separately from the main force¡­¡¯</em>


    I was sure they were aware of the demon summoner''s evil n. I walked past the people sprawled out on the ground while greeting them.


    I checked the faces of each and every person.


    Park Deok-Gu was already crying, and Hee-Ra noona sighed as if she expected it.


    <em>¡®They followed my instructions and dispatched the people I rmended.¡¯</em>


    The members in the prayer room were people whom I rmended when it came to tackling the Epic-rank quest, Archbishop of the Prayer Room. I couldn¡¯t tell whether he was getting pushed back or they were getting pushed back, but a fierce battle hadsted here for a long time.


    Honestly, I was kind of surprised by Father Draktaris¡¯ true power.


    I didn¡¯t expect much from the others, but I couldn¡¯t understand how he managed to stand against Cha Hee-Ra and Rafael. If I hadn''t rmended talented priests, the expedition group would have gotten taken down long ago.


    It was a thought that kept popping into my head, which made this scene even more meaningful.


    The priest who saved the party from danger, the saint who made the boss kneel with one word, and the holy crystal that purified the impure with light. The same priest spoke again.


    ¡°<em>Heuk¡­ heuuuk¡­</em> Father Draktaris¡­¡±


    ¡ª I''ve been waiting¡­ for you¡­ For the day of your arrival. I''ve been living and enduring¡­ hardships again and again¡­


    ¡°Father Draktaris¡­¡± I said.


    ¡ª ¡­


    ¡°<em>Ahh¡­ </em>Father Draktaris,¡± I repeated.


    ¡ª ¡­


    ¡°Why¡­ why¡­ did you be this way?¡± I questioned.


    Even the tall and handsome Draktaris couldn¡¯t avoid the ruthless passage of time.


    ¡°Why¡­ have you be like this?¡± I asked.


    Even when Bahamut and the Temrs were seeking eternal life, he decided to ept the passage of time. He already had white hair, and I saw wrinkles all over his face. His white mustache was messy, and his back was bent, even though he always stood ramrod straight.


    I could still see faint signs of his younger version. However, if I wasn''t taking a closer look at him, I would think I was looking at someone else.


    ¡ª A lot of time¡­ A lot of time passed¡­ Priest of Prophecy.


    He had epted death and had stayed, even though his fleshly body could move no more.


    ¡°Why¡­ why have you¡­ <em>Heuk</em>¡­ changed so much?¡± I asked.


    ¡ª It wasn¡¯t a short time, Priest of Prophecy. However, I never¡­ never lost faith that you¡¯ll return someday. I knew you''d save the Underground Temple, this continent, and Lucifer. No, I knew you''d illuminate the continent.


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    <em>¡®I¡¯m sorry. I waste, wasn¡¯t I?¡¯</em>


    That was what I wanted to ask, but I was ashamed, so I couldn¡¯t ask him that.


    ¡°Buuut¡­ <em>Heuk¡­</em>¡± I sobbed.


    <em>¡®Even if that were the case, you changed so much¡­¡¯</em>


    ¡ª You still¡­ have a warm¡­ heart¡­


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡ª You don¡¯t have to cry. Priest of Prophecy¡­ I-I want to thank Lucifer¡­ for allowing me to meet you like this.


    I tried stopping myself from crying, but I couldn¡¯t stop.


    ¡ª What I was really afraid of wasn''t this body growing old or losing power. I was afraid that I¡­ would never see you again. <em>Heuk¡­</em>


    ¡°Father Draktaris¡­¡± I mumbled.


    ¡ª <em>Geurgh¡­</em> I thought I''d never see you again. I regretted that day¡­ so much¡­ I hid in that small room and waited. I waited and waited for that incident to end¡­ I was so ashamed of myself. Can you imagine it¡ª<em>Geurgh¡­</em>


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡ª After sending you away like that¡­ I lived my whole life¡­ my whole life¡­ regretting it¡­ so much.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡ª I questioned why I didn¡¯t stop you¡­ and how I hid when you told me I was going to do something great in the future¡­ I wanted to tear myself apart and throw myself to the demons¡­ for locking myself up in a room like a coward. Despite that¡­ despite that, I had to live.


    <em>¡®That¡¯s right. You had to live.¡¯</em>


    ¡ª My only hope¡­ were your words¡­ about your return, Priest of Prophecy.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡ª It was my trust in you.


    ¡°Please¡­ don¡¯t say anything else,¡± I said.


    After kissing my shoe, he remained on his knees, and there was regret in his voice as he spoke to me. Even in the past, Draktaris respected me a lot, but¡­


    <em>¡®He must¡¯ve been deifying me.¡¯</em>


    I thought it had reached absurd levels, but of course, this wasn¡¯t an ordinary situation.


    <em>¡®It¡¯s expected.¡¯</em>


    One day, a man proiming to be the Priest of Prophecy suddenly appeared, and he became the light by sacrificing himself to save the Underground Temple and the continent.


    I had no idea what the temple thought about me at that time, but Draktaris had been waiting for me to keep my promise since then. He trusted me; he engraved my words into his heart, and he waited for that day toe.


    Naturally, my existence grew in his heart.


    The longer he waited, the more exhausted he became, so he had no choice but to rely on me. When he was at his limit mentally and physically¡­ he probably recalled myst words. The guilt I felt toward him enveloped me.


    <em>¡®Damn, this makes me happy. You reap what you sow.¡¯ </em>I hadn''t made a mistake choosing him. <em>¡®I knew this was going to seed. I just knew it.¡¯</em>


    However, there was nothing I could do. After making him stand up, all I did was hug him with my wings. Father Draktaris cried like a child.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s okay now, Father Draktaris,¡± I told him.


    I wonder what he was thinking right now.


    ¡ª <em>Geurgh¡­</em> I trusted you.


    ¡°I¡­ came back, didn¡¯t I?¡± I asked.


    ¡ª I¡¯m sorry, Priest of Prophecy. I¡¯m really¡­ really sorry.


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault, Father Draktaris,¡± I said.


    ¡ª ¡­


    ¡°All of this is my fault because I¡¯mcking. I¡¯m really¡­ really sorry¡­ for making you wait too long,¡± I said.


    Draktaris mumbled, and the wounds on my body instantly healed.


    <em>¡®Damn, his holy power is nice.¡¯</em>


    His holy power was extraordinary.


    ¡°They¡¯re my priests,¡± I said.


    I quickly said something in case I forgot about the expedition members, and they started receiving the holy power as well.


    ¡ª I was rude.


    Draktaris no longer cried. The priest, who had been carrying the burdens in his heart, walked with heavy steps and continued the conversation.


    ¡ª It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s time.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡ª The day we have been waiting for is here.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡ª The promised day. The judgement day is here. In order to punish those wicked people who had sold their souls to the demon, the prophesied is here to paint this continent with the light again. The day hase to prove that the holy light containing our faith still exists on this continent. The day that the Priest of Prophecy has mentioned is finally here.


    The ground quivered violently.


    <em>Rumble!</em>


    ¡ª Wake up.


    The ground shook again.


    <em>Rumble!</em>


    ¡ª Wake up, sons of light. Wake up and fulfill your final mission.


    <em>Rumble!</em>


    ¡ª Use the Goddess¡¯ hammer on those who had sold their souls to the demon!


    ¡ª <em>Ahhhhhhhhhh!</em>


    <em>Rumble!</em>


    ¡ª The day when the promise of light is to be fulfilled hase! The time hase¡­ to fulfill our long-cherished wish! An answer to the sacrifice that the Priest of Prophecy had made! The time hase to give our souls and prove ourselves!


    <em>Rumble!</em>


    ¡ª Wake up, sons of light! The promised time is here!


    ¡ª The promised time is here!


    ¡ª The promised time is here!


    ¡ª We¡¯ll prove that light exists on thisnd!


    ¡ª We¡¯ll repay his sacrifice!


    Their voices filled the prayer room¡ªno, spirits started gathering outside the prayer room as well. I saw both familiar and unfamiliar faces. The priests raised their voices while the knights moved around.


    <em>¡®This is huge.¡¯</em>


    ¡ª For the Priest of Prophecy!


    <em>¡®What the hell have you been doing, Draktaris?¡¯</em>


    ¡ª For the Priest of Prophecy!


    <em>¡®How much respect did you have for me?¡¯</em>


    It had been ten thousand years, so it was clear that many things had changed.


    I was trembling.


    I, the Son of Light, who was also once known as the Priest of Prophecy, quietly wiped away my tears while smiling sadly at the miracle happening before my eyes.

 Chapter 996: You Reap What You Sow (3)

    Chapter 996: You Reap What You Sow (3)


    ¡°We¡¯re going to live forever until the light that descends on thisnd is restored.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Our bodies are vessels for our souls¡­¡±


    <em>¡®I don¡¯t¡­ I don¡¯t think¡­ it was like this.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Someday¡­ someday, the angel of sacrifice¡­ will return. He¡¯ll¡­ return to the Underground Temple¡­again. He¡¯ll return¡­ someday, no matter what.¡±


    ¡°Is that all?¡± I[1] asked.


    ¡°No, there¡¯s more to it¡­ but I can¡¯t read the rest. It¡¯s badly damaged¡­ and it¡¯s not easy to interpret it. I don¡¯t know what to tell you¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I think this ce was used for religious ceremonies. I can¡¯t say for sure¡­ but seeing that there¡¯s a soul jar¡ª¡±¡°It kind of¡­ kind of changed,¡± I interrupted them.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It kind of changed,¡± I repeated.


    I wasn¡¯t the only one who felt something strange. The Guild Master of the ck Swan Guild, the rangers, and even Park Yeon-Joo, who was in charge of the reconnaissance team, felt indescribably ufortable.


    Before the strangely distorted spacetime, which headquarters called Spacetime Rift, had taken over this ce, I was sure that¡­


    <em>¡®I¡¯m sure this ce wasn¡¯t like this.¡¯</em>


    It was an easter egg hidden within the Underground Temple.


    We only found this ce upon discovering and chasing after Temr Simon.


    Before the Spacetime Rift appeared, I was pretty sure that there was a huge altar here. I couldn¡¯t remember it clearly¡­ but items that looked like they were used for rituals were neatly organized here, and someone emitting light¡­ kept going in and out¡­


    <em>¡®That¡¯s what I remember about this ce¡­¡¯</em>


    However, it suddenly became different.


    It was extremely dark; there was no light in this ce.


    There was a nauseating stench, dark red stains, and old skeletons.


    It looked like a temple, but it was dpidated, which told me that no one had ever been here for a long time. There were items scattered around as if this ce were aboratory, and there were books everywhere, too.


    It was different from any ce I had investigated so far.


    The only thing that was intact was the ceremonial altar in the middle. The indescribable difort made me sweep the dusty wall with my hands.


    And that was when I heard a voice beside me.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Step aside for a moment,¡± they ordered.


    ¡°<em>Oh¡­</em> okay,¡± I said


    I stepped back.


    The most important thing when it came to investigations like this was preserving the scene, so I made a mistake by sweeping the wall with my hand.


    <em>¡®Damn it.¡¯</em>


    I couldn''t believe that I somehow made such a rookie mistake. The talented rangers of the continent had gathered here, and the people here were all famous adventurers. It was particrly true for the rangers.


    This was a rare unranked dungeon, making it one of the rarest dungeons in the continent. Rangers were extremely valuable here, and they''d receive a ton of rewards due to the nature of their job. Thus, thepetent rangers of the ck Swan Guild were dispatched.


    <em>¡®Damn it.¡¯</em>


    I was just a frencer who had responded to a major guild''s request to earn more experience, so this mistake was truly devastating. The guild masters and people whose feats were written in books for rookies in the tutorial dungeon were part of the expedition team.


    The rangers of the Blue Guild weren''t here for some reason, and I was relieved, as they didn''t see me make such a stupid blunder, but¡­


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    I happened to be standing in front of Park Yeon-Joo of the ck Swan Guild¡­


    <em>¡®One mistake will end my career¡­¡¯</em>


    ¡°My name is Jung Gap-Soo. Well¡­ this is¡ª¡±


    ¡°Which guild are you from?¡± she interrupted me.


    ¡°I¡¯m a frencer,¡± I replied.


    ¡°It¡¯s strange that a ranger like you is a frencer,¡± Park Yeon-Joomented.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± I asked.


    And that was when a mage cast a spell at the part of the wall behind me...


    A few more people gathered, and it looked as if they were taking apart the wall.


    <em>¡®What the heck?¡¯</em>


    ¡°Speak confidently next time. Your contributions will reflect on your rewards. Thank you for your hard work,¡± Park Yeon-Joo said.


    ¡°What? <em>Oh¡­</em> I understand,¡± I said.


    I wasn¡¯t sure what was going on, but it felt like a blessing in disguise.


    While I was trying to hide my smile, the door finally opened. Everyone went quiet and started using hand gestures tomunicate. I could see them signaling to each other that there could be hostile units inside.


    Those with detection-type skills walked inside before anyone else.


    Soon afterward, the first group of vanguards walked inside with clenched fists.


    ¡°All clear.¡±


    There was another altar inside. It seemed to be a temple that could only amodate five people. Unlike the temple outside, this ce was well-organized. No, it <em>was</em> well-organized. However, what caught my attention the most was therge mural.


    ¡°What¡¯s this¡­¡± I mumbled.


    It had to have been a long time since the mural was made, but it was decently maintained. An angel with a gold eye and several pairs of wings was praying with his hands raised up to the sky.


    He resembled a certain someone.


    I had a hard time recognizing him, but I felt like everyone reached the same conclusion as me. It wasn''t an exact description, but there was only one person anyone would think of when it came to the keywords "golden eye" and "wings."


    I turned to the right and saw another mural. An angel fighting a pitch-ck demon. He covered his face with his wings and arm while walking toward the pitch-ck demon, and there was a red-headed warrior on the ground, seemingly incapacitated.


    I looked to my left and saw the red-headed warrior praying toward the angel with wings.


    <em>¡®This is the first mural.¡¯</em>


    ¡°I think the pictures start from the left to right,¡± I said.


    ¡°This is probably an altar for that angel,¡± Park Yeon-Joo suggested.


    ¡°It also looks like a clue to clear the dungeon¡­ There are some things that are a bit puzzling, but there¡¯s a chance that we''re close to discovering a hidden boss like Spirit Gelk,¡± I said.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to investigate more. First of all, let¡¯s check to see if there are other devices installed in here,¡± Park Yeon-Joo ordered.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    I turned my gaze again and saw another demon on the same mural that depicted the fight between the angel and the pitch-ck demon.


    The demon was orange and was different from the pitch-ck demon. Unlike the pitch-ck demon, who was depicted as arge-framed demon, the orange demon wasn''t that huge. They had arge horn and several bat wings. He was a typical-looking demon, and he was fighting the pitch-ck demon for some reason.


    Meanwhile, the angel was trembling amidst the fight.


    <em>¡®Is it trying to depict that they fought over this angel?¡¯</em>


    The orange demon won the battle. The pitch-ck demon spread a cloud of nauseating mist and fled. The red-headed warrior ran in to protect the angel.


    ¡°...¡±


    The red-headed warrior copsed in a daze, and the orange demon grabbed the angel.


    It was an extremely scary and frightening depiction to the point that I thought the orange demon could be the boss of this dungeon. It was a bizarre mural. In the next mural, the angel disappeared, and there were no more images.


    ¡°Does the mural end here?¡± Park Yeon-Joo asked.


    ¡°No, there¡¯s more over here. It¡¯s another passage,¡± I answered.


    ¡°Any traps?¡± Park Yeon-Joo asked.


    ¡°No. I didn¡¯t feel any reactions,¡± I replied.


    The rangers were on the move once again, and we eventually saw the next mural.


    Indeed. The mural depicted what had happened next.


    It was the story of the red-headed warrior who was left by himself upon the departure of the angel and the orange demon.


    The warrior raised their hand toward the sky. Those in the heavens were depicted as holy beings, but none of them stretched their hand out toward the red-headed warrior.


    We started walking again.


    The warrior from earlier stretched their hand toward the pitch-ck demon, but the pitch-ck demon didn¡¯t take the warrior¡¯s hand, either.


    I saw a mural of the warrior talking to the pitch-ck demon as if they were criticizing them, but the pitch-ck demon simply lowered their head and remained quiet.


    The red-headed warrior cried, and the continent was copsing in the background. The doors of the Underground Temple were closed, and it looked like the continent was weing a new era.


    And then, a long-haired angel with ck wings reached out toward the warrior.


    I couldn¡¯t see anything after that, so I walked deeper inside.


    ¡°A mimic?¡± Park Yeon-Joo asked.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not a trap either¡­ It looks like a chest to store important items,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Open it,¡± Park Yeon-Joo ordered.


    ¡°Okay. It¡¯s a feather,¡± I said.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a feather that unleashes light. There¡¯s no information on this item¡­ so it¡¯s probably¡ª¡±


    And that was when we heard a loud voice...


    ¡°It¡¯s Temr Simon!¡±


    ¡°Did hee here on his own? Prepare for battle!" the others eximed.


    ¡°Looks like we¡¯re at the right ce, Miss Park Yeon-Joo,¡± I said.


    ¡°Miss Park Yeon-Joo? What should we¡ª¡±


    ¡°W-What do you think you guys are doing?¡± Temr Simon questioned.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I asked what the hell you guys are doing!¡± yelled Temr Simon.


    The rangers rushed out and surrounded Temr Simon.


    The reconnaissance team was full of rangers, but it didn''t mean that we couldn¡¯t raid a dungeon.


    If our opponent was just a lone Temr, we''d probably be more efficient at it than others. Rangers weren¡¯t as efficient as mages and priests, but there were mages and priests with ranger skills.


    They were all trained to fight during an emergency.


    I wasn¡¯t sure what had happened, but Temr Simon wasn¡¯t in the best condition.


    He was gasping for breath while grabbing his head. He looked¡­ frightened.


    ¡°I remember¡­ I remember it all¡­ all of it¡­¡± Temr Simon muttered.


    I had no idea what he was saying.


    ¡°What the hell are you guys doing?!¡± Temr Simon shouted.


    <em>¡®Has he always been like that? I heard he''s more rational¡­¡¯</em>


    ¡°Come out now! Right now! Don¡¯t touch that feather!¡± Temr Simon shouted.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Bahamut ising. <em>Ahhh¡­ Sob! AAAAHH!</em> Bahamut ising!¡± Temr Simon yelled.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Bahamut! I¡¯m sorry¡­ <em>Ahh¡­ ahhhhh!</em>¡± Temr Simon added.


    He was swaying while embracing himself. Something fast pierced him, and he started transforming. He grew in size, and he no longer looked like a human. He looked more like a spider now.


    <em>¡®A demon¡­!¡¯</em>


    ¡°Bahamut is cooooming!!¡± Temr Simon shouted.


    ¡°Demon¡­¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°Bahamut¡­ won¡¯t forgive¡­ you guys¡­ Bahamut¡­ <em>AAAAHHH!</em> Bahamut ising!¡± Temr Simon yelled.


    ¡°Retreat! Retreat!¡± Park Yeon-Joo shouted.


    ¡°<em>AAAAAHHH!</em>¡±


    After transforming into a beast, Temr Simon''s four feet stuck to the ceiling. Long legs burst out of his back, and he thrust it toward the nearby rangers.


    ¡°Give it back! Give that feather back! Be forgiven¡­ with your¡­ death! <em>Keke¡­</em> Bahamut ising! Bahamut ising!¡± Temr Simon shouted.


    Thest thing I saw was his long legs¡­


    1. Jung Gap-Soo POV ?


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 997: You Reap What You Sow (4)

    Chapter 997: You Reap What You Sow (4)


    ¡°Scatter!¡± I[1] ordered.


    ¡°Bahamut is <em>cooooming!</em>¡± Temr Simon shouted.


    ¡°Crazy bastard!¡± Park Yeon-Joo yelled.


    ¡°Bahamut ising! <em>AAAHHH! AAAHHH!</em>¡± Temr Simon repeated.


    In times of emergency, there was only one thing rangers could do.


    If fighting was impossible, then a ranger ought to deliver as much information as possible to themand center. Of course, survival was the top priority. I was sure themand center was aware of our situation, and the nearest reinforcements were definitely on their way here.


    <em>"This is Commander Jian of the special ranger unit. We encountered Temr Simon two minutes ago, and we are currently retreating."</em>


    ¡ª We¡¯re checking your location. If you can provide more detailed information¡­


    <em>"Unconfirmed, but we believe that Temr Simon has transformed into a spider-type monster. No, it¡¯s more like¡­ he became a demon¡­ rather than a monster. We¡¯re currently trying to get a sample of his flesh."</em>¡ª Is an on-site investigation impossible?


    <em>"Negative. As I mentioned earlier, we are retreating. Please help us secure a way out."</em>


    ¡ª Copy that.


    <em>"Additionally, we discovered an unknown catalyst."</em>


    ¡ª Please give me the details.


    <em>"It¡¯s a feather. Temr Simon is obsessed with this feather, and he keeps yelling that Bahamut ising."</em>


    ¡ª Understood.


    <em>"How long will it take for the reinforcements to rendezvous with us?"</em>


    ¡ª We sent the nearest ranger unit. They¡¯re expected to arrive in about three minutes¡­


    <em>"A ranger unit? Did you listen to what I said at all? Please send us troops; a ranger unit will not be helpful at all."</em>


    ¡ª It will take about an hour and forty minutes for a strike squad to arrive¡ª


    <em>"We¡¯ll all be dead by then!"</em>


    <em>¡®Damn it.¡¯</em>


    We could have a chance if we were in a forest or somewhere else, but we were in an enclosed secret room, so we were at a disadvantage.


    What I saw upon leaving therge cavern was what looked like a maze. Rangers with a good sense of direction wouldn''t get lost, but they''d struggle to avoid Temr Simon''s detection.


    The rangers scattered, but I could still hear screams everywhere. This was Temr Simon''s domain, and regardless of his intentions, we had entered the spiderir on our own.


    <em>¡®Did everyone manage to escape? Who got attacked?¡¯</em>


    <em>"Can you¡­ do it quicker?"</em>


    ¡ª I¡¯m trying to find the fastest escape route. If you wait just a bit longer¡­


    <em>¡®Damn it. They¡¯re so slow.¡¯</em>


    I knew something like this was going to happen. I had been living a life equivalent to dancing with death, so I was not really afraid of dying. The problem was the members of the unit.


    <em>¡®They shouldn''t die in a ce like this.¡¯</em>


    <em>"Is there no other way?"</em>


    ¡ª Right now, wait! Father Lee Ki-Young¡­ I mean, the Commander of the Strike Squads is going to lead your escape by himself.


    <em>¡®Father Lee Ki-Young?¡¯</em>


    Afterward, I heard static as if notifying me that someone had joined themunication channel. Then, I heard a familiar, yet not-so-familiar voice. I heard his voice many times from afar, but it was my first time speaking directly to him.


    ¡ª Tell me more about your unit.


    <em>"I¡¯m Commander Jian of the special ranger unit. Right now¡ª"</em>


    ¡ª Number of members?


    <em>"Four members are with me. In emergencies, we are to move in groups of five¡ª"</em>


    ¡ª I¡¯ll send you the coordinates.


    <em>"What? We¡¯re currently¡­"</em>


    ¡ª Move now.


    ¡°W-We¡¯re moving,¡± I ordered. I could see a path that I couldn¡¯t see before, but of course, I wasn¡¯t sure about it. The map and the route were on the hand mirror, and they arrived so quickly that I became kind of suspicious.


    <em>¡®Was the operation a sess?¡¯</em>


    Father Lee Ki-Young¡¯s presence was proof that Commander Jin Cheong¡¯s n was a sess. However, why did it feel like he had taken the lead because he was aware of our current situation? Was that really the case?


    Unfortunately, I had no other choice to make. It was an order from themander, and I had to follow his path, even if it would lead to my death.


    ¡°Run! Run!¡± I shouted.


    ¡°Bahamut is <em>cooooooming!!!</em>¡± Temr Simon yelled.


    <em>Boom, boom, boom!</em>


    Loud noises echoed; something was pummeling the ground. Soon, the noises faded away, but I knew better than anyone that it was too early to feel relieved.


    ¡ª Change route.


    <em>"What?"</em>


    ¡ª Change your route. Hurry up and acknowledge.


    <em>¡®Damn it, at least give me an exnation¡­¡¯</em>


    ¡°We¡¯re going back,¡± Imanded.


    ¡°What?¡±


    I had no time to exin to the members.


    When I tried to move to the ce where I heard his voice earlier¡­


    <em>Kaboom!</em>


    The ceiling fell, and I saw Temr Simon¡¯s legs.


    Hisrge and sharp legs almost grazed the tip of my nose.


    <em>¡®If we had ignored him and moved forward¡­¡¯</em>


    Those legs would have skewered us.


    Goosebumps broke out all over me.


    <em>¡®How did he know?¡¯</em>


    Howe he knew that Temr Simon¡ªno, the spider had moved past us through the ceiling? And howe he knew that the spider was going to attack us?


    <em>¡®Can he see the future or something?¡¯</em>


    It didn¡¯t really matter.


    The important thing was that there was hope.


    My tiny suspicion was reced with hope.


    ¡°Bahamut is <em>coooooming!!!</em>¡± Temr Simon yelled.


    ¡°Run!¡± I shouted.


    <em>¡®We can live.¡¯</em>


    It wasn¡¯t hard. We just had to follow the coordinates on the hand mirror, and we could escape.


    ¡ª Change route.


    <em>"Understood."</em>


    <em>Boom!</em>


    ¡ª Change route.


    <em>"Understood."</em>


    <em>Kaboom!!!</em>


    I could hear rumbling noises above us. I thought he was only following us, but it did not seem to be the case. His sharp legs were longer than I thought, and we could be within his attack range.


    <em>¡®Does he have eight legs? No, he might have more than eight. How are the others? Are they running away, too?¡¯</em>


    And that was when we encountered the remaining rangers¡­


    ¡°<em>Huh?</em>¡±


    I noticed they had receivers in their ears as well. Just like us, they were moving ording to the coordinates shown on the Goddess¡¯ Hand Mirror. I thought they were receiving orders from othermanders, but¡­


    ¡°Understood, Father Lee Ki-Young.¡±


    They were gone in a sh as soon as I heard that.


    They were moving to a route that was different from ours.


    <em>¡®That can¡¯t be. Damn it.¡¯</em>


    ¡°It can¡¯t be¡­¡± I mumbled.


    Was he really moving every single ranger unit? Was he controlling all fifty rangers that were divided into ten units by himself?


    ¡ª Stay there.


    I stopped moving.


    <em>¡°I-It¡¯s a trap, Commander.¡±</em>


    <em>BOOM!</em>


    The wall copsed with a thunderous boom. The trap¡­


    <em>¡®I checked it, too.¡¯</em>


    The problem was that the trap was installed where our allies were located. It was an explosive trap that each unit possessed. It was highly likely the units earlier had installed it for us.


    ¡ª Move.


    ¡°W-What the hell is going on?¡±


    We moved toward the path that our allies¡¯ explosive trap had created for us.


    ¡ª Install a trap. Coordinates¡­ sent. Set the time of the explosion to two minutes and ten seconds.


    "U-Understood!"


    ¡°I-Install a trap!¡± I ordered.


    ¡°What? O-Okay!¡± someone eximed.


    The trap we had just installed could be an exit for our allies.


    Two minutes and ten secondster, I heard a loud explosion.


    ¡°It¡¯s done!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Father Lee Ki-Young! <em>Haha!</em>¡±


    I heard the same voice earlier, and I saw spider legs blocking their path.


    ¡ª Forward.


    His order was shocking, but I didn¡¯t question it. <em>Boom!</em>


    There was another explosion, and I saw Miss Park Yeon-Joo of the ck Swan Guild bursting out of the wall next to us. Temr Simon¡¯s legs were chasing after her, and a space for us to move forward naturally opened up.


    <em>¡®I don¡¯t understand¡­ what the hell¡­is going on¡­¡¯</em>


    We were the ones who had entered the spiderir, but the one who got caught in a spider web was probably Temr Simon.


    ¡°I guess there''s a reason everyone calls him a genius,¡± I remarked.


    ¡°Bahamut ising!¡± Temr Simon yelled.


    <em>Boom! Kaboom!</em>


    He dropped down from the ceiling and started crawling toward us.


    <em>¡®Are we thest ones?¡¯</em>


    ¡ª Follow the route, Commander Jian.


    <em>Boom! Kaboom!</em>


    Therge maze was falling apart.


    I could no longer see the smart hunter from before, as Temr Simon tried to shove his colossal body into the narrow passageways. In the end, he destroyed everything in his path to move forward.


    Temr Simon had be nothing but a monster who only cared about fulfilling his desire.


    ¡°You annoying rats! You rats!¡± Temr Simon shouted.


    ¡°Run! Ruuun!¡± I yelled.


    ¡°You rats!¡± Temr Simon shouted.


    ¡°Ruuuuun!¡± I screamed.


    I saw a small passage emitting a faint light. I didn¡¯t receive any other orders. I was on the brink of copsing from exhaustion, but I gnashed my teeth and marched on.


    ''I¡¯m almost there¡­ almost there¡­''


    <em>Boom! Boom! Boom!!!</em>


    ¡°I¡¯ll sacrifice you to Bahamut! All of you!¡± Temr Simon yelled.


    ¡°<em>Ahhhhhhhhh!</em>¡± I roared and took my final steps. It was a roar that one wouldn''t expect from a ranger. Afterward, I immediately looked back.


    ¡°<em>Ahhhhhhhhh! Ahhhhhhhhhh! </em>Bahamut!¡± he shouted.


    He had trouble getting out of the narrow passage, but the walls before him eventually copsed.


    <em>Boom!</em>


    I saw his colossal body, and I despaired at the sight of him.


    And that was when I heard a voice from the receiver.


    ¡°Start the spider hunt.¡±


    ¡°Yooou¡­ yooou¡­ you¡­ Bahamut! Bahamut!¡± Temr Simon shouted.


    ¡°Bahamut?¡± I said.


    ¡°<em>AAAHHH! Hahaha! Ahahahaha! </em>The time¡­ hase! Bahamut!¡± Temr Simon screamed.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡± ¡°Who¡¯s Bahamut, you dirty-looking demon bastard?¡± I questioned.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Is he a demon, too?¡± I asked.


    With that, arge amount of holy power manifested before me.


    1. Commander Jian¡¯s POV ?

 Chapter 998: You Reap What You Sow (5)

    Chapter 998: You Reap What You Sow (5)


    ¡°<em>AHHH! AAAHHH!</em>¡±


    The holy power rained down on Temr Simon.


    ¡°Stop¡­ <em>stooop!</em>¡± Temr Simon yelled.


    Draktaris stood at the helm of the spirits and holy knights. Their group sent wave after wave of holy power toward Temr Simon. Every time they stepped forward, Temr Simon would take a step backward.


    When the first row of spirits and holy knights cast their spells, the second row would cast theirs, and the third row would channel their spells at the same time. They were like archers lining up their arrows.


    The vanguards raised their shields and got ready to take on the enemy''s attacks. They all moved forward one step at a time. The knights raised their swords to punish the Temr, who sold his soul to a demon.


    "God¡¯s hammer will smash the wicked who sold their soul to a demon!"


    <em>¡®I¡¯m sure he was upset.¡¯</em>


    "God¡¯s hammer will be used on the wicked who sold their soul to a demon!""That demon will be punished!


    I felt something surging inside me. I was an expert director, so the scene before me looked like a well-nned scene. It was thanks to me that the situation turned out this way, but I wasn¡¯t the one who made this happen.


    The priests surrounded therge spider demon.


    A battle between good and evil; light and darkness was always an effective story.


    As always, the scene wasn¡¯t all that different from any other simr scenes.


    When Temr Simon swung his legs, the spirits of the priests were swept away. Despite that, they remained fearless, and they didn''t retreat. The resentment that they had been umting for many years was etched on their faces.


    They also looked happy about finally fulfilling their long-awaited wish.


    "Retreat! Retreat!!!"


    The most important part was that I was in the center of everything.


    <em>¡®Anyone would think I¡¯m the one behind it.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Bestow upon him afortable¡­ and eternal rest¡­¡± Draktaris muttered.


    The rangers who had escaped the maze were watching the entire thing in disbelief.


    ¡°Father Lee Ki-Young¡­¡±


    ¡°What is¡­¡±


    ¡°What in the world¡­¡±


    Naturally, they looked at me enviously. I was the creator of this miracle, and who wouldn''t be jealous upon seeing this miraculous sight?


    <em>¡®It looks amazing even in my eyes.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Hyung-nim, I told you it¡¯s dangerous over there! Come over here!¡± Park Deok-Gu shouted.


    ¡°It¡¯s dangerous, hyung,¡± Rafael said.


    ¡°Darling! What are you doing there?!¡± Cha Hee-Ra yelled.


    Hee-Ra noona, Park Deok-Gu, and Rafael cast worried gazes at me, so I took a step backward, but this memorable scene would forever stay in everyone¡¯s memories.


    ¡°Stop! Stoooop!¡± Temr Simon shouted.


    <em>¡®What do you mean, stop?¡¯</em>


    ¡°<em>AAAHHH! </em>Bahamut! Bahamut!!!¡± Temr Simon yelled.


    <em>¡®Stop calling for him, damn it.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Save¡­ me! Save me!¡± Temr Simon begged.


    <em>¡®There¡¯s no saving you now.¡¯</em>


    ¡°You¡¯ll be purified,¡± Draktaris said.


    <em>¡®You¡¯re getting purified, not killed, so just ept it.¡¯</em>


    ¡°<em>AAAHHH!!!</em>¡±


    The struggling spider¡¯s stamina was higher than I thought, and I became anxious for some reason.


    <em>¡®Shit.¡¯</em>


    I had an idea as to what was going on, and it was all thanks to Park Yeon-Joo¡¯s report.


    I could interpret it in many ways, but the mural told me that the demon seed inside Bahamut had already bloomed. The remarks that Draktaris had made about demons and the unique aura of the priests were hints as well, but it''d be a different story to see it for myself.


    <em>¡®Stupid Bahamut.¡¯</em>


    I warned him not to get obsessed with power.


    <em>¡®Kim Hyun-Sung is a problem as well.¡¯</em>


    The four-star Bahamut was afraid of the seven-star Kim Hyun-Sung, which was why he got so obsessed with power. He had to have been really afraid, and I was sure of that, as they had depicted Kim Hyun-Sung as the orange demon.


    I was sure he couldn¡¯t understand it, and he also couldn''t ept that oue.


    In the end, Bahamut forgot about the Priest of Prophecy''s words and med everything on his ipetence. At the time, he actually couldn¡¯t do anything.


    He couldn¡¯t move because he was afraid that the demon seed inside of him would bloom, and he froze like a statue upon seeing Kim Hyun-Sung.


    He somehow managed to ovee his fears and make a move, but he was sted away by just one swing of Kim Hyun-Sung''s sword.


    He was the Hero of the Continent at the time, so he probably felt humiliated; Kim Hyun-Sung probably felt like an obstacle that he needed to ovee. He could also be suffering from PTSD.


    He was probably having nightmares featuring the so-called orange demon, who appeared one day and took everything he had. I was sure that the thought of the so-called orange demon alone was enough to make him tremble.


    <em>¡®He couldn¡¯t endure it and chose to be a demon.¡¯</em>


    He walked a different path from Draktaris, who had decided to protect the Priest of Prophecy, the Underground Temple, and the continent.


    It sounded dangerous, but it was a good situation. I already knew through Doom Doom Hyun-Sung that going "Doom" wasn¡¯t efficient. Skull Gray Hyun-Sung was strong, but he had his limits, so I was convinced that it would be the same for the others¡­


    ¡°So why isn¡¯t he dying?¡± I questioned.


    ¡°You dirty bastards¡­ you dirty priests!¡± Temr Simon shouted.


    <em>¡®Why the hell are you so strong?¡¯</em>


    ¡°<em>AAAHHH! AAAAHHH!</em> I¡¯ll punish all of you!¡± Temr Simon yelled.


    <em>¡®Is he no longer human?¡¯</em>


    Was that why his stats had increased? Was there another job advancement route upon going Doom? The thought of Doom Doom Hyun-Sung advancing like Temr Simon was scary, but I felt like the Doom Doom Doom Hyun-Sung route was already unlocked.


    <em>¡®Hyun-Sung won¡¯t be a spider, though...¡¯</em>


    Perhaps he¡¯d transform into a wolf or a griffon. He was obsessed with griffons, after all. I felt like he could turn into something more hideous than Doom Doom Hyun-Sung, but his appearance wasn¡¯t that important.


    <em>¡®This is bad¡­¡¯</em>


    I had no idea how much stronger Bahamut had be upon going Doom.


    Temr Simon didn¡¯t worship Bahamut; he was just afraid of thetter.


    It was none of my business whether Bahamut had abused him or not, but I was sure that many things had happened at the time.


    Temr Simon had to have witnessed everything, including how Bahamut had changed, as well as how cruel and dark he could be. The demonization had to have decreased his intelligence, but even a dumbed-down version of him was really afraid of Bahamut.


    ¡°He¡¯s really terrible. That spider¡­ How can a person turn into a spider¡­¡± Park Deok-Guined.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Temr Simon is a hunter, hyung,¡± Rafael informed.


    <em>¡®I already know.¡¯</em>


    ¡°The raid is going well, and it''s all thanks to the spirits. It¡¯s great that the allied forces barely have casualties¡­ but I can¡¯t really be happy about it," said the hunting dog of Rafael¡¯s party.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Temr Simon is a hunter. The maze was his hunting ground, so he must be a boss monster made for that maze. We can assume there''s a limit to what he can do in arge ce like this. His Endurance must be low, and he can''t withstand the holy power of the Underground Temple¡¯s spirits. That makes sense. I¡¯m sure that¡¯s why he advanced,¡± Rafael exined.


    ¡°I understand what you¡¯re saying,¡± replied the hunting dog.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know who this Bahamut is, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you saying he¡¯s stronger than you thought?¡± the hunting dog asked.


    Rafael nodded. He nced at me, and he seemed satisfied with his assumption. He looked like he wanted me topliment him, but I didn¡¯t bother saying anything.


    <em>¡®He </em>did<em> grow a lot.¡¯</em>


    He grew taller and got smarter.


    ¡°Bahamut! Bahamut!¡± Temr Simon shouted.


    I was sure he understood it better since he had experience fighting Draktaris.


    ¡°It''s pretty clear¡­¡±


    It was pretty clear that Temr Simon was getting beaten up, but¡­


    <em>¡®His resistances are really high.¡¯</em>


    Temr Simon was a coward, but he was not weak.


    He was cautious and opportunistic. He wanted to draw a bigger picture by trapping our forces in the maze, but it did not happen. Unfortunately, it was undeniable that he was in his most efficient form. He chose to have sharp legs rather thanrge arms, and he also chose Agility rather than Endurance, as Agility would allow him to move quietly.


    Rafael was right. The maze was Temr Simon''s home. If the raid had started there, it would have easily be unsustainable.


    We were the ones who had chosen a battlefield that was advantageous to us, and the allied forces had the upper hand in terms of teamwork, but¡­


    <em>¡®That¡¯s not the case now.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Save me¡­ I don¡¯t want to die¡­ <em>AAAHHH! AAAHHH!</em>¡±


    <em>¡®Cunning bastard.¡¯</em>


    Temr Simon curled up using his legs and climbed up to the ceiling by scaling the walls. He pursed his lips and hissed, shooting out spider webs.


    A holy barrier enveloped the expedition group, but the barrier shattered with a sizzle. The sticky and stic spider webs were acidic, which put us at a disadvantage. After all, Temr Simon could make use of that to transform the terrain into his hunting ground.


    <em>¡®Phase two.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Are you analyzing it, hyung?¡± asked Rafael.


    I didn¡¯t bother answering it because it was true


    Momentster, I looked up.


    ¡°All right!¡± Rafael eximed.


    <em>¡®At least he¡¯s quick-witted.¡¯</em>


    Rafael spread his gray wings and flew up. The spider webs converged on Rafael, sealing off his escape routes, but Rafael could still make it out of that encirclement. I gave Rafael his escape route, and he immediately followed it.


    <em>¡®He¡¯s pretty good.¡¯</em>


    Rafael barely escaped the acidic spider webs, and he even started spinning in the air. The fancy moves were unnecessary, but he looked pretty cool. He cut down the ones he couldn¡¯t dodge.


    The mission required quite a bit of focus because if the spider web touched him, he''d get caught in the web and would be forced to retire.


    He also had to cut them down with a single strike or¡­


    <em>¡®Or he''ll get caught...¡¯</em>


    Still¡­


    <em>¡®His performance has improved a bit.¡¯</em>


    Rafael was no longer a bumpy ride. However, it would still be absurd for me topare him to Bahamut, even though he was doing pretty well against Temr Simon.


    <em>¡®But we have to get what we can.¡¯</em>


    It wasn¡¯t bad since we would obtain a sample. Actually, the more samples we had, the better.


    Meanwhile, Commander Jin seemed to have met the other guy.


    I looked at him using my telescope, and I saw him tapping his fingers together while seated.


    ***


    ¡°Bahamut¡­ ising¡­¡± Temr Simon muttered.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°That''s all you know how to say, right?¡±

 Chapter 999: You Reap What You Sow (6)

    Chapter 999: You Reap What You Sow (6)


    The type of demon they encountered waspletely different from us. I was worried that perhaps he was Genny, but it was highly likely that the demon before them was one of the remaining Temrs whom I had yet to meet.


    The towering demon had a head that seemed to be a cross between a bull''s and a snake''s head. Unlike Temr Simon, the snake-headed and bull-headed demon appeared to be pretty sturdy, so I assumed its stats were more Endurance oriented.


    Just like Temr Simon, the demon kept shouting Bahamut''s name, and his gaze was filled with fear for his master.


    The demon roared loudly as he stood up, and the expedition members who encountered him all looked nervous.


    I was sure they could feel his strength, as they werepetent and were aware that he was on a different levelpared to the monsters they had encountered so far. I was kind of worried, but I wasn¡¯t <em>too</em> worried.


    The way Jin Cheong sat on that chair with an arrogant look while tapping his finger made me feel a bit annoyed, but the viin demon summoner was never ipetent.


    <em>''Moreover¡­''</em>


    Hyun-Sung was with them. If the demon''s attack pattern was predictable, it wouldn''t be that hard for them to defeat him. They couldn''t make a mistake here, as this was a high-level raid.


    Fortunately, I couldn''t imagine that psycho, who was a self-proimed perfectionist at the same time, making any absurd mistakes.¡°<em>Rooooooooooar!</em>¡±


    The raid was going smoothly.


    The monster charged like a bull, and protection spells were instantly stacked before it.


    The spells shattered, but they were effective.


    The spells that took the brunt of the demon''s attack in their ce allowed them to withstand the demon¡¯s attack. Buffs were instantly applied on the main tank, and debuffs were cast on the bull.


    There was a <em>boom</em>, and the bodies of one of the tanks cracked open in an instant, but his injuries recovered as quickly as they appeared.


    <em>¡®This won¡¯t be easy.¡¯</em>


    It was impossible for mages to cast attack spells, as offensive was not their priority.


    They probably thought that casting protection spells to stop the demon¡¯s charge was their priority.


    As expected, the mages started channeling their next spell.


    Yoo Ah-Young, the Blue Guild''s sub-tank, fixed her helmet and stepped in front of the demon. When the demon saw Yoo Ah-Young, he moved and swung his fist toward thetter, but like earlier, barriers manifested before Yoo Ah-Young, protecting her.


    The demon summoner moved his finger arrogantly as a warrior from the Republic moved forward.


    They were creating an environment that would allow the tanks to keep recovering while stopping the enemy¡¯s attacks. Jin Cheong dispatched vanguards capable of withstanding the demon''s attack even once, and he didn¡¯t hesitate to invest spells in them.


    It felt like several matadors had surrounded the bull.


    Jin Cheong''s tactics seemed inhumane, as it was like he was treating them as mere chess pieces, but it was an organized assault. The empty spaces that the vanguards had left behind were filled in by the assassins.


    Kim Ye-Ri stood before the demon bull.


    <em>''Are they using her as an evasion tank?¡¯</em>


    It seemed that the demon summoner''s assumption was correct. Kim Ye-Ri dodged the demon bull''s attack by just a hair''s breadth. Kim Ye-Ri looked really nervous, as she knew that one mistake would instantly kill her.


    Every time Jin Cheong moved his finger, the troops would move. Every time the stupid bull wasted his turn, the allies made a meaningful turn. Every single move was calcted, and not everyone could do something like this.


    Jin Cheong was maximizing the tiny advantages gained at every turn while moving one step farther.


    The sight reminded me of the Republican War.


    The expedition group looked like they were sweating out of exertion.


    The demon bull ran wild while roaring, and the allied troops were busy regrouping because they were being pushed back.


    However, the reality was different. In my eyes, the monster looked like he was slowly falling into a trap. Of course, there was a difference from earlier. Earlier, the demon bull had a sword that he could swing.


    Unfortunately, the formation that Jin Cheong had created, the turns that he had maximized, and the tiny advantages that he gained during the fight were all for the sake of the expedition''s sharpest sword.


    Kim Hyun-Sung walked down the path created by the gap between the tanks, mages, vanguards, and the troops. Jin Cheong made use of the top DPS during this turn to retaliate against the demon bull.


    The archers shot their arrows in support while the vanguards attacked the demon bull''s armor to attract his attention.


    Eventually, Kim Hyun-Sung joined the fight and swung his sword.


    When I saw him nod, I became convinced that he was satisfied with this situation.


    <em>¡®He¡¯s having fun for no reason.¡¯</em>


    It was always worth it to create space for a closebat DPS like Kim Hyun-Sung. He probably hadn''t received any orders, as all he had to do was get in ce and just swing his sword.


    <em>¡®It¡¯s pretty annoying.¡¯</em>


    Jin Cheong looked really smug right now as if everything was going ording to n.


    "Commander?"


    ¡ª ¡­


    <em>"Commander."</em>


    ¡ª What¡¯s wrong? I¡¯m busy right now. If you have something to tell me, tell me.


    <em>"Please save energy and save the ordinary troops."</em>


    ¡ª I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re saying.


    <em>"It¡¯s like I said. Don¡¯t reveal our forces, and don¡¯t make Hyun-Sung waste his energy before the main event. Of course, the same goes for the Blue Guild members. </em>


    <em>"You know that you need to have troops for the fight with Bahamut, right? Exclude the ordinary troops unless it is necessary. Anyway, I''m sure you¡¯ll need some time to organize this, so I¡¯ll give you five minutes to do it."</em>


    ¡ª I don¡¯t understand why you¡¯re making that decision. I¡¯m the fieldmander here. My choices are¡ª


    <em>"I¡¯m the one in charge. Even if you don¡¯t want to do it, I can just proceed with it. And you have to know that I gave you five minutes because I know that you need some time to organize this."</em>


    ¡ª ¡­


    <em>"Please keep me updated."</em>


    I felt slightly better when I saw Jin Cheong mming his fist into his armrest.


    There would be some variables during the restructure.


    <em>¡®If it¡¯s an emergency, he¡¯ll either dispatch Kim Hyun-Sung or jump into the battle himself.¡¯</em>


    He wouldn''t be able to act arrogantly in that chair anymore.


    ¡ª Hyung? Hyung?


    <em>"Please do it yourself, Mr. Rafael."</em>


    ¡ª <em>Ah¡­</em> okay.


    Saving Kim Hyun-Sung''s stamina was a wise decision. I couldn¡¯t help but think that way as we were taking our sweet time with our hunt here.


    ¡°Save meeeee! I don¡¯t want to die!¡± The monster was pretending to be weak, but it was furiously swinging its legs. His attack patterns were changing nonstop. He spat out spider webs while moving around on the ceiling, and he didn¡¯t hold back on inflicting damage on the expedition group.


    Despite dispatching Park Deok-Gu and the guild members, the battle remained the same. Of course, we were inflicting damage on him as well, but¡­


    <em>¡®They¡¯re slow.¡¯</em>


    Draktaris was strong, but he couldn¡¯t deliver his finishing blow due to the priests.


    ¡°Bahamut! Bahamut!¡±


    I didn¡¯t want to look anxious, but I couldn¡¯t help it.


    The slower the raid became, the more ufortable I felt.


    Rafael was anxious, looking like his mouth was dry, and I was sure he felt frustrated by my reaction. At first, he thought that they were driving the monster into a corner, but the hunt wasn''t going well at all.


    <em>¡®It¡¯s not enough.¡¯</em>


    If they were struggling with a spider, how would they face Bahamut?


    I had prepared one more insurance, but¡­


    <em>¡®Where is Temr Gen?¡¯</em>


    ¡°Please send reinforcements,¡± Rafael requested.


    ¡°Rafael?¡±


    ¡°Priests, please send reinforcements!¡± Rafael eximed.


    And that was when arge spear of light manifested above the priests¡­


    The spear streaked across the air, piercing the monster¡¯s outer shell.


    ¡°<em>Ahhhh!</em>¡± the monster screamed.


    Rafael spread his wings and flew toward the monster with his sword in hand. A gray light burst out of the sword as Rafael thrust forward, stabbing the monster.


    A grotesque noise echoed as a green liquid gushed out of the wound.


    Cha Hee-Ra nodded as if it was okay, but¡­


    ¡°I like him,¡± Cha Hee-Ra said.


    <em>¡®It¡¯s a mess.¡¯</em>


    If it hadn''t been for the fact that the priests here werepetent, they would have already suffered severe injuries.


    I wanted topliment them fornding a powerful blow, but apliment here wasn''t going to be helpful.


    The monster''s figure was rapidly melting and recovering with a sizzling noise.


    Rafael swung his sword relentlessly as if he was desperate to drive the monster into a corner.


    ¡°<em>Ahhhhhhhhh! </em>It hurts! It <em>huuuurts!</em>¡± the monster roared. He swung hisrge legs in the air and was trying his best to get out of this ce. He used his legs to destroy the walls to create an exit route¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t let him escape! Damn it!¡± Rafael swore, bing anxious for some reason. He bit his lips and swung his sword rapidly. Anyone could tell that the situation was a mess, but we had the advantage, which was why we could control the situation.


    <em>Boom! Kaboom!</em>


    ¡°Bastards! Bastards! It huuuuurts!¡±


    The end was near, but it was painful to watch any longer.


    Draktaris sent wave after wave of holy power toward the spider.


    Meanwhile, the spider and Rafael were wasting their stamina in a meaningless game of tag. The spider was using his legs to break down our barrier in a desperate bid to escape his predicament.


    <em>BOOM!</em>


    ¡°<em>HAHAHAHAHAHA!</em>¡± The struggling and afraid monster cackled. ¡°<em>Hahahahaha! Hahahahaha!</em>¡±


    <em>¡®Shit¡­¡¯</em>


    ¡°Bahamut¡­ will¡ª<em>Argh!</em>¡±


    An enormous hand popped out from the other side and grabbed the spider¡¯s head.


    ¡°Bahamut¡­ I¡¯m sorr¡­ Save¡ª¡±


    C<em>rack!</em>


    The spider''s head shattered into a grotesque lump.


    My heart started pounding wildly against my chest.


    There was a thunderous boom, and the wall was destroyed.


    Momentster, he finally showed himself.


    ¡°What the hell¡­ is that¡­¡± Some expedition members mumbled while hugging their trembling figures. ¡°Monster¡­ a monster¡­¡±


    <em>¡®Shit¡­ shit¡­ shit¡­¡¯</em>


    I saw Cha Hee-Ra baring her teeth. I was worried that she''d charge, so I turned around and hugged her. I grabbed her cor and looked as if I were about to copse at any moment. Otherwise, she¡¯d run at it like a lunatic.


    ¡°Darling?¡± Cha Hee-Ra said.


    I obviously looked frightened. Most importantly, I looked like I could not ept this reality.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Noona, run¡­¡± I muttered.


    ¡°Wait¡­


    ¡°Hee-Ra noona, run¡­ Right now, I¡­¡± I trailed off.


    ¡°...¡± ¡°Run¡­¡± I repeated.


    And there was a deafening noise. "<em>Roaaaaar!</em>"


    The neer was Bahamut, and the both of us shared a heartwarming friendship tens of thousands of years ago. It had been many, many years since then, but I still hadn''t been able to forget him.


    Tragically, he had be a disgusting¡­ and dirty monster.


    ¡°T-That disgusting monster¡­¡± I said.

 Chapter 1000: You Reap What You Sow (7)

    Chapter 1000: You Reap What You Sow (7)


    <em>"Roooooooooooooar!!!"</em>


    <em>¡®Shit¡­ shit¡­¡¯</em>


    <em>"Uuuuuuuuuuuurgh¡­!"</em>


    <em>Kaboooooooooooom!</em>


    I couldn¡¯t help but think that turning around immediately was a wise choice, and I was sure anyone would think the same if they could see what I was seeing right now.


    ¡°F-Father Draktaris¡­¡± I stuttered.


    ¡ª Protect the Priest of Prophecy!


    <em>Boom!</em>


    With a single sweep of the demon''s hand, everything before me was swept away. Anything that the disgusting monster touched disappearedpletely as if it were made out of sand. The loud noises didn¡¯t stop, and I froze upon hearing the disgusting monster''s creepy voice.


    It felt like I was inside a tornado; it was like I''d get blown away at any moment now. The debris from the explosion flew around everywhere.


    Park Deok-Gu raised his shield to prepare for whatever was going to happen, but he was being pushed back as well, and he ended up rolling on the ground.


    A single blow from the monster had sted away more than half of Draktaris¡¯ priests. If it hadn''t been for those spirits, the majority of the expedition members would have been forced to retire.


    These troops were pretty tenacious, so the fact that a single blow was enough to put them out ofmission made me feel upset.


    <em>¡®Should I have ced them in the back?¡¯</em>


    Damn it, those priests¡­


    <em>¡®We can¡¯t lose any more of them.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Rafael!¡± I shouted.


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    My brain was trying to find a way to resolve this shocking situation.


    The disgusting monster''s target wasn¡¯t the spirits, and I instantly saw through what he wanted, which was evidenced by the fact that he was still pummeling the carcass of the Temr spider.


    There was no mistaking it; he wanted the feather hidden in the treasure vault.


    I handed the feather over to Rafael, and he passed by Cha Hee-Ra using his gray wings¡­


    ¡°I trust you¡­ Mr. Rafael,¡± I said.


    He flinched for a moment before smiling brightly and nodding.


    ¡°O-Okay! I won¡¯t disappoint you,¡± Rafael said.


    ¡°T-This¡­¡±


    Of course, I handed him a reliable item along with the feather.


    He couldn''t make any mistakes in this mission, so I needed something I could rely on to ensure that he would not die. I also wanted him to feel a sense of aplishment, even if he ended up getting squished like a bug.


    I handed him a tiny rosary that I fished out from my pocket.


    Rafael epted it with a shocked look, and he seemed determined toplete his mission even at the cost of his life.


    ¡°Even if it¡­ costs me my life¡­¡± Rafael said.


    <em>¡®You don¡¯t really need to do that, but I like that mindset of yours.¡¯</em>


    His mission was pretty obvious, and he knew what he had to do.


    <em>¡®Bait.¡¯</em>


    As expected, Rafael¡¯s party members were shocked. They tried to stop him, but¡­


    ¡°Rafael! That¡¯s¡­!¡±


    ¡°R-Rafael!¡±


    Rafael, my trustworthy and precious little brother, didn¡¯t even look back as he charged into the battlefield.


    <em>¡®He won¡¯t get caught that easily.¡¯</em>


    <em>''No, I won¡¯t let him get caught easily.''</em>


    Rafael shoved the feather into his mouth, and then he ced the rosary around his neck. He spread his gray wings and looked the disgusting monster in the eye.


    "<em>Roooooooooooooar!</em>"


    I was afraid that he''d look this way, so I hugged Hee-Ra noona tighter and tried to hide myself. Bahamut looked insane, so it was better to be safe than sorry. With that in mind, I decided to keep myself hidden.


    Unlike Temr Simon or Temr Extra, who was still awake¡­


    <em>¡®I think all he has left are his instincts¡­¡¯</em>


    Basically, Temr Bahamut had be a monster who was only moving based on his instincts. He had been relying on a mere feather for tens of thousands of years until he could no longer hold on and sold his soul to a demon.


    It was none of my business what happened during that time, but I knew one important thing¡ªIt was the fact that he turned into a disgusting monster. No, it was the fact that he was obsessed with that feather.


    "<em>Uuuuuuuuuuuurgh!</em>"


    <em>Kabooooooooooom!</em>


    Bahamut moved in the blink of an eye, and he moved so fast toward Rafael that I couldn¡¯t believe the sight before me. He had such a colossal figure, so how was he moving that fast?


    Rafael stretched out his wings and tried to move as far away as possible from Bahamut.


    It was a fight between a beast chasing after prey. If we were in an enclosed space, Rafael would lose in no time, but that was not the case. Rafael had a ton of space to work with.


    <em>¡®He can use the entire Underground Temple.¡¯</em>


    That was why I chose this location.


    <em>Kabooooooom!!!</em>


    The walls copsed, and I could hear loud noises from every direction.


    The monster stretched out his hand toward Rafael, who was barely out of his reach.


    The two of them¡ªno, my precious younger brother and the disgusting monster disappeared in an instant. H


    Be bought us time to regroup, but I couldn¡¯t rx because I needed to be his eyes. I needed to give him the route he had to take as well as his escape routes. I also had to ensure tha those routes were the most efficient route possible.


    A massive hand split the air.


    <em>"Head underground."</em>


    ¡ª O-Okay!


    <em>"You don¡¯t have to answer, Mr. Rafael. Just focus on your opponent."</em>


    ¡ª Okay.


    <em>"Careful."</em>


    ¡ªYes, sir!


    I looked at Sun Hee-Young, and she nodded at me. I wanted a report on the reorganization of the troops and the current situation.


    Cha Hee-Ra, who was still hugging me, seemed like she wanted to charge at the monster right now, but she couldn¡¯t leave the wounded Saint of Sacrifice by himself.


    In the end, she had to have concluded that focusing on the back end of things with Sun Hee-Young was the best thing she could do here.


    <em>¡®It worked out.¡¯</em>


    Hee-Ra noona was the type to keep her word. Of course, she didn¡¯t look away from the disgusting monster, and she looked like a massive lion walking on two legs. Actually, I was not even sure whether "lion" was the right word to describe her, as her hair and the fringe near her neck were what made her stand out.


    The monster had four disgusting eyes and sharp fangs dripping with pitch-ck saliva.


    The monster''s entire body seemed to be rotting as well.


    <em>''Did he hurt himself?''</em>


    ck blood was oozing out of him.


    There was a snake-shaped monster on his sharp tail, and his tail had two eyes.


    "Demon" was the only word I could use to describe him. He gave off a stench that made me feel like my soul was rotting at the smell of it alone. He also had muscles that looked like they were about to burst, but the structure of his muscles, which looked like they couldn''t possibly exist on a human, was beyond disgusting and bizarre.


    The word "evil spirit" wouldn''t be enough to describe him, and I finally understood why Temr Simon was so obedient and afraid of him.


    <em>¡®Doom Doom Hyun-Sung was handsomepared to him.¡¯</em>


    He was clearly a monster.


    <em>''Ah,e to think of it, there is one silver lining. At least we managed to avoid that ending where our heads go flying.¡¯</em>


    I was convinced that he had no skill that would allow him to chop off everyone''s heads at once. It was highly likely that we''d reach a bad ending where we''d all get mutted.


    He was as strong as he was disgusting, and my mind went nk at the thought that I''d have to find a way to beat him.


    <em>"I¡¯m going to change the route."</em>


    ¡ª ¡­


    <em>"Move even faster for four minutes. I¡¯ll help you after that, Mr. Rafael."</em>


    ¡ª O-Okay! <em>Ugh.</em>


    <em>BOOM!</em>


    <em>¡®He¡¯s learning.¡¯</em>


    Bahamut seemed to have realized that the wind pressure by his attacks alone was affecting Rafael, but I could use that to my advantage, as I could see the direction of the wind.


    Rafael struggled in the air for a moment, but he immediately rode the wind and started creating distance from the monster. Of course, it onlysted for a moment. Bahamut pushed away all obstacles and caught up to my younger brother.


    It happened in an instant.


    Rafael passed through a small space, and the monster shattered the obstacles in his way before reaching out toward Rafael.


    I heard a loud cry in response.


    The game of tag was so violent that I got worried about the Underground Temple itself.


    The scenery around Rafael changed, but Bahamut''srge arm was still chasing him.


    He was going underground, so therge arm wasing down from the ceiling.


    The ceiling was destroyed, causing debris to fall, but there was an exit up ahead. The monster tried to follow Rafael using his tail, but Rafael flew toward the ceiling once again. Then, he dove once again.


    <em>¡®Fifty seconds.¡¯</em>


    It had only been fifty seconds, but I was already getting tired.


    Rafael was also reaching his limits.


    <em>"Commander, order all troops to retreat right now."</em>


    ¡ª What the hell are you talking about?


    <em>"The Temr Extra raid ends here. We encountered Temr Bahamut, and Rafael is trying to exhaust him by acting as bait. We¡¯ll proceed with the Bahamut raid. I¡¯ll give you exactly four minutes to retreat and send your first wave of troops. After that, I¡¯ll give you time to proceed in order."</em>


    ¡ª What? What are you¡­


    <em>"I¡¯ll leave it up to you to dispatch the troops. I sent you Rafael¡¯s exit route. I also sent information and videos rted to that, so please take a look. Noona. I know she¡¯s angry as well, but help me out this time. I need help."</em>


    ¡ª ¡­


    ¡ª ¡­


    <em>"Noona, please."</em>


    ¡ª ¡­


    <em>"Miss Lee Ji-Hye? The cute and beautiful Miss Lee Ji-Hye?"</em>


    ¡ª ¡­


    <em>"Ji-Hye¡­"</em>


    ¡ª ¡­


    <em>"My love?"</em>


    ¡ª ¡­


    "Master? M-Mr. Lee Ji-Hoo?"


    ¡ª Well¡­ it wouldn¡¯t hurt to give you a hand.


    - ¡­


    ¡ª My darling will die an unnatural death if things go wrong, so I should help out. In exchange, I get a wish.


    <em>"Thanks, noona. Ah! You don¡¯t get a wish, Commander."</em>


    ¡ª I never expected one, you fool.


    There was no need for me to exin the details, as I was sure that they''d understand what I was trying to do with just a mere nce at the escape route.


    <em>¡®Take advantage of the Underground Temple and proceed with the raid with Rafael acting as an evasion tank.¡¯</em>


    <em>''I''ll create the path, and Commander Jin will ce troops on each floor based on Rafael¡¯s route.''</em>


    Jin Cheong was great at moving humans as if they were chess pieces.


    Ji-Hye noona would ensure catch any errors and variables. She''d also approve any ns that were being carried out in real time.


    I wasn''t exactly a fan of this. The three of us didn''t really like others to evaluate us, so our ns so far belonged solely to us. We had to deal with the variables in our ns ourselves. In other words, we were moving inside our own territories, but¡­


    <em>¡®This one is different.¡¯</em>


    The smallest mistake would annihte the expedition group, and I wasn¡¯t the only one who was aware of the fact that Bahamut was dangerous¡ªextremely dangerous.


    <em>¡®There¡¯s no room for errors.¡¯</em>


    Everything had to be in the right ce for things to work out.


    I put up the mirror, and screens instantly appeared around me.


    I was sure it was the same for Commander Jin Cheong. He was probably looking at the screen that looked like a 3D replica of the Underground Temple, and Ji-Hye noona was probably in the office, staring at the screen with her legs crossed.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    <em>"Let us begin."</em>


    ¡ª Agreed.


    ¡ª Got it, oppa.


    ¡°Let us have fun,¡± I muttered to myself.


    Except for the screens in front of me, everything around me became blurry.<blockquote>


    Hikari''s Thoughts


    Author''s Note:


    Hello, this is wooden spoon. It¡¯s been a while. I definitely wasn¡¯t nning on writing the side story for this long¡­ but as I kept writing¡­ we eventually reached chapter 1,000.


    I was worried it was getting too long, but I still thought it was something worth celebrating, so I decided to make an appearance!


    There¡¯s a lot I want to say, but I think it¡¯s best if I say that forter. I think it¡¯s best if I focus on the chapters I¡¯m writing now.


    I¡¯lle back and say hi once I¡¯m done with the side story.


    I want to say this all the time and in every chapter, but I always want to thank everyone who reads and loves the <em>Regressor Instruction Manual</em>.


    I would especially like to express my gratitude to all of you who have been with me for the past 1,000 chapters.


    If it wasn¡¯t for you guys, I wouldn¡¯t havee this far¡­ so thank you very, very much for loving the Regressor<em> Instruction Manual. </em>???


    I¡¯ll make sure to be the wooden spoon who writes better and improves just as much as you read my novel!


    P.S. If possible, I¡¯ll add in some illustrations tomemorate the 1,000th chapter! Thank you again!


    Hikari''s Note:<strong></strong>We finally reached the 1,000th chapter!Ve''s Note: I still can''t believe we''ve been with each other for so long! 1000 chapters!</blockquote>

 Chapter 1001: You Reap What You Sow (8)

    Chapter 1001: You Reap What You Sow (8)


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± an adventurer asked.


    ¡°We have to move now. It¡¯s an order from headquarters.¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you at least exin the situation?¡± the adventurer questioned.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to exin. Anyway¡­ you must move now, I mean, in four minutes,¡± they said.


    ¡°Damn it¡­ what the hell are they talking about?¡± the adventurer asked.


    I knew it was difficult to understand because it wasn¡¯t an exnation those withbat-rted jobs could understand. I had been a fieldmander for quite a while now, but I was having a hard time understanding the order even with my experience, so I was sure these adventurers were even more puzzled than me.


    ¡°I¡¯m participating in the expedition as one of the fieldmanders. Shouldn''t <em>I</em> at least know what¡¯s going on?¡± I[1] asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but¡­¡± they paused.


    It didn''t happen that often, but conflict couldn''t be avoided¡ªboth inside and outside dungeons. The need for experienced fieldmanders was going up. ns and guilds recruited people for so-called administrative roles as if it was some kind of trend, but the adventurers'' way of tackling dungeons hadn''t really changed.In other words, they had yet to adjust to the fact that fieldmanders were now a thing, and it was mostly because they were recruited in a hurry. They weren''t ready yet.


    It was simr to the issue that developing countries would have to tackle in exchange for their rapid economic development. The existence of the job called "Field Commanders" was problematic in the eyes of adventurers.


    Those withbat-rted jobs had no trust in fieldmanders, and they would all think that their way was the right way. They thought fieldmanders, who had no hunting or war experience, were idiots.


    From our point of view, adventurers like those were the type to cause trouble.


    It was undeniable that my reaction was my way of coping with my inferiorityplex, which was caused by the fact that they thought of me as unimportant. However, it was also because of the ridiculous decision that my superiors had made.


    More often than not, team annihtions were caused by the dumb decisions of the fieldmander. Of course, there were also incidents that happened because the team members had refused to cooperate with theirmanders.


    In fact, incidents like these were hot topics among those who were in the same field as me.


    <em>¡®Still¡­¡¯</em>


    ¡°It¡¯s an order from headquarters. I actually don¡¯t¡­ I¡¯ll try contacting them again,¡± the soldier said.


    ¡ª You don¡¯t need to know the reason. Carry out the order. There are four minutes left before the start of the mission.


    <em>¡®Damn it.¡¯</em>


    I left a message on themunication channel. I was sure the other fieldmanders were in a simr situation as me.


    ¡ª You don¡¯t need to know the reason. Three minutes and fifty-five seconds left before the start of the mission.


    I was a Rank One Commander. I had ess to a big chunk of the mission details and limited ess to information that the Commander of the Republic and the Honorary Cardinal of the Democratic Country could ess.


    I decided to join this expedition under that condition in the first ce.


    "Requesting ess to mission details. Rank One Field Commander, Codename Genius."


    To be frank, there was no reason for me to know it, as my job was to simply follow the orders from headquarters, but¡­


    <em>¡®I need to know the mission details.¡¯</em>


    That way, we''d be prepared for any variables.


    If I were a low-rankingmander, I wouldn¡¯t do this, but I <em>did </em>have some authority.


    However, the biggest reason was that I felt pressured about convincing those who were involved in the mission. I knew better than anyone else that I only managed to climb this position because of my drive.


    <em>¡®Please approve.¡¯</em>


    ¡°...¡±


    <em>¡®Please¡­¡¯</em>


    ¡ª Limited ess has been authorized. There are three minutes and ten seconds before the start of the mission.


    I couldn¡¯t help but tighten my fist. However, my reaction didn¡¯tst long.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°What the¡­¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°What the hell is this¡­¡± I said.


    [Rafael¡¯s Route 42 Sent]


    [Requesting edit permissions]


    [Request to edit approved]


    [Request to edit 7th Unit¡¯s mission details]


    [Unit¡¯s current location and Bahamut¡¯s expected movement pathing]


    [...]


    [12.24% chance of Bahamut changing his pathing]


    [...]


    [Route 13 added to the expected route. Approved]


    [...]


    [42nd Unit is expected to have casualties. Edited.]


    [...]


    A myriad of screens appeared before my eyes. There were so many texts, coordinates, and routes that I couldn¡¯t understand what was going on. There was also a map that looked like a maze.


    To make things worse, the information was changing in real time, causing my jaw to drop to the floor. The location of the enemy and allies, routes given to everyone in the expedition group, and changes were all marked on the screen.


    They were all changing at the same time, and there were so many changes happening in our strategy that I couldn¡¯t understand it at all. If I were to exaggerate, it was like I was watching a living organism.


    Everything on the screen looked as if they all had a mind of their own.


    The map looked like the entire Underground Temple, and I saw thousands¡ªno, tens and thousands of lines crossing each other. It seemed like it was marking a soldier or predicting someone¡¯s movement pathing, but I couldn¡¯t figure it out.


    I was able to figure out that the red line was the boss monster''s pathing, but even the red line stretched out in hundreds of directions.


    <em>¡®Those red lines are the paths that the boss monster </em>may<em> take.¡¯</em>


    I was literate, but I couldn''t read this at all.


    I had participated in many missions, but all these looked gibberish to me.


    [There is a 92.5% chance that the 22nd Unit may sessfullyplete their mission.]


    [Requesting edit permissions.]


    [Request to edit approved.]


    [There is a 99.1% chance that the 22nd Unit may sessfullyplete their mission.]


    [Casualty Chance: 0.9%]


    [Mission undertaking has been approved.]


    <em>¡®The sess rate of a mission is disyed as a percentage?¡¯</em>


    They could calcte the chances of there being casualties based on the ongoing missions¡ªno, the missions that they were creating within these four minutes?


    [There is a 95.7% chance that the Blue Guild may sessfullyplete their mission.]


    [Requesting edit permissions.]


    [Request to edit approved.]


    [There is a 99.8% chance that the Blue Guild may sessfullyplete their mission.]


    [Casualty Chance: 0.2%]


    [Mission undertaking has been declined.]


    [Request to edit approved.]


    [There is a 100% chance that the Blue Guild may sessfullyplete their mission.]


    [Mission undertaking has been approved.]


    There was no way a human being could do all this.


    I wasn''t even sure whether I understood what I was staring at or not, but I knew what they meant. I was sure they wouldn''t let the others know. Even if all of this was created rtively quickly, headquarters wasn¡¯t nning on notifying the others of this mission.


    <em>¡®That''s a way to reduce the variables.¡¯</em>


    They¡­ They probably looked at humans as if they were parts of a machine.


    I was sure they thought that keeping us in the dark about what we needed to do and who we had to fight would reduce the variables. They wanted us to cast aside our feelings and simply execute their orders.


    Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t have calcted the chance of our survival.


    It was different from bragging about how the sess rate of a mission they had been preparing for three months was eighty or ny percent. They were analyzing humans as if they were mere data and in a pretty thorough way at that.


    Their analysis included everyone''s nature and abilities.


    <em>¡®Is it okay for me to look at something like this?¡¯</em>


    Headquarters had approved my request, but¡­


    ¡ª There are one minute and nine seconds left before the start of the mission.


    ¡°Did you find out something?¡± one of the troops asked.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m not sure. It¡¯s an order from headquarters,¡± I replied.


    ¡°What are you staring at¡­¡± they asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, b-but¡­ we won¡¯t fail. We¡¯ll seed no matter what,¡± I told them.


    I couldn¡¯t see my face right now.


    Was I smiling, or did I look disgusted? Despite that¡­


    ¡ª There are ten seconds left before the start of the mission.


    We had to carry out the orders.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get moving,¡± I ordered.


    I had to start dishing out orders, as my unit was given six missions to tackle.


    We were to move to the specified location, fire long-range spells at the marked coordinates, and scatter holy power around the ce. Then, we''d move to the next specified location and treat the wounded there before moving to another specified location and joining the allied forces.


    The mission hadn''t started yet, so there was no one with any injuries among us. The mission we were about to carry out was created under the condition that the other units were going to suffer injuries.


    They weren¡¯t thinking about their deaths. Rather, they were worried about the possibility that there weren''t going to be any casualties. I was sure they believed that having zero casualties could be variable.


    <em>¡®This is crazy.¡¯</em>


    I had never seen anything like this in any textbooks or adventure journals.


    ¡°Units line up! Units line up!¡± the soldier shouted.


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    ¡°Units line up! Get into position!¡± the soldier yelled.


    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing¡­¡± I questioned.


    ¡°I just received an order from headquarters. We must get into position if we don¡¯t want to die,¡± they replied.


    ¡°If they could give us a reason¡ª¡±


    ¡°Damn it! I don¡¯t know either!¡± the soldier shouted.


    Everyone looked at me bitterly, but their faces changed soon.


    "<em>Rooooooooooooooar!</em>"


    <em>Kabooooooooooooom!</em>


    "<em>Rooooooooooooooooooooar!</em>"


    I was sure everyone knew that the roars were getting closer.


    We moved to the specified location, and the ground beneath us started shaking violently. The roars were fast approaching, and the troops were bing more and more nervous as time ticked by


    My heart was racing as well¡ªno, I felt numb all over.


    We had yet to encounter the enemy, but the fear of dying enveloped me. We had to follow orders if we didn¡¯t want to die here. I was sure they understood that fact. I was sure there was a reason the headquarters gave us that order.


    ¡°What is¡­ going on¡­¡± a soldier mumbled.


    ¡°Channel your spells!¡± I ordered.


    The coordinates were already avable to me. My hands were shaking, but I couldn''t be so nervous here. I was sure the mistakes that our unit was going to make had already been included in the so-called variables.


    <em>¡®It¡¯s okay to make mistakes.¡¯ </em>My hands that were typed in the coordinates in themunication channel were quivering. <em>¡®Stop being so nervous.¡¯</em>


    I was so nervous that I couldn''t speak properly.


    Just then.


    ¡°F-Fire!¡± I ordered.


    As soon as the spells were unleashed¡­


    <em>Kabooooooooooom!!!</em>


    A colossal hand passed right in front of me.


    It happened in the blink of an eye, and it felt like my time had slowed down.


    The mages instinctively unleashed their spells, and the vanguards froze before the sudden attack. That wasn¡¯t all. The colossal hand crushed everything around it, but it wasn''t really close to us.


    It felt like the colossal hand was close enough to touch my hair, but it was actually far away.


    In fact, it was so far away that not even the debris managed to touch us.


    "<em>Rooooooooooooooooar!!!</em>"


    I finally saw the monster¡¯s colossal figure, and my legs grew weak at the sight of it. I copsed to the ground, but my eyes were transfixed on it. I saw the spellsnding on the monster¡¯s back. I wasn¡¯t sure whether it was effective or not, but I would say that it wasn¡¯t effective at all, as the monster didn¡¯t even nce at us.


    The monster was looking up at the hole where it hade from, and we saw a figure dropping down the hole. She rushed at the monster and swung her spear. Layers of protective shields manifested on the monster''s arm, and the monster swung it toward the spear-wielding figure as if it were annoyed by thetter.


    The woman wielding a spear used one of the semi-transparent shields like a slide and slid down the monster''s arm.


    <em>BOOM!</em>


    The monster broke the ceiling again and disappeared.


    I heard noises from all over the ce.


    ¡°Fire!¡±


    ¡°Hold up your shield! Hold up your shield!!! Hold up your shield! You bastards!¡±


    <em>¡®What the hell¡­ is going on? What are we doing?¡¯</em>


    ¡°Hold it for one second. One second! Just for one second!¡±


    "<em>Rooooooooooooooooar!</em>"


    ¡°Priest! I need a prieeest!¡±


    ¡°<em>AAAAAH! </em>Help me¡­ Help me!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re leaving the wounded!¡± a soldier ordered.


    ¡°But¡­¡± I said.


    ¡°Damn it! It¡¯s an order! We¡¯re leaving the wounded and moving forward!¡± shouted the soldier.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Move, you fools!¡±


    "<em>ROAAAAR!!!</em>"


    The monster broke a wall and left nothing behind. The only thing that remained in the ruins was a path that the remaining troops and I had to take for our next mission. I wasn¡¯t sure what was going on, but I heard that monotone voice again.


    ¡ª There are twenty seconds left before the start of the mission.


    1. Field Commander¡¯s POV ?

 Chapter 1002: You Reap What You Sow (9)

    Chapter 1002: You Reap What You Sow (9)


    ¡°We¡¯re leaving the wounded!¡± the soldier shouted.


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Damn it! This is an order! Leave the wounded and move!¡± he ordered.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Move it, you fools!¡± he yelled.


    The soldiers looked hesitant, and it was definitely not easy for them to leave just like that. I could see it from the way they were looking back. I[1] also couldn¡¯t help but look back despite giving them the order to move.


    It wasn¡¯t easy to leave, as there were troops trapped under a pile of rubble, along withrades rolling around while grabbing their faces and people groaning in pain upon getting crushed by the debris.


    It was especially hard to leave them because we had been together for a long time.


    However, I had to look away and ignore them.<em>¡®Because we¡¯re soldiers...¡¯</em>


    The troops of the Federation were devastated by the 27th Legion Summoning Incident. It happened quite a while ago, but the Federation had yet to recover from the damage they suffered at the time.


    Even now, the Federation was still recovering, and the Federation had to give up on many things. Even if one were military personnel working for the country, one wasn''t excluded from the destitution that followed, so ex-soldiers naturally became mercenaries.


    And as soldiers, we had to¡­


    <em>¡®We have to follow orders.¡¯</em>


    Of course, that wasn''t the <em>only</em> reason. We were hired mercenaries from the Federation, so we had to follow orders andplete our mission. There were manypetent adventurers throughout the continent, and if we wanted to beat them at their own game, we had to ensure that our credibility as mercenaries wouldn''t get tainted.


    For the sake of every Federation mercenary across the continent, we had to look forward rather than look back.


    "<em>Rooooooooooooooooar!!!</em>"


    <em>Kabooooooooom! Craaaaaaack!</em>


    There were loud explosions everywhere, and I''d stop moving every time I heard a voice. Of course, it was only for a second¡ªno, it wasn''t even a second. More than half of the troops were swept away to attract the monster¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Hold up your shield! Move while holding up your shields!¡± I ordered.


    ¡°U-Understood, Captain Sophia!¡± the troops replied.


    ¡°Move faster instead of replying, you fools! Faster!¡± I shouted.


    I was sure a fight broke out somewhere, but I wasn¡¯t sure whether it could even be called a fight.


    As I ordered my troops to move while blocking the debris that was falling down on us using their shields, I couldn¡¯t help but keep thinking back to the scene I saw just now.


    I saw the expedition members moving around, fighting Bahamut, a ruthless and terrifying monster.


    <em>Boom! Kaboom!</em>


    ¡°Move! Faster! You bastards!¡± I shouted.


    The puzzle pieces were falling naturally.


    To be honest, I had no way of knowing what was going on, but it was an undeniable fact that all troops in the Underground Temple were involved.


    It felt strange. It was like there were strings attached to us, and someone was controlling us. It was like we were moving ording to a script that someone had written in advance¡ªno, it was like everything was going as nned.


    <em>¡®This isn¡¯t right.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Captain Sophia! The road is blocked,¡± a soldier informed.


    ¡°Commander?¡± I asked.


    ¡°The route is the same, Captain Sophia! Keep moving forward,¡± he replied.


    ¡°We keep moving forward,¡± I ordered.


    ¡°What? But the path¡ª¡±


    ¡°I can see it, too,¡± I interrupted them.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± a troop said.


    I saw the broken bridge as well, and it was highly likely that parts of the Underground Temple had shattered due to the battle. Despite that, the route marked on the coordinates was telling us to cross that bridge.


    I flinched, but there was no need for us to stop because I saw another unit loading up a giant ballista.


    ¡°Fire! Fire!¡±


    An arrow with a rope tied to it flew and pierced the wall on the opposite side.


    I heard heavy arrows piercing into the walls as if they¡¯d been waiting for us to arrive here.


    <em>¡®We can use those ropes to go across.¡¯</em>


    We weren''t the only ones moving.


    The other units and parties were crossing using the ropes that weren¡¯t too far from us.


    "<em>Rooooooooooooar!"</em>


    The loud noises sent a tremor across the building, and debris started falling again.


    I saw some people flinching due to therge debris, butrge barriers manifested and protected them. The others used the barriers above them to move as quickly as possible and head upstairs.


    ¡°Move fast! Faster!¡±


    ¡°Move it!¡± a soldier shouted.


    ¡°Move, move!¡± another yelled.


    ¡°Cast your spells! Adjust your coordinates!¡±


    I heard voices everywhere.


    ¡°The target is approaching! The target is approaching! Move faster! We don¡¯t have time! Time¡­¡±


    <em>¡®What time?¡¯</em>


    I heard a voice when I was almost on the other side.


    I instinctively looked back and saw a familiar figure.


    <em>¡®Kim Ye-Ri?¡¯</em>


    It was Kim Ye-Ri, who was known as the Daughter of the Blue Guild.


    Behind her, I saw a monster that looked like an enormous bull.


    <em>Boom! Boom! Boom!</em>


    ¡°Move!!! Move!!!¡±


    ¡°Bahamut¡­ will punish all of you!¡± the monster yelled.


    <em>¡®Damn it.¡¯</em>


    Kim Ye-Ri, who was running at an incredible speed, headed toward the bridge while barely managing to dodge the monster¡¯s attacks. She was moving as if she were an acrobat, and then shended steadily on a rope.


    The enormous bull tried to catch her, but the Daughter of the Blue Guild was already on the other side of the rope, so the monster¡¯s actions were useless. She moved so fast that she even went past me.


    And that was when the troops, who went upstairs with the barrier, fired spells at the monster¡­


    Wait, they were also aiming for the floor where the monster was standing.


    <em>Kaboooooooom!</em>


    The enormous bull fell underground.


    <em>¡®This isn¡¯t right.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Missionplete. Let¡¯s get moving.¡±


    ¡°Missionplete. Order acknowledged.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s move.¡±


    <em>¡®This¡­ This isn¡¯t right.¡¯</em>


    ¡°You¡¯re here,¡± a man said.


    ¡°Yeah, Mister Ki-Mo,¡± Kim Ye-Ri replied.


    Abat priest wearing a broken pair of sses talked to Kim Ye-Ri, who was juggling her daggers.


    ¡°What¡¯s our mission?¡± Kim Ye-Ri asked.


    ¡°Wait for five minutes,¡± Ahn Ki-Mo answered.


    ¡°Looks like I can take a break,¡± Kim Ye-Ri said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Hey, hang in there. Um¡­¡±


    ¡°I-It¡¯s Sophia,¡± I told him.


    ¡°Hang in there, Sophia,¡± Ahn Ki-Mo said.


    ¡°Y-Yes, sir¡­¡±


    <em>¡®How can he be so calm?¡¯</em>


    It was strange to me that they could talk andugh in a situation like this.


    <em>¡®Did this not affect them at all?¡¯</em>


    They were being chased by a bull-like boss monster just now, so I found it unrealistic to see thebat priest joking around and Kim Ye-Ri kicking his shin.


    ¡°We have to move, Captain Sophia.¡±


    ¡°<em>Ah</em>, I¡¯m sorry, Commander,¡± I said.


    I shook my head, realizing that I had been staring at the Daughter of the Blue Guild. Then, I started moving. I started having a headache as I walked, and it was intensifying as the seconds ticked by.


    ¡°You just need to be on standby after reaching your destination.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± I said.


    "<em>Rooooooooooooar!</em>"


    <em>Kabooooooooooooom!</em>


    The loud noise that sounded like it was far away was getting closer to us.


    <em>¡®It¡¯sing back.¡¯</em>


    The Gray Warrior was leading the monster to us.


    I heard magic spells being cast, screams,mands, and a variety of noises.


    I was sure it wasn¡¯t all that different from earlier. Just like the time just now when we had abandoned the wounded, the expedition members were probably fighting the monster right now.


    The priests would move to support the Gray Warrior, and the mages would be his shield in a ce where they couldn''t be seen. The spears and siege weapons would keep attempting to pierce the monster¡¯s outer shell.


    Each unit and party member in the Underground Temple were here to protect and support each other. Whether it was important or not, the missions assigned to each unit¡ªno, the process of carrying out that mission involved every single individual.


    <em>¡®This¡­ really isn¡¯t right.¡¯</em>


    I was sure our mission was still the same as earlier. Our mission was probably to buy time so that the Gray Warrior could create enough space.


    ¡°We''ve reached our destination,¡± said the fieldmander from the Sacred Democratic Country.


    <em>Kabooooooooom!</em>


    The monster of pure violence broke through the wall.


    We saw Bahamut again.


    The Gray Warrior immediately flew up, but the monster¡¯s attention was fixed on us.


    <em>¡®It remembers.¡¯</em>


    The one second not too long ago. The one second that incapacitated half of the troops.


    "<em>Woo¡­</em>"


    The monster remembered that moment, and it raised its hand.


    <em>¡®Do we run? No, it¡¯s toote.¡¯</em>


    We weren''t ordered to run away.


    ¡°Shields¡­ Put up your shields!¡±


    I gritted my teeth, and the monster¡¯s colossal hand made a beeline for our unit. I was sure we¡¯d get help. A mage, priest, or a named being with transcendental power would definitelye and help us.


    However, no one was looking at us.


    <em>¡®Did we fail?¡¯</em>


    No, we didn''t fail. Perhaps this was our final mission.


    <em>¡®How much time did we buy him?¡¯</em>


    The Federation mercenaries managed to buy time for the entire expedition.


    Our unit was not important at all, but we managed to grab the monster¡¯s attention.


    In the end, we dyed the boss from chasing after the Gray Warrior. Just like the time when there were casualties but we managed to dy the monster by a second, they were going to use the Federation mercenaries to dy the monster by a few seconds.


    It didn''t seem like much, but it was a big achievement for us.


    It was prettymon for an army to sacrifice its troops to gain the upper hand in the war.


    ¡°<em>Haa¡­</em>¡±


    And that was when the ground beneath us trembled violently.


    Before I could figure out what was going on, the ground copsed.


    The monster¡¯s colossal hand was still in the air while my troops and I felt weightless.


    ¡°What the! What the hell?!¡±


    I saw Bahamut roaring and chasing after the Gray Warrior again. A levitation spell was cast on the entire unit. The troops, who thought they were going to fall to their deaths,nded safely.


    ¡°There are ten seconds left before the start of the mission.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°The mission is starting in ten seconds, Captain Sophia!¡±


    The bull-like monster that had fallen from the bridge earlier was getting attacked by the expedition members. I also saw a face with a familiar mustache, and he was firing magic bullets through his finger.


    ¡°Colonel¡­ Smith?¡± I said.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Captain Sophia,¡± he greeted.


    <em>¡®This¡­ This isn¡¯t right.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Let¡¯s catch upter. We were actuallycking vanguards¡­ I never imagined you¡¯d end up here,¡± Colonel Smith said.


    ¡°Are you the one who destroyed the ceiling?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I was simply following orders,¡± Colonel Smith answered.


    ¡°...¡±


    <em>¡®This doesn¡¯t make any sense at all. T-t-this isn¡¯t right. No matter how much I think about it, this is abnormal.''</em>


    Goosebumps broke out all over me, and I couldn''t describe the bizarre feeling that engulfed me along with fear.


    I frowned because it felt like I was being controlled, but¡­


    ¡ª The mission starts now


    I unknowingly raised my shield.


    1. Captain Sophia¡¯s POV ?

 Chapter 1003: You Reap What You Sow (10)

    <em>"Mission sess."</em>


    <em>"It really is a sess."</em>


    <em>"The 42nd Unit¡¯s mission has been sessful. There are no casualties, so that¡¯s good. It went a lot smoother than we thought."</em>


    <em>"..."</em>


    <em>"The 7th Unit has alsopleted their mission."</em>


    <em>"¡­"</em>


    <em>"Rafael has entered basement level six. I think he¡¯s deviating from the route, so please adjust."</em>


    <em>"Okay, noona," </em>I[1] said.


    <em>"The same goes for you, Commander."</em><em>"I''ve already confirmed it."</em>


    <em>"I''ve confirmed it as well, noona."</em>


    <em>"Redeploy the unit."</em>


    <em>"Recalcting route..."</em>


    <em>"We need to treat the wounded in basement level four. I¡¯m reminding you in case you forgot."</em>


    <em>"Acknowledged."</em>


    <em>"The sess rate of the current mission is about ny-eight percent. I¡¯ll send you the errors, so please send me a fix, and I¡¯ll send it to the fieldmanders right away. You have two minutes."</em>


    <em>"I¡¯m busy, noona," </em>I replied.


    <em>"I¡¯ll do it," </em>Jin Cheong said.


    <em>¡®Yeah, you should do it. You¡¯re the reason behind all this.¡¯</em>


    <em>"It was a mistake letting that ipetent fool take care of this mission. I¡¯ll find out exactly what went wrong. It''d be great if we could implement it in the following missions," </em>Jin Cheong remarked.


    <em>"What? That was your mistake. Stop the nonsense," </em>I retorted.


    <em>"How absurd. How could you say it¡¯s not your fault when you¡¯re the one who¡¯s controlling the field? I told you several times that this mission was important. If you paid that mission as much time and attention as you did on your </em>precious <em>Blue Guild, we wouldn¡¯t have to experience failure," </em>Jin Cheong retorted.


    <em>"Why are you suddenly bringing up the Blue Guild? Everything has to be set up before I can do anything. What¡¯s the point of nting high-quality seeds and using good fertilizer when the ground itself is rotten? The mission itself was bad from the start, man. Your n was trash," </em>I replied.


    <em>"It¡¯s not even funny anymore. I¡¯ll exin it again one by one, but I wonder if you¡¯d understand it with that brain of yours," </em>Jin Cheong said.


    <em>"Here we go again. You two, stop fighting," </em>Lee Ji-Hye chimed in.


    <em>"We¡¯re not fighting."</em>


    <em>"We''re not fighting."</em>


    <em>"Ah! Stop fighting! Stop arguing! Is it really important to figure out whose fault it is? You two must have nothing to do. Are you so free that you can argue with each other right now?" </em>Lee Ji-Hye remarked.


    <em>"I have work I need to do, but I canpletely control the situation. Of course, our Commander Jin can''t do that, so I¡¯ll be the bigger man and admit defeat. You¡¯re at your limit, right? I¡¯m sure your puny brain is struggling to keep up. Is that you gritting your teeth?" </em>I asked.


    <em>"That''s so absurd that I don''t even want to answer that, but I¡¯ll say just one thing¡ª"</em>


    <em>"Ah, just stop already!"</em>


    <em>¡®Look at you, pretending to be calm.¡¯</em>


    I could see Jin Cheong doing some calctions while gnashing his teeth.


    His eyes had long be bloodshot. How dare he act so rxed when he was struggling to keep up?


    <em>¡®I''m winning this one.¡¯</em>


    He couldn¡¯t see my situation here, but I could see him.


    It was kind of childish, but this evil scum¡¯s situation was funny.


    Honestly, he didn¡¯t have any luxury to talk or rx.


    He was overdoing it, as he didn¡¯t want to lose face, but his efforts were gnawing away at his confidence. It seemed that he got himself just a little bit of free time, as he decided to argue with me to save his face.


    I wiped away the blood dripping down my nose and nodded quietly.


    <em>¡®He''s annoying, but he¡¯s ipetent.¡¯</em>


    I truly didn''t want to acknowledge it, but it was undeniable that he was actually doing this kind of work. He was like a chess piece that popped up when I needed it the most.


    It was encouraging to know that there was always someone I could use at the right time and at the right ce.


    We prepared the overall n together, but the chance that all of this would go ording to n was very slim. There''d always be variables regardless of our efforts, and mistakes could happen at any time.


    The crux of the matter was our reaction time. We had to react as fast as possible to variables that would certainly appear, and the key to this mission was how quickly and reliably we could put the derailed train back on track.


    <em>¡®This is where talentes in.¡¯</em>


    I had eyes, but Commander Jin was moving the troops using just his brains. In that sense, it was kind of surprising because the amount of data he could take in was limited, unlike me.


    Moreover, he couldn¡¯t look at the overall situation using a telescope. He could only assume the situation based on the fieldmanders¡¯ reports and the blue dots on the screen.


    <em>"Oppa, I¡¯ve confirmed that Rafael has changed his route. We''ve updated the missions of each unit. Commander, please acknowledge."</em>


    I saw the troops moving on the map. The troops, which were the blue dots, instantly changed directions while checking the missions assigned to them.


    "Understood."


    The blue dots spread out and grouped up repeatedly.


    The troops naturally mixed together and divided while they were moving. It was different from Tactical Kim Hyun-Sung, whom we used during the Republic War. There were always chess pieces avable to use on the battlefield, but inside this Underground Temple, I had to prepare the chess pieces myself.


    If I wanted to ensure that Rafael wouldn''t lose in his game of tag with Bahamut, I had to keep finding the best and shortest routes as fast as possible. The reason there was so much back and forth was that I had to guide the troops to the shortest routes as well.


    Variables would appear not just in battles but during the movement process as well. For example, Commander Jin''s job for our overall n was to y <em>Tetris</em> by joining the puzzle pieces and handing them over to me.


    I had yet to receive a useless puzzle piece from him. It was like he had been giving me the long pieces, but theponents I needed to make something useful out of it were always within my arm''s reach.


    Sometimes, he''d even send a blueprint to me, so it was hard to figure out the appropriate task for him. Actually, there wasn¡¯t a need to know that. I understood Ji-Hye noona, and Lee Ji-Hye understood Commander Jin.


    The n was changing nonstop, and it felt like a living organism as it moved in real time. I couldn¡¯t really exin it, but the system made it. Yes, the system made it. We didn''t make it ourselves.


    We were simply trying our best to use each other in the most efficient way, and the system somehow made a way for us to share data, ns, and tactics in the most efficient way. We also find out how to actually execute them.


    The more we got used to the system, the more stable it became. The system was doing its own debugging. It was catching errors and addressing them, as well as resolving variables. It also gave us new ideas that we could explore. In other words, this program was making it easy for us to navigate this battlefield.


    <em>¡®It¡¯s pretty convenient.¡¯</em>


    "<em>Roooooooooooar!</em>"


    Rafael was being obstructed by many things, but we had many cards up our sleeves. A variable had also appeared, but we''d soon have a way to deal with it. The hole that appeared from out of nowhere had filled itself up.


    The probability graph was moving on its own without my intervention. As the gears and cogs worked together, the parts were also moving in the vast Underground Temple.


    The dots on the map were moving and interacting with each other.


    They were all moving toplete their missions.


    Of course, their destination was the same.


    ¡°Missionplete. Checking the next mission.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re merging the units.¡±


    ¡°We''vepleted our mission! Leader!¡±


    ¡°Commander! What should we do next¡­¡±


    <em>Kabooooooom!</em>


    "There are injured members, and we''ll proceed with a rescue mission.¡±


    ¡°Move! Move!¡±


    ¡°The boss! We have encountered the boss!¡±


    "<em>Roooooooooooar! Wah¡­ Woooooooooo!</em>"


    The screen was changing. My hands and eyes moved nonstop so that I could give everyone their next mission. At the same time, I had to keep an eye on Rafael and focus on him so that I could grasp what he was doing.


    ¡ª We''ve received a report from the Friendship n. Their members have thoroughly exhausted their mana, so they have been incapacitated.


    <em>"The rearguards of Friendship or whatever are to move to the safe zone. They reached their limit faster than I thought."</em>


    As the battle went on, more and more people were dropping out of exhaustion. There were mages who had used up all of their mana, priests with no more holy power, archers with no more arrows, and vanguards who could no longer move from fatigue.


    I was anxious, but I wasn¡¯t worried at all.


    <em>¡®It¡¯s a good thing.¡¯</em>


    This was all because it meant that they managed to exhaust themselves without dying. There was a certain amount of resources a person could utilize. If they had used their resources in the most efficient way, I ought to be happy about it.


    Of course, it¡¯d be nice if they used everything they had until the end, as the vanguards of the Friendship n looked like they still had some stamina left.


    <em>"Colonel Smith?"</em>


    ¡ª This is¡­ Colonel Smith.


    <em>"Twenty-threebat personnel will be heading down there. We¡¯ll be using the same method we used with Captain Sophia. You¡¯ll receive your order in one minute, and the mission will begin in about five minutes, so be on stand-by."</em>


    ¡ª Understood, Father Lee Ki-Young. <em>Ugh</em>, my apologies. I¡¯m currently in battle¡­


    <em>"Once this is over, I want you to reconsider my offer of joining our Blue Guild."</em>


    ¡ª That¡¯s¡­


    <em>"This is the first time I asked someone to join us twice."</em>


    ¡ª ¡­


    <em>"Why do you think it''s my first time doing this? Was it because I didn¡¯t need to make another offer? Or was it because of my bad habit of destroying them if I can¡¯t have them?"</em>


    ¡ª ¡­


    <em>"I trust you know what I¡¯m trying to tell you."</em>


    ¡ª Yes, sir.


    The raid against Temr Extra was still ongoing, and it was about time I recycled the incapacitated units. I could see Colonial Smith, sporting a stylish mustache, firing magic bullets with a frown on his face.


    However, I was sure he wanted to join the Blue Guild as well.


    <em>"Report any variables immediately."</em>


    ¡ª ¡­


    <em>"You have two hours toplete your mission."</em>


    ¡ª I¡¯ll do¡­ my best¡­


    It was a good thing that the world had manypetent people.


    <em>BOOM!</em>


    The battlefield was changing. Colonel Smith and a few troops continued the difficult fight, but Temr Extra¡¯s side wasn¡¯t the main dish. The main dish or stage had yet to be made.


    <em>"A big chunk of the mages have exhausted their mana."</em>


    <em>"I don¡¯t think they manage to shatter even his outer shell."</em>


    <em>"I sent thebat-rted data, oppa. I''ve also analyzed his movement patterns. It may not be that helpful, though¡­"</em>


    We''d buy time, gather data, and weaken his outer shell. Then, we''d gather even more data once the monster had his turn. The sess rate of the mission that we were going to execute skyrocketed, and it was all thanks to the data that we had gathered.


    At this rate, the expedition team would achieve their goal faster than expected.


    <em>"Start the mission."</em>


    <em>"Missionplete. We havepleted our mission.</em>


    <em>"Missionplete. Not bad."</em>


    <em>"Mission details sent."</em>


    <em>"Acknowledged. No edits necessary."</em>


    The blue dots on the map moved to surround the monster, but it wasn¡¯t a perfect circle. They were so far from the monster that it was embarrassing to say that they had itpletely surrounded.


    Some of the units couldn¡¯t even see the monster due to the debris, while the others were on stand-by on a different floor.


    However, this wasn''t such a bad sight. It took the monster a ton of effort for him to reach the circle, so I was sure he wouldn¡¯t use his turn so easily.


    <em>¡®We¡¯re not the only ones exhausted.¡¯</em>


    Perhaps the monster was tired as well. I was talking about mentally, not physically. He was probably feeling useless emotions such as annoyance, anxiety, anger, and nervousness. The monster was moving instinctively.


    His movements were simple and easy to read, but he couldn¡¯tpletely abandon his human side. There was a high chance that was the case, as he was really obsessed with a single item.


    <em>¡®That¡¯s what¡¯s going to take your life.¡¯</em>


    The exhausted Rafael flew up.


    <em>"Start the mission."</em>


    Rafael let go of the shining feather.


    "<em>Roooooooar!!!</em>"


    Spells were fired from all directions, but one thing that was different from before was that they weren¡¯t aimed at the monster. They were aimed at the small feather that was falling helplessly from the sky.


    ¡°<em>Hahahahahahaha!</em>¡± Iughed.


    ¡ª How cruel.


    ¡°<em>Hahahahahahahahahaha!</em>¡± I couldn''t stopughing.


    ¡ª ¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s easy to bring down anyone with a ring weakness,¡± I said.


    The monster blocked every single spell using his enormous figure, and he did that to protect the tiny, shining feather. The monster desperately wanted to protect the angel''s feather, and we could use that to push the monster into a corner.


    1. Lee Ki-Young¡¯s POV ?

 Chapter 1004: You Reap What You Sow (11)

    Bahamut, who was also known as Nauseating Bahamut, was a Mythic-rank monster at the very least. I had data on his movement patterns, attack patterns, physical abilities, physical features, special skills, and unique abilities.


    However, no one could say for sure whether the data that I had collected was urate. It could be said that the Bahamut who had been chasing after Rafael was not at his peak power. The fact that he was extremely careful not to damage the feather told me that he had skills that he dared not use during his chase against Rafael.


    <em>¡®He definitely has a ranged skill.¡¯</em>


    Perhaps it was something simr to a dragon''s breath, or perhaps he could fire a beam from his finger. He could also throw a rock at Rafael with great uracy. Regardless of what it was, Bahamut definitely had a ranged attack.


    In fact, a monster of Bahamut''s caliber definitely had a ranged attack. It was unheard of for a monster as powerful as Bahamut tock any ranged attacks, and I had personally never heard of a monster like that.


    <em>''I''m sure pre-corruption Bahamut can cast spells.¡¯</em>


    He could definitely cast spells back then, but this issue was a no-brainer. I was sure he wouldn''t stand by and watch the feather disappear with Rafael.


    The nauseating demon''s movements were being restricted by the feather, and it was also an amazing debuff. The majority of Bahamut''s attacks were sealed¡ªtechnically, he could use them, but he was scared of damaging the feather, so he opted not to use them.


    All he could do was move around; he couldn''t even cast his spell as if he was under a Silence spell. The feather was falling to the ground, and the enemies were sandwiching him, so what could Bahamut do in this situation? There was only one thing he could do¡ªcurl up on the ground.


    <em>¡®No wonder it looked so holy.¡¯</em>


    Who would have thought that a mere glowing feather would achieve that kind of effect?


    The Angel of Sacrifice had to have foreseen that something like this would happen, so they left that feather behind. The feather had not only immobilized the vicious demon, but it had also revealed the demon''s ring weakness.


    The monster used its colossal frame to withstand the expedition group''s attacks, and it was full of openings. I was sure this sight was inspiring hope among the allies.


    The holy light and the tiny miracle of the small feather raised the morale of the allies.


    <em>¡®Can we really defeat that monster?¡¯</em>


    Could a mere human truly go up against such a monstrous demon?


    They were not expressing it in words, but I was sure everyone was worried.


    Despite the fact that the continent and mankind had ovee crisis after crisis, they still felt hopeless in the face of an unimaginably powerful enemy. They couldn¡¯t help but instinctively feel fear in the face of a terrifying, immortal monster. ??????§§?


    The Angel of Sacrifice¡¯s feather had united those afraid, worried, and anxious.


    It became a symbol and their source of strength.


    It reminded us that we were strong.


    ¡°Chaaaaaaaaarge!¡±


    ¡°Fire! Fire!!! Use everything!¡±


    From the ordinary adventurers¡­


    ¡°We have our mission!¡±


    ¡°His outer shell is really strong¡­ so concentrate your attacks on one ce.¡±


    <em>¡°Start the mission.¡±</em>


    To the heroes with their own goals¡­


    <em>"For the Priest of Prophecy!"</em>


    <em>"For the Priest of Prophecy!</em>


    <em>"The time hase! The moment we¡¯ve been waiting for is finally here."</em>


    <em>"We¡¯ll bring back the light! We¡¯ll bring our light back! It¡¯s the reward we¡¯ve been waiting for an eternity!"</em>


    From the holy spirits who had been waiting an eternity for the darkness to disappear to the troops who had gathered with their own goals but had the dignity, the honor, and the will to protect the continent¡­ they had all been waiting for this moment.


    <em>¡®I wouldn¡¯t call this a counterattack.¡¯</em>


    It was more like we were piecing together the puzzle pieces.


    <em>¡®Basically, we just need to exacerbate his wounds.¡¯</em>


    We had to attack the parts of his body that were oozing with a pitch-ck fluid.


    Those wounds weren¡¯t inflicted by us. He had harmed himself and had inflicted those injuries on himself over time. The key to this raid was cutting off his hands and feet, immobilizing him. The most effective way to do that was to attack his joints and major muscles.


    <em>¡®Finishing blows won¡¯t be effective on him, anyway.¡¯</em>


    "<em>Roooooooooar!</em>"


    <em>Kaboooooooooooom!</em>


    There was no need for us to make any adjustments, as he was making it easy for us to target him.


    A massive column of light fell, and the giant spear that the spirits had manifested pierced the monster''s back. He could have easily dodged it by moving away, but he couldn¡¯t do it.


    He wasn¡¯t sure whether he could protect the feather by blocking all attacks from all directions, and it was all due to the fact that this was not his first rodeo.


    He knew just how persistent and annoying humans could be.


    <em>¡®What are you going do?¡¯</em>


    ¡°Fire! Fire!¡±


    <em>¡®Are you going to run?¡¯</em>


    He had no idea what to do.


    <em>¡®Or will you fly up?¡¯</em>


    He had four eyes. Two were on the feather, and he used the other two to look around.


    <em>¡®How about breaking through the encirclement? There are ces you could easily break through. Yeah, over there. You should be able to get out of here if you move that way.¡¯</em>


    "<em>Wuaaah¡­</em>"


    <em>Kaboooooooom!!!</em>


    <em>Boom!</em>


    <em>Rumble. Kaboooooooooom!</em>


    "<em>Roaaaaaaaaaaar!</em>"


    <em>¡®You don¡¯t think that will work? It looks like a trap, right?¡¯</em>


    I was sure it looked like a trap because it was indeed a trap.


    It wasn¡¯t dangerous to him, but it was dangerous for the feather that he was desperately protecting. He had to move carefully¡ªhe had to move one step at a time. He wasn¡¯t courageous enough to take risks while protecting his most valuable treasure. He was trying to avoid even the tiniest risk. The only thing he could do was move his tail, but¡­


    <em>¡®We''ve figured out the attack range of his tail.¡¯</em>


    The members near his tail stepped back while the others stepped forward. He had made a mistake with his turn, so his treasure was in danger.


    And that was when I saw him inhaling the mana particles in the air.


    <em>¡®Is he going to use Breath?¡¯</em>


    He couldn¡¯t do that. It was funny to see a beast like him attempting a bluff, but we had the advantage here.


    The vanguards had been deployed as well, so...


    <em>¡®Lift your head, and it¡¯s over.¡¯</em>


    He definitely thought of humans as mere ants, but so what? What was he going to do if one of them jumped at him to snatch away or destroy his feather? I was sure Rafael was pretty annoying in his eyes as well.


    He hadn''t been able to catch Rafael because thetter had wings.


    "<em>Wuuuh¡­ Uhhh¡­</em>"


    He couldn¡¯t fire it.


    <em>Kabooooooom!</em>


    ¡°Cast your spell!s¡±


    <em>Kaboooooooooooom!</em>


    <em>"Hey, you."</em>


    ¡ª Rank One Field Commander, Codename Genius, reporting.


    <em>"Please set up camp at the designated coordinates."</em>


    ¡ª Excuse me?


    <em>"Set up camp at the designated coordinates and tell the mages and ranged sses to take a break. I¡¯ll divide the mages into seven groups and manage them myself. Except for three groups, tell everyone else to take a break."</em>


    ¡ª Yes¡­ sir.


    <em>"..."</em>


    ¡ª D-Do you¡­ really want me to do that?


    <em>"You just need to follow my orders."</em>


    I felt like I knew what Genius was worried about.


    It truly didn''t make sense to pull out the members and tell them to rest when they had painstakingly surrounded the monster.


    Moreover, the enemy''s power was beyond their imagination.


    If Bahamut wanted to do so, he could easily break the encirclement.


    However, Genius had reason to be scared.


    <em>¡®He¡¯s nothing but a beast.¡¯</em>


    The rearguards cautiously took a few steps backward with doubtful faces.


    <em>¡®Maybe I should drink some coffee.¡¯</em>


    Obviously, the encirclement weakened instantly. The number of magic spells and arrows had decreased significantly as well. They were attacking from time to time, but there was a clear difference when it came to the firepower.


    Despite that, the monster remained unmoving.


    The monster was still curled up. He was examining the battlefield while catching his breath, but in the end, he chose to do nothing.


    <em>"He''s scared," </em>Jin Cheong remarked.


    <em>"Is that what he looks like to you, Commander?"</em> I asked.


    It was true that the monster was scared.


    He was scared because he had no way of checking what we were about to do, why we had pulled out some of our troops, and why the attacks had decreased in number and intensity.


    No, even if he had a way to know what we were trying to do here, he would still hesitate.


    After all, he had already lost the feather earlier.


    <em>"¡­"</em>


    <em>"Looks like you¡¯ve been overdoing it. Do you want to take a break?" </em>I asked.


    <em>"Don¡¯t make meugh. It¡¯s you who should be taking a break," </em>Jin Cheong replied.


    <em>"Ah, thanks. Then I¡¯ll go enjoy a cup of coffee. I¡¯ll leave this ce to you, then," </em>I replied.


    <em>"It looks like it¡¯s going to take a while, so I¡¯ll take a break as well, Commander Jin. Oppa, should we make them change shifts every four hours?" </em>Lee Ji-Hye asked.


    <em>"That should be fine," </em>I replied.


    <em>"In case you''re not aware, let me remind you that this is going to be a long, drawn-out battle. That monster''s recovery rate is astounding as well," Jin Cheong remarked.</em>


    <em>"I think it¡¯s best to keep attacking to ensure that it wouldn''t fully recover. Ha-Yan will recover soon, so until then¡­ I think it¡¯s best if we use siege weapons," </em>I suggested.


    The beast obsessed with the Angel of Sacrifice¡¯s feather probably thought that everything was a trap. The beast probably believed that he was in a field of mines. He was afraid of taking even just a single step, as there was a possibility that the ground beneath him could explode.


    Of course, we were just bluffing here, but the monster couldn¡¯t make his move so easily.


    ¡°Hee-Ra noona, do you want a cup of coffee?¡± I offered.


    ¡°Are you feeling better, darling?¡± Cha Hee-Ra asked.


    ¡°Thanks to you,¡± I replied.


    After acting cute, I took a sip of my coffee and kept an eye on the monster.


    I told Commander Jin that I was going to take a break, but I couldn¡¯t trust Commander Jin to run this entire thing by himself.


    A ballista with massive chains attached to it pierced the monster¡¯s body.


    "<em>Roooooar!</em>"


    The magic engineers immediately began working on the chains.


    I was sure that mere chains weren''t enough to hold the beast down, but it would limit its movements. The monster had just been skewered and tied down by chains, but it showed no reaction whatsoever.


    And that was when I heard rumbling noises..<em>.</em>


    <em>¡®Huh?¡¯</em>


    There was a loud crack, and the ground beneath the curled-up monster cracked open into a spider web-like pattern.


    <em>¡®That can¡¯t be.¡¯</em>


    There was no way he would take that risk.


    There was no chance of him escaping underground, and there was no way that the ground beneath him could shatter through his power alone.


    <em>¡®I''ve calcted it.¡¯</em>


    I had already calcted how much force and weight the ground beneath Bahamut could withstand, and I was extremely thorough with his n, so there was no way I was mistaken.


    <em>"Stop attacking! Stop attacking!"</em>


    I heard Commander Jin¡¯s urgent voice, but arrows were already in mid-air.


    Bahamut wasn¡¯t doing anything, but the ground beneath him cracked open, and he fell down. I was busy looking for the feather, and I was sure the monster was doing the same.


    And then, among the falling debris, <em>we </em>saw the feather¡­


    "...!!!" The monster let out an indescribable cry. It caught me off-guard, but I quickly came up with my next course of action, as I had contingency ns in case the situation went awry.


    The monster walked away slowly, and he was no longer under my control. Before realizing it, he started running until he was panting, and the tears he had been holding back were flowing down his cheeks.


    Why was he crying?


    ¡°Baha¡­ mut¡­! Bahamut!¡±


    Was he crying because of his injured friend? Was he crying because even though he was a hero, he ended up getting corrupted and had been spending time as long as eternity inside that deformed body? Or was he crying because he was an idiot who hadn''t done anything other than stare at the Angel of Sacrifice''s feather?


    ¡°Bahamut! Bahamut!¡±


    I was reminded of that brief interaction in the Underground Temple, and it had been such a long time that it had be a faint memory lingering in the minds of the Angel of Sacrifice and the hero of the distant past.


    Who would have thought that those two would reunite after so many years?


    It was a long-awaited reunion¡ªa beautiful summer reunion.


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 1005: You Reap What You Sow (12)

    <em>''Ah. That was a midsummer night¡¯s dream...''</em>


    It was a short but intense story.


    It was an impactful and beautiful tale of the bond between the Angel of Sacrifice and the twisted hero.


    I was sure some would never forget this story.


    The story was about the memories they shared together.


    It was a short time for the Angel of Sacrifice, who had been asleep for tens of thousands of years, but it had to have been an eternity of waiting for the corrupted hero.


    The hero tried to hide his wounds, but the Angel of Sacrifice showed all of his wounds.


    They were on opposite sides when they first met.


    Although they thought that they would never understand each other¡­ like all stories, they ended up forming a bond, and they eventually understood each other¡¯s pain.¡°Bahamut¡­¡±


    <em>¡®There''s a reason behind his obsession with that feather.¡¯</em>


    The length of their bond did not define its depth.


    It was just like a midsummer night¡¯s dream.


    The memories were so faint that it seemed like one would forget them by blinking one''s eyes. It was a really short time, but it was an unforgettable time.


    They enjoyed talking to each other, and they walked while listening to the cicadas crying underground. They had deep conversations and shared drinks under the night sky, enjoying each other¡¯spany.


    <em>¡®Do you remember?¡¯</em>


    The grueling sword training, their first meeting at the social gathering, and the precious memory they secretly made on the terrace.


    <em>¡®Also¡­¡¯</em>


    Their final moments together resulted in a lot of regret.


    There were so many things I wanted to tell him.


    I wanted to tell him that it wasn¡¯t his fault and that it was a simple ident.


    I wanted to tell him it was all over and that¡­ he could finally rest.


    There were regrets when we parted, so our short meeting was meaningful and impactful.


    If I had no regrets, we wouldn¡¯t have been in this situation.


    <em>¡®I thought I was the only one who remembered it.¡¯</em>


    That was the setting¡­


    He also didn¡¯t think that I''d remember our short moment together.


    Who could have thought that he''d rely on a small feather, hurt himself, and transform into a beast?


    I felt so guilty at the fact that I hadn''t realized it until now¡­ this beast was Bahamut. I had just realized that fact, and the immense guilt was weighing down on my shoulders.


    He looked like a hideous monster, but I could see Bahamut sleeping quietly inside the monster. He looked like there were many things he wanted to tell me. He looked like he wanted to apologize to me.


    There was only one person who could reach their hand out to him when no one else wanted to do so. It would be the Angel of Sacrifice, who had been asleep for tens and thousands of years.


    I had to tell him before it was toote.


    I need to tell him with this sincere voice of mine¡­


    Before I could tell him, I had to talk to someone else first.


    <em>¡®You bastard. You¡¯re such a troll.¡¯</em>


    While I was trying my best to catch my breath, I hopped onto our channel and said, <em>"You really did it."</em>


    <em>"Damn it¡­" </em>Jin Cheong muttered.


    <em>"Hey, Commander Jin. I didn¡¯t think you would cause trouble in such a short amount of time."</em>


    <em>"It¡¯s not my fault."</em>


    <em>"If the person responsible says that it¡¯s not his fault, will that make everything okay? You should¡¯ve approached this with the mindset of taking responsibility for it.</em>


    <em>"And the only thing that you can say is that this isn¡¯t your fault? Must be really easy for you to say that. No matter what happened and the reason behind it, the person in charge should take responsibility for any errors or mistakes in the mission."</em>


    <em>"That¡¯s not what I meant. You know that as well. There were no variables in the mission. We checked¡­ hundreds of times¡­ about how much force and weight the ground could handle¡­"</em>


    <em>"Then that means you created the variable, damn it. If there were no variables in the mission, then where did that variablee from? What do you think is the answer? The answer is it came from the person in charge! Am I wrong? Am I?" </em>I asked.


    <em>"You¡¯re not wrong, oppa," </em>Lee Ji-Hye chimed in.


    <em>"¡­"</em>


    <em>"See? Even Ji-Hye noona agrees with me."</em>


    <em>"Actually, it might not be Commander Jin¡¯s fault, either."</em>


    <em>"Wait, Ji-Hye noona. Protect him right now¡ª" </em>


    <em>"You''re involved in this mission, too, so don''t say that," Lee Ji-Hye interrupted me.</em>


    <em>"She¡¯s right."</em>


    <em>"Our Commander Jin is experienced andpetent. He''s also old enough to do things on his own. Even if an unthinkable variable hase up, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea for you to say that this is not your fault when you''re the person in charge of this.</em>


    <em>"I understand where you''reing from, but this is not like you, Commander Jin," I remarked.</em>


    <em>"Damn it¡­"</em>


    <em>"This is why I can¡¯t look away even for a second. This happened because we let you take charge for a moment. Commander Jin, is the raid a joke to you? Is clearing a dungeon a game to you?</em>


    <em>"If you want to y games, then go to the casino and y your board games. Or go to that ck market and start a duel with the people there¡­ Why are you trying to y games here and mess things up for us?"</em>


    <em>"¡­"</em>


    <em>"I knew this was going to happen. I just </em>knew<em> this was going to happen. Get ahold of yourself, Commander. Do you really think that staying quiet will make this go away? </em>


    <em>"It doesn''t matter whether you make an excuse or apologize; you have to take responsibility for your mistakes.</em>


    <em>"If you weren¡¯t confident to take on the task by yourself, you should¡¯ve asked for help or told us that you were tired. You let your pride take over and look at what happened. My god."</em>


    "¡­"


    <em>"You¡ª" </em>I started.


    <em>"I apologize. It¡¯s¡­ my fault," </em>Jin Cheong said.


    "¡­"


    <em>"I¡¯ll make sure to take responsibility and¡­ make up for what I caused earlier."</em>


    <em>"This is why you should have been more mindful. Anyway, make sure Kim Hyun-Sung won''t get here. Make him wander around; make him think like he¡¯s carrying out an important mission," </em>I said.


    <em>Click.</em>


    <em>"Oppa, Commander Jin must be mad. He just hung up."</em>


    <em>''No, I don¡¯t think he''s mad. I¡¯m looking at him right now, and wait¡­ he just threw his chair away."</em>


    <em>"Noona, I want you to take care of reorganizing the troops."</em>


    <em>"Got it. I was going to rest a bit, but it looks like I won¡¯t be able to. If it gets too dangerous, you should back out as well."</em>


    <em>"I have Hee-Ra noona, so it¡¯ll be fine."</em>


    <em>"That does make me feel relieved."</em>


    Hee-Ra noona looked surprised, but she just went with the flow.


    Actually, she seemed happy about being able to confront Bahamut in person.


    She wouldn''t be able to go in and fight him, as I¡¯d be there with her, but she¡¯d be happy knowing that there was a possibility that she could fight such a terrifying, towering monster.


    ¡°Darling, should I carry you?¡± Cha Hee-Ra offered.


    I shook my head. I had to run to make it more meaningful.


    It was just a simple jog, but there were a ton of emotions mixed into it.


    I was reminiscing about those distant days while jogging toward him.


    The summer emotions that had taken my breath away; the time when I could cry without any reservations. I shed tears as I recalled the memories I had been cherishing in my heart for tens and thousands of years.


    "<em>Rooooooooooooooooooar!</em>"


    Bahamut roared, and he''d soon go berserk because he had lost his precious feather. My voice couldn''t reach him. I was too far from him. It was unrealistic of me to think that he''d hear me, but I called out his name again.


    ¡°Baha¡­ <em>Bahamut!!!</em>¡±


    He couldn¡¯t hear me, but I did not stop yelling out his name.


    <em>''Your name is¡­''</em>


    ¡°Bahamut!¡±


    <em>¡®Shit. Can you really not hear me?¡¯</em>


    Was he going berserk?


    Bahamut''s eyes turned red, andrge horns shot out from his injured back.


    He roared, and everything around him exploded.


    His mouth unleashed a dirty and nauseating¡ªno, a trickle of saliva that seemed to represent his wounded soul.


    Anyone could tell that he was not in his right mind. He was angry that his treasure had disappeared, and everyone could see how he was going to vent his anger.


    He turned his and¡ª


    ¡°Bahamut!¡± I shouted, even though he probably couldn¡¯t hear me.


    "<em>Wuah¡­</em>"


    The wounded monster stopped looking around.


    ¡°Bahamut!¡± I shouted again.


    The beast that looked like it was going to destroy everything looked around quietly. Had he remembered the memories we shared? Had the Angel of Sacrifice''s voice reached the man who had been sucked into the pitch-ck void?


    Wings burst out of my back, and my golden eye looked up at the wounded beast.


    ¡°It¡¯s dangerous, Father!¡±


    ¡°Damn it¡­ Stand-by! Don¡¯t get close to him. It¡¯s an order!¡± I instructed.


    <em>¡®You remember me, right?¡¯</em>


    I still looked the same as I did tens of thousands of years ago. The Angel of Sacrifice hadn''t lost his light as well, and I looked the same as what I probably looked like in our memories on that summer day.


    I took a deep breath. I thought I no longer had any tears to shed, but tears rolled down my face.


    I was being too emotional, and I couldn¡¯t calm down at all.


    <em>"Woo¡­ Uhh¡­</em>"


    The monster looked down at my shining wings. He flinched for a moment, but¡­


    ¡°Bahamut. <em>Heuk¡­ </em>Bahamut¡­¡±


    He could still remember my voice.


    <em>¡®Please remember our memories.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Come back,¡± I said.


    <em>¡®Pleasee back.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Don¡¯t lose to the demon¡¯s seed,¡± I added.


    <em>¡®You¡¯re not the type to lose. You¡¯re the type to ovee everything.¡¯</em>


    "<em>Rooooooooooooar!</em>"


    ¡°<em>Heuk¡­</em> Pleasee back! Bahamut!¡± I shouted.


    He looked hideous, but he was in pain.


    There was a nauseating stenching from him, but it wasn¡¯t dirty at all.


    The monster before me resisted and fought back against the demon¡¯s power, reminding me of that hero on a summer day.


    Who would point their finger at a man like him?


    Who would look at him and say that he was dirty?


    "<em>Wuah¡­</em>"


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ for making you wait for so long, Bahamut,¡± I said.


    "<em>Rooooooooooooooar!</em>"


    He stretched his hand out toward me.


    I wasn¡¯t sure whether he was trying to squash the bug that was giving him a headache or he was weing the Angel of Sacrifice, but I closed my eyes.


    <em>''All right. If that¡¯s my destiny, I¡¯ll ept it. If my death can free him from his pain, I¡¯ll ept that suffering.''</em>


    <em>¡®Shit. He¡¯s not actually going to kill me, right?¡¯</em>


    <em>Craaaaaaack!</em>


    <em>¡®Kim Hyun-Sung?¡¯</em>


    It wasn''t him.


    I gulped out of nervousness at the thought that Kim Hyun-Sung was here, but¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for beingte, Father.¡±


    I saw a giant wolf standing on its two feet, and it was stretching its remaining paws toward Bahamut.


    ¡°Temr¡­ Gen? No¡ª¡±


    <em>¡®Did you¡­ turn¡­ to the dark side as well?¡¯</em>


    ¡°Temr Genny?¡± I said.


    <em>Kabooooooooom!</em>


    <em>''How did you be so strong?''</em>


    <em>Craaaaaaack!</em>


    <em>''What happened to you?''</em>


    ¡°I can still remember everything, Father,¡± he said.


    I had no idea what was going on, but¡­


    ¡°Temr Genny! Watch out!¡±


    I decided to cheer him on for now, as it was the only way to stop the Nauseating Bahamut.


    ¡°We need to purify that demon!¡± I shouted.

 Chapter 1006: You Reap What You Sow (13) (Illustration)

    <em>¡®Oh yeah, I forgot you were here. Our reliable and loyal Temr Gen.¡¯</em>


    I had forgotten him until now.


    <em>¡®Tens and thousands of years ago and even at this moment¡­¡¯</em>


    When I was the Priest of Prophecy and the Honorary Cardinal of the Sacred Democratic Country, he was the knight of friendship who always tried to protect me.


    He was a true friend who followed me and abandoned everything he had.


    Just like a priest showing blind faith in their god, he believed in me blindly.


    He lived for the honorary cardinal and the Priest of Prophecy. He turned his back on everything for me.


    Obviously, I didn¡¯t like the pig porridge and the moldy room, and I wouldn''t be able to say anything if he were to cut ties with me. After all, I scolded and yelled at him many times.


    Despite that, he helped me in his own way, so there was no way I would be able to forget about him. Our time and memories as friends were already engraved in my soul.<em>¡®I wasn¡¯t the only one who hadn¡¯t forgotten it.¡¯</em>


    I was sure he could still remember me. He was also forging his own path while waiting for me with Father Draktaris. I was sure he had realized that it was the wrong path, though, as he had obviously made a contract with the demon.


    When the dirty and nauseating Bahamut epted the demon¡¯s seed for his sinister n, it was highly likely that Temr Genny was there as well.


    Just like how Temr Simon had transformed into a spider and Temr Extra transformed into a bull, I was sure he had also offered his body to a demon.


    Of course, Temr Gen looked different from the others.


    He looked markedly different from the three.


    There was light inside him, and that light existed to protect the Angel of Sacrifice.


    Despite knowing that the demon would gnaw away at him, Temr Genny still epted that power and there was only one reason behind that decision.


    He wanted to have the power to fight Temr Bahamut¡ªthe true evil.


    His back looked pitiful in my eyes, and I knew that I was not imagining things.


    ¡°I''m sorry, Father. I mean¡­ Priest of Prophecy,¡± Genny said.


    ¡°Temr Genny¡­¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry¡­ for greeting you in this form,¡± Genny added.


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault, Temr Genny. That¡­ Your appearance¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry¡­ for forgetting about you until now,¡± Genny interrupted me.


    <em>¡®Ah, is that what happened? That¡¯s actually better for me.¡¯</em>


    ¡°But you remember me¡­ now, Temr¡ª¡± I pointed out.


    ¡°I couldn''t recognize you, even though you were just next to me. I¡­ apologize for that,¡± Genny interrupted me again.


    ¡°Gen¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry¡­ for not listening to your voice¡­ when you were asking for help,¡± Genny added.


    <em>¡®So that¡¯s how the story goes.¡¯</em>


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Temr Gen. You don¡¯t have to¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry,¡± Temr Gen interrupted me once more.


    I was sure he wanted to apologize, as I was always around him, but he hadn''t noticed my cry for help.


    Surprisingly, this was not part of my n.


    <em>¡®It makes it seem like I nned this out.¡¯</em>


    He reached that conclusion himself. He thought that I simply decided not to talk about what happened in my past life because I didn¡¯t want to hurt him.


    He was telling himself that I was trying to protect him.


    I was sure he was really embarrassed, and I couldn¡¯t imagine just how frustrated he was feeling.


    Tens and thousands of years ago, he was weak, so I decided to keep the painful secret to myself in order to protect him. Even now, however, he was still too ipetent to do anything and could only watch from the sidelines until now.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ about everything,¡± Temr Genny repeated.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to apologize, Temr Genny. You¡¯re here now, aren¡¯t you?¡± I told him.


    It was his turn to protect the Angel of Sacrifice, the Priest of Prophecy, the Honorary Cardinal of the Sacred Democratic Country, and the God of Sacrifice and Revival.


    <em>¡®Now it¡¯s your turn to protect me, isn''t it?¡¯</em>


    ¡°It¡¯s my turn¡­ to protect everything I have,¡± Gen mumbled with a sorrowful expression.


    <em>¡®This boy is pretty strong. He has also reached a whole new level.¡¯</em>


    His form and mana showed me that his evolution stemmed from darkness.


    He had a clean and neat form, unlike Temr Spider, Temr Extra, and Bahamut''s grotesque appearances. However, he didn''t look pretty.


    He looked kind of cool because he was a wolf, but his appearance made it obvious that he was a beastly wolf. Instead of radiant holy power, he was wielding a nauseating mana, and his blood was ck instead of red.


    The only difference I found was that¡­


    <em>¡®He hasn¡¯t lost his mind.¡¯</em>


    He could think properly.


    It was something that even Doom Doom Hyun-Sung couldn''t achieve.


    Doom Doom Hyun-Sung''s face was hideous, and he''d lose his mind, but when he was sober in his Doom Hyun-Sung form. Temr Genny was like that. He did not look like he had lost his mind, even though he was in his demon form.


    <em>¡®Maybe that¡¯s why he was a bit stronger.¡¯</em>


    I had no idea what exactly had happened or what he had gone through when he turned into a demon, but I had to give him credit for being able to control that power rationally.


    He was basically wielding a weapon that could not be controlled.


    Temr Gen''s faith in the God of Sacrifice and Revival and his faith in that light was what created this situation. There was probably some mental growth as well, and he had to have awakened while recovering his memories as Temr Genny, which led to the current situation.


    <em>¡®Our Genny is reliable.¡¯</em>


    Obviously, I had to sympathize with his desperation and growth.


    ¡°Temr Gen,¡± I said.


    I sympathize with the fact that he had no choice but to ept the darkness despite living with the light.


    ¡°<em>Heuk¡­ heuuuk¡­</em>¡± I cried.


    I was proud of him for growing stronger while oveing tremendous mental pain and betrayal.


    ¡°Gen, it¡¯s dangerous!¡± I shouted.


    I was crying because he was brave enough to show his hideous side to me.


    ¡°I-I¡¯ll provide support!¡± I offered.


    The battlefield returned to its state earlier.


    Commander Jin seemed a bit startled by the fact that a monster capable of grabbing Bahamut¡¯s attention had appeared, but he wasn¡¯t ipetent enough to just stand by and watch.


    There were many ways to support Temr Gen against Temr Bahamut.


    The monster in the shape of a wolf cast spells, swiped its ws, and moved fast around Temr Bahamut to grab thetter''s attention. The way he used his ws made me think like he was them as if they were a sword.


    <em>¡®The biggest issue is that I can¡¯t support him with holy power.¡¯</em>


    "<em>Roooooooooooooooar!</em>"


    Bahamut was also confused by the appearance of an unexpected enemy.


    When the two monsters shed, a powerful shockwave erupted. The wolf instantly realized that he could not beat Bahamut in a contest of strength, so he stepped back.


    However, the nauseating fool seemed to be quick-witted, which proved to me that he had yet to lose his mindpletely.


    And that was when a cloud of mist engulfed the battlefield...


    <em>¡®Mist Summoner Cheon Kwan-Wi.¡¯</em>


    Now that I thought about it, where had he been?


    ¡°Hee-Ra noona,¡± I said.


    <em>¡®Ah, she already left.¡¯</em>


    There were two soldiers next to the Red Mercenary, so she had to have decided to leave this up to me. It had been quite a while since I saw her Goddess of War transformation, and it was as amazing as the first time I saw it.


    <em>BOOM!</em>


    Nauseating Bahamut and the Red Goddess of War punched each other. Bahamut flew into a wall with a thunderous boom. A massive clump of mana struck Bahamut''s head, and a deafening explosion reverberated.


    <em>¡®It¡¯s Ha-Yan.¡¯</em>


    The giant wolf bit Bahamut¡¯s neck, but Bahamut swung his hand, sending the wolf flying into a wall.


    Another thunderous explosion echoed, and it was so loud I felt like my eardrums were going to burst. Draktaris and his spirits unleashed a wave of holy light, and Bahamut roared in response.


    His roar was strong enough to resist the wave of holy power.


    The area ahead of us was slowly but surely transforming into ruins amidst this extraordinary battle.


    ¡°C-C-Can we really that this is¡­ our battle?¡± one of the spectators mumbled.


    It was like watching humans fight from an ant¡¯s point of view.


    Whenever Bahamut swung his arm, the terrain would change. The same thing happened every time the mages cast their spells and whenever the wolf made his move. A battle between top-tier adventurers seemed like child¡¯s ypared to this, and I felt like no one had any business staying here except for transcendents.


    To ensure minimal damage, the expedition members retreated frantically. They had no choice but to retreat, as they were useless here.


    ¡°<em>Dieeeeeeeeeeee! Die!!! Die!!!</em> You disgusting monster! D-D-Die!¡± Jung Ha-Yan screamed. Her mana seemed bottomless, and it was all thanks to her Heart of Magic. A myriad of spears made out of mana pelted down on Bahamut.


    Bahamut took out the spears sticking out of him before charging at the Red Goddess of War.


    ¡°<em>Hahahahaha!</em>¡±


    <em>"Roaaaaaaaar! Roooooooooooar!</em>"


    Bahamut opened his mouth, and a pitch-ck mana converged before his mouth.


    ¡°Hee-Ra noona! Breath! Breath!¡± I shouted.


    Temr Gen kicked Bahamut''s head, forcing him to look away.


    <em>Swoosh!</em>


    <em>BOOM!</em>


    The pitch-ck Breath missed the Red Goddess of War, but the floor beneath them copsed upon getting hit by the pitch-ck Breath. The transcendents fell down, and I instantly felt weightless.


    Someone had cast flight magic and protection-type spells on me, and I was sure these spells were from Ha-Yan.


    The problem was that there was another raid beneath us.


    The order to retreat was given immediately, allowing Colonel Smith and the others to hide, but it wasn¡¯t the case for the bull. Temr Bahamut grabbed the monster and tore it apart before drinking its pitch-ck blood.


    ¡°You disgusting bastard,¡± I mumbled.


    Bahamut was still pursuing that disgusting power even if it meant drinking the blood of his subordinate. Arge horn burst out of him, and two giant arms shot out from his back.


    ¡°Bahamut¡­ will¡­¡±


    The bull''s head muttered as it rolled on the ground.


    "<em>Rooooooooooooooar!!!</em>"


    Bahamut swung his fist, and the Red Goddess of War was sted away.


    The mana he had unleashed created holes in the wolf¡¯s body, while Jung Ha-Yan unleashed her spells on Bahamut, but it was too weak to prate thetter''s tough outer shell.


    The monster roared, and the Underground Temple copsed.


    It wasn''t a strange sight, as this was a battlefield of transcendent beings.


    Despite that, I was taken aback by Bahamut''s strength.


    ¡°Bahamut! Bahamut! <em>Heuk</em>! Please¡­ Please break free from the demon. You have to ovee it!¡± I shouted. I had to attack him mentally. ¡°Ovee it! Don¡¯t lose! You have to find your true self!¡±


    Jung Ha-Yan knocked on the circr barrier that she cast on me.


    I probably looked like I was trapped inside it.


    Before anything could happen, I saw a distant sunset.


    *An illustration of Lee Ki-Yeon is included on the next page.


    wooden spoon: It¡¯s an illustration of Lee Ki-Yeon in a wedding dress!<blockquote>


    Hikari''s Thoughts</blockquote>

 Chapter 1007: You Reap What You Sow (14)

    It started out as a faint light, but it was getting brighter and brighter. I saw minute gradations as time went on, and an orange light eventually appeared, illuminating everything, driving away even the mist.


    It was really beautiful.


    Perhaps I found it even more beautiful, as I was in a ce surrounded by nothing but rocks. I couldn''t even see the sky, but I unconsciously looked up, hoping that I could see a glimpse of the sky. I could feel the breeze even though I knew that it was impossible.


    The sight was so absurd that I thought I was teleported away somewhere.


    The light from afar reached me in an instant. It was like special effects one would see at the appearance of an important character. I wondered how Bahamut would react to this sight. I turned my head slightly and felt something wrap their arms around me.


    <em>¡®When did you get here?¡¯</em>


    I knew I wasn''t keeping an eye out for him, but I couldn''t even feel his presence until he was right behind me. It was like he was there right from the very beginning. He picked up as if he had done it many times before. Now that I thought about it; this was the first time we had met since I went back in time.


    Back then, he was a crybaby and begged me not to go sacrifice myself.


    However, he no longer looked like a crybaby.<em>¡®So you¡¯re back now, huh? And you have no reason to go back to the past, right?¡¯</em>


    Kim Hyun-Sung was angry.


    No, it was more like he was trying to suppress his anger. He looked like he wanted to say something right now, but he couldn¡¯t say it. Obviously, the naive Kim Hyun-Sung wouldn¡¯t be able to say anything to his friend, who looked like a mess.


    ¡°Mr. Hyun-Sung¡­¡±


    I mumbled his name, and he instantly looked calmer. Orange horns had already appeared on his head, and orange wings had already sprouted from his back.


    He had an idea as to what happened here, so he decided to enterbat mode before making his entrance, but he looked like he wasn¡¯t going to fight right now. He obviously thought about taking care of me first.


    ¡°Why? Why¡­ did you do something so reckless?¡± Kim Hyun-Sung asked.


    There was a lot to unpack from that question.


    It sounded like he was ming me, but he didn¡¯t sound angry.


    <em>''It was to protect you, man.''</em>


    ¡°I¡­ I wanted to carry your burden¡­¡± I answered.


    It was a famous line, but it was true. I did all this to lighten his burden, and I only made this decision, as I knew how pressured he was feeling.


    I did it so that Kim Hyun-Sung wouldn''t cry again.


    I did it so that he wouldn''t feel the need to take responsibility ever again.


    Kim Hyun-Sung bit his lips. It was time for him to get angry.


    At this point, Kim Hyun-Sung would usually get angry, but he wasn¡¯t <em>that</em> heartless to yell at the wounded saint.


    Lee Ki-Young of the past was covered in blood, and the present Lee Ki-Young was also in bad shape. However, his trembling hands and heavy breathing told me that he was truly furious. ?


    <em>¡®I¡¯m kind of scared.¡¯</em>


    I was scared because he was really mad. It was scary seeing him get up slowly without saying anything. His killing intent seemed to manifest, distorting the space around him.


    Right now, I was sure he looked like that orange demon in Bahamut''s eyes.


    <em>¡®Damn it, damn it, damn it!''</em>


    "<em>Roooooooooooooooooooooar!</em>"


    <em>¡®Damn it, damn it.</em>¡¯


    The nauseating monster roared after making eye contact with Kim Hyun-Sung. I wasn¡¯t sure whether he was scared or expressing his anger. He looked too alien to apply the idiom¡ª"all bark and no bite."


    "<em>Roooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooar!</em>"


    <em>¡®Stop it. Stop roaring.¡¯</em>


    <em>''Can you stop him from barking? Please?'' </em>


    Bahamut''s eyes seemed to be even redder than red, and his fleshly body had grown a bitrger as well. It hadn''t been that long since he entered his second phase, but it seemed like he was entering his third phase earlier than expected.


    <em>¡®This is why I didn¡¯t want to call Kim Hyun-Sung over here.¡¯</em>


    There were hideous veins all over him, and his muscles, which looked like they were going to explode, grew even bigger. His body seemed to represent overwhelming violence, and his arms were as big as pirs.


    His horn was still growing, and to make things worse, a colossal pair of wings burst out of his back. Actually, I wasn¡¯t sure if those were wings, as they looked like they were made out of flesh and blood.


    <em>¡®He''s staring at the individual who traumatized him, so of course, he''s going to go crazy.¡¯</em>


    Anyone could tell that he had fallen into madness.


    <em>¡®I know this is going to happen as soon as he sees Kim Hyun-Sung¡­¡¯</em>


    Bahamut opened his mouth and unleashed a beam of pitch-ck mana.


    <em>BOOM!</em>


    The beam of pitch-ck mana split the ground and pierced the wall and ceiling before devouring everything. The wall of the dungeon melted away, leaving nothing behind. I was sure it even affected the outside world.


    Kim Hyun-Sung managed to dodge it, but the others couldn''t dodge it.


    After all, it happened without any warning.


    Cha Hee-Ra''s Red Goddess of War transformation was blown away, and she was left with only half of her figure. She tried her best to restore her transformation, but it was not that easy.


    I was sure she''d struggle to fight Bahamut from now on.


    Temr Gen was hit as well, as I could not see him anymore.


    Meanwhile, Jung Ha-Yan had prioritized protecting herself.


    The monster stomped and swung his arms wildly to defend himself against Kim Hyun-Sung''s sword.


    <em>¡®How is he so fast?¡¯</em>


    I was sure that ordinary people couldn¡¯t see him anymore, as even I could only see his afterimages.


    <em>¡®Hyun-Sung¡¯s reaction speed is quick as well¡­¡¯</em>


    My eyes lit up just then.


    I''d be able to look at the battle from Kim Hyun-Sung''s point of view using the Mythic-rank Regressor Instruction Manual activates, but¡­


    <em>"Mr. Hyun-Sung?"</em>


    ¡ª ¡­


    <em>"Mr. Hyun-Sung! Right now, we should¡­"</em>


    ¡ª ¡­


    He wasn¡¯t answering.


    <em>¡®What the hell?¡¯</em>


    Did he block me? Why?


    ¡°Mr. Hyun-Sung!¡± I shouted.


    Why was he ignoring me?


    <em>''You think you can beat him by yourself? Are you upset because of what I said about how I wanted to carry your burdens? Are you trying to show me that you can ovee this by yourself?''</em>


    That was the only exnation I could think of at the moment.


    However, it was understandable, as this issue was important to Kim Hyun-Sung.


    Nauseating Bahamut swung hisrge arms, and the Sunset Swordsman swung his sword. The world amidst the orange and ck hues was devastated. As always, the orange hue disappeared first.


    The Red Goddess of War emerged from the dust and drove herrge axe into the monster¡¯s shoulder, but Bahamut shrugged it off and rammed the Red Goddess of War.


    The Red Goddess of War flew into a wall, and the Sunset Swordsman appeared to rece her as if she had just switched characters.


    However, even the Sunset Swordsman found the monster''s outer shell to be quite tough. The monster''s pitch-ck blood was pushing out the orange light¡ªno, the pitch-ck blood seemed to be devouring the orange light.


    I was sure that it was all because of the orange demon hiding within the demon''s seed inside Bahamut. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he had prepared a few things to deal with Kim Hyun-Sung.


    Bahamut''s body itself was devouring the orange light.


    <em>¡®There''s also the difference in weight ss.¡¯</em>


    Bahamut''s Strength was overwhelmingly high, and Kim Hyun-Sung found his size to be quite problematic.


    "<em>Roaaaaaaaaaaaaar!</em>"


    <em>BOOM!!</em>


    ¡°Damn it.¡±


    <em>''Why does he get upset at the critical juncture? Why is he being so stubborn when he¡¯s getting beaten up?''</em>


    I was sure that my words were shocking, and as I said earlier, Kim Hyun-Sung''s reaction was understandable, especially when his ipetence had forced me to make quite a few strange decisions.


    He probably felt like he had caused trouble again, and he wanted to prove to me that he was not ipetent. I was sure he wanted to show me that he had changed to ensure that this incident would not happen again.


    ¡°<em>Ahhhhhhh!!!</em>¡±


    "<em>Rooooooar!!!</em>"


    <em>¡®How exhausting.¡¯</em>


    Bahamut was stronger than Kim Hyun-Sung¡­ at the moment.


    <em>¡®I can¡¯t let it continue like this.¡¯</em>


    Cha Hee-Ray in a pool of her own blood, but she was smiling for some reason.


    Jung Ha-Yan randomly cast spells while vomiting.


    The Sunset Swordsman was swinging his sword while gritting his teeth, but the undutiful Child of Sunset couldn¡¯tnd his attacks and was actually getting pushed back.


    <em>¡®Not like this.¡¯</em>


    I had done many things to prevent this ending.


    We had an advantage, as I managed to bring Draktaris to our side.


    However, we were on track to a bad ending.


    I was caught off guard by Bahamut''s decision to make the demon¡¯s seed bloom, but if one looked at it from a different point of view, the demon seed was considered a nerf on Bahamut.


    The social gathering ended up in a failure, but I managed to avoid the ending where I would lose my head.


    <em>¡®But I also don¡¯t want a bloody ending, damn it!¡¯</em>


    <em>"Bahamut¡­ Bahamut¡­ Heuk¡­ Bahamut!"</em>


    <em>¡®Now, I can''t even attack him mentally. He must have truly gone crazy.¡¯</em>


    I felt ashamed for even attempting to rely on the nauseating beast.


    <em>''At this rate, our Hyun-Sung will die.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Stop it! Bahamut!¡± I shouted.


    <em>''My baby is dying, damn it.''</em>


    My delicate figure rushed forward amidst the explosions.


    Bahamut lifted his w and was about to tear Kim Hyun-Sung to shreds when the saint addicted to sacrifices made his appearance. Bahamut¡¯s eyes widened. It was only for a moment, but his red eyes seemed to have returned to their original color.


    ¡°Mr¡­ Ki-Young¡­¡± Kim Hyun-Sung mumbled.


    ¡°Mr. Ki-Young!!!¡± Kim Hyun-Sung screamed urgently.


    However, I did not answer him, as I needed to focus on Temr Gen, the Knight of Friendship.


    Temr Gen was standing before me, and he had blocked the monster¡¯s w for me.


    ¡°Temr Gen¡­¡± I said.


    I was covered in Temr Gen''s ck blood.


    <em>¡®I knew he was going to take the hit for me.¡¯</em>


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry¡­ for not protecting you¡­ until the end¡­¡± Genny muttered quietly.


    Bahamut''s w was sticking out of the wolf. Genny was panting, and he was dying because more than half of his figure was now riddled with holes. He fought for me until the very end. He was worthy of the title "Knight of Friendship." He was indeed an honorable knight and friend.


    ¡°Temr Genny¡­ <em>Ahhhh!</em>¡± I screamed.


    ¡°Priest of Prophecy¡­ no¡­ Angel of Sacrifice¡­ no¡­ Father Lee Ki-Young¡­¡± Genny mumbled.


    ¡°<em>AAAAAAAHH!</em>¡± I yelled.


    ¡°There were¡­ many things¡­ I wanted¡­ to tell you¡­¡± Genny said.


    ¡°<em>Heuk¡­ heuuuung¡­</em>¡± I cried.


    ¡°Thank you¡­ for everything¡­¡± Genny added.


    ¡°<em>Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Heuk¡­</em> Genny¡­ Genny!¡± I called out.


    ¡°It was¡­ an honor¡­ to serve you¡­ in the past¡­ and in the present¡­¡± Genny added.


    I felt kind of bad, but there were many things out there that were more important to me than him.


    I wasn''t sure if this was enough as a constion, but I decided to never forget him.


    ¡°<em>AAAAAAAHHHH!</em>¡± I roared.

 Chapter 1008: You Reap What You Sow (15)

    I couldn¡¯t control my emotions.


    ¡°<em>Ahh¡­</em> Genny¡­ Genny!¡± I yelled.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Gen¡­ <em>Heuk¡­ heuuuk¡­ AAAHHH!!!</em>¡± I cried.


    The sadness of losing someone precious to me engulfed me. I examined Temr Gen just in case, but he was already cold to the touch. He had perished in the body of a monster, but he looked both worried and kind of satisfied as if this was the ending that he wanted for himself.


    Temr Gen probably hated himself.


    It was for the sake of his mission, but he had turned his back on the light despite being a priest of the light.


    Thus, he probably considered himself too unclean to stand next to the Priest of Prophecy and the God of Sacrifice and Revival, which was why he thought that this ending suited him.


    A disgusting and dirty ending for the sake of the brightest light. He had chosen to at least indulge in the decision that he had made, as it was for the sake of the priest who descended from the surface world and changed his life.¡°<em>Ahhh¡­ ahhhhh!</em>¡±


    What brought him this far was the shadow I had left behind. He believed my ridiculous lie about going up to the surface world and getting help from the others up above. He believed I¡¯de back, so he spent countless hours wandering around underground.


    ¡°<em>AAAAAAAHHHHH!</em> Genny!¡± I cried.


    I could not believe that he died just like that. I bawled while holding onto his body. I was running out of mana, and I was crying so hard that I could not breathe properly.


    I couldn¡¯t control my emotions to the point that I questioned if I was too engrossed in my role.


    My heart was also racing, pounding wildly against my chest. It felt like it was going to burst anytime soon. I was so out of it that I had no idea what was happening around me.


    I felt weak, and I had no idea what I was doing right now.


    All I knew was that I was crying while holding onto Gen''s corpse.


    ¡°Genny¡­ <em>Aaaaaah!</em>¡± I sobbed. Of course, my sadnesssted only for a moment because I came back to my senses.


    <em>''Can Ie back to my sensester?''</em>


    To be honest¡­


    <em>¡®I wasn¡¯t that sad.¡¯</em>


    I was thinking about using him and then throwing him away afterward, anyway.


    That was the n, so there was no reason for me to be sad.


    Temr Gen¡­ he was just a toy, and I knew that better than anyone. I was also aware of the fact that this was the best way to use him, as he was just a chess piece that I had been using to reform the Order.


    In some ways, this was the best oue for him.


    I could save Kim Hyun-Sung and myself.


    ¡°<em>Heuk¡­ heuuuk¡­</em>¡±


    It was better for him to die in my stead. If I had died instead of him, then Hyun-Sung would have been devastated. The raid would have ended there.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ <em>Heuk¡­ heuk¡­ AAAAAH!</em>¡± I cried.


    I thought of Park Deok-Gu''s demise and Doom Doom Hyun-Sung''s death¡ªI reminded myself of these scenes that I saw in Kasugano Yuno''s eyes. I told myself that I had to keep having sad thoughts to provoke Hyun-Sung, which was why I cried nonstop.


    ¡°I¡¯m really¡­ <em>Heuk¡­ heuuuk¡­</em>¡±


    He was just a traumatized toy, so this was a great oue for him.


    ¡°<em>Ahh¡­ heuk!</em>¡± I sobbed.


    The pig porridge that he fed me alone was enough for me to chop his head off, and I would still not feel better after that. It was the same when he yelled at me, covered me with a dirty nket, and wasted my energy on cleaning that moldy room.


    Genny was kind of cute, but I was pretty frustrated with him.


    ¡°<em>Ahhhhh¡­</em> I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry, Genny¡­¡± I mumbled.


    I knew he was just a toy, but damn it, people often grew fond of their toys.


    It was about time I threw him away, but I did not want to do that just yet. It was like I had an ice cream that I was about to finish, but it somehow fell to the ground. I was in a bad mood.


    Ironically, things couldn¡¯t be better, as anyone could tell that I hadpletely lost my mind.


    I had lost my mind because someone precious to me had died. I cried while holding onto Gen''s body, and I exaggerated my facial features to show Kim Hyun-Sung that I had gone crazy.


    At this point, I was sure he could tell that Gen was special to me.


    Kim Hyun-Sung would definitely think¡ªno, he was already thinking about it.


    The Red Goddess of War and Jung Ha-Yan attracted the monster¡¯s attention, and he awkwardlyforted me with his hand. He definitely thought about how he could have lost someone close to him if it hadn''t been for Temr Gen.


    However, he was not happy that Temr Gen had sacrificed himself for me. He was focused on my sadness; he was worried, and he sympathized with his deceasedrade, even though he was a bit puzzled by what was going on.


    <em>¡®This is good.¡¯</em>


    I wanted to hug the toy a bit longer, but Kim Hyun-Sung¡¯s hand was no longer on me.


    What could I do with the remaining time?


    <em>¡®How can I use this?¡¯</em>


    ¡°Mr. Ki-Young¡­ Ki-Young¡­ are you¡­¡± Kim Hyun-Sung paused.


    ¡°<em>Heuk¡­ heuuuk¡­</em>¡± I cried.


    I learned against Hyun-Sung¡¯sfortable arms forfort, but I pushed him away momentster.


    <em>¡®Honestly, you¡¯re at fault as well. You think you have the right tofort me?¡¯</em>


    I had to remind him that it was his fault as well.


    <em>''Kim Hyun-Sung, you¡¯re disqualified, damn it!''</em>


    He took a step backward in shock, and I looked at him with fury and resentment.


    <em>¡®Take my eyes of resentment.¡¯</em>


    <em>''If you had just listened to me¡­ Temr Gen wouldn''t have died.''</em>


    <em>¡®If you hadn''t brought me back from the distant past¡­''</em>


    ¡°Ki-Young¡­ Mr. Ki-Young¡­ I¡ªThat¡¯s not¡­¡± Kim Hyun-Sung stammered.


    Of course, he was surprised. Was he not expecting my resentment? However, his shock did notst long, as we were in the middle of a battle.


    Bahamut wasn¡¯t friendly enough to wait until we were done filming our drama.


    Bahamut rammed the Red Goddess of War before charging at us.


    Seeing that, Kim Hyun-Sung had no choice but to join the battle.


    I heard them fighting, but I didn¡¯t care. I looked up to the ceiling quietly as if I had given up on life. I cried hard and grabbed my head in pain.


    Anyone could see that I looked out of ce here.


    I activated the Regressor Instruction Manual to ensure that he''d know my condition.


    Sadness, confusion, despair, fear, and anger. I was angry at the bad kid who broke my toy.


    I made Kim Hyun-Sung feel my burning rage toward him.


    I silenced every other emotion aside from anger and got up slowly.


    Of course, I couldn''t really do anything here, even though I was angry. It was not like I could suddenly wield a sword or use the death of myrade as a driving force to make a breakthrough into the next level.


    All I could do was make Kim Hyun-Sung shut up, as he was trying to escape my grasp.


    <em>¡®No.¡¯</em>


    <em>''I can¡¯t let it end here. I¡¯m sure I can use him more. At the very least, I can use his pitch-ck blood. ''</em>


    It was a pretty shocking idea, but I did think about it at least once because Temr Bahamut had made three breakthroughs after devouring the bull.


    I assumed that I could do the same.


    The pitch-ck blood was an amalgamation of negative energy.


    It was probably from the demon¡¯s seed that Lucifer had made, so if Bahamut could do it, I could do it, too. I scooped up the pool of blood beneath Gen''s corpse and got ready to drink it quietly.


    <em>¡®Temr Gen is dead.¡¯</em>


    However, he was going to live inside me. He was going to live inside my blood and be one with me.


    I was overdue for an advancement, anyway.


    This kind of ritual anyway was actually unnecessary, as I was close to the light.


    I didn¡¯t reject it because I could change jobs, so I knew how to use this kind of power.


    Moreover, there was a high chance that it''d be easier to summon them using this power.


    The same thing happened to Bahamut, and there weren¡¯t any side effects.


    It was kind of scary, but it was worth a try.


    Of course, there were people against it.


    ¡°Mr. Ki-Young¡­ Mr. Ki-Young! Don¡¯t!¡± Kim Hyun-Sung roared.


    ¡°Darling? What are you doing?! Get away from there <em>now!</em>¡± Cha Hee-Ra yelled.


    ¡°Oppa¡­¡± Jung Ha-Yan mumbled.


    However, Bahamut was running rampant, so they didn¡¯t have the time to stop me.


    ¡°No¡ªno!!!¡±


    I brought my hand to my lips in slow motion.


    Kim Hyun-Sung attempted to stop me, but Bahamut sted him away toward the other side. Kim Hyun-Sung looked up from the debris, and he looked like he was in despair.


    <em>Thump.</em>


    I had to scream, as that would make me look cooler.


    ¡°<em>AAAAAAAH!!</em>¡± I yelled.


    I got on my knees and wrapped my arms around myself. Momentster, I heard grotesque cracking noises all over me, and wings sprouted from my back.


    The problem was that they weren¡¯t ordinary wings.


    I heard hissing noises afterward, and I saw a myriad of snakes popping out of my skin as if they were going on a riot. My grotesque wings sent a shiver down their spine, as they were made out of intertwining white snakes.


    <em>¡®Shit, what is this? Shit, shit, shit! What is this?!¡¯</em>


    I grabbed my head, and my hair transformed as well.


    <em>¡®Shit, they¡¯re snakes, too!¡¯</em>


    My hair had also turned into a bunch of white snakes with red eyes.


    I assumed my eyes had be red as well.


    My skin felt a bit smoother than before, and it resembled a snake''s skin rather than a human''s skin.


    My tongue became longer as well.


    <em>''Damn it. I must¡¯ve turned into a monster! What should I do? Hyun-Sung, Ha-Yan, Hee-Ra noona. What should I do?!''</em>


    I had no idea what to do, as I couldn¡¯t really see what I looked like, but one thing I was sure of was that ck tears were flowing down my cheeks. I tried to stop the tears but it was to no avail.


    Just like how Bahamut was constantly drooling, I was constantly shedding unholy tears.


    <em>¡®The tears¡­ are¡­ kind of cool.¡¯</em>


    Instead of a radiant light, a burst of white darkness that seemed to be capable of devouring everything burst out of me. I assumed it was my passive skill, but the cloud of white darkness distorted the space around me.


    The white darkness did not stop there.


    The snakes all over me hissed, and they intertwined as if they wereforting each other. The only constion was that the snakes weren''t <em>that </em>heavy, which was great because I had to move naturally.


    My entrance always had to be impactful, after all.


    <em>¡®One step.¡¯</em>


    <em>''Look at me, you lowly humans.''</em>


    <em>¡®Take another step.¡¯</em>


    <em>''Do you remember me, mortals? Your nightmare and fear? The guelord has descended.''</em>


    [Mythic]


    [Monarch of Lust and Eternal Sleep]


    <em>¡®Huh?¡¯</em>


    [The Monarch of Lust and Eternal Sleep has descended.]


    <em>¡®What the¡ªI don¡¯t like this at all.¡¯</em>

 Chapter 1009: You Reap What You Sow (16)

    <em>¡®This is bad. This is really bad.¡¯</em>


    My advancement to Doom Doom was pretty shocking, but it was a calcted move.


    Actually, it would be better to say that I had no other choice.


    The allied forces had gotten weaker because of Temr Genny''s death.


    If Bahamut absorbed Genny¡¯s power like what he had done to the bull, we''d find ourselves in the worst-case scenario.


    I took only a sip, but I had absorbed every particle of power and negative energy from that blood. Bahamut had a high resistance against Kim Hyun-Sung, so it made sense for me to absorb and use this power myself.


    It was difficult tobine light and darkness, but¡­


    <em>¡®But I have a link called the Regressor Instruction Manual.¡¯</em>


    I even thought about making Kim Hyun-Sung use this negative energy. I prepared a script that would allow the guelord and Kim Hyun-Sung to reunite and join hands.


    <em>¡®This is the only time I¡¯ll lend you my strength, and I''m the one who''s going to kill you, or is that all you got?¡¯</em>


    I had those words in mind, but that n fell through.


    <em>¡®His character changed too much.¡¯</em>


    I never imagined that he¡¯d change to that extent.


    I looked around and saw people frozen in ce.


    The unexpected turn of events caused the battle to stop as if time had frozen.


    It was strange to see Bahamut stare at me in a daze, but it was a natural reaction.


    A transcendent mythical being had just appeared, so it was natural for him to be wary of me. He was so wary that his mane stood up.


    Light Ki-Young had just be his second problem, and My presence alone was enough to make him nervous.


    <em>¡®It¡¯s actually better this way.¡¯</em>


    I had yet topletely assess the situation.


    I told myself that I needed to take action, but my feet wouldn¡¯t move. Instead, I flew about one meter off the ground.


    <em>¡®So I can levitate¡­¡¯</em>


    I couldn¡¯t really move fast, but it was enough to set the mood.


    I didn¡¯t even need to p my snake wings.


    I moved forward slowly to show off and create a heavy atmosphere.


    My movement felt foreign and strange.


    I raised my hands slowly, but it didn¡¯t mean anything. I was just trying to show off.


    And that was when I heard Kim Hyun-Sung¡¯s voice.


    ¡°N-No¡­!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°No¡­ no¡­¡± Kim Hyun-Sung muttered. He was crying. ¡°No¡­ <em>Heuk</em>¡­ This is¡­¡±


    The PTSD that he had sustained from the guelord incident was triggered. The thought of that alone was enough to awaken him from a deep sleep. I was acting as if I was telling him, ¡°It¡¯s fine now. I¡¯m tired.¡±  ?


    I was acting like I was on the verge of giving up on life.


    ¡°<em>Ah¡­ ahh¡­ ah¡­</em>¡± Kim Hyun-Sung stammered.


    Jung Ha-Yan stared at me, and her unsteady gaze made it seem like she was up to something. Her face was flushed red, and her nose was bleeding.


    Judging from the fact that her nose was bleeding so much to the point I could hear it dripping, it seemed like my passive skill, which was a special ability that affected the minds of those around me, truly suited me as the Monarch of Lust and Eternal Sleep.


    ¡°<em>Ah¡­ ack¡­ ack¡­ Huh? Uh?</em>¡± Jung Ha-Yan finally realized that her nose was bleeding.


    She ced both her hands on her nose, but it wasn¡¯t enough to stop the bleeding. Her hands and face were covered in blood, and it seemed like I was seeing more whites in her eyes.


    She was trembling, and it felt like she was going to be a threat to me at any moment. I was kind of scared because I had no way of knowing what she was thinking right now.


    ¡°O-O-Oppa¡­ Oppa¡­¡± Jung Ha-Yan stuttered.


    <em>¡®Based on her reaction, I must be strong.¡¯</em>


    ¡°I think¡­ this is going to be difficult, no, it¡¯s going to be difficult,¡± Cha Hee-Ra mumbled.


    Cha Hee-Ra didn¡¯t react the same way Jung Ha-Yan did, but the blood dripping down her lips told me that she was using her superhuman willpower to withstand my passive skill.


    ¡°Physically¡­ and mentally¡­ I¡¯m exhausted¡­¡± Cha Hee-Ra said.


    <em>''No, you¡¯re not at your limit, noona. Endure it.''</em>


    ¡°I don¡¯t like doing this¡­ but I think it¡¯s best if I sit this one out,¡± Cha Hee-Ra remarked.


    <em>''Yeah, you should do that.''</em>


    Cha Hee-Ra was worried about losing her sanity.


    My passive seemed to be extremely effective on the opposite sex. I had yet to look into it, so I was not exactly sure, but it was really effective against members of the opposite sex, especially when they were weaker than me.


    Perhaps it could affect animals and monsters as well.


    The crux of the matter here was one''s Resistance stat. Resistance was going to determine whether one could withstand a certain mind-type skill or not, after all.


    <em>¡®What should I do? How do I solve this?¡¯</em>


    ¡°Kim Hyun-Sung, what kind of condition¡­ is my darling in?¡± Cha Hee-Ra asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Get ahold of yourself, you bastard. You really want to die here?¡± Cha Hee-Ra questioned.


    ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ I don¡¯t feel anything. Nothing¡­¡± Kim Hyun-Sung replied.


    My burning anger was gone and was reced by indifference.


    Just like the Doom Ki-Young incident, the n was to show a new personality after awakening, which was why my first words were important. The people before me were wary of Bahamut, but they were wary of me as well.


    Actually, they seemed more wary of me than Bahamut.


    [Creating an Average-rank Forced Quest.]


    [Noona, take Ha-Yan and get away from here. (0/1)]


    [An Average-rank quest has been delivered to Cha Hee-Ra. No quest rewards were dered, so Cha Hee-Ra will not receive a reward.]


    She replied immediately.


    [Creating an Epic-rank Forced Quest.]


    [Shit¡­ I was wondering what was going on¡­ I¡¯m d. But don¡¯t talk to me telepathically next time, darling. Unless you want to be in danger. (0/1)]


    With that, Cha Hee-Ra grabbed Jung Ha-Yan and disappeared from my sight. I got a bit scared when I saw Jung Ha-Yan staring at me while getting dragged away. Fortunately, she did not do anything drastic, so I was relieved.


    It felt like it was time to turn around and start talking.


    ¡°M-Mr. Ki-Young,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung muttered.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Are you¡­ okay?¡± Kim Hyun-Sung asked.


    [Pleasee here.]


    My voice seemed to have changed. I was embarrassed to say this, but I sounded so wicked that it felt exaggerated. I spoke softly, but my voice filled the entire cavern.


    ¡°Just now¡­¡±


    [I think I know what you¡¯re afraid of. I¡¯m still the same person you¡¯re thinking about. Please¡­e here.]


    ¡°...¡±


    [Don¡¯t be afraid¡­ <em>Ah¡­</em> Come here. Please¡­ Pleasee here~ Mr. Hyun-Sung.]


    I said it like a siren luring sailors into the sea. It was like I was singing to him toe here.


    Kim Hyun-Sung walked slowly toward me. I told him through the Regressor Instruction Manual that I had no intention of harming him. I also added the fact that I was the same Lee Ki-Young.


    I thought it''d be best to help him out a little so he could make the choice on his own.


    My personality had changed slightly, but this version of me remembered every memory we shared, and I made sure to recall those memories. Those scenes were probably being sent to Kim Hyun-Sung right now.


    I was telling him that I remembered everything, including our famous lines.


    <em>¡®Mind attack!¡¯</em>


    The way I looked made it look like I was attempting to attack him mentally, but that was what I was actually aiming for because Kim Hyun-Sung looked like he wasn¡¯t in the condition to fight right now. Actually, it''d be better to exclude other emotions.


    Of course, Kim Hyun-Sung definitely found me strange.


    Anyone would think that way.


    Just before this, I took out my anger on him, but now, I was telling him to get closer to me, so he¡¯d be an idiot if he didn''t find this strange. Despite that, he was still moving toward me.


    I was angry at him earlier, and he had no choice but to ept it.


    Perhaps he was probably feeling puzzled right now, but I could not say for sure, as I was having a hard time reading his emotions.


    He was feeling a range of emotions, such as regret, anger, despair, and confusion. He was also questioning how we ended up in this situation.


    I thought he had gotten a little stronger mentally, but the wall he built slowly up until now was getting destroyed really fast, as if it were getting hit by a battering ram. The only wall he had left was thefort of knowing that I remembered him.


    <em>¡®At least he feels better than the Doom Ki-Young incident.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Mr. Ki-Young¡­¡± Kim Hyun-Sung mumbled.


    [Yes¡­ I¡¯m <em>that</em> Lee Ki-Young.]


    Of course, I didn¡¯t forget to tap into his mind using the Regressor Instruction Manual.


    I slowly broke down walls of useless emotions such as caution and difort. Actually, I had to leave those alone, as those emotions were the foundation of my work here.


    With each step he took, Kim Hyun-Sung became more and more confused.


    <em>¡®But there¡¯s less emotion I need to exclude than I thought¡­¡¯</em>


    It was probably because of the brand-new attribute that I had just obtained.


    I hadn''t done anything to him yet, but Kim Hyun-Sung was walking toward me as if he were sleepwalking. To others, he seemed like he was crawling into a trap of his own will.


    Actually, he <em>was</em> crawling into a trap.


    ¡°Mr. Ki-Young¡­ Are you¡­ Are you okay?¡± Kim Hyun-Sung asked.


    It was like he was under a spell or was half-asleep.


    Actually, he was under a spell, but this was more systematic andplex than a mere spell.


    [Yes, I¡¯m¡­ fine.]


    ¡°I-I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m d,¡± he said.


    I could see him feeling relieved with his eyes half open.


    ¡°I¡¯m really d. I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m really¡­ <em>Heuk</em>¡­ d that you¡¯re okay,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung cried.


    <em>''You¡¯re crying again? You¡¯re always crying. You¡¯re such a crybaby.''</em>


    [Mr. Hyun-Sung.]


    <em>¡®Why is your mind so weak?¡¯</em>


    I knew I had the Regressor Instruction Manual, but it felt like it was over in thirty seconds. I really had to create items or artifacts tailored for him. If an enemy capable of attacking minds were to appear, things would quickly be disastrous.


    [You see¡­]


    ¡°Yes?¡± Kim Hyun-Sung answered.


    [T-That¡¯s¡­ really scary.]


    ¡°W-What? Afraid¡­ What¡­¡±


    [That monster over there. I-I¡¯m really scared of it.]


    ¡°<em>Ah¡­</em> I see. I-I¡¯ll¡­ take care of it,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung offered.


    [Can I help you?]


    ¡°What? That¡¯s¡­¡±


    [I want to help as well.]


    ¡°I-I see. If that''s what you want¡­ but you have to be safe¡­¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    First of all, I had to be on the same level as him.


    I knew that Kim Hyun-Sung could wield his holy power.


    I wasn¡¯t sure how he learned it, but he sent me a quest once.


    Ibined my negative energy with his holy power. The white and ck energies took form, transforming into a giant white skeleton that resembled the Red Goddess of War.


    My power alone wasn¡¯t enough to do anything against Bahamut, but it was a different story with Hyun-Sung''s help.


    [Would you please follow me?]


    ¡°S-Sure!¡± Kim Hyun-Sung answered enthusiastically. He knew what I wanted. If I pointed in a certain direction, he''d immediately head that way.


    [You¡¯re doing¡­ well. Yes, just like that.]


    ¡°T-Thank you,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    <em>¡®It¡¯s kind of hard.¡¯</em>


    Of course, it was difficult, but our souls were connected, so there wasn''t any internal strife. The moment Kim Hyun-Sung turned around, the giant created with both holy power and negative power turned around and drew its sword.


    <em>Boom.</em>


    [I think it would be better¡­ if you clean it up¡­]


    ¡°As you wish¡­ Mr. Ki-Young,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung answered.


    [For me.]


    ¡°Yes¡­ for¡­¡± Kim Hyun-Sung mumbled.


    The giant of sunset and white darkness swung its sword.


    The arm of friendly viin Bahamut fell to the ground.


    ¡°...¡±


    [...]


    <em>¡®...¡¯</em>


    "<em>Roaaaaaaaaaaaar!</em>"


    <em>¡®Why is it so strong?¡¯</em>


    I couldn¡¯t believe it.

 Chapter 1010: You Reap What You Sow (17) (Illustration)

    <em>Beep!</em>


    My ears were ringing, and I[1] couldn''t hear anything.


    "<em>Ah!</em>" I blurted unknowingly, but my word was not going to change anything.


    The dust that entered my lungs made me cough.


    The world around me was spinning around me, so I had no idea what was going on.


    However, there was one thing for sure¡ªsomeone was carrying me.


    I felt better when I felt something cold on my face.


    I stretched unknowingly and suddenly tasted something refreshing.


    I drank ravenously, even though I had no idea what I was drinking.My vision became clearer and clearer. I stretched my hand out and unconsciously took a big swig of whatever was in my hand. Momentster, I could finally see what was going on around me.


    There were priests running around busily to treat the wounded, and there were agonized groans everywhere.


    ¡°They¡¯re still alive,¡± a priest said.


    ¡°Let¡¯s give them first aid¡­¡± another priest suggested.


    ¡°Do we have any potions left?¡± they asked.


    ¡°Hurry up and move. Hurry.¡±


    I realized that I was in apletely different ce.


    <em>¡®Just now, I¡¯m sure¡­ I¡¯m sure¡­ I was hunting a bull.¡¯</em>


    It felt like I had lost a piece of my memory, so I grabbed my aching head and tried to remember what happened. I nodded immediately because I could clearly remember that we were in the middle of a raid.


    The ceiling copsed, and Bahamut fell down.


    After that¡­


    <em>¡®I was busy following orders.¡¯</em>


    The sudden variable made usmence a retreat. We were following the nned route when I heard a loud explosion.


    I saw rocks falling on the expedition members.


    I was sure Colonel Smith was with¡ª


    ¡°<em>Ah¡­</em>¡±


    <em>¡®Colonel Smith¡­ Where¡¯s Colonel Smith?¡¯</em>


    ¡°Captain Sophia?¡± someone said.


    ¡°...¡± ¡°Are you okay?¡± they asked.


    I turned to the owner of the voice and saw one of my team members.


    They had injuries here and there, but they were still in good shape.


    ¡°What¡­ happened?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I-I¡¯ll report what happened, Captain. We were in the middle of the bull raid when the ceiling¡ª¡±


    ¡°I already know that part,¡± I interrupted them.


    ¡°Afterwards, headquarters ordered us to retreat. While we were escaping using the route that the headquarters had told us to follow, there was an unexpected explosion,¡± they exined.


    ¡°And reinforcements came to rescue the isted members,¡± I said.


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s Colonel Smith?¡± I asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s not in the condition to move. Actually, h-he ran all the way here while carrying you,¡± they added.


    <em>¡®Colonel Smith¡­¡¯</em>


    I smiled bitterly. It seemed that the connection I had made in the Federation had be helpful to me again.


    ¡°More importantly, you need to start moving again,¡± they said.


    "Hm?" I asked.


    ¡°The fieldmander is seriously injured¡­¡± they said.


    ¡°So I have to report in,¡± I said.


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±


    It was part of the procedure.


    I was sure headquarters knew everything that was going on, but a report was apletely different story.


    Colonel Smith wasn¡¯t in the condition to move, and the fieldmander was seriously injured, so the next person in charge had to submit a report.


    Was it the Friendship n? I remembered there were a few people above me, but those people were either dead or injured, as I actually had to make a report myself.


    I got up slowly and was struck by a wave of fatigue and pain.


    I frowned due to the pain, but I could still move.


    ¡°If it¡¯s too difficult for you¡­¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll go. I can¡¯t abandon my duty,¡± I said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll lead the way, Captain,¡± the soldier said.


    ¡°No, rest more. That¡¯s an order,¡± I ordered.


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±


    I started walking toward the portable Commander''s Camp.


    When I walked up, I was asked an obvious question, and I responded immediately.


    ¡°I¡¯m Captain Sophia, and I¡¯m part of¡ª¡±


    ¡°Confirmed, Captain Sophia. You can go inside,¡± the soldier said.


    And that was when I heard a monotone voice...


    [The Monarch of Lust and Eternal Sleep has descended.]


    There was a loud boom, and I felt my heart drop.


    I was trembling, and it felt like my blood was rushing to my head. "Oppressive" was the only word I could use to describe this mysterious energy, and it felt like it had engulfed me. Everyone in the Commander¡¯s Camp looked in the same direction.


    ¡°<em>Ah¡­</em>¡±


    I turned to look at what they were looking at.


    <em>¡®What is that?¡¯</em>


    ¡°F-Father Lee Ki-Young?¡± someone muttered, but I could not reallyprehend it.


    <em>¡®What¡­ the hell is that¡­¡¯</em>


    There was something indescribable on the Goddess¡¯ Mirror.


    The figure had hair made out of white snakes, and he also had wings made out of the same snakes. The way the snakes wriggled around each other looked like they were mating. "Odd" was the only word I could use to describe their strange movements.


    It was bizarre. Anyone could see that he didn¡¯t look human, and he clearly didn¡¯t look like the Honorary Cardinal of the Sacred Democratic Country and the Commander-in-Chief of this expedition.


    The alien figure opened his mouth, and I saw a long and forked tongue.


    A bizarre smile was tugging at his lips, and pitch-ck tears were flowing down his face.


    The smile tugging at his lips was bizarre, but it was more beautiful than anything else.


    <em>¡®It¡¯s beautiful¡­¡¯</em>


    ¡°<em>Ah¡­</em> it¡¯s beautiful¡­¡±


    It was really beautiful.


    <em>''Yeah, that sounds right.''</em>


    I had no idea what creature I was staring at, but he looked elegant.


    Moreover, he also looked fragile¡ªhe looked so fragile as if he''d break at the slightest touch, but his fragility was what made him beautiful.


    His transparent-looking pale skin looked smoother than anything else, and his thin, slender fingers seemed capable of performing the most dramatic performance in the world. The tears falling from his red eyes also looked like the sweetest juice in the world.


    I couldn¡¯t understand my own thoughts, but¡­ I wanted to have a taste of that juice, even if it meant selling my soul to a demon.


    If I could make eye contact with that being and hold his hands, I''d give him everything.


    The beautiful being hovering in mid-air was a breathtaking sight.


    <em>¡®I </em>want¡­<em> him.¡¯</em>


    The word "possessiveness" suddenly popped into my mind. Afterward, a variety of disgusting emotions filled my head. Scenes I couldn¡¯t express with words gnawed away at my brain. Blood rushed to my head and then dripped down somewhere.


    I then realized that blood was dripping down my eyes.


    My brain was actively trying to ignore it, but I ended up noticing it, as my vision getting redder and redder by the second.


    For some reason, however, the redder my vision, the clearer that beautiful being became in my eyes. My vision had gotten redder, but the color of that alien figure remained the same.


    <em>¡®I want him. I want that. I want to make it mine.¡¯</em>


    I would be really happy if he were mine. I¡¯d hide him somewhere where no one could see him and drink his sweet juice to my heart¡¯s content. The emptiness and thirst in my heart would surely be satiated by then.


    I''d be able to see what was inside him and get to know him better.


    <em>¡®He''s mine.¡¯</em>


    I would not let anyone else have him.


    I stepped forward.


    Perhaps it was just me, but it felt like blood was flowing out of my ears as well.


    [Pleasee here~]


    I heard a voice, and it was like caressing my brain.


    It felt like soft hands had entered my brain, massaging each and every wrinkle on it.


    The tingling sensation was affecting my mind.


    It was like my mind was¡­


    <em>¡®It feels like my mind is turning into ice cream.¡¯</em>


    He spoke more words, and those words felt like they were taking a bite from the ice cream, which was my brain.


    ¡°I-I-I¡­¡±


    A towering giant fell to his side.


    I checked the giant¡¯s face before he copsed and saw blood flowing from his eyes, ears, nose, and lips.


    The giant was shaking as if he had lost his sanity, but I smiled at the sight.


    The giant was vomiting blood, and I was still smiling.


    The giant had a bizarre smile as well. No, it was not a bizarre smile. It was the happiest smile in the world. Was he seeing the same being as me? Or perhaps he was standing before that being?


    ¡°<em>Ahh¡­!</em>¡±


    ¡°<em>AAAAAH!!</em>¡±


    ¡°Sanctuary!¡± A clear, melodious voice echoed, vanquishing all of my thoughts.


    Elena, the Elf Queen of the Blue Guild, appeared before me.


    She was the only High Elf with emerald hair. After casting a spell, she entered the camp, and I was angry at her for what she had done instead of being thankful to her for bringing me back to my senses.


    ¡°You''ve never had any direct contact with him, but¡­ you''re in that state. <em>Whoo¡­</em> Are you okay?¡± Elena asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    <em>¡®What¡­ What was I doing?¡¯</em>


    I looked at the Goddess¡¯ Mirror again and saw a peculiar sight.


    The Sunset Swordsman had summoned a giant. The giant severed Bahamut¡¯s arm, but Bahamut''s arm regenerated in an instant. The giant moved again, swinging its colossal sword.


    However, all of my attention was on that bizarre being.


    <em>¡®A mind attack¡­¡¯</em>


    Was it a special ability? Or¡­ a curse?


    Moments ago, I was under a spell just like that Sunset Swordsman who was swinging his sword with a nk face.


    ¡°Thank you, Miss Elen


    ¡°You must forget everything that you saw here,¡± Elena interrupted me.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°The moment you get out of here, you must forget everything,¡± Elena repeated.


    It was easy to figure out why.


    <em>¡®That''s really¡­ the Commander-in-Chief.¡¯</em>


    ¡°This isn¡¯t a request,¡± Elena said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re well aware why I¡¯m telling you this,¡± Elena added.


    Elena of the Blue Guild was known to be gentle, so her attitude right now made it clear that I was correct.


    <em>¡®That¡¯s really¡­ the Sub Guild Master of the Blue Guild.¡¯</em>


    I wasn¡¯t sure whether the continent could ovee this crisis.


    No, the continent could bring down Demon Bahamu, but¡­


    ¡®


    ¡°What¡­ the hell¡­ is that¡­¡± I mumbled.


    The continent was up against an even bigger threat than Bahamut.


    I felt dizzy again, so I ced my trembling hands on my head.


    *An illustration of Jung Ha-Yan is included on the next page.


    wooden spoon: It¡¯s an illustration of Jung Ha-Yan in a wedding dress!


    1. Captain Sophia¡¯s POV ?<blockquote>


    Hikari''s Thoughts</blockquote>

 Chapter 1011: You Reap What You Sow (18)

    Chapter 1011: You Reap What You Sow (18)


    There were constant universalws out there. Light and darkness; darkness and light. These two elements could not coexist, and they had opposite natures. This universalw applied to the continent as well.


    I had no idea why, but it was just thew¡ªlike how fire and water could not mix.


    I had been researching magic, holy spells, sorcery, magitech, and even supernatural abilities, but thisw was the first one to pop up in my[1] head.


    It was consideredmon sense here.


    It had been aw since time immemorial, and it would remain true forever.


    The reason this giant was stronger than I had imagined was that it had transcended the existingws. It was a cliche involving thebination of two opposing powers to create a brand-new power.


    <em>¡®It¡¯s cliched.¡¯</em>


    The reason elements that couldn''t coexist managed toe together was that Kim Hyun-Sung and I were connected spiritually.


    Our connection couldn''t be exined with forms, and we were above any forms out there. I was not exactly sure, but this incident proved that our bond was above the universalws.<em>¡®It has a nice ring to it.¡¯</em>


    The sunset giant illuminated the white darkness, and the giant that looked normal just a moment ago started changing. The giant sprouted holy orange horns and tightly woven orange armor. It also had an orange helmet that looked sturdy enough to protect it from the white darkness.


    The giant''s sword hilt was in the form of a snake, and it raised its sword along with the Sunset Swordsman. The giant also had golden eyes as if it were trying to prove that Kim Hyun-Sung and I had a connection.


    "<em>Roooooooooooooooooar!</em>"


    The disgusting monster grabbed its severed arm upon detecting a threat. The severed arm instantly regenerated, but I was sure the monster was still in shock. Bahamut knew that the giant before him was strong enough to harm him.


    <em>¡®We just need to be on the same level.¡¯</em>


    Kim Hyun-Sung was the Sword God


    He looked like he hadpletely lost his mind, but that wasn''t the case at all.


    If I had to evaluate his condition, he was a puppet with a will of his own. Although he was under a spell, he was still as strong as ever. He could think for himself, and he could fight more recklessly than usual.


    A massive arm swung toward the giant, but the giant had no ns of engaging in a contest of raw strength. It swung its sword at a strange angle, deflecting the attack.


    Sparks flew, and the monster lost his bnce.


    He immediately found his bnce again, but the sword hacked at him relentlessly.


    It was a beautiful sight to see the giant blocking the oing attack and attacking immediately. It was like a well-rehearsed movement.


    The giant swung its sword, and the sunset remained in the air as if it were drawing an image. I was sure Bahamut was aware of the fact that he couldn¡¯t run away from this fight. He moved instinctively, blocking the giant¡¯s sword using hisrge horns.


    "<em>Argh.</em>"


    <em>¡®He managed to cut off his arm. Are his horns that sturdy?¡¯</em>


    Unfortunately, it was not a smart move from Bahamut.


    <em>Boom!</em>


    A thunderous boom echoed as Kim Hyun-Sung¡¯s sword and the monster¡¯s horns shed. Immediately afterward, the giant took a stance with its sword.


    <em>¡®He¡¯s going to lose his horns.¡¯</em>


    And that was when the monster swung his tail toward the giant.


    <em>¡®Close.¡¯</em>


    He had to have sensed a threat to his life again. The sunset giant did not move despite the attack. It grabbed the monster¡¯s tail with its arm and smacked it away with the hilt of its sword.


    <em>Thud.</em>


    The monster''s tail was deflected, and the monster staggered. He iled his arms wildly, defending himself against Kim Hyun-Sung''s flurry of attacks. The monster was counterattacking as well, but there were no issues whatsoever, as I was watching him intently.


    The monster seemed to be channeling a spell using his negative energy, but Kim Hyun-Sung moved nonstop, attacking his fangs, horns, four arms, and his towering figure.


    I heard a <em>crack.</em>


    Kim Hyun-Sung calmly blocked the monster¡¯s attack, which was so strong that it sounded like it tore even space apart. This was made possible because the two of us had a shared thought and vision.


    While Kim Hyun-Sung was busynding heavy attacks on the monster while moving around at incredible speeds, the monster finally couldn''t take it and let out a roar.


    Tentacles sprouted all over the monster, and they all made a beeline for the giant, but it was useless. It looked like the monster was stuck in an endless loop of staggers, and Kim Hyun-Sung made quick work of the former''s tentacles.


    I was sure the people watching this scene through the Goddess'' Mirrors had no idea what was going on. The only thing they could probably see was an orange light drawn by the orange sword, which was illuminating the pitch-ck basement of the Underground Temple.


    <em>¡®Damn, he¡¯s strong. Why are you so strong, Hyun-Sung?¡¯</em>


    Perhaps it was because he was no longer hesitant.


    Anyway, I felt bad for Bahamut.


    <em>¡®He could have a chance if they dueled with swords.¡¯</em>


    The fact that he had transformed into a wild monster was a great advantage to us.


    [Mr. Hyun-Sung¡­].


    ¡°Y-Yes,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung replied.


    [You¡¯re doing really well.]


    ¡°T-Thank you, Mr. Ki-Young. Thank you,¡± he said.


    [You¡¯re¡­ doing well¡­ but I¡¯m really bored.]


    ¡°What?¡±


    [I¡¯m really bored.]


    <em>''I¡¯m telling you to make this more entertaining.''</em>


    ¡°<em>Ah¡­</em>¡±


    <em>''You don¡¯t understand what I¡¯m saying? Let¡¯s try being a little more blunt, then.''</em>


    [You didn¡¯t hear me say that I''m feeling bored?]


    <em>''You have the ability, so show it off already.''</em>


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll do better¡­¡± Kim Hyun-Sung mumbled. He was under a spell and could not think clearly, but he definitely knew what I wanted to see.


    If one had something up one''s sleeve, one ought to use it.


    The giant¡¯s role had yet to be established. I was sure he had a trick or two up his sleeves.


    <em>''Show me those tricks. Show me your skills or special moves.''</em>


    Kim Hyun-Sung''s eyes were empty and dazed, but I saw him gritting his teeth.


    The orange line suspended in the air started moving slowly.


    <em>¡®What the heck?¡¯</em>


    The giant swung its sword in an effort to inflict serious wounds or create an opening. The orange line that had been suspended in the air all this while suddenly flew toward the monster as soon as the giant swung its sword downward with both hands.


    <em>Fwooooosh!</em>


    The sword flew toward the monster.


    A grotesque noise echoed afterward.


    The monster had curled up in an effort to defend himself against the flurry of attacks imbued with negative energy, so he had no choice but to take the brunt of Kim Hyun-Sung''s powerful move.


    The attack did not sever his limbs, but he was sted away into the distance.


    <em>Boom!</em>


    He crashed into the wall, destroying it.


    <em>¡®He¡¯s pretty cool.¡¯</em>


    There was dust all over the ce, and I saw the monster emerge from the cloud of dust with a roar.


    I had been staring at the monster all this while, so I knew that it was toote for Kim Hyun-Sung to react. The giant and the monster shed once more; the giant was sted away this time.


    "H<em>aa¡­</em>"


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry. I¡¯m really¡­ really¡­ <em>Ugh¡­</em>¡±


    <em>Crack! Kaboom! Craaaack!</em>


    We probably would not get another chance like this, and I was sure the monster thought the same thing. The monster held the giant down with both hands as more arms sprouted from his back. Those arms then proceeded to give the giant a beatdown.


    <em>¡®He¡¯s a monster, all right.¡¯</em>


    His Endurance, Regeneration Rate, Strength, Agility, and Stamina were out of this world. His skills were extremely powerful as well. Considering the fact that we had been trying to tire him out using the expedition team, it was amazing how he could still fight.


    The orange giant was getting buried in the ground, and the dungeon trembled with every knuckle sandwich that the former had to eat from Bahamut.


    Bahamut was not really inflicting any real damage on the giant, but thetter''s armor was slowly getting destroyed.


    [<em>Haa¡­ </em>Really?]


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Ki-Young¡­¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    <em>''No, it¡¯s not your fault. This happened all because I wanted to see your abilities¡­ so you don¡¯t need to apologize.''</em>


    <em>Clench.</em> The giant gritted its teeth and grabbed the two arms that were holding it down.


    The moment the monster¡¯s fist was going tond on its hand, it raised its head, removed one of its arms, and got up. The monster took a stance and charged at the giant, but the orange sword was already in the giant¡¯s hand.


    <em>Boom!</em>


    The giant ran with all its might and swung its sword.


    A deafening explosion urred, and the monster was blown away.


    The monster immediately recovered his bnce, and then he proceeded to defend himself while attacking at the same time. I could see that the monster was also trying to read Kim Hyun-Sung¡¯s movements.


    Unfortunately, before the monster could even take a step forward with his left foot, his arm went flying, exposing his chest to Kim Hyun-Sung. Just as he was about to defend himself, the orange sword flew past him.


    "<em>Roaaaaaaaaaaaar!</em>" the monster roared in agonizing pain. A torrent of pitch-ck blood spurted out of the wound. The disgusting monster decided to move forward instead of running away, even though he was in the worst-case scenario.


    He took another step forward and swung his fist.


    Perhaps the monster had lost his mind due to the extreme pain, as it failed to see that it was a trap. The pitch-ck blood that had fallen on the ground transformed and charged at the giant.


    Kim Hyun-Sung was not surprised, as he knew that was going to happen. My vision, which was capable of seeing everything on this battlefield, saw the ambush. The pitch-ck blood had transformed into the monster''s tail, and it swung toward the giant.


    <em>Fwoooosh!</em>


    Our connected souls capable of ignoring even the fundamentalws of the universe told Kim Hyun-Sung my thoughts.


    Ability¡ªthe same ability that Kim Hyun-Sung had shown just a few moments ago.


    The giant swung its sword from below. It was trying to split the pitch-ck blood into two and then immediately inflict a fatal injury on the monster. However, the pitch-ck blood was fake; the real attack was the tail.


    Instead of attacking the oing tail, the giant took another step forward and charged at the monster. Naturally, the monster¡¯s tail changed directions and flew toward the giant¡¯s neck, but the orange line in mid-air swept past it, splitting it into two.


    "<em>Rooooooooooooooooooar!</em>"


    ¡°<em>Yaaaaaaaaaaah!</em>¡±


    The powerful sword strike pierced the monster.


    ¡°<em>Yaaaah!</em>¡±


    Kim Hyun-Sung let out a strange shout, but his trembling voice told me that the monster''s fleshly body was extremely durable. The orange Sword God was slowing down. His spine? Or was there something wrong with his muscles?


    <em>''Damn it. Is this his limit?''</em>


    [A little more¡­ Just a little more, Mr. Hyun-Sung. A little more!]


    ¡°<em>Ugh¡­</em> okay,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung replied.


    [Just a little more¡­ Hurry! Hurry! Damn it! You just need to¡­ do a little more¡­ A little moooore!]


    ¡°Okay!¡± Kim Hyun-Sung eximed and clenched his fist.


    [Push through! Push through. Damn it, man! Is that all you can do? Is it?!]


    ¡°W-What? N-No!¡± he answered.


    [Don¡¯t stop! Don¡¯t¡­ Damn it! Hey! Just a little more¡­ Don¡¯t stop, man! Yes! That¡¯s right! That¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about! <em>AAAAH</em>¡ªshit!!! I told you not to stop!]


    His sword stopped in the middle of splitting the monster''s body into two, and it wasn¡¯t moving anymore.


    <em>¡®Damn it, damn it! It¡¯s not enough.¡¯</em>


    The monster''s regeneration rate was extremely high, so I couldn''t help but feel anxious at the sight. The monster grabbed Kim Hyun-Sung¡¯s sword with both hands, and a pitch-ck energy gathered at his mouth.


    [Bahamut¡­ Bahamut!]


    <em>¡®Wake up, Warrior. Wake up! Damn it! Wake up! Warrior!¡¯</em>


    [Bahamut!]


    <em>¡®Wake up, Warrior. Escape from the monster¡¯s grasp ande to me!¡¯</em>


    Was it just me, or did the disgusting monster¡¯s eyes suddenly change into the eyes of the reliable Bahamut, whom I was familiar with?


    <em>¡®Wake up, please! Don¡¯t lose yourself! My Bahamut!¡¯</em>


    He was looking at me. Perhaps I was mistaken, but he looked like there was something he wanted to say to me.


    However, it probably had nothing to do with me.


    [Now! Now is your chance. Now! Now! Mr. Hyun-Sung! Now! I said <em>now!]</em>


    "<em>AAAAAAHHHHHH!</em>¡±


    The stuck sword was finally moving once more.


    The monster¡¯s roar was making my ears ring, but Kim Hyun-Sung didn¡¯t stop.


    He moved forward and put more strength into his sword!


    [Damn it! Damn it! That¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about! That¡¯s it! Hyun-Suuuung! Hyun-Suuuuuuung!]


    Kim Hyun-Sung''s sword tore apart the monster''s flesh and bones.


    ¡°<em>Pant¡­ pant¡­ pant¡­</em>¡±


    It was an unbelievable sight, and this sight was only made possible because the hearts of two people had be one. This victory was only made possible because we resembled a bnced scale that resembled the epitome of equilibrium.


    Bahamut had been split into two, and I was sure no one could deny that this victory only happened because of our unbreakable bond.


    1. Lee Ki-Young¡¯s POV ?

 Chapter 1012: You Reap What You Sow (19)

    As always, a radiant sunset filled the basement.


    The beautiful orange light pervaded the basement in a way that made everything look surreal.


    Bahamut''s body had been split into two, but it had yet to fall to the ground. Unbelievably, he was still resisting. He grabbed Kim Hyun-Sung''s sword with both hands and was about to unleash his nauseating Breath when the orange Sword God thrust his sword forward, piercing him.


    <em>Kabooooooooooom!</em>


    Rather than saying that Bahamut''s body was severed cleanly, it would be better to say that Kim Hyun-Sung had used his special power to sever Bahamut''s body into two.


    In an instant, a shockwave swept across everything, kicking up dust and debris. I was puzzled for a moment because the shockwave felt like a meteor had struck the ground, but I could not really say for sure.


    Kim Hyun-Sung¡¯s sword didn¡¯t just sever Bahamut''s body.


    It would be more fitting to say that it overcame the disgusting pitch-ck power that was resisting the sunset.


    The resistance was so strong, so it was natural for the two powers to sh. The winner of the tug of war was none other than our lovely regressor, Kim Hyun-Sung.[Shit! This is what I¡¯m talking about! Hyun-Suuung! Hyun-Suuuuung!]


    <em>¡®I knew our Hyun-Sung could do it.¡¯</em>


    [That was really cool! So cool, man!]


    <em>¡®There¡¯s a reason I invested in Hyun-Sung Coin.¡¯</em>


    [The hero! The Sunset Swordsman! I believed in you, man!]


    <em>¡®This is what I wanted. As expected from our regressor!¡¯</em>


    [This is the Kim Hyun-Sung I know!]


    <em>¡®This is what I wanted from our regressor!¡¯</em>


    [Hyun-Suuuuung!]


    <em>¡®Look at how manly he looks! That¡¯s our regressor!¡¯</em>


    In the end, the monster¡¯s body was cut in half, but it had been a difficult fight.


    [Come here! Come here, Hyun-Sung!]


    <em>¡®I couldn''t really understand the hype, but I finally understand why people go crazy over sports¡­¡¯</em>


    I felt like a brand-new world had just opened its doors for me, but I felt like going crazy upon realizing the difficulty of this fight. I couldn''t help but think aboutunching a sportspetition on the continent using mock battles to increase the overall strength level of the people throughout the continent.


    Of course, I also thought it''d be really popr.


    <em>¡®It¡¯s making my heart race.¡¯</em>


    I was in a good mood, and I felt like dancing around.


    Based on just the results alone, all we had done was take down the monster, but it was extremely difficult to get here. It all worked out because Draktaris and Temr Genny had been waiting for me.  R?


    The mission that I carried out with Ji-Hye noona and Commander Jin told me that even if we were to avoid factoring in Bahamut''s increased HP and Endurance due to the demon''s seed, we''d still struggle to defeat him.


    The fight was close, and the small opening that the monster showed at the end was what helped us achieve this feat.


    Kim Hyun-Sung was panting, and he was struggling to move. Those were enough proof to show that this fight was a grueling one. The orange giant disappeared, and Kim Hyun-Sung copsed to the ground immediately afterward.


    The sight told me that Kim Hyun-Sung had truly reached his limits.


    He sprawled out on the ground, breathing heavily.


    He forced himself to get up in order to carry out the order that I gave him just now, but he seemed to be having a hard time maintaining his bnce as if he were a newborn fawn. I ran up to him and hugged him as he copsed.


    I patted his head and told him that he did a good job.


    [Shit! Shit! You did well, Hyun-Sung! Man!]


    ¡°<em>Ah¡­</em> T-Thank you,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung mumbled.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t forget to criticize him for making me nervous with his silent treatment.


    [<em>Ptooey! </em>You disgraceful bastard! You nauseating jerk! How dare you suddenly appear here and put me in a frustrating situation!]


    <em>''Do you have any idea how much I suffered? I could scold you all I want, and it still wouldn¡¯t relieve my anger.''</em>


    ¡°Haa¡­ haa


    [Are you tired, Hyun-Sung?]


    ¡°No¡­ I¡¯m not. I can still¡­¡±


    [No, no. You can rest if you¡¯re tired. Our Hyun-Sung, rest all you want. Should I set up a bed for you?]


    ¡°I-


    [Liefortably and rest.]


    ¡°Is he¡­ dead?¡± Kim Hyun-Sung asked.


    [Hey! Just rest and stop asking questions like that.]


    Kim Hyun-Sung sprawled out on the ground as if I had ordered him to do it. It made sense. I was sure that the act of standing up alone was taking a toll on him.


    ¡°<em>Haaaa¡­ haaa¡­</em>¡±


    Just as I thought, he looked like he was still having a hard time breathing. I saidforting words rather than scolding him, as he was at his limits both physically and mentally.


    [You did really well today.]


    ¡°T-Thank¡­¡±


    [So, just rest.]


    ¡°Okay. T-Thank¡­ you,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung mumbled.


    <em>¡®That Bahamut jerk went too far.¡¯</em>


    I still couldn¡¯t believe that he was rolling on the ground despite getting cut in half.


    [This bastard is really persist¡ª]


    The end of hardship meant the beginning of happiness.


    The one and only threat to the continent was already dead¡ª


    ¡°...¡±


    "<em>Ugh¡­ ah¡­</em>"


    [<em>Uh¡­</em> Hyun-Sung?]


    ¡°...¡±


    [Are you sleeping?]


    Just then, the monster¡¯s finger twitched.


    <em>¡®Uh¡­¡¯</em>


    Just then, many different thoughts popped into my head.


    I looked over at the lower half of Bahamut''s body and saw a wriggling clump of pitch-ck blood. It seemed like it had a will of its own as it was slowly making its way to the upper half of Bahamut''s body.


    I felt a shiver down my spine, and I nked out at the sight.


    <em>¡®Shit, shit. What¡¯s going on? What¡¯s happening all of a sudden?¡¯</em>


    <em>''What the hell is that?''</em>


    "<em>Uwaaaaah¡­</em>"


    [Hyun-Sung?]


    His fingers moved once more.


    <em>¡®How does this even make sense? How¡­ is this possible?¡¯</em>


    I knew that his regeneration rate was extremely high.


    <em>¡®But this is going too far.¡¯</em>


    I looked at Kim Hyun-Sung, but he hadpletely lost consciousness after I told him that he could rest. I also knew better than anyone that he wasn¡¯t in the condition to fight.


    Kim Hyun-Sung had nothing left, as he had exhausted everything he had in the battle just now. If he were to fight in his current condition, he''d suffer from the side effects of such strenuous exertion.


    <em>¡®What about Hee-Ra noona?¡¯</em>


    Was she watching us right now?


    Unfortunately, she was probably far away along with Jung Ha-Yan, and the other expedition members.


    While I was having other thoughts, Bahamut''s lower body was finally reattached to his upper body. I was sure Bahamut was exhausted as well, but I couldn¡¯t help but frown at the sight.


    <em>¡®Tenacious bastard.¡¯</em>


    This was all his fault.


    <em>¡®This disgusting and nauseating bastard¡­¡¯</em>


    <em>''Do I have any potions or catalysts left? Or is there anything I can do? Can I¡­ stop him myself?'' </em>I grabbed my head, feeling like I was having a headache.


    And that was when something miraculous happened¡­.


    "Priest¡­ of Prophecy¡­" I heard a faint voiceing from the monster.


    [...]


    "Fa¡­ ther¡­"


    It was such a sad voice.


    <em>¡®He got his memories back¡­ Bahamut! He¡­¡¯</em>


    He came back to his senses.


    "This time¡­ This¡­. Time¡­"


    [Bahamut¡­?]


    "<em>Uwah¡­ uh¡­ </em>Father¡­"


    <em>''Don¡¯t revive, man. Just don¡¯t.''</em>


    [Bahamut¡­ Bahamut! You¡¯ve¡­e back to your senses¡­ <em>Heuk¡­</em>]


    "The¡­ orange¡­ demon¡­"


    I realized just then that Bahamut wasn¡¯t in his right mind. He seemed to be in a daze.


    I wasn¡¯t sure how many memories he had recovered, but he was probably recalling that battle. Perhaps he could remember reacting to my voice, and there was a chance that he was recalling the scene when Kim Hyun-Sung had split him into two.


    A powerful shockwave burst out of Bahamut, but he was saying a bunch of nonsense without looking around. I wasn''t sure whether he was even aware of the fact that he had been split into two.


    Actually, I couldn''t even see his eyes anymore.


    "You¡­ You¡­"


    "Father¡­ how¡­"


    [...]


    "How long¡­ h-have I¡­ been asleep¡­"


    [Bahamut¡­ <em>Heuk</em>¡­ Bahamut¡­ <em>Heuk¡­ heuuk¡­</em>]


    <em>''I¡¯ll just keep crying for now.'' </em>


    I hugged the monster¡¯srge and disgusting head¡ªno, I hugged the head of the demon who had no choice but to ept the demon¡¯s seed. I hugged him tightly while crying. I hugged with sincerity as if I were telling him not to die and that he couldn''t die here.


    Pitch-ck tears flowed down nonstop, and I was being careful so that my tears wouldn''t identally end up in his mouth. I wasn''t sure how many of his senses were still working, but he had to be aware of the fact that I was near him.


    It was over.


    The orange demon was dead; the Angel of Sacrifice had been freed from the demon¡¯s grasp. Of course, some sacrifices had to be made. Temr Bahamut was dying, and it was highly likely that this fact was being written in his head at the moment.


    [More importantly Bahamut¡­ <em>Heuk¡­</em> Bahamut¡­]


    Bahamut probably thought that he protected me and that he actually did something.


    As expected, he started trembling due to the tumultuous emotions in his heart. He raised his hand slowly. I thought he couldn''t do that anymore, but he managed to raise his hand. The sight made me feel nervous and worried. I felt like he was trying to pat my head, so I grabbed his hand first.


    "Don¡¯t¡­ Don¡¯t cry¡­ Father."


    [<em>Heuk¡­ heuuk¡­ heuuuuuuuuk¡­ heuk¡­</em>]


    "I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m okay¡­"


    [Please don¡¯t die, Bahamut¡­ Please¡­]


    "I¡¯m¡­ okay¡­ Fa¡­ ther¡­"


    Was it because he couldn¡¯t forgive himself for being a monster? His voice¡­ he clearly sounded like he was ready to die.


    "Now¡­ everything¡­ It¡¯s time to end everything¡­ It¡¯s finally that time¡­"


    That remark was a bolt from the blue, and it was a remark that tore my heart apart.


    [<em>Ack¡­ Heuuuk¡­ heuuuk¡­ Ahhhhh¡­</em>]


    "I think it¡¯s time¡­ to end it."


    [<em>Ahhhhh¡­ Heuk¡­ AAAAHHH!</em>]

 Chapter 1013: You Reap What You Sow (20)

    Temr Bahamut was a hero and a loyal follower of Lucifer in the distant past, and he had lived a life following the light.


    His faith was both his life and his goal.


    He was a man who had devoted his entire life to eradicating evil and enforcing justice.


    He never cowered for the sake of protecting the continent and the people beloved by the light. He thought the power he had was a gift from the Goddess. He was neither arrogant nor conceited.


    He was a hero who genuinely believed in his faith, and his faith had never wavered.


    The hero of ancient times was now at the crossroads of life and death.


    [<em>Heuk¡­ heuuuk¡­</em>]


    I could not stop crying. I knew his life better than anyone, so I couldn¡¯t help but find him pitiful. I wanted to support his decision, but as his friend and someone who understood him the most, I just couldn¡¯t ept this ending.


    "..."[<em>Ack¡­ heuuuk¡­</em>]


    He was forced to make that mistake, but he couldn''t stop regretting it. He understood better than anyone that what he did was unforgivable. Once known as a warrior of the goddess, he sold his soul to a demon and abandoned his life as a human.


    Instead of embracing his glorious faith, he embraced the nauseating darkness, and he ended up hating himself for it. The glimmer in his eyes faded, and he could no longer see the world objectively. His wise nature became twisted, losing its light, and in the end, he became a beast who only relied on his instincts.


    The red blood that the goddess had gifted to him had be pitch-ck. He became so drunk on that blood that he did horrible things that I couldn''t even talk about.


    <em>¡®You¡¯d be a real psychopath if you try to survive this¡­¡¯</em>


    Bahamut finally regained consciousness, but he probably felt like all of this was too much to bear.


    Naturally, he felt like he needed to take responsibility for all of this and that he had to be the one to do it.


    "D-Don¡¯t cry, Priest of Prophecy¡­"


    [<em>Heuk¡­ heuuuk¡­</em>]


    <em>''Idiot.''</em>


    "Please don¡¯t cry¡­"


    [<em>Heuuk¡­ heuung¡­ heuk¡­</em>]


    "You don¡¯t¡­ need to be sad. It¡¯s a sin. Imitted¡­ a sin."


    [...]


    "You know very well¡­ that the sin Imitted cannot be forgiven no matter what I do¡­"


    [N-No¡­ <em>Heuk¡­ </em>Bahamut¡­ this isn¡¯t your fault.]


    "..."


    [Even if it¡¯s your fault, I don¡¯t care. If you didmit a sin, I¡¯ll carry that sin for you. We¡¯ll¡­ We¡¯ll face it together¡­ and bear it. S-So please¡­ get up. P-Please don¡¯t give up.]


    "Y-You¡¯ve always¡­ been kind¡­ Father."


    [...]


    "You¡¯re so¡­ kind. The moment I met you, I instantly knew that¡­ you''re kind¡­"


    [...]


    "I-I remember that day. I still clearly remember the first time we met."


    [Me, too¡­ Bahamut. I remember it clearly as well.]


    "I was pretty rude¡­ though. I was aggressive and the first thing I asked was¡­ who you were¡­ Thinking about it now makes meugh."


    [No, you were¡­]


    "It was only for a moment¡­ It was really only for a moment¡­ but during that time¡­ it felt like I got a glimpse of your life, Priest of Prophecy¡­ I mean, Angel of Sacrifice¡­" ??


    [...]


    "With your pure white wings spread wide¡­ and your glowing golden eye¡­ I saw you looking at me."


    [Bahamut¡­]


    "For a moment, I thought I was imagining things¡­ but I knew¡­ that I wasn¡¯t seeing things¡­"


    Bahamut was gasping for air.


    I wasn¡¯t sure whether his regenerative ability was active or not, but it seemed like his body was no longer regenerating. The pitch-ck blood, which looked like it had a mind of its own, became quiet, making me feel even more relieved.


    [Bahamut.]


    My job was to sympathize with him. I hid my gloomy expression, but as always, I was armed with courage and perseverance.


    I needed to be positive while hiding my sadness.


    I had to be an optimist who believed that Bahamut wasn¡¯t going to die. I had to believe that he was going to get up and go back to his original self and that everything was going to be fine.


    I smiled like a fool to help him feel less nervous. Anyone could see that I was denying reality.


    I was praying like a fool as well, hoping that the worst-case scenario wouldn¡¯te.


    "Do you remember, Father¡­?"


    Of course, Bahamut knew this as well. How could he not know that I was trying my best to deny reality? However, he didn¡¯t show it. It was probably because he wanted to spend his final moments with me.


    [Yes, I remember, Bahamut. Of course I remember¡­ Even though a lot of time passed, I still clearly remember it and the things you said.]


    "M-Me, too."


    [I remember our stroll¡­ <em>Ah!</em> I also remember the deep conversations you and I had.]


    It was such a long time that it felt like an eternity. It was difficult for the human memory to remember exactly what happened a few years ago, but for some reason, the time I spent with Bahamut¡­ was still clear in my mind as if it happened just a few days ago.


    [T-There was also that time when I almost tripped.]


    "<em>Ha¡­ haha¡­</em> you¡¯re right. I was so shocked back then. You seemed like a perfectionist, so that was my first time seeing your¡­ clumsy side¡­"


    [B-Back then¡­]


    "I-It happened¡­ a few times. If I didn¡¯t catch you¡­"


    [You have a great memory. I-It¡­ would¡¯ve been nice if you forgot memories like that¡­]


    "How could I? On top of that, there was sword training¡­ <em>Ke¡­ keke¡­</em>"


    <em>¡®Your sword techniques were dangerous. Was it that funny seeing me struggle?¡¯</em>


    "Seeing you struggle with a sword¡­ <em>Ha¡­ haha¡­</em>"


    [I was¡­ actually¡­ doing my best¡­ I-I remember you telling me¡­ I could improve if I do my best¡­]


    "<em>Ha¡­ haha¡­ kek¡­ haha¡­</em>"


    [You¡­ lied!]


    "I¡¯m¡­ sorry. <em>Ha¡­ haha¡­</em>"


    [How could you! Lie to me about that¡­]


    "You just looked¡­ so serious¡­ I-I couldn¡¯t tell you the truth."


    [You¡¯re so mean.]


    "Also¡­"


    [Yes?]


    "It was a great excuse to make so I could spend more time with you."


    [...]


    "It was my first time."


    [...]


    It was my first timeughing like that in the Underground Temple, and it was the first time I reflected on myself. I¡¯ve never talked to anyone that long before. It''s probably because¡­ <em>Ugh</em>¡­ I never had the chance¡­ to look back¡­ b-but it felt like¡­ I was saved. I¡¯m sure that¡¯s what it felt like.


    [That¡¯s¡­]


    "Talking to you¡­"


    [...]


    [Andughing while walking with you in the Underground Temple¡­]


    [...]


    "Talking about trivial things¡­"


    "Enjoying the social gathering¡­ they were all a first for me. Do you¡ª<em>haha</em>¡­ remember it all?"


    <em>¡®Why do you keep asking if I can still remember those times?¡¯</em>


    I was sure he wanted to talk about many things because it had been a while since we saw each other, but the problem was that they were too detailed. The longer our conversation, the more ufortable I felt.


    I was trying to focus, but many thoughts popped into my head.


    <em>¡®I hope this jerk doesn¡¯t get up all of a sudden saying that he doesn¡¯t want to die.¡¯</em>


    It wasn''t likely, but I couldn¡¯t deny the fact that I was anxious.


    <em>¡®Come on, let¡¯s move on.¡¯</em>


    [You mean when we ran to the terrace to avoid the boring priests?]


    "Yes."


    [Of course I remember, Bahamut. I think it¡¯s more like I was helping you get away¡­ I could tell you really wanted to get out.]


    "So I¡¯ve been caught red-handed."


    [I remember¡­ every single detail, including the moment we were together. Of course¡­ our final moments¡­ as well¡­]


    [...]


    [I remember ourst moment as well.]


    I was trying my best to move on to thest part of the story.


    The natural build-up made Bahamut go silent.


    Momentster, I heard his soft voice. He seemed to be cautious of his words. I was sure there was a lot he wanted to say, but he couldn¡¯t say them all. He was too ashamed to talk to me about the fact that he had epted the demon¡¯s seed and got into a contract with a demon.


    "I¡¯m sorry for letting you see me like this¡­ Despite remembering¡­ your warning¡­ I¡­"


    [No, I know¡­ I know you had no choice. I-I don¡¯t care what you look like, Bahamut. Just because you turned your back on the light¡­ and became like this doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re not Bahamut.]


    "..."


    <em>''So¡­''</em>


    [I¡¯m sure a lot of things happened and I know it was hard to endure. I know you had no other choice¡­ and it was something that was bound to happen¡­ I know it all. If there¡¯s one thing I can say¡­ y-you¡¯re still kind¡­ and caring.]


    "But¡­"


    [That¡¯s not who you are. It was something that wore a mask that resembled you¡­ so¡­]


    "Thank you for saying that, Father¡­"


    [...]


    "Thank you¡­ very much for saying that. Thank you forforting¡­ an idiot like me who does not deserve forgiveness."


    Bahamut didn¡¯t move, but I could feel him crying.


    Was he regretting his decision? No, he didn¡¯t regret it because in the end, he defeated the orange demon and got the ending that he wanted.


    The Angel of Sacrifice was freed from the demon, and he found peace again.


    Although it took a long time and the method was not exactly right, he still overcame the orange demon. In exchange, he had to sacrifice many things.


    I was sure¡­ he wasn¡¯t regretting it, and perhaps it was just me, but¡­


    <em>¡®He looks like he just wants to beforted.¡¯</em>


    He couldn¡¯t be forgiven by everyone¡­ but he wanted to receive the forgiveness of a certain individual.


    "..."


    [...]


    There was a moment of silence, and Bahamut realized that the end was near.


    Of course, the naive Priest of Prophecy was busy talking to Bahamut because it was fun. The fact that I could talk to him like this made me feel happy. I felt like this moment was going tost forever.


    "Come to think of it¡­ I remember the story¡­ you told me¡­"


    [What?]


    "You said you couldn¡¯t see the sky from here¡­"


    [<em>Ah</em>, I do remember¡­ saying something like that. You have¡­ a really good memory.]


    "You said when you were in the Land of Nejesca, you always looked up at the sky whenever you were done with your work. You said seeing the starry night sky would relieve you of your exhaustion¡­ and doing that became a habit. You said you''d instinctively look at the sky."


    [Do you really remember everything?]


    "You said¡­ that ck ceiling resembled the sky you saw a long time ago."


    [Bahamut¡­]


    "Father, what does the sky look like right now?"


    <em>''Is that what he wanted?''</em>


    I talked slowly, describing what I was seeing.


    "I¡­ I''m seeing a dark sky."


    It was actually an orange sky.


    "I see¡­"


    [I''m seeing a really beautiful sky.]


    "Is that¡­ right? I see. So it¡¯s beautiful."


    [It¡¯d be really nice if you could see it with me.]


    "<em>Haha¡­ ha¡­</em>"


    [The stars are shining¡­ like the sky¡­ you and I saw together¡­]


    "I see¡­"


    [It reminds me of obsidian. The night pearls look like stars¡­ it¡¯s vast¡­ and like a midsummer night¡­ It¡¯s strange. I-It really¡­]


    "...Yes?"


    "Reminds me of the Land of Nejesca."


    [...I see¡­]


    [We should go to the Land of Nejesca¡­ together someday¡­]


    "..."


    [Of course, the Underground Temple¡­]


    [...]


    [Are you listening? It¡¯s interesting. The speckles in the sky remind me¡­ of the aurora¡­ but I know that¡¯s not what those are¡­]


    [...]


    [Come to think of it, Bahamut¡­]


    [...]


    [Bahamut?]


    [...]


    [Baha¡­ mut¡­]


    [...]


    [Baha¡­ Bahamut¡­ <em>Heuk</em>¡­ Bahamut¡­]


    [...]


    [<em>Heuk¡­ heuuuuk¡­</em>]


    [...]


    [Bahamut¡­]


    Grief belonged to those who were left behind.


    Itsted a really, really long time, but it was a mere moment for us.


    It was a terribly lonely and sad¡­ summer.


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 1014: You Reap What You Sow (21)

    I heard loud cheers around me, so I opened my eyes.


    <em>¡®Bahamut, you jerk¡­ Looks like you¡¯re finally dead.¡¯</em>


    I wasn¡¯t certain, but I had an idea. Why else would they cheer?


    "Hyung-nim¡­ Hyung-nim, are you okay?" Park Deok-Gu asked.


    "Mr. Lee Ki-Young."


    "Mr. Ki-Young¡­ Mr. Ki-Young¡­"


    I was in a blur, but I could hear several voices addressing me at once.


    <em>¡®Uh, my eyes must still be closed.¡¯</em>


    Why was it so dark?"Please move. I need to check his condition."


    I felt like I was dreaming.


    <em>¡®Am I unconscious?¡¯</em>


    I thought I had some energy left after Bahamut¡¯s farewell party, but it seemed that I lost consciousness without realizing it.


    <em>¡®It¡¯s understandable since I''ve been withstanding it for a long time.¡¯</em>


    It was probably because I was no longer nervous, and all the tension had left me. I had been at my limit a long time ago, and now that I thought about it, I never had a good night''s sleep since I saw that scene through Kasugano Yuno.


    <em>¡®I¡¯m sure I have a lot of injuries¡­¡¯</em>


    They were treating my injuries using holy power, but repeat injuries would eventually make my body break down. I also awakened as Light Ki-Young, so it was natural for me to be in this condition.


    While everyone else was cheering, the leaders of the expedition group and the Blue Guild were wrapping things up. It was highly likely they were taking me to a camp. I couldn¡¯t feel like I was being moved, but I heard loud noises outside.


    I could also hear someone crying.


    "Hurry up and take him. Hurry!"


    "B-But¡­ is it okay to leave him¡­ like this? Just now, he clearly¡ª"


    "What?"


    "You saw it yourself, didn¡¯t you? F-Father Lee Ki-Young¡­ a-a demon¡­"


    "Shut up," Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    "What?"


    "I told you¡­ to shut up before I break that mouth of yours," Kim Hyun-Sung threatened.


    He clearly regained consciousness before me.


    <em>¡®But you shouldn¡¯t threaten people like that.¡¯</em>


    "..."


    Afterward, I heard Jo Hye-Jin¡¯s voice.


    "I¡¯m sure you¡¯re already aware, but everything you saw today is top secret. Forget everything you saw here. It¡¯s also written in the expedition contract, so please keep that in mind." ?


    <em>¡®Yeah, that''s what I¡¯m talking about. Our Hye-Jin is doing so well. Hyun-Sung, you shouldn¡¯t make threats like that, man.¡¯</em>


    "B-But¡­"


    "The Blue Guild and the Vatican are aware of your concerns, but right now, it¡¯s hard to make any decisions," Jo Hye-Jin exined.


    "Understood."


    <em>¡®You need to be nice like her.¡¯</em>


    Jo Hye-Jin''s voice was getting farther and farther away.


    With a <em>thud</em>, I heard Sun Hee-Young and Elena¡¯s voices.


    "There¡¯s nothing wrong with his body. <em>Um¡­</em> about the other Mr. Ki-Young¡­," Elena said.


    "As of right now, I don¡¯t feel it. What do you think, Miss Elena?" Sun Hee-Young asked.


    "You¡¯re right, Miss Sun Hee-Young. I-I don¡¯t¡­ feel it. He¡¯s just exhausted¡­ so you don¡¯t have to worry too much, Master," Elena replied.


    "<em>Wheeew¡­</em> I¡¯m¡­ d," Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    Afterward, I could no longer hear any voices.


    It sounded like they were having a serious conversation, but their voices were faint.


    It sounded like they were talking slowly as well. Before I fell into another deep sleep, I started thinking about themotion I heard earlier.


    I didn¡¯t think much about it because I was really out of it earlier, but now that I thought about it.


    <em>¡®It was because of¡­ Light Ki-Young.¡¯</em>


    I knew it was going to be problematic.


    <em>¡®Damn it. Why did I overdo it?¡¯</em>


    I failed to control my emotions. It was such a desperate situation, so I got really agitated. In the eyes of a third party, however, I definitely looked like someone who had lost his mind.


    It was highly likely that I looked like a psycho because I was crying andughing for no reason.


    Actually, some of the fieldmanders were aware of the reason behind my actions, but who couldugh off the appearance of the Monarch of Lust and Eternal Sleep?


    I was sure they thought my unstable mind made me like a ticking bomb. I had a disgusting appearance, and from the point of someone unaware, I had to have treated Kim Hyun-Sung, the world¡¯s strongest, as if he were a ve.


    <em>¡®It¡¯s understandable that they¡¯d make a big deal out of it.¡¯</em>


    Jin Cheong did not intentionally disconnect from the channel, so it was clear that he really wanted to see me fail.


    "Hyung-nim¡­ are you¡­ okay?"


    <em>''Oh, the pig is here.''</em>


    "Are you sure¡­ you''re okay?" Park Deok-Gu asked again.


    ''I¡¯m fine.''


    "I hope I¡¯m not making a fuss¡­ but the situation I thought would never happen again actually happened again. I suddenly feel worried. I don¡¯t know what happened¡­ but hurry up and get up. Fix this. I also have many things I want to hear from you¡­" Park Deok-Gu said.


    <em>''What do you want to hear?''</em>


    "<em>Ah</em>, also, don¡¯t hate Hyun-Sung bro so much. After hearing his side of the story, it sounded like everyone had agreed on it. I know you were trying to take on the difficult task by yourself like always, but you can¡¯t expect us to stand by and do nothing after disappearing like that all of a sudden," Park Deok-Guined.


    I wanted to keep listening, but I was getting sleepy.


    Afterwards, I heard Jo Hye-Jin¡¯s voice.


    "Don¡¯t do that again."


    <em>''Do what?''</em>


    "Don¡¯t¡­ Don¡¯t try to do that again, you jerk," Jo Hye-Jin added.


    <em>''What are you talking about?''</em>


    "Do you have any idea how scared I was? Do you know how scary it is¡­ to suddenly lose memories of you¡­ <em>Heuk¡­ heuuk¡­!</em>" Jo Hye-Jin cried.


    <em>''Why is she crying?''</em>


    "Miss Hye-Jin¡­"


    "<em>Heuk¡­ heuuuk¡­</em>"


    <em>''Wait, did youe here with Elias? He''s notforting you right now, is he?''</em>


    "<em>Heuk¡­</em> you jerk. You¡¯re the worst person in the world," she said.


    "It¡¯ll all be fine," Elias said.


    <em>''Elias, you bastard. Don¡¯t you darey a finger on her, you scum. How dare you approach her at her weakest¡ª''</em>


    <em>''Ah¡­ I¡¯m sleepy.''</em>


    I heard a voice again.


    "Mister¡­ wake up¡­"


    It was Ye-Ri''s voice.


    "He¡­ didn¡¯t die again, did he?" asked Kim Ye-Ri. She seemed to have been traumatized by my death.


    "<em>Kgh¡­ heuk¡­</em> He¡¯s not dead, right? He''s not dead, right?" Kim Ye-Ri questioned.


    I was clearly breathing, so why was she acting this way?


    What¡¯s wrong with them? It hadn''t even been a week.


    <em>¡®Wait, a week? It probably hasn''t even been four days.¡¯</em>


    The information I extracted from my visitors allowed me to deduce that the expedition group had yet to retreat.


    Bahamut was dead, but the dungeon conquest wasn''t over yet.


    The Blue Guild and the expedition group couldn¡¯t leave this ce yet, so they had to have built a tent for me to rest instead of taking me up to the surface.


    They had made the right decision. They had to keep an eye on me to deal with the Light Ki-Young incident. It was also better for me to be close to them, so I could deal with anything unexpected.


    "I came to report the situation outside in case you¡¯re curious, Mr. Lee Ki-Young."


    <em>''I knew I could rely on you, Hee-Young.''</em>


    "..."


    "Miss Hee-Young has something to do in the afternoon, so I came in her ce, sir."


    <em>''Ki-Mo is here as well.''</em>


    "There¡¯s actually something I need to report first¡­ It seemed like Miss Jo Hye-Jin and Mr. Elias has gotten really close recently," Sun Hee-Young reported.


    <em>''What?''</em>


    "I don¡¯t think they¡¯re dating yet¡­ but I feel like there¡¯s something going on between them. She wasn¡¯t like this before¡­ but it seems like Miss Jo Hye-Jin has finally be aware of Mr. Elias¡¯s presence.


    "They¡¯ve been going on exploration tasks a lot recently. I don¡¯t know what they¡¯re talking about¡­ but the worst-case scenario you¡¯ve been worried about might be happening," Sun Hee-Young added.


    <em>''Shit, I knew this was going to happen. That bastard.''</em>


    The next one was Chang-Ryeol.


    "As you¡¯ve mentioned, sir, I¡¯ve been trying to recruit Colonel Smith. We¡¯re still discussing the details of his contract. I think it¡¯s best¡­ if you listen to the conditions¡­" Lee Chang-Ryeol suggested.


    They were doing great.


    They knew what to do without me telling them what they needed to do.


    Since the expedition was on hold for now, everyone started poaching and recruiting people. There was also some trading going on, as the top adventurers of the continent were all here.


    I was sure there were people they liked and groups that lined up with their ideals.


    We didn¡¯t need to follow this trend, but we needed to recruit Colonel Smith.


    <em>''Ah, Captain Sophia isn¡¯t so bad, either.''</em>


    It was fun hearing news about what was happening outside from time to time.


    "Mr. Ki-Young¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m really sorry. <em>Heuk</em>¡­" Kim Hyun-Sung would cry a lot during his visits. Despite being the leader of the expedition, he had been spending too much time here.


    "Hyung-nim¡­ today is the fourth day. We¡¯ve been searching everywhere¡­ but we haven''t been able to find anything. Can we even clear this dungeon?" Park Deok-Gu asked.


    "Mr. Deok-Gu, it¡¯s time to change shifts."


    The pig and Hwang Jung-Yeon wereining about many things.


    "O-O-Oppa¡­ you¡¯re mean. T-This¡­ is y-you¡¯re fault. I-I did nothing wrong, so you¡¯re¡­ the bad guy," Jung Ha-Yan said.


    "..."


    "Y-You need to be punished¡­ for being bad. Yeah¡­ punished. S-Sora, there¡¯s no one outside, right?" Jung Ha-Yan asked.


    Jung Ha-Yan woulde randomly and say ridiculous things about punishing me and that I was the bad guy.


    "Darling, when are you going to wake up? It¡¯s really boring here. Let¡¯s head up soon. Show me your transformation again, you got it?" Cha Hee-Ra said.


    "..."


    "<em>Ugh</em>¡­ this is driving me crazy. I need to hurry and get out of here," Cha Hee-Ra added.


    After visiting me once, Hee-Ra noona did not visit me again.


    "Can you hear me, Sub Guild Master? Can you hear me? Can you see me or hear me?"


    Elena was focused on checking my condition.


    Even new guild members visited me often and said ridiculous things. I wasn¡¯t sure whether an order to visit was given to the entire guild or not, but I found it entertaining to listen to the rookies.


    "<em>Woof!</em>" Shiro barked.


    "<em>Ah!</em> Belier!" Alps greeted.


    "Miss Alps. Y-You¡¯re already here," Belier said.


    "Yes. The others are outside. They said there''s no one else who can work beside me¡­ You didn¡¯t¡­ get a mission¡­ Miss Belier?" she asked.


    How was this not entertaining?


    "It¡¯s kind of hard¡­ right? Miss Sun Hee-Young¡­ is kind of scary¡­" Alps asked.


    "Miss Kim Ye-Ri¡­ always tells me that I''ve changed a lot since I joined. I understand what she¡¯s saying¡­ but it makes me kind of sad," Belier told her.


    "And Miss Yoo Ah-Young is the same," Belier added.


    Gossiping about other people was always fun.


    The guild members weren¡¯t the only ones who visited me.


    "How long are you nning on sleeping, you idiot? Shouldn¡¯t you end this since you started this?" Commander Jin asked. He visited me only once.


    "Master¡­ <em>Heuk</em>¡­. Master!" Kasugano Yuno visited me once as well.


    Since entry to the room was pretty strict, only guild members could enter, except for Jin Cheong, Kasugano Yuno, and Cha Hee-Ra. In addition to them, I heard Ji-Hye noona mumbling something through themunication channel.


    Exactly five dayster, I finally opened my eyes.


    "Y-You need to be punished¡ªO-O-Oppa?"


    Jung Ha-Yan hugged me with a shocked face.


    "I can¡¯t breathe, Ha-Yan," I told her.


    "<em>Heuk¡­ kgh¡­ </em>O-O-Oppa¡­ <em>Kgh¡­</em>" Jung Ha-Yan cried.


    "I said I can¡¯t breathe," I repeated.


    All the guild members soon entered the room, and I couldn¡¯t help but smile at the sight of them.

 Chapter 1015: You Reap What You Sow (22)

    <em>¡®My babies are here.¡¯</em>


    With a <em>thump</em>, Kim Hyun-Sung entered first and stared at me with a nk expression.


    What did he want to say to me? I saw him moving his lips, but he remained quiet in the end and just stared at me. His sparkling eyes had changed, and he was filled with many different emotions. The sight alone made me feel bad.


    ¡°K-Ki-Young¡­¡±


    He was choking up. He couldn¡¯t finish his sentence because the guild members came in.


    ¡°Hyung-nim? Hyung-nim¡­ are you awake? Our hyung-nim is awake! <em>Keugh</em>¡­ we were worried about you! How could you do that?!¡± Park Deok-Gu shouted.


    ¡°Sub Guild Master!¡± Jo Hye-Jin shouted.


    ¡°How are you feeling?¡±


    <em>¡®They¡¯re acting as if I¡¯ve been unconscious for five years.¡¯</em>¡°Hold on, sir¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait, let me check your condition.¡±


    The word "new" was the best way to describe this situation.


    I''d hear their voices often, but it had been a really long time since I saw their faces.


    Perhaps it was all because I went to the social gathering, but I was so happy to see them that it felt strange.


    I was relieved and worried at the same time because everyone seemed a bit too excited, but thanks to Elena and Sun Hee-Young, I managed to avoid getting buried in their hugs.


    ¡°Thankfully¡­ you seem fine. It¡¯s true that you still need to rest more¡­ but more importantly, c-can all of you calm down a little? I understand that all of you are happy, but¡­¡± Elena said.


    The cacophony of voices slowly went silent. It was like they had just figured out the fact that they were standing before a patient.


    ¡°Sub Guild Master? How are you feeling?¡±


    Jo Hye-Jin was the first one to talk to me.


    After seeing her worried face, I replied, ¡°I-I¡¯m not sure. I don¡¯t feel <em>that</em> great¡­ I think I feel the same as usual.¡±


    I was not really happy because of the news I heard about you and Elias.


    ¡°I¡¯m d. You¡¯re. Okay,¡± Kim Ye-Ri said.


    I reached out and patted her head¡­


    ¡°W-What. Are you doing?¡± Kim Ye-Ri questioned me and pushed my hand away.


    <em>''Just be honest, kid. I heard you bawling.''</em>


    The original members of the Blue Guild and the other members of the Blue Guild either greeted me or tried to report the things that had happened so far. Of course, they also started asking me a bunch of questions.


    It was tiring trying to answer each and every question, but I did it anyway.


    I saw Kim Hyun-Sung talking to Alps in the back.


    Momentster, I saw Alps bringing in some snacks.


    ¡°<em>Ah</em>,e to think of it, you haven¡¯t eaten anything in five days. B-But this doesn¡¯t look enough to fill you up,¡± Park Deok-Gu said.


    ¡°Eating any more than this will overwhelm his body. For now¡ª¡±


    ¡°<em>Ah</em>, I see,¡± Park Deok-Gu interrupted Jo Hye-Jin.


    ¡°You should hurry and eat, sir,¡± Jo Hye-Jin said.


    <em>¡®I feel so out of it.¡¯</em>


    ¡°O-O-Oppa, do you want me to feed you?¡± Jung Ha-Yan offered.


    I felt like a monkey at a zoo. When I scooped up a spoonful of soup, I was so embarrassed to see everyone looking at me. I couldn¡¯t help but feel self-conscious, and honestly, I didn¡¯t really have an appetite, as I had just woken up.  ?


    In the end, I put the spoon down after just a few spoonfuls of food.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m


    ¡°You have to eat,¡± Elena interrupted me.


    I really had no appetite.


    ¡°You have to eat, Mr. Ki-Young.¡±


    ¡°T-Then¡­ I¡¯ll take a few more¡­¡±


    ¡°You have to eat it all, o-o-oppa,¡± Jung Ha-Yan chimed in.


    <em>¡®Damn it.¡¯</em>


    I honestly didn¡¯t want to eat.


    <em>''Do they really have to watch me eat as if I were a three-year-old?''</em>


    I had to say something to change the topic.


    After quietly cing the spoon down, I looked at each and every one of them.


    ¡°The Bahamut raid¡­ seemed to have ended well,¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Did¡­ Temr Gen¡­¡± I added.


    ¡°Temr Gen¡­ He¡¯s dead,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung answered.


    ¡°...¡±


    I had to look kind of sad because it was a reality I expected but couldn¡¯t believe.


    The guild members had an idea that I cherished Temr Gen, but they didn¡¯t seem really bothered by it.


    Actually, they were probably hearing the news of his death. Regardless of the reason behind his actions, it wouldn''t change the fact that he hadmitted the worst crime ever. Temr Gen¡¯s life or death wasn¡¯t important to the guild members who believed I cherished him due to Stockholm Syndrome.


    The Blue Guild members cared about me, not Temr Gen.


    The atmosphere in the room was strange, so I couldn¡¯t ask any questions about it, but I had an idea based on the flow of the conversation just now.


    Just like the time I turned into Doom Ki-Young¡­


    <em>¡®I don¡¯t know what happened.¡¯</em>


    My memories of when I was Light Ki-Young had disappearedpletely.


    When it was hard to fix things, pretending not to know anything was the best thing to do.


    As expected, everyone was surprised. The original members managed to control their expression, but newer members like Alps and Belier were easy to read.


    ¡°Can you tell me¡­ what happened¡­ and how the raid went?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m writing a report right now, sir. Once it¡¯s ready, I¡¯ll send you the report,¡± Jo Hye-Jin answered.


    <em>''All right. I needed to focus on recovering anyway, and I¡¯m sure she doesn¡¯t want to talk about things that could give me a headache.''</em>


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Additionally, we¡¯re still clearing the raid¡ª¡±


    ¡°I know how to clear the dungeon,¡± I interrupted her.


    ¡°


    ¡°You won¡¯t understand even if I tell you because it¡¯s something I have to do myself,¡± I added.


    I had to go to where Altanus was locked up and release her from the iron maiden.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± I said.


    ¡°How about resting a little more before moving, Mr. Ki-Young?¡± Kim Hyun-Sung suggested.


    ¡°I¡¯ve rested enough. I want to head up now,¡± I answered.


    I had too many bad memories here.


    That was what I thought as I looked at Kim Hyun-Sung with a sorrowful gaze.


    This was possible because I was actually wounded emotionally.


    The guild members had no idea what I had gone through in the past, what happened between Bahamut and me, just what kind of individual Draktaris was, and the type of bond Temr Gen and I had built with each other.


    In the eyes of other people, this expedition was just a bit more difficult than usual, but this was more than an expedition for me. I had created connections with many people in the distant past, and I lost them in an instant, and so easily at that.


    I was sure¡­ I was sure I¡¯d never forget them, and they¡¯d always remain in my heart.


    I still couldn¡¯t forget how Temr Gen followed me around while calling me Father.


    I still couldn''t forget Bahamut¡¯s kindness as well.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    No one was insensitive enough to point out the suddenly heavy atmosphere.


    ¡°Mr. Ki-Young, w-what¡­ on earth¡­ happened there?¡± Kim Hyun-Sung asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to tell you once I¡¯m ready, Mr. Hyun-Sung. But¡­ I¡¯m not sure when that will be. I want to get out of here for now, so please¡­ stand,¡± I told him.


    I couldn''t hear any answers, nor did I ask for any more opinions.


    No one would be able to say anything else since I was feeling so depressed to the extent that I wanted to get out of here as soon as possible.


    It was such an overwhelming atmosphere that no one could even suggest having a meal today. As someone who had looked into the Underground Temple¡¯s past, my eyes were filled with a hodgepodge ofplicated emotions.


    <em>¡®It¡¯s kind of hard to move.¡¯</em>


    I had to change my clothes.


    ¡°Can you summon the priests of the temple for me? I think it¡¯s best if I change into my formal outfit,¡± I requested.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Jo Hye-Jin answered.


    ¡°<em>Ah</em>, I want you to stay behind Miss Hye-Jin. There¡¯s something I want to discuss with you,¡± I ordered.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    The guild members understood what I was trying to say and left the room one by one.


    Kim Hyun-Sung seemed dissatisfied, but he didn¡¯t say anything. He bowed quietly and left.


    Jung Ha-Yan seemed like she was sending me signals, so after signaling her toe closer, I hugged her tight. She seemed to be feeling relieved because she did not kick up a fuss and left the room quietly.


    Soon, the priests of the temple entered with my uniform. Normally, they¡¯d help me get dressed, but they left the room quietly after giving them a signal. I started changing into my formal clothes, but¡­


    <em>¡®It¡¯s hard to get dressed alone.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Hye-Jin, help me with this. Tie the back, help me with the sleeves, and put on any essory,¡± I instructed her.


    I decided to make Hye-Jin take care of the rest.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You know how to do it, right?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I do,¡± Jo Hye-Jin answered.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Are you upset?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Why would I be upset?¡± Jo Hye-Jin questioned.


    ¡°So you are upset,¡± I argued.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You look angry.¡± I pointed out.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty obvious,¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re clearly angry,¡± I said.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± Jo Hye-Jin mumbled.


    ¡°You¡¯re angry,¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Just say that you¡¯re angry,¡± I teased her.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, you jerk. While we¡¯re on the subject, let me ask you something. What the hell were you thinking?¡± Jo Hye-Jin questioned.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t happen again,¡± I reassured her.


    ¡°I-I should¡¯ve just stayed quiet,¡± Jo Hye-Jin stuttered.


    An awkward silence filled the room.


    Jo Hye-Jin, who was kneeling to help me with my outfit, started sobbing.


    Her faint sobs sounded really sad.


    <em>¡®Yeah, she</em> did<em> suffer a lot.¡¯</em>


    I was sure it was the same for the others, but Jo Hye-Jin was the type to hold it all in, so it seemed like all of her emotions had just exploded at once.


    Just like the time I heard her talk while I was "asleep," the fear of losing memories of me was traumatic for her. If I were in her shoes, I''d also be scared to know that I was losing memories of one person.


    <em>¡®I¡¯m sure she was really scared since she¡¯s really fond of me.¡¯</em>


    I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if she needed someone to lean on, but the problem was that she relied on Elias.


    ¡°Are you crying, Hye-Jin?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Shut up,¡± Jo Hye-Jin mumbled.


    ¡°Are you crying?¡± I repeated.


    ¡°You jerk. I¡¯m not crying. <em>Heuk¡­ heuuuk¡­</em>¡± Jo Hye-Jin sobbed.


    ¡°Hye-Jin.¡±


    It was a bit sudden, but I needed to say it now to get her to stop crying.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t be with Elias. Not on my watch,¡± I told her.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t approve of that old elf,¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°H-How did you know?¡± Jo Hye-Jin asked.


    ¡°Did you agree to go out with him?¡± I questioned.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not like that¡­ It¡¯s just¡­ W-What does that have to do with you? Actually, I don¡¯t know how you found out¡­ but we¡¯re not dating¡­ we¡¯re more than friends but not lovers¡­ I decided to give it a chance.


    "Dating and marriage won¡¯t happen anytime soon¡­ we¡¯re just¡­ no, it¡¯s not even that¡­ We¡¯re just getting to know each other¡­¡± Jo Hye-Jin exined.


    <em>¡®She really doesn¡¯t know how scary elves can get. Damn it. What if he¡¯s a person who just really likes humans? What are you going to do once you see his true colors?¡¯</em>


    Jo Hye-Jin was still innocent. She was so innocent that she didn¡¯t know how the world worked. Elias was trying to crawl into her world by taking advantage of that weakness.


    Actually, I wouldn''t stop her if she truly wanted to date someone, but they had to pass my personality test, at the very least.


    My personality test was simple.


    I would surely be able to see the purity of his love for Jo Hye-Jin by stumbling upon him as Lee Ki-Yeon. I was sure that guys like him would fall for me in just three days. It''d take only three days to seduce him and about a month for us to hold an engagement ceremony.


    In other words, all I needed was one month.


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 1016: You Reap What You Sow (23)

    Chapter 1016: You Reap What You Sow (23)


    ¡°I don¡¯t approve of him,¡± I said.


    ¡°W-What makes you think you have the right to say that?¡± Jo Hye-Jin asked.


    ¡°Hye-Jin, do you know how old he is?¡± I questioned.


    ¡°He¡¯s an elf¡­ so he¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°The problem isn¡¯t that he¡¯s old <em>because</em> he¡¯s an elf. The problem is that he¡¯s been alone for that long. The dating market doesn¡¯t lie. No one has ever purchased him since he was put up for sale, and it''s all because there''s something wrong with him. And he¡¯s been in that state for hundreds of years,¡± I exined.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Objectively speaking, the guy doesn¡¯t look bad. He''s not as handsome as Hyun-Sung, but he doesn¡¯t look so bad. But Hye-Jin. That¡¯s why it¡¯s even more suspicious. Even the kingdom is begging him to get married.


    "Have you considered the possibility that maybe there¡¯s something wrong with him, and that¡¯s why he¡¯s been on the market for so long? Why would a man with power, a nice face, and a good background still remain single for such a long time?¡± I questioned.


    Of course, there could have been unavoidable and special circumstances, but my instincts were telling me that it wasn''t the case for Elias. I was definitely judging the situation objectively here.Just as I expected, Jo Hye-Jin had no choice but to remain quiet. She couldn¡¯t help but question why he was on the dating market for so long and how someone as perfect as him was being neglected for so long.


    <em>¡®It¡¯s because he¡¯s scum. He might be a notorious yboy in the Elf Kingdom.¡¯</em>


    I finished changing clothes, and Jo Hye-Jin started rambling on.


    ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s talk more about thister,¡± I suggested.


    ¡°Y-Yeah. That¡¯s a good idea. O-Of course, I¡¯m not trying to have a serious conversation about this. I¡¯m too busy to be dating¡­ and when I was back on Earth, I dated so many people. It¡¯s funny to even be obsessed with it now¡­ I was just asking for your opinion¡­¡± she rambled on.


    <em>¡®Yes, yes, I know, Hye-Jin. I¡¯m sure you were popr at your school for a reason.¡¯</em>


    If Elias were to pass all the tests, I would consider it, but for now, I couldn¡¯t approve of him.


    I had some ns rted to that, but I could only proceed with them once we were done here. Things unrted to the n coulde up if I were to refrain from executing the n until then, so there was no need for me to think about it for now, but¡­


    <em>¡®Hye-Jin is special. If I ask Ji-Hye noona for help, I¡¯m sure she¡¯lle up with a great story.¡¯</em>


    Jo Hye-Jin and I started walking away while talking to each other.


    <em>¡®This is more important right now.¡¯</em>


    ¡°So, how do you clear the dungeon? Is this uniform necessary?¡± Jo Hye-Jin asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s like a religious ceremony. It also means that I¡¯m meeting someone formally¡­¡± I answered.


    <em>''People¡¯s perspective changes a lot depending on how people look at me.¡¯</em>


    I also needed to wash away the image Light Ki-Young had damaged.


    The dungeon would be cleared as soon as I opened the iron maiden.


    It was a simple action, but I didn¡¯t want to miss out on an important event like this.


    This was the first time an unranked dungeon was cleared, and it was a victory for the continent as well as for the expedition members. Everyone here had basically aplished a mythical achievement.


    There had to be a story about this, and the story would be passed down from generation to generation, so it needed an ending that would fit that legendary story.


    ¡°No matter what happens, don¡¯te close,¡± I warned her.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing big, so don¡¯t worry¡­ I¡¯m just telling you to watch what I do,¡± I told her.


    I walked barefoot. The news about how the dungeon would soon be cleared had to have spread like wildfire, as the majority of the expedition members were already outside.


    I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they started cheering, but they remained quiet.


    It was all because of the mood¡­


    The honorary cardinal of the continent and the incarnation of light looked extremely solemn, so everyone stayed quiet. They felt like they were witnessing a religious ceremony, so they dared not speak and simply stared at the sidelines.


    The entire Blue Guild wasn''t any different. Jo Hye-Jin had conveyed my message to everyone, but I was sure that wasn''t the only reason they were silent. It would be more fitting to say that the atmosphere had overwhelmed them.


    The others were here as well. The higher-ups who had witnessed the descent of the Monarch of Lust and Eternal Sleep were staring at me anxiously. Was it because they had witnessed a sight that they couldn''t believe, even though they had seen it with their own eyes?


    However, the confused and fearful gleam in their eyes soon changed. I looked unstable as I walked, and everyone could tell that I was exhausted. I was having a hard time walking, which was in stark contrast to the Monarch of Lust and Eternal Sleep.


    When I stumbled, some of them flinched.


    <em>¡®They were pitying me.¡¯</em>


    Rather than fear, they felt bad for the pitiful human who represented the words "sacrifice" and "holiness."


    They thought my fate was cruel and that my role was too difficult.


    They had all seen the hardships I had to go through in the past, but there were still stories and epic adventures unknown to them. This was not enough to make people stop being suspicious of Light Ki-Young, but emotions were affecting some people.


    ¡°O Benigoa!¡±


    ¡°O Saint of Sacrifice and Light¡­!¡±


    ¡°O Son of Light!¡±


    The chanting of those titles signaled the start of the ceremony.


    <em>¡®The pilgrim of penance.¡¯</em>


    I took a step outside of the camp and instantly felt a burning pain under my feet.


    There were many stone fragments stuck to the soles of my feet, and it couldn''t be helped, as the dungeon was basically in ruins. There were ss shards, broken marble, sharp weapon fragments, and debris from the buildings.


    My feet were in burning pain.


    ¡°<em>Ah¡­</em>¡±


    ¡°<em>Ahhh¡­</em>¡±


    <em>¡®Shit, it really hurts.¡¯</em>


    It hurt so much I wanted to shed a tear¡ªno, it was so painful that I wanted to cry out, but I couldn¡¯t stop moving here.


    Naturally, I heard groans everywhere, but I was more worried about the reaction of the Blue Guild members. Kim Hyun-Sung gnashed his teeth while Jung Ha-Yan and Park Deok-Gu looked at me anxiously. To add to this, Belier, the new guild member, was angry, and her face turned red from the fury.


    My holy blood dripping to the ground surely wasn¡¯t a pretty sight.


    <em>¡®Damn it, damn it, damn it¡­¡¯</em>


    Tears welled up in my eyes without realizing it, but I didn¡¯t bother holding back my tears, as this was the perfect time to start crying.


    <em>¡®No one would think that these are tears of pain.¡¯</em>


    I was definitely crying for the people who died here and for the people in pain. The priests didn¡¯t stay still. They formed their own line and volunteered to be extras for the honorary cardinal''s ceremony.


    <em>¡®Yeah, that¡¯s right. That¡¯s how you do it.¡¯</em>


    The priests unleashed their holy power while walking behind me, and they raised their voices, singing a hymn for the ceremony. Their devotion was indescribable.


    Each verse contained holy power, and the Underground Temple became filled with their sincerity and wishes. Some of the religious believers and adventurers lowered their heads and kneeled to show respect to the god who was leaving His footsteps of light on the pilgrim of penance.


    But that wasn''t the end of it¡­


    <em>¡®What the heck?¡¯</em>


    Spirits of priests manifested from all over the ce and walked behind me. The march of penance held in a ce sun-kissed by holy light resembled a scene straight out of a legend.


    <em>¡®The ones following us are too busy crying.¡¯</em>


    The guild members were dumbfounded by the scene, and the expedition members offered prayers of gratitude for the light. They felt proud that they were walking this path together with me, and they were grateful for witnessing this miraculous sight.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    <em>¡®Honestly¡­¡¯</em>


    I thought of this march as just a way to show off, but I shed more blood as I walked farther and farther away. The ceremony was slowly but surely taking shape, and it was all because of the march, so I thought that it wasn¡¯t so bad.


    <em>¡®It depends on how you see it.¡¯</em>


    I was sure Altanus was in more pain than me.


    It was impossible for me to sympathize with her pain, even though my feet were being torn apart. However, this was a religious act to console the goddess who had died a miserable death.


    I realized that this deste ce was truly her grave.


    <em>¡®I honestly still don¡¯t understand why Benigoa brought me here.¡¯</em>


    It was so iprehensible that I felt like Benigoa was the <em>¨¦minence grise</em>. I seriously felt like she had a wicked n of backstabbing me to be reborn as the only god in this world.


    It was an idea that came naturally to me when I thought about the difficulty and the time dtion in this dungeon.


    ¡°O Benigoa¡­¡±


    ¡°<em>Ah¡­!</em>¡±


    After thinking about it for a bit, I realized that my reasoning wasn¡¯t wrong.


    The first reason was that this ce had be a dungeon, and the second reason was that the history of the past needed the Priest of Prophecy for it to work properly.


    Whether it was intentional or not, Benigoa had to have realized that instinctively.


    If Benigoa was enlightened to even a crumb of Altanus'' will and empathized with her, then¡­


    <em>¡®She probably wants tofort her.¡¯</em>


    I was sure she wanted to liberate Altanus personally from the iron maiden andfort her. After all, Altanus had been in pain for a long time. It was a reasonable assumption on my end, as it was the most Benigoa-esque thing to do.


    <em>¡®Of course, I¡¯m sure she''s uneasy at the thought that Altanus was her other self.¡¯</em>


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I was walking while having many different thoughts. Eventually, the distant destination came into view.


    <em>¡®What the? Was this path always blocked? It wasn¡¯t like this back then.¡¯</em>


    As soon as that thought popped into my head, the wall was destroyed. It was a type of barrier that couldn¡¯t be detected using magic or spells. I finally knew why the expedition members hadn''t found this space until now.


    <em>¡®It had been waiting for me.¡¯</em>


    Altanus was waiting for me to open the door.


    I looked around quietly and saw the iron maiden standing tall in the ancient ruins.


    <em>¡®It¡¯s been a while.¡¯</em>


    After a short prayer, I extended my hand out toward the iron maiden.


    At the moment, I had no other feelings whatsoever. I was kind of worried a skull was going to pop out or something, but what I saw was the same Altanus I saw tens of thousands of years ago.


    I finally saw her¡­ with her eyes closed and hands held together.


    <em>Boom!</em>


    A massive pir of light fell, and everything turned white.


    I also felt like I was whisked away to an empty space.


    Actually, it wasn''t just "felt" I was actually whisked away.


    I had no idea if I was whisked away mentally or if I was imagining things, but I knew that my surroundings had changed. The priests performing the ceremony with me, the guild members, and the expedition members were nowhere to be seen.


    The only thing I could confirm was that Altanus was before me in this white space.


    She opened her mouth slowly, "Y-You scared me. <em>Uh? Huh? </em>What¡¯s this?! What¡¯s going on?! Where am I? <em>Uh? Huh?</em>"


    ¡°...¡±


    "What¡¯s¡­ going on all of a sudden?!"


    ¡°...¡±


    "I-It can¡¯t be¡­ I''m sorry. I-I¡¯m sorry. I-I¡¯ll make sure to pay you back with full interest! So¡­"


    <em>''Why are you here?''</em>


    "<em>Huh? </em>L-Lee Ki-Young?"


    The person before me was Benigoa, not Altanus.

 Chapter 1017: You Reap What You Sow (24)

    <em>''Why the hell are you here?''</em>


    "I-It¡¯s Lee Ki-Young. <em>Wheeew¡­ </em>I¡¯m d. I was really shocked when I opened my eyes and suddenly found myself in a strange ce. I thought the higher-ups hade back for me again!"


    <em>''She''s really¡­''</em>


    "We had some trouble bing independent. I think it was handled, but I still felt uneasy. I don¡¯t know about you¡­ but I had a personal debt to take care of¡­ and I recently forgot to pay the interest¡­ A-Anyway, I know it¡¯s impossible, so I thought that was why I was suddenly whisked away¡­ I was really surprised to find myself here!"


    ¡°...¡±


    "T-That¡¯s strange. W-Why was I brought here?"


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while,¡± I greeted her.


    I felt like I had an idea as to why Benigoa was here instead of Altanus.


    Actually, it was not just an idea. I was sure of it.<em>¡®It¡¯s true.¡¯</em>


    ¡°...¡±


    <em>¡®Since Altanus no longer exists.¡¯</em>


    After starting the next life, Altanus disappeared, leaving only her will. It was a shame considering I thought I had one more chance to talk to Altanus. I never thought about what I would say to her, but I thought we had many things to talk about.


    <em>¡®There are also many things we need to clear up¡­¡¯</em>


    And I had a lot of questions for her...


    Nothing was clear. There were so many things to talk about that I couldn¡¯t decide what to talk about first. Even though she wasn¡¯t Altanus, Benigoa could at least answer my questions.


    <em>¡®I¡¯m sure Altanus had a reason for bringing her here.¡¯</em>


    While confused about why she was here, Benigoa was still making her silly jokes, but I believe Altanus¡¯ will was imbued in her, even if it was only for a moment.


    "<em>Ah</em>,e to think of it, Mr. Bel told me this..."


    ¡°...¡±


    "He said he remembers meeting you a long time ago. He even mumbled, ¡°<em>Hm</em>¡­ is that what happened?" He looked happy about it."


    I had no choice but to look at Benigoa, who was saying strange things. I kept signaling her as if asking if there was something she wanted to tell me, and her energy went down noticeably.


    ¡°...¡±


    "<em>Uh¡­</em>"


    ¡°...¡±


    "<em>Uh¡­</em> s-so."


    Her face was facing me, but her eyes were looking elsewhere. She even turned her gaze away and mumbled while whistling. She was the same Benigoa that I knew.


    Just like a puppy that made a mistake and was worried about its owner¡¯s reaction, Benigoa became worried about my reaction.


    "Weeeell¡­ you were¡­ r-really amazing. T-The dungeon was more difficult than I imagined¡­ <em>Ugh¡­</em>"


    ¡°...¡±


    "I-I made a mistake, right? Y-You¡¯re not going to abandon me, are you?"


    ¡°...¡±


    "I-I¡¯m sorry, Lee Ki-Young. I-I never imagined things would get this difficult. So¡­ I had a feeling that¡¯s what I needed to do¡­ b-but you knew it as well! The Mole Saint¡¯s Cozy Sanctuary was already turning into a dungeon.


    "If it hadn''t turned into a dungeon earlier¡­ w-we would¡¯ve encountered a bigger threat! The Mole Saint¡¯s Cozy Sanctuary was the main story of this continent, so we eventually needed to take care of it! If we had done nothing, it would¡¯ve turned into a bomb that would explode one day! A-And the timing was perfect as well¡­"


    ¡°...¡±


    "I know you¡¯re angry¡­ b-but I had no other choice. B-Basically, I needed you for this as well. The Priest of Prophecy was needed for you to be here right now. I-I¡¯m sure of it. A-Anyway, I''m sorry that you suffered so much."


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have given me a clue or something?¡± I asked.


    "You know that I couldn¡¯t give you a hint! We don¡¯t know how the system will react if an admin gets too involved. I needed to consider the possibility that the difficulty would go even higher.


    "The reason I did nothing was that it was for your sake. You don''t think I''d just put this out without thinking, hoping that you''ll take care of it for me, right? D-Do you know how much I¡¯ve suffered?"


    ¡°...¡±


    "O-Of course, I was being greedy and selfish as well. I-I may not be Altanus, but I-I was still curious about the background. Still¡­ <em>Ahem</em>¡­"


    ¡°...¡±


    "You¡¯re the one who gave me my name."


    ¡°You could say that. To be exact, it¡¯s Altanus¡¯ will that gave you your name¡­¡± I corrected her.


    "But still¡­"


    ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m not sure if the invitation sent from the past is the right future. I don¡¯t know if you became Benigoa because I called you by that name or if you''ve always been Benigoa. There¡¯s no way of knowing whether the past where the Priest of Prophecy has taken root was the original past,¡± I exined.


    "No, the result is what¡¯s important, Lee Ki-Young. The original past no longer exists. The present is the result of what you created."


    <em>¡®She¡¯s so dense¡­¡¯</em>


    She seemed like a different person whenever she showed a different way of thinking from humans. She wasn¡¯t wrong. The original past, the changed past, and whether the Priest of Prophecy needed to be in the past or not wasn¡¯t important.


    The result was more important than the useless process.


    It wasn¡¯t important whether she became Benigoa because I called her by that name or not. I called her Benigoa when I first met Altanus, and that past had be the present, so only the result mattered.


    ¡°So, did I answer your question?¡± I asked.


    "Yeah¡­ and I¡¯m sure Altanus will be able to rest in peace now."


    ¡°Did you know you were Altanus?¡± I asked.


    "I¡¯m not Altanus, Lee Ki-Young."


    ¡°You know that¡¯s not what I meant, Benigoa,¡± I said.


    "Y-Yeah. I didn¡¯t know at first. I knew Altanus¡¯ will was passed on to me, but I didn¡¯t know that Altanus and I were born from the same roots."


    ¡°Really?¡±


    "Yeah. I have no reason to lie. I¡¯m not sure exactly when I realized it¡­ Actually, I didn¡¯t even realize it. It¡¯s safe to say I suspected it. I-It was only until recently¡­ that I realized she and I were born from the same roots."


    ¡°How do you feel now? I¡¯m curious as to why you¡¯re here. Do you feel her will right now?¡± I asked.


    "..."


    ¡°...¡±


    "<em>Ah! Ahh!</em>"


    <em>¡®Damn it. I knew this was going to happen.¡¯</em>


    "Yeah, I feel it¡­ It¡¯s faint, but I feel it, Lee Ki-Young."


    <em>¡®What would you have done if I hadn¡¯t said anything?¡¯</em>


    I felt a bit angry to see Benigoa nodding and mumbling to herself, but I decided to just stare at her. After creating a small chair and sitting on it, she started reading Altanus'' will.


    "<em>Hm¡­ hm¡­</em>" She nodded quietly and mumbled without any emotions. "Altanus¡­"


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    "Altanus must¡¯ve loved you, Lee Ki-Young."


    ¡°What are you¡­¡±


    "No, no. Maybe it¡¯s not love. Or¡­ <em>maybe</em> it is love. Maybe it''s both love and hate? No¡­ no. Love is the best way to describe it since there are many forms of love. Love is the best way to describe the emotion that Altanus feels for you."


    ¡°...¡±


    "I don¡¯t think she entered the iron maiden because of you, Lee Ki-Young. I think she had an idea of her own fate, and she knew you weren¡¯t trying to sacrifice yourself for her¡­ she must have also felt responsible because that¡¯s how she¡¯s been living her life."


    ¡°<em>Hmm¡­</em>¡±


    "Of course, she¡¯s grateful to you, as she had fun thanks to you. Altanus didn¡¯t have many things to be happy about. After entering the iron maiden, the only memory she could recall was the memory she made with you¡­ Yeah¡­ I¡¯m sure of it. Altanus was stuck in the iron maiden for a long time."


    If I were in her shoes and entered the iron maiden in her stead, I''d think of the guild members, Yul-Ha, and my friends back on Earth because all of my good memories were with them. If the only memory she could recall was her memory with the Priest of Prophecy, I couldn¡¯t imagine how miserable her life had to have been.


    She was a saint who had never seen the sky, and it was prophesied that she''d lose everything the moment she saw the light.


    <em>¡®That light must¡¯ve been me.¡¯</em>


    The truth gave me goosebumps.


    "As you¡¯ve already predicted, the continent walked the path of destruction after that¡­ and Altanus became the admin of this world after Lucifer. Altanus must¡¯ve wanted to return the fallen continent back to its original state. She didn¡¯t want another sacrifice like her to appear while the continent was recovering slowly."


    ¡°Really?¡± I asked.


    "That¡¯s why she started epting those who were abandoned on Earth."


    ¡°So she¡¯s the one who came up with the summoning ceremony,¡± I said.


    "To be exact, it was with Guardian Metel. Altanus knew exactly what she needed to do. She knew how the continent was operating, and she was familiar with its system. How was Altanus able to create such a system when Lucifer didn¡¯t hand over any of that information?


    "It¡¯s thanks to the data in the Goddess¡¯ Hand Mirror. The dummy world inside it and the programs were extremely helpful. Guardian Metel didn¡¯t have ess to it, but Altanus knew what was stored inside it.


    "The traces you left showed what needed to be done in order for the continent to prosper and to head to a brighter future. I think she had decided to ept those abandoned on Earth because of you. That¡¯s probably around when she realized that you were one of the people who were summoned here.


    "Altanus must''ve been curious about you. Despite thinking that she was guided by you and was deceived by you, she was longing for you. Upon your arrival here, looking at you became part of her daily routine.


    "Sheughed and cried with you. She had fun, was sad, and angry with you. She followed your story for a long time. She hoped more than anyone else that your story wouldn¡¯t end¡­ she wanted to meet you¡­ talk to you¡­ and help you even after she disappeared¡­"


    ¡°What about now?¡± I asked.


    "She¡¯s enjoying it."


    ¡°...¡± "She said, ''Tell him I said thank you.''"


    ¡°...¡±


    "Foring here, for keeping your promise¡­"


    ¡°...¡±


    "For being with her from start to finish."


    ¡°...¡±


    "Also¡­"


    ¡°...¡±


    "She said¡­ ''don¡¯t be¡­ so scummy.''"


    I honestly couldn¡¯t understand what was going on because I was getting too much information at once, and I was having trouble organizing them. I still had questions, but when I saw her dispersing, I started doing what I had to do.


    "<em>Uh¡­</em> my time must be up. I-It¡¯s too short," Benigoa remarked.


    ¡°...¡±


    "<em>Ack¡­</em> W-What the heck? I¡¯m not dying, right? I-I¡¯m just disappearing from this ce, right?"


    ¡°...¡±


    "L-Lee Ki-Young! I-I¡¯m disappearing! I¡¯m going away. <em>Heuuuung¡­</em> Lee Ki-Young! Help me! H-Help¡­ me."


    <em>¡®It¡¯s not like that.¡¯</em>


    It was embarrassing to say this to Benigoa, but I had to say it even though I wasn¡¯t sure whether she wanted to hear it or not.


    "Lee Ki-Young! Lee Ki-Young!"


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Altanus.¡±


    "<em>Uh¡­</em>"


    ¡°Thank you, Altanus.¡±


    My surroundings changed once again.


    [You havepleted the raid of the Unranked Mole Saint''s Cozy Sanctuary.]


    Altanus¡¯ wounded figure crumbled like sand.

 Chapter 1018: Cleanup (1)

    I was sure it looked like a radiant and holy beam of light had descended before the eyes of everyone else. Of course, the onlookers couldn''t hear my conversation with Benigoa, but I was sure they could see the light and her body crumbling with the light.


    Obviously, I thought this would help me improve my image as Light Ki-Young even just a little bit.


    This was proof of the fact that even though darkness had enveloped me briefly, I was still loved by the light and that I was <em>still </em>with the light. Of course, the unfortunate incident of the Light Ki-Young incident being leaked wouldn''t happen due to the expedition team''s confidentiality contract, but it would not hurt to be careful.


    <em>''I worked hard to maintain this image¡­''</em>


    Anyway, it was an undeniable fact that I needed to take care of this soon. I couldn''t say that all the higher-ups in the expedition were suspicious, so I had to hold an event, regardless of whether it was big or small.


    <em>''Whoo¡­''</em>


    Anyway, the expedition was a sess, and we cleared all the events.


    There were many casualties, butpared to what the strategy support team had predicted, the casualties weren''t <em>that</em> many. More importantly, the dungeon dropped treasures and items worthy of its reputation of being an unranked dungeon.


    Naturally, everyone cheered at the dungeon clear. The priests cried because of the decent ending, and the Vatican dered the Underground Temple a holy site. At the same time, theologists were dispatched to research the legends of Benigoa and Altanus.


    Of course, they would not be able to obtain a lot of information, but their discovery would soon be presented to the world along with what they''d find in the existing doctrines.


    Priests and theologists weren''t the only ones who were happy.


    The fame and honor of participating in the expedition boosted the adventurers'' self-esteem, and as if to boost their self-esteem even more, people all over the continent were talking about this expedition.


    Adventurers who couldn''t participate in the expedition waited for the expedition logs to be released as soon as possible, and minstrels were singing of the expedition everywhere.


    I was sure that people everywhere were talking about this expedition.


    It was a hot topic talked about by people in shabby pubs, high-end salons, adventurer guilds, the Magic Tower, and religiousmunities. The media outlets released different articles each time as if to live up to their expectations.


    Stories about the Sunset Swordsman and named adventurers were what people were most interested in, but what they talked about the most was the overall timeline of the dungeon raid and the rtively unknown heroes.


    They couldn''t talk about me, who had traveled to the past. They also couldn''t talk about Light Ki-Young or Temr Gen, who had been of tremendous help, so they decided to dispense only the minimum amount of information.


    Many became suspicious of their actions, but just as the public was getting thirsty for new information, the hero finally appeared.


    [Colonel Smith, the Hidden Hero of the Expedition. He Eventually Joins the Blue Guild¡­ Detailed Contract Details Are Top Secret - Reporter Kim Sung-Kyeong of the Lindel Daily Report]


    [About the Role Colonel Smith yed in the Mole Saint''s Cozy Sanctuary - Dungeon Columnist Kim Sung-Kyeong]


    [A Recruitment Battle Over Colonel Smith? Blue Guild Wins. The Honorary Cardinal Persuasion Was the Deciding Factor¡­ - Reporter Kang Yoo-Mi of Lindel Politics]


    It was undeniable that the Blue Guild had profited the most.


    Colonel Smith was the type who preferred to remain incognito, so I was sure that he was having a hard time under all of this attention, but I was going to train him to be the press secretary anyway, so it wouldn''t be so bad for him to talk in interviews.


    <em>''I need to use him as much as I can, and it''s not like the press is only interested in him¡­ It''ll be problematic if he''s already tired of this much attention.''</em>


    The main characters of the expedition became even more famous, but everyone was mostly interested in the reward we had received from the expedition. In addition to the treasures, money, artifacts containing religious symbols, and a few items that were given to some of the higher-ups to increase their stats, the storage was filled with many different items.


    Now that the hard part was over, it was natural to receive rewards, so the expedition group and people who had nothing to do with the expedition group were really interested in the rewards.


    As always, the biggest issue was the distribution.


    There would be a conflict if we were to use the methods that small parties used to distribute loot, which was either rolling a die or distributing items based on contribution.


    The participants of the expedition were all powerful people from their own region, and there were also politicians who were tired of power struggles.


    There was a basic contribution system, but we couldn''t solely rely on that. The settlement program prepared by the expedition group was useful, but we couldn''t rely on that alone.


    There were several groups holding meetings and discussions several times a day, and there were even guilds that tried to increase their contribution through political trade, conspiracies, and using the press.


    People could also demand certain items with the condition of keeping quiet about the Light Ki-Young incident.


    A sword fight almost broke out in a meeting room because of a single item.


    We needed a mediator capable of controlling them before the situation could get worse. Of course, that mediator was none other than me, the only light and hope of the continent, the honorary cardinal, son of Benigoa, and the God of Sacrifice and Revival.


    <em>"That''s right. We need you right now. Why have you been so quiet recently? Get a hold of yourself."</em>


    "I don''t know, Ji-Hye noona. I must be tired. I can''t really pinpoint anything and talk about it. You could say I''m feeling kind of empty," I said.


    <em>"You said the conversation with Benigoa went well."</em>


    "Actually, it''s more like I''m feeling restless," I corrected myself.


    <em>"Because of Altanus?"</em>


    "Well, you could say that''s been affecting me as well¡­ How''s the situation outside?" I asked.


    <em>"Everyone is waiting for you, but they can''t say much because they were told that you were resting. Everyone is waiting for you toe out. You just don''t understand their feelings because the Blue Guild''s storage is filled with Legendary items. </em>


    <em>"Legendary items are extremely hard toe by, and you may not even stumble upon one in your entire life. That''s why the expedition group is still in the capital. They may not be saying anything, but they''re all on edge because of the item distribution."</em>


    "..."


    <em>"You heard about the sword fight that almost broke out, right?"</em>


    "I heard," I answered.


    <em>"If you''re not going to work, then you shouldn''t have started it. You shouldn''t have given the items to Colonel Smith and his troops before anyone else."</em>


    "That was part of the contract. Also, do you have something against Colonel Smith? He''s the hidden hero of the expedition group¡­" I asked.


    <em>"You have to consider the thoughts of other people. You must be burnt out."</em>


    "I''m not burnt out¡­" I said.


    It was probably because I had experienced too many things within a short amount of time. It could also be because of Temr Gen¡­ or Altanus. Otherwise, it could be a side effect of going to the distant past.


    I had a lot on my mind.


    Normally, I''d get rid of any annoying thoughts, but I couldn''t do it this time for some reason.


    <em>''Altanus¡­''</em>


    My story with her had ended. After entering <em>that </em>ce, I spent some time with Benigoa. Despite that, I still had a lot of thoughts. An indescribable thought led one thought to another, and I couldn''t stop thinking what would have happened if I had done it another way.


    <em>''That''s what I call restless.''</em>


    I was probably not satisfied with the result.


    <em>''Was there a way to save Altanus?''</em>


    I knew it was impossible because Altanus wasn''t one of my people¡­ and Benigoa was more important to me than her. I hadn''t done anything for her, nor had I even considered it.


    After all, one of us had to sacrifice ourselves for the sake of the current future.


    <em>''Only the result matters.''</em>


    Benigoa''s words filled me up with many indescribable thoughts¡­


    "Well, since you''re resting, you can keep resting. I''m sure that three dayster, you''ll force yourself to push the bad thoughts into the back of your mind and pretend like nothing is wrong."


    "But If you keep living that way, I''m worried that you''ll actually turn into a psychopath. That''s why I called you today."


    "You should worry about yourself," I said.


    "I''m stronger than you."


    "You''re talking nonsense again," I told her.


    "epting that you can''t find the answer and pushing it aside are two different things. I''m the type to ept it while you simply push it aside. That''s what I meant.


    "Anyway, there''s something I want to show you. I''m sure it''ll be helpful. Kim Hyun-Sung is going to visit soon, right? Visit me after that''s over. I have an entertaining video to show you."


    "All right, fine," I said.


    As soon as Ji-Hye noona ended the call, the doorknob rattled.


    "Mr. Ki-Young."


    I already knew the identity of the individual on the other side of the door, and it was all because that guy would alwayse here with food whenever it was time to eat.


    I wanted to turn my attention and wee Kim Hyun-Sung, but I couldn''t do that, as I was still in character. I had to act like I was sad about losing Temr Gen, so I had no choice but to look out the window. However, there were no windows here.


    Instead, I saw the scenery on a Goddess'' Mirror.


    "Mr. Ki-Young?" Kim Hyun-Sung called out.


    "..."


    "Mr. Ki-Young," he repeated.


    "<em>Ah¡­</em>"


    "It''s time to eat," he said.


    "You don''t need toe every time, Mr. Hyun-Sung¡­ Isn''t it time for you to work?" I questioned.


    "The guild members were busy, so I came instead," Kim Hyun-Sung replied.


    <em>''Busy, my ass.''</em>


    The rumor that I was living a secluded life because I was sad about losing Temr Gen was starting to spread within the Blue Guild.


    I wasn''t sure whether it was because of that, but the guild members'' reactions were mixed. It was fine that I was in my room doing basically nothing, but they were worried about me due to the fact that I looked really depressed.


    Among them, Kim Hyun-Sung was the worst.


    <em>''He looks worried¡­ but he seems to like it as well.''</em>


    "How are you feeling today?" Kim Hyun-Sung asked.


    "I''m feeling better, thanks to you," I replied.


    <em>''How many times are you going to change the flowers in one day?''</em>


    After cing the tray of food on the overbed table, he changed the flowers in the ss bottle.


    <em>''Oh, it''s Mirror Salmon.''</em>


    I was actually craving this, but it''d be strange to eat this now.


    "I don''t have an appetite," I said.


    "You should try to get your energy back," Kim Hyun-Sung argued.


    "I do, but¡­"


    "I know you have a lot of things to think about, Mr. Ki-Young. Let me know once you''re ready, but¡­ take your time," Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    I was really hungry, so I decided to take a few bites.


    When I grabbed the pair of chopsticks, Kim Hyun-Sung picked up a chair and ced it near me. He seemed happy about me grabbing the chopsticks. It was understandable since I had been sending the food away. He probably thought that I was ready to talk.


    "How''s the cleanup going?" I asked.


    "It''s going well," Kim Hyun-Sung replied.


    <em>''Yeah, right.''</em>


    "There seems to be a lot of conflict¡­ but everyone understands what''s going on, and they are waiting patiently," Kim Hyun-Sung added.


    "I''m d to hear that," I said.


    "..."


    "..." "Excuse me, Mr. Ki-Young."


    "Yes?"


    "About the incident with Temr Gen¡­" Kim Hyun-Sung paused.


    "Yes?"


    "I''m sorry¡­ about that," Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    <em>''Don''t bring up such a heavy topic all of a sudden while I''m eating. Damn it, he really is bad at talking.''</em>


    "But, Mr. Ki-Young. As you already know¡ª"


    "I already know," I interrupted him.


    "What?"


    "I know he didn''t do the right thing, and I know I wasn''t rational when it came to Temr Gen, but¡­" I paused.


    "Yes, Mr. Ki-Young?"


    "I can''t help but keep thinking about it," I continued.


    "..."


    "It''s probably because¡­" I paused again.


    "Yes?"


    "He resembled my friend," I added.


    And that was when Kim Hyun-Sung''s expression changed...


    "Your¡­ friend?" he asked.


    "Yes, back on Earth¡­" I answered.


    "I¡­ see¡­ You had¡­ a friend¡­ back on Earth," Kim Hyun-Sung mumbled.


    "..."


    "Your friend¡­"


    Kim Hyun-Sung never really had a friend, so this had to be shocking news in his ears.

 Chapter 1019: Cleanup (2)

    <em>''Geez¡­''</em>


    When I thought about it carefully, it wasn''t really that surprising.


    Just like how he had a life on this continent, he also had a life back on Earth. I was sure everyone else, like us, had a life on Earth as well. Of course, it was different for Kim Hyun-Sung because his life on Earth was something that happened ages ago.


    He had lived twice as long as other people and had experienced special incidents as well. It was highly likely that his memories back on Earth had already faded away and that he felt morefortable living here than on Earth.


    Considering the fact that there were still many people missing Earth, he wasn''t in the most ideal situation. His way of thinking was more useful here than on Earth, and to be honest, he was more of a denizen of this continent than of Earth.


    I was sure he was shocked because he suddenly remembered that he had a life back on Earth. That was also the reason he rarely talked about his life, but he waspletely different from Jung Ha-Yan, who wanted to forget that cepletely.


    Jung Ha-Yan was intentionally avoiding any conversations about her life on Earth, but Kim Hyun-Sung was different, as he couldn''t remember anything about his life on Earth.


    If Kim Hyun-Sung really was the young master of a rich family, then the incidents that he had encountered so far on the continent had to have shaken him up greatly. Of course, I simply assumed that he was a young master of a rich family.


    "I see¡­ So you had a friend back on Earth¡­" Kim Hyun-Sung mumbled.I was kind of surprised that he repeated his words.


    "Of course¡­ you had a friend¡­" Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    He couldn''t hide his shock at all.


    "That¡­ friend of yours¡­"


    "He was a really close friend," I told him.


    <em>''You can say that he was more than just a casual friend. He''s a real friend, and our hearts are one.''</em>


    <em>''He''s a friend you never had.''</em>


    I was not sure, but I had an idea about just what kind of person he was back on Earth.


    If I were to be a little harsh, I''d say that he was a good-looking but socially awkward loner. He probably had no issues with his family members and had spent a normal but rich life as a student. However, I was sure he had no one he could call a "friend."


    He could think of someone as a friend, but it was highly likely the other person didn''t think that way. He was probably in a few chat rooms, but the ones he wasn''t in were probably more active. It was kind of sad, but that was just the kind of person he was.


    I was sure Kim Hyun-Sung had his own problems, but the people around him probably felt disconnected from him.


    <em>''They probably felt like he''s living a life different from them.''</em>


    He was tall, innocent, really handsome, and with a great personality, to boot, but I was sure girls were ufortable around him. He probably lived an energetic life filled with dreams and hope, like one would normally see ining-of-age dramas.


    He was good at sports, and he looked like he''d be popr around the guys, but he was actually difficult to get along with.


    First of all, he was more good-looking than a celebrity, studied hard, and was always smiling. I could imagine him in a sports drinkmercial. He''d turn on the faucet and get his hair wet before drinking a beverage.


    Then, he''d say, "Guys!" before jumping into the crowd down below.


    <em>''People would believe me if I were to tell them he was from a high school romanceic.''</em>


    People living in a normal family with a normal life probably felt awkward around him. It was only when people became adults that they''d start pushing themselves and others away.


    It was pretty obvious how people treated him at the thought that he was different from them.


    <em>''They only got close to him because they could profit from him; they never really opened their hearts to him. That must be why he''s obsessed with me.''</em>


    Having someone he could talk to was precious to him. His rtionship with other people was on the surface level, so he definitely felt ufortable at the fact that I had another friend aside from him.


    However, Kim Hyun-Sung wasn''t a child, so he couldn''t say things like, "Why are you only ying with him? Why are you ying with him and not with me? Why are you closer to him than me?"


    He wasn''t exactly saying those things, but he looked at me nervously.


    "Did you not have any?" I asked.


    "<em>Ah</em>¡­ well¡­ I-I also had a friend¡­" Kim Hyun-Sung stuttered.


    "..."


    "..."


    "It was a thought I hadter. At first, I¡ª"


    "W-What kind of person was that friend of yours?"


    <em>''Why is he interrupting me?''</em>


    "He was a nice and kind-hearted person¡­ but more importantly, we hit it off pretty well. I was suddenly reminded of him. It only seemed like yesterday when we talked while looking at the clear, blue sky¡­ Perhaps it''s because I''ve only been looking forward or because of that Temr, but I''m having many different thoughts," I answered.


    He resembled Temr Gen because he was rich. He also had no qualms about spending a ton of money, and he was a weird loser as well.


    "..."


    "I know it''s useless to do this since there''s no way of going back to Earth¡­" I added.


    "<em>Ah, </em>right. There''s no way to go back¡­" Kim Hyun-Sung mumbled.


    "And I made a new friend here," I said.


    <em>''Look at him smiling.''</em>


    His smilested only for a brief moment, as a part of him was still kind of worried.


    <em>''It''s understandable, though.''</em>


    It was only from my point of view that Temr Gen looked like someone who had given everything he had. I was sure he didn''t look that way to others. He was seen as a psychopath, and the people had been gaslighting him as well.


    In the end, he became known as a scum with a penchant for manipting people in malicious ways.


    Kim Hyun-Sung''s bizarre friendship rivalrysted only for a moment, and it disappeared along with his nervousness. This time, he looked worried.


    <em>''There he goes again.''</em>


    He was imagining my miserable life back on Earth.


    "You said he resembled Temr Gen¡­ Was your friend¡­ on Earth¡­"


    "I don''t really want to talk about myself. What was it like for you, Mr. Hyun-Sung?" I asked.


    "I-I¡­ had a strict mother and a father who cared about his family¡­" Kim Hyun-Sung answered.


    "I wasn''t asking about that¡­ Please tell me more," I requested.


    "My father was a teacher¡­" Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    "Was he a high school teacher?" I asked.


    "H-He was a college professor," Kim Hyun-Sung answered.


    Really?


    "My mother ran a small business," Kim Hyun-Sung continued.


    "What was the name of her business?" I asked.


    "..."


    "Tell me," I urged him.


    "She sold outdoor gear¡­" Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    "Was it¡­ Hyun-Sung Camping?" I asked.


    "H-How¡­ did you know?" Kim Hyun-Sung questioned.


    <em>''It''s obvious since it''s your name and how can you call that a small business?''</em>


    It was a mid-sizedpany in Korea, but it was pretty famous.


    He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, so we could''ve been friends back on Earth.


    "So you were rich," Imented.


    "No, I wouldn''t say I was rich," Kim Hyun-Sung denied.


    <em>''No, you were rich. You probably feel that way because your parents lived a simple life.''</em>


    "And you''re an only child?" I asked.


    "Yes, I am," Kim Hyun-Sung replied.


    "Your parents sound like great people¡­ Come to think of it, I don''t think I ever heard you talk about your life on Earth," I said.


    "<em>Ah!</em> That''s¡­"


    "Yes?"


    "When I first arrived here, I cried often¡­ and missed my mom¡­ I mean, my mother and father¡­ but my memories of them were fading away bit by bit the more time I spent here. I feel bad, but many things happened.


    "Of course, that doesn''t mean that I don''t think about them at all. There are times when I think about them, but strangely, I don''t get sad. I don''t know if I''ve be strange or if I''ve alreadye to terms with it," Kim Hyun-Sung exined.


    "..."


    "I''m careful, but¡­ even I can feel that I''ve be a broken human¡­ I miss them even now, but I don''t shed any tears. All I want is for them to live well¡­and not be sad because of me," Kim Hyun-Sung added.


    "..."


    "I''m sure it''s different for you. It hasn''t been that long since you arrived here, so missing Earth¡­"


    <em>''No, I don''t really miss it.''</em>


    <em>''I do think about Yul-Ha from time to time¡­ but I don''t miss Earth itself. I''m sure Yul-Ha is doing fine without me¡ªno, I''m sure she''s doing better without me.'' </em>


    Of course, if I were asked whether I missed her or not, I''d say that I missed her, but I had a lot on my te right now. At this rate, I was sure I''d be able to find a way to send some news to her someday.


    "That''s not true, Mr. Hyun-Sung. I don''t think you''re broken at all," I told him.


    "I appreciate you saying that," Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    "I''m telling the truth¡­ Humans are known to be forgetful. If that much time has already passed, then it''s natural for you to forget them. Since you haven''t lost your humanity despite experiencing so many incidents, I think you''re the most ''human'' person ever," I said.


    "Thank¡­ you," Kim Hyun-Sung mumbled.


    "If you have any fun experiences, can you¡ª"


    "I honestly don''t remember much. One thing I can remember is¡ª<em>Ah!</em> I go camping every weekend with my family," Kim Hyun-Sung answered, interrupting me.


    "Really?"


    "Yes, I traveled all over the ce¡­ Come to think of it, my father always made curry rice whenever we went camping. I don''t really remember the taste, but I sometimes remember asking him to make me that dish whenever he tries to cook a different dish.


    "My mother likes taking pictures¡­ I honestly didn''t like taking pictures, so I avoided her," Kim Hyun-Sung Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    "<em>Haha.</em>"


    I wasn''t sure whether it was because of my reaction or because I was showing interest, but Kim Hyun-Sung seemed to be enjoying our conversation.


    "If I had known that this was going to happen, I would''ve taken more pictures¡­ We camped out by ake once¡­"


    <em>''He''s talking a lot, but at least he''s having fun.''</em>


    He told me many things without me asking for it.


    In no time, he became immersed in his stories.


    "You''re right," I said.


    "Also¡­"


    Of course, I was enjoying this time as well, and it actually helped lighten the depressing atmosphere. Perhaps it was because Kim Hyun-Sung was expressing his feelings, but it felt like I was immersed in his memories with him.


    I got a glimpse of what he felt at the time.


    He thought he had forgotten joy, happiness, and warmth, but it didn''t seem to be the case.


    "We should pick a day and go camping. We can also eat curry rice," I suggested.


    <em>''I''m not sure if we''ll be able to get simr spices here, though¡­''</em>


    "Really?" he asked.


    "Yes, really. After all of this is over, of course," I rified.


    "Are you really¡­"


    "Yes, let''s go camping. It''s been a while since we''ve taken our griffons outside¡­ We should invite the guild members¡­ and our acquaintances. I was actually thinking that we needed a break," I told him.


    "Okay, then we should hurry and figure out the distribution issue¡­"


    "No, I think it''s better if I take care of that," I suggested.


    <em>''There''s a chance of him causing trouble, so it''s better if I just do it myself.''</em>


    Kim Hyun-Sung nodded.


    It was reallyte. I was sure he wanted to spend more time, but unfortunately, I didn''t have time to spare.


    <em>''I''ll take a look at what Ji-Hye noona has sent over to me and go to sleep.''</em>


    I needed to get back to work tomorrow.


    <em>''I need to work hard from tomorrow onward.''</em>


    I sprawled out on the bed and checked the video that she sent.


    Eventually, I entered themunication channel.


    "Miss Kim Mi-Young, I know it''ste, but please call for a meeting," I requested.


    <em>"Ah¡­ Sub¡­ Guild Master¡­ I''m sorry. Right now¡­"</em>


    "Looks like I woke you up. Then¡­ I''ll contact the person on duty today¡­" I said.


    <em>"No, I''ll take care of it, sir."</em>


    "The meeting will take ce in one hour," I informed her.


    <em>"Yes, sir."</em>


    Her voice sounded clearer, so I assumed she was fully awake.


    It was 1:48 a.m.


    I felt bad for those who were sleeping, but what could they do about it?


    <em>''They have to respond to my summons.''</em>


    I wasn''t the one who was in a hurry, after all.

 Chapter 1020: Cleanup (3)

    It only took a moment for the dark city to light up.


    At first, several free cities, including Lindel, were active even at dawn to the point that people called them "cities that never sleep."


    Of course, the situation couldn¡¯t bepletely the same as Earth, as there were many adventurers waking up early in the morning.


    During night time, however, Lindel was drastically differentpared to the other cities, so it was easy for anyone to get confused. The situation in the capital of the Sacred Democratic Country was even more extreme.


    The capital city, which was close to the Vatican, had a high percentage of priests and was the home to public officials who handled minor and major affairs of the Sacred Democratic Country. In fact, except for some of the areas, the city was so quiet that people would think that there was a curfew.


    Of course, this didn¡¯t apply to ces like the pub or the night market, but it was an undeniable fact that the city suddenly became busy.


    The sight of so many talented adventurers showing up all at once could be a confusing sight. I looked around using my telescope and nodded. A certain guild operating in the capital caught my attention, as I heard that they had a pretty organized system¡­


    ¡°Damn it¡­ I¡¯m happy that things ended up working out but holding a meetingte at night. He¡¯s being ridiculous by telling us toe to the Blue Guild at three in the morning,¡± Director Kimined.


    <em>¡®You jerk. I''ve memorized your face and name.¡¯</em>¡°Hey, tell Manager Kim toe here,¡± Director Kim ordered.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°Manager Kim, did you prepare all the documents?¡± Director Kim asked.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m preparing them right now,¡± Manager Kim answered.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Damn it. Are you even doing your job? Didn¡¯t you hear me tell you to prepare them just in case?¡± Director Kimined.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Manager Kim replied.


    ¡°Will your apology do anything? <em>Huh?</em> Shit! Just tell them to bring me some clothes to wear. The meeting is at three in the morning. If I¡¯mte, you better be prepared to write an apology letter and be punished. Got it? No, you better be happy. If things go wrong, I really won¡¯t just stand by and watch,¡± Director Kim continued.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Did you hear me or not, you bastard?!¡± Director Kim shouted.


    ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll take full responsibility,¡± Manager Kim said.


    Manager Kim ran out of the room amidst Director Kim''s harsh words.


    ¡°Tell Manager Jung and Chief Kwak toe here,¡± he ordered.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Damn it! How are you two handling things here?! Do you think your work is done once you¡¯vepleted all your tasks? You think you can just go out and have a drink once the day is over?


    "Since when did the guild operate like that? Either work overtime or don¡¯t sleep at all. Shouldn¡¯t you try to finish your tasks as quickly as possible?!¡± Director Kimined.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry, Director Kim.¡±


    ¡°Wake up the staff and tell them to get ready. Damn it, damn it!¡± Director Kim ordered.


    What happened afterward was pretty obvious.


    ¡°Mr. Lee! Mr. Park! Where is everyone?!¡± Director Kim yelled.


    <em>¡®Of course, I naturally thought that I caused trouble.¡¯</em>


    No, that guild was just a bit special. Anyone could tell that it was a ck guild.


    I had to look at the other guilds.


    ¡°<em>Whoo¡­</em> let¡¯s hurry and get ready. I know he¡¯s an unpredictable person¡­ but this is kind of shocking.¡±


    ¡°We must file a formalint, Master. Our guild and other groups aren¡¯t guilds subcontracted under the Blue Guild. They are clearly looking down on us. How can they suddenly summon us so early in the morning with a single phone call¡­ I know the Blue Guild is a powerful guild, but¡ª¡± §²


    ¡°That¡¯s enough. I¡¯m sure Father Lee Ki-Young had no choice.¡±


    <em>¡®At least he has a brain, but those under him need to be educated.¡¯</em>


    I looked away and saw a familiar face. It was the face of Mist Summoner Cheon Kwan-Wi. It seemed that the guy whose roots were in the free city of Dawan was staying in the capital as well.


    ¡°Mr. Cheon Kwan-Wi, this is¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m heading to the Blue Guild right now. Make sure to inform the other guild members so that they will not speak inappropriately about this,¡± Cheon Kwan-Wi ordered.


    His words were short and straight to the point.


    I knew he knew about me, but I liked his attitude.


    He was convinced that my eyes and ears were everywhere.


    I wasn¡¯t Big Brother from <em>Neen Eighty-Four </em>or a tyrant, so I couldn¡¯t understand why he was being so careful, but I really felt like giving him more items upon seeing him act without anyints.


    <em>¡®I¡¯ll take care of you.¡¯</em>


    Except for a few people, it wasn¡¯t all that different from the first guild.


    Some were angry, saying that their guild was being looked down on, while others followed the order without anyints. However, the ones who were in the most pain were the staffers and the guild members working under the leader.


    It seemed that some of them had failed to bring with them inappropriate clothes, as I saw them use the warp gate.


    It was just a simple meeting, but I was sure they were aware of the fact that I was in the middle of recovering, so some were wandering around the city buying gifts for me. The others decided to contact the shop owners themselves, as the majority of the shops were closed.


    The press, who were out to get the scoop, was outside, and the guilds that had yet toplete their expedition report, were stuck to their desks. The entire city was moving busily as if the sun had already risen.


    <em>¡®Why cause all this trouble by waking up those who were sleeping?¡¯</em>


    There were many ck guilds among them.


    And that was when I heard knocking on the door¡­


    ¡°Sir, it¡¯s Kim Mi-Young.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll head out right now,¡± I replied.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take you to the meeting room,¡± Kim Mi-Young offered.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    The problem was that the Blue Guild was brightly lit up as well, and people were moving busily. Some were getting ready to wee the guests. When I walked past the office, I saw the staffers working on their tasks.


    ¡°Actually¡­¡± Miss Kim Mi-Young muttered.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I was going to take care of the matter quietly with Mr. Park Joong-Ki, but¡­¡± Miss Kim Mi-Young paused.


    ¡°Yes, Miss Kim Mi-Young?¡± I said, urging her to continue.


    ¡°It seems like he told some of the staffers,¡± Miss Kim Mi-Young continued.


    ¡°<em>Oh</em>, really? <em>Ah</em>, I wish he didn¡¯t do that¡­¡± I said.


    ¡°The staffers said that they wanted to help out, so I''m sure they heard about this from him. From the people who had a group dinner untilte to the people sleeping in their rooms¡­ everyone returned to the guild to work.


    "The news must¡¯ve also reached the members living far away¡­ because they came to work as well. Some even said we don¡¯t have to pay them overtime¡­¡± Miss Kim Mi-Young exined.


    ¡°No! We shouldn¡¯t do that. Even if they said that¡­ I feel bad that they came to work¡­¡± I said.


    ¡°I knew you were going to say that, so I¡¯m thinking about giving a bonus to all the staff,¡± Miss Kim Mi-Young suggested.


    ¡°I¡¯d expect nothing less from you,¡± I said.


    I felt proud.


    <em>¡®This is a family-likepany and a family-like guild.¡¯</em>


    Everyone wanted to help me.


    I noticed passion in the working staffers, and I also saw others smiling while working.


    I couldn¡¯t help but nod at the beautiful sight.


    Honestly, Kim Mi-Young and I could have handled it ourselves.


    We just needed to work slowly on the loot distribution, and we didn¡¯t need so many people to help us. Since the staffers werepetent, I was sure they were aware of that, so I liked them even more upon seeing theme to work so early.


    Just then, a short-statured staffer walked up to Miss Kim Mi-Young.


    ¡°Miss Kim Mi-Young, Miss Lee Ji-Hye is here.¡±


    ¡°<em>Ah</em>, okay. Please take care of her as I instructed earlier,¡± Miss Kim Mi-Young said.


    ¡°Yes, Ma¡¯am.¡±


    <em>''Howe she''s already here?¡¯</em>


    ¡°Please call her to the meeting room right away,¡± I ordered.


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Miss Kim Mi-Young responded.


    It bothered me that Ji-Hye noona was making a move so fast.


    Naturally, my face turned red.


    <em>¡®Damn it.¡¯</em>


    Ji-Hye noona flung the door open and walked into the meeting room.


    ¡°What brings you here?¡± I asked.


    ¡°What do you mean? I came to see you,¡± Lee Ji-Hye replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. You¡¯re part of the managementmittee, and I didn¡¯t even contact you in the first ce¡­¡± I told her.


    ¡°I should attend <em>because</em> I¡¯m part of the managementmittee. I have to see if the items are being distributed fairly,¡± she said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what the public knows, but there''s a different reason behind my visit. Yeon-Joo unni has asked me for a favor. I don¡¯t need to tell you about the contribution of the ck Swan Guild, but I would like for you to take care of us a little more.


    "Here¡¯s the list of items. The guild wants to obtain three items¡­ these mission logs and battle logs should be enough for us to get them. I worked hard to prepare this, so I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t disagree.


    "Additionally, here¡¯s the counterargument of other guilds that want the same items as us, so look over them carefully. It won¡¯t take long for you to look them over, right?¡± Lee Ji-Hye asked.


    ¡°Noona, you know this is illegal, right?¡± I questioned.


    ¡°It¡¯s not illegal as long as you and I stay quiet,¡± Lee Ji-Hye argued.


    <em>¡®Oh Ji-Hye noona.¡¯</em>


    <em>''Look at her being so confident. This is what you call corruption.''</em>


    I saw the neatly organized documents, and like she said, I didn¡¯t need to think much about the ck Swan Guild¡¯s contribution. However, she still brought so many documents to ensure that I wouldn''t be able to argue.


    The evidence was extremely solid to the extent that I couldn''t find any holes.


    However, I found it strange that the other guilds and groups were discussing this matter rather than wrapping up their discussion as soon as possible.


    <em>¡®Did she assume there was going to be a meeting this early in the morning?''</em>


    <em>¡®She was certain that I''d immediately convene a meeting upon seeing that video.¡¯</em>


    I couldn¡¯t help but assume that she got everything ready first before contacting me.


    Of course, it was just pure spection on my end, but she was certainly capable of doing that. Rather than making a request by using her personal connections, she used this method, as this was the more <em>official </em>way<em>. </em>


    It could be said that she had been waiting for me to convene a meeting since she gave me that video.


    My face turned red again.


    ¡°<em>Hm¡­</em> not bad. I¡¯ll use it as a reference, noona,¡± I told her.


    ¡°I¡¯d appreciate that,¡± Lee Ji-Hye said. She then sat next to me and propped her chin with her hands while staring directly at me.


    ¡°Anyway, I thought it was going to be really effective, and it must be true. I thought you were going to summon everyone tomorrow morning¡­ You shouldn¡¯t call for people in the middle of the night. I¡¯m sure people won¡¯t say much, but it¡¯s still too sudden,¡± Lee Ji-Hye said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Did you like it that much? You must¡¯ve been excited,¡± Lee Ji-Hyemented.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± I asked.


    ¡°The video. You convened this meeting because of the video I sent you. The video showed your guild members going nuts to save you. They said they don¡¯t care if the world gets destroyed after seeing the rift and about how they couldn¡¯t forget you¡­


    "They all cried and came together; even Jung Ha-Yan went desperate with her spells. Wait, did I send you the wrong video?¡± Lee Ji-Hye questioned.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Did I identally send you a video of Jo Hye-Jin and Elias drinking coffee together?¡± Lee Ji-Hye asked.


    ¡°Yeah, I think that¡¯s what I saw,¡± I replied.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡± ¡°You¡¯re so cute, oppa,¡± shemented.


    ¡°Well, whatever. I was going to get up anyway. I¡¯m busy, and it¡¯s not really because of the video you sent. Anyway, thanks for the data,¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°But did those two <em>really </em>drink coffee together?¡± I asked.


    Lee Ji-Hye nodded.


    "Really?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, really. They <em>really </em>drank coffee together,¡± Lee Ji-Hye said.


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 1021: Cleanup (4)

    ¡°I saw hearts in their eyes,¡± Lee Ji-Hye said.


    ¡°Whose eyes? Hye-Jin¡¯s?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No. There¡¯s no way our Hye-Jin will ever look at him like that. I¡¯m talking about the old elf. He should act his age. He¡¯s just getting in the way of her bright future," I added.


    "You know there are already rumors about it, right? Something about Elias¡­ and the Blue Guild¡¯s Goddess of Spear. There are even articles¡­ stating that there¡¯s nothing wrong with their love life,¡± Lee Ji-Hye replied.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s really getting in the way of her future. I guarantee that the old elf was aiming for this. It¡¯s been years since the elves were ignorant of human life. Do you know how weak the elves are these days? I¡¯m sure all of this is calcted,¡± Lee Ji-Hye remarked.


    ¡°So he¡¯s trying to utilize the press first. It also seems like he¡¯s trying to get rid of any potential rivals around him¡­ and the timing fits. Did I get it right, noona?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. How dare an expired old man like him try to make a move on her,¡± Lee Ji-Hyeined.


    <em>¡®That was kind of harsh. You shouldn¡¯t use the word "expired" on anyone.¡¯</em>¡°Seriously. He should be ashamed. He took just one hit from Spirit Gelk and immediately lost consciousness, so how dare he drink coffee with her? Doesn¡¯t he have work to do? Is he drinking coffee after taking care of everything?¡± I questioned.


    ¡°I looked into it just in case, but I didn¡¯t see any issues. I''m not trying to be stereotypical here, but elves are old-fashioned people. I¡¯m embarrassed to say this because it seems like we¡¯re digging our own grave¡­but it¡¯s actually us that¡¯ll have problems,¡± she said.


    ¡°Why?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Did I not tell you? We''re not done with the cleanup,¡± Lee Ji-Hye exined.


    ¡°How is that possible? Actually, the dungeon is pretty big¡­ so it makes sense¡­¡± I said.


    Despite that, it didn¡¯t make sense that we weren''t done with the cleanup just yet.


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that there are more items than the ones listed here?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes. Of course, we got the important ones, but I don''t think we''re done yet. It¡¯s safe to assume that there are items we have yet to discover,¡± Lee Ji-Hye answered.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t Ha-Yan set up a warp gate? Is that why it slowed down?¡± I asked.


    ¡°She set up the warp gate on the first day,¡± Lee Ji-Hye replied.


    ¡°So what¡¯s the problem?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Everyone is eyeing the situation. Even if the Committee tries to mediate, they won¡¯t be able to do so. It¡¯s not within their jurisdiction in the first ce, so they must¡¯ve wanted a piece of the action.


    "Even if they try to meditate, they won¡¯t be able to understand and will try to figure things out on their own¡­ It was hard contacting the clean-uppany after every meeting,¡± Lee Ji-Hye replied.


    ¡°There¡¯s thepany we use often,¡± I said.


    ¡°It''s pretty big, so onepany isn''t enough. People have been keeping each other in check because they''re worried that thepanies might alter the results for their own profit.


    "There were lobbyists, too. When we had to use too manypanies, they started saying that we needed a supervisorymittee and that we needed the power of the Continental Protection Management Committee.


    "They even asked people to volunteer to keep an eye on people so that they won''t take the items away,¡± she continued.


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because the pie is big¡­¡± I mumbled.


    <em>¡®This is pretty bad.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because they all know how to fight, but they¡¯re stubborn¡­ and the results are clear. There are many people who have decided to stay quiet, but more and more people are starting to show their greed, so things are bing a mess. There are people who are grouping up using their connections¡­¡± Lee Ji-Hye added.


    ¡°And the Blue Guild?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Why are you mentioning the Blue Guild here? We''re talking about the dungeon raid, not the continental crisis,¡± she said.


    ¡°<em>Ah!</em>¡±


    I finally realized how this happened.


    <em>¡®The dungeon does not belong to the Blue Guild.¡¯</em>


    It was a fact that I had forgotten.


    Even with the continentalw, the ownership of a dungeon had always been a controversial topic. The more I looked into it, the moreplicated it became in my eyes, but to make things simple, the owner of thend where the dungeon was discovered and the first discoverer of the dungeon would have the biggest share of the pie.


    The Sacred Democratic Country was a pro-adventurer state, so they gave the first discoverer the biggest share, and the Republic gave the biggest share to the owner of thend. Except for the minor details, it wasn¡¯t all that different.


    Of course, this applied to the Mole Saint¡¯s Sanctuary as well. The dungeon was discovered inside the Vatican. There was room for controversy, but if we were to look into the first discoverer, I''d have to say that it was Rafael¡¯s party.


    They were the first ones to investigate the strange phenomenon in the dungeon, but they had gathered a ton of information as well. In the end, they discovered the dungeon, so it wouldn¡¯t be right to exclude his party when they had made a great contribution.


    My name was included in the list, but I didn¡¯t participate under the Blue Guild¡¯s name.


    I was working with the Continental Protection Management Committee, the Vatican¡¯s Heretic Inquisitors, and other groups, but the first two didn¡¯t have the same interests as me, so they were excluded.


    In the end, if I were asked who deserved to have the biggest share, I''d say Rafael¡¯s party, me, and then the Vatican.


    <em>¡®Things have gottenplicated.¡¯</em>


    The Vatican would be satisfied with owning the empty and cleared dungeon, as it was a religious symbol¡­


    <em>¡®Things are going to get crazy.¡¯</em>


    However, it meant that Rafael¡¯s party would have ownership of the dungeon.


    Of course, the owner of the dungeon would not necessarily own all the treasures.


    However, it wasn''t like they wouldn''t get anything at all, but it was written in the contract that the rewards would be given based on the contribution levels.


    Honestly, it wasn''t that much of a problem because it had already been confirmed that Rafael¡¯s party would have a much bigger reward, as they owned the dungeon.


    The problem was that it was Rafael¡¯s party that would be getting the rewards. The former baby party could not possibly take control of the situation when many powerful groups were already kicking up a fuss.


    Their power and reputation had grown significantly, but there was a reason they were called the Holy Sword Warrior Party. They knew nothing except for fighting; they could not do any administrative work, and they also had no experience in resolving issues like this one.


    <em>¡®All they have are their bodies.¡¯</em>


    They had also never been involved in a political issue like this.


    Rafael¡¯s party was just a party that enjoyed going on adventures. Their wanderlust was so strong that they didn¡¯t need a guild house. They traveled all over the continent without thinking aboutplicated issues like profits and ownership.


    A group like theirs was easy to subdue, so I was sure that people woulde at them as if they were prey.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I''ve been waiting for you. You¡¯re the honorary cardinal of the Vatican, and you helped Rafael¡¯s party discover the dungeon. In other words, you¡¯re in the perfect position to mediate. As the Saint of Sacrifice and Light, not only are you symbolic, but you have the justification to mediate as well,¡± Lee Ji-Hye said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I thought Commander Jin was going to help, but I was wrong. He must be upset. I¡¯m sure he wants to get a piece of the action, but he¡¯s just watching the situation like he''s protesting in silence¡­¡± Lee Ji-Hye added.


    ¡°He¡¯s always been like that¡­ Anyway, I¡¯m sure they¡¯re in a desperate situation,¡± I said.


    ¡°Rafael? Of course. He didn¡¯t even visit you, did he?¡± Lee Ji-Hye asked.


    <em>¡®Come to think of it, she¡¯s right.¡¯</em>


    Speak of the devil¡­


    ¡°Sub Guild Master, Mr. Rafael is here.¡±


    I had no choice but to look at Ji-Hye noona.


    I asked her quietly if I could let Rafael into the meeting room.


    ¡°Tell him toe in. Those with a brain will be here soon, anyway,¡± Lee Ji-Hye said.


    ¡°Please let him in,¡± I ordered.


    Rafael looked really haggard as he walked into the meeting room.


    ¡°H-Hyung¡­¡± Rafael mumbled.


    <em>¡®Looks like he¡¯s been suffering a lot.¡¯</em>


    ¡°I haven¡¯t been able to¡­ visit you¡­ I¡¯m really d that you¡¯re safe, hyung,¡± Rafael said.


    <em>¡®Why did he lose so much weight¡­¡¯</em>


    ¡°You heard¡­ what happened, right? I¡¯m sorry. If¡­ I was a bit smarter¡­ this wouldn¡¯t have happened¡­¡± Rafael mumbled.


    <em>¡®Look at those dark circles.¡¯</em>


    He looked fine on the outside, but that was it. He looked as if he were under a powerful ck mage''s curse. It was like his soul had be corrupted, and he was feeling an indescribable sense of self-doubt.


    I couldn¡¯t imagine how hard it had to have been for him to be thrown into the vortex of politics when he had never been involved in politics all his life.


    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­¡± Rafael paused.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I tried to do my best¡­ I didn¡¯t want to cause trouble¡­ but it didn¡¯t work out¡­ like I had thought,¡± Rafael continued.


    <em>¡®Yeah, I understand it all. What can you do?¡¯</em>


    Muddying the waters, avoiding the crux of the matter, and talking nonsense as if it were the truth. No, they didn¡¯t even need to go that far.


    Rafael wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything if a few groups joined hands and oppressed them. What could he do in a meeting room once everyone raised their swords against him? He¡¯d just stutter and ask them to calm down.


    ¡°You brought the logs of thest meeting and the requests of each guild, right?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, hyung. I don¡¯t know if it has the information you¡¯re looking for¡­ but Marian worked hard on it,¡± Rafael replied.


    <em>''Miracle Priest Marian. It¡¯s pretty obvious. Having a lot of data doesn¡¯t necessarily mean it¡¯s a good thing, so why is this so heavy?¡¯</em>


    Marian had to have thought that she organized the data pretty well, but for this type of report, each guild had their own standards and rules. Just listing everything wasn''t useful enough. The report was poorly made by a rookie who never had a life in a guild.


    <em>¡®It¡¯s really messy.¡¯</em>


    The meeting logs were even worse.


    There were people who spoke up even though they didn¡¯t have the right to do so, and many of them directly ignored the moderator. It was true that Rafael¡¯s party was easily influenced, but there were people who ignored basic procedures and manners.


    Of course, I could not me them for doing so.


    <em>¡®I would do the same if I were in their shoes, after all.¡¯</em>


    Actually, it was natural for them to act that way. There was a reason why dungeons were put up for auction. Even if small parties broke through their limits or recruited mercenaries to clear a dungeon, they¡¯d still end up like Rafael¡¯s party.


    Those weak would be torn to shreds and eaten by the strong¡ªthe world had always been like that.


    <em>¡®The others who attended the meeting must¡¯ve felt really frustrated.¡¯</em>


    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask for help in case it would be a problem¡­ and everyone seemed on edge about it¡­¡± Rafael said.


    ¡°The solution they came up with in the recent meeting was to send two members from each guild and have them join Rafael¡¯s party. Of course, there were manyints because of the spots,¡± Lee Ji-Hye chimed in.


    ¡°And the Red Mercenary Guild?¡± I asked.


    ¡°The guild master of that guild has actually retired, so Mr. Choi Young-Ki attended in her ce¡­ but he¡¯s inexperienced in politics as well¡­ and it looks like our Yeon-Joo unni has decided to just remain quiet. You know that obvious dialogue that¡¯s bound to be said? I¡¯m trying to prevent it in advance,¡± Lee Ji-Hye replied.


    ¡°What dialogue?¡± I asked.


    ¡°This is too much. Of course, we understand where you¡¯reing from¡­ but we didn¡¯t participate in the expedition just to watch as the three major guilds of Lindel take away all the items like this,¡± Lee Ji-Hye answered.


    I knew it¡­


    ¡°This is too much. Of course, we understand where you¡¯reing from¡­ but we didn¡¯t participate in the expedition just to watch as the three major guilds of Lindel take away all the items like this,¡± said one of the expedition members, repeating after Ji-Hye noona ad verbum.


    ¡°Of course, we acknowledge the achievements of the three guilds, but it¡¯s an undeniable fact that we should get what we deserve,¡± they said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t we confirm through this incident that the continent is still under threat? The death rate in the Federation, the Union, and the Kingdom of Others is soaring as we speak. It''s all because the small to mid-sized guilds there are in dire need of people and equipment. To resolve the unequal power distribution throughout the continent, the item distribution has to be fair. It''s all for the sake of making the continent a safer ce.¡±


    <em>¡®What the hell is this bastard talking about?¡¯</em>


    ¡°What do you think about the current state of the continent, Father Lee Ki-Young?¡± someone asked.


    <em>¡®What do you mean?¡¯</em>


    I couldn¡¯t help but gnash my teeth.

 Chapter 1022: Cleanup (5)

    I actually knew that they were going to argue. They¡¯d get the entire world with just a few words, so it¡¯d be weirder if they hadn''t said anything.


    Everyone had their own problems, and they all probably thought that they had fought a war that put their lives at risk. Naturally, they would want a fair reward or something more than that.


    <em>¡®Yeah, fairpensation sounds nice.¡¯</em>


    I was not saying that the expedition members didn''t deserve to get rewarded.


    It was true that our Hyun-Sung, Hee-Ra noona, and Ha-Yan had unleashed the final blow, but if we hadn''t carried out the raid as an expedition group¡­


    <em>¡®No one would know for sure how things would turn out.¡¯</em>


    It didn¡¯t seem like a big deal now that it was over, but there were a few times when I had almost lost my life. I was not sure about the others, but Commander Jin, who was sitting over there with a frown, would understand what I was talking about.


    This raid was a sess because the expedition group gave everything they got.


    Everyone, including the named members, used every ounce of their magic and stamina to turn the raid into a sess. As proof, the hair of some mages actually turned white from the exertion. They were still suffering from the aftereffects of the expedition, even though it had been a long time since then.It was true that I was observing this situation with an open mind because there had to be room for negotiation, depending on their contributions. However, I felt really annoyed to hear a fish-looking man speak about something absurd.


    ¡°What do you think of the current state of the continent, Father Lee Ki-Young?¡±


    <em>¡®What do you mean?¡¯</em>


    ¡°...¡±


    Actually, he did not seem to be hostile.


    It was true that he looked like a fish, but there wasn''t anything strange about this nature or unique habit.


    <em>¡®A cautious revolutionist?¡¯</em>


    Howe he wasn''t being cautious right now?


    ¡°I believe you¡¯ll understand, Father Lee Ki-Young,¡± he said.


    <em>¡®Understand what?¡¯</em>


    ¡°Excuse me, but do you mind if I talk a bit more? Please take a look at the Goddess¡¯ Mirror,¡± he said.


    ¡°


    ¡°Go ahead. I give you permission,¡± I said.


    ¡°Thank you, Father. Does anyone know what this graph means?¡± he asked.


    I saw a map of the continent.


    The map showed the Sacred Democratic Country, the Federation, the Union, the Republic, the Union of Other Races, and other neutral nations like Laios.


    I had no idea what the graph meant since nothing was written on it, but the Sacred Democratic Country was the highest, and it was followed by the Republic, and then the Federation.


    I assumed the graph showed the inequality between the nations that he had mentioned earlier. The next graph was reversed; the Sacred Democratic Country was the lowest, so I assumed it meant the death rate or injury rate.


    Compared to the Sacred Democratic Country and the Republic, the Federation¡¯s death rate was extremely high.


    We would have to verify to see whether the data was real or not, but the data was most likely real. I was not sure about the Union, but everyone was aware that the Federation had lost its ability to function as a proper nation.


    The capital and the cities within the Federation were not in the best situation.


    <em>¡®Oh, to be young again.¡¯</em>


    The fish-looking man was speaking using his passion alone as the impetus for his actions. Eventually, he gained the confidence to speak before us.


    ¡°The former shows the imbnce between nations, and thetter shows the death rate. As you can see, the Federation and the Union¡¯s death rate is¡­¡±


    I could already deduce what he was going to say, but his words were worth listening to.


    ¡°I believe the Mole Saint¡¯s Cozy Sanctuary is the first ever dungeon that is based on the continent¡¯s history, but I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if this happened again.


    "The Sacred Democratic Country was in the middle of this strange phenomenon. If it hadn''t been for Rafael¡¯s party and Father Lee Ki-Young, a dungeon break phenomenon would have urred,¡± he exined.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Could you imagine what would have happened if it hadn''t been for the Sacred Democratic Country? We would have failed in our initial attempt to clear it, much less conquer it. There would have been many casualties.


    "The Federation, the Union, some parts of the Republic, and a few neutral nations are experiencing a serious shortage of manpower, resources, and arms. There are less than ten guilds capable of going on a full expedition, and many talented adventurers are being forced out onto the streets or as mercenaries.


    "This is the current state of the small cities that are being neglected as we speak,¡± he continued.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°The people who recently moved there have be defeatists, and none of the government policies canfort those adventurers. Public order is at an all-time low, and inequality is creating new inequalities. I¡¯m sure all of you are aware that this is getting worse,¡± he added.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m aware of the Continental Management Protection Committee¡¯s Adventurer Support Policy and the welfare policies of the small cities, but the harsh reality is that those are simply not enough.


    "I believe the era of war and rivalry is over, Father Lee Ki-Young. Through the 27th Legion Summoning incident, the Outer Gods War, the continent-cum-dungeon incident, and the Mole Saint¡¯s Cozy Sanctuary Raid, we proved that the continent can unite.


    "We have our own unique personality, but humanity has proven that we can join hands whenever there¡¯s a threat. That is why I believe that we cannot neglect this any longer,¡± he said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°The small cities of the Federation and Union are dying. Many are starving and bleeding. Right now, we should be looking back, not forward,¡± he said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°The continent must join hands and face the new threat that maye our way. I believe this meeting¡­ is the first step in achieving that,¡± he added.


    <em>¡®He sure talks a lot of nonsense.¡¯</em>


    I understood why he wasining to me, but I wasn¡¯t sure why he included pictures of starving children in the Federation, and adventurers suffering due to the failure of their expedition.


    ¡°I have no doubt that this is the start,¡± he said.


    <em>¡®Basically, he wants us to support them more.¡¯</em>


    It made sense, but¡­


    <em>¡®Why is he saying all of that right now?¡¯</em>


    He could have told the Continental Protection Management Committee to hold a meeting or express his grievances through the manymittee agencies out there.


    At the moment, we were supposed to be talking about the contribution-based loot distribution. I felt like the fish-looking man was talking nonsense, as he wouldn''t be able to obtain the reward that he wanted if the distribution were contribution-based.


    I was sure that was the reason he suggested that we think on the national level.


    It was none of my business whether he had a grand n or not, but it was undeniable that he was doing something strange here. However, it was understandable.


    He probably thought he had a good chance of seeding, as I was famous for being biased toward those who were weak.


    <em>¡®If Hyun-Sung or Hee-Ra noona were here, he wouldn¡¯t be able to say ridiculous things.¡¯</em>


    I was on the side of the light, so I had to be careful about my words and reaction.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± I muttered nkly. I acted like I had no idea what he was talking about and that I hadn''t noticed the plight of the small cities until now. Of course, I cast a surreptitious nce at Jin Cheong.


    <em>¡®Please do it.¡¯</em>


    <em>''Help me just this once, Cheong hyung. I know you¡¯re upset, but help me out a little.''</em>


    <em>¡®Damn it, please¡­¡¯</em>


    I really wanted to punch for pretending like he couldn''t notice me, but I had to send him signals.


    <em>¡®I¡¯ve been in pain for a long time. You should know since you visited me once.¡¯</em>


    Please...


    <em>¡®I''m really exhausted, mentally. That¡¯s why I went into hiding. You heard the situation from Ji-Hye noona, right? About how I''ve been struggling.¡¯</em>


    <em>''Please tell them in my ce, Warrior. You made mistakes as well and I really took care of the Republic this time¡­ Are you really going to ignore me like this?''</em>


    And that was when I heard him speak...


    ¡°How ridiculous.¡±


    ¡°What? What do you¡ª¡±


    ¡°I said that it¡¯s ridiculous,¡± Jin Cheong repeated.


    ¡°This is an official meeting, Commander Jin Cheong. I know you¡¯re the Hero of Shadows, but makingments like that¡ª¡±


    ¡°All I did was tell the truth. The Sacred Democratic Country and the Republic aren¡¯t your parents. We¡¯re providing humanitarian aid, but that¡¯s¡­ carried out out ofpassion.


    "We¡¯re not obligated to clean up the mess you made, you idiot,¡± Jin Cheong interrupted the fish-looking man.


    <em>¡®So refreshing!¡¯</em>


    ¡°That¡¯s the rtionship between nations and groups. Do you know how much the Democratic Country and the Republic is paying the Continental Protection Management Committee to help all of you?


    "You¡¯re spouting all this nonsense without knowing how much the Republic has been paying annually to support you guys. Your current position and the qualifications you hold to be able toe here¡­ that does not belong to you alone,¡± Jin Cheong added.


    <em>¡®Commander Jin!</em>¡¯


    ¡°The death rate of adventurers or the continent¡¯s epic story that will soon begin or whatever isn¡¯t what¡¯s important. That¡¯s something you guys need to take care of. That¡¯s not our job,¡± Jin Cheong continued.


    ¡°The continent could experience a bigger disaster. Think about it. If a strange phenomenon urs in a small city in the Federation¡ª¡±


    ¡°We can create a new organization under the Continental Protection Management Committee¡¯s name. What about the Crisis Response Team? That organization will track down anomalous phenomena and handle them.


    "Someone else will have to pay for the budget¡­ but if the continent is really in danger, then it¡¯s needed,¡± Jin Cheong suggested.


    ¡°Are you suggesting that we have an independent organization that can send troops to other nations anytime? Do you really think that those with influence on the continent, except us, will stand by and let that happen? That isn¡¯t a realistic method,¡± argued the fish-looking man.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you want us to do. I don¡¯t really see a big difference between the corrupted people of the Federation and you. You¡¯re saying that you want a reward. Isn''t that right?¡± Jin Cheong asked.


    <em>¡®This hyung must not care about his image.¡¯</em>


    Jin Cheong had to have stopped talking respectfully because he thought that the guy didn¡¯t deserve any respect.


    I looked around and noticed some people who were clearly in the opposition.


    The members of the Sacred Democratic Country seemed like they didn¡¯t care at all, while the Union and Federation had taken on a wait-and-see attitude.


    Despite that, I was certain that they felt like their portion of the pie was tiny, as they were discreetly cheering for the fish. Unfortunately, Jin Cheong was just too blunt, rendering them both speechless and embarrassed.


    If they wanted something, they needed to give up something in exchange.


    The guilds and groups of the Republic wouldn¡¯t just sit by and let this happen.


    Just then, a young man from the Republic raised his hand.


    ¡°I have no objections whatsoever regarding the item distribution. Actually¡­ they gave up on a lot of things; I''m sure we know how much the Blue Guild has sacrificed, so if the items were distributed solely based on contribution¡­" the young man trailed off before continuing, "It¡¯s the Federation and the Union that weren¡¯t being considerate, but¡­"


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I think we should take some time to discuss what¡­ Squiat of the Federation had told us,¡± he suggested.


    I nced over at Jin Cheong to question if the young man really was his subordinate. I asked him why his subordinate was saying strange things without his permission, but he turned his head away as if saying that the young man had nothing to do with him.


    <em>¡®What the heck?¡¯</em>


    It wasn¡¯t just him.


    Some people from the Sacred Democratic Country and other ces seemed to be in agreement with the fish''s remark earlier. Actually, it was more like they were cheering for him. I couldn¡¯t understand their decision.


    I knew there were many people who''d simply jump on the bandwagon, but I just couldn¡¯t understand why they were agreeing with the fish¡¯s words.


    The fish''s words were equivalent to helping others in exchange for giving up what you could obtain.


    <em>¡®Idiots like that actually exist on the continent? I had no idea.¡¯</em>


    And that was when a certain thought popped into my head...


    <em>¡®These bastards¡­¡¯</em>


    ¡°P-Please stop, Commander Jin. Also, Mr. Squiat¡­ please stop here. I think we¡¯re getting too heated here¡­ so I think it¡¯s best if we continue this tomorrow."


    ¡°Yes, Father.¡±


    ¡°Yes, please¡­¡±


    <em>¡®No way these jerks¡­¡¯</em>


    ¡°...¡±


    <em>¡®It can¡¯t be¡­¡¯</em>


    The new threat that the continent could face someday¡­


    They¡­


    <em>¡®They must be talking about me.¡¯</em>


    I wasn¡¯t certain, but I had a feeling that some of them were secretly in agreement.


    <em>¡®They must be thinking that I might be the new threat to the continent¡­¡¯</em>


    Perhaps Kim Hyun-Sung was right.


    At this point, I had no choice but to <em>really </em>think about it.

 Chapter 1023: Cleanup (6)

    <em>¡®Light Ki-Young must¡¯ve made a huge impact.¡¯</em>


    I was in the process of improving my image, but my first appearance to the public had to have left a strong impression.


    It was only natural for people with a right mind to be wary of Light Ki-Young.


    The continent was pro-Lee Ki-Young.


    This was true for the Sacred Democratic Country, the Republic, Laios, and the Union of Others. I also had a connection with many influential people. Those within my domain feltfortable and rxed, but those watching from a few steps away were wary of me.


    If Light Ki-Young were to awaken again, would the continent be able to handle it? The suspicion that started from a simple question led to another question.


    Once it became out of control, I¡¯d have toe up with a n against it.


    The transcendent beings on this continent were at my hands and feet, and they would not hesitate to sacrifice themselves for me.


    The Sunset Swordsman, the archmage, and the Red Goddess of War were so obsessed with me that they couldn¡¯t think straight. It was a fact that made many influential people keep an eye on me.<em>¡®Looks like telling everyone to be quiet had back-fired. It¡¯s understandable because they were told to keep quiet despite the chaos.¡¯</em>


    Investigating the incident right away would be the right thing to do; even if the Heretic Inquisitors weren¡¯t the ones doing the investigation, we needed to go through the protocol, as there was obviously something wrong.


    <em>¡®The decision was definitely strange in their eyes.¡¯</em>


    If Light Ki-Young descended once again, the continent would surely be destroyed.


    The fish of the Federation and the young ones probably felt that way.


    They probably thought they needed to join forces in order to prepare for the worst-case scenario. Light Ki-Young was not the only reason. They thought they could no longer stand by and watch the continent being controlled by just one person.


    If they were imagining the awakening of the Monarch of Lust and Eternal Sleep inside me, then this situation would be even worse.


    If the Monarch of Lust and Eternal Sleep was really hiding inside the Saint of Light¡ªno, if my current appearance was just a disguise¡­


    I had no idea how they interpreted the Monarch of Lust and Eternal Sleep, but I had a feeling they were treating it as if it were the dark version of myself. They saw me as the final viin who had enved the Sunset Swordsman using my excellent oratory skills and unique habit.


    They were looking at me as someone strong enough to put Bahamut into an eternal slumber.


    If they were assuming that the monarch was consolidating his power while waiting for the right time to strike, then it was only natural for them to be wary of me.


    They believed that the monarch would use his powers and strike both the Federation and the Union first. I thought perhaps I was getting too ahead of myself by making that assumption, but I had a feeling that there was something bigger here¡ªbigger than them being wary of a dictatorship due to the centralized system of the continent.


    Of course, it wasn''t like I was talking without any evidence here. My assumption was proven by the fact that the fish had spouted a bunch of nonsense and some people agreed with him.


    ¡°Then¡­ we¡¯ll hand over the Legendary item, Mithril Bow of the Lame Heretic Hunter, to the C&C Guild of the Federation,¡± I announced.


    <em>¡®Of course, I might be wrong, so I need to confirm things first.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Please speak up if anyone has any objections,¡± I said.


    ¡°No objections here as long as the Union of Other Races is okay with it,¡± someone answered.


    ¡°What about you, Mr. Elias¡­¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Lee Ki-Young. If we can have a bigger share of the monster¡¯s corpse, it''s fine. To be honest, no one knows how to handle it properly besides the dwarves¡­¡± Elias replied.


    ¡°If there are no other objections, we¡¯ll hand over the Mithril Bow of the Lame Heretic Hunter to the C&C Guild,¡± I announced.


    <em>¡®And that jerk Elias is so slow-witted. Stupid jerk.¡¯</em>


    For some reason, Elias was supporting the Federation, and he was smiling with satisfaction as if he had nothing to do with this. I thought perhaps he made some kind of deal with the fish of the Federation, but he wasn''t the type to do something like that.


    <em>¡®I think he just wants to impress me.¡¯</em>


    The Saint of Light was bothered by the fact that the Federation was being alienated, so he was trying to show that he was supporting me as the representative of the Union.


    <em>¡®Wretched bastard. No matter what you do, I won¡¯t let you have Hye-Jin, damn it.¡¯</em>


    Of course, it wasn''t like the Union was suffering any damages.


    Since they had dwarf craftsmen, taking a high-ranking monster was more beneficial than taking an item.


    The dwarves would be the ones working hard, but the dwarves enjoyed making things in the first ce, so that was irrelevant.


    Elias could help the marginalized group, improve his image, and help me, who was walking on thin ice because of the influential figures of the Sacred Democratic Country and the Republic. In his eyes, this was killing two birds with one stone.


    ¡°If there¡¯s something you want, please tell me, Mr. Elias. The Bow of the Lame Heretic Hunter¡­ is an item that ought to be returned to the Union of Others¡­¡± I told him.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Father Lee Ki-Young. I appreciate the thought, but you don¡¯t have to worry about me,¡± Elias answered.


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± he interrupted me.


    I was annoyed by his warm smile. He¡¯d probably tell Hye-Jin that the Union of Others suffered some losses for the future of the continent.


    <em>¡®He hasn¡¯t actually suffered any losses.¡¯</em>


    ¡°As I mentioned earlier, the Dagger of Chief Justice Calix¡­ will be given to the ck Swan Guild,¡± I announced.


    ¡°Thank you, Father Lee Ki-Young,¡± Park Yeon-Joo said.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I couldn''t take better care of you, Miss Park Yeon-Joo,¡± I apologized.


    ¡°I appreciate the thought, Father,¡± she said.


    The ck Swan Guild took four, the Red Mercenary Guild took five, and the Blue Guild took six. The other mid-sized guilds in Lindel took two items each.


    Mist Summoner Cheon Kwan-Wi took three, and Sniper Yu Ran took two items.


    Small guilds and parties either took one Legendary item or five Epic items. Jin Cheong, who was at the center of the Republic and was the representative of the Republic''s guild and ns, took twenty-two items.


    <em>¡®I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll distribute it as he sees fit.¡¯</em>


    In addition, the representatives of the Republic took about three to six Legendary items. The Union of Others, who had provided dwarven supplies and had a decent performance, took over ten items.


    ¡°The next spellbook will be given to the Post Malone Guild,¡± I informed.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Things were going swimmingly. I took care of the Federation, and I had distributed the items pretty fairly.


    However, I was about to face a problem.


    ¡°The Mythic items, Archbishop Draktaris¡¯ Staff of Waiting and Temr Bahamut¡¯s Shield of Sadness and Despair will be given to the Blue Guild,¡± I announced.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°And the Mythic item, Temr Simon¡¯s Spider Web Dagger, will be given to the representative of the Republic. Temr Simon¡¯s Spider Web Wire will be given to the ck Swan Guild,¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°The Mythic item, Temr Gen¡¯s Precious Rosario of Friendship and Respect, will be given to Rafael¡¯s party,¡± I added.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Temr Vulcamos¡¯ Hammer of Despair will be given to the Red Mercenary Guild,¡± I said.


    I couldn''t give these items away.


    [Archbishop Draktaris¡¯ Staff of Waiting - Mythic]


    [A staff used for eons by Archbishop Draktaris of the Underground Temple. The staff was in his hands every day, including during his prayers to Lucifer, Saint Altanus, and the Priest of Prophecy.


    [The ordinary staff has been absorbing Draktaris'' holy power, transforming it into a sacred and holy relic capable of wielding the power of those whom he respected and had faith in.]


    [Increases the wielder''s Holy Power by +20]


    [Grants the wielder the Mythic skill: Draktaris'' Priests.]


    [Draktaris'' Priests: Summons priests to fight for the wielder. Lasts for 1 Hour.]


    [Priest of Prophecy¡­ Priest of Prophecy¡­ I''m waiting for you¡­ I will be waiting until you find me.]


    This staff would go to Hee-Young.


    [Temr Bahamut¡¯s Shield of Sadness and Despair - Mythic]


    [The personal shield and secondary weapon of the Hero of the Distant Past, a Temr of the Underground Temple, the Crimson Prophet, and a demigod. The Hero of the Distant Past is a swordsman who rarely uses a shield.


    [However, a shocking incident led him into losing his mind, and he abandoned all his weapons, turning his back on everything he had faith in. He abandoned his greatsword capable of killing a demigod and his helmet that could deflect any attack.


    [For some reason, he did not abandon this shield. Perhaps the shield has a symbolic meaning, but the reason is ultimately unknown.]


    [The shield will choose its master.]


    [I couldn''t protect him, but someday¡­ someday¡­]


    This shield would go to our Deok-Gu.


    It was undeniable that the Archbishop Draktaris¡¯ Staff of Waiting was an awesome staff.


    In addition, the pig was definitely the best choice for the shield, as it would surely boost his strength. The problem was everyone else''s reaction.


    <em>¡®Nothing has changedpared to the situation earlier when the fish was talking a bunch of nonsense.¡¯</em>


    A few Legendary items were given to the Federation, but there was a reason Mythic items were <em>Mythic</em>. If the wielder had good synergy with a Mythic item, Legendary-rank adventurers would get a taste of what it was like to be a transcendent.


    If they wanted to face the Monarch of Lust and Eternal Sleep, then it was natural for them to drool over this item.


    <em>¡®So what? I¡¯m giving this to our piggy.¡¯</em>


    ¡°If there are any other objections¡­¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    It looked like they wanted to say something but they couldn¡¯t say anything due to the atmosphere. I was sure they wanted a fair distribution of the items on their wishlist, but they couldn''t tell me to distribute the Mythic fairly.


    <em>¡®It¡¯s because they did nothing, after all.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Just as I mentioned earlier, the item distribution is based on contribution to prevent any issues. I¡¯ll ask again. If there are any objections¡ª¡±


    ¡°Would it be okay if I said something?¡±


    ¡°Go ahead, Master Goodman,¡± I answered.


    ¡°I understand giving a Mythic item to the Red Mercenary Guild for participating in the Archbishop Draktaris¡¯ raid and contributing a lot in the Temr Bahamut raid. I also understand giving one to the ck Swan Guild for spearheading the missions and fighting Temr Simon.


    "I also understand giving one to Rafael¡¯s party for discovering the dungeon and sessfully luring Temr Bahamut. I also understand giving a Mythic item to Commander Jin Cheong of the Republic for leading the operation and the expedition group.


    "Of course, I also understand giving an item to the Sunset Swordsman who yed an important role in taking down Temr Bahamut,¡± Master Goodman said.


    ¡°Okay,¡± I said.


    ¡°I admit that the Sunset Swordsman''s achievements are so outstanding that no one can bepared to him, but¡­¡± Master Goodman paused.


    ¡°Go on,¡± I said.


    "The Bahamut raid would have been impossible if the other expedition teams hadn''t helped us, Father Lee Ki-Young. In fact, the operation to lure Bahamut has thoroughly exhausted them. The sess of that operation was all thanks to the sacrifice and effort of the other expedition members¡­¡± Master Goodman trailed off.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°B-Basically¡­ the Sunset wordsman has aplished a lot of, but I think I-It''s kind of unfair to use that as a reason to give him two Mythic¡ªno, that¡¯s not what I meant. It¡¯s just¡­ the Sunset Swordsman has already imed Spirit Gelk¡¯s Boots, and it was a Semi-Mythic item¡­¡± Master Goodman exined.


    ¡°Are you saying that the Sunset Swordsman¡¯s performance isn¡¯t worthy of two Mythic items?¡± I asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s not¡­ what I meant. However¡­ I believe¡­ it¡¯s worth discussing it¡­¡± Master Goodman replied.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. I understand what you¡¯re trying to say, Master Goodman. I thought about those things and concluded that giving him Spirit Belk¡¯s Boots and a Mythic item is a good idea,¡± I exined.


    ¡°Then¡­ the remaining¡­¡±


    ¡°Temr Bahamut¡¯s Shield of Sadness and Despair is a reward for my achievements and contribution,¡± I told him.


    I was sure no one would object, as everyone knew how much I had contributed as the Commander of the expedition and the Saint of Light. Some of the people here looked as if I had betrayed them.


    <em>¡®They must¡¯ve thought that I was going to give it away.¡¯</em>


    I didn''t even need to mention the fact that I had used the invitation to travel to the past. If my contributions were calcted as the overallmander of the expedition, I''d have more than just a Mythic item.


    ¡°As the honorary bishop of the continent, my mission is to watch over the peace and safety of the continent, but¡­¡± I paused briefly before continuing, ¡°I¡¯m also the Sub Guild Master of the Blue Guild."


    I was being kind of greedy, but I had always been a selfless saint ready to sacrifice everything without receiving anything, so this was the first time I decided to im what I deserved.


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 1024: Cleanup (7)

    They''d be idiots if they were to refuse to change their attitudes here.


    ¡°I-I see. I just¡­¡± Master Goodman paused.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡­ made a mistake, Father Lee Ki-Young,¡± Master Goodman said.


    <em>¡®Give someone an inch, and they¡¯ll take a mile.¡¯</em>


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ really sorry. I don¡¯t know what to say¡­¡± Master Goodman mumbled.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Master Goodman. Did that¡­ answer your question? If you have any more questions¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to keep being rude, and I¡¯m actually embarrassed. I-I can¡¯t believe I forgot to consider your achievements, Father,¡± Master Goodman interrupted.


    <em>¡®At least you have a brain. I''ll rate you sixty out of a hundred points. I won¡¯t forget you.¡¯</em>¡°I¡¯m¡­ really, really sorry, Father,¡± Master Goodman said.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to apologize so much, Master Goodman. If¡­ there are no other objections, Draktaris¡¯ Staff and Bahamut¡¯s Shield will be distributed to the Blue Guild,¡± I announced.


    They couldn¡¯t say anything. The people in the same group as the fish looked as if they wanted to say something, but they didn¡¯t want to repeat Master Goodman''s mistake.


    <em>¡®I did more than enough to take care of you guys. Don¡¯t you agree?¡¯</em>


    I felt like they were thinking about a way to negotiate once the rewards were distributed, but there was no way they could do that here.


    They couldn''t say anything about the Mythic items that would be distributed to my guild, and it was all because of my achievements.


    They had no right to stop me, and they also had no right to question why I wanted the Mythic items. They could force it and ask me, but I could easily stop them in their tracks by acting as if I couldn''t tell them to protect my image. Anyway, I was relieved.


    <em>¡®They must be thinking that the word ''sacrifice'' is the only word in my dictionary because I¡¯ve been doing nothing but making sacrifices all this while.¡¯</em>


    I wanted to show them¡­


    <em>¡®I want to show them that I have wants and needs as well.¡¯</em>


    It was actually funny how they had forgotten my achievements in the reward distribution.


    Considering my actions upon descending to this continent as the Saint of Light, it was understandable that they¡¯d misunderstand, but¡­


    <em>¡®It¡¯s a shame there are so many people who only think about themselves.¡¯</em>


    I was thankful for the people who were looking at me with a puzzled look, like Master Goodman. Those people hadn''t done anything wrong. They were just surprised by my unexpected actions, as I had always given up my share of the reward until now.


    I couldn''t feel any hostility from them.


    The problem was the ungrateful ones. I was talking about the rude bastards who looked like they were questioning my decision. They looked like I couldn''t understand their position, and they also looked disappointed in me.


    <em>¡®They really are shameless.¡¯</em>


    The people here were influential people.


    Of course, it was undeniable that the adventurers of the Federation and the Union were weakpared to the Sacred Democratic Country, but they were considered strong within their respective groups.


    If anything, the average stats of these Adventurers were low¡­


    <em>¡®But they¡¯re probably living like kings in the small cities.¡¯</em>


    Guilds like the three major guilds of Lindel were incredibly rare. There weren''t any guilds like them that could help each other and move forward together. Free cities had a guild or n that represented their city, and obviously, they had absolute power in their city.


    It was highly likely that these people had gotten a taste of sweet power¡­ in their tiny city.


    <em>¡®I wouldn¡¯t have said anything if you had used those sweet powers to set an example.¡¯</em>


    I had never received a report saying a saint or saintess had appeared in the Federation or in the Union. People like them were usually known by names like Saint of the Abandoned. I had never heard of a story about people saving the underprivileged by sacrificing themselves or any heartwarming story.


    <em>¡®People like you are the worst. Forcing others to give in when you haven¡¯t given anything up yourself.¡¯</em>


    They were trying to make progressive movements in their own way. They were also doing welfare work, but I was sure that what they were doing wasn¡¯t anything impressive.


    <em>¡®I¡¯ll acknowledge you guys if you do half as much as I do.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Also¡­¡± I paused.


    ¡°Yes, Father Lee Ki-Young?¡±


    ¡°I would like to ask for your understanding in advance¡­¡± I paused again.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°How about¡­ letting the Federation¡­ clean up the dungeon alone? I would like the Federation to take care¡­ of the maintenance afterward, too,¡± I suggested.


    ¡°<em>Ah¡­</em>¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Of course¡­ the Continental Protection Management Committee and the Heretic Inquisitors will supervise them,¡± I added.


    ¡°<em>Keugh¡­</em> Are you suggesting that we hand this over to thepany in the Federation?¡± one of the members asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± I replied.


    <em>¡®I really did my best within my power. How much more can I give up?¡¯</em>


    The one who spoke just now was the guy sitting on Jin Cheong''s left.


    I couldn''t remember his name, but he was known to be Jin Cheong¡¯s adjutant. Seeing that he had spoken so brazenly without Commander Jin¡¯s permission meant that he was a trustworthy individual.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ but can I tell you my honest opinion?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Sure,¡± I answered.


    ¡°Before I begin¡­ I would like to say that I have no intention of belittling the Federation,¡± he said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I know that Father Lee Ki-Young made that suggestion out of the kindness¡­ of his heart, but personally¡ª<em>Ahem</em>, personally¡­ I¡¯m worried about whether the Federation can handle that job. As you all know, the Federation is well¡­¡± he paused.


    <em>¡®He¡¯s right.¡¯</em>


    ¡°The Mole Saint¡¯s Cozy Sanctuary isn¡¯t an ordinary dungeon, so I believe that through enough discussions and meetings¡­¡±


    This wasn¡¯t an ordinary job. As he said, if it were a small dungeon, it wouldn¡¯t matter who''d the cleanup duty, but the Underground Temple was basically like a big city. It was questionable if the Federation had the manpower and resources to do that.


    He said that he had no intentions of belittling the Federation, but he was obviously belittling them. From a third party¡¯s point of view, these people were probably disgusted by the Federation.


    The Federationcked skills and manpower, and their performance was not exactly noteworthy. They also hadn''t provided any decent resources. I was sure people were annoyed because they were profiting for free because the nice and innocent honorary cardinal took pity on them.


    <em>¡®Yeah, this is basically a business.¡¯</em>


    We were talking about cleaning up a dungeon as big as arge city. Actually, it could be bigger than arge city. I was basically giving them arge-scale city project or a national project without any conditions.


    <em>¡®This is how you create jobs.¡¯</em>


    A specializedpany alone would not be enough, so they¡¯d start hiring people, and the Sacred Democratic Country would pay them for their services. The payment would go straight to the safe of the big and small cities in the Federation.


    The Federation¡¯s economy would improve by leaps and bounds. If they ended up finding items while taking care of the dungeon, they¡¯d talk about their contribution or whatever and im ownership of some of the items.


    The Federation was short on gold, so their people had to take on mercenary work to feed the nation. My words just now were basically dering them to be the winners of a jackpot, and the pot was even sweeter because they were also responsible for the maintenance of the dungeon.


    The figures from the Sacred Democratic Country looked ufortable. The mid-sized guilds looked disappointed because they were aiming to take this business for themselves, but they couldn¡¯t express their disappointment before me.


    ¡°I-If you leave it to us¡­ we¡¯ll do our best!¡±


    The man who stood up and bowed was a middle-aged man with a beard rather than the fish who spouted nonsense at the beginning of the meeting.


    ¡°We¡¯ll show you that we can do it,¡± he added.


    The people around him stood up and bowed as well.


    ¡°We¡¯ll show you that we can do it, Father Lee Ki-Young! If you¡­ leave it to us¡­¡±


    <em>¡®That''s the reaction that I''m hoping for.¡¯</em>


    Despite standing up and bowing towards me, they looked nervous because the others could disapprove of my suggestion. That was why they decided to say something as soon as possible. There was no way they''d let go of this opportunity, as this was the only way for their nation to thrive.


    ¡°Please lift your head. We need the approval of the others¡­¡± I said.


    ¡°We¡­ We beg you,¡± the middle-aged man said.


    ¡°What should we¡ª¡±


    ¡°Please, Father Lee Ki-Young!¡± he shouted.


    <em>¡®It doesn¡¯t even take a minute to make someone loyal to you. He¡¯s already loyal to me.¡¯</em>


    I had no choice but to look at Jin Cheong.


    I was looking at him as if I were asking him to agree with me.


    ¡°I agree,¡± Jin Cheong said, raising his hand.


    ¡°It¡¯s a great idea, Father. If theyck manpower and resources, the Union of Others will provide support,¡± said Elias, nodding calmly. He agreed with me because he wanted to get close to me.


    Their words meant that the majority was basically agreeing with my suggestion.


    ¡°The Red Mercenary Guild¡­¡±


    ¡°The ck Swan Guild also agrees with the Blue Guild,¡± Park Yeon-Joo said.


    ¡°Everyone¡­¡±


    I¡¯m touched.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I also ask that you do your best, everyone,¡± I said, standing up.


    The Saint of Sacrifice and Revival then asked for their understanding.


    I managed to convince them using their emotions, but I didn''t really need to convince them. I had people I could rely on, after all.


    The people who voted yes here wouldn''t profit right away, but the honorary cardinal of the Democratic Country, the symbol of the continent, and the Sub Guild Master of the Blue Guild would owe them a favor.


    I believed there were some people here who thought that this was better than cleaning up the dungeon. After all, I wasn¡¯t someone who''d forget the kindness of other people, and I''d always return kindness in kind.


    ¡°F-Father Lee Ki-Young¡­¡±


    ¡°Please do your best, everyone,¡± I said.


    ¡°Well¡­ since you said it like that¡­¡± the middle-aged man mumbled.


    ¡°As a member of the Democratic Country¡­ we have no choice but to follow your orders,¡± said someone else in his camp.


    ¡°This is for the Federation.¡±


    Some people said things that they didn¡¯t even mean¡­


    ¡°<em>Whoo¡­</em>¡±


    There were some who sighed as if they had no other choice¡­


    ¡°If that is your wish¡­ we¡¯ll follow.¡±


    Overall, I felt like the issue was handled beautifully. Of course, the details would still be discussedter.


    I noticed some influential figures approaching the members of the Federation to try to get a slice of the pie. I had no intention of stopping them from getting help or hiring subcontractors. How they were going to approach the clean-up was all up to them.


    ¡°Thank you, thank you, Father Lee Ki-Young," said the bearded bandit while crying.


    I didn''t expect that a man of his age would cry so easily.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Hisrades weren¡¯t all that different.


    The fish looked at me as if he had made a decision.


    ¡°Father Lee Ki-Young¡­¡± said the fish.


    ¡°<em>Ah</em>, yes, Mr. Squiat?¡± I answered.


    ¡°Do you¡­ have a moment?¡± the fish asked.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°There''s something I have to tell you,¡± he said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I only need a moment¡­ It¡¯s very important, Father,¡± he added.


    ¡°I-It should be fine if it¡¯s only for a moment¡­¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Mr. Squiat,¡± I said.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Do you know how to y chess?¡± I asked.

 Chapter 1025: Cleanup (8)

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how¡­ but why¡­¡± Squiat asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really like it when the mood is serious. ying chess while talking will make it a little easier for us to talk¡­ You also won''t have to worry about formalities¡­¡± I replied.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s best to talk in a morefortable setting. It''s not good for us to treat our conversation as an extension of the meeting,"


    ¡°I see. I appreciate it,¡± Squiat said.


    The same words would have a different meaning depending on the interpretation.


    It would be better for him if we were to talk to each other while ying chess instead of talking about the clean-up proceedings of the expedition. He''d attract less attention from the press and the members of the Blue Guild.


    <em>¡®An unofficial meeting is a lot better.¡¯</em>


    We wouldn¡¯t need to record this in the meeting log, and I was sure that was what he wanted, so this was actually good for him.<em>''Many people noticed us, though.¡¯</em>


    The meeting was over, but the meeting room was rowdy because some people were trying to get some profit from the Federation.


    Some people also noticed Squiat walking over toward me. Some of them felt ufortable at the sight and frowned, but they didn¡¯t really stop him.


    It was all because they could just invite themselves if it seemed like we were going to have a tea party. Unfortunately, I asked Squiat whether he could y chess or not, which meant that they would have no reason to join our conversation.


    They knew I was being considerate of Squiat, and it would be rude of them to try to join our conversation despite that.


    I felt like they had be more hostile to the fish, as they were worried about the possibility of Squiat stabbing me in the back.


    ¡°Thank you for your hard work, everyone,¡± I said.


    ¡°Would it be okay if I visit you privately next time, Father Lee Ki-Young?¡± the bearded man asked.


    ¡°Of course. You¡¯re wee to visit me anytime. Let¡¯s have tea and enjoy each other¡¯spany. <em>Ah!</em> I think it¡¯s better if I invite you to the tea party that¡¯s going to be held soon,¡± I suggested.


    ¡°<em>Hahaha</em>, really? An invitation to your tea party¡­ I¡¯m already looking forward to it. It will be a family honor,¡± replied the bearded man.


    ¡°Maybe I should¡¯ve invited you sooner,¡± Imented.


    ¡°<em>Hahahaha</em>, I¡¯m just d that you even considered inviting me. I¡¯m sure my daughter will be very happy. She¡¯s actually going to debut soon¡­¡± mentioned the bearded man.


    ¡°Debuting at such a trivial tea party¡­¡± I said.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a trivial tea party if it''s your tea party! I can already imagine the smiles on my children¡¯s faces,¡± said the bearded man.


    ¡°<em>Hahaha</em>.¡±


    Naturally, I talked to those who were leaving and bid goodbye to them.


    ¡°Thank you very much for today,¡± I said.


    ¡°I should be the one thanking you, Father Lee Ki-Young. You have no idea how touched I was¡­ by your warm heart and the fact that you''re prioritizing the continent.¡± ?


    I didn¡¯t really mean those things.


    ¡°<em>Ah</em>, Commander!¡± I yelled.


    ¡°Father Lee Ki-Young,¡± Jin Cheong said.


    ¡°Are you heading back to the Republic?¡± I asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Jin Cheong replied.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you stay a little longer¡­¡± I suggested.


    ¡°I have tasks I need to take care of¡­ I apologize,¡± Jin Cheong said.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re returning so soon¡­¡± I said.


    ¡°I will make time someday and visit the Blue Guild,¡± Jin Cheong said.


    ¡°You promised,¡± I said.


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    I pretended like I was close to Jin Cheong, and the meeting finally ended.


    After a while, we started heading out.


    Squiat stared at me quietly all this while.


    ¡°Well then¡­¡± I said.


    ¡°Yes, Father Lee Ki-Young?¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s best if we head to my room,¡± I suggested.


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Squiat replied.


    I also didn¡¯t forget to notify the guild staffers.


    ¡°I have a guest, so please make sure that no one will disturb us.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    I was ready to talk. Of course, I didn¡¯t forget to show him my ordinary life as the sub guild master and the honorary cardinal. I showed him my life as an ordinary human rather than as the honorary cardinal ordering the guild staffers around.


    I took out a chessboard and talked casually to him. I also served him some tea and snacks. It was a familiar routine.


    The room was clean with luxurious and antique furniture and items, but I seemed out of ce in all of this. Pouring my own tea was somethingmoners would do, and it looked as if I weren''t greedy or materialistic.


    It was like the Blue Guild had provided all these to help me maintain my dignity rather than saying that I wanted all these.


    ¡°What kind of tea do you like?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ really enjoy¡­ drinking tea¡­¡± Squiat answered.


    <em>¡®You¡¯re hopeless.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll rmend one to you,¡± I said.


    ¡°I¡¯d appreciate that,¡± Squiat said.


    A chessboard was ced on therge table.


    The tea and our snacks were sitting on the side table.


    I quietly moved a piece, and he nodded before moving his chess piece. We weren¡¯t ying with the intention of winning. ying chess wasn¡¯t important to him¡­ He hade here to tell me what he wanted, so I was sure he was thinking hard right now.


    ¡°First of all¡­¡± Squiat said.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°On behalf of the Federation¡­ I would like to thank you for doing everything that you can for us,¡± Squiat continued.


    <em>¡®That¡¯s right. Start off by thanking me first, but it¡¯s kind of strange, isn¡¯t it? You¡¯re not the representative of the Federation, after all.¡¯</em>


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I should be the one thanking you, Mr. Squiat. I know that the small cities of the Federation are struggling, but I never really managed to confirm. Many people were ufortable because your words did not really fit the topic of the meeting. but I understand why you decided to do that,¡± I said.


    ¡°Thank you for¡ª¡±


    ¡°So¡­ can you tell me why you requested a private meeting?¡± I asked, interrupting him.


    <em>¡®I¡¯ve already done enough to address the problems that you mentioned.¡¯</em>


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Squiat paused.


    <em>¡®The poverty and the hardships of the people in the Federation were resolved by giving you guys the license to the dungeon. The equal distribution you mentioned was also resolved with the Legendary item that you got.¡¯</em>


    ¡°If there¡¯s something else you need, feel free to tell me,¡± I said.


    This amount of kindness had to be considered a sickness.


    <em>¡®Even I think that I¡¯m being really stupid.¡¯</em>


    There probably wasn¡¯t another person as nice as me.


    Legendary items were so valuable that it was hard to convert them to gold.


    Of course, there were many such items on the market right now, so their value had dropped significantly, but they were still extremely expensive. The dungeon maintenance project was good for them, but the items given to the Federation¡­


    <em>¡®Those items are going to be helpful with their expedition.¡¯</em>


    Basically, the issues that had been guing them due to the fact that they hadn''t been able to raid a dungeon or hunt monsters had just been resolved earlier.


    The Federation would surely grow as quickly as a rolling snowball, but I knew why he wanted this meeting.


    <em>¡®He wants more.¡¯</em>


    I had no idea what he wanted¡­ but he probably wanted to know who I was supporting.


    ¡°Come to think of it; you¡¯re from the small city of Ohio¡­¡± I mentioned.


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m stillcking, but I manage the small city of Ohio. Of course, the denizens are helping me as well,¡± Squiat said.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    His position wasn¡¯t bad, but it wasn¡¯t exactly the best either.


    If he wanted to be a part of the Federation''s higher-ups, he could surely be one. However, there was a major city right next to Ohio, so he probably thought that Ohio was too small for him to fulfill his dreams.


    If he wanted to be at the center of the Federation''s politics to reform the Federation, then he¡¯d need connections and the help of someone famous.


    <em>¡®I give you fifty points. It¡¯s not bad, but it''s not good, either.¡¯</em>


    He probably felt like the bearded bandit had taken credit for his contribution. The presentation was made by him, but the contribution was split between the central and the major cities around it.


    <em>¡®Or is it something else?¡¯</em>


    <em>''Do you want to have a Mythic-ranked item all to yourself? Are you really worried about the continent? Do you want to change the continent? Did you really think someone should keep Light Ki-Young in check? Are you here to gamble with me with some grand n?''</em>


    <em>¡®Did you request a private meeting with me because you want to carry out the revolution that you have in mind?¡¯</em>


    Squiat stared quietly at the chessboard.


    He was sweating, and I could see through his thoughts. I was sure he knew how difficult it was for a ruler of a small city to have a private meeting with me.


    The lovely and holy honorary cardinal was a foolishly kind man, but despite that, Squiat probably felt like he was standing on the edge of a cliff. One word could change everything.


    <em>''There''s no way, right?'' </em>


    I had thrown multiple hints. A foolishly kind man and a saint who had been living his life for the continent. I had been sacrificing myself to the point that I looked like a fool, but it seemed like he couldn''t find any traces of Light Ki-Young in me.


    Squiat had only one choice, and it was exining exactly what had happened, as I had forgotten some of the events during the expedition.


    Squirt wanted to make me feel wary of myself.


    He wanted to create a brand-new group that wasn¡¯t part of the Blue Guild, the Mercenary Guild, the ck Swan Guild, the Continental Protection Management Committee, and the Sacred Democratic Country.


    He wanted to make me an enemy of myself.


    Squiat sounded confident as he said, ¡°It¡¯s about the Mole Saint¡¯s Cozy Sanctuary.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°Do you know¡­ what happened there?¡± he asked carefully.


    And that was when a shadow appeared behind him...


    <em>¡®Kim Ye-Ri.¡¯</em>


    Squiat probably wanted to tell me about the dark, hidden truth.


    <em>¡®Those three must¡¯ve been taking turns to watch over me.¡¯</em>


    Kim Ye-Ri took out her dagger, and she had a cold look that was unlike a little girl like her. Before Squiat could finish his sentence, a dagger was pressed against his neck, but there weren''t any holes in his neck.


    ¡°What are you doing, Kim Ye-Ri?¡± I asked.


    ¡°...¡± ¡°I asked¡­ what you¡¯re doing,¡± I repeated.


    <em>''Are you trying to execute him because he broke the contract?''</em>


    The fish fell from his chair and clutched his neck. He looked to be in disbelief. If I hadn¡¯t stopped her, his head would have been rolling on the ground by now. The fish was also aware of the fact that he had almost lost his life.


    Kim Ye-Ri realized the sad truth once again. Upon seeing my disapproving gaze, her hands trembled, and she ran out while crying.


    <em>¡®She won¡¯t tell Hyun-Sung if she knows what¡¯s good for her.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Mr. Lee Ki-Young¡­¡±


    Squiat proceeded to bber on and on about the Monarch of Lust and Eternal Sleep.


    <em>Boom!</em>


    There was a deafening noise, and someone walked into the room with bloodshot eyes, looking extremely angry. He''d usually smile like a fool, but he looked like a demon right now.


    His frown was so deep that it distorted his face in a hideous way. I couldn''t help but question whether I was still staring at the guy I was familiar with. Yes, he was our pig¡ªPark Deok-Gu.


    Kim Ye-Ri had decided to call him instead of Kim Hyun-Sung.


    ¡°It was you,¡± Park Deok-Gu said.


    ¡°Deok-Gu, wait¡­¡± I said.


    ¡°You ungrateful bastard¡­ You¡­ you¡­ ungrateful¡­ How¡­ could you do that¡­ to our hyung-nim?! How dare you¡­ How dare you!¡± Park Deok-Gu shouted.


    <em>¡®What¡¯s wrong with him?¡¯</em>


    ¡°You¡¯re worse than a beast!¡± Park Deok-Gu added.


    <em>¡®What¡¯s wrong with you? What¡¯s going on?¡¯</em>


    ¡°You¡­ You bastard!¡± Park Deok-Gu roared.


    Park Deok-Gu''s massive fistnded on the fish¡¯s face, and a grotesque cracking noise echoed.


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 1026: Cleanup (9)

    <em>¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯</em>


    It happened so fast that I couldn¡¯t stop him.


    <em>¡®What¡¯s wrong with him? What¡¯s wrong?¡¯</em>


    <em>BOOM!</em>


    The fish was sted away into a wall. Before he could scream, Park Deok-Gu grabbed his head and mmed him into the wall again. I heard a loud <em>crack</em>, but Park Deok-Gu''s roar was loud enough to drown out that sound.


    He was swearing and crying at the same time.


    The scene was so bizarre that I questioned whether I was staring at the Park Deok-Gu I was familiar with. His voice waspletely different from his usual voice, and he was so domineering that the fish could not do anything other than cover his face with his hands.


    ¡°H-Hold on¡­ <em>Aahhh!</em>¡± Squiat yelled.


    <em>¡®Looks like our Deok-Gu became stronger.¡¯</em>I thought our pig only knew how to get hit, but he was actually pretty strong.


    He had grown a lot.


    The fish had a warrior-type ss, but he couldn¡¯t fight back at all.


    The fish was a typical melee DPS with bnced stats; his skills and attributes were excellent. In addition, he had to be an Epic adventurer or higher. Otherwise, he couldn''t have reached his current heights.


    If he were closer to Legendary than Epic, he would outss Park Deok-Gu, but that wasn''t the case here.


    Sword techniques, martial arts techniques, and skills were useless against a tank with extremely high Endurance. There was a massive difference in stats, so Park Deok-Gu¡¯s attacks were extremely damaging to him despite the former''s low Strength.


    Just one fist was enough to render Squiat to the brink of aa, and the punch that came afterward had to have made it difficult for Squiat to breathe.


    I was sure he had already lost his teeth as well.


    He was covered in blood because Park Deok-Gu was still punching him.


    ¡°How¡­ could you do that?! You bastard! You ungrateful jerk!¡± Park Deok-Gu shouted.


    ¡°<em>Ah¡­ ahhhh!</em>¡± Squiat screamed.


    ¡°You deserve to die! You¡­ You know nothing!¡± Park Deok-Gu continued.


    ¡°<em>Cough!</em>¡±


    ¡°You shouldn''t have talked nonsense when you know nothing! Did you really have to do that?! Why?! To feel better about yourself?! You bastard! Do you feel better now, huh?!¡±  ??


    ¡°<em>Keugh¡­</em>¡±


    ¡°You dirty, wicked, and shameful bastard!!!¡± Park Deok-Gu yelled.


    It all happened in the blink of an eye.


    Squiat was using all of his energy to withstand the pig''s punches.


    <em>¡®I do feel kind of better. Yeah, if you¡¯re going to punch him, you might as well go all out. Don¡¯t show mercy.¡¯</em>


    I felt conflicted. A part of me wanted to keep watching, while the other part of me wanted to stop him. If I could, I''d send Squiat¡¯s soul to Benigoa, but¡­


    <em>¡®It¡¯ll be bad if he ends up dying here¡­¡¯</em>


    Obviously, I had to stop Park Deok-Gu, so I decided to pull him away.


    Park Deok-Gu raised his fist to pound Squiat''s head, but I moved quickly and wrapped my arms around his waist, pulling him away.


    ¡°Deok-Gu! Park Deok-Gu!¡±


    I called out his name desperately, but he was so immersed that he could not hear me.


    ¡°You¡­ dirty bastard! You deserve to die! Our hyung-nim¡­ he¡­ he went through so many hardships! He struggled so much¡­he''s been struggling, but you¡­ you¡­¡±


    <em>¡®Why are you crying?¡¯</em>


    Park Deok-Gu failed to control himself and burst into tears.


    <em>¡®You¡¯re acting as if you¡¯re the one who''s getting beaten up.¡¯</em>


    ¡°<em>Haa¡­ </em>S-save¡­¡±


    <em>¡®Hey, he might actually die at this rate. I think he¡¯s really trying to kill the guy.¡¯</em>


    Squiat was writhing in pain, and he couldn''t even think about resisting anymore.


    He looked like a fish onnd.


    <em>¡®He can¡¯t die here. He can¡¯t. I need to send him back as an example to others.¡¯</em>


    In the end, I had no choice but to cling to Park Deok-Gu¡¯s arm.


    Park Deok-Gu failed to notice me, so I flew away when he swung his fist.


    I ended up rolling on the ground.


    I rolled dramatically to ensure that he''d notice me, and it worked.


    ¡°<em>Ah!</em>¡± Park Deok-Gu eximed. ¡°<em>Uh¡­ uh¡­</em> hyung-nim?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Hyung-nim¡­¡± Park Deok-Gu said.


    I needed to be stern with him. I couldn¡¯t be nice to the guy who had crossed the line.


    ¡°Get out,¡± I said.


    My serious voice filled the quiet room, and I was even surprised by how cold I sounded.


    I checked up on Squiat before looking up at Park Deok-Gu.


    As expected, Park Deok-Gu was looking at me in disbelief. It looked like he had finallye to his senses. He had sent the Saint of Sacrifice rolling on the ground and had pummeled the fish bloody.


    ¡°I-I¡­ just¡­¡± he stuttered.


    ¡°I said get out, you pig!¡± I ordered.


    ¡°I just¡ª¡±


    ¡°You bastard! Who told you to beat him up? Have I ever told you to beat up people you didn¡¯t like?¡± I questioned.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°What was that? You think I¡¯ve been taking care of you, so you can do something like this? Does nothing matter to you anymore now that you¡¯ve gotten stronger? Do you feel better after barging into my room and behaving as you pleased? Do you not care about anything anymore?¡± I scolded him.


    <em>¡®I was happy by what he did. I honestly wanted to punch the fish myself. I''m feeling better thanks to the pig.¡¯</em>


    ¡°H-He¡­ he¡­¡± Park Deok-Gu muttered.


    ¡°I heard what happened as well. I don¡¯t understand why that was kept a secret in the first ce¡­ but how¡­ how could you act like this¡­ every time¡­¡± Iined.


    Park Deok-Gu was silent. He had to be too embarrassed to even apologize. He knew what he had done, after all.


    <em>¡®How dare you beat up my guest?¡¯</em>


    Of course, it was true that Squiat had broken the contract, but the contract hadn''t stated anything about being forced to eat knuckle sandwiches upon breaking the contract.


    Kim Ye-Ri swinging her dagger was probably a decision by the Blue Guild as a whole, and I was sure the contract that was released to the public was different.


    Basically, Park Deok-Gu had done something bad.


    Thankfully, I could stop this from bing a big story because I had influence over the press, but the news of Park Deok-Gu beating up the manager of Ohio to a pulp would cause political issues.


    Park Deok-Gu wasn¡¯t exactly a political individual, but he was smart enough to know that.


    <em>¡®If only the beating weren''t this severe¡­''¡¯</em>


    Squiat¡¯s political life was going toe to an end on its own because breaking a contract wasn¡¯t an issue that could be resolved easily. However, Park Deok-Gu had run rampant, so Squiat now had a reason to kick up a fuss.


    <em>¡®It didn¡¯t really matter, anyway.¡¯</em>


    I was going to end the fish, anyway. I had already nted the seeds, and it would have been great if Park Deok-Gu hadn''t beaten him up. Well, it had already happened, so the least I could do was ensure that Squiat wouldn''t die at Park Deok-Gu''s hands.


    In addition, Park Deok-Gu also had no excuse to behave in such a ruthless manner.


    ¡°T-That¡­¡±


    I cast a disappointed gaze at Park Deok-Gu. He received one stack of disappointment upon barging into the room like some thug, and he received another stack of disappointment by behaving in such a violent way.


    <em>¡®Are you still the Deok-Gu whom I''m familiar with?¡¯</em>


    <em>''Are you really the same pig that I know? You weren¡¯t acting like a pig just now. You don¡¯t have anger management issues, do you?''</em>


    I had no choice but to keep acting like I was disappointed with him.


    ¡°I was just¡­ w-worried about you¡­ and¡­ more importantly¡­¡± Park Deok-Gu paused.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°H-He¡­¡± Park Deok-Gu stuttered.


    ¡°You¡­¡± I paused.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You disappoint me¡­ <em>really¡­</em>¡± I said.


    Park Deok-Gu cried.


    ¡°Sniff!¡±


    <em>¡®Don¡¯t cry. Why are you crying?¡¯</em>


    ¡°Get out,¡± I said.


    ¡°So


    He couldn¡¯t move.


    ¡°I said get out! You pig!¡± I shouted.


    I felt kind of bad for him when I saw him standing there and wiping away his tears.


    I¡¯d feel ufortable leaving like this¡­ Actually, I couldn¡¯t leave just like this. Unlike him, I had to keep doing my job. First, I had to check if Squiat was still alive¡­ and sprinkle a bit of holy power on him.


    Once I was done, I had to call a priest.


    The pig just stood there with his head down. Blood was still dripping from his hands, and the sight bothered me. I was sure he wasn¡¯t hurt because of his exceedingly high Endurance stat, but¡­


    ¡°<em>Keugh¡­</em>¡±


    <em>¡®Ah, it¡¯s really bothering me.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Give me¡­ your hand,¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    I took out a bottle of potion from my bag and poured it over his hand.


    ¡°Hey¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Park Deok-Gu mumbled.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do this next time,¡± I said.


    ¡°But still¡­¡±


    "Hey, listen.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell Hyun-Sung either, and make sure that Ye-Ri won''t tell anyone about what happened. You know why I¡¯m acting like this, right? It¡¯s because I don¡¯t want this to be a big problem,¡± I told him.


    ¡°B-but hyung-nim¡­ about what happened during the Bahamut expedition¡­ that was¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know. It¡¯s not a big deal, is it?¡± I interrupted him.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It wasn¡¯t a big deal, so don¡¯t worry about it. I''m not sure what he told you¡­ but it really wasn¡¯t a big deal. It¡¯s not something you have to worry yourself over, and it¡¯s all over now. I¡¯m telling you that you don¡¯t need to worry or carry the burdens alone."


    <em>''You say it¡¯s not a big deal, but you barged in here and went crazy. Does that even make sense?''</em>


    ¡°All right, thanks,¡± I said.


    ¡°A-Also, I¡¯m sorry. I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Just don¡¯t do it again next time, so leave this ce to me and go rest,¡± I interrupted him.


    ¡°I


    ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it, so you go take care of Ye-Ri,¡± I said.


    <em>¡®Even if you stay here, there¡¯s nothing you can do.¡¯</em>


    ¡°At least¡ª¡±


    ¡°Get out,¡± I ordered.


    He finally caught on and left the room quietly.


    <em>¡®Ah, shit¡­ it really is a mess.¡¯</em>


    I felt like I was just hit by a tornado.


    The unconscious Squiat before me made me feel extreme delight, but I couldn¡¯t show it because Park Deok-Gu and Kim Ye-Ri were peeking in through the slightly ajar door.


    I sighed and showed them my back.


    My shoulders were trembling as if I were dealing with my tumultuous emotions.


    <em>¡®I¡¯m suffering like this because of you guys. Yeah, you two¡ªYe-Ri and Park Deok-Gu.¡¯</em>


    Only aplished actors could act with their backs turned on their audience.


    After wiping away my tears, I opened themunication channel.


    <em>"Benigoa."</em>


    ¡ª...


    <em>"Benigoa?"</em>


    ¡ª <em>Huh? Ah!</em> I-I¡¯m here! Lee Ki-Young! I-I was just taking care of the work that had piled up. W-Why are you calling me?


    <em>"Let me borrow your spear."</em>


    ¡ª...


    <em>"You know, the spear. The one you¡¯re using as a decoration¡­ Let me borrow it."</em>


    ¡ª <em>Huh? Huh?</em><em>The </em>spear? My¡­ spear? Why?


    <em>''What do you mean, why? They''ll find your relic during the dungeon cleanup, and I expect them to find it thirty days from now.''</em>


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 1027: Cleanup (10)

    ¡°...¡°


    ¡°Please continue, Colonel Smith,¡± I said.


    ¡°I have heard the name Squiat before, sir,¡± Colonel Smith said.


    ¡°Really?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes. Right after clearing the tutorial dungeon, I¡¯m sure he was called one of the Supernovas of the West. I believe his nickname was Squiat, the Blinding Light¡­¡± he answered.


    ¡°Supernovas of the West?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes. It refers to the eight people of the Federation and the Union,¡± Colonel Smith said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±¡°<em>Hm</em>¡­ they must not be <em>that</em> big of a deal since I''ve never heard of them¡­¡± I said.


    ¡°That¡¯s the case based on the standards of the entire continent, but the people of the Federation are saying that the Supernovas of the West are powerful people. They actually started out from scratch,¡± Colonel Smith exined.


    ¡°That¡¯s true. Anyway, since you¡¯ve heard of them, they must not bepletely ipetent. You¡¯re saying that it wouldn''t be strange if I was to support them personally, right?¡± I asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I already told the press that this is a continuation of the Federation Support Project. I also informed them that along with Squiat, the remaining Supernovas of the West as well as the small to mid-sized guilds of the Federation, are receiving support from us. The press and the guild master have yet to catch on, too,¡± Colonel Smith answered.


    ¡°And the incident with Deok-Gu¡­¡± I asked.


    ¡°That incident won¡¯t be mentioned outside of the guild,¡± Colonel Smith replied.


    ¡°I knew you were great at your job, Colonel Smith. I¡¯m d I recruited you. You¡¯re reliable and trustworthy,¡± Iplimented him.


    ¡°Thank you, sir. But¡­¡± Colonel Smith paused.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Can I ask you a question?¡± he asked.


    I felt like I knew what he was going to ask, so answering his question in advance would probably put him at ease.


    ¡°<em>Ah</em>, I won¡¯t do anything to the Federation, so don¡¯t worry so much. I¡¯ll use this opportunity to take care of your formerrades, Colonel Smith. Once we get rid of the scumbags, those positions will be avable. You¡¯re okay with that, right?¡± I asked.


    I thought he''d be happy, but his expression turned kind of dark.


    <em>¡®Strangely, he prefers living a quiet life, and he even wants his subordinates to do the same.¡¯</em>


    It was ironic because he couldn¡¯t give up his mustache, even though he wanted to stay low-key.


    Anyway, it sounded like the incident was handled without much fuss. Of course, I had made a personal agreement with Squiat, but there were many other things I had to handle in addition to our agreement.


    Actually, Squiat didn¡¯t want the continent to be noisy all because of what Park Deok-Gu had done. He actually stopped me when I told him that I wanted to apologize formally. Instead, he requested for protection.


    It made sense, as his life was threatened, after all.


    However, he also wanted me to do something about the expedition contract, which was an even bigger problem. Of course, there was nothing for him to worry about because I knew the truth and had to take action.


    It was a ridiculous contract in the first ce, and when looking at it objectively, Squiat was a courageous whistleblower who had revealed the unfair contract terms.


    He was lying on the hospital bed while I was sitting next to him.


    Everything was going ording to n.


    The fact that Park Deok-Gu and Kim Ye-Ri were so overprotective of me gave him an excuse. He begged me to believe him and imed that we needed to establish an organization that would keep the Monarch of Lust and Eternal Sleep in check.


    I told him that it would be nice if the Blue Guild coulde up with a way, but I also told him the cold truth that we couldn¡¯t do that and that supporting the Federation was the best option.


    I was sure he felt ashamed for saying that to me in the first ce.


    <em>¡®He got beaten up by Park Deok-Gu, after all, so he must be feeling ashamed.¡¯</em>


    Basically, his face was red while we were talking.


    He was probably mad at himself for bringing that up again after getting beaten up by the pig for bringing it up in the first ce. He had never experienced major failures, and I was sure his pride had plummeted to the abyss after the incident.


    We had many discussions about it, but in the end, I still decided to support the people of the Federation and the Union under the Federation Support Project.


    Actually, I was nning on supporting only Squiat and a few others, but I had to do this so that the continent wouldn''t notice what was going on.


    It happened exactly five days ago. Squiat had finally recovered to a certain extent, so he stood up and immediately created a branch in Lindel. Then, they received arge amount of funding. I had to say that Squiat really was a motivated individual.


    ¡°Mr. Chang-Ryeol, how much longer until we reach our destination?¡± I asked.


    ¡°We¡¯re almost there, sir,¡± Lee Chang-Ryeol answered.


    ¡°This is hard¡­¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°Would you like me to carry you?¡± Lee Chang-Ryeol asked.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine¡­ but¡­ I had no idea that there''s a building in a ce like this,¡± I answered.


    ¡°The guild master actually purchased a few buildings under your name,¡± Lee Chang-Ryeol revealed.


    ¡°There¡¯s more? Where did he get all that money from?¡± I questioned.


    ¡°...¡± <em>¡®Maybe I shouldn¡¯t have asked.¡¯</em>


    Upon reaching the building I had never seen before, I saw the fish from the Federation.


    He was still injured, but he was dressed decently today.


    ¡°Wee, Father Lee Ki-Young.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for beingte, Mr. Squiat,¡± I said.


    ¡°<em>Haha</em>, you don¡¯t need to apologize. Thank you foring all this way. It¡¯s also an honor to meet you, Colonel Smith. Pleasee this way,¡± Squiat said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll head in with you, sir,¡± Lee Chang-Ryeol said.


    ¡°Thank you, Mr. Chang-Ryeol.¡±


    <em>¡®He must¡¯ve spent quite a bit of money.¡¯ </em>This was the first thought that popped into my mind the moment I entered his guild house under Lee Chang-Ryeol and Colonel Smith''s protection.


    He was a mosquito, not a fish.


    <em>¡®He must have established a branch in Lindel to suck as many profits as possible.¡¯</em>


    First of all, I told him that I''d provide him with a ton of support, but I couldn''t understand why he needed so much money until now. There was something expensive everywhere I looked¡ªfrom the guild house to even the dungeon auction hall¡ªeverything was unnecessarily luxurious.


    ¡°As I mentioned earlier¡­ I want to introduce you to people who share the same interests as us,¡± Squiat said.


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re all gathered in the meeting room,¡± Squiat informed.


    ¡°More importantly, are you feeling better, Mr. Squiat?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about me,¡± Squiat replied.


    <em>''Look at this guy trying to act tough. His friends must enjoy acting tough, just like him.''</em>


    We were having meaningless talks while walking toward our destination. Once we were there, I saw a total of fourteen people. In addition to the members of Supernova or whatever, there had to have been some mosquitoes that gathered upon catching a whiff of blood.


    They were all wearing fancy clothes and were trying their best to show that they were strong. Actually, they <em>looked </em>strong. Their overall stats were Epic or above, and they wore equipment that was suitable for them.


    They were good enough to make a living in either Lindel or Celia.


    ¡°Nice to meet you, everyone,¡± I greeted.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, Father Lee Ki-Young.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an honor to meet you, Father Lee Ki-Young.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re grateful that you came all the way here.¡±


    ¡°Regarding our offer¡­¡±


    ¡°This is Raynan of Extinction, a member of the Supernovas of the West,¡± Squiat introduced.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, Mr. Rayan,¡± I greeted.


    ¡°This is Robinwood of Frenzy. He¡¯s also a Supernova of the West,¡± he said.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard a lot about you, Mr. Robinwood,¡± I said.


    Greeting each and every one of them was a lot of work, as there were fourteen of them with their own fancy nicknames. They were all acting as if they were big shots. I knew that they did not want to disappoint their sponsor, but they were trying <em>too</em> hard.


    <em>¡®So these guys can stop the Monarch of Lust and Eternal Sleep? Really?¡¯</em>


    Lee Chang-Ryeol was quiet, but I felt like he wasughing inside. This was just absurd.


    ¡°Is this everyone?¡± I asked.


    ¡°If we summon all the members from each guild, there are going to be over a thousand people. Among them, there are about four hundred and twenty-three Epic adventurers; they all have a ton of experience when ites to raid expeditions.


    "They achieved excellent results as part of an attack team in the tutorial dungeon, and they¡¯re veteran warriors with a lot ofbat experience,¡± Squiat replied.


    ¡°I see. A lot of people gathered here. Don¡¯t you agree, Mr. Chang-Ryeol?¡± I asked.


    ¡°To be honest¡­¡± Lee Chang-Ryeol paused.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s subpar.¡±


    An awkward air descended upon the room.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It sounds rude, but that¡¯s all I can say, sir. They¡¯re all subpar,¡± Lee Chang-Ryeol added.


    He was so straightforward.


    ¡°<em>Ha¡­ haha</em>. That¡¯s funny. Excuse me, Father Lee Ki-Young.¡±


    How many adventurers could withstand such words?


    I saw the mosquito of annihtion moving toward Lee Chang-Ryeon, and I couldn''t help but think that he was raring to prove Lee Chang-Ryeol wrong.


    Colonel Smith pulled me back, and Lee Chang-Ryeol¡¯s dagger was pressed at the mosquito''s neck in the blink of an eye. The mosquito of annihtion stopped dead in his tracks and nced at Lee Chang-Ryeol, who somehow appeared behind him in the blink of an eye.


    Cold beaded sweat rolled down his forehead.


    The mosquito was so slow that he didn¡¯t even notice Lee Chang-Ryeol''s attack.


    I couldn¡¯t help but sigh. If I were an actual investor, I would pack my bags and leave. No matter how I looked at it, this stock was on the brink of getting delisted. It was a risky stock that would fall into the abyss without fail.


    ¡°We still have a long way to go. F-For now¡­ I think it¡¯s best if you help with cleaning up the dungeon with the denizens of the Federation. There¡¯s no need for a¡­ wee party.


    "Yes¡­ okay. <em>Ah¡­</em> I think stabilization should be the top priority¡­¡± I suggested.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s best to handle the problems in front of us first before distributing anything or assigning people for expeditions. I think it¡¯s best¡­ if I tell you the direction you should take. I need to talk about how to lead this group, so¡­ for now, please do your best¡­ in your respective roles,¡± I continued.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Mr. Squiat,¡± I said.


    ¡°Y-Yes, Father Lee Ki-Young?¡± Squiat answered.


    ¡°Your words are still engraved deep in my heart, but¡­¡± I paused.


    <em>¡®I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re nning on doing that you¡¯re taking all this money away from me. This will get you nowhere. This isn¡¯t right even in your eyes, right?¡¯</em>


    ¡°I have a lot I want to say¡­¡± I paused again.


    <em>''I don¡¯t know if investing in you guys is the right choice.''</em>


    ¡°But I don¡¯t think this is the ce for it,¡± I said.


    Wouldn¡¯t it be faster to find other people?


    <em>¡®You understand what I¡¯m saying, right?¡¯</em>


    To be frank, the reason I chose Squiat was that he was a passionate individual. He had courageously brought up the idea of keeping the Monarch of Lust and Eternal Sleep in check and had asked me to give him that job.


    He had the spirit and guts of most rookies.


    There was really no reason for him to be the leader of the group. This was still an unofficial group, and the level of adventurers in other ces was pretty much the same as them. It was true that he started all this, but there was no need for me to give him everything he wanted to obtain.


    He knew better than anyone else that his confident, gutsy, and energetic side was not really necessary. He knew better than anyone that he needed to prove his worth in front of me.


    <em>¡®He doesn¡¯t look so good.¡¯</em>


    Squiat had an inferiorityplex, or perhaps he was just embarrassed. Most importantly, he looked nervous and scared. He looked different from when he was in the meeting room at the time. I could no longer see the passionate Squiat.


    <em>''It''s not because they can''t that the others are not acting like you.¡¯</em>


    <em>''They arepetent and can certainly make the same move as you, but they are not going to do what you have done because they have a lot to lose.</em>


    <em>''So what do you think? Now you have a lot to lose as well.''</em>

 Chapter 1028: Cleanup (11)

    Of course, it wasn¡¯t like Squiat had nothing to lose.


    He was the lord of a small city, so anyone would think that he had many valuable things to lose, but value was always rtive. There were people satisfied with what they had, but there were also those who weren''t. He was a great example of this, and his nature¡­


    <em>¡®Cautious Revolutionist is his nature, and¡­¡¯</em>


    The status window would never lie. Unlike Sun Hee-Young¡¯s nature, "Ideal Volunteer," and Kim Hyun-Sung¡¯s nature, "Kind-hearted Mediator," it wasn¡¯t clear whether Squiat''s nature was evil or good.


    The dictionary definition of the word "revolution" was to break down social and economic systems in favor of a new one, but the definition was not enough for me to say that he was on the side of light.


    The existing systems and customs weren¡¯t necessarily bad, and there was no guarantee that the revolution was headed in the right direction or that it was righteous.


    There were times when people would raise a g for the greater good, but there were also people who started a revolution by thinking, <em>''Ah, this is shit.''</em>


    Squiat was probably thetter.


    It was highly likely that he had decided to start a revolution, as he wasn¡¯t satisfied with his life. He had a cause, but what he wanted to change wasn¡¯t the existing values or the current social system. Instead, he simply wanted to change his environment. He was trapped in a remote area and was being squeezed out of the continental fight for supremacy. To make matters worse, everyone was focused on me and the Sacred Democratic Country. He was frustrated by that; the systems and ideas running the continent had forced the Cautious Revolutionist not to be so cautious anymore.


    ¡°Wait, Father Lee Ki-Young," Squiat said, stopping me. I turned to him and saw that he looked nervous. He looked like someone who had a lot to lose. He probably didn¡¯t feel like he was being pushed to the edge of a cliff just yet, but he was scared.


    ¡°I trust you, Mr. Squiat,¡± I said.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I want to take care of you and support you in many ways¡­ but I <em>need </em>to see results. I don''t have the justification to just give you items, and even if I were to force that to support you¡­ it¡¯ll be an unofficial support. Anything unofficial will not help you at all,¡± I exined.


    ¡°Yes, I understand that, but if you can give us a little more time¡ª¡±


    ¡°I know that an adventurer¡¯s growth depends not just on their items. I know that it sounds ridiculous to hear such words from someone who gave up their life as an adventurer, but I''ve been observing many adventurers from the sideline.


    "In other words, I know that it''s important to move forward slowly, one step at a time, rather than being obsessed with the results,¡± I interrupted him.


    ¡°It won¡¯t take that long, Father Lee Ki-Young. So please¡ª¡±


    ¡°<em>Whooo¡­</em> I¡¯m not an idiot, Mr. Squiat,¡± I said, interrupting him again.


    ¡°...¡±


    I needed to talk calmly. I didn¡¯t talk to him coldly or in a tone that implied the fact that I was aware of his scheme. It was more like I was talking to him indifferently.


    I smiled quietly, and I was sure there was kindness in my eyes because the Saint of Sacrifice and Revival was destined to love everyone on the continent.


    Squiat was a scumbag, but I had to love him as well.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Squiat questioned.


    ¡°I said¡­ I¡¯m not an idiot, Mr. Squiat,¡± I repeated.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand¡­ why you¡¯re telling me this,¡± Squiat said.


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you that I don¡¯t really care about what you do with my support. I also don''t really care about what you want or your dreams,¡± I rified.


    ¡°I think there¡¯s a misunderstanding, Father Lee Ki-Young. That¡¯s not¡ª¡±


    ¡°The reason I wanted to support you was that I thought you''d be able to help everyone keep the Monarch of Lust and Eternal Sleep in check and for the sake of the continent''s bnce, which would allow us to perhaps adopt a centralized system.


    "It was all for the sake of a better tomorrow. I thought there was a reason why Goddess Benigoa sent you to me, and of course, that thought hasn¡¯t changed,¡± I interrupted him.


    Squiat seemed to be having many thoughts as he looked at me quietly.


    In the beginning, I was sure that it wasn¡¯t his intention to take advantage of me.


    He had to have thought that covering his ambitions bying up with a cause was a great move for him, but based on his nature, it was hard to say that he was looking down on me. He probably thought that this was a gamble, and it paid off in his eyes.


    I was more kind to him than he thought, and he was probably thinking that he had overestimated me.


    However, my indifferent words had to have given him goosebumps


    <em>¡®This is a memorable scene.¡¯</em>


    I couldn''t care less whether Squiat was a righteous person or not.


    Of course, I also couldn''t care less if he was just trying to satisfy his greed.


    There was only one thing that mattered to me.


    <em>¡®The continent...¡¯</em>


    The continent was my priority, and this was the thought process of a transcendent being. Rather than bing interested in the values of ordinary people, I was looking at the bigger picture with a bird''s eye view.


    People like Squiat would not be able to understand me. How could he understand the feelings of the transcendent Saint of Sacrifice and Revival when he had used the excuse of changing the values of the continent to cover his greed?


    I was the model example of an adult. In my eyes, everything was worthless unless they could help the living beings on this continent. I probably seemed really out of ce to the point that people questioned if I was even of the same species as them.


    This was kind of different, but Squiat was looking at me like how I''d look at Benigoa.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll put my faith in you, Mr. Squiat,¡± I said, grabbing his hand.


    I held his hand tightly before telling him again that I had faith in him.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± He lowered his head quietly. I hadn''t said anything, but he had to have realized the possibility that I might abandon him if he couldn''t prove himself.


    I was sure he wanted to ignore that feeling, but...


    <em>¡®I knew this was going to happen, so I set up a meeting with the bearded bandit to stress you out.¡¯</em>


    It was easier to bring down someone with a lot to lose than someone who had nothing to lose.


    ¡°Mr. Chang-Ryeol,¡± I said.


    ¡°Yes, sir?¡± Lee Chang-Ryeol answered.


    ¡°What does my schedule look like today?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You have a tea party with the guild master. The guild master has requested a discussion rted to that pic. I believe he wants to discuss the theme and the location. He said he wanted to invite professionals and¡­¡±


    <em>¡®He¡¯s still nning out that pic?¡¯</em>


    ¡°Did you hear any information about it? I''m talking about the theme,¡± I asked.


    ¡°He seemed to be considering a camping theme. I saw him buying a few tents that are popr throughout the continent, but other than that¡­¡± Lee Chang-Ryeol trailed off.


    ¡°<em>Ah</em>, the minorities in the southern region¡­¡± I said.


    ¡°It seemed like he was researching the lifestyle of ancient elven nobles as well as the lifestyle of the people living in the wilderness. Aside from that, I have no other information to offer, unfortunately. My apologies, sir,¡± Lee Chang-Ryeol added.


    ¡°No, you don''t have to apologize for that,¡± I told him.


    ¡°Afterwards, you¡¯ll be eating with Miss Jung Ha-Yan, Miss Han Sora, and Mr. Seraphim. After that, you promised to visit the Red Mercenary Guild¡­¡± Lee Chang-Ryeol continued.


    ¡°And the next day?¡± I asked.


    ¡°There will be an event at the sanctuary,¡± Lee Chang-Ryeol answered.


    ¡°<em>Hm¡­</em> I think it¡¯s best if we postpone the meeting with Hyun-Sung. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re going to go to a pic soon. I''ve already rescheduled my n with Ha-Yan once. I think it¡¯s best if I meet the bearded bandit¡­ right now,¡± I said.


    ¡°Yes, sir. I¡¯ll take care of it,¡± Lee Chang-Ryeol said.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t he working right now? Maybe it¡¯s better if I visit the capital myself,¡± I suggested.


    ¡°Should I notify him?¡± Lee Chang-Ryeol asked.


    ¡°No.¡±


    It was better to do something like this in a discreet way, as the other party would be more touched upon hearing of it.


    I was walking with a spring in my steps when I noticed a carriage in the distance.


    Lee Chang-Ryeol had to have prepared a carriage because I said that I was tired.


    ¡°You get in as well, Colonel Smith,¡± I said.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really popr in the Federation, Colonel Smith. You¡¯re perfect as the face of our guild. Don¡¯t you agree?¡± I asked.


    As soon as I got on the carriage, I looked around using my Telescope.


    I peeked at Squiat and saw that he was in the middle of a meaningless meeting. The mood was pretty calm, but when he heard that the carriage was heading toward the warp gate, the air in the room instantly turned cold.


    <em>"It looks like¡­ he¡¯s heading towards the capital."</em>


    <em>"You don¡¯t think he¡¯s going to visit Gregory, do you?"</em>


    So the bearded bandit¡¯s name was Gregory.


    "<em>Whoo¡­</em> Damn it. What should we do? If Lee Ki-Young is going to support Gregory¡­"


    <em>''You were supposed to call me, "Father."''</em>


    <em>"He can''t abandon us that easily."</em>


    <em>''No, I can.''</em>


    <em>"But the situation just now was really¡­ Didn¡¯t Lee Ki-Young look really disappointed? Our target¡­ was just an ordinary member of the Blue Guild¡­"</em>


    <em>"You really think an ordinary member of the Blue Guild can be Lee Ki-Young¡¯s bodyguard? Do you really think that he¡¯s just an ordinary guild member? Lee Chang-Ryeol is not just popr. His name can be heard everywhere in the underworld, and there isn¡¯t anyone who doesn¡¯t know his name at this point.</em>


    <em>"There are even stories about him receiving special training to protect Lee Ki-Young along with a woman named Park Lian¡­"</em>


    <em>''Really?''</em>


    <em>"Apparently, his body count is already over one thousand."</em>


    <em>''Really?''</em>


    <em>"What about Park Lian?"</em>


    <em>"Colonel Smith is with him, so I don''t think Park Lian is with them. I don''t even want to imagine it, but there''s a chance that she was in the meeting room with him. Anyway, they''re on apletely different level, so let''s not treat them based on the standards of the Federation.</em>


    <em>"We''re just starting out. We couldn''t even¡­ do anything when Raynan was under attack."</em>


    <em>"Shit! If only the Federation didn¡¯t be like this¡­ If the Federation had received better support, the nation wouldn¡¯t have fallen to this state. They¡¯re not even t</em>hat<em> big of a deal¡­" </em>Raynan remarked.


    <em>"Calm down, Raynan. Now is not the time to let your emotions take over."</em>


    <em>"That bastard Colonel Smith¡­ he looks like a hero, but he¡¯s no hero of the Federation. Damn it. Since when did the guy who kissed Lee Ki-Young¡¯s feet be the hero of the Federation? Huh? He¡¯s just Lee Ki-Young¡¯sp dog."</em>


    <em>''So Colonel Smith isn¡¯t that popr¡­ in the Federation.''</em>


    <em>"Wheeew¡­ I just received some news."</em>


    <em>"What is it?"</em>


    <em>"It looks like he </em>really <em>is heading to the dungeon. I¡¯m sure¡­ he¡¯s going to meet Gregory."</em>


    I had no idea where I was going, so it was a miracle that they knew my destination.


    ¡°Have we arrived?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The carriage door was opened, and I saw the bearded bandit covered in dirt.


    My visit was so sudden that he couldn''t clean himself up and just weed me in that state. He looked like he was working at the frontline, which wasn¡¯t something a guild master overseeing both a guild and a city would normally do.


    It was understandable, though, as theycked manpower.


    A terrible stench filled my nose along with the smell of his sweat, but¡­


    <em>¡®He¡¯s working hard.¡¯</em>


    ¡°F-Father Lee Ki-Young. What brings you to this humble ce¡­¡± Gregory greeted me.


    I stepped forward, and he flinched before unconsciously stepping backward. He hadn''t moved back out of shock. It was all because he realized that he smelled bad and was dirty.


    He stepped back because he was worried about staining my clothes.


    <em>¡®The sweat shed from working is sacred.¡¯</em>


    I hugged him lightly as if I were telling him that I couldn''t care less about that. I also grabbed his hand and said, ¡°Thank you very much for your hard work."


    ¡°Father Lee Ki-Young¡­¡± Gregory mumbled.


    I really liked this guy.


    I wasn¡¯t sure whether this news was delivered to Squiat or not, but I saw him throwing a chair into the nearest wall through my Telescope.


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 1029: Cleanup (12)

    <em>¡®That¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about. You should be showing that you¡¯re working hard.¡¯</em>


    That would give me strength as well.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I-I didn¡¯t expect you to visit¡­ this rundown ce¡­¡± Gregory said.


    ¡°Nonsense. This isn''t a rundown ce,¡± I said.


    ¡°If I had known that you wereing, I would have¡ª¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that, Mr. Gregory. I¡¯m really happy that you weed me with open arms. I¡¯m actually worried that perhaps I''m being rude for visiting on short notice,¡± I said, interrupting him.


    ¡°That¡¯s not true! That''s not true at all! I¡¯m really happy that you¡¯re here. I¡¯m sure your presence here will give strength to everyone," he said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±¡°So, are we just going to stand here?" I jokingly suggested.


    Gregory was taken aback, and he stuttered, ¡°P-P-Please¡­e¡­ inside."


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    I quickly figured out why he made me stand here.


    <em>¡®There¡¯s no ce to sit down.¡¯</em>


    I was sure they had shelters for the workers, but they had no ce for special visitors. It had only been three days since they officially started cleaning up the ce, and their guild master was also helping, so there was no need to create a ce like that.


    <em>¡®Why would they even need to create a room for special guests?</em>


    I was sure the jerks of the Federation were reluctant toe here, so the people who hade here to help could be considered the hard-working people of the Federation.


    I wasn¡¯t sure whether there was a political agenda behind Gregory and the influential figures of the Federation, but it seemed that there wasn''t anything of that sort. It was also proven by the state of the camp.


    <em>¡®They¡¯re just poor.¡¯</em>


    Theycked time, manpower, and resources, so they couldn¡¯t build a decent camp.


    It was probably because they wanted to get this started as soon as possible, but I could not see a proper resting area. I saw a cafeteria and housing for the workers, but those were basically just tents.


    The mages had no time to cast wind spells to ventte the ce, so I assumed that they hadn''t been able to cast any cleaning spells as well. In other words, the bathroom in this ce had to smell like the sewers.


    <em>¡®At least they have a ce exclusive for their leaders.¡¯</em>


    Gregory seemed to be thinking that there was no other ce for us to go, as the cafeteria and thepound where the workers were staying weren¡¯t exactly in pristine condition.


    Gregory brought up many topics as if trying to stall time as much as possible, and as expected, I saw a few young men leaving thepound where the leaders of the dungeon clean-up group were staying.


    I instantly deduced that those men had to havee here to clean up the ce.


    ¡°I-It¡¯s filthy, but¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that bad,¡± I told him.


    <em>¡®No, it¡¯s actually bad.¡¯</em>


    They managed to clean up all the trash, but there was no way they could make things perfect on short notice. I found it hrious to see a clean white fabric draped over a decent-looking table.


    The area where the bed was supposed to be located was covered awkwardly, and the random nts in the corners were just funny.


    The guest room was clearly made at thest minute, but the sight of it made the bearded bandit sigh in relief. However, he was still worried.


    I was famous for always taking the side of the weak and the hardworking workers, so the bearded bandit was worried that I''d scold him for not making a decent working environment for the people here.


    However, he need not worry about those. The sweat covering his forehead made me understand what was going on at the moment.


    ¡°In my defense¡ª<em>Ahem¡­</em> we had to start working as quickly as possible, so we haven''t been able to set up camp. Once manpower and resources starting in, we''re nning on resuming the construction of the camp. The cafeteria, bathroom, the housingpound, and the resting areas will be prioritized," Gregory remarked.


    ¡°...¡±n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    ¡°It¡¯ll probably take us about ten days. We''re already talking to apany, and they told us that it''ll take them some time to get things ready. They¡¯ll start sending us decent food in three days,¡± Gregory added.


    <em>¡®You really think they¡¯re going to send you decent food?¡¯</em>


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to give excuses, Mr. Gregory. I know the Federation isn¡¯t in the best situation right now. I know that you have no choice but to rely on thosepanies, and the amount of money you can spend on them is limited.


    "I¡¯m sure there aren¡¯t any guilds in the Federation who can provide enough resources for <em>this </em>many people. The denizens are even struggling to get food, and there was also the recent famine,¡± I replied.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Now, I''m thinking that perhaps maybe this is my fault. I''m sure you must''ve been surprised, and I gave you¡­ this job without considering those things. I should¡¯ve made a solid n. At this point, it feels like I¡¯ve burdened you and the people. <em>Whew,</em>¡± I said.


    ¡°That¡¯s not true, Father Lee Ki-Young. I really am thankful for your grace. I can''t express it properly, but I really am¡­ thankful that you blessed us with your grace. This is not your fault, so please lift your head,¡± Gregory replied.


    ¡°If I could, I''d send you support in the name of the Sacred Democratic Country or the Continental Protection Management Committee, but you know better than anyone that it''s useless.


    "There are people saying that the Federation has been receiving an excessive amount of resources. If you want to increase the denizens¡¯ pride, self-esteem, and morale, you need to take care of this task by yourself,¡± I exined.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be a difficult time for everyone, including the denizens and the workers here,¡± I added.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I can¡¯t be of much help, Mr. Gregory,¡± I said.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. You¡ªIf it hadn''t been for you¡­ we would have had no chance to start over again,¡± Gregory said.


    ¡°Then how about we take a look around?¡± I suggested.


    ¡°Yes, sir! I¡¯ll show you around,¡± Gregory answered.


    I already knew what I was going to see.


    ¡°Our n is to start from basement floor one. Once we''re done with that, we''ll proceed with the deeper floors. We¡¯re also in the middle ofying down the foundation for the maintenance work, but we¡¯re doing our best so that we won''t fall behind at our main objectives.


    "Of course, safety is paramount, so there are always soldiers and mages on standby in case of emergencies,¡± Gregory exined.


    ¡°I see. Then how about the protection spells?¡±


    ¡°They''re running around the clock, including break times. As I said, safety is paramount,¡± Gregory answered.


    ¡°Do you already have aplete n for this dungeon cleanup?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Not yet, but we¡¯re in the middle ofying down the foundation so that we can start working as soon as possible.


    We¡¯ve been doing things like clearing the road for our supply lines and cleaning up debris. Of course, we haven''t discarded the debris, as I assumed that they have religious value,¡± Gregory answered.


    ¡°How about the restoration project?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I actually wanted to talk to you about that. There are some talented people in the Federation who are suitable for that project,¡± Gregory told me.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes. They¡¯re not famous on the continent, but they¡¯re very thorough. Even the dwarves have acknowledged their work,¡± Gregory added.


    <em>¡®Look at him promoting those guys.¡¯</em>


    ¡°The theologians of the Vatican seemed really satisfied as well. Sister Jayna especially¡ª¡±


    ¡°<em>Huh?</em> Sister Jayna?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Gregory was going all out.


    They had to take special care when it came to the debris field, but they had no machines capable of handling such heavy debris, so they had to employ adventurers and mages.


    Gregory had to have been dispatched here for that.


    For some reason, he looked worried while talking to me.


    ¡°You can go ahead,¡± I told him.


    ¡°<em>Ahem</em>¡­ excuse me,¡± Gregory said.


    It turned out that he was worried about the workers struggling to move a giant rock.


    Gregory grabbed the rock with both hands and started moving it away.


    It would be a shame if I refrained from doing anything in a situation like this, so I had to use my tiny hands to help them out.


    Others would probably think that I was just baggage, but the sight of high-ranking people shedding sweat frombor was always a beautiful sight.


    At some point, I started sweating with them.


    ¡°Oh no¡­ Father Lee Ki-Young. It¡¯s dangerous!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Please¡­ Pleasee this way,¡±


    ¡°But¡­ isn¡¯t there anything I can help out with?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Excuse me for saying this, but staying still is helping us. <em>Ahem¡­ ahem¡­</em>¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Iughed off the blunt words of the elderly workers and created an atmosphere that emphasized teamwork. Lee Chang-Ryeol was filming us. This beautiful sight was an excellent promotional video; I just had to put some dirt on my face, and it''d be perfect.


    <em>¡®I wasn¡¯t nning on going this far.¡¯</em>


    It was a good topic for conversation, and the situation was just a chef''s kiss, so I couldn¡¯t let this opportunity pass.


    <em>¡®I want to stop. My arms¡­ they''re in pain¡­''</em>


    I nced at Colonel Smith, but this was his first time as my assistant, so he couldn''t understand my signal at all. I wanted him to pull me out of this hellishbor. It was a universalw for assistants to walk up to their employer and whisper something along the lines of¡ª¡°You have an uing meeting, and you must leave now, sir.¡±


    If he were to do that for me, I''d leave immediately.


    <em>¡®Shit. It¡¯s hot and humid. Did they not cast a cooling spell at all? Or did they cast one, but it¡¯s really weak?¡¯</em>


    ¡°I think we¡¯re pretty much done here, Father Lee Ki-Young,¡± Gregory informed me.


    ¡°I want to help a bit more,¡± I said.


    Gregory was the one trying to stop me, so I couldn''t rest. Just as I was starting to think that perhaps Colonel Smith was trying to make me suffer, unexpected guests arrived and saved me from this quagmire of hellishbor.


    <em>¡®I was just wondering where they were.¡¯</em>


    The blood-sucking mosquitoes hade. I was talking about the senators of the Federation, whom I was sure had never visited this ce until now.


    ¡°Father Lee Ki-Young, the senators are here, and they want to meet you,¡± Colonel Smith said.


    ¡°<em>Ah¡­</em> I have guests?¡±


    ¡°They also said that they want to talk to you about the dungeon cleanup,¡± he added.


    ¡°Thank you, Colonel Smith,¡± I said.


    To make things worse¡­


    <em>¡®Why are you guys here?¡¯</em>


    Squiat¡¯s group was with them.


    <em>¡®These bastards are all evil.¡¯</em>


    Gregory clearly looked ufortable at the sight of them all. At this point, the senators ought toe forward with the Supernovas and jokingly say, ¡°So you¡¯re here as well, Father?¡±


    However, this wasn¡¯t the best time to make jokes. Who could have known that the mosquitoes woulde here with them?


    They looked so clean and neat that it was absurd.


    The way Squiat¡¯s group and the senators were sitting on a chair while waiting for me with their assistants made them look extremely out of ce. The two groups weren¡¯t sitting together, but they had a simr manner of speech.


    Gregory was left clearing his throat from the awkwardness.


    ¡°Father Lee Ki-Young. You never told us that you''d visit¡­¡± one of the senators said shamelessly.


    However, Squiat remained silent. He probably couldn¡¯t bring himself to say anything, as he found it embarrassing. He seemed to be thinking that he¡¯d receive the same treatment as the senators if he were to say something here.


    I turned around and stared at the bearded bandit.


    I had no choice but to say something upon seeing his face.


    ¡°Mr. Gregory.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Father Lee Ki-Young?¡± Gregory asked.


    ¡°What kind of role have they been assigned for the dungeon cleanup?¡± I asked.


    <em>¡®Tell me because I don¡¯t know...¡¯</em>


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Gregory asked, sounding dumbfounded.


    <em>¡®I don¡¯t know anything at all.¡¯</em>


    I really sounded like I had no idea about what was going on.

 Chapter 1030: Cleanup (13)

    It sounded like an innocent question, and I <em>obviously</em> hadn''t asked that question to speak ill of the people here.


    I spoke in a delighted way, or at least, that was how I felt.


    How could I not be happy when so many people hade here to help the struggling Federation? I was moved upon seeing the senators of the Federation and those with power sweating together with the workers here.


    However, the touching moment didn¡¯tst long.


    The bearded bandit looked embarrassed.


    Actually, it was more like he had no idea what to say. I was sure he didn¡¯t want to show the bad side of the Federation, so he felt the need to say something, but nothing came to his mind.


    He also couldn¡¯t give a reasonable excuse, so he could only say, "The¡­ senators have given us material and emotional support¡­"


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°They provided support to the workers¡­ and¡­¡± Gregory paused.<em>''They provided full support? Where?''</em>


    Gregory seemed to have realized that he had made a mistake.


    ¡°I mean, they <em>did </em>provide their full support. We just haven¡¯t¡­ received¡­ I mean, we¡¯re going to receive their support soon¡­¡± Gregory mumbled.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°<em>Ah</em>, they helped with many of the legal procedures,¡± Gregory added.


    ¡°<em>Ah</em>, the legal procedures. What exactly were those procedures?¡± I asked.


    That¡¯s when one of the senators joined the conversation.


    ¡°<em>Hahaha. </em>It looks like Master Gregory isn¡¯t aware of the details yet. There are visa issues whenever workers from the Sacred Democratic Country enter the Federation and vice-versa. Themittee is in the middle of talking about resolving those issues.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± I said.


    ¡°Thews of the Federation vary slightly depending on the region, which is why the administrative process is a bitplicated. As you already know, the guilds of the Federation are the ones who have received the task of cleaning up the dungeon.


    "However, each guild is subject to thews of their respective regions, so there are many things to handle,¡± said one of the senators.


    ¡°<em>Ah¡­</em>¡±


    ¡°If the task was assigned to¡­ the Central Government of the Federation¡­¡± he trailed off.


    <em>¡®He¡¯s crazy.¡¯</em>


    ''Why would I assign the task to you guys? It¡¯s not like you participated in the dungeon raid. To make things worse, you guys have no shame. Howe this guy still has the face to jump into the conversation when I''m obviously humiliating them?''


    The Democratic Country hadmissioned the guilds in the Federation, not the government. As he said, there were many things to handle. Almost all the guilds in the Federation had decided to participate in this task, but even that wasn¡¯t enough manpower, so the guilds had to recruit the denizens as temporary workers.


    There were also various legal issues that had to be dealt with. I wasn¡¯t familiar with thews here, but if thews vary by region, then it was not strange for things toe to a crawl.


    <em>¡®I think I have a rough idea as to why the workce is like this.¡¯</em>


    Even if they had a meeting with the guilds and thepanies, it would not be enough. They also had meetings with the senators and talked about various things, so they had not been able to set up a proper camp.


    <em>¡®People don¡¯t know the trick to get things done.¡¯</em>N?v(el)B\\jnn


    If one had an opportunity before them, one had to quickly grab that opportunity, even if it meant changing thews and procedures. If one were to talk about needing to do this and that, this was under this jurisdiction, and that was under that jurisdiction, one would never get anything done.


    I was wondering why the team here was so tiny.


    <em>''Damn, I¡¯m sure the guilds here are really frustrated.''</em>


    I finally understood why the bearded bandit had been going around without an adjutant.


    I was sure the administrative staffers of his guild were running around busily.


    <em>¡®Five days is not enough, so they must have decided to prioritize some ces.¡¯</em>


    In the end, I had to say something.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, everyone. This task is the reward I had decided to give to the guild members and mercenaries of the Federation for participating in the expedition. I think it''s going to be difficult¡­ to assign this task to the central government.¡±


    ¡°I see. <em>Haha</em>. Anyway, thanks to you, the denizens are energetic once again. The economies of the cities are thriving along withpanies rted to expeditions. <em>Hahaha. </em>There are so many changes that I think the old Federation has disappeared,¡± said one of the senators.


    ¡®I¡¯m d you feel that way. You need to use your powers a little more in the future¡ª¡±


    ¡°<em>Hahaha</em>, of course we will. We¡¯re already thinking about transforming the dungeon into a religious sanctuary,¡± he interrupted me.


    <em>¡®Then do something.¡¯</em>


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°How about we move somewhere else?¡± he suggested.


    <em>¡®These mosquitoes. I really want to get rid of them all at once.¡¯</em>


    They were the reasons my pure intentions were being distorted.


    I just wanted to spend some time with the workers, but I probably looked like a manager who hade here to nag the workers, and it was all because they showed up here.


    To make things worse, the senators hade here with their own adjutants and were talking to them.


    ¡°There should be a more systematic way of visiting the dungeon. How many warp gates have been installed so far?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s reassuring to see the denizens helping with the task, Master Gregory. Do you have a moment to talk?¡±


    ¡°Come to think of it; I still haven''t heard about thepanies that are going to provide us with the materials that we need for this task. Whichpany did you sign a contract with?¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure whether they wanted to take some of the credit or just nag at them.


    Obviously, they hadn''te here just to chat leisurely about the task.


    They had mentioned that this project was boosting the Federation¡¯s economy, so I could assume that the guilds who participated in the expedition were in charge here. I was not sure about the denizens, but I was sure they wouldn''t earn that much.


    <em>¡®Still, I¡¯m sure you guys will profit a lot.¡¯</em>


    The city would be lively. Once this was over, people would go on more expeditions. If one were to look at the overall picture, the development of the Federation would help those who were living off of the Federation''s profits.


    <em>¡®To be honest, it¡¯s not like your pay is going to increase, so I¡¯m sure there¡¯s something else you want here.¡¯</em>


    They definitely hadn''te here just to show their faces.


    For some reason, the senators started talking cautiously.


    ¡°<em>Ahem¡­</em>¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°<em>Ahem¡­</em>¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°To be honest¡­ I¡¯m sure many denizens are grateful for what you and the Continental Protection Management Committee have done for us.


    "The Federation was excluded in many of the events that happened on the continent, so the denizens definitely felt left out so far,¡± a senator said.


    All I did was smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure they feelforted/¡­ you¡¯re taking care of them, after all. We feel the same as them,¡± he added.


    <em>¡®This is a nice buildup.¡¯</em>


    ¡°To expand off that, there¡¯s something I''d like to say. We have a few¡­ business ideas that you might be interested in for the sake of the denizens.


    "We¡¯re trying to run a charity organization in the Federation¡­ and we¡¯re nning on hosting a party for the underprivileged. <em>Ahem</em>, the party will be held in two weeks¡­ and we thought you might be interested in it,¡± he exined.


    <em>¡®Charity party, my ass.¡¯</em>


    ¡°When you say a charity party¡­¡±


    <em>¡®Why are you guys hosting a party when you aren''t even a part of the underprivileged? They''re the ones who are struggling out there¡­''</em>


    ¡°We¡¯ve nned many things¡­ such as holding an auction and a fundraiser. If you attend, I¡¯m sure the denizens will be touched,¡± he answered.


    ¡°


    ¡°<em>Ah,</em> and I¡¯d like to talk to you about the business ideas I just mentioned¡­¡± he added.


    They were so evil that simply calling them "evil" wasn¡¯t enough.


    Hadn''t we gotten rid of all the jerks in the Federation? I thought we had gotten rid of all the jerks trying to taint my innocence. Had they not left a will to their sessor before heading to the afterlife?


    <em>¡®Is there really aw of constant jerks? When you get rid of one jerk, another jerk must appear to fill that spot?¡¯</em>


    It was absurd, but they had decided to take advantage of this opportunity to hear some answers from me. It seemed like I was giving too much, but they had to have heard a rumor that I was going to start a restoration project here.


    I got the feeling that they wanted to advertise theirpanies to me while keeping an eye on the restoration project. That was all I could extrapte from what was happening right now.


    The dungeon cleanup project, the support fund for the small to mid-sized ns, and Squiat''s adventurer support fund¡ªthey thought that I was being extremely generous by creating these programs, and they assumed that it was their time to shine.


    They were trying to make me invest more, as I was already investing in them anyway.


    "And about the Blue Guild''s potion businesses¡­¡±


    ¡°Father Lee Ki-Young, what do you think about this?¡±


    ¡°I have an idea about how we can improve the Federation''s condition¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure this idea will surprise you. May I ask whether there''s an idea that caught your interest among the ones that we just presented to you?¡±


    ¡°...¡± ¡°Father Lee Ki-Young!¡±


    ¡°Father Lee Ki-Young¡­ this one as well.¡±


    ¡°Father Lee Ki-Young!¡±


    ¡°<em>Hahahaha</em>. Father Lee Ki-Young, what do you think about this?¡±


    ¡°Father Lee Ki-Young! This is really great! <em>Haha!</em>¡±


    I forced myself to smile.


    ¡°...¡±


    I started supporting the Federation out of the goodness of my heart, but these mosquitoes were making me look bad.


    The saint of the continent was struggling due to these mosquitoes.


    I looked pitiful, as I could not do anything other than smile amidst the vortex of unwanted attention.


    I was clearly smiling, but my eyes were filled with disappointment and disgust.


    I was so disappointed and disgusted with them that I was in pain.


    The honorary cardinal had the heartbreaking fate of being required to love everything and everyone on the continent, so the feeling of disappointment was not a familiar feeling for me at all.


    <em>¡®It¡¯s really hard.¡¯</em>


    I was getting tired.


    <em>¡®It¡¯s really¡­ really painful.¡¯</em>


    <em>''This isn¡¯t what I wanted¡­''</em>


    <em>¡®It¡¯s really difficult.¡¯</em>


    My vision was getting blurry, and the people around me suddenly looked like monsters filled with desires. Despite the fact that I was starting to feel out of breath, I continued smiling.


    Yes, I continued smiling even though I was struggling beneath the desires and greed of these people.


    <em>¡®I don¡¯t know what to do. Someone¡­ anyone¡­ help me¡­¡¯</em>


    <em>''Someone¡­ someone¡­''</em>


    And that wa when Squiat, who had been quietly looking for an opportunity, turned toward the senators and said. ¡°Everyone, please¡ª¡±


    However, Squiat could not finish his sentence, as the bearded bandit had appeared in front of me, beating Squiat to the chase.


    The bearded bandit looked like a giant mountain.


    He looked so reliable in my eyes.


    ¡°Father Lee Ki-Young looks tired,¡± Gregory said.


    ¡°M-Mr. Gregory, I¡­¡±


    ¡°Father Lee Ki-Young looks tired,¡± Gregory repeated.


    ¡°<em>Haha</em>¡­ Master Gregory, what are you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Father. Lee Ki-Young. Looks. Tired,¡± Gregory repeated again.


    The Saint of Light couldn¡¯t do anything other than grab the sleeve of my savior, the bearded bandit.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but you should stop here. This is unscheduled, and we have important work to do here. Father Lee Ki-Young and I also have things that we need to discuss privately, so I¡¯d appreciate it if all of you would leave for today,¡± Gregory exined.


    ¡°Master Gregory, you¡¯re being rude,¡± a senator said.


    ¡°We¡¯re having a discussion with Father Lee Ki-Young right now! What do you think you¡¯re doing?!¡± another senator yelled.


    And that was when Gregory said in a deep voice, ¡°I said. There¡¯s something. I need to discuss. With him.¡±


    Gregory¡¯s voice sounded so deadly that I was worried about the possibility that he was being hostile toward them. I grabbed Gregory''s sleeve tightly while hiding behind him.


    I nced at Squiat and saw that his bloodshot eyes were filled with despair.


    He looked as if he had been stabbed in the back.


    <em>¡®I¡¯m sorry, Squiat. I¡¯m an investor who can¡¯t live without a strong and reliable agent.¡¯</em>

 Chapter 1031: Cleanup (14)

    <em>¡®Damn it. The situation has turned for the worse.¡¯</em>


    I[1] couldn''t let it continue like this.


    <em>¡®When did it all start?¡¯</em>


    I asked myself that question, but of course, I wasn¡¯t going to get an answer.


    I wasn''t in a favorable situation at all.


    Regardless of the postwar situation, the members of the Supernovas, including myself, were growing stronger under the honorary cardinal¡¯s wings.


    Handling the support funds we were receiving daily was already difficult, but we had to keep a strict record of how the funds were being used, which made the administrative work even more difficult. I


    As days passed, the group became bigger and bigger.


    The investment amount was an amount I''d never get my hands on, even if I were to work my entire life.I could host a party every night, but I would still not be able to use up all that moment.


    As the leader who would lead the continent in the future, my name could be heard everywhere.


    <em>¡®Squiat.¡¯</em>


    I was the guild master of a guild located in Ohio, which was basically on the outskirts of the Federation.


    Everyone called me "Supernova" when Ipleted several expeditions on my own in the tutorial dungeon. I seeded in grabbing the Federation and the Union¡¯s attention, but that was where my career ended.


    I settled down in Ohio, as it was close to the Federation¡¯s central government, but it didn¡¯t take long for me to realize that the Federation wasn''t at the center of the continent.


    Less than a yearter, I learned the existence of the Republic, the Sacred Democratic Country, the Union of Others, and the neutral nations.


    Compared to them, the Federation was weak.


    <em>¡®I thought something might change.¡¯</em>


    It was probably just a subconscious thought of mine.


    Every day was the same, but I was no longer a loser like in the past.


    I had be the protagonist. Squiat was always in the spotlight.


    Unlike the others who couldn¡¯t adapt to life here and had ended up falling off, I was a powerful figure whom everyone had high expectations for. Otherwise, they wouldn''t have given me the moniker "Supernova."


    I¡¯d be lying if I said that I wasn''t looking forward to my future.


    I imagined living the life of a protagonist from a novel, aic, or an epic story. I''d go on cool adventures with myrades. I''d have a special job, and I''d take on quests others couldn''t even dream of taking.


    However, the truth was that I was only a supporting role, not a protagonist.


    No, wait, I did not even have a supporting role.


    Talented people like me were everywhere, like sand on the beach, and I hadn''t been able to achieve anything.


    Compared to Lee Ki-Young, the Honorary Cardinal of the Sacred Democratic Country, and Kim Hyun-Sung, the Sword of Sunset, I was useless.


    Their adventure logs and quests were always full of surprises, and they always had strong, beautiful, and uniquerades around them. Every time something happened, they''d always be at the center of it.


    When things got bad, their onement would decide the fate of one nation or a group.


    They were already the protagonists of the continent. It was unfair. I knew it was silly, but that was how I felt. They had arrived here before me, so it was unfair that our roles were decided that way.


    I hadn''t really experienced anything.


    I hadn''t gone through the Republican War, the 27th Legion Summoning Incident, and the Outer Gods War. I went through nothing. I couldn''t have the opportunity to make myself known or be even stronger.


    Adventurers summoned in the Federation weren¡¯t given many opportunities to climb the ranks, and I believed that it was¡­


    <em>¡®Unfair¡­ I believe it''s unfair¡¯</em>


    When I witnessed Lee Ki-Young transforming into the Monarch of Lust and Eternal Sleep, my gut feeling told me that it was my chance¡ªit was my chance to be the protagonist once again and get rid of all the inequalities.


    My gambling paid off, and the honorary cardinal agreed with me.


    Everything was going well.


    It <em>was</em> going well.


    <em>¡®Damn it¡­¡¯</em>


    ¡°Mr. Squiat,¡± my assistant said.


    ¡°Yes, about today¡¯s schedule?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but Father Lee Ki-Young said that something came up. He asked that you meet with him next time,¡± my assistant told me.


    ¡°<em>Whoo¡­</em>¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Do you happen to know where Father Lee Ki-Young is headed?¡± I asked.


    ¡°We believe he¡¯s with Mr. Gregory¡­¡± my assistant replied.


    <em>Bang!</em>


    ¡°Damn it!¡±


    ¡°...¡± ¡°Damn it! Gregory again? Again?! What in the world is there to see in that basement? Damn it! Does he not know what¡¯s more important? He knows, so why?!¡± I paused.


    ¡°C-Can I inform him that you¡¯re¡­ on the way?¡± my assistant asked me.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. It¡¯s okay,¡± I answered.


    If I were to head there, he''d probably treat me like a fool.


    <em>¡®Why is he so obsessed with the dungeon cleanup? Is it because of the Federation Restoration Project? Does he think that project can change the Federation?¡¯</em>


    ¡°Ridiculous,¡± I mumbled.


    In the end, we were nothing but a cleanup crew for the Sacred Democratic Country.


    <em>¡®It¡¯s no different from telling us to live off of the scraps of the Sacred Democratic Country.¡¯</em>


    Even if he somehow managed to resolve the poverty issue here, it would be just treating the symptoms rather than resolving the issue at its roots.


    The continent always had its own way of developing things, but nothing would change if I were to just stand idly by.


    It¡¯d be meaningful if I took charge and did something myself.


    I had to grow the group and be stronger.


    I had to be strong enough so that no one would look down on me. I had to aplish feats that would make the continent acknowledge me. I needed to build a story of myself, just like the honorary cardinal, the Sunset Swordsman, the archmage, and the Mercenary Queen.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t the time for a cleanup.¡±


    This was the time to purchase dungeons and keep on going on expeditions. I had to stabilize our group and be strong enough to beat that pig in the Blue Guild.


    ¡°The honorary cardinal has just left the dungeon, and he is now heading in the direction of the Republic. They say he¡¯s scheduled to have a lunch meeting with Commander Jin Cheong¡­¡± my assistant informed me.


    ¡°And Gregory?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Mr. Gregory is not with him,¡± my assistant replied.


    <em>¡®I can¡¯t believe I¡¯ve gotten to the point where I''ll relieved by news like this. I can¡¯t believe that news about Gregory not being with him puts me at ease¡­¡¯</em>


    ¡°<em>Wheew.</em> I think it¡¯s best if we head to the sanctuary,¡± I suggested.


    ¡°What? T-Then¡­ what are you going to do¡­ with the scheduled expedition?¡± asked my assistant.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s better to take care of the Mole Saint¡¯s Sanctuary first, as Father Lee Ki-Young¡¯s attention is on that. We have to show him that we¡¯re interested in the Federation Restoration Project as well,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    ¡°Although I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll get anything out of it¡­¡± I mumbled.


    <em>''Are there any remaining items in there? I don¡¯t think there are any items left.¡¯</em>


    ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving soon, so please let Gregory know,¡± I ordered.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    <em>¡®Damn it.¡¯</em>


    I disliked this, but I had to y along for now.


    <em>¡®He¡¯s really ying his part as a saint. Damn it.¡¯ </em>I was sure Father Lee Ki-Young was aware as well, so¡­


    <em>¡®I really can¡¯t understand him.¡¯</em>


    He definitely knew that a singr project would not address the root of the issue, and it would not resolve the issues around me.


    The scheduled expedition was canceled, so everyone in my group was going to participate in the cleanup. I wasn¡¯t sure if this was going to help, but Father Lee Ki-Young would probably be happy to learn that so many people had decided to join the cleanup.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I think as well. ying along with the honorary cardinal the a priority for now.¡±


    ¡°Right. Let¡¯s do as he says for now. We need to keep Gregory in check.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what that ipetent fool has in mind though¡­¡±


    I wasn¡¯t exactly feelingforted, but myrades seemed to agree with my idea.


    The warp gate whisked us into the dungeon, but we were greeted by explosions rather than voices.


    <em>¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯</em>


    ¡°Reinforcements! We need reinforcements!¡±N?v(el)B\\jnn


    ¡°Take the nonbatants outside the barrier! Head outside the barrier! Allbatants¡­¡±


    <em>¡®Is there a monster here?¡¯</em>


    I reached that conclusion, as it wasmon to find monsters in a dungeon that had yet to receive a thorough cleaning. I looked at myrades and nodded. Then, they moved at once.


    ¡°Where are they?¡± I asked.


    ¡°They¡¯re inside the barrier! Mr. Gregory is fighting there!¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± I said.


    ¡°Looks like we got here at the perfect time. We¡¯ll head inside.¡±


    ¡°O-Okay!¡±


    ¡°If you have people you can spare, please tell them to rescue the wounded.¡±


    As ifyers of protection spells weren''t enough, they even put up a barrier.


    Perhaps it was because of the protection spells and the barrier, but the surroundings remained clean. I also couldn''t see any injured workers.


    I couldn¡¯t deny the fact that Gregory was doing a good job at managing the dungeon.


    If it weren''t for their system, there was no way they''d be able to react so quickly.


    <em>¡®Please¡­¡¯</em>


    I thought about wanting to get some of the credit.


    The worst-case scenario was people finding out that I hadn''t done anything and Gregory receiving all the credit. If that ended up happening, we could lose our support funds.


    ¡°I¡¯m going in,¡± I said.


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    The ident urred on Level -4. Upon arriving at the scene, I saw Gregory and his party members covered in blood. There were dozens of monsters on the ground, but what caught my attention was¡­


    <em>¡®What is that?¡¯</em>


    ¡°<em>Hahaha</em>¡­ Mr. Squiat! So you came here to help us? I believe¡­ the Federation has achieved something great. I, Gregory, have finally gotten the opportunity to repay the honorary cardinal''s kindness!¡± Gregory eximed.


    <em>¡®What¡­ is that spear¡­¡¯</em>


    I saw what looked like a holy spear stuck on the wall.


    I had definitely seen that somewhere. Yes, it resembled Benigoa¡¯s spear depicted in her statues..


    ¡°Father Lee Ki-Young will be happy about this,¡± Gregory said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll need to investigate it thoroughly, but that spear is probably the spear that Goddess Benigoa was using when she was still alive¡­¡± Gregory added.


    I had no idea how it happened, but the spear was in my hand, and it flew toward Gregory¡¯s chest. A grotesque noise echoed as the spear made a hole in his flesh, and it was followed by a dull thud as Gregory copsed before me.


    ¡°W-Why¡ª<em>Cough!</em><em>Cough!</em>¡±


    ¡°This is for the Federation''s sake¡­ Gregory,¡± I replied.


    1. Squiat¡¯s POV ?

 Chapter 1032: Cleanup (15)

    ¡°Y-You ungrateful¡­ <em>cough¡­</em>¡± Gregory coughed.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Do you know how much¡­ Father Lee Ki-Young¡ª<em>cough¡­</em>¡± Gregory mumbled.


    I felt like my mind had gone nk, but my body was moving on its own. As soon as Gregory copsed, one of his guild members charged at me with his sword.


    ¡°<em>AAAAAAH!</em> You piece of shit!¡±


    While I[1] was staring at Gregory, an arrow flew from somewhere and struck his temple. Gregory''s scream was cut off, and he fell to the ground.


    I heard people taking out their weapons and casting spells.


    It was obvious what was going to happen.


    A fight was about to break out between Gregory¡¯s party and my allies.¡°<em>AAAAH!</em>¡±


    ¡°Kill them all! Hurry! Hurry! Kill them! Shit¡­ hurry up and get rid of them!¡±


    ¡°You jerks! How could you!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Gregory! Mr. Gregory! <em>Ahhh!</em>¡±


    ¡°Call for a priest! Request for help from the surface!¡±


    ¡°Get rid of the signalman first! Hurry and cast Dispel!¡±


    ¡°<em>AAAAH!</em>¡±


    <em>¡®Damn it, I wasn¡¯t nning on taking it this far. However, I really have no choice. This is all for the Federation.¡¯</em>


    I had to do this to change the Federation.


    <em>¡®We can¡¯t keep living as the Democratic Country¡¯s pets.¡¯</em>


    My headache was throbbing in pain as I justified my actions by saying that this was all for the sake of the bigger picture.


    Some people would call me a criminal, but this was the only way.


    I had no issues with Gregory obtaining power. I wouldn''t have made this decision if he hadn''t told me that he was going to hand over that Mythic spear to Father Lee Ki-Young.


    If Gregory had been more <em>open-minded</em>, I wouldn''t have killed him. There would be no reason to do that, after all.


    The spear was a relic of the Democratic Country, and Benigoa was using it a long time ago. It was a historical item. The spear was capable of changing the continent, the world, and even history itself. If it were an ordinary spear, I''d be satisfied with just finding it like Gregory, but this spear wasn''t just an ordinary spear. ??


    It was a treasure that would never appear again.


    There was nothing more idiotic than presenting this to the Democratic Country when this could help the Federation get back on its feet. The spear was priceless, so I simply sacrificed something small for the greater good.


    <em>¡®What a foolish man.¡¯</em>


    Gregory was a man who could only see what was right in front of him.


    Ipetent idiots like him were the reason the Federation became what it was today; he had reduced the value of the Federation by transforming himself into a dog. Despite that, he hadn''t been able to contribute anything to the continent.


    If he were a bit smarter, the Federation wouldn¡¯t be in this sad state.


    He was obsessed with the small achievements rather than looking at the bigger picture.


    If he had known better, he wouldn¡¯t have been on the ground right now.


    This wasn¡¯t a crime. I had simply gotten rid of a traitor¡ªa dog of the Democratic Country.


    I nodded and walked away as if I were being possessed.


    ¡°<em>Ahhh!</em>¡±


    ¡°<em>Cough!</em>¡±


    ¡°Help¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡­ traitors! You criminals¡­¡±


    I walked amidst those insults.


    The scales of the battle had already tipped to us, so there was no need for me to join the fight. Our opponents were exhausted after fighting the monster, and they weren''t prepared for our ambush.


    The ambush happened in an instant, and the battle was already ending before they could even react.


    I could hear and feel strange and unpleasant <em>sshing </em>sounds, but for some reason, the blood-soaked ground felt sacred to me. I strangely felt uplifted when I saw the spear beckoning at me.


    I stretched out my hand and felt it instantly.


    ¡°This is it,¡± I said.


    So this was what it felt like.


    I could feel explosive power coursing through me.


    ¡°<em>Haha</em>¡­ this is it!¡±


    I could finally see what the world looked like in their eyes.


    If one wanted to stand above the continent, one had to be at least this strong.


    It felt like I had be a transcendent being.


    There was a wall between humans and transcendent beings, but the spear in my hand helped me ovee that wall. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Right now, I was above everyone else.


    I was a protagonist, and I was on a whole new levelpared to the people here.


    My encounter with this relic was like a scene from a novel. It meant I still had things I needed to do on this continent, and it proved that I didn¡¯t have just a supporting role.


    I swung the spear. All I did was swing it once, but the space before me was torn apart.


    I looked back with a smile, and I saw myrades looking at me while covered in blood.


    ¡°Squiat¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°What¡­ do we do now?¡± they asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let this affect you. We did the right thing,¡± I reassured them.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It was the right thing to do. I feel bad for their tragic ending, but we had no choice. Think carefully about our goal, Raynan of Extinction.


    "Our goal is to protect the peace of the continent and return the corrupted continent to its original state. We won''t be able to change anything without power, and <em>we''ve </em>just obtained that power,¡± I exined.


    ¡°Looks like you¡¯re not nning on delivering that weapon to the honorary cardinal. Is there even a way to hide it?¡± they asked.


    ¡°Of course. What¡¯s done is done. Thankfully, the surface has yet to hear of this news, and it''s probably because of that barrier. That idiot, Gregory¡­ he dug his own grave. <em>Wheeew</em>,¡± I said.


    ¡°So what¡¯s our next n, Squiat?¡± they asked.


    ¡°I just want all of you to remember this. What happened here was an ident. Before we arrived here, Gregory and his party were already fighting the monster. We joined the fight, but we couldn¡¯t save them. I think it¡¯s best if we say that,¡± I told them.


    ¡°I don''t feelfortable about this,¡± one of themmented.


    ¡°But it¡¯s necessary. It¡¯ll be the end of us if we leave like this, so please check if there are Goddess¡¯ Mirrors nearby. Raynan of Extinction, go to the entrance and prohibit entry to anyone. Robinwood of Frenzy, I want you to clean up this ce so the rangers won''t be able to find anything,¡± I ordered.


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    He was reliable. He could easily ruin the traces so that the rangers would have no idea what had happened. He could make it look like Gregory and his guild members were annihted by the monster.


    <em>¡®It¡¯s a race against time.¡¯</em>


    And that was when I saw someone moving...


    ¡°<em>Whoo¡­ whoo¡­</em> You¡­ dirty bastards¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Y-You ungrateful fools! You dirty hypocrites!¡±


    Gregory got up slowly with a hole in his chest. Obviously, he was badly wounded. He was so wounded that he was actually dying. His breathing was ragged, and he seemed like he was at his limits just by standing in front of us.


    ¡°How could you¡­ betray¡­ Father Lee Ki-Young¡ª<em>cough¡­</em> How?!¡± Gregory questioned.


    ¡°It would have been great if you hadn''t stood up, Gregory,¡± I said.


    ¡°How could you¡­¡± Gregory repeated.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡± ¡°Stand back, everyone. I¡¯ll be with him in his final moments. He was a corrupted fool who turned the Federation into what it is today, but he¡¯s also a great man who has contributed a lot to the Federation, so killing him with this spear is the least I can do for him,¡± I said.


    ¡°How dare you!¡± Gregory shouted.


    <em>¡®You¡¯ve be weak, Gregory.¡¯</em>


    No, I had simply be stronger.


    I was overflowing with so much power that I couldn¡¯t contain it.


    The giant in front of me was once a powerful man who dominated the Federation, but he looked like a child in my eyes right now.


    Seeing him charge at me like a fool with his wounds reminded me of a herbivore charging into the mouth of a tiger.


    I didn''t even need to use my powers, as I was a transcendent being, while he was just a dying human being. There was a <em>boom </em>as my spear and his gauntlet collided.


    I saw his gauntlet crumble to pieces.


    ¡°All I can say is that I¡¯m sorry,¡± I said.


    ¡°You¡­ asshole¡­ Father Lee Ki-Young¡ªhe¡­


    ¡°Father Lee Ki-Young this, Father Lee Ki-Young that. Is that all you can talk about? You saw it as well, didn¡¯t you? That¡­ monster,¡± I asked.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­ see anything. That wasn¡¯t¡­ <em>cough</em>¡­ Father Lee Ki-Young. Do you know how much he¡­ this ce¡­ us¡­¡± Gregory mumbled.


    ¡°It¡¯s people like you who ruined the Federation, Gregory. Have you ever considered the fact that those who were too busy following him around are the ones who have put the continent in this state? Everyone is turning a blind eye to it. They know, but they¡¯re feigning ignorance. Does this look like a normal situation to you?¡± I asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s because¡­ the continent¡­ needs him. You¡­ fool¡­¡± Gregory said.


    ¡°What did you say?¡± I questioned.


    ¡°The reason¡­ everyone¡­ decided to forget what they saw on that day, and why¡­ they didn¡¯t bother talking about it¡­ is that¡­ they believe in him.


    "The continent¡­ still needs him, and we believe that¡­ he¡¯ll lead us to a bright future. The reason the heavens¡­ sent Father Lee Ki-Young back to us. The reason he came back¡­ to the continent¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve clearly been brainwashed,¡± I told him.


    ¡°Squiat¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°There aren¡¯t¡­ that many people¡­ <em>cough</em>¡­ who are willing to¡­ sacrifice themselves¡­ for others. For the underprivileged people¡­ Father Lee Ki-Young¡­¡± Gregory paused.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s¡­ the continent¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re crazy, Gregory. You¡¯re crazier than I thought,¡± I said.


    He was dying, but something about his gaze put me in a really bad mood.


    ¡°The continent¡­ still needs¡­ him¡­ He¡¯s the one¡­ who will lead¡­ us¡­ on the right path¡­¡± Gregory continued.


    ¡°...¡± ¡°<em>Cough¡­ cough¡­</em> We must repay¡­ for his kindness¡­ We must offer the spear¡­ to repay the kindness we received¡­¡± Gregory said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°We owe him a debt of gratitude¡­¡± Gregory added.


    ¡°Idiot,¡± I said.


    ¡°<em>Ah¡­ ahhhhhhhhh!</em>¡±


    The dying fool suddenly took a step forward.


    A deafening <em>boom</em> echoed, and I was pushed back a little, but it didn¡¯t affect the situation.


    I turned to the side and attacked him with the spear.


    Gregory was sted into the wall where we found the spear.


    <em>Rumble!</em>


    The wall broke, and Gregory disappeared inside the wall.


    ¡°Damn it.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Damn it!¡±


    I looked behind the copsed wall and saw what looked like an abyss.


    Gregory had fallen into the pitch-ck abyss.


    ***


    <em>ng.</em>


    ¡°Are you okay, Father Lee Ki-Young?¡± Commander Jin asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ get the ss cleaned up for you,¡± he added.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Is something troubling you?¡± he asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I just¡­ felt¡­ uneasy¡­ for some reason. It¡¯s nothing, Commander Jin. I¡¯m sorry for worrying you guys. I¡­ made a mistake,¡± I[2] said.


    1. Squiat''s Point of View ?


    2. Lee Ki-Young¡¯s POV ?

 Chapter 1033: Cleanup (16)

    ¡°So...¡±


    ¡°So what?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m talking about the mistake you made earlier. What was your intention behind that?¡± Commander Jin asked.


    ¡°Intention? It¡¯s natural for a person to break one or two cups in their life. My hand just slipped. Is there aw that says I can¡¯t make mistakes at the table?¡± I questioned.


    ¡°There isn¡¯t one, but¡­ this is <em>you</em> we¡¯re talking about. It''s just strange¡ª¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Since you said it¡¯s nothing¡­ I¡¯ll¡­ let it go for now,¡± Commander Jin said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±¡°It¡¯s like you¡¯re trying to embarrass me or something. Was that cup expensive? Or were you annoyed because the higher-ups of the Republic were there?


    "Does a guest breaking a cup at your dining table affect your reputation? Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯re past that now. Why are you still making a big deal out of a small incident that happened during a gathering that has already passed?¡± I questioned.


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯m talking about, you fool,¡± Commander Jin said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m d it¡¯s nothing. Don¡¯t worry about what I just said. Looks like I got worried for no reason,¡± Commander Jin said.


    ¡°You always do as you please. You questioned my intentions, and now, you¡¯re telling me not to worry about it,¡± Iined.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°<em>Ahem¡­ ahem¡­</em> anyway, the Republic has be a great ce to live,¡± Imented.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I said the Republic has be a great ce to live. There were a few strange people here before you left, Commander. However, I no longer have to worry about this ce anymore, as you''ve decided to settle down here. I feel at ease, so I''m happy.


    "I¡¯m saying that it feels like things are going well. I don¡¯t see anyone I need to get rid of and there arews and regtions in ce, so it looks like we <em>did </em>need someone to stand in the middle of all this.


    "It¡¯s great to see you keep things under control without me telling you what to do,¡± I exined.


    ¡°Actually, the public opinion within the Republic isn¡¯t that great,¡± Commander Jin informed.


    <em>¡®I expected that.¡¯</em>


    There was that strange guy fromst time. The young man with the Supernova gang.


    ¡°There are many people questioning whether the investment that the Republic and the Democratic Country are making is a waste of money. There are people openly questioning our policies,¡± Commander Jin continued.


    ¡°It¡¯s understandable,¡± Imented.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about the Union of Others, but the Federation had stopped operating as a nation for a while now. If you exclude some of the major and small cities, they can be called awless nation. That''s how bad things have be in the Federation.


    "Since the continentalw was implemented to regte the ck markets throughout the continent, they say that even trades done behind the scenes have stoppedpletely.


    "There¡¯s a reason why the mercenary business has be so popr in the Federation. There''s no saving their rottennds, so they can¡¯t even farm. The corrupt officials are busy worrying about their own interests. This is their reality,¡± Commander Jin exined.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°No one cares about the restoration of the Federation. I¡¯m sure that ce already has its ownws,¡± Commander Jin added.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Of course, this will be a huge opportunity, but I don¡¯t really agree with it. You can¡¯t pour new wine into old bottles,¡± Commander Jin said.


    ¡°I thought the Republic has decided not to get involved? You said you can¡¯t pour new wine into old bottles, but your actions are different from your words.¡± I pointed out.


    ¡°The Republic is different from the Federation. I¡¯m simply leaving them alone. They¡¯re just dogs whose cries I can¡¯t even hear, so there¡¯s no point in lending them a hand.


    "However, it''s a good thing because I can use them to keep the central government in check,¡± Commander Jin said.


    <em>¡®That¡¯s one way to think about it.¡¯</em>


    I knew what they were thinking. The Republic cared more about such issues.


    The Hero of Shadows had the Republic under his control, and he wasn¡¯t naive enough to be swayed by a few rookies who had recently gotten into politics.


    If he could control them, leaving them alone would be beneficial for him.


    If he were to get rid of them, they''d only raise their guard, so it was like he was trying to train those rookies enough so that they''d eventually duke it out with the central government.


    <em>¡®If something happens, he can use them as well.¡¯</em>


    It could be said that the Federation''s situation was drastically different from the Sacred Democratic Country that had united as one under a sacred democracy.


    <em>¡®It¡¯s been a while since we got into a political war.¡¯</em>


    I couldn''t help but think that this crazy fool had purposely refrained from getting involved in any conflicts within the Republic. It''d be entertaining, after all.


    He talked about controlling them and using them to keep the central government in check, but I had a feeling that he simply let those fools loose for his own entertainment.


    He was either an extreme control freak who''d feel bothered without control of all conflict, or he was a crazy man who thought of politics as a type of game.


    Regardless, I was relieved that the Republic was running properly. Jin Cheong wasn¡¯t any different from the other corrupted figures who only cared about their own interests, but at least he wasn''t ying around with money and power.


    ¡°<em>Hm¡­</em>¡±


    They said they were putting effort into their internal structure, but the Sacred Democratic Country and the Republic were the only ones functioning properly.


    The Continental Protection Management Committee and I had been helping the Union of Others and the Federation, so I hoped things would work out on their own, but there were a few people who had decided to ruin our efforts.


    Unless we address the issue at its roots or ce decent people in there, I had a feeling that nothing was actually going to change.


    ¡°He¡¯s a pretty good guy,¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m talking about Gregory. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a good idea to give him a government position?¡± I asked.


    ¡°<em>Ahh</em>¡­ him. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a bad idea¡­ but beingpetent and diligent are two different things. If there¡¯s apetent staffer working under him, he¡¯ll be pretty useful, but if that¡¯s not the case¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, Commander Jin. In troubling times like this, you don¡¯t need skills at all. Having someone extremely diligent is the best. Do you know why the Republicans have suddenlye back to their senses?


    "It probably sounds like a joke to you, but it¡¯s because a symbol called the Hero of Shadows exists. The Federation is not going to be any different from the Republic. Humans are simple-minded, so raising them up is pretty important,¡± I exined.


    ¡°Excuse me, Father Lee Ki-Young. The Blue Guild is asking for your presence,¡± a staff member informed me.


    ¡°<em>Ah</em>, I¡¯ll contact them,¡± I said.


    <em>¡®I have no idea why they''re contacting me.¡¯</em>


    I opened my hand mirror and saw a steady stream of messages.


    <em>¡®Damn it.¡¯</em>


    I frowned as I opened Team Leader Park Joong-Ki¡¯s direct message. I had no reason to contact him, and I also received messages from the others, but his direct message was at the very top.


    <em>"Mr. Park Joong-Ki?"</em>


    ¡ª Excuse me, sir.


    <em>"It¡¯s been a while. Did something happen¡­ Did Hyun-Sung¡­"</em>


    ¡ª A problem has urred at the Mole Saint¡¯s Cozy Sanctuary. I received news that a monster appeared, while they were doing demolition work. The workers were evacuated, and thebatants were immediately dispatched, but Mr. Gregory went missing, and eleven people died.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    ¡ª ¡­


    <em>¡®What is he talking about?¡¯</em>


    <em>"What¡¯s the exact location?"</em>


    ¡ª C45, sir. They haven¡¯t found Mr. Gregory¡¯s corpse, but they believe that he died. The eleven people who died were in really bad shape. The rangers had a hard time identifying them. The ck Swan Guild¡¯s investigation group has been deployed to investigate the matter.


    <em>''Gregory, you fool.''</em>


    <em>"And the spear?"</em>


    ¡ª <em>Huh?</em> The spear? I¡¯m sorry, I¡­


    <em>"Actually, it¡¯s fine, Mr. Park Joong-Ki. Ah, it sounds like there were other people there besides Gregory¡¯s party."</em>


    <em>¡ª </em>There¡¯s actually something I want to tell you about that. The Blue Guild¡­


    <em>"The Blue Guild thinks that those jerks¡­ are the culprit, right?"</em>


    ¡ª Yes, but¡­ they haven¡¯t found any proof yet.


    <em>¡®How ridiculous. No matter what I think about it, It¡¯s really ridiculous.¡¯</em>


    It looked like things could get even worse. The situation was so bad that I couldn¡¯t control my expression.


    Squiat taking Benigoa¡¯s spear was part of my n, but I had no idea that something would happen to Gregory. I thought it''d take a while for them to start working on area C45, and I wanted to work on Squiat a bit more before all this.


    The diligent Gregory had been working night and day without taking any breaks, so they had to have reached C45 faster than I thought.


    Squiat''s jealousy drove him mad upon seeing the spear, and he probably stabbed Gregory in the back.


    <em>''He got killed by a monster? Yeah, right.'' </em>


    Gregory¡¯s party was strong enough to take care of the monsters there.


    The fact that the main members were so badly injured to the point that they couldn¡¯t be recognized was funny to me. It was even more ridiculous than saying that Kim Hyun-Sung had allowed Park Deok-Gu to make a move against those jerks.


    ¡ª Sir?


    <em>"¡­"</em>


    ¡ª What should we¡­


    <em>"Lock up those fools."</em>


    ¡ª Pardon me?


    <em>"I¡¯m talking about Squiat and the Supernovas or whatever who were there with him. Lock those guys up with Park Deok-Gu and Kim Ye-Ri''s help¡ªactually, no, take Ha-Yan and Hee-Young instead. Tell them not to kill them. Make sure to tell them that."</em>


    ¡ª As I mentioned earlier, we don''t have evidence to use them of anything, sir. Do you¡ª


    <em>"I told you to lock them up, Mr. Park Joong-Ki. Do we need evidence to do that? You must be losing your touch. You still don¡¯t understand what I¡¯m saying here? I¡¯m sure¡­ I told you to lock those guys up. You need proof? Is that important?"</em>


    ¡ª


    "Just lock them up."


    ¡ª I understand what you¡¯re saying, sir. I¡¯m sorry, I¡­


    <em>"Whoo¡­ it¡¯s fine. I¡¯m sorry. I just got a bit angrier than usual."</em>


    ¡ª It¡¯s okay.


    <em>"I¡¯ll give you time off, so you should take a break. You¡¯re not being demoted¡­ I just think it¡¯s best if I handle this one¡­"</em>


    ¡ª I will take care of it ording to your instructions.


    <em>"I¡¯m sorry for taking my anger out on you."</em>


    ¡ª It¡¯s fine, sir.


    The fact that Jin Cheong wasughing at me made me feel even angrier.


    ¡°Looks like things aren¡¯t going well for you,¡± Jin Cheongmented, taking a sip of his tea.


    I felt like throwing my cup of tea at his face.


    <em>¡®Yeah, it¡¯s not going well, damn it. Actually, it¡¯s more like it¡¯s ruined now.¡¯</em>


    I felt like I had been too nice.


    While I was gnashing my teeth, my hand mirror vibrated.


    <em>¡®He¡¯s so shameless.¡¯</em>


    ¡ª Father Lee Ki-Young¡­


    <em>"..."</em>


    ¡ª I¡¯m sorry for contacting youte, as I haven''t had any time to contact you until now, Father. I¡¯m not sure if you''ve already heard, but a huge ident happened at the sanctuary. A monster we believe to be at least Legendary appeared and¡­


    "¡­"


    ¡ª We tried to get in as soon as possible, but we couldn''t save Mr. Gregory and his party members...


    "Hey."


    ¡ª Yes?


    "..."


    ¡ª Is this¡­ Father Lee Ki-Young?


    "Yeah, it¡¯s me, you crazy bastard."


    ¡ª E-Excuse me?


    "Squiat, Squiat¡­ our poor Squiat. You don¡¯t like me, right? I look like¡­ some weakling in your eyes, right?"


    ¡ª W-What? I¡­ can¡¯t really¡­ hear you¡­


    <em>"Do I look like an idiot¡­ because I¡¯ve been smiling and doing everything you asked me to do, huh?"</em>


    <em>"You demonic bastard," </em>I added.

 Chapter 1034: Cleanup (17)

    <em>"I-I</em>[1] <em>really don¡¯t understand¡­ Are you really Father Lee Ki-Young?"</em>


    ¡ª Who else would I be?


    <em>"¡­"</em>


    ¡ª You must be thinking that you¡¯re the king of the world because I did everything you asked of me. Are you having fun going around and showing off that petty ability of yours? You must feel like you''ve obtained everything.


    ¡ª Unfortunately, you crossed the line, Squiat.


    <em>"¡­"</em>


    ¡ª Aren''t you supposed to be cautious? Why are you not cautious at all?


    <em>"Excuse me¡­?"</em>


    ¡ª Why are you not being cautious? If you were careful like you usually were, this wouldn¡¯t happen. Right? Am I right?<em>"¡­"</em>


    ¡ª I¡¯m not acting like this because I want to do it. I just wanted to stay a saint, but you haven''t realized that at all. I really didn¡¯t want to do this. I want to remain as an insignificant honorary cardinal for the denizens and the adventurers. I just wanted to be everyone¡¯s lovable honorary cardinal. Why can''t you understand that?


    <em>"¡­"</em>


    <em>¡®What the¡­¡¯</em>


    ¡ª I¡¯m leaving right now.


    <em>¡®What the hell happened?¡¯</em>


    ¡ª I¡¯m leaving right now to crush that head of yours, so wait for me.


    <em>¡®This is¡­ really the honorary cardinal?¡¯</em>


    ¡ª Do you have anything to say? I won¡¯t be listening, but if there¡¯s something you want to say, then say it. I might lessen your punishment depending on your excuse.


    The turn of events was so sudden that I nked out. The voice echoing in my ears belonged to the honorary cardinal I was familiar with.


    As usual, his voice was as gentle and as noble as always, which was befitting of a saint, but he was spouting swear words that I couldn''t have imagined I''d hear from his mouth one day.


    I couldn¡¯t even understand what he was trying to say, as he was swearing nonstop as if he were some back alley thug.


    I questioned whether he was in his right mind or not, as his behavior was erratic¡ªhe''dugh, provoke me, and curse.


    No one would be able to think properly in a situation like this.


    I immediately assumed that someone was impersonating the honorary cardinal or someone was ying a joke on me.


    I was sure there was nothing wrong with themunication channel with Father Lee Ki-Young, but one ought to avoid speaking in absolutes. Someone could have essed thismunication channel, or perhaps there was a technical error.


    <em>¡®What in the world¡­¡¯</em>


    <em>"I¡¯m Squiat of the Federation. I don¡¯t know who you are, but¡ª"</em>


    ¡ª I¡¯m Mosquito of the Federation,<em> h, h, h.</em> I don¡¯t know who you are, <em>h, h, h¡­</em>


    <em>¡®Crazy bastard. Who¡­ in the world¡­¡¯</em>


    <em>"I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re doing."</em>


    ¡ª I dun know what you¡¯re dooooing¡­


    <em>¡®How dare this childish jerk¡­¡¯</em>


    <em>"You¡¯re impersonating the honorary cardinal right now. The Continental Protection Management Committee¡ª"</em>


    ¡ª I¡¯m the honorary cardinal. How dare you say that someone is impersonating me? You¡¯re pretty stupid, aren¡¯t you? You still don¡¯t understand what¡¯s going on? You think you connected to the wrongmunication channel? Really? ?


    <em>"¡­"</em>


    ¡ª Themunication channels on the hand mirror don''t get technical errors, Squiat. There¡¯s nothing wrong with the system.


    <em>"¡­"</em>


    ¡ª It looks like you don¡¯t believe me, so I¡¯ll kindly exin what¡¯s going to happen to you.


    It didn¡¯t take long for me to realize that this wasn¡¯t a joke.


    And it was because I heard <em>knocking </em>on the door.


    ¡°Mr. Squiat.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Mr. Squiat. My name is Alex, and I''m a member of the Continental Protection Management Committee¡¯s Inspection Team from Lindel. May Ie in?¡± Alex asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Mr. Squiat, I¡¯ll say it again. My name is Alex, and I''m a member of the Continental Protection Management Committee¡¯s Inspection Team from Lindel. Are you avable to talk? I would like to ask you a few questions regarding the disappearance and the death of Mr. Gregory¡­¡± Alex repeated.


    ¡ª Do you believe me now?


    <em>¡®What the hell is going on?¡¯</em>


    I could hear many voices outside, so I assumed that I had already been surrounded.


    ¡°What are we going to ask him?! Move aside, Alex! You crazy murderer! How could you! How could you betray Father Lee Ki-Young¡¯s kindness?!¡± Kennen shouted.


    ¡°Calm down, Kennen! We¡¯re still investigating it! You know that you shouldn¡¯t act like this. Hey! George, say something!¡± Alex yelled.


    ¡°Well, procedures are important,¡± Georgemented.


    ¡°Damn it! I¡¯m an idiot foring here with you guys. Go away, Kennen! This is my jurisdiction, so leave! Mr. Squiat, I¡¯m Alex from Lindel! Are you inside?¡± Alex asked.


    ¡ª Shouldn¡¯t you start acknowledging it?


    <em>"W-Who are you?"</em>


    ¡ª What do you mean? I¡¯m the Honorary Cardinal of the Sacred Democratic Country, the Saint of the Continent, the Sub Guild Master of the Blue Guild, and the God of Sacrifice and Revival. Need more titles? You still don¡¯t get what¡¯s happening, do you? Hold on. I¡¯ll make sure you understand what¡¯s going on.


    Once his words fell, the Goddess¡¯ Mirror installed at the camp came to life.


    The news titled ¡°Special Report¡± was yed. It wasn¡¯t all that different from the news that they usually yed, but this news contained shocking information. It also had a stupefying title that said, "Gregory Party¡¯s Murder Case."


    [Squiat of the Federation is the suspect, and his whereabouts are currently unknown. The Continental Protection Management Committee has decided to impose a lockdown on the capital, including the Mole Saint¡¯s Cozy Sanctuary. An arrest warrant has also been issued for Squiat, and he has beenbeled the primary suspect of the crime.]


    ¡ª Squiat of the Federation is the suspect, and his whereabouts are currently unknown. The Continental Protection Management Committee has decided to impose a lockdown on the capital, including the Mole Saint¡¯s Cozy Sanctuary. An arrest warrant has also been issued for Squiat, and he has beenbeled the primary suspect of the crime.


    The news anchor said the same exact words Father Lee Ki-Young was saying through the hand mirror.


    [Warrants have also been issued for the arrest of the following criminals from the Federation¡ªRaynan of Extinction and Robinwood of Frenzy. They''re famous for being a part of a group called "Supernovas of the West."


    [The Sacred Democratic Country is working with the authorities of the Federation for the investigation; they¡¯re also working closely with the Continental Protection Management Committee to find out exactly what had happened.


    [Some groups have med this incident on the honorary cardinal''s excessive sympathy for the Federation. Denizens of the Democratic Country, please continue with your daily¡­]


    ¡ª Warrants have also been issued for the arrest of the following criminals from the Federation¡ªRaynan of Extinction and Robinwood of Frenzy. They''re famous for being a part of a group called "Supernovas of the West."


    ¡ª The Sacred Democratic Country is working with the authorities of the Federation for the investigation; they¡¯re also working closely with the Continental Protection Management Committee¡­


    It was like the world had changed in an instant.


    More stupefying titles appeared on the screen.


    [A Report About Squiat of the Federation, a Cold-hearted Murderer - Report Kim Sung-Kyeong of the Lindel Daily Report]


    [A Report About Squiat, the Tyrant of Ohio, a City on the Outskirts of the Federation - Report Kang Yoo-Mi of the Continental Protection Management Committee¡¯s Suspension Division]


    [What Happened in the Dungeon on That Day? - Kim Sung-Kyeong, Dungeon Columnist]


    [The Hope of the Federation? The Supernova of the West, AKA the Evil Organization of the Federation. About the Rotten Apples in the Federation. The Ones Who Must Be Discarded - Correspondent of the Democratic Newspaper Company]


    <em>¡®Am I¡­ dreaming right now?¡¯</em>


    <em>''Damn it. This is crazy. Shit. What the¡­ hell¡­ is going on?''</em>


    ¡ª Do you believe me now?


    <em>"¡­"</em>


    ¡ª Are you finally convinced?


    I had to give in for now. No, it was more like I needed to find out what was going on.


    <em>"Why¡­ are you doing this?"</em>


    ¡ª You really don¡¯t know? You know better than anyone why I¡¯m doing this.


    <em>"I don¡¯t understand¡­ what you¡¯re saying, Father Lee Ki-Young."</em>


    ¡ª You killed Gregory and stole Benigoa¡¯s relic.


    <em>"No, I¡­ didn¡¯t."</em>


    ¡ª Hey, I know you killed him. You¡¯re the one who made all the mess there.


    <em>"I really¡­ don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about, Father Lee Ki-Young. There must be¡­ some kind of misunderstanding here."</em>


    ¡ª ¡­


    "If you¡¯re saying this because of your suspicion of me¡­ I can exin everything. First of all, there''s no¡ª"


    ¡ª There¡¯s no evidence or proof? Hey, I don¡¯t care about that stuff. You think I don¡¯t know that there¡¯s no proof? I know that there isn¡¯t any proof. Honestly, I can find proof if I want to do so, but I¡¯m not going to do that because it''s going to take a long time, which is really annoying.


    ¡ª That¡¯s not what¡¯s important, though. It¡¯s the fact that you lost my trust.


    <em>"T-That doesn''t make¡ª"</em>


    ¡ª It makes sense to me.


    <em>"How can that¡­"</em>


    ¡ª I¡¯m thew here.


    <em>"¡­"</em>


    ¡ª ¡­


    <em>"Damn it. You think I¡¯ll let you have your way?!"</em>


    ¡ª ¡­


    <em>"Do you realize the fact that this call is being recorded right now? I knew something was off. An honorary cardinal like you has actually spoken such words? Was it all an act? Was it all an act?"</em>


    ¡ª So what?


    <em>"Are you going to be okay if the denizens heard our conversation?"</em>


    ¡ª Upload it.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    <em>"¡­"</em>


    ¡ª Do it if you can.


    I looked down at the Goddess¡¯ Hand Mirror and was about to save the recorded audio, but¡­


    <em>¡®...¡¯</em>


    ¡ª What¡¯s wrong? Can¡¯t save it?


    <em>"¡­"</em>


    ¡ª Are you even recording? Looks like there¡¯s something wrong with your device. You¡¯re sweating so much, Squiat. I want to show you how funny you look right now. I see you looking around and struggling with your hand mirror in hand.


    <em>¡®Damn it¡­ is he watching? How is he watching? Is there a surveince orb somewhere?¡¯</em>


    ¡ª Where are you trying to escape to? Where are you going to run to? Even if you escape, do you really think that you can run away?


    "Squiat!" someone shouted outside.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± I eximed in fear.


    Perhaps it was because I was scared, but my body moved before my mind.


    The voice outside made me grab the spear.


    For now, I had to get out of this ce.


    The right choice here was to leave and make ns for the future. Regardless of my current situation and the honorary cardinal¡¯s true identity, I had many things to handle first, and the very first thing I had to do before anything else was to get out of here.


    <em>¡®I need to gather forces.¡¯</em>


    Father Lee Ki-Young was hiding his true self, and it was possible that the members of the Blue Guild and the entire Democratic Country were being fooled by him.


    My assumption was right. The behavior he showed in the dungeon was his true self. He had been pretending to be noble and holy, but the being inside of him was a demon that specialized in deceiving humans.


    The continent would find out. It wouldn''t happen today, but it''d happen someday.


    <em>¡®Damn it, damn it. I haven¡¯t lost yet!¡¯</em>


    <em>''Look at Benigoa¡¯s spear. I''ve already be a transcendent being.''</em>


    ¡°Damn it! Go in and suppress him!¡± someone shouted outside.


    I escaped through a different exit and started running away.


    ¡ª You¡¯re probably wondering how I got this far, right, Squiat?


    <em>"¡­"</em>


    ¡ª You¡¯re probably wondering about the difference between the two of us.


    <em>"¡­"</em>


    ¡ª The crux of the matter isn¡¯t who got here first or who got herete.


    <em>"¡­"</em>


    ¡ª I have neverpromised.


    "¡­"


    ¡ª Whenever things escte to this point, I will neverpromise. And those daring enough to climb up the ranks and challenge me¡­ I sent them all to hell except for a certain someone.


    Just as I thought I managed to escape, I saw a mage wearing arge hat. The hat was lowered, obscuring her face, so I couldn''t identify her at first nce.


    ¡°H-H-Hello.¡±


    ¡°H-H-How¡­ are you doing?¡±


    1. Squiat¡¯s POV ?

 Chapter 1035: Cleanup (18)

    Every cloud had a silver lining.


    <em>¡®Haha¡­¡¯</em>


    Just as I thought that I had fallen into a pitch-ck abyss with no ray of hope, I saw a way to break through my predicament.


    ¡°H-H-H-How¡­ are you doing?¡±


    ¡°<em>Ha¡­ hahahaha!</em>¡±


    <em>¡®One mage.¡¯</em>


    She was just one mage. The mage was d in a white robe with arge staff in hand, and herrge hat was covering her face, so I couldn''t identify her immediately. However, it didn''t take me long to realize her identity.


    She was a symbolic being known as the best mage on the continent.


    She was a transcendent mage, and she was truly deserving of her titles "Archmage" and "Goddess of Magic." The mages of the continent hadn''t been able to measure her strength using this era''s standards, and she was also famous for advancing the continent¡¯s magic technology by centuries.It¡¯d be strange if there were an adventurer unaware of her name. Actually, it wasn¡¯t just the adventurers. I was sure everyone on the continent knew her name¡ªJung Ha-Yan.


    Was she alone? What about Kim Hyun-Sung? Was Jo Hye-Jin not with her?


    I couldn''t see the other members of the Blue Guild.


    I couldn''t see the Continental Protection Management Committee¡¯s Inspection Team and the assassins of the ck Swan Guild¡ªa guild known as one of Lindel¡¯s three major guilds.


    The troops of the Red Mercenary Guild weren''t around as well, but I instantly reached an answer.


    <em>¡®Did they not have enough time to prepare?¡¯</em>


    A mage working on her own was unprecedented, especially in situations where a battle was going to take ce. That was just the nature of mages. They needed help from the vanguards. No, they <em>had</em> to get help from the vanguards


    Of course, I knew that Jung Ha-Yan was on a whole new levelpared to any mage out there. There weren''t any mages on the same level as her, but she definitely had many ways to fight in closebat as well; she was the Goddess of Magic, after all.


    If she had already channeled a few spells before appearing before me, then it wasn''t strange that she was alone. I assumed they had no choice but to have her make a move first because she could cast Teleport.


    <em>¡®They have no information.¡¯</em>


    They had no information about me. Actually, it was more like Father Lee Ki-Young and the Continental Protection Management Committee had no information about Benigoa¡¯s relic.


    <em>¡®I¡¯ve changed.¡¯</em>


    I wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against her before I obtained Benigoa''s relic, but things were different now.


    <em>¡®Benigoa¡¯s spear.¡¯</em>


    It was an item capable of performing miracles¡ªno, it was a miracle in itself.


    This relic contained a power that I couldn¡¯t really control.


    <em>¡®There¡¯s no way I''ll lose to a mage with a weapon like this.¡¯</em>


    ¡°T-T-They said he¡¯s a bad man,¡± Jung Ha-Yan stuttered.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°A-A-As long as I don¡¯t kill him¡­ right, Sora?¡± Jung Ha-Yan asked.


    <em>¡®Where the hell is Sora?¡¯</em>


    I couldn''t see anyone else.


    "<em>Ah¡­ </em>Sora isn¡¯t here¡­" Jung Ha-Yan said, correcting herself.


    Ordinary mages could only channel one spell at once, while Legendary mages were capable of channeling two to three spells at once.


    Jung Ha-Yan was an archmage, so it was highly likely that she could channel five to seven spells at once. I had to be prepared to deal with at least five spells. If she were to perform quick cast, then she could definitely cast two spells at once for a maximum of nine spells channeled at once. ?


    <em>¡®Actually¡­¡¯</em>


    I believed she had to prioritize Teleport and protection-type spells, so I just had to be prepared to block seven spells.


    I was about nine hundred meters from her, and it would take me about three seconds to reach her at my maximum speed. We were indoors, so I couldn¡¯t use AoE attacks. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Just as the air was starting to be thick with hostility, I stepped forward and heard her casting a spell.


    <em>Fwoosh!</em>


    A giant fireball manifested in the hallway, and it flew toward me.


    The pressureing from the fireball alone was so immense that I inhaled sharply. The giant fireball that seemed to be made from the mes of Hell itself flew toward me as if it were going to reduce me to ashes in the blink of an eye.


    I froze at the terrifying sight, but I tightened my grip around the spear and took a stance.


    <em>¡®I wonder¡ª¡¯</em>


    But¡­


    <em>¡®I can do it.¡¯</em>


    Benigoa¡¯s spear granted the wielder a powerful divine Shield.


    <em>¡®First, I need to break through using this.¡¯</em>


    The giant fireball was most likely a smokescreen that would prevent me from seeing the spell that Jung Ha-Yan would cast after the fireball. I stuck as close as possible to the floor, and the fireball merely grazed me.


    It was painful, but I couldn''t scream in pain right now.


    <em>¡®The second spell.¡¯</em>


    A stream of blue mana flew toward me. It looked like a whip, and it wriggled as if it had a mind of its own.


    It''d be impossible with ordinary mana, but the holy power contained in Benigoa¡¯s spear could definitely cut that down. I took another step forward and swung the spear.


    A blinding light was unleashed, and it split the blue whip into two.


    <em>¡®The third spell.¡¯</em>


    ¡°I can do it.¡±


    <em>¡®The fourth spell.¡¯</em>


    ¡°<em>AAAAAH!</em>¡±


    <em>''The fifth spell.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Damn it¡­¡± I mumbled.


    <em>BOOM!</em>


    ¡°Six!¡± I shouted.


    I couldn¡¯t see the spell. Its presence was so faint that I couldn¡¯t feel it properly, but I was sure that it was headed toward me. I could feel myself sustaining more injuries as the seconds went by, but¡­


    <em>¡®Just a little more.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Just a little moooore!¡± I yelled.


    I swung the spear, drawing a huge circle around me. A radiant light instantly pervaded the surroundings. I could finally see the spell that I hadn''t been able to see until now, and I could finally feel it as well.


    It was like I had ovee my limits¡ªno, I was in the middle of oveing my limits. I was clearly oveing my limits. A scenery I had never seen before appeared before me, and I reckoned that transcendent beings had been looking at this scenery.


    Gray Warrior Rafael, the God of Spear Jo Hye-Jin, the Red Goddess of War Cha Hee-Ra, and the God of Sunset Kim Hyun-Sung were probably staring at the same scenery as me.


    ¡°<em>Haha¡­ hahahaha!</em>¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help butugh. I was dying, but I was recovering at a speed visible to the naked eye. I was overflowing with energy as well. A power capable of splitting even mountains burst out of my heart and spread throughout me.


    I realized just then that I was indeed the protagonist of this world.


    I was also worthy of climbing the ranks.


    I just wasn¡¯t ready until this opportunity was given to me.


    At this moment, I qualified just like others with the same interest as me¡­


    At this moment, I obtained power¡­


    ¡ª He¡¯s really making a fool of himself.


    ¡°Seven!¡± I shouted.


    I grabbed the spear tightly with both hands and swung it at the oing spell.


    ¡°<em>AAAAAHH!</em>¡± I shouted unknowingly.


    The archmage frowned.


    <em>¡®One more step.¡¯</em>


    Just as I expected, she had to have used up all of her spells, as I saw her channeling her spells once again.


    The moment I stepped forward and thrust my spear toward her¡­


    <em>Clench! Clench! Clench!</em>


    I heard the chattering of someone''s teeth, and a wave of pitch-ck mana burst out of the archmage.


    <em>¡®Did she have¡­ one more spell left?¡¯</em>


    <em>Clench! Clench! Clench!</em>


    <em>''No, that can¡¯t¡­ be.''</em>


    ¡°That can¡¯t¡­ That can¡¯t be¡­¡± I mumbled.


    The pitch-ck mana engulfed everything around me. When I looked up, I saw a clump of dark red mana transforming into what looked like a spider''s leg. I looked around and realized that I was inside a really dark space.


    And that was when I heard faint voices¡­


    ¡°<em>AAAAAH! </em>Help¡­ H-Help me. Please¡­ <em>heuk</em>¡­ please¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I¡­!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    <em>¡®Where am I?¡¯</em>


    <em>''Did I get teleported? Maybe I''ve always been here from the very beginning? </em>


    <em>''Did I get hit by a mental-type spell? What in the world¡­</em>


    <em>''What in the world is this space that looks like it''s made from mana itself?''</em>


    ¡°<em>AAAAH!!</em> Please¡­ please¡­¡±


    I couldn''t see the archmage, but I saw a familiar figure in the distance.


    <em>¡®Raynan?¡¯</em>


    He was Raynan of Extinction¡­


    He wasn¡¯t alone, and someone was dragging him away.


    It was a woman wearing a nun outfit, and she looked indifferent as she dragged Raynan away.


    Anyone could tell that Raynan was in a really bad condition. It seemed like his arms and legs had been severed and only his head was still attached to him. An unknown substance was flowing out of his abdomen, and he was yelling for help like a madman.


    I had to save him.


    I knew that was the right thing to do, but my body wouldn¡¯t move, as I had never seen a sight as bizarre as this sight before me. It was embarrassing to say this as an adventurer summoned to this continent, but this sight would terrify just about everyone.


    <em>ng¡­</em>


    The woman d in a nun outfit hung Raynan on a hook. Her eyes showed no emotions whatsoever as if she were hanging a piece of meat rather than a human being. It wasn¡¯t just Raynan of Extinction. Those who were there with us at the time were there, and they were¡­ groaning and wriggling while hanging from a giant hook.


    ¡°<em>AAAAAH!</em>¡±


    ¡°Run¡­ run! Squiat! Run¡­¡± someone shouted.


    ¡°Robinwood?¡± I said.


    ¡°I said run!¡± Robinwood yelled.


    <em>Clench! Clench! Clench!</em>


    ¡°<em>AAAAAH! AAAAAH!</em>¡±


    <em>Clench! Clench! Clench!</em>


    ¡°Run!¡± he yelled.


    With a pale face, he moved further away in an instant. Behind him, the mage with the big hat was walking slowly.


    ¡°W-Where are the bad people¡­ hiding¡­¡± Jung Ha-Yan stuttered.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°W-W-Where are the bad people hiding? W-Where are the bad people¡­ who made my oppa¡­ cry? <em>Heuk¡­</em><em>kgh¡­</em>¡± Jung Ha-Yan questioned.


    ¡°Damn it¡­ where am I? Where am I?!¡± I shouted.


    ¡°W-Where¡­ are the bad people, Sora?¡± Jung Ha-Yan asked.


    ¡°Squiat! Squiat! Do something! Squiat! Help us! Help us! <em>Heuk¡­</em> help us¡­!¡±


    <em>¡®What¡­ is this ce? Am I in Hell?¡¯</em>


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    A dark red spider leg descended and pierced their figures hanging from a hook.


    ¡°The bad people. Are here. <em>Sniffle</em>,¡± Jung Ha-Yan said.


    ¡°<em>Ahhh¡ªcough</em>!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s running! He¡¯s running away! The bad man is running away! Follow him! Follow him, Sora!¡± Jung Ha-Yan yelled.

 Chapter 1036: Cleanup (19)

    Fear rather than reason dominated my body. Not only were my teeth chattering, but my hands and feet were shaking as well. I couldn¡¯t move at all.


    ¡ª Ready or not, here Ie.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡ª Ready or not, here Ie.


    <em>¡®Crazy. She¡¯s crazy. Shit¡­ she¡¯s insane.¡¯</em>


    ¡°The bad man is running away! He¡¯s running away, Sora!¡± Jung Ha-Yan yelled.


    <em>¡®Damn it¡­ who the hell is Sora? Where the hell¡­ is Han Sora?¡¯</em>


    ¡°He¡¯s over there! Over there! There!¡± Jung Ha-Yan eximed.


    <em>¡®She¡¯spletely nuts. She¡¯s¡­¡¯</em>¡°He¡¯s over there!¡± Jung Ha-Yan shouted.


    She wasn''t talking about me.


    ¡°<em>Ahhh! </em>Help me! Help me! <em>Ahhhhh!</em>¡± Robinwood screamed while running.


    He had a bow and melee weapons, but he wasn¡¯t even thinking about resisting.


    The murderer wearing the white hat was following him with a dagger in hand.


    I couldn¡¯t understand why she was using a dagger. I was confused as to why she was trying to get close, and I was also confused about why she was swinging her dagger in the air.


    I assumed she wanted to know what it felt like to be prey, but she was crouching for some reason. Anyone would describe this scene as grotesque, and I couldn''t help but wonder whether murderers in horror movies looked like her.


    The murderer d in white was swinging her dagger while sniffling, and she wasn¡¯t really moving fast. She¡¯d even trip from running too fast, and she''d sometimes yell a bunch of nonsense while swinging her dagger in the air, giving Robinwood enough time to widen the distance between them.


    Despite that, she was getting closer and closer to Robinwood.


    <em>¡®Why won¡¯t you fight back?¡¯</em>


    I wanted to ask that question to myself.


    <em>¡®Why can¡¯t I swing my spear?¡¯</em>


    Why wasn¡¯t I using the spear to pierce the neck of the white mage?


    <em>¡®We have no chance.¡¯</em>


    I was afraid.


    Just like me, Robinwood was frightened, and all he could think about was getting far away from this ce. The white murderer¡¯s dagger was getting closer to him, but all he could do was cower in fear.


    The other girl wasn¡¯t all that different.


    Saint of Forsaken Sun Hee-Young was clearly different from the white murderer I had seen earlier, but she was creepy as well. She walked slowly with sadness in her eyes, and she was reciting a prayer with a rosary in hand.


    It was an elegy for her uing victim.


    When she extended her hand out towards the one who was running away, I saw ghosts wearing priest uniforms appear from behind her.


    <em>"Heretic. She¡¯s a heretic! Heretic!" </em>


    Before I knew it, the noble-looking ghosts transformed into murderers.


    <em>"Kill them! Offer the heretic¡¯s heart to the Goddess. Give the sinner the mace of pain for insulting the Priest of Prophecy!"</em>


    ¡°<em>AAAAAH!</em>¡±


    A hymn made of screams and unpleasant noises made me feel like my ears were going to bleed. The ghosts surrounded the escaping man. Then, I saw something red. It was such a grotesque scene that I wondered whether he was being surrounded by zombies or those famous Gluttonous Mouths.


    <em>Rip. Riiip. Riiiiip.</em>


    ¡°Please¡­ please spare me. Please¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not the one punishing you for your sins. Please don¡¯t forgive this sinner. May he burn and suffer in the mes of hell forever,¡± Sun Hee-Young said while crying quietly.


    ¡°There he goes! There he is! He¡¯s running, Sora!¡± Jung Ha-Yan yelled.


    ¡°<em>Ah!</em> Please do not extend your hand of salvation to them,¡± Sun Hee-Young added.


    ¡°Kill him! Kill him! Kill hiiim!¡± Jung Ha-Yan screamed.


    ¡°<em>Heuk¡­ heuuk¡­ </em>eternal rest,¡± Sun Hee-Young mumbled while crying.


    <em>¡®They¡¯re crazy.¡¯</em>


    ¡°I found him, Sora! Over here!¡± she yelled.


    <em>¡®Damn it! Damn it¡­ damn it!¡¯</em>


    She was definitely after me.


    ¡°Sora¡ª<em>Ah!</em>¡± she screamed. The white murderer seemed to have tripped on something, but I had no courage to attack her. I had to get away from her no matter what.


    That was all I could think about.


    Just then, Father Lee Ki-Young¡¯s voice echoed in my ears.


    ¡ª You¡¯re thinking that things have gotten pretty bad, right?


    <em>¡®Damn it¡­¡¯</em>


    ¡ª <em>Ah!</em> What the heck? Move, Commander. Why do you keep asking me to show you?


    <em>¡®What?¡¯</em>


    ¡ª No, Commander. This isn¡¯t a game. What? Does this look fun to you? You can¡¯tmercialize this one because Ha-Yan made it.


    <em>¡®Jin Cheong? Jin Cheong of the Republic? Are they together right now?¡¯</em>


    <em>''Oh yeah, they¡¯re supposedly meeting. Those scums were working together all this time. They¡¯re known as the Hero of the Continent, Saint of Miracles, and the Hero of Shadows¡­ but they¡¯re all the same.''</em>


    ¡°<em>Pant¡­ pant¡­ pant¡­</em>¡±


    I waspletely out of breath.


    ¡°He¡¯s running¡­ he¡¯s running away!¡± Jung Ha-Yan yelled.


    ¡°<em>Pant¡­</em>¡±


    I couldn¡¯t stop running.


    I ran across a space filled with a dark red light, and I saw pieces of meat hanging from hooks.


    <em>¡®Can I buy time¡­¡¯</em>


    I took down the people hanging from the hooks, and I started running once again. Just as I expected, the white murderer swung her dagger towards those who were running away. Those people were buying me some time, but it was futile.


    ¡°The exit¡­ Where¡¯s the exit?¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Damn it. Where is the exit,¡± I said.


    ¡ª I wonder where the exit is? Want my help? It wouldn¡¯t be any fun if things just ended like this, so I¡¯ll help you.


    <em>¡®A trap?¡¯</em>


    ¡ª It¡¯s not a trap. I can see everything you¡¯re doing right now. You think I¡¯d use a silly trap like this just to trick you? You¡¯re t on the ground right now. Are you going to crawl your way out? <em>Ah!</em> I suggest you hold your breath for a moment.


    I stopped and instinctively held my breath¡­


    ¡°I-I thought he was here,¡± Jung Ha-Yan mumbled.


    ¡°...¡± ¡°M-M-Maybe he¡¯s not here. He must be elsewhere. He must¡¯ve run somewhere else. What do I do, S-Sora? <em>Ah!</em> S-S-Sora isn¡¯t here,¡± Jung Ha-Yan stuttered.


    She was close. I could hear her footsteps. I felt cold sweat breaking out all over me, and I was afraid to make even the slightest noise. I covered my mouth with my hand. I was running out of breath, but the fate that awaited me if she discovered me was certainly more painful than suffocating to death.


    ¡®Whoo


    Just then, I heard a voice that made my heart stop.


    ¡°I-I found him,¡± Jung Ha-Yan said.


    <em>¡®Please¡­ please¡­¡¯</em>


    ¡ª It¡¯s not you.


    I heard her footsteps moving away. Obviously, I couldn¡¯t even think about responding to Father¡¯s Lee Ki-Young¡¯s voice, which echoed in my ears nonstop.


    I had lost my sanity a long time ago, and all I could think about was getting away from here.


    ¡ª Take a right from there. You just need to go a little further. <em>Ah!</em> Not there. I think Miss Hee-Young is on patrol.


    <em>¡®What the hell is his goal?¡¯</em>


    ¡ª Run a little faster and move quieter. Ha-Yan ising. I think she''ll be there soon..


    <em>¡®Damn it, damn it¡­ damn it!¡¯</em>


    ¡ª It¡¯s Ha-Yan! It¡¯s her! She¡¯sing!


    ¡°<em>Ahhhhhhhh!</em>¡±


    ¡ª I¡¯m joking, I¡¯m joking, so don¡¯t be so surprised. <em>Pfft! Hahaha. </em>Look at you. <em>Pfft!</em>


    ¡°Damn it¡­ how¡­¡±


    ¡ª You don¡¯t know how things turned out this way? I know very well how it turned out this way. You know, people shouldn¡¯t live beyond their means. You¡¯ll only end up in trouble if you try to obtain more than you can handle. That''s bad, right? Right? Yeah, you¡¯re right.


    ¡°Damn it¡­¡±


    ¡ª It¡¯s true that I want to see you in pain. I must¡¯ve been feeling stressed these days. You¡¯re probably wondering why I¡¯m helping you find the exit, right? I just want to see you struggle. I want to see how much you¡¯re going to struggle. Do you have the guts to match your greed? That¡¯s what I want to see. If things go well, I might forgive you.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡ª Hey, fishy, I¡¯m only going to tell you this. I think the Federation is going to go through a major reorganization. I was preparing to transform Gregory into a symbolic figure of the newly reorganized Federation, and I prepared many things behind the scenes.


    ¡ª Unfortunately¡­ Gregory is dead, and that spot has be empty. That¡¯s why I lost my mind and got angry at you.


    ¡ª Everything went down the drain, so it¡¯s natural I¡¯d be angry¡­ But were you aware that if you had just proven to me that you were qualified, I''d have no reason not to ce you in that spot? It would take some time, but the Saint of the Sacred Democratic Country values talent the most.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡ª This is the end of our conversation. Ha-Yan will being soon. I¡¯ll send you the exit route now, so try figuring things out on your own.


    <em>''I-It¡¯s nearby.'' </em>


    I moved quickly. Whether I trusted him or not wasn¡¯t important.


    The fact that there was a way to get out of here was important.


    <em>¡®Please¡­ please¡­¡¯</em>


    ¡°<em>Pant¡­ pant¡­ pant¡­</em>¡±


    <em>¡®Please¡­¡¯</em>


    I saw a ce that looked like an exit.


    ¡°Pant


    I hurriedly took the final step into the exit and¡ª


    [Exit unavable.]


    [You haven¡¯t met the exit condition of Archmage Jung Ha-Yan¡¯s exclusive domain, Crimson yground. You cannot escape.]


    ¡°<em>Uh¡­</em>¡±


    - <em>Pfft! Hahahahahaha.</em>


    ¡°<em>Uhh¡­</em>¡±


    ¡ª <em>Hahahahahahahaha!</em> You thought it was going to work, right? Right? You pretended to be stoic, but I knew you were expecting something. <em>Cough! </em>You¡¯re such a dummy. You fell for it again. Commander¡­ I mean, Mr. Squiat.


    The white murderer ran toward me innocently with a twisted smile tugging at her lips.


    ¡°H-Help me¡­¡± I begged.


    ¡ª I don¡¯t know¡­


    ¡°Help me, please¡­¡± I said.


    ¡ª Should I¡­


    ¡°I was¡­ wrong, Father Lee Ki-Young. Please¡­¡± I begged.


    - <em>Hahahahaha.</em> I forgive you, but will Miss Hee-Young and Ha-Yan do the same?


    ¡°Please¡­¡± I said.


    ¡ª <em>Pwahahahaha!</em>


    ¡°Y-You dirty bastard¡­ You scum!¡± I shouted.


    ¡ª <em>Mwahahahahahaha!</em>


    ¡°Is that all you know how to do?¡± I questioned.


    I had no idea what I was saying.


    My hand holding the spear was shaking, and I screamed with all my might.


    I just wanted to avoid the murderer in front of me.


    <em>¡®Don¡¯te closer to me.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Y-You didn¡¯t seed in the end. You have no way of getting rid of me legally, and this was your only way¡­¡± I said.


    - What?


    <em>¡®Please don¡¯te closer, damn it.¡¯</em>


    ¡°In the end, you''re just afraid of losing! You couldn¡¯t handle this issue properly, so you resorted to this method. T-This is your limit, Lee Ki-Young. This is your limit!


    "You¡¯re a failure! The only difference between you and me is that you were summoned to this ce first, damn it!¡± I shouted.


    <em>¡®Don¡¯te closer, please¡­¡¯</em>


    ¡ª That¡¯s¡­ bullshit¡­ Your words won¡¯t work on me, so just stop. It sounds like you¡¯re trying to avoid our lovely Ha-Yan by provoking me, but that will only make me angrier.


    ¡°You weren''t confident in finding evidence against me, so you resorted to this¡­¡± I trailed off.


    - ¡­


    ¡°You weren¡¯t confident in handling this legally¡­ That¡¯s why you used this kind of method¡­ and I¡ªwe¡­ didn''t know what was going on.


    "Isn¡¯t that why you¡¯re angry?! Father Lee Ki-Young! I know guys like you very well! You¡¯re afraid of failure! Damn it!


    "You hate failure because you''ve failed more than anyone! That¡¯s probably why you wear the mask of a saint. You want to hide your true self from everyone else!¡± I eximed.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    ¡ª ¡­


    ¡°You want to know why you¡¯re hiding behind the honorary cardinal mask? It¡¯s because you know better than anyone that your human side has failed more than anyone else.


    "That¡¯s why you can¡¯t remove your mask. Y-You know better than anyone that no one will look at the real you, and that¡¯s why you¡¯ve been hiding your true self! Right? Am I right, you nauseating jerk?! You monster!" I eximed.


    - ¡­


    ¡°The reason you refused to join the game and crossed the line is that you weren¡¯t confident, damn it! In the end, you lost, Lee Ki-Young! I beat you! I managed to remove your mask, so I''m the winner!


    "I-I¡¯m the winner! I won! I won because I made you take your mask off!¡± I shouted.


    ¡ª ¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡ª So what?


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡ª Are you suggesting¡­ we resolve this¡­ legally?


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡ª Is that what you¡¯re trying to say? Handle this legally? You want me to handle this¡­ as the honorary cardinal?


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡ª So¡­ you want to¡­ have a religious trial, right? Mr. Squiat?

 Chapter 1037: Cleanup (20) (Illustration)

    When I[1] opened my eyes quietly, I found myself in an empty space.


    <em>¡®Am I alive¡­?¡¯</em>


    I was alive. I was alive, and I wasn¡¯t wounded. It was so dark that I couldn¡¯t see anything in this dark space, but I was certain of one thing¡ªI was still alive.


    Was it a dream? Was it? Was what I saw before losing consciousness¡­ really a dream?


    I unknowingly moved my arm and heard a <em>nk</em>.


    When I saw that I was chained, I realized that what I had seen wasn¡¯t a dream.


    The white murderer, the nun wandering crimson space with her ghosts, and my conversation with the honorary cardinal. I remembered provoking him to escape from the threat before me, and I could still remember his final words to me.


    <em>¡®So¡­¡¯</em>


    It took a while for me to realize that my <em>dream</em> wasn''t a dream. I honestly had no idea what happened or what I had done.


    I couldn¡¯t think of anything due to the nauseating stench and the screams everywhere.


    I wasn¡¯t sure how long I¡¯d been asleep, but it could also be because my brain was taking a while to process the whole situation.


    When I heard faint voices from afar, my brain was finally convinced that everything was real.


    ¡°O God¡­¡±


    ¡°O God¡­ O Benigoa¡­¡±


    <em>¡®Damn it¡­¡¯</em>


    Damn it¡­


    The Heretic Inquisitors. I was in the interrogation room right now.


    <em>"So¡­ you want to¡­ have a religious trial, right? Mr. Squiat?"</em>


    I heard his voice again.


    ¡°Damn it¡­ damn it!¡± I shouted.


    Damn it¡­ what could I do?


    Someone seemed to have taken Benigoa¡¯s Spear away from me, as I couldn¡¯t feel any power inside me.


    <em>¡®Do I¡­ Do I even have a chance?¡¯</em>


    It was nice to get away from the white murderer, but if a religious trial was held, would I win? No way. It was undeniable that I was in possession of Benigoa¡¯s relic.


    We had gotten rid of the traces, but the incident that led to the annihtion of Gregory¡¯s party couldn''t possibly disappear. The talented rangers of the ck Swan could find some traces of the incident within two months.


    Moreover, I wasn¡¯t sure when my party members were going to confess.


    I trusted them, but¡­


    <em>¡®No, we promised to be together.¡¯</em>


    Anyway, Honorary Cardinal Lee Ki-Young had no need to influence the trial, as I would most likely lose it, anyway. I could already imagine the horrible fate that awaited me. I was sure that everyone out there was aware of how the Heretic Inquisitors handled things.


    Ito Sota''s drowning in holy water had be such a famous story that I was aware of its details, even though I was summoned hereter on.


    At the time, I believed that it was exaggerated, but now that I was in this situation. I finally understood that they were not lying at all. I was sure I''d suffer the same horrible fate as Ito Sota. No, it could be a fate worse than that.


    How did thingse to this?


    <em>¡®If I¡­ If I can at least put up a fight¡­ If I can put up onest fight¡­¡¯</em>


    The door opened, and I heard a familiar voice. ¡°Hello, Mr. Squiat.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    <em>He</em> greeted me cautiously. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    With a <em>click</em>, the room suddenly became bright, forcing me to frown and squint my eyes.


    As my vision adjusted to the light, I looked up and saw the figure speaking to me.


    <em>¡®Father Lee Ki-Young.¡¯</em>


    He was dressed neatly in his priest uniform.


    This was the first time I saw him since that day, and he was smiling quietly at me.


    ¡°Father Lee Ki-Young?¡± I said.


    ¡°You¡¯re acting slightly differentlypared to before. You suddenly sound respectful. You can talk more casually since you said all that bullshitst time,¡± Lee Ki-Young said.


    I thought perhaps I was mistaken all this while, as he looked the same as the saint, but his scummy smile told me that I wasn¡¯t mistaken at all.


    He was clearly mocking me, and goosebumps popped up all over me when I saw that he looked kind of angry, but it wasn¡¯t the same feeling Jung Ha-Yan and Sun Hee-Young gave me.


    I was sure the incongruity between the Father Lee Ki-Young before me and the usual Father Lee Ki-Young was the reason I was feeling this way.


    <em>¡®Is it possible for someone to have two different extreme sides?¡¯</em>


    Was Father Lee Ki-Young bipr?


    My mind went nk, and I felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured all over my head.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I-I¡­¡± I paused.


    ¡°<em>Huh?</em> What did you say? You don¡¯t need to apologize. I can tell how much you¡¯re regretting it, Mr. Squiat. You provoked me because you wanted to get away from our Ha-Yan. You said all those ridiculous things because of that, and I¡­ understand.


    "I also want to respect your decision to have a religious trial. I didn¡¯te here to negotiate with you. I just¡­ I just wanted to see what you look like right now and¡­ more importantly¡­ I want to tell you that you were wrong,¡± he said.


    ¡°What? What¡­ are you¡­¡±


    <em>¡®What the hell is he talking about?¡¯</em>


    ¡°I clearly told you that you failed, right? I¡¯m sure I did, Mr. Squiat,¡± he said.


    Lee Ki-Young sat on the chair quietly and held up a hand mirror.


    The ringtone echoed, and I immediately heard a voice.


    "Mr. Hyun-Sung?"


    ¡ª Yes, Mr. Ki-Young? What¡¯s¡­ wrong?


    "Mr. Hyun-Sung, what would you do if I were a really bad person?"


    <em>¡®What?¡¯</em>


    ¡ª What?


    "What would you do if I were a <em>really, really </em>bad person?"


    ¡ª No way you''re a bad person.


    <em>¡®What the hell¡­ is he talking about right now?¡¯</em>


    Why was he suddenly talking to Kim Hyun-Sung? What was he trying to prove here?


    "What would you do if you found out that I had been deceiving you all this time?"


    And that was when I recalled my furious words toward him at the Crimson yground¡­.


    To provoke Father Lee Ki-Young into saving me from the white murderer, I told him that he was the one who had failed, not me.


    <em>¡®It can¡¯t be¡­¡¯</em>


    I couldn¡¯t believe it, and I couldn¡¯t understand it at all.


    <em>¡®Is he trying to prove that I''m wrong? Is he trying to show that there¡¯s someone who truly cares for him?¡¯</em>


    It made sense¡­ but other than that¡­


    <em>¡®Did hee all the way here¡­ to show that he didn¡¯t fail?¡¯</em>


    I was sure that was why he was angry. His actions were so childish that it convinced me that he had some kind of trauma rted to it. It had to have been a traumatic moment for him, and I was sure of it, as he hade all the way here to prove it to me.


    ¡ª No way...


    "I¡¯m saying <em>if</em>. What would you do if I told you that I¡¯ve been wearing a mask all this while?"


    ¡ª ¡­


    "¡­"


    ¡ª It¡¯s okay. It probably won¡¯t matter.


    "Howe?"


    ¡ª Because it''s you. Anyway, did¡­ something happen?


    "No, nothing happened¡­"


    ¡ª Whether you¡¯re wearing a mask or not, you¡¯re still Mr. Ki-Young.


    With a <em>click</em>, he closed the hand mirror and stared smugly at me.


    ¡°I think you¡¯re wrong. <em>Hahaha</em>.¡±


    <em>¡®C-Crazy bastard.¡¯</em>


    ¡°You¡¯re wrong. Who failed? Who failed?¡± Father Lee Ki-Young mocked me.


    <em>¡®Has the guild master of the Blue Guild¡­ been brainwashed?¡¯</em>


    I was finally convinced his trauma was the reason he had visited me today.


    It was a way to break his mask¡­


    <em>¡®I can probably beat him.¡¯</em>


    If I used that to my advantage at the trial, I''d have a chance. No, if I were to provoke him here, I could end up going to the continental court. I had many choices; there were so many that I couldn¡¯t choose just one¡­


    ¡°<em>Ah</em>, and you¡¯re scheduled to go to the US today at 9 o''clock,¡± Lee Ki-Young said.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Of course, you¡¯ll be executed. Your crime is attempting to murder Gregory. Why is it attempted murder? He¡¯s alive, and he¡¯ll be a witness today,¡± Lee Ki-Young said.


    ¡°T-That¡¯s ridiculous! Shit! You think¡­ you¡¯ll get away with this?!¡± I shouted.


    ¡°I mean, it¡¯s true that you tried to kill Gregory and took the relic. Those are more than enough reasons to execute you,¡± he said.


    ¡°I want a proper trial!¡± I demanded.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for a trial because the evidence is clear. Actually, Gregory and I weren''t expecting much, but Robinwood of Frenzy helped us in tracking down Gregory. It¡¯ll take a few months for him to recover, but it all worked out in the end,¡± he exined.


    ¡°W-What¡­¡±


    ¡°You should take care of your own life before judging others. You should live a righteous life before giving advice to people and talking about masks as well as what¡¯s real or not. How many people do you think truly care and love you?¡± Lee Ki-Young asked with a smirk.


    <em>''I-It¡¯s like I''m staring at a demon.''</em>


    Lee Ki-Young pointed at the screen and I saw the guild members andrades whom I had spent a long time working with.


    ¡ª H-He¡¯s a demon. Squiat¡­ transformed into a demon and then Gregory¡­


    Those were Raynan of Extinction''s words.


    ¡ª We wanted to stop, but we couldn¡¯t. The demon¡¯s power was controlling us.


    Robinwood of Frenzy¡­


    ¡ª When he stretched his hand out toward Benigoa¡¯s relic, there was a wave of disturbing energy, and the demonic power seemed like it was going to devour Goddess Benigoa¡¯s holy light¡­


    Those words were from myrades whom I had known all the way from the tutorial dungeon.


    ¡ª I-It¡¯s all his fault


    Even those I called friends¡­ testified against me.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous! This is nonsense!!! Damn it! You bastard! You scum! Yeah! Y-Y-You¡­¡± I stuttered.


    ¡°<em>Pfft! Bwahahahaha!</em> I know you¡¯re just trying to buy time by saying ridiculous things, but you know that''s not going to work, right? I''m sure you already know that I didn¡¯te here to argue with you but vent my anger.


    <em>"Ah! </em>By the way, they¡¯ve been sentenced to t twenty years in prison,¡± he informed me.


    ¡°H-How dare you! Did you have to¡ª¡±


    ¡°Go this far? Yeah, of course, Squiat. Squiat, no one cares about you. Contrary to what you said with confidence, no one loves your true self,¡± Lee Ki-Young interrupted me.


    ¡°You¡¯re crazy! Crazy bastard! You lunatic!¡± I shouted.


    He wasn¡¯t in his right mind.


    Getting involved with him was¡­ a mistake.


    ¡°Looks like it¡¯s almost 9 o¡¯clock,¡± Lee Ki-Young said.


    ¡°What? I-It¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°I even asked them to make it as painful as possible,¡± Lee Ki-Young added.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°So hang in there, Mr. Squiat."


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°<em>AAARGH!</em>¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°<em>AAAAARRRGGGHHH!</em> H-Help me¡­!¡± I begged.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°<em>AAAAAAARGH!</em>¡±


    *An illustration of Kim Hyun-Sung is attached on the next page.


    wooden spoon: It¡¯s Kim Hyun-Sung wearing a hanbok!


    1. Mr. Squiat''s Point of View ?<blockquote>


    Hikari''s Thoughts</blockquote>

 Chapter 1038: Picnic (1)

    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Oppa,¡± Lee Ji-Hye said.


    ¡°<em>Hm?</em>¡±


    ¡°The Blue Guild looks pretty rxed,¡± she said.


    ¡°It''s been handled, right? What¡¯s wrong? Are you that busy at the Continental Protection Management Committee?¡± I[1] asked.


    ¡°That''s easier said than done, and¡­ there aren¡¯t any huge issues at the Committee. Colonel Smith has been pretty busy, though. I was worried that the entire guild was like him, but it looks like only Colonel Smith and his team are like that.


    "I think he visited us three or four times yesterday¡­ No adventurer has yet to die from overworking, right? It¡¯ll be interesting if Colonel Smith bes the very first adventurer to die that way,¡± Lee Ji-Hye answered.


    ¡°...¡±¡°So helpful,¡± Lee Ji-Hye remarked.


    ¡°Right?¡± I said.


    ¡°I¡¯m talking about you, not Colonel Smith. You have a really good eye. I know he¡¯s a greatbatant, but when you said you were going to use him as the press secretary, I honestly questioned your decision.


    "However, the results showed that you were right. The fact that he''s from the Federation has worked to our advantage. <em>Ah!</em> Gregory is okay as well,¡± Lee Ji-Hye informed me.


    ¡°Are you talking about the sad interview that made the denizens of the Federation cry? That made me cry as well, noona,¡± I said.


    ¡°It was a pretty memorable scene,¡± Lee Ji-Hyemented.


    <em>¡®Gregory didn¡¯t do anything wrong, but¡­¡¯</em>


    What he had done was pretty effective. When he woke up in the hospital, he appeared in several media outlets, including press conferences.


    <em>¡®At least he¡¯s a man of perseverance.¡¯</em>


    Gregory couldn¡¯t really move, but he actually appeared at an official press conference and kneeled before the denizens of the Democratic Country and Federation, who were worried about the recent incident.  ?


    He lowered his head despite being severely injured, making it the most memorable scene of the year. Who would criticize Gregory when he had asked them to trust the Federation onest time and that he wouldn''t let that incident happen ever again? He also looked pretty desperate and sincere, to boot.


    Moreover, the scene was even more sincere due to the fact that he had no time to prepare a script for it.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Therades who fought with him were now with Benigoa.


    I''d understand if he ended up copsing because of that, but he was actually thinking about the bigger picture, which was surprising even to me.


    His actions were not enough to quell the dissatisfied politicians, but at least he had seeded in capturing the hearts of the people and their opinions.


    Colonel Smith was also doing great at breaking the confidence of those politicians and ensuring that they wouldn''t be able to ignore the public.


    ¡°He left for the sanctuary, even though he hasn''t recovered yet. He¡¯s truly a man of perseverance. Personally, I don¡¯t like his type, but it wouldn¡¯t be so bad to have him nearby. His beard is pretty cool, and his mindset is better than Kim Hyun-Sung,¡± Lee Ji-Hye said.


    ¡°No one asked the Continental Protection Management Committee to intervene, right? No oneined as well?" I asked.


    ¡°Of course, there were someints. Do you know how much time and money went into the Federation Restoration Project? It''s not strange for people to feel dissatisfied at the fact that the money all went to Squiat and those scums in power.


    "There are also many people dissatisfied with how aggressive you were with this project. I''m sure theints will die down soon, but¡­¡± Lee Ji-Hye paused.


    ¡°Yeah, I should use this opportunity to change everything. There has to be aw against total corruption,¡± I said.


    ¡°The investigation team and the Heretic Inquisitors have already been dispatched to the Federation. Isn¡¯t that good enough? Did you not do all these to push those scums out?¡± Lee Ji-Hye asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s kind ofplicated if I tell you from the very beginning¡­¡± I said.


    ¡°And how did you manage to execute Squiat? His execution wasn¡¯t public, which has never happened before,¡± Lee Ji-Hye said.


    ¡°You want to know?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t need to tell me. I¡¯m sure you handled it well. I asked because I was curious, and it¡¯s been a while since you were so spiteful.


    "It¡¯s been a while since you got angry, so I¡¯m wondering what Squiat had done to make you so angry. That¡¯s what I¡¯m curious about,¡± Lee Ji-Hye answered.


    <em>¡®Look at her.¡¯</em>


    I could see hearts in her eyes. She was intentionally staring at me with <em>that</em> look.


    <em>¡®She¡¯s asking despite knowing everything.¡¯</em>


    Ji-Hye noona definitely knew everything. After all, she had her own informationwork and ears inside the Vatican, so it¡¯d be strange if she had no idea.


    ¡°You know I love you, right? My other half,¡± Lee Ji-Hye asked.


    <em>¡®I knew she was going to act like this.¡¯</em>


    ¡°My soulmate. Don¡¯t worry about what those stupid people say. Even if the world betrays you, I¡¯ll be beside you, okay?¡± Lee Ji-Hye said.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing like that,¡± I told her.


    ¡°<em>Aww</em>, our Ki-Young is cute. Come here, want me to hug you? Were you heartbroken by the thought that nobody really liked you?¡± Lee Ji-Hye asked.


    ¡°I told you it¡¯s nothing like that,¡± I said.


    ¡°You¡¯re really cute when you act like that,¡± Lee Ji-Hyemented.


    ¡°Stop it with the jokes,¡± I said.


    ¡°The problem is that I¡¯m not joking. Your self-esteem is pretty low, and I''ve been wondering whether you became mentally ill upon getting summoned here, but that doesn¡¯t seem to be the case.


    "Did you have a traumatic experience back on Earth? Come to think of it, was it Lee Yul-Ha? I never really heard anything about your life back on Earth except for the fact that you have a younger sister,¡± Lee Ji-Hye said.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing interesting to tell you. More importantly, I¡¯ve been thinking¡­ and it¡¯s not satisfying enough to just drive out the Federation scums,¡± I told her.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I think we need to start over from scratch,¡± I suggested.


    ¡°Will the people understand that decision, though?¡± Lee Ji-Hye questioned.


    ¡°I want to change everything, starting from the tutorial dungeon,¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Is that possible?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Probably. I talked to Benigoa and Belial, and it didn¡¯t seem like it was impossible,¡± I replied.


    Lee Ji-Hye looked interested.


    ¡°I learned many things from the Squiat incident, and I realized that there¡¯s going to be no end to it if there are no further changes. There are too many people who believe they¡¯re the protagonist after surviving the tutorial dungeon and ending up in this world.


    "Don¡¯t you think it¡¯ll be better to educate them early on?¡± I asked.


    ¡°<em>Hmm¡­</em>¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m suggesting that we turn the tutorial dungeon into a cram school. We can teach them basic knowledge about dungeons and about the influential figures here inside that school¡­¡± I informed her.


    ¡°So you want to show them who¡¯s in power from the very beginning. It won¡¯t be so bad if that¡¯s even possible. We can create a safe zone, keep the people in line, and tell them many things as if they were about to embark on a tour all over the continent. We are then going to send the summoned ones to different parts of the continent.


    "But how are you going to select the eliminated candidates?¡± Lee Ji-Hye asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like tutorial dungeons just appear out of thin air. The system programmed that content, so if we ept everyone who was abandoned on Earth, the continent would be overpopted. In other words, we have to let go of some people.


    "Now that I think about it, the tutorial dungeon is pretty old-fashioned, but it¡¯s the best in sorting out the people incapable of adapting to the continent. There¡¯s a reason the system chose a method like that,¡± Lee Ji-Hye added.


    ¡°<em>Hmm.</em>¡±


    ¡°To us, it seems very old-fashioned, but to the system, it¡¯s the easiest and simplest way to go about it,¡± Lee Ji-Hye added.


    ¡°No, we don¡¯t need to sort them out. Think about it. Is there really a reason for us to consider the situation on Earth? Altanus was the one who made the deal carelessly. I¡¯m going to start sorting out the refugees as well and tell Benigoa not to send the invitations to everyone anymore,¡± I said.


    ¡°Then what are you going to do about the abandoned refugees?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Belial said he¡¯ll try negotiating with the other dimensions,¡± I answered.


    ¡°Another dimension? Where?¡± she asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s none of our business, noona. We just need to worry about those whoe here,¡± I said.


    ¡°The people summoned here are lucky¡­ I feel bad for those being summoned to other ces like the one Belial had introduced to you. They¡¯re not going to be sold to some apocalyptic dimension, right?¡± Lee Ji-Hye asked.


    Actually, they were being sold.


    <em>''Look at her asking when she already knows the answer. Where do you think we¡¯re getting the funds to update the tutorial dungeon? Picking up the refugees from Earth and selling them to another dimension is what I call a creative economy.''</em>


    This was made possible because Belial was taking care of it.


    Anyway, less than thirty percent of people were capable of clearing the tutorial dungeon.


    Rather than letting seventy percent of people lose their lives in vain, it''d be more reasonable to sell them to another dimension. It was more humane, too.


    I was sure the other dimensions had their own rules, but it basically guaranteed that seventy percent of the refugees would survive a bit longer. It was profitable to both sides and making everyone happy was what I called revolutionary.


    It was strange that we had never thought of a way to make all the managers of this ce happy, but I understood why. If it weren''t for my connection to Belial, this project would be impossible.


    <em>¡®We should have charged Earth during the first deal.¡¯</em>


    The old Altanus and Benigoa had to have no idea how to make a proper deal.


    ¡°The situation has worked out for us. I have an idea as to why Altanus decided to take in the refugees first and why the summoned people were invited to the continent, but the continent is no longer the continent of the distant past.


    "The continent has stabilized, and we no longer need a summoned warrior to save the continent,¡± I exined.


    ¡°That¡¯s true. The important thing is that we need adventurers to help the continent run smoothly. The continent cannot survive without summoned people. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a bad idea. We can keep epting refugees from Earth, but we sort them out and ept only those we need.


    "Then, we''re going to educate them so that the continent¡¯s economy and system will run even smoother. We can consider it a wee party for the neers¡ªno, a workshop for the new recruits,¡± Lee Ji-Hye said.


    ¡°That¡¯s it.¡±


    ¡°So, who¡¯s taking care of that right now?¡± Lee Ji-Hye asked.


    ¡°Belial,¡± I answered.


    ¡°Commander Jin isn¡¯t going to join us?¡± Lee Ji-Hye asked.


    ¡°He probably thinks that a tutorial dungeon is required,¡± I replied.


    ¡°That man is living in the past. We need to move fast and keep up with the trend. We don¡¯t need a tutorial dungeon right now¡­ But is it okay to have Belial take care of this?¡± Lee Ji-Hye asked.


    ¡°Lauren is working with him as well,¡± I told her.


    ¡°<em>Ah! Ahh¡­</em> Lauren¡­ hates demons¡­ due to that incident. She must be grateful for what you did for the Federation. You decided to support the Federation and the Order of Lauren in the revamped tutorial dungeon, right?¡± Lee Ji-Hye asked.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Then it shouldn¡¯t be a problem. I agree that Belial ispetent, but it''s not in a good way. I''m at ease knowing that Lauren is going to work with him. I honestly want that project for myself¡­ Can you give me a piece of it ?¡± Lee Ji-Hye asked.


    ¡°No, you¡¯re on vacation,¡± I answered.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to keep your schedule open? I want to go on a short group trip with the Blue Guild and a few of our acquaintances,¡± I told her.


    It was time to take a break.


    ¡°When?¡± Lee Ji-Hye asked.


    ¡°Right now,¡± I answered.


    ¡°What will you tell the public?¡± she asked.


    ¡°The honorary cardinal is currently recovering,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Where are we going?¡± she questioned.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­¡± I said.


    ¡°And the preparations?¡± Lee Ji-Hye asked.


    ¡°Hyun-Sung prepared everything,¡± I informed her.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I see, but this is an actual vacation, right?¡± Lee Ji-Hye questioned me.


    ¡°...¡±


    "How about Dialuria, Max, Domi, Cheru, Sera, and Thro? Are they going as well?¡± Lee Ji-Hye asked.


    <em>''Who knows?''</em>


    1. Lee Ki-Young¡¯s POV ?

 Chapter 1039: Picnic (2) (Illustration)

    It had been a while since we were so busy.


    ¡°<em>Ah!</em> I said move it over there! Ki-Mo bro, bring that here!¡± Park Deok-Gu instructed.


    ¡°Okay, b-but this is pretty heavy,¡± Ahn Ki-Mo said.


    ¡°Stop being such a baby, Mister Ki-Mo,¡± Kim Ye-Rimented.


    ¡°Give it here. I¡¯ll carry it. Man¡­ didn¡¯t you eat breakfast? You don¡¯t have any energy,¡± Park Deok-Guined.


    ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ leave it up to you,¡± Ahn Ki-Mo said.


    ¡°Dummy.¡±


    As always, the Park-Ki-Ri siblings were grumbling while moving the luggage.


    <em>¡®They¡¯re really¡­¡¯</em>A part of me was worried about Kim Ye-Ri and Park Deok-Gu, but seeing them act like that put my mind at ease. They were still walking on eggshells around me, so I was convinced that they weren''tpletelyfortable around me just yet, but I believed this pic would put <em>their </em>mind at ease.


    <em>¡®They¡¯ve been through a lot.¡¯</em>


    Our pig was pretty simple-minded. I was sure he''d forget everything upon eating delicious food and taking a nap. Our sensitive Kim Ye-Ri also needed to rx.


    ¡°A pic. All of a sudden? Sounds really. Stupid,¡± Kim Ye-Ri mumbled.


    Despite that, she looked happy and was smiling like a purring cat.


    Kim Ye-Ri was always wearing herbat gear to the extent that I questioned whether she had any other clothes except for herbat gear. However, it seemed that my assumption was just a bunch of nonsense, as she was dressed properly today.


    I assumed that was the reason she went to square up with Hwang Jung-Yeon yesterday. I wasn¡¯t sure who helped her pick out the outfit, but she was wearing a short one-piece dress and a rattan hat. Overall, she looked pretty good.


    ¡°Let¡¯s leave our weapons behind,¡± Ahn Ki-Mo suggested.


    ¡°I already did. Mister Ki-Mo,¡± Kim Ye-Ri said.


    ¡°I¡¯m talking about the daggers you¡¯re hiding in your pocket,¡± Ahn Ki-Mo rified.


    Kim Ye-Ri took out her daggers, and the sight convinced me that old habits were truly hard to kill.


    <em>¡®That¡¯s her problem.¡¯</em>


    ¡°B-But¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure we won¡¯t get into any fights, Miss Ye-Ri. A contractor has also agreed to provide guards, and we''ve taken care of everything around us. Our goal here is to really enjoy our break without any worries.


    "I heard that you couldn¡¯t sleepst night because you were so excited,¡± Ahn Ki-Mo revealed.


    ¡°What? Who told you that?¡± Kim Ye-Ri asked.


    ¡°I was just guessing¡ª¡±


    ¡°<em>Eek!</em>¡± Kim Ye-Ri screamed.


    Ahn Ki-Mo ran to the other side, and Kim Ye-Ri chased him. Thanks to Park Deok-Gu and Ahn Ki-Mo, Kim Ye-Ri could act her age. I had no idea when she started hanging out with them, but I was d that they had influenced her positively.


    <em>¡®But that doesn¡¯t mean it took care of all the problems¡­¡¯</em>


    Kim Ye-Ri learned how to use weapons instead of going to school and enjoying her life.


    I was sure there was a rotten side of her, so we need to really take care of her mental health, especially at her age.


    ¡°Ah-Young unni! Get Mister Ki-Mo!¡± Kim Ye-Ri shouted.


    ¡°<em>Huh?</em> O-Okay!¡± Yoo Ah-Young answered.


    ¡°You¡¯re dead, Mister!¡± Kim Ye-Ri yelled.


    Yoo Ah-Young, who was talking to Lee Chang-Ryeol, grabbed Ahn Ki-Mo in response to Kim Ye-Ri''s roar.


    Ahn Ki-Mo couldn¡¯t outrun her anymore, and he fell to the ground with a <em>thud</em>.


    ¡°H-Hold on! You''re hitting me in the bones! My bones!¡± Ahn Ki-Mo yelled.


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie! I didn¡¯t even hit your bones,¡± she said.


    <em>¡®Is this really a positive influence?¡¯</em>


    The other groups weren¡¯t all that different. Sun Hee-Young wearing her nun outfit for the first time in a while was organizing her luggage, and Hwang Jung-Yeon was stuffing her huge bag with anything she could stuff into it.


    I wasn¡¯t sure why she was bringing so many things with her¡­


    ¡°You¡¯re bringing a lot more stuff than I imagined¡­¡± I remarked.


    In contrast to her, Alps and Belier were busy moving luggage, so they had no time to pack their own bags.


    <em>¡®They just look like they¡¯re working.¡¯</em>


    They were even sweating.


    <em>¡®Our guild is really old-fashioned.¡¯</em>


    II considered recruiting a few more young members. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    The new recruits of our guild didn''t have to move faster than the older members. There weren''t any traditions like that, but I heard such traditions weremon in the ck Swan Guild, as their members were pretty disciplined.


    One of the Blue Guild''s goals was to have a hierarchy, but rather than saying that someone had forced Alps and Belier into moving luggage, they probably volunteered for it.


    ¡°Do I¡­ move that over there, Miss Alps?¡± Belier asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Belier. Did you hear when we were leaving?¡± Alps asked.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t heard anything. I¡¯ll ask after moving this,¡± Belier said.


    I thought it''d be better if we got about five more new members. I couldn¡¯t imagine how happy they''d be after hearing the news that we were going to get new members, but I was sure they would never imagine that one of them would be Colonel Smith.


    Jo Hye-Jin was talking to Ji-Hye noona. Ha-Yan and Sora were standing next to me.


    Park Lian was examining the carriage, but I actually didn''t notice her arrival.


    I got the feeling that no matter how much we tidy up, this would never end.


    <em>¡®That¡¯s why I suggested we take the warp gate.¡¯</em>


    There were a few people suffering from the idea that traveling to the destination was part of the trip. I was talking about the guild staffers who were suffering more than Belier and Alps.


    <em>¡®I feel bad for them.¡¯</em>


    We were just going on vacation, so I couldn''t help but think that Kim Hyun-Sung had made too big of a deal about it.


    <em>¡®This is way too big for a break.¡¯</em>


    Some of the staffers had determined faces, and I couldn''t help but think that they treated this vacation as a project of a lifetime.


    They were working as if their job security depended on this one project.


    They werepletely different from the guild members who were simply packing for a trip. They kept checking the list of items on the Goddess¡¯ Hand Mirror, but some of them were even having debates.


    Meanwhile, Miss Kim Mi-Young was mumbling nonstop while wearing earphones.


    They brought items I had never seen before.


    <em>¡®I think that''s arge water tank.¡¯</em>


    I saw Mirror Salmon swimming in therge water tank.


    <em>¡®Rainbow Cotton Candy? I¡¯m tired of it now, man.¡¯</em>


    The cotton candy machine was sitting on arge cart. There was a giant, mysterious tent, and I wasn¡¯t sure why there were pre-fabricated building frames.


    <em>¡®We¡¯re not moving bases, are we? Why¡­ does it seem like we have more luggage than when we went to the Saint¡¯s Sanctuary?¡¯</em>


    <em>''We aren''t spending more money on this pic than we do on expeditions, right?'' </em>


    I saw carts filled with useless items. There were so many items that someone would think that we were on our way to heaven. If reporters were here, rumors would spread about how the Blue Guild was moving their headquarters.


    ¡°We¡¯re here, darling.¡± A voice echoed beside me. It came from none other than Cha Hee-Ra. She was wearing jeans and a sleeveless top.


    ¡°<em>Ah</em>, Hee-Ra noona,¡± I greeted.


    There were quite a few people from the Red Mercenary Guild who had decided to join us on our vacation. I could see them, and they were wearing casual clothes. The only person whose name I could still remember among them was Choi Young-Ki, the loyal subordinate of Hee-Ra noona. I had seen the faces of the other members before, but they were closer to Park Deok-Gu than me.


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s been a while!¡± Park Deok-Gu greeted.


    ¡°How have you been?¡±


    ¡°Have you been doing well?¡±


    The muscr men hugged and greeted each other.


    I turned and saw Hee-Ra noona greeting Jung Ha-Yan.


    ¡°Miss Jung Ha-Yan said that she¡¯s happy to see you,¡± Han Sora informed.


    ¡°I see. Have you been doing well?¡± Cha Hee-Ra asked.


    ¡°Miss Jung Ha-Yan said that she¡¯s been doing well. She wants to ask if you¡¯ve been doing well¡ª¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Do I have to talk to you? Han Sora, was it?¡± Cha Hee-Ra interrupted her.


    ¡°<em>Huh?</em><em>Ah¡­</em> yes,¡± she replied.


    ¡°<em>Hmm¡­</em>¡±


    ¡°...¡± ¡°Have you considered joining the Red Mercenary Guild?¡± she asked.


    ¡°What? I-I¡­¡±


    Jung Ha-Yan bit her lips, and she looked as if she wanted to push Cha Hee-Ra away.


    However, Cha Hee-Ra couldn¡¯t be pushed back that easily, but she took a few steps backward and patted Jung Ha-Yan¡¯s head.


    Jung Ha-Yan wriggled, looking like she wasn''t a fan of it.


    ¡°<em>Eek</em>¡­ D-Don¡¯t touch me!¡± Jung Ha-Yan eximed.


    ¡°I greeted you, so you should greet me yourself, don¡¯t you think so?¡± Cha Hee-Ra questioned.


    Leaving Cha Hee-Ra¡¯s arms, Jung Ha-Yan grabbed both Han Sora and me before ring at the former. As always, Hee-Ra noona didn¡¯t really seem to care. She actually smiled and said, ¡°I owe the Blue Guild a lot.¡±


    ¡°<em>Huh? </em>What are you talking about?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Our guys have received a lot of help from you guys. You guys made an exclusive contract with our guys for this pic,¡± Cha Hee-Ra replied.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°The Blue Guild? <em>Ah</em>, the guard duty was assigned to the Red Mercenary Guild?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No, not that¡­ We were assigned with a raid¡­ Wait, you don¡¯t know?¡± Cha Hee-Ra asked.


    <em>¡®I don¡¯t know anything about this¡­¡¯</em>


    I had never heard of it¡­


    ¡°The vacation spot. We were told to get rid of all the monsters there¡­¡± Cha Hee-Ra informed me.


    I don¡¯t know anything about this.


    ¡°A few ipetent guild members ruined a few businesses¡­ so we needed something to raise money, and the Blue Guild sent us amission just in time. Thanks to you, we won¡¯t have to worry about our funds for the next few years,¡± Cha Hee-Ra exined.


    <em>''How much money did we offer? The Red Mercenary Guild actually won''t have to worry about their funds for the next few years?''</em>


    ¡°I recall you guys getting help from the Magic Tower. The Red Mercenary Guild is pretty skilled overall, but we can¡¯t go up against those experts in the manufacturing industry.


    "Having a potion business is just great. Your potions are being distributed everywhere, so you¡¯re sweeping in the gold. You also spread all that gold over Lindel, which has been helping the economy.


    "To be honest, Lindel is thriving because of you,¡± she continued.


    <em>''Did we give the Red Mercenary Guild a specialmission or something?'' </em>


    I couldn¡¯t really understand what was going on.


    ¡°What kind ofmission was it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°An expedition in the Laves Desert,¡± Cha Hee-Ra answered.


    ¡°<em>Huh?</em>¡±


    ¡°I heard you¡¯re going there for a pic. We had a hard time getting rid of all the monsters there, but I managed to relieve some stress. The Union was happy as well,¡± Cha Hee-Ra informed me.


    <em>''T-That¡¯s an underdeveloped region, and it''s the size of two hunting groundsbined.'' </em>


    The desert elves and lizardmen even avoided that ce, and the difficulty level of the region was so high that only Epic adventurers and above were permitted to enter. In other words, it was a deste hunting ground.


    It was abandoned by everyone because the monsters there were so useless that they couldn¡¯t even be sold for materials. There was really no reason to hunt there, and it wasn¡¯t rich in resources, so there was no reason to go on an expedition there.


    The region''s investment value was so low that the region was abandoned.


    It was a desert¡ªan endless desert. We wouldn¡¯t get any profit from it even if we tried our best.


    <em>¡®But our guild¡­ decided to go there?¡¯</em>


    <em>''We¡¯re going there¡­ for vacation?''</em>


    ¡°Kim Hyun-Sung¡­¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You¡­ crazy bastard¡­¡± I said, gnashing my teeth.


    *An illustration of Lee Ki-Yeon is attached on the next page.


    wooden spoon: It¡¯s an illustration of Lee Ki-Yeon wearing a hanbok!<blockquote>


    Hikari''s Thoughts</blockquote>

 Chapter 1040: Picnic (3)

    <em>¡®That crazy jerk.¡¯</em>


    He was really¡­ out of his mind. It was to the point that Kim Hyun-Sung¡¯s parents ought to thank Earth. If he had stayed there and inherited his mother¡¯s business¡­ he would have ruined his parent¡¯s life work in just a year.


    People in the same field would talk every day about why a sessful mid-sized business ended up getting ruined, and the busy ants who had invested for the sake of the owner¡¯s face and vibe would weep.


    <em>¡®Maybe he had lost his financial sense¡­¡¯</em>


    His parents had raised him to be too naive and free.


    He was raised with no knowledge of the world.


    Since they had given him freedom, they ought to have taught him how to use that freedom responsibly. He had turned out this way, as his parents only wanted to show him nothing but happiness in this world.


    He was probably summoned here just as they were going to teach him the cold and harsh reality.


    Even Jung Ha-Yan had a decent amount of knowledge when it came to finance. She had a hard life back on Earth, so I knew how that developed. Her finance skills were better than Kim Hyun-Sung.


    <em>''Does that guy even know where this money ising from? Does he think the gold coin fairy visits us every night and leaves a pile of gold coins? Does he think the money fairy visits his house on Earth every night?''</em>


    ¡°Did I¡­ say something I shouldn¡¯t have said?¡± Cha Hee-Ra asked.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m d you said it. I wouldn¡¯t have known about it if you hadn''t¡­¡± I answered.


    To be honest, this one incident won¡¯t cause the Blue Guild to close down, and it would not really affect us financially. The guild was extremely stable. If we were to cancel a few businesses that we were scheduled to open, we''d be able to handle the losses.


    <em>¡®No, whether we can handle the losses or not isn¡¯t important. What¡¯s important is that something like this </em>can<em> happen again.¡¯</em>


    <em>''Does Kim Hyun-Sung have some kind of grudge against me that he was trying to retaliate financially? Since he can''t beat me up, is he trying to take revenge against me by making me suffer like this?''</em>


    <em>¡®It¡¯s actually possible.¡¯</em>N?v(el)B\\jnn


    He was trying to inflict pain that was more painful than death or physical pain.


    Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t be acting this way. He had already wasted much gold stabilizing the desert, and I was sure he had spent a lot more gold on other things to prepare for this trip. If he had nned all of this alone or had gotten help from the guild, I¡¯d understand it, but he had received help from many different contractors.


    I saw outsiders and not just the staffers of the Blue Guild. They were from some kind of design agency, traveling and camping agency, and party and event nning agencies. If they weren''t the best in the continent, they wouldn''t hire them, so he definitely spent a lot of money to hire them.


    <em>¡®Lindel Construction?¡¯</em>


    <em>''Why the hell is a constructionpany here? Why? Why does Kim Hyun-Sung want to talk with a dwarf craftsman?'' </em>


    I couldn¡¯t help butugh at the ridiculous situation.


    I decided to go on this trip to make myself feel better, but it was starting to stress me out.


    ¡°When are we leaving, darling?¡± Cha Hee-Ra asked.


    ¡°In about forty minutes¡­ but it can beter than that. Strangers keep entering the guild, and¡­¡± I trailed off.


    ¡°...¡±


    I saw a group of ck mages.


    If I hadn''t been using Mind¡¯s Eye, I would have missed them. They were standing in the corner, looking around nervously and trying to blend in with the group as much as possible, but their gloomy and darkplexion made them stick out in my eyes.


    ¡°Miss Sora,¡± I said.


    ¡°Yes, sir?¡± Han Sora replied.


    ¡°Please the group of ck mages over there why they¡¯re here. They''re a group of ck mages, right? If they don¡¯t tell you, you can threaten them a little by using the Heretic Inquisitors,¡± I instructed her.


    ¡°Okay. Please wait here, Miss Jung Ha-Yan,¡± she said.


    ¡°G-Go ahead, Sora. <em>Ah!</em> O-O-Oppa,e to think of it¡­¡±


    Jung Ha-Yan and I started talking about many different things.


    Han Sora eventually came back to us.


    ¡°They said they''re here because of a request¡­¡± Han Sora informed.


    ¡°A request?¡± I asked.


    ¡°They said they received a request from the guild master himself¡­ They said they won¡¯t cause any trouble and will leave as soon as they''vepleted the request,¡± she added.


    ¡°What¡¯s¡­ the request?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Using necromancy¡­¡± Han Sora muttered.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Chanelia Hermes¡­ the request is to bring Chanelia Hermes to the present world even for a short moment¡­¡± Han Sora replied.


    <em>¡®That¡¯s ridiculous¡­¡¯</em>


    ¡°...¡±


    <em>¡®It¡¯s really ridiculous¡­¡¯</em>


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡± ¡°Is that even possible?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It''s not impossible, sir. If the target has some regrets in their life and there is a catalyst to summon their soul¡­. Actually, necromancy hasn¡¯t been properly explored¡­ so I¡¯m kind of worried, but¡­¡± Han Sora paused.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°They¡­ asked if we can pay the deposit first because¡­ they have family to take care of, and they don¡¯t know what might happen at the end of the trip, so they want to at least¡­ send the deposit to them safely,¡± Han Sora added.


    <em>¡®We¡¯re not that kind of guild.¡¯</em>


    The warriors of darkness had joined this event, putting their lives to make some money.


    I couldn¡¯t imagine how shocked they were when Kim Hyun-Sung visited them for themission. He already had a record of getting rid of the ck mages, so they probably thought it was the end for them.


    I was sure they were even more shocked when he asked them to summon Chanelia Hermes to this ce again.


    Of course, they couldn¡¯t decline. Despite thinking this was a trap and that they could be abandoned after everything, they still made the difficult decision toe here. They seemed relieved at the fact that Han Sora, the ck mage of the guild, had decided to talk to them, but they were still understandably worried.


    <em>¡®This is really an unimaginable situation.¡¯</em>


    I had never imagined that we''d end up using necromancy on Chanelia Hermes. I was sure that was the secret event. Kim Hyun-Sung wanted to revive them and ask them to make their final masterpiece.


    To create that final masterpiece¡­ I was sure they had prepared many materials.


    I cast an empty gaze at Kim Hyun-Sung. Hee-Ra noona awkwardly patted Jung Ha-Yan before walking up to Sun Hee-Young.


    Han Sora looked at me as if she was asking for the ck mages'' deposit.


    ¡°How much¡­ is the deposit¡­¡± I asked.


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    ¡°Actually, don¡¯t tell me. I don¡¯t want to know,¡± I stopped her.


    And that was when I heard a loud voice...


    ¡°<em>Ah! </em>Mr. Ki-Young!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I think we¡¯re leaving soon.¡±


    Kim Hyun-Sung was clearly excited. Perhaps the scene reminded him of the camping trip with his parents when he was young, or perhaps he was excited to see the results of the tons of gold he had spent on this.


    <em>¡®Spending money is fun, right?¡¯</em>


    I agreed that it was fun.


    ¡°Are you done getting ready? Do you need to check if there¡¯s anything¡ª¡±


    ¡°Getting ready?¡± I interrupted him.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know what to prepare. I don¡¯t know anything, after all,¡± I told him.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°How am I supposed to answer you when you''ve taken care of everything by yourself? Is my opinion even important?¡± I questioned him.


    ¡°<em>Ah</em>¡­ w-well you said you were going to prepare everything¡­¡± Kim Hyun-Sung mumbled.


    ¡°So, does it make it okay for you to do everything alone and tell me that it¡¯s time to leave? Don¡¯t you think I deserve to know what¡¯s going on, what you¡¯re doing, and how much money you''ve spent so that I¡¯m prepared? Who is this break even for?¡± Iined.


    ¡°Ah¡­


    Obviously, Kim Hyun-Sung looked worried, and he would never understand how things had turned out like this. Honestly, I was sure he wasn''t thinking about giving me an excuse, as he was worried about one thing right now.


    <em>¡®I¡¯m tired of this.¡¯</em>


    He had probably realized that I was about to utter the words capable of breaking his heart, and he looked nervous at the possibility. His lips were closed tight, his eyes were shaking, and he was thinking about how he could ensure that he wouldn''t hear those words again.


    <em>¡®He probably doesn¡¯t even know what he did wrong.¡¯</em>


    I was sure he had no idea how much money he had spent so far, and it was all because he thought that it would be good to get whatever was the best.


    When picking out the agencies, he probably didn¡¯t even consider getting a discount or what kind of free stuff he could obtain from them. He didn¡¯t even consider what he could do to get a discount or if he could get sponsored.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Ki-Young. I didn¡¯t think it through,¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you think it through?¡± I questioned.


    ¡°I-I¡­¡±


    ¡°You should go alone if you were going to handle it on your own. Why¡­¡± I paused.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Is this why¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    <em>¡®No, let¡¯s not act like this.¡¯</em>


    I was going toin, but¡­


    <em>¡®He has good intentions¡­¡¯</em>


    It had been a while since we had a break, and I was sure he was really excited about it, too. We yed a lot after the continental dungeon incident, but we never had a full trip like this one. We were busy taking care of unexpected incidents and cleaning things up.


    We always talked about going somewhere, but we never actually went anywhere¡­


    Upon receiving permission from me, he actually worked hard for this trip, so I was sure he''d be in a bad mood if I were to attack him for what he had done. The money had already been spent, and I''d only feel bad if I were toin.


    The entire trip would be useless if I ended up in a bad mood.


    <em>¡®We can make that money back.¡¯</em>


    The money we had invested in Lindel woulde back.


    <em>¡®Since we already spent the money, we might as well go all out.¡¯</em>


    I was bothered by the fact that we were going to a desert, but I was sure it¡¯d be worth it.


    We spent so much money, after all.


    <em>¡®Please¡­¡¯</em>


    The preparations were done, so I could only hope that the desert would end up being useful. It was arge area, so we could probably promote it as a tourist spot somehow.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m really sorry, Mr. Ki-Young,¡± he said.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I''m just a bit sensitive, especially on a day like this,¡± I said.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Thinking about it now, I think I was being thoughtless,¡± he said.


    <em>¡®You¡¯re too thoughtless. You¡¯re the icon of thoughtlessness.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Shall we get going?¡± he suggested.


    I left on our trip angrily and¡­


    ¡°Wee to Laves Desert!¡±


    I saw a city with arge oasis.


    ¡°What¡¯s¡­ this?¡± I questioned.


    ¡°Come this way, please.¡±


    ¡°Why is there¡­ a city here?¡± I asked.


    ¡°...¡± ¡°Why is there a city here? There wasn¡¯t an¡­ oasis here¡­¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°How did they¡­ build a city here?¡± I asked.

 Chapter 1041: Picnic (4)

    <em>Every traveler has probably heard of a certain small city in the middle of the Laves Desert, which is famous as one of the ten wonders of the continent. The small city was chosen as one of the top tourist destinations along with the Mole Saint¡¯s Cozy Sanctuary, which is where the honorary cardinal had embarked on his ascetic path.</em>


    <em>However, the atmosphere of the small city of Laves is quite different from the sanctuary.</em>


    <em>If you¡¯re a traveler who is expecting to take the same ascetic path that the honorary cardinal had taken at the Cozy Sanctuary, you will be surprised by the small city of Laves.</em>


    <em>Perhaps you will not be able to adapt to its environment, but I can assure you that you will never be disappointed. </em>


    <em>It is said that the small city of Laves was built for the Sunset Swordsman and the Saint of Sacrifice and Revival. It is said that the Sunset Swordsman has personallypleted an expedition to the Laves Desert to restore the health of the Saint of Sacrifice and Revival, whose condition was getting worse day by day. </em>


    <em>The Sunset Swordsman was one of the builders of this city, along with many craftsmen.</em>


    <em>¡­Omitted¡­</em>


    <em>Thergest oasis on the continent is considered a work of art rather than a work of nature, and there are other notable tourist attractions in addition to the oasis. For example¡­ omitted¡­ </em>


    <em>¡ª Excerpt from "A Guide for Travelers on the Continent"</em>¡°Wee to the Laves Desert!¡±


    ¡°Wee to the Laves Desert!¡±


    ¡°Wee to the small city of Laves!¡±


    ¡°Laves!¡±


    ¡°Laves!¡±


    <em>¡®I¡¯m at a loss for words.¡¯</em>


    I wasn¡¯t the only one who was surprised.


    The people who thought that this was just a fancy camping trip were looking at each other in disbelief. They looked like they couldn''t believe that the city before them actually existed.


    The Desert Elves and Lizardmen were famous for their wanderlust, so the fact that they had stayed here to greet visitors and put flower lei around their necks meant that they had to have been hired at a high price.


    Were they also taught to act and talk in an exaggerated way?


    ¡°Laves!¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­


    <em>¡®I thought this was just a simple pic.¡¯</em>


    Therge oasis that surrounded the city stood out to me the most. There were trees that looked like palm trees and green grasses. The scenery was so high-quality that it couldn¡¯t be made by humans.


    The emerald water was so clear that I could see the floor beneath it, and there were edible fruits hanging from unknown nts. The fruits were bigger than normal fruits.


    The oasis resembled argeke, and I was not sure how it was done, but¡­


    <em>¡®Why are there animals here?¡¯</em>


    It was probably a natural phenomenon.


    It was like the creatures that had been living in the harsh environment of the desert had decided to gather here. All the creatures were here except for the dangerous ones.


    They were either drinking water from the oasis or were running around, which made me think this ce really was heaven on earth. Of course, the Desert Elves and the other administrators had to be observing them to ensure that they wouldn''t cause any trouble.


    ¡°It¡¯s not hot¡­ either.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. The climate and temperature of the small city of Laves are managed by the mages. We¡¯re always doing our best so that all of you enjoy your vacation!¡± a guide eximed.


    ¡°<em>Ah</em>¡­ I see.¡±


    <em>¡®I really can¡¯t get used to their energy.¡¯</em>


    ¡°The Laves Oasis is always open, so you can visit us whenever you want! If you want to eat the fruit from the trees, let us know! <em>Ah!</em> You can also set up camp around the camp, so if any one of you wants to spend time nearby¡­¡± a guide informed.


    ¡°<em>Ah</em>¡­ we got it,¡± Park Deok-Gu said.


    ¡°How about we head inside the city?¡± a guide suggested.


    <em>¡®It feels like we¡¯re on a group tour.¡¯</em>


    There were still people who had yet to arrive, and it truly felt like we were on a group tour.


    For some reason, Kim Hyun-Sung was at the front walking with confidence. I almost smacked the back of his head upon getting reminded of the gold he had spent on this, but I understood where that confidence wasing from.


    <em>¡®It¡¯s understandable. It''s like¡­¡¯</em>


    It was like staring at a piece of artwork. I couldn''t stop thinking about how the entire city was built really well.


    The buildings had ornate and intricate patterns, and they were probably there to reflect the Ancient Desert Elves¡¯ unique style.


    Each and every building was different, but they all seemed to be the same because of those patterns. The roads were well-maintained, but it felt like they had never been used. I could see that they had emphasized convenience while ensuring that their ancient roots would remain.


    It felt like we had truly discovered an exotic resort. This ce was better than the ideal desert city I had imagined.


    <em>¡®If this were built in ancient times, it would be one of the ten wonders of the continent.¡¯</em>


    The others were busy looking around.


    Hee-Ra noona was looking around calmly, but she came to a halt upon finding a huge tavern.


    ¡°There. What do they sell over there?¡± Cha Hee-Ra asked.


    ¡°It offers fruit wine and beer brewed by the desert elves and the lizardmen. I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯re aware, but the beer brewed by the lizardmen is just as good as the ones brewed by the dwarves¡­¡± a desert elf replied.


    ¡°I''ve heard of that,¡± Cha Hee-Ra said.


    ¡°That¡¯s probably because the lizardmen are private in nature,¡± the elf said.


    ¡°<em>Hmm¡­</em> since you said they¡¯re just as good as the dwarves, then I¡¯m curious,¡± she said.


    ¡°Would you like to try?¡± the desert elf asked.


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll just head there. I probably need to take a look around, anyway. It¡¯s bigger than I thought¡­ and there¡¯s one over there,¡± Cha Hee-Ra answered.


    ¡°Yes. As you can see, Laves boasts thergest resort facility on the continent. There¡¯s a total of three taverns inside the city and they all have different concepts and offer different menus. For reference, there are a total of fourteen restaurants, and they were all carefully selected based on Father Lee Ki-Young¡¯s approval¡­¡± the desert elf exined.


    <em>¡®When did I approve them? I''ve never approved any of them.¡¯</em>


    Lee Ji-Hye following slowly behind me asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You said you enjoyed and visited those ces often. Those are the restaurants you personally approved. Don''t you know that they''re pretty famous? The restaurant that sells Rainbow Cotton Candy is part of those restaurants."


    <em>¡®I want to remove that ce from the list.¡¯</em>


    ¡°<em>Ah.</em>¡±


    ¡°Of course, there arepletely new restaurants waiting for you. If there are people who enjoy cooking, there¡¯s a kitchen in your rooms, so feel free to use them!¡± the desert elf said.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m d. Aren''t you d, too, Sora?¡± Jung Ha-Yan asked.


    Sora didn¡¯t look happy, as she still had to cook for Jung Ha-Yan even on this trip.


    ¡°Do you want to read books? In that case, I rmend visiting the public library! Not only does it have books that are popr on the continent, but it also has rare books that were discovered during the Desert Laves Expedition!


    "You¡¯ll see when you get there, and you can also get a preview of the books that have yet to be released,¡± the desert elf suggested.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°<em>Ah!</em> You can go shopping there,¡± the desert elf said.


    ¡°Shopping?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Just like the library, famous brands on the continent are here, along with brands from famous designers. In addition, you can try on rare items and outfits that are normally worn here. There are still more¡­¡± the desert elf trailed off.


    <em>¡®There really are a lot of things here.¡¯</em>


    I could tell that they had put a lot of thought into building this city. They had no idea what people would like, so they included everything. It was a city that imed to provide a huge variety of entertainment for visitors to enjoy.


    <em>¡®The park is also pretty big.¡¯</em>


    They even had arge trail along with a museum andrge statues.


    There were so many things around us that I couldn¡¯t get a proper look at them.


    After walking for a while, I heard music ying on the streets.


    Dancers started singing while dancing; the desert elves also turned on their instruments and yed along. The lizardmen mmed their tails on the ground to match the rhythm, and our desert elf guide promoted the city with exaggerated movements.


    ¡°Whatever you guys want to do, it¡¯s all possible at the Laves Desert!¡±


    <em>Boom!</em>


    ¡°Do you want to rx and unwind? Or do you want to enjoy a thrilling moment? Do you want to eat delicious food? Or do you want to see a view that will make your eyes?!¡± the desert elf yelled.


    <em>Boom!</em>


    <em>¡®Ah, what¡¯s with this performance?¡¯</em>


    <em>''I don¡¯t really like this. It¡¯s like I was watching a parade. That desert elf has to be a part of a traveling theater. Otherwise, they can''t possibly move like that.''</em>


    Perhaps it was because of the desert heat, but my face was getting hotter and hotter. I nced at Kim Hyun-Sung and saw that he looked satisfied.


    The music was nonstop.


    The lizardmen raised their tail and struck the ground at once.


    <em>Boom!</em>


    Fireworks exploded in the distance¡­


    <em>Crackle, crackle, crackle¡­</em>


    ¡°This is pretty awful, don¡¯t you think?¡± Lee Ji-Hye asked.


    <em>¡®Don¡¯t say things like that. They have really good hearing, and you¡¯ll hurt them.¡¯</em>


    ¡°What is all of this, oppa? I think this city is better than I thought and can be pretty useful, so please tell them to get rid of that performance. Why are they ruining it when everything is already so great?¡± Lee Ji-Hye questioned.


    ¡°...¡±


    <em>¡®Yeah, I think it¡¯s best if they don¡¯t do that.¡¯</em>


    <em>Thud!</em>


    ¡°Or do you want to go swimming in the oasis? Do you want to celebrate your friendship with your loved ones under the sunset?¡± the desert elf asked.


    ¡°...¡± ¡°The city of dreams! The city of fantasy! A city overflowing with entertainment! Wee to the desert city, Laves!¡± the desert elf eximed.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    ¡°Wow!!!¡±


    <em>p, p, p, p!</em>


    ¡°This is great!¡±


    <em>¡®But the reactions are varied...¡¯</em>


    Park Deok-Gu was already drinking beer with Choi Young-Ki.


    <em>¡®There are people into this kind of thing.¡¯</em>


    Sun Hee-Young and Elena looked like they were pping out of courtesy, and it was the same thing with Lee Chang-Ryeol and Park Lian.


    <em>¡®I knew they were going to react that way.¡¯</em>


    Hwang Jung-Yeon seemed to be enjoying it.


    Yoo Ah-Young and Ahn Ki-Mo were just smiling.


    Meanwhile, Jung Ha-Yan''s eyes were sparkling.


    ¡°<em>Wooooow!!!</em>¡± Jung Ha-Yan eximed while pping.


    <em>¡®Our Ha-Yan¡­¡¯</em>


    Alps holding tightly onto Shiro was also pping while shouting.


    Most importantly¡­


    <em>¡®Ye-Ri¡­¡¯</em>


    Kim Ye-Ri wasn¡¯t screaming, but she stared agape at the performance.


    <em>¡®Yeah, when will she get another chance to see something like this?¡¯</em>


    Kim Ye-Ri was so engrossed that she couldn''t worry about what others thought of her.


    <em>¡®This might work on the children as well.¡¯</em>


    I was sure that Dialuria, Max, Thronus, Cherubim, Dominions, and Seraphim would really like to see this. Of course, Dialugia would like it as well.


    ¡°All right! I¡¯ll guide you to your rooms! Afterward, enjoy Laves however you want!¡± the desert elf said.


    With that, the show ended.


    ¡°I¡¯ll notify you of the group activitiester. Unpack your bags first and enjoy your time here. Mr. Ki-Young, I need to go prepare¡­¡± Kim Hyun-Sung said.


    ¡°<em>Ah</em>, go ahead,¡± I said.


    Since there were so many people, I was sure there was a limit to the things we could do as a group. Kim Hyun-Sung had to have realized that as well, as he made time for group activities.


    After the announcement, a few people split up from the group. Cha Hee-Ra and Park Deok-Gu were already running toward the tavern, while Sun Hee-Young and Elena were heading toward the shrine together.


    <em>¡®What should I do first? Maybe I should start with the business n¡­¡¯</em>


    And that was when I saw an unfamiliar figure¡­


    ¡°Miss Jo Hye-Jin!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Elias! You¡¯re here,¡± Jo Hye-Jin greeted.


    <em>¡®What the heck?¡¯</em>


    <em>''Why is</em> he<em> here¡­ Who invited him?''</em>


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for making you wait,¡± Elias said.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I just got here¡ª¡±


    ¡°Have you eaten yet?¡± Elias interrupted her.


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    I saw an elf scoundrel having fun talking to Jo Hye-Jin.


    ¡°Oppa¡­¡± Jung Ha-Yan muttered.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Who invited that scoundrel?¡± I questioned.

 Chapter 1042: Picnic (5)

    [Title: I Think Things Are Going Well with the Elf Gentleman. But¡­ I Don¡¯t Feel Comfortable. (Comments: 1,271)]


    [Posted By: I Like Blue]


    [I¡¯m sorry for suddenly making a post like this. Like always, I have no one toin to, so I¡¯m writing another post. I don¡¯t know if you remember, but I¡¯m the same person who made the post about how an elf gentleman had confessed to me.


    [I can¡¯t tell you the details¡­ but I couldn¡¯t ept his feelings. I didn¡¯t like him¡­ and as all of you are already aware, the world was in chaos because the continent turned into a dungeon¡­


    [To be honest, I thought everything was over after that incident. Meeting him was kind of ufortable, and I thought he and I had forgotten about everything and had gone back to being friends.


    [However¡­ that wasn¡¯t the end of it. After a while since that incident, he wouldn''t stop telling me to be with him. I''d decline him with a smile and sometimes with a stern attitude, but despite that, he continued¡­


    [My opinion about him had changed when we went on an expedition together. He stopped the monsters alone for the expedition group, and I was heartbroken when he returned with injuries all over him.


    [I knew he had always been a righteous person, but seeing him in bed made my heart waver a little.


    [The problem is that there¡¯s no way for me to figure out whether I have feelings for him or not. I''m not sure if I had sympathized with him back then or if it was something else.[He suggested that we get to know each other, so we sometimes drink tea or have a meal together, but I¡¯m really confused about¡­ whether <em>this</em> is right or not. He didn¡¯t suddenly confess his feelings to me like back then.


    [He looks like he''s willing to wait until I''m certain of my feelings¡­ but is it okay to maintain this awkward rtionship when I¡¯m still feeling uncertain about all this? I just feel bad for him. What would you do if you were me?]


    [Unknown ID: She¡¯s back. She''s still alive. <em>Hehehehehe.</em>]


    [Lindel Viger: Seriously, stop it. I¡¯ve read the posts this person made, and they¡¯re really too much. It must be a hobby of yours to make fake posts and see people react to them. Please live in the present.]


    [Wooden Spoon: They must be having fun seeing so manyments. At least they seeded in grabbing people¡¯s attention.]


    [I Like Blue: I wish this was a fake post. Really. I¡¯m not lying. Right now¡­]


    [Unknown ID: Here¡¯s a <em>Not Rmended</em> for me. <em>Hehehehe</em>. Also, please stop. Looks like you came here after reading a strange novel. Just stop denying reality and ept it. This is where you live now, and if you keep filling your head with strange thoughts, you¡¯ll be mentally ill. <em>Hehehe.</em>]


    [I Like Blue: It¡¯s really not fake. I¡¯m being serious.]


    [Meeeee: <em>Ah!</em> You¡¯re the one who made that postst time! I¡¯m not sure if you remember, but I left ament saying I was dating an elf¡­


    [As expected, you¡¯re still in that awkward rtionship. Whatever it is, the most important thing is how you feel. I know this is sudden, but after I made thatment, we decided to get married and move to Elf the Hill¡­]


    [Elf Love Forever: Elf the Hill! Wee! I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll meet each other someday!]


    [Meeeee: <em>Ah!</em> If we pass each other, p your hands!]


    [World Tree 42: <em>Ooh</em>, I was really excited to move there as well.]


    [Meeeee: I¡¯m meeting all the residents here today. <em>Hehehehe</em>]


    [I Like Blue: I heard he also owns a few units on Elf the Hill. It must be really famous.]


    [World Tree 42: ?]


    [Unknown ID: Don¡¯t leave anyments under this person¡¯s posts. I Like Blue is the main viin of this forum. Can you stop lying? Now you''re saying that elf gentleman owns a few units on Elf the Hill. Do you even know how expensive that ce is? That ce is second only to Lindel. It¡¯s popr among influential people, man.


    [I Like Blue: Please stop talking like that. I''m not lying¡­ and I¡¯m not obsessed with baiting people.]


    [Nature Lover: Reported for inappropriate post. ^^;;]


    <em>¡®Why did she make this post?¡¯</em>


    It wasn''t helpful at all.


    ¡°Oppa, did you check?¡± Lee Ji-Hye asked.


    ¡°Yeah, there is a post, but the topic changed, and they¡¯re just talking about Elf the Hill now,¡± I answered.


    ¡°Why are they suddenly talking about Elf the Hill? It has nothing to do with the topic,¡± Lee Ji-Hye asked.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s more like they changed the subject while talking about it. That¡¯s all they¡¯re talking about. I was wondering why there were so manyments under Hye-Jin¡¯s post.


    "I think she became an outcast in the forum after that incident¡­ Well, whatever happened, there aren¡¯t anyments that can change her mind,¡± I answered.


    ¡°But why is Miss Hye-Jin acting like that again? What kind of strange things did that scoundrel say to her?¡± Lee Ji-Hye questioned.


    There was a chance that the elf scoundrel had said something strange to her. I had no idea what he said for her to make that post, but that old elf could be pretty cunning at times.


    I used my hand mirror and saw that it was the only recent post. We weren''t <em>so </em>busy that she couldn¡¯t make any posts on the forum. It looked like she had spent a lot of time with him without my knowledge.


    ¡°He hasn¡¯t been confessing to her recently. I¡¯m not sure if his habitual confession syndrome was cured, but she has been rejecting him, so it¡¯s only natural for him to be more cautious.


    "He''s probably looking for a good opportunity to confess to her. I think they¡¯ve been getting along well recently, and since they¡¯ve been spending a lot of time together, he probably thinks that he finally has a chance.


    "The incident at the sanctuary was truly a significant moment¡­¡± Lee Ji-Hye exined.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°And you think this is it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°How can it not be? Imagine being in an oasis and talking under the night sky where meteors can be seen. I¡¯m sure this ce is going to be popr with couples. I looked around and saw many romantic spots. There''re so many nice ces that I can¡¯t even pick among them,¡± Lee Ji-Hye answered.


    ¡°Looks like he''s prepared this time. Anyway, the desert elves are here, and it¡¯s possible that they fed Elias some information. Even if Hye-Jin isn''t interested in Elias, if the atmosphere is nice enough, there can be an unexpected result¡­¡± Imented.


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that we need to stop them, right?¡± she asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    I would never let her date that old elf. Not on my watch. It was my duty as her friend to make sure that she wouldn''t end up making bad decisions.


    The problem was that I already had ns. Jung Ha-Yan seemed anxious while standing not too far from me.


    Han Sora whispered to her, ¡°Try telling him.¡±


    Jung Ha-Yan nodded and waited patiently for the end of my conversation with Lee Ji-Hye.


    <em>¡®It¡¯s been a while since Ha-Yan and I spent time together.¡¯</em>


    Especially in a ce like this...


    Jung Ha-Yan would end up exploding at this rate, but it was fine because Han Sora was here¡ªno, I wanted to spend time with Ha-Yan as well.


    The Jo Hye-Jin and Elias situation was important, but I would be too bothered to leave Ha-Yan alone on the first day of our trip.


    ¡°I¡¯ll follow them for now. You should spend some time with Miss Ha-Yan¡­ or how about a double date?¡± Lee Ji-Hye suggested.


    ¡°That¡¯s if Ha-Yan¡­¡±


    <em>''If Ha-Yan wants to go on a double date¡­ Do you really think she''ll hang out with someone else during the first day of our outing?''</em>


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I-I-I like it. H-H-He said a double date, Sora. A double date,¡± Jung Ha-Yan said.


    <em>¡®She actually likes it.¡¯</em>


    I just brought it up. I was surprised that she''d like it¡­


    ¡°Really? Is that really okay?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, oppa. I-I like double dates. I mean, I-I-I really want to go on a double date,¡± she answered.


    I wasn¡¯t sure if it was because I asked her out on a date first or if she really liked double dates, but it was highly likely that it was thetter. I could tell from Jung Ha-Yan''s face.


    She just wanted to go on a double date. It wasn''t like she enjoyed spending time with other couples.


    She probably wanted to do everything that other couples would do. It could be included in the list of things she wanted to do with me, or she could have gotten the idea from one of the things that ordinary couples would do back on Earth¡­


    <em>¡®Not bad.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Then¡­ Miss Jung Ha-Yan, I¡¯m going to go take care of a few things. Call me if something happens¡­ The things you¡¯ll need are in your bag. Here¡¯s your makeup¡­ and I added a bit of gold¡­¡± Han Sora informed her.


    ¡°O-OKay. Where will you be, Sora?¡± Jung Ha-Yan asked.


    ¡°What?¡± Han Sora asked.


    ¡°Where are you going to be?¡± Jung Ha-Yan repeated.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be nearby, so contact me if something happens,¡± Han Sora answered.


    Jung Ha-Yan smiled brightly. She had to be really happy because she kept touching her clothes and her cheeks. She even jumped up and down.


    Meanwhile, Han Sora, who had just missed her chance to be alone for the first time in a while, looked sad, but it was clear that she wasn''t that sad.


    It appeared like Han Sora wanted to feel needed by Jung Ha-Yan.


    I felt like it was Han Sora who had Stockholm Syndrome rather than me¡­


    ¡°Shall we go?¡± I suggested.


    ¡°Okay, o-oppa!¡±


    Lee Ji-Hye headed straight to the monitoring room, and we left Han Sora by herself.


    I actually thought that this was better.


    <em>¡®It¡¯s our first time, after all.¡¯</em>


    The city was too big for us to explore every nook and cranny of it. We also had no idea where everything was or what we ought to do. If we followed Elias and Jo Hye-Jin, we''d be following the exact course that the desert elves had suggested to Elias.


    <em>¡®I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll like it.¡¯</em>


    Elias was supposedly the embodiment of romance.


    ¡°Y-You¡¯re really sexy today¡­ Oppa,¡± Jung Ha-Yanplimented me.


    ¡°Really? Maybe it¡¯s because I¡¯m not wearing my usual clothes. I feel great, but I haven¡¯t gotten used to them yet, so I''m worried. <em>Ah</em>, you¡¯re really pretty too, Ha-Yan,¡± I said.


    ¡°R-Really?¡± Jung Ha-Yan asked.


    ¡°Of course. You¡¯re pretty no matter what you wear. I didn¡¯t think the traditional clothes here would end up looking good on you,¡± I answered.


    ¡°I-I think I can dance like those desert elves from earlier. Like this,¡± Jung Ha-Yan said.


    <em>¡®The Dance of Enchantment again?¡¯</em>


    Jung Ha-Yan danced seductively in the middle of the street. I had no idea who taught her, but I couldn¡¯t stop smiling at the sight. Jung Ha-Yan had to be happy as well because she was smiling while jumping up and down.


    Our destination was a brunch cafe. I wanted to experience something new rather than go to a restaurant I often visited in Lindel.


    As soon as we entered, I saw two people sitting at a table.


    ¡°Sub guild master?¡±


    ¡°Miss Hye-Jin?¡± I greeted.


    ¡°H-How did you¡­¡±n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    ¡°I came here to eat with Ha-Yan. <em>Ah!</em> You¡¯re here as well, Mr. Elias,¡± I greeted.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Father Lee Ki-Young,¡± Elias greeted.


    ¡°What a coincidence. How about we spend the day together?¡± I suggested.


    ¡°Sir, w-what are you¡­¡±


    ¡°I-I-It¡¯s a double date. A double date, Miss Jo Hye-Jin. Let¡¯s go on a double date,¡± Jung Ha-Yan chimed in.


    Jung Ha-Yan sat down as if she needed no permission and¡ª


    ¡°Oh wow, so this is where all of you guys were. Since we¡¯re all here, how about we join you as well, Miss Hye-Jin?¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s¡­ <em>Huh</em>? Miss Ji-Hye?¡± Jo Hye-Jin said.


    Lee Ji-Hye entered the restaurant while holding Han Sora¡¯s hand.


    ¡°It must be fate that gathered us all here, don¡¯t you think so?¡± Lee Ji-Hye asked.


    ¡°..


    <em>¡®Why¡­ did shee here? I thought she was going to watch from afar.¡¯</em>


    ¡°We traveled all the way here. It¡¯s a fun day¡­ so let¡¯s have fun together,¡± Lee Ji-Hye added.


    ¡°...¡±


    <em>''Why on earth did you bring Han Sora here?''</em>


    ¡°<em>Huh?</em>¡±


    <em>''Where is Ha Yeon-Soo?''</em>

 Chapter 1043: Picnic (6)

    <em>¡®It was better when it was just us.¡¯</em>


    Wasn''t it too obvious for us to meet just like this?


    It was also clear that Lee Ji-Hye hade here to interrupt them.


    <em>¡®Look at her gritting her teeth.¡¯</em>


    I was curious as to why she hade all the way here, but I knew she had something in mind when I saw her pout.


    She was in the monitoring room earlier, so I believed Elias had said something that struck a nerve before Ha-Yan and I made it here. I had no idea why she even bothered bringing Han Sora here¡­ Actually, there wasn''t any reason for her to bring Han Sora here, so perhaps¡­N?v(el)B\\jnn


    <em>¡®She just brought her with her because she was around.¡¯</em>


    It was highly likely that she simply dragged Han Sora, who was following Jung Ha-Yan, here. The problem was it <em>had</em> to be Han Sora.


    When Lee Ji-Hye and Han Sora walked in here, I saw Jung Ha-Yan biting her lips. Her hands were shaking, and she looked as if she had been betrayed. Jung Ha-Yan looked at Han Sora as if she was asking thetter how she could do something like this to her. Jung Ha-Yan looked as if she were going to cry any time soon and break the table before us.


    Han Sora looked anxious as if she had justmitted a crime.


    I was sure she was worried that the Park Mijin incident that happened a long time ago was going to happen again. To the public, Han Sora looked as if she had no friends except for Jung Ha-Yan.


    They only had each other, and it was implicitly forbidden for them to go out with other friends and spend time with them.


    Han Sora had clearly told Jung Ha-Yan that she''d be nearby, but she suddenly came in here with Lee Ji-Hye, so I was sure Jung Ha-Yan was disappointed.


    ¡°M-Miss Jung Ha-Yan, I can exin,¡± Han Sora said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll. Exin everything. M-Miss Jung Ha-Yan. So¡­¡± Han Sora stammered.


    ¡°L-Let go of me¡­ <em>Eek!</em> Let go¡­¡± Jung Ha-Yan stuttered.


    ¡°Miss Jung Ha-Yan, please hear me out,¡± Han Sora begged.


    Meanwhile¡­


    ¡°Miss Ji-Hye? Why¡­ are you¡­¡±


    ¡°I was hanging out nearby with Miss Sora. We were actually shopping when we saw you and Father Lee Ki-Young. It seemed like you were together¡­ so I decided to join you, despite knowing that it¡¯s going to be rude. It¡¯s okay if I join you, right?¡± Lee Ji-Hye asked. ??


    ¡°What? Well, I¡­¡±


    ¡°I didn''t interrupt your good time, right? Mr. Elias? I feel bad now,¡± Lee Ji-Hye added.


    <em>¡®She doesn¡¯t look like she feels bad at all.¡¯</em>


    It wasn¡¯t my ce to say this, but Lee Ji-Hye was the very definition of "shameless." It was clear that she was acting like someone incapable of reading the room. Lee Ji-Hye had to be aware of that fact, but she couldn''t care less and pressed on.


    ¡°<em>Ah</em>¡­ sure. It¡¯s fine, Miss Lee Ji-Hye,¡± Elias answered.


    Why?


    <em>¡®Because Elias will never be able to say no.¡¯</em>


    It wouldn¡¯t make sense for him to say no here.


    I was sure Elias was aware that Lee Ji-Hye, Jo Hye-Jin, and I were close.


    Since he had spent a lot of time with our Hye-Jin, thetter had to have talked about us once or twice. Hye-Jin had to have told him that I was her closest friend as well, while Lee Ji-Hye was her second closest friend.


    Regardless of the topic of their conversation and where they were located, Jo Hye-Jin would most likely talk about the people around her.


    Anyway, it wasmon sense to try to impress your crush¡¯s friends.


    It was reasonable to ept Lee Ji-Hye and me rather than get rid of us because today was his one and only chance to make a big move.


    More importantly, we had never really been able to meet personally these days, so Elias had to have thought that this was the perfect chance to do so. During ourst meeting, he tried really hard to earn some brownie points, so I was sure he''d do the same again.


    Jo Hye-Jin finally said, ¡°Mr. Elias and I¡­ aren¡¯t a couple yet. More importantly, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s rude to Mr. Elias¡­ to just show up like this?¡±


    ¡°Oh my. Miss Sora and I aren¡¯t close either, so that¡¯s why I¡¯m suggesting we hang out. And Mr. Elias said that he''s fine with it. Isn¡¯t that right, Mr. Elias?¡± Lee Ji-Hye asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, but the sub guild master¡­¡±


    Of course, I had to show a positive attitude.


    ¡°I think it¡¯ll be great as well. It¡¯s been a while since we spent time like this¡­ so Miss Ji-Hye and Miss Sora should join us as well,¡± I suggested.


    ¡°How can we say no to the sub guild master of the Blue Guild? I know it¡¯s rude, but we¡¯ll take a seat. Sit here, Miss Sora,¡± Lee Ji-Hye said.


    ¡°<em>Huh?</em> Okay, one second¡­¡± Han Sora said.


    <em>¡®I¡¯m sure she never dreamed that something like this would end up happening to her one morning.¡¯</em>


    ¡°What¡¯s good here? <em>Oh</em>, isn¡¯t this your favorite, Miss Ji-Hye?¡± Han Sora asked.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Why are you eating something else? Let¡¯s share,¡± Han Sora suggested.


    ¡°<em>Ah</em>¡­ sure.¡±


    <em>¡®I also never dreamed that something like this would end up happening one morning.¡¯</em>


    ¡°W-What are you going to eat, Oppa?¡± Jung Ha-Yan asked.


    ¡°What do you want to eat, Ha-Yan?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I-I-I¡¯m fine with anything a-a-as long as it¡¯s not a lunchbox made by the traitor,¡± Jung Ha-Yan replied.


    <em>¡®I never dreamt that things would turn out like this, damn it.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Miss Jung Ha-Yan¡­ I¡­¡±


    Han Sora moved her chair toward Jung Ha-Yan, and Lee Ji-Hye moved closer to Jo Hye-Jin. The word "chaos" was not enough to describe the ongoing crisis at the table.


    <em>¡®I should fix this.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Miss Sora must¡¯ve wanted to hang out with you seeing that she brought Miss Ji-Hye here, Ha-Yan,¡± I said.


    ¡°What? S-Sora did?¡± Jung Ha-Yan asked.


    ¡°H-He¡¯s right, Miss Jung Ha-Yan. I was just worried about you,¡± Han Sora chimed in.


    ¡°R-R-Really?¡± Jung Ha-Yan asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not that close to Miss Lee Ji-Hye¡­ and we never met in private. It was a lie when she said we went shopping. I promised¡­ to go shopping with you¡­ so there¡¯s no way I¡¯d forget, right?¡± Han Sora added.


    ¡°<em>Ah</em>¡­ I-I see¡­"


    ¡°Also¡­ you¡¯re my only friend, Miss Jung Ha-Yan,¡± Han Sora said.


    <em>¡®You have many connections. I saw how popr you were at the social gathering.¡¯</em>


    ¡°I don¡¯t even have enough time to hang out with you, Miss Jung Ha-Yan¡­¡± Han Sora remarked.


    ¡°R-Right? I knew you wouldn¡¯t betray me, Sora¡­¡± Jung Ha-Yan said.


    Han Sora had sessfully made Jung Ha-Yan feel happy, and I felt good to see them chat happily among themselves.


    ¡°Try this too, Miss Jung Ha-Yan,¡± Han Sora said.


    ¡°Okay¡­ O-Oppa, have some of this as well. I-I¡¯ll give you some as well, Sora,¡± Jung Ha-Yan offered.


    ¡°Really?¡± Han Sora asked.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    <em>¡®Ha-Yan looks really happy.¡¯</em>


    Her mouth was full of food, but she was smiling nonstop.


    ¡°O-O-Oppa, wouldn¡¯t it be nice if we lived like this even after marriage?¡± Jung Ha-Yan asked.


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± I replied.


    ¡°S-S-Sora can live in the room next to us,¡± Jung Ha-Yan suggested.


    <em>¡®She suggested the house next to us not too long ago, and now she¡¯s suggesting the room next to ours. At this rate, she might let her live in our bedroom.¡¯</em>


    ¡°I would love that since you¡¯ll need someone to look after Sera,¡± Han Sora said.


    ¡°<em>Ah!</em> R-Right. There''s also Sera. Oppa, Sera wille here tomorrow, right?¡± Jung Ha-Yan asked.


    ¡°Yeah. He¡¯ll probablye here with Dialugia¡­ Come to think of it, it¡¯s been a while since I saw Sera¡­¡± I answered.


    ¡°<em>Oh</em>, r-right! Y-You haven¡¯t seen Sera in a while. O-Our Sera has been working hard these days. H-He¡¯s also been doing well in his studies,¡± Jung Ha-Yan informed me.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes. H-He wasn¡¯t a dummy, after all. I-I¡¯m d,¡± she said.


    <em>¡®Is sheplimenting him or insulting him?¡¯</em>


    ¡°Sera really enjoyed¡­ visiting Laios with you. I hope we can go there together again,¡± Jung Ha-Yan said.


    ¡°We can always go again now that we have more time. We¡¯re going to go on a trip again when the kids arrive tomorrow,¡± I told her.


    "<em>Hehe.</em> I really wish that every day is like today,¡± Jung Ha-Yan added.


    Today wasn''t <em>that</em> special, but my heart trembled when I saw her excitement. Eating breakfast together, talking about the past and the things we need to do moving forward, worrying about the future,ughing together, and having fun together were so normal that I was surprised to hear her say that.


    <em>¡®Have we been too busy these days? I feel like we''ve only been looking forward.¡¯</em>


    Jung Ha-Yan had been waiting for moments like this since she was on Earth, so I was sure that moments like those were meaningful to her. Even in my eyes, we looked pretty close to being the ideal family.


    <em>¡®Compared to us, it¡¯s hell over there.¡¯</em>


    Our tables were together, but the atmosphere between the two sides waspletely different. It was like they were holding an interview.


    I heard a voice as cold as ice, and it wasing from Lee Ji-Hye. ¡°I''ve heard about you from Miss Hye-Jin, Mr. Elias. She said you¡¯re a pure, upright, and strong man."


    ¡°<em>Ah</em>, really?¡± Elias asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really know what kind of person you are, Mr. Elias¡­ but I heard that you two meet from time to time. I also heard that you¡¯ve been¡­ really trying to woo over our Hye-Jin¡­¡± she added.


    ¡°<em>Haha¡­ha¡­</em>¡± Eliasughed.


    ¡°As Miss Hye-Jin¡¯s best friend, I¡¯m worried about many things. I know you¡¯re really famous, and everyone on the continent basically knows you, but as you know, our Hye-Jin is a bit¡­¡± Lee Ji-Hye paused.


    ¡°Miss Ji-Hye¡­ you can¡­ stop now¡­¡± Jo Hye-Jin mumbled.


    ¡°I don''t really mind it if you aren''t nning on dating her seriously, but I discovered that she could end up being the Queen of the Elf Kingdom. And I¡¯m not trying to be racist here or anything, but there''s a huge difference between elves and humans.


    "The main problem is her lifespan; your lifestyles are very different as well. Were you aware of those differences¡­ and had you actually thought about them before wooing her?¡± Lee Ji-Hye questioned him.


    <em>¡®You¡¯re taking this too far, noona. Calm down. You shouldn¡¯t be acting like that right away.¡¯</em>


    ¡°If you¡¯re really trying to win her heart and have a future with her, don¡¯t you have a lot to think about? Of course, you two <em>do</em> look good together¡­¡± Lee Ji-Hye said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Also, I¡¯m sorry for bringing this up, but your age gap¡ª¡±


    ¡°Please stop, Miss Hye-Jin,¡± Jo Hye-Jin said, raising her voice.


    <em>¡®I told you. You were taking it too far. If you keep acting like that, she¡¯ll end up getting angry.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re being too harsh, Miss Ji-Hye? <em>Whoo</em>¡­ I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Elias. I¡¯ll apologize in her ce¡­¡± Jo Hye-Jin said.


    ¡°I-It¡¯s fine, Miss Hye-Jin,¡± Elias said.


    And that was when Lee Ji-Hye started crying...


    <em>¡®Crocodile tears.¡¯</em>


    ¡°<em>Uh¡­</em> Miss Ji-Hye¡­?¡± Jo Hye-Jin said.


    ¡°I-I¡­ was just¡ª <em>Heuk!</em>¡± Lee Ji-Hye sobbed.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Miss Ji-Hye¡­¡± Jo Hye-Jin said.


    She was doing all that just so Jo Hye-Jin would see her tears.


    ¡°Are you okay? Was I too harsh?¡± Jo Hye-Jin asked cautiously.


    ¡°I was just¡­ worried about you¡­ Miss Hye-Jin¡­ <em>Heuk</em>¡­ T-That¡¯s all¡­¡± Lee Ji-Hye stammered and sobbed.


    The turn of events was so fast that I couldn''t help but wonder whether someone could truly change attitudes at such speed.


    Meanwhile, Elias sensed the strange atmosphere and gulped a mouthful of his own saliva.

 Chapter 1044: Picnic (7)

    Unless Elias was an idiot, he''d definitely know that he wasn''t wee here.


    Instead of looking serious, he looked worried. I was sure he knew why I joined with the excuse of calling this a double date and why Lee Ji-Hye suddenly came here. He had to have realized that the people who appeared here as Jo Hye-Jin''s friends were trying to interrupt their time together.


    <em>¡®It came out of nowhere.¡¯</em>


    Ji-Hye noona was too aggressive, so there was no way he wouldn''t notice that.


    We left the restaurant and sat on a carriage that would take us on a tour all over Laves, but Jo Hye-Jin was still busyforting Lee Ji-Hye.


    Meanwhile, Jung Ha-Yan was actually enjoying the trip.


    ¡°Laves!¡±


    ¡°Laves! Look to your right, everyone! What you¡¯re seeing now is a statue of Father Lee Ki-Young, the pride of Laves! I¡¯m sure you already saw it when you arrived, but looking at it up close¡­ isn''t it really detailed?¡± the guide asked.


    ¡°...¡±¡°It can¡¯t bepared to the statue at the Temple of Sacrifice and Revival, which was made with blood, sweat, and tears¡­ our dwarf craftsmen have also put a lot of work into creating this statue!


    "Thanks to this statue, Laves became the third city to own a statue of Father Lee Ki-Young!¡± the guide added.


    ¡°W-Where are the remaining two statues?¡± Jung Ha-Yan asked.


    ¡°One is in Laios, while thest one is in the temple in Lindel. In addition to those statues, I¡¯m sure there are other statues in many cities, but the third statue to be officially certified is located here in Laves! All right! Did you all get a good look at the Laves Temple?¡± they asked.


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°What did you think of the temple?¡± they asked.


    ¡°I-I-It was pretty! It¡¯s holy¡­ and I-I like Oppa¡¯s statue the most,¡± Jung Ha-Yan answered.


    ¡°For those who were disappointed, we¡¯ll give you souvenirs for free! It¡¯s a wooden statue of Father Lee Ki-Young!¡± the guide announced.


    ¡°R-Really?¡± Jung Ha-Yan asked.


    ¡°Yes, of course! I am happy because you <em>are </em>happy! Now, let¡¯s go to the next location! We''re going to Laves Desert Rock, which was originally very famous in Laves! Since ancient times, the desert rock has been a resting ce for wanderers.


    "Hizkan, the hero of the Laves Desert, has apparently defeated countless monsters living in this rock!¡± Mesili, the guide, exined.


    ¡°<em>Woooow!</em>¡±


    <em>¡®Tour buses are the way to go.¡¯</em>


    We could visit all the famous sites thanks to the buses.


    The temple was excessively fancy. It was built so that they could worship other gods as well, not just Benigoa, so the space was evenly divided. Of course, the local god of the wanderers had its ce in the temple as well, but the real attraction was here. ?


    <em>¡®It¡¯s a new scenery, so of course it all feels new.¡¯</em>


    The interior was decorated with many colors and ornate patterns. Since the desertndscape was fancier than I thought, there were many things to see even while we were headed to the Laves Desert Rock.


    Actually, we had to get on the carriage that would take us there first.


    <em>¡®It gives off a good vibe.¡¯</em>


    Basils were a species ofrge lizards, and it was famous in the Laves Desert. The carriage was being pulled by a lizard instead of a horse or a griffon, so it was a special experience.


    ¡°<em>Wow!</em> It¡¯s so fast! S-S-Sora, Oppa, it¡¯s really fast,¡± Jung Ha-Yan eximed.


    ¡°You¡¯re right, and the lizard looks cute¡­¡± Han Sora agreed.


    ¡°The basils of the Laves Desert were used frequently as a means of transportation by the wanderers in ancient times! The special muscle in the soles of their feet helps them move fast through the desert. When on sand¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°If you want to find out more, I rmend visiting the Laves Desert Monster Museum. The entrance fee is just one gold! From extinct monsters to the nts and animals that are a part of the Laves Desert''s ecosystem¡­ everything can be seen there.


    "The Ruler of the Laves Desert. Its title alone is enough to make everyone tremble, but the desert worm¡ªhas also been restored and disyed there. Its body is four kilometers long!" Mesili said.


    ¡°<em>Wooow!</em> Four kilometers long?!¡± Jung Ha-Yan eximed.


    <em>¡®That guide is pretty good at her job.¡¯</em>


    However, I was heartbroken when I noticed her gaze lingering on the excited Jung Ha-Yan and Han Sora. She was trying her best to avoid looking at the other side of the bus because Lee Ji-Hye, Jo Hye-Jin, and Elias were sitting there.


    ¡°<em>Heuk¡­ heuuuk¡­</em>¡±


    ¡°I was too harsh, Miss Ji-Hye. Please don¡¯t cry,¡± Jo Hye-Jin begged.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m¡­ okay now¡­ I¡¯m okay, Miss Hye-Jin. I feel like¡­ I shouldn¡¯t have interfered¡­ and¡­ I feel really bad¡­ for staying here¡­¡± Lee Ji-Hye said.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I wasn¡¯t angry¡­ I just wasn¡¯t able to understand your feelings, Miss Ji-Hye. It¡¯s just¡­¡± Jo Hye-Jin paused.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m leaving now,¡± Lee Ji-Hye said.


    <em>¡®You¡¯re leaving in a moving carriage?¡¯</em>


    ¡°I feel like I¡¯m getting in the way¡­¡± Lee Ji-Hye said.


    <em>¡®You¡¯ve already gotten in her way¡­¡¯</em>


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ too ashamed to see you¡­¡± Lee Ji-Hye added.


    <em>¡®You don¡¯t seem ashamed at all.¡¯</em>


    I could confidently say that she had ruined their date, and Jo Hye-Jin was definitely thinking of Elias as an uninvited guest at this point.


    Elias was being treated as an outsider, as Jo Hye-Ji was busyforting the emotional Lee Ji-Hye.


    Meanwhile, Han Sora was enjoying the trip with Jung Ha-Yan.


    The poor elf had no idea what to say nor when to speak, so he had no choice but to sit quietly and wait for the right time to speak. He couldn''t even nce at the beautiful scenery because his anxious eyes were focused on Jo Hye-Jin and Lee Ji-Hye.


    ¡°This is the famous Laves Rock! Now, let¡¯s take a short break here,¡± Mesili suggested.


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    ¡°Excuse me¡­ Miss Ji-Hye¡­¡± Jo Hye-Jin said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll just¡­ head back now,¡± Lee Ji-Hye said.


    ¡°No, Miss Ji-Hye. Let¡¯s talk for a moment¡­¡± Jo Hye-Jin said.


    ¡°There¡¯s a resting ce for wanderers on Desert Rock! It¡¯s being used by other wanderers as well, so please don¡¯t forget about the rules I exined earlier!¡± Mesili reminded us.


    ¡°Okay! L-Let¡¯s go, oppa!¡± Jung Ha-Yan said excitedly.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°H-H-Hurry, Sora. Th-There are real desert elves over there. Real ones!¡± Jung Ha-Yan shouted.


    <em>¡®The guides are real desert elves, you know that, right?¡¯</em>


    I couldn''t really imagine what a "wanderer" would look like, but they looked exactly as I would expect from the word "wanderer." The wanderers gathered under the Desert Rock were exactly what I had imagined¡ªoutfit and behavior-wise.


    They had set up arge tent under the rock, which helped them cool off the desert heat, and in addition to the wanderers, lizardmen, desert elves, and members of other races were there as well. They didn¡¯t seem wary to see neers, and they actually made room for us.


    I was sure it was a rule here. It was a shelter that allowed entry to basically anyone.


    ¡°Hello, Father Lee Ki-Young,¡± they greeted me.


    ¡°<em>Ah</em>, you know me?¡± I asked.


    ¡°How could I, a wanderer of the continent, not know you, Father Lee Ki-Young?¡± the wanderer asked.


    ¡°Thank you for your hospitality, Chief,¡± I said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about hospitality, but this ce is open to everyone¡­ and you saved this deste desert. I don¡¯t know how else I can thank you. If you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯d like to guide you to our shelter,¡± said the chief.


    ¡°Yes, of course,¡± I answered.


    ¡°C-Can I sit here, Chief?¡± Jung Ha-Yan asked.


    It was a new experience, and we were meeting new people as well, which was the fun part of traveling. There were many things to talk about as well.


    There was a saying that old lizardmen were wise, so it was easy tomunicate with them, and it seemed that saying was correct.


    While we were deep into our conversation, Lee Ji-Hye¡¯s n to ruin their date had to have worked because their emotions had returned to normal. Elias aside, it was an undeniable fact that their words were interesting.


    There were many wanderers who wanted to stop wandering, and the birth of Laves allowed many wanderers to settle down here. The old lizardman and the others were telling me that this kind of life was morefortable for them.


    What I found kind of strange was Elias¡¯ date. Of course, I was not saying that it was bad, but spending time with the wanderers didn¡¯t seem romantic at all.


    The people danced with the dancers and talked about their lives while drinking wine. They talked about meaningless things while looking up at the sky, and then they watched the lizardmen fight each other using only their tails.


    Once the events were done, everyone said goodbye to each other and greeted those who had arrived at Laves Rock. They would then share their experience with the neers.


    It wasn¡¯t really my type, but this was a vacation and a trip, so I felt great. I actually enjoyed it. The chair they were using feltfortable to me, and their snacks were delicious as well. Ji-Hye noona seemed a bit skeptical as well, but Jo Hye-Jin seemed to be enjoying all this.


    <em>¡®It¡¯s not enough to make an impact.¡¯</em>


    Friendships were created in settings like this rather than love. First of all, there were too many characters, and there were too many wanderers here, so the couple wasn¡¯t able to spend any time together.


    And that was when I realized what the sly Elias was up to. I wasn¡¯t sure whether this was a coincidence or not, but I saw a couple who managed to break the awkwardness between races.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The couple was a male human and a female member of the Lizardmen Tribe.


    ¡°Father Lee Ki-Young,¡± the man greeted.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, but¡­¡± I paused.


    ¡°<em>Hahaha</em>. I somehow ended up with a lizardwoman. I was actually summoned here as an adventurer as well, but I was treated well during my time here. I got tricked and sold a fake Laves Desert treasure map, but the Lizardmen Tribe discovered me just as I was dying,¡± the man exined.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I ended up spending time with them, and in the end, I decided to stay with my other half. I have been living here since then. <em>Hahaha</em>¡­ I actually consider myself lucky. I heard you wereing, but I never imagined I¡¯d meet you in person¡­¡± he said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I get those questions a lot. I¡¯d be lying if I said that there were no differences¡­ between our races. Our life, culture, and everything is different. There are usually a lot of differences even when you meet the opposite sex from another country, but we¡¯re from two different races.


    "It was difficult at first, but we eventually started understanding each other. Maybe this is just the way I''m built,¡± the man continued.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Some minority races forbid meeting other races, but most of the wanderers are in a simr situation as me. Of course, it¡¯s rare to find a human living their life as a wanderer,¡± he added.


    ¡°I see,¡± I said.


    ¡°There are many other races in our tribe besides me, and I¡¯m sure the situation is simr for the other races. Of course, it could also be because of the rumors circting among the wanderers,¡± he informed.


    ¡°Such as¡­¡± I asked.


    ¡°Understanding, helping, and loving each other. These are the words of the Desert God,¡± he answered.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°<em>Ah</em>, if you¡¯re wondering whether I miss my old life or not, I honestly¡­ do miss it, but that doesn¡¯t matter to me anymore. As long as I can be with the one I truly love¡­ things like that are really trivial issues,¡± he said.


    Of course, if he couldn''t love at this point, then he¡¯d end up in America in less than a month. Given the harsh environment, I could see why he would tell me that, and that was probably why that saying was spreading like some kind of trend. However¡­


    <em>¡®Seeing his expression, I don¡¯t think this was his intention.¡¯</em>


    Elias looked kind of touched. Had he regained the emotions he felt when he sat by a campfire and shared a heartfelt conversation with someone? He was trying to read the room, and finally¡ªexactly six hours and thirty minutester...


    ¡°I also¡­¡±


    ¡°Mr. Elias?¡±


    ¡°I think I can also abandon everything¡­ for the person I love,¡± Elias said.


    ¡°...¡± ¡°I can abandon everything I have,¡± Elias said.


    They weren¡¯t just empty words.


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be just me taking them to Everia¡­¡± he paused.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I think I can share and ept the things they consider precious¡­ while staying at an unfamiliar ce,¡± Elias continued.


    He looked sincere.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    <em>¡®Stop looking so sincere, man.¡¯</em>


    ¡°I don¡¯t need anything else,¡± Elias added.


    <em>''Stop looking so embarrassed, Jo Hye-Jin. Don¡¯t assume that he¡¯s talking about you.''</em>

 Chapter 1045: Picnic (8)

    The sun was setting, and our dying emotions were starting to burn along with the zing fire.


    Why was Jo Hye-Jin blushing? Was it because of the fire or the sunset?


    It was unlike her to act so embarrassed, but the sight did not necessarily mean that she was falling in love with the old elf.


    Even if she wasn¡¯t interested in him, there wasn''t a person alive who wouldn¡¯t be embarrassed after hearing Elias'' words.


    He was decent in the looks department as well, so his words had to have sounded even sweeter in Jo Hye-Jin''s ears.


    ¡°<em>Um¡­</em>¡±


    Perhaps even the crackling noises from the bonfire sounded romantic, as Jo Hye-Jin was staring speechlessly at the bonfire.


    I felt uneasy because I had no idea what Elias was looking at, but he was preparing to say his next words. His next words were from his heart, not something he had prepared in advance. His eyes were filled with determination, and his every word was genuine.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care where we end up as long as we¡¯re together,¡± Elias said.¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to be an understanding person rather than trying to make the other person understand,¡± he added.


    ¡°...¡±


    <em>¡®He¡¯s counting his chickens before they hatch.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Even if my choice causes me to lose everything, I think I¡¯ll be happier than before I made that decision,¡± he said.


    <em>¡®So you¡¯re just going to abandon the Union of Others and the Elf Kingdom to settle down in Lindel?¡¯</em>


    <em>''You think Hye-Jin will like that?'' </em>


    Jo Hye-Jin was such an upright individual that there was no way she would let Elias do something like that.


    However, it seemed that Elias'' Habitual Confession Syndrome had returned, as I was sure he had no intentions of confessing to her. His words just now were just an expression of his feelings, and it was like he was admitting that he had only been thinking about himself so far.


    In Jo Hye-Jin''s eyes, that was the biggest issue in dating Elias.


    <em>¡®She¡¯ll end up being the Queen of the Everia Kingdom.¡¯</em>


    However, Jo Hye-Jin had her own career, a position within the Blue Guild, and a bright future, so I couldn''t imagine her suddenly going over to the Everia Kingdom to be its queen.


    In addition, she¡¯d have to live with other races with a lifespan of thousands of years. If she were to date Elias, she¡¯d have to give up on many things. If they started dating, the continent would focus on them, and she¡¯d have to distance herself from Lindel.


    I was sure those two had yet to discuss such issues.


    They weren¡¯t exactly at the stage where they could discuss those things, but if they ended up dating, it was highly likely that they wouldn''t even think about those issues at all.  ???£Î??¦¥?


    However, they were realistic issues that they would have to face. Elias seemed to genuinely understand that Hye-Jin was feeling burdened by his approach, but despite that, he remained consistent in his attempts to win her heart over.


    ¡°I know that both of you don¡¯t really like me,¡± Elias said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I realized once again how much of a fool I was¡­ for suddenly appearing before Miss Hye-Jin and not thinking about the circumstances¡­ and how much you¡¯re worried about her as her friend.


    "I would like to really apologize to Miss Hye-Jin¡­ first of all. I-I wasn¡¯t considerate at all,¡± Elias added.


    <em>¡®No, that¡¯s not the reason why we dislike you. We just hate you as you are.¡¯</em>


    I couldn¡¯t find the exact reason, but I just hated him.


    I hated the fact that he looked like adies¡¯ man and that he was old¡­ but most importantly, I disliked the fact that he was trying to take Hye-Jin away from us.


    His personality wasn''t bad, but I needed to see whether he was willing to do anything and everything for Hye-Jin. I honestly had no idea if he was even willing to go that far. He said he was willing to abandon the Elf Empire and the Union of Other Races, but no one knew whether he was telling the truth or not.


    People would always act like they were willing toy down everything for their partner during the honeymoon phase, but it wasmon for rtionships to go downhill after that, so what if he ended up returning to the Elf Kingdom? Hye-Jin would surely be devastated.


    ¡°I think I''m just obsessed with the frustration inside me,¡± Elias remarked.


    <em>¡®Frustration?¡¯</em>


    ¡°I feel like the world is going to copse if I don¡¯t express my feelings. It feels like my heart will stop if I don''t say anything. It feels like my body is rotting¡­ a-and that¡¯s why I''m in a hurry to express my feelings,¡± Elias continued.


    <em>¡®Are you lovesick or something? You¡¯re overexaggerating things now. What are you? The greatest romantic of this era?¡¯</em>


    ¡°Despite knowing how burdensome¡­ and¡­ and¡­ difficult it must¡¯ve been for Miss Hye-Jin¡­ releasing my frustration was a priority. I-I didn¡¯t even think about Miss Hye-Jin¡¯s situation,¡± Elias exined.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I know it sounds ridiculous¡­ but¡­ but it just means I¡¯m thinking about Miss Hye-Jin that much,¡± Elias said.


    <em>¡®He must be serious¡­¡¯</em>


    <em>I</em> was blushing, and the wanderers here even looked away.


    Elias was a runaway train when it came to love.


    It was a one-way confession that was inconsiderate of the people around him. Jung Ha-Yan wasn¡¯t really listening, but Han Sora clearly looked like she wanted to get away from here. I was sure Han Sora embodied the reaction of an ordinary person.


    It was such a heartwarming and tear-jerking moment, but the problem was that <em>I Like Blue¡¯s </em>heart was wavering in the face of his sincerity.


    <em>¡®There are people who like things like that.¡¯</em>


    I was sure she liked his sincere remarks, as she once said, ¡°Don¡¯t tarnish <em>his </em>pride.¡±


    ¡°I-I actually wanted to express my feelings today¡­¡± Elias said.


    ¡°...¡±


    <em>¡®You¡¯re already doing that.¡¯</em>


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I''m ready. I think I¡¯m not good enough¡­ for Miss Hye-Jin¡­¡± Elias added.


    <em>¡®At least he knows that.¡¯</em>


    ¡°At least you know that,¡± Lee Ji-Hye said.


    <em>¡®Ji-Hye noona, you shouldn¡¯t have said that.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Miss Ji-Hye, please stop,¡± Jo Hye-Jin begged.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll head back first today. Please enjoy your time,¡± Elias said.


    ¡°M-Mr. Elias, wait!¡± Jo Hye-Jin shouted.


    ¡°I really hope I can hear your answer¡­ the next time we meet. For thest time,¡± Elias remarked.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Jo Hye-Jin called out, but he disappeared like the wind. The wanderers, who remained quiet during the awkward situation, were finally able to breathefortably.


    Jo Hye-Jin stared at Elias'' departing figure before walking toward us.


    ¡°You two¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I appreciate you worrying and caring about me¡­ but don¡¯t you think you were a bit too harsh on him?¡± Jo Hye-Jin questioned.


    <em>¡®I did nothing wrong. It¡¯s all Ji-Hye noona.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Why are you including me in this?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You¡¯re the same, sir. If you hadn''t suggested¡­ a double¡­ I mean¡­¡± Jo Hye-Jin paused.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a child. I¡¯m not that stupid that I need someone to tell me what I need to do with my love life,¡± Jo Hye-Jin said.


    ¡°I-I¡­ was just worried about you¡­ Miss Hye-jin¡­¡± Lee Ji-Hye said.


    ¡°I have ns as well, Miss Ji-Hye. Mr. Elias sometimes says strange things that catch me off-guard¡­ but he¡¯s not a bad person. I can tell what¡¯s right and wrong¡­ so please don¡¯t overstep your boundaries,¡± Jo Hye-Jin requested.


    ¡°But¡­ <em>heuk¡­</em>¡±


    ¡°Even if you cry¡­ I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re so interested in my love life in the first ce¡­ b-but the reason I¡¯m so confused isn¡¯t because I''ve never been in a rtionship,¡± she exined.


    <em>¡®No one said anything about that.¡¯</em>


    ¡°As I said before, I''ve had many rtionships. I¡¯m just¡­ sick of rtionships that don''tst long. I simply want to be more careful when ites to a new rtionship.


    "I want to maintain a healthy rtionship with someone I can trust¡­ and not just have a fling. Th-That¡¯s why I¡¯ve been thinking about many things and my feelings. And today¡­ wasn¡¯t exactly a date¡­¡± Jo Hye-Jin exined.


    ¡°I think¡­ he thought of it as a date, Miss Jo Hye-Jin. Th-Then, how do you feel right now?¡± Han Sora chimed in. It seemed that the abrupt drama had piqued her curiosity.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Do you like Mr. Elias?¡± she asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Jo Hye-Jin replied.


    <em>¡®Nice.¡¯</em>


    ¡°I still don¡¯t know how I feel about him. Honestly, Mr. Elias isn¡¯t a bad person. He¡¯s too good for me¡­ He¡¯s an upright¡­ and fragile man. Strictly speaking¡­ h-he¡¯s good-looking as well¡­ but looks aren¡¯t everything.


    "What I¡¯m trying to say is that he¡¯s someone that doesn¡¯t fit me. I appreciate his kindness¡­ but honestly¡­¡± Jo Hye-Jin trailed off.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know my own feelings. There are times when I do like him¡­ Actually, there are times when I think maybe it won''t be a bad idea to date him, but I feel like it''s rude to ept Mr. Elias¡¯ feelings when I¡¯m not even sure about my own feelings¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Mr. Elias is really overestimating me, but all of you already know that. I¡¯m not¡­ the kind of person Mr. Elias thinks I am¡­"


    <em>¡®No, you are the exact person that Elias is thinking of¡­¡¯</em>


    If she were someone else, Elias wouldn¡¯t think much of them.


    <em>''If you believe he¡¯s not the one for you after dating him, you can just break up with him. You can also control him andpare him to other people¡­ I¡¯m sure it will be enjoyable at the very least.''</em>


    Meeting new people was fun and stimting. Ordinary people wouldn¡¯t spend days thinking about whether to take his confession seriously or not. They¡¯d simply enjoy the moment.


    Elias probably liked that side of Jo Hye-Jin.


    It wouldn''t be as pure as Elena¡¯s soul, but if Elias could look into the souls of people, he¡¯d know how pure Jo Hye-Jin¡¯s soul was.


    ¡°A-Anyway¡­ this is my problem, not yours. I appreciate your concern and attention¡­ but I ask that¡­ you stop now. Also¡­¡± Jo Hye-Jin paused.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t talk about this issue again. I feel like I¡¯ll get even more confused by your words, so I think it¡¯s best if we no longer talk about this. As I mentioned earlier, this is my problem, so please¡­ don¡¯t interfere,¡± Jo Hye-Jin requested.


    A deafening silence descended.


    It seemed that Lee Ji-Hye had finally understood Jo Hye-Jin''s feelings as well


    ¡ª She¡¯s pretty determined, oppa.


    <em>"I feel the same way, noona. Honestly, I think we cared too much¡­"</em>


    ¡ª Right? Strictly speaking, this is her personal issue, and I think it''s a bad idea to interfere too much. We¡¯ve been thinking about her as a child so far, but I¡¯m sure she has a n, and¡­ she will do just fine. Elias has also expressed his true feelings today, so let¡¯s just keep an eye on them. I¡¯m sure Hye-Jin will do fine.


    <em>"Yeah, let¡¯s just keep an eye on her."</em>


    ¡ª Let¡¯s do onest test, oppa.


    <em>"Let¡¯s do onest test, noona."</em>


    Elias, thest remaining pure-hearted elf on the continent.


    I had no choice but to see just how loyal that guy was.

 Chapter 1046: Picnic (9)

    ¡°<em>Whoo¡­</em>¡±


    ¡°Is something wrong, Mr. Elias?¡± a lizardman asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ nothing,¡± I[1] replied.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    ¡°You look like you have a lot on your mind¡­ Let me¡­ pour you a drink,¡± he offered.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I said.


    A lizardman d in a suit served me a drink, and then he proceeded to clean the wine sses disyed on the wall. A desert lizardman as a master of a bar wasn''t a typical sight to see, but he was definitely qualified for it with how skilled he was at it.


    <em>¡®I have too many thoughts¡­¡¯</em>


    I had too many useless thoughts. Normally, I wouldn¡¯t think much about it and would simply look at the various scenery. Perhaps it was because I had just realized that my worldview had been too narrow so far. It was to the point that I couldn''t deny it if someone were to call me self-centered.


    I''d often hear that from Elena. She''d often say, ¡°You¡¯re too narrow-minded when you look at the world. You need to be more open-minded. You need to look at the bigger picture when doing politics. Everia isn¡¯t an ind, and there needs to be change in the Union of Others.¡±I was a pretty conservative man, and I''d always been looking at the world with a narrow mind. I thought that was the right thing to do. I was convinced that Elena had to inherit the kingdom, as she was a High Elf, and I couldn''t understand why she had decided to join a group of humans.


    Actually, I never really allowed her to step foot into a city full of humans. When the World Tree was under threat, I had no trust in outsiders, and I hadn''t been able to ept the major revolutions urring all over the continent.


    Of course, due to both external and internal pressure as well as Elena¡¯s persuasion, I agreed to open our doors to the other races. If I were the leader of the Union, however, the Union of Others wouldn''t be able to adapt to the new continent.


    The door of the Elf Kingdom would remain shut tight, and I wouldn¡¯t be able to witness the members of other races wandering the Free City of Lindel. I wouldn''t be able to uncover the dark side of the ve industry, and I wouldn¡¯t be able to the ves.


    This ce was the same¡­


    The Union of Others wouldn¡¯t be able to give shelter like this to the other races, as they would have had no way to find support. Laves was a city, but it was a work of art as well. The stabilization of the Laves Desert and the huge oasis was a blessing to its denizens.


    ¡°All I can say is thank you¡­ Mr. Elias,¡± the bartender said.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m talking about this city. You''re the representative of the Union of Others, so if it hadn''t been for your decision, this city wouldn¡¯t have been built. This ce is like a blessing to us¡­¡± answered the bartender.


    ¡°I¡­ didn¡¯t do anything,¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°Of course you did. <em>Haha</em>. I know how hard you and Miss Elena are working for beings like us. The same goes for the agreement with the Democratic Country¡­¡± replied the bartender.


    ¡°I¡¯m not the one who made that decision, Master,¡± I told him.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true that we signed a treaty¡­ but I was actually against it. Thinking about it now, it was a really stupid decision. I couldn¡¯t trust humans. They¡¯re selfish, and they think that they¡¯re better than the other races.


    "I''ve always thought of them that way. I didn¡¯t think¡­ that they could change, but I''ve just realized that I was wrong,¡± I said.


    ¡°What do you think about them now?¡± asked the bartender.


    ¡°I''ve learned that there are a variety of humans out there. I also realized¡­ that there are more noble souls among them than among us,¡± I answered.


    No other words were needed, and this question actually made meugh. I had always been a conservative man whose guard was always up around humans, but I ended up loving a human.


    <em>¡®Jo Hye-Jin.¡¯</em>


    She was a strong, upright, and a kindhearted woman with a noble soul.


    Her soul had an unbreakable belief, just like the World Tree.


    She was the reason why my opinion of humans had ended up changing.


    At first, I just thought that humans like her truly existed, but her outlook on the world and how she treated the people around her ended up moving my heart.


    Jo Hye-Jin captured my heart.


    She took a big part of my heart, and I couldn¡¯t do anything about it.


    It felt like my heart was going to burst at the mere thought of her.


    She had taken a big piece of my heart, and I could not¡­ imagine a day without thinking about her. She was the reason I started looking at humans in a different light.


    ¡°You¡¯re right, Mr. Elias. We¡¯re the same¡­ but I believe humans have more variety when ites to character. The desert elves and us lizardmen would grit our teeth at the thought of humans, but we started questioning whether the humans written in history and the humans now are the same race,¡± said the bartender.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why¡­ I developed a habit of looking after them recently. This habit was actually developed when I was working in the Republic. I think it¡¯s gotten worse¡­tely,¡± the bartender added.


    ¡°So you¡¯re from the Republic,¡± I remarked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s pretty rare for a Lizardman. Many feel more ufortable around Lizardmen than elves. I operated a small bar in the back alley and saw many interesting people. Since then¡­ it¡¯s be a hobby of mine to observe humans,¡± exined the bartender.


    ¡°...¡± I nodded because I had the same habit.


    It wasn¡¯t exactly the best habit to have, but beings of other races would probably develop it eventually. They''d either observe the humans around them, afraid that the humans would harm them, or develop a habit of judging whether the humans before them were trustworthy or not.


    Of course, that was probably not what the lizardman meant.


    He was probably just saying that he enjoyed observing humans.


    Just as I expected, the Master was looking around while cleaning wine sses. When I looked around without realizing it, I saw the members of the Red Mercenary Guild drinking in the corner of the room.


    <em>¡®They¡¯re pure-hearted people.¡¯</em>


    ¡°This is fun.¡±


    ¡°We need to have music on a good day like this!¡±


    ¡°Have I told you this? During the Laves Desert expedition¡­¡±


    ¡°Can you bring us more drinks, Master?¡±


    <em>¡®They¡¯re really pure-hearted people.¡¯</em>


    They were people who yearned for strength, and they loved to fight and have fun. They could easily walk the wrong path if they weren''t careful, but they weren''t the type to enjoy bloodshed. They were people who purely enjoyed fighting, like the green-skinned lizardmen.


    I saw a young woman drinking quietly nearby.


    ¡°Master, one more drink for me. The alcohol tastes bitter today,¡± the young woman ordered.


    <em>¡®Kim Ye-Ri of the Blue Guild?¡¯</em>


    ¡°This is what life must be like,¡± the young woman mumbled.


    <em>¡®...¡¯</em>


    ¡°<em>Whoo¡­</em> keep the change, Master. It¡¯s your tip,¡± Kim Ye-Ri said.


    ¡°We don¡¯t ept¡ª¡±


    ¡°Just take it. It¡¯s a thank you for serving me good alcohol,<em> hehe</em>.¡± Kim Ye-Ri insisted.


    I''d sometimes see someone with a cruel soul, but more often than not, their soul was cruel not because it was cruel in nature. An example of that was Kim Ye-Ri. She had a cruel soul because her soul was in a lot of pain, but I could see that pain being washed away along with that cruelty.


    I could tell that she had a bright and pure-natured soul.


    Kim Ye-Ri stood up and exited.


    Soon, I heard a loud voice.


    ¡°I¡¯m Dialuria. You don¡¯t know who my dad is? Max, says something,¡± Dialuria said.


    ¡°O-Only adults cane in here, noona,¡± Max stuttered.


    ¡°Noonim, let¡¯s hurry and turn back. If Father or Mother finds out that we were¡ª¡±


    ¡°Cheru, how dare you interrupt your older sister¡­ I¡¯m not trying to drink alcohol. I just want to take a look. I can smell¡­ Dad in here¡­ Don¡¯t you guys want to see Dad? He¡¯s here,¡± Dialuria interrupted Cheru.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but¡­ this ce is¡­¡±


    I saw children.


    <em>¡®Miss Dialuria?¡¯</em>


    And¡­


    <em>¡®Max and the baby angels.¡¯</em>


    The staff was having a hard time dealing with the children lined up at the entrance. Of course, they were eventually forced to leave.


    ¡°Miss Dialuria!¡±


    They were forced to leave by a familiar figure.


    ¡°Miss Dialugia is looking for you. You have to hurry back. Max, Cheru, Thro, Domi, and Sera. You guys need to go back as well. You¡¯re not supposed to be here! Stop being so rude!¡± Elena shouted.


    ¡°<em>Tch¡­</em>¡±


    ¡°Hurry!¡± Elena yelled.


    ¡°Run, guys! Let¡¯s split up and meet <em>there</em>ter!¡± Dialuria instructed.


    ¡°But unni! Miss Elena is!¡± Domi shouted.


    ¡°Noonim!¡± Cheru yelled.


    ¡°Run! This is an order! Run! It¡¯s an order!¡± Dialuria shouted.


    The children split up and ran away.


    The figure that was left alone in the empty space had a face I would often see when I was young.


    ¡°Elena?¡± I said.


    ¡°Elias?¡± Elena muttered.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°What brings you¡ª¡±


    Just as I was about to greet her¡­


    ¡°<em>Ah¡­</em>¡±


    A radiant light pervaded her figure, and an enormous amount of holy power instantly engulfed her. The color of her hair and eyes changed, and she hovered in mid-air. The next moment, bright dots manifested and spun around her, seemingly mimicking a cluster of stars.


    <em>¡®Elena?¡¯</em>


    I knew exactly what was happening, so I wasn''t surprised at all.


    <em>¡®Elune¡­ Elune is¡­¡¯</em>


    I knelt down and prepared myself to greet Elune.


    Elune took quiet and sacred steps toward me using Elena¡¯s fleshly body, and he spoke with a quiet, warm, andpassionate voice.


    [My son.]


    ¡°O Elune¡­¡± I said.


    [My son¡­]


    ¡°...¡±


    [Your other half will appear.]


    ¡°What?¡±


    [Your destined partner will appear. Your partner, whom you will love forever and never forget, will appear.]


    ¡°...¡±


    [Your destined partner will appear before you. Cherish and love that child. Cherish her because she will bring peace and love to the continent. Live for that child because she¡¯ll teach you true love.


    [If you don¡¯t¡­ If you don¡¯t¡­ destruction wille to the continent¡­]


    ¡°Elune¡­¡± I mumbled.


    [Destruction¡­ wille¡­ to the continent¡­ True destruction¡­ wille¡­ to the continent.]


    The light disappeared. Elena fell to the ground, and I caught her in midair.


    I looked around without realizing it and¡­


    ¡°Oh no, are you okay?¡±


    And I saw a woman with a captivating smile...


    ¡°D-Do you need help? Poor thing¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°<em>Ah¡­</em> I¡¯m Lee Ki-Yeon. Nice to meet you, Mr. Elias,¡± Lee Ki-Yeon greeted.


    ¡°How do you know¡­¡±


    ¡°Is there anyone on the continent who doesn¡¯t know you, Mr. Elias? Anyway¡­ we should look for a ce for Miss Elena to rest,¡± Lee Ki-Yeon suggested.


    She had a soul so beautiful and deadly that my heart nearly stopped at the sight of it.


    ¡°<em>Haa¡­</em> What are you doing? Can¡­ you please help me¡­ move Miss Elena?¡± Lee Ki-Yeon asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    She had an extremely beautiful and pure-hearted¡­ yet deadly soul.


    1. Elias¡¯ POV ?<blockquote>


    Hikari''s Thoughts


    <strong>TLN: </strong>The return of Lee Ki-Yeon! <em>Dun dun dun!</em></blockquote>


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 1047: Picnic (10)

    ¡°You¡¯re¡­¡±


    ¡°I told you just now. I¡¯m Lee Ki-Yeon¡­ or are you asking why I¡¯m here?¡± Lee Ki-Yeon asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m working,¡± Lee Ki-Yeon said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°At the bar you were just in¡­ Well, I was on my way to work, but I can take today off thanks to you,¡± Lee Ki-Yeon added.


    She seemed used to this. For someone working at a bar, the way she helped Elena looked so natural. It was like she had been treating patients for a long time. Perhaps it was because she noticed my expression, but she spoke as if she was kind of insulted.


    "I volunteered as a nurse during the Continental War. There was someone I used to take care of¡­ well... he ended up walking out on his own, but perhaps it¡¯s thanks to his kindness that I still possess holy power.¡±


    ¡°...¡±¡°What? You don¡¯t believe me? Is it because a stranger suddenly appeared¡­ and showed kindness, or is it because I¡¯m a human being?¡± Lee Ki-Yeon asked me.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing¡­ like that¡­¡± I answered.


    ¡°I was summoned to this continent. I was once an adventurer, and I once worked as a receptionist at an Adventurer Guild. As I mentioned earlier, I volunteered to be a nurse during the Continental War, and I-I¡¯ve also been a ve.


    "Do I need to tell you more? It looks like you want me to tell you everything¡­ including where I¡¯ve been and why I¡¯m here. Will that put your mind at ease? Should I give you more details about myself?¡± Lee Ki-Yeon asked.


    ¡°No, I was being rude. I¡¯m really sorry,¡± I told her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t question your neighbors and love them. You didn¡¯t take Elune¡¯s word to heart¡ª¡±


    ¡°How¡­ did you know about that? I mean, Elune¡¯s words¡­¡± I asked.


    <em>¡®It can¡¯t be¡­¡¯</em>


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°This should be enough. Her breathing has finally be stable. It¡¯s all because she epted arge amount of holy power in one go. Anyway, she¡¯ll recover soon,¡± Lee Ki-Yeon told me.


    ¡°I see, thank you,¡± I said.


    Lee Ki-Yeon got up slowly, and I could finally take a good look at the mysterious woman.


    She was wearing the standard outfit of the desert elves, and it was an everyday outfit in Laves wore. The bottom was decorated with fancy and sparkling essories, and it was cut so high that it showed one of her legs. Her top showed her belly button, and the nes around her neck stood out.


    The exposed parts of her body were covered with a thin, see-through cloth. Her braided hair was decorated with essories, and the small gem on her forehead was an essory that desert elves often used.


    The woman who had introduced herself as Lee Ki-Yeon removed the transparent cloth covering the lower part of her face, revealing her entire face to the public.


    ¡°I¡¯ll introduce myself again. I¡¯m Lee Ki-Yeon,¡± she said, introducing herself.


    <em>¡®She¡¯s beautiful.¡¯</em>


    I was simply appreciating her beauty and had no other feelings toward her. The feelings I felt were simr to whenever I was looking at an artwork or a natural scenery. It was actually strange, as elves never really considered others beautiful by their appearance.


    Elves born with Elune¡¯s blessing were naturally beautiful, so we tend to focus more on inner beauty rather than appearance. I was the same¡­ no, I was sure all elves were like me. Despite that, I thought the mysteriousdy was beautiful as soon as I saw her.


    <em>¡®It¡¯s strange.¡¯</em>


    It was like I was falling into a swamp, and I was unknowingly falling deeper and deeper into it. Strangely, I was blushing, and my breathing wasbored.


    Was I being influenced by some magical, alchemical, or curse?


    Was it just me, or did she look like a white snake for a second there? Her eyes and lips resembled a snake.


    Just then, I saw an indescribable darkness in her ck eyes, and it seemed to be sucking everything into it.


    ¡°<em>Ah¡­</em>¡±


    The darkness that engulfed everything in an instant pulled both my soul and body into it.


    It onlysted for a moment, but it felt like an eternity had passed.


    I realized that I was covered in sweat. My hands and feet were shaking. To make matters worse, the bad feeling that had engulfed me was not going away.


    <em>¡®What the¡­ What the hell is this?¡¯</em>


    There were so many things I couldn¡¯t understand. I had no idea what was happening right now. I also had no idea who this woman was, why she had appeared before me, and what our meeting in the Laves Desert meant.


    After calming down my confused mind, I turned and saw Elena on the bed.


    I finally recalled the incident earlier.


    <em>"Your destined partner will appear before you. Cherish and love that child. Cherish her because she will bring peace and love to the continent. Live for that child because she¡¯ll teach you true love. If you don¡¯t¡­ If you don¡¯t¡­ destruction wille to the continent¡­"</em>


    It was too strange to call it a coincidence.


    Was this woman''s appearance right after I heard Elune¡¯s prophecy really a coincidence? Was our meeting in this ce really a coincidence?


    My destined partner, the destruction of the continent¡­ and the woman who''d bring peace and love to the continent. The child who''d teach me true love. There were so many keywords that I couldn¡¯t figure out what was happening.


    I also wasn¡¯t sure whether the prophecy meant what I thought it meant, but¡­ something was happening. Something unknown to me was happening. Something was going to happen to this continent again. To make things worse¡­


    <em>¡®Those are Elune''s words.¡¯</em>


    That was all I could think about...


    ¡°Master will contact the Blue Guild, and they¡¯lle to get Miss Elena soon¡­¡± Lee Ki-Yeon informed me.


    ¡°I¡¯ll contact them, but do you have a moment?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, could we¡ª¡±


    ¡°This isn''t exactly my first time experiencing something like this, so what will you do if I do tell you that I <em>do </em>mind?¡± Lee Ki-Yeon asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°What will you do?¡± Lee Ki-Yeon asked.


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re no fun. Can¡¯t you take a joke?¡± Lee Ki-Yeon teased.


    ¡°I mean¡­¡±


    ¡°Howe all the people that have asked me outck a sense of humor? <em>Geez</em>¡­¡± she mumbled.


    ¡°I¡¯m not asking you out on a date,¡± I said.


    ¡°<em>Oh</em>, this is embarrassing. Looks like I misunderstood. Then¡­¡±


    ¡°I just¡­ needed a moment of your time. It¡¯s to thank you¡­ for your help¡­¡± I told her.


    ¡°Hey, this was nothing. I was just helping out a person in need. You don¡¯t need to pay me back or anything, and it¡¯s not like I was expecting anything out of it.


    "I have no other intentions either, unlike you''re suspecting, so feel free to head out. I won¡¯t appear in front of you again, and I will not make any requests, Mr. Elias,¡± Lee Ki-Yeon reassured me.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing like that,¡± I said.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. You don¡¯t need to repay me¡­ Don¡¯t think that you¡¯re indebted to me and just consider it me doing a good deed. You don¡¯t need to show me that the stereotype about how elves are stubborn is real,¡± Lee Ki-Yeon said.


    ¡°Wait¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving now. It was fun, Mr. Elias,¡± she said.


    ¡°Th-Then¡­ let¡¯s go on a date,¡± I suggested.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind going on a date¡­ I just want to talk to you,¡± I told her.


    ¡°<em>Hmm</em>¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s¡­ wrong¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Since you put it like that¡­ I have no choice. Shall we get going?¡± she said.


    Lee Ki-Yeon grabbed her bag happily and walked away.


    <em>¡®She¡¯s so unpredictable.¡¯</em>


    However, she wasn¡¯t rude, and I could tell that she was trying to be considerate of me.


    She seemed to be enjoying even conversations she wasn¡¯t really interested in, and she was trying her best to make me feelfortable. It was possible that she wasn¡¯t the type to enjoy jokes and simply disliked an awkward atmosphere.


    Honestly, there was no guarantee that this was even her true self.


    Although I couldn¡¯t confirm it just yet¡­


    <em>¡®It¡¯s like she¡¯s wearing a mask.¡¯</em>


    A mask wasn''t exactly bad.


    Just like how I disliked showing my true self, it was like she was always hiding her true self. I couldn¡¯t feel it all, but I could feel a deep wound inside this woman¡¯s soul. It was such a horrible wound that I couldn¡¯t quite describe it. However, she wasn''t showing it on the outside. I wasn¡¯t skilled at reading souls, but I could clearly see her wound.


    Despite that, she was acting bright and confident as if she had never experienced that kind of pain before. Yeah¡­ it was as if the world had never hurt her.


    ¡°That¡¯s how I ended up here. It¡¯s like when people want to just run away somewhere. It wasn¡¯t hard finding a job. I also had a connection with the Lizardmen Master you met earlier¡­¡± Lee Ki-Yeon exined.


    ¡°I see, so how¡­¡±


    ¡°How do you think I met him? I had nothing when I met the Master in the Republic. He was running a bar in a back alley," Lee Ki-Yeon answered.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Like everyone else, there were times when it was hard for me¡­ like there were times when I wanted to give up on life. I really lost everything at the time and was left hopeless. I cut off all my past connections, but I regretted being alone.


    "I realized that the person who had already left me could have been my true love. When I was still reeling from the betrayal that was so bad it left both my body and mind severely injured¡­" Lee Ki-Yeon paused.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°The Master appeared and offered help. He offered me a ce to stay and a job. He epted me even though I had lost everything. You never know what happens in life. I never imagined that he''d help me and that I would end up going on a date with you, Mr. Elias,¡± Lee Ki-Yeon added.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°The details aren¡¯t fun to hear, and I''m sure you''re feeling ufortable. You¡¯re the prince of Everia as well,¡± Lee Ki-Yeon said.


    ¡°It¡¯s not ufortable at all. As I said before¡ª¡±


    ¡°I know. You just said that out of courtesy¡­ So, what business do you have with me?¡± Lee Ki-Yeon asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°What do you want to know about me?¡± Lee Ki-Yeon asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Why are you so interested in a part-time worker who works at Laves¡¯ Small Rock?¡± Lee Ki-Yeon questioned me.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    What was I supposed to say to her? n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    I couldn¡¯t tell her that I had received a divine message and that she could be my destined partner as well as the possibility that she might bring destruction to this world.


    This situation was absurd, but the divine message was definitely not absurd. I couldn¡¯t imagine Elune lying to me, and it wasn''t like advents often happened, but I wanted to deny it.


    I knew my behavior was unforgivable, but I was hoping that this wouldn¡¯t go in the direction I was thinking. If the prophecy were true¡­


    <em>¡®Then Miss Hye-Jin¡­¡¯</em>


    What would happen to Miss Hye-Jin and me? If this woman and I were destined to be together and that it was an irresistible fate, what choice would I have to make?


    ¡°Let¡¯s have another ss,¡± Lee Ki-Yeon suggested.


    I raised my ss carefully and saw a figure staring quietly at me.


    ¡°<em>Uh¡­</em>¡±


    I saw Jo Hye-Jin entering the bar quietly, but she immediately ran outside upon seeing me.


    ¡°Wait¡­¡±


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 1048: Picnic (11)

    Chapter 1048: Pic (11)


    <em>''Why aren¡¯t you going after her?''</em>


    ¡°<em>Um¡­</em>¡±


    Why are you just standing there?


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Mr. Elias?¡± I[1] asked.


    <em>''Go after her.''</em>


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ nothing¡­¡± Elias replied.


    <em>¡®There¡¯s nothing about him that I like.¡¯</em>


    The title "Pure-hearted Man of This Era" was wasted on him.


    <em>¡®What can you even do? Why are you still here?¡¯</em>As expected, I heard a monotonous voice.


    ¡ª That¡¯s a minus five points for me. I don¡¯t even know what he can do. Hecks determination. Should I make a guess on what he¡¯s thinking right now? There¡¯s also that prophecy about the destruction of the continent, but I¡¯m sure that¡¯s not the reason why he can¡¯t go after her.


    ¡ª Even if he breaks up with Ki-Yeon today, it doesn¡¯t mean that he¡¯ll never see her again. She knows all the details, so she mighte back tomorrow.


    <em>Ah</em>, right, right.


    ¡ª It¡¯s all because <em>he¡¯s</em> the one who asked out Lee Ki-Yeon. He had no choice but to ask her out, but in the end, he was the one who asked her out.


    ¡ª In other words, if he leaves now, he¡¯ll be inconsiderate to Lee Ki-Yeon. He¡¯s inflexible and narrow-minded, so he believes he needs to take responsibility for his actions. Makes sense, right?


    <em>''Yeah, that seems to be the case¡ªno, I think that''s the case.''</em>


    If he hadn''tbeled it as a date, he would have been able to excuse himself and leave, but he had already said that this was a date. He thought he needed to be polite. Elves were narrow-minded, but Elias was worse than the average elf.


    Of course, he wasn¡¯t fine with the situation. He obviously looked shocked by the turn of events, and he definitely wanted to get out right now, but he couldn¡¯t choose whether to be rude to his date and follow Jo Hye-Jin or work out the misunderstandingter.


    <em>¡®It¡¯s toote.¡¯</em>


    And he was already being rude...


    ¡°You¡¯re pretty rude,¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s rude to think about someone else when you¡¯re on a date with me?¡± I asked.


    ¡°How¡ª¡±


    ¡°How did I know? You suddenly looked away in the middle of our conversation, and you look anxious like you want to leave right now. It¡¯s pretty obvious. Anyway, I just made a guess, but I''m disappointed to hear you confirm it,¡± I interrupted him.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± I said.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I said let¡¯s go. It seems like you don¡¯t want to be with me, and I¡¯m feeling kind of ufortable spending time with you, Mr. Elias,¡± I told him.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Obviously, I no longer want you to contact me, and you don¡¯t need to thank me for today. If it bothers you that much, then feel free to pay me back in gold. Come to think of it, we should¡¯ve done that from the start. This is the easiest way,¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Since I helped out the younger sister of the Union of Others'' leader, a hundred gold should be enough. You cherish her a lot, right? You don¡¯t have to give it to me in person¡­ Feel free to send it by mail or anything,¡± I said.


    With that, I got up and left.


    I cast a scornful look at him and acted like I was really angry


    However, the most important part here was the sadness inside me. It was a sadness I couldn¡¯t hide and could only be erased by someone who had been betrayed before. I wanted to hide the fact that I was a tragic heroine, but I couldn¡¯t hide it no matter how hard I tried.


    ¡°P-Please wait. I¡¯m sorry,¡± Elias said.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Miss Lee Ki-Yeon,¡± he called out.


    ¡°Let go of me,¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not anyone''s substitute,¡± I told him.


    <em>¡®That was a great line.¡¯</em>


    He grabbed my hand, seemingly out of desperation, and I couldn¡¯t shake him off by myself. However, he let go of my hand as soon as I told him to let go of me. Upon letting go of my hand, he no longer had any excuses to grab me again.


    To make matters worse, my eyes were already filled with tears.


    Of course, I wasn''t crying because I wanted anything or something.


    <em>¡®I just want him to be curious.¡¯</em>


    I wanted to make him wonder why I was crying, and I wanted him to feel curious about the story behind these tears. An affection normally sprouted from curiosity, after all.


    Being curious about Lee Ki-Yeon as a significant other wasn¡¯t hard, but it was hard to be curious about her as a human being.


    ¡°Miss Ki-Yeon¡­ wait¡­¡± Elias said.


    <em>¡®Geez, why is he being so pathetic? Can¡¯t he just let me go?¡¯</em>


    I didn¡¯t look back because I needed to show him that I had no lingering feelings.


    <em>¡®It wasn¡¯t bad.¡¯</em>


    But¡­


    <em>¡®I wonder if Hye-Jin is hurt.¡¯</em>


    <em>''I don¡¯t think so¡­ I think she was just surprised¡­''</em>


    <em>¡®She did say she wasn¡¯t sure about her feelings.¡¯</em>


    It was highly likely that she had no feelings for him.


    Rather than saying that she felt betrayed, it was better to say that she unconsciously reacted that way out of shock. She was not sad; she was surprised, as she had seen something she wasn''t supposed to see.


    That had to be the reason she ran away immediately.


    <em>¡®She hasn¡¯t posted anything on Benigoa Net¡­ Where is she right now?¡¯</em>


    Jo Hye-Jin ended up at the Laves Oasis.


    ¡ª <em>Ah</em>. Alps¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ but I forgot¡­ that I had something else nned¡­


    It sounded like she had ns to meet with Alps, but she ran away from where they had promised to meet, so there wasn¡¯t much she could say to her.


    She was too sad to return to her room, but the Park-Ki-Ri siblings, Cha Hee-Ra, and the Red Mercenary Guild had taken over the other taverns, so she couldn¡¯t head there.


    They were drinking, so she was worried about running into them. In the end, she chose to take a stroll at night.


    Unlike during the afternoons, the oasis was really empty at night. I saw a few people wandering around, but they couldn''t recognize Jo Hye-Jin.


    Jo Hye-Jin was sitting in a corner, so she didn¡¯t have to worry about running into people she was familiar with. Moreover, the ce gave off a really nice atmosphere, so it was the perfect time to have a drink.


    The woman wearing a blue hood seemed to have thought the same thing as me because she was staring at the object in her hand.


    And that was when I saw a figure walking up to her¡­


    ¡ª Are you alone?


    ¡ª <em>Huh? Ah!</em>


    ¡ª <em>Ah! </em>We¡¯ve met before. So you¡¯re¡­ Miss Jo Hye-Jin¡­


    <em>¡°Damn it, noona. What the hell? You said you weren¡¯t going to be Lee Ji-Hoo again,¡± I scolded her.</em>


    [Hold on. Hye-Jin is going through a hard time. I¡¯m just trying tofort her.]


    ¡°This is a breach of contract, noona. Get rid of Lee Ji-Hoo right now. I thought you were in the middle of the Find Daddy event? Have you been monitoring it, and have you made preparations for it?¡± I asked.


    [It¡¯s prohibited at night anyway. It¡¯s against the rules, and I¡¯m sure Dialugia is doing her job.]


    ¡°Where are they right now? I guarantee that if you don¡¯t keep their eyes on them, they¡¯ll carry out that quest,¡± I told her.


    [So you want me to just leave Hye-Jin alone? She had just witnessed a man, who apparently liked her, on a date with a beautiful woman. Her self-esteem will go down if I just leave her alone. Her self-esteem is already low, so she needs meetings like this to ensure that it won''t plummet into the abyss.]


    <em>¡®What the hell is she talking about?¡¯</em>


    Lee Ji-Hoo was staring at Jo Hye-Jin in apletely different way from before. Based on the situation, it seemed that the immature Lee Ji-Hoo no longer existed.


    Lee Ji-Hoo, a guild master of a major guild in Castlerock, tried to start a new life with Lee Ki-Yeon, but it didn¡¯t work out. His family died mysteriously, and he was pushed into a corner.


    Based on Ji-Hye noona¡¯s words, Lee Ji-Hoo was in a transitional period, and he would either awaken as a fallen archduke or a tyrant.


    Blinded by rage, Lee Ji-Hoo was steadily falling into madness, and he had lost all faith in humanity due to the mysterious deaths of his family.


    Eventually, he attempted to use Lee Ki-Yeon as a tool for his revenge, and he became a monster for it.


    However, his choices were actually made to protect Lee Ki-Yeon, and it became an inevitable choice, as he didn¡¯t want to have a hindrance or a weakness in his quest for revenge. Of course, this was known only to Lee Ji-Hoo.


    The current Lee Ji-Hoo no longer radiated the youth of his past self. He was corrupted, and he looked exhausted by his quest for revenge.


    <em>¡®I think she said he was attacked by an assassin.¡¯</em>


    Lee Ji-Hoo became a monster who was willing to use whatever tool was around him to achieve his goals. Naturally, Lee Ji-Hoo had to have approached Hye-Jin to use her for his revenge.


    ¡°Are you trying to hurt Hye-Jin, noona?¡± I asked.


    [What do you mean by hurt? <em>Ah</em>, Hye-Jin isn¡¯t someone I¡¯m going to use. It started out that way, sure, but he¡¯ll gradually open up to Jo Hye-Jin. When he¡¯s with her, his madness goes away. Although it¡¯s only for a moment, he can restfortably with her, and¡ª]


    ¡°Noona, are you abandoning Ki-Yeon?¡± I asked, interrupting.


    [...]


    ¡°Are you?¡± I asked.


    [It¡¯s not like that, Ki-Yeon. Are you jealous?]


    <em>¡®She¡¯s crazy.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Anyway, stop doing that,¡± I told her.


    [Just get ready. You really think I''ll do something like that when I¡¯m not a psychopath? I¡¯m just trying to help her mentally, just in case. I¡¯ll talk about random things and ask what she thinks about Elias. I think it¡¯s best if you go to sleep.]


    ¡°...¡±


    [I already told Lonovera and exined the story to her.]


    <em>¡®Yeah, I like it.¡¯</em>


    This noona was aware of the stories I liked. Lee Ji-Hoo wasn¡¯t the only person who would appear in Season Two; there was also a new story for Lee Ki-Yeon that was unknown to even Lee Ji-Hoo and Lee Ki-Yeon herself.


    Of course, the grand story had yet to be revealed to the world, but as Lee Ki-Yeon became more and more aware of just how filthy the world was, her pure negative energy would be stronger until the awakening of an unknown power inside her.


    <em>¡®I like this.¡¯</em>


    It was a darkness unknown to even Benigoa and the major gods of the continent. Only Elune was aware of it, and he tried to stop this tragedy through Elias.


    ¡°You really think he¡¯ll show up tomorrow?¡± I asked.


    [What is he going to do about it? You think he¡¯ll be able to stand still upon learning about how the continent is at risk of getting destroyed? Elves have a strong sense of duty, and it applies to Elune as well. To be honest, I feel like the standards are pretty high, but if he wants to be Hye-Jin¡¯s partner, he needs to be able to betray his god and the world.]


    <em>¡®She¡¯s right.¡¯</em>


    [But I don¡¯t think he can abandon Elune for Hye-Jin. Honestly, I don¡¯t even know whether this test is even worth it or not. He can¡¯t even betray Elune, so how can he betray the continent? I¡¯ll only ept him if he shows that he has the determination to start another life upon failing to protect Hye-Jin.]


    <em>¡®That¡¯s true.¡¯</em>


    [Anyway, be prepared for tomorrow morning. Yeon-Soo will help you dress up, and your color for tomorrow will be blue. You have to wake up early as well.]


    As if proving the veracity of Lee Ji-Hye''s words¡­


    ¡°Do you mind?¡± Elias asked.


    ¡°I told you not to follow¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he interrupted.


    ¡°<em>Whoo¡­</em> I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re doing this, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Please¡­¡± he begged.


    ¡°Follow me,¡± said Lee Ki-Yeon.


    ¡°...¡±


    I saw blue skies above Elias, who nodded in agreement.


    1. Lee Ki-Young¡¯s POV ?

 Chapter 1049: Picnic (12)

    ¡°It must¡¯ve rained yesterday,¡± I[1] said.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s been pouring since dawn,¡± Elias said.


    ¡°I was wondering why the sky was unusually clear today. But this is really something¡­ I mean, the Laves Desert is famous for not getting any rain,¡± I said.


    ¡°I know. I heard thest time it rained¡­ was about five hundred years ago. It''s been a long time, even by our standards,¡± Elias remarked.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    ¡°<em>Ah!</em> Have you heard of it, Mr. Elias? When itst rained in the Laves Desert¡­¡± I trailed off.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It was also the day when the desert elves¡¯ god, Sahaga, and Evil God G, met and parted ways. The tears shed by G turned into rain, and it fell upon the Laves Desert¡­¡± I added.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Sahaga was a pretty romantic god. There are many reasons why Sahaga never appeared on the continent again, but ording to a few schrs¡­ it¡¯s not because he had turned his back on his sons and daughters. It¡¯s more like he can¡¯t show himself; it''s not that he doesn¡¯t want to show himself."He made some sort of deal, and the deal must have stated that he could no longer get involved with the continent,¡± I exined.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all for the sake of meeting G again. She¡¯s supposedly asleep somewhere around here. Sahaga''s request was the reason G is still alive, even though she was supposed to have been executed a long time ago.


    "Sahaga also received permission to visit the continent from time to time to meet G, who is asleep in the desert somewhere. The legend is that the two are allowed to meet asionally, and it would rain each time they parted ways,¡± I added.


    ¡°It¡¯s kind of different from what I know. Sahaga loves his children more than anyone else, and the reason he hasn¡¯t shown himself to the desert elves is that¡­¡± Elias trailed off.


    ¡°One can make multiple interpretations in theology. It¡¯s a famous story. Who would dare question Sahaga¡¯s love for the desert elves? Considering the innate talents of the desert Elves, you can really tell how much sacrifice he made when creating his people¡­¡± I said.


    ¡°He cherishes the desert elves more than anyone,¡± Elias added.


    ¡°But never showed himself, and not once did he let them hear his voice,¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°If my interpretation is correct, I think I can understand Sahaga''s feelings. He had abandoned everything for the person he loved. In return, he can meet her for a few minutes asionally, but that¡¯s how much Sahaga loved G.


    "His love was so deep that he could abandon everything he had for her. He had abandoned his children and thend he loved¡­¡± I exined.


    ¡°You must have a lot of interest in theology,¡± he pointed out.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you? There was a god I used to serve,¡± I said.


    ¡°Could you tell me which god you used to serve?¡± Elias asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Elune,¡± I replied.


    ¡°What? Really?¡± Elias asked, sounding astonished.


    ¡°Is it illegal for humans to serve Elune? I used to be a follower of Elune. You probably think that I¡¯m lying, but I heard Elune''s voice as soon as I was summoned here.¡± I revealed. ?????¦¢¦¥?


    ¡°Elune¡¯s voice¡­¡± Elias muttered.


    ¡°After getting out of the tutorial dungeon, I rejected many offers¡­ and moved to a neutral city to live as Elune¡¯s follower. It¡¯s rare in neutral cities, but Elune¡¯s temple does exist, and of course, the followers there are all elves,¡± I said.


    ¡°I have an idea¡­ as to what happened. Were you¡­¡± Elias trailed off.


    ¡°Discriminated?¡± I said, finishing his sentence.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Humans aren¡¯t the only ones who reject things that are different from them. It¡¯s the same for the other races. I think some of the high priests were unhappy with the fact that I, a human, became a follower of Elune.


    "I can¡¯t exin the entire situation to you¡­ but I basically made the decision to leave. And I lived as a mage after that,¡± I exined.


    ¡°Could you tell me which temple it is and who they are? If what you¡¯re saying is true, then this¡­ this¡­ I don¡¯t know how I canfort you. It¡¯s just ridiculous. The least they could have done was to avoid discriminating against anyone inside Elune¡¯s temple.


    "I-I can¡¯t believe¡­ that happened¡­¡± Elias asked.


    ¡°Forget it. It¡¯s all in the past. Even if you punish them now¡­ nothing will change. It¡¯ll just make me look bad. They weren¡¯t bad people. It¡¯s just that they can''t ept those who are different from them. And aren''t humans the same, too?¡± I told him.


    ¡°I never thought about that,¡± Elias mumbled.


    ¡°It''s natural for you to overlook it given your position¡ª<em>Ah!</em> It¡¯s raining. How interesting. Does it rain this often here?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Indeed. Should we take a break?¡± Elias suggested.


    ¡°For what? This is nice. It¡¯s like a festival. There are people dancing in the rain, the lizardmen are cheering, and even the monsters are out enjoying the rain.


    "Rain shouldn¡¯t be important to them, but they seem to be enjoying themselves beneath it,¡± I told him.


    ¡°Yes, they really seem to be enjoying themselves. It¡¯s not like this rain can cool off the heat in Laves, and this ce has already been blessed, so it does not matter even if it doesn''t rain,¡± he said.


    ¡°That¡¯s great,¡± I said.


    ¡°M-Miss Lee Ki-Yeon?¡± Elias stuttered.


    ¡°What? You don¡¯t want to stand next to me even for a second?¡± I questioned.


    ¡°You¡¯re¡­ too close,¡± Elias answered.


    ¡°We only have one umbre. And¡­ didn''t youe here to apologize to me? In that case, you should grant me one wish. What? Should I just go back?¡± I asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°By the way, where are we headed?¡± Elias asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. We¡¯re just walking aimlessly since we don¡¯t really need a destination. But, Mr. Elias,¡± I paused.


    ¡°Yes, Miss Lee Ki-Yeon?¡± he answered.


    ¡°Why did youe back? I told you that I was fine¡­¡± I asked.


    ¡°I can¡¯t really tell you, but¡­¡± Elias paused.


    ¡°What kind of answer is that?¡± I asked.


    ¡°A dream¡­¡± Elias trailed off.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I had a dream. It was a dream about you, Miss Ki-Yeon,¡± Elias replied.


    ¡°Interesting. We were strangely intertwined the first time we met, and you saw me in your dream, and that¡¯s why you decided to find me the second time around? You know that''s kind of strange, right? So what kind of dream was it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say,¡± Elias answered.


    ¡°What the? Are you ying with me?¡± Iined.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing like that. I-It¡¯s just¡­ I was worried about you¡­ and I hope you realize that I don''t mean anything bad by it,¡± Elias rified.


    ¡°Did you have a dream about my death?¡± I asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°How¡ª¡±


    ¡°Did I know? I wonder how? Would you believe me if I told you that I had a strange dream as well?¡± I asked.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I was inside this pitch-ck space in my dreams. It was really dark. I couldn¡¯t see or feel anything. It was like I was dropped into an empty space. I couldn¡¯t escape from the darkness. I yelled as loudly as I could, but no one could hear me,¡± I told him.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I screamed for help nonstop, but my voice eventually disappeared, and I sank deeper and deeper into the waters. I was crying. I wanted someone to notice me ande for me. Many people popped into my head, but do you know whose voice I heard?¡± I asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It was your voice, Mr. Elias. It was definitely your voice,¡± I answered.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°It was a really dark ce¡­ but I saw light from where your voice wasing from,¡± I told him.


    ¡°So¡­ what happened?¡± Elias asked.


    ¡°The dream ended there, with me looking anxiously at the light. It felt so good to have that glimmer of hope in the darkness. I didn¡¯t see what happened in the end, but I was still happy because I saw that light.


    "That¡¯s the reason I¡¯m forgiving you, Mr. Elias. <em>Ah!</em> I haven''t forgiven you <empletely,</em>¡± I told him.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Now it¡¯s your turn, Mr. Elias. What kind of dream did you have?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I¡­¡± Elias paused.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I had a simr dream¡­"


    ¡°That¡¯s no fun. Are you really going to be like this?¡± Iined.


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you all the details, but I¡¯m sure it¡¯s simr to your dream. I¡¯m sure of it. In the dream¡­ I was searching for you, Miss Ki-Yeon. I was in a ruined city. Eventually, I found you, but just like you, I didn¡¯t see the end of the dream,¡± Elias answered.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ kind of surprising,¡± Imented.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not even that surprising, especially on a continent where all sorts of things happen, but I¡¯m wondering¡­ whether it was some kind of¡­ precognitive dream or not,¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ think that I¡¯m weird for saying this, okay?¡± I warned him.


    ¡°I won¡¯t think of you that way, Miss Ki-Yeon,¡± he said.


    ¡°Do you¡­ believe in destiny?¡± I asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Destiny?¡± Elias repeated.


    ¡°Destiny¡­¡± I said.


    ¡°In my hometown, some people say that people are connected by an invisible red thread,¡± I said.


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± he asked.


    ¡°It means that people are connected by a red thread the moment they¡¯re born. This red thread will never break and can even turn mortal enemies into lovers. It¡¯s a ridiculous superstition, but I believe it.


    "No, I started believing in it. You can¡¯t help but believe it,¡± I answered.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Am I the only one who thinks that way? Do you¡­ not feel anything, Mr. Elias?¡± I asked.


    I saw Elias looking at me quietly with anxious eyes.


    ¡°Did you¡­ really not feel anything?¡± I asked.


    A woman in a blue dress appeared in his eyes.


    ¡°You¡­ don¡¯t feel it?¡± I asked again.


    That was probably when it stopped raining¡­


    The clouds cleared, and like magic, sunlight shone through the holes in the clouds, illuminating the world underneath.


    Elias remained quiet. He just stood there silently without confirming or denying my ridiculousment about us being destined to be together despite having livedpletely different lives.


    ¡°It stopped raining,¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I really like looking at the blue sky after it rains,¡± I told him.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t¡­ really like the rain. It¡¯s a blessing to these people¡­ but it makes me sad. That must be why I like the clear sky after it rains,¡± I continued.


    ¡°Miss Ki-Yeon,¡± Elias said.


    ¡°It¡¯s like it¡¯s telling us that something good will always happen after something sad,¡± I added.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I hope¡­ that a day like that wille into my life someday,¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It would be really nice¡­ if that kind of dayes¡­¡± I repeated.


    I shed a few tears.


    The ruler of Everia said nothing and simply hugged me, who was crying.


    ¡°Mr. Elias¡­¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°...¡±


    <em>¡®It only took six hours, you unfaithful bastard.¡¯</em>


    1. Lee Ki-Yeon''s Point of View ?


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 1050: Picnic (13)

    [Did you get home safely, Mr. Elias?]


    [Yes, did you, Miss Ki-Yeon?]


    [That¡¯s why I¡¯m sending you this message. You even walked me back to my ce, <em>hehe</em>. I had a lot of fun today. I didn¡¯t think we would continue our rtionship like this. It¡¯s really interesting.]


    [You¡¯re right.]


    [Actually, I thought our meeting yesterday was going to be thest, but¡­ I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d hug me so affectionately¡­]


    [I¡¯m sorry about yesterday. I made a really big mistake, Miss Ki-Yeon.]


    [And you made up for that mistake today.]


    [I¡¯m d you think that way.]


    [Anyway, you don¡¯t need to think too deeply or worry yourself over it. You don¡¯t have to tell the press¡­ Actually, to be honest, I hope you don¡¯t tell them. It¡¯s a little burdensome¡­ <em>hehe.</em>]He wasn''t replying. Perhaps he had yet to realize the fact that we were already dating.


    [I might be getting worried for no reason¡­ since we¡¯re not in a serious rtionship yet, but there are various issues to handle, such as the sessor of Everia. Of course, I¡¯d be happy if you¡¯ve already thought that far¡­ b-but I still need time to think¡­ I want to take my time rather than rushing into it.]


    He had to be startled by that message.


    [I didn¡¯t insult you, did I? ?]


    He had to be really flustered. He had seen my message, but he had yet to reply. There could have been some kind of misunderstanding, as it was not like Elias had confessed to me. However, rtionships weren''t necessarily formed through words alone.


    He hugged me, and he took me back to my ce quietly while we held hands, so it was more than a simple date. Our rtionship was formed through our actions and emotions alone. I was not sure about the elf, but from innocent Lee Ki-Yeon¡¯s point of view, it was enough to consider it a confession.


    <em>¡®It wasn¡¯t a simple exchange of emotions.¡¯</em>


    It was an exchange of souls¡ªboth Elias and I knew that. No one would think that our soul exchange was an ordinary one.


    We were clearly¡­ riding the great wave of destiny. On that day, Elias and I looked at the sky after the rain and confirmed that there was a red thread around our finger, connecting us together.


    <em>¡®You¡¯re rude if you don¡¯t say anything after that.¡¯</em>


    Twenty minutester, I finally got a reply.


    [I wasn''t¡­ insulted¡­]


    I used my Telescope and saw Elias with a hand on his forehead. He ced his Goddess¡¯ Hand Mirror on the desk.


    [I think there was a bit of a misunderstanding¡­]


    [What?]


    [We shouldn¡¯t be talking about this through messages. How about we meet tomorrow and talk?]


    [<em>Ah</em>¡­ sure. Should I look forward to it?]


    [No¡­ it¡¯s nothing to look forward to.]


    I felt like he wanted to pretend that the exchange of souls never happened. He was tapping his hand mirror while sighing, and his face was filled with worry. If Jo Hye-Jin hadn''t existed, he would have picked Lee Ki-Yeon''s route.


    However, Jo Hye-Jin was here, so he was hesitating between the two women.


    <em>¡®That jerk.¡¯</em>


    Jo Hye-Jin had always been in his heart, and he had always looked up to her. She had also changed his opinion on humans. When he felt that perhaps it was a love that woulde only once in a lifetime, another woman he liked suddenly appeared in his life.


    <em>¡®As for me¡­¡¯</em>


    He was just worried about me for some reason. Of course, if one were to look at it from the outside, one would see that Lee Ki-Yeon was more than someone he was worried about. Elune had picked me as his partner, and I was a woman connected to him through the red thread of destiny.


    He could not just abandon Lee Ki-Yeon.


    ording to Ji-Hye noona¡¯s lore, Lee Ki-Yeon''s mental state was extremely unstable, so she could copse at any moment. In addition to losing everything, she was betrayed by the person she thought was her true love. She was pretending to be fine, strong, and confident, but Elias saw the scar deep in her soul.


    Elias was the first person to confront her directly about her scar.


    <em>¡®There¡¯s also the part about how she''s connected to the destruction of the continent.¡¯</em>


    <em>"Ji-Hye noona."</em>


    ¡ª I¡¯m Lee Ji-Hoo right now. And I¡¯m texting Hye-Jin right now, so let¡¯s talkter.


    <em>"No, it¡¯s not that. I think he¡¯s close to falling for it, which makes today our first day as a couple."</em>


    ¡ª...


    <em>"..."</em>


    <em>"I expected it, but he doesn¡¯t have an ounce of loyalty in him. That elf jerk. Saying that today is our first day as a couple is forcing it, so I really don¡¯t think he¡¯s loyal. I don¡¯t think we need to carry out thest test."</em>


    ¡ª No, we should still do it. Human or elf, their true naturees out during the worst-case scenario. You can¡¯t even say for sure that Ki-Yeon haspletely fallen for him. More importantly, we need to end this soon.


    <em>"What?"</em>


    ¡ª This story. I wasn¡¯t going to take this seriously, but I don¡¯t know when I¡¯ll get another opportunity like this. We need to end this one way or another. I¡¯m d we¡¯re on vacation. This is the kind of vacation I was expecting.


    <em>"You really want to use the continental destruction script?"</em>


    ¡ª You really think I would do that? I¡¯m just setting the mood. Did you see the new script I sent you? Let¡¯s talk again after you¡¯ve reviewed it.


    <em>"What about today?"</em>


    ¡ª Let¡¯s end things here today. You have work to do as well. It¡¯s your favorite hobby.


    "What is it?" I asked.


    ¡ª Using your telescope to watch people and taking an interest in other people¡¯s lives.


    <em>¡®She didn¡¯t need to say it like that.¡¯</em>


    But she wasn¡¯t wrong.


    <em>¡®It¡¯s fun watching people y.¡¯</em>


    At first, I was honestly upset that I had to spend money on it, but then I thought it was worth spending money on the Telescope.


    ¡ª Give me another!


    ¡ª You¡¯re drunk, Miss Ye-Ri.


    ¡ª But what are Ki-Young oppa and Hyun-Sung oppa doing?


    <em>¡®Looks like she¡¯s drunk. She called me oppa, after all.¡¯</em>


    ¡ª I think hyung-nim is ying with the kids¡­ and Hyun-Sung bro said he was preparing for an important event¡­


    ¡ª So we can hang out once that¡¯s done, right?


    ¡ª We have the group schedule. It was canceled because of Miss Dialuria and Max, but once this is over, I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll get together again. <em>Ah!</em> Miss Belier, Miss Alps! Over here!


    ¡ª Hello, everyone.


    ¡ª What¡¯s with that formal greeting? Just rx.


    ¡ª They should still show respect. If they don¡¯t, they¡¯ll start acting up, Mister Deok-Gu. This is unimaginable back in my day¡­ It seems times have truly changed.


    The Park-Ki-Ri siblings and the rookies were having a small get-together.


    ¡ª No, Miss Jung Ha-Yan. Only children are allowed to participate in Find Dad.


    ¡ª I-I-I want to participate as well. Oppa said he''d give a reward.


    ¡ª Then why don¡¯t you ask Sera? I¡¯m sure Sera will find him.


    ¡ª S-Should I? I¡¯m allowed to do that, right?


    ¡ª Yes, of course. Let¡¯s go to sleep now.


    Jung Ha-Yan and Han Sora were getting ready for bed.


    ¡ª It¡¯s peaceful.


    ¡ª You¡¯re right.


    ¡ª I hope it remains peaceful¡­


    Elena looked up at the sky with a worried gaze while Sun Hee-Young drank tea with a rxed face. It wasn¡¯t thatte, but I was happy to see everyone enjoy life in their own way.


    Park Lian seemed to be unhappy with her equipment, as she was spending a long time in the item shop. Meanwhile, Yoo Ah-Young and Lee Chang-Ryeol were on a datete at night.


    Rafael¡¯s party arrivedte, so they were still looking around the city.


    Hee-Ra noona was sitting with Kasugano Yuno, and the former was drinking brewed alcohol from arge bowl. Colonel Smith was sitting on a boulder by himself, trying to establish a serene mood.


    <em>¡®Ah! They invited the Mist Summoner, too?¡¯</em>


    Some of those invited were people familiar to me but were not necessarily close to me.


    I looked around the city with my Telescope and was about to go to sleep when I realized that I hadn''t seen the children yet.


    <em>¡®Where did they go?¡¯</em>


    I looked around frantically, but I couldn''t see them. Dialugia was missing as well. As if zooming into the Laves Desert wasn¡¯t enough, I looked around for a while and finally found the children.


    <em>¡®What the? What are you guys doing?¡¯</em>


    ¡ª Are you ready?


    ¡ª Yes, noonim.


    ¡ª Yes, unni!


    <em>¡®Where are you guys?¡¯</em>


    ¡ª You¡¯re doing great getting its attention! Cheru! Thro! Get a hold of yourselves!


    ¡ª I¡¯m sorry.


    ¡ª Sena! Sena! Sena[1]! Answer me!


    ¡ª O-Okay, n-n-noonim!


    ¡ª Follow Max¡¯s instructions! He¡¯ll give us the coordinates! You won¡¯t get hurt as long as you follow his instructions. It¡¯s only a Legendary dungeon. It''s <em>just a </em>Legendary dungeon! <em>Eek!</em> You useless kids! Move! It¡¯s going to transform!


    ¡ª Watch out, Cheru!


    - Noonim! Don¡¯t shoot yet! Ch-Cheru¡­ Cheru!


    ¡ª Cherubim has already moved out of the way! Right, Domi?


    ¡ª Yes, unni!


    It had been a while since I saw Dialuria in her giant dragon form. Her Breath was simr to Dialugia''s back when she was still in her prime. The mysterious monster that was struck by her Breath roared before flying into a wall.


    Thronus picked up his sword and jumped into the air to cut off its head.


    ¡ª Assist Thro! This is just the first boss! What the hell did you learn?! You said you¡¯ve been in dungeons and havepleted many tasks!


    ¡ª Th-They¡¯re kind of different, unni. I don¡¯t know why¡­ but these monsters¡­


    ¡ª Damn it! Max! Change formations! This won¡¯t work! It¡¯s time for tactical Dialuria!


    ¡ª Okay, noona!


    Numerous screens appeared above Max, who was being protected by golems.


    Dialugia transformed into her human form and grabbed a sword before pushing Thronus away.


    ¡ª I¡¯ll take care of it! Back me up!


    ¡ª O-Okay!


    I thought the dungeons in Laves Desert had already been cleared?


    ¡ª I knew it the moment I saw this dungeon. The Red Mercenary Guild has already cleared this area, so why do you think there¡¯s still a dungeon here?n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    ¡ª That¡¯s¡­


    ¡ª Yeah. It¡¯s highly likely that Dad created this dungeon.


    <em>¡®No, I didn¡¯t create it.¡¯</em>


    ¡ª He was probably trying to test us. It¡¯s probably like aing-of-age ceremony.


    ¡ª You think so? You think Father¡­


    ¡ª You dummy! Do you know why we still haven¡¯t received the Blue Guild¡¯s official badge yet? It means we¡¯re not qualified yet! We''ve grown physically, but we haven¡¯t grown mentally!


    <em>¡®What are you guys doing right now?¡¯</em>


    For some reason, I had a sense of foreboding.


    I took my eyes off the kids and turned to find Kim Hyun-Sung looking like an evil spirit.


    ¡ª Damn it. Why can¡¯t you finish it¡­


    ¡ª Please spare me. P-Please¡­spare me, God of Sunset.


    ¡ª I don¡¯t have a lot of time left. Mr. Ki-Young is really looking forward to it¡­ Do you know what the problem is?


    ¡ª I-I don¡¯t have enough catalysts. Chanelia Hermes'' strength is higher than we thought¡­


    ¡ª <em>Whoo¡­</em> everything has to be perfect¡­


    <em>''What the hell are you doing¡­''</em>


    ¡ª So what do you need?


    <em>''What are you doing¡­''</em>


    ¡ª We need at least¡­ a Mythic¡­ catalyst.


    1. not a typo. ?


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 Chapter 1051: Picnic (14)

    ¡ª A Mythic catalyst?


    ¡ª That¡¯s right. I know this doesn¡¯t make any sense¡­ a Legendary catalyst isn''t working¡­ so I assume only a Mythic catalyst will work.


    ¡ª ¡­


    ¡ª If you¡¯re okay with just summoning a soul¡­ we¡¯ll do our best. We¡¯llplete it¡­ even if it means risking our lives¡­


    ¡ª Just summoning a soul won¡¯t help at all, and I already told you! The important part here is that they''ll be intact in this world, even if it¡¯s only for a few moments.


    ¡ª C-C-Chanelia Hermes¡¯ soul is refusing to connect with an ordinary body. The only way around this is to prepare a slightly better body. Please¡­ I have a wife and children. God of Sunset¡­ please show us mercy just this once¡­


    ¡ª So high-quality materials are still needed, even if they are not on a transcendent level.


    ¡ª That¡¯s right! The body doesn¡¯t have to be in the best condition. For example, they can be traces¡­ or just parts¡­


    ¡ª <em>Wheeew¡­</em>I saw Kim Hyun-Sung mumbling to himself.


    ¡ª But¡­ Altanus¡¯ body is gone¡­ <em>wheew. </em>Damn it¡­


    - ¡­


    ¡°...¡±


    Hyun-Sung¡­


    <em>¡®You¡¯re not a psychopath, are you?¡¯</em>


    After casually blurting out something that could terrify even ck mages, he grabbed his head and sighed. The situation itself was so shocking that it felt like I was watching a cheesyedy show, but Kim Hyun-Sung looked really serious.


    <em>¡®He didn¡¯t make such a huge offer because he thinks that those damned ck mages can''t do it, did he?¡¯</em>


    I was sure it wasn¡¯t far-fetched, but alchemy, ck magic, and magic basically followed thew of equivalent exchange. Assuming that Chanelia Hermes¡¯ soul was higher in rank than ordinary souls, it was only natural to pay a price of equal value.


    I had no idea what Kim Hyun-Sung had prepared as materials, but since he had decided to do this, he had definitely prepared high-quality material.


    Was it because they were an artist?


    <em>¡®If the soul¡¯s nature is picky, then it¡¯ll be even harder.¡¯</em>


    The problem was that they needed a Mythic catalyst, and they also had yet to find a fleshly body that Chanelia Hermes was willing to connect with.


    Altanus¡¯ body had already turned into dust, and Kim Hyun-Sung couldn¡¯t find a body that was on a simr level at short notice. Kim Hyun-Sung could obtain such materials from monsters, but it was impossible to know what side effects would ur when a human¡¯s soul descended upon a monster carcass.


    The task of converting those materials into something that humans could safely influence was difficult. In fact, only alchemists on my level could do something like that.


    Of course, Kim Hyun-Sung wouldn''t ask for my help.


    Regardless of how these ck mages were feeling¡­


    <em>¡®I¡¯m sure he¡¯s going to cause trouble.¡¯</em>


    Naturally, I grabbed my hand mirror.


    <em>"Mr. Hyun-Sung?"</em>


    Through the telescope, I saw Kim Hyun-Sung reach out for his hand mirror.


    ¡ª Hello, Mr. Ki-Young. Are you enjoying your vacation?


    <em>¡®That was fast.¡¯</em>


    <em>"Of course. I never imagined you¡¯d take care of me this much. It feels like this is the first time I¡¯ve gotten a good rest ever since I was summoned here. It can¡¯t get any better than this."</em>


    ¡ª Thank you for telling me that. I can try harder then¡­


    <em>"What? What are you saying all of a sudden? There¡¯s no need to try harder? Hehe. I''m telling you¡­ that I¡¯m really satisfied¡­"</em>


    ¡ª I¡¯m sorry¡­


    <em>¡®What are you sorry about?¡¯</em>


    <em>"I wasn¡¯t expecting an apology¡­ I¡¯m not sorry; I¡¯m grateful¡­ ^^;;"</em>


    ¡ª I¡¯m really¡­ sorry.


    <em>"No, I¡¯m satisfied."</em>


    ¡ª But you can really trust me this time. I really won¡¯t let you down this time.


    <em>"I''m being honest with you¡­ I''m really grateful."</em>


    <em>¡®No, that¡¯s not what I meant¡­¡¯</em>


    He had to be thinking that I was nagging at him, as I had been nagging too much these days.


    <em>¡®Maybe I¡¯ve been too harsh on him.¡¯</em>


    I used my Telescope to look at Kim Hyun-Sung again, and I saw that he looked anxious.


    He lowered his head as if he had ruined everything.


    <em>¡®Do I need to show him that I¡¯m really happy? Will he understand if I tell him my true feelings? Wait, maybe he¡¯s even suspicious of that.¡¯</em>


    And that was when someone kicked the door open¡­


    ¡°We¡¯re in trouble!¡±


    ¡°What? What? What is it?!¡± I asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s really bad. Dialuria, Max¡­ and the children have disappeared,¡± Dialugia answered while crying.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t just barge in here like this,¡± I nagged at her.


    ¡°The children disappeared. I was watching them, but they disappeared when I was dozing off, and I couldn¡¯t find them no matter how hard I looked. I searched everywhere in the city, and I looked at ces where the children could be¡­ I even went around Laves Desert¡­ but I couldn¡¯t find them,¡± Dialugia exined.


    The way she spoke hurriedly wasn¡¯t all that different from before. The tworge horns sitting on top of her head, her silky ck hair, and her slightly exhausted and resentful expression were still the same.


    There was a brief silence in the bedroom.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°D-Do you happen to be Dialuria¡¯s father?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Right now, you look¡­ <em>Ah</em>, among humans, there are those who identify with the gender that¡¯s opposite of their original gender¡­¡± Dialugia said.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that. There''s a reason why I look like this, so don¡¯t ask any questions. I was actually going to contact you¡­ but you came here first,¡± I said.


    ¡°<em>Ah</em>, we shouldn¡¯t just stand around like this. As I said, Dialuria and Max¡ª¡±


    ¡°I know where the children are,¡± I interrupted her.


    ¡°What? Really? Where have you seen them?¡± Dialugia asked.


    ¡°Hold on. I was watching them just now. Anyway, you don¡¯t have to worry, so calm down,¡± I reassured her.


    ¡°How can I calm down?! They¡¯re still children!¡± Dialugia shouted.


    <em>¡®They are children, but I don¡¯t think you need to worry about them that much.¡¯</em>


    ¡ª Noonim.


    ¡ª I¡¯m watching. You can take care of it alone, right, Cheru?


    ¡ª Yes, I got it.


    ¡ª I need to take a break but don¡¯t put your guard down because I¡¯m recording for the dungeon logs right now. I¡¯m going to send all of it to Dad and show him who contributed the most to the raid. Keep that in mind. Keep in mind that I¡¯m also filming your mistakes!


    ¡ª You mean¡­


    ¡ª Well, I don¡¯t know if the Find Dad quest is a group mission or a solo mission. Even if we sessfullyplete this mission¡­ something unfortunate might happen. I''m talking about the possibility that some people might get the Blue Guild Badge while others won''t get it. Except Domi, do you guys know how bad you are right now?


    ¡ª Especially you, Cheru. All I can say about you is that you¡¯re a huge disappointment. Personally, I expected a lot from you.


    ¡ª Th-That¡¯s¡­


    ¡ª I want all of us to pass as well¡­ but I wonder¡­ if Dad will be happy if we return when we¡¯ve achieved so little. Even if he gives the guild badges to you guys out of sympathy, will you be able to wear them proudly?! You think he¡¯ll be proud of you guys right now?


    ¡ª N-No. I-I-I don¡¯t want that!


    ¡ª Then do it right, Sena!


    ¡ª I-It¡¯s Sera, noonim.


    <em>¡®It¡¯s a Legendary dungeon.¡¯</em>


    I saw the children flying around and taking down monsters.


    Dialuria nodded in delight at the scene, and anyone would certainly say that they were not ordinary kids. There were no such things as rules when it came to raiding dungeons, but the children weren¡¯t struggling despite that.


    Max was apetentmander, and he was with them.


    Dialuria was with them as well, and she was urging them to work harder. In addition, Dialuria had already developed her own fighting style that was better than what most humans and dragons used on the battlefield.


    There was no need for me to say anything about the children since they had been training every day under their amazing mothers and teachers. They looked like children, but it was not an exaggeration to say that they had already grown into skilled adventurers.


    Of course, if I were to exaggerate just a little bit, a party with members as powerful as theirs wasparable to a major guild.


    ¡°The children are in a dungeon,¡± I said.


    ¡°What?¡± Dialugia asked.


    ¡°They¡¯re inside a dungeon, and they¡¯re doing fine clearing it¡­¡± I added.


    ¡°What are you¡­ Could you tell me¡­ where the dungeon is located?¡± she asked.


    ¡°The south of the Laves Desert¡­ Let me grab the exact coordinates¡­¡± I answered.


    Dialugia was starting to frown. It wasn''t a big deal in my eyes, but she looked too serious to say that she was being worried for nothing, so all sorts of thoughts popped into my head. Before I could even hear Dialugia''s opinion, I was already thinking about the worst-case scenario.


    <em>¡®Howe they couldn''t find this dungeon?¡¯</em>


    I knew Max waspetent, but I started questioning why the Red Mercenary Guild couldn¡¯t find this dungeon while they were stabilizing the Laves Desert.


    <em>¡®Was there a specific condition to unlock it?¡¯</em>


    Sometimes, there were specific conditions that had to be met to unlock a dungeon. There were dungeons that would only unlock when one had offered certain items. There were also dungeons that would only unlock based on natural phenomena, like an eclipse or something.


    There were also dungeons hidden by thews of the continent.


    The children probably entered one of those dungeons.


    ¡°It¡­ It rained. Didn¡¯t¡­ it rain today?¡± Dialugia asked.


    I wasn¡¯t dumb enough not to understand Dialugia''s words, which she mumbled with a devastated look. There was a tale that was being passed down through generations in the Laves Desert. A legend told by the wanderers of the desert.


    ¡°Evil God G,¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°The dungeon where G was sealed. They entered¡­ using the path that Sahaga used to enter the dungeon,¡± I mumbled.


    <em>¡®But it¡¯s not even an unranked dungeon. It¡¯s just a Legendary dungeon.¡¯</em>


    If G''s limbs were severed before she was sealed, the children would be able to clear the dungeon with their strength, but as a parent, I wanted them to avoid going on such dangerous adventures, especially when they had no idea what they were about to go through.


    ¡°<em>Sob! Heeeuk¡­ Sniff!¡±</em>


    I understood the crying Dialugia''s feelings.


    <em>¡®But this is an event. There¡¯s no need to be startled.¡¯</em>


    <em>"Benigoa?"</em>


    ¡ª <em>Huh?</em> What? W-What¡¯s wrong?


    <em>"Do you know who G is?"</em> I asked.


    ¡ª G? G¡­ G? Who was G again¡ª<em>Aah!</em> I remember! I remember now! Mr. Bel should know better than me, though. I remember him being really close to her.


    <em>"Really? Howe it¡¯s the first time I''ve heard of this? It wasn¡¯t even in the reports."</em>


    ¡ª <em>Ah</em>¡­ t-that¡¯s¡­ because it happened a long time ago¡­ and the file was already taken care of¡­ I-I think it was buried deep inside the file box. Wait, it¡¯s also an old file¡­


    <em>"We¡¯recking manpower, right?"</em>


    ¡ª Are you going to hire someone? I-I don¡¯t know about her¡­ She''s skilled, but¡­]


    <em>"Isn¡¯t it a good idea? If he got demoted upon getting sealed, then it means she¡¯s not affiliated with anyone¡­ Anyway, connect her to me."</em>


    ¡ª Okay¡­ hold on. Where¡¯s her contact information¡­ Lauren! Do you have G¡¯s¡ª


    <em>"I want you to contact Sahaga as well."</em>


    ¡ª S-Sahaga is affiliated with a different dimension right now.


    <em>"It doesn¡¯t matter. Just hurry."</em>


    ¡ª Lauren! Sahaga¡¯s channel as well!


    <em>"Just connect me to Lauren."</em>


    After a while, I heard a voice I had heard before.


    ¡ª It¡¯s nice to meet you, God of Sacrifice and Revival.


    I could feel it.


    <em>¡®Negotiating with her is not going to be easy¡­¡¯</em>


    The voice belonged to none other than Evil God G.


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 1052: Picnic (15)

    ¡°<em>Eeeeek!</em>¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Please help!¡±


    <em>¡®This time¡­ I</em>[1]<em> need to prove myself.¡¯</em>


    ¡°<em>Geez</em>, move out of the way! I¡¯ll take care of it. Sena!¡± Dialuria shouted.


    ¡°I-I-I can do it too. Give me one more chance¡­¡± I said.


    ¡°It¡¯s an order, Sena! Start providing support from the back. It¡¯s still dangerous! I think this monster is high in Endurance,¡± she said.


    ¡°I-I-It¡¯s Sera¡­¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°Get into formation, everyone!¡± Dialuria ordered.¡°Okay, unni!¡± Domi answered.


    ¡°Okay, noonim.¡±


    I saw Cheru charging at the frontline with his wings out. At some point, his wings grewrge enough to cover his entire body. It was beyond amazing to see him use his wings as a shield.


    The way he endured the attacks of the monster with twelve arms and swung his blue scythe whenever he had the chance made him look like an experienced adventurer.


    I was amazed by how he could carry out Max hyung''s instructions without any errors.


    I was also amazed by Thro, who had reached his current heights with his swordsmanship alone. He had be more agile than before, and he dodged every single attacking his way while attacking at the same time.


    Just like me, Domi was providing support from behind, but she was doing a lot more than me. Honestly, I was in an awkward position. Domi had the special ability of Teleport. She could not Teleport far, but the fact that she could instantly change positions was extremely valuable on this unpredictable battlefield.


    I was doing my best with the spells that I had learned from Mom, but¡­


    <em>¡®Ick firepower.¡¯</em>


    It felt like I still had a long way to go.


    Everyone had grown stronger. Of course, I was no exception.


    The number of spells I could use and the amount of mana within me had grown. I had improved so much that I could finally triple cast. I was feeling pretty reassuredtely, as I thought I was doing well in closebat, but my siblings¡¯ growth was beyond what I had imagined.


    <em>¡®Auntie said I¡¯m just a slow learner¡­¡¯</em>


    Running first wouldn''t necessarily mean that one would reach the destination first.


    This was what Auntie told me each time sheforted me, so I engraved her words in my heart, but I still felt anxious.


    My siblings were slowly awakening their powers. My n was to wield both magic and swords, but Thro and Cherbu were already skilled in closebat, while Domi was skilled at providing support from the rear. In other words, there was bound to be a difference in our contribution levels.


    Of course, I knew how difficult it was to do something like that, but I had to do it, as I was mediocre in both sword and magic. I wanted to give up on magic, but I couldn¡¯t because of Mom. I couldn¡¯t give up on swordsmanship either, as I had alreadye this far.


    <em>¡®Noonim and Max hyung will obviously score the highest. I¡¯ll score the lowest.¡¯</em>


    ¡°We''ve cleared the objective this time as well. The monster was big, but it wasn¡¯t hard to deal with. Hey, Sena. Come over here and sort out the items that dropped,¡± Dialuria instructed.


    ¡°O-Okay, noonim,¡± I answered.


    I was pretty sure that my contribution grade would be¡­


    <em>¡®My contribution grade will be a C. Or it might be an F¡­¡¯</em>


    I caught the monster¡¯s attention when the battle had just started. I did my best at closebat, but I couldn¡¯t prate the monster¡¯s skin, so I was immediately sent to the rear.


    Max hyung was the only considerate one here, so he gave me a task, but I messed up.


    ¡°Sera, are you okay?¡± Cheru asked.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine, Cheru. D-Don¡¯t worry about me. You might get eliminated because of me¡­¡± I said.


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Auntie Sora said I¡¯m just a slow learner¡­ This wasn''t my time, but if I work hard, I might get another chance next time¡­ a-and Mom said not to be too obsessed with grades. S-S-She said she wanted me to be happy,¡± I told him.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Also, Noonim is right. We don¡¯t even know if we¡¯ll be evaluated individually. Of course, it¡¯s highly likely, but anyway, I-I need to do my best so that I can get a good score,¡± I continued.


    ¡°Sera,¡± Cheru said.


    ¡°It¡¯s a good look on you, Sena. You definitely look a lot different from before. You''d be crying like a crybaby right now if this were before, but you aren''t crying right now,¡± Dialuriamented.


    ¡°Noona?¡±


    ¡°<em>Hmph. </em>Gather around, everyone,¡± Dialuria ordered.


    ¡°What? Why so suddenly¡­¡±


    ¡°I have a minor injury,¡± Dialuria informed us.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I must¡¯ve pushed myself too hard¡­ My left foot has been acting strange for a while. I think it¡¯s best if I take a break from raiding for the time being,¡± Dialuria said.


    ¡°Th-Then wouldn¡¯t it be better for us to go back, Noonim?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Be quiet, Sera. Not even the Blue Guild gave up in the middle of a raid. I¡¯ll be fine if I just take a break. Until then¡­ I want Sera to take my role,¡± Dialuria said.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°What? You can do it. If Max and Domi focus their buffs on you, you can do it. The monster just now had high Endurance. I think the next one will be a different type of monster, so I¡¯m sure you can handle it, Sera,¡± Dialuria exined.


    ¡°N-Noona,¡± I mumbled.


    I nced at Dialuria¡¯s left foot, but I saw no injuries.


    ¡°Domi, can youe here and treat my wound?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Sure, unni,¡± Domi answered.


    I felt like I knew why she lied and pretended to be in pain despite the fact that there wasn¡¯t a single injury on her.


    It¡¯d be strange not to notice that she was being considerate of me, and I was sure she¡¯d be considerate of me in her report to Father as well. She would report that she had suffered a minor injury, so I had taken her ce in the raid.


    She had decided to tell a lie that could damage her reputation.


    ¡°Noona¡­¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°It¡¯s really just a minor injury. Go and make some achievements that I can report. You get what I¡¯m saying?¡± Dialuria asked.


    ¡°Y-Yes!¡± I answered.


    ¡°Congrattions, Sera.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m happy for you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, thanks, Thro,¡± I said.


    ¡°Then, I think it¡¯s best if we change the formation,¡± Max suggested.


    ¡°Max hyung¡­¡± I muttered.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s an easy task. We¡¯re kind ofcking firepower, so I¡¯ll need to change the items as well¡­¡± Max said.


    ¡°Thanks, hyung,¡± I said.


    Max hyung was taking out items from the mysterious box floating in the air while Dialuria noona was pretending to be in pain to the point that it was embarrassing.


    Thro and Cheru didn¡¯t seem jealous. They sincerely congratted me, as this was a really good opportunity for me.


    I hated myself for being jealous of my siblings in the first ce.


    ¡°T-T-Tha¡ª¡±


    And that was when the atmosphere changed...


    ¡°<em>Huh?</em>¡±


    No, that wasn¡¯t the only thing that changed. All I did was blink, and I suddenly found myself in apletely different ce.


    <em>¡®What the heck?¡¯</em>


    ¡°Domi?¡±


    ¡°I-It¡¯s not a trap, unni. This is just¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ what¡¯s going on right now¡­¡± Domi answered.


    ¡°Max?¡± Dialuria called out.


    ¡°I can¡¯t control it. The dungeon¡­ it¡¯s moving, unni. It¡¯s my first time encountering something like this¡­¡± Max replied.


    Just then¡­


    [The children are here.]


    ¡°Ruuuun!!!¡± Dialuria screamed with all her might.


    <em>BOOOM!!</em>N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Cheru grabbed me and ran to the other side, and then I heard low rumblings from both the ceiling and the ground as they were split apart.


    Dialuria transformed in an instant and unleashed a massive Breath.


    The golems that Max hyung had summoned created a giant wall.


    ¡°It¡¯s an order! Run right now! And get help!¡± Dialuria instructed.


    <em>BOOM!</em>


    I couldn''t really understand what was happening right now.


    ¡°Max and I will take care of this ce!¡± Dialuria added


    ¡°Okay, noona.¡±


    ¡°<em>Hmph.</em>¡±


    One thing I was sure of was that the culprit was staring at us from midair.


    [You think I¡¯m going to let you get away that easily, children?]


    ¡°You¡¯re ridiculous! And we¡¯re not children!¡± Dialuria eximed.


    A woman with long, messy brown hair was in midair, and she was wearing a very fancy outfit with some dried tear stains. This was what an unrealistic-looking person would look like if I were asked to describe someone like that.


    It was like I was looking at my father.


    It was like I was staring at a being on a whole new level¡­


    <em>¡®No. Father? She¡¯s not like him.¡¯</em>


    The being above us was unstable and imperfect. She wasn¡¯t in her true form and was actually losing her essence. It was like she was sealed and was forcefully tied to this dungeon¡­


    ¡°Unni! A transparent wall¡­¡± Domi pointed out.


    ¡°How long do you think it will take to destroy it?!¡± Dialuria asked.


    ¡°About¡­ th-three hours!¡± Domi answered.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you one hour. Domi! No, I¡¯ll give you thirty minutes!¡± Dialuria shouted.


    I thought the space was pretty big, but even the exit was blocked.


    [How funny.]


    ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± Dialuria asked.


    [It¡¯s foolish to think that a dragon that hasn¡¯t even reached adulthood thinks that she can stop me. Looks like there are many things your mother hasn''t taught you yet. No matter how young and how ancient your lineage is, a dragon is still a dragon. Unless you don¡¯t know the difference in strength, you wouldn''t¡ª]


    ¡°You sure talk a lot for a demigod. I¡¯m not scared of you at all. Come at me if you¡¯re not scared! Max! Help me!¡± Dialuria shouted.


    ¡°Okay!¡± Max replied.


    [Not bad. You¡¯ve got quite a spirit for a young dragon.]


    The giant dragon swung herrge ws, but the transparent wall stopped her ws dead in their tracks.


    A brown stream of energy surrounded Dialuria and charged at her, but the wall of golems that appeared out of nowhere took the attack for Dialuria.


    Dialuria swung her tail, creating a gust of wind. Dust flew everywhere, blinding me.


    Momentster, I saw Dialuria in her human form emerge from the dust with a sword in hand, and she was charging at the demigod.


    <em>¡®That¡¯s it!¡¯</em>


    It was an attack that would definitely reach the demigod.


    I was convinced of it¡­ until the demigod grabbed Dialuria''s hair.


    ¡°N-Noona!¡± I shouted.


    ¡°That¡¯s an illusion! Good job, Max!¡± Dialuria shouted.


    The real one was behind the demigod, aiming her fangs at her. The giant dragon¡¯s mouth broke through the dust. Before the dragon could close her mouth to devour the unstable being¡­


    [It¡¯s a cute trick.]


    A wave of energy burst out of the demigod.


    [That kind of trick doesn¡¯t work on transcendent beings, child.]


    <em>Kabooooooooom!</em>


    <em>¡®No¡­¡¯</em>


    Dialuria coughed out blood and copsed.


    Thro was surprised as he ran out of the cloud of dust with a sword in hand.


    ¡°Damn it¡­ why isn¡¯t it opening?! Why?! Mom! It¡¯s an emergency! Mother!¡± I shouted.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Mother! Can you hear me?! Damn it! Did we lose connection, too?!¡± I yelled.


    Domi was focused on destroying the wall while Cheru was protecting me.


    <em>¡®Can we not do anything about this?¡¯</em>


    <em>''Am I really incapable of doing anything at all? A-As always¡­ will I not be able to do anything this time as well? Am I destined to only receive help from others without returning the gesture in kind?'' </em>


    Just then, everyone suddenly moved slowly. Perhaps it was because I was thinking about many things at once, but it was like time had slowed down for me.


    <em>"S-Sera can do anything. I-I¡­ believe in you, Sera¡­"</em>


    I heard Mom¡¯s voice in my head.


    ¡°J-Judgement,¡± I mumbled without realizing it.


    With that, radiant golden swords pervaded the air.


    1. Sera¡¯s POV ?


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    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 1053: Picnic (16)

    It was strange, but it felt so natural that it was like I had known how to do this from the very beginning. I could feel a brand-new power welling up inside of me. It was a novel yet familiar feeling at the same time.


    I could clearly feel the changes that were happening to me right now.


    There was a burst of radiant golden energy, and I could feel a powerful energy that I couldn¡¯t control properly.


    I wasn¡¯t the only one who felt something strange. When the radiant golden swords appeared, my siblings looked at me in disbelief, wondering if they were dreaming.


    ¡°S-Sera¡­¡± Cheru stuttered.


    ¡°I¡¯ll protect you this time¡­ Cheru,¡± I said without realizing it. I actually wanted to run away right now. I spoke and pretended to be fine, but my legs were shaking. However, I gained courage when I saw the golden swords in the sky.


    The swords seemed to have been crafted so masterfully that I felt like I could stop the enemy by wielding them.


    ¡°Did you¡­ really¡­ just do that?¡± Cheru asked.


    ¡°Yeah, I think so,¡± I answered.¡°No¡­ way. Sera¡­you¡ª¡±


    ¡°You awakened your powers, right, Sera?¡± Dialuria asked.


    ¡°Yeah, Domi. I actually don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Father¡­ will be happy. Congrattions, Sera,¡± she said.


    He¡¯d probably be happy. He''d probably hug me and pat my head before telling me that I had done a good job.


    I was so happy at the thought of it alone that I felt like flying.


    I wanted to show my father those radiant golden swords. The confusion and chaos that filled my head disappeared in an instant. Upon seeing my awakened powers, I was sure¡­ he would¡­pliment me. Of course, it wasn''t that easy.


    ¡°Yeah, but we have to survive this ce first,¡± I mumbled.


    [What an interesting power, child. It¡¯s impressive as well. Yeah¡­ it¡¯s kind of surprising.]


    ¡°Divine Punishment,¡± I said.


    The swords emitted a radiant light and changed directions. They rained down on the enemy. It was difficult to control each and every sword, but¡­


    <em>¡®I can do it. No, I have to do this.¡¯</em>


    I had to seed no matter what.


    ¡°<em>AAAAAH!</em>¡±


    [Nice try¡­ but you¡¯re too weak¡­]


    She was right. Her hands easily blocked the swords that rained down on her. The shockwave that the demigod had unleashed sted them away, and some couldn¡¯t move forward upon getting blocked by the white veil surrounding the woman.


    Despite that, I couldn¡¯t stop attacking, as that was all I could do.


    I believed the golden swords could still be even stronger.


    ¡°Divine Punishment!¡± I shouted.


    [Not only that¡­ you still don¡¯t know how to control your powers.]


    ¡°<em>Hmph. </em>Of course, he doesn¡¯t know. He just awakened them,¡± Dialuriamented.


    [You¡­]


    ¡°You thought I was done? Max! Start it!¡± Dialuria shouted.


    ¡°Okay, noona!¡± Max answered.


    ¡ª We¡¯re changing tactics. Our goal is no longer to escape the dungeon but to clear it. I¡¯ll send over the n with Sera as the lead, so please focus, everyone. We¡¯ll start the operation in exactly thirty seconds.


    Dialuria''s words were delivered to my mind through the party¡¯smunication channel.


    Everyone looked at each other and nodded.


    If Dialuria noona and Max hyung believed that we could clear this dungeon, then¡­


    <em>¡®There¡¯s hope.¡¯</em>


    Max''s calctions had never been wrong, so our chances of victory had to have increased significantly. The golems immediately surrounded Max, and a sturdy defensive barrier manifested around him as well.


    This was all for the sake of taking out all elements that were unnecessary to his calctions. I was sure Max was surrounded by Goddess¡¯ Mirrors at the moment, just like Father whenever he was on a raid.


    Twenty secondster, I heard Max''s voice.


    ¡ª It¡¯ll be a little difficult but don¡¯t feel pressured. It¡¯s okay if you fail. Trust us.


    My task was to control the summoned swords.


    ¡ª Let¡¯s do it.


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    ¡ª Sera, you don¡¯t have to answer.


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    Countless swords rained down on the woman. Some were fast; some were slow. Some moved vertically, while others moved quickly at bizarre angles.


    Obviously, I could not control all of them.


    There were more swords that were out of control than swords that were actually under my control, but Max hyung said that it would be okay if I ended up failing.


    Domi was manipting the unnecessary and out-of-control swords among those I had summoned. In other words, Domi was manipting the variables.


    Max hyung was sending directions in real time, while Domi was fulfilling her task faithfully.


    Compared to their tasks, my task was a lot simpler because I could see what was happening. Meanwhile, they had to think about every single possibility in order to readjust the directions that were being sent to everyone.


    Swords that had lost their way moved toward where Thro, Cheru, and Dialuria were waiting; they all followed the path that Domi had drawn for them.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    The vanguards were given the simple task of grabbing the swords that couldn''t reach the unstable demigod or were sted away.


    It wasn¡¯t as easy as I thought.


    They had to switch ces and dodge the unstable demigod¡¯s attack while doing their main task.


    The word "shy" was not enough to describe the three melee warriors.


    Thro and Cheru moved forward while helping each other, and Dialuria moved forward with her sword in hand. Domi would asionally help the three warriors.


    I could try my best, but I would never be able to reach the same level of performance as them. After all, I couldn''t really approach the enemy, as there were too many radiant golden swords streaking across the air.


    <em>¡®But there is something I can do.¡¯</em>


    The unstable demigod swung her arm, looking annoyed. Brown spears manifested and rained down on us from her arm. Dialuria transformed, blocking those spears that were aimed at Cheru and Thro using herrge frame.


    Spears pierced Dialuria¡¯s dragon body, but the defense gave Thro and Cheru a chance to move past the attacks. They snatched a radiant golden sword out of midair and charged at the unstable demigod.


    ¡°Now, Sera!¡± Dialuria shouted.


    ¡°Okay, noona!¡± I answered.


    There really was divine punishment.


    <em>BOOM!</em>


    ¡°Don¡¯t stop! Don¡¯t stop, Sera!¡± Dialuria yelled.


    ¡°<em>AAARGH!</em> Divine Punishment! Divine Punishment!¡± I roared.


    ¡°Keep going! Keep going! It¡¯s an all-out attack!¡± Dialuria shouted.


    ¡°O-Okay!¡± I said.


    ¡°Give it everything you got!¡± Dialuria continued.


    ¡°...¡± ¡°Kill her! Kill her! You viinous jerk! You asshole! Have a taste of a dragon¡¯s Breath! Have a taste of real dragon¡¯s Breath!¡± Dialuria shouted.


    <em>¡®We can win!¡¯</em>


    ¡°<em>Yaaaaaaaaaaah!</em>¡±


    <em>¡®We can do it!¡¯</em>


    How long had we been attacking her?


    ¡°Stop attacking! Stop attacking!¡± Dialuria eximed.


    When the dust from the massive explosion had settled, I saw the imperfect demigod staring at us with an indifferent look.


    ¡°N-No way,¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°Shit¡­¡± Dialuria said.


    ¡°Noona?¡± I said.


    ¡°Shit! Damn it! Let¡¯s move to our next n, Max!¡± Dialuria shouted.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The woman in front of us smiled.


    Dialuria noona transformed back into her human form and grabbed her sword.


    And that was when the woman before us opened her mouth¡­


    [Laves!]


    ¡°<em>Huh?</em>¡±


    [Children, you pass.]


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°<em>Ah!</em>¡±


    [I thought the dungeon was going to be difficult, but who would¡¯ve thought that you''d clear this dungeon with flying colors?]


    ¡°<em>Ah¡­</em> I-I see,¡± Dialura said.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what it was. <em>Whew</em>¡­ I¡¯m d. <em>Whoo¡­</em> I¡¯m really relieved,¡± Dialura added.


    [ording to the God of Sacrifice and Revival, your courage, the way you care for each other, your determination, and the fact that you did not lose hope until the end are what helped you pass this dungeon!


    [However, he did say to mention the parts you could¡¯ve done better.]


    ¡°<em>Ah¡­</em>¡±


    [To get straight to the point, the God of Sacrifice and Revival isn¡¯t in this dungeon, but¡­]


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    [You reached this far, and Mr. Lee Ki-Young, my superior, has prepared a gift for you. The Blue Guild¡¯s badge!]


    ¡°<em>Huh?</em> But this¡­ this isn¡¯t the badge!¡± Dialuria pointed out.


    [To be exact, this is a fragment of the badge. Your job is to collect the fragments of the badge that are spread all over the Laves Desert. You''ve just found the first badge.


    [I don¡¯t know what kind of hardships and difficult adventures you¡¯ll end up in¡­ but all I can do is pray for your future. Maybe¡ªno, I¡¯m sure¡­ you¡¯ll experience more danger than you did in this dungeon.]


    ¡°Awesome! This is awesome!¡±


    [Also¡­]


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    [The God of Sacrifice and Revival said that there¡¯s something he wants to tell you himself.]


    ¡°Father said that?¡± I asked.


    The tension went away in an instant. I was embarrassed, and I was crying alone while my siblings were cheering. I couldn¡¯t stop myself from crying.


    Cheru patted my back tofort me, and I cried even harder.


    However, anticipation soon grew inside me.


    <em>¡®He must¡¯ve been watching.¡¯</em>


    ¡°<em>AAAAH!</em>¡±


    <em>¡®He really must¡¯ve been watching!¡¯</em>


    ¡°It¡¯s Dad! AAAH<em>!</em>¡± Dialuria shouted.


    <em>¡®He was really¡­ really watching.¡¯</em>


    When I remembered how I had awakened and yed a crucial role in clearing this dungeon, I felt more excited than relieved. It was hard to calm down my racing heart because I was excited to hear hispliments and words of encouragement.


    ¡°Dad!¡± Dialuria yelled.


    I saw a shadowy figure on therge screen.


    [You did well.]


    ¡°Dad! Dad! Dad!¡± Dialuria shouted.


    ¡°Father!¡± Max yelled.


    [Dialuria, Max, you two did really well. Thro, Cheru, Domi, and Sera. All of you did really well, too. It was really impressive, and the fact that all of you have grown stronger makes me really happy. Especially you, Dialuria.]


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she said.


    [I was very touched by how you took care of your siblings. The way you kept your guard up until the end and thought about the next n reminded me of your mother.]


    Just as I expected, he called out each person and praised them for their achievements.


    [Cheru, you¡­]


    ¡°Thank you, Father,¡± Cheru said.


    [I have something to tell you as well, Domi.]


    ¡°Thank¡­ you,¡± Domi said.


    When it was finally my turn, I stepped forward while calming down my racing heart. I was really excited because my siblings looked at me as if they were getting ready to congratte me, but¡­


    [Sera¡­]


    ¡°Yes!¡± I answered.


    [You¡­ You¡¯re really¡­ I mean¡­]


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    [<em>Wheeew¡­</em> It¡¯s nothing. I shouldn¡¯t say anything.]


    [...]


    [I should hand you the next quest, right? It¡¯s not good to dilly-dally. The next quest is obtaining Sahaga''s gift. Sahaga is the God of the Desert Elves, and it¡¯s probably best to hear the hints from G. Good luck. Enjoy and do your best in your quest. I can¡¯t wait to see it, my children.]


    <em>¡®Uh¡­¡¯</em>


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    ¡°He must¡¯ve not seen it, Sera,¡± Cheru said.


    ¡°Y-Yeah¡­¡± I stuttered.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so disappointed. Once the dungeon log is uploaded, I¡¯m sure Father will check it, and he¡¯llpliment you by then,¡± Cheru said, reassuring me.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Now, now! Next is getting Sahaga¡¯s gift. Focus, everyone,¡± Dialuria ordered.


    ¡°Okay, unni,¡± Domi answered.


    ¡°First, let¡¯s take care of the remaining quests and obtain the Blue Guild Badge. Once we''re done, we''ll go and find Dad. Let¡¯s do a cheer and then head out,¡± Dialuria suggested.


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    ¡°One, two, three! Teamwork!¡± everyone shouted.


    ¡°Teamwork!¡± I shouted.


    ***


    ¡°It was interesting¡­¡± I[1]mented.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It<em> definitely </em>was interesting,¡± I said.


    1. Lee Ki-Young¡¯s POV ?


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 1054: Picnic (17)

    <em>¡®They enjoy running around, so I bet they''re having a st.¡¯</em>


    This was their very first adventure¡ªa dungeon raid filled with adrenaline. They had new quests to do and new goals to achieve; their efforts were rewarded with high-quality items, and they felt that they were growing stronger.


    It was not an exaggeration to say that this was a real and happy vacation. The children were thrilled, and I saw them gathering their hands in the center and yelling out, ¡°Teamwork!¡±


    Dialuria''s face was solemn as she distributed the items that G had brought out one by one. I was sure they had a lot of equipment that could be upgraded, so these many items weren''t enough for all of them. Despite that, I saw them smiling.


    G started talking about Sahaga¡¯s gift, and the children''s gaze sparkled.


    Thronus, Cherubim, and Max, whom I thought were the quiet ones, couldn¡¯t hide their excitement. They looked like puppies, wagging their tails excitedly before going out for a walk. The sight truly convinced me that they were still children.


    ¡ª <em>Heuk¡­ heuk¡­</em>


    ¡ª So¡­ there was a sad story behind it.


    ¡ª Let¡¯s bring back Sahaga¡¯s gift back here no matter what! Don¡¯t worry, Miss G! We¡¯ll take care of it.¡ª I can¡¯t believe something like that had happened in Laves Desert. My heart breaks even more at the fact that it has be a forgotten tale. Don¡¯t you agree, unni?


    ¡ªWell, the important thing is that all of this is thanks to Dad. Anyway, listen carefully, everyone.


    <em>¡®Despite being the oldest, Dialuria is the most excited among them.¡¯</em>


    ¡ª I¡¯m sure you¡¯re all aware since all of you have already received a fragment of the Blue Guild¡¯s badge, but the fact that Dad gave us this mission¡­ means that this vacation isn¡¯t just a simple vacation. Perhaps Laves City and the desert are big stages.


    ¡ª What?


    ¡ª We might be looking for a device that was created for our entrance test to the guild. Don¡¯t you guys think it¡¯s strange? A vortex of great tales that involve Miss G and Mr. Sahaga, the forgotten god of the continent.


    ¡ª Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s too difficult for us to take on this task? Before this, all we''ve done was run errands. We''ve never gotten involved with anything rted to the continent; we''ve only been taking down weak monsters until now.


    ¡ª R-Right¡­


    ¡ª As I said, this is a test. Yeah, it¡¯s an unavoidable test. A test for us to be recognized as worthy adventurers.


    <em>¡®That¡¯s not it¡­¡¯</em>


    ¡°Yeah, I know you can do it, Dialuria. I¡¯m watching you,¡± Dialugia said.


    I couldn¡¯t say anything at all, as someone was particrly immersed in all this. Dialugia had been staring at the screen since it appeared. She seemed to have forgotten that I was here as well, as she was so close to the screen that I thought she''d merge with it.


    ¡°I see. So that¡¯s what it was! Was all of this a test?¡± Dialugia asked.


    ¡°Yes¡­ well. You could call it that,¡± I answered.


    ¡°Looks like¡­ I was worried again for no reason. I actually think that Dialuria needs to experience something like this, as the dragon''sing-of-age ceremony is markedly different from a human''sing-of-age ceremony.


    "Under normal circumstances, she still has about a hundred years left, but I''m sure you know that. Dialuria is more used to spending her time as a human being. I¡¯m sure she''s been feeling really ufortable due to her dragon lineage,¡± Dialugia exined.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°She grows faster, and she''s more curious about the worldpared to other children. In addition, she has this constant thirst for knowledge. I''ve been really worried that perhaps those were the reasons behind her difort.


    "Thankfully, she¡¯s been receiving positive influence from her younger siblings, but it was really heartbreaking to see her attempt at denying her true identity¡­¡± Dialugia added.


    <em>¡®I know.¡¯</em>


    When Dialuria had just emerged from hibernation, she was really stressed. She hadn''t spent that much time hibernating, but it was enough time for her to grow distant from Miss Kim Mi-Young''s children, with whom she had a decent rtionship at the orphanage run by the Blue Guild at the time.


    Back then, she was confused about whether she was a dragon or a human being. Dialugia was right; if it hadn''t been for her younger siblings like Max, she would have been even lonelier today.


    <em>¡®She became more energetic when the children appeared.¡¯</em>


    ¡°I actually wanted to do something for her¡­ They look great together,¡± Dialugia said.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ they do. It¡¯s nice seeing her get along with her younger siblings, and she seems to be feeling a sense of responsibility and pride as the oldest.


    "The most important thing is that she seemed to have realized that she''s not alone and is no longerparing herself with other children. Honestly, they¡¯re all unique. Max is just a program, while the children were the Outer Gods,¡± I exined.


    ¡°Right,¡± Dialugia replied.


    ¡°To be honest, the children and Dialuria are just children, but I believe their way of thinking and abilities are on the same level as adults. I think rather than making them spend time pretending to be adults or treating them like children, boosting their self-esteem has to be a priority. That is what this test is all about,¡± I told her.


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I should apologize. I thought you''ve decided to live a thoughtless life¡­ I thought you were nning on neglecting your family, as you''re too busy taking care of the continent or working on bigger things,¡± Dialugia said, smiling brightly.


    I felt bad when I saw her smile, but I wasn¡¯t technically lying. I was actually nning something for the children, but that n had to be executed now.


    ¡°About Sera¡ª¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t talk about him. I¡¯ve been giving him enough love,¡± I interrupted her.


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have said something to him?¡± Dialugia asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°The words wouldn¡¯te out,¡± I told her.


    ¡°I understand how you feel, but I suggest you fix that attitude of yours. They don''t seem like it, but they¡¯re pretty quick-witted. He probably hasn''t realized it yet, but he must be subconsciously feeling like he¡¯s being discriminated against. Strictly speaking, Sera is¡­¡± Dialugia paused.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Sera isn''t Seraphim. I do feel bad for him whenever I see him,¡± Dialugia continued.


    ¡°Why would you say that when I¡¯ve been spending time with him the most recently among all the other children? I¡¯ve been trying my best, so don¡¯t pressure me. It''s making me feel even more stressed,¡± I told her.


    ¡°But still¡ª¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m sure you¡¯re aware because you went to America[1] with me, but his nature hasn''t changed. You saw it as well,¡± I reminded her.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Anyway, you should get ready,¡± I told her.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Dialugia asked.


    ¡°The children¡¯s adventure. Sahaga¡¯s gift is kind of far from here. You¡¯ll need to take me there¡­¡± I answered.


    ¡°<em>Ah!</em> I¡¯ll get ready,¡± Dialugia said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get ready as well. I stayed upte because of the children,¡± I said.


    ¡°Thank you for your hard work,¡± Dialugia said. Then, she exited the room without saying goodbye.


    I looked at the children again using my Telescope and saw that Seraphim[2] seemed particrly sad.


    <em>¡®I shouldn¡¯t think about it.¡¯</em>


    While everyone was excitedly talking with each other, he was smiling bitterly. He wasughing with them, but it was like his thoughts were elsewhere. I was sure he was thinking about my reaction just now.


    <em>¡®I really shouldn¡¯t think about it.¡¯</em>


    [Creating an Average-rank Forced Quest.]


    [You worked hard, Seraphim. (0/1)]


    I looked at him again after sending that quest.


    And that was when I heard G¡¯s voice...


    ¡ª God of Sacrifice and Revival.


    <em>"..."</em>


    ¡ª God of Sacrifice and Revival?


    <em>"Yes, Miss G."</em>


    ¡ª Did Mr. Sahaga answer?


    <em>"Ah! I haven¡¯t received any answers yet."</em>


    ¡ª Really?


    <em>"Yes. We clearly conveyed our intentions, so you don¡¯t have to worry. Miss Lauren is currently in the middle of negotiations, but¡­ I¡¯m sure he¡¯lle."</em>


    ¡ª I understand even if he doesn''te. He had already abandoned his creations once, so I¡¯m sure it won¡¯t be hard to do it again. Mr. Sahaga has been struggling a lot since he turned his back on the Desert Elves.


    <em>"You''re right. The first time is hard, but the second time is easier. Why are you so worried when he stilles all the way here just to see you? Just stick to the n, and everything will work out."</em>


    ¡ª Okay. I¡¯m counting on you, Mr. Lee Ki-Young.


    My hand mirror rang incessantly during the short conversation, so I stood up and answered the call.


    ¡ª Miss Ki-Yeon?


    <em>¡°Ah, yes, Mr. Elias. Could you hold on for a second? I¡¯m really sorry. Something happened at the dorm¡­¡± </em>I told him.


    ¡ª It¡¯s fine. Take your time. I¡¯ll be waiting at the cafe.


    <em>¡°I¡¯m sorry for beingte on our first date. I¡¯m usually not like this¡­¡± </em>I said.


    ¡ª No, it¡¯s really fine¡­


    <em>¡°I¡¯m really sorry. I need to get ready, s-so I¡¯ll hang up first, but I¡¯ll pay for everything!¡± I told him.</em>


    ¡ª What?


    I hung up without waiting for his answer.


    ¡°I¡¯m here, Miss Lee Ki-Yeon,¡± Ha Yeon-Soo announced.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for doing this every time, Miss Yeon-Soo,¡± I said.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m having fun as well, and it¡¯s your request,¡± she said.


    I greeted Ha Yeon-Soo as she walked into the room.


    <em>¡®I¡¯m so busy. It¡¯s such a busy day.¡¯</em>


    Like a singer about to go up the stage, I was dozing off while getting my makeup done.


    ¡°Almost done, Miss Lee Ki-Yeon. Would you like to see it? But how do you have such nice skin? I don¡¯t see even a single blemish.


    "Come to think of it¡­ you''ve never really had any blemishes. Are you using that slime gel? The slime gel that the guild master gave you. Is that your secret? I heard it¡¯s hard to get it these days,¡± Ha Yeon-Soo remarked.


    ¡°...¡±


    I looked at the mirror onest time.


    <em>¡°I¡¯m heading there now, Mr. Elias,¡±</em> I said.


    ¡ª Okay.


    <em>¡°Could you please wait a moment?¡± </em>I requested.


    ¡ª Take your time.


    <em>¡°Okay!¡±</em> I answered.


    Elias'' voice was trembling for some reason, and it wasn¡¯t because it was his first date with a woman he was interested in. I knew why Elias'' voice was trembling.


    <em>¡®He¡¯s trying to break up with me today.¡¯</em>


    It was our first day of getting to know each other, and he was going to tell me that the incident yesterday was all a misunderstanding and that <em>I</em> had misunderstood him. He couldn¡¯t give up on Jo Hye-Jin, which was what led him to make this decision, but¡­


    <em>¡®He¡¯s going to break Lee Ki-Yeon¡¯s fragile heart.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Mr. Elias!¡± I shouted.


    ¡°You¡¯re here¡­ Miss Ki-Yeon,¡± Elias greeted.


    ¡°I am,¡± I said.


    He smiled awkwardly, not knowing the fact that the fragment of G sleeping inside the woman of destiny was about to awaken¡­


    ¡°Have you eaten yet?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Why would you ask that? I obviously haven¡¯t eaten yet, so I could eat with you, <em>hehe</em>,¡± I answered.


    ¡°<em>Ha¡­ ha¡­</em>¡±


    ¡°I was really looking forward to today. I even took tomorrow off so¡­ I can enjoy today as much as I want,¡± I told him.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Shall we get going? We have to get to know each other better. And this,¡± I offered.


    ¡°This is¡­¡±


    ¡°It''s called the Ring of Red Thread. I¡¯m wearing it as well. <em>Ta-da</em>. It¡¯s a ring for couples,¡± I showed him. He weed it, and I was sure he could no longer break up with me so easily.


    1. Ve: Probably that strange white space when he died ?n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    2. LKY and Dialugia know that the children are the outer gods, so this is Seraphim rather than just Sera ?


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 1055: Picnic (18)

    <em>¡®Elias would be a real psychopath if he were to break up with me today.¡¯</em>


    I looked genuinely happy as I handed him the unattractive Ring of Red Thread. I even leaned on him while holding his hand. The problem was that he was like an imprable fortress. I moved my hand to try to lock fingers with him, but he remained frozen, clearly trying to avoid doing that with me.


    <em>¡®If you''re going to act like this, why did you lock hands with me yesterday? You¡¯re the one who grabbed my hand first.¡¯</em>


    I wasn''t able to sleep, and it seemed that the same went for him.


    I was sure that he hadn''t been able to ept the fact that we had be a couple without him realizing it. I could see it from his exhausted eyes. He couldn¡¯t decide whether to give up on Jo Hye-Jin or break the heart of innocent Lee Ki-Yeon by telling her the truth.


    Based on what he was doing at the moment, I could tell that he was determined to rip my heart to pieces.


    <em>¡®Evil bastard.¡¯</em>


    He was so cold, and his n was even colder.


    Even going on a date today was pretty cruel. It seemed like he was nning on getting rid of his guilt by giving me the best day of my life, but as I said, this was simply to get rid of his guilt and tofort himself.


    It¡¯d be strange if I didn''t notice him trying to wallow in self-pity just to get rid of the sense of guilt. Although he hadn¡¯t said anything yet, he looked so serious to the point that I thought he was going to explode at any moment.


    ¡°Did something happen?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No, why¡­¡± Elias asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s just that¡­ you don¡¯t look so good. Is it¡­ because I waste?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing like that. I don¡¯t mind you beingte at all, so you don¡¯t have to worry about that,¡± Elias answered.


    ¡°Then what is it? Is¡­ the Ring of Red Thread too cheesy? I think I got too excited, then¡­¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not that either," Elias said.


    ¡°Then¡­¡±


    ¡°I assure you that it¡¯s not because of you, Miss Ki-Yeon. It¡¯s¡­ just¡­¡± Elias paused.


    ¡°Let¡¯s head somewhere else for now,¡± I suggested.


    Elias lightened up a bit. Perhaps it was because I was surprisingly quick-witted, but he was forcing himself to smile. Since this was going to be our first andst date, he was acting like he was going to give me the best day of my life, but unfortunately, I had an idea as to how he was feeling. I was simply pretending that I hadn''t noticed it yet.


    I was worried that his bad imagination would be a reality if I kept asking him questions. I was worried that Elias was going to break up with me, so I couldn''t ask him more questions.


    And just like that¡­


    <em>¡®Our emotions started shing.¡¯</em>


    Of course, it wouldn''t get in the way of our date. The two of us looked perfect on the outside. We were smiling while walking, and we talked about today¡¯s n as well as many different fun stories.


    ¡°Where are we going today?¡± I asked.


    ¡°How about we visit the Laves Desert Monster Museum?¡± Elias suggested.


    ¡°<em>Ah!</em>¡±


    ¡°I heard you worked as an adventurer at one point¡­ so I thought you might be curious,¡± he said.


    ¡°I¡¯m curious! Of course, I¡¯m curious! So you remembered it!¡± I shouted.


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°You said you used to work as a receptionist at an Adventurer¡¯s Guild. At the time, the Goddess¡¯ Mirror wasn¡¯t verymon, and I had to imagine many things while reading dungeon logs.


    "I¡¯m talking about the stories of first-ss adventurers as well as their vivid descriptions of monsters. Those descriptions are so clear that it made my skin crawl. They also talked about unimaginable quests,¡± I described.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°As I said, I lived a pretty serious life as an adventurer, but reaching Rare was my limit¡­¡± I added.


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem that way¡­¡± Eliasmented.


    ¡°If I had be a priest, I would have received better treatment, but I didn¡¯t want to use Elune¡¯s power for myself¡­¡± I told him.


    ¡°<em>Ah</em>¡­ I see. I¡¯m sorry, I shouldn¡¯t have¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s all in the past. Anyway, let¡¯s get going,¡± I interrupted him.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    I pulled on Elias'' arn, and the two of us walked into the Laves Monster Museum.


    As soon as we entered, I immediately thought, <em>¡®This ce is nice. No wonder the entrance fee is so expensive.¡¯</em>


    ¡°<em>Wow¡­</em>¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not bad,¡± Elias said.


    ¡°It¡¯s better than that. It¡¯s like I''m in the middle of the desert. They must have employed a skilled taxidermy mage because the monsters look so lifelike. See that over there? Isn¡¯t that an infamous desert scorpion? I know only mages who are at least Epic can inflict damage on its shell. It even has three tails,¡± I exined.


    ¡°It¡¯s written that it has a uniquely aggressive nature. The one on disy right now must¡¯ve been the leader of a group of scorpions. I remember actual desert scorpions being smaller than this¡­¡± Elias pointed out.


    ¡°You must¡¯ve¡­ seen one in person before,¡± I said.


    ¡°I remember it was rtively recent¡­ about forty years ago,¡± Elias answered.


    ¡°<em>Pfft!</em>¡± I giggled.


    ¡°What? Did I¡­¡±


    ¡°No¡ª<em>Pfft!</em> It''s just strange because you said it was rtively recent, but it was actually forty years ago. I wasn¡¯t even born forty years ago. I guess we are indeed of two different races,¡± I informed him.


    ¡°<em>Ha¡­ haha¡­</em> right,¡± Elias said.


    ¡°Well, as long as we like each other, does that really matter?¡± I asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you agree with me, Mr. Elias? I heard from somewhere that the reason people meet each other is that there is a connection between their souls. It doesn¡¯t matter who leaves first, and it doesn''t matter even if we¡¯re in two different ces. As long as our souls are connected, we¡¯ll always be together¡­¡± I added.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I like that saying. I agree as well,¡± Elias said.


    <em>¡®I¡¯m sure you do. The problem is that this isn¡¯t about you.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Anyway, shall we continue looking around?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    <em>¡®I remember this being harder than I thought.¡¯</em>


    ¡°It¡¯s incredibly big. Can high-level adventurers¡­ really hunt something like that?¡± I asked.


    ¡°The Red Mercenary Guild will have a hard time hunting that. Legendary named monsters cannot be hunted through high stats alone,¡± Elias said.


    ¡°It¡¯s written here. Apparently, they had to hunt it using a special method, and it is also impervious to physical attacks. They got sulfur balls at the edge of the Laves Desert and used those sulfur balls to hunt it down,¡± I read.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It sounds like they got a hint upon realizing the fact that this monster never roams toward the edge of the eastern reaches,¡± Elias said.


    <em>¡®It¡¯s really big.¡¯</em>


    This ce was big, but this monster was really big as well.


    <em>¡®I''m sure the Red Mercenary Guild had a hard time hunting this down.¡¯</em>


    Vanguards disliked hunting big monsters, but the rearguards were fans of massive monsters, as there was a much bigger surface area to hit. Of course, they probably disliked monsters with thick skin.


    This monster had a habit of luring in lizards with their skin capable of transforming into what looked like a green cactus, a wanderer of the desert, and other monsters.


    <em>¡®That looks interesting as well.¡¯</em>


    There were monsters with unique legs that allowed them to run smoothly on the sand and monsters born with ways to hydrate themselves.


    ¡°Apparently, this monster can still be found in the Laves Desert.¡± I pointed out.


    ¡°That¡¯s because the wanderers can¡¯t get water anywhere else but from them. This Desert Water Spider is the only way for them to get water. The wanderers would treat the warriors capable of catching these Desert Water Spiders with the utmost respect,¡± Elias said.


    ¡°That¡¯s understandable since water is more important than food here. The Lizardmen can withstand not drinking water for quite a while, but that¡¯s not the case for the Desert Elves. And I don¡¯t even need to mention the other races,¡± I said.


    Of course, what caught my attention more than their appearance were the materials¡­


    <em>¡®That looks useful.¡¯</em>


    I was talking about the materials from these monsters.


    <em>¡®It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve taken a close look at them.¡¯</em>


    The words "Monster Museum" suited this ce, and it was a well-organized ce that looked decent both outside and inside. Actually, it was meaningless now, but I was still an alchemist, so I was kind of excited to see so many materials.


    At some point, I was so focused that I forgot about Elias. Was this¡­


    <em>¡®Hyun-Sung¡¯s idea?¡¯</em>


    I remembered mentioning that I wanted to see materials from unique monsters.


    They were categorized to be used as training aids for alchemists. When they were preparing the disys for the museum, they had to have gotten help from alchemists.


    I thought perhaps they had gotten a few people from the Republic to help them instead of from the Democratic Country.


    <em>¡®I also like that there are many rest areas where the visitors can take breaks¡­¡¯</em>


    There were even devices installed in lounges that allowed visitors to look around the museum while sitting down. I¡¯d be embarrassed if it was a misunderstanding, but for some reason, I felt like he was being considerate of me.


    <em>¡®Come to think of it, this isn¡¯t the only ce.¡¯</em>


    The same went for the tour bus; the route we had taken was convenient as well.


    There were also many other important things¡­


    ¡°About food¡­¡± Elias said.


    ¡°There''s still a lot to see, so how about we take care of it here for now?¡± I suggested.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°How about we eat in a restaurant where we can feel the atmosphere during the Laves Desert expedition?¡± I told him.


    ¡°Will you be okay with that?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I spent a lot of time on the field, you know,¡± I replied.


    And I also liked things like this...


    I actually disliked suffering in an expedition, and I very much preferred experiencing a dungeon like this. Lee Ki-Yeon was an expert at creating a campfire. I ced a mat and sat on the sand dune. It could not be called mping, but the environment wasn¡¯t <em>that</em> bad.


    There was no rusty or broken equipment. They also had a good assortment of items, but it was probably because they needed to have the basics. They were a restaurant, after all.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t it feel like we¡¯re on a real expedition?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes¡­ you¡¯re right,¡± Elias answered.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, can you take a picture?¡± I requested.


    ¡°<em>Oh</em>¡­ sure,¡± Elias said.


    ¡°Line me up in the center and make sure that my entire body gets captured,¡± I instructed him.


    ¡°Got it,¡± he said.


    ¡°Let¡¯s take a picture together this time,¡± I suggested.


    <em>¡®He really doesn¡¯t know how to take pictures. I can already hear Hye-Jin feeling frustrated.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Not bad. It reminds me of the past. Don¡¯t you think this ce is a little too fancy to simply be called a museum? They must¡¯ve expanded the interior using magic because there are so many things to do. Doesn¡¯t this feel more like an amusement park?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I agree. I know the cost of building Laves was astronomical, but this¡­ is more amazing than I thought,¡± Elias answered.


    After we got the menu, I started ying around with the campfire, trying to show him that I was used to living out on the field.


    I was busy preparing many things, and I even smiled proudly at the sight of my work.


    There was a saying about how elves were close to nature, but as someone who had grown up as one of the leaders of a kingdom, Elias was surely not used to this. He was trying to do something, but he wasn¡¯t satisfied with his work.


    Elias seemed embarrassed because he looked away from me, but his actions actually improved the atmosphere. At some point, he revealed a genuine smile.


    <em>¡®ept it.¡¯</em>


    <em>''You have to ept it.''</em>


    ¡°This is fun, <em>hehe</em>. I expected it¡­ but you really aren¡¯t used to this,¡± I said.


    ¡°<em>Hahaha</em>¡­¡± Eliasughed.


    <em>''You¡¯re happy right now.''</em>


    ¡°Try this,¡± I offered.


    ¡°What about you¡­¡± Elias asked.


    ¡°I already had some,¡± I replied.


    He was smiling, and the word "happiness" was written all over his face. Of course, I knew that it was only temporary. I also knew that we were going to part ways at the end of this date, but I hoped he wouldn''t wake up from this happy dream until then. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    I hoped this dream would continue¡­


    ¡°I wish this time would never end,¡± I said, smiling sadly.

 Chapter 1056: Picnic (19)

    Chapter 1056: Pic (19)


    The fun atmosphere suddenly became solemn.


    ¡°I really¡­ really¡­ hope this time would never end,¡± I added.


    It sounded sad, and although I wasn¡¯t crying, my eyes looked like tears were going to well up in them anytime soon. My gaze also looked meaningful. Of course, this wasn''t a positive sight.


    Moreover, my words meant that I knew this moment was going to end at some point.


    Elias had to have noticed that as well.


    <em>¡®He knows that I know.¡¯</em>


    Elias wasn''t questioning when and how I had discovered it. It also seemed that he wasn''t worried about the possibility that he was being too obvious.


    He was staring at the red thread on his left finger, and I could deduce that he had be aware of my feelings.


    ¡°But it will end at some point, right?¡± I asked.¡°...¡±


    ¡°This dream will scatter like dust someday,¡± I added.


    I was screaming at him to deny it and that my words weren¡¯t true, but the heartless jerk ignored my screams. He remained quiet and avoided my gaze by looking into the distance.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°All right¡­ shall we get going?¡± I suggested.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Elias answered.


    ¡°Where should we go next?¡± I asked.


    We both got up as if nothing had happened.


    <em>¡®Hang in there, Ki-Yeon.¡¯</em>


    <em>''Cheer up and work hard¡­ try to make this the happiest day of your life. And don¡¯t forget to smile. It¡¯s not over yet. There might¡­ still be hope.'' </em>


    Tears were welling up in my eyes, and I was trying to hold them back.


    I became determined while we were walking down the street. I believed there was hope, and I chuckled as the two of us continued on our date while "holding" hands. I was forcing myself to be happy by having fun daydreams.


    Lore-wise, Lee Ki-Yeon was strong regardless of her trials and tribtions, and I had to act that way right now.


    ¡°Come to think of it, have you heard of the Rainbow Cotton Candy?¡± Elias asked.


    ¡°<em>Huh?</em> I heard of it before¡­¡± I answered.


    ¡°It¡¯s famous for being the favorite dessert of the Democratic Country''s Honorary Cardinal. I heard it¡¯s only sold on the famous streets of Lindel, but it looks like they''ve started selling them in Laves,¡± he exined.


    <em>¡®I actually want to stop eating cotton candy, damn it. I really didn¡¯t expect this. Everyone is talking about cotton candy.¡¯</em>


    ¡°What¡­ vor is this?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Do you like it?¡± Elias asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s delicious. It¡¯s really delicious,¡± I replied.


    <em>¡®And I¡¯m tired of it, damn it.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Come to think of it, do you watch movies often?¡± I asked as we ate our Rainbow Cotton Candy.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t really watch movies, but I heard that <em>How the Alchemist and the Genius Swordsman Loves</em> has gotten really popr among the young elves these days. No, it¡¯s actually popr all over the continent¡ª<em>Ah!</em> What about you, Miss Ki-Yeon?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I prefer ys more than movies. Whenever I watch ys, it feels like I''m working together with them, and I''m one of the actors¡­¡± I answered.


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief,¡± Elias mumbled.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I heard there¡¯s a popr y today,¡± Elias answered.


    ¡°<em>Oh</em>, really?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    We headed to the theater while talking about our hobbies.


    <em>¡®Not bad, but it¡¯s kind of historically wrong.¡¯</em>


    The y was about the Sunset Swordsman''s awakening during the 27th Legion Summoning.


    The y was titled <em>"Sunset of the Two People." </em>


    I wasn¡¯t sure if they had been funded to do this, but it was a story about the Sub Guild Master of the Blue Guild''s attempts to awaken the sleeping guild master, who retreated into the deepest recesses of his mind.


    It was a touching story depicting Lee Ki-Young''s offer to carry the burden with Kim Hyun-Sung, who was afraid of responsibilities.


    It looked like they had reimagined that touching story, and they had to have received a lot of funds because the production quality was pretty high.


    <em>¡°Damn it¡­ damn it! Don¡¯t imitate him! Don¡¯t imitate him, damn it! Don¡¯t show up to me looking like that, and don''t force me to take responsibility! Don¡¯t force me to take on those burdens.</em>


    <em>"I never said I wanted to start over again. I never asked to start over again! Leave me alone! Please stop! Leave me alone! Stop trying to make me take responsibility, you bastard! Don¡¯t¡­ force the responsibility on me! Damn it! Damn it!¡±</em>


    ¡°...¡±


    <em>¡°Please stop¡­ please¡­ please don¡¯t put those burdens on me while looking like him¡­¡±</em>


    He had actually uttered those words, and now that I thought about it, he had truly improved immensely. Actually, he was practically cured of his illness.


    <em>¡°No one has ever told you to take responsibility, and no one has any right to tell you that. I understand that people¡¯s expectations can feel a bit burdensome sometimes and that it¡¯s difficult to endure things when they¡¯re too heavy to bear. There¡¯s no need to feel stressed all by yourself. We can carry the weight together.¡±</em>


    ¡°...¡±


    <em>¡°I¡¯ll help you carry the burden.¡±</em>


    These lines were almost the same, and they were pretty aggressive with the production.


    Lonovera¡¯s production at the time wasn¡¯t bad, but there were special effects made out of mana for this production, so I could see the radiant sunset on the stage.


    The audience members sitting with us stared agape.


    <em>¡®The actor isn¡¯t as handsome, so it''s a shame.¡¯</em>n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    <em>***</em>


    ¡°That was so entertaining; I think it''s because it was based on a real event. I''ve heard of the 27th Legion Summoning incident so many times before, but I had no idea that something like that had actually happened.


    "Come to think of it, haven¡¯t you met those two?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I''ve met them, but not privately. Of course, we do meet asionally in public. Of course, we don''t meet often¡­¡± Elias added.


    ¡°What are they like?¡± I asked.


    ¡°<em>Hm</em>¡­ the Sub Guild Master of the Blue Guild is a man of deep faith, worthy of his title as a saint. He always thinks about others before himself, and he is extremely considerate. He¡¯s also <em>very </em>delicate. There were times when he was so unstable that I thought he was going to copse.


    "However, he bes stronger than anyone else during a crucial moment,¡± he answered.


    <em>¡®He¡¯s nice. I kind of like him.¡¯</em>


    ¡°What about the guild master?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to describe him. There¡¯s something¡­¡± Elias paused.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I should tell you this¡­ but I feel like he¡¯s no different from ordinary humans,¡± Elias continued.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Sometimes¡­ I think about how d I am that he has the sub guild master. It¡¯s my first time telling someone this¡­ but the Guild Master of the Blue Guild can be the Sunset Swordsman¡ªa hero, in other words, but he can also turn into evil.


    "If it hadn''t been for the honorary cardinal, I''m sure he would have turned into a ughterer instead of a hero¡­¡± Elias exined.


    ¡°Hey¡­ no way,¡± Imented.


    <em>¡®This jerk is hopeless.¡¯</em>


    Anyway, we experienced many things while talking about many topics. We walked on long trails and sat quietly in a high ce while looking over the city. We also visited an art gallery where we admired and talked about the work of the elves and other races.


    ¡°This artist is still active,¡± Elias informed me.


    ¡°What? But this was¡­ created two hundred years ago¡ª<em>Ah</em>, right,¡± I said.


    There were many things we could do in the city, but he was considerate of me because he nned many quiet activities for us to do.


    ¡°<em>Ah, </em>that¡¯s pretty.¡± I pointed out.


    ¡°I¡¯ll buy it for you,¡± Elias offered.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. If you do that, it makes it seem like I¡¯m begging you to buy it for me¡­¡± I told him.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I just really want to¡­ buy it for you,¡± Elias said.


    ¡°Then¡­ you don¡¯t mind if I ept your gift?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind,¡± Elias answered.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll give you this,¡± I said.


    We stopped by the shopping center and looked around. When it was time to eat again, we went to a decent restaurant and drank wine. When we became tipsy, we had an honest, heart-to-heart conversation. It was a picture-perfect date.


    ¡°This day feels so short,¡± Imented.


    This day was actually really long.


    <em>¡®It¡¯s because there are many things I have to do.¡¯</em>


    At this point, this was work rather than a vacation. My idea of a vacation was spending time doing nothing but reading. However, I had no choice but to do something else, as our n was already underway.


    ¡°You think so?¡± Elias asked.


    ¡°Yes. Maybe it¡¯s because I''m with you, but a day normally feels <em>really </em>long for me. It¡¯s like that whenever I¡¯m working and sleeping as well as whenever I¡¯m alone. Today¡­ felt really short,¡± I answered.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Our time together¡­ felt so short. Really. I can¡¯t believe how short it was¡­ Maybe that¡¯s why I feel even sadder,¡± I added.


    ¡°Miss Ki-Yeon¡­¡±


    This was the end of our happy and dream-like day.


    I touched the ruby-colored wine ss and smiled bitterly at the realization. Of course, Elias wasn¡¯t all that different. He seemed nervous, but he looked like he wanted to end this once and for all.


    It was time.


    ¡°Miss Ki-Yeon, I have something to tell you,¡± Elias said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You see¡­¡± Elias paused.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ <em>Whoo¡­</em> So¡­¡± Elias mumbled.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me,¡± I told him.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I already knew,¡± I said.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Whenever we were together, you always seemed like you were thinking¡­ about someone else, Mr. Elias. I¡¯m kind of quick-witted,¡± I exined.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s funny, right? I clearly told you that I didn¡¯t want to be a mere recement, but now, I don¡¯t mind being a recement at all. We''ve only met a few times, and we¡¯re just acquaintances, so¡­ I must be out of my mind,¡± I said.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Elias said.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to apologize. This was bound to happen. I was being¡­ kind of¡­ greedy because I''ve been holding onto you despite knowing the truth. Actually, I knew you''d be surprised, and I kind of went too far, but¡­¡± I paused.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°But I didn¡¯t want to miss this opportunity. No, I couldn¡¯t miss out on this opportunity. I wasn¡¯t lying about the red thread of destiny. I truly believe that a string of fate connects you and me. I believe it¡­ even now¡­¡± I continued.


    ¡°I believe it as well, but Miss Ki-Yeon. Please listen to me. Did Elune¡ª¡±


    Start crying!


    ¡°Please don''t make me feel miserable any longer,¡± I interrupted him.


    ¡°...¡±


    Tears were flowing down my face, and I was feeling desperate.


    The scene was so perfect that even I thought that it was the work of an artisan¡ªthat was how perfect it was. It hadn''t even been twenty-four hours since we met, but the separation of lovers connected by the red string of fate was like the separation of a couple who had spent an eternity together.


    ¡°It was really fun,¡± I said, smiling as if everything was okay.


    I was crying, but there was a small smile on my lips. Elias instinctively stretched out his hand toward me, but I moved his hand away and disappeared into the lights of Laves¡ªthe City of Dreams.


    Just then, I heard an unfamiliar voice.


    [You¡¯re ready, my child.]


    ¡°W-Who¡­ are you?¡± I asked.


    [God of Sacrifice and Revival, this is G.]


    ¡°No. Immerse yourself in your own role. I need to send this to noona,¡± I replied.


    [I-I¡¯m sorry.]


    ¡°Who¡­ Who are you? What¡­ is this?¡± I questioned.


    [I-I-I¡¯m¡ª<em>Cough</em>¡­ I''m the deepest darkness inside you.]


    <em>¡®That''s a voice crack...¡¯</em>


    ¡°...¡±


    [I¡¯m the darkness in your abyss.]

 Chapter 1057: Picnic (20)

    Perhaps she was going crazy out of stress, but she kept hearing this strange voice.


    However, the voice was so clear and ominous to even think that she was going crazy. In addition, it was written in Lee Ki-Yeon¡¯s lore that it wasn''t her first time hearing that voice.


    When she first arrived on the continent, she recalled hearing Elune¡¯s voice, but this was clearly different from back then. Unlike before, when the voice made her feel warm and cozy, the voice she was hearing right now sounded cold and dark, like the desert night.


    <em>¡®O Elune.¡¯</em>


    It was the first time she uttered Elune¡¯s name upon leaving the temple, but Elune¡¯s voice became unclear in her memories. Someone¡¯s sweet voice was whispering into her, and it was taking advantage of her anxiety and desperation.


    [You don¡¯t need to reject it, my child.]


    ¡°Who¡­ who are you? Why in the world¡­¡± she questioned.


    [I¡¯ve been waiting for this day for a very long time. Yes, a <em>very</em> long time.]


    ¡°Stop¡­¡± she mumbled.[Don¡¯t be afraid. I¡¯m the one who understands you the most, and I''ve been the closest to you.]


    How could she not be scared? Her face turned pale, and she took out her hand mirror.


    <em>¡®Someone¡­ help me.¡¯</em>


    She was moving instinctively. This wasn¡¯t something she could handle on her own. She couldn¡¯t really speak properly, as it felt like Death was right in front of her.


    It felt like the darkness of the abyss was choking her, and at the same time, it felt like the darkness deep in her heart was spreading deep inside her. Who wouldn¡¯t need another person¡¯s help in a situation like this?


    However¡­


    <em>¡®Who¡­¡¯</em>


    Who was she supposed to ask for help? Was there anyone who coulde here right now? No, was there even anyone on this continent capable of helping her?


    Based on the story, Lee Ji-Hoo had betrayed Lee Ki-Yeon, and Elias had also turned his back on her. She also didn''t have the contact details of The Blue Guild¡¯s guild master, as their rtionship had ended a long time ago.


    Her friends andrades were no more; the short rtionships she made with the people at the Rift Museum and the people of the Friendship n were all over.


    Lee Ki-Yeon was alone in this vast continent. She looked around awkwardly, but there was no one who could help her. She stretched out her hand as if asking for help, but there was no one looking at her.


    ¡°H-Help¡­ someone¡­¡± she muttered.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Help m¡ª¡±


    ¡°What the? Is she¡­ drunk?¡±


    ¡°<em>Kgh¡­ cough¡­</em>¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s¡­ giving me the creeps¡­¡±


    Ha Yeon-Soo appeared briefly as an extra, and she quickly turned around to leave as if she had stumbled upon someone creepy. From the perspective of the nameless extra, Lee Ki-Yeon wasn''t someone approachable.


    Her makeup was smudged, and she staggered as she walked amidst the rain that had suddenly fallen upon the desert.


    She was simply unlucky.


    She had stumbled upon a tourist, but they hated getting involved with other people and the strange Lee Ki-Yeon was no exception.


    If Lee Ki-Yeon had been just a bit lucky, she would have met someone else and received their help. Then, she would be able to ovee the darkness as always. This incident wasn''t exactly that big of a deal, but it was probably the deciding factor.


    <em>¡®Ah¡­ I¡¯m alone.¡¯ </em>Lee Ki-Yeon thought.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ alone. <em>Heuk!"</em> Lee Ki-Yeon cried.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ really¡­ alone¡­ now¡­ <em>heuk¡­ heuuuk!</em>¡± she repeated.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡­ really have¡­ nothing now,¡± Lee Ki-Yeon said.


    No one wanted Lee Ki-Yeon.


    <em>¡®I feel like crying.¡¯</em>


    [That¡¯s right, my lovely child. You¡¯re alone. No one wants you. No one truly cares about you.]


    ¡°...¡±


    [You poor child. You pitiful child. My seed.]


    ¡°<em>Heuk¡­ heuuuk¡­</em>¡± Lee Ki-Yeon cried.


    [The small spark inside of you is disappearing.]


    ¡°...¡±


    [The spark of hope inside you that didn¡¯t seem like it would go out¡­ is starting to disappear. Child, take my hand. If you want to protect the spark inside you, take my hand.]


    ¡°...¡±


    [Leave everything to me and rest now.]


    ¡°Rest¡­¡± she mumbled.


    [No one may want you, but I need you. The power, the darkness, and the small spark that is still inside you¡­ I need them all. I need everything you possess.]


    ¡°Okay¡­¡± Lee Ki-Yeon answered.


    [Come into my arms. If you do¡­]


    ¡°If I do¡­¡± she repeated.


    [If you do, I¡¯ll give you the most peaceful rest ever.]


    ¡°...¡±


    [I¡¯ll give it to you.]


    <em>Shwaaa!</em>


    <em>Rumble!</em>


    She heard strange noises thatsted only for a few seconds. Then, someone pped, and the noises stopped. Everything hade to a halt as if time itself had stopped.


    No, time <em>didn''t </em>stop, as the raindrops in the air were still falling to the ground. Through the raindrops, Lee Ki-Yeon saw her reflection. To be exact, she was G hugging her tightly from behind.


    <em>p!</em>


    She couldn¡¯t see anything anymore, and jet-ck rain¡­ started falling from the sky.


    <em>Shwaaa!</em>n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    <em>¡®She went a little overboard with the production.¡¯</em>


    <em>Shwaaa!</em>


    <em>¡®I wonder if this was really necessary. It¡¯s not bad because it¡¯s a ssic cliche, but this is just too much.¡¯</em>


    Ji-Hye noona and I were the types of people who believed that there was always a shortcut, but this was a bit too much. The fact that they hadn''t told me about all this was incredibly effective. Red rain was the standard, but ck rain was just as ominous.


    As expected, I heard confused voices from everywhere.


    ¡°What the¡­¡±


    ¡°What is this¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s¡­ going on all of a sudden¡­¡±


    ¡°Is someone ying a joke right now?¡±


    ¡°Or is an event being held at Laves right now?¡±


    ¡°Damn it¡­ this is really bad luck¡­ Is this really only happening in Laves?¡±


    ¡°What the hell? The radio suddenly stopped¡­ working¡­ Hey, someone connect me to the situation room!¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll send a disaster text soon. This isn¡¯t the first time we¡¯ve experienced a strange phenomenon like this on the continent.


    "I heard green rain had fallen a few years ago at a kingdom bordering the Union. It probably happened because the continent was still a dungeon at the time.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while since the dungeon here was cleared¡­ We should do a separate investigation.¡±


    ¡°<em>Ah!</em> I got a reply, sir. They ordered us to gather because they decided to dispatch the Investigation Committee.¡±


    ¡°Is this an emergency?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so¡­ That wasn¡¯t the impression that I got. The Red Goddess of War¡­ didn¡¯t really show¡­ any reaction. She just said there''s probably an issue with the climate control system, but we have to group up just in case.¡±


    ¡°Then we should group up.¡±


    Those invited to Laves and the members of the races in the Administration Committee headed toward the shelter. Everyone seemed to be convinced that there was something wrong with the climate control system, as they weren''t all that nervous.


    However, there was one elf whose thoughts seemed to be drastically differentpared to the others.


    <em>¡®Elias.¡¯</em>


    He was tapping nonstop on his hand mirror; he looked both nervous and anxious.


    ¡°Miss Ki-Yeon? Can you hear me, Miss Ki-Yeon?¡± Elias asked.


    <em>¡®He must have realized just how serious the situation is.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Miss Ki-Yeon, it¡¯s Elias. Miss Ki-Yeon? Where are you right now? I¡¯ll look for you right now. There are things I still haven¡¯t told you¡­¡± Elias said.


    <em>¡®If you break Ki-Yeon¡¯s heart, it¡¯ll be the end for the continent.¡¯</em>


    He had decided not to ignore Elune¡¯s warning.


    <em>¡®The red thread is scary.¡¯</em>


    Who could have known that this would happen all of a sudden? On the first day he met Lee Ki-Yeon, Elias received a divine message, and there was a misunderstanding immediately afterward.


    Within six hours, we confirmed each other¡¯s feelings. Upon confirming that there was a red thread connecting us together, we got even closer, but it all happened in just two days.


    We broke up less than twenty-four hours after we became a couple.


    I[1] couldn¡¯t see him, so I assumed the prelude to the destruction of the continent was about to happen.


    It all happened in just four days, so it was not strange that Elias couldn''t keep up with me. In addition, the way the elves perceived time was drastically differentpared to how humans perceived time.


    <em>¡®But even I think that things are happening pretty fast.¡¯</em>


    If it hadn''t been for the passionate emotions between us, our rtionship would have ended so much faster that anyone would think that it was forced.


    Even if Elias were a human being, he wouldn¡¯t be able to keep up with this pace, so he was struggling to keep up with the changes. The anxiousness gnawing away at him urged him to call me. He realized that he had made a mistake as he stood there, stewing in his own anxiety.


    ¡°Elena, are you¡­ No, I¡¯ll head there,¡± Elias said.


    Just as I expected, Elias frowned deeply. Not only was he worried about the continent, but he was also worried about Lee Ki-Yeon, the woman he had lost contact with at some point.


    ¡°Where¡­ are you?¡± Elias questioned.


    Jo Hye-Jin appeared in front of him, but the problem was that she was with another man.


    ¡°Mr. Elias?¡± Jo Hye-Jin greeted him.


    ¡°Miss Hye-Jin,¡± he said.


    ¡°Who is this, Miss Hye-Jin?¡± the man asked.


    ¡°Let me introduce him to you, Mr. Ji-Hoo. He''s Mr. Elias, the leader of the Everia Kingdom and the Union of Other Races¡ª¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ Miss Hye-Jin. Have you¡­ seen the person I was with two days ago?¡± Elias asked, interrupting her.


    ¡°What? Who are you referring to¡­¡± Jo Hye-Jin asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep it short,¡± he said.


    His exnation was short and fast. He told her about his first meeting with Lee Ki-Yeon, their breakup, the divine message he had received from Elune rted to the destruction of the continent, and the possible link between this ck rain and the woman named Lee Ki-Yeon.


    It wasn¡¯t something she could just ignore because Jo Hye-Jin received a divine message before. However, what caught my attention more than Jo Hye-Jin¡¯s serious expression was Lee Ji-Hoo¡¯s frown.


    <em>¡®Ji-Hye noona is crazy.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Did you just say¡­ Lee Ki-Yeon?¡± Lee Ji-Hoo asked.


    ¡°Yes, but who are¡ª¡± Elias asked.


    Lee Ji-Hoo turned around and bolted, as there was no need for him to listen to Elias'' answer. I wasn¡¯t sure where he was headed, but he started running away. There was no need for him to exin why he was running, nor was there any reason for him to run.


    It was like he was running simply because he wanted to do so.


    The scars on his face had transformed him into a monster obsessed with revenge, but it was nothing more than a mask. Based on his lore, his unbroken mask would soon shatter into pieces.


    ¡°Ki-Yeon¡­¡± Lee Ji-Hoo mumbled.


    <em>¡®Ji-Hye noona. She''s really¡­ she''s really a weird one.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Ki-Yeon¡­ Ki-Yeon!¡± Lee Ji-Hoo roared.


    He sounded like he had lost everything¡ªno, he was desperate, as if it were the end of <em>that </em>summer.


    1. Lee Ki-Yeon''s POV ?

 Chapter 1058: Picnic (21)

    Desert nights were cold, lonely, and long. If one simply thought about it, one would realize that the Laves Desert had always been like this. The nights here were always lonely. It was a sad, dark, and cold desert. It was like a cursed desert that everyone was avoiding.


    The desert had be bustling thanks to Laves City, but the desert would always return to its original state as soon as the lights illuminating the city of Laves were turned off.


    ¡°It¡¯s chilly,¡± Kennenmented.


    ¡°It feels like something is going to pop up. Don¡¯t you agree, George?¡± I[1] asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, George?¡± he asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s just that¡­ I heard something I couldn¡¯t ignore,¡± George replied.


    ¡°What is it now?¡± I asked.


    ¡°...¡±¡°Damn it,¡± George mumbled and asked, ¡°And what¡¯s wrong with you, Kennen?"


    ¡°Damn it, it¡¯s really raining down hard. How unlucky. It¡¯s our first day here, and there¡¯s already ck rain¡­ If I had known this was going to happen, I would have changed to a new set of equipment. You tricked me, Alex,¡± Kennen answered.


    ¡°Who¡¯s the one that made a fuss about getting an invitation? Don¡¯t put this on me, Kennen. You really think it''s easy to get those invitations? I''m sure you already know, but the Committee only sent out fifty invitations. This isn''t a ce we can visit just because we want to do so,¡± Iined.


    ¡°Shit¡­¡±


    ¡°You guys have received the disaster text, right? This is just temporary, and it¡¯ll probably stop within a few hours. It¡¯s just an issue with the climate control system, so I¡¯m sure things will return to normal soon,¡± I added.


    ¡°Do you know how much money I spent on the ticket? Howe you''re so thoughtless?¡± Kennen questioned.


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who asked me to get them for you! Do you even know how hard it was to get them?¡± I asked, feeling upset because Kennen was starting toin.


    <em>¡®I shouldn¡¯t have shown off to them.¡¯</em>


    Laves was a fantasy city that the Guild Master of the Blue Guild had built for the honorary cardinal, and there were only fifty invitations to get into the city.


    My first mistake was doing well during the first half of the year. My second mistake was getting a ticket along with a bonus and then showing them off to these guys because I was too happy and drunk.


    My third mistake was agreeing to take them with me.


    <em>¡®These guys are like my enemies.¡¯</em>


    Obviously, I couldn¡¯t take them with me just because I wanted to do so. Not only was it hard to find people willing to sell their tickets, but a ticket couldn''t guarantee entry into the city. yboy Kennen and Third-Rate Gambler George only managed to enter the city because they participated in all the continental wars so far.


    The logs alone told everyone that they were on the honorary cardinal¡¯s side, and I was sure the higher-ups were aware of the fact that people were selling their tickets, but they had decided to turn a blind eye to it.


    <em>¡®Well¡­ they''re his fans.¡¯</em>


    Regardless of what anyone was going to say, Kennen and I were followers of the honorary cardinal. We were pretty good cases among those who wanted to work with him and walk on the same earth as him.


    Actually, the fact that we were here was the biggest proof that we were his fans.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see Father Lee Ki-Young anywhere¡­ I thought I would at least see Miss Dialuria or some of the members of the Blue Guild. I can¡¯t believe we¡¯re stuck staring at a ck rain all day¡­¡± Kennenined.


    ¡°We still have a lot of time, Kennen,¡± I reassured him.


    ¡°If they close Laves, will we get our refunds?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Those tickets weren''t supposed to be sold in the first ce, Kennen. Don¡¯t say things like that. You bought a scalped ticket, so why are you asking for a refund? Do you want me to die?¡± I questioned.


    "I mean, I know that¡­ but it¡¯s too different from what I thought¡­¡± he mumbled.


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who''s been kicking up a fuss, damn it,¡± I reminded him.


    ¡°Who knew it would rain just hours after our arrival here?¡± he remarked.


    ¡°It¡¯ll stop raining tomorrow. Think about it. Do you really think that the Guild Master of the Blue Guild will just stand by and watch? Ominous ck rain is falling on the city that he had built for the honorary cardinal. He¡¯ll definitely find a way to make the rain stop. Let¡¯s just wait quietly,¡± I told him.


    And that was when the quiet George chimed in. ¡°I don¡¯t know about that.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s raining because there¡¯s something wrong with the climate control system,¡± George continued.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I happened to see Mr. Elias of the Union of Other Races and Miss Jo Hye-Jin of the Blue Guild talking to each other,¡± George replied.


    ¡°Miss Jo Hye-Jin is here?¡± I asked.


    ¡°There was another man¡­ but I think he disappeared somewhere¡­¡± George added.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make meugh, George. How did you even manage to break down their barri¡ª<em>Ah!</em>¡± I yelled. I had just remembered the fact that Third-Rate Gambler George knew how to read lips. He had learned lip-reading out of the blue, thinking that it would help him with his gambling someday.


    At that time, I told him it was useless, but¡­N?v(el)B\\jnn


    ¡°Is this something we can talk about here?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I should tell you this¡­¡± George replied.


    ¡°Wait, is there something wrong? Are you really sure about that?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Let¡¯s head outside for now,¡± George suggested.


    ¡°Follow us, Kennen,¡± I said, gesturing to Kennen.


    <em>¡®Is he saying that this isn''t just an issue with the climate control system?¡¯</em>


    If that were the case, there wouldn¡¯t be a reason for us to go outside. We could not let ourselves get captured by the first-ss adventurers here. The official announcement stated that the ck rain was due to an issue with the climate control system, but if that weren''t the case, then the higher-ups were trying to hide the truth from everyone.


    <em>¡®If we say the wrong thing¡­¡¯</em>


    I followed George''s line of sight and saw Elias of the Union of Other Races and Jo Hye-Jin of the Blue Guild. I also couldn¡¯t help but look at them. Elias was mumbling something with a serious face, and the Blue Guild¡¯s God of Spear nodded at him.


    Third-Rate Gambler George walked through the ck rain without saying a word. He remained silent even after walking past Elias and Jo Hye-Jin.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on, George?¡± Kennen asked.


    ¡°I think something happened,¡± George answered.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m asking what¡¯s going on,¡± Kennen repeated.


    ¡°I couldn''t deduce the details, but I heard them talking about the destruction of the continent. A divine message from Elune and something about a woman. Do you guys believe in destiny?¡± George asked.


    ¡°What¡­ do you mean?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You know, like a calling we¡¯re given at birth. To put it simply, I¡¯ll use Father Lee Ki-Young as an example. He was born to love everything on the continent. He was born to forgive and to sacrifice everything for the continent. That is his destiny.


    "I can also use the Guild Master of the Blue Guild as an example because, just like the God of Sunset, we could have been born <em>for</em> someone or something,¡± George exined.


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying¡­¡±


    George calmly told us about a woman with uncontroble powers, a woman born with a burdensome destiny that was forced on her by other people. There was a high chance that the woman was the reason behind this bizarre phenomenon.


    ¡°What kind of nonsense is that?¡± Kennen questioned.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not nonsense at all, Kennen,¡± I told him.


    ¡°What did you say, Alex?¡± Kennen asked.


    ¡°Think about all the things that have happened on the continent so far. It¡¯s not that strange at all, especially if you think about Father Lee Ki-Young¡­ I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if there were one or two people who have been chosen or have been abandoned by transcendent beings.


    "Anyway, where are we going right now, George?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Have you guys heard of G, the evil god of the Desert?¡± George asked.


    ¡°I have, but¡ª¡±


    "Legend has it that G and Sahaga, the god of the Desert Elves, met and parted ways during a rainy day in the Laves Desert. There was a passage written in a book I got from a bet with a Lizardman who¡¯s crazy about gambling,¡± George interrupted me.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°On the day G descends, ck rain will fall on Laves,¡± George continued.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°The ck rain will reduce all living beings on the continent to ashes, and the continent will inevitably turn ck,¡± George added.


    ¡°The woman you mentioned earlier is she¡­¡± Kennen paused.


    ¡°Is she Evil God G?¡± I asked, finishing Kennen''s sentence.


    George nodded quietly as we walked through the ck rain. Obviously, we had no idea where we were heading, but George''s answer made Kennen stay quiet as he followed George. He was aware of it as well.


    <em>¡®George¡­ is acting up again.¡¯</em>


    Out of the three of us, George was the most immature, and he was crazy enough to gamble away all his savings, but there were times when he acted <em>this </em>way.


    There were times when he''d start moving by instinct, and he would have this face that seemed to transcend all worldly things. He looked as if he was sober instead of his usual face, and he''d say things we couldn¡¯t understand at all.


    He told us that it was a gambler¡¯s intuition, but¡­


    <em>¡®We only survived this far because of that gambler''s intuition of his...¡¯</em>


    At the very least, we wouldn''t lose everything by listening to him.


    Eventually, we started running, and the desert around us got darker and darker the farther we ran. It felt like the ck rain was getting stronger as it poured down on Laves.


    At the same time, it was like we were running through a ck typhoon.


    The desert sand, soaked by the ck rain, became like a swamp, making it difficult for us to move our feet.


    I was curious whether George knew where we were going or not, but I couldn''t do anything other than nod. We were heading deeper, and the surroundings were getting darker. We were running as if we were searching for light in a dark cave.


    When we reached the end of the darkness, we saw a calm clearing that resembled the eye of a storm.


    <em>¡®Have we somehow found ourselves in a different world?¡¯</em>


    All we did was take one step forward, but it felt like we had stepped into apletely different world. It was still dark, but this clearing had neither ck rain nor sand. It felt like we were in the middle of a calm and cidke.


    The skies were dark; the earth was dark, and there was a woman standing quietly at the end of it. The woman had mesmerizing eyes that looked as if it could suck everything into it.


    Despite having pale skin and lips, her beauty seemed to be overflowing with life. She was as alive as she was dead. Her deep eyes were so dark that it seemed like they couldn''t reflect anything. They looked like the ck rain that was falling outside.


    Her eyes werepletely ck. If there were darkness opposing Father Lee Ki-Young¡¯s light, then it would probably look like her eyes.


    Her eyes represented the purest form of darkness. If that woman weren''t trapped in ashen ice, I would turn around and run away. Kennen and George were at a loss for words, and they looked at the being in front of them with their mouths agape.


    ¡°Kennen¡­ am I¡­ dreaming right now?¡± I asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s what¡­ I wanted to ask, Alex¡­¡± Kennen answered.


    ¡°Why¡­ why are we here in the first ce? Hey, George. Why did you bring us all the way out here?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know either. I just¡­¡± George paused.


    ¡°Just?¡±


    ¡°I just ran wherever my feet took me,¡± George continued.


    ¡°You¡­ crazy bastard¡­¡± I mumbled.


    I decided not to trust George again.


    ***


    <em>¡®But who the hell are these guys? Why are they here?¡¯</em>


    [God of Sacrifice and Revival, they are¡­]


    <em>¡®G? They¡¯re¡­¡¯</em>


    [They¡¯re uninvited guests. What should we do¡­]


    <em>¡®I</em>[2]<em> don¡¯t know either, noona. Did you invite them?¡¯</em>


    ***


    ¡°Ki-Yeon¡­ Ki-Yeon!¡±


    ***


    <em>¡®Noona, there are strange guys here, damn it¡­¡¯</em>


    1. Alex¡¯s POV ?


    2. Lee Ki-Young¡¯s POV ?


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!